New Years Resolutions...

Well since I started this blog a while back I have not been the best at keeping up with entries. So here were are again at the end of a Year reflecting back. So much has happened in our lives over this past year we are still reeling through change. The most unexpected event was my husband losing his mother due to complications after surgury. Six months earlier he lost his grandfather but he was almost 95. My oldest son had to go into the hospital for 2 weeks to stabilize meds in April, and we found out that along with his Autism he has Bipolar disorder. My husband quit his job at Gannett started a New Job with Legg Mason, the stock market crashed, he lost his job with Legg Mason, and now he is starting the New Year with a brand new job with AT&T. We have all tried very hard to roll with the punches and keep looking forward. Walt Disney had a great motto that was the cornerstone of his studio. "Keep Moving Forward" He did not want to spend alot of time dwelling on past failures or losses, rather it is more important to look ahead with hope and anticipation of good things to come.

So as I reflect back on this past roller coaster of a year, I am ready to learn from the past and move forward into 2009. Over this upcoming week I am going to work on defining my New Years Resolutions and gear up for a New Year filled with lots of blessings good health, and happiness!

This is also my wish for all my friends and family in 2009! There will be more to come as I hash out my New Year plan of action!

OK I think I may need to call my blog ArtzeeChris' Monthly Musings

I think I need to work on journaling on a regular basis more often, it seems like time slips away so quickly and before you know it a month has gone by.

This weekend is our big Cat show weekend. Jasper is entered in the Annual Tonkinese Cat Show and Exhibit at the Fairgrounds. He's entered in the household cat category and the cat agility competition. I think it should be fun. Liam is very excited about participating, so hopefully this will be a sucessful and fun weekend for him as well.

I'm going to try to get my video camera working so I can post some video of Liam with Jasper in the cat agility competition. It should definately be interesting to say the least.

I will update more over the weekend as the show unfolds... stay tuned.

My Picks for some of the Wildest and Weirdest Wedding Cakes Ever!

I was surfing around the other day and stumbled upon some very "interesting" wedding cakes to say the least. Now to be somewhat objective, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So hey if the folks who chose them had a good wedding, and are still happily married, then KUDOS to you! In the immortal words of that famous wedding song "The Hokey Pokey" "That's what it's all about!

Here are my top picks. If I can find a poll or voting tool, I will add it so you too can vote on your favorites as well. Enjoy these sweet treats!

A long time ago in a galaxy far away...

A bride and groom decided to have a Star Wars themed wedding and made a Death Star wedding cake. Now while admittedly a marvelously executed culinary work of art, It just seems a bit wrong going to the dark side to start off a new marriage. May the force be with the happy couple.

I have two thoughts swirling around in my head about this one,
Either the Bride and Groom were Entomologists or

they got married on Halloween and went along with the theme of the day! I personally think the scorpion topper just finishes it off perfectl

(On a side note, my parents did get married on Halloween, however not on purpose. They picked the date and did not think about it being Halloween. It was not until the kids started trick or treating at my grandparents house during the wedding reception that they realized it was Halloween. I think the kids got wedding cake for treats, which by the way was a "normal" wedding cake, I saw the pictures.

UMMMM........
Gomez and Morticia Adams look out!

Here's another macabre yet cute entry..

Maybe this was Tim Burton's wedding cake, or one maybe one of his animators who worked on the Corpse Bride got married and went with the movie theme. I actually kinda like this one, in a cute scary sort of way. The Topsy Turvy design is very creative and once again kudos to the baker's talent. It really is quite a lovely work of art.

This one is just very sad...

I hope the bride and groom got a refund on this one.
I definitely would NOT recommend this bakery!


Here's an idea for the bride on a budget...

I'll give this one an A for creativity

I just did not know that Hostess was in the wdding cake business, but I really can't say too much because I had my wedding cake done by a local doughnut company that really did expand into the wedding cake business. So hey, I love a good twinkie or Ho Ho just as much as the next guy

Wow, The folks at Balloonpalooza really outdid themselves on this one...

Who knew you could make Cinderella's carriage our of balloonsand aluminum foil? Add purple tulle and a champagne fountain underneath the stairstep tiered wedding cake and it must have been just like the real thing!I wonder if there was a little glass slipper on the stairs between the cake layers?

