tiny chuckle

sadly this quote made me chuckle this morning.

David Frost
"He's turned his life around. He used to be depressed and miserable. Now he's miserable and depressed."

Isn't life grand

Isn't life grand?

I think so

Huge Sigh of Relief

For several months I had lost the 1st birthday photos. I searched high and low, yesterday I searched the recycle box of my computer. I couldn't figure out how they could just disappear but I was getting very sad about the whole thing. My fabulous husband was able to find them with only a small amount of effort. I'm thrilled. To cute to be lost.

Color me Annoyed

I've been searching for photos to blog about for several days and was going to do the start of school and what we do while the one is at school, but none of the photos are that great.
I'm having a great day, but color me annoyed that silly yahoo. . . . there is an advertisement that stretches across the whole screen and flashes very quickly the whole time I'm looking at messages. It's really starting to tick me off. I wonder how long they bought that spot for. I'm not gonna be able to check my mail for day's. It's not even really advertising anything. It's a fake winner thing, the 999,999,999th person to click or some dumb nonsense.
If you are a parent of school age children. . . let me know how you get them to school and if you drive, how long is the drive?

summers almost over

I've had an incredibly lazy summer. We haven't gone anywhere, we haven't done anything. I watched the TV series Dr. Quinn this summer, that's it. The little man started swim lessons here in August and loves it. So with the lazy summer the idea of blogging was just to much work, but others have recently posted again to their blogs so I'm feeling compelled to join suit. Went to find a photo -- here's what you get.

There is just something about marshmellows. . .

Should have taken photos

So I should have taken photos out the window the day the little man and I sat here watching it rain. So pretty -- I'm completely shocked, so out of character for him to sit here with me for almost an hour watching it rain.

What I did finally take a photo of is this incredibly large Rhododendron shrub that I pass by several times a day. It catches my eye everyday and I'm finally getting it.

Someone else posted on their blog today about what they look forward to in summer and it made me realize that for the first time since my own school days I'm actually looking forward to summer. Interesting change for me. It also reminded me about the "mad, wet, impetuous day" in college. Wow, talk about some serious rain. I wish those photos were digital and easy to share. Of course they are really, really dark and we all look like drowned rats. What nice memories.

Accomplishments: So, I've been an organizing maniac for the past week or so. I read through photo freedom and am picking up tips from some that are taking the Library of Memories class. It feels so good to get organized. This weekend I was rewarded with this.

This work surface is rarely if ever cleaned off. Because I also have a craft table in the room this desk surface is kind of a drop all. However. . .

The immensely exciting part of all of this is that this basket

(we'll call it an "in" basket, but it's really kind of a junk drawer for paper) is completely empty. It's never in all my life been completely empty. I have goals of emptying it but usually I get tired and I get it down there but there is usually a stack of stuff I put back into it. I had to take a photo because it's going in the 101 things I want to scrap before I die. It might go on my "have an empty to-do list" page.

Happy Monday - made me smile

None of that Sissy Stuff
Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good,
but never actually come close to reality?
Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.
You will see no cutesy little smiley faces on this card-
Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.
1. When you are sad --I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared -- we will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick --Stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I'll pick you up and dust you off.

9. This is my oath...I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask -- because you are my FRIEND!
Friendship is like peeing your pants,
everyone can see it,
but only you can feel the true warmth.

Send this to 10 of your closest friends,
Then get depressed because you can only think
of 4.

We had a party

You want some of my cake?
It's really yummy and lots of fun
Gushy too!
Are you sure you don't want some?

Peaches, are you serious?

Okay, so when you visit Georgia it's required that you try something "peach". Of course it wasn't peach season so seeing the factory in working conditions wasn't an option and peach not being my favorite flavor I opted for ice cream. Mine is the small one in the photo and I bought it to "share" with three other people.



I have to tell you though, I really liked this ice cream. It was really creamy and a nice subtle flavor that was really good.

