It has been a long time since I’ve been given a blogging award (it’s been a long time since I’ve deserved one, too…perhaps if I would BLOG!)  Yesterday I was given this “Rockstar Award” by the lovely Quirky.  I am incredibly honored to receive such an esteemed award.  It means more to me than being given awards such as the “Nicest Person of the Year Award” or “Most Intelligent Girl I Know Award,” and possibly even more than “Girl with the Awesomest Hair Award”…if there was such.  Not that I’m not deserving of those, ahem, but this one is a little more suited to me (but obviously not as suitable as the “I Sound Like the Vainest Person on the Planet Award”)!

Now I’m supposed to tell y’all why I’m a rockstar.  Well that’s easy!

1. I have hair like a rockstar.  Nuf said!
2. Okay, well point #1 was enough for me, but maybe not for everyone else, so…I remember every lyric and note to every song I’ve ever heard and can sing along with it until the end of eternity and nothing (well almost nothing) gives me greater fulfillment than hitting that AWESOME final note in a very complicated and melodic verse of a song.  Happy sigh!  (often heard by me…”I TOTALLY just rocked that!” and then Jer high-fives me!)
3. As you’ve gathered by #2…I LOVE to sing!!!
4. I get CRAZY when a song I love comes on (ask my kids!  And every song is “like totally like my favorite song EVER!”
5. I love to party!  I party like a rockstar.  Minus the drugs.  And vast amounts of alcohol.  And crazy *orgies*.  Okay, so I don’t actually party LIKE a rockstar, but I like to party…my own way.  Mostly with vast amounts of cheesecake.  So one day I’ll be partying like a LARGE rockstar wannabe!
6. I’m a people person.  I love people.  I live in fun country.  I want all people to live in fun country and laugh and sing and love!  :D (and now I sound a bit like a hippie, too, which I’m not)

Okay so I’m supposed to award this to those bloggers that I think are Rockstars!  Even though I haven’t read blogs for a really long time and I think ALL my blogging friends are rockstars, I’d like to pass this along to…

runlindayrun

Sublime Happiness

Temporary Insanity

Jo Beaufoix

Chateau LaCar

and of course…Quirky.

She’s a hot little number in her pick-up truck
Daddy’s sweet money done jacked it up
She’s a party-all-nighter from South Carolina, a bad Mama jama from down in Alabama
She’s a ragin’ cajun, a lunatic from Brunswick, juicy Georgia peach
With a thick southern drawl, sexy swingin’ walk, brother she’s all

Country, (shoot) from her cowboy boots to her down home roots
She’s country, from the songs she plays to the prayer she prays,
That’s the way she was born and raised, she ain’t afraid to stay, country
Brother she’s country”

I’m a country girl, perhaps not THAT country, as in the above mentioned song, but I like to think I’ve got me some roots.  I grew up on an acreage with lots of big trees, plenty of room to run around, places to build forts, and lots of fun old buildings that made the world of make believe incredible.  And now, as an adult, I’m dreaming of moving to the country again, having a yard (with trees), a garden, and a tractor.

Perhaps I don’t really LOOK like the type to fit into that scene, and truthfully, I haven’t quite figured out yet how my wardrobe will work out for me, but I’ll probably have to modify, lol!  Not to mention, at the first sign of a breeze I’m sure I’ll be having some kind of conniption about my hair being messed up.  I don’t think they make hairspray for country living…at least not for our part of the country where warm weather usually means some wind.  Sigh.

I’ve decided I’m going to be a redneck…with style!  If that’s even possible.  In the attempt to begin the transformation, I’ve started listening to country music.  Or maybe I’m just getting lame in my old age, but whatever the case, I’ve noticed that country music has a *thing* for tractors!  Let me tell you, there is nothing more redneck than having a tractor and thinking it’s sexy!  Buuuutttt…somehow, some way, these songs have made me yearn, nay, OBSESS about getting a tractor of my very own.  It was at the moment I realized that I HAD to have a tractor, that I decided to just embrace the inevitable fact…if I get one, think it’s sexy and listen to music about it, I WILL be a redneck!

So if I’m gonna be one, I’ll be one with some flair!

