My friend Erin reminded me that it was time to blog again. So here goes. Thanks Erin! Glad to know that some people actually read this crap. LOL
It's 8pm...I started this entry around 11 something this morning and am just now getting back to it. Whewwww!! It sure was a busy day!
As most of you know, this week has been Spring Break for my kiddos. Although I do enjoy having my kids home (most of the time), this week has been CRAZY. Trying to keep the place picked up has been a chore in itself. Although, today, both Josh and Emily kicked in to help me whip it all back into shape because Josh has his Crew team over to watch movies, eat pizza and maybe play a bit of Texas Hold 'Em.
So far, we have seven of them here...we're expecting at least a couple of others. They've made themselves comfy on the couches in the family room and have a movie playing while they eat pizza. I'm so happy that Josh has a circle of friends to hang out with and do stuff with. They're all pretty good kids too, so that makes it twice as nice. (Josh is usually the one to stay at home and not seek out things to do with friends...he was so excited to have everyone over here tonight)
I took two classes at the LSS here this week! TWO! Two classes that I wasn't teaching! The first one was taught by a girl that designs for Prima. We did a scrapbook page and used burlap, rocks, crystal lacquer...all sorts of things. She had it as a beach layout but I was in a hurry and just found a photo of Josh and Emily that I liked and took it with me. You can see my version of that layout here...Embrace Life. All credit goes to Michelle Van Etten though...she taught this class.
The next class was a very cool mini album made using the new "Girlfriends" line by Rusty Pickle. This class was taught by Diana McGraw. She's a designer and rep for Rusty Pickle and was an amazing instructor. We made a 12 page accordian book and I love this little book. I was so inspired by her, I came home and looked at her gallery at the veggie bucket and spent hours looking through the galleries over there. She's teaching at the Expo here in a couple of weeks...there are a few Rusty Pickle classes and I'm not sure which one she'll be teaching. But, I'm seriously thinking about taking a class there of hers...or at least stopping in to say "HI".
While the gang's watching movies in the other room, I'm thinking of taking the laptop out to the backporch and digi scrapping for a while. I've got a couple of DT things coming due on the 1st of April. Might as well crank them out while I don't have anything else to do, right? I thought about working on cleaning up the scraproom while I watch my own movie in here, but...I think I'd rather chill on the new back porch with a Corona and the laptop.
Almost time for yet another pizza to come out of the oven...this will be #4. These boys can eat!
Happy Friday...enjoy your weekend!
3.17.2006
3.11.2006
BUNCO, CREW and more.
The kids started their Spring Break yesterday and don't return to school again till the 20th of March. I can't believe that we're headed into the LAST 9 weeks of school already. Josh will no longer be a FRESHMAN (he says, thank goodness) and Emily won't be in Kindergarten anymore. Another case of time flying...that's for sure.
I started the weekend off with BUNCO with Kris and a few others in our Bunco group. I haven't been to Bunco since before Christmas. I'm not sure exactly WHY I haven't been able to go, but things have come up along the way. After I said I'd be there, I thought seriously about backing out again at the last minute. The thought of being out late, drinking and having a few laughs with the girls and then getting up and being at the lake for Josh's regatta at 6:30 this morning, didn't appeal to me in the slightest. But, Josh found a ride to the regatta and that gave me a chance to sleep a bit later.
Josh called at 7 something to tell me his schedule for the day. He said they were racing the Freshman 4 boat first but that I didn't need to be there because he thought they'd get spanked. The next two races that he was in weren't till after lunch so Em and I headed out to breakfast and then went to the lake right at about noon. As it turned out, the coach changed the line up for that first 4 man boat and they ended up taking 3rd place for the race that I missed. Darn it...I hate missing stuff like that...I was there for the final two races though. The Novice 8 boat took 2nd place and the Freshman 8 boat took 4th. Josh ended up coming home with a silver and a bronze medal. That makes a total of 3 medals now. Pretty cool, in my opinion!! Here's a pic of his boat coming in second...not a good shot in the blog, but it'll make a great print, full size.
Emily and I walked to the finish line to get a few pics and while over that way, we walked further to the playground that they have there too. It gave Emily something to do for a little while. And of course, I had my camera with me so why not take a shot or two of Em while I was at it. This was one of my favorite shots...look at that hair! (and the lack of teeth, LOL) She had such a great time on the slides and didn't believe that her hair did that when she came down. Now I have a picture to prove it. She also thought it was funny to shock me as she came off the slide too. Rotten kid!!
I started the weekend off with BUNCO with Kris and a few others in our Bunco group. I haven't been to Bunco since before Christmas. I'm not sure exactly WHY I haven't been able to go, but things have come up along the way. After I said I'd be there, I thought seriously about backing out again at the last minute. The thought of being out late, drinking and having a few laughs with the girls and then getting up and being at the lake for Josh's regatta at 6:30 this morning, didn't appeal to me in the slightest. But, Josh found a ride to the regatta and that gave me a chance to sleep a bit later.
Josh called at 7 something to tell me his schedule for the day. He said they were racing the Freshman 4 boat first but that I didn't need to be there because he thought they'd get spanked. The next two races that he was in weren't till after lunch so Em and I headed out to breakfast and then went to the lake right at about noon. As it turned out, the coach changed the line up for that first 4 man boat and they ended up taking 3rd place for the race that I missed. Darn it...I hate missing stuff like that...I was there for the final two races though. The Novice 8 boat took 2nd place and the Freshman 8 boat took 4th. Josh ended up coming home with a silver and a bronze medal. That makes a total of 3 medals now. Pretty cool, in my opinion!! Here's a pic of his boat coming in second...not a good shot in the blog, but it'll make a great print, full size.
Emily and I walked to the finish line to get a few pics and while over that way, we walked further to the playground that they have there too. It gave Emily something to do for a little while. And of course, I had my camera with me so why not take a shot or two of Em while I was at it. This was one of my favorite shots...look at that hair! (and the lack of teeth, LOL) She had such a great time on the slides and didn't believe that her hair did that when she came down. Now I have a picture to prove it. She also thought it was funny to shock me as she came off the slide too. Rotten kid!!Well, that's about all that I've got to tell about today. After being up late last night and spending the day in the sun today, we're all about ready for bed. Actually, I think Josh has beaten us to it. He's already snoring, I think. Emily is her usual "fighting bedtime" self...she won't give up till I join her. Since Alex is camping with the boy scouts, Em likes to sleep with me...and won't go to sleep till I come in there too. I swear that child is SPOILED ROTTEN!
Till next time...
3.09.2006
Thursday again??
Another week almost finished! I've been saying all week that I wanted to get over here to blog. And here I am...not a month later, as usual. I'm trying to do better with this. But sometimes there's just nothing exciting to blog about.
Tuesday was Emily's kindergarten program. They sang songs about growing up and being what you want to be...no matter what it might be. Some might look at some of the songs as being sexist, but they're just in kindergarten...and I thought the program was adorable. Emily's class did a song about sailors and sailing the deep blue sea...the boys wore sailor caps and talked about swabbing the decks, etc...the girls wore hula skirts and bathing suits and sang about sailing the ocean only if the boat was a yacht and that the boys could swab the decks but the girls would rather be getting tans. They had fun singing and that's all that counts, right? I took TONS of pictures, of course...and will get them into layouts and shared on here soon. (I hope)
I'm working on my next class layout for Memory Lane. I'm doing a card class on the 21st and 23rd. We'll be making 10 different cards using ONE sheet of 12x12 patterned paper and coordinating cardstock. I have half of them complete...just need to add the last bits and pieces to the last of them. I'm on my way up to have lunch with Emily in a few and then off to Memory Lane after that...to finish them and get them on display.
Spring Break starts tomorrow for us. Geez!!! I think it's a bit too early...considering it's not even "SPRING" yet. I mean, I know we're in Florida and it "FEELS" like Spring...but Easter is still a month away. And whatever happened to tieing Spring Break in with the Easter weekend anyway? Oh well...my complaining never seems to get the dates changed so I guess I'll quit my bitching and try to enjoy the next week with my kiddos home. Well, Em will be home with me...Josh has Crew practice just about every day next week...and that will take up almost all of his day each day. Maybe Em and I will go to Sea World or make a trip over to see the famous Mouse. We really should take advantage of those annual passes that we have.
Josh has a big Regatta this weekend. We have to be at the lake at 6:45 in the morning. This one is for medals too! I sure hope his boat can row as well as they did last weekend. They'll come home with medals for sure if they can keep that up!
Well, time for me to head off to lunch at the elementary school. I hope to get my scraproom picked up a little bit when I get home...I'm really itching to do a layout or two. But with me just dumping the tote bag in the middle of the floor...I'd better get stuff picked up and re-organized a bit first.
Ahhh...the story of my life!
Tuesday was Emily's kindergarten program. They sang songs about growing up and being what you want to be...no matter what it might be. Some might look at some of the songs as being sexist, but they're just in kindergarten...and I thought the program was adorable. Emily's class did a song about sailors and sailing the deep blue sea...the boys wore sailor caps and talked about swabbing the decks, etc...the girls wore hula skirts and bathing suits and sang about sailing the ocean only if the boat was a yacht and that the boys could swab the decks but the girls would rather be getting tans. They had fun singing and that's all that counts, right? I took TONS of pictures, of course...and will get them into layouts and shared on here soon. (I hope)
I'm working on my next class layout for Memory Lane. I'm doing a card class on the 21st and 23rd. We'll be making 10 different cards using ONE sheet of 12x12 patterned paper and coordinating cardstock. I have half of them complete...just need to add the last bits and pieces to the last of them. I'm on my way up to have lunch with Emily in a few and then off to Memory Lane after that...to finish them and get them on display.
