Wednesday, June 30

120. Under Fire

It's not really a visit home/ with your family unless there are prying questions and oodles of awkward moments/ subjects. Yes, it was that time again. It actually started in the car on the way to the house from the airport last night, lol. Everything from clearing up or being curious about the choices I've made in the past to what I'm up to or trying to be up to now. There are all sorts of misunderstandings and things that are pretty much better left unsaid/ un-clarified. Then there are things I used to really care about, I now don't have any problem speaking about. I guess when you don't see each other often and there are things you've been pondering over for quite some time, it's just easier to spit it out and ask pointedly. It gives me very mixed emotions: frustration, exasperation, insecurity, closeness, nostalgia, amusement, thoughtfulness, anxiety, worry, embarrassment, and exhaustion. Lol.

Went shopping today. To say that shopping is not one of my strong suits is an understatement. Well, at least shopping for clothes and such. It was more of an ambush kind of feeling. I was a tad overwhelmed and tried to hide it behind feigning humor. My mother knows the degree of hopeless I really am, lol. I did grab a frozen mocha drink from Panera Bread before the trip so I'm still wired! Sleeping is going to suck tonight.

I did get to hang out with one of my favorite-est(?) persons... (Okay, idk what I'm trying to do with that anymore, lol) in the whole wide world! I opened the car door when they came to pick me up and said: "Is it bad that I kinda wanted to bring my laptop?" The resound reply was: "NO! We wanted to play too- GO GET IT!!" So, I got to meet their SO and we ate yummy foods, had even yummier dessert at my old Cold Stone stomping grounds, and then went off to be nerds and played WoW. XD It was pretty darn great. I loved starting to catch up and great geeky conversation. It makes me feel like I know something about something/ stuff. Lol.

I need to get myself to bed. Or at least unconscious. Um, I'm not quite sure what's going to be harder. :P Until tomorrow when I hope to go on adventures with my baby bruddah! <3

Tuesday, June 29

119. Are We There Yet?

I'm writing while in sticky icky Florida! I finally met up with my family almost two hours after I was originally scheduled to land. They were waiting for me at the airport the whole time as well. But I'm here and it's grossly humid again.

My brother took me on a tour of the house to see what has been worked on and/or finished in the past year. Good game. I may try to snag a couple of pictures tomorrow but I make no promises because he's going to take me around town to do some shopping because I have no self control and he has nothing better to do. :D Lol.

I barely slept for various reasons last night. Nervous about traveling, had that freaky creepy crawly feeling (when you swear that bugs are touching you or crawling on you but they're really not), dogs barking, etc. But I dragged myself awake, double checked my bags and went about a tidying up frenzy around all my spots around the house as well as communal areas. Well, it was more finishing up and polishing what I had done last night. The flights were okay, besides the delays. My second flight was a little bumpy and rough, but nothing to be spooked about.

Oh! Speaking of creepy feelings. We found what had bit the SO the other night! We went on a hunt on a hunch and found the culprit: an assassin/ kissing bug! Little bugger is like a huge mosquito-tick thing. But we caught it and it's dead. And if his foot gets any worse we have the little monster. I didn't want to take a picture of it and if bugs creep you out, you don't have to click on the link. They secrete a moderately pungent smell when disturbed, suck your blood after injecting you with a blood coagulator like a mosquito does, and track you down via sensing your warmth, faint smell, and/or carbon dioxide being exhaled. That last part gives them the name kissing bug because they'll bite into you near your mouth while you're sleeping. Ugh! Do you blame me for being a tad paranoid last night?

I'm having a hard time focusing on anything I want to right now, so I shall write again tomorrow! <3

Monday, June 28

118. Ack! Panic!

Honestly, in all of my nervousness and panicking, I almost forgot to write here today. That would have upset me so to come this far and just forget. Bah!

What is the hub-bub about? My flight to Florida tomorrow! Ahh! Lol, sorry. It's actually not that bad, I have just procrastinated on a few things I wanted to get done this month and decided to still go through with as much as possible all at once. Packing was a breeze. I was actually hunting around for things to bring so my bg ol' luggage bag wouldn't be so empty and my things (such as makeup) wouldn't rattle around during transit! I am being, imo, incredibly good about minimizing crafty things. I had pre-made a few cards, have my catalogs to ogle during the flight, packed some mono-adhesives, 2-way glue pens, and my bone folder for projects I've promised to help with during my stay, and no paper! /cringe. It almost hurts my nerdy/ dorky soul.

Amidst all of that, there were the usual chores of plant and fish-sitting. The SO and I also tackled scrubbing down the communal bathroom and kitchen counters, purging and sweeping the hallways, and clearing out some areas in the garage. Busy-busy and frustrating, but quite gratifying if I do say so myself. I'm doing more tidying of the community areas, especially moving anything of mine as out of sight and out of the way as possible since I'll be gone and not using any of it. I have a little more to do in the morning, just because I don't want to disturb people anymore than I already have tonight. But it shall get done! I will friggin' miss my flight and reschedule it for the next day or so if I have to! ... You know what's scary/ sad about that? I'm just crazy enough to do something like that from time to time. Ridiculous, I know.

:) The SO was considerate enough to confirm how to keep Lucy the Lucky Bamboo alive while I'm gone, mostly to reassure me that someone will check on her. I think she's growing. It seems like she does. Oh well, I'll probably really notice it once I get back after not seeing her for almost an entire month. Ahh! A whole month of being gone! I feel like there are so many other things I should have to take care of in preparation for that, but there really isn't. I have managed to take care of what I need to already. Well, except the tidying thing, but that's more of a considerate-responsibility rather than a you're-gonna-pay/ die-in-so-many-ways-if-you-don't-take-care-of-this-responsibility. Dramatic much? Why yes, yes I am. I am a Leo after all. Limelight, whatnot. Lol, I try to balance it out.

:( I'm really going to miss my boys. I've been out here for almost a year... that's gonna be a little rough for me. I know the SO is ready for some peace and quiet (XD such a trooper!) and well, kitty probably is too. I'm kinda smother-y but they know what they signed up for by letting me into [invade] their lives. I like to give almost as much attention as I like to receive (Roars and shakes mane, lol). ... My hands are really dried out from the cleaning products. Way to keep focus, eh?

Sigh. I'm sure everything will work out smoothly tomorrow. I just always go into a frenzy prior and try to over-prepare. Yes, yes, better safe than sorry/ always be prepared/ expect the unexpected, etc. Ha ha. I do have a track record of some uncommon mishap or bump in the road happen though. /knock on wood laminate. That's one thing that getting to know and being around the SO has taught me: it happens, it's not that big a deal, and a solution is probably really simple to figure out and execute. I'm really grateful for his example, it's helped me mostly conquer many of my fears about traveling solo these past few years.

Bah. I need to stop myself from nervously typing and going off on tangents! Must. Rest. Up. For. Day. Of. Traveling! Ahh! XD. Alrighty folks, here's to having a safe and smooth trip and writing tomorrow from oh-so-humid Florida! <3

Sunday, June 27

117. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

What a cliche title for... well, anything, right? I wanted to call today's post: Good Idea-Bad Idea in honor of the segment from the old(er) cartoon, Animaniacs. Loved them.

Today did not start off well at all (the bad news/ idea). It's been pretty hard to sleep for about two weeks now with the temperatures toying between the 100-110 range almost daily. The hottest hours seem to be right as the sun is rising too. :( We don't like cranking the evap cooler around here to try to save energy and money and all, but it gets really ridiculous really fast. We were already planning to not sleep in and go unpack some more but started off the day with the SO being bitten by a mystery critter and having a moderate allergic reaction. This is the same guy that has been stung by a bee in the chest and wonder when the pain that never came would start. He's never really had a reaction like that to any bite before so we were pretty worried. I guess the scorpion sighting the night before and the baby wolf spider a few days ago may have added to us being extra spooked. So, he did his best to rest and powered through the reaction before we started our day. I was significantly more worried about it than he was, but I usually am about those sorts of things. Silly desert rat of an SO, lol.

