...7 Years Bad Luck.

Life is a little chaotic right now. I move on Saturday so I have been packing packing packing (with a lot to go yet, who would of thought I could fit this much stuff in a studio apartment?) and getting all my ducks in a row. The picture above pretty much sums up how it is going so far. I will do my best to update here, but internet access will be limited for a couple days.

If you still want to see what is going on with me (because my life is oh so interesting) you can find me on twitter! I update there, probably too much for my own good.

Dear So and So

Texas Monkey is a blog I read and every Tuesday Shayna posts a Dear So and So. I love these, and this week I have been inspired to write my own.

Dear Upstairs Neighbor,

I want to thank you for giving me so many life lessons this past year. You have exposed me to many different types of music, it was so soothing when I was trying to go to bed early. The sweet vibration throughout my whole apartment was a nice touch. I also want to thank you for making me feel less alone, I think your surround sound was a great addition, and now I know you love action movies. It was like I was right there watching it with you. Those helicopters and explosions sound so real!

You have also taught me effective communication. I have noticed that when you yell at the top of your lungs every one listens... that is how you get a message across! You have also made this non smoker appreciate smoking. I never realized that cigarette butts and ashes made such nice patio decor. No worries, though I made note of it for my next apartment, we all know it will all be in the next Home and Garden.

Lastly, I could tell you really cared because you would make sure I wasn't late for work by jumping up and down and slamming doors and making my whole apartment shake. I am actually not really sure what technology you are using to do this, but I am impressed! Sign me up!

So thanks for the great year. I am so sad I will never see you again after the next two weeks. It has been GREAT!

Love,
Your appreciative downstairs neighbor.

New Obstacles.

I graduated exactly one year ago as of yesterday. Two weeks after graduation I moved here, to the Twin Cities, on Memorial Day weekend. I am moving home after a solid year here. No less, no more. It feels odd.

The year went by fast, as a whole, but the months were slow. It was full of trails and tribulations, but this isn't the end. I am starting a whole new experience, a whole new set obstacles to overcome. I am entering the job market again, just to compete with new graduates. Hopefully my year of experience in the workplace will help me get the upper hand.

Let's hope I come out successful.

More exciting posts will come eventually, just a lot going on right now!

Making Decisions.

So here's the deal...

As I mentioned in my last post I had big news to share today.

I am moving back to Wisconsin.

This has been in the works for a while but I obviously couldn't share with you until I had given my two weeks notice to my work place. And I did just that on Thursday.

I was SO nervous. I don't like letting people down, and since I was working for my uncle's company, I felt like I was letting him down, but I know I did the right thing.

I had been going back and forth with the idea. Should I stay? Should I go? Am I giving up? Will I be happier? I made the choice I knew was best for me. I am going back to live with my mom and sister and I have no job lined up. As bad as that sounds, it is better than staying here. I can honestly say I was lonely for the last year.I don't think I have ever been legitimately lonely ever in my life, until this year.

I can say that I have grown as a person. I have learned a lot about myself and have a new found independence, confidence, and all around peace of mind.

That is really all I have to say about the whole moving home thing for now. I will keep you updated on how the work place is. I haven't felt the repercussions yet, as no one but my boss knows. I have a feeling it will come up at our Monday morning meeting. We will see!

Remember me?

Hey guys, long time no see.

There is a lot going on in the world of Madelyn. I will give you a better update with some exciting information on Friday.

I have also been occupying my time with a NEW BLOG! It is titled "Fashion on a curve". It's a blog about plus size fashion. I am really excited about it, and my long term hopes are for the blog to become a reference place for plus size fahionistas.

It is still in the "baby stages" but it is getting there. If you are interested please follow, or share with your plus size comrades.

So, check it out! Fashion on a curve.

Thanks, thanks, and more thanks :)

Etsy Seller Feature: Ark's Endeavors

A friend of mine, who is still in school, asked me a couple questions about a mutual friend's Etsy shop for a project she is working on. The mutual friend happens to be my best friend of 23 years so of course I was willing and happy to answer a few questions! I think this could become a fun thing to do every once in a while for other Etsy sellers. So if you are interested, I will feature you on my blog (FREE ADVERTISING). Just email me, or leave a comment - and I will contact you about details :) Of course it will take time to smooth out the details, but think of it as an adventure!

Ark's Endeavors is run by Amanda, her shop is an Eco-Friendly shop that features indie fashion and vintage items. To quote her shop description: Welcome to Ark's Endeavors! I strive to make top quality items and keep them at an affordable price. I try to be as eco friendly as possible. Most of my clothing and accessories are made from reclaimed materials. Some are made from new materials bought from local small businesses. I try to incorporate recycling into my plugs and often use recycled materials while making them. I'm always exploring different arts and will have a large variety of items so be sure to stop by often. Any questions just ask!

