Common Cents (yes, cents, not sense)!

This morning on the way to work I heard a radio spot that said something like, “...I swear, some people have more money than they have common sense.”

I’d like to think that at this point in my life I have as much money as I have common sense. So, does that mean if I get a raise at work or finally find that sugar daddy I’ve been looking for all my life that I will have more money than I have common sense?

And, if so, is that really a bad thing?

I mean, it seems to me that there is a limit to how much common sense a person can have. And I’ll be the first to admit that I think a lot of people could still gain a lot more common sense…especially when it comes to driving…but eventually we’ll all get to that point where our common sense cup (or mug or 54oz monster mug or shot glass) is full. But based on what I see coming out of Hollywood you can never have too much money. (And hollywood never lies, right?) So, my conclusion is that at some point a good deal of people will have more money than they have common sense.

And I’m volunteering to be one of those people if applications are being accepted.

Do you agree? Or is there a flaw in my logic?

It's (one of) the most wonderful time(s) of the year!

Yay!!!....nom, nom, nom...

Pin It, Baby!

So, I did it. I waited, though, until after everyone and their dog had already done it but I finally caved and did it. I joined Pinterest. And now I would like to quit my job and surf the web all day looking for fun things I want to make.

But, of course, that would be counterproductive as I would then have no money to make all those fun things. So, I'll continue to:

1 - get up earlier than I feel is necessary
2 - put more makeup on than should be necessary for someone my age
3 - acheive that "natural curl" look by spending tens of dollars on goopy hair products
4 - daydream about all the wonderful things I would make if I had unlimited resources

...aaah, a girl can dream!

I mean, let's be honest.... This hair wouldn't be curly nor would I be wearing so many layers of make-up if I were a *stay-at-home crafter.

(Sidenote: Any men interested in applying for the Mr. Right position who have "unlimited resources" listed as a form of income will be immediately bumped to the front of the line!)

But moving on...
I do realize I haven't blogged in a LONG time. And seeing as how my sister threatened to stop making dinner for me I was forced to I decided to jump back on the bandwagon.

So, to touch on the most recent of many things that have happened over the last few months...

I Romped and Stomped with some coworkers 2 weekends ago in Park City. It is a benefit for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It was an absolute blast and I definitely plan to do it again next year if you're interested in joining me!

Here are the amazing folks I romped with: And if you want to find out how you can get involved next year you can check out their website here!

So, welcome me back to the blogging world! (Thank you, it's good to be back!) I'll try not to disappear again!

*What are the job requirements to be a stay-at-home crafter? I've got my resume ready to print!

On the mind

I have a really good excuse for not blogging lately and I want you to know that it's not you, it's me! Well, it's kind of you. I mean, I did it for you. See, all I've been thinking about lately is Christmas, and I didn't want to annoy you with it. All I've been thinking about is Christmas yet even I am annoyed that so many stores already have all their Christmas stuff out. I mean, it's made it easier for me to find the things I've been looking for but I still feel like it's too early!...for them (the stores) but not for me, of course.

After all, only 63 days until Festival of Trees opening day!!! And I'm so excited! I've done so much already and I still have a thousand things to do but I'm having so much fun doing it!

And I just got a new calling! (And just as I was finally getting all those primary songs down.) I get to work with the Young Women now and I'm thrilled. I have no clue what I'm really doing yet but I'm having a blast doing it!

The only other thing I've been up to lately (besides work, of course) is day-dreaming. I've had to order a lot of stuff off the internet lately, some for festival, some personal, and I am always fascinated by the path that my packages take to get to me. Recently I've received packages that were shipped by such exotic places as:
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Pompano Beach, Florida (sounds fabulous, right?)
- Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Sparks, Nevada

All places I've never visited. Wait, I might've driven through Sparks. Maybe. I have a co-worker who has a daughter who lives in Sparks. She told me this joke:
Reno is so close to "h-e-double hockey sticks" you can see sparks.

Get it? Cuz Sparks is right outside of Reno.

Please forgive this post. I woke up at 4:45am this morning to go with the Young Women to the Temple to do baptisms. It was wonderful, and amazing, and I am utterly exhausted and ready for a nap!

Let’s be bad together!

That’s what a co-worker said to me after word spread around the office that someone was giving away cake. I’d previously decided that I’d be good and wouldn’t go get a piece but that line drew me over the top. So, here I sit, eating cake!

But, just so you know, I’m not enjoying it. I mean, what’s a good piece of cake without milk? So, really it’s like I’m practically gagging it down. That must count for something, right?

