Ever Thankful Always Grateful

This blog is closed. Thank you.

2010-07-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

My children...

2009-10-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

Maybe a once or twice a year they let me pin them down and take some posed pics of them. Here are a couple from last week. :)

I'm glad volleyball is finally over. My darling daughter had such a good season. It was her first year playing and she ended up with the Most Improved award at the banquet. We also had our first meeting at the community college last week to get things rolling for my son to join the Running Start program his next (Junior) year. Did I mention he turns 16 next weekend? Time flies!!!

The week before last I had a bit of a health scare. While I was at work I had this funny tingling and odd sensation in one side of my head. The office thought I should call and check with my doctor's office to see if I should be seen. Long story short they (the doctor) urged me to come to urgent care asap. We were there for about 4 hours that night where I was poked and prodded and given a CT scan to rule out a stroke, tumor, and aneurysm which were all clean. I've had two follow up appointments and 1 more episode since. They have decided to consult a Neurologist and order a MRA and MRI. They think I may be having TIA's (mini strokes) and they need to rule that out. In the meantime, I am having a little reality check about my health. Now that we are living back in a bigger town there is no reason I can't make time to swing by the gym. There are 3 or 4 within walking distance of our apartment. I eat fairly healthy but really don't get much for exercise so the kids and I joined the YMCA last week. Until the doctor says otherwise I have to avoid the weights and can do low impact activity only but that is a start.

Friday was my birthday. I'm telling you because you NEED to see this monstrosity of a birthday my darling daughter made for me all my herself.

Check that out. And when you cut into it it was layered with white and pumpking cake. Here- I saved you some...

Wasn't it YUMMY! Heehehehe.

I think I'll leave this post at this. I'll be back in a few days with a scrappy/crafty update. :)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Sunday.

Hey peeps!

2009-10-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad blogger and I'm sorry!

About three weeks ago we went to the Great Wolf for the weekend and I had a cold. We got there and a few hours later I was down for the count. Yep. Me - the sole supervisor of 4 teenagers for that weekend - sick... not the best combo. The kids were really pretty good though and were helpful to me when they could be. Here's a few pics-

This last week I am finally starting to feel myself again. Just in time to get the seasonal flu shot today- yipee! Not. Lol! I don't mind getting the shot but the flu shot hits me harder than a tetnus and my arm is sore for a week with swelling, bruising, pain - the whole bit. But this is life. :)

Things haven't been all bad here by any means though. We bought this air purifier for our apartment and it is SO nice!

Although we are enjoying our apartment, it is an older one with single pane aluminum windows that get a little bit of a mold/mildew build up. Plus the city we moved to is one with many mills and thus has a fairly large pollution problem. On top of that, my daughter is asthmatic. So this little machine is our new best friend and boy does it do its job well. Lowe's baby!

For the month of September I was a guest for Lauren Reid doing some hybrid work. It was a lot of fun! Here are some of the things I created with her stuff-

And I've been busy creating for Val too - Spotted Dog Designs-

And now that I've flooded you with pics I should really wind this up. I'm feeling better and the kiddos too, so I should be posting more regularly. Darling daughters last volleyball game is on Tuesday this week. That will be the end of the season so we'll have more free time in the afternoons very soon... until the next sport starts that is. ;)

I hope you all have a super fantabulous weekend my friends!

A weekend get-a-way

2009-09-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are heading out for a weekend away. A girl I went to high school with and reconnected with at our 20 year reunion this summer got a UNBELIEVABLE deal on a group rate at the Great Wolf. They were short one room to meet the group rate and posted so on facebook. (Thank you Angie!) It ends up that the kids and I were able to swing it and so...... Wahoo! Great Wolf here we come. :)

The kids are doing well in school. My son's been in a bit of a funk though and has a poor attitude lately. Daughter has a sinus infection and started a presciption yesterday. I have a cold. Run down a bit we are. I hope us getting away this weekend will rejuvenate us all.

Darling daughter had two volleyball games last week. She did awesome! She's been one of the team captains. And she's excited to be playing games now because she can really see all her hard work and extra practice in action. (This is her first year playing.) We have another two games this coming week too. :)

My son is a true testament to the old saying 'a way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' He's taking Spanish this year and quickly realized it was a lot of work. He got a bit scared and tried transferring out of it until the teacher held a "party" introducing Spanish food to the class last week. Ha! Now it's JR's favorite class. *rolling eyes here* Boys!

This year I am having lots of fun at work. I have a great schedule which is always a plus. I joined the secret pal thing the staff were doing. I love love love the pal I was assigned to. It has been SO MUCH FUN thinking up little gifts ideas for them. It's so nice to put a spring in someone else's step. It makes me happy.

I also love the little apartment we are in. We found one in a lovely area near a grocery store, a beautiful park, and the city lake. All last month we rode our bikes everywhere. It was great fun and exercise. Our apartment building has 12 and we've met most of the people living here. Many are elderly and so friendly. And it's usually nice and quiet. The people that own the apartment have been painting and doing some other repairs to the building this last month. It's an older building but kept up pretty well and has lots of charm. I'll have to post some pics one of these days. Just thinking this morning, while having my morning coffee, of how thankful I am to be here.

Scrappy news- One of my favorite designers opened her new store yesterday. While working at {we are} storytellers, I met Val. Shortly after I came on board there, she started designing. I *heart* her stuff. Love the bright colors, the whimsy and flare, and the theme of her kits. She is awesome! If you haven't had a chance to see her stuff, stop by The Lily Pad and look her up under Spotted Dog Designs. You'll be glad you did! :)

I'll leave you with a few layouts I've made with her designs and then I must go pack.

Thanks for stopping in. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

The first day of school...

2009-09-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's sometimes hard for me to believe that my kids are in 8th and 10th grade. Time goes by so fast.

Darling daughter is in the web "where everyone belongs" program which is basically a welcoming committee for the incoming lower classmen and new students. She's also in a leadership program this year. All the students that are in the web program wore the same shirts the first day.

The kids like the area of where our new apartment is. The other day is was bright and sunny so we rode bikes to the nearby park. Darling daughter is playing volleyball this year and so the kids practiced a little on the empty tennis court. I love it when they actually get along. heehee! Shhh! I took these on my cell phone when they weren't paying attention to me. :P

This summer the kids got together with all their cousins and had a fun couple of days at the beach. Here's a lo I did of their fun time. :)

Well, this evening I'm feeling bushed. So a quick post here and I'm going to try to get to bed early this evening. Thanks for stopping by. - I hope the rest of your week is so awesome and full of joy!

Summer is over so-

2009-09-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

I’m baaaaaaaaack! Lol! It seems there is something in blogging that I just plain miss.

This summer was a whirlwind with the highs and lows – to many lows really - but alas the kiddos and I are healthy and well so I can’t really complain. As it appears, I’m going through the big D and don’t mean Dallas. The dear hubby has had a variety of problems lately which I thought was a midlife crisis we’d work through but it seems I was wrong. It takes two to want to marry and only one to divorce. So the kids and I moved last month to an apartment and are starting over.

Why is the unknown always so scary?

In many ways this move has been good for the kids and I. Lots of change and processing of things but we three are trying our hardest to make the best of things. Did I mention that I really do have GREAT kiddos!

And that was not all of the change this summer. In digiland – {we are} storytellers closed - which was a big deal in my little corner of the world. The site was my little scrapbooking home and had such a great purpose. It was sad to see them go.

I guess this summer was a season of change.

This past week, I returned to work after having the summer “off”. It’s nice to get back into a routine and focus on other things again. My kids have their first day of school on Tuesday. Darling daughter is playing volleyball this year and is in a leadership program so she has been doing things at her school for those programs the last couple of weeks. That has her very excited to return. My dear son – well, he would be just as happy to stay home and play video games rather than return to school. Boys! Lol!

As I am highlighting the major things from summer I feel compelled to make a grateful for list-

1. I am so grateful for finding a lovely little apartment in a nice area of town. And having such nice neighbors too is a blessing!
2. I am grateful that dear son completed his traffic safety classes this summer and earned his certificate.
3. I am grateful that I had opportunities of joining new scrapbooking creative teams when I lost my others this summer.
4. I am grateful that the kids and I have everything we need for going back to school and that I could afford (under the circumstances) all the fees at school associated with that.
5. I am so so so grateful that we are healthy and well.
6. I am thankful that this new life is teaching the kids and I the difference between needs and wants.

This summer before {wst} closed, I participated with a few of my friends in Battle of the Creative Teams. I was really fun. The challenge was to scrap certain themes, colors, styles, etc. together as a team and carrying the same vision between the 5 team-mates. It was four weeks long and it was quite a bit of fun. I think I’ll end the post with those four layouts from the contest.

And if you made it this far in my rambling post, thank you! It's nice to be blogging again. Have a super weekend my friends!!!

hello and goodbye

2009-07-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

The summer so far has flown right by. We have definately made the most of it though. We've been busy with life in general. This summer we have been painting, assembling, rearranging, sorting and purging all kinds of stuff from or around the house. We took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge for a few days which was wonderful. And we are busy planning our up coming camping trip with the boat in tow.

Like in my house, it's time to assemble, rearrange, sort, and purge things in the computer. I've done a lot of thinking about my blog and I always have so many ideas for it. My vision hasn't been carried out though because it really is so time consuming. More time than I usually have. It seems like the little ol' blog always get pushed to the side so that I can do more pressing things. Which I suppose is one of the perks of facebook. Quick easy short posts. Add albums when you have time. Post quickly and reply to others with ease (one thing you can't do quickly with a blog reader). I have an account there where I keep up with my friends and will continue using it. The blog, however, is saying goodbye - at least for the summer.

Thank you and I hope to see you all over at facebook. My link is in the sidebar.

Jennifer

i HOPE

2009-06-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease.

Please consider helping my friends Emily and Angela Powers in their efforts to raise $4,600.00 for this cause. To make an online donation go to www.The3Day.org. Click on the DONATE link and search for a participant by typing in Angela Powers or Emily Powers. You can also call 800.996.3DAY to donate over the phone. And if your a scrapper you can purchase this kit - i HOPE - at {we are} storyteller.com where all proceeds minus paypal fees will be donated.

Here's a pic of the amazing kit-

Thank you!

A quick update on the family. Well we are out for summer break which is nice. Haven't enjoyed it as much as planned just yet with the weather being so strange and the cottonwood bothering our allergies so much. The kiddos are away for the next few days so its very quiet. I'm cleaning and painting (the ceilings) and just trying to push through even though my sinuses and head are hurting.

Today though, my hubby is home from work and we are going to go out on a date night. Dinner and a movie? I can't remember the last time we were able to do that without children in tow. lol! I'm looking forward to it!

Here's a pic of dear son from the evening of excellence.

Here are a few lo's I've done recently-

And last- I am a lucky girl. I stopped in at the local scrap store the other day and found some really cool tools which I purchased. And when school was winding down I offered to make birthday cards for the employees for next school year over the summer. I was allowed to bring home (for the summer) the schools cricut expression and cartridges. I may use that to make a few hybrid things this summer as well. I guess it'll be a good way to see if I would use one enough to purchase my own after this one is returned. When my hubby returns to work tomorrow, I'll dig in out of the box and set it up. :)

My posts should be more frequent now that the busy time of the year for me is over. If you are still checking in, thank you!

Are we having fun yet?

2009-06-11T06:51:00.001-07:00

Just a few more days.... and we'll be out of school for the summer. Yay! Can't wait. Until then, my head is just spinning!

We went to the zoo since last post. It was a lot of fun! We snapped tons of pics of course and here's a few. :)

We also went to the Evening of Excellence for my son where he was honor for his grade point average and two department awards. It was really awesome! His department awards were in English and Science. It was really neat that the high school organized this event to recognize all the students that put in the extra effort throughout the year. The pics for that evening are still on my camera so I'll have to share them later.

The garden is growing well and we have all kinds of goodies popping up. The corn is the only thing we had trouble with. It rained for days after planting them and so only half a row made it.

Father's day is coming and I searched high and low and thought of a great gift for dear hubby - an ipod touch. He loves music and games and has a really old ipod. When I was feeling him out, he ended up wanting to wait on that and buy a new GPS system that comes out at the end of the month. lol! So I got the ipod touch I had already bought, he gets my ipod nano and the new GPS when it comes out. lol! I'm a lucky girl!

No scrapping time, or time to play Sims 3, or play with my new ipod, but soon....

Talk to you again soon. Thanks for checking in!

Shhhhhhhh.......

2009-05-30T08:15:00.001-07:00

The children are still sleeping. Let's not wake them. It's one of those moments where time has been flying by at what seems like a stealth speed for weeks and then this morning I woke to a lovely, quiet, glorious morning that seems to be lingering. I love it! Peaceful, quiet, and refreshing.

The highlights of the past few weeks? Let's see-

1. Darling daughter did really well in track this year. (Yay!- It's over!) She competed in districts but the coach won't tell her how she did until the award ceremony in a week. Oh the torture! lol!

2. Dear son is being honored with an award Tuesday night at school. He's a freshman this year and has had a GPA above 3.5 all year so our family is invited to attend this special award ceremony.

3. We planted our garden at the beginning of the month and then had a lot of rain the following week and we didn't know how it would affect the seeds. This week, we have everything up but the corn. The corn sadly did not make it. We'll be replanting this weekend in that area. :)

4. My husband has been having a list of troubles lately and finally decided to go see a doctor. He was diagnosed with ADHD. We were both surprised and after looking into it it was kind of crazy because he had nearly all the symptoms listed but we never would have thought of something like that. He started some meds for it and two weeks later, he says he is beginning to feel better. I'm so glad he is!

5. We took the boat out. I don't know why, but that is such a calming and relaxing thing for me to do. I was so happy to hit the water. We've had our boat now going on four years. We were out on the water all of the time the first two summers and then last year we only took it out twice. With the combination of gas prices being SKY HIGH and the water level being SO LOW in the nearby lakes we hardly got out. This year is looking good and that makes me ESTATIC!

Here's a few things I've worked on while I was MIA from the blog-

And this week I am looking forward to- going to the zoo tomorrow with the kids. Going shopping while in Portland at IKEA. I saw in a mag a really neat shelf thing that held photo frames up on your wall (kind of like a chair rail) and it credited IKEA. So I'm going on the hunt. lol! Also, I'm invited to a stamping up get together with some friends from work Monday night. I haven't been to one in eons so it should be all new and FUN! Tuesday is the award thing for my son. This week Sims 3 comes out! I'm thrilled and hope to pick it up even though I know I probably won't have time to play it until I'm off for the summer. And and and.... lol! The best news of all - just 11 school days and 2 hours left before the kids and I are OFF FOR THE SUMMER! We are all really excited!

Did I mention yet the super fab and most awesome sale going on? Well, here's the low-down and you won't want to miss it! :)

Okay- I'll try to post again mid week. Thanks a million for stopping by for a visit!

Book Fair Thursday

2009-05-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

There are a few hours left of the sale...

And how was your mother's day? Mine was very nice. We had a pj day and watched some rented movies all day long. It was so nice to just stay home and relax. The kids bought me a new coffee mugs from starbucks... its really cool and I'll post a photo of it soon. They still need to decorate it this weekend. They also gave me a bouquet of beautiful flowers and a balloon. And darling daughter made me a WONDERFUL card with a drawing inside that is just so cool. :)

Here's a few pics-

Did I mention that darling daughter made a scrumptious cake?

And here are the kids and I being totally silly in our pj's- lol!

No scrapping since last post. Things are always so busy this time of year. School for the kids and work for me is winding down which always make for extra work. Both kids had parent-student-teacher conferences this week and it was all great news. I'm SO PROUD of my kiddos! Tomorrow I have my own year end review too. About four weeks left until we are all off for the summer. I can't wait!

When my computer was down and they did a restore at BB I lost 1 big file that I apparently didn't have backed up. SO here and there this past week I've been re-creating a Itemized scrapbooking supplies. It's been kind of nice going through the folders of goodies and digging out cool things I haven't used in a bit or at all yet. Did I say that out loud? lol!

And I bought a couple of cool storage containers at JoAnn's for my physical scrappy supplies. I now have a better place for my papers and a home for a few things I just didn't know where to store. I'm really digging them and that I found them 40% off. These are by Jessware and they are awesome!

Well I have got to go. Darling daughter is up to her eyebrows in homework and calling for help. Have a great week all and thanks for stopping in!

Forks High School-

2009-05-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Darling daughter had a track meet this week at the high school where they filmed the movie Twilight that is. Really it is Kalama High School a stones throw down the road from us. But the geeks that we are- we had to take a pic in the parking lot. Now where's Bella's truck?!?! lol!

This week has been very busy. Here's a review in pics-

The track meet where daughter placed 1st in her sprint and long jump. Go McKena!

Planting the garden seeds-

Dear son got his permit last Saturday and has been learning to drive this week-

Luckily I have a three day weekend. I hope to get the housework done tomorrow so that I can play with my NSD goodies Friday night and all day Saturday. Wouldn't that be lovely!?! This evening, after taking the kids into the orthodontist, I've been playing around a little with the blog. Changing the look up a bit. So sorry if its making your reader freak out. Please bear with me for the next couple of days.

Before I go- I just wanted to send warm Mother's day wishes to my friends. I hope that it is a special day for you all with family. Have a great weekend!

{i}NSD- How did you fare?

2009-05-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Me? I spent more than I planned but enjoyed every minute I had shopping. And I found some of the best deals. I love great deals! Look at these-

And in a genuine blond moment, I bought those AGAIN. lol! So, if any of my readers would like these I will give them to the first person who let's me know and provides me their email addy. A little blog give away.

Last weekend I was able to do so much scrapping. It was lovely. Here's some of the things I completed.

Last week was so busy. Darling daughter is doing amazing at track. She did pull a muscle and so she is taking a break from the hurdles but still running and doing the running long jump.

Dear son got a book from the Dept. of Motor Vehicles to study. He took and passed his test Saturday. He's now got a permit now. I can't believe he's this old. Ack!

I didn't have a lot of scrappy time this weekend so this was all I made - TFL!

And now I'm off to work. I hope you all have a marvelous Monday and thanks for stopping by!!!

A lovely scrappy weekend

2009-04-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have my computer back, a new monitor, and a promise that it is fixed. That would be wonderful! So this weekend I am ditching most housework to enjoy a long overdue scrappy date with my dear pc. Just darling daughter and I home this weekend so it's pretty quiet around here. A nice refreshing weekend it's been!

