The basics....

First off, let me start with some of the things you need.

Here's my perty helmet. It used to match my "sled" but then I got a new one. Oh well...






Trail snacks - what would riding be without them?! We always take beef jerky (YUCK!), trail mix (usually consists of yogurt pretzels, nuts and a bunch of sweet stuff), water, rice crispy treats, sandwiches, twix and other candy bars, cheese and pepperoni, etc. It's all about keeping up our strength HAHAHA!






More later

Snowmobiling 101...

Let me start by saying this may be incredibly boring for some of you. Feel free to skip~! I'll post pix in the next post.

We went snowmobiling this weekend in Maine. The conditions were excellent! We found some new wider trails and were having so much fun on Sat. The weather was beautiful! I think it got close to 40 degrees. No ride is without issues though.

We always stick with the same old local trails that are pretty narrow and windy, and sometimes rocky or muddy. My dh has been studying the maps to figure out how we could connect with the ITS 89 trail. It's like a highway for snowmobiles. It's groomed and wider, well marked, etc. So we were speeding along since the conditions were so nice and then we got lost. The local trail wasn't marked so we drove around and around. We went down some dirt roads and the machines tend to overheat when you're not in snow. So you try to go up the snowbank slightly to get snow under the tracks. I hate that part.

Anyway, we found our way and loved it! The way home was much easier when we realized the mistake. We do have trail maps but, like I said, the trails aren't always marked.

Oh, and I forgot, we were heading around a corner going pretty fast because it was beautiful and we seemed to be the only riders out there. Well, we weren't. My hubby isn't used to being "point man" (the front guy). He saw the oncoming snowmobilers and took the turn too wide and got stuck in the deep snow. The guys quickly pulled him out and we were on our way. Whew!

On Sunday, I went out with the guys (Sat. was us and another couple). The conditions were slightly different than Saturday because it was warm and the snow had turned to what we call mashed potatoes. It's not bad but when you are coming around a corner a little fast, sometimes you get caught up in a pile of mashed potatoes and swerve a little.

They took me to Sebago Lake. It's a huge, beautiful lake which we usually go to during the summer. The trail leading us to the trails that lead to the lake is railroad tracks. We drove for miles around 50-60 miles an hour. It was fun. The little local trails leading to the lake were very windy and bumpy. Oh well, we can now say we made it to Sebago.

I'll try not to be so gabby in my next post with the pix.

Didn't happen....

Well, I forgot I had a hair appt. last night so I got home at 8, cooked a quick dinner and then watched my shows. I'm so mad....I missed the first minute or two of Grey's!! Tonight I have to food shop & pack for the snowmobiling trip.

Over and out for the weekend! Have a great one.

Want to win a Cricut Expressions?!!

This is amazing!! Danielle at Life, One Layout at a Time is giving away a Cricut Expressions. Just go there and leave a comment and send your friends too. If they win, you get a prize. Just tell her I sent you over, please!! I only have the little bug. I'd love the expressions!!

Sorry, bad blogger here....

I just haven't been able to play lately. Things have been a little hectic. I thought I'd get to stamping last night but my spoiled son got to me once again.

He works at a shoe store at the mall. Since he started in Nov., the kid has purchased at least 6 pairs of shoes. Yes, you can say he's addicted to fashion. He shouldn't be working there because he's actually not collecting a paycheck. It all goes back to the store. Grrrrrr.... So yesterday he called to see if he could borrow money because the shoes he's so desperately wanted finally came in. I said no. He already owes me money. Then I kept feeling bad all day. I texted when I got home and said if he REALLY wanted them, I could go up to the mall and buy them as part of his birthday gift (next week). He was thrilled! Why do I always cave?! I can't stand myself for it but I can't help it either.

Ok, I saw PJ Man this morning. It's been quite a while! He had on the street paint yellow with the same color shirt. He looked like a street light base. LOL

I hope to get something done tonight but I may not. We are going snowmobiling this weekend so I have to get some cleaning, packing and shopping done today and tomorrow.

More sweet treats....

Go and check out the candy here at cards and coffee.

It looks like a fun package!! Hope one of us wins.

More sweets.....

Check out the candy here at Kristine's blog

She has some adorable cards to check out while you're there as well!

A tribute to Bob....

I just got word that my uncle has passed away. The poor guy just kept hanging on. I'm so glad he's at peace now.

I have a layout planned in my head. There are so many pix of the two of us that I want to scrap. He had some funny sayings and was a wonderful man. I'll miss him terribly.

Candy, candy....

Look at this delicious candy you can win! Visit Chrissy's blog and check it out. I have my fingers crossed!!

What sign do you attract?

No cards to post today so I thought I'd do something fun. What sign do you attract and does it match your hubby/bf? Mine does not. My hubby is a Taurus.

You Attract a Capricorn

When down to earth, responsible, loyal Capricorn meet you, they've met their match. You are as ethical as Capricorn, and they respect your values. You are also able to be a loyal and caring partner to your Capricorn, even when times are tough. You are there to cheer up or motivate your Capricorn - which never goes unappreciated.

