A Writer's Crafts

Another year . . . another post?

2012-01-05T08:06:00.001-05:00

Obviously I do not update this blog . . . ever . . . but I know my loyal followers are probably wondering if I put my wedding dress on this year. Well, the answer is yes. Without further ado (adieu?), here you are.

This year's theme was "Then & Now"

With my pretty flowers my hubby gave me

With our cute pups who wouldn't stay still. Yes, Daniel is wearing his suit jacket. Too bad you can't see his flannel PJ bottoms. This spring's next trend.

And the most convincing remake picture . . .don't look too closely -- the back of my dress is half-laced :) . . . and you might get grossed out by Daniel

Wish we could remake this photo but it is cold, windy, and rainy here in Germany.

It's been a great year, with a new (naughty little stinker) dog, moving to Germany, and getting to explore Europe. Can't wait to see what 2012 brings us.

Christmas Cards for Shery K CCB's Craft Challenge

2011-11-20T15:07:00.000-05:00

Some xmas cards I designed using the two papers provided by Shery K CCB's Craft Challenge Blog.

pictures i won't post on facebook

2011-01-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

but i'm sure you guys will enjoy ;)

Always...Sometimes...Never

2010-08-20T21:17:00.000-04:00

I always:

love waking up to puppy kisses.
think before I speak...which often results in very little speaking.
get places early.
want something sweet.
wish the secret to being thin was eating whatever you want and never working out.

I sometimes:

overthink things.
prefer the couch over most other options.
wonder if I'll ever be the boss.
pick my nose.
think mean things in my head.

I never:

park illegally.
ride in a car without a seatbelt.
get tired of Dirty Dancing and Good Will Hunting.
miss an episode of my favorite reality shows.
enjoy folding socks.

Come on down!

2010-08-09T07:25:00.000-04:00

We originally had tickets for the noon show on Monday. So, we got up at 3am, drove up to LA, parked the car at a mall, and walked over to the CBS studio. On the way over, a security guard in the mall told us he thought the taping was canceled because he has seen other people walking back to their cars. We were disappointed but decided to walk over just to make sure. Got over to the gate and the security guard told us they had canceled the taping at the last minute. NOOOOO! So, it’s 5 am and nothing is open, so we drive back to Scott’s place. Scott goes to work and we went mini-golfing. (I won one game and tied the 2^nd…in case you are wondering).

We got online to see if there were tickets left for Tuesday’s show…the noon show wasn’t available but we got tickets for the 4pm show. The bad thing is that you still have to show up before 6am to get “order of arrival” passes if you want to be sure to get seats for the later taping. So, we got up at 3 again and got in line at about 5am. There were probably 150 or 200 people in line when we got there. Some people had clearly slept on the sidewalk overnight. Crazies!

When we got up to the front of the line around 6:30, they asked if we wanted to get a number for the earlier show or be guaranteed great seats for the 4pm show. We decided to stick with the later show and we got numbers 8, 9 and 10. Front row seats!

We didn’t have to be back to the studio until 12:15, so we drove around until a breakfast place opened at 7:30. Then, we wasted 4 hours driving around LA, trying to stay awake. We drove around Beverly Hills, saw the gate to the Playboy mansion, saw Rodeo Drive.

When we got back to the studio at 12:15, they started calling numbers and had everyone line up in rows (there were about 300 people). Then we filled out notecards with “interesting facts” about ourselves, got our price tag name tags, and waited to be moved to another area. They moved us to another area where we sat for about 45 minutes until one of the producers came out to greet and meet everyone. The producer went down the line in groups of 10 and talked to each person, screening for contestants. Daniel talked about how he’s a band dork; I told him I’m a proposal writer. The producer said “Well, good luck.” and moved on quickly to Scott, who talked about being a dorky librarian. I don’t think our life stories made a big impact. I should have lied. I thought our AMAZING t-shirts would get us a shoe-in, but they didn’t seem to care. Clearly, the person next to us with a “Pick Me!” t-shirt was more interesting.

