New Garters!

Just wanted to share a few of my new creations!

Since I've Been Gone...

I've been in a bit of a blogging funk lately. I've composed multiple posts in my head but could never find the energy to write them down. I've read many of my favorite bloggers' posts but just couldn't seem to find it in me to leave any worthwhile comments. And I've missed it. I've missed having an outlet to share my thoughts and feelings, and I've missed the interaction with my fellow bloggers. I think I'm finally ready to get back into the swing of things, and wanted to do a little recap of the things that I've been up to in the last month or so...

~ I got my first haircut in 6+ months and decided it was a fabulous idea to get bangs. It wasn’t. ~ I started growing out my bangs.

~ Daisy got her girlie parts removed and we had to deal with two weeks of sleeping with a cone~headed puppy.
~ I was a beer wench victim to Nate's vampire for Halloween. {Somehow we forgot to take pictures, but this is the costume I wore. :o)}

~ I took Mrs. Soup up on her book recommendation and FELL IN LOVE with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander.
~ I admired the photos from Nate’s first maternity shoot.
~ I finally figured out how to make ribbon roses and started adding them to my garters.


~ I gained two pounds. :o(
~ I rejoiced with the rest of the blogging community when Stellan’s second ablation was successful.
~ I celebrated Veteran’s Day with my favorite vet. {Not sure if I’ve shared, but Nate spent a year in Iraq as Intelligence for the army. His older brother was there at the same time as a Scout. I don't know how his mom got through that time without going mad with worry.}
~ Nate and I woke up to puppy poop in bed no less than four times. After the fourth incident in seven nights, we decided to take her into the vet, who determined that she had some sort of gastrointestinal problem. After two days of antibiotics, she seems to be feeling better and we have had two poop~free nights. Hooray!
~ I discovered a fabulous new workout program. {I will share more about it later in the week.}

~ I began a quest to find new white polka dot organza ribbon. My favorite vendor stopped carrying it, and as it is a ribbon I use for many of my best~selling garters, it is a MUST HAVE for me. Fingers crossed that I can find a decent replacement!

~ But most of all, I missed all of you!

Dear Someone: To My Fifteen Year Old Self

This week for Dear Someone, ShortMama has written a letter to her ten year old self and invited us to do the same. I started writing that letter, but then decided that while there are things I really wish I had known, I would probably want to protect my ten year old self from those things, so I decided to write to my fifteen year old self instead. She would be a little better equipped to handle all the important stuff than my ten year old self would be.

Dear Fifteen Year Old Self,

It’s hard to believe that almost fifteen years have past since I was in your shoes. If I could, I would tell you everything I’ve learned in those fifteen years in the hopes of preventing my mistakes and protecting you from getting hurt, but knowing you, you wouldn’t listen to me anyway. {We sure can be stubborn, can’t we?} But I will tell you a little bit, and maybe you’ll surprise us both and for once, actually listen to someone who has more life experience than you do. It really is okay to learn from others’ mistakes and to take others’ advice.

You are beautiful, inside and out. Don’t ever forget that. I know you wish you were a little bit taller and that your thighs were smaller, but you are perfect just as you are. When you look back on pictures from your high school days, you’ll be surprised at how thin you were ~ don’t spend so much time worrying about your weight. A little word from the wise ~ step aerobics twice a day will make your thighs bigger, not smaller. {You will soon learn that you put on muscle FAST without even trying, especially in your legs.} Oh, and laxatives are evil. Don’t ever, ever use them as a weight loss tool. They’re highly addictive, and if you take them too much, you can’t even poo without them!

I know that right now, you really want to be a cheerleader for football rather than for wrestling, but know that you will have AMAZING memories from three seasons spent with the wrestling team and your fellow cheerleaders. You don’t even like football {and wrestling is actually pretty cool}. Plus wrestlers make way better high school boyfriends than football players do.

Stay away from that dark, handsome cowboy you’ll meet right before you turn 23. Yes, he’ll look amazing in his cowboy hat and Wranglers, and you may think you have great chemistry, but he’ll break your heart as many times as you let me. {And believe me, that will be A LOT.} He is not the One. You may think he is the One, you may want him to be the One, but be thankful that he isn’t. You will be a million times happier and life will be much more enjoyable without him in it. And if you do find yourself in a relationship with him, for goodness sake, don’t be silly enough to buy a house with him! Nothing good will come of that!

Enjoy life. Enjoy high school and college. Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up, and don’t spend so many hours in front of the mirror wishing your legs were a little bit thinner or that your skin wasn’t so pale. Treasure your relationships with your girlfriends, and don’t spend so much time worrying about boys. I don’t want to tell you too much about how life will turn out ~ not knowing is half the fun ~ but I will leave you with this little tidbit: you already know the boy who will turn out to be the love of your life. And he’s not that scrawny little Mexican who wrestles at 115.

