Five on the Fifth - Last one of 2009

Wow...I blinked and it is December. Last Decemeber would go on record as being the beginning of a very strange year. Lots of Daniel stuff. Lots of work stuff. I had just received a new boss and he and I were trying to figure each other out. But then again I had my awesome friends and I got the coolest lime green ipod for christmas...

Sometimes it all works out.

It's workin out so well right now I am thinking of holding my breath and crossing my fingers and toes. Good karma....

Happy Happy

Five on the Fifth - December
5. Football....lots and lots and lots of football..much of it heart racing!
4. A great day inside....
3. McDonald's hash browns and diet coke for breakfast. Mexican for dinner. Chocolate and a glass of wine for the rest of the evening. Hard to beat.
2. Breaking out the Christmas music including the Josh Grogan I never got to hear last year.
1. Peace and joy in my heart...love all around me

Who Knew?

Blogging toward 50

Lots of cool ideas running through my brain about turning 50. Yep the big Five-o, and yes, the age at which my mother died. (Note to self...make doctor appointment and check life insurance.) So, my big project is to compile a list of 50 things i want to accomplish before I turn 50. The last one -- number 50 so to speak -- is celebrating in Greece with my friend Amy. I have that one already taken care of....reservations are made. Now I just need 49 more. Suggestions welcome. More to come.

No way is it the 13th!

It's true that I have one or two things going on in my life right now. Moving all of my worldly goods (or at least the furniture and whatever else we could cram into one giant storage space) plus all of the crafting things I have in Donna's basement), plus looking for a job, plus trying to eat right and work out and help Donna and take care of the dogs....and well you know. Stuff.

So, somehow I forgot to post the Five on the Fifth. Argh. I hate that.

My life is full right now. A little overwhelming. A little intimidating. Some scary. But also full and comfortable. Change happens in spurts. This is our spurt. We'll see how it comes out.

Five on the Fifth - November
5. Daniel's 41st - he made it another year
4. Work to do - working with Shama on a presentation....making my brain hurt :-)
3. Cooking..man I love the cooking I am getting to do...chili anyone?
2. Girlfriend time -- after weeks of packing and craziness I get to hang out with Donna on her kitchen counter and just talk...and maybe have a Sangria ....or two.
1. Possibilities - I can still see the possibilities opening up..not sure which one to grab but they are there.....

Is This What It Is?

Okay, turning 49 was a bit wierd, I admit. But the really interesting thing has been the changes in my body over the last 4 months. It has seemed to happen overnight though that has probably not been the case. Just that I am not spinning and running in a crazy cycle so...now I know that I am not just flushed, I have hot flashes. And now it is not stress it is menopause that is waking me up every 2 hours during the night and making me not fall asleep. And now i know that my digestive issues are not stress and taking a laxative is part of being nearly 50. So, HOLY COW!

For the first time ever, I feel like I am a stranger in my own body. Couple that with packing and moving and cleaning and every now and then trying to look for a job and it is pretty crazy. Standing outside of my body watching myself. Who is this person?

Oddly, only when I interview do I feel like myself. I feel intelligent and reasonable and like I can add value.

Moving in with Donna next week and hoping for some more centered quiet time, more focused job and life searching, more excercise and cooking time and of course more creative and crafting time...

Life....who knew?

5 on 5th (or the 8th...hey it is close!)

Ugh! I am a horrible blogger and I blame it on Facebook. The free time I have I have been playing with Facebook which is more interactive. So, sorry....my to do list is HUGE!

Lots going on. Getting caught in the last United RIF was definitely not a total surprise.But even when something is not a surprise, it does not always feel good. Ouch. Not wanted. But somewhere in this chaos I feel like I have been given a chance (again) to sort of get my life back. My former boss told me, the first time I saw him after he left, that he was sleeping well, excercising, getting in touch with people, engaging, hanging out with his kids and spending quality time with his wife. Not please, tell me what is wrong with that. The bigger problem is, how come we don't do all of that when we are working too.

So I have a more clear idea of what is important to me which is actually pretty helpful in this search.

Let's face it: the bucket list is a viable thing. Life has a beginning and an end. So why spend most of that time unhappy?

