Great weekend!

I am so tired today that I can barely get up and get motivated to go to work. If it wasn't for the fact that I absolutely LOVE my job, I probably would have already contemplated calling in. But, the sick thing is - I ENJOY going to work. I'm literally lost without my work e-mail and Illustrator. I know - sick, sick girl.

Anyway, we had a great weekend! Saturday we went fishing and anyone that knows me knows I love to fish. When I was a little girl, my dad used to take me all the time. He would tell me that if I dug up the bait, he'd take me fishing, so imagine a little girl digging through the garden to find worms. That was me. Maggie is almost five and I cannot even picture her touching a worm, much less digging through dirt to find them. Although, she does think it's funny when I catch the fish and make them "pee". (Basically I squeeze them a little bit and their water bladder squirts - totally harmless - I promise) Usually it happens on accident when I'm taking them off the hook. I don't eat fish, so I simply catch them and throw them back into the pond.

Sunday we had a family reunion and I had a great time. I literally got FRIED from being out in the sun all weekend (picture fat, overly white girl and it's just not a good thing in the sun) but I was having so much fun that I didn't really notice. In Cincinnati, we have a game called "corn hole". Anyone who is not from around here automatically thinks it's some perverse thing we Cincinnatians do. Actually, it should be renamed "Bean Bag Toss" but the reason they called it cornhole is because the bags you throw used to be filled with dried corn. (Nothing like a blog history lesson, huh?) But, the game is total fun! It's like horseshoes but you don't have to worry about the kids running around getting whacked by a horseshoe. We played that all day at the reunion and by the end of the night, I was getting to be fierce competition. (Plus, it's great exercise!)

Yesterday was a total cleaning spree. Complete with reorganizing closets and everything. I'll probably run over to the organizing store today and buy some more containers, etc. It's a sickness I tell you!

Gotta run - gotta get showered and ready for work.

The Fat Girl's Guide to Life

I came across this book over the weekend while shopping at Torrid. It called my name and I am so glad that I bought it. Even though I'm only through the first 30 pages, this girl is writing about MY LIFE! I laughed, I became teary-eyed and for once, I actually felt ACCEPTED. Wendy Shanker is now my idol. The woman has so much depth and personality and she is so inspiring. Yes - for once, a book that's real.

Finally back with news...

I've been so sick this past week - just general allergy/sinus type things. But, it was so draining. I couldn't tell if it was the medication or what that was making me drowsy, but I will be so glad when the weather stabilizes and I don't have this.

Of course, I also received news that a reality show that I filmed in August last year is going to air. Now, let me preface this by saying that it was NOT MY CHOICE to film the show. I was actually one of the "unsuspsecting coworkers". Translate: I'm the manager of a LSS. The owner hires a girl (because she's in on this) and I'm training her on her first day. Employee turns out to be totally crazy and I fire her after a LONG and WILD day. Meanwhile, my other co-workers are freaking out over the girl and I'm trying to keep them calm while dealing with our new crazy employee. And, it's all on tape.

CBS did a press release about their new reality show "Fire Me, Please!". The third episode features our store and it airs June 21st. I'm a nervous wreck and sick over it because A) I look terrible. The owner had us wear our uniform shirts (which we hardly ever wore) and it was summer and they are heavy denim, etc. B) Goodness only KNOWS the things I did and said on camera. C) I'm fat - enough said about that one.

So, I'm not looking forward to seeing it. Plus, we won't get to see an edited version until the night it airs, so I have NO IDEA what they are going to show. I'd say that 8 hours of film can translate into anything. We all know it's in the editing. Meanwhile, as I await my reality show fate, I'm getting no sleep and I'm avoiding CBS at all costs in the event that a clip becomes part of a promo.

I just hope I survive it. EEK!

Crazy Week

I vowed to keep my blog updated but this week has just been crazy. I'm starting to feel the "stress" of CHA July and Maggie and I are both sick. We went to the doctor last night and my baby has pnuemonia. (it's early in the morning, so excuse the misspelling) The doctor said it's ok and she gave her a strong antibiotic, but of course, being the parent of an only child, I freaked out. The doc also diagnosed me with seasonal allergies so now I have to take Allegra D which has resulted in cotton mouth. I feel like Jim Carrey in Me, Myself and Irene.

