How to Paint Nuts and Bolts

When I was repainting Caleb's big boy bed, I really wanted to paint the nuts and bolts that held the bed together. I had in mind that I would hold them out at arm's length and give them a good spraying, but came up with a better idea. Maybe it will help you out on your next repainting project!

1. Poke the bolts through a piece of cardboard.

2. Attach the nuts to the back of the bolts.

 

3. Set the cardboard piece into a box (I stole my cardboard piece from this box) and spray bolt tops with paint.

4. Turn the cardboard piece over and push the bolts through the holes so the nuts touch the cardboard (I didn't want to paint the threading of the bolts in case it might make it harder to screw the nuts on).

5. Spray paint the bolts.

Simple!

More random thoughts!

Jon and I have gone house hunting with a realtor yesterday and today! We talked to the financial people today, and they're supposed to get back with us with an estimate of how much we qualify for. I have a feeling we won't qualify for much. We mentioned to our realtor that we had a nice down payment saved up and that we didn't have any debt or credit card bills and she seemed to think we'd qualify for all kinds of money. However, we're down to one income, and that one doesn't really pay that great--it's sufficient, but not great--so I'm not expecting the number to be very high. It's a little disappointing that we would work so hard on the down payment and financial responsibility and still not get the "house of our dreams." But oh, well. It's a first home, and who knows how long we'd even live there. And who knows if we'll even get a house! Mostly we were just wanting to do some fact-finding, since we don't know how the process works. And it seems to be a really good time to buy.

We'd like to get a place with enough land for Caleb to run and play. That puts us looking at houses outside of Fort Worth, and probably more expensive than we can afford. We'll just see what the financial lady says tomorrow and what our budget will allow! It would be exciting to have a house, and to know that we're actually going to stay for awhile. I gotta admit, as much as I've loved Fort Worth, I'm kind of ready to move on--just because we've been planning to move on for the last year, so mentally I've been prepared to say goodbye and go. But I wouldn't mind staying if I knew we could be settled for a little while.

Jon took a higher-paying position at his security job. He starts training soon. It's a month-long training, and he has to 1) get tazed, 2) endure some kind of pepper spray, and 3) fend off 3 people (in a controlled environment with lots of padding). I'm not looking forward to it at all! But I gotta say I think Jon is! Maybe it's the male/female difference, but I just can't see enjoying that! Once he's trained he'll start new hours at a new post. He's already worked there 4 years, so there have been hints that he'll move up in the company fairly quickly now that he's finally committed to this new position. (His boss has been wanting him to do this for months; they love him there!) So, maybe this is the stability we need for awhile. It would give Jon a chance to continue his studies; he's working on a masters in military history right now, and hoping to get his doctorate.

On a completely unrelated note, some of you know that I finally took my cartilage piercing out last month. 16 months of trying to get that thing to heal and stop hurting, and I just didn't want to deal with it any more. So out it came! It took awhile for it to finally heal. What a relief to lay down at night and not have to protect my ear from my pillow! Two nights ago, though, I tried putting an earring in the hole on a whim, and it went through! Hole's still there, and completely healed! It felt just like my earlobe piercing. How awesome is that? So I kept the earring in for a day and a half, and it started hurting again. Poop. I remember when I got my earlobes pierced that I had to wear gold earrings for years; otherwise the holes would get infected. Maybe I'm dealing with something similar here? So, the earring is back out, and I'm giving it a little bit to heal up again, and then I'll try a gold earring instead of the silver I've been wearing.

Jon taught Sunday School yesterday, and did an awesome job as always. Our class has a teacher rotation, and I always look forward to Jon's teaching more than any other! (Maybe I'm biased, but I don't think so!) He planned a time of purification and worship, coordinated with the guy who leads music for our class. It was a very neat time. Husbands and wives washed each other's feet and prayed for each other, and then we worshiped with very good songs of dedication and sacrifice to our Lord. I'm thankful for a husband who will put so much time and effort into his teaching, not because he's getting paid for it or because he wants to look good in front of class, but because God has something to teach each one of us, and Jon wants to facilitate that in any way he can. Yeah, I know...he's awesome. :)

How do you like our family portrait that Karen took for us? Aren't we a handsome family? Jon and I are in constant awe that God would bless us with Caleb. He's such a great kid; we can't get over how much we love him!

