Long Time A Coming!

Well what a year this is already turning out to be. I must say I feel like I am in
the fast lane of life. I mean I am only 25 years old, but it seems like just yesterday I was in high school. Then all you worried about was passing your tests and getting that cute boyfriend. And for me, winning the softball game. Next comes college and your worries get a little bigger. But still the same worry about passing those exams and figuring out what you want to major in. And eventually figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life. Then before I knew it I was graduating college and my worries took a big turn. I started to have to worry about paying all my bills. Then finding that perfect job in my career that still seems to be just out of my reach.

I guess those are still my worries today; finding that great job and just being happy. I have reached my goal of that perfect boyfriend. But it just seems that I am getting swept up in life itself. Listening to everyone's opinions and views of what I should be doing with my life. Not to say that I don't need direction and don't value peoples opinion, but lately I feel like I am losing myself in it all. I am usually a people pleasing type of person. Not to say that I am not very stubborn at times. But for the most part I will take everyone's advice in and at least
digest it. But honestly my head is starting to spin. I know in the end it is all up to me to decide what path to take. And to also pray to God that I am listening to his opinions above all and try to stay on the path he has laid out for me.

Ok that is all I want to say so I will get off my soap box. But to end this on a happy note. I did have a great weekend not too long ago with Reiggin down in Wilmington. We decided to take a weekend trip and enjoy the beach. It was just what the doctor ordered for me. I had only ever been to Myrtle Beach so this was a treat. The beaches were so clean and since it was the off season it was not crowded. Our hotel was super nice. I can not say enough about Hampton Inns. Saturday, we went to Wrightsville Beach and walked around. It was super cold and windy and my usual trusty bladder kept the walk short. So we headed back to the hotel and rested up.

Next we went bowling. This was Reiggin's surprise for me. I have been begging him to bowl with me since I love bowling and now I only bowl in one league. The bowling alley was a little scary and not in the best part of town. But I had a blast. I was first and the first time up I totally busted my butt and fall on my knees, but I made a strike. The whole bowling time was great. Needless to say
I will not be asking Reiggin to be my bowling partner unless I want to use his high handicap. But I love him. He could totally kick my butt
in poker so I guess we are even.

Next we went to this restaurant called Hell's Kitchen. It was downtown and I was excited to go because the place had been used in the
filming of Dawson's Creek. It was a unique bar/restaurant. It had it's character. The food was great and it was not crowded so we
got a chance to have great conversation. After that we went back and crashed for the night.

The next day we traveled to Topsail Beach. The day was perfect, the weather was about 70 degrees with a light breeze. I couldn't have asked for a better day. We drove around looking at all the nice houses and finally stopped at the one burger place in town. I had the best burger ever there. I mean the food was to die for. After stuffing our faces we made our way onto the beach and spent the whole day just walking and laying around on the beach watching people go by. Also, I was enjoying watching the surfers surf and Reiggin trying to find the perfect sea shell.

But sadly we had to pack up and head home. I was sad to leave but I was happy to get back home to my mom and dad. But I definitely would have to say that the weekend was the perfect cure. It really helped lift my spirits and make me feel 10 times better. So to all of you, I am back to my healthly self and over all the sickness that I had the previous week. I hope everyone is doing well and I will talk to you soon.

I Am Alive!! Promise

Ok! Ok! So I am not dead and I have not fallen off the face of the earth. This has just been one crazy start of my year. Putting up a blog entry has been the last thing on my mind lately. But to please a few of my great friends out there *cough*Lisa*cough*, I am writing a blog entry and I promise no great stories or excitement. But I will try my best to update you all on what I have been doing this past month away from my blog.

Well to start off, Sylvia, one of my good friends at the Gazette, has gotten engaged and has decided to leave the newspaper. We are all excited about her marriage and sad to see her leave. With her leaving, this leaves the graphics department short one person until they hire a new artist. So for a couple of weeks, Sylvia has been training me to do Sunday's and Monday's classifieds. This I am not too thrilled about, but I am slowly learning how to do it by myself. This past Friday was the first night having to do it all by myself and luckily this Monday no one mentioned any mistakes to me. So far so good, I guess.

