bee: (bē) Noun 1. Busy As

{Apple landscape}

Every day, around 5 pm, the sun sets and shoots in my dining room window, directly onto my desk, shining into my left eye. Generally annoying, but once in a while it reminds me to look at the light differently. I got my camera, and an apple, and shot a few pics. This apple, reminds me of the dark side of the moon.

Very different for me, as I usually like bright pictures and tend to brighten everything.

The last couple days have been pretty fruitful/busy. Mainly because of one thing I've been trying to remember to do.

Make a list.

I always make lists, but for some reason got off doing it around christmas and I feel like I haven't accomplished as much because I don't have a set guideline in front of me of things that need to get done. So, a pile of screwed up prints from my computer led to scratch paper, which led to writing a list.

I know it's sad, but it's true. I'm a list gal.

Yesterday I ran around and did a bunch of errands, and today I ran around and did a bunch more. Boring stuff, but accomplished stuff. Post office, mailing bills, paying off Gene's seatbelt ticket (ack), working on some networking with other businesses, etc.

Yesterday I spent a good chunk of time (and money) getting an etsy store set up, and I'm still not done! I have a bunch of stuff left from the scrapbook days that I want to try to list and find a new home for, and my old site needed so much work that I just didn't want to mess with it anymore so I completely took down the product section and replaced it with an etsy store. I'll share the link as soon as it's finished.

I'm also doing a ton of crocheting, which has kind of replaced scrapbooking at the moment. Not because I'm giving up scrapbooking, just because it's easy to crochet while I'm watching friends or american idol. I made an entire scarf for a christmas present in a day. I can handle that.

Yesterday I saw the coolest thing, I was driving home, and turning from highway 136 onto 148 north was TWO wind turbine blades. Now for the record, each is over 100 feet long. That's TWICE as long as a semi trailer and no bending in the middle. When you see them coming it's quite a sight, they have 2 highway patrolmen and 2 guide cars. The wingspan of a windturbine is almost the length of a football field!

Now, imagine trying to turn one of those things. It took them about 5 min to get through the intersection and dammit, I had considered taking the camera with me. *sigh* So, I thought I'd go home and catch them going over the hill, but came in, put away groceries and forgot. So.. next time.

Today, I accomplished something I've wanted to for 2.5 years - I paid off Tanner's braces!
Whooop!

They said he's within a few months of being done! I'm SO going to take him out for popcorn. Good thing he's an honest kid because I always forget and offer him popcorn. He's so honest that I wasn't going to make him go back to school, but he wanted to go back.

Srsly Tanner, what's wrong with you?

Another accomplishment today, Pay off one thing, take on another. I signed up to get health insurance today. We have the $$, I've just been putting it off, and I'm such a paranoid type that I couldn't stand it any longer.

Still have two 365 projects to post. I need to catch up again! I'll try to post those tonight!

Latest flickr inspiration...

1. 1 5 4 0 0, 2. cold feet, 3. Untitled, 4. plushie gingham bow, 5. Hi-Ya!, 6. cardinal rouge on ice, 7. peacefull..., 8. There's a sign on the Wall, 9. Any Colour you Like, 10. Rain drops keep falling on my Head, 11. Melissa-Ingebretsen-54, 12. _MG_7636, 13. Bridal-6, 14. Leap!, 15. a full tummy :), 16. Sittin' Pretty, 17. Behind Main St, 18. groom's tie, 19. Milo and I are Smiling at You!, 20. an angel straight from heaven, 21. Rockstar! 2009/19/365 Explored 1/19 #449, 22. what lurks in my attic, 23. c e l e b r a t i o n, 24. C1 713, 25. C1 824, 26. Zayd, 27. more play date, 28. Knitting..., 29. Soft, 30. The Great Pyramid, 31. Untitled, 32. Grady, 33. shoes, 34. character, 35. The return of the hat, 36. The scale

No, I'm not in the shower yet, BUT, I am waking up.
Prolly cuz I have this song stuck in my head. Wow does that bring back memories or what. Way back when the ex and I used to like each other.

They were a one hit wonder - if you're going to try to find their other work, don't, the lead singer died years ago. If I remember right, it was suicide.... OD? I can't remember for sure, but I do remember being sad that his talent was gone.

*sleepy eyes*

I.Can.not.wake.up.today
srsly.

Got up at 8 a.m. with a bladder about to burst, and decided that 8 a.m. was more than enough sleep. Here it is almost 10 and my eyes say I'm a liar! I still want to go back to sleep. I slept so hard last night, I barely moved.

Which is bad, because I have crap to do today. Errands in town, get my nail fixed *again* (broke twice in 2 weeks. boo on that), write a proposal to do some networking with a business or two I'd like to work with, go to walmart (blech), take care of some advertising, take a shower.

Shower is high on that priority list, in fact, it's going to dictate the rest of this day. I just can't make myself go *stand* there for 20 min. Yes it takes that long, I have hair down to my ass so stop yer bellyachin. I need that shower because I think one of the shirts that I bought has some weird finish in it. I'm all itchy since I wore it.

Who's gonna carry me to the shower?
Yawn

Diet coke is not cutting it today.

HappyBirthday Ester!

Ester is 1 year old today.


