My Rotary Cutter

So, procrastinator that I am...

I waited until tonight to cut all my fabrics for a rag bag class I'm going to attend tomorrow.  To learn how to make rag bags :).

Let's just say I always think things will be easier and faster than they turn out being...

But thank goodness for my rotary cutter!  I got it while making I Spy quilts a decade ago with Donna.  And tonight, it helped me immensely.  Because I can only imagine how long all that cutting would have taken with only scissors...

What are you grateful for today?

An Unseasonably Cool Day (and Upcoming Week :))

Here we are, mid-July, and the high temperature wasn't even out of the 60s.  A Nilla could get used to this!

Which is good news, because, if the weather prediction is correct, this week will be full of 60s to mid-70s.

It's pretty much the perfect weather for me!  I'll be baking some cookies tomorrow (trying out the THRIVE Butter Powder, because I'm really wanting to get some experience with it -- and what better way than chocolate chip cookies!?!).  And maybe baking a meal or two this week, too. 

Yep, cool days in summer make me happy.  (Although, I really haven't been miserable this summer, what with the bought air and all ;)...).

What are you grateful for today?

Dollar Store Cayenne Pepper

Let me preface this post with this statement:  we don't hate animals.  We aren't really inclined toward having our own pets...  But we don't hate animals.

So we have a wooden front walkway out front of our apartment.  And it's elevated above the ground.  And the neighbor's cat (not in the same complex -- the complex next door) has decided that under our walkway is a great place to poop. 

We do not like the smell of fresh cat poop.  We don't like it.  We think it's not healthy.  We aren't happy about it.

So my sweetie did some research and found that cayenne pepper is a great deterrent to cats -- since, when they scratch the ground, the pepper is flung into the air and they breathe it in and it irritates them.  So, we got some cayenne pepper and tried it.  And it worked.  For like a month or two.  No more cat poop under the walkway for us to breathe in every time we go out front. 

But today, we noticed the smell was back.  We think the leaf blower guy disturbed our last cayenne pepper layer.  So...  Since I was near the Dollar Store (because who wants to pay a lot of money for cayenne pepper for this project?) today, I stopped in and got two bottles of it.  There may not be a happy cat tomorrow...  But we'll be happier.  And we're hoping eventually the cat will get the clue and never come back (we were hoping that had happened already, but I guess not...)

So I'm grateful for Dollar Store Cayenne Pepper.  And yeah, it may not seem nice.  Sorry if this offends anyone.  But we aren't going to have the cat using our area as its litter box -- there are toxins in that poop, and it smells bad.

What are you grateful for today?

Impromptu Dinner With a Great Friend

This morning I got a text from one of my favorite people.  She said she had a free evening and wondered if I did too.

And since my sweetie is on swing shift...  Well, I did :)! 

So she came over, our kiddos played, and we ate dinner.  And vented.  And talked.  And laughed.  And did some long-needed catching up.

It seriously made my day -- from the minute I found out we'd be hangin' until she left.  Because sometimes you just need some girl time :).

What are you grateful for today?

A THRIVEing Work Lunch

Today, I enjoyed a delicious lunch (a THRIVE Express lunch -- Creamy Garden Vegetable Chowder, which I will definitely will be getting for my family!) with a couple of new friends:  Rebekah and Terrie.  Rebekah introduced both Terrie and me to THRIVE, and we both decided to sign up as consultants.  So today was sort a team meeting lunch.

And maybe it's really dorky of me, but I was excited about it all week.  And I had a really great time!  It's fun to share ideas and experiences and to help each other learn.

And even cooler?  It's a small world after all!  Terrie and I realized we used to be in the same Stake (Bessemer Alabama Stake) from 2006 to 2008!!  So there we were, going to some of the same meetings in the same building -- and we never knew each other then (we lived an hour away from each other, so went to different Wards -- church congregations)...  But now we do!  How crazy cool is that?!?  We realized we knew some of the same people.  And I just think that's super cool that we both ended up in the same place!  And now working together. 

Anyway, it was a good day, but this was just a highlight of it for me.  Something that just makes me happy.  So it's my grateful for the day!

What are you grateful for today?

Nice Cold Root Beer

I guess, during the summer, I'm grateful for a lot of yummy cold things :).  This evening, I was looking forward to drinking this refreshing soda after I finished working on another batch of jelly.  I don't drink soda often, but when I do...  Lately root beer is my soda of choice :).

I have always enjoyed a good root beer.  It's pretty much the only soda my mom will ever drink, and she really prefers A&W brand.  So I have grown up liking it.  But then, while I was pregnant and about 2/3 of the way through the pregnancy, I suddenly started having this serious hankering for a root beer.  So much so that I splurged on one at Walgreen's (making a special stop there, just for the soda).

And ever since then, I've had a craving for one every now and again, so I decided, when there was a seriously awesome sale once (buy 2 12-packs get 3 free!)...  Well, I decided to stock up for those cravings :).  And now I have a year's supply of root beer under the bed (because I don't go through them that fast) :).

Anyway, sometimes you just need something you're craving.  And tonight is a root beer kind of night.

What are you grateful for today?

Facebook

I am one of those people who likes to spout off about things and declare boldly that I will never do such and such...  And then, one day, I do what I said I never would.  And I have to eat crow.

I think I've gotten better about not pontificating so much... In an effort to eat less of the nasty black bird.

But once upon a time, when Facebook and MySpace were new (and rivals), I swore up and down I'd never use them.  I even had opinions about those who did.  (Yes, totally lacking in humility.)  In my defense, I never did have a MySpace account... ;).

Clearly...  Clearly...  I've since eaten crow on this one.  I joined Facebook.  And guess what?  I like it *gasp!!!* 

I like being in touch with people from my past and seeing the wonderful things that have happened in their lives:  their children, their adventures.  It helps me feel connected, not just to those people in a small way, but to my past.  Because my memories are jogged as I remember those individuals. 

And the truth is, I've been inspired and uplifted by so many through Facebook.  There is one gal I knew way back in Panama.  She found me on Facebook several years ago, and something I have consistently noticed with her is how positive and optimistic she is -- about everything.  I admire that, and I feel like she is a really great example to me.  And I wouldn't have the opportunity to have that experience without Facebook. 

And I have many such examples.

So anyway, I guess the Facebook crow was worth the eating :).  Because not only do I like Facebook...  I'm even grateful for it :). 

What are you grateful for today?