She’s Alive!

Me that is. I’m alive. Barely on some days, but I’m here. I could write a big long post to catch you up to date, but would anyone really read it? (Not to mention I don’t feel like it. LOL!) So here are some photos from our summer. One and half weeks left of summer vacation for the kids. Bittersweet. I’ll miss them, but I think we’re ALL ready for them to go back.

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I Suck Ass.

That’s right. I said it. I suck ass. Sigh. I am SUCKING at this blogging thing here on the ol’ personal blog. I’ve been quite efficient over on the other blog I contribute to. But by the time I get done with that, take care of the kids, take care of the husband (ahem…), take care of the house, post on Facebook, post on Twitter, make some shit that allows me to release my inner artist, etc., this ol’ blog gets neglected and I’m just too tired or uninspired to update it. I hate that I don’t post here anymore, so I’m going to try really, really hard to start posting fairly regularly again. I’m not sure who here even cares anymore (if any of you are even here anymore), but we’ll just plug along and see what I can do. LOL!

Hmmm… I’m not sure if any of my updating would interest any of you at this point. Or how many of you follow me on Twitter or Facebook (which means you already know everything about me), but I’ll give a brief summary.

School’s out… we joined the public pool for the summer and the girls drive me nuts everyday begging to go… I take them but hate it, only because my only suit that fits me is a plain brown one-piece that makes me look like a big piece of wet lumpy shit (need to get a new one this week)… Steve’s busy with work and got blonde highlights last week that make him look like a rock star and makes me want to dry hump him or something… lots of awesome friends have been stopping over a lot on the weekends which kicks ass, regardless of the ridiculous hangovers and lack of sleep we’re getting because of it… my creative mind is in overdrive and I’m a bit worried how much of that I’ll be able to satisfy now that the kids are home all day everyday… I have some cool ideas in the works that could either make or break me, but no one was ever successful without trying, so we’ll see what happens… I lost my wallet today and was thrilled when someone turned it in with all $150-ish still in it, untouched (I knew there were still good people out there in the world)…

Dear god. I keep thinking of more to add. But I’m going to end this. Only because I don’t want this blog to become an online journal of my everyday life. Most of you (I think) are my friends on Facebook, which means you already know ALL of this stuff, so why reiterate it here. Nope. Starting tomorrow, this is going to become like the “old blog” again. Humorous stories… essays… observations… conversations… etc. So thanks for bearing with me as I just rambled on about nothing. It’s my gift. Enjoy it. ;)

Creative Headgear

I SWEAR I’ll be back later with a real post, but for now, I just wanted to let you know I put up today’s blog post over on the Everyday Artist blog. Go see me making an absolute FOOL of myself while rocking out wearing the family’s hats.

My first blog post is up…

…over at Everyday Artist. Come discover the hidden writer in yourself.

(I’ll be posting again tomorrow too, but it won’t have anything to do with writing. Promise.)

5-4-3-2-1… Blastoff!

The site is officially launched! The one I was telling you about yesterday. The one I’m really, REALLY excited about.

Sweet, kind, fiercely talented Danielle Donaldson asked me a week or so ago to be on her team. I love me some Danielle, and once she filled me in on the whole concept, I was MORE than happy to accept. The new site is here. (Once you get there and poke around for a bit, click on the “Team” link. That’s right… I’m “The Yard Dawg” and if any of you try to cross me, I’ll chew your asses off. LOL!) On the site, we’ll highlight Danielle’s digital designs, photography in general, and being everyday artists in many aspects of our lives.

We also have a blog. Secretly, I most excited about the blog. (Well, not so secret anymore. Sorry Danielle if that was the wrong thing to say. LOL!) There are 4 of us that will have a set day every week to blog (my day is Thursdays), with the 5th day being for guest bloggers, kid bloggers, etc. (we won’t blog on weekends). Each of us has a certain “specialty” that we’re best at/do most often/were chosen for/etc., but there will be a lot of cross-posting about particular aspects of artistic stuff too.

I’ll use a lot of my posts to get everyone to think about writing. Not novels, mind you, because hell, even I haven’t written one of those (yet). Just little stuff. Crazily fun writing exercises… Writing ideas that make you think (or not think if you’re so inclined)... Journaling projects that get your kids involved… Some easy stuff… Stuff that involves a little more thought… Generally, all aspects of the writing spectrum. Most people assume that keeping a journal involves long paragraphs, daily updating, etc. but it doesn’t have to be like that. My goal is to make people realize that capturing their moments and memories through writing don’t have to involve a lot of work. I even have writing and art projects in mind that involve nothing more than jotting down (literally) one word a day. It’s going to be FUN. I promise.

