At least it's over!

I am SO glad that the reality show is over! Thanks everyone for your love and support! Trust me, it was not an easy thing to deal with. When you finally realize that you were on hidden camera, all sorts of thoughts run through your head. Then, you forget half of the stuff that you did that day. It's TORTURE! But, I'm just glad it's over! Gotta move on!

Things are getting crazy since I only have a few weeks until the big trade show. I'm actually starting to become anxious about it because I have to prepare 5 projects for a class I'm teaching while on vacation, plus the make & take for CHA and then there is Provo CKU. So many things to do, so little time.

Well...the show starts in less than an hour

I have to be honest. I've seen previews. I'm not looking forward to it. Some of the editing that was done definitely doesn't show what really happened. Plus, the camera adds pounds. (Not that it would really matter considering that I already carry a lot of them.) I think that's the worst part. LOL!

Anyway, remember to laugh WITH me and not AT me...

G

Pictures of my girl!

Lovin' the Sprinkler




Watch out for the blast!


Sorry for the sideways photo!

29 Things ...

Every year on my birthday, I sit and write down things that I love, am thankful for, or blessed with. The number correlates to whatever age I am, so today, it's 29. (WOW! I remember when my brothers were 29 and I thought they were SO OLD! Of course, I was 11, so 29 DID seem old!)

Anyway, here's the list: (in no particular order)

Maggie - my only child and my greatest gift ever.

Scott - my best friend

Family - my mother, brothers, etc. I have a very tight-knit family.

God - He gets me through. I'm not an overly religious person - but I have faith and that's all I need to say.

Pets - Zelda, Nemo and Lucy. Even though they drive me crazy, I love the little creatures!

My job - it's the coolest job on the planet! I love where I work, what I do, and all the cool people I get to meet all the time. Scrapbookers rock!

Scrapbooking - see prior post. Ah...to get to scrap again!

Friends - I have some of the greatest people in the world as friends! They are all fun, absolutely hilarious and always there for me. Never a dull day!

My House - even though it's too small and we've spent too much remodeling, it's MY home.

Mazdas - I have two - a 626 and a Tribute. Once I get one of them paid off, I'm buying a RX-8 so I can zoom zoom around the neighborhood. (Of course, we'll have to draw straws because Scott wants a new Mustang)

Message Boards - what did we do before the Internet? Seriously...

E-mail - it's how I keep in contact with everyone.

Getting packages in the mail - I still love that. I swear, that's been on my list since I was 10!

TJ Maxx - I love this store. I could walk through one for hours just looking for trinkets. They always have cool stuff and cheap!

DOTS - Another cheapie store. They carry these funky clothes and they're cheap! (I turned my friend, Barb, onto them too!)

Creativity - it's so fun!

Capri Pants - Oprah says they are out of style (according to my brother) but I say they are awesome! I love wearing capris, cut-offs, floods, cropped, etc. They're not shorts, and they're not pants. Just perfect for a fat girl!

The Fat Girls Guide to Life - By Wendy Shanker. Read prior posts if you're curious about that one!

Hot Topic/Torrid - Very cool store! I love anything 80's, cultured, etc. and these stores are two of my faves. I was in Hot Topic yesterday with my daughter and they said she was the coolest 5-year old to walk the planet. (Of course, she was wearing a Viva La Bam shirt that I bought at Target for $2.00 - that might have helped her coolness! LOL!)

Cold Stone Creamery - My guilty pleasure. Yes, I shouldn't eat it but frankly, I don't care! Some days I'd give my right arm for a Like It size of Birthday cake with Cookie dough and brownie.

Education - I worked hard for it and it's something my mother said nobody can take away from me. She's right.

Fishing - my second favorite hobby. Lets me relax and refocus when I am struggling with the creativity. My dad taught me this one.

Red Hair Dye - Yes the truth is out. I'm not a natural red head. Haven't been since the 7th grade.

Bath & Body Works Moonlight Path - I LOVE this scent. It's like Luv's Baby Soft from when I was a pre-teen. Yummy!

Polyester shirts - I don't iron. Period! Which brings me to...

Downy Wrinkle Releaser - See above.

