For today's meme, I thought I'd venture into one of my favorite musical games (and one of the most participated meme's thus far). We haven't done this one in a while, so here how it works:
* I will post a song title. The first person to comment has to come up with ONE song title that uses a word from the title I gave. For instance, if I put "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", the first comment might be "He's Got the Whole World in his Hands". Then the second person to comment has to come up with a song using a word from THAT song. Get it?
*It doesn't matter which word from the song you pick as long as it has one.
*You can play more than once if you want. Let's see how far we can go!!!
Your beginning song is:
"Let's Stay Together" (Al Green, in case any of you need a little background music for your day)
Have fun!
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Snark hunting
Every once in a while, when I'm overwhelmed with responsibility or struggling through a day at work where I'm feeling dumped on, I think, "Oh, to be in high school again - no bills to pay, someone who feels responsible carrying much of my load for me, no job to go to... Wouldn't it be NICE?!?"
But then I remember.
High school, though we sometimes remember only the magic moments (pep rallies, football games, chatting in the halls between classes, prom), wasn't all that great. Heck, I got DUMPED at one of my proms. (Yes, you read that correctly.) People constantly besmirched (that's right, I used it) my accomplishments by saying I only got anything because my parents taught at the school. (I got all As because of my parents. I was a cheerleader and a soloist because of my parents. I even got trivia questions right for a piece of candy in Spanish class because of my parents. Seriously!!!) People, and by people, I mostly mean girls, are MEAN in high school. They wear their judgement right on the surface. It's considered a GLORIOUS event to publically knock someone down a few pegs.
A girl works really hard to overcome obstacles and finally passes a class that she was failing at first? Ehhh.
BUT, a girl trips in the lunchroom, spills spaghetti all over herself, and then falls down, exposing her granny panties? Now THAT'S a story for high school!
*These are both fictitious examples.*
*Really.*
As adults, people (again, read as "women") learn to hide their judgement. Snickering has to be done quietly rather than blatant pointing and laughing. Pegs are still knocked down, but they are done through mind-games and quiet undermining rather than blatant attacks. But here's the thing (and I swear guys don't KNOW this, which is crazy to me), some women are still so MEAN under there. There are groups of women who just LIVE to play mind games and judge and be mean.
Have you ever been somewhere and witnessed a group of women who never left that mean part of high school? Cliques. Eyerolling. Snickering. Bad-mouthing.
It makes me want to grab them by the shoulders, shake them, and scream, "Did you like high school when you were there? Really? WHY would you choose to continue it now, when you don't HAVE TO?!?"
I recently encoutered one of these gaggles (if geese are in gaggles, I suppose gossips must be, too right?) in the wild.
Ok, not in the wild. Just somewhere I was.
It was a group of women - some of whom knew each other; some who didn't.
And there was a palpable tension. I'd be doing my own thing, minding my business, look up, and BAM! An eyeroll! Suddenly I'd hear whispering. I'd turn to see it, and BAM! Another eyeroll and a tiny, hidden finger point. I'd feel some eyes on me, look up and THERE SHE WAS! Snarky McSnarkerson!
There were a few passive-aggressive comments - supposedly "general statements" about the rules of etiquette, but qiute obviously BLATANT judgement being passed on someone in the group.
It was very "into the wilderness". Eat or be eaten. Snark or be snarked.
Scary.
I became a chameleon. I tried to blend into the back wall as quickly as possible. I didn't want a snark chasing me down. Snarks are VERY dangerous when they're on the prowl.
The woods are scary out there, people. I'm just not sure why we CHOOSE to make them so.
So here's my warning. If you see a gaggle of gossips or a swarm of snarks, RUN!!! You'll be so glad you did.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
But then I remember.
High school, though we sometimes remember only the magic moments (pep rallies, football games, chatting in the halls between classes, prom), wasn't all that great. Heck, I got DUMPED at one of my proms. (Yes, you read that correctly.) People constantly besmirched (that's right, I used it) my accomplishments by saying I only got anything because my parents taught at the school. (I got all As because of my parents. I was a cheerleader and a soloist because of my parents. I even got trivia questions right for a piece of candy in Spanish class because of my parents. Seriously!!!) People, and by people, I mostly mean girls, are MEAN in high school. They wear their judgement right on the surface. It's considered a GLORIOUS event to publically knock someone down a few pegs.
A girl works really hard to overcome obstacles and finally passes a class that she was failing at first? Ehhh.
BUT, a girl trips in the lunchroom, spills spaghetti all over herself, and then falls down, exposing her granny panties? Now THAT'S a story for high school!
*These are both fictitious examples.*
*Really.*
As adults, people (again, read as "women") learn to hide their judgement. Snickering has to be done quietly rather than blatant pointing and laughing. Pegs are still knocked down, but they are done through mind-games and quiet undermining rather than blatant attacks. But here's the thing (and I swear guys don't KNOW this, which is crazy to me), some women are still so MEAN under there. There are groups of women who just LIVE to play mind games and judge and be mean.
Have you ever been somewhere and witnessed a group of women who never left that mean part of high school? Cliques. Eyerolling. Snickering. Bad-mouthing.
It makes me want to grab them by the shoulders, shake them, and scream, "Did you like high school when you were there? Really? WHY would you choose to continue it now, when you don't HAVE TO?!?"
I recently encoutered one of these gaggles (if geese are in gaggles, I suppose gossips must be, too right?) in the wild.
Ok, not in the wild. Just somewhere I was.
It was a group of women - some of whom knew each other; some who didn't.
And there was a palpable tension. I'd be doing my own thing, minding my business, look up, and BAM! An eyeroll! Suddenly I'd hear whispering. I'd turn to see it, and BAM! Another eyeroll and a tiny, hidden finger point. I'd feel some eyes on me, look up and THERE SHE WAS! Snarky McSnarkerson!
There were a few passive-aggressive comments - supposedly "general statements" about the rules of etiquette, but qiute obviously BLATANT judgement being passed on someone in the group.
It was very "into the wilderness". Eat or be eaten. Snark or be snarked.
Scary.
I became a chameleon. I tried to blend into the back wall as quickly as possible. I didn't want a snark chasing me down. Snarks are VERY dangerous when they're on the prowl.
The woods are scary out there, people. I'm just not sure why we CHOOSE to make them so.
