A Little Fun

I'm sitting here trying to stay awake for at least another half hour so I don't wake up at stupid o'clock in the morning. I have been an insomniac for the past few nights and its catching up to me! So, as I wait, here are a few fun emails I have been sent recently!
Three...

Three jobs I have had in my life:

1. Maple Leaf Pork - the worst job EVER! Really, what can be worse than the kill floor of a slaughter house.
2. Villa Playhouse - costume/makeup manager - probably one of my all time best jobs.
3. Once Upon a Bride - dealing with bridezillas was actually kind of funny and I was really good at selling. Add to that the fabulous ladies I worked with and it was a great job!

Three Places I've lived

1. Raymond
2. Provo
3. Salt Lake City

Game shows...

1. I'm pretty good at Wheel of Fortune
2. I love the old Mtch Game on the gameshow network
3. I also really love Let's Make a Deal. At one in the morning, its hilarious!

Old movies...

1. I completely LOVE and Marilyn Monroe movie. My favorite is probably Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend, although Some Like it Hot is a close second.
2. I am also a HUGE Audrey Hepburn fan. I mean, really, who doesn't want to be like Sabrina!
3. I really like the old musicals, like Oaklahoma, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, ect.

Home improvement shows

1. I love Saturday nights on TLC. One flipping show after another!
2. I like Clean House and Clean Sweep. I personally think that organization counts as home improvement.
3. Take this House and Sell it. Its really good for showing changes on small budgets, realistic budgets.

Places I have been

1. Disneyland & Disney Wold. Disneyland was more fun, but I LOVED Florida. I would move there if it wasn't so far away.
2. Banff
3. Las Vegas

Three people who e-mail me regularly

The only people who email regularly are business people but here are people that facebook me regularly
1. Kelly
2. Maureen
3. Marci

Favourite Foods

1. Fruit - I love most everything, especially strawberries and mango!
2. Asparagus!!!!
3. I love crab. If I could eat nothing but crab for the rest of my life, I would be ok.

Three places I'd rather be right now

1. With James
2. Somwhere warm, not windy, not fully of wheat fields and tropical!
3. Scrapbooking

Three people I think will respond

I don't really think anyone will respond, but you could do this on your blog!

Three things I am looking forward to this year

1. Getting a house of my own!!
2. My business getting off the ground and really established.
3. TJ learning to talk

Four, Four, Four

Four places I go over and over

1. Fabricland
2. Anna Banana
3. Calgary
4. Wal Mart

Four people who e-mail me consistently (I'm going with facebook, not email!)

1. Kelly
2. Marci
3. Maureen
4. Jessica & Manda (yes, I know they are two seperate people, but they're family, so I'm counting them as one.)

Four of my favorite places to eat

1. Red Lobster
2. Moxies
3. Home. Nothing beats a delicious homecooked meal, except crab!
4. I love really good mexican, but have yet to find a good place.

Four places I would rather be right now

Ok, since I just had three up in the first section, I'm just going to add one more!
I would love to be in Paris!!

Four people I think will respond

Again, same answer as before!

Four TV shows I watch over and over

1. Project Runway, either Canada or US, I don't care!
2. ANTM - for those of you who are not as obsessed with fashion television as I am, that means America's Next Top Model
3. Criminal Minds - proably the reason I am afraid to go outside alone in the dark.
4. Big Bang Theory - Hilarious, like pee-my-pants funny!

Ok, well it is now an hour since I started this and The Devil Wears Prada started half an hour ago, so I guess I'm not going to bed right away! Oh well, a good movie and some relaxing is worth a little sleep!

Mayhem

Ok, so I know in my last post, I said I would post some pics of the layouts I did. Unfortunately, Grandma didn't take pictures of them and they traveled to Okotoks, so I have no pictures. I will get some though, and post them when I do.

The past few weeks have been mayhem. That really is the best (and possibly only) way to describe my life lately. Of course, because I was REALLY busy, everything went wrong. (Ok, maybe not everything, but it sure seemed like it! Definitely some major things!)

