Sugar Cane

A fun comparsion

2009-07-02T12:17:00.001-07:00

Last week, I put together this comparison of Dakota and me when I was around her age. What do you all think?

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy last few weeks. The fam had a great time on vacation, Dakota had a blast with Nana and Papa in Kansas while Jared and I successfully blew through our entire gambling budget in a matter of days. Vegas remained fortunately rather warm (not sweltering hot) and it was so great to get away from the normal work life for a few days.
The Fourth of July weekend is upon us. Luckily, Jared and I have a few days off to spend together and I'm especially excited to spend some quality family time.
Last night, we all did an arts & crafts project. Dakota has a 4th of July Parade at school this afternoon, and I decided to make Pom Poms for her classmates. Jared was a great sport and helped out, while Dakota stayed interested for about 2 minutes. Here are a few pictures.
I have my camera in my purse, so I'll be sure to catch some festive pics this weekend. Happy 4th everyone!

Vacation 2009!

2009-06-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have been terrible about blogging, sorry about that. Life has been hectic and crazy, as usual, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Today, after work, we leave for Kansas to see Nana and Papa S. We will get some relaxation and fun time with them, then Jared and I head to LAS VEGAS to celebrate 5 years of marriage (hopefully winning Jared a new car, since it appears his has gone to the other side aka dead and gone).

I will be sure to post fun stories and pictures upon our return, and maybe if you're lucky, I might even post while away.

Here are a few recent pictures:

Pretty toes.

2009-06-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last night...

me: Dakota, do you want pretty pink toes like mommy?

Dakota: YEAH!

me: can you sit still for me to paint them?

Dakota: yeah...

me: ok, come on.

(Dakota sits in my lap. I proceed to break out the polish thinking this is going to be a complete disaster and she reaches for the bottle. I have never seen the girl sit so still in her life...she kept trying to put her face closer to her toes to examine.)

me: All done!

Dakota (pointing to toes, trying to touch them): PRETTY!

me: Don't touch, they have to dry!

Dakota: dry

me: yeah, dry.

Dakota (points to my toes): pretty! (points to her toes) pretty!

This morning on changing table...(points to toes): pretty toes!

Success! :)

Can I get a weekend from the weekend?

2009-05-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend was ...what's the word I'm looking for...productive. Relaxing? There were moments, but for the most part, we tackled the weekend full force. Picked up. Cleaned house. Organized rooms. Cleaned out junk. Grocery shopped. Lowes trip(s). Pool party. Hauled stuff. Planted flowers. Unloaded stuff. PHEW. I like the 3 day weekend thing, though :)

We went to a resident get together yesterday. We came fully prepared with swim gear, thinking Dakota would swim. Upon arrival, we learned the water was not quite summer temp ready and it was rather chilly, so I didn't put Dakota in her swimsuit. Daddy would sit her in his lap with his feet in. She gradually "warmed up" to the idea of putting her feet in. Then, her feet and splashing her hands. One of our friends took a turn at holding her and the next thing you know, our friend is in the water WITH Dakota, clothes and all! Daddy being a good daddy he is jumped in despite the chilly temp so she could swim with him. Mommy stayed in her clothes and watched from the sidelines :)

Positive Outlook Friday.

2009-05-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

10 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Getting the hell outta dodge (aka this office in about 2 hours)
2. Enjoying a 3 day weekend with my family
3. Getting new carpet
4. Taking D to Sea World
5. 5 year ani vacation to Vegas in July
6. 4th of July
7. J being done with residency
8. Someday being the proud owner of a Toyota 4Runner
9. Growing stronger in my faith and love everyday

What are 10 things you are looking forward to? Today, next month, 20 years?

Friday funnies

2009-05-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Good Friday morning giggles.

Doors that open.

2009-05-22T07:34:00.001-07:00

I have felt compelled to write this post for some time now. This is not news: our economy blows. So many of my friends have been affected by this terrible market, myself included. I still to this day can't believe I got laid off. That was ohhhh 6 months ago. I took it very personally. I don't fail at a job. But guess what, it wasn't my decision to make. Someone had other plans for me.
In my industry, connections matter. Much like any other industry, it's all about who you know for the most part. Thanks to my friend Grant, I was able to snag an interview at my current place of employment for a marketing position. I immediately hopped on board and couldn't wait to start.
Not two weeks into my new job, a nationwide fashion retailer based here in Dallas called me offering me a position of copywriter. I had randomly applied for the position a few months previous and thought eh, no way, I don't have my foot in the door. With the offer can a hefty dollar amount that I had to ask my recruiter twice about and had to re-read the offer letter about ohhh 14 times. I immediately accepted, thinking I was crazy to turn down that kind of salary with that big of a brand.
About a week later, about 3 days before I was supposed to start my new new job, I couldn't do it. My current boss was sad to see me go, and he would ask me everyday if I had changed my mind. I ended up sticking with my current job and politely telling Big Brand Retailer I would have to graciously decline.
So why did I turn down the money with the big brand to stay doing marketing for a hospital with a smaller budget? Because I love what I do. Everyday is a mixed bag. Marketing means wearing a lot of hats. Writing copy, designing brochures, poking fingers at health fairs, attending golf tournaments, party planning and serving ice cream for employee events.
My friends, you gotta do what you love doing. Life is way too short to be concerned with money, what-ifs and taking the safe route.
It sounds so cliche, but as quoted in Wedding Crashers: Grab that net and catch that beautiful butterfly!
The world is your playground.

Creativity rocks.

2009-05-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

When I was 5, my sister and I thought it would be a good idea to sucker my dad into setting up the circa 1980 video camera (you know, the one that goes through the tv so you can actually see yourself on tv as it's being recorded) so that we could broadcast the news. My sister, being the diva she was (is) of course had to play the news anchor. We set up shop in the basement on the couch and started our very professional and informative newscast. She predicted the weather, then cut to a commercial break. It was my time to shine. Product to advertise? Shampoo. And I did a dang good job if I do say so myself. I'm sure I probably sold at least a million bottles promoting it's ability to make your hair soft, shiny and healthy.

How in the world I knew at the age of 5 I was destined to be an advertiser is beyond me. Funny how those things work out.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have met and become friends with some truly damn good creative people. And I mean SUPER creative. So here on this blog, I am going to give mad props for the people that have inspired my creativity throughout my life and career. (And no, I haven't met Martha or JK, but wouldn't that be sweet?)

1. Jane
Meet Jane. AKA mama. Where to even start? From doll clothes to Halloween costumes to the James Dean quilt to panda bear birthday cakes to those god-awful troll angel ornaments, this lady does it all and is a little bit of Martha Stewart (minus the whole jail time and fraud thing). She's one of those ladies that walks around with sewing scissors in her left pocket, straight pins in her mouth and a tape measure around her belt and doesn't even flinch. All while sewing the shit out of anything. I will never forget when my BFF's bridesmaid dress didn't fit an hour before my wedding. My mom made all the dresses and took it personally when it didn't fit her just right. So what does my mother do? She whips out the needle and thread 2 minutes before walking down the aisle. After, of course, she gained permission to go under her dress and do her biz. In fact, I just bought a dress yesterday for an event tonight. It was on super sale and looked like a sack of potatoes on me. It was the only one left, so I snagged it, knowing my mom would pull through. Luckily my mom is in town and has already managed to do her magic this morning on it so now the black sequin dress fits me like a charm. Thanks mama for inspiring me and bringing me up in a creative environment. And thanks for always fixing my sewing machine jams when I was totally convinced I would have to save every penny I made to buy a new one because I busted yours while you were at work.

2. Kimberly
My first job out of college was a small marketing firm in Dallas, Texas. It was there I first met Kimberly. I was amazed at how effortlessly the girl could come up with creative concepts. It was so easy for her, because ideas were always cranking in her head. She could throw down concepts to sell Kimberly-Clark at the Diaper Derby that were so genius. She had the coolest little ideas ever that were just icing on the marketing cake. And now she owns her own business, The Boarding Bungalow. The place is all decked out in surfside gear, complete with bungalows, surf boards and waves. What a creative diva. She taught me so much my first job and I am lucky to have her in my life again down here in the big D.

3. Maridith and Sarah
The dynamic designing duo. I met these two at my restaurant marketing gig. It was really the first time I learned how to do creative concepting as a writer/designer team and how much power it could bring. These two girls are so talented. Even though they are two totally different people, they are both so talented in their own ways. They are artsy, creative and dang outright cute. They work their magic not on the dance floor, but on the computer with InDesign as their partner. They can layer, edit, draw, distort and recreate. They use their Wacoms and font libraries to create beautiful and amazing layouts that make you oh so happy. They make your headlines "Our chefs had a smackdown with vanilla" and "Hellooooooooo summer" sparkle and shine. (Even though sometimes I needed to correct their spelling, we'll let that slide. Details, details.)

4. Scotty B
I met Scotty B at Garmin. I've never met someone that is so passionate about his craft. He gives 110% to every project he tackles. He looks at life behind a lens and can twist and turn it to make just about anything super cool, interesting and full of emotion. I don't know much about videography or even how you do it. I just know he sits in the dark dungeon all day with two big screens pulling, clipping and editing raw video. The outcome is usually a kickin video that makes you laugh, cry, makes you proud or makes you wanna buy. Mission accomplished. Thanks for inspiring me even after I've moved on Scott, your passion for creativity is like a disease and you've managed to pass on the bug. It's like a gift that keeps on giving.

5. Martha Stewart
Yeah, yeah, let's just not take into consideration the small mishap with the law. Everyone makes mistakes. We should probably also bypass the fact that the woman seems to come off as a cold, heartless and stiff beotch. It doesn't matter, because she is a creative mastermind. She does it all - from baking to cooking to crafts to gardening. She has writes books, answers random quesitons on her own Sirius radio channel and shares ideas on her very own television show. And she makes the cutest freaking crafts on the planet. Her work is brilliantly simple, tasteful and out of the box. Like wedding favor boxes.

6. JK Rowling
Since we all know by now writing is my creative outlet, I had to throw a writer into my mix. JK Rowling is probably the most creative writer I know. Why? Because not only can she write (and I mean write write), I can't even begin to wrap my head around her fierce creativity. Harry Potter and the world she has created truly amazes me. She has come up with the game of Quidditch, an entire wizard language and personalities for about a gazillion characters. Amazing. So amazing.

