Positive Affirmations

The best thing about doing what I do is that people actually pay me to do what I love.

The second best thing is the people that I talk to and share ideas with. For the most part it's all positive. People call me because they want to put something about love, or family, or their dreams, or memories, or something that inspires them on the walls in their home.

Nobody ever orders anything that is negative. Never. I've been doing this for a lot of years and that's how it is so far. (Now what they put on their vehicle for the entire world to see... well that's another story for another day.)

I'm a big believer in affirmations. I like to see the words that I need to remember and apply in my life every day. I mostly have them on sticky notes but I also have a few in vinyl on my walls at home. The one in my living room reminds me to be glad of life... sometimes I need to read that.

I love this one that I got in a "Tweet" today. Love it! I know a couple of women who need this one... and so do I.

So....
I went for my hour with the personal trainer today. That man doesn't have an ounce of fat on his body. He was very nice, and I'm very excited and hopeful that one day my legs will be as purty as his.
There's more about this on my other blog, so go there if you want the whole story.

I just have to say that no one at any time told me I would have to give up Cheese Day. It's a wonderful life.

Now I have to go and watch the season finale of Top Chef. Can't help it, I'm addicted.

I like cheese on mine

Tuesday is cheese day. It's the one day of the week that I leave the shop for lunch. It's called cheese day because we ALWAYS go next door to El Paral and eat wonderful, fabulous ultra cheesy mexican food.

While I was lifting a fork moderately loaded with sauteed mushrooms, onions, cheese and mole sauce to my cheeseloving lips, my cell phone rang.
Nobody ever calls me... who could this be?
Hello....?
It's the folks from the fitness center where I signed my life away yesterday. Calling to see where I am, because I have a 1:30 appointment with the trainer.
Me: Ummm... no... that's tomorrow.
Them: But we have you down for today... to work with the trainer and the dietitian.
Me again: Ummm... well... on MY piece of paper it says tomorrow. I told you I couldn't make it today because I have plans.

All during this brief conversation I'm trying not to sound like my mouth is full of cheese and fried things... the very reason I need to go to a gym. The very reason I didn't want to meet with the trainer today.
Oh the irony.

Confident and bossy as I may be in my own environment, I have to admit that I'm very nervous about working with a trainer, even if it is just for an hour so that he can set me up on a program that I can work by myself.
I'm so totally out of my comfort zone.

But... back at the first of the year, I made a commitment to myself to get healthy and to put myself out there into the wide world and do stuff that's new and maybe even stretch myself a bit. Get out of my comfort zone for a change. Get off my couch and out of my house for a change.
Since I made that decision, the Universe has been throwing all kinds of interesting things and new opportunities at me. I'll just try to keep up and see where it takes me.
I hope it still takes me out to lunch on Tuesdays...

Another day, another $1.98

I'm sitting here trying to think of something profound and inspiring to share with everyone. I'm drawing a total blank.
So I'll just share a little of what's new in my life.
Umm...
Still have a cold, but that's not new, so forget I said anything about that.

The new website is still progressing nicely and I'm very pleased with the way everything looks. There'll be tons more stuff on there: lots of graphics and layouts and some full color designs too. It's all very exciting but you don't get to see it for a while yet.

I went to the grocery store tonight and bought a new bag of dog food. Yep, that's pretty exciting, at least the mutts think so.

I stopped in at the local gym this afternoon to drop off a business card and...
I got caught up in all the healthy happy glow and...
the guy working over there with the weights looked really good and...
I'm so weak that I signed up for a membership.
I have a free! hour with the personal trainer on Wednesday. If I live through that and the 3 or 4 days of stiffness that will be the result, I will most likely enjoy working out. I know I will enjoy the scenery (if you know what I mean... and I'm sure you do.)

They have lots of empty wall space in the weight room that is just SCREAMING for some motivational words.
Words like...
"That which doesn't kill me only makes me stronger."
Yeah, we'll see about that.

