I was a Gemini and now am a Taurus

According to gradual changes in the Earth's alignment the dates of many zodiac signs have changed, according to a NBC news report.
In addition, there may be a 13th zodiac sign: Ophiuchus (November 29 to December 17) for those born after 2009.

I don't think so!
Not that their is anything wrong with a Taurus, who is known to be compassionate, dependable, loyal/reliable, stubborn, sensitive and aggressive.

That's just not me.

I am cheerful/friendly, good at communication, inquisitive, flexible, selfish (sometimes), restless, a confused personality and find it hard to be punctual (that hit the nail on the head)

Born May 21 - June 20
A Gemini is:
Dual-natured, elusive, complex temperament and contradictory are terms that best describe a Gemini. A Gemini is capable of the virtue of versatility and the vices of two faced-ness and flightiness at the same time. Never boring, she loves communicating and gossiping. Her talk is not rubbish, rather interesting and informative. Ruled by the Mercury planet, Gemini's often get easily bored, impatient and frustrated by things that move slowly. Basically, they are intelligent, imaginative, lively and adaptable to any situation and person.

Gemini people are very active. They easily get mentally distracted and hover between alternatives. Though they feel less confident and have less faith in themselves, they are unaware about the capability of using their flexible mind in a surprising numerous ways to their benefit. With a highly flexible body, Gemini people love agile sports like gymnastics, bicycling, swimming and others. Due to their love for talking, they spend less time on eating and hence, generally stay fairly slim and fit. Belonging to a dual sign, Gemini people are chameleons, as they blend well with their environment and at the same time, stand out apart in a gathering with witty remarks and seemingly limitless knowledge.

Gemini people are very attractive when they are good, but when they are bad, they are worse than what one can expect (that means don't mess with me - you'll be sorry). They love to play the game of life (life is a game, right?!) filled with fresh moves and continuous entertainment. Changing decisions in the mid of a race distinguishes a Gemini from the rest, as sticking to a particular decision is difficult for them. Affectionate, courteous, kind, generous and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering: a Gemini exposes these traits only when they do not interfere with their personal lives. They are smart enough to use their outward attractiveness to achieve their goals, be it unscrupulous lying, cunning evasiveness or escaping blame by contriving to put it on others.

When happy, a Gemini is honest and straightforward but when things go against him, he can sulk like a kid. Furthermore, a Gemini demands attention, admiration, energy and money, and dedication of time on him during childhood.

Gemini makes a charming companion and you are lucky enough if you have a Gemini friend, they are the best person to give advice. She judges a person by the way they treat her rather than looking into their personal qualities and traits (I've become friends with some really interesting people because of this and been stab in the back too - Live and Learn).

It's not all good being a Gemini but that's who I am!
~Patricia

*********************************************
I want to add an update to this post.
Many news reports have come out stating
"The new astrological calendar is irrelevant to western astrology which uses the Tropical zodiac, which is not constellation based, as opposed to eastern astrology which uses the Sidereal Zodiac, which is constellation based .. The changes implicit in the Precession of the Equinoxes, which is what the new calendar is based upon, has been underway for thousands of years, which we as astrologers have always known about."
If you want to know more, search the web for information on the Tropical Zodiac/Western Astrology.
To get started you can visit this blog post a reader sent me from Anchored in Astrology

One Boy One Girl Boutique - Cyber Week Sale

Enjoy 15% off your purchase from
OneBoyOneGirlBoutique.com
and
OneBoyOneGirl on etsy
by using coupon code: HOLIDAY2010
sale dates: November 30 - December 7, 2010

In pur Etsy shop you will find over 70 ready to ship items including
Button Pony O's, Rings, Wallets and Aprons

New custom items available on our Website and Etsy
include Headbands, New Bling Shirts and Sparkle Leggings

Stop by and Take advantage of this special savings
http://oneboyonegirlboutique.com
http://oneboyonegirl.etsy.com

*December 12th is the last day Custom orders will be accepted

~Patricia

Chicken with Bumblefoot - warning not for the squeamish

What the heck is wrong with my chickens foot?! Is she growing a new toe, why is she limping, hmm she's holding her foot up, Why?