What Sign Do You Attract?

Snow day!!!!

I hate having more snow but I sure do like a paid play day!! It's so pretty coming down but it sure creates a mess.

I pulled together a bunch of cards for someone at work who wants to buy a bunch. So that meant putting sentiments on the inside and stamping the backs with my personalized stamp. I seriously can't wait to get rid of a bunch. Am I the only one who has a huge stash of cards? I sent 40 to my SIL for her shop and I have another two bins jam packed. I send out a lot of cards too. So I guess that means I make too many?!!

I needed a few more sympathy. You never have enough of those. Used SU Rose Red, Old Olive, Regal Rose combo which is one of my favorites. The dp is SU also. I'm not sure what set this is. It could be double sided stems or something like that. I traded the set and stamped a bunch before I shipped it. I embossed this one. The flower middles are shimmerzed but you can't see that. The sentiment is a Mike's $1 stamp and I used my rectangle nesties. As always, the colors are a bit off in the photo. The brads actually match in person. Thanks for looking!

Quick valentines...

Finished two valentines tonight, nothing fantastic, but they're done. The purple/red/black is a weird combo and I would never do that other than Valentines. I got the jar idea from a Take Ten magazine. The paper was in my stash and it had that lavender on the backside so I thought it would work.

I'm getting sick of seeing my label Nesties and I'm sure you are too! LOL I made the first for a little pen pal of mine. ;-) The sentiment stamps and ribbon are CTMH and the whale is Rubber Soul. I added the hearts above the spout from a dollar set from Mike's. The red ink is SU Riding Hood Red.

I need my real mojo back. I wonder if it's because I haven't been listening to my music while stamping?! My hubby stole my Ipod tonight because his had no battery left. He was playing MY music!! OH well, I did hear music, didn't I?!

Nothing accomplished...

I didn't make any cards last night. I stamped a bunch of Valentine images for a friend.

I've been exhausted lately. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not sleeping well, sinus issues, or just mentally exhausted. My poor uncle with ALS is hanging on much longer than the nurses expected. He was given two days over the weekend and yesterday she said he couldn't last 24 hrs. So....I hate to post a downer but I may not be on over the next few days. I'm not sure if we'll have family staying with us or what yet.

QOTD: How many Valentines do you send out?

I usually make one for my hubby, mom, each son and I send one to my dad and my godmom. I used to be good and send them to my boys' godmom's too but I didn't last year.

Penguin valentine....

I need to edit as soon as I can find the blog I found this sketch on. It was titled TECC52AW and there was a cupcake card I CASEd. I will do my best to link it in a bit. Ok, what I've found so far is it's Taylored Expressions anniversary. I can't find the exact blog yet for the sketch I used. Sorry! I do want to give credit for the wonderful sketch.

** I found it, I found it!! It's Ana's sketch! Her card is way too cute!

I made this for my hubby. I used CTMH sentiments, Memory Box penguin, I believe the pp is Memory Box as well, CTMH ribbon. Thanks for looking.

Sweet blog candy....

Check out the beautiful work and post a comment for a chance to win some sweet stamps! Love these!! As Claudia says, it's nice to have something to take up that white space!

Creative Cafe CHA Giveaways.....

Check it out! Leave a comment and you could win a Creative Cafe tee or pen or something else. I don't know about you, but I'd love one of those tees!! ;-) My dream would be to go to CHA one day. Wouldn't that be fun?!!

Another sympathy...

Somehow when I need a sympathy card, I always go for the green and purple. I don't know why but I do.

The colors in this photo are way off (the ribbon). It really does match in person. It's a shiny ribbon so maybe that's why. I am too tired to take another photo.

I pulled out another old SU set (Heartfelt Thanks) and old dps for this. I used Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive and Perfect Plum (I think)! Thanks for looking!

Holiday?....

Well, it was supposed to be my day off. I planned on playing all day (after a visit with my uncle and then grocery shopping). That didn't happen. My uncle had a bad night so I didn't go over. I stopped at the mall to get my free panties at Victoria's Secret and use the rest of my gift card. I popped in to see my mom because she works at the mall. Went grocery shopping and came home. My son asked me to make him breakfast so I did. Then we got a phone call about a showing tomorrow. So....out comes the vacuum. I ran around making sure every little thing was perfect. Thank God I cleaned yesterday, huh?!

I just sat down to make a card after making dinner. I decided it had to be quick and easy. I needed a valentine for my dad and had this image in my bin. I've gone back to cardmaking 101 but it's done!! I keep reading about simplifying in the scrapbook magazines so I suppose that's what I'm doing. Thanks for looking.

Easy, peasy....

I made a couple of quick cards last night. I keep seeing this SU Eastern Blooms set being used and figured I should pull it out. I have so many stamps that I never think of using. I also have a bunch of last years In Colors so I figured I'd dust them off too.

