"...due to delayed recall, if they were recalled at all. More often dreams are, of course, forgotten entirely, perhaps due to their (according to Freud) prohibited character." Quote from here


What do you think it means when you have recurring dreams? The weird thing about my dreams is that only a portion of my dream and some large element of it has been changed or altered in some way. In fact, this morning I was having a stressful dream in which I was asked to retake a test which was actually a puzzle that I had to solve again even though I had already done it correctly once. The professor wanted me to do it again although he saw me do it and state that he believed I cheated. For some reason, in my dream, I knew that he had a crush on me and he just wanted to see me a bit longer. I was completely aggravated and angry with him for doing this to me as the puzzle was rather difficult and I had a partner the first time. However, the recurring part of my dream was actually a location of a store in which I had been in in my dreams before. The outside of the building and what the store was selling had changed dramatically. The other stores surrounding it weren't exactly the same and the town in which it was residing was more run down than it had been in a previous dream. It seems weird to say that because the entire location is completely fictional to begin with, but I know it was the same location.


The length of my dreams has always been of particular interest to myself as I have had them described before as "epics". This seems fitting only because I recall my dreams with a lot of clarity and detail when I wake up. Many times if I just think about it when I wake up I will not forget the dream during the day.

Dreams referenced here
"REM sleep episodes and the dreams that accompany them lengthen progressively across the night, with the first episode being shortest, of approximately 10–12 minutes duration, and the second and third episodes increasing to 15–20 minutes."

A lot of the research I have done on dreams leads me to believe that it's impossible to determine any one thing about them. You can't determine if they are real, prophecies, manifestations of our waking lives, gods talking to us, fantasies, or even the subconscious trying to tell us something. Since most people don't remember their dreams to begin with, it seems unlikely that it could be most of the above factors.

I have taken to recording some of my stranger dreams in a journal to look back at some day and ponder. The thing is that I remember a lot of my dreams to begin with and I can recall them to mind pretty quickly. It's just that I tend to remember the longer dreams. I also generally have 3 repeating elements in my dreams.
1. Running. Most of the time I'm running away from something. If I'm not running away from something I'm running to catch up to some thing or some event. I generally wake up very exhausted after these dreams and I'm usually in bed early when I have these dreams so it's a bit counter productive.
2. Water. Floods, rain, swimming, fish tanks, sinks, oceans, rivers, waterfalls, you name it I've dreamt about it. Something dangerous is happening when there is water around. I don't always realize it right away (unless of course it's a flood) either.
3. Fighting with women. This one doesn't always happen in my dreams but it is common enough that I have to mention it. I feel like I'm almost hostile with the women in my dreams. Not always mind you, but generally. We just have huge arguments and they're the kind where the other person won't listen to a word you're saying. I feel frustrated in my dreams and wake up frustrated. Which can be frustrating. I haven't had one of those in awhile which I think is a GREAT thing, but I do wonder what that means in real life.

I have a real system of belief for my dreams and feel that they hold some deeper meaning that I'm not seeing. I don't often have happy dreams so I feel like they are my subconscious mind telling me that I'm stressed and that there is an element of my life that I need to let go of or work on. My mind is telling me to relax but I'm definitely not listening. I could be way off base, but this is what I've come up with for now.

Does anybody else dream as vividly as I do? Seriously, I dream constantly and consistently. Let me know what you guys think about my latest dream.

Ms. Clean if you please

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted last. That's ridiculous in and of itself. I have decided, however, to dub myself Ms. Clean because Mr. Clean needs a babe and clearly that will be me. I have come so far with my cleaning endeavors in only a week and a half. Seriously, you would be amazed. I forgot to take before pictures so you could truly be in awe, but I'll take some tomorrow before I get all deep into it. I plan on cleaning up the last portions of my apartment and then adding finishing touches on it. I have a whole box of pictures that need to be put on my walls.

All of this cleaning is so I can make a life time change. I want to be organized enough to lessen my stress. There is absolutely no need for me to come home and feel more stress. The funny thing is that majority of my apartment is clean and I did get this overwhelming sense to want to mess it up. Just like the book said, I am creating this order and I'm afraid I won't have anything to do. The good part is that I didn't mess it up. I kept reminding myself how I wanted to create some free time by keeping things tidy. By me keeping my apartment in top shape I can actually start sewing regularly. I know when I have my craft space completely set up that will be another challenge for me, but I'm willing to face that head on. Wait until tomorrow when I post some good pictures for you.

Women don't sweat, they glisten

I definitely glistened today in Maine's 90 degree weather. Mostly especially because I accomplished THIS:





I can't believe I have finally finished cleaning my kitchen. I know it seems like a small feat, but I am genuinely excited about it. The book that I've been reading has really turned my thinking around. I know that in about 30 days I'll have some better cleaning habits and while I wish it were sooner I'm making a commitment to this change. I never knew how difficult it could be to be so messy all the time. For all you clean people out there you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, but for the rest of us, it's a bitch! More to follow as I progress in my new endeavors!

