Stationery

So, it's only been 3 months. Whatever. Don't judge me. :)

I've been extremely busy with the wedding whoo-ha, which sounds dirty, but it isn't. We've also had family obligations up the wazoo.

But, I had some pictures I'd taken of stationery that I made for a customer to give as a birthday gift, and I'm an attention whore, so I'm pretty proud. The first picture is everything laid out. The second is with it all contained in it's little box. I'm not in love with it - it still has some kinks to work out. But it will get there as I make more, and I'm sure it will be adorable at my next show in July, even if it doesn't sell well. Sorry, as always, for the craptacular photography.

My Babies

I warn you, this story WILL make you cry, so read it with caution (and not at work, like me).

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090122

Of course, as I'm reading this, I'm thinking of my Molly (or Karma, or Snickers & Penny). If you know me, you know that I love dogs. I'm a hopeless sucker for all things dog, especially puppies and squishy, squeeky toys and soft ears and yippy barks and cuddles! We were definitely a dog family growing up, and Mike and I are definitely a dog family.

Thankful thing #39. Molly and Karma. I'll start with Molly because she's my little pumpkin of a dog, and she's the one living with me now. I KNOW she will be like the dog in the story (although I hope we have MUCH more time together). This dog is always up for a good run. She loves her cows and thinks she is one of them. She loves snuggling people (she can't lay on a couch without one of us). She's full of personality, and the big sad eyes, and the squishy little body and the curly tail...ugh, she just melts my heart. She is one of my best friends and I love coming home and getting cuddles from her. I love uncurling her tail. I love kissing the soft part of her head. I love when she comes running to get me at the door. I love laying in bed with her. I love that she's a little hot box and warms me up every time we cuddle. She is the best little dog, and even though she's a Monster, we couldn't live without her. She truly has become our child.

Then there's Karma. Karmie is special on a whole other level. She was a rescue dog...dropped at my best friend's vet clinic as a baby with a deformed front paw. They called my mom to see if she still wanted a dog and mom of course said yes. Who could say no to a little puppy in a cast?? So, we named her Karma. That's what we got - she was an evil little dog to begin with. Mom and I finally got her calmed down, and right after that, Mom passed away. One of the saddest moments of my life was coming home to Karma without Mom after she passed away. I sat down with her and cuddled her and explained what happened, and I pray that she understood that Mom would never leave her willingly. Something about her changed after that - she clung to my side and slept a lot. I remember doing the same with her - we slept in the same bed, watched tv together, cuddled...neither of us were very social that year.

Long story short, when I moved out of the house into my apartment, Dad took Karma for me so she could have the yard to run in and other dogs to play with. Fast forward almost 2 years later, and Karma will finally be coming back to live with me (and Mike and Molly) on the farm. I think she will absolutely love running around with Molly and the cows. I know she will miss her Penny & Snickers (my dad's dogs) and his house - that's become her home too. But the cool thing about her is that she absolutely remembers everyone and has the biggest family of any doggie I know. Everyone loves her to pieces, and I'm thankful she's coming back to live with me. She'll bring a piece of Mom back into my everyday life, and be there for all sorts of happy times, I'm sure. This poor dog has had too much trauma in her short little life, and I want the rest of her days to be very very happy.

So, now that I'm sobbing again, I'll stop talking about my babies. I'm so thankful to be an animal person - they offer a whole different kind of love you can't get from people, that I don't believe I could live without.

All is well on the farm front. Funny story about the wedding flower shopping that I'll have to tell another time as this post is getting long enough! Have a great Thursday!

Broken Promises

No, it's not really that serious of a post. It's just that I obviously haven't blogged in awhile, so that daily thing is out the window, I do believe. My friend Kristen asked me yesterday if blogged...I think my response was something like, "Well, sorta..."

Things have been exceptionally busy since the last time I blogged. Mike and I have been so busy preparing for the wedding as much as we can right now. He has also gotten our herd up to 18 calves, which is keeping him very busy and me entertained. Molly loves to go out and play with her cows...it's really getting pathetic. We think she thinks she's a little cow. I really wish I could figure out what she's thinking sometimes. :)

Wedding plans are coming right along. I can't believe it's 7 months today until the BIG DAY. (Big scary music here. No, not because I'm scared to marrry Mike, but because I'm scared of deadlines!!)

