Busy!

Been busy busy busy...What else is new? Well I do have some news!!!...I got a job offer! Very close to home! It's about a 5 minute walk! The job itself is very similar to what I'm doing now - it pays slightly less, but I will reclaim at least four hours of my day! Right now I'm commuting almost 2 hours to work & 2 hours back. I do like my job & my co-workers & I'm feeling a huge amount of guilt for leaving them during their busiest time of year. I got the offer Friday night & I am planning to tell my boss & co-workers on Monday if all goes as planned! I'm so freaked out about how they are going to react. I know that I'm probably giving up certain aspects of my job that I love...but 4 hours of my life back is so worth it! Wish me luck and send your good vibes that they won't totally flip out when I give them the news! Yikes!!! I am having major anxiety about this life changing decision. I'm trying not to over think things. I know that in the long run this will be the best thing for me.

I have cut down on swaps lately but I joined a cool one where swappers come here to read my Blog. Soooo...Welcome Blog Love Swap-bot friends!!!

Among the stress of work, the job offer & the crazy Christmas season I dealt with a mini crisis last week. Lily went missing! She usually greets Stephen at the door when he's home from school but last Wednesday she was a no show. I went to look for her and she was no where to be found! We looked everywhere!!! Moved the bed, couches, tables and she wasn't anywhere. We called her and not a sound! I thought she may have escaped so Steph, Woody & I walked the neighborhood calling her name. At one point I saw what I thought was a dead animal in the road & I lost it! Stephen went ahead to investigate and luckily it was only a bag. I was so upset! When we got back in I let Woody wander around and he went right to the drawers in the laundry room. Stephen opened one of the drawers & there she was! I have no idea how she got in there! I don't remember closing any drawers! Anyway, she was safe and it was such a relief. I think it made me realize that although there will never be another Sammy, I am able to really love another kitty. Lily & I have really bonded since then. =) Woody & Lily are wonderful pets. Woody is such a mama's boy. He got he final set of shots today so I am looking forward to taking him out & hopefully he'll get over being such a scaredy pup.

I finally finished the book Sylvia recommended, The Lovely Bones. It was very emotional! I actually cried while reading it. There were a couple things I didn't like about the story, or things that I would have done different if I were the writer but all in all I liked it very much. I am waiting on pins & needles for the movie to come out! It was so thought provoking and I keep thinking about the concept of heaven. Very interesting!

I also got finished with a couple Netflix movies that friends recommended & here is what I thought...in a nutshell! LOL!

1408 : Great one man show. Almost gave me a heart attack. Scary with a blah ending.

Knocked Up: Am I the only one in America (other then Stephen) who thought this movie was lame? It was slow & it seemed like they were making up the lines as they went along. A few giggles but it wasn't fall on the floor hilarious like everyone said it was. 40 Year Old Virgin was way better!

Wolf Creek: Chilling, scary...OMG, I'm going to have nightmares. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The next few weeks are going to be insane but I will try my best to pop in & let you all know what's going on. I'm looking forward the last adventures of 2007 & the wild year of adventures in 2008. I'm excited! I can't believe this year went by so fast! I wish life would slow down a bit.

Halloween Candy Hangover

I'm so sad...Halloween is over! I didn't dress up (except for my light up pumpkin socks) but I had a great time anyway. I had a blast playing with the pets, eating pizza with Steph & Greg & handing out candy. We had more Trick-or-Treaters then last year & we came close to running out of candy. I had so much fun decorating the house, putting together treat bags & waiting for the kids to come. Halloween brings back so many great memories of being a kid. I love it!

I finished all my swaps & I am on a swapping hiatus for a few weeks - unless something intriguing pops up sooner. I posted some photos on Flickr of my recent sent & received swaps. I am awaiting 2 Dotee Dolls & 3 Frida ornaments. I can't wait to see what I get! It is the best feeling to come home from a long day at work to find a package waiting for me.

Tonight I am going to finish my Dia de los Muertos altar. I made 4 fake sugar skulls & I have been collecting little odds & ends to add to it. I'm really excited to see how it turns out. I love Dia de los Muertos. It's such a beautiful celebration of life. I saw the coolest DOD wedding cake on Flickr & I saved the photo because I want one just like it for my wedding (which will be in 2008 even though Stephen is dragging his feet!!! LOL!) I can't wait! Wedding 2008 or BUST! If I wait any longer I really will resemble the bride on top of that cake!

