Today, I am Thankful for: Pilates

Ho-leeee-coooowww. I'm in pain. But a good pain. A pain that is rightfully earned with sweat (thankfully no blood, or tears... but close!).

I started doing Pilates earlier this year. A wonderful friend of mine, Kristen Routh, teaches the class. Kristen and I go way back. She was literally my first friend at CLU. We were paired up in an activity in our Peer Group over oritentation weekend and have been friends ever since. We had so much in common - Sports Med majors (hence our peer group pairing), dancers at heart, sarcastic sense of humor, dog lovers... the list goes on. She's great...

BUT. (There is always a but) She is a tough cookie. Man-alive, she is a buff woman. Strongest girl I know. Honest to God. Seriously - she has this quiet nature about her, but I would NEVER want to make her mad. She kicks my butt every week without ever touching me. I don't want to know what her punch would feel like!!!

And her class is as tough as she is. My best girl, Miranda, came with me to class tonight, and she agrees - this isn't just Pilates. This is ass-kicking, body molding, strength building, craziness! And, that being said, we are so thankful!

As a child/teenager, I was THAT girl - the athletic/dancer/gymnast/skinny girl who could eat anything. Sorry if you hate me now. But I was active. I ran around like a crazy person, so what I ate never mattered. And the metabolism was higher than you ever want to know (even actually dangerously high.) While I'm still "skinny-mini," I finally have the ability to gain weight, the metabolism isn't quite as high, and I'm no where near as active. So if I want to stay that girl that you all love to hate (which, honestly, I do!) then I've got to do SOMETHING. And let's get real - skinny doesn't = Fit. I am SUCH A WUSS!!! I can't lift anything. I can't run long distances. I am asthmatic. I am so not fit. So pilates keeps me active, and is helping be build strength. I did push-ups! 5 REAL push-ups in a row, no giving up or giving in. I've NEVER done that before. And while that is no big deal for so many peope out there, it's HUGE for me. So I'm making progress and I'm thankful for that.

So I'm thankful for the sweat. I'm thankful for the newfound strength. I'm thankful for the chance to be active. And I'm thankful to have a little friendly competition with Miranda (thanks for being such an awesome pilates partner!) and for a chance to see my good friend Kristen on a regular basis. I'm Thankful for Pilates.

-Jen

Today, I am Thankful for: Rolly Chairs, Blokus, And Glee!

Gah!!!! I've missed 2 days!!! Sorry people, time just got away from me.

Ok, to make up for it, here was Monday's Thankful Item: Rolly Chairs.

Yup - you heard me. Office chairs that have wheels on the bottom of them so you can roll. Gotta tell ya - LIFE SAVERS in my office. My boss's desk is about 15 feet from me. Close enough to talk, but not close enough to throw things safely, or see her computer screen. So... when I need to be about 3 feet from her (about 8-10 times a day) I roll.

Oh - and I have not 1, but 2 desks. Have I ever mentioned that? Yea - computer desk is the main one, about about 6 feet to my right is my second desk, where I do all of our office shipping and catalog "stuff." This second desk holds a good 20% of my day! So, I roll.

Rolly chairs - the vehicle of the modern office. That's how I roll. And I'm Thankful. ;-)


Tuesday's Thankful Item: Blokus.

If you have never played this game (or even heard of it), DUDE. It is an awesome game. It's a puzzle, and looks like Tetris, but slightly different. It is seriously HOURS of fun for me and Anthony, and last night - we picked up the "Travel" version for our trip to Reno for Thanksgiving. It's so cool! We played it last night before we went to bed, just to make sure all the pieces were there. (And to anyone who's played with our normal size set - the blue "one piece" actually came with this one! Woot!).

Blokus makes me think. It makes me strategize. And I CAN BEAT ANTHONY AT IT!!! I am so thankful for the fun it brings to our home.

And Today's Thankful Item: Glee.

If you aren't a Glee fan... well, then we simply can't be friends anymore. ;-) Just kidding. But seriously - BEST.SHOW.EVER. But the best part for me isn't that the show litterally mirrors my life in High School, or that there is FINALLY a "HSM" for adults, or that this craze of singing kids is sweeping the nation. Nope - the best part for me is that Alyse, my sister, comes over to our house to watch it with us. Every week. Without fail. I get my time with her, diving into a world we've been a part of for sooooooooo long and is finally COOL!!! We are at home with this show, and we get silly and excited when it comes on. (Like when we litterally SCREAMED out loud when Emma sang for the first time! AND she sang "Could Have Danced All Night" from my fair lady. I mean, is there a better song out there for her? I think not!)

