Two Kinds of People...

First, I'd like to say my blog has been woefully neglected.  Second, I'd like to say I'm making no promises to do better anytime soon...I'm BUSY!  Work, Christmas gifts, holiday cards, and now I'm working on getting my own jewelry making business started...so yeah...you see my dilemma.  However, I'm feeling inspired today, as the particular topic of this post has played a theme in at least a half a dozen of my conversations in the last week.

I think most people would prefer to avoid wasting time AND money.  However, in all practical terms, you're bound to waste at least one of the two.  The question is, which camp do you fall into?  People who would rather waste time than money?  Or people who would rather waste money than time? 

I fall solidly into the "rather waste money than time" camp.  And yes, it probably makes me come across as a total bitch sometimes.  But I can't help it!  My time is valuable...I fill it up with things that make me happy, that make me feel like I'm accomplishing things, that make me feel like I'm making a connection with friends and family. 

I DO NOT have time to be digging through clearance bins to save $3...I'll spend the extra so I can be on my way and off to doing something I actually LIKE to do.  I DO NOT have time to look through dozens of circulars, clipping coupons, filing them, and remembering to use them appropriately in 17 transactions at the grocery store!  I DO NOT have time to wait in line for an hour to check-out at the sale of the century (in fact, I've been known to get to the front with my purchases, realize there's a huge line, and then decide I don't need any of it that much, and just walk out).  I certainly DO NOT have time to learn how to change the oil in my car or to do minor car repairs to save a few bucks.  In fact, the only reason I learned how to change a tire, is because it takes too long to get somebody from AAA out to change it for me...I don't have that kinda time!  I also DO NOT have time to argue about things that don't matter.  I DO NOT have time to make excuses for people who constantly cancel plans or show up hours late. I DO NOT have time and energy to invest in people who refuse to invest time and energy in themselves.   And over the years, I've discovered that I DO NOT have time to chase people down who claim to be friends, but don't invest THEIR time building the friendship. 

On the other hand, I DO have time to text or call people back within 24 hours of when they call or text me.  I DO have time to find the perfect gift...or to make something personalized to show how much I care.  I DO have time to make cards to send out so the people I care about know I'm thinking about them.  I DO have time to stay up too late to see friends, or karaoke, or have a much needed phone conversation.  I DO have time to make a three hour drive, stay for an hour, and then drive back so I can be at work in the morning, if it means making someone feel better after a horrible day.  I DO have time to be on call 24/7 for work, so I know things are running smoothly and my people feel supported.  I DO have time to plan something special when my family visits, even though I know I don't have to.  And I DO have time to do the things that make me happy, even if it means being short on sleep sometimes. 

I think it's just about making your time "Quality Time."  After all, money is just money.  You're never going to have enough of it anyway.  You can't take it with you when you go.  Do what makes you happy!  And if money IS what makes you happy...then by all means, spend all day clipping coupons, and hunting down the latest, greatest sale.  Just don't be surprised when I totally don't get it.  And for the love of God , please don't try to bring me along...I'd rather pay you the $50 you might save, so you can just pick it up off the neatly organized, non-clearance rack and we can be on our way to do something I might actually enjoy :) 

A Few Things...

Yes, I'm still being horrible about posting on my blog.  No this isn't going to be a real post.  I just wanted to get a few things off my chest.  Here goes:

1) I really want to like The Glee Project, but I just can't.  Those kids are so damn unlikable. 

2) I a-dore Ryan Reynolds, but seriously?  Green Lantern?  What the hell?  I could not be less interested.

3) The Voice has really made me dislike Blake Shelton, which is disappointing. 

4) I'm completely stuck on watching whole marathons of Top Model lately.  How embararssing.

5) I've been sitting here for 15 minutes trying to think of one more thing, because it would irritate me to no end to have a list of 4 instead of 5.  OCD what?

And that's all for this evening...apologies for the crankiness :)

New Sh**t Thursday...

Yes, I'm aware I'm painfully behind on my blog.  Yes, I intend to do a better job of posting in the future.  No, I'm not making any promises.  That said...

