Liar, liar, pants on fire

Ok, so I found myself walking down the hallway at work to pick something up.

I spotted a large crowd of people outside of two conference rooms. What the heck? Was I missing a meeting?

Oh no. It was another sample/prop sale! I said I had been to my last sample sale the other day when I scored those 5 pairs of shoes. I wasn't going to go in to this one, but curiosity got the better of me. I had to see what was in there. I didn't get much. I spent a total of $4. That won't break the bank.

I bought another two pairs of shoes (for $1 a pair!).



They are very cute Mudd brand shoes. I'm not too old to wear Mudd, am I? I think not.

I also bought two pillows. Each was $1. One is a square down-filled pillow, and the other is an oblong suede-ish pillow. It's an ugly shade of pinky-purple. Why should I care? I'm going to use these as pillow forms for a couple of pillow projects I have in the works! Yay me! Now I won't have to go out and spend $10 for a pillow form.



Hopefully I can get these pillow projects done soon so you will be wowed with my talent and endless creativity. :)

Today was a sad day at work. Actually, every day is sad. I'm sad that I was laid off. I'm sad that my friends and coworkers were laid off. I'm sad that there are people I know I'll never see again, even though we always say we'll keep in touch. Today, one of the merchandising teams had a little farewell party for us. Everyone on the "home department" creative team was invited (those being laid off as well as those staying). There was cake, and every single one of us who is leaving got a card signed by all of the buyers. Several people got up on the microphone to say a few things. One girl got up to speak, but was having a difficult time because she was in tears. You know how that goes...once one person starts with the water works, it's like a domino effect. It was a really nice gesture, but it just makes transitioning all the more difficult and bittersweet.

My last day with be either Monday or Tuesday. Most likely Tuesday. I still have a lot of packing to do. I'm not a crying kind of girl, but I know Tuesday will be very hard for me. Just sitting here thinking about it is making me tear up a bit.

I'm also going to miss all of the great sample sales! I've practically furnished our house with items from those sales...curtains, pillows, blankets, dishes, home decor, and also clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry. I'll also miss having a discount to the stores. I think someone said we can keep our discount card for another year. I'll have to check on that (especially since I can use it at Sephora).

On another note, it's bitter cold outside today. Bitter for those of us who live in the south and were wearing shorts and sandals just a week ago. Yikes! I'm going to have to make sure all three dogs are in bed with me tonight. You may not realize, but dogs make very good heating pads. Their little bodies can generate enough heat to start a fire. Seriously. I love it.

Much randomness

Such is my life right now...full of chaos and randomness. So why would my blog be any different? :)

Last week I got on the registry to be a bone marrow donor. I'm very excited! Several years ago I looked into it, but it was going to cost me close to $100 to get registered. Then last week, an email was sent out at work saying an associate was looking for a donor, so the company would have a drive and pay for everyone's registration fees. Hey, I figure that's the least they can do for laying me off.

For more info on becoming a donor, you can look here

And I also let them pay for my flu shot.

And I'm long overdue thanking these ladies for these awards. I've been out of touch lately and am sorry I haven't done this sooner. Please know they are very much appreciated!

AJ gave me this one



And Mandi gave me this one.



Thanks girls! I've really enjoyed getting to know these two fellow bloggers. Both are very sweet. I enjoy reading about their lives, decorating triumphs and even about Zac Efron (even though I have no idea who he is, but apparently AJ lusts for him). :)

I'm a list person. I love lists and post-its. I use them for everything. Right now I've been working on a list of projects that I want to work on while I'm on hiatus from the corporate world.



There was a shoe sample sale at work today. I wasn't going to go. And I didn't. Until one of my friends came back with a cute pair of boots for me (and a bag of about 10 pairs of shoes for herself). So I decided to go up. Heck, the shoes were only $3 each pair. Never mind my shoe obsession. Never mind that I have about 100+ pairs of shoes. Well, maybe not anymore. A few months back I purged. But shoes are something I can always use. And this was my last sample sale ever (sniff, sniff).

It's not bad having a shoe obsession, is it? Shoes are put to good use, unlike some things that are just put up in a closet, never to be seen again. And, perhaps I can wear the two dressy pair on interviews. We'll see.

