It starts today.

Today was a less than stellar day.  I'm sad that this day was the beginning of a new year but I've decided that I'm going to use it as a segue to my resolutions for the coming year.  I want to keep them simple and straightforward.  Basically, no bullshit.  So here goes...

1.  Stop being such a fat ass.
      This resolution is about my health habits.  I have, as of late, let myself go a little in terms of my physical appearance.  It sort of feels like I don't really have anyone to impress and that has given me license to eat whatever and whenever as well as fall off the fitness bandwagon.  My resolve is not to start some crazy diet and exercise routine that I'm going to abandon halfway through January.  I did successfully lose weight and get fit on a New Years Resolution a few years ago which was the perfect catalyst to my textbook pregnancy.  It also made for an easy recovery which I have pretty much just coasted on.  Since Skylar weened from breastfeeding last winter, I haven't really done anything to improve myself physically.  Now, a year later, I've seen a slow and steady gain of about 15 pounds and a decrease in energy and stamina.  I wouldn't say that I feel fat, I just feel sort of doughy and really weak. 
So, I've decided to change some of my current bad habits back to the good ones I adopted back when I got fit and healthy before.  As far as diet, I'm going to revisit some healthier recipes.  But mostly, I plan on just changing when and how I eat.  I rarely eat out and I make my lunch for work almost every day.  However, I've stopped eating breakfast and started eating too much late at night.  By re-balancing my mealtimes I feel like I'll naturally slim down because my metabolism with speed up again.  Exercise will help that too.  My favorite form of exercise has long been yoga.  So I've decided to work it back into my daily routine.  I found a free yoga channel on my roku and will be busting out my mat tomorrow after work.  I find that whenever I do yoga on a regular basis, my mental state improves drastically.  That leads to resolution #2...

2.  Think positively.
     I have been very negative lately.  I find myself having meltdowns about ridiculous random crap because I'm really just unhappy about where I am in my life.  Yes, I am a 27 year-old single mother with no romantic prospects, a horrible dead-end retail job that frustrates me endlessly, and a mountain of debt that scares the pants off me.  Most days I feel like a total failure because aside from graduating from college, I haven't achieved a single goal I set for myself when I set out into the world as a young adult.  The prospect of going to my 10-year high school reunion this summer makes me want to vomit.  I keep dwelling on all of the negatives in my life: why can't I have a better car?  why won't anyone hire me?  why can't I just do what I like to do?
Well, the pity party is over.  I'm done being a negative nancy because being negative has only brought me more negativity.  I am tired of focusing on what sucks in my life and am ready to refocus on all the good things.  First and foremost, I have an incredibly beautiful, smart and unique child who is growing so quickly and learning so much.  I count every day with Skylar as a blessing because she really is my sunshine and by far the most important thing in my life.  Secondly, at least I have a car, and a job.  It could always be worse and I am actually pretty fortunate.  I also have an incredible support system in my tight knit family.  While I miss big-city living pretty much all the time and have a less-than-fond relationship with my current location/hometown, I wouldn't trade the ability to spend time with my family for anything.  They really are my support and some of my only friends.  My very best friend right now (aside from H. Gunn, cuz she's really the only one), is my creativity.  I may not get anywhere in life with my art but I will forever keep creating because it is one thing that is a sure happy-maker for me.  As far as the serious and heavy shit in life are concerned, I'm going to try to take everything in stride.  I've got major changes on the horizon which reek of stress and strife but I want to take them on with a more positive attitude.  I want to vastly improve my outlook on life but I know it will take some time.  Baby steps.