Anyone who knew me from the age of 21-26 knows that I used to karaoke at KJs in DeKalb constantly.  My little townie bar, with a bunch of regulars who recognized me...my own personal Cheers!  Anyway, Thursday nights Courtney was running karaoke, and whenever someone sang a song she didn't know, she said it was "New Sh**t Thursday."  Well, the key to New Sh**t Thursday was that the song didn't, in fact, have to be new...just new to her...or new to KJs...or new to anyone, really.  Well, the phrase kind of stuck with me (and a number of us who frequented KJs on Thursday nights), and I still use it when I hear new music I like, or when I'm introducing music that I love to someone else who doesn't know it (and it doesn't even have to be a Thursday!  lol). 

Anyway, the point of this whole thing is that when I got my new car, I also got satellite radio and branched out to a lot of new music again...I had been in quite a country rut.  I was telling my sister about some of it and realized she'd been in a pretty serious country rut too.  Soooo...iTunes to the rescue!  I downloaded a bunch of new music, and made a mix CD to bring her up to speed.  Behold, the...

New Sh**t Thursday Mix

1) Rolling in the Deep - Adele
2) Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean
3) Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
4) What the Hell - Avril Lavigne
5) Firework - Katy Perry
6) F**kin' Perfect - Pink
7) For the First Time - The Script
8) Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri
9) Fireflies - Owl City
10) Forget You - Cee Lo Green
11) Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars
12) Misery - Maroon 5
13) I Do - Colbie Caillat
14) Rhythm of Love - Plain White T's
15) Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble
16) Save Me, San Francisco - Train

And that's it for today!  More soon, hopefully :)

Feeling Crafty and Inspired...

If I didn't have to work in the morning (and all dang day at that), I would totally be up till dawn crafting.  I finally really got the bug again, and I got a quite a few cards done tonight, and would be perfectly content in continuing.  However, since I DO have to work in the morning, I'll just post what I've gotten done this evening, and hope the creative streak continues through tomorrow :)  Here we go!

Just Keep Swimming Card - Inkadinkadoo Cling Stamps, BoBunny Paper, Watercolor Pencils, American Crafts Ribbon and Twine, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, Zig Millenium Pen

Phone Me Card - Unity Stamps, EcoPark Paper & Sticker Sheets, American Crafts Ribbon, Gems

Trying to Relax Card - Stamping Bella Stamps, BoBunny Paper, Watercolor Pencils

A Good Day Card - Unity Stamps, My Mind's Eye Paper

And that's all for tonight...not too shabby :)  Hopefully more to come tomorrow night!

Oh, I'm Roaring...

I'm having an "I am woman, hear me roar" kind of week.  And I've gotta say, as much as it goes against my laid back nature, it's feeling pretty good.  Monday morning, TCF Bank tossed me the straw that broke the camel's back.  I went in to do our deposit and get change only to find that they don't have any quarters.  Now, being a bank, one would assume they would have quarters.  However, that's not even the worst part of this scenario.  When I asked when they WOULD have quarters, the lady informed me that they wouldn't have any until Thursday.  Thursday.  Yes, I said it.  THURSDAY.  WHAT?!?  You're a freaking BANK for god's sake.  Do you not have other businesses that bank here?  Do people not need quarters for laundry and tolls?  And you're telling me like it's no big deal...NO BIG DEAL.  Somebody should be getting FIRED for that crap!  Sooooooo...anyway, I pretty much yelled all that right at the girl (with people in line behind me), because I've had more than enough TCF ridiculousness for a lifetime.  Anyone that knows me knows it takes a lot to get me mad enough to yell...like...seriously mad.  You've really got to be trying.  And once you get me mad, I'm even more mad that you had the nerve to go there.  So anyway, after storming out, I proceeded to plead my case to home office yet again, where I finally started getting some traction...and then I called and yelled at the bank some more till they gave me the regional manager's phone number.  (All of this EXTREMELY unlike me.)  And then I called and yelled at him too.  Sooooo...yeah...all that yelling that is very un-Megan-like turned out to be a great stress reliever.  It was like I just flipped off every jerk tailgating me for the last six months in one fell swoop.  And THEN, I came home and quit my part-time grading job.  Woot!  Between being short-staffed at work, me being sick, Millie being sick, etc., etc. the extra 20 hours a week of grading was almost killing me.  But I felt like I had made a commitment and I should stick to it.  But after my little outburst at the bank, I decided it was time to just think about what I WANT for a little while instead of what I SHOULD do, or what other people want me to do (also, very unlike me).  So I quit!  And I feel better already...no more crushing guilt over not spending every waking minute that I'm not already at my full-time job, working at my part-time job.  So following all that madness, I spent a lovely day today...slept in, got a massage, went shopping, cleaned my apartment spotless, cooked some meals, and did some crafting (forgot to take a pic before it made it into the envelope though...brain fart!).  All guilt-free...what a lovely concept...spending my one day a week off of work actually NOT WORKING.  Who knew it could be so liberating?!?  *sigh*  So here's to taking care of business, blowing off some steam, taking some time for me and getting in some well-deserved relaxation time.  Back to work tomorrow!  Goodnight!  :)

