Scattered Thoughts

Hmm...

2011-05-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love this video... It totally sounds like me when ordering!

Shame on me!

2011-05-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

I guess the ~Slacker Award~ goes to me when it comes to blogging. I have been busy though with the job hunt and quilt making.

Still don't have a job yet but I did sell one of my quilts! I also set up an Etsy account... You can see the link on the right side bar of my blog... ItsyBitsyQuilts :) Go ahead... Take a look!

This quilt sold!!

Here are the other quilts I have completely finished and listed to sell...

I have decided to stick with crib/baby size quilts. They are much funner (<--- Don't think that's a word, lol) to do when it comes to colors and patterns!

So as you can see, I've been busy. I almost have another one done :) Going to work on that today.

But, on a sad note, my boyfriend is out of town for a month... He left yesterday and I miss him so much already. Although, if I keep myself busy with quilting then I won't think about it too much... Except for dinner time, bed time, packing his lunch, lol... Who am I kidding... I can't keep my mind off of him regardless of what I do!

On a Roll!

2011-03-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the 3rd quilt I have completely 100% done :) A true American Patchwork Quilt :) (like they used to make back in the day, lol)

Large Patchwork Quilt showing some of the backing

Top of the Patchwork Quilt

Second quilt finished

2011-03-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is the second one I have completely done! It's the size for a crib or a baby. I love it!
(the backing is a dark purple)

Ugh...

2011-03-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Why is it that men (most of them anyway) don't think housework is a full time job? Anyone who cooks, cleans, does laundry, takes care of kids/dogs knows that it's a full time job. I bust my ass every day to keep a clean house with two shedding dogs and to get no appreciation for it is very upsetting. Especially when my other half thinks I only work about 20 hours throughout the week in the house to keep it clean! And weekends? I don't get a weekend! Yeah, he works 40 hours a week... I work 40 hours + without a day off. He gets 3 days off and doesn't even lift a finger to help. Nope, according to him since I don't have a paying job, it's my job to wait on him hand and foot and clean his castle every single day. I'm really starting to feel like a maid... Not an equal... Not a girlfriend...

Sorry for my b*tchy attitude... I just needed to vent a little. I guess I'll play dirty and leave his clothes for him to wash, he can wash his own dishes that he uses, he can pack his own lunch and start his own pickup before work and he can get his own glass of water.

I finally did it...

2011-03-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my first ever ~100% done~ quilt! It's such a great feeling :)

I had originally made this one for our bed but I didn't measure before I got my fabric. It will fit a Twin bed nicely though with over-hang. I think I'm going to do some research and see about selling some of my quilts on Etsy for sure :)

Have a great day all!

I'm such a slacker...

2011-02-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking on my blog here lately. Yet, I've been extremely busy with life, lol.

Here is a short~but~sweet update on me (like anyone truly cares)

1 ~ I had a job interview last week. I think it went good. It was a group interview (first time for me, lol) so I was a little nervous but... We shall see! Wish me luck all! They aren't hiring right yet but they will be within the next few months.

2 ~ I've been quilting, quilting and quilting, lol. I have another one done (pic coming soon) and another one in progress :) Well, I guess I shouldn't say they are done. Only the fronts are. I still need to do the batting and the backing.

3 ~ I've been busy with housework (like always) and now starting to get busy with the yard work... Joy. The weather was nice a while back but now it's gone to crap again. Yard work, for now, can wait. We did have quite the snow storm last week. It actually broke one of our trees in the backyard... Good thing it didn't land on the house or the neighbors fence, lol!

The landlord will be coming over sometime to see about taking the whole tree down. It would be wise considering it looks to be splitting into three sections... with the first section down. The other two sections WILL hit the house and the neighbors fence.

4 ~ Still debating with Kris about the dogs... We talk about it, then we forget about it. Progress is little. So, looks like we are going to keep them and do our best to feed them and ourselves, lol. Dogs come first to me though. I would rather go hungry then to feed them. They're like my kids :)

So, that's my update :) I've pretty much been slacking on my blog but I've been pretty busy with life. I hope you all are doing great!