On a completely unrelated note, I can’t believe summer is winding down! It’s been one heck of a summer, though. I played my little heart out…as evidenced by the lack of blogging I’ve been doing. And while typically things start slowing down for me in the fall, that won’t be the case this time. Festival of Trees activities are starting to heat up. I’ve been shopping ‘til I’m dropping (not really!) over the last week try to gather up all the stuff I need to make crafts and decorations. Now my focus is to surround myself with craft-savvy people and not getting overwhelmed by my inadequacy at making super cute crafts and decorations. Applications are now being accepted! :)

So, I hope all is well with you! I’ll keep you posted on my upcoming adventures and try to fill you in on some of the adventures that took place over the summer!

TTFN!

Festival Craft Ideas!!

Hi!

For those of you that are regular readers, this is one blog post you may want to skip.

As you hopefully know, I have the opportunity of serving this year on the Festival of Trees executive board which benefits Primary Children's Medical Center. I have some WONDERFUL friends and family members who have decided to help me on this endeavor and make some awesome crafts to donate. So, this post is just some of the ideas I've seen that could help them out...

Glass tile pendants/magnets

http://lazydaisyglass.blogspot.com/2009/02/tutorial-glass-tile-pendant.html

T-shirt Pom Poms

http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/2011/01/t-shirt-pom-poms-tutorial.html

Ruffled Bags

http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/2011/02/big-announcement-introducing-ruffled.html

Leather Hair Accessories

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/08/faux-leather-ahem-vinyl-hair.html


Satin Flower Headbands

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/08/blog-post.html

Many of these items can be adjusted to more Christmas-y colors/themes which might help them sell better. You can also take the basic item and turn it into other things so start that crafty mind a-turning!!

And, if you have any other ideas that might help us out please feel free to post links below in the comments!

Thanks!!

Life is tough

Why does going back to work after a three-day weekend always feel like a punishment? Am I being punished for playing too much?

As I sat down at my desk and was putting my keys in my purse I found the to-do list I’d made last Thursday. And although I could tell it was my handwriting it honestly took me 3.5 seconds to realize why I would’ve put item number one on the list.

I mean, I plan to figuratively do that at some point pretty much every weekend, but I’d never need to put it on the list to make sure it was accomplished. And then it hit me: I literally wanted to put feet on my couch. Couch feet, that is.

My couch has been sitting directly on the floor since I got it and I decided I wanted to raise it up a bit, you know, make it taller. So, that’s what I meant.

You may also note that a trip to IKEA was on the list which means there’ll be some remodeling posts in the semi-near future.

Exciting stuff is happening, now I just need some more three-day weekends to get it all done.

Well, a girl can dream. And on Mondays, that’s all I’ve got to keep me going sometimes!

Warning Underwear

Yes, it's me! And yes, I know I'm a bad blogger. My sister reprimanded me this week for not posting anything for over 3 weeks. I pointed out to her that is has been over a year since she posted anything. Judge not, that ye be not judged, dear sister! Anyways, I want to talk about 2 things today: Undergarments and car insurance. First, undergarments. I found out recently (don't ask how) that I'm not the only one who has a set (or two) of "warning underwear." You know, that underwear you don't really like but you keep around for laundry days. In my case, I'm not good at paying attention to how long it's been since I did laundry so I know when I come to my first "warning underwear" I have 2 days (cuz I have two warning undergarments) to do laundry. It works out well for me and keeps me in clean underwear! Sorry, is this too much information? But do you do that? Or are you one of those people who just watches to see how empty your underwear drawer is, thus notifying you when it's time to do laundry? You think that procedure would work for me, seeing as how I'm a "noticer" (right, Katie?) but it really doesn't. My theory is that it takes me a good 1.5 hours from the time I roll out of bed until my brain actually turns on. So, when I go to grab clean undergarments in the morning I don't realize that I'm on my last ones. Ok, moving on. Second, some idiot almost ran me off the road this morning. But because of my quick actions I foiled his plan. And in instances like this I believe we should be allowed to call our insurance company and say how lucky they are that I am a terrific driver and was able to avoid an accident that other drivers (not you, of course) would probably not have been able to avoid. And we should get a discount for every time we avoid an accident. Now, I understand that would never happen as fraudulent non-accidents would increase out of control. But sometimes I feel like my insurance company should know what a good driver I am. Oh and one more thing... Third, I just survived another birthday. It was a hard number to take. And since a lady never reveals her age let's just say... I've been driving for half of my life. That's so weird! Well, that's all for now. I have a few trip videos (and photos) from the past couple of months that I'll post soon. And as spring fever sets in I'm looking forward to a spring/summer full of fun adventures! Hope you're having a wonderful day! Talk at ya later!

I like ‘em topless!

I AM IN LOVE!

For years I've secretly had a crush that I don't think I've ever shared with a single person (or a married person for that matter).

I've envied the merchandise from afar and given it the once over much more than once.

