Being Positive (WWWW)

After that little pity party over the condition of my house and lack of time, I think we'll go with something a little more upbeat today. I hope I didn't scare you off!!

Earlier in the week Crafty Chica made a post about what's going on with her and concluded it with a list of what she's groovin on. I did post a brief reply when she asked what her readers were groovin on too.

To continue that mood and show that I AM a positive person, I want to share what's making me happy (what I'm groovin' on)
-A clean and organized craft room
- LOML working up to play actual gigs (IN PUBLIC) again
- This recipe for a PB & J Parfait (these are the more healthy kind- yogurt, not ice cream)
- Re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in bed at night (albeit, a little too late into the night)
- Sneaking in some crafty time whenever I can
- Taking a trip to Hobby Lobby and then checking out the new Hancock Fabric store
- A clean house, mostly anyway
- Cleaning the house and cooking dinner with some GOOD jazz playing in the background (much more soothing than the tv I usually have on)
- Snacking on raw almonds (I've been obsessed with them for a few weeks now)
- You guys!! All of y'all stopping by here. Thanks!!

I hope you can see the positive parts of your life too!!

Let's do some "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday"!!

• Customizable, Kid-friendly browser. What a great idea. If you've got kids that wanna use the internet, this might be JUST the thing for you!!
  
• 21 movie posters made over with legos. I love movies and legos, so I thought this was cool!
  
• The drama button could very well be useful at some point. For now, it's just entertaining.
  
• Worst halftime shows
  
• The new economy cars

Now, let me know what kind of positive is going on in your life? What's making YOU happy right now?

Without a Safety Net (TRT)

I’ve discovered a secret. . .to get LOML to clean the house, invite people over. It's as simple as that.
He’s planning on having a few old bandmates over tonight to go through some music and possibly work up to some gigs. As such, we want the house to be ‘presentable’ enough for other people. Usually, it’s just livable.

So, when I got home yesterday, I was pleased to discover that he had DUSTED (awesome since I have a severe dust allergy), cleaned the kitchen, picked up the living room, and was working on de-gunking the fish tank. After dinner, I cleaned the litter box and cleaned up the dinner stuff while he VACUUMED the living room and hallway.

I hate to say it, but there’s still so much that needs to be done around the house and I just can’t seem to find the time to do it. Lately it has seemed as though life is a balancing act of what needs to be done and what has to be done. I know I need to keep my house in order enough so that we don’t become sick, overwhelmed, over stressed, and just plain gross; but I have other interests that I want to pursue as well. After work, I run by the store for any food items we need, come home and cook, eat dinner, and spend time with the hubby before it’s off to bed. Squeezing some craft time time into that schedule is hard enough. And, then there’s blogging in the mix. I want to share my daily life, I want to share some tips, some funnies, etc and I even have more to share for my other blog than you could imagine, but just getting this one done is quite a task to say the least.

I wanna know how other working women handle it. Those with kids have it even harder, I know. Do you have some sort of schedule of what chores to complete on what days so that it doesn’t all pile up? Do you have a certain day of the week that you do it all? Do you just know what the most pressing tasks are to get done and do those only? Where do you find the energy? Where do you find the time?

So, my question to you is: How do you perform that high wire act where you juggle all the stuff, keep your balance, and still reach the other side? Was there a class in high school I missed? Maybe an after school program? Or even a secret club I should have joined? How did you learn this and how do I learn it too?? Help me please, I want to regain my life and my house. Is it possible?

*****Disclaimer- I do NOT live in filth. I just don’t do things like dust and vacuum on a regular basis. Dishes get cleaned and clothes get washed, but I have difficulty finding time for other household chores.*****

As if that wasn't random enough, here's some "Totally Random Tuesday" bits:

• Minas Tirith recreated in matchsticks. (It's a Lord of the rings thing for those of you who are not on the geek level with me.)
  
• Odd grocery specials
  
• Mis-spelled college ads
  
• 21 office supplies too awesome to exist (some NSFW) -
  
• Twitter- how to get unfollowed.

That's all for now. But, seriously, if you've got some cleaning/time management tips and tricks, please leave me a comment. I's love to be able to have a clean house and still enjoy other activities. HELP!!

My Weekend (MMSM)

I am bound and determined to get a post up today. I think Monday's links are the best and I spent some time last week organizing all my saved links for y'all, so I want and NEED to share them.