3.  Be a better mother.
     I always want to be a better mother.  It's hard to know how exactly to do just that when I feel I already always have her best interests at heart.  However, I know there are some things that I can definitely work on.  I am a short-tempered and impatient person by nature and I can see those qualities of myself in my daughter.  I know that if I try harder to keep my temper in check and be more patient with her, then she will likely follow suit.  Right now, we struggle a lot with our communication barrier.  She wants so badly to communicate and we just don't quite understand each other all the time; that gets frustrating for both of us.  One thing I'm planning on changing drastically starting immediately is my language.  Obviously, I throw around some colorful language in my blog.  Well, it's about the same (but really more so) in life.  With Skylar learning to talk, I've got to be a lot more careful about what I say around her.  The hardest place to implement that part of the resolution is going to be in the car.  The drivers in this town are fucking insane (pardon my french!).  I'm not an aggressive driver, especially this time of year, so it's hard to deal with all the folks who are unabashedly rude and aggressive on the road.  I hate driving and most often find the outlet to my frustrations behind the wheel is a long, satisfying string of obscenities.  Definitely gonna change that.  Now.  Other ways I'm going to better myself as a mother for Sky are to keep pushing different and more healthy foods on her.  She's pretty strong willed and refuses most of what I give her.  But I'm going to keep trying.  I also want to make her toys and things she will enjoy.  She deserves to have the world but my modest income can't make that happen so by using my creativity, I can provide her with handcrafted belongings that I hope she'll come to cherish.  I always want to cultivate her knowledge and education.  I can see her affinity for numbers already and know she's going to be a math nerd like me.  I also want to really get this potty-training business taken care of.  Now maybe it seems like kind of a non-resolution or like maybe I don't care so much about this one since it's not number one.  Well, I'm looking at it this way:  I'm always striving to be a better mother; well, I need to have a healthier, happier me for that to even be a possibility.

4.  Do something creative every single day.
     This one seems like a no-brainer.  Obviously, doing something creative every single day is going to bring me some sense of joy every day.  I like being creative.  Making things is my bag, baby.  It feels like my sense of purpose is lost when I'm not making something.  Now there's a few specific creative things I'd love to tackle this year.  I would really like to complete some old projects that have been lingering on the back burner for loooong periods of time.  Neck tie rug, candy drop pattern project, and my second JJs book to name a few.  I also want to get further along Skylar's scrapbook and work on some series that I'd like to continue developing (Fishbowl Distortions, Functional Facelifts, etc).  I thought the other day about my Produce Pic of the Day project that I did back in 2009 here on my blog.  I'd really like to keep using my blog as a creative outlet to keep myself accountable for my artistic goals.  Whether it be a pic of the day/week kind of thing or just a catalog of my arting.  Maybe I'll even do tutorials for things I've made.  I definitely want to get more creative in the kitchen too (though most people would say I already am!).  I would like to document my culinary creations more thoroughly.  Whatever I end up doing, I want to share it here.


And so, my simple, no bullshit resolutions have been set.  Even today, despite all the upset, I've been able to put all of them in to play in some way.  Though I didn't eat breakfast or do any yoga today, I didn't eat a bunch of random crap after dinner and that's a start.  I've been trying to think positive thoughts ever since I got home and Sky made that really simple.  Since she was so tired from last night's celebrations, she was very snuggly this evening and her sweetness just dissolved my negative attitude.  Lastly, I could consider this post my creative endeavor for the day because it's taken me well over an hour to come up with this realistic list of New Years resolutions that I really will make happen this year.

So now, before I get too sleepy and forget, I wanted to share an article that a few people posted to Facebook recently.  I absolutely love how this woman describes motherhood:
Babies Ruin Bodies

The very last line spoke to me so much so that I cried when I first read it:
"If anything, I was ruined by the world before I knew her & she made me whole again."

For Auld Lang Syne

It's been awhile.  I know, I know.  Holidays tend to be a bit busy at my house.  So this should be a good and looooong post here on this chilly and overcast New Year's Eve...

Our Christmas decor is a good place to start.  I don't have the most gorgeous or fantastic decorations but I think I successfully filled our apartment homey, holiday spirit

.

Our tree fit perfectly next to the fish tank.

The patio door lights and garlands...

All lit up!

The fish tank got some garlands and lights too.

And the doorway to the dining room as well.