But last week I finally got to partake of the forbidden fruit, and, oh, was it sweet!

And now I've fallen...and I don't think there's any coming back.

And I just can’t take it anymore.  I have to let the world know!  I want to shout at the top of my lungs…

I LOVE THIS CAR!!!!

We met last Wednesday when I arrived at LAX.  It was love at first sight. I mean, I’d dreamed about meeting for years.  I’d made multiple checklists and all of my necessities were fulfilled…

Well, except one.  But one flaw ain’t bad, right?

I mean,… I prefer topless, but I would’ve been a little chilly. 

(See, I can be a realist when the moment calls for it!)

Alas, the relationship was short-lived.  But my life was forever changed and I will never forget our time together. 

And I hope we can be together forever… someday.

(OK, maybe not as much of a realist as necessary!)

High Expectations

<This post was written on Wednesday, February 9. It is being posted now that I have returned from the trip mentioned below.>

I left the house today with high expectations. Today, those high expectations had to do with my socks.

Yes, socks.

I'm wearing cute socks today. This isn't an uncommon occurrence, I often wear cute socks. But there was a special reason I wore cute socks today... cuz I knew other people might be able to see them. I'm flying to California today (for work, not play...bummer) and as I was getting dressed this morning I made sure that I put on my cute socks so that others could admire them when I had to take off my shoes to go through security at the airport. You see, people don't often have the opportunity to see my cute socks, leaving me the only one that can take joy in their cuteness.

But today as I got dressed I thought, "With this one simple act I could brighten someone's day! I could make them smile!"

I didn't realize at the time how much pressure I'd put on my socks considering they only had about 2 minutes to change the world.

But, I left the house with high expectations.

----------------------------------------------------------

The topic of expectations has been on my mind a lot lately and it all started with a grapefruit.

This one to be exact:

It had come hand-delivered to me straight from Arizona. It just doesn't get any fresher than that this time of year. And it was one of the biggest grapefruit I'd ever seen. It smelled wonderful.

I cut into it, so excited to taste my first grapefruit of the season and was extremely disheartened to see this:

Don't get me wrong, I still ate the thing, but at the time I felt like I'd been duped.

It was, though, one of the sweetest and best things I'd ever eaten.

And it was because of this experience that a realization came to me. Just because God doesn't bless you with the wonderful things you expect doesn't mean He isn't going to bless you with wonderful things.

Some of my dear friends have had really hard and trying experiences over the last few months, though, and I think about them all the time. We, as a people, expect that we won't ever lose our house to fire, or that every toddler will grow up to be a grandparent. We expect to be loved and we expect to give love in return.

But just because God doesn't bless us with the things we expect doesn't mean he doesn't bless you in ways you never could've expected.

So, I'm trying to remember that as challenges come and go. As opportunities come and go. As the good, the bad, and the ugly comes and goes.

And as cute socks come and go...

And remember, sometimes those with the thickest skin have the sweetest centers.

A.D.D. Interference

First, I must apologize. I've had multiple ideas for fabulous posts over the last few weeks but by the time I get in front of a computer I've forgotten what they are. Seriously, I've determined that my brain moves on to a new topic every 5-10 seconds. And most of the things floating around up there aren't very interesting.

So, I decided to make an A.D.D. post.

First up... this is how work has been lately:



Second, some hilarious YouTube stuff:

Subscription recommendation: Shaytards
The Shaytards post a video diary entry every day. Such a cute family, and they're LDS, too.

Video recommendation: Child Hoarder Intervention
Mr. Arturo Trejo (not his real name) posts videos of his family 1 to 2 times a week. He has a great sense of humor about life and the above link is one of my favorites of his. His posts are family-friendly!

Video recommendation 2: Red Eye Flashes Twice
Julian Smith posts hilarious skit videos approximately every 2 weeks. The topic of the above video is one I'm very familiar with. From what I've seen, most of his videos are also family friendly.

What YouTube personalities do you love to watch? Please let me know!

Third, I spent many hours at the South Town Expo Center over the weekend helping out at the Festival of Trees. (I know, you were probably annoyed by my status updates on facebook.) I'm hoping to make a short video about some of the time I spent there and will have it up sooner or later. (Yeah, I'm non-commital like that!)

My work donated 3 small trees and 4 wreaths. (At least I think that's the right number.) Here's the tree I helped decorate:


And the quote of the week:
"The trees were cool but make me feel so inadequate as a christmas decorator." - Said by my sister after she spent an evening at festival.

But you should see my sister's tree. If she feels like her tree is inadequate then the one at my house looks like a Charlie Brown tree.

Bad Day?

If your day's not going so well you've gotta check this video out. I'm amazed!!

What’s a-happenin’, hot stuff?!?