A Clean House - Allows me to relax and feel better. I always feel much better when the house is clean. It's like crossing something off of my "to do" list.

Orange - Since Scott painted my living room orange, I've fallen in love with the color!

Organized Living/Container Store, etc. - love organizing places. I want to live that type of life! LOL!

Well, there's my list for 29. Off to get a shower and get to work. (Why don't they have a law where you get your birthday off of work????)

If I don't get to scrapbook soon...

I'm going to BURST! Literally get mad and burst. I have not been able to sit down and scrap for probably two months and it's starting to take it's toll on me. I'm starting to get frustrated with backed-up supplies sitting there calling my name. That's what I asked for - a day of scrapbooking for my birthday. Well, that's tomorrow, so I can kiss that one goodbye. Of course, Scott said we could do it next week. He's working this weekend (OT - God love him - he works 24/7) but I wanted to do it TODAY!

I cleaned the house all day yesterday with the anticipation that I could scrap today. No dice. Fortunately, family is in town, so I'm going to go visit them instead of sitting her pouting about my lost day. LOL! Maggie will enjoy that. (Oh, in case you're wondering - my day included him taking Maggie out for the day. My baby girl LOVES to "help" mommy when she scraps and sometimes her help messes up pages. LOL!)

SO, I'm looking forward to next weekend. Maybe...possibly...I might get to scrap....


NEED...TO....SCRAP....

Trying the photo thing...

Here's my precious Siberian - I need to upload regular photos but a layout will do for now.

Doggie Drama

Yesterday was definitely one of those days that is just full of DRAMA! Something I try to stay away from. It actually started the night before when my Siberian vomited her dinner. (Sorry for the visual) Scott and I didn't think much of it because she sometmes eats so fast that she gets sick. But, something kept telling me that she wasn't feeling right.

Well, fast forward to 1:00 am and 5:00 am when she did it two more times. Scott ended up taking her to vet first thing in the morning. We were worried that she ate one of Maggie's toys or got a hold of something that she shouldn't have. They X-rayed her, did a bunch of bloodwork and 9 hours later we got the verdict: Gas. She had some sort of intestinal bug that was causing her gastric issues. Great - $250 because my dog had gas. But, at least I can rest easy. I was sick over it yesterday thinking she would need surgery or of course thinking the worst. She's home now and is on a bland diet. She seems to be doing a lot better.

As for the remainder of the day, just small, minute pieces of drama. Sometimes I wonder why one can go for DAYS without any emergencies, etc. and then BAM - a day full of nothing but dramatic issues.

All I can say is TGIF! Here's to hoping for an uneventful and peaceful weekend!

Come Chat with Me!!!

I'll be on www.myscrapshoppe.com tonight at 9:00 EST to do a chat. Come by and chat with me. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk and answer questions. (I'm the geek that enjoys Jeopardy because I love to answer questions)

Show has been moved!

Just in case anyone was interested, the episode of "Fire Me Please" that I'll be in will be aired next week on the 28th. They moved it for some AFI movie show or something. Anyway, one more week of torture waiting for them to air it.

We didn't get confirmation that it had been moved until today.

We have a loose tooth!

My daughter has her first loose tooth! Don't know why I'm so excited but I am. Actually, it's a mixture of excitment and sadness because that definitely means my baby is growing up.

If I ever take the time to figure out the picture thing, I will post one! :)

Ginger

Thank you...

For your support. I have to say that I was overwhelmed at the amount of support on my "fat girl" entry. That makes me feel so much better. I was worried that people would tell me to "get over it" or "quit eating", etc. Truth be known, the only time in my life that I was ever thin was when I was bulemic. Maybe one day, I'll share that story.

Anyway, I've had a great weekend since deciding to live my "fat girl" life. Friday night I took my cousin to dinner and we laughed and dined and I didn't worry about what the waitress thought or what other diners thought. I decided they had their own lives to think about and I'm going to live mine happily.

We also had Scott's company picnic at an amusement park, to which Maggie had an AWESOME time! (I have really got to figure out how to upload photos because I got some great shots of Maggie on the roller coaster!) We had SO much fun - Maggie loved riding EVERYTHING (I swear, that kid has no fear) and I finally rode the ferris wheel with Scott. I'm not a ferris wheel type of person, so this was a stretch for me. It's not too bad after the first turn but I think I'll definitely not ride one again any time soon.