Spring Break starts tomorrow for us. Geez!!! I think it's a bit too early...considering it's not even "SPRING" yet. I mean, I know we're in Florida and it "FEELS" like Spring...but Easter is still a month away. And whatever happened to tieing Spring Break in with the Easter weekend anyway? Oh well...my complaining never seems to get the dates changed so I guess I'll quit my bitching and try to enjoy the next week with my kiddos home. Well, Em will be home with me...Josh has Crew practice just about every day next week...and that will take up almost all of his day each day. Maybe Em and I will go to Sea World or make a trip over to see the famous Mouse. We really should take advantage of those annual passes that we have.
Josh has a big Regatta this weekend. We have to be at the lake at 6:45 in the morning. This one is for medals too! I sure hope his boat can row as well as they did last weekend. They'll come home with medals for sure if they can keep that up!
Well, time for me to head off to lunch at the elementary school. I hope to get my scraproom picked up a little bit when I get home...I'm really itching to do a layout or two. But with me just dumping the tote bag in the middle of the floor...I'd better get stuff picked up and re-organized a bit first.
Ahhh...the story of my life!
3.06.2006
Good Monday Morning!!
Here it is...the start of a fresh week. I got another good night's sleep last night and I'm feeling good! Just posted the cleaning threads over at Scrapforums. I've changed things up a little bit and am making it a little more worth doing...we'll tally points now and earn entries for a fun RAK at the end of the month. I'm looking forward to seeing how many folks we can get in there and participate. I'm hoping that it will also motivate me to keep going and get done what I need to get done.
Miss Emily lost yet another tooth last night. This makes #5 already. I knew it was a little loose but we weren't making a big deal out of it because she's already missing her two front top ones. The bottom two front ones have come back in and now she's lost the one little one to the left of the two bottom front ones. She looks so stinking cute! And of course, she was THRILLED to have the tooth fairy coming once again! Of course, the tooth fairy is going broke with all these teeth coming out one right after another. LOL
I've got a few things planned for today...nothing fancy or exciting really...just want to get the house back in shape, unpack all the stuff in my XXL that I still haven't unpacked from the PMA trade show last week, catch up on a few more loads of laundry, pack up my technique swap that I did for the Shaker Box (it's late...darn it) and sort the card swap that I hostessed at Scrapforums. (I should get the last set of those cards in today's mail). I also need to get up to Memory Lane and finish the cards for the card class that I'm teaching there on the 21st and 23rd.
I guess I should get up from here for now and make this a somewhat productive day, huh?
Miss Emily lost yet another tooth last night. This makes #5 already. I knew it was a little loose but we weren't making a big deal out of it because she's already missing her two front top ones. The bottom two front ones have come back in and now she's lost the one little one to the left of the two bottom front ones. She looks so stinking cute! And of course, she was THRILLED to have the tooth fairy coming once again! Of course, the tooth fairy is going broke with all these teeth coming out one right after another. LOL
I've got a few things planned for today...nothing fancy or exciting really...just want to get the house back in shape, unpack all the stuff in my XXL that I still haven't unpacked from the PMA trade show last week, catch up on a few more loads of laundry, pack up my technique swap that I did for the Shaker Box (it's late...darn it) and sort the card swap that I hostessed at Scrapforums. (I should get the last set of those cards in today's mail). I also need to get up to Memory Lane and finish the cards for the card class that I'm teaching there on the 21st and 23rd.
I guess I should get up from here for now and make this a somewhat productive day, huh?
3.05.2006
And sleep is what I got!!!
I ended up going to Josh's meet yesterday. And I'm so happy that I did. His Novice 8 boat took 1st place out of 5 and won by 2 boat lengths. It was great to see them cross the finish line above and beyond everyone else. I would have really felt awful had I missed that.
On the way home, I stopped and picked up subs for us and we all sat outside on the new patio set and ate our late lunch. This was actually the first time we've done this as a family since the pool was finished. Alex and I both agreed that life could be a lot worse and that it was so nice to be able to do that. After we finished eating, I decided it was time for the nap that I'd been wishing for since I woke up yesterday morning. That was at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon.
Sometime around 8pm, I woke up...only long enough to get some water and snuggle with Emily while she watched some Nickelodeon next to me. At 9:30, we turned the TV and the lights off and went to sleep together for the night. I figured that with that forever long nap, I'd be up at 3am and not be able to go back to sleep. WRONG! Alex woke me around 8 something this morning and told me that I'd slept long enough. LOL
I guess I really needed to catch up on my sleep, huh?
Today, I've been putzing around the house...cleaned up some of the mess from Friday night's crop. Ran the dishwasher with the first load. There are a few other dishes that still need to be washed. I need to get my stuff up from the kitchen table and the signs of the crop will be gone. I've also been doing a few loads of laundry today...in hopes of getting it all caught up again.
Emily wants to go swimming...she's already in her bathing suit. Alex told her to be patient and he'd go in with her later. I think he's going to regret that...the water is only 68*. Brrrrrrrrrrr....NOT ME! Not till the water temp is around 86. Still a ways to go for me!
Time to fold the whites and start another load of laundry. Maybe I'll come in here and straighten up the scraproom a bit in a little while. I've got a couple of Netflix movies here that I could watch while I do that.
Yeah, that's the plan...off to do the laundry now.
Oh, and thanks for the comments, Stacie!! Love knowing that someone is actually reading my random crap!! ;)
On the way home, I stopped and picked up subs for us and we all sat outside on the new patio set and ate our late lunch. This was actually the first time we've done this as a family since the pool was finished. Alex and I both agreed that life could be a lot worse and that it was so nice to be able to do that. After we finished eating, I decided it was time for the nap that I'd been wishing for since I woke up yesterday morning. That was at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon.
Sometime around 8pm, I woke up...only long enough to get some water and snuggle with Emily while she watched some Nickelodeon next to me. At 9:30, we turned the TV and the lights off and went to sleep together for the night. I figured that with that forever long nap, I'd be up at 3am and not be able to go back to sleep. WRONG! Alex woke me around 8 something this morning and told me that I'd slept long enough. LOL
I guess I really needed to catch up on my sleep, huh?
Today, I've been putzing around the house...cleaned up some of the mess from Friday night's crop. Ran the dishwasher with the first load. There are a few other dishes that still need to be washed. I need to get my stuff up from the kitchen table and the signs of the crop will be gone. I've also been doing a few loads of laundry today...in hopes of getting it all caught up again.
Emily wants to go swimming...she's already in her bathing suit. Alex told her to be patient and he'd go in with her later. I think he's going to regret that...the water is only 68*. Brrrrrrrrrrr....NOT ME! Not till the water temp is around 86. Still a ways to go for me!
Time to fold the whites and start another load of laundry. Maybe I'll come in here and straighten up the scraproom a bit in a little while. I've got a couple of Netflix movies here that I could watch while I do that.
Yeah, that's the plan...off to do the laundry now.
Oh, and thanks for the comments, Stacie!! Love knowing that someone is actually reading my random crap!! ;)
3.04.2006
Sleep!!
I just wanna sleep...just climb back in bed and sleep. Just a few more hours...PLEASE?! I type this as Emily is in the background making some siren type noise...playing with the dog. Alex and Josh have gone to Josh's meet. I thought I'd be able to stay here and go back to sleep but Emily just came to me and asked when we were going to the lake. I JUST WANT TO GO BACK TO SLEEP!!
It was a busy week, yes...but staying up with the girls and scrapping last night probably adds to the need for more sleep. I think it was almost 2:30am when I finally went to bed. It was a fun night...we had 16 of the 17 gals in our group. It's been a long time since we've had THAT MANY of us be able to make it to a monthly crop...but it's been even longer since we scrapped that much. Just about everyone here last night was scrapping! It was awesome!
I just mentioned to Emily that I wanted to go back to sleep and that we'd miss Josh's meet this week and she whined "Nooooooooooooo". Darn it!
Guess I should get in the shower and get ready to go. I'll be taking a nap as soon as I get back...you can bet on that!
It was a busy week, yes...but staying up with the girls and scrapping last night probably adds to the need for more sleep. I think it was almost 2:30am when I finally went to bed. It was a fun night...we had 16 of the 17 gals in our group. It's been a long time since we've had THAT MANY of us be able to make it to a monthly crop...but it's been even longer since we scrapped that much. Just about everyone here last night was scrapping! It was awesome!
I just mentioned to Emily that I wanted to go back to sleep and that we'd miss Josh's meet this week and she whined "Nooooooooooooo". Darn it!
Guess I should get in the shower and get ready to go. I'll be taking a nap as soon as I get back...you can bet on that!
3.02.2006
Cleaning!!!
That's what I did for the day. I scrubbed both bathrooms really well, stripped our bed and washed the sheets and put them back on there. I got Alex's den picked up and vacuumed up the chewed up wooden ruler, compliments of Koda. I'm going to dust my bedroom and run a quick vacuum and that'll be the extent of my cleaning for today. I have to get ready to go to the LSS and get ready for my class from 6-8.
