An attempt at stamping...

This card isn't really posting worthy but I wanted to say I DID make an attempt at stamping this weekend. Got my blender pen at Mike's and they also had clear stamps at 40% off. Yay! You know I couldn't resist that so I got a flower set that has different messages for the middle and stems and all that. It's cute. I used the Hello from that set but I didn't adhere because I don't like it. I plan on stamping "deepest sympathy" when and if I ever get to my stamps in storage. The flower was a digi stamp and I used my blender pen to color in the flower part and Copics for the stem. I love these SU In Color and designer papers! What was I thinking when I didn't pack brads, flowers, ribbons? I just got this ribbon so I had to make it work.

Forgot to add that the digi stamp is from Crafting in Croatia.

Wowza.....

You have to check out this blog candy!! Go to Twinkles Glow With Stamps and post for a chance to win!

Katie's Candy....

I've been following Katie at Both Sides of the Paper for a while now. I first *met* her on a scrapbook message board that we both frequent. She's a talented cardmaker and alterer. She is giving away some blog candy so go on and visit for a chance to win!

A no pumpkin fall....

Sorry I've been MIA but I have nothing happy to post! Still no closing date but it will be Nov. 30. Wow, exciting. It better be MUCH before. My attorney is working on it. I'm missing the little house decorations - the mums, pumpkins outside, the cute tin jack-o-lanterns, the glass pumpkin jar filled with orange and black treats, you get the picture. I don't even know if I'll have trick-or-treaters. I better have a bag, just in case. There could be a few little kids in the building but others can't get in.

I need to buy some thank you cards, embarrassing as it is. I did the ALS walk on Saturday and I need to thank those who sponsored me. I usually pull out my Just Rite stamps and spell out ALS Walk around the circle and thank you inside. Anyway, the walk was gorgeous even though it was a bit cold. The leaves were so pretty around the lake. Here's a photo of my aunt, me, my cousin and my stepcousin.




I'm home sick today. I still have the cough from last weekend and it will not stop at night. I've barely slept in three days so my boss told me to sleep in. I tried. It lasted an hour and then I started coughing. My head is pounding and my eyes sting from lack of sleep. I'm going to read on the couch next to see if that works. I always fall asleep reading...

Misc. mumbles...

Well, what a weird weekend we had. It snowed yesterday! It didn't stick because it rained first.

My hubby had band so I was going to stay home and do laundry. I went out to put money on the laundry card, get some groceries and pick up my Stampin Up Order. Got the groceries and my Stampin Up stuff and headed into the office building in the rain. The machine was out of order. I about screamed at that point. I am having so many issues with the temporary living. Would you believe they were going to clean the place every OTHER week?! We were told weekly. Am I supposed to sleep on the same sheets for TWO weeks?!! I flipped. They came over to clean and said they would be doing it weekly for us. That's because I told them I'd be finding a new place and moving out.

Anyway, I gave up on laundry. I wasn't going to go to the laundry mat and spend $5 per load.

Oh yeah, and my son called after the one trip out. He asked me to bring him some food to work at the mall.

I decided to pull out the small stamping bag I brought. I was anxious to use my new In Colors. I didn't end up doing a thing because my Copics didn't match the In Colors and all I had was images to color in. I think I'll get a blender pen or two today to see if I can color in some images.

Sorry for the scattered rantings.

Fluke or a sign of what's ahead.....

It is snowing in MA this morning. I'm not happy that it may ruin our pretty leaves!! I hope it's just a fluke and not a sign of the winter ahead. We need to hurry up and get into our new house (promising signs) and get things done! We need a shed which means we need to have gravel delivered, we need to expand the driveway for our fleet of vehicles, winterize the sprinkler system, etc. It doesn't look like we'll get in before 11/1. I'm ok with that as long as it's not much longer than that. I'd love to be completely settled in by Thanksgiving.

This is out the back of our temporary apartment. Not sure if you can see the snow coming down. It's pretty but if you look to the other sides, it's city. I'm definitely a country girl.

A little better....

Well, I got a decent sleep last night and feel somewhat better. The bank is trying to work with us on the house so it may not be scrapped altogether. The waiting is what kills though.

We lost all hope and started looking at brand new houses the other day since non of the previously owned were working, or if they work, they're short sales. Anyway, it sounds like there is a possibility after all but I'm not holding my breath.

It's amazing how discombobulated you feel after living in the same house for 14 yrs. and then you're dumped in this two bedroom apt. I don't have stupid things like my little milk container to take to work for my cereal. I cannot find it. I swear I packed it in my car. I'm buying a new one just as soon as I can get to the store. There are a lot bigger things but this is one little annoying one. The laundry isn't easy either!! I run down the three flights, put it in, go back up and then have to go back down to check. If it's not done, I repeat, up and down, up and down. At least I'm getting exercise, right?!

Whew...

My hubby was sick the other day and I was sick yesterday. I hardly ever get sick but I was feeling feverish and had a sore throat, ears, etc. I feel better this morning, thank God. I have the holiday off today and have a lot to accomplish. I need to get this temporary living down (laundry, trash, etc.).