First up, a review of the weekend.
Disappointingly, the Counting Crows concert we had tickets for at the Wharf was canceled Friday morning. I was grief-stricken over the news. However, LOML knew just how to console me- margaritas and Mexican food.
Saturday- I poured more of my grief into yard sale shopping. Unfortunately, there was little that caught my attention. We puttered around the rest of the day them met up with some friends for pizza and beers at Hopjacks. They have a few beer mixes- I chose and stuck with the Black and Blue (Guinness and Sweetwater Blue- two of my favorite beers). While you could pick up subtle hints of both beers, I had a hard time distinguishing my favorite parts of either: the rich, deep flavor of Guinness and the hint of blueberry in the Blue. Overall, it was a good mix, but I will probably just go with one or the other next time.
Sunday - After sleeping WAY TOO late, we had brunch and then I shop off to Mobile for a meeting. We lazed about the rest of the evening.

Alright, now that I've sufficiently bored you with the details of my weekend, let's move on to some "Made Me Smile Monday" lovelies:

• I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it before, but ever since I saw Swiss Family Robinson as a kid I've wanted a decked out treehouse. Maybe one day (*hint hint LOML*)
  
• Marilyn as a child
• Big buck article- make sure to read the caption -
  
• bad name for a boat
• String, not just for cats anymore. Seriously, GO LOOK at this one. It is fall on the floor funny!!!
  

S'alright- I've got a bunch to accomplish today at the house since some of Pat's friends are coming over tomorrow for band practice. I can't spend anymore time on here - plus I need to cook dinner and hope to get in a little craft time. I've got a pendant waiting to be collaged and I can't get it off my mind. I just wanna be crafty!!

Crafting With the Kids (ThTh)

SUCCESS!!

The craft-room clean-up mission was accomplished in record time. It's amazing what you can do when you really want it done. I've always said that I work best under pressure. (it's true)

When the girls got to my house (I told them the craft room was clean), they immediately wanted to craft. And, craft we did. They started painting the moment they walked in the door, we had trouble getting them to leave for dinner. With rain predicted for the whole weekend (ruining our plans to go to the beach) and them losing access to the Wii (it just caused problems), it was a good thing they like to craft.
So, what did we make?

• Basic painting on a canvas board (and then just paper) with acrylic paints
• Polymer clay beads, which were baked and strung on leather cord
• Tin can pencil holders
• Melt-and pour soap
• A collage

As far as their favorite activity, it was painting by a long shot. Yet, by the time they got home, they we anxious to show off their soap and tin cans. From what I hear, they've put both to good use.

Even after all of that, I was able to keep the craft room in order by decreeing that no new projects would be started until we put away the materials from other projects. It's such a relief to know that it was clean and has stayed that way. Hurray!!

I don't have much of an easy way to move on, but it's "Thrifty Thursday" and I'm ready to share some links:

• I really like the look of this DIY floating shoe rack
  
• Preserving clothes is one of the thriftiest things you can do, so here's a slideshow on how to get out some of summer's toughest stains
  
• Apparently, you can get free books on the iPhone and androids
  
• Haven't you ever wanted to cook a meal using just what you have in your kitchen, without having to run to the grocery store. With this new online tool, you can - just jump online and enter what you've got.

Mmmmm- crafting and talk of thrift, two of my favorites. I'm helping with the girls tonight, so I need to get to some other tasks so I can get over there in time. Later, y'all!!

A Tutorial on the Other Blog

I got a post up on the Fairy Creative site. It's a tutorial on my Thread and O-ring necklace. Enjoy!

Not the Kinda Thin I Wanna Be

You know that phrase 'being spread out too thin'? That's EXACTLY what I'm feeling right now. I made it through the long Mardi Gras society weekend: Sat- a bowling thing and Sun- a summer party at my mom's house (what all the gumbo was made for.) Fri night was spent with two of my best friends.

Tonight, LOML and I are having dinner with friends. Tomorrow, he has plans to meet with a friend. Thurs, I have plans for dinner and painting. Friday, the nieces are spending the night. Saturday, I'm celebrating a friend's birthday. GAH- too thin!!! My house needs some attention (the craft room especially), my husband needs some attention, the CAT needs some attention, and I (ME) need some attention.

I can't seem to get up in the mornings because I spend half the night thinking about all the other things I need to do. But, I really LOVE seeing my friends. I get really down in the dumps when I don't hear from them for a while. I feel ignored, unloved, and forgotten at those times. But, as well, times like these just wear me out.

