A Pinterest Success Story

I've been in a really crafty mood the last month and a half or so. Incidentally, I started working at Hobby Lobby about a month and a half ago. Let's just blame my crafty cravings on my being constantly surrounded by people who work miracles with pipe cleaners (which we apparently call chenille stems, by the way) and hot glue guns.

Unfortunately, I am by no means a creative and crafty person. But the need to make something was overwhelming, so I consulted my DIY Pinterest board and found a simple project to get my craft feet wet with: Styrofoam wall art, aka fabric-covered Styrofoam.

On Saturday afternoon, Randel and I went to Hob Lob to get my supplies. Every time I enter that crafter's paradise, I get this ridiculous notion that I can create/build/craft anything. I feel invincible with my glue gun and dare anyone to tell me I can't make a masterpiece out of Mod Podge and yarn. Feeling thusly empowered, I left the store with a 4-pack of Styrofoam rectangles, hot glue sticks, picture-hanging strips, and an intense desire to fire up the glue gun immediately.

I decided not to subject Randel to an afternoon of crafting with me, though, and planned to wait until Sunday to tackle the Styrofoam wall art. But I was so anxious about finally satisfying my craft craving that I found it difficult to sleep that night.

After a night that felt like Christmas for a seven-year-old, Sunday finally arrived. I pulled up my Pinterest page and laid out my supplies: leftover fabric from when Shawna and I re-covered my chairs, Styrofoam blocks, and a low-temp hot glue gun.

The project basically consisted of wrapping the Styrofoam like a present (too bad I'm a horrible gift wrapper) and securing with hot glue. Easy peasy.

(I was so caught up in finally being a legit DIY-er that I only remembered to take one picture during the project.)

Once I did this with three Styrofoam blocks, I recruited my brother to help me hang them. We didn't want to bother with a level---I don't have one anyway---so we took turns eyeballing each block on the wall. However, we did measure the length of the bookcase they'd hang above, as well as the distance between each block.

I'm pretty satisfied with the end result:

Not too shabby for thirteen bucks and a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon. Thanks, Hob Lob and Pinterest! I couldn't have done it without ya!

Are You My Doppelganger?

To borrow an overused phrase that's popping up all over Facebook (and often used incorrectly, I might add): you know that awkward moment when someone you've never laid eyes on tells you--not asks, mind you--that they know you from somewhere?

That happened to me a couple days ago. But it went a bit further than the "well, I guess you have a twin somewhere" response that is typical when you give them a pity laugh and gently inform them they're wrong.

Allow me to elaborate.

For starters, it happened in the bathroom. It was awkward from the get-go. I was washing my hands, ready to get back to writing my project sheet about feathers, when a lady I had seen around HobLob a few times before told me, "I know you from somewhere."

Dumbly, I replied, "From somewhere other than here?" I grabbed a paper towel and began drying my hands.

"Yes," she said. "I know I've seen you before, and I've been trying to figure out where."

She then told me she thought she had figured it out the night before. "Did I teach you in children's church?" she asked. I said no, that I hadn't grown up in OKC. She asked me where I grew up.

"Tipton," I said. "It's a tiny town. You've probably never heard of it." I finished drying my hands and edged closer to the door.

"Well, I've heard of it," she said. "But never lived there or anything."

She then told me that she was so sure I had been one of her children's church students that she had searched out, finally found, and studied a picture of the family she thought I belonged to.

At this point, I was feeling extra awkward. I've never (to my knowledge) had someone I don't know research me after seeing me in passing a couple times and being convinced she knows me.

I just gave her the pity laugh and told her I wished I could help her, as she was obviously quite hung up on my mysterious presence in her past.

She ended the conversation with: "You must just have a doppelganger, then."

"I guess I do," I agreed. And we parted ways.

For the time being...

***

On my way to the bathroom today, I came face-to-face with my stalker again.

"This time I did figure out where I know you from," she began.

