Roon Has Spoken

All my life, I've never had any trouble making friends.  Don't get me wrong, I was a nerd, but I've always made friends easily. 

I've had all types of friends, as well.

My fliratious nature has awarded me many a male friend in my day, one of whom eventually became my husband.

My fierce loyalty, has provided me with many long term friends.  You know, friends whom I have known for 25+ years.

The friendly/outgoing side of me has acquainted me with lots of interesting people, and has occasionally thrust me into some uncomfortable situations.

While I adore my friends, the law of averages implies that in an ocean full of really terrific friends (y'all know who you are...), you will on occasion come across a stinker or two. 

When I was in middle school, I had a "friend" who hated me.  Well, more accurately, she hated me MOST of the time.  Round about October 8th, she would declare me her "best friend", and hold on tight, just long enough to get a  birthday present from me on October 10th.  Once she had what she wanted, the teasing and utter torture would resume.  She did this same thing for Christmas and Valentine's Day as well, for several years.

My mom pointed out how wrong this was on several occasions, but when you're in middle school...your mom doesn't know anything, so I ignored her. 

To this day, I am still a people pleaser, and it drives Roon CRAZY.

Probably because he can see something that I can't.

Usually, he gets quietly exasperated, just shaking his head or rolling his eyes when he doesn't agree with the way I'm allowing a friend to treat me. 

Until recently.

Over the past several months, I have had several interactions with a "friend" I refer to as "Toxic".  (If you're a real life friend of mine reading this...don't worry, I don't think it's you, or someone you know)

This person is a taker.  They take your time, they take your energy, they take your generosity, but they never leave anything behind. 

Have you ever had a friend like that? 

After every interaction I would have with them, I would walk away feeling defeated.  Feeling "less than". 

One evening, after our most recent encounter, I was talking to Roon, and as I started to cry, he put his foot down.

Now, if you know Roon, you know that he is just about the most easy going man in the entire world.  He would do anything for anybody, and RARELY gets upset.

But he was LIVID.

"I don't want you doing anything else for that person."  He said.  "In fact, if you volunteer to do one more thing for them, I am not going to be mad at them anymore, and I'll be mad at YOU!"

And I know he means it. 

So, I'm respecting his wishes.  The people pleaser in me is screaming to be heard, but I love my husband, and I basically only tolerate the other individual.

The whole experience has made me question myself, and how I treat others. 

On the bright side, every time I encounter a "stinker" in my vast ocean of friends, I learn from it, and it makes me a better friend. 

And that makes it all worth it.



Because De-Whiskering Kittens is Inhumane...

This, I tell ya, is the little blog post that could.
Let's just say that my laptop has been experiencing more than it's share of "user errors" lately, and no...it's not Roon who has suddenly become computer illiterate. 

At least I have a computer guru as a husband, who can fix all my technological faux pas.

ANYWHO!

I GOT MY FAVORITE THINGS SWAP PACKAGE!!!

About 4 days ago.  (hanging my head in SHAME!)

I was partnered with the completely hilarious Jessica from Duck Duck Cow.  Right off the bat, I knew she and I were destined to be friends, because, well...all awesome people tend to travel in the same herd, right?

Alright, onto the loot!  Please excuse the picture quality.  They were taken with my phone, by a complete photography dummy...me.

The first thing I saw when I opened my package was this:

In case you can't read that, is says:  "Quick!  Give this to your kids so that you can open your package in PEACE!"  This girl thought of EVERYTHING!

Under that, Were all my goodies, lovingly wrapped in wrapping paper and ribbon:

It doesn't happen very often, but I got to open my ENTIRE package MYSELF!  Which means, I also got a picture of EVERYTHING all laid out, but first I'll start with some highlights...

Yes, you read that fuzzy picture right.  That is a GLAZED DONUT scented candle.  Since it smelled so good that I almost licked it, I am keeping it up high, so that Boo doesn't get any ideas.

I think I may be the only person on the face of the planet that has NEVER tried these things.  I know they're "all the rage", but I've never been one to give into peer pressure.  UNTIL NOW!!!  YUM!

I laughed hysterically when I saw this!  I don't know if you can see from the picture, but that soap has GLITTER on it!  I haven't mentioned this to Jessica yet, but I think she was inspired to send this to get the werewolf stink off me.  That's right...I'm a Jacob girl.  BUT this soap smells SO good, I'm willing to make an exception.

Here's a rundown of everything I got, in no particular order.

1. FUNYUNS!  (These didn't stand a chance of survival in my house.)
2. Glazed donut candle.
3. Cadbury mini eggs
4. Halloween cupcake liners
5. CD of Jessica's favorite tunes.
6. Nail polish, with the CUTEST tiny little bunny toe separators EVER!
7. Gum.
8. Pens
9. Tide to Go (Sissy LOVES this stuff.  SHE insists we keep it on hand always)
10. Cow magnet (SUPER cute!)
11. Beetlejuice, the movie.  (WOW!  Blast from the past!)
12. Flower shaped ice cube trays.
13. Edward Soap and soapdish.
14. Makeup bag, complete with a full set of samples from CLINIQUE!  (I'd never tried Clinique before, but I've already tried some of it, and I LOVE it!)