6. Amy
Even though Amy is not in my field, she is artistically creative in so many ways. She covers the other creative side I don't. She plays choreographer, director, stage manager, costumer and set designer all in one and she's dang good at what she does. I should have known she was destined to do this when she would make me act out the musical Annie 45 times. It was the scene when she was playing Miss Hannigan and me Annie when she dragged me on the carpet for 31 feet across the house. Thanks Am, for giving scarring me for life to be deathly afraid of rug burn to this day. I also remember doing The Sound of Music, but the rug burn blocks out most everything else show-related we did. Oh, except that horrible fashion show we performed in the playhouse where she wanted me to wear a dress I didn't want to and threw a fit on camera. Being dramatic (GASP), she also spilled tea on the cameraman (aka dad). It was that day we witnessed the short fuse my dad had for the true art of drama. Be on the lookout for her someday, because she will soon be directing Broadway shows. And brilliantly, I might add!

Love is a decision.

2009-05-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Love is a decision.

And so is this blog entry. You can choose to make the decision to read it or ignore it. Please realize this is a very personal story that tells of my personal life and also includes my opinions, feelings and beliefs. Enter at your own risk.

As many of you have may or may not have speculated, the past 5 months of Jared and I’s marriage has been what you could call rocky. Scratch that, on the brink of death. Separated and very close to divorce only a few weeks ago. We have been through a lot of hurt, disappointment, mistrust, painful judgement and miscommunication. It has been extremely challenging to say the least, and many times, I was unsure which direction to go. In fact, for those that knew a little about what has been going on, this will be news to you. For others that had no idea, this will be even bigger news. I am a writer for a living, yet this writing is not for advertising or business purposes, it is from the heart. Therefore, it will have flaws and opinions you may or may not agree with. Why share it for the world to see? The answer is easy. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you. -Peter 5:6

I’m not looking for a pat on the back, or any kind of reward for sharing my story. In fact, I will most likely be judged and talked down upon. Some will think I am foolish, or that Jared and I are both foolish. I might even lose the support of some of my friends, but that’s alright with me. My life is mine to live. For so long, I have often worried about what others think of me and have always tried to live the norm, go with the flow and let others strongly influence my beliefs. At the age of 28, it’s time to take the reigns of my own life. God has moved me to write this, for whatever reason. If I can touch one hurting couple, that’s all I ask for. If I don’t, it will still be a healing tool for me, and hopefully my marriage.

Society promotes that divorce is acceptable, and it is okay to give up on it when you are faced with difficult situations, sadness or loneliness. I was a believer of divorce and thought it was totally fine, too. That if you weren’t happy, it was simple to get out and the answer was simply to get out. I am here to go against society and stand up for marriage. As a disclaimer, I will state I don’t believe all marriages should be saved. There are circumstances where divorce, in my mind, may be necessary. Everyone deserves to be happy as well as loved.

In the days leading up to the actual filing of our divorce, Jared and I met one evening to discuss custody arrangements, who would get the house and how we would go about filing and the divorce process. We talked about how we saw the future going as we tried to raise Dakota to the best of our abilities as single parents. This was the first time in 5 months we had sat down to have a discussion and actually communicate, believe it or not. After leaving our meeting, I thought I would feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. Like finally, decisions were being made and we could move on with our lives. Instead, I stayed up all night tossing and turning with an insane stress twitch in my lower left eye. This continued for days. Why was I feeling so much emptiness, sadness, stress and heartbreak? Shouldn’t the end being so near feel exhilarating? I spent 5 months making myself believe we were better off divorced, and how it would just be easier to start life anew considering the challenges and hurt we had been through. But the fact remained, whether I was willing to admit it or not: I knew my life would not be the same without my best friend, and I would miss him. And that I did in fact, never stop loving him.

In one last final attempt, I asked Jared to go to a weekend marriage retreat with me. He had asked me to go a while ago, but I just blew him off. In my mind, we were hopeless. After all, it was a program organized by the Catholic church and religion was a huge hurdle in our marriage. I didn’t want to spend a weekend being pressured to convert to Catholicism, or for them to tell me that if I was Catholic, I wouldn’t be having problems in the first place...the scenarios of the program ran the gamut in my mind, including thinking I would be locked into a room in a cult-like fashion and be forced to go through reconciliation. Okay, perhaps the last was a bit dramatic thinking on my part. I had read on their website many lawyers and judges send couples to the program as a prerequisite to filing for a divorce or rendering final decisions. In a way, I felt it one last final effort. I knew it wouldn’t be a miracle cure, but I had a hint of effort still left in me. I didn’t want to give up just quite yet.

Jared agreed to go, and the week leading up to the weekend was fairly nerve-racking. Much like preparing for a job interview or starting a new job, not having any idea what is in store for you or any indication of what will go on. It was like being lost in the dark, feeling for your way around.

As we walked up to check in, I had a feeling everyone was judging us. Going in, I knew we had many handicaps--knowing our past problems, me not being Catholic and us being young. But as I entered the gathering room, I was shocked at how many chairs were set up and the couples that were entering. There were sad couples, old couples, young couples, couples that would not even talk to each other and couples that were fake with each other. Couples I would later find out were already going through the divorce process and were awaiting their court date. Parents, atheists, career-driven workaholics. A feeling of ease and commodore took over me. What do you know, there ARE other couples out there that were on the brink just like us, couples that brought an insane amount of hurt too that weekend, willing to try with courage. Banners hung reading “The past is passed, let’s begin again”. There were boxes upon boxes of Kleenex at the ready, and right then and there, I realized this weekend was not going to be a cake walk.

Neither is marriage. Love is a decision.

Throughout the weekend, we listened to real life, heartbreaking stories of presenting couples. Stories you thought were completely in possible to overcome. We cried. We laughed. We struggled. We surrendered. We communicated. Communication was not something Jared and I had done well. In fact, the only things we “communicated” about was what to have for dinner, what was on TV or what Dakota ate that day. Communication is the #1 reason for divorce, that is no mystery. Jared and I were living proof of that and were about to become another statistic.

While details of the program wish to remain confidential, we walked away from the program feeling refreshed and encouraged with some tools that would help us get back on the right track with a lot of hard work and determination. We were hopeful, despite all the bad things that had happened to us. Despite all the hurt. In no way did the program provide a miracle cure or solve all our problems in one weekend. There is still a lot of hurt to heal. With ourselves, each other and with our families. Admitting faults and problems is hard to do as humans. So is feeling vulnerable. Worries and anxieties remain. After all, you are never 100% sure about any decision you make in life. But this program gave a few tools to communicate, hope for a better tomorrow, and provided us with the enlightenment that with God’s grace, anything is, in fact possible. Retrouvaille gave us the opportunities to open up and share our feelings with each other, even when we differ. It’s a simple concept, but one that is so easily lost or forgotten.

As we drove home from our weekend, we both knew the stresses of everyday, real life were waiting for us back home. What if we would slip back into laziness? What if we forgot the tools? Work, Dakota, dogs, house, bills, responsibilities. Again we became nervous and apprehensive. But for the first time in our 5 years of marriage, we were able to communicate with each other our feelings with each other and were encouraged to be open and honest and therefore, accepted. Because after all, isn’t that we really want in life? To be able to be accepted for who we are and accepted despite our flaws and whether our feelings are right or wrong?

One personality trait that has never faltered throughout my life is my optimism. Even when others try to drag me down with their pessimism and unpleasant outlook, I usually always try to find the positive side and the hope for a better future. Those other hurting couples were an inspiration for my own marriage, and knowing they were going through the same trials and tribulations was inspiring. I know we are not alone. I know now there are second chances in life, even third and fourths. I see obstacles as opportunities. I am seeking inner peace, one day at a time. God brought us to sit next to each other at Retrouvaille, that is no coincidence, for that I am certain. Perhaps we had to fall to the bottom before being brought back up for air. We have not finished the program, and we will never finish the work. I am not perfect. Jared is not perfect. Marriage is not 50/50, it is 100/100. It takes two. I am grateful for the hope I have and I’m looking forward to continuing the hard work of marriage with my husband, one communicative and forgiving day at a time. I pray that God will give us the blessings to change, to listen, to forgive, and most of all, hope that our marriage will heal and our family will remain whole and holy.

When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been too long
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snows
lies the seed
that with the sun's love
in the spring
becomes the rose.

On the way home from our weekend, I ironically saw a billboard advertising a lawyer that stated “complete divorce: $500”. If it were writing a Master Card commercial, I would end that with “saving your marriage: priceless.”

Thank you for taking the time to read my note. If you have gotten this far, I thank you for being open minded and willing to read my voice. I would also like to thank my family and friends for being supportive regardless of the decisions I make in my life and standing by me. That takes a lot of strength, and supporting without judgement regardless of decisions made is insanely beautiful. And thank you Jared, for taking that leap of faith and sitting next to me at the retreat.

If you have any questions about the Retrouvaille program, please feel free to contact me or Jared. No questions asked, and without judgement. You can also visit their site at www.retrouvaille.org.

It's been a long time.

2008-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted here. Don't blame me - I've just been dealing with every sickness on the face of the planet the past month. Along with daycare comes a hoard of germs that brings every illness home with Dakota. Her and I are just now getting over the same cold. So as I sit hacking a lung in my office, I'm hoping this is the last of the sicknesses for a while. Here's hopin....

Wii Wii!

2008-10-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2008 has crept on me so fast. By this time, I am usually done and ready to go. I save the wrapping until December to get in the spirit, but shopping with insane crowds last minute in December does not get me "in the spirit" so I try to finish early. This weekend, I started to have a freak-out thinking about how I have NO GIFTS yet. Okay, I take that back, I have a few. Okay, actually everything I am getting for Dakota is in the guest closet, but I digress....

On Saturday, I decide it's time to buy Jared's. He is at work, so it's a perfect opp to get online and find the best deal on what I'm getting him. I realize this gift is impossible to buy online. So I proceed to spend the next 6 hours watching bids on eBay. What??? Yes, I know, it's a little crazy. Nevermind eBay, I can find one myself! Challenge!

I woke up super early on Sunday morning to scour the ads online to find a Wii. From what I had researched, you had to see if stores were advertising them and if you saw them in the ad, it meant they had a few in stock and was instructed to "jump in the car and head to the store". Upon researching the ads, I found no one advertising the Wii except Kmart. Well, there are no Kmarts in Dallas. Darn. But I got in the car anyway, knowing I am a crazy person when it comes to finding some kind of shopping bargain or must-have and head out.

Stop 1: Target. This is my go-to store for everything. It's close to home, they were bound to come through for me. Right? Negative. No Wii. No one even in the store to ask. It's so dang early I can't even find a soul.