Our stockings hung on the wall by the tree.

I got all of this up on Sunday the 1st when Sky was at her dad's.  A couple days later we decorated the tree together:

Mommy's little helper!

Our pretty tree

We decided this year that instead of getting presents for every single person in our ever growing family that the seven adults (sans my parents) would draw names for presents.  Once for the seven adults and once for the seven children (though we drew names before Jax was even born).  I ended up drawing Matt and Ella.  I made Matt a knight hat much like this one:

I didn't feel right not giving anything at all to everybody else, so I came up with a plan.  I made some coconut and chocolate candies for my parents (and some for me too, cuz apparently we're the only ones who like coconut).  I made simple jars of oreo peanut butter, one for each family.  And then I made some cinnamon and peppermint gummy candies for each of the kids (except Jax cuz he's too little).

My gummies in their crystallization period.

The recipes I used for my delicious gifts were:
Quick and Easy Coconut Candies
Oreo Peanut Butter
Sparkly Gummy Candies
All were found on pinterest.

I decided last year when I found a little gingerbread girl photo ornament on clearance at JoAnns after Christmas that I had to start a tradition of having a special gingerbread girl ornament for Skylar every Christmas.  Early in the season this year I searched all through the decor section at Michaels and other places I shopped through trying to find a cute ginger girl for my cute ginger girl.  Well, since nothing I found could compare to something I could make and because, as usual, money is tight, I decided to make this year's ornament from scratch.  I've seen little salt dough imprints of the kid's hand or foot as the basis for other things so I thought Sky's chubby lil hand would be the perfect shape for the dress of a gingerbread girl.  This will be the only year that we can do this type of ornament since it did get quite large (8" tall).  I used the old tried and true recipe for salt dough, imprinted her hand, then freehand cut out the girl's shape.  After baking it, I painted her with several coats of craft paint.  I used ribbon and fabric paint to embellish and voila:

Skylar's gingerbread girl ornament, Christmas 2013

 

 

Well, it's taken me a good chunk of the day (off and on, of course) to get all this up here so before we rush off to our New Year's Eve celebrations I wanted to share a couple of my Christmas faves:

Our tree on Christmas morning

Z tells Sky how it is.

Sky and Sammie making pretty pictures for great grandma and grandpa

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa's tree almost got lost in all the presents!

Later, I'll post some pics of Skylar interacting with her favorite new gifts.  Also, she got an Advent calendar from my mom before December started and I have a plethora of pictures of her enjoying it that I want to make into a sweet "Story" on photobucket.  For now we're going to head out for some fun!  Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year everybody!!!

Timmy Cake

I've been super lame about posting again but this one is guaranteed to be a good one...

My sweet baby Sky turns 1 tomorrow so we're having a combination birthday party with her cousins Ella and Zidane (3rd birthdays tomorrow and next Saturday respectively).  It's this afternoon.  I decided I wanted Sky to have an awesome Timmy Time cake since that's her favorite show and he's her favorite character.  I had planned on having my friend Sara make the cake for us, but she's got relatives in town this weekend so she backed out on us a few days ago.  So I planned out the cake myself and JUST finished it a few minutes ago.  Sky is napping, but once she gets up, we'll load everything up and head to my folks' place for the party.  I think she's gonna love the cake and have a super awesome time.

So I wanted to share my Timmy cake along with a shot from the planning stage and one from the building stage:

Happy Birthday Chloe!

My oldest niece Chloe Ashlynn turned 6 years old today.  She is a sweet 'n' sassy little girl that I love to pieces.  She's a great big sister to my little brother's other 2 girls Sammie and Nicki and her other sister Everly.  I can't believe it's already been 6 years since I heard the news I was going to be and auntie for the first time.  Chloe has always had a very special place in my heart and always will.  I look forward to her birthday gathering on Sunday.

