scrapwhenIcan

been reading, a lot...

2012-01-25T20:14:00.001-08:00

working on my 4th book. Though, I gotta admit, only one book was difficult to read...the rest have been fun and easy.

I work and commute with dh, he works a long day..sometimes he doesn't leave the office till 5:30 or so. He is a CEO and he says that means "Check Everything Out". I will not work that long. My Brain turns to mush @3:30 or 4:00...so that gives me a li'l while to read. I have also taken myself off of a website I was spending a lot of time on...and now I read. It has been a great new discipline.

First there was Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. This book was work for me, the language a li'l difficult for my 'modern mind'...and all the time spent describing scenery. Then I figured this was written during a time when a lot of people did not have the opportunity to travel...so they loved all the scenic descriptions I was finding tedious. The story was good. I hope to read 1 'classic' every quarter. I'm thinking Don Quixote for 2nd Q, April.

Then, Sugar Queen, the Bound Together group book I selected. Just a lot of fun.

Then, Hunger Games...oh my, this book made me cry. And just held me so spellbound, I could not put it down. Think Survivor meets Lord of the Flies meets Demolition Man. I just may have to get the rest of this series.

Now, Don't Look Behind You...a true crime by Ann Rule. It is good...prob not the best of the month.

I really like being part of Bound Together (on goodreads). It stretches me to read books I may not have chosen myself. The book I selected for next month is The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration. I just haven't read much along these lines. I'm always afraid these books will be written with a subjective political narrative. I like history, I like biographies...but I know these things can be subjective instead of objective. So, we'll see how it goes.

Work is nuts. End of year...blah...but I am getting those tax forms out on time...and balancing to 30 cents at one company...and 44 cents at the other. I'm always happy with that.

PLUS our HR gal is leaving and I've been training to do her stuff. For me, it will be temporary...the new gal arrives mid-May...and its my dd!!! YAY!! dd and dsil will be moving to NoCal from Texas for a while. This way he can go to school full time after getting out of the Corps...and she can get HR experience to go with her Masters. Hopefully it is a 'win win' for them.

Of Course, I'm excited...I HATE being half a country away from them. Though it is understood they will go back. They love Texas and it is where they want to stay. I love Texas and dream of going back also. But, dh is not in the position to move...and since I 'kinda like' him too...I'll have to stay with him. ha!!

I've had good luck so far with the weight loss. On 12-29, I weighed in at 175.6...last Monday 170.4!! I was so focused and doing so well. Catch the 'was'? Yeah this past weekend I ate 'off plan' (I do Jenny Craig) and its been hard to go back ever since. I just crave real, good food! Oh well, I'll find my rhythm again! I certainly won't give up!

a lesson...

2012-01-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I dropped off Shelby to be fixed and microchipped. Now, I am not one to even ask 'how much'...I just figured it would cost @200.00...that sounds reasonable, right?

Well...as I dropped her off they asked, Do you want blood work...sure...do you want the extra pain meds for $33.00...sure...do you want a free tatoo near the incision, so other vets will know at a glance she's been fixed...sure!

On Saturday, we go to pick her up ...$ 550.00!!! that blood work...$170.00

Now, I was thinking it was some pre-op blood test...nope it was a full screen panel. (she is good, by the way)

And a li'l extra charge cuz she is obese. She weighs about 80 lbs...doesn't look fat...but guess there were some layers of fat where they were operating.

Oh, DH was pretty angry...told Shelby if he 'had known this was going to cost over $500, he would have left her a woman'

lesson learned, esp when dropping off a dog at the vet, ask 'how much', 'why' and 'is it necessary'.

Oh, she is doing fine...she is running around and not taking it so easy, and she has the plastic "flower" collar around her head...but the stitches look real good...and she is in good spirits..today. Yesterday, she looked like she felt pretty betrayed.

the plan...

2012-01-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

I've been doing very well with my logging...water, exercise, Bible reading, etc.
BUT its only been the first week.

So, when it comes to food...don't want to call it dieting...but, you know, that lifestyle change thing... What IS the best path to success?

like yesterday, a coworker brought donuts. And told me one had my 'name' on it...I was strong and did not cave (instead of thinking of it as a donut I thought 200 calories) ANYways, I know this is a journey...not a sprint, but when do I relax a little? I know it is not encouraged, but I have told myself that when I lose @12lbs and get down to 165...I can have something (burger, burrito, donut) that I've been denying myself. Everyday, that craving changes.

I guess my biggest struggle about watching what/when I eat is that eating becomes the obsession. My mind is constantly on what I can have, when. Is this okay? Is it too early? I know that during the weight loss period, that is the way it is going to be...I just have to have the discipline to lose. BUT I do not want my life to be like this the rest of my life.

Well, I do remember on the Biggest Loser last season they talked a bit about brain patterns. How those who are obese react to food differently than average size people. Maybe I need to consider this period of time a 'repatterning' of my brain. I also read a book, "Who Switched Off My Brain" that talks about emotional brain patterns and that they can be repatterned to a healthier process. The book concentrates on toxic thinking...but I'm sure it all works for biochemical responses to food.

hmmmm, what an odd thing to ramble on about.

I did not finish JYC over the weekend. I was getting 'pissy'...you know, it bacame a task instead of fun. AND when the postbound album needed new pages...well, it got ugly. So, I decided to put it away till I could return and enjoy the process.

I worked this week...well, not Monday, as everyone had the day off. It is my busiest time...closing the month, quarter, year. Gotta get it all in and verify all the balances are correct. Then add to it, that our HR person is leaving in a month, so guess who got to 'train' to do payroll as well. Yup, that would be me. NOW they are not putting me in HR.

I am THE WRONG person for that position. I can do numbers, but people and their issues/drama I have no patience for. In fact I told my boss (dh) that the first thing I'd do is put up a sign "I Ain't Your Momma, and I don't CARE". Can you imagine me when one of our drama queens comes into the office with one of her wig-outs. Not gonna happen.

So, busy week. I have the day off today. But that is just from going work. Today, after my blood test, have a sh*tload of laundry (my husband goes thru a lot of clothes...seriously), floors that have not been swept, bathrooms that at least need a sprucing, and Christmas decorations that still need to be put away. Though, I think I'll save the decorations for tomorrow...so dh can bring in the bins...teehee

AND of course, need to reserve some time in the scraproom. One of dh's honey-do's last weekend was putting up curtain rods in the back suite's hallway...so, I can display layouts. Well, I need to chose layouts. HOPEFULLY will have a pic of that real soon.

Day 1...exhausting

2012-01-02T08:42:00.001-08:00

I got most of my goals accomplished yesterday, except yoga. We only have one dvd player and dh was planted in front of the tv all day after church. Football then a Storage Wars marathon. Today, he promised to do my 'honey do's'.

BUT at the end of the day I was exhausted. All I can think is the combo of less calories, 30 min on the recumbent bike, chasing dgd for a couple of hours...finishing my SMASH book ... and my mind just going and going...pooped this old lady out.

So, need to revamp the day so I won't be too tired for the goals.

The daily goals I am tracking are:

my water, want to be up to 8 - 8oz per day

taking my vitamins, important on a 1200 calorie per day diet (had some hair
loss this past summer when I neglected this)

logging calories, I find logging them in the morning (since I'm on Jenny and it is
pretty much preplanned) helps me to really see what I doing each day

exercise at least 30 min 5 days per week.

daily yoga, have the disc situation that this helps with

did I cheat on my JC plan?

did I buy anything?, yes, gotta learn to budget

did I "Spark'?, go on the Sparkpeople web site to help stay focused

and read my Bible.

Not included in the log, so not quite resolutions...but I want to stop spending so much time watching reruns on tv. (no Storage Wars marathons for me) Instead use the time to read. I did not watch reruns...but I also did not read.

Did select a book to start the New Year with. One of my goals is to read more 'classics'...so, I just stuck my hand under the table next to my bed and grabbed the first book, unseen, from the pile..Thomas Hardy "Far from the Maddening Crowd".

At the start of each quarter, I plan to read a classic. So, that will give me 4 classics for the year. You should see the stack of books on top of my table...this is a 'book table'..made to store books inside and then I have a stack under...I got it from my Dad's estate. I also got my love of books from him.

A big part of my buying problem is not only scrappy stuff but also books. siiiigh.
BUDGET what a nasty little word. ANd for this year, I want to buy only one book per month, the Goodreads group book. AND as far as scrappy, will limit myself to the 2 club kits per month. A good discipline, let's see if I can do it.

Also, want to rearrange the back room for an elliptical. Dh says he will get me one, so I have till Valentine's day to make the space. He would like to see the entire back room (formerly mom's suite) become an exercise room...but I have some scrappy overflow, my Wii, the spare tv (for those days dh watches football, Bond and Westerns)(yuck) and her couch back there and I don't see those moving.

So much on my noodle and so much to do.
BUT how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, right???

Resolution Time

2011-12-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

One thing I've learned from Sparkpeople is when it comes to setting goals, don't just set the 'lofty' goals...but create small, doable steps to acheive your goal. Like I want to lose weight...instead set the goal of 20 min exercise 5 days a week, and increase water drinking. So...that is how I am approaching 2012.

Every year I have the goal of reading my Bible. A couple of times I've tried a daily reading plan...but it doesn't work for me. So, this year, I am going to set the goal of reading one book per month. I think I'll start with Ephesians. As in 2009 I had the opportunity to visit Ephesus during my cruise.

Last year I did very well with my Goodreads goal of reading 44 books. I started with 24 (2 per month) increased it by 20 when I had my surgery recovery time. I will end with 48...so, for 2012..I'm thinking a goal of 30 books. AND to limit my buying to one book per month for the Bound Together Group on Goodreads.

A while ago I had counted my book collection and it was close to 1500 books! Well, I haven't stopped buying since then...In December alone I bought myself 6 books and rec'd 2 for Christmas. yeah, this could be a bit of an issue.

(you're not a hoarder as long as you can store it right?)(but my books are starting to pile up)

Learn to REALLY Use my camera. I'm still pretty much at point and shoot mode. BUT 2 Peas has some really good tutorials. AND this year I will avail myself of them.

AND of course there are the scrapping goals. I haven't fully made them yet. Need to do an 'inventory' of which of my 2011 goals were done to get to 2012.

one thing I know, I need to get my Cinch out of the box and use it!! I bought it at the Expo in August...and it is still in the box!!

One goal I did make was to finish my dd's best friend's wedding scrapbook to give to her family as a Christmas gift...whew!!!

Another goal I've had is to 'pump up' my scrappin' style. As you can see, I tend to be very simple...pic, mat, pp, cs, embellie...done. I have the Elsie Recipe Cards...I should make using them to inspire a lo a 2012 goal, too. hmmmmmm

I'm home!!!

2011-12-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

back from an 8 day trip to Tejas! Got to visit dd and her hubby in Fort Worth AND we drove down to Houston to visit my mom, sister, nieces, nephew, ex bro in laws...overall a terrific time. I LOVE Texas! What do they say? You can take the girl out of Texas but you can't take Texas out of the girl. I may have lived in CA for more than half my life...but Texas has my heart.

But too tired to post pics...oh, yeah, gotta download the ones from the trip.

BUT the kids did bring Missy to visit (my dgd)...she is soooooooo ADORABLE. Whenever she wanted me to direct my attention to her, she would ask "Grandma, do you hear me?"

Yup, the only thing Texas needs to be perfect is for my li'l Missy-boo to move there.

Good news, Shelby (our dog) has not had puppies and does not look like she is going to. First call tomorrow is the vet to get her fixed. phew!! that was a close one. My excuse for not knowing she was in heat in October, is we usually have our dogs fixed early...or they come fixed...she is our first female rescue who showed up..I just did not know the signs till it was too late. ANYways, I really would not know what to do with puppies. So, relief is the first emotion.

AND no more panic attacks or similar incidences. Even when a young mother with a toddler and an infant sat next to me on the plane. It wasn't so bad, but I did not get to do the reading I wanted to do. BUT I did get to hold the baby when she needed her hands free (like when the toddler spilled his water) and you know me, I won't complain about that!! THEN on the flight home, I was next to another couple with an infant....I'm just a baby magnet! It was fine, they outnumbered her and kept her pretty much entertained..and I kept my headphones on. I was on Virgin, and I love that li'l tv on the back of the seat. Watched a couple of episodes of Dexter (a definate guilty pleasure)(almost makes me wanna subscribe to HBO)

Well, my body is 2 hours ahead...time to 'kick it' on a couch with my cat. He does not 'hang' with my hubby, so he was really lonely the past 8 days. My poor baby. He did give me a bit of a scolding when I first walked in...some pretty loud Meows.

I'm a mess...

2011-12-20T02:48:00.001-08:00

but I did finish and deliver the wedding scrapbook, I'll post pics later, after my trip to Texas for the holidays.

yesterday, I think I had a 'panic attack' or something. It was while I was on my bike, I noticed that my heartbeat was way fast...I mean way too fast even for a workout. It was scary, I did not know if it was a heart attack or what.

It's almost funny, the thoughts that went through my head at that moment...
first, "Okay, God, so this is it"..."Where do I want to go? Can't lay on the bed, cuz if Michael finds me there he'll never sleep there again"..."Okay, I'll sit on the couch so I can be next to Percy (my cat)"..."Oh, I hope I don't fall and hit my head".

Then came the fear..."Wow, I'm not ready" ..."What should I do?"..."should I call someone?".

gee, I did look up 'racing heart'...'caffeine intolerance' (I did have a pepsi in the afternoon) and 'panic attack'. If it was a panic attack, it will be my 3rd one since Oct. I do have a dr. appt in Jan...I'll discuss it with her then.

But all night it was, "am I breathing too hard", "is my heart beating too fast?", "is that numbness in my arm?"...you know, not sleeping, but thinking/worrying, so, of course I woke up with TMJ..thinking about it, I had TMJ Sunday night also.

BUT I leave for Texas soon, to spend the holidays with my dd and my Texas family...looking so forward to it...it will be a good time to relax.

gotta go, got a tummy ache...ya'll have a Merry Christmas!!

traveling, traveling...

2011-12-17T04:20:00.000-08:00

Been traveling this past week. Went to Verdi for one of dh's company's annual meeting and Christmas Party. So, we got to stay at the Grand Sierra. I'm not 100% crazy about our room. It was nice, spacious (we got a 'tower' room) BUT it sure is dark.
ANYWAYS, traveling means not eating as well. BIG dinner at Charlie Palmer's on Weds night (had pheasant..it was good) and at the party...and fast food while traveling home. It was the fast food, KFC, that was not agreeable to me. When you don't eat fried food anymore...you feel it when you 'indulge'.

Of course when you come home, there is sooooooo much to do. I don't have a laptop, so when traveling I don't do much on the internet. Only when dh's is available to me. Which it wasn't this time, as he was in the meeting all day with it. Which on one hand is kinda nice..till you see your inbox. And I have 2 email accounts.

BUT I am getting dd's laptop for Christmas. Her dh got a ZOOM (I think that's what its called), she gets his old laptop and I get hers.

I'm up at 4am...started laundry, and the dishwasher. I've noticed a trend of waking up earlier and earlier. That is a part of getting older (er, more seasoned) isn't it? One of the dogs was 'woofing' and that woke me up.

I decided against the card I made...it just wasn't 'right'. I liked the pic, but not the background...so, I'll use storebought (I tend to buy a couple of boxes during the day after Christmas sales, so I have some). AND with the purchase of a few more gift cards...I'm done!! yahoo!!

Today, the main goal is to finish the scrapbook gift...and take a nap.

This year, I'm in charge of veggies and desert for the Christmas dinner. hmmmmmmmm

I got a nice bonus for Christmas. I've already spent half of it...I got myself the Nikon S6100 bundle at Best Buy. My old point and shoot was acting up. Now, I've got to teach myself this one...it is all touch screen. But I'm excited.

Our pastor asked us to bring our Christmas wish list to church on Sunday. I've started it...but sometimes it feels so 'trite' to write out your wish list. But maybe that is part of the exercise.

I'm thinking about Cathy Z's weight loss/scrapbook class on BPS. Maybe it will help motivate me to break this plateau. I'm also thinking Couch 2 5k. From what I am seeing, running is the best way to lose weight...and keep it off. But I guess that falls into the New Year's resolution category.

pictures, please

2011-12-11T06:32:00.001-08:00

I've had a hard time blogging, cuz I'm having a hard time with the transfer of pics from camera to computer. BUT I'll get a bonus, so is a new Coolpix in my future?

I am going to do the Journal Your Christmas with Shimelle again...but...have not started. Yesterday I worked a bit on a Christmas card, I'm not 100% into it...gotta figure out how to 'tweak'. I only hand make a few cards, not all of them.

the t-shirt says, "What Santa doesn't bring me, Grandma will", ummmm how true.

BUT today, dh and I plan to make limoncello. Our tree is FULL of late lemons. BUT the thought of sitting around and 'zesting'...ugh. But you don't know till you try...right???

okay, hopefully after transferring pics...I'll post some of my tree for this year. I really like them!! But I like my tree every year. Decorating them is something I do enjoy. I limited myself to 2 this year...

learned something...

2011-12-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

last night, ds and ddil went to his Christmas Party, so, I got a "girl's day and night" with dgd, Adriana. After church we went to Strings for lunch, a li'l Christmas shopping and visited a friend and her kids...very fun day. A nap did not work out, but she took a 'quiet time' on the couch while I did the treadmill.

Since I was spending the night, her mom gave us permission to sleep together in the guest room. And this is what I learned...

A person who sleeps with Adriana DOES NOT SLEEP!

Oh my, not just tossing and turning and throwing off covers...but flipping so her feet were in my face, sitting up and talking a couple of times...and at one point she even stole the pillow pet right from under my head!! (me: 'Hey, that's my pillow pet!"...her: "No, its mine"...me: "no, here is yours"...her: "okay" as she rolled over to go back to sleep) aye yi yi.

