.::Daily Thanks 4.21.11::.

Today I'm thankful for friends.

I have some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I've never been a girls girl. Growing up I've always had a few girl friends but I've never really understood or gotten along with girls. Now that I'm a woman I've aquired some great girl friends. My very best has been around since 6th grade. She's definitely my bestie. And in the last two years I've added 3 more ladies to that list. They are my co-workers and I call us "Teach-In-the-City." These ladies keep me sane in the crazy world of education.

What I love about my girl friends is that they accept me for who I am right now, they don't try to change me, and we have alot of fun. Before I met them I was a work-a-holic. I actually took my very first vacation last year when one of my girls was getting married on a caribbean cruise. Isn't that a shame. I was 28 and had been working since I was 15 and had never taken a vacation.

Don't worry, I have lots more vaca's planned for the near future.

Forgive yourself...

"Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others."

That was the line that struck a chord, hit a nerve, tugged at my heart, or whatever you may want to call it. It hit home in a very big way. It came from this book:

 

Tuesday's with Morrie

I was sitting in my reading chair in my classroom while my students were silently reading and I came across this line in my book. There have been many times when I've been reading during this time and I'd come across something that reaches right to the heart of ME or the "ME" that I desire to become. I'd want to jump, scream, shout, or (more often) cry but that really would not be  appropriate while I'm sitting in front of a room full of 8th graders. I know this could be what we educators call a "teachable moment" but don't quite think they'd understand.  I digress.

This quote happens on page 164 and as much as I want to keep reading I stop and close my eyes for just a second, again I'm in a room of....well you get my point. I recall all the moments that keep me up at night; all the time I've spent worrying about other people opinions of me because I've said no to a request; all the times I've been called selfish because I didn't do what someone wanted me to do. This quote just resonates deep within me rearranging my thought process, my definition of who I WAS, and my goal of who I want to be.

FORGIVE YOURSELF. I hear it all day over and over in my mind, just loud enough not to distract me but persistent enough to keep it at the forefront of my mind ALL DAY.

FORGIVE YOURSELF. For all the inadequecies that you think you have. For all the goals that you have yet to reach. For all the paths you were too afraid to take.

FORGIVE YOURSELF. For all the years you tried, in vain, to live up to everyone else's expectations of you while losing your own definition of self.

FORGIVE YOURSELF. For all the years spent finding yourself again and pissing so many people off because you stopping being their "YES MA'AM"

FORGIVE YOURSELF. For all the things you can not control nor change.

Right now I'm working on forgiving myself for all those things and more. I don't know how long it will take and I don't know where I will be when it finally happens nor how I will feel about myself or you then. And after that I can start to forgive them/YOU. (Colossians 3:13)

Edited to Add:

Saw this on Facebook today and it so matches my feelings above. Sometimes things just happen to coincide. Or you can say GOD confirms things in many ways, even via Youtube. lol.

Supporting our Troops

I post this in honor of my Dad and all of the other service men and women who give so much to keep us all safe.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

International Picture of the Year
Here are two very touching photos honored this year.

First Place :

First Place
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News





When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport , Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.

During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: 'See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home,' he said 'They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.'


Second Place
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News

.



The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. 'I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,' she said. 'I think that's what he would have wanted'

Blue Fridays

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue every Friday. The reason, Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority' WE are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something blue. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If everyone of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is .'We need your support and your prayers.' Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something blue every Friday

What I know about myself. So far.

I am kind.....because I love genuinely.

I am loyal.....even when I shouldn't be.

My favorite drink is sweet tea......southern style, iced.

I only drink coffee on a whim. Strong with lots of cream and a little sugar.

I can be very anti-social at times or the exact opposite on occasion.

I learned, this week, that I have a trust issues.

~I don't like being in crowds of people I don't know, or ones I do know for that matter.

~I don't like meeting new people, in the romantic sense. I like being in that comfortable place.

I avoid conflict like the plague.

I fear losing control of my thoughts, words, and my actions.

I've learned to work hard at controlling my feelings, and my tongue.

I often have anxiety about things that haven't happened yet but might.

I have an opinion about almost everything but will not tell you unless you specifically ask.

I have some of the best people in the world around me who love me just as I am right now, even when I don't sometimes.

