My Buddy Jeremy Hotz Is In 7th Place, being beaten by A Dead Guy! Please make him first!
Comedy Central wants us to vote for the funniest comic.
My Friend Jeremy (and Fellow Canadian) needs our help to become #1
Please click the badge below to vote. When you click the vote now it will take you to a page where you can watch his video and vote.
Right now Jeremy is in second place to a dead guy. I appreciate folks love Hedberg's comedy, but Jeremy is alive and funny, and can give us much more as time progresses.
Please take the time to vote every day. I want to see Jeremy win!
Canadian folks should vote first, then for videos they will get directed to Comedy Network Canada, and just type in Jeremy Hotz into the search bar on the homepage and it will show you the same videos you would get at the .com site.
Go back and vote each day till the end of the month please!
We want to see a Canadian win this! Plus Jeremy is the funniest of them all!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Join us live streaming video Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!
( GMT-5)
Christmas Day Dinner will begin at 6:00PM eastern standard time (GMT-5)
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
My Buddy Jeremy Hotz Needs Your Help
Comedy Central wants us to vote for the funniest comic.
My Friend Jeremy (and Fellow Canadian) needs our help to become #1
Please click the badge below to vote. When you click the vote now it will take you to a page where you can watch his video and vote.
Canadian folks should vote first, then for videos they will get directed to Comedy Network Canada, and just type in Jeremy Hotz into the search bar on the homepage and it will show you the same videos you would get at the .com site.
Got back and vote each day till the end of the month please!
We want to see a Canadian win this! Plus Jeremy is the funniest of them all!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
The Videos Continue!
I have put some free knitting videos on the front page of the Motivated Motion Gallery. Please have a look and let me what you think. I will be adding more and more of these videos to the front page, so if you are interested in starting to knit, the fundamentals will be there in free video for you to look at and practice with over and over. If you want me to make a craft instruction video because you need to see it something specific, send me a comment message and I will make a video of it if I do know how to do the craft!
I am so motivated (motion LOL) to get this crafting business and gallery off the ground! The Doctors have told me this is really my speed now. That the sharing of information about what I know from a lifetime of crafting, and bringing back the old ways, and helping old and young get the experience that I have had my whole life is so positive that it will help me recover and stay well. I am now gonna be everyone's crazy Auntie who can teach you everything old fashioned! But I am gonna do it in the most geeky way possible. With pod casts and web marketing and development. I am so excited to bring my art of crafting and my Mens' (hubby and sons) art of computers, marketing and media development together to join the best of both worlds.....
I have taken for granted what I have learned from my wonderful Grandmother who was a very successful Wedding Dress and trousseau designer in Toronto. It is only in the past year I realize that so many people in the 30-50 years age have lost out in the learning of heritage crafting.....
We have come from a generation of instant gratification where learning an old art was passe and old fashioned- but in the end we became a generation with nothing to pass down to our children and grandchildren.
In general, our generation doesn't really cook, or make anything. We have become purchasers.
And if you are laughing now I bet you are thinking about your life (like so many of us) as the last 10 meals you had for dinner either came from a restaurant or a frozen box from M&M's.
This first was an enlightenment to me twenty years ago when I became a "Brownie" leader. I grew up in a time when folks raised money for community groups through bazaars and bake sales. Children got to become part of community groups for free because the outreach fundraisers were so successful. But when I was a "Brownie" leader I found the world had changed. Parents didn't care to participate in community action. They would rather donate money to a group to allow them to take in outreach kids rather than put in the time to learn with their children how to make something, then take day to sell it in a church basement or community centre. So ended the craft bazaars as we knew it.
Now, the world economy is in the toilet. Folks are wishing they had the skills to cook, bake and craft, so they could offset their budget by making things cheaply from scratch.
Kids are starting to realize that video games cannot fulfill their creative needs. But without a generation to teach them or pass down info on how to do this.... they are lost for an answer.
I realize now I am so blessed to have had family that really did cook and bake and sew and knit and crochet. I know that myself and my cousins are all the same in our abilities, and I notice that our kids have such a broader knowledge of life. They can cook and they think about making or building things.
The holidays are a great reminder to us about our blessings of this knowledge. When we put up or holiday decorations they are almost all handmade! When we put up or Yule tree, our guests saw ornaments on our tree that I made when I was 9 yrs old, and ones my Sons made in pre-school through highschool....