"Oh yeah? Where from," I asked, intrigued.

"Well, I used to live in Altus, which is close to Tipton," she said.

I nodded, thinking maybe she actually had seen me around. I was unprepared for her next question.

"Did you used to work at Walmart?"

"Uh...no," I said, while thinking, How specific...

"Oh," she said, clearly upset that she was wrong once again.

She then told me that she used to pass through Tipton on her way to church in Frederick and asked me if I had ever gone to Bible Baptist Church there. Once again, I had to give her a no.

"Well, I guess I really don't know you after all," she said. "I guess I'll just give it up."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I mean, was she hoping we'd be besties or something? Keep in mind, she's probably in her fifties. So I simply said, "Well, I'll keep trying to figure out where you might know me from," and we parted ways again.

What was I thinking? Now we really might have to be BFFs. I can see it now. We'll bond over bathroom breaks and joke about the first time we met. We'll have crochet parties on the weekends.

Unless she feels awkward about researching me--and admitting it--and from now on uses the bathroom twice as far down the hall to avoid me at all costs.

Either way, I'll let you know what happens. And if you see my doppelganger around, please let me know.

*Side note: Early on in this story, I mentioned a project sheet about feathers. You can do some really cool stuff with feathers. When the project sheet is published, I'll fill you in. 

Are You There, Readers? It's Me, Irregular Blogger

Well, hello there. Long time no blog, huh? I told myself I was going to be a better blogger now that I write for a living. But maybe that's why I've been slacking. No one's paying me for being so interesting, witty, and awesome on my personal blog. What's that you say? It's because I'm not actually interesting, witty, and awesome? I guess I'll just continue on for the fun of it, then.

Since I last blogged, I've gotten a root canal, picked up another Zumba class (bringing the grand total up to four classes a week), put in three weeks at my new job, and been too exhausted to do anything but come home and crash after work, which includes both HobLob and the gym most days. Thus, I'm not where I'd like to be on my read-52-books-this-year goal. But I'm still three books ahead, so I won't panic just yet. (Also, my Reading Challenge meter thingy on your left is incorrect for some reason. I've actually read 33 books, not 28. But moving on...) I have realized, though, that a big part of the reason I was breezing through my reading goal is because I got off work at 3:00 and worked from home two days a week. This working til 5:00 every day stuff is for the birds. But for a better, less-stressful job, I'll adjust.

Okay, changing gears here. I've basically been rambling so I can delay admitting that I failed my July goal. But I really don't have much else to talk about, so there you have it. Womp womp... If you'll recall, my goal was to run at least three times a week. I rocked it the first two weeks of the month.

Then I started my new job and couldn't just go to the gym anytime of day on my telecommute days or in between getting off work at 3:00 and teaching Zumba anywhere from 5:30-6:00. With my new work schedule, I go straight from work to the gym for Zumba class most days and can barely walk to my car afterward, much less run a mile. I entertained thoughts of running before Zumba on Saturdays and at some point on Sundays. I quickly dismissed them when the weekends rolled around.

So long story not so short, I guess I halfway met my goal. I don't know why I didn't set realistic goals for myself, like "drink three Pepsis a day" and "play a ridiculous amount of Triple Stack (addicting card game) on my phone."

Nonetheless, this month's goal is to keep a food journal. I almost forgot Wedneday was the first and was halfway through the day before I remembered to write down the Big Gulp and blueberry muffins that were my breakfast. But I quickly recovered and am current on my food journal. There really is something to that whole thing about how seeing your daily food intake on paper opens your eyes. Consuming my recommended daily amount of calories before lunchtime is not okay. Since the running thing didn't work out, maybe this will help me get rid of those stubborn five pounds that just won't go away.

Either way, I'm going to meet this month's goal. I've failed my last two, and I really don't like the way that feels. So wish me luck...and hope that I don't fill up an entire notebook while tracking everything I eat for the next month.