This Blog is Closed for the Season

Hi all! I'm not going to quit blogging. I've just shifted focus to my new blog. Come visit over there. Lots of excitement in our lives!!!

I'm back! Did ya miss me?

I'm still here! I've missed the blogosphere. I've been away entirely too long. I can't wait to catch up with all of you on my blogroll. I really missed the cathartic rush you get from sharing your life with the world in tiny bite-sized pieces. So here's the fast food drive-thru version of what's been going on in my world during the time I was MIA from Blogville:

The store that I manage has been sold. We got five minutes notice before we met the new owners, five men who wandered around the store speaking Urdu and not even telling us their names. I was totally freaking out! I didn't know if I'd still have a job, if my wages or hours were going to be cut, or what would happen. Turns out, our store is now owned by one of those men and his wife. They're very nice, easy to get along with, and I still have a job. In fact, other than losing my insurance and vacation, my job is better. I'm actually a "manager" now. Previously, that title just meant I'd been there the longest. All decisions were made at the home office. Now, I order product, set prices, sign vendor contracts, and set up store accounts. I actually kind of enjoy it.

I've also (as previously mentioned) begun a new business venture. I'm not technically allowed to tell you what it is in this forum, but my previous posts might give it away. Anyway, it's going great. I only work as hard as I want to, and it's a lot of fun. Plus, I net a little spending cash, too. I'm having a lot of fun with it.

I made MVP on pool league again. Go me! (Sorry, but if I can't brag here, where can I?) Our ladies' team decided not to play this summer so I've joined another team where I'm the only female. It's quite a switch. Now if we can get to the point where they don't get that deer-in-the-headlights look and stammer an apology everytime they let a curse word slip, I think we'll get along great.

Bryan just got a raise and was made assistant manager at his job. He really likes it, but he's still hoping to go back to school one of these days. We both dream of one day having a career instead of just a job. Maybe we'll make it before we retire. :)

So that's it in a nutshell. Wait, not a nutshell. More of an eco-friendly, biodegradable, non-styrofoam, drive-thru container. Thank you and proceed to the next window!

I'm Still Here!

Hey all, I'm still around. I've just been incredibly busy. I'm still working the two jobs, and my full time job sent me to work in another store (about an hour away) last week. Now I've taken on a new business venture, and I've just been so tired lately, all I have the energy for when I get online is a little web Sudoku before I drop into bed and fall unconscious. It's getting better now, though, and I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I make my last car payment this month (yippee!!!) and I'm strongly considering getting rid of that second job of mine. I may have weekends off soon!!! Anyway, I'm just posting this small entry to let everyone know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I have tomorrow afternoon off, and I'll post a more extensive entry then to let you all know what I've been up to.

BTW, thank you so much to Martha for checking on me. It made me feel really good to see that message and know someone noticed my absence. Hugs to you, girl! I'm looking forward to catching up one everyone else's blogs tomorrow. Until then . . .

I've fallen a little behind in the blogging and the scrapping world lately. I've been a little down, a little tired, and a lot lazy. About all I've done on the computer the last few days is sudoku. I'll be doing some pages soon, though. I have some new pics of my friend Amber's little tiny baby. She's the absolute cutest!!

My mom had a Pampered Chef party last week. I love those! The kitchen shows are so much fun, and their products are so cool. I want everything but of course I can't afford it. I've been thinking about becoming a consultant. Right now, I'm working two jobs for a total of about 55-60 hours a week, and I really would like to get rid of my part-time gig. I like that job (bartending) but I kind of want to remember what it's like to have just one job. I think I'd enjoy doing the Pampered Chef thing, but I'm so wishy-washy about committing to things like this. Don't get me wrong, if I did sign up, I'd get after it whole-heartedly, but it's the initial decision that I have trouble with. I must have talked myself into and out of it about 100 times by now. I'm going to a meeting tomorrow night with the consultant director who did Mom's party. I guess we'll see what happens. If any of you lovely ladies out there have ever done this, or know someone who has, please let me know what you think. I'd love to talk to someone who's sold PC before, who can tell me the good and the bad. Understandably, the director I've been talking to says there is no bad, but she obviously has a stake in whether I sign up or not. I'd like to hear an objective opinion.

So anyway, Hubby's back to work now. He's actually got two part-time jobs. He likes that because it's pretty flexible. We're are subsequently finally climbing out of the financial hole we've been in. We're still not in the clear, but there is daylight visible.

That's about all that's been going on here lately. I'll blog tomorrow night about the Pampered Chef meeting and let you all know how it goes. Until next time...

How embarrassing!

I just realized that ever since I started this blog, I've had a typo in the text under my header. And to think, I used to be an editor of my college magazine!!

I'm a good little bleeder!

So I went to give blood yesterday. Our city was having a blood drive called "Battle of the Badges." It was a friendly little competition between the police dept. and the fire dept. to see who could get the most friends and family members to donate. I am a very proud daughter of a HFD Battalion Chief, so I just had to go do my part for the firemen.

When the lady gave me the little squeezy ball thing and started drawing my blood, she said, "You've got a really good vein, so this won't take long." Well she was right. The little hand out they give you said it would take 6 to 10 minutes to draw the blood. About four and a half minutes later she said, "You're done! Stop squeezing!" They got me all disconnected and a little old lady volunteer came over to 'help' me over to the cantina. She asked me if I wanted her to carry my purse, and I was thinking, Lady, I'm not sure you could even lift my purse! I wasn't the least bit dizzy or lightheaded, but I was a good girl and I ate my cinnamon roll and sat there the required 15 minutes. Giving blood is one of those rare situations where being a nice sturdy girl is really an advantage. There was this little bitty skinny thing there who'd finished giving blood about the time I got in the screening line, and she nearly passed out about three times. I've never had that problem.