Cold medicine makes me ramble

Sunshine, blessed sunshine all day long.
At the risk of being repetitive, I have to say one more time - I can't wait for spring to get here!

I drug my cold laden sinuses out of bed this morning - this one sneaked up on me out of nowhere. I felt fine yesterday and this morning I awoke feeling like my head was filled with sand. Maybe it had something to do with the exceptionally stupid dreams I was having. I don't clearly remember what I was dreaming about, but the colors were really vivid - which put to rest any doubt I might have had about whether or not I dream in color - and I remember waking up with the thought "that was probably the stupidest dream I've ever had." Then I realized that my mouth felt like it was filled with sand along with the rest of my head and even though my head really wanted to lay in bed for a while longer, the rest of my body had had enough of that.

So, as I was saying, I drug myself out of bed and got dressed to go outside. I usually putter around the house in my pajamas for at least half of the day on Saturday, so it's unusual for me to be dressed first thing.
I went into the back yard to figure out where Skooter was making her big escape over the fence. Can't let the dogs outside to do there outside stuff, if they have an escape path. It was a pretty obvious place. The snow has drifted so deep against the four foot fence that she can practically step over it. This is a bad thing, because Skooter likes to chase the neighbors sheep. We have an agreement: Skooter stays in the back yard; and they won't come over here and yell about it. Everyone's happy.
The Skootermeister is a large dog. Yellow lab/pyranese mix, and she's really smart. No, really, she is. (Shut up, you guys) The bad thing about having a smart dog is they get bored. So any weakness in the defenses is quickly detected.
She's also a little on the fat side, so I didn't think she could launch herself over the fence, but she did.
Evidently she ran all over the neighborhood, frolicking in the snow and finding stinky icky things to bring home. Of course she did this while I was at work, so I only have the phoned in report from my roomy who had to chase her down and bring her back in the house.
Evidently she had sooooo much fun that she was tuckered out and laid herself out on the road to work on her tan. Thankfully the people on my street were kind enough to go around her (or they figured a dog that size would leave a dent)

So back to dragging myself out to the back yard...
I dug the snow away from the fence... spoiling all the doggy fun... absorbed a bit of glorious sunlight and then spent the rest of the day being a spud on the couch blowing my nose and taking cold medicine. (I like the alka-seltzer citrus flavor. Wish they'd make something like that just as a soft drink. Remembering the "fizzies" tablets that were around when I was a kid.)

I watched Gone With the Wind, which is the perfect way to spend 4 hours bundled in a blanket on the big fluffy couch with some lemon tea, a little chocolate, a small dog and a large cat.
If you're gonna have a sick day, that's the way to do it.

Snow Day

Weird day.
It started to snow in the wee hours of the morning so there was a good four inches of new snow on top of the old snow that won't seem to go away.
I got out of bed and proceeded to get ready for work only to realize that the pilot had blown out on the furnace. Argggh!
It is a fete of agility and extreme patience to relight this glorious invention of modern heating. (Yeah... that's not quite what I was calling it after the first fifteen minutes)Being my father's daughter, I have the appropriate tools for every job. In this case, I used a butter knife to prop the little latch door open, a bottle of weedkiller propped (upside down) on the pilot light button to hold it down, and the super duper extra long butane lighter with the safety button wedged down with a toothpick and a strip of duck tape holding the trigger down.
McGyver would be so proud.

So after much cussing and manipulation and about half an hour, I got the furnace going again.
Just in time to hear the snow plow go past on the road. Yep, it's our fine county employees making sure that my neighbors and myself can drive down the rural avenues in safety. Except now I can't get out of my driveway because the snow plow leaves a 3 foot pile of very wet, very heavy snow across the bottom of my driveway.
Cool! I'm snowed in! Woo hoo!!! Snow day! I'll work from home and do some designing and a lot of the stuff that I would be doing at work if I could get there.

About 15 minutes into my happy work from home day... the power went out. And stayed out. Rats!!!
Now there's no computer to work on. No TV to entertain me while I work. No music... basically no fun. I even washed the dishes out of desperation, hoping to kill a little time and make the power come back on. Nope.

