Thursday, May 31, 2012

Freedom of Speech and why we need a site called Spacebook


Man, has this been a day for complaining.  Don't you hate it when something really makes you angry and you need to vent about it and complain?
Today and yesterday has been my day.  And it's been FACEBOOK that I 've been complaining about.  Got banned for posting spammy or irrelevant links last week, then created the second account yesterday and started posting under my fb page on that account.  Wasn't giving links to my blog anymore and instead posted under my fb page and posted comments to their stuff.  They related to the topics too, so when I saw the warning that I was posting spammy and irrelevant posts, I was furious and enraged with FACEBOOK.  I had every right to be.

Whatever happened to Freedom of Speech?  Shouldn't Facebook be a place to go to where you can say anything you want and nobody cares?  It's not going to be found at Facebook.
One of my FB friends commented on my complaint and about missing Jake's pizza party.  She's the assistant who helps him off the bus.
She said instead of FACEBOOK there should be a SPACEBOOK where everyone could go to write anything we want, post anything, supply a link, find friends, meet new friends, find blogs, websites, etsy stores, and anything that interests us.
It would be a lot better than FACEBOOK because we could post anytime we want.  
There should be one rule.  No excessive profanity, obscenities, violence and major abuse.  And if they find a real spammer, go ahead and report them.  But it shouldn't be reporting the average person who just likes to post their opinion a lot and post their links.  
It should be like TWITTER in the sense that we could provide our links to our stuff.  It would be a site that supports free promoting.  Seeing that so many of us don't have the money to pay for advertising.  And so many of us, me among them, have hardly made any sales anywhere.  I have made a few at Zazzle, but that's nothing to write home about.  You're talking 54 cents and 1.60.  Zazzle gets most of the money.  And I haven't sold a thing at my Etsy shop.
It should support us and let us do as many posts as we want.  
And if any celebrity or popular page wants to join the site, they would have to realize before they join that they are going to get bombarded with stuff.  But they can choose just like the rest of us not to check it out, not to read and ignore it if they want.  And if they don't want the opportunity to be a part of freedom of speech then they should stay at FB where FB is going to ban all us regular people for maybe posting more than several times a day at their stuff and then going onto another FB wall and posting there too.
Wouldn't you like a Spacebook where maybe you aren't limited to posting at popular FB walls more than eight times a day?  I will not dare to do more than that now, as I don't want my FB account disabled.  I do like Friends and Family.  That is nice to be able to connect with them when they are four or five states away and you can chat with them all day if you want to.
Wouldn't you rather be able to post more often when and where you want and not get banned or disabled for it?  Spacebook would be that place to go to for it.
Posting on FB walls eight to ten times a day isn't very much if you like to post at a bunch of them.  
If we were able to post at them more often under our FB page and get the okay to do it, that would help put us on the map too.
Why do all these other people get to do it and not us?  Why do these other blogs get popular or a website or etsy store takes off and ours never gets off the ground?  It's not fair.
Spacebook would be a place where we could do that.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to put my two cents at a bunch of places.  I like speaking my mind.  FOS!!!!!
FACEBOOK is more strict that most of these other sites, but there needs to be some site like SPACEBOOK to come in and take over FACEBOOK's limelight.
There is PINTEREST.  They are becoming the new facebook.  But it's not in the same set up as FACEBOOK.
SPACEBOOK needs to be similar to facebook but better.

Jennifer Jo Fay
May 31, 2012





Forget Facebook, how about Spacebook? Where Freedom of Speech would rock!!!

Well, after all my complaining about Facebook today and in the last few days, I have learned some things.

First of all, I was so distracted today, that when my son, Jake came home, I realized I had missed his pizza party with his swimming that he does through out the year. Boy, was I bummed about that. He's one of the disability kids that participates.

I forgot all about it and was posting FB articles here and at Blogher and my blog and posting the you tube video about Facebook. I ended up doing two you tube videos. The first one took so long to do as it didn't recognize the video format and it ended up being in mute so I had to delete it and do the whole thing over so people could hear me instead of seeing this mute mouth going a mile a minute.

And I took some time in the morning to mail my Ebay packages to people too. So, just way too distracted. Oh well, I did pay money for my pizza but that's the breaks. I will have to try to go in the fall. he has a pizza party two times during the school year. I've made it to most of them.
Well, finally after Jake came back, my oldest, Sean arrived home too, so we got talking and I got telling him about Facebook banning me and posting etc...

Well, he tells me, you're not supposed to post too much on popular walls. Excessive posting isn't okay. Boy, I wish Facebook would have given us some guidelines on that when we signed up for the account. Instead they choose to leave us in the dark and we have to learn things the hard way and figure out things after the fact.

And for today, I have been going into their forum and trying to answer some things that I know and maybe learn some things I didn't know.

I still think they need to learn a thing or two about freedom of speech. Right now I am trying to see what the limits are to posting on popular walls and how many posts you can do each day and how many walls you can post on each day. I think they owe it to us to tell us. Instead of leaving us in the dark and then we get banned for 15 days or possibly disabled. Which is why I want to find out my limits as the next thing that will happen to my account would be getting disabled. And I don't want that.

Which now brings me to one of my FB friends thoughts that someone should come up with a spacebook where everyone can post to their hearts content, not care what anyone says. A place where everyone can go to share whatever they want. Links to their stuff like we can do with Twitter. Post on walls whenever we want and popular walls can just choose not to read stuff, scroll down to what they want to take in. And they would just have to know if they choose to join the site, we all say exactly what we want, when we want and to anyone we want.

The sky is the limit. But yes, there should be some limits. Like profanity, obscenities and violence and real abuse. That stuff should be reported no matter what site you are on. And if you can recognize a true spammer, okay.