Random Thoughts for the Day

1. My kitties are snuggled among the neatly folded stacks of laundry on my bed. They're so cute.
2. Today I scrubbed, sanded and painted a freezer we bought for $50 on Craig's list. I had to wait 'til evening when it was cool enough to paint. I got the first coat on before it was dark. It will definitely need another coat. Now I have a freezer with wet paint in my front yard. Didn't really think ahead on that one. I need to figure out a way to get it back in the garage before I go to bed, or someone else will have a freshly painted white freezer! Maybe everyone will realize it's wet paint and they won't touch it. The june bugs didn't get the memo, though. I had to pick two of them out of the paint already!
   
3. I've also been working on a ghetto cat scratcher. It's a revamp of the ghetto cat tree. Pictures to come!
4. Full-time-mom-hood has been a transition for sure, especially given the crazy last month. I'm hoping August is much calmer!
5. The beach was great. Definitely ended July on a high note.
6. Jon finally accepted the higher-pay position at his current job. He'll start a month of training in a couple of weeks. It's been kind of a disappointment for us; we were sure he would have found a job by now, and are confused about God's timing of things. However, we recognize the blessing of a job, and thank God for it.
7. Jon got pulled over on Saturday...and got off with a warning! The police officer asked him what he did for a job; Jon told him he was a security officer. The policeman told him he needed to be on the police force and even wrote down a web site for him to check out. As we drove off, we mused that perhaps this was the clear direction we'd been praying for. We'll ask God someday, "Why were You silent when we asked for Your will?" And He'll tell us, "I sent a cop and pulled you over to tell you what to do in life. What more did you need?" Despite that, we don't think the police force is in our future.
8. You cannot make chocolate milk by mixing hot chocolate mix with cold milk. The chocolate powder stays mysteriously on top of the milk, no matter how hard you stir.
9. When I was a kid I loved reading Nancy Drew books, but couldn't read them at night because they gave me bad dreams. I've been reading a mystery series lately, and found that I am still a weenie. Even my fairly docile mystery books are giving me bad dreams.
10. Nothing else to say, but couldn't leave it with just 9. Good night all!
    

July: Cut or Keep??

Let's do a little running tally of the goings on this month.....

4th of July visit with Grandma & Grandpa: +4
One very bitter wasp: -1
Check engine light on the trip: -1
$600 mechanic bill: -3
5-day trip to visit Nana & Granddad: +4
Check engine light on the trip: -1
Mosquito making a buffet of my ankles the whole trip home: -1
Started working out: +1
Strep throat for 4 days: -4
Cancel plans to see Leanna and Mawmaw: -2
Mom comes to help out: +2
Worst rash I've ever had: -3 (potential to lose 2 more points if it's not gone before the beach on Saturday)
5 days no air conditioner: -5
Caleb gets to play with his friend Noah for 3 days: +1
Stomach bug bites Jon: -3
Stomach bug bites Caleb: -1 (so far not bad, but potential to lose more points if the bug makes it to me, and even MORE points if we're not healthy by aforementioned beach vacation)
Finally celebrate KarenN's birthday: +2
Brand new air conditioner installed: +4 (potential to gain more if it's more powerful/efficient than the last one)
Beach vacation: remains to be seen, but I'm gonna give it a +6

So how do we end up? Let's see.... Well, we're at a -1 right now. But you just never know what good things could come. :)

Happy Fourth!

Today we've enjoyed an excellent 4th of July at my parents' house. Barbecued chicken for lunch, grill bratwurst for dinner...Caleb swam in a pool just his size on Grandma's back porch...now we're watching our third fireworks show of the evening on TV. They're pulling out old favorites to perform--Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond. Sadly, Barry Manilow is the only one of the three who can still sing! That was a bit of a shocker. Other than that small disappointment it's been a great day!

Oh, except for the wasp who attacked me. I got my first wasp sting ever. And then two more, just to make up for lost time I suppose. Jon tells me that if I weren't jumping up and down and screaming like a banshee then maybe the wasp wouldn't have kept stinging, but I'm not sure about that! We tried a few home remedies: ice first, then an onion slice, then back to the ice, then some pennies taped on the stings. Add some Benadryl spray, Neosporin and an antihistamine and voila! I'm in pretty good shape. :) Don't ask me what helped the most!

Hope everyone had a great 4th as well! We don't realize how blessed we are to live in this free country!

A Random Blip in Life

There are things that happen in life that are just blips. They flash across the screen and then they're gone. Yesterday one of those blips occurred to me. About 10am my head started itching. Within a couple of hours I had a rash all over my stomach, legs, everywhere, and I was itching like crazy. Went to the dr. at 2pm and he determined that I had developed an allergy to the antibiotic I was taking for my bronchitis. I stopped taking the medicine (my bronchitis was gone, anyway), took Benadryl the rest of the day, and I woke up this morning with no more itching and just faint signs of the rash. And *blip!* Like that it's done.

