2008 Resolutions

1. Finish at least 52 scrapbook pages.
2. Lose at least 20 lbs.
3. Get Journalingjunkie.blogspot.com to the top 50 on Top Scrapbooking blogs.
4. Keep my car clean ALWAYS starting Jan. 1.
5. Finish reading the bible from cover to cover. I started with Genesis and have reached Psalms so far.
6. Finish reading Living Artfully and begin living its principles.
7. Start seriously working on decorating my scrapbook room.
8. Attend crops and classes at my LSS at least once a month.

Stolen from http://tracysaidwhat.blogspot.com/

One habit you'd like to break totally: Complaining.
One person you'd like to get to know better: To be honest, everyone. I would really like to make more friends and to actually go out with someone else besides one of my family members on a regular basis.
One random act of kindness that you'd like to make a habit this year: Doing more things for my husband.
Something that you'd like to own by the end of 2008: a 12x12 printer/scanner
Something that you'd like to get rid of by the end of 2008: emotional baggage
One change you'd like to see in your life in 2008: More friends and time spent with friends.
One thing you'd like to memorize in 2008: The Girl Scout Law
Something that you'd like to improve on: Journaling on my layouts.
Something you'd like to learn in 2008: digital scrapbooking and to do more Ethnic and complex cooking
Something you're looking forward to this year: My DH and I are going to be married 6 years and I can't wait for the DH to get his yearly bonus and then we can hopefully plan a trip.
One thing you're going to make sure does NOT happen in 2008: I will not go negative in the bank.
Will you try to eat healthier?: UH, YEAH!!!
Will you take up some form of exercise?: well, I want to start walking more and work up to running and then possibly riding a bike.
Will you try to improve your financial situation?: Yes
Will there be any lifelong goals you'll try to accomplish?: I don't really have any life long goals. Is that sad? Except maybe to travel.
Will you move to a new place?: Nope.
What new things will you try for fun and adventure?: Cooking some of my recipes and hopefully going on vacation with the fam.
Will you try a new look?: Yes, I really want to.
Will you try to eat something you've never had before?: yes!
Will you be getting any tattoo's?: no
Will you be getting any piercings: no
Will you try a new hairstyle or color?: YES
Will there be any charities you'll be active in?: Yes
Top 5 Places to go in 08: Disney World, Grand Canyon (highly doubt that will happen though since my DH is afraid of heights), Mexico, new York, Anywhere in the North
Top 5 Things to do in 08: Make more friends, read the bible cover to cover, re-read/finish Living Artfully, finish at least 52 scrapbook pages, lose at least 20 lbs.
Top 5 Ways to improve yourself in 08: lose weight, worry less, obsess less, try not to let mean people get to me, not get as mad at my boss
One new years wish to make your 08 truly happy: More friends, closer relationship with my husband.

2 Peas Blogger Challenge...

What are your scrapping plans for this last weekend of 2007?

Well, I mentioned in a previous post that I am going to an all night scrappy tomorrow night. I am also going to clean up the scrap room today and make at least one page and get stuff ready for the scrappy tomorrow. I can't wait! I did a page yesterday and I have journaling ready for a new page. Which is my new scrappy thing of end of 2007-2008, I will journal before I even touch a picture or piece of paper.

Since I have no life....

2 Peas Blogger Challenge...

What project are you just ready to start creating now that the holidays are done?

Well, mainly I still have a Christmas gift for my mom to finish. I need to do that ASAP. I am going to an all night scrappy on the 29th and I will finish it then and also work on some pages that I have been thinking about. I really just want to do more scrapping and also begin a journal for my goals for this year and going forward. Or maybe not so much a journal maybe just an LO. I am thinking on my options there.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

Here is a slideshow from our Christmas!!!

Ok, so the haul list:

From the DH:
1. Mikimoto Pearl Earrings--Isn't he awesome!!
2. HP Photosmart A627 portable printer---I really love this man!
3. New Indigo Girls cd
4. Pink Floyd's The Wall cd
5. Book- Hugs for Scrapbookers
6. Book- Artful Memories by Carol Wingert
7. Book- Where Women Create
8. Book- Celtic Folklore Cooking
9. A key chain that holds 60 digital photos.

From the DD:
1. A hand made book of animals that she made herself. She worked so hard on it and it is just beautiful!
2. Tinkerbell Scrapbook Kit -- for us to do together
3. a horse webkin--hmmm...is that for me or for her? LOL
4. A lovely ring she got for $5! I will cherish it always. she is so sweet and was so proud of it.
5. Nightmare Before Christmas CD Soundtrack

from the Sassy (the dog):
dog stamps

from Memop and Emily (the cats):
cat stamps

What a great Christmas!!!!!!!!