I made the first "wishing you well" one with a CTMH sentiment stamp, Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi cs (SU), Blue Bayou ribbon, CTMH white brads. I used my rectangle Nesties to back the sentiment and SU scalloped edge punch.

Once I was done, I decided I liked the combo and it was so easy so I made another. I have the holiday off today and plan on playing later, but grocery shopping comes first! Thanks for looking!

I've been tagged too....

My friend, Kristen, over at Scrap-Creations tagged me so feel free to play along but just let me know so I can read yours.

1. Link to the person who tagged you (as I did above).
2. Mention the rules.
3. Tell 6 things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them.
5. Go to each person's blog and leave them a comment to let them know they've been tagged.

So... 6 things about me:

1- I am married to someone I went to high school with (sorry, Kristen, I had to copy a little).

2- We have 2 grown boys and one grand-dawg,Reese. My boys love pets but were never allowed to have any. My oldest now has 3 cats and a dog because he has his own place.

3- I'm an office manager at a University.

4- I love food and I am constantly battling my weight, but I used to be SO skinny.

5- I hardly watch any t.v. I only watch Greys, Private Practice & ER.

6- I am addicted to stamping. I started out as a scrapper, got into stamping and I've been hooked since. I now have to force myself to scrap every now and then.

I am going to tag:
(if you can't play, don't worry!)

1. Marianne
2. Stacy
3. Paula
4. Betsy
5. Linda
6. Terri

The babies....

I finally finished the twin baby shower card for my niece. She's having a girl and a boy! I can't wait to see the little dolls.

The colors are off. I used SU So Saffron and I used Bazzill pink. I'm not sure about the blue - it came from Mike's. I used those shades of pink and blue because I wanted to use the flock that someone nice sent me. They look so cute and fuzzy in person. You can't see that here though. Anyway, I used my rectangle nesties and some buttons that just happened to be the perfect shades of pink and blue. The background pins & the Baby stamps are a Mike's dollar stamp and I just added to it. I have no idea who makes the baby stamp and I do not feel like running upstairs to get it. I ran the embroidery thread through my stamp pad a few times to get the saffron color. Thanks for looking!!

p.s. I have no idea what's up with those little dots on the baby boy image. I can't really see them in person. Must be the macro setting that picks up every little dot.

Not fit for beast.....

Ok, I was complaining about the 8 and 9 degree temps. WELL....this morning I woke up and looked at the thermometer. I thought it said 18 degrees. My hubby said it wasn't possible, it must be 18 below. It wasn't 18 below, it was -8. I guess I should have put my glasses on. It got up to a balmy -5 by the time I got to work. I don't know how other parts of the country are dealing with the 40 below temps!! It is NASTY out there.

I started to make my twins card last night but then I realized it was Thurs. and my shows were on (Grey's, Private Practice) so I wrapped it up until this weekend. I'm having a hard time with a design made for two. I'm so used to the threes so I may have to look through some sketches or put a sentiment on the third block. I cut the babies out with my rectangle Nesties. If I like it enough, I'll post this weekend. Have a great one!

Oh, I guess I can post this sympathy for today. I felt like I needed something on the lower left but wanted to keep it simple since it is a sympathy. What do you think? Should I add something there? I used a Whipper Snapper bucket stamp, Prismas/Gamsol, SU Wild Wasabi and Perfect Plum (I think?) and dp, Labels #1 Nesties. I forget who makes the sentiment. The ribbon is May Arts.

Birthday card....

I made this card for my son (a drummer) who will be 19 pretty soon. The stamp is Inkadinkado and sentiment stamp is a Mike's $ stamp.

I didn't want to make it too foofoo so I kept it pretty simple. I used my CTMH tool on the edges to distress them. I used sticky stitches (I think they're made by Fiskars). SU cs used but I can't remember the names. I ended up using Ancient Page Lapis Blue instead of my SU Night of Navy because they were new clear stamps and I needed something to stick. I used Angel Wings Shimmerz to color in the white parts of the drums. It's so not my style but I think he'll like it.

Talk about Blog candy....

OMG, you HAVE to check out the generous blog candy my talented friend, Kerry, is offering for her blog-a-versary. I'm drooling. And the picture of the cookies didn't help much! :-)

While you are checking out the candy, scroll down to see some of her amazing cards!!

Shout out to Sheet Load....

If you love sketches and also getting the most out of your paper, check out Sheet Load of Cards Free Monthly Ezine. They have beautiful designs and they show you how to cut the paper so that you can get as many cards as possible. It's a FREE download each month.

Also, if you check them out and post on your blog, you may win some free Just-Rite stamp sets. I love Just-Rite. I have a few of their monogram stamps and a rectangle set.

So click on the link above and check it out!

Must be a slump....

Or I'm just too rushed. I did make a card last night using my Labels #1 but it wasn't my best work. I need some time to work with the shape. I haven't had enough time to just sit and play. I'm really looking forward to the holiday on Monday. Maybe that'll be better...turn up the tunes and create...all by myself in the house (hopefully).