No claims of wisdom, but....

...about the same time as my friend Cliff, I've discovered my first gray hair! It's not there any more, because it was hard to see on my head, so I pulled it out to get a closer look and make sure it was a real, honest-to-goodness gray hair instead of a blond one from the last highlights I put in. But there it was! A gray hair. Based on my inspection, I'd say I just might inherit the beautiful silver hair my mom and her parents have.

Am I distraught over my newfound wisdom? Nah... Will I rush out and find a hair dye that covers grays? Nah... Gray hair happens to everybody, and fighting it usually just makes people look older. I may not even find another one for a few years! But if I do, that's fine with me.

I've always thought I'd like to have long hair when it goes gray. Or short, spikey hair like my mom's. Of course, those are the two extremes I like with my brown hair, too!

Slow-Mo

We're all iced up here! I love interesting weather because it means that all that's on tv is weather. NBC's cameras have happened upon one of the ramps of the Mix Master, and they've kept the cameras there for the last 30 minutes...and I've been glued to it! It started with about 6 cars sloooowwwwly sliding along, and even the news anchors are sucking in their breaths with the expection of an accident. However, no accidents! Now, a few cars have made it past the ramps, but the others are at a standstill. Someone in a Jetta is waving at the camera. He's really the one holding things up. But wait...if you look closely, you'll find that all these cars have traveled about 10 feet in the last 30 minutes.

Ooh, here comes a daring El Camino trying to pass some of these sitting ducks. A large van trails him, and a black mustang in the back. Will they make it?

The El Camino is successful! Other people have started out of their cars and are walking around.

Ha! The El Camino stalled out at the bottom, got out and waved at the camera. It seems that the camera might be a distraction.

Oh my gosh. The 18-wheeler is trying to push past another sitting duck, the Thunderbird.

The news anchor has started to give a running commentary with a little humor. It's got me laughing, at least. I'm sure the guy in the Jetta--he's waving again--is not laughing. Ooh, what's happening now? The sand truck has arrived! He confidently maneuvers around the 18-wheeler...can he make it? Yes! Past the Thunderbird...and the Jetta!...The Jetta's making a move! No...he's stopped. The news anchors have started cheering him on.

Here comes the 18-wheeler, others are gaining courage. The Thunderbird is now headed in the right direction. And...at last! 40 minutes later and everything is clearing up.

But what's this? After all the drama, all the cars that just got free are now stuck only 100 yards away. And the cameras keep rolling! Ah...I love weather.

And where am I? No, I did not go into the office like a normal Wednesday...my car is right where it's supposed to be!

What's been going on

I owe you a post here, for sure! I've been posting on my baby blog, and that seems to be just about life-consuming these days! I asked Jon this morning, "What can I post about that's not baby-related??" Well, I'm not really sure the answer to that question, but I'm going to try anyway. If baby topics come up, oh well! :)

Jon's started back to school. His last semester! It's very exciting, but also very challenging. This is his third and last semester of Hebrew, and I know he will be so glad when it's done. He's also taking a history class covering the Enlightenment, which has TONS of reading which isn't so fun, but he really enjoys the class itself. And then his last class is fairly easy, and they go over stuff like how to baptize, because I guess there's a trick to it! All in all it's a demanding schedule, but with few enough hours that it's doable.

He's also working on his resume and has a couple churches in mind where he'd like to apply. I'm sure he'll have applications all over the place before it's all said and done!

Bonnie & Clyde are our constant entertainment. They charm everyone who comes in the door. If you stay long enough, you'll get in on the game of musical chairs as the two go from lap to lap. Clyde loves to jump. He jumps from the couch to the computer chair, to the top of my monitor, then to the top of Jon's monitor, then to the printer, and then once he's made it he meows at the wall. Bonnie sticks to the ground, mostly, but loves to explore. Inside shelves, boxes, bags, she finds pens, paper clips, and her favorite: the Scrabble stickers from Subway. She's got a radar for those things.

I went to an Arbonne Mercedes event with my mom yesterday. A lady had made it to a certain level in the company where she is given a white Mercedes, and this event was to celebrate that. I admit that I went into it with a slightly jaded perspective. I mean, if you know me, you know I have no desire for a brand new white Mercedes. I wouldn't even have a white car myself, except that it was the best car I could find for $6,000. Buying new doesn't make sense to me, and having a Mercedes really doesn't make sense to me. So, to go to an event all about a Mercedes, with people packed in to ooh and ahh and be inspired by the Mercedes...meh... To top it off, everyone there was dressed professionally, and while I tried, I just felt quite pregnant.

