finding my way back

i was surfing blogs this morning, trying to catch up on your lives. trying to figure out who is out of school already, who is on vacation, who is expecting(!), who is exercising, who is crafting... trying to figure out why i am not doing any of the above. (well, with the exception of the expecting part. i'm quite content with my one, thank you very much.)

trying to figure out what it would take to get me back into a blogging routine...

i don't really have a "running list" of things that i *need* to blog about;
i don't have a stash of photos waiting to be uploaded;
i don't have any great big news to share;
i don't have a clue what spt challenge to offer you.

i'm trying to heed the age-old advice given about getting back into *any* routine: just jump back in there and do it! kind of like strapping your running shoes back on. only, DON'T go THERE with me right now.

so, i grabbed my camera in the hopes of capturing my world right now. (it should tell you something that i had to steal batteries out of a remote control just to use my camera.) i feel this post should come with a viewer's discretionary warning: it ain't pretty. but it is real. proceed with caution.


picture, if you will, Sunday morning. Sundays are my only *real* day off this time of year. as you can imagine, i am thoroughly exhausted by the time Sunday rolls around. unfortunately, all of the STUFF that should get done throughout the week has waited patiently for me to attend to on Sunday.


laundry. it is never-ending. and we only have three people in our family. AND? i did laundry last Sunday. how does it get to this every week?


my haven, my place of rest, my master bedroom. in a total state of clutteredness. and i know that's not a word, but it works. you've been there. you know.


the dust. the sand. the sandy dust. it accumulates everywhere! my white ceiling fans are running furiously, and even *they* are grungy. how does dust stick to moving parts, anyway??


even under Elvis' watchful eye, my houseplants are doomed!


the state of the kitchen table, the heart of the home. a bicycle helmet, an Easter decoration, camping gear, and my beautiful mosaic'd orbs that (admittedly) were set out at Christmas to be "Christmas decorations." any guesses as to the last time we enjoyed a family meal around *this* table?


my gorgeous (free!) roll top desk. the only thing i can say about this is that it is a blessing AND a curse that this clutter can be hidden! thank goodness for online bill paying, i always say. otherwise, i might be blogging this post in the dark. with no internet access.


i'm stuck at home today with no car. why? because mat took my car. why? because his truck is, er, indisposed... again.


at "almost 40" i've decided it's time to finally find underwear that is comfortable AND that makes me feel "almost 25." call me crazy, but i will not go into the next decade in grannie panties!!


when we returned from a trip to philly in march, we found a little puppy damage. matty and i looked at each other and *swore* that we would not be those people who let damaged home items linger for months until they became invisible to us. ahem. it's the end of may.


jack has 6 1/2 days left of school. not surprisingly, his end-of-year backpack is much lighter than the bag he's toted around all year. why, you ask? because everything he's been toting around is ON MY BEAUTIFUL BENCH!!


hotel guests are really cranky in this economy. my days are filled with lots of *soothing conversations.* *soothing conversations,* by the way, is an intentional misnomer. if you are traveling this summer, PLEASE be nice to your hoteliers. we understand that you wanted to be at Disney World, and not the Hampton Inn. i'm sorry we don't offer character breakfasts and princess meet-and-greets. but wouldn't you like to try this new danish? and, those BRAND NEW high-def flat screen TVs are not too shabby, either! (HAMPTON INN PLUG: if you book the Hampton Inn Webkinz special between June 1 and August 31, you will receive one exclusive Webkinz at check in - we have a "cherry blossom bird," a "springer spaniel" and the increasingly popular "gerbil.")

now, please don't get me wrong. it's not all dust bunnies and disgruntled guests around here. we find plenty of time for soccer games. and movies. and jack has perfected the art of attending multiple birthday parties in one day.

there's also:


sidewalk chalk on a Saturday evening (the 3D chalk is very cool!)


monogrammed flags in the front yard


and 40% off of bright and cheerful purses.

whew! i feel oddly... relieved. lighter. ready to get back in there and tackle some more laundry!!

(oh, and Chris, i put that "like" button down there just for you!!)

spt

something blue

wordless wednesday - anniversary edition

nine.

spt

sorry, kids - it's been a CRAZY tuesday!!

anyone know where i can borrow some time?!?

friday night at the ericksons

please, try to keep your feelings of jealousy to yourself.

it's hard to perfect this kind of fun, people...



happy weekend!!

wordless wednesday (playground... day one edition)

spt

something new!!



we're almost done! WHEEEEEE!!!!

edited: look... a new friend in the pool this afternoon!!

so easy lelly could do it

mothers day was so peaceful, i found time to craft. these bookmark/cards were fun to do with my cricut. and so easy...

happy mother's day

could not have been more peaceful...

wordless wednesday

spt - something old

you all know how i LOVE my "ground scores" - in other words, that random stuff that is set out by the side of the road looking for someone to love! last night on my walk, i scored this great "old" mirror. i had to call matty to swing by with his truck to pick it up before somebody else grabbed it (can you see me walking down the road with this great big mirror? and a dog?)



while it is hiding out in the craft room/media center/getaway space, waiting for the perfect placement, i realized i've never shown off another score from a few months back: these "old" pressboard bookshelves from my parents house. we painted them a barn red, slapped a little crown molding on top, and now they "organize" my creative supplies. ha ha... i said "organize." well, it gets them off the floor!!



