New Site!!
12 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
This will be the final post on wordpress.com!! But fear not, faithful readers…the content will not stop here.
The past few weeks my good friend, Beth, has been working hard to get my new blog site up and running…it will allow me to customize my blog the way I want it and will enable me to run everything by myself…with several mess-ups along the way, I’m sure. If you know anything about CSS (I don’t), throw me a bone and please ignore random HTML errors while I get used to the new programming 
And so, without further adiou, please visit THE (new) NEWLY KNOTTED.COM
~Feath
Now please, never come back here again. I’ve moved. Go away.
But go to my other home, www.thenewlyknotted.com
I will be there…and you’re always welcome.
Barley and Clay will be there, too. Looking like this. Welcome to my life.
Number 1
09 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Housing, Life Tags: laundry, towels
I have calculated (without error) that the hubs and I have a total of 30 (read: THIRTY) towels in our possession. Six (6) of which are intended for the beach or pool, the remaining 24 (yep, twenty-four) for bath use.
Number 2
I hereby retract any “thank yous” you may have gotten from me if your wedding gift were a towel. Even though I registered for them. Even though they are so soft and warm and cuddly. They are ruining my life.
Number 3
I’m totally kidding about the retraction of my gratitude. But seriously…who needs that many towels…and where. did. they. all. come. from?!?
Number 4
Omigod. I totally forgot to check the dryer.
Number 5
Make that 37 towels. And we thought I had a pillow problem. Yikes.
Number 6
I guess my previous calculation was with error after all.
Number 7
Math was never my strong suit.
Number 8
Does anybody need a towel or ten?
Number 9
I bet you’re thinking “At least you probably never run out of clean towels…” Wrong. I do. Isn’t that perplexing? Incredible? Disgusting? Lazy? Rediculous? Funny? (No?) Actually…it’s all of the above.
Number 10
Have I ever mentioned how much I despise laundry? Shall I start a new list? Nahhh…another time.
Number 11
I made chicken casserole for dinner last night, hoping it would cure the ache in my gut and nausea in my head (or whatever…the other way around). It was delicious. It did not cure me. Neither could my doctor this morning. I’m considering donating my body to science. Bad idea? Anywho…I’m posting the chicken casserole recipe under my Food Frenemies section. If you adore your hips the way they are, click no further. Most everything I make is hazzerdous to your hips…or in my case, my zero-pack of non-abs. And everything pairs well with bread.
~Feath
“Pop” Goes the Weasel
07 Sep 2010 1 Comment
in About Me/Us
I wouldn’t call myself a “skittish” person. I don’t jump at the sight of a black cat and I’ve always loved a good thunderstorm, never running for cover under our coffee table like my little sister and our family Bassett Hound, Babs. I was never afraid to walk home after 9pm in college for fear of being attacked without my pepper-spray in tow (in fact, I’ve never owned a can of pepper spray…wouldn’t even know where to buy it.) I grew up a latch-key kid, proud as ever with my (fake) emerald key chain velcro’d to the inside of my Lisa Frank unicorn backpack…I could take care of myself. Before I was 19, I didn’t hate scary movies…would even venture to say that I enjoyed watching the Amityville Horror when I was in 7th grade, relishing in the drama of the lightning storm outside and the dark, cold basement that surrounded me and my middle school best friend.
For the most part, all of the above is still true. Although I would still feel safe walking through the lot of my apartment complex without a personal weapon despite break-in notices once a month, I now watch scary movies through the cracks of my fingers, from opening to closing credits…forget it if there is a lightning storm outside…I don’t need filler-drama in my life anymore, I have a husband and a career.
I think part of me has heard too many true horror stories at the ripe age of 25 to feel the excitement of watching an animated one unfold before my eyes…and it disturbs me to know that the ideas in the movies had to come from someone’s mind. I also have some undeveloped thoughts about the supernatural and whether or not I believe in ghosts and whatnot…I’ve heard some pretty believable stories from some highly reliable sources, even stories that should comfort me in knowing that ghosts live among us…I’m just not so sure I’m ready to embrace that knowledge. And I’m about 118% positive that I would not be okay with waking up to one chillin’ in my bedroom doorway…hey, it’s happened to someone I know…if it had happened to me I’m pretty sure I would not be writing this because either 1) I’d be dead or 2) I’d be locked in a padded room without internet access.
Given everything above, I was reminded this weekend of the one thing that scares me (if not more than anything then at least as much as anything), shakes me to my core for at least a millisecond, and has sometimes even been the reason for me refusing to make Clay’s favorite dinner as promised on a whim. Call me ridiculous, call me full-of-it, call me anything but brave, but it’s true. As a child I couldn’t physically be the one to turn the handle of the Jack-in-the-Box (and come to think of it, I still don’t think I could do it)…maybe it’s the anticipation, maybe it’s the creepy music, maybe it’s the loud “POP!”…but something is very unsettling about that toy and I question the intentions of the old toy maker whom came up with the idea to create a trinket that would later be a prop in about 60% of scary movies, especially ones that involved scenes in children’s bedrooms. What a creep. Anyways…this brings me to my grown-up version of a Jack-in-the-Box. You’ll find it in your grocer’s refrigerator, you’ll probably even look at them longingly on days when you’re trying only to shop for things that are good for you…but for me, they are a source of torture and anxiety, at least until they are “out of the box”, so-to-speak. Friends, meet one of my fears:
…
…
…
…
…
…
Or these:
And yes, I’m totally serious.