Well, it turned out it wasn't so bad. It was definitely an atmosphere I'm not used to or like very much, but the ladies I spoke with were very genuine. The ladies were not so much there to be inspired by the Mercedes, but by the speakers and the success of other ladies just like them. The speaker, despite her multi-million Arbonne business, still shops at Target, which I can respect. And she also asked for a discount at a hotel (she was just there for a few hours to change, go over her notes, etc.), which I thought was funny. I guess, in a similar situation, I would have changed and gone over my notes at Starbucks or something, but I can grant her an extravagant pit stop since she did ask for a discount. And then, after heading to the event, she promptly forgot the name and location of the hotel where they left all their stuff. Oh, how I can relate! She did a really great speech, and it didn't focus on the white Mercedes at all. Instead, it focused on being able to have an overflow of money to give to others. That's something that's always been important to Jon and I--budget and stay out of debt so that God can use your finances when needed--so I appreciated the speech.

Overall, it was an exciting event, and I can't wait for the day when my mom is handed her own set of keys to a brand new, white Mercedes! Just remember, mom, the lady yesterday took her family to Cancun to celebrate! (wink!) Seriously, I know she can do it, and I know that Arbonne is giving her the financial freedom to do what she does best: gift-giving! Whether it's money to missions, clothes for a family in need, trips to visit family and adopted family, or diapers for her grandbabies, my mom has been given the gift of generosity, and Arbonne is allowing her to reach her full potential in that.

And speaking of gifts, my mom gave me a sea salt bath soak and lotion for attending, which I enjoyed thoroughly when I got home! Even today my skin feels very nice. I was hoping for a miracle, but no, my stretch marks did not disappear. Still, the sea salts are supposed to soothe sore muscles, which I'm sure I'll encounter more of as I make it through this last leg of pregnancy, so I'm thankful to have them!

And with that, I'm done with the post. I didn't go too overboard talking about pregnancy. Turns out there is other stuff going on after all!

Update on the earring

In February, I got the cartilage pierced in my left ear. Just in case someone was considering doing the same thing, I thought I'd give an update.

My ear was very sore for the first two weeks or so. I also had ringing in my ear, I'm guessing from the swelling. The swelling went down and my ear got much better, but I wasn't able to sleep on my left side until about two weeks ago. Even then, I have to shield my ear from the pillow with my hand. So, I thought my problem might be the earring post and back getting in the way, catching on my glasses, and generally keeping the area sore. Today I bought a nice sleek hoop that's small and makes a perfect smooth circle when it's closed. I figured it would be perfect.

I've had this piercing about 11 weeks now. The instructions said to keep the original earring in for 8-12 weeks, so I figured I was fine. It was kind of hard to get out because the earring back was "locked" on from the piercing gun. When I did get it off, my ear immediately swelled up. Great. I cleaned everything off really well, including the new earring, and started to put it in. But, the new earring is rounded, and the hole had swelled too much for me to easily put it in. At this point, I started to feel faint. :) I called Jon in to figure out what to do. After a few more attempts, we decided it was simply not time to put a new earring in, so back went the stud.

Maybe I'll try again in a few weeks. I do think the new ring would help keep it from getting knocked, which might be one reason it hasn't healed. On the other hand, I mentioned the soreness to a girl I bought the earring from today, and she said that could last up to a year! So maybe this is just normal.

It's not infected, and in almost every situation I don't even notice it, but I will be glad when it's healed. And I'll be glad when I can put the new earring in, because I like it.

So to all of you considering cartilage piercing, 3 months into it I like it, but I'm not sure it was worth it. I certainly wouldn't get another one. However, I do think I'll keep the one I have.

General Update

The kitties are still sick. :( No real change from yesterday. Smith is still pretty sick, though I've noticed little improvements: he's making better eye contact, has stood up more today, went to the bathroom on his own, and hasn't needed glucose but once today (four times yesterday). Wesson is still Mr. Sneezy, but he wanted to play a little today. Mostly they've just slept! But, they're stinky and grossie, so I think they're headed for another bath soon.

And, on another front, Jon and I are going to dinner with a seminary professor to talk about church planting tonight. He's the head of the Nehemiah Project at Southwestern, and will probably be an invaluable resource to us. I'm excited about our conversation tonight.