So I'm thankful for the show, and how happy it makes me. But most of all I'm thankful for one more thing my sister and I have in common and can share. Because my time with her is priceless.

-Jen

Today, I am Thankful for: Pasta

Blog #4:

Oh Pasta - How I love thee. Let me count the ways!

Dude. I. LOVE. PASTA. I have since I was a kid - a kid small enough to truly think it was really called "noodles." And the finicky eater in me has changed so little since then. I wouldn't touch pasta unless it had butter on it. LOTS of butter. ONLY butter. And then, as my iron deficiency reared its ugly head in my pre-teen years, it was butter and salt only! No red sauce. No cheese. No veggies. No meat. (Yup - you heard me. No meat!)

My favorite dinner of all time was steak and pasta. But not just any steak and pasta. No. No. No. It was specifically Steak and Pasta made by my Teca (Grandma on my dad's side.) Man oh man. She DRENCHED the pasta in butter. And she cooked the steak JUST right. (which is probably why my dad does steak so well). And she never argued about my sister and I wanting NOTHING to do with veggies. It was a special dinner we got throughout my childhood, and I'd give anything to have one more. Sadly, Teca left this world in 2002 and I've had to find other ways to like my pasta since.

In college, I discovered a love for Parmesan Cheese. Salty Cheese???? Yes please!!! And now, my pasta has evolved from "plain butter" to "Pasta with Butter, Salt, Parmesan, and the occasional helping of grilled chicken." I've also conceeded occasionally to have my pasta with a meat sauce - of course there needs to be very little sauce and A LOT of meat, still covered in parmesan, but still - I'll eat it. But I just love pasta. After all this time. And it is so easy to make. Truth be told, it is the first thing I ever learned to cook.

So, as I eat my curly-q pasta with butter, salt, and parmesan, I am thankful for so many reasons. I'm Thankful for the memories I have of Teca in my childhood. They were great times. I am thankful that, no matter where I am or what I am doing, pasta is always an easy fix to my eating issues. And I am thankful that there is a comfort food that makes me so happy all the time. So yea - I'm Thankful for Pasta.

-Jen

Today, I am Thankful for: Weddings

Bolg #3:

Anthony and I just got home from a wedding. Through facebook, I have reconnected with an old friend from High School. Her name is Danica and she got married today! (Shout out, and congrats to her and Rob!)

Danica and Rob are Mormon and got married in a Temple this morning, which Anthony and I could not attend (although I really would love to see the inside of a Mormon Temple someday - I hear they are just beautiful.). Anthony and I went to the reception this evening. Gotta say - it was beautiful. They went with fall colors - browns and oranges - with accents of a lime green. It was a great combo! And there were little silk leaves on the tables too! And the room was draped with a white cloth coming from the center of the room where 3 huge paper lanterns were lit. It was just lovely. And you could tell that Danica and Rob were happy, too. She looked gorgeous! Like a princess.

I couldn't be happier for my old friend. And, of course, I couldn't help but think back to my own wedding, just 4 months ago. It was everything I wanted - My Hunter Green colors, the dress that made me feel like a princess, decorations that fit my personality, and our family and friends by our sides. It was a wonderful day I will never forget. And I'm so Thankful that it turned out the way it did.

So many people worked really hard to help me and Anthony have our special day. Mostly our parents and our bridal party. And it went off without a hitch because I had so many people looking out for me. I remember only good things from that day.

So I am thankful for weddings. I am thankful that Danica found her Prince Charming and had her happy day. And I am Thankful for the people in my life that made my own wedding possible and so spectacular. I'm one lucky girl.

-Jen

Today, I am Thankful for: RootBeer

Bloggy Blog #2:

Jen Confession #8 - I'm addicted to caffeine. And not just caffeine. But caffeine in the form of Soda. Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper... I can't help myself! I love soda!

But, as we all know, caffeine is not a good thing to be addicted to. So I've worked very hard over the last month or so, and gotten myself down to 1 (count it - ONE) cup/can of caffeinated soda per day. And some days I've totally gone without. (Truth be told - having piggy flu for two weeks didn't hurt the effort! I was on water and juice the whole time!)

