Very. Angry.

I cannot tell you how angry it makes me to see a poor tiny puppy being treated with such indifference and cruelty.  I am collecting enough evidence to make sure I have enough of a case against this person and will be calling it in tomorrow.  Adrenaline is a strange thing.

Focus on the Good

We learned ourselves a lesson in regards to showing a house. (P.S. this is not correlated to the new series, Life Lessons that I've started...)  About what not to do and to pay attention to where our house is located for when we need to sell it.  Thank you God for Pastor Emmitt's words of encouragement via a podcast - the topic was called "Self-Destruction: How to Avoid It".  And before you go thinking something horrible, it's nothing like that.  (It was just something we know better about now.)  The three main ideas were: 1. Focus on the Good (see the bad, but focus on the good) 2. Think on the Good, and 3. Talk About the Good.  Right now I just need the phrase, "focus on the good".  It could have been worse.  Much worse.  It doesn't make the selling situation a ton easier tho'.
Sigh.
Lord, please send us a buyer.

Life Lesson #2

So today's LL is one that I'm starting to take more seriously.  And begin to put it into effect.  (Scrap Your Day is coming along quite swimmingly thus far! Yay!)
Life Lesson #2:  You don't need more than one tv.  You shouldn't be watching it that much anyways.

........................................................................................................

Life Lessons are made up of stuff that I’ve done or haven’t done (that I wish I had … or hadn’t).  I’ve also decided to include things I’ve observed other people do…or not do.  (Not all of these lessons are things I went through myself…so don’t get too shocked.)  The rest will be things that annoy me, anger me, sadden me, confuse me, or even make me happy.

This effort is as much for my benefit as it is for helping others.  Hopefully, throughout this process, we’ll all take something away from it.  My life’s motto:  Well.  Now we know.

If you'd like to find out more about why I'm doing this series, you can read more about it here.

Wide Eyed

Holy bananas, a week has gone by already.  Craziness. 
I changed the banner to a new pic, using a newly found online program, picnik.  Love it!
Yesterday I had my eyes dilated and checked up... first time for the enlarged pupil thingy.  I must say I'm not a huge fan, but I'll take it over root canals any day.  Thank goodness my sunglasses wrap around my face and block out most of the light.  And it definitely took longer than 4 hours for them to return to normal.  Healthy eyes are important tho.
Today the mail brought me a happy little surprise as I got the Disney album I've been trying to find for almost a year and a half.   A few months before our trip to Florida last year, I saw a perfect scrapbook album at Hobby Lobby, but did not buy it.  When I went back armed with a coupon, it was gone.  I've been trying to find it ever since.  I'm sure I could have located it from various websites, but I'm a little leery of buying from some of them.. don't look too reputable.  But the other day I got an email with a sales flier for one the online stores I shop at with Disney stuff on sale!  And they had the long lost album! Yay!  I suppose it's not THAT big of a deal, a whole paragraph worth of blog space, but I have to say, I REALLY love it!  The cover looks like an old, soft, comfy gray cotton jersey tshirt with scribble/drawn Mickeys.

As a result of this arrival, I have been printing out all of our Disney photos.  Sadly, I didn't know the resolution on the camera was set at the tiniest pixelation... thus wallet sized photos that are still pixely.  Luckily, I noticed this on the second day.  Not all the pics got ruined.
On another photographic note, tomorrow is the 25th, and month 3 of Shimelle's Scrap Your Day.  I'm hoping for a better day than last month, where I forgot to takes photos at all.  Eep.  Photo courtesy of Shimelle.com
Tomorrow will also see another Life Lesson.  Check back again for some life wisdom. :)

Life Lesson #1

Don't use the builder's mortgage lender.  Their offers might be tempting, but you'll find better rates elsewhere.
While we did our research before hand, we still got suckered into using our builder's lender.  The rates were higher but they paid part of our closing costs.  In the long run, we're paying larger interest rates.  Ugh.

Life Lessons

I’ve always been one to hang on to the past.  It’s difficult for me to let go.  Move on.  Some things have been hanging over my head since middle school.  Some things don’t start to bother me until much later.  I’ve tried to forget about them …but my brain won’t let go.  So, in an effort to ditch these feelings and memories, I’m going to write about them.  Document them.  These are things I want my children to know: That their mom felt these things when she was 24.  Not just when she’s 40 and a parent.  (How many kids/teens have said to their parents, “You don’t know what I’m going through!  You don’t get it!”?  C’mon, we’ve all said that.)  This way, they see at age 18, 20, or 24, I felt this way.  Maybe it will help them; maybe it’ll help someone else.  Either way, I’m going to document these feelings of anger, pain, regret, annoyance and happiness.  I am going to scrapbook them.*   I have decided to call the ongoing series “Life Lessons”.