At work, I'm ALMOST done with a website that persists in acting dumb. There are some bugs I just can't figure out, and I've spent the whole day today on it. Very frustrating.

I donated to the Arbor Day Foundation, and got 10 free trees! I gave 5 to Holly, and we planted them a week or so ago. And our crabapples are starting to get leaves! Hooray!

Other than the trees, I haven't planted anything, yet. I'm thinking we might be done with frosts, but I'm not sure. I know a few things I want to plant, though.

I got a bike rack and basket for Christmas, and I got it put on a couple weeks ago. The weather has been too cold/rainy for biking, so I'm looking forward to a day pretty soon when I'll be biking to the park with a picnic in my basket! I'm so excited!

Anyway, I guess that's about it. I have Spring Fever, and I really want a vacation. I'm taking next Monday off, so hopefully that will suffice.

I want to learn how to do this.

glumbert - Speedy Musical Glasses

Marketing, Chonko-style

Just wanted to make quick note of this. One of my goals for work is to gain a better knowledge of the marketing aspect of my job. I know how to kern titles much better than I know when to start a new ad campaign. So, I was charged with finding a class I could take. Today, I checked out UT Arlington, and guess who is teaching Intro to Marketing? Dr. Chonko. The professor every B-school student at Baylor had for Intro to Business. As an art student passing through the suits and briefcases of the B-school every day, I never imagined I would be taking Chonko's class! Depending on the times available, I may not take him (and maybe I shouldn't...I don't even know if he's a good professor), but it's still crazy that the option is there.

The New Year's Resolutions: 2008

I don't know why it is. There's really nothing different about January 1st than there is about November 3rd or June 22nd. But, for some strange reason, I'm much more motivated on Jan 1 than June 1 to improve myself. Maybe it's the pounds of food eaten during the holidays, or the lack of exercise during the cold and very busy months. Maybe it's the breath of fresh air that comes after all the Christmas decorations are put away. Or perhaps it's the impending doom of swimsuit season. Whatever the reason, the beginning of the year happens to be the time when I think of ways in which I can improve. So, without further ado:

1. Be consistent in my Bible study. You'd think a Christian of 19 years would have this down, but I don't. Problem: No planned time for it. Solution: Wake up right when the alarm goes off.
2. Be consistent in my exercise. Biking went the way of Bermuda shorts when the temps got below 55. Plus, Jon doesn't have lunch time to bike any more, and who wants to exercise alone? Problem: No motivation. Solution: Competition. Jon and I are creating a friendly competition with the goal being to keep up with each other in time spent exercising.
3. Be consistent in my guitar practice. Problem: Seemingly no time. Solution: Plan my day better.
4. Read more. Problem: When I read, I can't get anything else done until I finish the book, so it's very unproductive. Solution: Plan small increments of reading time each day, and stick to it.
   
5. Do less. Problem: I can't help it. "Yes" always comes out of my mouth. Solution: Don't make a decision on the spot. Talk with Jon about it before responding.
6. Be more organized. Problem: No motivation or time. Solution: Plan in time each day for picking up, choose a spot a month to clear away the things that never found permanent homes, and keep reading "Organized for Life" over and over again. :)
7. Be politically informed. Problem: I don't know what I think about the election. Solution: Watch the news, listen to conversations, and read up on the candidates.
8. Be romantic. Problem: Jon beats me hands down in this area. Solution: Carry out one romantic gesture a week (bigger than the daily "I love yous").
9. Cook more. Problem: Frozen bag meals just aren't appealing any more. Solution: Pick simple meals and keep staples in the pantry to make them.
   
10. Make a schedule and stick to it. Problem: Not enough time in the day to accomplish all my resolutions. Solution: Go to bed on time, get up earlier, and plan the day with bits of time for each goal.

This morning I started my resolutions. I usually roll out of bed by 7:30 or so, but today I was up when Jon got up (6:00), and I had my quiet time, practiced guitar, biked and showered before work. Who knew I could be so productive?

I'm still working on my schedule, but hope to have it satisfactory soon. Then I'll print these resolutions and the schedule, and stick them where I can see them every day.

Good luck to you in your resolutions!

Random Thursday

I learned something new yesterday. When it's below freezing outside, don't try to clean your windshield at the gas station. I successfully coated my windshield with a nice coating of ice and had to scrape it off. That was a dumb idea!

