HT. The blog.

Holiday Wreath, 4/52

2012-01-30T10:08:00.002-06:00

This project involves yarn, but no crocheting skills are required. Hooray!

I've had a styro wreath since, oh, probably Thanksgiving. I was planning to do a felt rosette wreath (they're all over the blogosphere). I bought the white felt, the pins, etc. And then Yarnaholics kept me busy every spare moment of the day and I never got around to it before Christmas.

Instead of spending hours cutting felt circles, I decided to just wrap my wreath in white yarn (Red Heart, of course). I wanted white yarn so it could be used for several different holidays. This actually took much longer than I thought it would. You have to pass the whole skein of yarn through the hole in the wreath every. single. time. Luckily this weekend was HBO free preview weekend on DirecTV so I had plenty of movies to watch.

Start wrapping your yarn, tucking the tail end under the wrapped part. Wrap, wrap, and wrap some more. Wrap tightly, and push the yarn together as you go, so it's even and covers the wreath completely (for all of you OCD crafters like me).

Hot glue your end down and you're ready to start decorating. I bought this strand of glittery hearts at Micheal's. (shhhh, don't tell Hobby Lobby) I used straight pins to anchor the strand down so it doesn't slip. A little kick of red glittery ribbon and voila! Valentine's wreath!

I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I'm still planning to do a felt wreath at some point. I should probably start on those circles...

Fabric Labels, 3/52

2012-01-23T11:54:00.000-06:00

As promised, no yarn was used in the making of Project #3! Hooray! And let me tell you, it was way harder than I thought!

I found this project on Pinterest (you can follow me here). I'd been wanting to do a tag of some kind for our hats and other items. Nothing fancy, just a logo so people would remember where they bought it. When I saw this cool tutorial, I knew I wanted to try it.

Supplies you'll need:
transfer paper ($7.50 for 10 sheets at Michael's with a 25% off coupon)
1/2" cotton twill tape ($2.99 for a 12 ft spool at Hancock Fabrics)
computer program to print out your tags/logo
iron
parchment paper (takes the gloss off of the transferred image)

Many of the companies that make the transfer paper have software on their websites that will help you if you don't have any editing software. And you can always download The Gimp, it's a lot like Photoshop, but it's FREE!

Back to the project. Design your logo how you'd like it to appear on the tags, make sure the sizing is correct (the tape I got was 1/2"), and then you'll have to flip the entire image so it's backwards. This is especially important if you have text in your image.

Test print on a regular sheet of paper to be sure how to insert your transfer paper into the printer (put a mark in one corner and then print a test page). Print your image!

Cut your logos into strips and lay out your cotton tape. I did this on my dining room table and used a piece of fabric wrapped around cardboard as my ironing surface.

Iron the section of tape and then carefully lay down your transfer strip, making sure it's centered onto the tape. Iron away! Follow the instructions on your transfer paper for specifics.

Wait until the tape has cooled a bit and then peel off the backing paper. The transferred image will be a bit glossy. I didn't want that, so I placed some parchment paper on top and hit it with the iron again. It dissolves that glossy layer leaving a matte, kind of vintage/shabby chic image underneath. Cut and sew onto your project!

Super easy and I love the way they turned out.

Happy Crafting!

I ❤ Granny Squares

2012-01-19T12:10:00.000-06:00

Several months ago (June 2011 according to the photo timestamp) I made a bunch of granny squares. I had lofty goals in mind - a big blanket for the couch in 2 lovely shades of green with a reddish-pink as the accent color. So I go to work. I probably spent a month or so making squares. And then I got bored, and ran out of the red yarn shortly after that. So...the squares got stuffed into a basket and I hadn't thought about them again.

Until last week. I was working on some headbands and needed a soft green and VOILA!! Well hellooooo granny squares!! I just so happened to have a pillow form lying around so I got to work. It took me a bit to get the hang of joining them together (I decided on a half-double crochet with right sides facing), but after a few rows I was rolling. Er, joining. Whatever.

Anyhow, here's the finished product! I can't decide which side I like better, but I love it. And I have quite a few leftover, so this pillow may be getting buddy. Hooray for granny squares!

Furry Boots, 2/52

2012-01-16T18:23:00.000-06:00

Ok. I know I said that every post would not be about yarn, but I found the pattern for these darling little boots and I just HAD to make them!! I promise, next week's project will have nothing to do with yarn. Pinky swear.

This pattern is courtesy of TwoGirlsPatterns (click to visit their etsy shop), and boy do they have some adorable patterns. I've also made the mary janes, and my Mom just bought 4 patterns from them. And there are some for the little boys out there too, so stay tuned for those in our etsy shop!

The loop stitch was a new one for me, so there was a definite learning curve. I was getting the hang of it on boot #2, and I was almost finished when I realized that I had just made 2 right boots. #&@(%#*. So after punching myself in the face a few times, I pulled out all of those carefully created loops and re-did the top part. They are super cute, and I've already had someone place an order. If you'd like your own pair of furry boots, keep an eye the Yarnaholics etsy page, they'll be listed soon!

I'm seriously considering making myself a pair! I just have to find some outdoor soles to attach them to. Hmm...

Happy Crafting!

UPDATE
Now available on Etsy: Crochet Ugg Inspired baby boots

Yarn Letters, 1/52

2012-01-08T21:00:00.001-06:00

Living in Texas and owning a small yarncraft business means one thing: when it gets hot, people do NOT want to buy things made of yarn. And it gets hot early. Like in April. So I needed to find some things I could do to get me through those hot months.

While looking on Pinterest the other day I found these!Super easy to do, but took me a bit of trial and error. But I can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to crafting.

Supplies:
Letters - these can be any size and material of your choosing. I went with simple 8" chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby

Glue - this makes covering the edges MUCH easier, you can do fabric/craft glue or hot glue

Yarn - a good use of your yarn stash, or buy color(s) that coordinate with your decor

I chose to do the letter H, for Heather. Start by cutting several small pieces of yarn, maybe 4" or so. You'll glue these pieces to the end of your letters.

You can glue down the ends as well, makes it easier to wrap the yarn around without them peeking out. But don't worry if they do, you'll be doing another layer to cover it anyway.

I did the middle of the H first, and then did the sides. I chose to wrap my yarn in the direction that you write the letter, to add a little more visual interest. After you glue the yarn pieces on the end, start wrapping the yarn in the opposite direction of the final product. You'll want a double layer so the chipboard is completely covered. Wrap slowly, and push the yarn together as you go, so it is tightly wrapped.

Approximate time spent: 30 minutesMoney spent: $5 (glue and letter)You can set these on a shelf, hang them on the wall, put them in a frame...there are lots of possibilities! These would be wonderful in a nursery or child's room. Happy crafting!

Project 52

2012-01-06T10:27:00.002-06:00

It's 2012! So much more fun to say than 2011, which definitely means this year will be even better than last year. And last year was pretty sweet - we launched Yarnaholics at the end of August and it was a nonstop yarn bonanza all the way through Christmas. We're super excited about what 2012 will bring, so stay tuned for that.

Anyhow, on to Project 52. I was bouncing around the crafty blogosphere the other day and pinned all sorts of fun things (thank you Pinterest!). The lovely ladies over at A Beautiful Mess (you should definitely check out their blog and shop, it's divine) have resolved to do 52 craft projects this year, and I thought that would be a wonderful way to stretch myself creatively. I'm in!!

This week's project involves YARN! Gasp!! I know, you're shocked. You're thinking, wait a second, this exercise is supposed to stretch you creatively! It will. I plan to do many different types of projects from woodworking (another goal of mine - hellooooooo power tools!), to tile, to jewelry, and so on.

I also plan to do a little DIY Tutorial for each project. I will be posting this week's project on Monday.

Happy Crafting!

New Stuff

2011-10-24T13:59:00.002-05:00

We've been working our hands to the bone for the last few weeks - lots of new stuff in the Yarnaholics shop. If you haven't Liked us on Facebook, what are you waiting for? We'll be having a giveaway once we reach 200 fans, and we also post coupon codes there as well.

Check us out!

Cupcake beanies

Minion!

Angry Birds pig

Bumblebee

Owl

Giraffe

Sock Monkey

Owl, version 2

Tattoo, the third

2011-10-03T12:14:00.000-05:00

Sister and I took our second annual M5/Tattoo trip to DFW last weekend. After driving in traffic hell for nearly two hours (20 miles), we finally made it to Fair Park for the show. We completely missed Matt Nathanson and about 30 minutes of Train's set. Oh well. We were there to see Maroon 5, anyway and we had to park in the boonies, which actually gave us a super easy exit. Excellent seats, excellent show. Have I shared with you my love for Maroon 5? It is immense. This show makes #6. They're amazing.

Oh Adam. How I love you.

Sister's phone takes pretty decent photos.

Saturday we hit Cat Tattoo and spent most of the day getting new ink. Well, mine took a whole 30 minutes, but sister's took nearly 3 hours. I new I wanted a wrist tattoo, but until a few weeks ago I had yet to decide what. Words of some sort...a phrase? And then it hit me. Harmony. I'm all about harmony - in music, in life. It's something to strive for. A little font searching and whammo - I found it (Scriptina). It all came together in about an hour. I love when that happens.

Sister's Tattoo - she totally stole my thunder, her tat is so beautiful!

It's almost all healed up already. I love it. If you live in the DFW area, or Texas at all (or Oklahoma for that matter) - consider Cat Tattoo in Addison. All three of my tats were done at Cat.Professional, clean, talented artists, good prices. You won't be disappointed.

Yarnaholics

2011-09-26T13:05:00.000-05:00

My Mom taught me how to crochet in high school, but it wasn't until recently that I started experimenting with new projects. Most of what I'd done in the past were your standard beanies and scarves. I even attempted a full-size blanket (that ended up being a perfect take-a-nap-on-the-couch blanket).

My first step out of the box were a few little amigurumi animals at the beginning of 2011 - a bird, a dog, and then an elephant - that was the most complicated pattern I'd attempted thus far. After those were tackled and accomplished, I decided that I wanted to do a minion from Despicable Me. I hadn't even seen the movie yet, but the commercials and previews made me giggle, I just HAD to have one for myself. I made one, but then sold it to a family member. I then had so many requests on FB about them, that I decided they needed to go on etsy.

After the rush on those kind of died out, I started experimenting with other ideas - mostly geared toward babies. Pixie hats and animal hats, as well as accessories for adults. An opportunity came up, in the form of a craft show for a good cause, and I roped in my sister and Mom and we are now Yarnaholics!

We have a Facebook page and an Etsy page and business is picking up. And last Friday, the new 4pm show on our local CBS station, KTAB 4U, did a segment on us (you can find that here). I am very excited about what the next few months could bring. Thanks for your support, and your orders! Pass our FB page along to your friends. With Christmas coming up, we have LOTS of fun, unique gifts for the little ones all the way to adults. More items are added every week - and we'll have some fun stuff for the holidays too! If there's a custom item that you'd like, please shoot us an email or let us know on FB. We LOVE custom orders!

And visit E. Lindsey Photography, she took this adorable photo!

Here I Am!

2011-06-08T12:29:00.007-05:00

Whoa. St. Pat's was the last post.

My etsy store has been keeping my hands busy for the last few months, which has definitely been a blessing, but at the same time kind of turns them into this:

this is not me - flickr

Most of my sales have been minions, which I thoroughly enjoy making (for the most part), but I've had a bit of a lull lately, so I get to work my creative brain a bit and come up with new things. Yay!

this is me! minions - oh how i wish they were real

One of my coworkers kindly passed along some photos of his adorable little boy in his new adorable little hat. I have several more in the making (that will soon be mailed out to friends and family with adorable little ones) so stay tuned for more cute photos and new listings on etsy.

St. Pat's Cupcakes

2011-03-22T11:18:00.002-05:00

Found the recipe for Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes via the Brown-Eyed Baker (just one of many recipes I aim to try from her blog) on the morning of St. Pat's and rushed to the grocery store on my lunch break and managed to bake one pan of the cupcakes before going back to work.

Finished the frosting after work (in my old school, estate sale find stand mixer) and they were the perfect way to start my St. Patty's celebration. Yum, yum, YUM.

Word of warning, though, that frosting is quite stout. Beware eating them on an empty stomach! Haha!

Crochet Critters

2011-03-15T16:59:00.004-05:00

It all started with a pattern I found on Ravelry - if you are a crocheter or knitter, you MUST check out that site, it is FANtastic - and I was hooked. (hahaha, hooked! get it!?)

I made a few more patterns from the Lion Brand arsenal of free stuff, and then I started to make my own little critters. And now, well, now I just can't stop! Most of my creations come from requests that friends and family have made. Take a look!

Please check out me out on etsy, and if there's a critter that you're dying to have, please ask!!

Wow.

2011-03-15T12:37:00.005-05:00

I've been MIA from the blogosphere for MONTHS. Yikes.

To start things off - I've entered this photo into the iheartfaces weekly photo contest. This week's theme is Sun Flare.

Stay tuned for a post this afternoon. I've been crocheting my little hands off lately and boy do I have some stuff to show you!!

We won!!

2010-10-19T15:07:00.004-05:00

Roxie and I won first place in the Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest. Yep. The judges were quite impressed that we wore matching costumes, and who doesn't love the 80s?

(in case you're wondering, I made her legwarmers out of the fingers of gloves!)