I'm super proud of my accomplishment and anyone who has known me for any reasonable amount of time knows what a feat this is. But I will tell you that I get easily bored of water, apple juice, and lemonade.

This afternoon, it hit me - that 3pm lull where I might actually fall asleep with my eyes open at my desk. I had little choice - so I walked over to "Merlin's," a little deli about 5 doors down from Charming, and had my first soda since Tuesday. Ahh. Blissful caffeine rush. It got me through the rest of my day, for sure. But, that meant no more soda for today. And that sucked because I had intended to have a soda with dinner. And it was a huge dissapointment to replace it with propell water. So for the rest of the night I was craving a soda. Of any kind. Oh well. Had to deal. So I went the evening without my much desired beverage.

And then!!! Anthony to the rescue!!! We were out and about and he reminded me that most RootBeers don't have any caffeine! So, while we were out and about, he walked me over to Bristol Farms to get one. But they were closed. Boo. So he drove me to the McDonalds down the street. Ummmmm.... when did McDonalds stop serving RootBeer? Boo. So he drove me to Rite-Aid. And once again! Foiled! No RootBeer!!! So Anthony drove me to Ralphs (in the same parking lot) and FINALLY!!! We found Mugs RootBeer in the refrigerated section. It was wonderful! I had my soda, and didn't break my rule about "no more than one can of caffeine!" So cool.

So, that is a long winded way of saying I am Thankful for RootBeer. Oh - and one amazing husband. ;-)

-Jen

Today, I am Thankful for: Charming Pet Products

Bloggy-blog #1 of my "I am Thankful" Series.

Today, I am thankful for "Charming Pet Products." This is the company I work for. And I'm thankful for them for a myriad of reasons. First of which is: I HAVE A JOB!! I was laid off from Stanford in April, and finding work in this economy was no easy feat! But Charming (as we call it) has embraced me with open arms... and a much needed pay check.

So, yes. I'm thankful to have a job at all. I know not everyone around me is so lucky. And while I could easily complain trivial things like my pay is lower than I'm accustomed, or the work isn't part of my desired field, or whatever else there possibly is to complain about (can't be much I only came up with 2!), why would I? I have a job. I'm thankful.

But I am duly thankful for the job in-and-of-itself. I am thankful that I am busy most of the day. I am thankful that I believe in the company and our products. I am thankful that it is a relaxed setting (as I sit here in Jeans and a T-shirt). And I am super thankful that the hours are flexible. For example. Just a few weeks ago, a friend needed a mid-day lift to the airport. My boss said, "come in an hour early and take a 2 hour lunch. Help your friend." Easy peasy.

I am thankful that I get to bring my dog to work! Pup, bless him, is such a fickle little guy. Being alone ALL DAY upsets him - and then we get things like torn up bathroom trash or knocked over tray tables or "gifts" of the most unpleasant kind when we get home. So I am SO THANKFUL that I get to bring the little mooch...er... I mean pooch to work with me every morning. He gets a car ride that he cherishes, he gets exercise when Henry (the Boss's dog) chases him around the office, and he is only alone for 4 hours in the afternoon, which he can TOTALLY handle. Problems solved. So I am very thankful for that.

Ooooooo! And I'm Thankful that I work close enough to home that I get to go home for lunch with the Hubby pretty much daily! SUPER BONUS!

And most importantly, I am thankful for my bosses, Christine & Nick. They aren't just bosses, they are becoming friends. Not only do they treat me as an equal around here, but they share their lives (which, with two little ones is never boring!) with me, and let me share mine with them. I feel a certain amount of respect for the knowledge I bring to the table, and for the first time in a long time, I feel truly appreciated for the work I accomplish.

So, as I sit here at my Charming desk at the end of the day - noticing that both bosses have left for the day, leaving me to my own devices and trusting that it's all gotten done (which it has), that I really couldn't be more blessed with the job that finally said "Yes!" to me. I promise to not take it (or anything that goes along with it) for granted.

I am Thankful for Charming Pet Products. =)
-Jen

So many new toys!

Hi All!

Ok, so this blog is going to be a jumble of thoughts and craziness!

