FOBTY: I can't give it all up....

We are having to tighten our belts with the budget. Jon's unemployment will run out next week (extended only a week because he didn't get it one week because he didn't look for work). Add in a week unpaid furlough at my company (which I will take in July), repairs on the house, and a planned vacation to Vegas, and it's getting really tight around here.
So, we give up some things. I've reduced going out for lunch and tried to reduce the amount we go out for dinner. I am trying to cut back on my scrapbooking hobby. But now that I fell back in love with it, I can't seem to cut back on my knitting, especially my knitting groups. Sock Club (fortunately usually only $5 every 2 weeks), Ladies Night Out ($10/month), Cat Bordhi Sock-A-Long (free-yay!) and the Mystery Afghan (free as well thankfully) are becoming constants in my life. But with those store trips for those groups comes..... MORE YARN. But I need it - the sense of companionship and togetherness, creating something useful, appreciating each others' work.

The other thing I am doing is trying to get a design gig, which might help pay for my hobby expenses and a few other things while times are tight. I figure it is at the very least a way to cut back on my scrapbooking purchases since I will be designing my own stuff. (Alas, my wish lists at the Sweet Shoppe and other stores still continue to grow....) So I am working hard at this contest at Funky Playground. So far, I have made it through 2 rounds and I just turned my assignment in for the 3rd round. I'm nervous every time, but we started with 66 entries and now there are only 20 of us (there were 21, but it appears one dropped out as they did not turn in the last assignment). But I love the excitement of seeing my stuff downloaded. Here are the previews of what I submitted so far:
Round 1: Love My Dog


Round 2: Pleasant Valley Sunday (Color Challenge)

And the Add-on for it:


Round 3: DaDooDaddies (Extraction/Recoloring Elements)


Please go to the Funky Playground for some free Scrapping Monkey Design products while supplies last! (edited as the FP site was revised)

Easter Candy & More

For the FOBTY this week:

You Are a Chocolate Bunny

A traditionalist, you secretly want to dress up like a bunny. And not just on Easter.

What Easter Candy Are You?

So interesting things have been happening to me in the digi world. First, a bit ago I snagged a proofing position at My Scrapbook Art's new newsletter/magazine Flourish. The initial release will be made soon and while I didn't do much editing this go 'round (the writer I was paired with did not turn her article), I still like I've contributed and can't wait to do more.
Also, I decided to join the contest "Capture The Flag" over at Funky Playground Designs. The contest is for designing digital scrapbooking kits & products. So I made a kit for Round 1 (out of 4 rounds) called "Love My Dog": http://www.funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14173
Well, I made it past the first round - there were 66 entries and only 30 made the cut and I was one of them. So here I sit trying to design a kit for Round 2. Of course I am limited by the fact that I all but broke my left hand last night. Ugh. Hurts like crazy.

TV Show Dedication

There's not a lot of shows I've seen every episode of - if I do it's usually because they were short-lived shows, lol. Here are 5 shows I believe I've seen every episode of:
Life On Mars

Kyle XY

Heroes

Roswell

Quantum Leap


As you can tell there's a theme running there - shows where the science fiction meets the everyday "normal" existence. While I love sci-fi by itself and I like many other shows (including reality, dramas and comedies), these are the ones I gravitate towards. Other shows I've probably watched every episode of: My Name Is Earl, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, America's Best Dance Crew, Felicity, Life and many others I can't remember right now...

FOBTY - MySpace?

I was reading this week's FOBTY - are you Facebook, MySpace or Twitter - question just as the TV was talking about how Twitter can help a job search. Weird. At any rate, here are my results...

You Are MySpace

You are young ... or at least you feel like you are. You are drawn to musicians and artists. You are proud of who you are. Your quirks are an asset, and you flaunt them! You are attracted to shiny things, and you aren't afraid of a little bling. You're stubborn enough to stick to what your like, even if falls out of fashion.

Are You Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter?

Of course I do none of those things, just Ravelry, My Scrapbook Art and Sweet Shoppe

Just me, Plain Vanilla

My husband loves vanilla, so I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise...

You Are Vanilla

You are a delightful, friendly person. You are optimistic about life and people. You are enthusiastic and energetic. You enjoy everything you do. You are cooperative and flexible. You get along with people from many walks of life. You're not a show off. Instead, you're more likely to help other people shine.