The house is lovely. Coming right along on decorating/unpacking. I've made a fair dent in my scrapping/stamping studio to the point where I can see the floor again. PROGRESS!! I can't wait to get it done so I can just enjoy it and use it (and share pictures!) I'm so proud of the way it's turning out. I already love spending time there, and can't wait until I can do so without worrying about where everything is going to fit. Who knew I had so much STUFF??

Big things are coming our way in the next few weeks! Mike and I are going to see Avenue Q at the end of March. Whitney's wedding is April 4 - so excited for her and Shaun. Patty and I are going to see Wicked on May 15. CANNOT WAIT! I was on the phone for 2 hours trying to get tickets the day they went on sale.

#38 thankful thing (I believe that's where I left off): all the experiences I have had, or the opportunities I will have. Considering I live in the middle of the country, I've gotten to visit some very fun places and experience many things. I hope Mike and I are equally lucky to have these new experiences in the future.

That's all. Happy Tuesday!!

Realizing My Weaknesses

#37 sort of plays on what I was talking about yesterday, realizing my weaknesses.

I'm thankful that Mike is a good compliment to my weaknesses, and thankful that I realize what they are so I'm not overly sensitive.

What brings this to mind is an issue dealing with money. I detest money, debt, budgeting...all things financially related. Up until we bought the house, I was pretty financially secure for my age, and very rarely did I worry about money. My bills were paid on time, I could buy whatever I wanted within reason, and I didn't have to worry. Well...that's not the case now. House are expensive, in case you didn't know :)

Anyway, I'm very thankful that Mike is exceptionally responsible with money.

Boring thankful thing, I know, but it really is something I'm very thankful for.

Big plans for the weekend: enjoying the warm weather, Patty's birthday party, Nichole's bridal shower, and cleaning in preparation for the next few weeks!

Weight loss update: 9 pounds over 32 days. Not terrible :)

Happy weekend!

Outside the Box

#36 leads right in to what I'm thankful for, so I will tell you about my realization yesterday first.

I am an idea person. I think that's where my true creativity lies, in my ideas. It's not actually in scrapbooking/card making like I would hope, but more in the ideas, especially thinking outside the box. In my professional life, I can probably count the number of times on one hand that I have been reluctant to change or try new things. I really enjoy trying to think outside the box and come up with new/different ideas that could solve problems.

Now, here's the downfall - as good as I am at coming up with these things, I'm equally bad at following through. That's one of my goals for this year is to improve my follow-through on commitments.

Anyway, #36 is that I'm thankful I'm able to be creative in my ideas. I'm not a fan of sitting still, waiting for something to fall apart while an idea doesn't work. I'm not a fan of not thinking ahead so problems won't be anticipated. I'm not a fan of being stuck inside a little box of thoughts that doesn't allow for creative problem solving. I'm also thankful that I recognize my weakness in the follow-through, so I can work to correct it, but that's a whole other post.

One day til the weekend; happy dance!!

Hump Day!

I laugh any time anyone calls it that. Hee hee.

I'm sort of out of my mood. Well, back in it, but it's at least separated itself to only at work.

After work last night, I walked a mile and then went shopping. I stopped by Michael's to see if I could find any apothocary jars - which I did, but didn't buy them. I've been on a quest for these jars for months, and I finally found some I love. So, you may be asking yourself, why didn't I buy them??

I FOUND OUR WEDDING INVITATIONS!

I love them. LOVE them. Yes, I wanted to make my own, but at 200+, I knew that wasn't realistic. Next best thing, I wanted to design them myself. That wasn't happening either, really. Well, it would have been if I had any design skills whatsoever, but, it didn't. So...next best thing was I found these awesome kits that were on sale even!! Yay. Not sharing pictures, because I want everyone to be surprised. (Oh, yeah, Mike likes them too. Maybe not quite the excitement I have for them, but who in their right mind really jumps up and down about paper??)