I did call around to the Target Stores in the area to find the patio furniture set that I want. Everyone had the 4 piece set but I wanted the end table and ottoman to go with it and I was having a tough time finding the Ottoman. Luckily, the store at Waterford has all of it. They're holding it for me. I was going to run and pick it up when I got the kids from school, but decided not to rush it and be late for my class. Instead, I came back here and worked on getting a few more things cleaned.
WOW, two days in a row that I've blogged. Can you believe it, Stacie??? :D
Oh, and I did manage to get a good night's sleep last night too! Ahhhh...it felt so good! Hoping for another one tonight!
I did call around to the Target Stores in the area to find the patio furniture set that I want. Everyone had the 4 piece set but I wanted the end table and ottoman to go with it and I was having a tough time finding the Ottoman. Luckily, the store at Waterford has all of it. They're holding it for me. I was going to run and pick it up when I got the kids from school, but decided not to rush it and be late for my class. Instead, I came back here and worked on getting a few more things cleaned.
WOW, two days in a row that I've blogged. Can you believe it, Stacie??? :D
Oh, and I did manage to get a good night's sleep last night too! Ahhhh...it felt so good! Hoping for another one tonight!
3.01.2006
Hey Stacie...this is for you!!
Stacie must be the only one that truly loves me. She's the only one that leaves me comments to remind me of how long its been since I've blogged. At least I know that someone IS actually reading this silly thing. Thanks Stacie...love ya Chica!!
OK...we'll start off with what I've been doing for the past two days. I was invited to go to the PMA (Photo Marketing Assoc.) Convention and Trade show to SCRAPBOOK...of all things! The Scrapbooking Industry is trying to inch their way into the photo industry because well...they just go hand in hand together...bottom line! And they were looking for a couple of scrappers to come down there and just SCRAPBOOK to show how it's done. So...for the past two days, that's where I've been (along with my cool friend Kerri too). Scrapping, meeting and chatting with so many fantasticly fun folks. I managed to get 3 pages done and came home with some really fun product too. It was so much fun and made me think that I'd really like to get into the scrapping industry...more than just teaching or creating pages for other folks. I think my ideal job would be a buyer for a scrapbook store/chain. I love keeping up with the industry and read the websites and stuff about what people like to see...I could shop to stock scrap stores and spend someone else's money doing it! I think that would be an awesome job! Hmmmm...how would one find a job like that anyway??
The pool is COMPLETE! Still a few little things that need to be taken care of, but they're just the little things that only "WE" know need to be changed. Of course, the water temps are way too low for ME right now. I think the floating shark thermometer read 68* today. Only about 20* more and I'll be ready to swim. Emily doesn't seem to mind the cold water. She's already been in the pool on three different ocassions. The nut!
I have my Disney layout class to teach tomorrow evening at Memory Lane. This is a repeat of a class that I did last month. There were a few people interested in an evening class, so we decided to go with that. My next class isn't till the 21st and 23rd. I'll be teaching a card class. My first one since beginning to teach there. I hope there's a good turnout for those two dates. I guess I should get going on the cards and get them on display soon! Maybe that's what I'll work on Friday night.
My scrapping buds are coming HERE on Friday night for our monthly gathering. I'd love to say our "monthly crop" however, we usually end up "gathering", eating, laughing, drinking and laughing some more. We have gotten a little better with the scrapping lately...maybe we can say this is the beginning of getting back down to business. It'll be nice to have my buds over for a party...its always so much fun when we get together and most of them haven't seen a lot of the work that we've done to the house in a while.
Since I've been gone most of this week and I'm having company over...I need to really bust my tail tomorrow and Friday to whip the place back in shape. Things are looking a bit untidy and cluttered right now...need to work on that, BIG TIME!
So, with that...I'm headed to bed. Going to get my good 8 hours of sleep in tonight and get up early and GET BUSY! Hopefully some of my challenge partners will join me. **wink**
Night!
OK...we'll start off with what I've been doing for the past two days. I was invited to go to the PMA (Photo Marketing Assoc.) Convention and Trade show to SCRAPBOOK...of all things! The Scrapbooking Industry is trying to inch their way into the photo industry because well...they just go hand in hand together...bottom line! And they were looking for a couple of scrappers to come down there and just SCRAPBOOK to show how it's done. So...for the past two days, that's where I've been (along with my cool friend Kerri too). Scrapping, meeting and chatting with so many fantasticly fun folks. I managed to get 3 pages done and came home with some really fun product too. It was so much fun and made me think that I'd really like to get into the scrapping industry...more than just teaching or creating pages for other folks. I think my ideal job would be a buyer for a scrapbook store/chain. I love keeping up with the industry and read the websites and stuff about what people like to see...I could shop to stock scrap stores and spend someone else's money doing it! I think that would be an awesome job! Hmmmm...how would one find a job like that anyway??
The pool is COMPLETE! Still a few little things that need to be taken care of, but they're just the little things that only "WE" know need to be changed. Of course, the water temps are way too low for ME right now. I think the floating shark thermometer read 68* today. Only about 20* more and I'll be ready to swim. Emily doesn't seem to mind the cold water. She's already been in the pool on three different ocassions. The nut!
I have my Disney layout class to teach tomorrow evening at Memory Lane. This is a repeat of a class that I did last month. There were a few people interested in an evening class, so we decided to go with that. My next class isn't till the 21st and 23rd. I'll be teaching a card class. My first one since beginning to teach there. I hope there's a good turnout for those two dates. I guess I should get going on the cards and get them on display soon! Maybe that's what I'll work on Friday night.
My scrapping buds are coming HERE on Friday night for our monthly gathering. I'd love to say our "monthly crop" however, we usually end up "gathering", eating, laughing, drinking and laughing some more. We have gotten a little better with the scrapping lately...maybe we can say this is the beginning of getting back down to business. It'll be nice to have my buds over for a party...its always so much fun when we get together and most of them haven't seen a lot of the work that we've done to the house in a while.
Since I've been gone most of this week and I'm having company over...I need to really bust my tail tomorrow and Friday to whip the place back in shape. Things are looking a bit untidy and cluttered right now...need to work on that, BIG TIME!
So, with that...I'm headed to bed. Going to get my good 8 hours of sleep in tonight and get up early and GET BUSY! Hopefully some of my challenge partners will join me. **wink**
Night!
2.10.2006
SLACKING!!!
Stacie commented on my last entry and said that I'm a slacker. I think she means that I'm slacking on the blog thing...and yes, I am! I am sooooooo horrible at keeping up with blog entries...both adding to mine AND reading others. Can't really blame it on not having enough computer time...cuz I think I spend too much time on the computer already. Just not doing the things that I necessarily SHOULD be doing, like blogging and digi scrapping.
Stacie...for you...I will try to do better, chica!! ;)
Gotta get some stuff done around the house today though. Having a little pot luck over here tonight and since I shopped with Kerri all day yesterday and was a lazy bum the day before, I've got a bit of catching up to do today. Plus, I promised I'd have lunch with Emily today. A mom's job is never done!
Stacie...for you...I will try to do better, chica!! ;)
Gotta get some stuff done around the house today though. Having a little pot luck over here tonight and since I shopped with Kerri all day yesterday and was a lazy bum the day before, I've got a bit of catching up to do today. Plus, I promised I'd have lunch with Emily today. A mom's job is never done!
1.29.2006
Another weekend...
Man, what a day yesterday was. DH and I were extremely tense and ended up snapping at each other yesterday afternoon. He'd been a little snippy at the kids and then mentioned something about needing to get the place cleaned up because it was getting to him. ANYTIME he mentions anything about the house being a mess, I tend to take it extremely personal. I probably shouldn't take it personally, but I do...sometimes I feel as if I'm being pulled into 50 different directions, being asked to do this or that...taking me away from what I "should" be doing. Can you call this person? Will you do this for me today?? I need you to do me a favor??? Sometimes I feel like I get taken advantage of...like everyone needs MY help...but that I need to scream and yell or beg and plead to get anyone to "help" me if I fall behind.
We all cleaned the house in our fit of anger...we cracked the proverbial whips and even had the kids cleaning up. Emily is a SLOB! No matter what she's doing, or where...something gets left wherever she was. You can always tell whether Emily's been in the room. Blankets get left on the floor. Clothes laying all over. EVERYWHERE! We had a long discussion with her about this too. I have to really get onto her about this and maybe increase her chores to help a bit more around here. She doesn't really do much of anything. THIS WILL CHANGE!!!
DH and I ended up running a few errands last night together and talked things through. Glad to get it off of our chests...that's for sure! We both agreed that we need to start spending more time with the kids...he really needs to show DD a lot more attention than he does.
Today, we all kicked in and picked up the front yard. Since they started the pool, we haven't been running the sprinklers because the pipes are broken in the back. The weeds were taking over the front yard terribly! We all worked together and were able to get it looking decent before 1. Plenty of time now to head off to the park or do whatever it is we're going to do.
Oh, DH got my computer all hooked up yesterday. We're a little concerned about the docking station...we got a laptop this time so that I can take it with me if I want/need to. (to the condo, etc) Anyway, the laptop doesn't dock right up to the docking station...it connects through a USB. This means that everything else that I have...my printer, scanner, hotsync cradle, card reader...everything else needs to be hooked up through a USB hub. We got the high speed hubs and everything is connected...but, my mouse is being whompy now anytime I go to the web. Just a slight delay really...but a delay nonetheless. I think I might need to call Dell this week and see if we did this the right way. I will be very frustrated if I have to wait for every little step...the computer is a monster and shouldn't be slow AT ALL.
