merry merry!

a very merry christmas to you!! we had a fantabulous holiday with friends and family ... and our holiday will wrap up with a big new year's dinner on thursday with my family. but, as much as i adored this season (and i was really on top of things this year, so there was minimal scurrying around when things got crazy at work), i am thankful that things are winding down. today is my first day off in like 10 days (christmas doesn't count since we had 4 places to be that day!!). i slept slept slept ... and have spend minimal time off the couch. i am sewing ... but i am just enjoying spending lazy time with dave and mittens. :) i SO needed this!

and i am REALLY excited for 2010!!!!!! i mean, sure i am getting MARRIED and i am looking for a HOUSE with the boy i am crazy for ... but, people! i am going to get this craft thing off the GROUND! :) 2010 will be the year of crocheted critters and knitted accessories! :)

there will probably be a shop name change because dave did some investigating and there are actually quite a few lazy daisys out there ... spelled a variety of ways. i want something totally unique ... so that will most likely be happening soon. i also will be working hard at "branding" myself ... and i am looking to do a few BIG craft shows this year (renegade anyone????). i have SO many ideas and plans ... i actually stay awake at night, laying in bed and planning and thinking. :o) i am GOING TO DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o)

so stay tuned ......... :o)

happy holidays and all that my friends!!

xo.

relax.

vacation was amazing. two and half weeks off replenished my soul like i can't even explain. before the wedding i felt like i could just loose it and harm someone at work. i would sleep and wake up tired. my home was a mess and life was just overwhelming me. but these past 17 days off have made me feel like a human again.

first was kyle and jen's wedding. what a beautiful bride and an amazing couple they make. everything basically went off without a hitch and we all had a lot of fun.

its so strange to think that my little brother is married ... is a husband ... has a wife ... has his own home ... it blows my mind actually! but i am so happy for them ... i love jen like a sister and friend ... they make just the best couple ... and i pray SO hard that they live the happily ever after. they both deserve it.

next up with our vacation. we spent a week in plum island and then 2 days in boston. we had a truly amazing time. we both needed to decompress and relax very badly. and once we did, we reconnected and had just the best time. we slept late, spent time on the beach, did a little exploring, ate like pigs, read, shopped, talked, planned ... boston was gorgeous and once again i dreamt about moving there. it's definately something that we talked about ... but moving so far from family and his theater just isn't an option unfortunately. but we loved the visit just the same.

i also had a lot of fun with my new camera (as if you couldn't tell! :p)

*sigh!* it was all heaven. the following week we bummed around, was extremely lazy (which felt SO decadent! and SO amazing!). i finished up my turtle Ami from the Roxycraft pattern ... and created my own pattern for a piggie. she still needs some tweaking ... but came out cute all the same.

i've hesitated signing up for the craft show this september because i don't have any vacation time left and i am unsure what my inventory will look like ... but dave encouraged me to do it ... so i think i will drop the check off today. a little nervous about that ... but ... well ... at least that gives me a goal.

i did a lot of life thinking these past 2 weeks. it's time i put aside any residual fears and start planning this wedding. my life seriously needs a little discipline. i need to loose some weight (stop eating SO MUCH garbage!!! you don't feel well afterwards anyway!!). i need to stop whining and just get things done. i need to relax at work and stop putting so much stress on myself. i just need a little structure. a little more focus. and maybe, somehow, a few more breaks from work to keep this perspective. i swear people would be more productive if they had a week off after every 6 or so weeks they worked. i know i would be. i was useless before kyle's wedding.

anyway ... i just want to work really hard at life. i don't want to overdo it ... but i just want to stop being so lazy and lamenting the fact that i never have time. i will be even busier when i have children ... i need to learn how to squeeze the most from a day now!!

i know it's only wednesday but i have spent a whole two days on my cleaning schedule. i am getting things done. i couldn't sleep anymore so, instead of laying in bed playing video games (which isn't bad SOME of the time ... but not ALL of the time), i got up, made coffee (still working on achieving that perfect cup ...), wrote this post and will crochet until i have to get in the shower. dave and i are eating at home. i am bringing lunch. i am watching my calories. i love love LOVE doing nothing, relaxing, etc ... but i crave a little structure. i blame my mom for that!!! :p

and i am doing a lot of thinking about my crafts ... and i really really want to work hard on them. i want to create a strong etsy presence ... i just have to figure out what direction to go in. but that is my goal for the rest of the year ... to really really focus and work hard to get this baby off the ground!!! :o)

chocolate overload

hello all.  things are good here in the world of jessica.  easter was a lot of fun.  we had the whole family at my grandfather's house and we just had a blast.  and now we have WAY too much candy in the house. XD  i am doing SO poorly at eating well.  the bridesmaid dress on the bedroom door is taunting me each night.  i don't know WHAT to do.  bleh.  i need lock-jaw, i think.

work is good.  i went to west patterson last night to help out at their inventory and had a great time.  really cool staff and store.  and i really got a feel for a good, smooth inventory ... and, again, what H is looking for in a store.  i went to work today recharged and with a renewed perspective.  and i got a lot done.  looking forward to doing more tomorrow!  lol.  i am a geek!  :o)

haven't crocheted much since easter took over ... but i am looking forward to starting something new again tonight or tomorrow.

now i am in my favorite place (couch) watching tv (idol) and debating on sewing or just vegging.  and there MAY be a chocolate cadbury egg in my future.

weekends are awesome! :)

good weekend.  busy ... but very relaxing and fun.  dinner last night with the family and denise, harry and danny was a blast.  then home to watch 24 and crochet.  finished this little guy ... 