Then I see others' trees with all store bought designer ornaments. Lovely and pretty, but I think..."I could make those for pennies!"
Teaching these classes in needle felting and knitting has made me think. I hear stories from Moms who want to learn this art to make things for their children and hopefully teach their grandchildren how to do this, and I have hope. It makes me smile that our generation is noticing the gap and is trying so hard to fix it.
If you craft or bake or do home cooking please comment here. Post your stuff on your blog or web sight and show us. Please share your lost art! It is so important to those who have lost the ability and are seeking to find it again.
I hope I can teach you something through my videos..
I hope I make you desire to try something new.
But most of all....I want to promote folks in my area that are dedicated to keeping the old arts alive! Please follow me through 2009 to see where I go and who I hang out with, and what I learn from them. Come to the Motivated Motion Gallery often and see what is new and happening. Please begin to dream with me and anticipate the first podcast that will share this world with you.
Perhaps you will get to meet my family of crafters and see what they do. You will definitely meed my crafter friends who have businesses in Ontario! I will address knitting, crafting, needle felting, collecting, cooking, and scrapbooking and the new arts we can find within science and computers. I will travel to Universities and cultural centres of my area and bring my guerrilla crafting to them and introduce you to their specialialties and show you what we have to offer here!
Monday, December 01, 2008
The Virtual Classroom Is Launched!!
Well the last month has been very busy at the Tucker home. We have been in video production for most of the month of November. We took some photos of one of the video shoots so you can see what it is like to produce a video at home for the web.
This is the production of the YouTube video of the real-time making of my poppy pin. This project took 4 hours. We filmed it in real-time and then Alex sped it up so you all could see it in 3:21.
We learned a lot from the videos of November.
One: we have to use an outside mic, as there is noise from the video camera tape in the background.
Two: we have to use a separate source for photos.
I used the video camera to take stills, and this required us to reformat sequence, which we did not expect.
Three: we have to do video production separate from the manual production.
We ended up with lots of extra work because of weird formatting issues. But all in all it was a great experience, and we feel that we have something really great to offer now!
In 2009 we will have needle-felting kits offered through the web. With the purchase of the kits you will get a unique code number with your kit manual, and you will be able to view the virtual classroom videos to go along with your book, so you can learn the techniques and steps that I teach in the classes I teach here in York Region.
Right now the virtual classroom is available to all students who have been to my classes and hold manuals from my 2008 classes.
I will be producing videos for my knitting classes too, but they will be public. So you will be able to see YouTube videos of my knitting compendiums on the front page of the Motivated Motion Gallery: www.motivatedmotion.comTo see the lead in page for the classroom you can go to: www.motivatedmotion.com/virtualclassroom
You will see there is a space for your video code.......
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I Made It Into An Etsy Treasury today!
I am so exicted that another Etsy Member ( Kittskrafts ) put me in their Treasury today!
See it here:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=22932
I feel so blessed!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
My face hurts! My Gut Hurts! My Shoulders Hurt!........I am a train wreck "VIA" laughter. It's Jeremy Hotz's fault! Miserable bugger!
Well it has been a wild weekend.
So much to do, and it took up every minute of the weekend.
Saturday Night Mary Ann and I went to see Jeremy Hotz at the Niagara Falls Comedy Festival.
Jeremy had sent me a code so I could get reserved tickets via his fan page on Facebook.
It was an awesome show!
The whole audience was in tears and doubled-over in pain from laughing so much!
Half of his show was improv stimulated by talking to audience members. The stuff was priceless!
I had also been sent a special invitation to attend a special before and after the show party. Jeremy did an autograph and photo session for over an hour after the show.
Mary Ann and I have known each other since kindergarden. We were best highschool gf.
We would go out every week together to buy our 45's from the Chum top 10 List.
We saved our pop tops for prizes, and collected posters from Kiss and The Bay City Rollers.
In our adult years Mary Ann and I never saw each other. We both had families young and moved away in different directions.
After 25 yrs we reconnected through the internet, and we are enjoying our 40's knowing neither of us has really changed: we are still perpetually 12, still love rock and metal, and we live our life to have fun any way we can.