I spend time with my chickens each day but I obviously don't pay attention to their feet (lesson learned). All the girls seem happy and healthy but I had no idea something was festering on the bottom of Dragon's foot.

Dragon is a year and half old Red Star hen.
A few days ago I was asking my self the very questions above.
Upon close inspection of her foot I knew something was wrong but what and how do I fix it without spending a fortune taking her to a vet.

Unfortunately I did not take a picture of her foot, I really wish I had because I know it would be helpful to other backyard chicken friends.

Here's what I saw:
Dragon had a large scab like abscess on the top of her foot and her foot was swollen.
On the bottom of the foot was the source of her discomfort, a 3mm sized black flat scab.

My first instinct was wanting to pick off the abscess, which is what I ended up doing but not until I had my Country Girl-friend take a look.

I knew this wasn't something I should jump into on my own.

When Country Girl first saw Dragon she said "Why didn't you take care of this a long time ago"

Yes, I'm a bad chicken mommy, I didn't notice it.
Really, I feel awful saying that.

Country Girls instinct was the same as mine, she yanked the abscess off.
Maybe we should have sanitized the affected area first but we Are in the country

Ok, YOU should clean the chickens foot prior to performing this surgery that ended up taking almost 2 hours!

my disclaimer
This entire procedure was a learn as you go experience for me.
If you find yourself in this same position I suggest you follow your chicken mommy (or daddy) instincts and do what is best for you and your chicken. You will find a lot of helpful information about bumblefoot on the web, research before you start or as you go along, like I did.

supplies needed:
towel
paper towels
gauze
vet wrap
tweezers
scalpel or needle
warm water
epsom salt
antibiotic ointment/solution (i.e. neosporin, betadin)

Here's the nitty gritty of what we did and some really gross pictures for those of you that like that stuff.

* to help the chicken relax, wrap her in a towel covering her head and body
leaving the injured foot exposed
* lay her on her side on your lap

* soak chickens foot in a warm water epsom salt solution
* remove abscess from top of foot
* puss may be under the abscess or it may be deeper but this is only the beginning
* using a sanitized scalpel or needle start to remove the bumble from the bottom of the foot
* carefully scrap away the hard bumble from the good tissue
* use tweezers as you go along to pull out chunks

the first part of this will be hard and scab like, under that
is a condensed puss root (I have no other better way to describe it)
you need to remove all of this and yes it is deep and there can be a lot



Several of these condensed puss roots were removed.
Each time one was removed you could feel her foot pad getting softer.
We knew we were getting the source of her problem out.









Like I mentioned it took a long time to do this.
We soaked her foot a couple times to help soften the bumble during the procedure.
In my opinion, Dragon was relaxed, she rarely tried to pull her foot away.

When we were sure we removed all the bumble we soaked her foot in another epsom salt bath and dried her foot completely.
The only ointment I had was neosporin.
We applied a generous amount to the top and bottom of her foot.
I also did not have vet wrap so I used gauze and medical/bandage tape to wrap her foot.

look at this great wrap job



Here she was right after the surgery







Here she is the morning after



This morning I removed the her gauze bandage





I put betadine on the top and bottom of the wound.
Put new gauze on the wounds and wrapped the foot in vet wrap.



My goal is to keep her foot dry and clean.
I will change her bandage at least once a day and apply antibiotic ointment or solution to fend off bacteria and help her foot heal.

**What I've learned
bumblefoot is caused by small wounds or injury to the chickens foot. This could be from stepping on a thorn or nail also from a chicken jumping off high places causing bruising that can result in the bumble. The bumble starts out on the bottom of the foot eventually causing swelling.
Left un-noticed (like mine) an abscess will form on the top of the foot, usually between the toes. If the bumble is not treated the chicken may eventually die from infection.
After treating the abscess it can return if the entire bumble has not been removed.