So here's my warning. If you see a gaggle of gossips or a swarm of snarks, RUN!!! You'll be so glad you did.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wordless Wednesdays - Random Sweetness
*She loves both her Nonna AND looking at pictures of herself.* 
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Crafty Critter
As I mentioned yesterday (and probably a couple of times last week - NOT that I was excited or anything), I went to a scrapbooking retreat (or CRAPbooking as one of my neigh-saying friends used to call it) with Crazy Aunt. (I wonder how much she loves that that's become her official name on my blog. I wonder if she even reads enough to know that that's become her nickname here.) It was really a blast and there will be more stories to follow - one a hysterical and painful incident and another some commentary on women. But for Crafty Critter today, I just HAD to share some of what I accomplished this weekend. (If you don't care about scrapbooking or the AMAZING ART - ok, that might be an overstatement - that I can create with paper, then just enjoy the pics of Little Bit.)
This is my stack of finished pages with which I returned.
And here are some of my favorite pages from the weekend:
I love getting a little stress relief AND having something to show in the end.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Monday, August 23, 2010
Meme Mondays and a Winner!!!
Happy Monday, everyone!
(I find that if I fake awakeness and chipperness long enough, sometimes it sets in for real. ;) tee-hee)
I thought that for our meme today, we'd do some "getting to know you" in the most random way possible, since I've gotten some new followers recently. Today, our game is going to come in the form of completely random questions. :)
For those of you who don't know, a meme is something that gets passed around the internet (like a viral video). In its truest form, I would put the questions (and my answers) here and all of you would put the questions and YOUR answers on your own blogs, and your readers would then do the same on their blogs, etc. I'd LOVE it if you'd do that (and please link back to me if you do). But if you don't have a blog or aren't into TRUE memes, you can just post your answers in the comments section. :)
1.) What is your favorite "stress relief" activity?
*Other than listening to Tucker's laughter, which is immediate stress relief for me, I'd say crafting - sewing, scrapbooking, painting. It's nice to put my focus on something rather than letting my brain run away with the stress, and in the end I have something to show for my effort. :)
2.) What is your biggest pet peeve?
*Snottiness (And I don't mean runny noses - I have a two year old. I'm used to those.) I can't STAND people being snippy and rude to others for absolutely no reason - snide remarks, eye rolling, doing the judgemental "looking up and down" - ugh, I can't STAND that!
3.) What is one song that you can listen to that lifts your spirit and energy every single time?
*"Let's Stay Together" by Al Green - I'm not sure why, but this song speaks to me (has for years and years and years). Something in the beat and his soulful singing just warms me up and gets me dancing and smiling. :)
4.) What was your favorite activity in gym class when you were a kid?
*I had FORGOTTEN until this weekend, when I was at a church camp grounds for my scrapbooking weekend and there was a tetherball pole set up outside. I used to LOVE tetherball! I rocked at it (and as I discovered this weekend, I'm still pretty darn good). I'm considering asking Drew to put one up in our back yard. haha!
5.) What does your favorite t-shirt say on it? (It can be your favorite because of what it says OR just because it's very comfy.)
*My all-time favorite is my University of Alabama Wesley Foundation shirt from freshman year in college (which I still cram myself into regularly - thank goodness we used to wear them bigger than they do now). It says, "And he shall raise them up on trunks of elephants... or something like that." (The UofA mascot is an elephant in case you didn't know. Helps with the joke.)
But my CURRENT favorite has a little baby chick wearing glasses and says, "Chicks with Brains". :)
******************************************************************************
And now onto the winner of our Free4All Friday!!! (I apologize for the day's delay, but I was at a scrapbooking retreat! Yipee!) I used Random.org to generate a winner from 31 entries. (I deleted one non-entry comment.) And the winner is (drumroll, please)...
#17 - Jane Anne said...
This is the first post I've read and I just started following you. Anything for my Starbucks! I hope I win!
Congratulations, Jane Anne! Glad you've joined my blogosphere and hope to get to know you better! Email me your address and I'll get the card in the mail to you!
Don't forget to answer the Meme Monday questions - either on your own blog and post a link in my comments (as a TRUE Meme is done) OR just post your answers right here in the comments section.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
(I find that if I fake awakeness and chipperness long enough, sometimes it sets in for real. ;) tee-hee)
I thought that for our meme today, we'd do some "getting to know you" in the most random way possible, since I've gotten some new followers recently. Today, our game is going to come in the form of completely random questions. :)
For those of you who don't know, a meme is something that gets passed around the internet (like a viral video). In its truest form, I would put the questions (and my answers) here and all of you would put the questions and YOUR answers on your own blogs, and your readers would then do the same on their blogs, etc. I'd LOVE it if you'd do that (and please link back to me if you do). But if you don't have a blog or aren't into TRUE memes, you can just post your answers in the comments section. :)
1.) What is your favorite "stress relief" activity?
*Other than listening to Tucker's laughter, which is immediate stress relief for me, I'd say crafting - sewing, scrapbooking, painting. It's nice to put my focus on something rather than letting my brain run away with the stress, and in the end I have something to show for my effort. :)
2.) What is your biggest pet peeve?
*Snottiness (And I don't mean runny noses - I have a two year old. I'm used to those.) I can't STAND people being snippy and rude to others for absolutely no reason - snide remarks, eye rolling, doing the judgemental "looking up and down" - ugh, I can't STAND that!
3.) What is one song that you can listen to that lifts your spirit and energy every single time?
*"Let's Stay Together" by Al Green - I'm not sure why, but this song speaks to me (has for years and years and years). Something in the beat and his soulful singing just warms me up and gets me dancing and smiling. :)
4.) What was your favorite activity in gym class when you were a kid?
*I had FORGOTTEN until this weekend, when I was at a church camp grounds for my scrapbooking weekend and there was a tetherball pole set up outside. I used to LOVE tetherball! I rocked at it (and as I discovered this weekend, I'm still pretty darn good). I'm considering asking Drew to put one up in our back yard. haha!
5.) What does your favorite t-shirt say on it? (It can be your favorite because of what it says OR just because it's very comfy.)
*My all-time favorite is my University of Alabama Wesley Foundation shirt from freshman year in college (which I still cram myself into regularly - thank goodness we used to wear them bigger than they do now). It says, "And he shall raise them up on trunks of elephants... or something like that." (The UofA mascot is an elephant in case you didn't know. Helps with the joke.)
But my CURRENT favorite has a little baby chick wearing glasses and says, "Chicks with Brains". :)
******************************************************************************
And now onto the winner of our Free4All Friday!!! (I apologize for the day's delay, but I was at a scrapbooking retreat! Yipee!) I used Random.org to generate a winner from 31 entries. (I deleted one non-entry comment.) And the winner is (drumroll, please)...
#17 - Jane Anne said...
This is the first post I've read and I just started following you. Anything for my Starbucks! I hope I win!