The good thing about sleeping with her...when she is in repose, she really does look like an angel. It is hard to not stay awake just to watch her sweet li'l face.

So, you know, after my Jenny Craig appt this morning, I promptly took a nap!!

very sad day

2011-12-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

Today we said goodbye to our little Cassandra. For almost 20 years she has been a faithful friend to my dd and a joy to me. When we got her at the Pack N Save grocery store, she fit in the palm of my dd's hand. She was sooo playful and as she ran around she made her little motor noises, earning her the nickname "Cassandra the Squirrel". A couple of years later, Marshall (ds's cat) joined our family and they became best of friends. So many good memories of this little girl.

The past few years, she has been the 'cuddler' of the cats. Anyone who came into our home, she saw as a lap to make herself home in...esp if the visitor was wearing white. She is the one who put up with dgd, and let the baby pet her. Whereas the other 2 cats were not quite as friendly.

Cassandra Marky-Mokie (what can I say, a 6 year old did name her) will be missed. We love you little girl.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

for us it will be a mellow day. We are going to the bil's and they are doing it all. BUT we will do another on Sunday with my son and his family. He works today.

of course Thanksgiving has this calorie watcher thinking about calories and weight loss. Moderation is the plan...and lots of veggies. Small bite of desert...now, lets see if I can actually do it. I also need to exercise this morning.

also hoping to put up the Christmas tree today.

as far as the weight loss. Well, since my last post with pics, I have regained @10lbs. I hover around the 175 lbs mark. back and forth. I know what I am doing, I am not being faithful to the food plan...keep having li'l cheats and indulgences.

siiiiiigh. So back to square one. Time to look back and set goals and come up with a plan. NO GIVING UP!!!

Focus on food - log those calories. I find that logging my planned food in the morning works better for me than during the day or in the evening. I just don't spend much time on the computer during those times. AND knowing what my planned meals have, hopefully puts me in the mindset of not thinking 'oh this will be okay'...instead I'll know that that extra 100 calories or so puts me over.

Increase exercise - I've actually done pretty well with doing the 30 minute workouts on my recumbent bike. Nice to do when the tv is on...but need to do a little more. Don't know if I can do 20 min Wii cardio and the bike..but I guess I can try.

for 2012, I want to do the Couch to 5 k...think I'm gonna buy myself a stopwatch and quit making excuses.

I read a great book called "Who Switched off My Brain" about controlling toxic thoughts, so I may try keeping a journal as suggested. Maybe that way I can tackle the roadblocks in my thinking process.

I am happy about the 40 lbs lost ...but it has taken me 2 years to do it. I started November 2009...and these super long plateaus...well, they s*ck. But I know it is me. Not my genetics...not giving any excuses...it is me. I'm just too stubborn a cuss to do what I know I should do. Why sabotage myself like that? The only difference with this time around is I am not giving up.

Other times I would just quit and say this is not worth it....and regain and gain some more. I once did a modified Atkins...got down from 190 or so to 179...but after 6 weeks, had a taste of a warm dinner roll and I was DONE!!! No more counting carbs. Not only regained what I had lost...but got up to 215.

I've done it all in trying to lose weight even had a personal trainer come to my home...but the roadblocks were in me. And I guess that is the work I really need to do now. You know, I watch Biggest Loser and kinda think its so hokey how the trainers try to 'break down' the contestants...but now, I see that it is needed. I understood what Ana was trying to do for Becky and saw myself in how Becky resisted. (Becky is the older lady, right?) AND she irritated the heck out of me...so, I'm not gonna be like that anymore. My daughter always called me rebellious in this area...so, I gotta break that wall...and get healthier from the inside out.

whew, how's that for retrospection?? ha!!!!

do you sit or stand?

2011-11-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

Why I stand while scrapping, uh huh, not necessarily by choice.

All my scrapping time has been spent on a wedding album for dd's bff. Whew!!
My room has been in this general state of disarray for a couple of weeks now.

I've finished the ceremony and am now working on the family and party pics. I'm working off of my own pics and those posted on fb...not the professional pics.

Do you make scrapbook resolutions...you know those projects you'd like to start/ finish during the year. I do, but I cannot seem to find it right now...siiiigh.

I think this year I will do a Journal Your Christmas. It will be my 4th year, but I do find that each year is different. to make it easier, I think I'm gonna use a Me and My Big Ideas 8x8 kit I picked up a couple of years ago at Michael's after Christmas sale. Keep it simple, so I can concentrate on the pics and journaling.

Okay, off to stand in my scrap room...hope to work at least a couple of hours this morn. May go 'shopping' this afternoon...not fun shopping...the essential type.

A day off, well from work at least

2011-11-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

A day off! yay yay!! Wish I was heading to a showing of Breaking Dawn, but ddil and I are looking at going Monday. Hopefully, at least the kiddos will be in school and the crowds not so bad...we'll see.

This morn, I need to work on letters for a display ddil is doing at the church's minstry day...and work on the scrapbook for Jenn's wedding.

I might start a li'l online Christmas shopping. I have not done much to start Christmas and it feels w e i r d. I'm usually one of those who starts in Sept. Of course, with kids grown, it is all very much simplified. But the day after Thanksgiving, I'll pull out the decorations. I do a different color scheme every year...I'm leaning toward a blue this year. Oh, maybe a lime green. or blue and lime green....oooooooh! that could be cool.

I have a Bunco get together tonight. Not sure if enough gals are going, but if not, we will hang out...eat the goodies and watch Bridesmaids instead. Still sounds good. I'm looking at bringing something sweet, as there are a lot of 'savories' already signed up for. Pulled out my Prairie Girl cookbook...I'm sure I'll find something good.

So, off to start my busy day off...!!!

this weekend.

2011-11-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

yesterday, there was a Celebration of Life for Michele's grandson. It was very well done, moving, sad, ...that young man touched so many lives. He will be missed.

I found out that Michele will be moving closer to me. That is one major regret, that I live so far away that he did not know me and I did not know him. I knew of him, but we never really connected. I get to see Michele and family about once a year, but that is not enough. During high school she and I were connected at the hip, and her family was my family. I am Aunt Karen to her son, but did not have the opportunity to truly get to know his son...and it was my loss. Not his, he had a great life filled with love and joy. Sounds like he was a great kid, full of spunk and character.

So, when the kids asked me to babysit my dgd in the evening, you KNOW I said YES! Time is the only thing we can never get back. And I do want to spend as much time with the people that are important to me. So being able to hang out with the Missy-boo is top of the list. Daddy gave her chocolate after her nap, so she was a bit hyper...I got videos to prove it. But she was so much fun. Such a li'l stinker.

The other evening, when I took her out for a movie and pancakes as we were pulling into IHOP, out of the blue she asked me, "How is your sister?". "She's fine". Then "How is my sister?". "Well, she hasnt been born yet...do you want a sister?"...she thought about it...."Hmmmmmmm, No!". Okay, random, but okay!!

don't know how to title this.

2011-11-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

I got my pics...since the Coolpix wasn't talking to the computer, but the D3000 was...I just put the card in the D3000. yay! and duh.

But I also had devastating news Sunday Afternoon. I don't feel it is right for me to post about it, but if you think about it please pray for my friend Michele and her family. I won't see them till this Sunday, please pray that I am able to be of comfort to them.

I've never known how to help people thru tragic times. You want to say the right words, but there are no words. I just feel her pain. I got to talk to her yesterday, and she was being so strong...so brave, I'm the one who started choking up ..and cried after we hung up.

Frustrating Saturday,

2011-11-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

ughh! I cannot get the pics on my Coolpix to transfer to the computer. So, not a good way to start the day.

I then spent the rest of the day with Cassandra (my elderly cat)...I think she has had a relapse. She did not eat much yesterday...so I gave her half a valium this morning. Hope she eats today.

I'm not seeing any throw up or diarreha...oh, I want to do the right thing for her.

I did get the chance to clean my scraproom in the morning. Is it a reasonable goal to do a wedding scrapbook before Christmas? Guess I need to just dive in and try.

Since I was in the backroom with her, I did get to watch some of the shows I dvr'd while on my trip. Once Upon a Time and Biggest Loser and ANTM...oh! so happy with ANTM, my least fave...Bianca and Alexandria were taken off. I was on the fence about Kayla...she has become so 'one note' this season. My fave is Laura and Alison...so, we'll see how they do.

okay, one more attempt at the coolpix...wish me luck!

Aloha!

2011-11-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

Dh and I just returned from an 8 day trip to Maui...absolutely wonderful, except for the mega sunburn across my chest. At least it happened our last full day there.

I'm having some trouble downloading from my Coolpix, but here are some pics from the D3000.

from our balcony at the Hanua Kai resort on Kaanapoli

Trying to capture the sunrise our first morning during a walk on the beach

Sunset on in Lahaina, while waiting for the Feast of Lele luau...

Miguel, our extremely charming waiter at the Luau...

Honomanu Bay during the Road to Hana, our last stop, as we needed to make a Zipline appt.

Zipline pics are on the coolpix...but here is Ho'okipa State Park, where a parasailing competition was being held on our way back. Unfortunately the winds were not high enough for the competition...This is also a famous surfing spot.

I loved this jeep...it had a bumpersticker that said "Do Not Feed the Hippies"

emotional week

2011-10-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've had my pics from the last crop ready to post, but the week has been a rollercoaster of emotions.

Started out great, got to see the dgd Monday and Tues. Tues, they were here for most of the day, as their carpets were being cleaned. BUT Tues I noticed our 18year old cat was throwing up and 'squirting' from her bottom, and not touching her food. Just like the cat we lost 2 years ago. Oh no. So, I took WEds off thinking I was going to have to put her down.

But, when I woke up Weds, she looked so 'lively' in her eyes...I took her to the vet, and since dh won't pay for full tests and such...it looked bad. BUT I could not do it, not while she had so much life...and she was climbing all over me at the vets. So, we decided to treat the immediate symptoms.

Long story short, she is responding to the medications. No more vomiting, she is eating, and still diarreha but no longer squirting uncontrollably. She was even playing with her toy last night. Is this a long term fix? I don't know. But it is so good to see her back to her 'old self'.

Sept was a blur...hopefully Oct will be good, also

2011-10-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Sept was a blur...dd was down for her bff's wedding. Dd was Matron of Honor, so that meant she was running around with the bride and I did not get to see her. The bride also had a Maid of Honor, Dd says that Bff has always said she wanted both girls next to her...and it worked out really well.

this past weekend was an all day crop put on by a friend...it was a fundraiser for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) It was from 8am Sat to 1am Sun...and I was there the whole time. She had it at the church I go to, and I was the church 'liason' so to speak. We don't normally allow our facilities to be used for nonchurch events, so there needs to be a church member 'in charge' of the facilities.

Anyways, it was great. The friend did a great job, she got great raffle prizes from around the community and scrapbook companies. There was also a silent raffle. Because there were about a dozen women there, many won multiple raffle prizes. I won 4...and that seemed to be the average...I got a 'foot detox' from a local salon; set of Bazzill shaped cardstock (which I'll split with my sis ); Fancy Pants 'Beach Bum' paper set (perfect as I'm going to Hawaii soon) and a $20 gift certificate for a local CM rep. And from the silent auction, I won a scentsy wall plug with 2 bars of fragrance...and a full sized basketball hoop (got that for my dil).

(okay, I have pics but my mouse is having issues...aye yi yi)

I got a LOT of pages done, finished Pompeii and Santorini (Greece) from my cruise 2 years ago. BUT at crops, I tend to get them down on paper, embellish very little, so I need to go thru and finish any journaling and embellishing.

I'll post pics, as soon as I solve the mouse issues. ha!

scrap spaces...

2011-09-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

On 2 peas is a thread about scrap spaces, including pics. I don't think I have any pics of my set up...but in this pic from last August's Expo you can kinda see it. I'm the empty space in the left bottom of the pic.

Last weekend's crop I took this

Its an AutoExec collapsable file tote made for cars. I used it to pack my tools and put it on a chair next to me to keep everything at hand. I love that it is collapsable for storing at home, that you can configure it with the velcro'd walls and that it has a cover for transporting it. It kept my gypsy, punches, stamps, cropadile, a couple of magazines...and my travel journal and Rick Steve's all within reach. It isn't tall enough to transport paper, but I kept the 'kit' I was working on in it.

I've got another crop coming up on Oct 1st...yay! I do love to crop. I don't bring a lot of embellishments, I figure if I get the base page done, I can embellish at home.

Maybe I'll think to take a better pic of my space set up. ha! I do have a li'l crop buddy, a plastic karate smurf. He fell in my bag once...and he's been going to crops with me ever since.

wanted to post pics of my sis's scrapspace

2011-09-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

to the 'untrained eye' it may look insane, but once you know my sister's organization, its a scrappers paradise.

This is 'my side' when I visit...love the middle island with the goodies. She is one who takes her scraps and premakes tags and such, she keeps them on a lazy susan in the middle and I was using them!! An idea I'd like to start doing.

this is her corner, I like how she has the corkboard so she can see all the embellies for the album she is working on. She had her Costa Rica trip out, so she had all her beachy summery embellies out. Under the desk are all her Iris containers filled with embellies organized by theme.

I don't organize by theme, but I do like her system. I tend to organize by type.

This is the 'tool' corner. Including her cricut create.

My sis does not go to crops, she has everything she wants at her fingertips. I LOVE going to her place...I usually just bring pics/ papers/ adhesives and I am set.

I do try to not use too many of her consumable embellies...unless she gives them to me....but I know how I'd feel is someone using my room used up my fave Primas or something, you know. She has been teasing me, that she is going to start charging me a scraproom 'use fee'.

Next June we are planning to go to the GASC Arlington, then to her place to crop.

Hope it works out!

just back from Houston..

2011-09-14T07:37:00.001-07:00

Spent 5 days in Houston visiting family. I was esp hanging out with my mom, who is 79 this year...and so at her house there was no internet access for me. My sis usually leaves me a laptop and her code for the wireless...but, this year the laptop had issues. I never got it to work. So, also took the week off from internet. Not Bad. I remember a friend had a no internet Sunday policy. Stepping away from the computer can be a good thing.

So, as you can guess, I scrapped and read. My sis has an outstanding scraproom. I took pics, so I'll post more later.

I finished Nothing Daunted. Good idea to take it to the airport. It's not a bad book, just a li'l hard to trudge through the history. But when she told about the gals and their adventures, it was quite interesting.

then I read, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Killer. Oh! I really enjoyed it. Now, it also was filled with historical facts, but the way the author wove it into the story, made it interesting. I actually thought the book was going to be tooo'campy'. but found it fun and interesting. I even started to 'buy' the theory, but reminded myself 'photoshop' everytime there was a pic.

then I read, The Winter Sea. I could not put it down. literally, the first day I read 260 pages out of @560. I had to tell myself to put it down so I'd have something to read at the airport. It was sooooo good. Another with history, but so ingrained in the story it was interesting.

gotta go, the dh is pacing, we gotta go to work.
have a great humpday!!!

a quarter of a century...

2011-08-28T05:34:00.000-07:00

my 'baby' is a 25 today!

I am soooo proud of her. She has grown up to be one terrific young woman. and let me tell ya, that wasn't always the 'prognosis'. She came out of the womb, ready to 'rule the world'. Let me tell you, she was one strong willed child. I had 2 books at my bedstand, The Strong Willed Child and Dare to Discipline. I would tell myself, "God has a reason for making her this way, its a good thing, its a good thing...." AND Lucky for me, it is. So all you parents of strong willed children, my ds and ddil included, I'll just say...they are not easy to raise, you can't parent with the 'lay down the law' style...you have to learn to come alongside them and help them to channel that will to the positive...but it is SOOOOOOOO worth it!!

one last post...

2011-08-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

after tomorrow night, I'll be living at my kid's house with my granddaughter...4 nights and 3 days of wonderfulness. But I'm thinking I'm not going to have a lot of time to be on the computer, or read, or scrap...and I'm gonna be one 'pooped' out grammy.

Here she is doing twirls and modeling the latest tu-tu skirt grammy bought her. teehee...and her parents agreed, she will start dance school in Sept! yay!!!

so, I think I'll finish the tour of my house. taadaa, the master bedroom and bath. IF I were to build another home...I would not put this area right next to the great room. That being said, me love my bedroom. The walls are a color called Wet Concrete, a real grayed down purple...my dd really does not like this color but ...what can I say, I love it. The bedding and curtains are in brown tones.

I read somewhere to not have pics of family in your bedroom, can affect the 'mojo' so to speak, so I have the art I picked up in Italy up. Since I looooooooved Italy, and would looooooove to go back. My dream is to eventually put one of the fake fireplaces in there, to make it extra romantique.

The master bath continues the Wet Concrete color with the tub highlighted in the next shade lighter, Victorian Mauve...the tiles are gray and a luminescent purple. They were a special order...one side like grape, the other with an inner sheen. AND I also found some celtic tiles on Ebay. Oh! I did not take any pics of the bathroom that day..

but here is another one of the master bedroom...with Percy in his favorite spot

finally unpacked!

2011-08-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

here's a pic of the materials from that Faber-Castell class...of course, I went online and bought more of the gelatos (really cool chapstick like pens that have a metallic color you can blend).

and here is one from the jewelry class...

of course, I bought supplies to make more...let's just say all the women in my family are getting a necklace this year. Already made my mom's, with some sunflower paper and just a touch of fine glitter.

And I have been scrapbooking and cardmaking also. Lots of events in August, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and baby showers.

YOu know what I've discovered? I simply don't have many stamps and supplies to make anniversary cards. Ya'll have any ideas? I've been looking around a bit, I esp like Stampin Up stamps (still like the wood)...but just did not see much.