This was an awesome swap!  Thanks so much, Jessica, for making it so!  Also, thanks to Mamarazzi for hosting, and for keeping everything running so smoothly!

Symfully Sweet RETURNS!

I know you won't believe this, but I really tried to get this posted on Friday. 

BUT, my internet wasn't working. 

Luckily, Roon was going to come home a little early, so I had him fiddle with the computer/router garbage. 

You know what was wrong with it?

The WiFi was turned off on the laptop.

That was ALL that was wrong with it!  All I would have had to do, is push a stupid button!

Have I mentioned I'm not very tech savvy?

Okay, so moving on...
Have y'all missed Symfully Sweet?
Did you even know it was missing?
Probably not.

Okay, well it WAS missing, and I apologize for those of you who were really looking forward to it. 

If you have absolutely no idea what the dickens I'm talking about, click on the "Symfully Sweet Saturday" tab, and read all about it. 

So, what candy did I think would be absolutely perfect for the April Mission???

PEEPS!

Now, just to be clear, I do NOT like Peeps.  I don't.  I think they're gross.  BUT, when I think about Easter, I think about Peeps. 

If you dislike Peeps as much as I do, remember you DON'T have to use the actual candy for your project.  Use them as inspiration for a project, instead. 

Answers to a few anticipated questions:

• YES you can use the Peep bunnies instead of the Peep chicks, if you feel so inclined.
• NO, I don't care what color Peeps you choose.  They all taste the same...
• YES, you can use the new Peeps that are partially or completely covered in chocolate.
• YES, you can use plain old marshmallows to replace peeps, if you also use the crystal sugar sprinkles, to complete the "essence" of the Peep.

If you have any more questions, just ask me.  I promise, I don't bite!

Linking will open on April 30th.  If you keep track, Xazmin's "Mod Podge Mania" will be linking that day too.  If you do a project containing BOTH Peeps AND Mod Podge, you can kill two chicks with one stone...

You may recall that I never posted my project for December's Symfully Sweet.  The mission was "Candy Canes".  If you did a project for December, you can link it up with April's projects, and will be judged separately from the April projects. 

Good luck on your projects!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Super Secret Swap Progress

You've all asked, and HERE IT IS!

For those of you who are not participating in the Super Secret Swap, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.  Sorry about that!

This swap has been a lot of fun for me to host.  Granted, at times it IS stressful, but I get REALLY excited every time a recipient emails me with the details of the package they just received.  I think it may even be better than receiving a package myself...

Now, before I show you the goods received thus far, I wanted to tell you about a little game.  Surprise, surprise, Sami wants to play a game...

You don't even have to be participating in the swap to play!

All you have to do is, FILL IN THE CHAIN.

As I told you before, all the participants are listed and linked on my left sidebar. 

Whoever can guess the most accurate chain, will win a prize from me at the end of the swap!  Fun, right?

Please keep in mind, that while I am not linked on the sidebar list, I am also a participant, so my name must be included in the chain also. 

I would encourage you to keep track as I post pictures, and send me an email once the chain is complete.  For example, I keep track of the chain on a "post it note" on my desktop.  You can do that, or use your own method. 

I'll come up with "official rules" for the game later, if I feel I need them.  Until then, I think it'll just be fun to have people try to guess who sent to whom...

Onto the pictures...

(I have included a short "reaction" from each recipient, that you will see in pink below their picture(s)).

PERSON "X" SENT TO

RECIPIENT 1:

"Well i loved everything! And the timing was really great because I had been seriously depressed about a lot of stuff and not only did the package in the mail make me smile but I literally laughed out loud while reading the comments, plus the chocolates, my sister and father kept trying to sneak off the table I was opening them on so it just made my day to get the swap package when I did!"

SHE THEN SENT TO

RECIPIENT 2:

(She had a few technical difficulties with pictures, so please excuse the limited selection.)

"Adorable tiny flower pots w/seeds. As you can see they are in my kitchen window & have started to sprout."

"Super cute mug. It came filled with Vanilla Coffee & Hot Cocoa. Mmmm YUM!"

"MAC Lip-gloss... yes you read that right MAC LIP-GLOSS I love makeup, especially MAC. How spoiled am I!!!

So not only did I get these awesome things, I also got an electronic Sudoku game... GREAT for people who love to have a reason to be doing anything other then what I "should" be doing. A cute picture frame with an inspirational saying in it, chocolates, lollipops, Hot Cocoa, Coffee, and a few other goodies that I can't seem to think of off the top of my head. "

"This swap was so much fun! The pure surprise of it all was the best part. The surprise of getting the package & the surprise of sending the package to the next person. I LOOOVED THAT PART! 

Thank you to my giver, I really enjoyed everything I received. It was fun knowing that someone reads my blog & takes notes on the things I really enjoy. The package came at a perfect time, needing a little pick me up, thank you so much! I can't wait to find out who you are & hopefully follow your blog if I don't already! : )"

SHE THEN SENT TO

RECIPIENT 3:

"I am elated.  I received my package today, it is like she knows me!  I am overwhelmed and thrilled, and want to make her my best friend."

