"New" Old Direction

So I'm not sure what I was thinking when I created this blog. I can hardly keep up with my original blog, so why have two?! Anyway, I am now directing you back to the original. I posted the same Friday Fill In there and will continue to post from that blog. Who cares if craftiness and regular-ness (nice word, huh?) collide?! I don't...anymore. I don't have enough content to keep either one interesting, so maybe it'll be better if they are one. Who knows?! What I really want to do is start from scratch. But that would be giving up, I suppose...


Oh and I'm finally getting the grasp of Flickr and importing pictures....so they shouldn't be as distorted as before. That in itself should be a perk in reading the "new" old blog!

Friday Fill-In

It's been exactly three months since I've written a post, so I figure it's about time I start again! I have been reading Sara's blog, Lazy Knits and Purls for a few months and each Friday she participates in Friday Fill-in. I love reading what she has to say and have been inspired to do write my own Friday Fill-in each week. Plus, if I actually remember to do it each week, it may help me to compose other posts throughout the week...maybe...

On to the Fill In:

1. The last band I saw live was Jack’s Mannequin. **

2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes. Pretty pathetic, I know.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is spent with Keri.
4. Thoughts of escaping fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear the clothes I wore in college.
6. Bagpipes and kilts.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to driving to Sebastian to have a “big girl” slumber party with Rachel and Kate, tomorrow my plans include geocaching and meeting the man of my dreams (Donald Miller book tour!!) and Sunday, I want to go to Rachel’s church and not rush home.

**The picture is of Jack's Mannequin in West Palm Beach at the Blue Martini on Sept. 26. I actually saw them (Well, only Andy) again on Sept. 28 at Icabod's in Fort Myers. Sorry for the poor photo quality!

Fabric Giveaway

This morning when I logged into Twitter, I saw a tweet about a fabric giveaway. Free fabric...I am all about that! I checked out the link and it lead me to this wonderful blog called "i have to say...". Randi has a fabric store on Etsy called Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. Her fabrics are beautiful and I am partial to the name since my store here on Captiva is called Fresh Squeezed.
So anyway, back to her blog...Randi is offering up remnants from her shop in a giveaway. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment on her blog answering a simple question.


I just realized this would have been better suited for me to post in Daydream Believer...oh well.

Five Songs, Second Edition

I've been composing more song lists this week. It's been rather fun. I've busted out my old iPod and have been rocking out to music I haven't listened to in years! Anyway, here are today's lists:

Five Favorite Cover Songs (in no particular order):
1. Starfish and Coffee by Matt Nathanson (Prince Cover)
2. Such Great Heights by Iron and Wine (The Postal Service Cover)
3. Jenny (867-5309) by Less Than Jake (Tommy Tutone Cover)
4. Tainted Love by Soft Cell (Gloria Jones Cover)
5. Maybe I'm Amazed by Jem (Paul McCartney Cover)

and

Five Songs That Have Been Declared "Kara's Song" mostly by friends:
1. Glamorous by Fergie
2. Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-lot
3. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
4. Dancing Queen by Abba
5. Roses by Outkast

One more list, just for fun!

Five Songs I've sung KARAoke:
1. Who's Bed Have Your Boots Been Under by Shania Twain
2. Paradise City by Guns and Roses
3. All Out of Love by Air Supply
4. Dancing Queen by Abba
5. Hello Dolly by Louis Armstrong

Five Songs

So lately, everyone seems to be filling out the "Five Things" on Facebook. One that I was going to do was the "Five Favorite Songs", but honestly I love music too much to pick just five songs. So, I'm going to compile multiple "Five Favorite Songs" lists.

Tonight's edition:

Five Country Songs That Move Me (in no particular order)
1) Independence Day by Martina McBride
2) Bring on the Rain by Jo Dee Messina
3) Good Morning Beautiful by Steve Holy
4) Something More by Sugarland
5) Johnny and June by Heidi Newfield

and

Five Songs that Make Me Thankful for Road Trips With My Older Brother When I Was in Middle School (also in no particular order)
1) Say It Ain't So by Weezer
2) Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms
3) Superman's Dead by Our Lady Peace
4) Shimmer by Fuel
5) Good by Better Than Ezra


Stay tuned for more lists. Like I said in my earlier post- work is SLOW!