Congratulations, Jane Anne! Glad you've joined my blogosphere and hope to get to know you better! Email me your address and I'll get the card in the mail to you!
Don't forget to answer the Meme Monday questions - either on your own blog and post a link in my comments (as a TRUE Meme is done) OR just post your answers right here in the comments section.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Free 4 All Fridays!
*UPDATED*
Dear Friday,
I am always glad when you visit, but some weeks, I have missed your presence so much that my whole body and soul aches for your return. This is one of those weeks. If we were in a movie, I'd be running towards you in slow motion with "Chariots of Fire" playing in the background. I DO love you so, Friday.
Yep, it's been another exhausting week. I've gotten a bit more sleep, and have somehow been MORE exhausted because of it. (Go figure!) I've had to put my Couch to 5K training on hold due to some killer shin splints (per orders of my doctor - for up to 6 weeks, he said), so I picked up kettleballs this week. If you haven't looked into these, do so. They look silly, but in 1 less than 20 min workout, I worked some muscles so hard (without feeling like it at the time) that I waddled like a pregnant lady and had to lower myself into chairs like I was in my third trimester all day the next day. (Hint: It works those inner thighs, hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Yikes!) I'll eventually double-up the workouts (doing two of the 3 offered at a time) to get in more cardio, but I figured my first week learning to sling this five pound ball close to my head, that I better start slowly. :)
I am heading out tomorrow (or probably tonight by the time you read this) to a scrapbooking retreat with my Crazy Aunt. I always enjoy a little one on one time with her ('cause she's CRAZY fun and CRAZY silly), plus I'm WAY behind on my scrapbooking (which is rare for me) AND I'm kind of looking forward to a day with no diapers, no housecleaning, and no sitting in front of a computer. :)
In honor of my extreme exhaustion this week, I decided that STARBUCKS was the trick! I'll be giving away a $10 Starbucks giftcard this week! (It's still hot enough for iced coffee right now, but cool enough temps for hot coffee are just around the corner, so you're golden no matter which you like.)
To enter:
*Leave me a comment saying your favorite coffee house item (food or drink).
*Follow my blog and leave me a comment saying you do.
*Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in my comments.
*Find my blog on Facebook (PeachyKeen), hit the "like" button, then leave me a comment saying you did.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Peachy-Keen/147967298553960
*Hop over to Mimi's (here) to see what she's up to, then leave me a comment saying you did.
That's FIVE separate entries (if you leave each one in a separate comment).
Good luck!
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Dear Friday,
I am always glad when you visit, but some weeks, I have missed your presence so much that my whole body and soul aches for your return. This is one of those weeks. If we were in a movie, I'd be running towards you in slow motion with "Chariots of Fire" playing in the background. I DO love you so, Friday.
Yep, it's been another exhausting week. I've gotten a bit more sleep, and have somehow been MORE exhausted because of it. (Go figure!) I've had to put my Couch to 5K training on hold due to some killer shin splints (per orders of my doctor - for up to 6 weeks, he said), so I picked up kettleballs this week. If you haven't looked into these, do so. They look silly, but in 1 less than 20 min workout, I worked some muscles so hard (without feeling like it at the time) that I waddled like a pregnant lady and had to lower myself into chairs like I was in my third trimester all day the next day. (Hint: It works those inner thighs, hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Yikes!) I'll eventually double-up the workouts (doing two of the 3 offered at a time) to get in more cardio, but I figured my first week learning to sling this five pound ball close to my head, that I better start slowly. :)
I am heading out tomorrow (or probably tonight by the time you read this) to a scrapbooking retreat with my Crazy Aunt. I always enjoy a little one on one time with her ('cause she's CRAZY fun and CRAZY silly), plus I'm WAY behind on my scrapbooking (which is rare for me) AND I'm kind of looking forward to a day with no diapers, no housecleaning, and no sitting in front of a computer. :)
In honor of my extreme exhaustion this week, I decided that STARBUCKS was the trick! I'll be giving away a $10 Starbucks giftcard this week! (It's still hot enough for iced coffee right now, but cool enough temps for hot coffee are just around the corner, so you're golden no matter which you like.)
To enter:
*Leave me a comment saying your favorite coffee house item (food or drink).
*Follow my blog and leave me a comment saying you do.
*Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in my comments.
*Find my blog on Facebook (PeachyKeen), hit the "like" button, then leave me a comment saying you did.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Peachy-Keen/147967298553960
*Hop over to Mimi's (here) to see what she's up to, then leave me a comment saying you did.
That's FIVE separate entries (if you leave each one in a separate comment).
Good luck!
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A Sonic Experience
Every once in a while, when the Hubs is away during dinner time, T and I will go to Sonic, sit under the umbrella tables on the patio -- does anyone else wonder why the tables have umbrellas when they're under a permanent ceiling-type structure? -- and rock it to the oldies while we share some tots and slushies. It's a nice mommy-daughter tradition.
Tonight, while we were waiting on our food, I noticed the billboard across the street at a vet's office tauting that this week is "National Bring Your Cat to the Vet Week". I couldn't help but wonder. What kind of person needs a nationally designated week to care for their cat? Are there really people out there who think, "Eh, Vet-schmet. My cat's just fine. What's that? You say there's a NATIONALLY DESIGNATED WEEK for taking the cat to the vet? Well, that's a horse of a different color!"
When the cute, teenage car-hop brought our food to us, she began her delivery by saying, "You weren't here when that lady came storming inside the building yelling at us, were you?"
I must say I was intrigued - both by the story AND the way-to-frequent occurrence of employees telling me WAY more than I ever needed to know about their lives, their customers, and the goings-on of the particular store at which they work. I mean, do I really have the kind of face that says, "Please, tell me everything that ever happened to you - ESPECIALLY if it reflects poorly on your store and you know your boss would DIE if he knew this was the conversation you were choosing to have with me"?
Apparently, a particular drive-thru customer - Does anyone else find the drive-thru at Sonic superfluous? I mean, the essence of Sonic is drive-in. You don't have to get out of your car. The only real difference is putting the car in park and pressing that big red button. I don't get it. -- didn't pull up to the yellow line designated for drive-thru stopping, thus backing-up the flow of the drive-thru. One of the teenage workers apparently asked her to move her car up to the line and she was, apparently, less than friendly in response. Said teenager walked back into the building and said, "She was so mean," before the door closed completely, thus airing her thoughts to said customer.
Now, what would a logical person do when faced with the situation of being accused (falsely in his/her own mind) of being mean? Apologize for snapping at a poor teenager for doing her job? Quietly suck it up knowing that even if you weren't snappy with her, she's just a teenager and over-sensitive?
