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!!

And today...is the 6th??

Already??? Damn...nothing like falling behind before the end of the first week!!!

Let's see...

I've done the pages in my Christmas Journal up to the 2nd and haven't even had time to read the prompts for the 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th.

Sunday, the 3rd, I was blessed with having to clean my system in prep for my colonoscopy and gastroscopy scheduled for Monday morning. Needless to say, my mind was nowhere near scrapping, journaling or anything along those lines.

Monday, the 4th, I had my tests and the colonoscopy showed as "normal" and they sent a few samples from my gastroscopy off for biopsies and ordered MORE bloodwork. Looks like they're trying to rule out Celiac Disease right now. (they've not said that out loud, but that's what the tests are for that they've ordered...what would we do without the internet???) I slept the rest of Monday...again, no thinking about scrapping that day either.

Yesterday was the PTA luncheon that took up the morning and part of the afternoon. I really didn't want to miss that and glad that I didn't. But, while going to the Hallmark store to find a cute ornament for the ornament exchange at the luncheon...I hit a curb while parking and somewhere after that, I lost a hubcap on one of my rear tires. Oh boy, oh boy!!! The dealer has one in stock and it'll cost me $80 to replace it. Merry Christmas to me! And of course, Alex is thrilled by this...and doesn't want to be seen near my car without the hubcap. Whatever!

Today, I spent more than an hour and a half at the lab to get the rest of my blood work done. They took FOUR vials of blood this morning. Don't these people understand that I don't have much to spare right now??? I left there feeling just a little on the dizzy side and since I was fasting, I stopped right at Panera and grabbed an OJ and a bagel. I stopped in at the Dollar Tree to pick up some stuff for Em's Christmas party next week. And then had to go to her classroom to help with crafts and have lunch with her. (she ate, I didn't...since I'd just had that bagel)

I ran to Walmart to pick up the order of pics that I uploaded for my Christmas cards...I uploaded them last night and the order was to be done by 11am this morning. I'm greeted with a sign that says "ONE HOUR PROCESS MACHINE IS DOWN"...no problem? Right??? Mine were done BEFORE the machine went down...or so they should have been. WRONG!!! Nothing...no pictures done and no phone call telling me that they weren't done. I wasn't too happy about this at all and told them not to bother...I'd upload them to Costco or Walgreens instead. The mgr. apologized and said they'd be the first ones printed when the machine came up and the order would be free. They just called and said they're ready to be picked up.

Finally got a call back from the dr's office today too...I have an appt on Friday morning at 10:15 for a consult with the hemotologist. We'll discuss the options of a blood transfusion to get my levels back up to normal and then try to maintain them from there. In hopes of giving me back a bit of energy and helping me make it through this time of year. I don't know if a transfusion is the way that I want to go...but, I can't continue to feel the way that I do either. Not right now.

Gotta pick Emily up from her friend's house here in a little while and take her to dance. Tonight is fundraiser night at Cici's pizza for her school. I might just take her there after dance and call it a night. I'm so tired...and the pile of laundry is beginning to look like another Christmas tree.

Tomorrow is supposed to be my volunteer time at school and I missed last week...I just don't want to miss tomorrow. Its my last day in that class before the party day next week. I really would love to see them tomorrow. We'll see how I feel, I guess.

Friday night is the crop with my favorite BI*CHES...my Ya'Ya's!!! Gosh how I need a little Ya Ya time right now! Hopefully I'll feel up to going by then...I'm tired already!

Sunday is Emily's 7th birthday. I still need to order a cake, get her roller blades as her b-day gift and make the goody bags too.

God, please give me the strength to make it through all of this!!! PLEASE!

Photo a day...

Besides the Journal your Christmas class, I'm also doing the Photo a Day in December challenge at Scrapforums. The goal is to take a picture each day and journal a little bit about that photo. I won't have any sort of a theme to my pictures...it'll just be whatever strikes my fancy. Today, getting into the spirit of the holidays, I decided to snap a picture of one of the wreaths that I made.

Last weekend, we put up the Christmas trees on the inside and Alex and Josh decorated the outside of the house with many many many lights. It might just be a record this year actually.

I wanted to put wreaths on each of the front windows and set out to find 6 of the same wreaths that I'd hang outside. I couldn't really find anything that I liked so I decided to buy a few of the pics that Joann's had on sale and some of their plain holiday wreaths too. On Saturday, I sat at the kitchen counter, with my hot glue gun and put together six of these. I'd never done anything like this before so I was pleasantly surprised at how they turned out. Alex even thought they turned out great and was perfectly fine with me hanging them on the windows for all to see.