Tweet tweet

I finally caved and joined twitter yesterday. You can find me @karawilliamson. I have a feeling that this will quickly become an unhealthy addiction.
It has been so slow in the store lately and I've been glued to the internet. I also read four books in five days. Yeah...it's been reallllllly slow. Right now, I'm working on Kate's traveling scarf and jamming out to Eurythmics on the light rock station we have playing in the store.
The song "Here Comes the Rain" is quite appropriate, as it has been continuously raining for the last week. I'd like to blame the lack of sales on the rain, but the truth is the island seems abandoned since Easter. Things should pick up again this weekend because Memorial Day is Monday. Rumor has it that the resort is close to sold out in June and July. That'll be great for business.

It's a gorgeous Saturday...

And no one is shopping! Everyone is at the beach. :(

I've been here at Fresh Squeezed for 8 1/2 hours with another 2 left. I am bored. I haven't had a sale since 11 o'clock this morning. Hopefully I'll have a 6 o'clock hour like last night...I sold over $1000 in one hour. It was a great way to end the night and start the month.

On the bright side when I leave tonight at 7:15, I don't have to be back until 1pm on Monday. Yay for half of a weekend! I'm going to check out Summit Church again in the morning. Afterwards my condo is in desperate need of cleaning!

Q&A

I recently participated in a book swap on Craftster. One of the books my partner sent me was Q&A by Vikas Swarup. Q&A is the novel that the movie Slumdog Millionaire is based upon.
I really enjoyed the movie. I even saw it twice in the theater (not something I do often) and my sister and I have been known to rock out in the car to the soundtrack. Needless to say, I was really excited to read the book.

But oh my- the movie could not be any more different then the book! Only two of the characters even have the same name and their roles are different as well! There was the same plot, but all the details were different! Despite this, I still enjoyed both the movie and the book. I just have to think of them as two separate things with similar themes.

If you like to read, I suggest you get Q&A. If not, watch the movie. Both were great!

Geocaching

I've been geocaching for two years now. Annie introduced me to the sport in April of 2007. I love it, but I don't do it as much as I'd like. I've come to the conclusion that I only geocache when I have someone with me. So I've decided to try geocaching on my own. I've successfully found two all by myself...woohoo! One of which is at my favorite cemetery in the entire world on Captiva Island. I had no idea there was a cache there. I had even brought Annie and Kate there on two different occasions!
Today when I was on the geocaching site to log my visit, I decided to do a search of caches in my area. I was astonished to find that there are 65 geocaches within a five mile radius of my house! I've probably have found only five of those! Just what I needed-something else to add to my to-do list!
These are my two favorite tombstones at the Chapel by the Sea Cemetery.

What was he thinking?!

A few weeks ago, I was working in Outfitters when I happened to look outside and see this.

Yes, that man is clinging to the mast of that sailboat! Crazy, right?! What is even crazier is there were gusts of wind exceeding 35mph that day. I believe it's Rob, the Harbour Master, repairing the sail, but I was so far away I couldn't get a good look.
After a little while, I saw him shimmy down the pole, but I still haven't figured out how he got up there to begin with...

I am NOT a Lilly Girl

Annie lent me this book, "Love Walked In" by Marisa De Los Santos a couple of weeks ago and I finished reading it a few days ago. There were some points in the beginning, (that really didn't have much to do with the plot) that really struck a cord with me. They put words to ideas I've always known.

"There was a clothing boutique her mother called "Instant WASP" that sold crisp, expensive clothes in candy pink, daisy-eye yellow, tree-frog green, and also sold matching mother-daughter Lilly Pulitzer dress that made Clare and her mother roll their eyes at each other and say, "I wouldn't be caught dead!" (pg. 56)

I am not a Lilly girl. I never have been. A part of me always wanted to be a Lilly girl, but it wasn't written. I've wanted to identify with some sort of group, but never have. I've always just been me.