Stamp addiction...

Okay, so we're all aware that I've developed myself a pretty major stamping problem.  I was at Hobby Lobby last weekend...mind you, I don't even LIKE Hobby Lobby, but I was convinced to go.  Obviously, I found adorable stuff and wound up spending $45 on stamps and other random things I certainly didn't need.  Whoops.  So I found these Stampabilities woodblock stamps and positively fell in love with them.  Here's what I've come up with so far:

Thinking of You Card - Stampabilities Stamp, Eco Park Paper, Watercolor Pencils

Happy Birthday Card - Stampabilities Stamp, BoBunny Paper, Watercolor Pencils

Feel Better Soon Card - Stampabilities Stamp, BoBunny Paper, Watercolor Pencils

That's all for tonight :)  I swear I'm going to try to get better about posting again!  It's just been crazy lately!

Little Bunny Foo Foo...

Well, on to my next holiday's worth of cards...here's what I came up with for Easter :)

Easter Bunny Card (Front)

My first real venture into Copic markers...it's going to be trouble, I can tell already.  Copics, Graphic 45 stamps and paper, Stardust pen, twine, pearls, and deco/stub corner chompers.

Easter Bunny Card (Inside)

That's all for tonight :)

Smile Like You Mean It...

As anyone who knows me is aware, I'm obsessed with music.  I was a music major for a couple of years, and looking back at it, I sometimes wonder if I went with that subconsciously so I would have a "valid" excuse for all the music I bought.  Anyway, I often identify songs with particular people or events in my life, and sometimes I find it easier to express myself through a song than in my own words (Glee's got it right on that one).  So anyway, I was in the midst of making a happy little play list for car rides and whatnot, and decided to post a few songs that always make me smile no matter what else is going on in my life...

1) Great Day to Be Alive by Travis Tritt
2) Doesn't Remind Me by Audioslave
3) Say It Ain't So by Weezer
4) Vegetable Car by Joshua Radin
5) I Gotta Feelin' by Black Eyed Peas
6) Hey, Soul Sister by Train
7) She Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd
8) Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
9) Big Time by Big & Rich
10) King of Everything by Sara Bareilles

And that's all for now :)  Have a great day!

Slacker McGee...

So yeah...I've been majorly slacking off on my blog...I know.  My life has been crazy lately.  I'm doing this mini-post to get me feeling like I'm caught up on something...lol :)  So here's been what's happening lately:

- Made it through another M&T weekend at work.  I bumbled my way through a little...it seems like it's been nonstop since November...straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas to all-store inventory to M&T, and I'm starting to feel like things are slipping through the cracks a little.  I'm hoping now that we're through the craziest of it, things will start to level off, and I won't feel like I'm about to miss something big at any moment.

- Went to our store managers' meeting in Minnesota.  Most notable about this little escapade was that we had a 3 hour workshop taught by...wait for it...Tim Holtz!!!  :)  He turned out to be nicer and more knowledgeable than I could've possibly expected (oh, and cuter too...pics soon, I hope).  Also, I discovered I can make it through 14 hours worth of meetings in a day on about an hour of sleep.  The meeting was great, but hotel sleep was not so great, so I'm happy to be home.

- My dogs are apparently seeking financial retribution for something I didn't know I did.  Millie's been in and out of the vet's office for about 3 1/2 weeks now with some bizarro intestinal situation (fingers crossed that the antibiotics this time are the last we have to worry about for a while), and Lucy wound up at the vet's after getting bit by a spider and swelling up like a little puffer fish.  They're both alright now, but my bank account sure isn't...the things you do for love, I suppose.