To begin with, I have been working on finishing the order for Anna Banana. I didn't realize just how long that much stuff would take. Thank heavens Amelia & Kirsty are SO extremely understanding while I work out all the new-business kinks. (I'm sure by now, they are about ready to beat me up!) I was doing pretty well, sewing along, when suddenly, much to my surprise, a long piece of black rubber came flying off my sewing machine and hit me in the face. I screamed. Yes, screamed like a little girl. Fortunately, I was the only home at the time, so no one witnessed my embarrassment. (And now I choose to share it publicly here. Hmmm, doesn't make much sense, does it?!) This was on Wednesday the 28th. Of course, no one in Lethbridge carries the parts for my machine because its not a domestic (regular) machine. So, I had to take it to Calgary to get it fixed. Luckily, I was going to pick James up the next day, so I took it up there and dropped it off with the guy Friday morning.

James and I had made plans to stay in Calgary overnight because we needed some us time. I tried to cancel it on him so I could finish the order, but then my machine broke. (Yes, I got the hint.) We stayed at a hotel overnight and then spent the day shopping and scouting stores to carry my line of bags. Then, we met with Tim and Maureen for dinner and had a great time with them.

The week James is home is always ridiculously busy and this one was no exception. Any moment we didn`t have planned, I was sewing. James was so great about doing the things that I hadn`t been able to do (like clean!) and hardly complained at all. We spent the week meeting up with friends and family, going mini golfing, watching the new Indiana Jones flick, and looking at showhomes. It was a very busy, but very fun week.

I didn`t go with them to take him to catch the plane on Thursday so that I could get more sewing done. And I pretty much haven`t stopped sewing since. Except for the hour I met up with Kelly and Candice and we took the kids to the park. So much fun to see great friends! I`m so lucky! Literally, I spent 18 hours today sewing. Its a good thing I love it. I`ve got the order almost finished, just a few more finishing touches and then it will be ready to drop off on Monday.

Which leads me to one of the most exciting and nerve racking things going on right now. On Monday, we have a meeting with an investor who is most likely going to invest in my business. Keep your fingers crossed and pray really hard that it goes through. I`ve been squeezing in prepping for the meeting when I`m not sewing and I think I`m ready.

So that is the mayhem that is my life lately. I don`t really have any pictures. If I did, they would probably be of me sitting in the dining room (which has now become my sewing room) hunched over my machine, so just imagine that!

Where is May?

Ok, so I didn't realize until just a moment ago exactly how long it has been since I posted. A whole month! Crazy!! I've been forming posts in my head throughout the past days, but haven't had the time to post. The problem is condensing a month (especially one as busy as this past one has been) into a post in the 5 minutes I have to post!! Anywho, enough blathering, on to the important stuff.

In my last post, I wrote that James had decided to find a job down here. However, jobs in the field he wants (welding) are hard to come by down here when you are just an apprentice. So, he headed back up north the first week of May. Sad, but you get used to it after a while. He had a few interviews that went really well, so hopefully he'll hear something. In the meantime, he's working up there and probably going to start an online degree.

On Mother's day weekend, we went to the William Watson Lodge for the weekend. Jessica had to work during the weekend and James was up north, but Manda and Tem were able to come. We had a good time, playing cards and relaxing.

TJ was constantly getting into everything in the kitchen, but we managed to keep the lower cupboards stocked with only non-harmful items!

So, the Tuesday after Mother's Day was my birthday. Let me tell you, it was nothing special. I was (and still am) behind in my sewing, so I woke up early and sewed until 3:30 when I had to head in to my first (and only) shift at Swiss Chalet. Because James stayed home for so long, our money got pretty tight, so I thought I'd get a part time job to help out. However, the job was not so hot and, by the time I figured out what I spent in gas, I was only making a whopping $70 a month. SO not worth it! So, I called the owner and explained the situation to him. He was really understanding and that was that! The highlight (cough cough, major sarcasm) was when Jessica and Amanda (who also work at Swiss Chalet) got the entire wait staff to bring a huge cake and sing to me while I was working.

The rest of the week was filled with sewing. I had one more grad dress I had to finish, and since grad is tonight, I can post the pic of it. It was exactly what she asked for and I loved it. I thought it was so cute!

Ok, I quit trying to get these the right way. The bow (obviously) is on the back and is HUGE!! She really wanted it to make a statement and I think it does.

Then came the long weekend, which was filled with scrapbooking. My cousin is getting married in June and has asked us to do a bunch of pages for decorations. So, my aunt came down and we scrapped late into Saturday (okay, actually early into Sunday). I'm going to get some pictures from Grandma of the layouts I did and I'll post them in the next few days. (Yes Kelly, don't fall off your chair, there will be 2 posts from me in the matter of a week!!)

