Money cometh!!!

No really, it's true!!! This has been the week for unexpected money, it's amazing!

On Monday, I received a thoughtful birthday card from my sweet Mommy with an AMEX gift card in it.

On Tuesday, I decided to see what reward I could get with some of my Wells Fargo Reward points and was able to score a $50 Visa gift card...woohoo!

Then today (Wednesday), I received yet another AMEX gift card as a thank you from a co-worker I hosted a baby shower for a couple of weeks ago! I had no clue that it was "proper etiquette" to give a gift to the host of a baby shower...but it sure worked out for me :)

I almost have enough "gift" money to pay for all the gas needed to make my birthday trip to Pittsburgh! I am so excited to not only be taking what's sure to be a fantastic trip for my birthday, and it's almost no expense to me...God is just awesome!!!

He truly gives the best birthday gifts ever!!!

Outside is not for me

Have you ever noticed that if you're an "insider" (such as myself), when you spend a long time outside, that you are completely exhausted at the end of the day? I've never really paid much attention to this fact until today...when I spent 7 hours outside.

Our company had it's quarterly sales meeting today at Stone Mountain park - although I did not participate in any sporting events (except cheering!), the temps were 95+ degrees...and for this little (inside) office dweller, that is just waaay too hot!

I can only remember feeling this tired after helping my Mom move into her new home back in April. I can't believe it...I suppose that kind of heat puts just as much strain on the body as working in slightly cooler temps all day. Even though I drank a ton of water, I still feel completely drained.

After some nutrition from my kitchen & a new episode of Bones, sleep is sure to follow :)

Cross(eyed)-stitching

Now that I've finally gotten a good ceiling light in my living room, I'm finally able to work on my cross-stitching projects - yay rah!

I started an adorable baby sampler back in the spring, but have not been able to work on it much due to my low lighting issues :) However, I've definitely remedied that this weekend...just yesterday, I think I worked on this project for about 8 hours!

This is what the sampler should look like once it's complete.



Right now, I'm about 2/3rd's of the way finished & while I'd love to continue working on this today, I may just have to rest my tired little eyes :)

Oh to meet an Irish lad...

Let's just say that I've wanted to go to Ireland for as long as I can remember, but a few months ago, I decided to make my want to a reality. I fould a great tour company that takes a yearly pilgrimage to said country & next year, I will be with them!

To say that I'm excited is quite an understatement!!! As of today, they have finally posted the itinerary...check it out! Visiting Kilkenny, Youghal, Cork, Blarney, Macroom, The Ring of Kerry, Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty, Galway Bay & Galway



1 - DUBLIN SIGHTSEEING: After we arrive in Dublin, we begin an afternoon panoramic tour of this fair city. We’ll visit Trinity College, founded in 1591 by Queen Elizabeth I. This beautiful institution was the alma mater of illustrious statesmen, authors and poets. Here we’ll be able to admire the ancient Book of Kells. We’ll also see the legendary St. Patrick's Cathedral, the national cathedral of the Protestant Church of Ireland. Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, is entombed within these walls. We will also visit Phoenix Park and the Wellington Memorial.

2 - KILDARE / KILKENNY / WATERFORD: Today we’ll travel to the historic town of Kildare, home of the Irish Sweeps Derby, where we’ll visit the National Stud Farm and Horse Museum. In this area more than 50% of Irish-bred horses are raised and sold. We will also visit the Japanese Garden. Continuing south, our journey brings us to medieval Kilkenny-- the marble city of Ireland--where the ancient castle may be viewed. We’ll continue on to Waterford for a visit to the world renowned Waterford Crystal Factory. We overnight in Waterford with dinner included this evening.

3 - YOUGHAL / CORK / BLARNEY CASTLE / KILLARNEY: This morning we follow the “sunshine coast” from Dungarvan to Youghal. This coastal town features many handsome homes and castles and was the filming location of the motion picture version of Melville’s Moby Dick. We continue south and east to the 800-year-old city of Cork. This city, Ireland’s second largest, grew out of a flourishing butter trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Nearby is Blarney Castle where you’ll have an opportunity to receive the “gift of the gab” by kissing the Blarney Stone! Leaving Blarney, we travel the scenic Lee River Valley to Macroom, where we see the remains of its castle, before traveling to Killarney for a two night stay.