I'll never forget the time in high school when one of the so-called "Goths" declared, "If the Preps can do it, so can we!" as I entered through the exit door of the lunchroom with my friends, Beth and Nicole. It was the first time I had been labeled. It made me laugh a lot. Me? A prep? I liked having a category despite it not accurately depicting me. Perhaps that day I had been wearing a polo shirt, but I assure you the next day it was something entirely different. I wonder what that kid thought when later that year, I dyed my hair black and had a pixie cut?!

You see, I can never stay one thing for too long. I keep trying new looks, longing to find my place in society, when all along it's been there. My fashion sense is as eclectic as my taste in music and that's okay. I don't need to fit a mold. I rather like the fact that my Vera Bradley hipster is covered with "Go green", "Hot Hot Heat", and "I'm Betting on Alice" buttons- it throws people off.

I've been searching for the "real" me for some time now (and not just with fashion). I have a BA that I haven't put to use. I've worked various jobs in the three years since my college graduation, but have yet to find my calling.

"The truth was, I was treading water and had been for some time. If you're wondering why a thirty-something woman who had gone to all the trouble of attending a university and slogging through medieval allegorical text had risen no higher on the career food chain than cafe manager, I don't blame you. I wondered myself. And the best answer I've come up with was that I hadn't figured out anything better- not yet. If I were to ever have a full-fledged vocation, as opposed to a half-assed avocation, I needed to love it and, in my experience, it isn't always easy to figure out what you love." (page 5)

Okay, so I'm only twenty-something, studied Latin American History and work in a Lilly Pulitzer boutique, but the semblance is there. I haven't figured out anything better- not yet. But I am getting there...

Rosa Loves

Rosa Loves is an incredible organization based out of St. Augustine. It was founded by Flagler grads in 2006. It's a grassroots project that raises money and awareness through it's tee shirt sales. The profit from each style goes towards a specific story. I purchased my first (of many) Rosa Loves' shirt last week. The story is Simple Machine.

Be sure to check them out and purchase a shirt (or two)!

President Obama visits Fort Myers

After Katie's comment on my previous post, I decided I would write a little more about the economic situation in Fort Myers. Earlier this week, President Obama visited Elkhart, Indiana and Fort Myers, Florida to talk with people about unemployment and foreclosures in these hard hit areas as well as promote his economic stimulus plan. An article was published in the New York Times on Monday, February 8 discussing Lee County and Lehigh Acres in particular. This was seriously heartbreaking for me as Lehigh is where I grew up and most of my family still lives there. My father is a local real estate broker and he was featured in the NY Times article.
In the midst of President Obama's town hall meeting here in Fort Myers on Tuesday, he was informed that the senate had passed his economic stimulus plan. So here's to hoping we see some improvement soon...

South Seas

Nearly two years ago, I swore that I wasn't going to work in retail again. I had to take back that statement "due to the current state of the economy" (haven't heard that enough lately). I am happy to have found employement after being laid off on December 1, 2008. Although, it's not my ideal job, I'm still one lucky gal. The unemployment rate in Fort Myers is roughly 10% which is 3% higher than the national average.
I got word of the Retail Sales Consultant position through one of my former student's parents. I was babysitting Charlotte one night in early January when her mother, Jackie, asked me how my job hunt was going. We started talking about what I had done prior to teaching. She told me that she was pretty certain her husband had a retail position available. David is the Director of Retail Operations for South Seas Island Resort.
One thing lead to another and now I am joyfully employed.
I currently split my time between South Seas Island Outfitters and Fresh Squeezed. SSIO is located on the Yacht Harbour and sells mostly logo apparel and fishing gear. Fresh Squeezed is a Lilly Pulitzer Via Shop located just outside of the resort.
Despite it being a retail position, it is also a resort position. I have follow the retail procedures as well as the resort's procedures which is proving to be quite interesting.

Pink Hats

I decided to start a non-crafty blog last week, but didn't know what my first post should be about. I chose the title Pina Coladas and Pink Hats, because that is what I called one of my favorite days ever, in July 2006. It was Jessica and Buck's housewarming party when they moved to Orlando. I had just purchased a pink hat- Kentucky Derby style and we drank Pina Coladas all afternoon.

So I've been pondering what to write about when I received a Craftster swap package from zuliblu. In it was a PINK HAT!