Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Do I have a boogie?

Ok - so I'm 30, but I refuse to grow up. LOL! We were definitely playing in the office for a few minutes today. We're talking full-blown laughing and snorting we were laughing so hard!

So, I ask - Do I have a boogie?



Is there something in my teeth?



You WILL LOVE THE NEW GIN-X CHA STUFF...



Finally...

Does this shirt make me look fat????



Ha ha ha ha!!!!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Thirty Things...

Ok - so I turned thirty today. When I was 15, thirty seemed SO FAR AWAY. Well, it's here. It's staring me in the face and I am no longer in my 20's. I wonder if that means that I've changed demographics. LOL! (Always thinking from a marketing standpoint) Seriously, now I have to check a DIFFERENT box on surveys and I have to relate to those women that are "Fabulous in their 30's". I'm still trying to embrace it. By the way - I'm wearing all black. Saying "goodbye" to my 20's. My friend, Karin, asked me today if I was going to a funeral. I laughed and did the Johnny Cash "well...maybe I am".

So, as an ode to the big 3-0, here are thirty things that my thirty-year-old self would tell my twenty-year-old self.

1) That boy that you just met - you'll marry him. You'll have two babies with him and you'll love him even more.
2) You're going to have two girls. So, work on picking out names. Even though all of your brothers had boys, you're going to have girls.
3) Marriages in your family aren't what you think they are. The older you get, the more you will realize that things aren't what they seem. Two of them will end in divorce.
4) The grandkids will grow up and you'll be like their big sister. Except, they won't listen to all of your advice, so don't waste your breath.
5) You'll get the dream job at P&G but it won't be the dream you thought it was. However, it will pay well.
6) Keep your focus with what you want to accomplish in a career. You actually CAN do something artistic.
7) Using Elmer's Glue in your scrapbooks is not a good thing. Put that stuff away and get the good kind.
8) Buy a better camera. Something fancy with lots of buttons and learn how to use it. (Ok - so I STILL need to learn how to use it)
9) Designer clothes aren't necessary. Besides, you'll gain weight and just be glad to find things that fit well in the first place. Who cares what label is on them.
10) Thank God for your mom every day. You will need her more and more the older you get. You also need to listen to her parenting advice.
11) Stand by your man. He'll stand by you.
12) You'll eventually stop thinking MTV is cool and start watching VH-1. No, seriously... you'll relate more to VH-1.
13) Quit buying new cars. They're a waste of money. You just need something to get you from point A to point B.
14) Don't buy that house that you're going to look at when you get married. It's too small and you'll have to put too much into it. Wait it out. The apartment isn't THAT bad.
15) Oh - you won't be in the medical field. You'll change majors again. Probably two more times actually. You'll finally graduate in Law but not do law school because you hate it.
16) The Mount was a good place to go to school.
17) The neighborhood where you grew up will not be the same. It will go downhill fast. But, you can never forget where you came from.
18) You'll still miss your dad. The pain will never go away and you'll have a lot of hard times when you would wish he were there, but just know that he probably thinks of you often.
19) Don't let the infertility get you down. It will end happily.
20) You'll never have enough money for everything you want to do, so just deal with it and be happy with what you have.
21) You'll spend your 30th birthday in a sales meeting. Such is life.
22) Mexican food is pretty tasty. You should try it.
23) Don't spend a lot of money on a wedding. There really is no purpose in doing that. Save it and put a large down payment on a house. All you need is each other and a marriage license. Total = $30. Doesn't that sound better than $15,000?
24) Concerts are SO much better in the first five rows. Even if it is an NSYNC concert and you're the oldest person (at 23) in the front row. Your niece will never forget that you took her.
25) Giving birth isn't that difficult. Don't be afraid of it. It's a wonderful thing.
26) Don't remodel everything you can on the house right away. You've got time. Besides, it just drains you financially and then you're still left unsatisfied.
27) You get more with honey than you do vinegar. Don't always speak your mind. Sometimes you'll get yourself in trouble that way. (Ok - so I STILL do that, too!)
28) You won't have won the lotto by the time you're 30. Face it - you'll have to work.
29) That boy you love so much will want to go to Florida EVERY YEAR to the SAME PLACE. Enjoy it. You'll actually start to look forward to it. So, don't complain too much.
30) You'll actually be a great-aunt by 30. I know they're too young to have kids but you weren't much older when you had your first. Quit thinking like an old lady.