Oh! and at the Expo I bought a Cinch 2. I've been seeing these online for $105...but got it for $75.00 and they also had 5 wires for $5. And guess what, yes, it is still in the box! Maybe I'd better make it a goal to play with it a bit today. Today is pretty free.

Until this evening, GOTTA watch the Glee Project finale. I like all of them but Alex. I'm still upset when Alex was being such a bully to Matteas and having that 'diva' attitude. I simply hate bullies. Okay, I hate bullying. I know bullies are people too and often act out because of their own pain...and I should have sympathy for them as people. BUT it is tough...cuz I just hate what they do. Growing up half Japanese in the late 60's and 70's in Houston, yeah, I had first hand experience with bullies. I like to think that the experiences made me stronger and more sympathetic to those who are 'different'...but sometimes, even at age 50, I still feel some pain and sadness. Oh well, gotta use the emotions as a reminder to pray for those people. I still remember their names...Tracy, Richard, Jeff, Humberto, Scotty....isn't that funny, I can tell you the names of my childhood bullies. I remember their last names too, but won't post them.

Expo!

2011-08-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

how fun, is there anything better than an Expo Weekend. This is my once a year treat. 3 days of cropping, 2 days of shopping (one hour VIP) and staying at the Hyatt.

This is Alexa, she joined us for 2 of the 3 days...she was sooooooooo good!

I took a couple of classes. I'm at the point where I am looking for technique classes as opposed to page classes. My 2 classes this year was a jewelry making class and one sponsored by Faber-Castell that was filled with techniques for blending colors and using other mediums. AND I actually won a door prize! A gold and a silver PITT artist pen. whoot whoot!!!

Got a lot done. Roomed with and sat next to Nancy...who is the group's Gypsy 'guru'...so, she gave me lots of tips. That Gypsy is terrific!!

So, I'm still not fully unpacked. Been working, and did get a lot done yesterday, but just this last bag for today.

Today, I need to make some cards! It is ds and ddil's anniversary today, my sis's birthday on the 25th and dd's birthday on the 28th. DD turns 25 this year. I am exactly twice as old as her! ha!!

leaving for the Expo! and my scraproom...

2011-08-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

I leave for the Expo this afternoon! I'm all packed, I've been all packed since the weekend, but always have that feeling I'm forgetting something...siiiiiigh. Looking so forward to going. yay!!

I'm doing all 3 days of cropping, 2 classes..and well, a li'l shopping! ha!!

So, we are on my favorite part of the home tour. The room that makes all non-scrappers go pale. Even scrappers, like my friend Michele, tend to get a li'l dizzy. My scrapspace. ha!!

I chose violet walls because I read somewhere that it was the color of creativity. topped it with pale blue ceilings and ikea cabinets and that wonderful ribbon curtain I found on Ebay. I LOVE this room. It was the one room that dh had absolutely NO SAY...so I made it completely my own. teehee

The above side of the room was originally designed to be my mom's sewing center. I was only supposed to have half the room. And 6 years ago, that would have worked, as I did not have much 'stuff'. BUT the first time my mom moved out, I took over her half. and never looked back...ha!!

To the right of my scraproom is the in-law suite. Designed for my mom. She came to live with us when the house was built. She would do 6 months with us, 6 months with my sis. Then a couple of years ago, she moved out permanently...to an undisclosed location. (she is in hiding from another sis) ANYways, family drama aside, all I can say is that she no longer lives with either one of us.

So, once she moved out permanently, this area became my she-cave. I do my exercise in there and, what can I say, scrap stuff started to spill over. Oh my, is that old bakers rack filled with cricut??? teehee.

I LOVE the paint color in there, it is from Ace Hardware called Drenched in Dew, the ceilings are a pale yellow...and the black furniture was my sister's ...my mom brought it with her when she moved out here. We got the bamboo flooring at an auction. gorgeous.

Oh No! is that china cabinet filled with more scrapstuff!!!

teehee

here is the bedroom portion of the suite. My mom is Japanese, so this room was decorated with that in mind. The curtains are from Ebay...the walls & ceilings are painted SW Restrained Gold.

this accent wall was done in a treatment called Oriental Silk...an orange color with a glaze on top. LOVE it...the furniture was my moms. My sis calls it 'early bordello' teehee.

last room in this wing, besides the pantry, is the suite's bathroom. I was going for a 'country' look with the sink and wainscotting on the walls. The color is Champagne Ice, a pale peach. I read somewhere that it was complementary for the complexion and I figured a woman in her 70's could use it!! ha!! This room also features a wall of my collection of Anne Geddes prints.

okay, we are done with this wing of the house. All that's left is the master bed/bath.

Sorry if the pics are a li'l dark. I just took my camera around the house one morning and did not do any 'staging'...just shot what was there.

more of my house tour...

2011-08-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, I got to babysit Missy-boo for a couple of hours. Mom and Dad went to an Open House at a local preschool. They are considering having her go for 8 hours a week. Pooh. I truly believe all babysitting should be done by grandma. Except grandma works 3 days a week. The kids are in the process of starting a business and the 8 hours would be a good time to put some quality time into it.

BUT, this afternoon, they are having a conference call...so, G'ma and Missy are going out to run errands and to go out to dinner. (not good for my diet) but good for me!!
She has discovered the word, MINE!!! teehee. She proclaimed my doggy-bag was hers. It has cartoon drawings of puppies...and a multicolor zipper...I use it to take my non-refrigerated foods to work.

On Thursday, they got to babysit me. I ride to and from work with DH, he was running late to an appt, so he dropped me off at their house. (I did not want to sit around and wait. Of course, I LOVED it. teehee. They can babysit me ANYtime. ha!!

So, continuing my house tour....from the Princess Room you make a right turn and you are in the laundry room. In the original plans, this would be a wall shared with the garage. But we took those drawings, added a door...and created a laundry room, instead of a laundry corner in the garage. We added another door at the other end of the room. It has the potential of being a pass thru between 'wings'.

The color is a big compromise with dh. I wanted a passion pink or tropical blue, but those colors 'scared' him...so I went with the spring green and (gasp) a white ceiling (only 2 rooms have them)...the cabinets are Ikea. The floors are cork, which I just LOVE. This is also the cat room, with boxes and food, so the floors are perfect and durable for that type of abuse.

on top of the cabinets are my blue glass and beanie puppies collections.

As you leave the laundry room, you enter the most used 'wing' of the house. You can also enter this section from the breakfast nook. This was originally a 3 car garage, but we drew into it an office, pantry, scraproom and in law suite.

The office is the most used room in the house. Esp for dh. Originally it was going to be his 'man cave', but my computer takes up half the room. We talked about moving me out, but then we would never see each other. The desks were built by his friend who used to own an exhibit company. In the corner you can see a log used as the leg. They are way cool. DH chose the paint color, a color called Thyme...I chose the khaki ceilings and the window treatment. Dogs playing poker...cuz the room was getting too serious.

(the chair by the door is Winston's...no human had better try to sit there...ask ds!)

We are getting close to the scraproom...but saving the best for last! ha!!

not much time...

2011-08-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

for scrappin, but I have packed pics, pp's and embellies for the 3 day crop at the Santa Clara Expo! happy dance!!

But tomorrow, Saturday, hope to do the last 2 days of the colour/color class.
Finish a lo I've had on my desk...and do a li'l journaling for my weight loss book.

Then will need to finish packing for that Expo.

Had my Jenny Craig appt...their scales show a small loss...mine showed a slight gain. So, guess its a wash. I am having so much trouble eating according to plan. I just want to eat what I want to eat. I'm not binging, just not staying true to the plan. BUT doing the cardio has not been a problem. I so enjoy my Wii.

My consultant recommended I log everything...to hopefully keep me more accountable.

So, what to do at the Expo? I can bring non microwave breakfasts and lunch...but a li'l more difficult with dinner. Drink lots of water, bring Jenny snacks...and watch my portions when we do go out. Take an hour to hit the treadmills? Walk the floor a lot...teehee

Did get this done for the blue lo at color/colour..not cray about how I embellished...but its a start.

also played around a bit with ATC's...had the paper left over from a kit that had these vintagy/chalky ads. I think I used pretty much every bit of that pp.

and last but not least, part of a cricut page swap at Splitcoast...so made a couple of these for a kid's birthday theme...gonna do a couple of pages with Hello Kitty, and I'll be done, and able to mail. Made myself an extra of the Elmo for Adriana's recent birthday as she loves him.

At the crop I plan to work on another splitcoast swap, some ATC's to swap...and I took dd's trip to New York (gosh, was it in 1999?), my trip to Florence/Sorrento (from a cruise a couple of years ago) and pics to finish Adriana's book of 2010.

did I mention its 3 days..I'm sharing a room with a friend at the Hyatt...taking a couple of classes. AND we've got a table reserved (actually 2 tables) for our group. yay!!

I LOVE that little girl!

2011-07-30T07:19:00.001-07:00

got to spend a couple of hours with dgd yesterday. Her parents wanted to do a conference call...so, we walked to a Mexican restarant for lunch. Then we hopped over to the McD's for $1 ice cream sundae (I did not have any). She is soooo silly and smart and STUBBORN! Of course, to g'ma...that is adorable!! After McD's we walked to the Savemart and bought everyone treats. I let her sit in the cart, cuz she's a 'big girl' and as I was putting stuff into the cart, we would say whose treat it was. Mommy got hawaiin rolls, Daddy got a bag of cookies, Grammy got a gallon of milk...then we went down the ice cream aisle. As soon as I put my Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches in...she proclaimed "Ad-jianas!"..instead of the 'r' sound she makes more of a j sound. Um, okay grammy will share. I then put 2 boxes of Klondike ice cream sandwiches, (one for Papa and one for her family) and she still proclaimed the Skinny Cows were hers. So much fun!!

We did not walk home, I called the kids to come get us....I was exhausted!!! When I came home, I put the tv on and immediately fell asleep on the couch.

Oh! wanted to post more pics of my home...kinda started it a while ago. This is what we call the guest wing of the house. With 2 grown kids, we have unused bedrooms. And except for the bathroom, this is pretty much the least used area of the house.

We call this room the Texas Room. LOVE that quilt. It's just an inexpensive quilt from JC Penneys. I had that quilt on J's room when we were selling the old house. My dd, C told me, "I hope you aren't using that quilt in the new house". I told her, 'don't worry it won't go on the bed"...teehee. Nowdays, the room is used when we have young men staying over. Or Kids. I LOVED putting dd's now husband in that room when they came to stay, as he is an Okie. ha!!

There are 3 colors in that room, 1 brick red wall, 2 brown walls and a khaki ceiling. The floors are gunstock, just a li'l different than the wood floor in the hall (like I said, if it has a door, I'm going for it) I wanted to do a paperbag treatment on the long wall...kinda make it look like leather OR shingles on the long wall and put tin siding on the ceiling...to try to create an outdoor porch feel. But, a li'l too much work, and I'm happy with this.

Next to it is the guest bath...I picked the sink first (a decolav from Lowes) and the rest, came after. Found the blue glass tile on Ebay. This is the 'spa' room

The paint is Lowe's Morning Fog...both walls and ceiling...but different sheens, so the painter called it 2 colors. humph.

I love these perfume prints...also found online, I think All Posters. The frames are ikea.

Next is the Princess Room. Originally it was going to be an all white room. Then I fell in love with that Caribbean Teal color. At first, whew!, it looked way too strong. BUT once the chrome bed, white linens, dark dresser went in...it came together. And I used cherry for the floors. It was my mom who dubbed it 'the princess room'.

Now it is our main guest room, as it also has the nicest queen sized mattress. It is also the room dh and I use when we sleep separate from each other. (only when one of us is sick, we have a rule, no sleeping separately in anger.

And as you can see, dgd is kinda starting to take over...good thing Tinkerbell's colors go with my color scheme pretty well. teehee.

We'll start with the next room at another date.

a little odd for me...

2011-07-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

I've had some time off since Weds, and I haven't scrapped or read! Very unusual, I walk into my scrap room and might putter a bit...but end up not really doing anything. I have plenty to do, I'm even one class behind on my colour/color class...but I don't know, is my mojo gone? Since restarting work, I haven't even been doing my Smash book..siiiiigh

I am going to the Santa Clara Expo in 2 weeks, so I could at least be getting myself organized for that. 3 days of cropping/shopping! Heaven on earth, well, for me. I'll also be taking 2 classes. So, last year, they had it set up so you wouldn't have to pack your stuff every night..you can leave stuff at your table...if you had a reserved table. This year I am part of a reserved table with a group. That sounds convenient,but makes me a li'l nervous. And how about packing for 3 days of cropping.

I need to start printing pics ... I don't normally do page kits...just pack things according to project. As far as embellies, I usually bring basics. Figuring if I get the pics down on a page, I can embellish later.

gotta get organized. gotta get organized.

here is the page I did for the 'green' class...

and pages for the start of my faithbook album...am using Websters Pages 6x6 on 8x8 cardstock and their fruit cards...for each of the fruits of the spirit.

but now what? pics of people doing each fruit? can I find pics like that??
or stick to journaling about each one?

One 'good' thing, after my Jenny Craig appt, I picked up a Graphic 45 Renaissance Stack...should be good for my pics from Italy. Oh! and some new BoBunny Timepeace papers...should also be good for Italy. The store also had Bazzil, 2 for $1. Yeah, someone enjoyed herself to the tune of $40! And I just went in to 'see' if they had Kraft paper! ha!!

cleaning, cleaning, oh how I love to clean...

2011-07-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

NOT

since I've got some time off, I've been cleaning..well, in the mornings before it gets too hot. Yesterday, the concentration was bathrooms, today, my tile floors in the kitchen, dining room and hall. My tile there is travertine, so it is very pitted...and well, the stains I don't get out...I call 'patina'. ha!!

The travertine story, I really wanted it and found these online. But it was costly. So, when dh and I went to Home Depot to order tile...we ordered something else for this area. The next morning, I told dh, "I really want that travertine, and I know if we don't get it, I'll look at this floor everyday and hate it". So, we scrimped elsewhere and got the travertine. I LOVE it...and so does dh. Every bit of it got used.

So, I'll post some pics of my house. I took these over the weekend, without staging or cleaning, soo...yeah, please don't be nitpicky..ha!

This is my vignette in the unused entry. Everyone uses the back door...and dh has his back inverter set up there. BUT I love this color, it is called BM Metallic Gold. All my browns in the common areas are from this strip. This is the darkest. The print is from a trip to Washington, dh & I took. The table is my mom's old sewing cabinet.

This view of the great room is what you'd see if you actually used the entry. I love our fireplace (the stone is fake). I was going for a Napa Valley Wine Country look, inspired by the Thomas Kinkaide print over the fireplace and the movie "The Parent Trap" with Lindsy Lohan.

So, oversized stone fireplace, leather (cheerfully distressed by cats) and metals. The walls are a Behr color called Sagey. and since the ceilings are so high, I went with the middle color on that BM strip, Burlap.

Turn to the right, and you see the hallway leading to the bedrooms. More burlap on the walls and from the same strip Latte on the ceiling. I did want my browns/tans to have a hint of pink as opposed to yellow or green. On each side of the entry arch, are shelves my fil installed. With my Gone With The Wind collection of dolls and plates. and Red glass...oh, I love colored glass.

On the other side of the great room is an entry to the dining knook, you can really see the travertine floors. Oh Well, I did not take a pic of it. the nook and the kitchen have SW Great Green walls, the Latte ceilings...I went with a retro kitsch look in here. A print of Elvis, white curtains with red embroidery on top.

But here is a view of the kitchen/nook from the hallway.

and here is the kitchen from that hallway, a continuation of the Great Green color (one of dh's friends called it Kermit the Frog green), and cherry KraftMaid cabinets. I went with black appliances because of an ad on the KraftMaid website.

last but not least on today's tour of the common area is the dining room. I went with a shabby chic theme. The walls are Lowe's Timeless Taupe and the ceiling is KM Petal Pink. oooooh, I love that ceiling! It has a recessed lightrope...

You would not believe the headache of getting that lighting done. Dh and the contractor kept asking "what is it you want done?" so much that I took a pic of it from a magazine and tacked it to a stud in the room. Then, when it came time to actually build it, I was told, "we have to lower the arch"...which meant all arches had to be lowered. (upcharge) I told them LOWER IT! I'm glad, its a great little feature.

here's the room with better light and different angle. Oh, love that pub style table, the square shape works so well with the room shape. And that light above the table came from Ebay as well as the window treatment.

All our windows are like 6' tall...so Home Depot's fake wood blinds cut to fit were perfect and inexpensive.

Okay, that's the common areas. Even though I used several colors, I stayed pretty consistent. The browns from the same strip, the other colors are primarily green with touches of red (pink is a shade of red) the wood floor is the same throughout the great room and halls and the travertine floors.

As we get to the rest of the house, remember my rule was 'If it has a door...' well, lets just say, even the floors were targeted to be changed. ha!!!

5 day weekend...teehee

2011-07-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

I'm caught up at work, even taking care of some filing and archiving. My boss is out for the rest of the week, so instead of sitting in front of the computer with nothing to do...I got the rest of the week off! Yay! So, yesterday, I had visions of sleeping in and lounging in my pj's...nope. Was up at 5:45 and changed into my shorts...and thought of readin' and scrappin' all day...but, nope, think I'll tackle cleaning bathrooms this morning.

We may have a 3rd dog now. This little girl showed up 2 weeks ago Friday. She showed up scared and scarred. Bite marks about her face and bad scarring around her neck...like she had pulled against a chain, or someone had cut it. Though she is not all that cute, she is the sweetest thing and does not create the 'drama' other dogs had created when they show up. I call her Shelby, after the Julia Roberts character in Steel Magnolia.

almost 2 weeks later, she is much more lively and seems to be healing well. I need to take her to the vet, see if she is microchipped, fixed...do all the steps if we decide to keep her. (we haven't done it yet, as we don't want to put a collar on her till she is healed.) DH bought her a collar yesterday, bright blue, I tried to explain that girls need pink collars with rhinestones, his response, 'MY girls wear blue"...siiiiiigh

She really loves dh and wants to be a part of his 'pack'. I'm not a dog person, but I like her. BUT she has the 'bad' habit of rolling around in cow or horse manure..so, I don't pet her beyond her muzzle.

