Brrrrrrr...

It was a brisky 34 degrees on my way in today. Tomorrow it will get up to 67. Go figure. Crazy weather.

Yesterday I drove home and thought we should hurry up and take a photo of my house with the leaves (we plan to sell in the spring). When I got there, I realized most of them are rusty colored now. I waited too long! The burning bush is really pretty right now against the gray house though! I'll have to take some tomorrow.

Got in the door and my dh told me some shocking news - our realtor passed away! I feel so bad. She was so nice and very successful in my area. It was very sudden, pneumonia & congestive heart failure. I will miss working with her on the sale of our house. I didn't know her other than as a realtor but I'm sure she will be greatly missed. Her husband passed away 6 wks. ago. I don't think she was even 60, unless she looked great for her age.

On to my work day.... I'm so happy I have tomorrow off.

Two yahooos!!!

I forgot to say, Yay, Red Sox!! I'm so happy the won the World Series!! I did not stay up for the game. I was way too tired and knew my dh would update me in the a.m.

Another yay, it's official now - dh has a job!!!!!!!!!

It was an uneventful weekend....

and I'm not complaining. Fri. night dh and I went out to dinner and then went food shopping. I know, we are so exciting, aren't we?!! LOL

Sat. I went to the bank with ds finally to open an acct. for him. DH and I went to the mall to buy my ds a shirt for the wedding this weekend (my niece). Luckily we found pants and shoes to fit him in his closet. I only had to buy a shirt and belt. My dh was looking for .... are you ready? .... work pants. I'm hoping to say he's employed after this afternoon. It's been a long 6 months. We still will be scrimping though. The salary isn't great but hopefully he'll make a bundle in commission (in my dreams).

Sun. I made some cards for my France friends. I met them in Hawaii and they are two of the sweetest girls you'd ever meet. One is engaged and the other graduated and got a job in t.v. I made them fairly simple so they weren't too bumpy to mail.

You can't see the shimmery hanger and flower middles in this photo. The dress is an SU stamp.



















This one has a sparkly glass of champagne you can't see. I'm trying to use my stash with the SEI paper here!

Friday's Feast One Hundred Sixty Six

Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.

Well, of course, I'm going to recommend scrapbookaddict (side bar). I spend half my life there! LOL But it's only if you're a scrapper. Otherwise, you may not like it.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?

Oh I would have to say about 9? I have the weirdest dreams and they are so vivid!

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?

I'm not a pet person but we did have a cat or two and one was Put (as in Puttie Tat). We had a miniature daschund (sp?) and his name was Budweiser, Buddy for short. My dad was a drinker. Nice huh?!! When he died, we got a replacement who was called Oscar (Meier Weiner).

Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?
It would have to be some sort of stamping or scrapbooking tool.

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?

I'm not a big fan of hard candies. Every once in a great while I'll eat a butterscotch or a Werthers.

Off to a busy day...

I'll be swamped today. We have a big meeting here tomorrow with some important outsiders. Vrrrrrrrrrroooommm......I'll be flying around.

I started my day with a few great songs and just had to share. One of my all time favorites is Dave Matthews Band/Best of What's Around. I sing that to myself when I'm stressed or scared about something. Crazy, I know, but it calms me.

Then I heard Corinne Bailey Rae (sp?) - Put Your Records On. She has a great voice. Also heard a nice one from The Fray - I'll Look After You. Great start. Then I got to work and my network was down. Ugh...I got on my broomstick and it was fixed. People around here will be hating me today. Very stressed....I'm going to try to be nice! ;-)

p.s. Stacy - I read more last night and liked S. Plum a little better. Must be the mood I'm in! LOL

Vacation day?

Ok, took yesterday off because my dh scheduled car service and I didn't want to deal with car issues. Besides that I have a ton of vacation time left (15 days) and my dh won't be taking any once he starts his job.