The hours are winding down on our first day of December. Bring on December 2nd...a new holiday journal prompt and another photo for the day.

My journal cover...

Here it is...my Christmas Journal cover. Everything here is from my stash. I covered chip board with Basic Grey Blitzen paper and added alpha stickers, ribbons and the doodly rub ons. The "believe" epoxy sticker is also from the stash. I *think it's from Creative Imaginations.
The cover measures just a tad smaller than a 4x6 photo. The inside pages are coin envelopes that measure just a little bit smaller than the cover. I've cut off the flaps to each of the envelopes and will tuck some of my journaling into these little envelopes. Leaving the envelopes themselves to be decorated as I go.

Here's a picture of the inside cover and one of the envelopes. My 7 yr. old informed me that the "yellow" pages didn't go very well with this, but I assured her that there would be very little of the yellow showing when we were finished with this one. Each little "page" will be covered and decorated some how.

Oh, and...I took these pictures with the book sitting on the branches of one of our Christmas trees. I think this may go on the tree next year. Free to be pulled off and looked at, at any given time.

I'm so excited about this class. I've never done anything like it. I love to journal, but have never created an "art journal" per se.

I'm off now to work on that dedication page. That will go on that "yellow" side...I'll share it when its done.

Tomorrow is Dec. 1st.

Manifesto: Noun. A declaration of one's intentions.

Starting December first, I will keep a Christmas journal. In it, I will write something every day to reflect on the holidays of my past, enjoy the holidays of the present and dream about the holidays of my future. To some, this will be a stack of papers and trivial scribbles, but not to me. I am taking back my Christmas, I am letting it be something I relish and, most importantly, I am giving at least fifteen minutes every day to myself no matter how crazy this season becomes.

I hope you will share, encourage and understand as I make something with my own hands, my own words and my own memories.I may post some or all of my entries here. Other artists are doing this with me, and you can see their work HERE. Or you may join us too by going HERE.

Above all: enjoy the season. I will.

I've decided to do my journal in an envelope type book. Using coin envelopes as the pages...with journaling to be tucked inside each envelope. My good friend Nancy Grant made an album like this once, for her boys...and I loved it. Then I saw a 12 Days of Christmas book (like this) in the latest issue of Paper Trends magazine and felt totally inspired to use a similar idea for my book. I'll be using the Basic Grey Blitzen collection from my stash for embellishing my journal. I'm trying desperately to cut back on my scrap spending so I decided to use what I have instead of buying new. (as hard as that was to decide on)

So...wish me luck! (and good luck to everyone else in the class too!!!) And check back here throughout the month to see some of the pages I've done in my new holiday journal.

Still around...

I've been dealing with a few medical issues the past week or so...I'm hoping nothing major, but they're doing tests to figure out why I'm extremely anemic and my hemoglobin levels are so low. I go in on Monday, the 4th for a Colonoscopy and an Upper GI to see what they can find. Waiting for an appointment with a hemotologist now to see if they want to boost my levels with a transfusion and then maintain from there. I'm not 100% thrilled with the idea of a transfusion but I've been feeling so sluggish lately, no energy, sleeping way too much and I have a lingering headache that won't go away. My mom and I are the same blood type and she's willing to give me her blood so that we don't have the higher risks of going through a blood bank. So....I just don't know at this point.

On a good note though...December 1st starts a couple of fun things for me. (and you, if you'd like to join in) Nancy's starting a "Photo a Day" challenge at Scrapforums. The goal is to take a picture each day and journal about that photo just a bit too. Some folks will be putting these pictures into an album of some sort. I just plan to do them here, on my blog. Wish me luck!

Another thing that I've decided to do is a Christmas Journal. My buddy Nicole told me about a class that she's taking for this and I couldn't resist signing up too. I love Christmas but always stress over everything being just right. I want to use my Christmas Journal to keep me grounded and to help me appreciate all that goes on around me during this joyful time of year. You can join this class too...it's not too late. You can read all about this class here...Journal your Christmas.

