Then there were two...

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I have set-up a seperate blog for anyone seeking advice. I do have a disclaimer for it and it's on the header of the page. I have a disclaimer there, not because I give bad advice--since I research the topic of discussion before I give advice--but because people are sueing people left and right and sometimes people just need a scapegoat for not wanting to take responsibility for their actions. YOU choose to use my advice or not, I DON'T force you to.
So if you need advice check it out. I have the link off to the side with some other links that I find useful or check my profile and go to the bottom of the page where it shows what blogs I manage and it's there. The name of it is Advice Column. I know, catchy, right? Anyways, I have one up already from an experience I have dealt with more than once and which I know is a very tough topic for many people. If you have any questions that you want to ask, leave it as a comment under the newest topic up for discussion and I will post it. Remember you can choose to leave anonymous comments, there is a button for that. Unless I am mistaken that I feel real stupid right now. Hope to hear some good questions because I can't think up of them all on my own.

Christmas Gifts!

Share with me the wonderful gifts you got. I love hearing what joy or not so joy people have been given. I am big on family and presents to me aren't that big of a deal but I personally don't like gifts that I can't use but I ALWAYS say Thank you to the person who gave it to me. Even if it was something that I can't or won't use.

So here is some items that I received for Christmas.
-Knots Berry Farms Jams, Jelly's, Buttermilk Pancake Mix and Biscuit Mix, and Syrup set. Knots berry farm items are really expensive but I am not one who likes jams or jelly's but I know why I got it and it was because I kept asking for buttermilk to make homemade buttermilk pancakes, since I have the recipe and the really funny thing is that my cousin got my grandma the EXACT same thing. Since she already made the pancakes I know that they are delicious.
-Travel Auto Pro Safety Kit. I already have one but my dad didn't remember and he got it for me because I am so fearful of my car since it always breaks down on me. So he just wanted me to be prepared.
-Pink Tee with Bear and hearts design. I don't know why but both of my grandparents always have this idea that I like pink so they send me things that are pink. I am not a fan of pink in the least but I will wear the shirt cause it's comfortable and it matches a pair of pajama pants that I have perfectly.
-Pair of Dangling Earrings. My little brother got them for me and I don't mind jewelry it's just I can't wear them unless they are hypo-allergenic and their not but I wore them for a bit just because he really wanted me to.
-A Nail Care Kit. I get one of these every year from my step-mom. I am not that much into beauty or the upkeep of my nails but I can always use another nail clipper because either my brother or my sister always takes all of mine.
-3.5mm Wireless FM Transmitter. I have an Mp3 player and I have a stereo in my car that has a jack for a cord that can hook up to my Mp3 player so I can listen to my songs but I didn't have one and this one can work with not only my car stereo but my home stereo too. All I have to do is hook up my Mp3 player and tune the station to the station on the Transmitter and that station is reserved to play my Songs from the Mp3 Device.
-$50 spending money. I am a hard person to shop for since I like very particular things. Especially when it comes to my art supplies so I got money to buy whichever thing I need. It may seem impersonal to some but I like the fact of money rather than gift cards because I hate being stuck at a store that I either don't like or things I won't buy (ex. Hollister clothing or coach purses). This way the person who gave me it knows that since they couldn't find anything that I would want that would fit me perfectly that I could get something that would. Because who knows me better than me, right.

The best part about my Christmas was not the receiving of gifts but spending time with my family. I got to see my Dad for Christmas and I usually don't get to see him that often or hang out with him. It just sucks that I was sick and I was puking out my guts but I got to spend it with him no less. And I had extra fun becasue me and my step-sister made tons of sugar cookies although I like homemade ones better, ones from the packages tend to be ok.

What will happen now that Barack Obama is President!

Now that Barack Obama is president of the free world, I can honestly say that there will definitely be change. I don't agree with some of his ideas and yet I agree with others that he has made. Most times our presidents our just full of empty promises, I have yet to see TRUE CHANGE that was meant from in the beginning. I have seen change though. I cannot predict the future, so I am not sure what the future under Barack Obama as a leader will be. And it's hard to say that I think that there will be economic growth because like the war with President Bush, things seem to be going well then a huge storm hit. Things can turn very quickly so instead of THINK that the future under his leadership will be for the better, I will instead HOPE that we will receive the best outcome from our choosing in leaders and I will do what I can to help the economic growth in my community and possibly nationally. That's what we were founded on. Coming together as a nation, as a whole and striving to work for one common goal. I don't believe in setting all the hardships and struggles to one person to deal with. That is what most people believe the president is there to do. But this is not true. A leader is in place to keep us motivated, to give us guidance, and hope when everything seems to be going wrong. A leader is to set the goals and we are here to help achieve them as a whole. So I do believe that there will be positive changes in the future, but only if we as a whole strive to achieve it and continue it's up keep. Maybe now that we have shown change with our choosing of the first African-American President, then maybe we can continue to grow and prosper towards our other goals. But what the future holds for us is still uncertain for one can never exact the future. All we can do is take our goals and accomplish them day by day and not get ahead of ourselves; as we sometimes do.


This was my enty for the state the "O" campaign on brickfish.com please vote for me by visiting my profile and campaigns at brickfish.com/erica_ryoko

Christmas Joy!