Number 4

2011-02-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the 4th quilt I've done. I still need to get them all finished up. The middles (the quilting stuff, lol) and the backing. Then, I need to decide who's getting which one or if I'm going to try to sell them :)

Take great care all! Until next time :)

~Shannon~

The Best Part

2011-02-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Mmmm Cheese!! Too fricken funny!

Mentos | Spider

2011-02-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

See why I HATE spiders? Creepy little @#$%^&*!

Doggie Dilemma

2011-02-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Kris and I are at a spot right now where times are though and money is tight. We are considering giving our dogs away to loving homes. I will be completely bummed if we do. But at the same time, we would save a butt-load of money (monthly dog food bill is sky high!).

Here are the pros and cons with our dogs ~

Pros ~ Keeping both dogs...

Our best friends (aside from each other)
Always happy to see us
Always keeping us happy to see them happy
Fun to take to the park or for a truck ride
Great walking buddies

Cons ~ Keeping both dogs...

Way too expensive food and vet bills
Dog hair!
Our back yard is torn up
Not fair to the dogs for being in a little house with a little yard

This here is Ian. He's the big dog and the one who sheds hair all over, lol. He may be blonde but he's very smart and knows lots of tricks. No, I'm not putting blondes down... A lot of them happen to be smart, lol. He is 8 years (I believe) and pretty calm... At most times, lol.

This here is Zoey. She's the controlling one. She thinks she's the boss of everyTHING, lol. She chases her tail when she gets mad and she likes to sit on Ian. She's the easy one to manage (baths, dog hair, pretty calm). She is around 15 months old.

Now, we've thought about keeping one (Zoey) but I don't find that fair. We would only keep her over Ian because she's easy to take care of. Baths are easy, she doesn't eat as much, she's smaller... Kris and I got her together. She's OUR dog. Ian is Kris's dog from before me. Ian is an awesome dog and pretty much turned into MY dog. He follows me around and lays by me... It's so cute, lol.

So, that's our doggie dilemma. Keep one, keep both or give them both away to loving homes...

Best buds!

Quilting

2011-01-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Just a few days ago, my mother taught me how to sew. Since then, I've been sewing quilts like crazy! I've been super-fueled with coffee and the excited-about-my-outcome jitters, lol!

I've just done the fronts of the quilts for now. I'll do the backing later on (I'll have to learn how to do that as well, lol).

So far, I've gotten 3 quilt fronts done and I must say... I'm damn proud of them and myself! Also, I have found the craft project that does not bore me, lol. Quilting! I get bored easily with a lot of things but I haven't (yet) with the quilts.

Here's all the things I've done or have tried to do...

Make jewelry ~ Yawn...
Make/Paint wooden signs ~ No patience!
Make bird houses ~ Bore! And I don't have the proper tools.
Plastic Canvas Crafts ~ Not my thing...
Holiday Crafts (centerpieces) ~ Ok for a once a year thing :)
Knitting ~ Bah! Only fun for the first 5 minutes...
Make Quilts ~ Love, love, love it!!!

I will take pictures of the quilt fronts I've gotten done so far this weekend and try to upload them on here. I'm ubberly excited about getting them done! Who knows... Maybe I'll open up an Etsy account if I get good feedback from people :)

I don't know what it is about quilting that doesn't bore me... Maybe the sound of the sewing machine? Taking control and picking my own colors or reasons for the shapes? Maybe it's just the simple fact that I, myself, LOVE quilts? I don't know my reason for liking it so much but that's ok. I find it to be relaxing and therapeutic in a way...

(Strange... I found something that is relaxing and doesn't stress me out)

First quilt I did

Second quilt I did

Third quilt I did

Coming up

2011-01-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

My man is leaving for the weekend with a buddy. They are going to his buddy's Dad's house. I'm sure they are going to be doing manly things, lol. I will stay home and do girly things :)

I plan on cranking up some music, dancing/singing around the house and being a complete dork! It's been forever since I've done that and I must admit... I'm looking forward to it!

Benatar, Lauper, Swift, Spears and Gaga... The weekend is ours!