First off, CherryTree Threads is online!!! Check us out at CherryTreeThreads.etsy.com and take a look around. Right now I've only got 9 pieces of Jewelry up, but a few blankets, aprons, and a few "Holiday" items are in the works and should be up in the next few weeks. Great gift ideas here people!!!

Also - I want to know what you think! I need all the help and (constructive!) criticism I can get! So facebook me with feedback, or email me at cherrytreethreads@gmail.com

I also will do custom jobs! So if you are looking for something for yourself, or for a great gift for a friend/loved one, let me know! I'd love to work it out.

Onto the next thing - this blog is also a TEST RUN! My friend, Amy, pointed me in the direction of TwitterFeed.com (I stalked the info on twitter, Amy! Thanks!) Supposedly, if I set it up right, this blog should appear on my Facebook, and a URL to it should appear on my twitter. We'll see if I did it right.

If you aren't already following me on twitter - click "Follow Me on Twitter" off to the right hand side of the blog! CherryTree will have one soon. We'll update every time we add an item to the site.

Enough with business... On a more personal agenda - I have to apologize. I know several of you have been waiting patiently for the next installment of "The Cupcake Project." It is to be a replica of "Starry Night" in icing. Crazy, I know. Unfortunately, I must put the entire project on hold for a little bit. With the holidays coming, and us being the Newlyweds figuring out budgets and such, money is not something I can spend at will. And truth be told, cupcakes happen to be one of my more expensive hobbies. So sorry, but Starry Night won't happen until sometime after the New Year. Forgive me. I'll make it up to you. You can come eat the cupcakes when I finally do finish it. ;-)

In it's place, I've taken on a few other (much lower cost) ideas. First of which is a journey my Friend Miranda and I plan to take together and document. In an attempt to open up our creative brains, we are blindly following a book I bought a few months back called "Wreak this journal." It is a journal that tells you to do absolutely outrageous things to it, in it, around it, etc. in an effort to get you to be more creative. It is meant to be totally left up to our interpretations. So that will be fun to see, and interesting to learn what comes out of it. More on that soon.

Next, I took yet another idea from my friend Amy and modified it. Every Year she does a "December Daily" where she writes a short blog for every day of December. In the blog she covers everything from Holiday Traditions, to photo's of the season, to what she's doing with her family and friends in the Christmas Spirit! Looks like fun! But so as not to steal her thunder (just her wonderful ideas!) I'm starting now. And then, of course, the Theme will be "Thanksgiving." Everyday (starting today - right after I finish this blog) I am going to write a small blurb about something I am Thankful for. I'll do it right up to Thanksgiving day! Should be fun! Please feel free to also steal the idea. I'd love to hear all about what everyone around here is Thankful for this Holiday Season.

Lastly, I'm working on some blog ideas for December. The Holiday season is my favorite time of year - not just for the obvious reasons of cheer and good food - but for the togetherness. The events that surround the holidays that ensure I see people I wouldn't otherwise see, and the people I choose to spend my time with. The holiday season brings out the best in people and I love the festiveness of it all. So I'll be blogging about some of my favorite Holiday Traditions, as well as exploring some new ones! Should be a fun adventure.

Lots and lots to come from the bloggy-blog. Hope I can keep up!

Have a great day, everyone!
-Jen

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Sorry everyone! I've been super busy over the last 2 weeks and have ZERO time to blog. But I wanted you all to know I didn't fall off the face of the planet or anything. I have some great things to blog about very soon! Promise!

In the meantime, check out my newest gadget!!!
(Off to the right and down a little) ------------------------------------->
CherryTree Threads is officially being sold on Etsy.com:

• CherryTreeThreads.etsy.com

There is only one item on there right now (just figuring it all out!) But I hope to have several more items up before the week's end. And I make custom pieces!! So if you want something made especially for you, let me know! We'll get it done! You can email me with requests and pricing at cherrytreethreads@gmail.com.

Woot!
-Jen

CherryTree Threads

Alright - It's time to go public.

No, I don't have some big hairy secret or anything. I have an idea. Well, "We" (as in Anthony & I) have an idea. And that is to start my own run-from-home business. My "Arts & Crafts" have started to take over, and I've had several people (from friends to complete strangers) ask "How much?" for some of the things I make.

Most prominent of these items are the jewelry pieces I've made. Next are the blankets/quilts I've been making. The last item is a new venture, so we'll see how it goes - Anyone interested in really cute, really flirty aprons? The baker/party hostess in me loves the idea of having aprons that match my shoes. Hahaha.