Oh, oh, oh...almost forgot too...I decided to give a scrapbook contest a shot. Another first for me actually...I've never done anything like this before. But, Memory Creators is having their annual Super Bowl of Scrapbooking contest. Everyone interested in "trying out" submitted their layouts and then they chose 40 entrants to move on to the "draft". I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the 40 to move on. Now, these 40 people have two layouts to do and submit to be voted on to move on to the next round. These entries have to be in by the 7th. I've got one layout finished and I'm very happy with it. (can't share it till after the 7th, but watch here soon) Wish me luck in moving on to the next round. This will be fun!

OK...I'm off. Need to get a few things done while I have the energy to do them. I hate being this lazy. It's soooooo not me!!

I got outta bed for this???

Today was supposed to be our last Regatta till the Spring Season kicks into gear in February. We had to be at the school a 4:30am...meaning we had to get outta bed at 3:30. That's CRAZY!! Not to mention the fact that the tempuratures here are about 11* less than "normal". So it was COLD! (for us anyway)

We got to the Sanford Riverfront...it was still VERY dark and VERY cold. The grass was wet with dew and even though I had two pairs of socks on, my little feet donned in my sporty Keds tennies, were freezing in no time. We couldn't just sit down and wrap up in our blankies either. Soon the sun was coming up and it was time for the parents to help put together our big canopy to give us all someplace to sit. That done, we finally get to wrap up in blankets and start thawing out.

I think I forgot to mention that it was really windy too. This made the water on the river VERY choppy! Our Varsity girls had to be on the water before 7am and the Novice girls (this being their very first race) shortly after. That's when the excitement began.

The first group of boats come in and the water was so choppy that as the girls rowed, the water sloshed up and into the boat. By the time they were at the finish line, some of the boats had taken on so much water that they were actually sinking. One of the boats (not ours) was underwater that the girls were under water to their chests. And that water was cold! Our girls took on enough water to be a little in the water...but not "sink". Didn't really matter though because when they lifted the boats out of the water and overhead to carry back to the boat trailer, the water they had taken in just poured right out over their heads.

Not a fun morning on the water...that's for sure!

Then a 4 girl boat came in with just two rowers in it. They were taking in so much water that two of the girls were pulled from the boat to "lighten the load" a bit. Then they called for a few of the guys to head down to the starting area because two boats had capsized and were on their sides. (rowers in the water, treading water till they were pulled out) They originally thought they'd have the boys go in the water to help get the boat back upright but someone thought that wasn't such a good idea. DUH!!!! Sheesh! (and yes, Josh was one that was ready to go in the water, no questions asked...goofball!) They ended up towing one of the boats, on its side, to the finishing dock. What a freakin' mess!!!

It wasn't too long after that they announced that the rest of the races were delayed...postponed till further notice. Our hospitality group kicked things into gear and cooked lunch for the team and the parents. We had hamburgers and hotdogs at 10:30 this morning. By noon, they called for a coach's meeting. Our head coach came back and said that they were officially going to go ahead and restart the regatta but that we were just going to pack up and head home. He didn't want to deal with what our girls dealt with that morning.

Soooooooo...we packed up and were home by 1:30 this afternoon. Alex and I both napped for a good 2 or 3 hours because that 3:30 wake up call kicked our butts! (I'm too old for that, LOL) It's been a quiet evening at home and everyone's in bed now. I'm headed that way now. Even after my nap, I'm ready to sleep tonight!

I've got a few things to do around the house tomorrow and then on Monday, I've gotta go back to the dr for more bloodwork. I had my physical on Friday and the nurse called back that afternoon to tell me that they've discovered that I'm anemic. They want to do a full Iron Workup on Monday to find out why...blah blah blah. Maybe this explains my laziness and need for the more than my average naptimes?? I guess we'll see.

Goodnight all...till next time!

I've been SCRAPPING!!!!

I've actually scrapped this week...surprise surprise!! It's really about the only thing I've gotten done lately, it seems. I feel sooooooooooooooooooo stinking lazy!! Maybe I've been just too darn busy and I need a little downtime?? Who knows!!

I've done a few digital layouts...like this one...A few pictures from our trip to the condo last month. Emily had a GREAT time, as you can see. Everything on this digi layout came from Kimberly Giarrusso's Jamba Jive kit. Love the colors in this kit. So "summery"...and we know how many summery pictures I have. (www.purescrapability.com)

I also did this layout of Em and her kindergarten teacher. These were taken LAST YEAR...can't believe my baby's in First Grade now. She's growing up so quickly! Mrs. Phillips is a wonderful person, a terrific teacher and we've

continued our friendship with her since leaving her class. I volunteer in her classroom every week.