I was still living in Chicago when Chloe was born (2007).  I didn't get to meet her until she was about 6 weeks old.  These are two of our first pictures together:

We did have a recurring theme of napping together every time that I went home for a visit or when she'd visit in Chi:

Since I've come back home, I've become an auntie again to 3 more little girls and a little boy AND I've become a mom.  Chloe has gotten so smart and so big.  A really great little girl.  Here's to another year!

My Funny Valentine

I try not to get down around Valentine's Day anymore since I've spent so many alone.  And since DJ and I are not going to work out, I would not consider him to be my valentine (though last year he did get me a fabulous prenatal massage).  But my sweet baby Skylar is now and forever will be my funny valentine.

This morning before breakfast I snapped this picture of her blowing raspberries:

My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you're my favourite work of art

Is your figure less than greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart? 

But don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine stay
Each day is valentines day

My Funny Valentine by Frank Sinatra

News-full June

I know it's been a couple weeks since my last few posts...life gets crazy sometimes:

I didn't completely stop doing my food diary.  I did, however, stop being so diligent with the calorie counting.  I have every intention of returning to the habit a little more resolutely come July.  But with all that's going on and will go on by then who knows what will happen?  For the record though, the calorie counting does work...I lost 7 lbs during the month of May making my grand total since New Years 18 lbs.  Go me!  Now I've stayed the same for the past 3 weeks, which is good considering all of the occasions...I do plan on getting back into my exercising and workout plan, which has been on hold because of all the craziness.


First on the list of crazy things:  I'm finally moving out of my brother and sister-in-law's basement.  I'll be moving in with Matt's cousin Justin.  He's 21, just bought his first house.  He's got money, but not a clue.  So Angela and I have taken it upon ourselves to take charge of the house before I move in to get it in order and make it a little more like a home and a little less like a dumpy bachelor pad.  We've spent a fair amount of time over there cleaning and whatnot.  We (as in Angela and me) will be picking paint (which Justin's going to buy) and painting the whole place soon.  I plan on being totally moved in there by July 1st.  Lucky for me he's pretty flexible about when I move in and when I pay rent which will be affordable as soon as I get a better job.  I've been looking for awhile now and have had a couple responses.

The main reason I don't already have a new job is because June is the month of my summer classes at the Washington Pavilion.  I had my Canvas Creations painting class last week and have my Art Explorers class next week.  Last week was insane having my class every afternoon still watching Z on three of the days and working at Michaels on two of the nights.  Also, Wednesday was my 25th birthday.  Wooty woot!  It was Terri's birthday too, and Thursday was Aaron's birthday.  We had a family cookout on Tuesday night.  Dad made ribs on the grill; Mom made homemade mashed potatoes, her tasty coleslaw salad.  We had fruit and chocolate ice cream cake and everyone was there.  On my actual b-day Matt and Angela took me out to Bracco's for half-off drinks.  We splurged on some "Jamaican-me-crazy"s, nachos and a Bob Marley-tini.  We also stopped off at Woody's for another drink.  I didn't feel that great during class the next day but I had a great time.

The birthday celebrating continued on into the weekend when Marcy went into labor on Saturday night.  Samantha Cadence Seaman, daughter of Jon and Marcella Seaman, was born Sunday at 12:34 in the afternoon; 6 lb 2 oz and 19 in long.  I was working at the time and though the new parents were accepting visitors that night, most of the family waited to go up to the hospital until yesterday before lunch.  She's beautiful and tiny.  I'm so excited to be an auntie again!  1 nephew and now 3 nieces!!!

