Pinterest

I am soooo addicted to Pinterest!  I’d heard of it before, but I never really looked into it until the other day when I had a little bit of free time during Billa’s nap to catch up on my blogs.  A blogger mentioned an item from it and when I clicked through, my world was rocked forever.

If you’re like me, you’re always collecting little tidbits and snippets of things that catch your eye: a crafty idea, a pretty picture, an awesome quote.  Michael and I are notorious Googlers; we’ll Google some of the most random things and could spend hours researching and reading about them.  Oftentimes we bookmark it so we don’t forget and can come back to it.  Don’t ask to look at our Bookmarks folder,  because it is SCARY.  Pinterest to the rescue!

 The Pinterest homepage

With Pinterest, you basically download this tool into your browser toolbar at the top.  As you scour the interwebs, when you see something you like, you “pin” it to your board, which compiles a catalog of all those pins and tracks back to where you found them.  And the cool thing is it has a Facebook-like air to it; you can follow other people’s boards and repin things that you like from theirs.  You can also comment, like something, etc.  I could spend HOURS on Pinterest.  I admit that I already have.

As it is, I have several boards already.  Interior design, crafty ideas, cakes and cookies, etc.  I make a board for anything and everything that gives me inspiration.  So if I’m feeling a little parched in the creativity department, I need only pop into Pinterest and get those creative juices revved and flowing.  The fastest way to join is to receive an invite from someone who is already on Pinterest.  Otherwise, you submit your email address and name and wait for them to send you an invite to join, which can take a couple of weeks.  I’m not really sure why they do that, but whatever.  I got a quicker invite by liking them on Facebook and posting a request for someone to invite me.  The site is freaking amazing and if you’re the smallest bit creative, you're going to love it!  Not to mention, it’s really nice to clear out that bookmark folder finally. 

Pinningly yours, 

Kelly

SOUND OFF: 3D Movies Suck

I love just about every movie I've ever seen, except horror flicks, because I absolutely cannot stand paying good money or wasting precious time to watch people get hacked up simply because the director and producers have some sort of sadistic streak that they are trying to play out without getting sentenced to jail.  Ick.  If I want to be scared, I'll go ride a roller coaster.  Or try rappelling off a tall tower.  At least then I'll be scared and empowered!

Michael and I celebrated our 5th anniversary by going out to dinner and the movies.  We both really wanted to see Thor, but the only showing that worked with our schedule was a 3D version.  I gotta tell you, we loved the movie.  Go see Thor.  It's fun, exciting, sweet, campy and well directed (love you Kenneth Brannagh!).  Don't see it in 3D, however.  In fact, please don't see any movie in 3D.  This is a fad that needs to die and quickly!

We've only seen one other movie in 3D (TRON, an equally amazing movie!) and when we came out of that one, I had a migraine for a day and a half.  It's bad enough that I have issues watching movies in pitch black theatres thanks to my eyes doing weird things, but having to wear plastic glasses on top of it was a nightmare.  But we soldiered on thinking that maybe it was just the dark colors of TRON that made it hard.  Nope.  It's just 3D.

Your eye naturally skims everything in lightning fast pace across everything it sees.  It's so fast, you don't realize you do it...until you see a movie in 3D.  Then, you're stuck having to fixate your vision on spot of the screen in order to see anything in focus and then you miss out on all the awesome detail that the CGI guys put together for you.  You're continually forcing yourself to stop that skimming and in turn, you not only miss the detail, you miss parts of the movie because you're too busy trying to focus on what's happening on screen. 

If you've ever worn glasses, you know that when you wear them you have a limited field of vision.  You don't really have peripheral vision, especially if you're almost legally blind like my best friend.  When you wear the 3D glasses from the theatre, you get that same field of vision.  They're supposed to be one size fits all, but these were so poorly fitting that I couldn't see big chunks of the screen thanks to the limited field of vision.  I love details in a movie and I was so bummed that I couldn't take it all in.  I'm gonna buy the dang movie when it releases on DVD anyway, but still.  First impressions mean a lot, Hollywood!

And don't get me started on the price!  We were fortunate to be using a gift card from Christmas, but even then, $30 for a pair of movie tickets moves beyond ridiculous to redonculous.  Especially when I can't even really watch the movie because my head and eyes hurt the whole time!  For $30, we could have gone to Alamo Drafthouse and had dinner, drinks and movie tickets all in one (and if you don't live in Austin, Houston, or Virginia where they have Drafthouses, my condolences).  We recently bought our first Blu-Ray, which inevitably included a 3D Blu Ray version of the movie.  We'll never be able to watch that disc unless we drop a couple grand on a 3D hi-def TV, and a few extra hundred dollars on all the components, like 3D glasses and cables and such. 

Honestly, I don't understand why 3D is such a big deal.  If you ask me, it's a huge marketing ploy and a rip off.  I don't go to the movies to necessarily see special effects (although it doesn't hurt, like with fantasy or sci-fi flicks, of course!); I go for the story and to be entertained.  If I leave a movie theatre feeling stressed, then why bother going at all.  Apparently I missed the memo that rephrased entertainment to mean "make your head and eyeballs hurt, stress you out, and make you feel guilty for spending money on something ridiculous."  If I wanted to feel guilty, I just need to feed my kid candy for dinner.  Much cheaper!  Whenever I see 3D movies, I am not entertained.  I'm just pissed off. 

Hollywood, if you're listening at all, please go back to the basics.  Our world is too full of worries and woes enough as it is.  Please do us all a favor and let us find a happy escape in your embrace!  Or at the very least, take all the extra dough made from ripping us off and donate it to charity for good causes.

Kelly

Five Years

This time last year my subconscious was beginning to wonder if Michael and I would make it to today, our fifth wedding anniversary. 