That layout was done using Jessica Bolton's Delight in Photographs digital kit. Jessica's one of my absolute favorite digi designers and I think this is my favorite kit of hers. (www.eclecticscraps.com)

There were a couple of other digital layouts that I've done this week, but I won't bore you with all of them. If you really want to see them, they're in my gallery at both Scrapforums and The Shaker Box.

And here's my latest paper layout. Did this one

last night. Look at how long my girl's hair was. WOW! Now its so much shorter...and so sassy!LOL!!

Thanks for checking us out! Time for me to get up and get something done around here. I'm going to the Memories Expo tomorrow and I can't leave this house looking the way it does right now. I'd be horrified if anyone were to drop in right now. Its probably not as bad as I make it out to be, but to me, it's a wreck!!

I'll update after the weekend. Have a good one!

Busy busy busy!!!

Wow...time has gotten away again. Where have I been? Let's see...the last time I posted was a quickie on the 28th. Here's a bit of an update. Warning, this may get long. So grab a beverage and read on...if you're up to it. (not that too many folks read my random crap anyway, LOL)

10/29-Head of the Gator, Gainesville. Our first Regatta of the season. Josh's first regatta in the Varsity boats. Josh's first "Head Race". A head race is when they stagger the start times of the boats and they basically race against the clock. Josh has worked so hard this season to earn a spot in the Varsity 4 and the Varsity 8 boats. He's in the 4 with two seniors and a jr. He's only a sophomore...but has really become quite the rower. The Varsity 4 takes FIRST place and the Varsity 8 took 3rd. Definitely a fun and exciting day on the water! Even if we had to leave at 4:15am to get to Gainesville. It was well worth it! (I tried to insert a picture here, but blogger isn't cooperating)

10/31-Halloween. Emily had counted the days till Halloween. She'd decided to be a Witch this year and had her costume weeks before. She was dressed and ready to go almost immediately after we got home. Complete with the green face, black lips and we can't forget the whacked out hair too. (lots of gooey silver and green gel, thanks to our hairdresser, Song) And man, she sure played the part too...she's such a ham. We all joined our next door neighbors for the annual party in the driveway. Complete with homemade chili (and all the fixings), a few beers and of course, the great company too. Josh got home from Crew practice and took Emily trick or treating. Even though she'd already been to a few houses with our neighbor's great grandson. The trick or treating was non-eventful for us, thank goodness. But you always hear such horrible stories the day after. And we had the Sheriff's helicopter flying over our street right at about bedtime. That always freaks me out! I couldn't sleep till the helicopter was gone. I somehow convince myself at that point that all is safe once again.

11/1...Same ole schedule...same ole routine. Nothing exciting, or so we thought, right? I'm at Em's dance class waiting for her to finish and Josh to get there. He'd gotten a ride from practice with Teri and her mom. The three of them come into the dance studio and ask me to come outside...they have something to tell me and I'm not going to be happy about it. I go outside, having absolutely no idea what they're about to say to me. They quietly break the news that "BOB" (name changed to protect) is coming back to row and he's going to take Josh's spot in the 4 boat at the HUGS upcoming race in Tennessee. (this past weekend) You see, "BOB" was kicked off the team about a month ago. Maybe I should say that he was "suspended" and not "kicked off". All of this because "BOB" has a problem with his mouth and is terribly disrespectful...he's a Sr. and has been on the team for a couple of years now and apparently has been an issue for all the years that he's been on the team. Someone finally had enough and action was taken...and the big question was "when will he be back??". No straight answers were given until 2 days before the team is due to head off to TN for the Head of the Hooch...the 2nd largest Regatta in the US. Considering the fact that "BOB" hasn't trained with the team for a month, I had a hard time understanding why he'd be "rewarded" with this big race at the last minute. When the other boys had worked so hard and had been so focused on this big race. Long story short, Alex and I spent that night on the phone with the coaches and the president of the board, trying to determine why this was the right thing to do. Finally, at 11pm, it was announced that "Bob" would be invited to go to TN with the team to "cheer them on" but would not be allowed to row. He would rejoin the team on Monday and begin training for the next Regatta on the 18th of November. We're all fine with this...as long as he understands what is expected of him and we don't have the issues with his rudeness, moving forward. Yesterday "Bob" took a short cut on his run and he wasn't at practice today at all. Wonder if he learned anything yet??? I highly doubt it.

