Yup, it's been awhile

"these are our homes, our private worlds; let them welcome us and make us happy. let them grow and not stagnate. let them be mirrors of our personality and not the reflections of others; let them be splendid achievements of self-expression." eleanor mcmillen brown

I found this quote on a blog I read daily (if at all possible)...if you haven't been to Becky's blog yet, I highly recommend it, for her creativity, inspiration, thoughts, talent...I could go on and on. I'm a huge fan, to say the least.

Anyway, the reason I posed this quote is both to remind me of a goal I set, and to share with you that the goal hasn't gotten far from my mind. It's been awhile since I've posted because life has been more than hectic the last month +. The holidays are always like that for me, and this is no different, but we've added some family sadness into the mix. For those who don't know, my grandfather's health has taken a steep decline in the last month, and he was admitted to a care facility the day before Thanksgiving. He's strong, of course, and stubborn like most Meadows men (and a few of the women), and we pray for his peace and comfort daily.

Back to my goal. Making our house a home. It will happen, in time, because our relationship took time to build, our personailities, our individual talents, interests, and concerns...all that didn't happen overnight either. I'm really pleased with the way our home is turning out. I think it's warm, and comforting, and peaceful to me. I'm at ease when I get home at night. I need that - I think we all do.

Not that I have many readers, but for those of you who do, I hope you had a blessed Christmas, and a very safe, happy, and healthy New Year!

Realization

Hey, guess what? They close the courthouses on national holidays too!!! Now, yes, I knew this, but it didn't even cross my mind yesterday when I sped down to Nebraska City, flew up to the courthouse 5 minutes before they were supposed to close (I don't fly anywhere), and then completely deflated when I read the sign that they were closed. Yeah. I'm an airhead.

So, I titled this post, "Realization" because I came to a realization. Clever, huh? I actually have been coming to this realization for awhile now but it hit me this morning that it's not going away. I love to craft...whatever it is, I love doing it. I really love scrapbooking, but have no time. I love taking pictures, I love making cards, I even consider cooking/baking crafting. Almost all day, that's what my mind is on...what projects I can create, what things I'd like to do for whatever holiday is coming up, whatever. And then I get home with all these great ideas and good intentions...and do nothing. It's not because I don't want to. It's because I get home and I'm so utterly exhausted that I can't really muster any creative energy. So...my realization is this: I need to do this full time, somehow. Whether it's actually profitable, or if it's in my spare time while staying at home, whatever. Then I could get my things done and actually live my life. I hope.

Not sure how all of this will happen, but that's my dream.

Back to the grind... :)

Ideas Floating Around

In my head. Making me very excited to work on some projects. And do I have time to go shopping tonight for the supplies?? NOPE. I'm going to Nebraska City to get my Nebraska driver's license, finally, so I can get my car plated in our new county tomorrow. Lovely.

So...in an attempt to hold myself accountable for these projects (and take pictures to share them when they're completed), I'm starting "The List". I'll probably add things to the list in future blogs, I'll title that section "The List." Perhaps I'll even figure out how to cross things off The List when I've completed them!

The List:
Advent calendars for Michael and Quintin & Audrianna (Thanksgiving gift)
Altered canvases for the stairwell/studio (and wherever else I can find to hang them)
Family wall hangings for around the house (and possibly Christmas gifts)
Paper Christmas trees for the next craft show/our house at Christmas

That's all for now. I can probably start on the wall hangings tonight, but I really want to get the advent calendar done first since it's the first occassion I have coming up.

Exciting livestock news: Mike's dad FINALLY found our calves. Take a guess at where they were....I'm waiting. Seriously, they were in Greenwood. Which is like...8 miles from our rented pasture. Are you kidding me?? Calves are fat and lazy. I wouldn't walk 8 miles just for the fun of it, why on earth would they???? I'm glad they're found though, and I think Mike will probably go move them on Wednesday to our house so we can actually say we live on a farm. :)

I think that's about it. Have a great day!

