No Regrets

What Would You Do?

2012-01-19T12:55:00.000-06:00

Ok, here is a question that I hope to get some comments on.

To me, this situation is hilarious. Quite annoying but hilarious.

I've been getting prank called by a woman. I don't know this woman at all but to me, she is a little off her rocker, obsessive, and a lot possessive. She varies the calls over time. Consistently blocks her number. Never happens at a particular time of day.

Typical conversation is:
Her - "May I speak to (insert guy's name)?" [Yes, I know the guy she is asking for. He is an acquaintance. Who lives about 1500 miles away.]
Me - "There's no one at this number by that name." (hangup)

This morning there were several calls of this nature back to back. Finally, by the last call, I was over the humor of the call and decided to mess with her and make my own humor! This time when she asked for (insert guy's name), I told her that he was in the shower and I'd give him the message when he got out. Now this time she hung up on me!

Yes, I had quite a chuckle about this. I know it was wrong but I was so over it. It wasn't even 8 am yet!!!

How wrong was I?

A Brand New Week

2012-01-16T19:05:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful that last week is over! It was one that I hope to just forget!

Why you ask? Where shall I begin?

Let's see, Monday. Monday is always a good place to start. It was the day of the National Championhip Game. My boys, LSU, were in the game! What a dream come true! Well, that dream quickly came to an end!

Thank goodness I enjoyed the company I was with. We had a great time together prior to watching the game. Lots of good food. Lots of good friends. Just a good time. Here are a few pictures from BEFORE the game:

Our anti-Saban cookies. I knew we should have gotten the gingerbread men cookies that were decorated as a voodoo doll of Nick Saban!

Entertaining the kids before the game.

Wants to be just like Mike the Tiger!

Kati's homemade #1 King Cake

Kati and Kelly

Phil and Grace decked out in their purple and gold.

At halftime, to help ease our pain, we had HoneyBadgers. I'm not sure what it is. I think it was a shot of whiskey that was put in the mug of pale ale. Whatever it was, I clearly out of practice with chugging!! I had to stop and take a breath halfway through the mug. But I have to admit, it was pretty tasty and quite the headrush!

Needless to say, our fun night ended in tears, depression, misery, etc. etc. etc.

Let's see, another good reason for the week to be over. Friday the 13th! What a day that was! I was trying to get all the materials together for 2 board meetings that were being held the next day. One was a 2 day board meeting and the other was the annual budget meeting. I had so much to accomplish in an 8 hour day! I had woken up in a bad mood and it didn't lift at all till the next day. Add to that a wicked fight with an acquaintance (I'm not sure of our status as friends) and the last episode of One Life to Live and let's call it a day. Sigh.

Shall I proceed to Saturday? Saturday started off pretty good. It was a beautiful day for a drive. I had a 2 hour drive to one of the board meetings. Which happened to be held in the middle of nowhere Louisiana. Luckily it is pretty scenic. Board meeting was over fairly early, 3ish. I then proceeded to break many speed limits trying to get home in time for the second half of the Saints game. Yeah, well, as many of you know, there wasn't really any point in me doing that. I won't go into details but to say that they gave it a heck of a fight there at the end!!!

So now it is Monday, the start of a new week. Eh, it is going so so. Started the day off by getting no sleep last night. I was up every hour on the hour with my poor puppy. He had one heck of a stomach ache or something. At least he told me when he had to go outside!! But I am hopeful the rest of the week will be good!

I am looking forward to a visit with my good friend Jake sometime this week. A girls' night out on Thursday for dinner and to see Beauty and the Beast 3D (yippee!). Then a whole weekend to myself. No work. No plans. Just me and the dog!!! Can't wait!!!

Good news is that I am still working out! I am already seeing a difference in my clothes! That makes me very excited! And I am slowly building up the amount of time I am working out and the amount of calories I burn. I am loving my Wii!!! Hopefully at the end of this week I will have some real progress to report!

Now for an update on the project I am working on. I have been working on Dragon Knot and will continue to do so until I am bored with it. Let's hope I make some significant progress on it before that happens!

Here's to hoping for a better week!

As If I Didn't Know...

2012-01-08T13:32:00.001-06:00

Fitness Band Wagon
As part of my Christmas present, my parents bought me the Zumba Fitness and the Wii Fit Plus. They hope that this will help me in my goals to get back into shape. According to my nephew Parker, the Wii Fit Plus is "super fun". He was very excited when he found out I had gotten it. So this past week I tried them both out.

The Zumba was fun?? Yeah, the jury is still out on that one. I started with the 20 minute easy level. I was dying pretty much by the end! I've got the booty shaking (as I have quite a lot of booty to shake) part down quite well, but the other steps? Well, let's just say it is more of my body just flaying around than actual dancing!!!

Today I tried out the Wii Fit. So, when you first start it you do some testing. It is supposed to get your BMI, weight, center of balance, posture, etc. Ok, well it told me what I already knew. I'm fat. When you start out, you pick an avatar. Well I already had one from another game so it picked that one. When it finds out how fat you are, it makes your avatar swell up!!! I have to say that just adds insult to injury!!! But was kind of funny to watch!

Then the "game" proceeded to tell me that according to its calculations I am 43 years old. I have to admit, I didn't think that was quite that bad considering I am 36 years old and well, exercising is not my friend!!! I figured I would be in the 70s or 80s in age. Then it told me that I had a pretty good center of balance and good posture! Ha!!! Any one who knows me that I can literally fall down by just standing up I am so clumsy! Also, my Dad is constantly telling me to sit up straight and stop slouching. I'm not sure how accurate this thing is!!! It can obviously be duped pretty easily! Anyway, I did a few of the exercises and it was ok. I like that you can set up goals and it has a calendar which marks your progress. I hope to keep up with it and be able to see some progress!

Projects to be finished in 2012
Ok, so I thought I would pull out all the projects that I've started and see what I had. Not such a good idea! LOL I obviously have a severe case of ADD when it comes to stitching! But I hope to finish some if not most of these projects. They are all in various degrees of incompleteness! (Sorry for the photos, for some reason I just couldn't get very clearn pictures of some of them)

HAED Dragon Knot 2. This has been one I've been working on for ___ years. I can't quite remember. I have about 6 pages to complete, some of those are just 1/4 pages.

HAED Queen of Hearts. I started her last year I believe. This is 2 pages completed. I have a goal of completing another 2 pages this year. So this is not one that I am necessarily looking to finish.

I started this one in 2011. It is Thomas Kinkade's Tinker Bell/Peter Pan. This one is for my sister because she saw this and just had to have. What Sissy wants, Sissy usally gets. (Yes, I am quite guilty of spoiling her!)

Mirabilia's The Kiss. This has never been a "hard" stitch. In fact it is quite easy. I've been working on this one off and on for about 2 to 3 years. I usually put it aside because I run out of a thread and forget to pick it back up when I get the threads in. Hopefully this will be the year to finish!

Disney's Snow White. This one is for my little niece Cassady Hope. Also another easy one. Don't know why it isn't finished.

HAED Emerald Hearts. This was a freebie from HAED in 2011. It is all kitted up and ready to go. Just never started it.

A stocking for my sister. I haven't consistently stitched on this one because it is Aida cloth and I don't like it. But I need to finish it since I've gotten so far!

My niece Cassady Hope's baby blanket. Well she isn't a baby anymore. She'll be 3 this year. I don't have much to go. I just find stamped cross stitch tedious. You would think it is easier than counted, but not really.

Another one for my sister. I can't remember the name but it is the night fairy to match the day fairy I've already completed for her many years ago.

HAED's Mad Tea Party. This one is for my niece Marly Grace. My goal for the year is 2 pages. This is a really big one! This picture reflects about 2 1/2 pages completed.