11/3-11/5...HEAD OF THE HOOCH...Chattanooga TN. Josh joined the team on the bus for the 10 hour drive to TN. I opted to fly into Atlanta and picked up Kyle to spend time with him too. This was his first regatta and he thought Crew was really cool. He had a really great time and I enjoyed being able to spend time with him too. It was really really cold up there...something like 29* on Saturday morning. Brrrrrrrrrrr...can't imagine being in that boat in basically just a unisuit. It was a looooooooooooooong day, but alot of fun! The 4 boat took 8th out of 39 teams and the 8 took 19th out of 36 teams. Not too shabby, IMO. Now the fun begins at practice to see who's in the 4 at our next race. I'm hoping that Josh can keep his focus and at least give "Bob" a run for his money. I would hate to see him just give up the spot in the boat to "BOB" without doing the proper seat races, etc. that will determine who's the best rower for that seat. Wish him luck!!!

Kyle and I stayed in Chattanooga Saturday night and then headed back to Atlanta on Sunday. We met up with his sweet girlfriend, Brooke, and went to IKEA. OH MY HECK!!! What a place! We have one coming to Orlando but I don't know when. I'd better start saving NOW!

I flew back home on Sunday evening and got home to a sick Emily. Fever, coughs, sneezing...the whole nine. She missed two days of school and just went back today. She's still coughing and has to keep the tissues close by, but her fever broke Monday night. She's on the mend. I kept her home from dance today because I didn't want her to get worked up and go into a coughing fit or anything. Another little bit of rest will do her good.

Now, we're back to another Thursday. Tomorrow morning, I'll be doing my weekly volunteer time at Em's school. Thursday is usually my busy day with all of that. Friday, I'll be cleaning and getting ready for the weekend. I'm going to the Memories Expo with my good friend, Nancy. I'm hoping to keep to the scrap budget but I've never been good about that in the past. Especially at the Expo. But lately, I've been so overwhelmed with everything piled up in the scraproom. I really want to remodel and reorganize everything in here. There really isn't anything that I "need" and I'm not really sure of anything that I actually "want" right now. I'll look around and see if there's anything that I just can't live without. Just hanging out with Nancy will be fun. She's always a hoot...I laugh till I cry when I'm with her. Gotta love a great friend like that!!

Oh...I did a few digital scrapbook pages last night and today. Got a few of my digital assignments out of the way! I tried to put one of them in this post but blogger still isn't cooperating. I did a total of 4 digi layouts and a digi card too. I've uploaded everything to my gallery at both Scrapforums and The Shaker Box. Pop over and check them out if you get a minute. I'm hoping to get the mess picked up enough in the scraproom to get a paper layout or two done by the end of this weekend. The picking up the scraproom seems to be the story of my life. Ugghhh!!!

OK...it's after 11pm now. A bit past my bedtime. I'll quit rambling now. If you read all of this...thanks! Now leave me some love in a comment.

Scrapbook fun...

There's a fun little Online Crop this weekend at SCRAPFORUMS!!!

Check it out! (It goes till Halloween!)

GO CARDINALS!!!! Game 3 of the 2006 World Series!!!

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

We're back! Home from St. Louis...and man, what a great time! A bit on the quick side, but sooooooooo much fun!

Alex and I headed out on Tuesday morning at around 6am. We ran into the most obnoxious scanner guy at the airport...telling us all that we did wrong, etc. We had a gallon size bag with our toiletries in them and we were to have had ONLY a quart size bag, etc. etc. I thought he was just taking his job seriously...Alex thought he was being a jerk. It didn't matter to me...we fixed it and set out on our way. We were going to the World Series!!

We flew from Orlando to Charlotte and then on to St. Louis. We picked up our car and headed right for the hotel. We'd hoped to have had time to visit Alex's mom grave but didn't get that time, unfortunately. Had we really thought this trip through, we would have (should have) left on Monday night and had Tuesday morning to do the running around that we'd wanted to do.

We met up with Alex's great friend, Jim, and his wife, Keela. They drove in from Nashville to go the game with us. They're great folks and we always have a great time with them. We met up in the hotel lobby and enjoyed a couple of cold ones together before heading to the train to take us downtown to the ball park. Jim was hilarious on the train...he likes to be in control and would have been far more comfortable driving all the way to the stadium himself. This gave us all something to laugh about on the ride downtown. Gotta love publice transportation, after all. Sometimes the ride on public transportation can be an adventure in itself.