Apparently, the appropriate response, you know, to PROVE that you aren't really mean, is to get out of one's car, storm into the building (you know, the one where customers aren't allowed), and flail one's arms about while cussing up a storm at the teenagers currently running the place.
THAT will definitely show them that YOU.ARE.NOT.MEAN. So there.
I've decided that THIS person is the one who needs a "National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week". I figure the one kind of logic goes hand-in-hand with the other. Don't you?
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Tonight, while we were waiting on our food, I noticed the billboard across the street at a vet's office tauting that this week is "National Bring Your Cat to the Vet Week". I couldn't help but wonder. What kind of person needs a nationally designated week to care for their cat? Are there really people out there who think, "Eh, Vet-schmet. My cat's just fine. What's that? You say there's a NATIONALLY DESIGNATED WEEK for taking the cat to the vet? Well, that's a horse of a different color!"
When the cute, teenage car-hop brought our food to us, she began her delivery by saying, "You weren't here when that lady came storming inside the building yelling at us, were you?"
I must say I was intrigued - both by the story AND the way-to-frequent occurrence of employees telling me WAY more than I ever needed to know about their lives, their customers, and the goings-on of the particular store at which they work. I mean, do I really have the kind of face that says, "Please, tell me everything that ever happened to you - ESPECIALLY if it reflects poorly on your store and you know your boss would DIE if he knew this was the conversation you were choosing to have with me"?
Apparently, a particular drive-thru customer - Does anyone else find the drive-thru at Sonic superfluous? I mean, the essence of Sonic is drive-in. You don't have to get out of your car. The only real difference is putting the car in park and pressing that big red button. I don't get it. -- didn't pull up to the yellow line designated for drive-thru stopping, thus backing-up the flow of the drive-thru. One of the teenage workers apparently asked her to move her car up to the line and she was, apparently, less than friendly in response. Said teenager walked back into the building and said, "She was so mean," before the door closed completely, thus airing her thoughts to said customer.
Now, what would a logical person do when faced with the situation of being accused (falsely in his/her own mind) of being mean? Apologize for snapping at a poor teenager for doing her job? Quietly suck it up knowing that even if you weren't snappy with her, she's just a teenager and over-sensitive?
Apparently, the appropriate response, you know, to PROVE that you aren't really mean, is to get out of one's car, storm into the building (you know, the one where customers aren't allowed), and flail one's arms about while cussing up a storm at the teenagers currently running the place.
THAT will definitely show them that YOU.ARE.NOT.MEAN. So there.
I've decided that THIS person is the one who needs a "National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week". I figure the one kind of logic goes hand-in-hand with the other. Don't you?
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Crafty Critter
I am a crafty critter. Not sure from wence it comes, as I don't think it was always there - at least not in the conventional formats. I mean, I was a KILLER tent-maker as a kid (with separte rooms and furniture) and I suppose that shows some amount of creativity, but the whole scrapbooking/painting walls/craftiness didn't show up until... well, I think until at least sometime after I got married. But here it is. It oozes from my pores. I use it mostly for scrapbooking, but I also LOVE painting designs on walls, making things to hang on walls, sewing, making cards, and creating gifts for those I love (or anyone who has a project and wants to pay me - tee hee).
I'm going to begin with some scrapbooking, mostly because I have some pictures already taken. :) I do a good bit of "scraplifting" from magazines, but I also find ideas in magazines and then modify them to fit my picture needs. The most frequent modification to be made is finding a place to put MORE pictures on the page. Sometimes I want to have just one amazing picture from some event, but usually I have TONS of pictures and don't want 10 pages for one event. I found a way to fit more pictures in without it being boring, "the usual", or "high school bulletin board collage"-y.
I create grids. I use papers that coordinate, a solid color background (usually black or white, but I vary it depending on the rest of the page), and embelishments. I cut my pictures and my accent papers into equally-sized squares to fit my page. (Somewhere between 3.25" and 3.5" for my 12x12 pages usually works best, but you do what works best for you.) I make my balance between pictures and papers as random as I can. (I tend to like things "perfectly random" which is basically not random at all, but made to look that way. I'm ridiculously anal about some things. haha.) I just piddle with them until they look "right" to my eye. Then on some of the paper squares, I add stickers, stamps, or journaling to accentuate the pictures.
Sometimes I have pictures that won't fit into a square and you'll see an example of how I work around that in one of the pictures below. :)
Also, sometimes I make the facing page a statement page with one great picture and a pretty layout, but if I have tons of pictures for that one event, I'll do two of the grid pages back to back.
I'm going to begin with some scrapbooking, mostly because I have some pictures already taken. :) I do a good bit of "scraplifting" from magazines, but I also find ideas in magazines and then modify them to fit my picture needs. The most frequent modification to be made is finding a place to put MORE pictures on the page. Sometimes I want to have just one amazing picture from some event, but usually I have TONS of pictures and don't want 10 pages for one event. I found a way to fit more pictures in without it being boring, "the usual", or "high school bulletin board collage"-y.
I create grids. I use papers that coordinate, a solid color background (usually black or white, but I vary it depending on the rest of the page), and embelishments. I cut my pictures and my accent papers into equally-sized squares to fit my page. (Somewhere between 3.25" and 3.5" for my 12x12 pages usually works best, but you do what works best for you.) I make my balance between pictures and papers as random as I can. (I tend to like things "perfectly random" which is basically not random at all, but made to look that way. I'm ridiculously anal about some things. haha.) I just piddle with them until they look "right" to my eye. Then on some of the paper squares, I add stickers, stamps, or journaling to accentuate the pictures.
Sometimes I have pictures that won't fit into a square and you'll see an example of how I work around that in one of the pictures below. :)
Also, sometimes I make the facing page a statement page with one great picture and a pretty layout, but if I have tons of pictures for that one event, I'll do two of the grid pages back to back.
It's a method that allows me to make all these pages a little unique, but still get more than 1 or 2 pictures on a page, which makes me happy.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Monday, August 16, 2010
Well, folks, this is as organized as I can make myself be...
I thought all day for some brilliant blog topic. Want to know what I came up with?
NADA!!!
I even made a list over the weekend while in the car (more in a tidbit to follow) of possible blog topics, but none of them are doing it for my brain today. So instead, you're getting complete randomness. (To those of you who actually know me, this is pretty par for the course in my universe, but I do TRY to get my act together for my blog.)
So bloggy friends, welcome to the REAL Leslie. I'm completely random. Ask anyone. I even begin probably 50% of my stories (and phone calls) with, "This is completely random, but..."