I have been in some pretty dangerous situations and made it out alive. Thank God.

I am almost 30 and just starting to be happy with where my life is, where it's not, and where it's going.

Papercrafting, Photography, and my iMac changed my life. (Ok maybe not my iMac but I still love it.)

I am inspired the most by these crafty ladies. Sasha, Nichol, Karla & Maile

I started making cards after watching one of Kristina's videos on youtube.

I am still learning everyday about her, and most of the time, I like the person I see in the mirror looking back at me.

I don't know where the inspiration for this post came from but I'm pretty sure that this post had something to do with it. <3

Give credit where credit is due.......

Via q8alln1

I guess I never thought about it much. It still amazes me when I get a comment from one of my blog readers who are not family or one of my personal or online friends.

It's really amazing that my blog is read by people who have never met me  {all 1o of them......who I adore so much. :-)}

I teach it to my students almost daily being an English teacher.

And now today my twitter timeline is abuzz with it.

What am I talking about? Imitation, stealing, and plagiarism.

A few days ago a blogger friend and I face-booked about it when she saw that one of her readers had copied her post and posted it to her blog. Yes, she changed a few words. Yes, she made the references about her own life.  But No credit was given.  All in all she plagiarized someone's blog and passed it off as her own. She took an ORIGINAL concept and copied it. I'd call that plagiarism.

Today another of my favorite bloggers tweeted that someone had stolen their ORIGINAL website design, altered it slightly, and are now using it on their blog.

Another favorite blogger of mine retweeted a post by one of my favorite designers outlining what is appropriate and what is not appropriate in using her ORIGINAL artwork without express consent.

As a teacher I know that in my 8th grade class I have this conversation alot with my students. Taking someone else's idea and using it in any way WITHOUT giving credit to where the idea originated is NOT ok. I don't think I can make the point any better than Kelly did when she wrote this post. You should definitely go over there and take a look and make mental notes.

As a new blogger and a crafter lots of things that I post about have originated somewhere else or with someone else, but I make sure I give credit where credit is due. Most people love the idea that you agree and/or like their idea and are more than thrilled that their concept/idea is being spread via bloggers. But by all means, pay homage to that person for their inspiration. Not only does it let them know that you appreciate what they do, it's the fastest way to make friends online. I have met some great people through my blog, linking to other people's blogs, and retweeting links to other's blogs.

Don't insult someone who inspires you by stealing from them. No bueno.

.:{ New Year: New beginning(s) }:.

As the new year approaches, just a few hours away, I am more thankful now than I was on Thanksgiving. There have been so many ups and downs, more ups than downs, and I've done many firsts.

1. I took my first cruise.

Here's a pic of my one of my very good friends, Ilene and me, on the boat. She got married, and I got a great tan (She just turned really red, I mean REALLY red. :-)

2. I started my very own business.

It's still in the works right now but it will be launching online at the beginning of the year. So super excited about that.

3. I started grad school, again.

So the stories is that I attended 4 different colleges during undergrad because I couldn't find my groove in college. I finally graduated after taking about a year and a half off. Presently I've only attended 3 graduate schools but the third time was the charm because I am fully in the groove. Getting my "Goove Back" educationally only, pretty slow in personal area. Lol.

4. I have actually scrapbooked.

Here are a few of my fav layouts. I only have a couple anyway so all of them are my favs right now. he. he.

Journaling:

It took a long time for me to love her.

To even think she's worthy to be loved at all,

And all the times she's let her heart be broken,

Made me realize that I am HER.

Beautiful in my own eyes,

And it took me too DAMN long to get to this point.

And some days I'm not there; I don't believe it, I can't believe it.

BUt now at the age of 27 almost 28,

There are more days that I do believe it than there are days that I don't.

And I've finally come in to my own as a woman,

Believing that I can do what I want to do and not taking in everybody else's opinion about it

Miss you, Alaric Layout. I made this layout in memory of my very good friend Alaric who died a few years ago of a bacterial infection. I miss him so much. This is Alaric and me with our godson Peyton.

My very first commissioned layout for a wedding gift. I used the save-the-date card and the wedding invitation on the layout. Love you Linnell.