But it should be a place for us to post often, not get banned when we do postings more often, let us post where we want, do as many searches as we want and follow who we want.
Most of us just want readers to our blogs or clients to our websites or etsy shops. We want to get our stuff off the ground and noticed just like everyone else.

Spacebook would be a place to do that if someone could come up with the idea and see it through.
We all need a place where freedom of speech rocks and a place where we don't have to worry about what we say and do as much. We all like to give links to our stuff. And people can either choose to go and read, click like if they want and meet new people all the time who share the same likes and goals.

Jennifer Jo Fay

May 31, 2012

I guess I know what my next You Tube Video will be. How about something like Forget Facebook, how about Spacebook? On it.

New note:  I ended up deleting my Facebook Video where I ranted.  It was better not to have it there.

FACEBOOK IS LYING TO US


 http://youtu.be/Yc-lwIP_tzc   the link to my You Tube video:  FACEBOOK SUCKS!
Facebook really needs to change their ways.  They are telling us we can share with people all over the world, yet then they ban us for making spammy and irrelevant comments.
A little while ago from Dec to a few weeks ago, I was posting links to my Zazzle store, Etsy shop or my blog.  I only did it once in a while for quite a few months.
The first things I noticed was that Face book would only let me do so many searches and then they would not let me do it for the rest of the day.  This was only after an hour of searching.
They also only let you request only a certain amount of friends in a time frame.
Then about three or four weeks ago, I started posting my links to just my blog on popular FB walls.  Like Ellen, Kathy Lee and hoda Kotb, Today show, etc....
Finally a little over a week ago, a warning came up saying I was posting spammy and irrelevant comments.  So I got banned from posting on walls for fifteen days.  Where, I suddenly realized that I wasn't allowed to post my links.  So, I had decided to stop posting links from now on.
Then while being banned I realized that they let you post under your face book page.  So if you have two or three pages like me, you can choose to post under any one of them.
So, while banned I was figuring that I would be able to post under my blog page without needing to supply a link or talk about it.  It was right there in the title and people could just go to the page if they wanted to check it out.  So I figured I would be okay to go to the popular pages and simply comment on their stuff under my FB page.  No.
A few nights ago, I opened up a new FB account using my mother's maiden name.  And I created a facebook page:  Jennifer's Authentic Blog and Etsy shop.
My other pages are:
Authentic Life Blog
Jennifer jo Fay's Zazzle Store for Photography
Etsy Shop jfaypaperdolls
I don't dare to post on walls of any of these.  I'm not even sure if I dare to post on walls even under my name.  Even though the comments are relevant and not spammy.  Face book is going to call them spammy and irrelevant.
I started posting on their pages for a little bit in the morning yesterday under my FB page on my new account.  All I was posting was comments to their stuff.  Never once posting about my blog, etsy shop or page.
Examples:  On Ellen, she had posted a picture of a dog hugging a sleeping child.  My comment was, "What a cute dog and child.  Love it."  How is that considered spam or irrelevant?
On Kathy Lee and Hoda, they were asking us for our opinions on their topics.  Example:  Do you think a marriage fails if the man isn't the bread winner?  All I posted was my opinion on that.  How is that being spammy and irrelevant?
FACEBOOK is a big liar.  They tell you that you can post under your FB page and then turn around and call you spammy and irrelevant.
They tell you that FACEBOOK is all about sharing across the internet.  They are not, because they turn on you and call you spammy and irrelevant.
I am wondering if I posted to my hearts content under my own name on the popular facebook walls that they are going to call me spammy and irrelevant even though I am posting things that relate to what they are talking about.
And then on Ellen's wall or Kathy Lee or Today, maybe I am posting:  Can you get Kristen Stewart on your show to talk about her new movie?  Or could you talk about blogging on your show?  Or can you talk about finding jobs?  You mean to say, FACEBOOK that we can't ask them questions about that stuff.
They actually want to know what we are thinking and do read the stuff that gets posted on their walls.  You mean to tell me that we can't share our opinions with them?  Or share our stories that relate to what they are talking about?
My comments had nothing to do with misleading, confusing, or fraud.  Those are actual violations that you can't do on FACEBOOK.  But it says nothing in there that you can't comment on topics under your  FB page.
They are liars.  And their head honcho is the biggest one as he has lied about what FACEBOOK is all about.
And these other sites like Twitter and Pinterest are going to surpass them, because they are messing up.
A real spammer will continue to post their links, create lots of fake accounts and will do it over and over again.
I honestly can't classify myself as one of them.
I'm just the average person that doesn't have the money to fork over for FACEBOOK advertising.  I did fork over advertising to FACEBOOK for a few months last year and what did it get me?  Zilch.  Nothing in return.  No sales, no nothing.
Most of us can't pay for any advertising and we create a FB page in hopes of getting readers to our blog, website or etsy shop.  It was getting me more readers for a little bit.  The traffic actually worked.
But FACEBOOK is determined to stop all of us from getting traffic to our pages, blogs, websites, etc.  They don't want us to get any free advertising to our FB page.  They don't want to help the average joe get our stuff off the ground.  But if we pay them their $65 or more, they are all over it in a heart beat.  No more of my money goes to them.
And if it weren't for FRIENDS and FAMILY, I would be cancelling my accounts.
Here I'm thinking, how can I get 2000 likes to my FB page if we aren't allowed to post on walls to get people to it?  Sure, you can get your Friends and Family to like it, but that's it.
Here, I'm wondering how these other blog pages can get to that?  How are they able to get to 2000 likes and not me?  I would imagine that they are getting the same warning pop up for them if they are posting.
Is there another way that they are getting people flocking to their blog if they can't post and spread the word on FACEBOOK?