Santa Picture 2007

Well, here it is. She is too cute, but the santa was not the best I have seen. Still, she was so excited to see him and she had a fantastic time.

2 Peas Blogger Challenge...

What are your Christmas Eve plans?

Well, luckily I have all my presents wrapped. So, tonight I will be working on a last minute gift for the DH and then I will be making cookies for santa with Victoria and we will read the night before Christmas and setting out cookies and a carrot for the reindeer. We will also open one gift. I can't wait until tomorrow to see my daughter's face. She is so excited!

2 Peas Blogger Challenge...

What is one thing you look forward to during these last few days before Christmas?


Right now, I am definitely looking forward to time off from work!!!! I love the opening of gifts and then the leisurely time afterwards where everyone "plays" with their new gifts. I am looking forward to that and to watching my daughter open her gifts and just hanging around the house acting like a bum!! Ok, is that one thing? LOL

I stole this from another blog:

1. wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper
2. real or artificial? real, they smell so good...
3.when do you put the tree up? Dec. 1
4.when do you take the tree down? after New Years
5.do you like egg nog? love it!!!
6.favorite gift recieved as a child? a cabbage patch kid
7.Do you have a nativity scene? yes
9. Easiest person to buy for? My DD
10.Worst christmas gift you ever recieved? canned food...gotta love my grandma!
11.mail or email christmas cards? mail
12.favorite christmas movie- The Christmas Story
14.Have you ever recycled a christmas gift? Nope...
15.Favorite thing to eat at christmas? Russian Teacakes
16.Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear
17.Favorite Christmas song? Breath of Heaven by Amy grant
18. Travel at christmas or stay home? Stay home
19.Can you name all santas reindeer? dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet and cupid, donner and blitzen and rudolph. Is that all?
20.angel on the tree top or star? Star....
21. open presents on christmas eve or christmas morning? One present Chrismas eve, all the rest Christmas day
22. most annoying thing about this time of year...?? not enough money
23.What do you love most about christmas? watching my daughter's face when she sees the presents on Christmas morning.

More useless info....

1. Would you kiss your neighbor?Uh, no!
.2. What describes your relationship status?Happily Married
3. Where are you?living room
4. What's the last movie you've seen?Santa Clause 3
5. I've come to realize the last person who held my hand is.,,Victoria
6. What is your middle name? No way am I telling, I hate it.
7. Who have you talked to most today?co-workers and patients
8. Do you carve pumpkins every year?of course
9. Color of your underwear?purple
10. Color of your shirt? striped
11. I'm always...too busy
12. Who's on speed dial 2? 4? 6?2 ..Home4...work6....None
13. Honestly, how many seasons of the Simple Life do you own?none
14. What is your favorite season?FALL
15.Good advice of stuff if you go camping? Bring sunscreen
16. Are you a bad influence? sometimes
17. Are you in love?yes
18. Rather have your name or your siblings name?I like my first name, not impressed with my siblings names
19. Would you do anything for someone else?WEll depends on the person
20. Have you ever been called a bitch? At least 10 times a day. I love you bitches too!
21. Best Friend? Sassy
22. What is your ringtone? Brass Monkey
23. What song is on?none the TV is on
24. Are your grades good?not in school
25. Do you ever think people hate you for filling these out?Don't care
26. Does your best friend have a myspace?nope
27. Whose page did you visit last? my other blog...scrapbooking journaling blog
28. Last time you went out to lunch? last week with co-workers
30. Who is your favorite character from Friends?Phoebe or Ross
31. Do you have a tattoo?2
32. Do you want one?nope
33. Do you have one or more Britney Spears CD? yes
34. What did you do last night?read and went to bed
35. Are you a Lost fanatic?no
36. Say you were given a drug test right now. Would you pass or fail?pass
37. Do you have a song by Ozzy Osbourne in your library?no
38.iPod or Zune?IPOD
39. Do you watch Family Guy regularly?no
40. King of the Hill?NO
41. Do you read trashy romance novels often?ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!
42. What's the last thing you bought?lunch for work
43. What's the last thing someone bought you?dinner
44. Do you ever sing obnoxiously in the shower?yes
45. What's in your CD player right now?Carrie Underwood
46. What's your favorite romance movie?Somewhere in Time
47. Another favorite movie?How to Lose a Guy in 10 days
48. Do you believe everyone has a soulmate?yes
49. Can you sing?yes
50. Do you play any instruments?nope
53. Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization?I like to be organized at work, but at home it goes to shit
54. Have you ever been to South America or Africa?NOPE...
55. Do you know how to knit?a little.
56. Do you have a job?Yes
57. Have you ever written love song lyrics yourself and put them on mypace?NOPE
58. What are you doing right now besides this survey? watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas
60. Baskin Robbins or Coldstone?Coldstone
61. Physics or chemistry?Chemistry
62. Facebook or Myspace? Blogger :)
63. Do u like balls in your face?lAUGH.. NO
64. Are you a virgin?NO
65. Walk or Run?Walk
66. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars?All of the above
67. Fly or road trip?ROAD TRIP!!
68. Batman, Spiderman, or Superman?SPIDERMAN.. HE IS HOT!!
69. What's your favorite Disney movie?URRR.. RIGHT NOW.. RATATOUILLE

5 things list again...

