PhoenixFire Designs Sale
Love is in the air this weekend and I love my fans! So I’m running a sale this weekend now through Monday. Use coupon code LUVU15 at checkout to save 10% on any order!
Use code LUVU15 to save 10% off any PhoenixFire Designs purchase now through Monday February 16th, 2015!
Been eyeing a rainbow moonstone full moon tree of life pendant? Maybe my glow in the dark full moon tree of life pendant? Or one of my new wire wrapped heart necklaces? Perhaps you’ve wanted to get a custom family birthstone tree of life pendant to celebrate family? It’s ALL included with the coupon code!
But hurry! Discount only good through Monday, February 16th 2015.
Excuse me, have you seen 2014 around here anywhere?
So…um, this is awkward. I’ve been meaning to write an entry for awhile now and it looks like it’s been more than two months since I last did. Whoops. And here we are not only in 2015, but midway through the second month of 2015. Yeah sorry about that.
I did get around to making a fun infographic summing up my PhoenixFire Designs year-in-review over on TreeofLifePendants.com, but…I apparently never got around to doing any kind of recap here, nor any sort of new year post either. So let’s see if I can do a quick drive-by of 2014 and an update of what’s going on now.
January 2014
Hrm, looks like nothing terribly memorable, with perhaps the exception of my now quasi-famous shot of Ginger:
My beautiful little fuzzbutt, Ginger.
Which wound up later in the year being voted as one of the sample images used by iPrintfromHome.com calibration pack.
February 2014
Had some problems with my car on Love’s birthday. It was the start of me eventually having my mechanic disconnect my overdrive gear since it was getting stuck engaged which left my car stalling out as a result.
March 2014
I literally didn’t write a single entry that month apparently. The final weekend of the month I did my first ever stint as a guest vendor at the Bay Area Ren Fest though.
PhoenixFire Designs booth premiering for the first time at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival March 31st, 2014.
April 2014
Little FLÖÖF cat, Ginger celebrated her first birthday on April 1st. Aw…my fluffy orange girl.
I also got invited back to do the final weekend of the Bay Area Ren Fest again:
Me! (Miss M. Turner) of PhoenixFire Designs in front of my booth for the second week in a row on the final weekend of the Bay Area Renaissance Festival, April 2014
And, I continued to have problems with my car stalling out. (We still hadn’t figured out the source of the problem at this point.)
May 2014
Well, May is always my birthday month. So I turned 37 on May 16th 2014.
I got my awesome EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens for my birthday. It’s a beast. L-glass quality (even according to Cannon) but without the official designation because they don’t ever officially label crop-body lenses with the “L” designation.
June 2014
Ginger’s photo (shown earlier) was a finalist in June and would eventually win one of 8 spots in the iPrintfromHome.com sample calibration kit I mentioned.
I made my first ever tree incorporating genuine diamonds for a custom order:
Custom Birthstone Tree of Life Pendant and Matching Bird Nest Pendant set in sterling silver and featuring freshwater pearl (birthstone for June), Aquamarine (birthstone for March) and natural rough diamond (birthstone for April.) Bird nest has the same three gemstones. By PhoenixFire Designs
July 2014
No blog entries posted this month either.
I received my custom cut, massive 16mm blue flash natural rainbow moonstones from my supplier:
Which allowed me to introduce the stunning, LARGE natural rainbow moonstone full moon tree of life pendant people had long requested:
Stunning large natural blue flash rainbow moonstone full moon tree of life pendants in your choice of eco-friendly reclaimed and recycled solid Argentium sterling silver or striking black wire. By PhoenixFire Designs and available on etsy.
August 2014
August. Ugh, that was a month. August 1st, Love was in a major accident and our beloved Element was totaled. Love was ok – really battered, bruised and sore – but he walked away.
Our beloved 2003 Honda Element in Galapagos Green was in an accident and totaled.