Aside from being a dork, I would like to try to re-vamp my blog a little (if I can get smart enough to figure things out) and possibly do some deep cleaning. Ok... I WILL do some deep cleaning since the ~~messy~~ love-of-my-life will be ~~out of the way~~ enjoying his manly weekend :)

I will miss Kris though. Yeah, it's only going to be 3 days but we live together and do everything together. But, I guess it would be good for us :) I just know he's going to miss me like crazy (eye-roll)!

Well, I must go finish laundry and pack his bag... Have a great day all!

Deep, Dark Secret (or so it was)

2011-01-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

I once had a shrink who told me that talking about things helps a person heal. I took her advice and I've talked and healed from it. I've been through things in the past that hurt me terribly but now, they don't bother me. I've learned from these things and I've grown as a person due to these things happening to me. I've also learned that bottling things inside does NOT help... It just makes me even more mad and when I do end up talking about it, I'm like a firecracker with a short fuse. I blow up!

So, with all that being said, I'd like to share one of my secrets from the past.

I was in an abusive relationship. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that a lot of people have been in relationships like that. But, how many people actually speak out about it?

I was 'young and dumb' and thought he truly loved me. He was 5 years older then me. I was with him for 3 years and the first six months were heaven... No abuse. Then, I moved in with him and the very first night was the start of abuse every night. He would choke me, throw me around, slam chairs and end tables on me. Punch, slap and kick me. Call me names... Horrible names. He would literally toss me over his shoulder and slam me to the ground. He did this EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for two and a half years. After the beatings, he would apologize and say he loved me and beg me to stay with him. Yep, I believed him and always stayed. Towards the end of our relationship, I knew he was just lying... Every word out of his mouth was a lie. There was one time, his own father asked me how I got 'marked' up. (I had a few scratches and he seen them) Of course, I lied to protect my ex. I also knew that if I didn't cover for him, it would be worse once we got home. He had neighbors watch our house to make sure nobody came by while he was at work. He wouldn't allow me to work or drive or hang out with my friends. Everything was on his terms. Very controlling... He threatened me a few times... About how if I ever left him, he'd find me... How nobody else would have me... He was at work when I left him. My mother drove the 6 hours to pick me up with my clothes... The rest stayed. We were loaded up and gone before he got off work. To this day, I'm scared to death of him finding me but I know he can't and won't hurt me. I'm surrounded by people now who love me and will protect me.

Why did I stay with him for so long? Well, he manipulated me. He told me my family didn't love me. He told me he'd get help for his anger. He told me he loved me. He asked me to marry him several times... Honestly, I think I put blinders on. I didn't want to see the truth and I lied to myself when I said I loved him. I didn't. How could you love a monster that treated you like that? I was scared and I fooled myself.

What has he taught me? Well, I don't take crap from anyone. The first sign of abuse, I leave. He made me a stronger person. As a human being, I deserve respect as well. I've never been in an abusive relationship since then.

Anywho, sorry this post is so scattered... I hope to help others who are going through this or who have been through it. Just know you aren't alone and others will not judge you if you talk to them or ask them for help. :)

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

2011-01-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

I started sneezing like mad last Thursday and on Friday, I woke up with a sore throat, stuffy nose and a cough. Ugh... I hate having a cold! I feel like I've been run over by a truck and left along side the road for dead! And when I'm sick, all I want to do is curl up on the couch and sleep... But, I can't do that. I have a house to keep clean and lunches to pack and dinners to cook... And, it's just my boyfriend and I! These are the times when I miss living with mom, lol. She would make me stay in bed and take care of me.

It sure is different when a man is sick though. I make Kris stay warm, either in bed or on the couch. I give him medicine and cater to his every need. Plus, I still keep the house clean when he's sick. But, when I'm sick, it's STILL me doing everything, lol. What is up with that? I guess it's true... A woman's job is never done!

Life

2011-01-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

One of my 3rd cousins, Shane, passed away yesterday morning. He was involved in a head on car crash. I don't know the complete story (who else was involved). May he rest in peace! And others as well if they were hurt.

I had just met Shane this last summer at our family reunion. Awesome guy! Going through medical issues and on the verge of dying back then but he always seemed to be in a happy mood. He didn't let it get him down... And then for a car crash to take him? It's sad...

