We headed 'home' to Michigan for a week over the 4th to see friends and family. Christmas was the last time we'd seen most of them, and that trip was filled with heartache as we lost a good friend, and had to say good-bye to her at that time. This visit was quiet, sweet, much needed, and was over way too soon.

We always stay with my in-laws when we go. They have the space and the locale. They also dote all over the kids, and watch their every move, So it's nice for me not to have to worry/fret over what they are/aren't doing at any given moment. Also Me-mom and the hubby tend to take over bedtime entirely, so I end up with even more chill-time. Really, my biggest roll in their lives while we're 'home' is to make sure they don't turn into COMPLETE spoiled little tyrants. ^_^

The hubby got to spend some much needed time with friends. We got to see our nephew before he headed back off to base. He just finished boot camp and is awaiting his new training in the Marines. I got to see most of my nieces and nephews. They're growing so fast! *sob*

And I got to spend some quality time with my sis. We actually got to go on a picture-taking excursion together one evening. Just a little jaunt down to a local pond/park. Things didn't come out quite how we expected, due to some technical issues...and we are both now covered head to toe in mosquito bites (have you any idea how hard it is to keep that tiny DoF when your fingers and elbows are getting bit??) But it was such a stress reliever, and a thrill. It's been...way too long...since we've had a chance to run around together. Much less with our cameras.

And now we're home. No matter how comfy another place may be, it doesn't compare to your own bed.

Today is going to be spent going through pictures from the trip, catching up on laundry, and reconnecting with each other. We tend to all go somewhat separate ways when we're there. It makes me feel a little out of touch by the time we get back. Especially with the kids. Perhaps some mini golf or a trip to the pool. *shrugs* Something quiet and relaxing. The next month looks to be busy with a mural project at the school finally at the go-ahead stage. So I plan to relish every second of quiet I can get. ^_^

First off, I would like to thank those of you that have been supportive of the modifications I made to the bodices of the Adyras and Elwe dress lines. From the day I arrived here, I have always done what I could to make sure the products I make are appropriate for and available to everyone. I have nothing against AP products, and own the AP myself. It is just not something I chose to focus on here. Those edits were necessary to keep those dresses GA.

On the the frustration part....apparently changing the bodices was not enough to keep them from getting flagged. It did not even enter my brain to test to make sure the undergarments met the new minimum coverage guidelines. They weren't g-strings, they were very conservatively cut, and they were buried under floor-length gowns. Low and behold, however, if you are wearing the MCG skin, and do the splits using the *use 2111 action (designed by IMVU for the sole purpose of checking those areas)...you do in fact find red that isn't covered. It is a very thin line along the inside seam where thigh meets body. It is also two small triangles to either side of the butt crack where IMVU did not match up the cut of their front with the cut of their back. Their seams don't match.

Sooo...the Adyras dress was flagged. I have since changed it's opacity AGAIN, and fixed the undergarments it comes with, so 'everything' is covered. It has been sent in for re-review. Lord only knows how long it will take for it to get seen again and put back in it's proper place in the GA. It is, as always, a waiting game.

In the mean time...
* Yes, I know it's frustrating not being able to use clothes you've purchased or been gifted. No one is more frustrated about this than I am. I am thrilled that people like my items enough to purchase them, and I am heartbroken that you are currently unable to do so. I appreciate your patience more than you know.
* No, I can't refund your credits. I only receive a small percentage of what you paid. IMVU gets the lion's share. IMVu generally takes care of any such refunds with issues like this. If they haven't doled any out yet, it is likely they wanted to wait and see how this played out before doing so.
* I have since looked through the rest of my catalog, and found that many of my older products also fail the MCG while doing the splits. *eye roll* So I have hidden nearly everything I've made that includes a bottom to it. A week or so of not being able to purchase it is better than months of not being able to wear it, in my opinion. Once things are 'fixed', I will make them available again.

What can you all do to help? Make your voices heard. If you see an item you think is being wrongfully flagged, make IMVU hear your take on it. MORE IMPORTANTLY, if you put on an older item and find it doesn't meet the new minimums, send that developer a private message about it!! It will get remedied soooo much faster than if you just flag it, or wait for someone else to flag it. Remember, if it gets flagged, you'll lose it. If you let the developer know, it will likely get fixed without you ever needing to miss it.