Speaking of tunes, I had the best ride in music-wise! I heard Matchbox Twenty/3 AM, Ray LaMontagne/You Are the Best Thing, Jason Mraz/I'm Yours, Dave Matthews Band (one of my all time favs), etc.

You have to listen to Ray L. It's kind of Motownish in a mellow way. Love his voice and he comes from Maine so that makes me love him more! LOL My cousin gave me the cd.

Click here to listen:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HDYF9Q/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk1?ie=UTF8&qid=1231940891&sr=1-1

p.s. Pia, if you are reading, I thought it was another boring day with gray sweats for PJ Man. When I drove past, I saw that they had pink and white stripes going down! LOL

No stampin for me....

I picked up my SU catty and got home to a package with my Labels #1 in it. So right after dinner (a little later than usual), I went downstairs and started cutting out labels. I'm embarrassed to admit that I finally tried the embossing after cutting. Love the look!

I was too tired to stamp so I made myself go upstairs to look through the catty. I got close to half way and fell asleep. It really wasn't the materials, it was exhaustion. So...it's with me today. I'm going to the bank at lunch and then I'm reading the rest of my catty. I saw a few cute sets so far. I did not make it to the dp section which my SU rep threatened to rip out on me!! LOL I'm sure I'll be drooling.

p.s. Just for Pia - PJ man had white with pink tie dye pants yesterday and black shorts over those. Today he was wearing....are you ready?.....normal black sweats!! I'm shocked.

Gorgeous blog candy from Shimmerz.....

Love the pretty new colors. Just post what colors you'd like to see in the future, for a chance to win.

The best intentions....

Well....it wasn't a very productive weekend for me. I semi cleaned the house, shoveled the front and back stairs (YES, more snow - 6 inches), and the snowmobile trailer.

Tonight I finally sat down to play and I just didn't have much luck. I wanted to play with some new stuff (only new to me). It's Crushed Velvet Flock by Doodlebug. A good bloggie friend sent it to me (thanks, Betsy! Wanna come up and play in the snow?!). So...first I decided to do a flower. I stamped the green stem in regular SU ink and then wiped off the flowers and got them glued up with my Glue pad and stamped. I put the flock on the flowers and it came out kind of nice. I made a mother's day card because I was looking for pp to match and only came up with Mother's Day paper. It wasn't my favorite. That will be put in a pile for my SIL's shop.

Then I tried to make a a single flower with just the glue pad (Tsukineko's Essential Glue Pad). I filled in lines with a glittery pen,. That came out kind of nice. I put stickles in the center. It's really blurry but you get the idea. I'll have to figure out what to do with it.













Then I tried stamping two little babies because my niece is having twins - a boy and girl!! We're very excited. I used a Zig two way glue pen and it didn't completely cover the pink. The blue came out great. I still haven't made the card but here's how cool they look. Don't they look soft and furry?











Then I decided to do the same (stamp and fill in with a glue pen) to a cupcake. It's for one of my little nieces. It's very girly girl, glittery card. I started out trying out a color combo but it never happened. I was trying for SU Kraft, Pink Passion and Lovely Lilac. I just couldn't do it so I left out the Kraft. The Bazzill Blingz CB background was from another great bloggie friend (thanks, M!!!). The purple paper on the cupcake was painted over with Angel Wings Shimmerz. Those bling flowers to the right are CTMH.

Repeats...

Well, I did a similar mouse card (from the blue one posted recently) the other night and a blue Bella instead of pink for a change. I don't have anything else to post because I didn't have time to stamp tonight.

I got my hair cut, came home and tried on a bunch of clothes. I was trying to decide what to wear to a party tomorrow night. I will only have about 15 min. to change after I get home so that's why I was planning ahead. I didn't sit down until after 9 so forget about creating tonight.

So, this is all I have, folks! This time they are colored in with Prismas and Gamsol.

I used a generic orange on this card with the Cuttlebug birthday folder, a Memory Box note card and pacific point from SU.










I feel like this one is too dark on the left. Maybe I should have put a white strip or turq. under the ribbon. OH well....

I used SU pacific point and riding hood red on this one. I'm using pacific point a lot these days!!

No crafting last night...

I had good intentions but I ended up calling my sister-in-law who has a little shop in NH. She asked for some cards to sell so I sent up 40 from my stash! We ended up gabbing and I painted in a cupcake with Shimmerz while I talked to her but that's as far as I got.

Then I went to get caught up on some Facebook games and never went back to my room. Maybe later...

(no PJ pants today - ooops, I meant he wasn't there!)

Amazing blog candy....

Ooooh, I really want to win. Go and check out the amazing blog candy you can win at The Voices in My Head blog!

CASED cards....

I saw a sketch on the Card Sketch a Day blog and thought it was cute. I also thought I could use up some scraps. So....I cut up a bunch of squares and made two quick cards. I was going to make the pink one a baby one or a get well but the clear stamps weren't cooperating with the inks that I had to match the pink. I hope it's ok to post these.