Simple Joys

Silly me, I didn't have the forethought to take pictures of what I made last night for my craft show on Saturday. They're these cute gift tags (two sets, one wintery and one Christmasy), packaged in a tin hinged box with some coordinating ribbon. I like them :)

I'm super excited because Mike's mom had some broken tiles in her store and fished through them to give me the ones that were still whole. Mike will cut them tonight to make me raw 4x4 coasters that I can stamp on for the craft show. I wish I was this ambitious in making things BEFORE the week of the show :)

Since I don't have a card, I thought I'd share this picture of Michael, taken at the zoo when he was playing in some water. I love the look on his face! There's something so amazing about seeing a child just enjoy their surroundings. It's been an awfully long time since I was that happy about something so simple. So, I thought I'd reflect on simple things that make me that happy, as an adult.

1. Fall colors, especially leaves on trees. There is NOTHING that makes me happier, nature-wise. I can go from the worst to best mood in a heartbeat (and that actually happened last Friday). I walked in the house with the biggest smile on my face after seeing gorgeous fall trees. I'm hoping I can get back out to that spot this weekend to take pictures, before they freeze and fall off :(

2. Reading a crappy book. Sometimes I read some incredibly intelligent things. Most of the time, I read things about creativity that are really well written as well. But there is the occassional book that is just silly. It's a cheesy romance or whatever, but honestly, it's written like I would tell a story to one of my friends. And for me, it's okay to read a book like that, because it's more like a real part of my life than most of the intellectual stuff I read!

3. Seeing a great photograph of someone I love. I was in such a fantastic mood after seeing my cousin's wedding pictures. It makes me exceptionally happy to see professional pictures of Michael. I can't wait to see our wedding pictures.

4. Getting mail. Not bills or junk mail, but actual mail that was thought out and specifically sent to me. It's so nice that someone will take the time to hand-write on something, pay to attach a stamp, and put it in the mail, rather than just hurrying up and sending me an email.

Those are my four for now. I have no idea if anyone actually reads this, so if you do, leave me a comment with some of yours.

Have a great day!

Relief

I cannot tell you how happy I am that Obama won. This country is so ready for a change - I am so ready for a change. Granted, either candidate would have provided that, and I actually think McCain is a great man. I admired him quite a bit when I lived in AZ. I thought he did great things for the state and I know he would have been a strong leader. I just think our country is ready to go in a new direction, instead of down a parallel path. Okay, politics over :)

I wanted to quickly post a thank you card I sent off yesterday. This is one of my favorite cards, for some reason. I love the color combo (Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Ruby Red, and Whisper White), love the Pretty Peonies set, love the other set with the sentiment (and I just spent the last 30 minutes looking for the name - I have no idea what it's called all of a sudden).

I'm pretty proud of myself, actually posting things and sending them out. I'm one of those people who has good intentions and never quite follows through on card sending. I have a huge stash (partially for craft shows), but there's no way I can justify all that time spent and money spent without actually sending them (not that the sentiment isn't there, regardless of sending a card.)

Also wanted to post another picture. Molly, growing up :) She's going to be 6 months soon, I can't believe it. And, the famous big girl collar is on. She looks so grumpy in this picture for some reason, but she was really having a blast running around the yard with me while I took pictures. And she's getting much better about taking pictures. I tell her "Smile pretty!" and she sits or looks at me for a few seconds so if I'm on the ball, I can take her picture. Love that pooch.

My First Stamping Post

Maybe? I can't remember. Anywho...

Here it is. I wish I could give the deets, but this is the problem with blogging away from my studio. I CANNOT wait until it's all set up.

I know the base is a piece of 8.5"x5.5" Summer Sun (SU!) cardstock. The stamps for both the sentiment and the flower stem are from the SU! set Pretty Amazing (I think it's either retired or dormant). The flowers are from the Noteworthy line. The first layer is Taken with Teal, second is Old Olive, and both are dotted with black marker. I sponged Summer Sun ink around the Whisper White layer. I love how the flowers are from a different line but still match the SU! cardstock pretty well. I'm one of the obsessives who loves things to match.

Wish I could give better details/instructions, but I suppose this is better than nothing. :) I sent this card to Megan, our very talented engagement/wedding photographer, thanking her for taking our engagement pics and doing such a fantastic job. Mike and I really did have fun with the shoot (depsite us both hating having our picture taken) and we were very impressed with how the pictures turned out. Plus, she is so sweet, and we had a chance to meet her husband and talk with him as well. Great couple, can't wait to work with them!