Lori I thank you for the compliment! I think so highly of you so it's really means a lot coming from you!

Joy, I took it to Best Buy where I had a service plan. That is the first time I've used it and it was a literal nightmare. I've bought nearly all of my computers there and have always recommended them in the past. The Geek Squad is awful! I know very little about computers and am probably smarter then the average kid working on the squad, which is really SAD. I hope I never have to deal with them again. I will definately be shopping MAC next computer. My old laptop I take to a small local computer store for work and I have ALWAYS been happy with their service. I hope you find someone like them where you live!

With my computer back, I have the other part of my vaca pics to share. Here's pics from Agate Beach and the Sealion Caves. (click on images for them to appear larger)

The kids spent hours on vacation combing the beach for agates. They each came home with a hand full. And the Sealion Caves were pretty cool! I had a pretty bad cold the entire trip. I was told I was so lucky I could not smell when we went down into the caves. There were hundreds and hundreds of sealions there. And as fantastic as it was to see, the kids were complaining of the odor. lol!

Darling daughter had her first track meet last week and she placed in the top three in all the events she participated in. How cool is that!?! Go McKena!!!

And yesterday I completed a couple of layouts. Here's what I did. TFL!

National Scrapbooking Day is next weekend. At {we are} storytellers.com we've started early. If you're a fan, run over there this weekend and enjoy this BIG SALE!

I'm going to be adding another section to my blog soon which I hope my friends will find useful. I recently start using Photoshop Elements 7.0 and have quickly learned that there are not that many tutorials on the program. I plan to post some of the tips and tricks I am learning here on the blog. Let me know if you would like to learn how to do something in the program and I will do my best to post about that topic a how-to.

Okay... I'm off to scrap again. Thanks for stopping in and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Happy Earth Day...

2009-04-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

I did a layout for it. :)

And it was featured on the Gallery Standouts Blog today. Kind of cool!

Today my darling daughter has her first track meet. She is doing a sprint, hurdles, and the running long jump. I hope she does well. Even more importantly, I hope she has lots of fun!

Today is grey and overcast. The past several days have been so pretty and warm that it makes me antsy for summer. I am looking forward to having the summer off. I am looking forward to having extra time to tackle all those crafty ideas swimming around in my head. I am looking forward to spending more time at home with the kids. I think I have 38 work days left... not that I'm counting. ;)

I only worked a half day and now I'm on my way to Portland to pick up my computer once again. And no, they didn't do a thing to it. But don't get me started. I'm going to make them turn it on and run it in front of me this evening before I leave the store. So wish me luck in dealing with them once again, please. I think I might need it.

Tulip Festival

2009-04-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yep. Yesterday when we drove to Portland to drop off the computer we saw a sign stating that the tulip festival was in progress. We didn't incorporate that in the plans yesterday but did go today after lunch. It was great as usual. The weather was really great today. I love going to the festival and viewing all the beautiful variations of tulips. SO PRETTY! I also bought some hanging baskets for the porches from a vendor there. And on the way home we stopped by a nursery and picked up a few more plants and flowers to put in the pots. That is sure to get me out of my funk I've been in lately.

We worked a lot today in the yard. We brought out the patio furniture, mowed part of the lawn... some was still a little too wet to mow. And we trimmed and planted some shrubs and flowers. Dear son worked more in the garden so that we could hopefully plant it in the next day or two. It was really nice. I love to play outside.

And with that, have a good night all. I hope your weekend was awesome. Have a great week!

The weekend

2009-04-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's the weekend. And it is supposed to be a very bright and warm one too in my neck of the woods. We need a little sunshine here. :)

We've been working putting in a garden. We had one for years but living in the forest it didn't grow as well as I had hoped so it seemed silly to continue putting that much time and effort in for little result. So we let it go years ago. So about three or four years ago we cleared some of our land and planted grass so that we would have a "lawn" for the kids to run and play in. Much improvement.Now back to the garden- with room from the clearing we decided to give a garden another try on another area of our property because really, everyone in the family loved gardening. So that's what we've been up to lately. We staked it off and have been skinning the topsoil and fencing it in. (Gotta keep the rabbits and deer out.) This weekend or early next week it should be planted. :)

Today I am running my computer back to Best Buy. I decided to take it to another Best Buy rather than the squad that "fixed it" last time. This had been really frustrating to me. I'm hoping to have much better results this time. So again I have limited means on the internet and scrapping until I get my baby back from the shop. Please bear with me!

Yesterday was a fun day at work because I got a new Mac! I had a dinosaur of a computer to work on there and it was dying a slow painful death let me tell you... lol! So they ordered me a brand new mini and I got it yesterday in the afternoon. I'll get to set it up next week and maybe (just maybe) doing so will pull me over to the Mac side. Hahaha. Really- I'm not due for a new computer but in another year or two I will give both pc and mac a good look before buying. Are you a Mac or a PC?

I made a hybrid banner for spring. Hung it in the living room in the window where the sun sets. Later I went to take pics to show and realize it was not photographing very well. The light from the window was throwing colors off. So when I show you my latest project, please know that it looks much cleaner and sharper in real life. The walls in my livingroom are tan and the banner is yellow but its hard to tell with the pics.

Last night, my son had his first date. It was so sweet! I did get to drive them to and pick them up from the movies but didn't have a way to sneak a pic without being a totally embarrassing mother- so I'll have to get creative when it comes time to doing a layout. And I must be doing something right, because I watched him and thought how he was such a gentleman. He picked her up at the door, met her dad, opened the car door for her... you get the idea and I was really proud of him.

I'm still feeling kind of cruddy. I'm on day 6 of a 10 prescription. Here's hoping some fresh air and some bright sun will do me good this weekened. I hope you all are well and planning to enjoy your weekend too. Thanks for checking in on me!

I so wanna cry...

2009-04-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

I've been sick since spring break and finally went to the doctor. I have bronchitis, sinus infection and reactive airway or some darn thing. I was given three presciptions and hope to on the mend soon. Maybe I can even move back to sleeping in the bed again soon. For two weeks I've been sleeping upright in an overstuffed chair we have. It's so hard to sleep with a hacking cough and a draining nose.

I can't update my vaca pics because today my computer crapped out on my again. Please excuse the language. I just had it in the shop last month and was terribly unhappy with the service. Today my monitor kept going black. I called and they want me to drop it off again and maybe they will take another look at it. When they looked at it last month they replaced one part and did a full (destructive) system restore and I have spent endless hours getting things installed again and fixed... it makes me sick that they may do the same thing if I take it back. In the meantime I have no access to my pictures or recent layouts or works in progess. Tears of frustration and disgust with Best Buy here!

And since I'm on a rant- for a year I've had trouble with my mail service, some of which I've posted about here. While we were on vacation the mail lady put a letter in my box stating that she again mis-delivered mail. I went in to the post office (while sick)to file another complaint and the postmaster didn't want to even take my complaint much less do anything about it again. She actually said she didn't want to "babysit" her employees which is what's neccessary to fix this problem. GRRRrrrrrrrrr! I spent the next few days calling and filling complaints at the US Postal service and Consumer Affairs. I'll update when I hear back from someone.

So, there you have my sad little update. Thanks for hanging in there with me if you made it thus far. Goodnight all and I will update again in a few days if I have new news or regain access to my pictures and stuff.

Vacation - post one

2009-04-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

We are back. As much fun as vacations are, its always nice to return home.

Last Saturday darling daughter and I went to a crop. It was great fun.

Monday we packed for our trip on Wednesday. I had a icky cough and chest cold going on. I was hoping it would be gone by the time we headed out.

I made a scrappy project that darling daughter is wearing here. If you are interested, check out this tutorial to show you how to make your own.

My dear hubby returned from work a day early so we headed off down the Oregon Coast on Tuesday instead. It was rainy and cold but as Washingtonians, we are used to that and packed accordingly. The view from the hotel was lovely!

The next morning I woke even worse for the wear. So we stopped and got some meds before heading into Newport to visit these places.

And the next day we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was WONDERFUL!

I'll leave off today on that note as I'm still not feeling well. I'll be back in the next few days to post about the rest of our trip. Hope you are all well and having a fantastic weekend!

We have reservations

2009-03-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

for spring break. I did make them at the resort I posted about last week. We are looking forward to a nice little mini vaca. Yay! Spring break starts tomorrow afternoon for us but we are not leaving for our trip until Wednesday next week.

And speaking of spring break, Saturday darling daughter and I are going to an all day crop at a friends house. It's been a while since I've been to one and I'm really looking forward to it!

My computer seems to be running well. Last fall when I had computer issues after a MS update and they told me to remove service pack 3 because of incompatibility issues- since I have avoided it like the plague. When I picked my computer up for BB it didn't take long to realize they had installed SS3. I was very nervous! Luckily, things have gone well. The only glitch I've had is actually in my photoshop program of all things. Tonight I'm reinstalling and reloading my itunes. That's just about it. All the important stuff is back in place. I've really enjoyed PSE7 and may pick that up and use for now. Did you know its on sale @ Costco online for under $50? Can hardly beat that.

Yesterday dear hubby and son started sinking posts for our garden. Dear son is out skinning the top this afternoon. It's been a few years since we grew one and I am really excited to have one again. We all really enjoy gardening. Now, what to plant?

This evening I'm going to scrap but I wanted to post a quick update. Next one will have lots of pics and creations, I promise. Thanks for checking in on me! You all have a super fab weekend!!!

Boo hoo

2009-03-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

as you know my computer is in the shop. I was told they shipped it off and it didn't get fixed before it was sent back. I expressed my *unhappiness* with that and having to be without it for nearly two weeks already so they said that they'd look at it in house. Yesterday the update was that they did replace a part but that it was necessary to do a system restore now too.

This is two system restores in the last six months. Prior to that I had not had a single problem with my computer. Restoring means so much work for me to get it back in order. *sob*

I'm supposed to go pick up my baby tomorrow. I hope to be pleasantly surprised and not have lost everything. Maybe they did a nondestructive restore? A girl can hope right?

Other than that, I've had the flu for the past few days but feel much better today. The school carnival is tomorrow night and so I am heading off to work today to help prepare for it. The kids and I will be running the book fair and a book walk at it tomorrow night. We're looking forward to it.

One more week until Spring Break. I was searching the web for somewhere go for a few days while on break. We are thinking of going here to a resort at the breathtaking Alsea Bay.

There are so many wonderful things to do in the area as well. I'm sure it would keep us all busy and happy for 3 or 4 days.

Well, I need to head off to work. I hope you all have a super fab Friday. Don't work too hard. :)

Still holding out

2009-03-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

with this old computer. I downloaded a free version of PSE onto this because its to old to run my creative suite. It's been fun creating this week while learning elements again. The last version I owned of elements was 3 but over time it's been improved so I'm now playing with 7. Can I just say that it has some REALLY COOL features!

Here's a few things I've made this week-

The designers at WST have really outdone themselves recently. If you haven't been there lately you really should make it a point to check out the shop and the gallery. Both are oozing with inspiration! And today here's what's going on-

That should about wrap up the ol' blog post today. I'm without my computer for at least another week they say. So when it gets back to me I'll update my project 52 pics.

Thanks for stopping in! You all enjoy the rest of your week. Have a good one.

Stopping in quickly

2009-03-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

to say I'm still kicking. My thyroid med I've recently started appears to be giving me some funky side effects so it was finally changed yesterday. Hopefully the new presciption will be better for me.

When I got home yesterday afternoon from my doctor appointment, I learned my computer was broken. :( I love my computer and I'm so sad that I have to do without it for a bit while the geek squad gives her some TLC.

Did I mention I had to dig out my dinosaur of a laptop that is like 7 or 8 years old to get by? Ssssssslow! How did we do it back then? lol! It's actually kind of funny to have the old laptop out though. The kids monitor died a few weeks ago and in a pinch I brought in the old huge monster of a monitor that was stored out in the garage. We all laughed and joked we were totally going retro. It matched quite well with an old rotary phone we have in the same room. A few days later my darling daughter's cell phone died and she was teasing me that she'd have to used this really old cell phone we had stuffed in the back of a drawer- keeping with the retro theme. Lol! At least they have a sense of humor, right?! We actually had an extra Razor she is using but it gave us a little giggle that afternoon. And now the laptop is rev'ed up and in my room. Not quite retro but definately old.

Well, this morning I cleared off my craft table. I have tons of ideas swimming around in my head. So this evening I plan on getting my hands dirty. :)

It's been snowing off and on all day. They are calling for a few inches tonight and more through the next two days. I hope you are dry and warm in your neck of the woods. Have a great weekend and I'll do a better post with pictures when I get my computer back.

Good night all!

Utterly and completely

2009-02-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

exhausted. That was me last night. I had a follow up with the doctor yesterday (after work) for my cough. Lungs all clear and I took the last of my antibiotic just before my appt. Yay! I went to bed last night and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

This morning we woke to a "late start" because of snow. Here's what I woke to. These are pics from my bedroom window. Wow, right!?!

I love the beauty of the outdoors when it snows. It's always so clean, calming, and peaceful. What a wonderful start to my day!!!

Yesterday I scrapped this with Karah's stuff. The frames are "stuck together" and are being released today at Oscraps.

And this is an adorable kit by Emily Merritt available for $2 2day only at {we are} storytellers.

And that is all I've got for today. Wishing you all well. Enjoy your week.

Some scrappy time in a week full of

2009-02-23T07:47:00.000-08:00

doctor appointments. I had a scheduled appointment for last Monday which was good because I had a minor cough that was turning major from our weekend at the beach. I had doc check it out while I was there. He started me on some meds. Then I was was back on Friday and Saturday both. Eeek! On Saturday's appointment they even did chest xrays and gave me something new. They also scheduled a follow up for Wednesday. Whew! I hope I'm on the mend now.

Moving right along- here are my project 52 pics.

Here are a few things I worked on this week-

And Jenni Bowlin has gone digital. She is now selling her digital kits at {we are} storytellers.com. Here's something I made with her latest kit-

This weekend my harmony lo was published in Bella Scraps magazine. It's a great issue and you should check it out! :)

Well, I am heading off to work. I hope you all have a super fab week!

The beach

2009-02-18T20:59:00.001-08:00

was beautiful. It was cold and crisp in the mornings. There was an icy frost over the grass outside the hotel and about half way down to the beach each morning. It warmed up and was dry for the most part the rest of the trip. It sprinkled for just a bit on Saturday while we were walking through town but not enough to slow us down.

Here's some pics I took on our walks to and from the beach. Some are taken in the morning and others at sunset.

We swam, walked through town and played at the arcade, rode the go carts, and played some board games back at the hotel in the evenings. We walked the beach and fed the seagulls, collected some shells and I nearly drowned my dog. Bha! But all is good and we had much fun. So so so nice to get away and unwind a little. :)

Monday I had a doctor appt. where I learned I had hypothyroidism. Doctor started me on a treatment and it's supposed to make be feel a little better within the next few weeks. I haven't felt awful but I have noticed some changes this past year in my health. Glad to know that there was a reason other than getting old. Lol!

I am working on several crafty things this week but I haven't anything to show you today.

I'll be back in a few days to update and post my Project 52 pics. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!

Coming out for a breather

2009-02-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

from the daunting task of finances. I do have our taxes done. I'll give them a once over tomorrow before I file them. And our personal stuff, well I have a really good start on them. I have to finish up a few other areas we would like to manage (beyond our checking/savings) but for the most part, that is done too. *Deep sigh of relief!*

I stumbled upon a coupon for a hotel we like at the beach. My darling daughter had asked to go there for her birthday but I wasn't sure we'd be able to afford to stay the weekend. It turns out we can. We have reservations for next weekend and I am really excited.

Here are week 5 and 6 pics for Project 52-

My Cat-

One of the kids' friends (who are so close they are like family)

I also worked on some scrappy stuff- Underwear is all the craze? lol! Here's a potty chart, card, bookmark, DVD sleeves, and some plain ol' stickers.

So I like to watch Grey's and LOST. When LOST started this season I was SO distracted by Saywer's teeth. He had the fixed and whitened. Of course he has every right to do so, but where on the island do they offer that service? Am I the only one with this little hang up? lol! And I was less then impressed with Grey's last season- but I think the last couple of episodes have been really good. I'm looking forward to next weeks episode. I've always liked Addison though. :)

Well, I'm off to stretch my legs. I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend!

I applaud you

2009-02-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

if you are one of those doing project 365. That would mean you get your camera out each and every single day. Wow!

Me? I am pushing it trying to participate in project 52. lol! Here's what I have so far...

I cannot believe it is February already!?!?! This month has gone by in a blur. And the week after this, my baby is having her 13th birthday. Ack! I have some ideas but no plans yet for her birthday party or gifts. I better get busy, huh?

This week I did make one hybrid project. I used now retired Two Sisters papers.

And this week and probably next, I will go nuts on the finances. It's tax time and we also have decided to go with a new system to organize our home finances and monthly bills- which I need to spend hours no doubt setting up. This is one of those things I hate to do the prep needed but feel so accomplished once I've finished it. Nose to the grind, right!

Today my schedule is so tight, I've spent my only free time, blogging. You all have a terrific Tuesday! Thanks for stopping in!

So happy to say goodbye

2009-01-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

to the ick. I've been sick this week with a flu bug. I started feeling better last night and was back to work today. Yay!

I love love love Two Sisters Designs. I have collected their stuff forever and followed them over to {we are} storytellers when they made the move from Scrap Artist. Recently I learned that they are retiring. I can't believe it! So sad.

So if you don't already own all their amazing stuff, go here to get it before it is gone...

Karah has a new collab kit coming out this week. Here's a little sneak peak-

I can't believe he's going to be driving in a few months. I had to call the insurance last week to find out when I needed to add him on the insurance and such. *sigh* Where does the time go? Seriously!

And I created a envelope album too-

I need to clean up the house and my craft tables so that I can have some scrappy fun this weekend. I hope you all have a super fab Friday and enjoy your weekend too!

Busy busy....

2009-01-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

It's been busy since going back to work after Christmas break. The weekend before last we cleaned out the garage which was really nice. It took most of the weekend but it was worth it to have it clean and organized once again. We also cleaned up the yard of fallen limbs and minor damage from the recent storms.

This weekend we went to an antique show at the Clark Co. fairgrounds. It was so much fun looking at all the goods. We did a lot of browsing and a little shopping. Afterwards we went over to Cascade Station in Portland and did some shopping there and IKEA too. Before heading home we stopped and had pizza at BJ's... Yumm-o! Last we stopped and watched Hotel for Dogs and the theater. It was a cute movie. When we finally made it home, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. lol! It was a lovely day but tiring.