After the interviews, we were herded off to go through security and then sit for another 2 hours in another waiting area. Then, around 3:45, we were finally ushered up into the studio and into the FRONT ROW right by the cameras. A woman behind us said she had our seats last time she came to a taping and she was in a lot of the shots of contestant row. So, we should be on TV a lot! I had read online that it’s a lot smaller than it looks on TV and I agree. They played loud music and people danced around while we waited for Drew to come out. We knew at that point that they had already selected the contestants, so we just watched the crazies act crazy.

The show started…they had a guest announcer that day – the guy that hosts (or maybe hosted?) Supermarket Sweep. Not the guy I remember from when I used to watch that show but some other guy.

They have interns that hold up cards with the name of the contestant on it when the announcer calls the next person…it is really loud and you can’t hear what the announcer is saying. You also can’t really hear him describe the item up for bid and it’s hard to actually see the prizes through the camera men and production assistants.

We got to high-five the contestants as they came down to the front podiums and that was pretty cool. Drew would come out to the edge of the stage while they set up the next segment and he was probably 10 feet from us. Drew has lost a ton of weight – he is probably half the size he used to be!

The taping lasted about an hour and a half…one guy won a car and the girl who won the showcase showdown won a boat and 2 dune buggies. We overheard as we were walking out that the guy has to pay the tax on the car before he can claim the prize…so that sucks.

It was a cool experience…I kinda wish Bob Barker was still hosting. Woulda been cool to see an icon like that and Drew Carey has never been my favorite comedian. Regardless, definitely a fun time!

A poem for my fur babies

2010-07-26T21:20:00.002-04:00

I'm participating in Mama Kat's writing assignment this week --

Ode to the Dogs

Oh Ziggy and Norton,

Your puppy dog looks make me smile.

I can’t be mad when I see your faces,

Even when you poop in inappropriate places.

Your slobbery wet kisses,

And your cuddle bug ways,

Oh, they make me very happy,

Even when my day at work is very, very crappy.

Please don’t ever run away,

Or chew my laptop cord (again).

When you do that you make my heart race,

And also it makes me want to punch you, right in the cute little puppy dog face.

So be good little boys,

Zigster and Monkey.

I can’t imagine my life without you two,

Actually, I can…there’d be a lot less poo.

Sidenote: both pups got haircuts on Saturday...different groomers...both places gave them girly accessories.

They really do grow up so fast...

2010-07-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

Remember these guys?

Well, they grew a lil' bit.

Pretty crazy. I mean, not as crazy as you ladies who grow PEOPLE inside your belly...but still pretty cool.

Honey...I mosaiced the house

2010-07-11T18:11:00.000-04:00

i'm taking a mosaics class and i got a little carried away this weekend. :) tomorrow night is our last class and i'll be learning how to grout them...so hopefully i don't ruin them!

10 things that turn my frown upside down

2010-07-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Joining in on the writing prompt thingy that Joanna did...

10 things that make me happy:

1. My dogs -- even when they are a pain in the ass, they are really stinkin' cute and they like to cuddle.

2. Food. There, I said it.

3. Post-it notes. Best invention ever.

4. Daniel. (Sorry babe, apparently you come after post-it notes.)

5. Being in Austin. There's just something about that city.

6. Coupons. Except when they expire. That makes me sad.

7. Having the time to do crafty things.

8. Doing nice things for other people and unexpected acts of kindness by other people.

9. Getting a raise at work! (that just happened)

10. Having Monday off from work. Few things are as great as that.

A little birdie told me...

2010-06-29T20:14:00.000-04:00

...that the Stocks are expecting a new little chick-a-dee in their nest. So I made Cletus his first bird house. The end.

A little perspective

2010-06-12T11:04:00.000-04:00

Pretty crazy how some tiny little seeds can turn into tiny little sprouts that turn into MORE BASIL THAN I KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH.

A trip to remember...

2010-06-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

So, the trip to Austin started out a little like a bad movie. I got permission to leave early from work so I got home, got my stuff (or so I thought), and we got in the car. I had taken my purse and laptop, but had left my suitcase in PLAIN SIGHT in the entry way, fully expecting my dear husband to see said suitcase, pick it up on his way out the door, and put it in the car. Nope. Husband fail. Luckily I thought to ask if he had gotten my suitcase about 3 minutes after we left the house…so we turned around and got it.