We had to search and search because we needed an SUV for me to carry stuff for my shows like my tent, tables, etc. And we eventually settled on a 2011 Nissan Rogue:
September 2014
Ginger’s winning photo was put on display in a gallery opening by iPrintfromHome.com.
Love’s PS3 gave up the ghost, leaving us with a couple dozen games and no console system. 
We celebrated our 16th anniversary by a wonderful dinner at Capital Grille.
October 2014
Ginger helped celebrate Halloween by being festive:
I dressed up in my Steampunk costume and handed out candy at my Mom’s again this year:
And I premiered my glow in the dark full moon tree of life pendant:
Glow in the dark tree of life pendant, wire wrapped pendant handmade by PhoenixFire Designs on etsy.
November 2014
November was SUPER busy so I didn’t write any blog entries.
But we packed up the Rogue for the first time for a show and everything went in so easily:
PhoenixFire Designs did Crafts & Drafts show November 15th:
PhoenixFire Designs did Shopapalooza November 22nd:
Love and I celebrated Thanksgiving just the two of us (having missed his family’s event which took place the day of Crafts & Drafts!) and we made a turkey:
December 2014
PhoenixFire Designs did the Westchase Holiday Market on December 7th:
And I had a whopping 117 orders in my etsy shop for the month of December!
Including the one that made me reach 2,000 sales in my etsy shop!!
Ginger made best friends with the Christmas tree and spent all of December underneath it:
Love and I enjoyed some seasonal fun at the Magic Kingdom:
Love and I had a lovely Christmas:
And I made gluten free sugar cookie for my Mom who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease earlier in the year:
And the cats helped us celebrate a simple New Year’s Eve at home:
So there you go! A brief look at 2014. Maybe I’ll get around to writing an entry for 2015 at some point. But…not right now. Because now I need to feed the kitties then ourselves. But soon. Look, I brushed the dust off and wrote this, right? 
How Disney and Marvel Ruined My Christmas
I ordered the Disney Infinity Marvel Super Heroes starter set from the Shop Marvel website for $39.99 on November 26th. Christmas gift for my guy. I add an Iron Man cell phone case as filler to get free shipping.
A few days later, I also buy a couple extra figures on amazon during a sale.
So. November 26th was the order. I wait. And wait. And wait. By about December 2nd, I email customer service. And wait.
December 3th I try calling. I get a “customer service is not available at this time, leave a message” voicemail. I leave a message. And email again. And wait.
December 4th I get a reply to the first email asking me for my full name and address before they will give me any info. I reply back with it.
December 5th I get two copy-and-paste replies telling me I will “receive my order in 7-9 business days.” I reply back asking how I’m going to get something that hasn’t even shipped yet?!
December 6th I finally get an email that says if it’s not shipped by Tuesday the 9th or if I don’t receive it by Wednesday the 10th, to let them know.
Tuesday the 9th I get a shipping notification. And they recharge my credit card because the initial hold had expired.
Late last night (Wednesday the 10th) the tracking number finally updates. Supposed to be here Friday.
Then this morning, I get this email:
Thank you for placing an order with DisneyStore.com. We always strive to provide a superior experience to you. Sometimes, though, due to unforeseen circumstances, we may not be able to fulfill the high standards that you have come to expect from us. Please know that when that happens, you have our commitment to work with you to find a satisfactory resolution.
Due to overwhelming demand and limited availability, your order, 36492062 will not include:
INF2 MVL STR PK PS4, quantity of 1
Please be assured that in the event that you were charged for this item, a credit has been issued to your account.
We invite you to contact us so that we may help find another item that will meet your needs. Please call one of our Personal Shoppers toll-free at (866) 537-7649. A Cast Member will partner with you to create a “happily ever after” for your recent Disney Store experience.
Again, thank you for shopping with Disney Store
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???
How I feel when I find up Disney’s Marvel Shop online ruined my Christmas 16 days after placing my order.
