White Stuff.....

It's here, it's here! We finally got snow. Of course, we'll only get 2 inches at most out of this one but it's a start!!


Here's one my 16 yo son took. I took the second one. We were testing out my mom's new camera (I'm so jealous)! It's a little Cannon Powershot SD600. It's tiny and so cute!

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Four

Appetizer
How do you usually celebrate on New Year's Eve? We used to host our Maine and NH friends for the night. Last year we were invited to a neighbors house but I was feeling miserable with a sinus/migrainish headache so we stayed home. This year we are going to attempt to go next door again.

Soup
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006. My son had to have two surgeries - one on his mouth from a punk punching his teeth in, the other for double hernia surgery which was basically caused by a birth defect we never knew existed until he was 16! I hate to focus on the negative - so I'll add that he's fine now!

Salad
Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006? Unfortunately we didn't really go away because my dh was unemployed and ds had to go to summer school. Not a good year all around. We did, however, buy a piece of land in Maine so we visited that a few times.

Main Course
What resolution is your top priority for 2007? Help my dh find a job he likes!! I'm also going back to South Beach in a hurry. I've gained 5 lbs.!!

Dessert
Using just three words, describe 2006. Not so great! (I know that 07 will be a much better one).

I ......scrapped, I scrapped!!!!

Yeah me! I got a two page lo done and would have finished another 2 pg. but my oldest son came in with his new roommate and gf and I had to make sure they had what they needed. Then my youngest asked me to drive him and his gf across town so by the time I got back the Naproxen kicked in (headache again) and I was wiped out. I did sort through the slab of paper and put it in order by pattern/colors.

Of course, as soon as I got through with the lo, I logged into Snapfish to show my dh photos of Christmas. Something was nagging me so I looked at Thanksgiving 05 which is what I scrapped. WELL.....there were several photos I hadn't ordered that were much better than the ones I got from our friend on Kodakshare. Ugh.....Do I try to rip them off the page and replace, or just get over it?!! I'm finding that it's difficult to remove anyting now that I'm using my ATG. What do you think?

Winding down...

Well, only two days left to my vacation excluding the weekend and I still haven't scrapped. I finished my Christmas Thank you set so now I can move on.

I was going to scrap last night but was talking on the phone to my friend formerly in MI, now in GA. So I cleaned up all of the Christmas stamps, papers, etc. and also trimmed some new SU stamp sets. Now I'm ready to go.

I think I'll go up and pull out my scrap stuff once my photos are done uploading. I'm fighting off a killer headache (migrainish) and hoping it doesn't ruin my New Years Eve.

Last year we were invited to a neighbor's and didn't go because I had a really bad one and I also felt guilty about my mom being home alone. Same thing this year but I think we'll go anyway. I did invite her, she just won't come. TTFN (tata for now).

Christmas

We had a great Christmas. I hope everyone else did too!

It was a little hectic but nice. We went to my neighbors for their open house on Christmas Eve and then came home and relaxed. Everything was wrapped and ready to go. The next morning we opened most of our gifts (my dh, ds and mom).

We headed to my aunt's house in the country and enjoyed my cousins, aunts, uncles. I had cousins in from Washington, DC, NY city and Oregon. I just love spending time with all of them. We had a really nice buffet dinner and then managed to put a few desserts down. We had a delicious dessert wine (Frambois? or something like that) with Godiva chocolates. The wine was a raspberry flavor and after taking a bite of dark chocolate and sipping that, it was delish!

So then we headed home (over an hour drive) and cooked a dinner and apps for my son and his gf who had just arrived from Maine (over 2 hrs.). We opened a bunch more presents and then relaxed with each other. A very nice holiday all around! Hope everyone else's was as good as mine!

Santa photos...

As you can see, I'm hard at work today (hehe). I asked someone to scan these in so I could post. They're of me and me and my brother with Santa a LONG time ago! I needed something to put me in the Christmas spirit.

Got this from Dina - 6 Weird Things About Me

Hmmmm....

1. I hate to be late so often times I send out a card or package a week early because I thought it was the week it was due. Or I rush around trying to get a gift or make a card when I have another week to go. I call the dr. if I'm EVER late for an appt. to let them know I'm on my way.

2. I can't stand clutter and it drives me crazy when others in my house (my mom or boys) leave things on the counter instead of putting them away!!

3. I am facinated by giraffes!!

4. I have to shower, wash my hair and definitely shave my legs EVERY day. I cannot stand the feeling of stubble!!

5. I have compassion and want to help total strangers - like the lady I see every day walking the opposite direction as I'm driving to work. She must walk at least 5 miles and I want to turn around and pick her up to take her whereever she's going but I know she'd think I was a freak!!

6. I'm sometimes a closet eater!! LOL - not really in the closet but I do hide.

Updates

Last night I made my iced popcorn (3 c. cheerios, 3 c. buttered popcorn, red & green m&m's, 1/2 jar of dry roasted peanuts, 2 bags white chocolate chips. Melt chips and stir into mix until coated. Dry on wax paper - YUM).

I finished a few cards (Sp.Ed. teacher, son's friend, co-worker), packaged up the iced popcorn and white trash into these cute little Basic Grey take out boxes, and finished a retirement card (below) for my aunt. Her party is tonight.

Feast One Hundred and Twenty Two

Appetizer
What was your very first job with a paycheck? I worked at Nature Food Centers factory during my senior year of high school. I went there directly after school and worked every day as a packer. Then I was promoted to assembler over lots of full time people. They didn't like me too much!! But it was funny. Two of my friends worked there full time and he was the one who taped up the boxes and sent them out. So....I used to put some carob chips or pistachios in the bin with my order so that he had something to eat!

Soup
Did you ever lose something really important to you? Recently I lost my earrings that my Grandmother gave me. They're not expensive but mean a lot since she's gone. I was very close to her. Anyway, I said a prayer to St. Anthony (she was famous for that) and found them!!

Salad
What is the best Christmas present you ever received? Oooh, that's a tough one. I'm not really sure!

Main Course
Tell about a favorite "hang out" place for you and your friends when you were in high school. Well, I can't say I behaved a lot in high school. We used to hang out "down the tracks". It was an area near the railroad tracks in our little town where we used to sit around smoking cigarettes and sometimes drinking beer. Not something to be proud of, I know! LOL

Dessert
Name something that always brings a smile to your face. I have several photos of my boys when they were little. One in particular is my favorite. We used to take photos of them in their pj's while they were sitting on the recliner. One of them is soooooo cute! My youngest was probably 2 or 3 and was laughing as always - something he doesn't do much of these days, and my oldest (6 at the time) had his arm around my little one like he was so proud of his little brother. When I'm feeling down, I look at this photo sitting on my night stand and I smile.

Good news?

Well, at least temporarily. My dh didn't lose his job yesterday. He is seriously looking though. The meeting was nothing about performance! grrrrr....I worried all day for nothing.

I got a big chunk of cards signed, stuffed, labeled and stamped last night. I dropped them off this morning. Now I just have to do my neighbors (20) and a few others.

Funny thing, well not really. I was procrastinating again last night and decided I'd make a couple more cards, just in case. So I went into my room (love it there) and made the cards. I finally talked myself into going into the family room to do the other cards. I grabbed my water bottle and it squirted out onto the two cards I made and ruined them!!! I guess it's my own fault. Oh well...I had fun making them.