On the 19th we had a day long birthday celebration. Manda's husband Tem's birthday is the 19th, mine is the 13th and Terry's is the 28th, so we combined them all into one party. We went to the one o'clock show and then went mini golfing at Evergreen and for a picnic at Henderson. It was great!

Manda lost her golfball in the fountain, so she climbed in to get it!! I just left the 3 (yes, 3) balls I lost in there!

If you look at the last post, you'll remember TJ got a golf set for his birthday. He LOVES it! He walks around the house whacking every round thing in site, so mini golf was THRILLING for him.

There was a little boy in the swing next to TJ and they kept making faces at each other, so I look more excited to be swinging than TJ, but oh well! He did really like it, I promise!

Tuesday and Wednesday, I had a really bad headache, so I'm now even further behind in my sewing. I've got a scrapbooking class tonight I'm going to and then I'm chaining myself to my machine until I'm all caught up. That pretty much sums it up!

Cheerful

In all of life and learning, have much fun. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

-President Gordon B. Hinkley

Ok, I know it hasn't been a full month yet, but I have so much to say that just can't wait. Besides, its Sunday, so I'm not working or cleaning my house. TJ is busy playing with his legos and I don't feel like working on anything at this moment. So, here goes. You know how some Sundays, you go to church and every word the speakers say is just for you. Today was one of those for me. The topic the speakers were given was cheerfulness. Let me fill you in on a few of the things that have happened. First and foremost, James decided to quit up north and be home. While this is a wonderful thing, it has presented some really difficult challenges. Financially, we are nowhere near where we wanted to be when he was done up there. So, now we are left "homeless" with no prospect of buying a house in the near future. As he has been trying to find a job that will support us, we are quickly realizing just how much will have to happen for us to get out of mom and dad's place. (Not that we don't love them, we just need our own space.) Add to that the stress of not having a paycheck for the last month, and... well I'm sure you understand how I've been feeling. So, money worries aside, I've been feeling very trapped. The prospect of living with my parents for the next 5 years makes me cry. Literally. The business, as most business do, is going slower than I hoped, only because I'm figuring out all of the little quirks and getting stuff worked out. Things are going well now and I'll have the first major batch of stuff done by Thursday, so I'll post more about that later this week. Add to that that April has been one of the busiest months on record, and I haven't been very cheerful lately. The talks were so great and reminded me that I have so much to be grateful and cheerful about. I have a husband who wants to be with his family, a son who is healthy, smart and ridiculously cute, a family who loves and supports me, a house to live in, bed to sleep on and food to eat. The things I feel are "missing" in my life are all attainable if I am patient. (I know, it sounds SO easy) I have had many great examples of happy people in my life, all of whom I've said I want to be like. Part of being like them is learning to be joyful despite adversity.

Ok, enough of this being serious stuff. On to the fun stuff. On April 13, TJ turned 1. We were supposed to go for a picnic at the lake, but it snowed, so we moved our party inside at the church where James' parents go to church. We had such a great time!! TJ got lots of presents and was spoiled rotten, as all good grandchildren should be. Here are some of my favorite pics from the evening.

So, TJ`s actual birthday was on the same day as the opening of Swiss Chalet, where both of the girls are working. They were great. Amanda, made TJ a birthday bandanna (which he didnt wear very long). Then they brought him a dirt cup for deseret and sang to him.

Manda, Mom and I went for lunch the day after his birthday and he had an ice cream cone. I didnt get a good shot of the after, so here is the nice, clean before.

James mom and dad bought TJ this cute little lego wagon to go with the HUGE bag of legos James and I bought him and he loved it. He also got a swimsuit and pool from Grandma and Grandpa Thornhill (which I am sure he will love when he gets the chance to use them), a ton of clothes from everyone and a cute little golf set from James brother and his wife.This was the him eating the cake. I made cupcakes, so it was a more tolerable amount.

Before...

Today, we had a weenie roast out at Aunt Annettes because Brandy, Simon andthe girls are down. It was great fun!!! TJ has been taking a few tentative steps lately, so he went for a walk with his cousins! So cute!After a while, they got tired, so they sat in the grass and played for quite a while.

Ok, I have a million more things that have happened this past month, but this post is long enough!! I will talk to you all later!