4 - RING OF KERRY EXCURSION / MOLL’S GAP / KILLARNEY: We drive through scenery of plunging cliffs and spectacular lakes, between granite mountains and endless beaches on our tour of the “Ring of Kerry.” We travel through Moll's Gap and down over the Black Valley to Ladies View. Next is Killorglin to Cahirciveen with the memorial to St. Brendan the Navigator and views of Dingle Bay and the South Kerry mountains. We see Charlie Chaplin's hideaway, Waterville and Derrynane, home of Ireland's liberator Daniel O'Connell. Later we return to our hotel in Killarney.

5 - CLIFFS OF MOHER / LIMERICK: First we cross the Shannon by ferry to County Clare to see the magical Cliffs of Moher where we visit the new visitors centre. Then we travel on to the curious Burren, with unusual rocks and flora. Later we visit Bunratty Castle, a living museum that takes us back to the days of old Ireland, before arriving at our hotel in Limerick.

6 - LIMERICK / DUBLIN: We travel via Ennis and across County Clare to Galway Bay for panoramic views and a picture stop at Galway Cathedral before driving to Dublin. We enjoy a farewell dinner tonight with our tour director and new found friends.


I'm already thinking of maybe going to Australia in 2012...I know, I know...one country at a time :) My dream will finally become a reality...woohoo!!!

Behold the power of...FRUIT!

While fruit & I have had a love affair ever since I was a child, I have recently fallen in love with it all over again :)

Currently in my fridge right now are: peaches, apples, pears, cantalope & bananas. I simply cannot get enough fruit! I'm sure I'll get tired of it one day, but thankfully that day has yet to come :) Plus, tonight, I made some absolutely fantastic homemade banana ice cream...yummo!

Most of us know that fruit is good for us, but for most, the knowledge stops there. Fruit is not only full of vitamins and fiber...but one of the most important things it contains is water....and we all need more water!

World's Heathiest Foods is a great website that supplies a ton of information on fruits, veggies, grains & dairy!

Check it out, won't you!?!

Fabulous new fan!

Hooray! The new fan (w/remote) has been installed!!! While this may seem like a small thing, it will definitely help me with all of my yarn work...fun stuff! :)





Hello, Light & Convenience!!! Dear Cross Stitching project, I'll be spending some quality time with you very soon :)

Weekend Productivity

As I look back over this weekend, I think I've been quite productive...but oddly enough, I never made one list...not even a grocery list!

My weekend of productivity:
* tons of knitting & crocheting
* vacuumed (again)
* cleaned kitchen (twice)
* went to my knitting group
* went grocery shopping
* cleaned out refrigerator
* cooked some great beef ribs :)
* did come light cleaning
* watched a good movie or two
* laundry (folded & put away too, oh yeah!)
* ate tons of fruit (yay!)
* discovered that I've lost 5lbss & 2in. in the last 4 weeks (HOORAY!!!)

I'm quite excited about tomorrow...really, excited about a Monday? Absolutely! Tomorrow, I am getting a new fan installed in my living room...one that actually has a light kit & is not just a fan. Plus, I purchased a fabulous remote for said light/fan, which will also be installed tomorrow...I'm sooo thrilled!

I've got 2 cross-stitching projects as well as knitting & crocheting that really require me to have alot more light than I currently have in my living room so tomorrow's installation will allow me to work on these projects...yippee skippee!

Not only do I get new lighting, but I work from home on Mondays so it's always (ok then, usually) works out well in my favor :)

So, here's to the small things in life that help us accomplish our goals; mine's a light, what's yours? :)

Baby Uggs!!!

After my knitting group today, I finally decided to try to knit some baby booties...however, I wanted to find something really easy...and then I found BABY UGGS! Here are the pics from the actual pattern...so cute!!!




Now, here is mine...not quite as cute as the pattern picture, but not too bad for my first baby bootie, right?!



So, here's to trying something new & it working out! :)

Yarny Labor Day

Needless to say (after my post yesterday), I've spent a large part of this holiday weekend knitting & crocheting. I'm so happy that I've been able to get back into the rhythm of yarny goodness :)

Not only did I play with yarn this weekend, I also was visited by the motivational cleaning fairy! While I didn't do an entirely deep clean, I did manage to get some things organized & put away, did a couple loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen and finally my arch nemesis - vacuuming! Although there is more to be done, I feel better *starting* (can Tuesday be considered "starting") the new week with at least a few items accomplished.

Now back to the yarn! I have a few great ideas for the baby afghan I'm working on; since it's all white, I plan on adding some embroidery...maybe flowers, or ABC's, or the baby's name...the list goes on & on :) I also picked up a crocheting project I started a few months ago...I found some interesting variegated yarn in light blue, white, tan & brown and just could not figure out what to do with it. Today, I decided to use said yarn to crochet a (boy) baby afghan for my friend who just had a baby boy!