I know I'm acting like a big baby and there could be worse things than having too many plans. I just want it ALL: a clean house, time to myself, time with friends, time with the hubby, time and energy to do it. I'm just spread too thin!!

I wish I knew how to say no sometimes, and also that I didn't have a tremendous guilt complex when I do say it. My biggest worry is the craft room. I would really like to have it clean when the girls come over on Friday. I wish there was some way I could trust that they could help me clean it. But, I know that won't happen. So, while hubby meets with his friend on Wednesday. I'm going to go into manic warp-speed to try and find the floor and surfaces of the craft room.

Since I missed out on yesterday, lemmie spread some smiles today:

• Tug o war
• bananas for sale
• free photo booth
  

So, that's where I'm leaving it: wishing for some more time to accomplish everything, being totally exhausted, and looking for an answer. Anybody got some suggestions?

New Recipes To Try (ThTh)

While I've still been hesitant to go into the craft room (it seriously needs some cleaning and organizing before I can really feel comfortable being creative in there), I've let my creativity spread to the kitchen.

The last few days I've done some serious recipe experimenting. And I'm proud to report that we've survived. I am a pretty strict recipe-follower, but there are those recipes that just plain fail for me. These have NOT!

First, on Tuesday I knew I wanted to make something different and new. I remember that I had received an intriguing daily recipe from My Recipes. I brought it up to LOML and he agreed. Looking over the recipe, I realized had everything but the pork chops for the Honey and Spice Glazed Pork Chops. That was easily and inexpensively remedied. And the results were out of this world good. I paired the sweet and savory chops with some broccoli, a sweet potato, and some fresh bread. SO GOOD!!This afternoon I got a craving for some granola so I pulled out my trusty granola recipe and set to work. LOML and I could barely let it cool before we were trying to devour the whole sheet. I was able to save a bit and am looking forward to having some for a snack tomorrow too!!

Several weeks ago, LOML pointed out a recipe he thought looked good and I bought most of the ingredients. But, with all the other stuff that's had my attention, it's not been a priority. Today he mentioned it again. So I made him some Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad for dinner. It was not near as nummy as the pork chops, but still very delectible and worth the time it takes to chop some of the ingredients. I did have a hard time finding the greek seasonings specified, but found a recipe to make that too. I don't think it was completely necessary as I misread the recipe and only put 1tsp instead of the 1Tbs. I did made some, and the extra spices I had to buy made it a bit more costly. I do recommend it though!

Let's get a few "Thrifty Thursday" links out here. And hey, there are all 'food' related too!!

• Inexpensive DIY Kitchen updates
  
• Make chicken stock like a pro
  
• Flexible casserole recipe
  
• 8 surprising uses for olive oil

Now, I'm gonna sit back and enjoy my 'dessert' of Rogue Mocha Porter before calling it a night.

Whew! Catching Up (TRT)

That was TOTALLY unintentional!! I had planned to blog but a whole host of other activities got in the way. I've been a busy girl:

First there was all the planning, shopping, packing, and driving to Grand Assembly in Birmingham. (Sorry Ben, I had NO free time to visit but would have loved to have seen y'all, trust me!!) Then there was the full weekend of Grand Assembly activities before heading home.

On the way home, I picked up half brother #2 (out of 3.) He and I got to pal around for two days (and go to the Harry Potter midnight showing) before the other two came for a visit. I also had the nieces that day. We had a blast and everyone got along so very well (see picture at top). Then brother #1 took #2 home while #3 got to stay for a few more days. Then, it was back to Verbena to take him home and a frantic drive back to Fairhope so I could have Margarita Friday with LOML.

The weekend was spent making gumbo with my mom and then a pool party at Wigenout's house for a Mobile Al Tweetup. Yes, it was a bunch of people who twitter relaxing in the pool and grilling out (that was before we started playing Rock Band.) Sunday was a complete day with LOML at last: brunch, the beach, dinner and beers, then another showing of Harry Potter (he hadn't seen it yet.)

It was back to the grind yesterday. And, I'm trying to get back in a routine today.Through all of that, I was as crafty as I could be: I made some handmade gifts for Grand Assembly and crafted at the beach the other day. Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of that as soon as I can get the craft room in order. I'm a little scared of it right now. REALLY!
It's "Totally Random Tuesday" so here's some of the internet I found interesting:

• creative puns for smart minds
  
• Daily routines of writers, artists, and other interesting people. I don't know why I find this so interesting. I guess it helps me see these individuals as just regular people too, not just superstars
  
• cat going to the moon

Okay, so that's long enough. I just NEED to get this posted. I'll be back ASAP.