After that, we met Danny and Melissa at Fridays for dinner and drinks. Yummo. I've come to the realization that I need to take my camera with me when I go places. The issue I have with that is that it's pretty large for a digital camera. Don't get me wrong, I love my camera. I love it a lot. But it's big and bulky, and I'm not sure that bulk does much good. I may ask Mike for a new (slimmer) digi cam for my birthday. We'll see.

On to thankful thing for the day: #35 (I think my numbering is off...) A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. I haven't had one in awhile. Not because our new bed isn't comfy (I love it, it's heaven to me), just because there aren't enough hours in the night. When we go out in town (Omaha or Lincoln), we generally don't get home til after 9 or 10. Considering the time I get up, that's pretty late. So, I haven't been getting as much sleep as I need. I have, however, been more dedicated to some exercising. I've walked at least a mile every night this week and plan to do the same tonight and tomorrow for sure.

That's all. Happy Humpin', folks. Giggle.

Still in a Mood

Hopefully this post will knock me out of it.

#34 (ETA: I have issues counting. Anything over 20 makes me stumble): Mike (I told you he would pop up a bunch of times)

Yesterday was the anniversary of our first date. I'm thankful for the last year with him. For him helping me to understand that a good relationship is hard work, but it doesn't have to be stressful and seemingly impossible. It doesn't have to be a constant struggle or feel like I'm sacrificing. Thankful to him for showing me an entirely new life that I didn't even know I wanted until I had it. I'm thankful that he is the most kind, generous, sweet, loving man I've ever known. I'm thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

Okay, you can stop gagging now. I'm a little cheerier.

I have a feeling this week will be infinitely busy. I'm still yet to work on my studio, which means I really can't stand stamping right now in all that clutter. Hopefully I will be able to get in there tonight or tomorrow night and start organizing.

3 more days til the weekend :)

In a Mood

Right now, probably not the best time to blog, so this will be short and sweet (and hopefully cheer me up).

#31: Thankful for the people in my life who make me loosen up. I needed to do that to de-stress, and I did just that on Saturday night for Nichole's bachelorette party.
#32: Thankful for lazy days in my jammies, even if I do feel guilty afterwards. I needed that too.
#33: Thankful for my life. Icy roads + stupid drivers = really scary start to my Monday morning.

Happy Monday.

Ugh.

Alright, postive (thankful) spin on this morning's events:

#30: I'm thankful I'm competitive.

We're doing biggest loser at work, so everyone's really obsessed with weight and what they're eating. Overall, I am a firm believer that this is not healthy behavior, so I try not to engage in it as much as possible. That doesn't mean I'm not concerned, and I do appreciate the support. However, I've changed many of my eating habits and I've been exercising regularly on the Wii Fit. Anyway...I'm thankful that my competitive nature has been the motivating factor in me finally taking the steps to become healthier.

I am not thankful that I am affected this much when I don't do as well as I would have liked. Weight count: lost 6 pounds in 25 days. Not terrible. Not where I'd like to be.

I worked out like crazy last night, worked on a little project, and then enjoyed some rest before bed, watching Ace of Cakes. I love that show. I wish I could find a picture of what I'm looking for, but they had a cake on last night that they called the "monster cake" because it was so tall. Easily 8 layers, probably more. It was gorgeous! No, I don't want a cake that's 8 layers, but I do love what they did with it, and may use the idea for our wedding cake. No hints, you'll just have to show up to the wedding. :)

That's all. Have a goodie.

I Had A Thought

I know, they're rare :)

At the beginning of the year, Ali challenged her blog readers to come up with a word for the year. A word they want to focus on for the net year, incoporate into their life, strive to acheive, etc. I LOVE this idea, and although I'm a little behind the times, I'm going to go ahead and pick one:

THANKFUL

Sometimes I have issues seeing the blessings in my life for all the bumps in the road. But it's been hitting me more and more the last few weeks how lucky I am, and I want to be aware of that every day and focus on everything that makes my life so awesome.

