slow internet

i turned in some of my entries for the county fair today. from the top: a soda bottle cap choker (entered in recycling, metal), a necklace/bracelet set (jewelry, glass bead) and a handmade bead (misc., glass beadwork). i also got my five photos matted today, so they're ready to turn in on tuesday. and then wednesday i'll be baking my cookies. yay.

can anyone tell me why my internet is slow enough i have to fight to get an e-mail sent, but it doesn't have a problem retrieving e-mails telling me how to enhance my love life?

this weekend is the pierogi fest. if you haven't gone - i recommend it. we were there friday for the parade, which was fun. it's a fairly short route, but there are a LOT of people. after the parade i was quite pleased to find someone selling both mushroom and spinach pierogi. yumm-o. i'm tempted to go back up there tomorrow afternoon for some more.

update: the great 28

alright, it's been six months since my birthday. let's see how i've done ...

1. visit 3 places i've never been before. mel & dan's new house. jennie rae's restuarant. texas. hey - that's 100%! go me!

2. lose 40 pounds. alright, not so good here. i'm currently 1 pound above where i started, which wouldn't sound so bad except that's about 15 pounds above where i was three months ago. bah. i did join weight watchers this week, though, and i know that will help. once i'm back in the habit of being AWARE of what i'm eating, things will be better. and knowing i'm going to be watching that makes me want to get back out & exercise again. so i just might go walking tomorrow morning. if it's not raining. :) that's -2.5%

3. have a booth at a local craft fair. i'm starting to kick into feverish creativity mode. i tacked another vacation day onto my "crafting weekend" next month. so now i've got a solid 5 days to create some popcorn fest goodness. and i wasn't planning to sell calendars at the booth, but now i think i might. people seemed to like them - yay! come see us on setpember 8! i'll give that a 49% (there's math involved if anyone wants it explained).

4. take 2000 photos. i'm at 1303. that's 65%, not bad.

5. eat a gallon of mustard in one week. i haven't scheduled this yet.

6. enter 3 items in the county fair. i'm actually entering nine items. five photos, a single glass bead, jewelry made from glass beads, jewelry made from pop caps (recycled category) and my coconut jalapeno lime cookies. i'm actually working on printing the photos between typing on this post. 50% - the intention was accomplished, but i haven't actually turned them in yet.

7. finish 3 quilts. one done. i will quilt more after the popcorn festival. 33%

8. take an art class. nothing scheduled, yet. 0%

9. be able to play Christmas Rhapsody on the piano by Christmas. yeah, i should sit down & start working on this. 0%

10. be able to play a song on my accordian. again, i should start working on this. 0%

11. bake something new once a month. february - triple-chocolate peanut butter cookies & jalapeno lime coconut sugar cookies. march - nothing. april - lemon coconut oatmeal cookies. may - okay, it's wasn't new, but i made another flourless chocolate cake & it was really yummy. june - nothing. july - nothing. but august should have luau brownies. :) 33%

12. update my portfolio. haven't touched it, but i have been good about brining pieces home to add to it. 25%, just for effort.


13. make my halloween costume. i have some ideas. but you'll have to wait & see. 0%

14. cook dinner once a month. in january i made green pork burritos with cilantro rice & black beans. february was baked macaroni & cheese (patti labelle's recipe). march was pretzel chicken & homemade potato chips for girls night. april was baked chicaken parmasan. may was garlic pasta with chicken & veggies for mother's day. june - i don't remember. july - i don't think so. august, however, should have some yummy stuff. 33%

15. redesign my online portfolio. again, haven't touched it. 0%

16. hang out with old friends. check! not as in "accomplished, so i don't have to do it anymore", but as in "being accomplished on a regular basis ... and i LOVE it!" i missed my 10-year reunion, but i got to see a few folks at an after party, if you will. and i just got an e-mail from kevin this week ... so yeah, i'm pretty pleased right now. 100%

17. learn to use my screen printing supplies. i may set aside a weekend to do this. 0%

18. catch up my thumbnails. i have paper & ink now. once i'm done with all my printing for the fair & the popcorn festival, i'll get these caught up. right now i'm only 13 months behind. 30% for having the supplies.

19. read 3 new books. 1 - bob greene's total body makeover. 2- the aquariums of pyongyang.

20. eat breakfast at lynn's paradise cafe. twice! 200%!