The event went really well - and there is still time to bid on a dog house, the auction ends at 5pm this Saturday (the 23rd). You can check out photos and current bids here.

It's been awhile!

2010-10-14T16:14:00.009-05:00

But instead of telling you what's been going on for the past few months, I'm gonna tell you about what's happening tonight!

Camp Barkeley HOWL-O-WEEN tonight from 6-8pm at the Mall of Abilene. We'll have photos from 6-8pm and a costume contest at 7pm. Roxie and I are SUPER pumped. All proceeds go to Camp Barkeley. I haven't talked much about the dog park here on the 'ol blog, but it's been a long hard year of fundraising. We started this project in August of last year, and I just can't believe how far we've come in such a short time!! Our Grand Opening will be November 20th at 10am. Can.Not.WAIT.

I decided that I'd dress up in Flashdance style, but I wasn't sure what Roxie was going to go as - and then I thought, surely it wouldn't be too hard to dress her in 80s stripper/welder attire as well, so....

I made her a little grey sweatshirt out of a pair of girl's sweatpants, and (since she's super tiny after her trip to the salon yesterday) her legwarmers are made from the fingers of gloves! I cannot wait to show you how she looks!! But for now, a photo of the outfit will have to suffice:

And here's mine - and imagine big curly hair - and yes that's an IKEA mirror that I have still yet to put up on the wall, seriously. I will one of these days, OK?

If you aren't busy tonight, bring your pups and come out and support Camp Barkeley Dog Park!

Polyvore Mini-Editor

2010-08-23T13:03:00.003-05:00

Saw this on The City Sage blog and it's like window shopping from your desk, LOVE! Check out the styles she's loving for fall right here: Polyvore Contest! Win $1000 with the Perfect Fall Outfit!

So start shopping and create the ultimate fall ensemble, and you are eligible to win $1000 from Polyvore! Here are the styles I'm loving, and I want to go shopping. Like, now.

Powered by Polyvore

A Much Needed Vacation, Part 2

2010-07-07T12:51:00.012-05:00

So...part 2 is a bit late. Haha. Thursday took Roxie and I to Galveston, we of course had to stop a few times to ooh and aah at the tallness of the trees - they just don't grow 'em like that out here!

After fighting the insanity that is Houston traffic, we finally arrived! Seriously, how do you Houstonians put up with that every day?

Our hotel was right across from the water, but sadly there was no beach where we were staying (pretty rocks though!). Stayed in on Thursday night and watched the basketball game, and then Friday morning we got up and made our way to the beach.

I entered this photo in Shutterfly's Summer Freedom Contest. Vote here!

It was a bit quiet mid-morning, which was nice. Roxie really seemed to like the beach (especially barking at and chasing the seagulls). She wasn't entirely fond of the water, but didn't really mind it either. I rented an umbrella and a couple of chairs and settled in with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. After slathering on 30spf and sitting under the umbrella for the better part of 3 hours, I was burnt. Crazy burnt. Lobster burnt. Back to the hotel, cold shower, and then a very painful trip to Wal-Mart for Aloe Vera. And yes, I was one of those people. You know the ones. You look at them with pity because they were stupid enough to get crazy-lobster-burnt. *hangs head in shame*

Saturday I was planning to head down the coast and go to the Shrimp Festival in Port Aransas, but due to my very red skin, even 2 minutes out in the sun was painful. So instead, I decided that I'd just drive, head north and west towards home.

This sign seriously cracked me up. So much so that I had to take the exit, turn around, and go back in order to get a photo of the sign. Apparently it's a street name. Too funny!

We meandered our way to College Station and stopped in at the George Bush Presidential Library. I didn't get to spend much time there (no pets allowed, and it was pretty hot outside).

And a brief photo op for Kyle Field. It does look rather intimidating. :) BOOMER!

But back to vacation. I directed the TomTom to point us toward Temple and we headed that way, via some windy roads - and one rather creepy abandoned house. I actually stopped to photograph the tree (there's just something about those trees that draw me in) and I noticed the house. A little Stephen King-esque. Good thing it was in the middle of the day.

Finally made it to Temple and Roxie was VERY excited to try out their dog park, but sadly there was not a soul in sight. Which was rather strange for a Saturday day afternoon.

We made a brief stop in Lampasas for some dinner at the oh-so-delicious Storms and then headed for home.
It was a lovely vacation, just the two of us. No schedules, no plans, just wherever the wind blew us. We'll have to do it again soon.

A Much Needed Vacation, Part 1

2010-06-21T12:08:00.003-05:00

After the craziness of the last few months, I decided that a road trip was in order. I bought tickets to see Imogen Heap a few months ago, and so last Wednesday afternoon I packed up the car (along with Roxie) and we headed to DFW. No schedules (other than Immi of course), no appointments, nobody to see...we were just gonna make a beeline towards the Galveston coast and spend a few lazy days.

Imogen was purely amazing. I was not prepared for how incredible she was! If you haven't heard of her, look her up. Now. Drop everything. NOW, I said! Insanely talented.

She plays the keytar for Pete's sake. Tell me what's cooler than that! She also does an improv song - she polls the audience for time signature, key, etc and then makes up a song on the spot. She's donating all proceeds from the live improv songs to a local charity, for the Dallas show it was Dallas Habitat for Humanity. Absolutely awesome.

Thursday - en route to Galveston.

The Floors, Part Two!

2010-05-21T18:01:00.003-05:00

As Dad finished one room, Mom and I would get to work cleaning. Sweep, shop-vac, vacuum, big dust mop, and then microfiber dust mop. I decided not to stain the floors, because I really loved the tone of the white oak (it antiques as it ages). I went with a water-based poly, as it dries much quicker than oil and doesn't smell nearly as bad.

Start in the corner farthest from the door so you poly yourself out of the room. Mom cut in the edges with a brush and I followed with the synthetic applicator. Go with the grain of the wood, and always keep a wet edge (this helps avoid lift marks). They recommend 3 coats of poly to make the floor durable, and you'll want to scuff sand with 220 grit sandpaper between the final two coats.

After several hours of sanding and cleaning and sealing, two weekends of hard work, here's the final product:

I'm SO happy I decided to do this instead of hiring someone to do it (though I'm not sure my parents would agree, haha). But I saved a TON of money and I have the satisfaction of all of our hard work resulting in beautiful floors.

The living room is the only room not done, but that's on the to-do list for this week.

A big thank you to my folks for spending so many hours helping me.

If you are thinking about doing this, I recommend visiting Russet Street Reno and looking through her instructions. I used those as a guideline for doing my floors. Very helpful! Thanks Sara!

The Floors, Part 1

2010-05-21T17:18:00.015-05:00

Do you remember what the floors looked like when I moved in? Carpet. Old carpet. Old carpet that appeared OK upon closing, but after a few weeks the newly shampooed smell wore off. No matter, the plan was always to yank it out and reveal the gorgeous (hopefully) wood floors underneath.

Roxie dog. She's ready for the carpet to go.

This lovely carpet was in the living room and all three bedrooms.

With the help of my amazing parents, we spent a few solid weekends pulling carpet, staples, nails, tack strips, sanding, sweeping, sanding, sweeping, cleaning, sealing....well, you get the idea.

Good riddance carpet!

Close-up of the LR floor.

The floors were in OK shape, but there were a lot of stains, scratches, stickers, paint, glitter...all of that needed to disappear.

Scraping at a stubborn sticker/paint in the pink room.

I rented a drum sander (we ended up needing it 2 separate weekends) and we got to work. Though not a difficult task, it definitely was dirty, dusty, and very time consuming. We sanded each room multiple times, starting with the lowest grit (30) and moving up (100). It is a very good idea to tape off the room as you're sanding, otherwise there will be dust EVERYWHERE. Oh, and turn off the a/c and tape off the air vents too.

You also have to sand the edges with a hand-sander where the drum sander won't reach. After the rooms have been sanded with all grits (finishing with the 100), and the edges have been sanded, it's time to clean, clean, clean!

Stay tuned for Part Two and the reveal!!

I Heart Faces

2010-05-11T15:24:00.005-05:00

I heart them. Go check em out.

And I just entered the 'Celebrating Mom' photo challenge with this photo. There's so much happiness there! Love it!

Cornerstone sings the National Anthem (take 2)

2010-05-11T10:32:00.002-05:00

Here's a better video of us singing the National Anthem at the Ruff Rider's game. Even though you can't see me (you can hear me!). :)

Cornerstone sings the National Anthem

2010-04-23T12:52:00.002-05:00

Here's the video on YouTube. Forgive the grainy-ness, Mom was pretty far away. Also, forgive my uncle singing in the background (boooo!) ;-)

…still painting, and the floors

2010-04-20T09:58:00.008-05:00

My parents came in again this weekend to help out, and here's what we got done:

Painted the upper half of my bedroom (above the paneling) a gorgeous dark teal color (semi-gloss). It's Ralph Lauren's Vermeer, VM130.
Painted my dressing room a pale shade of pink, Behr's 150E-1, Delicate Blush.
Dad pulled the carpet and tack strips in all 3 bedrooms, HOORAY!! The floors are in pretty good shape, there are a few boards that'll need to be replaced on the wall where the laundry area is (must've leaked at some point), but I'm confident that I can sand 'em and stain 'em myself, with the help of this lovely lady.
We loaded all of the carpet and pad into the truck and dumped it, it was GROSS.
Put up a shelf in the laundry room and moved my washer and dryer from storage in there (sooooo good to have clean clothes!) I'll post photos of that when it's all finished.
The DIRECTV guy came and installed my satellite. And again, HOORAY! I've got more than 6 channels! However, they don't offer local channels in my area, so I had to file a waiver or something in order to get NY or LA stations. Weird. But yay, I have TV again!

I'm nearly done painting, just a few things here and there that I need to finish.

Paint paneling with white semi-gloss (hopefully this will only take 1 good coat) and fill in the cracks between the panels.
Stencil the upper walls in my bedroom (and find a stencil) in Ralph Lauren's Impressionist, VM129.
Touch up ceiling and trim, everywhere.
Paint neighboring west wall in the living room green.

And on a non-house related note, the singing group I'm in (Cornerstone) got to sing the national anthem on Saturday at the Ruff Riders game. It was SO FUN, and one of the 30 before 30 things I got to check off my list (which I'll be sharing in a post soon). A busy weekend, but a productive one (with some fun stuff thrown in).

Now back to painting…

And now for something completely different…

2010-04-02T09:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I received a small package in the mail at work. Now, this is nothing new and different (since I'm the one that opens all the mail), but this was addressed to me, and as I've ordered several things for my new house in the last week or so (wallpaper samples, etc.), I was excited to open it.

Lo and behold, however, it was this lovely box:

Hooray!! My film is here! The Impossible Project has been hard at work for several months, and last week they unveiled their first line of film to replace the no longer available Polaroid film, and I cannot WAIT to use it! I've been scavenging for old Polaroid cameras recently, and hopefully out of the 4 or 5 that I've acquired, at least one of them will work.

Stay tuned!

SOLD!

2010-03-29T15:29:00.008-05:00

As of 3pm on Friday, I am officially a HOMEOWNER!! Hooray!!! I tried to keep this one as quiet as possible, after what happened with the first two (see this post).

But now, it's official! And isn't it just adorably cute? I think so. I wasn't all that thrilled with the yellow exterior, but it really has grown on me over the last few weeks, and now I love it!

Mom (God bless her, she's amazing!) came to town and went to the closing with me, and then worked tirelessly all weekend helping me make decisions and paint the kitchen and living room. Speaking of which, I really had refrained from making any sort of design decisions, I didn't want to jinx anything this time. So when it finally came time to pick out paint, I just couldn't decide. And then we went to Target. Thank you Liberty of London, for making adorable things! I bought two of these lampshades and decided on a sage green for the living room and a buttery yellow for the kitchen.

Where did I get the lamp base, you ask? Why, it was a $4 find from Goodwill with a few coats of glossy pink spray paint. And I LOVE it.

I'm really pleased so far, and I can't wait to tackle the rest of the house. Painting first, and then I'll move on to the carpet and the gorgeous (*hopefully*) wood floors underneath.

Stay tuned for lots of before and afters, rants, raves, and overall crazy excitement over my very first house. Woohoo!

Next project: the bathroom.

Happenings

2010-03-18T12:16:00.008-05:00

108 days. That's how long I've been on the hunt. There have been several possibilities along the way, but really only 3 viable contenders.

The first.
1400 square feet
Lovely wood floors in several of the rooms
Den with a fireplace
Workshop in the back
A giant yard

This house had so much potential. It was the ultimate DIY/Renovation. Too much to take on for my first house? Perhaps. But I was excited. But then there was the inspection, and the flooded laundry room, and the electrical problems. Sigh. Money pit.

The second.
840 square feet
Fresh carpet and paint
1 car garage
Lovely backyard full of mesquite trees
Great neighborhood with no immediate neighbors

Significantly smaller, but the neighborhood was great, it had a garage, lots of updates, AND they had yet to paint the outside so I got to choose the colors! And the backyard was just begging for a deck to host parties and bbq's. 2 weeks prior to closing she decided she was too attached to the house and pulled it. She was certifiable. And if I ever see her in public...