I love my new babies!

Finally, some time alone! I have the office to myself for another 30 minutes! Time to blog! haha...Things are FABULOUS (Do I sound WeHo enough for you?). We got our new puppy on Saturday. His name is Woody & he is so adorable! The first two days were difficult but little by little he seems to be adjusting. Lily pounced him a gazillion times the first few days & he would yelp every time. Now he bounces around and provokes her & now when she pounces him he fights back. He's smaller then her but I'm getting a little worried he might bite her too hard. She must like it because she keeps coming back for more. They roll around & chase each other. It's so cute! She tries to groom him but usually he tries to bite her tongue. It's funny! He sleeps in his little crate at night which I put on the bed & she sleeps right outside the door. The first night in his crate he cried & she sat by him until her stopped. Now he falls right asleep once he's in the crate. He's pretty good so far. I heard horror stories on the Doxie forums & I was slightly

panicked! I'm sure he'll get into lots of puppy trouble but I just have to be patient with him. He's still a baby & has so much to learn. Cats are easy...well easier!

I am a little behind on my swaps. The send by dates are quickly approaching & I haven't even started. I got done with my Skulls for the Dia de Los Muertos swap just in time. I love swapping but I wish I had more time to do it. I have 3 more to do & then I may take a temporary break so I can work on some crafts for a holiday sale. I will have to do one X-mas swap for sure. There are just way too many cool swaps on Swap-bot. I will post photos of my swaps on flickr shortly. I am banned from posting anymore photos until next month or until I upgrade. I will probably upgrade because I really enjoy flickr.

The other night I had a dream that my best friend (and neighbor) had a party & didn't invite me. I kept looking over the fence to see what was going on at the party. It looked like so much fun & all my other good friends were there. I was so sad...She recently found out she's pregnant. I think pregnancy is the real party I'm wishing to be invited to! Dreams say so much...I also had a dream that Trick-Or-Treaters came to my house & I didn't have any candy. I was running around the house in a panic getting canned food to put in their bags! LOL! I wonder what that one means? I also dreamt that I lived in a high rise & from my window I could see buildings collapsing from an earthquake or some disaster. It was scary! Maybe it had to do with all the fires raging. You feel insecure when you see people's lives going up in smoke! Sad & scary.

October's Surprises!

I'm sorry to have left you all in suspense since my last post! I ended up going on the 2nd interview for the "dream job." I redeemed myself the second time around. I felt good about the interview and the feedback I received afterwards. I got a follow up e-mail requesting references so I thought for sure I had it in the bag! I was even slightly stressed just imagining how I would break the news to my boss. It felt like it was a sure thing & I never feel that confident after interviews! I was patiently awaiting the job offer. A few days passed, then a week, then a week and a half...Finally I got an e-mail saying she went with the other candidate but how great I am and that she wishes she could hire us both, blah blah blah. I have to admit I'm still really bummed about it. REALLY BUMMED!

Other then that waste of time...Life is good. Stephen had his surgery & it went well. I'm so happy & relieved!...We also got a new kitty! Can you believe it? I wasn't sure I wanted another cat or would be able to love another cat after Sammy. I will always love my Sammy & there will never be another cat like her. This little kitty is special in her own way. She is all Puuurrrsonality! LOL! She is a Tonk, so she is affectionate & smart. She demands attention! She's slightly different coloring then Sammy was as a kitten & she has this unusually fine hair that is slightly long & she puffs up into a ball when she's excited. I am so in love with her & we just met! LOL! I found a Tonk breeder in Georgia after striking out with a bunch of local breeders. They said they would have a Tonkinese Natural Mink available for adoption a few days after I e-mailed them! What perfect timing! She arrived at LAX on Friday. Stephen & I went to pick her up & we were met with a BIG surprise! There were TWO tonks in the carrier! I don't know exactly how it happened but the other kitten was supposed to go to Houston, TX. It was a big ordeal because we couldn't reach the breeder & we had no idea what to do with the little stowaway. We brought them both home & enjoyed 4 fun days with two kittens running around the house. I fell in love with both kitties & I was hoping the Houston family would change their mind about him & I could keep them both. No such luck! I had to send "The Little One" to Houston. I cried! I talked with his new owner & she is going to keep in touch. I hope she does. He's my kitties brother & I felt so bad for separating them. The Houston couple named him Fievel after Fievel Goes West. Very fitting! LOL! After throwing a few names around I decided on calling my kitty Lily (Tiger Lily)...Some other BIG news is that we'll be getting a Doxie puppy On Oct. 20th...That way these two can grow up together. My two little brownies. It's going to be an adventure...