Stop 2: Walmart. Super nice Asst. Manager but no super nice Wii. He helped me locate 2 stores with a few in stock "nearby".

Stop 3: Route nuvi to Walmart (Neighborhood Market). What? This was supposed to be a regular Walmart. Pretty sure the grocery store does not carry Wiis.

Stop 4: Route to Walmart in Ghetto Garland. Find an old Hypermart that is now abandoned. Thanks, nuvi.

Call for back-up at this point: my mom is on stand-by ready to head to her local Kmart to find one because they were advertising them in their ad. She looks up said Walmart location and by this time, I am practically in Downtown Dallas. Hop back on to I-30 towards home and stop in at my 4th Walmart. SUCCESS! After the poor sales guy is in the back of Walmart searching for about 30 minutes, I get the bundle and am on my way.

I arrive home and the fam is awake. Jared is curious and has no clue what I was on the hunt for. I think of the exciting game sitting in my car, lonely and sad. Wait - I have to wait for two months to give him this thing? Oh boy...you know how I am with waiting. I say, you want it? He says yes. I say no you don't! He says you are right. I say are you surrrrrreeee? I start getting excited. He starts getting excited. But I'm thinking there is in no way Mr. Christmas is going to go for this. I tell him I'm going to the car to get it. He says he thinks he knows what it is. So that was a done deal. I couldn't wait to play it or to show him my exciting find. Christmas for Jared came a few months early, but it was worth it.

Although, I'm not sure his idea of a Christmas present is me whooping him up on boxing. And yes, I beat him. At boxing. It's true! And now we have two more games on the way: Cooking Mama (for me, of course) and MLB Baseball. Can't wait! Is it sad I have sore pecks from playing this thing?

For those who don't know, the Wii is a gaming console from Nintendo. After being out for over 2 years, they are still in high demand and hard to find. The Wii offers interactive gaming for the whole family, with controllers that are motion-sensored so you are actually "playing" the game. It is really fun and super addictive!

11 Things I Love About Dallas.

2008-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

1. Ranch dressing on EVERYTHING.
2. Chips, salsa and margaritas.
3. It's fall and still warm outside.
4. The mild winters I'm looking forward to.
5. Unsweetened ice tea.
6. Cool things to do.
7. The diversity.
8. Every restaurant serves Dr. Pepper.
9. All the Dunkin Donuts that are opening.
10. The great shopping.
11. Coach outlet!

Fall festival.

2008-10-19T05:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we went to our local nursery's fall festival. It was beautiful outside and we had a lot of fun. I wanted one picture of Dakota in front of a bunch of pumpkins, but as you can see in the photos, that just wasn't happening. She loved the petting zoo and was not scared at all. In fact, she wanted to touch the goats, baby pigs, chickens and even a mean bird. She loved it!

You can view the pictures here:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZtm7Rm1bsmToY

Dakota's first step!

2008-10-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Dakota took her first steps tonight, and luckily, Daddy, Mommy and Grandma were all there to witness it! It was pretty darn cool. All of a sudden, she was standing and just WENT. The first time, she took about 3 or 4 steps. By the time we got the camera, she was pretty much over it, but I was trying really hard to get her to do and she took 1 step for the camera. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen. I can't believe how amazing it is to see your baby walk for the first time. Enjoy!

*I am experiencing technical difficulties at the moment, will try to upload it tomorrow - sorry!*

Jayhawk representation.

2008-10-14T17:43:00.001-07:00

Oh yeah, and I'm currently on the hunt for massive amounts of KU gear for my office. That place is chalked full of Aggie/Longhorn crap!

ROCK CHALK!

cold hands, big office and nice people.

2008-10-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have officially started my job (in the office). Day 2 is complete and it's safe to say I will indeed be returning for my third day. It's been great so far. My office is ridiculously large with a huge window. It's a little overwhelming, but hey, I might as well love it, they aren't moving me anytime soon. Although, the atmosphere is a little like I would imagine the Antartic to be. AKA FREEZING. Luckily, I was able to bring in my space heater and had that thing running on high blast all day. Much better. The people are nice, the environment is laid back and it appears as if I'm going to be keeping very busy writing a lot of copy and coordinating the entire marketing department and all the projects that occur on a daily basis. I feel great about it!

Dakota is doing great with Grandma Schreiner. She has not missed me at all,which I'm thankful for, really. It's great to have someone watch her who loves her and plays with her all the time!

Jared is currently painting Dakota's room. Pictures to come!

before and after comparison.

2008-10-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

Before:

After:

new front yard.

2008-10-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

So Jared and I decided to be ambitious this weekend and do a little front yard makeover. We planted a crepe myrtle, 3 bright orange lilies, pansies and 5 new mums! We also bought a beautiful orange potted mum. We put down black mulch and also put in a new border around the palm. (Please notice how awesome the palm looks now!) We think it looks pretty darn good, especially with dad's new white paint job on the trim around the house! We also put up some Halloween decor with pumpkin lights, orange bush lights and a fall wreath. Next projects include fertilizing the yard and killing the bad grass and weeds. Then we will start on the back.

starting in style.

2008-10-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

In honor of starting work next week, I went for a last minute outing this afternoon while Jared watched Dakota. I don't typically post on here everytime I make a purchase, but I thought I would share these precious gems with my fashionitas who read my blog. Check em out, aren't they cute? And they are comfy, which is also very attractive.

Good thing for coffee.

2008-10-09T08:57:00.001-07:00

What a way to start my morning. A reminder email from Ticketmaster informing me my Ben Folds concert is soon! WOOT!

I have become a big fan of coffee these days. Scratch that - more like creamer (with a hint of coffee). I got hooked on the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and then Amy introduced me to the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Light (with skim milk, of course). Man, these things are heavenly and I hear the Gingerbread is even more delicious that comes out in November. Great. I really enjoy dropping $3.74 on a tall coffee (aka small).

Also, there is a brand new Dunkin Donuts opening about ohhhh a block from my new work, so that is going to be fabulous. Dunkin coffee is the BEST. And, hello, we can't fail to mention the make a mean chocolate cake donut and strawberry frosted.

In an attempt to save some cash, I bought a really cute pink coffee canister at Target the other day and decided to get started on the right foot by NOT spending my lunch money on a coffee every morning. I can be a barista, too, right? So I bought some Dunkin French Vanilla coffee and my favorite Coffeemate liquid creamer (vanilla caramel) and I must say, it's pretty tasty! And for the price of one Starbucks drink, I can make my own coffee for a good two weeks.

We'll see how long this lasts when I'm running late and pass a convenient Starbucks drive-thru on my way in next week.

Koty!

2008-10-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

BEN FOLDS!!!

2008-10-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

I know the majority of my audience has no clue who Ben Folds is. And that is okay. But what you need to know about me is, I am a HUGE Ben Folds fan! He is an insanely amazing musical artist who rocks out (and I mean REALLY rocks out) on the piano and is an unbelievably talented musician. I have every song on my iPod he has ever written (yes, he writes his own music) and have been to every concert he has performed in the 90 mile radius of my location.

Well, the highlight of my MONTH most definitely is going to be....
the Ben Folds concert in Dallas on October 23!!!!

Luckily, Grandma Schreiner will be here watching Dakota so Jared and I can go out and have a date night. I cannot wait for this concert. We went a few years ago when he came to the Lied Center and that venue was so huge, it was hard to really get up close and personal (although still amazing of course!). This time, he is a more intimate venue where we will get to see him rock out on the pearly white keys and I couldn't be more excited.

First day at work.

2008-10-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, even though I technically didn't go into my new office, I started work today from home. Even though I only have 3 projects on my plate at the moment, I feel slammed being here with Layla, Addie, Maggie (doggy-sitting) and Dakota. And not to mention a mound of paperwork to fill out. I contributed my first official blog post today for my company.

On a lighter note, I am very excited about Grandma Schreiner coming to be with Dakota for two weeks until her brand new school officially opens. She has agreed to come down and watch her starting this weekend while I start my new job. We feel blessed to have Grandma be here and I have a feeling it's going to be a much easier transition for all of us!

Off to finish a press release...

Getting ready.

2008-10-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

I am now obsessed with my newly purchased planner. See here:

http://www.target.com/Franklin-Undated-Compact-3-Color-Organizer/dp/B0011ZTM8E/sr=1-11/qid=1223064773/ref=sr_1_11/601-7968000-7247322?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Afranklin%20covey&page=1

I love it. It's pink and brown most importantly. And yes, I'm old school and enjoy writing things down the old-fashioned way in my planner. I have a phone that does just about everything but walk my dogs, but I just can't get into the technology planning.

In other news, the Schreiners have been preparing for our new transition. Jared and I have been interviewing daycares and we have it narrowed down to three locations. All three we feel very comfortable with and Dakota has even been able to go into her classroom and play to see what she thinks of it. She has immediately began playing and talking and really could care less if we were in there. It's probably going to be harder on mommy....

This weekend, we plan on cleaning and organizing the house. I have made a few* purchases in preparation for my new job and am trying to get my life organized. I am having a little anxiety about trying to be the perfect mom, wife and career woman, but I just have to realize there will be days where I fail and stuff will be left undone. Life goes on as long as I remember what is important in life: my family.

My posts might be sparse in the next few weeks. My company has called me and asked to start on Monday instead of Oct. 13 from home so I will be working on projects starting this weekend. Nothing like jumping right in!

Did you miss me?

2008-10-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

No, I have not fallen off the face of the planet. No, the birthday cake did not eat me. I am still here, fear not. Barely moving, but still here. I have been going non-stop for over a week now and I'm finally ready to enjoy the next two weeks relaxing and having fun with my family. Before I head back to the real world.

Yep, you read right: I am headed back to work, kids. I am very excited about the future and am excited to see where it takes our family. For those of you who didn't know, I interviewed for two completely different positions for a few weeks: one was the assistant director at a new daycare opening up by our house and the other was a marketing coordinator/copywriter position at a fast growing software company. After many prayers, discussion and sleepless nights going back and forth, I decided to go with the software company. The idea of being in the same building as my daughter during the day seemed nice, but when you factored in the extremely low pay, long 12-hour days and not really being able to be with Dakota, it didn't look so pretty anymore. I start my new job Oct. 13 and the company seems very successful and very fun. I get my own office, incredible benefits for my entire family, 3 weeks of vacation and not to mention, beer stocked in the fridge, catered lunch and breakfast, games and fun people who a lot of kids of their own. We have been looking for a daycare (WHOOPS - scratch that - we are calling it "school") for a few weeks now and have toured a few places. We have it narrowed down to three schools where we feel very comfortable leaving Dakota for the day. The interaction with other children will be great for her and so will the stimulation. The schools we are looking at offer a curriculum based program in which the children learn as well as play to stimulate their little minds! We are very excited about that. The great thing about my new job is my boss is very flexible with my hours. He is pretty much leaving them up to me, so I'm hoping I can get in there fairly early in the morning so I can leave early in the afternoon to pick her up.