The third.
1100 square feet
1 car garage
3 bedrooms
Hardwood floors under the carpet
Big kitchen

Could this be THE house? The floors will need to be refinished, hopefully they're in good shape. It's bigger, has new kitchen counters, a recently redone bathroom, and the neighborhood is good, and right in the middle of town. This house could definitely be IT.

I'll keep y'all posted.

Oh, football, how I miss you...

2010-02-19T10:23:00.002-06:00

*check out more hilarity here*

My take on the Big Game

2010-01-08T15:14:00.005-06:00

I know this will come as a shock to many of you, but I wore a burnt orange Texas shirt yesterday. Before you freak out, let me explain.

My Mom and Grandpa are both very fiesty UT fans, and somehow I managed to be a die-hard OU fan (even through the bad years). There were many OU/TX weekends endured, and most of those (while in the Turner household) were spent apart. This was best for both of us. However, in recent years both my Mom and I have begun to root for each other. This is rather unheard of when it comes to the OU/TX rivalry. Maybe it's because my hatred has been geared toward another team, or maybe it's because I've lived in Texas so long, or perhaps it's because I've garnered a great respect for Mack Brown and the way he coaches his team.

I don't own anything burnt orange. In fact, I don't think I have anything even close to that shade in my closet. But all of that changed on Wednesday evening. I guess the cashier could see my inner conflict, because she gave me 20% off of that burnt orange Texas shirt.

Last night I went to my coworker's house to watch the game, where the mood quickly took a nosedive when Colt got hurt. There were almost immediate mumblings and grumblings about many things on the UT side, and all I could think was how quickly they turn on their own. Now granted, I was an outsider. I may have looked like a UT fan, and I am in many respects, but at this point, I don't have the emotional attachment.

I constantly reminded the Debby Downers that yes, it sucks when you lose your starting QB early in the game (take it from someone who completely understands), but you have to move on. You can't wallow. Wallowing = losing. But wallow they did. And don't get me started on that shovel pass. Seriously? Knee the sucker and take it to the locker room.

The second half proved to be much better for the Horns, after what I'm sure was a emotional and heartfelt halftime peptalk from Mack. Gilbert even got the Horns within 3 points. I thought they just might pull out a spectacular come-from-behind miracle, but then Gilbert was blindsided deep in Texas territory and that sealed their fate. He did a phenomenal job, and I'm sure will be a fantastic QB next season.

Yes, had McCoy been in the game it may have had a different ending. But we'll never know. Give credit to Alabama, they managed the win (though they didn't do it with National Champion swagger). There should be no asterisk. No more what-ifs.

Let's put 2009 behind us, and hope that 2010 is bigger and better, especially for the Big 12.

Oh, and I wore my OU turtleneck underneath the Texas shirt. Boomer Sooner.

The Holidays...

2010-01-05T14:55:00.004-06:00

I was robbed this year. Not literally, well, kind of. Let me splain...

The great OK/TX blizzard of 09 ruined my Christmas plans. I stayed in town on the 23rd to have dinner with some friends, and when I woke up on Christmas Eve there was a lovely blanket of snow covering the ground. It worked out perfectly for a photoshoot I had that morning, but it ruined any chances of being home for Christmas. In Abilene, we had lots of rain and then snow, but further north they had a few hours of sleet before the snow hit. So...Roxie and I spent the afternoon wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies on TV. It was my first Christmas sans family!

I was determined to get home, so I packed the car and left town just after lunch on Christmas Day. It was smooth sailing once I passed the Abilene city limits, the roads were clear and dry for the first 70 miles or so. But as I neared Olney, the roads got a little icier, and about 10 miles or so from Wichita Falls they were absolutely awful. It took me almost an hour to go 10 miles. Yeah. And I was even driving behind a truck that was scraping the roads, and it was still horrible. Now, granted, I do NOT drive a very weather-friendly vehicle. Hey, it's made for it's stunning good looks and speed, OK?

I got stuck twice, but luckily there were lots of people out on the roads and a few were kind enough to stop and help push me out of the ice and snow. I managed to make it to my Aunt's house, completely exhausted and stressed out. I was SO thankful to have a place to stop and get out of the craziness. The next morning Roxie and I took off for Oklahoma, and after a slow-going 20 miles or so, the roads cleared and all was well. I made it home Saturday afternoon, we had a fast and furious Christmas celebration, and I got back in the car and headed back to Abilene on the 27th.

Last week was spent packing and moving. My parents (God bless them) came down on Tuesday and were a tremendous help. I would not have been able to do it without them. Heck, they mostly did it all without me (I only had Friday off of work). If you look closely, I'm back there in the middle...I'm looking happy because we were nearing the end. I have WAY too much stuff.

I'm staying with a friend for now (while most of my stuff is in storage). I'm not sure where I'll be going next, which is exciting and scary at the same time. Do I stay in Abilene, do I move somewhere entirely new and different? The possibilities!

So a blizzard robbed me of Christmas, and packing/moving robbed me of New Year's. Fun, right?

New on ETSY!

2009-12-21T16:04:00.005-06:00

Finally, 4 days before Christmas, I have uploaded new items to my etsy store! I've had these pieces finished for awhile now, but when it comes time to post them, I get nervous. I HATE those ads where the photos are just terrible, it makes me feel sorry for them (the items and the sellers).

I decided to suck it up and get it done though, all managed in about half an hour during my lunch break today.

So if you need a last minute gift (I can send via express/priority/overnight, etc), check out my etsy store!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hturnerpottery

Here's a little preview:

I also have these little fun things (pins or hair barrettes), but I'm not sure if I want to list them or keep them all to myself...hmm.

29, flirty, and thriving

2009-12-16T09:01:00.003-06:00

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but hey, I'm not 30 yet!

I had a good birthday week. I contemplated taking my actual birthday off of work (a company I used to work for gave us a paid holiday on our birthdays, awesome!) but decided that taking Friday was a much better plan. Went out for sushi with a few girlfriends on Thursday night and then trekked across the parking lot to the Mule to see Reckless Kelly. It was a great night (free drinks!), made even better by sleeping late the next morning.

My parents drove down on Friday and we spent the weekend looking at houses. I now have just over two weeks to figure out where the heck I'm moving to, and yes, the stress is starting to get to me. There are some very nice homes (from the outside, anyway) here, but many of the ones in my price range have some problems – like cracked foundations, wavy floors, or trashy neighbors. I've narrowed it down to two houses, and *should* be making an offer this week. So…I may need to crash on somebody's couch for a few weeks. If you have the need for a spare roommate for a bit, do let me know.

I am really looking forward to having my own home. No more roommate drama to deal with, free reign in designing each and every room, cleaning up after my own messes, and designing each and every room. Did I say that already? Cause yeah, that's what I'm really looking forward to the mostest (spellcheck just changed 'mostest' to 'moistest' – ha, not quite). Oh, and no more roommate drama. That too.

On a different note, I have a bit of Christmas shopping left to do. Usually I've already made my gift lists and know exactly who is getting what, but with the house hunting this year, I'm entering into present-crisis-mode. It's strange and unfamiliar territory, and I don't like it. Luckily I still have 9 days to figure it all out. 9 days.

9 times? 9 times…

Lately

2009-11-18T10:28:00.003-06:00

It's been quite the busy month around here. A good busy, though.

There's something about the weather changing that makes me want to be crafty. I want to sew stuff, and crochet stuff, and spend lots of time in Hobby Lobby and Michaels (very dangerous stores for me, haha). Jessica and I had a table at this month's Artwalk. She's recently started crocheting and has some super cute stuff! It was quite busy and we sold a few things, and I'm hoping to have some of my items listed on etsy soon. We'll be at the ACU Craft Fair on December 4^th and we'll also have a table at the December Artwalk on Dec. 10^th. If you're looking for warm and cozy handmade gifts for your friends and family (and yourself!) you should definitely come and see us. We'll have hats, scarves, wristers (fingerless gloves), and more.

I'm also doing a $25 Christmas Photo Special right now: 1 location, 30-45 minutes, and you get 5 retouched digital images that are yours to keep. If anyone is interested in booking, I have time slots available on 11/29, 12/5, and 12/6. Call or email me! Here are a few of my favorites from the shoots this past weekend:

OU/TX 2009

2009-10-23T14:39:00.014-05:00

t was an AMAZING weekend, even though we lost. Sigh. The game was a brutal four quarter long defensive struggle, and by halftime, I was already exhausted. I truly hope Texas is able to win out this season and play in the big game (cause we certainly won't be there). But enough about that, let's get to the fun part! Well, first, the stuff before the fun part...

Early last week my car gave me some problems (steering wheel shaking and a lovely burnt-rubber smell) and after taking it to my uncle's shop to get it looked at, it was determined that under no circumstances should I be driving it to Dallas. WHAT?! My whole weekend appeared to be ruined. Mom and I talked it out, going back and forth between go or no-go. Luckily Steve was planning to be in town on Thursday, and would be headed to DFW on Friday. Steve graciously changed up his plans a bit and I was able to ride with he and Cliff to Dallas on Friday. YAY! We met up with my Mom in Fort Worth and agreed to meet at the Cotton Bowl the next morning, a few hours before the game so we could find tickets. Mom and I stayed in Addison Friday night and it only took us about 40 minutes to get to the stadium and park.

We immediately were on the lookout for tickets, and we definitely weren't the only ones. We got extremely lucky and found two tickets together on the 40 yard line, OU side (though it was only one section over from the OU/TX split) upper level, row 8 for $150 each. Mom then found one more ticket for $125, and Steve found his ticket for $150. There were definitely more people looking than selling.

We headed into the stadium about 45 minutes before the game to find our seats and watch the teams warm up. The energy in the stadium was just insane! I've never experienced anything like it. Steve came over and sat with us for the second half, so he and my Mom were able to cheer for TX together. The rest of the game just flew by and before I knew it, it was over. We lost 16-13 (we were a 3 point underdog going in, funny). That makes us 3-3, losing those three games by a combined total of 5 points. Yeah that sucks.

We stuck around for the festivities, well, actually Mom and Steve left me standing by myself while they participated in the revelry, but that's OK. I got some great photos! We met up with my cousins after the game and commiserated a bit (all but two of us being OU fans). After the game, Mom and I wandered around the fair, OK we got kind of lost, but whatever. We finally made our way to Big Tex with tickets in hand, found the guys and got in line for some lunch and much needed beer. We roamed around for awhile, sampled a bit of the fair cuisine (funnel cakes and fried banana pudding) and then made our way to the concert stage for the Miranda Lambert show. I've always liked her music, but after seeing her live I am definitely a fan. She's just amazing!

We parted ways after that and went back to the hotel and crashed. Mom and I met up with Dad at the Stockyards in Ft. Worth on Sunday. We went to Joe T. Garcia's for lunch, great Mexican food, and GORGEOUS place. I mean gorgeous. And it's huge! Courtyard after courtyard, flowers and fountains and trees...all tucked away in the Stockyards. Seriously awesome. We wandered around the Stockyards for a bit, and then I headed back to Abilene in Mom's car.

That had to be one of the best weekends I've ever had. And I'm still not recovered...looking forward to a weekend at home.

Oh, and BOOMER SOONER. I'm a faithful fan to the end.

scrap flowers*

2009-10-08T11:02:00.004-05:00

I'm a blog reader. It fuels my creativity. A lot. And a few weeks ago I rediscovered Heather Bailey (I bought some of her Trash Ties several months ago). She is a fabric designer, among MANY other things, and she posted a little tutorial for scrap fabric flowers. I'd been looking for something cute to put on my crocheted hats, and this was perfect!

Took a trip to Hobby Lobby, bought some cute fabric, felt, and pin backs and went to town. Here are a few of my creations. I'm thinking about putting the little one on a headband.

I'll be posting these (along with my hats) on etsy in the next week or so, stay tuned for that! If you happen to be in Abilene, you can come out to the Solid Groove Festival at Play Faire Park on Saturday, I'll have a booth there! Check out the poster here.

*this is not the fun DIY I promised, that is coming soon!

The weekend...

2009-10-05T14:46:00.005-05:00

Friday night I had the privilege of shooting photos at the David Crowder Band show at Beltway Park. I've seen them before when I was in college, and I'd really forgotten how amazing they are. Incredible show! *I promise I will post photos in a few days*

Saturday Roxie and I packed up the car and made our way to Play Faire Park for the annual Bark in the Park, benefitting the Taylor-Jones Humane Society. A few friends (and their four-legged friends) joined us at the Dog Park table. We sold homemade dog treats, had petitions for people to sign, and Roxie was in the costume contest. She was the most adorable bumblebee you've ever seen! :) It was quite busy and we had a great time mingling with fellow dog-lovers. We have a meeting this week with the city council, and hopefully we'll have a lead on some land for our dog park!

After sitting outside in the wind for several hours, my head was pounding and Roxie was exhausted so we went home to veg for a bit (and watch football). I jetted over to Goodwill and bought 10 fun t-shirts for a project I did on Sunday (stay tuned for photos and a DIY!). Saturday night brought sadness, as my Sooners broke my heart again with a 1-point loss. I guess you just can't be awesome every year. Sigh.

Sunday morning service at Beltway, then I embarked on my sewing project! All I can say is, you're going to be scouring through your dressers, local thrift stores, and garage sales for some vintage tees after you see this DIY. I made two more last night...

7 things

2009-09-23T09:50:00.004-05:00

I was tagged by Melissa, so here goes.