This is my very favorite layout. This is my little brother when he was 11 (he's now 18) and my 1st Godson Landon when he was 1 year old (he's now 7). I found this picture about a month ago and just had to scrapbook it.  I'd just recieved my PTI order with the banner builder dies and stamps. I ABSOLUTELY love this layout.

This year I resolve to scrapbook more, make more time to be alone with me (massages included, and to take better care of myself. That's is. The results of those 3 things should bring about all the results I desire for the year.

Hugs & Ciao for the last time in 2010...

Striving for Badassery in 2011.

Angee Lee

A Happy Birthday Thank You!!

Hi all.

I have to say I had a great birthday yesterday. Being that my birthday is so close to Christmas I normally don't really celebrate my singular birthday. Since I was about 15 or 16 I've always had a sort of joint celebration during the christmas holidays and that included joint presents. <----No fun at all.

As I've gotten older this has become the norm and my actual birthday has become just a normal day. This year was different. My good good friend Ilene conspired with my co-workers and friends to offer a great celebration. I recieved the most delicious chocolate chocolate chip pound cake from Susan, and giftcards from one of my favorite places.......Starbucks. :-) We had wassail at work with gingerbread cookies (albeit it was for the entire faculty not just me...ha!), and I was serenaded each class period by my students including a viola solo from the music department. It was the best birthday that I've had in awhile. And the best part is that it all resumes on friday (since I had my final grad school assignment for the semester due last night). Oh, and I'm on Christmas vacation for the next two weeks.

With all that being said, I just want to say a big big thank you for making my birthday a very special one.

All my love.

Angee

After Thanksgiving loves.

Hi all,

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this year and I hope you had the same. We ate some great food prepared by my mom, my dad even came over and spent the holiday with us. Thank God everyone survived the day. lol. It was a great holiday with family and friends and I had a great time playing bingo with Collin, Chantel, and Nate.

My cousin Collin and Me playing with photobooth.

I also welcomed my first god-daughter, Leah Camille Gaston, on November 24th. She weighed 6 lbs 35 oz. She is the most precious little thing I've seen in a long time. I've been spending lots of time with this one in the last few days. I have to freshen up my baby skills. My youngest god-son is 6 now so it's been awhile.

Leah Camille in the hospital

The thing I love about this time of year is the point right after Thanksgiving until right before Christmas. What I love about after thanksgiving is the holiday music and christmas lights. This is my favorite time of year. Not just because my birthday is in two weeks......but because everyone tends to be in a better mood, people are nicer, and more caring, and the world seems to become a better place to be. At least to me. Oh and also because I get two more weeks off work for Christmas..........Teaching has a few perks.

I will be post Christmas cards starting on Monday so get ready for that. And expect to see Miss Leah's face around here as well.

Hugs & Ciao.

Internet Finds: Vibram FiveFingers

If you've ever been around me then you know I absolutely hate wearing shoes. Well.......from my massive shoes collection you may not realize that off hand but if you've known me for years and years then you'd know that I don't like them. I'm a run-barefoot-through-plush-carpet-tile-and-anything-else-except-grass (darn allergies) type girl. I love being in bare feet. It may be all my former dance training and spending hours upon hours working on pirouettes in the dance room barefoot that brought this about. I'm not exactly sure but for as long as I can remember I've disliked shoes.

Actually I think it's because of my foot abnormality. I was born with broken feet. I had to wear special shoes as a toddler to correct this issues. These shoes had a hard sole and included a metal bar that attached to both shoes to keep the shoes in the "correct" position that the child wears while they sleep. Horrible shoes. Horrible.

But imagine my delight and utter jubilation when I came across these shoes on youtube. Every now and then I will just browse youtube for great workout video as inspiration and motivation to get back into a regular workout routine. One of the reasons I don't like working out (besides sweating.....a story for another day) is the fact that not only do you have to wear shoes you have to wear socks too. <-----Did I mention I hate socks too? Anywhoo, I came across this video of Mark deGrasse from MBodyStrength wearing the awesome looking shoes.

Thank goodness for comments. Just as I was about to message MBodyStrength I read in the comments a mention of Vibrams. What the heck is a vibram? I was already familiar with kettlebells so I knew they could not be talking about the weights, so a quick google search later I came across this.