I’m thinking pink.  With a bucket in the front so I can dig and move stuff.  Maybe a little something like this…

Ain’t she perty?!  Makes my heart beat just a little faster.  I’m seriously considering starting a pink tractor savings fund.  I told Jer he could buy me one for my 30th birthday.  THAT would be an awesome gift!!

And the transformation would be complete!  Hehe.

There has been a LOT on my plate in the past months.  I thought about blogging many times, but I just didn’t have the desire to try and put my thoughts into words.  I don’t know if blogging was only for a season for me and it has lost it’s pull.  I hope that’s not the case.  I think my head was crammed with so many things and my life being pulled in so many directions that blogging fell to the bottom of the priority list (even though I probably had more to blog about this year than most).

This year has flown by at an unbelievable pace.  It feels like a bit of a blur.  The anticipation of so many things, always waiting for the next thing to happen so that I can move onto the next.  It leaves me feeling a little motion sick, if that makes any sense at all.  There are moments I want to go back to and savor.  There are other times I’m so happy for the speed with which they happened.

So today, December 31, 2009, I’m sitting here, in my new house, in the room that is slowly turning into my very own office, and I’m pondering what 2010 will hold for me.  This past year held so many new things for me and I can’t even fathom where the paths will lead!  It has me peering through the door with a bit of fear and trembling.  Some giant steps need to be taken and I wonder if I have the fortitude to walk across the threshold…if I have the fortitude to press on.

Will doing reflexology as a part time career be a resounding success or a colossal flop?  I feel the passion and excitement simmering just below the surface when I think about doing it, but at the same time, almost the bigger feeling is one of fear.  Ugly, ugly fear.  It has me stalling, worrying and wondering if I’m making a good decision.  I don’t doubt that I love doing it.  I don’t doubt that it works.  I don’t even doubt that people enjoy it.  I do, however doubt my ability to do it for money and make it work for me.  I didn’t get into it because of the money and I fear that I will undervalue myself because I’m afraid that I’m not worth the price tag.

Will I take time to improve my skills in photography and pursue it more or will it, like so many of my hobbies be tossed aside?  I LOVE the creative avenue taking pictures has opened up to me, but like decorating, as soon as people want me to do it for them, the pressure scares me and I don’t think I’m good enough.

(Anyone else seeing a theme in the last two paragraphs?!  It seems that as soon as a dollar value is attached to something I love doing, I freeze up unable to proceed.  The self-doubt takes hold, but I am DETERMINED to conquer that this year.  I will do the things I love and if people will pay me for it then I will take that as a compliment rather than viewing it as pressure!  Ha!  Thanks for letting me do a bit of self talk here.)

Will my longest running phase of consistent fitness and health continue or is it destined to be just be a “phase?”  Oh, dear Lord, I pray not!!  I have managed to maintain my 12 pounds lost from the biggest loser competition I was in from June-September and when I weighed myself again this month to see where I was at, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I had lost an additional 3 pounds.  Thank you, Jillian Michaels and Clean Eating magazine!  :)

And now that we’ve finally settled into our new house (and I’m kind of in love with it), will we sell it soon and build another one in the next few months, or will it sit on the market for a long period of time, forcing another growth in the patience department?

So 2010 feels big!  Another huge thing is I’m turning 30 in October…and I want that to be a GOOD thing.  I want it to be the start of the next stage of my life and not, as so many people feel, the end of something.  I want it to be the year I really become the woman I’m supposed to be.  To gain the confidence I need.  To be passionate about the things that matter to me and pursue them…and more importantly SUCCEED!

Yes, lots of questions.  Lots of unknowns.  But also, I feel, lots of wonderful opportunities lay through that open door.

Now if someone could just stand behind me and kick my ass through it, I’d greatly appreciate it!  :)

Happy New Year, interpeeps!  May it be filled with tons of success and happiness!  <3

I do.

Really.

Just not things I’ve painted already.

Rooms that I thought were done.

I busted my a$$ and painted the main area of our new house in 15 hours (over 2 days).  This included living room, dining room, kitchen and entrance.  As I was applying the first coat of paint, I kept thinking, “This color looks awfully green.  I don’t remember the paint chip being so green.  I don’t actually WANT green. Green doesn’t match my flooring, my accent color, my cabinets, my curtains…” (I was going for more of a grey-brown color)

But I kept painting.