So I'll finish the cards tonight and make the rest of the apps and pack tomorrow night.

Well......

First of all, I got started late. My dh has employment issues and wanted to talk. I'm really nervous today that he'll be let go or that he'll quit. He had a meeting this a.m. with his boss. Ugh.....I'm waiting for the phone call.

Anyway, I took my cards to the living room, turned the t.v. on and ot a bunch of them signed but I could only do the blue. Someone stole my gold pen!! My mom claims she doesn't have it but she's the only one who borrows. She has to sign all of her cards with the proper color ink! I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose but now I have to go out and buy a new one today. No biggy, just a hold up. Thanks for the suggestion, Kathy! So I got a few labeled, stuffed and sealed but not a big dent in the pile! Tonight for sure!

I need a boost of energy...

I have to get my Christmas cards addressed, signed and stuffed tonight! I hate that part. I also have to make a 50th bday card for this weekend. We are heading to Maine for my friend's surprise party. I have to make a bunch of apps to bring. Luckily I have some things in the freezer like spinach squares and apple cheesecake squares.

I'm so excited! We are going to close the office for Christmas week! Yippppeeee!! I've never had Christmas week off! Can't wait. Maybe I can get some scrapbooking done?!!

A few of my favorite things.....

We finally decorated the house with some of my favorite things - my Snowbabies and lots of other things.

Feast One Hundred & Twenty One

Appetizer
Which language would you like to learn and why? Hawaiian because I love the way it sounds! And I love the happy attitudes of Hawaiians!

Soup
What's the funniest thing you've heard or read so far this week? A friend filled out one of those email surveys and said she blew a whistle in the phone because she thought it was a telemarketer and it was her dr.'s office!!!

Salad
Which movie was so bad you couldn't watch the whole thing? Too many to list! I'm not a big movie fan. And if only I could remember the name of ONE to list! hehe

Main Course
If there were a holiday in your honor that didn't use your actual name, what would the day be called? Shells Scrapstampin Day

Dessert
Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see.Happy feet maybe?

ahhh....good news for a change!

The other day my mom was told that her office was closing. My husband hates his job and wants to quit. I was so excited to hear GOOD news today. My son called to say he is doing really well in school this term. Progress reports come out tomorrow. He seemed so happy. He hasn't been that way in a long time. He's been through a lot this year with 2 surgeries but has put us through a lot as well.

I thought he was going to ask for something after the news. Nothing. So I'm sitting at my desk waiting for the other foot to drop and I got an email from his Sp.Ed. teacher telling me the same thing! I'm so happy. He seemed truly happy that one of his teachers said he was smart and could do a little better with more studying. I will boost his ego later and hope to God it gets him through this year and next. I hope it's not just a fluke....

Now I feel I have the energy to get my holiday things done. Oh, and I am taking a vacation day on Monday to finish up everything ! YEAH....life is good. Hope you're getting your things done too!

ornament

I'm trying to get in the Christmas spirit. Here's an ornament my son's gf's mom made me. Can't wait to put it on the tree!

I broke down at lunch and bought a box of cards!

Full speed ahead

I'm on full speed ahead mode today! Met my SU rep at ACM and got the goods, picked up a few small things and also a cooked chicken from the grocery store and a container of mashed potatoes. I just didn't have time to cook.

Ran home, got the dinner ready and ripped through the SU stuff. Ran out the door with a couple of the neighbors' stuff, dropped it off. Went to Home Depot and got our Christmas tree. We weren't thrilled with the selection but didn't have time to go anywhere else. I don't even care anymore. I just want it up and done.

So then I got home, went through the other stuff so I could drop the bags to the ladies at the bus stop. Check, that's done and all the orders except one are out of my house.

Tonight I have to run from work to a hair appt. which I will barely make on time. Then to ACM to return something I bought last night! Then I plan on helping dh get the tree in the stand so that it's ready to be decorated by this weekend. HOpefully I can finish a few cards as well.

As I tell my good friend all the time.....Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. You can get through it!!

Bah Humbug!

I just can't seem to get out of my own way on my Christmas cards. I tied the double ribbons (PIA) on my 30 cards last night and made a couple of other designs to break up the monotny. I'm seriously thinking I'll buy a box today to make up for the other 30 I still need. I just don't have it in me right now.

I still have to decorate, get a tree, etc. Tonight I have to meet my SU rep to pick my order up (shipped to NH to save taxes!). Tomorrow night I have a hair appt. including a desperately needed highlight so I'll be there a while. Ugh...I'll never get it all done.

Quick card I made with my cricut mini monograms

Weekend

I thought it was going to be a productive weekend. I was too stressed to go to book club on Fri. night because I had so many things on my list. So I went food shopping and got some card pieces done instead. Sat. I went to the mall quickly to get my free Victoria's Secret panties and my hairspray. Then I saw a sign at NY & Co. about $10 scarves, belts and tees. So I had to check it out. Then I decided to call my son who works at the mall. I wanted to see if his gf would wear any of the items. He met me there before work and we shopped. It was nice but I did not pick up any of the $10 items. She's all done now. I bought her some cute clogs at Amer. Eagle and one of those CK All About Me Albums. I may get a gift card too. Anyway, it took me a lot longer than I expected.

We were supposed to pull everything down from the attic but that didn't happen. I don't even know what went on the rest of the day but I did a few more card pieces (key word - pieces, not full cards).

Sunday my dh had his band practice and I don't know where my time went. I went online for a bit and I went on the treadmill. I balanced two checking statements and then made my casserole for dinner. Then we pulled everything down from the attic but didn't get time to decorate. Didn't have the umph to do it either! Once again, I got pieces done on cards. I did get a big group of ribbons tied so the second set of 30 is done. I just can't come up with a design to get another 30 done fast! Maybe later. Not tonight though. I have a Lia Sophia party to go to!

Feast One Hundred & Twenty

Appetizer
Have you ever flown in a helicopter? No. I wanted to when I went to Kauai but no one would go with me!

Soup
What color is your warmest coat or jacket? Light blue and Gray - It's my snowmobiling jacket!

Salad
What is your favorite rainy day activity? Scrapbooking or Rubber Stamping. Is there anything else?!!

Main Course
Describe your hands. They are semi big (size Large gloves) with big knuckles. My natural nails are decent but my hands would not make it in a commercial!

Dessert
If you could eat only one nut for the rest of your life, what nut
would you pick? Oh, I love nuts but I'd have to say pecans are my favorite! I love pistachios, walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias, hazelnuts, peanuts. YUM. The only one I don't like is Brazil nuts.

Feeling not so great about my Christmas card..

My mom came into my room the other night and looked at my pile of cards. She saw the one I made 30 of (red) and said...."oh, cute" like she didn't mean it. Then she saw the blue that I was just making a few of (a LOT of work) and said, "beautiful". So I'm second guessing myself now. I did a lot of coloring in and embossing on the red and I thought it was decent. The photo is horrible, sorry!

Too many deaths lately...

We received an email about our fifth student who died this yr. This one jumped over the bridge. The last fell over the bridge (his friend). A coworker died of cancer, someone's mother died and I just got off the phone with an alum who is in her final stages of cancer, under hospice care. What do you say to someone who tells you they're in their final stage? I felt so bad. I also know of someone here who has a little one (6) who is dying of cancer. I can't stand to hear any more bad news!