Last night was a blur. I came home from work and let Molly out to play and promptly fell asleep. I was completely exhausted and knew I wouldn't make it. Driving home feeling like that wasn't good either. So...got up, made some dinner, and lounged on the couch with Mike. I had all these ambitions to unpack more or work on cards for my upcoming craft show, but sometimes I just need to rest. I really hope I'll be able to stick to my schedule this week for unpacking/crafting. So much to do for this weekend, so little time.

Go vote!! Have a great day :)

I should have made this a goal....

To blog on a more regular basis. It's funny...I read certain people's blogs everyday, and yet don't even think about updating mine. Granted, they have hundreds of people reading theirs and I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who reads mine, but whatever :)

So, I'm big into goals. They usually don't happen, but I always set them. And being that I live about 2 months ahead of real time because I'm always thinking about what I have coming up...Christmas, wedding, etc..., I'm sort of in the New Year goal setting mode. So...here's my scratchy paper of goals. Not sure you can read them, and not really the point, but I thought if I publically posted my scratchings, maybe it would hold me more accountable. SO...if you talk with me, push me on these things, they really are important to me.

Last week we saw our engagement pictures and I love them! Meg is an awesome photographer. Mike and I had a really good time shooting them at the pumpkin patch and seeing them made this whole wedding gig A LOT more real. There's a couple I just love to pieces and can't wait to get my hands on them so I can show everyone. I think they're really Mike and me, if that makes sense. A little goofy, a little cheesy, but definitely fun.

And after seeing them, I was totally inspired to look at some of my own pictures. I also found this amazing blog of a local photographer on a national site, and I can't believe I'd never heard of her before now. I'm sure she's a bit spendy, but someday, I would LOVE to have her take pictures of our family. Anyway, I was out playing with Molly last week and had my camera because I wanted to take pictures of her big girl collar, when I looked up and saw our amazing sunset. I'd seen it before, but it never stops being gorgeous. I spent more time snapping pictures of the sunset than I did of Molly - although I managed to get a couple good ones of her too :)

So, I'll just upload a bunch of photos that I found when I was looking through my camera. Seeing my life through my lens makes me realize even more how blessed I am.

This is Mike and Michael, pointing at a monkey at the zoo. We took all 3 kids this summer, and it was so cool to see those two together. I know Mike is great with his niece and nephew, but it was awesome to see him bond with my nephew too.

To the left is the three kids looking at something behind the glass. I love the lighting of this picture though, and their three little heads. Especially Quintin and Michael, looking up, hands pressed on the glass. SO cute!

And my beloved sunset photos. These are from all over the property. I'm standing there, snapping pictures, thinking how lucky we are to have a house and land, and then it hits me like a ton of bricks - THIS is God. This is tangible (well, sorta) proof that He exists. Not that I doubted, but if someone were to aks me how I know, I can point at these pictures and say this is how. How can anyone wonder after seeing something like this?

So, that's the news, I guess. Craft show this weekend at Bellevue East. Come visit! Other than that, lots of unpacking to look forward to this week. Hopefully all will be in order at least on the main level in time for a family dinner on Saturday night.

Have an fantabulous fall week!!

Cheese and Rice!

It's been 2 months (almost) since I wrote anything! Cheese and rice!! (say it out loud - it's something Mike says when he's flabberghasted, generally in my direction.) I quite possibly haven't written because not that much out of the ordinary has gone on (at least not in my head) or because I've been so exceptionally busy. I'll just start with this last weekend and work my way backwards.

I had my second craft show on Saturday, which went pretty well. I'm pleased with how much I sold, but not with WHAT I sold. Here I spent all this time making like 200 cards to sell, plus some sets of cards...and at the last minute, decide to make some halloween treats - and those completely sell out and I take an order for 45 more!! Now granted, I'm happy to have sold all that and taken the order, but come on people!! Sunday, we went to Mike's family's church and saw his nephew get his Bible...it was really cute. They called all the kids to the front of the church and did the childrens' sermon and the whole time, Quintin wasn't paying a bit of attention because he was busy looking through his new Bible. It was awesome to see him excited about reading it!

