Memorial Day Weekend

It was my birthday weekend and it was full! 

Friday was my actual birthday.  It didn't go exactly the way I wanted it to go, but it was a fairly ok day.  I did go to Biloxi to the outlets.  Got some new jammies from the Disney Store, Eeyore ones (my favorite character).  And enjoyed a ride in my car, with the windows down and the music cranked.  That's always a good time and I actually did that a few times over the weekend as I shuttled back and forth from my friend Jenny's house.  I did get to speak to most of my favorite people on that day.  There were a few that were late and then there are some that are now on my naughty list because I didn't hear from them. 

But with my birthday not being exactly how I wanted, the rest of the weekend was pretty fun. In addition, I made some goals for myself for this summer. I want 37 to be a great year. I've already started that off by having already lost 21 pounds. I am headed toward my first goal of 35 pounds. I hope that by the end of the fall to actually reach that number. I am also going to get out more. I don't mean to like bars and such. That is just not my scene, any more. But out to the Lakes and parks, coffee houses, etc. Time to meet some new people!


Saturday was a full day!  After a very restless night where the insomnia was kicking it up badly, I started the day off pretty early going to Sam's with Jenny and her mom to get stuff for our BBQ later that day.  The highlight of the trip was Jenny and I looking over the steaks and asking each other which cut of meat was the best to grill but still cheap enough so Phil, her husband, wouldn't be upset that we bought too expensive of meat.  Yeah, the guy next to us was laughing so hard, he could barely choke out that anyting in that section woudl be fine for grilling. 

Then we went to the pool for a few hours with the kids.  I love, love, love, being in the water and sun.  It is the most relaxing thing ever!!! We also went to get sno balls afterwards.  Now that is always fun!!!

Sunday was a little calmer. Ok, not really. We left super early for a quick trip to New Orleans for a birthday party. It was at City Park's amusement park area at the Carousel. Jenny gets dizzy really easily so I was the lucky one who rode the carousel with lil Phil. I think I went around 7 straight times. I didn't walk too straight once I got off that Carousel!!



This was me after about the 5th time around.



I love this face!

After the birthday party we went to a local mexican restaurant in Metairie. I made the big mistake of going to the restroom at one point in the meal and ended up with the sombrero and a birthday flan. So of course Jenny had to take pictures and then proceeded to post them on facebook. Oh yay me!!! I had managed to go 37 years without ever having to be embarrassed in this way. I figure the picture is already up on facebook, why not my blog too?

Monday was a day of rest for me. Well, sort of. I did manage to stay around the house. I folded 2 weeks worth of laundry. Washed the dishes in the sink. Finished my laundry. Spent time with Duke (poor man, he's been so neglected and I am traveling at the end of the week. He is not going to be a happy camper). Made a quick trip to Walmart because Duke literally killed his monkey toy. He split the butt open for a 2nd time (I'd already sewed it up once) and there was stuffing all over the living room. I had to throw it away. So off to Walmart for a new one and a spare. I also stopped at Jo-Ann's. Did any one else go and hit the sale? DMC threads were on sale 3 for 99 cents. I now own all the colors through the 300s. Yay!!! Now to just put them all away! I went out to the Lakes for a walk in the middle of the afternoon because I thought it would be a great idea to go walking in the blazing sun, 93 degrees outside. I was restless and needed to do something! A late lunch with Dad and my day is over. Ok, yes, it is only 5:30 but I plan on vegging for the rest of the evening. I have a busy week ahead of me with lots to get done.


Happy Memorial Day!!! Thank you so much to those who are serving and who have served! You are much appreciated!

First Post of 2011!

And it only took me 4 days to post it!  Yay!

The new year started off quietly and with family!  As I get older, I appreciate the time that I spend with my parents and my sister more and more.  My sister was here the entire week between Christmas and New Year's.  We were able to get some shopping in, family dinners and a night at the movies.

My sister and I saw Black Swan during her stay.  This is the movie with Natalie Portman as a ballerina who lands the leading role in Swan Lake.  It was very, very good!  But you must like psychological thrillers and be comfortable with some of the "adult" scenes.  I have to say that both my sister and I were very glad that our parents did not come with us!  It would have been a tad bit uncomfortable!  And when we left the movie, we both just kind of looked at each other and said "WTH?".  But no regrets seeing it and definitely would recommend it to others.  My sister, who used to be a ballerina, also said that Portman and the cast did an excellent job at the ballet sequences. 

