Write Here, Write Now

The Book Collector

2012-01-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

I don't collect things. I actually don't believe in collecting things. I don't see the point. Mostly, I think it's a waste of space and money. But, to each their own.

That said, I just realized this morning that I collect books. Not so much real ones, because I don't reread books. Ever. But the digital kind. I can't get enough.

They're not taking up valuable physical space and most have been free. (You'd be surprised at the quality of the free Kindle books available on Amazon.) In fact, I've probably only bought 5 books since I got my Kindle.

Right now, I have about 35 books on my Kindle waiting to be read. And access to more just an e-mail away. But I still surfed Amazon's Kindle store this morning, looking for more books. This is an illness, right? I'm addicted to books.

Luckily, I read fast. And I can read anywhere, in the car, while standing in line, while walking. It's a great talent. But, still. Something has to be done about this before it gets out of hand!

P.S. Isn't that Kindle skin great? I totally need it.

Possible Prize Alert!

2012-01-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

I want to buy this fabric and make something awesome out of it, but I have no ideas. What do you think I should make out of it? If I pick your idea, I may just make you one, too.

I Thought I was Paying Attention ...

2012-01-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

... but I don't remember learning anything about a Wine Pick Up lane in driver's ed.

It Can't Be

2012-01-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

So, people are spreading this awful rumor that my son, my baby, is turning 3 Saturday. I don't believe it. It can't be. The only possible answer is that the entire world is crazy.

On the slight chance that they might be right, we're going to have a teeny tiny little party for him Saturday. Billy is itching to make the cake (his first foray into 3D cakes) and I'm stressing over logistics. Basically, we're dividing and conquering by doing what we do best.

There really wasn't much to plan, so I took a little extra time making the invitation (only to print about 5 of them!) and am working on a cool year-in-review-type picture thing for family and friends (which, of course, I'll post here). Mostly, I'm keeping busy so I don't have time to get sad reminiscing over where the time has gone.

It's been an amazing year. BB is the world's best kid. (No, really. He is.) Every day with him is better than the last and I can't wait to see what this year brings. ... But I still don't believe he's going to be 3 in two days.

Pom Poms!

2012-01-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

Totally stole this idea from Pinterest:

craft pom poms + magnets + cookie sheet =

endless possibilities.

So far, BB's used them to practice his ABCs, practice his 123s, match colors, count and have me make flowers, people and butterflies. I wasn't so good at making a princess.

I Love Spraypaint!

2012-01-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, I got this idea to spray paint some random things around my house in an effort to add color. I got the spray paint for Christmas:

but hadn't found the time to spray paint my first 'victim', a wooden lazy susan we use for Scrabble. Then we went to Ikea and I found this:How awesome is that gonna look in lime green? This awesome:

I'm on a roll! Billy better get me some more spray paint, unless he wants a lime green garage refrigerator and a lime green lazy susan and a lime green propane tank ...

Giving Back, One Book at a Time

2012-01-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

There are so many ways to go with this post that I anticipate it being one big mess. Nevertheless, here I go.

I'm getting older (every year, ha ha) and I'm starting to question some things. Mostly purpose-based stuff, like why the heck am I here.

At the same time, I'm really happy with where I am. I love my husband and son. I have amazing friends. I enjoy my job. I'm at a place where I am comfortable and secure. So, naturally, I need to mess it up.

For several years now, I've assisted Read for Literacy with two of its fundraising efforts, mostly with marketing and promotion. I've also participated in one of the organization's fundraising events for several years. In December, I decided that I'm going to take that a step further and volunteer for RFL's Creating Young Readers program.

As a volunteer, I will read to literacy-challenged preschool and kindergarten students on a one-to-one basis once a week. I go through training Tuesday and should start reading sometime in the next few weeks.

Literacy has always been a cause of mine. I love to read. I love reading to BB and I love seeing his love of reading develop. It pains me that only 38 percent of U.S. fourth-grade students - and only 17 percent of low-income fourth-graders - read at or above the proficient level. Evidence shows that children who've participated in Creating Young Readers have "rapidly increased three important preliteracy skills - picture naming, alliteration, and rhyming - that have been shown to contribute to stronger reading skills. The children's teachers also noted substantial improvements in the children's behavior, ability to participate in class activities, and interest in reading and books."

I'm excited to get start and begin making a difference. If you'd like more information about Creating Young Readers, read this.

A Tiny Request

2012-01-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

This is an awful picture. And it's so awfully obvious that I stole it from a video, but I felt you needed to read this to understand why I so badly want The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories. I've read 4 of the stories in the book and they're all simply awesome, much like the one above. Perhaps you would buy me this book?

High Five Me

2012-01-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

I made another craft the other day! Man, am I on a roll! Oddly enough, this one didn't require the use of my awesome new table.

I've always been a fan of handprint projects. I think it's a great way of showing growth of your little ones and it's really personal. (Remind me to show you a super cool handprint craft made for me by Wendy sometime!)

BB and I whipped this up the other night in honor of his upcoming 3rd (holy cow, how did that happen?!) birthday.

Speaking of Crafting

2011-12-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

One of the first things I wanted to make with my sewing machine was a pincushion. I haven't gotten around to that yet, so I whipped this together the other day. Nothing special, but a handy place to keep my pins while sewing - and even when not sewing.

My New Craft Table!

2011-12-29T12:46:00.001-08:00

I love crafting. I know. Shocker!
Until recently, I've done it sporadically, partially because I don't have a lot of time and mostly because I don't have a lot of space. But now ...

See that thing on the wall? That's my new craft table ...

How awesome is that?! When I want to make cards or scrapbook or sew - I CAN!
It's a Christmas miracle!

I don't have to carry all my crap, er, supplies downstairs anymore. I don't have to worry about putting my stuff away at night. If I'm not done, I can leave my stuff until the next day! Whoa.

I see a lot of crafts in my future!

Happy Blogversary to Me

2011-12-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that 6 years ago I didn't know what a blog was? And that 5 years and 3 days ago I didn't have a blog? My how the world has changed.

5 years and 2 days ago I started my first blog, this one. I have another that I update pretty regularly. And I've participated in others from time to time. But this is my baby. The one that allows me to be creative and funny and write, and above all else, chronicle my days for future generations.

I still remember writing my first post. I was so excited - and nervous - to venture into the blogosphere. But with encouragement from my coworkers and former coworkers and friends, I jumped in.

Back then, I wanted people to like me. Now? I want to write and I want to have something to look back on in the future. I don't care if people read, because I'm accomplishing my two main goals. If people read, though, yay! I hope I make them laugh from time to time. And comments! Well they're awesome, but even those aren't what fuel my fire anymore.

I guess the summary of this reflection is that I'm content. I like my blog. I love being able to write outside of work. I love being able to look back on where I've been. (In the past 5 years, I've had a baby, bought a house and saw the ocean, for example.) I didn't know 5 years and 2 days ago the direction this blog would take, but now I do. And I like it.

Now I'm going to go buy myself some wood (traditional 5-year anniversary gift, don'tcha know) and celebrate!

Christmas Craft Awesomeness

2011-12-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Last night at The Hob Lob, a random lady asked me if I was a crafter. I kinda stuttered and said 'sorta, I guess'. I don't know why I said that. I am. I think.

The reason I was at Hobby Lobby was to find holiday beads and plastic containers so I could make little seek and find games. I found great beads - snowmen, snowflakes, gingerbread men, reindeer, mittens and sleds - but no suitable plastic containers. Boo. I had already colored my rice and had the perfect beads, but nothing to put them in. Until ...

... my non-crafty husband suggested the round holiday Coke bottles. PERFECT! Don'tcha think?