On the church note, this is the same church where Mike and I will be married. It's really pretty. I'm a little concerned with the size - not sure it will be able to hold everyone if they actually make it to the ceremony, but we'll squeeze in. And I know Mike and I will have plenty of room :)

The weekend (and week) before, we were in Virginia for my very favorite cousin's wedding. It was awesome - we had such a good time with everyone and the wedding was beautiful and I'm so happy to see my cousin that happy. Her new husband is a great guy and I'm glad he's part of our family! I (yes, the one who has a camera permanently attached to her hand) didn't take all that many pictures, so I'll have to wait for the professional ones or until people send them around to share.

House news - we STILL haven't closed. Rumor has it we will on Wednesday evening, but I highly doubt it will happen. We've set up 4 or 5 closings so far only to have it delayed. Loving this mortgage crisis right now :P

Molly Monster finally grew into a big girl collar. No, that's not really dire news, but her daddy and I were pretty proud. It's red with white paws on it - I miss the pink one, but she does look awfully cute. Plus, she's Husker colors now :)

I think that's about it, honestly. We haven't packed a thing yet and are supposedly moving this weekend. I haven't really done anything for halloween that I need to do (want to do). Basically, work and crafts and that's about it. Cannot wait for a weekend where I can just relax!! Cross your fingers that we close this week!!!!

Feelin' Woody

Alright - any of you who saw my apartment knew that I'm a fan of wood and metal in my decorating...don't need colors so much (though I love bright ones), but I definitely enjoy having wooden furniture and metal accents. Therefore...this is my arty take on our house and all the wood and metal that made me fall in love. Sure, there's great rooms, lots of very pretty land, even the decorating and room colors are nice - but I walked in, saw all the ORIGINAL wood and hardware and it was over.

The top left picture is one of the built-in wardrobes in the hallways - there's one on the main floor and one on the second floor. LOVE this feature. The top right is the pantry area - if the cabinets aren't original in here, they've fooled me because they look exactly like the ones in the kitchen. The bottom left picture is of the butcherblock island - built to look original but isn't. Bottom right is the "mudroom" bannister and back door...original fixtures, gorgeous woodwork on the bannister. I can't believe how well this place was kept up.

I'm getting more excited by the day, in case you couldn't tell. I've been planning my studio area lately since I can't wait to disappear there whenever I want to create. My latest business endeavor (other than the wedding invitations) has been creating greeting cards to sell at craft fairs. Our first one is September 27 so not much time after we move in, but I can't wait to begin creating there!

Wow!

Holy Hanna, it's been awhile. As promised to Maria last weekend, I will happily update my blog. Honestly, it's been so crazy I haven't even had time to think about anything but staying awake. So...I'll give you the rundown :)

First, and foremost, we're buying a house!! Finally, I know. And it's finally for sure. Honestly, this whole process has reinforced my faith in things happening for a reason. I kept telling Mike as our bids on houses would get rejected over and over again that I felt like I was in a dysfunctional relationship and I couldn't stand one more breakup! Fortunately, we stumbled onto a house and it was love at first sight. That happened on Tuesday of last week, we made an offer on Wednesday, had a gut-wrenching evening and morning to follow, and heard we were becoming home-owners on Thursday afternoon! It was such an amazing feeling, and almost a week later, Mike and I still get big grins on our faces and act like little children on Christmas morning at the thought of this being OUR house. So, here's a few pictures from the listing and I'll give details below.
Obviously, this is the front of the house. To be honest, if it weren't for this picture, I wouldn't have a clue what the front of the house looks like. It has a circle driveway that starts before the house, completely wraps around the back, and comes out on the other side of the house. We've driven by the house twice, but otherwise, no clue what it looks like from the road. I'm pathetic. :)

This is the back of the house. The door to the left is the walk-out basement door, and the door to the right is to the mudroom area...it's not really a mudroom so much as a hallway, but that's what I'm calling it. You can see the little deck off to the right. Mike and I plan to expand that so we can have big dinners outside - we're deck people for sure and can't wait to have people over for some sort of charred animal. You can also see the old-fashioned well pump in the bottom right corner of the picture - it works! We have rural water, but the well actually pumps water. Maybe that's how I'll build up those biceps. Ha.