Three Days for the Fourth (MMSM)

What a lovely little three-day weekend we had. Summary:

☼A full day of shopping to find a beautiful dress
☼Only a coupla margaritas (reduces the chance of suffering the next day, if you keep the number low)
☼Mama's Ribs, MawMaw's potato salad, and Ree's death by chocolate
☼Watermelon Jello shots
☼Two little girls who only seem to get along while they are in the water
☼Eight(at least) fireworks displays from a single spot on the beach
☼Pancakes the size of dinner plates (Mac & Jerry's in Robertsdale)
☼Breezy Fairhope Beach (me: crafting, LOML: windsurfing)
☼Italian food at the G place
☼The entertaining awkwardness that was the G-place's attempts to close
☼Retaining my 'cheap date' status with a trip to the bookstore
☼Losing that status with the purchase of 2 tickets for Transformers 2 (a TOTAL waste of money!!)
☼Starting the week off right by working out first thing!
☼A/C in the office!!

And now for some "Made Me Smile Monday":

• the hauntening (not scary at all, totally humorous)
  
• Ninja entry sign
  
• The beer prayer (would definitely be appropriate posted on my fridge right now)
  
• Animal testing for clothes
  

I hope your 4th was enjoyed as well; and hope that you and I have as smooth and fun a week!!

This Snuck Up on Ya (FGF)

BOO!!! Scared ya didn't I? I've been lurking just around the corner (out of sight) waiting for the perfect time to sneak up on you. Really!!

For a quick update: the storm has passed and Mawmaw's doctor has declared her to be CANCER FREE!! We've very pleased and excited. I thank all of you for your kind words, thoughts, prayers, good vibes, positive thoughts, and everything else. Whatever ya'll did - it worked!! I sincerely thank you.

Everything else has been crazy and crazy HOT around here. I'm just trying to make it through the days. Grand Assembly is coming up and I'm trying to find dresses, fit into dresses, and get some gifts done. I'm off work today and plan on doing some serious shopping (in the gosh darn heat that is Southern Alabama). Wish me luck!!

For now, here's some "Feel Good Friday"

• Maybe this just makes ME feel good, but check out these new images from the Walt Disney/ Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland.
  
• How about 50 summer crafts for kids.
  
• With the summer heat coming on, so are sunburns. Here (from Men's Health) is a list of how to beat the burn. I think this will work as well for women as for men.
• While thinking about sunburns, think about these 10 of the coolest places in the world to swim.
• Just fun- a Star Trek and Monty Python Mashup. He He he he
  

So that's it for now. Let's see if this will post since I started it yesterday and blogger is trying to argue with me about saving it.
Happy a Happy and Safe 4th of July!!

Update on Mawmaw

For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook or Twitter, I wanted to do a quick update on the status of my grandmother. Even if you do follow me there, I'm sharing a bit more here.

So, the surgery happened.During the process of the surgery, the surgeon and radiologist realized that the nuclear dye stuff they had injected was not moving into my grandmother's lymph nodes like it should. In fact, it was not moving into her lymph nodes at all. Basically, this meant that there was some blockage. This could either be caused by some swelling in her breast (from a bruise or the like) or be caused by having cancer filling up the nodes. As such, it was a best bet to go ahead and remove ALL her lymph nodes in that arm for testing. They should have the results of this test tomorrow, but her follow-up is not until Wednesday. So, we don't know on which of these days we'll get the news. Upon asking the surgeon what the next step would be if the lymph nodes are cancerous, he said that NORMALLY he would refer a patient for chemo. Unfortunately, because of my grandmother's age, the chemo therapists would most likely refuse to administer the treatment. So, we're hoping and praying that the lymph node tests are negative for cancer. I just hate the waiting. This whole process seems to be about waiting.

I've been spending a lot of time at my mom's house. In fact, Friday was the only night I have spent at my house since Monday. I miss LOML SO MUCH!! I miss my crazy cat. But, I can't bear to leave my mom and grandmother right now. It's such a tug-of-war. I'm taking it day by day right now.

SO, that's it for now. Tomorrow is Made Me Smile Monday and hopefully I'll be able to check in with some happier thoughts.
Til then!!