Is it over already?

Don't know where the weekend goes.
It's Friday right after work and then all of a sudden it's Sunday night.

What the heck?

I shopped on Friday.
2 new pairs of shoes were totally calling my name.
(One is super cute but gave me horrible blisters.)
And an orange puffy vest.
And a new pair of khakis in SHORT.
And a fun brown crocheted scarf with color flowers.

I had a work meeting on Saturday.
It was fun, though.
Especially with a little pick me up.
(Anyone know how I can edit the glare out of this picture?)

Did chores today.
These little guys were calling my name at the grocery store.
I'm lovin' all things fall lately.

Scrapped a little.

Made dinner for Nicky and the girls.
(beef stew and apple crisp)

Am exhuasted.
And off to read about educational law.

Barb 101

I'm doubting myself today.

My reactions to challenging situations/people have left me feeling inflexible and intellectually snobby and perfectionistic and cold.

A wise friend helped me re-frame it though.

It's not that I don't know how to work with people. I just haven't done a very good job training the people who have to work with me.

So, here are the things that I will incorporate into my training course:

1. Do not back down. I can be difficult. If you know you are right and have the data/research to back up your thoughts, do not back down from me. Keep proving to me that you are right. (Only do this if you have actual support, though. If it's just a hunch, keep you mouth shut.)
2. I'm a details gal. Give me the big picture, and I will work out all the details. I can get stuck in the details. Pull me out and show me the big picture again.
3. Being critical is not a bad thing. I'm going to ask questions, and they might not be questions you like, but that doesn't mean I don't like you, and it doesn't mean I don't like your plan.
4. Don't commit to things you can't do. If you don't have time to commit to the team and the project, don't be involved.
   
5. Hold yourself to high standards. I know how to do my job, and I work really hard. I expect the people I work with to do the same.
6. Don't check up on me. If I said I was going to do something, it's probably already done. You checking up on me just makes me feel like you don't trust me.
   
7. Be a team; present a united front. I wouldn't hang you out to dry--don't do it to me.
8. Act professional. Be on time. Bring your supplies.
9. Be serious, practical, and smart. I'm not into touchy-feely. Let's figure out what we need to do and get it done.
10. Don't get off-topic. I don't want to hear about your vacation in the middle of a work meeting. On the same hand, don't let me get off-topic. I sometimes wander when things get really tough. Bring me back.
    

(Sorry about all the life lessons this week. I promise we'll be back to fun Babs sometime soon!)

School of Ang.

Today one of my very favorite friends has a big birthday. So, in honor of all the things she's done for me through 10 years of friendship, I'd like to brighten her day by pointing out some of the important (and trivial) things she's taught me about how to live a happy life.

1. Stand up for what you believe in.
2. Be tough but not mean.
3. Be friendly to old people, especially old people you don't know that you see in public places.
4. Send thank you notes and send them promptly.
5. Name your car. (The Red Russian. The Bubble. The McLiberty.)
6. Add a little yellow mustard to your egg salad.
7. Be dorky every now and then (". . . class of 1996. . . "). You'll recover.
   
8. Laugh loud. Laugh often. It's contagious.
9. Throw parties, preferably theme parties.
10. Always vote. In every election.
11. Volunteer. Help others.
12. For a happy holiday, celebrate with friends (20-Something Thanksgiving, 2005).
13. Be well-read. Share your favorites with friends.
14. Never under-rate the importance of looking fabulous.
15. It stinks to be the youngest. The youngest has to do the things no one else wants to do.
    
16. No project is too big to under-take. Just get your friends to help you (or your mom).
17. Sometimes bad things happen, even to the best people.
18. Small town fairs are big time fun.
19. Give meaningful gifts.
20. Slipper socks are a must-haves.
21. McDonald's fountain Coke tastes better than all other Coke.
22. Hold certain things sacred (like Sundays).
23. Running (and fitness in general) is no fun at all.
24. Subscribe to magazines.
25. Be there for people at the times that matters.
    