Hoping to have lunch with my oldest son today. He's coming down to see our new digs. Have a good day!

The road to nowhere...

Our last two nights at the house were awful. We packed until 2:40 on Wed. night and got up at 6:30 for the movers. After the movers left on Thurs., we ran around all day and cleaned that night until 11:30 p.m. and got up at 6:30 for the walk through. We still had to do shower cleaning and pack up the bedding, clothes, etc. and clean out the fridge and pack the cooler. We barely got out the door at 8:45. The buyers and realtor were there. My hubby was locking up the house and said, "goodbye house, we had a lot of good memories here." I just about bawled my eyes out but I held it together. I was so tired, disappointed about our closing on the new house (didn't happen), I just drove out.

Our cars were filled to the brim. I couldn't even see out the back. We had to hang out at my realtors office for a while because we had no home to go to after the closing. We finally found temporary living quarters and got settled in. We could barely make it up the three flights with all our stuff. Had a good night's sleep though. The place is ok but not great. The people I see in the parking lot look a little sketchy but I"m not used to living in the city. The location I wanted was full. Well, this will be our home for at least 6 weeks so I better get used to it.

Sweeeeeeet emotion......

Ugh, still no word about Friday. I've lost hope. I can see us in a temporary place for a bit.

I thought I'd be ok emotionally because I've been way too busy and way to tired to think about it. I have been looking at things along the way to work that I won't see any more (the pretty ponds and all that). Well...The movers wanted to take whatever we had packed or didn't need today. We have so much stuff, I think we scared them. Anyway, as I was driving out this morning, the trucks were pulling into the neighborhood and I almost started to cry. I'm not an emotional person so I typically only cry when someone dies or watching a sad moving.

The buyers came by last night and we let them look around and ask all kinds of questions. They are first time homeowners and very new to it all. We gave them all kinds of info and our phone numbers in case they have questions and they were grateful. I was telling the wife about the neighbors and Halloween and all the other things and I was feeling sad but I was ok. I'm afraid of what it will be like on Fri. driving out for the last time though.....


This is a driveby photo of one of the ponds I pass. Not great, but you get the idea...

Don't worry about a thing....

I have been a major worry wart lately. I can't help it. We still do not know if we can close on Fri. It's just ridiculous at this point. I can't do change of address cards at the post office or to my creditors. I'm an organized person who would have taken care of this a month ago. It frustrates me. I don't know if I need temporary living at this point or not. All I know is my movers will be taking everything on Thurs. except our clothes and air mattresses so we can sleep at the empty house for the night. Fri. we will close on our house and be homeless!! We are trying to remain calm but it's very hard.

So....on my way in this morning, the first song that came on was Ziggy Marley's, "Don't Worry About a Thing." Do I take that as a sign it'll all work out?!! It's stuck in my head and it's my new mantra.

On a good note, if and when we ever get into this house, this will be my view.

Boxes everywhere....

Just thought I'd post a quick update. We are still packing and tossing. It seems like it will never end. This is what I'm looking at in the basement. We are now down to eight days until the movers come and take it all away.

I'm excited, sad, nervous and completely exhausted. I haven't been sleeping because we aren't sure if we can close and/or move into the new house on time.

So here is the sad part, my temporary scrap/stamp location in disarray. I hope it's not too long before I can unpack and organize...

Fun week....

I first want to say I wasn't too happy with my hubby packing up my scrap stuff. He was grabbing things that looked like they could fill holes in the boxes he was packing and that's not how I wanted to do it. He's the packer, I'm the organizer. Oh well! It's pretty much all gone. I do have a little travel bag I usually take to classes. I snuck a few images in there along with my Copics. I don't have paper and embellishments to go along them though.

I've had a fun week. My hubby, the boys and my mom took me out for my birthday dinner (yes, it was on the 22nd). Then last night my aunts and cousins took me out for dinner. Yum, it was so good. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to drink since I had margaritas the night before. The bartender asked if I'd like a blueberry martini. Oh yeah! It was delish so I proceeded to get another....we all ended with some amaretto on the rocks. Needless to say, my head hurts a tad and I'm very tired today.

I got lots of nice things. I just have to figure out what to spend my gift cards on. One was to the lss, one to Target, an Amex gc and some cash, along with several nice things. One was a really cool small purse that's made from recycled items. Mine is made from upc codes. If I can find the link, I'll post. Sometimes she uses candy wrappers or gum wrappers. Ok, it's Nahui Ollin . I guess I didn't realize this was meant as a camera bag. Cool!! I hope mine fits.

I have one more dinnner coming up on Fri. I hope I can rest up! Grey's starts tonight!!

Packing and more packing...

I feel like we don't have a life any more! We've been packing whenever we're not working or sleeping. NOT fun. Tonight we kind of took the night off after dinner. I ended up taking food to my son at work. I called to see if he wanted a cheeseburger when he got home and he texted back a fast YES! He was starving and when I was describing the macaroni salad and the cheeseburger sub I made him, he said he couldn't even talk about it! He asked if I could bring them up to the mall where he works. My mom and I took a quick ride up so the skinny thing could eat.