The silver ones intrigue me. On, they are very dressy and elegant. Off, they are reminiscent of stripper shoes. Maybe hubs will like those. ;)



Been busy copying over files from my hard drive at work to my thumb drive. Over the years, I've saved lots of pics and links of crafts, family, etc., and I don't want to lose them.

That took a long time. Who'd have thought?

Tomorrow I need to copy over .pdf versions of my samples for future jobs.

If you don't have a thumb drive, go get one. They are priceless. 4.0 gigs for $10. Great for backing up your computer, too.

Now I'm going to retreat to my flannel jammies. The ones with the dachshunds in santa hats. Tres chic.

Take a tour with me

I love our town. Actually, it's a city. And according to recent reports, it's the fastest growing city of it's size in the United States. But I call it a town, because it has that type of feel. It's actually a suburb, so I feel we have the best of both worlds...it's quaint and friendly and feels like a smaller town, but it has everything you'd want located right here. I really love the old, historical areas best.

Our city happens to be the county seat. Because of this, there is a historic downtown and courthouse square. Texas is known for having beautiful historical courthouses. While ours is pretty, it's definitely not the most elaborate. But "the square" is wonderful even so! We live a short 5 minutes from the square. It's peppered with adorable little cafes, antique shops, galleries and more. I really enjoy it and spend quite a bit of time down there...sometimes to shop, browse, people watch or have a glass of wine at my favorite winery.

Lining the streets surrounding the square are beautiful old homes of several different styles: Victorian, Frank Lloyd Wright, farmhouse, craftsman, cottage. They are all stunning in their own way. Most are private residences. A few are B&Bs.

Come visit with me!

Here is our courthouse. It's very sweet. It's been recently restored and now serves as the performing arts center.





The courthouse has seen several renovations over the years since it was built in 1874.

Here it is in 1908.



Another look in 1927.



In 1939.



Notice the cars parked outside from each picture? Cool!

If you were to take a stroll, here is some of what you'd see.











My favorite shop. It's a little pet boutique called Reigning Cats and Dogs. How cute is that?! The lady who owns the shop is very sweet and is a fellow animal rescuer. She usually has at least one of her 3 dogs up there with her, along with a cat or two. She sells everything from fancy collars to beds, treats, toys and more. I love her store. It's a fun place to visit.



This place used to be an antique mall. It went out of business, and half of it now is a coffee shop/Mediterranean restaurant and the other half is a children's clothing store. I haven't eaten dinner there, but we've had coffee/tea, and it's really good.



My favorite winery.







Even Cissy had fun at the winery. Some folks at the next table gave her pieces of cheese from their wine and cheese tray. She also got lots of lovin's from everyone.







Here's a sweet old-fashioned family-run pharmacy that has been around for well over 100 years. We didn't realize until we were down there a couple of weeks ago that they have been hit with hard times due to the economy. It's a shame. I saw on the news recently that the owners are hoping an investor will come in and save this piece of history.









I love our "town."

Christmas will be here before you know it

Anyone starting to think of Christmas crafts and decor yet?

Christmas and Halloween are my two faves to decorate for...I have an entire closet dedicated to my c-mas decorations. Most are cherished items that have been passed down from my mother (ok, truth be told, she purged her stuff and I took it out of the "Goodwill" pile..ha). Some I made. Some are from craft swaps I joined in on with some great ladies I know from online (shout out to Gwen and Leah!).

I really enjoy making crafts, and I have a few c-mas ideas in mind for this year. I'm hoping to get started soon. I can't wait to show you pics! (provided the ideas pan out)

Here are some cute ideas from BH&G that could easily be duplicated with thrift store items and craft supplies you probably already have on hand.

I've seen something done similar to this one using leftover strips of cardstock and glitter.



Inexpensive glass ornaments can be decorated with all of those scrapbook pretties you probably have stashed away.



Scrapbook paper can be used for anything!



I saw trees similar to this at the Goodwill and Borders recently for next to nothing.



Fabric and/or scrapbook paper and ribbon would be all you'd need for this one!



I'm really loving all of the different tree grouping ideas.

I have some ornaments that aren't the prettiest, but they are special nonetheless since my grandmother made them before she passed away. Do you have any decorations that are sentimental? Maybe something a friend made, or something that belonged to a grandmother?