Today has been a laid back day. The kids both have friends over and we have had a lot of fun playing around. We baked cookies, played monopoly on the Wii, watched a movie and now it's winding down. I think I'll make some Chinese for dinner tonight... I haven't made that in a while. :)

I've been scrappy too-

And here's one hybrid project that I made for darling daughter for Valentines Day. I'll slip it into her school binder on Friday to brighten her day.

And a couple of months ago I did a tutorial for The Daily Scrapper for the Chinese New Year. That article just came out a few days ago. If you are interested in reading it, you can find it HERE. It was a fun little project and certainly kid friendly too.

Lots in store for the next few weeks. I guess being this busy keeps me out of trouble though, right!

I hope you all have had a terrific three day weekend. Thanks for checking in!

Flooding

2009-01-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

I live in southwest Washington - smack dab in the middle of the flooding. Thankfully my home is safe but sadly many friends and co-workers in the community are not. They evacuated my kids school yesterday at lunchtime. No school today. And this morning the river is supposed to crest 7' over flood level. That will flood most of the town where I live. In addition, all the rain is causing numerous mud and land slides. Not good.

Earlier this week, I started playing with this fun kit. It is awesome! You really need to pick this up today while its on sale. :)

And here's the low down on how you can get it-

Just another quick post today. I hope you are all having a great week and staying dry.

Welcome 2009

2009-01-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

I am so happy and hopeful for all that 2009 holds!

There was 5 new inches of new snow when I woke this morning. Most of the old stuff had melted and it looks like we're in for another round. The news is saying snow off and on for the next three days. Wow!

It's been a little more than two weeks since I've been on break from work and I have really enjoyed it. The house is nearly spic and span. I've thoroughly enjoyed the holidays. I have even organized several things... today I'm tackling the scappy stuff. Three more days to relax and enjoy... Yay!

Today I am trying once again to kick some poor eating habits and to dedicate myself self to exercising more. Still room for improvement in those areas. What are your resolutions?

I have been so productive in the scrappy department on my time off too. Creative time equals a happy me. :) So I'd like to share some stuff-

Did I mention that the kids are gone for the entire weekend and that my hubby will be home after work this evening for the whole weekend. We seems we never have time alone. I will have to open the recipe book and find something fab to make for dinner tonight. Maybe we will go out tomorrow on a date. I'll check to see what playing at the movies. Fun fun fun!

Darling daughter and I went to see Bedtime Stories earlier this week. I must confess it was a cute movie. Especially for an Adam Sandler film. And speaking of movies, my current fave is What Happens in Vegas. It is so so funny. It is a must see if your into comedies. Hilarious! Matter of fact, I think I'll go pop that in now and hit the scrap stash.

You all have a fantastic weekend!!!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

Is it really the last day of 2008. On New Year's Eve, I usually spend some time looking through my blog archives and scrapbook pages to reflect the year gone by. We all speak of the happy times and relish in those moments. Who doesn't love to hear about one anothers good cheer. We have had many many happy times and most wonderful opportunities this year. God is good. With that said, this year my family had some really low points too - more than one life altering experience really. Reflecting on that is bittersweet today. As bad as some of those times were, most offered growth. This past year our family changed - a lot. Today as I reflect, I am thankful it's passed and grateful that we stand stronger.

I welcome with open arms 2009.

This year I have chose one little word for 2009... you see I put it on my blog header for a daily reminder. Harmony. This year I will strive to bring harmony to every aspect of my life.

I made a lo with my word too.

This will be a short post today. There are lots of sales today in digiland. Here's one you won't want to miss -

And most importantly - Happy New Year my friends! I hope the year 2009 is the best one yet!

{we are} storytellers

2008-12-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

Okay someone pinch me! I am so happy to say that I am joining their amazing team. I'm not sure its completely sunk in yet. :)

Check out this FREE kit by em at MM -

Enjoy!

Winter is here

2008-12-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

and giving us lots of snow.

But just before the weather changed I was able to get these pics of the kiddos.

Where have I been this past few weeks? Well, not at work. lol! The last three days of school was called for snow. It started off like this-

It was so pretty. And just the right amount of snow fell for the kids to go sledding. So as soon as there was a break they were out on our private road going at it. Of course I joined in on the fun too- mostly as the photographer but I did make a couple of runs.

And more snow came. That meant we needed to bake some sweets. Twas almost Christmas...

Then of course we wrapped presents, watched some Christmas movies, played the Wii and spent lots of fun time together as it kept snowing and snowing and snowing...

There it shows 14" but on Monday we were up to 18". It was crazy I tell you. Then on Christmas Eve it rained. That did not make the snow go away by any means but it did make it very heavy and slushy. We definately lost mass, but I would say with the snow we got again yesterday, we easily still have a foot of snow here.

And here's a glimpse of our Christmas morning-

I'll catch up with the scrappy stuff next post. :)

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. I hope the good cheer and happiness follow you well into the new year. Happy Holidays my friends!

Tis the Season

2008-12-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Surprises are rolling in... I mentioned in my last post how happy I was to finally have a schedule change at work. This week, 2 more pretty awesome and unexpected things happened. I teach 2 six grade art classes a week and so wanted to introduce them to photoshop. After a really long wait, (I'd actually given up hope that I'd get the computers)Wednesday the computer guy brought them in and set them up in my room. I am estatic!!! And, I also run the cricut machine at work and cut out letters for the classroom bulletin boards and projects. Well, I was told Friday that there was some extra money and to order some new cartridges and supplies. Fun, fun, fun.

And at home, we ended up just staying in on our Anniversary. The kids were home so we rented a couple of movies and did a family movie night. Not as exciting as I had planned but things don't always turn out the way we plan, right?!? lol. And Friday I became a grandma. Okay not really but for the weekend. lol. Dear son has to do a baby project where they care for a doll that simulates a newborn. I totally forgot how little of sleep there is for all with a baby in the house. lol! It's been a great experience for him though.

Snow snow snow is in the air. We woke to a dusting yesterday. This morning there was a little more. And it just started again. They are calling for four inches today. The kids are SO excited.

I have a few layouts and an ornament I made that I'd like to share.

I also added a new tutorial this week on redecorating picture frames. There's a link in the side bar for those interested. :)

Have a super Sunday my friends!

Where?

2008-12-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Where oh where has this last week gone? Oh where oh where can it be? Lol!

Seriously, this last week was gone in a blink.

I wanted to share a few pics from our trip last weekend to Portland International Raceway's Winter Wonderland light show.

And this one is for Joy, my friend at the beach. (It's a little blurry but there's a lighthouse off in the distance there.)

If you live in the area, this is really a fun family activity. My kids are teenagers and still love doing this. (They pack up blankets and pillows in the back seat of the car (We live a little more than an hour away so there's a little drive) and sometimes they even go in their PJ's.) When you get there you are offered a Christmas CD to play, candy canes are passed around, and you are asked to dim the headlights and enjoy the light scenes as your drive around the track.

I have much to be thankful for this week-

1. my glasses came in on Wednesday and my headaches immediately went away - praise the Lord!
2. I had an opportunity to contribute to the DST Insider that came out this month - it was an awesome edition that was cram packed with hybrid ideas (check our pg 40 & 41) :)
3. the computer is starting to look good again - fonts and photoshop back up and running this week
4. a much needed change in my schedule at work has finally come - *dancing over this one!*
5. my friends came through and donated enough scrappy supplies for all of the students in both of my art classes to make holiday gifts to take home - my friends -> YOU ROCK! Thank you thank you thank you!!! Mwah!

I did a little scrapping this week too.

Monday. Monday will be dear hubby and my wedding anniversary. I'm still not sure what we will do that day, but I know the special day is something we will joyfully celebrate. He is the love of my life.

Yep, there we were at the reception, dancing. 12/2000

Well, this weekend I need to get the housework done and then I want to work on a some hybrid projects. Also a few more tutorials to add here at the blog. So I better get to it. :)

I hope you all have a super fab weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Is it taboo?

2008-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

They say one should not talk about money, religion or politics...

I want to discuss religion. Today we are starting at a new church and we are full of hope. With these changes I've been giving this area thought...

I've had an interesting relationship with religion in my life. My mother was "religious" and my father was agnostic. Growing up, my mother was not what I would consider a christian, but because she went to church most Sunday's she felt that was all that was necessary to qualify for the title. (Breezing through this period here because we all know people like that...) Growing up, I had real questions about religion which my mother "the christian" couldn't answer but instead embarrassed me telling others I was a "non-believer". This lead me, as a child, to feel that if her poor lifestyle was a "christian" one... Then heck yeah I was agnostic too!

Luckily, in my heart, I knew different.

So in most of my adult life I have chose to go to church. I have chose to live(and live being the operative word here) a christiam life. I have come to terms with the religion I grew up with and that which I know to be true. I don't preach or judge. I set an example in my every day living.

I left a church I attended many years ago when I moved and got married. My husband and I have attended another church which we came to love as a second family. The church began having trouble a few years ago which led to change. So we have been searching for a new home once again. The pastor of our old church who is also a great friend suggested the church we are attending this morning. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope this church is what our family is looking to become part of. It's very exciting!

I just read the post to this point and you know, I haven't also been able to sum that up so neatly. I've really come a long way. I'm proud of myself! :)

And moving on. So... Thanksgiving weekend here has been wonderful. We had tons of delicious food. I cooked and this year it seemed like a breeze. Really! Some years it feels like I'm in the kitchen all day and even need help at times, but this year it all come together so quick and neat. I even got in a nap!

Friday, dear hubby, daughter and I went out shopping. Four in the morning is too early to rise! Lol! But I did in fact get some most awesome deals. This was darling daughters first time out on Black Friday. She too loved the deals. I don't always go out the day after Thanksgiving, but with money being tight this year, I braved the crowds. Later that day we had left overs and watched a family movie.

Saturday, the husband and kids decorated the outside of the house with Christmas lights. I stayed inside and unpacked the village and other decorations. In the evening we headed to PIR. We had a great night. Dinner at BJ's, ice cream at Cold Stone, and a tour of winter wonderland lights. It was a wonderful evening... almost magical. The weather was just perfect- no rain but cool and crisp. I was able to have the window rolled down through the light show so I could take pics. It was awesome!

Today, we are going to church and then coming home to decorate the inside of the house and our tree. Fun fun fun! My camera is going to be loaded by the time this weekend is over. :)

I also scrapped a lo in the last few days-

I have a couple more things in the works but that I'll save for another post.

Thank you for stopping in. I hope you are all happy and well - and reflecting on a amazing weekend you shared with your family!

Dear Santa...

2008-11-26T06:50:00.000-08:00

Can you somehow magically get my computer running ship shape by Christmas? I've been a good girl this year...

Okay so really, I had to start over with the ol' computer. It'll probably take me until Christmas to get her back.

I scrapped one layout this week between the chaos. Karah came out with this amazing christmas kit...

The kids and I have a half day at school/work and then we are off to enjoy the little Thanksgiving break. Yay! Always so much to be thankful for. I've really been looking forward to Thanksgiving break this year too. I'm embarrassed to share this but maybe it'll give you a giggle. I've had so much on my mind lately that when I went out and bought a big huge turkey the other day I got all the way home before I realized I left it on the shopping cart in the parking lot. Last month I did nearly the same thing when I bagged all my groceries and then walked out to my car with an empty cart. I so need a break. Lol!

We plan to spend lots of quality time together, decorate over the weekend for Christmas and put up the tree. We also collect a village scene. The kids love love love putting that up this time of year. And we are surpising the kids one night and driving up to PIR. We did this a few years ago and it was so much fun.

This is only a quick post but I wanted to wish all my friends the most merry and bright Thanksgiving. Much peace and happiness to you and yours!

In light of recent events

2008-11-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

this seems small scale.

I know that it isn't.

I spent 4 hours yesterday afternoon with customer service at Microsoft because of computer issues. The automatic updates I did a week ago completely wigged out and disable much of my computer. We went through many steps and in the end removed the service pack 3 which is apparently notorious for being malicious to some computers. It corrupted files and there was loss of much. I am told the only option is to do a system restore. Recovery isn't even possible. *Sigh*

Guess what I will be doing this weekend.

Before this drama, I scrapped this pic with MK designs new kit. It's from some pics I took of the kids last Christmas. TFL!

Okay, I have a few more things to share but it'll need to wait. I've hopped onto the kids computer this morning and can't tie it up for too long because darling daughter is politely waiting for print something off before school.

Did I mention darling daughter and I have a date tonight to see Twilight? Are you going?

Have a super Friday!!!

Computer Ick

2008-11-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last post about a trojan horse that slipped in with some automatic updates. Knock on wood, I've been so very lucky not to have problems like that before on this computer. I was able to get rid of it quickly. But it seems that things are running quite right either. I can't do a disk defrag. My antivirus quit working. I get a odd message upon start up of my computer. I spent all last night trying to hunt down and pin point the problem. I found the files that were downloaded the other day and I suspect there are some compatibility issues with them. Grrrr!!! So wish my me some much needed luck on fixing these issues this week so that I won't have to do a system restore or take the pc into the Geek Squad. Thank you!

On to brighter things... Here's a layout I did of darling daughter. :)

With my pc issues, I have yet to get started on the Stories in Hand class. My most favorite things project is only mapped out on paper too. Today. Today I will get those things started now that my computer is at least stable. I'll look forward to it this afternoon!

Monday's are our local movie stores .99 cent night. So somewhere along the way became our family movie night. Last night we rented A Perfect Christmas and it was an adorable family movie. We giggled and laughed. It was fun and lighthearted. I would reccommend this cute little show to you!

Gotta love children. My son comes home from school yesterday. He has a snack and visits for a short while. He does his chores. Comes back to me and says, "I've decided to play basketball. Will you drop me off at 5:30?" Basketball? He mentioned he was considering this a couple of weeks ago. When I followed up on it, he told me he decided not to play. Not another word. Now, a half hour before the first try out he asks for a ride? Good thing we didn't have plans to be out for the evening! So like I said, Kids! lol! Love 'em!

And the coffee has help alleviate some of the dull pain in my head this week. I have an eye appointment on Friday to get my eyes checked. I think they will be putting me back in full time glasses. Last time I had my eyes checked they put me into readers instead of the glasses I was wearing all of the time. That has worked until now. My right eye feels constantly strained. So I welcome this appointment with open arms. And yes... it means I'm getting old. lol!

Well, I gotta be off and running to work. I hope you all have a super fantastic week!!!

Caffine?

2008-11-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

I quit drinking coffee a few weeks ago. No particular reason, I just found myself craving tea more and more. Every day since, I've had headaches though. I attributed it to my lingering cold at first. Then decided to schedule an eye appointment to have my eyes checked. Headaches haven't gone away yet and my eye appointment isn't until the end of next week. So last night while out grocery shopping I desperately bought some more coffee. This morning as I type this, GOOD MORNING COFFEE! I hope that it drives away this crazy headache. Could it be as simple as a morning cup? I cannot tell you how much tylenol I've gone through in the past few weeks.

And for those of you who have your windows xp set up to do automatic updates- beware! There's a trojan horse waiting to slip on in with your next update. I have had it twice this week. I suggest you change your settings for it to notify you of updates without downloading and installing them on its own. Hope that helps someone out there.

Our wedding Anniversary is coming up and I would really like to do something special for an evening. Any suggestion? Actually, we live closer to Portland than Seattle... but I'm willing to drive either way. I would love to hear some things you've done. Maybe it will spark an idea for me.

And as I'm thinking of dear hubby, here's a layout I did this week. It was taken for his 42nd birthday last month. TFL!

I have a project I'm working on and I'm so excited to get it done and post some pics here. Shall I give you a hint? Lol! I was inspired by one of Oprah's themes- My Favorite Things. I'll share more with you next post. :)

The Stories in Hand class I'm taking is moving way to fast for me this week. I've read the posts and that is it. Lol! Crazy week for me. So I hope to catch up with it this weekend. I'll post more about that then too.

At work there's one week a year we get to go down to half days. Guess what! That falls next week. Wahooo! If I get the house tidied up this weekend... there should be lots of scrappy goodness time for me next week. I'll have about three hours each day to myself before the kids get home from school. I'm so looking forward to it. The kids want me to use the time to dig out our village. We don't usually put it up until after Thanksgiving. Hmm? Scrappy time...Village....Scrappy time...Village. We shall see. ;)

Have a super great week my friends.

Mystery Solved

2008-11-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

Upon returning to work after my last post, a teacher popped her head into my room and made the comment, "I bet you'll be in the spirit early this year." I was wondering what in the heck she was talking about and then it hit me. My room is next to the music classroom at school and they have been practicing Christmas carols in preperation for the upcoming concert. I just giggled. Clearly, the music doesn't bother me at all. In fact, she was correct- it has put me in the spirit early this year. Fa la la la la, la la la la....

Last weekend was dear son's 15th birthday. This is the birthday streak in the family... 3 of them in 3 weeks. Craaaazy! But really, it's all good. He had a wonderful birthday and celebrated with his family and a few close friends. Here's a pic of him and the "almond joy" cake darling daughter and I made for him.

Darling daughter went to her first boy/girl halloween party. It was fun to help her get all dressed up. She dressed out of her closet believe it or not. With the help of a little colored hairspray and some of mom's old jewelry she was a perfect little 80's rock star. :)

I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately and today, dear son came home from school with the same type of feverish symptoms. Flu season is here. I slept a lot this weekend. Luckily I have today and tomorrow off as well. I'm hoping that the extra rest will get us all back in shape before the holidays are here.

Speaking of holidays... here's a lo I worked on since my last post. It's of our Thanksgiving last year.

I also did a lo of our old lab. Cookie was a wonderful dog whom we loved very much. It's been three years now and we still think so fondly of her. Although she's no longer with us, when I came across this photo over the weekend I just felt compelled to scrap it.

I look at these lo's and always think I should journal more. It is something I always aspire to improve. I was lucky enough to get in on the "Stories in Hand" class taught by Jessica Sprague. It starts today and I am so very excited. I hope it inspires me to get those words down on my lo's more often. Fun fun fun! And I think registration has been extended through this evening. If its something you are interested in, you should stop by her website and sign up!

