Owl

I made this owl yesterday:

Knitten

I've crocheted my first knitten a few days ago! Her name is Muffin and she's made from a pattern from our Dutch equivalent to the SPCA:

Sweet

A sweet part of a letter that Josh wrote me on may 31st. It wasn't my intention but I really can't help myself falling for him after 2.5 years of writing:

"I've come to realize that there are more important things than a trophy girlfriend. I want a woman that appreciates the imperfect me that I struggle to accept. I want a woman that adores me, I want a woman who is proud of me and a woman who desires me. I want a woman who can be herself with me even if she can't be herself with others. I want a woman who isn't trying to impress me.

Moontje, you are every bit the woman I've always wanted. You are all of the above but also thoughtful, understanding, considerate, accepting, forgiving, so very loving and so very dear to me. I love your letters, cards, photo's, poems, etc. I love our phonecalls. I love having you in my life.

Any "gorgeous" woman who comes along is at a massive disadvantage because you have all of that, but you also have my heart."

And this is the lates drawing he sent me:

 

Strange moods lately

lately I have been kinda in a sweet/romantic/whatever mood... So I listen to songs that fit that mood. One of the most romantic albums ever is the soundtrack of "The Bodyguard" Starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. This movie/soundtrack brings back sooooooo many wonderful memories, of school, my mom and my friends.

So just the other moment Nickelodeon was broadcasting Victorious which is always good for some relaxation. Out of curiosity I googled some of the actors and found this footage of Ariana Grande Performing I Have Nothing, originally sung by Whitney Houston. Although you can hear that she is not AS good as Whitney herself, she does an absolutely amazing job and the song gave me goosebumps

And for comparison: the original version.

Finding Cheap Hobbies: scrapping

Scrapping is a hobby you can make as expensive if you want it to be. Of course, supplies like the cuttlebug, big shot and cricut aren't cheap, but for a few cents you can buy some paper and cheap embellishments and have a party. Last weekend I was with my friend and made these 2 cards:

Finding Cheap Hobbies: Knitting :D

Now, this doesn't need much of an introduction :D I've been knitting for several years, but truly? I'm a disaster. So I'm working on a scarf now for Josh's daughter and I already had to start over like 3 times or so.

here's the result so far:

Prison Art: How Inventive Can You Get?

Josh is an amazing artist. I know that, you know that... no need to enlighten you there, right? Well, it seems I'm wrong about that, lol.

Josh has been transferred last summer and wasn't allowed to bring his art supplies to his new facility. He ordered new supplies but is still waiting for them. When I spoke to him on the phone a few weeks ago, he mentioned that he had made me a drawing and he made it with... *drumrolls*... TEA!

Yup, my penpal is a little Einstein, lol.

I just love it!

Finding "cheap" Hobbies... Making Friendship Bracelets

That is what I've been doing lately, and although I've done most of this hobbies before I'm still excited to start all over again. Paying off my college debts is a good thing, but it definately makes sure that I don't have much money to spend for a couple of years to come. So I try to keep myself busy without trying to spend any money. (or, as little as possible).

The hobby featured in this blog is one that EVERYONE has done once in their lives (and if not: go be ashamed of yourself! :D ). Remember how you would make cute bracelets for your friends? and do you remember what they look like?
For those who have forgotten what I'm talking about:

I absolutely love the multitude of colors and this makes my hands itching to start working on one. When I was searching for a safety-pin I also found 3 little books with patterns to make friendship bracelets.
For those of you who aren't that fortunate to have books like that lying around the house :D :

http://www.how-to-make-jewelry.com/how-to-make-friendship-bracelets.html

Have fun! And please show some pictures of your bracelets! I'd love to see them.

Wordart Freebie: I'd Lie For You by Meatloaf

I just made a word art with words from this wonderful song:

Click the image so it will show up full size, right click on it and save image as. Enjoy!

Blooper of the Century

Oh, the things you can encounter on Skype...
Lately I have been skyping with Josh's mom, and I'm having a blast talking to her.
In one of our most recent skype conversations her phone rang. She said: "ooooooo, I KNOW who thát is..." her voice in such a tone that I thought it was Josh.
So she picked up her phone, held it in front of the camera and told me to say hi. I was still under the impression that it was Josh and I yelled "Hey Cutie" very enthusiastically.
Yeah, well... not so much... It was his dad...

These things can of course only happen to me, lol.

Matt Bomer, Glee, Gotye

Put all of those 3 components together and this is what you get:

Monkey and Cat

Josh made me 2 drawings and sent them to me in the same envelope. He made the valentines flower for me for valentine (duh! haha), but this drawing of the monkey and the cat he made just for fun

Valentines Flower

Josh had made me this drawing for valentine. It is all in pencil because he was transferred last summer and wasn't allowed to bring his art supplies. He had to order supplies again and is still waiting fro them to be delivered.

Rose and flames

Lately I have been really spoiled by Josh and Robert. They both have sent me amazing drawings!