I really do love my house!

2011-07-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

The other night while getting ready to go to bed, I was walking down one of my hallways, and just thought, "I really do love this house". in 2004, after dd left for college, dh finally gave in to his dream of owning property and building a house. He bought an ugly piece of land in the back corner or our town; it was used as a garbage dump (not officially, just where people would dump their stuff) AND there were 2 trailers that had burned down years ago (it was rumoured that meth was involved) AND it was the place where kids would go to party. I did not see the property, till dh had it cleaned up. 18,000 lbs of trash and 21,000 lbs of scrap medal..and the frames of the 2 trailers.

As you know, where there is construction, there is theft. So, dh got a 36' long travel trailer and moved onto the property that Dec/Jan...we put the house up for sale...and I moved in May 2005. Our house sold fast, and the new owners wanted it quicker than the usual one month. So, me and the cats moved into a travel trailer. Needless to say, I hated it! Kitchen/bathroom wholly inadequate. I'll never forget, dd visited from college, I was giving her a tour of the trailer, pointed to the extra front room and told her 'this will be your room for the summer'! Her eyebrows went up. She promptly went back to college, and got herself a summer job at Macy's and made arrangements for summer housing. ha! that front room became the storeroom and mini scraproom. As it was while we were living there that I took my first scrapbooking class and got HOOKED!

I won't go into all the construction stories. Needless to say there are stories, of delays and subcontractor theft. Taking of deposits and not showing up. One guy, the truss company actually accepted our deposit and on the day they were supposed to deliver went bankrupt. BUT there are also stories of heroes, those who went above and beyond. If you ever need a concrete guy, stucco guy, roofer, contractor, electrician...we have some great recommendations for you.

so, here is the finished house, compromises and all...I wanted brick and columns, you know kinda like something you'd find in Houston. BUT dh convinced me that brick was not practical in earthquake country..so we got stucco...but kept my columns.

this is a pic of our back...we have a seperate garage...don't you love that concrete work..stamped and colored. It goes all the way around the house. Not what we planned, but because we loved it, we added it.

anyways, it could be said that the outside is dh's part of the house, the inside is mine. I'll have to do another post about the inside. hint, 30 colors (according to the painter) (he counted sheens)..

aps, aps...everywhere are aps

2011-07-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

to be sung with the tune from 'signs, signs, everywhere are signs'...do you remember that old song? is it from the 70's??

Anyways, with a new smart phone comes aps. Now I still can't figure out how to get my own ringtones. And Ds showed me how to do the security code. And take a pic to be my wallpaper (the winner is...Kema)(who can resist a pic of a golden retriever in the morning sun) this is not the pic, but a pic.

So, I do have the constellation ap, KLOVE, and yes, Amazon Kindle. Oh, that one is gonna be dangerous. Most of my coworkers have a Kindle, and we decided to start a work Reading Challenge/Circle...so, for the common book, it was decided to use free Kindle books...so, you see, I NEEDED that ap!!

But having had it at work for 4 days, I do understand the temptation of going on Facebook or your email at work. So far, I've been good. BUT I understand the temptation.

So, today is my day off...I have my Jenny Craig appt. AND I am babysitting, though the kids are older so its not really babysitting, they are coming over to hang out while their dad is at work. Also, I don't get paid. BUT that's okay. Its a sad family situation, I'll just say, newly single dad with restraining order against mom. So, I don't mind helping them out. PLUS the girl likes to scrapbook!! So, hopefully, I'll get some projects done today.

smart phones, not for dummies

2011-07-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

My old phone was, oh, like 4 years old...so today we went to get an upgrade. An HTS Inspire. yeah, a smart phone...yeah, probably not a good idea for a techno-idiot like me. So, spent a frustrating afternoon trying to figure the thing out.

BUT yesterday, did get to scrapbook a li'l. Week 2 of the Color class at BPS. The lesson was on Orange and Yellow. Gotta say they are my least used colors. My cardstock stash...I have one shelf for orange and yellow combined. Neutrals and Greens each have 2 shelves. Even Purple has its own shelf and is filled!

Here is the class lo done in orange, using the technique highlighted pleating the curled pp on the end. I love this pic of J and Rocks, the light seems to 'burst' around them...used SEI for the pp's.

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Feeling properly inspired by the lesson and because I did not have any lo's with Bailey...I found some Stampin Up pp's and made this.

and because I had pp left over from the orange lo's 'pleating', I made this ATC. I'm going thru something of a bee phase these days...for some reason, they are just sooooo cute!

my baby boy is 27 today...

2011-07-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Yup, My Jason is 27. Where did the time go?

I had a great day, got out of work, and got to babysit Missy-boo so her parents could go out for a birthday surprise. (ddil arranged a flying opportunity for ds)(where he flew a plane with an instructor) ANYWAYS, Adriana and I had a great time making birthday cupcakes for her daddy.

After I came home, I did a 20 min yoga routine on my Wii Fit Plus. AND don't hurt! yay!! And then read my book, Reading Lolita in Tehran...I'm kinda stalled on it...at first it was difficult reading as it is written by a lit professor, who uses professorial terms and images...but, I think I'll stick with it. I am more interested in the stories of the women and their lives, than a dissertation on the allegories and imageries used by Nabokov in Lolita and An Invitation to a Beheading.

But, got a big box from Amazon...with another Karen White book, a couple more by Carolly Erickson (including the Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette) and a total 'guilty pleasure' book called Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter....looks interesting!

Freedom!

2011-07-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July, ya'll!! What a unique wonderful(certainly not perfect) country we have...and I am especially feeling very blessed to be an American.

on Sunday, our youth pastor/music pastor had us singing some of the old spirituals...gotta admit the words have escaped me right now...but the rhythm hasn't.
Even as I type this, I'm listening to this You Tube video of Ain't No Grave

Adriana joined us for 'singing' and she was adorable, clapping along and dancing...wish I had my camera to make a video.

So, today is my last day of my 6 weeks off from work. Tomorrow I go back. siiiiigh, I have loved the time off. Of course, this morning I thought of a goal I should have been working on...photography! I did not pick up my new camera once. BUT I did finish some of the unfinished scrapbooks and did spend the time learning how to use my Gypsy better and got all my swaps out.

So, my days of sitting around in my pj's...computer in the morning, followed by scrapbooking, followed by a nap, followed by reading are over. siiiiiigh.

oh well, it was nice to get this break.

Oh, I did do my lo for the color class. This is soooooo out of the box for me...I am usually such a 'simple' scrapper and doing this many embellies, is so not me.

This is more me...pics matted on pp..with minimal embellishment.

BUT I am glad to be taking this class, hopefully, I will be s t r e t c h e d. Cuz, sometimes I get tired of my same old, same old.

1 more book!

2011-07-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

yesterday, I finished Rebel With a Cause by Franklin Graham..excellent, by the way. Then read I Dared to Call Him Father by Bilquis Sheikh. Wow. I could not put it down.

I tried the Goodread option of putting my review on the blog, see below.

I have made it a bit of a goal to understand Muslim culture better.
My first book was The Bookseller of Kabul. very good, very eye-opening, but I did not know if I could trust the author's perspective when she told the story from the pov of the women of the family. Was she pouring her western sensibilities into the narrative? I even thought about the personal experiment of wearing a burkha for awhile.

Then, The Face Behind the Mask by Donna Gehrke-White, a series of interviews with women who converted to Islam...from Islam... I found the book 'wanting', I think it would have been better if she had concentrated on one or two women per category. BUT it did start to answer my question as to why an American woman would want to convert to Islam? I love the freedom of being an American, and just cannot understand a woman who would w a n t the personal restrictions associated with Islam.

Then, Prisoners of Hope by Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer...wonderful...to see the people of Afghanistan with the love these girls felt for them. Even during their captivity.

And, I Dared to Call Him Father

Next, Reading Lolita in Iran. That will be in July. As well as The Christian Atheist, as reading I Dared to Call Him Father caused a personal conviction.

BUT, for my #20 book, to hit that goal of reading 20 books during my 6 weeks off from work, I chose Jane Austen's Persuasion. In the past, reading at least one classic during the summer was a goal...so, finishing this one with a classic seems the way to go. I've never read Jane Austen. And lets say that first sentence was a bit intimidating...I had to read it twice! I may not make it within the 6 week time period, but that's okay too.

Also scrapbooked yesterday morning. Worked on my lo for the color class.

2011-07-03T07:05:00.001-07:00

I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman's Encounter with God by Bilquis Sheikh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To be honest, as I finished the book, I felt jealous. To be able to say that you feel the 'glory of God' on a regular basis...to be that sensitive to His spirit. I want that.

Look at all she gave up and was willing to give up. We Americans sure do have it easy. And perhaps with our easy faith, we miss something. Or we must really actively seek that something.

So instead of this book being 'eye opening' about Muslim culture, which the understanding of has become my personal goal, it became convicting of my own complacency.

View all my reviews

fun! and crazy

2011-07-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

I joined the "Colour or is it Color" online class at BPS. My first online class with them. These are the preclass color/technique tags...well, I did ATC's.

Very fun to look in the gallery and see the individual takes on the same instructions.

I haven't been home very much this week. Tuesday was a day of appts. Got the all clear from the dr to go back to work...boohoo. Weds went shopping with ddil and dgd, a li'l antiquing, dgd was adorable. As we walked into the antique store, ddil explained to her "this is a no touch store, you have to ask if you want to see something" So, she was constantly saying " have that, pwease?" soooooo cute!

oh! went to Henry's for moussaka (yummy), if you are ever in Turlock, CA go to Henry's in downtown...the freshest veggies and absolutely yummy food. Ddil and dgd shared a gyro plate.

Then Thurs, I 'babysat', except can't call it babysitting, cuz the kids are 9 and 13...so more of a hanging out. The 9 year old likes to craft, so in the morning we made ATC's and worked on her and her brothers scrapbook (he won't scrap, because, 'he's a boy'.) siiiiiiigh. I tried to explain that men do art and are often really good, but he would not budge. Would rather watch tv. Then we spent the afternoon with dgd, so my kids could go see Transformers. The kids were so good with dgd, she had so much fun playing with THEM..I actually felt left out. Dgd called them 'Jekula' an "Cala" for Jessica and Caleb. And they loved Gunny, the kids' Great Dane. So it was a good day.

Today was spent running errands and a 3 hour nap. Guess I'm not fully up for such an active week.

So, did not get any books read this week and only a handful of pages in the album I had hoped to finish. BUT its the weekend, and I don't have to go back to work till Tues. Siiiiiiiiiigh...back to work...pooey. Get to go back to all the quarterly stuff and close...extra fun. Hopefully, I've got the energy...I may be caught napping at my desk!! I'll bring a pillow and blanket for in cases..ha!

time...

2011-06-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did not get any of my goals done. I have been having pains and a bit of bleeding since Thursday...though it was HORRIBLE on Sunday. So, yesterday was spent being absolutely worthless and lazy. So, I watched the entire 4th season of The Tudors.

Isn't it funny, that King Henry VIII, while looking back on his life, would say "Time is the most irrecuperable, it can never be redeemed". (sorry if my quote is a bit off, I could not find it in writing). After spending the entire day watching 10 episodes...man!! did I agree!

I enjoyed the series, yes, I'm a bit of a prude and don't need that much s*x on my screen...but the portrayal of human nature was fascinating. I truly believe in the adage "Power corrupts, Absolute power corrupts absolutely".

I cheered when Surrey and Culpepper were executed (though I know a lot of the details are conjecture) and irl Surrey and Culpepper could have been innocent of being the obnoxious humanoids they were portrayed to be.

As a Protestant, well, you know which side I was on for the religious battle. So, I cheered when that ugly Cardinal was shunned and asked to leave court. teehee.

I have a special affinity for Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth. One of the first real books I ever read, was Anne of a Thousand Days. Also, she was executed on May 19...my birthday. So, the ending blurbs about how Elizabeth was such a great queen made me cry..Always. Like at the end of The Other Boleyn Girl.

So, the series inspired me to do something I haven't done in YEARS! Are you ready? I used my Encyclopedia. The 1976 Bicentennial edition of Encyclopedia Brittanica that my dad bought. I remembered to use the blue bound editions to look up the subject (Mary 1 of England)...then the red bound for details..book 3 page 222 for biography (wanted to see if she ever got married) AND book 15 page 556 to see why she is called Bloody Mary. So used to 'googling', but it was kinda cool to do it the old fashioned way. ha!!

p.s.
too funny. For my devotions I am reading "The One Year Christian History" by E. Micheal and Sharon Rusten. The 6-28 entry, about how God used Henry VIII's selfish reasons to bring us the reformation....ha! Here is their blurb "King Henry VIII may have had selfish reasons for forming the Anglican Church, but God usd him for his purposes anyway. The wonder of God's sovereignty is that we don't have to understand why he does what he does. It is enough to know that it is all part of his greater plan for our good and his glory"

weight loss progress in pics

2011-06-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I spent some time on the Jenny Craig website and there was a thread with before/after pics...so, I thought I'd go ahead and post some.

Warning...these (esp the before) may not be for the faint of heart...ha!!!

Oct 2009, While on my European Cruise, @ 215 lbs

November 2009 is when I made the decision to commit to a lifestyle change and started using Sparkpeople.

July 2010..@ 180 lbs...no longer wearing clothes with an "X" in the size and you can start to see cheekbones. AND according to the BMI index, no longer obese.

then I hit a 9 month plateau, I stopped the disciplines as far as food, but kept up the exercise. I was able to maintain @180 ...with a slight gain around the holidays.
So, I went to dh and told him "I've proven I can maintain, can I join Jenny and lose the rest".. He said yes.

so, March 2011, the day I started Jenny...184 lbs

This morning at @166 lbs, I'm wearing the same outfit as the 180 pic, so we can see progress.

My goal is 150, hoping to hit it end of Oct this year. Though the hysterectomy has put it all on another screeching halt. BUT in the 6 weeks since I have been able to maintain. Hoping once I'm cleared to exercise, I'll be back on the weight loss track.

AND I'm open to an ultimate goal of 140...but let's get to 150 first!

a really good book and a quick mini album

2011-06-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

After finishing Prisoners of Hope, I picked up The Beach Trees by Karen White (my first book by her) and it was excellent. You are immediately drawn in. I spent all of Friday reading it as I could not put it down. No such luck with the next book, The Matchmaker of Perigord...after 5 chapters had to put it down. Just not worth my time.
I am starting Tarzan of the Apes today. A kinda funny choice, but while on Goodreads it was on one of my 'feeds'...and I just thought, why not??

Yesterday was a big scrapping day for me. I was supposed to go to a crop, but the other ladies started dropping out...so, I did the project I was taking at home. Its a paper bag book for my coworker. As we were leaving for Texas last May, she let dgd take a singing duck toy with her. So, I made a minibook of pictures taken of Adriana with the duck.

this morning, I'll look at it with 'fresh eyes' and add journaling and more embellies.

Then we went to have dinner with the kids. Ds 'owed' me a dinner...it was terrific. I requested Coq au Vin...but he bbq'd a tri tip, with garlic mashed potatos and a salad. No complaints here!

last night, I hurt myself. I was wearing a knee brace, and as I was going to bed, I still had it on. So I did some kind of twisty/turny maneuver to try to take it off and really hurt my ab area. The pain was sharp and shooting and really took my breath away. GOTTA remember no fast moves, everything must be slow and deliberate.

I just finished 5 weeks after the surgery, only one more week till I start work...but...that does not mean my body is done healing.

finished a scrapbook

2011-06-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

dgd's 1st half of 2010...here's a couple of the layouts from yesterday.

found this Little Yellow Bicycle pack and actually fell in love with that orange polka dot paper. Was inspired by a lo in June's Scrapbook Ets, Leah's musical memories that had a sun in the upper right corner...and it grew from there. I used Slice's Big Kids font for the title. and hand drew the stitches...ha!!

this is a very simple lo...I find I simply cannot cut up Prima papers...so just matted the photos, used the CUTE the way it was packaged and that star matt behind the small photo? its the packaging the CUTE came in.

Ya'll have pp like that? Just cannot cut into it. for me it is Prima and Websters Pages...I collect a lot of Websters, but so far, have not used them. Just too pretty to cut up!!

So yay, one book down. I've pulled out dh's 'adventure' book. Only have 5 lo's and it will be done. My only bummer, is years ago, he, my son and a friend went on a 'cruise' (don't think cruise ship, think they had to crew) around the islands in Washington (San Juans, cannot think of the name) and I don't have any pics of that. I do have pics from our trip to Washington, but its not the 'adventure' the album is about. He's been on a snowmobile trip up north into Canada, skydiving, a rafting trip down the Colorado...he's had some adventures.

3 more books toward my goal

2011-06-20T07:54:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend I finished, Angry Conversations with God by Susan E Isaacs. A very good read. No matter what our circumstances, I think we all have the same questions of God.

And The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson. Found this at a used bookstore, but I really enjoyed this author and plan to read her Marie Antoinette book next. I really liked how she humanized these historical figures and brought them to life. I was very sad to have this book end.

And The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund. very fast read and unexpected resolution.

Today, I'm starting Prisoners of Hope by Dana Curry and Heather Mercer.

Last 2 weeks of my vacation from work, and 6 more books to hit my goal! I think I can do it. Though, I kinda feel like I should not be counting the Patterson books, as they are such quick reads for me. So, I won't count any Pattersons for the last 6 books. Only new authors.