The Red Cross seriously needs to check into changing the tape they use to bandage you after you give blood. When I took it off my arm, about three layers of skin came with it. That hurt ten times as much as that needle! Even today -- nearly 24 hours later -- I still have a big red welt in the exact shape as that stupid tape! It's all sore like a burn. Is that much sticking power really necessary to hold that tiny piece of guaze?? Really??

So hubby's going back to work tomorrow. I'm so happy! I hope it doesn't make his ankle too sore, but if we had to live on just my paycheck for much longer, we'd be in serious trouble! We're still waiting to hear on the job he interviewed for, so don't uncross those fingers just yet!

My best friend, Teri, is trying to get me to sign up for a Yoga class at the Y with her. I'm not sure about it. I'd love to do yoga, but I'm not sure I'm keen on learning yoga in front of all of those people I don't know. I've never really been famous for my grace. =) I guess we'll see what happens. She's going to put Leah in gymnastics and soccer, so I'm excited about all of the cute photos I'll get to scrap.

Well, I've been working on this post forever, so I suppose it's time to wrap it up. Until next time...

I've been tagged!

Thank you Shannon for tagging me!

What were you doing 10 years ago? - I was 17, and a senior in high school. Getting ready to graduate, working on the yearbook, getting ready to move out of my parents house, working at McDonalds.

What were you doing 1 year ago? I was a newlywed, telling myself I really needed to get to work on those thank you notes!

Five snacks you enjoy: Chocolate Creme Oreos, Double Vanilla Ice Cream, Cheese-Its (Cheese Nips need not apply. They're no substitute), Brownies, and Doritos with Tex-Mex Sour Cream

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics: "Dark Lady" by Cher, "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton, "Stay" by Lisa Loeb, "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" by Dean Martin, "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra

Five bad habits: Smoking (I know, I know! No preaching please!) Junk food, CAFFEINE!, waiting until the last possible minute to put gas in my car, getting on the computer before I've got everything else done.

Five things you like doing: Scrapping blogging and blurfing (I count that as one), going to football games, playing pool, beading, hanging out with my friend's little girl, Leah.

Five things you would never wear, buy or get again: Barbeque Pringles, Crocs rubber clogs, bras from walmart, a Wet-Dry Electric Shaver, Pantene anything (it makes me itch!)

Five favorite toys: My computer, my Rebel, my DVR, my camping equipment, and Photoshop!

Five people I want tagged: Emily, Susan, Lisa, Cassie, and Kim! Enjoy ladies!

What a week!!

I've been neglecting my blogging and blurfing lately. I know, and I'm sorry. It's just that things have been rather hectic around here, what with working, working my second job, and nursing my invalid hubby. Tonight is the first time I've been able to spend all evening on the computer the way I'm used to. I got this birthday card for SBB done tonight. They are putting together a book of these that everyone can browse and download. With everything that's been going on, this is about the only part of SBB's birthday-week festivities I've been able to participate in. I must be tired. I keep ending sentences with prepositions. Sue me. =)

An update on hubby: His ankle's healing nicely. The swelling finally went down Wednesday, and he's been able to get along on just one crutch. This is a good thing, because he isn't very graceful on those crutches anyway. (lol!) In the true spirit of Murphy's Law, this week while he was laid up, he got calls from all of the temp agencies wanting to put him to work. It just figures that when work finally becomes available, he can't take it. There is good news, though. He is going to try to go back on the schedule at his regular job Monday, and today he had not one, but two interviews. Thursday he applied for a full-time job and they called him for an interview this morning. Then a couple of hours after he got home, they called him back for a second interview this afternoon. I think things look good that they'll hire him, and they already know he can't start until he heals, and they seem to be okay with that. *Keeping fingers crossed!

More good news: My best friend, Teri, is moving, and her new house is just three doors down from mine. I'm way stoked! I'll get to hang out with them all the time (even more than I do now, if that's possible) and her little girl, Leah, can walk down to visit Aunt Miranda and Uncle Bryan any time she wants! Awesome!

Well, this post is packed with just about all of the good news I can think of right now. Good news posts are so much more fun than bad news posts, dontcha think?? So anyway, that's all for now, and with a little luck, there will be a Good-News-Hubby-Got-The-Job post on the way soon!

What a long night!

We spent most of the night at the ER last night. My dh hurt his ankle at work, and by the time he got home, it was really swollen. It just got more painful as the evening wore on, so we decided we should go and have it looked like. I was afraid he may have broken something, because the outside of his ankle was swollen to the size of a grapefruit! We went to the emergency room and luckily they weren't very busy. Even so, after answering the same questions about a hundred times, a few X-Rays, and two and a half hours, they sent us home with some crutches. Turns out he has an evulsion fracture of the fibula. The doctor said sometimes when the tendons and ligaments are strained badly enough, they actually pull off a little chip from the bone. It sounds worse than it is, though, because they just treat it like a bad sprain. Unless, of course, the radiologist finds something more on the X-Ray.

The worst part about all of this, is Hubby just went back to work after a long lay-off. Now he can't work because he's on crutches. So, hopefully he heals really quickly because we need his paycheck to keep coming in. I've got my fingers crossed.

I did another page for the Scraplift Blog. You can see Michelle's inspirational page here. The papers and elements are from a kit I made called "Vivid." Fonts are Courier, Technical, Cuckoo, Carpenter ICG, Heather, HansHand, Lucida Handwriting, Pegasus, and Korinna.