Are You Chocolate or Vanilla?

Yeah, lol....

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time (FOBTY)

Ah, yes! It's that time of year again. Cadbury Creme eggs are out in the stores and the Girl Scouts are selling their delicious wares. Having been a former Girl Scout myself, I feel obligated to buy the cookies. I've been able to avoid it so far this year, but I have had a couple of the cookies. My traditional favorite was once known as Samoas; now they are called Caramel De-Lites. I love the gooey caramel and chewy bits of coconut, and the drizzles of chocolate. I've also like the lemon cookies over the years, but they are hard to find. I am looking forward to trying out the Dulce De Leche cookies.
Ok, now that I'm hungry, I think I will just have to find those Girl Scouts and buy up thise cookies....

FOBTY/Flowers

Your Orchids Say You're Very Elegant

You are exotic and intricately beautiful. You possess a unique grace that's both delicate and strong. You are thoughtful and refined. You are the definition of class. Some people may find you unapproachable, but it's only their lack of confidence speaking.

What Do The Flowers You Pick Say About You?

Yeah, I wish....

FOBTY: Some birthday Trivia

For FOBTY this week, we needed to come up with some birthday trivia. Here's a few things I found:

Until quite recently, most Japanese children used to celebrate their birthdays on January 1st, regardless of which day of the year they were actually born on. Today however, most Japanese children celebrate on their actual birthdays.

The earliest birthday parties in history were held because people thought that evil spirits would visit them on their birthdays. They stayed close to their family and friends for protection. Later, parties became social gatherings where friends and family would bring gifts or flowers to the person having their birthday.

Interesting, huh?

FOBTY for this week

Here is the "birthday" FOBTY:

You Are an Introvert

You take life as it is, and you find happiness in a variety of things. You tend to be close to family and friends. But it's hard to get into your inner circle. Making the little things wonderful is important to you, and you probably have an inviting home. You seek harmony with others, but occasionally you have a very stubborn streak. Your strength: Your intense optimism Your weakness: You shy away from exploring your talents Your power color: Jade Your power symbol: Flower Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

I think it's interesting that this thing is pretty close to my personality and traits - well, except the part about the inviting home - however inviting it is is thanks to Jon. And who knows about the power symbol or month? Hopefully June is a power month this year - that was my original termination date and that's the month of the Relay.
So, it's 4 in the morning now and I woke up with a killer headache a half hour ago. I'm getting tired of waking up with neck and head aches. Really tired. Sigh.

My (FOBTY) word is...

Your Word is "Think"

You see life as an amazing mix of possibilities, ideas, and fascinations. And sometimes you feel like you don't have enough time to take it all in. You love learning. Whether you're in school or not, you're probably immersed in several subjects right now. When you're not learning, you're busy reflecting. You think a lot about the people you know and the things you've experienced.

What's Your Word?

I guess that's true. I guess that's why I have so many different hobbies, and yet I still want to do so much more.

Bad Blogger! and FOBTY

Yeah, I've been a bad blogger. Sigh.
On to the FOBTY for this week. The topic this week, as SSD celebrates their third birthday (YAY!), is birthday memories. I don't remember most of my birthdays. Seriously, my memory gets worse every year, too.
One of my most memorable birthdays (and my favorite) was, unsurprisingly, my 16th birthday. Usually the celebrations are centered around family, but this year was an exception. For my 16th, I invited a few of my friends to go with me (with of course Mom driving) to eat out at Chi Chi's. I remember we also went out to a mall to go shopping. And what did I get for myself - typical me, I went for the music and got Kiss "Animalize" with the song "Heaven's On Fire". Oh yeah, one of the quintessential hair bands on cassette tape - how much more stereotypical 80's can you get? And no, I did not get my license that day. I got it later (I failed the first time).
I also remember spending my 20th birthday in Hong Kong - where I was completely legal (hehehe). I remember eating at a Buddhist restaurant, where I had my first tofish - um, yeah, a fish made of tofu. Then we went out to a kind of cool club. I say kind of because we didn't stay long. I started to feel really ill thanks to the fish oil. Unfortunately I ended up getting sick - really sick - in the back of a taxi cab on the way back to campus. But you know, I would still not have traded that experience.
Of course, I do remember my last birthday - number 40. It was the day after the nasty September windstorm/hurricane. I took the day off to have some fun. Hmmm, fun was the last thing Mother Nature had in mind. I spent my birthday evening with no power, drinking wine, listening to old time radio on my new Zune, and going to bed early after a long day of cleaning up.
Just a couple of memories of birthdays - funny how I remember the bad ones more than the good (I won't recollect my 27th birthday disaster right now)....