- I remembered that when I'm really strapped for cash is when all I want to do is go shopping.  Whoops.  I've been pretty good so far and have been staying the heck off of Amazon, for fear of how easy it is to just click away and have wonderful, exciting things show up at my door.  Yeow.  The good news is all the dog costs should be caught up by next month, and then I'm back on track.  *sigh*

- In current events, I'm excited that Celebrity Apprentice is back on...my one true reality show obsession...I watch some of the others, but as a general rule, I don't care all that much if I miss one (except maybe Project Runway, I guess...that comes in second...I love Tim Gunn too much to miss that one).  I'm rooting for John Rich, loving Gary Busey's crazy ass, and waiting for Jose Conseco to lose it and beat the hell out of Richard Hatch.  As usual, who cares about the women's team?  Not me.  It's not that I'm down on women or anything...but I'd just as soon watch the guys take a swing and be over it instead of all the nagging and nitpicking and general bitching on the women's team. 

- And in a random sidebar:  What the hell is going on with this Lady Gaga/Baby Gaga ice cream thing???  A few things:  1)  Lady Gaga doesn't have the word baby or gaga trademarked so get over it.  The word gaga has been around forever and is universally associated with the word baby (well,  nationally anyway...I'd assume the connection goes beyond the U.S.).  2)  Who the hell wants ice cream made with real breast milk anyway?  Who's breast did that come out of?  Why are you willing to eat something with some nameless woman's bodily fluids in it?  Gross and grosser, I'd say.  3)  It probably won't matter anyway, cuz apparently the food safety regulators in England feel the same way about bodily fluids being in food distributed to the general public as I do.  4)  I'm so over Lady Gaga.  Put on some normal clothes already, ya nutjob!  :) 

Anyway, yeah...that's my life for now.  In the works for the next few weeks/months (or longer, as the case may be):  Easter cards, Graphic 45 vintage designed portfolio/scrapbook, stationary gift sets, wall art piece for my dining room, organizing my scrap nook in my apartment (hopefully with the help of some new furniture), and possibly a major spring cleaning interior design/restaging project at my apartment (mostly to feed my OCD issues...lol).  We'll see.  In the mean time, lots of reading on my Kindle, which is currently more of a presence in my life than my TV, which is a pretty bold statement, if you know anything about how I usually spend my free time.  lol :) 

Anyway, that's all for tonight...hoping to be back on track with my slightly less frantic life starting tomorrow!

It's the Thought that Counts...

These are the flowers I bought myself for Valentine's Day (otherwise known as Remind-The-Singles-That-They're-Still-Single Day...as if we had forgotten):

As I was standing in line at Jewel after having picked out this bouquet, I noticed the hordes of men indiscriminately grabbing whatever neon-tinted wildflower bouquet was on sale for $6 directly in front of the register and running out the door.  I heard one guy casually explaining away his sad and battered looking bouquet with an "It's the thought that counts..."  And I thought...EXACTLY...and you didn't bother to think about it AT ALL! 

I'm not saying I'm looking for a $50 bouquet of roses...I spent less than half of that on these, and these are probably nicer than any flowers I've gotten from any of the guys I've dated (a disappointment for another blog post entirely).  I'm saying, if you're going to pick up the $6 neon-crap-thrown-together-for-cheap bouquet, just cuz you're too lazy to take a two minute walk to the other side of the store to find a decent one...or because you're too cheap...just freakin' SKIP IT.  Make your girl dinner...or buy a $2 card, and actually bother to WRITE something heartfelt in it...or clean the kitchen spotless before she gets home and give her a backrub for pete's sake! 

Talk about making someone feel like an afterthought..."Here, these are for you...I got them for less than I spent on my pack of cigarettes...but only cuz they were already there at the counter...love ya!" Yeah...it's the thought that counts...I totally agree.  But for the love of god, please remember that means you actually have to THINK about it.  *sigh*  Men...Valentine's Day...blech...I'm off to have my Ferrero Rocher chocolate and make myself a moderately labor intensive dinner.  And then maybe having a nightcap with The Captain...we'll see.  G'night!

Top O' the Mornin' to Ya...

