In-Person Committee Meeting

My alarm goes off at 5:45 this morning. No, I can't press snooze several times before getting out of bed. The goal was to get to the office around 7 AM so that I could help prep the conference room for the meeting today. Good thing this is meeting only happens once a year. I can't imagine having to wake up at 5:45 every morning, despite being more of a morning person than a night owl.

The meeting went well today. We have some new committee members, but everyone was very welcoming and friendly. At the end of the meeting, the committee chair pulls me aside and tells me that she had a present for me. What? Oh cool! "This is to say thank you for all your hard work." I open the present, and it was a piece of artwork that I saw in Seattle when we were walking around Pike Place Market. It was a little expensive, so I didn't buy it, but she went back another day and got it for me. I was very touched, and it was such a nice gesture. ::warm fuzzies::

We took the committee members to an Italian restaurant tonight. It sounds like everyone had a good time. I ordered a peach martini and chicken parmesean. Yum! One of the committee member's husband came over and chatted with us. I was so impressed of how well he just fit in and was able to strike up a conversation with anyone. That's a great skill to have. I'm just not that extroverted.

Family Dinner and New Nails

Family dinner: My aunt invited me to dinner last night. I had actually heard about the dinner from my cousin and dad beforehand, but it was nice to get an official invitation from the host. It's always nice to see my uncle so happy to have us over to spend time together as a family. With 4 "grown-ups" and 6 of us 2nd generation "kids", you can just imagine how loud the dining room got.

Nails: My nail polish was kinda chipping so I decided to try a new Sally Hansen Insta-Dri color so that my nails look nicer for an in-person committee meeting TH/FRI. Just by looking at the color, I thought it was going to be more of a rose color, but when I applied it to my nails, it's got more of a brown tone. The color name is appropriately named Expresso.

Battling the Scale

One of my New Year's Resolutions was, "Lose at least 10 pounds by April 30 and spend the rest of the year maintaining that weight."

Yeah, that didn't happen. However, I decided 2 weeks ago to revisit this goal. During the last couple of months, my weight has been fluctuating between 148 and 151, which isn't all that great for someone that's 5'3". My biggest problem isn't the "not exercising" part, it's my diet. I'm an emotional eater, a person that eats when I'm bored, and sometimes I tend to overeat. I compensate that by going to spin class, but it's just not enough. The last two weeks I've been better about the diet and when I stepped on the scale this morning, it read 146 (!).

I thought the digital scale was lying to me. It can be finicky sometimes.

I stepped on the scale before spin class this morning (the one in the locker room has those weights where you move them to the right and wait for the reader to balance) and it read 146.

YAY! :) I'm feeling inspired to keep this up...who knows, maybe I'll still be able to meet that goal by the end of the year. Better late than never.

Culinary Successes

Newest culinary successes: My cousin flew in from Taiwan today for a week's stay. My sister usually bakes a tray of brownies for her, but since Julie's at school, I stepped in to make the brownies. I usually stray away from brownies because I always somehow scramble the eggs. I discovered last night that the dessert section of my recipe binder didn't have a single brownie recipe (I know, shocking, since I'm really into baking). Julie came to my rescue and supplied me with the recipe and tips. I took my time today, and the brownies were a success (I ate 2 in the name of quality assurance). I went to my cousin's house tonight to drop off 12 brownies. That'll keep them busy over there for a few days. I might have to make another tray for her travels back to Taiwan.


Recipe #9 of 2012: Pork chops were on sale at Safeway this week, and this was good timing because I found a new crock pot recipe for ranch house pork chops via Pinterest. I just made the pork chops and skipped out on the potatoes and used cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken. To increase the amount of gravy, I added some milk to the crock pot. Yum!