That "seeing her shadow" joke just never gets old for me. I'm sure it will get old for her tho. :p We celebrated her birthday on Saturday night, just a wee bit soon, but she had no idea she was fed a LIE! lol.

There was chocolate cake, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with it but did a fairly good job. She came out cleaner than I did so that's probably an accomplishment right there.

Uncle Gene is good at getting down there on the floor and playing. He's got this girl thing whipped. We decided that the ball has been volleyed back to Beck and David, so therefore we are all requesting one boy.

Just one.

{Uncle gene and miss sarah}

Just to make things more interesting and so no one missed out. David/Becky hooked up wireless internet, the laptop with a cam, Skype and Becky's mom and Aunt got to see the birthday cake too. It was a cool way to share the day. Isn't it an amazingly weird way we share the world now? The future is now. awesome.

Getting to see new sarah

Laura and Becky saying good bye.

It was a well documented historical event.

Ester opened her gifts and actually did a pretty good job for being one. She only ate paper once. Gene and I forgot her gift. GRR. I thought of it about a week ago, and then picked up the bag of stuff and stuck it in the Christmas stuff I bought. Now I need to mail that!

Happy Birthday to a cutie patootie!

What a ride!

{A nice peaceful sunset at home!}

What an incredibly busy weekend!

There was a little piece of me that thought I might be able to post last night, or maybe even sneak on Carol's computer and do a shout out to my peeps, but it was not to be because wow how busy were we.

Saturday we got up early-ish, thank you Lana for setting my cell phone alarm clock, and then leaving it in the bathroom, because otherwise we probably would have been rushing around.

Packed the car for a weekend in KC. First stop of course was Archivers, waiting for my bride to show up for our meeting. I did well at A's only spending around $14. I think Gene secretly wanted it to be more so he could justify more scratch off tickets, but alas, it was not meant to be. LOL. (that and I'd bought scrapbook stuff 2 days before that so I really didn't NEED anything!)

The bride was awesome sweet and brought her MOH (maid of honor) with her. We talked for about an hour about weddings, and her plans, she reminds me of myself. I'll be doing her wedding this summer or fall (she has to pick a date ASAP). Her MOH said "We'd already decided if you were shy we weren't going to hire you." haha.. Dude. *try* to shut me up.

We weren't planning on it, but I ended up stopping in a clothing store and bought some new clothes. Gene "shopped" and kept bringing me things that he liked making me put them on. LOL. I finally had to say STOP!!! The clerks *loved* us.

After all that, I still need a new pair of jeans. Jeans are tricky, the have to be just right. So I walk in and buy stuff I don't desperately need. Although, all these things I can shoot in if i need to.

We went to Gene's mom and dad's house, visited with Becky and David, back from PA, had dinner and celebrated Ester's first birthday! (more pics in the next post).

Sat night we spent the night at Steve and Laura's house (Gene's other brother and sister in law). We slept on an air mattress and I will just say, air mattresses make you appreciate your own bed. I've also decided that I think gene and I need seperate bedrooms - I sleep so well by myself. I doubt he's going to go for that. LOL.

Sunday we all went to hell. I mean... Sears, to have our family portrait taken.

Long story short, the girl that was trying to photograph us had to be mildly mentally handicapped, OR, so incredibly shy that speaking to anyone was painful. I think it was both.

She had no idea what she was doing, she was all alone when there was supposed to be 2 ppl, (someone quit and the manager was on the way). Finally, after waiting 20 min, now the kids are pissy and so are the adults. She has no idea how to pose 11 ppl, I step in and *try* to help and they still look like crap because I can't see through the lense.

Finally the manager shows up, Gene has a few firm words with her and 45 min after we were supposed to, we get the pics taken. *no one was happy*

I'm hoping they all turn out better than they looked on the preview screen. Above all else, it was really nice that we all *tried*.

Now ppl. Sears is the devil.

We have photographic proof.

Nuff said.

Gene and I had dinner at Carrabba's - calamari is one of our favorites and their awesome 4 cheese pizza, which I can't spell but it was in italian. Gene knew. He surprises me sometimes.

One last thing we did, which was actually earlier at Steve and Laura's. I left Stephanie the dollhouse I made about 15 years ago.

I spent about every weekend working on this house, and once I spent an entire week off from work and worked on it about 12 hours every day. I spent a lot of time and love on it. When Tanner got big enough to walk, he started tearing it up, so it had to be put up and away and it never really got displayed again after that. When I moved, I put it in storage and I decided that if Gene and I were really going to go places in our lives, we must rid ourselves of some things.

Since I didn't want to just donate it to charity or put it in some garage sale, I gave it to Stephanie, because of all the girls i know, I am sure she's the one that will take the best care of it.

I hope Stephanie will grow up loving the house. When I was her age I always wanted a dollhouse, and so that's probably why I became attracted to miniatures as an adult.

She played with it for about 2 hours without saying a single word, so it will keep her occupied I'm sure.

Something I've realized over the years, to help reduce clutter in my life, that if there's something that has a sentimental value to it, I take a photo to keep. A photo takes up very little space as opposed as to a really large thing bigger than a small child.

Many times that will suffice and keep me happy, not worrying anymore that the thing is gone forever.