Now I've Seen Everything

2011-12-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon fiverr (it wasn't through StumbleUpon*), but I'm kinda glad I did, if only for a day.

Fiverr is "The place for people to share things they're willing to do for $5". Get your head out of the gutter. It's not those things. It's stuff like draw you a little anime character or answer your question about scuba diving or say whatever you want when they're in the shower. (OK, some of the 'items' up for sale are those things.)

This site says so much about our world today. Like, people are willing to do anything for money and you can literally find anything on the Internet, even a gram of gallium. I seriously want to get all geeky psychological about this site. Oo oo! Maybe I'll 'sell' my willingness to talk about the site's social and psychological angles!

I'll let you know if I find anything worth purchasing.

* Hee hee.

Like Halley's Comet

2011-12-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

The above is proof that every so often, roughly every 75 years, I pull an awesome meal out of ~~my butt~~ thin air.

App-Mania!

2011-12-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

BB loves his dad's tablet. Loves, loves, loves it.
He's very good at finding and playing his games and movies. (It's actually quite scary.)

So when I was skimming the internets Friday night and came across a list of great apps for toddlers or preschoolers, I downloaded a few of them. Most were .99, one was free.

BB's favorite, by far, is My First Puzzles. We downloaded the animal version and he loves it. He's also crazy good at it. It's just challenging enough to keep his attention, but not so challenging that he gets frustrated and quits. It's probably the most perfect app for him right now.

I'm itching to get some of the other puzzles in the series, especially Alphabet and Numbers!

It's December ...

2011-12-01T07:04:00.001-08:00

... and my driveway looks like a river.

I know I want a pond, but this isn't what I had in mind.

You Can't Force Creativity

2011-11-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

Remember how blah I was about the crop I went to a few weeks ago? How nothing was coming to me? I ended up being OK with the end result, but I wasn't completely happy. Then today - out of nowhere - I got insane inspiration for a holiday card. I might have even been giddy. But it's too late to start over with this year's cards, so ... enjoy this year's card, which will be going out soon, but hold your applause because next year's is going to be even better. Here's a peek:

That TUT, Always in My Head

2011-11-29T18:31:00.000-08:00

While it's often fashionable to dwell upon what might have been, what's usually overlooked is that really and truly, it couldn't have.

Because, invariably, any romanticized versions of how things "might have been" are based upon fictionalized versions of the past.

Un-hun,
The Universe

---

Taking massive action on massive dreams amidst massive uncertainties is pretty much where everyone had to start.

And then things got way easier.

Massive love,
The Universe

Happy Work-versary to Me

2011-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that I've worked at my current job for five years and one day?! Me neither. This is the longest I've worked at any job ever. I tend to bolt around 4 years. There must be something about this place I like*.

Since I do most of my blogging from work (on my lunch hour, of course), I thought I'd celebrate my work-versary by welcoming you into my office. (It's really a cubicle, but saying 'welcoming you into my cube' didn't sound good, so office it is.)

1. My vinyl bees. I love them. I also have flowers. I wrote about them here.
2. My balls. I love them, too. I needed something to break up the white, white, white.
3. My plant. If I'm correct, it came from a plant the former me left my coworker.
4. My Kick A** Award, because I kick a**.
5. My gumball machine. I think I've had it at every real job I've ever had. I think.
6. My son. Hee hee.
7. My first Mother's Day present.
8. A picture of a can of Dr Pepper.
9. A mustache. For my massive computer.
10. My fan. 'Cause I'm always hot.
11. My window! I have a window!

1. Silly pictures from the photo kiosk at the mall. I love those things.
2. Books I never use here. :-( AP Stylebook, Ethics and Reporting, Best Newspaper Writing, etc.
3. A picture from Cancun some guy painted with his fingers. Or toes. I don't remember.
4. My buddha. He contained alcohol at one point. Yum.
5. My clover candy bowl, made by Wendy.
6. Some of my awards. I don't know what else to do with them, so I put them out.
7. Recipes I promised to sort and bind for my coworker while she was on maternity leave. She's back.
8. Pictures. I have lots of pictures in my office. Makes it more homey, you know?
9. My piggy boink. (BB says 'boink' instead of bank. Instead of correcting him, which I think we're supposed to do, I now say it, too. Boink, boink, boink.)

*Despite all the ups and downs, and there have been quite a few, I really do love my job. Sometimes I even believe I am making a difference in people's lives. It's tough having little to no leadership. And vague information will be the death of me. But, I think my institution's heart is in the right place - and the benefits are amazing - so I plan to be here for awhile longer. Dare I say I could have an 8-year work-versary? Twice as long as anywhere else I've ever worked?!

How Many Words Do You Know?

2011-11-27T15:30:00.000-08:00

This game says I know 45,545!

Go Blue!

2011-11-26T09:14:00.001-08:00

Chick-Fil-A is Awesome

2011-11-25T17:52:00.001-08:00

That is all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T16:44:00.000-08:00

New Template

2011-11-23T06:15:00.001-08:00

My husband made me a new blog template. Cute, right? :-)

Spiced Awesomeness

2011-11-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

It's been a rough few days at work, so I decided to color my hair Sunday. Yep, I cope with stress by coloring my hair ... and cooking.

Despite the compliments I've received on my hair color - Spiced Truffle - and the fudge, soup, muffins, cheeseball and mozzarella sticks I made this weekend, I'm not looking forward to the next few months. I don't deal with vague, illogical situations well.

But, my hair. It's kinda great. (Clouds, silver linings, blah, blah, blah.)

Shameless Pitch

2011-11-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

This is Josh Krajcik. He's in the top 9 on X Factor. And he's awesome. And he's friends with some of my friends. He's been at my house. Not my current house, but the house before my last house before my last apartment.

He's been making a go at music for about 15 years (you can see him and my former roommate, Mitch, here on Jimmy Kimmel Live), but this is the real deal: $5 million and a Pepsi commercial to be shown during the Super Bowl. Simon Cowell keeps calling him 'bloody fantastic', which is awesome, but he's earned it. He's the real deal.

Watch. Vote. Go, Josh!

Maybe I Was Wrong

2011-11-20T15:08:00.001-08:00

A couple years ago, I went to Sephora for my birthday, mostly for the makeover and partially for some mascara. I left with two shades of eye shadow that I knew I'd never wear.

I'm running out of my usual eyeshadow, so I threw some of my Sephora stuff - Stila Twig and Stila Pigalle - on today and, oops, was pleasantly surprised. I never thought I was a purple girl. And I know I'm not a maroon girl. But for some reason, these colors work. Maybe that Sephora girl knew more than I thought.

Now if only I could find the brush that I bought...

Hand-Me-Down Heaven

2011-11-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

When I was young, I hated hand-me-downs. And garage sales. I was convinced that wearing hand-me-downs and garage sale clothes meant I was poor or uncool. (Who put that in my head?) I gave my mom the hardest time about this. (I was a jerk.)

But in college, or maybe a little before, hand-me-downs became OK. Shopping at places like Plato's Closet became OK. Then, watch out!, garage sales became more than OK, they became cool. (Not sure if I changed or if society changed. Hmm.)

I am blessed and grateful to have a few friends with boys older than BB. I get the best hand-me-downs from them. Clothes that are barely worn (and sometimes still have the tags on them). Toys with ALL their pieces. Books that I'd never buy, but BB ends up loving.

It doesn't always take a village, but having one is amazing.

My Bad News Rule

2011-11-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

When I was little, bad news always came by phone (as opposed to text, e-mail or Facebook) and always in the middle of the night, usually around 3 a.m.* That's when and how I found out my uncle had died, my grandparents had died, my grandma had died, my other uncle had died, my aunt was in a car accident, my mom had died, etc. At least that's how I remember it.