In the car, Daniel suggests that I stuff my purse into my suitcase so that I can carry everything on. I say, “Well, I can’t do that because I have a bunch of liquids in my bag.” So I’m standing in line to check my bag, and then remember the fact that they charge you your first born child now to check a bag…so, back to the carrying-everything-on plan. Except, we have the liquids. And we have no Ziplock bag. I make a call to Daniel for him to come back so I can give him my liquids…meanwhile, I go up to the security area to see if perhaps one of the nice security men have a baggy. No suck luck. Back downstairs to Daniel who is waiting in the car. Dump all cosmetics. Go back inside and upstairs to security. Things went smoothly from there. Well, except the part where I bought a sandwich from Starbucks that tasted like cardboard. And the part where no flight is EVER on time any more. And that part where some dude let some nasty gas on the plane and that smell lingered like an awkward 6^th grader trying to make new friends.

I had a really great time in Austin and it really makes me want to move back…I am trying to convince Daniel to quit the Army and I will be his sugar momma. I think it might be working. I just love how many great outdoor places there are, Central Market, all the restaurants, shopping…and of course I miss my girlfriends and their cute little babies. Hopefully it will happen someday…

Pesto may be in our future!

2010-05-25T20:10:00.000-04:00

I think it finally got hot enough and the basil has taken off! I grew it from seed. Surely it is going to die any day now.

The cilantro is still a little leggy (my dad's diagnosis...he is the one with the green thumb)...but think it is happier now that it's in a bigger pot:

And the other plants are doing well too (note the chicken wire on the fence...some little dogs like to squeeze through the fence and run away)...luckily we could put a few couches and a broken down car in our yard and it would still look better than some of our neighbors' wastelands...

And Ziggy making sure the fish are doing OK:

How much is that doggy in the crate with the custom cover?

2010-05-24T20:06:00.000-04:00

My latest craft project was a cover for Ziggy's crate. I was going to buy fabric but then decided that fitting down a shower curtain was cheaper and easier.

The crate before (dog not included):

The shower curtain from TJ Maxx:

Pinning it on the crate:

The finished product!

Have you met my kids?

2010-05-22T10:05:00.000-04:00

I think I'm glad we got the puppy first...pretty sure it wouldn't have happened the other way, and Norton would live a sad, lonely life without a crazy, clumsy little brother.

I'm sure other people have written about this, but there really are a lot of similarities between having dogs and having kids:

1. An inability to sleep past 6 a.m. I tried this morning and only made it to 7:15 before I couldn't take Ziggy's whining any more.
2. Your conversations with your husband begin to center around bodily functions -- "Did Ziggy go poop? Did Norton pee?"
3. You become responsible for picking up said poop. And it makes you throw up a little in your mouth.
4. You have to take them to the vet and spend a lot of money on medications they probably don't really need...but because the doctor says the sniffles could possibly turn into a sinus infection, you fork over $100.
5. Car rides are more stressful than taking the SAT. By the time the dogs settle down, you're there.
6. You and your husband start to argue over who took care of the dogs last and whose turn it is to get out of bed at 5:30 a.m.
7. Things start to disappear. We still have no idea what happened to Norton's harness. Have not seen it come out of Ziggy but could happen any day now.
8. You take a million pictures of them, post them on Facebook, and convince yourself that other people want to see them.
9. If the dogs lay down quietly to nap, it doesn't matter if there's a fire in the kitchen...you are NOT getting off the couch for fear of disturbing the peace.
10. When they look at you with those puppy eyes and give you those puppy kisses, you forget it all.

So...crying infant? BRING IT ON. At least they don't poop in the dining room...right?!?

T-shirt design contest

2010-05-09T08:49:00.001-04:00

So...a local sandwich shop is having a tshirt design contest...I have a couple mock ups and would love feedback. I know there's only like 3 of you that read this, but any opinions are appreciated! The name of the restaurant is "Taste" and the oval thingy is their logo...and one of their taglines is "Live the Good Life".