OK...em's here and ready to head to the park. I'd better get on with things. I want to come home and play with my Wishblade...but will need to pick up the scraproom a little bit before I can play. While cleaning yesterday, things got dumped in here...stuff that nobody knows what to do with or stuff that nobody cares to deal with. Just put it in Mom's room...SHE'LL take care of it.
WHATEVER!
We all cleaned the house in our fit of anger...we cracked the proverbial whips and even had the kids cleaning up. Emily is a SLOB! No matter what she's doing, or where...something gets left wherever she was. You can always tell whether Emily's been in the room. Blankets get left on the floor. Clothes laying all over. EVERYWHERE! We had a long discussion with her about this too. I have to really get onto her about this and maybe increase her chores to help a bit more around here. She doesn't really do much of anything. THIS WILL CHANGE!!!
DH and I ended up running a few errands last night together and talked things through. Glad to get it off of our chests...that's for sure! We both agreed that we need to start spending more time with the kids...he really needs to show DD a lot more attention than he does.
Today, we all kicked in and picked up the front yard. Since they started the pool, we haven't been running the sprinklers because the pipes are broken in the back. The weeds were taking over the front yard terribly! We all worked together and were able to get it looking decent before 1. Plenty of time now to head off to the park or do whatever it is we're going to do.
Oh, DH got my computer all hooked up yesterday. We're a little concerned about the docking station...we got a laptop this time so that I can take it with me if I want/need to. (to the condo, etc) Anyway, the laptop doesn't dock right up to the docking station...it connects through a USB. This means that everything else that I have...my printer, scanner, hotsync cradle, card reader...everything else needs to be hooked up through a USB hub. We got the high speed hubs and everything is connected...but, my mouse is being whompy now anytime I go to the web. Just a slight delay really...but a delay nonetheless. I think I might need to call Dell this week and see if we did this the right way. I will be very frustrated if I have to wait for every little step...the computer is a monster and shouldn't be slow AT ALL.
OK...em's here and ready to head to the park. I'd better get on with things. I want to come home and play with my Wishblade...but will need to pick up the scraproom a little bit before I can play. While cleaning yesterday, things got dumped in here...stuff that nobody knows what to do with or stuff that nobody cares to deal with. Just put it in Mom's room...SHE'LL take care of it.
WHATEVER!
1.23.2006
Stacie wants to know...
I haven't gotten up since my last post...oops...sitting here enjoying my Caramel Dolce latte from Starbucks...surfing the net...checking e-mail. I went ahead and checked Stacie's blog to find out what I'd been tagged to do. This is my second post for the day, so if you're interested, scroll down and read my last entry too.
Here goes my tag stuff...
Most recent...
Music downloads: I don't have an MP3 player at this time, so I don't d/l music. Most of my downloads these days are of digi scrapping kits. I leave the music d/l to DS and DH...they've both got the Ipods. For me, music is usually listened to on either Yahoo Messenger music or I've got the TV's on the digital music channel that plays the PARTY FAVORITES. Stuff from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Party stuff from my day...not today's party stuff. LOVE that station!!!! Told ya I was a dork!!
Audiobooks: I haven't listened to an audio book in a long time. I usually like to listen to them when I'm going to be in the car for a long period of time...especially when I'm by myself. I don't go very far in the car anymore though. And if I do, I'm usually not alone.
Videogames: Again, not a big thing for me. Sometimes I'll play Galaga or the Barbie game on the PS2 with the Emily and if I get really bored, I'll play JewelQuest on Yahoo Games. But other than that...nothing. Oh, we got Scene It for Christmas...we've played it a few times lately. Does that count??
Books: I'm currently reading VANISHING ACT by Jodi Picoult. A very good book, IMO...only the second book I've read by her. The first being MY SISTER'S KEEPER. Liz at Memory Lane says that all of Jodi Picoult's books are good. Before this book, I read AT FIRST SIGHT by Nicholas Sparks. It was good too...but I didn't see the ending coming...that's for sure. Alex just finished reading THE DAVINCI CODE and said that he thinks I might like it. I'll try and start it next.
Movies: Haven't seen many movies in the theater lately but I love NETFLIX!!! I just watched Monster In Law, Bewitched and Must Love Dogs. They were all three excellent movies, IMO...and they're headed back to Netflix today. Not sure what's in the queue next.
Television: During the day, if I'm not listening to the music channel on TV, I usually have the TV tuned into either TLC, HGTV or the Food Network. In the evenings, I enjoy the Bachelor, Survivor, The Biggest Loser, Wife Swap, Super Nanny and Lost. I never thought I'd be a reality TV junkie. LOL! My favorite Sit-Coms are King of Queens (so much like Alex and I), My Name is Earl and Yes, Dear. Most of the TV shows that I like get recorded with the DVR and I find myself watching them while folding laundry during the day. And fast forwarding through the commercials too.
Tag: Ummmm...I'll tag Kerri, Jess and Kristin
Here goes my tag stuff...
Most recent...
Music downloads: I don't have an MP3 player at this time, so I don't d/l music. Most of my downloads these days are of digi scrapping kits. I leave the music d/l to DS and DH...they've both got the Ipods. For me, music is usually listened to on either Yahoo Messenger music or I've got the TV's on the digital music channel that plays the PARTY FAVORITES. Stuff from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Party stuff from my day...not today's party stuff. LOVE that station!!!! Told ya I was a dork!!
Audiobooks: I haven't listened to an audio book in a long time. I usually like to listen to them when I'm going to be in the car for a long period of time...especially when I'm by myself. I don't go very far in the car anymore though. And if I do, I'm usually not alone.
Videogames: Again, not a big thing for me. Sometimes I'll play Galaga or the Barbie game on the PS2 with the Emily and if I get really bored, I'll play JewelQuest on Yahoo Games. But other than that...nothing. Oh, we got Scene It for Christmas...we've played it a few times lately. Does that count??
Books: I'm currently reading VANISHING ACT by Jodi Picoult. A very good book, IMO...only the second book I've read by her. The first being MY SISTER'S KEEPER. Liz at Memory Lane says that all of Jodi Picoult's books are good. Before this book, I read AT FIRST SIGHT by Nicholas Sparks. It was good too...but I didn't see the ending coming...that's for sure. Alex just finished reading THE DAVINCI CODE and said that he thinks I might like it. I'll try and start it next.
Movies: Haven't seen many movies in the theater lately but I love NETFLIX!!! I just watched Monster In Law, Bewitched and Must Love Dogs. They were all three excellent movies, IMO...and they're headed back to Netflix today. Not sure what's in the queue next.
Television: During the day, if I'm not listening to the music channel on TV, I usually have the TV tuned into either TLC, HGTV or the Food Network. In the evenings, I enjoy the Bachelor, Survivor, The Biggest Loser, Wife Swap, Super Nanny and Lost. I never thought I'd be a reality TV junkie. LOL! My favorite Sit-Coms are King of Queens (so much like Alex and I), My Name is Earl and Yes, Dear. Most of the TV shows that I like get recorded with the DVR and I find myself watching them while folding laundry during the day. And fast forwarding through the commercials too.
Tag: Ummmm...I'll tag Kerri, Jess and Kristin
January 23rd...already???
Here we go again...time is flying again! Wasn't it just New Year's Eve???? It can't possibly be almost the end of January already. HOLY MOLY...I think I need to slow down a little bit...breathe...take everything in and cherish every possible moment. Time is just getting a little too fast for me. YIKES!!!
OK...so I said I'd do better with the blog thing this year. I'm really starting this one off good, huh? Sheesh, January 5th was my last entry. Ooops...and Stacie tells me that I've been tagged again. Better go check out her blog and see what fun I've got waiting for me over there.
So far this month, I've...
Taught the calendar clipboard class at Memory Lane...TWICE. Had a good time with both classes and am gearing up for my Mini Love book class this Thursday and then again next Tuesday. I'm working on a Disney layout and another two page layout for the month of February.
My friend Kerri came over here for three days in a row and we spent HOURS cleaning my scraproom. We sorted embellishments by color, put stuff in bins and flat out re-organized my room. I was so happy to get it done! I've got a few things left on the dining room table that need to be sorted and moved in here. I'm sure Alex is tired of looking at it. Most of it is stuff that I'm not keeping...but I need to sort it and decide if it's giveaway stuff or stuff that I want to try to sell on Ebay.
Kerri came back over this past Saturday and we scrapped ALL DAY and into the night. I think she left sometime around midnight. We actually scrapped in my newly organized scraproom too. I never have room to set up another table to have someone else scrap in here with me...but this time, I DID!!! It was GREAT! And to top it off...we actually scrapped too!!! I got 3 pages and a card done and Kerri did like SIX pages. We watched movies and took a break to eat dinner from Firehouse Subs too. YUM!!
My computer died earlier in the month. Alex and I had talked about getting a new system for me but I didn't really want to spend the money. Well...the hard drive finally gave up and left us no choice. Alex went to Dell and put together a pretty nice system for me...one that is basically set up for doing the digi photo stuff that I like to do. AND...we got a laptop this time, with a docking station, monitor and keyboard...I can use it at home like a regular PC but can take it with me when I go to the condo, etc. It's here and set up, but we're waiting for the docking station to get here before we hook up the printer, scanner, etc. to it. At least I'm online though...I'm a happy girl! Going to install my PSE 4.0 today!