Three months later, I consciously mourned the fact that I would never get to celebrate another anniversary with the man I so fiercely loved and hated all at once. 

Today, I am eternally grateful that I was given, no...that WE were given another chance to get here.  It has been a long, hard, sometimes gutwrenching and terrifying road to get here, but I am glad it happened.  I am glad I am here.  I'm glad he's here.  And I am more than glad that we are walking that road together.  Already the bumps are smoothing out and the road is becoming more pleasant!

Tonight, my mother in law will be hosting Billa for a sleepover while Michael and I go out to a fancy dinner and a movie to celebrate this momentous occasion.  I'm looking forward to spending some time with Michael without a three year old wunderkind jabbering/bouncing/swinging/screaming/climbing/asking/snuggling around us.

Tomorrow, we'll continue to take steps on our journey, hand in hand.


Here's to another five and then some!

Kelly

Who's been lazy?

Ooh, ooh–me! Me, me me!!!

Ok, to be fair, my therapist would tell me that I haven't been lazy, my energy has simply been focused elsewhere.  It's not like I was sitting on my bum doing absolutely nothing for almost two weeks.  Although if I could figure out how to do that without driving myself insane, I'd be all over that like white on rice.

Instead, my energies were diverted to my trip to Chicago for training.  Part of my recent promotion involved heading to the Windy City (well, one of it's suburbs anyway) for a whole week to edumacate myself on how my company does project management.  It was a lot of fun when I got there, but the few days leading up were kinda hectic.  Packing, worrying that the plane might drop out of the sky (I really hate flying), cleaning, making sure that Billa and Michael would be ok, worrying that I'd experience airplane ear and my head would explode, worrying that something would happen to Billa and Michael, unpacking and repacking, and more worrying.  The plane didn't fall out of the sky (duh), and Billa and Michael were fine.  I did experience one helluva case of airplane ear, but my head didn't explode.  I lost my hearing for about a day and experienced intense migraines, but that was all.  I need to find me some earplugs for next time I fly [shiver].  I did get a chance to visit with one of my relatives who live there and to visit Millennium Park for an hour or so before I flew out.  I gotta say, Chicago in the springtime is GORGEOUS! 

I also celebrated my very first 29th birthday!  Next year, I will be celebrating the first anniversary of my 29th birthday.  I spent the momentous occasion getting a mani and pedi, shopping, and eating junk food until I could burst.  And the best part was that I did it all by myself.  Not that I required assistance for these things.  Sometimes all a girl wants is some alone time, ya know?  My presents included a new case for my iPad, a super cute laptop bag for my new work computer, and the pedi/mani.  My mother in law gave me a really neat solar powered butterfly for the garden that glows at night and Michael's grandmother gave me a fun little ceramic cross that she had for years.  All in all, turning 29 for the first time felt pretty good!  Most of my friends and family were all out of town or otherwise occupado, so there is still more birthday shenanigans to be had this month, hooray!

Mother's Day was equally nice.  I baked enough to feed a small army and then had half the brunch attendees cancel on me due to some stomach bug.  Oh well.  It was a lovely morning with just us and Michael's mum.  Michael and Billa both got me jewelry; Michael gave me a long necklace made of bluish black pearls that I can wear several different ways.  I love me some versatility.  Billa gave me a pink and silver butterfly bracelet that she made at school.  She was so proud of the work her teacher she did. I totally wore it every day the week I was gone!

Now that I'm back home, I'm just kicking back a little bit before the craziness at work and with the baking sets in next week.  Michael and I will celebrate five long years this Friday and Memorial Day is coming up.  It's going to certainly be a busy rest of the month and early summer, so if I've been a little lazy, forgive me.  I'm just enjoying the calm before the storm.

Cheers!
Kelly

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, mamas!

Song in My Soul by Katie M. Berggren  

I just love this painting!  I think the name and the image perfectly encapsulates how I feel about motherhood.

Even though I cooked and did some cleaning today (I kinda had to after I accidentally dropped and shattered my Pyrex pie dish...Michael had already left for work, boo!), I thoroughly enjoyed my morning with my husband, daughter, and my mother in law.  We enjoyed a lovely breakfast of bacon, spinach quiche, and mango coconut bread pudding.  My mom was supposed to join us too, but she and my dad were both feeling really ill so they stayed at home.  I hope you two feel better!

A friend of mine who struggled with infertility for years reminded me today that there are many women out there who don't get to enjoy being appreciated on this day.   There are some days when I struggle with my role as a mom and throw temper tantrums when things don't go my way.  No one ever said mommyhood would be easy, but I certainly wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.  So for all of those women who are mothers in their hearts, I offer up a prayer for you today that someday you will know all the facets of motherhood someday.  I pray that if you are struggling with infertility or have lost your child, that you find solace and comfort in whatever God you pray to, and that you are not forgotten today. 

To my own mother, my mother in law, my former step mother-in-law, and to all of my mother figures, I send my most heartfelt love and appreciation to you.  You have made me who I am, for better or for worse, and I am so very grateful to have your influence in my life!

Love and peace,
Kelly

Billa Bubble Wrap

I finally got my laptop for work yesterday, hooray!  Nothing like getting an electric leash to make you feel so important.  Anyhoo, I didn't have a case for it, so to keep it protected on the way home from work, I wrapped in bubble wrap and put it in the box for the docking station.  Voila, ghetto laptop case!  I pulled it out when I got home to start customizing, hook it up to our wireless network, and answer some emails, when all of a sudden I heard a pop.

Pop.

Pop. Pop.

Pop, pop, pop, popopopopopopopop POP!

I turn around and Billa had spread out the bubble wrap on the floor and was dancing on it.  Talk about the best. toy. ever!

Now I know what we can do on rainy days...should we ever get some rain :o(

Happy Wednesday!
Kelly