Jennifer Jo Fay
May 31, 2012

I hope my video goes viral, it would serve them right.  It would be a warning to people to know how strict and nasty FACEBOOK can be even if you aren't being spammy and irrelevant.  Maybe they just don't want you to post too much.  But you should be able to post to your hearts content if you are posting relevant comments to their stuff.
I guess we aren't allowed to share our stories and FACEBOOK doesn't believe in FREEDOM of SPEECH.  What they do believe in is that every average joe is being a SPAMMER and that is wrong to jump to conclusions about us honest people.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Facebook Sucks! Watch out when posting under your Facebook Page you've created

http://youtu.be/Yc-lwIP_tzc   The link to today's you tube video;  FACEBOOK SUCKS!


Facebook really needs to change their policy.
I have been banned from posting on FB walls for 15 days because I was posting my links onto FB walls under my regular account and not my FB page.  I can understand that they don't want you to post links to your stuff.  Okay, that's a given.  And my banned time is going to be done by next week.
In the meantime, I went in and created a separate FB account last night and created my fb page on that account.  That one was called  Jennifer's Authentic Blog and Etsy Shop.
Well, I got it active this morning and posted a few things on my fb page.  That was all that was active on the new account as I wasn't planning on posting under that name, as it isn't associated with any of my friends.  
So, then after putting some stuff on my fb page, I went to my favorite fb walls and started posting comments.  Ellen, The Talk, Kathy Lee and Hoda and the Today show.  I think that was the only places I was posting comments.
I never once posted a link to anything, never once posted anything about my blog or etsy shop.  I didn't need to as it was in the title when I was posting.
All I was doing was commenting on relevant topics on their walls.  Example:  On Ellen, she had a cute picture of a dog hugging a sleeping child, so I commented, "What a cute picture."
I probably posted comments related to some of her other stuff too.
Then, when I was done commenting on her things, which one of the other ones was I had posted a funny comment about the fireman stripper she had on her show on Monday.  Just posted that I had seen it and it was funny and that I was wondering if he was going to take his pants off.
And I probably posted something else asking if she could get Kristen Stewart on her show to talk about the new movie.
Then went on to Kathy Lee and the Today show and posted comments that related to the post they had done.
And then on Kathy Lee and another one I posted my opinions about topics.  Both places were actually asking us to express our opinions about things.  Like:  Do you think a marriage can last if the man isn't the bread winner?  Or what do you think about wine for breakfast?  Or any other comment that we should be able to express our opinion about.
After doing a bunch of comments on the pages I got the not so nice FB notice that "You are making spammy or irrelevant comments and they threatened to either ban me or something.
Boy, was I ticked off.  Here I'm thinking that I haven't done any spammy or irrelevant comment at all today.  Not once did I push a link, or say anything about my fb page or blog.  How on earth is commenting on their stuff being spammy?  
How on earth is posting your opinion to a topic that they have just asked your opinion about being spammy or irrelevant?  I don't get it.
Then I went and checked the fb page spam rules and after reading, I didn't see anything that I have violated. 
I went in to the help center earlier today and posted lots of questions (or more like complaints) as I would like to complain to fb directly.
I can understand not posting a link, but we should be able to post an opinion on fb walls under our facebookpage.
What about freedom of speech?  Whatever happened to it?  I guess FB doesn't support freedom of speech.  I guess only to our family and friends.  
So if you want to post on all these popular fb walls, watch out as Facebook will be so quick to call you spammyand irrelevant even if you aren't.  
I'm tempted to create a You Tube video on this tomorrow and let everyone know how terrible FB is.
They should allow us to post our opinions on walls under our FB page.  Majority of us can't afford to pay for FBadvertising which they would love to cash in on us.
They just don't want us posting under our fb pages and gaining followers or readers for free.  But if we pay FBthen they're all over it like sugar on  dollar bill.
Here's their FB rules on What is Page Spam
You tell me if you think I have violated it.  Honestly, I don't think I have.  Unless they just don't want you to post comments on FB walls under your FB page at all.  But then if that is the case, why on earth do they let you have the option to post either as you or under your FB page names?  I don't get the reasoning behind that.
Pages, groups, or events that confuse, mislead, surprise, or defraud users are considered abusive. The following material is not allowed:
  • Pages, groups, or events that require users to invite all friends by either javascripts or manual invitation.
  • Pages, groups, or events that are misleading, deceptive, or otherwise misrepresent the prize or any other aspect of the promotion.
  • Pages, groups, or events conditioning entry in a promotion upon a user providing content on Facebook, such as making a post on a profile (timeline) or Page, status comment or photo upload.
  • Pages, groups, or events administering a promotion that users automatically enter by liking the group or Page or accepting the event invitation.


    If it wasn't for friends and family, I would tell them to go shove it and cancel my account.  That's about the only thing that FAcebook is good for.  

    So, maybe I will be forgetting about my FB pages and just let them rot in a jar.

    Jennifer Jo Fay

    May 30, 2012



Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Authentic Life Blog available on Kindle






The Authentic Life Blog is now available on Kindle.  I got it signed up recently.  It is now available there for 99 cents.  I am guessing it is monthly but maybe it's a one time fee.  Not sure.

But anyway, I would encourage anyone who blogs to try putting it on Kindle Publishing.

Kindle seems to be the future of books.  Everyone wants an e-book nowadays.  Something that they can download to their Kindle and read.  Majority of people like that when you download a book onto your Kindle or Nook book, you are saving lots of space on your shelves.

I used to have tons of books on all my bookshelves.  I had them everywhere.  Finally, on several occasions, I started packing up the books and donating them to my local library.  I felt I didn't have time to read them and they just took up lots of space on the shelves.  It got so I had stacks of them on the floors and in Barnes & Noble bags.