WHO THEN SENT TO
RECIPIENT 4:

"I got the most wonderful package in the mail!  It totally MADE MY DAY!!!  I loved it!  It was so thoughtful and personalized.  Thank you so much to whoever it was."

Obviously, I shortened the reactions, but believe me EVERYONE was over the moon elated to receive their packages.  I should be hearing from recipient #5 today or tomorrow.  Could it be you???

Some of the recipients might be easier to guess based on the pictures.  If you read their blogs, you might know who they are, making the guessing that much easier.  Future recipients can decide whether they want to make the guessing easier or harder on people, accordingly.

Thanks to all my swappers thus far!  You've all done an excellent job!

Y'all might be able to tell that I'm a tad off the pace of where I wanted to be.  No worries, though!  If I'm not back on schedule by June, I have a trick or two up my sleeve, to make sure everyone gets covered. 

Thanks to everyone for playing, and for being patient while you wait your turn!  Ask anyone...the wait is totally worth it.

I Might Should Plead the Fifth...

 

It's FRIDAY!!!  I love Friday.  What better way to spend a lazy Friday than to link up with Mamarazzi and Glamazon for their Friday Confessional? 

I CONFESS...

- I didn't realize that this week was spring break, until my kids got home from school last Friday.  TOTALLY snuck up on me.

- As hard as I've tried to pull out "fun mom" this week, I feel that I have failed miserably.

- In my defense "Spring Break" activities of my childhood consisted of digging, hauling, and building things mostly against my will.  My kids should be grateful for their list of chores in comparison, right?


I CONFESS...

- I told Roon I was sorry for signing up for another swap without consulting him first.

- I'm not sorry though.

- Not even a little.

- Especially since I found out who my PARTNER is.

- I've been stalking her most of the day, but don't have a clue what my children are doing. 

- I might regret that later, but for right now, I'll go back to laughing at Jessica, thanks!


I CONFESS:

- Facebook entertains me.

- Not for reasons you might think...

- Roon is friends with his ex-girlfriend on there.

- Is it wierd that it doesn't bother me?

- Maybe 'cause I know I can take her...

- When she comments on one of his statuses, I'll sometimes comment (adding a little extra somethin' to it) after her, just to remind her that I exist.

- I also sometimes look up my ex boyfriends on Facebook.

- Just to see if their kids are cute.

- Or if their wife/significant other is skinnier than me.

- Then I feel ashamed of myself.  You know...'cause I'm a lurker.

- I'd feel a whole lot better about myself if I knew I wasn't the only one.


Okay, now I must go wash the dirty laundry I've just put out there.  Make sure that you go link up YOUR dirty little secrets too.  I won't judge---much.

Looks Can be Deceiving...

Originally, I wasn't going to link up this week with Glamazon and Mamarazzi for their Friday Confessional.  Not because I didn't want to, but I am SO far behind on emails and blogs that I had decided to take the day off and get caught up. 

BUT

While reading through a few of the emails/comments regarding my VLOG from yesterday, I realized there is a very big confession I must make.

Did you watch it?  If not, scroll down and watch it.  It'll take you just over 3 minutes. 

Did you notice anything?

More specifically, regarding MY FACE???

A "dimple", perhaps?

Well, I must confess that it is NOT a dimple.  It is a scar.

Wanna know how I got it?

Sit back, and I'll tell you a little story...

I was 12.  My chore in the household was laundry. 

I was down in the basement, in the laundry room, tending to my responsibilities, when I heard my older sister, Meg, and my little brother, Bawty, having a fight upstairs.  In our house, fighting was really more of an Olympic event. 
We were all well rehearsed in dramatic brawls, sometimes using only words, and other times wielding weapons of moderate destruction.

I exited the laundry room, and was standing at the foot of the stairs, when Bawty zoomed past me into the basement, jumping the last 4 steps, and maneuvering so as not to run into me and my giant laundry basket.

THEN I heard a scream. 

Not a second later, my face met the impact of the chair Meg had thrown down the stairs...intended for Bawty.

My face was bloodied, and my glasses broke.  The force of the blow was later realized when we found the right lense to my glasses 2 floors up from the location of the accident, in our attic loft.

But I didn't drop the laundry basket!

I missed a week of school because I couldn't open my jaw wide enough to eat food that wasn't mashed or extremely soft. 

As luck would have it, I ended up missing my entire frog dissection in science class!

A few years later, when my high school anatomy teacher complimented my dimple, and informed me that "they're genetic, ya know?", I just laughed, and said..."Sure are!  I got this one from my sister!"

I don't think he got the joke.

Now it's YOUR turn to link up!  Go do it!  NOW!

Because I'm a Follower...

For those of you who have been hounding me about this, I hope it doesn't disappoint.  You can finally get a sense of what I sound like!

Now, I didn't realize how southern I sound until I watched it (maybe the twang comes out with nerves?) AND I never realized just how expressive my face is when I talk.  Maybe that's why I'm a TERRIBLE liar...

At any rate, here I am, in all my "everyday" glory.  Enjoy!

By the way...
Sorry I joined in the party so late!  I will try to do better next month.