Remember going barefoot as a child? It’s the way you first discovered and conquered your world—without the constraint of shoes. Or the sense of duty you acquired later on.

Now you can experience that same physical and visceral sensation in Vibram FiveFingers—the only footwear to offer the exhilarating joy of going barefoot with the protection and sure-footed grip of a Vibram® sole.

FiveFingers footwear connects you to the earth and your surroundings in a way that is simply not possible in conventional shoes. It puts you in touch with the earth beneath your feet and liberates you to move in a more natural, healthy way. FiveFingers stimulate the muscles in your feet and lower legs to build strength and improve range of motion. Our customers report an increased sense of balance, greater agility, and visibly improved posture.

Choose from a variety of designs to cover the wide range of activities you would rather do barefoot—everything from fitness training and yoga, to running and trekking, to kayaking and sailing. Discover a level of performance and a connection to your environment that is positively without peer.

So you mean there is a "shoe" (and I'm using the term loosely solely for my peace of mind) that feels like your barefoot??? Am I in wanna-be-country-girl-in-a-city-girls-body heaven or what.

Now of course I spent the better part of an hour researching these shoes, the pros and cons, types, and prices. Here's what I found.

• There are 9 types of these shoes in the USA with more rumored to be released soon.


• Prices range from $75 to $125 brand new from the VibramFiveFingers.com Site.


• You can wear them to do most anything from casual leisure activities to rigorous workouts depending on the type.


• They are supposed to feel like you are barefoot.


• They have even been worn while running marathons and scuba diving.


• They are not sized like normal shoes. Here is a quick video about how to measure your foot for Vibrams.

I even found a beginner's guide to these awesome shoes. They are on youtube, and facebook so you can find them everywhere.

As you can see they are sort of my new "thing", and I'm loving them. I found a couple stores here in Houston, TX that offer them so I will be trying them out and purchasing soon.

Toodles.

Silhouette is now MAC ready - Confirmed.

As you know I recently purchased a Silhouette and it arrived today along with this news direct from SilhouetteAmerica.com regarding the new MAC compatible software. I was super excited to hear all this seeing as I'm a MAC user and I don't even have a working PC in my home anymore.

Well much to my dismay, I was unable to get the MAC software to install on my BRAND NEW iMac today and I'm not too happy about it. I called Silhouette America customer service and...........I could not get the issue resolved. Apparently I was one of the first people to have issues so I had to send a lengthy email with screen shots of the problem so their TECH guys could investigate. So for right now I have a non working Silhouette sitting pretty on my craft table.

I'm going to get my old laptop back up and running soon so that will temporarily solve the problem. Ugh.

Later.

Updated to add: My silhouette is working perfectly. I received it from Craftysteals.com on the day that the NEW Mac software was debuted. Talk about coincidence. But that first day I totally couldn't get the program to install. I called Silhouette America (the company that owns silhouette, of course) and they didn't have an immediate solution. I sent them screen shots of the errors I was getting and they called back within 10 minutes to take a statement from me and to tell me that the software developers would look into the problem. I finally went to bed frustrated that I had this brand new gadget and I couldn't use it because I don't have a PC at home anymore. The next day I had the bright idea to uninstall the previous download and try again, and BINGO....Success at last. I've used it everyday since then and it's been awesome. It's the best machine. My only con is the cutting area. I would like a machine that could cut full 12 X 12 sheets of cardstock. That's one of the reasons that I'm still thinking of getting a Cricut Expression. They still have the pink on at the Michael's near me. But then again buying cartridges is not exactly my idea of a bargain so I guess I need to budget in the SCAL software. Decisions Decisions.

Who is Angee Lee Butler?

My legal name is Angela Butler. So who is this Angee Lee person, you ask?

Angee Lee is  a mixture of my nickname (Angee) and my grandmother's middle name (Lee). I decided to name my blog this because my grandmother has been such a huge influence in my life not only personally but also in my creative process.

Being a southern woman, I was raised with a keen since of appropriateness, etiquette, and expectation. What I mean by that is this:

I know how to set a table for a seven course meal even though I've never in my entire life eaten one.  I learned at a very young age that you do not cross your legs at the knee, only at the ankle, especially around men. I learned to always say Please, Thank You, Yes Ma'am/Sir, and No Ma'am/Sir. Among other things, I also learned a gentleman is to walk on the outside if walking on the sidewalk with a lady.