Well...that's it. My 30 random thoughts I'd tell my 20 year old self. Hope it wasn't too boring for you. :)

Monday, June 26, 2006

Stressful Day

It's a stressful day - and will probably be a stressful two weeks. I'm leaving for vacation on July 8th and honestly - I just don't have enough time to finish everything and I'm freaking out a bit. With that being said - I'm not going to vent on the blog because it doesn't do me any good. I just want to focus and get stuff done but with my attention span being so short, sometimes I have to take a quick break. So, here I am!

Took some photos of the girls this weekend. Addison is getting SO BIG (finally 10 pounds!) and Maggie is definitely Ms. Moody Britches. She cracks me up!

Here's my Addie:



Sorry it's a bit dark. I haven't photoshopped it, yet.

Here she is again:



Finally, one of Maggie with Addison and my great niece, Ryan. :)



LOVE my girls! :)

Oh by the way....I turn 30 tomorrow. Boo!

Friday, June 23, 2006

Friday Updates

Just a few things to update. I'm doing a list because quite frankly I like lists. Don't know why but they make me feel like I've actually accomplished something. (Just call me Earl) Anyway, here's what's going on:

1) Check the side of my blog. I've updated it with some upcoming classes and where I'll be teaching. I'll be doing some stuff in Ohio and Kentucky soon. If you're a store and are interested, e-mail me. I'm pretty easygoing and promise that I won't be like Mariah Carey and demand that I only have blue M&M's in my dressing room. I'll eat ANY M&M....

2) Be on the lookout on here and the IP blog. We're going to start posting sneak peeks of stuff on July 3rd. Hopefully you're excited about that. If not, I'm sorry...

3) Addison is 3 months old (was last Saturday) and she's getting so big. Here we are last night after her bath. I FINALLY got my glasses fixed - Scott's friend's girlfriend (following that?) fixed them for me. She rocks. Anyway- here's Ms. Addie. Her face is cracking me up here. She's so expressive!



And, since I like blogs with photos, here she is after her bath.



Finally, the three of us. These are our hands: Mine, Maggie's and Addie's. Don't know why I took it. I thought it was kinda cool.



4) Nothing else really to update. Just wanted to add another number to my list. Later!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Ok...

So, nobody has any questions? LOL! I must be a LOSER, then. (OK - don't answer that!) In any event, I still don't have a lot to talk about. I always feel like I should have some words of wisdom or something funny for the blog. The truth is that I don't have much going on. I'm just sitting here at work doing some art for a new product - a FUN product at that! And, eating some ice cream because that's what Fatty McPhat's do. I'm also listening to Rascal Flatts and trying to figure out how I can go to their concert in August. I really, REALLY want to see them perform. Beyond that, I just have a 25 item to-do list.

Last night we took Maggie swimming. Scott is teaching her how to swim and I pretty much just hang out with Addison. She's not ready for the pool AND they don't make any Little Swimmers in her size. All of them (all brands) start out at 16 lbs+. This poor kid won't be 16 pounds until 2 if she keeps going at the current rate. I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do when we go to Florida next month because I would LOVE for her to at least get a few minutes in the pool with me. (During the evening of course - it's too hot and sunny during the day for my poor peanut)

I did get some great shots of Maggie. Five going on fifteen is what I always say about her.



Then being sweet on the back deck catching bubbles. Why can't she be like this all the time? LOL!



Love that girl!

Coming soon....pictures of Ms. Addison. She's 3 months now. Giggles for me and totally melts my heart. Life is good! Being a mom is good!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Questions

Ok - so I don't have much to say today - I guess because there is really nothing going on. Just plugging away trying to get some stuff done for the show next month. I am pretty excited about some upcoming classes and I'll be posting my schedule on the side bar here soon. (If I can ever figure out this stupid HTML stuff!)

Anyway - I thought I'd play a fun game here. Since there are days when I don't have much to say and I enjoy answering questions, I thought I'd answer questions that my blog readers post in the comments. I'm not shy so I'll probably answer just about anything - and Scott - don't post some crazy question trying to get a response! (That's for my husband - he's the infamous anonymous poster on here sometimes) I think it might be fun.

