Where DOES the time go??? Really?????

OK...OK...where have I been??? HOLY SMOKES, I didn't realize it'd been nearly THREE freakin months since I posted to my blog. Thanks to my friends Jess and Heather for pointing this little tidbit out to me. Goodness...time flies. I get so tired of hearing myself say that. Maybe I should take a breather and regroup?

Lets see...where to begin?

I'm still at Piktails. And enjoying it for the most part. I'm hardly scrapping anything anymore, but have done a few page samples for the store and have put together a class sample or two also. I'm not one to "create on demand" so coming up with class ideas is a stretch for me. Most of my things are on a whim...if it looks good, I'll do a class. I don't mind the teaching part of things...it's the coming up with the ideas that I suck at. I really miss scrapping for myself but my room has become the catch all for the rest of the house and most of my regularly used scrappy things are at the store. I really should bring them home and get busy doing something for "ME" each day. Sounds like a great idea anyway.
When I'm not working, I'm usually at the dance studio in the evenings. Emily decided to give THREE classes a shot and Dance Co. this year. She's in one company number and an alternate for another. I hope that she gets picked up for the second company number. It's really a cute dance and I really hate to put in all this time, money and effort for her to have to sit and watch the others perform the dance. Only time will tell, I suppose. So, she's in a tap, ballet/jazz combo and a musical theatre class...and both numbers for company are Musical Theatre. These pictures here are from a performance that they did last weekend at a dinner for the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. It was great to see the girls perform this and do so well at it too. It only took them about 4 weeks to learn it and it came together beautifully! And they all looked so cute in their grass skirts costumes too. This picture here scares the daylights out of me. Where is my baby girl???

Of course, when I'm not at the dance studio, most of the rest of that time is spent doing Crew stuff. I'm doing the registration stuff for the second year in a row and am also heading up the Ad Book for our regatta in the Spring. If you'd like to buy an ad for our book, give me a shout. It could just be a little "shout out" to Josh or to the team...or a business ad too. All proceeds help support Boone Crew. Sorry for the shameless plug...but every bit helps. LOL .
These next few pictures were taken during our weekend in Chattanooga at the Head of the Hooch Regatta. After a loooooooooong Mears bus ride up, the team did their magic by rowing on the TN River. Josh's 4 took 8th and his 8 took 19th. Not bad at all, if you ask me. They'd love to medal of course...next year is another poke at it. How awesome would that be...to medal at the Hooch in Josh's Sr. year!!
It's so hard to believe that this is Josh's THIRD year on the Crew Team. I remember when he came home just a few weeks into his Freshman year and said that he wanted to give this a shot I swear this boy EATS SLEEPS and DREAMS rowing. He's pretty good at it too, from what I gather. (proud mommy moment, of course).

Today was our last regatta of the Fall season. We take somewhat of a break, practicing on a modified schedule now till after the Holidays. We all worked hard to pull the first annual Head of the Giblet Regatta together. It was a success and to celebrate, a few of us are headed to the Claddagh Cottage for a celebratory pint.

Until next time...

First day of school!!!!

Today was the first day of school for my kiddos. Stupid me...left the ONLY memory card that I own in the card reader at work on Saturday. I work tomorrow and will have to take my pictures on Wednesday morning and "pretend it was the first day" as Josh says. LOL

Speaking of work...check out the blog that I created for the shop. www.piktails.blogspot.com

Off to bed though...got my new Papercrafts in the mail today. Going to check it out while I doze. Gotta start getting up earlier so that means I need to get to bed earlier too.

night!!

Hello hello...

Checking in from work actually. Its Saturday and usually our busiest day but so far, I'm the only one here this morning. It's very quiet...I think I need to at least turn on the radio. So far, I've updated our e-mail list, sent the latest e-mail to the new addies and now I'm updating here. Fun, eh? I could scrap today...I've got my stuff here and a few pictures too. So many fun things to scrap with her too. Maybe in a bit.

Things are going well for us. School starts back up in just 9 more days. Summer vacation is coming to an end. I think Josh and Emily are both ready to kick back into their school day routines. The fun of getting up every morning and seeing friends, crew practice, dance classes...always something to do. We're in the part of the summer where everyone tends to get bored and school starting up will be welcomed. Emily's "meet the teacher" is on Monday and she can't wait. Josh will be picking up his schedule sometime this week too. Let the fun begin!

Last weekend was my friend Wendy's 40th birthday. We spent the night at the Embassy Suites downtown for the party. Her son put together 40 different hints and we all had to set out for a digital scavenger hunt to find the places based on the clues. OMG...what fun that was! My friend Candy and I hopped in a Pedi-cab and had the driver take us all over the city looking for our answers. Add a little alcohol on all parts (except for the driver) and the night was a HOOT! Both teams claimed to have won but I'm really not sure which team had the most right answers. We were having so much fun that we didn't even bother to check them out! I'll have to post a few pictures soon. Would do it here but don't have my camera with me.

The day after the party, Wendy took her closest friends, in a limo, to a local spa. Oh my goodness!!! I must admit that I've never spent time at a spa before. Nothing against them, I just have a tough time making time like that for myself. Which really isn't a good thing, but its something that I just don't do. (like waiting till I can't stand it anymore and THEN getting my haircut, usually out of desperation) Anyway, at the spa, I had a mini pedicure, an hour long facial and an hour long swedish massage. I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven! That's something that every woman should do for herself at least every few months! I'm hooked now! (and am seriously thinking of making an appt. for my mom and I to go sometime soon :))

Well, I'm off for a bit once again. I think I'm going to get my stuff out and work on a scrapbook layout or two. I have some pictures and paper pulled already. Maybe I'll see what I can do with them.

Later!!!

Guitar Hero...

We picked up Guitar Hero II this weekend, along with a guitar. OMG...what a fun game. I really suck at it, but we're all having a blast with it. Today I picked up the 80's version...the latest one. Love it too, but I keep failing the songs cuz, like I said, I suck! LOL

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention...Kyle's here for a few days! YAY!! We're not doing much really...just hanging. Went to lunch today and were going to go bowling but had eaten too much and decided to just go school shopping instead. Got a few things for Emily and school supplies for both kids. Josh didn't find any clothes really. Maybe at AE??? We'll see...

Off to play one more song before I go to bed.

A quick little update...

Since I've been so lax in posting.

I'm still loving my new job. The store is coming together so nicely. The customers that we've met are all so great. I love chatting with so many people throughout the day. This is definitely my DREAM JOB!

I go in a little later today. We're having a crop there tonight. It's our second crop actually, since opening. And we have 14 people signed up to crop! Can you believe that???? I'm working the crop and actually hope to get a few pages done too.

I scrapped a two pager at work this week that I absolutely LOVE! I took my camera to work with me to take a picture of it but realized when I got there that I'd left my memory card at home in the card reader. Oops. But, the card is back in the camera and I plan to take it to work with me this afternoon too. Maybe I'll take a few pictures from the crop too.

I'm off now to get a few loads of laundry done and some stuff pulled to take to the crop. Sure was nice to sleep in this morning. I've been burning the candle at both ends this week and it had caught up to me by last night. Was good to get some extra sleep.

For now...I'm off. Thanks for reading.

Where I've been spending my time...

I took my camera to work with me today and took a few pictures of the store. To show everyone where I'm spending a lot of my time these days. You can't really tell by the photos, but it's a pretty good sized shop, IMO. Two thousand square feet of scrapping goodies!!! So bright and open...so fun to be there!
Looking at these pictures as I put them on here, I realize that there's a lot of white space on some of the walls. This isn't the case now though...we had a HUGE order of goodies come in from EK Success yesterday and it took us till today to get it all stocked in and put up on the shelves. The white space is being filled by the day.

