why Facebook (occasionally) makes my skin crawl

I feel I should elaborate on a Facebook status that I posted yesterday as it left a few questions unanswered.

The status was this:

"oh facebook. sometimes the glimpse I get into others' lives just isn't what I want to see. nobody enjoys a bragger. nobody enjoys a conceited soul. think about what you're putting out there, people. it's not always flattering. sigh."

This could be interpreted a million different ways. We all know that people drive people crazy. We all have "friends" that over-share their personal family matters, beg for pity and attention, 'check-in' everywhere they go six times a day seven days a week, complain about health issues etc. We can't love everything about everyone. By choosing (or feeling obligated) to become "friends" with a person you are potentially stepping on a beehive. We may not realize this at the time of the initial high-five but we might learn a different side of someone that we thought we knew. A truly unflattering side.

For me, my issue is mostly with show-offs. I don't understand the concept of trying so hard to make people envy you. Most people know better than to envy anyone. The front you put up is most certainly masking things you are unhappy with. The perfect picture these types attempt to paint is already soiled by the fact that we usually know their real lives. You say you're a hotshot at your job but we know your title. You brag about your new car but you leave out the fact that your parents bought it for you. You may think you're celeb status because you go on five trips a year but you don't brag about charging those trips and spiraling into debt.

Don't get me wrong - this isn't always the case. Plenty of my friends are hard-working, good people who are responsible and deserving of everything they have. Most of my friends are awesome. Show pictures of your degree - you worked hard for it! Just don't post something like, "If you don't have one of these you are just a slacker." That's not nice. Show your excitement for your upcoming trip - you deserve a break! Just don't post something saying, "Off to Belize tomorrow, you wish you had my life!" That's just annoying.

Post pictures and videos of your beautiful children. Post before and after pictures of your weight loss. Promote your new business. Be proud. Just don't pretend to be something you aren't. And (most importantly) don't act like you are better than anyone. Be happy in your life with where you are and what you have without having to shove it in the faces of people who aren't interested. I hate writing this because it sounds like I am bitter and envious - but it's not that at all. It's an enormous distaste for bullshit that I have. I see through those thin veils - I'm no gullible gert. There is a part of me that wants to expose these frauds time and time again. Instead I sit back and watch as people buy into it. I bite my lip. It has nothing to do with me, it shouldn't bother me. But I'm not perfect by any means - things piss me off. This is just one of them. 

Feel free to share your biggest Facebook pet peeves in a comment.

Eye can't wait

So I went to the eye doctor the other day, finally, after almost five years. I figured I didn't need yearly exams since I haven't been steadily working on a computer all day long like I had in the past. Wrong-o.

Lately I've been getting daily headaches and having spells of dizziness. I've also been fighting a sinus infection or some form of allergies for over a month. Not being sure which could be causing the headaches and dizziness I decided to make an appointment to get my eyes checked.


The office is located in an oddly shaped building set back in an awkward parking lot. The inside is semi-time-warpy - think: super old wallpaper adorned with the latest ads for Prada eye-fashion. There is a woman who speaks too loud for the small environment in an over-the-top-overly-friendly-aiming-to-please manner. No music was playing. No television. You could've heard a termite picking his teeth. After waiting half an hour to be seen I headed to the 'puff of air' contraption. Familiar with that? It's the one where you rest your chin on a little shelf and stare into a red dot until air blasts you in the eyeball. It's so unnerving waiting for that puff. After that came a peripheral vision test which I'd never had before. It was another case of staring at a dot but clicking a button each time a flash of light appeared anywhere in sight. Interesting. Then came the doctor.

My eye doctor is awesome. He's so friendly and talkative and inquisitive and informative. Great guy. I had all of my regular tests and then some. I find it fascinating how they can pinpoint your prescription. I lovvvvvvvvve the final moments of an eye exam. The narrowing down of what's blurred vs clear and the final TA DAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I sighed when I saw with new 'eyes'. He laughed. It really is like getting new eyes. So cool. Even though I have great vision and can pick up the teeniest tiniest details (so says the doc) he is amazed at how hard a time my eyes have focusing. I have ultra sensitive eyes and going from looking at my phone to looking at a television to looking at a magazine strains the crap out of them. It feels like they are rolling around - like those guys who get punched in cartoons.