So Friday barely made it through a week without us. When we got home, he'd barely eaten in 5 days, his fur was kinda gooky like he hadn't been bathing, and he was hiding in the bathtub when we finally found him. After he realized who we were, though, he purred like crazy and dug into his food. Maybe he was fasting like Gandhi. We came home, so he could eat again. Needless to say, we're hoping Margie never goes out of town again while we're out of town, because she's the best babysitter. She will stay and play with Friday, whereas the people watching him this time just came in to fill his food bowl and leave. Thanks, Margie, for hanging out with my cat. I didn't realize he would decline so rapidly without his daily dose of love and attention!

I have an innovation for you, but you'll just have to remember it for next year. My Christmas tree is a hand-me-down from my parents. I'm not sure how old it is, but every year it loses more and more needles. And, just by being fake, it doesn't look as full as a real tree. A few years ago, my Grandma gave me green garlands to hang around the house. I put them over the doors the first year, but the next year I wondered if I could use them to supplement my tree. And it worked! The garlands look the same as the tree, with the green pine needles. So I put a garland in between each of the layers of my tree, and it gives it a much fuller look. So there you go. Maybe it's good timing for me to tell you now, so you can catch the after-Christmas sales and get you some garlands! :)

So it's the new year. 2008. Crazy. I'm still working on my resolutions. I usually don't make them, but I think this year I've decided they're important. Not that they're done at the beginning of the year, but that we have resolutions in general. If we don't have resolutions/goals toward improvement, we'll wake up five years from now and realize we're just the same (and the worse for it). My mom was telling me awhile back how she actually wrote her goals down where she could see them every day. You know, like the cheesy motivational speakers tell you to do. And I think she felt cheesy doing it, but the cool thing was that she reached her goals! Then after that, I had the opportunity to assess my work goals, and make specific directives that I would fulfill over the next year with the intent to improve myself to make me better at my job. It was nice to get some concrete goals on paper. So that's why I'm doing resolutions this year. It's good to assess where you've come, consider where you want to go, and come up with some good goals to get you there. I'm looking forward to it.

Alrighty, that's my post for the day. :) More to come!

Mostly about the cat.

I just watched my cat yawn three times in a row. Oh wait. Four! It's pretty cute because he stretches out and curls his back toes. Plus he's under the Christmas tree, by all the packages, and it's just a nice picture. It makes me sleepy, too. No fair getting the easiest job in the house: sleeping and being available for petting at all times. My goodness! Five! I think it's because I keep making eye contact with him. Then he yawns, stretches and curls his toes. I think he needs attention...maybe just a little pet....

...There. I rubbed his belly until he ran away. He'll be good for another half hour or so until it's time to be fed. For being a cat, he's excellent at telling time.

Okay, not to continue talking about a cat, but now he's sharing the laptop with me. He's got his paws on the computer, and he's very fascinated with the cursor. He used to do this as a kitten, but it doesn't happen often any more. I mean, I had to drag him up here, but he's staying, and that's what's important! What a great cat.

Anyway, on to other things. I just got back from almost a week of meetings with the Sales & Marketing team of my company. Not too long ago, we had 6 people on the team, and now we have 16! So many new people! But it's due to the great growth our company has had, and I'm excited about how much more it will grow now that we have all these people in place.

I am still the sole graphic designer, and I think that's fine. We probably have to grow a little more before I start needing a team of my own! However, it does look like I may be taking a marketing class in the spring so I can improve my marketing skills. I hope I can find a good class and I'm excited about learning new things.

Holly and I put up lights on the house today. I was reminded that we've been friends for over a year now! I've really loved her friendship. She has taught me a lot about what it is to be a good neighbor and friend. And of course, she has the cutest girl on the block! Though we left Sophie with Jon today for an hour, and he looked a little shell-shocked when we got back inside! I'm used to her constant energy and ability to find the exact things I didn't want her to touch/bite/write on/break, and she still wears me out, so I can't imagine how Jon felt! She's learning to dance to music, and it's really cute to see her wiggle when music comes on. :)

...Hm...what else? Friday's still sitting with me, and I think it's only because of the movement of the cursor on the screen, so I feel compelled to keep writing. I'm afraid we could be in it for the long haul!

Oh, I got a tattoo! It happened at the marketing meeting. A few meetings back (last March), I had mentioned how I'd always wanted a tattoo, but couldn't decide what to get or where to put it. When I decided, though, I would get one. Well, that stuck with some of the people on the team (maybe because I don't seem like the tattoo type), and they mention it every time we get together. So, this time, I decided to go for it. Baby Pluto (from Disney) on my ankle. Why Pluto? Well, Spidey in the black costume and Spidey in the red costume were the first two that came out of the coin machine, but those didn't seem to fit. The third was Pluto, and then I was out of quarters! So Pluto it is...at least until he rubs off.