7 Random things about me:

1. I'm obsessed with college football. Specifically OU football. Seriously obsessed. January to August are football-less and mostly depressing. :) BOOMER!

2. I'm Artistically ADD (and yes, I coined that term, thank you). I'm a photographer, pottter, DIY-er, I can crochet and sew, and I can use power tools. Fear me.

3. My favorite holidays are Halloween and the 4th of July.

4. I was in Reflections Show Choir in high school. We were red, glittery, and awesome.

5. I love sushi. And I just found out that I have a slight allergy to fish, and I don't care.

6. If I had all the money in the world (after taking care of boring stuff like student loans) I'd travel and then buy front row tickets to see all my favorite bands. I love music. And concerts. A lot.

7. I skipped the first grade. My parents would tell you it's because I was a smart kiddo, but I like to say it's because I could color in the lines better than anyone else.

Here I am!

2009-09-17T10:30:00.005-05:00

It's been a few weeks, so here's a quick recap:

Saturday, Sep. 5th: Long weekend in OK, wonderful lunch with family, and then OU lost to BYU. By 1 point. Sam Bradford was hurt just before the first half and is likely out for another few weeks. Jermaine Gresham is also out. Boooo.

Spent the rest of the weekend with my family, and my Mom and Sister taught me how to sew! We made dog beds and I made a lunch bag, and when I got home I made a sleeve for my camera strap. I'm very excited about the many, many things that are possible now that I know how to sew (like perhaps some faux-leather pants of my own, haha!).

Saturday, Sep. 12th: I drove home to Duncan, picked up LT and we headed to Norman for the OU/Idaho State game. We donned rain boots and ponchos and spent most of the day in the rain, but it was a great game, just what we needed after last week's loss.

This week has been pretty mellow, lots of rain - which has only served to make the weeds and stickers in my yard grow at an exponential rate. But I'm thankful for the cooler temperatures.

Tomorrow night I'm doing sushi with the girls, and then going to see Shooter Jennings at the Lucky Mule. I am super excited!!

And THEN on Saturday, I'm heading out early, another trip to OK. This time I'll pick up Mom and we'll head to Norman to see the OU/Tulsa game. The city manager of Albany gave me two tickets to the game AND we'll have wristbands to get into the tailgate. Man. It should be awesome.

My creative side hasn't been fed in about a week, so I'm ready to start a new project. Maybe tonight...

BOOMER SOONER

2009-09-04T16:16:00.004-05:00

OU plays BYU tomorrow night at the new Texas Stadium, I wish I was going, but it will be good to watch the game with my family, in the great state of Oklahoma. :) Oh man. The excitement is almost overwhelming!!

The official beginning of college football season for me, though, was last Thursday with ACU's win against Northwest Missouri. It started off a bit breezy when a crazy stormed rolled in about half an hour prior to kickoff, forcing the game to be delayed an hour and sending us all for shelter.

But the sun came out and a gorgeous double rainbow welcomed us back to the stadium.I got to hang out with a friend from work and her sweet little kiddo (below).
Our defense played phenomenally well, and our offense still has some snags to work out. BUt it was a great game, and we won 19-14. ACU is now ranked #3 in D-II. Go CATS!

Where have I been?

2009-08-25T12:32:00.004-05:00

Cleaning my room (which is an ongoing process), working on the Dog Park Project, and continuing the living room revamp.

Firstly, I have discovered that a little bit of cleaning every day really adds up, and is far less annoying and taxing than spending an entire day cleaning. And you're FAR less likely to just shove stuff in the closet. And I've finally hung my curtains! I've (shamefully) had them for over a year. Yeah.

Secondly, we have been hard at work with The Park People in an effort to bring a dog park to Abilene. It will be an off-leash area where dogs can run and play, and their owners can hang out too! We're working through a non-profit, Connecting Caring Communities, we aren't asking the City for money, so no raised taxes. Check out our website, and if you're in the Abilene area, come to our informational meeting this Friday, the 28th at 5:30, The Abilene Garden Club @ 300 Westwood.

Thirdly, the living room revamp continues! I spent several hours this weekend painting our very 70s fireplace a lovely pristine white. I've still got a few coats to go on the top 1/3 (above the mantel), but I had to give my arms and hands a break. After 4 1/2 coats on the bottom my right hand was starting to resemble the Claw.

Photos coming soon...

Old friends, good times

2009-08-12T12:09:00.008-05:00

This weekend I made a quick trip to San Antonio to see one of my best friends from college. We usually see each other once a year at Homecoming, but last year she was on vacation that weekend and I went to Gruene for their annual pottery festival.

After Saturday's visit, I realized that once a year is not nearly enough. She has the most adorable family: amazing husband and two adorable and awesome kiddos. We had a lazy lunch and then (despite the 135 degree heat) headed out to a park by the San Antonio zoo to do a quick family photo session.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Love you guys!!

Luau!!

2009-08-03T09:26:00.007-05:00

Last week was spent trying to get the house in order for the big double birthday bash for Gina and Cassi. They decided on a Luau this year! We transformed our backyard into a tropical paradise, complete with tiki torches, sand, and a fire pit.

The pups were even decked out! Though after a few hours they were pooped!

Lots of yummy food (homemade peach salsa, beer weenies, various chips and dips), jello-shots, and a great luau cake made by Jessica and Aaron (great job guys!).

The party rocked on til the wee hours of the morning, and a good time was had by all. Now who's gonna clean up this mess? :)

The Weekend

2009-07-29T11:23:00.005-05:00

Projects. Lots of projects running around in my head, and I finally got to unleash a few of them this weekend. I have a couple of Wal-Mart bookshelves that have been moved around from house to house since college.
They're nice and all, still in pretty good shape (which is amazing, after half a dozen moves), but they're lacking in prettiness. So I decided to fix that. I started with the little one, took it apart and sanded it down. (btw - plastic does not make for a good drop cloth outside, it kept sticking to my feet!)
I painted it white, it probably took 3 coats to get it even, and then attached some lovely wrapping paper I bought at Hobby Lobby last Christmas to the back panel with some spray adhesive. And here's the final result!

Cute, eh? I love it! My next project was to tackle the living room, which I'll save for another post. :)

The Weekend, briefly

2009-07-20T10:09:00.005-05:00

I got my Blackberry in the mail on Friday!! I bought it off of ebay on Tuesday (I think?). I've been looking for a new phone (the Hue still works pretty well, but I'm tired of it), and when I saw how many Blackberries are on eBay, well, I decided that's what I needed. It's cute and pink and awesome. I shall call it my Raspberry.
Spent almost 2 hours in martial arts on Friday, and it was much needed. I was in Florida for a week, and then was sick the next week, so I was pretty rusty. It's amazing how quickly you can forget things when you don't practice them regularly. My instructor is awesome, he'd been pushing for some one-on-one training and I finally gave in. He wants me to start training for my blackbelt. Hopefully I can start on that soon. You've been warned! ;)

Saturday, Cassi & Jess and I got up at the crack of dawn and hit the garage sales. We scored lots of fun items, a few of which will likely appear as a Before & After project in the next few weeks. I also found some cute little outfits for Roxanne (she was super excited).

We went out to the Buffalo Gap flea market (which they have once a month). Got some DELICIOUS tomatoes. Seriously, they are homegrown amazing. I wish I had a photo of them. Maybe I'll do that tonight. But I only have two left.

On Sunday, I said goodbye to a good friend who's heading to California today. I will miss you, but October 17th is not too far away. You should probably start preparing yourself for a loss, though. :) BOOMER SOONER baby!

Had a wonderful little rainstorm last night just as I was going to sleep, and another one rolled through first thing this morning. Kevin Fowler put it perfectly: "I love the sound of rain on a tin roof on a hot summer's night..."

Happy Monday!

Vacation! Part Deux - Kristie's Florida

2009-07-10T15:36:00.008-05:00

After a few hours of driving, we made it to Kristie's house, which is adorable and a half! And I didn't take any photos of it, shame on me! She had just painted it the week before, and it's so beachy and cute! Anyway, a quick freshen up and then we took off for her boyfriend's BBQ. He's training to be a firefighter, and his class had their first Burn that night.

Scott is at the top right.

Their campus is awesome, they've just completed a new burn building. It's several stories tall and they run drills there (with smoke filled rooms and ladder rescues - too cool!).

That night we had some yummy BBQ and watched the guys work in their squads to put out fires. It was really awesome to watch, even in the perpetual rain. We actually had a downpour for awhile, but luckily we were under cover.

On Thursday morning, Kristie and I headed to Stuart Beach. In the SUNSHINE. Yes. It cleared up, I'm convinced, just for me. The water was gorgeous and clear, but a bit too cold for swimming (at least for me). But it was perfect for laying on the beach.

There were LOTS of dragonflies out there. I mean, they were everywhere!! And after reading the wikipedia article on dragonflies just now, I'm kind of grossed out. But anyway.

A few pelicans entertained us for awhile, swooping in and out of the water looking for dinner. (Hop into my mouth, if you want to live...)

After a few hours we did a little souvenir shopping, a little grocery shopping, and then went back to her house to bum around for awhile (it had started raining again, anyway). She made some amazing shrimp scampi for dinner and we watched Defiance. GREAT movie.

Friday morning, we headed out to Jupiter Beach. Again, sunshine! Yay! Kristie then took me to Blowing Rocks. It was absolutely gorgeous! We walked around for awhile, took lots of photos, and then strolled down the incredibly hot sand.
After that, we drove around and looked at all of the gigantic houses on Jupiter Island. Apparently a lot of celebrities have homes down there. Their landscaping bills probably equal my yearl salary. And yes, I'm jealous. We stopped at a restaurant on the water and had lunch (and beer) and then went back to Kristie's.

After a little nap, we made our way to the movie theater and watched Transformers. It was really good! (Yes, that's three movies in one week, a personal record, I think). Hit the hay early so we could get up and watch the sunrise before they took me to the airport. It was early, but beautiful, and there were lots of folks out fishing. Looked like they were having some success too.

My flight home was FAR less stressful, no stress actually. Every flight was on-time, one was even early to our destination (which resulted in us sitting on the tarmac for about 30 minutes), but it was all good. Lunch with the parents in OKC and then a short drive home to Duncan.

It was definitely a vacation. Definitely in my top 5.

Vacation! Part one - Orlando

2009-07-09T11:24:00.010-05:00

What an amazingly relaxing vacation! I read two books and started a third, saw three movies, and was completely lazy all week long, and enjoyed (mostly) every second. I say mostly, because it did rain a lot. But let me start at the beginning.

We had a great time at Garage Sale Part Deux. We had more people show up in the first hour (though SEVERAL were early...which is annoying) than we did all day the previous weekend. Sold a lot, got rid of everything else, drank beer, had pizza, and shot the bull with good friends for awhile. Good times. I sobered up (mostly) and finished packing. Then it was off to Duncan for a visit with the fam before taking off for Lawton's airport on Sunday morning. Got there at 10 (my flight was supposed to be at 11:15) and found out the flight was cancelled. Nobody called me. Upsetting. They rebooked me on the 3pm, which didn't end up taking off until after 4, causing me to miss my original connection to Orlando. I managed to book it across the terminal and snag a seat on the next flight (barely). Got into Orlando at 10 and had to take a taxi to the hotel because it was so late, and Carol was busy studying for her class. You better believe American Airlines is gonna get a letter from me. I called them, but they were completely unapologetic about the cancellation. All I needed was a phone call. Sigh. What has happened to customer service?
The hotel was gorgeous! And on Monday morning, I had the pool entirely to myself. Glorious! After a few hours of pool time, I headed out to Lake Eola park, which was just a block behind the hotel. It started to lightly rain when I got there, but it didn't last long, and I was able to enjoy the scenery and the 1 mile stroll around the park. Had lunch at a little grill right by the water and then headed back to the hotel for a short nap before Carol got back.

We spent a little more time at the pool, and then went to dinner at Shari Sushi Lounge. It was AMAZING. Delicious sushi with crazy ingredients like mango and kiwi and cashews (I'm drooling right now) and a super swanky atmosphere. If you're ever in Orlando, you must dine there. Oh, be sure you try the Ginga Kogen beer. Delish.

Back to the pool on Tuesday morning, but only briefly, because a nice little rainstorm moved in. Booooo. Luckily there was a movie theater just a few blocks away, so I booked it on foot and was not too drenched by the time I got there. I saw Year One. It was a bit like Mel Brooks's History of the World: Part One ("It's Good to be the King"), except with Biblical stories, and (sadly) no musical numbers. But hilarious, in true Jack Black and Michael Cera style. I got soaked on the way back to the hotel and was in desperate need of a beer, so I stopped at the hotel bar. Bad decision. $5.17 for a Michelob Ultra. Are you kidding me? Ridiculous. It was good, but not that good.

Carol and I went to see My Sister's Keeper that night (sad!!) and had dinner at Kafe Kalik, a Bahamian/Caribbean restaurant. It was pretty tasty.

On Wednesday morning, Kristie drove up from West Palm Beach to pick me up and we wandered around Lake Eola Park for awhile.

After our park stroll, we had a quick bite at Chipotle and then Carol was on her way to the airport back to Abilene, and we were on our way to Stuart, FL.

Stay tuned for Part Deux - Kristie's Florida. :)

It's Wednesday already?