Jeremy thanked me for bringin my "Hot" friend to the show! LOL
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Sale Begins Now! Below are my three designs for give-aways at my Etsy Sale This Weekend (Nov 22 and 23 )
With each item from the shop purchased you can choose a free-bee give-away item for free for this weekend only.
These are my hand made needle felted, with bead embellishments, holiday fridge magnet notepads.
Each post-it note pad is mounted to a piece of craft foam that is sporting 4 strong button magnets. Each note pad comes with a needle felted decorated (reclaimed golf pencil).
You get to choose either the Snowman, the Reindeer, or the Yule Tree.
I have made 9 note pads of each character (32 total)
There will be a running tally on the number of each give-away available.
If you click on the two photos at the top of this article, they will take you to my Etsy shop: http://www.motivatedmotion.etsy.com
Please check out all the participants by going to the blog and clicking on our minis to see what each of us are offering for our sale.
The blog address is: http://nfest.blogspot.com/
Just think of the opportunity it is for you to help needy, get what you want, plus get a free bee gift you could keep or give away as a holiday gift for a friend or family member!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
This Video Is My Theme Song For The Sale!
(turn up da volume)
There is a sale of the NFEST team this weekend on Etsy.
Saturday and Sunday is the sale.
This is your opportunity to pick up one of my pieces and get a second item absolutely free!
Please click on the icon below to see the details. You really need to check out the article behind the icon because some of my pieces are fundraisers and getting them sold this weekend is really important!
Please come and see what is offered. Look at all the needle felters' works on sale. And please buy if you like our stuff! I am only offering these free items Saturday and Sunday only, then the offer is gone!
I will post a picture of my freebee items on Friday! So stay tuned and get your paypal accounts ready for some holiday buying action!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Health Update
Well I don't usually talk in great lengths about my health, but I figure this is easier to do it here for friends and family than-me trying to call everyone and fill them in.
So... everyone who watches this blog knows I have an aquired brain injury from 2005 that has definitely changed my world. But in my opinion it has changed it for the better.
I had to learn to take it easier and to plan better.
Some of our family and friends know that my health has been varied all my married life, because I also have a rare auto-immune disease called Sjogrens. Which is actually why I was susceptible to the brain injury in the first place. I have been in remission from Sjogrens (for the most part) since 2001.
In 1995 I started to show signs of the Sjogrens and in 1996 I was biopsied and diagnosed with it. Sjogrens is a connective tissue disease. It has killed my tear glands and saliva glands and has effected my esophagus and my digestive system. But, except for the tears and saliva issues, I have been doing very well all through the 2000 yrs. In the 90's I was reduced to strict vegetarianism because I lost my ability to produce digestive enzymes for meat protein, dairy, and wheat. By using nutrition to help my body heal, I was able to go back to normal eating after 7 years of regulated eating.
This past year has been really cool for me reguarding diet. I have been on Dr. Poon's high protein, low carb diet and I have lost over 50lbs and I have also reduced my cholesterol to zero and my blood sugar to normal( I became a diabetic in 2003). In the past couple of months Dr. Poon had noticed I began to hold fluid, and there did not seem to be a good reason for it. Well we discovered this week, the reason for that. I am no longer in remission for the digestive issues of Sjogrens. My body is losing its digestive enzyme production again, and it is stressing and holding fluid as an auto-immune response.
So this answers a lot of questions to why this fall I had an increase in my pain levels (which was diagnosed as fibro myalgia) and why I became terribly tired.
In an attempt to progress with my art gallery and needle felting, I had to give up some stuff. Timing is everything for me when it comes to doing what is most important for my world.
I am sure some of my friends have wondered why I am not returning calls as easily, or responding to emails quick enough or why I am not planning stuff with them. It is because I have to plan every moment of my day around my health and wellness.
Currently I am determined to continue teaching needle felting and knitting, and to continue to develop my needle felting kits and business. I am also trying to get out and do stuff, but I really only feel like I can plan more than one outing a month. So I am really choosy about what I pick. (so I am not going to please most folks....oh well). Please don't get me wrong...I am not feeling horrible. I just know that managing the Sjogrens so I can feel more well each day, requires me to be very proactive in my care. So it is just another line of action I have to add to my day. And to do that I have to let some stuff that isn't a priority be put to the side.
So this month I am going out with MaryAnn. That is my planned outing. In December I am going to Carl's work Christmas Dinner. I am also trying to get out to see Pauline before Christmas. I am also planning to cook family Christmas Dinner here. That is all I am planning till after Christmas.
