Lena the Critic lol

So every time Jars of Clay comes out with a new album, I push it away at first because I love their original stuff so much... The Self Titled Album is and will always be my favorite... And this is a band that basically seems to reinvent itself every time they write... I told the boys that I really don't get it this time (they laughed and said I wouldn't)... But I don't think I really tried because I am so stuck on the band they were in 1995, fresh out of college... When I started to realize that each album has been a continuation of their growth as people and artists, I began to appreciate each one differently... I read this interview with them today after listening to the album last night with new ears it seemed... I get it now, and I love how candid they are about their feelings on this album, and it is exactly what I need right now... If you haven't listened to Long Fall Back to Earth, you should give it a try... It is very human...

I Think I Get It Now...

Closer by Jars of Clay

Well you thought you let go, but you’re still hanging on
Mother earth’s slowing down, she’s still spinning around
And we-eee, are gettin dizzy

I’ll drop out of the race for more personal space
Cuz the rocket’s we're in, get’s so cold and I miss your skin
that’s just how I’m feelin.

If you need more love, well you’ve got to get close to me
If you want my love, well you’ve got to get closer to me

No unreachable itch, if you hemorrhage I’ll stitch
You are tears, I’m a cheek, I’m a pail on your boat with slow leaks
out to sea for weeks

If you want my love, well you’ve got to get close to me
If you need my love, well you’ve got to get closer to me
Oh, if you want my love

I don’t understand why we can’t get close enough
I want your kite strings tangled in my trees all wrapped up
I don’t understand why we can’t get close enough
I’ll be the comets that are fallin’ from the sky you light up…light up

You’re my shirt iron-on
I’m the tick, you’re the bomb
You’re the L and the V, I’m the O and the E
Am I speaking clearly?

If you want my love, well you’ve got to get close to me
Ooh, if you want my love…

I don’t understand why we can’t get close enough
I want your kite strings tangled in my trees all wrapped up
I don’t understand why we can’t get close enough
I’ll be the comets that are fallin from the sky you light up

Because I don’t understand why we can’t get close enough
I miss the shivers in my spine every time that we touch.

Roller Coaster Ride

Hey guys, I am back, hopefully on a more regular basis... I decided to quit WoW for a bit because I was playing a lot... And I am quite sad because I met a lot of amazing people who have become really dear to me... But, I have to get this apartment ready for this little one and I think it might take at least the 5 months that I have left lol... So if ya'll want to, bear with me while I work on this cuz it means a whole lotta time with Toby's mum, and that is not always good for my mental health lol... Also, I am dumping all the other parts of my blog back into this one because 1 blog is enough to handle right now methinks... I am importing all my entries from the other 4 blogs I had here, but not deleting them just incase I decide to get crazy and bring em all back... So there will be a lot of randomness in here again, but that is what I'm all about :D... Love you guys! Thanks for stickin with me on this Roller Coaster Ride I call life!

Okay this is the linked list...

I got too ADD to complete this lol but I did get quite a few things accomplished so I thought I'd make the sidebar a post and transfer these posts to my main blog before I delete this part of my blog.

1. Get a deep freezer
2. Clean off back porch 1 box at a time
3. Install cat door, screen in porch, relocate cat box to porch
4. Follow FLYlady missions
5. Finish FLYlady Control Journal and follow it
   
6. Buy at least 3 clothing items in seasonal clearance sale and save for next season
7. Put extra shelves in spare room for pantry storage
8. Get Toby a compact writing desk (one that folds up?)
9. Buy clearance Christmas decorations for next yearn
10. Do a 27 fling boogie once a week
11. Stick to my budget on every shopping trip
12. Move any money to be saved into savings account so it doesn't get spent
13. Get 8 hours of sleep a night (get to bed by 1 am at the latest)
14. Update agenda every night before bed
15. Follow agenda every day and update on blog
16. Get pregnant or look into adoption
17. Move into a house
18. Mistreat my windows
19. Nest wherever I am
20. Find a new job that works with my personality and schedule (flexible)
21. Work on using my timer and sticking to it
22. Find other ways to earn money than a conventional job
23. Work on being content
24. Keep inventory of food in freezer and on shelves
25. Continue doing GG and clip and file Q's every Sunday
26. Only buy what we are going to use
27. Keep track of what we do use so next cycle can be adjusted accordingly
28. Never buy full price if you can help it!