Well, I went in to work today for our employee crop this afternoon/evening, and man did I get a lot done!  All my St. Patrick's day cards...finito!  AND got everything picked out for Easter cards to do with Mom.  Woot!  :)  My commitment to seasonal cards this year is going pretty well.  And after Easter, holidays slow down again for a while...nothing till 4th of July...and then Halloween.  As it turns out, it's not so impossible to do if I actually take the time to sit down and DO them.  I'm thinking about doing some stationary boxes to use as gifts...birthday, anniversary, etc. cards to have year round.  Not sure yet..still mulling it over.  In other news today, I almost convinced myself to open the windows in my apartment cuz it was so nice outside.  Luckily, last time I had that bright idea (followed by a miserable three day long allergy attack), I stuck a bottle of Zyrtec on the window ledge behind the blinds...to remind myself next time that it wasn't such a fantastic idea.  So...no windows open...and also, no miserable allergy attack.  lol :)  Anyway, here's what I got done today:

Top O' the Mornin' - Stampendous Stamps, Reminisce Paper, Watercolor Pencils, American Crafts Ribbon

Front

Inside

Lucky - Stampendous Stamps, Copic Markers, Stickles, American Crafts Tulle, Reminisce Borders, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

Front

Inside

And that's all for tonight :)

A Little Bit Country...

Ahhh...another product of my stamping spree earlier this week...a Hero Arts Cling set that I've been ogling for weeks.  Who doesn't need a cute cowgirl stamp, just for fun?  ESPECIALLY if it says howdy!  :)  This is near and dear to my heart for no particular reason...just a happy little card without any specific purpose...just to brighten someone's day.  Here's the results:

Front

Inside

The inside is a tiny bit disjointed from the front, but I still like it.  I used:  Hero Cling set, BoBunny paper, watercolor pencils, and a Hero clear set.  That's all for tonight...not a bad evening of crafting :)

An Exercise in Simplicity...

Possibly the hardest thing for me to do when making cards or scrapbook pages or anything is to leave any significant amount of empty space...particularly if it's WHITE empty space.  It nags at me...it begs for ribbon or bling or buttons...anything to fill it up with more pretty.  At the same time, some of the favorite cards I've seen from other people are the most simple ones.  Not too fussy...to the point...but still cute.  So, tonight, I decided I'd work on being a little less fussy...here's the result:

Front

Inside

I used Penny Black stamps, American Crafts Ribbon, and Watercolor Pencils.  I sort of love it...a lot.  Maybe I'll work on being less fussy more often.  Or maybe not :)

Life is a Circus...

Well, I went stamp-crazy this past week, and bought several that I probably shouldn't have.  So, obviously, I needed to use them right away to prove to myself just how much I needed them, and how perfect they were for cards that I simply must make and send.  :)  I'm good at rationalizing, dammit!  So, first up...Graphic 45.  I consider myself pretty self-controlled to have only bought one set of these...there were many others with fairies and Beatrix Potter-y bunnies and dress forms and keys and all sorts of vintage-y things that I adore.  So, as far as I'm concerned...walking away with only one set was a win :)  Here are the results...

Front:

Inside

I love the elephant :)  He's adorable.  I used, cardstock, Graphic 45 stamps and paper, Corner Chomper (stub/deco), and watercolor pencils. 

A Slight Revision...

Before I do anything else, I need to revise my must-see movie list to include the following:

51)  Dogma (1999)
52)  Good Will Hunting (1997)

Required Viewing...

So I love movies...who doesn't, right?  I take my favorites to heart.  My old stand-bys...the ones I could watch a thousand times...the ones I could pretty much repeat word for word.  And I get offended when people don't like my favorite movies.  Which, I suppose is odd.  I actually don't often watch my favorites with other people who haven't seen them, so I don't have to feel awkward or annoyed if they aren't a fan.  Probably the reason for this is many of my favorite movies (I say "many" instead of "all", because there are some ridiculous ones that I continue to love just because they exist), either led to some sort of personal revelation for me or at least made me think about myself or the world a little differently.  So here's some of my favorites...and if you don't like them, please don't tell me, cuz it would sadden me...lol.  :)