I did attend my Stampin' Up new Idea Book-Catalog open house today (the good news/ idea!). My lovely demonstrators had delicious homemade lemon bars, apple-cinnamon muffins, and lemonade. We ogled a tree-like display of sample cards, looked at a few of the new stamp sets and ink,

 tried to restrain ourselves from looking at the new book, 

 and made a card with some of the retiring colors. 

 I also picked up a handy and cute bag for making an order during my last event. 

Let's see if I can get the recipe for the card correct. It's an A2 size card, the base is Bordering Blue and the scalloped circle (which was made with a new punch) is Brocade Blue (I think), both of which were in the Rich Regals family and are now retired. The ink, accent piece, and gross-grain ribbon is Apricot Appeal, which was in the Soft Subtles collection and is also retired. The "happy birthday" stamp is from the new Perfect Punches stamp set (p. 131). We used an oval punch to get that perfect as well and we also pierced the card in the corner and around the scalloped circle for small extra touches. By the way, we used the Big Shot (SU's version of Sizzix's Big Kick Machine) to emboss the oh-so-classy Square Lattice texture pattern onto the yellow. So easy to figure out, especially after all the videos I've watched, and such a nice touch. Mmm... I think the time for me to hunt down a Cuttlebug grows ever nearer.

I need to stop while I'm still ahead. I actually surprised myself and didn't freak out completely over the new lines. Then, I also remembered that this is the stuff that's going to be out for at least the next twelve months! There's actually no rush at all! How bizarre. I really like how every spot in this year's catalog is full of tips and ideas. I really did not think they could add much more, but I was sorely mistaken. Lol. I can't wait to continuously pour over it some more.

Saturday, June 26

116. In The Darkness

Well, the pictures of my reference sheets and of the kitty watching fishies with me are now up! The internet, including wireless networks, were set up today at the new place easily, thanks to the SO being tech savvy. The job that I took on today was helping to set up the entertainment center and then hooking everything up properly. I won! I bent my fingers and arms in ways that I should have, but the television, cable box, dvd/vhs, and sound system running and working together! Plus, the cords were as tucked away as we could get them and I labeled what went together and where. It was a job well done and I spent much of the evening enjoying the spoils of my brain-melting work.

We had some wonderful barbecue chicken with sunflower-honey bread, asparagus, and homemade potato salad. We were so hungry at that point that I didn't catch a picture of it before it was nearly annihilated, lol. Some time after, the SO's dad went hunting for scorpions with a black light flashlight and found a little one almost immediately in the backyard. I caught some pictures and video and then spent the rest of my time there trying to convert and edit it. I know I'm really bad at both, lol. Or just pretty bad. I took out the audio on purpose because we were just chatting away and that annoys me to watch and listen to in other people's videos. :P Here is what I managed to throw together:



Scary/ creepy-looking sucker, isn't he? Lol. I got a little jittery after watching and hanging around it. Especially, when the boys were trying to coerce tiny cockroaches and bugs near it to try to see it hunt them down. That also might explain why I hide inside with the comfy chairs that were finally unpacked and the  fully-functioning entertainment system that was working beautifully. :P

The open house for the new catalogs is tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait!! Then I really have to get back to household cleaning and organization... then maybe some packing of my own. Lol. Yeah... >_>...

Well, until tomorrow! <3 Lol.

Friday, June 25

115. Wasted

It almost sounds like a frat party or Carrie Underwood song. (Un)Fortunately, it's neither. :D

The SO and I pretty much spent our entire day waiting around for essentially nothing. Neither the internet, phone, satellite TV companies came through today for one reason or another. It was pretty painful with no furniture or tasks to do and pretty darn frustrating. Today could have been spent a lot better, starting with catching up with some sleep. Well, now it'll be everyone/ someone else's problem. : )

We have one of the sweetest and most inquisitive kitties around. The SO saw a special that included a segment about cuttlefish (which are incredibly awesome, btw- go look up a few videos on YouTube about them!) and that led me to want to watch Finding Nemo for the millionth time. :D Fantastic movie. I put it in and he's watching it with me! His eyes are darting and following all the tasty fish morsels swimming back and forth. Even during the scene of the mine fields exploding his head was actually following each one blowing up. He's always watched TV from time to time. At one point, the SO and I were speaking whale and kitty was terribly offended. XD Ugh! It's such a fantastic movie. I love how every character seem to have unique and distinct personalities even within their species.

"Mine??? Mine? MineMineMineMineMine?" "You're Rats with WINGS!" Ahahahahaha.

Such a great movie, I watched it twice today. And hooray for laptops. It made today slightly bearable. Slightly.But having pets around, even if none of them are yours, makes everything better. They are too cute and hilarious.  

When we're taking a break amidst the unpacking tomorrow, I shall post various pictures. ^_^ See you then! <3

--- Update ---
Sharkbait, Ooo-ha-ha!

Mount Wannahockaloogie!

Cuddle buddies. <3

Thursday, June 24

114. All Around

I struggled a little bit with naming today's post. Sometime I just write what I want to and figure that out after. Alright, if you can't tell I'm borderline deliriously tired right now. :P Been hard at work on crafting for a purpose. That and for the past few days I've not only been under the weather, but have had this stabbing pain in... well, one of my organs that are located in my gut area. Lol. Idk, I asked around what it was and it may be my kidney or appendix, but either way sometimes the only think I could say when anyone asked me how I was doing was "My this/ organ hurts." *points and grimaces*. :( However, today it didn't hurt as much!

Yes, the SO was on call to bring me to the ER if I felt things were that serious enough. Grocery shopping is hard to do when you have to stop every other aisle because of a stabbing pain inside you make you lose vision for a sec. I don't know how some people deal with that kind of pain on a regular basis with some conditions and diseases that are out there. Moral of the story is, I'm stubborn, was hurt, but managed to get work done today. I have a lot of catching up to do with orders, cleaning, and working on projects for some of my lovely friends. I'm sorry for the delay and it'll all be done by the end of this weekend!

I think I'm heading to Florida next week. Oh man, that panic is starting to set in, lol. I need to empty out some luggage, pull out everything I'm going to bring, make sure I don't need to get anything else done in person before I go, and ahhh! Um... let's just pretend that it isn't going to happen for now. >_> ... <_< Alrighty, moving on.

The cats have been extra weird lately. Granted, they are always quirky and resemble their daddies to the point of hilarity. Idk if it had to do with how hot it's been getting lately- Btw, today's high was 106. Yes, 106 degrees. Thankfully, it was wonderfully heavily overcast and the darkening clouds were ominous. -but the kitties have developed the habit of sleeping underneath the bed. Usually they only stay under there if they're scared/ spooked. They're actually sleeping under there. Together! For kitties that tend to value their personal space away from each other, this is really confusing and bizarre. Are they throwing sweet dance parties down there? What is going on?!

The good news is, I'm getting whatever funk I've been in and music is helping me pull through by keeping me grounded while helping my spirit soar. I've given myself many stern talking-to's internally and I hope I start up with growing up more now. My mind is in dire need of straightening up and re-vamping. Things needs to be changed for good and sooner rather than later.