I tried some peach ice cream locally when I headed up tulip way and I have to tell you, it was nasty. It's no wonder peach isn't my favorite flavor. I bet if I lived in Georgia where people know how to handle and peach and what to do with it, I might enjoy it a lot more.

Aren't the neice and nephew handsome kids? They are so sweet! I can't believe how big they are. They all moved when the nephew finished 3rd grade (he just got his learners permit), and I always see the neice as about three years old. I can't believe she's quickly showing that she is becoming a woman. And soon, they will both have perfect teeth (although perfection can be overrated.)

Spending Monday

Look how mommy spoiled me


I never did share what all I gained during the paper chase. I did have to pay her back some, but mommy spent a lot of money on the paper chase. This is just my haul, her's pretty much equaled mine in space, but I think she had more spendy items.

Oh and why do they call it a lap top, I suppose you can use it on your lap, but A) I generally need to be near an outlet as my battery doesn't have much juice and B) (most important it should have been a) its so stinkin' hot I burn my lap.

smart decisions

So, when I left the house Friday morning for Hawaiian day at the kiddo's school it was raining and I felt a little foolish - especially including the fact that I was headed to work after Hawaiian day.

Of course later in the day I felt a lot more foolish - Such a smart decision it was to wear sandles onFriday.

Our poor tree's - the weight proved to heavy for the fresh blossoms. One of the branches did break. I'm concerned about the tulip fields, we thought we'd go next week - maybe not.

beyond simply beautiful

So the photos don't do it justice and at 6,000 feet its certainly a different kind of beauty; but I loved being in the Smokey Mountains. Touring Cades Cove (a place where in the right season time stands still) was a huge highlight.




So much so that I was ready to stay around to bid on this home that is up for auction on the 19th and have my "stuff" shipped to me. I found this home after driving much to quickly across a one way mountain road where 12 miles took me 45 minutes to pass. I can't tell you what this visit did for my heart and soul.

The whole trip was fabulous and I saw lots of great things.

We did miss our flight and had to hang out a few hours.

Spring Sweater

So this doesn't exactly show off my wonderful spring sweater, but it does show me making the most (or maybe it's the best) of a beautiful day.
Happy Birthday Mr. Rogers!



This is the Kindergarten Easter party that the littlest man made it hard to photograph and enjoy.

photo software crazy or fabulous

So, my XP photo viewing and what not has been driving me crazy. It's a change and we all know how anti change I am. I've been complaining for months. Last night it was being obnoxious again, but I worked through it. Today, I finally decided I'm tired of fighting this thing, I'm going to click all these buttons and learn how to work with it. It's fabulous!!! Everything is so much simpler to do with this. Viewing, and deleting and I've just learned how to fix red eyes in less then a snap. It's simply fabulous -- I think the frustration comes in that my fab hubby doesn't mess with pictures so he can't tell me what the system can do, I have to figure it out on my own.

I took it myself

So, I took 10 month pictures all by myself, isn't my boy a cutie?

haircut

So I had planned to share some before and after photos of my haircut yesterday, however. . . the pictures are terrible and you really can't see the difference other than a bit shorter, I needed to turn my head sideways for the photo and that didn't happen because I had a baby in my arms. So, no photos to share. I did an inverted bob look, where the back is really short and the front is chin length. I also had it colored again. All set for summer.

Scrap Room

Alrighty, I've finally taken photos of all my scrap space and storage for those that are interested:

First, this is the photo out in the back wall of my garage. The white shelf off to the left is a ladder shelf that I have wanted for 8 years, FINALLY, when creating the new stamp room that would not have a closet I went ahead and paid WAY to much for this shelf. I realize this isn't the best use for it, but I love the shelf anyway. I've just weeded out about 10 stamp sets and have some work to get the stray singles all organized.
The other Large wooden shelf is something I recently aquired. As it turns out my dad helped build this shelf once upon a time. The person who owned offered it to me and I snatched it up, more for sentimental reasons, but it's going to work out nicely for scrap stuff. Right now it's looking pretty empty because we finally cleaned all the piles of junk off it.