Updates: Other then that I've been annoyingly busy at work. I have a ton of fun swaps this month & I'm trying to post photos of them regularly on Flickr. Halloween is in the air! I have my decorations up...too much fun! I love Halloween!!! oh, & if you don't already know....I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE AGAIN!!! Exciting!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC X 2!!!

OK, I think that's most of the updates.

Time has come today!

Note: Whole Foods Butternut Squash Enchiladas = Not good AT ALL!

I got "gypped" by 3 swappers! What is up with that!? I am working on a self portrait for a current swap. I already received a cool self portrait from the UK, which I'll post on MyFlickr later today. I better get a move on! Luckily my portrait doesn't have far to travel - just a few miles away. I opened an etsy account and I'm going to try & actually make some money from my creations. Another goal is to add some stuff to my collection of large shadowboxes & paintings so I can have a show. I'm so inspired by all the artist's I've met via Swap-bot & MySpace. Hopefully I'm inspired enough to finally do something with my passion! I had so much time off while I was job hunting & I wasn't productive at all! I'm so disappointed in myself! I was really depressed and uninspired. I rarely worked on my art or got off my ass and went to the gym. Now that I'm inspired again I am lacking the time & energy. I'm trying to figure out a schedule that includes work, the gym, time for art, my loved ones & my house. I want to make all of those things a priority. Is that possible? Advice needed! I hate doing a million things at once, dodging traffic & running around like a crazy woman. I like peace. I'm hoping this little upcoming vacation brings me a little of that before it's back to the rat race again. I can't wait!

Rants

Dear crazy guy that flipped me off today,
I wouldn't have cut you off if you would have been courteous & let me in. Chill out, relax & take a chill pill. The look on your wifes(?) face was priceless! Stop embarrassing her by being a crazed jerk!

Dear alarm clock,
I'm sick of hearing from you. Shut-up!

Dear Subway Sandwich Artist,
Stop looking at me weird because I don't want your stupid vegetables. They're yucky and I don't like them! Oh, & easy on the mayo!

Dear Flaky Swap Partners,
How do you sleep at night?

Dear people with embarrassing e-mail addresses,
speedofetish@fillintheblank.com is not very professional. I'd advise against using it on your resume.

Dear Parking Garage Nazi,
Your parking garage is gross, on the verge of collapsing & it smells like pee. Stop guarding it like it's Fort Knox!

Dear Pedro Almodovar,
I was loving Volver, with it's bright colors, camera angles & strong women characters BUT why did you end it like that? I thought my DVD was defective. That wasn't cool.

A bunch of nothing

The Weekend
Busy Busy Busy...Went to a show at The Galaxy on Friday with Stephen, his bros & his cousin. I forgot how much I hate General Admission. We got there early and I got a pretty good place by the stage. I eventually lost my spot up front due to a fight between a drunk 40-something and a Biker 4 Jesus. It was hot, stuffy and stinky. I made it through a one man band, a Christian rock band with a singer sporting a mamel toe (a man camel toe) and a sexy 50 year old dude playing guitar with his shirt off. Dude, I think 50 year old guys are hot! I am getting ooooold! LOL! The band we were there to see didn't go on until midnight and after their third song I couldn't handle it any longer. I retreated to a cozy table by the bar. Why didn't I think of that earlier? A show isn't as cool from afar. There's nothing better then getting up close and personal with the band. Unfortunately, four hours on my feet stuck between a bunch of sweaty dudes just wasn't cool. I had fun. I'm always up for an adventure.

Saturday was another Grad party and on Sunday I visited my old manager Rose who is suffering with pancreatic cancer. Rose is so amazing and inspiring and I am blown away by her strength. We went to lunch and had a huge bottle of champagne to celebrate my new job and of course to celebrate life. After two glasses I was seeing double and had to cut myself off. We gossiped about our old co-workers and chatted for hours about every thing under the sun. It was great. I'm going to try and plan a happy hour with the other girls soon. It's just so hard to get everyone together these days.