2009-06-24T11:12:00.003-05:00

This week seems to be going pretty quickly, which is kind of strange. Generally right before a vacation, time just seems to drag and drag. And then, the day before you leave it's crazy-go-nuts all day long.

We're having a garage sale on Saturday (take 2), and I'm hoping the weather cooperates just as well as it did last week. It was absolutely beautiful! A bit windy, but we couldn't have asked for a nicer day. I put an ad in the paper today, and we're planning on blanketing the neighborhood with festive (and awesome) neon posters. Hopefully we'll get a lot more traffic and get rid of a lot more stuff. If you're in need of stuff, stop by Rosedale on Saturday. We'll be there from 7-Noon. Show up early and I will pelt you with pine cones. You've been warned. :)

Countdown to beach bum status: 4 days!

a snippet

2009-06-19T12:02:00.002-05:00

It's finally Friday, and a fantastic Friday it is...it's Garage Sale Eve! It's one of the lesser known holidays.

Tonight shall be filled with organizing, pricing, some sort of junk food, and beverages of the alcoholic variety. Yep.

Prior to that, though, is a trek to the annual library book sale! WOOOO! Lots of bargain books for sale, and if you go on Sunday you can take home a Bag'O'Books for a mere $6. Let the reading bonanza begin!!

Countdown to beach bum status: 9 days!!

the weekend ahead

2009-06-16T09:09:00.003-05:00

Garage sale!!! WOoooooOOOOoo!

I'm not nearly as ready as I was hoping to be, but I have gone through several boxes that have been sitting in my closet (and likely have moved from closet to closet as I have moved from house to house - which is the definition of silliness).

This is all in an effort to simplify. I have WAY too much stuff, most of which I don't use. Why not sell it to someone who needs it, and put a little extra cash in my pocket? Yep. Sounds like a fantastic idea.

So if you're out and about on Saturday, swing by Rosedale manor and buy some junk from us. We may even have some breakfast burritos for your dining pleasure.

Before & After: Coat Rack

2009-06-10T10:01:00.004-05:00

Hopefully this will be the first of many before&after/DIY projects on my blog. Yay!

I bought this lovely thing at a garage sale for $1. Yes, one whole dollar. I've been thinking about a fun way to display all my hats (and have them within reach).

First, I took off all the hardware and then sanded the board. I spray painted the hangers and screws a lovely matte white. While waiting for the first coat to dry, I painted the board using a tiny sample bottle of Glidden, can't remember off-hand what the color was (other than a gorgeous shade of dark turquoisey goodness). I rubbed it in with my hands to create a vintage feel, then I accented it with some paint that was leftover from our kitchen remodel. I used D-hangers, wire, and picture hangers (that hold up to 50 pounds) to mount it on the wall. And voila! The finished product:

It adds visual interest to the kitchen. I like it!

the last few weeks

2009-06-08T09:08:00.004-05:00

Ugh. I've been MIA from blogland for two weeks! That is unacceptable. I promise to do better. What's been going on? A lot actually...

We had a Memorial Day fiesta at Casa de Rosedale, complete with homemade peach salsa, fajitas, and friends (and some It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, hilarity!). Good times!

That following weekend, Cassi and I got our rears out of the house super early (7am!) on Saturday morning to go bargain hunting. We made our fantastic finds at garage sale #3: a dryer for a mere $60 - delivered!, a Fossil purse for me ($3) and a Chinese Laundry purse for Cassi ($2). Yes, I said Fossil and Chinese Laundry. We should have gone back and purchased every purse they had! The next stop brought loads of DVDs for a buck apiece, a coat rack for $1 (stay tuned for the Before & After project), a lovely Carmen Miranda-esque bust for Cassi's room, and a few other knick-knacks. We were famished by 9:30 and stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrell (yum!), and thus ended our garage saling. It was a good morning!

We bummed around the house for the rest of the day, watched a few of our bargain movies, and then went to cheer on the Ruff Riders (Abilene's indoor football team). Cheap tickets, good football. Yep.

On to Sunday. Lazy Sunday morning, late service at Beltway, and then some perusing at Home Depot. I bought a few things we needed for the washer and dryer and then headed home. After lunching, I got to work on my coat rack (full post on that coming soon), and then, while waiting for paint to dry, I got to work installing washers in the hoses on the washing machine (it was leaking from both ends). After several minutes of cursing the blasted hoses, and turning them 1/8 of an inch each turn (stupid!), I finally got all of the washers in place and hoses reattached. Then I put the vent hose on the dryer (which took longer than it should have, those things are hard to cut without wire cutters). I decided to do a test load in the washer, and then (mistakenly) went back out to the garage to finish up the coat rack project. A few minutes later I went back in the house, and found a flooded kitchen!! EEEK! Apparently a clamp for the drain hose is not an optional part. But after all the craziness (and retrieval of necessary parts), washer and dryer are now fully operational and there has been no more flooding. Yay!

I was pretty proud of myself for fixing things on my own (even though there was a bit of trial and error). Is a handy-woman career in my future? Ha, not likely. But it's good to know that I can take care of the small things.

ACLU targets alleged Bible distribution in Wylie Schools

2009-05-22T12:06:00.004-05:00

ABILENE, TX — Wylie Independent School District is one of six Texas public school districts asked Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas to disclose all information about distribution of Gideon Bibles and other religious information on its schools’ grounds.

The ACLU filed open records requests with school districts in Frisco, Marshall, Plano, Westwood (of Palestine), Wylie and Wichita Falls.

“We have received numerous complaints about the Gideon (International) distributions from parents and students in school districts all over the state. This is the first step in a statewide investigation,” said Lisa Graybill, legal director of the ACLU of Texas. “We are very concerned that some school districts are knowingly flouting the law.”

The open records request called for the named school districts to disclose religious information — including but not limited to Gideon Bibles — that was distributed or displayed during the 2007-08 and the 2008-09 school years or will be distributed or displayed during the last week and a half of the 2008-09 school year.

School districts are also asked to deliver records of individuals and organizations who requested permission to distribute or display religious information on each campus during the past two school years. Officials must include information that shows how each request was answered — approved or denied — and why.

The ACLU is also asking for all information relating to complaints lodged against the district regarding the distribution or display of religious information during the past two school years.

That would include all agendas, minutes, audio or video recordings of district school board meetings when such distribution and display was proposed, discussed or approved, according to an ACLU news release.

“When public school officials endorse the distribution of religious materials, they risk violating the Constitution, no matter what the religion,” Graybill said. “School endorsement of the Bible is no more acceptable than endorsement of any other religious text, like the Quran or Torah.”

The ACLU said its concerns included children as young as fifth-graders who had been targeted. Others were in middle school.

“For some children, having a Bible thrust at them goes against their religious beliefs. Because of the climate in many of the offending school districts, children who have voiced objections to this practice have been humiliated and shamed by their peers and, in some cases, by school district personnel,” said Terri Burke, ACLU of Texas executive director.

______________________________

Are the Bibles being forced on children? Are they being made to stand in front of the class and read from them? Are they humiliated by their fellow students for not taking one (maybe they are...kids can definitely be cruel)?

The most common argument from the liberal side is 'separation of church and state,' and for the millionth time, that is NOT what the Constitution was providing. They were protecting us from a government controlled/enforced religion. Our forefathers were largely God-fearing men.

Seriously. How does allowing a private group to pass out Bibles ENDORSE a specific religion or text? When you find a Gideon Bible in the drawer at your hotel room, do you throw a fit proclaiming how religion is being thrown in your face? Sigh.

Why do we let the bitching of a few determine the lives of the rest of us? If you don't want one, don't take one. Say 'no thank you' and move on.

just a little update

2009-05-21T09:06:00.003-05:00

Things have been pretty quiet lately, which is a nice change from the whirlwind of the last few months. I've had a few lazy nights this week, where I've done nothing but sit on the couch and veg. The first night I was a bit restless, like surely there was something productive I should be doing instead of just sitting here...but no. I just had to keep telling myself to relax and take it easy for a change. And it's definitely been nice.

My head is full of projects that I want to work on, so I think that on this long weekend (yay for days off!!) I'll try to tackle a few of those. I have a set of chairs that I need to revamp, some intense organization and boxing up of old work files that needs to be done, some boring white closet doors that need a makeover, and a bathroom with incredibly bad wallpaper that needs a transformation. Busy busy! But I'm SO looking forward to it.

Oh and maybe I'll hit a few garage sales and thrift stores this weekend, cause I need more projects. :)

American Idol? Not quite sure...

2009-05-14T15:21:00.003-05:00

Last season, I hand-picked David Cook from the audition rounds. It's true, you can ask my roommates (you HAVE to go back and listen to the guy with the red streak in his hair, he's aMAzing!). This season, though, I've not had a clear favorite. I loved Megan Joy, and I also loved Allison Iraheta (though her lack of enunciation week after week really started to bother me).

But...Adam Lambert?

Really? What's with the fascination? I don't like him, gay-straight-bi-whatever. His constant need to be completely and ridiculously over the top, and the way he sticks his tongue out to hit those girlishly high notes, it just wears me out (thank the Lord for DVR). I would never buy his album, or go see him in concert. He's too much of a theatrical attention whore to be the American Idol.

What I don't understand is why all of the judges adore him. They're usually the first ones to say, 'too theatrical.' 'too over the top.' 'you should be on a cruise ship.' What's different about Adam? After butchering U2's 'One' on Tuesday, I thought the U2 fans would vote en masse and send him packing.

Kris. He's inventive. He's adorable. The boy can sing, play the guitar, play the piano...really, what's not to love? After his performance of Kanye's 'Heartless' on Tuesday night, I was in awe. I also LOVED 'She Works Hard for the Money' from a few weeks back. He's able to put his spin on anything, and that's a true star.

I'm also a big fan of Danny Gokey. The raspy, bluesy-ness of his voice is addictive. I was SO hoping it would be he and Kris in the finale next week. But noooo.....

At least I have Glee to look forward to. And oh MAN am I looking forward to that, the previews nearly make me jump off the couch in anticipation. AND So You Think You Can Dance (I. Cannot. Wait!).

Inspiration!

2009-05-13T12:01:00.006-05:00

As of late, I have become a HUGE fan of art and design blogs. You find one great one, and that leads you to 2 or 3 more, which snowballs into a delicious avalanche of creativeness.

A few of my favorites:
Design*Sponge - each day is dedicated to something, DIY Wednesdays and Before&After Thursdays are my faves! I already have at least 5 projects bouncing around in my head (hmm, that could explain my headaches lately...).

The Brightside Project - Fantastic giveaways. Every. Single. Day. Yes, that's right. All you have to do is answer their fun little question. I've already bought a few things that have been featured here.

Heart of Light - a little of this and a little of that, and her recipes are DIVINE.

Oh Joy! - she's all about eye candy, be prepared to drool over things you can never afford.

Craftynest- lots of fun DIYs.

And, of course, ETSY! Sigh. I could spend hours perusing. And I do, on occasion. While you're perusing, head on over to my etsy shop. :)

Lester Wedding!

2009-05-10T22:32:00.005-05:00

What a crazy day it turned out to be (for me)! The wedding was absolutely wonderful. Everything went beautifully and the bride (of course) was stunning.

There's nothing quite like seeing two good friends who are completely enamored with each other profess their love and start a life together. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. James & Carol Lester!

And, as promised, here a few of my favorites from Carol's bridal shoot.

BUSYness

2009-05-08T15:16:00.003-05:00

The last few weeks have been a creative bonanza, and I love it!

Two graduating Seniors to design announcements for:

This is Charles, my sister Leslie shot his photos (go sister!!), and I designed the cards.

This is Autumn, she's the daughter of one of the ladies I work with. Her photos were done by a talented photog in San Angelo, Starla Warren.

A bridal portrait session with my good friend Carol (I'll upload a few of my favorites next week, they're getting married tomorrow!), and a spring formal for the DBE girls of McMurry University.

Tonight's the bachelorette party (PAR-TAY!), and I'm co-shooting James and Carol's wedding tomorrow. Then it's off to WF on Sunday to hang with my family on Mother's Day.

I need a vacation! :)

Playoff system near?

2009-05-01T09:11:00.001-05:00

Congress interested in fairness of college football's BCS

By Frederic J. Frommer Associated Press
Originally published 08:46 a.m., May 1, 2009
Updated 08:46 a.m., May 1, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress are interested in learning more about the Bowl Championship Series and whether it is a fair way of choosing a college football champion.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee's commerce, trade and consumer protection subcommittee is holding a hearing today to delve into how revenue generated by the series is distributed, and the impact that may have on some colleges.

"We will be asking some pretty tough questions about financing," said Texas Rep. Joe Barton, the committee's top Republican and sponsor of legislation aimed at prodding college football to change to a playoff system.

Expected to testify are BCS coordinator John Swofford, along with officials from the Football Bowl Association, the Mountain West Conference and the Boise State athletic director.

Barton's bill is one of several in Congress seeking a revamp of the BCS. It would prevent the NCAA from labeling a game a "national championship" unless it culminates from a playoff system. He called the BCS system "more about cartels and revenue sharing" than athletic performance.

"It's big money," Barton said. "We're going to start looking into where the money goes."

The BCS is in its final season of a four-year deal with the Fox network. A new four-year deal with ESPN, worth $125 million per year, begins with the 2011 bowl games.