T-shirt #1

Tshirt #2

Tshirt #3 - front and back

Tshirt #4

Puppy love

2010-05-04T17:35:00.000-04:00

I forgot what it’s like to have a puppy.

Hello, 5:30 a.m. Nice to see you. SURE, I would LOVE to go on a walk.

I was telling Joanna that Ziggy has been good so far and she said I sound like a new mom. He slept in his kennel the first two nights and has pretty much slept through the night. I woke up the first night at 12:30 and took him out just out of precaution and I woke Daniel up last night and made him take him out around 1. I don’t think he really needed to go out, I just wanted to make Daniel wake up. Is that wrong?

I’m also starting to understand what my mom meant when she said she only had me because she couldn’t imagine sharing herself with another baby. We got Ziggy for Norton to try and help him with his separation anxiety…and it seems to be working…but now I am kind of feeling sad that Norton is not being my shadow any more. Daniel and I keep asking Norton if he’s sad that we got another puppy and have been trying to give Norton as much attention as the new guy…but it’s also easy to focus all our attention on making sure Ziggy doesn’t eat the couch or piss in the corner.

We are adjusting to life as 4 instead of 3…and it’s sort of making me wonder if maybe waiting to make it 5 isn’t such a bad idea. I might need to grow another set of arms first…and I hear that takes awhile.

I guess the steroids worked...

2010-04-29T21:00:00.000-04:00

...my seedlings have grown quite a bit in just the last week!

In other news, my life has been reduced to watching plants grow. Aaannnndddd down.

Earth Day

2010-04-22T19:45:00.000-04:00

Norton and I spent some time in the garden tonight in honor of Earth Day...and in honor of me not wanting to go to the gym.

The fence area where we tore out a fountain a couple weekends ago...

A second attempt at growing some basil and cilantro...so far not much growth...

My handsome little guy...

Some sunflowers and something that seem to be doing well...

And a close up of the spikey flower things in the front bed...

A recent "craft"

2010-04-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

So I suppose putting two pictures into frames doesn't really count as a craft project...but I still think it was a cool idea, if I do say so myself. Me and my mom (my mom and I?! Hey, I'm a writer...not a grammarian) on our wedding days:

I was going to give them to my mom for Mother's Day, but I ended up sending them to her for her birthday instead.

Puppy or baby?

2010-04-16T17:17:00.001-04:00

That is the question.

Puppy?

Or baby? (Your guess is good as mine--is that a girl or boy? And I really thought our kid would be cuter. Or at least not half-cross eyed.)

Daniel and I have toyed with the idea of getting Norton a sibling to try and help him with his separation anxiety. We've dog sat my parents' dog a couple times, and Norton seems to do better when he has a friend around during the day while we're at work. We've been looking at the local pound to see if they ever get a young, non-shedding dog of medium size...but as you can imagine, that doesn't really happen. Daniel wants to get a bigger dog that is more athletic and would go for a run or play ball...while I am OK with the idea of another cute little furball that I can dress up who likes to cuddle (really, can you have too many of those?!). We've even looked for poodle and labradoodle breeders in the area, but we end up questioning whether we have time for another dog and whether it's worse to leave 2 dogs home alone all day. And if we do get a puppy, I'm not sure how we would potty train it when we're both gone for over 9 hours each day.

Then there's the question of when to start trying to have a baby. I just added short term disability insurance at work, so we have to wait a few months for that to kick in so that I can use it when the time comes for maternity leave...so, come early fall, Project Baby Maker should be ready to launch. Is it wrong that I am trying to develop a timeline? I even went as far as to use an online calculator that predicts your due date based on the month you conceive. And I've thought about what time of year would be ideal for the 3rd trimester (hello, high maintenance!) We're also trying to plan ahead based on when Daniel's contract with the Army is up and whether he's going to re-enlist or pursue other options. If he does stay in, we might have the option of going overseas to Europe for 3 years, so I've also got that in the back of mind as far as timing. And then at the same time, I have to remind myself that there's no guarantee I'll be able to get pregnant right away, or at all.

Overall, seems like the puppy option is a lot less complicated...if we can just agree on a breed. :)

Watching our garden grow...