This is 10 projects. I'm sure I hav more "hidden" under my bed in storage but I'll just go with this list for now!! 10 seems manageable, doesn't it?

This week I've been working on Dragon Knot 2. Here's a close up of the section that I've been working on . To see the last time I posted a progress pic click here. It seems that the last time I worked on Dragon Knot was back in June of 2011.

Ok, it is time to get ready for the week! Lunches to be planned. Laundry to do. And of course, the most important thing to get ready for: the National Championship game between LSU and Alabama. I've already go the corn, black bean salsa made for tomorrow night's party! Geaux Tigers!!! Beat Bama AGAIN!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T14:40:00.000-06:00

Hello all! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's! I was very lucky to spend Christmas with my sister and parents. I received so many presents! More than I ever expected. I got a sewing maching (yippee! now to learn how to use it), a Wii Fit, Zumba Fitness for Wii, a Kindle, and a bunch of other little knick knacks and stuff. I keep reminding myself that I was blessed to receive so much but there were a few non-material items that I wish I had received this year. Maybe 2012 I will get these non-material items!

Isn't this cute? One of those Russian dolls that has the doll within the doll...etc. But these are measuring cups! Too adorable!

My new sewing machine! Still in the box. I will learn how to use this machine this year!

Even Duke racked up this year! He has toys everywhere!

I had a quiet New Year's Eve at home. I was tired and sick from having too much fun with my sister the two days before. One night out at a smokey bar, then a full day outside in New Orleans, yep, I now have a nasty sinus infection! Coupled with not sleeping well the last few days, I am feeling awesome!!!

But it is that time of year, the start of a brand new year. Clean slate. Time to get things in order. Let's review last year:

Life Goals:

1. Become more fiscally responsible! That means continue to pay off my debts and put money away in savings. - Umm yeah, not so good. I did bring down a few percentages on debt but nothing was eliminated.
2. Get a passport. This is a carry over from last year BUT I hope that as long as I keep it on my list I will eventually get it done! Still haven't gotten it done. No plans on leaving the country.
3. Find a new place to live. Depending upon the job situation, this may occur in April. The job situation did get better but still in my sweet little apartment.
4. Be open to new things. Be it love, a career change, a move to a new city/state. Whatever it is, I want to be more open to the change! Definitely a carry over from 2010! But one that should always be worked on. I'm hoping this year to make progress in determining "what I want to be when I grow up" and I think change is key to that! I tried the career change. Didn't go over so well. It was just the wrong path. And the rest, didn't happen.
5. Spend more time with family and friends. Which definitely means a trip to Nebraska! Didn't make it to Nebraska but I definitely did spend more time with family and friends.

Stitching goals:
1. Finish Cassady's baby quilt. Nope
2. Finish Brendan's baby quilt. Gave up. Gave it to Goodwill.
3. Finish HAED's Dragon Knot Can't even recall if I touched it.
4. Finish 2 pages of HAED's Mad Tea Party Yes!
5. Finish 2 pages of HAED's Queen of Hearts Yes!
6. Finish Lisa's Christmas stocking - Dimensions Kit Nope
7. Complete Nora Corbett's 'M' - Didn't even kit it up!

2012 Goals:

Life Goals:
1. Always good to keep the fiscal responsibility one. I want to eliminate more debt, increase my savings!!!

2. Continue to work on myself. I have some bad habits. Like being very reactionary to people. I need to learn to be calmer, less on the crazy train.

3. Be open to new things. That is always hard for me. I tend to like my routines. But it is good to shake things up every once in a while.

4. Make it to Nebraska. There are a few life events happening this year, weddings, graduations, etc. I hope to make it home for one of those events!

5. Use my Wii Fit and Zumba Fitness. See how that helps me out in the fitness department!

6. Learn to control my stress! Work is so hectic right now. I could see how I will burn out soon if I don't get control over it!

There are others but that's for me to know! :)

Stitching Goals, this is the year to complete projects!

1. Finish Dragon Knot

2. Finish 2 more pages of Mad Tea Party

3. Finish 2 more pages of Queen of Hearts

4. Finish Lisa's Christmas Stocking

5. Finish The Kiss

6. Finish Lisa's Tinker Bell

7. Finish as many as I can if they aren't listed here! (Isn't that sad? I don't know how many other unfinished projects I have going on! I get bored easily.)

First Finish of the Year

Ta da!!! I do have the first finish of the year already though! I just need to pick up a little frame for it. It ws pretty quick to stitch up and it appealed to me for some reason. It was a freebie from one of the many magazines I recently picked up!

I do hope that everyone's year is starting off on the right foot. I've unfortunately already had a few unpleasant blips but I am going to keep it positive. I've kept myself productive! Today I installed wireless internet for my apartment! Yay! That gets my Kindle up and running and once I get the right attachment I can have my Wii on it too! Finished up the laundry. Baking a blueberry cake casserole right now. Not sure how that is going to come out but hopefully it will taste better than it looks. And of course there is football on the tv! The rest of the day will be used to work on some of those unfinished projects!

How many days left til Christmas?

2011-12-12T18:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, I seriously don't want to know the answer to that. I am panicking enough as it is with the very quickly dwindling work days left in December! I have so much to do and currently no help to get any of it done! My to do list started with 27 items on it this morning. When I left at the end of the day it was up to 29 items! And I had crossed off some things! I am seriously hoping to have that down to manageable 10 items by the end of the week! We shall see though. Wednesday is evaluation day in our office. I am first thing in the morning at 8:30 am. Who will come out of it alive? :)

Another packed weekend. Hair appointments, shopping, cleaning, laundry. Yikes! How will I ever get it all done? Well, if I'm not home, I get really very little done. I know. But I hate to miss out of the fun stuff! Like Sunday afternoons at my friend Jenny's house; having chili for lunch, watching the Saints football game and playing with the 2 boys. Those boys would exhaust anyone! I came straight home and put my pjs on and remained camped on the couch for the rest of the night!! But we had fun!

Phil making gift bags for the grandmothers and aunts/uncles. These were made by sticking those foam sticker pieces onto plain ole brown paper gift bags. But I have to say, if those foam sticker pieces are non-toxic, they sure did stink! We felt like we were getting high off of them!!

Enjoying his Christmas red Oreo. Not the best idea in the middle of a project. Definitely had to wash the hands after having this one!

Santa picture frame ornaments. These were made for Phil's class. Pictures of the class will be added to each one. Cute idea.

Christmas is fast approcahing! Dinners, pot lucks, family, friends. All soon to be descending upon me! Sigh! I must find some stress management and soon! I did recently buy a bottle of the SkinnyGirl White Cranberry Cosmopolitan. May be cracking that open as my "stress management" very soon!

Plus it is starting to not feel Christmassy again because the weather has decided to heat up again. We are slowly climbing back into the 70s. I know we don't get snow, but at least with the temps in the 50s it felt a little closer to being the holidays and not summertime!

But seriously, I am very much looking forward to what the upcoming next 2 weeks are going to bring. I see a lot of love, laughter and fun!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday Season!

Have Officially Lost it!!!

2011-12-08T12:30:00.001-06:00

I am here to report that I have officially lost my mind and have turned into a raving lunatic!!!

The good news is that I have recognized this affliction and am taking steps to find my mind once again. Between the holiday season, extra stress at work, and some personal issues, I am literally a raving lunatic! And I've been taking this out on an unfortunate person and I am so sorry for that!!!

I have piles of Christmas presents scattered throughout my apartment making it look messy and making it blatantly clear I have not wrapped one thing. I need to get that done tonight or at least the items that are going out of state because we are mailing the boxes tomorrow or Saturday.