This is looking into the art room from the garage access, the door across the way goes to our back yard up on the deck.



This is the work space, LOVE those little drawer units from Best Scrapbook Shelf or something like that anyway. They were fairly spendy, but I have to tell you, best investment I ever made, I've loved them since day one. Mom's work space unit looks the same and faces mine.



Speaking of that door, what a bonus to find out the door is magnetic. It was a bonus. I found these little magnetic rocks that I love to hang "stuff" on the door.



Here is all of the paper. 8.5x11 on top, Stampin Up off to the right. 12x12 on the bottom. Mom spluged on the great 12x12 shelves so I'll be selling my wood units that weren't working out well for me. The best scrapbook shelf on the left here is my mom's unit. We don't have it all the way full yet, but because we had extra space there we've actually started using all of our scraps. It's very exciting. We can access them easily and so we check there first when we don't need a full sheet. It's great. We also have a drawer to hold 8x8 sheets and 6x6 sheets. Can you say bonus deal?



This is my desk which has turned into more scrap storage space. With a lap top computer, most of my "desk" work went back inside the house to a sofa table that I've wanted for many, many years and finally got to have. The only bummer part is that I have to walk out here to get things I've printed, hey, at least I can print from inside. Count the blessings, right.? Off to the right of the desk is another stack of art bin cases in the shelf units. Having the art bins slide in and out is so wonderful, we actually get things put away readily and when your constantly packing and unpacking just to pack again, it sure makes things easier. Note: ALL my mothers scrap stuf is here as well, between the two of us we have 40 art bins. That is my wall ribbon unit, kinda the gutter idea but much cleaner and nicer. That slat wall and units was a steal of a deal.



Not a great photo, but these are my iris carts - holds all the scrap embellishments by subject and all the fibers and "extra" ribbons by color. There is a big hole up there right now, but I'm getting some new units to hold my greeting cards, because I'm going to use my older units for photo storage. Love those acrylic drawers, they are on my desk waiting for me to start sorting photos into them when I get the cards out.



I should probably provide a list of names of storage things that I love and where to find them, but that would be a project for another day I guess - I'm surprised I got this far.
Just for you Tiff, cause you asked for it.

Pristine

So, here is the pristine cookie that prompted this post.



It was the cookie that of course my child refused to eat at snack today.
I was impressed with it's pristineness -- it was created by another mom who teaches home ec. (I wonder if she gives private lessons.) :)
It even tasted good.




This one, not so pristine, but absolutely yummy is the one's I made.



Mine only yield about 8 cookies though so its a choosen few who get one of mine.

Everytime

Do you have anything that you do backwards 'every time'. Something silly and foolish that just doesn't matter and yet you notice doing it wrong every time.
Currently mine is plugging my camera into my laptop. I try to plug it in upside down EVERY SINGLE time that I plug it in. It takes a mear second to turn it over and there is a picture on the top to know which way to put it in. Still, its upside down every time, and everytime I pull it out, look at the hole and try to figure out why it won't go in. Silliness, pathetic really. Confessions of the totally. . . hum. . . what would the word be, narrotic?

neu·rot·ic2 pertaining to the nerves or to nerve disease; neural: no longer in technical use.
I guess that wouldn't be the word. . . :) Where did that word come from in relation to how people use it today?

Annoyed at Scrapbook Magazines

I have blown off all my scrapbook magazine subscriptions because I no longer feel they are worth the money, however, there are a few that have not expired yet so I continue to read them. I'm fairly annoyed as they (the scrapbook gurro's) state over and over how important and valuable journaling is and whenever the photos of a magazine layout leave me wanting to know the story and the journaling is large enough to read I read it and am still left wondering what happened. so annoying - I though the journaling was supposed to tell the story. Especially if the photos don't. Do you think people believe they will never forget "the story"so that part isn't important?
There a TONS of examples of this but the one that prompted this post. . .
Feb/March 08 Scrapbooks etc. Pg. 132
I want to know the "Big Mistake" her daughter made that hurt her foot?