The BARN. Mike's pride and joy. It really is an awesome barn, with electrical ran to it, plenty of room for storage, animals, whatever. And it's red like I've always wanted (and made Mike promise to paint whatever barn we ended up with - looks like he got out of that one!) There's also another building that will be great for his bucket calves, a place for my chicken coop, another building that will probably just be storage, the garage, a potting shed, and the machine shed, which is huge and will probably turn into our party barn.

And last, but certainly not least is MY pride and joy - the kitchen!! The first picture is a view from the dining room of the whole kitchen. The cabinets are original and in amazing shape. I wish I had a close-up picture of the hardware. I'm completely in love with it. I promise to update so you can see what I'm raving about cabinet hardware. New countertops, my farmhouse sink!, the bar for casual eating, a butcher block island, great light fixtures...I can't say enough great things. BUT - the best is in the picture to the right - you can see it toward the back of the picture on the left...it's my PANTRY. I have walk-in pantry. Can you believe it?? There is so much storage back there, not to mention great counters and electrical - I could have a whole baking center back there! I'm just excited beyond words to have the whole set-up, and I don't have to change a thing! I can just move in and start using...that's such a great feeling.

More boring details about the house - it's in Unadilla, NE, which is in the middle of nowhere and has very few people - maybe population 100 in town and farms surrounding. (For those of you in the area, it's off of Highway 2, which runs on the south side of Lincoln, and is about 20 miles east of Lincoln. It's about 15 minutes from Elmwood where we are now.) It's 10 acres of land, about 7 of pasture for Mike's calves. There are fruit trees next to the pasture and plenty of room for my eventual garden next spring. The house is 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. It's also got plenty of built-in storage and huge closets. There is the living room, formal dining room, master bedroom, kitchen and bathroom on the first floor, two bedrooms and a HUGE hallway on the second floor (where Mike's office will eventually be built), and the basement is almost completely finished with the 2nd bathroom, laundry room, built-in bar area, and an open room that will eventually be my studio. I can't believe I get my own studio!!

We are planning to close on September 17 which is like...3 weeks from today! I can't believe it. Big big big party at our place on October 25 - sort of a housewarming/Halloween costume party combo :)

The other big news is the new addition to our family - our adorable pug Molly.

Here she is! Full name: Molly Monster Vogt. The middle name says it all - she is pure evil most of the time. We love her to pieces but oh my gosh, can she get on our last nerve. She's a little over 3 months now and stubborn as all get out. She is my baby though, so she loves all things pink and shoes :) I can't wait to get her on the farm so she can run some of that energy out - barking at calves and chasing chickens.

That's all the updates I have right now so I can get back to work, but I promise more pictures when I have them!!

Maybe This Time

Okay, now maybe it's time for updates galore!

Thursday of last week (the 5th), we celebrated my birthday at The Q with Amanda and some of her friends. It was an absolute blast - of course, I don't remember most of it, but I know we had a good time.

Friday morning, I GOT ENGAGED!!! It was crazy and such a surprise!! And of course, I said yes. I am so exceptionally lucky to be marrying such a wonderful man. He is everything I could have ever hoped for and more, and I had no idea it was possible to love someone so much! We're planning on October 10, 2009 for our wedding date, in Nebraska, so mark your calendars :) Here's a smallish picture of the ring that doesn't begin to do it justice:

Also Friday morning, we put an offer in on the house we love. As of today, we've received a counter offer and sent one back to them, so who knows what will happen, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.

Saturday morning, I graduated with a BS in Management of Human Resources. It was really an accomplishment for me, but still hasn't hit me yet. We celebrated that evening with the big graduation party, which was the best!

(Left to right: my adorable cousin Amanda, me, and Nichole)

Sunday, I hosted Amanda's wedding shower. I think she had a good time - I know the food and champagne was good :) Thanks to everyone who came and helped me out with that!