I just love the Christmas spirit! Mainly because it's a time where my family comes together, as with any other. We don't dwell on who gets the most presents or who gets the best present. We all just gather around each other, watch old movies, cook tons of family sweets, we talk, tell stories, and play games.
This year I am especially excited about the cooking of sweets because as part of our tradition, the oldest relative passes down one of their favorite recipes from our secret family recipes to someone of the younger generation; and this year it was me! I got my Great Grandma Cook's Carmel Nut Log recipe from my Grandma Kuntz. Everyone thought that it was a duplicate of the recipe but no, it's the original recipe that my great grandma came up with herself. Because of this tradition and the passing of the oldest recipe, I get to come up with a family recipe to add to the rest of them that will be unveiled for the first time on Christmas Day!! Not only do I have to create a new recipe but I have to successfully make the recipe that was handed to me. I can hardly wait. I have always been told of the tradition and waited every year to be part of it, although cooking with the family is part of the tradition, the recipe passing down tradition I was always expecting since I am really the only one of my generation out of my siblings and cousins that is excited about cooking and baking. Since I was little, and first heard this tradition, I would think up and perfect many different recipes that I would like to add but it's finally time to choose and it's kind of nerve racking because I don't know which recipe of mine to choose or if I should make up a new one all together. I know though that it either has to be a main dish or a dessert. SO EXCITED!!
I just love our family tradition and I just had to share it. People always say that Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends, but how many people actually follow through with that?? I know I do and I will continue to look forward to it. Yeah our family is as dysfunctional as the rest and we have our fights, but we have a really close bond that other people would just wish they had. I hope others can be like my family one day, just with their own little touches; because a family just isn't a family if they don't have their traditions and believes and most of all, each other. This year, I wish everyone the best and that they are thankful(because of the "economic depression") for just being with their family and friends and to whom ever they are close with. That's all that really matters because when the gifts are gone, family will still be there.
HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Neopets

Yes, I have a neopets account. I find it very relaxing and they have a lot of different games such as: educational, card, adventure, and more... If you want come check it out! My Neopets are happy to see you!











And of course they are sad to see you leave, but they are glad like I am that you stopped by and checked out my blog!

Other things I love to do.

I want to share with everyone some things that I love to do besides sketching and photography. There are as follows:

Spending time with my family:Family is very important to me so I try to spend time with them or talk to them as much as possible. Even though we have the great invention called the phone, I still love using my penmanship to write letters to relatives. It's just nice to get letters and sometimes they will keep them which just makes my heart tingle with joy.
Sewing:mostly by hand, I am honestly afraid of sewing machines. I design and make dresses for dances and cos-plays. Sometimes I just design the dress and ask someone else to make it
ScrapBooking:I do this as a side job kind of. People pay me to make specialized scrapbooks for things like weddings and vacation trips. I am trying to make preset scrapbooks that way people can add their own photos
Cross-stitching and Latch hooking:not that good yet at the cross-stitching, good at latch hooking, I make pillows and rugs out of then and sell them
Carpentry:I have only worked on projects that are additions to houses so far. I have made sheds, decks, wells, patio coverings, make rooms, stairs...that's all I can think of so far
Landscaping:My dad always put our landscape together, from the trees to the grass to the flowers, I love setting up landscapes for people.
Painting:I have sold two pieces to an art collector, I plan to possibly sell more in the future
Sculpting/Ceramics:I love making things with clay. it's so fun and it's sort of like baking in a sense
Tutoring:I love helping kids who are struggling to learn certain things. It's just amazing to see their faces light-up when they achieve a grade in the subject(s) that they were having difficulty in and I love teaching them strategies on how to remember information.
Child Care/Home Care/Pet Care:My mom used to do Day Care when I was growing up. I liked helping out so I started doing it when I turned 12. I worked out a system or pay group so that I can help all classes of people. From single parents with low income, to both parents with either one or two income. I would adjust my rate of pay per hour depending on their financial situation. That's why most people chose me, well that and I am CPR certified, I know how to work with kids that have disabilities, and on rare occasions I would watch either adults with disabilities or elderly people whose families were afraid to leave them home alone. They were nice to talk to and I learned a lot from them. I haven't been doing it recently due to some family issues but I come highly recommended and the kid's and the elderly can't wait to see me again. While my neighbors and friends were out of town, I was the one people left in charge of their pets and home. I was the most responsible and mature out of all the other kids my age and sometimes the older kids. I was very well trusted and never betrayed that trust. And on the days I knew the family would be getting home. I would make cookies and leave them in their kitchen for them, always making sure that I didn't cause any allergic reactions.
Baking:That is the thing I love to do the most. Heck some days I just want to bake for no reason. I can be doing something one minute then poof I want to bake cookies or a cake or any other treat. Cooking treats is a tradition on my mom's side and partially on my dad's side. My grandpa (on my dad's side) loved baking, he actually went to school and got a degree for it.
Fishing/Hunting:I am more partial to the fishing but they both are traditions in my family and I like to keep traditions going. I like what I learned when hunting with my family because if I ever need to I can use that knowledge to get food. I really am not one to hunt for sport that's just is wrong in my view. But my family hunts to teach us the values of creatures and how much food you can get from one type to the other.
Singing:I used to be in choir back in 5th then again in 8th grade. (long story to the years inbetween) I could hit high notes pretty well but not as much so now, sadly I have been exposed to too much second hand smoke. But I still love singing. I do little contests here and there at the local bars and I do karaoke with my family. It's such a great experience.

Well that's all I can think of for now, I know there's more because I try my hardest to experience a little bit of everything. That way I can understand different things and I am more cultured in knowledge about them. Plus I love the idea of being able to use my experiences in jobs and careers. I wanted to share what I did with you all just because. Do I really have to have a reason to share?? And I know it's probably on my complete profile but oh well. No harm in saying things twice.