New plan... I decided to go to work because that would be better than sitting at home doing nothing.
So I conned my roomy into a bit of shoveling and off we went to work.

After a fun and tasty lunch with the girls, I returned to the shop just in time for a power blip which killed our internet connection and the telephones for the rest of the afternoon.

If you tried to call today... that's why you got a busy signal.

After the third blip, I realized that not a whole lot of anything was being accomplished, therefore, I said a little prayer that the power would be back on at home and took myself there. There are things that are more frustrating than having the computer shut down just before you saved a file, but I can't think of one right now... well, there is that pilot light thing...

But now...
Blessed electricity flows to all of my appliances. My furnace is blasting away keeping me warm. There's a Woot off going on. All is well, I haven't done anything all day and I'm wore to a frazzle.

Font - O - Mania

I've been having just about a ton-o-fun this afternoon.
As you know, I'm a fontaholic. I love fonts. I spend hours looking for fonts. I can't say I never met a font I didn't like - cuz there's some ugly fonts out there - but I have certainly found thousands that I DO like.
I've puttered a bit with creating my own fonts. It's very labor intensive and takes a long time to create something that is actually usable. Hours of tweeking and testing and nudging (and that's just getting situated in the chair and ready to work.)

Today I came across a spiffy little website that entertained me for an hour or so. Click HERE and you can go and make your own font from your own handwriting.
It takes a scanner and about 20 minutes - depending on how anal you are about the letter shapes - and then you too can feel like a typographical genius.

I was not too concerned about correct sizing because I wanted it to have a nice natural feel. Besides, if I want it to be perfect I'll break out the font making program... and spend all those hours and days and...

And now I give you... Becky Font.

Lazy Weekend

It's been a totally uneventful weekend. I like that.
Spent the day yesterday doing some research online, working on some photoshop projects, watching too much tv, watching it snow AGAIN... the usual.

I typically start my Sunday bundled up on the couch with the kitty and Sweety and some really good java and a movie.

This morning it was "Sex and the City". I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed or not about watching and liking the movie. I never watched more than an episode or two of the series, but I know who the characters are.
The clothes were beautiful! The women... scrawny. Yes, I'm jealous because I was born larger than these women are, but as they get older, well, they start to look kind of leathery and hard because there's no layer of fat to pad the wrinkles.
Is it possible to sound bitter and smug at the same time? My wrinkles are very well padded. I should look like a 13 year old.

Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty. Coco Chanel

Diana - in case you care, I have another blog. Click on my little cartoon face and you'll find the link.

Chocolate flavored... everything

You can't think about Valentine's Day without thinking about chocolate.
I don't think about chocolate ALL the time - you know I'm lying, but just play along -Valentine's day just gives me a little extra validation for the times that I do.

Obviously chocolate luv spans all generations. To the right you see a photo of one of the youngest of our clan, my brother's boy, doin' what all kids gotta do... lickin' the bowl.
I'm surprised his dad got him to stand still long enough for a semi-non-blurry picture.
Mmmmmm... chocolate.....

What do you do when chocolat becomes too much of an obsession?
Well... I'm here to help with our tried and true 12 Step Program. Follow it carefully and you'll be just fine.

In case you need to be reminded at all times, we provide a version of this program designed to fit on a 12 x 12 tile... something to post proudly in your home as a reminder of your commitment.
To further enhance your treatment... I suggest that you watch the movie 'Chocolat'. Yes, that one. The one with Johnny Depp.
Every part of that movie is a feast for your eyes.

Hmmm... now I'm gonna have to go home and put on my red shoes and sip some cocoa and indulge my senses a little bit.
Wonder where I can find some of those cherry flavored M&Ms?