1)  Fight Club (1999)
2)  Stigmata (1999)
3)  Office Space (1999)
4)  Moulin Rouge (2001)
5)  Boondock Saints (1999)
6)  Just Married (2003)
7)  Cheaper by the Dozen  (2003)
8)  City Slickers (1991)
9)  Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
10)  The Hangover (2009)
11)  The Sandlot (1993)
12)  Boiler Room (2000)
13)  Amelie (2001)
14)  Secretary (2002)
15)  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
16)  When Harry Met Sally (1989)
17)  Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
18)  Stranger than Fiction (2006)
19)  Talladega Nights (2006)
20)  White Squall (1996)
21)  Duets (2000)
22)  The Broken Hearts Club (2000)
23)  Wall-E (2008)
24)  Chicago (2002)
25)  Romeo & Juliet (1968)
26)  Anchorman (2004)
27)  Meet the Fockers (2004)
28)  Armageddon (1998)
29)  Three Kings (1999)
30)  The Island (2005)
31)  Mallrats (1995)
32)  Empire Records (1995)
33)  Memento (2000)
34)  The Matrix (1999)
35)  Pretty Woman (1990)
36)  The Punisher (2004)
37)  The Neverending Story (1984)
38)  Wedding Crashers (2005)
39)  The Invention of Lying (2009)
40)  Lilo & Stitch (2002)
41)  The Incredibles (2004)
42)  Bolt (2008)
43)  Snatch (2000)
44)  The Transporter (2002)
45)  Morning Glory (2010)
46)  The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
47)  Paint Your Wagon (1969)  <----- This is a Clint Eastwood MUSICAL, people
48)  Elf (2003)
49)  Daddy Daycare (2003)
50)  Keeping the Faith (2000)

And yeah...there's like a million more...but that should be more than sufficient :)  And if you didn't bother reading the list, and just skimmed the first few and skipped to the end...no biggie...this is half posted in hopes that other people might like these, and half for my records, since I'm in the midst of updating my collection  :)  That's all for tonight...more crafting after inventory next week!

The Art of The Sassy Card...

Well, it's been quite a day.  Big plans this morning...finish cooking, go to work and clean the office, run some errands, etc, etc.  In reality, after I finished cooking, I looked at the amount of snow on my car and gave up on the rest of my plans for the day :)  lol.  It's good though...the middle of a mild to moderate snowstorm is a good time to have a day in pajamas, reading a book, watching tv, and being crafty.  So after pulling all my crafting supplies out, I didn't have much of an idea of what I wanted to do.  Which obviously led me to pull out my very favorite inspiration book of all time...all sassy cards:

Get Real Greetings, edited by Jessica Strawser

The important thing to note about a sassy card (particularly THESE sassy cards, which are some of the sassiest I've seen) is this:  You VERY RARELY get to actually send one.  It takes a special kind of situation and a special kind of recipient to appreciate the humor.  However, it doesn't make them any less fun to make, and I'm confident that eventually all my sassy cards will find a good home.  I've sent a few that I've made, but I still have a little pile of them awaiting their perfect moment.  And until then, I'll sift through my card drawer now and again and giggle with the thought of someone's face changing from confusion to shock to laughter over a card that I made and sent them at the perfect time :)

So all that said, here was my project of the evening.  Supplies - super old stamp set (I honestly don't even know who MADE it), cardstock, pens, ribbon, watercolor pencils, and glossy accents:

Validation (Front):

Validation (Inside):

And that's all for tonight :)

An Indoor Kinda Gal...

So, one week ago today, in a blatant act of insanity tied to unseasonably warm weather, I opened the windows of my apartment for nearly an entire day...for exactly the third time since I moved here a year and a half ago...and the first time was just to get the couch in through the window.  I am still wondering what on earth I was thinking, as I get home from work every day to walk into my apartment and enjoy a prompt and violent allergy attack.  When will these miserable allergens filter out of my house again?!?  Blech. 