My best friends are currently in the midst of the worst marital problems of their entire marriage. And I am caught in the middle. I had been talking to both of them until the husband got mad at me because I scolded him for telling his wife some things that I supposedly said about her, although I had not. So now he is sulking over that. But I am not here to be a weapon to be used by him against his wife or vice versa because I told the wife the same thing! The wife is still talking to me and it hurts me to hear the pain in her voice and there is nothing I can do to assist her. And the kids. I have no clue what they are thinking but the two oldest are definitely old enough to be aware of what is going on at the ages of 9 and 10 years of age.

A close friend lost her Dad this past spring and has been on a mission to not acknowledge this by keeping busy. Thus I am always being invited over to do crafty things or baking or hanging out. Which is fine. I love being there for my friends but I know that in the long run this isn't helping her and once again I am feeling at a loss as to help. And I am gone so much from home that my poor Duke is lonely and starting to act out. Like Tuesday evening, he purposely went into my bedroom, waited for me to come look for him and then peed right on the floor in front of me. Oy!!! What am I to do?

Then there is work. My co-worker who was scheduled to go out on maternity leave towards the end of December went out in mid-November. 5 weeks early to be exact. So all our good intentions of transferring information from her to me didn't happen. I am trying to play some major catch up. The only good thing is that I used to do the work she does so I do have that historical information to fall back upon. But I am also trying to do my work also and it is creating some stress for me!

Finally, there is an former friend who has re-entered my life. This person was a good friend at one time but it ended pretty badly between us. I've always wanted closure on the situation (and getting closure from a man is like pulling teeth!) but I am still not sure if I will ever get it or want it anymore. See, I am crazy!!! I don't know what I want.

I certainly hope I can take steps to regain myself. Because who I am currently, I do NOT like!

Good Intentions...

2011-12-07T18:34:00.001-06:00

Lately life seems to be all about good intentions. I intended to do that. I intended to do this. But the intended? It never seems to get done!!!

Today was the Ringing of the Bells. My friend Jenny and I went to one of the local department stores at the mall and "rang the bells" for 2 hours this afternoon. Of course today was the day that it was in the 40s! Probably our coldest day this winter! I am so completely bundled up with layers of clothing that I could barey move and I was still cold. Jenny had on her two pairs of socks and her Minnie Santa Hat which she said kept her quite warm!!! We immediately went to Starbucks afterwards to get coffee to warm up!

I have to say I was not going for a fashion statement. I was completely thinking of being warm only!!!

Doesn't she look like she's having a good time?

It has been so cold the last few days that I've even been putting Duke into his winter gear. It is the only time of year that I can get him to wear clothes!!!

I'm impressed with my self this evening. I came home and did the dishes, washed two loads of linens and hope to tackle wrapping some presents. This is much better than the last few nights when I have come home and done absolutely nothing because I've been so tired from work! I must confess, I am trying to keep myself distracted. No time to think and get into trouble!!! For those who know me, they know that when I begin to ponder too much, trouble seems to follow! Which is another reason why this is my 2nd post in just a week!!! Most times, busy is good!!! Especially during the holidays when so many emotions pleasant or unpleasant can be brought to the fore front!

Now if I can only get myself motivated to work on the rest of my Christmas presents for my Sister that I am making for her. So close to finishing but know that if I don't put my mind to it, they won't be finished!!!

Let the busy season begin....

2011-12-05T19:59:00.001-06:00

And begin it has!!! I am so far behind in my blogging that I hope to remember all that I had wanted to blog about!

Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was a quiet one for me. My parents and I had plans to visit my sister in Texas for Thanksgiving but I was unable to go as I had to work starting Sunday after Thanksgiving. It would have made a round trip to Texas a very short one so I could be back in time to work. So, my Dad made a complete dinner for me, including a fried turkey, before he left so I would have a meal. It was quite yummy! All I had to do was re-warm everything.

Black Friday
This year I went Black Friday shopping with my friend Jenny. This was my first experience. Not her, she is quite an experienced shopper who goes every year. Our adventures began at 7:30 pm on Thanksgiving evening. We started out at Michaels for all of our holiday crafting needs. From there we headed over to Toys R Us to get in line because it opened at 9 p.m. We stood in line for about 20 minutes ( a line that wrapped the building once, and they were only letting 50 people in at a time) before abandoning that plan to walk over to the Walmart as they were already open. That wasn't the best plan.

Walmart was insane! Because it never closed on Thanksgiving day, people had buggies of sales items and were waiting in line to check out at 10 pm when the sales began. You could barely move in there. I stood in the women's underwear aisle with a pile of toys as Jenny went racing around trying to get what she needed from there. I didn't need anything myself from Walmart. Once that was done we were in line for at least 20 to 30 minutes to check out.

Then it was back to Toys R Us. Once again we got in line to wait to get inside. It wasn't too bad. The line was only halfway around the building and moving adequately fast. While in line some women who had been in the store came by and suggested that since there were 2 of us, that one stand in the check out line while the other shopped and just swap back and forth. At first we thought they were nuts, but upon entering we found out that the line for the check out started at the beginning of the store, wove through half of the store to the back and then back again up to the front. I saw at least 2/3 of the store that night standing in line. We were in line for at least an hour. But we did get what we needed.

Jenny when we finally reached the check out stand at Toys R Us.

After Toys R Us we tried to go to Target. There are 2 Targets in our city. The first one we drove by, we couldn't even get into the parking lot. The streets were backedup at least a 1/2 mile all around the store. The 2nd store was further out away from other shopping areas so I thought it might not be that bad. We got into the parking lot quite easily but that was the end of the easy time. There were no parking spots left, well, legal ones that is and the line to get in the store was so long, we couldn't even see the end of it! So we decided to head to my parents house for a quick break and reassessment.

After the break, we decided to go to Kohls. We implemented the same plan we had at Toys R Us. One stood in line for the check out and the other would shop. Once again we were in line for at least an hour. We did have some purchases but I blame those mostly on my exhaustion at that point in time.

Now I'm not sure if this little story was really funny or if I was just so tired at that point that anything would have made me laugh. We had just left Kohls. It was almost 3 am in the morning. We were headed back to my apartment for a nap. We were just leaving the parking lot of Kohls when we saw these 2 girls running with their carts full of stuff. Now why is this odd or something even noticable? Well, these buggies were from the Toys R Us in the next parking lot over. Toys R Us had a very interesting security feature on their buggies. As you approached the end of the parking lot, the buggies front wheels would lock so you can't leave the parking lot area. So once again, we saw these 2 girls RUNNING with their buggies full of purchases as they headed to the end of the parking lot. Before you could blink, the front wheels locked and the girls pitched forward over the buggy! Jenny and I laughed so hard we were crying. I blame it on lack of sleep!!!

We were back at my apartment for 3 am and slept for 3 hours. We started again at about 6:30 am and went to several more stores. I did get treated to breakfast at Chick-Fil-A, which if you have never tried, is quite yummy!!!

One of the items that we did find while we were out, but didn't get (but totally want!!!) was this HUGE package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Each cup is 1/2 pound!!!! Yummy!

We finished shopping around 11 am. I was so tired but couldn't take the chance of taking a nap in fear that I wouldn't wake up in time for the LSU Arkansas football game! I actually didn't go to bed till 10 pm that night. How? I have no clue. Delirium???

New Orleans

Starting that Sunday I worked a conference with Jenny in New Orleans for 4 days. It was a huge conference, bigger than I am used to. It had almost 2000 registrants. Over 100 vendors, so probably about 300 or more representatives. It was insane but I have to say that Jenny did an excellent job planning it! While we were there we ate some very good New Orleans restaurants. For a conference, it was a fairly enjoyable time! Even though I was out of the office Monday thru Wednesday, back in the office on Thursday with a meeting that lasted 4 hours so not much was done in the time I was in the office. I took off Friday because by the end of the day on Thursday I had already worked 50 plus hours.