Of the 2 projects I brought home from my knitting group, I've finished one (triumphant cheers!) and started the 2nd one. I'm hoping to be able to finish the project & actually go to my knitting group on Saturday...so fun!

All in all, I'm very pleased with this holiday weekend! I not only did a bit of cleaning and cooking, but reignited my yarny passion and caught up on tons of great TV :)

Knitting, knitting & more knitting

As you can imagine, I've spent my entire Sunday...yep that's right, knitting! After talking with one of my mom's cousins, I decided it was high time I attempted to knit something larger than a hat or scarf...so today, I started my first knitted afghan ever :) While I have made many afghans, they have all been crocheted, so this is a bit new for me.

Last year for my birthday, a friend gave me a knitting kit with all kinds of nifty & helpful knitting tools, but until today I'd never used most of them. Today, I have officially become a fan of row counters & stitch markers!

I think one of the biggest reasons why I never attempted any large knitted items was that I was afraid of losing my place in such an involved pattern. But, with the help of my new spiffy tools, losing my place is no longer an issue :)

Although I'm only about 1/6 of the way finished, but I'm thrilled with the outcome! I plan on outlining all of the squares of the afghan in baby pink and/or yellow :)



So, if there's something you've been relunctant to try, sometimes all it takes is the right tools to make a big project seem totally possible!

Floating Passion

I am passionate about many things but they seem to come & go in waves. I seem to get involved in one thing or another & it just takes over my life for a bit...then it floats away & I begin another one.

Over the last few weeks, I've been baking up a storm, but I've since grown tired of it & have begun something new...knitting! I learned to knit over July 4th weekend last year & proceeded to knit obsessively for almost 6 months; I've hardly knit a thing in 2010...until now.

I'm actually part of a local knitting group called Nimble Fingers & we knit hats, scarves, gloves, etc. for North Fulton County Charities. I think the last time I went was back in April, and while I knitted a little while I was there, I've done nothing else sense. Usually when I go, I bring home at least 2 projects to work on; I'm happy to say that I've finally finished 1 scarf & have started on my 2nd one...woohoo!

I have a very cool scarf that I started last year in a pattern called entrelac - I hope to finish it up soon so I can wear it this fall/winter. Since I live in the South & we usually don't have to deal with extremely frigid winters, I love to knit scarves out of cotton yarn; they very soft & cozy without being heavy.

Last year, I actually sold one of my scarves...which was very cool! Since it was my favorite one, I had to make myself another one :)



I'm hoping this passion sticks around for a while so I can make some Christmas gifts...but we'll see how that goes :)

Where, oh where is the motivation fairy?

I've decided to stay home this holiday weekend & I'm praying that the motivation fairy descends upon both me & my house. My house is terrible...that's right, I said it...terrible!

First I need a plan; I should make a list...hen at least I can have some sense of accomplishment when I cross off even the smallest of tasks :)

Secondly, I should not turn on the TV, or at least if I do, it should be a music channel. Nothing hurts my motivation worse than TV :(

And finally...I need to just do it! Cleaning to me is like ripping off a band-aid, it's never as bad as my mind conjures it up to be...but never-the-less, I dread it all the same.

So, here's hoping that my little motivation fairy doesn't get lost or party too hard this holiday weekend & instead makes a desperately needed visit to my abode!

Zimbra!

I found the coolest new tool for keeping track of all of my email accounts without having to constantly log in & out of them...it's called Zimbra! I currently have 3 different email accounts not including work & this has helped me keep track of them automatically & simultaneously...which makes me ubber-happy!

A Better Inbox
Unlimited email storage is great but searching through thousands of emails is a hassle. Our Conversation Views and Message Tags automatically highlight important emails in all your email accounts so you can find anything in a hurry. Advanced Search makes finding important pictures, documents or messages from people you care about a snap.

All Your Email Accounts in One Place
Zimbra Mail. Yahoo! Mail. Gmail. AOL. They all work automatically in Zimbra Desktop; even Outlook or any other work or personal email account using POP or IMAP is easy to set up. The best part—you can read them offline without an internet connection when you are in "airplane" mode.

Zimbra Desktop is free
Zimbra software is open source, meaning we make both the software code and the application itself available to anyone at no charge. Also, Zimbra Desktop is a full version; there are no missing features or catches. Enjoy!

And that's your techy tip for today; that's all folks!