Forever a Corgi Mom

Great News!

2009-04-22T17:26:00.002-04:00

Clearly, I do not come and post often enough. That "new job" only lasted two weeks. They lost one of their major contracts and let go of all their temp workers and some of their permanent employees.

So with the exception of two weeks, I've been out of work since September.

Until this afternoon!

I interviewed at a KinderCare location yesterday and was disappointed that they only talked to me for a few minutes. But a few hours after the interview, a different (locally owned) day care called me in for an interview. I met with them this morning, and this afternoon they called and offered me a job. As long as I pass my background check, I start tomorrow!

I got a great vibe from this place. They're "education focused" versus just being a place to leave your kids. They're not looking to hire a babysitter for the kids, but someone with a passion for kids and learning, who really wants to be there and work with them. Sounds perfect to me! I'll be working primarily with the toddlers, but will have some interaction with the infants as well.

I'm so excited! If I can't design houses for a living, I can't think of a better substitute than being with kids.

One day left

2009-01-22T18:18:00.002-05:00

I only have one more "work day" off before I start my new job. I've been greatful for the time off. I know it has been a stress on Lucas because we haven't had as much money, but it has been good for me, emotionally, to be out of work and have a reduced stress level for awhile. It's really made a difference in my depression. These last couple of months I have felt much more relaxed. I have mixed feelings about starting the new job. I know that I need to work and help provide for my family, and I'm glad that I was at least able to find another drafting position and I'm not being forced back into retail. I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to going back to work. I have absolutely no interest in the company or line of work that I'll be going into and I'm really not looking forward to working with Microstation. But alot of people work jobs they don't like. And taking this job is better than going back to retail. It could be a lot better, but it could also be a lot worse. Taking the job allowed me to join a fitness center this week, which will help me to reach my weight loss goals. Taking this job may mean that we can actually afford to go on a honeymoon. Taking the job was the right thing to do, I just hope that somewhere down the road another opportunity will come along that I'm more interested in.

Happy 2009

2009-01-05T19:32:00.002-05:00

My wonderful fiance got me an awesome Christmas present. I've been visiting with my mom in Pennsylvania for the past few days, and I'll be here with her until Friday afternoon. Friday afternoon, I'll head back to the train station to catch my amtrak train back home. I'll be home early Saturday morning.

Next week, I'll need to go down to the temp agency to fill out some paperwork before I start my new job, and Colleen will get a much needed haircut and a good bath. Since I'm going back to work, I'd really like to join a gym again and I found one that has several locations nearby and they're offering a New Year's special. The enrollment fee is only 20.09 instead of 150. I'm thinking about pre-paying for 6 months instead of paying monthly, because it's cheaper that way. Monthly rates are $35. Pre-paying for 6 months takes it to an average $30/month.

I've been having a good time visiting my mom, but I'm looking forward to going back home, too. I miss Lucas and my puppy dogs. I enjoyed the train ride up to Pennsylvania, so I am looking forward to the train ride back. It was much more comfortable than the bus or a plane. I'd definitely take amtrak again.

No longer unemployed

2008-12-18T14:48:00.003-05:00

Everyone's wish that I would get a job for Christmas has come true. I wish I could say I was happy about it, but the truth is that I am extremely depressed. When I was in school, I had to take a class to learn a cad program called Microstation. I left the class saying that nobody could ever possibly pay me enough to be willing to accept a microstation job. I hate the program that much. Well, guess what? Not only did I accept a job working in microstation, but I'm taking a signficant pay cut to do it.

For those who are interested in the details, the company does drafting work in the telecommunications field for clients like AT&T. I start on January 19th.

I should be in a great mood today. Our foster pup is arriving tonight and I've been looking forward to tonight for days. I also got a package in the mail today. The corgi and collie Christmas ornaments that I bought from etsy arrived and they're adorable. The artist made the corgi custom for me, with Ein's coloring.

However, none of that seems to matter. I know I should be greatful to have found a job. We need the money. But I can't get past how depressed I am about taking a 25% pay cut in order to work a job that I'm not interested in, using software that I despise. I feel like a selfish brat for being so depressed about the job.

We did it again!

2008-11-28T12:57:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Lucas helped me cook and we had a great turkey breast - the best I've ever made thanks to the marinade I injected it with. Lucas helped me make some homemade macaroni and cheese with cheddar, queso, and a bit of mozzarella that I had leftover in the fridge. We also had some texas toast and cranberry sauce. For dessert, peach cobbler (a frozen one) with vanilla ice cream and fat free cool whip.

Needless to say, I don't want to know how many calories I ate. I decided this morning that Ein and I should walk all the way to the top of Kennesaw Mountain again, to make up for all that extra food yesterday. The park was busy. We had to park on Old 41, on the side of the road, because the lot was full. Not sure how much of it was the extra distance and how much of it was just me being slower, but it took us 45 minutes to get to the top instead of 40. I decided to try taking the trail down instead of the road. I had never done it before, and wasn't sure exactly how to do it, but there were tons of other people out, so I just followed them. It was alot quicker than taking the mountain road. It took us about 25 minutes to follow the trail down. It's a bit shorter in distance (about .2 mile), but it's also steeper, so I'm not sure if it would be any quicker going up, since it would be more strenuous. Now that I know how the trail goes, we'll have to try that the next time I want to go up to the top of the mountain.

I had two interviews this week with staffing centers, one resulted in an interview with the company. I should hear early next week whether they want a second interview or not, and whether or not the second company wants to meet with me. Monday morning, I'm meeting with yet another staffing center about an application I put in. I've been getting more attention that usual lately, which is a good sign. My unemployment is just about half up, so I'm glad that I'm getting some more interest.

It's hard to believe that it's been 2 months since I lost my job with Phillips. Time is just disappearing. Is it really almost the end of November? Is it really less than a week away from my birthday? Almost time to start the last year of my 20's? Nine months from the wedding? Someone please tell me where the heck time has gone.

New Wedding Website

2008-11-24T12:19:00.003-05:00

Click to view our new wedding website. I switched over to www.honeymoonwishes.com because we've chosen them as our gift registry and they offer a free wedding site along with the registry. It's just simpler to have everything all through one site, plus I like the background/style better. Plus, there's the added bonus that it makes our guests aware of our registry without us having to actually say "here's where we're registered". We know that there are some people who want to give us gifts, but we don't want anyone to feel like they have to provide a gift. We're inviting our loved ones because we want to share our day with them, not because we want a gift. :)

All future updating/information will be done through the new site. You can click on this blog entry to get there.

I am so proud!

2008-11-14T13:12:00.003-05:00

I am so proud of myself today. When I first started going to Kennesaw Mountain to walk, my goal was to one day make it to the top, following the road. Today, I reached that goal!

I told myself today that I wanted to try and push myself to walk a little bit further than usual. 30 minutes before heading back down, instead of 20 minutes. 30 minutes came and I saw that there was a trash can just ahead. I decided to go a bit further to the trash can, since I was carring a doggy pick-up bag. When I got to the trash can, I realized that I knew where I was.

Sometimes I drive up to the parking area at the top of the mountain and walk a trail up there. The trail loops around to the mountain road and we use the mountain road to get back to the car. That's where the trash can was. The spot where the trail hits the road.

I said "I can do this". I looked at Ein and said "We can do this. We can make it to the top. We've done this part before." I kept walking, repeating every now and then "I can do this", "We can do this", "I can make it to the top" or "We can make it to the top". It took me a total of 40 minutes, but Ein and I made it to the top of Kennesaw Mountain. We rest for 5 minutes. Or rather, I rested for 5 minutes while Ein greeted people and ran around. The way back down also took 40 minutes. When I caught myself going slow, I tried to step it up a bit, reminding myself that the way down is still part of the work out.

The sign at the bottom says that it's 1.2 miles to take the road to the top of the mountain. That makes my pace 33 minutes per mile. But it sure doesn't feel like it's only a little over a mile. I am so proud of myself for making it to the top of the mountain and reaching my goal.

Lesson of the day

2008-11-06T16:57:00.004-05:00

Today's lesson: Never buy just one toy when you have three children. You're bound to have a "fight".

Somebody will win.

And somebody will be very sad.

Looks like I'll be back at Petsmart tomorrow picking up some more 97 cent Halloween clearance toys, like this little spider.

It's been a great day

2008-11-05T21:15:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited about Obama's win. I didn't dislike McCain, but I really really love Obama. I have a lot of hope for him. He seems very intent on change. I hope that he is able to live up to the expectations that everyone has of him. I know he has the vision. Now we have to wait and see what he can do. He gave an excellent acceptance speech in my opinion. I think he's a great speaker. It's one of his strengths. CNN has a video of the speech, if you haven't heard it yet. You can see it here: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/11/05/sot.obama.entire.cnn

For those that know about the medication struggles that followed my job loss, things have worked out on that end. My doctor offered to only charge me what my copay would have been, and he has been able to give me samples. It's amazing how well and how quickly the medication works.