The Adyras line has been fully edited. Only the bodice was changed on each one. Also, the Elwe line has been changed. ONE of the openins in the laces crossing the bodice came too close to the underside of the left breast. There was no good way to change the position, cover with bows/ties/jewels, or camouflage it. So, transparency has been removed from the bodice. It was the only way to keep the overall clean lines and design of the dress and still keep it GA. Very frustrating after the amount of time I spent on the original opacity for this dress, in order to keep within the original 'no leaves' guidelines, and still have a unique cut to the dress. At any rate, I believe this was the best compromise. I am still in the process of updating the product images, but you can see the changes in the images below. Thanks.

Just a quick note to let you all know I'm editing my Adyras line. (Adryas, Aura, Arya, Anara, etc). I was extremely careful when I originally made these to make sure they conformed to the minimum coverage rule at the time. So it did not even occur to me that they might not still be acceptable under the new rules. Well, it's been brought to my attention by a fellow imvu-er that they don't.

Soooo I have made them invisible in the catalog for the time being, and I am adjusting that one little spot to make sure they can stay GA, and do not get forcibly put into APO. Unfortunately that 'one little spot' takes a while to adjust on 6 dresses, so please be patient.
Thank you!

Hey all, first blog entry, in forever it feels like. Hard to write a 'first post' sometimes, after you've gone so long. If you post a poem, people read too much into it. A full story is a little too much pressure. Pictures don't really say enough. And official updates have a hard time finding that balance of too much/too little. Sooo...I'm just going to offer another installment of randomness from my head. Little bits of thoughts I've had rolling around. A few update snippets. A minor rant or two. Etc.

I know it's been forever. And I know some of you are starting to think I'll never answer your message or that I've completely ignored your requests. I haven't. I just haven't been around. ForestWolf was kind enough to help me with the mechanics of my page (*hugs him*), so I logged in to hammer all that out. I also popped in long enough to wish a friend 'Happy Birthday'. But that's been it. I've been pretty much MIA from IMVU since the writing contest. (BTW, if anyone hasn't checked that out yet, go do so. Some wonderful wonderful writing. The number of entries was overwhelming, as was the quality!!) So, if you haven't heard from me, it's not because I hate you, not because I'm mean, not because I don't think you're worth my time....I just haven't been around. I will do my best to reply to messages over the next few days. I know a few requests were buried in there. If you think I've missed yours, feel free to resend it, if you haven't already given up on me.

Speaking of requests...there are some things I can do, some I can't, some I won't. Want a different color/variety of a dress I've already made? That I can do-usually. HOWEVER...I am also making items for Cross Design Group. So sometimes when I make an item for the main IMVU catalog, I put a different colored version of it in the CDG catalog (for the same price). I cannot/will not put the same item in both catalogs. Also, I am not a mesher. I might move in that direction some day, but that's not where I am right now. I can retexture till the cows come home, hell I can retexture the cows...but I can't add new poses to an item I've already made, I can't create new scenes with specifically placed walls/outhouses/Leggo rooms. And I refuse to add music to any item I make. 1.I'm not a composer, and I'm not talented enough to play the music of the masters. I can plunk out Friar Jacque or Happy Birthday on a toy piano and an-old-church-song-I-don't-remember-the-words-to on the guitar. Which means any music to go on an item, that you'd actually want to hear, I'd have to take off the internet...which would be copyrighted...which makes it a no-no. 2. I have several friends whose systems just can't handle the music items in their chat client. Activating a music-enhanced item sends their interface to a teeth-grinding halt. It's not pretty.

When will I be adding more items to my catalogs? Soon. Maybe not this week..but soon.

The summer is just about over! Where the heck did it go?? My kids go back to school tomorrow! And for the first time ever, I'm actually sorry about it. We had our most peaceful summer ever this year. It was a PLEASURE to have the kids home all summer. They didn't try to kill each other even once. ...Okay, maybe once, but they were back to being best buds 5 minutes later...okay, 20 minutes.

The kids started Tae Kwon Do this year, at the beginning of the summer. It's been REALLY good for them. We tried it once before with the oldest a few years ago at a place in MI, but he just couldn't stay on task, was more interested in watching himself in the mirror than watching the instructor, and the instructor was more hard core to boot. So we were a little hesitant, and slightly less than fully optimistic when we tried out this place here. It's been WONDerful!. The owner is fabulous. He's REALLY good with the kids and gets the best out of them. As does the other instructors he has with him. It's a really great team of people, and they are very family oriented. They don't let the kids get away with anything, they know what the kids are capable of and demand that of them...but they still manage to do it in a way that keeps the kids smiling on the way home. They are all about teaching yes sir/no sir ettiquette, respect, self control, and how to be good role models. What more could you ask for??