So, I don't take my cell phone upstairs with me at night. We haven't had a landline in years, so if my cell phone is downstairs, no one can give me bad news in the middle of the night. I also can't call for help if a burglar** breaks in, but that's a risk I chose to take.

I know I'm putting off the inevitable, but I think having a normal night's sleep before being alerted to a death or disaster is a good thing.

I'm just telling you all this because I usually go upstairs around 8*** to watch TV. If you call or text after that, I won't get it til the morning because I don't have my phone with me.

* Why do people do that?
** If you're a burglar who's reading this, I won't have a phone upstairs, but I do have a gun.
*** I just realized I'm 80.

Weak Music Post

2011-11-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a long day and I don't have time to think about a blog topic. Please accept this song recommendation instead: Bad Things by Jace Everett. I'd embed the video, but YouTube would just make me take it down (meanies), hence the link.

I can't get enough of this song. It's the perfect song for True Blood, which I need to get caught up on!

Also, I am back in love with Pandora. We broke it off for awhile, but are back together now.

Check Out My Finds

2011-11-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile, Wendy asks me to contribute to her weekly Etsy Favorites Wednesday post. I can't say no to a friend, especially when it comes to blogging and Etsy, so I gladly fill in. Such was the case this week. Check out my list of reading-inspired finds here. The theme stemmed off this print:

B is for Button

2011-11-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

I realized yesterday that I never shared my cool button project with you!

I had been challenged to do something crafty with a letter. Anything I wanted. Draw. Carve. Paint. Whatever my heart desired.

I decided to make a B out of buttons. I was going to put it in BB's room, but since he's not a baby anymore, it doesn't really go with his decor (cars, books, etc.). In hindsight, I shoulda made an S so I could use it as decoration somewhere in our house.

Anyway, I think it turned out cute. And it was fun to do. Not as easy as you'd think, which I enjoyed.

Why I'm a Posting Maniac

2011-11-14T06:28:00.000-08:00

I realized last night that I never told you all that I was participating in National Blog Posting Month with Wendy and some others. I've never participated before, and was hesitant to this year as well, but I needed a kick in the writing pants and this was it.

Several years ago, 2004?, 2005?, I participated in National Novel Writing Month. Looks like I also half-participated in 2007, but I forgot all about that attempt, and obviously didn't get very far.

In 2004 or 2005, I almost finished, meaning I almost wrote 50,000 words in one month. My problem was that I was writing for quality, instead of quantity, something the instructions tell you not to do! I'd go back and rewrite and edit and fuss and therefore missed my goal by about 10,000 words. I do, though, have about half a finished book in a box somewhere in my garage.

When I think about participating in NaNoWriMo again, something I definitely want to do, I laugh. I couldn't accomplish it pre-baby, I'm surely not going to accomplish it in the next 16 years. Or maybe I will, we'll see. In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying my daily blog posts. I've definitely enjoyed writing them.

Book Review: In the Woods

2011-11-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

I love visiting friends and family, if only to steal books from them. I stole two from my brother- and sister-in-law this summer and am just now getting to them. First up, In the Woods by Tana French.

Confession. I have one chapter to go and just now realized the book is called In the Woods, not Into the Woods. Oops.

Name aside, this is a great book. Believable dialogue. Complex characters. Twist-filled murder case. Very, very good. I'm really excited that French brings her characters into her second book, The Likeness. I wasn't quite ready to let them go.

I Woulda Lost that Bet

2011-11-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

Vs.

Billy and I got to watch two movies this weekend (yay, us!). I totally thought Bridesmaids was going to be the winner, but I was so wrong. So, so wrong. Bridesmaids was sad. But Hot Tub Time Machine was just the right amount of silly.

Holiday Card Sneak Preview

2011-11-11T05:42:00.001-08:00

Despite my lack of focus last week, I ended up making some great things at the crop I went to. All holiday cards, several versions. I guess things always do work out in the end.

This is one of 6 different designs. I also used an ornament, a string of lights, holly, a present and a candy cane as closures.

Kinda simple, but still cute, I think.

My favorites. Monochromatic.
Red card, red vellum, red stamp. Green card, green vellum, green stamp.

You'd Think it Was Christmas Up in Here

2011-11-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

I'm currently working on a big, high-profile project for work and it was decided that to do the job right, we were going to rent a fancy camera (in lieu of hiring a fancy photographer, like in years past). I was pretty 'whatever you need' about the whole issue. A camera's a camera, right?

Wrong.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Our staff photographer said we needed this Nikon D3S. OK. Sure. Fine. Whatever. Get it.

Boy, do I get it now. This thing is a work of art. I don't understand half the buttons on it, but it takes thee most beautiful pictures I've ever seen. Even I can take beautiful pictures with it. It sounds like a machine gun, and it costs more than my first two cars combined, but I love it. Too bad we have to return it in 9 days. If I can get it away from our photographer and designer (both of whom are expressing unnatural, physical attraction for this camera) for two seconds, I'm gonna take some amazing bokeh* shots of my son.

* Bokeh: the coolest looking photo technique around. Some don't like it, but I (and our designer and our creative services manager) love it.

Roka Blue Cheeseball

2011-11-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

I had thee best cheeseball the other day, thanks to Michelle. It reminded me of home. Seriously. I tried to act cool, but I got a little jolt of something when I tasted it. And it wasn't just a jolt of deliciousness.

I learned that the secret ingredient in said cheeseball was Kraft Roka Blue Spread, which is only available around the holidays. Nothing, I repeat, nothing, is going to stand in the way of me making this cheeseball this year. I know it won't taste the same as what I sampled, but I'm not going to let that stop me. I got the Roka Blue. I got the recipe. And I got crackers. Game on!

One Class at a Time

2011-11-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

My third grad school class is officially over. Whew! This one had me worried. Not so much because of the assignments or the topic (Media and Technology), but because of the group projects. Ug.

Group projects are never fun, but add the online element and things can get downright tricky. There was no set time for this class to meet, for example, so try to imagine getting 5 people together, virtually, on a regular basis to work on assignments. Not.so.easy.

In addition to logistics and technology (someone was always in the wrong 'room' or their webcam wasn't working or their microphone wasn't working or their laptop battery was dying), imagine what it's like to work with complete, and sometimes invisible, strangers via e-mails and chat rooms. There is no taking turns. People are typing answers to questions asked 5 minutes ago, while three other questions have been asked. No one knows who's answering what. And it's really, really, really hard to convey intent through e-mail and chat. Say something funny and it comes across snotty. Say something supportive and it comes across as condescending. Say something constructive and it comes across as critical. Ug.

Finally, no one's in charge. I had the unfortunate role of team leader (assigned randomly by the instructor), but there was no power in that. I'd go to team meetings with an agenda (e-mailed prior to the meet-up), but did anyone follow it or read it? No. People barely read the assignments before our meetings. And if they did, they didn't always understand the project. And if they did understand the project, they, in all honestly, might just not be grad school material. I had to turn in a crap PowerPoint for a grade, for example, because the 4 other members of my team loved it. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I really work in this field; if I had presented that PowerPoint to my boss or administration, I would have been laughed at. And maybe fired.

Luckily, it all worked out in the end. All the As I received on the assignments canceled the Bs received on group projects and I ended the class with an A to keep my streak going. Only 8 classes to go. This is going to be a long 5 years.