2010-04-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

Long time, no post. Guess life gets in the way. And by life, I mean, work, the gym, cleaning the house, and sleeping. Seems to be what I do on a regular basis.

This last weekend we spent about 8 hours in the garden, tearing out a fountain that did nothing but collect algae and re-planting the front bed.

We'd also been growing some basil and cilantro from seed.

The basil was growing fairly constantly and it's been getting warmer out, so I decided to take the container outside...well, Norton was outside with us tied up to his leash...and he ran over the basil. Dumped them out all over the sidewalk. Not to mention, I had dumped them over once while they were growing inside...and then I think they got tipped over one other time also. Seems third time was a charm and they now appear to have wilted up and died. I think I am over growing things from seed. I just don't have the patience! Although I haven't given up completely -- I planted some daisies and sunflowers in the back yard and still have some hope for those. And the cilantro hasn't completely died yet, although it hasn't really grown much in the last couple weeks. Stay tuned...hopefully some fresh salsa and pesto are in our future...

Just some pics of Norton

2010-02-24T18:13:00.000-05:00

...in case I don't have enough of them on Facebook. I've been playing around with some Photoshop actions that I got from Pioneer Woman's blog. So here's some digitally enhanced cuteness for your viewing pleasure.

His good side

His silky hair

On guard

Why I love the rec center

2010-02-23T19:35:00.001-05:00

I do a lot of people watching at the gym...I think mostly because it helps pass the time more quickly. And maybe also because the rec center crowd in my neighborhood is quite quirky. Take for instance:

The instructors
Donna, the Zumba instructor. Approximately in her mid to late 50s, approximately not-at-all Latin, approximately way too perky for a Monday night class. You can count on her to tell the same Zumba-related jokes each week, such as "You need a good sports bra for this class." as we are "shimmying" for the 80th time, or "I'm not calling you a stripper, I'm telling you to do a stripper roll." as we all awkwardly contort our bodies and swing our arms above our heads.

Chuck, the kickboxing instructor. Approximately in his 50s, approximately 250 pounds and 6 feet tall, approximately 95 percent of what comes out of his mouth is incomprehensible. The phrases you can understand include "That's it, just like that.", "That's right girl, do that work.", "This side, now this side. This side, now this side.", "Balance is about concentration." and "You know what I mean?" Luckily, aerobics is an activity that can be taught with visuals alone.

Birgitt, the "Turbo Kickboxing" instructor. Approximately in her late 30s, approximately 150 pounds of lean muscle, approximately all the hairs on her head have a bad 80s perm. You can count on her to wear black spandex shorts, a tank top with something sparkly written on it, and black high tops. You can also count on her to wear her frizzy permed hair down for the entire class.

The fellow worker outers
Tonight, on the way out I heard a guy asking his girlfriend "You think that two girls, one cup thing is real?" If you don't know about that YouTube video, consider yourself lucky. I only know because of Daniel's crude Army buddies who showed us one time. Don't do a search for it. Really. Don't.

Then there's the guy on the bike who looks like he hasn't gotten a haircut in 10 years and smells obviously of pot. I think I got high just using the machine next to him.

Don't forget the lady who wears those Skechers that are supposed to tone your butt and thighs just by wearing them. She must think she is getting 2-for-1 by wearing them to class. She must also think her terrycloth headband is adding to her stylin' perm and bangs.

I'm not sure anyone at the rec center can top the 9 months pregnant lady who I used to step class with at the YMCA, but overall, it's a pretty entertaining group.

And that's right girl, tonight I did that work.

One post is all it takes!

2010-02-19T19:29:00.002-05:00

Apparently Joanna is easy cuz she gave me the Beautiful Blogger award. Thanks, Tutti!

So, to follow the instructions that come with this award, I will now tell you 7 interesting things about myself. You can be the judge as to whether they should all be considered "interesting".

1. I have a love/hate relationship with my dog. He's pretty much the cutest thing ever, until you leave him alone and come back and the recycling is spread out across the kitchen, he's peed in the corner, and somehow managed to rub the top of his head in said pee. Interesting, right? And now you never want to pet my dog.

