Always Wishing for More

I was thinking about how blessed we are. I remember when we bought our first home... how all four of us and all our junk fit into 1400 sq.ft., I'll never know. We were perfectly content in that home, but then we considered moving so that we could move the kids to public school. So we put a sign up and sold the house within less than 6 days. Moving into a new and bigger house was so exciting (after destressing from the building process). New carpet, new walls, new neighbors, new schools, new everything. For Erin and Dylan it was one of the best things I think we could have ever done. But, then the "new" wore off. I wouldn't trade our new neighbors and friends for anything in the world, but sometimes I long for a more simplified life again. The "new" gets old, and the responsibility of a bigger home begins to wear on me. More area to clean (and obsess about keeping new), bigger insurance, bigger mortgage, bigger electric/gas bills, more lawn work for WD, more areas to store "junk". I miss my smaller life and am learning not to "wish for more", but to be truly content in all things.


Our very first house... wasn't it cute?!?

To Do List

Well it's Friday night. I love having the weekends off, but it's a good time to get things done that I don't get done during the week. Here's a few things for my list this weekend:

• wash laundry
• rinse off front porch
• decorate for Halloween
• write research paper on "Planning & Implementing Assistive Tech Program"
• sleep a little later than usual
• watch some TV (haven't watched Survivor nor ER yet ;-)
• hang out with my kids and in-laws
• balance checkbook
• maybe squeeze a little scrapping in there if time permits

Big Bang Theory

Well the fall line up has started ;-) I am not typically a sitcom fan... as you all know... I am a reality TV freak, but my husband is a sitcom watcher. Together we watched a new sitcom last night called "Big Bang Theory". It is hilarious. Two nerdy roommates meet their new blonde ditzy neighbor. Quite a mix of personalities with lots of laughter. Ya gotta check it out:
Big Bang Theory.

Latest Board of Designers Project

Given Halloween materials to create a masterpiece for the Scrapbook and Company Board of Designers, I came up with this...
(click on each photo to view up close)

I Thought I Still Had "It"...

BB Finale

Well Dick won BigBrother8 (hope I didn't spoil it for any of you who have it saved on the DVR to watch later ;-). I was not happy when Zach was kicked off because of Dick's attitude but between Danielle and Dick, I was happy Dick won. I thought that if Danielle won the bigger prize she would not work on the relationship with her dad as much as she will now. $50,000 is enough for any 18year old to enjoy. So much for Big Brother... now we are gearing up for Survivor China premiering tomorrow night! I can't wait. Does anyone know when American Idol premieres? I'm going to have to set the DVR to record all of my shows then record to tape because I foresee the DVR filling up fast!

Colbie Caillat

I LUV MUSIC!!! I would just about call it a passion of mine. While I was driving to work this morning, a great new artist came on the radio, with a really "happy" song called Bubbly. This new artist is Colbie Caillet. I don't know much about her other than what I found on her MySpace page. You've got to listen to the little diddy above... especially pleasant when you need a little pick-me-up ;-) Colbie Caillat kind of reminds me of Sandi Thom. If you don't know her song, I Wish I Was a Punkrocker it's one you've got to listen to... it just so happens that I have it here for you too!

"Paula" Trivia

I thought searching the web for trivia would be fun to do so here's what I found; it's all relative to "Me" (oh I know... how egocentric, but what the heck...isn't this whole blogging thing egocentric ;0)

Famous People Named "Paula"
Abdul, Paula
Jones, Paula
Poundstone, Paula
Yates, Paula
Zahn, Paula

Famous People Born on Paula's Birthday-
19 January Births
Watt, James (1736)
Lee, Robert E. (1807)
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809)
Highsmith, Patricia (1921)
Hedren, Tippi (1935)
Joplin, Janis (1943)
Parton, Dolly (1946)
Morris, Jim (1964)
De Matteo, Drea (1973)

Famous People Born where Paula was Born-
Born in Louisiana
Armstrong, Louis (New Orleans)
Beene, Geoffrey (Haynesville)
Capote, Truman (New Orleans)
Clarkson, Patricia (New Orleans)
Cochran, Johnnie (Shreveport)
Connick, Harry Jr. (New Orleans)
Davis, Jimmie (Quitman)
Degeneres, Ellen (Jefferson Parish)
Dobson, James (Shreveport)
Domino, Fats (New Orleans)
Jackson, Mahalia (New Orleans)
Jackson, Randy (Baton Rouge)
Landry, Ali (Breaux Bridge)
Leonard, Elmore (New Orleans)
Leto, Jared (Bossier City)
Lil' Romeo (New Orleans)
Long, Huey P. (Winnfield)
Malone, Karl (Summerfield)
Manning, Peyton (New Orleans)
Marsalis, Branford (Beaux Bridge)
Marsalis, Wynton (New Orleans)
McGraw, Tim (Delhi)
Morton, Jelly Roll (Gulfport)
Newman, Randy (New Orleans)
Newton, Huey (Monroe)
Oswald, Lee Harvey (New Orleans)
Plessy, Homer (New Orleans)
Rice, Anne (New Orleans)
Spears, Britney (Kentwood)
Swaggart, Jimmy (Ferriday)
West, Shane (Baton Rouge)
Williams, Stanley Tookie (New Orleans)
Witherspoon, Reese (New Orleans)

Here are a few other facts about this "Paula":
*Favorite color is red
*I read while I drive (listen, we only get up to 35 mph on I-10... if I can't find something to do for the hour commute, I'll become a cussin' woman with an attitude)
*A job I'd like to try: bartending/waitressing
* I would love to be on a reality TV show
* Childhood nicknames: "Paula Poo" (from my mom & aunt) "Miss Cosmo"(from my aunt), "Pookie Bear" (from my dad), "Stringbean" and "BananaFeet" (from my elementary classmates)

Now you have TMI... enjoy ;-)

I Be Scrappin'!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days... I've escaped work and other responsibilities to go to Scrapfest Sept 2007. It's been fun. No huge group this time... just me and Connie working on layouts in Mandeville, LA.

In a room full of sleep-deprived, paper addicted women, you know there's going to be gossip. We met up with a couple of girls we had scrapped with before and started "talking". Conversation moved to the topic of "school". One girl, Amy (married young and mother of 3 boys), says, "I went to college for six years and I got two degrees... the "M-R-S" and "P-R-E-G"!" We cracked up laughing ;-)

Remembering Daddy

Well today makes 4 years since my daddy passed away. I am not one to commemorate death; I have never even visited my dad's gravesite since he passed away, but I think about him quite often. Just the other day I was telling the kids that their job was to go to school. Where did I hear that before...I remember daddy telling me that "School is your job; make sure that you do your very best... that's all I expect."

The photo here is my daddy, Glen, celebrating his last Christmas at our house. He wasn't a "drinking" man, but notice his Diet Coke that never was far out of reach ;-)

What Happens When Men Take Messages...

Competitive Through & Through

I guess I am a competition junkie. I have always loved games and most sports (if I was a participant; don't put me on the sidelines). If there is ever a competition, I just can't resist entering... I remember jumping in on the races at the skating rink as a young kid, playing board and card games til late hours in the night, and as an adult entering my scrapbook art and photography in local and convention contests. Well I'm doing it again... I am entering my photo of Dylan and his bug in a contest at the university. I took the photo with my digital camera in 2003. I don't even know what the prize is, but I just have to win!

Then & Now

I finally was able to sit down to look through the many papers I got from Erin's "Open House" last night... partly in thanks to my precious friend and neighbor, Stacie, who cooked and sent over a pot of chicken tetrazzini (yummy). While reading through the papers, I ran across this article comparing middle schoolers now and then... here's what it said:
Then and Now

I'm tired...

I hate to complain, but I am tired this week already. This was my agenda today alone:

• Put Dylan on bus
• Take Erin to orthodontist for 8AM
• Run by WD's office to drop off his badge
• Head to work
• Work through multiple issues at the office until 5PM
• Rush out of the office to head home (fielding various calls on cell while maneuvering through traffic and rain)
• Get home... greeted by hyper dog, loud TV, and 2 kids who need food/baths/HW help/lunch money/responses to teacher correspondence
• Pack Erin up to take her to dance
• While she's in dance, run to the middle school for open house where there was a chaotic meet and greet in the gym where no one could hear, it was hot, and there were two huge piles of vomit sprayed across the gym floor
• Quickly leave the middle school to head back to dance studio to get Erin
• Run into studio to order dance shoes and pay dance fees
• Do McD's drivethru
• Head home to get kids bathed, Bibles read, prayers and tucked into bed
• I sit down to eat my McD's salad while responding to personal e-mails
• Chat with WD briefly on the phone since he's settling down for bed after going out to dinner with the guys in Houston, TX on business
• Print out my assignment for ETEC 5700 Technology Leadership course
• Blog ;-)
• Wash face/brush teeth and jump in bed (trying not to think of the day I have to juggle tomorrow).

I hope you keep reading my blog even after this profusely overdramatic bout of "whining".

First Board of Designers Assignment

Well, you probably are wondering why I haven't posted in a couple of days... my life has been crazy-full! It started Thursday night when I had to do a 300 word essay on the "History of Telecommunications" AND finish my first Board of Designers project for Scrapbook and Co. I also was preparing to do a presentation to the school districts in Region 4 (Lafayette area) on Friday as well. I stayed up until 2:45A.M. Friday morning doing these three tasks. Some of my best work comes out of "last-minute" deadlines (see the photo here of the project I made... it's a door-hanger for Erin's room), but I shouldn't have let things get out control to where I stayed up that late, knowing I had to be up at 5:45A.M. that morning. All is well though... I got all tasks completed successfully and I slept until 11:00 Saturday morning to play catch-up on my sleep. I haven't done that since before having the kids ;-)