So after like five emails, customer service phone calls that don’t get answered, two days after the order was shipped and SIXTEEN DAYS after initially ordered, I’m not actually going to get the item I put the order in FOR??!!!
Of course, I also tried to call the number and just got voicemail.
So now they’ve charged my credit card the full amount. They shipped me a fucking cell phone case I only bought to get free shipping. I have purchased accessories to go with a starter kit I’m not actually getting AND the $39 sale price is of course nowhere to be found any longer and the cheapest I can find is now $59 fucking dollars. I passed up other opportunities to buy it for $39 at other stores because I HAD ALREADY ORDERED IT.
Thank you SO much Marvel and Disney for utterly and completely screwing me and ruining my Christmas!!!
Holiday Gift Guide
The holidays start showing up in store decorations months in advance these days, yet it seems we STILL manage to get ourselves overwhelmed trying to figure out the perfect gift every year! And despite “Christmas creep” taking over Thanksgiving and even Halloween, it still normally blindsides us.
My first suggestion: Avoid the mall and mass produced stuff from China. Support handmade this holiday season and you will also be supporting a real person; an artist a local maker. Here are some gift suggestions to help you pick awesome things for your friends, family and loved ones!
Luxury Lover
Do you have someone in your life that loves the finer things? You can rarely go wrong with jewelry! And of course, not just any jewelry but something unique and made from gorgeous, natural gemstones.
14k gf Natural Rough Diamond Tree of Life
14k gf Chrome Diopside (Russian Emerald) Tree of Life
14k gf Multicolor Natural Sapphire Tree of Life
Reclaimed/Recycled Argentium Sterling Rainbow Moonstone Tree of Life
Large Full Moon Rainbow Moonstone Black Tree of Life
Natural Blue Sapphire Full Moon Tree of Life
14k gf Ethiopian Welo Opal Tree of Life
14k gf Ivory Freshwater Pearl Tree of Life
Peachy Pink Freshwater Pearl Tree of Life
Nature Lover
Tree huggers, natural lovers, animals lovers – people who love the Earth and all it’s splendor!
Apple Tree in Peridot with Ruby Red Jade Apples in Brown
Four Season “Wheel of the Year” Tree of Life (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)
Opalite Moonstone Full Moon Tree of Life with Owl
Star Gazers
Fans of the nights sky, astronomy, celestial images, moon and stars, or just people who enjoy looking up at night!
Feldspar Full Moon Tree of Life in Gunmetal Wire
Mother of Pearl Crescent Moon and Hematite Stars in Gunmetal Wire
Glow in the Dark Full Moon Tree of Life
Abalone (Paua) Shell Crescent Moon Tree of Life
Opalite Moonstone Full Moon Tree of Life (#1 most wished for item in my shop!)
Mother of Pearl Crescent Moon Tree of Life in Silver
Gifts for Mom
Personal is always best when shopping for gifts for Mom! Mothers love to have family trees or pendants with birthstones; things that represent the bonds of family. And if she is a new mom or soon to be new mom, nothing will make her prouder than letting everyone know about the new addition to the family!
Custom Family Birthstone Bird Nest Pendant
It’s a Boy! bird nest pendant
It’s a Girl! bird nest pendant
And there you have it!! Just some of the available items by PhoenixFire Designs on Etsy that will make wonderful gifts this holiday season!
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween from the FLÖÖF!
(No kitties were harmed in the making of my fluffy orange cat wearing a witch hat. She was highly annoyed but not injured! LOL)
Afternoon at Honeymoon Island
Love and I went down to Honeymoon Island State Park Saturday afternoon. I hadn’t been down there in years and years and the weekend before, it poured so we our idea of heading over that way got rained out.
Located just off the mainland cost of Dunedin and north of Clearwater Beach, Honeymoon Island is accessible by causeway and cost us $8 admission for two of us in the car. It’s a pretty scenic drive down the Dunedin Causeway and for those who just want to fish or canoe, there are public access parking lots all along which cost nothing.