I'm kind of confusing myself right now and hope that you're not left completely lost after reading today's rant. Thank you for stopping by once again and see you tomorrow! <3

Wednesday, June 23

113. Intermission

I'm feeling under the weather today and a bit frustrated right now, so here's a fun video to tide you over until tomorrow:


Jason Yang playing the electric violin and Jake Moulton beatboxing it up to a remix of Pachelbel's Canon and The Devil Went down to Georgia. Enjoy <3

Tuesday, June 22

112. Long Awaited

A lot of waiting was done today. We were in the mood to play our game, World of Warcraft (aka WoW) after days of spending entire days sans internet while at the new house. To make that deal bittersweet, there was quite a update to it today. A few years back, you know, back in the good ole days, the maintenance and updates would be done by 11am PDT at the latest. That is now 3pm PDT, on average. Today it was more of a 6:30pm kind of deal. So very painful. It wasn't even so much as there was going to be tons of new things to do. Nope, the new raid (think dungeon with bigger groups) they added isn't available to access in North American just yet and the only other thing they really did was to add this Friends list/ chat system.

Personally, I feel that it is kind of nice but in very limited ways. I don't like giving out my email along with my full name, let alone having it displayed every time someone sends me a message. Yes, it's supposed to connect people who are friends in real life, but come on. As with any other social networking gimmick, there are going to be a substantial amount of people who aren't quite really your friends but will be offended/ hurt if you deny the connection. I will be using it sparingly.

There were a bunch of other little instances, but I don't feel like remembering them all because it'll just lead me to get frustrated all over again about them, lol. I'm feeling pretty under the weather today and and crossing my fingers that I don't get too sick this week. The good news is that my camera is all charged up and ready to go tomorrow. :)

Before I go, there is one of the best things I've seen in a long time from one of the best shows (it's a web show) I've seen in a while. Just because I'm a dork/nerd/geek like that. :D The Guild!""


<3.

Monday, June 21

111. Reference

We had a few mishaps today. The SO's brother's flight was delayed by about two hours, then we started going on what should have been really quick errands when we ran over a screw in a parking lot that flattened the tire by the time we got to to the other end. I went in and got some Jamba Juice while the boys put in the spare tire, then we headed on over to have the tire replaced. Thank goodness for those smoothies tiding us over! The Fates weren't being complete jerks to us today. We stopped by the new house and I found a big ol' roach dead in the toilet. :( That sucker was the size of my thumb! Actually, he was a bit wider than it. /shudder. Ugh. Lol.

Our kitty got a new, somewhat fancy cat pan. Well, fancy as in it's more than just the pan full of litter. Had a flap door and odor filter plus the SO picked up a special rubber mat that should scrap little extra pieces of litter gravel from their feet upon exit. Quite fancy. We're hoping that this will  keep the new place as clean and as nice as possible. Cat cousin just played in it and then couldn't figure out how to get out when there was a frosted plastic flap blocking the exit... /sigh. XD And our kitty is just... more reserved and cautious. He is still really unsure about the whole matter, even if he does understand what it's for. It was kind of hilarious watching the light bulb go off in their heads when they realized that the new toy/room/thing/invader was a new potty. They always get so worried when their regular one is taken away to be cleaned. Why is it that you always have to go the moment you really realize that there is no where to go? :P

Worked on more paper projects today and paused to make reference sheets for myself. I would post pictures except my camera is dead and for some reason, I cannot find my batter charger for it! :( I used my circle punch to make one big page of cardstock color samples and another page for my humble growing collection of stamps. I didn't do the best of jobs on either- and by best I mean all neat, tidy, perfect, and precise- but the images I needed are there and labeled so that I or anyone I want to show can use them for future reference. I even included samples of my wheel stamps. They actually came out the worst, but it's completely user error and not having the best ink quality. The quality of the stamps is completely not the issue. I can't wait to show you when I do get my camera up and working again though, they are incredibly cute. There's one called "Arachnophobia" that is a line of stylized spiders. It has such fine detail that shows up even with my poor stamping job.

I've signed up to attend an open house for the new Idea Book this weekend with a friend. I can't friggin' wait!!! I may have started to make a small list of things I'd like to get by the end of the summer... /guilty-shifty eyes >_>. At least I'm trying to be good and make them mostly basic tools such as un-inked cartridges for my stamp wheels and the handy stamp cleaning scrubbing folder. Mostly stuff you just get once and use the heck out of that may have some replacements parts. <_< Yeah... just keep justifying it to yourself... it'll all be fine... /comforts wallet in advanced. In all seriousness, I just make wish lists to get most of the initial desire out of my system. I know the new stuff will be available for at least a year so there's no rush to get it right when it comes out. It really is great stuff though. There have been many amazing previews of the new colors and some of the new stamp sets that will be released, but I know that it's only the tip of the iceberg. I cannot wait for this weekend! Well, actually I can because it just hit me today that I'm leaving to visit my folks next week. Oye. I want to get a significantly large amount done before that happens. I don't have to bring very much but the shirt on my back, but it is for a whole month and I don't want to leave any unfinished business. That would be no good at all. :(

Speaking of that, my friends can be such buttheads. I want to bring presents but none of them are being very helpful in choosing what to bring. Come on people! I've been away for almost a year and who knows the next time I'll be coming back next! Help me out here! Lol. At this rate, I'll just get stuff while I'm there when I'm with them. :P Such a tragedy, I know.

I'm ogling my two reference sheets and grinning. Really, they are nothing special but I guess I just get a kick out of little organizational ideas. I did have some videos of people's craft/ scrap rooms playing in the background today. I think my crafting obsession is pretty sick. I should craft about it. ROFL. Oh, I amuse myself way too easily.

Before I continue to dive off the deep end, I'll cut myself short and bid thee adieu until tomorrow! <3

--- Update ---





So Cute!

Sunday, June 20

110. Happy Father's Day

To start things off correctly: Happy Father's Day. You guys may not get the commercials promoting jewelry, chocolates, breakfast in beds, and a family-free vacation day but know that you are appreciated and did your best with raising those kids. When they want to borrow the car, think your wallet is their personal ATM, make you cringe when the date is brought by the house, when they wake up for the millionth time in the middle of the night for a drink of water- you're an unsung hero. Cheers to you, Dads!

Spent most of the day at the new place ogling over newly installed lights and my paper goodies that I brought over to share. I really such a Leo in that aspect- love to take about me and my accomplishments, no matter how small. :P There's still a long way to go, but it's really coming together over there. I wish I could help out more but can only carry so much furniture. Just you wait until we're unpacking all the knick knacks! I will wipe the floor with that job! Lol.

I really can't to ogle the new goodies next month from Stampin' Up! I'm still debating whether or not I want to indulge Walmart in getting any of the new Cricut Lite cartridges. They just really seem like I'm paying too much for not a whole lot. I really do like some of the themes that they brought out- they had to have some good stuff with 24 releases! It kind of also kills me that they are all exclusive to that franchise (Ebay makes me super tentative). They had their second and main "Hello Thursday" a few days ago. One full cartridge along with three smaller seasonal ones. The latter actually focus on Autumn and Halloween! *Gasp* I guess that is coming and getting started on those projects sooner is better but jeez! Panic much? I still haven't wrapped my head around any Fourth of July goodies. I thought about that for a second and realized that its actually coming up really fast. Oops, lol.

Did I mentioned that it still got up to 101 degrees today? A lot less humid today and it seemed to be hotter for much longer today. Or maybe because we've been out and about and working in +100 conditions a couple of days in around. Or maybe my typical flakiness was having an especially good day. :P

Before I leave to get some rest, here's a little something that I've thought about doing throughout the day myself:


See you tomorrow! <3

Saturday, June 19

109. Making A Home

We were back helping move into the house today but I got to sleep in a whole lot today prior. Hooray! It was much needed after we were up late "partying" and sharing very different genres of songs. Lol. Country, heavy metal, love ballads, pop- you name it.