then started another one.  Froggie is going in an easter basket for stacie and the one i am working on now is for kyle.  i want to make lots and send them to people and give them as presents!  how fun is that?!

today stacie and i went to kelly's and made these adorable little cupcake candies ...

they were surprisingly easy!  we are going to make them for easter too!  mom loved them and wants to help.  i am sure with the three of us, hilarity will ensue.  :o)

then i cleaned the apartment.  it needed it so bad and i just HATE living in a dirty home.  i did almost everything except the bathroom floor ... but i will do that tomorrow while dave is at school.  and i will *TRY* so hard to keep up with the clean so that it doesn't get gross again.  *sigh*  it is shocking how much cat hair, dust and my hair ends up EVERYWHERE!!! ;o)

dave and i just finished applebees take-out and now we are watching law and order.  i am crocheting on the couch.  i LOVE home and being with him and vegging out!  hence, i suppose, the dirty apartment.  lol.

here's to a good week! 

baking days rock my socks

a day of baking with friends and then dinner with the fam.  it was so much fun!!  hyun, kait and i got together at hyun's house and baked some kick-ass cupcakes!  from scratch!!  and then we decorated the heck out of them and they came out pretty cute!  kait has one of those awesome kitchen aid mixers in pink and, i wanted one before ... but now ... i think it's now a NEED.  especially since they come in some pretty amazing colors. :o)  kait also had the pastry-icing-bag-and-tips set ... and now i MUST have one of those too and master it.  you can do so many cute things with them!!! :)  i feel a new obsession brewing ... ;o)  hyun also made some yummy looking sour cream custard fruit pies ... that were tragically almost totally lost.  she made three and set them in the dining area to cool and set.  ming (one of her two adorable min-pins) decided to dine on one ... and then when she was trying to save the other two dropped one on the kitchen floor.  i felt so bad for her!!!  but it is kind of a funny story to tell after the fact. ;)  but anyway, we had an awesome time ... and i think more baking days are in our future! :)  taleen and dee from MP also stopped by and it was GREAT seeing some old faces from my MP days.  i miss that crew so much ... they are good people.

so we baked and chatted and i even crocheted 2 arms for my latest ami project.  someday i will finish one and post a pic ... i just haven't mastered the art of a cute face yet.  it seems so easy ... yet it continues to elude me.  i will get it tho ... i just need to spend more time practicing.

afterwards, i picked up dave and we went to ron's for dinner with mom, dad, kyle, jen and stacie (altho she was at another table with friends and tried REALLY hard to pretend we weren't there).  we had a great time as only Bisignani's can ... laughing until we cried.  i just LOVE family dinners like that and wish we could do it more.  :)  we have such a great time! :)

and now i am home, on the couch, and will start sewing after this post.  dave is playing his new puzzle quest ds game ... and avalon quest awaits me in the bedroom.  seems like a pretty cool game ... i just need to get the controls and stuff down.  

tomorrow is the theater benefit, sunday is NOTHING and then monday it's back to the real world. :(  i hate to think about that ... :(  i've had such a great time being off and visiting friends and hanging out with dave.  the real world just messes all this up!!! XD

wonderful weekend!

hello hello. :)  we had such great weekend!  saturday stacie and i went to Gap and shopped till we dropped.  her discount is AWESOME!  i got a pair of great jeans, some t-shirts and a few cardigans.  then i splurged at Coach and got a cute black wristlet.  it was so much fun!!!  saturday night we went to dave's aunt and uncle's home for the annual Spellman St. Patrick's Day Party.  it was a blast and the corned beef and cabbage was amazing!!!  :)  we spent the night at dave's parent's house and then today jimmy, alissa and baby anthony picked us up and we went to garden to watch the Rangers beat the Flyers!!!  ican't believe a nearly 7 month old baby sat thru an entire hockey game content!  he was so good and so cute all decked out in his hockey gear just watching everything going on. :)  then we came back and had a wonderful dinner with dave's mom.  what a great couple of days. :o)

now i am sitting on the couch watching will ferrell in his george bush show (cue dave's hysterical giggle here! LOL.) and working on some new amigurumi patterns that i purchased off of etsy! :)  and guess what?  i am off ALL WEEK!!!  YAY!!! vacations are rocking my socks right OFF! :)

oh what a night ...

work was good and productive.  i freaked out a bit when i realized my reviews are due on monday ... i lost yesterday to snow and friday and saturday to being sick ... so i am a little behind.  but ... i am not TOTALLY freaking out ... yet.  LOL.  yeah, this is the new calm, cool and collected jessica! ;o) and this will last just about until sunday night when the real freak out occurs. ;)

dave made a pot roast tonight that was just amazing.  i am SO full.  even mittens enjoyed a little taste! :)  we watched american idol ... and i crocheted some more.  i got the skirt finished on my break today at work and then it took me all night to make one little arm!!!  i really struggled with the back post single crochet.  but now that i know the general idea of how to do it ... i hope the next arm won't take as long.  then comes the face.  i actually thought today of making her a little girl doll instead of an amigurumi animal ... or making a little bonnet for the head ... not sure what direction i am going to take it.  i don't have to decide just yet ... still have another ARM to finish!!!  arg!

off tomorrow ... coffee with mom planned ... laundry ... a little cleaning ... i should bake for maria's little party tomorrow but i am just not feeling cookies tho.  maybe cupcakes?  we will have to see!

alrighty i am gonna start the other arm before bed ... wish me luck!