I woke up with a major sinus headache, woke my ds up and went back to bed after taking medication. When I got up, I felt horrible so I took some Advil. Felt a little better and washed the bathroom floors and kitchen floor. Showered and went up to the mall to find a dress for my niece's wedding.

What is with all of the 70's fabrics in dresses?!! Very psychedelic. I found one $79 later. Not too happy with that. The first problem is that I'm too chubby for anything. Ugh.

Got home and thought I'd play in my sb room. NOT. I started seeing the squiggles. I had a major migraine so I was done for the afternoon. I felt a little better last night and tried to make a card. I didn't even finish it.

Back to work today. So I can't call it a sick day since it was scheduled and I shopped. I guess I'll chalk that one up.

I am such a Bozo!!!

I totally forgot to pass on the award below. Believe it or not, I woke up at 4 a.m. thinking about this. Anyway, I'd like to pass it on to Maia at Iannosphere. She always gets me giggling with her cute posts about her son and his funny sayings and such. Very sweet!

Sorry for the delay!

Wow! An award for me?!!

I was so excited when I read that I had been awarded the Sweet Treat to Read blog award. This was given to me by Theresa at the link above. How sweet!

I wish I knew how to link it with Theresa's name. I hope the link above works! I'm not the most knowledgeable blogger! LOL

Thanks Theresa!! I really enjoy reading your blog too!

Friday's Feast One Hundred Sixty Five

Appetizer
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why? Ok, first I want to say I'm not a dog lover but I warmed up to my son's new minpin, Reese. I guess I'd be a Golden Retriever. They're very calm and friendly and blondish.

Soup
What does the color purple make you think of? The movie...hehehe! I love the color purple. It actually makes me think of eggplant.

Salad
Approximately how long does it take you to get ready each morning? I get up at 6 and leave just before 8. Not all that time is for *me* though. I wake my ds up, boil the water for my mom's tea, make the coffee, make my lunch, etc. too. I can get ready in about 40 min. I if I have to.

Main Course
How many cousins do you have, and are you close to them? Oh my! I have so many cousins. I think it's 21 first cousins and 32 second cousins. Yes, I'm very close to my cousins. We are spread all over the country and still remain close (CA, OR, NY, MD, DE, MA). We have the best times together!

Ooops, I realized after reading a few posts that I completely forgot my dad's side. I'm obviously not close to them! I think of my mom's side only. I guess that gives me another 8 or so. NO, I don't ever see them which is why I forgot about them. My parents divorced when I was in high school.

Dessert
Take your initials (first, middle, last) and come up with something else those letters could stand for. (Example: SFO = Sweet Funny Otter) MLQ- My Little Quahog (UPDATE: NO ONE KNOWS WHAT A QUAHOG IS? It must be because I'm from the Northeast. It's in the clam family. It's a little tougher and people usually grind and stuff them.)

It's always something...

Ds came home last night from a place my dh and I don't like him at with a dent in the fender of dh's car. He said someone hit and ran in the parking lot. He was outside skateboarding and the car was fine. Went back inside for a while, came out and saw the dent. Grrrrrrr....we do NOT have the money to fix it right now! My dh told him not to take the car back there. He'll have to get his own ride if he decides to visit his friend.

On the good(?) side....his hand is just a contusion. There's some bruising and swelling but no broken bones. Another $75 down the drain for the specialist. That's why I waited but his regular dr. said it should be xrayed. Oh well...better to be safe than sorry, right?

My new Granddawgter....

Hehe...I keep telling my son I'm too young to be a grandmother. This is what he and his gf brought by last night. Her name is Reese (she looks like choc. & pb and it's his favorite candy). She was very well behaved and laid back. Apparently she came from a neglectful home so she's really loving the attention.

I cannot believe I warmed up to her. I don't really like dogs or cats. She was so cute and jumped up on the couch and snuggled up to me. I think my ds was shocked! My dh was petting her too.

She has a couple of sweaters and fleece jackets already and a Halloween costume. Can't wait to see that!