Headed into the Home Depot today- I absolutely love that place. Actually, I like all hardware places like Lowe's and Ace too, lol. So many goodies. And power tools. Mmm... Yes, I know I have been forbidden by many people from ever learning how to use them, let alone owning any of my own. It's a justifiable ordinance. XD As per custom, we spent hours there running back and forth to grab item after item as it came to mind and were distracted by other goodies and fun gadgets. I was only a little bad by collecting two color palette booklets and one or two brochures. However, since it was pretty much the first thing we did in the day, I was just a tad... famished. XD I coulda whined a lot more than I actually did just because Home Depot is awesome. The SO took pity on me while were waiting to pay and bought me a mini can of Pringles that I attacked. Let's just say by the time that everything was paid for, I was done. Afterwards, we did grab some Yokohama's on the way back. Yum! I also found out that I was more thirsty than hungry. Lol. Yeah, I need to figure out this regular hydration thing for as long as I plan to stay in the desert.

We set about playing with a shop vac-leaf blower doo-dad which was actually a lot of fun to unleash upon all the dead foliage in the front yard. Pranks were played on everyone by all the whole day through too. :P Trimmed some crazy trees back and I tried to help out by putting together a little table for the backyard and I won! Yay me. Lol. Yet again, the pool was skimmed a million times and the guys went about setting up landscaping lights. We cannot figure out why there are hardly any outdoor illumination at this place. I played with this handy and wiggly mister thing- sorry, where I'm from- they are usually only featured at fancy restaurants and theme parks, lol. But we really made this house a home when one of the water lines for the drip-system was nicked and water began to gush everywhere. XD Typical house owner mistake but what are the chances, right?! It was all good, the guys figured out how to turn off the water temporarily and it will be fixed completely tomorrow. The lighting ended up being so great and helpful though. We can all finally see where we're walking after the sun sets without fear of disappearing into the pool or cold hot tub.

The SO finally decided to give into peer pressure, plus he was showered with pollen when trimming back a few trees, and decided to take a quick swim. I was already dipping my feet into the water and lamenting that I didn't think to bring my swim suit this morning. Finally, I ended up borrowing one and joined in. That got the SO's dad to jump in again too. I think it was the first time that more than one person was in the pool at the same time. XD Of course, I was picked on and kinda drowned a few times. At least I scored a few big ol' splashes to the face in retaliation.

Um... that's all I can really think to write about today- the heat can really take a lot out of you, even when you're just standing there :( see you tomorrow! <3

Friday, June 18

108. Some Like It Hot

Just reserving this for later today. I'm pretty sure I messed up yesterday's post. :(

---Update---
I'm not quite sure what happened to yesterday's post. :( It's up and fixed now though. I attempted to bookmark this post via the SO's phone and it was a technologically painful experience. Well, got up super early after a long night and was picked up to go straight to the storage place and start loading the truck. I have an embarrassing lack of upper body strength. For that matter, any strength. So I determined my job was to stay out of the way, help where I can, not be a nuisance, and not pass out in the middle of the hallways. Mission accomplished. About half of the unit was picked up yesterday and much of what was left today were empty boxes. Totally something I could take care of. Theoretically. It was a little hilly in the parking lot and the ramp lip was pretty steep, so when I half charged at it with a dolly cart full of boxes, I stopped as if I ran into a wall. Handlebar in the gut and all. Lol. Good game.

The boys unloaded the truck and we began to unpack a few basics, took a break for homemade burgers that were quite yummy. We got as far as unloading the trucks but it was a bit slower today from all the work they did yesterday and the fact that the high was 106 degrees. That is not a typo.

 One end of the house said this was the temperature. Nice little souvenirs from the previous owners.

This was what the other side of the house said. Shade can make all the difference. 

One of three right outside the back door. I know I've posted pictures of them before but I am in love!

It's mind-blowing all the colors on the same... bloom?

Even then, there's still a lot of variation. 

Some roses that were picked up today. Such pretty coloring!

Yellow with a hint of red. It's like a lot of friendship tinged with a bit of romance. Aw, that's sounds so sweet, lol. 

I unwrapped a few things and found a old school paper cutter wrapped in old newspaper that was pretty darn intriguing.

Look at that date! I don't think I've ever found anything like that before myself.

I finally gave in, skimmed the pool about three or four times, and then went swimming for a bit while fending off tons of tree bits and pollen. I even opened up my eyes underwater, which I realize I haven't done since my LASIK surgery almost a year ago. I also can't believe it's been that long since I've gone swimming. Kind of mind boggling. Also, very blurry. XD

It has taken me forever to write this and remember what all has happened today. My brain is officially fried and off duty. Until tomorrow! <3

Thursday, June 17

107. Packed

Today ended up being jam packed and had an entry scheduled to be posted in the evening and I didn't see it go up. So I shall update this later!

---Update---
Got up early to drop off family at airport and went to try to meet up with SO's dad at the TGIF that we had a wonderful giftcard to. Yeah... didn't work out that way, lol. We tried to be convenient and show up just before he had wrapped up his errands but ended up being on the wrong side of town and one hour or so late to the moving party. :( Helping failed. Good news is is that there was plenty of stuff to deal with, such with all moving. Lucky us. XD

But look at this beautiful view! It does make it significantly better laboring through the day. 

Gorgeous-looking tree. Annoying as all get-out with it's shedding strings into the pool. :(

I wanted to swim so badly but I don't like debris touching me. Also, what shape would you call this? We've called it "abstract", "asymmetrical", "oblong", and of course, my word, "wonky."

We ended up calling it when it got way too hot to be doing manual labor out in a garage and ended staying way into the night just hanging out. At the end of the night, we had a spiritual moment and participated in a Native American-influenced prayer for a friend. It was the first I've ever done, but it was very profound experience.

We'll get back to it tomorrow, so see you then! <3

Wednesday, June 16

106. Adventurous

The pets have been going haywire for the past two days. Chasing things that aren't there, having exaggerated reactions at very little provocation, and harassing the bejeezus out of each other. Well, the latter is more than usual. There are now three cats and one dog. Hm, I guess we should count our summer resident, the beta fish too, lol. He was harassed a little too. It's kind of driving me up a wall since FMIL is out of town. I half think that it all relates but I think there's something in the air/ weather as well. They always act up when the air is changing, except it's still pretty hot. The cicadas are starting earlier and earlier in full force. I don't know but whatever it is, it's adding to keeping us all busy with running interference. I am so grateful that SO's cat is well trained, quirky, but he is quite the sweetheart and pacifist. He will avoid any hint of trouble if feline-ly possible, lol. Of course, it seems to find him... or seek him out and tackle him. XD

I got a bug in my blouse (I just totally made up the rest of that saying and it's giving my the willies, lol) about wanting to cook a meal today. However, we also didn't feel like running out to the store just to get what we didn't have for one particular meal. So off to AllRecipes I went,determined to find a cheesy pasta dish that didn't require anything we didn't already have. What a feat, lol. But I found a recipe that made a cheese... paste(?) that I actually liked better than the alfredo sauce I tried to make last time! *Gasp* However, with feeding a houseful of boys, I figured I'd need more than just cheese and pasta. So, I added some of the Smokies that we've recently bought that they all love. These even had bits of cheese inside. This is probably my second time having them, but they're like cocktail weenies but taste like really flavorful and well seasoned hot dogs (more like sausages). You just have to heat them up because they're pre-cooked.

After not too long, We had pasta with chopped up Smokies, plain hot Smokies, cheesy cream, and a bowl of spicy and chunky chili. 

It was really a pick your own adventure kind of meal. 

Which is great and hilarious because we all chose different combinations. :P

It was all pretty darn strong, but they are the type to try almost anything (or at least one out of three of them will) and love flavorful and multi-textured meals. I liked the cheese topping so much that for a late dinner, I whipped up some more pasta (we finished off all but the cheese and chili the first time) and Smokies to have more. They all even joined me and grabbed something different from each other and earlier as well! XD I need to do this more often because it was really easy not to have to remember who doesn't like/ isn't in the mood for what.

