Oh January...Thanks, It's Been Fun

One month in and 2013 is going well.
I have kept my goal of blogging everyday, which is a small woohoo since I did keep this up last year well into month 6.
I have been crafting more and loving it.  I've been making frames and cards and hopefully soon I will be inspired to do something with my canvases.
A couple of goals are not going according to plan, however.
I have not been cooking like I want but am going to make more of an effort to try a new meal at least once a week.
I've also not been walking or running mostly because the weather has not cooperated.  Hopefully that will get back on track when it stays light out later.  At least I'm still eating healthier and losing weight.
Things are getting busy and fun lately too.  Hockey is back and we have watched or been at a game everyday since January 19th.  I am also watching the best little baby girl a couple days a week and after this first day I am looking forward to every minute with her.
Our sweet dog CT is still having some ruff days but we finally got an appointment at NC State Veterinary School on February 7th. We are really hoping for some answers and the return of our happy, healthy little guy.
Bring on February!

Crafty Time

Today was another crafty day.

Second Mod Podge frame.

Small canvas (2x3) with painted or Mod Podged wooden hearts.

Funny Husband

Those of you who know my husband have heard his crazy rants on topics or items no one really thinks about (much less cares about).  Last night at the hockey game he let everyone around us know his true feelings about Dippin' Dots.  "Dippin' Dots are terrible, I don't know why anybody would want to eat that.  Ice Cream of the future?  If that is the future I don't want to live there!"

Bruins

Never liked you, never will! I wish nothing but the worst for your team of goons!

Hurricanes BBQ

Not everyone wants to get up on a Sunday morning and go to a BBQ in 30 degree weather but if it involves hockey, chances are I want to.
Last year when we renewed our season tickets we were promised a BBQ with some Canes players.  Then the lockout happened and the Hurricanes organization thought "Let's have the BBQ in January". I think they should have waited until later in the season when it will be warmer and it could be outside but it was today and inside the PNC Arena.  We got there around 10am and Coach Kirk Muller answered questions and had some funny answers.  In post game interviews he seems a little stiff but today was relaxed and amusing. When asked if he thought the NHL referees were in mid-season form he replied "No" and everyone laughed.
Next we watched about an hour and a half practice with all of the Hurricanes and coaches.  After practice 6 players (E.Staal, J.Staal, Skinner, LaRose, Ward and Gleason) had a Q and A with pre-selected questions from the audience.  Some of the players were uncomfortable and awkward but it was a good time.
Unfortunately we didn't win any of the raffle prizes but then again we never do!

Thirty-One

I went to my first Thirty-One party tonight.  I was surprised by what I bought.  I went with the thought of getting a purse and wallet but got a large tote for laundry and an organizer for my car.  I feel like both of these are going to put a little style into my organizing.  I can see wanting more from Thirty-One if I like these.
Shout-out to my friend Julie for coming with me to this party.  It was at a neighbors house and I like my neighbors but sometimes feel a little awkward and it helped having her there with me.

Frame Project

Today the weather was cold, rainy, sleeting, freezing and awful.  What a great day to stay inside and do some crafting.

I took a $1.00 frame from Michaels, glossy Mod Podge and some scrapbook paper and made this:

 Here is the blank frame.

 I painted all surfaces brown; for the back and sides I did 2 coats.

 I cut scrapbook paper to 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch pieces.

 Started Mod Podgeing (I don't know if Podgeing is a word but you know what I mean).

 All Podged using a brick-like pattern.

 Used an exacto knife to cut off extra paper.

A final coat of Mod Podge and this is it!

Now I have to find the perfect picture for it.

Canes Win!!!

E. Staal hat trick, Skinner 2 goals, Faulk with a shorty and watching Buffalo lose...couldn't ask for a better game!

Hurricanes Home Opener 2013

Not completely over the Hurricanes last two games but I still love that NHL hockey is back.  Here are some pictures I took last night at the Lightning vs Hurricanes game.  Let me take a minute to explain the pictures of the Lightning in my collage.  We are Carolina Hurricanes season ticket holders and attend every possible home game and the occasional away game.  I root for the Canes above everyone else but watching a lot of hockey (and playing in fantasy hockey leagues) I began to admire and respect a few other players, and the Tampa Bay Lightning have some of them, namely Vinny Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos.

Looking forward to another home game tomorrow.  

LET'S GO CANES!!!

If You Cant Say Something Nice!

I can't say anything nice about the Hurricanes tonight...4-1 losers.
It was nice to see all of our friends and watch hockey live but whoa do the Hurricanes have some work to do.
Hope Thursday against Buffalo goes better!

