30-Day Writing Challenge

This is me telling you that today I decided I want to blog every day in October.

And this is me telling you I fully expect to fail.

So why would you even set that goal and waste my time telling me about it? you may be wondering.

To that I say, "Good question," but the reason is because I will certainly give this my best shot, but I know myself...and more specifically, my lack of self-discipline.

But that's what 2012 has been about for me--trying to better myself in several ways (both big and small). And one thing I really wanted to work on was becoming more self-motivated.

I've been blogging (and have lived with myself) long enough to know that I won't have something to write about every day, so I consulted a 30-day writing challenge for a little help and inspiration.

So here's to 31 days of bettering myself as a writer and a perosn...and hopefully providing a bit of entertainment along the way.

My Month-Long Case of the Mondays

I’ll just come out and say it: I’ve been in a funk this month. Unfortunately, that affects all areas of my life, including my writing. I’m not sure if it’s the changing-jobs-after-almost-four-years thing or the I'm-constantly-on-the-go thing or the I’m-almost-on-the-other-side-of-twenty thing or what. But in any case, I haven’t been as diligent about blogging as I wanted to be this month because I just haven’t felt like it.

Since writing is my career now, though, I kind of have to be more diligent about writing. I know my work will suffer if I don’t take the time to write when I have the chance. So here is my attempt at getting out of my funk. Forgive me if it’s disastrous.

First things first: I dominated my August goal of keeping a daily food journal. Down to every last Swedish Fish, I faithfully recorded every morsel I consumed. I did not, however, eat less or continue my journal this month. So I don’t know how helpful that goal really was.

Now for another confession: I basically gave up September’s goal--improving my posture--the first week of the month. I had all these lofty goals of walking around with books on my head, taking some yoga classes, and sitting on the edge of my chair at work in hopes of training my spine into submission.

But even though I remembered I should sit with my feet flat on the ground, it was just so much more comfortable to just let them cross…and to slouch down while in the throes of writer’s block…and to walk normally instead of thrusting my chest out as if it were on display.

I know my posture is terrible and that it won’t get better if I don’t work to improve it. Maybe I'll just get weekly massages instead of sleeping on my back and not allowing my poor legs to cross.

Okay, now pretend that I worked in a seamless segue here.

Moving on to my goal to read 52 books this year. Not to toot my own horn, but beep beep! I’ve read 42 books and am currently reading 43, 44, and 45.

Since I last blogged I’ve read some great ones, namely The Devil in the White City, Unbroken, and The Fault in Our Stars.

This post is already too long to go into any great detail, so just go borrow/buy/whatever you have to do to get these books in your hands. You won’t be sorry.

I also finally read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I really enjoyed it and will probably read the other two books in the series, but it took me over 100 pages to get into the book and really understand what was happening. I don’t usually give books that long to hook me in, but since I had heard from several trusted reader friends that TGWTDT (I had to think about that abbreviation so long that it probably would have taken me less time to just write the title) was excellent, I stuck it out.

I definitely don't regret reading it, but I do wish it had been as suspenseful and dramatic as it turned out to be all the way through.

Pretend once again that I've just worked in another seamless segue, 'cause I want to wrap this up.

October's goal is to floss every day. Clearly, I should have been doing this long ago, as I have to go back to the dentist in a few weeks to get another root canal. Oops...

But I thought this would be a good goal for October since I'll undoubtedly be consuming more sweets than usual--candy corn, caramel apple pops, Fun Size anything. You get the point.

I won't subject you to pictures, but I will try reallyreallyreally hard to be a better blogger this month. Randel and I celebrated our two-year anniversary yesterday, I tried another Pinterest recipe, and I've been writing more project sheets at work, so it shouldn't be difficult.

Holla!

Three Boys and a Backsplash

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I’ve never had a reason to doubt them—whoever they are—but I know now just how right they are because I got a new-and-improved kitchen for nothing more than chicken tacos and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.

It all started one afternoon several months ago when, out of the blue, Randel’s friend Joey asked me about my backsplash. I told him I didn’t exactly have one; it was the same grayish-bluish-stuff-I-don’t-know-the-name-of that my countertops are made of.

He then asked me if I wanted a new tile backsplash. I said yes, of course, but asked how much it would set me back. He said he, Randel, and their friend Ryan would do it for food.

I’m no Rachael Ray or Pioneer Woman, but I’m not a fool either. I quickly accepted the generous offer and consulted Pioneer Woman for the perfect recipe to feed three hungry, hardworking men. I decided on her make-you-wanna-slap-your-mama chicken tacos.

The Saturday in March (yep, this project was begun six months ago) arrived and with it, the men and their supplies—tile, grout, measuring tape, some sort of tile adhesive, and lots more stuff I don’t know the functions of.