Today I've been sitting at the ol' computer and giving the blog a facelift. It's been so neglected lately. I have had such dreams for it but it seems to be the first thing cut out of the schedule when I'm running short on time. I am happy to say, I've added some hybrid tutorials today. I am trying to make the blog more informational and easier to navigate. Thanks for sticking with me through the changes.

I am getting ready to go pick up my sweet cat Harley from the vet soon ( he had the 'snip snip' today ), I hope things went well for the poor little guy. We'll pamper him this evening and we plan on picking up a few movies at the rental store to watch this evening and tomorrow. A lazy evening planned here in our household. I can almost smell the hot chocolate now. Soon- the couch, a cozy blanket or two, and the kids and I have a date. Hehehe!

Have a good one and thanks for stopping by!

Christmas?

2008-10-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

My house is decorated with pumpkin and gourds, sunflowers and leaves, bats and ghouls yet I feel the Christmas spirit. Why is that? Fall is actually my most favorite time of year. I love the beauty in this season. I love the crisp fall air and the turning leaves. I love the generosity we see from people as they think of Thankgiving looming. But this year, I have caught the Christmas bug a bit early. I actually am playing Christmas music today. Lol!

We stopped a few weeks ago at a bazaar near our home. It's held it this great old barn and they open it up for two weekends a year for a Harvest and a Christmas bazaar. Anyway- we stopped a few weeks ago and I just fell in love with the winter decorations and left with several. Those items are now tucked away until its time to do the Christmas decorating but oh how I am ready for that. I've been enjoying the hot chocolate in the evening too, which we usually do closer to winter. So what's up with my internal time clock? Lol!

I turned 38 this week. My dear hubby has been away for work since the night before my grandmother passed away and I miss him. The kids have been great considering all that's happened recently and went all out to make by birthday special. It was so nice of them. Whenever the kids ask me how old I am I always reply, "I'm a spring chicken." So darling daughter made a cake for me and it was just that. She's such a sass but how cute is this!?!?!

I do have to admit that 38 isn't starting off the best. On Friday I was walking out to my car after work and my ankle rolled. I went down like a load of bricks right there in the parking lot. Scratched up both of my knees and palms, broke by Starbucks cup I was carrying, and ruin my shoes. Two days later, every muscle in my upper body hurts- undoubtedly from trying to break the fall. Embarrassing!

My son will be 15 years old next weekend. *faint* It scares me to death to think he will be driving in 6 months. He is a great kid and is responsible, however, he is SO immature. I can see my 12 year old daughter behind the wheel but not my son. How do you deal with that? Well we've had a lot of talks with him about it lately. He needs to "grow up" some before I can see this happening. I love him to bits and feel bad saying that but it does have me concerned. Hopefully there will be continued growth for him in the next few months. Any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with me on this subject?

Here's a few things I worked on in the past few weeks- TFL!

Change of address cards and a tag book-

And a lo of one of our three poms-

That's sweet adorable Riley. He is as shy as all get out but is always smiling. In this pic is his grin - he also has a great big smile. (Or at least I think so.) Lol!

Thanks again everyone for the thoughtful comments and emails... I really appreciated them!!! I hope you all have a wonderful week and a Happy Halloween!

Last year

2008-10-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

Last year I made this lo of my grandmother and me. We took this picture one afternoon while we were out for lunch. It was a beautiful day and we ordered food and sat out on the patio in the sun and ate. The kids and I loved lunching with grandma.

I thank you for the thoughts and prayers, comments and emails. You're support was so comforting. Last night my grandmother passed away. She was a wonderful woman and will be missed greatly.

Prayers please

2008-10-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

My grandmother is elderly but has been in good health. Thursday she was sent to the hospital for some tests because she wasn't feeling well. She was told that they weren't admitting her and she would go home that night. She didn't tell family because this was all played down as a minor thing. Thursday night came and they admitted her. Friday she was kept another night. She contacted some family and then took a turn for the worse and was moved yesterday to Critical Care/ICU and she now is on a respirator and other means of basic life support.

I learned last night she was in the hospital. Today I learned how bad it was. I'm thankful I was able to visit her this afternoon even though it was brief. She was resting and they were keeping her comfortable. Things do not look good. This has all come as such a surprise to us all. It was sudden and unexpected.

If you would, please say a prayer for Dorothy. Thank you so much.

We are trying

2008-10-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

to chase the ick out of the house! Dear Son had it, then dear hubby, next darling daughter and now me. Yesterday I felt better but then this morning it got up and ... ugh! But life must go on.

Today this is a glimpse into our world.

We are celebrating my husband's birthday when he gets home from work. Just low key and at home with family is the plan. We are decorating, making him a favorite meal, and sacking out to watch some movies. :)

And here are a couple of lo's I worked on since the last post.

Dear son had surgery yesterday to have a permenant tooth removed that was stuck up in the bone. I was very worried because the kids had not had surgery of any kind to date and I didn't know how they would react. I'm happy to report... things went very well. JR is feeling good today and isn't even asking for the pain meds they prescribed. I love our dentist! :)

Sorry for the hit and run post but there are lots of things to do this weekend. Momma's never seem to get rest, much less when they are a little under the weather. Lol! ;)

Thanks for stopping in and have a great weekend!

I love the mornings

2008-09-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Really, I'm one of those people that are 'early to bed, early to rise...' So this morning I was sitting here drinking my coffee and thinking of what it is I would like to do this weekend. I'm feeling particularly scrappy which is a good thing. Hopefully I can do a lo or two. I also know that my computer needs some MAJOR clean up... but that can be very time consuming. Darling daughters asthma is flared up right now so I know whatever we do it'll be low key and at home this weekend. Reading what I just typed, I guess I already know what the plans are. I'll get the housework done and then work on the computer. :)

Speaking of the weekend, there is a big PAR-TY going on over at the Digi Chick to launch the new site design. If you want to play, come on over!

I did one lo this week. This is an adorable kit by Cinnamon Designs. The pic is of darling daughter the day she went in for her junor high orientation just before school started this year. She looks too grown up. *sniff sniff*

An update on the Post Office. Well, long story short, apparently a large check was involved in the missing mail report a neighbor was missing. So they went door to door the next few days until they found all the missing mail. So I did get my package in the end. It was kind of strange because the manager called and left a message on my machine with no apologies, just a statement that she guesses she'll need to do some retraining in her office now that the missing mail was found. (Like she was only going to address this because it was now verified that THEY had misdelivered mail.) Hey accidents happen, but this has been going on for a LONG TIME NOW. Hopefully it's all said and done at this point. :)

It was nice this week- I've been letting my hair grow out for a good year now or so. No haircuts. I decided to it was finally long enough and it desperately needed to be shaped up. So I got a haircut. It wasn't a huge change, but the gal gave me a nice haircut and it looks so much better and lays well once again. I'll have to take a pic sometime this weekend.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

The Post Office

2008-09-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Long story shortened... About a year and a half ago, we started having problems with the mail. We didn't get things we were expecting, we started getting neighbors mail, we were getting things in our mailbox open or packages torn to shreds and all but destroyed. We went in and complained a few times where we were told they "would speak with the mail carrier." We asked if the mail carrier was new because we'd live here for a long time with no problems prior to this but we were told it was the same person. Hmph!

It got better for a while but all summer this has been happening again. Wrong mail delivery, missing mail, and then this week a package I had been expecting last week never came. I called the company that shipped the package Monday and they asked me to give the delivery a little extra time since we had a recent holiday (which seemed quite resonable to me) and said it should be here by Wednesday at the latest. They wanted me to call back Wed. if I didn't get it. It didn't come, I made the call, they traced the package which was sent with a Fed Ex tracking code. It had been delivered to my local post office a week before this. So where was my package?

I called the post office where they had a new manager who was unaware of this history of problems. When I told her the package was missing she said they would look into it. She also informed me that I had a new mail carrier for the last few months. She calls back later in the day to tell me that the mail carrier had a fill in that day for her route and that she has since had a neighbor of mine call and file a missing mail report as well. She said she'd get back to me in a day or two. I called back the company who sent the package and asked what I was supposed to do since I prepaid for this and it was lost in the mail. I expected them to give a phone number where I could file a complaint, however, they came back on the line to let me know that they were going to ship me a second package free of charge. I couldn't believe it. How cool is that?! I didn't expect that at all, but what awesome customer service!

I'll update next week on the post office saga as it continues...

I've been a little scrappy this week. Feeling the fall mojo here's a lo and a paper bag book I made. TFL!

My new work schedule is okay. We are finally getting back into a routine here. Thursday and Friday are definately my favorite work days this school year because I get to teach 6th grade art. I've really been enjoying that! :)

Well, I gotta run. I hope my friends affected by the recent or coming hurricanes are all safe and sound. Thinking of you guys!

Exhausted and broke

2008-09-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah this is Ever Thankful, Always Grateful. Let me try this again... I'm thankful it's the weekend because the week was exhausting and I'm grateful to have everything I need for the time being because I'm broke. lol!

Seriously, this week was really hard getting the kids back into the swing of school. And I had to run them around all week to things after school as well. Get this... One night I had to run darling daughter back down to the school where we were supposed to report so that we could be given her math assignment. Apparently, they do Fantasy Football as the entire fall math program at her Junior High. Yes you heard me right. We show up and the staff are proudly wearing football jersey's and were seemingly very excited. Now if I knew anything about football or algebra, this may have been an interesting idea. But truely, the teacher could have been speaking German for that 45 minutes and it would have had the same results. I don't get it! *Sigh!*

The kids started Junior High and High School this year. OMGoodness!!! I always buy clothes and supplies so I knew of those costs. But school fees are killing me. ASB cards, annuals, meal tickets, club fees, fees for some courses and tests.... sports fees, paid for extra meds to leave at school, and so on and so forth. This is crazy! I shall start saving a little each month in January so that this won't be such a shock next year. Now I know. Do you think the kids will understand when there are no presents under the Christmas tree this year?

Although this week was much of a blurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr--- This is something that was such a sweet surprise. Look what Karah made as her latest kit release.

And here is what I did with it. This is a pic from my childhood.

And I'll leave you with a few things that I am totally loving this last few weeks. Yankee Peach candles, Sims 2 apartment life, beautiful fall blooms on my hydrangas, the crisp cool fall weather, the spice pumpkin cake daughter makes this time of year, and re-reading the Twilight series with my daughter. :)

Back to School

2008-08-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty good for me this week. The first week we are really hopping and there is so much to do. Next week is when a more regular paced schedule will begin. That will be nice.

My children had their school orientations this week at their new schools. We thought it was on Wednesday so darling daughter and I painted her nails, put her hair in curlers, and set out the 'perfect outfit' the night before. She was so nervous. She will get 1 elective class this year. When they asked her what she wanted, she decided on yearbook. (That is a perfect class for her too because she is great at writing, photography, and loves working on computers.) So at the end of the year conference last spring, the teacher tells us that yearbook is "the most popular class" in Junior High. He said that only 20 students in Junior High get in. It's a year long commitment and really only the most focused students get the opportunity. He gave us an application but had daughter pick out other class choices. We of course filled out the appl. last spring. Darling daughter has kept her hopes in check all summer, but occasionally bringing up that she hopes she made the cut. So Wednesday we go to drop her off for orientation and .... I got the date wrong. The orientation was on Thursday. What a bad mom I am. I felt SO Sorry. She was so disappointed. We had to do it all again the next night. (At least she slept better the next night.) So we tried it again yesterday morning and my husband and I dropped her off before I went to work. She saw some of her old friends, got a tour, and her schedule. I called her on my break and she couldn't wait to tell me that SHE MADE YEARBOOK!!! Wahoo!!! I'm so proud of her!!! In the afternoon dear son did his orientation. And last night we went to both schools to pay fees and take tours. It was a lot of fun. The kids were both getting very excited for school to begin.

Well, this is really a hit and run post. I need to get ready for work. This long weekend I am going to be home alone for most of it. I plan to steam clean the carpets, do my chores, finish up a couple of hybrid projects, and check out Sims 2 apartment life. We picked it up this week but I haven't had a chance to play. I'm wild and crazy, right? LOL! I hope you all have a super weekend and travel safe if you are going out and about. :)

Hello! Where have I been?

2008-08-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

I never knew about blog readers before this weekend. OMGOSH! How cool are they!?! I'm giving bloglines a go and lovin' it already. It sure saves time and now I won't miss my friends blog posts. Yeah!

The closet got a thorough cleaning and oraganizing yesterday. It was the last thing on my list of 'mission organization'. Things like that are always a bigger job then they let on to be. But other than taking some tubs of off-season clothing out to storage, it's done! And I learned something about myself while going through the closet yesterday... I seem to buy everything in two's or three's. It was pretty sad. Darling daughter and I chuckled at first but as it went on and on it really became apparent that I need to buy one thing off the rack and then move on.

Saturday we went out geocaching, however, the ones we printed off for that day were more difficult and we soon realized that we were to the point that we must get a GPS to continue hunting in our area. We didn't find even one that we were searching for. But I took my dog and there was hiking involved so we had fun anyway. I think darling daughter was the most disappointed. She REALLY gets into the hunt. I also took my camera along and snapped a couple pics of the kids. Here is my FRESHMAN and 7th grader. I can't believe how grown up they are...*sniff*

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Well today is my first day back to work (for training) after having the summer off. I welcome the return of routine in my daily schedule. Students return on Wednesday. I mentioned a while back that I am lucky enough to get to teach an art class this year at school, but I learned last week that the art supplies I ordered did not come in. *eek!* So I'll need to be extra creative these first few weeks back to teach the kids and keep it fun without supplies. Shall we start with the color wheel? lol!

Onto scrappy things- I altered this notebook with Amanda and Eva's new Mojito kit.

Well, my class starts soon so I must be off. I hope you all have a fabulous week my friends!

I heart garage sales!

2008-08-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

This is one of many reasons why-

For this and a small stack of paperbacks I paid 14 buckaroos. Now I should have enough reading until the holidays roll around. (Yes I'm a book geek.) I love to read before going to sleep each night. It relaxes me and refocuses my mind to a state of calm after a crazy day.

We've had 70 degree weather and terrenchal rains all week. Today it's supposed to be sunny and near 90. We're still have the oddest weather with huge swings. But today if the lawn dries out enough, were hoping to get it all mowed and weeded. It's overdue and looking a little shabby. This weekend I also plan on finishing up the little bit left to do in the kitchen and cleaning out my closet. The closet and going through my clothes I've totally been putting off but with going back to work Monday the time has now come. I'll be glad when it's done though, right?

I have to share my huge heart attack moment with you too. (A little note here- I'm a hairdresser/instructor on sabbatical. I took time off when the kids were little so that I'd have more time with them. Eventually all my volunteering time at their school led to a position there which I took so that I'd only be working when they were at school and home when they were home. So I don't do hair much anymore- just a family and friends.) A friend came over yesterday to get a weave done I asked the kids to hang out in their rooms while she was here. The kids had been quiet and in their rooms the entire time. So I tap on their doors to check on them when my friend left. Dear son was playing is PS3. Darling daughter though was not in her room. I start checking the other rooms in the house looking for here but she was not to be found. Finally, I go to look in my bedroom and find the door locked. Hmmmmmmmm. So I orignally think that she may have locked it if her brother had been acting up and I didn't know it. Either way this was the first time the kids had locked themselves into my room and it was odd. So I knocked. No answer. I knocked louder. Nothing. I pounded on the door. Nadda. Panic crept in a little I examined the lock. It didn't have a key. By that time, dear son has come out of his room wondering what all the commotion is about. I explain and then went to hunt down a screwdriver to take apart the knob if I must. Son banged very loudly on the door and hollered for his sister. No response. Suddenly all these horrible scenerios flooded my head of possible reasons she couldn't answer us. Frantically I took apart the knob. It took longer than it should have and I couldn't get it all out at first so I crouched down to look through the hole. Couldn't see her. Finally, I busted my way in and skimmed the room but didn't see her. I ran to my bathroom but it was empty. Can I say FREAKING OUT! At this point, I hear brother laughing. Ran back into my bedroom where he points to darling daughter lying on my bed hidden is mounds of blankets and pillows, sleeping soundly. I couldn't believe she was sleeping through all the noise. I check to make sure she was breathing and left her be. But oh my gosh- in that 10 minutes or so... I was really frightened. Later when she got up, she didn't remember a thing or why the door might have been locked. At least all ended well.

On to scrapping things... I made this gift card holder this week.

I have a few other projects that need some finishing touches and then I'll get them posted soon.

I've been eyeing the sale today over at the shabby pickle. They sure have some cute stuff. I may do a little shopping after playing with darling daughter on the we fit this morning. She's here and getting a little impatient. I'd better go.

You all have a super super fantabulous weekend. Thanks for stopping in!

Where did the last week go?

2008-08-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

Seriously! Blink and it was gone.

We went to the theme park which was fun. The weather was perfect too. It was overcast yet just at about 80 degrees. It made for short lines. I love riding with the kids and playing in the water. It's a wonderful annual trip.

Here's some pics on the Timberhawk roller coaster ride. The family is right there front and center. lol!

And here's another of a ride I don't do. I don't mind going upsidedown, however, I do not like to be left hanging up there. Here are the brave or the foolish on the Timberaxe.

Fun fun fun!

And the weather is still so wacky. Tuesday it just reached 80. By Thursday it was 100. Hotter still on Friday and Saturday. Which led to some strange thunderstorms. Cooler Sunday. Today its extremely humid and thundering again. Rain rain go away.

I return to work in one week. Part of me is not ready and the other is starting to look forward to returning. I like having a schedule. I like routine. I went out shopping and bought my supplies a few days ago. Starting to put me in the mood a little. And yesterday as I watched out the window, golden leaves were swirling in the wind. It was dark by 8:30 last night. Returning to work also marks the season... my favorite time of the year. Welcome fall....

Scatterbrained is how I have felt this last week. Spread to thin. I have at least half a dozen home impovement projects left to finish up BEFORE next week. I also have about the same amount of hybrid projects started that I have yet to finish. Today I will try very hard to mark one of each off of that list. If I do just one a day...

Karah let out a girly girly of all girly kits recently at TLP. I had to dig back into my archive of pics for this one. Here's a lo done of McKena's 4th birthday. We were out of town at the beach when we strolled by a bakery window which was filled with Barbie doll cakes. McKena flipped over them and just had to have one for her upcoming birthday. We checked our local bakery who at the time did not make them, so I searched high and low to find a form and made one for her myself. She was so thrilled.

