Positivity Challenge: Day 4

Oops, I appear to have skipped a day!  I'll pick up where I left off with day 4, so here are my three positives for today:

1. Making new friends with the Jamberry Nails ladies at the consignment sale I'm working through next Thursday.  They kept me awake during a slow afternoon!
2. Mid-afternoon naps.  They are awesome.
3. A few hours relaxing on the dock at Lake Lanier with my husband, my sister, and my brother-in-law.  We saw lots of fish and a few ducks.

February's Finished Project

Thanks to Pinterest, I was dead-set on sewing some tiny teabags for my niece's 3rd birthday as soon as I saw the tea set on her wish list. Unfortunately, one of my two favorite Pinspirations was in French, and the other had no pattern. With the help of Crafty Mommy, I spent an afternoon making disgruntled noises at a sewing machine and bonding with a seam ripper. But finally, I had four cute little teabags to go with her cute little tea set and a new book, Bunnies for Tea!

Source #1

Source #2

Trial and error all the way through...

I think she likes it!

Between the rainbow tutu and the rainbow cake,
I think my sister-in-law gets the Pin-Win award this time!

September Blessings

Is it just me, or did September fly by?  It seems like summer never really got here before the temperature started cooling down, and before I knew it, it was October!  Before I think about everything going on this month, I wanted to take some time to think about all the ways Dave and I were blessed in September.

• Dave is officially a Big Blue employee!  Even though he was eligible for benefits right away, he has to work six months to earn vacation time.  Boo...
• I am working again!  A part-time job at a law firm in Buckhead fell into my lap at just the right time.  I enjoy the work because I'm getting paid to organize files, and it's only through the end of the year when their office moves.
• We had an awesome housewarming with lots of friends and family stopping by!  The new place is definitely better for entertaining (even if it is only temporary lodging till we're ready to buy a house out here).
• My sister's bachelorette party was a smashing success.  If you want to know more about it, Mary and Sarah both posted on their blogs.
• I had a successful first tasting party for Tastefully Simple!  Now that I've gotten the first one done to know how it goes, I can work on refining my presentation for future parties.  It's a challenge keep up with TS, the chores at home, and the PT job, but I'm enjoying it so far.

Never thought I'd work at a big building in Atlanta...

Bridal Helper

The big day is October 12! Less than three weeks to go, Mary! 

In the beginning, there were many homemade invitations to tie with a purple bow...

Then I converted dollar store invitations into snazzy bridal shower invitations with a new printer and lots of rubber cement.  Of course, we tied in the favors and prizes to the purple color scheme, too!

And finally, I made a fantastic Pin Win with this bachelorette party bag I found months ago on Pinterest!  She'll have to live with no purple on this one...

July-August Blessings

I realize I've been negligent in posting my blessings the past two months, and some of our summer blessings are the very causes of my tardiness!

• In July and August, we celebrated Dave's birthday, his dad's birthday, my mom's birthday, my dad's birthday, and the birth of our fourth niece (and soon-to-be Goddaughter), Elizabeth Amelia.  Lots of family time!
• Sarah and I planned an awesome bridal shower for our middle sister, Mary.  I'd blog about it here, but Sarah already did an awesome job on her blog.
• Our rental was available on August 1st, and we were closing on the townhouse on August 2nd, so we had a very short time frame to move.  A month later, we have no more mortgage (nor Homeowners Association, woo hoo!), and I'm finally unpacked enough to be willing to invite people to our home.
• I joined Tastefully Simple as an independent consultant in the midst of all this craziness and now have my own little business to organize.  I have my own Facebook page and consultant website, plus I'm having fun setting up a home office in our loft!
• After five years as a contractor for Big Blue Wireless Company, Dave was offered a position as an actual employee!  We're looking forward to a bit more job security and hopefully a good benefits package.

My workspace (and Dave's playspace)

Tastefully Simple Central

I can't argue with sharing an office...