It's been a while since I have read a book.  I do have a nook and have a bunch of books in that library.  I probably should make myself read one sometime.  It's always good to keep reading.

Now, we have the convenience of online internet access to practically anything we want to read.  The web is loaded to the gills with words for us to gobble.

Having a blog on Kindle is cool.  I haven't had any sales yet, but am hoping that it works. It doesn't cost anything.

I'm looking into it when I am ready to publish my novel in a year or so too.  I don't want to have to pay much, but do want more books in print.

Jennifer Jo Fay

May 27, 2012

Check out my Authentic Life Blog page on Facebook
Etsy Shop   http://jfaypaperdolls.etsy.com


My New Etsy Shop: Jfaypaperdolls

I went in and worked on my new Etsy shop today.    http://jfaypaperdolls.etsy.com

I just added about four or five more products.  It still needs more, but I will slowly work at getting more things in there.  It's looking more like a shop now.

I added more of my paper doll sets and another bottle cap knitting marker set.  Iconic actresses.  I know I would love to knit with them and hope that other people want to also.  I think they are really cute.

I've been on twitter for part of the morning and afternoon tweeting all my stuff.  Tweeting the etsy shop, the blog and the Zazzle store.

http://zazzle.com/fancyphotography/

I sold a cute kid's t shirt last week at the Zazzle store.  That was cool.

While I was at Etsy, I checked out the apps and discovered the etsy store app that you can add to your facebook pages.  I took the time to check it out and I now have the app right on each of my facebook pages.

Authentic Life Blog page
Jennifer Jo Fay Paperdolls page
Jennifer Jo Fay's Zazzle Photography Store page.

So, once I can start to post on people's walls, I will hope that people will be enticed to go check out the store.

I didn't want to get lots of products on Etsy just yet and have to pay the fees and no sales.  I haven't made any sales yet and don't want it to cost me an arm and a leg to list lots of stuff.

But the app looks cool on my pages.  I tried it out and it went straight to my shop.  I think I will add some more products to my store later today.  It would be nice to have at least 20 items for sale in there or a little more.

I have heard so many times that it takes a long time to get your Etsy shop off the ground.  You really need to do lots of advertising to get going.  I might decide to promote one of the products in a few months.  I think for $7 you can promote your item for a day to gain customers.

I will probably stick with it longer than I did last year with my other etsy account.

I like that you can have the shipping for international all set up there so anyone can buy.  I've got them all on an old post here and for sale on all my blogs, but I don't think the shipping is set up for international.  It is fine if you are in the US.  Although, I think if I had a sale from here that was international, I think you can easily create an invoice from Paypal to send to them before they send the paypal payment to you.

All my paper dolls are for sale on these blogs on an older post.  My prices are slightly higher on the blogs, but I decided to sell them at a cheaper price at my Etsy shop.  I just haven't gotten around to changing it on the blogs.  I might just decide to leave it and just keep sending everyone to my etsy shop instead.

Jennifer Jo Fay

May 27, 2012

http://jfaypaperdolls.etsy.com











STORY LINE STARTERS #2


Check out my Authentic Life Blog page on Facebook

STORY LINE STARTER:  May 27, 2012

Ellen's mind was in a world of turmoil. She felt so utterly naked and exposed, even though nobody knew what she had seen. How could she go on all covered up, knowing that her feelings were trampled.

She didn't know what to do. All she knew was that she couldn't go back and she couldn't go on.

What she was going to do was to start tossing all his belongings out on the porch first thing in the morning after George went off to work.

She was now a train wreck thanks to that bastard.


picture I got on Pinterest.

STORY LINE STARTER:  May 26, 2012


It was a kiss set in stone. A priceless moment of love shared between young cherubs. Puppy love. A kiss of curiosity.

Yet, the little boy didn't know that he had just kissed Medusa. Now it is yet a moment frozen in time. Yet the memory lives on.

my photo I took today

STORY LINE STARTER   May 21, 2012

Lifeless. Or was she? Porcelain. Or was she? A dream? Was it really flesh and a beating heart that was underneath a mask?

She was crying inside. She always loved this doll. Shay was her favorite, but suddenly after an evening of sin, she woke up and was wondering why she was sitting on a shelf.

She could see her bureau in the distance, and wanted to grab her black laced bra that rested on the edge. And her packet of Wrigley's Mint Chocolate Chip gum was tempting her. Yet, she couldn't move.

Couldn't even turn her head. She felt so still. Looking down at close range and she could see Shay's outfit. She was wearing it. Then it dawned on her. She was Shay.

Why? What did she do? Who punished her?

photo of one of my favorite dolls that I took.



Saturday, May 26, 2012

Flashback to TV Sitcoms




Who remembers all these old TV shows?  Anybody remember what it was like to grow up in the seventies and  watching all the old shows?  It was great and today they are classics.  A sign of the times and how things used to be.

 Of course Everyone Loves Raymond came later, but was still great.  The grandparents made the show.  There was always something to laugh about.  And the brother was dorky and funny, in a goofy sort of way.
 I can't begin to think of how many times I saw all these shows.  And the first time, I saw each one, I always would think they were gonna make it off that darn island.  And of course the Ginger and Mary Anne had all the men but Thurston swoon.  And Gilligan was always doing stupid things.  And the doctor was the most handsome.  But we were little kids.  Who cared?  All we wanted to see was for them to get off the dumb island.

And the catchy tune of their theme song had us from the beginning.  You weren't a kid growing up in the seventies if you didn't watch all these shows over and over.