Five Things on the Fifth:
5. Definitely fall, possibly winter. We went from comfortable upper 60's to 40. Just like that. The furnace is now on. Ugh.
4. New doors swing wide open -- a week of interviews and contacts going well.
3. Getting ready to move...why does this always come back around and why am I not more prepared.
2. Getting over the sinus thing and trying to get over the insomnia
1. Feeling more blessed every day. Good things do happen in our lives..we have to be willing to see them.

Happy (almost) Halloween~

First Sign...

Rita was out doing her morning business this morning (I managed to sleep to 5:30 a.m....woo hoo!) and we noticed this sign of the changing weather...beautiful in the morning light.

Happy Sunday!

5 on the 5th - Happy Birthday to Me!

Okay, so I originally chose Five on the Fifth because, as luck would have it, my birthday is on the fifth. I think of it as sort of my lucky number though I will say lots of wierd things in my life have happened on the fifth. Anyway, here it is.

The Fifth of September, 2009. My 49th birthday. Pretty darn quiet but sort of nice....

5. FOOTBALL...yes the official beginning of the college football season which included a victory by my alma mater (if you can call a 63-0) blowout a victory...ugh!)
4. A bone for Rita - hey she is my best companion so I thought she deserved a present.
3. Phone calls and well wishes from lots of people from all areas and times of my life!
2. a lovely dinner of steak, potatoes, and a savored bottle of 7 Deadly Zins
1. a leisurely day of crafting, shoppping, tv watching and not much else....not a bad way to start my 49th year!

Serious Catch Up

Wow...it has been quite awhile. And I think it has been quite an August. Loss, change, new opportunities, housework...you name it. Too much to cover in one post so we'll start somewhere. Let's start with the general theme: change. As my friend LCB said yesterday, "God was showing me the signs and I was not getting it so he took matters into his own hands...". Well said. That was definitely the case at State Farm and likely the case at United. I could not let go on my own so he rolled me right into the RIF.
But hey...because he did that I managed to do the following in August:
- participated in a craft fair and found out about some others
- went home for my dad's birthday and hung out with Shella
- found a storage place and moved all of my empty moving boxes there
- was able to open some of the other moving boxes and find long lost items
- cleaned and cleaned and cleaned
- continued to clean and engage in a serious bout of mice wars (more on that in another post..)
- did some beginning organization of said possessions
- went two days early to Creative Escape and hung out with Amy and KAK and Kim and just had fun...umm..and did some shopping too (cough cough).

Of course now it is September and now I seriously have to get my act together. But at least I had an August which allowed me to regroup a little. Right before my 49th birthday. More about that later :-)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

In the sense of equal opportunities, Happy Birthday to my dad. Rita and I travelled down the road a piece this weekend to swelter in Dad and Ann's house (apparently one must swelter a bit before one can turn on the air!) but otherwise enjoy a semi relaxing weekend. A few highlights:

- dinner with Shella....our favorite Chinese!
- a few new pieces of paper and some Tim Holtz stamps
- hanging with the kiddos
- helping Dad with the computer
- finally pizza and salad with everyone...
- a long drive home behind semis and motorcycles and other crazies...oh well!

Good weekend and happy Monday. More photos soon..

This is starting to look familiar

In the great book holding the grand plans for all of us, someone is turning a page again. Below is the picture of my fortune at the Chinese restaurant last Sunday. I picked two out of the basket and gave one to Donna. This was mine.

I get it, God...or chinese government, one of the two of you.

Behind

Behind is what she tells the Orkin man when he looks at the piles of paper and boxes he wants her to clean up. Behind she tells the landlord when he asks how long it has been since she mopped the back hallway. I tell the dog, my friends, my neighbors...the list is long and ugly.

On August 5th, we are in the beginning of recreating our life again. But more on that later. And more on the new inhabitants of our house too. For now, it is simply five on the fifth.

5. Delightful weather. I did break a bit of a sweat today (not a real sweat but a baby sweat) - today was 81. which brings us to number 4
4. Upcoming 90 degree plus weather. bring out the water and the beer :-)
3. New phone...how the heck do I check messages.
2. Cleaning and more cleaning. Mice pee stinks.
1. Getting ready for Katydid Designs. May she at least not stink.