I used some Basic Grey scraps and Memory Box cards. Sooooo easy!

Back to....

It's a day of back to's. Back to work, back to the diet, back to making myself walk up the five flights in the a.m. Back to going home to cook dinner for three adults when I'm the last one who gets home.

I'll stop complaining now. It's just one of those days. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

On a good note, I scrapped again last night which brings my weekend total to 9 pages!!! Yay for me! I'm just about finished with my youngest son's book. All I have is his graduation party and then I can move onto my oldest or our family book.

Well, back to work.

p.s. PJ man was in street paint yellow again today.

Early Valentine's card....

I was cleaning up my room the other night and found this paper I recently got. It reminded me of Valentine's so I got in the mood to make one. I think I'll give this to my mom but I'm not sure yet. I used a sketch from Mojo Monday sketches (not sure about the link).

I used a CTMH set for the hearts. I think the sentiment is My Sentiments Exactly, but I could be wrong! I think those little gel hearts are Heidi Grace. Again, I could be wrong! I'm too lazy to get up and go into my room to check. The ribbon was a Mike's purchase. I used the threading water punch by Fiskars. I'm not sure who makes the pink paper (thanks, Linda!). The brown cs is Bazzill. The patterned paper is by Cloud Nine Designs.

I finally scrapped....

I don't know how it hit but I got the scrappin' bug. I'm not the world's greatest scrapper so don't mind the lo. I tweeked a Becky Higgins sketch from this month's CK magazine and used a Heidi Swapp kit.

I was having a rough time finding the right colors so I pulled out some cs that matched my house. Then I didn't know where to go from there. I typically use blues for winter. So....I went through my stash and found the HS kit and it was the right color!! I was so excited to have the rubons & papers to match. It also had a bunch of flocked tags which is why I used one for my journaling block and the other for my date.

I am definitely getting better at using my stash!

Holiday Thank you...

Do you send out thank yous for Christmas gifts? I usually have a ton to make for the gifts we receive in the office during the holidays. This year we only got two gifts. One was an extra nice one from someone I like a lot. It was a bead for my Pandora bracelet. I made this thank you to send to her and I cased my friend Tracy's card (I can't link to it because it's not online).

I made several Christmas cards with this color combo and stamp.

I used:

Amuse Chubby Bird
SU Flaky Friends for the snowflake background
SU Pacific Point & Riding Hood Red
SU Riding Hood Red Ribbon (love this - I used the whole roll!!) & ink
CTMH sentiment
Cuttlebug background from my friend Mary quite a while back!
Marvy punches
Not sure who makes the snowflake but I bought a pack really cheap during Christmas at Mike's.

A leeeetle mouse....

I found this stamp on sale in the Christmas section at my lss. It's by the Artful Stamper. I thought it was cute and didn't think it had to be used as Christmas. My dh was iffy about it. What do you think? Is it general or Christmas?

I cannot figure out why I pick out mice when the thought of them in my garage just creeps me out! We caught another one last week.

Once again I used my rectangle nesties. I cannot wait until my labels come in. I used SU cs in Pretty in Pink, Pacific Point and Tempting Turquoise. The gray is Bazzill. I used my limited supply of Copics and you can see why I don't stock up. I just haven't gotten the hang of it. The sentiment stamp is a clear set I got at Mike's for a buck! It's a cute set and it's probably like a 4x8 sheet. I forget who makes it.

And those little tiny flowers...ugh, they are so hard to get off your fingers because they have static. They came with a scrapbook kit I bought and they're by Doodlebug. I have to get more of those little tiny brads by Queen & Co. Nothing else fits.

Finally, I dotted the ribbon with Waterfall Stickles.

p.s. It's snowing like crazy out there!!!

Bella-ed out.....

I decided to make another card or two so that I could decide what to send to my friend. It's not like I don't have a huge box full, but she's a stamper and I want it to be good.

I pulled out a Bella stamp and SU Bella paper and went to work. She loves brown which is why I made the dress brown and her hair blonde. Then I did a pink dress with brown hair, just to have. I had so much fun with the Shimmerz on the brown dress that I decided to make a cupcake card. Love the little "hey cupcake" stamp from Amuse. I used my only set of Nesties again. Can't wait for Labels #1 to come in.

p.s. Don't mind my ink spotted desk beneath the cards! LOL I hope you can see the Shimmerz.

Fairy-ish.....

I made this card with a Lizzie Anne stamp that my good online friend bought me. Have I said many times how lucky I am to have a bunch of fantastic online friends?!!

Anyway, my friend is turning 51. She does like fairies and she loves green and purple together so that's how I came up with it.

When I was finished, I thought maybe it was too little girlish with the color scheme. What do you think? I may have to make another today because it has to go in tomorrow's mail to Maine.

Now be honest. I'm asking so please tell me what you really think about the age/color thing.