I have one grumpy grumpy girl at home with me today. She can't quite pinpoint what the problem is but I think she's feeling crummy. Her sinuses have been acting up for the past couple of weeks with all the crazy weather changes. Today has been a struggle. Finally, she is lying down and I popped in a movie. Poor thing.

Thanks for checking in on me. If you are a digi scrapper, Catscrap is having a rare and most awesome sale this week. (There's a link in the sidebar.) And if you are a member at MSA, they are celebrating there first birthday and are giving away a gynormous and most awesome collab kit yesterday and today. Just log in and you'll find your way. :)

Have a great week all!

And we are off

2008-08-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

to Wild Waves/6 flags for a fun little day trip. Got swimsuits, picnic basket, and the camera! :)

And here's a lo I did with a collab kit at TLP! TFL!

Have a marvelous Monday!

What a wonderful week this has been.

2008-08-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

And its only Thursday! Wahooooooooooo!

The weekend was nice and dh ran the garage sale on Saturday. That left us with maybe two trips to town to get the rest of the stuff to the Goodwill. Yay! Purge purge purge.

Monday morning we got up and packed a picnic. We dug out the suntan lotion, sand buckets and kites. And then off to the beach we went. We had so much fun!

So on our way to Seaside, we passed a sign that said there was an Amish sale. We had to stop. Look what was out front of the building. It was so interesting to see!

We were almost to Seaside when we had to make another stop at the scrapbook store in Warrenton. We live in a small city with no local scrapbook store, so when we travel out of town I look for these. This store was a very nice one too with lots of stock. I picked up a few things. :)

Then we finally reached Seaside. We went shopping, to the aqarium, and then down on the sand. Here's some pics feeding the sealions.

And here's a lo I did of dear son on the beach.

And here's a pic of the kids playing in the sand.

Tuesday my dear hubby went to work and I laid the outdoor carpet on the front porch. All it needs now is the railing and it'll be finished! Yay! Also Tuesday was the last day dear son had a summer class. It's so nice that he's finished with that. It also means summer is winding down though. *eek!*

Wednesday we ran some errands and went grocery shopping in the morning. In the afternoon we caught up with some friends and spent the afternoon with them. My girlfriend and I beaded while the kids were playing. It was really nice to get out of the house and visit. I didn't make anything spectacular. Mostly I did some much needed repairs so that things would be fixed for back to school wear.

Today, I am planning a trip for us to go to 6 flags next week. We've been talking about it off and on all summer long and the time is finally here. It should be loads of fun and a crazy day. I'm also contemplating going through all my clothing today and weeding out some things. The closet needs to be reorganized-- its harried up and grown over somehow this summer.

Thanks for checking in. If you are a Digi Chick shopper, be sure to stop by the store as they are having a great sale through tomorrow - store wide!

Oh and one last thing... I was downloading some fonts the other day (which I still need to install btw) and I found this neat little site. Check it out! :)

Bloggity blog blog

2008-08-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Brrrrrrrrrr! I just turned our heater on. May I say that this summer has been a strange one! I live in the rainy state of Washington. This summer our temps have been like a rollercoaster ride. It can be 95 one day and 70 the next. That is so hard on the sinuses. Two days ago it was nice and warm and this morning the house is 60 degrees. Thus I turned on the heater. Craaaaaaazy!

I'm a little bummed today because I got a letter in the mail yesterday telling me there was only three weeks left of my summer break. :( Although that is indeed quite a bit of time still, I wish it were more. I still have tons of things on my to do list. There is no possible way I can get them all done in three weeks. I guess I prioritize and do what I can.

Let's talk books for a bit. I've been reading the Twilight series this summer. Love that series. But that isn't the book I wanted to discuss today. While I was waiting for Breaking Dawn to be released this weekend, I picked up The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Quite of few of my friends were reading it and recommended it. I came across it in a yard sale and picked up the hardback for a buck. Didn't even read the sleeve. I wish I had. I love to read and I don't mind angst. But this book I put down after a few short chapters. I gave me an icky feeling every time I picked it up. I did not like it or the foundation on which it was written.

"When you first meet Susie she is already in heaven, As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in a fresh and spirited voice of a 14 year old girl, a take that is both haunting and full of hope.

In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life continuing without her- her school friends trading rumors about her disapperarance, her family holding out hope that she will be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, her sister hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of the word gone........"

I would not recommend this book. Reading of a young girl being raped and murdered is not my idea of a good read.

On to more happy things... I did a lo this week. One of the designers I work with has a guest spot for the month of August at The Lily Pad. I used stuff from the BYOC to make this.

The kids and I went up to Seattle this last week and started our back to school shopping. It went pretty well. We stopped and had lunch at the Rain forest Cafe. It was a lot of fun!

My son wasn't that excited when I told him where we were going to eat. He thought is was going to be "for babies." I'm so happy that once we got there he did in fact enjoy himself. The environment they create is so cool. And the food is good too. :)

And my dear hubby is home. Yay! Yesterday was his first day off. He saw the lighting and the painting we'd been working on and loved it. Here are pics of the lights-

I still have to do some painting in the kitchen behind appliances. I was waiting for hubby to get home and move them. Then the kitchen will be done. And he is still working on that front porch. (He did that yesterday while running a garage sale by the way. lol!) It'll be so nice and sturdy once its finished. I'm getting excited as all these projects are starting to come together. :)

Well, I better be off to paint. You all have a wonderful weekend!

I'm still around

2008-07-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Let's see...

Working hard. My dear hubby's work sent him off to Louisiana for a few weeks. That left me to get ready for the garage sale on my own. And to finish up many home improvement projects, and shop for materials for others he will need to finish upon his return.

The garage sale was fairly successful. There was a festival in town this weekend so we didn't have quite as much traffic as we have in past sales. We are thinking of selling again for one more day this next weekend before hauling it all off to the Goodwill. I'm not totally sold on that idea as I would like to haul it all away now but we shall see.

While going through the house preparing for the garage sale, I started painting the kitchen. I had painted it a bright golden yellow 8 years ago when we moved in. It's really needed a new fresh coat of paint. Dear hubby wanted to buy some new dishes too. A lot of what we have had in life were hand me downs or thrift sale type items until we married 8 years ago. We've purchased things over the years that reflected us. Dishes were apparently next of his list. Here's what we ended up with (we bought them just before he left) -

I like the stoneware but was a little concerned it would give the kitchen a fiesta/Tex/Mex flavor with that color combo. Our house is decorated more... hmmm... eclectic country? lol! So out with the gold and in with the...

It's a pretty robin's egg blue/craftsman blue. Dear hubby hasn't yet been home to see it so I'll be curious to see what he thinks now that its up on the walls. The corner there is too high for me to reach so its left unpainted until he returns.

We have a three bedroom house without an extra room for all my scrappy stuff like some people have. So I have always claimed a short wall in our bedroom as my space. It's not very pleasing to the eye to see all my messy stuff piled on brown banquet tables in an organization method that looks in disarray to the untrained eye... so I took care of that before our vacation. JoAnn's was having a clearance sale and I found some vinyl and some really cool kind of french country fabric. I brought it all home and covered the tops of the ugly brown tables with off white vinyl and sewed some skirting to hide my under table storage needs. It has worked out like a charm AND it looks so much better since it is in my bedroom. I promised a few pics so here they are-

And speaking of scrappy things, the only thing I had time to put together since last post was one hybrid card. It turned out pretty cute though-

I hung two lights this week too. The chandelier is so pretty. And I changed out the light above the kitchen sink to a pendant since I have the kitchen torn apart. I'm in love with the new lighting. I'll get some pics of those for an upcoming post. :)

So yesterday... I must share this with you... I was contacted by an old friend from high school who sent me a link to our upcoming 20th reunion website. So I go to check it out and there is a picture of me from high school. My hair was permed and fried and sprayed up high. Come on now, you know what I'm talking about. The higher the better and we would "flair" out the sides too. I should look for the picture to post- lol! But I digress, so my darling daughter walks up and looks over my shoulder. She starts busting up laughing and asks me if I dressed up there for an 80's dance? Of course I have to explain to her that that was not for a dance but how we all did dress because I did grow up in the 80's. She was holding her side laughing hysterically at me for several minutes. So glad I could be such entertainment. Yes I felt really old last night. *giggle*

Speaking of old, we got a Wii fit yesterday. Yay! They seem to be pretty cool! I'm overweight which is not secret. The kids couldn't wait for me to get on it and to see the little Mii get heavy. Yes they make your little character fat if you are. However, the joke was really on them because after the little analysis, it said I was fit and 3 years younger than I really am. Oh Yeah! Lol!

Okay I've probably bored you to tears with my rambling at this point so off I shall go. Thank you for checking in on me. I hope you all have a super super super cool week!

One word

2008-07-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

Simplify.

I think as I am getting older and hopefully a little wiser, I am learning to focus on the most important things in my life. When I turned 35 it was a difficult year as far as "getting older". And I don't think it was so much that I was getting older but my kids were too. At 36 I got out of my funk and clean out a lot of "stuff" I'd been holding on to. Cleared out a lot of clutter in the house, garage, storage, etc. This summer on my quest to focus a little more on myself, I have found the need once again to simplify life.

The end of last week and all of this week I have/am moving from room to room or box to box and asking myself if each item is used, purposeful, or sentimental. If it isn't it is going into a garage sale this weekend. It is SO MUCH WORK. But the benefits of simplifing will so be worth it.

And moving on to scrappy things... Here's a sappy lo's I did this week.

And here's a couple of pics of a tag book I made my dh. It's full of pics of our recent vacation. He's on the road a lot so I thought this would be a fun way for him to keep some of those memories close.

Darling daughter and I are hanging out around the house today. We are going to watch a movie we rented last night while eating lunch. Then, and I'm very proud for this, we are going for a bike ride. I have been walking a biking a minimum of two miles a day about 5 days of the week for several weeks now. Even though there are some days I really don't want to, I do any way and I feel better for it. I just need to keep with this until it becomes habit. :)

With the plans of the garage sale and some home improvement works in progress, the house is a complete mess right now. Lol! So in another week, I'll have some things finished up and will takes some pics of my scrappy table skirting, the new chandelier when it gets here and hung, and a new pic of the kitty cats. They are getting so big. They are having a ball right now in the house because of things being in disarray. They act like its a giant playground.

So wrapping up my rambling here- thank you, thank you, thank you so much for stopping in! I hope you all have a super wonderful week!

Staycation

2008-07-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well we are back in action. We did go camping but it was here. We had a wonderful time. We spent tons of time together and away from tv's, computers, and telephones which was much desired. And we had longer time than I expected because dear hubby ended up with two extra days. Yay!

We went boating (Yes he got it all squared away finally!), fishing, tubing, biking, hiking, bowling, shopping, out for icecream. We built horseshoe pits at home, a new porch and replaced the steps to the porch. While gathering supplies for the porch project we also ordered a new chandelier for the dinning room which has a really cool light in it now, however, it is very dim. The new light should allow us to enjoy more playing cards and games after dinner. Can't wait until its in and installed. :)

I've been a scrapping fool and last two days. lol!

And it is really so nice to be back and feel rejuvenated! I hope you all are having a super summer too! See you again soon with more pics and schtuff.

Time for a

2008-07-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

vacation. It's a shorter one but a vacation none the less. Plan B did not work out because they are booked on the weekends. So we are setting up camp close to home until hubby gets the boat trailer rewired. It's okay, we live near a lake and plan on taking it out here. Next month hopefully we can do a longer camp at our favorite lake about an hour and a half from home. Anyway, we'll be out until mid next week.

I've been a little crafty this week.

This is a hat box I decorated to match my craft area.

And this is a gift tag and card I made to coordinate for a gift set.

Switching to another subject... You gotta try these!

I bought a couple boxes in June to use this summer since the prices of everything are going up up up and we would be home a lot. I can't say enough great things about them. Everything really does last longer and there is less that goes to waste. There are 20 bags for $9.99. They are reuseable so one bag is probably enough... :)

The last three days it has teetered at 100 degrees. The weather is so wonky. Last weekend it was raining. I been out every morning and night to do yard work this week. The yard is shaping up but boy is it humid. It really zaps your energy. Now if it were in the upper 70's or lower 80's I'd love it.

Thanks for stopping in. I hope you are all having a fantastic summer and staying safe and cool! Bye!

Trying it again

2008-07-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

Blogger is still giving me problems. But I keep trying. So what's up with it? When I first started with blogger I had a lot of problems but they made some upgrades and I that seemed to do the trick for me. But lately, its back to square one.

Moving on... How was everyone's fourth? I hope you all had loads of fun! Earlier in the week we bought Boom Blox for the Wii. We stuck around home - had a friendly Boom Blox competition, a BBQ, and set off some fireworks. Here's some pics of our favorite fountains this year...

Speaking of the fourth... here's a lo from last year that I scrapped last week-

So are there any other Jane Austen fans here with me? I found P&P audiobook (unabridged)on i-tunes this week for under $8. I couldn't believe the price. (My dear hubby is on the road A LOT so only does audio books. He spends $8. to rent them so I know that this is a good deal!) I thought it would be great to listen to on my i-pod when out for my walks. :)

Last week darling daughter and I were working on sewing projects. She finished her blanket yesterday and I got the skirting sewn and up on my craft table. Both projects turned out great. I'll have to take some pics to share next post. Darling daughter got a little impatient during this project because she thought it was something she could sit down and do in an hour. lol! I was really proud of her though because she stuck with it and worked on it all week long.

I'm hoping this post will go up without a hitch. Here's the lo I couldn't post last time. Darling daughters school field trip-

We pulled the boat out last week and cleaned it up. Thursday we were going to take it out on the water, however, dear hubby found that the lights on the trailer were not working. He spent the afternoon trying to find the problem without luck. Poor guy... we are going camping later this coming week and I think its going to be without the boat at this point. We usually spend so much time on the boat in the summer but this year we haven't even been on the water yet. Things don't always go as we plan, right?!? It'll be okay... We're hoping to get in to the campground we used to stay in before the boat. We always enjoyed that campground and its just down the road from the other. Let's hope plan B works out for us. :)

Well, I'm home for the weekend all alone. I have housework to do and then I'm hoping to do some hybrid projects. I really should be doing some yard work but today I'm saved by the rain. Yay! lol!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you all have a super weekend!

Darn blogger

2008-06-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

is totally acting up again. It hasn't been letting me log in, now I can navigate to create new post but am unable to upload images as it would seem. Grrr!

Other than that, what a wonderful week we are having. The new kittens are growing like weeds. Yesterday we actually "lost" them, twice. First time they had managed to crawl up under our entertainment center and get wedged into a drawer between the DVD's and the drawer above... I don't think they will be attempting that stunt again. The second time we couldn't find one. In the end, after much panic, we found him squeezed into a gap under my desk. I have my all in one printer,scanner, copy maching thing on a shelf by my knees. There is a 3" gap or so between the top of the machine and the underside of the desktop. He was curled up sleeping on the scanner. Silly kitten!

We have been talking about pulling the boat out of storage for months now but the weather wasn't good enough, the battery was dead, Dear hubby didn't have the time in the last couple of weeks on his days off, etc... Yesterday, he put a new battery in and pulled in out of the garage. We cleaned it up and got it ready to wax on the next bright and sunny day. Even though we didn't get it out on the water, it felt so good to get it ready.

Slowly but surely the project list I had for around the house is getting finished. Yesterday repainted the doors and trim in my bedroom which really freshened it up. I went to the fabric store earlier this week and bought some stuff to make throw pillows for my bed and to add some skirting around my craft tables that are in there. That's actually what I plan on finishing up today. Darling daughter came with me and picked out some fabric to make a throw blanket. It should be a nice girls day today with the sewing machines a going.

On to scrappy news... It was my turn to post on the Digi Chick blog and so I did a tutorial on a flip book. It's a lot of fun. If you are interested in trying it, you can go here- http://www.thedigichick.com/blog/wordpress/ to join in. (sorry you'll have to go this route because blogger won't link at the moment either)

Sunday I was thrilled to learn that the candle sleeve I made was going to be a featured here- http://scrapbookdimensions.ning.com/

I created one lo which I'll have to share in the next post when I am able to upload images. It was a fun one of darling daughters class field trip to the museum of flight last month.

Yesterday I went digi shopping. I wanted to share because I was shopping over at christinareneedesigns.net. She is one of the sweetest people by the way and such a talented designer. She has a bunch of new products out AND they are on SALE! I bought a bunch of her new stuff which I would happily link if I could. Trust me, you need to stop it and give a looksee yourself!

You all have a great rest of the week! Thanks for stopping in. Hopefully blogger will be more cooperative on my next post. :)

Seeing double?

2008-06-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

No you are not. Thursday school got out and we were watching that paper for kitten ads. No kitties Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then BINGO! Sunday morning daughter got up and said she was going to check. I said I didn't think they ran NEW ads on Sunday but boy was I wrong. Good thing she checked. So on Father's day we went and picked up these little guys.

It is hard to believe that school has been out a week already. We are SO enjoying ourselves. I've been getting the house organized and lots of yard work done. Yesterday darling daughter and I went out shopping. We went to the mall and I bought some books. So many people have been posting rave reviews about the Twilight books that I decided buy them for my summer reading. And on a total side note: they filmed this movie an hour from where we live. One of the ladies I work with, her daughter was an extra in the filming. Kinda cool. It should be cool to watch when it comes out in December.

There has been a little crafting going on here. I made one lo and two projects since my last post.

I need to say a little about the kit I used in this lo before I post. This is created with a charity kit in which all proceeds go to Laurie Garza. She is a fellow scrapbooker her lost her husband suddenly last month. Twenty-five wonderful designers came together and created this lovely and gynormous kit to help her and her family. If you are interested, Celebration of Life is for sale at the shabby pickle.

Here's a candle sleeve-

With 5 puppy dogs who lurve treats, I repurposed a Kleenex box-

With some time off, I plan to post on the good ol' blog more often. I was playing with the flair buttons the other day and some of those are so funny. I'll use those as inspiration for some more interesting blog posts this summer. It is a summer I have dedicated to working on ME. Would you like to know more of what make me tick? Lol!

Thanks for dropping in! Have a great one!

hit and run

2008-06-12T06:20:00.001-07:00

not an accident... I'm just posting a quickie here.

Don't worry its a happy post. :)

1. Today, at 10:30, I will be officially on SUMMER BREAK
(after a rough and tumbly year, I just can't wait to say goodbye there) and hello to summer!