Although this was not the original plan when Dakota was born, I am happy with the way things are going and nothing is permanent. I hope that this will be great for everyone - we can have a little money to be able to go to the zoo with Dakota, I can get back into my career field and Dakota can make some new friends and learn new things in a safe, fun environment.

I will be posting pictures from the big party soon!

1 year pictures!

2008-09-18T19:47:00.001-07:00

Click to view them here:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZtm7Rm1bsmTmg

A year ago.

2008-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic and emotional these days. A year ago at this time, fall was in the air back in Kansas. I was finishing up my last few days at Garmin. I remember being very large, very pregnant and very uninterested in work. I could hardly make it through an 8 hour day at my desk and would have to go home early to take a nap. That office chair was killer and I didn't think I could make it much longer....

Little did I know my life was about to change for the better, forever....

Yep, you guessed it. Dakota is about to turn 1. On September 28, she will turn the big 1. And while I am extremely excited she is about to meet this big milestone in her life, as a mother I am extremely...I don't know what the word is. Not sad - that's not it. I'm not sad she is turning 1. Maybe bittersweet. My little girl is growing up.

She has changed so quickly right before my eyes. I can't believe how big she is getting and how fast she is learning. It's amazing to watch her see new things in the world, and I just want to shelter her forever and never let her grow up. Yet, I want her to grow up and turn into a woman I am proud of. I want to see her play her first t-ball game. I want to see her first ballet recital. I want to get her all dressed up for her first day of school. But I don't want any of that to happen too fast. As a mom, I want to see her hit milestones, yet I don't. For instance, last night, she stood unassisted for about 15 seconds. I sat there in awe and couldn't believe this little petite 17-pound girl was standing all by herself. At times, I can't wait for her to walk and can't resist thinking about how cute it's going to be to hear little pitter-patter of feet in the mornings. But that means growing up is hard to do...for mom, too.

Giving birth to Dakota tops my life list for all-time best ever events (besides getting married, of course!) I have a feeling her 1st birthday will be a close follower. My mama always made sure my birthdays were so special, with the coolest cakes decorated by her, the presents I dreamed of and a special day with the most talked about parties. I hope Dakota's 1st will be one to remember, too.

I love you Dakota! You will always be my baby girl.

The life as a stay-at-home mom.

2008-09-16T16:47:00.001-07:00

A man came home from work and found his two children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?" ''Yes," was his incredulous reply. She answered,"Well, today I didn't do it."

New layout.

2008-09-14T19:32:00.001-07:00

As you will see, I have a new fall-themed blog layout. I am ready for fall! The heat has FINALLY laid off a bit (80s all week) so I am ready for pumpkin season! (Not so much the football, though.) We took a walk tonight and it was so beautiful. We realized we need to start spending more time outside and also realized we have some very friendly people in our neighborhood! BRING ON THE CANDY CORN.

Another week begins.

2008-09-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend was really good. Jared worked a short day Friday and was off Saturday, and had a short morning again today. We were able to go out to dinner Friday night with some new faces from Jared's residency at a delicious Mexican restaurant in Uptown, Uncle Julio's. Yesterday, since Ike was upon us and brought crazy rain and wind, we stayed in and got some stuff done around the house. I am cleaning out Dakota's room, organizing toys and packing away "baby" clothes to make room for the new toys that are coming in just a few short weeks for the big birthday. I had her 1-year pictures scheduled, but with the rain, I decided to postpone them until next week. I have a lot of projects ahead of me this week. I am trying to finish Dakota's 1-year scrapbook in time for her birthday, but this is going to be a huge challenge. We shall see if I can accomplish it. Wish me luck!

Maroon 5 Concert.

2008-09-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, Scott very graciously volunteered to babysit for us so Jared and I could attend the Maroon 5/Counting Crows/Augustana concert. It was nice to get out with the hubby and enjoy a date night. We shared a meal at our favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, Pancho & Lefty's and then hit Fair Park. $15 later for parking (insane), we found an open spot in the grass and parked on our blanket. Augustana was pretty good, Maroon 5 was awesome. Counting Crows was the headlining act and while Jared and I enjoy their music, we aren't huge fans. So due to the insane amount of smoke and Jared having to wake up at 4 a.m., we decided to head home. It was a nice evening, though! Next time, we probably will think twice about an outdoor venue like that. While it's nice to enjoy the weather and sit in the grass, it's awfully hard to concentrate on the bands when everyone is talking and walking all around you.

Ben Folds is coming to Dallas October 23. We are dying to go (my favorite artist, hands down) but not sure if we can swing a sitter. We shall see!

dog days of summer.

2008-09-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

We ventured to Target this morning to buy a few home goods. They were having some great sales (shocking!) and almost everything I bought was on clearance, including this PRECIOUS strawberry doggy bed. I felt like there needed to be two in the office, since when I'm working, they both fight over the one that's already in here. Layla appears to be a little large for the bed, but doesn't seem to phase her. At all. Besides, she likes being able to look out the window. Notice closely her collar. It has strawberries on it, too and matches the pet bed. Too cute for words.

A good day.

2008-09-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today, Dakota and I ventured up to the Allen Outlets, my favorite spot in Dallas to shop. They have great stores there, all outlets which is even better. Nike, Baby Gap, Gap, Carters, Coach, J Crew, Fossil, Banana Republic, Childrens Place and the Cosmetics Store are my favorites. As you can see, there are lots of good stores there. I managed to buy Dakota a really cute outfit for her birthday and a few tops for me at Gap. It is nearly impossible to find tops I like, for some strange reason. I guess I am just picky.

We had lunch with Uncle Scott at Tin Star, a fabulous tex mex restaurant. I've never been there before, but with the salsa bar and amazing tacos, I'm sure to go back real soon.

On our way home, we stopped off at Toys R Us to see if I could wrap up D's birthday presents. Well, as I was pulling in, I noticed the store was closing. Bad news: it is the closest store to us, still almost 30 minutes away. Good news: there was a great sale today. I managed to pick up a pink princess see and say, a pink medical kit (can't wait to show Daddy!), a pink corn popper and a great deal on a disney princess toy organizer. Notice a theme here?

I got home and was determined to put this toy organizer together myself. Jared and I had just discussed how we needed something for her room because the living room was getting a bit out of control with all the toys. Dad, you would be proud! I put it together all by myself with a very curious and interested baby trying to help. Pictures below. So, today was a success. I managed to find some great deals to wrap up Dakota's birthday presents and organize and clean up the house a bit.

I think we are done with Dakota's birthday. Yesterday, on Daddy's day off, we went to Target so he could pick out a toy for her birthday. Of course, he picks out the biggest Mickey Mouse airplane rider there. It is really cool, though. So as the guest room is piled high with goodies, it's safe to say we are D-O-N-E. (Famous last words.)

Dakota and the Carousel.

2008-09-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

We took Dakota to the carousel for the first time this past weekend. She wasn't really sure what to think. But we had fun, anyway!

Might as well be a zoo.

2008-09-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Please tell me every homeowner encounters this many animals in their house.
I am beginning to really wonder about our house....and wonder if this is normal.

Last night, around 11:30 p.m., I started packing Jared's lunch and meal planning in the kitchen for the week. As I was making my grocery list, I noticed out of the corner of my eye something race from the sink area under the fridge. Great. I thought maybe it was just my imagination, since it was so late and I was tired. I hear some rustling and it comes out, and goes back in again. It appears to be a HUGE "frog". I scream. Natural reaction, I suppose. The dogs are in the bedroom with Jared, who has to get up at 4 a.m. for work. They start barking. I run into the bedroom and politely scream at Jared to get up, get up, there's a "frog" in the kitchen. He's not the happiest camper. In a trance, he crawls out of bed and walks out to the living room. The dogs immediately think there is an animal under the entertainment center and start hunting in that area. Probably because we have had, oh, 15 animals hide out under there in the past 2 weeks. I swear to Jared it was under the fridge, so he calls Layla and goes over to move the fridge. No "frog".

All of a sudden, we see something scurry from the kitchen into the dining room and camp out under the corner bookshelf. The "frog" was on the move. Jared politely, calmly and quietly tells me a bit of shocking news. His words: "Hun, I hate to tell you this, but that's not a "frog"."

You are now probably wondering what kind of creature it really is.

Well. I can not-so-calmly tell you. IT. WAS. A. MOUSE.

Great. I start freaking out and Jared's moves the bookshelf. The "frog" (aka mouse) runs across the living room and into the laundry room, with Addie and Layla right on its tail. Jared enters the laundry room with a cup in hand, being the great, courageous husband he is. I hear a LOT of banging, sniffing, scuffing and moving of items. I am now standing on top of the couch, literally saying a prayer that they catch this nasty rodent. A few minutes pass and they exit the crime scene. No mouse. Jared thinks it went into a duct. GREAT. So now there is a mouse. In our house. As soon as Dakota wakes up from her nap, we are going to get mouse traps. YUCK.

Of course after that I can't fall asleep because all I am thinking about is how this mouse is going to jump up in my bed and gnaw me with its evil teeth all night.

Layla, our great hunting dog!

2008-08-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last night.
Ready for bed.
Leave office, turn off lights.
Hear Layla in the living room, running around.
Turn on light.
See something on carpet.
Walk closer.
See baby lizard on carpet.
See baby lizard not moving on carpet.
See Layla wagging her tail, saying "aren't you proud of me mommy, I caught a baby lizard!"
Pick up lizard with paper towel, throw him out back.
Thank God for Layla, my hunting dog.

Same thing happens tonight. Luckily, Jared was the one to be involved. He let the dogs out, let them back in and closes the door. He feels something on his head, looks down, and a lizard scatters across the kitchen. He calls for Layla, who immediately runs over to sick the lizard. Lizard runs under the fridge. Jared pulls the fridge out and tells Layla to get the lizard. Layla runs behind the fridge, scoops up the lizard and proudly prances into the living room and puts him down on the rug. Jared walks over and lizard's tail falls off (it's their defense mechanism). Layla goes after the tail (it's still moving) instead of the rest of the lizard, who tears off under the entertainment center. Jared pulls out the entertainment center and Layla once again retrieves the lizard and brings it to the middle of the rug. Jared scoops it up and throws him outside.