5 things I was doing 10 years ago (November 1997):
1. I was either dating dingleberry
2. working in retail (ACK!0
3. drinking a lot
4. doing drugs recreationally
5. living in an apartment

5 things on my to do list today:
1. finish coding seminar that I am listening to for work
2. picking up Tonia at the airport
3. putting away laundry.
4. pick up Toria at school
5. put on make up :)

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. chips
2. chocolate.
3. french fries
4. goldfish
5. chocolate.

5 songs I know the lyrics to:
1. Hit me baby one more time by Brittany
2. I've Been Loving you by Otis Redding
3. Sitting on the dock of the bay by Otis redding
4. Your Cheatin' Heart by patsy cline
5. Power of 2 by Indigo girls

5 of my bad habits:
1. Procrastinating.
2. Pack rat
3. shit talker. *lol*
4. Being lazy.
5. buying things and not using them.

5 things I'd do if I were a millionaire:
1. Buy a house.
2. Buy a new car
3. Pay off our bills.
4. travel.
5. quit my job.

5 things I will never wear again:
1. Skinny jeans.
2. leggings.
3. anything that shows off my stomach.
4. short shorts.
5. a size 8 or less. *sigh*

5 of my favorite toys:
1. DVR
2. iPod
3. Wishblade
4. portable DVD player
5. my laptop

OK maybe i am just a B*tch...

But I just think that it is totally inapropriate to post online a scrapbook page with a picture of a dead baby. Of course, I appear to be alone in this. Here is a link to a thread on scrapsmack that I posted:

ScrapSmackThread


Anyway, I don't mind people having a different opinion from mine, but getting nasty and calling names is just ridiculous. State an intelligent opinion without calling names. Anyway, just my opinion.

Halloween Pics....

I went to a crop yesterday...

I went to a crop yesterday and I had such a great time and I got 12 12x12 pages done and 4 6x6 pages done. I am so pleased with how much I did. I also signed up for an all night crop at Scrapbook Fever the weekend after Thanksgiving. I hope I can get more done then since I have not had a very productive scrappy year. I dreamt of scrapbooking all night long. LOL Here is some of what I got done:

One of the peas on 2 peas read an entry on my blog I wrote about fitting in. Well, she peamailed me and said that she hoped that she was not being too personal, but that she wanted to know if I really feel that way and if I do that I could have a depersonalization disorder. Well, I went and looked it up and BINGO! I am not a doctor, but I am pretty damn sure that I have it. If anyone who is reading this is interested, here is a link. Depersonailzation Disorder

Fun little thingy...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Sunshine Santa Fe

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Vanilla Oatmeal Raisin

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
S Cru

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Pink Ferret

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Neille Dallas

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Crust


7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Red Diet Coke

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Leroy Homer

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Bulgari Skore

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Gail Leroy

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Hooker Hamilton

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Winter Lily

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Nectarine Jammie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Diet Coke Willow

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Scrapbooking Snow Tour

FUN!

2 Peas Blogger Challenge...

With the holiday season right around the corner. Have you started to do any baking or planning?

Nope. I mean I have thought about it, but I haven't started. It is time to start on the hand made gifts that I want to do. I need to work on my christmas cards and many other things. I have just been really busy with Victoria starting kindergarten and the Daisies.

On the daisy note, we had our first meeting last night. It went pretty well. I also have scheduled for mid November to take my first aid class. I am already CPR certified, but I need to be first aid certified in order for us to be able to go places. I also gave the other co-leader a check to get Victoria's smock and book for Daisies since she is going to the Girl Scout store today. I can't wait to see Victoria in that cute smock! Can you say scrapbook page? LOL

I am Sponge Bob

Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character. Have you ever asked
yourself what cartoon character do you most resemble?

A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities
of well known and modern cartoon characters. The information that was
gathered was made into this test.

Answer all the questions (only 10) with what describes you best, add
up all your Points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at
the end and look for your results.

Do not cheat by looking at the end before you are done.

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?

.a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)

.b) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.)