Finally today we're celebrating Father's Day. I bought Scott a remote control plane and he's in heaven. (Although my husband shows NO excitement LOL!) We're going to fly it later today at his parent's house. We're heading up there for a grill-out. Gotta love summer grill outs.

I'm also hoping to get some cleaning done in my scraproom. Here's to wishful thinking!

Confessions of a Fat Girl

Warning: LONG POST AHEAD and some strong language

That's right. I said it. FAT GIRL. That's me. The token fat girl. A few events this week have definitely pushed me over the edge to the point where I'm going to embrace my fatness and vow to change the opinion of society. (Of course, I am definitely pipe dreaming here - goodness knows that society will probably NEVER change it's views on the overweight but I'm going to make a damn good effort!)

All of this newfound courage has definitely been fueled by my reading "The Fat Girl's Guide to Life" by Wendy Shanker. First and foremost let me say that Wendy is amazing. She's charming, she's funny, she's real and we're kindred. Enough said. Secondly, I realized how angry I am because I'm made to feel like an outcast 99% of the time simply due to my weight. I'm going to try to change that - to not let outside factors influence how I feel about myself. Of course, two specific events this week did not help.

Today I was the receiptent of one hell of a slap in the face. The intentions were good I'm sure, however, the delivery was poor. I was shopping at Borders during my lunch break. I needed to relax because I was having a particularly stressful day and I wanted to pick up some magazines and something sweet. (Let me also add that I was having a TERRIBLE day with PMS, etc. It was an 800mg Advil day) One of my co-workers comes into the bookstore and begins to follow me around. Honestly, she's a sweet person but definitely overzealous in the "self-help" and "let me help you" department. I casually mentioned that I was going to pick up a brownie and head out when she proceeds to say that she'll be back in a second. Ok - no biggie. I figured she was looking at books for herself. She comes back with one about emotional issues and overeating. She suggests that it might help me with my struggles. Uh, ok...not really sure where the struggles are. It was just a brownie. She goes on to tell me that the author goes around conducting seminars that are expensive but helpful for those of us that are "overeaters". He tells us why we eat - what emotions trigger this.

I didn't quite know how to handle that one. Trust me - I don't believe it was malicious. Like I said - poor delivery. I just smiled and said "No thanks. I'm good." Truth was - my face stung from the slap. WOW. Why not just say "Hey you fat heffer. Here's a book you should read that some guy wrote about why you are so horrible and fat. Maybe it will prevent you from shoving your face full of brownies and all the other foods you enjoy." Yep - that's the interpretation I heard.

Secondly (and more minute) I had an altercation with an Escalade full of middle-aged jackasses. A friend and I were headed to Chipotle for lunch and I turned the corner to get ready to pull into a parking spot. The car was pulling out, so I figured I would pull in when they were finished. Meanwhile, an Escalade with about 5 middle-aged guys in suits pulls up and whips in. They just looked at me in disgust. I guess I'm not worthy of lunch. So, my friend and I get out and I can feel the fat girl bubbling up inside of me. She was angry and hurt. Had I have been a beautiful, thin girl, they probably would have gladly waved me into the spot. But no...I was a lowly fat girl. Frumpy and undeserving of any respect or God forbid modern chivalry. They all got out of their oversized SUV and laughed to each other. I, on the other hand, steamed. My friend steamed as well. She was appauled and I was embarrassed. I did however tell them that I didn't realize Chipotle served that many pricks at one time.

I'm not sure of the moral of my stories. Maybe I just want people to know what it's like to live in a fat world. Maybe I just want to vent for a minute. Maybe I'm taking Wendy Shanker to heart. Maybe I want to make a change and this is the first step. Maybe I want sympathy. Maybe I want to be left alone. Who knows. All I know is that the fat girl has awakened. She's here and she's going to stay.

Thank Goodness for Ms. Clairol

Or, Loreal Preference in my case. I have to renew my license since my birthday is coming up and I figured no better time than this morning. Which means I need to update my hair color. Can't have a license photo with faded color! So, at 6:45 this morning, I was in the bathroom applying color. (The things we do for a great license photo!)