And now, as if all of this excitement wasn't enough, something else incredible happened to me on Saturday:  I met someone.  I don't want to jinx it or anything so I'm not going to get into a lot of details (ie his name).  I'm gonna play it like Carrie on Sex in the City when she's writing her column; you don't really know Mr. Big's real name is John until the last episode.  So I'm going to call this guy Mr. Nice.  I will say that I'm really glad that I went out on Saturday night.  I had gone painting at Jon and Marcy's in the morning (completely unsuspecting that she'd be popping in less that 24 hours!), and worked the rest of the day at Michaels.  Angela called before my shift was over and said that Sara's new beau had a guy friend that I should meet and that they were going out for drinks that night.  Lucky for me I had my flip-flops and a different shirt in my car.  AND despite being unshowered, with grody failing make-up, my huge work pants and a baggy, rather unflattering top on, I'm fairly certain that Mr. Nice is genuinely into me.  I guess it's just my charming personality (haha).  I'd say that considering all I knew about him before meeting him was his name and all he knew was my name and that I'm kinda chatty, we hit it off like most people wish their fix-ups between friends would go.  I know I said I wouldn't get into much detail so I'll just say that Mr. Nice lives about an hour away from here meaning he'll be mostly available to see on the weekends when he quite frequently comes to SooFoo to hang with friends.  This is actually perfect for me the relationship-tard...It means we've got time to get to know each other without being too serious about it right away and that I'll still have time to do all the crap that I already have to do.  That's one thing about relationships that I haven't figured out since I haven't had anything even close to one in over 3 years.  How do you have time to do everything?  I guess that sounds kinda bad: it's not that I don't want to see Mr. Nice until next weekend.  However, I've been in a fantastic mood since we met and just the few sweet texts he's sent have been enough to make me all fluttery inside.  There's no need to rush the good feelings that come with something new and exciting.  I'm really looking forward to seeing him again this weekend...
Though I can't image he'll be down for coming to my parents' (6-months-early) 30th wedding anniversary Tahitian luau which is Saturday night.  It would be amazing if he did, but I hardly expect something like that from a guy I just met especially considering I've never actually introduced my folks to anyone I've dated before.  I'm pretty confident I'll be seeing him again this weekend, we'll just have to wait and see when.  At any rate...GO ME!  While for right now, financially, I'm fucked, I at least have a lot of great things in my life to keep me happy through the struggle...I'll try not to wait so long til my next post but I can't guarantee anything. ;)

Great Foolery

I thought half a second about waiting a couple months to post this link but considering my memory isn't the greatest and the link is funny enough to be shared now, here it is:
The History of April Fools PLUS The Top 5 Pranks of All Time
My favorite prank is #1, the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest.  :D

Finishing Resolute.

So, earlier I decided to pause in posting long enough to get something to eat because, though I can't smell or taste anything, my stomach was letting me know quite loudly that I needed to eat.  I ended up eating, then watching a little tv before napping for 4 hours!  I guess I needed a nap.  I still feel super gross and working out is not an option.  On the plus side, I still don't have an appetite, so I find myself not having eaten much today (and nothing too bad for me, at that).  Actually the running total stands at a banana, a small bag of Gardetto's, a small portion of Terri's sausage/bacon egg bake, a honey wheat bagel with low-fat cream cheese, and one slice of this amazing cream cheese pastry braid (that was the one real bugaboo).  Though I'm not really all that hungry right now, I think I should go make some soup to keep myself hydrated and fueled for work tomorrow.  Because even though I feel like crap, I still have to be there.  Just like this morning.  We did inventory this morning and I was pissy.  Good thing it only comes once a year.

My god, it is hard to eat...I just took another posting pause to make that soup.  It's taking forever to eat because I have to stop between bites to catch my breath.  What really sucks is that I know this soup is awesome, but it seems completely flavorless to me right now.   :(