I am not an outdoorsy girl...at all.  Aside from the fact that I'm incredibly Irish and sunburn in about 10 minutes, I don't particularly like it when it's too hot, too cold, wet, dirty, buggy, windy, etc, etc, and the fact that I'm astonishingly clumsy (which seems to be a bigger issue for outdoor activities than indoor ones)...I'm also allergic to practically everything under the sun.  Dust, mold, pollen, ragweed, carpet, cats, a wide variety of flowers...you name it, I need a Zyrtec for it.  You say let's go visit the flower gardens at the Bellagio in Vegas, and I say, "What, are you trying to kill me?"  I spent almost a week in a hotel room in Virginia with allergy meds and an inhaler, wheezing and gasping for air, and wondering why the hell we needed to go on a family vacation to Williamsburg with all their damn beautiful gardens.  Hell, I spent the better part of my youth drinking juice boxes, because I was allergic to milk...MILK for pete's sake!  Miserable.  And while I love my Zyrtec and adore Visine for allergies, they can really only do so much.  At some point, there's some sort of diminishing returns thing that happens, and I'm a lost cause for the rest of the day.

This summer, in a similar moment of memory-lapse, I decided to be a good pet parent and take Lucy outside to hang out for a while.  I brought a book out, sat down in the grass with her...and she promptly had an allergy attack...and then so did I.  lol :)  It's good that my dogs share the same weird quirks as me.  So now we all remember to go outside and then come right the hell back in to our temperature-controlled, mostly allergen-free (except when I lose my mind and open the windows) apartment, where we can all be happy without sneezing or watery eyes. 

So yeah...I'm that girl who doesn't like to go outside if she doesn't have to.  And I'm unapologetic about it.  And most people who have witnessed me in the middle of one of my debilitating allergy attacks understand why.  I'll do the laundry.  The house will be spotless.  There will be a five course gourmet meal on the table promptly at six every night.  Just please, oh please...don't ever ask me to do yard work.  lol :)

That's all for tonight!

The Joys of Living Alone...

It had been a while since I had lived alone when I moved up here to Zion.  Except for a few months living in the world's tiniest "studio efficiency" (code for one room in the basement of a house with it's own microwave, mini-fridge, and bathroom...woot!), I was always living with someone else.  While there are obvious financial gains to sharing the bills with someone, I am greatly enjoying being on my own for the time being.  That said, it's probably setting me back years in my OCD-esque issues and my dislike for sharing :)  lol. 

I ran the gambit for roommates and apartments.  There was my first college roommate in a dorm room at Millikin, who didn't find it remotely innappropriate to get it on with a different guy every other night in the top bunk of our bunkbeds.  (If you wanna do it, fine, but at least have the courtesy to get home before me and leave a note on the door, instead of coming in at 3am after I'm fast asleep and me having to wake up half motion sick from that nonsense!).  My roommate in a very nice apartment in DeKalb, who turned out to be psychopathic (literally).  Then there were my fab roomies over in Suburban apartments in DeKalb (okay, it's not quality housing, but it's cheap, and that's what's important when you're trying to figure out where your next 50 cent draft is coming from!), by far my most nostalgic and fond roommate memories...wine and knitting, fondue and movies, potato soup and Sex in the City, and let's not forget crazy parties with sinks getting pulled off the walls. 

Then I moved into my studio for a while...it was tiny (my queen size bed wouldn't even fit through the door), the house was crappy, it wasn't in a particularly good neighborhood, but bygolly it was mine, and I made it cute, and I didn't have to share anything!    And while I loved the privacy, I got a job further away in the more-expensive-than-DeKalb suburbs, so I got a roommate again.  We both kind of did our own thing...both worked a lot...when we DID wind up in the apartment at the same time we had some drinks and chatted...it was a nice, comfortable arrangement.  And then there was the co-habitating at a couple of different locations with the ex, which was sort of different than the traditional roommate situation, but the same in a lot of ways too.  I guess the "mine" and "yours" lines get blurred more in that situation...plus, there were less likely to be arguments about who created the dirty dishes and whatnot, which was nice.

The one common thread of having a rommate for me was that I had to let go of my little OCD tendencies, or I would've lost my mind.  Remind myself that I should keep my mouth shut when dirty dishes were put on the counter instead of in the dishwasher, or when the shower curtain is left open instead of closed, or when there are shoes strewn all over the house.  And whether it's a good thing or not, now that I live alone, everything can be PERFECT.  The counter is always clear.  The shower curtain is always closed.  The shoes are always neatly lined up at the front door or in the closet.  There are no piles of random mail and magazines everywhere.  It's a beautiful thing.  And at the same time, maybe it's not...

