One of Those Days........ However.....

Okay, have you ever had ONE OF THOSE DAYS????? Well today was my "One of those days". I started off my morning by preparing my slow cooker for this evening's meal. (Slow cookers are awesome!) Once my boys and I ate breakfast we headed out to the grocery store. I put my jacket on as it was a bit nippy outside.

When we arrived at the store I turned off the van, put the keys in my jacket and stepped outside. I decided that maybe it wasn't so cold after all and took my jacket off and laid it on the passenger seat. I then picked up my 18-month-old, had my older son step out, and I locked the van and closed the doors.

After I finished paying for my groceries I began digging in my purse for my keys. "Hmmn, where could they be?" It was then that I realized, "Oh no!" that the keys were in the pocket of my jacket sitting inside my car.

The boys and I walked outside while I prayed that I didn't lock the van - but of course I did. "Now what????" All these options ran through my head and then I remembered that there was a spare house key hidden somewhere at my house. All we had to do was walk home. Now thank God that we live within walking distance from the store. So here I was pushing a cart full of groceries with my 18-month-old in the seat and my 6-year-old pushing another cart full of groceries behind me. I'm sure people driving by were wondering what the heck I was doing.

We finally made it home, unloaded the carts, grabbed my husband's keys, and trekked back to the store. Once there we parked the cart, got inside my van and drove home.

While putting the groceries away I accidentally hit my slow cooker and noticed that it was not hot. I looked at the knob and saw that it was turned off.

"Umm Adam?"

"Yes, mom?"

"Did you turn off my slow cooker?"

"Yes."

"When did you turn it off?"

"Before we left to the grocery store." (That was 3 hours ago!")

"Ooookaaay, why did you turn it off?"

"Because I didn't want us wasting electricity."

Can you imagine my look at this point???? Well, I explained to him how a slow cooker works and how he was not to turn something off without first asking me. In the meantime, I lost 3 hours worth of slow cooking so I had to crank it up to "high".

So that was my morning.....

HOWEVER........

To offset my morning's adventure there is one thing that is exciting for me. Guess what I get to see before anyone else does????? -- the NEW ISSUE of Altered Arts! I am holding (actually it's sitting beside me on the table) the Nov/Dec issue. Being the Managing Editor does have its perks!

A Day in the Life of a Managing Editor

When I tell people what I do for a living I always get similar responses, "Wow! That sounds like an interesting job. Tell me more about it." It is my hope that through some of these blogs I can bring you into my life as a managing editor of an awesome magazine.

First, I'll start with one of the most fun things about my job -- the photo shoots. I love going to a photo shoot! Here's some background on how we chose our photographer, the great Mr. Andy Fiala! (Actually, we never call him Mister.)

When Cyndi came up with her plan to start Altered Arts, she asked me to call various photographers in the area to find one that would fit well with our needs. I have to admit that it was funny to hear each of the photographers' responses when I tried to explain the types of items they would be photographing.

Andy was one of the photographers I contacted and during our conversation, I took an instant liking to him. I asked him for some samples of his work, showed them to Cyndi, met him, and hired him. (Heck, we may even have hired him before meeting him since Cyndi liked his samples and trusted my judgment.)

Well, I have to tell you that he was an excellent choice. Not only is he an awesome photographer, (You should see some of the wedding photos he has taken.) but he is also a lot of fun. This is why I enjoy the photo shoots so much.

Mind you "it's not all fun and games" as the saying goes. There is a lot of work that goes into preparing for a photo shoot. For example, prior to the photo shoot I have to put together a list of all of the artwork (including images) that is scheduled for the shoot. Using that list as a guide, I read through all of the artwork instructions emailed to me and do a first edit. All of these files then have to be put on a CD and given to my boss, Cyndi, on the day of the photo shoot.

Also, before heading off to the photo shoot, I have to make sure that I have all of the artwork scheduled for that shoot in my van. (Yes, all artwork comes directly to me - my house - my storage.)

One of the nice things to look forward to after finishing up a photo shoot is having lunch with Cyndi. It gives us a chance to chat about everything that is going on in our lives and I consider it all a wonderful way to spend a day.

Once Upon a Time....

Once upon a time there was a young 16 year old girl named Clara, who isn't afraid to admit now was pretty boy crazy. One day, before taking the daily bus home from school, she had an encounter with one of these boys which completely frustrated her.

While departing from the bus, she saw a 15 year old girl named Cyndi, who happened to go to the same school. Clara turned to Cyndi and said something like, "I hate men!" Mind you, Clara did not even know Cyndi at this time. Cyndi looked at Clara and laughed.

That single event was the beginning of what would turn out to be a 24-year friendship between two women.