.c) Painting in the park (5 pts)

.d) Rock concert (1 pt.)

.e) Going to the movies (3 pts.)


2. What is your favorite type of music?

.a) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)

.b) Alternative (1 pt.)

.c) Soft Rock (4 pts.)

.d) Country (5 pts.)

.e) Pop (3 pts.)


3. What type of movies do you prefer?

.a) Comedy (2 pts.)

.b) Horror (1 pt.)

.c) Musical (3 pts.)

.d) Romance (4 pts.)

.e) Documentary (5 pts.)


4. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could
choose one of these?

.a) Waiter (4 pts.)

.b) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.)

.c) Teacher (3 pts.)

. d) Police (2 pts.)

.e) Cashier (1 pt)



5. What do you do with your spare time?

.a) Exercise (5 pts.)

.b) Read (4 pts.)

.c) Watch television (2 pts.)

.d) Listen to music (1 pt.)

.e) Sleep (3 pts.)


6. Which one of the following colours do you like best?

.a) Yellow (1 pt.)

.b) White (5 pts.)

.c) Sky Blue (3 pts.)

.d) Dark Bl ue (2 pts.)

.e) Red (4 pts.)


7. What do you prefer to eat?

.a) Snow (3 pts.)

.b) Pizza (2 pts.)

.c) Sushi (1 pt.)

.d) Pasta (4 pts.)

.e) Salad (5 pts.)



8 What is your favorite holiday?

.a) Halloween (1 pt.)

.b) Christmas (3 pts.)

.c) New Year (2 pts.)

.d) Valentine's Day (4 pts.)

.e) Thanksgiving (5 pts.)


9. If you could go to one of these places which one would it be?

.a) Paris (4 pts)

.b) Spain (5 pts)

.c) Las Vegas (1 pt)

.d) Hawaii (4 pts)

.e) Hollywood (3 pts)


10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?

.a) Someone Smart (5 pts.)

.b) Someone attractive (2 pts.)

.c) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)

.d) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)

.e) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)

Now add up your points and find out the answer you have been waiting
for!

(10-16 points) You are Garfield :

You are very comfortable, easy going, and you definitely know how to
have fun but sometimes you take it to an extreme. You always know
what you are doing and you are alway s in control of your life. Others may
not see things as you do, but that doesn't mean that you always have
to do what is right. Try to remember, your happy spirit may hurt you
or others.

(17-23 points) You are Snoopy:

You are fun, you are very cool and popular. You always know what's in
and you are never are out of style You are good at knowing how to
satisfy everyone else. You have probably disappeared for a few days
more than once but you always come home with the family values that
you learned. Being married and having children are important to you,
but only after you have had your share of fun times

(24-28 points) You are Elmo:
You have lots of friends and you are also popular, always willing to
give advice and help out a person in need. You are very optimistic
and you always< BRsee the bright side of things. Some good advice:
try not to be too much of a dreamer. Dreaming too big could cause
many conflicts inyour life.

(29-35 points) You are Sponge Bob Square Pants:
You are the classic person that everyone loves. You are the best
friend that anyone could ever have and never wants to lose. You never
cause harm to anyone and they would never not understand your
feelings. Life is a journey, it's funny and calm for the most part.
Stay away from traitors and jealous people, and you will be stress
free.

(36-43 points) You are Charlie Brown:
You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very
serious about all relationships. You are a family person. You call
your Mom every Sunday.You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few Birthdays.
Don't confuse your passion with reality.

(44-50 points) You are Dexter:
You are smart and definitely a thinker... Every situation is fronted
with a plan. You have a brilliant mind. You demonstrate very strong
family principles. You maintain a stable routine but never ignore a
bad situation when it comes. Try to do less over thinking every once
in a while to spice things up a bit with spontaneity!

So, who are YOU???

2 Peas Blogger 10/25/07

When your scrapping/card making do you ever look at your surrounding for ideas?

I have no idea. Most of the time, my ideas just come to me. With absolutely no explanation LOL.

I know that this is a very interesting post, but oh well, I did i.

Tagged by Carol Wingert...

1. Link to the person's blog who tagged you. The amazingly talented and inspirational Carol Wingert! Carol Wingert

2. List seven weird things about yourself...OK, weirdness is in the eye of the beholder...let's call it "unique things" about yourself.