26. You can only control your own actions, not other people's.
27. Sacrifice things for the people you care about.
28. A fun time can be had anywhere--even in Topeka, Kansas.
29. Try new things (sushi).
30. Never be afraid of being a smart girl.
    

Happy birthday, Ang. May good things come your way sometime soon!

Love, Barb

Lunch-date

Today for lunch I ate:
Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli
Can of Mandarin Oranges
1/4 of a Bag of Fat-Free Microwave Popcorn
Big Jug of Water with Lemon

This random assortment of items was consumed over the course of about 90 minutes. One might think, "Wow! She gets a 90 minutes lunch break?" The answer is, of course, NO! The above list was consumed while answering emails, making phone calls, and attending a meeting (where the other participants also, apparently, did not have time for lunch and were scarving down a variety of foods). She actually got a zero minute lunch break.

Lunch is my least favorite meal of the day. It is the meal where my weird food quirks seem to have the largest impact on my choices.

I don't eat lunch meat of any kind; sandwiches (except tuna, which stinks up the fridge) are out.

I don't eat re-heated chicken (it tastes different than chicken the first time); any left-overs with chicken are out.

I won't eat microwave meals (like Lean Cuisine) that contain meat of any kind; my choices are severely limited.

I don't really like salad--it's just not very exciting. This makes it difficult to go to lunch (on the rare occasion I get to do so) with the slender girls who all seem to want to go to the place that has the best salad. Me? I'd rather have a big cheeseburger and onion rings.

So, my wise readers, what did you have for lunch today?
And what do you suggest I try for lunch in the future?

Have you had enough?

Sorry to inundate you with nothing but scrapping instead of any sort of witty banter or random thoughts. But, I'm a little worried that when I go back to work tomorrow and the madness that is grad school (two night classes a week) starts, I'm just not going to have a lot of time for scrapping. It kills me to think about all those supplies sitting in my craft room unused. I'm imagining that they are going to get very, very lonely.

So, I scrapped today. Made this fun mini-album from my August Cocoa Daisy kit. It was also inspired by one of Shimelle's online classes.

(I had to remove the pictures of the album because it was published. Will return soon.)

Meanwhile, I still need to iron my clothes for tomorrow and pack a lunch. I should also get the house looking respectable, as I hate starting the week with total chaos. Oh. I cannot forget to watch The Hills tonight.

Scrapping on a Saturday

I have a big ol' list of chores I'm supposed to be doing.
They can wait, though, right?

Made this for week 7 (can't believe there's only one more week) of the Summer of Scrappin' Love challenge at Scraplove. Needed to use self-portraits, paint, and at least five sentences of journaling on an all-about-me lay-out. Made it out of April and Scarlet's fantastic July Studio Calico kit. See that way-too-cool red, crocheted flower? Anilu's sent that to me; her mom made it!
Made this for a bonus challenge in the Summer of Scrappin' Love challenge at Scraplove. It is inspired by an ad chosen by Em; that's where the crazy swish of stuff coming up off the picture comes from.


And last, but not least, is a little something for the Use Your Stash challenge at Cocoa Daisy. This week the challenge was to use up some metal. Also used Gigi Kennedy's sketch for Pencil Lines. And, used some of the fabulously fun new paper from Prima.


Also finished up a lay-out for a swap at Scrap-in Style, but I can't share that quite yet. It's going in the mail today.

Okay. I'm out of excuses. Now, I have to clean the bathroom and make the bed in the guest bedroom and vacuum all the dog hair off the couch and go to Walgreens and return some things to Kohls and stop at the post office. I'm going to need a nap when all of that is finished.

Yo-Yo Bender

So, the fantastic April and Scarlet and Studio Calico included the cutest-ever fabric yo-yos in one fo the September add-on kits.

I was completely inspired, followed some directions, and made some yo-yos of my very own.


I might just be adding a few to my Etsy shop.

And. . . big news! I was a runner-up in a contest sponsored by Cocoa Daisy and Deja Views.