5 on the 5th - July

Life seems to speed by faster than the speed of light. The last two weeks have been incredibly hot and then cool, crazy at work, crazy trying to finish up things for my Flea Market debut (more on that later). In the end the weekend was different, not at all like I planned, but still fun. Happy Fourth of July Weekend all! Let Freedom Ring!

5. Sleeping till 9 a.m....how did that happen?
4. Brunch with my dad on CJ's outdoor patio...watching the airplanes and talking about life and cameras
3. Driving through the countryside, looking at our old homes, with the top down in the red convertible
2. Driving home through a different countryside...watching the barns and the flags and the awesome spirit of our state
1. laying in bed, drinking a cold beer with a happy puppy by my side!

Happy Birthday Debbie Lou

I mentioned it on Facebook but forgot to write here about what would have been the 74th birthday of my mother, Debbie Lou Dolley Kraft. Really unbelieveable that she has been physically gone for more of my life than she was in it. But she is there everyday...I talk to her and think about her.

My mom was the cool mom on the block. She made coffee or hot cocoa for the bus driver. She came to drive us home but let us ride the bus so we could stop for ice cream. She decorated the house for every holiday. She treated birthdays like the big deal they are. And she loved each one of us crazy five kids in our own unique and special way. And she loved her dogs.

As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the qualities I have of each of my parents. I have creativity from my mom but also my dad; my mom taught me paper crafts and fun and cooking and dad taught me photography and gardening.

My dad taught me perseverance and insane ongoing curiosity..while my mother taught me to never stop believing, especially in myself.

I am who I am because of their love and differences and similarities and I am grateful. So Happy Fathers Day, Dad and Happy Birthday, Mom! I hope I am making you both proud!

Happy Fathers Day from Qwackerqueen

I think I have mentioned before that I was the oldest and the only girl out of five kids. That's right...four brothers. Lots of testosterone in my house. With all of that stuff happening in our house, there were lots of nicknames to be found. I had (and still have) many ranging from K2 to K to Kat to Kath to "Hey You!) also some others which will not be shared :-) But one I remember the best is Qwackerqueen. When I was still not reading cursive well, my father bought a mailbox and he and my mom had our names painted on them. My father told me had put Qwackerqueen on the mailbox and in my still untrained eyes I read it and believed it. I cried for days until my mother took me out to the box and traced the letters to Kathleen for me.

Fast forward 40 some odd years. My dad is still teasing, and laughing and pretending...pulling a good one over us. And he is now at work on the new generation.

Happy Fathers Day, Dad.

Five on the Fifth - is it June already?!??!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of Graduation, Birthdays, Packing, crafting and very little sleep. Fortunately this past Wednesday night I flew to Texas and met up with my BFF Amy. We went to one of our annual scrapbooking events, Great American Scrapbook Convention. It's an annual show with classes, shopping and, for us, some pool and chill time. We stayed at the Arlington Sheration and enjoyed big fluffy beds, fabulous staff, a great restaurant and a lovely pool (with chilly water) accompanied by a great waitress and cold adult beverages. This week Amy and I crossed something off our bucket list -- we scrapbooked by the pool, under the pavilion while drinking an adult beverage...very civilized. WHich leads me to my Five Favorite Things on the Fifth:

5. Scissors, glue and patterned paper....enuf said
4. A bed with crisp sheets and a fluffy comforter which I do not have to make
3. Prix fix meals of steak, horseradish mashed potatoes, caesar salad and key lime pie - $20....!
2. hanging with my BFF for three days
1. Finishing two scrapbooks in two days...watch out jess and LCB...here they come!