And, since I haven't posted a photo on here for a few days, I figured I'd put one up.

Last fall I was shooting my nephew's senior pictures at a local cemetary. Sounds morbid but they actually have some really cool architexture there that's perfect for photos. Maggie was pouting because I didn't take her picture, so I snapped this photo. What's really funny is the thing about the "Children's Home". Ha!



Later!

Monday, June 19, 2006

Fun stuff!!!!

Saw this on Deb Perry's blog. LOVE Deb's stuff! Anyway, I'm a geek that likes questions, so here goes:

I AM: Scott's wife, Maggie and Addie's mom, Celestine's daughter, and a bit crazy.

I WANT: to be financially stable.

I HAVE: a great family, lots of friends and a pretty cool job.

I WISH: that Scott didn't have to work so hard and that I had a better metabolism.

I HATE: being wet. I'm like an old cat. Oh, and I'm not fond of Brangelina, either.

I MISS: my dad.

I HEAR: people in my office talking right now. Lots of banter. Sort of fun.

I WONDER: how Maggie and Addie will be as teenagers. What in the world will I be doing five years from now.

I REGRET: a lot of things I did as a teenager.

I AM NOT: very good at sticking to diets. Went to the grocery this morning and bought turkey. Ate fettucine alfredo for lunch. That worked....

I DANCE: All the time. Didn't you see my reality tv stint?

I SING: and it's horrible. I can't carry a tune in a bucket. Even my 5 year old told me I suck.

I CRY: when my feelings are hurt or when I'm really angry.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: patient. It's a virtue I don't necessarily possess.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: Addie's bottles, Gin-X artwork, Ponytails in Maggie's hair.

I WRITE: in my blog and on My Space.

I CONFUSE: pretty much everything. I live in that state.

I NEED: constant reassurance. No kidding. Poor Scott must be sick of me by now.

I SHOULD: be more forgiving. I hold grudges way too long.

I START: talking really fast when I get nervous. I also don't like awkward situations so I just filibuster.

I FINISH: chocolate cake. Ha!

I ADMIRE: my husband, my kids and my mom. I also think God is pretty cool.

By the way - if you made it through all of this, be sure to check out the Imagination Project blog. (Link to the side) It's got a really nice RAK listed in there right now! :)

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Father's Day...

You know, it's been almost 12 years since I lost my dad and every Father's Day is the same - lonely. I miss him. Even though today I was with my husband and his family, I felt like there was something huge missing and that was my own dad. He passed away when I was 18 - heck, I was BARELY 18. He was diagnosed with cancer in April of my senior year of high school and died by the end of October. Three days before Halloween which was always Dad's favorite holiday. I came home from his funeral and passed out candy. That's what my dad always did. He loved to pass out candy.

Today I looked at my girls and wondered what he thinks of them. I often wonder that. For Maggie's first year, I had a hard time whenever Scott's dad would call himself "Papaw". That was what my dad was to the other grandkids. But, he wasn't here for my girls to call him that. I didn't want him to be replaced. But, I guess you can't replace something you never had. They never had him. That still hurts.

I really don't know the purpose behind my post. I guess it's just to tell you that if you still have your dad here, be sure to thank God for that. And, tell your dad how much he means to you. I don't have many photos of myself with my dad - so take a picture with him. Tell him how much you love him. I wish I would have done that more often.

Let my regret be your lesson...

Thursday, June 15, 2006

I am a Sith Lord!

Ok - I'm just kidding. But, I really liked Star Wars Episode I because I thought that Darth Maul kicked major rear. He was tough, fought with a double-edged light saber and let's face it - the horns don't necessarily make him look like Ronald McDonald. When my cousin's son gave me this shirt, I was pretty excited. I thought it was fun. So...

I walk into my mom's today to drop off the girls and I have it on. She looks at me and nearly yelps and steps back. Then, she lectured me on my "evil shirt". LOL! I was trying to explain to her who Darth Maul is. She's not having it. Even Maggie chimed in and was like "He fights with a sword with TWO sides!" My girl is hip - she knows the deal. I think she's probably still trying to explain it to my mom. Of course, she's wearing her "The Killers" shirt today. It's her favorite band. Like I said, my girl is hip!