Me and My Exaggerating Ways

2011-11-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, OK, maybe a lot of times, I exaggerate for effect. It's mostly with numbers: I've seen this movie 83 times, I feel like I've drank 42 glasses of water today, I need 60 more hours of sleep. A lot of times, I actually say 6,432: When you go to the store, get me 6,432 cans of Dr Pepper.

Well, a few minutes ago, I said, 'There are about 16 places I'd rather be right now'. Let's see if my estimate is correct:

The bathroom. I really need to pee.
Online checking to see if my grade is posted yet. (I'm kinda nervous. I need to keep my A streak going.)
Michaels. I want to buy some popsicle sticks.
The Hob Lob. See Michaels.
Home. I wouldn't mind curling up on the couch and reading right now. (I started Into the Woods last night.)
Shopping. I need to pick up a little gift for my two favorite little girls.
Bob and Missy's. I need to drop off a cooler and a coat.
Meant to Bead. I want to buy some beads for a cool project I have in mind.
My garage. I really want to straighten it up before it gets out of hand.
A bathtub. I need a bath. With hot, hot water and bubbles.
The grocery store. I feel like cooking and baking, but I need some supplies.
A track. I ran once last week and need to do it again before I lose my motivation. Unfortunately, it's going to be dark before I get home and I'm not sure what to do about that.
Nashville. I love that city.
In front of the TV. We need to get caught up on Sons of Anarchy!
The bank. I have several checks to deposit.
The salon. My tootsies could use some polish!

I did it! 16 places I'd rather be right now. I actually think I could have kept going!

Felt Shapes

2011-11-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

In my search for the perfect advent calendar on Pinterest and Etsy, I came across a lot of felt stuff. Evidently, it's easy to work with and you can do a lot with it. Who knew?

After getting some advice from Wendy, I got to work on my first felt project. I decided to start with the basics. Nothing fancy. Just some shapes to get used to working with the material and making my stitches semi-pretty.

I'm pleased with the results - an orange and green circle, a blue and yellow square and a red and purple triangle. Billy calls them mini pillows. BB just throws them on the floor.

Next up is another set of shapes - a star, a heart and the moon, I think - this time, with a straight stitch. Then, I'm going to try some layering.

I'm not sure if I'm going to make my advent calendar out of felt yet or not, but it's definitely fun and easy to work with.

Scuba Floating

2011-11-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

Billy and I took a 'try scuba diving' class today (thanks Living Social deal) and I've got to say, it's about what I expected.

Scuba diving is something I've always wanted to try, but was always afraid of. My head gets in my way sometimes and I knew going in that I was going to have a hard time separating my brain from what I was doing. Seriously? Breathing underwater? It's hard to accept that that's possible.

There were five people in our class, including me and Billy. Our instructor seemed knowledgeable, but bored. (I don't think he was expecting any of us to sign up for the certification course, so he was just doing what he needed to do to get on with his day.) He showed us how to get strapped in, adjust our buoyancy, use the mouthpiece and find our mouthpiece underwater. He showed us two ways of getting our mouthpiece back in our mouth if it comes out underwater and how to clear our masks. Then he let us dive, er, swim, er, float, er, sit underwater.

There was no diving. And I couldn't swim or even float much because he put rocks in my pockets. (I'm buoyant, what can I say?) He put maybe two too many rocks in my pockets because I wasn't able to do much of anything underwater.

But I could breathe! I did good, I think. It was hard, though. Just when I'd let go and relax, I'd realize that I was breathing underwater and consider freaking out. I never freaked out, but I thought about it.

I enjoyed the experience. I'm glad I tried it. I'm just not sure if I could do it in open water. A pool, sure. But open water? Not so sure. Once I was 20,000 leagues under the sea, I'm pretty sure I'd go from thinking about freaking out to freaking out, and that, kids, is how people die. (At least, that's what our instructor said.)

Pins and Likes

2011-11-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Now that we're 100% cableless, I've been watching a lot of TV online lately. I love the places that give you the option to 'watch' all the commercials in a row at the beginning of the show so that there are no interruptions during it. Awesome. I hit 'play all' and skim Pinterest and Etsy in a second window while they are playing. Sweet. (Note, a second tab doesn't always work. Sometimes 'they' know you're not watching their ads and stop the video all together. So, if in doubt, use the second window.)

As a result of all that nonsense mentioned above, I've been pinning and liking a lot of things on Pinterest and Etsy lately. Things I've never buy or make or do, but like regardless. (Or irregardless if you have a poor grasp of the English language or are my friend Sarah who says it to be funny.)

So, since I can't muster the energy to write an actual blog post for this 4th day of November (seriously, what is with me?!), but have to post something or face the NaBloPoMo Hall of Shame, here are some things I've pinned or liked lately:

Letterpress camper cards.
Love these. Betcha Wendy does, too.
(P.S. I love a lot of stuff in this shop!)

Swirly Christmas cards.
Seriously thinking about how cool my second tattoo would be if I added some of this prettiness to it.

Felt card holders.
I need to get some felt and start making stuff!

Fingerprint biography.
Make fingerprint, enlarge, write bio on lines. Cool.

Reader girl.
If this girl had red hair, I'd buy her. Maybe I should contact the seller?

Adages are Often True

2011-11-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

You know that adage about judging a book by its cover? Well, I realized the other day that I am guilty of that. Not often, I don't think, but in this one particular case, woo-ee, I was bad.

You see, there is this girl I see once or twice a day. She and her husband, how do I put this nicely, have an odor about them. It's pretty bad.

Billy and I have talked about the odor before and are pretty sure the couple isn't well off. But still, hygiene? That has to rank up there with life's essentials.

Well, my paths crossed with this woman in a more direct way a few weeks ago. I now see - and talk with her - weekly. In the setting that I see her, I've come to realize that wow! this girl is talented. I've also decided that this girl is holding herself back. Clean her up a bit and I think she could really impress some people with her talent.

So, how to I approach this? As her professional mentor, I think I should talk with her. The handbook I follow says I should talk with her. But, how?

Lessons this girl has taught me: don't judge a book by its cover. Everyone, yes everyone, has something to offer the world. Also, no one ever really knows what is going on in someone else's life. There are circumstances and experiences afloat that a lot of us can't even begin to understand. Third, sometimes doing the right thing is hard, but that's probably a sign that you need to do it.

I'm in a Craft Rut

2011-11-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

Since Wendy is forcing me to participate in this NaBloPoMo business, I guess I have to write a post today.

That right there? That lack of enthusiasm about sums me up this week. Work is blah. My instructor already gave me a grade for an assignment I didn't do yet, so I'm eh about even doing it*. I have a crop date Friday, which usually means yayskippyheehawwoohoo and all that jazz, but I can't even muster excitement for that.

But, you don't come here to read about my blahness. You come to read about my awesomeness - or because you're bored at work - so I'm going to try my best to make this stop worth your while (if I haven't lost you already).

Like I said above, I have a crop date Friday. I tried to get Wendy to meet me in Lima for dinner and shopping instead, but I don't think she believed I was serious so I'm 'stuck' going to the crop.

I'm not sure what to do at said crop. I'm really not feeling the whole scrapbooking thing right now. I can't lug my sewing machine to the party, although I think sewing is what I'm most interested in right now. I've thought about making Christmas cards, but that seems forced. I want to make an advent calendar, but I'm not sure which direction I want to go yet. I could make birthday invites for Billy since his birthday will be here before I know it, but his likes now might not be his likes in January.

The real root of my problem is my lack of focus, both this week and with crafting in general. Over the years, I've tried it all. Well, not all, but a lot. I scrapbook. I make cards. I stamp. I cross-stitch. I decoupage. I've made soap. I've made candles. I'm getting really good at designing things in InDesign and Illustrator. I want to learn more about sewing. I want to try working with felt. I want to quilt.