On to something else...

I recently started working out again :) Hopefully, I stick with it and procrastination doesn't kick my ass! I will be keeping track of my workout on another page on my blog so as to not clutter my main page with my ~~failure~~ success!

Thinking... Thinking... Yep, I think that's all for now. Short and sweet :) Later all!

The Band Perry - If I Die Young

2011-01-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

This is such a good song. It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother

She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors

Oh, and life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no

Ain't even gray, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life

Well, I've had just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life

Well, I've had just enough time

And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom

I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger

I've never known the loving of a man

But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand

There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever

Who would have thought forever could be severed by

The sharp knife of a short life

Well, I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls

What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar

They're worth so much more after I'm a goner

And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singing

Funny, when you're dead how people start listening

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

The ballad of a dove

Go with peace and love

Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket

Save them for a time when you're really gonna need them, oh

The sharp knife of a short life

Well, I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys

And I'll wear my pearls

Wow, very powerful song...

New Year ~ 2011

2011-01-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

My New Years Resolutions...

1 ~ Actually follow through with my 2011 goals! I'm such a procrastinator!

2  ~ Get healthy!! (this is pretty much my only goal that truly matters)
   ~ I would like to try to eat better and exercise more.
   ~ Try to quit smoking and cut back on the beer drinking, lol.

3 ~ Blog more. I need to put on my thinking cap a little more and post more then I do.

4 ~ Once again, follow through! No more procrastinating!

That should be enough for one year, lol.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year and I hope 2011 brings greatness to all! :)

Shrinkage, Overs and Smells... Oh my!

2010-12-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

First of all...

Over or under? That's the question. Toilet paper should (and must) roll OVER for me. It doesn't matter where I am, I will switch it if it's the wrong way. My mothers house is totally wrong... I always have to correct her roll of toilet paper! My boyfriend and I always argue about this topic, lol. He's an 'under' man. I'm an 'over' girl. Total chaos in our bathrooms. Toilet paper wars will never end here, lol.

On to something else...

My house smells like a mix of wet dog and black-cherry. I gave the dogs a bath today and now I can't get rid of the stupid wet dog smell, lol. It's haunting me! I have 4 black-cherry candles lit in hopes to over power the dog smell. It's not working all too well. But, at least the dogs are clean. Our big dog, Ian, decided to shake as I was bent over the tub and him... Completely soaked me. Maybe that's what I'm smelling... Wet dog smell on my clothes, lol. Oh well, life goes on and the dogs smell like roses now :)

And now...

When I was going out and helping my mother get firewood for her house, I was using my boyfriends long johns, lol. They went clear up to my armpits! So, I bought myself a pair of them in my size :) Well, I wore them once, washed them, dried them, went to fold them and noticed that they now fit Barbie! I guess next time, I will read the tag before I wash and dry anything! I felt completely...stupid (to put it nicely). And of course, Kris laughed at me! "That'll learn ya!", he says.

To be continued...

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2010-12-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

Why does Santa have 3 gardens? So he can ho, ho, ho! Silly, I know but still kinda cute :)

These are a couple of center piece tree things I made for a few gifts this year. I made 4 total...

2 Silver
1 Green
1 Red

I forgot to take a picture of all the things I made (including the red tree center piece) but after people open their gifts, I will take pictures and edit this post to upload them. I wish I could have done more for friends and family (gift wise) but this is my first year of making things.

Blood, sweat and tears went into everything I made! Well, not the canned jellies I made and the pickles my boyfriend and I made (gifts also).

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Safe travels and happy gatherings!

Ten years from now...

2010-12-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

Remember being asked where you thought you'd be 10 years from now? Well, 10-11 years ago (roughly) I was asked that question. I think it was back in high school. I am now 27 years old. Yeah, I have a hard time getting out of bed and I'm feeling pain in places I didn't when I was younger... Getting older is a real ~~bitch~~ joy!

Someone ~ "So Shannon, where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
Me ~ "I dunno... Maybe rich, un-married, kid-less and happy. Oh yeah, and definitely NOT at my high school reunion!"

Well, I'm still un-married and kid-less and happy! But, I'm still a part of the broke folk community!