Whys and a How

Five WHYs

1. WHY do people refuse to update their hair-style? I met a person today who completely and totally looked like she stepped right out of Flashdance. Either this person has no friends or her husband is a Scott Baio look alike and thinks she is bodacious.
2. WHY does anyone think Justin Bobby is hot? Seriously. Audrina. What are you thinking? Lauren really summed it up best, "Homeboy wore combat boots to the beach."
3. WHY do men have nipples? I've resisted buying this book because it seems just a little too grotesque for me. But, I do still wonder just a little what the purpose of the man nipple is.
   
4. WHY do Ben and Jerry have to make such fantastic ice cream? Don't they know that I just can't resist their eccentric concoctions and their utopian social vision?
   
5. WHY did Ken's hair switch from velour to it's current plastic? Remember that? Remember when Barbie's main squeeze had a full-head of thick velour fuzz atop his plastic body? It was much cooler than the current plastic hair. If Barbie gets flowing blonde locks, the least Mattel can do for Ken is hook him up with a little patch of velour. Maybe that's the real reason behind the big Barbie-Ken break-up.
   

And a HOW

1. HOW did someone ever think to combine bacon, lettuce, and tomato? Admittedly, these ingredients taste fantastic together. But, what provoked someone to put them together in the first place, and HOW did the combination become popular the world over?

There you have it, folks. A peek into my shallow mind.
These are the things I wonder about.

What do you wonder about?

Good Things

You know those commercials for Seasonal Affective disorder?
I think there might be a similar disorder that impacts teachers as they transition from summer back to work. I have a serious case of the I-have-to-go-back-to-work blues.

So, here are a few good things going on. . .

Made these cupcakes yesterday--red velvet with peppermint creamcheese icing. The chilled in the fridge overnight and are even more delicious now! I'm thinking about not eating dinner tonight so I can indulge in a few more cupcakes.


Did this for this week's Scrapjack.


And this is for last week's Scraplove challenge. Not exactly my greatest work. But, it's fall colors. I can't wait for fall things --sweaters, soup, pretty leaves.

Downloaded a few of the recommended tunes.

Tomorrow is a total girls' day--cut and color followed by an afternoon with the fantastic Miss Angela.

Tunes?

I think I'm going to order some new music today. . . few tunes to enjoy as I try to get back into the swing of the work commute next week.

Suggestions?

My List

Inspired by Josie, looking for ways to distract myself from the things I should be doing (cleaning the bathroom and doing some reading for work), dealing with ridiculous family drama, and feeling a little let down about some things that I didn't win (I don't lose well!), I thought a little list of things that make me happy might be in order. . . .

1. Driving with the windows down
2. Going out to dinner
3. A great book (right now: Like Water for Chocolate)
4. Experimenting with a new recipe (next on my list: red velvet cupcakes)
5. Cut and color (9am next Tuesday)
6. Angie and Mike's big news (Hooray for babies!)
7. Wearing a sweater for the first time in fall
8. 99 Luftballoons (An 80s hit guaranteed to make me smile)
9. Tulips or Daisies or Hydrangeas
10. Tea (iced, Earl Grey, Starbucks, anything not fruit or flower flavored)
11. Sex and the City
12. Sudoku
13. Magazines (Brad just subscribed me to Real Simple)
14. Mushroom Lotion from Origins
15. Wearing my pajamas
16. Grey's Anatomy
17. Adding things I've already done to my "to do" list
18. Pedicures (need one bad!)
19. Old family photos
20. Boat rides at my grandpa's
21. Making a Christmas and/or Birthday list
22. Crying at the movies
23. Days with nothing to do
24. Finishing a big project
25. Having messages (besides telemarketers) on the answering machine
26. Inspiring/thought-provoking quotes
27. Having company
28. Playing boardgames
29. Snow days
30. Road trips
    

LOL. Just went to grab a link to Angie's blog and realized she made a happy list, too. Great minds think alike.

At a loss

I've thought and I've thought and I've thought about what I could blog with you about today. I'm at a total loss. So, I leave you with this disgusting story. . .

