Do You Ever Feel Overwhelmed?

I do. Right now. Which is why my blogging has been sporadic at best lately. The sad part is there's no REAL reason for me to feel this way. I just feel like I want to stay in bed and sleep. But I don't. I get up and I work, and write, and blog and play with my girl, and help my hubby with his school work and try to clean the house and plan for the future (which sounds silly, but lately I've been doing a lot of planning).

So I guess there is a lot going on, but I don't feel like it should be THIS overwhelming. But I guess I'm not seventeen anymore. I don't have the energy I used to, and as for MENTAL energy, oh boy, that's scary.

But I just wanted to say thank you to all of you wonderful readers and bloggers and cyber-friends. It makes me smile so big to see your sweet comments and funny stories. Thanks for helping lessen the...overwhelmingness...of my life. (I made up a word just for this occasion).

Hope you're all doing well!

Wahoo!

I cannot believe I just hit 100 followers! I seriously thought this day would never come! Thank you all SO much for stopping by and supporting this little endeavor I was so scared to begin. You're all amazing! I don't even know what to say besides let's keep it going! 

Happy Thursday!  

Write On Wednesday: Seven Random Facts

Okay this is a cheap shot, but I’m using today to announce another award I’ve so graciously been given!

The lovely Kristina Fugate passed this on to me! Thanks Kristina, it means a lot!

To accept this award, I have a few things I need to do:

1.)  Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post. (check)

2.)  Share 7 random things about yourself. (coming up)

3.)  Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it. (keep reading!)

Okay, so here are seven things about me, that you may or may not already know:

1)  I secretly love teen drama shows. I just finished watching Make It or Break It on Netflix and wish I would’ve joined gymnastics when I was three. I subsequently had a dream that I had to compete with them at the Olympics. When I woke up I was grateful I haven’t been in gymnastics since I was three.

2) I LOVE playing Tennis and don’t do it nearly enough. I was on my high school team all four years and even shared the title of MVP with my doubles partner senior year. We made it to our regional semi-finals. I have a mean backhand. If anyone in the area wants to play, hit me up. We’re running out of nice tennis weather though.

(Yes that’s me in High School, and yes that’s a picture from my yearbook. Sorry so grainy.)

3) I’m an organization junkie. I have more folders on my computer than Sims games on my shelf, and THAT’S saying something. My husband makes fun of how many times I have to click on a folder, then a sub folder, then a sub-sub folder to get to the file I want. But I know where it is, and that’s what matters. I wish I could be as organized with my housework…

4) I collect scrapbook supplies. Occasionally I get the time to use them and actually put together my scrapbooks, but mostly I just love to go to JoAnn’s or some funky little scrapbook boutique and buy out their entire supply of cute ribbon. I have a dedicated desk and four of those Tupperware drawer organizers FULL of scrapbook supplies. It’s an addiction. Too bad I’m only up to Christmas of Eisley’s first year. I’m SO behind.

(A sample page from my daughter’s scrapbook. She was so little!)

5) I have two design styles battling inside me at all times. Part of me LOVES minimal, contemporary, sculptural design. I can envision myself in a NYC penthouse with a $15,000 Italian leather couch and concrete floors and would be perfectly content. Then there’s the part of me that wants a cabin in Montana that’s what I like to call contemporary rustic. I love exposed beams, stacked stone, and warm yellow lights that just make you feel warm. So for my actual house, I’ve settled somewhere in the middle somewhere, and while I like what I’ve got going on, I still wish for those two homes.

6)  I’m not a fan of the zoo. Call me crazy, but for some reason the idea of going out in the hot allergy-ridden air to watch monkeys scratch themselves is not my idea of fun. And I’m just not an animal person in general. I’ve never owned a dog, and about the only pet I can live peacefully with is a cat. Which is why we have one. Leeroy Jethro Jenkins Gibbs. A name that mixes our love of NCIS with the awesomeness that is Leeroy Jenkins. If you haven’t seen the video (and you like to play video games, WoW specifically. Otherwise it won’t be that funny to you), go here. Otherwise, here’s our cute cat.

7) And just in case you never read my interview on Chantele's blog, I’ll repeat the most random thing about me; I’m afraid of those TV’s that hang from the ceiling in most Wal-Marts. I can’t walk under them for fear they’ll choose that exact moment to fall and crush my skull. There you go, a new phobia for you.

(She’s lucky this one is placed over produce).

There you go! Seven random things about me! Hope that wasn’t too painful. Now on to the fifteen blogs that I think are uber-cool. Congrats and pass on the love:

• Cherie Schmidt
• Emily Hendricks Jensen
• Tamara Epps from Empty Thoughts, Rewritten
• Julie Musil
• Michele Ashman Bell
• Michelle Teacress
• Nicole Krell
• Michelle Merrill from Perfecting the Craft
• Ron Smith from Prince Balthazar
• Sarah Eden
• Janine Clayson from Squee
• Sarah McCabe from The Aspiring Subcreator
• Leigh Ann Kopans from The Naptime Novelist
• D.B. Smyth
• Steph Campbell from Under the Olive Tree

Phew! That’s a long list. Now I’m off to inform all these awesome people of their awesomeness. Hope you’re all having a fantastic day!