Card: I felt that a butterfly stamp set that I won a while back was feeling neglected so I used it to create the background for the card. It kinda reminds me of something you'd seen in a nature book.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Blackbird, Warm Red, Yellow Ochre, Warm Green
Stamps: Hero Arts- Sending Smiles, Bombshell Stamps- Butterfly Dreams, Inkadinkado- Nature
Paper: American Crafts- Dear Lizzy Enchanted
Punch: Fiskars Scalloped Sentiment border punch

Fall-To Layout #196

RJ the pillow hog: He has this awful habit of sleeping on my pillow, even though there's a fluffier one right next to it that I rarely use. I come home from the gym this morning to find him on the other pillow. Gasp! Maybe he's changed his ways. I went back downstairs to check work email and went back up to take a shower. Only to find him snoozing on my pillow. I wonder if he was contentiously just putting on a show for me earlier.

Grocery Shopping Fail: I went grocery shopping without taking my umbrella, knowing full well that the forecast was calling for rain pretty soon. I was checking out when I noticed that it was pouring outside, with a side of thunder and lightning.

Oh, super.

I hung out near the grocery carts, hoping I could run out when the rain calmed down. 15 minutes later, it was raining about the same.

Crap.

My ice cream is melting!! Haagen Dazs Java Chip! I mean, this is the good stuff. (sigh) Ok, desperate times call for desperate measures.

I grabbed my reusable bags filled with groceries and made a run for the car. I was soaked when I got home, but at least my ice cream wasn't totally melted.

Card: Here's my card for Fall-To Layout #196. I liked how this card sketch allowed me to use a busy piece of patterned paper. It's difficult to use that kind of paper as a background because it's so "loud," it'd compete with everything else on the card. However, when chopped up, it's a lot more manageable.
Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink in Blackbird
Stamp: Studio G
Paper: American Crafts- Abode
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen
Baker's Twine: We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Fancy Floss in Cream Soda

CPS #270

Family dinner: I was consumed with a conference call this afternoon, so lunch was a no-go. I made a bee-line for the kitchen when I got home and started making some spaghetti. My phone makes the "you have a text message" sound. It's my cousin, asking if I wanted to come over for dinner. I look over at the pot of boiling water. Sure, I could have a second dinner. I'm glad that I went. There was some good sushi served. It really pays off to live close to family!

Card: Here's my take on CPS #270. I wanted to use some Thickers on this card because I thought it's been a while since I've used them. Spelling out "you" ended up not fitting quite right, so I had to made do with just a "u."
Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Red. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China
Paper: American Crafts- Hello Sunshine and Letterbox, My Mind's Eye
Stamp: Hero Arts- Envelope Pattern
Punch: Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch, EK Success Scalloped Circle punch (2 inch)
Brad: American Crafts
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Foliage, Cuttlebug- Flowers
Stickers: American Crafts Foam Thickers in Wonder
Other: Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker

Being Daring

I did something that I haven't done before today.

I cut my own hair!

My bangs were getting long and I didn't want to pay for a haircut since I'm okay with the length of the rest of my hair. I watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to cut side-swept bangs and tried to follow their example. I think it would have been easier if I used my mom's pair of professional salon scissors, but some sharp craft scissors did the trick. This will hold me over until the end of the summer.

I hope.

No More AC Woes!

AC woes, the end: Aaaaaaaaand the AC is back in the house, yay! The workmen came around 9 AM and left around 1 PM. I was thinking that this job would take about 6 hours, as the lady on the phone cautioned me, so I was pleasantly surprised that it took a shorter amount of time. The home warranty that I got when I bought the house has really paid off.

Card: Here's a card that I made today using some paper scraps and a cute felt embellishment from Pebbles.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Blackbird, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Wild Honey
Stamps: Stampin' Up- Elementary Elegance
Paper: Die Cuts with a View- Mango Frost, American Crafts- Peachy Keen, American Crafts- Dear Lizzy
Felt Embellishment: Pebbles- Birthday Party
Other: Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker, Liquid Pearl in White Opal

A Bad Interview

I was asked to participate in an interview today. This particular position has been open for almost a year and we were so close to getting it filled in May, but the candidate got a better offer. Well, I can't blame her. It'd be silly to not take the better offer.