The worst one was the Brady Bunch.  My dad would come home from Oakhurst Dairy and would hear that show come on.  Must have seen all the episodes a thousand times.  Marcia, Marcia Marcia.  Jan getting glasses.  Jan doing tap dances and flunking at every thing she did until she ended up (liking writing? forgetting what she ended up excelling at).  Cindy losing Kitty Caryall.  Peter's voice cracking.  All of them singing on stage.  Bobby rescuing a stray cat.  Nosy Alice and her Butcher boyfriend, and the most stupid one where Dad's architect plans got mixed up with the silly poster and it shows them all running all over the park to get the right one to him.
And must we not forget the reunion episodes.
My Dad hated that show.  Maybe that's why when he came home from work, he would change out of his work clothing and hide out in the bedroom and read his baseball books.  And Mom would join him for a little bit.  R & R.  LOL.




 The Golden Girls were awesome.  I really can't remember watching too many episodes when I was growing up.  Maybe it wasn't a favorite show of mine at the time.  But last fall, I discovered myself watching a lot of the episodes for a few weeks.  They were quite funny.  The oldest one was always as blunt as could be.  Betty White is awesome and still is.
 When I was growing up, I also remembered watching this show in the early years.  I remember the theme song the most.  And I remember her accent.  I don't remember a lot about that show, except that he loved the country and she begged for the city life.  Sound familiar?  This probably still happens all over the world even in today's world.  One half longs for a simple life outside the city and the other likes the more busy lifestyle of living in a big city.  And I guess when he put down that pitchfork it must have meant they were to stay in the country.
 I remember watching this one a lot too.  Loved the song to this one and the old fashioned theme of the show always seemed to fascinate me.  I forget who was who.  Jed?  That's about all I remember.  I was definitely younger.  The one in the back with her short hair always seemed a little prim and the older woman was an image of an old spinster that most of us girls at a young age never wanted to be when we were older.

Back in our day, we still worried about being an old spinster even as a young girl growing up in the seventies.  Many of the shows in our day and all the older black and white shows that we grew up with, but probably were years older than we were always had an old spinster in it.  It was common.  Along with Nuns.

You don't see too many Nuns in the black and white garb nowadays.  Women that didn't have children.  Took the sacred vows.  There are some today, but they are modernized and dress like anybody else.
But there aren't as many as there were years ago.  It was more the norm that a young woman decided to lead a path to Nunnery.


 Laverne and Shirley was a favorite.  Loved their opening song.  Lenny and Squiggy were always hovering.  Squiggy used to creep me out.  Lenny was just as moronic but not as bad.  We always thought that the guys were going to get some action, but no.  Not on their life.   And of course the girls were always getting into trouble.

Kind of like a modern day Lucy and Ethel.

I Love Lucy was awesome too.  We were always watching those shows too.  And then a few months ago, I found myself watching I Love Lucy Marathon evening one night.  And they were really quite funny.  One episode they were camping at a cabin trying to get some alone time (Lucy and Ricky) and suddenly a famous couple had rented the cabin for the same week, so they all stayed together.  And then the two women ended up losing their men to fishing.  And of course dressed up to get their attention.  Didn't work of course.  Then they left and Lucy and Ricky thought they were going to get privacy and then Ethel and Mert show up for the next week.
And the other funny one was Lucy and Ethel in a hotel room and Lucy sees a hole in the wall.  And she peeks through it and sees a famous actor in his bathtub.  Then Ethel wants to see too, so Lucy goes and gets a fingernail file so they both can see.  Then the wall suddenly must be made of paper and she accidentally makes the hole a lot bigger and the actor suddenly sees both women poking through the wall.  And he says, "I need a bigger fan." or something like that.


The Love Boat came a little later, but was still awesome.  Loved the theme song.  Was always hoping that Lauren would end up with one of the two guys.  Gopher and I'm forgetting the other guy's name.  And couples were always ending up in love even if there was a fight or a spat.  The crew made sure that love was in the cards.
Mr. Rogers.  A classic.  I made sure at least my first two kids watched his show.  In my mind, I think every child should grow up on his show.  He always knew just what to say to make every child special and wonderful just the way you are.  I think that was his most important value that remained throughout all his shows.  And didn't we all know he was going to waltz in that door every day with one of his trademark sweaters.  Take a coat off and hang something on his coat rack or maybe he put it in a closet.  I didn't realize until I was older that he was quite tall.

And looking into that picture on the wall would take us to so many places to learn something new each day. And the trolley train would take us to a sort of fantasy land where puppets talked.  I would have to say that I sure was afraid of Lady Elaine.  Or was that the actual woman that was in the show.  I'm thinking of the puppet that controlled the carousel.  She used to be in my nightmares.  It had to be her nose.  It freaked me out.

And the owl that popped out of his tree.  And the life sized panda bear.  A little scary too.

I was very little when Captain Kangaroo was on.  I vaguely remember him.  Mr. GreenJeans doesn't even ring a bell.  All I remembered from that show was the bunny.  I must have connected with the bunny.  I was in Nursery school at that time.
Three's Company was also another great one.  This seemed to be a more flirty show.  Jack and his friend, Larry always seemed like they wanted to score some girls.  And there was that nosy Mr. Roper who was always hoping something would happen to his wife.  It always seemed like they were nagging each other.  And she was always in the perpetual old lady robe.  And Crissy Snow was the first classic Dumb Blonde way before Reese Witherspoon started in her two Barbie Type Stupid Blonde movies.

RIP Jack Ritter.

And some of the other sitcoms that come to mind are The Facts of Life, Welcome Back Kotter, Good Times (Jay Jay was really funny), The Jeffersons (his maid was funny), that other show with Bowzer in it.  I had a best friend in grammar school that would crack up laughing every time my dad would imitate him.

Who can remember Tootie coming in with her roller skates.  And it wasn't until recent years that I realized George Clooney started out on that show.  All actors and actresses start out somewhere.