*Last month, the 'rents came for a visit and after church on Sunday, while we were waiting on everyone to finish with after-church duties (when you're married to a church employee, leaving church takes WAY longer than the average congregant) my dad said something to the effect of, "The weight you've lost really shows - especially in your face and legs. I'm proud of you." How sweet is THAT?!?
*We went this weekend to Alabama (or as T says, "Alabama Roll Tide") to see the 'rents and other family members and friends. We had a crazy 24 hour trip (another side-effect of working in the church). We drove over post dinner Friday night and came back at bedtime Saturday. It was fun while we were there, but oh that travel wears me OUT! (I HATE being in the car for more than about 10 minutes. Once you cross the 2 hour mark, I get antsy. When we get past 3 hours, I get panicky and a teensie bit grumpy. If you go past that, you better sedate me.) On Friday night, we added to our normal trip time picking up my great, great uncle to join us on the trip; a friggin monsoon for about an hour of the trip; a tire low on air (and an ensuing search for an air pump along the way - harder than you'd think to find one these days); baseball on the radio and a radio "station" that was so fuzzy I am seriously questioning the use of the word "station" to name it.
*I HATE listening to sports on the radio. Maybe even more than I hate running. (We've been through that here, so that should give you a pretty good guage.)
*I HATE listening to ANYTHING through static.
*I'm glad I took my Uncle Johnny (he was married to my Munner's - that's my grandmother - Aunt Kakie, who was only 5 years older than Munner, so they were more like best friends) to visit with my Munner. They haven't seen each other in a few years and I see him occassionally because his granddaughter and I (we're about the same age) have gotten back in touch and become close friends - Hi, Paige - and he always mentions how long it's been since he's seen her. I enjoyed getting to know a little more about him ('cause as a kid, what I gleaned was a. He had a motorcycle, b. he had a tatoo on his arm, c. he was basically the sweetest guy I ever met). The rain and road noise (and the fact that both he and I are a bit hard of hearing) made discussion a bit difficult, but it was still enjoyable. But poor guy, we didn't LEAVE to come home until about 15 min after his latest bedtime. That's probably the latest he's ever walked in his door. :)
*Somebody taught my daughter the "B-U-T-T" word. We've used anatomically correct words for all her body parts, but for that one, we chose "bottom" because butt can so quickly turn into so much disrespect and sass. Somehow, a 2 year old saying "butt" just seems WRONG. But the other day, I was changing her diaper and she pointed and said, "That's my butt." I said, "You mean your bottom?" She said, "No, it'smybutt."
*Tucker LOVES talking. (I have no IDEA where she gets this!) She names everything, talks to and about everything, and says goodbye to everything. The grocery store I go to regularly is one that has the "car" attached at the handlebars to strap your kid in with a grocery basket in front of the car. This is somehow MUCH more tolerable to a 2 year old than your basic grocery cart. And although she'd rather walk than ride in anything (but this is NOT possible yet in a grocery store - so many things to take off the shelves), by the end of each trip, she has fallen in complete LOVE with her "car". Somedays she cries when I take her out of it, but most days, we part ways with the "car" by her saying of her own accord, "Bye bye, Car. See ya later." Such a funny kid!
*I've decided to start a crafting day each week on my blog. I'll be sharing some kind of craft I've done or am doing. It will probably be a lot of scrapbooking pages, but as I do other crafts (Oooh, just wait until I pull out my Christmas decorations!), I'll share them as well. It's a way to share a bit of myself with you. (And heck, if you like any of them enough to want one, I'm in business, baby!) Tee-hee! Just a little something to look out for!
Ok, that's enough randomness for today. I promise to come up with SOMETHING better tomorrow.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
NADA!!!
I even made a list over the weekend while in the car (more in a tidbit to follow) of possible blog topics, but none of them are doing it for my brain today. So instead, you're getting complete randomness. (To those of you who actually know me, this is pretty par for the course in my universe, but I do TRY to get my act together for my blog.)
So bloggy friends, welcome to the REAL Leslie. I'm completely random. Ask anyone. I even begin probably 50% of my stories (and phone calls) with, "This is completely random, but..."
*Last month, the 'rents came for a visit and after church on Sunday, while we were waiting on everyone to finish with after-church duties (when you're married to a church employee, leaving church takes WAY longer than the average congregant) my dad said something to the effect of, "The weight you've lost really shows - especially in your face and legs. I'm proud of you." How sweet is THAT?!?
*We went this weekend to Alabama (or as T says, "Alabama Roll Tide") to see the 'rents and other family members and friends. We had a crazy 24 hour trip (another side-effect of working in the church). We drove over post dinner Friday night and came back at bedtime Saturday. It was fun while we were there, but oh that travel wears me OUT! (I HATE being in the car for more than about 10 minutes. Once you cross the 2 hour mark, I get antsy. When we get past 3 hours, I get panicky and a teensie bit grumpy. If you go past that, you better sedate me.) On Friday night, we added to our normal trip time picking up my great, great uncle to join us on the trip; a friggin monsoon for about an hour of the trip; a tire low on air (and an ensuing search for an air pump along the way - harder than you'd think to find one these days); baseball on the radio and a radio "station" that was so fuzzy I am seriously questioning the use of the word "station" to name it.
*I HATE listening to sports on the radio. Maybe even more than I hate running. (We've been through that here, so that should give you a pretty good guage.)
*I HATE listening to ANYTHING through static.
*I'm glad I took my Uncle Johnny (he was married to my Munner's - that's my grandmother - Aunt Kakie, who was only 5 years older than Munner, so they were more like best friends) to visit with my Munner. They haven't seen each other in a few years and I see him occassionally because his granddaughter and I (we're about the same age) have gotten back in touch and become close friends - Hi, Paige - and he always mentions how long it's been since he's seen her. I enjoyed getting to know a little more about him ('cause as a kid, what I gleaned was a. He had a motorcycle, b. he had a tatoo on his arm, c. he was basically the sweetest guy I ever met). The rain and road noise (and the fact that both he and I are a bit hard of hearing) made discussion a bit difficult, but it was still enjoyable. But poor guy, we didn't LEAVE to come home until about 15 min after his latest bedtime. That's probably the latest he's ever walked in his door. :)
*Somebody taught my daughter the "B-U-T-T" word. We've used anatomically correct words for all her body parts, but for that one, we chose "bottom" because butt can so quickly turn into so much disrespect and sass. Somehow, a 2 year old saying "butt" just seems WRONG. But the other day, I was changing her diaper and she pointed and said, "That's my butt." I said, "You mean your bottom?" She said, "No, it'smybutt."