Life Lessons are made up of stuff that I’ve done or haven’t done (that I wish I had … or hadn’t).  I’ve also decided to include things I’ve observed other people do…or not do.  (Not all of these lessons are things I went through myself…so don’t get too shocked.)  The rest will be things that annoy me, anger me, sadden me, confuse me, or even make me happy.

This effort is as much for my benefit as it is for helping others.  Hopefully, throughout this process, we’ll all take something away from it.  My life’s motto:  Well.  Now we know.

*I may or may not have pictures to add to the scrapbook pages.  Not every lesson got photographed.

Sneak Peek

Just a little hint at something I'm working on!

Happy Daddy's Day/Weekend Creative - Love Book

I just wanted to tell my dad Happy Daddy's Day and that I love you!  Here are some of our first happy snaps together:


A few weeks ago, I made the Love Board Book weekend creative project as a gift for my parents.  I didn't want to show pictures as I had to mail it to them first.  Well, it's finally in their possession, so I am free to share!  They went to Saint Martin for my dad to receive an award from work and made a little vacation out of it.  The photos are beautiful, but not as bright as being there in person.  (So I'm informed.)  *Sorry about making you guys look a tad orange...my printer was being strange.






 

My New Best Friend

photo courtesy of www.babble.com
Today was a day that I never want to experience again.  I was scheduled for a root canal.  Well, actually two root canals - the two teeth farthest back in the mouth that are next to each other.  The hardest to get to.  Thank you Jesus that once they cleared away the debris for both teeth, only one needed the full root canal, the other just needed a core build up and crown.  The worst part - the x-rays.  Horrible.  Uck.  Gag. 
Got some temporary caps for a few weeks that are completely flat and feel totally weird.  Just got to be careful with the foods I eat.  And keep the chompers clean and clean and clean.  And clean.  Hello floss.

Sweet Baby

I've got another layout I did of two super cute photos from last summer.  My niece has the cutest little smile!  The letters and flowers are die cuts, the squares are all paper trimmer-ed... not square punched - which probably would have got a LOT faster.

Happiness In A Layout

This layout just makes me smile.  Bright and pink and floral-y.
In our pseudo-attempt to get to Sea World today, we ended up heading to the North side for lunch.  We tried a new (to us) cafe that we drive by every time we head up to church.  While the food was exceptionally good, it was a business casual type place and there we were dressed in tank top, tshirt, jeans and tennies (as we WERE going to go to Sea World).  I hate that awkward feeling.  But like I said, the food was fabulous.  Afterwords, we drove around, slightly lost to get to a gelato cafe, which was SO worth getting lost.  (Even though it was pretty much right across the highway.)
Lots of creativity on my mind right now.. so, we'll see what I can get done in the coming days.

Bring It On

Today the house should be going on the market.  We're still waiting on the sign for the front yard, but the lock box is set up, contract signed, house staged and efforts will be needed for the house to be kept in a pristine state from here on out.  But still, I'm hoping for the best.  Praying for the best.
Bring it on.

I'm back!