I got to play with the ribbon spools today. Anyone that knows me well, knows how much I adore ribbon. So that task was just up my alley! I moved the ribbon shelves to the other side of the register and arranged it all neatly on those shelves. I gotta say, Deb's got some yummy ribbons there too. Even more ribbon came in yesterday and today that I might need to find another shelf to put it on. I'm telling ya...there's a BUNCH of ribbon! I wish I'd gotten a picture of that area. Maybe on Friday when I go back to work.

We have a table set up with a few of the classes that we'll be having in July too. We're working on putting together the calendar now to have it out for customers on Thursday. So many folks have asked about classes so we don't want to wait too long to get them going. Right now, I think we're focusing on the Bo-Bunny album kits. We've assembled a few of them already and will start taking sign ups pretty soon. Oh, and the ribbon is set up just behind this table now. Had I waited till later in the day to take these pictures...oh well. (This table also only has the upcoming class projects on it...everything else has been moved to other places throughout the store)

I also got to put up a bunch of "tools of the trade" too. We checked in the trimmers, punches, scissors and lots more. Man...its so fun to see it all coming together!

So, if you're in the area and get a chance to stop in...we'd love to see ya!

For now, I'm off to read more of She's Come Undone and then to dreamland.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!!

Sunday night...

Almost bedtime actually. Time for me to start getting to bed at a regular time again. Even though I don't go into work until 10am, there are some days recently when I didn't even get outta bed till after 10. Time for that to change. I'd like to start getting up at 7 each morning. To give me time to chill, read e-mail, hit my favorite scrapping sites and enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee...before heading to the shower to get ready to leave for work.

I worked again on Friday. Got a great two page spread done for the 4th of July. Debbie and I have talked about packaging it up as a page kit for the month of July. Fine by me, really. I also did 4 cards with the leftovers from the baby boy layout too. I love to do cards with the leftover scraps. And it sure helps to bring the cost of each page down too.

This weekend was a big movie weekend here. The kids and I went to see Ratatouille on Friday night. What a great movie!! We all loved it!

Then on Saturday night, Alex and I went to see Ocean's 13. Another great movie! And of course, looking at George Clooney for those couple of hours...who am I to complain?! YUMMMM!!!!

Alex and I also took a ride over to Piktails on Saturday. He wanted to see the store that I was working at and he actually said that it looks great. Debbie thanked him for sharing me with her and said that she loved having me there...and Alex told her that that was good because I really loved being there too. Hehehehe...I guess it shows that I'm really enjoying this, huh?

Today was spent doing laundry, having a late lunch/early dinner for my neice's birthday and working on that album kit by Bo-Bunny. Dinner wasn't too bad. I had a Grilled Grouper sandwich and fries while both of my sisters and my neice all sat at the bar eating steamed oysters. YUCK!

I let Josh drive there and back...this meant driving on the interstate for one of the first times ever. His girlfriend's dad had let him drive on the Expressway one time, but he's never driven like that with ME in the car before. The child really makes me nervous. I guess that's normal though...I think. He smarts off at me every single time I tell him something about how he's driving. Drives me INSANE! I think I need to sign him up for driver's ed through the Safety Council.

I got the Bo-Bunny book all but finished and was working on the cover when I realized that I was missing a sheet of the PP. At first, I thought I had cut wrong and didn't leave enough of the paper. But then realized that there were supposed to be two sheets, not just one. Whewww! Made me feel much better. I think we carry that paper at the store actually. I'll just grab it and get it finished first thing tomorrow. We want to get it out and on display so that we can start taking sign ups for it for the class.

I've learned the basics of the register already and tomorrow I will learn how to check new merchandise in. We've got a HUGE order coming in and we'll be spending most of the day getting that stocked in, I'm sure! But, I can't wait...there's just something about opening a box of scrappy goodies! We're also putting together our calendar for July and maybe August too. That'll give us a lot of things to look forward to...and the customers too!

Until next time...goodnight!

HI HO...HI HO...

It's off to work I go! And yes, I'm extremely excited about it too!

I've not worked outside of the home in almost 9 yrs and lately I've been feeling...well...I couldn't really pinpoint it, but a friend of mine posted something today that hit home for me. I'll share a bit of what she shared (name withheld)...

I feel like I am bobbing in a very small dingy set adrift in a vast ocean.

Somewhere out there is a tropical paradise of happiness – I just have to point my Good Ship Lollypop in the right direction. The only problem is that I don’t have a compass, and I can’t find the Northern Star.

and...

I am not the wife, mother, friend, daughter… the PERSON I want to be. I need to step back and re-evaluate what I am and what I want.

I wasn't really sure how I was feeling but when I read what my friend wrote about herself, a little lightbulb went off in my head and I suddenly had this feeling of "OH MY GOSH...I COULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS!!"

All of these feelings have led me to think about finding something to do with my time. I was originally going to wait till school starts back in August but something came open that I really couldn't turn down.

Someone that I worked at the auction with many moons ago, has decided to open a scrapbook store. I'd heard this rumor but hadn't heard anything more since the first part of the year. But on Thursday, Debbie contacted me, out of the blue, to see if I'd be interested in teaching SB classes at her new store. I told her that I wasn't sure about the teaching but that I was thinking about going back to work part time. After a couple more conversations and a few details worked out, I'm now a part time employee of PIKTAILS Scrapook store in Hunter's Creek.

Right now, the store is open but we're still in the very early set up stages. People are free to come in and shop the stuff that she has already stocked on the shelves but the calendar and class schedules will be out very soon...and TONS more merchandise is already on order and will be coming in regularly.

For right now, my job is to work on display pages and class kits. We're working on getting the place decorated with page samples and black and white photos throughout the store. It's a work in progress, but the progress is certainly coming together nicely.

Today, I worked on the a Bo Bunny album kit to sample for a class and also a two page sample layout to display on the wall. I certainly cannot complain about scrapping all day and getting paid to do it. Eh?

Oh, I got to chat with a few customers and I had a quick lesson on the cash register too. Hopefully our EK Success order will be in tomorrow!! Ahhhhh...the smell and feel of a fresh box of scrapping goodies!

I'll post the link to the store as soon as the website is up and running!

For now...I'm headed to bed. Didn't get much sleep last night. My mind was racing with ideas and I was like a kid trying to sleep the last night before going back to school.

Till next time...good night!

HE'S HOME!!!!!

Josh got home last night...just before midnight. We're so happy to have him home too! We stayed up till after 2am listening to his stories and looking at the pictures that he took on his trip. And I must say, he got some really fun shots too! I've taught him well!

We all slept in this morning. I didn't get up till 10:45. YIKES!

Josh unpacked his suitcase and gave everyone the goodies that he brought home for us. And of course, the sure sign that he's home...a picture of his room and what it normally looks like. HA...the child hasn't been home for a full day yet and his room is DESTROYED! LOL

My boy is HOME!!

So sad...

Well, it's official...our Sunny girl has Cancer. Our sweet canine companion...the girl that has been such a great big part of our family for the last 9 1/2 yrs. has an aggressive type of cancer that started with a lump by her anal gland. Its spread to her lymph nodes already and according to the vet, it's probably in other areas of her body too. Surgery to remove the lump will be painful and basically not an option because it's already spread. Chemo and radiation aren't recommended due to the severity of the Cancer. Basically, we'll put her on anti-inflammatory drugs, immune boosters and vitamins...and make the most of the time that she has with us.