Niece Knits

Our newest niece arrived late last month, and I was thrilled to finish her bib and burp cloth set just in time!  This set was made with Sugar 'n Cream "Beach Ball Blue" yarn, and I purchased an adorable set of sneaker socks to go with it (since babies are always losing socks, right?).  Big sister Claire opened the gift and proceeded to put the "blankie" on her new baby sister.  Apparently the burp cloth from her set is now a doll blanket!

Did you notice I used the same cute daisy button for both sisters' bibs?

The socks even have little bows for mock-shoelaces

Proud big sister makes sure the baby has her blankie

May Blessings

Yes, I'm running a week late on this post for May.  I've kinda been busy getting the house ready to sell, so without further ado, here are the blessings I'm counting from last month:

• Mother's Day brunch hosted by my sister Mary and her fiance Paul with lots of enjoyable conversation on the back porch on a beautiful afternoon (plus entertainment provided by one particularly adorable dachshund and her pink racquetball)
• My last day of work (May 17) and the beginning of voluntary unemployment, which for the first two weeks consisted of back-breaking work like painting, yardwork, packing, moving boxes into storage, and cleaning just about everything in our house.
• Girls' Night Out at the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta and lots of fun comments about taking Hot Hamlet home in our trunk...
• A pleasant birthday afternoon spent stitching with the ladies at PINS and a birthday date night with my husband to see Star Trek: Into Darkness in 3D on the IMAX screen.  Yes, I am not ashamed to be a Star Trek fan!
• Brunch with my in-laws at Ray's on the River (my first time there) to celebrate the May birthdays of me and my SIL--any excuse to get together with family and to see our three adorable nieces!

Counting My Blessings #7

Yes, I realize it's been three weeks since I last posted.  I have no better excuse than I am a slacker, but I'm still thankful for all the blessings so far this month!

• With all of the chaos up in Boston following the bombings at the marathon earlier this week, I'm praying that the extended families of my BIL Robert and soon-to-be BIL Paul up in Boston are okay and thanking God that my family is safe and sound
• A relaxing week of vacation at a Bed & Breakfast in Gatlinburg spoiled me with no work, no chores, and lots of together time with my husband!
• A Friday night out with the girls last week to catch up with friends I haven't seen in a while
• Continued progress on getting the house ready to sell--the ceiling fans have now been swapped out, there's an epic case of spackle spots throughout the house (still motivating myself to prime and paint), and the new kitchen faucet is in the mail
• A resurgence of my former band geek thanks to the band director where I work asking faculty and staff to volunteer to play for the encore song at the spring concert next week; I thought it would be a fun way to end my (almost) four years as Donor Relations Coordinator before we move this summer

 

Green Acres Middle School Charger Band

Counting My Blessings #4

1. Last weekend was an Alpha Gamma Delta reunion for our Theta Delta chapter's 30th Anniversary.  It was a great to catch up, meet new sisters, and relive college memories.
2. Dave and I are done with our taxes, and we're getting refunds this year (which will probably go to pay moving costs)
3. My sister's fiance started a new job this week, and a good friend's husband starts his new job next week.  Both have been unsuccessfully job searching for months, so this is wonderful news!
4. Habemus Papam!  Pope Francis is the first Pope from our hemisphere and the first Jesuit to be Bishop of Rome.  I look forward to seeing how he guides and inspires the Church during his pontificate.
5. We finally know where we're moving this summer!  Now that Dave's job has decided where their office is going, hopefully they'll narrow down when we're moving so we know when to put the house on the market...

Counting My Blessings #3

1. Dad taught me how to install light fixtures all by myself without electrocuting myself nor burning down the house!
2. Our vacation to the Eight Gables Inn in Gatlinburg is booked, so now I have something to look forward to next month (besides my last day of work).
3. Wednesday morning, there were occasional snow flurries on the way to work.  It was such a peaceful feeling, like I was inside of a snow globe as I drove.
4. Last night, Dave and I had an impromptu dessert date to spend a little time together since his work hours are getting more insane closer to the end of their project.  We shared fried cheesecake at Buffalo's Cafe... nom nom nom!
5. In light of the current "Sede Vacante" in Rome, this AWESOME video taught me a few new things and made me giggle more than once:

Counting My Blessings #2

This week has been a little crazy, but it's helped to be counting my blessings throughout the week to try to narrow down what will make the cut for the blog!