No news on the job search front. There just isn't anything out there. I haven't seen any drafting jobs advertised for days, so I've been spending my days driving around to architecture firms, dropping of a resume so that they can keep me in mind if business picks up and they need more help.

Update on Colleen

2008-10-06T08:16:00.002-04:00

Colleen is doing quite a bit better after her vet visit. The vet found 2 mange mites in the skin scrape. Not enough to consider it an outbreak, but certainly not as good as the last time when there were none. Not enough to warrant rushing into shaving her naked and doing medicated dips, for sure. Currently, we're testing the theory that maybe the tick collar, which contains a low dosage of the medication in the dip, was helpful to her and killed off the mites last time. So we shaved a ring around her neck so that the collar can touch her skin. I must say that they did a great job shaving so that you can't tell it's there unless you're looking for it. The vet also gave her another round of antibiotics and some more antihistimes. The antihistimine knocks her out and makes her sleepy, but she's no longer asking you to scratch her itchy spot and she's not chewing on herself, so it's working well. I gave her a bath before putting the collar on her and she's looking better. That one spot is still bare and pink, but it's not red anymore.

Back to the vet for Colleen

2008-10-03T07:28:00.002-04:00

Colleen will be going back to the vet soon. I am going to call them as soon as I get a chance. I have an interview pending with Northrop Grumman, sometime Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. As soon as I get word on which day and what time, I need to call and make an appointment for her. That one spot on the center of her back that looked the worst has never completely healed. It got somewhat better, started to grow hair back, but never completely healed. She's been scratching at it and has drawn blood. Not sure if the infection never cleared, or if the negative skin scrape was a fluke, or if maybe I just didn't rinse the soap out good enough at her last bath and it's irritating her, or maybe her skin is dry because the weather is getting colder. It could be one of many things, but she needs it looked at just in case she needs to be on another round of antibiotics for skin infection, or (god forbid) mange treatment. At least my unemployment checks will be weekly, so we can pay for treatment if we really have to.

In other news, I was filling out paperwork last night and discovered that I can't apply for help paying for my medication. They don't care how much I would have to spend on prescriptions each month or what our expenses are. All they look at is income and Lucas makes just over their annual income limits, plus the unemployment I'll be receiving. So I can either pay for the neurontin and go off everything else, or pay somewhere between $350 (drugstore.com price) and $450 ("average retail price" according to drugstore.com) for my meds. Or pay $350+ to keep my insurance through cobra, and then an additional $100 in co-pays for the medications. Way too much money for three medicines, in my opinion.

Well, I'm leaving in 15 minutes for my interview, so I'm off to take care of last minute things. Hopefully traffic has died down enough that two hours will be enough time to get there. Googlemaps says 50 miles/one hour with no traffic.

Interview tomorrow

2008-10-02T11:01:00.004-04:00

I have an interview tomorrow with a company that does custom interiors/millwork for all different kinds of business applications. It'd be a long commute (over 50 miles) because the place is further south than even the airport, but it sounds like a neat job and the company has done some nice work and been around for awhile. I'm looking forward to meeting with them. Click on the title of this entry to go their website.

Someone from AT&T is going to come today to install a new phone/DSL line for us. Now that I'm home all day, relying on the computer to help me find a job, the in-and-out-because-the-wires-are-old has become more of a problem. Tech should be here sometime between 1 and 5. I'm sure the doggy alarm will let me know when he's pulling into the driveway so that I can gate the dogs into the spare bedroom so they won't get in his way.

So much has changed in the past week

2008-09-28T22:34:00.002-04:00

Due to business slowing down and international projects being put on hold, I was called into the accounting office on Tuesday and let go. You do great work, and we'd gladly hire you back when things pick up, I was told. The lady at the unemployment office was nice and told me that if I waited until the next quarter (October 1st), I'll be eligible to receive payments for longer. Unemployment payments will only be about 50% of my former income, but I'm greatful for the help until I can find something else. At the very least, it's enough to pay the rent. There are very few drafting jobs out there right now, and almost none in architecture. I've been applying for general drafting positions, hoping that I'm not forced to go back to a retail job.

I'm going to the dentist in the morning. I have insurance and my flex account until Tuesday. I need to take advantage of it while I can because I may not have insurance again until after the wedding. I have three teeth on the far right that the dentist wants to remove. I've been putting it off until later in the year, in case I need an emergency root canal (I only get a certain dollar amount covered per year). No need to save up for that now, so I'll be getting those three teeth out at 7 tomorrow morning. I've called in refills on all my prescriptions and I'm hoping they don't come back "insurance says it's too early to fill". Oddly, I'm looking forward to the appointment. I'm more focused on "I'm so glad that I can get this done before I lose my insurance" than on how much pain I'll be in tomorrow.

Eh, that's okay. A couple days of not being able to eat will do me good. I haven't been doing that great the past few weeks and I'm struggling. I know better. I've just been giving in to temptation far too much lately. Free Friday breakfast at work, snack bin at work, etc. Oddly enough I do better at home than at home, so losing my job may be good for my diet. Part of it is that I don't keep candy bars and cookies in the house like they do at work. Part of it is because I feel like I shouldn't eat as much because I'm not earning anything, so we need to conserve grocery money by not eating as much. I've been taking advantage of the time off to take more walks with Colleen to get some exercise. Almost every day, in between job searching and putting up ebay auctions to try and sell some of the things we have but don't need, Colleen and I go out for a walk.

It's official

2008-09-14T22:04:00.004-04:00

After winning numerous ebay auctions and having one item arrive so far, I am now officially in a size 24! That's two sizes down. I've had one pair of size 24 pants for awhile now, but everything else that I own is either 26 or 26/28. I finally spent some time on ebay and had way too much fun shopping for good deals on smaller clothes. I sold one 26/28 skirt a few weeks ago, and I've got another lot of 7 items up for sale now. More will follow soon. I've got two 26/28 skirts that are almost falling off, but I love one of them so much that I don't want to sell them until they really are just too loose to wear any longer.

Misc. Update

2008-09-06T23:45:00.003-04:00

It's been a rough week that's for sure. Lots of updating to do. First, I went online to change our wedding reception date after hearing comments about a weekend being better. Well, online doesn't have an option to change the date, just cancel. I really don't like dealing with people on the phone, so I used the online system to cancel the old reservation and make a new one. In the "comments" section, I put this is a date change, I just cancelled our previous reservation. We'd like to use our one free date change. Well, they charged me for the new reservation without refunding me for the old one. So I called them last night - date 09/05/08. The lady on the phone made it pretty clear why we had trouble. She said she suspected that whoever worked on it read the date wrong. Our reservation was for 08/04/09 and probably got read as 09/04/08 - a cancelation of less than 30 days which means you don't get your deposit back. Considering how she herself kept saying "you cancelled just a few days before" and I had to say "Ma'am, the reservation is for 2009", I can see how it happend. She said she refunded it, but it hasn't shown up in my account yet as pending. However, I did get charged a $10 cancellation or date change fee, which I hate, but deserve. This whole issue about the date change was incredibly frustrating and long. By the time I actually went through and made the change, I had spent so much time looking at which weekend days were available near the wedding date (can't be changed because the permit to hold the wedding inside the national park has already been secured), talking to parents about the pros and cons of each option so we didn't have to make another change... well, to be honest, I was tired of dealing with it and just wanted it done. So I rushed. And while on the phone with the lady, I noticed that one paper said August and one said September. Yeah, I had accidently made the new reservation for September 9th instead of August 9th. I was able to get it changed with no problem, but yeah - a second date change because I was an idiot, and a $10 fee. Real nice how the $10 fee showed up in my account before the $175 refund. Lucas had to transfer money to my bank account so that when the landlord finally cashes the utility check I wrote him almost a month ago, it won't bouce. I could cover the rent check, but not the utilities. (UPDATE: The $175 refund did come through this week, and much to my surprise, the $10 was also refunded!)