Seinfeld was another great one.  My favorite from that show was George.  But they were all funny.

And then later on, my mom developed a liking to Mad about You and Everyone Loves Raymond.  And maybe Friends too.

And then there was 90120 and Melrose Place.  My sister and I were watching those two when we shared a first apartment together.

And then moving on to more present day, but still in the past for a few there was In Living Color, the Drew Carey Show.  The bald guy was so funny.

And more recent is Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I bet all those shows in the seventies kept us watching for hours.  OMG I'm almost forgetting another fav.  Happy Days.  Who didn't want to love the Fonz?  He was the coolest of the cool.

And who did all of us little girls want to fall in love with?  Shawn Cassidy!!!!  Okay, he's music, but so what.  He was of the seventies and we had his posters.  I remember growing up spending hours in a tent made from mom's best quilts hung on the clothesline for the whole day all summer.  And what did we do?  What else?  Play with barbies and sew up a Shawn Cassidy doll.  Okay, that was me.  It took me all day to make him.  Probably my very first sewing attempt.

Lest we not forget The Partridge Family.  Those four colorful characters sliding down a slide (forgetting that one).  It was some show that came on in the afternoon shortly after we got home from school.  Banana Splits.  Also the After school specials shows.  I'm remembering one where there was a girl that pretended she was 18 so she could have someone like Peter Frampton like her Leif Garrett or some other young music star of the time.  And she was really 13.

Well that's all I can think of for all those shows right now.  Feel free to mention shows you remember and like.  You might jog our memory.  Way too many good ones to count them all.

And they all taught us a great lesson in life.  Laughter is the best medicine.

Jennifer Jo Fay

May 26, 2012


Memorial Day Weekend, Camping, Swimming, yardsales and flowers





                                           Some of the photographs I took in New York today.




It seems like Memorial Day weekend always sparks the beginning of so many things.  Or rather, shall I say, the weekend when everything speeds up a bit and we're into full swing.

All the amusement parks open up, campgrounds get filled up fast and everyone wants to hit the beach, lake, or pool to go swimming and cool down from the hot sunny days that are starting to define to us that summer is here a tad bit early.

And it also marks the weekend for yard season to be in full swing.

Last night, I began to make my drive down to visit my boyfriend for the weekend.  On my way, I was so surprised to see a few people having yard sales at 630PM on the main drag.  Of course I stopped.  I bought a bunch of outfits for fifty cents and a sweater for one buck.  I had a dress in my hand hoping she would let me have it for one buck.  She wanted four dollars.  It was a navy and baby blue striped knit dress that looked like it would be so comfortable.  I tried to talk her down to two but she wouldn't budge.  So, I let it fall out of my hands and onto their table.  I didn't want to fork over four dollars for it.

At the second yard sale, I didn't see that much.  Only left with one thing.  And she thought I was pregnant.  Two people thought I was pregnant this weekend.  Another woman at a yard sale today, tossed a little baby outfit my way and commented.  I had to tell both women that I wasn't and the belly was from four previous children.  It doesn't really bother me when people do that.  Probably makes them feel worse than for me.

On my way out, I noticed her beautiful pink peonies.  And I had wished I had my memory card in my camera to take pictures.  And I also figured that if hers are blooming, my white ones at the kids house must be ready too.  I should cut them this year before they pass me by.

I wanted to take pictures of so many things coming down.  The sun was filtering just right and everything was pristine.  Gorgeous countryside, horses and cows in their pastures, windswept grasses blowing in the slightly windy evening and pink, purple and white phlox growing wild along the side of the road, just basking in the sun.

Of course, I was driving too fast to stop and had cars behind me.  Another time, I am going to take note of where I saw potential images and I will have my camera ready and will find a good spot to park.

So, last evening when I arrived, I got settled, was famished so had some of my macaroni salad and then my boyfriend and I went to a nearby campground to spend some time with some of his family.  This was the first time I met his family and we had a nice time.

It was great to sit at the campfire.  We are going again soon and will swim and later watch the fire glow.

Memorial Day is a great weekend for camping.  It is so relaxing.  Although, upon leaving, last night, I caught sight of a good sized TV plugged in at one of the campgrounds.  First time visualizing that at a campground.

Who is with me that when we go camping, we are prepared to rough it and leave everything else at home for the weekend.  Leave behind, TVs, computers, and any other modern gadgets.  Video games.  And we come to camp to just relax and take some time to enjoy the simple things in life.

There is something said for sitting around a burning hot campfire with your loved ones and just sitting there doing nothing, except for chilling out, talking and spending time roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the open flame.

Sitting there in the dark watching that sweet white morsel, burning into the rippling fire.  Waiting as it turns slightly brown, just the way you like it or sometimes the other way around.  A crisp black crumble that is about to fall into your ashes and red hot coals.

And the enjoyment of hearing your dog sizzle and burst until you are ready to devour every bite.

And watching your children play with sticks in the fire.  Learning that sometimes it's okay to be pyros.  They blow it out and make swirling patterns in the darkness of night.  And seeing who can come out of the woods with the best looking marshmallow stick.  And to let them have fun whittling a good sharp end.  And also monitoring that they are not going to poke each other with a hot stick.

Or another fun thing, making potato, carrot, corn and onion meals in the tinfoil and tossing them into the bonfire to cook as it will.  And then later eating and hoping that the bugs and moths aren't going to fly in and be part of the meal.

And to take a nice, refreshing dip in the lake is great.  As our days are telling us that summer has decided to come early.

And today, my boyfriend and I have decided to yard sale during the morning hours.  We drove into New York and yardsaled and drove around with the windows rolled down, baking in the hot sun.  And I brought along my camera to snap pictures as we went to sales.

The flowers are also in abundance and beauty is everywhere.  They are early this year.