Then I get to work and my co-worker, Karin, yelps when she sees it. I guess I must be walking around scaring everyone on the planet today. I thought I should take a picture and show you:



Once again - ignore the mess. Creative minds are messy!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

My kid has STYLE!

In case you don't know Vicki Boutin, the girl has STYLE. She's an amazing scrapper and has FAB-O hair. Hair that I'm quite frankly jealous of because I can never concoct such an awesome looking "do". However, my kid has it down to a science. That's right - my not-quite-three-months-old baby has fabulous hair.

Exhibit 1:


Then we have Vicki Boutin:


It's like straight out of a hairstyle guide! LOVE that hair!

Finally, Addison with another pose and her "do". She doesn't even need gel!


Jealous I tell ya....completely jealous!

Monday, June 12, 2006

My crazy friend!

One of the greatest blessings God has given me other than Scott and my girls is my friends. I have a lot of them and they're all amazingly wonderful and magnificent. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without them and whenever I need something, they're always there. (When I say I have a lot of friends, I literally mean A LOT - and I adore them all!)

Anyway - we went to the Reds game on Saturday night with Laura and her boyfriend, Chad. It's always cool because the guys can hang out and of course Laura and I had to have a good time. It was their first baseball game (they're not from Cincinnati) and we had GREAT seats. (7 rows from the field) It started raining in the 7th inning but we were determined to have a good time. And a good time we HAD!

Here's me and Laura at the start of the game. We were photo fiends. I think I shot 130 photos at the game. Of what - I don't know.



Here we are being goofy - when I say goofy, we were in full-blown dork mode but SO FUN! (Ignore the chin - I'm saving up to have it sucked out one day- HA!)



What's great is that we were at a Reds game and I was wearing a Florida GATORS rain poncho. No - I'm not sticking out like a sore thumb. I was hoping that you could see me on Fox Sports Ohio. I still think we were on TV and my husband's dad just didn't want to admit it. Oh well.

Good times....Good times!

Friday, June 09, 2006

Been a while...

Since I've updated. I'm sorry. I've just been swamped and I also wanted to leave that warm family photo on my blog for a week. Ha! I had to laugh at how many comments there were about my brother and his family and their "happy photo". I do have some better photos but that was was my favorite. It was like "Yea...we're so happy". LOL!

Let me upload a photo of my new eyebrows. Got them waxed two weeks ago - this was right after my day at the spa. Had freshly straightened hair, some make-up and of course nicely groomed brows. Check out the crack in my glasses. Lens Crafters refuses to fix them. They've already had to replace my glasses TWICE for their mishaps (cracked them before and rolled the frame, which means they melted it). In the office we call them "Lens Crackers". They want to charge me to fix them this time. So much for customer service, huh? Basically when they put the lens in, they don't grind it down enough and it's still too big for the frame and the stress cracks the lens. Twice now but this time it's MY fault they say. Well, Lens Crackers can stick it because I have been wearing glasses for 20 years and KNOW how to take care of them. I'll just wear my cracked glasses and when people ask, I'll say "Got them at Lens Crackers". Not a problem...



By the way, the photos of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt are out. I have to be honest. If I were Jennifer Aniston, I think I'd be heartbroken again to see my ex-husband with his homewrecker and their new baby. I looked at it and had a pang in my stomach for her. What's ironic is that Jolie apparently isn't speaking to her father (John Voight) because he cheated on her mother some 20 years ago. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't splitting up a marriage sort of the same thing? What's good for the Goose is obviously not good for the Gander, eh? Don't get me started...

Finally, got my A/C back this week. Addison and Maggie are two happy kids. We had to have the unit completely replaced because it was struck by lightning. My wallet thanks Mother Nature for that one! At least I have air conditioning, though. When you're a Fatty McPhat, it's not good to have no A/C in 90 degree weather and my kids definitely were getting cranky. It was bothering Maggie's asthma and Addison being so tiny was not really into being hot. Poor little peanut. But, now we have A/C and we're all one big happy family with regulated body temperatures. Life is good!

Pretty soon I'm gonna post photos of my smiling little peanut! I LOVE how she wakes up every morning with a grin. Makes me melt! Makes me forget about my cracked eye-glasses! Motherhood ROCKS!