The Graduate

No, not a remake of the Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft story. This is a true graduation of the eldest of our next generation. In her mind, Jessica has been an adult on her own since she was about 2 months old. Interestingly, when it came to the graduation, she actually seemed introspective and -- while excited -- a bit nervous about how her whole world was changing.
So the family came out in force and even all went out to dinner together. Despite a jam packed weekend including moving Mom and Dad Darabaris all day on Saturday -- Aunt Celeste and Uncle Albert came down from Chicago too. It turned out to be a great family celebration.
On to the next chapter...for both Jess and us, her loyal servants. :-)

Boas, Tiaras and Sweet Potato Queens

Sometimes you just have to do a girlfriend over-the-top, sweet-potato-queen-in-the-making weekend. So, last week, my girlfriend of many years, Leigh Coulter Beal, the diva of Fernandina Beach, turned 50. I myself am only a year from that so I felt it proper..along with our other friend Lisa DeGreif Lauterbach, to honor her. So Lisa hopped on a plane from NY, I hopped on a plane from Chicago (along with two suitcases of tshirts, boas, tiaras, crepe paper, greyish black roses, a $50 MILLION dollar check, tinsel, scrapbooks and whatever else we could come up with.) When she walked in the door after work there we were...with a margarita in our hands..

The pictures tell the story. Though, in fairness, they do not show the look on the faces of David Beal Jr and Sarah Elizabeth Beal as we sat in the stands at the baseball game, cheering David on, in our boas and tiaras. Totally worth it.

Happy $50 Million Celebration, LCB. Here's to $50 million more!

Mothers Day 2009

Mothers Day is truly a day for women....most of us were raised by at least one if not more women. While I had and was greatly influenced by the men in my life (including my four brothers) I had a great mom and incredibly interesting aunts and grandmothers and special women in my life. Still do..lucky for me.
Nonetheless, Mothers Day has not been a great day for me since my mom passed away 23 years ago. Hard to believe I have lived almost half of my life without her.
This year I consciously decided to do something that would fill me with the spirit of mother's day and honor my mother -- and all of those influential women -- in my life. So I walked (and jogged a little) of the three mile Breast Cancer Network of Strength walk in downtown Chicago with lots of other women (and a good amount of men and kids!). The weather was just right...slightly cool and overcast until just before the walk. I walked with Donna and Sharla and Donna's god child. It was not just a good time to catch up with friends it was also overwhelmingly awesome and soul filling. Now it's time for a hot bath, a nap and a foot bath. Next year...I want to run :-)

Happy Mothers Day to all of those awesome women who have helped make me who I am..
(image from Rhonna Farrar and the House of 3)

Five on the Fifth - May

Spring is finally trying to bloom around here...which of course means allergies and all sorts of fun physical reactions to having buried ourselves and our environment for the winter (for starters, my feet need a total makeover!). Blooming is a good thing though and we had an awesome fifth to start out the spring....
5. Happy Cinco De Mayo!! Margaritas for all...
4. Carpooling with a friend makes the commute faster
3. 2010 Planning..planning at work and at home is getting our lives together!
2. Crafting of all kinds..mothers day goodness, layouts, getting ready for a craft fair
1. Dinner with friends...lucky to have fun and interesting friends and great wine!

National Scrapbooking Day

Yea! A day to celebrate the insanity, the creativity, the passion and the friendships of crafting! Happy Scrapbooking Day (just past..:-) to all of my crafting friends!

Rainy Days and Sunday....

Always bring me down ...NOT! I love rainy days. Can't really go anywhere, do anything. Have to lay low and read the paper and drink coffee and hang with my baby (or babies...depending on who is here.) So I am working on my spring reorganizing project. Got one set of shelves up. Working on the bookcases. Throwing thing away and thinking about what I have. Enjoying it. Hate that I have to go back to reality tomorrow. Of course that's what pays the rainy days laziness...:-)

I love this quiz that they run every month on Studio Calico...I thought I'd give it a shot...

When I was a child... I loved reading so much my family would lose me for hours....reading and playing with my dolls.

I can't imagine my life without... my camera and my doggie

I would love to win a shopping spree to... this is a tough one...Target or a photography store

If I could be anywhere, I'd be… waking up on the shores of Lake Travis....

My least favorite chore is... cleaning...I like a clean organized place and hate doing it!

If a mystery package arrived on my doorstep, I'd hope it would be... an F2.8 zoom lens

My guilty pleasure is... ice cream..vanilla bean or moose tracks

If a genie granted me three wishes, I’d wish for... Daniel and Christina with me always, health and the ability to use my creative skills as my source of income...