Well, just when I thought my son was fine from surgery, he's in pain again and stayed home today. I know he must be hurting because he hates to be alone and without his friends. I may go home at lunch time to see how he's doing.

Got some more pieces of Christmas cards done last night. I need to buy some paper to finish them up. That will probably bring me to 45 or so. I still need about 80!! Ugh....why did I ever start making them?!!

Too long between posts!

It's been a little hectic at my house. My son had hernia surgery (double) on Wed. We spent all day there (7:30 - 3:30). We had a quiet Thanksgiving with just the four of us. It was very nice!

My son was in a lot of pain but he's back to school today without pain meds. I wonder how he made out.

I got some Christmas cards done over the weekend. I still have about 60 to go though. I'm tired of one design and the other is too much work. I need to come up with another and get them done! I'm usually signing & stuffing them by now.

The other issue at my house is we had two bathrooms tiled. It's a mess. One was done and we had to wait a day to use that while they did the second one. We went Sunday without a shower! Ugh....not fun. Last night my boys had to shower and this morning 3 of us took turns. It was tough being out of my bathroom and showering in the other and then moving to the basement bathroom to do makeup and all that. Today my hubby will seal the boys bathroom so we'll have to stay off that for another day and then he'll do mine. I don't honestly know how people do it with one bathroom per family. I guess you don't know any other way so it's not a problem. When you are used to 2 full baths and 2 halfs, it's tough to fit everyone's schedule into one and the halfs!!! I'm very happy they're looking good but it's tough. It'll all be over soon.....

weekend

Well, I had a pretty successful SU party. I think I had 12-13 in my dining room! Whew! It was crowded but fun. All of the food went over well but I had a lot left over. The apple cheesecake was delicious and everyone wants the recipe. I LOVE when that happens. I put at least half of it in the freezer. I ate way too much as it is.

My mom and I were home alone on Sat. night (dh went to Maine). So we ordered Hawaiian pizza since we're the only ones who like it. YUM. I had some for lunch today. NOT on the SB. I figured I'd give myself to the end of this week to eat whatever I want within reason. Then I'm back to Phase I to get those sweet cravings OUT of my body. I can already feel my waist expanding even though the scale says I'm the same.

Wooohooo, only two work days this week. Wed. will not be fun though with my son's surgery. I'll be worried sick. By the way, he did behave on Sat. but they got home very late (1 a.m.) and then we lost power at 7 a.m. and everything beeped so I was up for the day. I slept like a log last night!

Grrrr....

My son is really trying my patience. Found out he went to Boston without permission yesterday. "Didn't think it would be a big deal." I was so angry. So after that was straightened out I went to my neighbor's party and had a couple of margaritas (cranberry - very good)!! I thought I'd be fine today but I must have had one too many. I wasn't useless but thinking a little slower than usual! hehe

So I went food shopping, made an apple cheesecake & brownies for tomorrow, cleaned the house & my scrap area again. I'm wiped out and it's only 7:30. I"m afraid to sit and watch a movie because I won't make it 10 minutes, I'm sure. But I have to wait up pretty late for my son. My dh is away.

I'm a nervous nelly again. He's at his first (at least with permission) concert. I wouldn't have let him go after yesterday but I bought the ticket last week and I wasn't wasting my money. I told him not to blow it or it'll be his last. I'm just not ready for this one to be at concerts. HIs brother would go at that age but was much more responsible and trustworthy. Well, I suppose it's a good thing I had one drink too many last night. I'm fairly sedate even though I'm nervous.

Tomorrow morning I need to put together my snacks for the SU party - cheese, crackers, fruit, pepper jelly & cream cheese, pinwheels, artichoke dip, guacamole & salsa, etc. I think I'm going overboard but I always do!! I hope everyone fits comfortably.

Over and out.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

ramblings

Ok, so I had no luck with the Clark's clogs. Gave up the search for now.

I'm waiting for a call about my coworker who should have had her baby and now I'm getting worried! I hope they just forgot to call.

So many things to do this weekend....tonight a jewelry party & I have to behave because I have too many things to do tomorrow to be useless!! So I'm ONLY having a glass or two of wine or whatever they have. I'm being good.

Tomorrow I have to clean, grocery shop & bake for Sunday's SU party at my house. I have 13-14 coming. That's a lot to fit at a table. I hope I get lots of hostess credit! hehe

Today I am thankful for apples. They are my favorite SB friendly snack. Without them, I'd eat a bag of candy each day. I just slice one up at my desk and dip it in peanut butter, or just have it plain. YUM! Nice crisp mac or Granny Smiths are my fav.

later.

Thankful for....

I keep forgetting to post what I'm thankful for (KathyM's great idea). Today I'm thankful for my Clark's clogs that make my bad feet feel great! I need to search for a new pair. I have one pair that feel like slippers and I haven't been able to find them in the stores. I'm sure they don't make the style any more so I'll search online. LOVE them!!

Clean up....

Another thing I did over the weekend was to clean up my mess in my scrap room. I could barely see the wood top on my desk area.

The real reason for my clean up was not only so I could see the top of my desk, but I'm having a Stampin' UP party at my house and don't want everyone to see my mess!! This is an after picture. I know it still looks somewhat messy but I can see the desk top!

The rest....

I also finished up my 50 cards for the sets I'm selling. I am SO glad to be finished! Now I can be paid!!!

I started working on a Christmas card design. I think I'll be making a bunch of a few designs. I get bored too easily. I stamped & embossed some SU images during stamp camp so I'll use those for the neighbors. It's a topiary. I embossed and matted in gold, ditto on the sentiment but in green Bazzill, tied a red sheer ribbon on and put it on a cranberryish red card from Color Box. I'll have to take pictures.

A few cards

I also made 9 Thanksgiving cards. Here are two of them.

Ahhhh...

Well, I finished a few projects this weekend. One was the travel journal for my x-boss who is retiring. She and her dh travel quite a bit.

Parties, parties!!

Went to a SS Accessories party last night and spent $80. The night before was Princess House (another $70). I have another jewelry party next Fri. night and then a SU at my house on next Sun.

In the meantime I've been buying myself new clothes because mine are too big. It's a nice feeling but I need to stop this spending!!! Christmas is coming up fast so I need to slow the self spending now!

I guess I can say that I'm thankful today for a nice dh who won't get mad at me for all this spending. LOL

I'm also thankful for all of my favorite products I use every day: Dunkin'Donuts or Green Mountain French Vanilla coffee to get me going, Redken Guts & #18 hairspray, Conair blow dryer, Maybelline Brown black mascara (forget the particulars), Vaseline Intensive Care firming lotion, Avon Anew anti-aging lotion, BBW Juniper Breeze body lotion, DKNY Be Delicious perfume, Clark's clogs. I'm sure I'm forgetting something here but that's what I can come up with for now.

Hmmm...being Thankful

I guess I'm thankful that my son actually had a conversation with me last night. Sometimes he doesn't want to talk!! I am thankful every day when they arrive home safely too!! I can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with my own family and no one else....just the four of us. It's been way too long.

Quick card I made for my aunt's bday

Bad blogger....

I've been a really bad blogger. I just haven't had much time at work. It's been so busy!!

Let's see....where did I leave off? Not really much new here. I've been cranking out the cards every night. I still have those sympathy ones to do!!! Finished the get well, birthday & thank yous. I started to do some Thanksgiving ones last night but didn't get far. I think I need to clean up my messy room so I can see the wood on my desktop and go from there. It's way too confusing right now. I can't seem to focus.