But I’ll also be posting about other stuff. Scrapbooking, easy home projects to create awesome artwork for your walls even if you’ve never scrapped a page in your life and don’t have the software tools to do what some other people can, make you realize how words and lyrics and nature and all sorts of other things can inspire us all, “art” in the sense of just looking at yourself and realizing that your everyday responsibilities as wives, mothers, sisters, chauffeurs, coaches, house cleaners, etc. (whether you realize it or not) make you force yourself to be creative and invent things and ideas that you normally wouldn’t.

There’s also a set day on the blog to get our kids involved in being creative and give other kids motivation and ideas for discovering their inner artist. Art knows no age limit, so we’re hoping you all realize that your kids are artists too and can often spark that inspiration in us (and other kids their age) that we didn’t even know was there.

It’s a new project, which means transition. So bear with us and let us grow and develop. We all have the same goal in mind and I promise that as we each blog over the next few weeks, you’ll watch us all grow and develop and find our own groove. I’m REALLY hoping that you’ll take the journey with us and pick and choose which posts you most relate to (or ideally, choose all of them! LOL!). Figure out where the “inner artist” in you really shines and then run with it. And if we manage to turn our vision into a reality, you’ll start to realize that you’re an artist in ways you didn’t even think about before. :)

So add the blog to your feed reader (and then actually read it), join in on the challenges when we post them, comment when you feel inclined to, and join the Flickr group (Tink & the two Kelly’s, I’ll kick your ass if you don’t… LOL!), and allow yourselves to grow right along with us. I swear on all things holy that if you stick with us and help us iron out the kinks, we’ll get you on the right path. I have WAY too many friends that say, “I wish I was as creative as you,” without even realizing that they ARE creative… just not in the same way I am. We ALL are in our own ways, and the blog is going to be about discovering how to figure out exactly in what way you are.

So here we go. Buckle up and ride along. :)

Where do I start?

Hmmm… starting points are hard for me, generally speaking, simply because I’m a rambling sort of chick. I jump from thing to thing… lose focus and then gain incredible focus at the drop of a hat… have too many thoughts swirling to possibly get them all down… So let’s get started.

Since being laid off, I’ve been busier than I was when I was working if that’s possible. But it’s almost all good, FUN busy stuff and not that “busy” that makes us want to rip our hair out (although I’ve had my fair share of that too).

But my biggest sucker of time has been a new adventure I was invited to participate in. I’ll give more details in the next few days, but a crazy creative friend of mine asked me to help her launch a new website with a fantastic concept. It does involve digital scrapbooking to an extent, but it’s so much more than that (in our heads anyway). It’s about discovering and nurturing the everyday artist in all of us.

Art doesn’t have to involve paint or scrapbooking or pencils or photography. Although all of those kick ass, “art” is so much more than that. It’s how we live everyday of our lives. It’s what we see when we look around in our everyday lives. It’s how we come up with solutions to the normal stuff in our lives. It’s the simple notes we jot down to our spouses and kids. It’s the recipes we event and the organizational solutions we come up with. It’s all of that and more. And the new site is going to reflect all of that. Me and 3 other women are going to do our damndest to make each and every one of you realize that you all have an inner “artist” in you begging to get out. And we’re also going to make you realize that you’re all creative in your own way and that the things you do everyday that you wouldn’t think twice about is art in it’s own way. I’m pumped. Excited. Motivated. Inspired. And I promise we’ll do our best to make the rest of you feel the same way.

I’ll be back in a day or two to post the link to the new site. It may take us a bit to really get in the groove and get the site exactly the way we want it, but I promise you that if you all take the time to transition with us, you won’t be disappointed. More details soon. Pinky swear. But right now, I have shitloads of stuff to do for the launch and I’m going to get my ass fired before I even start if I don’t get it done. So stay tuned. I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed… ;)

Let’s just let the pictures tell the story.