Besides these outings I will be doing knitting and needle felting stuff, prepping for the holidays, and doing stuff at home with the family.
I am also planning to cook family Christmas Dinner here. So if I don't return your calls or emails it is because this stuff has to be set aside for a while.
So I have to go vegetarian again. Then I will add fish to my diet and stay like that for a while. I have to add a regimen of digestive enzymes to my day, and I have to eat huge amounts of fruit and veggies for a while. I also have these weird intestinal cleanses which are gross. These help get the food that is stuck in my intestine because the enzymes never broke them down....out of me.....echhhh!
I will probably bounce back quickly, but I am telling everyone so they don't freak if I am hermit- like for a while.
I won't die or anything, and all of this won't be a sign of some horrible outcome for me in the near future. This is just a management issue. I am the expert on managing this medical issue, so everyone will just have to trust that I am fine, but busy with my health to ensure I will be very very fine in the near future.
If you are waiting for me to help you with something...then you will be waiting a while. I won't forget where I have left-off with all my activities, and I will get back to them when I am better.
Friday, October 31, 2008
My Newest Etsy Items
I have been working to deadlines this week.
I got some more Holiday stuff made to be released into the Showcase Feature on Esty in the Holiday Category.
I am also featured in Crochet too.
You go to www.etsy.com and you then choose the first Showcase box on the page.
After that you will see a bunch of photos on the page. In the top right corner of that page you will see a radio box with a drop down list if you hit the arrow.
Go to that drop down list and choose Holidays or Crochet.
My snowman ring is in Holidays and three white doilies in Crochet.
If you click on either pic it will show my other features in the category.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Broken Face
Well if some of you were on facebook this weekend or on twitter, you would have seen a note from me that I broke my nose.
Yep.
So the first two pics were taken the night I did it. Friday. Before the big swelling started.
I cut my nose bridge and bashed an old nose break I got as a kid. (I might have just done my own reconstructive procedure for the first break!)
In the first two pics you can see the bandage on my nose and my eyes are a bit discoloured.....
I slammed the van hatch on my face.
I am pretty certain my nose is broken. I have no feeling from the middle of the bridge down.
Most of the bruising went down my throat. Yesterday my throat hurt badly.
I figured if I can breathe outta both nostrals and the cut closed well, I was not doing the hospital visit.
I was a little more worried about a hospital associated infection I could get if I hung out in Emergency for a night.
I am getting checked out at Dr this week. I am not a total putz.
I am getting my eye checked at eye Dr on Wed too.
Honestly I think what saved me from bruising soo bad was the fact I had anesthetic injected all over my head less than 24 hrs before the big wack! Thursday was the day I get my whole head frozen as part of the treatment for the damaged nerve in my head. That much anesthetic could possibly be still in my tissue the next day and reduce the bleeding.
I get injected with many many needles all over my head and neck once a month to stop pain in a damaged nerve. The therapy is called trigger point anesthetic injections. Here at the Tucker house we just call it brainfreeze. The treatment freezes the trigeminal nerve right to the dorsal horn of my brain. It is a low impact, non-opiat way of dealing with the nerve damage symptoms.
The pics below were taken today...Sunday.
I took the bandage off and cleaned off all the old scab and the cut looks good.
Doesn't even look like too much of a cut (but it was a flap that peeled to the bone)
My nose is going a bit green on the right side (which is on your left view), and my right eye is blackening more than my left.
I learned something from takin these shots. As I get older I am getting my Mom's neck!
That along with a bruised puffy face is such a pretty sight!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Ray, The First Snowman Of 2008!
Well today I am featured in the front page of Etsy.com. In the Showcase section-under Holidays
You will see Ray here on the page.
I was making him when we had our first snowfall here in Ontario, a couple of days ago.
The snow stayed for a night and a day too!
This is unusual weather for Ontario.
We usually get our first snow that settles on the ground in December near Christmas.
If we are lucky there is enough snow over Christmas break to ski, but that is because it is cold and the hills can make snow with machines.
We really only get real snow in January, and our snowiest month is February.
Enjoy the pics of the beautiful autumn snow below Ray.
You can see Ray in my Etsy. After the weekend he will make it into the Motivated Motion Gallery.