I'm proud of it. :P/ :D This is especially so since I could make part of it from scratch while fulfilling that itch to cook for everyone. It's so funny when one of us gets the hankering for it. Suddenly, the kitchen comes alive. Everyone gravitates into it to add their input about their hunger levels and what they're craving/ against. Then they stand back and let whomever is cooking have full reign but still cycle in and out to lend a helping hand where ever needed (even if it's to delegate an loathed assigned task to someone who doesn't mind doing it). Finally, we all descend upon the meal like vultures within five minutes of it being announced finished. This is regardless of who the cook is for the day. 

Well, with a very happy tummy, I bid thee adieu until tomorrow! <3

---Update---
Added the link to the cheese sauce for the lovely Miss Jenn! It's painfully easy and I threw in some parsely and oregano for fun. I'm sure you'll turn it into something gourmet!

Tuesday, June 15

105. Lesson Not Learned

Don't you hate it when someone is trying to teach you a lesson but didn't inform you that you were being tested? Personally, I hate that crap. If you want me to do something or realize some life lesson that is so incredibly important to you, then just tell me. Tell it to my face or call me and let me know you're not going to be there or help me out or go through with a prior agreement. Re-negging? Fine and dandy. How about letting me know you're going to leave me high and dry? The only "tough love" life lesson I'm learning is to not bother including you in my life because you don't respect me enough to let me know you're too busy or don't feel up to caring anymore. Who knows? The feeling may be neutral, folks.

I do not enjoyed being lulled into a false sense of security and then being slapped in the face when the notion hits. I'm too prideful, stubborn, vengeful, and bitter of a person to put up with that for long. And I'm okay with that about myself. I'm still learning which battles are worth fighting but that's my deal and I'm comfortable with the progress I'm making with growing up. Maybe you should try that out. I'm still making mistakes left and right, but I'm own up to it and do my best to make it right and then prevent it from happening again. What is your excuse? Age is but a number and respect is something to be earned and not given. If I didn't ask for it, I don't owe you anything. It's not my responsibility. It's yours, so don't dump it on me when you're done harboring it. The life I'm choosing doesn't work like that. I can be selfish and spoiled, but I give back. I used to play those dirty manipulative games, mostly because I would have semi-neutral parties ask me to hold back and not confront- I've gotten over holding that back. I have to many other better things to put my time and energy towards than that and yes, most of that finally involves me and my plans.

Most of my life, my personal wants and needs were put on a back burner - if they were even in the kitchen at all- because of fear and insecurity. I have been done with that. It's a shame that you choose not to see that I'm stepping my game up and growing up. Ultimately, that is your problem and I stopped accommodating that.

... Grrr- rabble- rabble. I walked away for a minute to cool off a little more and it was enough to make me want to stop ranting and venting. Some people are sadly not worth the time or effort. I shall go kill some monsters (aka mobs) in WoW to blow off more steam now. ^_^ See you tomorrow! <3

Monday, June 14

104. Food For The Soul

*100th Post Giveaway* I will be contacting you tonight for details on your prize! Thank you for stopping by and entering!

---------


If you think I'm about to write about the joyful virtues of a home cooked meal, you are about to be sadly mistaken. I did, however, make a Beefaroni "Casserole" earlier today and it came out fairly well for me tossing it together at the last moment, lol.

Tomorrow is trash and recycling pick up day (we only get one a week! o_o) and there was a mild crunch to grab whatever we could and set it out at the "last" moment. We and probably most of the neighborhood would probably set the bins out much earlier if it weren't for the fact that big ol' honkin' and stinky javelinas like to go garbage diving at night. Did you know they live in herds and are actually fairly aggressive? They are like southwestern rhinos. Not cool up close and personal. Plus they will tear through bags and knock over the cans and make huge messes that we'd have to clean up, like raccoons... but huge. /frown. baby javelina are pretty cute to look at, most baby animals are, but then that also means you're probably way too close for mama javelina's liking. Again, not cool. Anyways, putting out trash is usually a last minute thing. Lol.


One of my big household projects this month is to do an inventory overhaul of the kitchen. So, that's right, I took it upon myself to purge the fridge, freezer, spice cabinet, and counters. I don't think I'll be able to go through the pantries tonight and not hate myself for staying up so late. Hooray for next Monday night! :P Not. That's tossing out anything that isn't worth keeping for one reason or another and then scrubbing the thing down since it's all rotating out. Not fun but I know it'll be so worth it. The spice rack I managed to complete yesterday was motivating me today since that corner was one of the most intimidating to look at and today it was handy cooking space for my yummy dish. As much as food can be good/ representative of your soul, it's can be equally bad when poorly regulated or maintained. Again, I hope my master plotting and organizing will help keep it easy & healthy as well as encourage better habits for everyone who comes in contact with it for a little while to come.

Or until it's time to drown it in bleach, take a flame thrower to it, toss it out, and then get everything new. :D That's usually my ultimate solution for pretty much every problem in life. I have yet to be forced to implement it. :(

Well, gonna get back to freezing my fingers to icy shelves again! Until tomorrow, <3

Sunday, June 13

103. Wonderful Sights & Smells

Although my sleep cycle is all sorts of jacked up, I'm still powering through the day and trying to get some projects done. Lol, I'm sure this isn't news, but Sunday is not the best day to start late with errands. We managed to grab a few things that we wanted, but tomorrow will definitely be "Part 2" of today's adventures.

I was happy to have the change of scenery yesterday without having to go too far. We hung out in a nice hotel suite for a little bit yesterday and I didn't want to promise pictures without seeing if any of them came out well enough, lol. A hotel room is a hotel room and this one was nice. Two full bathrooms, bedroom, living area, dining area, and two balconies. Not a bad upgrade for no extra charge, hm? It's a beautiful place on the mountain called... erm... hm. Oh! The Loews at Ventana Canyon.

I'm such a nerd/ goof. The first night we hung out a few of us went into the pool and I was too tired to, so I sat by the edge of a swanky hotel pool and played my Nintendo DS. Nintendogs (the one with the husky, yorkie, and shih tzu) to be exact. :D I can't suppress myself, lol. The pictures I took that night did not come out well at all- mostly desert dust specks floating in front of my camera lens. However! We brought more people along the next day just to hang out again and I took better ones. Before I get to that, I have to say that sometimes I really miss having cable television. We perused and  watched snippets of several shows and channels together, lol.

I had no idea that this finally made it into mainstream programing. 
TOTALLY ALGEBRAIC! MATHEMATICAL RHOMBUS! 
That means very little to most people. :D

Nickelodeon. Really, really? Because Cartoon Network didn't play this out to death repeatedly? Got to love the ridiculousness and hilarity of Dragonball Z. Oh, does this bring back memories. 

Here's a little peek of the view outside the main balcony!

Views of the city are pretty foreign to me, being a Floridan and all, but I can't tell you how deeply in love I have fallen with the views here. Granted this is a slightly spoiled view and semi-rare manicured lawns, but still. : )

Another nice view of the end of a sunset here. Again, flash was not my friend here, but the plants and layers of colors are kinda fun. This is a view from a house I shall be spending quite a bit more time at in the near future (helping with moving everything in this weekend).
Cute spice bottles that I found in FMIL's kitchen that I am in the process of cleaning up to have them be used regularly (crosses fingers) again. They go into an adorable little wooden spice rack cabinet. 