We stopped to visit a friend on Sunday afternoon and left Memphis in the truck (with the windows cracked). It was cool out and pouring (and I mean POURING) rain. When we left the house, we ran out to the truck and slid in as quick as we could.

That's when I saw it. . . a giant pile of doggie throw-up on the floor of the truck. I had tossed my bag--my cute, hand-sewn bag--right in it.

And the excitement didn't end there.

I felt something mushy and cool under my hand.

There was another puddle of partially digested dog food mixed with grass (eating grass always makes Memphis yack) on the seat of the car. Fortunately (or maybe not) there wasn't much throw-up on my hand. I had already sat in it, so most of it was smeared all over my butt.

Luckily, Brad is my knight in shining armor. He went inside, got some papertowel, and cleaned off my rear and the interior of the truck.

Now that I've thoroughly grossed you out, go ahead and enjoy the rest of your day. :)

(Thanks for all your kind words on my last post. Nothing bad is going on. Let's just say that towards the end of July I sent a little package to a certain magazine and am anxiously awaiting an announcement from that magazine any day now.)

Staying Occupied

I've been trying hard to stay occupied the last few days instead of dwelling on some other things that I'm feeling anxious about.

Made myself a new bag. (There are still some on Etsy.)

Did this week's Scrapjack.

Did this week's Pencil Lines sketch.


Finished up this week's Use Your Stash challenge at Cocoa Daisy.


We're headed out tonight for unexpected trip home. See you Monday!

I'll Tell You What I Want . . .

. . . What I Really, Really Want.

A turtle pecan cluster Blizzard from Dairy Queen.
Vanilla ice cream swirled with caramel, chocolate, and pecans.
YUM!

But, I can't have one for many, many reasons.

1. I have no cash and refuse to use my credit card at Dairy Queen. (Although I have done it before.)
   
2. My butt is bigger than the Beatles. (Remember that ridiculous parody song?)
3. I can't bribe Brad into going to pick it up for me. I tried.
   
4. The Escape is pretty much on empty.
5. I've already eaten ice cream once this week (on the way home from the gym) and today is only Tuesday. So, if I went tonight it would mean I've eaten ice cream every night this week.
6. I didn't go to the gym at all today; I pretty much didn't get off the couch.
7. We have perfectly fine ice cream right in the freezer at our very own home.
8. Tomorrow night when Brad and I go to dinner with Em and Justin (I'm so excited about this!), I'd like to be able to have dessert. I shouldn't have a Blizzard tonight and dessert tomorrow.

ETA: Sigh. Hang head in shame.
I caved and went to Dairy Queen. But, we did pay cash. And, we walked all the way there and back!

Sssssshhhhh.

Don't tell Starbucks that I'm having a secret affair with Snapple.


I love the shaken iced-tea lemonade from Starbucks; I really do. But this stuff from Snapple is a third of the price and every bit as tasty.

Plus, drinking Snapple feels very retro to me. I don't think I've drank this much Snapple since my favorite movie was Reality Bites.

Between just finishing Harry Potter and drinking this stuff, I think I might start tossing some British slang into my speech, too. Things like "bloke" and "snogging" and "wanker" and "bloody hell." Things that Bridget Jones and Super Nanny say.

TCoB

Taking Care of Business. . .

1. I was tagged by Robyn and Christine as a:

It has been awhile (sorry I just haven't gotten to it, girls). So, today, I pass the Rockin' Girl Blogger torch on to: Angie H. (for having a rockin' cool baby shower), Becky (this girl had the ultimate 80s hair), Josie (my newest rockin' girl friend), Levi (one of my original rockin' blogging friends), and Val (the most rockin' Canadian blog-girl I know).

2. Cocoa Daisy is having a Use Your Stash Challenge.
I created this (totally and completely inspired by a Fevvers LO on 2Peas).
3. LO for Round 4 of Scraplove's Summer of Scrappin' Love Challenge.
4. Saturday re-cap
Angie O. helped throw the classiest baby shower I've ever been to for Angie H.. So fun! I did feel a little like I was the only person there (other than the teenage girl) who had not just had a baby, was pregnant, was a grandma, or was about to become a grandma.