Under the BCS, some conferences get automatic bids to participate while others do not. Conferences that get an automatic bid -- the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC -- get about $18 million each, far more than the non-conference schools.

The Mountain West Conference, which does not get an automatic bid, has proposed a playoff system and hired a Washington firm to lobby Congress for changes to the BCS. MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson is scheduled to testify today on behalf of the conference.

The BCS features a championship game between the two top teams in the BCS standings, based on two polls and six computer ratings.

Swofford, the BCS coordinator, is expected to tell the subcommittee that the bowl system -- which includes 34 games -- would not survive a playoff system, and that the BCS has contributed to college football's overall health.

The BCS has come under attack from a range of politicians up to President Barack Obama. Last November, as president-elect, he told "60 Minutes" he would prefer an eight-team playoff system.

"I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this," he said. "So I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit."

In the Senate, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch has put the BCS on the agenda for the Judiciary's antitrust subcommittee this year, and Utah's attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, is investigating whether the BCS violates federal antitrust laws.

People in that state were furious that Utah was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated in the regular season. The title game pitted No. 1 Florida (12-1) against No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1); Florida won 24-14 and claimed the title.

Hmmm. This could get interesting.

2009-05-01T08:56:00.000-05:00

A few new photos

2009-04-29T16:40:00.004-05:00

While at the family reunion this past weekend in Tyler, I made some adorable little hats (which you can buy from me on etsy) for a few of the kiddos. So (naturally) I had to take some photos of them, in all of their adorableness. And I've thrown in a few family ones as well.

Great weather, great family, no drama. Great time! :)

Earth Day!

2009-04-22T12:53:00.003-05:00

It's Earth Day, people. In the words of Cher on Clueless, 'we ought to do something for the planet for a few hours...'

I spotted this on Design*Sponge this morning and immediately went and bought one. I have a feeling that I'll be purchasing a few more of these. They are super-cute and WAY better than plastic bags.

Check em out here: http://baggubag.com/

The Paquettes and Friends

2009-04-21T16:12:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, I trekked out to Buffalo Gap an hour ahead of my scheduled shoot with Dave & Amy, just to scout out the place. I am SO glad I did, I found a couple of places tucked away that I absolutely LOVED. Ryan & Sarah Hughes met up with us about an hour into the shoot (friends of the Paquettes). Amy and Sarah are due within 3 days of each other. We got some really cute shots of both couples (and both bellies!), and some great ones of Eli, Dave & Amy's son.

Here are some of my favorites!

springtime craziness

2009-04-17T09:27:00.004-05:00

Last weekend was a whirlwind, and it won't slow down until after May.

Last night I had a computer repair call at 5, a laptop to completely take apart/repair/put back together (and it works now, yay!), and had to work on tonight's event.

Tonight I've got a table at the ACU Arts & Crafts fair. I was planning on selling coffee mugs and whatnot, but with all the busyness of the past few weeks, I didn't get them done in time. SO tonight it's all about crochet. I've got hats, bracelets, a neckwarmer or two, and iPod socks. I'll try to post some photos of the iPod socks, they are too cute! Makes me want an iPhone reeeeaaal bad, but until Apple gets smart and expands outside of AT&T, sigh, all I can do is dream about them.

Tomorrow I have a surveillance call in the morning, possibly taking my car to be looked at, and then a maternity/family shoot with the Paquettes. So far Sunday is looking pretty clear, but that could change.

Next weekend I'm off to east Texas for the Jones family reunion. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing everybody, and getting to relax for a few days. I need to work on some photos/jewelry/pottery for the silent auction. Eek! Guess that's what I'll be doing on Sunday!

The first weekend in May will be Carol's wedding shower, then the next weekend is Carol and James's wedding. I think the next weekend is free, and then the 23rd is Jennifer's wedding (taking photos at this one).

The Balderas Family

2009-04-15T11:45:00.007-05:00

I love facebook!! Beth and I were friends in high school, and we lost touch after leaving Duncan. We recently found each other on facebook, and last weekend I went down to Houston to see some friends, then jetted over to Galveston to do a family shoot with Beth and her beautiful (and funny) family. It was SO good to see you Beth! Hopefully soon we can really catch up. The weather really cooperated (yay!), here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

UT - Big 12 Champs*

2009-04-06T12:26:00.002-05:00

*in their dreams!

Red River Football: Texas Claims Big 12 Championship with an *
by Jake Trotter
published April 5, 2009

The Texas Longhorns still won't concede the 2008 Big 12 championship.

Prominently displayed on a wall inside the Texas Moncrief-Neuhaus training facility is a list of the Longhorns' Big 12 and South Division championships.

According to the Austin-American Statesman, the Longhorns have included 2008 among their Big 12 championships - with an asterisk.

Last season, OU edged out Texas and Texas Tech for the South title in a three-way tie determined by the BCS Standings, despite a fervent protest from Texas coach Mack Brown and Longhorn fans. The Longhorns claimed that because they defeated OU head-to-head, they deserved to go the Big 12 title game - despite the fact they also lost to Texas Tech, which created the three-way-tie.

On the last week of the regular season, Texas fans even paid for a flyover in Stillwater before the Bedlam game to remind voters of Texas' 45-35 win over OU in the Cotton Bowl.

Nevertheless, the Sooners went on to beat Missouri in Kansas City, MO to win their unprecedented third-consecutive Big 12 Championship.

Apparently, that victory is still not being acknowledged in Austin.

Said one school official to the Statesman, "We beat both teams (OU and North Division winner Missouri). I thought that (championship game in Kansas City) was for the runner-up spot."

Bahahahaha.

Seriously? Come on guys...

April Fools madness!

2009-04-01T15:53:00.004-05:00

I freakin' love April Fool's Day, mostly cause I get to use the word 'hijinks.' That's a great word.

Speaking of hijinks...I decided that our oft-neglected office mascots were in need of a little flair today. Don't they look nice?

I also conspired with a friend on facebook and changed my status to 'engaged' for the day. I honestly cannot believe how many people bought it. Now, to be fair to my out-of-townies, how could they know? But to you Abilenians...come on! Too hilarious!! To officially end our 'engagement' we had a violent breakup. Again, over facebook. Ya gotta love facebook.

Alex was busy in Austin last night. He was MUCH more clever than I:

April Fools Foam peanut bomb - Watch more

A storm of epic proportions?

2009-03-27T12:19:00.002-05:00

That's what they said on the news last night. So far all we've seen here in A-town is a blustery north wind and a bit of mist. AAAAAAAAACK! Run for the hills! Just don't run north, because that's where all of the bad weather is. Blizzards and talk of 2 feet of snow up in the panhandle.

Everybody seems shocked at this wintry weather so late in the spring. Hellooooo, we always have a cold snap around Easter. It's just a few weeks early.

But enough about the weather.

I'm going to be a very busy girl in the next few months. I've got a trip to Houston coming up, with the possibility of doing several photo shoots while I am there. More experience, new photos in new places, AND seeing my friends. I'm pumped. Throw in a family reunion in east Texas, and then two friends getting married in May, and then a pregnancy shoot and maybe a family shoot in May/June. Yippee! I'm tired. Hehe.

Last night I spent a good two hours throwing on the wheel at McMurry. When I first walked in, I just didn't feel like I had any creative juices flowing, but decided (since my favorite wheel was open) that I'd go ahead and do some throwing. I ended up with 10 bowls (I threw 12, but two died very sad deaths-one at my own hands, and the other Jud knocked off the table). I'm hoping I have at least one uniform-ish set in there, possibly two. We shall see. I may make an appearance at Artwalk in May, depending on what kind of work I have finished. I'd really like to do some fun photos mounted in fun ways, have some good pots, and some jewelry. Hopefully the creative bug will stick around for awhile.

the Itch

2009-03-24T08:50:00.003-05:00

I've got it. I just don't know what I'll do with it. Is it a change of venue, or (she wonders excitedly) an entire change of scenery? I suppose that is yet to be determined.

But I've got it. And it isn't going away.

Could it be that several of my close friends are going on fantastic trips--China, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland--and they aren't taking me? Or maybe it's my recent great weekends away from Abilene. There ARE other cities I could be happy living in.

Whatever it is...I'm excited about the possibilities.

On another note, it seriously cracks me up when people walk by and check themselves out in our mirrored windows. Helloooo, I can totally see you!

A Happy St. Pat's to Skid Row...

2009-03-18T12:33:00.004-05:00

Father Maurice Chase spent his 90th birthday doling out money in LA's Skid Row, which he says is "the place that makes me the happiest...I just love it."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29754452/

*I had no idea that msnbc had a 'Giving' section in their U.S. News category. Too cool.

Carol & James webshow

2009-03-13T15:16:00.001-05:00

Do a little dance…

2009-03-11T15:45:00.001-05:00

It worked! It's raining! All the dancing paid off! That or all the praying. Perhaps a combination of both? : ) Wait, were you thinking I was talking about something else? Hehe.

Today is Wednesday, and sometimes on Wednesdays I go with Steve on his Meals on Wheels route. What a wonderful organization! They bless so many people, and that includes the people who help deliver meals (me!). Seeing the joy on their faces when they open the door, engaging in a little small talk (It sure is cold out here! How've you been feeling? How are the kids?) and then moving on to the next home. For some of these folks, this is their only interaction during the day. Just to share a piece of their lives for a few moments definitely blesses my day, and hopefully theirs too.

As soon as lunch was over, it started to rain. A steady, calm, soaking rain. That is exactly what we need! With so many wildfires in the past few weeks, this is truly a blessing. It may turn to snow/sleet as the temp drops. I wish I had some firewood!

So it looks like today has been full of blessings. I'm curious to see what the rest of it will bring. I get to drive out to Clyde after work to fix a computer. Hopefully the roads aren't icing over yet…

Spin kicks and stir crazy.

2009-03-10T11:53:00.001-05:00

Last night I almost skipped my martial arts class. I get off work at 5, and the class doesn't start until 7:15. I almost always enjoy the class, it's just a matter of not wanting to get up and go somewhere after being home for awhile. I need to find something to do besides go home and sit on the couch. Anyway, I decided that I needed to go, and I haven't missed a class in three weeks, I'm on a roll!

Last night after doing our standard warm-up (which usually involves 50 jumping jacks and then lots of stretching), we partnered up to work on spin kicks. Spin kicks are my least favorite because I get really dizzy after 5 or 6 of them. I can usually switch sides and make myself un-dizzy, but it's hard (which means I need more practice). Anyway, we partner up and the instructor tells us to do 50 spin kicks. On each leg. That's 100 spin kicks. Holy crap. After all of those spin kicks, I was seriously nauseous. For the rest of class. We ended up doing a lot more kicks (more spin kicks! Ugh!) and some front rolls, all of which made the nausea even worse. To end class, thankfully, we did some weapons training (which did not involve spinning around). I love weapons training.

On another note, I was told yesterday that I spend too much time on the internet, and I'm no longer allowed to do anything on the web unless it is work related (ordering supplies, sending packages, etc.). While I understand that thinking (to a degree), I do NOT have enough work to do to fill up the day. So…either give me more work to do, or allow me to read a book or something. Otherwise, I will go crazy. CRAZY! Putting iTunes on shuffle and playing Name That Tune will only occupy me for so long.

This is just further confirmation that I need a new job, one that challenges me and uses all of my skills and abilities. And preferably one that doesn't require me to answer the phone 500 times a day.

The future Lesters

2009-03-09T09:19:00.005-05:00

This weekend I had the wonderful privilege of shooting an engagement session for my friends Carol and James. They recently got engaged, and are getting married in May. Despite the crazy wind, we managed to get some fun photos in some meaningful places around Abilene.

Congrats you two!

Boooo.

2009-03-03T08:35:00.002-06:00

Warning: spoiler ahead! If you haven't watched the season finale of the Bachelor yet, don't read this.

So, I've been watching the Bachelor. Usually with shows like this, I can take 'em or leave 'em. BUT. If I watch the first episode, I'm hooked. I have to watch it every week. My favorite, from the beginning, has been Melissa. She's spunky and cute and genuine. And she was a Dallas Cowboy's cheerleader for pete's sake. Pick her! Love her! Marry her!

And he did! But then two months later he changed his mind. Which is fine. Sad, but fine. If you realize that you honestly don't love her, and there's another girl that you can't stop thinking about, then yes. You should break it off. For her sake as well as yours. But did you have to bring her on national television just to humiliate her and break her heart? And then, after all of that, did you have to fawn all over Molly, hold her hand, and kiss her??!?!? Abso-freakin-lutely NOT.

I was SO hoping that Molly would have enough class to say: 'You know what, Jason? You broke up with Melissa 10 whole minutes ago. I'll give you my number and we can go have coffee and talk about it. But lets not piss off all of America right now by making out on TV.'

UGH! I was SO mad. It took me an hour to get to sleep last night.

I'm still mad.

Tiredness has caught up with me

2009-02-27T15:41:00.003-06:00

It found me, today.

Life has been kind of crazy for me lately. Lots of different emotions running rampant. New things going on, windows that have opened only to slam shut a moment later, lots of traveling, seeing old friends and making new ones, family time, sadness, and happiness too.

I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. Catching up on the mundane things: laundry, cleaning, TV, sleep.

In order to have the wild and crazy weekends, I must have the quiet productive ones.

oh the weekend...

