November Movie Nights

Have a Movie Party or Date this month at your house- Bring it back old school

1. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Princess Bride
4. Spaceballs
5. The Never Ending Story
6. Wayne's World
7. SNL's - Best of Christopher Walken
8. Amelie
9. Shrek
10. Dumb and Dumber

I hope they grace your screen and don't forget the popcorn!

The time is a flying

I was going to write a post on Nov 1 about the last day of my 20's but instead I decided to just live itand not sit in front of a computer.  now that I am 30 I am back to writing because I am 'mature' and 'responsible' and I promised myself if I was going to make a blog I would actually have to make time to sit and write it.  A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks, besides the monumentous occasion of my 30th birthday- I hosted the haunted house at the Mountain House, which was a huge success!  (in mohonk terms it was a success)  Now I find myself in Oregeon.  Which by the way is a beautiful!  I had a few bumps along the way but I made it here in one piece.  I had to take 3 flights and a 45 min car ride to get to the resort - though I was supposed to go to a social last night for all participants I unfortunately passed out in my room  I couldn't help it!  besides being jet lagged and up since 4 am NY time I had a fireplace in my room-  that alone I think could have done anyone in. 

My one slight bump in the road was when I finally got to Redmond airport there was a nice looking guy standing there with an RCRA sign to Sunriver- I went up to him told him my name but alas my name was not on his list.  So he said I was probably being picked up by another shuttle and then ignored me.  So I got my bag, went outside, looked around....but no one was there except a cop.  So I went back inside asked around but no one knew what I was talking about.  In the mean time the other shuttle left.  I called the resort and asked if he could come back and get me because no one knew about the Redmond Airport Shuttle at the Redmond Airport.  I got on my laptop found the number for Redmond Airport and get a hold of someone.  In the mean time the resort called me back and said the driver picked up everyone he was 'supposed' to and wasn't going to come back to get me.  I couldn't believe it!  First off, this is a business right....so if anything with courtesy and hospitality put aside- he is losing some money here.  Second, what the hell.  You only worry about people on your list, since when.  That is not hospitality.  I would never do that.  You ask if you can help and at least lend some sort of assistance, not refuse to let me on your shuttle because you have an adgenda.  Strke one!

The redeeming facts were the smell of Juniper in the air from the evergreens and the very pleasnant converstaion with the shuttle car driver when he finally arrived.  They had my arrival time as 11:57 not 1:57- oh well.  The views along the way were pretty great too.  When I checked in it was so rushed and polite (interesting combo) that when I got to my room I realized I didn't erally know anything about the hotel.  She gave me a map but that was about it.  She didn't tell me about where to eat, no activities schedule, nothing-just a few coupons and vouchers for the Spa- of course.  Here is a piece of paper so you can spend some more money at our resort.  Whatevs-  As lame as Mohonk can be at times with behind the scenes nonesense- I really give our staff and routines much more credit.  Point Mohonk!

I am going to try to get in a 4.7 mile walk before 10:30 a.m. so I better get a move on-  More updates to come I am sure.

Another Road Trip with the Kids...

I am always trying think of ways to recommend travel tips to parents. It is so easy and convenient to pop in a DVD in the car and let the little darlings zone out and quiet down but do we really want to raise mini zombies. Though this might not work for children who can't read yet it seems like a fairly fun product that could be worth trying out.
http://shopopensky.com/anniepilek/buy/chronicle-books-travel-games

If I Can you Can!

Another day of successful canning has taken place in my kitchen. Having a house and your own garden is reason and inspiration enough to try out canning. Now that we are entering the end of the harvest season, stop by your local farmer's markets or farms and collect what you can to get the last of this summer's bounty. I have been mostly canning tomato sauce and apple sauce. Living in the apple capital of the state I just couldn't resist. I do have to admit was a bit apprehensive at first but it was so easy to do. It is time consuming but totally worth it. I used recipes I had in my Better Home Cookbook and one from a local magazine. It also could not have been possible without the proper tools too. Thankfully I was able to borrow my mother in laws giant pot, food mill, and jars. I believe I have found yet another hobby. So, I will be purchasing some of my own supplies shortly. I have been searching around and have found this product to be fairly reliable. Check it out and see if it works for you:


http://bit.ly/axYofk

Early Holiday Shopping has Begun!

Check out this awesome bracelet-- Girls you have to show this to your hubby's- a little "hint hint" action is always helpful.

http://shopopensky.com/anniepilek/buy/jill-heller-abundance-bracelet?share=1

13 Halloween Family Movies

Stir up some nostalgia and create a spell of new memories with these

13 Halloween Family Movies:

 

1. The Witches
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas
3. Hocus Pocus
4. Beetlejuice
5. It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
6. Corpse Bride
7. Casper
8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
9. The Worst Witch
10. Adam's Family
11. Ghostbusters
12. Monster's Inc.
13. Sleepy Hollow

10 Things you should do this September

1. Make some delicious soup. (and freeze some for later)
2. Go apple picking
3. Go to a pumpkin patch (yes, they should be separate trips)
4. Buy some apple cider donuts
5. Go for a hike on a trail you have never been before.
6. Pick out a great book that you can snuggle up with on the couch.
7. Call a friend you've been meaning to catch up with.
8. Host a harvest pot lock.
9. Break out some sweaters and throw blankets for those brisk days.
10. Go on a picnic to a local winery.  The leaves are starting to change and the views at most wineries are amazing!