A portion of the spices I'm finding stashed all over the kitchen. Cleaning them up too and hoping to think of a good system for organizing them soon. Looks daunting, eh? Smells great though! XD

I should get back to that. I think I'm morally obligated to finish this endeavor before I go to bed. It'd would be really weird for everyone else to wake up to a million little bottles all over the kitchen. Lol. Alright, I hope you liked the pictures! See you tomorrow when I stop accepting giveaway entries! <3

Saturday, June 12

102. Retractable

I take back what I said about my 101st post being a cop-out. Well, I said it felt like one, but you get the idea. Today I'm posting a video because I am wiped from my sleep deprivation accumulating. We ran a few errands and hung out at a fairly swanky hotel room with the SO's dad earlier and it was nice change of scenery. Beautiful views from up on the mountain. Today was mostly plotting out next weekend which will be full of moving furniture. Fun stuff! Sometimes I like the fact that I cannot haul massive couches. :D Supervising ftw (for the win).

This is a video of a cover of Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me" by Jeff Hendrick feat. Elise Lieberth:


It's a fun and different take on the song, which was already catchy. :) I'll see y'all tomorrow! <3

Friday, June 11

101. Going Back to Go Forward

Remember when, back in the day, email was the emailing was the most efficient use of internet communication? Yeah, I barely do either. :P Remember when you would receive a chain letter from friends that would include 20 emails and a million of those >>> arrows? Ugh, I can't seem to forget that, lol. Well, when I was trying to find inspiration for my facts about to post yesterday, I came across an old note that I wrote on FB which was acompilation of a few of my recent and favorite email forwards. I actually want to repost that here for posterity's sake, even though it almost feels like a bit of a cop-out entry.

Five (5) lessons about the way we treat people


1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read The last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely, " said the professor. "In your careers, You will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
-----
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African-American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:

"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying Husband's bedside just before he passed away... God Bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole."
-----
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled h is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away the boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
-----
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.. Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
-----
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
-----
Now you have choices:

1. Delete this, or
2. Forward it other people.

I hope that you will choose No. 2 and remember most importantly: "Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

Now, more than ever- please, pass any of these stories on. All of that was something I posted more than a year ago in March, but not like the morals of these mini stories are time-sensitive or anything. :) I hope they made you smile and/or think about re-evaluating where your recent priorities have lied. It's nice to remind yourself, at least, I felt so.

That's enough from me today. Until tomorrow, <3

Thursday, June 10

100. The Lowdown On 100 Days

In honor of my 100th day of daily blogging I thought I would try to name 100 things about myself that you may or may not know. Almost like the introduction I should have done, say, 100 days ago. :P

But first, I'll post about the GIVEAWAY!

*Leave a comment (you don't have to sign up to Blogger) with a way for me to contact you and mention which of the two possible prizes you like (handmade friendship bracelet or handmade set of cards) on this post between today (Thurs, June 10th) and Monday (June 14). This'll give people a better chance if you don't have the time to explore my blog until the weekend. :) I would love to hear about an entry that you really could relate with or really amused you. Or even a random fact about you would be fun, but extra comments are optional. One entry per person but I don't mind if you happen to comment more than once.*

Here are a couple of pictures of ideas for the your possible prize:
 
 

Alright, now that we have that over with, let's see if I can think of 100 semi- unique (to my blog) bits of info about me:

1. I'm Vietnamese.
2. I'm also first generation U.S. citizen.
3. I majored in Psychology.
4. I somehow managed to pull off a minor in Sociology as well.
5. I'm 5' 2.5" tall.
6. My favorite number is 3.
7. I'm pretty sure I'm inept at all things girly.
8. My main is a Female Night Elf (BM/ MM) Hunter.
9. My secondary is a Female Draenei (Prot/ Holy) Paladin.
10. I used to not be able to see further than three inches in front of my face clearly.
11. I don't smoke.
12. I don't drink alcohol.
13. I don't have a favorite color.
14. I'll make up a color (usually in the blue to green family) when asked.
15. I had a booklet about reading palms that told me that I was going to have three kids: Boy-Girl-Boy.
16. I took piano lessons for about 6 years.
17. I don't have my driver's license yet.
18. I once tried to convince my folks to let me have a hamster and reasoned that their average lifespan was two years and by that time, I'd be in college and they wouldn't have to worry about caring for it because it would have already passed.
19. I used to have two American Eskimo dogs that were siblings.
20. We used to have two bunnies and I had their genders switched in my head for several years after we had them.
21. I won't use live bait when I fish, let alone bait my own hook with it.
22. I've never worn a bikini outside of a store dressing room because I'm way too self conscious about that sort of thing.
23. One day, I will own one and wear it to the pool/ beach.
24. I can't help but stare at my food while it's cooking in the microwave. :(
25. If I can even be good enough to be classified, I'm a Soprano 2.
26. I have avoided vegetables like the plague for most of my life. I'm working on that.
27. I can't quite stand eating seafood because I don't like being able to identify what part of an animal my food came from.
28. I pretty much drool over good synchronized dancing by a group of guys.
29. I can't run for the life of me.
30. Colors fascinate me so much like I like to collect them.
31. My best roommate and I used to have sleep overs in our living room/ own rooms by dragging mattresses over.
32. I think it takes talent and tons of effort to create horrible mac 'n' cheese or pizza.
33. I realize I am quite the jerk, but especially so when I was 12 years old.
34. I think my dating style is serial monogamist.
35. I strongly believe that there is a difference between dating someone and being in a relationship with someone.
36. One of my least favorite sounds in the world are various types of annoying laughter from girls.
37. Honestly, I don't believe all babies are cute and I think if any of my kids aren't all that attractive, I'll be able to admit that to myself one day. They'll still be beautiful to me, just not conventionally beautiful.
38. My go-to sandwich at Subway is 12" toasted Italian BMT with Cheddar cheese on Italian Herb & Cheese bread.
39. I adore ice cream.
40. I once had Wasabi- flavored ice cream.
41. I once tried to down a tablespoon or cinnamon. Not cool.
42. There was a time in my life that I refused to wear white tops because I was so self-conscious.
43. There also was a time in my life where I was pretty much allergic anything pink because I just couldn't stand the whole ditsy bubble-brained persona/ lifestyle.
44. I think my singing voice can blend really well with many other types of voices.
45. I wish I was as brave as the girls from the Pussycat Dolls. Oh, and was able to dance like them too.
46. I think Christina Aguilera can sing, but her vocal runs bore me when a four minute song goes on for eighteen.
47. I use pretty colorful language when I'm in a player-vs-player setting in video games.
48. I'm the type of person that shall always have regrets, but I shall make my peace with each and every one of them and learn from my mistakes.
49. I like helping and giving, and I think I do it a lot, but I'm pretty friggin' selfish as well.
50. I think I cried when I got my first "B" grade. Oh, what a long way I've come, lol.
51. The only foreign accent I can kinda fake is a British accent. Or what I perceive to be a British accent.
52. I love listening to accents. Especially from kids, I can't help squealing and suppressing it.
53. I have a love-hate relationship with Disney theme parks.
54. I once pet a huge (I was 6 years old) turkey on it's head. So creepy and gross.
55. I cannot watch horror films. All of those theatrics really work on me.
56. I once begged to go to last period of class in high school while I was still under anesthesia. I never missed a day in high school (or at least coming to campus before heading off to a field trip) but my mom dragged me out of the attendance office because I started crashing fast.
57. I had one of the top three grades in my Medical Skills class in HS and had no interest in going into any field of medicine.
58. I have considered becoming a pharmacist or optometrist.
59. I really don't like needles. They don't really hurt, but just the thought and image of a sharp object piercing into flesh does not appeal to me.
60. If I was a flavor of ice cream, I think I'd really be Mint Chocolate. Not quite standard but still really mainstream. I think I'd wish to be Death by Triple Chocolate. It seems pretty passionate.
61. I was only supposed to have braces for a year and ended up having them my whole high school career.
62. I have itty-bitty wrists and ankles.
63. I think I have big feet for my height.
64. I've been complimented on my feet by multiple people on multiple occasions. I don't really understand it but it's kinda normal to me now.
65. I think the body part I'm most okay with are my calves.
66. I think my top favorite recent movies are Shrek, Finding Nemo, Up!, and Iron Man.
67. I don't like leading, I will step up to the plate if it seems no one else will, but that's only to get the momentum going. So I guess I'm more of a Vice President kind of person.
68. I would make a horrible boy.
69. I really like sweets.
70. I really like things that shine.
71. I think the little dip above your top lip is seriously for funneling snot from your nose into your mouth when you're sick. If not, it doesn't a really bad job at pretending otherwise.
72. I will never dye any part of my hair blond on purpose.
73. I love painting my nails funky colors.
74. People say that I'm really talented with crafts, I don't think I do any craft particularly well, but I like dabbling and trying!
75. I think I would make a horrible world traveler with my limited palette and poor physical stamina. I don't think you can really enjoy those adventures to the fullest under those circumstances.
76. I'm going to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity one of these days.
77. I think it would be so amazing and then heartbreaking to foster a baby wild animal.
78. I really don't like Dr. Phil and his way of thinking.
79. I think the color green can be so uplifting and revitalizing.
80. I have a fear of becoming a pill-popper.
81. I have a fear of causing a whole lot of death every time I get behind the wheel of a car. :(
82. I got my hair cut at a... hair-cutting place for the first time in my life this past year.
83. I'm really surprised my mom never cut the top of my ear off while giving me haircuts when I was little.
84. I've been to a little bit of Canada, Massachusetts, New York, Washington D.C., California, Nevada (aka Las Vegas), Germany, and Viet Nam.
85. I want to go to a karaoke bar with great group of friends one of these days and make complete fools out of ourselves stone cold sober.
86. I'm a bit of a klutz but have yet to break any bones. *knocks on wood*
87. I have a habit of losing things. This is especially so for cell phones, id cards, jackets, and wallets.
88. I have a perpetual need to help and do things for others- partly to avoid facing my own problems.
89. I suffer from depression and it's something I work against every day.
90. I think most bird pets are pretty annoying, but that's probably because they're not very well trained or secure with changes in their environment (like with a stranger coming over).
91. I've always wondered what various animal poop has looked like, especially whales. I saw a video recently and it's not pretty.
92. I never really had much time to believe in Santa Claus or any other mythical holiday creature. By the end of the holiday, I was usually roped into helping play the part.
93. I can't wait to do a bunch of themed days/ parties and field trips with my own kids. I'm pretty sure I'll have way more fun than they will with it, but I hope they have some and appreciate and goofy and embarrassing memories down the road.
94. I like dressing up in costumes, but don't do it nearly often enough.
95. I'm a Leo, and aside from the attention-needy aspect, I don't think I do a very good job at it.
96. I don't read nearly as much as I should, but I love fantasy, comedy, mystery, and sci-fi.
97. I pretty much loathe orchids, but love lilies.
98. I think autumn is my favorite season, weather-wise. Event-wise I like winter and the holidays of people taking a step back to enjoy each other and life.
99. I was a part of the first group of girls to be alter servers at my church back in the day.
100. I'm Batman's mentor. The ninja-thing? He got that from me. :P But really, I'm pretty ridiculous and love that about myself.