Tonight I have a Princess House party. I didn't think they still existed! I was laughing at the postcard though. Can you imagine purchasing a crystal measuring cup?!! I don't THINK so!! I am going to try to keep it at a mininum since tomorrow night I have a SS Accessories party. THAT looks like fun stuff to buy!

Some day I will have to get back to my scrapbooks. I'm getting really tired of cardmaking and haven't even started my Christmas ones yet! I also have 5 birthday cards to make for the same day - Dec. 8!!! Can't wait until the sets are out of my hands so I can move on.

No time left for me....

Whew! What a day...I didn't have time to blog or read personal emails! It was crazy. I guess I better get used to it.

Update on my ds. Oral surgeon said his teeth look like they're lining up well, wants him to stick with the soft food diet and see him in 2 months. The gums are growing back. He'll more than likely need root canals. He was a little more pleasant yesterday and what I've seen today. Maybe the chat helped.

Just sat down to watch Grey's. I hope tomorrow is better so that I can catch up on emails and all that.

Over and out.

Update on surgery

Well, the dr. said my son could wait for his surgery on the 22nd. Yeah! What a relief. He is not doing well in school and I don't want him to miss any. Thanks to everyone who posted good thoughts and prayers. I really need them at this point with him. I asked my oldest to have a chat with him. He's just so angry and distant. I'm worried.

We have an appt. today for my son's teeth. I really hope it's good news. It's amazing though. The kid who punched him went after someone at school yesterday without getting caught. It was a kid who could easily handle himself. He grabbed him and shoved him against a locker and said not to mess with him. I wonder if we went forward with the case if he would have learned his lesson? I doubt it.

Well, another day that my coworker is in. She's due any day now so I keep holding my breath on it. I want her to go for her sake but not mine. Work is really, really busy!! I suppose the earlier she leaves, the earlier she returns! I'll be starting the spring semester on my own. :-(

Nervous Nelly here....

I am a nervous wreck about my son. First of all, he's really been removed from us lately and is putting his friends first and I'm not crazy about his attitude. Second, he is scheduled for double hernia surgery on the 22nd of Nov. and I don't think he'll make it. We are heading to the dr. today to see if he's still ok. He said he has pain and also lumps! I'm scared. It ought to be fun getting through the Halloween traffic too. His appt. is at 4:30 about 1/2 hr from home. Ugh....wish me luck!

Tomorrow he has an appt. for his mouth. I guess they'll tell us whether the teeth will stay or not, not sure yet. Nervous about that too.

As much as I don't want to wish my life by, I can't wait for the next two years to be over. I can't stand this stage of his life. Too depressing and it produces too much anxiety for me!! I want my kid back.

The only upside is that the diet is going well again because I'm too nervous to overeat!!

Weekend

We had a lot of fun on Sat. night at a neighbor's Halloween party. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera. So I"m hoping others will share the photos. The costumes were great!! We were the lamest of the lame! We went as Rednecks. It was good because we could take our rotted teeth out, take the flannel shirts off and be dressed pretty normal & comfy.

Sun. I made a bunch of cards again. I really need to take the time to count up what I have. I also cleaned a bit and did a ton of laundry.

Tonight I need to get on the treadmill and then run to Joann's for a return & maybe Old NAvy to get a hat my son wants. He has taken his brothers and needs to return it! I hope to finish more cards. I seriously need to do some sympathy cards but have been putting it off since it's so depressing!!

Oh yeah, and speaking of depressing, my 16 yo (who is not going to live to see 17 if he keeps it up) died his hair black over the weekend and I found out by mistake!! He was wearing a hat so I wouldn't see it. Ugh....he was much cuter with the light brown hair.

Feast One Hundred & Seventeen

Appetizer
Create a new candle scent - pear cilantro(love the smell of pears)

Soup
Name one way you show affection to others - I leave notes for my kids, hubby & mom all the time and sign with a heart and an M or mom.

Salad
What is your favorite writing instrument? I got this cool pen from our Japanese visitors recently. It's pink (I love pink) and it has 5 different inks to choose. It writes sooo smooth. I hope I never lose it!!

Main Course
If you were given $25 to spend anywhere online, from which site would you buy? Probably Lifetime Moments, something definitely scrap related!
Dessert
Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you going to be? We are going to a party at my neighbors on Sat. and we're dressing as Mainers with the rotten teeth and flannels. I don't mean to insult anyone from Maine. We actually love it there and have some land. It's more of a hillbilly look!!

Ahhhhhh.....

Finally got some sleep and felt great yesterday! Last night was good too. I have these sheets I love from LNT (striped?). Anyway, they're really soft and my dh hates them. During the summer he said they felt wet. So we flipped our mattress and I didn't have time to clean the sheets and HAD to put the nice striped ones on. I think he likes them now that it's not summer time. Ahhhhh....slept like a log.

Got a few cards done last night but I won't post because I basically copied the SU catalog so there was no creativity on my part! LOL I need to count up the number of cards for the sets I sold. I need 50 and haven't counted in a while. I think I was at 30 something a few weeks ago. I can't wait to finish so that I can scrap again and also figure out my Christmas card design and then make 80!!! Yikes, I wish I could cut my list down but I have such a big family and we've lived in 4 states so we have groups of friends all over the place! 8-)

Ok, so that photo is horrible.

I put the ribbon on with eyelets.

Anyway, I got NO sleep last night. I'm wiped out. I got to bed around 11. The phone rang around 11:40 and scared the crap out of us. It was some international call that I believe was a wrong number. My dh read her the riot act. "Mam, do you realize what time it is? What country are you calling from? It's 11:40 here and you woke me up". I was almost ready to giggle. Anyway she told him the caller hung up. My heart wouldn't stop beating fast because I thought it was about my son. I wasn't sure if he made it home or not. He had. A few hours later (1:30 a.m.) I heard a God Awful noise like a plane hitting my house. So I got up and went into the hallway, heard a t.v. It was my 20 yo who probably fell asleep with the t.v. on and it was a loud part of the movie. I am going to strangle him when I see him tonight. I could not sleep the whole night. I was totally awake when the alarm went off at 6. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I won't need to be rocked tonight!!

What a night...

Well, first here's a card I made last night with one of the SU images I did over the weekend.

Weekend

Ok, so I spent from Sat. 9 a.m. to Sunday 2 p.m. stamping images. I just couldn't focus on making specific cards. There were so many stamps to chose from, I just lost it. There were over 450 sets. I didn't get much sleep the night before either so I was useless.

I made maybe 3 cards? and one border (which I don't usually use but it was pretty). I have a huge mound of white and natural paper with tons of sentiments and images on them. So now I get the joy of cutting them up and embellishing cards!!! I think I wasted the money. It was fun being with the girls though. I booked a party for November.

I cheated big time - Bertuccis rolls and pizza, Panera muffins, bagels, chocoate, you name it. I only gained a pound somehow. Today I'm back to it!!!

Feast One Hundred & Sixteen

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage? Margaritas!

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work - My Palm Pilot, photo of my boys, Yankee Candle handcream in Grapefruit.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are? Probably a 9.5

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why? Can't think of one I'd change but my hubby hates Philadelphia (sorry if there's anyone from there) and calls it Filthadelphia. I don't know why he hates it. I liked it when we lived in the area.

Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down? My 16 y.o. stresses me out. I worry constantly about what he's doing in and out of school. Power walks calm me down.

Here are two I made with stamps from a rak...

Got these great stamps from a fellow SBA'er (Susan HS)!! The typewriter was made as a thank you for my neighbor who fixed our computer. Then I just used the scraps to do another.

quick Cricut card...

Ok, maybe it wasn't as cute as I thought. I think I'd do the tag in brown next time instead of matting it.

Ok, back in control!!

I've been better about eating and took the 2 lbs. off so I need to keep it up. I want to be able to say that I've lost 30 lbs.

I need to take a photo of a card I made last night using my Cricut. It's simple but I thought it was kind of cute. Maybe I can post later from home. I am leaving here at 2:30 today to take my son to the oral surgeon for a follow up. I'm a little nervous about the outcome but anxious to get it over with.

Maybe more later...

diet update....

Ok, I was soooo good for sooooo long. I was so totally stressed over personal things and could NOT eat. Now I'm semi over that and I'm totally stressed at work and want to shove every little thing down my throat!

Yesterday it was Italian cookies from an excellent bakery. I seriously ate about 5. I swore I would NOT eat dinner, just go food shopping. Well, got home to a Hawaiian pizza my mom picked up. I was hungry when I got home from shopping and I decided to try a piece. Well...could I stop at 1? NO. It was delish. Today I've been hitting the candy in the dish at work. I HAVE to stop before I put all 28 lbs. back on in one day~!! I don't want the personal stress back but need to switch to the can't eat mode again! LOL

Why does my appetite reverse with different stress?!!

Crazy daze...

Oh, I'm so irritated. Got in at 8:15, the power went out in my bldg. We waited around to see what they said. An employee called the univ. police to see what we should do. They said they were closing bldgs. So my coworker and several others went home. I waited until I could find a number to reach someone who was probably on her way. Guess what? The upper mgmt. called and said we were not closing and the power would be back around 10. So....I'm stuck here on a beautiful day and my lucky coworker got a freebie. Ugh. I hope I at least get to leave early since I didn't get a lunch! It's been a zoo in here.

Quick baby shower card for my co-worker...

Blogger problems.

Boy, did I have trouble this morning. I couldn't even get to my blog (or anyone else's). I also tried to take a picture of a card I made for my coworker's baby shower. I took it with my Palm and can view it. I cannot get it to hotsync to my computer. I'll have to wait until a techie is available later, I guess.

I was so excited thinking that my Stamp Camp was this weekend and then realized I have to get ready this weekend for next weekend!! I hate when I do that. I'm so afraid I'll forget something, that I'm a week ahead. I do this with birthday cards, etc. too. At least I'm never late, right?!

So I think I'll make an altered letter for my coworker's nursery and I've already made some cute beaded socks for her. I'm so happy that the time is almost here for her but not for me!! This is a high risk pregnancy and not her first. It is her first baby though! I will go nuts without her in the office. She does all of the student records work that I don't have time for. I hope we can find a decent temp to at least answer the phones!! I won't have time to post when she's out, that's for sure!

Here are a couple of cards I've made....

Weekend

The wedding was beautiful and we had a lot of fun with my cousin and her husband. I didn't get any scrapping done but have made about 10 or more cards. I'm trying to finish 50 cards for the 5 sets I've sold.

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day here. I returned a bunch of clothes I bought that didn't quite fit right. I've gone down about 2 sizes! YEAH! It somehow seems to be melting off at this point. Maybe it's nerves. I didn't behave yesterday. DH and I went out for a quick sandwich (I was going to order a salad). We split a big Italian sub. I somehow didn't gain anything after a bad weekend food wise!

Anyway, I'll try to take photos of a few cards and post. I made a quick cute one for my nephew and ended up making 5 more for the sets! Very simple.

Off to a hearing shortly. I'm a nervous wreck.

The race is on!

Tonight is my last night to be ready for company tomorrow. I have to somehow get my pants returned, nails manicured, house cleaned tonight!!! Ugh.

I love the idea of doing a lo on the Maine sign as KathyM suggested. I can't wait to get to it! Guess I won't be sb'ing until possibly Monday. I have the holiday off! Yeah.

Countdown to the last wedding this year!

On Fri. I have to pick up my cousin & her husband at the airport. We are going to the final wedding of this year (#6). I'm sure it will be a lot of fun. I have family coming in from MD, CA & NY. Can't wait to see them all.

In the meantime, I have to take my son to the dr this afternoon, clean the house, food shop, and find a necklace and shoes by Friday!! I'm going to do my best not to stress. I've had too much of that lately.

Love this sign.....

I have had a horrible week (things I can't discuss here) and I need things like this to cheer me up. I love the fact that we have to go through Paris and Norway to get to our land in Maine.

Nice weekend...

Ok, got home Fri. & youngest was home for dinner which was unusual. The only probelm is that dh had to work in Boston so he didn't get home until later. So I drove ds back to his friends and said thanks for trying. Then dh came home &^ asked if I wanted to go out and I said, absolutely! So we warned him not to rush home expecting ice cream cake because we were going out. It turned out that we waited for him to get home so they could join us. So his gf came with balloons and all four of us went out to eat. It was fun. I had a sea monster martini (after a couple of beers while waiting at home) and then a margarita. I did NOT follow the SB diet. We picked up youngest on the way home but it was too late for ice cream cake. We ended up eating it on Sat. night. Delish!

So I got a nice card that my ds made. It was so sweet! I'll try to post tomorrow. It's at home! And they gave me a nice Mike's g.c. My mom gave me cash, a nice top and gc for a manicure. Very nice! My dh gave me the order I placed for CTMH items.

So yesterday I went to Mike's fully intending to purchase a tote and then proceeded to get a Cricut instead! I had fun playing with it later in the afternoon.

Back at work today, unfortunately. Oh well...gotta pay for that Amex bill from the other day! LOL

Yep, it's my bday, it's my bday!

Ugh...not another one! I'm 47 today, officially at 6 something p.m. I guess that's why I like to eat...I was born at dinner time!

I woke up to a nice note from my hubby with a card (he had to leave at 6 this morning). Then my youngest left me a note to call him in late because his gf was late coming to get him, and oh, by the way, have a nice birthday! So cute.

My mom left a note with a card also. She won't be home tonight but wanted me to have a nice day & she'll see me tomorrow. She gave me a beautiful card and some cash! yeah!!

My oldest is working today (his gf is too). So I can only assume they'll have a cake tomorrow night. We're boring, we don't change anything. We have an ice cream cake for everyone's bday. We're not big cake eaters.

I think they forgot at work which is totally fine. I get embarrassed easily! So maybe dh and I can actually go out to dinner on a Fri. night instead of the usual exciting food shopping!! :-) LOL

Yep, so this one doesn't feel bad because when I was 45 I went to Hawaii with friends and we talked about celebrating the next big birthday and I told them I was going to be 47. Where I got this, I'll never know. Anyway, several months went by and I realized that I was only 46!!!!!!! Ok, it was just a blonde or senior moment. hehe but I feel much better actually turning it since I was there a year ahead!

male get well card

How can you make a male get well? You can't use flowers! So...this is a quick one I made for my cousin's hubby who is on the Capitol Police force and who just had surgery!

The photo isn't great. I chalked the scene and then put liquid paper on the water to make it look wet.