I think that's about it, for the time being. We haven't been washed away in the storms yet, thank goodness. Praying for everyone who has been injured or had property damage, and for the safety of everyone as we continue on through the storm season.

Updates Galore

Well...

It's been awhile, and I apologize (though I doubt I have a loyal band of readers) :) Anyway, it has been a BUSY week for me. Wednesday and Thursday evenings marked my last college classes EVER! It hasn't really hit me yet that I'm done with class, and I'm hoping it will at graduation. Right now, it just feels like any other day, but there is some relief in knowing I don't have to do homework at the start of next week.

Mike and I went to look at that house last Friday and I am in love (so is he!). We're working on the loan stuff right now and hope to make an offer this weekend. It would be such a perfect house for us and what we want in life (kids, cows, good times, etc.). I know if we don't get it, then something better will come along, but I really hope this is it for us :)

I've had zero time to stamp this week...actually haven't touched ink since last weekend when I was working on some things for graduation. Anyway...Mike and I are going to a wedding this weekend and I'd like to make a card this evening. I'd also like to get a couple thank you cards done and work on my cousin's gift for her shower next weekend!!

I MAY have been exaggerating when I said there were updates GALORE. Or even a bit hasty when I said there were updates, because there's not really much news here. I'll try to pull some pictures off my camera soon and post with them.

I can finally expend some energy!

I'm not even sure how many people know this, but I'm very slowly attempting to start an invitation/announcement/card business on the side of everything else I'm doing. It's been exceptionally slow going lately because of classes and starting with Stampin' Up, but I have been able to do a few projects. I'm currently working on my cousin's wedding invitations, and just recently finished a project that was a baby announcement (see below.) I've done a little bit of everything, from graudation announcements to thank you notes, we've moved! cards, baby and wedding showers, the wedding invites and so on. So...if you're ever interested or know of someone who might be in need, please keep me in mind!

Disappointment

So, I think everyone who knows me knows how long I've been going to school and how hard I've been working to graduate, especially lately. It's a fairly big deal in my life. So, of course, I want to have a party to celebrate and it would be awesome if the people I care about would actually show up. Seems like that won't be the case. Now, I can understand if something was already planned for that day, or it's something pressing like, I dunno, moving out of the state :) But what I guess I don't understand is people who know that's going on and choose to plan something else for that day anyway. I didn't just invite random friends...I invited the people who were closest to me. I would think they'd want to be there to celebrate with me - I know I would want to do the same for them. I'm really really really upset...at this point, I'm not even sure that I'll have any of my friends there. I can almost for certain say that Mike will have more friends there than I will. It won't ruin my day, because this is something I've done and am so glad to have accomplished, but it makes me rethink how close to me these friends really are.

Okay, everyone who knows me knows I have issues with the alphabet. Which is funny because I learned it like 23 years ago, and I still have to think really hard about the order of the letters. So, in honor of my stupidity, I thought I'd do an online quiz about it. :)