Why am I un-married? I'm pretty sure I will never get married. I don't need a piece of paper and a ring to prove that I love someone. And on the plus side, if we ever get tired of each other, we just go our separate ways! No messy divorce and nobody going into debt paying for the divorce :) What about common law marriage? I don't know the rules here in the great state of Oregon for that but I'll just play dumb, lol.

Why don't I have kids or want them? Well, don't get me wrong... I love kids so long as they aren't mine! Growing up, I was a complete brat to my mother and that's something I DON'T want to deal with, lol. Another me in the world? I think not! Although, I will admit that some kids can get under my skin... What about those kids in the store just screaming their little heads off if mom or dad won't buy them something? Annoying? Yeah!

Babies... Understandable.
Toddlers... I get it.
Anywhere from 5 and up... Get your kid in order!

I think a lot of 'screaming, fit-throwing, temper tantrum' kids is just a result of parenting. Spoil them too much and they think they deserve everything they ask for. When told "no" they get upset and throw fits. Set boundaries and rules and kids respect parents more. They need to earn what they get, lol. Mow the yard for a summer (older kid, of course) and you'll get a PS3 or something like that. Then again, maybe this is why I don't have kids, lol... I know nothing about them!

Why do I not want to go to my 10 year reunion? Because most the kids I went to school with were... Well... They were very rude and judgmental. I had a small count of true friends. Preppies? Nope. Jocks? Hell no! Smart Geeks? No. I was in the 'Loner' group. I hated cheerleading, sports, pep rallies, computers, video games... I liked writing, reading and hanging out with my friends. Although, most of my friends were out of high school (I hung with the older crowd). I always got home after my curfew, lol.

Why am I broke? Ask Nobama!

So, right now, where to you see yourself 10 years from now?

Me? Still un-married, kid-less, poor but still happy! (yeah, I set my goals low so I'm not that disappointed when things don't go my way)

Smells and wounded pride...

2010-12-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

I had a fun day today with my mother. We got all the food shopping done for Christmas dinner and we baked goodies... We haven't done that together for a long time... It was nice :) The house smelled so good!

We made a pumpkin roll (first time to ever make one for me). I hear they are some-what hard to make but we will see. It looks and smells yummy! Then, we made six loafs of Pumpkin Gingerbread. I've never tried it before nor have I had it so when I came across it on the good ol' internet, I decided that it looks fantastic and I wanted to try to bake it, lol. It came out looking scrumpdiddlyumptious! I can't wait to try it. And, I hope it turns out good because I am giving some to friends (gifts). We also made some no bake cookies... Peanut butter! Just looking at them makes me drool, lol! We tried her recipe because every time I've tried to make them with mine, they never turn out... Maybe it's just me :)

Anywho, all the goodies look so yummy and I can't wait to dig in! But, I can already feel everything going to my ass!

So, after I got home, I decided I'd walk over and check our mail (it's only about 100 feet from our house). Well, I was walking behind Kris's truck and I hit a patch of ice. Yep, I slipped and fell right on my rump! Too bad I didn't eat any goodies to pad my ass a little more before my fall! Goodness, Kris was outside and he saw it... He was like "are you ok babe?" I said "yes, I'm fine... Just wounded my pride is all" and I continue to walk over to our mailbox. I get back home, empty handed (no mail) and my pride was crushed even more because of my fall and walking over there for nothing... Not even junk mail! Damn ice!

Well all, I'm sure I've bored you enough! Have a great night :)

Pet Peeves...

2010-12-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

We all have Pet Peeves. Some big, some small. I'll admit that there are things that annoy the hell out of me. But, the main reason for this post is that I think some people really bring them out of others...

Example: Say I did or said something that really got under your skin and annoyed you. But, maybe you didn't like me too much to begin with or you don't really know me like you do your best friend. Yet, your best friend could do or say the same thing I did and it doesn't bother you when they do it.

What are your opinions on this? Do you feel it's possible for a stranger or an enemy to annoy you when a close friend doesn't? Even though they did or said the same thing? Or is it more like... Friends and enemies both annoying you and you only target one person to get upset with? Or do you talk to ALL the people about your pet peeve and ask them all to try to cool it? Or... what? How does it work with you?