Since I obviously can’t be trusted or depended on to actually write any content on here these days (which is sad, since I’m often damn hilarious), I’m just going to post lots of photos of the past few weeks in our lives. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a total cop-out, but I’m cool with that. A picture speaks a thousand words after all, which means I just wrote 15,000 or so of them…

It’s fishing season here. The girls love fishing season.

Hannah continues to let everyone (including the Tooth Fairy) know who’s in charge.

Hannah’s dance recital is coming up soon.

We’ve all been doing lots of reading lately.

I made exploding photo boxes for Mother’s Day. Looks like a box, but when you take the lid off, the sides “explode” to reveal several layers of photos.

My girls get more beautiful by the day. :)

More later. I’m off to watch tonight’s “House.” :)

OK. So I suck AND I lie.

So much for crossing my heart and hoping to die after that last post. Obviously, I’m a big fat liar. LOL!

ANYWAY, I’m here now. I’m not really sure how I ended up here, since I was doing other things, but here I am, so let’s update, shall we? [enter bulleted list]

(If you do not want to read the bullets, the brief summary of this post is that I got laid off, I’m not running anymore but still exercising, I can read, I like psychics, I still take lots of photos, pig roast planning has begun, I like free shit, and I’m a sucker.)

* I got laid off a few weeks ago. Most people are upset when this happens to them, but in my case, I was thrilled! I didn’t really like the job, (most of) the people annoyed the shit out of me, and I had no CLUE who was going to take care of my children over the summer. Now I can take care of my children over the summer and I can collect the same amount I was making at the job, so it’s ALL good. :)

* The Couch to 5K program is dead in my life (may it RIP). My knees were just WAY too excruciatingly painful for me to keep it up. But I’m taking some stuff to try to rebuild that cartilage (so I can start again), and for now, I’m running on our elliptical everyday. I’ve found that being able to read a book while exercising makes exercising MUCH more bearable. ;)

* Speaking of reading, I’ve finished three complete books in the past week and a half. I haven’t read ONE full book in about 5 years, so this is huge! See? I TOLD this being laid off thing is a good thing. ;)

* A few nights ago, Steve and I went to see Lisa Williams live. It was FANTASTIC! And although we didn’t get a reading, we ALMOST did (which sent us both into heart attack mode) and we loved the show all the same. And considering the heart-in-our-throats feeling we had when we thought we were going to get one, it’s probably better off we didn’t this time. LOL!

* I’m still going strong with my Project 365 challenge. I’ve already gone longer than I did last year, so I guess that’s a good thing.

* We’re already discussing this year’s pig roast. We considered just skipping it this year, but a ton of people have started asking us when it is, so we feel sort of obligated. Tink & Hoop better get their asses up here this year! ;)

* I’ve started using coupons. Now, I realize this is something ALL people should do all the time, but I was always too lazy (and too stupid) to do it. But in the past month, I’ve saved over $40 using them. I’ve also managed to snag a ton of free products and free samples just by finding the right websites. I’ve become a bit obsessed with it actually, and play little mind games with myself, trying to outwit, outlast and outplay myself. If there’s a way to get something free or cheap, I WILL find it, dammit! The other week, I scored over $150 worth of Bath & Body Works stuff for around $40, AND I got free lotion at Victoria’s Secret. I also got a free box of organic waffles, a free bottle of detergent, a free tube of toothpaste, and a bunch of free Nature Made vitamins. AND in the next week or so, I can enjoy my free pack of 3 lip glosses from Sephora in honor of my birthday. I fucking RULE!

[What else? What else? Shit. I SWEAR a bunch of stuff has happened lately…]

* I’ve become obsessed with my new facial lotion, but that’s another post for another day.

* I somehow got suckered into taking my friend to her physical therapy three times a week (long story). So now every Monday, Wednesday & Friday while the kids are in school and Steve is working and I could be on Facebook or emailing people or scrapbooking or getting stuff done around the house, I’m instead taking at least 3 (or 4) hours of my day to help a friend. I know all about that good karma shit and all, but it’s getting old. Sigh. But since I’m (sort of) responsible for the surgery that has required her to need the therapy, I feel like it’s sort of my duty to keep taking her. Blech.

I think that’s it for now. I have a bunch of photos I’ll post in the next few days. You know… in between my exercising, slathering on facial lotion, driving to other people’s therapy sessions, and channeling the spirits of people I know that are dead.

Son of a bitch, I suck. LOL!