We got to the stadium a few hours before game time and just took in the sites around the stadium and listened to the live music playing just outside. We'd gotten there early so that we could shop for the jacket and jersey that Alex wanted to get. We weren't able to get in the big store though, till after the gates opened and oh my gosh...the shop was PACKED!! You could barely get through the place and once you got what you wanted, the wait in line was a good half hour or more. We couldn't find the jacket in Alex's size so he settled for just the jersey...but as he came out of the shop, donning his new jersey, a cart of the jackets were being wheeled in. He went back in the swarm of people and found his jacket and stood in line AGAIN. This was totally unexpected because if you know my husband, you know that he is NOT a patient person...especially in stores, etc. He must have really wanted those things. LOL

The weather was on the chilly side up there. We were sure to wear layers because once the sun went down, it would be around 30*. Alex and I really don't have clothes for that type of weather. Jim and Keela took care of us though...they brought extra scarves and things to help keep us warm. I think it dropped to about 27* that night. We were on the 4th level. It really wasn't that bad with all the people around us. Alex and I went down to the concourse to grab a bite to eat and being out in the open with the wind blowing, we got REALLY COLD!!! And from that point, it took some time to warm up again.

But, the Cardinals WON!!!! 5-0!!!! Bringing the Series to 2 games to 1. Game 4 was rained out last night...thank goodness we were there when we were. To go all that way and not be able to see the game. That would have been horrible.

I slept all the way home...we stopped for lunch on the way home and then I slept from the time we got home (around 3) till 7:30 this morning. I was exhausted! (and I think a bit on the dehydrated side)

Today, I'm awake...I feel like I could probably go back to sleep again and I look like hell! My eyes are all puffy and I really need to rehydrate myself. I still need to get the dogs from the vet and catch up on a few things here at home. I need to rest up and get ready to leave at 4:15 Saturday morning for our first Regatta. We're headed to Gainesville for the Head of the Gator Race.

I need to stay home for a while...I don't like being this crazy busy. LOL

Pictures from our beach weekend!!!

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

What a fantastic weekend!!!!!

Thursday, the 19th, was our 10th Anniversary and Alex and I were lucky enough to spend some quiet time together at our Ponce Inlet condo on Friday. We were blessed with friends that were willing to keep the kids over night on Friday and then come out to the condo to join us on Saturday.

Emily's report card conference was scheduled for first thing on Friday. Our plans were to leave immediately after that but since the St. Louis Cardinals won the game the night before and locked their spot in the World Series, our departure was delayed due to getting travel plans made and tickets purchased for Game Three of the World Series in St. Louis. That's right...we're going to a World Series game TOMORROW!!! And we can't wait!

We finally got out of the house around11:30 Friday morning and headed over to Ponce Inlet. The weather was a bit on the "unseasonably warm" but it was sunny and a perfect beach type weather! Biketoberfest kicked off on Thursday so we saw quite a few motorcycles heading over there with us. After dropping everything off at the condo, we headed out to get a bite to eat at this fun little place just down the street from the condo called "CRABBY JOE'S". We had the YUMMIEST Grouper Sandwiches there. Mine was grilled and Alex had his fried. The fish was fresh and there was so much of it for just $7.50. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that they only had Corona in a can...I can understand it being on a pier, right over the water. But I like my Corona in a bottle!!

We decided to just take a drive and check out the area a bit after lunch. I think we spent a good four hours just driving around, looking at motorcycles and just taking everything in. I thought seriously about getting a tattoo but stopped at a tattoo parlor and was freaked out by the woman and the guy that were running the place. I swear the guy was stoned out of his mind. I could barely understand a word that he said cuz he was mumbling. He'd start off a sentence and his voice would trail off into a mumble by the end of the sentence. And the place didn't seem too clean to me at all. I'd never been to a tattoo place before and this one could have very well scared me completely out of the idea.

I called my sister that lives about 30 minutes from there. She's a PRO when it comes to the tattoo crap...a pro compared to me anyway. She's got a few tattoos so she knew what to ask and what to look for. She talked Alex and I into joining her that night at a biker bar not too far from her house that had a tattoo vendor there doing tattoos. The folks at this booth were awesome! They're state certified, and answered every question that my sister had for them and they were busy!!!! The were booked till 11:30 that night...it was only 8 at that time. Had they been able to get me in sooner, I'd have probably gotten my first tattoo that night. Oh well...maybe I'll go to my neice's guy here locally. Just not sure when.

