Sunday, November 30, 2008

tomorrow, tomorrow.

I'm going to be posting a huge blog tomorrow!!! It's going to be huge b/c of all the pics I'm going to add. It's about this weekend. It's gonna be all of the following things....Festive. Warm. Yummy. Fun. Christmas-y. Probably enlightening and who knows what else. Check back late tomorrow night or Tuesday. I'm picking out pictures right now.

Oh!!! I came up with a design for my Christmas cards yesterday! They are TOTAL CUTE-NESS! As busy as this weekend was, I am almost done with them, believe it or not. I'm making about 50, so if you're one of my peeps in the address book, you will probably be receiving one! I don't want to give anything away. I'll post pics once I actually send out the Christmas cheer...DON'T want to ruin the surprise for anyone. :)

Okay, I'm going to finish watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Which means one thing - I'm going to have a "great cry" before the night is over.

Oops, one more thing. I'm trying to figure out how to add a subscription section to this blog. I'm sure it's pretty easy, but haven't taken time out to figure it out yet.

Have a great week!
JANET!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving and all of that fun stuff.

I'm trusting everyone had a nice Thanksgiving today.

Our Thanksgiving was nice. We went to Jennifer's (one of my sisters) house this year. We had the traditional Turkey dinner with all of the "fixin's". EVERYTHING was yummy! I attempted the Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole, which actually ended up being VERY tasty. I was going to make 2 homemade apple pies, but to my dismay, ALL of the green apples were bruised and nasty looking yesterday. Yes, I did, however, wait until the last minute to pick up all of the supplies, so it was my fault. In a (shhhhh.) secretive kind of way, I'm glad I couldn't find any good green apples....I didn't want to make the apple pies, anyway. I'll make them for Christmas. ;)

When we got to my sister's, I saw that my mom wasn't there. Dad said she wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home. It was sad. He said she got ready and everything, but before they were getting ready to leave, she wasn't feeling good. It was pretty weird not having her there. She's not in the greatest health and I understand why she wasn't there, but it's ALWAYS nice to have the WHOLE family together.

How many of you are going out shopping tomorrow on Black Friday?? I will let everyone know that I will NOT be one of the people you will see tomorrow. I think people that DO go shopping on BF are crazy! This is actually the first time in SEVENTEEN years that I have NOT had to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving (thanks to retail). I finally have the opportunity to go shopping tomorrow, but NO THANKS. I would rather pay 20.00-30.00 more for an item than being stuck in the middle of congested shopping areas, being pushed around, feeling claustrophobic, and vying for parking places.

Also, I need to confess something. The company that I used to work for was open today. On Thanksgiving. Mike and I ran out to see if we could find a tree stand from, of all places, Walmart (a place I do NOT enjoy going to). On our way there, we passed by a retail store for my "previous company". There were MAYBE ten cars in the parking lot. Can I tell you how HAPPY I was to see SO FEW cars in their parking lot?!!??? That sounds awful, doesn't it?? I still have friends who work for the company and I should want the company to succeed, but I don't. I'm so thankful I was laid off from that insane place. They are so greedy. They think being open on Thanksgiving will give them an upper hand in sales.....I think their #'s from today will prove themselves WRONG. ;)

Now, onto what I was ORIGINALLY going to talk about. Our Christmas cards for this year. I was planning on trying to work on those tonight. I still MIGHT, I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm just having a really hard time trying to think of a design. The only thing I am 100% sure of is the color scheme I'm using this year. I'm really excited about the colors, but I seem to be having "designers block" right now. Boo hoo.

I made the COOLEST cards a couple of years ago. Below are a couple of pictures.



One of the reasons I loved these cards so much was: they were original. My own idea. My own design. My own color scheme. My own everything. How many BLACK Christmas cards do you get in the mail??? That was one reason I loved these. We were hoping to be pregnant by the time these were sent out, also, which was going to be another reason I loved these. (We're still not pregnant, but I KNOW we will be, soon.) My Grandma actually called me after she got this card in the mail and was beside herself because she "just knew" what it meant....it was not fun telling her otherwise. :( Anyway, these cards were made soon after I realized that I had talent for making cards and BEFORE I ever heard of adhesive for vellum (hence the black strip above the verse on the inside of the card). I SHOULD have used ribbon to attach the vellum. Oh well, that's in the past, right?