21. finish bob greene's total body make over. i didn't finish. but i bet if i paired this up with my weight watchers, i'd see some results. 0%

22. take a trip by myself. nothing planned - and i've TRIED to plan. 0%

23. finish the plastic purse. no work done. but thanks for the brown bags, julie! 0%

24. files my taxes early. DONE! 100%

25. work on a scrapbook. nothing started. 0%

26. send Christmas cards. no pressure for them to be handmade, but i want to send out cards. 0%

27. homemade Christmas presents. this is just a space filler, really. i know i'll make the Christmas presents. i even have a little bit of an idea of what they'll all be. but there's nothing wrong with setting a goal i KNOW i'll achieve, right? :) 0%

28. secret. can i change this part way through the year? the original plan was soundly rejected. so either i don't accomplish this one, or i come up with something else. we'll see. 0%

my math puts me at 27.9% that's not so hot for halfway through the year. but two of those goals ARE Christmas oriented ... i've got time. :)

i bound something!

these photos are proof that my fancy-pants binding machine really does work. yay! after the failed attempts of binding records and a very frustrating time with some wallpaper (frustrating because i can't measure ... not really the machine's fault, i suppose), i was actually able to get something bound tonight. and that makes me very excited. :)

i've been wanting a small calendar to carry about in my purse. i currently keep my schedule on my calendar at work, so i don't promise myself to a work event when i've got a non-work event scheduled. and it works out most of the time, but i really need a copy of that schedule with me outside of work, too. so sure, i could've gone out & bought a small calendar ... but what fun would that be? instead i took a few hours, designed a simple template & made my own. i used some old photos for the covers and -poof!- a purse calendar for 'becca. yay!

for julie: the popcorn festival is september 8 in valpo. it's a saturday & the booths are until 6 p.m., or until we sell out. :)

with this current binding success i'm wanting to make some journals for the popcorn fest, now. but first, i'm going to fill in my new calendar. i'm like a kid in a candy store, this is so exciting!

the weekend

friday was a beautiful day for a yard sale! we didn't rake in a ton of money ... but we sold the big stuff (sofa, big recliner, desk), which was good. almost everyone who came bought something, traffic was just slow.

saturday was greg's wedding. it was beautiful. the flowers were gorgeous! some were set in a semi-circle at the front of the stage with the flowers standing a good 18 inches tall - so as they stood behind them to say their vows, they looked like they were in an english garden. very cute. and the fellow who officiated the ceremony was obviously invested in greg & kim's relationship - i could tell he really knew them & cared for them. it's not often that the pastor tears up as he's giving the bride words to say during the ceremony. i love weddings. :)

my ten-year high school reunion was also on saturday. i missed the official event, but got back in town to attend a small "after party" of sorts. it was a lot of fun. mostly a group of people i wasn't very close with in high school, but it was a good time.

i spent most of today crafting with the gals for the popcorn fest. we do these day-long crafting marathons, and i always feel like i should have gotten a LOT more accomplished than i did. today i managed to trim down some photos for framing & make the four bracelets in that picture. i don't think the green one on top is actually done - i need to pick up some more jump rings & add a few more beads to fill in. but at least i did something. being crafty is good.

i'm taking a few days off at the beginning of august to craft. if anyone would be interested in joining me, let me know. you can bring along whatever kind of craft it is that you enjoy or just come to socialize. i wouldn't recommend bringing kids since i'll have sharp objects & small pieces all over the place, but adults are more than welcome. :)

flying to texas

i took exactly two photos during my trip to texas. and here they are. i'm a big fan of taking photos out of the airplane windows.

i'm off work today & tomorrow for a yard sale. only it was POURING this morning, so we decided to skip today. i'm currently trying to decide which photos to enter in the lake county fair. as i narrow them down, i may post them here & let you vote. i don't promise to take your advice ... but you can still vote. ;)

painting

last night/this morning's creativity.

alright, not so much creative as they are functional. but still, it's fun getting out paints & making a mess.

important stuff

alright, i warmed myself back up to blogging with a couple of surveys. now i can talk about the good stuff. :) the past week & a half have been BUSY!

my trip to texas was FABULOUS! i had a wonderful time hanging out with erin. just being with her for those few days was refreshing to my soul. she described it best in an e-mail she sent me once i got back "I felt like the years melted away and we were left with the core of who we are". sure, we've changed & our lives have changed & we're in differently places (literally and figuratively) than we were 10 years ago ... but we're still us. and we're still pretty rockin' gals who can be completely comfortable with one another & have a great time. thank you, erin. i loved every moment.