2009-02-23T14:20:00.010-06:00

This weekend I traveled to Austin/Houston for Alex's birthday bash. A lot of driving, but totally worth it! Met up with the boys at Beluga Sushi in Round Rock Friday night. That place is fantastic! We had our own private room, no shoes allowed, and the table was set into the floor, so you basically sat at floor level with your feet underneath (check out the main image on their website). After a LOT of sushi ($230 worth) we made our way to a Hookah bar. I've never been to one before, it was far out! Totally right up my alley (and completely legal, btw, click here for info on what a hookah bar is). Hung out, did a little karaoke, stayed up late, woke up late, had a great homemade breakfast on Saturday morning and then we made our way to Skydive Houston. By the time we got there, they'd already made their last runs, but we did get to see the helicopter do it's thing. Completely awesome!!

We had bbq with the Skydive Houston folks, and crashed upstairs in their bunkhouse (bunkbeds! woohoo!). Up early on Sunday morning and while the boys got ready to skydive (I'm still sick and didn't skydive this time), I met Rob in Cypress for breakfast. It was SO good to see him, I miss that boy! Back at the ranch the boys had already done their thing, and it was our turn to go up in the helicopter! I got to sit copilot AND take photos of Alex as he jumped (twice). It was super cold up there (temp drops 2 degrees for every 1,000 feet), especially with the doors off (freaky!!) and we had the nifty headseats so we could talk to each other. I got some great shots of Alex jumping, and he got some of me too (on his way out of the helicopter, hehe) . I'll post the video as soon as he gets it together.

There sure were a lot of parenthetical things going on in the previous paragraph. :) Anyway...

Left town at 3 yesterday and took Jake back to Austin, then it was back to Abilene for me. I made it to the house just before 9, so I made damn good time! And no, I don't speed (too much), especially on 183. The cops freakin live on that road.

Stay tuned for more photos and videos!

Family

2009-02-13T08:34:00.003-06:00

If you know me, you know that family and friends are the most important thing in my life (other than Jesus). This past week several people close to my family have passed away.

My grandma always said that death comes in threes. It's an old wives tale, a superstition, but often - it seems it can be true. I wonder if there might be some purpose to that? If maybe God knows how hard that journey is, and that maybe he doesn't want us to do it alone. Or maybe in those times we can all lean on each other. Whatever it may be, it's tough when it happens to you and those close to you.

My Grandpa Turner passed away early Wednesday morning. He had gone to the hospital earlier in the day with chest pains, they had stabilized him and were preparing him for surgery when he passed. He was a wonderful man who adored his wife and family with all his heart, and he will absolutely be missed. I'm very thankful that we got to spend time with them in Indiana this past October, it was definitely a blessing.

I'll be flying up there tomorrow. God definitely blessed me with a crazy good plane ticket for this weekend, and my work is giving me 3 days off.

I couldn't ask for more amazing people in my life than my friends and family. I love you much.

8 years later...

2009-02-10T11:15:00.003-06:00

Back in the day (which I think was a Wednesday), I used to work for the Black-eyed Pea. I loved that place. The people (Tristan, Lysa, Jennifer, Chuck, Scot, Kayleen, Don, and others who's names have left me) were amazing, the food was great, and the tips were, well the tips weren't that great, but I loved working there anyway. One Sunday evening, I called up to the bar to see who was working. I had a hankering for their fantastically delicious Cheesy Potato Soup (Sunday's beloved 'soup of the day'). Nobody answered the phone. Well, that's weird. So I called again. Still - nothing. A bit bewildered (and still hungry), I got in my car and drove up there. When I pulled into the deserted parking lot, I saw a sign tacked up on the door. 'CLOSED.' I can't remember exactly what the sign said other than that, but I later found out that Phoenix Restaurant Group (the owner of the Black-eyed Pea and Denny's) declared bankruptcy and immediately closed several of their restaurants the night before. I believe the managers got a phone call earlier that Saturday and were told that when they locked the doors on Saturday night, that would be the last night of business. Crazy, huh?

I remember coming in later in the week to help pack up the restaurant. It was a sad day. I still have a tray table, a few aprons, a couple of books, and maybe a menu. I loved that place. If it hadn't ever closed, I'd probably be managing it today.

The last paycheck I received ended up bouncing, and they owed me one paycheck after that as well, somewhere around $250 total. I filled out all the paperwork for the bankruptcy claim, but I wasn't expecting to ever see that money.

Last week I received a check in the mail (at my parents house) for just over $300. Who sent me a $300 check? To my surprise, it was from Phoenix Restaurant Group. The paychecks they owed me, plus interest.

Well, I'll be damned...8 years later.

Wednesdays are for Music-Lovers

2009-02-04T15:06:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to share a few of the albums I've grown to love in the last few weeks.

Erin McCarley, Love, Save the Empty
This album is fan-freakin-tastic. So fantastic, in fact, that when I saw she was going to be in Dallas at the Palladium Ballroom that I couldn't pass it up. She opened for Brett Dennen (who is also pretty good). You may have heard her songs on Grey's Anatomy, or on the trailer for 'He's Just Not that Into You.'

Stoney LaRue, The Red Dirt Album
Pure Texas country. Down in Flames, and Forever Young are my current favorites. I also love Oklahoma Breakdown (on the Live @ Billy Bob's album). Coincidentally, I'm going to see him tomorrow night at the Lucky Mule. Hooray!

We Shot the Moon, Fear & Love
The tracks are happy. And it makes me want hop in the car and go for a drive with the top down and the stereo blaring. That kind of happy.

What are your favorite albums right now?

Netflix Greatest Kiss

2009-02-02T12:36:00.004-06:00

To celebrate Valentine's Day and the greatest kisses on film, Netflix is looking for the best kissers in America.

The best kiss will win a trip to the city where anything can happen, Las Vegas, including plane tickets, two nights stay at Mandalay Bay and a romantic dinner for two at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.

A friend of mine (and his improv friends) have submitted a few entries, and need your vote (and as many views as possible). Tell your friends!

Click and enjoy:
Titanic
Ghost

Super Bowl

2009-02-02T09:13:00.004-06:00

It was quite a game, though I was hoping the Cardinals could pull off the upset. I think Kurt Warner is phenomenal, and he played an amazing game. The defense was incredible, with 3 stops in the red zone, but they came up short in the Steelers' last possession. They had 'em at 3rd and 6, one more stop and the game is over, but alas, they couldn't be stopped. Santonio Holmes' game-winning miraculous catch in the endzone stole the show.

And now, the Super Bowl ads. My favorites, in no particular order:

Coke, the Heist
Bridgestone, Hot Item
Firestone, Taters
Careerbuilder, Tips
NBC, LMAO
Dorito's, Crystal Ball

The Thief

2009-01-28T11:52:00.003-06:00

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs of all time. Brooke Fraser has some of the most inspiring songs I've ever heard. She is absolutely amazing.

"The Thief"

Your eyes are full
Full of the future of us
The air changes as you look across
At me in that wondering way

It is as if
I knew you before we spoke
Do our hearts know something we don't?
Conspiring, converging without giving us any say

You, sing me to sleep
Talk down my walls
Look through my windows as I wait
You could be the thief
I give the key to

You're ruining me
With secrets and gestures and looks
With sonnets from second-hand books
Playing the chords in me nobody knew how to play

It fits in your hand like water in rain
It unlocks our two different selves
And shows we are the same
Rather than wait `til I put me out for the taking
You're breaking
You're breaking
You're breaking into my heart
And I'm letting you

A decision made...

2009-01-26T09:50:00.007-06:00

For the last week, one thought has consumed me more than anything.

Ireland.

Am I supposed to go? It is certainly something I want to do, but is it what God wants me to do?

Beltway takes a group every year, and for the past few years it has been in my head to go, but I never acted on it. I took the first step and went to the meeting last Sunday. They will be doing a children's camp in Enniscorthy. Sweet, I've been a camp counselor multiple times. And I loved it. The price tag was pretty hefty, but my mind was already racing with fundraising opportunities. And then out of the blue on Tuesday somebody gave me $250. Unsolicited. And it just so happens that it was the exact amount of the deposit due for Ireland. Wow. At that point, I had decided that it was a God thing, what one friend called a 'holy hookup.' But then I started to have reservations. Extreme ones, mostly regarding finances. Can I raise enough money? If not, can I come up with the rest? I worried. A lot. And I decided that I needed a word from the Lord.

I went to Dallas on Saturday afternoon. Met up with a couple of friends for dinner and went to an amazing concert (Erin McCarley) in Dallas. On Sunday morning, I went to Prestoncrest with Becky. The service was focused on giving and their vision for 2009. They had this video that showed a collection plate being passed in the church. Then the plate was taken to a children's class and when it was turned over, crayons and paper fell out of it. The man with the collection plate then walked out of the church and around the corner to a homeless man. He turned over the plate and out fell a blanket, and then a bowl of soup with a spoon. I was nearly in tears. This was God's word to me: I have a heart for the homeless. I love children, but I don't have a heart for children's ministry. One of my professor's in college once said (regarding giving money to people on the street), 'It is not your duty to judge, it is your duty to help.' That stuck with me, and I get an overwhelming feeling in my soul every time I see someone in need.

So Ireland is a no, for now. And I plan on working with some local ministries that help the homeless in Abilene. Thank you, Lord, for using the church in Dallas to speak to me.

On Hemingway

2009-01-22T09:55:00.007-06:00

This week's review: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I enjoyed the candor between the characters, the interesting situations they got themselves into, the amount of not working that took place (I'm definitely jealous of that), and the implied 'relationships' between the female lead and all of the male characters.

By far, it was MUCH better than Catcher in the Rye, though not nearly as funny.

Next book on my list: Light in August by William Faulkner

It will likely be a few weeks until my next review. I read fast, but I also have a life.

Speaking of which, I am headed to Dallas this weekend to see Brett Dennen and Erin McCarley at The Loft. I'm excited! Not only do I get to hang out with good friends (yay Audra, Becky, Christy, and Nicole!) that I don't see nearly enough, I also get to see two great musicians. Woohoo!

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Now playing: Andrea Bocelli - Ama Credi E Vai (Because We Believe)
via FoxyTunes

Sunday Drive - the photos

2009-01-20T14:51:00.000-06:00

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Now playing: Erin McCarley - Bobble Head
via FoxyTunes

The Classics

2009-01-16T08:21:00.003-06:00

I've decided that I need to expand my literary horizons this year. Though Harry Potter and Twilight were fantastic, I've never delved into the classics, nor enjoyed many of the ones I did manage to read, though high school assigned reading usually isn't all that enjoyable.

I picked up a few books for mere couch cushion change at a library book sale a few months ago, and I started with J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye.' The more pages I turned in this book, the more I thought, WTF? Who decided that this book was a "classic?" It's crazily written ramblings of a 16 year old prep-school dropout did not ilicit many feelings of awe and admiration for Mr. Salinger or his book. While there are many amusing situations and hilarious quotes that are just begging for 'facebook-status,' fame, I just wasn't that impressed.

From wikipedia: "The novel was chosen by Time among the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005, and by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century."

Next week: Ernest Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises.'

Sunday afternoon drive...

2009-01-12T08:54:00.003-06:00

There's nothing quite like taking off on a Sunday afternoon and going for a drive. No particular place in mind, no set schedule, just go. This road looks good, right turn. This one will work, left turn. I love it! I filled up the gas tank, threw on a sweatshirt (it was only in the low 60s and that wind can freeze ya to death), and took off south on 277 toward San Angelo. About 15 miles outside of Abilene that road gets fantastically snakey and there are quite a few hills--the only downside is there's usually a cop or two. Luckily, an audi convertible (top-up, loser) flew past me and the cop stopped him. I love it when that happens. :)

View Larger Map

I picked that direction because there are a lot of windfarms out that way, and I LOVE those things. I don't know what it is about them, but they're mesmerizing. I took a right turn on a county road, and then another right turn, and then a left turn at some point, all of them gravel. Let's just say the Beemer is not that well suited for gravel roads, but she's a trooper. Finally made it to a paved road (woohoo!) and that took me straight into the wind farms. Most of those out there are in cotton fields, which made for some fun photos (that I'll post later). The cool thing about the ones out in Nolan county, they're out in the open. No locked gates or 'no trespassing' signs, so you can drive right up to them. I'm just in awe of how HUGE they are. Got to a dead-end on my paved road and had to pick west or east. I picked west hoping that it would lead me back to I-20, but decided that I should probably 'phone a friend' and be sure of how to get back to Abilene. I had a full tank of gas, but it was starting to get dark and there just aren't that many houses out there. Luckily he answered and was near a computer; he was able to figure out where I was (even though many of those CRs are not on a map). After a few minutes I ended up in Nolan and then on 153 headed to Sweetwater. I hadn't realized how far south I'd gotten.

I love doing that! Next time, though, I'll take the TomTom. And maybe somebody with a truck. :)

well $&!%

2009-01-09T08:09:00.003-06:00

Pins and needles. For the entire game. I can't handle too many games like that. Ulcers, people!

Our defense showed up, but where the hell was our offense? Did you leave them out on the bus? For pete's sake, somebody text our receivers and tell them to get their butts on the field. Two interceptions claimed by our defense, but yet our offense couldn't turn them into points. $(#$&#@(*$. An interception means NOTHING if you can't score from it.