Yesterday was a very mellow day around here ( I read 2 books). We kept the tv on the John Wayne marathon for dh. soooooo, I was quite bored. (okay, I did get a little into Hondo) I baked him a cake for father's day, put up with the Duke and got him a couple of nice shirts. Did not make him a card. I am intimidated by masculine cards.

4 more lo's and I'm done with Adriana's first book of 2010. It goes from Jan to July 4th. Don't know if I'll complete 2010 next. We'll see what project interests me when I finish. My trip to Florence is halfway done. hmmmmmmm

A li'l sad, only 2 more weeks and I'll be back to work. siiiiiiiiigh. BUT it is the end of week 4 and my dr said I could restart yoga and babysitting ...I have had some regular pinchy feeling under my belly button. Should I? I think I'll do a simple yoga routine on my wii balance board with the wii fit game. Keep it slow and controlled.

Adriana's home, the world is 'right' again...

2011-06-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I missed her (and her mommy too). They arrived last night, and mommy needed to take care of the church bulletins, sooooo dh and I got to pick up Adriana and take her out for Chinese "noo-nos" aka noodles. We had a great time at the restaurant. We chose not to get her a high chair, she sat in the booth with us. Funny she started out next to me, and stayed there during the cream cheese wonton appetizers. (she loves to 'dip' her food). But once the food was served, she sat in my lap and wanted "grammy help". Soooo, it really worked out, she kept me from overeating, as I could only 'pick' around her.

While waiting, she told us 'like grammy' and threw her arm around my neck and pulled me in for a hug, then she looked across the table and said 'love pa-pa'..and made dh cry. (happy tears) He was soooo happy. It really made his night.

So cool how she is putting together li'l sentences.

We took her home @7:30, by then ds was home (he had to work 6am to 6pm)...and she ran across the yard to him. Guess she missed her daddy. Ddil and I switched cars, so I could have the carseat, so I got to 'hang out' with ds and Adriana while waiting for her. The church copy machine was being difficult, (yay for me) so I got to stay thru shower time and then we watched Kipper on Sprout. It was a great night for me.

on the home front, a pitbull male showed up on Thurs night. He's a good, friendly dog...but our dogs cannot do 3's. Our alpha male, Rocky, gets wiggy and aggressive. He's fine for a short period, but he even starts to attack our other dog, Kema. And we LOVE Kema and will do what is needed to protect him.

This pitbull has all the qualities we like, but we cannot give him a home. So, I put his pic on Facebook hoping against hope, dh called a pitbull rescue...we can hope, can't we? Then last night, he barked most of the night. He's young and there is a lot going on in the country. Dh was mad...but I told him, "if it was Rocky barking you'd say he was doing his job". I am so sad, and don't want to call the pound to pick him up...but if nothing else works...we'll have to.
Hope against hope with us, please. DD did some internet research for us, to see if anyone is looking for him on the local Craigs list and newspaper. nothing.

ATC's with kids and 2 more books!

2011-06-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Weds night the kids came over (their dads do a Bible Study with my dh) and we made ATC's for a swap on splitcoast stampers. So, I made 'kits', but it still was a bit of chaos. But it was okay. One of the girls did not show, so I need one more swapper to fulfill my sign up. One of the boys was here and he'll do cards, but I could not think of/ find cards with young guy stuff. any ideas??
They'll be back next week to finish.

I finished 2 books yesterday. The first was "Csardas" by Diane Pearson. It was really good. It took me 4 days, which throws me off my goal of 20 books in 6 weeks. It is a sweeping historical fiction ala Gone With the Wind...with interesting and flawed characters...and because you know the history, you know the tragedy to come.

Then I grabbed a James Patterson "Don't Blink" to finish the day. It is a fast read, pretty good but pretty cliche. Toward the end, you are telling yourself 'Ah come on, really??"...but hey, gets me closer to my goal.

Tonight, I'm cooking lasagna and banana split cake for my son. My ddil and dgd have been out of town. Ds has been working most of the week and has to work on Saturday also, so I thought mom's lasagna would be nice. He'll be bringing his dog, Gunny Sargeant aka the Gunz...100 lbs of stupid. Seriously, he's a Great Dane and even though he's a good natured dog...he sure is a big galoot. But he gets along with our dogs and can have to opportunity to run out here. He's the dog in my header pic.

read 2 books over the weekend,

2011-06-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

The first was The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. I heard about it on the 2 Peas Reading Thread. It was a good book, but not your happy ever after type of book.
The whole book reminded me of Ecclesiastes, "vanity of vanities"...the lives of these 2 women was frustrating. They were painted as victims, victims of their birth, of their society, of poverty or wealth, of racism, of the men (who have power)even of their own bitterness...the next generation was destined to the same.

I guess I just have a completely different worldview. I am glad to be a Christian, as it says in Romans 8:28...we can find meaning/strength/God in any circumstance.

After such a serious read, I needed something light, so I grabbed The Five Things I Cannot Live Without. Another book I heard about on 2 Peas. A couple of years ago, there was a start to a 2 Peas book club, this was one listed as a potential read. But the book club fizzled after the first book. This one is a look at modern-day relationships of women in their late 20's. Not a great book, I found myself telling myself "just finish it" as I was reading it. But I do like the way it ended.

So, that makes 9 books out of the 20 I hope to have read during my 6 weeks off. Speaking of which, Today is the start of week 4...so halfway there!

For my 10th book I've chosen Csardes. I heard of this book from a friend on FB, how much she loves it. I'm hoping its a Gone With The Wind type of book set in Eastern Europe. I could use a grand, sweeping story right now.

Since Thursday the pain has been pretty bad. A dull constant aching on my left side. Yesterday, I broke down and took a pain pill and sat with my book on a heating pad. And I ate...lots of snacking. fritos with cheese, cherries, snappeas, a couple of handfuls of dark chocolate m&m's...just off the top of my head.

Oh well, learn from it and don't repeat it!! that's all we can do, right??

genesis of a page...

2011-06-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

I got to be crafty yesterday, made some thankyou cards for all the ladies who provided meals my first week after surgery

and I got to scrapbook!! Working on dgd's 2010 book. I have pics from this family event in March...I knew I wanted red with these pics. Thought red would really bring out the denim/black in the pics

for the lo design, I was inspired by the calendar pages from June's Scrapbook Etc...pg 51. Though they are a different size and the picture are horizontal not vertical...the disign is a basic lift. PP on the bottom, horizontal elements above pic and round top right oh and stitching. Though I did mine on 3 sides not all 4.

and here is the companion page. I don't do a lot of 2 page lo's but I do like the facing pages to co-ordinate. So, I used the same colored cardstock, other papers from MME Animal Crackers...and the design is also from that calendar., its next page.

uh oh, a problem, my attempt to sew the crochet flowers directly on the page, yeah, crooked. so had to improvise with more flowers, they are Prima, its okay, but a li'l bottom heavy.

so, a brief genesis of creating a page...ha!

the next set of pics also are 4 - 1/2 size pics...so gotta find an inspiration for a design...don't want to just keep 'lining them up' kwim??

Friday is fun day! ha!

2011-06-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Pretty funny, after reading the book about the Language of Clothes, while watching parts of the CMT awards, I found myself looking at the women's shoes!! ha!!

My pain was pretty bad yesterday. Just a constant pinch/pull on the left side and an occasional twinge on the left. Did take a pain pill at night. siiiiiigh. When you think its done, its not.

I did get my Anything Goes ATC's finished,
the only thing I changed was the colors, used tea dye and broken china distress inks and used different stamps. My embellies are 'got flowers' with tiny bling. (boy, handling that tiny bling was a li'l difficult)

Last night was fun! On Monday, our electricity went out, and though it came back on our stove/oven has not been working since. DH unplugged it hoping it would 'reboot', but it didn't. So, yesterday, I asked ddil if I could come over there and cook and bake. I had 3 overripe bananas and a recipe for a banana split cake from Betty Crocker's website. (yummy, by the way) And had been in the mood for a taco salad. She said yes, so I brought my stuff (she bought some) and dgd and I cooked and baked. Adriana was a big helper. She did the salad spinner, helped mash the bananas, stirred my taco salad dressing, sampled the grated cheese. She also 'helped' with the cake mixer...she put her hand on tip of mine...and of course, had to introduce her to licking the beaters and spatula...a rite of passage, right?

Of course my camera was left at home...so no pics...oh well, we'll just have to bake another cake another day!! ha!!!

don't worry, both Adriana and I had a piece without frosting, as both of us don't really need that extra chocolate.

vanity sizing and the language of clothes..

2011-06-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I watched the first part of the Dr. Oz show. Now, I am trying to not become a tv addict during this period, so generally I have the 'rule' of no tv before 4pm. Yesterday, I turned it on and saw the segment about 'vanity sizing'. Did you know that Marilyn Monroe was a size 12...and that a size 12 back then meant a 28" waist, but a size 12 today is @ 36" waist!! (even size 12's are different from manufacturer to manufacturer). Dr. Oz and his guests were not putting down vanity sizing, but warning women not to think "Oh, I'm fine, I'm still the size I was 10 years ago"...cuz the size ain't the same. Do not use clothing size as a gauge of health. I did, for a lot of years, I thought "oh I'm not gaining too much weight, I'm still a 16"...well, both me and my 16's were growing.

They said the best way is to take your height, mine is 65" and your waist should be half that. So, my healthy waist size is a 32.5". (I've got a way to go!)

Why am I spending so much time on the couch? The pain has been worse the past couple of days, that tight pinchy feeling. On the hysterboards, I had read about that, so I'm not too worried...but...I am avoiding reaching/bending and lifting more than I had been.

So, I also spent the day reading. Read "Hang-ups the Secret Life of Clothes" by Gloria Heidi. At first, I wasn't that impressed, was thinking this is a better blog than a book. But, I warmed up to it...it is about the history/sociology/psychology of iconic pieces of clothing..like the trenchcoat and the high heel. She uses personal observations and classic movies to make her point. I esp loved her chapter on the therapeutic effects of SHOPPING!! for some reason, that really resonated for me.

Yesterday, before my Jenny Craig appt (a small loss)...I went to a used bookstore and picked up an autobiography by Gene Tierney...so, her book is next.

What do you do without electricity?

2011-06-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, when you are limited...not a whole lot!! I've been spending my time on the computer, reading and scrapbooking..all things I need at least light to do. When we lost electricity this morn, I considered going to work with dh...at least I'd have access to a computer and light.

So, the hour or so the juice was off, I took a shower (quickly, cuz our water pump is electric and water will go out, also) folded towels left out on the couch, lit candles

and took pics.

Walked around with my container of batteries looking for a radio that will work. Didn't find one, but then it could be my odd assortment of C batteries...and hurray!! lights came on!

here is the ATC I've been working on, wish ya'll could see the pearly-blue splats...I found myself getting too serious while embellishing. creating a mini card with a word definition to attach to the card...then I thought...this is supposed to be fun, a reflection of you, not something you are not... so I did the standard 3 gems in a row.

I'll be playing with the colors, but I think I'll keep the same process.

yesterday was reading day. Read 2 books, the first was Memory by Philippe Grimbert..short book, I read it in @3 hours, but powerful and haunting. After reading such an emotinal book, I went for fluff...and read The Seducer by Madeline Hunter. Yes, a historical romance with some racy passages. I was so enthralled by the mysteries surrounding the characters, i found myself skipping those passages. So it was a good fluff book. Today I'll start The Secret Life of Clothes.

5 books toward my goal of reading 20 during my recovery period. I don't count the romance as they are fluff. I probably shouldn't count the James Pattersons cuz I go thru them quickly also.

Ya'll have any recommendations for good reading? something that can be read quickly,under my time constraints, yet a li'l thought provoking? A li'l mind enriching? A li'l world expanding??? I do like biographies...

this is what I woke up to...

2011-06-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

a gift from Winston:

of course its still there...as I'm not supposed to be bending, and it would not even occur to dh to pick it up!

then I go in the living room to this:

fortunately dh did put it into his closet before leaving for work. I ended up kicking the laundry basket into our bedroom and throughout the day grabbing a couple of things and putting them away.

Last night when he started the laundry, he was putting all his button down shirts in the same load as his tshirts and my pj's (thats all I wear these days). So I told him, 'you know, when I do your shirts, I keep them seperate from the t-shirts"

I feel like that keeps them from getting as wrinkly and helps them to dry quicker.

His response, "well, that is your way, I have my own...and I've got it all under control"

So, I asked, "Are you going to change the litter in the litter box this week? Oh wait, THAT is my way, and YOU have your way" His response, "yeah, and I've got it all under control"

My way is to completely change the litter twice a week. We have 3 boxes and 3 cats.
His way is to scoop the poop then add another layer of litter. The last time the litter has been changed out was when I did it Sunday before my surgery.

I'm not the control freak, micro-manager I used to be...but can I just say it?

His way is driving me C R A Z Y !!

Finished another book today, You've Been Warned, by James Patterson and Howard Roghan...interesting...I won't give it away, but it is an unexpected ending and interesting.

Also got a lo done...actually used a couple of items from a swap I was in at Scrapbook.com. It was themed page elements, I had camping, swimming and beach. So, todays lo I used the waves and a tag someone else had done.

And made ATC kits for the kid swap I'm doing at Splitcoast Stampers...I've got 3 girls doing ATC's, so, I'm setting up basic kits...keep the chaos and mess down when they are actually working on them.

AND just played with an ATC...it may be the start point for another swap at Splitcoast Stampers. Had an old dictionary, tore a page out, then did a li'l distress ink painting, followed with splotting more distress ink w/perfect pearls....then stamped image in copper (love that copper ink) and then stamped it again. Gotta figure out how to embellish...then I'll take a pic.

"color story", yeah, I went there...

2011-06-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last night, while talking to dd, I was working on a layout. But just could not make it 'pull together'...as we were saying our byes, I told her, "Yeah, gotta go, just can't make my color story work". wha? Guess that's what happens when you watch a marathon of Project Runway over the weekend.

So, here is the lo.

I've been working on my ATC's, finished another group for the PATC's yesterday...this has been a lot of fun. With PATC's (pick a theme) instead of doing one card for the group, you do a card in each person's theme. These are for..Paris, tropical fashions, Bahamas (the decorated angel wing) and France (a pic I took in Nice)

BUT all this play in my scrap room has left it a li'l messy...and since, technically I'm not supposed to bend or reach... can you imagine my asking dh to pick up my scraproom??

yeah, not happening, then I'd have to hear all his "you have too much stuff, you should open a store...blah, blah, blah"

Oh, I ended up taking a pain pill last night. I did load the dishwasher in the morning, got on the floor to help dgd put away some stuff, picked up trash from around the house (its trash day) BUT it is when I tried to sort dh's laundry in the closet...I felt the 'pinch' Just to the left of my belly button. Soooo, I'm trying to be good today...really!!!

had my first post-op appt...

2011-06-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Had my first post-op, dr. showed me a pic of my tumor...um... yuck. Told me that I had some emdemytriousis (sp) but no cancer.

After the appt, dh took me to Red Robin for an early dinner. He was practically pulling me on the sidewalk ...said I was "so slow", he could be seated, ordered and eating before I got inside. I told him then go and order! He told me, 'nah, you won't be able to open the doors, they're too heavy for you'.

Then had an appt at Jenny Craig, I've lost 4 lbs!! Don't know how, I've been eating the meals provided by the ladies at church...and lots of sweets and not exercising.
Does your body burn more calories while healing?? But today, I go back to my 1200 calories. All 'contraband' has been tossed, dh will take whats left of the pies to Bible Study tonight.

In the morning I worked on my ATC's for the PATC swap. Bahamas, France (not eiffel tower) and tropical clothing. And created an ATC 'kit' for the Kids Only Swap on Splitcoast.

Good day, BUT I was in bed before 8:30...I was e x h a u s t e d !!

simply smashin'

2011-05-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

what can I say, havin' fun with my Smash Book...

since I'm at the start of my 6 weeks recovery period, I've decided to Smash that.

so page 1,2 are my hospital bracelet and some notes, including a pic of Hubert, my pillow pet frog.

next are lists of meals brought to me and the books I am reading (my goal is 20) including my personal star rating...for the books not the meals. Speaking of which, I don't see how we have ANY thin people in our church...the meals have been YUMMY!!!

last pic is another page set aside for book list and a poem my dd wrote out for me many years ago for my birthday..its a poem about books by David McCord. I'm not esp fond of the domino pages, so covering them up was a good option.

I also have a list of the ATC swaps I signed up for and of scrapbook pages I'm doing...

so far, so fun...the little bits I've been keeping on my desk are finally finding a home. I have a metal candle holder/dish from the dollar store that I keep next to my tool bag on my desk...bits and pieces go in there as I work...and now, I am finally using them.

can you say...packages!

2011-05-28T15:07:00.001-07:00

DH came home from work on Thurs with 3 packages! I'm in heaven. 2 were books and the 3rd was from 2 Peas...scrappin goodies. Of course, I waited till he left for work on Friday to open it...trust me, its better that way.

Inside was my Pink Smash book and Smash accessories. Since I'm in the midst of this recovery, guess that is what my Smash book is going to be about. The inside pages are so very pretty...think I'm just going have to get them in every color.

and since 2 Peas free shipping does not start till $50, had to fill my cart! more goodies, including some Webster pages papers and journaling cards I simply cannot get myself to actually use...

I know, use them in my Smash book!

I LOVE getting packages. I just bought a slice hands free kit from the FSOT on 2 Peas...can't wait to get that and 'play'.

And on friday, my Scrapbook Nook kit arrived. Lots of Lillybee papers...already used one during todays progressive challenge on Scrapbook.com...(its the red bg pp)
don't ask about the nail file...we have to use something nonscrapbook on the page..

I'll be using its other side on the companion page.

so, having some scrappin fun when awake! ha!! I'm down to one nap a day...staying up for longer periods...and today, no pain pills.