Christmas preparations

I finally managed to get my little tree. Augie's stocking made (my sister's new dog). And all of my Christmas shopping complete. Yep, I'm on top of it. At least that part I am. I even mailed off all my Christmas cards yesterday and tonight I signed a whole box more to be sent overseas to the military. On Wednesday, Jenny and I will be ringing the bells at our local mall. All to get into the holiday season!!!

Too funny how Duke knew exactly which stocking was his!

I made this snowman myself!!! Not sure what I'm going to do with it. I have more I want to make. The idea is to put wire on them and make a wreath. We shall see if that gets done!

LSU Football

For those who don't know, LSU is THE #1 team in the country, undisputed! We are 13-0 and are headed to the National Championship game in New Orleans. The two previous times we have played the National Championship game in New Orleans, we have come away with the win. We will be up against Alabama again. Not very happy about that, but should make for an interesting, nail-biting game!!! But having 2 SEC football teams in the National Championship means that the SEC will have won for the 6th year in a row! So now it is time to stock up on some new LSU gear and wait, as patiently as possible, for January 9th to roll around.

Ok, I think I have covered all that I wanted to. Sorry for it being so long. It has been quite a while since I blogged. Maybe in the New Year I will take more time to sit down and blog!!!

Some more Pinterest

2011-11-09T19:10:00.002-06:00

Let me preface this latest entry: I had very little sleep last night. Probably less than 3 hours. My mind was racing all night and would not quiet down enough for me to fall asleep. Follow that up with a very long day at work where I traveled to another city an hour away for some convention planning. I am one tired girl! So I apologize if anything I type doesn't make sense.

My friends and I have delved straight into the latest craze called Pinterest. This past Friday, my friend hosted a baby shower for another one of our friends. Once again it was inspired by ideas found on Pinterest. The decorations, some of the foods and favors. We love our Pinterest!

Pumpkins made from burlap!

Pumpkin seeds as favors!

The tablecloth was made out of a drop cloth!

I made the guest of honor two presents. One was a bib with her baby's initials cross stitched on it with a monkey alphabet. I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of it. The second was a hooded towel. I love the colors in it! The picture is kind of dark but I was in a hurry when I took the picture.

As I stated before I have been doing some stitching. I had been working on Mirabilia's The Kiss. I've worked on it off and on for the last few weeks. I made some good progress on it. Sorry for the hoop ring, I'm bad at remembering to remove the hoop each night after I am done stitching.

I've put the above project away to focus on another project. I'm back to stitching on my sister's Christmas stocking. Will I finish it? Who knows. There are only 3 more weekends of football left and that is when I tend to get a ton of my stitching done. It calms me down especially since my Tigers are on the path to the National Championship! However, I do have Thanksgiving to stitch all that I want. My parents are going to spend the holiday with my sister so I shall be home alone. So Duke and I will have a little celebration of our own and I will rest up for shopping on Black Friday.

I've only had one experience with Black Friday and the best part of it was the breakfast at a local restaurant called Frank's (the best biscuits in town!). This year I have been invited by my friend Jenny, who is a SERIOUS Black Friday shopper. She's already given me a list of items that I will need for a successful shopping trip. All our ads with the items we want circled, walkie talkies (couldn't we just use our cell phones?), a back pack, and dress in layers as the day will start cold and the stores will get hot. I obviously have no clue what I am getting my self into! We shall see how it goes!

It Has Been Awhile...

2011-11-06T12:51:00.001-06:00

I hadn't realized that my last post was back in September! How time flies when one is busy! I always had good intentions to sit down and blog but, something was always been going on!

Weekends in October
I was blessed a couple of weekends this past October to spend time with my two nieces and nephew. We had sleep overs, trip to the zoo, football games, costume shopping. Lots of activities packed into just a few days!

Being a big girl, coloring in her Hello Kitty coloring book, while LSU plays!

I'm a Tiger! Beware!

I'm too cool to be riding the zoo train! (He's growing up so fast!)

A Pinterest Inspired Party

During October I also spent many evenings and some weekends at my friend Jenny's house. I was helping her make decorations for her youngest son's 1st birthday. All of her ideas for the Monster themed party came from Pinterest. If you haven't discovered Pinterest yet, STAY AWAY! Just kidding. It is just completely addicting and one can spend hours on it!

Monster marshmallow pops. Super easy!

Monster cupcakes and cake.

Came out better than we expected!

Dum-dum topiary!

I'm particularly proud of this wreath as I completely made this one all by myself!

Halloween

This is the first Halloween that Duke had a costume. Only took me 12 years to get it together! He was a pumpkin! Isn't he cute?

On Friday evening, I took him to the dog park. They were having trick or treating for the dogs. It was cute and there were so many cute costumes! Lady bugs, turtles, race horses! I wish I could have gotten more pictures but it was hard as they would not sit still!

This dog was Charlotte, as in Charlotte's Web. Her friend was a pig but he wouldn't sit long enough for me to get a picture!

On Halloween night I went over to my friend Jenny's. They have a huge neighborhood party with lots of food, drinks and of course treats!

On to November

Now it is November! I have no clue where October went! The holidays are right around the corner. I have some stuff already finished for Christmas but a list a mile long of other things I need to get done! I can feel the Holiday Stress coming on.

I've done a little bit of stitching. Not much. Nothing to report. I did have one finish, a baby bib, but I forgot to take a picture before I gave it as a gift. I hope to have some other pictures of what I've been stitching on here and there soon!

Friday night was a baby shower for my co-worker. I have pictures as the hostess also used Pinterest to help inspire the decorations.

The Big Game

Last night was "The Game of the Century". For those who don't know what I am talking about, it was the match up between #1 LSU vs #2 Alabama. I am a die hard LSU fan. Bleed purple and gold, probably always will! This game was so stressful. Not only was it LSU fighting to hold onto the #1 spot but it was also the decisive game as to who would win the SEC West and be in the SEC championship game the first weekend in December. LSU won it by 3 points, in OT! Now all LSU has to do is win the next 4 games and they should be in the National Championship Game which is in New Orleans. Our last two wins as national champions came in New Orleans as well!

Hello!

2011-09-25T19:20:00.001-05:00

It has been over a month since I last posted! Where has the time gone? It seems to have flown by! September has been filled with birthdays, football games, and work.

I've been busy mostly with work this month. I have worked the last 13 days straight. I am tired! Today was my first full day off of work. It was bittersweet. It was nice to be home but I had so much to catch up on with the household chores!

How about those #1 LSU Tigers? Woo hoo! My team is #1 in the AP poll! (We won't discuss the silly coaches poll). While it is still early, I hope that my Tigers can hang onto this spot. Or maybe just hang out in the top 5? That would be good too. #1 is too much pressure!

Yesterday was Homecoming at one of the local high schools. My friend's two sons were attending and asked me to come out and take some pictures. At first it looked like I wouldn't make it as I had a board meeting in a town 2 1/2 hours away but I finished up in just enough time to "fly" back in time for the pictures. (Thank goodness there were no cops on the route!!!!) Here are a few of the pictures I took:

I've also been doing a little bit of stitching. I try to pick up a project whenever I have a few minutes available. I am currently stitching on the Mad Tea Party but I have no update picture yet.

I had to re-start Snow White. I flubbed a BUNCH of stitches so this is my re-start of it:

This is the project that my sister requested I do for her. She doesn't know that I am working on it. :) It is a secret. It is the Thomas Kinkade Peter Pan and Tinker Bell picture:

My latest obsession? Pinterest. Have ya'll found this website? http://www.pinterest.com/ It is a place where you can gather all your favorite projects, web pages, etc and it is accesible from anywhere. I find it hard to describe but if you can get an invite from a user, you should try it out. It is addictive!