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

In 1996, The HSUS launched National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (based on an idea from the Capital Humane Society in Lincoln, Nebraska). This campaign was designed to acknowledge and promote the invaluable role shelters play in their communities and to increase public awareness of animal welfare issues and shelter services. During National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, the first full week of every November, The HSUS promotes and celebrates animal shelters across the country through media and public outreach.

You can find materials here to help you celebrate National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week in your community. The materials also can be customized to promote the important role of shelters any time of the year.

As you probably already know, two of my three dogs came from an animal shelter (the third came from a rescue group that found her at a shelter).

Adopting from a shelter saves lives. Millions of perfectly adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized every year solely on the basis that there aren't enough adopters for all of these animals. Some communities are fortunate enough to have the support from the public to create no-kill shelters.

If you can't adopt a new friend, shelters offer a variety of volunteer opportunities. In the past, I've: walked dogs, helped socialize cats, cleaned cages, participated in adoption events, wrote newsletter articles, washed, dried and folded cage towels and more. There are many more things to do: write thank-you notes to donors, become an adoption counselor, participate in grief counseling for those who've lost a beloved pet, take photos for the shelter's web site and more. It's a lot of fun! Any little bit of help they can get is truly appreciated

I've very thankful for all of the people who have volunteered/worked at shelters along with those who've adopted from them.

A great big "thank you" from me! :)

Dear "Sue"

I don't know who you are, or why you chose to post anonymous on my blog, but doing so is quite immature.

And for what it's worth, when I was referring to "kindness," I was referring to kindness of people in society as a whole, not any particular world leader. No, I have not lived under a rock. I see every day how people aren't very kind toward each other in general life....just watch the news, or even just watch how people flip each other off driving down the street, scream obscenities to each other, etc. Turn on the TV any night of the week and you'll see any number of "reality shows" where people's goal is to be nasty to one another. THAT is what I was referring to.

You kind of proved my point by your "are you living under a rock" comment. Just saying.

A little update

Well, I've gotten through the numb/in shock phase and I'm now in the very angry/pissed off phase. *sigh*

I was fortunate enough to receive a pretty nice severence package, so hubs and I are thinking that I should just take the month of December off to figure out what I want to do, and then start actively searching in January. Ideally, I would like to win the lottery. I'd still work, because I like having a schedule and structure, but I'd do something *fun* (like work at a florist, an animal shelter, etc.) regardless of the benefits, pay, etc. But as hubs pointed out, I'd have to play the lotto in order to possibly win the lotto. Doh.

Honestly, I'm just really down in the dumps. I am aware that this isn't personal, but that doesn't make it sting any less. I'm really concerned about the insurance. I can get Cobra, but as we all know, it's very expensive. I checked...for me, only me, it will cost me more than what I'm paying now for hubs and myself together. And what I'm paying for us together isn't cheap either.

This is all weighing so heavily on me. I felt sick to my stomach all weekend. I wanted to work on crafts, but just couldn't get into it. I couldn't sleep well. I couldn't watch TV. I couldn't read. I just felt out of sorts. I went to the square to walk around and window shop at the antique stores just to keep myself busy, but I just wasn't enjoying myself.

I have a lot to think about. Do I want to continue in this career path? Do I want to do something entirely different? I don't know. And what stinks is that I feel pressured to make a decision. Not pressured by anyone but myself. I have worked so hard all of my life to get to this point. I put myself through school, sometimes working 2 and 3 jobs while taking a full load of classes. I busted my rump. I never had a summer off. I've never been a lazy person. I've always had a plan. And now I don't. And that really freaks me out.

I think I'll take December to work on crafts that I never have time to do. I have a whole list of things I want to make. I have print-outs and tear-sheets from magazines with things I've been wanting to work on for a while, but just have always been too busy. I can also use the time to finish some projects around the house, do some deep cleaning, etc.

A really awesome coworker of mine said this is probably not a good time to be thinking about jobs right now anyway. He said that it's too fresh, that it would be good to "take some time off" so that I can clear my head and make a good decision instead of a hasty one. I agree with that, but in the meantime, I won't be able to enjoy anything. I hate uncertainty.

It's very difficult going in to the office everyday right now. We are all having a hard time concentrating, trying to finish projects and tie up loose ends. Plus, having to see everyone who didn't get laid off huddled together, whispering...it's just almost too much to take.

:(