Day 10...

I got nothing for today. Nada. Cold and rainy. Not a summer thing anywhere for me (although the Geberas are still making me smile when I see them). And the not so fun week keeps rolling on. My "rolling with the changes" muscles are getting a great work out this week. But I'll keep rolling and keep doing my best to smile.

I wonder what Day 11 will bring...

Days 6, 7, 8 and 9…and my 100th blog post

Well it’s been a less than stellar few days (just those days where nothing goes right no matter how on your game you are) with very little summer inspiration, but I’ve been able to laugh it off (mostly). So here’s the summer days recap…

Day 6 – first summer cookout in honor of my friend’s daughter’s graduation from high school. Way too hot and way too humid = not feeling too well for this pasty white chick. In bed by 7:00 and slept all the way through.

Day 7 – Serious summer thunder storm with threats of tornadoes! After going to the gym and running the couple errands we had, we got home before the storm hit and just before the cable/internet kicked out and hunkered down for an NCIS-Los Angeles marathon to catch up on this season.

Day 8 – Off to a seriously bad start with the big guy Enzo scaring us by not getting up and having an accident in his bed. I know he’s getting old and that every day is a gift, but I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for when it’s his time. But he was better as the morning progressed and a reprieve has been granted us. However, the day never really got any better and as long as you can accept that it won’t, it was survivable. And a brownie with coffee ice cream and raspberry syrup goes a long way to making up for some of the not-fun things.

Day 9 – A beautiful spring day! 72 degrees with a nice breeze and sun! The perfect day and what I would love for most of the summer. My Gerbera Daisies are blooming and I love the color! I posted some pictures of my other flowers on Flickr today which always makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something. And although the week is continuing on in the manner of Monday, there were some things that went right today (meeting with the estate attorney and a “pup” that’s feeling a bit better today) and for that I am grateful.

I feel like I should do or say something momentous to commemorate this blogging milestone, but since I’m really the only reader here (except for those few who somehow find their way here and wonder why I even bother with this given my sporadic posting) I think it would be a bit pretentious. So I think I’ll just show a quick recap of life’s happenings since I started this little blog.

• I moved back to my house after getting divorced and living with my Dad and sister while it was going on so I didn't displace my stepdaughter until they had a new place to live.
• I became a total blog addict...I love reading them and I follow more than I can count. Some for inspiration, some for art, some for the people who write them. I love how big...and small...the world can be.
• Lots of scrapbooking, classes and conventions. Most of the time spent with very good friends who share the same lovely hobby.
• The beginning of me and John and the life we are building.
• Began my love affair with Flickr and having a place to put my favorite pictures.
• I've lost two loved ones - my Dad and my Grandfather. Two of the best men I have ever known and the rocks I relied on the past many years. I was blessed to have them in my life and I treasure the time I was able to spend with them.
• I added a super cute little Smart car to the driveway! Love it still!
• I've been blessed by a crazy good investment that actually grew in these horrible economic times that paid for that little car and a new roof (coming soon!).
• My cousin was kind enough to give me another niece! Little Miss Brenna Diane. Named after my mom. Makes my heart hurt...
• I've spent lots of good times with the little ones in my life. There is nothing like the wonder that is a child and the way they see the world.
• I've learned some good life lessons.
• I was laid off completely unexpectedly and in a rather not nice manner. And I survived and grew from it.
• I've started a new job in a new field and I am enjoying the experience.
• I've started exercising fairly regularly.
• John and I went to Disney for a fabulous week. It's also where we got engaged. At Animal Kingdom. At the main gate. At park opening. Enough said. LOL!
• We've taken a couple road trips to Maine to plan a wedding. And now we're dreaming of retiring there.
• I've joined the texting generation and can finally see it's use. Still think it's WAY overused, but there is definitely a good side to it.
• I've won some cool scrapbooking goodies as a result of my silly blog addiction.
• We added a little bulldog to our family. Princess Olive Mae Wigglebottom now rules the roost!
• I've actually done some paid teaching of scrapbook classes. It's a good thing to share my hobby and it's been fun.
• I've become a lover of all things from Etsy. I just love browsing all the beautiful things people create. This month I purchased my first custom orders and LOVE that there are people out there with talents I don't possess who are willing to help me create a dream.
• I graduated to a big girl camera. And some day I'll actually learn how to really use it!
• I took some mad money and fed my Coach bag habit. LOVE the 2 new bags and they make me smile every time I use them. Now that's a good investment!
• I honored the 20th anniversary of my mother's passing.
• I dealt with an unexpected appearance of my "real" father with as much grace as I could muster and I'm proud of myself for handling it.
• We experienced some vandalism at the house (cable wires cut) and a couple of car accidents that ended up on our property.
• I tried lots of new recipes and found a few favorites. I still have a ton more I want to try.
• I've tried to live each day with an attitude of gratitude and to roll with the changes. I've done my very best to not sweat the small stuff and I think I'm doing good at it. I've celebrated the blessing that is my relationship with John and made my peace with relationships that will never be what I had hoped or what they could be. I have learned to live and let go. I have grown. I hope that I continue to grow. I want to enjoy the ride.