Where will it all end?! I wish someone would just tell me, Amber, you're really good at blah, blah, blah, stick to that. But I don't think anyone will. My friends are really nice.

So, here's what I did to prepare for Friday. Warning, it's very methodical. I went through my craft closet and threw things that called to me in a tote. Yep. Methodical. Not sure what I'm making and I'm pretty sure I haven't packed any essentials, like scissors or adhesive, but I will not arrive at the crop empty handed. I might leave empty handed, but I've accepted that. Wish me luck.

* But you know I will.

I'm All About Marketing ...

2011-11-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

... but this seems like an oxymoron.

I'm Allergic to Typos

2011-11-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

I know. I'm a dork.
But come on. Opperated?
O.P.P. ain't down with that.
(Independanty is awesome, too.)

This IS My Costume

2011-10-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 3rd (ish*) time I've ever dressed up for Halloween. I know. Sad, right?

My dad was all paranoid growing up so we never went trick-or-treating. Not one single time. Plus we lived in the country and I don't think people trick-or-treat in the country. I don't know.

Anyway, my first year at college, I was really excited to get invited to a Halloween party. Unfortunately I didn't know until the last minute that I needed a costume. So what does newly unleashed on life, college girl Amber go as? An Army chick. Needless to say, I was no match for the girls who wore their Hooter's uniforms.

The next year, I was a genie. Yep, a slutty genie. It was great. (Not original, but great.) I went out with a bunch of friends, including a guy, but my real goal was to show off my, ahem, assets to the bouncer at the bar. He ignored them, I mean me. Never once looked past my I.D. (But it's cool, I married him anyway.)

I haven't dressed up since then, until today. My costume is hoo-larious, but very few people would get it. And that's OK with me. I'm having fun. And I get to go trick-or-treating tonight, I mean, I get to take BB trick-or-treating tonight. What a great day!

* Once in elementary school, I dressed up, as a clown, I think, for school, only to find out that we weren't supposed to dress up. I was mortified. Luckily, my make-up washed off easily and mom brought me new clothes. Still, I don't like to think about that day.

I Hate Funerals

2011-10-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. No one loves funerals, but lately I've gotten really opinionated about what makes a good funeral (if there is such a thing). I don't want to be disrespectful to 4th cousins twice removed, but the last three family funerals I've been to haven't been the best.

After my mom's funeral, my friend Tyler told me or told someone who told me that he didn't like the service. Obvious reasons aside. To be honest, I was numb through the whole thing, but after I heard that he wanted the opportunity to say a few words about my mom, I got to thinking. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I wanted to hear. I didn't want to hear someone try to convince me my mom was in heaven. I didn't want to hear about God and confessing your sins. I wanted something personal. A service that didn't come out of a guidebook and that would only work for my mom, because it was all about her.

I know people need/want different things from funerals. A chance to say good-bye. Closure. Comfort. I want to celebrate my loved one's life. I want people to talk about the deceased. Share memories. Laugh, cry, both. But make it personal.

Yesterday, at my Aunt Erlene's funeral, I wanted to hear stories. I wanted to hear about the time she and my aunts dumped a chamber pot on their heads. I wanted to hear about how she got into sewing. Or how she met her husband. Or what kinda of food she liked to cook.

I wanted to hear funny stories, sad stories, embarrassing stories. I wanted to hear about my aunt. Not what the Bible says heaven looks like. Or some anecdote about a guy on a plane.

If I had been given the chance to share a story, I would have talked about the time my aunt and I picked a total stranger up from the Des Moines airport less than a week after 9/11. I would've talked about how easy it was to talk with her, despite going years between visits. I would've talked about how looooooooooooong phone calls with her could last. Or about how hard she tried to keep me in the family. I've heard dozens of stories about my cousins' kids' kids, but wouldn't recognize them in a store.

When my time comes, someone please remember that this is what I want for my service. Say a prayer or two, but spend the majority of the service talking about me. It's my big farewell after all. Talk about how good of mom I was. Or my first - orange - car. Talk about about much I love to read and camp and listen to music. Tell embarrassing stories. Talk about my tattoos. Remind people of the time I bungee jumped.

Cry. Laugh. Pray. Hug. But reminisce. And don't play sad songs. And don't wear black.

Some Things Never Change

2011-10-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

After my Aunt Billie passed away in May, I had this grand idea to make some changes in my life. I was going to watch less TV, spend more time with family and friends, hug my son more, be a better wife, care a little less about drama at work, show people that I appreciated them, be more spontaneous and adventurous, be a little nicer to cats and do some of the things I'd always wanted to do.

The catalyst for all that was not just my aunt's passing, it was mostly how she never got to skydive. Once she found out she probably wasn't going to recover, we all made plans to go skydiving with her. But it never happened and that scarred me. Ug.

So, here I am, about six months later. I watch less TV. I hug my son more. I am taking a SCUBA diving lesson in November. I've even considering getting my son an outside cat for his birthday.

But not much else has changed, except now my Aunt Erlene is losing her fight with cancer and I'm feeling blah all over again.

Ode to the Blue House, Part 1

2011-10-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Somewhere between finding out we got the new house and packing and moving and getting settled and grad school starting again and work becoming a bit overwhelming and planning a Halloween party, I forgot to say a proper farewell to our old house. So, in the spirit of better late than never, here I go.

I have about six zillion happy memories in our old, blue house. One of the first being Billy insisting that it's gray, not blue! He's a guy, he doesn't see color like me. :-) In no particular order, here are some of my favorite memories of this house. Since we're not selling it just yet, I may do this again (for real) in the future. Until then, a bit of an ode:

House numbers. When Billy and I bought the house, we swear there were house numbers below the front porch security light. But after the third or so guest asked why we kept referring to non-existent house numbers, we had to look again. Yep. They were gone. Who takes house numbers with them when they move?
That pine tree. In the 7 years we lived in that house, that tree had to have grown 7 feet. It's going to be massive. By last Christmas, we couldn't even reach the top of it to put lights on, and we have a tall ladder!
The fence. Oh, boy. We used to have a chain link fence around our yard. I hated it. I thought it looked cheap and ghetto-y and I was tired of kids playing on it, so I decided to take it down. Digging out fence posts is hard work. Just ask the a**hole neighbor I yelled at when he stood watching, and critiquing, me while I worked. Funny thing, about 4 days after the fence was officially gone, we got a dog. Whoops.
The porch. We had some good, good times on that porch. Playing Scrabble with the McCartts come to mind. Listening to Bob play guitar comes to mind. Reading on the porch swing comes to mind. Watching a drunk guy fall into the road and pass out cold does too.
The stoop. Devo loved to sit on our stoop things and pretend he was a lion. Or a gargoyle. Either way, good times.
The roof. One time, when I was about 8 weeks pregnant, I was forbidden from climbing on it. (I was going to clear the gutters.)
The airing deck. When we moved in, I thought I was going to use the h*ll outta that deck, but I never really did. Billy and I ate dinner out there once.
The stage. We used to have a deck along the south side of our yard, not attached to the house. It was odd. We called it a stage. I thought grass would look nicer, so I tore it apart (with help, of course).
The kennel. We used to have a kennel in the back yard, but a tree took down 1 1/2 sides of it and we took out the rest.
The pool. We used to have a pool in the back yard, but I wanted a yard, so I took it down. (Are we seeing a theme here?) We used the pool a lot one summer, but mostly it was a headache. And I was in constant fear that someone would jump off the airing deck into it and break their neck.
The intersection. You wouldn't know it, but we lived at a very dangerous intersection. After we closed, but before we moved in, someone ran the stop sign and plowed into our chain link fence (another reason I decided to take it down). This spring, a car ran the stop sign and crashed into our porch. Remember?
Our grill. One of the first big purchases we made for our house was a grill. I kept it at a perfect angle to the fence in our back yard. One day, I noticed it was moved. And that the flowers behind it were trampled. That is when I seriously knew we had to move. Ain't nobody needs to be hiding in my back yard.
Our dining room window. One night, after Billy and Bob when on their weekly trash-taking-out-trip (which included a walk to the local bar), the neighbor caught them trying to climb in that window! I love that the neighbor was watching out for us. I'm also glad he didn't shoot the boys in the butt!
Kids. Ug. I didn't know that 7 years ago, at age 27, I was going to turn into a crotchety old man. I hated when kids would play in our yard. I yelled at them a lot. Once, I even refused to give their football back. Take that, crappy kids. Ha.