Sans the sickies, things are going well. I wrote down some embellishment plans for the next show and possibly the show after that. We'll see how things go. I'm a little bummed that I haven't scrapbooked in a while. I haven't had the time and it's so hard to go from product development to just "playing" while scrapbooking. I never realized the disconnect until recently. Although, I have been accumulating quite the stash for whenever I finally get a chance to work on my own albums again. I'm hoping to have a quiet Sunday.

TGIF!

NSD and Mother's Day

For the first time in about three years, I had NOTHING to do on National Scrapbook Day. I have been dying to have some crop time but this past Saturday Scott wanted me to go with him to see Kingdom of Heaven. Fortunately, he did let me "feed" my addiction by taking me to two scrapbook stores. I am an idea book junkie and purchases the newest one from SS - Scrapbook Inspiration. I highly recommend it if you haven't purchased it, yet. I'm a simple scrapbooker, so it's eye candy for me.

Oh, and before I forget. I did not care for Kingdom of Heaven. 1) Too long, 2) Too Bloody (Gory would be a better word!), 3) The ending was blah. So, there is my movie review for the week. :) The nice thing was that I got 2 1/2 hours of time with Scott which I cherished WAY more than the movie!

Mother's Day was also nice. I did a little shopping in the morning then visited my mom for a while. After that, we went over to Scott's sisters and I got to fish for a few hours. Anyone who knows me knows that's my favorite hobby next to scrapbooking. I love to fish. When I was little, my dad would take me fishing as long as I dug up the worms. Imagine a five-year old digging worms in the garden. That was me. I still have that love for fishing. Funny thing is - I don't eat fish. But, I can sit and fish for hours. I also got a nice sunburn that will probably never tan. I never do.

I have the best husband!

I love the man. I truly do. He's the best husband in the world. I'm sitting here at my desk staring at the most gorgeous vase full of 24 roses. He knows how to cheer me up and make me feel loved. What a man! They smell wonderful and they are beautiful. They are a light orange with coral tips - just like the colors in my new living room. I'm telling you - the man is a genius! He knew exactly what to get.

I had been having a rough few days and this just made everything disappear. Mother's Day was coming up and I was having a slight setback on my infertility dealing. You see, I have PCOS, and am therefore infertile. I can't even begin to tell you what it does to your emotions to know that you just can't have a child. Or, if you can, it's because you've gone through months of treatment and thousands of dollars worth of medication. We've been through the treatments and ended up with nothing. Maggie was even a fertility drug baby, but this time things were different. The normal drugs didn't work. So, we took a break. A 2 year break. In the meantime, I focused on other things to occupy my mind. It's working for the most part but occasionally I have set-backs. This week was a set-back. I had enrolled Maggie into Kindergarten and the idea that my baby was going to school just killed me. So there you have it - the set-back.

Don't get me wrong. I thank God every day that I have Maggie and that he has blessed me with her. I am so grateful for that. I guess I just wish she could have that brother or sister that she asks for. I haven't given up yet and time will tell what happens. For now, I think I'll take time to stop and smell the roses. Literally.

I miss my friend...

My friend Bonnie. I don't know what it is but sometimes she'll pop into my mind and I miss her terribly. Bonnie passed away suddenly in February while we were in Atlanta at CHA. One of my good friends, Barb, and I were there with IP and some of the girls that worked at a store where we all met were there as well. Bonnie died suddenly on Saturday night and none of us knew it. I didn't find out until I returned on Wednesday. I still remember those words when they called me - "Bonnie died". Bonnie was young - she was only 55 and so full of life. I adored her. She was like a second mom or a sister to me. I used to take Maggie to the local mall on Sunday's where Bonnie worked part-time just so we could say "hi" to her and gossip for a few minutes.

Bonnie helped me get my car because she worked for Ford and she knew I wanted another Mazda. She picked out the sweater that I wore on DIY. She had recently reconnected with a high school friend who was stationed in Iraq, and they were falling in love. She had a second chance at love, at life, at everything. Then, it all ended suddenly.