I posted my goals for 2011 in a post on New Year's Eve.  My cousin, Jessica, also made a list of goals that I am posting here.  We are going to be each other's support and cheer each other on to work on each of our  goals!

Jessica's goals:

#1. My first goal is to not get down in January, I can only think positively and move forward!


#2. Travel both near and far having fun, see and try new things, and have these experiences both on my own, with family and friends, and most importantly with Diego (her son)!

#3. (I'm stealing this from you!) Get my passport. Because you never know right? I want to go to many places that are far, a passport is necessary and if I have it right there starring at me, I will feel more motivated. Hell, Diego has one!

#4. Find employment that is suitable for me and my needs, both financially and spiritually. I need challenges, happiness, security and to learn and grow from my career and the people I meet/interact with. (My poor cousin recently was laid off from her job right before Christmas.  Please pray for her that she finds employment quickly!)

#5. Continue to stay active and involved in activities and issues that matter to me, that I have passion for.

#6. Change up my activities and exercise so I feel confident with me and my body as well as content internally.

#7. Continue to build on my relationships with family and friends, and stay open to not just offering support but asking for it when I need it.

#8. Love with passion and kindness. Be open to differences and be grateful for them. Continue to take risks and know that I am as deserving and worthy to happiness as the next person.

#9. Live my life as I have always dreamed it to be. Stay positive in the hardest and darkest of times, and don't shy away from what scares me, knowing that I can find beauty in even the simplest of lifes moments so I won't waste them

#10. Laugh...it's the best soul food.

I look forward to seeing how we both progress on our goals.  I mentioned to her that I like to revisit my goals every 3 months or so to see how I am progressing.  I have no expectations of finishing a goal, just working towards it.  I think it is very important to move forward! 
 
I have been doing some stitching and I hope to post a picture soon! I have a list of stitching goals that I DO hope to complete this year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone!  May 2011 bring you health, wealth, and happiness!

Here are my two sets of goals, life and stitching, for the upcoming year! 

Life Goals:

1. Become more fiscally responsible!  That means continue to pay off my debts and put money away in savings. 

2. Get a passport. This is a carry over from last year BUT I hope that as long as I keep it on my list I will eventually get it done!

3. Find a new place to live. Depending upon the job situation, this may occur in April.
4. Be open to new things. Be it love, a career change, a move to a new city/state. Whatever it is, I want to be more open to the change! Definitely a carry over from 2010!  But one that should always be worked on.  I'm hoping this year to make progress in determining "what I want to be when I grow up" and I think change is key to that!

5. Spend  more time with family and friends.  Which definitely means a trip to Nebraska!



Stitching goals:
1. Finish Cassady's baby quilt.

2. Finish Brendan's baby quilt.

3. Finish HAED's Dragon Knot
4. Finish 2 pages of HAED's Mad Tea Party

5. Finish 2 pages of HAED's Queen of Hearts

6. Finish Lisa's Christmas stocking - Dimensions Kit

7. Complete Nora Corbett's 'M'

Reflection of the Past Year

Let me start off with that I hope that everyone had a marvelous and wonderful Christmas!  Mine was perfect!  Spent it with my parents and my little sister.  After the year that we've had, it was nice that our family was together!

I went back to my post at the end of last year to see how well, or not so well, I did on my goals!

Life Goals:
1. Pay off another debt. I was really good this past year and managed to pay off 2! I hope this year to do the same! Hmmmm, I didn't get another debt paid off.  BUT I did make progress to eliminating some debt! 

2. Put money away in savings! This wasn't exactly accomplished in 2009 so hope to improve upon it this year! Another one not quite accomplished.  While I am ending the year with more in savings than I started the year off, I belive that I did make some progress.

3. Get a passport. I just think this is something I should have. What if I want to go on a cruise or go to Mexico? Need one for those these days! Didnt' happen!  LOL

4. Find a new place to live. Be it a new apartment or maybe a new home that I purchase. Ok, let's not get crazy! Buying a home is a HUGE commitment. Not sure if I am mature enough for that yet! :) Also didn't happen!  My lease goes through April.  Depending on the job situation, I may or may not renew because you just can't beat the rent that I am currently paying!

