Buckyballs - Part Two

We had a gift exchange at our office Christmas party last night and one of my bestest co-worker friends had my name. Being the thoughtful ( and wacky) friend that she is - she got me BUCKYBALLS - wheehee!!! I did get one or two strange looks from some people as they asked what the heck they were - but once I opened the package and let people play with them I started to win the crowd over - they were a hit (I wouldn't be surprised if one or two more folks added them to their xmas list).

Now I will say that the "masterpieces" that I created last night were no where near the caliber of what you would see on the video - but I figure that just gives me an excuse to "practice" with them.

"Tis the season....

So I can totally tell it is the holiday season due to the overwhelming number of emails I have in my inbox. Seems that every retailer that I subscribe to feels the need to email me at least once or twice a day about the WONDERFUL deals they have. Now any other time of the year I'd be happy to know about free shipping or how to 15 % off my next purchase -- but I am starting to feel a bit bombarded with all of the attention I am getting from them. I mean - I know I am a loyal customer and I am glad that they appreciate my business -- but seriously people - I don't need to know that at 2:30 in the morning and then be reminded again at noon. Of course I don't dare remove my name from the mailing list - because come January I will once again want to know about all of the sales (although I have a slight feeling that I may not hear from some of these folks again until May or June and their offers won't be near as enticing as they are now). So for now I guess I will just continue about my day and repeatedly check my box to delete the 20 or 30 messages that are waiting for me to sort thru. Fa la la la la - la la la la.

Buckyballs...

I so want some of these. maybe if i am a good girl Santa will bring me some for Christmas. I figure this would be a good "creative tool" for my desk at work (who am I kidding - I get these things and I will never get any work done.)

Makes me smile....

I just found this to be very amusing. I am trying to talk my office into doing one.

Improve Everywhere...

This group is so interesting. Improv Everywhere is a group devoted to doing improv out in the streets in mass numbers. I've watched a couple of their videos and always think to myself afterwards..."Wow - how cool and fun is that." I'd highly recommend you look at the "Surprise Wedding Reception" episode and "the MP3 Experiment."

I'll leave you with one of the most recent and one of my favorite episodes "The Invisible Dog"..(note how some of these people really get into it and have very active dogs).

Who says you can't use a liberal arts degree...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Speechless....

We were on our way home from a weekend camping trip with my in-laws - when all of a sudden my hubby said "is that a bald eagle"? Well....I don't know birds, but it appeared that way to me. Fortunately I had my camera with me - so we swung a u-turn and I shot a few quick pics from inside the car as the bird took off. I guess you never know what you'll see on a small central Texas back-road.

Swissmiss...

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I posted something....who am I kidding - I can totally believe it. It seems like the last two months have just flown by and with fall and the holidays approaching it seems that there is no chance of it slowing down. I've also got kid #2 on the way (we hope to find out on 10/14 if it is a boy or a girl) so I can pretty well tell that this chaos is SURE to ensue for quite some time. I will say that one thing that has started to occupy a bit more of my time is this wonderful new blog that I stumbled across - Swissmiss is this wonderful array of all things creative. And it's randomness suites my off-kilter attention span just perfectly. If you have a few minutes I would highly recommend that you take a peak.

We had a Wonderful Time...

At the Frio River. My family as well as another family spent several days at the end of July at the Frio River. And although there wasn't much water around, every still seemed to have a great time. The girls (Natalie, my niece Kelby, and niece Kevyn) had a blast splashing in the water - and since there was basically no current they could walk around with ease.

I also got to snap a few family photos for my sister and her crew.

Finally.....

It's been a while - but I finally got a chance to go out and do some shooting again. My wonderful hubby and i took a quick trip to visit his grandparents out in Lone Grove (near Llano). They live on the family "homestead" and have all sorts of wonderful treasures out there. The old farm house that Darren's Great-Grandfather lived in (built in the early '30s); PawPaw's bee hives; and great scenery. It was a wonderful way to rejuvenate my spirits.

A few family photos....

I got to spend the evening with my two nieces - so we got all three kiddos together to get some updated shots. Here is what developed (P.S. it is not easy to get three kids to sit in the same spot for more than like 3 seconds....)

Dearest Blog....

I've so much to say an no time to say it.  I love you - I've missed you - I'll write again soon.  I've been knee deep in projects - but I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I hop to be able to share that all with you soon.

Busy as a bee...

Well it's been several days since I last posted - but I have been busy as a bee with several major projects going on (I'll be sharing those later). And Giddings had their fair this weekend - so no work got done.  I got to be a judge at the BBQ cook-off this year in my favorite category - Ribs.  Nothing is better than getting to sample 12 different kinds of ribs accompanied by a nice cool beverage (a.k.a. Miller Light).  It's kind of like a buffet that comes to  you....you sit and they bring you a box - you eat - then they bring you another box - you eat - then they bring you another box...well you get the idea.  I am definitely looking forward to doing that again next year.  I've gotta run for now - heading off the the Ronald McDonald House with some co-workers for a volunteer project.  More to come tomorrow....

Mmmmm....Reese's

So Reese's peanut butter cups are my absolute favorite candy - but apparently when you have too many along with a Dr. Pepper or two it can turn you into that little squirrel Twitchy from Hoodwinked (Dee-na-mee-tay!!) Ha! Anyways, too bad these powers can't be used for good (like productive work) instead of bad (like blogging and blog-stalking).  Spent a good chunk of this afternoon posting on my S-I-Ls site (sorry Amy).  I'm guessing that I am doomed to hit the crash and burn shortly - unless the consumption of more sugars occurs (and that's unlikely).

Heading to Riverside

The company I work for has a quarterly leadership retreat that we call "Riverside" (it use to actually be at a conference center that was located on the riverside).  Anyways, it is a great chance to network with other folks from different divisions and the presentations are always great.  But it is also hard to leave home for a night without my family.  It is a bit of "homesick" with a bit of "missing you" and a part "feeling left out" from whatever may happen in the 24 hours that I am away.  Surprisingly, it is also a lot of work making sure that my hubby has everything that he needs to keep Nat happy while I'm out - clothes laid out for school, groceries in the fridge, etc.  And then I have two days worth of emails and phone calls to catch up on when I get back into the office.  So, quite honestly I'm not all that excited about going aside from the fact that I get a queen size bed all to myself and the chance to sleep in a little bit.

I'd like to go to sleep please...

I haven't had a good nights sleep in almost a week (I feel like I did the first week we brought Nat home from the hospital).  I keep waking up around 3 am with thoughts of stuff that I need to do flooding my head - emails that I need to send out, phone calls I need to make, groceries I need to pick up.  I have absolutely no problem falling asleep-just staying asleep. Work has been crazy busy lately - so I know that is part of the problem - but there aren't any signs of it slowing down until maybe the middle of May.  The worst part is, that I know it is affecting me emotionally now.  At first I was just physically tired - now I am emotionally drained too - and I feel sorry for just about anyone who has to deal with me during the day because I know that I am grumpy (and that it putting it politely).  All I really want to do is go hide in a cave somewhere for about 12 hours and try to "catch up" on the whole sleep thing.

May I be a blessing...

Lord, thank you for all of the blessings you have given me in my life; a wonderful family, great friends, a job a love, and the ability to express my creativity through my art.  Please let me be a blessing to someone today.

I am working on an art project for my church...here are a few sneek peaks.