I did read a book, Confessions of a Prairie B*tch by Alison Arngrim. The gal who played Nellie on Little House. VERY GOOD read. So, one down for my goal of reading 20 books while on my 'vacation'.

back from the 'castle'

2011-05-25T01:40:00.000-07:00

I'll try to get this down, while I can remember.

hmmmm, Monday morning, was asked to not pee, as they wanted to do a preggo test. My surgery was scheduled for 11am, so I did not need to be there till 9am. Needless to say, in my rather uncomfortable state, arrived closer to 8:30. BUT the volunteers did not get to me, so at 8:45 I went to them. (they are little old ladies, so I wasn't too mad, just uncomfortable). Once I explained my situation, they got me thru the admissions process(I had my fastpass from Thursday) and took me to the O.R. Where they did the pre-surgery prep. The worst part was the insertion of the iv...as I'm not a fan of needles and they put it on the back of my right hand. And we waited a couple of hours. The gal next to me, I don't know what she was in for, her surgery was almost a couple hours late...so, Michael and I settled in figuring that all the surgeries were running late. Not so, they wheeled us in right on time. I just remember that staging area as being real COLD and the lights being real BRIGHT!

My dr came in and explained the surgery and then the anesthesiologist came in and explained her procedure. The dr also told me the first thing they'd do is give me a 'stress cocktail' to ease any stress I'm feeling. I remember them wheeling me into the OR, I remember it being bright..and filled with stuff, all kinds of machines...and being put onto the table...and nothing else. So, whatever is in that 'cocktail', I like. As, my biggest fear was the thought of being put under. I thought I would 'feel' it, like fading to 'black'...but I don't recall a thing.

The next thing I remember is a young man asking if I'm in pain. Think I said yes, but don't remember anything else till I was being wheeled into my room. The dr says my surgery was 'textbook' and my tumor was huge and my uterus was misshapen and huge, that it was like giving birth.

They put me in the pediatric wing, guess the others were full. I had great nurses, the first nurse Deb, had to check my vitals every half hour...guess my blood pressure was low. then there was Manju, who was very attentive and terrific all thru the night. Then there was Mary who had a very perky personality, she told me she has the same ob/gyn and fibroids and needs the same surgery...I told her, she can see that Dr. Dekhordi does great work (all the nurses commented on how small and 'cute' my stitches are). And Marsha, who was late checking me out, and very apologetic, but I understood...the babies come first. And apparently, there was an emergency situation with one that afternoon.

I did throw up the first time I got up. Guess that was 'leftover' from the anesthesia, but once I got that out, was fine. Was unable to pee....in fact when we tried again at midnight, Mudja told me if I wasn't successful, they would probably have to insert a catheter...it took a while, it still does, but I was successful!

Yes, there is pain. Across my abs, my shoulder and my ribs when I try to breath deep. They gave me a plastic breathing machine, which I'm to breath into 10 times every hour...I brought it home. It is this pain that has me up at 1:30 in the morning. Plus, I prefer to sleep on my side, so sleeping on my back is kinda difficult.

I came home after 5pm. Got my meds, 2 different pain killers I'm supposed to take together? A li'l confused. I've been alternating them, in fact I think the one I took 30 minutes ago is about to kick in...better make my way back to bed.

Then we get a call from dd, there are tornadoes where she lives. she's in Tarrant County in Fort Worth. Sounds like they got thru the worst of it...last night. But if you got thru this, please pray for them.

see ya'll....

2011-05-23T06:46:00.001-07:00

As they say on hystersisters, I'm off for the castle!!

Just doing some last minute packing, regular morning cleaning...
hardest thing, not pee-ing cuz they want to do a preggo test...ha!!
anyways, makes the morning a li'l uncomfortable. And of course, I can't eat or drink anything, so no morning tea..siiiiigh.

so, my prince (dh) will take care of me thru Weds. Then my son and dil will be available, if needed, after that. HOPEFULLY, I'll be mobile by then.

so, my 6 week vacation starts now! ha!!!

gotta admit, getting nervous...

2011-05-16T06:24:00.001-07:00

Another rain system is coming in. And we can still see the river from our porch, there just isn't much room for more water and run off. I'm thinking, I may pack up my finished scrapbooks this week and store them at ds and ddil's house. Just for peace of mind.

As, I am scheduled for my surgery this Monday, and afterwards, if there is the potential for flooding, I won't be any help.

And yes, I am getting more and more nervous about the surgery. Spent quite a bit of time yesterday on the hystersisters board...reading the pre-op and post-op forums.

Gotta go to work, don't know what I'll find. Hopefully, all's been smooth and I'll be quite bored. Looking forward to seeing what packages have arrived...expecting my ugly paper challenge will be there.

Starting to make lists...guess that is actually the kind of thing I do when nervous. aye yi yi.

prepping and genesis of a rather difficult layout...

2011-05-15T08:35:00.001-07:00

been shopping, got one of these for the upcoming surgery, abdominal binder, am thinking of getting a bed pillow...don't know what it is called, but the type that helps you sit up in bed...that has arms.

been thinking of getting a 'walker'...what do you think? I know you can rent crutches, wonder if you can rent one of those from a place like CVS.

While in Texas, I started 4 layouts from dd's bachelorette party, THIS one turned out to be quite difficult. To start with, the wall color behind her is sorta dark and the first few pp's I chose, just did not work. So, I got this American Crafts pp and decided to go with diff color matts, I do like how it brought that wall color down...

but...the layout just seems so unfinished. And no matter what I embellished with, it just did not work for me. Then I saw this lo in an old Making Memories magazine, hmmmm,
even though it features a single pic, could I use it as an inspiration??

So, found this old Love Elsie spreadsheet pp, got some of the colors in the American Craft and came up with this...

Normally, I'm a 'slap it down and go' type of scrapbooker, so for a lo to take at least 3 days...is a lot of time for me to put into a single lo. But, I like it.

So, this is the next one, pics from the limo...shall I use the crown dd saved me? and how?

I REALLY should try to work on some cards today, signed up for another Pick A Theme ATC swap on scrapbook.com...and these are going to take some thought...(I linked it, as we could use more swappers)

how many trips to Hobby Lobby?

2011-05-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

its right around the corner...so, yes, I've made 2 trips. The first time was before NSD, so no sales, of course I "managed" to find a couple of things. Like a snoopy surf stamp and a stamp that says " One shoe can change your life - Cinderella"
Also picked up a pack of their black cardstock, by Paper Studio...can't say I'm impressed, they feel 'light' and more fibrous. But I figured it would be good for backgrounds.

Today, there were some sales. Picked up a paperpack that I think will be good for my Venice pics. Kinda the traditional/fancy patterns in shades of blue and brown, instead of just shades of black.

Also, one quick trip to Michaels, dd's paper trimmer needed a blade replacement...so, HAD to go and get one. Also picked up a pack of their Recollections cardstock in black, just in case the changed blade did not help with the Paper Studio pack (it did)...so, I'm leaving the Recollections with dd's collection.

Not that dd really scraps, she has 'dabbled'...but we maintain a corner of one of their guestrooms for me when I visit. She has a great collection..I left her some of my Bad Girl kits, and lots of sparkle!! Maybe when life slows down for her, she'll 'dabble' again. Right now, she works full time and is working on her Masters...so, she's a li'l busy.

We've been doing something fun on this trip. The morning we left, we stopped by the business, to drop of dh ...and my co-worker, Francine gave my dgd a stuffed duck that sings 'singing in the rain'. So, as we go places, we've been taking pics of dgd with the duck...so, I'm gonna make a couple of mini albums. One for Francine and one for dgd...a momento of the trip. Think I'll just do a couple of 'paper bag' albums.

having fun in the DFW!!

2011-05-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

My son in law (sil) graduated last Thurs...so, I've been in Tejas since Weds...can i just say I LOVE it here. All of us, but dh, were able to make it. So, I've got all the kids, and I am one happy momma/grandma.

Let's see, the first night sil bbq'd ribs and fish and we had 'dirty rice'...after graduation we went to Posada's and had Mexican Food..Fri morning the 'boys' left for a camping trip and us girls kept it 'mellow', gave the 2 year old a day without travel. Though of course, while the girls went to Kroger, gma snuck over to the Hobby Lobby.

Sat we took dgd to the kids museum and planeterium, she had a great time.
I did get to do a couple of pages for NSD (National Scrapbook Day) (bet ya'll didn't know we had our own 'day', did ya?)

The first 3 days, I was in a hotel, as the kids had a houseful, with sil's family here from Oklahoma. OH! the last night in the hotel, the fire alarm went off! So, I got a li'l excitement waiting outside for the 'all clear'. I often wonder what I'd do in case of an emergency. I do tend to study those maps and make note of exits...after that fire years ago...in a club, where they say most of the people rushed the entrance and that not many used the side exits. So, wherever I go, I make note of those side exits. any ways, i did stay calm and exited the building. But thinking about it, I did forget to check the door for heat. Luckily, the room fire was in the other wing and nowhere near me. Of course, you know, I took pics of the emergency vehicles.

Last night was fun, the kids made me a chicken enchilada dinner - yummmy!!! Then dd and I 'worked it off' with Jillian Michaels. We set up in the computer room...with dgd and dd's 2 dogs. Talk about fun! Yeah, do not highly recommend working out in a small room with 2 dogs and a 2 year old. But lots of laughing! While dd was doing the 'plank' movements, her smaller dog got underneath her and was chewing on her hair! and doing the abs on the floor...lets just say dd and I were parallel to each other, dgd chose a perpendicular position with her feet landing in my face!! Oh well, laughing burns calories, too.

Today is a girl's day, mani's and pedi's and shopping with the guys in charge of dgd. Hey, they got their camping trip..teehee. The only thing, ds went on a ride-a-long with a friend who is an Arlington police officer, did not get home till after 7 this morn...but sil says he'll take baby duty, actually, sil is really good with kids...and dgd just loves her 'unca cwis' and her 'auntie c c'.

It's been a good visit, though I've indulged in a couple of my meals, the rest I am doing Jenny Craig, I haven't over indulged..though last night, I was tempted. You know, how your tummy can be full but your mouth wants 'just one more'...though with my kids here...they are keeping me 'in line'. darn. and yay!!

Cropping Saturday...

2011-04-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

I'm also the 'hostess' though it is at our church..so, I've been making lists and packing pretty much all day. We are having a taco bar for lunch,so the food is 'shared' but I'll be bringing a cooler for everyone to put their drinks in with ice...paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins.

bringing my cricut ...oops, almost forgot the matts!

I asked dh to do a 'vinyl graphics' application demo..so brought vinyls, my car decals cart and some extra containers just for in case.

also bringing my cd player and an assortment of cd's.

Being the hostess away from home is hard...a lot of packing. But I simply do not have the space or lighting to host at home.

and of course my own project...Florence and Sorrento, from the cruise to Italy in 2008. Feeling a bit 'eh' by the pps I chose and of course am worried about bringing enough and the right cardstock. My colors in the pps are mostly browns, greens...kinda neutral colors. a fall type pallete...kinda want to do something just a tad more playful and fun. Know what I mean? but does Florence really lend itself to cutesy, playful papers? hmmmmmmm, I may pack some in the morning. I did take quite a few pics of the fashions I saw...I wonder...

OH! I bought a new pair of jeans today, in a size 14...oh my, cannot tell you how many years its been since I've worn a 14...but I've lost about 45 lbs to only go down 2 jean sizes...how does that happen? Oh Well...it is what it is...right?

can you say 2!!

2011-04-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

As in 2 lbs!! stepped on the scale, 2 more lbs this week...can you say, woot!! woot!! I'm at 170.8, so close to a total loss of 45lbs!! So, does that put me about 12 lbs since I started Jenny Craig? hmmmmm

As in 2 am? What an adventure. It started out nice, Winston was sleeping cuddled against me, but, he suddenly gets up. No biggie, he does that every night. So, I decide to go to the 'facilities', no biggie, with my tumor I do that a lot...while in there I hear dh yelling "Boys!!". No biggie, he does that when Percy and Winston start fighting. So, I step out of the bathroom, and there is Winston sitting in the middle of our bedroom, hunched over and growling. He then runs into our bathroom, into the tub, still growling. No sign of Percy. .

This is odd behaviour, even for a rather odd cat..so I check. Yes, he has a MOUSE!! In my BATHTUB! So, of course, I ran out of there and screamed. DH gets up, finds a Jenny Craig box and catches the mouse to release it outside. He said Winston was 'just playing with it', no signs of puncture wounds...and of course he is so PROUD of Winston, "good boy... that's MY boy...we have an official mouser" You know what I told Winston, "you are going to have to BRUSH your teeth, before you come back to bed!!"

Yuck, so, I check the tub this morn...yup a couple of poo, (he did scare the sh*t out of the mouse) and some blood smears. So, guess what I'll be doing this morn...wiping down my tub with Lysol wipes!!

I guess we are lucky, if this is the first mouse in the house...we do live in the country, and with the river as high as it is...but, yuck, in my BATHTUB!! Michael, of course think that was so smart of Winston, cuz the tub is one place the mouse could not escape.

So, I've taken the day off. Betsy is not only easy to train, but she has 'taken off' even doing things without me being there (YAY!!)...and there really isn't anything to do today. I spent yesterday orgainzing my excel files and cleaning my email of 2008 emails. So, I'm home today...after exercising and cleaning the tub...the day is M I N E!! yay!!!

yay! got to do a li'l crafting yesterday..

2011-04-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Made a few of the cards I need for next month.

this is a graduation card for my son-in-law...don't you LOVE that October afternoon paper? I also used the pp on a couple of layouts, might have one tiny square of it left.

this one is for my neice, did an alcohol inks background, the chandelier is embossed and what did not photograph was an Italian poem embossed with glitter next to it...

this one for my dil's birthday used the same alcohol ink background, the same Italian poem...but embossed with black instead...and the butterflies are SEI.

then, there is this birthday card...used a blue jean background stamp, the horse is a cricut Wild West and used shimmer inks on it...thinking this is a little young looking, so may save it for later. I do struggle with cards for men.

Right now, on my desk is this potential layout...

that is dd's graduation program...thinking of doing a mosaic with the blue and word pp on a dark brown background...hmmmmmm.

gotta make cards

2011-04-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

for the month of April/May...I have 5 birthdays, 2 graduations and 2 anniversaries...gotta get started making some cards! but when?, the schedule is booked till my surgery. I told dh, I only have one Saturday open...all the rest are busy...and work wants me there as much as possible. ugh wait!!, one of those Saturdays is his schedule, a men's retreat...hmmmm...I am envisioning a pajama day!!

but, in May/June, I'll probably be on here talking about how bored I am...nah

too much scrappin and reading and even sewing I want to do!!

this past weekend, women's retreat at Twain Harte...yes, that is snow! which meant mud and slush and cold...the things I truly dislike...yikes

BUT
the retreat was wonderful...the theme was removing the masks,

so, this week will be work, work and more work..

after all my time watching Ebay premade scrapbooks...I bought myself mulberry paper and a water pen...in the hopes of learning to make tear bears. they are so darn cute!!

a week of ups and not bad downs...

2011-04-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

here is an 'up' moment, I got my cutterpillar! Before you think, "wow, she has a lot of disposable income"....this is my combination, 'lost 40 lb reward/bday present'.

also, my Uncle Duck has been visiting. He leaves Sun morning. He is sooooo like my dh, needless to say, they have been getting along 'famously'.

The kinda but not bad downs...work is soooooooo boring! I am training a couple of co-workers to take over my job during my surgery, so, I spend time waiting for them to be available. I think I'm averaging 3 to 4 hours of actual working per day. I try not to be 'clocked in' during the wait period, but I've been spending quite a bit of time on the internet and I brought a book to read. I found myself looking at 'premade layouts' on ebay! The book I'm reading is "Behind the Veil, being Muslim in America"...my co-worker even offered to bring me her Kindle!!!

btw, there are some super cool layouts on ebay! I now wanna learn how to make tearbears! But I wonder about those who sell lo's that feature disney and other trademarked characters. I would think, if you are selling something, it should be your own design.

Off for a women's retreat, bringing my Jenny Craig for all but dinner. Looking forward to the 'retreat' part...but its supposed to be wet and cold up in the mountains this weekend. aye yi yi

so far, I love Jenny Craig and planning my down time

2011-04-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

When I stepped on the scale on Weds, 175.2...which means...I have lost a total of 8 lbs on Jenny AND 40 since I started in Nov 2009. 40lbs! Now, usually, 40 lb means at least a couple of jean sizes, unfortunately, for me...no. I've only gone down one jean size. I'm just not losing in my tummy. I can get size 14's up, but can't zip them. I'm hoping, once the tumor is gone...my tummy will start shrinking in proportion to the weight loss. But we'll see.

Am I crazy? I just bought some fabric from fabric.com. I'm thinking of trying out a li'l sewing during my recovery period. I've also got a stack of books to read and of course, plenty of scrappin'. Even joined a new kit club. Scrapbook Nook. So far, I am really pleased with the kits I've rec'd.

Will 6 weeks drag? or will it go by so fast?? I know, right now, I truly LOVE my alone time. Like last night, dh is out of town, so I had the house to myself...siiiiiiiiiiigh. After work, I dried some laundry, did dishes, fed animals, settled in for a viewing of New Moon, did Zumba, watched CSI and was in bed by 9.

a wonderful evening.

Today, dh arrives with my Uncle Donald aka Uncle Duck. Uncle Duck will be staying here for 10 days, before heading for the Philipines where he lives. For many years, since I was 18, the family lost contact with my Uncle. Only this past year, have we 'reconnected'. We've only emailed, and I have seen him twice. So, we don't really know each other AT ALL.

