Looking Forward

Right now, in order to avoid falling asleep too early I am thinking of all of the things that I look forward to in 2012! Really, there are so many things that I look forward to! I'm hoping that my son decides to go to Prom! That is something I didn't do as a teen and wish I would've! Some say it's never too late to throw an adult Prom but, honestly, I don't know if I have enough Muchness in me to pull that off just yet! I'll work my way up to that epicness! But that would be a great co-ed Wedding Shower theme wouldn't it? Especially for the couple who knew each other in high school but went to prom with someone else. Oh. to think of the level of sweetness that would bring! Makes my heart sing.........[exhale] 

I also look forward to all of the awesome movies that will be released in the theatre! ONE FOR THE MONEY! If you're a fan of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonovich, you will not want to miss this movie. It looks great! We'll be seeing several fairy tale themed movies this year, Snow White and the Huntsman, which I am looking forward to. But more importantly I am looking forward to the 1st movie in the Hunger Games Trilogy! I've said it before and I will say it a million kazillion times. LOVED that series! If you are a book worm like me, you have to read it! I don't care who you are, it's a great read! 

Speaking of books, I am looking forward to making my way through a few different series of books this year. I finished "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" just as the year came to a close. So now I need to finish up that series. I am also starting a new series by Kim Harrison.  It's a paranormal mystery. My truly wonderful sister in law tells me I will not be disappointed in this series and if it's good enough for her, well then, it's good enough for me! The first book in the series is "Dead Witch Walking" and I read the first page and decided that it was going to be great! So, I look forward to reading the series which I believe boasts either 8 or 9 books. I could be totally off and it has 10 books. Either way, it excites me! 

I'm looking forward to seeing how my children evolve, especially my boys who are becoming young adults. I am so proud of them already. It would be nice if they'd let me get a good photo of them though. But I have an idea that might solve that problem and I look forward to trying it out! [insert sinister laugh] I look forward to spring when my plants will poke through the ground and reveal themselves. The warm summer sun and time in the back yard with the toddler. This year I'm growing a small garden. Soon, I will be starting seeds indoors. I look forward to that because it seems that kids always light up when they see how the seeds you poked into soil are now tiny little plants!

So much to look forward to this year! I am truly blessed. What are you looking forward to?

Success

Yesterday, I set up shop at a local fall bizarre.....I've mentioned it before. I was nervous. This was my first show, alone. I'm not good at selling. So, I worried that I wouldn't get a lot of sales. Basically, I wanted to minimize my stock. I have been working for a few months on various items and really didn't have anywhere to put it all. It had to go. So, I priced it to sell.

The show was small. I would say there were a dozen or so booths. When I got there most of the vendors had already set up and were just conversing with the other vendors. So, I felt like all eyes were on me. That made me feel uncomfortable. I love the things I make but sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who loves them. I lack confidence sometimes. But, I started setting up my booth, keeping in mind that I was just here to prove to myself that I could do this alone and  I shut everyone else out. I focused on getting things set up and pushed forward.

Once I was done I stood back and smiled. My booth looked good. (I apologize for not taking pictures. Taking pictures in situations like that make me feel awkward. Kind of like the time when I followed a guy around walmart because he reminded me of a character from a Stephanie Plum book and I wanted to get a picture for my cousin. His wife said NO! ) Then, I sat down and organized my bags for easy access. That's when the other vendors came over to check my booth out. I always feel nervous when people step up to my booth. I start to feel like the little train that could! "I know I can!" Just smile and pretend like you have total control over your bladder!  

Well, enough of the play by play. The moral of the story is.......

I put myself in a position that scared the bejeezus out of me and found that it wasn't really any different than posting to this blog! Just because the people I'm directing my words at can actually see me as I'm talking.... it shouldn't cause me to panic! It wasn't bad! I had fun! I sold some things! I made a friend! I got a lot of compliments! If I hadn't put myself out there I would never know that I can do it. Or that it wasn't really anything to freak out about! Don't be skurd!

My favorite Tool.

Recently a friend of mine announced that her and her husband had split up and that they were filing for divorce. She's struggling with the idea and asked for some advice. You know, because I am the voice of reason........really? She asked me how I got through it myself. I had to think about it for a while since this is a volatile time in a woman's life. You have to be careful of what you say! I don't want to tell her about the things I did in the attempt to achieve peace and tranquility.....mostly it could get you arrested and honestly.....it didn't help me! It made me laugh.....but over all it did not work at all. But there is one thing I did to help distract me from the things that I wanted to do........

So, if I had to pass on a "TOOL" to help a woman get through a tough time it would most definitely be a book!

Not just any book.

I cannot wait! Eeek!

When I was at the beginning of my not-so-pretty break up, a friend of mine (who I think was pretty tired of seeing me cry and listening to my drama) gave me a stack of books that she thought I would enjoy. This came at the perfect time since my boys were set to spend their first weekend at their dads new place.

I seriously needed a distraction. Otherwise I was going to do something stupid.....like call my ex every 20 minutes to make sure his new girlfriend wasn't cooking for the boys or trying to make them call her Mom! Ewww! I popped a bag of popcorn, cut up an apple, opened up a fresh jar of Nutella and plopped down on the couch with my stack of books. As I sorted through them I realized that it was a series of books. And you guessed it, all by the wonderful Janet Evonovich! "One for the Money" obviously is book #1! So, I began to read. I had never heard of the series and didn't bother to read the back of the book to find out what the jest of the book would be. An hour into my veg session and I was hooked! I instantly fell in love with the characters! It was just the distraction I needed. ( And probably saved me from getting myself arrested...I'm not perfect)

I realize that a book cannot make you completely forget about your worries. But, as I've said a million times,  reading can be a sweet escape from it for a short period of time. Books can give you hope. A good story can inspire you and make you laugh. And a story can also make you cry. This series has never made me cry! That is why I think it's the perfect tool to get you through that tough time in your life!

I'd like to take this time to thank Janet Evonovich for creating such a fantastic series. (The Stephanie Plum series.) I truly believe it helped me get through my divorce. I love how Stephanie is stumbling through her own life after a divorce, granted she hits a lot of speed bumps along the way, blowing up cars and etc. But that's what makes it so great! She is far from perfect but perfectly great at the same time. Does that make sense? Anyway, don't wait for the movie! Get the book and be prepared to laugh!