Sorry guys. I totally dropped the ball on the blog thing yet again. I’m not sure why I apologize every time. That almost seems a bit self-indulgent, as if all of you are clicking over here every day, upset when there’s no new post. I KNOW better than that, and yet I feel the need to say I’m sorry whenever I haven’t been around for awhile. LOL!

But I PROMISE (cross my heart and hope to die)  that I’ll be back in the morning to update on the craziness of my life. Because honestly, even I can’t keep up with it some days lately.

Life is Good

* I’m still following the Couch to 5K program. Today, I finished Week 2. Steve went with me and we ran along the canal. He got ahead of me, but I expected that. I did it dammit. I’m doing it. I normally don’t finish things I start, so we’ll see how it goes.

* I still don’t have confirmation that my SIL is actually running these days, so for now, I must continue my quest to outrun, outwit, and outlast her. As long as she outweighs me, the universe will continue to function normally.

* I DO, however, had hideous pain in my knees today (and yesterday) though. I’ve had issues with my knees and ankles since I was a little kid, so it doesn’t surprise me. But tonight, cutting off my legs from my knees down to get rid of the incessant aching is something I considered.

* Hannah’s daisies are growing quite well in the little cartons on our windowsill. We all water them and we check daily to see how many new ones have poked through the dirt. There’s something magical about spring and the growth it brings.

* I painted two walls in our middle room today on a whim. I didn’t want to spend money to paint a shitty room with pieced together paneling, so I used the “leftovers” from the greenish color we originally painted our kitchen (and then painted over). The room was just WAY too dark and depressing in it’s dark burgundy color, and I felt the need to change it.

* But I’m sick of painting now and asked Steve if he minded 2 light green walls and 2 dark red ones. He said no, so we’ll see if I finish. LOL!

* Oh. And I ran out of paint, so I hope WalMart can match it with a different paint brand or we really WILL have 2 green walls and 2 red walls.

* I have every intention of bribing Grace tomorrow with a Webkinz or something in order to avoid a bowling party she was invited to. I spent 2 hours in a bowling alley last weekend with Hannah and 20 other 4 and 5-year-olds, and I just think asking me to do that 2 weeks in a row is just wrong. Especially when I have two walls to paint. So I fully intend to use gifts to make her not force me to go. (Don’t you roll your eyes at me. The rest of you with kids want to do the same thing… you just don’t have the balls to actually DO it. I’m an innovator.)

* Of course, Steve won’t be here all weekend for the most part, which means I’m on full-time kid duty. Yeah. Painting those other two walls ought to be a real fucking blast. Sigh.

* I was questioned face-to-face by a person whom I didn’t add as a friend on Facebook. Do people really do that? Confront someone who has rejected/ignored you? Wow. I mumbled some bullshit about not being on Facebook much, but I don’t think she was buying it. Tough shit. I can’t talk shit about her anymore in my status updates if I add her, and, well, what fun would that be?

* I inadvertently became one of the coaches of both Hannah’s t-ball team and Grace’s coach pitch team this spring. I honestly don’t know how it happened, but I’m now committed and I’m not sure if I’m excited about it or if I should start contemplating now how to kill myself with the least mess.

* Steve was also signed up (unbeknownst to him) as an assistant coach for both teams. This means the L-------‘s are going to rule the little league. Watch out, you little shits on other teams, because we’re kicking ass and taking names. When they name the field after us, I’ll let you all know….

I’m going to now finish my beer, hobble upstairs on my bad knees (if I can make it) and crash. Because I’m tired and have painting and shopping and Girl Scout cookie sales, and bribery to deal with tomorrow. That’s enough to exhaust anyone…

Who are you and what did you do with Allison?

So. I’ve been pondering how to blog about this without feeling like I’ve betrayed myself and the people that know me well. We all know how I feel about exercise. I hate it. I know it’s good for you and all that shit, but I never understood (still don’t) why people willingly make themselves breathe heavy and exert themselves. So it is with deep regret to inform you all that I’ve started doing just that. [hanging head in shame]

It’s something I had been thinking about a lot lately. Not because I wanted to lose weight or be buff or any of those other usual reasons. It was because I was sick and tired of always feeling tired and panicking daily that I was going to perish rather young and leave my 2 gorgeous daughters with a father who, although he tries desperately, just can’t make their hair presentable for school every day.