Health update for both of us is not good. I started to develop some lower abdominal pain (among other things), which led me back to the gyn to make sure that I did not get an infection as a result of having the paraguard inserted. She said she didn't suspect an infection, but it would be better to err on the side of caution and prescribed me some antibiotics. Decided to send me for an ultrasound to see if they could find a reason for the pain. They found one. Evidently I have a small cyst that they're not too worried about. She said most go away on their own. Pain comes and goes - I took some aleve this morning because it was so bad, but other times it doesn't hurt at all. The ultrasound did reveal something that they ARE worried about. Paraguard didn't show up. Doctor said that they want to do another ultra sound while I have my next period. Something about it being easiest to see then because the lining of the uterus is thickest. If they can't find it then, it means that the paraguard did not place itself properly - "expulsion" happens. If the paraguard isn't in there properly, it won't work, which means they'll have to pull it. A) I really want to be able to use the paraguard B) if it hurt that much going in, then I'm in no rush to see how much it hurts coming out. I REALLY hope that the next ultrasound is fine, but it's hard to be optimistic.

Lucas' health update. He finally went to the doctor. They ran tons of bloodtests and are going to run some more non-blood tests and send him to a GI specialist. Bloodwork came back positive for the bacteria associated with ulcers. Thank goodness for insurance because the medication he needs to take for the next 2 weeks was over $300. He also had normal cholestoral but high triglycerides - runs in the family. We were definitely hoping that he could avoid having that passed down to him.

Things aren't all bad, though. I got two beautiful bracelets in the mail today and I've won a couple ebay auctions for some much-needed clothes one size smaller than what I've been wearing, for a fabulous price. Went to a wedding cake tasting this morning and we know what cake we want, and are debating fillings. Lucas said the price was about what he thought it would be, but it's less than what I was expecting. I'm impressed by this place, Cakes by Darcy, and I'm almost sure we'll go with them. I'm tempted to check with a few more places so I can look through their design books and get more free cake, but I certainly don't need free cake. I did my Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds for Abs 3 mile walk DVD to try and help make up for the cake (and mexican food) we ate today. Yeah, not a good points day, but hey, that's what weekly points are for, right?

Hormone free for up to 10 years

2008-08-27T16:09:00.002-04:00

No more birth control pills, depo shots, or nuva rings for a very long time for this girl. I went in today and got the hormone-free Paraguard IUD inserted. Unless Lucas and I decide to have children, the device can stay in for up to 10 years. It's a good thing it lasts 10 years, too, because man, it woudln't be worth repeating every year.

Paraguard website says you may feel a pinch when it's inserted and some women feel dizzy/lightheaded afterwords and need to rest a few minutes before leave the doctor's office. My gyn said that she doesn't normally recommend IUDs for people without children, partly because they hurt to get put in. So I really didn't know what to expect. Lots of pain or a slight pinch?

The people at Paraguard either have a high pain tolerance or haven't gotten one in themeselves, because it was no where near a little pinch. First, they measured my uterus so they'd know how far in it needed to go. Little pinch, then lots of cramping. Not menstrual type cramping, but very intense cramping. I thought that was it and we were done, only to find out that no, they were measuring. The devise iplantation was next. Another pinch, then lots of cramping. LOTS of cramping. It doesn't help that I'd been having lots of bathroom runs all morning (nervousness, I think because anxiety/stress often affect my stomach), so by the time it was in and they said I could sit up, I was cramping so badly that I felt like I was going to lose my oatmeal - or need an emergency potty run. Got up, feeling a bit lightheaded and walked to go turn in my paper and make my re-check appt for 2 weeks from now (to cut the strings shorter once the IUD has settled itself into place). I was so lightheaded that I rested my head on the desk at the checkout counter. They sent me to their breakroom to lay down for a few minutes. I guess it's the release of adrenalyn that builds up from the anxiety and pain of the insertion, but I felt hot, my body was covered in sweat and I just had to lay there until I stopped feeling lightheaded. Once I thought I felt better, I sat up for a few minutes before going to check out and make my appointment. I was feeling a bit better by then, but didn't feel totally myself until I got to the car and was able to turn up the airconditioning and really cool myself off.

Came home instead of going back to work (Lucas took his half day today) and took a warm bath to soothe the cramping. Now, 5 hours after it all started, I pretty much feel like I should. Gyn said to expect cramping for a couple days, but they put the IUD in while you're on your period, so I would have cramps right now anyways. I had cramps all night last night and this morning, so it's no big deal. Honestly, right now, I don't feel any crampier than I normally do during my period.

So about 15 minutes of pure Hell followed by 45 minutes to an hour of "recovery" and bad cramping for up to 10 years of hormone free birth control. Was it worth it? Assuming my body doesn't reject the IUD, I've got 10 years of worry free birth control. No remembering to take a daily pill and remembering that pills don't work with antibiotics, no side effects from hormones, no paying for monthly birth control (I paid my $25 doctor visit copay, the IUD itself was covered 100%), and the freedom of knowing that if we decide to have kids, I get the thing taken out and there's no waiting for my cycle to "get back to normal" from the hormones because my cycle will already be normal. So yeah, it was worth it. Now, if I had to relive today and do this again, I honestly don't know if I would. 4 hours ago, I'd have told you no way. Not worth it. Hurts too much. Never doing this again. But now that the pain is just a memory and I have 10 years of Paraguard benefits ahead of me, I think I'd consider doing it again. Though next time, I think I'll take my anxiety medicing BEFORE the procedure and not while I'm lying on the couch recovering. Oh, and I'd take my painkillers shortly before, too. I realized too late that I took advil at 6:45 am and the doc was late and came in at 11:15 - yeah time for another dose, but I didn't have any with me. Oh well. At least it's done and I'm feeling myself again.

Big Sale

2008-08-22T16:28:00.003-04:00

I'm having a big sale in my Etsy shop to celebrate reaching the 50 pound mark. In honor of my weight loss, everything in the shop is Buy one, get one 50% off. Everything is included, even clearance sale items.

http://corgicreations.etsy.com

Wedding Update

2008-08-22T10:27:00.002-04:00

Lucas and I have finally set a date! We will be getting married in front of a Smoky Mountain waterfall on Friday July 31, 2009. I'm still waiting for the wedding company to confirm and let me put down a deposit, but it's so far in advance that I can't imagine that the day would already be full. Our wedding reception will be at a lakeside cabin in Red Top Mountain State Park on Wednesday, August 5, 2009. Deposit has now been put down on the cabin, so the reception date is definitely set.

We decided to push back from May to later in the summer because May is still a bit early for the Smokies to be at their peak. It's an added bonus that it will give us an extra two months to save up money to pay for everything. I'd like to thank Greg for his contribution to the wedding, which allowed us to finalize the date and put down our deposits on the ceremony and shelter location.

In other news, Colleen is still doing well. My bronchitis is just about gone. I still have an incredibly annoying lingering cough, but I feel a lot better.

My weight loss journery in pictures

2008-08-17T12:16:00.002-04:00

July 5, 2006 in the Smokies. Before I started my journey, but still not at my highest weight ever because I gained a few pounds over Christmas holidays in 2006 to reach my high point. I would guess that I'm in the low 270s here.

Thanksgiving Day, 2006. Just about 5 weeks before I hit my highest weight ever (281 right after Christmas/New Years). Low 270s

May 2007, 260 pounds.

September 2007, around 255. This was taken when we came to see the house we're renting, and I wasn't weighing as often during the move, so I don't have a record of the exact amount.

July 2008, 235 pounds

Today, August 17, 2008 230.8 pounds

I am SO excited!!!!

2008-08-16T15:27:00.002-04:00

Despite having bronchitis, I am the happiest girl in the world today! I replaced the battery in my scale because it was being wacky and wouldn't settle on a number....

Start Weight January 2007, 281 pounds
Current Weight August 16, 2008 230.8 pounds

Total Loss to Date: 50.2 pounds!

I have officially lost FIFTY pounds!!! I am so freaking excited!!!!!!!! And so proud!!

Colleen's new haircut

2008-08-10T11:39:00.003-04:00

A bit overdue, but here are some photos of Colleen's "summer cut"

YAY!!!

2008-08-01T11:36:00.001-04:00

Colleen's skin scrape came back negative! The mange mites cleared up as she recovered from the skin infection! I'm so happy!!! She's at the vet's office now getting a bath and a haircut and she'll be home this afternoon. I'm so happy that she's mange-free and won't need to be shaved and dipped.

2008-07-28T08:58:00.002-04:00

Is it time to go home and go back to bed yet? I really don't want to be here today. I'm not liking myself very much right now, so I'm really not in the mood to be surrounded by coworkers, having to act like a normal human being. I don't want to be me anymore. I want to be someone else. I want to be cheerful, outgoing, friendly, confident, easy-going, fun-loving, optimistic... and a million other things that I'm not. Easier said than done. As much as I hate being me, I don't know how to be anyone else.