On Friday I went with my sister to see The Lion King. It hadn't changed any from the first time I had seen it. Although the 3D was pretty cool. But as I was sitting there watching it, I realized how violent this movie is! Wow! Lots of death!

Hope all is well in your worlds! I hope to find more time to blog in the future!

Boo! Back to Reality!

2011-08-22T20:39:00.000-05:00

I was just lucky enough to have spent 3 days at the beach. Unfortunately I had to come back. Blegh! And reality hit like a ton of bricks on this Monday.

The trip to the beach was much needed. The weather was hot but it was great otherwise! The sun was shining. The Gulf waters were free of jelly fish and not that much seaweed. I was lucky enough to spend 1 1/2 days doing this:

I was able to get two books read during this time! Woo hoo! Nothing like a good read! I also managed a pretty decent tan, for me that is. I didn't think I had gotten much color but it was nice to hear my co-workers comment on how "tan" I am! :)

Went to Lulu's one night for dinner. This is Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant. I had an awesome fried green tomato and bacon sandwich. It was delicious! If you ever make it to southern Alabama, this is a definite place to visit.

Managed a morning of shopping at the outlet in Foley. Finished my Christmas shopping for my niece Cassady. Only a few dozen more gifts to get. But it is nice to have one person complete! Also picked up a stroller for Duke. Now he can join me on walks! Can't wait to use it!

On the way down to the beach, my mom and I stopped at Robert Morris' Christmas Town & Village in Mobile. This place was awesome. Talk about sensory overload. Christmas everywhere! We spent about 2 hours in that store. It just kept on going and going and going! I did manage to pick up an ornament for Parker, now I only have two more to pick up for the nieces!

I am so ready to go back to the beach! I love living in the south but I wish I could live closer to the beach.

Last Day of July

2011-07-31T18:52:00.000-05:00

Wow! Where has the time gone? Tomorrow will be the first day of August! Only 18 more days till my beach trip! Cannot wait!

This was a pretty good weekend even though it did rain all this Sunday's afternoon. The sun did make an appearance all day Saturday and I was able to get some much desired pool time! It was great to relax by the pool and read a book all afternoon!

Did some shopping Saturday morning. Picked up two new pairs of shoes and, my favorite, a new Coach purse! Love, love, love it! Now I have a black purse, brown purse, and 2 blue purses. Now I feel like I can branch out and get some other colors. Maybe my next one will be purple or grey? The possibilities are endless! :)

Last weekend I finished page 2 of HAED's Mad Tea Party. Only 36 more pages to go. This piece is for my oldest niece. Maybe by her 16th birthday it will be done? (She's currently 10 years old) LOL This piece is going slow since I am doing 2 over 1 but I am loving the tapestry look it has. In the lower right corner, you can see the Mad Hatter's hand appearing.

Earlier this week I started the Tinker Bell project for my sister. Not much has been completed and honestly I have put more stitches in since I took this picture yesterday but was too lazy to update the pic. I typically don't like working with Aida but this one isn't too bad. It isn't very stiff.

Only five more months left of the year. I have so many projects I want to get done. What will get done and what will once again linger in the unfinished pile!?

Rainy Saturday Afternoon

2011-07-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

Let's see if I can get this post written! I've been meaning to write but sometimes I find it difficult to find the words to even describe the most simplest action!

Today is a rainy Saturday. It has been raining here, what feels like, forever! Ok, so really it is only like a week but I am missing the sun! The sun has only been peeking out occasionally. I am truly missing my pool time this weekend!

It has been a busy time! I think my last post was just prior to 4th of July? I spent the 3rd with a friend from work. She had some of her friends over and I went even though I don't do well around strangers. I actually had a pleasant time. No, I'm not surprised. Many times when I force myself to do something I don't want to do I have a great time! We spent the day, eating good food, playing with the kids and watching the Casey Anthony trial. I know, we are such nerds! The 4th I had lunch with the parents. My Dad wanted to make for me these hot dogs that he had at the College World Series. This combination of food sounds a little disgusting but it was delicious! A hot dog that is topped with hot wing sauce then coleslaw that is made with a blue cheese dressing. It was sooo good. I highly suggest that you try it!

Let's see what else has been going on? Time passes by so quickly! I guess that is because I am having fun! :) There was the mini road trip to Biloxi for a concert! My friend Jill and I made the trek to Biloxi to see Motley Crue and Poison! Yippee! I've always wanted to see Motley Crue. I saw Poison once before back in high school. We started off with dinner at the Blowfly Diner. This place was featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network. It was so worth it! We ate so much! And the view is pretty awesome too!

The concert was so much fun! It was definitely an odd collection of people. All ages. All types. Great time people watching! Tommy Lee is a phenomenal musician! The piano, the drums. He did his drum solo while making loops in a "roller coaster" type contraption! It was nice to get away for an evening and take a little trip back to when we were kids!

One evening this past week I was able to visit with a dear friend from high school. No, we actually go back to middle school. She is a true friend that no matter how long it has been since we talked or seen each other, we pick right back up where we left off. We were able to enjoy a dinner together. She picked greek. I had to laugh because I had asked her if there was any place here that she doesn't get back in Tulsa and she picked greek. I figured she would have picked a seafood place! Anyway, we had a pleasant dinner and then we went back to her Mom's house to see three of her four kids and to visit with her mom. I spent many times at that house! All good ones! We spent hours just talking. Catching up on each other's lives and reminiscing about the past. I truly need to plan a trip to Tulsa to see her!

Friday afternoon was of course spent at the movie theatre watching Harry Potter. I will only say that I truly enjoyed the movie and thought it did a great job!! I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may not have seen it yet! Feel free to email me if you'd like to have a discussion about the movie!!

I have been working on HAED's Mad Tea Party. I am so very close to having the second page finished. I hope to do that very soon!

I recently purchased a kit that my sister has asked me to do. I typically don't like to do kits but I am caving because, well, I pretty much indulge my baby sister in anything she wants. It is The Disney Dreams Collection by Thomas Kinkade, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan Fly to Neverland. It is pretty large. Finished product is 16" x 12". Not sure when I will get to this. I am hoping to at least start it soon.

Today has been such a lazy rainy day. Although not very lazy. I did get the bathroom clean. Laundry started. Kitchen cleaned. A run to the produce market. Not a complete waste. Shopping this morning with my mom. I also watched some of the movie, The Searchers. The best John Wayne movie ever! And I have spent the afternoon listening to one of my Garth Brooks CD box sets. I haven't done that in forever! I'm thinking tonight will be a movie night! Tomorrow is brunch with my friend Jenny and her mother at a German restaurant about an hour from where we live. It is well worth the drive!

I hope everyone's summer is going well. Mine is beginning to slow down. At least I have no other big planned events except for a planned beach vacation in August with my mom. I see lots of sun, sand, and water mixed with shopping! Cannot wait. I know it will be here before I know it! I just need to get through this upcoming work week, I have two board meetings to prepare for and my team mate is currently on vacation. I certainly hope there are no surprises! Keeping my fingers crossed.

Cranky Monday!

2011-06-27T19:10:00.000-05:00

Yep, I was cranky today! Did not want to get out of bed and go to work. Why? Cause my summer weekends have been absolutely fantabulous!!! I'm enjoying my summer and well, work is just getting in the way!

This past weekend I had breakfast with my friend Jenny, her 2 boys and her mother. We went to a local bakery who serves a phenomenal breakfast! So much food you can't possibly finish it!! Jenny had me cracking up! She told her oldest boy, Phil, who is 2 years old, to show me what he gets for breakfast. So he took me over to the case where all the pastries and muffins are and he tells me, while pointing at the muffins, "I get the chocolate one!". Now you would think nothing of this but this kid is pointing to a bran muffin!!! Yep, Jenny has taught her child that a bran muffin with raisins is a chocolate chip muffin. LMAO!!!! When he gets that muffin, he digs into it, looking for the raisins like they are treasure! Boy, when he finds out what a chocolate chip muffin really is, he is going to be upset!!!