FOBTY and apologies

You Are a Reluctant Shopper

You really don't enjoy shopping. For you, it's just another chore. You approach shopping systematically. You research what you're going to buy and come prepared with a list. Of all the types, you are the most likely to not buy things you don't need. You try to de-emphasize stuff in your life. You find shopping and buying things to be a rather empty experience.

What Kind of Shopper Are You?

OK so I've been really bad about blogging or posting my photo of the day, but at least I have been taking at least a photo a day. I think I'll have to wait until the weekend to get caught up on those. Sigh. Between work, exercising and American Idol viewing, I just haven't gotten around to it....

Day 8-10 Catch Up

So, even though I haven't posted for a few days, I have been keeping up on my Project 365 photos, taking at least one photo (but usually more) a day. As a result, it's catch-up time.

Day 8 - Nine Years



Today, nine years ago, Jon and I first met at Numbers. Jon always ends up reminding me several days in advance. He knows I'm forgetful about dates, etc. But this one has stuck - we celebrate, at least with acknowledgement, this date every year, like an anniversary. I made him a little card, and he sent me a photo he took that day - little things like that are how we celebrate. Hard to believe we've been together nearly a decade though.

Day 9 - Knitting



Today was my Ladies Night Out - basically we get to go to the yarn store at night, eat a little food (usually tasty soups, bread and some kind of dessert), and sit around chatting and knitting for several hours. I almost forgot about it - in the morning because I overslept, I rushed out the door with no thought to it. When I remembered later in the day, I reminded Jon (who also forgot) so he could make his own dinner (leftover lasagna). But then I had to stop by home anyways to pick up a couple of knitting projects to work on. I picked up my blanket and the scarf I'm working on for Mom. I ended up working on the scarf the whole time. Jon called in the middle of it and wanted me to bring home ice cream (he usually does when I go to Ladies Night Out).

Day 10 - Frustration



I had planned on working on de-caulking and re-caulking the bathroom. But you know what they say about best laid plans. First off, Jon wanted me to wait until he took a shower - that didn't happen until almost 12:30pm. Off to a late start. I let it dry a half hour and then start going at it. I'm doing it about 15-20 minutes and get about 2 inches de-caulked - the tool breaks on me. Grrrr. Off to Lowes about 2pm to get a new one as well as some other supplies. Stop at the grocery store briefly to get a few things for dinner. Start de-caulking up again around 4pm - I go at it for about 25 minutes - only another couple of inches de-caulked and my neck and back are hurting. There must be an easier way - I'm so frustrated! I look online for anything to soften the caulk to make it easier to remove. There is and I order it. But that means another week without this project getting done. Sigh.

Day 8 and a Snow Test

Your Snow Test Says You're Independent

You feel like something good will happen to you in the next few months. You have an amazingly strong work ethic. You are likely to be very successful in life. You are an independent, individualistic person. You thrive when you're doing your own thing. Your biggest worry in life is your family. You stay up at night thinking about them. When it comes time to relax, you really indulge. You are all about your favorite comforts.

The Snow Test

Day 7

So I was at work today and was kind of bored. It's really more that I didn't want to work today. I'm burnt out - Sunday through Tuesday I worked 34 hours and I think I just want a break from it all. And I'm tired. Dragging my feet, sinuses acting up, etc. etc.
I'd rather be scrapping instead of being at work. So I went out during my "lunch" break. But first, I had to scrape the snow and ice off my car (thus my Day 7 pic). Then I went to Aveda and scheduled my haircut and eyebrow waxing appointment. And I popped over to Borders and looked at knitting books and magazines. I was looking for the knitting book for a knit-along "class" I was hoping to take. No luck. I also promised myself I could not buy a knitting magazine until I finish at least one project. Then it was back to work.
Jon and I got in fight tonight - he was depressed about a number of things (being unemployed, issues with the unemployment checks, tension between he and his father, feeling bored, being in pain) and got in my face about how late we were going to have dinner because of how late I got home. Of course I blew up at him. When he wined it had been 11am since he last ate, I told him that was not my fault, he was a big boy and he could get a snack by himself during the day. After a bit he apologized and we talked through things. He is really depressed and today was just a boiling point day.