Well, you're in luck. After leaving quite a few 5s and ts on this post (which I edited out for you), Friday left, so I guess I'll go brush up on my Christmas carols on guitar for tomorrow morning. I should have figured he would leave soon; it's T minus 5 minutes til I feed him! (A coincidence that he was typing 5s and ts???)

All dressed up and nowhere to go!

So many good things have happened lately (despite the post below!).

One, Jon's schedule is now officially moved to days! He'll only work nights on Friday evening, but the rest of his schedule has moved to regular 8 to 5 working hours. I'll be so glad to have him home in the evenings!

Second, my new lens is in, and I have all the money I need to buy a camera! I've got my cart all full of what I'm going to buy on Adorama.com, and I'm just waiting for Paypal to clear so I can push the "Checkout" button. I'm really excited about the possibility of doing portraits for people. I think they will make great Christmas gifts, and be inexpensive, too!

Third, did I tell you Jon and I biked 28 miles two Saturdays ago? We did our trip from Weatherford to Mineral Wells. It turns out, 6 miles til Mineral Wells, the trail was closed due to flooding, so we had to turn around. But it was a great time and a beautiful day!

Another beautiful day was this past Saturday, when we spent the day painting and nailing up trim at a Habitat for Humanity project. It was great to meet the new home owner and paint alongside her. And I carried on my dad's legacy of being a great caulker! (If I do say so myself.)

Fall is in full swing, and is as busy as ever. But it's fun, and I'm loving it.

The Garage Sale Report

Last Friday and Saturday were a ton of fun! Waking up before the sun was up, making coffee, setting up, and meeting all kinds of people throughout the day.

The best part was confirming that people are good. We took lots of precautions to make sure that we and our possessions were safe, but we were very suspicious of people taking our garage sale stuff. Sure, it was all going to Goodwill after the sale anyway, but it was the principal of the matter! Four times over the two days, we though that someone had taken something. But, each time we found the item in question, or it turned out they had paid someone else for it. No one stole anything. So that was good.

I got a nice sunburn from the experience. Friends of ours stopped by, which was fun. Margie even stayed and helped pack up on Friday afternoon!

At the end of Saturday, all I had left on my tables was stuff I didn't think would sell anyway. I earned about $100, which is going toward my camera. I only had one person who knew what an enlarger was, and looked around at the photo easels I had. I got really excited, and brought out my price list, ready to deal. It turned out he had three enlargers at home, and couldn't even give them away, which he'd tried. He encouraged me to sell my paper on ebay, but that the rest he didn't have much hope for selling. Dang.

Funny things that happened at the sale:
An old man buys only one thing: a bra.
A man looks at a credit card holder, "Is this wallet just for the ladies?"
Language barrier: a lady says, "I betta move ma coe." Turns out it was her car she was referring to.
Man buys a whole bunch of baskets. As he's paying, I ask him what he plans to do with all those baskets. His answer, "I don't know if you believe in fairies or not, but with all the construction and taking away woodlands, the fairies don't have a place to live any more. So they come into our houses. You know when your toaster doesn't work or your CD is busted? That's because of the fairies! So, my wife uses baskets to make fairy gardens. She puts live dried plants [yes, they're alive and dried at the same time...] in these baskets, puts the first fairy in, and then sells them for people to put in their homes."

Straight, deadpan, serious. This man believes in fairies.

Lydia Speak

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English 25% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern 0% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Snippets

I don't really trust ads done by famous actors. I know I should use L'Oreal because Sarah thinks I'm worth it, and women should take Boniva because Sally does. But really. Sally Fields is Oscar-winning for a reason. She's convincing in whatever role she's paid to play. And I doubt Sarah Jessica Parker has ever invited a girlfriend over for help and stuck her head in the tub with a home coloring kit. So I totally don't buy it.

The ghetto-fabulous cat tree got retired a while back (not too long after it was created, actually). Jon wasn't a big fan of having...well, trash...in the house. Anyway, I was cleaning out the garage the other day, and brought it back into commission. Friday, was ecstatic over his "new" toy, and I've been quite smug over my success of reinstating it into the home decor.