We started out with the food. In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the wisest decision on my part. What if they had gotten so full and satisfied on scrumptious chicken tacos that they couldn’t work?

Luckily, they remained true to their word and got right to work after polishing off somewhere around 17 tacos.

I stayed in the living room, out of their way, with Joey's wife and baby. Amid the noise of tiles being cut, tiles being dropped on the floor, and the general loudness that occurs when Randel, Joey, and Ryan are together, Ashley (Joey's wife) and I kept up conversation and tried not to interfere.

But when we saw what looked like mud being smeared across what I thought was a beautiful, nearly finished backsplash, we grew fearful. Maybe Joey doesn’t actually know what he’s doing, I thought. Maybe he just wanted a free meal. So Other Ashley and I ventured over to see if we could deduce what they were up to.

“Um…what’s that mud for?” I politely asked Joey.

He gave me an answer I didn’t understand, but I tried to calm my fears of my kitchen being ruined. Other Ashley wasn’t so hesitant with her query.

“Babe, it looks like you’re messing up her kitchen,” she said.

I just laughed and tried to trust Joey when he told us to just trust him.

Turns out, Joey could be trusted. Several hours later, half of my kitchen had a brand spankin’ new backsplash that looks better than I ever imagined!

**six months later**

Somehow, nearly half a year passed before the guys came back out to finish the job. It could have something to do with the fact that Joey and Ashley have a new baby. That’s just speculation, though.

After hounding Randel about hounding Joey about when they were going to finish my kitchen, Randel texted me one day: “How about we finish your kitchen this weekend?”

I immediately said yes and wondered what I would feed them this time around. They loved Pioneer Woman’s chicken tacos, but I wanted to do something different this time. I had a fierce craving for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, so that's what they got. Wanting to be a good hostess, I whipped up some baked beans and potato salad to go along with the sandwiches (okay, I bought the potato salad, but I did whip up the beans).

 

After eating, the boys got right to work. The other side of my kitchen had a smaller space to cover, so they were done in just a couple episodes of "Criminal Minds." The only thing is...they forgot the grout. So my kitchen isn't actually complete, but it's almost there.

 

I wonder what I should feed them for grout work...

 

And now, some before and after pics. [Note: Inevitably, I forget to take adequate "before" pictures, so I don't have many, and the ones I do have aren't great.]

 

 

 

These photos don't do my new kitchen justice, so if you want to admire the boys' handiwork in person, just stop on by. If you're lucky, you'll get some food out of the deal.

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.

New Beginnings

Okay, I know you've all been on the edge of your seats since yesterday (that is, if you didn't see my Facebook comments about it), when I teased you with multiple mentions of my glamorous new job and wonderful career move. Well, maybe I didn't make it sound that exciting yesterday, but it's going to be. I just know it.

Let's start from the beginning. Things have been happening at work over the last couple months that have made me realize it's time for a change. I had been craving new job opportunities for a while actually, and the craziness at work gave me the push I needed to seek out those opportunities. I won't go into much detail, except to say that while May and June were hectic/stressful/terrifying months for me work wise, July is already shaping up to be a heckuva lot better.

I know you're all thinking, Get on with it already. Where is this supposedly glamorous new job? So without further ado, here is the moment you've been waiting for, the moment I reveal the heretofore top-secret location of my new job. Drum roll, please... Hobby Lobby! No, I won't be selling scrapbook paper, greenery, fabric, and picture frames. I have accepted a copywriter position at their corporate offices.

I anticipate that when people ask me what I do now, I'll have just as much difficulty accurately describing my position as I do when I tell people I'm an editor. Most people think I read all day. That, my friends, is false. Some days I don't get to read at all. I also answer e-mails and phone calls, attend a boatload of meetings, write the promotional copy for the back cover of books, and lots more. The woman who conducted my second interview at HL led me to believe I would perform a variety of different tasks in my role as copywriter as well.

So while I'd love to gush about all the cool stuff I'll be doing, I'm not yet sure exactly what cool stuff I'll be doing. The only thing I do know is that I'll get to write up some of HL's project sheets. Once again, not easy to describe, so if you're that interested, Google "Hobby Lobby project sheets" to get an idea. But in a nutshell, I'll be writing info about and instructions for creating the crafts and projects HL's craft team puts together.

I have high hopes that I'll now really start decorating my house, what with all the ideas I'll be writing about...and the sweet employee discount I'll get. Holla!

I start this new chapter of my life on July 16, after ending my current chapter July 13. I already know saying good-bye to my coworkers and job as an editor will be bittersweet, but this is the right time for a change, and I couldn't be more excited.