Anyway, for the one today, I knew in the first 5 minutes that he would not be a good fit in the association. It was like he forgot all the interview rules. He showed up almost late (as opposed to 10 minutes early). He gave very minimal eye contact to me and the other staff person interviewing. When asked how his co-workers would describe him, he said "outgoing" (and some other things that I don't remember). o_0 Oh, really? I totally didn't get that vibe from him since he cracked very few smiles during the interview. I became so disinterested that I stopped writing down any of his answers...okay, maybe I wrote down a few notes here and there, but not nearly as many notes as someone that I'd like to bring back for a second interview.

After he left, the two of us in the room asked the director (who was on the phone) what she thought of the candidate since she could only hear what he had to say. "Oh, I thought he was great! I really liked his answers!" D and I looked at each other and smiled because, without even saying anything, we knew the other person didn't like the candidate. We let the director finish what she had to say and then we launched into all the reasons why we didn't like him.

NEXT!

I told another co-worker what happened and he offered that maybe the guy was nervous. "You guys are intimidating!" Well, if we're intimidating, you definitely shouldn't work here because there are other people and members that are tougher than we are.

On another note, the air conditioning people are coming over tomorrow to save me. Just in time for some 90 degree weather.

An Unexpected Visitor

An Unexpected Visitor: I was vacuuming my living room this afternoon and as I turn it off, I turn to see the next door neighbor's kid peeing in my front yard! Hey, pee in your own yard, mkay?! One part of me was thinking, "If you gotta go, you gotta go", but at the same time, someone should have been watching him to tell him that that was not appropriate behavior.

BBQ Dinner and Movie: I went to hang out with Meg and Robyn for dinner and a movie. We went to Red Hot and Blue. They seated us in the same booth we had sat in a few months back. The waitress came to get our drink orders. She was the same waitress we had last time, and she recognized us too! After a full dinner, we went to the grocery story to pick up dessert (double stuffed Oreos and ice cream bars) and a DVD movie (Valentine's Day). It was good and something that I would see again, but I probably wouldn't buy the DVD for myself.

Book #3 of 2012: I finished a book called Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life. I have to admit that the cover caught my eye while I was browsing in the library. It has a cupcake on the front. Ha ha. The author wrote about her experiences as a person that has some severe food allergies (dairy, beef, soy, eggs, etc.). It was an interesting book because I personally don't have any food allergies so I felt like I learned something.

Now to pick up where I stopped in Catching Fire.

Scalloped Birthday Card

How knew that your calves would be sore from jumping rope?

I didn't, but I do now!

How is it possible that with all the crafty supplies that I have, I still wasn't feeling terribly inspired. I looked through some blogs and found some cards that I liked that featured bands of color made from patterned paper. I grabbed a Die Cuts with a View pack of paper and cut out a few strips from scraps.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Prussian Blue, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Fired Brick
Stamps: Stampin' Up- So Many Scallops
Paper: Die Cuts with a View- Mango Frost
Pearls: Recollections
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large
Other: Brown Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker, Liquid Pearl in Buttercup

Button Happy

Whew, it's been a long day. I was up at 6:30 and had to get out of the house at a reasonable time to get to my storytelling seminar that started at 8 AM. While the class was informative, I was feeling very tired when I walked through the front door around 6:20 PM. I scarfed down all the chicken parm I had left and camped out on the couch. I wouldn't have been able to make it to the TH night spin class, so I decided to do my workout inside while watching Iron Man, which happened to be on TV. Last week, I bought a jump rope at Marshalls on a whim and wow, after jumping rope for about 10 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised that it increased my heart rate and I was working up a sweat.

I had wanted to purchase a used rowing machine that I saw on CraigsList, but I found out last night that someone else beat me to it. I'm taking this as a sign that I wasn't supposed to have bought it anyway. The $6 jump rope gave me as much of a workout as a $600 rowing machine would have. I might revisit this rowing machine idea, but for now, I'll exercise on a budget.

Here's another birthday card that I made today. I wanted to use a large pansy stamp that I bought recently at a crafty yard sale. I think the yellow is so cheerful!