2. I've been trying to decide what to blog about. I kinda want to blog about work because I work with some pretty entertaining people (in good and bad ways). But that might get me fired, and then I might have to write blog entries and post pictures of my dog all day, AND make money at the same time. And clearly, Dooce pretty much has that market cornered.

3. I like trashy reality TV like The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Jersey Shore, and even 16 and Pregnant on occasion. I don't really know why.

4. Not a fan of cats. They make me itch and scare me a little too.

5. I could probably live on sweets alone. Chocolate, Cake, Cookies, Ice Cream. Just no pie. I don't like pie. Unless it has graham cracker crust, then I will probably like it.

6. I have a real hard time breaking rules. This includes things like parking where you shouldn't, letting the parking meter expire, taking more than my allotted lunch break, taking more than one "free sample" of something, etc. It's kind of annoying.

7. I miss having my college girlfriends to hang out with. It makes me sad that we'll never all live in the same city again.

I nominate these 7 bloggers:

http://somellifluous.blogspot.com/ -- Because I admire the passion she has for life.
http://thehamiltonthree.blogspot.com/ -- Because she literally had a baby today, and I'm sure she'll have time to blog. In 18 years.
http://zeeceeandjofe.blogspot.com/ -- Because she is a great friend and she needs to post more pics of her cute little boy!
http://breathinghisjoy.blogspot.com/ -- Because she passed along her beautiful curls to her adorable daughter and hope she will blog more about their adventures!
http://erintjlylacaballero.blogspot.com/ -- Because I love the pictures she posts and hope to learn a few things about photography from her!

Ok, that's only 5. Deal with it.

Here's the rules for you guys:
~Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.
~Copy the award and paste it to your blog.
~Tell us 7 interesting facts about yourself.
~Nominate 7 bloggers that you love and link to their blog.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-02-15T19:47:00.001-05:00

When Daniel and I first met, I was doing an internship in Austin and he was living up in Denton, so a lot of our communication was by phone and email. A LOT of phone and email. One of the ways that we got to know each other was by playing a never ending game of 20,000 questions. I have most of these emails saved and it's kind of fun to look back and see what details we asked each other about.

Something Daniel used to always ask me about was what my "favorites" are. As in, "what's your favorite food?" or "what's your favorite movie?" For some reason, I don't really have favorites. I like food. I like movies. In some ways, it's a lot easier for me to identify what I DON'T like. I don't like (most) seafood. I don't like sci-fi/fantasy/space creature movies. But I always struggled to pinpoint one thing in any given category that I could hold up with any certainty and say "that's my favorite!"

Of course, when it comes to food or movies, it's probably quite inconsequential to have one that you love more than any other. But I recently started to think about how this inability to pick is probably related to my personality and how I approach life in general...and specifically, how I envision my "career" playing out.

Daniel sometimes teases me that I lack "passion" -- and I admit I've never felt like I had a calling, or a certain career path, or something I felt determined to accomplish. My high school boyfriend knew he wanted to cure diseases and work for the CDC. I just knew I wanted to go to college and play in the marching band. I had no "favorite" subject, so I chose Psychology because it had the least core requirements and that meant I could take a bunch of other classes...especially ones that had writing components. With writing, I don't have to chose a favorite subject...I can learn about anything and then write about it...and so I think slowly I have come to realize that what I might worry is a lack of focus, is really more an opportunity to always have the option to learn something new.

And if I think about it in this way, Daniel and I are a good fit. He has a passion for his music. He's been working towards a spot in one of the Washington D.C. premiere bands (his "dream job")...and in the mean time, while he's in the "regular"Army, we will probably be moved around a lot. And while this nomad thing may get old (check back with me after we're forced to live in the middle of Missouri for 3 years), I have started to get excited by the thought of seeing different areas of the country, exploring new cities, possibly living abroad, and even being able to work at different jobs in each new place we go.

I think I've come to realize that maybe I don't have to find my perfect job. Because I know that no matter where we go, if I'm with Daniel...that will always be my favorite place to be. Happy Valentine's, and hope that you too are surrounded by the people you love the most!

p.s. it's OK if you just threw up in your mouth a lil' bit.