Can you tell the difference? I know I can!!!

After breakfast, they agreed to go with me to a panaderia. A panaderia is a mexican bakery. There are two that have now opened up and I've been dying to go in but too chicken because my spanish isn't that good. But we went and I was able to get my favorite baked good! It is called a concha. To me it is like a big cookie but it isn't very sweet. I didn't know it but Jenny got one too and she thought it tasted like a sweet bread. The best part was that the workers spoke just enough Engligh! Woo hoo! I see more visits in my future! (No fussing Jessica! My spanish sucks! Even after all those years of lessons!)

The weekend also included some pool time and a much needed pedicure!!! It was just an easy going relaxing weekend! I also finished a book (pool time is great for that!). I finished Water for Elephants. I do recommend this book. Easy, quick read. Pretty good story! I have not seen the movie but hope to.

Next I will be pulling out the 7th Harry Potter to re-read in anticipation of the opening on July 15th. Before that though is 4th of July weekend and then the Motley Crue/Poison concert! I've been listening to my Motley Crue tunes and I need to download my Poison songs onto my iPhone. Gotta get ready for the concert!

I definitley don't want to jinx myself but this has been a good start to the summer!

Another Good Weekend

2011-06-19T15:54:00.000-05:00

Saturday I took a mini-roadtrip to Biloxi. It is only about 2 hours away. I drove by the beach, smelling the salt air and anticipating my vacation in August when we go to Orange Beach!

I visited a quaint little cross stitch store in Ocean Springs, MS: Threadneedle Street. It was cute. They had a great selection of specialty threads. I walked away with two Mirabilia patterns that were on sale for half off! Yippee!

Lilac part of the Spring Garden Party Collection for Pixie Couture:

November Topaz Fairie:

Did a little bit of shopping at the Gulfport outlets before heading home to watch some of the College World Series. I was able to see the end of the Vandy game and then all of the Florida - Texas game. Great that two SEC teams are in the winners bracket. Sucks that they have to play each other on Monday night. South Carolina plays tonight. Here's to hoping that an SEC team takes th e championship again this year!

While I was watching Florida beat Texas, I finally completed another page of Dragon Knot!!! Woo hoo! That leaves only six more pages left. Three of those six pages are not complete pages. In fact, if you put those three together, you might get half a page of stitching. So, I'm thinking I really only have 3 1/2 pages left to stitch.

I've put this design aside again for just a little bit. I've picked up the Mad Tea Party design. Hoping to finish a 2nd page in that design.

Father's Day morning was spent at the pool. My dad is currently on vacation so we gave him his gift a few days ago. My sister and I chipped in to buy him a remote controlled helicopter. He was like a little kid on Christmas morning. He spent the rest of the night crashing the helicopter all over the place.

Tomorrow it is back to work. Boo hoo! I really need to win the lottery! Working really cuts into my fun time!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Working Hard, Playing Harder

2011-06-12T19:32:00.000-05:00

I have been terrible at keeping up with my blog. Actually I've been terrible at keeping up with really anything computer related. It is summer time and it is busy, busy, busy!!!

Last week was my first week of work with no overtime. Woo hoo! I was even able to take a day off to just "collect" myself! Treated my mom to lunch to thank her for helping me out all these weeks! Thanks to her, my apartment was cleaned, the refrigerator was stocked and my dog was well taken care of! My mom is the best!

Along with all the hard work, I've been having a lot of fun also!

I recently was able to have my 2 nieces and nephew spend the night with me! The kids camped out in the living room and the next day I took them to the pool! We had a blast just splashing in the pool and enjoying the sun!

Enthralled by Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

Little Miss Diva!

Bayou Country Fest was once again held in Tiger Stadium this year. I was able to head to it with some friends. We had a great time but we melted! That is the only way to describe it! It was incredibly hot the Saturday we went. The line up on that Saturday was Luke Brian, Trace Adkins, SugarLand and Tim McGraw. SugarLand was awesome! I would highly suggest to see them in concert! Tim McGraw is a great singer but he is kind of a boring performer! Sorry to say, but he is. And while I didn't get a picture of them, because it is like the one reality show I do not watch so did not know who they were, the cast of Swamp People were seated in the next section over from us.

Jenny and I before we started to melt!

The view from our seats

I took a trip down to New Orleans for a morning, by myself. I headed to my favorite cross stitch place to look around and do some shopping. I picked up some fabric and a Mirabilia Mermaid pattern to do. :) Like I don't have enough other things to do! Once I finished my shopping, I headed to the Quarter. There was the Creole Tomato Festival going on. It was being held in the French Market. Tons of food, people and music. There was even a Navy band playing! I'm a sucker for a man in uniform!!

I even made it over to Central Grocery to get one of their famous muffaleto sandwiches. Yummy, yummy! And of course, I couldn't leave without getting some pralines. It was a quick roadtrip that was very much needed by me! A little alone time doing something fun!

Spent this morning/early afternoon at the pool with Jill. It was so relaxing. We got lots of sun, or at least I did as evidenced by my red arms and upper legs! We are lucky we did it early because true to form, we had the typical late afternoon rainstorms! Definitely must do again!

The summer hasn't even "officially" started and it has already been so much fun! I can't wait to find out what is next . And I think it is going to be....drumroll please.......the Poison/Motley Crue concert in Biloxi! Woo hoo! I am so looking forward to it! It has been years since I've seen Poison and I have always wanted to see Motley Crue!

I've been working on Dragon Knot right now. It seems to the be the project of choice right now. We'll see how much I can get done before I get bored. I hope to have a progress picture very soon.

I hope everyone else is having a great summer so far!

Time Is Flying!!!

2011-05-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

What is that saying? "Time flies when one is having fun." Not so sure if I am having fun but the time sure is flying!

Work has been crazy insane. We have 3 back to back conventions. The first starting today with the last ending next Sunday. Since starting back at the old new job I have yet had a week with no overtime! Not that I am complaining! Love the checks!

Weekends have been jammed pack lately. Trips to New Orleans, shopping and there is even more to come!

Here are a few pics from when I went to New Orleans. Headed to the zoo and then down to the Riverwalk to see how high the river really was.

The weekend we went to the zoo was absolutely perfect spring weather! It was great to be outside in the fresh air!

Here are some pics of the Mississippi River from the Riverwalk. It may not seem high to those who aren't familiar to the area but trust me, it is very high!

I finished reading two books. The new Sookie Stackhouse book, Dead Reckoning and JR Ward's Lover Mine. Both are great books! Love, love, love both of those series. Can't wait till the next Sookie book and I need to go out and buy the next Black Dhagger book!

I do have one small cross stitch finish. I managed to finish a small bib for a co-worker who had a baby about a month ago. I was able to finally find time this week to go visit her and her new baby boy! He is so sweet! I did a doggy bib because the parents have two dogs themselves and absolutely love dogs.

I worked 10 1/2 hours today at work. Tomorrow is going to be another long day. I am going to go in super early because I need to leave on time. Needless to say, I've already put my 40 hours in for the week! Next week is going to be just as long since I am working a convention. I am leaving on time because my nieces and nephew are coming in to town and I have them for the night! Yay! I plan on us going swimming and to the park. Then Saturday night I will be going to see Luke Bryan, Trace Adkins, Sugarland and Tim McGraw at Bayou Country Fest!

I am so thankful that my Mom came by today and cleaned my home for me and that she has offered to go grocery shopping for me tomorrow! She is the best Mom ever!!!! It is a great help to me and such a relief!