Day 6 - A Little Late....

So here is the Day 6 photo. This is what time I arrived yesterday morning to the Community Center gym. Yes, the workouts have begun. It went okay, but this morning was a bust as I did not even wake up until 6:30am. I do need to get a new bathing suit if I'm going to use the pool there. I am hoping to take some yoga classes as well, starting Sunday. But the journey of exercise has begun again....

Day 5 My New Mantra?

Mom gave us this plaque for Christmas. It is so appropriate and necessary as I continue to struggle with workload and stress levels. I need to make this more part of my daily attitude. Seriously. I need to let go more. I need to appreciate the things I’ve got going on rather than focusing on the negative. I listen to others around me griping about how bad the close is, or communications and I find myself doing the same sometimes. I need to get out of doing that - it is not productive. So focus on the positive - like the Longhorns winning the Fiesta Bowl - woohooo!!!

Day 4 - Work, Work, Work

It's a Sunday (well, technically speaking it's now Monday) and I basically worked all day. Got up at 5:30am, worked until 8:30am, started back up at 12:30pm then worked until 5:45pm, started back up at 6:45pm and worked until 12:30am. There's something wrong with working a 14-hour workday on your day off isn't there? That doesn't include the several hours I worked Saturday. I'm really tired of this, truly tired - mentally and physically. Didn't grocery shopping done, didn't go to the community center gym, didn't work on the home, etc. At least I was able to get some laundry done as well as get my errands complete Saturday. I just want these long hours to end....

Starting my Project 365 & New Year's Resolutions

So, this year I've decided to the Project 365. I'm also going to try to blog every day, using the Project 365 as my excuse to do so. No, this is not one of my resolutions this year - it's just something I want to do. Since I'm slow to start this on the blog (though I've already started my first 3 daily photos more timely), I'll recap the first 3 days.

Day 1


So this represents one of my resolutions this year. Here are my resolutions:
1. Eat more vegetables daily
2. Exercise at least 1 1/2 hours each week
3. Find a new (hopefully better) job
4. Get back to drinking more water
5. Finish at least 4 knitting projects that were already started prior to 2009

Obviously 1,2, and 4 are going to help me continue my weight loss journey and moving toward a healthier lifestyle. The third one, well, is just plain necessary - while I've found a new position in my company that might allow me to be employed beyond June 30th (my original layoff date), I'm not holding my breath that it will stick or that I will be happy with it. So the job hunt will continue, but with a focus on being happier and less stressed. And the fifth, well, let's just say I'm terrible at completing projects and I really want to get some of these lingering projects done once and for all.

Day 2


This is bad boy Memphis. Two days in a row he has been in a heap of trouble. Thursday he chewed up Harley's toy so that it doesn't squeak anymore - a toy my mom got her for Christmas only a week before. Harley loved that toy and is missing it. Friday, while Jon and I were talking in another room, Memphis went into the kitchen and got his front legs on the counter and proceeded to grab some of the salami I had cut up for our dinner. At first I was afraid he had gone up near the stove, near the pot of boiling water - scary. But then I was upset because there was a large sharp knife right next to the salami which he could have knocked over and hurt himself with - almost as scary. We don't know what's causing this sudden outburst of particularly bad behaviour, but we clearly let him know he was a bad boy each time - and he pouted and moped as much as a dog can. Since I was already in a poor mood because of work issues (yeah, ask me to train me during the middle of my close for 5 hours - see how happy I am), I was not forgiving him too easily.

Day 3


So the day isn't over yet, but I am definitely saying goodbye to 2008. I took down the Christmas tree finally, and this shows the 2008 ornaments before I took them down. We are really hoping that 2009 will be a better year. We even ate our black-eyed peas this year just in case the superstition works (we didn't do it last year and we had a crappy year for the most part).

So now, I just need to keep up on this, hopefully every day.