I've also started doing the cleaning challenges over at Scrapforums, this month. Each day, I share a list of daily chores that should be done each day and then a list of extras that should be done that day. I've gotten some pretty good feedback on those challenges and it's certainly helping me stay on top of things. I'm finally almost to the point where things are looking good almost every day!
The pool is just about finished!!!!! Actually...the pool itself is done, there's water in it and the pump is running...the water's cold, but that didn't stop Emily. She actually went swimming yesterday AND the day before. They did the clean up of the yard and the fence goes back up on Wednesday. I can't wait to be able to let the dogs out and not have to worry about Koda taking off over the temporary fence anymore. I'm so ready to have my backyard back. I'm tired of looking at the dirt instead of the grass. The landscape guy comes today to measure for the sod...the screen goes up around the pool sometime this week and then we need one final coat on the deck...and we're DONE!!!! Woo hoo!
I think those are the highlights of the month...I'm off for now to get some work done and then to check and see what Stacie tagged me with this time. :D
Oh, and don't forget to enter the FUNK IT UP contest at Scrapforums too!!! We're taking entries for the audition round till the 27th...better get over there and get those layouts uploaded! The winner is going to walk away with over $300 worth of prizes!!! Get in there while you can!
Thanks for reading!
OK...so I said I'd do better with the blog thing this year. I'm really starting this one off good, huh? Sheesh, January 5th was my last entry. Ooops...and Stacie tells me that I've been tagged again. Better go check out her blog and see what fun I've got waiting for me over there.
So far this month, I've...
Taught the calendar clipboard class at Memory Lane...TWICE. Had a good time with both classes and am gearing up for my Mini Love book class this Thursday and then again next Tuesday. I'm working on a Disney layout and another two page layout for the month of February.
My friend Kerri came over here for three days in a row and we spent HOURS cleaning my scraproom. We sorted embellishments by color, put stuff in bins and flat out re-organized my room. I was so happy to get it done! I've got a few things left on the dining room table that need to be sorted and moved in here. I'm sure Alex is tired of looking at it. Most of it is stuff that I'm not keeping...but I need to sort it and decide if it's giveaway stuff or stuff that I want to try to sell on Ebay.
Kerri came back over this past Saturday and we scrapped ALL DAY and into the night. I think she left sometime around midnight. We actually scrapped in my newly organized scraproom too. I never have room to set up another table to have someone else scrap in here with me...but this time, I DID!!! It was GREAT! And to top it off...we actually scrapped too!!! I got 3 pages and a card done and Kerri did like SIX pages. We watched movies and took a break to eat dinner from Firehouse Subs too. YUM!!
My computer died earlier in the month. Alex and I had talked about getting a new system for me but I didn't really want to spend the money. Well...the hard drive finally gave up and left us no choice. Alex went to Dell and put together a pretty nice system for me...one that is basically set up for doing the digi photo stuff that I like to do. AND...we got a laptop this time, with a docking station, monitor and keyboard...I can use it at home like a regular PC but can take it with me when I go to the condo, etc. It's here and set up, but we're waiting for the docking station to get here before we hook up the printer, scanner, etc. to it. At least I'm online though...I'm a happy girl! Going to install my PSE 4.0 today!
I've also started doing the cleaning challenges over at Scrapforums, this month. Each day, I share a list of daily chores that should be done each day and then a list of extras that should be done that day. I've gotten some pretty good feedback on those challenges and it's certainly helping me stay on top of things. I'm finally almost to the point where things are looking good almost every day!
The pool is just about finished!!!!! Actually...the pool itself is done, there's water in it and the pump is running...the water's cold, but that didn't stop Emily. She actually went swimming yesterday AND the day before. They did the clean up of the yard and the fence goes back up on Wednesday. I can't wait to be able to let the dogs out and not have to worry about Koda taking off over the temporary fence anymore. I'm so ready to have my backyard back. I'm tired of looking at the dirt instead of the grass. The landscape guy comes today to measure for the sod...the screen goes up around the pool sometime this week and then we need one final coat on the deck...and we're DONE!!!! Woo hoo!
I think those are the highlights of the month...I'm off for now to get some work done and then to check and see what Stacie tagged me with this time. :D
Oh, and don't forget to enter the FUNK IT UP contest at Scrapforums too!!! We're taking entries for the audition round till the 27th...better get over there and get those layouts uploaded! The winner is going to walk away with over $300 worth of prizes!!! Get in there while you can!
Thanks for reading!
1.05.2006
Tag I'm it!!!!
My friend Stacie tagged me...hehehehehehe...(I'm a dork!!) Here goes...
2 names you go by: Mom and Niecy
2 parts of your heritage: English and German
2 things that scare you: SNAKES and anything happening to one of my kids.
2 things you are wearing right now: My cool hairclip that's made for "thick hair" and holds my hair up nicely...and my white Keds. (boring, huh??)
2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment): Ummmm...Toby Keith and Carly Simon (CD I got for Christmas...told ya I'm a dork!)
2 favorite songs (at the moment): Jesse (Carly Simon CD, LOL) and ummmm...can't think right now.
2things you want in a relationship (other than real love): honestly and loyalty
2 truths: I love to have a clean house, all the time and it drives me crazy that it can't seem to get that way anymore...and I would do almost anything for anyone. All ya gotta do is ask. (I said almost anything :D)
2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex): Blue Eyes and a cute butt.
2 of your favorite hobbies: photography and scrapbooking (shockers, huh?)2 things you want really badly: For my pool to be finished and for DH to get the promotion that he soooooooooooo deserves at work. (without having to move to another company)
2 places you want to go on vacation: Hawaii and Australia
2 things you want to do before you die: See my kids grow into happy, healthy and successful adults and go back to London with my oldest two. (they were born there and I'd love to take them back)
2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick: I cry at sappy movies and my moods can swing with the best of them!!
2things you are thinking about now: I really need to get my DT stuff done for Eclectic Scraps and it's getting close to bedtime.
2 stores you shop at: Memory Lane Orlando and Target
3 people you would like to see take the quiz? Ummmmm...I don't of anyone that HASN'T already been tagged. If you read this and haven't been tagged, leave me a comment and I'll tag ya. LOL
Oh, and don't forget about the contest at Scrapforums!!!! See my last blog entry!
2 names you go by: Mom and Niecy
2 parts of your heritage: English and German
2 things that scare you: SNAKES and anything happening to one of my kids.
2 things you are wearing right now: My cool hairclip that's made for "thick hair" and holds my hair up nicely...and my white Keds. (boring, huh??)
2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment): Ummmm...Toby Keith and Carly Simon (CD I got for Christmas...told ya I'm a dork!)
2 favorite songs (at the moment): Jesse (Carly Simon CD, LOL) and ummmm...can't think right now.
2things you want in a relationship (other than real love): honestly and loyalty
2 truths: I love to have a clean house, all the time and it drives me crazy that it can't seem to get that way anymore...and I would do almost anything for anyone. All ya gotta do is ask. (I said almost anything :D)
2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex): Blue Eyes and a cute butt.
2 of your favorite hobbies: photography and scrapbooking (shockers, huh?)2 things you want really badly: For my pool to be finished and for DH to get the promotion that he soooooooooooo deserves at work. (without having to move to another company)
2 places you want to go on vacation: Hawaii and Australia
2 things you want to do before you die: See my kids grow into happy, healthy and successful adults and go back to London with my oldest two. (they were born there and I'd love to take them back)
2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick: I cry at sappy movies and my moods can swing with the best of them!!
2things you are thinking about now: I really need to get my DT stuff done for Eclectic Scraps and it's getting close to bedtime.
2 stores you shop at: Memory Lane Orlando and Target
3 people you would like to see take the quiz? Ummmmm...I don't of anyone that HASN'T already been tagged. If you read this and haven't been tagged, leave me a comment and I'll tag ya. LOL
Oh, and don't forget about the contest at Scrapforums!!!! See my last blog entry!
Back in the swing of things!!!
Ahhhh...the kids are back in school, I've had a day of rest and now I'm getting in gear again. My house is looking good today and the laundry's getting done. I have a couple of things that I'd like to do for Eclectic Scraps. I've got DT stuff due there and have really been anxious to play with Jess's new kit. I think her stuff ROCKS!
I have a dr's appt this afternoon. I've been fighting a cough for the past week. I can't really say it's a cold because I'm not congested and I really do feel ok. I was really sleepy on Tuesday but that seems to have passed too. (I could always take a nap, given the chance) I'm going to go to the dr today just to make sure there's nothing in the lungs that needs help getting out. I can't stand coughing the way I've been coughing!!
Oh, and I think I need to mention the FUNK IT UP contest at Scrapforums!! We're accepting layouts for the audition round over there now and man, there have been some really awesome layouts uploaded already. Get over there and enter before the end of the month. We're going to vote on the 27th and the top 30 will move on to Round 1. Oh, and can't forget to mention that we have over $300 in prizes to give away too. The grand prize scrapper will be crowned the QUEEN OF FUNK and will win a HUGE goodie box put together with a ton of sponsor goodies and each of the other 29 will get goodies too. So whatcha waiting for???? Get over there and upload your layouts in the FUNK IT UP GALLERY! I know ya wanna play!!
