My First Award!

Rhonda at Down Memory Lane , who I have gotten to know through Kasey’s Friend Makin’ Mondays has passed along the Honest Scrap Award to me! I’m so excited and honored ~ this is my first award! The requirements are that I share ten things about myself and then pass on the award to other bloggers I would like to get to know better.

So here are my ten things!

1. I love love love having everything (particularly my garter supplies) organized. I am not, however, fabulous at keeping things organized. I can get lazy about putting things back where they belong after I use them (especially if it’s late and I’m tired), and I am horrible about organizing supplies after I’ve purchased them ~ I bet I have no less than four bags full of supplies from JoAnn’s sitting in my craft room at the moment, just waiting to be put away. I’m my own little oxymoron ~ someone who loves to have things organized but is awful at keeping them that way!

2. I am a certified carb junkie. I love pasta, bread, crackers, and pretty much any other carb that is totally unhealthy and guaranteed to go straight to my tush.

3. My biggest pet peeve is dirty dishes left in the sink. In my experience, the person who leaves the dishes in the sink usually has no intention of putting them in the dishwasher, and I hate having to clean up someone else’s stanky dishes!


4. I sometimes regret my decision to get my MBA. I have a lot of student loan debt and don’t know that I learned a lot during graduate school… I chose to go to the University of Phoenix Online, which was the best choice at the time because the program was designed for students who were working full~time, but it was so intensive and most of the stuff I learned fell out of my head as soon as the class was over. Plus I’m not sure that Accounting is really the right field for me, but it’s hard to venture out into another field after spending so much time and money getting my degree for this one.

5. I am secretly a drama queen. I thrive on drama. I think that explains why I stayed in a bad relationship for so long ~ the drama kept things interesting and exciting. (But I am happy to report that I love being in a stable, relatively drama~free relationship ~ it was worth giving up the drama to get rid of all the stress and heartache that accompanies relationship drama.)

6. My favorite meal is grilled chicken and rice covered with a white sauce from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. We add corn to the sauce and it is to die for. Without a doubt, the best comfort food of all time! Here is the recipe for the white sauce if anyone wants it ~ it would taste amazing on just about anything!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of margarine
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup skim milk

Heat margarine in 1 1/2 qt. nonstick saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until margarine is absorbed; remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Makes about 1 cup.

Be careful not to turn your back on the sauce ~ it will burn so quickly and is a nightmare to get off the bottom of your pans! (I speak from experience!)

7. More than anything, I want Nate and I to start going to church together. But he grew up Catholic and I was raised Baptist, and I’m scared we won’t ever be able to find a church we will both like and will be able to call our church home.

8. I love all things pink. Pink has been my favorite color since I was little ~ my bedroom walls were even painted pink. When we get married, my wedding colors will of course be pink and green (I love the two together!) despite the fact that my best friend has red hair ~ she has kindly offered to wear my favorite color even though there are many others that would complement her hair much better. (She truly is the best friend ever!)

9. I am a big fan of both the Harry Potter and the Twilight series. I listen to audiobooks on my Ipod at work, and am almost always listening to a Harry Potter or Twilight book. I have probably listened to all of the Harry Potter books 20-25 times ~ I just can’t get enough of them!




10. I was a wrestling cheerleader in high school. It was so much fun, and I have so many great memories from the three wrestling seasons I cheered for.

I would like to pass this award along to the following people who I would like to get to know better:

Megan @ Little Bella Bean

Amanda @ Ups-A-Daisy

Kristina P. @ Pupsipher Predilections

Amanda @ Imperfectly Beautiful

~Heather

House~Hunting is the Pits!

We started our search for a new house to rent at the beginning of the month as our current lease is up at the end of April. The search hasn’t been nearly as easy as I anticipated ~ we have a lot of requirements for a house: 3 bedrooms so I can have a room to set up as a sewing room for my business and Nate can have a room to use as his photography studio, space for our exercise equipment, a garage to store Nate’s disc jockey equipment and ATV, a fenced yard for the puppy we hope to get in June, and of course, a landlord who is okay with a puppy living in his house. Bonus points if the house is close to our jobs (I’ve gotten really spoiled living just ten minutes away from work and would love to continue to live this close if possible) and affordable enough that it will allow us to save money to buy a house in the future.

I really need us to know where we’re going to be living by the end of March, not only for my sanity (I’m starting to freak out that we don’t know where we’re going to end up), but also because the first few weeks of April are going to be C~R~A~Z~Y. I know I won’t have any time to house hunt with the overtime hours I’m going to be working on top of trying to find time to pack. We’re hoping to start moving by mid~April, which will give us a week or so to move and another week to get the house we’re in now all cleaned up. Time is running out!

So far, we’ve viewed three houses ~ the first was perfect other the fact that it didn’t have a garage and that it had one of those horrible old narrow staircases that I’m always afraid I’m going to fall down ~ it had lots of space, beautiful hardwood floors throughout, a new fireplace, and a big backyard. The second house was an adorable old Craftsman home in a great neighborhood, but the bedrooms and closets were tiny and the price was ridiculously high. The third house was, I kid you not, less than 800 square feet. It was so small that we would have felt claustrophobic being home just the two of us ~ forget about having family over for a visit or storing even half of my craft supplies!