New Bike & New Friend

I picked up Maggie's new bicycle last night and she absolutely LOVES it. She rode around for a while until her new friend came over to see it. We live across the street from a Romanian family and they have a daughter that's 6. The parents do not speak a lot of English, but I'm able to communicate with them fairly well and their daughter just loves playing with Maggie. So, we went across the street so the girls could play in their backyard. Their daughter is speaking English fairly well and translates for if we need her to.

I sat with the mom (Aneta) and looked at photos from Romania. Her hometown is beautiful - lots of gorgeous architexture. They are also very tight-knit when it comes to family. She was showing me photos of her family and telling me how much she misses them. She wants to go back now that it's no longer communistic. It was so interesting to talk to her about how different her country has become since democracy.

I feel for her because I think she's lonely. She's older (47) and due to her language barriers, a lot of the other neighbors don't really talk to her much. I've always made a point of talking to her because they are amazing neighbors. Very friendly and quiet. Plus, Maggie just adores their daughter, Andrea. (Pronouned Ohn-dray-a) I'm glad that I've become friends with her. I plan on helping her with her English and I'm even thinking about teaching her some scrapbooking. She had a LOAD of photo albums and she loved telling the story behind the photos. She was telling me how she e-mails pictures to her family in Romania. I snapped some shots of the girls playing and I told her I would e-mail them to her to send over there. She was so excited. Her family has never seen her daughter except for in photos and she was hoping they could there to visit next year.

Lots of great things in my opinion. A new friend for Maggie and I both. :)

Decent sale and other weekend ramblings

We had our yard sale this weekend and I have to say, it went better than expected considering it rained most of the morning. (Darn rain!) But, I was able to get rid of some things and I made enough money to buy Maggie a new bicycle.

We took her to Toys R Us today so that she could pick it out. She ended up getting an 18" bike (the TRU guy said that it would be better considering her age and that she'll outgrow the 16" right away). It's really cute - purple with streamers on the handlebars and a basket in the front. We even bought her the matching purple helmet. (I have to be honest - I NEVER wore a helmet as a child and looking back, I cringe at the things I used to do while on my bike.) So, we have a happy Maggie with a new bicycle. You know I'll be taking more pictures soon!

My brother also returned from Alaska and brought us gifts. He always brings us the coolest things from when he travels. He brought Maggie an eskimo doll and he bought me a stuffed husky (since we have a Siberian) and a magnet for my refridgerator. (Did I tell you how much my brother ROCKS?) Anyway, I felt bad because Maggie was napping with Scott when he stopped by so I had her call him and leave him a voice mail to thank him for the stuff. She ended up taking possession of my dog as well. Such is life when you have kids.

I'm headed up after this entry to clean and organize my scraproom. If I spent as much time scrapping as I do cleaning and organizing my stuff, I'd probably have all of my assignments done. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect room.

Feeling better about the show...

I watched the first episode of "Fire Me Please" last night and I have to admit - I laughed my butt off! It was hilarious! Part of me wishes we had the guy in the coffee shop because he was a riot! Now I'm thinking it won't be too bad. Looks like they edit out A LOT and that it focuses on the wild employee.

I can't believe I'm saying this but now I think I might actually be looking forward to it. I remember some of the goofy things that Angela did while in the store, but I'm sure that they'll catch some hilarious facial expressions. Trust me - Tina (my co-worker) is too funny! She makes these faces that always crack me up! The girl was driving her nuts so I'm sure you'll get some entertainment there!

I feel so much better!

Favorite 80's Movies

Totally inspired by a thread on 2Peas. Here is a list of my favorite 80's movies:

Sixteen Candles
The Breakfast Club
Poltergeist (don't ask me why - still creeps me out but I LOVE that movie!)
Top Gun
Uncle Buck
Vacation (Both regular & European)
Steel Magnolias
Pretty in Pink
The Little Mermaid
For Keeps
Rocky IV (Yes - I was about 9 when he fought the Russian and I STILL love it!)
Dirty Dancing
ET
A Christmas Story
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Revenge of the Nerds

I'm sure there are a bunch that I've forgot but I'll remember them eventually. I just pretty much love 80's movies. Could watch them over and over! :D

Not enough hours

in the day! Last night, I went to bed around 9:30! I fell asleep on the couch and just could not wake up. I managed to make it to my bed, but I was so worn out that I don't remember much else. Even this morning I'm tired.