I'm working on a website through showitsites.com (Thanks Bri and Sandy!!) and working on everything from a logo to a mission. I've got a lot of work cut out for me, but I think it will be really fun. And if it works, maybe it will be something I end up doing full time. I've learned a lot from the small businesses around me - My dad, a few friends, and even the company I work for now. I'm going to start small and see where it takes me. I've got a couple of "Projects" (what I call each item I work on) going on in the Jewelry department, and I plan on taking pictures of what is available and putting it on the site. I'm hoping to have the site up and running by Halloween.

But the one thing I think will set me apart is that I don't plan on selling just pre-made things. I am putting a page on my site where customers can contact me with ideas of their own that I can custom make for them - I mean, that is how this whole thing really started! I didn't like anything I found out there for jewelry for me and for my bridesmaids for my wedding - so I learned how to make it! And it was perfect. Exactly what I wanted. I'd love to make simple little details like that easy for Brides coming down the pike.

I know that my ideas and concepts are a little "all over" at the moment. But it's coming together. And I have a name! I knew from the word "Go" that I wanted to incorporate my love of Cherries into my logo and theme. Anthony came up with CherryTree Threads, and I fell in love. So there it is!! I'm excited for the adventre. Keep checking back for more news!

-Jen

Thousand Oaks Quilting Show!

We LOVE Quilts!
As some of you already know, one of my ever expanding hobbies is quilting. I got into quilting for my mom last year. We have this family tradition where every year we pick each other's names out of a hat. They person you draw is the person you make a handmade Christmas gift for the next year. Well, last year, I had my mom as the person to make a gift for. She'd loved quilts for a long time and within recent years had started to learn to quilt. But I knew that she wanted a companion to do these projects with, and I thought - sure. Why the heck not? I'll learn.

So, my good friend and co-worker (who's been quilting, the old fashioned way (by HAND) since she was about 12 or so) agreed to teach me the basics. She was an AWESOME teacher. She made everything about this intricate art make sense.

This is a picture of a quilt sewn by hand in the 1930's:

So, I made my first basic quilt: a purple lap quilt in a "chair rail" pattern and I gave it to my mom last Christmas. I told her the quilt was the tangible gift for her to hang on to, but the real gift was that I had learned to quilt so we could quilt together. She cried.

Here we are, and almost a year later, my mother and I have a real love and appreciation for this art, and we've actually been making quilts along the way! I've made 3 so far (the first, plus one for my nephew, Max, when he was born in March, and the largest quilt I've made so far was for my sister as a gift to commemorate her Graduation from CLU in May) and I'm currently working on the most daunting quilt I've tried so far - a queen sized bed quilt called a "wedding quilt" to have here at home for me and Anthony. Imagine! A quilt for me!!!!

Just one of the more intricate quilting patterns possible out there!

Well, my Mom found out that CLU was hosting a local Quilting show, so of course, we had to go. It was amazing! The quilts were fabulous, and the fabrics for sale were too cute to pass up. We had such a good time on our "Mommy/Daughter" day, and we learned some new things along the way! Plus, we both have new ideas for quilts, and some new projects, too! Check it out!

Trunk of trimmings!

A Quilt that my Mom and I bought raffle tickets for. Hope we win!!!

Hippo & Elephant Print! You have no idea how cool/rare this combo is!!

My mom bought the print in 2 colors to make totes for me and my sister.
Our favorite Animals are Elephants and Hippos, Respectively.

Trying out the "Quilting Chair" which is ergonomically correct for quilting!

Historic Themed Quilt! How neat!

I took a liking to the next quilt:

Very cool concept: Bicentennial Celebration of a town, this quilter went door to door collecting neck ties from each family! She embroidered the family names on the ties, then quilted it together - naming it "Ties that Bind" and displayed it at the town celebrations. How great is that????

You can TOTALLY see that it is made of neck ties!
Totes!

Quilt made of old Jeans! How cool! I'm never throwing another pair away again!

Just some more beautiful quilts that I loved:

I can't wait until I'm good enough some day to have one of my quilts in a show. That would be so awesome! But I've got a ways to go before then. This was so much fun, and I can't wait to get started on my next quilt! I promise to blog about it, and a couple of other sewing projects in the works, when they are complete.

-Jen