Need to end this post as it's almost time to go back to the campground again.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.

Jennifer Jo Fay

May 26, 2012


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Reinventing Evening Gowns and other stuff


In my dreams!!!!!!



Have you ever had a dress that you would love to fit into again?  Don't you wish you could fit into your rehearsal dinner dress once more or that little black dress that is a wallflower in your closet?  Me!

But, I cut up my rehearsal dinner dress quite a few years ago and put it into a patchwork quilt.  Gone.

And then there was my vintage purple gown that I wore to one of the first Maine College of Art Auctions.  It was gorgeous with black velvet on the bodice and deep purple vintage satin and full length.  Back when I was ultra thin.

Wouldn't we give our right leg to be that thin again?  Well, after giving birth to multiple children, we know that can never happen.  Unless we are driven to a passion of major workouts.  But even after doing that, we many times still never see that day again.

But if you still have that dress in your closet, there still is hope.  For one thing, if you want it to look exactly as it was, you could take it to a seamstress who knows what they are doing and have them alter it to fit you.  That would be if you want the original on you just as it was many years ago.

But, if you have the dress and decide that you want to change the whole thing, that can work too.  Or what if you have found a few gorgeous dresses that don't fit you but you would like to change things so it will fit you?  Go for it.

Recently a few weeks ago, I bought three evening gowns for a few bucks a piece and decided to list them for a few bucks more on EBay.  They didn't sell.  I re listed a red one that didn't sell, but I didn't re list the other two.



This one I think I will be able to wear more often either by itself or over some leggings I have.  And that's another future project to knit.  I bought a cheap pattern for adult leggings on Ravelry.  That's an awesome site by the way.  This is the skirt that I am knitting the i-cord for.



This one I forgot to talk about.  This was a shirt I bought at a yard sale and listed it.  I tried about three or four times to sell it.  Also thinking that it was too small for me.  Well, today as I looked at the shirt, I knew that the sleeves were stretchy enough for me and wasn't sure if it would fit around the waist.  It ended up fitting.  Well, originally the neckline was higher.  I don't like a high neckline.  I feel like it is choking me for some reason.  And I tend to like my stuff a little lower and more revealing.  But not too low!
I slowly cut around the front to get the new neckline and then sewed along the edge.  I cut up the top of a different pink top too.


                     The tulle skirt.  There is a satin under layer that I will sew the crochet edging to.




They were a size three/four or 5/6 and I'm more like a 14/16.  The material on these two dresses were gorgeous.  One is this glittery gold material and the other was a gorgeous tan lace on the top and tulle on the bottom.

I knew I was going to cut these up, and I did.  Last night I worked on my first skirt and I tried it on this morning for the girls and it fits!  All it needs is a cool i-cord drawstring to put through the top and I can cinch it tight.

Then, this morning, I started cutting up the lace dress.  Part of the lace I have saved for a potential apron to wear over stuff and some headbands.  And there are some pieces of the fabric that the girls will get to have when they come home today.  They will want it to make dresses for their Webkinz.

I have one bag that they can have whatever they want for fabric.  It's full of scraps from outfits and other stuff.  But they have to ask me on my good fabric.  Then, I am in charge of cutting them a piece.

They had a fight over this leopard stretch fabric that I had given Julia last night.  She wanted my bigger piece that is for a headband.  But I had given her this thinner strip.  Well, Mollyanne had it around her wrist this morning and wouldn't give it back to Julia.  Of course Julia has that high pitched shriek that bugs the crap out of me.  And sometimes it's hard to get her to stop.

So after they had calmed down, I pulled the other piece that I have destined for another headband.  One for me and one to sell.  I ended up cutting another thin strip from that one to give to Mollyanne.  One headband will just end up being thinner than the other.

So anyway, you can always change an outfit.

One thing to know is that the skirt or dress that you plan to cut is most of the time thicker towards the bottom.  So chances are, you can get it to fit you.  Anything can be altered.

These are quite simple to do.  All you do is get your skirt or dress, and decide where you want to cut it.  Cut about one inch above where you actually plan to cut, just in case you mess up.  You want to keep in mind that you will be folding over the top of the fabric to where you are going to sew your seam

With the first skirt, the metallic one, I decided to cut a little above where all the pleats and seams were.  Then I began to fold it over and started sewing along the inside of the top.  I'm not doing anything to the bottom of this one.  The bottom of the skirt or dress can already be done for you.  Unless you want to add an embellishment at the end or extra ruffles.

I like to hand sew a lot of my stuff.  It's becoming a lost art.  Most everyone sews on a machine for the majority of this stuff.  I suppose I would too, but I have yet to figure out my machine.

Always have your pins on hand to mark where you want to do your sewing.  I tend to just use one so I will fix it as I go.  That way, you don't have all these pins sticking you in the arm.  That can be a pain in the neck.

Some seamstresses have one of those pincushions that attach to the wrist.  I might make some of those at some point.

All I have left to do for this skirt is the drawstring.  At first I was going to use elastic band, but then I remembered I have this cool gold metallic crochet string.  So, I have started this fun i-cord.




I-cord is so simple to do.  I learned this trick last month.  Before that, I just figured people made i-cord with either a mushroom tool that little girls learn with or four double pointed needles.  Then, last month I saw a tutorial to knit it with two double pointed needles posted on Pinter est.

It's so easy.

All you do is get two double pointed needles in the size that you want.  I guess they usually use a size 7, but you can really use any size you want.

Get your needles and CO 3 or 4 stitches.  One knitter/blogger said she prefers 3 but lots of people also use 4.  And I bet you could cast on more stitches if you want to get a different result.  Could be neat if you want to make a thicker bangle bracelet or something else.