You would never guess it, but I... am the oldest and the only daughter of a family of five (okay maybe you would guess that if you knew me, the nurturer:)

Happy Easter!

Hey Easter Bunny...

Wanna lick?!?! (This easter bunny is too tired...he just wants a doggie treat and a nap...)

The Golden Ticket

I have no idea why it came to be called this...i guess because they became as scarce for awhile as gold..but Amy and I got our Golden Ticket yesterday when we were invited back to Creative Escape.
Creative Escape is like the nirvana of scrapping and crafting events. You are literally treated like a princess for four days..it rocks. We get gifts and sing and eat mexican food and chocolate and work with paper and paste and scissors (sometimes soldering metal) and it so SOOOOO fun. Nothing like it.
The fact that i get to do it with my best friend does not hurt.
So, silly as it sounds, i have been praying to be part of this therapeautic experience again this year. Yesterday, at 5:30, we got the ticket. I can barely wait....:-) Sweet Escape here we come ...again!

Yes, it is April...Five on the 5th

Don't rub your eyes...it is indeed April. And that is snow...up to 2" before tomorrow morning, they say. (And I am one of those people who will bug you relentlessly to identify who "they" is.....)

Anyway, the weather has created one of those laid back barely out of my pj days...so here you go...5 on the snowy 5th...
5. Sunday paper, coffee...
4. Facebook quizzes: where else can you reconnect with friends from all over (yes, I am just friends with these people..good grief!) and take a quiz on what 80's song best describes you, what character you were in Steel Magnolias (Julie Roberts), What Character you are in the Wizard of Oz (Dorothy) and join an online sorority house. Who knew?
3. Crafting away...finishing easter cards, welcome signs and some special chocolate treats for special people
2. Continuation of Spring Cleaning (bag it all up, baby)
1. watch the snow come down.....will it ever end!

Happy Sunday...

I'm SOOO Lucky

It was an interesting week, this week of the 2009 St Patrick's Day. Some good, some bad, some plain interesting. When things get challenging, lucky St. Patrick always reminds you who is on your side.

It's a good time to remember why I am so lucky...
1. Good friends - whether the times are good or bad, it's the friends that make the difference
2. Family - they provide me challenges but plenty of love (thanks for the phone call on St. Pat's, Embug!)
3. A good life - in the scheme of things, I have a good life. A good job, a car, a home, a great dog
4. A great dog - Rita never complains, is always happy, is always loyal..okay she seldom listens but she loves me
5. The love of good man - okay he drives me crazy but I do believe Daniel loves me in his own warped way
6. The love of a sweet girl - Dito for Christina
7. Green margaritas....always the choice of drink for a Texan/Illinois/Irish Catholic lass
8. Green grass - yep...spring is trying to happen around here
9. Finding old friends...who knew Facebook would bring out Deb and Rich, among others)
10. A new day - each day done brings the chance for a new day....new challenges and new opportunities to be lucky..
Note: above luck has not yet brought me a space at Creative Escape but hey...it is early in the game..

Skipper 3.15.09

I'm posting this today because I know it will be a few days before Amy will have time to read my blog. She's unbelievably busy being the new rock star of the criminal defense world (and I'm actually not kidding....I think she'll change death penalty cases like the woman Julia Roberts played changed lawsuits against huge corporations). Anyway...

Skipper, the most awesomest boy puppy in the world, left this world at 4:30 a.m. Skipper had held his own against all sorts of crazy illnesses including cancer for about three years. He found his own way despite mostly deaf and blind with cataracts. Every single time I walked in their house, even when I had to wake him up, he brought me his nasty torn apart, faling open at the seams squirrel and danced around my feet to make me throw it.

Skipper sniffed many of my dates the last 10 years or so. He growled at some, nestled against others. He whined at the bottome of the stairs and sometimes got past his dad and got upstairs to go into my bedroom and bathroom in my Dallas "suite." He stayed at my feet and begged food. He loved ice and ran straight to the refrigerator when I opened it for ice. He would sit in the backyard in the sun while Molly ran around and when he was done he would just come up and push the backdoor open.