Unfortunately, two weeks ago was Sylvia's last week and I was really really sick. Monday I was throwing up blood and having my nose bleed at the same time. Not fun at all, I must say. So I went to the hospital to find out that I have kidney stones and a urinary tract infection. This is not the first time I have had kidney stones but at the same time, not too thrilled to hear I have them again, especially since I just recently stopped drinking soda. But that is just my luck. So I spent a long afternoon in the hospital which, I must say, I was not very impressed with how I was treated there. On my release all they gave me was a print off of my drugs and that's about it. Not a single referral to another doctor or instructions on what to do for the kidney stones. So I am not too happy with my hospital.

So the rest of the week goes by and I have to be out of work for the whole week because I couldn't stop throwing up. I didn't think much about it, I just thought it was because of the pain of the kidney stones. Well by Friday, I was still throwing up. So I knew something was not right. I went back to the doctor and found out I was dehydrated. They pumped one bag of fluids into me there and that did nothing, so off to the hospital they sent me. There, the nurse pumped about 5 more bags into me. That has got to be one of my worst experiences ever. I thought I was going to float away or burst. I did find out there that I have a low heart rate. I don't know if it is good or bad. But the nurse did make me laugh by asking me if I was a runner or exercised a lot. For those of you that know me you are probably laughing already at the thought of me running or exercising. So yeah my heart rate was like 52 to 55 when I was at the hospital. That was a little scary but the nurse didn't seemed worried. Well they finally got enough fluid in me and sent me home. I was very thankful. I don't know what I would have done without my mom. She has been great. She basically waited on me hand and foot. And checked on me every couple of hours to make sure I was ok or if I needed anything. I am truly thankful to have such a wonderful mom. I know sometimes I forget how much she loves me and how much she cares for me. But this week I would not have gotten through it as well as I have if it wasn't for her. So I must say a BIG THANK YOU for all the things my mom does for me on a daily basis and just for being there for me.

With all this happening, the week I returned to work my boss informs me that my schedule would be changing from 4pm to 1am to 2pm to 11pm. I basically got a days notice. But luckily things worked out. Sadly, I had to quit my Tuesday morning bowling league and had to quit Longhorn. The bowling league really made me sad to leave. Those old women are just great, they are like extra grandparents to me. So I had a heavy heart telling them I could not bowl anymore on Tuesday. Leaving Longhorn was tough but I was ready. I have not had much energy lately and doing 2 jobs, even though it was only 2 extra days, was starting to get to me.

On the topic of bowling, a couple of weeks ago I finally bowled my first 200 game. I was so excited and I received my 200 game badge this Sunday. They called my name out and all. I was smiling from ear to ear. Right now, the badge is up on my fridge for all to see. So now my goal is to bowl 100 points over my average.

Ok well I think that is about it. Sorry for such a delay and hopefully I will be better at updating my blog but no promises. I am slowly but surely regaining my energy and health. So soon I will be back to my self again. Til then, I miss you all and hope you all are doing well.

Dumb Old Tuesday

Well I know it has been a while. I just have not been in the mood to blog. I am moving a little slow today. Getting home from work around 1:30am and getting to bed about 2:00am. Having to get up at 8:00am to go bowling with the wonderful old women sometimes is a tough thing to do. I really felt bad getting up today. My body was telling me to crawl right back under the covers. But I couldn't let my team down. So I pulled myself out and got a shower. Lets just say that I was no super star at bowling today. I did make my average for two of the three games. So I guess I should be happy about that. If I could ever learn how to get those spares on a regular basis I would be gold. But I had fun and like always laughed along with all the old women. I will hate to see the day when I can't bowl on Tuesday mornings.