I gave myself the usual excuses… I’ll start in spring when the weather is nicer… I’ll do it after I quit smoking… I’ll just park in the last spot in WalMart, farthest from the store and walk a bit… etc.

But then, well, that ONE motivator in my life occurred over the weekend. Steve was talking to his brother on the phone. When they hung up, Steve laughed and said mentioned that his brother said he had to hang up because the kids were wild and “Jen is out for her run so I have to reign them in.” Jen? Running? On a regular basis? Son of a bitch! We ALL know how I feel about my SIL. Although there are no obvious issues between us anymore, I know that secretly, we’re still fiercely competitive. There is no way in HELL I’ll EVER let her be in better shape than me (which isn’t saying much) or thinner than me (something that has never occurred since I’ve met Steve). I mean, can any of us forget when I was told she joined a gym, prompting me to do so? And then, when months later, found out she never joined a gym? ARG! But I have to admit that the last time I saw her (a few weeks ago), she DID look thinner, so I truly believe she’s started running/walking. Dammit to hell.

Anyway, that was enough motivation to convince me to do what I’d be contemplating for the past few weeks. Quite a few of my friends have started the Couch to 5K program, and have had decent success, so I had been thinking about looking into it myself. Once I heard the evil, comma-eyebrow-painting SIL was running, I felt I had no choice. Sigh.

So on Monday, I did it. I followed the Week 1 “rules” and did what I was supposed to. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t walk when I was supposed to be running. And I DID it, dammit! I was so proud of myself! I smoke about 1/2 pack a day and drink WAY more than any person should, and yet, I completed Day 1. I hate to admit it, but towards the end of it, I was ready to pack it in, but found that if I just chanted, “Jen. Jen. Jen…” every time my foot hit the ground, I could muster through it.

So today was my second day (you do it every other day), and it was a bit easier. My legs were much more forgiving, but it was colder, so breathing was a bit harder. But I DID IT! I didn’t cheat at all and I did what I was supposed to do. Steve’s proud. My mom was asking me about it. And my Facebook friends have been nothing but encouraging. But most importantly, I’M proud of myself. Exercise and I are not friends, so the fact that I’m pushing myself does give me a bit of pride.

And I won’t lie…. come this summer, when the family’s all at my FIL’s house to swim in his pool and I can rock my bathing suit better than my SIL, I’ll smile to myself and inwardly thank her for being a bitch, which is what motivated me to do what I needed to do anyway. Ahhh… life is good….

I’ve decided that tomorrow, I’m going to take a “Before” photo of myself and post it so I can show the “After” as I go along on the program. It’s NOT something I really wanted to do, but at the same time, I like to take comfort in the fact that I’m extremely comfortable with who I am now. I really am! It’s me. Take me or leave me. If you don’t like it, don’t look. And I think it will be fun (and motivational) for me to post a photo at the end of each week or two and see what I look like at the end of the 9 weeks.

Again, I’m not doing it to lose weight. I’m more than happy with the number that shows up when I step on a scale. But the distribution of that weight (HELLO butt, stomach and thighs) could probably use a little work, so we’ll see how that changes as I continue the program.

So sit back and enjoy the ride. I figure that even if you have no interest in the exercise portion of it, at least I can keep you entertained with half naked photos of myself and updates on the comparisons between myself and my SIL. Because I KNOW you all have that ONE family member that you feel the need to better than. Don’t lie. You do. You just don’t want to admit it…

Could it be?

Could it be that spring is finally here? Yesterday was GORGEOUS! We spent the entire day outside. Now I’m not so naive as to think we won’t have any more cold weather (it’s supposed to go back down to 40 later this week). But yesterday was awesome and a little teaser for what’s coming (hopefully) soon.

So we donned short-sleeve shirts and we ran:

And we fed the birds:

And we explored:

    And we sat:

And we had a few meltdowns:

And we got wet and muddy feet:

And we drove the lawnmower:

And we played ball:

And it was a fantastic day. :)

Hey gang.

Sorry I haven’t been around. I swear, I feel like we’re all on full speed ahead here with no time to rest. Unfortunately, I don’t see a break anytime soon, so we’re just plugging along. Just lots of work stuff, extracurricular stuff for the girls, birthday parties, etc. and we’re all moving from morning ‘til night. I’m anxiously awaiting a day where we have NOTHING to do, but looking at our calendar, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day! We don’t really celebrate V-Day, so we didn’t do anything exciting, but it turned out to be a big day for both L------- girls anyway.