Visit my flickr account for additional photos and check back for bumble foot updates.

~Patricia

Easy - Patriotic 4th of July Cupcake - How To

These cupcakes are show stopper!

• Make your favorite Yellow/White Box Cake or scratch recipe.
• When the batter is made, divide into equal 3 parts
• Add blue food coloring to one part and red to another, until desired color is reached
  
• Use a spoon to add each color to the cupcake tins one at a time
• Bake according to recipe instructions
• When cool, add icing using a pastry bag with decorative tip
• Don't forget the Sprinkles ;)

YUMMY

~Patricia

20% off Patriotic Bling Tee's

BIN get it in time for the 4th of July

Custom Firecracker Bling T

Custom MADE in the USA Bling T for Boys and Girls

You can find these shirts & more in my etsy shop, eBay and my website.

~Patricia

Painted Shirt - Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial

Freezer Paper Stencils are a quick and easy craft for the whole family.
You may already have many of the supplies around the house.

Supply List:
printer or pencil to draw your own design
freezer paper
material or shirt
Xacto knife
cutting mat
iron or heat press
fabric paint
stipple or spouncer paint brush
tapered foam brush
tweezers

Step 1


Cut the freezer paper to size. It will need to be larger than the design to avoid getting paint outside the intended design area.
Draw or Print directly onto the freezer paper.
If printing be sure to print on the non-wax side of the paper.
Also, text does Not need to be in mirror image. How you see the design on the freezer paper is exactly how it will look on the material.

Step 2


Using a sharp Xacto knife, cut the design out of the freezer paper.

Time Saving Tip: If you plan to make multiples of the same design, stack and tape additional blank freezer sheets under the printed design and cut all at once.

Step 3


Lay out the design on the material, shinny side down.
Follow the heating instructions on the freezer paper box to apply the design to the material.



All the designs I made had elements within that I did not want painted.
Using the pieces cut out of the freezer paper, place and iron where desired.



Step 5


Gather your painting supplies.
Above is a picture of a Spouncer Sponge and a Stipple Brush.
I prefer to apply paint with a Spouncer because I feel it is less likely to cause the paint to bleed under the edge of the paper. But I have used both...
use what you have on hand or what you prefer.



Above is the Jacquard Lumiere Metallic Silver paint I used
and a tapered foam brush.
Note: I did not use the regular bristle paint brush in this project.

Prior to applying the paint put a sheet of freezer paper between the layers of the material to prevent bleed through.

Now your ready to paint!
First use the spouncer/stipple brush.
Dip the brush into the paint.
When stippling it is important not to use too much paint. You do not want the brush dripping.
If needed tap the brush on a paper towel to remove excess paint.

To stipple: use light pressure dabbing the brush up and down on the surface of the material.
Apply one thin, even layer of paint.
Allow to dry to the touch and apply additional coats until desired effect is reached.



After I apply my last coat with the stipple method, I gently sweep a tapered foam brush over the design in one direction. I feel it creates a smooth even finish.

Step 6


Allow paint to dry completely.

Step 7


Remove stencil.
For tough areas use pointed craft tweezers to gently scrape the paper off.



Step 8 (optional)
Some fabric paint requires heat setting to allow for the item to be washed, others do not.
Read the instructions that came with your fabric paint.

The Jacquard I used does require heat setting.
Per the manufacturers instructions:
Air dry for 24 hours, heat set by ironing both sides for 30 seconds at temperature suited to fabric. After heat set, colors are washable or drycleanable.

Here's your completed shirt



For more freezer stencil shirt ideas, visit my Flickr account.

~Patricia

New Painted Tee

Here's another for the Boys Painted T collection



These shirts are so much fun to make! I snapped a bunch of pic's..tutorial coming :)

~Patricia