Not much to report...

Nothing new on the home front other than my son will be having his hand xrayed today.

Here's a card I made for an animal challenge and also a simple 30th anniversary card I made for dh using Stampin' Up inks, papers and stamps (All About U set). The giraffe is also SU (In the Wild?).

Weekend update...

I'm pooped. We had a busy weekend. Fri. I had to food shop and make desserts for Sat. We went to a party for our friends' son who came back from Iraq. It was fun catching up with people from high school!! And it was great to see the Marine safely back home. He'll head out again in the spring.

I spent several hours at a workshop yesterday making Christmas cards. I couldn't fit them all in so here are a few. They weren't the usual easy cards. There was a lot of cutting but they came out nice. The one in the back on the left has a snowflake ornament hanging in a window. Not sure if you can tell by the photo. She came up with some beautiful designs, huh? I wish I could do that!!

Just a quick note...

Ds sounds SO much better. He called me after work and told me his bf told his ex off and said she was a jerk for doing what she did. He said he thought about it and hated feeling so awkward talking to my ds and valued their relationship.

"Oh yeah, and thanks for cashing my check, Mom"! (yep, he's feeling much better - thanks for your good thoughts).

Now if he could stop causing me grief now and then.......

Friday's Feast One Hundred Sixty Four

Appetizer
When was the last time you were surprised? On my birthday (sept.) when my son and his gf came to dinner. I thought he had to work. It was a nice surprise!

Soup
Fill in the blanks: My eyes are ________, but I wish they were __________. My eyes are brown, but I wish they were either blue or green.

Salad
If you were a Beanie Baby, what would you look like and what would your name be? I'd be Greta the Giraffe. I love giraffes and I'm tall!!

Main Course
Name two things you consistently do that you consider to be healthy habits. I drink only water (no soft drinks). I'm currently taking a yoga-pilates class.

Dessert
What brand of toothpaste are you using these days? Do you like it? Why or why not? I use Colgate. I used to be a Crest snob but I tried Colgate once while traveling because I left my Crest at home. I ended up liking it better!

Feeling a little better....

My ds is feeling better apparently. Maybe receiving his first paycheck helped!

He called me at work, during work, to ask if our bank was open after work. He just has no clue about these things. So I explained that Thurs. night is usually the bank's late night. Then I remembered that the grocery store has a branch. So I told him I'd take him there and then remembered the ex works there. He said he didn't care.

So I showed him how to detach and sign the check and he was smiling with the cash in his hand when we left. She was not working last night. Whew.

He did eat yesterday. Not a whole lot but some. He had a slice of pizza and some goldfish at work! LOL Then he came home last night with a Wendy's bag for the trash. Back to normal, I hope.

Poor baby...

Oh, my poor ds....I feel so bad for him. It was bad enough his gf broke up with him on Fri. but he found out yesterday that the reason was a lie. She likes his best friend.

I didn't think it affected boys like it does girls, but he's not eating. I keep telling him he'll get sick but he said I just didn't understand. His stomach will not tolerate much food right now. I got him to eat a little bit of mashed potatoes last night but that's it. This kid is way too skinny as it is. I hope he gets hungry soon. He is drinking lots of water.

He also hurt his knuckles from hitting cement. This is not like my ds either. He's not a fighter or a tough guy. He thought the knuckle was broken. I don't think it is since he has mobility but I'm not a nurse/dr. I'll give it another day or two unless he's in a lot of pain. Please think good thoughts for him.

A fall card I made for a challenge...

I used the scraps from my scrapbook I made a couple of weeks ago with Angela Moen from the Button Farm. I love the papers! I think I only used one of them here.

Feast One Hundred and Sixty Three

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

I guess I'd say maybe 6? I don't like people at work to know because I get embarrassed if they do a cake or gift. I like getting presents but I hate aging. And I don't have to have gifts. I tell my boys not to spend any money on me. I'd much rather have a hug or nice conversation. My dh surprised me this year with a cake the day after my bday because I crafted all day on the real day.