The commentators were ridiculously biased, from the beginning. I was seriously about to vomit from all of the 'Superman' and 'Tebow is the best thing that's ever happened to the game of football' bull crap. Did you hear the comment when he got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct? Yeah. "That's probably the first wrong thing he's ever done in his life." Are you freaking kidding me?

I hate to lose. But at least we weren't embarrassed. At least we made it a game to watch. We had the opportunities to win it, and we didn't take them. Ok then.

We're #5 in the final AP poll, with Florida rightly at #1, Utah rightly at #2, and USC and Texas taking 3 and 4. Meh. I guess.

Now begins the long 7 1/2 month stretch of sadness. Depressing, isn't it?

A shared National Title?

2009-01-06T10:24:00.002-06:00

I think not.

While it was an exciting 2^nd half, the Longhorns performance was just not that impressive. They almost got their act together at the end of the first half, but that resulted in a pick on the 2 yard line. Colt made a few spectacular plays, but overall his throwing just seemed a bit off. Ohio State had something to prove (which ultimately they did not, again) and that cost the Horns their hope for a shared title.

Don't get me wrong, Texas is a great team. I mean, they beat us for pete's sake, as any Longhorn will tell you. Repeatedly. Until it makes you want to punch them in the face. But the fact remains that they were beaten by Tech which put us in a 3 way tie negating the head-to-head argument. Get over it guys. Continuing to whine does nothing for you. What you should have done was march into Tempe and hand the Buckeyes their butts. On a platter.

I like to see the Big 12 do well in the postseason. I rooted for every Big 12 team, yes, even Tech. Well, for a little while.

Now it's our turn. And I'm excited and nervous and sad (it marks a long 7 months of no football, sigh). And against my better judgment, I'm having a few people over to watch the game. But a select few. Those that know how I am during football games, that won't get offended, and have quick reflexes to duck flying objects.

It's our turn.

Boomer Sooner.

Let this be a lesson to you.

2009-01-02T09:59:00.008-06:00

PHILADELPHIA – A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm, police said.

James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault. He remained in custody Saturday.

Police said Cialella told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son. The victim, whom television reports identified as Woffard Lomax, told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.

Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband, police said.

Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."

Lomax, 31, of Yeadon, was released from a hospital after the shooting. He declined to comment when contacted by phone Saturday.

It was not immediately known whether Cialella had a lawyer or whether bail had been set. A woman who answered a call to his home number Saturday declined to comment.

A theater manager referred calls to Regal Entertainment Group spokesman Dick Westerling, who did not immediately return a phone message Saturday.

Police could not confirm what movie was playing in the theater, but The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that it was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

I saw this very same movie with my lovely friends Bonny, Carol, Jamie, and Sabrina yesterday. It was quite good (especially Brad Pitt), except for the guy sitting behind me. He crunched his nachos obnoxiously loud, he kicked my chair every 5 minutes, and about halfway through the movie decided to rummage through his popcorn bag like he'd lost his keys in it. And with every handful of popcorn, it was preceded with a rustle, rummage, rattle, crackle. Seriously? I paid $5 to see this movie, not to be annoyed by you. If you can't behave in public like a normal human being, DON'T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. Stay home. Rummage in your popcorn bag all you want from your own couch.

I turned and looked his direction several times, hoping he'd take the hint. Nope. So I then turned and said, 'shhhhh.' No luck. Finally, after clenching and unclenching my fist several times, I turned in my seat and said, "Seriously? Enough with the popcorn bag already. Put it away!!" You'd think that would have done the trick. You would be wrong. I almost lost it. It's a damn good thing he high-tailed it out of there when the credits started rolling. And if I'd been packing heat like Mr. Cialella, I might have spent the night in jail.

That's why I don't go to movies very often. It's really for the safety of the other patrons. Where has common courtesy gone?

Oh, one more thing. If you can't get through a two hour movie without checking your phone 65 times, you have a serious problem.

A pigeon saved my life.

2008-12-30T14:25:00.002-06:00

Or, at least, my parents car. Actually, to be totally accurate, God saved my life. Through a pigeon. Anyway, here's the story.

I was pulling out of the parking lot at lunch. Time: 12:58. Two pigeons are cavorting around the drive that exits onto Hickory street. As I'm pulling out, one pigeon decides to park right in the middle of the exit. I slow down, thinking said pigeon will flap his pigeon wings and fly far far away. But no. He stays. So I stop, pause for a few more seconds, and then honk the horn. The pigeon finally flies away, clearing the way for my lunch drive home. I go through the green light on 4th and Hickory, and as I am approaching the next green light at 3rd and Hickory, an older lady driving a Buick (or some other sort of boatlike car) flies through the intersection ahead of me, running her red light.

Had I not been briefly delayed Mr. Pigeon, I might have been in that intersection.

Thank you Lord for the little things, and may I never behave badly toward any pigeon ever again.

=)

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH.

2008-12-30T10:55:00.004-06:00

Okay. I'm annoyed. This is my 'I could possibly rip your head off right now' look. It's a slow day. I'm tired. After hitting snooze a few times this morning, I managed to knock my cell phone onto the floor. Under the bed, and right in the middle. It's buzzing it's little alarm, mocking me from between the mattress and headboard. After about 4 tries I managed to squeeze my hand between said mattress and headboard and retrieve the phone. I gave myself a headache and strained a muscle in my back in the process. Now every time I breathe deeply or sneeze, intense pain.

Awesome.

Just now I got a phone call.

Lady: "I just received a fax from this number. Did you send it?'
Me: "No ma'am."
Lady: "Well the first two pages didn't come through."
Me: "Ok." pause "Were you working with someone here?"
Annoying Lady: "The girl told us she could email us the information."
Me: "Do you remember her name?"
Annoying Lady: "No."
Frustrated Me: "Was it maybe Jessica, or Jennifer?"
Annoying Lady: silence. more silence.
Frustrated Me: "Can you hold a moment?"
Annoying-as-hell Lady: "Yes."

Really? HELP ME OUT a little. For pete's sake people!!

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Now playing: The Broken West - The Smartest Man Alive
via FoxyTunes

Christmas!

2008-12-29T11:20:00.004-06:00

I had a wonderful time at home for Christmas. It was so nice to be able to spend more than just a weekend with my family.

After opening presents on Christmas morning, the family headed off to the Stephens County fairgrounds to volunteer and serve Christmas lunch. We did it last year for the first time and really enjoyed it. It was definitely more organized this year, which was nice. =)

That afternoon we opened a few more presents and then played Dirty Santa with the extended family. There's usually some drama involved with the stealing of the gifts, but I think everybody ended up with something they wanted. I got a pocket knife, it's awesome! The cousins played Apples to Apples for awhile (I LOVE that game), we even went through all of the red cards before we called it a night.

Friday brought a tainted cheeseburger at lunch (ick) and a trip to Norman in the afternoon. We almost got to see Stoney LaRue, who just happened to be playing at the Riverwind casino, but it was sold out. Danggone it. Shop, shop, shopped for LCD TVs, dinner at Ted's--drool--and then home. We finally found the right price on the right TV on Saturday at Sam's in Lawton. I got a 42" Philips, 1080p, 120Hz, full HD. It's awesome!!!

Stay tuned for our fantastic family portrait session on Saturday. Shine your boots and pack your ammo...

Is that necessary?

2008-12-23T10:25:00.001-06:00

Why do some people feel the need to pound on their keyboard like its some antiquated piece of equipment and unless you strike the keys with the force of an elephant stampede, your insightful ponderings will be lost to the world?

It's tremendously annoying. Now, I understand that not everyone is annoyed by typing chatter (though I don't know how that's possible). My annoyance goes all the way back to my freshman year of college. I had a roommate that had the worst morning routine. EVER. She'd get up at the buttcrack of dawn everyday and go for a run. Then she'd come back in the room and get her shower stuff and head down to the community showers. THEN she'd come back in the room and blow dry her hair. Yeah. And then to top it off, she'd get on the computer and email her boyfriend (who is now her husband). This happened every single day. I have no idea how she survived the year. Oh yeah, I started wearing earplugs to bed. That was awesome. Did I mention that she also went to bed at 10pm every night? Yeah. My best friend lived on my hall and we'd hang out in the hallway every night and do our homework. I remember dragging the telephone all the way into the hallway (that cord must've been at least 20 feet long). Good times. Fast forward 10 years...

There are some days when it seriously makes me want to stab myself with the nearest sharp object. Or blunt object for that matter. The more I try to block it out, the more I hear it. ACK. Luckily a fellow coworker (who is somewhat of a MacGuyver suggested some white noise to solve the problem). I have a hurricane-force desk fan that sits in the corner pointing straight up to the ceiling (it's too blame cold to point it anywhere else). When she starts pounding away, I turn it on low and it drowns out the clickety-click-click.

Why is it that I'm so easily annoyed by these things? I really wish I could turn it off.

Lately

2008-12-17T12:32:00.004-06:00

Haven't blogged in a few weeks, and not from lack of anything interesting.

Met some new people, saw Kevin Fowler (who is awesome) in concert at the Lucky Mule, found a new place to hang out that's classy-not trashy, had a birthday celebration with good friends, finished up several pottery pieces, worked on some new crochet stuff, Christmas shopping galore, rooted my team on to a Big XII title and a National Title game vs. Florida. BOOMER SOONER baby!

Yeah. I've been busy.

Here's a couple photos of the scarves I've made. If you're interested in purchasing them, you can find them here on etsy. If you order by Friday, you'll have them by Christmas (if you're in the US).

Brent & Jordan - Engagement

2008-12-02T16:24:00.005-06:00

I had the unique opportunity to go undercover (helloooo paparazzi!!) last Friday and photograph my friend Brent's proposal to Jordan. She had no idea that I was staked out on the 4th story of the fire escape. Heehee! It was butt-cold up there, but totally worth it. I mean, who actually has photos of their engagement? Too cool.

Here are a few of my favorites from the night, including the couple shoot we did beforehand. Congrats you two!

On OU vs. Texas

2008-12-02T10:48:00.002-06:00

I'm happy. Ecstatic even. I wish there wasn't so much negativity surrounding it though. It's a shame we didn't handle Texas in October. But we all know that you can recover from an early loss, and late losses = death.

My argument for OU over Texas starts there. Add to that our ass-whooping of Tech, and our road win over O State, and you have a winner. Head to head doesn't matter when it's a 3-way tie. Those are Big 12 rules, not OU rules. So stop blaming us, we didn't come up with the system. Sure I'd be pissed if I was a Texas fan. So direct your anger towards Baylor, they were up by 14 in Lubbock and let Tech slide by and win. If Baylor had won, Texas would be in and OU out. Or direct it at Tech. Either way, we've played fantastic football since October. We deserve it.

K City here we come!

A Big 'Ol Mess

2008-11-25T12:03:00.005-06:00

What a WEEKEND!! Not only did ACU rack up the biggest score in NCAA playoff history (93-68 vs West Texas A&M), but OU laid it down on Tech, 65-21.

I had the pleasure of being at Shotwell stadium on Saturday (along with a record 12,000 fans) to see the slaughter. It was a great game, with ACU only punting once, and a missed field goal on the other non-scoring drive. There were some defensive struggles from both teams, but I have to hand it to the outstanding receivers for both ACU and WTA&M. Once they got loose, there was no catching 'em.

Now on to the OU game. I don't recall ever being more nervous about a football game than I was on Saturday night. There was pacing, wringing of hands, heart flutters. The whole she-bang. After we were up 21-0, I was finally able to calm down. I can't believe the outcome, and I don't think anyone could have predicted it. It was a total defensive smack-down, and I enjoyed every stinkin minute of it.

Now, lets discuss the mess the Big 12 south is in. Currently, we're in a one-loss-3-way tie: OU, Texas, and Tech. Texas beat us 45-35, Tech beat Texas 39-33, and we beat Tech 65-21. Now, based on points spread alone, I think we are the most convincing winner, and we have the best opportunity to jump ahead this weekend, when we go into Stillwater to play 12th ranked Oklahoma State. Tech has Baylor at home, and Texas has the Aggies at home. Not many 'style points' to be earned in either of those games. True, I'm a bit biased, but I think it's the most likely scenario. We're only .084 behind Texas in the BCS. This weekend will determine the fate of the Big 12 south powerhouses. One question lingers with me though, why in the world do we have to split the North and South? Why can't the Big 12 game be played with the top 2 teams? Sigh...back to the BCS.

I hate the BCS, as most other die-hard college football fans do. The past few years have absolutely screamed for a playoff system. But the BCS does make things interesting. What if, just what if, Auburn beats Alabama this week, Florida beats Florida State, and then Auburn beats Florida in the SEC title game? Granted, of course, that OU takes the Big 12 title and takes care of Mizzou, would a BCS Title game of OU and Texas be possible? Absolutely. I think that would be freakin amazing. So maybe the BCS isn't so bad after all.

Nah, it is.

More new pots!

2008-11-21T10:50:00.004-06:00

New pots!

2008-11-18T15:05:00.008-06:00

As promised, here are my newest pieces. If you like anything you see, I can customize it to your taste: color, size, shapes, etc. And you can always check out my etsy store!

This has to be one of my favorite pieces so far. I love the shape of it, and how the glaze turned out! It will be a perfect bowl for a yummy Thanksgiving side dish!

I love the nutmeg/oatmeal glaze combo, it looks like a desert sunset!