29. Try 1 new recipe a month
30. Get artisan breads in 5 mins a day book
31. Try all of the different recipes in it
32. Bake and decorate one batch of cupcakes every month in a different way each time
33. Try OMAC for a full month
34. Try one new slow cooker recipe a week
35. Create a cooking blog, list actual recipes, not just "a little of this, a little of that"
    
36. Get my camera fixed
37. Take at least 5 photos a week
38. Scrapbook photos digitally
39. Make my wedding album
40. Make an album for each year Toby and I have been together
    
41. Start my Etsy shop
42. Create a workspace for my crafts
43. Make one new item a week to sell on Etsy
44. Make 4 cards a week
45. Take making own findings class @ U Bead It
46. Make something new with hand made findings every day after taking class
47. Be able to digitally scrap a layout and make it a blogger layout
48. Remind Toby about NaNoBloPo and try my hand at it too
49. Set up a portfolio

50. Tell my husband I love him in a new way every day
51. Go OUT on a date once a week
52. Blog once a day
53. Comment on 2 NEW blogs a day
54. Twitter at least 1 time a day with FLYlady updates
55. Send one card a week
56. Call each family member once a week to see how they are doing
    
57. Set up Skype
58. Call Monica and Simon via Skype once a week
59. Start saving money to go to Europe for Simon and Monicas wedding
60. Set up a "findings" package exchange with family members (different person each month)
61. Get to know my brother's significant others
62. Go to Disneyland with my whole family
63. Make a phenomenal blog site that links up all my blogs
64. Buy a domain name
65. Make a new award every month and give them to my fav bloggers
66. Give out a green fairy award every week
67. Keep 101 in 1001 blog updated
68. Make every moment count, no wasted days!

69. Workout at least 2 times a week for at least 1 hour
70. Swim at least 1 time per week
71. Lose 30 pounds: Track exercise and weight loss in Spark People
    
72. Learn to track ovulation
73. Get back on ADD meds
74. Find a therapist who specializes in ADD and is covered by my insurance
75. Find a new doctor
76. Get allergy panel
77. Get a physical
78. Get ADD under control to return to work by Feb
79. Pick up diagnosis from Dr. R
80. Once on meds, journal about changes
81. Once meds start stop drinking caffeine
82. Take meds daily along with other meds and vitamin
83. Work on following a healthy eating plan daily
84. Keep a food diary using Spark People
85. Drink 8 glasses of water a day

86. Pray everyday
87. Keep up with Rob's Bible Study
    
88. Start HomeBuilders group
89. Read one spiritual book a month
90. Dig into the Bible everyday (at least 2 passages)
91. Complete FamilyLife app and turn in by Jan 1
92. Pray with Toby about FamilyLife daily

93. Read at least 1 article in the newspaper every week
94. Get Photoshop and learn to use it
95. Try playing raquetball
96. Read one novel per month that I have never read before
97. Read one news or informative article every day
98. Learn enough HTML to make my blog fantastic
99. Find out what I need for AA
100. Find out what I need to transfer
101. Go back to school and take 1 class at a time

Not Much For Company

Sorry if I have seemed a bit distant lately... Fact of the matter is, I haven't felt much like seeing people lately... I went to Monterey Bay with Toby and his Mom this weekend, there are pics in my Twitter if you want to see... But I am still alive and baby is (starting to be) kickin'! Thanks for understanding.

Pregnancy, Parties, and Etsy...

Well, I'm back from LA and I had a good time. Mom's 50th B-Day Hawaiian Luau was a hit and I learned a lot about organization! Spent half the day at Disneyland trying not to puke by hanging out in the air conditioned Innoventions building (found a really comfy leather chair and snoozed for a bit)... I also learned way more than I thought I would about toddlers! I guess it was good practice, but they were not easy when I am as tired as I am... Tomorrow marks the first day of my second trimester... It seems to be going by really fast... I still can't eat a whole lot without running to the bathroom and it makes me think that I am going to have a girl... "The Book" says that a lot of women pregnant with a baby boy eat like a teenage boy... Definately not having that problem... I can barely keep down two or three snack size meals a day, if I try to eat more or eat fast, I gt sick real quick... I have no energy and I have no regulation of my body temp... I am either freezing or burning up all the time... I guess I didn't think those things through too well before I started trying :)... But I know that it will all be worth it in the end...

On a random note: I think I decided that I would like to start the leg work of building a party planning business while I am pregnant (since I don't think there is much else I can do right now)... I'm talking the networking part (because we know people don't exactly have the cash right now to hire someone to throw a party for them)... I also might start throwing some party packages together to sell on Etsy; like coordinating invites, thank you cards, favors, and decorations... I did just buy a truckload of Stampin' Up stuff and I don't know how much money I will make JUST selling the products... I should use it to sell some handmade items too... What do you all think? How is the Mom-prenuar industry right now? Are ya'll making any money on your Etsy sites?

