http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com ...recognize the true importance of a single moment in time, the instant when you are fully and completely alive! Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:00:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2010/01/rockin-to-my-own-beat.html "You boys ever met a real country girl? I'm Talkin, true blue, out in the woods, down home country 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2010/01/pimp-my-big-pink-tractor.html The last day of the year deserves a post, no?!  And It feels like a heavy one percolating in my head. 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/12/some-final-thoughts.html I love to paint. 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/11/the-great-paint-mix-up.html And the "Great Paint Project" has begun!! 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/11/gettin-down-to-bidness.html Literally.  I've been doing a lot of happy dancing around here lately. 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/11/land-of-the-happy-dance.html If you know me at all, you know I LOVE my birthday.  I mean I <3 HEART <3 my birthday!!!! 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/09/the-big-birthday-quandry.html I've been making my daughters' cakes since their first birthdays.  I've discovered over the years that I LOVE making cakes.  Sorry, I LOVE decorating them. 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/09/take-the-cake.html I have butterflies in my stomach!  I'm so excited!  In one week from tomorrow I'm flying down to visit my Val!!! 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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/09/another-visit.html Did you know that there are just some days that you shouldn't even walk into a kitchen?  Like today.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 ... http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2009/09/why-i-never-pursued-a-career-in-baking.html