Soup
What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of? Sorry, it's gross - Puke. I would much rather hear vomit, throw up, etc. I hate that word!

Salad
Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like? Yes, I usually do. My eyes are very sensitive. I had this cool movie star pair but I left them at a cookout. So I just have the normal oval shape in a tortoise type frame. And a black oval pair in the other car.

Main Course
If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it? Hmmm...I guess that would be my dh and boys.

Dessert
Name a beverage that you enjoy. I love Margaritas but they don't love me!! I have learned some control in my age, I think. Sometimes I still get carried away! LOL I pay dearly the next day.

Motherhood....

I have a beautiful kit from The Button Farm (side bar) that my son's gf gave me titled, Motherhood, A Work in Progress. I've been dying to get this album done so every time I come across a photo I love, I put it in the package so I don't forget. I found this one last night. It's my now 17 yo. who causes me so much grief. He looks like an angel.

Unfortunately I had to photo the photo with my Palm Pilot so it's not great (my techie helper with the scanner is out).

Let me point out, he's never been angel ... or should I say since he became a toddler. He was a great infant! Anyway, this child had stitches twice before he was two. He was always a monkey, climbing out of his car seat, high chair, crib, you name it.

I love this kid dearly and chuckle sometimes when I think of the things he's put me through. I just have to keep looking at photos like this....
how could you get mad at that face?!!




Well, I tried to post the finished album from The Button Farm site but it won't let me right click. If you go to the site, just look for Motherhood on the side bar. She is SO talented.

the Leaves....

I couldn't see the ponds on the way in this a.m. It was really foggy. But, ooooh, the leaves are getting pretty outside my office window! I'll have to try and take a photo when they are peak.

I hope to get to Maine during the next weekend or two which should be perfect for the foliage.

Not much to blog about today so I'll just *leaf* it at that! LOL

Musings....

What a gorgeous day out there! It's sunny, crisp and the leaves are a changin'! I was wishing I had a camera in the car this morning. On my way to work I pass three ponds. They were all so cool looking with the fog hanging right at the water. Gorgeous! Makes me thankful for where I live.

My dh and I had a really nice dinner last night for our anniversary. We went to a converted barn. It's very upscale and gorgeous inside.

We started with a crab dip appetizer and dh decided we needed another so he ordered the crab cake. We shared both and could have stopped there! They are known for their Angus beef so we both had filet mignon. It came with garlic mashed potatoes and butternut squash with maple syrup. It was scrumptious! Oh yeah, and I had a cosmopolitan and my dh had one of their micro brew beers. Then came dessert. I ordered the raspberry cheesecake. It had fresh raspberries on it and a chocolate crust -- to die for! My dh had a brownie sundae which were TWO homemade brownies and two scoops of a gourmet ice cream from Boston. Yum. It was really a nice night. I don't think we'll be going back soon. It was pretty expensive too!

30 Years

Wow, I cannot believe I have been married for 30 yrs. today. Of course, I was a child bride! I got married two weeks after my 18th birthday. Who would ever think we'd still be together? Weird, huh?!

We went out to dinner on Sat. night because my mom gave us a gift card. It was a casual dinner (Smokey Bones, one of my favs). Tonight we're going to a nice place in a converted barn. It's very elegant and expensive. I know, a barn doesn't sound so elegant but they did a great job and the views of the farm are gorgeous. We've tried to get in on a Fri. or Sat. night but they're always packed.

We've been toying with going on a cruise to celebrate but we don't want to do it in the fall, during hurricane season. We may wait until spring and go for it. It's really hard when you don't know if you'll have a job or not so that's another reason we are waiting.

DH said we could go to an island now for a long weekend and then go on a cruise but I said why spend the money. Let's just wait and go all out for the cruise! I've heard Royal Caribbean is the best. Anyone have experiences or opinions? Please leave them for me if you do!