*Tucker LOVES talking. (I have no IDEA where she gets this!) She names everything, talks to and about everything, and says goodbye to everything. The grocery store I go to regularly is one that has the "car" attached at the handlebars to strap your kid in with a grocery basket in front of the car. This is somehow MUCH more tolerable to a 2 year old than your basic grocery cart. And although she'd rather walk than ride in anything (but this is NOT possible yet in a grocery store - so many things to take off the shelves), by the end of each trip, she has fallen in complete LOVE with her "car". Somedays she cries when I take her out of it, but most days, we part ways with the "car" by her saying of her own accord, "Bye bye, Car. See ya later." Such a funny kid!
*I've decided to start a crafting day each week on my blog. I'll be sharing some kind of craft I've done or am doing. It will probably be a lot of scrapbooking pages, but as I do other crafts (Oooh, just wait until I pull out my Christmas decorations!), I'll share them as well. It's a way to share a bit of myself with you. (And heck, if you like any of them enough to want one, I'm in business, baby!) Tee-hee! Just a little something to look out for!
Ok, that's enough randomness for today. I promise to come up with SOMETHING better tomorrow.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Friday, August 13, 2010
I'm Melting...Meeeeeltiiiiiiing!!!
Ok, so maybe drowning's a more appropriate term.
I hope to get my head back above water before Monday and stop neglecting you.
I will make a sincere effort.
Until then, here's a list of the things that have been keeping me from blogging:
*I have been working LOOOOOONG days (more than 1 day over 12 hours) - and that's actual JOB working, not Mommy/wife working.
*I don't enjoy my job (I know you're shocked) and so 12+ hour days of doing it make me frustrated, depressed, AND exhausted.
*The hubs is getting into "back to school" mode.
*I have shin splints. And not your normal, everyday shin splints. These are aching 24/7 even with ice, stretching, and ibuprofin a week later, going to the doctor today kind of shin splints.
*We've had company twice.
*There's been some packing and some laundry back-up/catch-up.
*I have just been flailing around trying to get everything done and then when it's all done, I just want to sit on the couch and have the box with the moving pictures (aka my TV) lull my brain to sleep for the night. It's a VERY healthy lifestyle. Oh yes it is!
Monday. Really.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
I hope to get my head back above water before Monday and stop neglecting you.
I will make a sincere effort.
Until then, here's a list of the things that have been keeping me from blogging:
*I have been working LOOOOOONG days (more than 1 day over 12 hours) - and that's actual JOB working, not Mommy/wife working.
*I don't enjoy my job (I know you're shocked) and so 12+ hour days of doing it make me frustrated, depressed, AND exhausted.
*The hubs is getting into "back to school" mode.
*I have shin splints. And not your normal, everyday shin splints. These are aching 24/7 even with ice, stretching, and ibuprofin a week later, going to the doctor today kind of shin splints.
*We've had company twice.
*There's been some packing and some laundry back-up/catch-up.
*I have just been flailing around trying to get everything done and then when it's all done, I just want to sit on the couch and have the box with the moving pictures (aka my TV) lull my brain to sleep for the night. It's a VERY healthy lifestyle. Oh yes it is!
Monday. Really.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Friday, August 06, 2010
"I am a Fighter..."
Well, I'm working on it anyway. I finished week 1 of my Couch to 5K training. I did it! I mean, if you google it and discover what week one is, you'd probably say, "Umm... SO WHAT?!?" But for me, the one who would almost rather get my feet really dirty, get dirt packed under my fingernails, go to a high school reunion without straightening my 40 cow licks, and live the rest of my life without Coke (these are all BIG DEALS for me, just fyi) than run, finishing a week of any program with "jog" anywhere near it is HUGE!!!And I did it.
Now, I usually listen to audio books when I do the treadmill - keeps me on it longer - and I am continuing that now, but I've also decided that some days on the treadmill and once I get out in the real world I might want a kick-butt playlist to get me (and keep me) going.
I got a good start on a playlist from my own music collection and a few random iTunes searches, BUT...
What are YOUR favorite "PUMP ME UP" songs?
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Want to know what kind of day I'm having?
I ran out of my favorite flavored (skinny) creamer yesterday.
There's not a drop of milk in my house.
Except for the milk in my daughter's sippy cup which she did NOT finish before going to daycare.
I am seriously contemplating emptying her cup into my coffee in a few short minutes.
It's THAT kind of day.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
There's not a drop of milk in my house.
Except for the milk in my daughter's sippy cup which she did NOT finish before going to daycare.
I am seriously contemplating emptying her cup into my coffee in a few short minutes.
It's THAT kind of day.
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Let a side-whacker do his job.
I'm odd.
I know. No big shock to most of you. I don't hide from it or hide it from others. For the most part, my odd parts (well, personality wise, anyway - not physical oddities - my mom would die if I wrote about them here - or anywhere, really) are some of my favorite parts. I figure why blend, ya know?
Most of my odd parts of loud and embarassing to the hubs, which, let's be honest, is at least PART of the joy to be had in the odd parts. Don't tell him.
One of my odd parts that was brought to mind recently, however, is more quiet and under-the-radar. I really like to compliment people - especially in ways that I figure most people don't. 'Cause, face it, it kind of makes your day when someone compliments you in a way you were NOT expecting, doesn't it? It does for me. I figure why not do that to someone else.
Case in point:
I spent the day Saturday at White Water with my Crazy Aunt (and I mean crazy in the most affectionate way possible - after all, I embrace odd - why wouldn't I embrace crazy?), my Tooter Booter (aka - my "baby" cousin who is now 12 and taller than I am but still my Tooter Booter), and a pair of brothers who belong to Crazy's preacher.
I'll admit, when I first found out two tween/early teen boys were going to be tagging along (and knowing I was wearing my first non-skirted swimsuit in YEARS), I wasn't sure if I was happy or not. You never know how strange (in the "I don't know them" sense, not the "couple fries short" sense) teenage boys are going to react to an odd adult. I mean, will they appreciate the sarcasm? the squealing? the teasing? These things are important to me.
So here's how the conversations began:
"Now, you're not planning on RIDING anything today, right? I mean, you're gonna just sit in chairs with us outside the wave pool, right? 'Cause I'm not comfortable with you riding without us and we're too old to ride the rides."
"(not a beat skipped) YES, that's EXACTLY what we planned because we want to have FUN and we think sitting in chairs at a waterpark IS fun."
Ok, so maybe this is gonna be ok. He didn't roll his eyes at my stupid attempt at humor. He even played along.