Messies are Creative

I am going to take control of my life. What that means is that I'm going to control the mess in my home and not let it control me. A few days ago I was reading one of my favorite blogs and she had a whole post about cleaning and what she does to control it. I'm a fan of natural cleaning and I try to only use natural products when I do get around to cleaning. It's nice to have so many alternatives to traditional chemicals. They smell fresher and I'm not worried about ingesting or inhaling the smells while I'm in such close contact to dirty surfaces. I read some of the comments that people left on this particular post and was pleased to discover some books about being messy. I know that books about organization are out there as I've worked for a bookstore before, but I never paid any attention to them. I remember the Home section being one of my favorites while everyone I knew despised it. A part from that though I find the allure of being able to make something messy clean again very appealing. The book that I discovered and purchased is called The Messies Manual: A Complete Guide to Bringing Order to Your Home.

This is a very eye opening book for me. This book identifies my problems with messiness so that I can change my way of thinking to keep a better home. It might sound a bit fubar, but this book is all about me! For some people cleaning and house keeping is a natural part of who they are and for some of us, like myself, it is ALWAYS a struggle. It's not that I enjoy being messy or that I don't know how to clean, but the way that I go about doing it inhibits my progress of maintaining it. I'm going to identify a few things for you so you know where I'm coming from.

I'm considered a "Perfectionis Messie" and a "Clean Messie". I find it difficult to start a task because I want it to be perfect, but in deciding how I want to approach it, I never start the cleaning to begin with. So in that sense it just sits there the way it has always been looking grimy. The second part is that when I actually do clean, I only half complete things. If I do laundry I feel good about it because at least I have clean laundry, but it may not be folded and put away. Just like dishes, they may be washed and out on the counter and that's what counts in my head. So I've identified what stops me from achieving my goal of a clean home, but moving forward is difficult. The bottom line is that after starting to read this book I feel like I can finally understand how to control the mess!
I finally started some more dishes yesterday. Feels good, too.

I discovered two other books that I would like to buy some other day that will help in controlling this horrendousness I live in.
*Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House
*Better Basics for the Home

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As I was browsing in Borders yesterday, I came across some magazines that I found appealing. I am, as you know attracted to all things earth friendly and these titles caught my eye. I have no idea how long they've been around, but I like the idea of them.

*Simply Handmade (apparently hasn't been published in awhile)
* Green Craft Magazine (I can't find this one online. This was the most appealing as the ink, paper, and look of the magazine was recycled. No glossy pictures and all matte.)
*Altered Couture
* Ready Made (Okay, not new to me, but I love it anyway)

Thanks for stopping by!

The Best Part of Waking Up...

...is not Folgers in my cup. It's flavored coffee. This morning I was making my coffee and I am using my absolute favorite coffee mug. The ironic thing is that it got me thinking about church.


Yeah, now it's completely obvious why, right? This beautiful, hand-crafted coffee mug was made by one of my middle school art teachers, Mr. Rick Taylor. This was given to me and several other 18-year-olds, from our church congregation upon graduating our respective high schools. I didn't drink coffee at the time so I could never have imagined out valuable this would be to me until years later, but it was definitely use for some nice teas. Back to my main point however. Church.

I used to be extremely involved in church. Not even my own necessarily, but church in general. My best friend attended the largest church in our town and it also happened to be right across from our high school. I was there frequently involved in Bible groups, devotions, youth groups, mission trips, Activators, vacation Bible schools, church services, and every other church related activity. The irony is that my church was right down the road from hers, but I never felt completely comfortable or welcome in my youth group. I know it had a lot to do with the fact that my best friend was part of another church and I also had no idea why I was going. I went to college completely confused about how I felt about religion in general. I was a member of United Methodist Church, attended Baptist functions, and enrolled in a Lutheran based college. Talk about confusion! Now, I am of the mind set that religiousness and God and things associated with heavenly beings are up to the individuals' interpretation. Honestly, I don't know where I fall. I understand the background of the Lutheran religion the best, but I don't know if that puts me any closer to wanting to be a part of it. I have always wanted to be a part of a church that I could call my home, but I don't know for what purpose. I am thankful for the time and experiences from being involved in a church atmosphere as there are so many things you can get out of it. Isn't it amazing that one cup of coffee can remind me of all of this? So there's your coffee for thought this morning. Drink up and add some sugar to that cup 'o' java.

Ambidextrous-ness

Ever wondered what shapes your decisions in life? Is it environment? Is it your parents? Is it natural? This article explores a different theory on how we base our decisions that has nothing to do with any of those factors. Thisarticle explore a theory, little known to myself, that might be a bit of an eye opener for you. See what you think.

The House In The Woods

I have a very lovely friend who graciously sent me some of her vintage notions. I was delighted to receive this box and saved my day off to really relish in the loveliness.

Here's the cute kitty vintage card that came inside the envelope.


So I pretty much fell in love with all the buttons in that box. So here's a shot of just them. Plus one of them has a likeness to a particular to a nipple and it makes me giggle. I know, it's childish, but it's still funny. See if you can figure out which one that is.

These are my favorites so far. I'll probably look at them again and decide that another set of buttons are prettier.




These are probably my favorite things in the box. I've been wanting to purchase some to try with some purses, but just haven't gotten around to it. They do give me some ideas though.


So what about this last picture reminds you of Harry Potter?

Also, this fun box gives me so many ideas for sewing projects. I definitely need to expand my crafty horizons and try something new with the detailing in my work. You know, when I am at my job paying attention to detail isn't a problem for me. When I'm at home and doing something for myself I some times let the details slide. I think it has to do with just getting it done. But anyway, I'm glad to have received this box to spark my interest again.