Update on my girly

2008-07-24T08:16:00.002-04:00

Colleen's skin looks and feels so much better. When you pet her now, you can feel very few scabs and rough spots on her back. That one spot that was worst still looks bare and scaly, but it doesn't seem as thin as it did. Honestly, with as much improvement as I've seen, I will be surprised if the vet thinks we should continue on the with the plan of shaving and dipping her. She goes in a week from tomorrow for her skin scrape and grooming appointment and I'm pretty confident that she'll be coming home with a bath and haircut instead of coming home naked. I feel kind of bad about not using our regular groomer, but I don't want to make her naked if we don't have to, and if I have to schedule an appointment with the vet's groomer just in case she needs to be shaved/dipped - well, it makes sense to just let them take care of her even if she doesn't need the treatment. She's long overdue for a haircut, but I don't think she's particularly upset. She's overdue because we bought an air conditioner and she enjoys having an air conditioned room just as much as we do. Maybe more so because of that long coat of hers. She certainly does try to hog the air conditioner every chance she gets. Lucas is forever having to tell her that she needs to move because he can't lay down if she's laying where his feet go. Or she has to move because she's making his legs fall asleep. I think crazy girl misses having central air vents in the floor that she can lay on, lol.

My mom will be leaving Saturday to head out to visit her old college roommate for a week, before going up to Buffalo to visit my brother. She seems to have really enjoyed having our dogs for company. While in Gatlinburg, she talked about wanting a corgi some day because they have so much personality, but almost immediately after getting home, she was reminded how much how much she adores Tucker. I would bet just about anything that she'll be a lab-mom some day. Never would have expected it from Miss Scared-of-dogs, but Tucker is so faithful and affectionate that you just can't help but love him. Seriously, I think she'd take him home with her if she could. If not for the fact that I worry about how Colleen would react to losing her best friend, I'd let her have him because she does love him so much and I know he'd be in great hands. It's just that those two are so bonded that I don't have the heart to seperate them. Especially with her seperation anxiety and history of mange. I hate to stress her out by taking her boyfriend away and risking her getting sick. My mom will have a lab some day. I don't doubt it for a second.

When you know, you know

2008-07-14T21:02:00.004-04:00

I've loved this David's Bridal dress since the first time I ever saw pictures of it. When we were hoping for a beach wedding, I emailed my loved ones the link and said "If it wasn't sleeveless and too dressy for the beach, this would be the dress that I'd get." So now we're not doing the beach wedding, so "too dressy" doesn't matter. I really didn't want to go sleeveless, because I'm very aware of my arm flab. But I knew that I'd kick myself if I didn't at least go try on my favorite dress that I'd seen so far. Nothing else even came close.

My mom went with me, and the attendant saw that I had brought a sheet of paper with one dress and said "when you know, you know". I tried it on... first I tried a slip in a 24 - had to go down to a 22. Tried the dress in a 26 - had to go down to a 22! But even in the 26, I knew. I felt like a princess. My mom said it looked beautiful on me. Once I was in the proper size, it looked even better. Several employees as well as several customers said that they loved the dress and it looked great on me.

No need to try on anything else. When you know, you know. And I knew. Since they never know when a dress is going to be discontinued, and because they were having a sale, my mom bought me an early wedding gift. I didn't get the veil or tiara because I'd like to try and see if I can find them on craigslist or ebay and save some money. Also didn't buy the necklace, because I'd like to make my own jewelry.

Then it was Mom's turn to try on mother of the bride dresses. Buying her dress with mine got her an extra $20 off. I thought she looked fabulous in this one, and the color looked nice with my dress, so we both got our wedding dresses today. We both had a fabulous time together.

My baby is growing up

2008-07-11T15:30:00.002-04:00

My Einsy-roo is going to be FOUR years old tomorrow! It seems like just yesterday, he was a tiny pup. *sniff*

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Can't wait for this weekend

2008-07-10T16:05:00.002-04:00

My mom is coming to visit on Saturday! I haven't seen her in a year and a half, so I'm very excited. I can't wait to see her. Tonight, we'll start our "spring cleaning" to make sure the house looks extra nice when she comes. I'm going to focus on the bathroom today (scrubbing the tub, shower, etc) and tomorrow Lucas is going to use the shop vac to get up the dog hair so that I can mop all of the floors in the house. Within 24 hours, Ein will have re-christened the house and you won't be able to tell we vaccuumed, but we do the best we can.

Since I'll have another woman to go shopping with, I plan to go out next week and start trying on wedding dresses. David's bridal will be my first stop, since they have my very favorite dress, and they can add sleeves to any sleeveless dress. I may have lost 44 pounds, but my arms are still too flabby to look good in sleeveless. But, hey, only SIX pounds until I can wear the nightgowns that are my 50 pound reward. Can you believe that I am only 6 pounds away from losing 50? Sure, it's taken me 18 months to get this far, but as my leader always says: This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. It doesn't matter how long the journey takes - only that you get to your destination.

Thoughts for my sweet girl?

2008-07-08T12:09:00.002-04:00

Poor Colleen. I took her in to the vet because her skin has been so irritated lately. The vet looked at her and immediately said it looked like allergies, but she does have a skin infection all over her back from scratching. She said that if Colleen had been a stray or a "normal" dog, she wouldn't even bother to do a skin scrape. She'd just give antibiotics and antihistimine. But since we knew that she
had a history of mange, she'd do a scrape - but didn't expect to see anything.

Even vets can be surprised. She said she stopped looking after three mites because that was enough. She said that the scientist in her wonders if the demodex is just there because her immune system is stressed because of the skin infection. She's curious to see if it would clear up on her when the skin infection clears. But she also knows that the earlier you treat mange, the easier it is to treat. Since Colleen is a pet and not a science experiment, she recomended starting the dips when we could. On the plus side, when Dr. Lee did her skin scrape a year and a half ago, he said there were lots of mites and she had a bad case of mange, so at least she isn't nearly as bad as she was then. Also, this new vet said that she didn't see any evidence of dry skin. All of the damage on Colleen's back is from the infection. Yay for fish oil and chemical free/detergent free soap! Maybe we've finally got the dry skin problem under control.

I think we're going to go ahead and wait for a few weeks and have them test her skin again before shaving her. The vet's office is the opposite direction from work, so we'll have to do the dips on Saturdays. The next three Saturdays, I can't take her in. So rather than take time off work to take her in on a weekday, we're going to wait until I can take her on Saturdays, and then just ask them to do another skin scrape, just in case it clears up with the infection.

Poor girly needs hugs and biscuits.

So lonely

2008-07-07T13:23:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking alot lately about how lonely life is with no friends. My mom is coming to visit this weekend, and she had asked several weeks ago about planning a bridal shower for me. I had to tell her that I couldn't have a bridal shower because I have no one to invite. Ever since, I can't stop thinking about how pathetic our lives are. Not only do I not have friends to celebrate my upcoming wedding by having a bridal shower, but I also don't have friends that I can bounce ideas off of and just share with in general - not just about wedding related stuff.

I've spent the majority of my life without friends, and sometimes it would bother me and other times it wouldn't. Apparently now is one of those times that it does. I think I'd feel even worse if Lucas wasn't in the same boat. Still, at least he has more than 3 people on the 'groom' side of the wedding invitation list. I've got my mom, my dad, and my dad's girlfriend. That's it. That's the entire 'bride' side of the guest list. I wish I knew how to go about making friends, because I sure wouldn't mind having some.

Yipee!!

2008-06-28T21:59:00.004-04:00

I have finally done it! After gaining and losing the same couple of pounds for THREE MONTHS, I have finally gotten below 240! I weighed in last week at 238.2 and this week at 238.6! I am so excited to have finally beat that plateau. I started at 281, so I am now up to 42.4 pounds lost. Fifty pounds gone, here I come! It may take longer than I want, but I'm on my way. My Weight Watchers leader always says, "It doesn't matter how long it takes you - only that you get there."

About a week and a half or so ago, I updated all of my measurements and compared them to my starting measurements. I have lost a combined total of 19". I may not be skinny yet, but I'm certainly making progress.

Three pounds!