I used all SU papers (Pale Plum, Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink dp). The ribbon is SU certainly celery and I used my lg. rectangle Nesties.

Ooops, forgot to mention my Shimmerz! I used pink (crown & star and part of dress), celery, angel wings (legs, arms, face). I colored in most of the image and then shimmered over it with the exception of the legs/arms/face and crown. If you double click, you'll see the Shimmerz effect.

Christmas...

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mine was nice. My son and his fiance came in the a.m. and we had a nice breakfast - a delicious breakfast casserole, home fries, cinnamon rolls & eggnog.

Then we all opened gifts and just as we were about to finish the power went out. My mom's chicken wings were in the oven and half cooked. Crazy. So we quickly packed up and went to my aunt's and finished cooking her wings and my spinach squares.

I had fun seeing all of my aunts/uncles and cousins. We came home pretty early and zonked.

I just have to share a photo or two of cute little Reese, my son's dog. She looks like a reindeer but the headband made it even better.









This is the jacket I bought her for Christmas.















p.s. Santa was good to me. I got a Cuttlebug and some Shimmerz in my stocking. I got a lot more than that but those were the crafty items. Oh and Mrs. Clause ordered me a set of Label #1 Nesties that have not arrived yet. Hope he was good to you too!

Wow, some amazing blog candy....

Check out the link above to see an amazing mini album and post a comment to win some amazing Cosmo Cricket products! I hope one of us wins.

An update for those who follow...

I just wanted to say that pj man has had the bright yellow on two days in a row. I haven't seen him in a while.

Merry Christmas my blogger friends!!!!

A White Christmas...

Well, I guess it'll be a white Christmas. I don't think this snow is going anywhere fast. I think we got another 10-12 inches but dh hasn't measured it yet. It's just slowing down now so he went out to clear the driveway. This photo looks weird but it's taken from the garage with the spotlight on dh's car.

Check out the whiskey barrel in the front yard. I never got to take the photo of it covered because it was dark by then.



























Well, back to work tomorrow. It's only for two full days and one early release. Then I'm off until after the new year! I can't wait to have nothing better to do than play with my stamp & scrap stuff!!!!!!!!!!

I won, I won!!!

I won some blog candy again from the talented ladies at Candy Sweet Paper Treats. I truly am on a winning streak!

The other day I had an email from someone I used to work with. She sadly moved away a year ago but still works online for us. Anyway, she emailed to ask if I would use a g.c. to my lss. Oh Yeah!!! So I got it in the mail yesterday and it was $50! I am so excited! I can't wait to go shopping.

Yes, I had a great week!

The pending storm.....

Well, we are supposed to get about a foot of snow today starting around noon. Some schools were closed in anticipation of the storm. I only have to work until 11:30. That will hopefully give me a little more catch up time.

I'm not sure when I'll be posting again. I'm really running as fast as I can! :-)

More photos...

I wish I knew how to do a slide show. It was pretty and pretty ugly in some spots. I'm hoping we don't lose power again. Someone who works here lives about a mile away and she lost it again this a.m. I'm nervous.









The woodshed and trailer in the back....










The front of the house...look at those poor shrubs!

The ugly truth....

This is looking down my street. It was blocked for days. Luckily I live on a circle. My neighbor was so lucky her car didn't get crushed!



















My back yard...

Powered up....

What a day yesterday! I was swamped at work, so fuzzy from lack of sleep, quickly drove home from work and proceeded to spill a container of half and half on my car seat. NOT a good day.

Then I checked the mailbox. I had a package from a wonderful online friend (won't mention names just in case) who really made my day. I got two containers of Shimmerz in gorgeous colors that I had on my list!! I also got a beautiful homemade card and a bunch of Cuttlebug backgrounds. The best part was the sweet note she wrote inside the card. I am so grateful to have her as a friend, even if it's just online. I wish we didn't live on different sides of the country.

We went to my aunt's for dinner last night, went home to the dark, cold house. My hubby lit a fire to try and warm up the house. It was about 60 degrees out yesterday and inside my house was in the upper 40's. We just could not get that damp coldness out.

We ended up letting the fire go out around midnight. We slept on the recliner couch again. I was really getting cold and uncomfortable around 3:30 - 4, wrapped myself tighter in blankets and fell back to sleep. The power bleeped at 4:30 a.m. We were so psyched! We got up and started shutting off faucets, showers, etc. There was ugly brown water coming out at first so the toilets are stained and some of the sinks & 1 shower are kind of gross. I made sure my shower was all cleared up. What a relief it was to get into my own shower and take my time. I nearly jumped out the window when I stepped on the tiles though. They are still so cold!!

We are expecting a wintery mix for today and snow for tomorrow. I am seriously hoping we don't lose it again. There are so many limbss just hanging off trees that are way to high up to get down.

I am so far behind on Christmas. I've lost four days. I think I'll have to give up on the baking and maybe some Christmas cards. I got our families out yesterday. I really need to get out and shop and wrap everything up.