So last week, Grace failed her eye exam at school. I had her eyes checked just a few months ago, and that eye doctor swore her vision was fine, so I was a little surprised when she brought the paper home from school. So I decided to take her somewhere else this time, and scheduled an appointment for yesterday at the Lenscrafter in the mall.

So we get to Grace's eye appointment, the doctor uses his fancy machines to check her out and tells me she's 20/30 in her right eye, and practically legally blind in her left eye! WTF!?!? My heart dropped, and I tried to remain calm so as not to freak Grace out. I told him I had JUST had her to the eye doctor in October and that guy had said she was 20/20 and 20/30! He said it's possible she got bad that fast (growth spurt, etc.), but you could tell he was pretty sure the first eye doctor had fucked up. WTH?

So he says he wants to put drops in her eyes which will fully dilate her pupils for 24-48 hours, making bright light really uncomfortable for her and basically meaning she'll have blurry vision for at least a day, if not two, but allowing him to get her EXACT prescription for the glasses she definitely needed. The poor kid. She didn't care that she needed glasses, but once she started having the blurry vision, I could tell she was REALLY upset and freaked out. She remained calm on the outside, but was absolutely overwhelmed. She was also upset because I told her there was no way she could go to her playdate when we got home if she couldn't see. I think that’s why she was so upset to be honest with you.

So before her vision went completely blurry, we quick picked out an adorable pair of purple-ish/burgandy frames that look FANTASTIC on her. And I mean REALLY cute. Once her pupils were dilated, he rechecked her and it turns out her right eye is 20/30, and her left eye is freakin' 20/100. Sigh. She was pretty freaked out for the hour we waited while they made her glasses (since she still couldn't see right), but once we all ate lunch, watched Hannah get her ears pierced (more on that in a minute), and walked around the mall for a bit, she could start seeing a little better and cheered up. We went back to pick up her glasses and she was really excited to get them and get her cute little pink case that has handles like a little purse. :)

By the time we were coming home, I decided she was seeing well enough again to go to her playdate after all, so I dropped her off as soon as we got home.

So she'll need her glasses for distance (chalkboard, whiteboard, watching TV and movies, etc.), but not for close up reading, etc. She's actually excited about them now, which is great.

It was just an emotionally draining day for us. It KILLED me to see her so freaked out, depressed, etc. for that hour or two, knowing I couldn't really fix it. But all is well now, and she's got her glasses and is good to go. But when a mother hears the words “legally blind” it kind of freaks you out, ya know?

She’s doing well with them. She’s had a slight headache here and there since getting them (which is normal), and she’s sore behind her ears a bit, but all in all, they haven’t given her any problems.

So here she is, looking fantastically cute in her new glasses. :)

Like I mentioned, Hannah also decided to get her ears pierced. She looks SO cute and didn't even flinch! :) I’m actually surprised it took her this long to get them pierced. I’ve been asking her for a year or so if she wanted them done, and she said no. But yesterday, apparently, she decided it was time. So she picked some pretty blue earrings, sat down, and got it done. LOL!

So that was our Valentine’s Day. I hope yours were all a bit more romantic. LOL!

For My Dear, Sweet Tink :)

I had to crop it oddly to post it here because she wrote  “The [our last name]s” at the bottom and I didn’t want to post it here. But you get the idea. :)

Project 365 Layouts – Weeks 3, 4, and 5

Ugh. I suck at blogging lately. But we have been SO busy. Between snow days, me commuting to the office again, a bunch of illnesses right after the other, and normal everyday stuff, my head is swimming. LOL! For a summary of the past few weeks, read the layouts below. (LOL!)

I’ll be back with a REAL post soon! I swear!

Week 2 Layouts for Project 365

Here’s one of my layouts for week 2.

I really like the way week 1 and week 2 look next to each other (which is how they’ll be in the photo book I plan on printing at the end of the challenge).

