Changes begin from within oneself....

I started working full-time at a local newspaper/printing company 3 weeks ago. I have to admit I am very use to being the happy cheery person that most people warm up to quickly. That is how it was the first week or so at work... then I began to feel uncomfortable. I was feeling judged harshly for my typos... Most of my family knows I am the typo queen. But at this paper it's not just my regular typos that were under the microscope... it was the paper's own typing standards. For example in an auction the first letter of every item is capitalized but NOT the descriptive words... the first letter of all the farm machinery... but NOT the words that describe it's features. Which sound very easy until you get Farmers who type back asswards, and there are 20 million different types of farm equipment.. and I was raised in SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA... and I could give a rats ass about what is the name and what is a description... of a flipping stupid tractor... Did you know there are farm machines that are have or are disks and others that use discs... do you know the difference... well I sure don't... Well the proof readers are making my life hell and making me feel like crap... I am doubting my abilities to design my own name... Oh and this one proof reader takes JOY in taking ALL my work to my supervisor so SHE can tell me what a dunce I am... Yesterday was horrible... I wanted to just melt into my chair... BUT I have a secret weapon... when I am feeling down and pretty worthless... I pull out my trusty iPhone and ear buds... and I listen to a conference talk... and EVERY TIME by the end of the talk I am feeling much better about life and myself... I have 2 wonderful co-workers who I can vent to and they always make me feel better... They see what is going on too... so I am not being paranoid... The hardest part for me is that I have a real hard time with someone NOT liking me. So tonight I shall pray for my enemy at work... and NO I won't pray something bad will happen... I will pray that she her heart will soften towards me... and she will be more patient with me... and I will pray that I will have the discernment to know one tractor from another... ugh... but I think for that I will be praying for a miracle... if things don't get better I plan to have a fast over the whole issue... because I also am not use to hating my job... even when it's not the most pleasant place to be I usually can find something I enjoy about it... So we shall see...
But in the mean time... I saw this adorable picture of my great-nephew, Dean and I could not help but scrapbook it... I have been working on making elaborate clusters... with junk all over them...but this picture called for simplicity... so after dragging and deleting about a million items... I finally caught on... and kept is very simple... enjoy!!

Oh Lord, forget me not!

Oh Lord, FORGET ME NOT!!... I am blessed ALWAYS have the RS General Meeting fall on my birthday weekend... This year I didn't watch it when it was broadcast..., but better late than NEVER!! So, forget NEW YEARS resolutions... I decided I am going to make BIRTHDAY resolutions... not to be skinnier...or more organize.. but to just be the best Meg I can be... to follow the Gospel... and to work on doing the things that are going to make me happy from the inside out... This inspiration came from a talk from the RS General Woman Meeting... and could be for any woman any where in the world... not matter what religion she is... what culture she is from... it is written to and for woman who want to BE HAPPIER!! here is the LINK to the talk... if anyone is interested in reading it or hearing it...

I am very INTERESTED if you listened to the talk... if it INSPIRED you... and if it did.. HOW SO???!!

Missed

My  M..Me...Meg Page WON the challenge at My Memories... I won $10 worth of digi scrapbooking art!! Woot!! This weeks challenge was Remembrance... so I spent some of my earning on a kit called Morning Hush and I created a page remembering my Mom.... The word remembrance instantly brought to my mind Mom and how she is missed. To keep the pain at a distance I didn't want to write a bunch of flowery words so missed is all I let myself think of....

Oh and BTW the  My Memories Software is just amazing...If you are wanting to create digi scrapbook pages or even create one of those neat bound books... then this is the software to invest in... it's only $40 or you can win it free over at Craftberry Tree... :) One of these days when I feel I have enough excitement over there I will have my give-away!!

