Mermaids of the Lake

Mermaids of the Lake is an online publication geared towards women based out of Liberty Lake, WA (just east of Spokane). They also have a blog, here, that is fun and whimsical. I like the "Mermaids" concept for a few reasons:

1. Going green. I can check for new stuff online when I want without having to stack up a bunch of paper magazines that wait around until I can get to them.

2. Creativity! You'll see they incorporate the mermaid/sea theme throughout the publication.

3. It's personal. The personality of the three mermaids (publishers) comes through the writing and features, especially on the Mermaids blog.

4. It's not just an eastern Washington thing. Readers from all over the country are fans of Mermaids of the Lake.

Go... swim fast... and check them out. Discover your inner Mermaid!! :-)

Sunday

After seeing blue sky and sunshine yesterday (with a high of 45 degrees!), it's rather depressing to see this today:


BUT, that's okay, because I was in the mood to make some yummy HOMEMADE chicken noodle soup!! I've loved this soup since I was a kid, and I haven't tasted one that tastes better than the homemade version. So, I thought I would share the finished product with you:

If you want the recipe, too bad! ;-) I don't have one (seriously). I just make it up each time I make it... a little of this, a little of that... I will give you a free tip, though. Use the packaged frozen noodles in your grocer's freezer section. They're usually by the frozen bread dough and rolls. I prefer thick noodles, so this is my chicken noodle soup must-have ingredient! Well, that AND the chicken...

Mikey

I am organizing photos on the computer, and I came across some that I thought I would share. These are some photos of my crazy cat. And I am not exaggerating about the crazy part. He's one part charming, one part crazy and one part devil. At any rate, enjoy! :-)

His "ta-da" moment after unraveling a WHOLE skien of yarn...

The mouse cornered him into a box... also known as Mikey's second home... and alternative chew toy.

Peacefully sleeping next to Ally Bell, the pretty princess. Sometimes he can be lover... when he's not a fighter...

Kitty yoga... or post-nap stretch.

Long time, no post!

Well, it has been a while since I've posted. Sorry about the delay, but life (work) has been busy!

As far as work goes, I am currently working on three events simultaneously. I've found myself putting in more than my usual work hours these past few weeks, but that's what happens when you get close to your event dates! The ironic part is that I have many vacation days (yes, above and beyond my fantastic winter break) that I need to squeeze in around those events. This has been a tough year so far. Our special events account for about one-fourth of our annual budget; that means we're looking at several hundred thousand dollars. The current state of the economy hasn't exactly helped us out with securing event sponsorships and donations. But, we are plugging away, so hopefully we'll be close to our goal!

[On a random side note, there's a Sprint commercial on TV right now. I LOVE their commercials about different groups of people running the world with their direct connect phones. This one happens to be a delivery company running a school.... awesome!]

As some of you may know, I've been trying to start a scrapbooking business with my best friend. We've had several opportunities come open for us, but all the details have never really clicked together well enough to allow us to move forward with opening our own store. We had another opportunity come up this past week to display our products in a local store. After providing the owners with product samples, they decided not to give us the space. I'm not sure what the "real" reason for their decision is, but one of the owners told us that they decided not to rent out the space after all. However, another owner mentioned that they were considering some other people as well, so I don't know if they ended up picking someone else over us. It's another disappointment for us, but it just makes me want to work harder to make it happen. We have a blog for our company. Visit it at www.embellishessentials.blogspot.com.

I started a second blog that focuses on entertaining. You can check it out at www.creativeentertaining.blogspot.com. I try to update it about once a week with ideas for your own social events and holiday celebrations. Please leave comments, and if you have ideas to share, I would love to hear them too! I would also love it if you became a follower of one or all of the blogs I'm working on. It's nice to know that people are interested!

That's all I've got for this time. I'll post again soon.

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I love celebrating the new year because however the prior year's experiences have been, there's an opportunity to refresh and aim high again.

My resolution for 2009 is to take better care of myself. That includes the following goals:

1. Develop a better relationship with God.

2. Develop better relationships with friends and family.

3. Exercise at least 3 times a week.

4. Eat smaller portions.

5. Get more sleep!

6. Find new hobbies.

7. Enjoy the outdoors.

8. Go camping.

9. Less shopping...

10. Live, Laugh, and Love!

May your 2009 be one filled with the important things in life: family, friends, love, health, and happiness!

Snowed in!

This is my first time ever being snowed in. The city has practically shut down-- emergency services only, all flights cancelled, and schools cancelled- making it an extra-long Christmas Break for us all! YAY!!!! My only concerns now are: 1. getting to the airport on Monday, and 2. actually taking off in the plane to Cali.

We have received about 2 feet of snow in the last 24 hours, which just so happens to be a record in this town. We have so much snow and nowhere to move it all to get it out of our way. I am watching the news as I write this, and it looks like there are more winter storms and an artic front from Canada on the way... snow for Sunday and Monday.

My roommate and I had to dig out her car in the parking lot of our apartment complex. We thought we would be smart and switch parking spaces so she can park closer to the apartment (where my car is), and I would move my car to the hard-to-reach space since I wouldn't need it while out of town (plus, I can't drive in this amount of snow, anyway). The task served as a good source of entertainment for a few hours. I thought I would post some pictures, but mind you, the pics don't do the situation justice!

Big truck pulling out another big truck that was stuck

That's my roommate by her car. DUDE, where's your car??

My neighborhood

Of course, I had to get a photo! I'm 5'2", so do the math!

The "monster" car we're digging out

Digging my car out from under the carport (notice the amount of snow on the hood)

That's right- TWO feet! No one can move in this mess!

So, we've resolved to the fact that we can't really get anywhere. The cars were getting stuck in the rest of the snow in the parking lot, so we finally gave up after two hours and came back inside. I'm still cold... Since Christmas shopping is mostly done, no worries there. It looks like we're left with watching our movie collection, Christmas baking, and BLOGGING! Enjoy what's to come.

S.N.O.W. STORM!

It took me 2 1/2 hours to get home from work tonight. Considering my normal commute time is about 25 minutes, GOOD GRIEF!! The Inland Northwest was hit by a big winter storm today causing a lot of folks to leave work early. Considering that I did leave early, and that there was ample snow and people on the road, I'm glad I finally got home... alive. The weather is so bad that the city has declared all roads technically closed- you can't go anywhere. I might not have to go to work tomorrow...

The saving grace tonight was the consideration and safe driving of others I shared the road with. The worst thing about winter weather is not the weather itself, it's the other drivers that don't drive safely. There were several instances on the way home when someone normally would have cut another person off or sped around someone, but there was A LOT of patient waiting. Of course, that doesn't mean that ALL people were courteous-- we still had those village idiots out driving.

Thank you, citizens of Spokane (especially those waiting with me on the Maple Street bridge), for your courtesy. Stay safe and warm out there! There's more to come!!