my trip to texas including a trip to the outlet mall - which scored me two cute skirts. skirts, i know! i still need to find a top to go with the one. but i found black sandals & a great necklace to go with the other one ... now just for the opportunity to wear it. :)

work kept me pretty busy this past week & my evenings were the same. monday was craft night (less than 2 months til the popcorn fest!). tuesday was a surprise birthday party for kathy at bar louie. wednesday i actually went home after work. thursday was a hoopla for our millionaire campaign - food & drinks on the company, count me in! and then friday was a surprise birthday dinner for corlin. we went to holy macaroni in laporte. yummy food - fabulous fried pickles. i do love fried pickles. :)

yesterday was a bridal shower for my cousin marcy. and then we picked up some blueberries on our way home - which i'll be turning into a fresh blueberry torte for this afternoon, yum! and then last night was girls night at jody's. yay! my first experience playing corn hole. i'm not necessarily good (though it helps when i aim), but it was a lot of fun. and i was with a great group ... so it's always fun. we ended the night with some groupaoke. not familiar with the term? it's when no one really wants to karoake solo - so the whole group sings each song. good times. :)

survey again

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4: sent their kids to ordinary Japanese schools rather than institutions

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What's there? my printer.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? paula dean driving about tasting different bbqs.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is: 10:27 a.m.

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 10:15 a.m. (i just gained time! yes!)

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? La Vie Boheme from the RENT soundtrack, someone walking around upstairs.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? last night walking from my car to the house.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at? jody's blog. i'm catching up.

9. What are you wearing? black pants & a green cami.

10. Did you dream last night? yes. the last one was about my updating my work computer & it not working properly so a bunch of walked through a co-workers condo (which was completely decorated in red - red vinyl chairs, red shag carpeting half-way up the walls) to go back to the computer store & get something else.

11. When did you last laugh? last night.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? paint.

13. Seen anything weird lately? sure, there was a condo with red shag carpeting half-way up the walls in my dream last night. that was weird.

14. What do you think of this quiz? different questions than others.

15. What is the last film you saw? whale rider.

16.If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy? a personal plane.

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know:

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics? i'd feed the hungry.

19. Do you like to dance? sort of.

20. George Bush: was our president.

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? daughter. :) i used to love the name Rajna, but now i'd probably lean towards Charlotte.

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? Terryn.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad? possibly.

24. What do you want to say to God when you reach the pearly gates? i can't imagine finding words when coming face to face with God.

survey ...

1. Who were you with last night? the girls. :)

2. What woke you up this morning? my alarm clock

3. Where are you? at home.

4. Is tomorrow going to be a good day? i don't currently hold much optimism for good days at work, but i'm sure i'll survive. not to say i hate my job ... but it's been a while since there's really been a good day.

5. Did you kiss or hug anyone today? not yet.

6. When was the last time you cried? i've got a bit of a head cold - so every time i sneeze my right eye waters, does that count?

7. Ever thrown up in public? in first grade i threw up on the playground. well, actually, on the parking lot where we were lining up to come in after recess.

8. Passed out because of alcohol? no.

9. Would you take a bullet for anyone? yes.

10. Where would you like to live? a studio in san francisco above an artsy handmade goods store. a rockin' downtown condo in louisville near glassworks.

11. Made out with anyone on your top 8? nope.

13. What do you want to be when you grow up? hungry & satisfied.

14. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? i haven't a clue. if i had a vision of where i would be in 5 years, i'd be alot more likely to call a realtor or send out resumes or anything else other than just keeping with my regular routine.

15. Who is your number one? as in the first friend listed on my myspace? malissa.

16. Who was the last person to text you? the folks who held my last cell phone service.

17. Who was the last person that left you a comment? jody - basically telling me to post more. :)

19. Do you like candy necklaces? not especially. i mean, it's not like they're made from snickers or anything.

20. When was the last time you fell over or ran into something? i ran over a small tree friday after work. i still need to check that side of my car for scratches.

21. Do you listen to music every day? yes. i do love music.

22. What was the last thing you ate? a dorito.

23. Are you a fast typer? yes.

24. About how many people have you liked? a lot. do people really keep a running count of these things?

25. How many have you loved? a few.

26. What are you doing this weekend? yesterday was a bridal shower & girls night. today is preparing for the garage sale & being a little lazy. next weekend is greg's wedding, possibly part of my high school reunion and crafternoon at kathy's.

