Anything But Gray

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  • new client

    I got a new client on Etsy and I am thrilled, to say the least! LOL

    I have to do some writing for her web page and create a business name and tag line for her business.
    My first time being hired to do this and I am anxious to see how I do with it.
    I have thought of countless business names and tag lines for my own "ideas"
    I have never done it for someone else, let alone a paying client…..so we'll see!
    I always say how good I am at coming up with names and tag lines….time to prove it!!!
    So that's what I'll be spending today doing, until football….actually, I'll probably work on some of the stuff for my first client, too.

    Man, oh man….how I LOVE writing that.
    How cool is that?

    I can't wait until it's "normal" and I don't get so damn excited……LOL !!!!!

    Halloween pics will be up later today!

  • It’s all about presentation

    I have said, for as long as I can remember, it's all in how you present things.
    Everything from gifts to dinner….present it how you want it to feel and it'll work.

    Seriously….I can turn hot dogs, beans and cornbread into an elegant dinner in a minute….and I do. Because I am all about presentation!  Plus, when I DO make hot dogs, beans and cornbread for dinner,  I feel like the lamest mom and wife on the planet, so I have to do something to make it feel big. LOL !

    So I'm on Etsy this am (duh….I swear if I could crawl through the computer screen and live there, I would, at this point….) and I check my email and see that I've gotten an Etsy newsletter. (Yay! Love those things! ) And it's got stuff about packaging. And I come across a link to this….

    Flickr group

    After I wipe the drool off my face, I stare mesmerized and think…… I. am. in. love.  For real.
    What a great idea for a group and how inspiring is this? There are some FANTASTIC ideas for gift card packing in there! Really look through it and you'll see…..

    I love giving gift cards for a gift and I love getting them. It truly is a brilliant gift. But it is so not NEARLY as fun as ripping open a present is. Not even close. And I hate that. I'm a suspense person. I LIVE for surprises and suspense and presents. It is truly one of life's greatest joys, tearing into a gift and wondering what's inside. Or watching someone tear into a gift YOU gave and just anticipating their reaction…..such an awesome feeling, either way!

    Opening a gift card envelope is so just…I don't know….boring!  It really doesn't give you the same feeling as tearing open a gift does. Be it giving OR receiving….it's just not the same. So because of this, I have always tried to make giving gift cards really fun.

    For instance….one year I gave out movie cards to a few people. So I ordered some movie reel tins and got some instant popcorn….threw the gift card in the tin and a package of the popcorn and wrapped the tin.

    I've given coffee gift cards before and I will pick up a pretty coffee mug and put the card inside it and wrap it….

    There's just a couple of examples…but it's so not expensive and it's not difficult at all to come up with a creative, inexpensive idea to make your gift card more fun to open. I love doing it and between iparty and the craft stores….you can think of a million different fun and creative ways to wrap a gift card!

    Maybe I'll write an ebook about it. Creative gift card wrapping ideas.
    Hmmmm…….would you buy it? Do people really care about this stuff or am I just a dork?

    I think it'd be FUN. I think I just might do that……

    And I think EVERYONE should make it a goal this year to come up with the most original and fun way to wrap their gift cards!!!!  

  • Self discovery…

    I realized a little something about myself last night…..

    I'd rather hate you, than need you, when the feeling is not mutual….

    I can't feel like I"m constantly the one needing someone else and then never feeling like that "need" is reciprocated. Can't do it. Won't do it.

    I always say it takes a lot to get in, with me. And it does..it's true. But once you are IN….it is equally as hard to get back out! You can burn me, hurt me, break my heart five thousand times and I don't kick your ass (even though I SHOULD) to the curb. When it comes to people I love, I believe in 10,000 second chances.

    But apparently….you CAN'T not need me, need something only I can give you or something that you can only get from me.  At least once in awhile…..

    You just can't.

    Well, you can…..but this is what you wind up with.

    It's so much easier to hate you than love you…..
    so. much. easier.

  • the first one….

    Check it out!!!!
    Scroll down and see where it says 19 items for sale…and then it says…1 sale.
    ONE SALE!!
    I GOT A SALE!!!!
     

    First etsy sale
    First etsy sale

    My first etsy sale! I am thrilled!!!!

    If she is happy with what I wrote and uses it, I will link you to the site and description.
    I've finished the description she ordered and I am SO nervous, waiting to hear back from her.
    Realistically, I know you can't please everyone, all the time….but I really, really want my first "job" to go well!!! LOL
    I want her to love what I wrote and be so happy she hired me and not have to do a bunch of revisions.

    But if she's not….I WILL NOT  get down on myself and spend the day convincing myself that I am a sucky writer and why am I even TRYING to do this…..nope, I will NOT do that. I will call it a learning experience and move on.
    LOL !!!!