I had a job interview at Oriental Trading Company last week... and this week I received my rejection letter. I am not sad or disappointing at all... I know exactly why I didn't get the job... I have a brain and I disagreed with an answer to a computer assessment test. They had 2 right answers and I picked the wrong one and I let them know it wasn't fair. Ok I know you are wondering what the question was. How do you highlight text in document. A. click and drag your mouse across the word. <---- that is the answer they wanted you to answer. I answered C. Double/ or triple click on a word in the sentence. Steve said they didn't hire me because I have a brain and I am not a robot. I am waiting for the call for the 3rd interview for Accu-Quilt. I received a call last Friday letting me know they are very interested in me...but they had concerns with my relationship with Provo Craft. Since I have not submitted any new art to them in years.. I told them... What relationship? and I had just signed up with My Memories to handle my artwork... so I have no idea what the hold up is now... But in the mean time I have an interview at the Plain Dealer a newspaper out of Takama, NE... just a hop..skip and jump down a 2 lane hwy!! Ehhh I am not too excited about it... but it is designing...

Me Challenge...

I know 2 blog posts in one day... I needed to create a ME page for My Memories... I like it!!

Colorado Vacation. page 1

I have 12 days to get my vacation album done!! I will be using the MY Memories software!! learning curve is rather small... so far I like it A LOT!! :)

EXCITING NEWS...

I have found a new home for my digital designs!! I am still in the baby stages of getting them designed and uploaded to the new site... MYMEMORIES Digital Scrapbooking is where I will be!! Keep posted to my Craftberry Tree Blog because I will be hosting a giveaway to some of the My Memories software!!

My Memories Suite is rated #1 by amazon and TopTen Reviews for digital scrapbooking software and a $40 value.

Abby Turned Three (3)... Can you believe it??

Her party theme was Pink Flamingo... or as Abby says it... "Pink Amingo".... too cute... Here is her birthday celebration
invite... getting ready for the party was a little stressful... Tory and Abby came home from a 10 day vacation in Southern California... and tired. I was in the middle of my move to Nebraska and trying to get the group home closed...but we got it all done and it was a great party!!


Tory sent me shopping the week before, while I was up in Omaha... and I picked up some metal pink flamingos and some glass jars for the candy bar. I got that done... I got the idea to take a huge ugly black picture frame and spray paint it BRITE pink... and use it as a prop for party pictures... It turned out really cute!!

News.. News.. News....

Bitter-Sweet-News...

After much thought and prayer... I have decided to close my group home and move to live in Nebraska 100% of the time.... I have had to work thru many of my issues to come to this decision and feel 100% EXCITED about it!! You never know what your issues are until you confront them face to face... and what I learned this past month is that I love much easier than I trust... and for my marriage to work I have to be willing to trust again!! I feel like I am on the edge of a stage getting ready to crowd surf... I am willing to jump because I know that Steve will be there to catch me when ever I fall... not to save me or keep me from pain... but to love and support me as I struggle to regain my footing... I have learned I never wanted to be "saved" from my life... I just wanted to be supported in whatever I decided I want or need to do!! Thank you HF for linking my life with a man who loves me and supports me in the way I can feel it!!

With the closing of the group home means I will be unemployed and starting over in the work force... I have decided I would love to work in a creative field where I can use my graphics talent and I will be going back to school!! I think I will start with taking some web development classes. My portfolio is slacking in this area... I can do it... but I don't know flash or dreamweaver... I am excited and yet a little scared... Nah... I am just excited!! I get to get back to doing the thing I love most... my graphics!!

So May 31st is the last day for the group home!!

Abuse is abuse... it's that simple...

As a read a friends blog last week... I found that I was looking thru her blog trying to find the BIG blow up... the ONE good reason for her to divorce her husband. Isn't that what society tells us...? we have to have concrete evidence that our husband was bad to us..before we can file for divorce... I never found that post... but I didn't find that she endured a lot of verbal and mental abuse!!! Something we have in common....