----1. I love the taste of peaches, but can't stand peaches with the skin on because of the fuzz. UGH! It makes my skin crawl to think of it.
----2. I am allergic to sunblock, but I am very fair skinned. Strange I know! This is how I know that God has a sense of humor. LOL
----3. I like the smell of gasoline. I know, most people hate it. But I love the smell.
----4. I can't stand the news, it depresses me and makes me sad. Why don't they report something happy?
----5. Ok, the news makes me sad, but I love to watch Forensic Files. My husband says that it depresses him more than the news. It doesn't depress me because I know at the end, they catch the bad guy.
----6. I can't stand the idea of a butterfly touching me. Any bug at all for that matter. To me a pretty bug is just the same as an ugly bug.
----7. My favorite physical feature about myself is my nose. I am pretty sure that is the last thing they will say.

3. Tag seven people to do the same and post a comment on their blog.

ok so here goes...
** Shanna LambShanna Lamb, you are tagged. She is one of my fave scrappers and I haunt her blog. I love her shabby chic style!

** Nisa Fiin Nisa Fiin, you are tagged. Can I say enough about Nisa!! I love her photography. Another one of my scrap idols.

**BonnieRose BonnieRose you are tagged. One of my fellow blogging 2 peas and can I say someone I need to be more like on the blog note since I am bad about blogging.

**Jill Conyers Jill, you have been tagged! A very talented scrapper ( I used to hang on just4keeps with her) and another 2 peas fellow blogger. :)

**Darcey Darcey, you have been tagged! Another fellow 2 peas blogger, go check out her blog for some super cute pics of puppies!!!

**Pattye Pattye, you have been tagged. So much to love on your blog. If that is your photography, I am totally jealous!!!

**Kimberly Archer Kimberly, you have been tagged. Another of my 2 peas fellow bloggers. I am loving her new post with a cute santa calendar project!

My dog blew up...

My dog is HUGE now! Last night while I was at my sleep study, my DH and DD went to the Halloween Costume party at Petsmart. Here are the pics. Too cute!

2 Peas Blogger 10/24/07

Blog about something inspiring that you've heard/read lately.
Blog about it.

The most inspiring thing I have heard/read is from the lesson plan for my daughter's daisy girlscout troop. The lesson if for them to earn their "Responsible for what I say and do" petal. They have to color a picture and then crumple it into a ball and then you see the wrinkles in the paper and then you explain that whenyou say something mean or do something bad it always leaves a mark on that person. Then you squeeze a tube of toothpaste and tell them to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Of course, the moral there is that sometimes you say or do things that you can't take back.

Oh boy am I glad that I am a leader because I NEED THESE LESSONS. So do a lot of other adults I know. Why is there not an adult girl scouts? LOL

Blogger 10/22/07

What is your biggest achievement so far this year?

I would have to say that starting the electronic medical records system at work is my biggest achievement. The amount of planning and coordinating it took to accomplish that is just more than I can say.

In my personal life, getting Victoria ready for her first year of school and starting up with the Daisy girl scouts.

It's been a busy year and I can't even think of everything.

Fun Day!

We went to the pumpkin patch and we went to the girl scout's chili cook off. The weather is absolutely gorgeous!!!

2 Peas Blogger Challenge...

What is your favorite fall activity? what fall traditions do you have?

My favorite fall activity is picking out pumpkins. Not necessarily the act of carving pumpkins, but of picking them out at the pumpkin patch. I love to be in the outdoors with the air crisp and clean smelling and all of the gorgeous colors of fall surrounding me. I love the excitement that I see in my daughter and her adorable penchant for choosing the "charlie brown christmas tree" of pumpkins so to speak.

Traditions...mainly picking out pumpkins, decorating for halloween, and carving pumpkins. Not really anything super different. Heck, maybe my family needs some new traditions. LOL

2 Peas Blogger Challenge...

Blog about the things you're scared of.. no matter how trivial.. no matter how big.. what kinds of things are you scared of??
Blog about it.

Since I love a good list. here it is....


1. Being like my mother
2. bugs, even butterflies touching me..as long as they don't touch me, I am fine.
3. not accomplishing anything with my life
4. my dh or dd getting hurt or dieing
5. not having control of my emotions
6. drowning
7. getting to retirement and having no money
8. screwing up my kid like my mother has screwed me up
9. not having a good relationship with my daughter
10. my husband or myself losing our job/jobs
11. house burning down or getting broken into
12. losing all my pictures/scrapbooks/my hard drive crashing
13. getting fatter than I already am
14. never being accepted by my brother or sister
15. not having friends


Ok, that is all I can think of...

Today's Inspiration

The following are layouts by suzdoyle on 2peas:

The History of Love....Nicole Krauss

The History of Love....Nicole Krauss....you inspire me.