So here's my thought: each day on my blog, I'm going to post what I'm thankful for that day. Now, I know myself, and it may not be every day, but before December 31, 2009, I will have listed 365 things I'm thankful for. Plus - wouldn't that be a great mini album?? I can insert pictures/stories where I have them, list the rest, and forever have an album of all the great things in my life!

So, I'm 29 days behind, which means you get a list of 29 before I start with my one-a-day.

1. Above all else, my faith in God. Enough said.

2. Mike. I'm sure Mike will show up on my list, time and time again, in different ways. There are so many things about him that I am thankful for, but what immediately came to mind to encompass it all was that he loves me. In his love, I get his friendship, his laughter, his sweetness and caring, his goofiness, his honeriness (is that a word??), and I get unconditional acceptance of all the crazy/goofy/ridiculous things I do in my life.

3. Our home. I'm sure many people know that I've moved around a lot since I left for college in 2000. In the last 9 years, I've moved 18 times. I am so exceptionally thankful to be in a place that is HOME and where I will not have to pack/move/unpack again forever!

4. Molly. I love that pooch. She brings so much laughter into our lives (along with many frustrations). It's impossible to be mad at her for long though, with the flat little face and the curly tail...even when she did somehow manange to get on the kitchen counter.

5. My friends. I really do have an amazing bunch of friends, some closer than others, but all very supportive of me and the things I do. And very tolerant of my goofiness :)

6. My family. I love them. Can't get enough. (For the most part!)

7. Memories. Without them, I'd be without my mommy.

8. New challenges. Last year, at the this time, I had NO IDEA I would be where I am today. Mike and I hadn't even started dating yet (our "anniversary" is Monday), so how the heck would I know that I'd be a (future) farmer's wife, doing chores with calves, chasing my puppy around the farm, driving 130+ miles to work round-trip each day, and so on. I also didn't know I would be a part of an amazing new family, make many new friends, and so on. Each day is a challenge, in a very good way.

9. My stamping/scrapbooking obsession. My grandma (dad's mom) is very crafty. My great grandma (mom's grandma) was an amazing painter. Mom was very crafty. I also wanted to be and never found anything I was really good at. Until now. I love stamping and scrapbooking - it's an amazing creative outlet, it makes me feel closer to my mom and grandmas (even though they didn't scrapbook or stamp), it helps me de-stress, and I think I'm okay at it :)

10. Cupcakes. Yup, I love 'em. And all things cupcake.

11. My nephew Michael John. That kid is awesome. He's smart, always happy, adorable. He has been such a good person to have around in the hard times - it doesn't matter how upset we all are, we look at him and feel this sense of calm and hope and happiness.

12. Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer.

13. The Internet. I know that sounds superficial, but it's really not - it has kept me in touch with so many friends, allowed me to meet so many people I wouldn't normally, it inspires me, connects me, educates me, amuses me. Love it.

14. Laughter. I love laughing. I love making people laugh.

15. Being in love. It's such an awesome feeling :)

16. The smell of hay after a long day. I had no idea that I one day would equate that smell with home

17. TV shows that I love. I know it's not very deep or meaningful, but watching something as simple as a reality show or Grey's Anatomy takes a lot of stresses away.

18. Naps. LOVE naps.

19. My education. I've been very lucky to learn so many things in so many different capacities. There are many times I miss being in college at ISU and knowing my focus was on learning. I think that's why I try to take in so much now on things I love.

20. The traveling I've been able to do. I was just talking with Mike last night about some of the things we've done and I realized how very fortunate I have been to see our country.

21. My love of reading. Thank you Book-It program!!

22. Radio. It gets me through the day at work. Love songs that evoke memories, make me giggle, make me chair dance, whatever!

23. Bright colors and awesome textures. Great inspiration!

24. School/office supplies. There's something so exciting about a new pen or post-it notes (I sound like Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail). I've always loved office supplies though.

25. Fall weather. I maintain that one of the happiest days in my life (of just being, not because of anything else that was happening that day) was when we first moved into the house, I took Molly down in the yard and watched her run while enjoying the awesome weather and watching the sunset.