We made our big Godparent debut yesterday. Miss Katelyn was a total babe. She looked great, smiled a ton, and didn't cry at all. Yeah, Katelyn!

5. Sunday preview
You're looking at it. Pajamas. Couch. Remote. Lazy.

A New Mini (and some business news)

After all the encouraging words, I did decide to list the bags I made this week on Etsy.
Check it out here:
Everyone Needs Another Bag

I've been working on this mini album with my August Studio Calico kit for a few days. It's finally finished! All of the pictures are from our April vacation to San Diego.

Sweatshop.

Friday night I ordered this.



It came in the mail on Monday looking completely gorgeous. I was totally excited until I actually opened up the pattern and started to read. Lots of sewing words and detailed directions--two enormous sheets of detailed directions. I was scared. Very scared.

One trip to the fabric store (for lining and interfacing) and two loads of laundry later, I was doing this.


I sewed for six hours Monday night and another hour this morning. But, now I have these.


I don't think I could be more proud of myself. Honestly? I really thought this pattern and fabric would end up in the unfinished project bin. I didn't think I could do darts and lining and pockets and interfacing. But, I did! And I did it all by myself!


(And maybe, just maybe, I loved making these bags so much that I ordered fabric to make a few more!)

Hiding Out

I've been hiding out in the craft room with the July Cocoa Daisy kit for the past day (or so). I even hid some candy amongst the mess of supplies on my table to ensure my survival! Here is what I managed to create:

Created this one for a bonus challenge on the Scraplove Summer of Scrappin Love contest.

Photo credits (and cute kid and dog credits) to Aunt Amy on this one. I felt like I was channeling my inner-Em when I made this. It just turned out very Emily-esque. I hope I didn't inadvertently scrap-lift her. (I didn't, did I, Em?)


Sure wish I would have photographed this better. The scalloped edge and the stitching with the sequins are really cool (if I do say so myself).


Did some double-dipping on this one. . . also for this week's Scrapjacked challenge.


(Doesn't use the Cocoa Daisy kit.) Created this for the Scraplove Summer of Scrappin' Love contest, too. I was the guest judge, Mou Saha, pick this week.


I did come out of hiding last night long enough to have a cookout with Nicky and Chris and to play with Natalie and Katelyn. Brad sure is a good sport.

Food on Sticks

Ah, yes. I won't lie and say that I've been incredibly busy or that I've had hundreds of important things to do.

I've been lazy. Very lazy.

And I love it!

I did haul my butt out of the house on Thursday, though, to go the State Fair. The fair is an incredible place, a place where all food is fried (and usually served on a stick), a place where it's cool to be a farmer, a place where you couldn't ask for better people watching.

A big attraction of the fair--for my family, anyway--is the polka music from 11:00 - 2:30 on opening day. My grandpa will sit (with beer the whole time) listening to the music and watching the crazy, fair dancers.

I have to admit that I was completely and openly staring at a geriatric gigolo ho was jamming out at the polka tent. He was dressed entirely in white, topped off with a straw hat, and he was asking every woman over 50 who was tapping their foot or clapping along to do him the honor of a dance. This guy had the moves! It was completely one of those moments that I wished I could capture with a picture. Film couldn't do it justice.

Besides the polka music, there are some other must-dos at the fair:
giant baked potatoes (WI is the nation's third largest products of potatoes)
$0.25 glasses of milk
the dairy barn
the exhibit hall (where you can watch live info-mercials for everything from mops to lamps)
snow cones (you name the flavors)And, if you ever visit the Wisconsin State Fair you must--and I mean absolutely must--have a cream puff (or maybe two!). They are the reason I went to the fair. And, because I'm not above sharing humiliating pictures of myself, I leave you with these shots of me enjoying a cream puff. Be jealous, my friends. Be very jealous.