Change is good.

    I've recently become addicted to Regretsy forums. In fact, I'd say I check the forums twice as often as my Facebook page. Yeah... Seriously .     For those who don't know what Regretsy is, let me break it down for you. There is an online market known as Etsy , where folks (such as myself) can sell their handmade or vintage items without having to pay huge fees for short-lived listings; where everything is neat, and organized, and in it's place - eins, zwei, eins, zwie, eins, zwie....     On occasion, you find amongst the products of talented crafters certain items that are... well... not really that great. Trust me when I say I'm trying my best to be a nice person... after all, art is subjective, and one man's trash is another man's collage of seashells and beach junk. Hell - If someone wants to purchase your dead-rat-on-a-hat hairpin, more power to you.     Regretsy is ... to put it mildly ... a place to s...

Some may already be aware of my current situation, and normally I wouldn't divulge such sensitive information because it concerns the privacy of others, but I think it's time to just let the other shoe drop... My husband and I are splitting up. There. I said it. After almost fifteen years of marriage, we are calling it "quits". Now, I could go about picking the man apart, finding fault and start man bashing, but I really don't feel like that would get me anywhere.... in fact, it would just make me look like an ass. He and I are trying to make the best of things, especially concerning the children - my first priority is their safety and well-being. Of course, you wouldn't think that to hear the teenager tell it, but she's at that delicate point in her life where just about anything rubs her the wrong way. I suppose she'll understand once she gets older... at least, I hope she does. I'm not sure exactly how I'm supposed to feel about this.....

"He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physician" ~ Chinese Proverb I am in the worst physical condition I have ever been, and I'm only 34 years old...I have never been this heavy during my adult life. Chances are, if I continue with this sedentary life of sitting and eating, I am going to die. Of course, all things die ... but, I'd like to meet death on my own terms. Idealistically, I'd like to be 187 years old, asleep in my warm bed, surrounded by loved ones as I pass away. However, given my current state, I'll be surprised if I make it long enough to see my own grandchildren. So... It's time to get off my duff and do something before it's too late. Currently the only medication I take regularly is Prozac for my  trichotillomania  and stuff for allergies - both of which I don't believe I can change a whole lot by diet. I haven't yet become a diabetic, or developed hypertension, etc. etc., so I think before ...

This past Independence day weekend, my daughter and I made a trip to Wal-Mart that would result in the addition of two new family members... Outside the pearly gates of Wallyworld, in almost a hundred degree heat, stood a man with a shopping cart... can you guess what was in that buggy of his? Well, I'll tell you... puppies. He said he could no longer care for them, and he even tried to get me to "reimburse" him for what he paid for them (or what he said he paid for them). So, being the soft-hearted, lily-livered sucker that I am, I offered to give them a safe, loving home - but, I would not give him any money. He agreed, and handed over the dogs, who enjoyed the comfort of an air-conditioned car to their new home... They were also covered with fleas and ticks, and had a severe upper respiratory infection (they're all better now). Sam  Jack  Believe me when I say I fully intended to just foster the pups until we found them permanent homes...My family had tak...

This is, by far, the blog I've been dreading. I mentioned in a previous writing that I am not a Christian... in fact, here's the exact quote: "For one, I am a student of all religions, and I follow an eclectic conglomerate of them ... I am not a Christian (or a follower of any Abrahamic religion) which makes me, by definition, a pagan- but not the hippiegranolaflowerchildnodeoderantunshaven kind that most people think of... but we'll come back to that one later."  So! It is now "later". It's difficult to describe, exactly, what it is I feel inside about religion, but I think that holds true for most people. I'd say, there are as many "versions" of any religion as there are people who practice it, even within the same denomination. I'm sure there are things that my mother does differently than my father, even though they've been sweethearts for approximately 40 years. I think the best way I can do this is similar to the way I...

A little over a year ago, I published a list of rules for myself - basically a guideline of things I wanted to change about myself. (You can read the entire blog HERE ) Let's just say, I've never been very good at following directions, even my own. I'll break it down for ya ... original rules are in italics 1. The aforementioned rule of only eating at the dining room table (save for the special occasion of eating out with the family) This one was pretty much null and void when we moved to Tennessee, since we no longer have a large dining room table. We do have a patio set, but the weather is not always cooperative. We often put the children at the small table in the kitchen, and Hubs and I sit... well, wherever. 2. The chore chart will be implemented every day. The chore chart magnets are still somewhere packed in a box, I think, and the dry-erase board is hanging in my daughter's room, which features rules that she doesn't follow. The apple doesn't fall...

Writing has almost always been a passion of mine... I'm not including the spaces of time before I could read and write (although, I've always enjoyed stories), or moments of sleep deprivation via newborn babies, or the first several months of playing World of Warcraft when life was all about Azeroth. I've won a couple small awards for my writing in high school, and once had a college professor read my story "Silly Putty" in front of the whole class. THAT was a glorious moment, indeed... Thank you, Mrs. VanLear :) (Somewhere in a box of papers, said story still exists, and perhaps one day I'll find it and share) Years ago I began a writing project, which has since been molded and shaped into what will someday be a book - I hope. The idea popped into my head one day, during a " zen moment ", and the writing began straight away. In fact, during my mapping process for this story, I've spread what I have so far over the course of four books .....