Swaps
I joined a few more swaps. I couldn't help myself. They're all pretty easy & don't require much money so it shouldn't be too much of a burden. I'll post pictures of what I'm sending soon. I've been so bad about taking pictures of swaps I receive and I promise to try and be better. One of my swaps is called CALLING ALL CRAFTING COMADRES,CHOLAS,FIRME HYNAS,RUCAS. I thought it was a fun idea and I think I have an idea of what I'm going to send...but I'll keep it a secret until I snap a photo. Some of the others are a Paper Art Doll Swap & A Bottle Cap Shrine swap. I can't wait to get to work on these. It's so much fun, but I seriously think someone needs to call a swap intervention!

Stephen's B-day!
This Saturday is Stephen's 28th birthday! We're having a little gathering over at his gramps on Saturday and I'm going to take him out on Friday. I love his birthday more then my own and hopefully I can make it extra special for him.

A Day in the Life
I posted some pictures I took today on my Flickr account. My camera is busted and I'm using Stephen's work camera which isn't so great. Check them out anyway and see some of the things I saw today. Check this out http://www.shakespeareinthecemetery.com/. I drive by here everyday & it's a pretty interesting spot. I love old Hollywood. I snapped some photos this morning and saw the banner. I want to go! Sounds strange & very cool.

I Believe in Ghosts!!!

I am a swap addict! I keep telling myself that I need to cut down on swaps, especially with a new job that hogs most of my time these days. I just can't stop! I'm at least going to try and cut down on the swaps that require a trip to the post office. It's so addicting! I get sad when I don't have any swaps lined up. Nothing beats coming home to a swap package full of swappy goodness! I joined a easy swap called I Believe in Ghosts which requires me to write a letter to someone telling them about why I believe in ghosts. Lately some odd things have been going on in our little blue house so I thought this was an appropriate swap. Other then whats been going on in our house I have had two other "paranormal experiences" happen to me while staying in old hotels. I'll fill you in on those another time but let me tell you about the experiences going on in our home sweet home. The house we live in was built in the early 1920's and that's pretty much all I know of it's history. I love the house despite a few annoyances like the tiny bathroom and the non-existent counter space. The only thing creepy about it is the basement which I actually only peeked into. We moved in almost exactly one year ago and here are some of the things that have happened.

1. A few days after moving in I was taking a nap on the couch. I woke up because I felt someone touching my feet. I opened my eyes and saw what I thought was Stephen duck behind the couch and crawl into the computer room. I thought he was playing a joke on me and I was rather annoyed so I went back to sleep. When I woke up I looked for him and he wasn't there. He was still at work! Now this all could have been my imagination or a weird dream so I just brushed it off and didn't think much of it until other things started to happen.

2. On Thanksgiving I was on the couch and Stephen was in the shower. At the same time we both smelled an intense perfume smell. He thought I sprayed perfume under the door (why on earth would I do that!?) and I didn't know where it came from.

3. The trash can lid will swing on its own. Stephen saw it happen the first time and then one day I was cooking soup and I saw it with my own eyes. I thought that something at the top fell to the bottom to cause it to swing. I checked it and tried to find the cause. I couldn't recreate what happend except by pushing the lid. I stepped back and was looking at the trash can very confused and then it did it again!

4. I was in the kitchen and I felt as if someone was behind me. I figured that Stephen came in quietly to sneak up on me. I turned around and no one was there. It gave me the chills.

5. We hear steps on our porch quite often. I run to peek out the window to see who it is and no one is there. We thought it might be an animal or our imagination. I had a bunch of friends over for a party and we had the front door open. I heard the footsteps and several of the girls peeked outside to see who was coming up the steps. No one was there and this was witnessed by several people who knew nothing of these sounds.

6. Stephen was leaving for work and when he walked through the kitchen he heard a women's voice whisper "Staaaaaaay". Now keep in mind that he is one of the most honest people I know and doesn't make up stories or invent things. At least the voice didn't say "Get Out!"

So there you go! You be the judge! I'm sure you skeptics can come up with some logical explanations. I'll update you if something else spooooky happens.

Still not a winner

I didn't win the MEGA Millions - I didn't match a single number! However, I did land a really promising interview with a huge corporation run by a mouse who wears red shorts. I probably wouldn't have got the interview but a previous employer has a connection to the recruiter and that got her attention. Lucky break, I guess. Now if only I can land the job. I have a couple of other interviews on the horizon and I'm determined to get hired somewhere soon.