Another day...another dollar

Nothing new to post about. I've been walking outside after work instead of getting on the treadmill and it's been great! It's been really nice outside and I can definitely feel it a lot more in my legs.

I've had the Ipod blasting (not really, just at the right volume). I always have the urge to sing out loud though. I probably could since I walk down a windy road in the sticks! I'm just afraid someone will hear me. LOL I took Third Eye Blind, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Santana, Goo Goo Dolls and a few others along last night so I'll have to see what gets me moving tonight.

I've been looking for a place to stay in Maine. We're going in a few weeks for our anniversary and it's peak time for foliage. A lot of the Inns require a 2 night stay and we only want to stay Sat. night. We have 16 y.o. issues so one night is plenty to worry about! We have an association meeting for our new vacation property on Sat. so we'll have to leave at about 7 a.m. to get there on time. We're anxious to meet some of our new neighbors! Anyway, it has become a chore to find a one night stay in a nice Inn. I may have to move on to hotels!!

A few photos of Maine...

Here are the guys searching for tracks.



This is one of the big moose tracks we saw!

Maine weekend

We had fun with our friends this weekend in Maine. We took them to see our land and the guys had a great time looking for things. They found fresh moose & deer tracks! I felt like we were on a science field trip! My friend and I went down the driveway and found lots of big hunks of mica and quartz. It must be fill from a quarry. Then we walked over to another area which is still our property and found a babbling brook! Very exciting! All in all it was fun even though I ate & drank a little too much. I didn't gain any weight though....whew! I took a few photos but haven't had a chance to upload. Maybe tonight or tomorrow...

Feast One Hundred & Eleven

Friday, September 15, 2006
Feast One Hundred & Eleven

Appetizer
What was the very last song you listened to? Good is Good by Sheryl Crow

Soup
What is one company/store/corporation you would recommend that people stay away from? Cingular One - They gave me the worst time and had the worst customer service ever! I'll never use them again.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy having your picture made? Ok, I'm assuming this means having my picture taken? I don't love it...I'd say about 5. I ask to have it taken if it's one of my cousins/relatives or friends from far away because you never know if you'll get the chance again. Most times I just hate the way I look when I get the photos!

Main Course
Besides a bookmark, what is something you've used to keep your place in a book? A piece of ribbon, or one of those annoying subscription cards you find all throughout your magazines!! I have lots of book marks though.

Dessert
Name a food that you like that most people don't. Hmmm...I don't really like anything weird so I can't figure this one out. I guess I'd have to say anything made with Splenda? I've gotten used to it and most people hate it. Also South Beach foods like cereal, snack bars, etc. and whole wheat wraps!

Ugh...what a night.

Got home to grab my checkbook, ran out the door to pick up ds and then to the dermatologist. Ran home to find out our computer crashed. I had photos I haven't uploaded yet and I deleted them off the card!!! I guess we'll just have to go back to Screw Auger Falls and take more photos!! God knows what else was on there.

Anyway, I dined on cheese & crackers while writing up a food list and got that out of the way. Now I have tonight to clean up and pack for the weekend. We're leaving as soon as I get home from work on Fri. night.

So....no scrapping for me. I didn't even look in my room! I don't know if I'll have time tonight either.

Just another day...

I can't believe we had to turn the heat on last night...Brrrrrrrrrrr! I guess it'll get up to 70 today. Gotta love the ups and downs.

I need to get ready for this weekend. We are heading to Maine to see our friends. We're going to take a ride over to our new purchase of 5 acres and have a nice lunch in Bethel. It should be fun.

I almost scrapped a page last night. I did the one lo a night challenge. All I have to do is maybe embellish & def. journal a little bit. I run out of things to say with high school photos. It's amazing that I basically went from his freshman lo (below) to Christmas & then to his Sophomore lo. There wasn't anything in between to scrap in his book!! I hate that. My kids are growing up too fast.

A recent layout of my 16 yo. SON

Yes, it is a boy!! He had a really bad "do" at the time but what does a mom know?!! He'll hate me for this one later, I'm sure. He's already cut most of it off!

And I should add it's a recent lo but not a recent photo!!

It's MONDAY MADNESS TIME!

1. How long have you been blogging? since Nov. 2005

2. How many times have you taken a break from blogging? just a couple of days here and there.
3. How long is the longest you've gone, so far, without posting on your blog? again, just a day or two, I think!

4. How many fellow bloggers do you keep in touch with, through your blogs, on a regular basis? a few

5. Have you ever met, in person, a blogger on your blogroll? nope not yet

6. How often do you update/change the 'extra' stuff on your blog? If only I knew how!!! I feel very inadequate as far as my blog set up goes!!
7. Do you think you'll be blogging for years to come? I hope so!

No scrappin' here!

I got home yesterday, threw dinner in the oven, got on the treadmill, got off the treadmill, set the table and ate dinner. Then I was going to head into my room. My 16 yo asked me to come up and look at his laptop. He found this really cool pair of boat shoes (his older brother brought these back in style among their friends). So....he HAD to go to the mall to get them so we could save on shipping. Mind you....these boat shoes are $40 something. I just bought him a nice expensive pair of skateboarding shoes (not the ones you can find on sale at Kohls, the special order online type @ $80 a pop). So anyway, he talked me into it. He's such a brat...knows how to push the right buttons !! We went to the mall, got the shoes and then we had to stop at the pet store for mice bedding and food. Another thing I WAS NOT going to pay for. Ugh...I need a backbone.

I got home around 8:30 and decided to see if there was a movie on since the t.v. was finally free! My mom told me The Mermaid Chair was on the other night so I thought maybe it was on HBO or On Demand. I didn't find it but I watched "In Her Shoes" with Cameron Diaz. It was cute but I didn't get a thing done. This is why I don't watch t.v.

Another weekend gone!!

We went to the wedding on Fri. night. It was fun but we didn't know too many people. I ate WAY too much.

Sat. went to our block party which was a lot of fun. I ate and drank way too much! So....I've put 2 lbs. back on. I was doing really well (lost 24 lbs.). I'm eating a salad today and I'm going to behave!!!!

Sunday I was very lazy. I prepared everything for dinner (marinated steak tips & chicken tips, cut veggies). Poked around the house doing laundry, etc. Then I sat in my sb room and took forever on a 2 pg. lo. I think I was half brain dead!! Then I made a couple of cards.

We had a nice dinner with my mom, 20 y.o. and his gf and my 16 yo. & we celebrated grandparent's day. Then we played a game of LCR or LRC (CRS!!). :0)

My 16 yo came in last night and asked if I could help with his gf's bday. He doesn't work and doesn't do ANYTHING around the house so he gets no allowance. Well, he was sweet about it and I tend to give in when he's nice. So...I told him I'd help. Then I proceeded to show him some cards he could chose from. He loved 2 of them but ended up designing his own. She's going to love it! I'm giving her one of the others. He used the SEI paper with brown & teal (Granny's attic or someone's kitchen?!!). He put a big buckle on it and Amer. Crafts brown/teal striped ribbon with an M for her name. It was very cute!

So....back to work today and it's been horrible. I guess I should get over it and be thankful I have a job, right?~!!!! grrrrr.

Here's another I made with a paisley stamp

Here's a card I made for my niece.

I can't believe she's going to be 13!!!

Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen….#11


Denise has presented a challenge to TT’ers for this weeks Edition:
“I would like to challenge all Thirteeners to come up with 13 things they like about themselves.
I feel like we, as women, spend so much time scrutinizing ourselves that we sometimes forget the good stuff.”