I hope everyone had a nice day today, and I hope everyone has a festive and blessed Christmas season.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Celebrate good times!

Over the weekend we went out to dinner with our best friends, Dave and Cristina. We always have tons of fun together. Dave is ABSOLUTELY hilarious! Cristina is such a genuinely nice person that anyone would enjoy being around her. Mike met both of them at work, and I'm thankful that we've all become the best of friends. Here's a picture of the four of us on vacation this summer. We had a BLAST!

So, this weekend we all went out for dinner at our ALL TIME FAVORITE mexican restaurant, El Mezcal. It was DE-lish, as always!! Afterward, we took a trip to Target, ALWAYS a "fan-fave"! Cristina found out recently that she is pregnant. With twins. Make that, twin BOYS. How exciting is that?!?? Well, Cristina and I were roaming around the baby section at Target and as we rounded the corner, we ran into a rather HILARIOUS situation!

(I am NOT kidding, this REALLY happened! And, the guys were REALLY serious!)

Cristina and I rounded the corner and in the aisle we heard the following conversation between Dave and Mike (holding some type of brush for cleaning...we were unaware of what it was until the following conversation took place).
Mike and Dave: Nipple brush?! What in the heck is this???
Mike: What?!!?? I didn't know you had to clean the baby's nipples. I've NEVER heard of that!
Dave: No, Mike!! It's not for the baby's nipples, it's for the mom's nipples after she's done breastfeeding!!!
They BOTH saw the wire-ish brush on the end and both said "Damn! That's GOT TO hurt!!!"

So, this is a re-creation of what we saw when we rounded the corner. It was a nipple brush, something that is used for cleaning baby bottles. There is a suction cup at one end, to stand the brush up on a countertop. Dave was trying to figure out what to do with it.
Cristina and I were laughing our butts off! Cristina's first words were "boy, do you BOTH have a lot to learn about having babies!!!" This was DEFINITELY a story that HAD to be re-told. It was truly a one of a kind moment with our best friends! Good times.
Hope you all find this as funny as we all did!
JANET!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Polk Salad Annie.

I was looking through an ad this week for a major retail store. To my surprise, they were advertising a brand. spanking. new. ELVIS cd! A Christmas DUETS cd! A duets cd?? Yes. There are various country singers who went into the studio and laid some tracks down. Then, the producers added the voices to some favorite Christmas classics from Elvis.

How cool is this, you ask? Cooler than cool. How awesome is this? Awesomer than awesome. How festive is this? Festiver than festive.

It is.....all of the above for one very simple reason. Elvis was a HUGE part of growing up. My parents adored Elvis. They had all of his records. They watched concerts of him on TV anytime one came on. AND, MYYYY DAAAADDDDD used to impersonate Elvis!!!! Ha-ha! No joke. Don't believe me? I've got some pictures to prove it.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis.


How cool is it that my mom was practically an EXPERT at making things?!?? She could put anything together! SHE is the one who designed and made the jumpsuits for my dad!! I'm sure my dad had SOME kind of say in the matter, but whether my mom took his "loving" advice was probably another story. Haha! Check out the cape on this one!!! I am going to try to find pictures of the back of this cape! It was adorned with a sequined eagle (maybe similar to the one above our fireplace, haha) I remeber the cape was removeable, so during a 'concert', he could take it off.


I have NO idea whose house this picture was taken at, below. Maybe a neighbor's house or something. I have no idea. What I DO know, however, is how much Elvis was part of OUR household. I remember being sent off with my sisters and brother to Grandma's house a couple of times because mom and dad were going to: 1. have a party or 2. go to a party. They weren't just any kind of party, though. Elvis was going to be there, as well as some cold beverages.


The picture below was probably taken during the opening song, See See Rider. I say that because I see Elvis, uh, I mean, my dad, STILL has the scarf wrapped around his neck. A couple of songs into a show, he'd dab his sweat and throw it out to one of the lucky ladies in the audience. My mom would lovingly bring him a couple more, a little later, for more lucky ladies.


I'd have to go back and look, but I think most of these were taken in 1978-1979. I was 7 or 8 years old. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I have TONS of great memories of being a kid, and wouldn't change my life for anything! Not everyone can say their dad used to impersonate Elvis, right?!