Both kids have had their first tests. The little one is now a Little Ninja yellow belt (a white belt with a yellow stripe-the Little Ninja's have their own belt system based on the number of classes they attend, advancing up until they are ready to take an actual yellow belt test). And the oldest had his first belt test. He's now a yellow belt. If he hadn't been talking in between his each and every 150 kicks, the test would have been nearly perfect lol. They also both had their first in-school tournament (no outside/other martial arts schools, just theirs). It was a really good experience for them both, and they were super geeked about coming home with trophies.

Favorite kid quote of the summer? My husband: "Aww kids, your mom's a peach! Isn't she a peach?!" My eldest (9-almost-10): "...you mean the butt-shaped fruit?"

One of my favorite things? The fact that my little one snuggles me to wake me up in the morning. Makes me smile to wake up to a little hand rubbing my cheek or patting my arm. The same way I wake him during the school year. How sweet is that?

A commercial that really irritates the heck out of me...Gerber Life Insurance. I hate this commercial. They use their name and their association with quality baby products in hopes you won't look past the name, and just assume what they're selling is a good thing. Which I can't really blame them for, it's a great ploy. What I have a problem with is their tag of "I want the best for my baby, and the best for his future." It's LIFE INSURANCE!! That's not helping your child's future! That's helping yourself, or your child's future husband/wife/kids if something fatal happens to them! If you want to truly do something for your child's FUTURE, put that same money into a college savings fund!

Current anime I'm watching? Seven Samurai. It's a future set twist on the original movie. The bandits are robots, there's a big bad guy in the city, and the little village has a water priestess. If you haven't seen the original (1954/1956-USA release) (live actors-not anime) you should. It's worth seeing, and so many movies since have been based on it. Once you've seen it, go get the anime.

Other anime to see, if you haven't already: Scrapped Princess-A complimentary mix of fantasy and sci-fi. Great characters. Petite Princess Yucie-it sounds fluffy, and it really is in the beginning. However by the 5th episode or so, you will be completely wrapped up in it, you'll adore the characters, and you'll be quoting lines about people's foreheads and your own fantastical magical powers constantly. The last few episodes? get your box of tissues. I assure you it ends well, I wouldn't recommend it if it ended stupid, I enjoy a happy ending. However, you'll need the tissue box. I watched this with my hubby and my two sons...not a dry eye in the room. Another really fabulous set is Last Exile. It has elements of 1940's era looks, sci fi technology (flying war ships), fantasy, etc. REALLY great music. Characters with a lot of depth, that you love. Not to compare them too closely (the story lines are very different), but if you're a fan of Firefly, and you're a fan of anime, you'll love this.

I've been spending a LOT of time in photoshop these days. How is that different than the norm? None of it's been for imvu. I've been going back over my growing stock of photographs I've taken, tweaking, cropping. I've been entering contests over on PhotoshopTalent.com. Even taking first in a few. Having an absolute ball in all of them. I've been experimenting with abstract. I've played a bit with fractals even. It's been exhilarating. Truly. I think my problem in the past has been that I've always had a preconceived idea of what art was to me. Every piece I did, I had a concrete idea of what I was doing, and I muscled at the piece until it came close enough to the picture in my head. Everything had to be a master piece...things just don't work that way. I was eventually able to get rid of that notion with my writing...to some extent. And I think my writing has gotten a lot better because of it. I've only just this summer, gotten rid of that notion with my art. Finally. I've let myself simply PLAY. Guess what? It's FUN!! I'm having the time of my life! And instead of 'using up all my good ideas and being left with none'..they are multiplying. Each and every piece sparks inspiration for another one. I was always so jealous of my husband, because he could whip up a picture off the top of his head, with no physical reference in front of him, and it always looked amazing to me. I can/could look at a specific object and copy it to the last detail..but come up with something new? Forget it. What I'm discovering now is...it's not that I can't, it's that I never truly let myself have that much freedom. I'm discovering that when I try to force a piece...it shows...when I let loose, have fun, and let the piece create itself...it shows. Guess which one looks better? Guess who is letting loose more, and having a ball now, and creating better-looking images than I ever have in my life...