2. I forgot to share some news last post that was the other highlight this week - looky here - that's my picture frame in the slide show. I was tickled pink! (When you are done looking at the slideshow, feel free to look around. This is a great site!!! If you register I'll hook you up on my friends list! Just let me know. :) )

Howdy!

2008-06-08T14:09:00.001-07:00

Did that sound chipper? I was trying really hard to sound chipper.

Actually I'm having kind of a bad day. Darling daughters teacher had a stray momma cat that had a litter and abandon the babies. She asked some of her students if they would like a kitten. DD took one earlier this week. Now mind you these kittens were only 5 weeks-ish old and had been without momma for a week or so prior to that. Anyway... this kitten came into the family with a bang. It was adorable and had a darling personality. She seemed to be a real scrapper of a cat. Needless to say, we just fell in love with "Cali" over the last few days. This morning I woke and found her dead. My daughter was away overnight which I'm thankful for, but I called her and we cried on the phone together. I know that these things happen but its so sad when they do.

Prior to today, I've been a scrapping. I've just been having a great time with the goods from TDC since I joined the team. Here's what I worked on. These are all of events since the last post too.

Apple-

Track Districts-

Ants-

The first two lo's are from dear son's Districts. He ran and did the long jump. It was really pretty exciting to watch him. He did so great especially for this being his first year too. And while we were there on the stands, darling daughter grabbed the camera and took a bunch of pics. So of course I took that opportunity to use some of those too. It's really special to see yourself through your childs eyes. And boy am I lucky that she loves me so!

Last Saturday dear son was away at a birthday party so darling daughter had a friend over. They had a great time. We are talking- ant hunting, butterfly catching, trampoline playing, 4 wheeler riding good old time. Oh and did I mention there were popcicles involved too. It's so wonderful when they take that time to go do outside activities. It really was a great day and I was snapping pics along the way!

School is almost out in our neck of the woods. This last week I've been scrambling to wind things up at work during the day and in the evenings helping the kids with their end of the year projects and reports. I think we got the last one turned in Friday and so it should be smooth sailing this week.

In the past few weeks I've really been evaluating myself and more importantly my time. I'm one of those people who give and give and give. I'm am completely involved in my kids lives. I give a 150% at work to my students. I rarely ever say no to anything that involves me helping out at school functions and activities. Same goes with my friends and their children. Literally! They all call me mom! I do know how to say no... after much thought, I think I need to start doing so. I have very little time for me. I feel so selfish when I say that, but I know its important for even us mom's to have time for ourselves. So this week I am determined to finish up work/school and turn a new leaf. I will start making myself important in my decision making. That is what I am going to work on this summer break. ME.

Sorry to open here with such a downer. It's just been a sad day. Thanks so much for checking in on me. I hope it's bright and sunny where you are and you are enjoying every minute of it! Have a good one!

Hello there!

2008-05-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had nice long weekend and took time to remember our loved ones who've passed.

This was a busy week so I was glad to have a slower paced weekend. We spent much of it at home. And a lot of it helping the kiddos finish up some big end of the year school projects. Tomorrow dear hubby and darling daughter are going on a field trip to the air museum in Seattle with her class. They've been looking forward to that for the last week.

I worked on a layout and some hybrid projects this week. Here's a card I made for a friends b-day and a ceramic frame that I altered. It's a little shabby chic and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. :)

And I love my dear son but I really could do without the teenage slang and remarks. With that, here's my lo for the week.

Tonight we ordered a pizza and watched a movie together. Lots of fun. :)

And before I sign out--- Are there any other Grey's fans here with me? Can I say OMGosh! I missed the last show- the two hour special on Thursday with the week being so crazy busy but I caught up with it this weekend. It was GOOD! What a fantastic season end!

Now waiting for LOST this week. (I love Thursdays! LOL!)

I hope you all have a super week! Thanks for stopping by!

He's fine?

2008-05-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well we got the call on Friday from the doctor. He said that the heart was fine. The tests all came back fine. What great news! But where does that leave us? Chest pains and a racing heart still? Back to our family physician? Actually, the doctor was nice and said he wanted to know if dear son continued to have these issues. That did make me feel better. JR hasn't had an episode to report since last Tuesday. A week without any problems and he's been back to his regular schedule with physical activities. So there's our update. Definately some good news to report. The ticker is working and we haven't had any further problems. Thank you thank you thank you for the prayers and well wishes. They are working.

This weekend was beautiful out. We worked very hard outside all weekend (and yesterday too) getting things ready for the summer. We all got a little color in our cheeks doing so too. It was pushing a hundred degrees all weekend long. This morning though, I woke to the pounding of rain on the roof. Gotta love being in the PNW.

There are three weeks and two days left until we are out on summer break. I CAN HARDLY WAIT. Actually, Wednesday we have our annual staff meeting and time always seems to zip by in a snap after that. We all refocus on getting things wound down for the year.

I don't really have big plans for the summer. This school years just been a real tough one and I am really looking forward to being home and spending it with my kids. The other night after working hard all day long, we had a bbq and sat outside at the patio furniture and played games. It was so fun. I want to do that a lot this summer. Dear son and I went to his parent teacher conf. last week and we had to make out his HIGH SCHOOL schedule. Next year he'll be in high school. Yep. The kids are just growing up too fast! I plan on trying to slow the clock down a little this summer.

A short post I know but I wanted to update you all and thank you again. A great big hug to you my friends!

No news is good news?

2008-05-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

We haven't heard anything back from the doctor so maybe it means things are okay.

While waiting I thought I'd update with a more upbeat post...

I'm not sure I mentioned this but we started geocaching over spring break - first week of April. We had discussed it and spoke of doing it for the past year but just hadn't. So on spring break we registered at an online site and printed off some of the caches in our area and off we went. The first time out was a little discouraging because we didn't know what we were looking for. We only found at one stop. However, we have gone out a few more times now and are really getting the hang of it. It is such an awesome family activity! Of course our first trip out I had to take along the camera. He's a lo I did.

A few weeks ago, dear hubby took the kids out "shopping". Although it wasn't said, I figured they were doing their mother's day planning while he was home. First you need to know that my dear hubby is really sweet and tries really hard to do nice things for me on special days or holidays, however, he can't keep a surprise to save his life. He can't plan ahead for things more than the night before or he'll totally spill. lol! They went out that day and came home with these beautiful flowers. I thought these were my mothers day gift but they surprised me and said they were "just because". How nice was that! These flowers were so pretty and the sweet smell filled the house until last night when their blooms finally fell.

So mother's day came, and I was all frazzled about dear son. But we still had a lovely day together. The afternoon turned out nice so we went out geocaching and then came home and had dinner together. After dinner we had planned on watching a movie together. That's when they sprung gifts on me. I was truely surprised because never did my dh even mention gifts. He totally kept a secret. LOL! The gifts were nice and really heartfelt, but the fact that he actually planned and followed through on surprising me instead of blabbing is the point of this story. Needless to say, I had a wonderful mother's day. And I'm very proud of dh. ;)

Today is supposed to be a scorcher. It's been in the low temps and raining all week and today it's supposed to jump to the 90's. Crazy! I could tell the temp. was rising late yesterday because it started becoming very humid out. Yuck! And tonight is darling daughters spring concert. I hope it cools off a little before then.

Yesterday in the mail I got the Pier 1 mailer and can I just say... Love it this spring. I love love love the bright and bold colors. Love patterns and fun textures. I loved everything in the catolog. We were going through town any way yesterday so darling daughter and I stopped in. If only I had endless funds... lol. Seriously, I was lucky I made it out of there spending only $30. Awesome stuff going on there this spring - be warned!

Well, I'd love to share more but I must get ready for work. I hope you all have a super Thursday. Stay cool!

Unsettled

2008-05-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

We went this morning. The doctor seemed very confident. He listened to his heart and lungs. Told us he was ordering an Eko (sp?) and we were able to sit in on that. It was basically a sonogram of his heart. We were able to see that everything was functioning correctly. Blood was flowing in the proper directions. Valves were doing their job. We were told everything looked great.

Wrapping it up, the doctor told us that he felt that sons heart was nothing but healthy. He said he felt we had misinformation from the pediatrician and that HE was the specialist. He wanted JR to resume all normal activity without restriction.

Up to this point I felt pretty comfortable in this doctor. Then he hands us a photocopy of some newspaper article stating that 20% of chest pains go undiagnosed. He didn't have answers. Then he said he wanted to put him on a holster monitor for the next 24hrs.

So dear son got all hooked up and now we wait.

After leaving the office I started analyzing, perhaps over-analyzing this appointment and now I have a pit in my stomach. They have done several tests. This doctor was... well borderline arrogant. He told us JR is fine and the Ped. Doctor was wrong. But afterwards puts him on monitor for the 24hrs. I'd really he rather be safe than sorry and am glad he is doing the test, however, his actions spoke louder than words if you know what I mean.

It will be the end of the week, beginning of next before we learn the results of the monitor he's wearing today.

I really appreciate everyone's posts and emails. Thank you so much!

And to all you moma's- I hope you had a wonderful day yesterday! You all deserve it my friends.

This week has been crazy

2008-05-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Surreal really.

Long story short, my son- he is rarely ever sick. He is really pretty healthy... definately the healthiest in our family. He complains about regular teenage stuff but never about how he is feeling.

So when dear son came to me Sunday night and said his chest hurt - his heart to be specific- and that he couldn't take in a deep breath- I was listening. I've had most of this week off from work and he has been to the doctor and hospital for tests. We've been referred to a pediatric cardiologist which we are driving to Portland to see on Monday. *deep sigh*

It sounds as though they are concerned with the rhythm. The concept of your child's heart not working quite right is SO SCARY! Any good thoughts and/or prayers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Look at me....

2008-05-01T03:26:00.000-07:00

I’m up at 3 am blogging. Lol! Actually, I went to bed very early last night so now I’m up before the birds. I shouldn’t have done that, but dear hubby was home and taking care of the kids so the exhausted me crawled into bed early. A rare opportunity.

This week has been pretty good. They must have fiddled with the settings on our thermostat at work though. The air conditioner in my room keeps kicking on when it should be the heater. Brrrrrr. I’ve been layering up this week. I guess when the nice weather finally gets here the A/C will be nice.

I’m getting excited for the nice weather to come. Dear hubby and I were talking about pulling the boat out of the garage and getting her cleaned up for the season on the next bright sunshiny day. I love love love going out on the boat. There is something so calm and serene being out on the water. It’s so refreshing and beautiful and peaceful and and and …. I could go on and on. ;)

What are you thankful for? This morning as I was sitting in a quiet house, I was thinking of that very question.

1. I’m thankful to be alive
2. I’m thankful that the family is all healthy and well
3. I’m thankful the bills are paid and there is food in the cupboards
4. I’m thankful that my children are doing so very well in school
5. I’m thankful that they have adjusted to the change of schools and are happy
6. I’m thankful to have some very special friends in my life
7. I’m thankful for my dear hubby and all the little things he does

I have worked on one lo and one project this week. (Did I mention that 2 of my projects were featured this week at Scrapbook Dimensions online magazine? Woot!)

Darling daughter loves riding her 4 wheeler. She is really a little dare devil on it.

And this project is a mini album done with just a couple of sheets of cardstock. Add some pics and embellies for a wonderful little flip book.

If you haven't heard yet, this weekend is National Scrapbooking Day. The digi world is having tons of parties, chats, sales and promotions. The Digi Chick is having a 35% off sale now through Saturday. Have fun!

Lastly, I need a good swift cyber kick in the can. Anyone? I was being SO GOOD counting calories, wearing my pedometer to make sure I was taking at least 10,000 steps a day, and walking routinely on my tredmill. A couple of weeks ago, well it was right after our antiquing weekend actually, (I was good that whole weekend) I slacked off. So now I'm feeling guilty and know I need to get back into routine.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Am I the only one

2008-04-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

that gets sucked into those home decorating shows on HGTV? I could watch those for hours. Love seeing all the wonderful things they can do to improve homes... such awesome ideas and inspiration!

So I'm thrilled its Friday and we are upon another weekend. Just more than SIX weeks until summer break. (Is it obvious I'm counting down?) I have an entire weekend to myself and I plan to relax and be crafty after picking up the house tomorrow. Yay!

With life finally getting back to normal (this has been a CRAZY year) and I'm finding more time to be crafty again, I JOINED THE HYBRID CREATIVE TEAM AT THE DIGI CHICK. It is a great site full of the nicest group of ladies. I did some hybrid projects this week for them and would like to share-

I have a couple of lo's I worked on too for Karah-

I posted these pic before I had scrapped...but this was the perfect kit to showcase dd's accomplishment don't you think?

This is a pic daughter and I took at the antique store a few weekends ago. She's the light in my life! (Son too but he's not in this pic. I love 'em both so much!)

Wednesday after I got home from work, I drove my dear hubby a hour to his work. On the way home some yahoo swerved into my lane and I thought I was going to die. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I was going to keel over right there behind the wheel. The good Lord was watching over me and that poor fool let me tell you. I was freaked. This guy was looking down and driving too fast in his lane... when he looked up the cars he was coming upon were stopped so he pulled hard to miss them. That put him into oncoming traffic - head on- which was a moving me. I blinked when I thought we were going to collide and then somehow, he pulled out of it. It was a terribly close call though. Can I say how glad I am to be here typing this today... talk about being grateful!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and thanks so much for stopping in! Have a good one!

Lots a pics-and a long post

2008-04-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

We had the best weekend! It was so much fun last week. We packed up a cooler, picnic basket and an extra set of clothes- then off we went.

Our first stop was the tulip festival in Woodland. It was a gorgeous day and we had a great time walking through the fields, browsing at the vendors, and looking in the shop. Of course we took lots of pics. Darling daughter was the real shutterbug!

Our next stop was the Portland Saturday Market. By this time of the day it was a scorching 80 degrees. Can you believe that? It was the hottest day of the year. We got a little color in our cheeks by late afternoon. My favorite find at the market was some cool metal handcrafted hairsticks type of thing. I have fine blond hair so it's hard to keep it in clips and rubberbands break it, so I snatched up 3 of these cool hair thing-ys and LOVE EM! Dear hubby found a cell phone cover he wanted. And darling daughter was stumbling around in a bit of culture shock. LOL! She'd been before but it had been a while. She didn't really remember our past trips very well. We live in a small country town of about 3,000 people. Few of them have mohawks, dress like the opposite gender, smell from lack of basic hygiene, etc. So instead of focusing on the booths and crafts, she was stuck in horrorville. Lol! So on our way back to the car we had to stop and watch this guy juggle and then eat fire. It must be a man thing because my dh was the one all excited to watch and snapping the picture of the "show".

We left the Saturday market and drove out to Lafayette. We rented a hotel for the night and played cards until bedtime. It was SO RELAXING. Although I didn't sleep well that night because of the hard bed, I still woke so refreshed. We couldn't wait to go to the antique schoolhouse mall. It was the most awesome old building- built in 1912. They had keep it in beautiful condition and the coolest thing was this neat slide coming from the third floor on the outside of the building. It was an old fire escape.

Inside they had tons of wonderful antiques and it was an amazing place. We left and started heading home stopping at a few other antique dealers along the way. I told my husband how much I was enjoying our trip. At the next stop we saw a booth with old phones. We both thought these were SO COOL! So he picked one out and we brought it home as a little keepsake. It works too! This gal and her husband own this shop and they love old phones. They had quite a collection. So when she came over to us and was showing us the phones she explained that her husband fixes them. She said if we bought one it was garenteed for the life of her husband. Hehehe.

On the way home as we passed back through Portland, we stopped at the IKEA store. That was a lot of fun too. My head was spinning when left with all the neat storage ideas. I'll be heading back there this summer to organize the house on my time off.

That was our amazing weekend. This weekend is a completely different story. Today it is 30 something degrees and snowing. We are bundled up with the heat turned on and sipping hot chocolate. Looking forward to a nice cozy weekend inside. I feel some scrapping in my future. ;)

Thanks for stopping in and I hope you all have a wonderful wonderful weekend. I'll leave you with the one project I worked on this week. It's a hybrid project using Amanda Heimann's newest kit, MM flowers, Ana Griffen Stamps, VersaMark stamp pad... some buttons, ribbon and such. TTFN!

She's gone and done it!

2008-04-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday the kids and I dressed up in our flip flops and sunglasses to head to the beach themed bowling awards ceremony. It was a lot of fun. They blew up some beach balls and tossed them into the crowd, raffled off prizes, and we watched a great slide show. The time came for awards and dear son was called up for a Spirit award. Later darling daughter was called up for Most Improved. I was a proud mom. And as things wound down they were giving out the last few big awards when they once again called darling daughters name. This one surprised us all. McKena was awarded Bowler of the Year. Can you believe it?!? Both the kids were first year bowlers and darling daughter bowled this year in the oldest division so that she could stay with her brother. So not only did she do well, she was 11 most of the season bowling against many 18 year olds who have been doing this since they were 11. You go girl! Here's some pics-

This week has been pretty quiet. The colds are running rampant and I'm hoping that we are on the end of this one. Today is supposed to be the nicest day of the year. They are calling for a high of 76 degrees. I think we are going to get in the car and go see what there is to see. Maybe we'll stop at the tulip festival in Woodland and then head on down to IKEA in Portland, and make our last stop in Lafayette at the schoolhouse antiques. I've been talking about visiting that antique shop for years and we've never made it there yet. Dh mentioned earlier this week about going- and with the nice weather- why not?

I did scrap a lo this over spring break.

And during spring break I worked on another hybrid project. This is done with "What goes around" kit by Amanda Heimann and sold at thedigichick.com.

Well, this is a short post. Darling daughter is pulling her famous oatmeal cookies out of the oven as I type. I am going to go pack up a pic-nic, grab my camera, and hit the highway. You all have a super wonderful weekend too my friends! Thanks for stopping in!

Uhu!

2008-04-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

It is the best glue ever! I mean it I use it for all my altered projects and its awesome!I prefer the Uhu Stic color because it rubs on purple and dries clear. ;)

And speaking of altered projects... my latest hybrid project is a food journal. Yes, its to encourage me to track of those calories.

This is a generic spiral type bound book I picked up for a buck at Michael's craft store. I love the type that are bound this way because I can slip the binding off while working on the covers to really give the finished project a polished look once its reassembled.

I've also scrapped a little and this one was inspired by a team challenge. We were to scrap "today" the good the bad or ugly. The idea was to scrap something we might not otherwise scrap. This is what I came up with.