Even though I'm pretty sure my headaches and dizziness are sinus-related, I cannot wait to pick up my new glasses next week - I have extremely high hopes. I can't wait to SEE the difference. HA! Cornball Jones signing off.

tell them...

Saturday morning I was sipping my coffee and catching up on emails and Facebook like any other day. Sitting in my inbox was something so simple yet so inspirational I've decided to share it here.

"Morning!!!
I just wanted to say that I adore you! Your spirit for the holidays and your photos make me feel good! Your lil girl is lucky to have u as her mama and all that u are doing is going to stick with her! I love seeing all the decorations cause it makes me nostalgic and I just love it and she will too now and when she's older. I know this message is out of left field but I'm a believer of telling people how u feel when u feel it. Not enough people do that."

Doesn't that just make you smile? I was so flattered and grateful and happy and proud and just absolutely shocked after reading this note. It comes from a friend of mine who I've only met a couple of times about five or six years ago. We've learned much about each other over the years based on our Facebook persona. Granted, you only get a glimpse into a person's life when you're dealing with social media. We offer what we choose to display, we hide what we wish to conceal. But I like what I know of her. She is a wonderful person, beautiful inside and out. And reading that note I've now learned that she likes what she knows of me. And the important point I'm trying to make is that she took the time to tell me.

I'm truly inspired. What a simple concept. You think something lovely about someone - so you tell them. I mean, does it get any less complicated than that? I think lovely things about people all the time, I think those things and most of the time I move on. Going forward I will take a few seconds to spread the goodness. I want to make people feel happy for no reason. This note was so out of the blue, it caught me by such surprise. I don't think we should be so surprised by pleasantries. I wish for it to become commonplace. Let's work on that, shall we?

Tell people how you feel. If you admire something about a friend, tell them. They have no idea what you are thinking about them. Give them that boost. I'm sure they deserve it and I'm sure they'll be so grateful that you took time out of your life to simply pay them a compliment. Do it. Pass it along and let it spread like wildfire.    

   

It's JUST a headband, get over yourself

I am at a loss.

Truly.

I have never in my life heard of a child refusing to dress up for Halloween. I know all about the "terrible twos" (and "heinous threes" I've recently learned of) but even in the most ridiculous of tantrum stories I don't ever recall hearing that the idea of dressing up to get candy was cause for a meltdown.

This kid is a rare breed. She is newly two. She is very strong willed, stubborn, bold, what have you. She's a gal who knows what she wants... and what she doesn't. I'm happy with that on a normal basis, it's nice that she's so aware of her ability to control certain aspects of her life. It's a daily struggle, no doubt, but it's a positive one (or so I think). However, over the past few weeks I've been teaching Scarlett about having fun on Halloween. After reading books and watching little cartoons to help prove my point she finally seemed on board with wearing a costume. She began telling strangers that she was going to be Mickey. News to me. I was ecstatic to create my little Punky Brewster - oh well. So I semi-willingly hunted around for a Mickey Mouse costume. Since it's kind of last minute, I came up short.

I know that there is a 97% chance that Scarlett will refuse her costume. Rather than spending a fortune ordering some elaborate plush nightmare online I decided to throw something together from her closet that we can use in a pinch if she changes her mind. Oh, that's right, it's pretty lame. But let's face it - the mouse isn't exactly a complex character - a little red, a little black (sounds like my high school nights) and some ears. Presto.

There it is. In all its homemade glory. To my surprise, Scarlett was very excited when she saw this monstrosity. I thought WOW! She's actually going to wear this! Yeah, no. She's not. After several horrifying attempts to put these simple items (pants, socks and a jacket) on her - I decided we will wait until next year to have Halloween fun. You cannot even imagine the fireworks when I bring that headband within seven feet of her. It's absolutely mind-blowing.

So... I've dismantled the pieces, put them back in her drawers and let the topic drop. Everyday Scarlett insists that she wants to wear a costume. I call bullshit.

I can't press the issue because it's really not a big deal. So she doesn't want to look like something she's not (for an hour). She doesn't need bags of candy - if she wanted candy she'd have sat on her potty chair by now. I'm learning to pick my battles. It is so not worth seeing her through another tantrum just to TRY to put a headband on her thick little head. So here's my solution...

Happy Halloween 2013!!!

Society6 promo

You may have noticed my shameless Society6 store "plug" in my sidebar. I've come to realize that it is VERY hard to gain exposure on the site. Without constant post-sharing and self-promotion it's next to impossible. And even WITH those things, it's next to impossible.