Wow. I had a lot to say about the outside of our house. I haven't even gone down memory road inside yet. I think I'm going to call it a day and reminisce about rest of our house another day. Peace.

I Need a Sharpie

2011-10-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

Going to the bathroom at work is fun. It takes no less than 3 attempts to find a clean stall - and even then, clean isn't always the best word. My go-to stall has been the site of graffiti lately and I've enjoyed reading the rantings of our student population (at least I hope they're students). I'm not one to weigh in on such matters as who is or is not a slut or who to call for a good time, however, the latest addition has me reaching for a marker:

"If your gonna troll, use proper grammar!!"

I could say the same to you, my friend.

The Great Pumpkin!

2011-10-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

One of my friends talked her husband into making this super cool pumpkin for me! I kinda love it! A lot.

He's made a few for her and his mom - and now me! - and is pretty good at it. Rumor is, this only took 15 minutes to make (with a chainsaw)!

I totally think he should sell them. What a great Halloween/fall decoration!

Color Palette #1

2011-10-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Remember that one time when I admitted how much I love color? I'm doing it again. Only this time, I'm showing you my colors.

I have a box of things I find inspirational - magazine pages, ads, boxes, cards, etc. - and a looooooong list of bookmarked websites I find inspirational - like ColourLovers - but I rarely do anything with this stuff. Best intentions...

But, maybe if I put my creative findings out here for ya'll to see, I'll be inclined to produce something inspired by them. Exhibit A, my shower curtain. I love the colors in it, so I picked them (gotta love InDesign) and made this little palette. Not sure what I'd do with them, but I think those colors should be made into something. Thoughts?

Maybe It's Me

2011-10-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else find the title of this book funny?

Silly Face

2011-09-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I forgot to post this picture from camping!

More Please

2011-09-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

I don't drink a lot, but I'll rarely say no to a strawberry daiquiri. When I saw these beauties on sale for $2, it was a given that I'd buy one. What wasn't a given was how awesome this are for camping!

It's already mixed, so it doesn't take up a lot of room and you don't need a blender. The advertising says you can drink it straight from the package, but my little Dixie cup worked better. Either way, not a lot of clean-up.

I strongly recommend.

Too Cute Not to Share

2011-09-27T08:55:00.001-07:00

Before we left for camping Friday, BB had to get a bandana to 'be like a pirate'.

While camping, BB quickly learned that the best part of camping is chilling by the fire.

(Check out his Halloween haul here.)

A Blog By Any Other Name

2011-09-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog nearly 5 years ago, I thought I found the perfect name: Write Here, Write Now. (You can read about how Write Here, Write Now came to be here.)

But over the years, I've started liking this name less and less. It's too something. Cliched, maybe? Cutesy? Obvious?

More and more often, I find myself thinking, 'If I ever start a new blog, I'll name it ...'.

But I don't want to start a new blog. I like this one just fine. So maybe I'll rename it.

I work in marketing; I take rebranding very seriously. But I think in this case, it might be a good move. Billy has already created a fun new look that I've yet to unveil, maybe I'll couple it with the name change at my official 5-year anniversary in December.

(Remind me if I forget.)

Lyric Alert

2011-09-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Evidently, some people have been reminding The Bloggess that she needed to listen to In My Mind by Amanda Palmer again and since I love new (to me) music, I decided to listen, too.

Wow. Some lyrics:

"Not like me now
I’m so busy with everything
That I don’t look at anything"

"And when they put me in the ground

I’ll start pounding the lid,
Saying, “I haven’t finished yet,
I still have a tattoo to get,
It says, ‘I’m living in the moment’”."

I can relate.

Home Sweet Second Home

2011-09-15T06:05:00.001-07:00

Finally! A post about the new house! I know someone will be happy!

I've been putting off this post for years now, so bear with me while I catch y'all up!

A couple years ago, Billy and I started making a 4-year plan to get out of dodge (a.k.a Toledo). Nothing against the city, except that it's ... the city. We never intended to stay there forever - it was always our starter home - and with the housing market the way it is, we knew we needed to start planning.

So, we met with our friend/Realtor, the amazing Jody Zink. She hooked us up with a great financial guy and we all started making the 'We Want to Move Plan'. We had a deadline of 2013.

Every now and then, Jody would take us to see a house we thought met our requirements, and I'd look online from time to time, but there was never an official house search. We weren't in a hurry and the main goal was saving money so that when the time came we could be ready.

That all changed one night when I was looking at houses online. Just that morning, for the first time publicly, I announced, via a vague message to the universe on Facebook, that I was ready to move. I'd had it with our old neighborhood and just wanted to get the show on the road. (Our old house is great. It's an awesome house and we have a lot of wonderful, sappy memories there, it just wasn't our forever house.)

Anyway, I was looking at houses online, while BB and Billy read, and I found it. Our house. You want to know what my first words were? 'What's this ugly thing?' Yep. I thought it was ugly. It's not, at all, it just looked lonely in the picture.

Despite the perceived unattractiveness of our house (some landscaping is going to do wonders!), we were hooked. It sits on a little over 6 acres, about half of which is wooded, surrounded by fields. 3 beds, 1 bath (laundry room should easily be able to support a half bath, eventually), dining room, full basement, deck off the back, two-car garage, shed. Built in 2004, well, septic, propane, in an excellent - with distinction - school district, 15 minutes from work. We even have room for a pond, eventually.

We immediately jumped into 4th gear. I honestly think we knew from that night that we had found our house and it was time to move. We drove past it, called Jody, went inside, wrote an offer and 45 days later, got the keys!

It's been an emotional couple of months. For several reasons. One, because we haven't really been talking about this process. We didn't want to get our hopes up. We didn't want to jinx it. We are afraid to have two mortgages (we plan to rent our old house, sooooooooo send me the contact information for all your friends and family members looking to rent). We didn't want it to fall through at the last minute, like so many things in housing are right now, and then be devastated. Honestly, I couldn't've handled an ounce of sympathy. Yep, keeping it to ourselves was bad for my digestive system, but good for my ego.

We've been living at the house for almost two weeks now and I'm finally comfortable enough in the belief that it really is ours that I can share pictures! I have a whole lot more to say about the house, but for now, enjoy an overhead view!

A Meal By Many Names

2011-09-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

I had the strangest dream last night. I wanted to run to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for chipped beef on toast, but Billy didn't want me to go. Once I finally got to the store, I couldn't find the beef (ha ha) and was majorly disappointed.

I hate chipped beef on toast (or sh*t on a shingle). Hate it. Mostly because every time we ate it growing up, it made me feel like we were poor. I have no idea where that stereotype came from, but I remember being really embarrassed whenever mom would make it.