The journalling reads:
After two long months of ear pain and trying one antibiotic after another, my primary care physician finally referred me to a specialist.

Today I had my first ENT appointment. The doctor asked of my problem. I explained my ear hurt and that it was unusual for me to have pain in that ear because I don’t have much feeling or hearing in it. Skeptical, he shook his head and stated that that couldn’t be. Then he sent me off to have a hearing test in another room. I think that was the first hearing test I’d had since I was a child.

It wasn’t a long wait before the doctor returned to my room and said, “I didn’t believe you when you said you couldn’t hear. You cover it very well.” I asked, “How bad is it?” He replied, “The good news is- you have perfect hearing in your right ear. The bad news is - you have 0% in your left.”

After speaking about my medical history with the new doctor, he felt confident he knew what had happened, when it happened and why it happened. I can’t say I was shocked at the news since I knew in my heart it was that bad. I’d been like this since I was 15. I must say… this wasn’t the first doctor to think someone my age couldn’t possibly have such a hearing loss. Although he was the first doctor to really listen to my problem and test my hearing. I left his office today feeling that he really cared and took time for me.

Today I felt validated.
Today I learned I was deaf in my left ear.
Today was a good day!

While trying to post this lo in my galleries I started having trouble posting. Was it a dreaded bug or virus? I have spent hours making sure my computer is clear and yet I still can't seem to post in a few of my regular spots. That is so strange. At least I now know it isn't my computer.

This week we are on spring break and we've had the oddest weather. Thursday last week it started snowing and it's been snowing off and on since. Today is the first day we haven't had snow... yet! lol! I guess its been a good thing because I've been spring cleaning all weekend. Things are just about ship shape here.

Saturday the kids went to their last bowling game for league. This coming Sunday the bowling place rented a convention center to have a big party at for all the junior bowlers. The kids are looking forward to that. This was the kids first year doing this and they really had a lot of fun. It was a long commitment (all school year) but it was good for them. Part of me is glad to have a break from it and part of me is going to miss going in every Saturday, getting my Starbucks and watching the kids.

This morning we were some of the first in line for Alvin and the Chipmunks- were you? lol! Darling daughter has been counting down the weeks until it came out. She's obsessed!

Both the designers I work with have blog freebies up. Karah's was for Easter, plus her monthly template and Amanda is celebrating her one year designing anniversary. Stop by and join in on the fun!

A cool little table

2008-03-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

So if you know me you know I love antiques. I was in search of an antique bed frame when I stumbled upon this darling little typewriter table. Its sturdy, in excellent shape and full of charm. It just screamed to me to use it for a scrappy table. So I added a basket underneath to hold my hybrid stuff and it's done. It has been working so well. Both sides of the table lift up so I have more space when needed yet keeps my stuff contained to a fairly reasonable area. We won't talk about the space I used as a paper scrapper. LOL!

Last Friday we went to the daughter's schools carnival. It was fun and we got to meet lots of people at the new school. McKena even won a pet basket in the raffle. Owner of five pampered pooches... it still came in handy! ;)

THE BIGGEST weight was lifted off my shoulders this week after thirteen very long and stressful months. I posted about this over the past summer I think... the bank that financed our car made TWO ENORMOUS mistakes on our account thirteen months ago. We have been going through all the motions and fighting this tooth and nail. Anyway, after a long and windy road, we finally have the credits back to our account and a letter stating that we had in fact MADE OUR PAYMENTS and ON TIME through the duration of the loan. This has been a daily struggle for much of the last year so *deep sigh of relief*. It's finally over.

I have been crafty since the last post however I only have one lo to share today. This is a lo using Karah's new kit. I scrapped pics of last Easter.

We are looking forward to Easter this year too. I should be a nice quiet day at home. We colored eggs the other night which was fun as always. Still not quite sure what'll be the main dish but I always enjoy being in the kitchen because we each have ways of contributing to the meal on the holidays. Even the kids have their favorite dishes they've mastered preparing. After an early dinner we sit around the table and play our favorite family games. It's nice to unplug for a day and really just enjoy one another. What are some of your traditions?

I hope you all have a most blessed Easter.

Egypt

2008-03-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

I've learned a lot about Egypt this week helping darling daughter with her social studies. lol!

Beyond that... well, this weekend darling daughter and I went shopping. She had quite a nice chunk of moolah she had saved up and got for her birthday. We had so much fun. In the end the little penny pincher bought herself one shirt and matching bracelets all of which were on sale. Then she came home and had me order online for her some puffles that she'd been wanting since Christmas. I bought some makeup at Macy's that I needed and was excited it also came with a free gift. Love those makeup testers! And I also bought myself new PJ's which are heavenly and so so comfy... I confess- I didn't want to get out of them on Sunday. Heehee. Then I purchased some goodies online at WST too...

Once upon a time I was a paper scrapper. A few years ago I stumbled into digital scrapbooking and it fit so well that I boxed up A LOT of my paper supplies and sent them off to a friend. In the last few months I find myself wanting to tackle a few projects and so... hybrid... I've gone hybrid with one of my scrapbooking designers. Here is my second hybrid project -

And here is one lo that I've done of the kids trip to Disneyland/California Adventure. This picture my darling daughter took... not bad, eh?

That's about it for this evening. Thanks for stopping in and have a great weekend my friends!

New Attitude

2008-02-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

Yes. I've adopted a new attitude. I thank you all for your kind words and thoughts posted and emailed to me and the family! I'm truly grateful!

Here are pictures of the coffee table that I took a while ago but didn't get posted. The frames I used here are from Catrine at Catscrap. :)

I have a lovely 4 day weekend because it's "mid winter break". Since I'm just starting to feel crafty again I hope to play this weekend. Today I worked on a lo and a hybrid project. Also I've been giving the blog a facelift. I couldn't get the banner up though... I'll try again in the morning. :)

My poor baby Harry (my Pomeranian) had such a tough night last week. I ran him into the vet and found he had a collapsed trachea. They put him on a prescription that seemed to do the trick but boy was I worried. Poor little guy. Luckily he's doing much better and acting like himself again today.

The kids participated a few weeks ago in the Pepsi Bowling Tourney... it seemed to be quite the experience for them. I felt bad because they are both new to bowling but at this tourney it was clear most of the kids were seasoned and my kids found that very intimidating. It was still a good experience though.

Here are the few lo's I did since Christmas...

My darling daughter had a birthday this month. It was really nice. She's such a sweetie!! I plan on scrapping a lo this weekend about it. She got a Wii and our family has really been enjoying it. It's so FUN! Did I say ... I cannot believe my baby turned 12?

Well, there are some highlights of February. Thanks for checking in on me! I hope you are all well! Have a fantastic weekend!

Life

2008-02-17T06:04:00.000-08:00

This should be a nice and pleasant post... but its not. Lots of trouble a brewing in my life right now. I feel like I'm in the eye of the storm and trying so hard to weather it. I really don't feel it's something I should share on my blog. But it does involve my kids and my job. I've moved my kids to a new school and things are now better for them. And I've been doing a heck of a lot of soul searching to see if I need to move myself as well. Any good thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Tell me

2008-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

the bad come in threes and the rest of this season will be smooth sailing now that I'm feeling better. :)

I'm still using antibiotic drops in the eyes but things are so much better. I even returned to work on Thursday. Thurs. and Fri. I played catch up at work and now I'm home enjoying a three day weekend.

Last night was the annual Father/daughter ball. Must share some pics!

It was lots of fun shopping for her dress and ordering the flowers and such. They went out to dinner last night and then to the ball. It was reportedly a wonderful evening. :)

While they were gone last night (son's away for the weekend) I was alone and got into a cleaning frenzy. I moved all the furniture in the livingroom and library area and vacuumed. Then rearranged all the furniture. I girl's gotta do that every so often. On our way home from Christmas vacation we stopped at an antique store and found this perfect little coffee table that needed a little lovin'. We picked it up for a steal and I painted and distressed it when we got it home. Then I ordered a sheet of glass for the top. So in my furniture rearranging spree I was working that in. It is perfectly scaled and so unique. I love it!

Dear son has had two basketball games so far and they lost the first and won the second. Both games he played very well. I'm so proud of him.

I worked on one lo since my last post-

Thanks for stopping in. I hope you all have a super fantastic weekend!!!

If its not one thing

2008-01-15T04:29:00.000-08:00

its another. Really! This is crazy. All fall I had terrible headaches. I went to the opthomologist, switched to decaf coffee, drank more water... nothing helped so I found a new cthiropractor. (Our chiropractor retired early summer.) After several aggresive sessions, my headaches were gone. Just as soon as that cleared up, I started having the earaches which drug on for months. As that cleared up over the holidays, I've been sticken with some lesser common variation of pink eye and have been off work for nearly a week because is contagious and horrible.

*Alright, pity party over!*

Sorry for being such a lazy blogger. In the past month we had much to be grateful for. The holidays were so special and I loved every minute of our family time together. Christmas morning we left for the cabin and checked in in the afternoon. The cabin when we got there was old and dirty. We were so surprised to find it in the condition it was since we've rented cabons before and they've always been clean. Luckily, there had been a cancellation of another cabin so they comp'd us that for the inconvience. It was so beautiful there. The cabin was right on the river. It snowed the entire time we were there and it made it that much more beautiful. We really had a ball!

After the holiday, I finally got some scrapping mojo back... it had been hiding for months. I started scrapping again and even did a hybrid project. Here I printed off papers and elements for Amanda's new Pinky Swear kit. :)

And here's a few lo's which were of pics I took while were were up at the cabin.

Good times I tell you. And since we've been back, dear son made the basketball team. Yay! He has his first game tonight. And darling daughter has been practing her bowling for the requalifier this coming Saturday. She did qualify the first round and now she needs to once more to join the Pepsi tourney. Wish her luck!

Thanks for stopping in. This morning I have another eye appt. which I'm hoping goes smoothly. If you could send a good thought or two my way it would be appreciated.

Have a great week my friends!

Well it's officially dead

2007-12-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

my ear that is. LOL!

I've been sick for months. Been in and out of the doctors office with ear pain, sinus infection, swollen glands, ect. I've been on more meds in the past two months then I've taken in the last 5 years. Finally I was referred to a specialist.

I go into the office and explain my ear hurts. I had infections and tubes as a child. When I was a teenager I went through a year of the most awful dizzy spells anyone could imagine which was at that time chaulked up to massive scar tissue causing equilibrium problems. Since then I have experienced significant hearing loss in one ear. Pain in the one that was causing me problems now.

So the new doctor asks when was the last time I had my hearing checked. Well back when I was a teenager I suppose since they don't check our hearing as adults I replied. He proceeded to poke and prod for a few minutes. Then he told me I had an infected saliva gland that was causing my ear pain. He seemed quite certain that was my issue and gave me a presciption which I so hope helps me feel ship shape by Christmas. And before I left, he insisted on testing my hearing. Fine and dandy.

Soon after the test I find myself back in a patient room where doctor comes in and tells me that he is amazed. (Before I finish, know that although I didn't have statistics, I really knew in my heart it was this bad. Nothing he said shocked me.) He said at first he didn't believe me when I said I had significant hearing loss in one ear because of my age and that I cover it well. Then he showed me my test and said that the good news is great - I have full hearing in the other ear. The bad news is that I have 0% hearing in the bad ear. 0%. He went on to explain that when I had dizzy spells as a teenager something in the inner ear (he used the medical term) was detatching and essentially leaving me with a dead ear. He seemed quite fascinated with the whole situation because of course this isn't something that usually happens to people.

Anywho- back to the ear pain- I just hope and pray this was a step in the right direction of feeling better soon. I'm so sick of being sick at this point.

Beyond my story above, we are ready for Christmas for the most part. We kept it small this year within the family and chose instead to focus on helping others in need. We donated to the food bank and helped distribute food. We also bought some gifts for kids in need. I'm thankful we were able to do this. It's a great reminder of what the season is really about.

Today the kids have bowling and then we are going to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. When we get home I plan on finishing the hand-made gifts and stamping the Christmas cards to mail on Monday.

Tomorrow I need to help the kids pack for their trip over Christmas break. So I guess that means no rest for the weary this weekend. But we'll have fun! :)

I hope you all are well and enjoying the season. Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-24T07:48:00.000-08:00

I hope all my friends are well and enjoying a lovely long weekend with good food, family, and some fun! We are enjoying our tremendously.

In the past few weeks we've been busy busy busy again. To boot I've been sick. Went into the doctor who told me I had fluid in an ear but it wasn't infected so I'd be fine. He put me on a prescription decongestant to help dry out my ear. Two weeks later I was still feeling crummy and had fever and chills, headaches and ear pain - so I went back in. This time he said I had an infection (DUH!) and gave me an antibiotic. Thank goodness it was earlier in the week - I was feeling better by Thursday. Whew!

Took the kids to see Mr. McGorium's last weekend and that was cute. I know it gets really wish-washy reviews but the kids and I give it a thumbs up. Now we only have Enchanted left on our list. (Who can resist McDreamy on the big screen! Right?)

The kids are doing better each week at bowling. Darling daughter bowls up in the eldest bracket because they wanted to keep her and her brother together in league. Instead of that being intimidating to her, she's really rose to the challenge. She now set new high scores for herself several times. Last week she earn a patch for her inmprovement and got and invitation to the Western Regionals sponsered by Pepsi. You go girl! :)

Well, there's the highs and lows from my last post. Today dear hubby and I are heading out to see the kids bowl. When we get home we plan on putting up the baseboards in our dining room. That's the last thing to do to complete the new flooring project. Well that and maybe some new curtains in there too. We shall see. ;)

Thanks for stopping in and I hope you all have an awesome holiday run this season! Take care and enjoy!

Would you believe

2007-11-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

I was abducted by aliens?

No?

Okay.

It's really just been a very busy past 5 weeks since posting on my blog. I cannot believe it's November.

Would you like to know what we've been up to? Well, we've celebrated 3 birthdays in that time and consumed entirely way to much cake to even think about.

Everyone is well. The kids are still enjoying their bowling a great deal. Things are going well for the kids at school this year. And I really love my job duties this year too.

The end.

Hahaha

The things I've posted above are all true. -Life is good.

On to some excitement? Let's see... We took the dogs in to the vet to get their routine shots. Our sweet Riley is a little bundle of nerves away from home or around new people. So put those things together, give him a shot or two and he had a terrible reaction. Oncc home, Riley's face began to swell. And continued to do so. All to soon he could barely open his eyes. Luckily with a call to the vet we were able to get him some meds and calm him down. Oh the drama it was at the time. Poor little guy!

Dear hubby spoiled me rotten this year for my birthday and bought me the new i-pod nano. I am super excited about that. He caught me by surprise! I of course had to organize all our music and now I have it on the go. :D

A few weeks ago the kids got some new pets. They bought parakeets. Neither picked out the traditional marked parakeet but instead chose white keets. They are really pretty with some unusual markings. To date, things have gone well with being new pet owners.

Do you think my darling daughter needs medical attention? Last night she chopped up some veggies for the birds and when she was putting it into the cage she turned to me and said, "McKena has earned a skill point." That should means something to you only if you are as addicted to Sims as this young lady. LOL! We bought Sims 2 about a month ago and omgoodness does darling daughter enjoy that game! So now she'll be going about her day and make a reference here and there about herself as if she were a Sim character. Sad! ;)

I mentioned at the beginning of this post about it being November. Do you know that means it offically time to start thinking about the holiday season? Yes I am listening to Christmas music as I type. LOL! I am ready for the new season. We are going simple and small this year in gifts and such. I say that each year and each year it seems we enjoy the holiday season more. I appreciate that my kids know- giving to others, spending time together as a family, and remembering not to take things for granted is the the true spirit of Christmas.

Well on to scrappy things? I've done some lo's in my blog absence but I think I'll only post a couple.

* I guess I'll have to come back and post my images as its telling me that feature is temp. unavailable.

I'll try not to disappear again.

You all have a super fantastic week and thanks for stopping in!

Well its nice to be back here

2007-09-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

I had been sick with the flu. Then the darling daughter was sick. Her troubles were a terrible cold that flared her asthma. It was a struggle for her and I felt so bad for my baby. The good news, she's finally on the mend. By next week she should be off all the meds and back to a regular schedule of activities.

In other news- Dear hubby is doing very well not smoking. I will say I just might have to give him away to the highest bidder if his shining personality doesn't come back soon. He seems to have lost it along with the cigarettes. :S

I rented a cottage this week for us to get away this Christmas. Last time we were there we saw the cottages with beautiful decks and hot tubs. So- my dh thinks we rented the minimally furnished cabin we stayed in last time but because he loves hot tubs I splurged and got the furnished cottage with the bbq and hot tub. He'll be so surprised come Christmas! You know Christmas is really just around the corner!

Dear son's b-day is also coming up so I was so lucky to stumble across 2 of his presents on an awesome sale. Basically I got 2 for the price of 1. Gotta love sales! We have just one present left to get and then he's done. Yippee yippee yippee!

I've worked on only a couple of lo's since last post. Here they are- TFL!

Well I gotta run. We are still trying to catch up on all darling daughter homework she missed when being absent last week. She's now calling for some help. You all have a super week!

I'm still kicking

2007-09-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hello there. Things have been crazy since going back to work and kids back to school. New fall routine. I hope all is well with you all my friends!

Back to school has brought the icky cold and crud into the house. We seem to be passing it back and forth to one another. Yucky!

In other news the kids started their bowling league last weekend and did rather well. I have never seen league play before so it was really interesting to watch! The kids had a blast!

I haven't been on the computer much this past few weeks. Here are the lo's I done since last post. TFL!

Well, sorry to hit and run but soon, soon I shall be feeling a little better and have more time on the net. Have a super week!

Knock me over

2007-08-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

with a proverbal feather. A little history here first- My dh has been a smoker all of his adult life. When we first met (8 years ago), he quit but didn't tell me until later that he'd done that. Impressive! So for the first four years we were together he was NOT a smoker. Then his mom fell ill and passed away. He started smoking again during that time and he's been smoking ever since. Well back to last night. He comes home from work and tells me and the kids that he is QUITING. We are so thrilled and very proud of him!