I finished two coats and I’d almost convinced myself that it was NOT green.

“Look, in this light it doesn’t look so green, does it?!”

DENIAL!!

Then my dad (whom I’ve always thought is somewhat color blind) comes in and says, “Oh, nice color.  Kind of sage, right?”

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

Reality set in.  My color was definitely green.

I went back to the place where I got my paint and talked to someone else about my dilemma.  She looked at the paint I was given and told me what I already knew in my heart.  It WAS wrong.

So she mixed me a new pail of paint.  I took it back to the house and hesitantly and with mild foreboding, applied some on my already finished wall.  It wasn’t even close to the same color.  But it was the perfect color.

And I repainted.  The. Whole. Room!!!

Jer tried to console me by telling me to think of it as a really good base coat, or a “practice round.”  Not so much funny.

But…now it looks wonderful.  Exactly the way I’d envisioned.  Next time, I’ll rely on my instincts and act a bit quicker.  Although I pray there isn’t another next time.

Progress update:  I have the 2 bathrooms and the hallway left to paint.  The closet shelving is going in tomorrow, the carpet on Wednesday.  The hardwood is done in the main area, just needs to be done in the hall.  The tile is started in the entrance and we still have to do tile in the bathrooms.  Cabinets should be installed a few days after we move in.  We are WAY ahead of schedule.

And we’re moving in 9 days.

Again!

Seriously, it feels like I was just here…doing this.  Incredibly, it’s been almost 2 years since we built our house!  TWO YEARS!  Where has the time gone?!

I’m lucky not to have had to prime the house or paint the ceilings this time.  We put it in our budget to hire that stuff out.  So I thought I had it easy to just have to paint the walls, even though I only have about 2 weeks to do it.

I must have tucked away a few important details into the recesses of my brain.  Like how much work all the preparation is to actually paint the walls.   Oh no…you can’t just take out your paint brush and roller and begin.

NOOOOO…

(Sidenote: we do things a bit differently in the houses we build.  We put up our  casings around our windows and doors first and spray them on, thereby eliminating painting casings, putting them up and then doing touch-ups and repainting them.)

So there I am in our new house, surrounded by nicely primed walls and freshly painted ceilings, excited to start, when I’m told that I need to start caulking around all the doors and windows.  SEVEN and a HALF HOURS later, I somewhat dejectedly left our new house wondering where in tarnation I put THAT particular memory.

Today Jer and I spent another 11 1/2 hours sanding down where we touched up nail holes on the casings, priming the door jambs, putting plastic in the windows, and finally, spraying all the casings.  Which means tomorrow, after 18 1/2 hours of prep work, I can start painting.

Whew!

So now, to unwind after a long day of working in the house, I’m watching the CMA’s…say what?!  Erin?  Watching country music stuff?  BWAHAHAHA!!!

Yeah, I’ve gone over to the dark side, it seems.  I went to see Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum in September (purely because I’m in love with Lady A!!!) and had a BLAST!  I’ve got tickets to see them with Tim McGraw in March and I’m counting down the months to that show.  And now I’m sitting here clapping happily when Lady A won their 2 awards and very much enjoying someone singing about a big green tractor…

SERIOUSLY!?!  What the eff is wrong with me?

It must be the end times or something.

For starters we are 3 weeks from moving into our new house (complete or not).

*insert happy dance*

It’s drywalled and we are waiting to for the painter to come in and prime and paint the ceilings so that the OTHER painter (me) can go in and paint the walls.  Then we are going to get flooring in and move in regardless of the rest of it being finished.  It just means we’re going to be doing a lot of eating out for a week or two

Second.  I FINALLY did my reflexology exam.   Yep.  Done.

*insert another happy dance*

And what did I get on my exam, you may ask?

97%

That deserved a line all to itself.

To say I’m happy with the mark is the understatement of the century!  I’m ecstatic!  It reminds me why I’m doing this.  It feels so natural and like it was meant to be.

*insert very frantic happy dance*

Then to add to all the reasons to dance happily, today I went to our town office and got my license to conduct business in our town.  I’m officially allowed to work!  Haha.