To anyone who actually reads this, thank you! I hope you’re enjoying your 100 days of summer and that your week is better than mine. And if not, let's meet somewhere for a picture of margaritas!

Day 5...

The best summer inspiration today came in the form of news from the new boss that:

(a) I could leave an hour early today

(b) In a couple weeks, I can leave a few hours earlier on Friday....just because!

and (c) Starting mid-July we will be having regular "summer hour Fridays" for the rest of the season!

Yippee!!!! Time to make some plans...

And tomorrow is a big day. I'll be making my 100th post!!! Finally!!!

Day 4...

In celebration of the start of summer...Olive got a really good shower today. Lots of scrubbing and now she's all pretty and cranky. :) And covered in little red bumps where she was shaved for the pain patches, so we'll be calling the vet for a visit.

I got to have lunch at my new favorite restaurant near work...3. I love when clients come into town for meetings! And the boss had me drive him there in the Smart car to see if he'd fit - he was 6' 4". And he did. No one wants to believe how much room there is in that little car!

Day 3...

Today I broke out the new white sandals and embraced summer! I love that I can wear jeans and cute shoes to work! The picture was taken with the fab new application I got for my cellphone - FX camera. I LOVE the look of Polaroids and this has some fun options! I took almost all the pictures of our recent trip to Camden, Maine with this app and the pictures are great! I'll be sharing them soon!

And I got to save my summer idea from yesterday for a day that I have no inspiration for. Bonus!

Day 2...

Nothing summer inspiring here today...muggy, thunderstorms and just a Monday masquerading as a Tuesday! :)

But you know, thunderstorms are very summery and I'm going to go with it. I got up at 2:00 am (with a little help from Enzo) and got to see the spectacular light show nature put on. And then I calmed the big guy down and went back to sleep through the rest of it. The storm this afternoon was mostly just noisy.

I have a good idea for tomorrow. I hope I can get it done.

Long time, no post and 100 Days...

It's been a crazy few months.

• New job in a new (sort of) field. And I think it's going to be good.
• Serious accidental injury to little Miss Olive that consumed a month of our lives.
• LOTS of wedding planning.
• A lovely weekend in Camden, Maine to finalize said wedding planning.
• Fun and wonderful engagement photography shoot with Sierra Kristen Photography.
• Many, many pictures taken with my many cameras.
• New family phone plan for John and I (BIG step!) and cool new smartphones...and texting.
• Some serious yard work being done in reclaiming the pretty that used to be here.
• Actually going to the gym on a regular basis...and enjoying it.
• Making peace with some changes in friendships and the ups and downs in these relationships.
• Serious decisions made about the house we live in now and where we want to retire.

Those about sum up the what's been going on.

And for what's happening now... I'm going to try to inspire regular posting with documenting my 100 days of summer 2010. Maybe this simple concept can help me build a good habit of regular posting and documenting life. Maybe not. But I'm committed to trying.

To kick off Summer 2010, John and I did LOTS of yard work this weekend (36 bags of mulch spread over Saturday and Sunday and one of the major garden beds was weeded). And for the first unofficial day of summer, we put the grill into use and had a lovely dinner. And I planted many, many seeds in hopes of a small garden, some sunflowers and some cosmos.

I wonder what I can do tomorrow that will be summer inspired?

Still waiting...and regrets...

I've two wonderfully productive days helping a friend do inventory. It's been great to keep my mind occupied while waiting for news on a job I interviewed for. I love projects that require that level of concentration when I have a lot on my mind. So grateful that this project and the waiting were aligned at the same time! :)

Still no word about the job, so today I'll be trying to keep the mind occupied on my own. Scary! I know I'm not good at it and it seems the more I try, the harder it is for me to get lost in something. Suggestions anyone???