I have a dr's appt this afternoon. I've been fighting a cough for the past week. I can't really say it's a cold because I'm not congested and I really do feel ok. I was really sleepy on Tuesday but that seems to have passed too. (I could always take a nap, given the chance) I'm going to go to the dr today just to make sure there's nothing in the lungs that needs help getting out. I can't stand coughing the way I've been coughing!!
Oh, and I think I need to mention the FUNK IT UP contest at Scrapforums!! We're accepting layouts for the audition round over there now and man, there have been some really awesome layouts uploaded already. Get over there and enter before the end of the month. We're going to vote on the 27th and the top 30 will move on to Round 1. Oh, and can't forget to mention that we have over $300 in prizes to give away too. The grand prize scrapper will be crowned the QUEEN OF FUNK and will win a HUGE goodie box put together with a ton of sponsor goodies and each of the other 29 will get goodies too. So whatcha waiting for???? Get over there and upload your layouts in the FUNK IT UP GALLERY! I know ya wanna play!!
1.02.2006
A NEW YEAR...
***Another week+ has gone by...alot to mention...this is a long one!!!!***
WOW...2006...already? I remember years ago, not believing that it was the year 2000...and now it's SIX YEARS LATER...already! I think I need to slow down a bit...take things in a bit more...appreciate "time" a little better.
Our Christmas day was nice and quiet. I don't like going anywhere on Christmas Day. Since I've had children of my own, I like to stay home, in my jammies all day (if I desire) and just plain relax. This year, the kids were up before 6:30 and so excited to see what Santa brought. Josh doesn't believe anymore but he's such a sport about not blowing it for Emily. She was so fun to watch that morning and was especially fond of the note that Santa left for her, thanking her for the milk and cookies and reminding her to be good this year.
The excitement began the day after Christmas. Brooks and Kyle flew in from Atlanta and spent the week with us. We had everyone over for dinner the day after Christmas. We did the family gift exchange and ate and ate and ate some more. We had more than 20 people here and there was enough food to feed an army. After dinner, we played Scene It...guys against the gals...the guys won. Darn it. It was fun though...Alex got the game for Christmas and it was our first time playing. Emily got Scene It Jr. Maybe I can do a bit better at that version.
The week with the boys flew by, of course. We didn't do much really but I think they had fun. (hope so anyway) They went bowling with their cousin Erica and her boyfriend one night...went to a Magic Game one night, but left early because they were bored...went putt-putting one day. Brooks is almost 20 now but it's so hard to let go and let him do things on his own. He was willing to drive everyone to play putt-putt...including Emily. I think I was more worried about Emily going than anything else. But, they went and she behaved herself and had a blast. It all worked out.
New Year's Eve was fun. The weather was gorgeous and we had a "mini block party" between our house and Nancy's house. We grilled out and had lots of yummy things to eat. Alex set up the fire pit and we sat around it for most of the night chatting and drinking a couple of drinks. A few of our neighbors came out to visit...some that have lived here forever and have never met each other. I told everyone to come out and play...and a few commented on me being the one to bring everyone together. That makes me happy. The lady that we bought this house from wasn't known for her friendliness, we'll just put it that way. But, it was great to ring in the New Year with Nancy and Bruce and all the others that were there too. (I love spending time with our friends/neighbors, Nancy and Bruce!!)
New Year's Day was quiet...Brooks and Kyle flew back to Atlanta this afternoon. We all slept in this morning and I took them to the airport with Mom and Richard. It's always sad to see them go but at the same time, I know they're eager to get back home to their lives...and I'm usually ready to get us back into some sort of normalcy here too. It was nice to come home from the airport and see that Alex and the kids picked the place up a bit. I came in, commented on the house being cleaned up and then headed to the bed for a 2 hour nap. Alex woke me around 6 and asked if I wanted to take the dogs for a walk.
Oh, that's right...I almost forgot...we got another dog!!! She's a 10 month old mutt...a husky mix possibly. She looks a little bit like a shephard mix too though. Who knows what she breed she really is. All I know is that she's a sweetie and has come in and made herself right at home. We got her from a client that my sister knows from her vet's office that she works at. This couple had her but didn't feel that they could give her the energy and stimulation that she needs. They brought her over on Wednesday for us to have for a few days and "try out". Her name was Dharma when she got here but we changed her name to KODA when we realized that she'd probably be staying. Alex wasn't too sure that he could be a "two dog person" but he seems to be warming up to her now. She's a sweet dog...already house broken, sleeps in her crate at night and really isn't a chewer of anything other than her toys and bones. She loves to play and given a chance, she'd run the neighborhood...this is something that we'll be working on. I've got a call into the trainer that we used for Sunny...he's going to call me back this week and we'll start some obedience training with Koda as soon as we can. I'll post pictures of her soon too.
Tomorrow, Alex goes back to work. The kids don't go back till Wednesday. I want to get my scraproom cleaned up a bit so that I can start working on things again. I've got a mini love book to get done and up at Memory Lane. I did manage to finish my clipboard calendar and get it on display. I'll be anxious to see how many folks I get signed up for those classes. (the 15th and the 19th) I also need to think about what I want to teach in February. I know Liz will be asking about my plans for those soon too. I'm open to suggestions. But...with this scraproom looking the way its looking...I need to get busy on THAT first and foremost.
So, with that...I'll end this entry. I went to bed early tonight and woke up shortly after 11. Here it is now, almost 1:30...and I'm feeling pretty wide awake. Maybe I'll grab one of the new books that I got for Christmas and read myself to sleep.
WOW...2006...already? I remember years ago, not believing that it was the year 2000...and now it's SIX YEARS LATER...already! I think I need to slow down a bit...take things in a bit more...appreciate "time" a little better.
Our Christmas day was nice and quiet. I don't like going anywhere on Christmas Day. Since I've had children of my own, I like to stay home, in my jammies all day (if I desire) and just plain relax. This year, the kids were up before 6:30 and so excited to see what Santa brought. Josh doesn't believe anymore but he's such a sport about not blowing it for Emily. She was so fun to watch that morning and was especially fond of the note that Santa left for her, thanking her for the milk and cookies and reminding her to be good this year.
The excitement began the day after Christmas. Brooks and Kyle flew in from Atlanta and spent the week with us. We had everyone over for dinner the day after Christmas. We did the family gift exchange and ate and ate and ate some more. We had more than 20 people here and there was enough food to feed an army. After dinner, we played Scene It...guys against the gals...the guys won. Darn it. It was fun though...Alex got the game for Christmas and it was our first time playing. Emily got Scene It Jr. Maybe I can do a bit better at that version.
The week with the boys flew by, of course. We didn't do much really but I think they had fun. (hope so anyway) They went bowling with their cousin Erica and her boyfriend one night...went to a Magic Game one night, but left early because they were bored...went putt-putting one day. Brooks is almost 20 now but it's so hard to let go and let him do things on his own. He was willing to drive everyone to play putt-putt...including Emily. I think I was more worried about Emily going than anything else. But, they went and she behaved herself and had a blast. It all worked out.
New Year's Eve was fun. The weather was gorgeous and we had a "mini block party" between our house and Nancy's house. We grilled out and had lots of yummy things to eat. Alex set up the fire pit and we sat around it for most of the night chatting and drinking a couple of drinks. A few of our neighbors came out to visit...some that have lived here forever and have never met each other. I told everyone to come out and play...and a few commented on me being the one to bring everyone together. That makes me happy. The lady that we bought this house from wasn't known for her friendliness, we'll just put it that way. But, it was great to ring in the New Year with Nancy and Bruce and all the others that were there too. (I love spending time with our friends/neighbors, Nancy and Bruce!!)
New Year's Day was quiet...Brooks and Kyle flew back to Atlanta this afternoon. We all slept in this morning and I took them to the airport with Mom and Richard. It's always sad to see them go but at the same time, I know they're eager to get back home to their lives...and I'm usually ready to get us back into some sort of normalcy here too. It was nice to come home from the airport and see that Alex and the kids picked the place up a bit. I came in, commented on the house being cleaned up and then headed to the bed for a 2 hour nap. Alex woke me around 6 and asked if I wanted to take the dogs for a walk.
Oh, that's right...I almost forgot...we got another dog!!! She's a 10 month old mutt...a husky mix possibly. She looks a little bit like a shephard mix too though. Who knows what she breed she really is. All I know is that she's a sweetie and has come in and made herself right at home. We got her from a client that my sister knows from her vet's office that she works at. This couple had her but didn't feel that they could give her the energy and stimulation that she needs. They brought her over on Wednesday for us to have for a few days and "try out". Her name was Dharma when she got here but we changed her name to KODA when we realized that she'd probably be staying. Alex wasn't too sure that he could be a "two dog person" but he seems to be warming up to her now. She's a sweet dog...already house broken, sleeps in her crate at night and really isn't a chewer of anything other than her toys and bones. She loves to play and given a chance, she'd run the neighborhood...this is something that we'll be working on. I've got a call into the trainer that we used for Sunny...he's going to call me back this week and we'll start some obedience training with Koda as soon as we can. I'll post pictures of her soon too.