Right now, she's not showing any signs of discomfort. When she does, we'll take the measures that need to be taken. Right now though, it's too tough to even think about life without her here.

Sunny has been the best dog EVER. A faithful, loving companion. The protector of the household. She was dealt a tough hand...having to have a blood transfusion to save her life as a puppy...having hip dysplacia and having bilateral hip surgery at 16 months old...and now this. Luckily, we've spoiled her rotten and we are positive that we've given her the best life possible, outside of the other issues she's had to deal with.

It's going to be so hard to see her go.

The picture here was taken today...she's lounging on Josh's bed. Snuggling his body pillow. What a good life she has.

In my inbox this morning

I woke up this morning to a bunch of pictures from the kids in New Zealand. Josh said that some of the kids are taking pics with their phones and then sending to a blog that they're using to share some stuff with the folks back home. These two made me happy because they're two of the few shared that have Josh in them.

I don't know anything about these pictures other than the fact that the first one was apparently taken at a Sound Studio of some sort. I assume Josh and the other person were posing as anchormen? Josh is wearing a curly wig and this get up just cracked me up. That's my boy...always being a goof.

Of course, the second picture is again, Josh being a goof. Some of the kids had their faces painted for a Rugby Match. I think he said that New Zealand was playing France and they painted their faces to support the NZ team. There were a few other pictures shared...one looking as if they were posing as KISS band members...tongues hanging out and all. LOL I really cannot wait for Josh to get home and give he his commentary on these pictures and the ones the "tons" of pictures that he promises that he's been taking too.

They're on their way to Australia today...and more fun to begin soon.

I've been scrapping more too. (the image here is clickable to see a larger pic of this layout) So far, I've finished 6 of the 11 challenges posted at Lifetime Moments. I didn't get anything done yesterday or today and with a new challenge posted each day, I could fall wayyyyyyyy behind really quickly. I have a new set of pictures sitting on the desk right now, just waiting to pick paper to go along with them. I'm planning on using one of the LM challenges with them, so wish me luck.

Emily and I have played together a lot today. We spent a lot of time in the pool actually. She loves to have me in there with her. I'm usually a big wimp unless the water temps reach close to 90*. Water temps are at about 84* and with 92* air temps, the water was actually quite comfy. We got out to get her drawers cleaned out in preperation for a garage sale we're having this weekend. By the time we were finished, it was storming. It was still fun to play like that for a while.

Now, to figure out what's for dinner. I'm thinking chicken salad sandwiches and fruit salad. Nice and light for this hot day.

Finally!!!

Josh called again today and I finally got to talk to him. It seemed that everyone else was talking to him but me and I was beginning to get a little upset. The last time he called, I was working concessions to help pay for Crew this next season. He sounds so happy and like he's having a GREAT time! He loves New Zealand and said that he thinks it's gorgeous over there. He also said he can't imagine Australia being better than New Zealand. I told him to just wait...he'll be impressed with the Aussies too, I'm sure! Oh, and he assures me that he's taking PLENTY of pictures and might even need to buy a new memory card while he's there. That's my boy!

I've been keeping myself busy with scrapping this week.I found my mojo last week while working on my circle journal and its still hanging around. I think I've done a double page layout and 3 or 4 different single page layouts...AND 2 cards too. I love it when the mojo comes to stay for a bit too.

Once again, I'm playing along with the folks at Lifetime Moments for their Summer Scrapfest. Its a little different this time though...no more mad scrapping to get as many possible points as possible. This time, they're posting a new challenge each day. At first I wasn't sure if I'd like this way, but this week they threw out a new bonus. If the temperature reaches 87* in Wixom, MI. then that day's challenge counts as THREE points. That sure makes it a bit easier to earn the points. Two days this week have been eligible for the bonus...but according to weather.com, things will be a bit cooler over the next few days.

Another great thing with this session is that we have all summer to get the challenges complete. It's not a scrap each day thing, unless you make it that. I've completed three of the eight challenges posted. And there's plenty of time to get the others done. I hope to get a couple more done, maybe even get caught up, over the weekend.

For now, I've got a kitchen that's screaming for attention and a load of laundry to be folded. Until next time...

He called!!!

But I missed the call, darn it! Emily and I were on the couch watching the recording of "So You Think You Can Dance" and I didn't hear the phone ringing till it was too late. Josh called to let us know that things were going great!

He said that it was about 40 something degrees and that the hot springs were steaming alot. They'd gone swimming last night...I assume it was in the springs. It was about 5:30am there and they were up and getting ready for breakfast and then a busy day was planned ahead. He sounded tired but said that he had "little to no" jet lag.

Emily and I just stayed around the house today and got things cleaned up. Em was a great helper. It was a rather productive day...so the time went kind of quickly. Tomorrow we're going to check out a gymnastics camp. If we like it, Em will go the remainder of this week and maybe another week this summer. I think it'll be great for her to have something to do and a gymnastics camp will be right up her alley. The dance studio has a camp for two different weeks in July, but I think Em would enjoy getting out and doing something before then.

And for now, I'm listening to my latest audio book and cleaning up the scraproom.

Until later...

Loooong but GREAT day here!

All packed and ready to go!!!

Today was the day that Josh left for his People to People trip to New Zealand and Australia. We started the day with a breakfast at our favorite local/family owned breakfast place, Conway Cafe, before heading to the airport.

I couldn't believe the number of people at the airport today. Gosh...there was hardly room to move. And this wasn't just from our group either. I'm assuming that maybe Tropical Storm Barry had a bit to do with it. The P2P plane to LA wasn't delayed though...maybe it was just a crazy busy travel day?

Josh was so excited about this trip...but a little nervous too. I guess that's to be expected. He said that he felt like he was forgetting something. I told him that this is "normal" when you're headed away from home. I think he was just ready to get on the plane and get on their way. Here's a fun pic that I took of Josh and his girlfriend, Teri...they were sure having fun, eh? This was a much more pleasant site than another student and his girlfriend. Oh my goodness...it's a wonder she didn't make it on the plane with him...she was literally attached to the boy. Playing kissy face, sucking on his ears, him holding her with her legs wrapped around his waist. And yes, this was all in public...it was rather sickening, IMO. And had that been MY SON and his girlfriend...it would have certainly been broken up. I even thanked Josh and his girlfriend for NOT acting like that...EVER.

I had to leave the airport, before Josh even headed to security, to rush home and get Em ready for her dance recital. Her call time was 1:00 for a 2pm recital. We cut it a little short...getting there a couple of minutes after 1, but with plenty of spare time before show time.

Recital was beautiful, as it always is. The dancer's at our studio really know how to put on a show. I love to watch them perform. Its a LOOOOOONG show, but fun, nonetheless. Emily didn't dance until a couple of numbers before the end, but it was so worth the wait, IMO. She shined on that stage...smiling from ear to ear...dancing her heart out. This was the first year that she looked like she was genuinely having fun and knew the dance very well. And I'm such a sap...I was almost in tears watching her. Also grinning from ear to ear. And she turned the right way this time too! After how many times of saying "did you know you turned the wrong way again?" I saw her think about it first and then turned the right way. Woo hoo...way to go, Emily!