So Many Craft Ideas, So Little Time

I can't stop looking at all the fun DIY & Crafts on Pinterest!  After a somewhat expensive trip to Michaels I have the components to start a few ideas.  I will hopefully post some pictures later this week.

Looking Forward To A Great Week!

Spending time with friends, 2 hockey games, getting my hair done, neighborhood party and Hurricanes BBQ.

Oh Hockey, I Missed You!

First intermission of the Hurricanes vs Panthers game and though not what I wanted, I'm thrilled to be watching hockey!  Just a little rant about the 1st period of the 1st game: Joe Corvo - I don't clap for you when you are announced at PNC Arena for many reasons but after just this first 20 minutes no one should clap for you.  You have had 2 penalties, you can't keep the puck in the zone and Jordan Staal constantly beats you back on defense.  What purpose do you serve on this team?

Ok, with that out of the way I also watched the banner raising for the LA Kings and although I don't like the Stanley Cup being on the ice, the ceremony was nice and I like all the players being so involved.  Watched a little of the Pens vs Flyers and the more I watch him the more I like Giroux.  In some other exciting first day of hockey news, my favorite player Mr. Vincent Lecavalier already has a goal and an assist.

Anyway

P.S. CT is doing a little better today.

My Poor Doggy

CT has had another tough day.  Without getting too graphic he hasn't had a solid poo in 2 days.  He is very uncomfortable and restless.  The weather was bad this morning and the Vet didn't open on time and doesn't have an available appointment until Wednesday.  He has been there soooo many times in the past 2 months they gave me 2 prescriptions for him today without seeing him.  He has had one dose of anti-diarrehea medicine and started some antibiotics.  I feel so bad for him - his tail is not wagging and he looks at me so sad.
Hope tomorrow is a better day for my sweet CT!

Yuck!

I hate this weather!  Especially awful when you have a dog with a case of the poops!

The Bewitching Mysteries

When my husband settles in for a few hours fighting zombies in video games (I honestly have no idea what his games are about), I read.  This way we are still in the same room spending some time together.
I am on book #5 of The Bewitching Mysteries by Madelyn Alt.  They are about a single woman who begins a new job at a quaint shop in a little town in Indiana.  She finds out her boss is a witch and discovers she has some gifts of her own.  I like a good mystery and even better, these books have some psychics, ghosts, likable characters and fun story lines.  They are a quick read and I have enjoyed all of them so far.

Oh Mom!

I guess I should start this blog with explaining that I get my love of sports from my Mom.  My Dad likes sports but my Mom is crazy passionate about her teams, especially the Yankees.

We just called my Mom to tell her that we aren't coming home on April 18th for her birthday like we said we were.  She calmly asked "Why?"  We then told her we would be flying in on the 17th so we could go to the Yankees game on April 18th.  She sweetly says "oh have fun"...she wasn't getting it. I had to spell it out that for her birthday we were taking her and my Dad to Yankee Stadium (none of us have been to the new one yet) to see them play the Arizona Diamondbacks.  When it sunk in she was very excited and told us she probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Keep in mind the game is 3 months away!

My Mom does so much for everybody and is always supportive and happy for other people so it feels great to do something nice for her.

Only 94 days away, Mom!

:(

I took down all of our Christmas decorations which is usually a sad day because I love the house decorated.  Today was even worse...I dropped and broke my husband's NY Giants ornament.  I feel awful!  He is the best guy ever and told me not to worry since it wasn't sentimental but I can't help it.  I am usually so careful with everything...what a bummer.
Now I need to find a vintage NY Giants ornament circa 1990's.

Loving NC

Last night at 11pm the Carolina Hurricanes sent an email explaining the whats, hows, whens and wheres of the NHL season.  Very exciting - I can't wait for everything to start but there are a lot of moving parts.  Mostly expected information but in a bid to get some fan support and merchandise sold the Hurricanes offered everything at the team store, "The Eye", at 50% off.  You can only imagine my excitement! It was hard to sleep with the store opening at 11am because I had a lot of thinking to do.  I mentioned in my previous blog about wanting a new jersey and this was a perfect opportunity. Only one problem: I still didn't know what player to get.

Fast forward to 11am and we are at the store and it was packed.  I go straight to the jerseys and they had a few players in stock ready to go but that just isn't my style since my favorite players are usually less popular players (I don't know why but I always have a good reason to adore them).  Out of the corner of my eye I see another rack and this one has authentic jerseys.  I have always wanted an authentic hockey jersey (one day I will own a game-worn Sylvain Turgeon Whalers jersey) but at $250 (customized with player $325) I usually think of all the other things I could get instead.  Today was my chance. $125 and it is mine - red and perfect!  Though it doesn't make up for the lockout or the Hurricanes usual sub-par service.