26. Common sense. A comment in my work email just made me very thankful that I was blessed with common sense.

27. The color pink. It makes me happy. :)

28. My camera. Ties back into the memories thing. But I love taking pictures and sharing them with people.

29. Being done with this list? Just kidding. Sarcasm? Yeah, let's go with sarcasm. It's a great release for me, and I generally get some giggles.

That's really difficult to do. I will not be letting the list get this behind again!!

A New Blog to Stalk

Those of you who are aware of my creative obsessiveness know that I stalk several blogs daily. These are women who inspire me with their creativity, and more often than not, leave me in awe of their amazing talents. On my most recent blog stalk, the very talented Ali Edwards recommended the blog of a jewelry designer Andrea Scher (Superhero Designs). So, I ventured over to her blog and found these lovely words:

It's true that I have been thinking about this a lot as I watch Obama tirelessly give speeches, attend parties, and grin for the camera. Just looking at the magazine rack these days will make your head spin, seeing his face on so many covers. That man must be so tired! But someone told me once that we are every character in our dreams... and I see that it holds true in this case as well. Some part of me was whispering, "Let go... It's okay to preserve your energy. People will still love you."
I offer this up because I suspect that there more of you out there. We give sometimes because we are afraid... afraid people will not like us if we don't, that we won't be generous if we don't, that we will be forgotten. Sometimes we don't have it in us, but we are afraid to let go, to trust that just being who and how we actually are is enough. This little dream for me was a gentle whisper and call to authenticity... an invitation to relax in knowing that I am loved and held unconditionally, that I can put down the striving, at least for a moment.

Can I have these printed on a tshirt?? First, how awesome to see someone who is obviously so talented and therefore busy as can be write these words. I have this issue more often than I care to admit, generally finding myself completely stretched thin on most days. I try to remind myself that doing it all means all my commitments won't get ALL of me, but that little voice in my head is often overshadowed by my desire to please everyone. Yes, I have lofty ambitions, but I am not a superhero. I do not have extra hours in the day to draw upon for all the things I commit myself to doing.

Does that mean I can stop, just like that? No, probably not. I don't want to let down the people I've already made commitments to. But, I will think before I agree to something again, and I will try to be careful volunteering my time (that I don't really have!) Our wedding, our home, our families, and our time together are so important and I need to realize that they are top priorities!

Speaking of family, my little Monster was spayed on Monday. She made it through everything just fine (even had a couple of teeth pulled) and is back to her wild little self! We can tell she's tired, but she's a trooper around everyone else, running and jumping and playing like normal. While she was gone, Mike and I were worried sick, and I realized a little how scary it is going to be to be a parent. I guess we'll keep preparing and cross that bridge when we come to it.

I haven't stamped in many many weeks. My room is a complete disaster and I generally cry just walking in to it. I know organizing things will take time, and we don't have much of it, but it's exceptionally frustrating not to be able to do what I love without having to crawl through piles of stuff.

In wedding news: we have a lead on a caterer, and I've figured out what I'm doing for pew decorations, so I've been busily making them. Tedious, repetitive, (seemingly) never-ending...but I love the result!!

Have a fantastic day!!

Sick :(

Well, I've managed to change the look of my blog, sorta. That's about it. I was blessed with a cold this weekend (sarcasm) that won't go away, it seems. That's all I've managed to do, in fact.

Here's hoping this thing clears up soon!

Happy New Year!!

A post on goals (we'll call them goals rather than resolutions)

1. Lose weight!! Hello. Who doesn't have that goal? But, with the wedding, and impending family plans after the wedding, I'd like to be more in shape and happier with the way I look. We're doing Biggest Loser here at work, so that will be my immediate motivation. And I got the Wii Fit, so I'm super excited to start using that as well :)

2. Organize my space. I am so fortunate to have this space for crafting/stamping/scrapbooking. I absolutely MUST get it in order, ASAP and use it to it's full potential. End of story.

3. Relax!! I'm always stressed. ALWAYS. There IS NOT that much in life to be stressed about, I'm sure of it. I'm so fortunate to live the life I do, I'm going to calm down this year and be thankful. And enjoy.

I think those three are the key. I have some small goals about my creating that have been and will always be there, and I'll keep working on them.

Good luck with your goals as you set them!!