Next year's dance classes will start in August. Emily's enjoyed this year so much that she wants to be in THREE classes and possibly Dance Co. next year. Oh dear...am I ready for that? I told her today that Dance Co. might have to wait till Josh is finished with Crew and goes to college. Was that bad of me? I think I could do the time thing (key words: I THINK)...it's the cha ching that scares me! LOL

The day is almost at an end now. Josh called to tell us that they made in to LA safely. They'll be leaving for their 16 hour flight to New Zealand in the wee hours of tonight. I'm sure we'll hear from them tomorrow, when they get there. Until then, I'll be in touch with a few of the other parents of the students on this trip. Only 19 more days till Josh returns. I'm sure gonna miss that kid!

Home again, home again...

Just got back home this afternoon. Been home long enough to set up the computer again, unpack the cars, the suitcases and check a bit of e-mail. I can't get Yahoo Messenger to load correctly. I keep getting a "memory could not be read" error every time I try to sign on to Messenger. I finally uninstalled it and have it on the web now and will probably need to reinstall it. Maybe tomorrow.

Thought I'd share a couple other pics from our getaway.These were taken on our very first day there. It was early evening and the sun was beginning to hide behind the condo building...this made the beach rather overcast but the sun was still shining on the water. It was so cool! This picture of Emily is one of my absolute favorites of the weekend. She was in such a giddy mood and very cooperative for photos. LOVE THAT! The one of Josh with Emily isn't all that great...but a happy moment between the two of them. I have to cherish these moments because sometimes it seems that they don't come often enough.

We met this fisherman on the dock of the restaurant that we ate at on Thursday night. He caught a crab with a fishing hook and that's what started that conversation actually. The crab had claws that were a good inch and a half thick. Not quite sure what kind of crab it was though. But really strange that he caught it with the fishing hook. He let Emily fish for a bit but she didn't catch anything. My friend Nancy and I called him the Gordon's fisherman...he had a raincoat and all. Very funny.
Here's one of Em and I...don't mind how awful I look. Bleck! Nancy and I set out to find a scrapbook store in Daytona Beach...and found it. There was a cute little park area across the street and we took this pic. This was a picture that Nancy took at that same little park area. Another great shot of Em. She's such a ham at times!

I think that's all the pictures that I really want to share today. I guess I didn't get nearly as many as I'd hoped to. But, there are some fun memories behind the phtoos that I did get. So I'm not going to complain. Quite honestly, the camera stayed up in the condo alot more than it was out.

I got a York Photo order while I was gone. More than 100 pictures that I'd ordered the week before we left. Can't wait to see how they turned out. I'm off to look at those now.

Thanks for reading!

WE ARE HERE...

Insert arrow here...I decided to run away from it all...and that I did.

The kids got out of school for the summer on Tuesday, the 22nd. Our Ponce Inlet Condowas open, so I took advantage of it. We came over after school on Tuesday and are having a blast. The weather, for the most part, has cooperated. We got a little bit of rain and it was cloudy most of yesterday. It's been VERY windy and the surf is high. Emily has discovered boogie boarding...and now we can't keep her out of the water.

Alex is going kayaking tomorrow with our friend Charlie...then they're coming back here to join us for a cookout and they'll stay the night. Charlie happens to be Josh's girlfriend's dad...the rest of his family will be joining us for the cookout too. It's gonna be a full house here...but we always have a great time with them.

The only internet connection we have is just outside of the office at the condo building. Right now, I'm sitting in the corner of the pool area, blocked by the wind and pool water. I'd better head upstairs again...there's a cold one calling my name!

Photo share...

While I was at it, I thought I'd post a photo here that was taken at the Mom's Day Tea at our elementary school. Just me and my baby girl. (who's not so much a baby anymore)

It's almost over!!

School that is...for my kiddos. Tuesday is their last day! How did this happen? I know that every year I say that the year has passed so quickly, but this year seemed to go even quicker. Maybe it's because I kept myself busy with different things with both Emily's school and Josh's Crew? Whatever it is, the time just went all too quickly. Not to mention that I will soon have a child in China, a Sophomore at Ga. Tech, a Jr. in HS and a 2nd grader. Lordy...I'm feeling old!

The excitement of the End of the Year Party is over. The party was on Friday and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We had a beach themeand different centers for the kids to enjoy. I still need to get pictures printed for the seashell frames that they made I should do that while I'm on the computer this morning.

Yesterday was the big Boone Crew 20th B-day Party. My friend Wendy threw this together in a matter of maybe 6 weeks. We tried to reach out to as many former rowers as possible but with the somewhat short notice, we only had a few there. But, it was still a success, I think. We had it at a local golf course/country club. Complete with lunch, a silent auction and a golf scramble. The weather was almost PERFECT! A little breezy for golfing, but none of the golfers seemed to mind. The kids stayed at the clubhouse to swim while we waited for the golfers to finish. We then headed off to Don Pablo's for dinner...and finally made it home after 9pm. It was a long day, but so much fun!

Today is another busy one. Our neighborhood homeowner's association is having a "spring fling". A cookout and mingle with the neighbors type thing. Should be fun!

Then its dress rehearsal/picture day for Emily. Her dance recital is in just a couple of weeks and now the fun begins with that. Dress rehearsal today, tech rehearsal and recital next week. This too, is another thing coming to an end for the season.

Summer is almost here!!

It's the small things...

That excite the daylights out of me.

Today, I worked on a layout for a class at Mara's Memory Lane. This will be my very first class since Mara bought the store and my first class "back"...I left there over a year ago.

Anyway...while I was up there working on the class layout, Jessica and Heather came by to scrap. We were chatting and I mentioned the Marvy scalloped Circle punch that I keep seeing EVERYWHERE in the magazines. Mara let me look in a couple of wholesale catalogs for it but I didn't have much luck. I told the girls that I'd probably be able to figure out how to do this on the wishblade eventually.

I decided to look online to see what I could find tonight. Looks like either Marvy hasn't "released" these babies yet or everyone and their uncle is looking for them since they're all over the magazines, and anyone that's carrying them is sold out. . While searching online tonight to find it, I came across another scrapper/stamper's blog that showed how to do this WITHOUT buying the punch.

Then...while surfing HER blog...I came to another link that shows basically the SAME technique, but for a scalloped border. Here's that link too...scalloped border tutorial.

So, now you see why I'm so excited! So excited that I had to share.

Oh, and I'll be posting that class layout soon too. I printed pictures to put on it tonight. I just need to scan it.

Gotta run...almost time for American Idol! Goooooooooo Jordin!

Here's what I've done this morning. My friend Cheryl, shared a picture of adorable little cookie bouquets like these. I decided to make a couple for some of the folks at Em's school for Teacher Appreciation week. A few of the teachers saw them and have asked me to make them for their parent volunteers. Well, one teacher asked, then another and now a 3rd has asked. I'm up to something like 15 or 16 of these that I'm making now. I really don't mind. They're so simple easy to make and it's actually kind of relaxing. I need to run out and pick up a few containers and cookies a little later though. Don't have enough to finish the orders that I have so far. Hehehehe...a little spending money for me too...I won't/can't complain about that one!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

So far, this has been a fantastic morning!! Brooks called from China at 8am. That was a nice surprise, indeed!! I worry about him over there, so every time he calls, it's so nice to hear from him.