Since I hadn’t been in years, I really didn’t remember what the beach looked like. It’s quite a bit different from most of our local Gulf Coast white sand beaches because it’s very rocky. Tons of limestone rocks – some quite large! – covered much of the beach. This was the first time in pretty much forever that I left my shoes on as we walked the shore. It was just easier to get around without worrying about rocks this way and let us venture further down the shoreline.
There is a narrow sandy beach though and not all areas are as rocky. So there is space to set up an umbrella or beach towel.
We noticed some amazingly neat patterns in the sand, which is not something I see in other beaches like Clearwater or Madeira. I can only assume it is a result of the rocks and the way the water comes up on the island. Whatever the cause, it made for really neat photos!
There are also a large number of shells on the beach in addition to the rocks. This is just a tiny handful; at some places there were literally piles of them.
There is also a large trail of unspoiled woods but a few steps onto the trail and we were set upon by swarms of mosquitoes. Bug spray is DEFINITELY a requirement if you want to explore the forested northern tip of the island. It didn’t help that it was getting towards dusk as that point – a time when mosquitoes come out in larger numbers.
Overall though it was a unique beach and very different from our typical Gulf Coast beaches. The rocks, while a deterrent to barefoot walking/swimming in many parts of the northern shore, made for really interesting and almost alien landscape. The island is very natural and unspoiled and on a Saturday afternoon in September had a very low crowd. Parking was ample and there were several pavilions with restrooms that I saw right off the beach. (I didn’t use the facilities but it wasn’t for lack of ease to get to them.)
If you’re looking for something a little different, with a focus more on exploration of wild Florida and less on sugar sand beaches, Honeymoon Island is certainly a neat afternoon. Though it’s a bit pricey at $8, that does include parking. (And parking on most beaches in the area will run you $5-15 for an afternoon anyway.) It’s also really wonderful for those wanting to partake of watersports such as fishing or kayaking. Additionally, there is a ferry ($14/person) which takes you to neighboring Caladesi Island if you want even more places to explore.
We’ve Gone Rogue
As you may have read previously, Love was in a serious car accident the morning of Friday, August 1st on his way to work. He had a sudden, catastrophic brake failure and, unable to stop or swerve enough, he collided with the minivan in front of him at about 40-45mph. He came out of the accident bruise and battered but unbroken. Sadly, the Honda Element suffered worse and was deemed a total loss.
My car is much older – a ’99 Grand Am – and while it’s perfectly fine for the small, around town trips I use it for, it wasn’t up to the task of being our only car. Especially given Love’s 30 minute commute each way everyday. So a frantic hunt for a replacement car was on!
Since our settlement for the Element wasn’t enough to buy a new car, we first contacted my credit union, Achieva to discuss financing options. We were able to get pre-approved for a loan in just a few days.
Given that I do art shows/craft fairs for my jewelry business, PhoenixFire Designs, we needed some kind of SUV. Didn’t want anything massive, but it had to be able to fit my tables, tent, and stock easily. A hatchback and fold down rear seats with a minimum length and width requirements were mandatory. Problem was, we didn’t even know what was out there! We had been happy with the Element and really hadn’t paid any attention to vehicles we might want to purchase for years!
We spent hours just walking car lots, looking at one make and model after the other. Opening doors, measuring cargo area, taking in the aesthetics and features. Love kept being drawn towards the Nissan Rogue but the first place we went to, it was well outside our budget. Later though, my sister sent me a link on autotrader.com for one with excellent mileage right in our budget.
My Mom and I went to test drive it during the day while Love was at work. I was impressed. It was absolutely immaculate on the inside! Looked literally brand new. 2011, one owner car, 22,800 miles on it. Love and I came back the following day, negotiated and wound up driving it home. We bought the car Thursday, August 7th! (Then it rained for days preventing me from getting any non-soggy pics. LOL)
We love it. It’s so nice. And so…new! It drives really nice and it’s very exciting to have such a “grown up” car. Love and I are still trying to believe it’s ours and not just a rental or something. Seems too nice!
