Because I've got nothing better to post....

So Miss Jessie informed me I needed to return to blogland and in an effort to encourage a new post out of me tagged me with this silly list of 5's. Since I don't have much else to post these days, I decided to oblige.

5 things on my to do list:
1) laundry
2) get caught up with 52 cards
3) new less stressful work schedule
4) slowly return to normal life and deal with the many things that have been neglected since I've been sick
5) studio calico reveal night tonight

5 jobs I've had:
1) Music Therapist
2) Coffee girl at PJ's Coffee in New Orleans--well actually River Ridge, LA near my lovely intern apartment
3) Temp worker...two summers in a row I ended up with great positions at Microtest, where I moved from the mail room to having my own cubicle, access to employee files and was offered a position in HR and at Charles Schwab the next summer where I graduated from copying and ended up answering customer email in the international department
4) Bistro cook at Willamette
5) Willamette Band office staff

5 Places I have lived:
1) Phoenix, AZ
2) New Orleans, LA
3) Salem, OR
4) Merced, CA
5) Tucson, AZ

5 Favorite snacks:
1) goldfish crackers
2) fruit, especially apples, peaches, and berries
3) peanut butter crackers
4) homemade cookies or some from a good bakery like LGO's apple oatmeal or better cookies
5) granola bars

5 things you may not know about me are:
1) I love tomatoes, but I can't stand ketchup...blah!
2) I love photography, but I'm not very good at it
3) I wish I spoke another language
4) I'm not a fan of horror movies
5) I sing all day for work, but I wish I was a better singer

5 things I would do if I was a billionaire:
1) Pay off all debts
2) start a school for kids with autism and hire all the best professionals to staff it
3) Buy a vacation house at the beach or near a lake
4) travel everywhere
5) indulge friends and family

5 things I love:
1) spending time with family and friends
2) the color red
3) trips to the beach
4) scrapbook stuff
5) good food and wine

5 people I tag:
I'm not going to name names here, but if you want to play along feel free and let me know in the comments.

Will the Real Erin Please Stand Up

I've been getting a few emails, so I know some of you are wondering about me. Without going into too much detail, I have been dealing with some health issues since the beginning of May. What started out as a nasty stomach virus, has developed into more symptoms and we are working towards finding out what's going on with my body. This week's adventures included two trips to a cardiologist's office for various tests. I do not feel like myself right now and have had little energy. I am not functioning like I normally would, have lost a lot of weight and have not been working my normal schedule or participating in my normal routine. So, if you haven't seen me around on message boards or commenting on your blogs or gallery posts, this is why. I am responding to email, it just might be a day or two. I'm here and I'm checking in, just not posting or chatting much. Hopefully we'll get this figured out soon and I will return to my normal self in the near future.

I' d stay away if I were you

You might want to stay away from this house. I have the ick. I have has a stomach bug since late Sunday night. I worked Monday, though I didn't feel so fabulous. Felt better Tuesday morning, so I headed to work, only to start feeling horrible about an hour later. I muscled through my Tuesday, since those poor kiddos had already missed a couple of sessions in April. Stayed home yesterday and ended up sleeping most of afternoon and evening away. I'm staying home again today. Feeling a bit better, but still not great and I really don't want to pass this never ending stomach ick on to any of my kids. I have a band concert tonight, so I'm hoping to rally for that, but otherwise it's more rest and gingerale for me today. I'm hoping Shawn doesn't get it. He wasn't feeling great last night, but was off to work this morning, so I'm crossing my fingers. It's really not very fun.

Little bits before bed

It's been a crazy couple of weeks in my life. Lots of stress and sad news. I spent the weekend cleaning, resting and being creative. I still feel like a need to recharge my batteries. Which is why bedtime is coming early this evening. Thought I do a quick update before shutting down for the night.

Here are some things I learned over the past couple of weeks:

*I should not consume agave...big, fat allergic reactions are no fun and a bit scary!
*bad news seems to happen all at once
*I have amazing friends...ok, so I new this already, just glad I have them when life is crazy
*I am not ready for summer...high 90's in April are no fun!
*stress can make you feel icky
*I should workout more
*just when I think they've created my favorite kit, studio calico goes and reveals another great one
*I shall be in a perpetual state of never being caught up with my to do list
*life's disappointments may be blessings in disguise
*happy mail can always put a smile on my face. Check out what arrived at my doorstep this week

I bought this from the fabulous Miss Andrea. Isn't it cute? She even made me a matching checkbook cover, which makes writing checks just a little bit more fun! You should check out her etsy store knitty bitties (on my sidebar) for some adorable little goodies.

Ok. It's time for bed. Good night.

I will miss her

I have worked with Laura for many, many years. I started seeing her as a fairly new therapist and she taught me to never underestimate my kids. She always amazed me with her willpower and her desire to participate and communicate, even though she had no words and limited ability to control her movements. Laura was an amazing child. She truly touched my heart. I will miss her beautiful smile and her unique ability to strum the guitar with her feet. No one else will ever appreciate my "wake up toes" song as much as Laura and I doubt anyone else will ever get so much joy from my rendition of the "Hokey Pokey." My heart goes out to her family, who has done amazing things in her honor. You can read more about Laura's legacy here. I am so fortunate to have had Laura in my life and I will miss her.

Because There's Never Enough Red

1. red dishes, 2. butterflies on a red dish, 3. new!, 4. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting, 5. Red fabrics from Purl Soho, 6. Red Fabric Tacks, 7. Red Gerbera Daisy, 8. Strawberries Red, 9. The Red Chair

Ten on Tuesday-April 15 version

So here's a reflection of today in ten:

1. Taxes suck
2. I hate taxes
3. Taxes suck
4. I hate taxes
5. Taxes suck
6. I hate taxes
7. Taxes suck
8. I hate taxes
9. Taxes suck
10. I hate taxes