That being said, my grandmother adhered to all those expectations, and more,  placed upon her by others with a smile and never a harsh word, while never losing her love of God, nor her family. She was a servant of others all her life, as is my mother. As I, too, hope to be.

However, growing up in the modernity of today society I've also grown into a knowledge of my self that I can express in ways that my grandmother and mother could/can not, and I thank both of these phenomenal ladies for giving me the tools, support, and motivation to be who I am know, who I want to be, and someone that I know they are proud to call Daughter and Granddaughter.

So Angee is truly me, and Lee is the legacy of women who made me who I am today.

Angee Lee Butler

Funny quotes I came across online today:

"The most well-bred person in a room is the one who makes the fewest other people uncomfortable." - Lord Chesterfield




"I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little, if only out of politeness. And then you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny, and its best to be as pretty as possible for destiny." ~CoCo Chanel




I find these highly amusing. =)

Vacation, Cards, and more.

Hi all, 

I've been super busy as always but I have been crafting. I've been working on invitations for a dear friend of mine, Danielle, for her son (my godson)'s birthday. I wanted to keep them pretty simple and let the image stand for itself. This is just a stock image of the yellow-one I printed from google images. Easy peasy. 

 

I order a boat load of tags (let say I have 1,000 tags now. Anyone want some?? Just email me.) from amazon (because they were so cheap) and I've been using them on everything. Some are small, some are large, and all of them are awesome. Why do us crafters love tags so much?

Sometimes I have a tendency to get too caught up in all the details I can possibly add to a card and I can get a bit carried away. Lol. But for this card I wanted to keep it fairly simple and use items that I already have on hand. The only new purchase used on this card is the tag. This was a traditional manila tag but I colored it using Tim Holtz distress ink Worn Lipstick, and Tattered Rose. Hope you like. 

Supplies: 

Stampin' Up! - Welcome Neighbor DS paper pack (118401), Mat Stack, Paper Piercer, Whimsical Words Stamp set

PTI - Dark Chocolate Cardstock, Polka Dot Basics II stamp set, Rustic Jute Twine

WeRMemory Keepers - Corner Chomper

If you follow me on twitter or facebook then you know I just got back from a cruise vacation to the bahamas. Now I'm not a fan of being photographed but as my friends have been posting their pics of me on facebook I'm come to like a few of them. Just a few. 

Here you can see me, Jess, and Ilene all laughing at the people on stage singing karaoke. Now I must admit that all my life (all 27 years of it) I've been a bit of a work-a-holic, and this was my FIRST EVER vacation. Yes, first ever, and thanks to the girls I had a total blast and can't wait to go on my next one. 

Hugs, 

A

Furniture shopping: Help me make WHITE work!!!

Hi all, 

I back with a quick update and am in need of some advice. I'm planning to redo my bedroom soon and I'm buying white furniture. Well I'm not a particular fan of white furniture. Ok well that's not 100% true I love white furniture in other peoples homes but I can't seem for figure out how to make white furniture work, and look sophisticated and classy. So I got this dresser on hold at my favorite furniture place in town and I'm not quite sure how to make it classy/vintage which is my style. So i'm in need of some inspiration photos, links, etc. 

How to I make this furniture work?? Took this pic on my iPhone so excuse the quality. 

I got the dresser. Not sure about the mirror though. I don't really want matchy matchy. I think I may look into getting a mirror like this.

 (just hopefully not at this price :-/).  Or maybe a vintage gold mirror like this. And I'm also going to change the hardware out to crystal knobs to class it up a bit. I kinda feel like white furniture tends to look a bit country and that is definitely not my style. I love shabby chic with a vintage twist though so that would be a good mix for me. As you can see I'm not quite sure which way I'm going to take this. What about beach chic?? Lol.

I'm also thinking of adding mirrored bedside tables with this to class it up a bit. 

I love these but the price hurts my feelings. They are antique and $2,476.15. OMG. 

And these are super cute, but over $2k too. 

Potterybarn has these for $399

What do you think?

Hugs, 

A

Update: I found some inspiration pics on hgtv.com. Help me do something like this. 