Sweet little love words

I'm making a note to myself - one of the zillion sticky notes that are attached to my monitor - to make sure Dad has something lined up for Mom for Valentine's Day. Most years he's on top of it, but he is a GUY, so I worry that he might wait till the last minute and end up in the dog house... again.
Me...
well, I don't have a 'special someone' right now, so I'll be my own special someone and get myself something pretty or silky or shiny... maybe all of the above. I've been eating Hershey's Cherry Chocolate kisses all afternoon. I am now filled with sweet gooey sugary chocolaty goodness. Yeah, that's how I stay so sweet.

Today I'm posting one of my favorites. We have several different sets of Word Blocks. This one is our Love Words. It's filled with fun and romantic phrases that are small enough to fit on a block, or under a photo or even on a scrapbook page.
Overall size is 13 x 13 inches, black vinyl.
Just cut them apart and stick 'em wherever you need a little love. Price is $12.00.

So much for my diet...

I bought a nifty little item on Ebay last week and it arrived the other day- very promptly and well packed as ALL things I order should be. :) The item that I received is not what my focus is here (it's a docking station for a backup drive. If you're a geek you will be envious. If not a geek, wake up! you're starting to snore).
Inside the package with my geektoy, was a cute little Valentine. This Valentine is a coupon entitling me to a free Crispy Cream Donut. Not just a plain ol' donut like they hand to you free when the hot light is on, but one with sprinkles or custard filling and chocolate frosting dripping down the sides.
Now, this makes me happy because, first of all I love donuts.
Second, I love getting free stuff. Never mind that I live 40 miles from a Crispy Cream... I'll carry it around in my purse for a few weeks and then when I'm in the general area, I'm gonna get my free donut!
Third, and most important - this is the first Valentine I've received in many years. Does it matter that it came from some guy who doesn't know me and just wants me to buy more stuff from him? Oh heck no! It's a Valentine and I'm counting it as such.

And just so you know.... it's pretty normal around here for us to slide an extra little something in your package when we ship your order. It's because we love you... AND... we want you to order more stuff.

Now... since I was a lazy girl yesterday, I'm putting two quotes out here today for your viewing pleasure.
"Real Love Stories" How cute would this be under your wedding pictures? Darn cute, and you know it.
"To Love is to Receive a Glimpse of Heaven"
Two colors, two fonts, two different layouts. I'm kind of partial to the first one, but the second one works for a different shape or if you want just one color.

and they called it puppy lu-u-u-uv...

So much for my good intentions.
I was going to post a new "True Love" layout every day for the rest of the month, since it's Valentine's and all. But... I got so wrapped up watching American Idol and then Lost... I didn't get it done. I'll make up for all my slacking off by posting two designs tomorrow.

I'm a little smitten with puppy love tonight. Real puppies. I have two dogs, so I do NOT need another dog, let alone a puppy, but my brother was showing me puppies online and... well... it's PUPPIES and they are so cute! I particularly love the border collies and the English Shepherds. I have a soft spot for the shepherds, cuz my beloved Cindy was a liver colored English Shepherd and she was the best dog that ever lived. (sniff) I'd post her picture, but I don't have one right here in a handy place, so I'll substitute with a shot of one of my current roomies, Sweety.
She looks pretty much like a sausage with legs, but she's got heart and she loves me and that's all that matters.

Always and All Ways

White letters + bright pink hearts = true love!

This little darlin' would be so cute on your wall not just for Valentine's Day but all year long. After all... you DO love that special someone all year long, don't you?
Shown above is "I love you always" white letters layered with bright pink hearts, 24 x 9 inches overall size. $20.00- as shown or in your choice of colors.

Warm wishes... or... wishing for warm

It's February!
Why is this such a happy thing? Because it means just a few more weeks of winter, that's why.
I love the snow for about, oh... two days. Then I'm ready for it to go away. It's beautiful to look at and replenishes the earth and all that stuff that I'm grateful for, but the longer I am living the more I crave a temperate climate. I hate being cold.
This year it's been really cold and really wintery for most of the northern regions, so I'm thinking I'm not alone in my joy of the coming of spring.


February is also the month of LOVE. It's time for quotes about hugs and kisses and true love.