Feel free to start making fun of me now.
But on the upside, it’s kept me from eating 4 giant cinnamon rolls for dinner on more than one occasion.
So…I guess that’s good.
Right?
~Feath
Fix It UP
03 Sep 2010 5 Comments
in Photography
Another Fix It Friday!
(I’m thinking maybe I’ll start posting my own photos with before and after editing under my photography/Project Focus section…what do you think?)
Anyways…here is this week’s entry from iHeartFaces, straight-out-of-camera shot (SOOC):
Here is my Fix #1: I used my beloved Lightroom software, crop, crop, cropped, decreased the exposure a bit, and used a preset called “Aged Photo”. I really like the effect of this one.
My fix #2: Crop, crop, again. Adjust exposure, and apply another preset: Yesteryear (2). Kinda vintag-ey, no? Like 70s-80s?
And last but not least, my Fix #3: Again, cropper-McCroppy, exposure (too much!), and a preset called “Hot Potato”. Then some vignetting and cropped corners and viola!
Which one is your favorite?
~Feath
Another List
03 Sep 2010 1 Comment
in About Me/Us, Life
…of things you may or may not know about me…and other random points…
1. I despise MnM’s. It’s true. Skittles are my friend. MnM’s are enemy. Bad MnM’s.
2. When I was little (okay, it happened until I was like 10) my parents had a tradition of taking me to Callaway Gardens to enjoy the water ski tournament on my birthday, which always fell on Memorial Weekend. As the honorary person of the weekend, they used to let/force me sit in the trunk on the way into the parking lot. No birthday girl should pay, right?
3. I once had a mullet. This, is also true. And unfortunate. Not even a femullet. A full-blown, awful 5th-grade mullet. Why, mom? Why?
4. I hate watching scary movies…I change the channel on a preview, even. But once, a few years ago, I booked a 3 day weekend stay in a haunted hotel in Savannah. On purpose. Girls are confusing.
5. I love my puppy. I resent my puppy. I am humored by my puppy. I am irritated by my puppy. Girls are confusing.
6. I’ve never seen Star Wars or Star Trek and don’t really want to. I figure, I got the whole, “Luke, I am your father” part down from seeing (and repeating) Tommy Boy at least 462 times, so I think I’m good.
7. I am stingy. Thanks, dad, for the great quality you passed down. That, and oily skin.
8. There is no food like Mexican food. There is no food like Mexican food. There is no food like Mexican food. Oh crap, I forgot my red slippers.
9. Kids are hilarious. Last night, this little 5-year old boy came up with more excuses not to take his medicine than my little genius brain ever could have (and trust me, I gave it all my might). “My stomach hurts!” “I need my drink!” “No, you hold my drink!” “No, I need to hold my drink!” “No, I don’t want the straw.” “Wait, my hands are sticky!” “My stomach hurts!” “I need to wash my hands, my hands are sticky!” “It’s nasty.” “Wait, I want the little one first” “My hands are sticky!” “I want daddy to give it to me!” “But daddy said he would give it to me!” “I’m cold!” “I don’t need this stuff.”
10. I can’t brush my teeth with cold water. Cold water makes me gag and make faces and…it’s just sad. And disgusting! I mean, you don’t wash your body with cold water, why your teeth??
11. You know those dishes that you have to soak and let sit so that all the, say, baked refried beans will come off easier? I can’t, later, dump out those pans with the slippery sides and floating, cold watered-down, flaky refried beans…it’s a true phobia…and a gag reflex.
12. But I can scrub a toilet!! No problem!! Clorox Magic Wand, you have saved my life! (And my toilet’s.) (And my gag reflex’s.)
13. My yoga pants have lost their power to encourage me to work out with Jillian. Did I wash the magic dust out of them? I’m sure that’s what happened…after all, I want to work out. I wore those pants WITH a sports bra for like, 6 hours on Monday…and nothing happened. I waited and waited. And waited. And ate a slice of Publix red velvet cake. And waited. And cooked Mexican food. And finally I cursed my yoga pants and switched them out for my trusty PJ pants. They always do their job.
14. The only thing between me and a great weekend is 3 loads of laundry, a full dishwasher, and my sofa which refuses to let me get up.
15. But we’re gonna fight it out. Right now.
16. Latest score: Couch 4, Feath 0.
Happy Labor Day Weekend! May you labor little and weekend much!
(Yes, I just made “weekend” a verb. I like it that way.)
~Feath
Proof of the Prize
02 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Good Things, Life, Photography Tags: camera, Epiphanie, giveaway, lens, photography
This is for my dad…cynical as he is…not believing that winning something for free was actually possible…
It’s here!! This photo was taken on my back porch…that backs up into the parking garage. And smells of golden retriever pee…no, this is not speculation…I don’t have a nose for retriever pee…I lay eyes on him and his raised leg constantly. It’s a nice scene. Who needs an ocean view when I have this?
I digress.
Bag to the camera bag…I’m in love.
And just in time for UGA football season, no less.
I think I’ll name her Carla. Carla sounds red and spicy, right?
I also broke down and bought another lens…shhhh.
(What?? I couldn’t have any empty pockets hanging out in there. Duh.)
Back to work for one more night before the long labor day weekend.
~Feath