Wedding Invites, Summer Plans, & Dove Evolution Vid

Hello All, 

 

I know I've been away all week. I'm working on wedding invites for a dear friend of mine, another is moving this week, I reconnected with another, and neglected another, so I'm going to be pretty busy with all that for the next 3 weeks. Did I mention it's the end of the school year time and I have to get my classroom packed up??? Um yes, I'm super busy right now. 

Coming up: 

May 20 - Drake Concert

May 30 - Couples Shower for Ilene

June 4th - Last Day of School

June 6th - Copic Certification Class ....Yippee. 

June 1-July 1 - Summer School (taking 2 classes)

July 9th-12th - Wedding Cruise (my very first cruise ever)

I'm also looking into taking a few online photography classes and adobe illustrator classes from JessicaSprague.com. I just picked up a Canon EOS Rebel G 35 MM camera at a garage sale for $25 so I'm looking forward to seeing how the cruise pics come out. 

Next on my wishlist is:

Canon 50D (A girl can hope can't she....?)

I'm going to try to make the most of my summer this year and take a little time to relax, and craft. Thank goodness I have a place to post all this in hopes of not forgetting to show up somewhere. I've done it before.

I know you've probably seen this video a million times but something about it makes me feel the real beauty within me. 

Sweet Hugs!! Hope you all have a great week. 

Angee

Fly High...and update.

Hey everyone,

Today I have a card based on a sketch on Amy Rysavy's blog Prairie Paper & Ink. I made this card with Stampin Up cardstock and a clear stamp set by Practicing Creativity Designs called "Look Up".

 
Don't you just love the little Hot Air balloons. I knew I had to have this set. Here is the sketch.

Fly High Supplies: Mostly Stampin Up except where indicated -Cardstock:  Elegant Eggplant (105126) & Pink Passion(102762), Stampin Write Marker in Soft Suede (116329), Modern Label Punch (116630), Scallop Edge Punch (112091), Practicing Creativity Designs: Look Up! Clear Stamps, Misc: Patterned Paper.

 

Computer Update:

My new computer is on order and I can't wait. I decided to get a Apple iMac and I got a great deal on a refurbished one on the Apple website. As you know I'm an avid Youtube watcher and for the last couple of years I've been watching videos reviewing apple products and I totally fell in love with what I saw. I'd been saving up for a iMac since December last year and this little computer mishap pushed me forward to get exactly what I was and to find a great deal in the process. (I never buy anything full price....he he).

Now its just a waiting game. As soon as it gets here I will post a review.

Plus I should have 2 more hauls coming from Hero Arts and PapertreyInk coming soon. Scrap goodies galore. That makes me happy. :-D

That's all for now.

In sweet anticipation.

Angela

 

Update: Computer Woes

Another little update:
Yesterday was a great day and horrible night. I was working on scheduling some blog posts and right when I finished I shut down my computer. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just at the moment when the computer clicked off I realized I'd forgotten to look up something I needed online so I turned my computer back on, however, something was very wrong. My desktop background was gone, all of my personalized shortcuts were gone, and even my user account lo-gin was gone. My only option was to lo-gin as administrator. Weird right?? I still didn't panic though. So I lo-gin (after about 15 minutes of trying to figure out what my administrator password was) and I'm looking around my folders only to find that every document, music file, and picture is gone, GONE, I tell ya!!! <---always wanted to do that.

I'm so glad I can laugh about it this morning because I wasn't laughing about it last night. In the end I shut the computer down in hopes it would magically restore itself by the time this morning got here, but I guess I set my hopes too high because it's still totally bare this morning.

I guess a new computer is in order. Ugh/Hooray!! That's how I feel this morning. There is really nothing I can do about the fact that everything's gone. I'm going to try to contact my computer liaison at work to see if he has any suggestions but other than that I've got to get a new computer and soon.

That's all for now. I'm just going to think positive and view this as a through purging and start anew more organized and better than ever. Positive perspective, that's my motto.

Have a good day everyone.

Angela

5 Things about Me.

1. This has been the best year of my life so far, and I've come a long long way. I was engaged for 2 1/2 years before calling off the wedding last year. It was the hardest experience I've ever gone through but I'm so much stronger having gone through it.