Alex, Josh and Emily woke me with a delicious breakfast. Complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and GRIDDLE CAKES too!!! I love IHOP's Griddle Cakes and they've recently taken them off their menu. Alex took the time to find the recipe online and attempted to make them for me. They were YUMMY too! I was so full after that breakfast. I might not need to eat anything else all day. LOL

Kyle called me too. He said he was thinking of me and wanted to touch base to say Happy Mother's Day!! This Mom's a happy camper now...having heard from all of her babies! **insert big grin here**

For Mother's Day, Alex and the kids gave me a new Epson Perfection 4490 scanner. My old scanner wasn't working 100% anymore. I took it to Mom's house to scan a bunch of pictures of Richard for his Memorial Service and it started acting up then. This new scanner ROCKS!! It's like 10 times faster than the other and since it's an Epson, it's very easy for me to use. I'm pretty familiar with the Epson scanning software, so that helped to make it an easy transition. I've already scanned a two page spread that I did last month while I was away with the girls. I've included a pic of it for ya too!

Today will be a very relaxing day for me. I'll only do what "I" want to do and when "I" want to do it. I think I want to work on getting the scrap room straightened up a bit. I'll pop Grey's Anatomy, season 1, in the DVD player and get to work. Then maybe later tonight, I'll be able to scrap a page or two.

Oh, and btw, this is our last full week of school for my kiddos. The last day of school is Tuesday, the 22nd. I can't believe Summer Vacation is just around the corner. I'm going to have a JR. in HS and a 2nd grader. How is that possible?

All finished!!!!

Well, for the most part anyway. I still want to add a few pictures. One over the toilet and some on the wall next to the mirror, over the hand towel thing. Kyle took some really awesome black and white pics. I think I'll frame them to hang by the towel thing and get something with some color to hang over the toilet.

I've got a few errands to run today but promised pics...so here ya go!

Almost finished!!!

Today should be the last day that our contractor is here. It has taken him a couple days longer than expected, but the room is coming together so nicely! Here's the photo that I took this morning.
Today he'll put in the lights, hang the mirror, sand the drywall and seal the grout. Tonight, hubby and I plan to put the Kilz on the walls so that we can get it painted in the next few days. I still need to search for the shower curtain and accessories that I'd like to put in there too...hopefully by this weekend, we'll have a brand spankin new, 100% finished bathroom. I still can't wait for that first bath in the new jacuzzi tub!!

Day 5

I didn't get a chance to get a picture yesterday and almost forgot to get one this morning. The bathroom is coming right along now!!!

We're all drywalled in, and the tile has started going up on the shower walls. I am so excited! He plans to work a bit this weekend so by Monday we should be ready to paint!

I worked the concessions for the Orlando Magic playoff game last night. This is one of our biggest fundraisers for Crew...the concessions for the Arena. OMG, we were sooooooooo busy last night. SLAMMED BUSY! They told us not to make too many hotdogs because it was an 8pm game and most people will probably eat before coming to the game. HA...what did THEY know? We made like 60 hot dogs...and ended up having to keep them rolling...we sold over 400 of them darn things!!! It was amazing! I got home after midnight and didn't get to sleep till after 1. I'm exhausted today!

I have to get ready for the big States Regatta in Tampa today. Heading out around 1:30...wish us good weather and great rowing!! It's been a tough season for our boys this year...it'd be nice to have them medal this weekend! They've overcome so much adversity...they deserve to win this weekend!

Off to vacuum and dust...need to leave a clean house for the housesitter.

Day #2 (and a half)

I didn't get a chance to take a picture last night or this morning before the contractor showed up to work again. But during his lunch break today, I did. We now have a tub and insulation again! Today he's putting up all of the drywall and tomorrow he plans on laying the tile! It's coming together nicely now! Can't wait to get my first bath in that new jacuzzi tub!



Oh, and on a scrappy note...I've almost got my XXL tote unpacked of the stuff I took with me on the weekend away! Now, to get it all put away and everything cleaned back up again! I've got a little more than an hour till it's time to get Emily. Maybe I should work on getting it cleaned up?

At the end of day one...

The contractor started yesterday...and by the end of the day, this is what the bathroom looks like!


He took down the rest of the ceiling, disconnected and moved the old tup and has the new fan fixture in the ceiling, a light in the shower (that we didn't have before) and all the electrical stuff moved to where everything needs to go.

Today he's moving the plumbing and not sure what else. He said it's almost time to start putting things back together!! I can't wait to start seeing it all coming together!

Now, I'm off to fold more laundry and try to sneak one more load in before the water gets shut off after lunch.

Dust anyone???

Well, we've decided to remodel our hall bathroom. This is something that we've talked about wanting to do since we bought this house. Something that DESPERATELY needed to be done. I mean, the bathroom was in "usable" condition, but it was rather "dated". The tile that was on the floors and wall was the original from when the house was built in 1973. You know...that really pretty harvest gold color. Ewwww!!!!

Anyway...Alex set out today to bust everything out of there so that our carpenter/do it all handyman guy, Richard, can come in tomorrow and work his magic. He'll be putting up new drywall, new lighting, raising the dropped ceiling...and putting in a new tub, vanity, counter top and tile. He says it'll take him about a week to do this. And man...I can't wait!

Here are a couple of pictures from today...

Josh helped with banging out the tile on the inside wall of the tub/shower. Notice how I caught the spark as the hammer hit the concrete? How cool is that??? See the dust? OMG...it's EVERYWHERE!!! I'll be dusting for a month after this is over with!


Emily insisted on wanting to help. We bought her the safety goggles at Lowes yesterday and gave her the hard hat and "earhumps" (as she calls them). She helped knock down the ceramic soap dish, toothbrush holder and a few other things. And then insisted on collecting some of the floor tiles to take to school tomorrow for her Sharing Day. (show and tell) She helped for a little while and didn't like how loud things were...even with the "earhumps". Oh well...at least I got a few pictures of her helping her daddy.


And this photo...see the pretty harvest gold tile? That was taken just after the vanity came out of there and the floor came up.


There's nothing left in there now but the studs and a concrete floor. Oh, and what's left of the cast iron tub. Alex couldn't get under it to unhook the drain, so he had to leave that for the handman to take care of. Richard will be here at 8am tomorrow morning and we'll be making a run to Lowe's for supplies shortly after I take Em to school.

I can't wait till this is FINISHED!!!

Starting fresh!

With my blog...

It's been over TWO MONTHS since my last post. TWO MONTHS? How is that possible? They say that sometimes life just gets in the way and by golly, that's exactly what happened!

I won't go into long details of the last two months but there was a surgery for me, the death of my Step Dad and all sorts of things in between. As my friend and neighbor said it...I've had "quite a few stresses" in my life lately.

I'm going to try, once again, to maintain this blog and share my love for scrapping, etc. The way that I had intended to do before.

And with that...I've gotta share the fact that I went away this past weekend with my local scrapping buddies. We rented a house in Davenport, Florida...set up specifically for a scrapbook retreat. Its called "Florida's Scrapbook Retreat" and by clicking that link, you can read all about it.

What a great time we had!!! I always have a good time with this group of girls though. These "bitches", as we so lovingly call each other, are some of my best friends. We've been scrapping together for over 6 yrs now. Most of us have high school kids that have been together since Elementary School. We've been through some super great times, as well as some really tough times too. We've lost one of our own to her battle with Breast Cancer and that, I believe, has pulled some of us even closer. I love these women and I know that they're always there...and for that, I am forever grateful!

Our retreat started at 3 pm on Friday and checkout time was at 3 pm on Sunday. We got there, set up our scrapping stuff and went to work. I had a little too much to drink Friday night...oh ok...alot too much to drink...and was in bed by 10:30 that night. I did manage to complete a cute little flip book that an online friend had shared the link for. Shimelle did one on Fiskars TV and the link to the video is on her blog. (click on the link and then go to Sexy Scissors on the right hand side of her blog) I'll share my flip book once I finally get unpacked from the weekend. All of my bags are sitting here, on my scraproom floor, in a pile...just screaming to be unpacked.