Anyways, I wanted to kind of finish up my aforementioned resolutions since I got pulled away earlier by the land of nod...as far as what type of workouts I plan on doing, I have the means to do the following as soon as tomorrow (illness permitting):
1. Yoga- I have a weight loss conditioning dvd and I've been recording Namaste Yoga on the dvr for awhile now, both which I enjoy because they help my flexibility.
2.  Jumping rope- in one particular place in the basement I have the required space to do some serious jumping...good way to get my heart rate up without having to freeze my a-hole off.
3.  Cardio-glide- Terri's got this kind of lame-o piece of workout equipment that has 2 positions that workout your arms and legs.  I do it from time to time but it's boring and it doesn't feel like a very good workout.
4.  Tae-bo- though I probably won't be as inclined to use Terri's Tae-bo dvds, they are still an option.
5.  Perfect Pushup- belongs to Aaron, maybe I'll see what I can do with it, but I've never been that great at pushups.
6.  Exercise Ball- I have a decent exercise ball, it's large enough for me to do some serious ab and leg exercises on.  Unfortunately, it's got nipples...stupid massage ball.
7.  Stairs and Chairs-  I've got plenty of opportunity to do every exercise imaginable with a flight of stairs and various chairs.
8.  Ab Exercises- I plan on specifically doing ab workouts nearly everyday...I want some ab definition and a flat tummy...by the summer!

When it gets a little warmer, or at least when things start to melt a bit, I'd like to gradually start running again.  And then when it's completely thawed, start riding my bike again.

The whole idea behind these lifestyle transformations is that I want to be a better version of me just for me.  I want to be strong, confident and independent.  If I feel better about myself physically, it's bound to show and maybe my personal life will see a bit more excitement.  I want to put the best version of myself out into the world and hopefully this year, I'll see a little more return (especially financially...cuz I definitely need some $$$).  I'm giving up complacency and taking on activity.

I do have a couple personal resolutions that I don't plan on sharing, but something I have to do and not just say that I'm going to do is be more proactive about getting my art out in the world and getting paid for it.  A few options to explore right away:
1.  Go back to Eastbank Art Gallery with my adult HatsonLamps items...I don't think the right person got my first e-mail attempt.
2.  Put together a show with Angela to propose at Michelle's Coffee downtown.  I'd most likely use my Recycled Beauty pieces.
3.  Approach some local interior decorating companies about doing custom nursery murals by commission.  Once I finish Z's mural (which is officially underway now), I will have two very distinct kinds of murals and two awesome examples of my capabilities as a muralist.
4.  Find some sort of venue or retail source to sell my baby hats.
That's what I've come up with so far.

Altogether I know I've got my work cut out for me, but I'm a creature of habit, so once the changes become habit...that's when I'm good like gravy.  And now, despite having taken a long-ass nap earlier, I'm going to climb into bed again and hope that I wake up tomorrow congestion-free!

Resolute.

So yesterday began a new year.  2011.

I think all the shoveling I did on New Year's Eve ushered in another nasty winter bug.  I've had the worst cold since then.  Well, that night I guess I didn't really think about it because I was celebrating.  I stayed home with Aaron, Terri, and Z.  Mark and Heather came over for awhile and we all played some Guitar Hero.  I sang just awfully because my voice dropped from the cold; so it was hilarious.  Then we played Apples to Apples, which is also funny as hell.  We had tasty snacks and tasty drinks.  I did, however, bring in the new year alone.  Sitting on the couch, watching tv, drinking rum alone.  Alone, not just being the only one in the room, but alone as in unattached.  I haven't been in a relationship in almost 3 years.  That being said, I've spent a good portion of my adult life as an independent woman and can definitely see that remaining so in the future.  Therefore, while a part of me thinks that this New Year's has been one of my least epic ever, I plan on embracing the lameness by setting goals for myself with a strong resolve to keep them.  It is the perfect time.  And so...
My New Year's Resolutions for 2011:
Get Healthy, Get Fit.  To start, I'm changing my diet and eating habits.  No more skipping breakfast, no more midnight munchies.  Lots more fruits and veggies, lots less junk foods and sweets.  Milk with meals instead of soda.  Eating out on special occasions only, eating healthy menu options when out.  Sweetener in coffee instead of sugar.  Fat-free, low-fat, lite everything.  Beyond eating healthier, I want to be more physical.  I'll be home 4 days a week with Z now and I don't want to just sit around being lazy anymore.  For now the only outdoor workout I can do really is shoveling.  So the rest will be indoors.  I want to do at least a half an hour workout per day, but I can do more if I want to or have time.  Though I attempted to workout yesterday for awhile I'm thinking I may have to shake this cold before I can really dive into the physical fitness part of my resolution.  I can't breath through my nose at all and I've been having sneeze fits for the past 2 days.  I may take a nap today to see if I can speed this process along a little.  But the rest of my sleep habits are pretty fine, so that part of my daily routine won't be changed at all by the resolution to get fit and healthy.