Uncle Duck is my dad's youngest brother, I think there are 10 years between them. Of course, being so young when we were little, he was the 'fun uncle' and our favorite. I have good memories of my Uncle Duck.

week 2 Jenny Craig and ATC's

2011-03-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

well, my scale says a loss of 1lb on Weds morn, at my appt today at Jenny's a li'l over 2 lbs...so, we now agree on the total of 6lbs...yay!

The food is good, won't go into the daily breakdown, but the only one I ran into that I won't do again is the breakfast sandwich. Had the chicken fajita tonight, and it was yummy. I did not use the entire seasoning package, but I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy foods.

A crop was scheduled for tomorrow, but, looks like the weather is going to be crummy and not many people are going..so, gonna stay home. In preparation for it, I got myself an extra brownie and popcorn from Jennys...I may go ahead and indulge...ha!!

I've been working on my ATC cards for the Pick a Theme Swap...

this is the animal group...I admit I changed the penguins, their tummies turned out pink from the alcohol ink background...so I re-stamped just the penguins on white, will color them and cut them out...

I really like how the mouse (he's flocked) with the cupcake turned out.

And here is the other set, misc techniques and styles...they were fun! I made the tye dye car from alcohol inks, just did the three colors with a li'l space between them, then applied with a circular motion.

I did end up changing the bird, I liked the shrink one, but he was just too small. So instead I layered a transparancy and added some flowers.

The vintage ad was fun, under the ad, I tied raffia thru a soda can's pop top.

fun and ready to send...I liked how each had a different theme/look...created a li'l challenge.

So, what's on for tomorrow...scrappin' at home! Which book? hmmmmmmmmm

Jenny Craig, Week 1

2011-03-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

so far, the food is pretty good.

my day 7: Honey Oat Bar, a li'l dry, but okay
Cheesy Enchilada - I actually really liked this one. But, I'm an enchilda fiend anyways
Spaghetti - it was fine!!

so, so far, I'd say the food is good! Not gourmet, may favorite food ever, but good!

When I stepped on the scale Weds Morning, I was at 182.6...5 lbs in a week.
This morn, 179.6...so that is the one I posted. I don't normally weigh twice a week, but I go in this afternoon to the Jenny Craig center, so wanted to get a feel for the difference between our scales.

BUT I ain't unhappy...I'm below my 'obese' line! And hopefully have broken the plateau. Hope to see that scale continue down, down, down.

Now, I know the first week is always a greater loss. As your metabolism is still reacting to the changes. Soon it will re-adjust and I'll need to re-adjust the routine. Already thinking I may need a couple of 'increased calorie' days, like when I go to crops!! ha!!!

Had a chance to read the booklet they gave me. Went thru the section about eating styles. There is the Uniformed Eater, you want to eat well, but just don't know ...I don't feel I fall into this category, I used to...but after a year and a half here on Spark...I feel pretty informed

There is the Emotional Eater...we all know what that means...except for wanting a Pepsi and or a treat when stressed, I don't feel I fall into that category. Gotta come up with a plan about how else I can handle stress. For me, it is usually at work...so taking a bubble bath or going for a walk is out. hmmmm, any ideas?

There is the Unconcious Eater...that may be me...you know, not only eating in front of the tv and computer, but also eating out of 'routine'. For example, when I go shopping at Walmart, there is a Weinershnitzal, so its become habit to drive thru and get a couple of corn dogs and a soft serve cone. Not necessarily because I'm hungry, but because its part of the routine.

There is the Social Eater...feeling like you've got to eat while socializing to not hurt feelings or to take part in the function...not me! First of all, I'm not very social...and I'm okay with not taking part. Now, tomorrow, my dh is cooking for the Spaghetti Feed at the Church. My plan, continue the Jenny Craig, with eating every 2 hours, I'm simply not hungry and HOPE it won't be a problem. DH does make the best spaghetti sauce (he does add sugar)...nope, salad, salad, salad!!

And the Balanced Eater...yeah, not me...yet.

day 5, food review

2011-03-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

day 5 - breakfast - Frosted Oats Cereal...ended up eating it 'dry' and sharing with Adriana as the hour change threw me off, and I ended up eating these at church.
tasted very good.

lunch - Turkey burger - not completely inedible, but not yummy either. I ended up 'dressing' it w/ a bit of 1000 Isle dressing and a couple of slices of avacado. probably a big no-no

dinner - Chicken Fettucine - eh...but I'm real picky about alfredo type sauces. LOVE the alfredo at Strings, those that come from frozen foods and jars ....neh.

day 6 will be a repeat of day 1, as I am 'on the road' and this seems the most portable, without a frozen meal for lunch.

I have 2 dr appts today, one at 9am with the surgeon and then 2pm with the dentist.
Can't decide if I'll come home between, maybe do a li'l shopping...other overweight people may understand that I have a bit of a problem with grease stains on my shirts...maybe go see a movie....I was interested in Red Riding Hood but the reviews are so bad, and its the same director as Twilight...and her work does not impress me.

I REALLY would rather come home and scrap...but both places are 45 minutes away from home, soooooo...this adds an additional hour and a half to drive...and with the cost of gas, its better to stay in the area...siiiiiigh... guess I'll HAVE to SHOP!

a couple more days of Jenny food ...

2011-03-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

day 3:
Blueberry Pancakes and turkey sausage, don't even need syrup for the pancakes, having read the website, I did not microwave, used the oven and it was good!

Beef Chow Mein - very good

Mac and Cheese - was a li'l worried, cuz frozen Mac and cheese can be so hit and miss, but this was good.

day 4: Blueberry Mini Loaf - just thaw, but I cut mine into slices and toasted them in the oven, and it was good. Yes, I was tempted to lightly butter, but I didn't

Turkey Club Panini - this is an open faced sandwich..I did microwave it and it was very good!

Fish & Chips - again, very good. It comes with a vinagar malt, but I just used ketchup.

So, so far, good food! I do struggle with having to eat every two hours. And I mean you HAVE to eat every two hours, as the portions are such that you are HUNGRY every two hours.

I've also been maintaining my exercise schedule, daily yoga and nightly cardio. I'm tempted to step on the scale and see if there is any progress, but have not, best to wait for the weekly weigh in...riiiiight???

Its a yucky, cloudy day outside. Hope I can do some crafting...but... the in-laws are here for a visit, so I gotta take my 'cues' from them and dh.

Have been checking out the Scrapbook.com gallery, I've found a new favorite artist, (I linked her blog, just click on favorite artist) I am enjoying her layouts and various techniques.

Jenny Craig food, day2..and Biggest Loser

2011-03-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

Breakfast -had the Sunrise Scramble - surprisingly good, I stay away from frozen eggs, but was real surprised

Lunch - Broccoli & Cheese Potato - eh, not a favorite, the potato part was starchy and the broccoli part was overboiled broccoli..I prefer mine steamed...so, no thanks

Dinner - Chicken Parmasan - yummy! the broccoli was again overdone no flavor, but the chicken and pasta bows, very good

and after dinner snack - Walnut Brownie - oh my!!! it was previously frozen so it was a li'l messy toward the end, but I could eat one a day!!

Met with my consultant, today was a quick orientation type meeting and answered some questions...like I should not add peanut butter...like to my apple yesterday, it is considered a 'fat' ... pooh! I've really become dependant on p butter in my lifestyle change. So, she is encouraging me to stick with the menu, though I don't have to keep it in the same order...but not to be adding/substituting...siiiiiigh

I did a li'l crafting today! Worked on an ATC...lots of misting. When it dries, I'll post a pic.

And a lot of laundry, in fact there is a 'load' calling my name. Hopefully will get some Zumba in. Watched my dvr'd episode of Biggest Loser...I fast forward through a lot, I really don't like the 'speeches' everyone gives at the weigh in and during the vote..."I admire you so much, but I'm voting for you...blah, blah, blah."

Don't have any favorites this season. Also that way about Top Chef..I'd be happy to see any of the remaining ones win...hmmmm, I used to be so much more opinionated!

edited to add pic of dolphin ATC...prettier in irl cuz you can see the shimmer/glimmer of the mists. Oh, this is for the Pick a Theme PAT Swap on Scrapbooks.com...could use more swappers...hint, hint

Jenny Craig day 1

2011-03-10T17:44:00.000-08:00

since ya'll are curious, okay, I'd know I'd be curious...the food was pretty darn good!

It is 3 meals, and 3 snacks...you can add fruits and veggies to enhance and there is a salad every day for lunch. You are given a chart to keep track and to make notes.

Morning I had the Cranberry/Almond Cereal, very yummy
Morning snack - I had a pear...it called for the anytime bar...but we know how I reacted to that! so, I substituted

Lunch - the chicken salad kit, a potted chicken salad (kinda reminded me of the chicken sandwich spread with the li'l devil trademark) and wheat crackers and applesauce. It was good! Also had my own garden salad with Jenny ranch dressing.

Lunch Snack - a bag of Jenny White Cheddar Popcorn...also very yummy

Dinner - a frozen dinner Salsbury steak - also yummy...I had boiled some carrots as my veggie side, I usually add butter/sugar to these to glaze them, but instead I put them in the container and used the salsbury gravy as my glaze, it was good!

Dinner Snack - shared a yogurt with Adriana. Translation, she ate most of it, I had a couple of spoonfulls.

I find it hard to eat every two hours, esp at work...my break is at 10 am , lunch at 1pm, sooo I got VERRRY hungry in between. So, I think the mornings I'll need to 'tweak'...go for something more substantial.

You are also supposed to drink milk with every breakfast...siiiiigh. I don't like milk, so this morning (day 2) I had my Biggest Loser protein shake ... hopefully this also makes up for the protein I'm not getting by avoiding their bar.

I meet with the consultant (I think) tomorrow. We'll see!!

signed up for Jenny Craig

2011-03-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

Decided I've had enough of this plateau..have not lost anything since June 2010..and since eating is my 'weak' point, thought it would be nice to follow a plan. So, went in today and will start tomorrow. I did the basic 10 week plan, since it will end May 17, around the time of my surgery. Will see how it goes, and then will reevaluate after.

Guess I should take a 'before' pic...ha!! though one was taken at the center. I'll be going in every Friday afternoon, to meet with my consultant and pick up the food for the coming week. My consutant is a gal named Sandy, apparently she was a client who was successful and is now working for them. I think that is pretty cool. I did not meet with her today, it was with the office manager. So...we'll see.

On the way home, I ate one of the 'anytime bars'...not bad tasting..BUT it did leave me rather...how shall I say this delicately...ummm..gassy. I got on the website's message boards, and apparently it can do that. A lot of the women substitute yogurt for the bar, which is what I'm going to do. Especially at work. I could not even stand, I was in so much distress, I was leaning on the couch arm eating raisins to try to alleviate it. siiiiiigh.

not a stellar start. But still hoping for the best!!

20 lbs in 10 weeks!! that would be so great!

I'll keep ya'll updated.

watch out for little miss!

2011-03-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

dd, dsil and sweet pie right before they left for their meeting. Well, sweet pie stayed home with grandma.

Last night, we had a burger-fest at our house, the whole family and a couple of friends of dd and dsil's. Well, during the chaos right before serving...I was at the stove preparing sides, dd was at the counter cutting up lettuce, tomato, cheese, avacado..and ddil was going to start toasting the buns. We all took our eyes off the litte miss...dh comes in and says, "You know she has half a bun, don't ya?" Little Miss snagged a bun from the open package on the counter! This morning, dh and I woke up to a trail of bun crumbs throughout the living room and hallway!!

She is sooooo much fun! At the dinner table, she would laugh loudly along with the adults. Whatta little personality. She imitates everyone. She is 'learning' names, it was cool last night when she wanted to pet 'sssandra'...our cat, Cassandra. She is saying her own name with "annda" ...and I LOVE being ga'my!!

This is the kid's last night in town, they leave early tomorrow morning, dd has a class tomorrow night...boohoo. Hopefully, I'll get to see them most of today..I do have an appt in 'town'...Jenny Craig. Think I'm gonna sign up and try to get over this plateau. Since food is my weakness, dh is on board, soooo we'll see!!

my baby is here!

2011-03-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

We went over last night for dinner, the 'kids' cooked, so had a nice evening just enjoying...

these are pics I took last night...

dd, grandpa and Adriana practicing the 'sign' for eagle, they were watching on of Adriana's baby sign language dvds.

dd and Adriana playing in her blowup pool filled with balls
yes, this is a very posed pic

loooong week, but a 'light at the end of the tunnel'

2011-03-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

ha!

long, tiring week, I hate to admit, but there were a couple of nights I was in bed before 8pm. like last night. Is that a sign of old age?

Worked my 3 days, Monday was the dr appt...no scheduled surgery, yet. I only saw the ultrasound technician, but he was able to tell us that my blood tested negative for cancer and we were able to find my ovaries! He said the dr should call in about a week.

So, speaking of the surgery, any opinions about whether or not I should try to keep my ovaries and cervix? My regular dr suggests taking out the ovaries (since I'm 50 years old and they are probably gonna stop working within a couple of years anyways) and she said the cervix was up to me. I DON'T KNOW!

I kinda want to keep both. Ovaries cuz I don't want to go on hormone therapy and cervix cuz there aren't any problems with it. siiiiiiiiiiigh

I'm going to work tomorrow, Saturday...because on Sunday, I get to pick up my baby and her husband! They are coming for a quick visit...(my light). yay!yay!yay!
I get to see my baaaaaaaabbbyy!! I miss her sooooooo much, and her hubby too!
Let me tell you, it is HARD when your baby moves so far away. She's in Texas, we're in CA. So, I'll take Monday and Tuesday off. Not that I expect them to spend most of their time with me..but I'll be available!!

I also joined the Calorie Croppers group on 2 Peas...see if this helps...ha! I am sooo stuck on this plateau...the weeks I eat pretty good, I don't exercise...the weeks I exercise well, I eat poorly.... someday, I'll get it together!

what to do?

2011-02-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

After my cat's 10am vet appt, I have a li'l time to do some things at home.

So, do I get my 2010 receipts ready for taxes? Do I take care of some dusting and cleaning? or do I break into my shipment from 2 peas and play in my scraproom....decisions, decisions.

There is also another weekend progressive at Scrapbook.com.

Past week has been busy, working 3days; took one day to go get some bloodtests; my ddil got the nasty cold going around, so I'm babysitting when I can to help her out.
Like yesterday, I took the afternoon 'afternap shift'. Not that ddil did something normal, like, say... rest, nope, she took care of some errands.

Adriana and I made some taco soup for a family who just had a baby. Okay, she supervised, I cooked. They live in ddil's neighborhood, so we packed up the stroller and walked the dinner over. Ddil joined us. I just hope her cold doesn't get worse. Adriana and I had the cold the first round, so hopefully we are immune. DDil tells me Ds is showing signs...so, he's next.

Out here it's like this 10 day super-cold that is hitting everyone! We all get different symptoms, like ddil had a slight fever...but this cold just seems extra nasty. Dh and dd got bronchitus after it, I had a sinus infection...its just odd. At work, no one is immune. Guess I'm gonna take some Clorox wipes and give my desk a once-over to be sure.

of course, Adriana and I have fun...I'll ask her, 'what does mommy say?" She puts her hand to her mouth and says 'coooough coooough" tee hee.

Monday, I've got 2 dr appts...the first one is the sonogram to try to find my ovaries, plus I'll get results from the blood test verifying that I don't have cancer...did not know the biopsy is not enough. Then we'll set the date for my hysterectomy. I talked to my bosses at work, they want me to try to get it done Mid-May so I can be back Early-Mid July, in time to take care of the quarterly taxes and stuff.

Right now, each day is filled with things I gotta do...is it wrong that I'm looking forward to the recovery period when the days won't be so packed??? Or will I be so incredibly bored??

Stylish Blogger, how fun!

2011-02-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

Stylish Blogger!

Thanks to Trumpet Wives Club for nominating me for the Stylish Blogger Award! Thank you so much! Go check her out ladies!

So, I have to list 8 things about myself:

1: I was born in San Bernadino, CA (a 'valley' girl), but grew up in Houston, Texas. We moved when I was 4 years old so my dad could work for the Space Program thru IBM.
If you watch the movie Apollo 13 and see the kinda geeky guys with their big frame glasses, short sleeves shirts with the pocket protectors and slide rules..well, he was one of them.

2: I am one half Japanese, my mom and dad met while he was in the Navy. Now, growing up bi racial in Southeast Texas during the late 60's, early 70's...yeah, not fun...but all a part of my story.

3: I have two younger sisters who are twins. 'Nuff said.

4: I LOVE cats, I think they are God's perfect creature and that He was only joking when he made dogs. I got my first cat when I was 14 years old...I would be the crazy cat lady if my dh hasn't threatened to divorce me if I got anymore! We only have 3.

5: We are a Marine Corps (military) family. Long line of service dating back to the war of 1812!

6: I have 2 of the best kids ever! I was extremely blessed in this area, both kids are simply good human beings that make me and dh look good.

7: I am a grandma! The best thing in life is being a grandma, and I am sooooo lucky they live nearby, so I get to see her at least a couple of times a week. She calls me 'gammy' and I call her my 'sweet pie' or 'missy boo'

8: I am a Christian. A relationship with Jesus is important to my dh and I. We've been very fortunate. My first influence were our neighbors growing up, who had 4 daughters, they lived out their faith...they had a whole, loving family...and invited me in. They got 4 girls thru the late 70's, early 80's and none of them did drugs or slept around. So, when I had my first child, I thought of them...and decided I wanted to raise my kids like that. AND that is when dh and I started looking for churches. And learned that Christianity is not about a religion and set of do's and don'ts but about a relationship with Christ. This will give you desire to do the do's and not do the don'ts.

I am also supposed to nominate 8 stylish blogs I love. Here they are:

1. Of Cats and Cardstock

2. 2paws designs

3. Moved to the Mountains

4. Living, Creating, and Appreciating

5. Amarilys's Little Corner

6. Dynamo

7. Hayster's Scraps

8. Wendance Designs

Go check out these ladies and give them some love! Thanks again, mse006 , for nominating me!

sights from yesterday, Sunday...