Of course, with a new car comes a car payment. Unfortunately as I said, our payout for the Element wasn’t enough for a replacement. We used the money as a downpayment though and were able to finance the rest. My loan officer at Achieva was amazing and stayed until 7:15pm so we could drive it home that evening!
She sent us our loan documents via email and Love and I signed for them on our phones!! since she was in another city from us at the dealership. I laughed because it’s definitely the future when you can buy a car, signing with your finger on the touchscreen of your cell!
I admit, I’m a bit nervous adding in this new expense to our monthly bills. It definitely wasn’t something we had planned for. But, it was a necessity and we’ll make it work. (I joked with Love that now we need to put the SUV to good use and book more shows so it can work for it’s payment. Heh)
I’m still sad that we had to say goodbye to the Element. It was such a fun car and we had so many good times in it. It’s a shock to lose it so quickly – especially when the decision is taken from you. But, I’m happy that we were able to find something we both are happy about and that Love is so thrilled with it too. Makes the transition a little easier.
I look forward to many more adventures and new memories in our Rogue!
A world less funny
Like many last night, I heard the shocking and sad news of Robin Williams’ death. Like a punch to the gut, it came out of nowhere and it stole my breath away. And like many, I’m left with a jumbled mess of emotion about this, unsure how to properly feel or react.
Logically, I know that all too often the creative, funny types suffer from the darkest depression and self loathing of all. And that the funny persona is usually just a mask to hide those inner demons. Make fun of yourself before someone does it to you; make them laugh so they can’t see the pain within. I get it.
But I guess I thought Robin Williams was one of the rare escapees who had battled hard, fought long and overcome his personal demons. I’ve heard him talk openly about his addictions and his past and I thought he was in a better place emotionally, having come through the other side of it.
So to hear that not only did he die, but that he took his own life…shocking.
I feel so bad for anyone who feels that there is literally nothing worth living for; nothing worth fighting for. The fact that he had to reach the point in which suicide was the “only” option for him and the “only” way past the pain he must have been feeling is just so sad and upsetting. I deeply sympathize with people who reach that breaking point.
I’ve battled depression in my life and I’m no innocent to thoughts of permanently escaping that inner pain. As a child, I grew up terrorized by my biological father; a hell that left me traumatized and it was during those early years I often fantasized and daydreamed about suicide as if it were a magic elixir or potion. When other little girls daydreamed about Prince Charming, I did so about the poisoned apple that represented relief and freedom from the torment that was my daily life.
I also find myself feeling so bad for the family left behind. The most difficult, personal and private time of their life is international news; the topic of discussion on lips the world ’round. (And here I am talking about it too so I am no less guilty. Though in my case, the prompt was his actions, I truly just felt the need to talk about how the topic made me feel personally.)
I’m just at a loss what to say. Or how to process this. I know that I did not know him personally, yet I was a fan of him and his work for years and like many, greatly enjoyed the gift of humor he gave to the world. It pains me so much to know how the same time he made us all laugh, he was dying inside.
Like many, I’m going to link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. They provide resources both for those battling depression and suicidal thoughts, but also resources to help others.
You can also call 1-800-273-8255 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get help or even just to talk to someone.
So I have no clever wrap up for this entry. Nothing witty or poignant to finish it off with. I just find myself thinking a lot about the topic today and wanted to put some of my feelings down in words.
I truly hope those of you who are also battling your own personal demons continue the fight and push on for another day. The sadness many of us feel at the loss of someone we don’t even know personally is hard enough, so imagine how much worse for the loved ones left behind. Please keep fighting. And know you don’t have to do it alone.
Rest in Peace, Robin. Thank you for the laughter. I’m so sorry you didn’t get to laugh with us too.
The Day the Element Died
First off: Love is ok. The car, however is dead.