What can I say?

I guess the happy couple really liked to play Super Mario...

Baltimore Homeboy Michael Phelps Just got the First Gold Medal!

Whoo Hoo! Baltimore's own Michael Phelps is going for and already got his first Gold medal of the 2008 Beijing Olympics! It's was really great watching it live! It's just so weird to think that one of the world's best swimmer's of all time came right from our own back yard at the North Baltimore Aquatic Center http://www.nbac.net/main-tinfo.html.

The medal ceremony was nice too, but the Chinese need to work on getting the National Anthem Right. Somehow, they played the first part of the song twice and then the last 5 or so measures got cut off at the end. Not good, especially in front of the the US President but everyone there seemed to take it in stride. Luckily, it probably won't be the last time he gets to stand on the gold podium at Beijing.

Saying Goodbye to my Mother in Law...

If someone had told me two weeks ago today I would be attending my mother-in-law's memorial service, I would have said they were nuts, but life can change forever in an instant whether we are ready for it or not. This is exactly what happened on July 23rd, when my mother-in-law died very unexpectedly from an undiagnosed case of pulminary fibrosis. Her lungs started bleeding and her heart was just not strong enough. We had no idea that she was this gravely ill. I'm still in shock and can't believe she really is gone. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and this has all been a bad dream.

Unfortunately it's not, and we all have to find a way to carry on and keep moving forward. I know that we will be able to do just that but it's still not easy. I also know that only time will heal the shock and pain we all are feeling. I will definately miss her very much.

MIA for While...

I can't believe how fast time scoots by and weeks and months have passed by before you realize it. It's already halfway through the summer, Bill has been at his new job for 2 weeks exactly, and the boys are well into their camp programs. I have been doing some canning and preserving this week. I found wild red raspberries along a local creek I just found, and Liam and I picked enough raspberries to make 20 half pints of preserves. I also did canned tomatos, tomato sauce, and pepper jelly. When the blackberries come in about a week from now, I'm gonna do some more preseves. There's alot going on getting Liam into his new Kennedy Krieger program, and it sounds like it will be starting soon. YEA!. I've got to get Liam's Sheppard Pratt reports to DDA tomorrow and hopefully we will be able to get more services for both boys. Maybe some rolling access funds as well.

I hope to do better keeping up here but my keyboard is really acting sticky and it's taking a long time to type. I think maybe I need to shut down and restart to see if things move faster.

48 Ways to Reduce Stress

1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
   
3. Don?t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. ("The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory." - Old Chinese Proverb)
   
4. Do nothing which, after being done, leads you to tell a lie.
   Make duplicates of all keys.
5. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden and carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.
   
6. Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home, and relationships will be less likely to break down/fall apart "at the worst possible moment."
   
7. Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
   Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.
   
8. Plan ahead. Don't let the gas tank get below one-quarter full; keep a well-stocked "emergency shelf" of home staples; don?t wait until you?re down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more; etc.
   
9. Don't put up with something that doesn?t work right. If your alarm clock, wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers ? whatever ? are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.
   
10. Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.
    
11. Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.
    
12. Always set up contingency plans, "just in case." ("If for some reason either of us is delayed, here?s what we?ll do?" kind of thing. Or, "If we get split up in the shopping center, here?s where we?ll meet.")
    
13. Relax your standards. The world will not end if the grass doesn?t get mowed this weekend.
    
14. Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count ?em!
    
15. Ask questions. Taking a few moments to repeat back directions, what someone expects of you, etc., can save hours. (The old "the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get, " idea.)
    
16. Say "No!" Saying "no" to extra projects, social activities, and invitations you know you don?t have the time or energy for takes practice, self-respect, and a belief that everyone, everyday, needs quiet time to relax and be alone.
    
17. Unplug your phone. Want to take a long bath, meditate, sleep, or read without interruption? Drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect. (The possibility of there being a terrible emergency in the next hour or so is almost nil.) Or use an answering machine.
    
18. Turn "needs" into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water, and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don?t get attached to preferences.
    Simplify, simplify, simplify?
    