Whew! I think I actually did it! And congratulations if you make it through all of that! I think that's more than enough outta me today, so good luck in the giveaway and see you tomorrow! <3

Wednesday, June 9

099. I Heart Organizing

I think I really mean that. I've always liked organizing other people's things for fun for no reward other than a pat on the head. And to get insider scoops on their stuff. :P It's usually much harder to apply those kinds of things to yourself. I'm making quite the gallant effort.

We got a tip from our SU (Stampin' Up) demonstrator, the lovely Kim Lujan, about organizing cardstock within a limited space. It's been killing me trying to figure out a decent method. Well, during some spring/summer cleaning, FMIL found some colorful file folders (I've actually used these in a filing crate I have back at my folks' house) and we went to Target and I found a handy $10 filing crate with a lid that can hold the typical 8.5x11" and Legal size documents! This is great because it means I should be able to fit my 12x12 patterned paper pads as well! Here is the result:

Okay, so many the lid doesn't quite fit on it with the 12x12's in there. I'll figure something else out when I have more room to play with. :P


A close-up of the labels I made with some help of my new 1" circle punch. Sorted by color and company if possible. 

Long envelopes are taped inside each file to hold appropriate scraps!

I finally used the Cricut vinyl I accidentally bought for myself! Letters cut in various fonts from the Lyrical Letters cartridge for fun. I love it! How cute is that? Totally re-positionable and reusable as well.

And to top this all off:
We had tacos for dinner! With BACON! There were also large flour tortillas, lettuce, refried beans, tomato, and onion toppings available. This was a small dream come true and I'm one step closer to dying happy now that I've tried this. XD

I'm so proud of my latest organization project that I keep looking over at it. I will kick myself if I don't keep this system up! Lol. The house has been in a bit of a frenzy because some members are going on an almost month-long trip. Hard to pack and figure out what needs to get done while they're gone. Actually, it's pretty much complete chaos. What would summer be without it? ... Relaxing, I suppose. XD Totally kidding, it'll be great. I just have to keep telling myself that because I'm planning this house-wide purge and decontamination (lol) while they're gone as a half surprise. 

For some reason that reminded me that I need to replenish my pre-made handmade cards. I'm already running a bit low! :O People need to just stop having birthdays and accomplishing things for about three months while I catch up. :P

Tomorrow is my giveaway! Um... I haven't quite figured out what that's going to look like. Probably picture filled of examples of cards and bracelets. Lol. That would only make some sense though and I'm not sure we can have any of that around here! We'll see what happens. Until then! <3

Tuesday, June 8

098. A Colorful Day

Our goodies did arrive today, just before we headed out to our party get-together! It was really nice getting all the girls together and we poured the gifts onto this beautiful gal. Oh nuts. I forgot to take the pictures of the mobile and the fishy! D: Oops. I thought that my camera was nagging at me from my pocket for a reason. Stupid ignoring those kinda feelings. Oh well, maybe if I get to visit again soon I can snag some then when they are all in their proper homes.

They had lovely cheeses, various crackers, a fruit "salsa", and other yummy fruits and ice tea for our high tea. We played catch-up with everyone and even though it's only been a week or so it was apparently a much needed break, lol. We even started to go through the Stampin' Up Idea Book that I had happened to have in my bag because I'm a big crafting nerd like that. More people became interested in it, including our little girl and so I'm hoping to grab a few things over the summer for her too. She wanted to look at everything on every page so that was really fun to show her. Her favorite hue of the In-Colors is mine too! The Bermuda Bay. It's a yummy rich teal/ aquamarine.

I have yet to really play with my goodies yet. I guess I'm still in awe, :P. But really, I don't think my brain checked in today. That or I got a little dehydrated. :( We'll just say it's the former, I'll drink a lot of fluids and I'll rest up well tonight.

Here are pictures of our/my haul!

I actually appreciated the fact that they didn't shove a million peanuts and unnecessary packaging. Look at all of that!!

This is my Bermuda Bay cardstock with coordinating polka-dotted grosgrain ribbon. 
Not the best picture of it, I'll be sure to make something soon and show you. 

My 300 dimensionals and our dual-tipped water-based dye ink markers in the retiring In-Colors.
I keep mentioning them but don't name them (left to right): Soft Suede (dusty brown), Bermuda Bay (teal), Rich Razzleberry (purple), Melon Mambo (pink), Dusty Durango (orange), and Crushed Curry (gold).

My hefty punches for mass producing images on cards. The 1 3/8" will create the perfect border around the  1 1/4" square punch and the cute little 1" circle punch will be great for small stamped embellishments. 

These are a little peek at my Jolly (snowflake) and Retro Remix (flourishes) wheels with my handy new handle! I decided to hold off on grabbing some built-in ink cartridges until I see the new gorgeous colors come out next month. 