Tomorrow, Alex goes back to work. The kids don't go back till Wednesday. I want to get my scraproom cleaned up a bit so that I can start working on things again. I've got a mini love book to get done and up at Memory Lane. I did manage to finish my clipboard calendar and get it on display. I'll be anxious to see how many folks I get signed up for those classes. (the 15th and the 19th) I also need to think about what I want to teach in February. I know Liz will be asking about my plans for those soon too. I'm open to suggestions. But...with this scraproom looking the way its looking...I need to get busy on THAT first and foremost.
So, with that...I'll end this entry. I went to bed early tonight and woke up shortly after 11. Here it is now, almost 1:30...and I'm feeling pretty wide awake. Maybe I'll grab one of the new books that I got for Christmas and read myself to sleep.
12.21.2005
Banana Pudding, Brownies and Chocolate Covered Pretzels...
That's what I did today. Well, not actually till this afternoon/evening. Every year, I try to bake goodies and give a plate of them to our favorite neighbors. I was beginning to wonder if I'd be able to get this done this year but I can't "not" do it. Each year, I do the baking and I let the kids deliver the goodies. I think it helps them to understand the good in giving. Plus, Em enjoys helping me do the baking.
So tomorrow, we'll finish up the cookies and get everything packaged up and ready. I certainly hope that tomorrow brings a better mood for me. Today was a tough one. I was so uptight and grumpy. Emily tested me at every turn too. I don't want another day like that. My mom always gets grumpy during the holidays and I really don't want to be like that. I want to be happy and enjoy the holidays. When you're grumpy and everything is such a chore, it takes the joy out of the holiday. Those are the types of holiday memories that I have from my childhood and I really don't want to pass those on to my kids.
So, for now...I will take a deep breath, get a good night's sleep and work on focusing to get as much done as possible tomorrow. It helps too, that Alex is now on vacation till after the first of the New Year. He'll be able to help too.
Oh, and on a great note...the pool deck will be poured in the next few days. They're shooting for a Friday pour, but chances are, it'll be next week. The deck was mostly formed today. They'll be here first thing to get it all finished. Then we're scheduled for an inspection. The deck guy told me that he'd try for a deck pour for Friday but the concrete company might be booked up trying to get as many jobs in before Christmas. If we can't have it done Friday, they'll shoot for Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll be happy to have a deck before the New Year's Eve party that we're planning to have.
The next step will be the finish on the inside of the pool, then a final grade and clean up. The screen is a little behind schedule, but it'll be done before we can actually swim. Once the final grade happens, we can put the fence back up, resod the yard and actually put water in the pool too. Woo hoo!!!! We're getting closer!
OK...I'm off for now. Was thinking about maybe taking a hot bath before calling it a night. I did just get my new Papercrafts magazine today. It's always nice to kick back in a hot bath and read for a while.
See ya!
So tomorrow, we'll finish up the cookies and get everything packaged up and ready. I certainly hope that tomorrow brings a better mood for me. Today was a tough one. I was so uptight and grumpy. Emily tested me at every turn too. I don't want another day like that. My mom always gets grumpy during the holidays and I really don't want to be like that. I want to be happy and enjoy the holidays. When you're grumpy and everything is such a chore, it takes the joy out of the holiday. Those are the types of holiday memories that I have from my childhood and I really don't want to pass those on to my kids.
So, for now...I will take a deep breath, get a good night's sleep and work on focusing to get as much done as possible tomorrow. It helps too, that Alex is now on vacation till after the first of the New Year. He'll be able to help too.
Oh, and on a great note...the pool deck will be poured in the next few days. They're shooting for a Friday pour, but chances are, it'll be next week. The deck was mostly formed today. They'll be here first thing to get it all finished. Then we're scheduled for an inspection. The deck guy told me that he'd try for a deck pour for Friday but the concrete company might be booked up trying to get as many jobs in before Christmas. If we can't have it done Friday, they'll shoot for Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll be happy to have a deck before the New Year's Eve party that we're planning to have.
The next step will be the finish on the inside of the pool, then a final grade and clean up. The screen is a little behind schedule, but it'll be done before we can actually swim. Once the final grade happens, we can put the fence back up, resod the yard and actually put water in the pool too. Woo hoo!!!! We're getting closer!
OK...I'm off for now. Was thinking about maybe taking a hot bath before calling it a night. I did just get my new Papercrafts magazine today. It's always nice to kick back in a hot bath and read for a while.
See ya!
12.18.2005
More than a week?????
How in the world did THAT happen???? I was doing so well at updating my blog every few days and WHAM...life got crazy and more than a week has gone by. WOW! Time sure flies! (even if you aren't having fun!)
Let's see...in that week...I...:
Spent the weekend at Disney for Emily's birthday. Went over Saturday afternoon and stayed through Sunday night. We went to the Very Merry Christmas party and had a blast. Emily said it's her best birthday EVER. I took tons of pictures and we got just as many autographs. I had cut up 4x4 sheets of cardstock and used those for the autographs. Now...we just need to get the pictures ordered and make a little book with them.
Got more than 100 Christmas cards (the picture card things) addressed and are ready for tomorrow's mail. It just dawned on me on Friday that I only have a week left before Christmas. I need to get my rear in gear.
Finished the 20 Reindeer bags for Emily's class. (and they were a huge hit with the kids and the parents too...so easy to carry everything home in and boy were they PACKED!!)
Spent more than 10 hours at the school volunteering over the past two weeks. Helping with the stockings, the party and anything else that they needed help with. I usually volunteer in one class for just one hour a week. It was nice though to be able to help wherever they needed it.
Had to cancel my to-from tag class at Memory Lane. There were only two people signed up for the class. I didn't take it personally though...I know everyone was busy and December classes just aren't big. Now, on to January classes. I've got two projects twirling in my head...just need to get them finished and on display. I think I'm going to do a day and a night class for each. Wish me luck that all goes well with those. I'm anxious to get a few classes under my belt and to feel more secure in teaching.
My friend Michele came to visit on Tuesday. She's the owner of The Shaker Box. Her dad lives in Sarasota and she was here visiting him. She and her little girl, Lilly, came over for the day and spent the night here Tuesday night. Emily and Lilly took a little while to get used to each other but by the end of the evening, Lilly was calling Emily her "best friend". Michele and I made a yummy spaghetti dinner and then made cards together till after the girls were in bed. My friend Kerri came over too...it was great to see her again and she couldn't believe that Michele and I had never met IRL before that day. Oh, and can you believe...neither one of us remembered to take pictures while they were here. Uggghhh!!!!
I helped the Boy Scouts make luminary kits for our annual Luminaria sale. We spent 4 hours at the church Friday night making kits and then the guys spent all day Saturday delivering the kits and collecting the $$. Emily and I only helped for a couple of hours on Saturday though. It was a misty and almost chilly day. I had a little bit of a sore throat working and just wanted to be home on the couch, under a blanket.
I read the entire book, My Friend Leonard, by James Frey. I finished his book, A Million Little Pieces, while we were at the hotel at Disney. The check in girl told me to be sure to move right on to the other book. I didn't even know there WAS another book. The first book is all about the author's stay and fight through rehab. He was terribly addicted to drugs and alcohol and was killing himself at just 24 yrs old. Great book!!!! The second book was about the next few years outside of rehab and his relationship with a guy that he became friends with in rehab. I read that one in just two days!!! I couldn't put it down. A definite recommendation for both books to anyone that may be interested.
I spent all day today trying to get this house cleaned up. It had become quite a pig pen with all the other stuff that I've had going on. I think I've done enough around the rest of the house...time to get started on the scraproom now. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to work in here. Sheesh!!!
And with that...I'm off to grab a garbage bag and start sorting through the many piles of whatever that have managed to make a home in the scraproom.
Thanks for reading!
Let's see...in that week...I...:
Spent the weekend at Disney for Emily's birthday. Went over Saturday afternoon and stayed through Sunday night. We went to the Very Merry Christmas party and had a blast. Emily said it's her best birthday EVER. I took tons of pictures and we got just as many autographs. I had cut up 4x4 sheets of cardstock and used those for the autographs. Now...we just need to get the pictures ordered and make a little book with them.
Got more than 100 Christmas cards (the picture card things) addressed and are ready for tomorrow's mail. It just dawned on me on Friday that I only have a week left before Christmas. I need to get my rear in gear.
Finished the 20 Reindeer bags for Emily's class. (and they were a huge hit with the kids and the parents too...so easy to carry everything home in and boy were they PACKED!!)
Spent more than 10 hours at the school volunteering over the past two weeks. Helping with the stockings, the party and anything else that they needed help with. I usually volunteer in one class for just one hour a week. It was nice though to be able to help wherever they needed it.
Had to cancel my to-from tag class at Memory Lane. There were only two people signed up for the class. I didn't take it personally though...I know everyone was busy and December classes just aren't big. Now, on to January classes. I've got two projects twirling in my head...just need to get them finished and on display. I think I'm going to do a day and a night class for each. Wish me luck that all goes well with those. I'm anxious to get a few classes under my belt and to feel more secure in teaching.
My friend Michele came to visit on Tuesday. She's the owner of The Shaker Box. Her dad lives in Sarasota and she was here visiting him. She and her little girl, Lilly, came over for the day and spent the night here Tuesday night. Emily and Lilly took a little while to get used to each other but by the end of the evening, Lilly was calling Emily her "best friend". Michele and I made a yummy spaghetti dinner and then made cards together till after the girls were in bed. My friend Kerri came over too...it was great to see her again and she couldn't believe that Michele and I had never met IRL before that day. Oh, and can you believe...neither one of us remembered to take pictures while they were here. Uggghhh!!!!