On Saturday, although the day started on the slightly hungover side...I did manage to complete a book for my mom. I'm not going to give the details of that, in case she's reading this...but it's beautiful. I can't wait to give it to her! I'll scan it and post it in my gallery at Scrapforums soon.
I made it through Saturday without a nap but went to bed earlier than another else, again on Saturday night.

Sunday morning brought stormy weather outside...heavy rain and wind...even word of a tornado somewhere. We were all oblivious to what was happening outside...the scrapping had once again began. Some of the girls headed home earlier than others. Those of us that stayed behind worked feverishly to get as much done as we could before it was time to go home. I managed to finish a two page Disney spread that I had started AGES ago. I also started on another layout and got about 2/3 of that one finished before packing up.

Now that I'm home again...its time to unpack everything and put it all back where it belongs. I hooked up my scanner again and now need to get busy scanning the stuff that I did. Maybe I'll do that this afternoon. KEYWORD: MAYBE!!!

Oh...and I almost forgot to mention. Today is the day that Memory Lane changes ownership. It was supposed to be done on Monday but it was postponed to today. This LSS has been a favorite of mine since it opened 5 yrs ago. When Liz told me that she was selling the store, I thought long and hard at buying it...the timing just wasn't right. I was saddened to think that the store could possibly close. It used to be such a GREAT scrapbook store and it's suffered a little bit for a while now. I know that the store was Liz's 'baby' and even though she's ready to move on to other things, it'll be hard for her to let go. Here's wish Liz the best in whatever she may do and wishing Mara, the new store owner, the best in everything she does for Memory Lane!! Sometimes change is good...lets hope this is one of those times. I'm excited to see the changes that Mara will bring! (and I've been asked if I'll teach again too...hmmmmmm)

With all of that...I should close. There's a load of laundry waiting for me in the dryer and a few more, on the floor, waiting to be washed. Only 30 minutes till its time for me to get Emily again...so I should get busy!

Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave a comment, if you will...

OK...here we go...

The scraproom is finished, for the most part, and there's a TON of stuff for me to move outta here. As promised, here's a list of what I have to get rid of and I'm pricing it to sell...I want it all gone!!! If you're interested, just drop me an e-mail at DBaker80@cfl.rr.com and put the item name in the subject line. I will accept Paypal payments and will only charge actual shipping costs. I hope to get everything shipped this week. (as soon as payment is made)

Thanks for looking...and be sure to point your friends in this direction too.

Everything is "gently used" unless otherwise noted. And everything that was listed before and hasn't sold yet, has been discounted even more.

SMALL WATCHMAKER'S TIN w/10 smaller containers inside $3

MAKING MEMORIES MAGNETIC STAMP TOOL, date stamp set and two alphas (stored in metal tins) ALL for $12

QUICKUTZ ALPHABETS!!!! (upper and lower sets sold seperately...all have ejection foam on them and are in the blue binder sheets)

KATIE CLASSIC uppercase $60
KATIE CLASSIC lowercase $60
buy both for $100

SONJA (retired) uppercase $60
SONJA (retired) lowercase $60
buy both for $100

KHAKI CLASSIC LOWERCASE
KHAKI CLASSIC LOWERCASE SHADOWS
sold together for $70

STUDIO CLASSIC COMPLETE alphabet set(upper, lower, numbers and punctuation) $110(retails for $169)

ELIZA CLASSIC uppercase $60
ELIZA CLASSIC lowercase $60
buy both for $100

MARISA CLASSIC uppercase $60
MARISA CLASSIC lowercase $60
buy both for $100

EK Success 6x6 Textured Cloth Covered (sage green) postbound scrapbook w/10 page protectors AND an extra pack of (10) 6x6 page protectors (this has a NOW AND FOREVER rubon on the front) $8

(3) Rollabind Crafter's Cover Kit and extra Sheet Protector page inserts (heavy duty pre-punched chipboard cover and binding discs, with a pack of 10 page inserts/protectors)
$8 EACH SET (one cover and one pack of page inserts sold as a set)

Provocraft Rolling alphabet stamp...Circa 18 pts. $7

American Traditional Designs Accordian Book
(2) Black
(2) Tan
$2.50 each or $8 for all 4 together

POCKET TAG BOOK KIT this kit has the book board cover and the tags all ready to be decorated (assembly instructions included). Does not include the paper and fibers as shown on the website. $5

Kraft colored matchbook style album...has 12 tan colored cardstock pages inside. Measures approximately 5x7 $3

5x7 spiral bound "photo journal" by All Night Media $3

Set of 12 Watercolor Pencils by General (gently used and in decent condition) $5

Junkitz License Plates (12 mini license plates w/ "love" type words on them) $3

SOLD!!!
DIE CUTS WITH A VIEW MAT STACKS!!!
3.875 square stack... $2
4.5 x 6.5 Spring Cardstock mat stack $3
5x7 Mat Stack $3
4.5 x 6.5 Fall Mat Stack (solid) $3
4.5 x 6.5 Fall Mat Stack prints $4
4.5 x 6.5 Classic Prints and Cardstock Stack $4
6 x 6 printed paper stack $4
4.5x6.5 Retro Prints mat Stack $4

Classic Glimmer Chalk set (9 colors) $3
9 pack of Decorating Chalks (pale yellow, light mauve, wedgewood and more) $3
9 pack of Decorating Chalks (Coral, Rose, Eggplant, Plum and more...one square broken $2

JUNKITZ Swatchz (3 pcs of 6 x 12 fabric, 1 each, light yellow, blue striped and yellow/blue striped) $2

Robin's Nest 12 in. mesh (2 packs...1 silver and 1 gold) sold together $1

Scrapyard 329 Wire Mesh 12 in. sheets (one silver and one gold) $2

Making great progress!!

The scraproom is coming together nicely. I've been working on it feverishly...working toward the goal of having it complete by this weekend. I've got a ton of stuff to let go of...I need to get a bunch put up here...and will try and do that either tomorrow or the next day. If you want to see some of the progress...here's a picture that I took tonight.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v24/DBaker817/IMG_3887.jpg

My organizer friend is coming over again tomorrow. Even though its so terribly late tonight, Rachel will push me to get lots more done tomorrow!!!

I just finished the 8th of 9 discs of an audio book that I've been listening to. Usually, with just one disc left, I'd stay up and listen. But it's almost 1:30 am and I am going to hate myself in the morning!!!

Keep watching tomorrow and the next day...I'll have idea books, magazines, unmounted alphabet stamps, alphabet stickers and MORE! I might even lower the price of the QK too...just to make it go away. Its such a freeing feeling to get this stuff outta here!

Until tomorrow...or the next day...

GOODNIGHT

Cleaning out the scraproom!!!

I'm over the clutter...can't stand the mess anymore. So, I'm cleaning out the scraproom. I've taken the corner desk out and have put up a 4 ft folding table in the corner and have moved the wire shelves over the folding table. The table will act as my computer table. I'll take pics as soon as Alex gets all of the wires and cables all hooked up again.

I've cleaned out the cabinets over the built in desk...part of them anyway. That's where I housed all the alterable goodies. Well, I gotta tell ya...there is more alterable up there than any THREE people should have. I've sorted everything and put them into baskets and those baskets are up on one of the shelves over the computer desk.