Alex and I got back to the condo around midnight Friday night and I was wiped out! I think I was asleep within 10 minutes after walking through the front door. Alex wanted to take a romantic walk on the beach but I just couldn't do it. This girl needs her sleep!! LOL

Saturday morning, Alex woke me early enough to sit on the balcony and watch the sunrise while we had coffee together. It was so pleasant and so relaxing...the sunrise was beautiful. We saw dolphins playing just off the coast too. Then I went back to sleep! LOL!!! I slept till around 10:30 and then got up to shower and get ready for our friends to get there with the kids. Once they all got there, we headed off to lunch at Inlet Harbor Restaurant. Another great meal with fresh fish, great entertainment by a live band and we ate outside, right by the Marina. The music was great but was a little loud and made it tough for us to chat over lunch. That was really the only complaint though.

Then it was back to the condo and down the beach for close to FIVE hours. The weather was PERFECT, the beach was so quiet...so secluded. Ponce Inlet is a private beach, just south of Daytona, north of New Smyrna. At Daytona and New Smyrna, you're allowed to drive on the beaches. Not on Ponce Inlet beaches though. The water was almost crystal clear, the surf was perfect and when the sun got to the other side of the building, we had our very own shade too. The kids enjoyed the water, digging in the sand, finding sand dollars, shells and even starfish on the beach. I flew a kite for a while and almost lost it when the spool slipped out of my hand and the kite fell into a dune area. EEKS.

Our friends ended up staying there with us and spent the night at the condo too. The kids stayed there while the adults went to dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp co. in Daytona. Alex and I love the Forrest Gump movie and were excited to eat there. Probably not the best idea during Biketoberfest, but it was still fun. Took us an hour to get back to the condo due to Biketoberfest traffic. Didn't bother me though...I was fascinated with all the bikes and the bustling atmosphere. I would have loved to have just gone down to the Daytona area and walked around for a while. Instead, we went back to the condo to watch the last few innings of game one of the World Series. Cardinals won that game 7-2 IN DETROIT!!!!!

By the time Sunday morning rolled around, we were all a bit on the tired side. Alex woke me up again for coffee while watching the sunrise. I didn't feel nearly as tired as I did the morning before but that didn't last for long. By the time we went to Walmart to get a few things needed for the condo and then to lunch, the kids were getting crabby and I was feeling beat. We headed back to the condo where Josh and I crashed for naps and Emily talked Alex into taking her back out to the beach. We headed back home around 4ish...unpacked the car, ordered Chinese food for dinner and watched "Over the Hedge". With all that fresh air, we were all in bed and sleeping soundly before 10 last night. Alex and I tried to watch the game last night on TV but couldn't keep our eyes open. The cardinals lost that game 3-1 but now they're headed to St. Louis for games 3, 4 and 5.

Alex and I will be meeting his best friend Jim, and Jim's wife, Keela, in St. Louis tomorrow. the four of us will be AT the new Busch Stadium watching Game Three of the World Series, tomorrow night. It'll be a quick trip, but a fun trip, I'm sure!! Hanging out with Jim and Keela at a World Series game...can't get much better than that!

Today, I'm trying to get laundry done, clothes packed, etc etc. So much to do in just a short time. And here I sit...blogging!!! Nah, actually, I've done quite a bit of stuff today already. I'm about to hop in the shower to get ready to get Miss Emily from school, get her packed and taken to a friend that's keeping the kids for us this time. We'd better get a good night's sleep tonight...it'll be PARTY TIME, big time tomorrow!!!!

GO CARDINALS!!!!!

Oh, and for those that know that I'm a Baltimore Orioles fan...you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll make Alex go to an O's game at Camden Yards too...if they'll get themselves to the World Series in our lifetime!!!

Spooktacular Cropping WEEK!!!!

I know its been too long since my last update. I really do stink with this blogging stuff. LOL!!!

But...here's the deal. For the next WEEK I'll be hanging out and scrapping with the gals at The Shaker Box. Michele and the girls over there have a bunch of great scrapping challenges and LOADS of fun for the week too!

Come on over and join us!!!

The Shaker Box!!!!

I'll try and update my blog soon...I promise!