How do you feel about her eco-friendly stance?

Being Eco- Friendly is a huge appeal to the Ark’s Endeavors products. It is a comfort as a customer to know that she isn’t producing more “stuff”, but is reinventing unwanted materials into highly desirable fashion! In addition, she tries to give you the biggest bang for your buck by making skirts and plugs reversible, two items in one and eco friendly. And let’s be honest, being green is the new black.

Also, from a business perspective and a fellow crafter being eco friendly and green is the smartest way to go. By buying recycled items, you are able to sell your items at a lower, more customer friendly cost.

Do you have anything of hers?

I actually have quite a few items from Ark’s Endeavors. I have two of her crocheted hats, a white jersey cowl, a high waist yellow plaid skirt, handmade soap, and her resin sprinkle stud earrings. I love all of them!

What do you think your favorite thing is or most innovative?

All of Ark’s Endeavors items are appropriate for so many different events; it is hard to pick a favorite. I love the resin stud earrings, because they are perfect for everyday wear. The cowls are fantastic because they can be worn all year round and can be worn so many different ways. But, her reversible skirts are by far the most innovative. Two skirts in one, dressed up or down, and made of recycled linens! Nothing gets better.

I am having formatting issues (blah) so I can't hyperlink the pictures,but the link to her shop still works, so go check out all of the featured items and more! Maybe next time around I could ask the seller a few questions - or just do my feed back. Whatever the seller wants! I hope I can do this again! So seriously, let me know! It's an offer you can't turn down :)

Don't tell me the lights are shining any place but there

As you know, I went to St, Louis last week. I chaperoned my sister's high school choir trip. I was looking forward to the vacation, but not the whole being surrounded by high schoolers thing. It was about a 5 hour bus ride. You would think a bunch of kids that have to get on a bus at 5 am would sleep the whole ride...not these kids. They sang the WHOLE ride. I should have expected that, after all it was a CHOIR trip.

Day One: We arrived 2 hours early so everyone broke into groups and explored. My group just walked and explored around the city and we found a local art gallery.



After exploring we all had to meet up to see the top of the arch. We were 630 ft up. It was a beautiful view.

We then were scheduled for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory - Yummm!

Finally our day was done! It was a very long day, but all the kids still had enough energy to swim until the pool at the hotel closed. They did this almost every night. The chaperons had a routine of sitting at one of the poolside tables together while the kids swam....chaperons don't swim, I guess.

Day Two: This day was the day of their competition. I attempted to record their performances, so no pictures. Fail. They had three different entries. Show choir, Jazz Choir, and Concert Choir. Show choir received a silver, Jazz silver also, and Concert got the gold! After the competition we all went to a Mystery Dinner Theater. I had high hopes for this, that weren't quite matched. It was a lot of fun and all the kids had a blast but I just expected more.

My sister and I took a picture with the actress form the mystery dinner. You can see my name tag, everyone got a character name... I was "Nurse Ready" haha. There was also "Nurse Willing" and "Nurse Able" and a lot of other fun names. My favorite was a pregnant woman whose character name was "I.M. Hungry". Too funny. And then we went back to the hotel for more swimming...well, watching in my case.

Day 3: This was probably the worst day of the trip. We were planned to spend the whole day at Six Flags because the awards ceremony was there that night. No one was excited about Six Flags because it was something they all went to regularly back home and it was forecasted to rain ALL day. And it did. We ended up leaving the park early and skipping the award ceremony. There was lightning and thunder and sideways rain, followed by tornadoes. All of the kids were miserable. So we all came back to the hotel and the kids hoped in the pool and the chaperons watched. Crazy kids.Oh, and here is a picture with some of the kids, myself, and a fellow chaperon wearing capes.

Day 4: We had a fancy brunch at the top of the Millennium Tower. It SPINS! So we got a 360 view of the city, so pretty. And the food was delicious.


These were my girls for the trip. We called a group T-Rex (Team Rex-Their Choice). I really tried to keep it fun for them, but still make sure they knew I was an authority figure for the trip. After Brunch we went shopping! We first went to The Union Station Mall. There really wasn't much shopping, something everyone was looking forward to.

It was an interesting mall, but not what everyone wanted, so we went to a bigger more popular mall and everyone got some shopping done. We ended out trip with dinner at the Hard Rock cafe. And went back to the hotel.

Day 5: We left!

Overall, it was an interesting experience. If my sister wants me to, I will probably chaperon next year too.