B-b-b-blizzzzzzzzzard...

So it stopped snowing long enough for me to shovel the driveway and front walk...and now it's snowing something fierce again.  As much as I want to go to my Uncle Tom's 'It's A Wonderful Life' New Year's Eve party tonight, I don't think I want to chance driving in this nastiness even with my brand new tires.  Guess I'll just have to get hammered at home, HAH!

Last Day of the Year

I sold a couple of hats to Jon from work yesterday.  Both bears...I did actually sew a face onto the pink one; it's not there in the pics because I added the face at work yesterday before my shift and left the hats there for Jon to pick up this morning.

So yesterday afternoon I met up with Mom and we got the new tires for my car.  Jon treated us to lunch at BK and we shopped at Kohl's afterward.  It was raining through the early part of the day but by the time we headed from Kohl's back to Tires Plus Mom's car had iced over.  My car was even worse having only been sitting in the lot for about a half hour.  Despite not having to work for another hour and a half I decided to go there instead of home because of the freezing rain.  I did pick up an new ice scraper and some anti-freeze from Walmart.  And I managed to de-ice all the windows by the time I had to punch in and by that time it had switched from rain to snow as well.

If anybody thought the weather was bad last night...they were dead wrong.  There is a massive blizzard raging outside right now.  It's currently 3 degrees, windy, and snowing with accumulations from 5-8 inches expected.  It is a B-E-A-U-tiful day!

Actually, once Terri gets home from her faux day at work, I'll go out and shovel for my "work-out".  Though I've been starting to ease myself into more healthy eating habits this past week, tomorrow starts my serious diet and lifestyle change.  For too long I've let myself become complacent and lazy.  No more...I'm going to shovel now because Z is sleeping.

Awesome News

So we had our big family Christmas this evening with a tasty breakfast dinner followed by copious quantities of presents.  But the biggest and best gift of the night was the news that Marcy and Jon shared after everything was unwrapped.  They're having a baby!!!  Marcy is already 14 weeks along, so they've known since mid-October.  That's quite a secret to be toting around!  She's due June 25th...though if she goes early, my new niece or nephew could potentially share a birthday with Aaron (6/9) or Terri or me (6/8) or even Aaron and Terri's anniversary (6/18).  Maybe we should have placed bets on Jon and Marcy's conception...we all said she'd be pregnant by the end of the year, though I was initially betting they'd be by the end of the summer (hehehe).

I'll post more about the rest of Christmas in the morning...for now I'm too tired to think about it.

Black Friday Game Plan

I had a pretty great holiday today despite having to work for a few hours.  Now that I'm all relaxed and settling into bed for the night I want to make a game plan for tomorrow, Black Friday.  I have no intention of shopping, but I do think I'm more productive when I make a plan.  So here goes...

I keep putting off taking photos of the baby hats I've finished so far.  Tomorrow I WILL photograph the finished ones in the morning.  Z and I can hang out in the basement while I do it.  I just need to get it done.  And put the new ones in my inventory list.  I've just been concentrating constantly on making, crocheting, sewing more, more, more baby hats.  Once I get the pics taken, we're going down to Mom and Dad's.  I don't think Dad's got the day off but Mom sure does.  I'm hoping for some tasty turkey and gravy leftovers for lunch.  Also if I can I'm going to get Jessica's birthday gift to her.  Her birthday was today but she, Matt and baby Ella celebrated with his family.  Plus if she comes by the house when we're there, Z and Ella can play...and that's always totally hilarious and awesome to watch.  Then later evening I work again.  Tomorrow is going to be productive because I'll be busting out hats in every spare minute as well.