27. What's Your favorite type of soda? diet dr. pepper.

28. Have you ever won an award? yes.

30. What do you want to do right now? take a shower.

30. Are you listening to music right now? yes. La Vie Boheme from the RENT soundtrack.

31. When were you the saddest in your whole life? i don't know.

32. What time is it? 10:09 a.m.

33. Do you use EBay to buy or sell? buy.

34. What makes you mad? my inability to make a decision. :)

35. Have you ever had a song written about you? no, but i've gotten a few poems, which are songs without music.

36. What song makes you cry? none, i don't think.

37. What song makes you happy? i love music, so a lot of songs make me happy.

38. What do you like to listen to before you go to bed? nothing in particular.

39. Do you have a job? yup.

40. What makes you happy? family. friends. being in san francisco.

41. What's the next CD you're going to get? i don't buy cds much.

42. Do you like somebody as more then a friend right now? not particularly.

the fourth, on the fifth

so it was supposed to rain on our parade yesterday. it did not. it was beautiful and sunny. i'm sporting a fabulous sun burn as proof. i bet erin didn't realize she was picking up an indiana tomato at the airport this afternoon. :) yeah, sunburn. woo.


for those of you who missed the parade, here's max chillin' in the back of the mustang getting ready to start down the parade route. i say "chillin'" because it's funny. that suit is so stinkin' hot it was drenched in sweat by the end. drenched. as in, you could take the fat suit & wring it out to make puddles on the asphalt.


and here's us a-comin' down the street. i saw a few people i knew - aunt diane (not my aunt diane, but becca's aunt diane), kris & family, julie & family, kathy. i'm pretty sure i saw at least two people i graduated with. actually, i'm pretty sure i handed millionaire money to a gal i graduated with. don't know if she knew who i was, and i'm okay with that.


we went straight from the parade to the railcats game. the weather was still beautiful. this is max leaving the field after throwing out the first pitch. i didn't get to see it, but i hear he made it across home plate. barely.


not a bad fireworks display after the game. we had a suite at the ballpark, so we had pretty sweet seats for watching the show. and, of course, i always have to try and get photos of the fireworks.


and then the good weather ended. seriously, it had been beautiful ALL DAY for us. as soon as the fireworks ended & our job was done - it started pouring. it looks like snow in the stadium lights, but it was rain. a lot of rain.

i hope you guys had a happy w3. i'm off to texas in about 90 minutes. i did, indeed, get everything fit into a carry on bag. i even checked the ata website to be sure the suitcase i think should be considered a "carry on bag" really is the correct size. so now to shower, contemplate more aloe on the sunburn and be on my way. talk with you next week!

happy w3

it's 8a.m. and feels very much like a saturday. i'm not at work. i'm spending my morning catching up on web sites. i'll be going to a cookout in a couple of hours. and i need to pack for a long weekend in texas. how could that not feel like saturday?

i got my official work cell phone yesterday. that doesn't make me very happy. it's not bad to look at, and it does have a nice blue light when it rings. but seriously, i do not like telephones. and i don't like hearing from work people when i'm not in the office. so when you put the two together and form, as my boss jokingly called it, "constant telephonic contact" ... i could pretty much puke.

did anyone else notice that post secret didn't update this sunday? i suppose everyone's allowed to take a vacation ... but i need my new secrets! i do like the basis of his next book though - publishing secrets he hasn't posted on the web before. that should increase his sales. all the folks thinking "well, i never made it on the site ... but maybe it'll be published in the book! that'd be awesome! i gotta buy it & find out!" i've never sent in a secret. i need to come up with something juicy.

i'm taking my camera with me to the parade & the game tonight. oh yeah, it's w3, and i'm spending at least 8 hours today working. i'm really hoping it doesn't rain on our parade. but even if it does - you'll probably be seeing pictures.

my packing-for-texas goal is get everything into my carry-on bag. i've never had my luggage get lost when i've checked it, but it's just so much easier to not have to lurk about the luggage carousel waiting for my bag to appear. plus i feel much more self sufficient that way. i should really go start another load of laundry so i can pack.

i'm totally stoked about going to texas. yes, i said stoked. i figure i haven't seen erin in two years. and i haven't spent more than a couple of hours with her in probably 7 years. so this weekend should be very good for us. although i gotta say no one at work is being very encouraging about this trip. i say "i'm going to texas" and everyone says "ugh, it's gonna be SO hot & humid there. have fun ... " and i say "i will have fun, thank you very much!" and hope i don't sweat more profusely than anyone else. :)

i didn't do a june update on my 28 goals. they're all about the same, probably. this month should mark some progress in a couple of the areas.

i've seen a few other cute houses online that i'd like to go see. yes, i know that means i need to actually call a real estate agent. and i will. when i get back from texas, i will call her. and i will go see houses. and maybe i will buy one. and then invite you over for tea.

alright - i'm off to do laundry. and shower. and eat breakfast. and pack. if you don't have plans yet, you should come to the crown point parade. i'll be paying special attention to the court-house side of the square ... i could give you candy! or a button! or money! or a big ol' kiss on the cheek! how can you pass that up?

happy w3! (that's wednesday without work)