Tiny respite, back to write some more.
The pool is finally open with the key card box working properly.  Prior to today it would either be padlocked shut, or the card reader wasn't functioning properly, which required someone to let you in.  Now I can finally go swimming at 6am in peace.
A few days ago, we saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Pretty good, better than Temple of Doom, not quite as good as the others.  Was disappointed at the ending.  Today we saw the second installment of Narnia.  Again, pretty good, not as good as the first.  I was not as emotionally involved in Price Caspian as I was in Lion, Witch & Wardrobe.  Meh.  Didn't pull at the heartstrings as much.  Maybe that's just the way the book is, I don't know, I've never read them.
Last week's Weekend Creative is finished, waiting to be mailed (mom and dad, don't follow that link quite yet), and the current Weekend Creative is a fantastic idea...just not one I'm going to be able to execute very soon.  I'd like to accumulate more photos of the family we will have in the future.  In order to accumulate said photos, one must have said family in the first place.  :)
I'm almost done with the finishing touches to stage our house for a sale this summer, God willing.  The sale, I mean, not finishing the staging.
I've also been working on a small, ring-bound notebook of sorts to house all my scrapbook sketches that I refer to when I need a bit of inspiration.  I'm almost finished with that project too, and will share photos upon completion.  So far, I'm guessing I'll need three 2" binder rings to hold them all.
The other day as I walked out to my car upon completion of grocery shopping, a grandmotherly type lady walked up to me, and we had a brief conversation:
Her:  Well, aren't you a smart somebody. (half comment, half question.)
Me: Oh?
Her:  For bringing your own bags to use.
Me: Oh, yes, I suppose so. (Duh. Didn't know what to say.)
Her:  Did you make them?
Me:  (Recovering from the shock of someone acknowledging my reusable, super cute, cloth bags,) No, I purchased them online from this company, b. happybags.  It's still handmade, but you could make it really easily though, it's just a box pattern with strong handle straps.  I love it, they sit nicely in your car and don't tip over, I can fill up my (Texas sized HEB) cart and it'll fit in these six bags.  They can get a little heavy though (as I struggle to get the bag filled with OJ, milk, apple juice, buttermilk, pomegranate juice and a full quart of yogurt into the trunk.)  But I love them!
Her:  Well I don't really sew.  Online you say?
Me:  Yep, there are others that make these market bags too.  I just really liked b.happybags' products.  And I always feel good about myself walking out of the store without the extra waste of plastic.
Her:  Huh, well you're a smart someone.  Have a nice day!  (As she walks off.)
Me:  Thanks, you too!  (As I get into my car smiling.)

I love my bags!  (Ignore the double chin and lack of makeup.)  The styles I purchased are Victoria and Lucy (three each) and one John (for Pete, so he could have a "manly" bag, not a frilly frou frou fussy pretty bag to shop with - not pictured.)

Have you ever been kicked out of a store?

I almost was.

I was at a wholesale grocery/we-sell-everything store, making notes of products and prices. Which, by the way, I've been doing for 3 days now, in bits and pieces. I made sure to stay out of the way of people who were shopping and employees who were stocking. More people than I expected asked me what I was doing these last few days, with some questions being, "Oh, doing inventory, huh?" "Do you work here?" (both customers) "Do you need any help? (No thank you, just checking prices and nutrition facts *smile*) "Oh ok, thought you were from [Other Wholesale Store Name]" "Do you need help finding something?" "Are you doing a project?" And then the one that just about got me ejected - "You are not allowed to do pricing here...you need to stop or leave."

I told this employee that I was almost done and would go when I was finished - she left me alone after that but was the one checking receipts at the door. Sigh. It makes me a little upset that they "don't allow pricing" - because I want to be a well-informed consumer. This "rule" (if it is indeed a policy) just reaffirms to me that warehouse wholesale prices may not indeed be the lowest around. When the quantities are so much larger, it's a little tougher to compare accurately. They do place the unit price on the signs, but this doesn't mean much if you don't pay attention to that in the grocery stores. (Especially when the grocery store unit price tag is printed about 2 mm high. To make sure that I purchase the best deal, I want to price foods I usually buy. Ugh. I guess it was my fault for going on a weekend when there are more employees around.

I just hope that this doesn't happen at the other two places I need to price too.

Today...

we meet with the Realtor.  Finally getting this on the right path.

Beautiful Pink

In an effort to cheer myself up, I am sharing some favorite pink photos from various flickr members:

If you check out my flickr page, my favorites should have links to all of these wonderful photos!

Yeeaaaaaah.

Mmmm yeeaaaah... missed the boat on that one.

Grand total of photos taken yesterday: 6.

Total pounds lost: 1.

Completed things from last weekend's "to do" list: 2 (but all of them started).

Creative projects in the "to work on" pile: 8.

Completed things off of today's "to do" list: 4 (an improvement)

What is it about following through that I have such a hard time with? I don't remember having this problem in college.. I did very well, completed most things ahead of schedule. Is it that I don't have any teachers setting deadlines for me? Why can't I stick to a deadline I've made for myself?

It is in this question that I find the hinting of failure as an adult. When there are no longer parents or teachers setting guidelines, time lines and deadlines, it is up to oneself to set these things. Self regulation. This is a large component of maturity and discipline. Both of which I've always thought I had lots of... and was even ahead of the game when I was younger. But now, I'm not really exuding those values. Is it a question of motivation? Initiative? Commitment? I don't know. I think follow-through involves all of those things.