That was the older brother though. The younger is still quiet, and he's younger. AND a boy. He MIGHT be tougher.
"Now, we're not sure if this raft holds 4 or 5 people. If it's 4, the four of US are going to ride together and we're gonna let you ride with those people behind us, ok?"
"Sure. I like riding with random people. And you'll probably scream too much anyway."
SCORE. I like these kids.
Then we got in line for the Tornado. It was NOT a short line. It was not a quick line. I'm pretty sure I missed a few days of work while waiting in this line. And there was puke. On the railing. And Tooter MIGHT have touched it. This line was NOT pretty. I was SURE we had lost these boys. All the sarcastic progress we'd made was going to be lost and they were going to go home talking about how lame I was. That is UNACCEPTABLE to me.
(I'll be honest, this blog is SO Ricki - the dad - that I am having the urge to erase it all so there's no proof of this ridiculousness I mock in him so regularly.)
We finally get our float, which is approximately the size of two Cadillacs stacked on top of each other and weighs approximately the same, and head to the line for the actual ride. (Yes, we waited in line for about an hour for a float, only to slowly climb the 400 flights of stairs to the top of the ride with said float while waiting in another line. The ride's pretty much amazing.) I knew immediately the little one was not lost.
"It would STINK if you got all the way up here and dropped your float over the side of the stairs and it fell all the way down there and you had to start all over again."
(pause)
"I don't want that to happen to us. I'm gonna be the side-whacker." WHOMP! *He whacks the side of the float, just in case we hadn't gotten the meaning of side-whacker.*
(We walk up a few more flights of stairs, rolling the float along, drifting a little to one side of the stairs. He squeezes between the float and the railing and...)
"WHOMP! Hey, let a side-whacker do his job!"
(Seriously, this kid's 11. Hysterical.)
(Up a few more flights of stairs, pause on a landing where the metal handrail that has existed up to this point is no more...)
"Hey, I really liked that handrail. I need it. I miss it. Thanks ALOT, manuafacturers!!!"
I lost it. Seriously. ELEVEN.
These two boys were polite, helpful, and kept me hiding my giggles (some times more successfully than others) all day long.
I was in love.
(Seriously, Leslie, didn't you start off talking about complimenting people? You ramble like no one I've ever met.)
When I got home, I asked my aunt for some contact info for the boys' parents and immediately sent them each a note saying how MUCH I had enjoyed spending the day with their boys. I told them how polite and hysterical the boys were and that they should be very proud of what delightful children they were raising.
I'm sure when they first saw a message with the subject, "I'm Crazy's (ok, I put her real name in the message) neice," they thought, "Odd."
They're right.
I'm odd.
But I LIKE it. And I hope, at least THIS time, they liked it, too.
What ODD things do YOU do?
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
I know. No big shock to most of you. I don't hide from it or hide it from others. For the most part, my odd parts (well, personality wise, anyway - not physical oddities - my mom would die if I wrote about them here - or anywhere, really) are some of my favorite parts. I figure why blend, ya know?
Most of my odd parts of loud and embarassing to the hubs, which, let's be honest, is at least PART of the joy to be had in the odd parts. Don't tell him.
One of my odd parts that was brought to mind recently, however, is more quiet and under-the-radar. I really like to compliment people - especially in ways that I figure most people don't. 'Cause, face it, it kind of makes your day when someone compliments you in a way you were NOT expecting, doesn't it? It does for me. I figure why not do that to someone else.
Case in point:
I spent the day Saturday at White Water with my Crazy Aunt (and I mean crazy in the most affectionate way possible - after all, I embrace odd - why wouldn't I embrace crazy?), my Tooter Booter (aka - my "baby" cousin who is now 12 and taller than I am but still my Tooter Booter), and a pair of brothers who belong to Crazy's preacher.
I'll admit, when I first found out two tween/early teen boys were going to be tagging along (and knowing I was wearing my first non-skirted swimsuit in YEARS), I wasn't sure if I was happy or not. You never know how strange (in the "I don't know them" sense, not the "couple fries short" sense) teenage boys are going to react to an odd adult. I mean, will they appreciate the sarcasm? the squealing? the teasing? These things are important to me.
So here's how the conversations began:
"Now, you're not planning on RIDING anything today, right? I mean, you're gonna just sit in chairs with us outside the wave pool, right? 'Cause I'm not comfortable with you riding without us and we're too old to ride the rides."
"(not a beat skipped) YES, that's EXACTLY what we planned because we want to have FUN and we think sitting in chairs at a waterpark IS fun."
Ok, so maybe this is gonna be ok. He didn't roll his eyes at my stupid attempt at humor. He even played along.
That was the older brother though. The younger is still quiet, and he's younger. AND a boy. He MIGHT be tougher.
"Now, we're not sure if this raft holds 4 or 5 people. If it's 4, the four of US are going to ride together and we're gonna let you ride with those people behind us, ok?"
"Sure. I like riding with random people. And you'll probably scream too much anyway."
SCORE. I like these kids.
Then we got in line for the Tornado. It was NOT a short line. It was not a quick line. I'm pretty sure I missed a few days of work while waiting in this line. And there was puke. On the railing. And Tooter MIGHT have touched it. This line was NOT pretty. I was SURE we had lost these boys. All the sarcastic progress we'd made was going to be lost and they were going to go home talking about how lame I was. That is UNACCEPTABLE to me.
(I'll be honest, this blog is SO Ricki - the dad - that I am having the urge to erase it all so there's no proof of this ridiculousness I mock in him so regularly.)
We finally get our float, which is approximately the size of two Cadillacs stacked on top of each other and weighs approximately the same, and head to the line for the actual ride. (Yes, we waited in line for about an hour for a float, only to slowly climb the 400 flights of stairs to the top of the ride with said float while waiting in another line. The ride's pretty much amazing.) I knew immediately the little one was not lost.
"It would STINK if you got all the way up here and dropped your float over the side of the stairs and it fell all the way down there and you had to start all over again."
(pause)
"I don't want that to happen to us. I'm gonna be the side-whacker." WHOMP! *He whacks the side of the float, just in case we hadn't gotten the meaning of side-whacker.*
(We walk up a few more flights of stairs, rolling the float along, drifting a little to one side of the stairs. He squeezes between the float and the railing and...)
"WHOMP! Hey, let a side-whacker do his job!"
(Seriously, this kid's 11. Hysterical.)
(Up a few more flights of stairs, pause on a landing where the metal handrail that has existed up to this point is no more...)
"Hey, I really liked that handrail. I need it. I miss it. Thanks ALOT, manuafacturers!!!"