Oh, the concerts only lasted a few years. Here's my dad now. I love him to pieces! Basically, the coolest, FUNNIEST, most easy going, comical, loving, caring, tender hearted, most fun person to be around! EVER. If you're ever having a bad day, give my dad a call, he'll be sure to turn that frown upside down! To sum it all up, he's the GREATEST guy I've ever known. :)


I hope everyone is having a great week!
Chat soon!
JANET!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Sorry I've been slacking.

I've been kind of busy, so I haven't had a chance to blog in a couple days. I am planning on posting more tomorrow evening. As of this moment, it will probably be a hilarious blog. Then again, once tomorrow gets here and the mood strikes, it could be serious. ?!?! I hope everyone is having a grand week!!!!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Special. So special.

Right after school started this year, one of my favorite little buddies was sad everyday they went to school. Being the mother hen-ish type, I did NOT like hearing about this. I don't like seeing anyone sad, especially my closest buddies!! So, one weekend, I had them go shopping with me to pick up supplies to make a very special bracelet.

This bracelet was going to help them to not be so sad. Whenever they saw it on their arm, they were going to think about all of their closest family members, and the fun and happy times they have together.

We spent extra time on it and made sure it was arranged perfectly. Perfectly! After we finished it, there were smiles ALL over the place! And, I mean all over the place. They wore that bracelet EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And, it got rid of all the yucky sadness that comes along with missing someone.

Well, Friday afternoon I answered the phone and heard my little buddy say, "Janet?" Sniffle, sniffle, sniffle, cry. I said, "what's wrong?" They said (through the sniffles and tears), "um, I was playing with one of my friends and they pulled on my bracelet and it broke." I said, "don't you worry about that, it's okay!" They said, through the tears, "no, it's not okay. It's broken. I don't have all the pieces. I can't get it back. It was just so special!!!!" So, I said, "we can make another one, don't you be upset about it. It was an accident and I'm sure your friend didn't mean for it to happen. What do you say we just make another one? A BETTER one?!" I heard that smile coming back on my little buddy's face and said, "Ooooookkkaaaaaaaay, but it will have to be EXACTLY like the other one, so I will forget about the other one getting broken."

To be honest, I didn't think much about this call at all. Until a little while ago. I was thinking about the little words of a child. They just struck me as being SO entirely powerful. Coming straight from the heart. "No, it's not okay. It's broken. I don't have all the pieces. I can't get it back. It was just so special." How many times, as adults, do we let simple, innocent moments fly right past us and not think twice? How many times do we think that when something is broken, it cannot be fixed and we cannot get it back? Are you "okay" with the broken things in your life? Do you feel hopeless? Why not gather up the millions of broken pieces that you can find and give it to the one who can fix it? The creator of the universe, the creator of everything, the creator of YOU. Try it. Just once, you might be surprised.

Do you know what the cool lesson is I've learned from this? Even a child recognizes the importance and value of the simple things. It was NOT the BRACELET that mattered, but it was the PURPOSE of the bracelet. Think about it.........

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Fun project!

For those of you who don't know me. I make cards, invitations, and other fun stuff on the side. I had so much fun working on this project.

I was hired to make the baby shower invitations for a very good friend of mine's baby shower. I loved the black and white theme with the accents of tiffany blue and hot pink. My friend has funky-fresh style and these fit her personality as well as the baby's room, PERFECTLY!


I saw a site online where I got the idea for the little gift bag, below. It was super easy to make, and when I find the site again, I'll post the link for you (if any of you would like to make one for yourself). So, I cannot take credit for the design, but I did add my own little flair to it, which turned out super cute.



I made thank you cards for her to send out to all of the guests after the baby shower. They, of course, matched the invitations. I thought they were super cute. These are the cards that went into the cute gift bag pictured above.

Part of her gift was one of my favorite things to make - a blessing box. You can see a little bit of it in the picture below.


This is the hat box of fun things that was my gift to her. It ended up all fitting together nicely.

And, last but not least, this is the card I made to go along with the whole ensemble.

So, that's my fun post for the day. Like I said, I had tons of fun with this one. And, it was for one of my favorite people, Ashley! And, I cannot wait to meet Layla!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Something.