Oh...and while I'm cleaning out the scraproom...I'm going to list things here that I'd like to get rid of. All of it is "gently used" (if ever used at all) If you're interested in anything listed here, just drop me an e-mail and I'll get back with you. Shipping will only cost you what it costs to send it...actual shipping charges.

Be sure to share this with your friends...I'll be adding stuff regularly and will do my best to mark them as they're sold. Oh, and I prefer to be paid through PAYPAL.

First round...(links provided for some items)

PENDING: Z BECKY BROWN PURSE (white handled) never used...$45

SOLD LOT OF ALTERABLE GOODIES (pill tin, rectangle tin *similar to an altoid tin, round metal CD tin, metal pencil tin, spiral bound journal, small hinged box, small magnetic closure *purse*, small children's board book, wooden door hanger) $7

SMALL WATCHMAKER'S TIN w/10 smaller containers inside $5

SOLD PROVOCRAFT METAL TIN $4

SOLD PROVOCRAFT METAL LUNCHBOX $4

MAKING MEMORIES MAGNETIC STAMP TOOL $8

SOLD MAKING MEMORIES MAGNETIC ALPHABET STAMPS (Providence) $8

SOLD...MAKING MEMORIES MAGNETIC ALPHA STAMPS (Express It) $8

MAKING MEMORIES MAGNETIC ALPHABET STAMPS (ornaments) $8

SOLD...MAKING MEMORIES MAGNETIC ALPHA STAMPS (Rummage) $8

MAKING MEMORIES MAGNETIC DATE STAMPS (stamps stored in tin) $5

Two other magnetic stamp alphabets...stored in metal tins. (very small alphas) Both alphas, in the tins, sold together for $6 (sorry no picture of these)

PENDING: CROPPER HOPPER EMBELLISHMENT BOX (with more than 75 empty mini square boxes inside, holds 90 boxes total) Great for storing ribbon click here to see an example. $20

SOLD 2 DIFFERENT SANDWICH SIZE BAGGIES OF FLOWERS...MOSTLY PRIMAS! (hundreds of flowers in all shapes, sizes and colors in each bag) $10 EACH

QUICKUTZ ALPHABETS!!!! (upper and lower sets sold seperately...all have ejection foam on them and are in the blue binder sheets)

KATIE CLASSIC uppercase $70
KATIE CLASSIC lowercase $70
buy both for $120

SONJA (retired) uppercase $70
SONJA (retired) lowercase $70
buy both for $120

KHAKI CLASSIC LOWERCASE
KHAKI CLASSIC LOWERCASE SHADOWS
sold together for $80

STUDIO CLASSIC COMPLETE alphabet set
(upper, lower, numbers and punctuation) $110
(retails for $169)

ELIZA CLASSIC uppercase $70
ELIZA CLASSIC lowercase $70
buy both for $120

MARISA CLASSIC uppercase $70
MARISA CLASSIC lowercase $70
buy both for $120



Check back often...I'll add more as I find it. There'll be PLENTY!!!!!!

e-mail me at dbaker80@cfl.rr.com if you're interested in any of the items above. Please put the name of the item in the subject line. I'll get back to you as soon as I can to get paypal address to you and to get the shipping address from you.

thanks!!!

They're at it again!!

Scrapforums is doing it again!!!! They're starting another FUNK IT UP contest!! You can get all the info here...

FUNK IT UP!!!

Man rules?????

OK...my friend that works for the power company came by this morning to check the plug that I zapped yesterday...come to find out...DH didn't reset all the breakers in the box and that's all it was...a tripped breaker. My friend said that I didn't need him because Alex fixed it himself. And then Alex told me that he couldn't tell me how he fixed it because of the "MAN RULES". In other words...he felt silly and he'd have to give up a MAN CARD if I knew that he hadn't checked everything. I guess I just need to remember that I am NOT married to an electrician...or a plumber. Oh well...it's fixed now. And my shower light, bathroom outlet and all the plugs in my bedroom are all working nicely once again. LOL

The retirement party was very nice last night. I went with my friend, Nancy, who teaches at Em's school. No matter what, I always have a great time when I'm with Nancy cuz she's a hoot and has the best sense of humor EVER...and can crack you up in a heartbeat. But, besided the good company, the party itself wasn't so bad. I got more than 100 pictures for the principal to have as a reminder of this great time. Josh's first grade teacher was there...she teaches at a different school now and she came to celebrate with us. It was so fun to see her and catch up on things. She can't believe that Josh is now in TENTH grade. LOL

I got home by 11...but sat up on the computer chatting with my good friend Michele, and a few of the gals from The Shaker Box. They had me cracking up so badly that I was crying! We were trying out a new chat feature at the Shaker but others were able to pop in and out...so as soon as a stranger would come in, we'd chase them outta there. It was HILARIOUS!! I was afraid I was going to wake Alex and the kids from laughing.

Today, I slept till 10. Gotta love that! I've ran a load of dishes in the d/w, working on the second load of clothes and am getting ready to run Emily to a birthday party. She's all decked out and is so excited to go to this party. Little girls are so funny like that! After that party, we have to go to dinner with my bil, sil and nephew...it's our nephew's birthday celebration tonight too. It'll be fun.

Not too much more to write about today...other than the fact that you should check this out. Another fine class by Shimelle. I'll be doing this one next weekend!!!

Till next time.... :)

Saturday...

Ahhhh...the weekend.

It's so quiet right now...Josh went to help a friend of ours clean out his garage. (for $$) Emily's still sleeping after being up till after midnight last night. And Alex just went back to sleep...after having poker night here till 2am. I'm now sitting in the scraproom, drinking a peanut butter/banana (with a touch of choc) smoothie...enjoying this peacefulness. Even the dogs are quiet right now. Sunny's curled up in the bed with Alex and Koda's looking out the dining room window watching for squirrels and cats. As soon as she sees one, things won't be so quiet anymore. LOL

So, I was in the bedroom this morning, being lazy...and decided to plug in the laptop and check my favorite scrapbook boards. (My usual morning routine) I went to plug in the power cord and the outlet sparked, zapped and popped...only to knock out the power to everything on that plug and the other plug on the same wall. Scared the bejeebers outta me. Luckily there doesn't seem to be any type of damage to the laptop, thank goodness! Just talked to a friend of mine that works for the power company. He's going to come over tomorrow to fix the two outlets. He says there's nothing to worry about them...just not to use them till they're fixed. Okie dokie, no problem. Electrical stuff scares the crap outta me!

Alex had his poker buddies over here last night and it was a success. Well, for some, it was an even bigger success. Alex didn't win a thing...Josh played a couple of games and actually won one. So, he gets to pay me back the $$ that I lent him to play the first one he sat in.

The kids and I had gone out for a few hours at the beginning of the evening. We had dinner at Sweet Tomatoes with Mom, Taylor and Tawny. We met there at 6:30 and they were PACKED. This made it tough to make the 7:30 showing of Charlotte's Web. By the time we got out of the restaurant and to the movie theater, it was 7:40. I was going to buy the tickets at the ATM type ticket thing to save some time but they were both turned off. WTH...it's FRIDAY NIGHT! I go upstairs to the ticket booth and the lines are FOREVER long! I called my mom's cell and told her I didn't think it'd be a good idea. By the time we'd get into the movie, we'd have missed a good portion of the beginning of the movie. No thanks.

