Done

My last day as a television news producer is over.

I am officially self employed :)

Now I'm off to eat fondue!
More pictures later!

It's Still Winter!

I see the sun outside!
It's supposed to be close to 30 for two straight days!
Rejoice!
Maybe Spring is coming soon?
Nope, 6-10 inches possible for Monday, into Tuesday.
Which, by the way is when Karl is going to be up in the U.P. on a business trip.
Have I mentioned I don't know how to operate the snow blower?
Right.
Good times.
I have pictures to share! Want to see?


A little peek at our booth, all set up for last weekend's bridal show.
I was very very proud of our booth.
Except nobody saw it. Because about 5 minutes after I took the above picture, they cancelled the show. The first cancelled show in the 20 year history of this particular event.
Reason?


Snow and Ice. Lots of it. The kind that shuts down highways and "makes travel treacherous"
So no bridal show. We've been comped with a booth in the fall show, which will be better for us anyway, since we're booked straight through for 2008, and 2009 brides are just starting to get their acts together.
And finally, while Karl and I were disappointed about the cancellation, we did get to come home to this:

Walker was totally okay with an unexpected Sunday spent cuddled on the couch. He was not, however, too excited about going outside to take care of business. The snow was up to his chest, which of course, makes the taking care of business a little tough.
Sorry for the absence of late. I've been trying to practice the, "if you have nothing good to say..." mantra.
But good things to say are coming. February 28th, my last day at work, is right around the corner!

Also right around the corner: a scrapping and snarking get together with one of my favorite people to snark with!

Barb!

I should bake, right?

Definitely!

So I thought I was going to bed early tonight--

But then Barb tagged me. And I know if I don't do this tonight, I am going to be less likely to get it done any time in the next 3 weeks. Busy Times ahead! So here I am!

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name).
3. After you are tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and your answers.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and that they need to read your blog for details.)
   

For once in my life, I am actually quite thrilled my middle name is Ruth. 4 letters is much easier than Barb's last name.

Here we go:

R is for relatives.

I come from a crazy ass family. Lots of divorce, lots of remarrying, lots of scandal. I grew up swearing I would never get married because I had no examples of successful relationships.

U is for University.

From the time I graduated high school (1997) to the time I moved to Wisconsin (2006) I lived in 4 different towns with a major university. I became so used to living in a college town that now that I'm *not* living in one, it feels kind of weird.

T is for Timing.

I have a bizarre talent of being able to tell you what time it is, within about 15 minutes, without a watch. I can also tell you about how long a movie, song, etc is, or how long something has been in the oven. I think it's because so much of my t.v. job is about timing things. It's like I have an internal clock constantly counting in 30 second intervals.

H is for Healthy, sort of.

Until recently I was proud to say I'd never had stitches, never been hospitalized, and never broken a bone. Then in a period of 12 months I had stitches (precancerous mole removal), spent 4 days in the hospital (gall bladder removal gone wrong), and broke 2 bones (two toes the night before shooting a wedding). My streak is over!

Now it's time for me to tag four people.

Steph Vetne (Because I want to know what her middle name is)
Stef Hamilton (see above reason)
Steph Howell (again, see above reason)
Em (because we have random things in common, and because I ran out of Stephs to tag)

Repurposing the Studio Calico Box

So, earlier this week this fabulous box arrived on my doorstep, full of all the fantastic goodies that comprised this month's Studio Calico kit. I may or may not have drooled a little as I took each item out of the lovely brown paper packaging. This is my second month with a kit subscription and it certainly did not disappoint.

But no sooner did I unpack said kit than I realized I needed to use the box for something extra special: packaging up my swap stuff for Miss Em, my valentine at Studio Calico. Now I dig the shopping part. I dig the picking out wrapping paper part. The actual wrapping: not my strong suit. So please don't judge. Instead: imagine what goodies might be inside.

Behold the red and white goodness stacked on my kitchen island.

A close up of the goodness. Look closely and you might catch a glimpse of some chocolate.

And there it is all packed up in the Studio Calico box, ready to make the trip a few hours south. I made sure to tape the box well, so I wouldn't be tempted to keep anything for myself.

Happy almost Valentines Day to all!

Cast Iron

Yup, Walker's definitely got the cast iron stomach. Which is a good thing since he is constantly getting into things not meant for canine consumption. A few weeks ago it was 8 bagel bites. 8 FROZEN bagel bites mind you. I'm not sure how he even managed to chew them. And then there was the time he got into the baking cabinet and ate some chocolate chips. I thought I was going to have to take him to the emergency vet. But nope, he was just fine.

So yes, Walker survived the hot dogs. Without so much as a burp. I'm sure he'll use this as justification to eat other things we try to keep out of his reach. He's lucky he's cute.

Speaking of cute, or not cute as the case may be, Tom Petty. When did he start looking like Willy Nelson? I couldn't look at him during the half time show. It just made me sad. He looks so old. I guess living that kind of life wears you out physically and emotionally.

I'm feeling a little worn out myself today. Something about a plane crash on Lake Winnebago during what was supposed to be my quiet shift at the tv station. I spent the afternoon scrambling, trying to make do with less than ideal conditions. Oh well. It went on the air fine, and that's all that matters.

And in 25 days it won't matter at all because I'll be done with all things tv news related!

Six Hot Dogs and a Side of Baked Beans

That would be what Walker just ate for dinner.

The back story:

Karl and I decided that since the weather is all gloomy and cold, we were going to have an indoor cookout for dinner tonight. Hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, etc. Dinner was fantastic, and I set the leftovers all the way to the back of the counter for a minute until I could portion them out for lunches, etc.

Apparently I did not put them back far enough. And the sound that I heard in the other room that sounded like Karl putting away dishes-- was actually Walker using his paw to scoot the plate closer and closer to him until finally he was able to reach the hot dogs. All six of them.

His mistake came when he decided to get greedy and go after the baked beans. He slid the dish too far forward and it came crashing to the floor. Which ofcourse tipped both Karl and I off to his top secret mission.

Needless to say, Walker will not be getting his kibble for dinner tonight.

I think six hot dogs is plenty.

January in Review

So, it's February 1st. We're already one month through 2008. Does this come as a huge surprise to anyone else? Like, wasn't it just New Years?

I thought so.

I decided that I'd really like to do a month in review entry every month this year, so I can remember the highlights of 2008, as well as the little stuff I might otherwise forget.

So, January 2008 in bullet form(and in no particular order):

• started the year sick. Slept through midnight, then went into work for my last ever holiday shift.
• Welcomed trish back from maternity leave.
• Chose Bliss as my word for 2008.
• Ordered and received by Bliss necklace.
• Got my first studio calico kit.
  
• Enjoyed scrappy goodness and yummy food with Barb
• Enjoyed a couple of four day weekends.
• Went on the girls vaca
• Made my first mini
• Learned Dad might not need a second heart surgery
• Booked tickets for Florida
• Watched the Packers throw away their chance at the Super Bowl
• Watched Walker interact in a good way with another dog
• Came close to my first ice related driving accident
• Saw Juno, loved it
• Booked our 18th wedding for 2008
• Prepped for our first bridal show

And now, on to February!