Once upon a time there was a girl. When she was young, she felt like there was no where that she belonged. When she got older, the feeling would go away for a time, but 90% of the time she felt like somehow she was on the outside looking in. She always wondered how everyone else seemed to have it so...together, that they always seemed to know the right thing to do and seemed to say the right things and seemed to fit like pieces in a puzzle. She dreamed that someday she would meet someone/someones that she would fit with like pieces in a puzzle. Like perfectly fitting pieces in a puzzle. Someone/Someones that would understand her. But she never seemed to find that person...and even at 31 years old, even when she was married and had a beautiful child, she never seemed to fit in...and she wondered...does anyone feel like they fit in? those people who seemed to have it all together? did they feel like they were on the outside looking in? was everyone like a pea in a land of corn?

Anyway, as strange as the above post was, read The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.

Thoughts...

I am terrible about blogging....

Narcissism describes the character trait of self love.
I have been thinking about this, I don't think that word accurately describes my mother, character trait of self absorbtion would be more accurate however, she certainly loves herself more than she ever loved me. ***note....the author is not nearly as emotionally as disturbed as she sounds, it is just a fact of life to her***
Anyway, I have been going through amazon.com and adding to my wishlist just for fun. My mother has been on my mind, I would like to understand her. So I put on my wishlist books about Munchausen's syndrome and malingering and factious disorders. Big difference here...hypochondriacts really believe they are sick, Muchausen's they know they are not sick and pretend to be sick to get attention. I certianly beleive that my mother has Munchausen's and to tell you honestly it makes me very leary of myself and my own motivations. Plus I can't tell you how much it has affected me in my business and personal life, whenever someone around me tells me that they are sick...I think that they are lying or exagerating unless there is actual physical undeniable proof. It makes it hard with your husband when he wants a little sympathy for feeling sick and you can't give it to him. I am just completely unable. Christian has to bring up to me that I am being this way and even then, I have to pretend to have any sympathy for him. He will say, I am feeling sick and I say, I am sorry you feel that way and honestly I can't even fool him. At least he is understanding about it though.

This is the affect that Brenda Vanderpool has had on my life. Not to mention the affect that she has had on the numerous people around her and my half brother and sister. I wish there was some way to show her the havoc she has wreaked and on all the people she has affected. You know like Scrooge. Wouldn't that be nice?

It also make me think about things like, oh dear God what if I turn out like her! or what have I done that may have affected people adversely and negatively for the rest of their lives. UGH!!! These are some really heavy thoughts.

Multiple Randomness coming...

First of all, I absolutely love the song Vincent by Don Mclean. i really love Josh groban's version. Here are the lyrics:

Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land.

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.

Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.

Starry, starry night.
Portraits hung in empty halls,
Frameless head on nameless walls,
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.
Like the strangers that you've met,
The ragged men in the ragged clothes,
The silver thorn of bloody rose,
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will...


Absolutely fantabulous song!!!


Ok, we got a dog. She is a basset hound and she is absolely gorgeous, but driving us crazy with the entire potty training thing. But, she is going to be a wonderful dog when that is all taken care of.

I have joined weight watchers, I have been on it almost a week and I have lost 2 pounds so far. :)

Well read Book list...

There is a new "meme" running through the lit blog community (see here and here) that involves revealing how many literary "classics" you have read. I did this awhile back with the Modern Library's top 100 English language novels. To further reveal my lack of culture I will use the list provided this time. The ones in bold are the ones I have read:

Beowulf
Achebe, Chinua — Things Fall Apart
Agee, James — A Death in the Family
Austen, Jane — Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James — Go Tell It on the Mountain
Beckett, Samuel — Waiting for Godot
Bellow, Saul — The Adventures of Augie March
Brontë, Charlotte — Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily — Wuthering Heights
Camus, Albert — The Stranger
Cather, Willa — Death Comes for the Archbishop
Chaucer, Geoffrey — The Canterbury Tales
Chekhov, Anton — The Cherry Orchard
Chopin, Kate — The Awakening
Conrad, Joseph — Heart of Darkness
Cooper, James Fenimore — The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen — The Red Badge of Courage
Dante — Inferno
de Cervantes, Miguel — Don Quixote
Defoe, Daniel — Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles — A Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor — Crime and Punishment
Douglass, Frederick — Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Dreiser, Theodore — An American Tragedy
Dumas, Alexandre — The Three Musketeers
Eliot, George — The Mill on the Floss
Ellison, Ralph — Invisible Man
Emerson, Ralph Waldo — Selected Essays
Faulkner, William — As I Lay Dying
Faulkner, William — The Sound and the Fury
Fielding, Henry — Tom Jones
Fitzgerald, F. Scott — The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave — Madame Bovary
Ford, Ford Madox — The Good Soldier
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von — Faust
Golding, William — Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas — Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel — The Scarlet Letter
Heller, Joseph — Catch 22
Hemingway, Ernest — A Farewell to Arms
Homer — The Iliad
Homer — The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor — The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hurston, Zora Neale — Their Eyes Were Watching God
Huxley, Aldous — Brave New World
Ibsen, Henrik — A Doll's House
James, Henry — The Portrait of a Lady
James, Henry — The Turn of the Screw
Joyce, James — A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kafka, Franz — The Metamorphosis
Kingston, Maxine Hong — The Woman Warrior
Lee, Harper — To Kill a Mockingbird
Lewis, Sinclair — Babbitt
London, Jack — The Call of the Wild
Mann, Thomas — The Magic Mountain
Marquez, Gabriel García — One Hundred Years of Solitude
Melville, Herman — Bartleby the Scrivener
Melville, Herman — Moby Dick
Miller, Arthur — The Crucible
Morrison, Toni — Beloved
O'Connor, Flannery — A Good Man is Hard to Find
O'Neill, Eugene — Long Day's Journey into Night
Orwell, George — Animal Farm
Pasternak, Boris — Doctor Zhivago
Plath, Sylvia — The Bell Jar
Poe, Edgar Allan — Selected Tales
Proust, Marcel — Swann's Way
Pynchon, Thomas — The Crying of Lot 49
Remarque, Erich Maria — All Quiet on the Western Front
Rostand, Edmond — Cyrano de Bergerac
Roth, Henry — Call It Sleep
Salinger, J.D. — The Catcher in the Rye
Shakespeare, William — Hamlet
Shakespeare, William — Macbeth
Shakespeare, William — A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare, William — Romeo and Juliet
Shaw, George Bernard — Pygmalion
Shelley, Mary — Frankenstein
Silko, Leslie Marmon — Ceremony
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander — One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Sophocles — Antigone
Sophocles — Oedipus Rex
Steinbeck, John — The Grapes of Wrath
Stevenson, Robert Louis — Treasure Island
Stowe, Harriet Beecher — Uncle Tom's Cabin
Swift, Jonathan — Gulliver's Travels
Thackeray, William — Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David — Walden
Tolstoy, Leo — War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan — Fathers and Sons
Twain, Mark — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Voltaire — Candide
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. — Slaughterhouse—Five
Walker, Alice — The Color Purple
Wharton, Edith — The House of Mirth
Welty, Eudora — Collected Stories
Whitman, Walt — Leaves of Grass
Wilde, Oscar — The Picture of Dorian Gray
Williams, Tennessee — The Glass Menagerie
Woolf, Virginia — To the Lighthouse
Wright, Richard — Native Son

So, I have been wondering lately ever since my boss pretty much called me an idiot (ok not exactly but if I told the story you would see that is what he did), what really makes a person "smart"?

Here is what webster says about the definition of smart:

smart /smɑrt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[smahrt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, adjective, -er, -est, adverb, noun
–verb (used without object) 1. to be a source of sharp, local, and usually superficial pain, as a wound.
2. to be the cause of a sharp, stinging pain, as an irritating application, a blow, etc.
3. to feel a sharp, stinging pain, as in a wound.
4. to suffer keenly from wounded feelings: She smarted under their criticism.
5. to feel shame or remorse or to suffer in punishment or in return for something.
–verb (used with object) 6. to cause a sharp pain to or in.
–adjective 7. quick or prompt in action, as persons.
8. having or showing quick intelligence or ready mental capability: a smart student.
9. shrewd or sharp, as a person in dealing with others or as in business dealings: a smart businessman.
10. clever, witty, or readily effective, as a speaker, speech, rejoinder, etc.
11. dashingly or impressively neat or trim in appearance, as persons, dress, etc.
12. socially elegant; sophisticated or fashionable: the smart crowd.
13. saucy; pert: smart remarks.
14. sharply brisk, vigorous, or active: to walk with smart steps.
15. sharply severe, as a blow, stroke, etc.
16. sharp or keen: a smart pain.
17. Informal. equipped with, using, or containing electronic control devices, as computer systems, microprocessors, or missiles: a smart phone; a smart copier.
18. Computers. intelligent (def. 4).
19. Older Use. considerable; fairly large.
–adverb 20. in a smart manner; smartly.
–noun 21. a sharp local pain, usually superficial, as from a wound, blow, or sting.
22. keen mental suffering, as from wounded feelings, affliction, grievous loss, etc.
23. smarts, Slang. intelligence; common sense: He never had the smarts to use his opportunities.


Well, I know that I fit some of those things, not all for sure, but come on. If I fit one doesn't that mean I am smart? so, what does smart mean?