It’s been a fucking morning from hell. My phone rang at 7am. I had been asleep 4 hours. It was my guy in a shaky voice telling me he was in an accident.
I threw clothes on and drove to his work. (About 30 minutes away.) On the way, the radio updates traffic and accidents and mentions the location he’s at. Holy shit, that’s him!
Here’s the other car:
He went to McDonalds to get breakfast for the guys on his way in right next to work. Car shudders, brakes engage out of nowhere. He tries to them push the pedal to stop and it goes to the floor and nothing happens. He swerves but can’t stop and hits the car ahead of him corner-on instead of head-on at about 40mph. Air bags deploy. Engine cuts out.
I get there about 7:30am. Two lanes of traffic are blocked, two cop cars on scene. He gets a $166 ticket with 4 points for “careless driving” because he rear-ended her. Insult to injury!
Paramedics had been and gone. Had his left hand wrapped up, suggested the ER for x-rays to check for a break.
Get the car dragged – oh dear gods, DRAGGED – onto the tow truck. Tell them to take it directly to Progressive claim center instead of our mechanic because it’s likely totaled.
We go to ER. Seatbelt bit hard into his left shoulder leaving a hell of a bruise. Minor cut on his wrist and jammed the hell out of his pinkie. X-Rays show nothing broken.
Progressive already looked at it since it’s sitting – dead – in their lot. Adjuster said $5300 after our deductible. More than I thought but nowhere near enough to replace it. (About only 1/2 or more of the replacement cost actually.)
The car was really special to us because our best friend Rand helped us buy it. Rand passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly 4 years ago. So in a way it’s like losing him all over again. He LOVES that car.
The end of the day though, the car did it’s job. It’s dead but he’s ok. And I’m trying to focus on that. But fuck it’s hard when I’m overwhelmed with what to do now? (I drive a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am. It’s got issues. So we’re going to need a replacement ASAP. And adding a car payment to our monthly budget..? Ugh, not sure how that’s going to work. Let alone how much insurance is going to go up for an accident + points.)
He’s sore. I’m in shock. So is he. It’s just been a hell of a fucking morning.
Ginger is a Finalist!
Ginger’s picture was selected as a finalist to be one of 8 images used in iPrintfromHome’s sample/calibration pack! But she needs votes to win.
My beautiful little fuzzbutt, Ginger.
VOTE HERE BY CLICKING “LIKE” ON THE PHOTO!!
It’s really that simple!
UPDATE: Ginger was a winner!!
(No money or anything but a little bit of fame for my beautiful little recuse kitty!)
Thank you for sharing a LIKE for little Ginger!
What’s New at PhoenixFire Designs!
I’ve been busy as usual working on updates, new items and restocks in my PhoenixFire Designs etsy shop. There’s ALWAYS something to do when you’re a one-woman small business!
Here’s a peek at some of the pieces I’ve listed lately.
All kinds of goodies!
Rainbow Chakra Tree of Life Pendant, Fantasy jewel multicolor tree with dragonfly charm, Tree of Hope (Breast Cancer Awareness tree of life pendant with pink topaz.)
A brand new “Faerie Dreamcatcher” with natural rainbow moonstone coin bead woven into the web, Blue Apatite Tree in the color of the Caribbean Ocean, Tanzanite Tree of Life pendant.
A graphic golden feldspar full moon Tree of Life pendant with a spider charm (Spider Tree!), shaded Citrine in an ombre of pale yellow, honey, amber and whiskey tones, soft peach/pink freshwater pearl wedding tree of life (bride necklace or bridal gift perhaps?)
It’s a Boy! bird nest with baby blue egg, It’s a Girl! bird nest pendant with baby girl pink egg (absolutely perfect baby shower gifts for a new mom or grandmother!), watermelon tourmaline tree of life in an array of pinks, greens and black.
And three brand new fire crack agate full moon trees: orange Halloween moon in black wire, royal midnight blue in gunmetal wire and aqua teal blue in brown wire.