I cried. I cried for days afterwards. Her funeral was so hard. I sat there in the midst of numerous people who didn't know me and I sobbed. I cried because I felt like she died alone, I cried because I didn't get to say goodbye, I cried because I thought it was unfair. I cried because I wanted Bonnie back. I wanted my friend back.

It will be three months on the 12th and I still think about her often. I've even caught myself typing in her e-mail to forward a joke to her. Those are the days when it really stings.

I am now addicted

to orange. I am in LOVE with my orange living room. At first I was hesitant. I kept visualizing orange barrels on I-75 or Home Depot buckets. But, I really like it! We have the curtains hanging and some of the furniture reorganized. My mom bought me these gorgeous coral pillows and they are perfect for the room. I've been heading out to stores all week to see what accessories I can purchase to decorate it. So far I haven't found much but I'm on a wicked hunt. I'm sure that TJ Maxx will get more stuff in. The other day I found this awesome orange leather picture frame and of course I had to have it. It's gorgeous!

Oh, and in case nobody saw it - or if you did, my DIY episode aired on Monday night. I of course looked hideous and that was one of the reasons why I decided to diet. I inevitably inherited my mother's double chin and I'm trying to figure out how to either 1) Mask it or 2) Get rid of it altogether. My cousin and I often joke that we should submit for "The Swan" but you have to be gone for 6 months and I can't take 6 months off of work. LOL! Besides, I'd miss Scott and Maggie too much.

Tonight we're taking our Beagle to be spayed. Poor thing. Plus, she was born with a hernia so they're going to examine her before the surgery and see if they can correct it while they are doing the spaying. She's six months old and so hyper, so I worry about her opening up her stitches when she returns, but I also hope that the spaying will calm her down. A lot of people say that it helps. She's such a cute dog and so loving. She follows me around the house all the time. Last night some neighbors came by to pet her and she would only follow me around the yard. She doesn't even play with Scott as much. I guess because I pick her up and carry her around like a baby. Yes people - I'm a dog person. LOL!

Loose ends and Monday rambling

Do you ever find yourself in a mode of completing everything you have on your "to-do" list? I'm in that mode now. I finally finished naming some of my new paper lines, I ordered furniture this weekend to finish our living room and I might actually go out today at lunch to purchase some accessories for the living room. I'm going with a minimal approach that's more streamlined and clean in design. I wanted to do all the same size photographs in 12x12 frames (I like the square shape) and of course in black & white. I give it less than two days before I'm over at TJ Maxx looking for unique items for my living room.

I also lost two pounds this past week. Not as well as I had hoped but hopefully two pounds that's gone forever. At this rate, I should be doing ok by the next year. They say that a safe weight loss is 2 lbs per week. I would prefer 10 a week, but you can't always have what you want. LOL!

I also have to say that I recently read Cathy Zielske's blog and God love her! She wrote a post about Oprah's show the other day and I was so happy to see someone take a stand on weight issues. It goes without saying that she definitely has an amazing scrapbook style and her "Clean and Simple Scrapbooking" book is my Bible. I carry it with me to crops and it inpires me to be a better journaler. It's just good to know that she's on my side with regards to weight issues. God love ya Cathy! You go girl!

Scott finished the living room and it looks great. Of course, I tend to nit-pick sometimes but all in all it looks great. He has definitely come a long way on his painting skills. He might not have wanted to tell me that, though, because I'll have him painting the entire house before all is said and done. I just can't wait until next weekend when the furniture is delivered and we have a dedicated living room again! Did I mention how excited I was?

Lastly, we went bowling yesterday. A local alley has a special for $5.99 for two hours in the morning so we take Maggie and meet one of Scott's friends over there. He usually brings his little boy and the kids bowl on one lane while we bowl on the other. I realized that I don't have the patience to be a bowler, however, I could sit and watch my husband bowl all day. He's amazing! He basically has enough skills to be pro (I watched him bowl a 258) but without a sponsor he can't do it. So, there he sits and he bowls in a league through work and the occasional weekend. I watched him nail 7 strikes in a row like it was no big deal. If I break 100, it's a big deal.

Oh, I almost forgot - this was a big soccer weekend. Maggie had two games and scored a goal in each one. :) That's my girl!