The Letter A
Are you available? Nope
What is your age? 25 for 2 more weeks!
What annoys you? Oh lord, is there a space limit on this thing? For right now, we'll just go with stupid people who can't follow directions
The Letter B
Do you live in a big house? I live in a small apartment. Hope to be in a big house soon.
When is your birthday? June 7 - celebrating June 5 - come drink with us!!
Who is your best friend? Mike
The Letter C
What's your favorite candy? Hmm...jelly beans, probably
Who's your crush? Mike
When was the last time you cried? Sunday, I think
The Letter D
Do you daydream? ALL the time
What's your favorite kind of dog? PUGS!!
What day of the week is it? Wednesday
The Letter E
How do you like your eggs? Scrambled
Have you ever been in the emergency room? Yes
What's the easiest thing ever to do? Breathe?
The Letter F
Have you ever flown in a plane? All the time
Do you use fly swatters? No
Have you ever used a foghorn? Um, no
The Letter G
Do you chew gum? Yup, bad habit
Are you a giver or a taker? I try to balance, but I'm probably more of a giver
Do you like gummy candies? Yes
The Letter H
How are you? I'm very sleepy
What color is your hair? Brown with blond streaks
The Letter I
What's your favorite ice cream? Cake batter from Cold Stone
Have you ever ice skated? Once when I was about 12
Do you play an instrument? I used to play the piano..it's been awhile
The Letter J
What's your favorite jelly bean brand? Jelly Belly. Cotton Candy or Bubblegum.
Do you wear jewelry? Everyday I wear my mom's wedding ring and a ring that says "faith" Otherwise, I change it up
The Letter K
Who do you want to kill? No one
Do you want kids? Yes
Where did you go for kindergarten? Gunn Elementary, Mrs. Houser
The Letter L
Are you laid back? Not remotely :)
Do you lie? I try never to, unless it involves some sort of surprise or gift
The Letter M
Whats your favorite movie? Silence of the Lambs
Do you still watch Disney movies? If I can find them to watch
Do you like mangos? Yes
The Letter N
Do you have a nickname? Jen
What is your real name? Jennifer
Whats your favorite number? Don't really have one
Do you prefer night over day? Yes
The Letter O
What's your one wish? Happiness
Are you an only child? No
The Letter P
What one fear are you most paranoid about? Failure
What are your pet peeves? Long finger nails on guys, people who don't use their turn signals, and people who pronounce words incorrectly
What's a personality trait you look for in people? Good sense of humor
The Letter Q
What's your favorite quote? No clue
Are you quick to judge people? I try not to be but I also know that first impressions mean a lot
The Letter R
Do you think you're always right? Usually :)
Are you one to cry? I'm not sure what this has to do with the letter R, but yes, I'm fairly emotional
The Letter S
Do you prefer sun or rain? Good mix
Do you like snow? One snow per year would be fine...then I wouldn't miss it
What's your favorite season? Fall
The Letter T
What time is it? 10:28
What time did you wake up? 5:45
When was the last time you slept in a tent? Day after never
The Letter U
Are you wearing underwear? Yes!
Underwear or boxers? Underwear
The Letter V
What's the worst veggie? I like all veggies...
Where do you want to go on vacation? Going to Maryland and California this summer, so those will do
The Letter W
What's your worst habit? Cracking my knuckles
Where do you live? Omaha
What's your worst fear? Failure
The Letter X
Have you ever had an x-ray? Yes, when I broke my ankle
Have you seen the x-games? No
Do you own a xylophone? Um, no
The Letter Y
Do you like the color yellow? At the moment, yes
What's one thing you yearn for? A nap :)
The Letter Z
Whats your zodiac sign? Gemini
Do you believe in the zodiac? At times
Favorite zoo animal? Hmm...they don't have puppies at the zoo, right? I guess I like...anything baby that looks fuzzy :)

Our New Home?

Alright, time to look at another house that will inevitibly get sold right after we look at it...to someone else, that is. Seems everytime Mike and I look at a house, it's sold within a week. Good news for the seller, I'm sure, but we're getting frustrated. So...here's the one that will be sold next. It's in Syracuse, NE - which I'm thrilled about because it's a bigger town, so the possibility of me not going insane is there. Woohoo!! There's actually restuarants and a pizza place so I can get lazy and not cook occassionally. Anywho, from the outside, we LOVE it. Not loving the drive in to Bellevue/North O, but we'll survive for a house we love. It was built in 1900, has 36ish acres of ground for Mike's calves, a POND, some out buildings, etc. The woodwork looks gorgeous in the pictures. It has 4 bedrooms, about 2,500 square feet...perfect for us to stay put til our kids put us in an old folks home. :) I hope it lives up to our expectations - or exceeds them. Say a little prayer for us to not be homeless children for too long :)

Ah, Spirit

I found these, and thought they would embarass me properly. They're pictures from our Employee Appreciation Week here at Florence Home. Hawaiian Day, Nerd Day, Crazy Hat Day, and Mismatch Day...I particularly like Crazy Hat Day - I was feeling a bit crabby :)