We are viewing two houses today ~ we’ve stopped by both of them and peeked in through the windows, and they both seem to have the things we’re looking for. Fingers crossed that one of them is:

I don’t know how much more house~hunting I can take! :o)

~Heather

Friend Makin' Mondays ~ Q & A

It's time for Friend Makin’ Mondays again! This week, Kasey has tagged us all for a little Q & A.

What is your blogger name?
Heather @ Sugarplum Garters

When is your birthday?
May 17th

How long have you been blogging?
Since December 3, 2008

Who tagged you?
Kasey from All That Is Good

Tell me your five most favorite body parts.
1. My eyes
2. My shoulders
3. My back
4. My feet ~ back in my ballet days, I loved them because my high arches were perfect for pointe
5. My hair

What do you wish most for your birthday?
A weekend getaway at a spa with my sweetie

What color are your nails right now?
They are bare, but my toenails are a pretty pink!

Have you had any depressing thoughts lately?
Not really

What’s your plan for the next month?
To get back into Pilates, to find a new place to live, and to try to stay as stress~free as possible during the madness of April

At what age did you have your first crush?
I’ve been boy~crazy my whole life, but the first crush I can really remember was in second grade ~ his name was J.R. and I thought he was the cutest boy ever!

Have you attended any school reunions?
Yes. Nate and I actually organized our ten~year reunion. The girls who were supposed to plan the event backed out about four months before the date they had set, and we got the whole thing put together in three months. Not an easy feat considering our graduating class had almost five hundred people! (It was very time~consuming, but it turned out really well and I’m proud of the job we did so I have to brag a little!)

Have you ever passed gas in public and pretended like you didn’t smell anything?
Of course! Haven’t we all?!?

Are you a clean freak?
No, but oh how I wish I was…

What era do you wish you were born in?
I think it would have been fun to have been a housewife in the 50’s, so I guess that would have meant being born in the late 30’s or early early 40’s…

Are you a vegetarian?
No ~ I really think I would die without my red meat and chicken (although I do really love Morningstar’s all~veggie Chix patties ~ they taste just like chicken!)

How many pillows do you sleep with at night?
Usually just one, but if my back is bothering me, I’ll sleep on my side with one between my knees

Are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper?
I used to be a really light sleeper but living in a house with two noisy 21 year olds changed that really quickly :o) (I love them to death but they can be so loud!)

Do you secretly wear granny panties when your man is not around?
Nope. I’m a bit of a panty snob (working at Victoria’s Secret for six months will do that to you). My panties aren’t always lacy and sexy, but they are always cute!

What is your ultimate dream job?
Full~time mommy and part~time garter/bridal accessory designer

What does your boyfriend do that annoys you the most?
Whenever someone mentions pain that someone else is in (we have several family members dealing with various pain issues), he reminds them of the time he had his tonsils removed and was in so much pain that he wanted his mom to bring him his gun so he could shoot himself. Or if someone complains that they had to work 6+ days in a row, he brings up the fact that he worked for six months straight when he was in Iraq. Drives me batty! But other than that, he’s fairly close to perfect! :o)

What is your dream car?
The red Volvo that Val Kilmer drives at the end of “The Saint.” It’s sporty and fun, and because it’s a Volvo, it’s got to be very safe. (A friend of mine in college was in a car accident in a Volvo and the cops told her parents that if she’d been in any other car, she would have died. I do love my Toyota Camry (it’s the only type of car I’ve ever driven) but after hearing that story, I decided that a Volvo might be a nice car to have.

Do you wake up easily in the morning?
Not so much… I usually hit “snooze” at least four times.

Do you like hairy men?
Nope. My first boyfriend was very hairy, and when that relationship didn’t end well, I kinda got turned off from all hairy men.

How about a man with a goatee?
First boyfriend also had a goatee, so nope.

Which would you prefer: a two-hour spa massage, a two-hour Thai massage, or a two-hour foot massage?
I have no idea what a Thai massage is, and I don’t think I could handle someone touching my feet for two hours (they’re ticklish!), so I think I’d have to go with the two~hour spa massage.

Have you ever wished you had a different name? If so, what name?
Yes. When I was six, I wanted to change my name to Rhonda Snow Leopard. I loved the Beach Boys ~ my favorite song was “Help Me Rhonda” and my family used to love watching the snow leopards at the zoo. I was an odd kid…

What is the most extreme sport you have ever done?
Does zip~lining in Hawaii count? That’s the most “extreme” I’ve ever gotten ~ sports really aren’t my thing.

Do you prefer traveling in Europe or Asia?
I’ve never been to Europe or Asia, but I think I’d prefer Europe. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy and Greece.

What is your favorite food?
Italian!

What is your most embarrassing moment while out on a date?
I’ve been pretty lucky ~ no embarrassing moments on dates that I can recall!