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Ocean, Yellow Citrus, and Blackbird
Stamp: Hero Arts- Pansy Portrait, Envelope Pattern, Studio G (sentiment)
Punches: Fiskars Scalloped Sentiment border punch
Brad: American Crafts Large Brads- Dandelion, Cherry
Other: We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Fancy Floss in Candy Stripe, Lemonade, Blueberry

Pink and Silver Nails

At the office: My office roommate has finally come back to the office after some travel and being sick. It was nice to see that she was looking and feeling better.

Running: Running with Suzie last Friday has inspired me to find my running legs again. The weather was also nice tonight, so I didn't really have a good excuse to skip a workout. I also put new music on my iPhone this morning so that I would have new stuff to jam to in my head while running up and down the hill tonight.

Nails: I tried out a new Sally Hansen color today (yes, I'm building up quite a collection of Insta-Dri colors, heh), Presto Pink. I think the name should really be Pepto Pink since it kinda reminds me of Pepto Bismol. I was pleasantly surprised how opaque the Silver Sweep color is for the stamping. I can't decide in the stamped image looks like clouds or the start of a camouflage pattern. Base coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Presto Pink. (2 coats). Silver: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Silver Sweep. Bundle Monster plate #222.

AC Woes, Part 3

AC woes, Part 3: I got a call this morning around 9 AM from the air conditioning people saying that they a) got the equipment I needed for my place and b) wanted to schedule a date and time to come by. The lady on the phone asked me how I was doing. I wanted to laugh and say "I've been in a house with no AC when DC's summer is in full force, complete with oppressive humidity and grossness outside. How the *beep* do you think I'm feeling?" (I don't handle heat very well...) But that would be wrong to take my frustration out on her since it's not her fault that my AC is broken. I just left it at "It's really warm in the house and I'm really glad that you called." They could come by on Friday, but unfortunately I'm going to be in a training that day so they will come by next Tuesday instead. I just have to hang in there for another week. ithinkicanithinkicanithinkican.

Card: Here's another birthday card that I made tonight. I had this card base leftover from last night. I'm really loving this yellow American Crafts patterned paper. I have used it in so many cards lately it seems. I wanted to use some recent Stampin' Up acquisitions as well as some washi tape because these are items that I haven't used in a while. I stamped the red flowers on a piece of scrap paper and then onto the circle for a lighter impression.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink in Blackbird, Warm Red
Stamp: Stampin' Up- Fresh Vintage, Stampin' Up- Elementary Elegance
Paper: American Crafts- Peachy Keen, g.c.d. Studios- Chianti Collection
Punches: Fiskars Scalloped Sentiment border punch, We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large
Washi tape: The Container Store

Mmm, Creamsicle

Nothing says summer like a creamsicle, don't you agree? RJ concurs.

I've been trying to not give him any human food, but I can't resist that cute face. The second I open the wrapper, he comes over. OH HAI! Oooo, yummy! Can I haz some?

And, of course, I give in and give him the last few licks.

Spoiled, spoiled child.

Fall-To Layout #194

Back to normal: Suzie left to go back to NYC yesterday morning, so things are (sadly) back to normal here. RJ even started camping out on the dining room table. I have a feeling that he's thinking "Hooray, the house guest is gone. I don't have to be on my best behavior anymore!"

Up early + Etsy order: For some reason, I woke up around 7 AM (usually it's 8 AM on the weekends) and couldn't go back to bed, so I worked on a custom Etsy order that I received recently. I've been waiting for the supplies to get here, and then they did while Suzie was visiting so I couldn't work on the order. I started this last night while watching Transformers: Dark of the Moon and finished up this morning. 50 origami shirt embellishments, 50 origami heart embellishments, 50 origami dress embellishments. Whew!

AC woes, continued: The weather has taken a turn for the worse, and the temperature has climbed back up to hot. I approved the home warranty people to send over the AC replacement equipment to the heating and cooling people. Once they get the equipment, they'll schedule a date and time to come by and save me!