Anyway, today, thanks to my strange dream, I'm totally craving this.

My First Housewarming Gift

2011-09-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

To me, from me.

The Beatles Were Wrong

2011-09-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Happiness is not a warm gun.
It's the first sunset at your new home.

Change of Address

2011-09-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

While I procrastinate at work (this is getting bad, shhhh), check out a potential change of address card. Funny, right?

I'm actually so afraid that people won't think it's funny that we're probably not getting it. But, I totally would if all you imaginary haters could take a joke.

I'm Feelin' Spinny

2011-09-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Did you know that a spinning top is also called a spintop or just a top? Interesting, huh?

I feel like one of those right now, have for a couple months, actually. Every time I think I'm just about ready to stop, someone pushes my damn button and I'm off again.

As a result, I'm doing a lot of things poorly. Our recent (ongoing) move was the worst ever. I'm half-assing things at work (shhh!). Even this old blog is suffering.

For example, I'm creating quite the stockpile of Post-it notes covered in potential blog topics: our new house, live lettuce, the best radio station in the world, NPR, senior pictures, gas station lady... gas station lady? I don't even know what the heck that means.

To keep you intrigued - and for posterity - here are a few tidbits. Enjoy.

Billy and BB have poison ivy. BB is handling it waaaaaay better than Billy is. In fact, I don't even think BB knows he has poison ivy. Billy, on the other hand, is a mess.*
Billy lost his wedding ring last night, but quickly found it. He claims it wasn't technically lost since he knew where it was and he got it back within a few hours, but I claim that dropping it in a sump pump pit is about as good as gone as you can get (most of the time).
On a related note, when the radon people installed their mitigation system in our new basement, they messed up our sump pump. Water in new basement = not good.
Our riding lawnmower doesn't have power steering. Or maybe it does and I'm weak. Either way, my back hurts.
Having a truck for the past week and a half has convinced me that we need one. Not want. Need.
The Onion had a great story about people wanting things the other day. Read it. Laugh.
Football is back! Oh, yeah, baby!
Someone from my past recently came back into my life (via Facebook). I'm excited ... and nervous.
I want to write a silly blog post about housewarming gifts I want, but I'm afraid someone will take it seriously and be offended. Maybe I could write JK after every item?
Do they make anything Rogaine-ish for women?
I've still never blogged about my sleep apnea. I should sometime.
I love my 3rd Kindle. He and I are getting along superbly. (Meaning I haven't broken him yet.)
The student newspaper I advise is one of the funnest (yes, it's a word) parts of my job ... at least right now. I have the best group of students ever and have high hopes for this semester. Remind me of this in two months when the whole thing's in the pooper.

Anyway, everything will settle down sooner or later (hopefully before my next grad school class starts at the end of the month) and then I'll be wondering what all the fuss was about. Until then, bear with me.

* I'm exaggerating slightly for effect.

The Storm Kept a Rollin' ...

2011-09-07T07:13:00.001-07:00

... all night long.

And then all day. And then all night again. And again most of today.

Free!

2011-09-06T11:32:00.001-07:00

I don't know what this is, but it's free.
(Found on a shared filing cabinet at work.)

Pinterest Challenge #2 - Results

2011-09-06T07:31:00.001-07:00

After two craft fails in a row, I decided to try something easy for this Pinterest Challenge.
My ego just couldn't take another failure!

BB has painted with colored shaving cream before at school, but it wasn't until seeing this pin on Pinterest that I realized he could use it in the bathtub! Spray a little shaving cream in a muffin pan (great if you're doing multiple colors) or plastic bowl, add a few drops of food coloring, stir and viola - easy-to-clean fun in the tub!

See my first Pinterest Challenge here.
See what the rest of the ladies in this Pinterest Challenge made here.

Amber & Jax Sitting in a Tree

2011-09-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

He's dirty. He smokes. He cusses. He's a slut.

I love him.

Yep, me and Jax Teller are an item. It's been going on for several months, but I've been keeping it on the down low. I'm not ready to officially become his 'old lady'. Plus, MC life is scary. His mom is scary. But, oh, that back. Yowzers!

Season 4 debuts tonight on FX. There's a reason the actors in this show are racking up awards - they're awesome. The show is awesome. If you want to be awesome, check it out.

Hidden Treasures

2011-08-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Billy and I are in the process of moving (more on that later) and man am I finding some good things while packing! It's making the process slower - and reminiscing always makes me sad - but it's fun nonetheless.

First up: one of the first things my good buddy Wendy ever made me:

The actual first thing was a scarf, but unless I'm completely losing my mind, this pillow was second. I remember her giving it to me in a parking lot behind Pisanello's in BG!

One of the other fun things I found was this plaque:

It says I used to be good at math! Ha! I'm sure no one believes that, but it's true! I have proof!

Stay tune for more fun finds (and details on the new house)!

Rent Me! Rent Me! (Or, Buy Me! Buy Me!)

2011-08-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

Anyone looking, or know anyone who's looking, for a beautiful, 3-bedroom, 1-bath home in West Toledo? Large, dry basement; walk-up attic, large living room, built-in cabinet in the dining room, shed and private-ish backyard are great features! All appliances, including washer and dryer, stay. For sale or rent.

It's One of Those Days

2011-08-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

When armed with a Thinkstock account, InDesign CS5 and pent up frustration, I can come up with some pretty clever things.

Update: The grammatical incorrectness of my first sign was killing me. I know I'm just asking for a bear attack, but I had to fix it:

I Kick A**!

2011-08-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Our Creative Services Manager started a new award at work called the Kick A** Award today. It kind of replaces the Hero of the Day Award, most often given to one of the graphic designers for killing spiders. Like the Hero of the Day award, the Kick A** Award is a traveling award, passed on by the person who last received it to anyone else for any reason at any time.

Yours truly won the very first Kick A** Award today (I'm soooo excited. I love cheesy stuff like this!) for coming up with a fun giveaway for today's Fall Fest.

I'm not sure who's going to win it next, but I'm accepting bribes, specifically Dr Pepper, chocolate and the egging of a particular fellow employee's car.

Pinterest Challenge #1 - Results

2011-08-22T06:01:00.001-07:00

Remember my first Pinterest Challenge project?
Check out my craptastic results here.

This is officially two craft fails in a row. One more and I'm sunk.

My New Hobby

2011-08-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start.

The Importance of Correct Punctuation

2011-08-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

On a package of turkey bacon bits.
(Please tell me you see what's wrong with this picture.)
(P.S. I know what they are trying to say, I just don't think they are saying it right.)

What Are You Doing Today?

2011-08-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to buy this shower curtain.

I Have a Problem

2011-08-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

A Post-it problem.

Yes, Please

2011-08-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

Roooooooad Trip!

2011-08-16T11:05:00.001-07:00

We took a road trip last weekend (to Cleveland) and while it's not really that far, we had to first stop for the obligatory road trip snacks: beef jerky, licorice and pop. Peanut M&Ms are also on my road trip food list, but we didn't get them this time. :(

What's on your road trip food list?

Pinterest Challenge #1

2011-08-15T07:15:00.001-07:00

Since becoming addicted to Pinterest 62 days ago, I've pinned 85 things I like, want to make, want to eat and/or want to buy. I've made a few of the food items, but not much else. To be honest, it was starting to get me down. I had a beautiful, colorful collection of things I wanted to do, buy, eat and make, but I wasn't following through. Until Wendy posted this.

Da da da DA! A Pinterest Challenge! (Said in Ben Bailey's voice, like "Red Light Chaaaaaleeeeeeeenge!".)

Perfect. Just the kick in the pants I needed to get crafting and baking (and eating and buying).

