Feeling Overwhelmed

Overwhelmed- that is the word for this week-month- maybe even year. It seems like it was just Christmas a few months ago- but now that I stop to look at a Calender I realize that August is almost gone, I am still thinking about what I want to "do" this year.

I have SO many things that I am trying to focus on all at once, and I am not sure that I am doing any of them very well. It seems like every category has about 6 or 7 things to do- and each one is a huge task.
Things like:
~ Getting the house organized (going thru all my stuff and purging as much as I can (clothes, dishes, crafts, junk mail, old memories, giving the craft room a entire new overhaul...)
~ Being more active (finding time and energy to work out, go swimming, play softball, try to hate being outdoors less... (yeah- I am not a outdoorsy kinda person)
~ Being more Creative.... this is a HUGE one- I have SOOOOOO many things that I want to do- or improve on that I find myself chasing my tail most of the time. Painting, sewing, knitting, card-making, scrapbooking, photography, learning and using Photoshop.
~ My Business: it involves a LOT of planning, working, creativity (which doesn't arrive on command and so that can be a issue at times as well), and then the entire "setting up a website\store and keeping it stocked with new and cute things that all need photographing and etc." can be very draining....
Plus- there is SO many other areas that I am trying to work on or do things... and I am not feeling like I have been doing very well at them- and the feeling is just.... well... overwhelming.

I just feel like lately that I have been so wrapped up in the "Do Do Do" mode that I have not remembered the "enjoy, relax, remember" aspects of it all.....

And so for the rest of the month I am going to play hooky with all the "must do's" and jsut try to focus on the "breathe and enjoy" aspects of life. Oh I am still going to have to clean, and do laundry and all that nonsense, but I am also going to try to remember to stop and ENJOY what it is I am doing.

Tonight after dinner I think that I am going to wander into my "under construction" craft room and just pick up, and clean up in a nice relaxed fashion. It is becoming a entirely new space in there. I am trying to get it into a "work at home" style of clean and organized craft space instead of the "craft room that looks like a craft store exploded inside" kind of space. John built me a new workbench, I am getting shelves hung, walls painted (still not sure on the final color yet), baskets put onto storage racks, and all 20 or so of my Rubbermaid bins of "stuff" is being pawed thru and thrown\kept\sold or at least put back in a nice and orderly fashion.
It has been 3 or 4 weeks of part time work in there- and I think that it is finally reaching a point of completion. It is not "pretty" yet- but I am finally getting to a place where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, on that note- have a great night- wish me luck, and remember to stop and breathe once and awhile! I certainly gong to try it!

I'm Still Here!

Hey everyone!
I am still here! Things have been crazy around here lately, and so I have been MIA from the PC for awhile. But there are big things happening in the craft room and Kitchen, and so I will be back and posting soon. With the Holidays around the corner, I am getting my Craft room all set up and renovated for all the sewing goodness to come. In the Kitchen I have been making Jam (oh so tasty!) and working on my diet with lots of tasty recipes that I will start posting soon. They are all SUPER easy, SUPER tasty, and as luck would have it- all of them are 400 Calories and under.
So stay tuned and I will be back in action soon!

Back In the Garden Again!

Hey all!
Go Checkout my Gardening Blog- SuperChicken Gardens! Now that the Spring has returned- I am back in the garden!

I have not had much time (or energy) to post lately. I am have been on a break from the Etsy shop, and from the PC, but I will do my best to keep things up to date soon.
But due to the weather- and the lack of time to craft- I will be posting in the Garden section (and cooking section) more and more often than in the past.

Wanna Learn how to Garden? Organically? with little trouble? And learning from the mistakes of others? well come check it out!
it is fun! give it a try! and start at the beginning if you want the whole story, and how to build your own garden to garden along with me :)

Cheers!

Ho Ho Ho!

Merry Christmas!