The rest of my post will be small potatoes to that news. ;)

I took it easy this weekend because I felt sick all weekend. Just icky and fluish. Yuck! I did scrap a little. The Amazing digi scrapping race came to and end yesterday. It was a lot of fun! My partner and I did finish the race. Our names will be put into the drawing for the grand prize. Wish us luck! :D

Before by dear hubby came home with the news of quiting smoking, the highlight of my week had been that he was bringing me home a hubcap for my car. I know that sounds silly but I had a flat like six months ago or so and lost my hubcap. We were going to buy a new one but Chevy wanted to charge us upwards of $100 bucks for a plastic cap. So my dh said to let him see if he could find one this summer at a junk yard and if not we'd order a new one when school started. Well - he found one the other day! He brought it home last night and put it on and now my car looks all nice and purty again.

Tomorrow I'm back to work. Yep... I'll be excited about it if I wake up feeling ship shape in the morning. I'm looking forward to fall and a new routine.

Well here's what I scrapped this week. Thank for looking!

Thanks for stopping in! Have a super great week!!!

The poor kids

2007-08-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

They been poked and prodded by the dentist, doctor, and tomorrow their orthodontist. They are no longer good sports about it either. But alas they are ready for school to start back up next week. Luckily, they had no cavities, no health issues, and only had to get one booster shot each. The orthodontist appointment will be a breeze. Hehehe

This afternoon we are heading into Target to pick up the last few things the kids need as far as school supplies. And then I'm taking darling daughter over to Macy's to get her a little make-up. Gasp! It's hard to believe she's old enough to start wearing make-up. I've talked with her about doing this just before school starts but really I think it was to my benefit so that I would get used to the idea that she's growing up. *sniff sniff* What's a mother to do? This is my youngest too!

I must say, much to my relief, my dear son chose NOT to play football this year. I'm actually really glad because last year it was nothing but stressful for us both. It was a hard decision for him which he wanted me to make but I didn't. Instead, both kids are going to join a bowling program. I don't know all the details at this point but its a 33 week program where we meet every Saturday and it's tied in with some sort of scholarship program. They seem pretty excited about it. It should be interesting. And then if dear son keeps his grades up this fall he is going to give basketball a try this winter. It's all good, right? ;)

The weather has been so wacky this summer. It's been cool and rainy one day and bright and warm the next. Along with the changes in pressure we must have a high pollen count right now because my ds and I keep waking with our allergies really bothering us. All week long we've had headaches and sinus discomfort. I'll be glad when its fall and the weather isn't changing on us from day to day.

I haven't been super scrappy this week. Just busy getting the house organized and the last minute stuff done before heading back to work next week. Here's one lo of our stop at Powell's book store recently. :D

Well, I'm thinking that when we run to town we need to stop at the mall and get some new lotions at both and body works, stop into the salon and gets some new hair goods, and definately stop at heart & home to get some new yummy fall-ish smelling Yankee tarts. That should brighten a girls day - don't you think?

You all have a great rest of the week and thanks for stopping in!

I'm a bad blogger!

2007-08-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

And with boring posts to boot! I need to try an make this blog a little more interesting. LOL!

This week I got a little email from Ms. Amanda inviting me to stay on her team. I was a guest for the month and am just pleased as punch to get an official spot on her CT. She's so sweet and her designs are fun, funky, and fab! Check her out over at TDC. There's a quick link in my sidebar. ;)

The Race is going well. Jen and I have only ONE more week. That's two challenges and then we'll be in the drawing for the grand prize. Last I heard it was over $2000. of stuff in the pot. Wowza~!

Some friends linked me to a different weight tracker place called Sparkpeople and its free. I checked it out and it is similar to the WW online but seems to have even more support and an email feature to send you cooking, exercise, inspirational tips and such. I recommend you check it out. It's pretty cool!

And here's what I've been scrappin' since my last post. TFL!

I spent all of Friday afternoon and evening deleting some old used kits and organizing and backing up newer files. Just getting things ship shape as summer is coming to an end. I alway back up to the EHD and try to back up every so ofter to DVD too. Better safe than sorry... you know? When was the last time you did? Just a friendly reminder. So many people have lost all their stuff lately with various problems. :)

Well, I need to go pick dear hubby up from work soon. So thanks so much for stopping by! Have a super Sunday!

The last few days have been a blur...

2007-08-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well Sunday, we worked around the house and cleaned out the garage. In the evening we sat around the table and played games. Its so fun when we do that!

Monday dh got up and went out fishing. The kids and I sat around and played the PS2. I can't remember the last time I did that with them. In the afternoon when dh got home we laid the flooring in the main bathroom. We bought all the flooring at the beginning of summer but hadn't made the time to get it done. It turned out awesome. Then I went into town and got my haircut. I had about 3" taken off the ends and it looks so much better. :D

Tuesday. Now Tuesday we planned on going to the Zoo. We got up and drove an hour and a half to the exit to learn the parking area was full and were directed to an overflow parking lot about 10 miles away. No big deal right? It took us over an hour to drive those 10 miles. We were getting a little frustrated and hungry so I started handing out sandwiches I'd packed. When we finally made it to the overflow lot, there was another very long wait to get onto a school bus that was taking people back over to the zoo. At that point we gave up and headed off to find something else to do. So from the over flow parking lot we headed to downtown Portland where we were rear ended - twice - by the same lady. Do I need to say more? She did NOT deserve to be behind the wheel of a car! The first time it was a lighter tap. (We were in the stop and go traffic and she kept going threw the lights and was out in the intersection rather than waiting for the next green light.) She hit the ball hitch we have in to tow our boat. The second time she threw us forward a bit. My dh got out of the car and checked out our car. Now dh is so passive and such a people person but he was ticked after the second holt and he yelled at the lady to quit hitting us. She sheepishly apologized. Dh told her she had hit our tow ball and cracked the grill and bumper on her SUV so she should back off. When he got back in the car he told me there was no damage to our rig. Thank goodness for that. She followed us a couple more blocks (right on our bumper still) and then turned off. CRAZY!

We ended up going over to the Lloyd Shopping Center for a little while and doing some more back to school shopping. Then we crossed the street to play in some water fountains set up there. That was so nice because it was 95 degrees out. And then we went to this great pizza place we like to go to when in Portland and had a delicious dinner. On the way home we stopped at a park and let the kids play for a bit. It was not what we planned for the day, but we really enjoyed what the day brought!

Today dear hubby is back to work. Dear son is off spending the night at a friends house. And darling daughter and I have been being kinda lazy and watching movies. Tomorrow I shall get back into my routine. ;)

I hope you all are having a super hump day!

Saturday again?

2007-08-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you're having fun! Wow!

This week the kids had dentist appointments and I'm happy to say neither had cavities. :) I have my appointment next week. I really dislike going to the dentist office... as a kid it was a bad phobia. So hopefully next week I'll be in and out with good report.

I am officially a dork. Yes its true! I had my kids doubled over in laughter in the middle of the grocery aisle this week. We were stopped at the shampoo and I was looking at some of the erbal essence that all come in flavors. There was a new one out so I picked it up and opened it to smell when it burped and shampoo came flying out all over my face and down my shirt. I swear I thought I was on candid camera!

Yesterday, we headed out to do some back to school shopping. The boy is DONE. Yippee! And I got his jeans on sale (which is a big deal since he fits best those jeans at Pac Sun). Daughter is almost done... one more trip with her and we should be able to finish up. And when we finished school shopping we picked dear hubby up from work and took the kids to Powell's. It's a bookstore of all bookstores and I had yet to take my kids there. They had a blast! It was so much fun! You know there's a lo coming of this, don't ya? ;)

Dollar days. We LOVE 'em. We love to go rent movies on dollar Mondays. And all summer long the bowling ally's been only a dollar. The kids and I can go and bowl for several hours and it doesn't cost more than $10.00. Gotta love it! This week I learned that the Portland zoo has $2 buck Tuesday. Guess where we are heading next week? LOL!

Well, today until next Wednesday, we are on family vacation. We were supposed to go camping but the lakes are SO LOW that we can't take our boat to our usual spot. :S So we are going to stick around here and do some other family activities. It's all good. So you guys have a great fantastic weekend and I'll be back to cyberspace again soon!

And here's the lo's I've been working on this week. The first was taken when we had lunch with grandma last week. The second I started back in April and it was forgotton. Glad I ran into it the other day. And the last is for the Amazing Digi Race Challenge. It's a lo of my partners pooch who passed away a few years ago. She was a cutie! - TFL!

It must be time

2007-08-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

to go back to work soon. It's been nice having the summer off but having all this time off lets my mind get too bored. Then I start worrying about silly stuff... even thinking about it in my sleep. That can't be good for you.

And I've been a busy girl this week. I tried blogging mid week but blogger wasn't cooperating. So this post may be longer than the usual.

Let's see. We've been going strong around the house. This week we mowed the lawn again, steam cleaned the high traffic areas of the carpet, moved around some furniture and cleaned under them and the cushions, and bought the odds and ends needed to finish up the bathroom and the molding in the kitchen.

I had a routine eye doctor appointment early in the week. I've been wearing glasses for several years now because I have a lazy left eye and I'm a tad farsighted. So good news at my appointment because my left eye has improved. Doctor said that he felt all I needed this time was simple reading glasses. Wow! We picked up a pair (which I was happy to learn are so much cheaper than the ones I've been wearing) and they work wonderfully. :)

And yesterday we went into town and met my Grandmother for lunch. It was really nice to see her. For one reason or another we haven't been able to get together since Christmas-ish time. Too long! We went back to her house after lunch and played a board game and visited. It was really nice. Afterwards I took the kids bowling while we were in town. They were all smiles and actually not bickering. *Shock* lol.

Two years ago when my son was going into the 6th grade, there was a teacher he REALLY wanted. We had never requested one for him before so that year we did and he got the teacher we requested. Funny thing - during that summer we got a letter stating that that teacher was relocating and so they would be welcoming a new teacher. Okay the reason I said that was because he did have the new teacher and loved her. Now darling daughter is going into the sixth grade and requested that newer teacher that son had for the sixth grade. That was supposed to be her teacher. I'm sure you can see where this is going. We got a letter a couple of days ago stating that she had relocated over the summer and we would be welcoming another new teacher. Kinda strange that that happened to both the kids when going into the sixth grade. At least we thought so anyway.

Am I totally boring you yet?

I'll wrap it up with the lo's I worked on this week. All of these are either of products from the creative teams I'm on OR for the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race. TFL!

The hit of the summer

2007-07-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Cost $10.00. Yep. Want to see the happening thing in our household?

At the beginning of summer we found some freezer pop mold that was expensive and flimsy so we passed them up. But later we went into Starbucks and saw these ones on the shelf. They are sturdy, fun, so worth all the fantastic creations they have brought this summer. We've frozen, yogurt, pudding, pop, cool-aid, fruit, etc. and enjoy every single one. LOL!

I've worked on a few more lo's this week - TFL!

I'm still working on the latest HP book. Enjoying it very much so far. I've been reading it to darling daughter a little bit each night at bedtime so it's taking us a little longer to get through it. I've very much enjoyed reading it with her and having discussions about it in the evenings. :D

Tomorrow I hope to lay new flooring in the bathroom so this afternoon I need to prep it. Guess I should get on to it. Have a super weekend!

Wowsers...

2007-07-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

The sun finally made an appearance yesterday so we went out to work outside. We washed the siding, gutters, and windows around the house. Mowed the lawn and weeded. Today we finished up and put the equipment away. That's a bunch of hard work!

I also did some cooking for dinner the last couple of nights. One was a new recipe and it was delish. It was a chicken dish that you basted in EVOO, salt, pepper, and thyme. Broiled. Then garnished with sweet salsa. I made up a pineapple and mango salsa with a touch of honey... ymmo!

Some super great news this week in the scrappy world. My partner and I are in the second week of the race and going strong! It's been so much fun! Here's my third entry which was in the theme of Once Upon a Time. The pic here was taken a few years ago on the beach. Its a depth perception shot. Darling daughter was down the beach a ways and then we both turned towards one another and dear hubby took the shot. hehe TFL!

I was also asked to join Dawn Wilson's creative team. She sells at SBB and OAKS. I'm thrilled at the wonderful opportunity. In addition, I have a guest spot for August on Amanda Heimann's CT. She sells at the digichick. How cool to get to work with such amazing designers. What surprises and I'm both grateful and thankful!

Earlier in the week I did work on one other lo. This one I scanned in for a *few* years ago. Again, TFL!

Well, a friend of mine and I are meeting this afternoon for some good ol' girly talk and pedicures. So I'm off and running. Have a great day!

It feels like another season

2007-07-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Perhaps late fall or early winter? It fools my senses. The humidity has dropped but the weather has otherwise not changed. Dreary, dark, damp... sigh.

So today I sit in bed under my quilts with the laptop on. I put my Pride and Prejudice dvd's in the tv to enjoy. Did I mention I was alone this weekend. How better than to spend this weekend? Other than reading Harry Potter... which I plan on picking up tomorrow when I run into town to pick up the kids. :D

The Race is going well and Jen and I finished challenge 2. It was a collab lo that required us to use doodles, flowers, red, pictures and friendshp. So here's what we came up with- TFL!

Later today I plan on clearing off the kitchen counters and recaulking them. Pretty exciting huh? ;)

I hope you all have a super Saturday!

Rain rain go away

2007-07-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

It's been raining off and on for a week or more now. What happened to summer? It's been a wet one.

This week we've been couped up in the house for the most part staying dry. But boy has it been humid. Anyway, I wish the weather would change.

I got out some bright sunny pics to scrap and did this lo. TFL!

Today I'm working on the next lo for the Amazing Race with my partner. Fun fun fun. Then this afternoon I thinking of taking the kids bowling.

Well, that's about it for this post. You all have a fantastic Friday!

The Race is ON!

2007-07-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

Yep we are off and running, Jen and I.

Yesterday kicked off the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race. Six weeks, twelve challenges, ONE HUGE grand prize drawing. We are off to a great start. :)

Our first challenge was to scrap some museum related and we had to use the word "amazing" in the lo. So here's my first entry-

Some friends linked me up to this newspaper clip generator site and that's how I listed the facts about the museum in the background. It was a fun trip and I enjoyed scrapping this!

For some unknown reason I am up before the crack of dawn this morning. Luckily for me, dear hubby is off the next couple of days, so I shall plan on a nap this afternoon. ;)

And for the record, I DID work on organizing my bill desk the other day. A little more time today and it should be ship shape. lol! No more procrastinating for me.

What do we have children for if nothing else than to live to amuse them. Right? That's what my darling daughter thinks anyway. I've been walking in our neighborhood and you all know I have a pom I adore. (well three actually but one is MINE and the other kinda just adopted me) Anyway, mine (Harry) is very tiny. He loves going with me and is quite the outdoorsy little mate. So yesterday I make up a swaddle of sorts so that he can come with me on my walk. My darling daughter had a GOOD LAUGH at my expence. But alas...Harry LOVED it! He's definately my little baby!

I guess I should go make some coffee up... doesn't look like I'll be going back to bed. You all have a WONDERFUL day!

Today is a good day

2007-07-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't slept well the last few nights but none the less I woke this morning feeling like a million bucks. Yesterday I felt crummy and today I feel so much better! Yay!

Yesterday I took it easy and drank TONS of fluids. I scrapped one lo - SHE LOVES ME

It made my entire week to sign on this morning to DST and find that the lo I just posted above was chosen as a gallery standout. What an honor! I love love love looking through the gallery standouts but didn't expect to see my own there. I'm so surprised and on cloud nine at the moment.

An odd little fact about me- I'm one of those people loathe doing the dishes. I'd rather scrub the toilets then do dishes. Really! Isn't that odd? Anyway, I used to go to great leangths to avoid the kitchen but this summer I decided to make peace with the dishes and I don't mind anymore. Really! Isn't that strange? Now shall I tell you that I've apparently and irrational moved the procrastination of dishes to my bill desk. I've never minded doing the bills and I still don't. But the desk and filing system I have have seen better days. Although I know I just need to tackle that area and spend an hour or two getting it straightened up and the old stuff archived and such, I can't seem to bring myself to do it.

Today. I will do at least some of it today. I know I'll feel better once that is done. Doing it is no fun! lol!

OMGoodness... the collection department of the bank just called AGAIN while I'm posting this and this lady was mean and would not listen. Relentless! GRRRRR! When this is all said and done I very well may move my loan to another bank. This is the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! It is a nightmare.

And now back to my happy place.... *deep breath*

Today's to do list:

1. balance checkbook
2. wash all bedding
3. organize bill desk
4. archive old bills
5. clean my bathroom
6. exercise

Well that should do it for this post. Hope you all have a SUPER SUNDAY!

No title

2007-07-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Thursday my darling daughter had her best friend come stay the night. She has been looking forward to their sleepover for weeks and missing her terribly since school got out. They had a great time.

Thursday we were still under our extreme weather warning and it was in the 90's. About 9:30 pm the temp. had dropped down to the low 80's and it was really comfortable outside. Earlier we'd blown up air matresses and talked about sleeping out in the tent. The kids were so excited. We were packing blankets and pillows out about 9:30 when the sky lit up with lightening. Then again and again. I nixed the tent idea and we brought our bedding back in and then the thunder started rolling. I live in the PNW. Here I've only seen lightening and heard thunder during storms. There wasn't a storm in this case to it was all very strange. It went on for all hours into the wee morning. It was really amazing.

Also on Thursday - Well to put a very very long story into a nutshell, I made a payment to a bank for a loan we have that they did not credit to my account back in April. The bank notified me in May. I provided all documentation three times to show that the payment was in fact made. This bank "IS RESEARCHING THE LOST PAYMENT". In the meantime they have turned me into collection who calls me at least once a day. They reported this to my credit and have told me so. I have no recourse other than to wait this out and when their research is done then they will clean things up. It has been so frustrating and exhausting! They called again twice on Friday and I finally got so angry I started bawling like a baby. Supposidly this will be resolved by Monday and I was to recieve no more calls per the supervisor. Well, I had two today before 9:00 am. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Last night darling daughter went off to spend the night at her friends house and dear son was invited to a birthday party. The kids at the bday party were going to have an air soft gun party. Dear son's been wanting one for a while so went drove to the mall yesterday and bought him some. I was really pleased to find that Big 5 had a package of two on sale for half off. Yay! Love sales!

I did a quick little lo of two of my little furry friends - Here's the boys.

So with being a little stressed out about the stupid bank thing and such I started getting a great big ol' cold sore on my lip this week. OUCHIE!!! Then this morning I woke and just feel kinda fluish. I plan on just taking it easy today and maybe scrapping a little in bed before the kids come home.

I hope you are all well this weekend and enjoy it!