I did find one person that I am going to try to network with today... I think her name is Mandy and she makes some FANTASTIC cakes... Check out this Twilight cake... I think I'm in love ::swoon::

I'm Off Again!

I am heading to LA again for the second time this month! It seems like I just got home! I got the opportunity to ride down with my friend Ashley and her sister Dani for our friend's engagement party this Saturday and I am going to stay the week to help my brother with the kids so he can go to some GED study sessions (pray for him guys, he really needs to get this off his shoulders), and then my dear Mama is turning the big Five-Oh this month as well (sorry Mom, had to sell you down the river here) and we are having a Hawaiian themed picnic to celebrate on Sunday, May 3rd. Since it is a little difficult to orchestrate all the details of a party from 800 miles away, I am lucky to be able to go a week early. My hubby is going to come down for a Dodger game (hopefully he can get that Saturday off), the party, and to collect me and bring me back home... My mom wants ALL her kids there, and I didn't book a flight home, so at this point, the boy's got no choice but to come get me :) - sneaky sneaky, I know... So if you don't hear from me, it's because my poor lappy is still humpty dumpty status because Toby can't figure out what he did wrong and my parents computer is slower than molasses... I'd be better off blogging from my iPod touch... Have a good week people!

Yup... I Got Sucked Back In...

Some of you are going to laugh at me here... I can't help but love this game... I am a hardcore nerd, and all these hours laying in bed trying to get over this flu bug have been driving me batty!

I have officially caught up on Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, American Idol, 90210, Gossip Girl, and Heroes... I even stooped down to the ABC family level and have been watching The Confessions of an American Teenage because I guess I just love sub par acting and seeing Molly Ringwold as a mom to two teenage daughters...

I should import the posts from my pre-married blog... That has some hilarious (or pathetic, however you want to look at it) WoW blog fodder in it... I think I will... Links will be edited into this post shortly (if anyone cares) beware, some of them are pretty angsty lol...

• "I'd Rather Level My Shaman"
• Balance?
• Meh
• Wedding Planning Sucks
  
• A Change of Heart

Needless to say, I am glad that chapter of my life is over and this new one is beginning... It still requires planning, but #1 - I've matured a bit, and #2 - I have been thinking about and planning for this baby for over a year now... Let's see if the maturity sticks when WoW is involved again lol...

I still can't get Toby back on the WoW train, he enjoys having a life... But it was close, he even went out and bought the expansion and then returned it yesterday... It won't be long, he's jonesing bad...

#16 Get Pregnant!

Yup!

Update

I have been a bit of a slacker in the blog department lately... I just realized that I have only blogged 11 times in the last 2 months (almost, at least since my 100th post). Granted, these last two months have been filled with some exciting things (Bella's arrival, Meeting New Friends A MidTown Friends -Update on that tomorrow, hopefully with pics from tonight's Suite 16 party, My first giveaway, SITS Spring Fling, The Woman's Retreat, Starting My Own Business, A Visit with my Family in LA, and the Most Exciting News of All - Finding out We are Having a Baby!!!) I have had this whirlwind of thoughts and emotions (and hormones, lol) that I have not been able to get down on paper (or blog for that matter - my lappy is still in shambles) but I am going to try to be better about it from now on... I promise! Be expecting some fun photos tomorrow!

Thanks For Being Patient With Me!

My poor laptop (or Lappy as I fondly call it) had open heart surgery last night and like Humpty Dumpty still hasn't been put back together again completely (I tell you, it was like watching my baby being opereated on!) But hopefully it will be up and running later today when Hubby decieds to tackle it again...

So I know you lovely people have been waiting on the edge of your seats for me to announce my big news... Some of you may have guessed already that...

We're expecting!

We have been waiting a bit for this and we are really excited! We wanted to wait until after our first appointment with the OB just to be sure, which is a bonus because it means I have a pic for you!


Please bear with me as my focus in this blog transitions to motherhood (because it's like an extension of my mind, ya know?)

Love you all!

Woman's Retreat Fun!

I am still waiting to tell my news, but in the mean time, here are some fun pics from the Woman's Retreat I went on with my church last weekend!

Biggest Mallard I've Ever Seen!


Getting Left in the Dust by Woman Twice My Age!


Cheryl Getting Ready to Do Some Sketching


This Llama Wanted A Big Fat Kiss From Teresa (my MIL) - And He Got One Too!


These Llamas Were Surprisingly Well Mannered, They Didn't Spit and They Let Us Pet Them After "Exchanging Breath" With Us, They Had Butt Breath Though, So I Didn't Let Too Many Sniff Me...