~Heather

A Bit of News...

I just made a huge garter sale! Well, huge for my little business that's used to selling three sets on Etsy on a great day! After going back and forth with the bridal shop I mentioned weeks ago (see my original post here), we finally came to an agreement and they purchased three of my garter sets and seven of my individual garters! I am very excited, but also a little nervous ~ it's kinda scary knowing that my garters are making their way out into the world and are going to be available for purchase at a real bridal shop! Maybe I am finally on my way! :o)

Just wanted to share my good news!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

~Heather

April Madness

The month after a quarter-end is always crazy for us lucky accountants. With a variety of quarterly reports to complete and press releases to prepare and proof, things can get pretty hectic. In general, January, April, July, and October are my least favorite months, if only because of all the work madness.

This April is going to be particularly insane for me ~ I have been asked to cover the job duties of one of our senior accountants who is on maternity leave. Her job involves, among other things, compiling numbers for the press release and proofing it multiple times to ensure that it is 100% accurate. Not a low~stress task by any means. Taking this on will me lots of overtime for me, and this 40~hour~a~week girl is not looking forward to that. I do enjoy my job (most days) but 40 hours of it is about all I can take. In addition to the extra job duties that I’ll be facing in April, we are moving to an as~yet undecided new apartment/house and taking a four day trip to Vegas.

I am concerned about what to do with my business during this time. I spend an estimated 2~3 hours on garter~related business a day and probably double that on the weekends. Obviously I won’t be able to keep up with that during the madness of April ~ should I close down my Etsy shop for the month? Keep it open but make sure that I have everything listed in stock and ready to be mailed out, and cut down on the custom orders I take? It couldn’t be a worse time to close up shop for thirty days ~ we’re right at the beginning of the wedding season and I hate the idea of losing out on sales, particularly when business has been so good lately… I just fear that if I try to take on more than I can handle and try to keep up with business as usual, I will feel like this for the whole month of April:


Instead of like this:


I would love any advice that other small business owners can offer for handling situations like these! :o)

~Heather

Fabulous Finds Friday ~ March 13th

In honor of the upcoming Easter holiday, I have devoted this week’s Fabulous Finds Friday to fabulous Easter finds. Easter was always a fun holiday for me as a kid (although my track record for success at group Easter egg huts is less than stellar), and even at 28, I look forward to the Easter basket my mom will have for me on Easter Sunday.

First up is a set of three “fat~free” Easter eggs made of chenille and flannel by Create4you that I discovered on Etsy. I just love the colors and texture ~ and they look like they are incredibly soft! What a great gift or decoration to keep for yourself!

Next is a cute Easter basket by Casey at It’s About More Than Just Making It. Isn’t this basket perfect for a girly-girl of any age? I know I would love to find it during my Easter basket hunt at my parents’ house ~ I love the marabou trim and all the pink makes it extra fun!


Another Etsy find ~ an adorable toddler~sized patchwork dress by The Handmaiden’s Cottage. I can’t imagine that any store~bought Easter outfit could to match this little dress in cuteness.

I also came across these little vintage Easter tags by Bluebird Lane on Etsy. I’m not sure what use I would ever find for them, but they are so stinkin’ cute that I had to include them in today’s post!!

Be sure to check back next week ~ my search for all things cute and Easter~y is not over!

~Heather

Favorite Thing of the Week ~ Family

My favorite thing this week (and one of my favorite things every week) is the fabulous extended family I have received as a result of my relationship with Nate, the best boyfriend in the world. Here is where I gush about them and how much I love them. :o)

I have been blessed with two amazing parents who I consider to be two of my best friends. We have always been very close, and I know that I am very fortunate to have great relationships with both of them. Unfortunately, I was not similarly blessed with siblings. When I was younger, I didn’t mind being an only child ~ it meant that I almost always had my parents’ undivided attention and was given more opportunities than I probably would have had if I’d had siblings because my parents’ resources and time did not have to be shared. As I’ve gotten older, however, I’ve realized that the perks of being an only child come with downsides. Holidays are quieter and can be lonely, there will be no one to share in the care of my parents if they should need it as they age, and I don’t have the built~in friends that siblings often become to one another. (In addition, getting almost everything I ever wanted has made me somewhat selfish, which I will willingly admit to but am often very embarrassed by. If anyone out there is considering only having one child, DON’T! Kids need siblings!)

Because we have such a small family, I have always hoped that I would meet and fall in love with someone who had a big family. I want brothers and sisters! Nieces and nephews! More aunts and uncles! And I am so happy to say that that is exactly what has happened. I have fallen for an amazing guy who has wonderful parents, great brothers who are dating girls I love, a fabulous grandpa, and more aunts and uncles than I know what to do with. They are a big Italian family that very much resembles the family from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” and I could not be happier now that I am considered one of the bunch. The family is loud and loving, close~knit and supportive, and has made me feel welcome from Day 1. Not only have I fallen for a great guy, but I’ve also fallen for his family. I am so blessed!

Happy to be part of a big family at long last,
Heather