Confession: I wrote my Compassion Kid for the first time--maybe second--the other day. I know, it's sad. I've been sponsoring her since I was a freshman in college (our dorm hall sponsored her and a little boy, and I took her sponsorship over the next year). I save all her photos and letters, and her last one asked me if I was still in college, and why I didn't write. So, prompted by guilt from a 15-year-old in Ethiopia, I wrote. I included a recent pic of Jon and I, and one of my doodles. Her birthday's coming up (Dec 13, same as my dad's) so maybe I'll send something else for that. It was cool to send a letter. I have grand ideas that she'll squeal with delight of getting a letter from her wonderful sponsor, and she'll run in the streets waving the letter around, proud to show it to anyone who will look. Then I realize, and I've written her twice in 7 years. Yeah, I'm a real hero. So, maybe she'll just read it and tuck it into a box somewhere, but the more I write her, someday she'll be proud to tell someone about the sponsor who loves her enough to be consistent in her letter-writing--and she'll have a whole box full of letters to share. Still, I can't believe I've wasted 7 years of getting to know her, and I only have three years left before she becomes an adult and no longer needs sponsorship.

For some reason, it doesn't feel like we're nearing the end of the year. But alas, it's fall. My faithful flowers have run their course, though they still manage to eke out enough blooms to make me happy. I've planted irises so they'll be ready to bloom next spring. And, now that fall is here, I've found that I'm not quite ready for summer to leave. This summer was so great, and the weather perfect.

But, I've got a lot to look forward to this fall and winter! Garage sale, camping, biking, the State Fair of Texas, Silver Dollar City, Christmas!! So, I'm glad it's time to move on.

At the end of October, Jon and I are going to try our first biking adventure beyond the normal exercise route. There's a "rails to trails" route from Weatherford to Mineral Wells State park, about 20 miles one way. We'll ride in, eat lunch, then ride back out. It will be leisurely and hopefully the perfect fall weather. Our normal route is 10 miles at an "exercise" pace, so I think 40 spread out over the whole day will be just fine. I'm so excited, and I hope I've earned the money I need for my camera by that time! (And yes, that picture is of me: muscle-y arms, cropped top, long flowing hair and all...okay, maybe it's more representative....)

I've finally decided on sale prices for my photo equipment. It was a struggle to balance the original value with what people will actually pay. We'll see if I'm in the ballpark when the garage sale comes! I really hope I sell it. Partly because it took me awhile to realize I needed to let it go, and for it just to hang around makes it harder for this pack rat to keep trying to get rid of it. And partly because I want the money. :)

Thursday at work I'll be attending an all-day diversity training session. It seems to be a fad in companies lately, and we've had one session already. The first session was to recognize that our mostly female, white, middle-aged group of employees is actually diverse. Now that we've established that, we've all taken personality tests to be explained at the second meeting. I'm pretty sure I know what my personality is, though it's different at work than at home. We'll see how it comes out! And that photo on the left there....it's just as representative of our company as the photo of the biker was of me.

It's quiet here today. The cat's asleep (big surprise), Jon's in class, the a/c is off, and it's just me, working on a work newsletter. I'm trying to spice it up with clipart. I know, I've been working on it for two years and this is the first time I think of it. That's why they pay me the big bucks! Anyway, we have a subscription to clipart.com, which is not great for ads or anything serious, because the images aren't high-enough quality for press printing. However, they're fine for desktop printing, and I've found "Photo Object" to be my favorite search option. This pulls up only photos with clean white backgrounds behind the objects, which helps when I use them for the newsletter or whatever else. For example, a normal search for "peppers" brings up this image:
But, I just want a few of the peppers, so I have to Photoshop out the background, which turns out to be impossible because none of the peppers are shown in their entirety. Without some major time spent Photoshopping in what's missing, this won't work. So I use the "Photo Object" option, and find this photo:
Perfect! I can stick that into my story, and it looks great.

For anyone who has trouble reading the small text on a blog, you can change the text size that you view pages. On an Apple, do this by pressing the apple button and the plus sign at the same time. Decrease it back down by pressing Apple minus, or go back to original with Apple zero. If you're on a PC, press "ctrl +" to increase the size, "ctrl -" to decrease, and "ctrl 0" to go back to original. Thought I'd throw that out that for those grandparents and soon-to-be grandparents reading the blog. :)

Speaking of, I'm going to have a nephew! Yeah, I'm pretty excited. It must be scary and a little intimidating to face parenthood. But aunthood...piece of cake! I've got it made in the shade! I've already learned how to change diapers, give medicine, put to sleep, and give zerbers when distraction is necessary. Oh, and throw rules out the window when his parents aren't around. I'm a pro at being an aunt. :) Now if only I had a camera to take great pictures of the little guy.... Can you tell I'm excited about my camera...and the kid of course!

Well, I think I've rambled enough for one day...this should tide you over while I'm gone getting diversified tomorrow.