2. Scrapbooking has turned into an unexpected business for me. I started out making cards for just friends and family...Birthdays, anniversary, holidays, etc...and now after only 1 1/2 years I am actually getting custom orders. How crazy is that??

3. I'm an extreme home body and I don't like having people over. I can't say that I'm anti-social because I love being around people but my home is my haven and I love my private space and time to be just that....Private. Weird, I know.

4. I never knew I was a dog lover until I got my first pet as an adult at the age of 25. I'd grown up with pet as a small child but I was always afraid of dogs. One day my former fiance' (we're still friends) took me to meet his family and his aunt had a minature schnauzer. I totally fell in love and decided I needed to have one and so I searched online for a breeder in the area and went to pick up this little guy. His name is Teddy and he's 2 years old. This is how tiny he was then I first picked him up at the breeder. He slept in my lap the whole car ride back home (45 mins). When I went to pick him up the breeder showed me 3 dogs. One was smaller than Teddy and a total spaz. He kept running into walls....um. No thanks. The other was not that cute and Teddy came right up to me and climbed into my lap and sat there cool, calm, and collected. I knew he was the one for me.

This is him playing with my brother on the floor of my scrap room.

5. My desire for this year is to be a published designer in one of the major scrapbooking magazines.

March 19, 2010: Angela Antics

True Story: 

I've never been outside of the country so I'm getting my first passport at the age of 27. Sad, I know but it is what it is. So today started off with the scraps of the  to-do list that I didn't  fully complete yesterday

TO DO List

Get your passport pictures taken at Walgreens/CVS

Go to the post office and pay the gazillion dollars for the passport

I started off my day at CVS taking photos. Not only did they take the pictures with a standard point and shoot digital camera, they also used the Kodak kiosk to print them. And you charge $8.99 when I could have done all that myself, plus the picture is semi-horrible which is typical for me, so no surprise there. Mind you, I went to Walgreen's yesterday and took pictures. They came out horribly also, especially since the clerk forewarned me that the pictures weren't going to be that great because my white shirt would blend in with the background, and my transitions lenses were dark because I'd just come in from outside. BTW: Great weather in Houston the last few days.

So off I was to the post office with a certain aire of confidence since I'd already had my passport application filled out and ready to go, or so I thought. So I get to the post office and much to my surprise there is no one in line. "Thank God", says the impatient ADD child in me. I walk right up to the counter and again I'm shocked to find that the clerk is, dare I say, nice. She's nice and actually said, "Good Morning". "Wow", I thought, "my day is going so well." He he. 

Of course my confidence was dashed when she asked me for my birth certificate. "Um, what??" Here is about the moment when I realized that I hadn't really read the instructions on the application so I'm not aware that I need additional identification outside of my driver's license. And then the clerk points out that I didn't fully fill out the application, meaning the entire back side of the application is blank, probably because it has been in my car for the last 3 months. Um, yeah. 

So off I go back home to locate my birth certificate. Surprisingly I'm not frustrated or anything yet. A little disappointed in myself for not being on top of things but I'm used to my little nuances by now so I'm not perturbed by this little snafu. Upon arriving home I go through all my files and stacks of papers only to come up with NO BIRTH CERTIFICATE (the caps indicate the level of my frustration compared to my previous sentence). "Yes, I lost my birth certificate again," is my first thought, but I realize that I'd recently gotten it replaced when I was carjacked earlier in 2009. (Another story for another day). So that meant that I have to have it but I just don't know where it is which is still not helping the situation. 

At this point I am aware that I need to take a step away from this situation so I go into the living room and proceed to flip through my expensive cable channels looking for a distraction when I realize exactly where by birth certificate is..........

As you know I am a first year teacher and this school year has been a whirlwind. Amid the whirlwind I had taken my birth certificate to the HR office of the school district to put in my employee file and then I filed my birth certificate in my personal items drawer in my desk AT WORK. Yes, I know where it is. No, I can't get it today because the school is closed because of spring break. Wow, I'm proud of myself for actually filing it away in safe keeping. Of course, it's someplace that's not convenient when I really need it. 

Did I mention I had a serious case of insomnia last night?? Sleep deprivation is no joke people. 

This is my life people and reality blogging at its best. lol.

After all this I'm still having a great day. Hope you are too.