(my ultimate plan is to put curtain "doors" on the bottom. i'll let you know if that happens...)

you can also spy, in the background of these photos, an "old" side table and dresser, repainted and repurposed, an "old" youth pottery barn table and chair set, my "old" table that i use as a work table, all FREE to us!! (oh, and an "old" pair of jack's pants with a hole in the knee. actually, they're not that "old." what is it about 8 year old boys and hole-y knees???)



do you ever take someone else's "old" stuff and make it "new" again??

spt challenge

going back into the vault this month, to an spt challenge i really loved! hope you will join along!!

tuesday, may 5 something old
tuesday, may 12 something new
tuesday, may 19 something borrowed
tuesday, may 26 something blue

take it literally, take it figuratively, but by all means, make a commitment to complete all four challenges for the month of may!

'tis sometimes better to receive...

have you heard about my recent virus? how coincidental that this occurred during "gift a stranger" week???

spt

Pleasure is spread through the earth
In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.
~William Wordsworth, 1806

this last gifting is proving to be quite challenging to me. i have many opportunities to "gift" strangers at work, but i want to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone, to really reach out to someone in a way that is not "required" by the definition of "hospitality." does that make sense?

so i'm off to (hopefully) spread stray gifts through the earth today. wish me luck!

has this last challenge been difficult for you?




on saturday morning, between soccer and work, i spent a few hours with my Rotary Club participating in Rotary International's Day of Service. This year's theme is "Make Dreams Real," and we are to support the youth of our communities.

we went to a local family emergency shelter, a residential facility that provides a place for kids and teens to stay when they or their parents need a cooling down period. i should write an entirely different post about this facility, because i believe they are providing a great service to our community.

when we work at the home, we do not interact with the children, so they are, in fact, strangers. this year we helped enclose an addition to their storage shed. we pressure washed, hammered, painted, and had a wonderful morning of fellowship. it is a little gift of time, and one that i am happy to give.

sting like a bee

spring soccer is officially underway!!

go Yellow Jackets!

diary of an 8 year old

dear diary,
the other day, my mom told him



that i have a girlfriend...



i'm doomed!!!

drink more water! look cool doing it!!

order online here!
(t shirts available, too!)

spt

"gifting" my coworkers is something i believe to be very important. as a manager in the service industry, i wear many hats: leader, motivator, trainer, coach, guidance counselor, friend... the key to our success at this hotel is engaging all of our 25 employees in the fun and chaos that is the hotel industry.



we have *mailboxes* for each employee that we use for distributing important information: our monthly newsletter, "way-to-go" messages, treats and candy. anything goes, really. the key is to keep up with it... nothing is more depressing than an empty *mailbox!* (as you can see, i have some work to do today!)

i am going to write a little handwritten note to each employee today. something that say "keep it up!" "i appreciate you!" "thanks for spending extra time in the laundry room yesterday!" personal notes are my favorite kind of Good Mail. i'm so happy to be able to share that with my team!

(don't you think it's funny that we call ourselves "the gators?" no surprise where that nickname came from...)

the journey to forty

you may know that my word for this year is journey. so far this year, i have been on several journeys: new orleans, chapel hill, philadelphia/d.c. and charlotte. it's been a combination of business and leisure travel, which is fine by me! just getting up and getting out of town for a few days is really making me feel a little less "stuck."

but there's another journey i'm on this year, a bigger journey - one that does not require airline tickets or hotel reservations, but still needs some planning: the journey down the road to forty! 4-0. four decades. (halfway to 80, if you listen to my cheeky sisters, who are all younger than me...)

this morning, i thought i'd share with you a few of the steps i'm taking along this journey, a few of the little things that are helping me approach this milestone in a positive frame of mind. i know a woman who took herself on a Disney Cruise for her 40th birthday. she had so much fun, she turned around and took her two children on that cruise a month later! i don't really have the means to do that (although i do hope to plan something *big* for november's celebration...)

first, there is my new best friend, jergens(R) natural glow firming daily lotion. LOVE this product, love the "daily glow" (i HATE the sun). and i really am thrilled to report that there is firming going on!



second is the new cure for my venomously thin lips, pixi lip booster. i've tried a few other "plumping" lip colors, and i am pleased to report that this one does not come with the tingling (read: BURNING) sensations that some of the others feature. i am currently using No. 12 "Tianna." (don't let the $18 price tag fool you... i found it for much, MUCH less at tarjay.

i am also digging herbal essences no flakin' way (wish i could grab a photo of that). i am a girl who has always suffered from "itching, tightness, dryness and flakes." (TMI?? you tell me). anyway, i grabbed this on my last journey when i realized i had forgotten my shampoo. (as much as i love hampton, i do NOT love hampton's complimentary shampoo.) (ssshhhh, don't tell my boss!) this product is awesome! and the fusion of cucumber fruit and lemongrass really appeals to the girly girl in me.


(image grabbed from flickr. geoart is the photographer.)

and finally, i have reignited my love affair with good old water. i am consciously drinking more of it throughout each day. i love it cold, no ice. i have quite a collection of BPA free bottles from which to drink it from. (or, when at home, i lovingly use my UNC tumblers.)

consider this my turning 40 public service announcement. i'll keep you updated throughout the year!

spt

meet my circle of friends...




these are the people who get me through the work week. they are all general managers of hampton inns across north carolina, and they are always a phone call or an email away when i need them.

this week, i had the opportunity to visit on of my friends and do a mock quality assurance inspection on his(beautiful)hotel. it gave his team a chance to make sure they are ready for the "real thing" whenever that pops up. (they will be outstanding, by the way!)

while he maintains that my visit was for their benefit, i honestly believe i received a gift as well. the role of "general" manager can be extremely stressful (think of all the crazy things that can fall into the "general" category... somedays it can be like the perfect storm!) visiting a friend from my "circle" gave me chance to vent, share ideas, inspire others and be inspired.

to my circle, "the breakfast club." THANK YOU!!