2008-06-07T10:30:00.004-04:00

Down three pounds this week! I am so proud of myself this week. Thursday and Friday were off days and I didn't get my healthy guidlines in, due to the surgery, but the rest of the week I did really well. Lucas' birthday was Tuesday and I even managed to eat birthday cake without going over points. I just focused on eating extra low-point vegetables with dinner to fill up. I've now lost about 16 pounds with Weight Watchers and 40 pounds in all.

ow ow ow ow ow

2008-06-05T18:53:00.002-04:00

All I can say right now is "OW!!" and "I'm hungry". I met my new dentist today. Based on my first appointment with my previous dentist, I expected him to take xrays, see what was going on with the tooth that was hurting, give me an antibiotic, and schedule oral surgery. Nope, he actually had enough time to do it today. Well, that's one way to avoid the nervousness that always preceeds needles, I guess. He proposed that we go ahead and extract all three teeth that needed removal on the left, instead of just the one that was causing the problem, because it would save on cost and trauma (two of the teeth were next to each other). I was impressed: he actually managed to do a simple extraction on the top tooth. I would have guessed that all three would have been surgical extractions. I'm glad it's over with, but I am in so much pain. I wasn't expecting the surgery today, so Lucas and I carpooled as usual. My appointment was from 11:30 until 1:30 and then I had to go back to work. It's 7 now, and I just got home and finally was able to take my pain meds (my pharmacy is by the house, an hour drive from work, plus I didn't know if I'd be able to drive with the pain meds, because it's been several years since I last took Vicodin, and I wasn't driving then.

I hadn't had my lunch yet, because I didn't want to eat and have extra dirty teeth before seeing the dentist. As of the last time I tried (4:30), I still can't eat even yogurt. Partly because my jaw is so numb, but also because it hurts to open my mouth wide enough to fit a spoon in and because moving my tongue to lick the yogurt off the spoon proved to be very painful (I guess since the two bottom rear teeth were surgically removed.) All I've eaten today is the bowl of oatmeal that I had for breakfast. As soon as the vicodin kicks in, it's dinner time!

I really like my new dentist. He's very nice and kept me informed of everything he was doing. He also charged me for three simple extractions even though 2 were surgical. My dental insurance doesn't cover surgical, apparently. It would have had to been submitted on my regular health insurance (my office uses BCBS for medical and Lincoln Financial for dental). His office doesn't proccess medical, only dental, so I would have had to pay out of pocket and submit to BCBS on my own. He didn't want me to have to do that, so he put them all in as simple extractions. To be honest, I don't think my BCBS plan covers anything dental, so I'm very greatful.

Weight Watchers update

2008-05-18T13:21:00.002-04:00

I was up a pound this week. I didn't go last week, but the week before that, I was up .4.... I seem to be gaining and losing the same few pounds for weeks now. So I made a deal with myself. I'm at 244 now (13 pounds lost since joining Weight Watchers, and 37 pounds lost total). I've not been able to get below 242ish without regaining. When I get BELOW 240, even if it's only 239.9, I am going to reward myself with a present. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to reward myself with mineral make-up, lampwork beads from my etsy wishlist, a new piece of clothing... I haven't decided that yet. But I've been struggling with these same few pounds for so long, that I think I deserve a little reward when I'm finally able to overcome it and get out of the 240's.

I've got some exciting news!

2008-05-16T07:59:00.003-04:00

CorgiCreations is now having a 25% off sale to celebrate my engagement. Yes, you read that right, and I'm so excited!

Feel free to check out our wedding site:
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/NicoleWolcott&LucasZaffuto

Our newly fenced yard, and the dogs enjoying it.

2008-05-05T17:43:00.003-04:00

I LOVE the fencing that we found. The white posts are obvious, but the fencing itself is green so it blends in with our yard and doesn't obstruct the view at all. Gee, can you tell that Colleen had a ball playout outside and getting messy? Ein wore himself out and was very happy to get some ear rubs.

Videos coming in the next posting.

Spring in our backyard

2008-05-05T17:38:00.002-04:00

Long time, no see

2008-04-28T12:36:00.003-04:00

Life has been just absolutely crazy. First moving, then switching jobs to add a longer commute. I feel like it's been ages since I've had time to sit down and update.

Not much going on here in terms of jewelry making. I've got tons of stuff that I want to do, but between lack of funds and lack of time it just isn't happening the way that I'd like it to.

In my personal life, things are everchanging. New job with new hours. The newest antidepressant that I'm trying seems to be helping, which is wonderful. After three failed attempts at medication, I was starting to give up hope. Cymbalta seems to be helping, so we'll see. I feel more hopeful now.

The dogs are all doing great. They have a fence in the yard, which they love. I love it, too, since it means no more standing out in the rain so that they can do their business, lol.

Ein and I were stuck in traffic on the way home from Petco yesterday, and the guy in the next car really got a kick out of Ein. He had his window rolled down, so he told me "Your dog is smiling at me." So many people get uptight when they see you in public with your dog, so I loved seeing that he made someone happy.

PS: Donations have been made to Corgi-Aid and St. Francis Rescue. I'm holding off to raise a little more for my newest Featured Charity, Saving Georgia Dogs, before sending in payment to them. Sales have been slow, so I'm holding off until I can send more.

Donations So far

2008-01-25T07:14:00.001-05:00

September: $4.00 to ASPCA - however the ASPCA is being difficult and won't allow you to make a donation through their website to anything under a certain amount. I hope no one minds if I transfer this to St. Francis rescue so that the lovely collies get more money!
October $4.30 to St. Francis Collie Rescue ($8.30 total, but I'm going to add a bit of my own and send an even $10.00)
November, December and January (so far) going to Corgi-Aid, as of 7am on Friday, January 25th: $79 sold, for a donation of $7.90

I'm thinking of switching gears for February, but I'm still waiting on verification that it's okay....

Something amazing has been happening in metro Atlanta lately. A little dog in rescue who was on the "urgent" list captured my heart. Especially when I found out that the facility he was in still uses gas as method of euthanization. I contacted a few places trying to find help for this sweet boy, a corgi/australian shepherd mix, and discovered that there is an organization that specializes in trying to rescue animals from high kill shelters that still use the inhumane gas chambers. I contacted them and discovered that my sweet boy had already been saved by another rescue. Something amazing has happened. That facility has announced that they will be closing down for sanitizing and painting. ALL animals still in the shelter on Monday will be put in the gas chamber. This organization has been working hard to send out pleas to everyone they know and I am just amazed at the response. A woman on craigslist had posted that she wanted to help, so I gave her the contact information for this organization. The woman emailed me back. She went to the shelter to see who was left that needed rescuing. She emailed me back stating that there were very few animals left in the facility and that most of the ones that were there had paperwork saying that they had been rescued already and were just waiting to be picked up! Thanks to the kindness of so many individuals and organizations that have chosen to pull together to save these animals from a slow death, so many lives have been saved. I can't even explain how it makes me feel to see how many people have responded to this animal crisis. I am still waiting on someone at this organization to email me back with permission to publish their name here and in my etsy shop. Once that arrives (and I'm sure it will), this wondeful group will be receiving my donations for awhile. For all that they have done in this crisis, I really feel that they deserve the recognition and I am looking forward to supporting them.

Corgi's Must See Etsy Shops, Chapter Two

2007-12-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

There's something that we women tend to avoid talking about, simply because it's embarassing. If you're guessing that I'm talking about the menstrual cycle, you'd be correct. Several sellers on etsy have taken a step to make "that time of the month" a little more comfortable, a little more colorful, and a little better for the environment, by making cloth menstrual pads. After all, if cloth diapers have become popular again, why can't cloth pads? I'll tell you why. Because it's a subject that no one likes to talk about.

I had the fortune of finding a cloth pad maker who agreed to do a trade with me and I've been able to try out cloth pads. Please take a moment to check out her store at www.ambrosiasdesigns.etsy.com

They truly are softer and more comfortable than paper pads. The only time I have worn paper pads since receiving my cloth ones in the mail was this past Saturday. Due to finances, I had to skip a month of my hormonal birth control. I wound up with a 22 day cycle instead of the typical 28, and I don't think I've EVER had a day as heavy as what I had on Saturday. I soaked through the "best" (best that has ever worked for me at least) overnight pad in two hours. If I wasn't 100% sure that there's no way in hell for it to be possible, I would've wondered if I had gotten pregnant somehow and was miscarrying. I've had heavy days before and I've had clots before, but nothing like this. If a paper overnight pad could only last two hours, then my current supply of just a few cloth pads wasn't going to be enough.

However, with the exception of this hormone induced, freak of nature, excessivly heavy day, the cloth pads have worked just as well in terms of absorbancy. And truthfully, the only reason I didn't use cloth this weekend was because I simply didn't have enough cloth pads. I'm totally ordering some more when I have the money because I really do prefer them. And not only are they more comfortable, but they are available in so many pretty fabrics. Don't be fooled by the upfront cost. Just like cloth diapers, you'll have a larger initial expense, but in the long run, it is so much cheaper to use cloth rather than buying disposable pads every month from puberty all the way through menopause.

Weight Watchers, Week Two Begins

2007-12-15T17:28:00.000-05:00

My second Weight Watchers meeting was today. I'm so proud to say that I lost 4 pounds my first week! Realistically, I know that alot of it is water weight because I hadn't been getting my 8 glasses a day, but I do think some of it is because I really was trying hard to follow the plan. I ate tons of fruits and veggies, didn't use up all of my weekly bonus points, and I have not had any sweets/desserts all week!