I Promise I'm Still Alive

Why does it seem like it's been FOREVER since I last posted? It's only been a week, but I feel guilty. Anyway, I just wanted to drop a line and let you all know I'm still here. And I wanted to say a great big HI to all the newcomers from Rachel's campaign! I'm sorry I've been slow, but I promise I will be stopping by all of your blogs soon as well. I'm so excited to have you all here! 

Meanwhile, I think I'm going to put myself back on a schedule. I miss blogging about interior design, and for some reason if I don't make myself, all my posts end up being about writing, or ranting about life. So I think I'm going back to Write On Wednesday, then doing Interior Thursday, and then Rant and Rave Friday. 

There I wrote it down, now I'm accountable. I've had a hard time with that lately. So look for the new schedule next week. 

Wow what a boring housekeeping post. 

To liven it up I will share one more Simming story, because it's hilarious. This time it happened to my brother. (That's right. I got him playing The Sims 3 from my last drama!) So in his own words, here is what happened:

I started a full family (husband, wife, one kid) called the Newhouses. I also made them eco-friendly, which is a huge pain because they get sad whenever only one person uses a car, blah blah blah. And all they did was go to work, go home, clean up, sleep. So, too much like real life.

So I started a pair of sisters, gave them a ton of money and let them play around. One (Kira) is an extrovert, the other (Danica) is a bookworm. They got along fine, so I had them buy half the town (well, just become partners in most of the businesses around town) and worked on getting Danica a friend. She makes a friend, invites her over, and while they're sitting on the couch playing video games her friend DIES. For no good reason that I could figure out. She had a "best friend died" negative mood and breaks down crying every 20 minutes, so I decided to check in on my other family while that blows over.

While they were playing on their own they got pregnant, so I bought them a crib and all the baby stuff and made their house bigger etc. Then their first daughter had a birthday, and on her birthday the mom has to go deliver the baby. So Dad Newhouse takes Mom Newhouse to the hospital right after the daughter blows out her candle on her cake. Then she goes to bed, but one of the party guests hangs out, plays guitar all night long, comes in the house at 3 AM and eats some pizza, stays all the next day, hangs out with the maid, and finally goes home after 48 hours. That was weird. Also, Mom and Dad Newhouse both instantly Wished for a new baby after they brought Baby Newhouse home. Dad Newhouse isn't the best parent (he set the baby on the floor more than once) so I nixed those wishes quickly. I got tired of them again and went back to the sisters.

 When I came back to them Kira has a HUGE "cheater" reputation, and gets yelled at all over town. I don't know how she pulled that off. Danica is in a relationship...with DANICA. A clone of her, with her original haircut (I gave her a new one after her friend died) is dating the current Danica. They were out on a date when I switched to them. And at dinner, where Danica is dating Danica, a THIRD Danica shows up and says hi, then goes and eats dinner. The two Danicas get along really well (surprise!) and are super compatible (surprise!) but they both have Commitment Issues, so...not sure where that's going. I had Kira do all kinds of lifetime goals to buy that lifetime reward that gets rid of a cheater reputation and went to bed.

So...that's all really weird. 

BAHAHAHA! I didn't know they could CLONE themselves! He even sent me a screenshot as proof:

What the heck??  Man that made me laugh so hard. That is one thing I have NEVER had happen to me, and now I'm dying to try to recreate it. 

Anyone else have some funny Sim stories? I feel a series coming on...

Happy Saturday! 

TGIF!

This has been an incredibly long week. Not in the “this-week-has-been-so-awesome-it-feels-like-it-will-never-end” way but in the “tissues-are-piling-up-and-I-can’t-taste-anything-but-cough-drops” way. I am under full attack by a fall cold. Boo.

But that's not going to stop me from ranting (see above) and RAAAVING!

RANT: My daughter decided sleeping through the night is optional this week. Not cool.

RAVE: It didn’t help that I stayed up till midnight one night watching a version of Sense and Sensibility I’ve never seen. I love love LOVE the Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet movie, but this one was really good too.

Available here

It’s more of a mini-series so it’s like four really long episodes. So I started it at 8:30 not realizing the commitment I was making, but I couldn’t very well turn it off right before Marianne finds out about Willoughby!

Let me just say, while most of the characters are well-cast I had problems with two of them. First Colonel Brandon, who was fine but no Alan Rickman. Let’s be honest. Oh that voice.

And second was Willoughby himself. Not handsome in my opinion. At least not the dashing-sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of handsome. (Today my current writing device of choice is the HIPHEN apparently. Oh well).