5. Be open to new things. Be it love, a career change, a move to a new city/state. Whatever it is, I want to be more open to the change! Oh, I was more open!  The jury is still out on whether or not it was a good move.  I made a career change in 2010.  It's been difficult and stressful needless to say.  This one is definitely going to stay on for next year's list!


Stitching Goals:
1. To not buy any new patterns. (Now if someone else buys it for me, I won't turn it down!) I did pretty good.  I only bought one new pattern and that was for a biscornu.  I haven't started it yet but I hope to one day!

2. To buy only stash needed to complete patterns I currently have! Did very well on this.  The amount of stash bought was just the bare minimum.  Usually just thread that I didn't already have!


3. Finish Cassady's baby quilt. Yep, I was BAD about this one.  Oh well, she does have a birthday coming up in March.  I'm thinking it will need to be done by then!

4. Finish Jason's new baby (not born yet) baby quilt. Baby Brendan was born on May 26 (the day after my birthday).  He still does not have a baby quilt but I did stitch him a cute froggy baby bib! 

5. Finish HAED's Dragon Knot (that's an ambitious one!) Didn't finish.  After the year I had with the person that it was originally intended for, I tucked it away for a while.  But I have to admit that I lately I have been itching to get it back out to finish!

6. Finish 1 page of HAED's Mad Tea Party This was accomplished!  Woo hoo!  It was difficult as I am stitching it 2 over 1.  This is my "experiment" piece.  My niece is very anxious for this one to be finished.  I have a feeling she will be waiting for it for a long time!

7. Finish 1 page of HAED's Queen of Hearts This piece is for me (hopefully!).  I did accomplish this also!  Yay!   In fact, I'm currently sewing on this one and have started the 2nd page.  It's almost 25% done. 

8. Complete Nora Robert's Corbett's 'M' This piece is also for me.  I didn't even get around to kitting it up!  Maybe I will do that on New Year's.  It will give me for incentive to get it done!

I think that I did pretty good for the year!  While some goals weren't completed, at least I feel that progress was made.  The important thing is to keep moving forward! 

This year was a tumultous one!  Lost some good friends this year due to disputes but also gained some good friends!  Some of our beloved family members passed away this year due to illness but are now in a better place!  My sister gave me the greatest scare of my life this year but we are all stronger because of it!  A brand new nephew was born!  My best friend had her third daughter this year!  Life isn't perfect but there is so much to be thankful for!

I'll be working on my list of goals for 2011 and hope to have that up very soon!

Time for Change

Thought it was time to change the background and layout of the ole blog.  It's been quite a while since I've done that.  Thinking of doing a few more changes but didn't want to get all wild and crazy just yet!

Need for control
I must be in need of "controlling" something.  Not sure what or why I need to control, but it manifested itself into me scrubbing the bathroom from top to bottom on Saturday. I don't clean like that.  I'm more of a maintenance type of cleaner.  But somehow I got it in my head that I needed to clean it.  I have to admit, I feel better. LOL! The cleaning frenzy has spilled over into Sunday too.  Cleaning up all my files.  I loathe filing! Which is evident by the paper that I have everywhere!

Favorite time
Only one more week and the opening game of LSU's football season will be here!  It seems like forever since their last game on January 1.  Let's hope they put that lost behind them and come out strong.  Now, so everyone can know, they will be on national TV, your local ABC channel, I do believe at 7 pm.  They are the college football game opener.  They are playing North Carolina in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  Game Day will also be broadcasting from there. 

Time for Review
September will be here in just a few days.  That leaves only 4 more months of the year left.  I was looking over my goals for the year.  Yeah, I haven't done so well!  LOL  But that's ok.  Here's a recap of the goals:

1. Pay off another debt. I was really good this past year and managed to pay off 2! I hope this year to do the same! As of today, hasn't happened.  I'm making my payments and a little more but life has had some unforeseen expenses crop up!  But I'm optimistic.


2. Put money away in savings! This wasn't exactly accomplished in 2009 so hope to improve upon it this year! Hmmm, this one isn't coming along as great either.  However, I do have upcoming events in 2011 that I need to start buckling down and saving for TODAY!