I caught a showing of “16 Candles” over the weekend. Such a classic. I love that movie!

So, the summer’s been busy. As you can see, I haven’t blogged much. And I haven’t been up to anything big in particular, just stuff.

Recently I got to photograph this cute family:

And this adorable doll, who I would totally steal, if I could. (And who may or may not share a first name with my future, firstborn daughter! Not that I actually have a list of good baby names, or anything. Cuz that would be lame.)

I’ve been bathing suit shopping (ugh!) for the upcoming lake powell trip (yay!). Bathing suit shopping is an emotional roller coaster and a necessary evil. Enough said!

I’ve also had a ton of fun making birthday cakes using this marshmallow fondant recipe:
http://notsoidlehands.blogspot.com/2009/10/spooky-cupcake-ghosties-plus-easy.html

My sister and I made a couple of cakes. One for my bro-in-law:

And one for my sister’s good friend:


I’d never, ever, used/made fondant before and it was SO easy. I’m glad I dared to try!

I’ve also fallen in love with this blog lately: http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/
That woman has more creativity in her little pinky than I have in my whole body.

And now, I think you should go watch 16 Candles. If you’re anything like me you’ve probably forgotten how funny it is!!

As for me, I bought 13 going on 30 for $5 today so I might watch that instead!

Randomness Vol. 1

• My best friend gave birth to a precious baby boy yesterday! I hope she lets me babysit.
• I get to have lunch with a wonderful friend who gets to spend the whole summer with her little baby girl. I’m so jealous!
• I’m apparently baby hungry. I wish my sister would hurry up and get pregnant. Waiting for the right time is over-rated.
• Rated R is over-rated. (Anyone watching The Bachelorette?) And I knew that from the beginning.
• If I were The Bachelorette, I’d choose Frank or that guy who’s mom died a year ago. (I always forget his name.) Roberto just doesn’t do it for me. And Ty… well, at this point who am I to be picky, right?
• My favorite line this week: “Backyards are over-rated!” Spoken by my sister after she spent 5 hours weeding her new yard. Why don’t people ever believe me when I try to tell them that home-ownership isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
• My house was dang hot already this morning as I was getting ready for work. It finally feels like summer.
• My legs are silky smooth right now. (Sorry if that is TMI.) I waxed last night after not shaving for a little over a week, which is SO itchy in this heat, but SO worth it in the end.
• I hope you aren’t thinking about my silky smooth legs right now. That would kinda creep me out!
• I like cantaloupe when it gets really, really ripe.
• I’ve caught the craft bug lately. I realized this weekend that I’m in the middle of 8 different projects. Apparently I have trouble focusing. (I’ll show you what I’ve been working on (and what I wish I had time to work on) in another post.)
• It’s come to my attention recently that I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting some (or at least one) of the people who read my blog. So, welcome, stranger(s)! I hope you keep coming back for more!
• I hope to take lots of fun pictures this weekend of all the patriotic festivities. Sometimes I get carried away with taking pictures.
• I just had a brilliant idea! I’m going to hold my very first contest. Here are the details:

1. Leave a comment below with your guess of how many pictures I’m going to take this weekend which I’m going to count as Friday morning through Monday night (that’s July 2 – 5).
2. No entries after 2400 Monday night (that’s military time for 12:00pm Monday night)
3. I promise not to read any comments on this post until Tuesday morning. (Pinky swear!)
4. Winner will be announced Tuesday morning.
5. Only one comment per person is allowed but 2 entries per person are allowed. Read on for more details:
6. There are 2 ways to enter: I will also give a prize to the person who has the most people visit my blog from a link on their blog. Does that make sense? So, tell everyone you know to go to your blog then click on a link you have there, either on your sidebar or in a post, that sends them to my blog. Does that make sense? If it doesn’t email me at myownkindofcrazy at hotmail or at my personal email if you know it. (Don’t leave a comment on this post because I won’t get it until Tuesday morning and it’ll be too late to win and then I’d feel guilty!)
7. Now I suppose you want to know what the “prize” is?! It’s a $15 gift card to my favorite restaurant Macaroni Grill!!! You can also use it at Chili’s and I think another restaurant or 2 if you’re not an Italian lover. (Personally, I wouldn’t mind finding an Italian lover!) So yes, 2 (dos) $15 gift cards will be given away!

And to help you in your guesswork I’ll now tell you what I currently have planned for this weekend:
Friday morning: Either a rail-trail bike ride with the family or a fishing trip up the canyons.
Friday afternoon: A couple craft projects with Sister.
Saturday: Parade, BBQ, game booths, fireworks
Sunday: Teaching primary
Monday: Totally undecided (possibly some home projects, maybe a BBQ)

Good luck!