As for CorgiCreations, new items will be listed as soon as I can get some pictures, including some destash items. We're getting some much needed rain at the moment, and I'm not about to wish for it to go away just so that I can pictures. We need the rain more than I need to get items up in my shop. :)

Halfway Through Day Four

2007-12-11T16:44:00.001-05:00

So far so good. I drank all my water yesterday, which is progress. Once I get used to drinking it, it becomes second nature, so hopefully soon I won't even have to think about it. I've been doing great with the fruits and veggies. It helps that my favorite fruit of all time (clementines) are in season at the moment. I'm proud to say that I haven't had ANY desserts since starting Weight Watchers on Saturday. Not sure how I managed to stare at the tin of Danish shortbread cookies and convince myself to eat a clementine instead. But I've done it two nights in a row now. I'm so proud!

I'm bound and determined to get some exercise in this evening. I've been dying to have time to work on a cross stitch that I'm making as a gift, so I'm going to tell myself that after I find an exercise program on netflix that I like and spend 20-30 minutes with it, I will turn off the computer, resize the bracelet that I sold (which won't take too long) and let myself stitch for the rest of the night.

So I've done it...

2007-12-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

I recently found out that a friend from Pennsylvania joined Weight Watchers in January. I joined Spark People in January. She's lost 83 pounds. I lost 30, but have gained some back because I stopped exercising and started eating bad stuff recently. I'm down 24 pounds from January. 6 pounds back on.

Since my friend, Kelly, has found the Weight Watchers meetings to be so helpful and important, I decided that it's time that I give it a try. No more excuses about how stuff like that is too expensive and I can't afford it. I'm sure that IF I WORK HARD and follow the plan, I'll save at least $40/month (the monthly cost for WW) on food because I won't be buying tons of sweets that I don't need.

I joined online on Friday and went to my first meeting Saturday morning. I went through the recipes on the Weight Watchers website and picked out a few things that I'd like to make to take to the family Christmas get together this year so that I have some healthier options that I know I'll like.

I can do this. I know I can, because I'm 24 pounds lighter than this time last year. I just need to focus. Keep myself motivated. And don't give up.

Strumming along

2007-11-30T19:39:00.000-05:00

Ein is back to his normal self, no surgery required. I'm so happy that he's feeling better. My car still needs a new rim and tire. Rim we won on ebay, but the whole thing is all messed up. Lucas doesn't use his paypal account often, and didn't realize it still had our old address. The seller was super quick to answer a question about the item before I bid on it, but now that we've paid, we can't get a response, no matter how many messages we send. So I have no clue how to track the package and find out if it gets rerouted to us or if we need to ask someone to go to our old address and pick it up. It would just be too easy to get a cheaper price on ebay than a salvage yard. Something had to happen to mix it up a little, apparently. I just send a request for a tracking number today, so maybe I'll still hear back on that one.

For now, things are just kind of strumming along. Some bad, some good. I've just been trying to make myself think of something good when I get upset about something bad. It seems to help combat the depression.

Considering "retirement"

2007-11-26T14:20:00.000-05:00

Considering that I have only had one sale so far this entire month (and that's only because I sat outside all day on Friday with all my stuff on a table and someone actually decided to stop and take a look), there is a good chance that Corgi Creations will be closing down. I hate to do it, because I really enjoy making jewelry, but there is just too much competition on etsy in the jewelry market. My "jewelry yard sale" was a total flop because only one person even bothered to get out of there and see what I had. I live on a really busy street, but no one else could be bothered to take a look. I'm so sad.

Sick Lovey needs hugs

2007-11-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

Ein went to the doggy ER this weekend, because we suspected he might have an obstruction. The ER vet couldn't see the blockage, but due to large gas pockets in his intestines, she also suspects an obstruction and recommended exploratory surgery. At the moment, he's eating (plain rice and pureed chicken), but still not pooping. However, he is running, playing, barking, smiling, and wagging his stub, so that's all very reassuring. He has an appointment on Wednesday for a second opinion, from a vet who is willing to work with us on a payment plan.

Please keep sweet Ein in your thoughts.

Today is National Philanthropy Day

2007-11-13T09:02:00.000-05:00

In honor of National Philanthropy Day today, 100% of the proceeds from every item purchased in my store today will go to Corgi-Aid!

last chance sale

2007-11-06T13:47:00.001-05:00

I've got three items expiring on Thursday that I would love to find homes for.

First is a pair is lime green and is made up of handmade metal cloissone discs, featuring a cool green swirl design and swarovski crystal. I've got them marked down to 50% off, which is the lowest that I can go and still get the cost of materials back, so this is a steal! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6393491

The second pair is very similar. The same style cloissone discs, but in a combination of orange and rust. Perfect for fall. They are also paired with Swarovski crystal, but in a different pattern. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6393421

These are two of my earliest "jewelry for sale" attempts. Now that I know more styles to create and have more experience, these will NOT be relisted. If they are not sold by Thursday, they will be dismantled and the discs and crystals will be recycled in another piece.

The final item expiring on Thursday is one of my favorite "first attempts at jewelry for sale". It's a lovely necklace and earring set that I call Pastel Love. I love rainbow flourite, with it's shades of lavender, purple and mint all coming together. I found these rainbow flourite twist shape beads and thought the shape was so unique and so cool. I had to have them. The focal point of the necklace is a large rose quartz heart. Mint and purple swarovski crystal bring out the colors in the rainbow flourite. The only "complaint" that I've ever gotten about this piece is the reason I think it hasn't sold yet. A few people have said that they don't like the twist shape of the rainbow flourite and that the twists were the only thing keeping them from loving this. I hope that someone out there will decide by Thursday that they think this necklace is as beautiful as I do. Because the twist shape is too "bold" for some people's taste, but not mine, this will NOT be relisted. If it isn't sold by Thursday, it will become mine. I have marked it down to $15, which is 25% off of the original selling price. That includes both the necklace and matching earrings. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6390437

Thank God for angels

2007-11-06T12:57:00.001-05:00

My fiance was almost killed this weekend in a car crash. There is a very sharp curve just after a traffic light on a road that we take any time we go to his uncle's house. We live in metro Atlanta, so the area is very hilly. We met over there after work and we were on our way home, in seperate cars. He drives a rear wheel drive 1999 Mazda Miata. The rear end of the car slid, and when he tried to correct it and get the car going straight again, he over-corrected and the car went off the road and started to go over the edge of the hill. Someone was watching over him, though, and a tree caught the car just a few feet away. The tow truck driver told us that that particular spot isn't called "Dead Man's Curve" for no reason. Both he and the police offers agree that if the tree hadn't stopped him, he would have rolled/flipped his way down the mountain/hill and would be lucky to survive.

I was more freaked out about the incident than he was. It all happened so fast that the only thing he was thinking of was keeping the car on the road. The fear didn't set in until the car had stopped and it was time to figure out a way to get out of the car. Meanwhile, I was driving behind him and watched this whole thing happen. I swear I had a mental image of watching the car somersalt it's way down the mountain. My heart skipped a beat when the tree caught him. I abandoned my car in the middle of the blind curve (with my flashers on) because my ONLY thought was "I need to get him out of that car before it slips and goes down the mountain." and "I need to see if he's okay." He was actually the one that suggested we move my car to a small stretch of grass just past the curve so that no one hit it. I was so concerned about him that I never even thought of preventing my own car from being him.

Now, my fiance has a half-sister who died at birth, and I truly believe that she is his angel. She was watching over her big brother that day. And she and God spared his life. Lucas walked away without any injuries.

I have spent most of my life "on the fence" regarding religion. Part of me believed in God, but then part of me couldn't get past thoughts like, "There can't be a god, because no loving God would allow innocent children to die of cancer." and other such thoughts. Many of them regarding my own personal life. I have a brother with an autistic spectrum disorder. He spent most of his life lving in residential schools because he got kicked out of daycare and was too much for the public school to handle. My mom and I both suffer from major depression, which we are both currently medicated for. I think my lack of religion was depression based, to an extent. "If there's a god, he hates us. What did Shawn ever do to deserve to be a child who needed a special school. Why does my mom have depression so bad she needs to be hospitalized? Why was I cursed with major depression?" When you are depressed, it is hard to keep your mind from thinking these things. On the one hand, I truly believed that either there was no god, or that god hated me, or that god was an evil god for allowing CHILDREN to be raped, murdered, and die of serious and painful diseases. It was easier to believe that there was no God or that God was evil than to figure out WHY bad things happen and accept them. But on the other hand, a little part of me didn't want to give up on God either. So I sat on the fence for most of my life.