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Life Lesson #25

Never speak to those you work with unless it is about work related things happening right at that time. Especially if you work with back stabbing lying women. (really I wanted to say another word there but anyway) So, newsflash...I am NEVER speaking to the women that I work with any more. I mean that. I am so freaking tired of the drama. Life is just to short to have to deal with people saying she told me that you said blah blah blah and they take what you said out of context or completely exaggerated it. Actually maybe I should just open my own business and just have me be the owner and workers etc and then I won't have to deal with this stupid crud. Or not speaking to anyone...that will work too.

Don't you love these...

Disney photos...Scarlett Johannson, David Beckham so awesome....

Disney, random musings etc.....

Well, Christian and I are getting ready to try to plan a trip to Disney. I know there is like this whole anti-Disney thing out there, but I will be honest. I LOVE DISNEY!!!!! Disney everything! I can't wait to go. I loved it last time. Hopefully we will be able to afford it and even to stay at the Grand Floridian!!!! That is like the best hotel at Disney. The only thing that is up for grabs is that Dell bonus. We are anxiously waiting to see what it will be so we can see what we can afford. **Keep your fingers crossed.**

---My baby girl is almost ready to start Kindergarten!!! Can you believe it?! So the dilemma? Where does she go to school? Public? Private? So let's discuss the first option... Public. So, the school in our area is Union Hill. It is freaking enormous!!! Like seriously huge! You see that picture above? That is it! Somehow, that picture just doesn't even begin to show how large that school is. I mean it is scarey big! Good news is that the school EXCEEDS state and local ratings on academics. They have really awesome scores. So here is a list of Pros:

1. Close to home

2. High academic scores

3. No issues regarding after school care--There is on site after school care

Cons:

1. ENORMOUS--I am afraid that my little person will be lost in a sea of children.

2. There are 7!!!! Count it 7! Kindergarten classes...about 22 children per class, that is approx 150 children just in Kindergarten!

3. It looks like a friggin instiution. I mean I thought at first that it looked like a prison.

4. It is larger than my HIGH SCHOOL!!!!

Ok, so the next option.... Private school...namely Round Rock Christian Academy

Pros:

1. My child will not only learn the basic subjects, but about God! That is such a draw for me!

2. Small school..3 Kindergarten classes. Smaller classes, means more individual attention. Children learn at their own pace...all children are not working on the same things. When they have mastered an area of study, they move on to the next level.

3. I am familiar with the curriculum...A Beka. That is the same curriculum that Christian's brothers and sisters were taught in home school. Which BTW, is really great.

4. Close to my work. :)

Cons:

1. It is at a BAPTIST church. However, they do state that they do not teach BAPTIST doctrine. However, it does still concern me.

2. It is expensive. We currently pay around $600 for child care a month. It will be around $650 for this and that would even include me having to adjust my schedule to be later. Which I don't mind. However, now I drop my child off at 7:15 and pick her up around 4:30-5 every night. I will have to drop her off at 8:15 and therefore Christian will have to pick her up before 6.

3. You have to APPLY and be accepted. They have to have an interview with Christian and I and they have to test Victoria.

I am currently leaning toward RR Christian Academy. I am just really hoping that God will help with this!!! Everyone pray for the perfect situation for Victoria's education. I would really appreciate it!

I need prayers too. I am finding that I am how should I say this...dissatisfied with my personality. I am just a very BOLD person to say the least. I guess my personality is hard for people to deal with. I just don't want to be someone that people can't stand to be around and apparently since I am just so IN YOUR FACE, I am not that easy to be around. I don't want to be that person. I really don't. I am so frustrated, I feel like I have really made a lot of improvement in my life. I am so much more responsible than I used to be. I don't drink often and when I do, I am very very conservative. This is a HUGE improvement for me. I guess I am just frustrated because when I fix one thing about myself, 15 different things that need to be improved upon pop up! Plus, I am a perfectionist and I can't stand it when I have a flaw!!!! I mean its ok for other people to have flaws, but not me! So the real question...Why do I need to change me? I mean I honestly kind of feel like telling people to go take a freaking stick and stick it in a not so nice place if they don't like me. I mean if you don't like me, then go away. So, I guess do I like me? Honestly, I think that I am strong and that I LOVE! But, I don't want to be that person that everyone thinks is annoying. I mean there is this woman that is an accountant that I have to work with and I can't stand her! I can't stand her personality, she is just too way over the top and so unpleasant. So I am just wondering, Am I like that to other people? I just need prayers to help change the things that I need to change and keep the things that I need to keep.

WOW! There is a lot of heavy stuff there, so I think that I will just stop writing for a while.

A List...

Something I found on someone else's blog:

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candle lit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
8 Gotten a tattoo0.
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children (raising still)
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking...all too often...LOL!!
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms
)107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol... does a pellet gun count??
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life