    But really, I just want her to LOVE WHAT I WRITE! LOL

    I am so proud of me and SO excited!!!!!
    I am a WRITER….a paid writer!
    I am a business owner, with my very first sale!
    I love this day!!!!!
    🙂

  • And so it begins…

    Okay folks….here it comes.
    We are 18 days away from a new Bon Jovi album….
    We are ONE day away from the documentary…..
    I have surpassed excited and am now sailing somewhere close to cloud nine, getting ready to land on it, tomorrow night!!!!  And you're coming along for the ride..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    LOL

    Here's a couple of links for you to check out…

    10 minute preview of the documentary…..

    When We Were Beautiful…

    (can I just say now that if this man buys an NFL team, I am gonna the happiest girl in the world!!!! LOL)

    AND…oh, you are just gonna love me for this…..go ahead, you can tell me how freakin' awesome I am….ha! …snippets to all the new songs…..

    The Circle

    I CAN'T WAIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRGGHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    LOL

    Enjoy!

  • meant to be…

    As everyone who knows me well, knows…..I have never met one of my best friends, face to face.
    We met on the internet, a Bon Jovi message board, to be exact,  and we just immediately clicked.
    We have called each other soulmates….and I really believe it, with her.
    I know I was meant to meet her, I know she was meant to be in my life….

    We all have had things in our childhood that affect us.
    Good and bad things affecting us in good and bad ways.
    I had an issue from childhood that had the potential to really own me, to control me and I was on the edge…not quite sure….was I going to let it control me? Or was I going to control it? Not sure if I was strong enough to not let it control me…just all kinds of thinking going on in my head, at the time…..
    And then I met her…..who had went through the same exact thing I did. And I couldn't believe it. I felt like I was hearing my story come out of someone else's mouth…and with meeting her, came the strength to realize I wasn't going to let this thing define me or control me. And I have never looked back….from that moment on I have always looked back on this issue in a very matter of fact way…and with no regrets. Because for better or for worse, that issue has made me who I am.  J brought me that….it is something she gave me that I honestly don't believe anyone else ever could. Hence, why I call her my soulmate….my meeting her really did have a profound impact on my life, bigger than almost any other one person in my life. It truly changed my path….and I believe it was meant to happen.

    That and the fact that she idolized Bon Jovi the way I did…..hell, she was even worse than me…!!!
    So we've always shared that and that has always been our bonding thing….it's not the only thing, mind you, but of course, it's been a huge thing in our relationship.

    Now everyone who knows me, also knows that J and I have made FIVE THOUSAND damn plans to meet! Something always happens…something always falls through. It is SERIOUSLY annoying. Zak and me and the kids are supposed to go in November…right after Thanksgiving..I"m not even gonna talk about it right now because I want it so bad and if it doesn't happen I'm gonna be so pissed off it's not even funny. LOL ANYWAY….

    J and I are looking over the tour dates because they are putting out a new album November 10th and they are touring for it. (Of course! ) And we decide we are going to see them in May. When they play the new Giants stadium, which is their "homecoming" show. Whenever they play Giants stadium, they consider that "home". So needless to say,  I am beyond excited. Jumping and down…breathless…can't believe…and can't friggin' wait…..just so thrilled.

    So then later, J and I are talking on im. And she comments that she can't believe the thing that brought us together, we are now going to get to go see…live. And both of us are feeling pretty awestruck and sentimental about it and just talking and then J comments that it is like it's come full circle, our relationship….and I see the words on im and I gasp. Literally gasp. I tell her "J….full circle. The album name….The Circle…..OMG, WE ARE SO GOING TO SEE THEM THIS SHOW!!!! " LOL

    in that instant, I knew it.
    I know it.
    It's meant to be.
    It's fate.
    and I can't wait.,,..:-)

  • Hmm….well this is a little familiar.

    In Alaska you can count on one snow before Halloween. It does not stick, typically but you do see snow fall down at least once.

    I didn't think that happened here. I don't know if you can see it in this pic, but it was REALLY snowing here!

    October snow
    October snow

    It wasn't really sticking but the flakes were fat and huge and it was unreal!
    And it WAS sticking in Foxboro! Anybody catch that crazy ass game??
     
    How awesome was that???
    Moss and Brady…..Brady and Moss…..Brady and Welker…Brady and anybody!! He is back and yesterday showed true signs of it! Yay!!! So exciting!!! Can't wait till next week now….see if it holds up! LOL Oh and we're in London next week. Which is still really odd to me, but whatever…as long as I get to see them play I really don't care where they are….

    The forecast for this week is calling for sunshine and 60+ degrees. So although we got a snowfall here, like Alaska, it was NEVER followed up by 60 degree days!!!! LOL

    I am glad it's gonna be nice….I'm sick. Got the kids cold and I feel like blech.. And I am mad that I can't call in sick. Mad that all the stuff will be left for me to do. Oh well….just hope it's a mild cold and goes away fast because I really hate feeling this bad…
     

  • As a matter of fact, I didn’t know that….