Summer is here! And it is going full force! I feel as though I haven't had time to take a breathe! But I have to say, and I do so reluctantly because I don't want to jinx myself, but I do believe I am having fun! :)

Great Weekend!

2011-05-01T18:06:00.000-05:00

This has been one of the best weekends in a really long time! I've been so busy with the new old job that I needed a weekend like this one to blow off a little steam!

I started the weekend off by waking up at 4:45 a.m. on Friday to watch the Royal Wedding. Yep, I was one of the nerds who watched the wedding! My sister and I watched it together through texting. It was like a fairy tale come to life. :)

Saturday I spent the day at the New Orleans Jazz Fest with Jill. We walked around looking at the different craft booths and food options. There was definitely plenty of food options! Everything looked so delicious but we were so hot that we didn't feel like eating much. We tried the crawfish bread and the crawfish monica. Both are must haves! I don't know how many stages there were set up at the festival but there were quite a few. We "camped" out at the main stage because that is where Bon Jovi was going to be playing. During the day we heard Wayne Toups and Irma Thomas. Jill ventured over to another stage to see Amos Lee while I kept our spot for Bon Jovi. There was so many people!

We started out pretty far back. You can just see one of the big screens set up by the stage in this picture.

Bon Jovi gave a great performance! No Richie Sambora wasn't there as he had checked himself into rehab but one of Wayne Toups guitar players stood in for him.

For the encore, Jon put on a Saints jersey!

We eventually got close enough to take this picture!

Jill and I have both agreed that we will have to go back again next year! Maybe make it a whole weekend event! It was just a great time over all!

Sunday was a completely lazy day. Nothing much was accomplished. I did finally get a pedicure that I really needed! Took Duke out to the dog park for a little bit as I had completely ignored him on Saturday. I am going to have a ton of chores to complete this week! But it was soooo worth it!

Busy busy busy

2011-04-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy lately! So busy that somehow I lost a day this week! Everything is like a blur!

On Saturday I started the new old job. Attended a board meeting at a University in Lafayette. Quite a different atmosphere at this university. Ok, yes, I'm a snob. No school, at least in Louisiana, can even come close to LSU!!!! Geaux Tigers! Ok, I digress. Back on track! Started back at the old job on Saturday. A 9 hour day on a weekend. Woo hoo! Monday was back in the office. I can't really say I am training because I am quite familiar with the policies and procedures but just learning, or trying to, the quirks of the 2 associations I will be managing. However, this week was conference preparation for one of the two that I am taking over so I am having a crash course in their conference prep. I am exhausted! It has been 8 solid hours of non-stop work! But it definitely makes the days go by fast! Tomorrow, Friday, I am off to the convention, once again in Lafayette. Yay! Overtime! In one week, I should make what I normally would make in two weeks.

The overtime check will then lead into the next topic of conversation: a new purse or new sunglasses. I'm not sure which one I will get first but I am in need of both!!!! However, Coach is currently having a 30% off sale at their outlet store and I do love my Coach purses! But then, my sunglasses are almost 2 years old and getting scratched up. Oh, the dilemma! What do I get first?

Then there is Jazz Fest at the end of the month. I can't wait to see Bon Jovi in concert. I have to admit, after all these years living down here, this will be my first Jazz Fest. I am excited to go and check it out! Besides the music, there is of course the great New Orleans food and drinks!

I just have to mention the great disappointment when I found out today that BOTH All My Children and One Life to Live have been cancelled. My sister was in tears. My friend Jenny was in disbelief. My mom thought it was a joke. They are to be replaced by two shows called "The Chew" and "The Revolution" (I think that is the second one's name). I am so tired of "reality" and talk shows. I like my trashy day time tv! I guess I will just have to read more books! (I tape the soap operas and watch them at night)

Speaking of books, I just finished Yasmine Galenorn's Blood Wyne. It is the latest book in her OtherWorld Series. As I was reading the book, I was noticing references to events that had happened in the previous book. I couldn't recall any of them. So I looked up the previous book. Yep, I had skipped one. So I've finished Blood Wyne and I am taking with me to the convention, Harvest Hunting.

Very little stitching has been getting done. I plan on taking a project with me to the convention and maybe I'll get some thing done since I'll have two nights in the hotel. After 12+ hour days, I won't feel like "going out".

I hope that next time I get a moment to blog, I'll have some pictures to share of something, anything that is creative and/or fun!

Job Search Tips

2011-03-28T09:35:00.000-05:00

Kathryn left a comment in my last post asking me where I was finding these jobs as she has not been successful yet. Well Kathryn, it wasn't easy and I put a lot of time into the search. The key to it though is to not get discouraged! I know, easier said than done

The first resource I used was the local classified ads. Most specifically the Sunday edition of the newspaper. This is typically the largest listing of available jobs each week.

Second, I made a list of local colleges and big companies that I knew of in my area. Most of them have websites that have a "career" section. I "haunted" these websites at least every other day. You'll start to notice a trend though on each website as to which day they post jobs. One of our local universities lists jobs typically on Friday mornings. So I'd look at it Friday afternoon.

Third, I used a job board. CareerBuilder was a great one. I posted my resume on it and set up searches that deliver available jobs to your email. In addition, you can set your resume to be searchable by employers and give them permission to contact you directly. One of the offers I received was actually off of CareerBuilder. A headhunter saw my resume and sent it along to a company that was hiring. I also received phone calls and emails asking for interviews for positions that I didn't even apply for!

Fourth, apply at your local temp agency. Most temp agencies today are not just for temporary work. They also assist with direct hire. But you never know too when that temporary job may turn into a full time position!

Fifth, never burn your bridges! I left my last position on very good terms and when they had an opening come available, they offered it to me. In addition, my old boss also gave me great references for positions that I was applying to.

I recently heard a "fact" on the radio, for every 10 of thousand dollars you are seeking in salary, that is how many months it will take you to find a job. For example, if you are seeking a salary of $60,000 it will take you 6 months to find a job for that much. It was true in my case. It took me 4 months to find a job.

While searching for a job, keep in mind: 1) Can I do this job?, 2) Will I be happy? and 3) Will it pay my bills? Those are important things. Keep searching. The job market is turning around, or at least the news sources are saying it is. I would agree somewhat. I've noticed an increase in the number of jobs available.

It is a frustrating process but a necessary one. Keep at it. View each interview as "practice". When I finally got my offers, they all came in at once! Here I was hoping for just one and I received two!

Two Weeks Notice

2011-03-25T09:13:00.000-05:00

Once again I have put in my "two weeks notice." Wow! I really didn't imagine that I'd be doing that again. Yes, I've been looking for another position, but it isn't really easy to get a job! After months of submitting resumes and going on interviews, I was handed not 1 but 2 offers this week (not to mention the 3 phone calls I've had asking me for an interview)!

The first offer was for a position with a marine fleet company that was in the next town about 30 minutes away. It wasn't a bad drive. All interstate and not much traffic. I interviewed with them 3 times. I think I met the entire upper management team. During the last interview, they made me an offer for the position. I was so thankful. They seemed to be a great company with great people to work with! I was excited!

But then, a position at my old job opened up. I never thought I would ever go back or even be wanted back there! I loved the work. Liked the people. But the boss and I, well, we had our moments. But he called me to see if I would be interested in going back. I thought about it and agreed. He said he'd get back with me.

So, offer #1 was received on Wednesday. Offer #2 was received on Thursday. Having choices is not always good! I had already tentatively accepted offer #1 based upon passing a few physical tests and a final reference check. But offer #2 was just as good money-wise AND I would pick up all of the benefits and tenure I had since I was returning to the company within a year of leaving!

I went with offer #2. I am going back to the association management business! I was offered my old association but I decided to work with some new ones. Also, my role will be a little different this time as I will be working more with the other coordinators, training them, and developing/expanding programs for the associations.