Well change is something you just can't avoid. This is coming true for me at work. Sylvia is one of the great graphic designers that I work with at the newspaper. Well she is finally getting married and moving away. We are all sad to see her leave. Especially since the As The Paper Prints crew will be short one member. But we are all happy to see her move on to bigger and better things. So her leaving leaves us one short. We are currently interviewing people. This is always fun to see what kind of person management will choose for us. We are some what of a unique group of designers. Not that there are any regular designers. But there is Linda who has been at the paper for 30 some years. She is like the mom of the group. She keeps us in line and happy. Then there is Debbie, she has been with the paper for 20 years. She is the smoking, wise cracking designer. You never know what kind of mood she will be in and you just have to love her. She will tell you how it is in a heart beat. Next is Susan; she has been with the paper for three years. She is just great full of spirit and always cracks me up. She reminds me a lot of some of my good friends. I could talk to Susan all day long. Then last but not least is DJ. DJ has been with the paper for about 2 years. He is the only guy in our group. Poor fool. He is great and always serves as someone for us to pick on. But he is like the big brother that none of us had. He is a trooper and is great at night shift. Without him I would probably go insane and fall asleep at my desk.

So we are all biting our nails to see who they add to our great mix. Also I have had the joy of being trained on Classifieds since Sylvia is leaving us. I am not too thrilled about this, but it is always good to learn a new trade. At least I am going to keep telling myself that. So needless to say the next month or so at the paper is going to be interesting.

But enough about all that. I must say I had a great weekend. Usually all I do is talk with R and watch some movies. But this weekend with me still having the rental car, R decided to be super kind and come see me in the big town of Gastonia. So I decided I wanted to do something different. I didn't want to do the same old movie. I had heard from a hostess about this glow in the dark putt putt place on Franklin. Well enough said, how can you pass up putt put? And on top of it all it is glow in the dark. So me and R decided to grab dinner at BnF in Belmont. Which, by the way, is a great restaurant. Not sure if I have the name of the joint right. But they have the best fried pickles. I have my friend Sarah to thank for introducing me to that food. We also had the all time best BBQ Chicken Pizza.

After filling up on food. We made our way to the putt putt place.Usually this place is a haunted mill during October. Now they have decided during the off season to turn it into a glow in the dark putt putt. So lets just say this place is a little rough around the edges. But once me and R got into the place and discovered that it was a glow in the dark and haunted putt putt, I was happy and interested. It was a blast. The first nine holes were glow in the dark outer space putt putt. We also were given 3D glasses. This was just a trip. I couldn't help but laugh. We both looked like two big nerds with the glasses on. But I had the best time ever.

Then we went back to the front desk and turned in the glasses. Then a guy dressed in all black with a black hood on led us into the haunted putt putt part. My nerves well all worked up. By the time we got in front of the skeleton that was telling us the rules I was already shaking. The skeleton was great. It was animated and reminded me of the guy from Tales from the Crypt. (Which by the way was a great show.) So the skeleton told us the rules and reminded us that our putter was not a weapon. This just made me laugh I mean who would swing the putter at a person. Well our host informed us that he had bruises to prove it. We make our way though the putt putt and in the beginning we had a decision to make. Our host told us we could just play putt putt or we could be scared. I took a second to decide and said what the heck lets be scared. If I only knew what I had decided. I thought I was going to pee in my pants by the time we were done. I jumped and screamed. At one part I ran so fast to R and grabbed hold of him I thought I was going to faint. It was great and I would recommend anyone to go to this putt putt place. I know I will be going back.

Overall it was just good to try something new out. It turned out to be one of the best Saturday's that I had spent with R. Great memories and great screams.

P.S I added some old photos from last year that I came across while cleaning my computer at work! Because like Lisa always says a good entry is not complete until you have added photos. So these photos just bring back great memories for me. ENJOY!

Talent Alert!!!!

Hey Everyone! Let me just say first I am so sorry for how long it has taken me to do a new Etsy shop alert. That said I have found a great Etsy Shop. I stumbled upon Aussiepatche's Shop in a trading chat room on Etsy. Ever since then I have been crazy about this shop. Aussie has great items ranging from prints, original artwork, textiles, greeting cards, magnets, badges, pocket mirrors, jewelry, and much much more.

I always like to start off by showing everyone the shop's announcement so that all the important information is shown.

Aussiepatches Shop Announcement: Welcome to my shop. Enjoy browsing!

All prices are in US dollars. All shop policies are noted in my store profile. If you'd like to know more about me, please visit my blog http://www.aussiepatches.typepad.com
Custom orders and wholesale requests are most welcome. Layaway / Lay-by is now available.