We are so proud of Layla!!!

I'm not a slob, I promise.

2008-08-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

Just very....busy. Being creative.

I questioned whether to post this picture or not. For fear my friends and family might think that I have become a hermit, messy and not caring what the place looked like. But, I have decided to go for it. Who cares. So what, my office is a disaster right now. I have very good reason: I am planning a very important birthday extravaganza. But, alas, don't fear...a few of my goals this weekend include:

1. cleaning the office.

2. purchasing a new camera.

3. applying for jobs.

This anxiously awaited holiday weekend by so many employees across the country has left me and Dakota a little bored and non-excited. Jared works an overnight tonight as well as Monday night. Oh well, we shall get things accomplished! Go forth and clean, Erin!

On a lighter note, apparently the key to being a green thumb is being lazy. I went out back for the first time since I got back from Kansas, and it appears my mint plant has come back to life and in a big way and my pepper plant is taking over the entire garden. Oh, and half my rose is green! And what I thought was an ugly plant left behind appears to bud really beautiful bright red tropical-looking flowers. Cool!

Meet Margarita Casey!

2008-08-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to our family, Amy and Scott's new puppy! It's a Morkie (a mix between a Maltese and Yorkie). She is precious and I get to go dog-sit tonight!

Just call me Martha.

2008-08-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

I love being crafty and creative. It makes my world go 'round. Today, I started a list because I have so many creative projects going. Here are the things on my list:

1. Dakota's birthday party invites (check)
2. Dakota's tutu (gotta get it done in 1 month!)
3. Dakota's 1 year scrapbook (gotta get it done in 1 month!)
4. Dakota's party favor bags (more to come on this later)
5. Libby's scrapbook (so close to being done)
6. Maggie's blanket

Better get creating.

whoops.

2008-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that. Here are some of the fun things we have been up to since our return home to Dallas.

Sleeping:

Eating:

Staring:

Organizing:

Riding:

World Famous Topeka Zoo!

2008-08-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

My week back in Kansas has been busy and has gone really fast. The theme of my week is squeeze. I have managed to squeeze a lot in in just a few short days and have a few more days left to squeeze in even more. Tomorrow, I am headed to Kansas City to squeeze in a lot of stuff. You get the idea.

Today, Grandpa, Dakota and I ventured to the World Famous Topeka Zoo! It was a lot of fun. Dad says he's not sure who had more fun, mom or baby, but I think it's a toss up. My favorite was the orangutans and sad gorilla, even though it made me sad to see him so bored. My least favorite part was the rainforest. I hate birds. We then lunched at BoBo's...yum!

Here are some favorite pictures from the adventure.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Colds, rain, expensive strollers and salmon.

2008-08-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Schreiner family enjoyed a day with daddy home. Dakota woke with a runny nose and we thought it was just her allergies. Jared went to Walgreens to fill her script and we thought we were set. I was able to go the grocery store for a little break and was able to move through the aisles much quicker without Dakota. Jared was planning on mowing our forest, but alas, Mother Nature decided she would bring Dallas some much-needed rain yesterday. I think it was the first time it rained since we have moved here. Crazy.

We were planning on going up to Amy and Scott's to meet the new addition to the family, Margarita the Morkie, but Dakota got progressively worse through the day. She was cranky, stuffy, runny-nosed and rubbing her eyes like crazy so we decided to stay home.

Around 5, we got a little restless with the rain and overall laziness, so we headed up to Babies R Us to look for a new stroller. Our big Graco is great, but it is big. If we travel, it takes up most of our trunk space. We bought a cheapy umbrella stroller about 6 months ago to use on short trips. I find myself using this a lot more since she is getting bigger and there is more stuff to transport (it's also easier to push through aisles). However, Dakota HATES the thing. She squirms around and flips over and does anything she can to get out of the thing. I eventually end up holding her, trying to drive to the stroller and look at clothes at the same time, which is not very easy to do. I researched a lot of umbrella strollers, and of course, the one everyone said to get was the most expensive one out there. I thought nah, we don't need that one. Well, what do you know, that was the ONE STROLLER Dakota didn't mind being in at Babies R Us. I think that may be waiting until I get a scrapbook order or two :)

We came home and put Dakota to bed. Jared then made delicious salmon for dinner. I told him he needed to be chef more often! It was very tasty! But alas, he is back at work today so his life as a chef will have to wait.

Fun family time. Finally!

2008-08-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jared got home after call around 2:00. Everyone was really excited to see him. We wanted to go do something fun, so we headed up to Central Market to buy a few grocery delights. The store is GREAT and has amazing fresh food. They make a lot of stuff in the store from aunthentic tamales to breads to homemade tortillas. They have a huge variety of wine, cheese and also have a condiments bar where you can fill your plastic containers with olives, homemade dips, salsas and guac. YUM!

We went home with a few cheese blocks, some fruit, a piece of salmon Jared is going to grill tonight and some salsas.

Here is Dakota outside the store on a giant eggplant. She wasn't so sure about it, but Daddy was there to assure her she was safe with him!

Potential job.

2008-08-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Now that I have fully launched my business and just applied for my official business license, a potential job has rolled in. Figures.

I told you all about going to meet with a creative recruiter here in town. There is an ad agency looking for a mid-sr. level copywriter and they submitted my portfolio to them. I got a call from my recruiter today and she said the owner thought I had an "interesting slant" to my writing and it was very "experimental". Whatever that means. She said he was really impressed with what he saw and heard (print and broadcast samples). This agency has clients such as Petmate, ColorTyme, Don Pablo, Taco Cabana, Rosewood Hotels and Anheuser-Busch.

He wanted to see if I wanted to meet with him and talk about a potential opportunity there. She was pretty sure he was wanting to bring me on full-time. They submitted me for freelance, so she said he might be open to that. She told me the salary range he could offer. And I must admit, it's pretty tempting. I told her I would meet with him, couldn't hurt. And then I hung up and walked out to Dakota munching on her animal crackers, thinking there is no way I could leave her to go work full-time. I can't imagine shipping her off to a daycare wondering what she was doing all day. But...we need some kind of income from me, one way or another. So we will see what he has to offer me. I'm really only open to freelance.

ANYBODY NEED A SCRAPBOOK?!?!??!?!?! They make great gifts! :)

i've got a good system going!

2008-08-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, I stayed up to organize my "office" and also started on my first real business project! A scrap album. I am very excited to be actually working. In the mail today is my official "Doing Business As" form so I'm ready to roll with advertising! One of the first things I'm going to do is contact the local hospitals to see if I can put a flyer in the "mom" packets.

Yesterday, I managed to snag a great deal on a car seat for Jared's car, make brownies, M&M cookies and two pans of lasagna! I was on a roll. I feel like I'm back into my groove with keeping up on the house, laundry, meals, Dakota and work. Now I just need to make some money and we will be golden!

I also bought a few things for Dakota for the fall. I can't believe I am buying 12 mo. clothes! I am headed to Hobby Lobby today to start a fun sewing project. I'll be sure to post a picture when I'm done. If it looks good, that is.

New clothes!

Me and my puppy

See my teeth!?!?!?

Yum.

A trip home.

2008-08-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

We just returned last night from visiting our old home - Overland Park, Kansas. We made a last minute trip up specifically to see Adam, Jared's brother and it was nice to see the family and spend time with everyone, even though it was a short trip.

We realized we miss:
trees
the small town feel of Kansas City
not having to drive 14 hours to get to Costco
Houlihan's
our church
familar faces
knowing where everything is
family

Jared had no break, as he had to be at work this morning at 7 and is on call tonight. I have a feeling tomorrow when he gets home he will be sleeping the remainder of the day. I was able to get to the grocery store today (Finally!) and actually have meals planned out for the week! Now if I could only tackle that dishwasher....

Happy Belated Birthday, Uncle Dean!

2008-07-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Work.

2008-07-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

I stayed up late last night (again) trying to get a PDF portfolio together for my rep at Creative Circle. FINALLY, at 2:00 a.m. I was done and figured out how to make the file small enough to send to her. It was quite a process.

I am busy today researching ways to advertise my business. I am looking into setting up a booth at the Heart of Texas Arts + Crafts Show here in Garland in September. I am also attending a mixer Thursday night (hosted by TheBump.com) to network with other small business owners that target moms and pregnant moms-to-be to get my name out there I do scrapbooks and birth announcements.

I have a list of advertising ideas going...anyone want to add to them? I know some of you are creative....come on! It's easy to post a comment....I would love some input! (ahem, Melissa, my advertising guru!)

it's a hot one.

2008-07-27T14:31:00.001-07:00

just would like to point out my weather temp on the right site here...it's reading 101 in Rowlett, Texas. Phew!

Another birthday...

2008-07-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

I believe I have another Uncle who's birthday was yesterday....don't think you got out of it that easily, did you Uncle Dean? Picture coming! Stay tuned.... :)

Happy Belated Birthday!

2008-07-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

To my Uncle Rick! I won't post your age, don't worry. Hope you had a great one!

I wonder who Dakota looks like in the family...

2008-07-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

and where she gets that open mouth thing?

She already knows...

2008-07-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

...what she wants for her birthday!

Clearly not a green thumb.

2008-07-26T08:11:00.001-07:00

I try to be a domestic goddess. I really do. But being a green thumb just apparently isn't for me. I have tried. The one time I had a plant in our old townhouse, Layla destroyed it. Dirt everywhere. I had an "African Violet" (not really sure if I would call it that, more like a dead weed) for the longest time in my window sill. We tried to plant a little garden with tomatoes. The green onions got so big that they overtook the garden and became weeds because I never pulled them. My rose Jared got me was the only thing that survived the doom of Erin. I didn't touch that thing, and it would bloom religiously every spring with hundreds of beautiful buds. When we moved into our new house, I thought it would be fun to plant a lot of flowers. After 2 months of residing here, the only thing left standing is my palm tree.

Not really, but it's getting dangerously close to plant funeral time here. My rose is looking really, really sad. I thought it was going to overcome the traumatic 500-mile move, but now it's looking brown again. My hanging baskets are a wreck, I water them, the leaves turn yellow, so I stop watering them, and then they basically die. My house plant my mother-in-law graciously gave me for Mother's Day is still hanging in, but every time I turn around, there is a brown leave hanging off of it. My African Violet will not bloom. YOU GET MY DRIFT.