I am very excited about this. So, now I just have to get through the next 2 weeks at my current job. I can already feel the stress related to wondering if I'll get paid or if I'll have a job melting away! Now I can just worry about doing a good job!

Weekends are too short!!!

2011-03-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

I think we need to petition the "job gods" that the work week be 2 days and the weekend be 5 days! This weekend was another weekend that I didn't want to end!

It was another gorgeous spring weekend! Warm temps and lots of sun! Spent as much time outside as possible. Took Duke out to the new dog park where he proceeded to make new friends. Or at least that's the story I am sticking to!!! My perfect baby acted like a monster! He seemed to be "attracted" to a cute little shih tzu and well, he let her know it. Over and over and over again! It was quite the embarrassment for me! Thankfully the owner of the dog had a good sense of humor! When we weren't at the dog park, Duke spent time out on the patio sunning himself.

I got to see Stacy and Marly Grace for a brief visit on their way home from their cruise. We had a yummy lunch at Chimes and I got to open my souvenir from Mexico. This pretty tile that my sweet pea Marly picked out for me.

I've also been steadily working on Cassady's baby quilt. I think I am making great progress.

The entire quilt. As you can see I have Jill, the spoon and the plate to finish along with the flowers in the border.

Jack is finished!

Almost finished with the Goose!

I may actually get the quilt done in time. MAYBE

On the job front, well, it has taken a life of its own! I have been praying for guidance. What is the career path I should be on. I went back for a 2nd interview with a really great company in the next town over. They spoke of a possible 3rd interview, which I agreed to if necessary. I've heard from 2 people on my reference list who said that the company has contacted them. Yay! Shows they are interested in me! BUT, then, today, I find out that an opening has come available at my old place of employment. My old boss called me today to talk about it and if I'd be interested. I said Yes. Yep, I am crazy. But I miss the work, I said I wanted more pay and well, who knows? I can't turn away opportunities waiting on other opportunities. I am confident (or at least pretending to be) that the right choice will become apparent to me!

Dancing with the Stars starts tonight. There are many "stars" that I do not know but then there are some that I can't wait to see dance, particularly Kirstie Alley and Kendra. I like my "reality" tv!! :)

Fun Weekend!

2011-03-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

Oh, how I wish the weekends would never end! Mondays are just so loathsome! Especially the Monday following Daylight Savings Time!!!

I had a great weekend! It was fun and the time just flew by!

Friday
Friday started with an interview for a great position that would keep me busy and with a company that seems to be pretty great and STABLE! Unfortunately, I was only able to meet with one of the three people I was supposed to meet with so I am hoping to be called back for a 2nd interview. The person I met with said that he felt confident I would be, but one never knows!

Stacy and Marly Grace rolled into town Friday afternoon. It has been quite a few months since I have seen them last. Since football season! Way too long!

We went to dinner at a local favorite, Parrain's! Great seafood. We had fried green tomatos with a remoulade sauce, charbroiled oysters, and fried shrimp. Yummy! After eating so much we had to do something to work off all that food so we went to Perkins Rowe which is a local shopping area. Great area to walk around and do some window shopping.

Then we finished up the evening by watching LSU beat Cal State Fullerton in baseball. It was a close game but we were victorious! The game also had one of the worse collisions I had ever seen in a baseball game. Looked like they forgot they were baseball players and were football players instead! While we watched the game, Marly kept herself busy coloring and making me a beautiful picture of a sunflower!

Saturday
Saturday, we packed in a bunch in the morning! Stacy and Marly Grace were to head to New Orleans to catch a cruise ship. So, we went to breakfast and then while Stacy went to pick up her mother-in-law, and Marly and I waited for Stacy's mom to arrive at my place, Marly and I cleaned up my patio. I know, real fun, huh? But it was such a beautiful morning out, it needed to be done and Marly offered to help. Who was I to turn down free labor? :)

Once I got them all off to New Orleans, I headed out to see a movie. I chose Red Riding Hood. I liked it. It was different. Definitely not a traditional fairy tale. But if you aren't interested in werewolves or witches, not a movie for you! And it definitely was an "adult" movie. Not for children to see!

Sunday
Started off at the dog park with Duke. A local park recently underwent some renovations and is now open. It is a beautiful park. Has a section for large dogs and small dogs. A fishing pond. New tennis courts and facility. Walking trails. Duke go to roam around for about half an hour with no leash on and then I got to walk around the trails for another half an hour.

The rest of the day was laundry, watching LSU beat Cal State Fullerton in the 3rd game of the series (we swept the series!), and a quick visit with my parents. It was definitely a lazy Sunday!

Daylight Savings Time, though, is not my favorite. I like the extra sunlight but the hour we lose really messes everything up. I went to church on Saturday so I wouldn't "oversleep" on Sunday. But then Sunday night I wasn't tired and couldn't get to sleep so I tossed and turned all night. Getting up Monday morning was a fight! Blegh! Hopefully by the end of the week, I'll be back into a routine again!

Stitching
Not much progress has been made since last week. It's been busy, busy, busy. Hopefully I will have something to show next blog entry but I'm not promising! LOL Stacy and Marly Grace are back in town on Saturday again and we have plans.

Spring is here!
I can tell spring is here. Not by just the film of green pollen on everything but by all of the upcoming events: parties, baseball games, concerts. It is going to be fun and busy time!

Good bye Mardi Gras! Helloooo Lent!

2011-03-09T15:36:00.000-06:00

Oh, it has been such a great Mardi Gras Holiday! Yep, it is a holiday down here in the South! I've been off of work since Friday and I am dreading going back to work because it has been so nice to have no stress or worries!

It has been a busy six days! At first I wondered what I would do with myself, but now, I'm wondering, "Where did the time go?"

Mardi Gras
I was able to get down to New Orleans on Sunday for parades. I have to say that this was one of the easiest trips I've ever taken. It only took 1 1/2 hours to get down to the Quarter and find a parking spot. For Mardi Gras time, that was like "ZOOM". That never happens. Plus we were able to find a great parking spot in a really nice (clean, well lit) parking garage. Not to mention pretty cheap, only $20 for the day.

We hit 4 parades: Okeanos, Thoth, Bacchus, and Endymion. Endymion is typically a Saturday parade but due to the torrential rains that our area had on Saturday, they moved the parade to Sunday. We were on a great corner, Tchoupitoulas and Poydras, that was at the end of the parade routes and were surrounded by great people who were fun to talk to and were polite!

Captain of Okeanos

This is either Okeanos or Thoth. Can't remember!

King of Bacchus, Andy Garcia! He was a great king!

His float was stuck in front of us for about 10 minutes and he really played it up for the crowds!

One of the Bacchus floats. This year they were playing tribute to World War II vets.

Crafting

I did get some stitching and scrapping done! It wasn't all fun down in New Orleans, although a very good time was had down there! What happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans! :)

Baby Blanket

I have managed to finish the well and the bucket on the baby blanket. When you look at it as a whole, I don't feel that I have very much more to do. So, I hope I can keep it up and continue to work on it!

Butterfly Fairy - Night

On February 27, my sister's birthday, I started the latest project I am doing for her. I've made some progress on it.

Scrapping

I even managed to get one page done of scrapping. Finally I did some pictures of my niece Cassady Hope. In these pictures she was 7 months old. So I've got some catching up to do and a pile of pictures to finish off!

Well, that's all I have for now! I go back to work tomorrow. Yuck! I had an interview with a headhunter today that went very well, so now I am just waiting on a call back. Friday brings Stacy and Marly Grace into town. They are spending Friday night with me before they head off on a cruise. I can't wait to have a night out with them!

The 40 days of Lent started today. For Lent I am giving up all fast food, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Sonic. Which will really limit when I go out for lunch during the work week but will also help with me saving money! :)

Till later!