This one is from Robert:

Update on the unexpected penpal request

So a while ago I talked about how Josh' daughter(14) had asked if she could write me a letter.

Due to my own stupid comments in the beginning of our penpal friendship ("I hate kids"), Josh had asked me if I could leave his daughter out of our conversations. Because me asking how she was doing, was only because he's my friend and would not show any sincere interest from me in her. Okay, if you don't want me to talk about your daughter than that's fine with me. Although you should know by now that if I ask something about her, that I am genuinely interested in her and that I'm not asking because you're my friend and I have an obligation to do so.

So when his mom mentioned that his daughter had asked if she could write me, I was reaaaaaally hesitant. NOT because I didn't want the daughter to write me, but because I didn't want to do anything behind Josh' back and hurt/upset him.
His mom explained my behaviour to him as: "yup, she REALLY hates kids"
And in my opinion that was SO unfair. It was something I said ages ago and I've noticed that now I'm growing older I can see things more in perspective, also regarding kids. Fine, I'm still not having kids of my own, but as I grow older the firm statement that I hate kids seems to be mellowing out.
Of course I was really upset about this. I have never lied to Josh, I've never been dishonest with him or deliberately hurt/upset him. So when his mom made her comment about me to him, I felt ambushed from 2 sides for a crime I didn't commit. Yeah, I made a harsh statement years ago, but doesn't everyone do that sometimes? Besides, what If I would think that way? What if I couldn't look past his crime and wouldn't have written him. Or stop looking past his crime and therefor stop writing? It would devastate him. That's why I was so nervous for his phonecall. To make a long story short, he said he had to think about it.

But the whole thing was bugging me and I was really moody over it, so I wrote him a 6 page letter about how I felt and how my point of view was on this whole thing. I think I might have stepped on a few toes here and there haha.
When I came home yesterday, there was a jailmail from him, I don't know if it was in reply to my 6page moody letter because he didn't mention that he received it. But this is what he wrote:

"Anyway, I just talked to my mom. My daughter wrote you a letter and gave it to her yesterday. So, my mom is sending it to me to read and decide if I want you to get it or not. Which brings me to something I wanted to talk to you about.
As you know, my daughter is my heart and soul! I only want what's best for her and I don't want her to face anymore pain, rejection and abandonment. I've told you of my uncertainty about your contact with her, and that I'd have to think about it.
For 2 years, you have been a loyal, stable and dear friend. You've done so much for me and supported me in countless ways. You've been such an important and positive part of my life and it would be a disservice to my daughter for me to not allow her to get to know you. It's important to me that she knows the woman that's kept me alive and the woman that provided me so much comfort.

All I ask though is that your correspondence with her go through me first. I won't edit, change or withhold any of it from either of you. I just want to be "in the loop" and know what's said. This is really no different than if you were meeting her in person. Obviously I wouldn't send her to a strangers house alone - I would be there with her until they've  become sufficiently acquainted. In the future I'll likely have the two of you correspond directly. Is that okay with you? And, do you understand?"

So that was quite a surprise... I was afraid that we would end up fighting over it, but I like this :D Now I can't wait for his daughter's letter to me :D 

Having penpals from a prisoners point of view

About a little over a year ago, my WAP friend Fee asked for a penpal for her boyfriends cellie on the WAP forum. I sent her a PM and stated that I had time on my hands for a new penpal, so she gave me his addres and James and I started writing.

A few days ago, Fee asked me if she could write James to tell him how life's going for her boyfriend, because he asked her to do so. Today Fee wrote me this:

Hey You,
I got a letter from James, he's a nice guy. I want to tell you what he said:
I never got to thank you for landing me Moon as a penpal. I didn't realize someone as special, smart and funny not to say the least as caring as her could or would care to write to me. You're right Moon is truely lovely. I like her personality and she's goodlooking, I like her age, her size and especially her hair. I hope when I do get out I can end up with someone as savvy and good looks as her, we have a lot in common. I'm not as organized in my style of thinking. I admire her quick comeback in the hardest time of her life.

He wrote something about Jpay as well but, that's not important enough to share on my blog. This is especially the reason why I write to my guys. Not because they compliment me, heck I KNOW I am the best, I don't need to hear that from them, hahahahahaha. But because I can make someone feel special and wanted within the crappy circumstances they find themselves, and hopefully make them better persons that when they DO get out of prison, they stay out of trouble.

Thnx again, Fee, for sharing this with me! 

Big Big World Wordart Freebie

Click the image so it will show up full size, right click on it and save image as. Enjoy!

Barcelona (Freddie Mercury Song) Wordart Freebie

Click the image so it will show up full size, right click on it and save image as. Enjoy!

BAM! Wordart Freebie

Click the image so it will show up full size, right click on it and save image as. Enjoy!