So I spent a significant amount of time this morning outside, weeding and watering and feeding my plants. But, alas, my good old palm tree! That thing loves to be tortured and neglected and I love it! It does have a dead leaf on it and I'm not sure what to do about it. Do I leave it or cut it off? Can't find much online.

I am really sad because my mint plant is almost dead. I'm not sure what happened, but I really wanted to use my mint for mojitos. However, the good news is my jalapeno plant is still going strong and I even picked a bright red jalapeno today! I might just use it in my taco salad I'm making tonight for dinner. I guess I should be thankful for a good jalapeno, since the salmonella scare and all.

Perhaps next spring I will save my money and buy some other yard decorations besides flowers.

Coach update.

2008-07-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

#236...and I'm now on the newly popular list. I gotta get to the top 100 to be considered by Coach representatives and possibly be chosen...keep spreadin the link love!

Introducing Erin Lee Creative.

2008-07-24T13:59:00.001-07:00

My business has officially launched! Check it out here:

http://www.erinleecreative.com/

Coach...

2008-07-24T11:20:00.001-07:00

#326....

Coach design!

2008-07-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's the little things in life. Either that, or I get easily excited. Yesterday, I entered myself into the design a Coach tote contest. Fully knowing there is no chance I would ever win, I love playing around with my new design software, and this was a great project to allow me some practice. And of course, I love designing. Anyway....I just went to the page and my tote is already ranked #954 out of 2267 entries! I'm not sure if that really even means anything, but it sounds promising, since yesterday it started out at the very bottom. And someone (even though it was probably one of my beloved blog readers) made a really sweet comment on my bag. Sweet!

Down time.

2008-07-23T19:04:00.001-07:00

It's 9:02. The toys are picked up. The kitchen is clean from the spaghetti buffet. The laundry is in the wash. Dakota is fast asleep. Jared and the dogs are fast asleep. The plants are watered. (The outcome of the rose is still TBD.) I sit in my office, where I have spent the past couple of weeks working late at night. I feel so at home in here. Looking at my desk, I'm trying to figure out what to do first: make a few last adjustments to my website, get my PDF portfolio together I promised my recruiter today or fill out some lovely government paperwork to get my social security card, passport, birth certificate and marriage license. (That's a whole other story.*) The night is mine. But so much to do.

This afternoon after getting ready, doing my hair and actually putting on dress clothes (and heels! gasp!), I ventured downtown to meet with a rep from Creative Circle. They are a placement agency for "creatives" in Dallas. They also have offices in Chicago, LA, Miami and New York. I was excited, not nervous, to get back into the advertising game and show off my work to someone that pretended to be interested in my 32-page annual report, among other work. She seemed impressed by my book and is going to send out my credentials to her contacts. Basically a "hey Dallas, there's a new copywriter in town" ploy. The position I initially went in for I was told is for a crazy huge agency where they make their creatives work 100 hours a week and she said I would never get to see my daughter. Um, no thanks. NEVERMIND. Not worth it. Even with the high salary she threw at me. So we will see where it gets me, perhaps nowhere. She said it will be hard finding work for someone that wants to stay at home. WHAT? News flash: this is not news. But at least I know I still got the right stuff, as NKOTB would say.

So, back to business. I am so excited to get my website finally up and running, and I am working hard and quickly to get it DONE. I can't wait to start advertising my business, getting some creative work and being a real business owner. Setting my own hours and making some money. Yee haw!

*Regarding my insane new obession with getting all my "legal" documents together...last night, as I was compiling stuff for my interview, I realized I had nothing to prove I was actually a U.S. citizen. My driver's license was it. And it wasn't even current. I have my passport, with my old name. No social security card, lost that months ago. No birth certificate. No marriage license. What? Where was all this stuff? So...needless to say, I am working like crazy to get all this stuff back into my possession. Unfortunately, the smart government is not so smart. Because to get your social security card, you must have your driver's license. And to get your DL, you must have your birth certificate. And to get your birth certificate you must have your blood drawn and urine sampled. And to get your passport updated, you must have your marriage license. And to get your marriage license you have to have your social security card. You get my drift. AKA NOT FUN AND RATHER ANNOYING. Oh, and FYI to those newly married - GO GET YOUR NAME CHANGED ON YOUR PASSPORT NOW. If you don't do it within a year of getting married, you have to apply for a new passport and pay the lovely $75 to get a new one. What a crock of crap. OH well, it's not like I will be traveling abroad anytime soon. But I need these documents because well, they prove I am an American. And an American who can own a business here in the states. (Gotta register my business with the county.)

Ok. Rant over. Back to work!

holy smokes, batman.

2008-07-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

The Dark Knight was incredible. Or I should say, Ledger was incredible. I cannot believe what an outstanding job he did playing the Joker. Amazing. Incredible. Insanely good. Too hard to describe in words. It's a real shame we lost such a talented actor. It's also a real shame that some couple in front of us decided it would be a good idea to bring a baby about Dakota's age to an insanely loud, late night movie. WHAT? I had a nice bitch session with the mom next to me, so luckily Jared didn't have to listen to me for 30 minutes before the movie started. I couldn't believe it.

But, as I read today in the news, Christopher Bale is apparently NOT the hero we all took him for in real life. Assaulting his mother and sister? Nice. What in the world, he was so innocent in Newsies.

In lighter news, I GOT A JOB INTERVIEW. HOLY CRAP. I am pretty excited. A recruiting firm here in Dallas, Creative Circle, places creative talent in ad agencies and companies. This particular position they have called me in for is a Mid-Sr. Level Interactive Copywriter. Their client was impressed with my portfolio. The job description lists working on big brands at a big agency. Sounds really fun. And what's even better is I emailed the person that contacted me and told him I was looking for a part-time work-from-home position and he said "we should be able to swing that for you". Cool! So I'm off to my first interview in Dallas tomorrow, and regardless of whether I get the position or not, it's a good feeling to be wanted. So my work is good and I do have talent. PHEW.

So I'm off to go update my portfolio. The last time I updated it was before my interview at Garmin. Consequently, I have to get 2 years worth of Garmin work in there. It's going to be a long night ahead.

Coach design contest.

2008-07-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Took a nice creative break today to enter this contest. Please vote if you think it's good! I LOVE COACH!

Design a Coach Tote

Sponsored by Coach

back to routine.

2008-07-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend is over. Dakota is finally napping, and so is Jared before he has to go into work for his night shift. This weekend was a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Osburn. Dakota was spoiled and now the fun is over. I unfortunately had no time to work on my business, but such is life. I plan on getting the website ready to launch before July 22, 2008. We shall see what I get done tonight. Crossing my fingers.

Unfortunately, I have ZERO pictures to share with you all from this weekend. We were too busy shopping for Dakota's entire fall wardrobe :)

Happy Anniversary to me.

2008-07-17T08:49:00.001-07:00

Well, I get to deal with some fun stuff on my anniversary. While Jared is sitting in lecture, no doubt bored, I get to deal with....

Yep, you guessed it...

FLEAS.

Last night, I saw one hopping around on Addison's belly. I thought no big deal, dogs get a flea, whatever. This morning, I saw TWO FLEAS on her belly. So I immediately went into freak-out mode. Addie has now had a bath, a haircut, another bath and her flea, tick and heartworm medicine. After I wrote this post, I am headed to the laundry room with her pet bed.

AND NOW MY HEAD ITCHES.

Yay for anniversaries!

2008-07-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Jared and I will be celebrating our 4-year anniversary. We are very excited! Celebrating an anniversary is better than celebrating a birthday. You get to celebrate with the one you love. I can't believe it's already been 4 years. Time flies, really.

Dad is driving down as we speak and mom flies in Friday. Tomorrow night, Jared and I are going to hit Uptown (a trendy restaurant+bar+nightlife area near downtown that we love) and enjoy a nice meal out and drinks afterwards. We are really looking forward to it, since we really haven't had a date night in quite a while. We'll also hoping to sneak out Saturday night super late to catch the new Batman movie while everyone at home sleeps. And what's even better is Jared has the weekend off! YAY!

New venture.

2008-07-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I am slowly emerging from my cave I like to call my office. I've been up until the crack of down (okay, not really, but super late) working on my business. Setting up my website. Getting samples together. Brainstorming ways to advertise. The legalities. You name it. When I put Dakota down for the night around 8, I immediately lock myself in my office with a Coke and a handful of Jolly Ranchers and go to town. I am super, super excited about this business venture, and I can't wait to share it with you all once it goes live. This business is exactly what I have dreamed of: combining my quirky writing skills and my love for graphic design, all while bringing a smile to someone's face. My goal is by Friday to have the website up and running. I have to go register with the county and fill out a "Doing Business As" application, but that will have to wait a few weeks until I get A. my new social security card B. my driver's license C. the form. It's been a lot of work trying to figure out each and every logisitic of how this business is going to work, but no one said it was going to be easy. Stay tuned....

A good weekend.

2008-07-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Despite a few minor hiccups (Erin ruining her bathroom rugs and Jared taking a dip in the pool WITH his cell phone), we had a great weekend. It was nice and relaxing and great to have Jared home for a few days. This should be an exciting week - Grandma and Grandpa Osburn are coming to visit and we will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary!

hooray for weekends!

2008-07-12T11:35:00.001-07:00

This weekend is very exciting. Jared has today, tomorrow and Monday off! He heads back Monday night for his first overnight shift. We are really looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. I have spent the past few nights working on my business until the wee hours of the morning (and now have roughly 48 + ounces of caffeine in my body) and Jared has been working really long, tiring shifts. Jared was able to sleep in this morning, which was nice. Then, we helped Dakota with her very first tooth brushing! She has 2 teeth now, and they recommend you start the habit early, so here she is, brushing away! Jared is playing golf with Scott and then we are grilling steaks (yum!), shopping off fireworks (yes, from the 4th) and I am making some peach cobbler. I plan on having a nice, refreshing mojito tonight. Tomorrow we will probably do something fun as a family and Monday we are going swimming! I love weekends when Jared is off. Have a great weekend!

today.

2008-07-10T08:09:00.001-07:00

today I have a new outlook. back to normalcy. and back to business. now I just need a babysitter so I can work on the business. HA.

I think D and I are going to head up to the library after she eats her fruit. It's free! And will kill time until Dad gets home around 1 today. YAY!

a high note to a crappy day.

