Krishelle Kate Bell

This is my new neice Krishelle Kate Bell! She was born on November 17. She is sooo cute!! Her sisters and brother can't keep their hands off of her. They are always asking if they can "pet" baby Kate.

An Opportunity to Help Around the Holidays...

I got this forward from my mom and wanted to help spread the word...

From my Mom:
"Hey, everyone - if you can send this message on to all your friends and family ... it will help get the word out. Please post it on Facebook or your Blogs - I would really appreciate it. There is a great need and we love this family. xo Cathie"

From some Close Friends:
"Hey Everyone, As you know, our family has had a long battle with breast cancer. Thankfully, we are doing well, but financially it's taken its toll. Thanks to my sisters in law, we received an offer we couldn't refuse."

"On December 11th at 7:00pm we're having a Christmas benefit concert with performer, John Canaan http://www.johncanaan.com/ at Bingham High School in south Jordan. He has been kind enough to donate his time and talent. He is AMAZING personally & professionally!! Proceeds will go to paying off our medical bills and 10% will go to The Susan G. Komen Foundation. We'd love to have you attend!"

"You can buy tickets on-line at http://aseasonforhope.blogspot.com/ We appreciate your support more than you'll ever know. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone else who may be interested."

Check out the link to the blog above for more information about their situation. Tickets are just $10. Please come if you can!

Help! I'm a hoarder!

Several months ago Eli and I were over at my parents and my mom asked us if we would like to watch an episode of Oprah that she had recorded on her DVR. I normally HATE Oprah but the epoisode she had recorded sounded very interesting. It was all about this lady and her husband who had a hoarding problem. I had never realized this was a problem for some people until I saw this show. They owned a 3000 square foot house and every room was completely packed with junk. In every room there was stuff piled to the ceiling and a narrow walkway so you could walk from one end of the room to the other. The bedroom was covered floor to ceiling with clothes. Even the bed was covered in clothes. Only one person could sleep in it while the other slept on a pile of clothing on the floor. It took a group of 100 people 8 weeks to dejunk their house! They ended with 75 tons of garbage that needed to be hauled away.

They also filled a 10,000 square foot wharehouse with stuff and had a garage sale.

One part that really stood out to me was the 3000 pairs of shoes they were selling right next to 3000 purses (no eli...I don't have anywhere near 3000 purses (just 115) or pairs of shoes!)

I of course became convinced that I am a hoarder! My house looks nothing like the one I saw on Oprah...not even close, in fact I am pretty organized. But...I definitely hold on to things for much longer than I should. I have been so worried about becoming a hoarder that I have been dejunking things non stop for about a year. This last week I was working on my closet for the 10th time. I have to keep going back through it because I have a really hard time getting rid of things. While going through it this time I realized how stupid it is to keep things you don't use, wear or need. I found myself saying "I can't get rid of this...it's the shirt I was wearing when that guy winked at me at the mall." or "I can't get rid of these shoes. They were $100. Even if I never wear them cause they hurt my feet." or "I can't get rid of this Dolce and Gabana knockoff even if it is falling apart...I bought it in China for $7." It's so rediculous! Why do I feel the need to keep things that I have no use for?? I did however get rid of 9 pairs of shoes (the rest are on probation and auditioning for a place in my closet)!

In the end I did do a great job in my closet and got rid of A LOT of clothes! My closet looks so nice now, I just can't believe the difference. But I am sure I will be going through it again soon...to get rid of the things I just couldn't part with this time! So, if any of you are available, I need help!!! It's a lot easier if you have a buddy telling you to chuck something!

P.S. I went to the Oprah website the other day and took the "Are you a hoarder" quiz and my results state that I am very far from one! Thank heavens!!

Stalking

I know I just posted really recently so hopefully you have had a chance to look at my last post. ;) I came across a new gadget you can add to your blog. You will see it at the left side of my blog. It's a list of all my stalkers...or people who follow my blog. I thought it was fun cause I always like to know who's reading. So...if you would like to be known as a stalker, just click where it says follow this blog and sure enough your picture will pop up under that heading!

Don't worry...for those of you who like to follow my sad pathetic life, I am working on another post as you read this!

I Need A Break!!

I have been feeling like I need a vacation, and I learned how to do a slideshow (thanks Amanda), so I posted a slideshow below from Costa Rica since I never posted these pics. Hope you like it!

The End of An Era...

" Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown."

Today has been a sad and interesting day. I have worked for the same company for almost 10 years. It has been a great company where I have learned a lot and met a lot of GREAT people. It has been a company I believe in and have been proud to work for. It has been a great experience and a wonderful 10 years that has definitely prepared me for the next chapter in my life. I have put a lot of hard work into this company and done my best to be successful. It hasn't been just a job, but a career. I have learned a lot about the economy, stock, coaching for results, selling products and services, creating strategies that lead to success, leading staff for results, working as a team to achieve a goal, and much more.

As the nation has been going through these tough times, my company has been affected greatly. So much so that it was announced tonight that we have been sold to another large company. While this news does make me very sad, because this company I have loved and worked so hard for will be changing, I am confident that all options were weighed before making this decision. I believe that what has been decided will be the best for our employees, our customers and our company. We will be a bigger and stronger company and work together to be very successful. One big thing I have learned that will help me now is to anticipate change and work through it because "Change is the only constant."

Though I may be sad at the end of this era, I am optimistic and excited to see where this road takes me.

I've Been Tagged!

3 Joys:

Visiting far away places.
Spending time with friends and family.
Sewing.

3 Fears:

SNAKES!!! (even though I am fascinated with them! It's like a train wreck!)
Losing my passport!
Waking up late for work...I check my alarm clock about 70 times before I go to bed!

3 Goals:

Save money
Get my craft room cleaned out and set up.
Diet!

3 Current Obsessions:

Facebook...I'm pathetic.
One Tree Hill...even more pathetic.
iTunes...finding and downloading new music.

3 Random or surprising facts:

I have blue streak extensions in my hair right now and I LOVE them!!
I have over 100 purses in my closet...I guess you could say that's another obsession of mine.
I have a collection of Russian Nesting Dolls...my mom and I got hooked on them and bought a whole bunch on Ebay...strange I know but they are really cute!!

OK...I tag Melinda, Krisanda, and Patience! Have fun girls!