So, here is my shameless blog post promoting some of my designs for sale. I have to say many of the items offered really look great with most designs. Cell phone, laptop and iPad cases, stationary, pillows and tote bags - all really decent! I hope you'll take a look. And if you don't enjoy MY work please scope out other artists because you cannot IMAGINE the talent on this website. It's bananas.

Here are some of my designs... CLICK HERE to visit my store

These are "the shes and Autumn" ... She gazes, She sits, She loves, Autumn, She sings and She shops. While I enjoy them all as prints they also make pretty cute pillows and stationary.

These are some of my pillows. The skeleton key pattern is hands down my favorite. The anchors look pretty nice on the iPad and phone case as well. 

And these are just some random others - I love the "grumpy owl" tote and both versions of "Hanging the Stars" - partial to pastel of course. "Winter Window" was a hit in my old etsy shop so I thought I'd include it here, it makes a nice looking pillow.

I hope you like what you see and revisit my shop often for newbies. Please feel free to pass this along to anyone who may enjoy it. Thanks!

Blog template woes ...

For anyone who actually notices that I change my stupid background and header and all the little doo-dad images and junk on a regular basis - rest easy, I think I'm done for a bit. It is truly a pain in the ass and it drives me insane. It's all because I really don't like what I put up - but after spending too many hours on it I have to leave it. When I get a few more hours to spare, I destroy the old version and make a new one. A new one that I normally hate just the same. This goes on for days and sometimes weeks and months until I finally find a decent fit. The fact that I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who notices it makes it all the more excruciating.

Today I am happy with it. I am liking the uncluttered "clean" look, simple two-color combo, plain enough header, easy fonts, and so on.

We'll see how long this lasts.

taking advantage of October

I wait all year long for weather like we have today. It's CHILLY. With a cloudy sky to make it feel even chillier. I took advantage of my free morning by packing up the car (with simply a tote bag and big pink ball) and heading to the park. I can't tell you how happy I am that I made that decision. 

Clad in our jeans, sneakers and hoodies, Scarlett and I had a ball...

We ran, we raced, we kicked that big pink ball, we searched for acorns, we chased squirrels, we threw leaves, we took a walk - we savored our morning together, for certain. While I still had my phone in hand to capture these moments in photos - I finally felt "disconnected" for a bit. I heard the tweeting text alerts but I didn't answer them. I was more focused on the sound and smell of crisp leaves, the chilly breeze fighting to enter my sleeves, the colors all around us and most importantly - my daughter's smile. The clarity of the pictures may not be the greatest but the memory behind each of them is priceless. Forever grateful for this day.  

get it out of here!!

As I sit here on my couch (because my recliner is nearly nine years old and finally so busted that it actually hurts my ass to sit in it) I am looking at my home in a different way. So used to seeing the rooms from a different angle I'm now horrified at what is staring me in the face on 'the other side'. Mainly the hideously ornate glass and brass embellished ceiling fan hanging over the dining room. Holy mackerel. I mean, I've hated it from day one but seeing it from this seat makes me loathe it on a entirely new level. Talk about an eyesore. I might as well have a Rosie O'Donnell wax dummy hanging in the center of the room. Not to mention I can't remember the last time I washed those glass globes or whatever they're called. Vomit city. I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate it. Among this monstrosity are cute ghost and pumpkin decorations, a thriving spider plant on a pedestal, my favorite piece of furniture - a hand-carved jelly cabinet adorned with chili peppers, three framed artworks from my sweet Scarlett and a clean, clutter-free space. I want that tacky misfit OUT!

I guess we will add that to the list of ceiling fans we need to buy for this house.

1. The kitchen replacement. Two of the lights on that one have blown out in haunting ways making me believe that the wiring is dangerous and we need to get it the hell out of there.

2. Scarlett's room replacement. I don't know who the frig designed that fan but it was clearly made for a high school locker. It is tiny. We can never tell if it's on low or high or off. Friggin thing is useless.

3. Playroom/office replacement. See number two.

4. Dining room atrocity.

There, I've added it. We will officially be replacing that ugly beast. One by one we'll be cooling our brow in style. Oh, it's probably gonna be a while but I've noted it and that's the important thing.
(Now accepting Lowe's gift cards).