I'm working on a post. I will most def post it tomorrow. It's taking a little longer than expected. My awesome husband got home from guitar lessons and he filled me in on how great his lesson was.
And, I've also been pretty distracted with watching the CMA's!!!! Isn't Carrie Underwood so gorgeous?! Brad Paisley is so funny. Taylor Swift is a cutie! Jason Aldean rocked. George Strait is soooooo handsome and has the cutest smile. Kelli Pickler is growing on me. I'm lovin' Lady Antebellum!!!! Keith Urban (that's all I need to say about him). I want to stay up to see Kenny Chesney perform, but I'm tired and I have to get up early. Plus, I'm sure they will replay this a million times (or two) on CMT and GAC. Ah, Keith Urban, again.
Talk to you tomorrow.
JANET!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Coordinator is spelled with a C, not a Qu! haha.

Well, I said I was going to try to blog everyday. Unfortunately (for you guys, haha), I am so darn exhausted. I just cannot even think right now. I had several enlightening moments today that I was planning on writing about tonight, but I am waaaaay too tired.
I guess I'm exhausted b/c I didn't sleep well last night. Not to mention, I started my workouts again this week. I've been getting up one hour earlier than normal. So, yes, I'm tired.
I'm planning on writing tomorrow about something that I've been thinking about for a long time. But, you know, when tomorrow gets here, I could possibly change my mind. What do you expect though?! That's just part of me and my randomness.
Chat with you tomorrow!
JANET!
Oh, see, I'm already possibly changing my mind about what I'm going to blog about tomorrow. I COULD possibly be changing my mind and be blogging about the fabulous new Taylor Swift cd! And, heck, next week, I could very well be blogging about the LONG awaited David Cook cd!!!! But, I WILL try to guarantee one thing: to post a few pictures tomorrow night. Well, it depends what my blog is about...... ;)

Monday, November 10, 2008

Don't know what you got til it's gone...

Yes, the title is the name of a song from the 80's. A song by Cinderella, if you're wondering. I heard this song earlier today and it had me thinking about one of my all time besties!
We used to work together what seems like ages ago. She was the only thing that got me through some of my days at that insane place. We clicked practically right from the beginning. We have the same sense of humor. We like a lot of the same things. We just "got" each other. When she was having bad days, she usually wanted to be left alone, but I was SURE to make her laugh a MILLION times before the day was over. When I was having bad days, she knew exactly what to say to make things always seem better. When we were both having quiet days, we could just go to lunch together and literally just say absolutely NOTHING....and be 1,000,000% fine with that! When we were having good days, well, they were pretty freaking great! So many hilarious inside 'secrets', that whenever we even just SAW each other, we'd bust out in laughter.
Well, not to go into too much detail, but I got an email out of the blue from her today. I haven't talked to her in f-o-r-e-v-e-r!!!! Like, really, forever. It basically said something like this:
all i know is that i miss you like crazy and didn't realize how much my bestest buddy really helped me through some tough times....your fab attitude, wonderful wisdom, and extreme support are dearly missed right now.
Can I just say, first of all, how crazy it is that we were both thinking about each other today?! Both missing each other's company. These are just some of the things I'm missing (and I'm sure she'd say the same): hanging out with each other, lunches, laughs, tears, moods, emails, fun times, boring times, emails, serious talks, frustrations, emails, worries, triumphs, HILARIOUS emails, the list goes on. :)
Little things like the song I heard or the email I received today, have made me realize, once again, how much I cherish the friendship I have with my friend and how special she truely is!!! She's the bestest!!!!! ....you know who you are....love you TONS! i mean, tons. XOXOXOOO.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Hello everyone!

Well, I have finally decided I'm going to attempt this whole blog thing. I LOVE to write, it's just a matter of sitting down to do so. I find inspiration in situations almost every day....okay, not ALMOST every day, but EVERY DAY. There are SO many things in my life that give me that desire to blog. I'm sitting here right now trying to decide what my first major blog is going to be about - I have so many things to choose from!
*Oh, and I use A LOT of !!!!!!!!! and CAPITAL LETTERS! It doesn't mean I'm yelling, necessarily. I'm just super excitable. I want everyone to try to share in the enthusiasm that I am experiencing.
So, I'm looking forward to sharing ALL kinds of things with you and hope you will bookmark my page. Come back and visit frequently. Tell your friends about it. And, just come here to hang out, relax, and have fun. Oh, did I mention to also stop by for ideas, inspiration and smiles????
You will find yourself smiling, I will almost guarantee that. That's why I'm calling my site Sealed With A Smile!
I hope you all have a fabulous week!
Janet!