Thursday, May 13, 2010

These are the ABC’s of Me, Baby

A few of the bloggers I follow did this fun little meme last week, and I thought it would be a great way to jump back into the Land of Blog. Here goes:

A. Are you a PC or a Mac? I’m a PC girl all the way. But I couldn’t live a day without my Ipod, so I guess Macs aren’t 100% evil. :o)

B. Best current show on TV: The Biggest Loser. I just discovered it this season and am completely in love. If I had to pick just one show to watch, this would definitely be it.

C. Chore you hate: Picking food out of the drain in the kitchen sink. We are sans dishwasher AND garbage disposal at our house, and I sorely miss both. I’ve gotten used to doing all the dishes by hand, but I really really hate having to dispose of the food remnants that don’t make it into the garbage before the dishes make their way to the sink.

D. Dogs or Cats? Both. Until last year, I was 100% cat person. But after we got Daisy and I started to realize just how much more dogs offer than cats, I moved over to the dark side. Both are pretty fabulous in their own way.

E. Essential "start the day" item: Breakfast. Is that too cliché? I can’t really start the day without it, although I usually don’t actually eat it until an hour and a half after I wake up.

F. Favorite color? Pink. It’s always been pink, and I have a sneaky suspicion that it always will be!

G. Gold or Silver: Silver. I just can’t do gold with my skin tone.

H. Height: 5’ ½”. I’m a shorty. And the funny thing is that I usually forget how short I am until I see myself in a mirror next to someone tall!

I. Instruments you play: I played the piano when I was younger but stopped after a disastrous piano recital. I don’t think I’ve touched a piano in about ten years.

J. Job: Two ~ I am an accountant at a bank, and a seamstress/garter designer.

K. Kids: None at the moment, but I’m hoping for at least two in the future.

L. Living Arrangements: Nate, Daisy and I live in a cute two~story house circa 1940 in a suburb of Seattle. We’re pretty lucky with work commutes less than five minutes each.

M. Mom's Name: Laurie

N. Nickname: My mom calls me “H” sometimes, which I am not overly fond of, but that’s about it… There aren’t many things you can do with “Heather.”

O. Overnight Hospital Stay: I think I stayed overnight one night when I was born…

P. Pet Peeve: Socks with sandals is the first one that comes to mind. It’s a pretty big fashion trend her in the Pacific Northwest.

Q. Quote from a movie: “If you want to live, never leave my side.” ~ The Saint {back when Val Kilmer was still hot and adorable}

R. Righty or Lefty? Righty

S. Siblings? Nope, I’m an only.

T. TV Shows: Oh wow, the list could go on and on here. Nate and I are big~time TV junkies. The Biggest Loser, Castle, House, Survivor, Weeds, Big Love, Dexter, True Blood, Celebrity Rehab, Brothers & Sisters, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, CSI, Parenthood, The Good Wife. The list goes on and on…

U. Underwear: I worked at Victoria’s Secret for six months after graduating from college, and thus have a panty collection that can rival no other. If you can believe it, I actually have a panty DRESSER because I have too many to fit in just one drawer. I wear all different kinds, depending on the time of day {generally I wear thongs during the day, and some sort of full~bottom panty in the evening and at night}, although you’d be hard~pressed to find a pair of “granny” panties anywhere in my collection. :o)

V. Veggie you dislike: I dislike most veggies except for leafy greens, corn, and carrots {raw only} :o)

W. Ways/reasons you are late: I’m late because I always seem to underestimate how long it will take me to get ready. In fact, I’m ten minutes late for work almost every day, but when I’m laying in bed, hitting snooze, it never crosses my mind that if I get up when my alarm goes off, I’ll actually be EARLY!

X. Expiration dates – do you keep or toss? Depends on what it is. If I keep it, it usually goes uneaten anyway, so I’ve been trying to be better about tossing.

Y. Yummy food you make: We have two new favorite dinners that I make ~ pita pizzas {just like they sound ~ pizza made on whole wheat pitas, cooked for six minutes at 475} and shrimp scampi {I serve it over whole wheat pasta and It. Is. Fabulous.}. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
~ 8 large frozen shrimp {the peeled & deveined kind}
~ ½ cup chopped baby spinach leaves
~ 1 teaspoon olive oil
~ 1 clove garlic, crushed
~ ½ teaspoon dried basil
~ hot sauce, to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a microwavable bowl, tossing well to coat the shrimp. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove and toss again. Microwave for another 1 minute and 15 seconds.

Nutritional Values ~ Calories: 103, Fat: 6 g, Carbs: 1, Protein: 12

Z. Zoo animals you like: pandas {although our zoo doesn’t have them}, snow leopards, giraffes

I would love to hear the ABC’s of you ~ if you do this little meme also, be sure to comment here so I can come read yours!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Struggling to Find Balance

It’s been over a year and a half since I started my garter business, and as business has improved and sales have gone up, I have found it harder and harder to keep some semblance of a normal life. The demands of my business, combined with choir practice, Daisy’s obedience training, and dance class, means there’s little free time to be had. It’s hard to believe, but I spent TWENTY-SIX hours working this past weekend. I feel like I struggle on a daily basis to balance it all, and many things, including blogging, working out, and just relaxing, have fallen through the cracks.

I’m hoping to make a change in the coming weeks, starting with blogging more regularly {and commenting on my favorite bloggers’ posts}. I’ve also closed my Etsy shop up for the next two weeks to get caught up on orders, work on some new designs, and just plain relax before the madness that is the summer wedding season starts in June. Nate and I have set one night a week to have a date night, and I’ve committed to taking Daisy on daily walks {weather~permitting} after work. It’s going to take some effort and re~prioritizing on my part, but I’m confident that I will find balance. So keep an eye out for more frequent blog posts, as well as pictures of new garters, coming soon!