Well- to be honest- this is the first time i have had my PC on in quite awhile. I have been so busy with the Shop that I have not had any "fun" time at all.
I almost skipped over Christmas it seems, because the weeks were flowing by, orders were rushing in, and I almost didn't get all my holiday stuff done for my family- let alone the shop. But it all worked out, and now I have some downtime to work on new sewing projects to sell, and some time to clean up the crazy messes around the house. (I keep finding string in the most odd places since I seem to track it around these days.)

Well- not much to share- but I will hopefully be back soon!

:) Merry Christmas to all...!

New Ventures

Hey all!

Ok- Long time I know... But I have been working on new things!

Most of all is a new Etsy.com venture. I made up a few coffee cozies, and decided to see if they would sell on Etsy. So I posted them around 11 at night, and by noon the next day they were all sold out, and I had a request for more. AND the local coffee shop I visit some days (ok ok... Mon-Fri to be exact) said that I should make some for them and they would sell them for me (Provided I figure out a way to put the logo on there- which I am still working on).... and so I have been sewing like a madwoman this weekend making more and more Cozies.

I have set up a new Website for them, and it will take you right to my Etsy page for now.... I will have to see what happens before I spend too much more time on it... but here is a photo of some of the ones that will be listed tonight.

But that is all that is exciting for now.... but it has been enough to keep me busy this last week.

I hope you all check out the Shop, and tell anyone who you think may want one :)

The name for the new business is www.CuteCozy.com and I am hoping that once I make a go of it (IF I can make a go of it) that I will also add other "cozy" items.... like cozy phone cases, Ipod cases, Teapot Cozies, French Press Cozies, purses, baby blankets... and all the other items that I seem to make around here for myself but never tried selling.

Anyway- Wish me luck!

Stuff

Hello!

Well- ya- it has been awhile, but I have been really busy! I promise!
Well the project that I was working on is pictured below. I decided that my first real project would be a baby quilt. It actually turned out so much better than I had anticipated, but unfortunately, I didn't take a better picture than the one below, and this was just before I wrapped it up and took it to the baby shower.



I then made about 5 or so other baby blankets for another baby shower gift, but those were of the flannel receiving blanket variety, and I also failed to remember to take photos before I gave them away, but they were pretty cute too! My sewing has not been a huge time suck this months as it was last month, but I am still trying to get to the few items that I have had my mind on lately. I have a purse, 13x9 Cozy, Tea Cozy, and another quilt to work on, but at least I made some kitchen curtains finally! I have been meaning to do that for 3 years or so, but never got around to it. As soon as John trims the curtain rod to the proper length I will take a picture and show you the cute retro\kitchy fabric that I chose.

Other Happenings- I entered a purse in the Cotton Ball Purse Contest. It was on display, but it didn't win :( I didn't expect it too- but at least I was not laughed at when I dropped it off. Judy (the Owner) said that she loved it, and really like the hand detailing with embroidery that I did. I need to take a photo of it to post, but that will be next time (I am to lazy to go get it and take photos at the moment!)

The weather is really changing outside, and Fall has arrived with a vengeance. 3 days ago it was 95 and warm and lovely. Today's High was 67, windy, and leaves were blowing everywhere, and my fingers are freezing as I type this since we have not turned on the Pilot Light in the heater yet! That is coming soon!

Anyway- I just wanted to check in, but I have to get going. Dinner with friends tonight! :) Whoo-hoo!

Quick Update!

Gotta make this fast- Lots to do at the moment!

I LOVE the sewing machine. I have been SO happy with it! It makes me feel like I know what I am doing. My project at the moment is top-secret, but I will show you once I have finished it and it is no longer a surprise. But I will show you some of the fabric that I am using for it. It is by Moda, and is called "Aviary". Here is a link to some of the fabrics in that line. I am not super "Girlie", but I LOVE the soft colors in it and think I will buy more of it since it is now a "retired" line and getting harder to find.
The Project is going better than I thought it would, and I will show you all soon how it turns out.

the 3 day weekend went OK- I have had better, and I have had worse- but all in all not too bad.

Ok- Back to work!

Well Hello There!

Hello all!

Say Hi to my new friend! ("Say Hello to my Little Friend!") After debating and hemming and hawing for a few years now about getting a sewing machine, I finally went out on Monday and got one. I had wanted one for years, but people kept trying to get me to get a nice one ($300+), and I wanted just something to learn on for now (I mean who wants to learn to drive in a Porche? Best to start with something a bit cheaper!). So I got this nice Kenmore one, and I LOVE it. It has like 78 stitch options (which I have no idea what to do with) and it is nice and smooth, and SO easy to get started with. I am now just kinda sad that I didn't get one sooner. If\When I need to upgrade to a "Nice" one, I will at least know that I will not kill it trying to learn on it.

I Really have NO idea what to do with it, or how to really use it, but I sat down with it on Monday night and made a little Bag to hold all my sewing scraps and strings when I am sewing.... it is a Sewing-table Saddle-Bag if you will. Here is a Picture of it. (Please ignore the ugly flannel sheets in the background- those are the blankets we cover the birds with at night)

I have a lot of "jelly roll" strips in the house, and so I took a bunch of the strips, sewed them together and made a kinda mini-quilt out of them. I then sewed it into a bag shape and gave it a 1 1/2 inch "foot" so it would not look like a limp bag, and then for fun I decided to add a liner, and then attach a dried bean\rice bag to the top of it and sew it on the side of the bag so that it would hold itself out of the way on off the side of the table. It is not super exciting I know, but I was happy that it turned out so well, and no fingers, bobbins or needles were hurt in the process (I have been known to have needles snap just by standing to close to someone who is sewing so I was happy to escape unscathed!)

Other than that- I am not up to much. Work has been good- hot and smoky with the fires going on- but otherwise good. The garden is undergoing some changes, and I will get some photos of that and post them soon on the Gardening Blog.

Oh! A new obsession of mine lately is this book.

Oh My Goodness! I ADORE it! I have been reading it and re-reading over and over. There are SO many new and cute ideas in here that I cannot wait to try!

I have started choosing 1 cupcake recipe a week and making a batch (or 2) and taking them to work for all the guys and getting their opinions about them and how they like them. So far I have made the Chai-Tea Cupcakes with Vanilla Milk Glaze Topping, a Cookies and Creme Mini Cheesecakes with whole Oreo's as crusts... and then not from the book but inspired by it- a triple chocolate chunk cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I have been a big hit at work lately, and guys have come to anticipate Fridays more than usual and most rush over to see what I have made that week. I have not been good about keeping it up, but I am thinking that I will start recording some of my attempts and photos and posting them to my Cooking Blog. (along with my notes and the comments from the guys who eat them). And now that my Garden is providing a nice hearty harvest, I can also start showing what I am cooking with my Homegrown Organic Veggies.

Well Time to get going! I need to get dinner started (and Martinis made!)
Have a great day!

Calling John Casimir!

John-John??? Where are you?? Do you still read this? I tried your Cell and your Bro said that you didn't use that # anymore.... and that you moved!? Call me... or Jonner! I need your new contact info, and I really want to talk to ya. (and it is a good thing that we didn't "drop by" your place in Vegas while on our way home last week from Texas- we didn't know you moved!)

And in other news..... (really quickly)
In the last 2 months-
Canceled Cable (good riddance!), changed Internet service (hence the delay in writing sooner) got a computer bug thing, fixed it (hence MORE delay in writing), Garden is going well and will post about soon. I had my 26th Birthday in June (good times!), Bought a Wii and the Wii Fit (and have lost another 10lbs!) Went to Candy's wedding in Fresno, one of my birds passed away, took a trip to Disneyland, went on a road trip to Texas for a few weeks, Finally started to get some good harvesting out of the garden, got a raise, and um..... that about covers the bigger things since I last wrote..... but I will be back soon.... but I just need to find my Friend John-John.
If your reading this John-John, phone (or Email) in... I miss ya and need to talk to ya :)

Later all!

New things

Hey Everyone!
Sorry about the MIA Lately- but I have not been on or around the PC lately.
Few new things to share....

#1- I am now at a new\old Job. I am again working with John, and I am loving it! It is not the same things that I was doing before- but new and fun things- with a little of the old stuff that I used to do all mixed in. I am loving it, and it is a nice new change of pace. But that Change of Pace is now a Full Time (or more) Change of pace- which is one of the reasons that I have not been around much.

#2- a good pal of mine, Candy (Hi Candy!) (waving) gave me Photoshop CS2 and I just put it on my PC today and I am SO excited! I have REALLY REALLY missed using it since I am no longer at the "desk job" of old, so I am excited to have it at my fingertips again. Time to bust out my HUGE training book I purchased, and try to remember all those things that are now half-forgotten.

And #3- I have now started a Homegrown Organic Garden in the Backyard! I was going to Blog about it on here, but I didn't want to force everyone to read about plants instead of other things, and so you can mosey on over HERE and check it out! I am Calling it "SuperChicken Gardens" and it is a sister blog to my "SuperChicken Cooks" (which I really really promise I will update soon!) but Head on over and check out what is new in the Garden and what I am learning along the way.

That is about it for updates, but all 3 of those things are HUGE time zappers, and so I will try to be back on here more often.... Also- John and I were talking and I was trying to find out from him what it would take for us to get a Nintendo Wii, and it came down to Canceling the Cable- and I think that I am going to take him up on that- so with no TV in the house- I think that I will have more time soon to spend on here, in the garden, and in the kitchen. I also will get more in shape since I am in LOVE with the Wii Fit and it really kicks your arse!

Anyway- have a great day and check out the new site!

MIA latley

Hey all! I know, I know! It has been awhile. Life has been hectic- and lots has been going on.
Work is going ok- lots of changes lately. Life is going pretty well- Work, Clean, Birds, Cooking.... same ole same ole as always. I have not really taken any photos lately, but I will soon!

I will be updating my Cooking page soon. Random Recipes that I have been making lately that I thought would be tasty to share. But that involves turning on my PC and that is something that I have not been doing lately- but I will try to work on that :)

Saw this quote today- and I liked it- and wanted to pass it along.
"Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, 'Did you bring joy?' The second was, 'Did you find joy?".
Dr. Leo Buscaglia

I thought it was a good one :)
Take care- and I promise that I will try to update this page soon!

Good\Bad

No real reason for the photo- but I felt bad for not posting pics latley- so I picked a random one that i used to have as a background photo- and it feels all spring like :)

Well- Here are some new Good\Bad things:

Good: Did my taxes today- and getting a touch over $600 back- Whoohoo!
Bad: All that and some more is going to pay for the root canal that I am getting really soon
Good: Tips at work today were awesome-
Bad: But that is becasue it was just me and the owner all day and I didn't get to see my friend that was supposed to work (I hear she ate some bad fish- bummer!)
Good: The Amoxicillin is doing a great job helping my jaw not hurt (due to needing a root canal)
Bad: I only have 2 days of pills left and at least a week or 2 before I can get the root canal- hello pain!
Good: The Rain has stopped
Bad: It is now in the 30's at night (very very bad!) without the warm cloud cover
Bad: I have to work again tomorrow
Good: But then I have the next 3 days off :) Whoohoo!

Also- Incase you are not on facebook (and really- I almost never am) Here is a list of 25 random things. I was tagged and so I filled it out and posted it... but if you are reading this than- TAG! Your it--- You can leave a list of 25 things in the comments if you like :)
Here is my list:

1: My full name is Lauren Anne Z***... I like that my middle Name has a "E" on it- it looks better i think

2: I really, REALLY do not like facebook\Myspace- I think it is a big waste of time- but I cannot stop myself from looking around at all the people that I know\used to know and seeing what they are up to (every now and then when I eventually log on)

3: I worked at a Starbucks for 3 years, and have worked at another coffee shop for 6 months now- but I HATE to drink coffee- I don't even like how it smells- but I love working in a coffee shop- go figure!

4: It is all about long hot baths people(with wine and a book if at all possible)-they are the best!

5: I have 5 Birds. 3 Parakeets named Gus, Ollie, and Mo (short for Mozart) and 2 Parrotlets- Sprout, and Pickles

6:I love to cook- I love love love to bake!

7: My goal for 2009 is to lose 5 pounds a month for a year- so far so so good- I am at 7 pounds for the month of Jan.

8: My homepage is set as yahoo.com

9: My little brother is one of my fave people in the world

10: I am tired of dating- I am SO ready to get married (I have been dating John for 4.5 years now)

11: I LOVED living by myself- but I love living with John more

12: I Watch A&E's Pride and Predjudice (the 4 or 5 hour one) about once a month, and have done so for the last few years

13. I love Tea. Hot Tea, Iced Tea, whatever, and drink at least 32 oz of it a day. mmmmmmm.....
14: I want to have 2 boys one day... but I can only come up with girl names that I love

15: If I had to move to another state- it would be Texas. It is pretty there, and I love Austin.

16: I don't like going to church- bible studies I love and enjoy, church not as much. It has always felt full of cliques that I am not a part of, or welcome in. So I gave up 5 years ago and stopped going. I now sleep in- it is kinda nice :)

17: My fave Season is Fall. I want to get married in the Fall.

18: I Love to watch Friends and Scrubs more than any other tv show.

19: If I could only eat 1 food for the rest of my life it would be Potatos. mashed, baked, souped, scaloped, breaded... you name it- you cannot beat a good potato.

20: If I could visit only 1 country it would be Italy.

21: I will be 26 in June and I am starting to feel old. the random greys don't help :)

22: I would love to make a living by being creative. So far all I have made is about $50, but it is a start.

23: I LOVE road trips with John... he can make a trip to the grocery store a fun adventure so road trips are really a blast.

24: Even though people tell me that working in a coffee shop is not a great way to spend my life- when customers tell me that I am the only one who has smiled at them that day, or the only one who asked them how they were that day, or the only person that noticed that they got a haircut\lost weight\etc it seems to me that maybe I AM doing the right thing with my life right now. Becasue what if I was not working there and that person never got a smile all day? If I can make someones day better by doing what I am doing, than I'm happy.

25: I used to hate my dimples- but now I love them. =)

Night everyone!

Things to Do Today

* Start my Taxes (ugh! I don't think a refund is headed my way this year!)
* Do some Grocery Shopping
* Do some Lap Swimming (while the rest of the US is in a cold snap we have a high of 85 here today- gotta love it!)
* Clean out some Bird Cages
* Clean up the Front Room
* Continue to work on Cleaning the Craft Room
* Work on getting some Photos to the Photo Lab for Printing
* Plan Dinner for the next 3 or 4 nights
* And the MOST exciting---- Get ready for a class with DONNA DOWNEY! Yep! one of my idols and a goddess of crafting is going to be teaching a class in Santa Maria next weekend (the 24th) and I was able to get into one of the classes that teach the very thing that I have been watching her do for a a few years and wishing I knew how to do. I am beyond excited.... and John and I struck a Bargain. If I could get the craft room up to snuff (meaning have the room clean and not have stuff stacked knee high across the floor so that I could actually USE the room when I get home from my class) than he was OK with me spending the money to take the class. (we are trying to be careful with money right now).

I am beyond excited about taking her Class. Donna is the one who really got me started in all this. John was out of town for business, and i went to the store and bought a book by Donna and I went to dinner and read the whole thing. I then decided to give this Scrapbooking thing a real shot, and now- 4 years later- I have a entire room dedicated to Scrapbooking, I have worked in 2 scrapbook stores, am known by name in the only one still around here, and have been reading Donna's blog for a few years as well... and now she is going to be 30 miles away from where I live, and I get to take a 3 hour class with her (along with 6 or so other lucky women)... (sigh)
I am so excited- but i am trying to keep it under control.... but for you that don't know her... well..... it is like taking a swim lesson from Michael Phelps, or a camera class from Steven Spielberg, or a Photography class from Annie Leibovitz.... so you get my meaning?? She is a HUGE reason that scrapbooking is where it is today, and she is amazing. (now if only Ali Edwards would be there I think that I would die and be in Scrapbook Paradise!)

Anyway- I have to get some stuff for the class done (get photos, and some other items that I need to take to the class) so I better get going on my day.

Sorry for the lack of photos- I have not pulled out the camera lately.... but I will soon!
Have a awesome day!

Oh dear!

Well I knew it had been along time since I had written, but when I finally checked my blog, I realised that it had been forever! Sorry about that- the last few months have been kindacrazy around here- trips, 3 holidays, parties, birthdays, crafts, job, fed the ducks a few times... and the endless housework of course.

John feeding the ducks after a jog to the Lake.

Well for a quick Catch up, in November John and I drove out to Tempe AZ to watch and cheer his brother on as he competed in the Ironman Event held there. It was really impressive to see someone compete on such a huge level for so many hours. He finished in just under 14 hours I believe. John and Matt’s mom had flown in from Texas to watch the event, and it was nice to be able to spend some time with her and Vicki (Matt’s wife) at the same time.

tempe at sunrise

IronMatt!

While in Tempe, we also went to the very large botanical garden, and it is filled with cacti and all manner of dessert plants and habitats. There was also a really cool exhibit being shown, and I am unsure of the artists name, but there were large and brightly colored glass sculptures all throughout the gardens.

Also- for my Christmas gifts this year, I decided to go the handmade route, and had started all my gifts in mid October in order to finish in time (and still barely made it). I Embroidered tea towels (which took beyond forever to do) and also made a lot of homemade preserves. Triple Berry Jams, Strawberry Topping, Organic spiced apple butter, Vanilla Sugar- and on and on. The Canning was a lot of work, but was the easy and fast part of the whole project. I still ended up finishing things right up to Christmas eve, but it was nice to give things made with love instead of just buying everything from a store.

I have also been busy at the Coffee house where I work. Most of the town disappeared for the holidays, and so with all the students gone, there were only a few of us left in town to work, and so I ended up working quite a few hours there. And the week before New Years, I went to a old job to help them out there for a week.

They do a inventory once a year and it takes lots and lots and lots of counting to get it done, and they were short on help this year, so I offered to help out, and so I would work my 5 hour shifts at one job, and go work 6 or 7 hours at the other job, and then repeat over r and over for a few days in a row. I was very happy when it was all over and I could get back to my other routine (which included getting more than 6 hours of sleep a night!).

New Years was quiet. I had to work that morning at 5:30 am, and so by that night I was really tired, but John and I had some dinner, had some wine, watched “The Godfather” and we were asleep by 11 or so.

Well that is a quick update- and I hope to not be gone for long. I have lots of the “New Years” stuff to cover- resolutions, new happenings, and new directions to discuss and share. I will hopefully be able to get it to tomorrow (my day off!) but we will have to see how that pans out.

Have a great day!

Good Quote

I saw this and wanted to share...

"Eventually I discovered for myself the utterly simple prescription for creativity: be intensely yourself. Don't try to be outstanding; don't try to be a success; don't try to do pictures for others to look at - just please yourself."- Ralph Steiner

Today is full of chores- I have the day off from work, and that means lots of cleaning, and chores and getting ready for the holidays. Have a good one!