2008-07-09T21:06:00.001-07:00

You know how you can just tell it's going to be an off day? Like nothing really goes right and it seems as if everything is fighting against you? That was today. I knew it was going to be that way when I couldn't sleep last night. Jared was running late this morning and he still was fighting that stupid cold. My new phone wouldn't read my micro card and Dakota was to fighting me to eat. I was a little emotionally annoyed about my work/hobby situation. Nighttime was a little rough. Dakota had a really hard time getting to bed, I really just wanted to relax and watch SYTYCD, Jared was way late and I had no dinner plans. Finally, at 8:30 I laid Dakota down and she didn't fight the sleep. Just a few short minutes later, Jared called and was on his way home. I don't give my husband enough credit where credit is due. He is literally my rock. I am so blessed to have him as my teammate and husband. He knows just what to say, even when he is ending a 14-hour shift dealing with sick patients and telling one he has cancer. The first thing he told me was how the brownies were a huge hit at the hospital and all the nurses loved them and couldn't believe how good they were. That was nice to hear. He then proceeded to talk to me about my struggles with finding work. And like the supportive, caring husband he is, reassured me that I could do anything I set my heart on and to go for it. So that's what I'm going to do. Thanks also to everyone that gave me some encouragement today. It really helps to have friends and family lookin out for me. It turns out my life isn't bad at all. I am very blessed and lucky to lead the life I live. Loving family, friends who I can turn to at any time, a great husband, a beautiful daughter, 2 fun doggies and lots of laughter. And an opportunity to stay at home with my daughter and raise her to be an awesome, caring and passionate person as a full-time job. And lots of creative ideas to boot. Good night!

think time during baby nap time.

2008-07-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

so...yeah. the preschool music teacher thing didn't pan out. shocking. they have daycare, but for 12 months and up. oh well. but the good news? i was told to keep them in mind "next time". What?

i'm done with the countless hours of job searching online. i am done applying to copywriter positions, rambling off my qualifications and then sneaking in the line "oh by the way, I would like to work from home and part-time, please" in small, fine print. Welcome to the 21st century, employers. Good Lord, it's not that complicated.

i have so many ideas of what i want to do to make money. i've done cakes. i've schemed blogs. i've started a marketing business. i've done articles. i've started writing a children's book. i've made onesies. i've designed business cards. i've created scrapbooks. i'll think i'll just blame it on my crazy creative ways. i have so many wheels spinning in my head and i love doing them all, it's hard for me to choose.

so it's time to really crack down. our family needs the money. i need the creative outlet. soooooooooooooooo...back to work!

what do you guys think? can i do more than one thing? can I have more than one profession? what should i do?

new blog.

2008-07-08T21:29:00.001-07:00

so...i've started a new blog. i have so much to share as a mom: recipes, products, bargains, deals and "momisms". I'm hoping to earn a few dollars with advertisements and trafic to the blog. Hopefully, a few people will be interested in what I have to say. If not, it will be fun anyway.

Click here.

will work for food.

2008-07-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Everyday, I search online for a perfect opportunity where I can work from home making a small amount of money to support our family. It's hard. I have pretty impressive qualifications in my field, but no one really loves the idea of part-time from home. Today, I have applied for a part-time (9 hours) preschool music teacher at a local church. It would be so fun but I'm not sure what I would do with Dakota. We will see if I hear anything....

I also applied to be a blog writer with my very own motherhood blog. It would be perfect.

Getting all geared up to send out my freelance copywriting letter to some local companies. It's hard tracking down contact names and addresses for the companies I want to email my resume to. I think I'll take a break and clean up the house and make dinner. I'm really hoping Jared gets off on time today. Rrrrriiiiigggghhhhtt.....

t-mobile saga.

2008-07-08T15:51:00.001-07:00

Well. I was willing to accept the $9.95 shipping charge. I really was. Until I went in there today to find a case for my phone. And the lady told me told me to "just call customer support and they will wave it for you". So, I called. I mean, I might as well try to make back $10 today, right? After speaking with 3 representatives, I finally reached the big supervisor. And I think I got the lady at the store in trouble, because it is "not procedure to remove the shipping fee". But alas, he did it for me. Awesome.

the big wide world of blogging.

2008-07-07T20:24:00.001-07:00

So today has been a little overwhelming. In my few minutes of down time, I have started researching more about how you can make a few bucks blogging. From Google AdSense to reviewing products and linking them to your blog, there are millions of opportunities to earn a little extra cash. Hmmmm.........

Day 1: Success!

2008-07-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

So, it's 8:45 and I can successfully say I have spent $0. Okay, well not technically...I had to fuel up on the way to Scott's, but that was a necessity. I managed to score some free lunch at Dickey's BBQ (thanks Scott!) and we had a great time swimming.

The afternoon/evening proved to be a bit difficult. For some reason, Dakota kind of had an off day so it was a challenge, but we made it through! With no impulse buys online. And I got my new phone, which was a plus.

Onto day 2....

My reward.

2008-07-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

If I can make it through the work week not spending any money, I am rewarding myself with this over the weekend. Ice cream AND Girl Scouts thin mint cookies? A perfect match. It looks amazing!

have it your own way.

2008-07-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

So, recently I 've been slacking on making Dakota's food. I was doing most of it myself before the big move and then it got busy so the jars were easy. Well, I'm back onto making my own. It is soooooooo easy and so much better for her than those jars packed with preservatives. And not to mention much cheaper. Anyone that says it's hard doesn't really know what they are talking about, or can't use a stove, not sure which. It does take some time. But by "time" I mean about an hour. It's a perfect Sunday activity when you are getting ready for the week ahead. I have Jessica Seinfeld's book "Deceptively Delicious" and I pull ideas from there. Currently, I have butternut squash in the oven.

Easy steps:
1. Buy a butternut squash.
2. Cut off stem.
3. Cut squash in half, lengthwise.
4. Scoop out seeds.
5. Place halves on baking sheet, flesh down.
6. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until soft.
7. Blend in food processor.

Next on the list today is sweet potatoes, green beans and mixed veggies.

a challenge.

2008-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

After discussing my recent purchases, it's time to shift gears. Today, I have decided to give myself a challenge. It's going to be a really difficult one for me, but I'm excited to try it. If all goes well, I think I will do it one week out of every month. We'll see how it goes. Yesterday, as Jared and I were discussing our financial situation, it hit me. It's not so much bad that I don't have an income, but it's rather my spending that is going to get me in trouble with staying at home. DUH. If I don't spend money, I don't need to make money. I mean, yes, there are things we need to buy. Gas to get around. Groceries to eat. Dog food. Electricity. Water. The staples. But, I do not need to go shopping every other day and find it necessary to buy a new clock for the office or a new dog collar. Dakota will survive without those cute pink sunglasses and probably will never even know when she is 30 she didn't get them.

So, after this morning of grocery buying and picking up some formula, (and one more last Starbucks drink) I have hereby halted the money spending for the entire week. No shopping. No Starbucks. No shoes. No cleaning supplies I don't really need. No candles. No fast food. No Coach wallets. You get the point. Instead, good old fashioned fun. There is plenty to do that is free.

I figure the best way to survive the week is to plan ahead. So tomorrow, Dakota and I will be headed to the pool at Scott's to swim. Tuesday, we need to be here to await the UPS man with my new phone, so I'm planning on DVR'ing Diego and Dora. Wednesday, we are headed to the library to pick up some books and hopefully a few kids movies. Thursday, Jared has the afternoon off so I plan on using the fireworks we didn't use on the 4th. I have bubbles so we can play outside and swing. I plan on baking some cookies for Jared to take to work. And tackling the huge pile of laundry in the bedroom. Taking the dogs on walks. Cooking and trying a few different recipes.

It should be interesting....wish me luck.

splurge. last one for a while.

2008-07-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my good shopping pal Darci and I ventured to the Outlets in Allen. Our first stop was of course the new Coach outlet. Amy and I have been in much anticipation of it opening ever since we saw it was coming the spring of 2008 online about a year ago. I drool everytime I'm in there, and yes, I'm a conformer to society, becoming infatuated with those little C's that cost such a pretty little penny just because someone decided to say they were cool so everyone wants one. So kill me. The fact is, yes, everything in the store is pricey, but I love it. Good quality product and carrying around a handbag or wallet you just are in love with...well, there is nothing better. I am a sucker for handbags and wallets. Sorry. Call it a downfall. I could be a sucker for cigarettes, so it could be worse.

As we were browsing the goodies, I came across a wallet in the 50% section. There was ONE. Sitting all by its lonesome. I quickly checked the tag, wondering what the damage was. Every other bag or wallet I had looked at gave me severe sticker shock. It was a good sized wallet so I thought there was no way. The original sticker price...well, let's just say it was in the triple digits. But then, I noticed the glorious handwriting in red ink...marked down to double digits...and then...looking up, saw it was marked 50% off. It couldn't be true! I quickly tracked down an associate and I think she was a little frightened by my mad dash at her to ask, "Is this really 50% off???? There are no more like it, it was the only one over there!" She saw my excitement and walked over to the section. Looking around, she proceeded to tell it was in fact 50% off and that I had found a really great deal, there weren't anymore left. She even looked in the drawers and found nothing. She said, "Don't put that jewel down!" Thinking to myself, are you crazy? No way. I had a death grip on that thing. I think she was a bit jealous she didn't see it first.

So long story short, it's mine. I look at it all day. Everytime I get out my wallet to pay, I smile. It is so cute and it makes me feel happy. Yes, it's a wallet. I know. But it's the little things in life, right? I will probably use it until it starts literally falling apart. Here is a picture of my little feel-good.

shoes.

2008-07-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I showed everyone the precious Chucks at gap.com I wanted to buy for Dakota. Well, I haven't got the money right now to justify $25 on a pair of shoes she is bound to grow out of in a month. Not yet ,anyway, until I get some freelance work going. So, I opted for these two pairs instead on clearance at Target. These two totaled about $8.50. A steal of a deal. I thought the brown ones would be super cute for fall. And yes, I'm discussing shopping on my blog. If you don't like it, don't read it. I enjoy shopping and finding good deals make me happy.

4th of July blues.