We also got our dogs a big puffy dog bed with the Hurricanes logo on it, a purse I have been wanting for years and a couple things for our favorite almost 2 month old.

If that wasn't fantastic enough today was mid 70's, sunny and beautiful.  Perfect for a 4+ mile walk with my wonderful guy.  We went to a trail and just enjoyed the weather and nature with a cool hawk flying right in front of us.

Including a nice dinner out with some friends on Saturday night, it was a great weekend!

New Hurricanes Jersey???

I really want a new Carolina Hurricanes jersey this season with a player name and number.  It has been since the 2006-2007 season since I have had a player jersey.  I just can't decide who to get.
This is the one I really want:

For those that don't know, Marc Staal is not on the Hurricanes - I just want him to be.  I do like all of the Staal brothers but I prefer defensemen when purchasing a hockey jersey.
What to do???  What to do???

"Oh By The Way..."

...are words that terrify me when said by my crazy husband.  They're even scarier when followed by "Greg and I were talking".  He just said this to inform me when we take our trip to California later this year that we will pan for gold instead of going to Yosemite unless you can pan at Yosemite.
My hubby has been full of weirdo lately.  Last night he told me of his plan to begin bartering.  He is going to take one of the small purses I no longer use and trade up to an airplane.  I really have no clue how his mind works but this is how he thinks he is going to make that happen: purse to refrigerator to hotdog cart to used car to rare collectible to airplane.
I really have no words for him. I just nod and smile.  Telling him he is crazy doesn't work because he just goes into more details about how his ideas will work.

My Dogs

CT is finally feeling a little better. He is still having some ruff days (get it - he's a dog?) but there is a lot less vomit and poop to deal with so we will take it.  We don't know how much the steroids are helping but he is more active and playing with Jack and toys again.  CT has even let Jack lay next to him a couple times.  This is big since it has only happened about 3 times in 2 1/2 years!

Getting Motivated

I am working on eating better and moving more.  I would like to get back into running but have to start walking after I stopped running in October with a sore calf again.
This week has been great so far.  The TV show The Biggest Loser is back on and that always motivates me to get back out there.  I only allow myself to watch it after a workout as a bonus.
The weather has been great and I have walked 2 miles both yesterday and today with my friend and her baby. It's so much more fun with a partner in crime!  This weekend should be even nicer with both days over 70 degrees and sunny.  Hopefully my husband and I will go out to a trail both days.
We are back on track with our eating better this week too.  I made salsa chicken last night and to my surprise my husband not only tried it but said it was ok - not his favorite but would eat it again because I really liked it.  This is a big deal with my picky eating husband.
I'm taking it day by day and having some amazing, supportive friends doing the same really helps.

Thinking Of You

This year while trying random acts of kindness, I also want to make more effort doing little things for our friends and family.
I want to send a card or letter to someone once a week.  Last week started with a handmade Thank You card to my Grandma and Grandpa for their generous Christmas gift.  This week I made a Thinking of You card for a family member going through a rough time.  I hope it makes them smile and feel loved.

There's even some matching flowers on the envelope.

That Awkward Moment

When you freak out because you see your dog pooping pink chunks only to realize it is the toy he chewed apart last night.

Welcome Back NHL

So many thoughts...when is opening night? What is the schedule going to look like? Should I get a new jersey???  It is all so exciting that I am almost too happy to hold a grudge...oh wait, you all put me through 113 days of a craptastic lockout...I don't think I can forgive or forget right now but we will be in our seats opening night with a smile because I just can't help it!
When I stop and think about it I am still angry about missing this much of a season because of a bunch of bullies who want more for themselves without thinking about how it affects other people.  It just didn't make sense for us to give up our tickets unless we were never going to go to another game and unless you are a die hard hockey fan you won't understand that was not an option.  We literally moved here to have season tickets for a NHL team.  I know that makes us part of the problem because the NHL knows fans like us will always be back.  The Hurricanes did give us 5% interest on the money we had already paid toward this season and a 10% discount on tickets for 2013-14 season and 5% discount for 2014-15 season tickets.
Right now I am going to concentrate on:
*Our first chance to tailgate.
*Getting to see our friends in Row A Section 326.
*Sounds of skates and sticks on ice.
*Sitting in our finished Hurricanes room and watching away games.

The back wall is magnetic!  Looking forward to new posters to change it up!

Girl Scout Cookies!