Thirteen Things I Like About Myself:

1…..that I’m organized
2…..that I’m hardly ever late
3…..that I'm a good listener
4…..that I can keep a secret
5…..that I'm a loyal friend
6…..that I like to help others
7…..that have thick hair (sometimes I complain!!)
8…..that I am tall
9…..that I'm a decent mom & wife (I hope!!)
10….that I have a good memory for phone numbers
11….that I'm a great shopper
12….that my house is hardly ever messy
13….that can bake a mean banana bread!

I just hope I don't have to list 13 things NOT to like about me!! ;-)

nothing new...

It's been forever since I've been here but there's really nothing new. It's been a total zoo at work since classes started Tuesday.

I had fun at the cookout on Sunday and did NOT behave. I ate a little of each dessert and had some potato salad. I did go back to the diet on Mon. I think I put a pound on.

I'm off tomorrow. We have a wedding tomorrow night and it starts at 6:30. What's with these holiday and Friday weddings?!! I hope my dh can get out of work on time. It's about an hour away from us.

So I guess I need to food shop tonight if there's time. Fri. I have an appt. with a specialist for my ds. so there's no time tomorrow. Saturday we have our annual block party. I have to make my lemon dessert. They won't let me attend without it! jk I think I'll just laze around on Sunday!

Quick card I made...

I read somewhere about how to alter chipboard letters and shapes. It could be CK, PaperCrafts or maybe in an online newsletter. Anyway, I went a little crazy making a gazillion Sizzix daisies with this cute DCWV summer stack paper I got on clearance!!!

Way too busy!!!

Work has been chaotic!!! I need it to slow down but it'll be a few more weeks into the semester. Oh well...nothing else new to post about anyway....except -

I lost another pound!!!!!!! Soooo happy. I just have to hope I don't put any on this weekend. It'll be tough. We have a cookout at my aunt's and I love my family's cooking!!

Crazy....

I just love that song by Gnarles Barkley! That's how my day was. I was swamped at work and then I got a voice mail from my son's Dean at school. Apparently he was caught in the parking lot without permission. So....he gets a day of in school suspension and 4 detention days. I think that's a bit harsh but maybe I should wait until I talk to the Dean. My son claims he didn't know he wasn't supposed to be there but I'm not falling for that one. He was at a friend's car putting his things in for his ride home later. We'll see......

Exciting vacation day....or not!

Ok, this morning I went on the treadmill, cleaned the house (laundry, dusting), vacuumed, played a little bit with a wedding card, had lunch, etc.

Then I took ds to a surgeon re: his hernia (or so I thought). He has two hernias and will need surgery. The surgeon likes to do it laproscopically (sp?). He will have about a week of down time. So how am I going to schedule that with a kid that can't keep his head above water in school?!! I was thinking of doing it closer to the holiday. I wonder if he does Thanksgiving week. My son doesn't want to wait. He's a drummer and wants to start another band and doesn't want to worry about carrying his drums around and popping it further. So....back to the drawing board tonight when dh gets home. Then I can call to see if he even has an opening when we want it. Ugh... Well, at least it's just day surgery. He will be out completely though. I didn't want to tell him that I had that kind of surgery (tubal) and it wasn't too bad.

After that vacation day, I'm almost ready to go back to work tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be crazy!!

Rainy & cold....

We went on the Boston Harbor cruise today and it was horrible weatherwise. It was so cold and wet! Here's a photo someone took of us. We were standing outside for a second and were getting soaked. Most people stayed inside the boat the entire ride.

What a day!

Just got back from a beautiful walk! It's the perfect temperature (high 60's), sun with some clouds. I decided to go outside since the horseflies are probably gone. I didn't come across any. I took my Ipod along this time and got a great workout. I had some great music (Johnnie Lang, Joss Stone, Shawn Colvin, Midnight Oil (Beds are Burning), Carlos & friends, even Dave Loggins (yes, I'm dating myself here) Please Come to Boston - I almost belted that one out loud!! I'm drenched and so happy I went outside and not on the treadmill. The walk is MUCH better!

There's a Blues & Brews festival at the beach down the street and I could hear some of the blues music as I walked. I'd love to go but my dh hates the crowds! I could smell the smokers cooking!!

Well, it's time to clean the house while I'm sweaty!!

Something funny...

I just have to share what I have to go through to get to my treadmill each night after work. This is our exercise room in the basement. My dh got rid of the Marcy Bodybar to put some drums in and then some!!! Do you see the bar for the treadmill WAY over in the upper left corner, behind the microphone?!!

p.s. I've now lost 22 lbs.!!!!!!!

It's been a while...

I have been busy at work so I haven't posted. Let's see....nothing really new other than I left work at 3 p.m. yesterday because I felt sick. A coworker had the stomach virus the other day and I think I caught it. I did feel better after a while last night and ended up working on cards. )One of our professors wants to buy 2 sets of all occasion cards again for Christmas gifts. So I have a bunch made, I just need to make more and do sentiments inside and all that. I'm happy to be getting some spending cash so I can buy some new things without guilt!!

My husband's job seems to be going great which I'm happy about. I can't wait to meet his co-workers on Sunday. I can't remember if I mentioned it previously but they have their family outing which is a harbor cruise of Boston. Sounds like fun. My boys won't go because one is working and the other is way too cool to hang out with his parents (16).

That's about it. I lead a very exciting life (HAH!!!)!!

Another photo of Screw Auger Falls in Grafton, ME

Details...

Well, we had fun in the area. It's very quaint and not crowded at all! We ate at an Inn for lunch and then a roadhouse for dinner. We had delicious Maine blueberry ice cream for dessert at lunch time. For dinner we had fantastic ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, oh and I forgot about the coconut shrimp for an app. NO, I defintely didn't stick to the diet! I have to get back to it tomorrow. Not looking forward to the scale in the a.m.!

I'll post a few waterfall photos. We went to Grafton Notch on Sat. and it was gorgeous. We had a nice sunny day. Unfortunately it rained Sat. night into Sun. a.m. so we headed home along with everyone and his brother. We had a very long ride home (4 hrs.). It took us an extra hour because of an accident & traffic. Ugh...so then my son and his gf came home from Maine also (she lives there). So after dinner we all (incl. my mom) went to a local homemade ice cream stand. You usually wait in line for quite a while. People come from all over to get this creamy homemade ice cream. I'm stuffed and definitely ready to go back on the diet.

Great weekend!

Here is our soon to be owned property in Maine. We went up to visit the area and had a great time. The photo is our driveway. It goes pretty far into the woods. It's in an association with a beach on a beautiful lake. We won't be able to build for a year or two but it's a start!

Weekend...

Yipppeeeee! We can actually go away this weekend. We have not had a vacation this summer because of my youngest so I'm very happy just to get away for 2 days.

My oldest went away with his gf to Maine (she lives there but goes to school here). My youngest was invited to go to the Cape with his gf & her family. So....my husband said, "Let's go to Maine!!!!"

We got online last night and found the perfect inn to stay at but they only had the most expensive rooms available. Then we found another which is on the snowmobile trail so my husband wants to check it out for the winter. It looks decent. I don't even care at this point. We want to go and look at our soon to be lot of land (haven't closed yet) and get to know the area. I'm looking forward to just getting away and relaxing.