19. Make friends with nonworriers. Nothing can get you into the habit of worrying faster than associating with chronic worrywarts.
    
20. Get up and stretch periodically if your job requires that you sit for extended periods.
    
21. Wear earplugs. If you need to find quiet at home, pop in some earplugs.
    Get enough sleep. If necessary, use an alarm clock to remind you to go to bed.
    
22. Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you always know exactly where things are. Put things away where they belong and you won?t have to go through the stress of losing things.
    
23. When feeling stressed, most people tend to breathe in short, shallow breaths. When you breathe like this, stale air is not expelled, oxidation of the tissues is incomplete, and muscle tension frequently results. Check your breathing throughout the day, and before, during, and after high-pressure situations. If you find your stomach muscles are knotted and your breathing is shallow, relax all your muscles and take several deep, slow breaths. Note how, when you?re relaxed, both your abdomen and chest expand when you breathe.
    
24. Writing your thoughts and feelings down (in a journal, or on paper to be thrown away) can help you clarify things and can give you a renewed perspective.
    
25. Try the following yoga technique whenever you feel the need to relax. Inhale deeply through you nose to the count of eight. Then, with lips puckered, exhale very slowly through your mouth to the count of 16, or for as long as you can. Concentrate on the long sighing sound and feel the tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.
    I
26. noculate yourself against a feared event. Example: before speaking in public, take time to go over every part of the experience in your mind. Imagine what you?ll wear, what the audience will look like, how you will present your talk, what the questions will be and how you will answer them, etc. Visualize the experience the way you would have it be. You?ll likely find that when the time comes to make the actual presentation, it will be "old hat" and much of your anxiety will have fled.
    
27. When the stress of having to get a job done gets in the way of getting the job done, diversion ? a voluntary change in activity and/or environment ? may be just what you need.
    
28. Talk it out. Discussing your problems with a trusted friend can help clear your mind of confusion so you can concentrate on problem solving.
    
29. One of the most obvious ways to avoid unnecessary stress is to select an environment (work, home, leisure) which is in line with your personal needs and desires. If you hate desk jobs, don?t accept a job which requires that you sit at a desk all day. If you hate to talk politics, don?t associate with people who love to talk politics, etc.
    
30. Learn to live one day at a time.
    
31. Every day, do something you really enjoy.
    
32. Add an ounce of love to everything you do.
    
33. Take a hot bath or shower (or a cool one in summertime) to relieve tension.
    
34. Do something for somebody else.
    
35. Focus on understanding rather than on being understood; on loving rather than on being loved.
    
36. Do something that will improve your appearance. Looking better can help you feel better.
    
37. Schedule a realistic day. Avoid the tendency to schedule back-to-back appointments; allow time between appointments for a breathing spell.
    
38. Become more flexible. Some things are worth not doing perfectly and some issues are well to compromise upon.
    
39. Eliminate destructive self-talk: "I'm too old to?," "I'm too fat to?," etc.
    
40. Use your weekend time for a change of pace. If you work week is slow and patterned, make sure there is action and time for spontaneity built into your weekends. If your work week is fast-paced and full of people and deadlines, seek peace and solitude during your days off. Feel as if you aren?t accomplishing anything at work? Tackle a job on the weekend which you can finish to your satisfaction.
    
41. Worry about the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." That?s another way of saying: take care of the todays as best you can and the yesterdays and the tomorrows will take care of themselves.
    
42. Do one thing at a time. When you are with someone, be with that person and with no one or nothing else. When you are busy with a project, concentrate on doing that project and forget about everything else you have to do.
    
43. Allow yourself time ? everyday ? for privacy, quiet, and introspection.
    If an especially unpleasant task faces you, do it early in the day and get it over with; then the rest of your day will be free of anxiety.
    
44. Learn to delegate responsibility to capable others.
45. Don't forget to take a lunch break. Try to get away from your desk or work area in body and mind, even if it?s just for 15 or 20 minutes.
    
46. Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1,000 before doing something or saying anything that could make matters worse.
    
47. Have a forgiving view of events and people. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world.
    
48. Have an optimistic view of the world. Believe that most people are doing the best they can.