I wasn't sure what we'd do then...it was just before 8 and there was really no way that I should take the kids home this early. We went to AC Moore, to the kids dismay...they can't stand going to any type of craft store with me. Although, at AC Moore, Emily found a cute little wooden box that she wants to decorate and Josh got found a canvas and a couple of thing to make for his girlfriend. I picked up some new stipple brushes, blending stubs and the latest Take Ten idea book. By now, it was about 8:45...still a little too early to head home. So we head over to Barnes and Noble. Josh wanted to look for a new James Patterson book and I figured Emily would have fun looking for the latest Junie B. Jones book.

We get to Barnes and Noble and there's a HUGE celebration going on. There's a big book signing going on...Janet Evanovich is there signing her latest novel, Plum Lovin'. Everyone was decked in purple t-shirts, purple balloons were flying everywhere...music was playing loudly and things were rocking! There were literally HUNDREDS of people there waiting to have their books signed. LITERALLY HUNDREDS!!!! There were people there that had been there for HOURS, waiting for their number to be called. Everyone was given a wrist band with a number on it and they called 50 numbers at a time. We talked to one woman that had been there since 6pm...just waiting. Another couple was there, with two little ones...the husband said something the wife and I saw the wife say "I didn't realize it'd be this crazy". I didn't get a wrist band to have the chance to meet the author, but Josh found a couple of books that he wants to read, I picked up a couple of magazines to look at while Emily searched the kid's section. We all enjoyed the music...especially when they played SWEET CAROLINE...we love that song...thanks Kyle! **grin**

By now, it's getting closer to 10...and I've decided to go ahead and start heading home. While heading down Conway Rd., Josh and I notice that the people in the car next to us are gawking at us. A man and a little girl, maybe around 10 or 11. And they were really gawking. Like maybe they know us or something. They wave, we wave back...LOL. So, at the next stoplight, they roll down the window and start chatting with us. Here, we learn that there are two little boys in the back seat. One of them says "who are you???". By this time, Josh is cracking up...getting the biggest kick out of what he thinks is someone hitting on his mom. HEAVEN FORBID! So, I started feeding into that...told him that the guy was probably looking for a mom for his kids...but that's ok...sorry, dude...I've got enough kids of my own. Josh couldn't WAIT to get home and tell Alex (and all of his friends) about the guy that was flirting with Mom on the way home. I kindly reminded Josh that even though I'm FORTY, I'm not old...and that there really are some people that might still find me attactive. BRAT!!

Well, Em's awake, finally! I'm sure she'll be wanting something to eat soon. I need to work on some finance stuff today. Get things in line for the new year...a couple weeks late...but better late than never, right???

Till next time!!

More than a month already???

I am the world's WORST blogger...I'll just say that now and get it over with.

Let's see...I'll try and remember everything that's happened in the past month and five days. And then give a general summary of all of it here. WARNING: This may get long.

First off...So far NOTHING is showing up in the tests that the dr's are running for the anemia/low hemoglobin. I do NOT have Celiac Disease and the biopsies that were sent off from my Gatroscopy have all come back "normal" but "consistent with reflux". I don't have the symptoms of reflux, but apparently, as I get older it could happen. So, I have a standing order for bloodtests every 3-4 weeks to monitor my blood levels. I also had to have a pelvic ultrasound to see if there is anything going on there that could cause my periods to be too heavy. (TMI? sorry) I had that done today and won't know the results for a little while.

On a good note though...my hemoglobin levels have started to rise with the taking of the full strength iron supplements. I've gone from 8.2 to 9.6 and the latest was a 10.4. Woo hoo...I'm almost NORMAL! (if there's any such thing) I'll have my next blood test done in about a week or so.

Oh, and...I'm feeling much better too! I can actually make it pretty much the entire week without needing to take that 3 hour nap that was happening quite regularly. Now...to start using that extra time a little more wisely.

Along with the ultrasound today, I also had my annual Mammogram. OH MY GAWSH!!! The girls are just NOT supposed to be smooshed that way. I'm still sore! Glad THAT'S over with too! I think that was enough poking, prodding and smashing to last me a good while now.

Our Christmas was very good. I had been rather emotional a few days before Christmas. Worrying about the amount of money that was spent...worrying about the kids being ungrateful...all sorts of things. Christmas morning came and both kids were thrilled with everything and just being with Alex and the kids for the entire day, staying in my jammies all day and enjoying being together...took all of those worries away. It ended up being such a great day! Santa brought Alex an electronic dartboard that went out on the pool deck/backporch. I can't even begin to tell you how many games of darts we've played since Christmas Day. (it's slowed down a bit now that everyone's back to work and school)

We had the big Christmas dinner/family get together on the day after Christmas. We did it a bit more casually this year than usual. Instead of a big sit down type dinner, I had everything set out "buffet style" and everyone ate as they wanted. Grabbing from the buffet as they felt the urge. It was much more relaxing this way...and nobody went away hungry. That's for darn sure!

Kyle got here on the 27th. And as always, it was so much fun having him around. Let me tell ya...my son Kyle has an amazing sense of humor. He's so witty and always has something funny to say. He and Alex go round and round about the Cardinals and the Cubs. For Kyle's sake, I sure hope the Cubs can do something next season.

We had a very low key get together for New Year's Eve. I had told quite a few people that our house would be open for the night but only a couple of folks came by and it was rather nice actually. Josh's girlfriend and her family came over. Neighbors from down the road came by too. We played more darts...some folks played Texas Hold 'Em...we toasted at midnight and called it a night shortly there after. We couldn't stay up too late because Kyle and I were headed to Jacksonville the following day with Mr. Bruno and Philip to see the Ga. Tech Yellow Jackets and the W. Va. Mountaineers play in the Gator Bowl.

Tech played a great game but lost 38-35. Those Mountaineers are some rough folk, I tell ya! Well, some of them were. We had quite a few roudy (and drunk) ones in front of us...one girl was quite trashed. She spent the entire second half of the game passed out with her head on the seat in front of her and a popcorn tub between her legs for the "just in case". Kyle and Philip were razzed pretty badly by a few rude Mountaineers, but Mr. Bruno and I actually had fun with a few of the not so rude ones. Kyle was very happy to have been able to go to the game...and that's what mattered most. (for a while there, I wasn't sure if we'd just be watching the game on the big screen)

School started back without a hitch...Kyle got back to Atlanta safely and is happy to be back to school. He really missed playing Ultimate every night. Even though Philip tried to get a group of guys together to play, it just never came to be.

Alex got back to work and has been working his tail end off...he's got the guys coming over here tomorrow night for Poker Night. It'll be a nice diversion from the stressful week he's had. Keep your fingers crossed that he actually WINS this time. They play almost once a month and I don't think he does very well. (I don't think he ever really tells me exactly how much he's lost though)

I have been scrapping a little bit over the last couple of days. I've done a single page and a double page spread. I still need to scan the two pager and put it in the gallery. I actually used a sketch for the Blue Prints call...I'm still trying to decide if I want to submit it. It's actually pretty simple. Not really sure if it's magazine worthy. But, who knows...I could be surprised. So, we'll see. I'm hoping to get some time to scrap this weekend. Key word being HOPING...

Oh, and my time in the Superbowl of Scrapbooking at Memory Creators came to an end this month too. The last round was a member voting round and I didn't make the cut. That was ok though...I had fun while it lasted. That had been my first contest like that and I gave it my all and created layouts that I really like too. So...wasn't too bad at all.

And on that note...I think I'll close once again. I've been ready to go to bed since 7:30...I've made it till 9. I think its late enough for me to call it a night. Tomorrow I'll be getting the house ready for poker night, making lasagna for the guys, and I also need to do some volunteer time at Em's school. It's going to be a big girl day for me tomorrow.

G'Night, my friends!!