I lost it. Seriously. ELEVEN.
These two boys were polite, helpful, and kept me hiding my giggles (some times more successfully than others) all day long.
I was in love.
(Seriously, Leslie, didn't you start off talking about complimenting people? You ramble like no one I've ever met.)
When I got home, I asked my aunt for some contact info for the boys' parents and immediately sent them each a note saying how MUCH I had enjoyed spending the day with their boys. I told them how polite and hysterical the boys were and that they should be very proud of what delightful children they were raising.
I'm sure when they first saw a message with the subject, "I'm Crazy's (ok, I put her real name in the message) neice," they thought, "Odd."
They're right.
I'm odd.
But I LIKE it. And I hope, at least THIS time, they liked it, too.
What ODD things do YOU do?
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
Monday, August 02, 2010
The First of...
I realize (especially now that I work in the financial industry tangentially) that most of the world functions on a January to December calendar. In fact, even our CALENDARS function on that kind of calendar. But, let's face it. Most of us spent the first 18+ years of our lives living in a world of August/September to May/June with whatever was in the middle being gravy. With my parents being teachers, my first career being a teacher, and my husband being a teacher, I still live in that world. I never really left it.
Be honest, don't you, at least a little bit, in secret, still think of August as the BEGINNING of something? Do you feel a compulsion to go buy a few new outfits and some shiny, white tennis shoes? Office supplies? A cool new binder that you decorate with your favorite pictures? For me, seeing all the "school supply" sale papers has thrown me into at least a little of a spiral of wanting to go "stock up" on things I don't need and wouldn't use.
Along side wanting to buy school clothes and new binders, however, I also feel a need to start FRESH when school starts. I guess it comes from new teachers, new classmates - the ability to rewrite yourself at least a TEENSIE bit at the start of each year. The glistening hope of improving your grades, of it all being easier, of never forgetting homework, or never (GASP) getting in trouble for talking. (That last one NEVER once happened for me.)
And thus, that mindset is still ingrained in me. I feel the need to get a fresh start in SOMETHING every August.
The hubs and I spend the last week on what can only be called a crash diet (literally one of those that you look at and KNOW any doctor would tell you it's horrible) knowing full-well that it was horrible, but also knowing that in the past, it was a great jump-start for weight loss AND helped us break some bad habits and form some new ones. So my first NEW for this school year is starting 5 pounds down from where I was last Sunday.
I also was inspired to try the "Couch to 5K" training by a friend. Now, I am going into this with low expectations - of myself, not the program. I HATE running. I don't mean I hate it like "Ugh, it's so inconvenient and I get sweaty and have to take another shower" hate it. I mean hate it like the stomach flu, morning sickness, and say, having my left pinky removed with a dull table knife and no anesthesia hate it. Even when I was a little worm and weighed in at a shocking buck five (that's $1.05 or 105 for those of you who don't speak the ridiculousness I do), I hated running. The hatred is as ingrained as my knowledge that it's "I COULDN'T care less" not "I COULD care less" and my love of "The Princess Bride". It's been there for as long as I can remember and it's not going "gentle into that good night."
Hate. Seriously. Loathe. Entirely.
BUT, I know it's good for you. It will help me lose weight. It will help my bones get stronger and my muscles get bigger. It will teach me some kind of determination (if I'm determined enough to stick to it, that is). If nothing else, it helped me clean off (for the 100th time this year) the treadmill that gets anything that needs to be "out of the way" in the garage put on it.
Fresh. New. *sniff, sniff* Sweaty.
Be honest, don't you, at least a little bit, in secret, still think of August as the BEGINNING of something? Do you feel a compulsion to go buy a few new outfits and some shiny, white tennis shoes? Office supplies? A cool new binder that you decorate with your favorite pictures? For me, seeing all the "school supply" sale papers has thrown me into at least a little of a spiral of wanting to go "stock up" on things I don't need and wouldn't use.
Along side wanting to buy school clothes and new binders, however, I also feel a need to start FRESH when school starts. I guess it comes from new teachers, new classmates - the ability to rewrite yourself at least a TEENSIE bit at the start of each year. The glistening hope of improving your grades, of it all being easier, of never forgetting homework, or never (GASP) getting in trouble for talking. (That last one NEVER once happened for me.)
And thus, that mindset is still ingrained in me. I feel the need to get a fresh start in SOMETHING every August.
The hubs and I spend the last week on what can only be called a crash diet (literally one of those that you look at and KNOW any doctor would tell you it's horrible) knowing full-well that it was horrible, but also knowing that in the past, it was a great jump-start for weight loss AND helped us break some bad habits and form some new ones. So my first NEW for this school year is starting 5 pounds down from where I was last Sunday.
I also was inspired to try the "Couch to 5K" training by a friend. Now, I am going into this with low expectations - of myself, not the program. I HATE running. I don't mean I hate it like "Ugh, it's so inconvenient and I get sweaty and have to take another shower" hate it. I mean hate it like the stomach flu, morning sickness, and say, having my left pinky removed with a dull table knife and no anesthesia hate it. Even when I was a little worm and weighed in at a shocking buck five (that's $1.05 or 105 for those of you who don't speak the ridiculousness I do), I hated running. The hatred is as ingrained as my knowledge that it's "I COULDN'T care less" not "I COULD care less" and my love of "The Princess Bride". It's been there for as long as I can remember and it's not going "gentle into that good night."
Hate. Seriously. Loathe. Entirely.
BUT, I know it's good for you. It will help me lose weight. It will help my bones get stronger and my muscles get bigger. It will teach me some kind of determination (if I'm determined enough to stick to it, that is). If nothing else, it helped me clean off (for the 100th time this year) the treadmill that gets anything that needs to be "out of the way" in the garage put on it.
Fresh. New. *sniff, sniff* Sweaty.
And this morning, still dripping from my jaunt into jaunting (did you know that on m-w.com, this word means both "to make an unusually short journey for pleasure" and "to trudge about"? I love words that can mean either side of the coin. Both versions apply to my time on the treadmill this morning - short and trudge) the hubs and I took our little 2 year old sweetness back to her first day of daycare for the school year. She's in a NEW class with NEW teachers and on a NEW hall. (She's moved off the baby hall finally. boo. hiss.)
And the newest of ALL news, when we walked into her new classroom full of mostly new kids and new stuff and a new teacher, she walked off, starry-eyed without even glancing back for a goodbye. No tears. No worries. No kisses. NEW attitude. I liked it, minus the no kisses part.
So tell me. What are YOU doing fresh to start the new school year?
Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie
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