Whew! My fingers are tired just looking at all the handmade wire wrapped pieces knowing I made them all! And there are so many more available in the shop!
Plus, as always, I gladly customize and personalize. After all, it’s all made from scratch anyway so there’s no reason I can’t make it unique just for you to your specifications! Oh and free shipping on any jewelry order to the US!
www.PhoenixFireDesigns.etsy.com
Don’t forget you can also find PhoenixFire Designs on Facebook and check out our gallery of custom orders on TreeofLifePendants.com as well!
As always, thank you for your support! 
Birthday Girl!
Today is my 37th birthday! 
Weeeeeeeee!
My Mom had this tradition when I was little where she’d have me stand next to my cherry tree and hold a sign each year on my birthday. Here’s me in 1980 on my 3rd birthday:
The sign says, “Today is May 16th, my birthday. I am three years old.”
And here’s me last week. (I was having a good hair and makeup day so I celebrated with a cellphone selfie! )
Not bad for an old lady, hu? I’ve come a long way since my hysterectomy a couple years ago and I feel really good these days too.
And though it’s MY birthday, I’m giving a gift to everyone else! Free US Shipping all weekend long with code “37BIRTHDAY” in my PhoenixFire Designs etsy shop!
Free shipping all weekend long at PhoenixFire Designs with code 37BIRTHDAY
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I’m off to Disney for the day.
Hooray for May!
I can’t believe that (1) it’s May already and that (2) that means it’s also now less than two weeks until my birthday!! Eek! I’ll be a whopping 37 come May 16th.
Meanwhile, today is the so-called, “Star Wars Day” (May the 4th be with you!) and Love and I spent the afternoon out at Brooker Creek Preserve enjoying the [relatively] cooler weather following two days of horrible thunderstorms and taking photos.
Here’s a few shots I took this afternoon.
I think this is a red-shouldered hawk.
Red Pileated woodpecker
In other news, the kitten officially stopped being a kitten as of April 1st and is now a 1 year old cat! Wow. Little Ginger is growing up! (And out. She has absurd amounts of floof!) And tabby girl, Mika, turned 14 on April 22nd.
Mika and Ginger on the cat tree
And Gracie is doing well also.
Ginger and Gracie on the couch
I’ve still been busy plugging away at my handmade jewelry on etsy and posting to both the PhoenixFire Designs Facebook Page and also sharing custom tree of life pendants on the blog as well.
There have been some difficult family issues all at once, with one of my aunts requiring emergency surgery to remove nearly a foot of perforated colon, a great aunt losing her battle with cancer (and leaving my great-uncle alone after nearly 61 years of marriage) just a couple days ago and my 97 year old grandmother in the hospital last week for what might have been a minor heart attack. Scary times all around.
Love and I thankfully though are well. I used my new health insurance (thank you Affordable Care Act! I am still happily Obamacare) to see a primary care doctor for the first time in a few years. I need to schedule bloodwork still but nice to know I can actually see the doctor when I need to these days.
My car is currently in the shop after not being able to drive it for several weeks due to a stalling problem. Seems there’s issues with my overdrive getting stuck on which makes it impossible to drive at lower speeds without stalling. (Torque converter clutch solenoid and/or a mechanical valve issue.) It’s been miserable lacking the ability to leave the house but I don’t yet know how much it’s going to be to fix nor where that money will come from. Story of my life. When you drive older cars it’s par for the course. (And mine is a ’99!)
…and that about sums up again. Since it’s been so hard for me to post regularly like I always intend to. But, with it being May and being on official Birthday Countdown, it seemed a good time to play a little catch-up again. As ever, you can also find me on facebook for smaller, but more frequent, updates.
Happy 1st Birthday Ginger
Last May, my Mom was out walking her dog when she spotted a tiny orange kitten on the side of a busy road in a canal. She caught the kitten and took it to the vet. It was healthy except for some (intestinal parasites which are common in outside cats) and she needed a foster home for it until it was free of the parasites and could go to a rescue group. I wound up being said foster.