    I subscribe to a few marketing newsletters. There is one in particular that I really love. I love the layout of it, I love the clean design, I love how they summarize the information at the end to one little paragraph, I love the name of it and of course, I love the content. I am constantly learning new ideas and theories or just being reminded of old ones. This newsletter is really amazing and if you have any interest in marketing, I recommend it. It's put out by MarketingProfs
    and it's called Get to the Po!nt.

    I'm going through my email this morning, determined to thin it out. I get this newsletter, along with a few others, every day and because I am always learning something new from it, I can't just delete the old issues that I've fallen behind on. There is just a wealth of information to be found in these newsletters, so I have to actually read them all. I'm not even going to tell you how many emails are in my in box. It's ridiculous…..so that is a goal for today. Either catch up completely (which I think is much too big of an endeavor for one day….) or at least make a significant dent in it. (much more realistic goal…)

    I had started this project and came across this and had to post it.
    There is some really interesting facts in here!
    There are a couple of facts that really surprised me or just had a that "wow!" factor…
    Check it out…

    Did You Know?

    Cool, huh??

  • Don’t make me do it, mommy!

    I'm sitting at the computer, chatting with Freddy on facebook, going through emails and trying to post in the forums on etsy. That is the only "promoting and advertising" of my online shop that I am doing right now. So I'm a little preoccupied and Ben wants me to help him log onto a site that he goes to, on the laptap. So I get up to go help him. And I start singing the name of the website, to him.

    "Poptropica…Poptropica….lah, lah, Poptropica…" I sing, as we are walking to the dining room where the laptop is. Ben turns around and tells me to stop because he is annoyed with that.

    "What?" I say to him
    "That's annoying me!" Ben tells me
    "My singing?" I ask…
    Ben says "Yes…"
    I say "oh really?"  and then proceed to sing some more.
    "Poptropica, Poptropica…." I sing, over and over….(it really is a fun word to sing….LOL )
    "Stop Mommy!" Ben yells..
    I keep singing….this is FUN!
    Ben says "Mommy, it's annoying me! Please stop!"
    And I say "Well now you know how I feel when you are annoying me and you wont' stop….it doesn't feel so hot, does it?"

    Ben then says to me,  as he is climbing up on the chair at the dining room table….

    "Do you want me to go to the airplane place and get on a plane and go back to Alaska and get a new family? Do you want that? Do you??"

    And this kid means it! He is dead serious….and I start dying laughing….and I step out of the room for a moment to try to regain my composure…I go back to the dining room, still smiling a little and Ben sees me and says..

    "So do you want that? Do you??"

    This kid won't quit!
    So I go over to him, kind of giggling and start helping him get to the website and I ask him while I'm fiddling with the laptop…."So how do you think you are gonna get to the airplane place, anyway?"

    "You and Daddy can drive me…" he says. !!!

    This kid cracks me up….. 

  • I am FREAKIN’ OUT here!!!

    I am SO excited I can hardly stand it!
    Seriously.
    Jumping up and down!
    I shit you not….going absolutely CRAZY for this…..

    Cannot WAIT for this!!!

    Bon Jovi filmed a documentary on their tour and they are airing it on Showtime…which I DO NOT effin' HAVE. grrr!!!
    I have to see if my sister does or something….ANYWAY…..
    they are putting a book out too….

    BonJovi_bookshot
    BonJovi_bookshot

    How AMAZING is that shot??? So love it!

    AND they have posted a trailer for the documentary…click the link to go watch.
    YOU MUST GO WATCH!!!!

    I LOVE THIS BAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Did you hear that? The song they play in the beginning?
    THAT'S MY SONG!!!!
    Not one of the singles….not one of their huge hits…but MY SONG!
    It's one of the songs Zak put on the amazing picture cd he made me….it is so one of "my" songs….I could go on and on about why. It reminds me of leaving Alaska…J thinks of me when she hears the line…"it's pretty cold for late September..." It reminds me of the cd Zak made me…it makes me LOVE good songwriting…it reminds me of Marky….it reminds me of the kids…..see? Told you I could go on and on….it is, hands down, one of my all time favorite Bon Jovi songs and since the moment that record came out…it has been one of MY songs. And I LOVE that it's on there…..more than I could ever say.

    AND did you hear what Kid Rock was saying? And the snippet of the concert and the crowd singing along?
    I have talked about this on my blog…THAT is my favorite  part of a show…when they stop the music, stop the everything and the crowd sings the songs….I just can't imagine a more amazing feeling than having a crowd…a fucking crowd!!! sing your words back to you….ARRRRGGHHHHHH!!!!!! It gives me goosebumps just thinking of it! I love that that got pointed out…..LOVE IT.

    I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THIS!!!!!
    I AM NEVER GOING TO LAST UNTIL THE 24TH.
    NEVER.
    Nope.
    Seriously going to die of excitement first.
    if that's possible…which in this case, it very well might be!!!
    LOL

    Enjoy!