*another happy dance*

And just when I thought the day was as happy as it could be, I got notification that the name for my business was approved!!!

*yet more happy dancing*

“Head Over Heels Reflexology” is officially in business.

Now I just need to get into my new office in our new house and I will be all set.  Happy sigh.

(Yes, there’s happy sighing right alongside the happy dancing.  It’s one big happy place!)

It’s not that it’s about “ooh look at me, it’s all about me” as much as it’s about a really, really good reason to be with my peeps!  And who doesn’t like a good party?!  Last year was awesomely fun and I heard some calling for a repeat with the costume idea.  Let’s just call me a party planner/event coordinator that happens to have a birthday really close to a holiday where people dress up and like to party and so I can combine the two.

(And maybe there’s a little bit of hope that I’ll get a gift or two in the process, let’s be honest)

But this year I’m at a loss for a few reasons.  My birthday happens to fall on Thanksgiving weekend (if you’re in Canada) and it always happens to be a busy time for people.  I’d really, really like to do another costume party since my birthday is in October, but that takes a bit of planning.  Somehow time slipped away on me this year and it’s only 2 1/2 weeks till my birthday.

So do I wait a couple of weekends and have my party closer to the end of the month, which means closer to Halloween, as well?  Does it matter that it’s not my actual birthday (or even the week of)?  We could call it a Halloween/Erin’s birthday party.

And there’s the issue of space.  I had thought about just having it at home again, but we were pretty much maxed out last year and I can’t see it being smaller than it was, so perhaps renting a nicely equipped space in our town.  This costs about $150 and it has a kitchen and plenty of space for mingling.

Here comes the real underlying dilemma…it’s not a milestone birthday this year (that’s next year), so is it weird to have a big birthday event when it’s just my 29th?

(What will people think?!)

Who am I kidding?  I don’t care a whole lot what people think and next year will be huger than this year and planning for that event will commence shortly after this year’s bash is concluded.  And so it probably doesn’t matter, but I just want to know if it’s worth it and if it’s too geeky.  My guest list is fairly lengthy and I want people to be comfortable, but does it look a bit over the top to rent a place, even if it’s not a large establishment?

I need to hash this out before the weekend so I can send out invites before I leave and give people time to get their costumes together.

Give me your thoughts about this…

This year I decided to make the jump into fondant icing.  I’ve always wanted to create designer cakes and I realized that fondant is the way to go.  I was going to buy the Wilton premade fondant, but after reading a few different opinions about the ickiness of premade fondant I decided to try to make it myself.

Thank the Lord for YouTube!!!  Hehe.

It turned out wonderfully and I will now use fondant to ice my cakes.  It’s just so easy and beautiful!

But before I discovered fondant I made a cake for Ella’s 6th birthday that I have always wanted to make for one of my girls.  It was a big hit!

Then I did the fondant for Aidan’s “Littlest Pet Shop” cake.  I had so much fun making this one!

And my final cake…the woodland cake I made this past week for my friend Sarah’s 30th birthday was my favorite to date.

I spent many hours making the green ferns out of fondant.

I’m excited to try more fun cakes in the future.  I have about 30 designs saved on my computer to try one day

Almost 2 years ago (October ‘07) I made the historic journey (in my books) to Illinois to meet in person, someone I’d met through this humble blog.  It was one of the more exciting and memorable moments in my life.  She has been the kind of friend to me that one searches for and hopes to have in life.  I don’t know if everyone is so lucky or blessed as I have been to have found someone who is so similar in personality, so caring and compassionate in spirit, and such a bright sunshiney spot in life.

**happy sigh**

So anyway, my darling Val has been through a rather turbulent time in her life during the past year.  I’m not going to go into many details (and Val, forgive me if I’ve screwed any of the details up), but she was quite ill last year and then she found out early this year that she was pregnant.  Her pregnancy was very crazy with being quite sick and having many, many, many doctor’s visits because of her prior illness and her history of miscarriage and whatnot.

Little Mr. Finley (Finn) Robert made his triumphant appearance into the world on September 10th (a week earlier than the scheduled c-section).

(picture taken by Val and stolen by me from her Facebook)

Isn’t he just a doll?  Look at his adorable expression!  I just love him already and I haven’t even met the little guy.  ONE WEEK!!!!  YEEEEE!!!!