2011-02-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

a few pics from yesterday,

while waiting for the progressive to begin, I decided to move some of the 2010 receipts from my drawer to a storage bin. Gotta start thinking about taxes, right?
Well, of course Winston helped. Helped dig some of the papers out of the files and put teeth marks in them.

Here are the 'kids' sharing a bit of sunshine..the black cat is Cassandra, the larger cat in the middle is Percy and the striped is our very own troublemaker, Winston...

And I got to babysit for a couple of hours after dgd's nap. Can you tell I dressed her? We got the pj pants and tutu on...but she wanted to keep her church sweater on. I was there while the parents had a 4 person conference call. When she first woke up, they had a question for me, so mommy gave her her afternap banana and juice...but guess I took too long answering the question, she came up to me, sat in my lap, took my face between her hands, then 'signed' "all done!" I had to laugh, and tell the kids that the 'boss' was telling me "I'm done". (she is learning baby sign language)

last but not least, took part in the last round of Sunday's progressive and was able to finish my Japanese Heritage Album. Yay!! another album out of the scraproom to be displayed on the shelves. How many albums do you have 'in progress'? I have 18, a few just have that 'just a couple more' to be done.

I also have that pile of layouts that I haven't started an album for... and 30 completed albums, not counting the minis...hmmmmmmm

been scrapping since I woke up,

2011-02-19T14:01:00.001-08:00

there is a Progressive Challenge for the weekend on Scrapbook.com. (I included a link, if any of ya'll are interested in joining us) Tomorrow will be another round 9am EST and 2pm EST

started 9AM Eastern, so, that meant 6 AM for me...though I didn't get up till after 7! But its okay to start late, just don't get ahead.

but we had 2 rounds, today.

Round 1:

Round 2:

Progressives are fun for me, they take me out of my 'box' and each time there are new techniques to be learned. Both flowers are handmade, don't worry, she links the tutorials.

Only problem, I haven't done anything else today, not even showered...so, I'd better get my day started! ha!!

could this year be the year? reading related

2011-02-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, I blogged that I had over 1500 books in my home. After Christmas, I have more. BUT I signed up for the GoodReads reading challenge, and could this be the year I FINALLY go thru my 'to be read' pile? I only signed up for 24 books this year, in the challenge, thinking 2 books a month is progress. And I'm a li'l ahead of target now, reading book #4...

So far, I've read Decision Points by George W. Bush...very good read
Pearl in the Sand (a fictionalized acct of Rahab and Salmon of the Bible) good read
Queen Hereafter (fictionalized acct of Queen Margaret of Scotland) not so good

and in the Midst of The Bookseller of Kabul...will p*ss you off!

I've been 'collecting' books about being a Muslim woman for a while; Reading Lolita, Behind the Veil, Prisoners of Hope (the 2 missionary women held hostage for a while in Afghanastan)...I think I've got a variety of perspectives.

However, Bookseller will very much upset us Western women about how women are viewed and treated in these countries run by regimes like the Taliban. I told a co-worker, "if every American woman read this book, We'd be taking up arms and fighting". Even in legal matters a woman is considered 'half a man'.

BUT I have to remember, the author did don a burkha and live with this family for a period of time, she was only able to interview the English speaking members of the family, think it was the father and one son...but not the women. As all but one have not had any education and I don't recall if the one that had an education (she was a schoolteacher before the Taliban closed down the girl schools) could speak English.

So, the chapters about being in the burkha, being sold to marriage, being 'set aside' in Pakistan...are not from the women's point of view but hers. The protagonist, who is in many ways a 'forward thinker', is still not above setting aside his first wife, 'because she is old', in favor of a 16 year old he bought. grrrrrrrrrrrr

So, this book, though I do get emotional about it, is only one point of view.

I also joined the Pea group (that's 2 peas in a bucket for you non-scrappers) on GoodReads. They are going to do a book of the month for March. The book Unbroken was selected.

sooo, perhaps this is the year, I get thru that pile. If only I would stop adding to it!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

Here is g'ma's sweet pie in her V-day outfit. Missing is her sparkly black shoes, she has a habit of taking shoes off.
Unfortunately, g'ma did have to 'bribe' her for pics, with the offer of a King's Hawaiian Roll! Oh! during lunch, Nyki says she said her '1st sentence', "more bread...."

I included this pic, cuz, well, let's face it, this is my li'l boo...she's clumsy!!

got my camera out...

2011-02-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

did not do a 'lesson', but after being cooped up all week seeing this outside my window inspired me...

what is it about the early morning sun filtering thru fog that I think is soooo cool?

I find that I really like 'light' and 'reflections'...really gotta work on action shots.

during the week, this mirror, that was in our bedroom, shattered...but did not break out...so, it is now leaning against our garage...thought this was kinda cool...hmmmm, could it be philosophical too???

just one more

thinking about...grandbabies...

2011-02-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

As I was showering this morning, I started thinking...

Having been sick this past week, I have not been able to see my little 'boo'. I cannot tell ya'll how much I miss her. And I got up to see this pic on FB; with the caption 'smile for grandma, whatta character'.

What can I say, but I LOVE this pic! I think it shows the 'joy and abandon' of our relationship. We do the 'happy dance' when we see each other. AND it got me thinking, what a gift grandchildren truly are.

More than a phrase we all say, but really think about it. Jesus said, "let the little children come to me" and 'unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" Matt 18:3. after being asked, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I watch how my granddaughter simply embraces life, every experience to her is wonderful. She fully trusts her parents to provide a safe environment. And she lives...and she experiences... Whether it is throwing pillows off the couch, or sliding down the slide over and over and over, dancing to the Wiggles, watching Elmo, learning new words, helping mommy put away the dishes...getting into a push-fest with Allie at the church nursery..she just does. It is all brand new and exciting to her. She hasn't learned the negativity of the world, a world that can be dangerous, a world that will tell her there are ways 'you do not measure up', that there are deadlines and 'have to's' ... There is an innocence in her.

And that is the gift of being a grandparent. We don't have to worry every detail, we can get on our hands and knees and peek around the corner and laugh; we can flop ourselves down on the floor and join her in her tantrum...and yes, even sneak in that spoon full of ice cream. We get to live and see life alongside them. Their parents get to worry the details, we get to enjoy.

During the 'autumn' of our lives, we get to put aside the mantle of responsibility and re-experience 'life' and 'joy' again. To re-experience God's creation through their eyes. (And yes, I know as she gets older, the roles will change. I will have to reinforce rules... yes, I know that...but for now, during this chapter... I am going to be the grandma who does the happy dance).

2011-02-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

thread

A couple of pics of dd's room using Mushroom Bisque, in response to a thread on 2peas. the top pic is of the living room, where the bisque is next to orange walls and used with brown...and the 2nd where dd teamed it with teal.

I'm good...

2011-02-08T16:31:00.001-08:00

The biopsy is okay. but, that was a bit scary...don't they usually tell you good news on the phone and make you come in for bad?

We talked to the dr about scheduling my hysterectomy for mid-May and she said to come back in 30 days for an ultrasound. As long as there is no change or growth, mid-May to June should be okay.

That will give everyone plenty of time (work) to prepare AND I can go to my son-in-law's graduation. AND, I can get my sis Bre to be my nurse...then we can (cough,cough) scrapbook together during my recovery...teehee.

such a relief, glad dh went with me.

In the meantime, I'm a mucus-y-mess with the aftereffects of this cold. Seems like everyone is getting some version of something. Dh took one look at me Sunday night and said, "Um, I'm sleeping in the guestroom...and...I'm taking THIS pillow". Not just him, but my cats have not been sleeping with me either. AND I have been using the heating pad! Usually, when I have the heating pad, my cats are glued to me. But, I guess if even their 'instincts' say 'stay away'... I can't blame dh!!

You'd think with all this 'time' I'd be scrapping away! wrong-o...been sleeping and going thru kleenex by the box. I'm on my 3rd box! But I do feel much more 'human' today, and to celebrate the good news from the dr...I had a Wendy's burger. My first real food since Sunday! Don't ask if it tasted good, cuz I ate it so fast, I'm not sure.

I'm supposed to work tomorrow, but we'll see how I feel in the morning. Right now, though it is only @5pm, I'm thinking of getting back into my thermals and under my faux fur throw...doesn't that sound good??

been sick, and got the 'dreaded' call...

2011-02-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning, I felt great! then after church, I started sneezing, violently...then nose started dripping and the next thing I knew, I was S I C K! So, all my plans for a non Super Bowl day scrapping and enjoying went out the window! (instead I had a Twilight-fest) (actually, not a bad way to spend a day, if only I wasn't so sick)

Yesterday, was spent in a Nyquil haze. Yes, I even took it during the day. Today, I do feel much more 'human'...but just plain sore, everywhere. Nose, Throat, Ears, back and legs...ugh!!

Then yesterday afternoon, I got the dreaded call. The doctor wants me to come in and discuss my biopsy results. Don't they only do that for bad news? So, I called Michael and asked him to go with me, it will be at 3:30 this afternoon. So, I gotta admit, THAT scares me a little. Just gotta remember, don't jump to conclusions...maybe this doctor doesn't only have you come in for bad results...and even if it is cancer (and I can barely type that word)...God is in control, and no matter what, we will get through this.

So, step by step...that is all we can do, right??

have been doing some crafting...

2011-02-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

I joined an ATC swap at Scrapbooks.com. My intention was to make 2 ATC's of my Stamping Up Stamps as a way to catalog them and to exchange...wow, did I make a mess!!

For most of them, I used alcohol inks on glossy cardstock for the background, then stamped the sentiment with Memento inks...then the image with embossing...messy, messy. All but one were done that way in the pic.

Then the last few were done with distress ink 'painting'. ( a class I took at the last expo). Also included stamping the sentiment with memento ink and embossing ...the sample in the pic is the one about 'never being more than a thought away'. Talk about messy, the embossing was a words type background stamp, used emboss with glitter combo. (Stamping Ups Heat and Stick Powder with their Silver Shine) pretty, but not for the light hearted. I'm still cleaning my desk of residue.

When my friend Michele was over, we started discussing organizing my stamps. Wow. and I can say that backwards, woW. I have quite a few, Stamping Up and Acrylics. Guess the thing to do is to take them all out, place in piles on the floor and go for it. She suggested I mark my cabinets, 1a, 1b and then organize my binder the same way.

But, that is a project for ...I don't know when. But, yeah, someday.

I do need surgery

2011-02-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

the mass I mentioned last month, is an 8 oz tumor. Dh said that is the size of a filet, so, my co-worker and I named it Mignon. So, I am going to need a hysterectomy. I have another ultrasound appt at the end of this month, the dr. cannot see my ovaries in the first set. So, we're gonna look for them and then set a date.

If it is all 'elective', I'm thinking of setting it for mid-May. That way I can still go to my son in law's graduation (its becoming quite the family reunion), and then I can spend the hot days of summer recovering in my air conditioned home! ha!

Also, gives work plenty of time to figure out if they are gonna replace me or redistribute my work. AND for the gal who is out on maternity leave to come back.

OF COURSE, I plan to scrapbook! as soon as I am able. I understand I will probably be in quite a bit of pain the first week or so, then the remaining weeks will be spent not bending, reaching, picking things up...right? Scrapbooking should be an okay activity.

AND read! AND ya'll know me, I told dh (who is also my boss) that if the dr says I need 6-8 weeks to recover, I'm taking 8-10!! (I am a slow healer) (Okay, I hate work)

And I've already requested Flan from Betsy and Quinaa Cookies from Connie...who else makes the foods I love??? hmmmmmmmmm

HOME!

2011-01-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

I was gone on a 'super secret mission' the past week. Feels good to be home, But in between my duties, I did get to scrapbook a li'l bit. And got to an Archivers. I used to be able to spend a couple hundred dollars there, but this visit...hmmmmm, they just did not have the selection/bargains that I remember. I was a li'l disappointed.

Worked on my Shimelle Christmas album, had access to my sis's supplies. Though, I tried to make sure I did not use anything that was consumable, unless she gave it to me. BUT this girl has quite the punch collection; she was going to give me one that a friend gave her, a fiskers round punch, until I used it and she saw how pretty it was...ha!! That is also how I lost the chance to get her quickcutz tool. oh well! from now on, when she is thinking of giving me something, I will not use it in front of her!! and teach her how to use it!! ha!

Why am I up at 4 am?

2011-01-15T04:02:00.000-08:00

Ugh, that's why. I need to get some things done, but here I am...rambling at the computer. I have not done my part 2 of lesson 2 on the camera, as I've had NO LIGHT (its been cloudy and rainy) and I've been working more days. End of December means end of month, quarter and year close. Which means Census forms and Taxes for both companies.

My weight loss is sloooow, I did step on the scale this morning, 2 more pounds! So, I'm almost at a grand total of 5...Exercise is the fun part. I got Gold's Gym Cardio for the Wii...boxing!! (Amazon was having a New Year, New You sale, and got it for @$12. BUT, the one I'm doing most frequently is Zumba. I look like Frankenstein's monster trying to do those moves...but it is fun, and I sweat!! As long as dh doesn't set up a hidden camera...I'm fine.

Watching my food is harder. I think I've only been within calorie range, one day!
I do pretty good, then that last choice...sends my numbers over. Gotta 'tweak' so the higher cals are earlier...then I'm not so hungry at the end of the day.

I joined a Biggest Loser challenge on Spark. Hopefully, that will keep me motivated.

Oh! if you are interested in the Photography Class at 2peas, they are re-starting it.
Here is the thread

Lesson 2 part 1: shutter speed

2011-01-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

I was planning to scrap this morning, but my printer is out of ink, so, out comes my handy dandy binder with the 2 Peas photo class. Why not?

Today it is shutter speed, the higher the speed, the longer shutter speeds cause subject to blur, while faster speeds stop motion.

The lesson was to do running water in an indoor sink...BUT all my shutter speeds inside said 'subject too dark', so I had to go outside. Yes, outside where it is cold. My first round, I used a frog statue, that did not cause enough splash. 2nd round is the pig, but the 2 pipes in the background made the water flow difficult to see, so 3rd round is what I am posting. My camera and I may start sneezing from stepping outside so many times.

speed of 1/40 (auto mode goes to 1/60)

speed of 1/120 (125 is macro)

speed of 1/160

speed of 1/200 (as high as my S mode would let me go)

then I put the auto dial on Sports, got a speed of 1/500:

so, what do you think? can you see the action of the water being stopped?

think this is an important lesson for me, as my fave subject is a constantly moving toddler!!!

but the 2peas lesson 2 part 2 is about bringing balance between aperture and speed.

Aperture!

2011-01-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Been looking at the 12 weeks to Better Photography at 2peas.

the first 'lesson' is on aperture..so, went out and took these..these were taken at the same time, from the same angle, just different apertures. I did crop the white pot out of all but the 22 pic...
the higher the aperture #, the smaller the opening, therefore the less light.

the highest aperture setting on my camera is 22:

I experimented with 16, 12, 11...but the highest you can actually see something is 8:

and the class said to go for 5:

then I thought, this is a 'smart' camera, why not see the auto settings, you don't always have to 'reinvent the wheel' afterall. right?

'macro' 5.6:

"landscape" 6.3:

now, from what I understand, the lower the aperture, the more focused the opening, the more detail in your subject and the background fades. So, the lower my aperture, the more 'rust detail' you should see, the less of the weeds and the shed.

So, can you see the differences..?? Personally, I like the colors in the last the best.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

though in many ways, 2011 looks kinda 'dire'. That's why I dislike watching the news. Can't understand dh's daily 'need' for it.

May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding fill you with a joy that transcends all circumstances. okay, my vesion of Phillipians...but you 'get' it.

On a personal note, the new year is always a time to create new perspective and yes, resolutions. I have never been able to keep any resolutions...but thru Sparkpeople, I have learned to set workable goals.

2011

Long Term:
5k with dh in 2011
(a gal at church is starting up a Couch to 5k type program)

Health and Fitness:
Have more energy, Bring down my cholesterol
(the exercise, cutting fats from diet, and taking that Lipitor)

Friends, Family and Social Life:
Do More!!! I tend to be reclusive
(can start tonight with an Open House)

Everyday:
morning yoga, count calories on Spark, read/scrap/learn photog instead of tv sluggin'

Appearance:
fit into a sheath dress, wear a swimsuit

Spiritual:
morning Bible Reading (been in the book of Matthew for months)
so, finish the Gospels and read a couple of books I have set aside
about Jesus...my 'spiritual' concentration will be to ask and answer
"Who is this man?" As Pastor Dusty challenged us to a few months ago.

what if...

2010-12-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

During last week's 'female' appointment, my dr found a 'mass' in my pelvis/uterus/ovaries...(not sure which). So, today I go in for an ultrasound. Overall, I'm not too worried. Not liking the idea of having to drink 32 oz of water an hour before and holding it!

My sis has ovarian cysts, the dr said it could even be the hormonal imbalance caused by pre-menopause (i am at that age)...but, what if....

The song, Live Like You were Dying, by Tim McGraw has been going thru my mind.

What would be the 'important things', what would be my priorities?

Quite honestly, the 'lifestyle change' would probably be out the window. Think I'll be eating my chocolates, chicken and dumplings, mac & cheese, enchiladas with no guilt!! Savoring every bite. Guess I'll just need more pallbearers, ha!!

I would quit work, spending every spare moment with family.

I would finish those scrapbooks I started, cuz, that is the one thing my kids have said they would keep.

Maybe I would leave the Christmas trees up all year long. Since I love the 'lights' and dh has stated that Christmas decorating is 'not his thing'. That way, I'll feel like I'm leaving him something for next year. ha!!

hmmmm, What would be the important things?

And, I'm not looking at this as a 'downer'...but just reflecting...