It is that time of year again! Woohoo!  I love Girl Scout cookies and thought this was an opportunity to help my favorite little scout sell more boxes and do a good deed.  For every box of cookies I bought for my husband and myself, I bought one for the troops.  The Girl Scouts make this so simple - I just have to put the number of boxes I want sent to the troops and they take care of the rest.
That makes 12 boxes of cookies: 6 for us and 6 for the troops.  This also puts a good dent in her goal to sell 120 boxes.
Thanks to the Girl Scouts for making it easy to send a smile to our service men and women overseas.

Doodles

Doodles while watching TV.  I will post another picture when I fill the whole page!

I Miss The NHL!

I am not getting my hopes too high but I am optimistic that we will be sitting in the PNC Arena soon!  This whole lockout has been frustrating.  I follow mostly sports writers and hockey players on twitter so I am reminded everyday of what we are all missing.  I have also suffered all the highs and lows of the negotiations.  Most days I side with the players but I don't think that they, no matter how long they hold out, will get the better end of any deal.  It bothers me when people complain about greedy overpaid athletes wanting more money because I don't think this is the same situation.
*The owners have locked out the players - the players have not refused to play.
*The owners made contracts and agreed to terms they never had any intentions of following through with.
*The owners won't open their books so the Players Association can see how they are losing money every year like they claim.
*The owners promised fans lower ticket prices after the last lockout in 2004-2005 and that never happened.
*The players have only a limited number of years to compete at the NHL level and they put their bodies at risk everyday and have lasting effects from some injuries.  I think they earn their pay and deserve the best health care.
*Not every player makes millions of dollars but most owners are billionaires.
For these reasons I side with the NHLPA.
For selfish reasons I just want a deal done.  I don't think I realized how much hockey consumes our winters.  We are either at a Hurricanes game or watching Center Ice on TV at home, reading articles and keeping up with other teams.  Not to mention because we have season tickets we sit next to the same people every home game and I miss my friends (yes I mean you, E).
So NHL and NHLPA, please just get it done.

Starting Something New

This Christmas we decided to buy gifts for the children we know and to donate money to charity instead of presents for the adults.  We also asked if people would do the same for us.  We chose Ronald McDonald House in Connecticut for our family members in CT and Second Chance Pet Adoptions in NC for our friends here.  Everyone was so supportive and it was very heart warming to see my Mother-in-law give us a Walmart gift card with the thought of us being able to give it to our local food pantry.  My Grandparents also gave us some money and that gave me an idea to keep it going.
This is where another blog will come into play.  I want to start documenting some planned and random acts of kindness that will hopefully inspire others to help out when and where they can.  We are going to begin by bringing our Walmart gift card to Holly Springs Food Cupboard.  Our neighborhood has a food drive every year that donates to them as well.
I have spent some time looking online for some other ideas and have found great ones.  I am looking forward to helping out and posting some responses.
Now I need some help since I have no idea what to name the blog.  Something similar to: random acts of kindness, good deeds, giving back, pay it forward, etc.  I just need something different enough so that it isn't taken and still makes sense.  Please send me any ideas you have.

Happy New Year

I guess it goes without saying that my goal of blogging everyday failed in June.  I will admit that was longer than I thought I would make it.

Here is a quick update:

1.  We had the inside of our house painted and got new furniture in a few rooms.  Love it!  It looks great and feels more like a home (hopefully soon I will post some pictures).

2.  One of my bestest friends had a baby girl in November.  I just can't get enough of her - she is super sweet and the cutest baby I know.  

3.  Our poor dog CT has been pretty sick and that's been very time and thought consuming.  We don't know what is going on with him and after x-rays, ultra-sound, steroids, new food, probiotics and countless medications we aren't any closer to knowing what is going on with him.  He is having some good days and some bad days.

4.  Had a short but nice trip to Connecticut for Christmas and got to see family we miss and love.

5.  Last but not least - GREG IS STILL SINGLE!  What are you ladies waiting for?  I am sure there will be a whole entry to discuss this.

That's short and sweet - I guess there really wasn't much to miss going on with me.

Now is the time I make some new goals for 2013.  I am proud of the goals I did reach last year and hope to follow through better this year!

1.  Blog everyday - I know I didn't accomplish this last year but while I was writing everyday I found it to be really therapeutic to get out the day's thoughts and move on.  Not to mention they are fun to go back and read later.  And hopefully it's not only this blog but possibly a new one too (more to come about that).

2.  I struggled with my half marathon last year but it was a huge accomplishment for me.  This year I want to get back into running but just 5k's.  Hope to get my time under 35 minutes.

3.  I have been cooking more and want to continue to find healthy options for dinner that my picky husband will also enjoy.  

4.  Still work more on my arts and crafts projects.  

5.  Appreciate what I have and do more for others.  Find different volunteering opportunities and give back what we can in our community.

Wish me luck!

P.S.  New Year, New Look...what do you think?