But this event truly was a miracle. Someone, somewhere was watching over Lucas. It's time for me to get back to church and put my faith in the god that decided to spaer Lucas' life.

Donation Update and November's Charity of the Month

2007-11-01T09:21:00.000-04:00

October Sales: $43
St. Francis Rescue = 43 * 10% = 4.30 go to help the collies! I'll get a check out to them asap!

September: 4 jewelry items sold, so $4 was to go to the ASPCA. I have to make a confession: I haven't gotten it out yet. I was waiting to hear back from them via email about whether or not I could make a paypal donation. You can't. So I tried to use their online donation form, and no matter what link I click or what form I fill out, it says that $4.00 is an invalid amount. It seems as if my only option will be to send them a check.

This weekend, I will be writing a check out to both organizations and getting it off in the mail.

Thank you for your support in helping wonderful dogs get medical care and find new homes.

November's Charity of the Month is CorgiAid. It's no secret that I LOVE corgis. I can safely say that I will never again be without one of these wonderful dogs. CorgiAid, Inc. was formed to collect donations and send them out to shelters/rescuers who have a corgi in need of medical care.

Please help the collies! LAST DAY

2007-10-31T13:45:00.000-04:00

My October donations are going to a local collie rescue, and I *really* wanted to raise a nice donation for them. For those who don't know, my Colleen is a rescue collie. She was found wandering a neighborhood with a case of demodectic mange so severe that it took her several months of treatment, which cost animal control well over $1000 to save her life so that she could have a happy home with us. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to repay that favor to another collie that needs help. If you can help me keep up that thread and get exposure for my shop - just for today- I'll love you forever.

As a bonus, here is a pic of Colleen at the worst I ever saw her. Her mange came back (due to the stress of a new family) and we had to have her shaved so that she could be treated again. Cropped to fit the blog entry. :( Sorry. But you get the idea.:

This was during treatment (the shirt is to protect her skin. The mange made her very itchy, and she was tearing herself up when she scratched because she had no fur for protection.

And this is what my pretty girl looks like now:

Donations can make the difference. Please help a sweet collie who needs medical treatment. Visit my shop at http://www.corgicreations.etsy.com/ 10% off the purchase price of every item sold will go to St. Francis and be used to help a collie get the care it needs until he/she is able to find a loving forever home. Yes, that's 10% of the PURCHASE price, not just 10% of the profit made on the item!

Corgi's Must See Etsy Shops, Chapter One

2007-10-16T19:01:00.000-04:00

FadeAwayDream, home of colorful handmade journals.
http://www.fadeawaydream.etsy.com

One of my first non-friend etsy purchases was a custom journal from FadeAwayDream. Not only does this seller create beautiful journals, but she is super friendly and fun to work with. If you purchase a custom journal from her, you have all kinds of options. From paper colors to what type/color material you want for the cover to whether or not you want a built in bookmark.

Being typical me, I had to be difficult. I wanted a corgi on my journal. Big surprise, huh? FadeAwayDream said no problem, and she searched around for pictures until she found one that she thought would look good, and sent it to me to see what I thought. When my journal arrived, I was so excited. Not only was it beautiful, but the craftsmanship is excellent. I expect my journal will get a lot of use, and it certainly looks sturdy enough to live up to that. No doubt about it, I would definitely recommend FadeAwayDream's journals.

Found a Store that I HAVE to see

2007-10-04T11:52:00.001-04:00

Passed by a glass shop today that says they sell beads and blown glass, among other things. I must see this shop sometime. I think I'm going to have a little too much fun browsing all the local bead stores.

New Month, New Charity

2007-10-02T12:55:00.000-04:00

The ASPCA will be receiving a $4.00 donation, since I sold 4 jewelry items during the month of September. In honor of our sweet rescue collie and our move to the metro Atlanta area, our Charity of the Month for October is St. Francis, a local collie rescue.

Click on the title of this entry to see their petfinder page.

Little Blue Dogs

2007-09-25T17:54:00.000-04:00

A very good friend of mine (etsy seller wanderinggirl) knows me so well. She knows I love blue, and she knows I love puppies. So she got me the best present: little blue puppy dog beads. After waiting forever to find the perfect doggy charms, I got ahold of some silver dog related charms and some gold bone shaped beads. What do you think of my new doggy charm bracelet?

Anyone know why pics automatically come on top instead of the after the text and why it's so freaking hard to cut and paste in here? I keep forgetting that I have to do my pics before my text so that I can type in front of them.

Time for a laugh!

2007-09-25T17:42:00.000-04:00

It has been so freaking hectic here in corgiland. The short version, for those who don't know me in person and/or post at a message board with me:

My fiance has been wanting to move out of Louisiana for about a decade, particularly to north Georgia, Tennessee or North Carolina. I never liked the area much (too hot, too flat. Good food, though!). After my first trip to Atlanta with him, I decided I loved the city, too, and we've talked on and off about moving there someday. I was set to graduate in August of this year and I've spent the last two years telling him that as soon as I graduate, can we please put in resumes in Atlanta. He lost his job July 13th (yes, Friday the 13th). Talk about timing, or what? My last day of class was July 30th. So he focused his job search in Atlanta. Got nothing. We came out for a job fair being hosted by monster, nothing. But he did meet a guy at a local computer shop who liked him, but didn't have a job for him. I sent my resume to local architects. One liked me and we made plans for me to come back out for an interview. Less than 48 hours before the interview, the computer shop guy called Lucas and offered him a job. My interview went great AND we just happened to find a great house for rent that same weekend.

So basically, I've been ignoring my blog because we had one week to pack up our entire trailer and make arrangements to move out here before he starts his new job. His first day was yesterday and all is well so far. Our house will ready on the first of October and we're excited about moving in. But I'll tell you, I'm beat. Moving is so exhausting. So how about a laugh from the corgi who thinks he's a cat? Here's Ein playing with his favorite toy:

The link doesn't work. Click on the title of the blog entry and hopefully it will take you there.

If you're interested in seeing photos of the house (and 6.5 acres) we'll be renting, you can view them here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/crazyratqueen/New%20house/

You'll have to copy and paste. Or if you watch the video of Ein, you can then go to the rest of my photo album from that page. They'll be in the subcatergory called "new house".

My FIRST donation!!!

2007-09-09T18:26:00.000-04:00

Today, I sold my first jewelry item since starting my donation campaign! Thanks to mimisbeads, the ASPCA will be receiving a $1.00 donation!

Click the title of the blog entry to see the lovely earrings that she purchased, and please check out her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5275492

New jewelry for me!

2007-09-08T18:09:00.000-04:00

I made myself something pretty to wear with my light blue dress to the job fair in Atlanta. I love it so much. 6mm alexandrite swarovski crystal with genuine freshwater pearls. It closes with a cute toggle clasp. The pendant came from Lucas' mom.

Final Poll Results

2007-09-06T15:34:00.001-04:00

For etsy owls challenge #2

Jamie's Here Piggie Piggy 11 (11%)

Kristen's Bella Sweater 29 (29%)

Rita's Autumn Baby Headband 45 (45%)

Sharon's Chocolate Bath Truffles 5 (5%)

Wendy's Fairy Princess Headband 9 (9%)

Congratulations, Rita!

2007-09-06T15:31:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit behind because I just got back from out of town.

This week we are featuring one of our own OWLS, Rita. She's better known on Etsy as knotartwa! Here's what Rita says about herself and her art.

I started macrame when I was 5 yrs old in Russia and made curtains and traditional items into my 20's. I moved to America 2005 and with the support of my husband we started a small stay at home business, this has allowed me the chance to explore my art and I am bringing it to you. I am most inspired by my new life, my wonderful daughter, and my husbands designs for me have really got my creative juices going. So far my favorite items are the matching stone and hemp necklace and bracelet sets, I really like the natural look and simplicity.

I am 27 and live north of Seattle Washington, I am a young homemaker and love being mom. I left my family and friends to pursue a life with my American man in 2005, it was scary and exciting all wrapped into one big adventure that unfolds every day. I aspire to make enough as an artist to bring a good life to my 15 month old daughter, who is everything to me.

My favorite color is blue.
My favorite song is "wind of change" by the Scorpions
My favorite movie is "Dragonfly" with Kevin Cosner
My favorite food is Sushi
My favorite book is "Hard Boiled" by Frank Miller

as reported on etsyowls.blogspot.com

Etsy Owl's FIRST Stellar Seller!

2007-08-30T01:15:00.000-04:00

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
jujuw.etsy.com

Judee lives in Madison, a small town on the Connecticut coastline. She's a born and raised Connecticut gal. She lived in Atlanta for about 10 yrs and returned home 7 yrs. ago.