3. Get a passport. I just think this is something I should have. What if I want to go on a cruise or go to Mexico? Need one for those these days! Nope, hasn't happened!  LOL

4. Find a new place to live. Be it a new apartment or maybe a new home that I purchase. Ok, let's not get crazy! Buying a home is a HUGE commitment. Not sure if I am mature enough for that yet! :) Hasn't happened either. In fact, just signed another 7 month lease.  I just can't find a place in the same location I am at the rent price that I am paying. 

5. Be open to new things. Be it love, a career change, a move to a new city/state. Whatever it is, I want to be more open to the change! I'm not sure how to evaluate this one.  I think I've been more open.  I've had to be.  There are events that have occurred in the past year that if I allow them to, will jade my perspective on a lot of things. I can't let that happen.

Now for a few stitching goals:
1. To not buy any new patterns. (Now if someone else buys it for me, I won't turn it down!) I didn't quite make it, but I can report that I only bought ONE new pattern.

2. To buy only stash needed to complete patterns I currently have! I've adhered to this one!

3. Finish Cassady's baby quilt. Still working on it.  Hope to have it finished by Christmas

4. Finish Jason's new baby (not born yet) baby quilt. Still working on it.  Hope to have it finished by Christmas.

5. Finish HAED's Dragon Knot (that's an ambitious one!) At the moment, this one has been put to the side for other projects.  But I hope to pick it up soon.

6. Finish 1 page of HAED's Mad Tea Party To date, this one has been a travel piece.  On vacation I was able to get some done on it.  I may pull it out soon and do some work on it.  This one I am doing 2 over 1 so it is turning into more of a tapestry type piece.  It makes it a little more difficult but I can't wait to see what the effect is since I typically stitch HAED's 1 over 1.

7. Finish 1 page of HAED's Queen of Hearts Haven't pulled it out to work on this year.

8. Complete Nora Robert's 'M' All materials have been bought but still has not been kitted up or started.

Fifth Anniversary
Today is the 5th anniversary of Katrina.  For many people across America this is an insignificant date but for us in South Louisiana, we will remember it to the day we die.  It was the day that all of our lives were turned up side down.  The changes that have occurred over the past 5 years in my sleepy little home town is amazing.  This weekend I began watching Spike Lee's "If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise".  I watched 2 of the 4 hours. The documentary revisits New Orleans for the 5th anniversary.  It's a sad, tragic, emotional story that is still ongoing.  If you get the chance, check it out.

Happy New Year!

This morning I am quite reflective on the past year and looking forward to all the new opportunities that the new year brings!!!

While I wouldn't say that 2009 was one of my worst years, it wasn't the best.  But there were some definite high points!  I reconnected with many old friends and family!  Cassady became a permanent part of the family! I have a job in this current economic climate! I bought a new car!

But now I am ready to look forward to this new year.  So many possibilities.  I've been thinking about what I'd like to accomplish this year. I wouldn't say they are resolutions so much as they are goals. 

1. Pay off another debt.  I was really good this past year and managed to pay off 2!  I hope this year to do the same!
2. Put money away in savings! This wasn't exactly accomplished in 2009 so hope to improve upon it this year!
3. Get a passport.  I just think this is something I should have.  What if I want to go on a cruise or go to Mexico?  Need one for those these days!
4. Find a new place to live.  Be it a new apartment or maybe a new home that I purchase.  Ok, let's not get crazy!  Buying a home is a HUGE commitment.  Not sure if I am mature enough for that yet! :)
5. Be open to new things.  Be it love, a career change, a move to a new city/state.  Whatever it is, I want to be more open to the change!

Now for a few stitching goals:
1. To not buy any new patterns. (Now if someone else buys it for me, I won't turn it down!)
2. To buy only stash needed to complete patterns I currently have!
3. Finish Cassady's baby quilt.
4. Finish Jason's new baby (not born yet) baby quilt.
5. Finish HAED's Dragon Knot (that's an ambitious one!)
6. Finish 1 page of HAED's Mad Tea Party
7. Finish 1 page of HAED's Queen of Hearts
8. Complete Nora Robert's 'M'

I hope every one has a great day today!  A great start to the New Year!!!  I am off to watch the Capital One Bowl game (LSU) with my parents and have lunch!