Before I start to nod off, be safe you crazy Black Friday holiday shoppers...

Produce Pic of the Day

So stuffed with stuff you have to roll my stuff across the floor to get to that other stuff...maybe I'll have more stuffing later...if I have room for stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Produce Pic of the Day

Roadtrip to Iowa...longer than expected.
Although what else can you expect on the day before Thanksgiving.



Also it's my silly turkey sister's birthday...Happy 26th Seesta!

Produce Pic of the Day

oooooooooooooooooooh witchy woman...that's me, and I'm off to be witchy!

Produce Pic of the Day

Note to self: post tomorrow's pic before going out to celebrate All Hallow's Eve.

New Meaning to 'I'll be Home for Christmas'

It's official.  After several conversations with my parents and many long hours contemplating my options.  I have decided to move back to South Dakota by Christmas.
It is the most fiscally responsible thing for me to do right now.
I've been job-hunting for a couple months now with no luck and can't stomach the idea of working full-time again for my current boss.  I like living in Chicago, I do.  But things are getting worse every year.  In the almost six years I've lived here, the city has gone from being an exciting adventureous place to live and work to a place with increasingly high crime, high stress, high unemployment, and even higher taxes.
I don't have the same support structure of friends that I did while at school.  Even though I'm a severely independent person and I tend to not keep a lot of close friends, I still need support sometimes.  Of my three closest friends, one lives about three and a half hours away in Indiana, one is considering making her eventual move back to her hometown of Manhattan, and the closest is considering moving back to Los Angeles again soon.
Now I have high aspirations.  Within 2 years of moving back to South Dakota, I hope to be on my feet again and ready to relocate to another city.  I'm thinking Portland, or maybe Seattle.  Whereever I end up going, I need to live cheaply for awhile in order to save money for the move.  Going home affords me this option.
There's some serious drawing aspects to this decision as well.  When I came back from home to Chicago on New Year's Eve last year it was the most disappointing and crushing feeling, knowing that I was leaving the support and love of my family and going back to a major financial struggle (that would last almost all year).  My brother Jon came to see me in February, and then again in March with my folks for my BFA Show at SAIC.  Then the whole family came out for my graduation in May (except my sister-in-law Terri).  A week after graduation, I made a major roadtrip to move Holly back from LA and we made a very, very brief appearance in Sioux Falls.  We were there for one night only; I didn't even get to see my sister Jessica or my brother Jon.  That one night was the only time I've been home this year and it's been wearing me thinner and thinner.  My family is changing and growing and I want to be a part of it again.  I miss the joy I feel being around them.  I want to be a more integral part of my niece's life.  I want to be around when my sister and my sister-in-law each have their first children.  I want to break some bad habits I've formed living away from them and share the good habits I've learned.  I want to spend more time with my extended family members.
I want to live alone.  I know that at first I'll be back under my parents roof, but free room and board plus meals for a couple months should be enough to help me afford an apartment all my own.  I've been wishing I could live alone for the past year and a half; I've just been too stubborn to leave the comfort of my space in this apartment.  At this point, I'm even looking forward to living at my folks's place because of the clean and cozy upkeep that they maintain (and I will help maintain).  Oh to live in a clean place with people who think like I do.
When I talked with my mom yesterday, she said she wants to make sure that I don't feel like a failure for making this decision.  Well, I don't.  Things would be completely different if the economy wasn't in the crapper just now and a lot of people are making far more desperate decisions than I.  I am actually lucky to have such an accommodating family to help me in my time of trouble.  And I feel just a little more grown up by being able to finally admit that I can't do what I've been trying to do by myself anymore.  I think that means I'm evolving as a person...


Now it's time to get some things done.  But first, here's a snapshot of our family Christmas tree from the first year I lived in Chicago.  This year, I'll be home for Christmas, but not only in my dreams...