After you CO, then start knitting.

Then, instead of turning, all you do each time you knit each row is slide the stitches to the other end of the needle and knit from the back.

Then, knit to your decided length.  I am thinking for my drawstring for the skirt, I should knit it to at least 30 inches but maybe more.  I'm larger due to four children, so mine will need to be longer.  And I'm thinking I might sew in a few beads at the end afterwards.  If I had thought, I probably would have started with a good sized knot and put my beads on first, before I begin the i-cord.  I still could do that, as I haven't gotten that far yet.

So that is the first skirt.

This second one, I cut up the lace for other stuff and then looked at the skirt at the bottom, which is this beautiful tulle.  I have cut a little above it where there is that satin material.  I will be folding it over so that part doesn't show and will do a similar thing with that one.  Once it is all sewn up, I will cut a hole somewhere in the middle of the front which will allow for an elastic band or another type of drawstring.




Then I bought this pretty lace that I am going to attach to the whole bottom of the skirt.  I kind of liked the pretty plaid ribbon, but I think the crocheted lace will look better on the bottom.  I'm thinking I will either add it to the top too or I could go with the ribbon at the top.

And then here is the other little project I've got going.  A little craft apron for me.  It is from a little Bonnie Jean dress that fit the girls when they were toddlers.  I cut it from the top of the skirt and it had more material to it.  Probably enough for a little craft apron with a pocket maybe.  I've got the fabric ties that originally tied the dress in the back.  (Not shown)


I will sew them on after I have finished it.  On the sides, I folded the fabric over and sewed up the sides.  I use very small stitches and keep in mind when you are sewing on the wrong side of the fabric, you want to get a very tiny piece of the fabric on your needle so that the stitches don't show on the other side.  This is easy to do with most fabrics.  There is always a way to get that unseen stitch that will keep it all in place.




Another cool trick when starting your sewing is not having a knot.  I always used to make a knot at the bottom of my string up until recently.  I learned that you don't have to do that.  Who wants this hideous knot showing up in your work?

You can either tie it to your previous thread or just don't knot.  Pull your thread almost to the end, and at the beginning before you start sewing, sew a few stitches at the beginning so that your thread won't pull through and you know it's going to stay.  Then, stitch to your heart's content.






At the top of my apron, I have slowly started to give it some pleats.  This is one way that you can make an apron.  Another way that I haven't tried yet, is by gathering your ruffle and then sewing it to a waistband piece of fabric.  I'm going to have a waistband to this one too, but it will be of a different fabric as I don't have anymore of this one.

Also, when deciding to use a gathered ruffle, you can use a thread that is elastic.  Walmart sells it.  It's a really thin white elastic thread.  I've got some and might try it sometime with something.  I think that is how they smock an outfit.  They have to use the elastic thread so the outfit stretches to fit.

So, I've started by folding over my fabric 1/4" at the top and I stuck my pin in.  I decided to sew my little pleats along the side first.  I sewed down a little past where the pin ends.  About 1/2".  After I have all the pleats where I want them, I am going to then go and sew along the top of the apron.

My pocket is going to end up having to be something else.  I'm kind of wanting a pocket to stuff my scissors or thread spool into while I wear my apron.

After I had started sewing the apron, I was off to the craft store to get my embellishments.  I knew I wanted the crocheted lace for the skirt, as I had previously bought some for my tea cup pincushions.  And while I was there, I saw the other two ribbons.  The smaller ones were about 50 cents a yard and the crochet one was a little over a dollar.  Not too bad.  I saw the pink satin one and thought it would look nice on the bottom of the apron.  I've changed my mind.



It didn't quite match it.  And then I put it to my skirt here and it matches that a lot better.  So now, I am suddenly rethinking the end of my knitted skirt.  I still kind of want the beading and the bobbles on the bottom, but now I am thinking I will do a yarn over and K2T to get a row of holes in the skirt to thread the ribbon through.  Maybe even a few rows of this might be pretty.  And then, I could still get maybe  few packages of those tiny little roses that I can sew on the ribbons at the end.

When that slow project finally gets done, I will have to share with you.  Already, my nurse at the doctor's office wants me to wear it into the office when it is done.  Each time I go, I am usually knitting the thing.  I like having something to do while I wait.

It's too bad, you can't do this while you are waiting in line at the post office.  What I should do there is learn to bring  a tiny notebook with me to jot things down.  Or maybe someday, I might find myself getting one of those little gadgets that you can write your notes on and then upload to your PC when you get back.  I will maybe price it at Amazon and splurge at Christmas time.

I love getting things at Amazon.  I love that they have used things.  I don't have to have brand new.  This is great especially on a book you might like to read or a movie you might like to watch and you don't want to pay the full price for a new one.  I've done this on some of my how to books or my dummy books.

And also getting lenses for my camera.  Those are expensive if you get them brand new.  That's how I got my little underwater camera last year.

So, these are my current projects as of today.  Besides writing on my blog, Triond and checking my EBay listings.  And doing a little bit of advertising for the blog and my new blog page:  Authentic Life Blog on Face book.

Still waiting to be able to post on face book walls under my new page.  That might be when I start to see a little more action on my new page.

So, I guess right now, I've got to finish this up so I can get sewing and other stuff.  The Nate Berkus show is on now, which means in fifteen to twenty minutes, Jake is going to be back and then Sean and then the girls. Which means I have a little over an hour to hide my new ribbons and embellishments so that the girls don't see them.

You know what will happen if they do.  "Can I have a piece?"  But, I am thinking I might leave the pink one out and give them a good sized piece.  It's still going to be a little while before I get to that part.  And at 50 cents a yard, I can always go back later and get five or six yards for finishing up the skirt.

Jennifer Jo Fay

May 22, 2012