I also decided to use the free downloads from Becky Higgins to make layouts each week that allow me to make the photos a bit bigger and journal a bit more. Here are my first two weeks:

Quick update post…

Hey gang. Sorry I haven’t been around. So much has been going on lately and it’s been hard to get here to blog. Sigh. We’re going to do one of my infamous bulleted lists now, because it’s just easier for me…

* Good ol’ Jen Wilson, (of Jen Wilson Designs), whose Creative Team I’m on, has refound her mojo, and is cranking out new products like it’s her job. Oh, wait. It IS her job. LOL! We have chats in the site’s chat room every Monday and Wednesday night now. I LOVE the chats, but it’s just one more thing that keeps from blogging here. (Which is totally cool with me… just trying to explain my absence….)

* I’m still going strong with Project 365 and have finished week 1 and 2’s layout. I’ll post those later.

* This past Sunday was HUGE in that “our team”, the Steelers won the game and made it to the Superbowl. We are SOOO effing excited it’s not even funny!! Is it February 1st yet? Black and gold, baby! Black and gold!

* Steve and I have been rocking it in terms of married life. (Don’t be gross… that’s NOT what I meant.) What I meant is that we just rule in terms of a couple and although most winters when he’s around so much, I get annoyed, THIS year, we’re like pigs in shit. I seriously don’t know what I’d do without the guy, and I only hope my kids grow up to be as happily married as we are. :)

* I’ve made some very general resolutions for this year. Nothing crazy like quitting one of my many addictions. But I kind of “lost” the old me for a few years there. I’m normally a total spaz, laughing at everything, happy as hell, etc. I’m not saying I wasn’t happy before, but I had been letting the stress of everyday life get in the way of just enjoying everyday life. So I’ve been spending more time with the kids (and less time on the computer while they’re awake), laughing more, being more laid back, yelling WAY less at the kids, and rediscovering the gift of patience that seemed to disappear a few years ago. I must say, so far I’m kicking major ass and taking names. And it feels GOOD, dammit. :)

* I’ve been attempting (in spurts) to get this house under control in terms of the clutter. Last weekend’s project was the basement playroom and I kicked some major ass. I’m so sick and tired of random crap in the house, and slowly but surely, I’m enjoying the purging.

Other than that, everything’s been pretty much the same. LOL! I’ll drop in as much as I can, but with all of the changes in our normal daily schedule, that’s proven to be a bit more difficult lately. But we’ll all soon fall into the new routine, and life will balance out a bit more. :)

Days 3, 4, and 5

I’ll be back later with a real post, but I wanted to get my Project 365 photos on here for days 3, 4, and 5. Lots to talk about later!

Random Thoughts

Tonight’s post is going to be another ramble. And let’s face it, we all love bulleted lists. Oh wait… maybe that’s just me…

* I loved that the Eagles won today. Although I’m a converted Steelers fan (thanks Steve!), I’ll always have a place in my heart for the Eagles. I still remember my Ron Jawarski jersey from childhood.

* I hope the Superbowl ends up a Steelers vs. Eagles game. Not for any reason other than that it would be cool to have two PA teams in it, the rivalry among friends and family would be priceless, and I’m curious to see which way my loyalty would sway. (I’m all about testing my inner self.)

* My kids’ sleep schedules are all SORTS of screwed up after the holiday break. I’m dreading this next week as I try to get them back on track.

* It was awesome last night to have various friends and their kids stop by to visit. We had six kids here that were ages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 and consisted of 2 girls (ours) and 4 boys (other people’s). Hey, we like excuses to drink, and if that wasn’t a reason to, nothing is.

* It did make me reflect on how it is that EVERYONE we know has sons. Every single one of ‘em. Our poor girls. Not that they seem to mind, but a little girl wandering in here for a play date now and then would be nice.

* I spent HOURS yesterday undecorating and dissecting our Christmas tree for removal from our home. Steve wasn’t here and I couldn’t drag it out by myself, so I used a hand saw to cut it apart branch by branch and throw it outside. The pictures are priceless and I’m still smelling pine every time I breathe in. I’ll post the pictures tomorrow sometime.

* I think our friends Matt & Joy could possibly have the cutest and most well-behaved boys I’ve ever seen in my life. I’d totally adopt both of them tomorrow and think nothing of it. It gave me hope that all boys don’t act like my nephews. (And we should ALL be thankful for that.)

* I’m sad though that Matt & Joy currently live in Texas and we can’t hang out more often. WHY do all of the people I like the most live so far away? Is God punishing me? Do people purposely move away from me? Are we only likeable from afar? LOL! It’s anybody’s guess, but it really sucks sometimes.