I

I

i am: still waking up (2 hours after getting out of bed)
i need: another day in the week
i think: entirely too much
i know: that God has a plan
i want: our farm house to magically appear
i have: wet hair
i wish: I were stamping
i hate: laziness and liars
i miss: my mom
i fear: failure
i feel: excited to see Mike tonight
i hear: someone's printer (forgot to turn on my radio!) - okay, now Pat & JT
i smell: all the food people have left in my office
i crave: cupcakes!
i wonder: if we'll like this house we're seeing Sunday
i regret: nothing
i love: Mike, more than I ever thought I could love someone
i ache: when I see hurt animals
i care: about doing well
i always: sleep entirely too late
i am not: looking forward to 7 hours, 42 more minutes of work
i believe: all my dreams are coming true
i dance: never
i sing: when no one can hear me :)
i don’t always: listen as well as I should
i fight: entirely too quickly
i write: like a typewriter (according to my classmates)
i lose: everything in my mess of a house
i never: get tired of watching the same movies over and over
i can usually be found: at some scrapbook store or in my house, stamping
i am scared: that this will all come crashing down one day
i need: hugs from my sweetie :)

You?

Laziness

I guess my parents taught me properly. When someone asks something of me and I can, I will help them. If I offer to help, I follow through. If I'm already going that far, I'm going to see if there's anything else I can do to help. And more often than not, if I see something that needs to be done, I'll just do it.

That being said, apparently I'm in the minority, as are most of my friends. For the longest time, I was either very lucky or very picky as EVERYONE I surrounded myself with subscribed to the same theory about helping others. It seems like recently though, this isn't the case, and I'm finding myself not wanting to be friends with certain people because of it.

My feeling is that if you make a commitment, follow through on it, regardless of how busy you are, what things have come up, your mood, the weather - it doesn't matter what your excuse is, just do it. Not only that, but if you commit yourself to a larger project (regardless of offering to help with a small task), then you have committed yourself to whatever it is they need.

For example, say there's an organization at your employer. (Remember, this is hypothetical!) And that organization decides as a group to host an event that needs volunteers each day for a week. My opinion is that you should volunteer for EVERY time you have available. Better to have too many hands than too few. I shouldn't have to ask you to volunteer, I shouldn't have to tell you about your commitment to the organization and what that means, and I shouldn't have to beg you to help after you've already committed. Just do it. Don't rely on other's to cover for you. Don't tell me you've already done your share. Don't tell me that you weren't counting on having to help. Don't tell me you're too busy with your work (implying that it's more important), because your participation in this organization is part of your job and IT IS YOUR WORK!

Not following through, not committing, not honoring your commitments, and even further, not going above and beyond what you have committed is PURE LAZINESS. There is no other way to put it.

Rant over, for now. I suspect I will have the same complaints in the coming days.

Frustration

Well, we didn't get that house. Apparently, the listing agent decided not to follow through on her word to let us know there was a competing bid, because (surprise, surprise!) the other bidder was one of her clients and she would receive the full commission. Not at all fishy. Mike and I are both bummed beyond words.

I'm exceptionally frustrated because I'm ready to move in with him and stop having the stress of commuting 45 minutes just to see each other. It hasn't affected our relationship yet, but I have a feeling it will. Fortunately, my life is about to get significantly less busy in 3 weeks.

I'm hoping today looks up, because right now, it's not going too well.

Virgin Posting

It's my first time, be gentle!

Just kidding. This is my first post, and not done at my home computer, so be patient. I finally have entered the blog world. If you stick around to read my ramblings, well...you're brave. I do plan to post primarily about my life and my stamping addiction, but who knows - there may be something else of interest to read as well :)

Just a couple of things from this weekend:

Mike and I made an offer on an awesome farm this weekend. Say a little prayer (or a few big ones!) that our offer is accepted or at least that the owners counter with something we can afford. I'm in love with the house and I think Mike feels the same way about the land. I'll post pictures if our offer is accepted!!

Also, since it was Mother's Day, I did make a couple cards for Mike's mom and grandma. They're posted above. (I apologize for the quality of the pictures - taken on a camera phone by a mediocre photographer!) Tried some new techniques with both of them - heat embossing on the Hodgepodge Hardware, paper piercing, watercolor crayons - all so much fun!! The first was for his grandma and the second for his mom. I think they were pleased - or faked it well if not! :)