I finished my fairy doll for the Fairy Bower Doll & Matchbox Swap. She's no dainty fairy! She's a short, husky, flamboyant sprite & she's got a head or fiery hair. I had so much fun making her. I used polymer clay, paint, fabric, buttons, and yarn. The other part of the swap is to decorate a little matchbox and fill it with fairy items. I filled hers with flowers, lady bugs, butterflies, shells, stars, animals & other cute little embellishments. This has been one of my favorite swaps! I'm mailing her tomorrow and I'll be sad to see her go...but she's going to a good home.

Check my photo album - I've added some random pictures and one of my empty garden. I created a small fenced in garden in our little side yard. I planted seeds last week and I'll be taking photos of the progress. Hopefully something other then clovers and dandelions will grow on that side of the house.

Venting, Bunnies, Coins & Swaps

I'm feeling better today then yesterday. The job hunt in really draining...I know people want to be helpful but I wish people would stop saying "keep trying" or "apply here" and "you need to do this", etc. Then there's the other group of people who say "you're so lucky to be off work", "the job you didn't get was meant to be" & "enjoy your vacation". I know people are just trying be helpful...but it doesn't help...it only makes things harder. People don't realize how hard I'm trying and how horrible I feel. I got turned down for a four week temp job! How humiliating is that?!?! The only reason I went to the damn temp agency is because of someone told me that it's sooooo easy to get a job through them. I called three temp agencies on Friday & none of them were of any help. I've never felt so desperate. Anyway, today I'm feeling more hopeful but it's up & down.

Yesterday I received a lovely package from my Swap Angel Melissa. It was a nice surprise! I never received my Valentine's Day Swap & she was so sweet to fill in for my flaky partner. I ate the chocolate before I had a chance to snap a photo. I really needed some chocolate yesterday! =) I finished my Latin Matchbox Shrines during the week. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. The swap deadline is a few weeks away but I had the urge to be crafty. I hope my partners like them. My camera battery was dying so the pictures don't due them justice. I can't wait to send them. I also snapped the pictures above of some of my Easter decorations. Again, the picture doesn't due them justice. I'm loving Easter now that I've rediscovered the cuteness of Easter decorations. I'm even appreciating pastels! I have an small egg collection that I still have to display. I'm tempted to join the Bunny Swap on Swap-bot but I think I may be overextending myself already. I also took a photo of some Geocoins I discovered this morning. I made a quick travel bug drop at a local cache & I picked these up. I'm loving coins these days! If you don't know about Geocaching, Geocoins or Travel Bugs yet...do some research & click these links. It's a great hobby...well if you like the outdoors and treasure hunts. =)

Happy Birthday Sammy!

Yesterday we celebrated Sammy's 20th birthday. My parents, Billy & Sylvia came over to experience the unusual event. I made a tri-tip, salad, corn and Sylvia made yummy potato salad. I was going to make a cake but I got lazy and bought one from Albertson's - it did the trick. I bought a few decorations from Dollar Tree and made Sammy a little Fancy Feast cake to make it even more special. Of course the party was really more for me then it was for her. She could care less! She did enjoy her cake & she loves company. It was a ridiculous idea like all my others...but it was lots of fun. Happy 20th Birthday Sammy!

I joined a couple of new swaps on swap-bot. I have swapping fever! I am just about to send out my flat goodies swap & I'll put my Born in 1977 swap together as soon as I get my partners info and find out a little more about her. I recently joined a swap called Latin Matchbox Shrine and I found an unusual swap where we have to make a little fairy doll. I think I am going to stick to crafting swaps for the time being. They require little or no money except for postage. I got stiffed on the Valentine's Swap. It was only my second time dealing with a non sender...It sucks but someone ( a swap angel) has kindly offered to send me a package. Isn't that sweet?

Job hunt update: I am waiting to hear back from the temp agency about starting a job this week or next. Today is a holiday so I have to wait until tomorrow to get the full details. Cross your fingers for me. Right now any job will be the best job! The pressure to find something gets worse everyday and I am suffering from insomnia & when I finally get to sleep I have nightmares. Last night I dreamt that the lady from a job I applied to called me and said that they wanted to hire me without even meeting me first! I was so happy! Waking up and realizing it was all a dream became the nightmare!