Since the beginning of my current relationship/marriage with Steve... There are times I am in such awe of the way he treats me...He treats me so amazingly well.. such a huge difference from my first marriage, the only other relationship I have known... I have found that I need to talk about the differences... to verbalize about how nice it is to be treated so sweetly, because I am use to being treated like crap.... and I would explain to Steve, what I am use too... Several friends and family members have suggested that I STOP comparing my 2 relationships... and for a few weeks I did... but after reading my friends blog and thinking about what I lived thru I have come to the conclusion that I am NOT comparing... I am verbalizing, acknowledging and accepting that I was ABUSED!!

I was not physically abused... I was never hit... I was never physically forced to do anything I didn't want to do... I don't have bruises or scars that the world can see!! I was verbally and mentally abused... the abuse went on for so long I didn't even realize I was abused... Towards the end of the relationship I knew I was a victim and I was tired of being one... I just didn't know how to break the cycle of abuse!! Except for end the marriage... but how?

The scars from verbal and mental abuse last for as long as you let them torment you... By acknowledging the abuse and by talking about it I am able to free it... I can let it go... I can say that is no longer my life... and I can move on!! This is my process... and it's working... once I talk about a certain situation... the memory turns to dust and I am able to just blow it away!!

Etsy Customized Set...

Stefanie asked me last week to design her a logo for her business... Took me a few days to get the inspiration and get the design going... but yesterday everything burst out of my head!! I personally love it... but I still don't know how she is going to like it... and with the birth of this design is also the birth of my
Etsy Gourmet Banner Set!!
1 Round Logo, 1 Square Logo, 1 Banner, and 4 Avatars...
$24.95

My New Logo....

I just love it... so versatile

I do LOGOS!!

I think they have to be my favorite thing to create... they are fast and easy and can convey so much in such a small space...

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

1 1/2 cups milk
1-12 oz can evaporated milk (skim if you have it!)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temp
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp yellow mustard
3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
1/2 pound elbow macaroni or mini penne, par cooked. (this means cook them for about five minutes until tender but not completely
cooked)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bread Crumb Topping
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 tbs Extra virgin olive oil
* Spray the inside of your slow-cooker with cooking spray or grease it with olive oil. Combine milk, evaporated milk, eggs, butter, and salt & pepper in slow-cooker and whisk until until well mixed.
* Add the shredded cheese (not the Parmesan) and the par cooked pasta, stir until combined. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.
* Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to LOW and cook for 2 to 2 1/2hours, until custard is set in the center and the pasta is tender. The macaroni and cheese may sit in the cooker on the KEEP WARM setting for 30 minutes before serving.

Directions for bread crumb topping:
Mix all the crumbs and spices together.
Add the olive oil to skillet and heat on medium heat. then add the bread crumbs. Stir until bread crumbs are golden. Only takes a few minutes to don't stop stiring and don't walk away!

Craftberry Bush...

After months and months of trying to come up with a name for my Etsy Shoppe... I finally did it!! I came up with a name... I must have sent Tory 100 text with name ideas!! I didn't even ask her about this one.. I just DID IT!

The Logo was another challenge... This is the first one I came up with... so 80's...ehhh?






It is cute... but like I said VERY 80's!! I knew what I was wanting for my logo... but my brain wouldn't function to create it... I guess I had to sleep on it! Because on Tuesday I woke up and created the new one!! Funny how the mind works...

Back to School.. seriously what do I want to be when I grow up?

So which degree do I go for?

1. Graphic Communication Art & Design
Graphic Communication Art & Design, or more commonly referred to as "graphic design" by industry professionals, is a career that combines creative thinking with visual, technical and artistic skills, for the purpose of communicating ideas and messages to a specific audience. Graphic designers help deliver their clients' message by giving it a visual form appropriate to the message and audience. A graphic designer can find employment in advertising agencies, graphic design studios, in-house design & marketing departments and printing establishments.

or

2. Phtography
The student in the Commercial Photography program learns to solve photographic problems through the skillful use of camera, lighting, laboratory, and electronic techniques. Included in the program are experiences in commerical, general and digital photography. This program articulates with UNO's College of Fine Arts and with Bellevue University.

.... do I really have to choose just one?