Thanks for all your good thoughts for our power! (and for putting up with boring text-heavy posts!!)

Ice storm...

Just to update you, I haven't been ignoring anyone. We had an ice storm and we've been without power since Fri. at 2:30 a.m.

I fell back to sleep thinking it would be back on later. Woke up at my usual 6 a.m. and wondered how I'd get to work without a shower. I called the emergency # and found the univ. was closed. Then I got the text saying it was closed.. Yay, a snow, well ice, day!!! When I realized we weren't getting power back it was NOT fun.

We bundled up and basically sat around waiting for it. I did address my Christmas cards by sunlight. YAY! Then it got dark in the afternoon. It was so hard to sit and not be able to read or anything.

I will also tell you that we only had a few flushes before the water was completely gone. We have an electric water pump (well water). Yuck.

So we stuck it out by the fire in the family room the first night. My hubby and I slept on the recliner couch and my son froze upstairs. We didn't keep the fire going all night so it wasn't warm in the family room anyway.

Ditto on the next day/night. We were so stiff and cold, I finally caved and called a few hotels. I finally got one nearby that had just gotten their power back so they had openings. We stayed last night.

I'm so fuzzy right now and discombobulated. I have piles of dirty clothes and a messy house. It's such a mess. I know I shouldn't complain. Some people have babies and elderly folks to take care of. My mom went to her sister's so I was happy she had a warm couch to sleep on.

The ironic part is we have a brand new generator which we purchased a year ago. Of course we've never needed it. So my dh cranked it up and the heat started, lights were on in the kitchen. I quickly got a pot of coffee going and half way through everything went out. I'll save all the details but it was confirmed by an electrician that we have a faulty generator. Gotta run and catch up on over 200 emails.

Christmas tree....

Well....we have had some problems with our lights. The tree was up and perfect (well, in our eyes). The next night I plugged the lights in and the top set would not light.

My hubby got the light tester out and checked each and every one. They all seemed fine. So.....we will have to gently take off that set and replace it. In the meantime, it's been pretty dark.

I took photos before the ornaments and they looked beautiful in my camera screen. They are not so beautiful but at least you get the idea.

Which Reindeer are you?

You Are Blitzen

Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa. Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying! Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Blog Candy....

Check out the link above for some great Magnolia stamp blog candy!! I couldn't read most of the blog but I was able to post a comment! LOL

Short update....

The weekend wasn't a complete wash out. We bought & decorated the tree (spent way more than we normally do but we supported a local greenhouse), decorated the house, and I finished up some cards and made 10 more.

I don't have photos here to post but I'll try to post another old one or two tomorrow.

p.s. PJ man color for the day - Bright Christmas Red.

A few more photos...

I found the red velvet Christmas photo! I had to take a photo of the scrapbook page so excuse the quality.












and here's one of the boys and me waiting for Santa. He used to come by in the fire truck when we lived in PA. He'd drive through the neighborhood throwing out candy to the kids. It was so cold. Love the groovy jacket I had on?! LOL This was in the early to mid 90's.

Old Christmas photos...

I know I probably won't have time to blog this weekend so I'm posting an extra today. I wish I could find the younger me in the series of Santa photos. It's in my scrapbook and I don't think I have a scan. I had on a little red velvet coat and a little tam, I think. Here's one of just me. The following year was with my little brother and I'll share that next week. I just love Santa photos! Tim Holtz reminded me of these. Check out his tag by clicking on his name. He's amazing!!
**Edited** How embarrassing! I just went back to Dec. 2006 and 2007. I shared these photos in '06! I guess I won't share the other one next week. I may have to photo the little tiny me in red velvet and see if it'll work.




p.s. I still can't figure out why my mom used to cut my bangs so short! LOL

Just a quick post....

I'm swamped but I just wanted to quickly check in. Last night I had a hair appt. and got home around 7 to eat a quick dinner. Then I marched downstairs and started stamping the inside sentiment for my navy cards in silver. They're all standing like soldiers waiting to dry. I ran upstairs to take over that t.v. so I could watch Grey's & ER.

My hubby was downstairs playing guitar. He came up and said, I just bumped into the desk and knocked all of your cards down. I gave him a panicked look and he laughed. NOT a good way to joke with me. I almost hit him.

I need to be a cardmaking machine this weekend on top of decorating the tree which we haven't purchased yet.

p.s. Status on the daily color for pj man - pink floral

Christmas cds...

Finally got to load a few Christmas cds on my way to work. I take six to the car, eject regular cds one at a time and put them in the Christmas cds I'm loading. Then I load them and hit shuffle. This morning I started listening to one in particular because I need that transition from regular music to Christmas music. It's kind of an Alternative cd but I really like it to start. Numbers 8 and 9 are my absolute favorites. I bought it for the BNL/Sarah McL. song. Vanessa Carleton does a great Greensleeves too!









