This won't hurt a bit.

I had to go to the dentist this morning to get a cavity filled. Yep. I had a (gasp) cavity. For anyone who knows me, I am very particular about my teeth. I have recurring nightmares that my teeth are falling out, so anything bad that happens with my teeth sort of freaks me out. You can only imagine the utter fear & shame I felt when the good dentist confirmed that my "sticky spot" on my tooth since 2004 is now a cavity that needs a filling. (Yes, you read that right--I had this for five years until it finally became an actual cavity--an extremely tiny cavity, I might add).

So, I walked in to have Crystal, the receptionist greet me with a smile. I sat down & waited. Everyone in the room was called except me, even the people that came in after me. Weird, huh? I was hoping they had forgotten me sitting there in the corner of the waiting room. But they didn't. Wishful thinking on my part.

As I got situated, I heard the doctor's voice behind me: "Good morning, Michelle. How are you today?" I was brutally honest. "I'm not happy to be here, & I'll be much happier when I'm leaving here, but other than that, I'm just great, " I said sarcastically. He gave a small chuckle & proceeded to tell me a big fat lie: "This won't hurt a bit!"

Okay. (sigh). What exactly does that mean?? "This won't hurt a bit". Here's the truth of it: When someone sticks a drill inside of your mouth & presses it HARD against a tooth, IT HURTS. Teeth aren't meant to be drilled. Wood is. Maybe good ol' George Washington wouldn't have minded having his wooden teeth drilled. But I'm not very fond of it.

And let's talk about the sound of the above mentioned drill. It's worse that fingernails down the chalkboard. Horr-i-fying. And you can't see what's going on. You just hear this drilling, for like 10 minutes. And you feel pressure. Ugh. It's insane. By the time he was done, I was convinced that he just drilled every tooth for the fun of it, just to see me squirm in the chair.

Okay, so let's fast forward to the filling part, which should have been pretty simple. No, it's no picnic either. In fact, I think I handled that part even worse. What do you expect when you're laying with your feet higher than your head, & you have two giant cottonballs on the inside of your cheek, a giant tube of cotton pushed under your tongue, a suction hose hanging off your lip, ten gloved fingers, & multiple dental tools ALL shoved in your mouth?? I don't have a very big mouth at all (seriously, I'm quite quiet & my mouth size is kinda small, despite what some people think--insert eye roll).

And this is why I went into panic mode. Claustrophobia set in, & I started gagging & choking. I felt trapped & was soffocating. It's a terrible feeling.

So I was so worked up, they had to leave the room for a few minutes while I caught my breath. Geez, how many grown adults have that reaction? They were super nice about it though. They came back in & kept the chair pretty upright for the most part. So I was able to breathe. Got the filling, polished it down, & then he turned off the dental overhead light, & said, "That's it! You're done! Now was that so bad?!"

Seriously, he may need to read this blog post to get his answer!

It's raining, it's pouring...

Brrr.. It sure did get chilly out! Within the past 20 minutes, it started really raining hard. I don't think the temps will get out of the 40's for the next week or so. After my morning walk, I came home & cleaned up the yard a bit. I don't understand how sand toys end up on the opposite side of the yard. Guess they grow little legs & walk there when noone is looking. Anyway, I'm glad I got that done. I also put the swing cushion away.

I was hoping to maybe do a scrapbook layout today. But I have a few things to do. First of all, I have a stack of bills that need to be paid. Okay, I would rather scrub the toilets that work on bills. Worst chore ever. Speaking of scrubbing toilets, I actually do have to do that because we are getting company tomorrow evening. So I have to clean the house a bit. And I just picked up three new books at the library that I really want to read. Oh, & two scrappy magazines that I haven't started yet. The thing with reading though is I always fall asleep. And sleep is one thing I feel like I could do constantly. Especially now, listening to the rain pitter-patter on the roof. I'd love to crawl under my warm comforter with a good book & fall fast asleep!

What else is good on a cold, rainy day? Homemade chicken noodle soup! Yum!!! I always try to make extra, but my little Brittany loves homemade soup & eats all the leftovers. That's good! Now I'm going to go take a loaf of frozen bread dough from the freezer & bake some bread to go with our soup. Yummmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a good day! Stay warm!

To buy or not to buy??

That is the question..

I have some AC Moore coupons. 50% off, in fact! Now, I have to say, these coupons are fairly common for AC Moore. They have them pretty much every week or so. But the problem is... Do I WANT anything?? I don't need anything. I don't even need adhesive right now, although, I can always use it at some point.

There will be an online crop this weekend at the All Moments Remembered message board. So I should WANT to buy something new for it, right? But I just can't think of anything. Pathetic of me, huh? Sorry excuse for a scrapbooker.