So it is over...

It is over.  I am breaking up with you Summer 2010.  What a relationship we had this summer!  It was a whirl wind romance. Don't get me wrong, 2 of the 4 months were fun.  But it just didn't have the long term feeling that I can commit to.  I don't mean to be harsh but pretty much you are unpredictable, needy, manipulative, whiny, and a little full of yourself. 

I am glad we had what we had but I am also glad you are gone!  I welcome you Indian summer, your much cooler cousin.  I am tired of your unnecessary texting, your last minute phone calls, canceling on me at the last minute, complaining when we are together, and I am sorry to say so publicly but not being able to perform to my liking.  It just got to be too much.  It was supposed to be fun and whimsical but alas you just gave me stress in the end, annoyed me and made me cry a few times.  You are not worth my tears. 

As we speak I am home alone listening to fireworks being launched and exploding from the comfort of my home but I am not able to see them.  Why you ask am I missing the fireworks?  Well, I technically I didn't know about them, lol (the irony with locally speaking).  More importantly I am home alone.  I didn't take my trip to CT because I was exhausted and stressed out from you!  You ruined my weekend.  I am now away from my husband for another night.  

I do think everything happens for a reason.  Even though my weekend plans changed at the last minute I am pretty relaxed now that you are gone summer!  The cool breeze blowing you away is amazing and I am so grateful for it.  I am getting happy again.  I am not as tired as I was a few hours ago.  ( I was really tired!)  I am also enjoying a tall glass of Forget me sum Summa and it seems to be doing the trick.

I must get back to my movie so I can wake up tomorrow and enjoy my first day without you!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Do you know what today is?  Besides it being a Monday, which are usually great days because they are my day off, it is the first day of SUNY New Paltz classes.  Which means that summer is officially over!  Gross.  It also means that work is going to be sucky for the next two weeks.  Last minute vactioners trying to suck in the last waking moments of summer, minimal staff, long hours, homework, and barely getting to see my husband. 

However I can flip this around and look at the brighter side and say one more semester closer till Matt graduates!  The fall is upon us which means, apple picking, pumpkin picking, apple cider donuts, sweaters, leaves changing, long drives to see the foliage, and of course Halloween!  One of my favorite holidays.

I just can't get ahead of myself and I need to focus on the next two weeks and then I can breath.  Working 10 more hours a week (maybe 15) is really not that bad considering I have been able to take two vacations this summer.  This is not my first summer doing this either so I just need to grin and bare it.

Wish me luck!

Something New...

After exploring Etsy on and off for a few weeks I am going to try out a new craft.  Something inexpensive (of course because I am cheap) and kind of different.  It's not a new craft but I think I will have fun with it.  Bottle Caps.  People are selling bottle cap magnets, wine charms, etc. like crazy on Etsy.  So I think I will try it out and see how it goes.  If all goes well friends and family will be receiving them as birthday and Christmas gifts this year.  I am also interested to see how costly it it because I would like to try this out as one of my holiday crafts in December.  It seems like a fun thing to do for Halloween as well. 

So, I ordered a book/kit to start off.  I have been collecting twist off bottle caps too.  However, it seems the ones that people are selling are unused bottle caps (before they are actually pressed onto a beer bottle).  They seem pretty inexpensive too.  You can purchase them from a variety of home brew websites or on Amazon.com.  One site was selling them for $5.95 for 1lb (approximately 210 caps)  The rest of the supplies are glaze or crystal lacquer, approximately $2.95 for 2 oz., a 1" hole punch, your choice of paper designs bought or found, and then whatever else you want to use to decorate it.  (glitter glue, charms, pins, wine charm rings, magnets, etc.)  Overall, not too expensive and it doesn't take up too much space when storing the supplies. 

I will keep you posted.  I hope it goes well. 

Groupon

The CEO for Groupon was on the Today show this morning.  A 29 year old male who is now a millionare!  Ugh that makes me jealous. 

anyway I went and checked out his site and it is pretty cool.  I don't think I want daily emails sent to me because I don't live close enough to a city but the deals that they are able to offer are pretty cool.  So I think all should check it out, especially if you do live in or near a city.  It is a nation wide site.

Have fun and enjoy!

http://www.groupon.com/

Saving Money

Most people know I love to save money.  Call me frugal or cheap, I don't care.

Here is an article I found on Yahoo.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/110384/things-you-shouldnt-be-paying-for?mod=bb-budgeting

Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow night is the season premiere of 'Weeds'- I can't wait to see what Nancy will do this season.  This suburbian mommy/dealer was in over head at the end of last season. 

I hope I don't forget to watch it.