I seriously thought about cheating and blogging about something I already did, but what would be the fun in that? So I've decided to make one of these:

Tune in Friday for the results!

(P.S. Isn't our logo cool? It was made by Biscuit, who blogs here.)

Thinking About Making Myself Something

2011-08-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

After much discussion about cross-stitching this weekend, I'm starting to get the itch to do another project. I have a gazillion patterns to choose from (and I accumulated more this weekend), but I think I'm going to redo one.

I made the sampler shown here a few years ago for Wendy over at A Couple More Hours, but by the time I was done with it, I really wanted to just keep it for myself. If I hadn't blogged about it here, I might have!

It's been awhile since I've made something for myself - making gifts is usually more my style - so maybe this will be my next project.

(Sidebar. Odd, don't you think, that I blogged about working on this, but never showed the completed piece? Whoops.)

Craft Fail

2011-08-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

I've tried to make this cute little timeout jar - using water, glitter glue and glitter - twice now to no avail. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I tend to be a pretty crafty person and I can usually follow directions, so what gives? I blame it on the British. (The project came from a British girl's blog.) Maybe they have special glitter across the pond?

Buttons! I have Buttons!

2011-08-11T12:44:00.001-07:00

Two of my favorite little girls are having a birthday party in a couple months and I get to help! My first task was making paper buttons. Not sure how they're going to be used, but I've got buttons! Lots and lots of buttons!

(It was a nice task after the craziness of the office these past two weeks. I need more crafts - and possibly wine - in my future.)

A Peek in My Head

2011-08-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the things I'm thinking about today.
What are you thinking about?

(If you know why these things are on my mind, or if you think you know,
please don't say anything here [or on Facebook].)

I've Created a Very Cute Monster

2011-08-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I have a serious addiction to Dr Pepper. I've tried to quit throughout the years - I've even been successful from time to time - but with BB copying my every move, now really is the time to kick the habit for once and for all. Especially after what happened last night:

Scene: 8:47 p.m., our office/guest bedroom, Billy on computer, me sitting on bed, BB downstairs throwing my empty can of Dr Pepper away. BB returns, proud as can be, talking a mile a minute, with a new can of Dr Pepper.

"Me strong boy (flexes muscles). Open refrigerator. Get you pop. Me share with you. Open, mom. Please."

That's a whole paragraph. (Right? More than 3 sentences of related thought is a paragraph?)

Billy and I stared at BB with our mouths hanging open. Um. Wha? Did BB just a. open the refrigerator by himself for the first time, b. flex his muscles, c. think to bring me a new pop on his own and d. say please without being asked? Who is this kid?

I didn't need a pop at 8:47 p.m. BB doesn't need pop at all. But I did what any good mom would do - I opened it. Then I painted his toenails:

(I seriously can't say no to this kid. He picked the colors for each toe. And said thank you when I was done. And then put his feet next to mine so we could look at them together.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

2011-08-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions
1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously until the brown sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool.
3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.
4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.
6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.
7. Garnish with additional chocolate chips or nuts, if you choose.
8. Serve with nilla wafers or graham crackers or wafer cookies.

Leggo My Egg-O!

2011-08-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

When BB offered to hold my breakfast for me on the way to work, I should've known he wasn't just being nice.

Not Gloating, But ...

2011-08-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

... someone said this about this here blog the other day:

"Enjoying your blog. The reason blogs were created. You express yourself beautifully. So embarrassed by my blog after reading yours!!"

It brought a tear to my eye. Seriously. I love writing. And love that you all read. And love that sometimes people even like what I write. Thank you.

Thinking Time

2011-07-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Don't tell my dad, but back in the day I used to love to mow our yard. Weird, right? We had lots o' acres (12-ish), but trees and a pond, so I'm not sure how many actual mowable acres we had. However many you can mow in 6 hours on a riding lawnmower.

I liked mowing our yard because that's when I did my best thinkin'. I'd sort things out. Plan. Worry. (Agonize. Stress. Stew. Fuss. Etc. Etc.) Plot. Daydream. Try to figure out teenage boys.

Those were some good hours. They were healthy. They were needed. They were peaceful.

I don't have that kind of time anymore. My husband, son and I carpool to and from work so no thinking time there. I work at, well, work, so no personal thinking time there (not much anyway). I don't take long showers. I rarely take a bubble bath. I don't even grocery shop alone. I'm thinking I need some thinking time. Maybe a big yard to mow.

This is a picture of my dad's yard. (And my brother's friend. Since I didn't ask her permission to use this pic, I put a flower on her face. Seems fair.) What you see is about a third of what I had to mow.

Let's Get Rocked*

2011-07-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

A life-long dream is coming true tonight, friends! Poison in the Flesh (and Blood, get it?!).
Can't.Wait.

*Before you say it. I knew that was Def Leppard. The sentiment is what I was going for.
Would you have preferred a little Twisted Sister? 'I Wanna Rock'!

Just Can't Get Enough

2011-07-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

After years of only eating chips when they were around, either at a potluck or party, never in my pantry, I have become addicted to them. Specifically, Barbecue Lays. I could eat an entire family-size bag myself in a matter of days. (Dare me?)

Update: Interesting. Look what I just found. This has happened before.

Eaches, Eh?

2011-07-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe 'per item'?

The Hot Seat

2011-07-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'd really like to own this patio set. It's sold out at the only store I found it at online, but still in stock at our local Anderson's. And reasonably priced. But, it's metal. Will that burn my butt?

I Don't Get It

2011-07-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Ug.

I am not a religious person. I have beliefs (I strongly believe in karma, for example) and definitely consider myself spiritual, but when it comes to church and established religion, I have some issues. I consciously work on these issues. I ask questions, seek answers and make informed decisions. But I'm still searching. In the meantime, I find peace and comfort in nature and the universe.

One of the things I will never understand is God's 'plan'. This 'it happened for a reason' nonsense. I'd love for you to tell me why my mom died 10 years ago. Or why my cousin died - on his way to church - in front of his family. Or why, yesterday, a family member lost her 5-day-old son.

All the scripture in the world hasn't been able to answer these questions for me. I know I may never know why these things happened. I know I'm being 'selfish'. I know that having faith doesn't mean bad things won't happen. Having faith is supposed to mean that you know God is by your side. But I'm not feeling that right now.

Honestly, I'm thinking that 'God's plan' is something we invented to keep ourselves sane. It's not working today.

License to Bake

2011-07-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

Billy's grandma asked me to bring dessert to their 4th of July festivities earlier this month. In addition to making some patriotic pretzels, I was excited to try out a new sugar cookie recipe and use my star cookie cutter!

I think they turned out pretty good! And since they didn't make it to the fireworks, I think everyone else agreed. This new recipe (thank you Pinterest) was awesome. Sooo good. Better than the one I had, but not as good as my friend Lynn's. (One day I WILL get that recipe from her!)

Sewing Project #2

2011-07-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

I completed another sewing project last night! (Yay!)
This brings my total to 2 (or 3, depending on how you count).
I went with tissue holders again. I figure I need to master these before I move on.
They're for BB's teachers, Amy and Erin, to commemorate their recent coffee project.
Cute, right?

Grammar Post #2

2011-06-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't mean to have two grammar posts back to back, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Except maybe write a silly post in between, but that would require thinking and since it's my Friday and I get a 5-day weekend, I'm just going to run two grammar posts back to back so I can go home.

Loved this NPR article today about the Oxford comma. As a student of AP Style, I don't use it - even in my personal writing - but I enjoyed this article nonetheless. Holmes is funny. I love her writing style. And, sadly, I love comma debates.

I also find the following funny: