"Win"terest!

I'm about a day out from washing my hair so it's definitely an updo kind of day. Enter Pinterest! Thank goodness other people are so willing to share their creativity with me. I'm kind of a hair novice so I need all of the ideas I can get. This one spoke to me this morning since you can pretty much just follow a few pictures to get what you're looking for. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/276478864598263422/

So I plugged in my ITunes 80's hits station and got going! Hungry like the wolf? Seems appropriate. 

Hungry! (Why does my wolf face look more scared than scary?)

A few bobby pins and lots of hairspray later, this happened! 

Yes I put on makeup. You're welcome. And yes I can't stop singing along even to take a picture.

Not too shabby eh? Especially for a person who can't seem to handle simple braids. My fingers go all confused. 

👉👆(?)

Thanks Pinterest, you've done it again!

Yep I said it and I'm not even sorry

I'm sick of apologizing for using the B word. I use it practically daily at home but I feel like I can't say it in public. I'm completely comfortable using it myself and even though some people say it brings negativity into their lives, I get nothing but satisfaction from it. There was a time when the B word didn't have such a negative connotation to it. Nowadays you can't even hint that you use it or people get judgemental on you. I  don't even feel like I can admit to using it here in my own personal blog. What has this world come to?

Well I'm here today to be brave. I'm going to say it loud and proud.

BUTTER!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhh what a relief! It's good to be out with it. Hold up, did you think I was talking about this B word?

Hey! Who you callin a B word?

She is definitely one of those B words more often than not, but that wasn't the word I mean to reference here and now. 

No I'm talking about butter and cream and sugar and all of those delicious items that add oomph to a meal. Seriously though, tell someone, anyone, that you use butter in your everyday cooking and watch their face scrunch with disdain. There is so much emphasis on "healthy" food that no food is ever good enough anymore. Someday I hope to raise my meat, learn to make cheeses and butter from fresh milk, and grow much of my own veggies, but let's be honest with ourselves. It ain't happening tomorrow. And I will never be 100% self sustained.

So I'm taking it old school and if it kills me, well then we'll all learn a valuable lesson not to listen to me. In the meantime, I'm cooking more meals than I eat out (for the most part my husband is cooking but you get the idea). I'm cooking my vegetables as the desire arises. So long as I get a bunch in me, who cares? Maybe raw veggies have more nutrients but I'll be happy with any nutrients honestly. I eat home grown veggies in the summer because they're yummy and I get immense pleasure from gardening. But the rest of the time I'm grabbing a giant tub of spinach from Sams. I still buy what I don't grow from the regular old grocery store too. I put cream in my coffee and butter on my toast (and in my baking and on my veggies and pretty much anywhere). It tastes delicious. There's nothing else like it. 

So how can I do all of these things that are so frowned upon in our society and still hold my head up high? I realize that as I do these things, I naturally crave more good than bad. I went from a few glugs of non dairy creamer and a gallon of sugar in my coffee to a dollop of real cream and a couple teaspoons of regular sugar. It's still sweet but not AS sweet as it was in the past. When we cook at home we make things from scratch. I used to cook at home when I was single which typically involed a box of hamburger helper or a seasoning packet of some sort. Sodium city! As we cook now, we control the levels of sodium and other ingredients that go into the food. And I no longer enjoy prepackages meals drowned in salt. Through no preconceived plans of ours, both of us are now disenchanted with restaurants. Heated then Reheated, frozen then fried, packed with sodium to preserve and add flavor where there once was none and we spend hard earned money to eat it too. What a mess! 

So I'll have my cake and eat it too. I'll eat whatever I want knowing that what I want is a higher ratio of good and a lower ratio of junk. As new trends in health food develop, I'll try them out! But not to the exclusion of everything else. If I like it and it finds a place in my diet, great! (Eg. Quinoa) If I try it and like it but it doesn't fall into my life right away, I'll enjoy it when I can and eventually it might sneak in and make itself comfortable in my routine. (Eg. Juicing) If I don't like it, then I don't have energy to waste on worrying about it. (Eg. anything depriving me of meat) 

I will continue respecting and learning from others whose diets are different than mine. We're all different so why should the same thing accommodate all of us? But I do look forward to a day when my middle of the line diet is more accepted. I mean, my husband and I aren't going to win any cross fit competitions but we're both rather healthy overall. And I'm totally ok with that. Just as I am totally ok with dry beef curry over rice with roasted Brussels sprouts and French bread. 

Yep, it's not a shabby life.

Pinteresting...very pinteresting...

Is anyone else addicted to Pinterest like me? Does anyone else feel like the least crafty/creative/talented person on the planet when they give a good Pinterest idea a shot? Then join me folks on my quest to determine what Pinterest activities can apply to the everyday scrub and which require a degree of skill! 

I must admit I've done a load of projects from Pinterest. Some come out quite nicely and others well...you'll see. To be fair, you can see some of each. Today's inspiration.. Nails! I love getting my nails done but have no money to pay someone to do it so I turn to Pinterest to learn from the pros. Look at these fun guys

http://www.fashiondivadesign.com/stunning-nail-art-tutorials-and-nail-trends/

Seems doable. Let's give it a try shall we? Cut a million tiny strips and paint away. 

Drum roll please.

Ta daaaaa!

Wait wha?? Lets take a closer look

Yeesh. I make no claims that my Pinterest has failed me. Pretty sure the fault lies in the artist. Incorrect supplies? Improper dry time? No clue what the secret is. The point is, doing your own nail art takes some serious skill. Skill I have yet to develop. So to all you lovelies out there who can artify your nails on a whim, my scary claws salute you.

Someone is confiscating nail art supplies from me. She's got the right idea.

So then let's look at a satisfactory result to rebuilt our confidence. 

We needed a coffee table and I saw this idea absolutely everywhere

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/1200x/a7/10/e9/a710e9d219f7b1777a77cb95c95ed4d4.jpg

I like it!😘 with some crates, stain, and a quite detailed husband who was worried I would ruin the whole thing trying to put it together without planning out the process (justifiable concern really), I was able to accomplish this!! 

Ain't she a beaut? I even got crafty and stenciled a design on top. Whoa now! Let's not get too crazy Shannon. 

Self esteem re-established. No worries folks, there's plenty more where this comes from. I have a feeling this will be good times.

Gahhhhh!!

First off, 2 days in a row. Booyah! Ok in to my mini freak out. It's a good freak out though. Lemme splain. I mentioned before that my position at work is temporary. I should give a little more detail. I'm an assistant manager right now and the management structure is changing over the next little bit. Basically the assistant manager role is split between two existing positions making my job obsolete. So sad huh? Well this leads me to a fork in the road. Actually a couple if forks. Now I've been with my company for 9 whole years! It's been, all in all, pretty good for me. At this juncture, I will have a choice to make between a demotion which would strip me of most of my management role or to aim for a promotion which would keep me in management but would center my role around an area I'm by entirely comfortable with. I've loved the management piece and everyone keeps telling me how well I'm doing at it. The piece I'm not so comfy cozy with? The dreaded sales. Dun dun duuuuuun! I've been reluctant to even consider going for that role because I did sales for awhile and I am able to humbly admit that I am no national achiever. Those skills don't come naturally to me. So yeah. As of now I've been like, well I'm just barely into this role and don't have it all figured out yet and yadda yadda. But if I think harder I realize it doesn't matter that I haven't because my role will cease to exist soon.

That was a long backstory, sorry. My point is that I'm so fortunate to have some good mentors around me. My current manager helped me prepare for this position and we had a great talk today about management. She shared that she had similar fears but she's learned that you don't have to be the best at it to manage it. You have to be able to connect people with the right resources to help them. Duh Shannon. She didn't say that part but I did. Um excellent point. So it's got me thinking differently. Do I skip out on an opportunity to try something new because of fear? I've kicked myself before because of it. She also said hey, you can always apply and interview just for the experience of it and to see if that's something you'd want to be looking at in the future. Another excellent point! 

So folks, I think I'm going I take a deep breathe, swallow the knot in my throat and throw my hat in the ring. Who knows what will happen but I can't imagine anything bad can come of it. Here's to being brave!!

Oh yeah and here are pictures of the awesome poster my staff and manager made for me after I had a crazy day yesterday. It's the best ever! My peeps are too cool. 

Thoughts on thoughts

Well I seem to be somewhat shy of poignant, shareable thoughts lately so I'm going to use Kami's post as a jumping off point. Go ahead and read and then come back to me. I'll wait. http://www.empoweredwithkami.com/blog/day-7-its-going-to-be-okay

Ok I know I mention this on a daily basis but I LUV this girl. Seriously folks. She has all the best thoughts.

What really resonated with me in the post, aside from connecting with the many times I've felt guilt for putting the fear of my own safety over the drive to help others, was the idea that there are options. Multiple options for reaching goals. I have had some interesting developments at work in recent times that have given me the opportunity to see that changes are coming. Unlike what I've experienced in the past, the changes have not turned my world upside down overnight. I know they are coming in the next year and I get to decide what I'll do about it. I must admit I'm disappointed a little because I've been much more fulfilled in the position I have had for the last few months. You know when you are able to put some of your own ideas into action and then you see positive results, it's rather gratifying. So to know I will only have another year at the most to really grow into this position is rather sad. However, I also know that was already going to be a time for huge change for me and my family. It has me thinking. Like I mentioned last time, I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I think this unique time is when I should start considering options and pursuing ways to get somewhere I'll feel fulfilled day in and day out. Am I right? Any suggestions? How did any of you come into your career paths of choice? 

How do I find something that will get me as motivated as a dog with a tennis ball?

I accept your challenge!

So 3 days ago, Kami challenged me to a 30 day blogoff. And I showed up 3 days late. This is why I would have been a terrible dueler. But in all fairness, I wrote a post yesterday, forgot to click save, and promptly lost the whole thing. At that point I couldn't muster up enough to do the whole thing over again so three days late it is! (Draft saved) 

So how are all the peeps in blog land? I must admit it's been awhile since I had time enough to keep up on blogs. Which is sad really. I like cyberstalking all the folks who show me the best parts of their life and when the rare rough patch occurs, they somehow make it all seem so sweetly chaotic. Makes a girl worry about her own life's messiness. That is until I realize how many if these people are so stressed out from having to keep up the appearance of the life they created. Oh well, to each of us our own stresses I guess.  (Draft saved) 

See that crap ain't happening again!

Speaking of stress, what I was intending to write about yesterday was how difficult it is to reconcile the multiple voices in my head. I can't seem to decide who I want to be when I grow up. All I know is I want to be so much more than what I am today. I want to be the super successful office lady with the power suit and the pension. Fearlessly providing for her family despite the stereotypes thrown at her day to day. I want to be an equal breadwinner and family raiser with my supportive husband. I don't want to be the woman that works not because she HAS to but because she WANTS to. Sound counterintuitive? I don't want that because it implies my work is not as vital to my family as my husband's and I identify as a skilled working woman so that is a blow to my confidence. At the same time I want to work part time and devote my time to things I enjoy doing like crafts and helping people. I want to sleep in and play with my dogs and have a clean house. 

You see how these things don't exactly go hand in hand? Currently I'm stuck without a real focus, just vague ideas of how I want to feel about my life. Luckily I'm friends with some of the strongest, most confident, most successful women who are really winning at life. So tell me ladies, how did you pin down what you wanted from life and what steps did you take to get on the path? (Draft saved)

Obligatory dog photo below

Me: "Say cheese May!!"

The dog: "You're so embarrassing"

Equality

I had to dust off the ol' blog this morning to get some feelings off my chest. I usually stay out of the political discussions because it seems everyone's mind is made up regardless of what information is presented and all it does is get heated. Don't get me wrong, I have no delusions that my little opinion changes anyone's mind. That's not the reason for writing. I'm also not looking to start a discussion, garner "likes" or anything of the sort. Again, I know your mind is made up even as you read this.  My hope is that  getting it out in the open will help me feel better. I've kept my opinion to myself for so long to prevent causing disruptions in my friendships and relationships. But even as strongly as I feel, my lack of expression has made me feel guilty for not standing up for what I feel is right. If I lose respect in some friends' eyes because of it, so be it. Here goes...

Same sex relationships. Yay or nay?

There are some strong factors at work in this debate, including strong religious beliefs. I respect your belief system. But, from people who are otherwise so loving and caring I hear such hateful, ugly words towards others. I hear that the government should not allow same sex marriages, that it will lead our nation to ruin, etc etc. Honestly, I'm disappointed. The arguments I'm hearing echo many of the same arguments heard decades ago when deciding what sort of rights women should have or what sort of rights African Americans should have. Bringing it down to basics, we're talking about a group of Americans not being recognized the same as other Americans. I've heard many arguments for why same sex couples should be allowed to have a civil union as long as it isn't called "marriage". Sounds too much like "equal but separate" to me. That mentality has never made any separated group feel like they are equal and it never turns out well. Why should your family have different laws than other families just because you believe something different than them?

As for voting, I still see parallels to black rights and women's rights. In my mind, if the majority of a population votes for a law that denies a group of people the same rights as they have, that doesn't justify the law as proper.

So what do you do if the government is here protecting people's rights instead of agreeing with your beliefs? How will the children survive this world? You live and let live. It's as simple as that. You teach your children what you believe and when they grow up, they exercise their free agency and make decisions about what they believe. Sometimes it coincides with what you believe and other times it doesn't. That's been the cycle of parenting since the dawn of time. Regardless, you should always respect all of God's children and shouldn't use the government as a tool to help reinforce your specific religion. You don't want them changing your religion so why should your religion change the government's treatment of its citizens? The law isn't saying all religions must perform same sex marriages. I would disagree with that sentiment as well. But disallowing them for the entire population even though the entire population doesn't agree is wrong.

I guess what it boils down to is I believe that we have our rights as human beings living in America to be treated with equality and respect. Within that realm, we also have a right to practice our religions and choose not to participate in all things allowed by law. The operative word being "choose". Once choice is taken out of the equation it goes against not only the ideals Americans are known for but also the idea of free agency many religions believe in.

So let us all love each other. Let us live in peace and equality. Let us respect each other's beliefs. Let us remember that our diversity gives us a depth of perspective and choice that many countries do not have the privilege to enjoy.  I, for one, will be counted amongst those who believe everyone is entitled to the same happiness I enjoy with my marriage.

If these guys can get along, so can we!