I helped the Boy Scouts make luminary kits for our annual Luminaria sale. We spent 4 hours at the church Friday night making kits and then the guys spent all day Saturday delivering the kits and collecting the $$. Emily and I only helped for a couple of hours on Saturday though. It was a misty and almost chilly day. I had a little bit of a sore throat working and just wanted to be home on the couch, under a blanket.
I read the entire book, My Friend Leonard, by James Frey. I finished his book, A Million Little Pieces, while we were at the hotel at Disney. The check in girl told me to be sure to move right on to the other book. I didn't even know there WAS another book. The first book is all about the author's stay and fight through rehab. He was terribly addicted to drugs and alcohol and was killing himself at just 24 yrs old. Great book!!!! The second book was about the next few years outside of rehab and his relationship with a guy that he became friends with in rehab. I read that one in just two days!!! I couldn't put it down. A definite recommendation for both books to anyone that may be interested.
I spent all day today trying to get this house cleaned up. It had become quite a pig pen with all the other stuff that I've had going on. I think I've done enough around the rest of the house...time to get started on the scraproom now. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to work in here. Sheesh!!!
And with that...I'm off to grab a garbage bag and start sorting through the many piles of whatever that have managed to make a home in the scraproom.
Thanks for reading!
12.08.2005
Worse today than yesterday...
I feel soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lazy!
I downloaded the trial version of Photoshop Elements 4.0 today and have been sitting here vegging and playing. It'll take me a little longer to figure out all the new features in this version. I'm used to the PSE 2.0 version and after watching the intro for 4.0, I was sold almost instantly. I guess I'll be adding this to my Christmas wishlist.
All I've done today is:
Make my bed
Spray the shower down with Bleach (and spilled bleach on the bathroom rug, ruining it...)
Started a load of laundry (still need to fold the whites that are just piled on the sofa in the family room)
Vacuumed our bedroom
Wrapped a book that I will be taking to school in a little bit for Em's b-day celebration with her class (nothing big, just cupcakes and a story)
I think that's about it...
Why am I so lazy??? Maybe it's the rain that's falling outside? Who knows! All I know is that there are PLENTY of things that I should be doing and could be doing!
For now though...I'm off to get ready to go pick up the cupcakes and take them to Emily's class. She loves to be the center of attention so this will be right up her alley!
Need to make sure the camera is ready to go too.
I downloaded the trial version of Photoshop Elements 4.0 today and have been sitting here vegging and playing. It'll take me a little longer to figure out all the new features in this version. I'm used to the PSE 2.0 version and after watching the intro for 4.0, I was sold almost instantly. I guess I'll be adding this to my Christmas wishlist.
All I've done today is:
Make my bed
Spray the shower down with Bleach (and spilled bleach on the bathroom rug, ruining it...)
Started a load of laundry (still need to fold the whites that are just piled on the sofa in the family room)
Vacuumed our bedroom
Wrapped a book that I will be taking to school in a little bit for Em's b-day celebration with her class (nothing big, just cupcakes and a story)
I think that's about it...
Why am I so lazy??? Maybe it's the rain that's falling outside? Who knows! All I know is that there are PLENTY of things that I should be doing and could be doing!
For now though...I'm off to get ready to go pick up the cupcakes and take them to Emily's class. She loves to be the center of attention so this will be right up her alley!
Need to make sure the camera is ready to go too.
12.07.2005
A moment to breathe...
I spent quite a bit of time at Em's school on Monday and Tuesday...helping with the Christmas "socks" that they decorated for their party next Thursday. They'll use these to hold all of the goodies they get from their classmates. All 5 kindergarten classes made these...I helped with about 35-40 stockings...and got them all completed. One of the teachers commented yesterday that this was the earliest those stockings have ever been finished. That made me feel good.
After school yesterday, Em and I went to the Mall at Millenia to see Santa. We'd heard nothing but GREAT things about this Santa and thought we'd make a trip over there. This mall is in a rather "ritzy" part of town and has anchor stores such as Bloomingdales, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus...no Sears, J.C. Penneys, etc...we kid that this is where the "other side" shops. All the top dollar stores...not where I can afford to go regularly, that's for sure.
Anyway, we get there and we see Santa. Emily is extremely apprehensive with Santa...almost shy. Anyone that knows Emily knows that she is FAR FROM SHY. It was quite interesting to watch her interaction...she was so unsure of herself and of him. I think that she's probably on the fence as to what to believe and what not to believe anymore. Now that she's in school and has so many different influences. But that Santa was so "real"...real white hair, real beard...very realistic. I even picked up some Santa's Coal bubble gum and forgot to take it out of Emily's Limited Too bag...I told her that Santa must of stashed it in there as a warning of what might come in her stocking on Christmas if she's not nice. Her eyes were HUGE and she was a little worried about getting coal. It was PRICELESS!
I did a digital layout last night with a few of the Santa pictures. I like how it turned out. I'll get it posted at Scrapforums and maybe here later today.
So...the question is now...after all that running...I have today at home with no where to go. Plenty of time to get caught up on things around here...sooooooooo....
Why is it that I can't get motivated??
Geeez! I had so many great plans to get my house cleaned up again today...and the only thing that I'm doing is laundry, it seems. I've made the bed, sorted all of the dirty laundry and have both machines going, have folded everything but the latest load of towels and the folded stuff is sorted and ready to be put away. The dishwasher is running but the kitchen still needs some attention. I had so many great plans for the day and here I sit...listening to the Yahoo Country music station, surfing the net, blogging. I really do need to get up and get moving! I have a little more than an hour and a half before I have to get Emily from school. We'll be headed to dance a couple hours after that.
Anyway...I'll quit my bitching now and get busy again. I'm sure the dryer is finished and another load of clothes is waiting to be folded. I really need to work on our bathroom and master bedroom too. They're really bad!
See ya!
After school yesterday, Em and I went to the Mall at Millenia to see Santa. We'd heard nothing but GREAT things about this Santa and thought we'd make a trip over there. This mall is in a rather "ritzy" part of town and has anchor stores such as Bloomingdales, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus...no Sears, J.C. Penneys, etc...we kid that this is where the "other side" shops. All the top dollar stores...not where I can afford to go regularly, that's for sure.
Anyway, we get there and we see Santa. Emily is extremely apprehensive with Santa...almost shy. Anyone that knows Emily knows that she is FAR FROM SHY. It was quite interesting to watch her interaction...she was so unsure of herself and of him. I think that she's probably on the fence as to what to believe and what not to believe anymore. Now that she's in school and has so many different influences. But that Santa was so "real"...real white hair, real beard...very realistic. I even picked up some Santa's Coal bubble gum and forgot to take it out of Emily's Limited Too bag...I told her that Santa must of stashed it in there as a warning of what might come in her stocking on Christmas if she's not nice. Her eyes were HUGE and she was a little worried about getting coal. It was PRICELESS!
I did a digital layout last night with a few of the Santa pictures. I like how it turned out. I'll get it posted at Scrapforums and maybe here later today.
So...the question is now...after all that running...I have today at home with no where to go. Plenty of time to get caught up on things around here...sooooooooo....
Why is it that I can't get motivated??
Geeez! I had so many great plans to get my house cleaned up again today...and the only thing that I'm doing is laundry, it seems. I've made the bed, sorted all of the dirty laundry and have both machines going, have folded everything but the latest load of towels and the folded stuff is sorted and ready to be put away. The dishwasher is running but the kitchen still needs some attention. I had so many great plans for the day and here I sit...listening to the Yahoo Country music station, surfing the net, blogging. I really do need to get up and get moving! I have a little more than an hour and a half before I have to get Emily from school. We'll be headed to dance a couple hours after that.
Anyway...I'll quit my bitching now and get busy again. I'm sure the dryer is finished and another load of clothes is waiting to be folded. I really need to work on our bathroom and master bedroom too. They're really bad!
See ya!
12.01.2005
Today is the day!!!
****EDIT****My class was awesome! I was pretty pleased with everything. I got sidetracked and had to bring myself back in a couple of times, but nothing major! Everyone gave me good verbal feedback so that certainly helped!
Now...to gear up for the class on the 15th. I'm excited now...now that my first class is under my belt! Woo hoo!!
Oh and after the class...I had lunch with Tina (works at Memory Lane) and my new friend Kerri. Tina could only spend her lunch hour with us but Kerri and I sat and yapped till it was time for me to pick up Emily. She's soooooooo much fun! And she's coming to the Ya-Ya's Christmas party tomorrow night with me too!
It's the day that I teach my first class at Memory Lane! An altered candle class. I have nine people signed up and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I hope everything goes smoothly! I'm not really nervous about it...just a little bummed that I went way over budget for it...but, chalk it up as a learning experience. Now I know what to do differently next time.
I'm off now to finish my hair and gather everything to take with me. I think I have everything pulled and sitting together...and if I forget anything, again...another learning experience. I need to be there at 9:30 and the class starts at 10.
Oh, and I got to play with alcohol inks last night. Liz bought them for the store for me to use in a tiny part of this class today and I wanted something else to show. I did this kind of funky card...love the background. I need and want to get more of these inks now. I want them all!!!!
OK...I'm off for now. Will write an update later when I get back from class!Wish me luck!
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