Am I the only one who has a hard time with this? Did I just get distracted by something shiny and sparkly along the way, while everyone else I was ahead of passed me by, now full swing into adulthood and succeeding by leaps and bounds? Is this an ongoing character flaw/struggle? Or.. is this problem solved once kids come along? Do you magically get better at doing things because the tiny bundle of cuteness has a bazillion needs and you're the only one that can fulfill them, so you just HAVE to do whatever it is you had planned on doing? There is no question of do I really feel like it, you just do it? If that's the case, I guess I'll just have to keep on muddling through until whenever we start having the babies.

Advice? Criticism? Suggestions? Opinions? Similar story to share? Anyone? Bueller?

P.S. I don't mean to complain and whine... just trying to understand and work things out.

P.P.S. Happy Memorial Day!

Scrap Your Day/Well Now We Know/Weekend Creative/Splash

Today is the 25th of the month, and I promptly forgot it was Scrap Your Day. So I had to change my clock to say what time I got up... kind of cheating.. but I forgot. :( I'll post the day's pictures tonight.

I've been slowly getting back into the swing of things now that we are back home. Welcome back, it's 97 degrees. We stupidly drove straight through, 19 hours... straight. In one day. Well.. we got back home at 3:45am. I was so overtired I was getting carsick. It was a really weird feeling. I'll never do that again. My life's motto applies to this situation: Well, now we know. The house was fine, despite my daily worry while gone. It even smelled clean and new. Not always the case when you come back to a closed up house after 12 days. Poor Pete has to work 4 days in a row; Welcome back, here's a ton of work, jump right in!

I have been working on this Friday's Weekend Creative, but am unable to share any detailed information or photos as it is a gift. I don't want to spoil the surprise until the recipients receive it. So, once they get it, I'll post photos.

Amazingly, the community pool FINALLY opened (either yesterday or today); I walked over to check it out and happily, there were people swimming! Later I swung by again and it was quickly becoming packed. This just reassures me that I'll have to go swimming in the morning when the place opens at 6 if I want to avoid swimming over a small child or getting jumped on by a fat kid or beaned in the head with a ball. Ah well, it's what I expected would have to happen. It'll be good for me right? Getting up at 5:30? Right....?

We've Arrived Safely

Our 19 hour journey via car with cat in tow is complete. Not something I ever want to do again. Wasn't horrible... wasn't fun. Seeing how the landscape changes along the way is pretty cool, but after several hours in Iowa... I'm done. I love how fresh and clean and green and hilly it is here. I certainly miss it!

Happy Mother's Day!

I just got back some of the layouts I did for the store I use to work at. This one includes a school themed line that no one knew what to do with. So, for the record, I wouldn't normally put these colors and papers together. I'm planning on redoing this page with paper I like. But, colors and designs aside, it's the story that I want to share. I wrote a letter to my mom and dad, and they haven't seen it yet. So, this is for both my parents, but I thought I'd post it for Mother's Day.

To see the journaling better, you can click on the photo to see it larger, or just read it here:

Dear Mom & Dad,

You always told me to do my best. You never gave up on me. You kept me going. All because of what you taught me. Your decision to homeschool me for 3 years was one of the best choices you could have made. Angry at the world, resentful of teachers and hating school, you knew something must be done or who knows where I'd end up. Labeled a problem child by the school, you knew better. I just didn't lean the way they taught: Hurry up and put everything away, we're moving on to Math. Now we're doing History. C'mon hurry up. We're done with that now. No, you need to help this group of students because you already understand. Not everyone gets it, we need to wait and spend more time on this. (The movie Office Space comes to mind - "Now Milton, don't be greedy, pass it along until EVERYONE gets a piece." Not that I had seen that movie..I don't think it was even out at age 10.) By teaching me at home, you opened many doors for me; let me open a few myself even. I re-learned that valuable thing called respect. And maybe how to learn and that it was cool and fun...and that I was really good at it.. If not for these 3 years, 6th, 7th & 8th grade would have done me in. Because of you and the phrase, "Study Hard," I wanted to be a good student. Top 15 in my graduating class, National Honor Society, and a long list of accomplishments. That was because of you. Marquette University. Not possible without my college prep highschool learning to back me up. 3.2 GPA in 3.5 years at MU. I've learned how to learn, how to study, how to think critically and creatively because of you two. So, I guess what I'm trying to say, is thank you. {heart} always, Jill