Skip ate countless tubes of my lipgloss when I was stupid enough to leave my purse out. (I think he actually believed purses for boys were okay..I mean so many things you could find in them.) He loved gum of all kind and could find it even balled up in the bottom of my purse. He once ate almost an entire bag of chocolate peanut butter cookies...and we would never have known except he and Molly were trying to get them out from under the couch the next morning to eat as a snack while Amy and I ate breakfast and watched tv.)

Skip was strong, he was loving and he was playful. He loved all of us (except men...ask Amy's version of Elvin the contractor whome he bit and then chased into the street or Brad who still cannot come into the house without feeling a bit frightened...). He loved walks and he loved rides in the car. But most of all he loved his momma. He always wagged his tail and siddled up next to her for a belly rub. He had to sleep next to her and believe me, he snored like his dad.

I cannot imagine what my next trip to Dallas will be like without Skipper. And Molly, I know you'll miss him ...you don't have anyone to boss around anymore.

Doggie heaven is a better place with Skipper and my Clyde (and Missy too.) Long live the Skip.

5 on the 5th

It's March already..ack when did that happen? Things happen at the speed of light in my life....as it was on the 5th of March (is that the ides of March too?) ...

5. A great cup of coffee starts the day
4. Garbage day...working to stay green and have more recycling than trash
3. Town halls done...two more PowerPoints to go
2. Getting warmer....almost 60 today!
1. Katydid Designs is born!

Have a great one...more soon!

A Weekend of Creativity, Wine and Women

I get it that non creative and crafty people do not understand the true theraputic value of glue, scissors and paper (I prefer a little glitter as well..). Last fall I hosted a small group of women at my house for wine, cheese, soup and scrapbooking. We had a blast. Most of those women (we miss you Diane!) are going with me this weekend to the 2 Peas Birthday Celebration in Madison, Wisconsin. I am so looking forward to (not necessarily in this order): awesome mexican food, wine, margaritas, catching up on my scrapbooking, doing make and takes with Kelly Purkey and Sande Krieger, cupcakes, chocolate, hot tubs, the gym, soft clean white sheets and a whole room full of crazy women.

It's a big weekend...in addition to 2 Peas I'll be lugging the computer and partipating in the online House of 3 House warming with 3 of the most awesome women I ever met - Heidi Swapp, Janet Hopkins and Rhonna Farrar. I feel lucky to be involved in a creative swap with these women...they bring out the best in everyone around them.

Which maybe, is the reason I really love these weekends. I feel refreshed and better able to handle powerpoints and office politics after the weekend is over.
Crafting women rock!

(New blog look supplied by the House of 3 women reference above!)

Could it really be 18 years ago?

She was this tiny thing with a full head of black hair, a row of which stood straight up in the middle like a mohawk. She looked just like her daddy did when he was born..

The first time I held her she stiffened her little body up and kicked her legs and threw her head back and tried to get away....

She has been trying to get away ever since.

She is funny, bright, crazy, absolutely beautiful, the ultimate drama queen. Everything is a crisis. She stands up for the ones in the back of the room. She has terrible romantic luck. She eats like a crazy woman and then goes for a run. She loves macaroni and cheese and jello cake.

Last Wednesday Jessica Allyse Kraft turned 18 and legally an adult. Her first adult action was to get her bellybutton pierced. At least that is the only thing she told us about.

Happy Birthday, Bess. We love you!

We're Going to the Dogs

Last year my boyfriend came upstairs and my dog and I were curled up (spooned) on my kingsize bed, fast asleep. He woke me up and said...You do know that is a dog right? She is not human..." Believe it or not I still date that man.
My dog, though, is still as important to me as she ever was. She is happy to see me when I get home and sorry to see me leave. She loves to ride in the car with the sunroof open and the windows down. She only needs treats, belly rubs and her food. She always checks me out when I get home but she does not ask for money, or gifts or anything besides love. She is my true valentine.
One more valentine ode...to my Texas dog, Skipper, who has sat outside my door at Amy and Tony's for years, ran and grabbed a toy as soon as I walked in the door, sat by my side on the couch and the dinner table. He has chased away bad boys in my life and sniffed many others. Skipper turned 15 today. I love ya, Skipper.
Happy V'Day all!