* I’m looking forward to next Sunday when the Steelers play the Chargers. Our friend Jim (a Chargers fan) and his wife and kids are coming over, and Steve and I are already plotting to decorate the entire home in Steelers paraphernalia to annoy him, right down to putting a Steelers hat on the bear in our living room. Because we’re sweet like that. I’d rather bleed black and gold than powder blue and yellow. ;)

* I also hope that Jim’s wife, Kelly, realizes that when it comes to football, I may as well be a guy and that she’s totally in charge of watching the four kids while they’re here. Dude, I do NOT miss a single play of a Steelers game. Our girls know that when a Steelers game is on, they’re on their own for a few hours, so as far as I’m concerned, her boys are too unless Kelly decides to pay attention to them. If she chooses not to accept that challenge, then all injuries/issues/etc. are on her conscience. She’s been warned. (And for the record, they invited themselves here. We have no problem with that and enjoy when they come to visit… but if she thinks for one second that her and I are going to play with the kids while the guys watch the game, she’s sadly mistaken and is in for a rude awakening. LOL!)

* I’m in serious need of a haircut and color, but have no clue when I’ll find the time to get in for an appointment.

* I used an Amazon gift card for Xmas to buy a remote control for my camera. This means many more self-portraits and ridiculously dorky photos. Aren’t you excited? YAY!

And with that, I’m off to bed. I’m exhausted after our whirlwind week and really need to get some sleep. I don’t WANT to go to bed yet, but if I don’t, you’ll all be submitted to more of these rambling, exhausted posts from me and I don’t want to continue punishing you all like that. ;)

G’night!

Day 2/365

Trying Again…

Well, I’ve decided to set myself up for failure yet again and attempt Project 365. I SO admire those of you that started it in 2008 and actually finished it. I could post all sorts of excuses as to why I stopped doing it 90 days or so into it, but the bottom line is that I didn’t finish it. So I’m determined to actually make it through all of 2009. I may fail again, but at least no one can say I didn’t try, right? LOL!

So here it is. My first photo for Project 365 – 2009. It’s Grace playing our Hannah Montana game for the first time on the Wii. I hate to admit it, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun and all of us love it. (Well, except maybe Steve. He didn’t see us playing it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if I came downstairs in the middle of the night one night and caught him busting a move.)

I’ll probably post most of my photos here on this blog as I go, but I also started another blog dedicated only to the Project 365, where I have no intentions of posting anything other than the photo every day. You’re all more than welcome to add that blog to your blog readers, check it out here and there, etc. You can find that here. I’ll make a fancy blog header and all that later, but for now, I just wanted to get things rolling. :)

 

And so begins…

…a new year.  My New Year’s Eve was rather uneventful actually. We had at least 3 or 4 invitations for parties, but we decided to just stay in (mostly due to the fact that we were exhausted from some Texas friends that came to visit last night and all of us (including the kids) were up past midnight). Steve went hunting today, the kids are sleeping at my mom’s for the night, and Steve & I just decided to lay low.

I spent a few hours editing my Christmas pictures, Steve & I watched some random movies on TV, we quick flipped over to see the ball drop at midnight, and then Steve meandered up to bed and I decided to quick blog before I followed him.

I don’t have too many complaints about 2008. Some here and there, but nothing we didn’t manage to trudge through. We had some scary moments, some heart-wrenching moments, some stressful moments, and some downright depressing moments. But we also had plenty of happy, fun, moving, delightful, and downright ecstatic moments, so I can’t complain. (Well, I could, but what good would it do me, really? LOL!)

I don’t make resolutions because I think they’re just things that people make as a way of trying to convince themselves to make changes that they really should have done regardless of the date or year (and because I never keep them). BUT, I have committed myself (once again) to Project 365, where I’ll take a photo a day for the next year. I was going strong until about March of 2008, and I still blame that on me getting a full-time job again. Pathetic excuse, I know. But I really want to give it another whirl. So we’ll see how it goes.

And there are a few things I’d like to see happen in the next year for us that I won’t go into right now (because I’m tired, I’ve talked about it before, and I’m still not sure what will eventually happen), so we’ll see if all those wishes/desires come true.

And with that, I wish everyone a wonderful, happy, sex-filled 2009. Here are some more photos from our Christmas. Happy New Year everyone! :)