2008-07-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Darn. Dakota's first 4th of July was not really one to remember. She got a cold. It kind of started the night before, but we thought it was probably either her allergies or that second bottom tooth coming in. The morning was a bit hectic, trying to get Jared out the door (he had to be at work by 11), packing dinner, making lunch, etc. I was able to snap this picture before Jared ran out the door to try and capture some memory of the 4th:

Notice the smile on her face, because it quickly disappeared. Darci and I tried to make the day exciting, so we got ready to go eat lunch and get a few small fireworks. We got some snakes, smoke bombs and sparklers and headed to lunch. Lunch was CRAP. That's okay, it wasn't going to ruin our day. A few days ago, I had purchased a inflatable pool for her to swim in in the backyard. I felt really darn bad for her because she was getting noticeably sicker as the morning progressed. So I decided to return the pool since she couldn't even enjoy it being sick and managed to find a cool table toy. Which she loved. For a few minutes.

The poor girl was so sad. She would cough, then her nose would run. Then she had a stuffy nose.

She finally went to bed around 6:30. No fireworks. A pretty sad 1st 4th of July. But luckily, today, she feels a lot better and I can tell the cold is leaving. Thank goodness!

Cracked-out Blackberry.

2008-07-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

So, this morning...as I was reading an email....my phone just decides to freeze up. The screen goes black and the little white pearl is glowing all by its lonesome. I take out the battery, charge the phone, try everything. Nada.

I proceed to load up Dakota (not what I wanted to be doing this morning!) and head over to T-Mobile. Thankfully, the store is not very far from our house and it was empty. She tests my phone, and I was just waiting for her to say, "I'm sorry, you are no longer under warranty and your phone is dead. You will have to buy a new one." But instead, she proceeds to tell me that it's not my battery, and the water damage signal is not showing, so behold! I get a new phone! After of course I have to jump through more hoops and call the specific Blackberry tech support.

I managed to weasel my way into getting a white one (hopefully: fingers crossed!) because I'm a little burnt out on the red. I am still a little annoyed because even after my great haggling skills, I had to pay $9.99 plus taxes (thank you) to have it shipped. In 7 days. Because I didn't opt for the warranty. Oy. Whatever. Just send me my dang phone. Luckily I still have my good ole trusty pink Razr. It's kind of nice going back to basics, although texting now is a little slower than usual. Gotta get used to it on this phone again.

In other news, Jared had a great first shift yesterday for those who were wondering. He worked from 7 a.m. until about 8 p.m. but he said he didn't mind the 12 hour shift. He said it was great to be in the ER and I got an email at about 5 p.m. stating he loved his job! So that was a positive. He also told me last night it was pretty cool to hear over the intercom system: "Dr. Schreiner, paging Dr. Schreiner to the front desk" and also thought it was cool that nurses were asking him for approvals. Finally, the hard work is starting to pay off! Today may be a different story, though, as he may get yelled at by an attending claiming he is a stupid intern. Who knows. But still, it's pretty cool to see him excited about being a doctor. It's been a long time coming. (And he looks pretty cute in his black scrubs that say Dr. Schreiner Emergency Medicine on them.)

I am getting ready to go pick up my good friend Darci from the airport. She is here until Saturday and I'm sure we'll find plenty to do to cause some trouble. i.e. lots of Mexican food, Ikea and Coach outlet shopping.

Have a safe and great 4th, everyone!

WIPEOUT = GREAT SUMMER TV.

2008-07-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

Everyone should tune in to Wipeout on ABC tonight....8/7 c. It's good, clean family fun and last week Jared and I laughed our butts off! The writing is fabulous.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/wipeout/index?pn=index

80's flashback, anyone?

2008-07-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

This was one of my favorite commercials growing up. I loved it and probably always begged my mom to buy the cereal. Ah, good marketing at work....

splurge?

2008-07-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

I know. $25 for a pair of baby shoes. You are kidding, right Erin? Well. Not really. These are so precious, I just might have to purchase. But I probably won't. But I want them! They are Converse All-Stars from the gap! Wouldn't Dakota look so cute in them?

Creative space.

2008-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't seen the office/craft space, here is a picture of my set-up. I love it!

Bedroom.

2008-07-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the master bedroom. We had to do dark on one wall to save a lot of time and hassle trying to cover up the old green. I love the way it looks, very "airy" and nautical.

paint pictures

2008-07-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the guest bedroom. We finished it last night, and I am really excited about the results. We were a little bit nervous about getting that line perfect, but decided if it didn't come out great we would put some crown moulding up there. Well, it came out perfect! It's definitely a little um...lively, but we love it. Now all we need is a new ceiling fan to replace "Stumpy" and a new nightstand to replace the one we have from the 70s.

We've gone paint crazy!

2008-06-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Jared and I decided to take on a few paint projects. There are so many things we want to do to the house with unfortunately limited funds. Painting is an affordable way to spruce up the house and make it our own. So that's what we are doing.

The master bedroom got painted a light blue on 3 walls and a dark navy on the wall that was dark green. Jared painted all the trim with a fresh coat of white and it really makes the room so much nicer!

We are currently painting the guest room. We are doing "Jalapeno Red" 3/4 up on the walls and then a "Dark Ash" (aka gray) on the top. We wanted to be a little creative with this room, so we'll see how it turns out. We are also going to do the guest bathroom the same gray that is in the bedroom.

After those two locations are painted, we are moving on to the dining room. We had almost a gallon of brown leftover from our old place, so we are going to use that. Then it's the kitchen. Currently, our countertops are dark green so we are kind of limited with colors in there. I'm thinking of going with a very light, light dark green. Last, and certainly not least, we will tackle Dakota's room. What color you ask? DUH - PINK!

I'll post pictures of our progress.

work. work. work.

2008-06-27T13:01:00.001-07:00

I've been busy today continuing work on my website as well as getting my online portfolio set up and freelance letter written. It's a long process. Having too much past work that I'm proud enough to post is a good thing, I suppose. Sites coming soon....

Advertising: my passion.

2008-06-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today, Jared got off early which allowed me to get out of the house and work on my marketing business. It felt really good to really get down to business and try to get myself back into my career. Don't get me wrong - I love my job as a full-time mom/bird wrangler, but I also love advertising. I am excited to get back out there and start doing some of my own work. So, I'm also going to start using my blog to post some hot marketing that's out there. Commercials. Ads. Radio. Even BAD marketing. Here is one to get the creative juices flowing. I love this commercial. Totally non-related and random, but great nonetheless. Enjoy!

The Birds

2008-06-26T09:55:00.001-07:00

Never seen the movie, but I've heard enough to know my life is living it. Last night, while Amy and Scott were babysitting, Amy told me she thought Layla killed a bird. I brushed it off, thinking I'm sure she just went after one. This morning (conveniently after Jared left, of course) Layla HAD to go outside. I let her out while I took care of Dakota. She scratched at the door wanting in, I walked over, and there she was, looking at me with a DEAD BIRD IN HER MOUTH WANTING TO BRING IT IN AND SHOW IF OFF. I screamed, told her to drop it and she ran inside, all muddy. Pushing away the mental picture of a dead bird on my porch in my head, I quickly gave Layla a bath, trying to wash the rabid bird germs off her body. There was no way I was going to allow her to give me a kiss anytime soon!

I called Jared on his way into work. He told me to get his gloves, put it in a bag and throw it in the trash can. Then he decided he didn't want the trash stinking, so instead, to toss it over the fence. I got off the phone with him and had to pump myself up for a good 3 hours before I went out to complete the task. Well, long story short, the bird is now resting peacefully over the fence. And I need a new bottle of soap since I used the entire thing aftewards.

Now I have the nest in the front to deal with. The baby birds have decided to take up flying for the first time and keep knocking their bodies into the glass window above the door. OY. Maybe if I get lucky, they will just kill themselves so I don't have to bury them in the back.

Dakota saying hi to Da Da

2008-06-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hairspray!

2008-06-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jared and I had a date night! It was very exciting. Aunt Amy and Uncle Scott came over to babysit and we went to dinner with Jared's old roommate, Kris who is touring with the Hairspray tour playing bass. We had a nice time with him, catching up and talking. He got us great seats, too! We were at Dallas Music Hall in Row F! That is the sixth row, for those of you who are wondering, and the show was really good. I had seen the movie, but the musical was of course better. It has a great story line and uplifting and happy feel to it. Highly recommended if it comes to your city!

My Flickr Mosiac

2008-06-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is really cool. I created a mosaic from flickr. You should do it too. It's kind of like an personality photography montage.

Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search. Using only the first page, pick an image. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

The Questions:
What is your first name?
What is your favorite food?
What high school did you go to?
Who is your celebrity crush?
What is your favorite color?
Favorite drink?
Dream vacation?
Favorite dessert?
What you want to be when you grow up?
What do you love most in life?
One Word to describe you.
Your flickr name

My answers (whatever came to my head the fastest):

What is your first name? Erin

What is your favorite food? cookies

What high school did you go to? Seaman High

Who is your celebrity crush? James Dean

What is your favorite color? Pink

Favorite drink? Dr. Pepper

Dream vacation? Bahamas

Favorite dessert? pie
What you want to be when you grow up? writer
What do you love most in life? laughter

One Word to describe you? creative

Your flickr name? jalee

A few more pictures.

2008-06-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

You will never believe this...

2008-06-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

You guessed it. Jared got home early today and as we were sitting playing with Dakota, Layla was obsessively barking at the front door. Like to the point where she was shaking and freaking out. So...I went over to investigate. NON-STOP CHIRPING. There are birds that live up high on our awning, but this bird was much, MUCH closer. So I went out through the garage to find I KID YOU NOT the SAME exact baby bird that Layla had attacked earlier that day. I couldn't believe it. I stormed inside, telling Jared all about it. His response? Good material for your blog. So, here it is. Jared scooped it up with gloves and set it in the yard. Who knows what will come of this bird tomorrow....

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches

2008-06-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this recipe from a friend from Jared's med school class. She always posts some yummy recipes on her blog. I tried these when the kids were here and Miranda helped me make them. They were quite tasty! Perfect, light, cool treat for summer. Kids love them, too!

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (2/3 cup if using Key Lime juice)
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup skim milk
Pinch of salt
1 can (14 oz) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
Zest of 2 limes
10 graham crackers, broken into halves

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to your machine's directions. Stir in zest at end of freezing cycle. Spoon into a freezer safe bowl and freeze for 45 minutes. Place 10 graham cracker halves onto individual pieces of plastic wrap. Scoop 1/2 to 2/3 cup of ice cream onto each graham cracker and cover with another graham cracker half. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and return to freezer. Freeze for several hours. Enjoy!

Palm Tree Goodness

2008-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our new palm tree. It looks so cool! I need to add some type of bush or something behind it where the landscaping trim is. We couldn't put the tree there because of the gas line.