1. Dave didn't have to work last weekend (yipee!) because we had a family birthday party to attend for two of our nieces.  It was great to see everyone on his side of the family and to watch the girls having fun with their cousins.
2. Sunday was a monthly lunch date of a few friends from a now defunct book group (apparently we're a foodie group now).  There's nothing quite like stuffing yourself full of garlic knots and then laughing till your stomach hurts.
3. My hair appointment this week was long overdue.  It feels so good to have the cute Diane Lane haircut again!
4. Last night I attended the Thursday night cross stitch group for the first time in a few weeks.  My rear end was numb after a couple hours in those not-so-comfortable IHOP chairs, but it was nice to work on my project again.
5. My best friend's little girl turns 3 years old today!  It's hard living on the opposite side of the country, but through Facebook and text pictures, I'm still able to watch her grow up.  Happy birthday, Faith!

Aimee tries to make herself comfortable before
our lunch at Provino's.

Counting My Blessings #1

After an emotional rollercoaster of a week, I thought it might be nice to try a new weekly post for me to "count my blessings" instead of getting fixated on all of the unknowns that have been stressing me out lately.  It's a way for me to reflect on the positive things that made me smile this week.

1. Tea time with my favorite youngest sister last weekend and the smell of the new tea flavor I picked up while we were there: Mango Paradise 
2. I'm slowly swapping out all of our brass fixtures in preparation for putting the house on the market, and I managed to purchase all of the replacement light fixtures for inside our house for under $100--yay!
3. Adding a few books to my "to read" pile because of a discussion at Book Club: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (no, I've never read this classic), Around the World in Eighty Days by Michael Palin (someone who actually traveled the route of the novel), and Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman (a fictional account of two female journalists racing to complete the book's journey)
4. Dave finally got his vacation approved!  Now I can actually make reservations at the Eight Gables Inn... if they get some spring specials posted soon ;-)
5. This text picture of my niece puppy, Layla.  I guess she was cold and tired, and I can totally relate!

Mommy, it's past my bedtime...

Being Thankful

It's almost Thanksgiving time again!  The decorations went up at home this past weekend, and I've been counting down since October...

My Top 10 Reasons to be Thankful

1. My wonderful husband who loves me and supports me unconditionally (even when my logic doesn't make sense to him)
2. The strong faith Dave and I share and our wonderful church community
3. Our parents who are great models for us with their combined 70+ years of marriage
4. The proximity of our siblings and their families so we can get together regularly
5. Two best friends who would do anything for me and who have helped me through life's up and downs
6. Jobs that allow us to live relatively debt free and to save for our future
7. A home of our own with a brand new roof to keep us warm and dry (even though the HOA sometimes drives me crazy)
8. Plenty of food in the pantry and clothes in our closet
9. Sweet Skeeter who can make everything better by curling up in my lap and purring
10. All of the small things that make me smile: the yarn aisle at the hobby store, cheesecake, Sharpies and Post-its, a hot cup of tea, adorable baby animals, ice cream, etc.

I am truly blessed!

Monster Birthday

My middle sister, Mary, turned 30 last week and told her boyfriend that she wanted to see monster trucks for her birthday. So last night, a dozen of us got together at my baby sister's house to celebrate with pizza and cake before taking Marta to see monster trucks at the Georgia dome.