Spin class: Janice played Justin Bieber's "Baby," which elicited a chuckle from the spinners in the room. Of course, I lipsynced through the whole thing.

Recipe #8 of 2012: I made some chicken parmesan with the help of Julie's recipe. I accidentally browned the chicken too much, but otherwise, it tasted great!

Card: Here's another birthday card that made today using Fall-To Layout #194 as a guide.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink in Blackbird
Stamp: Studio G (sentiment)
Paper: American Crafts- Peachy Keen
Punches: Fiskars Upper Crest border punch
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen
Felt Embellishments: Pebbles Cupcakes
Other: Red Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker

Suzie's Visit, Day 3

Today was by far the most exciting day of Suzie's visit!

When we were communicating via email before her visit, she mentioned that she had a long run scheduled for Friday and asked if I wanted to join her. Eek. Honestly, the last time I ran was the 8K in March. However, I didn't want to look like a total sissy. "Well, how long is long?" "The goal is to run for 50 minutes straight." Ok, I thought, that's roughly 5 miles, like an 8K. I think I can do that. We started running together for about half the run, but then I started to fall behind. I considered myself lucky that I made it through the whole run without stopping or passing out. I think I need to revisit incorporating running back into my exercise routine.

After we got back and got cleaned up, we went to Brookside Gardens to walk around and see some pretty flowers and wildlife. The pond was full of turtles and fish. There was also one lonely frog. Then we went to the local library and used book store. I picked out some books that I wanted to read and also the movie My Neighbor Totoro, which we planned to watch later on in the afternoon.

Finally, time for lunch (leftovers from the two previous nights' dinner) and a movie! Suzie brought a pineapple cupcake mix so we baked them so that we would have something to share with Meg and Robyn when we see them later on in the day. While the packaging said pineapple cupcake mix with pina colada cream cheese frosting, I don't think the flavors really came out, but the treats came out really good. We ended up putting in the movie, eating two cupcakes each, and passed out in a food coma, totally missing the second half of the movie.

Robyn's concert band was playing in Alexandria so we met up with Meg to go sit in the audience. The concert was held in a big square so people could come and go with their kids and dogs. One of the dogs had an accident right in front of us and the owner was clearly mortified. In a rush, she looked for something to pick up the mess with. She kept apologizing for her dog. The onlookers were very sympathetic and laughed with her. Meg helped with giving her a plastic bag and another group of people gave her some napkins. Whew.

After the concert, we went to Il Porto, an Italian restaurant, for dinner. Meg and I had ravioli, Suzie had lasagna, and Robyn had seafood pasta. We asked for a refill of bread several times because it was so good and we were starving! The food was fantastic! :)

Suzie's Visit, Day 2

Today, I took Suzie to work with me to hang out for a little bit before she hopped on the Metro for a school event. Suzie is a children's book author, so today was her "I'm-an-author" day and meet with students and fans and answer questions, hoping to inspire some creativity in kids.

The night before, we were deciding on what to have for dinner tonight. Secretly, I didn't want to cook again, but I didn't want chicken marsala two nights in a row (even though I would totally do that if Suzie was not here). We decided on Indian food. She gave me a list of dishes that she liked and left it up to me to find things that we liked in common and order takeout. I decided on naan, vegetable samosas, butter chicken, and aloo ghobi (cauliflower and potatoes).

We ended the evening with very stuffed bellies and watching Freaky Friday (the Lindsey Lohan version) and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Suzie's Visit, Day 1

My friend from undergrad is visiting from NYC the next couple days, hooray! Right when I got home, I got to cooking right away. I was expecting her around 8:30, so that gave me enough time to put a whole bunch of things together: chicken marsala, pasta, vegetables for a salad, and 2 loaves of chocolate zucchini bread. We had quite the feast!

Hi Girl Card

I was inspired to do a portrait card with a fold at the top when I saw the card that Kristina Werner made on the Simon Says Stamp blog today. Her card also had white stitching and a cardstock piece with a v-shaped cut in it. I think this is the first time that I've used the Versamark ink without using embossing powder. I love the tone-on-tone look it leaves.