My hubby had to practice his guitar because he has a "jam" tomorrow morning. Yay! Gave me time to play online. I should have stamped! Oh well.

I think I may try to pack up my stuff tomorrow while he's gone. It'll be so hard. I haven't had time to use it, but it's there. LOL Maybe I can sneak in a quick card before it all goes in the boxes. ;-)

This will give you an idea of how we've been living....

A pleasant experience...

Well, maybe pleasant isn't the right word but...I took my mom in for gall bladder surgery today. First off, all medical professionals look at her chart and then back at her and at the chart again. They can't believe she's 70!

Anyway, I was prepared with a book and a few magazines. I sat in the waiting room for about half hour while they got her ready. I read a Real Simple issue that was in the waiting room. Went in and kept her busy until they wheeled her off to the OR. Ran up to Bob's and got some shoes for work and then ran home to grab a quick sandwich because I felt shaky. The dr. called on my way back and said she was through the surgery and to come back in an hour. I was shocked it was so fast. I am so impressed with everyone at the hospital. They were great! I will have to switch when I move to NH.

My mom is still up and walking around. She hasn't taken any pain meds, just Tylenol. It seems like it was a breeze but I'm holding out to see how she feels in the a.m.

p.s. Never got to finish my book or magazines!! That's a good thing.
p.p.s. Becky is pretty close. Stacy you're right but I'll be 49 from now on. ;-) Marianne, I haven't moved ... not for a few weeks.

They say it's your....

I have a BIG birthday coming up and I'm not too happy about it! I'm calling it the "f" word and it's not forty!! I may not even have time to celebrate. It's so weird that we make a big deal out of birthdays in my family but we didn't do much for my husbands "f" birthday. That was because he wasn't feeling well for about 6 mos. I told him I do NOT want a party under any circumstances. I'd like a nice dinner and cake with my boys, dh and mom. And if the "girls" want to take me to dinner, that'd be fine too. The girls are my mom's sisters. They are between 50 and 75 and we all get along well so they call me their sister too. We've also talked about a cruise in Feb. since we never celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary the right way. So... enough rambling. I will hopefully be back soon.

Any guesses on the date?

Time off for good behavior....

It was so nice to have the weekend off. We got to relax. The weather wassn't great though. We took a drive to Chatham to see the lighthouse and then walked the downtown area in the drizzle. We went out to dinner and had some delicious fried clams, scallops and shrimp.

We hoped to wake up to sunshine today. It didn't peek out at us until we were packed and ready to go home. We didn't bother going to walk on the beach because it was cool and cloudy. Oh well..it was nice to get away. Here are a couple of pics.

Chatham was crowded because everyone was looking for the great white sharks that were seen recently. We saw a lot of seals poking their heads out but that was it.


















I would be completely freaking if these birds were following my boat!!

Still packing...and waiting....

We had a few issues with the inspection, nothing structural or major. We are now waiting to see what, if anything, they'll fix or give credit for. I wish we could get it over and move on!

We took one night off from packing because things just happened and it didn't get done. Last night we had a few things to delay us but we did end up getting a good part of the basement done.

I am seriously dreading packing my stamp/scrap stuff. I have tossed a ton of magazines but I have a long way to go. How do they pile up so fast?!! I really hate to have my stuff in boxes and no way to get to it so I'm putting it off until the last minute. I'm dreaming that I'll be packed early and then I'll have time to make the last few Oct. cards I need! ROFL

Labor Day Weekend...

So this is what Labor Day is supposed to be? Filled with work?! LOL I've never worked on Labor Day before. We started packing yesterday and got our upstairs hallway done and my guest bedroom which used to be my oldest's bedroom. There was a tall bookshelf filled with books and a closet full of crap. That one is done and now we move onto the dining room today. That will be a chore and a half. We have two china cabinets to pack.

We decided to spend the extra money and get a mover. I honestly don't think my hubby would make it through without lots of help. Unfortunately my boys are really busy. My youngest just got a co-mgr. job - YAY!!!! He's working a lot of hours. My oldest is in a band that's serious about getting signed and he also works full time.

Wish me luck tomorrow. We are doing our inspection on the new house. That will determine whether we stick with this one or move on to #3. We've decided #2 is too expensive. Anyway, I'm off to pack with a vengence!!

Still mia...

I guess I will be mia for a bit. I know I'll be packing on this long glorious weekend!! Not really pumped for that but it has to get done. I hope I get a little time to play but I highly doubt it.

Fingers are still crossed for the new home inspection on 9/8. I will feel so much better if we can get that behind us so I can know for sure if that's where I will live. Otherwise we move onto House #2.

It's funny though, we have been going to look at carpeting, furniture, etc. and we still say, "well, this would work for house #1 but not #2 or 3." I want to just move full speed ahead at house #1.

I will admit, it felt pretty funny seeing the SOLD sign when I drove up to the house the other night. I took a photo for scrapping purposes.