A Pinterest-inspired birthday present my BFF asked me
to make for the occasion

Make a wish! Mary made a special request for Sarah's famous rum cake

I made it my mission to capture photos of monster trucks in flight

Sarah's blog post about Mary's Monster Birthday: Rum and rednecks

Sister Scarves

My oldest nieces are almost 3- and almost 5-years-old. They are sisters, and at their age, they (or at least the younger of the two) want to have everything the other has. So when knitting scarves for them for Christmas, I used the exact same pink/purple/turquoise eyelash yarn for both and made sure they were just about the exact same length (sorry, I'm not double-checking by counting rows with furry yarn!)  These will accompany t-shirts from the Disney store.  I know, they're not the same shirt, but there were no Perry the Platypus shirts in a 3T, and I *had* to get a Perry shirt for at least one of them!

Tastefully Simple

My friend Robin recently started as a Tastefully Simple consultant, and I hosted a party two weeks ago to help her get started.  The food (and cocktail-in-a-bucket mixes) I ordered arrived on Friday, and everything is awesome so far.  If you want to judge for yourself, you can order from her TS website.  The fall catalog is coming out on September 1st, and there are supposed to be some incredible items in it!

My sisters and my niece have fun with Smooshees before the party

The "First Order from My Party" award goes to Carrie!

Miss Skeeter inspects my order when it arrives...

A double batch of lemon cookies from the Lotsa Lemon Bar mix!

Better than the Superbowl?

While my father and my husband watched the end of the Superbowl, my mother, my sister, and I were having fun at the expense of poor Layla, who just wanted to recover her ball from under the kitchen cabinets. Too bad she was afraid of Rufus!

Two Showers Down

Two of the seven baby showers for pregnant friends were this month, so it's time to show off the finished hand-knit sets that I gifted to Beth and to Brandi!

Beth's baby boy, Gavin, is due in January
Yarn: Sugar'n Cream "Country Stripes"

Brandi's daughter, my new niece, is due in February
Yarn: Peaches & Creme "Coral Reef"

Don't you love the cute little daisy button?

Loot

Friday at work was one big countdown till HistoryDiva and I would be walking through the doors of the new local Michael's. Since it was the "soft opening," there was no big to-do at the store, but there was quite a crowd at the checkout. I was actually pretty good--I bought a pound of red yarn (to knit a few Special Olympics scarves at Dave's request), a mini 2011 calendar for work (with pictures of cupcakes!), and a purse-sized polka-dotted 2-year planner to replace my 2009-2010 calendar that is almost obsolete.


I also bought this adorable pair of puzzles for Dave's two nieces, one who will be 2 in December, and the other will be 4 in February. One puzzle has a magnetic net that pulls out magnetized bug puzzle pieces, and the other has a magnetic fishing pole that pulls out magnetized sea creatures. I thought that the girls would love them, especially since they have several wooden puzzle sets at home. Dave wasn't impressed. I'll give them to the girls for Christmas anyway since he doesn't know how to wrap a present to save his life!

Christmas Cookie FAIL

On the eve of Christmas Eve, I headed home from work with intentions of baking Christmas cookies for my family. I figured I'd start easy: chocolate chip cookies with M&M's instead of chocolate chips. The batter was a little gooey going into the oven, but I didn't think much of it until I pulled out the cookie sheet after 10 minutes.


Instead of a dozen cute Christmas cookies, I had a caterpillar-like blob. After a couple of calls to my mother debating what I could do to rescue this recipe, I decided to force the cookies into perfect circular shapes using the best cookie cutter I could find--a drinking glass.


Despite my best hopes, I had to concede FAILure on this particular recipe and moved on to something different. I made a batch of red and green sugared snickerdoodles (which turned out perfectly), and went to bed with hopes of regrouping in the morning for round two with M&M Christmas cookies...

I found a different chocolate chip cookie recipe and was determined to follow each instruction perfectly to limit the possibility of another FAIL. I also discovered a cookie scoop in my kitchen gadget drawer which quickly became one of my new favorite kitchen toys. Since I was low on M&M's due to the FAILed batch, I made these with mini chocolate chips in the batter and one M&M on top.

See the difference? I now have a new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and hopefully I won't have to endure another epic cookie FAIL any time soon!