Three boys rescued by prison inmates

There! eat your heart out to all those inmate bashers.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/50879/three+boys+rescued+by+prison+inmates+after+canoe+capsizes+on+creek/

Unexpected penpal request and new penpal

Since about 2 weeks I have a local skype number in Ft Dix, NJ, so J can call me for 6ct a minute instead of the one dollar a minute calls he used to have to make when calling my cellphone. We've been enjoying this eversince and he's already called me like 6 times or so. Will call this weekend again :D.

A few days later his mom added me to skype and a few days ago we talked for the first time ever via skype. She told me that J's daughter had asked her if she could write me a letter. I'm fine with that, but I know J isn't because of some stupid things I said in the very beginning of our penpal friendship. I'm not going to do this behind his back, so I want to discuss this with him on the phone. But: where to start? I'm kinda nervous about it all, because I don't want it to end in an arguement. Only time can tell, huh? :D

Then, on another note: Lately I've been noticing that I have a lot of spare time when it comes to writing to my pals. In some prisons mail is being precessed really slow lately (SQSP for example), so my mailbox is very empty.
That's why I have decided to add a new penpal to the list. A female one this time. She's doing life without the possibility of parole, and her ad really stood out to me. I emailed her via the WAP emailfunction, so the mail will be printed and sent the fourth of next month. Gonna take a looooooot of patience there haha

Other than that I'm doing fine. Going to bring my bike to the shop so they can fix my flat tyre and then do some shopping.
Have a nice day!

Angel playing with my heart wordart freebie

Click the image so it will show up full size, right click on it and save image as. Enjoy!

Angel and Halo Wordart Freebie

Click the image so it will show up full size, right click on it and save image as. Enjoy!

Frogs and Stuff

14 months ago my mom passed away, she has always been an avid collector of frog items. Our house was stashed with them and they were even on the toilet hahahaha. So when Josh called me last thursday, he was like: awwww, I can't keep a secret: I made you a drawing and I think you'll like it.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I received a letter today from him and in the envelope was the drawing. I was stunned:

Zentangle

Looking for idea's to spice up the letters to my penpals I came across a Zentangle website. Actually this is basically what we used to do in high school, but these days they call it Zentangle.

Click here for a Zentangle website

Here are some examples:

Quotes Websites

Here are a few websites with quotes. I find this very useful as I design quite a bit with Paint Shop Pro and photoshop. Makes finding inspirational quotes a lot easier, and comes in very handy when I write my pals as well.

Quotes and Sayings
Live Love Quotes and Sayings
I Love Life Quotes

Forum Issues

Being a member of the Write A Prisoner Forum (and some other forums as well) makes me realize that, however supportive and helpful  they are, there are still some areas they do not cover. This is not a bad thing, because these forums are intended to be a source of information. So I'm making my own forum. I've done this before, couldn't get it to work and eventually it expired so now I'm trying again :D
Ah well, it keeps one busy, lol.

Dammit Scam it...

Just a few days ago I received a letter from my pal J in Texas. He is a once in a whiler (maybe 3 or 4 letters a year), but this was his second letter in a relatively short amount of time. With him being low on funds, I was wondering why I got a new letter so soon. Well, I found out the moment I opened the envelope, because inside were TWO trustfund forms, and he'd already filled in his details on one of them. And in the letter before that was also a trustfund form...
Man, I was really disappointed, not because he sent the forms, I know he doesn't have much money so I can't blame him for trying. I do however am afraid that if he finds out that I'm not going to send him any money, he will stop writing. I do enjoy his letters however minimal they are.

I know the drill and will send him a polite answer stating that I can't afford to send him money, I just guess I hoped I wouldn't have to go through this.

Bloggen in het Engels

Omdat ik nu toch ook wel wat engels sprekende volgers en bezoekers krijg, heb ik besloten om ook in het engels te gaan bloggen.

De eerste 2013 goodie is binnen

Vandaag kwam er een brief van Bruce uit Amerika, met een onwijs lief getekend kerstkaartje. Nu weet ik niet of hij dit zelf getekend heeft, soms vragen ze ook wel eens aan andere inmates die heel goed kunnen tekenen of ze zoiets willen maken. Ze betalen hier dan voor met bijvoorbeeld postzegels. Maar de gedachte is heel lief :D

A Million Lovesongs Wordart Freebie

Even de wordart aanklikken, zodat ie op origineel formaat komt, er dan met je rechtermuisknop opklikken en opslaan als kiezen.

Enjoy!

I Don't Want To Miss A Thing Wordart Freebie

Even de wordart aanklikken, zodat ie op origineel formaat komt, er dan met je rechtermuisknop opklikken en opslaan als kiezen.

Enjoy!

The Ugly Truth

Josh vertelde mij in zijn laatste brief over zijn favoriete film The Ugly Truth. Het is een romantische comedy met Katherine Heigl en Gerard Butler, en vandaag heb ik deze even geleend van het internet om hem te kijken.
Het is een superschattige film, en aangezien ik toch niet kan slapen, kon ik hem mooi even kijken.

Gelukkig 2013

Een beetje laat maar uit een goed hart :D