Here are some of my Pet Peeves...

1 ~ Dog hair in my house (but I love my dogs and allow them into the house).
2 ~ People always asking me "What's wrong?" over and over when I say "Nothing" when it really is nothing or because I just don't want to talk about it.
3 ~ Loud kids in a nice restaurant (I know, I'm so mean!).
4 ~ Long check-out lines at stores... Grrr!
5 ~ Company drinking my last cup of coffee and not saying anything so I can make another pot before I finish my cup, lol.
6 ~ Missing socks! Almost every time I do laundry, I end up with a missing sock.
7 ~ People who can dish it but not take it... Seriously? Don't joke around with me then!
8 ~ People who jump out from around a corner to scare me. I might ~~purposely~~ accidently punch you in the face... Damn reflexes!
9 ~ Having a gazzilion pens in the house and not being able to find one that actually works when I need it, like, NOW.
10 ~ Going for a beer and realizing your company has drank your last one... (Next time, bring your own!)

Well, that was a nice little chat to umm... chat about, I guess, lol. Guess I forgot what I was going to say to go along with that :) It happens.

So tell me, what are some of your pet peeves?

Little bit of everything...

2010-12-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

I must admit... My boyfriend is awesome! Yesterday, he brought home a blended coffee from my favorite corner lot coffee hut... He ordered a 20 oz and the owner made too much (she always does that) so he got a 32 oz instead for the 20 oz price. Then, he gave that big bad boy to me! I was feeling like Hammy on Over the Hedge!! My boyfriend hates coffee so for him to stop and get me one 'just because' is awfully sweet :) I knew there was a reason why I love him so much!

On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, I went to my mother's house and helped her get the place ready for Christmas and company. Lots of coffee and giggling later, we got most of it done (E-Bay stuff organized too). I'll go help her out again next week and get it super done :)

Kris bought a Prime Rib for Christmas dinner for us and the family. I'm so excited about cooking it up and pigging out. The way he cooks it is amazing! It's so tender and scrumpdiddlyumptios! I'm drooling now as I type this!

I've decided that my broke ass is making gifts this year for Christmas so, I will try to post pictures of the things I make (the ones that turn out looking good). I love making things but I'm no Martha Stewart! I sure like to try though!

Anywho, I have a lot to get done today (laundry and cleaning) so I better get my butt in gear! Have a great day all! :)

Triple C's

2010-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Today is going to be pretty eventful. Or so I hope it is. I have my list of Triple C's to get done today... And then some.

You ever feel like you are stressed out EVERY SINGLE DAY? Well, I do (most of the time) but today, I'm going to try to find my happy place and send the stress away. That's my goal! "Shoo Stress, shoo! Be gone with your bad self!" Holidays always stress me out but there is one thing I do for Christmas that eases the stress... Send out Christmas Cards :)

To Do List:

1. Christmas Cards ~ I have most of them ready to send. Now, it's just a matter of deciding who to send a picture to and then seal 'em up, stamp 'em and send 'em out. I don't know why but it's fun and relaxing for me to send them. I find it's more personal then sending out mass e-cards for the holidays :) And with my friends and family and Kris's friends and family, I have a LOT going out this year!

2. Cleaning ~ That's almost an every day thing for me to do but that's the price I pay for loving a clean house. I hate dirt and clutter. Clutter is a fear of mine, lol. I want to be able to see my kitchen counter tops and not have them cluttered with toasters or crock pots or anything. When it comes to dirt, nobody can hide from it. Where I live, it's always dusty. I can dust every morning and still collect dust by evening. It's kinda sad and creates a lot of stress for me, lol.

3. Cooking ~ I need to do my timing just right for dinner to be ready tonight. I'm going to cook corned beef, cabbage and carrots (oh look, Triple C's again, lol) in a crock pot and try to have it ready when Kris gets off work. I have always been off on my timing. Even when my directions give me a time. I can't figure that one out, lol.

Two stressful things out of three chores isn't bad I guess. There is a great chance I'll beat the stress and accomplish my goal(s) today :) I hope everyone else has a great day and stays stress-free!