Oh look! Actual traditional stamps! My sweet, but retiring, "Sprinkles" set. 

The stamps are a mount yourself kind of deal, which I haven't seen before but was warned about. :P In the picture I had already punched the stamps out of the rubber sheet they came in. They have the wooden blocks with the stickers to go on top of the blocks and also on the plastic case for identifying the set.

Well, today was full of color everywhere and my catching up with the second half of Glee's was no exception. Oh man, I am a mess after watching "Theatricality" featuring songs from KISS and Lady Gaga. It was only made so much better by me finally realizing (I can't believe I didn't realize it before) that the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, Shelby Corcoran is played by Idina Menzel. Ugh! So refreshing, good and fun.

Can't wait to see what I can show you guys over the next couple of days! Don't forget about my giveaway on Thursday celebrating my 100th post! <3

Monday, June 7

097. Melting

The temperatures are still creeping up out here. I'm not sure if I like being reminded that I moved out of the swamp and into a desert. The hard ground and dirt has been bleached almost white by the sun and walking outside right after you wake up it simply blinding. Quite the wake up call but not helpful when you already had enough trouble keeping your eyes open in the first place. :P Car seat belt buckles can burn and scar you in this kind of heat. Not something I'm looking forward to, lol. I grabbed an ice cream sandwich at the corner store earlier and tried so hard to scarf it down before it completely melted on me. Yeah... that mission was by no means accomplished. There were many casualties. Most of them involved my digits, ha ha. I also tried to grab some Hostess little cupcakes. I thought they were vanilla and I was partially correct. They had orange frosting that I was not expecting at all. Next time I know to read my food better. XD

I had quite to-do list set out for myself today, mostly to finish up all the little projects that I've been working on for the past week. I'm staring at the list right now and all I have to say about that is: /sigh. There's a reason why those were unfinished. It's really weird how the simplest sounding tasks can be so tedious and time-consuming. On top of that, I had a few Etsy orders come in so that was nice to take a break and prep those for shipping out tomorrow. I really thought that Father's Day was coming up this weekend and was sadly mistaken. At least I can put off planning something for another week. XD Man, that sounds bad. I shall snag a few pictures of the cards that I've been working on and post them tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow... our Stampin' Up goodies should be arriving! I hope they arrive earlier in the day, but from what I've seen happen with the delivery service, we're usually at the end of the list. :( I was hoping to play with our new toys tomorrow before we went and visited a former student. She is an amazing little girl who's life expectancy was two years old and she's heading onto kindergarten this coming school year. What a trooper. We may even dress up a little to have "high tea time". We have so many goodies to give her. They have already given her her class/art work from this past school year, a yearbook, two craft kits that we did in class while she was gone, and cards I think. Tomorrow we're gearing up to give her a vase that has a Japanese fighting fish aka Beta fish inside and a peace lily on top. What a fun dichotomy, yes? It's a beautiful, smaller than the other, crown tail? I forget the exact name, but he's mostly blue with streaks and spots of teal, green, and red on his spiky-shredded looking tails and fins. There's also the origami crane mobile that we made for her in purple, green, gold, and red. I have no idea why I didn't snag any pictures today. Tomorrow is already jammed packed of fun stuff to do and now I have to scramble to make sure I take photos of it all.

To make up for that, here's a video of one of my recent YouTube artist obsessions, Tyler Ward:



Well, that's it from me today! Hope you enjoy and how you enter in my little 100th post giveaway that's happening/ starting this Thursday! <3

Sunday, June 6

096. Recovering

Sorry if today is a little late. Blogger is having a bit of a server problem apparently. /frown.

Apparently, my lack of sleep caught up with me last night. I was pretty passed out for most of today, which I suppose isn't that bad of a thing. My baby brother had his high school graduation ceremony last night and I'm very proud of him. We decided against me flying back for it and instead coming out for an extended stay to hang out more would be a better use of airfare, so I can't wait to take him out and get him something when I go back to visit.

Had a little chat with my mom earlier and found out that she was indeed able to make it to watch my brother graduate at the last moment, I'm really grateful for that too. I'm so excited and trying to make plans with friends across the state for when I get there. It may include some road tripping to the Keys/ Tampa/ Orlando, but that's a price I'm willing to pay. :P

I'm determined to make the most/ best out of this trip because who knows when I'll be coming back next. As much as I enjoy just hanging out around the house, I no longer feel that it's acceptable when there are so many other opportunities to take advantage of. It's time to make some memorable memories! Lol. I'm not all that into partying or clubbing or whatever kids do nowdays (XD), but I wouldn't mind it with the right group of people to make it one hilarious night. I'm sure everything possible will go wrong, but being in good company makes those situations a thousand times better.

It was pretty hot out today. Even in the evening, the temperature was 105, but only felt like 99. Only. Psh. I do, however, appreciate the concept of dry heat. It feels like a blow dryer and I find it kinda toasty. I'm being teased about my trip back to Florida with how muggy it always is and how I'm going to feel like I'm drowning the moment I get off the plane. Well, I always have felt like I was drowning with all the humidity and have always been painfully aware of how gross it makes you feel. But I know my eyes and nose are going to appreciate having moisture again. The rest of me is just going to have to deal. Because, you know, I can control things like the atmosphere and weather if my body didn't feel like putting up with the current conditions. :P

I haven't thought of much else besides trying to get back into my game and re-realizing how my laptop's limitations helped cause me to go on a hiatus a few months back. It's incredibly frustration because playing a slide show is not fun at all. Especially when death and stuff is involved. All of that lead me back to researching the parts to build my own desktop computer. I love being a nerd-dork like that. It's really fun and funny. I'm wracking my brains trying to understand the jargon (I feel I only have a slightly above average knowledge/ experience with technology and gaming) but it's getting there.

I was more trying to finish compiling the components list so that I could start figuring out a budget to afford it piece by piece. I still feel that it's an impressive machine and more than perfect for what I'll expect it to do. Technology abuse, here we come! I'll be able to play all the games, listen to all the music, watch all the videos, and run all the other programs all I want and at the same time! Ugh! I can't wait. I have little to no patience with this sorta thing. Lol. It's like waving what shoes, purses, and designer jeans are to some girls. And maybe chocolate... mmm, chocolate. Lol. What was I talking about again?

Hm, what was a lowpoint for me today? Oh! My resentment of Walmart grew a couple points. I don't like advocating/ supporting such a behemoth, especially with all the reports of how they may not be treating their employees very well, but I can't help but to gawk and take advantage of the sales that they have sometimes. :( Well, silly Waller has yet another exclusive Provocraft product besides the recent black Cricut Expression and Cricut Create machines (which look pretty cool, I have to admit). They apparently have started to launch a line of "Cricute Lite" cartridges!

They are a bit on the pricier side for a "light" cart at $39.99. It there are about 20 different themes and only a few more images than what is on the typical light carts called "Cricut Solutions" which are about... $25? Some of the regular cartridges can be found for $45-50, so idk why the Waller ones are so pricey. Ugh, of course they have a cat-themed one. *glares* I'm not sure who I'm glaring at exactly, so we'll just go with the concept of Walmart, lol.

There has not been a formal announcement made by Provocraft about it yet, but some vigilant crafters have spotted them at only some of their local stores. I don't know how I feel trying to hunt down discounted carts that are exclusive to that store... Sigh. That really is a downer for the crafty part of me. Aw, why didn't I mention it first? Now I'm all bummed. Ha ha.

To brighten things up a bit, here's a nice collaboration between pianist David Sides and singing group, ILLumeci. It's a beautiful song from Leona Lewis called "My Hands" that I haven't heard before and I think they did an amazing job covering it. I encourage you to check out more videos from both artists!


That's all from me today! Until tomorrow, <3
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