Showtime   10:00 p.m.
http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/home.do

10 Things I Could do Without

Not in any particular order

1. Whiney people.  Really, your life is not that bad.
2. People who don't signal when chaning lanes or turning. 
3. Subbing your toe.
4. Burping without excusing yourself. (GROSS!)
5. Soggy cereal.
6. Waking up early in the morning.  I love my slumber.
7. Telemarketer phone calls.
8. Slow internet connections.  It drives me crazy.
9. Liter.  Again totally easy to fix.
10. Danielle from the 'Real Housewives of NJ'- I didn't want to add her to my list because it give hers attention but no one reads my blog besides me so it's ok.

10 Things I Love

Not in any particular order.

1. My "Easy Button" at work.  It always adds the perfect touch and sweet satisfaction when finishing any task.
2. Our Netbook.  It is a lifesaver during the school year.
3. Rolling over to the cold side of the pillow.
4. A new pair of running sneakers that feel awesome on the pavement.
5. Crossing things off lists.
6. Watermelon and strawberry Charms Lolly Pops.
7. My $5 sunglasses from JR warehouse.
8. The first summer night that hits 65 degrees.
9. A quiet house and a bubble bath.
10. A great glass of red wine.  It really can take you anywhere. 

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th a day potentially filled with mayhem and unusual happenings.  Even though I have a calendar brain, live off of one at work, and plan most of my life around one- I forgot that today was Friday the 13.  (until...) Until, things just started to suck at work today, which didn't take long.  I believe I was at work for about 12 minutes before I got the call that changed the whole day.  Managing a staff is no easy task and today proved to be a challenging one.  Besides being told I "look tired", which is always uplifting to hear when you are cranky, the issues were pretty typical.  A "no call, no show" followed by one of the lamest texts I have read in a while from an employee/friend.  A reoccurring issue with this employee.  On the surface it seems pretty straight forward as to how to deal with this but it is never what it seems and there is always way more drama underneath it all.  I am not sure why I was so surprised by the events of the day.  I do know I was hurt and my stress level spiked.  I thoroughly appreciated that I work where there are 85 miles of hiking trails because I wanted to escape the office and walk all of them.  A quick jaunt down one foot path helped calm my nerves and face the impending situation.  I tried to fake the next couple of hours with the rest of the staff and put on a happy face.  Which wasn't too hard since they are all pretty cool and I really appreciate all of their quirks and hilarious ways.  I was able to catch up on the random guest gossip and sat at lunch with my hand over my mouth in disbelief of someo of the things I was hearing.  The demise of the employee/friend is still in the process of being decided by the higher ups but either way the whole thing is a mess.  Shifts for the weekend and all next week have to be covered- this is never an easy feat.  Of course while doing this I realize I made mistakes on the staff schedule for next week and have to make more phone calls, send out even more emails while crossing my fingers and telling myself it will all work out even though we have 90 kids and over 400 guests in house almost every night next week. Just when I think thinks are starting to settle my computer decides to let a virus onto the laptop I use at work.  I internally freak out and get in touch with IT.  Of course they masterfully take charge and fix it.  The dorky part about the whole thing is apparently a new way "worms" or "hackers" (whatever) are getting into people's computers are through craft ads, lol!  I was looking up punch tin patterns for Christmas crafts and my computer went psycho!   CRITICAL was flashing in red letters.  What does that mean?  Is my computer going to melt?  Great!, I thought this is just what I need.  It was resolved and actually wasn't as big a deal as I initially thought.  Eventually the day went back to business as usual and the clock struck 5:00 p.m.  I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.  I was having friends over for dinner tonight so I was really looking forward to that and leaving my stress at work.  Thankfully my awesome husband took care of the grill and with the help of my guests the meal came together- and I was able to pull off a 8 min power nap while I waited for them to arrive. 

Now I am sleepy and should probably start to head in.  Hopefully I can start writing on a daily basis but I am not putting any pressure on myself. 

Good Night!

The first one...

To begin this journey I feel like I should reveal myself through my manic brainstorming and the creative streaming that goes through my head. I hope I can do that, we’ll see.

First here is a small list of hobbies I have dabbled in; learning Italian, crocheting, head band making, gardening, jewelry making, flower arranging, amateur photography, attempting to learn piano, running, party planning, scrap booking, comedy video productions, sewing, coaster making and soap making. (and so many more things!!) All of them attempted half through compulsion and half through trying to find a creative outlet. Like many things in life they all seem to run their course and then I am left with boxes of supplies, instructional books collecting dust, and a failed desire to finish half started projects. 75% of the time I wholeheartedly believe I am going to start a small scale business by making, creating, or offering my services out, “getting discovered”, and then having my own official website, TV show and brand. Alas, reality and or boredom set in. "They" say to become an expert at something you have to put in 10,000 hours doing one thing. I think on average, since I was 9 or 10 years old, I have probably only put in 100 hours on every hobby I have attempted. It is so discouraging to read that but kind of hilarious at the same time. This is why, because I know it won't stop me from searching out new crafts, scouring the book shelves of the local bookstores to help with my newest "big idea", hoarding pages of magazines with the newest ways to cut flowers for a centerpiece, books to read in the month of September, or shoes to buy.

With all of that being said, I would like to make a toast to many more projects, daydreams, and discoveries. Salute!