Anyway, on the subject of the crop... I'm hoping (fingers crossed here!) that I can get a few layouts done. Maybe I'll find Mr. Mojo hiding somewhere & be inspired to add to my scrapbooks. I have an idea for making a set of all-occasion cards for a few gifts this Christmas, so I can start on those too. I don't know. I've just been in a scrapping slump lately.

In other news, I was just reading over the requirements for Sarah's confirmation in 8th grade (she's only in 7th right now). All I can say is WOW. Overwhelming. Complicated. Time-consuming. Wow. I don't remember having to do all this stuff myself: Retreats, pilgrimages, 40 hours of service, introductions to the church staff, interviews, & a written letter of reflection. It's crazy. And she'll have to do this all again next year in 8th grade. I'm just shaking my head right now. Things just seem to get more & more complicated each year.

Honest Scrap Award

What an honor it is for me to receive my first ever Blog Award!!!! My BFF Chris sent me this, & I am quite excited! Please see Chris' own blog, http://workforscraps.blogspot.com/ for a little more about her. Thanks, Chris!!

In the meantime, here is how the blog award works...

* Say thank you and give a link to the presenter of the award
* Share “10 Honest Things” about myself
* Present the award to 9 other bloggers whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design or to those who have encouraged me
* Be sure to tell the 9 bloggers chosen that you are giving them the Honest Scrap award and provide the guidelines for them

And here are the ten honest things about me....

1. I am a very emotional person. I cry quite often. Thank goodness a cousin of mine once reassured me that "crying cleanses the soul". I must have the cleanest soul on the planet for as often as I cry! I even have a really bad picture of me crying because I want to do a scrap page of it. Oh, & I have to say, I am NOT a pretty crier. Red face. Puffy cheeks. Swollen eyes. Rudolph's nose. Not pretty. At all.

2. I pray every day. Atleast twice. I should do it more often though. Praying keeps me grounded & connected. It makes me remember what matters most. I never forget to thank God for the many blessings He has given me. I am so grateful. Beyond words.

3. My kids are MY LIFE. They mean the world to me. I am one of the select few that hates the first day of school because it means that my kids won't be with me during the day. I love them so much. They are the best, & I hope & pray they will always know that.

4. I have many pet peeves. I hate hearing people complain about their kids. I hate when people drive through the parking lot instead of up & down the rows of parking spaces. I hate when the grocery bagger makes my bags too heavy. I hate having crumbs on the kitchen floor. Wow, I could go on & on!

5. I miss my grandma terribly. Not that she is replaceable (because she's not), but if God gave me the opportunity to pick a "replacement", I'd pick Paula Deen. And I would enjoy every dessert she ever made!

6. I know that sometimes my dear husband Jamie drives me crazy, but he's the greatest husband a person could ask for. He works full-time so that I don't have to work (for money, that is!). He commutes atleast two hours or more every day & sacrifices so much for the girls & me. I'm so proud of his accomplishments. I don't know that I tell him that enough. But I did this weekend for our 11th anniversary.

7. This one is tough: I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I love my life the way it is right now. I don't feel passionately about any kind of job or career. The only two things I always knew I wanted to do was be a wife & a mom. I just have no desire or passion for any other career. Is that pathetic of me??

8. I love Christmas. I officially started listening to my Christmas playlist on September 27th! I love the warm, fuzzy feeling & the heart-warming stories of the season. Christmas seems to bring out the best in {most} people. It would be lovely if everyone was like that everyday of the year.

9. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I get hurt easily. I take things personally. Every year, I vow that I won't let things bother me so much. That lasts for about an hour.

10. And finally, I will say that I enjoy doing things for others. I am a volunteer by nature. I do things for other people without expected anything in return. HOWEVER... A little bit of appreciation goes a long way. I don't ask for anyone to bow down & kiss the ground, nor do I ask for thank you cards or gifts or anything like that. Just a simple gesture of gratitude. That's all. And it really ticks me off to bend over backward & sacrifice things for myself, my husband, & my kids, all for someone to take advantage & expect more. It's just selfish.

Okay, there ya go! Ten honest things about me. And now, I am awarding this to 9 of my friends:

Erika at http://scrapbookobsession.wordpress.com/

Jennifer at http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Angie at http://thefeathersinmynest-mommiextwo.blogspot.com/

Julie at http://www.scrappinjewlz.blogspot.com/

Abby at http://scrapbookfrenzy.blogspot.com/

Misty at http://misty-snowlady.blogspot.com/

Whitney at http://www.whitneyshandwork.blogspot.com/

Marilyn at http://www.melonscraps.blogspot.com/

Kelli at http://www.kelliannie.blogspot.com/

Thanks again, Chris! What an honor!