As for the regrets...something happened with another friend yesterday that is weighing heavily on me. A discussion that took an unexpected path. And then fell right off a cliff. It makes me terribly sad that it happened and even more sad that I'm not sure I can "fix" it. I'm spending lots of time replaying and analyzing things and trying to determine what I could have done different. There will be much self-examination resulting from this and I'm going to try and find the opportunity for personal growth from the experience. Hugs to my friend...and apologies.

A good Saturday...

Crazy cold here yesterday, but I needed to go grocery shopping so I bundled up and headed out to Trader Joe's to stock up on some favorites. And to get the things I needed to make these Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Muffins:

I used a Trader Joe's Extra Dark chocolate candy bar for the chocolate in the recipe and extra berries. They are delicious! The batter is wonderful (love that it's got yogurt in it) and I can see lots of options for add-ins and new combinations.

I wanted to share this little project I made in an effort to help keep myself organized better this year. Receipts are the bane of my pocketbook...they're everywhere and it takes forever to find one if I need it. I've tried neatly organizing them in my wallet, but they quickly take over and make it too bulky. So I bought 12 of these 6" x 9" envelopes and used my Bind It All. Now I have a spot to keep the receipts organized by month. Perfect!

I'm off to get ready to help my friend do inventory. I'm bringing some of the muffins for some energy!

Happy Sunday!

Is it Monday yet? No....

Patience is a virtue I sometimes struggle with. And right now I'm struggling to wait for news that's coming on Monday. Which seems about 1000 days away right now. I really, really wish I could channel this nervous energy into something good...housecleaning, creating something (a layout, a card...anything), a nice long, energetic walk. I'm going to head out in a bit to do some grocery shopping...which I love and which will keep me busy for a bit. And trying to stay warm in this lovely arctic chill we have will take up some time too. :) Tomorrow I'm helping out a friend do inventory. Hopefully that will wear me out so I'll be able to sleep tomorrow night. Monday though...it's going to be ugly. I know I'll be up early. Way to early for any reasonable person. And then it'll be a long day of staring at the phone and checking email. I'm going to try to come up with a project that will at least keep me a little distracted. Maybe I'll finally get going on the classes that I've paid for and been waiting to start over at JessicaSprague.com or clean out, rearrange and organize my kitchen cabinets and refrigerator. Any other ideas?

The Glue Incident...

Yes...there was a Glue Incident during one of my classes last weekend! Someone's liquid adhesive exploded when she tried to unblock it. It hit the ceiling, the rug, me, her, the project kit she had just laid out so prettily on the table. It was EVERYWHERE! Who knew that glue could fly like that! I was still finding glue on my face and in my hair when I got home that night. LOL!

I taught 3 classes, my friend Julie taught 4 classes and our friend Liz was our shared assistant. We were crazy busy all day and a few of the classes went over their end time (which was expected). But everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and were happy with their projects. My brain was officially mush at the end of the weekend. There was so much preparing and organizing and running around the days leading up to it. Everything that could go wrong did. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around and we could relax, we didn't have the energy to do anything more and chat with the ladies cropping at the store. I had all kinds of good intentions about completing a couple small projects that I brought, but they just stayed all nice and snug in my bag waiting for another day. Maybe this weekend...

My unemployment was all squared away at the end of last week and I've received my first couple checks. YEAH! So yesterday was errands and grocery shopping. Lots of fresh veggies in the house again. :)

Today I've got a second interview. I'm nervous and not all at the same time. I'm confident in my abilities, but so unsure about starting a new job. Some days I'm still stunned that I'm not at my old job. But change can be good and I'm doing my best to remember that. I will believe that I will make a good decision about this next chapter in life and which direction to choose. I've thought long and hard about the choices I'm going to need to make and I'm getting comfortable with the concessions I will need to make to get what I want. So...fingers crossed for a good outcome today!

Tonight is my first meeting for the year-long challenges group I joined. We'll be meeting monthly and doing the challenges in the 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges book at my LSS. Tonight we're doing 4 challenges and I hope that I'll actually get 4 pages done. I've made my notes, taken my pictures and now I just have to print the pictures and gather up some supplies to take with me. Should be fun!