Five on the Fifth

Hard to believe it is already February. So many interesting things happening...work is cooking along, Janet's class and the House of 3 have inspired my crafting mojo and beginning the 09 purging. So here's to a great February!

1. Getting warmer.....24 today and predicted 50 for the weekend
2. Getting things done (bank, clean car (YEA), )..awesome to check things off the list
3. Fun with friends....I love my crazy friends...wine and seafood as usual
4. Last minute craziness at work....getting ready for the HOT IT event :-)
5. Pat Summit rocks!! Our Lady Vols coach has won more NCAA games than any other coach....man or woman..in the history of the game. Go BIG ORANGE!!!

A Day of Krafting

A perfect day for me would be never changing out of my jammies, having chinese delivered and working with paper and glue and scissors...all day. I am smiling again just thinking of it. So...that is what my weekend has panned out to be. Daniel was supposed to come in and I enjoy it when Daniel comes in and we go to the movies or cook dinner or watch basketball on TV..(btw...a shoutout for my TN MENS basketball who whooped up on the Florida Gators last night....rock on!). So, anyway Daniel had to go back to the dentist and he was on pain meds and did not come. I did have to change out of my jammies and go to the postoffice and Target and the bank...but that was it. After those brief errands I scurried home and Rita and I even took a WALK..a real walk outside not one of those hurry up and pee fast fast tracks around the house. The rest of the day it was paint, paper, glue, scissors, flowers, glitter..oh my! SO HAPPY! I'll put up a slideshow later..it was pure joy and some of my best stuff, I might add. A great weekend to help me get my mind cleared and ready to work on MYP next week. Woo hoo! (Ps....this is a tough one but ....Go Steelers. Honestly I would be happy for either team but Brian's family rooted the Steeler joy in me so I have to route for them first. But hey...it's football which also makes me happy.
And, BTW....I WILL be better at blogging. Time to break out the creativity some more!

Starting a New Year

At my very core, I believe myself to be a communicator. I communicate naturally -- in fact I am driven to communicate -- through writing, photography, crafts, designing, cooking. I love the beauty of colors, and design and everyday items through the lens of a camera or the jot of a pen (or, okay, the stroke of a key on a keyboard.) For some reason, the last part of this year, I just shut down. I had grand plans and I accomplished a few things. I made a few of my cookie baskets, somewhat halfheartedly. I made a few photo frames for my brothers and my dad and one for a good friend. I have even slogged my way through decorating a few places in the house, cooking a full Kraft christmas dinner, signing a few cards, and finally finishing Amy's present (smile...she won't get it for a few weeks so it is still a surprise.)
However, the frustrations of everyday life caught up with me. A change of the guard at work. Uncertainty at who I work for and what I do and whether I will still have a job in 2009. Where I want to live..both here and whether I want to make the move back to Texas....or for that matter, anywhere else. My camera -- one of my prized and most helpful possessions not working...just at that time of the year when I treasure it the most. A printer not working. Photoshop templates giving me a hard time. Things just somehow not coming through. Lots of cold and snow. Plans falling apart. Just not being able to get ahead of things.
Then....magically...I had this one day with friends..a couple of hours, really....in a warm restaurant, with TONS of snow falling around us....having a little drinkie poo (and some chocolate and of course wings, and burgers, and fries...) and my friends gave me this magical device...Now see, I have an MP3 player. In fact I just upgraded to a $50 Sansa Suze player (4 G?) where I was really feeling styling. I am not a MAC head, though I should be. First, the color made me laugh and smile. Then, when I finally capitulated and charged it and loaded music onto it, the sound made me sing. And even though the snow has melted and it is cold and icky and my creative mojo is not so good and my house is beyond horrible....I started to smile a little and sing and maybe have some hope. (And I think I discovered the camera issue is just the lens which is SOOO Much easier to fix....hey, I too can buy a new lens....wink, wink!).
No idea what 2009 brings for us. It's a tough time in the world. I have this huge house full of stuff which I need to organize so I can enjoy it. (Okay Wendy Smedley..I signed up for your class so you better come through!). But for now, me and the doggie and my new green ipod are hanging out up here in my office...singing Pat Green....smiling....







I guess just frustration and getting down at this time of