Good luck, and remember to enjoy each day, each week, each year. Time flies by so fast, and before you know it, you’ll be me!

Job Update

I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers last week regarding Nate's job interview, and thought I'd offer up a little update. The interview went well, and Nate was asked to come back for a second interview today. He thought about the position, and we discussed the impact it would have on us and our relationship, and he decided not to pursue it and ended up canceling his interview. It turns out that the available position is part-time to start, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm five nights a week. After months as a part-time instructor, he could get bumped to full-time, which would be noon to 10:00 pm four or five nights a week. As I work 7 to 4, those hours would mean we would see each other just in passing during the week, and that's not enough for us. And it would mean we'd probably have to give up Argentine Tango (our classes are during the week), which is something neither of us want to do. Plus, the studio was really looking for someone who has a desire to be a dance instructor for a career, and while Nate enjoys dancing and teaching, he doesn't see himself doing both for years and years.

And so the search continues. We both remain thankful that Nate is eligible to collect unemployment, and that he will be able to apply for an extension if it runs out before he is able to find something more suitable. I will be sure to keep you all posted on how the search is going. :o)

Dear Someone ~ To Our Economy

It's Thursday, and time for Dear Someone with ShortMama. Stop on by her blog to read more letters and to join in the fun.

Dear Crappy Economy,

Enough is enough. You have made us all suffer for far too long, and I think it’s high time you start to make some improvements. We are all sick and tired of living in a state of fear about what the future may hold ~ sick and tired of worrying that we may lose our jobs if we are fortunate enough to still have the, sick and tired of worrying that we will never find another job if we are among those who have been laid off during these difficult times.

You are causing a strain in my relationship with Nate and are making it nearly impossible for us to move forward with our relationship and achieve our goals for the future. Because of you, he has been out of work since April. Because of you, my once~happy~go~lucky boyfriend has become somewhat withdrawn and depressed. Because of you, we can’t even think about planning a weekend away or mini~vacation. And we desperately need to get away, even for just a night or two. Because of you, my left hand remains ringless and I fear that we will never have the money to start the wedding venue that is a big part of our future dreams. In case you didn’t know, I will be turning THIRTY next year, and it is just about time for me to get married and start having babies. YOU are making it very difficult for this to happen.

That being said, I expect to see some positive changes soon. Or else.

A concerned {and suffering} citizen

I Think I May Be the Last Person in BlogLand to Jump on the “Target is Fabulous” Train…

But I am on board now.

I have gotten some absolutely adorable sweaters and dresses at Target over the past month, and cannot believe that it took me so long to find this fabulous source for cute new clothes! I found no less than three fun summery dresses on the clearance racks for around $10 each, and have bought more sweaters than I care to admit ~ how can you not when they’re only $14?!? {I am a huge sweater junkie ~ I just always feel so snuggly and warm when I’m bundled up in a sweater. Pulling out my sweaters each fall is by far my favorite ritual of the season.} And I love that I am buying Mossimo brand clothing again ~ Mossimo was one of the “cool” brands to wear when I was in junior high and high school, and I think it’s hilarious that the line is now available at Target. {And at much cheaper prices, I might add ~ I had a pair of Mossimo jeans back in the day that I’m sure were no less than $50 or $60.}

I haven’t tried on any jeans or pants yet, but I’m about due for some new work pants and can always use new jeans, so spending some time in the dressing room trying on some different styles is definitely on the agenda for our next trip to Target. I can say that I probably won’t be buying shoes there though ~ my short, fat feet are difficult to fit, and I haven’t had much luck in the past at Target.

I’ve also found great deals on food, hair products, and workout videos there. And who doesn’t love the fun $1 bins that are right there when you walk into the store?!? The only thing the store is missing is a craft section ~ if they add that at some point, they will definitely become the most perfect store ever in my eyes!

What about you? Are you a Target shopper?

Prayer Request

I haven't said much about this, but Nate lost his job in April right before we moved and he hasn't had a lot of luck finding something new. He's going in today to apply/interview at Arthur Murray for a position as a dance instructor. I know that he would be amazing at this job, and we really need for him to find something soon, so this could be perfect. If you get a chance, please say a little prayer for him at noon that the application and interview goes well.

Thank you, and happy Tuesday!

UPDATE: It turned out that today was just an application day ~ Nate got that all taken care of and is scheduled for an interview on Thursday at noon. Fingers crossed that it goes well!