Judee has 3 children, 2 boys and 1 girl. Then there's her pup of 14 yrs. who is her best friend, and most of the time, best kid.

Judee is a hypnotherapist and a reiki practioner but loves painting the most...ALL kinds of painting...houses, walls, furniture, clothes, it doesn't matter. She developed a neurological illness and fibromyalgia 7 yrs. ago which doesn't allow her to be 'reliable' enough for hypno or reiki clients nor to work out the house. She is confined to the house a good part of the time but can get out on good days. She can paint in bed which is great because (as she says:) I NEED MONEY!

Here's what Judee says about her work and how she got started:

I started painting kid's clothes almost 30 yrs. ago when the kids were little. My husband was out of work at the time and I began sewing aprons and painting on them. I entered myself into a local craft fair and made a whole $40...which was not bad considering my things weren't that good at the time. With that money I bought some good paints and few sample things and began painting away. A few of the neighbors asked me to paint over the stains in their child's shirts, and hence, a business was born. I then got ballsy and cold called my first store and was given 3 dozen of her unsold shirts to paint on for a good price, I might add. From there it mushroomed and developed a life of its own until I was selling to 10's of stores in the NYC metro area and doing very large juried craft areas in NY and CT. After several years of working 18/7, my husband's new job offered him a transer to Atlanta, which we accepted. At that time, since we no longer needed the money from the business we decided it was more important for me to spend my time with the kids rather than a business so I shut it down. I dabbled in painting off and on over the years. About 2 mo. I suddenly, and I mean suddenly, had the thought to start up my business again so I got some paints and some stock and began to get ready a small sampling so I could put out emails flyers to friends and friends of friends. I've been doing well with it and now I sell what I paint, as I paint it. While this is not a hobby to me, and IS a business...long gone are the days of keeping to deadlines and the pressure of meeting them. I discovered Etsy through a friend of a friend who was sent my email mailer. She suggested I look into Etsy, thinking I would fit well with the site. I looked into it and agreed so I began the beginning of May to list some of my items. I've found the people, for the most part, really nice and in just a month's time have met many that I email privately with, which has been great...you can ALWAYS use new friends. I've even come in contact with a gal right here in my town, if ya can believe it.

Judee, what inspires you to create?
hmmmmmm...I hate to sound like a moron, but I don't know. I like funny...humorous things...sweet, when it comes to kids...and above above all, simplicity, in all things. I LOVE primary colors, especially on kids. I don't know what inspires me...

Describe yourself in 1 word:
That's a toughie....hmmmmm....unique! I guess it would have to be unique. And true! Unique...and true....that's 2 words I guess, but that's me.

Favorite...
Book: My favorite book is "God Calling", altho I don't imagine many people know of it, or would care to, but it's THE BEST book!
Movie: "What About Bob" with Bill Murray
Song: "Someone Like You" by Van Morrison.

Describe your shop
I'd like to think it to be 'sweet.' I like to think of kids being 'sweet'...wearing 'sweet'....but then maybe I'm showing my age...hahaha. I think kids grow up TOO fast today, and wear clothing WAY too old for them, even in infant sizes. I don't like to see monsters and adult colors on kids, I think they have more than enough time to wear that kind of stuff, I like sweet on young kids. ALSO...I wholeheartedly believe in affordability. I believe EVERYONE should be able to buy unique, hand done clothing at AFFORDABLE prices....they should not be for the chosen few only. I try to offer unique, well made clothes at affordable prices so everyone can affordable to have at least 1 thing for their child that is different and special...I've always that and that's been my mission statement for 30 yrs.

(As posted in the official OWLS blog at etsyowls.blogspot.com

Etsy Owls Challenge #2: Baby/Child/Family Friendly Creations

2007-08-26T18:00:00.000-04:00

Come check out the entries in our latest Challenge. Then VOTE for your favorite!

Jamie's "Here Piggie Piggy"
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6870316

Kristen's "Bella Sweater"
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6864097

Rita's "Autumn Baby Headband"
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6877083

Sharon's "Chocolate Bath Truffles"
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6878080

Wendy's "Fairy Princess Headband"
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6873767

Poll is off to your right.

It's OWL time

2007-08-25T22:06:00.000-04:00

Wendy and some of her etsy friends started this team and invited me along. You'll learn more about us in the future, especially as "Challenges" come up.

Created a few new pieces today.

Red Glorious Red - in my shop:

Wood-n't You Like This Bracelet:

Happy Wednesday

2007-08-22T14:31:00.001-04:00

I posted a poll this morning. It's off to the side, if you don't mind voting.

This week, I'm going to try to get out:

1. sugilite and candy jade necklace
2. red seed beed and polyclay bracelet

Ideally, I'd like to get further than that, but we'll see how it actually goes. ;)

Treasure of the Orient

2007-08-19T13:35:00.000-04:00

cloisonne and swarovski earrings, just listed.

Stars and Stripes - amazonite and onyz

2007-08-19T13:07:00.001-04:00

Beautiful bracelet and earring set that I just listed.

Lampwork dog earrings

2007-08-19T12:36:00.000-04:00

I love these earrings. The lampwork dogs are too cute. They're a lot more lightweight than they look, too. I'm definitely going to be wearing these often.

"New" bead store

2007-08-18T23:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, so the store isn't really "new". Today's just the first time I've ever gone. I didn't know they existed until recently, and today was the first chance I had to get there. I had a sugilite pendant that was more magenta than purple, so I needed something to match it. Got that taken care of. Found a small enough strand of amazonite that I was able to afford to get some. Made a gorgeous bracelet and earrings out of it this evening - pics tomorrow. I also picked up some random loose beads that I liked to make earrings. I promise pictures (and etsy listings) are coming tomorrow, as long as the weather co-operates and I can get outside for pictures. I'll also take pictures of the lampwork puppy dog earrings I made. I still need some silver bone charms to go with the blue dogs that Wendy got for me, but I had everything I needed for the lampwork puppies I purchased on etsy. They won't be for sale, though I can purchase more dogs and make another pair if anyone wants one. But these are mine. I worked on them last night and this morning and wore them today. Got a compliment on them from a worker at the bead store. :)

Little Red Market's Etsy Shop Directory

2007-08-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

Another etsy seller, Little Red Market, put together a list of shops she loves, with links to all of them. There's some terrific sellers on etsy and tons of cool items. Click on the blog entry title to go to her list and check out some awesome handmade goods.

Labor Day Weekend

2007-08-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

We will be out of town from Friday August 31st until Thursday September 6th. Orders must be received by 10pm on Thursday the 30th in order to be shipped before we leave. All other orders will be shipped as soon as we return home. We'll be heading out to Atlanta for a job fair. Keep your fingers crossed for us, as we've both been dreaming about moving to Atlanta for quite some time!

Tons More Destash

2007-08-17T08:26:00.001-04:00

Listed tons more destash last night. Clasps, glass beads, gemstone beads, pendants. Now that I've listed all this destash, it's time to do some creating. I've got some adorable puppy dog beads that we be turned into earrings, which I will be keeping, of course. I've got tons of design ideas; I'm just limited on bead supplies at the moment. I'll make what I can for now and the rest will wait. :)

I'm going to try to get up early enough on Saturday to finally get some pics loaded into here.

Crazy Horse Stone

2007-08-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

Two destash items listed this morning. Some leftover crazy horse stone from a necklace that I made. Teardrop shapes and rounded tubes.

I have some more destash that will be listed when I get home from work.

edited to add: the teardrop shapes have sold, but I still have the rounded tubes available. There are three of them. Clicking on the title of this entry will take you to the listing. :)

Top 100 Artists Helping Animals

2007-08-15T19:20:00.000-04:00

If you like my jewelry, please vote for me at Top 100 Artists Helping Animals, but clicking on the title of this entry. Thank you for your support.

Etsy for Animals

2007-08-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

I joined Etsy for Animals today. A portion of the money I earn selling my jewelry will be going to local animal shelters and rescue groups, to help end animal cruelty, abuse and neglect, and to help with the costs of rehabilitating sick and injured animals so that they can find new forever homes. My first charity will be the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). During the month of September, I will donate $1 from each jewelry item sold. If you make a purchase and would like to make an additional donation, mention this is the comments section during checkout, and I will send you my paypal address. If you would like to make a donation without purchasing, please email me or send me a convo through etsy and I will send you my paypal address. Donations from sales will go from September 1 through September 30, but I am willing to take donations at any time. If you would like to make a purchase before September 1st and have the $1 go to the ASPCA, please mention this during checkout and I will set it aside in an envelope until September.