I can't focus when things aren't perfect now.  The house MUST be clean in order to embark on any potentially creative endeavor, because my mind certainly can't function creatively when there are things out of place.  Under very few circumstances can I fathom being able to fall asleep at night with my scrapbooking supplies all over the livingroom or before my luggage is unpacked and put away when I get back from a long weekend.  But...meh...I'm indulging myself for the time being.  Everything can be perfect for a while longer...I'll live with someone again eventually, and I'll learn to let it go again.  Somehow it's a lot easier when someone else is there...like if there's anyone else in the picture, then that is an x-factor that's out of my control, so I can relax about it.  At least my dogs are running around periodically shredding toys and whatnot, reminding me now and then that it won't be this way forever.  lol. 

Anyway, the house WAS clean tonight, and I WAS feeling creative, so I made a little Valentine card.  It's inspired by a card I got from my sister last year.  I used BoBunny papers, Penny Black stamps (a re-purposed Christmas set), watercolor pencils, the SewEZ tool, and Flowersoft.  I like how it turned out...and I'm glad I wound up using that last stamp in my Christmas set that I hadn't gotten around to using yet. 

Front:

Inside:

That's all for tonight :)  More when I have time!

New Year's Resolutions? Nah...

I'm notoriously atrocious at 1) coming up with New Year's resolutions that I have any intention of following through on to begin with, and 2) even remembering what they were three weeks from now.  In fact, the only resolution I ever kept was the one I made a few years ago to stop making resolutions at New Years, since they seem to always end in irritation and disappointment in my lack of enthusiasm anyway.  That said, this evening I read a friend's post about New Years INTENTIONS, and am feeling inspired to borrow the idea.  While I would like to say "be a more consistent blogger," that would be another one that I have no intention of following through on.  I have finally come to terms with the fact that I blog as much as I legitimately can given how busy I am at work, how much I'm in transit with travel (and thus out of reach of a computer), and whatever else I have going on in my life.  So, although I wish I could say to myself that this year I'm going to make more time to be creative and share it with others, alas...I know it's not true, so I won't.  Here's the ACTUAL list of my New Years Intentions:

1) Read more (I've got a decent start on this, since I'm pretty sure I've read more in the two weeks I've had my Kindle than I did in the entire previous year.  I'm adding a gadget to the side of my page to keep track of what I've read...more for purposes of remembering than tracking.)

2) Actually use the vacation time I earn this year (no promises on whatever rolled over from last year)...and maybe even actually GO somewhere for vacation (a novel idea, I know, but vacationing alone isn't my favorite, and attempting to coordinate my schedule with friends or family is difficult once you're living in grown-up land with jobs and married friends with kids and everyone is busy and you just can't seem to carve out any time.)

3) Continue making strides in paying down debts (those 50 cent drafts are easily $5 a piece by now, at LEAST...8 years later...geez.  But, I have a plan, and it's in action, and we're taking it one billing cycle at a time from there) with the intent to start saving (shocker!) and get a new car (one where the windows seal, the trunk is fully functional, the front dash hasn't bubbled up from dripping condensation from the poorly sealed windows, that doesn't have atrocious cost of ownership, doesn't handle like a boat, gets reasonable gas mileage, has FOUR doors, and isn't cursed to have a ton of bizarro accidents and fender benders with raccoons and people who don't stop for red lights or ambulances...can you tell I'm hung up on this car thing???)

4) Get more sleep (despite that fact that I'm writing this what would seem to be unreasonably late when I have to be at work 8 hours from now...but still...good intentions of doing so.  Perhaps we'll start that one tomorrow!)

5) Make it a point to not get stuck in a rut of work, home, couch, tv, and sleep...go to movies, take myself out to lunch, hit karaoke and the bar more times than I can count on one hand this year...that kinda thing (I swear I used to be fun in college...I vaguely remember it...or at least, I think I do...maybe it was all a dream...work and the real world seems to just sap that energy right out of you.  But "happy" isn't something you just ARE...it's something you choose to be...and I'm happier when I'm taking some time to have a good time now and again, so I'll just have to get off my ass and do so!)

And that should be plenty of intentions for the beginning of a new year and a new decade...we'll see how it goes.  Never hurts to at least throw it out there :)  I would say "more creative posting soon," but it's insane inventory month, followed by Make and Take and a business trip to Minnesota, so we'll see...I'll just go with "more creative posting sometime before March!"  G'night :)