I had all of these plans to get a ton of stuff done last night and I slept the evening away. Tonight I'll have a lot of catch-up to do. My nephew has started moving his stuff in. He loaded all of his boxes into the garage and I believe today is the last day in their old house. I feel sorry for him. That house is all he knows. He's lived there his entire life. But, I think Scott and I can provide a better home for him anyway. I did the same thing for his brother a few years ago, and he's doing great now. So, I'm praying for the same outcome.

Speaking of not enough hours, I have so many things to finalize for CHA. I'm starting to get a little nervous. All of the paper is done. As a matter of fact, we just released a pre-CHA mini-collection yesterday and that will ship in less than 2 weeks. The new papers for the show are done and will be ready ahead of schedule. It's the embellishments that are worrying me. Oh well...all in due time.

Plus, I have the yard sale this weekend. I've already placed the ad, so there is no turning back. LOL! I just hope I'm able to sell a bunch of stuff and clear out my clutter. (I'm such an organized living freak!) LOL!

To Tuesdays!!!

"Un" Pack-Ratting

I made this concious decision to live a more organized life. In that, I never thought I would realize how much I pack-rat. Seriously - I believe I have enough scrpabook supplies to open up my own store!

I have spent the past three hours cleaning out boxes of supplies and pricing them for a yard sale. That's right - YARD SALE! I'm having a big yard sale next week (at least I hope to) and I'm going to sell a ton of stuff. Things that I don't use, don't think I will use, might not use, etc. It's all GONE! I'm keeping some embellishments, ribbons, paper, and that's about it.(Oh, and some stamps) Everything else is GONE!!! (At least I hope some huge scrapper comes by and buys it all!) LOL!

Good Day Sunshine

I'm in a good mood this morning. Not sure why - maybe because it's Friday. In any event, I'll take the positive feeling. Makes me want to accomplish a ton of things today (which goodness knows I need to!).

I haven't thought about the reality show much. Still trying to avoid that. My friend told me the other day that she wouldn't be happy about it, either. The first time someone agreed with me. LOL! Everyone else thinks it would be totally cool to be on television. I'm not a reality TV person, which is the irony of all of this. But, I'm hopeful that maybe my few minutes on TV won't be so bad. Maybe I'll be funny like the producers claimed I was. Maybe I won't look as horrible as I thought I did. The whole day was a blur after we found out that it was a show. I just wish I could see the episode before the rest of the nation. Ooops - I said I haven't thought about it much. Guess I was wrong! LOL!

My plan this weekend is to work on my scrapbook room. My nephew will be moving in with us next week. I get to be the "parent" of a teenager again. (My other nephew lived with me from the time he was 18 - 20.) Maggie is excited claiming that she's getting another brother.

Well, better get ready and get to work. Got lots to do!

The Ultimate Scrapbook Room!

I'm in search of it! Or, at least the right furnishings for it. Basically, I thought I had my scraproom all set up but now my nephew is moving in with me and he'll be taking some of the space. (I have two bedrooms in the upper level of my house and so he'll be taking one and I'll have the other space. They're not quite two separate bedrooms. You have to walk through one to get to the other. But, they're two rooms nonetheless separated by a door.) Anyway, now I'm looking for the perfect furnishings to finish the room since my Target cubes just won't fit properly anymore.

I've poured through the Ikea catalog and still haven't really come up with anything. I guess I'm looking for suggestions. (Oh, and I can't afford Pottery Barn - so we're talking Target, Ikea, etc.)

I'm also hoping to figure out the "photo" thing so that I can start posting photos in my blog. I love looking at blogs with photos - makes it more interesting. Actually, my friends tease me that I don't read books unless they have photos in them. I'm such a visual person.

Speaking of visuals, I've been diligently working on new products for the upcoming CHA Summer show. The stress level is definitely climbing! But, it's what I do - it's what I live for! :) Stay tuned!