Okay.  So anyway, a few days after she came home with him she was having terrible headaches and she ended up going back to the hospital because they were so bad.  It was discovered that she had a subdural hematoma.  I don’t know much about this stuff, but it’s bleeding in the brain and it’s very, very bad!  Through a complete miracle (and because of all the HUGE amounts of prayer, I’m sure) she did not have to have surgery because the bleeding didn’t get any bigger and she is back at home on bedrest waiting to have another CT scan later this week.

Needless to say, knowing all that she has been going through has made my heart ache.  I have felt so helpless here in another country wishing to be near her and helping in some tangible way.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been praying which I know is the GREATEST thing I can be doing for her.  But it doesn’t make me wish any less to be with her and her family.

I talked to her on Thursday and I expressed my desire to be of some help.  At first she gave mild protest because I’ve been out there to visit twice and she’s never been here to see me (she was planning on coming here this summer, but her health and pregnancy prevented her from coming).  I don’t care if she never comes here, she is my friend and I will help when and how I can…besides I love to travel  The circumstances are such that we are not tallying up who has been where how many times (although if we are going to keep track then she has a lot of travelling to do in the next few years, lol), I go because I care.

I have a wonderful support system in my own life that enables me to go and be of service to them.  I am truly blessed by the people in my own life who are willing to help me out so that I can go on such short notice.

So I booked my flights and I’m off in a week.  Even though I’ve only known her for 2 1/2 years and have only been to visit twice, it feels like I’ll be with an extension of my own family.  They are as close to my heart as if they were my own blood relatives.  And that sweet Finn has a special place in this auntie’s heart already.

I am quite a good cook/baker.  Except today.  Today I am a failure in the kitchen.  Today I should have been fired.

 The challenge: make two trifles – one Skor and one strawberry for our neighbourhood barbeque.

I can do this.  I’ve made a hundred trifles in my time.  I mean how can you possibly screw up a TRIFLE??

Well, for starters you can buy the wrong cake mix.  One of my trifles required a chocolate cake mix and one needed vanilla.  So what do I do?  I buy two vanilla.  For moi, baker extraordinaire…no problem.  Just make a chocolate cake from scratch, cause I’m awesome like that.  Or something.  And I get the even more brilliant idea to use the old family favorite, Chocolate Mocha Cake.

This particular recipe requires coffee.  Strong black coffee (but perhaps not so strong that it’s walking out of the house with a fur coat on).  I opened my cupboard to take out the coffee maker, which by the way, we NEVER use because we are not coffee drinkers.  Buuuutttt apparently we HAD used it once upon a time…a very, very, VERY long time ago.

And not cleaned the filter or filter tray (you know those handy, dandy filters that you don’t have to throw away??  Umhmm).

And there was still coffee grinds in it.

And it had about an inch of fluffy white mold.

And I think I puked in my mouth a little bit.

I set out to disinfect my coffee maker.  I’m a little upset at this point.  What was supposed to be an easy recipe is turning into an hour of obstacles and yes, I admit a few cuss words.

I get everything prepared and put my coffee on, breathe a sigh, wish I was a coffee drinker and start again.  I can do this.  I just need to change my attitude and carry on.  No big deal!

Oh, but it gets worse.  Or better depending on how you look at it.

I start mixing ingredients in the bowl.  Well, I TRY to mix the ingredients in my bowl, but for some odd reason the batter just wants to crawl up my beaters and I shake my head in wonder…this has never happened before.  I’ve made this recipe many times and it’s never done this.

I check my recipe…what could be wrong with it…SUGAR!  I FORGOT SUGAR!!!  Huh?!  Who forgets SUGAR in a DESSERT???

**heavy sighing**

Okay, incorporate sugar into globule of chocolate batter that has the consistency of glue and playdough.  Not. Happening.

The next thing I know there is batter flying past my head, onto my wall, onto the floor, hitting my soap dispenser, sticking to my arms.  Ugh.

 So then I did what any self respecting woman would do.  I looked at the opportunity presented to me and began eating chocolate…I may have even licked my arm.  :D

And just for the record, I managed to salvage the cake.  So not an epic fail.  Just an epic pain in the ass!