1. Winter Wonderland - Phantom Planet
2. Maybe This Christmas - Ron Sexsmith
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay
4. Green Sleeves - Vanessa Carlton
5. Blue Christmas - Bright Eyes
6. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - Sense Field
7. 12/23/95 - Jimmy Eat World
8. Rudolph - Jack Johnson
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan
10. Bizarre Christmas Incident - Ben Folds
11. What a Year for a New Year - Dan Wilson
12. Sweet Secret - Neil Finn
13. Snow - Loreena McKennitt

p.s. I have to add that I saw Mr. Pink Pants the other day and laughed. Well....this morning he had on bright yellow (like the paint on the street and those lamp posts in parking lots). He was standing next to one and blended right in! LOL, you probably think I'm evil by now. I just think it's funny. I hope he doesn't read blogs 'cause I'd hate to hurt his feelings (or have him hurt me!!!).

Christmas Meme...

Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane always has great memes. Here's one for you. Let me know if you decide to play.



Christmas Meme

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? I usually wrap but toward the end on Christmas Eve, I've been known to shove a few gifts in bags! But they are well wrapped in tissue.

2. Real tree or artificial? OOOps, I guess this requires my own answer. I used Stacy's by mistake. We get a real tree and John hates to string the lights! LOL

3. When do you put up the tree? We usually do it a week after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? If not before, then New Years Day.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, with a little rum mixed in.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I'm not sure but it was probably a doll of some sort. I was a real girly girl.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have one that my aunt made for my mom when I was young. It's ceramic and it has little kids dressed for the parts. It's adorable.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My dad.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Me! Ha, I do have a habit of buying a few things for them and then a few things for me! LOL I'd have to say my oldest son.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I'm not coming up with anything. Oh yeah, someone gave me a seriously honkin' huge bath set (crystals, bubble bath, etc. in purple).

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Santa Clause

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually pick up a couple of things here and there but the majority is after Dec. 1st.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I think I may have once or twice...but it was a good one, I swear!!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mmmmm...the cookies, fudge, spiced nuts, ham, etc.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear - the boys always begged for colored so I did it one year.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have a serious issue as mentioned before. I have about 40 Christmas cds. I love it all from Please Come Home for Christmas by the Eagles (or maybe it's just Don Henley?) to John Bon Jovi to traditional Bing. I do love Sarah McLachlan and Bare Naked Ladies doing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We are usually home until Christmas afternoon. Then we head to my big family gathering for a while.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? When the boys were young we would let them open one on Christmas Eve. This was a gift already under the tree from a family or friend. The rest are opened on Christmas day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Definitely the commercialism.
23. What I love most about Christmas? Spending time with family & friends.

Store Bought perhaps....

The Christmas card saga continues. Got home last night & mentioned to dh that I was going to check JCP for a coat I'm buying as a gift for someone. He said that he needed to go to a music store because they had something really cheap that he just had to have.

So I'm already in my pjs, makeup washed off, and he asked when we were leaving for the mall. What?!!! I told him if he wouldn't be embarrassed being seen with me, I guess I could go.

We got home at close to 9:00 after purchasing a few little Christmas gifts! Yay, I'm happy there are a few out of the way but I was ready to be strong and move ahead with the cards. Oh well...I'm hoping tonight I'll get my burst of energy.

Just a short update...

I tried as hard as I could to break away from my Facebook games so I could get some Christmas cards done. I walked into my room and realized that I have four birthdays next week. I scrambled to pull those cards out of my already made bins. Whew! After that I realized that someone at work needed some cheer type cards for a friend with Leukemia. I took out a bunch of ready for sentiment cards I had in my stash. I stamped several "Thinking of you, Hang in There, In My Thoughts",etc. By then it was after 9 and I was tired.

Did I head upstairs? Nope, I went to the computer and squeezed in a couple of Scramble games and then headed up to start my new book. Well, it's an old book that's been sitting in my "to read" pile for years. Stacy over at Exceedingly Mundane inspired me to read a Christmas book this year. Stacy is quite the reader and I try very hard to keep up but it won't ever happen! LOL I only got through a couple of pages and started to nod off...

Yay for me....

I won, I won! I've been pretty lucky at blog candy this past year! I won again here. It's an adorable altered bandaid box. I will use it to tuck my sb related receipts in. Katie is very talented and has lots to offer in her ebay store. You can check out the blog and my prize in the link above.

Chitter chatter....

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. Ours was very nice but quiet.

I didn't get many cards done over the weekend. I did pick up my ribbon from the lss and tied ribbons on about 10 cards. I need to seriously get motivated and moving ahead. I stamped with a friend but I didn't get much accomplished - maybe two or three cards and several images.

One thing I really need to do is take a hiatus from Facebook games at night. I'm addicted! And I have a bunch of open games (dh & several friends) so I feel obligated to play. I will have to limit myself from now until I get my cards done.

We had our first snow yesterday. It was wet and icy. The temps went up and it turned to rain. What a mess! I love the first snow if it's nice and powdery white. Well, that's enough rambling. I need to find some subjects before I bore you all to tears.