See you in a month!

Ok, so I just wanted to drop a quick line and let everyone know I am alive. Sick, but alive. However, my illness is environmentally induced. As it becomes spring, hay and grass, my mortal enemies, come out to wreak havok on my sinuses. It will pass (somewhat). My poor little TJ is sick too. Unfortunately, his is not as simple as mine. He has bronciolitis, which is similar to bronchitis, but just in a smaller part of his chest. We took him to the hospital twice last week and they gave him some medicine. He is getting better, but slowly.

Exciting news, my fabric shipment got here this week!! I'm VERY excited. However, it means that I will be VERY busy for the next few weeks. So, if I don't post again this month, please forgive me. I will be checking in on all of you, but can't guarantee I'll be able to catch some free time to post! We'll see what the month brings!! Wish me luck!!

Catharsis

I have a confession to make. I hate Southern Alberta. I'm not kidding. I hate the wheat fields, the brown, the wind, the cold, the cows, the lack of culture, the lack of people, the lack of trees, tall buildings, anyway, you get the idea. This lack of love for my home leads me to have some pretty severe winter grumpies. I get moody and snap at those around me. (If you are one of those people I have snapped at lately, I apologize) I can't breathe properly and I have constant headaches because of it. I get very lathargic, have zero motivation and just want to stay in bed until its warm. So why, you ask, don't I move? Its simple. The people around me. I don't make friends very easily. I am quite shy and frequently mistaken for being snotty because of it. Also, I'm constantly worried about offending others. I'm just not comfortable around new people, so its rare that I make friends. The friends that I do have here are so great. I can't imagine leaaving them. And my family is here. If you know my family well, you know we get together all the time. And its not just that I'd miss the get together's, but its really great to have TJ be so close to everyone. Honestly, if it was just me, I'd be somewhere far far away. Probably the theater district in New York or in sunny Florida or in back in Utah.

Ok, so you are probably sitting there thinking why is she rambling on about this. What is the point behind this complaining? Its because after this winter down time, comes the spring catharsis. A catharsis is a purging of emotions. In every play, the hero has a cathartic moment, a moment when his outlook on his life changes and he realizes he can go on from there. This is what happens to me every spring. I have that moment when I realize that things are ok. I have had some great Cinderella moments in my life. What, you may ask, is a Cinderella moment? Its a time in your life when you get to live your life exactly the way you want to. When everything falls into place and you get to live out one of your wildest dreams. Some people only get one or two of these moments in their lifetime and I've already have a few of them. Yes, they only last until midnight, but they give you something to dream about the rest of your life. There are days when I would love to go back, but then I think about what I get to do now. (Some days, it takes a few days for that to make me feel better!!;) I may not be exactly who I want to be or where I want to be, but I am with the people I want to be with. My location does not get to determine who I am, only I can do that.

I love that I get to start each spring with a fresh outlook on life and a renewed sense of wonder. I love myself more each spring and am more greatful for those around me. I still don't like Southern Alberta and I don't know that I ever will, but it is where I call home these days and I don't forsee it changing anytime soon. And I'm ok with that!

Catch Up

I have been neglecting my blog lately. I apologize to all my faithful readers. (smirk, chortle, snort!!) I have been a very busy bee lately and it doesn't look like I'm going to get to slow down for a while. However, thats ok by me. Its amazing how much needs to be done to start a business. There are all these little things that you would never know need to be done until it is actually time to do them! I haven't been doing much sewing, just a lot of figuring out. Fortunately, I am almost done the figuring and am going to move on to the best parts, design and production!! Yipee!! Oh, and I'm very excited to say that, because of all the figuring I've been doing, we are now able to offer the bags at a lower price than they have been priced. (The new pricing will take effect when the next installment hits the shelves!)

So, other than business, the majority of my time this past month was spent planning and pulling off Manda's wedding. It went really well. I won't bore you with too many details and I'm sad to say my pics on my camera didn't turn out too well, so your going to have to wait for the pics from the photographer.

Tonight Tem and some of his friends made us traditional Nigerian food. It was REALLY good. I was really nervous because I'm not really an adventurous eater, but I was pleasantly suprised. Here are a couple pics of that.

Sorry, I know its not a great post, but it might be better than nothing. I am working on a much better one in my mind, but it still needs a little working out. Till then, be happy!!