Well enough of me typing away let me show you pictures of Aussie's great items! This item is what first attracted me to Aussie's shop. The title of this piece is Izabella Awaits -
Print 8 x 10.

Description

Illustration portrait of a futuristic woman with a technological theme. I've combined various elements such as shapes,

letters and robots.

This is a print of an original illustration. The mediums of the original illustration include pencil, chinagraph and ink on patterned paper.

The print measures 8.5" x 11.5" (29.5cm x 21cm) including a white border for framing. The actual image size is about 7" x 7" (18cm x 18cm). The image has been printed on matte archival paper with a weight of 192gsm.

Every print is signed and dated sealed in a plastic sleeve for protection. I just love this piece for the different textures and style she uses. This item truly inspires me to step
outside of the box and really push my art into a new direction.

I always love when artist give people a variety of ways to have
their art. Because lets be honest a lot of times we just can't afford to buy the original art. So Aussie has done this perfect by offering many different products that have her artwork images on them. For example she has some great greeting cards. Here is one of my favorites titled Nancy

Description
This is a blank card featuring my illustration "Nancy"

The image has been printed onto 200gsm cardstock and is blank inside. The card is packaged with a plain white envelope in a cello bag. Each card measures 4" x 6" (11cm x 15cm).

I am an artist and an illustrator. Please see my profile for further information and store policies.

Price = $5.20 US / $5.95 AU

Another great item is her pocket mirrors. I actually brought one of the Isabella pocket mirrors for myself to enjoy. Here is another pocket mirror that is just amazing.
This pocket mirror is titled

Little Red

Description

This is a pocket mirror created from one of my original illustrations called "Little Red".

The pocket mirror has been hand pressed and is 2.25 inches (7cm) in size. Perfect to tuck away in your bag to use whenever you need it!

I am an artist and an illustrator. Please see my store profile for further information and store policies.

Price = $6.90 US / $8.00 AU


I am just always amazed at all the different products that artist can come up with. And this one takes the cake.
It is a OOAK ( one of a kind) Art Doll titled Taryn.

Description

I've been dreaming of turning my illustrations into 3-D format for some time, and finally had the opportunity to do so. This is Taryn and she is an OOAK (one of a kind) art doll.

Each doll is painstakingly hand sewn, hand painted and detailed without a pattern so each is unique with their own characteristics. Taryn has been created with fabric remnants. The main body is calico cotton which has been made firm with polyester fiber fill. The main part of her dress is apple print fabric and she has patterned stockings and little felt Mary Jane shoes. Her dress is detailed with a wide pink ribbon belt and her hair is long flowing across her shoulders to tie up with a delicate yellow ribbon. Taryn has thick white wool hair delicately handsewn sewn onto the scalp. All of her facial features have been handpainted with fabric paint enabling her to be cleaned.

Taryn measures 22" (56cm) from head to toe. At her widest point she is 8" (20cm) in width. She cradles a little cupcake in her arms. The cupcake is made from calico and felt. The design has been screenprinted on the fabric and then handpainted with detail.

It is recommended that any cleaning is done with a damp sponge and Taryn is never to be machine washed. Taryn is not recommended for small children due to the small pieces such as the button clip in her hair and ribbons which are removable.

I am an artist and an illustrator. Please see my store profile for further information and store policies. Be sure to keep visiting for more plush friends!

Price = $65.00 US / $75.00 AU


OK so I am sure you can see what attracted me to this shop. There is just so much in Aussie's shop that keeps me coming back for more. I hope you enjoyed viewing some of Aussie's items and will please go check out her Etsy shop. You will not be sorry.

Oh Cheese How Much I Love You!

Ok, seriously can you think of a better food product then CHEESE! I think not! Now you are probably asking yourself how I came up with the idea of writing about cheese. Well late Monday night, I was talking in the Etsy chat room with the great Etsy seller, TimeLessPaperArts, and we somehow got on the topic of cheese. I know, the places my mind goes at 1:00am.

I went on to tell her about how cheese is the best food on this great planet. I mean there are endless combinations you can do with cheese. My friend, Lisa, has always liked to tease me about my love of cheese ever since the day I put cheese and pizza as my favorite food on one of my online profiles. Lisa said, " Kathy only a 5 year old would put that, not a 25 year old." What can I say, cheese has always held a special spot in my heart and memories.