We may be checking out Grafton Notch. Here's a photo:

Here's another of the wedding...

A couple of lo's from my crop....

This one is from my aunt's wedding. We were all so hot after we ate so we decided to dip our "piggies" in the pool even though we were all dressed up. It started out as 3 of us and one by one others joined us until we had the whole deep end covered. My cousin designed windows for Barneys on Rodeo Dr. at the time and took a bunch of photos. He said he was going to do a big display of our toes. I don't think he ever did it though.

scrapped out...

I'm exhausted. My friends came over last night to scrap around 5:30. We chatted and had a light dinner (oriental salad and chicken salad, spinach artichoke dip) . We finally got scrapping and I got through 6 pages (one double lo was semi pre-planned).

I had fun but didn't get to bed until 11:30 after cleaning up. My husband was snoring loudly as he had a very long day (left at 5 a.m. and got home at 8 p.m.). So....I couldn't sleep. The alarm went off at 6 and I just wanted to hit it!!! I'm sure I'll catch up tonight.

Maybe I can photo a lo or two and post tomorrow. I still need to journal on them. I have to do that in private, not at a crop. I can't concentrate enough while others are around. Anyway, back to work....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!

Weekend...

Had a fun but tiring weekend. My two cousins and aunt from MD stayed with us for the weekend. We went out for clams on Fri. night since that's the first thing they want when they come up here. ( They take us out for crabs when we go down to see them). So....the restaurant had a special of frozen raspberry margaritas and I had to try one. THEY were delicious. Need I say more?!! Went home and had a lot of laughs on my porch.

Sat. we went out shopping. I was so excited because my cousin is going to be a first time grandmother and wants to start scrapbooking!! So...she asked me to show her my stuff and then asked if we could go shopping. I had fun telling her about everything and she bought a ton of stuff! We also went to Christmas Tree shops for the other cousin. She bought some Carmel Jr. mints and Sugar Babies (limited edition - covered in chocolate). YUM!

The wedding was Sat. evening at a country club. It was very nice. Started with cocktails & appetizers at the pool (beef wellington, coconut shrimp & chicken, scallops in bacon). The dinner was scrumptious. I chose beef and got a huge filet mignon done just right. I ate the cake which was to die for with delicious frosting and jam in the middle. I was a very bad girl all weekend. After the wedding, we went home and had more drinks and mini Charleston Chews & Jr. Mints and the Godivas they brought me.

Sun. we went to one of my aunts for a visit. They cooked some New England deli hot dogs and I ate those and her delicious potato salad. Very, very bad but got it out of my system. I only gained a pound, believe it or not! I'm back to the diet and treadmill today!

Olivia's Monograms

The favorite is.....hot pink with bling!

Very busy day off!

Well, I cleaned and cleaned on my day off, and finally gave up at 3 p.m. to hit the shower. I didn't even have time for the treadmill!

I scrubbed blinds, washed and replaced shower curtains, kitchen & bathroom floors, dusted, cleaned showers & 4 toilets. Whew!!

I decided I needed to get to the lss for a little fun. I didn't want to waste the entire vacation day! So...off I went. I bought some Bazzill papers I needed, some cute chipboard letters (smaller than I own), 4 stamp pads because I never seem to have the right color even though I have tons!! I can't remember if there was anything else....oh yeah, gotta have that Ranger stamp cleaner. I was about to run out!

So I got home and filed my paper in my CH verticals, made a quick little card, and they were home (dh & mom) for dinner!

I've been making a set of monogrammed cards for my cousins' daughter to use as thank yous. Everyone spoils her to death and my cousin wants to make sure she thanks them. So I'll post a couple. Olivia gave me the colors to use and wait until you see which was the favorite! It was probably the easiest one.

How Virgo am I?

You are 100% Virgo

How Virgo Are You?

This is SO accurate!! I was born 9/22!

It doesn't seem to show above that I am 100%!!

Crazy day

I have to kick some major butt today to get all of my work done. I took tomorrow off to get ready for my company that will arrive on Fri. Also, we are having a little cocktail party at my aunt's for the bride to be. I'm sure I will consume a couple of cocktails or glasses of wine and won't want to go to work tomorrow. :-) I have Fri. off too! But I have to get my nails done, food shop and all that before they arrive. So....I have to clean tomorrow.

It's another GORGEOUS day out...sunny and high 70's - low 80's. Wow. I want to be outside!!! Well, off to get my mounds of work done!

Thirteen things I don't like (from Jodi's blog)
1. Spiders & snakes
2. Liars
3. Pompous people (some doc. students & profs.)
4. Lima Beans
5. Raisins
6. Fingernails scraping on the chalkboard
7. Bad hair days
8. Messy rooms
9. Blogger when it doesn't allow me to post pics, or even post a post
10. Lack of privacy at my house due to additions to my once quiet family!
11. Scrappers block!
12. People who don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom.
13. People who talk on cell phones while shopping or ordering something and they hold up the line!

Weekend

Well, it was fun. Friday, my boss let me out early so we were able to get the food shopping done and go home and relax. The girls and I had a blast in Portsmouth on Sat. We went to my cousin's condo and then downtown for lunch at the Blue Claw and then shopping. It was really good to spend some quality cousin/aunt time!

Sunday I was pretty lazy. I haven't been sleeping well due to hot flashes at night so I cleaned up the house, went on the treadmill and while I was all sweaty, I put my bathing suit on and went on the patio out back for some sun. It was such a beautiful day that I decided to enjoy it! Wow! It was really hot in the sun so I only stayed out for an hour. Then after I showered and all that, I decided to sit out with my hubby and enjoy the shade on the patio. It was GORGEOUS! Perfect temperature. I was able to read a lot in my book, "Memoirs of a Geisha." Grilled steak tips/veggies for dinner and went into the "shop" as my hubby calls it.

My cousin asked me to make some monogrammed cards for her daughter to use as thank yous. The aunties and her grammy spoil her with gifts all the time so she wanted some nice cards to give them. I made about 4 Sat. night and 3 or 4 more last night. I think Olivia will like them. She's 7 or 8 yrs. old, I think. She said her favorite colors were light pink, light purple, light green ("like your shirt" which was seafoam), and light blue. Girls are so easy!!

Today should be another crazy day so I decided to post early before chaos begins!!!!

Busy, busy!!

Well, I couldn't even post yesterday. I was so busy at work, I couldn't even find my desk!! Today will probably be the same so I thought I'd post early.

Last night I got my hair highlighted and cut. Still not sure what to do about the style but decided against the flippy sides. I took a weekend day off styling due to consuming one Hypnotic martini too many and just basically shook my head under the blowdryer and everyone commented on how much they loved my hair! And they thought it made me look younger! I thought, ok, what am I spending all this time on?!!! So it's back to flippy in the back and sort of tucked behind the ears but not really short on the sides. I don't know. I just like easy!! And younger....

Tonight I have to food shop. Such excitement on a Fri. night!!! Then I have to get up bright and early to go to Portsmouth, NH with the girls (aunts & cousins) to see my cousin's new condo. She's leaving for Germany after the wedding next weekend. Her newlywed hubby already left. He's a pro hockey player in Wolfburg(?) Germany. So....after seeing the condo, we'll have lunch in downtown & go shopping. Fun.

We just made an offer on a piece of land in Maine so I'm anxious to see if it's accepted today! I'll wait to post about it until it's sure.

Covered bridge