RANT: Seriously, with the laundry! Why doesn’t it ever end???

RAVE: I have more friends joining me on the Sims Social on Facebook. It’s so fun! Anyone else want to join? You can find me on facebook as Kadie Kinney and then we can be friends and our Simselves can visit each other. Woot.

RANT: Cough drops just aren’t good. They’re nasty. And no matter how many times I brush my teeth, the menthol just won’t go away.

RAVE: My critique partner Ruth is awesome. She gave me a great list of edits to do and a comprehensive list of her overall thoughts. I couldn’t ask for a better CP.

And last of all,

RAVE: I get to have breakfast with some wonderful ladies this morning, which is why I’m up so dang early. I’m excited. And this makes me have to change out of yoga pants for the first time this week. This is a good thing.

There you have it. I’m glad my rants are shorter than my raves. That’s good right?

Happy Friday all!

They like me! They really like me!

At least I hope so.

But thanks to Lyla's Blog I’ve been given my very first Blog Award!

Quoting from Lyla’s page about this award “the basic idea is to showcase bloggers with less than 200 followers." When you get the award, you have to keep the love going by giving it to 5 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers.”

I’m so honored and excited that she decided to share this with me and now I get to do the same for some other awesome bloggers!

So here’s my list and new award recipients:

1) Ruth Josse http://babyruthwrites.blogspot.com

2) Tracey J http://traceyjoseph.blogspot.com

3) Brenda Sills http://brendasills.blogspot.com/

4) Mel Fowler http://adventurewrites.blogspot.com/

5) Leigh Ann Kopans http://www.leighannkopans.com/

I just met most of these amazing bloggers from Rachel’s campaign and am so glad I have them on my reader now. They all have some great info and fun ideas.

So there you have it! Monday’s a great day for an award!

Why do I love exclamation marks so much? It’s a disease.

Happy Labor Day!!!!!

Friday Rants and Raves

As most of you have seen, I've kind of obliterated my previous blogging schedule. I felt too pigeon-holed. Like if I wanted to talk about writing it HAD to be on a Wednesday, etc. Then I felt like if I wanted to talk about nothing in general...I couldn't.

Like how I totally did that to myself?

Anyway, so I've been thinking about not having set topics on each day, but just maybe having set days. Who knows? EXCEPT for Fridays. I want Fridays to have the above title; Rants and Raves. And here's how it's going to go:

RANT: My allergies are KILLING me. Hello? It's September! September = Fall. Fall = Allergies disappear. Or not. I hate not being able to breathe unless I take my Zyrtec. Sigh.

RAVE: My little girl helped me grocery shop this week. It was probably the cutest thing ever. Usually I just make her sit in the cart. This time I let her pick out her own yogurt, and shut the freezer doors every time we opened them. That was her favorite part. Every time she'd slam a door she'd say "Allright!" and give me a high five. Best grocery shopping. Ever.

RANT: Laundry. 'Nuff said.

RAVE: This platform campaign from Rachel Harrie's blog has been AMAZING! I can't believe how many wonderful people have stopped by to say hi and how many writers are secret gamers too! I knew I wasn't alone! I can't wait to get to know each and every one of you better!

RANTAVE: I read a book this week called ANGEL BURN by L.A. Weatherly.
Look how cool the cover is:

Anyway, I don't really want to talk about the events of the book, but rather the feelings I had when reading it: 

• The style of writing was pretty cool. It switched between two main characters, but whenever it was the girl character (Willow) she spoke in first person. Whenever it was the boy character (Alex) it was told in third person. I thought that was a really interesting way to differentiate between the mains and give them a distinct voice. I mentally jotted that down. 
• The premise was disturbing at first and it took me awhile to get over it. Basically Angels are infiltrating the Earth and feeding off of humans to survive, causing humans to get sick and die. I had a hard time with this. I started substituting the word "angel" for "demon" which made me feel better. It made me think though, how one word could ruin a book for someone and how careful we need to be. 
• The tension between Willow and Alex was great. I kept waiting for them to finally kiss or SOMETHING. Boy it was built up. But when they finally did, I found it was overdone. Five pages of "I love you so much" gets old. Sorry. 
• THE ENDING! Made me so mad!!! It's like the author wanted a sequel so bad she made them fail their mission (which was supposed to be the climax of the book) and then they ran away with nothing being resolved! All I saw in those last few chapters was "I need a sequel, so we're wrapping this one up whether it works or not." In my opinion, it didn't. 

See what I mean about the Rantave? I half liked it half hated it. But it did teach me a lot about writing. It made me question my MS1 and if I ended it unsatisfactorily because I know I want there to be a sequel. I will definitely be looking more closely at that. 

So that's it. Random things that I want to rant and / or rave about. There will be no formula. You'll just have to bear with me. Any Rants or Raves from you all for this week? 

Happy Friday!