But…well. I wanted an orange cat my entire life. Ever since I was a little girl. And for one reason or another all the kitties who came into my life were NOT orange. And I just fell in love with the little fluffball and we wound up keeping her.
Because she was so young when Mom found her, it was easy for the vet to give us a very accurate age. Counting back, it put her right around the beginning of April. I decided to make her an April Fool’s baby given the way she tricked me into falling for her.
And so today, the little orange fluffer is one year old!
Ginger at about 10 weeks old, June 2013
Ginger in the same “tube” of the cat tree just a few days shy of a year old, March 2014
And so you can see how surprisingly fluffy she really did turn out to be, here’s a shot of her from today doing one of her favorite things: sitting in the tub after I take a shower. (Hey, she was a canal cat so she’s always had a weird affinity for water!)
Ginger sitting in the tub on her first birthday, April 1, 2014.
Happy Birthday to my little orange Floof!
Love’s Birthday With A Side of Car Trouble
Blarg. Tuesday (the 18th) was Love’s birthday. We’re a little broke right now so we didn’t have huge plans to do anything. We were hungry so I figured we could make a special trip out to this little hole in the wall place he went as a kid with his grandfather for lunch. Problem was, 1/2 mile from getting there, my “Service Engine Soon” light came on and my car got weirdly shuttering with sputtering/hesitation when I tried to give it gas.
We parked and ate lunch (because we were already there and starving) then used google to find an Advanced Auto Parts 2 miles away to get them to hook up the machine to see what code it was giving to determine if it was safe to drive home. (We were quite a bit away on the other side of the Bay; about 20 miles or so facing long bridges and afternoon rush hour traffic.)
Chaotic fiasco at auto parts store involving TWO people trying to read the codes, after over an hour of waiting around finally led to random assortment of “recommended fixes” such as “Replace Mass Air Flow Sensor” to “Torque Convertor Clutch Solenoid Circuit Stuck On” to “Replace Transmission.” (I kid you not on the last one.) None of which was terribly helpful.
Is this the problem? Who knows! Not Advanced Auto Parts that’s for sure.
Or wait…maybe this? It’s a guessing game!
We had driven out to Orlando and back in my car on Saturday without problem. We had driven all over that day without problem. But we had experienced a weird sputtering right when the light came on so I wasn’t sure what to expect trying to get home. Plus, when I googled the “Torque Convertor Clutch Solenoid” (or “TCC” apparently), it is a common problem and if it doesn’t disengage, your engine will stall out under 45mph. Hrm.
Since it had only done it the once thus far, we decided to try and get home under our own power. And over an hour of white-knuckle driving later, we made it without any further issues, engine hesitation, etc.
But now I’m not exactly sure what’s with the car. And just because we made it home doesn’t mean I’m comfortable driving it lest I get stuck on the side of the road again. I think I might just have AAA pick it up here and tow it down to my mechanic and let him go over it. I would trust what he said and since I’m not even remotely sure if the readings the auto parts place gave me have any basis in reality, I need to get it checked out by someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
Of course, I really have no idea how much it’s going to cost to fix and car repairs were not in our already stressed budget. Which is very frustrating. (And of course, comes on the heels of my computer monitor blowing out totally dead last week and needing to buy another one which was ALSO unplanned expense.)
So Love’s birthday did not quite go as planned and for the moment, we’re short a car and not quite sure what it’s going to cost to get going again let alone what truly is wrong with it.
:: about ::
36 year old Pagan female who lives in Florida with her guy andtwothree cats, loves Disney, reads fanatically, tinkers in photography and runs her own small jewelry business.
Inadvertently became the face of Healthcare Reform in America by posting the (in)famous "I am Obamacare" image and sharing the story of her hysterectomy at age 34. Now runs her own small business, PhoenixFire Designs, full-time.
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