I can remember coming home from Sunday church with the snack my dad let me and my sisters get from the gas station. Then rushing to the fridge to grab a slice of cheese to eat. We all have our own way of eating cheese. Mine was to bite off all four corners then to pinch around the edges with my fingers. I know it is a little crazy but that is how I always did it and still do. Cheese was always the best and quickest snack.

One cheese food I always have loved is the grilled cheese.
This sandwich is just the perfect combination of cheese.
And of course I can remember my dad teaching me and my sisters how to make grilled cheese. Now I know what you are saying, " Kathy how hard is it to make a grilled cheese sandwich?" Well I bet a lot of you don't know the secret ingredient. It is a shame but I will let you in on the Ford Family secret ingredient. My dad taught us that the best thing is to add mayonnaise to the grilled cheese sandwich. Now don't stick that nose up just yet. Try it out the next time you have a grilled cheese sandwich and you will be thanking me.

Ok, so the next great cheese product is the pizza. I mean what is a pizza without the cheese. A sad thing if you ask me. I mean cheese is what gives pizza its kick and its great start. I also love taking a good cheddar cheese and summer sausage and putting it together. Actually I just had some cheese and summer sausage for lunch. It always reminds me of my parents and their friends having their trivia nights. Larry Lamb would always bring cheddar cheese, summer sausage, and spicy mustard. I would sneak around the kitchen until finally they would bring out the snacks. I would make a mad dash for the cheddar cheese and summer sausage. I was one happy kid.

Another great cheese dish is my mom's sausage cheese dip. MMM that is heaven for me. She usually will always make it during the holiday season. Nothing beats my mom's sausage cheese dip. I mean I could make a meal out of it. Also cheese has even made me love a green vegetable. I have become crazy about spinach dip. I do believe it is only because of that great cheese. But the spinach ain't too bad either.

So this all makes me wonder what foods would just not be the same if we didn't have cheese? That thought just sends shivers down my back. It would be a sad world if we didn't have cheese around to put a smile on our faces. What food product could you not live without?

P.S. I will leave you with this great link to the history of CHEESE!
Also since I know how much Lisa loves pictures I came across some great old photos ENJOY!
Oh and don't be fooled there is a reason I have a hard hat on. I am sure my sisters are up to no good. And yes that cute baby up top is me. I know I am just to cute! :-) Later All!

my favorite dogs!

How could I forget Sadie! She is just super cute. But I most say hey the dogs in my life are great even my sister Lisa's dogs which I don't have any photos of. I just love these photos.

Etsy Alert! Shop of the Day!

Hey Everyone! So I have decided to do a post on what I love the most. Etsy, the wonderful handmade website that I fill every waking hour of the day and nite with. I have made a decision to choose a shop or two a day to highlight. My first shop that I have fallen in love with is.......drum roll please.........................Happy Whosits - Handmade with Heart.

This shop is filled with toys, baby items, puppets, earrings, and other fun stuff! I would also like to post their shop's annoucement so you will have all their information

happywhosits Shop Announcement Whosits make wonderful gifts for all occasions - new baby, birthday, Valentine's Day, Easter or just because. Please browse our shop. It's certain to bring a smile to your face.

~~ CUSTOM ORDERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! ~~

Blog: http://happywhosits.blogspot.com
Proud members of: etsykids, CGOA, Carolina Etsy Street Team (Hornet's Nest)
Please see our profile for shop policies.

I first ran into this shop in the lovely green chat room. I was speaking with Eileen and I must say that her and her creative team partner Sue seem like very friendly and caring people. I know you all are tired of reading and want to see some great photos of their hugable items. So here you go........

Tootles the Big Sister Turtle - Bright Green - Crochet Amigurumi

Fleur de Lion in Pink - Crochet Amigurumi


Chester the Chicken Hand Puppet - Crochet Amigurumi
Priscilla Pig Baby Bottle Cover - Crochet

OK so this is just a few of the great items that Happy Whosits has in their shop. So I highly recommend everyone rush on over and check out all the lovely items that they have to offer. You will not be disappointed.