Other Cards I've Made this Month

St. Patrick's Day Card made with SU Always Set, Whisper White and Kiwi Kiss CS, as well as Kiwi Kiss Ink... Writing is just a green Sharpie (this was made before I got my Markers)...


This one was made at an Upline's Demonstrator meeting. We used the Embrace Life and SAB Congratulations Stamp Sets. Paper was SAB Delightful Dots DSP as well as So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White CS. Ink was either Close to Cocoa (I think) and the flowers were colored with So Saffron Marker then cut out and secured with dimentional pieces.

Women's Retreat Weekend Stamping!

I was in charge of crafts this weekend on our church's Woman's Retreat in Toualome, CA (near Sonora)... Our theme for the weekend was Stories About Women, so we made bookmarks and a few ladies made cards... We used SU Always, Garden Greetings, A Flower for All Seasons, SAB Botanical Blooms, and two Retired sets that have Bible verses on them... Used In Colors, Whisper White, and Chocolate Chip Ink and paper, as well as scraps from the Bella Rose and Good Morning Sunshine DSP sets... I think I picked up two new customers, which is funny because they were the two ladies who, at breakfast, were saying that they are not creative or crafty enough to make cards... They were at the crafting table all day with me! I told them I would invite them next time I have a demo... (I will Edit in some pics when I get my MIL's memory card from her)...

In other news, My 30% off order just came in yesterday and it is HUGE! I got ALL the Ink Pads, and the Caddy for them, 8 1/2 x 11" Paper Packs from each color family (3 of each color), Many Marvelous Markers, the Big Shot Starter Kit, Heat Gun, Lots of Supplies (Dimentionals, Clear Embossing Powder, Paper Snips, Sponge Daubers, etc.), and about 3 of each SAB stamp set, paper packs, and ribbon lol... My MIL purchased a Simply Sent Kit (Sending Happy Thoughts) as well as the Sincere Salutations and decided that she is not very good at Stamping - judging soley by the bookmark she tried to rush through making this weekend and the stamp pad she messed up a little (totally fixable) at the workshop I had last week... So she gave me the stuff she bought... I am going to make her a bunch of cards and then use some of the Simply Sent cards for demo (so they can see what they can make with that set)...



Tomorrow night the gals that bought stamp sets at my first workshop are coming over for a $5 stamp night... They can use my paper and ink with their new stamp sets as well as the sets I have :) It will be fun because they are my BFF's :) Grace and I will mostly be working on her baby announcements that she ordered paper and ribbon for... I will post pics Thursday of what we come up with :)

First Workshop

Had my first Stampin' Up Workshop at my Mother-In-Law's House and it was fun! We made these three projects using the Yummy Sale-A-Bration Set, the Good Friend set, and the Three Little Words set... The Pink one is a card and the blue one is a 6x6 scrap layout... Sorry for the bad pic :-P

w00t!

I have some super exciting news that I can't officially blog about yet, but I can't stop myself from saying how completely psyched I am... And it hasn't even sunk in yet! I will update when I can about it! Yay!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day Glitter Graphics

The Winner of my 100th post giveaway is...





Tonight I will be celebrating Saint Patrick and his good deeds (sans the green beer, thankfully) with my new friend Becky (it's her favorite holiday too) and a few other new buddies from MidTown Friends

In my crockpot right now:
Guinness Beef Roast with Veggies (for the party, because I am not a big fan of Corned Beef)
and
Corned Beef and Cabbage (for Toby and Jer because they are not coming to the party)

Prayers for Xica

My friend Xica raised enough support and left for Japan at 12 noon today! She is heading off to do her internship to graduate from Liberty University on the mission field in Japan, working with the Japanese deaf! Praying for safe travel, that God does some awesome work in and through her, and that her hair products don't explode in her luggage during the 11 hour flight! Have fun Xica and keep us updated when you can!

Made @ Carol's Stamping Up Party Last Month!

I promised some photos! I made these at the last Stampin' Up party I went to! I will be hosting (and demonstrating) my very first SU party a week from today! I am so excited! I can't wait!

And The Winner Is...

April of Straight From the Heart



And let me tell you, figuring out how to show all that on my blog was a big pain in the patoot... But at least I know for when I post the winner of my green fairy necklace and earrings giveaway (which you can still enter) on March 17th!

By the way... Thanks to Lisa at Chaos Chronicles and Carnina at Carina's Nirvana I won my first ever online giveaways! (I pinched myself, really) Thanks for the great prizes gals!

This is my prediction for the American Idol Winner


And this is where I first saw him!