Card Specs:
Ink: Versamark
Stamp: Hero Arts- Designer Wood Grain
Paper: American Crafts- Peachy Keen
Punches: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Stickers: Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type in Yellow
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen
Flower: Recollections
Other: We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Fancy Floss in Slate, Brown Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker

Floral Birthday Card

I decided to switch my work-from-home day from Friday to today because I'm taking Friday off this week. My friend Suzie is coming to visit from NYC, hooray!

June is always a fun card month because I know of a few people that have June birthdays. I used this card as an excuse to use some Basic Grey Bloomers. They are great embellishments because they add texture and visual interest to the card, but aren't so bulky that you can't send the card through the mail.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink in Blackbird, Rose Coral
Paper: American Crafts- Peachy Keen
Stamp: Hero Arts- Envelope Pattern, Studio G (sentiment)
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Foliage
Floral stickers: Basic Grey Bloomers- Hopscotch collection
Punch: EK Success Postage Stamp border punch
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen

Just In Lime

Declutter: I went back to my parents' house after spin class this morning to say bye to Julie and to fetch the container of Parmesan cheese that I left in the fridge and my iPhone charger. I was so close to leaving when Mom reminded me that I still had boxes left downstairs. UGH. So close! Fine. Julie and I went to go investigate, armed with a shredder. I found a lot of papers that I no longer needed- notebooks from college chemistry classes, job listings, job applications, my lease for the house that I lived in junior and senior year...it was like a trip down memory lane.

I also found this postcard that summarized what tuition and fees would be for my first year of college (2001-2002). It was absolutely laughable because I checked my school's website tonight and tuition alone has more than doubled since my first year. I don't know how anyone affords school these days. :(

Nail polish: I picked up 2 new Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polishes last week, and I finally got around to trying it out today. It's called Just In Lime. It's kinda out there, huh? When I saw the shade, it reminded me of 2 things: Wicked (the musical) and lime Skittles candy.

A Lazy Saturday

This morning started out with me making chocolate zucchini bread (the zucchini was very close to getting gross so I didn't want it to go to waste) and then watching Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol via Redbox. I had a free rental coupon code, so of course, I didn't want it to go to waste.

The rest of the day was very lazy. I opened up the windows to let the cooler fresh air in and read some of my book (The Gap Year by Sarah Bird) and took a nap. I hadn't read anything from this author before, but it was one of the e-books that was available from the library so I decided to give it a try. Mom was making some yummy chicken at the house so I went over there for dinner. Ginger made sure to make herself available in case anyone wanted to give her some chicken or fish. Mom gave me a green tea KitKat to try. It wasn't all that great. Chocolate all the way. The other two pictures below are of a bunny that was hanging out in Mom's garden, specifically where the stone bunny family was and then Ginger trying to blend into the furniture.

AC woes, continued

AC Woes: The AC man came to the house this afternoon and looked around both the inside and outside portions of my heat pump. After about 30 minutes, he shut off the switch to the unit in the circuit breaker panel. You know when it's bad when...

There were a variety of things wrong with my unit which would explain why things weren't working. Leaking refrigerant (that's why the air wasn't cold coming out of the vents) and a faulty relay (that's why the fan kept running and never turned off). His solution was to replace the unit in my house because it's 26 years old and it's time to get something that'll be more efficient.

Oh, and guess what.

It probably won't be covered by the home warranty. And even if it is covered, you don't want to get the machinery that's covered by the home warranty because it'll be on the cheaper end anyway.

Sometimes, being a homeowner stinks.

Fortunately, the weather will be nice the next few days and I can open my windows.

Thank you, Mother Nature.

Good news: Julie's home for the weekend :) Well, FRI and SAT really.

Spin class: In honor of the Queen's jubilee, Anna the spin instructor (originally from England) played a mix that was made of British bands and singers and she wore her Union Jack athletic shirt.