Remember

Memorial Day through the poetry of third graders...

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Remember the brave soldiers who gave their lives

For our freedom,

God Bless them all these courageous

Men and women.

They fought on land,

Others at sea,

Sacrificing their lives for

You and me.

Schools and offices respect these heroes

From the past,

By flying our beautiful flag

At half-mast.

As you watch the parade and hear

The trumpets play,

Please think about what we celebrate on

Memorial Day.

© 2001 Luke, 3rd Grader, Academy Elementary School, Madison, Connecticut.

 

 

 

I think about the people that fought in the wars,

some have died to keep us free.

I think about the men and women,

Who saved lives on land and at sea.

I look at the monuments,

In memory of the brave.

I help plant red flowers

At my grandfather's grave.

At the parade, I see flags flying,

Red, white and blue.

I watch rows of different uniforms,

Navy, white and brown too.

The soldiers salute with pride.

Memorial Day remembers and honors

those who have died.

© 2001 Tim F., 3rd Grader, Academy Elementary School, Madison, Connecticut.

Flying

Today has been a really good day. There has been nothing spectacular about it, like winning the lottery, but quite a few things stand out that have made me so happy that I could truly fly.  While that's not the true topic of the layout that I made above, it is appropriate, simply for the butterfly image and the words... I'll leave the actual hidden journaling and photos out of this post, so it can continue to "fit'.

But I digress...

Five things that made me so happy that I could fly today;

• I completed a 4-layout class today (for display at the store) in less than 4 hours. This is a huge deal for me because I am truly the slowest scrapbooker on earth.  This put a little bounce in my step.
• My son drove me home from work.  This has made me so happy I could literally dance right out of my body!  This man-child, at 21 years old, has been terribly resistant to driving for YEARS.  In the past three years of him having a learner's permit, he has driven maaaaayybee ten times.  And 9 of those were in a parking lot.  The one time on the road was, well... let's just say he almost blew his head open with his panic and rapidly rising blood pressure.  Anyway, about 6 months ago I told him I would no longer be driving him anywhere once he turned 21.  He turned 21 May 9th.  The Hubs has been driving him ever since.  Today, the Hubs decided that the boy could walk to my work from his and catch a ride home with me, rather than going to pick him up.  When it came time to go home, I handed him the keys. His expression was priceless... and I reminded him that I was no longer driving him anywhere... which meant that if we wanted to get home, he'd have to drive.  And he DID!  He was so proud of himself (!) he was grinning by the time we got to the house and he remarked on the way there, "I bet no one around me can tell that this is the first time I've driven on the road."  I'm sure (except for a few small 'incidents') that this is true.  Like I said, I'm so happy I could wriggle right out of my skin!
• The Girl was offered a summertime babysitting job.  It was asked through me, actually, by one of my best friends.  I told my friend that I didn't think the Girl would take it because she is one of the most unmotivated, lazy people that I have known.  (Isn't that every teen?)  I think this is changing.  I am so glad.  When I offered the job opportunity to her, I wasn't even finished with saying the "deal" and she said, "I'll take it, I want it!"  I was so thrilled!  This is a HUGE step for her, for many reasons, and I'm SO happy she is taking it. 
• We had a family sit-down dinner around the dining room table tonight. It's been a great while, because of all the celebratory events lately... and it felt so good.  Nothing more than some cheeseburgers and some summertime pasta salads, but it was Really Nice.
• This last one is kind of funny... but I found it super thrilling tonight to watch the Girl completely defend herself from the Boy.  She is 14, he is 21, but he is a little itty bitty guy and she is a regular girl... and FINALLY, she was able to defend herself and PIN HIM on the floor and torture HIM for once.  Coming from a being a girl who always seem to be the loser of any wrestling battle, this was so much fun to see (with the eyes in the back of my head).  While I was cleaning up from dinner, this made me so happy!   Is that wrong?  To be excited that my daughter can "take" my son? 

So how about you?  Anything making you so happy you could fly?  Please share!  It's a wonderful feeling and I'd love to share in yours if you're reading about mine!

I Rock...

I ROCK...

...the tiara and boa thang!  (Those feather boas make a person HOT, man... who woulda thunk?)

"Generation X" & Fifteen!

I mentioned yesterday that The Hubs’ and my 10-year anniversary is coming up next week. But today was a bigger anniversary, of sorts. At least in number. Today is my 15-year anniversary at my “day” job.

FIFTEEN YEARS!

Who woulda thunk it?  You know, my generation was labeled “Generation X”. Here are some interesting tidbits about Gen-Xers:

• We were born between 1961 and 1981. Yep… that’s me… 1970. Smack dab in the middle. I guess that makes me the “middle child” of Generation X. We middle children are so troublesome! 
• The lowest birthrate year of this generation was 1970. Hmmmm…. I’m even more special now.
• We are considered a “reactive” or “nomad” generation. I wish.

And according to Wikipedia (yes, I know how (un)reliable this source is… but these parts are what I’ve heard about my generation repeatedly):

• Coming of age after the Vietnam War had ended, their political experiences and cultural perspective were shaped by the end of the cold war, the fall of the Berlin wall, and a series of US economic calamities such as the 1973 oil crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, the early 1980's recession, and the savings and loan crisis - instilling a sense of economic uncertainty and a reduced expectation of long term fidelity between employers and employees.

So, what that means is, we were supposed to be the “job hopping” generation. And I truly thought I would. When I got this job, I had just moved to this state.  I had been out of work for four months.  I thought, “well, it will pay the bills until I can get something in my field of study” (from college). And then things just kept evolving. Two years turned into five. Five into ten. And now here I sit at fifteen years at the same company.  I don't know how it happened.  I never thought I'd stay at any job so long!  My first job out of college lasted two years.  This job was my 2nd job out of college...

The job itself has changed over the years. This is probably what helped me to stay. In my fifteen years here I have held at least five different titles (and worn at least twice as many hats). I’ve had six different supervisors, one of whom I’ve now had the pleasure of working for twice (she hired me and 14 years later became my supervisor again). I’ve sat in seven different offices but only three different desks (I’ve taken the same desk set-up with me for at least the past 12 years). I’ve moved with the office from across town to the building it is in right now and within the building I have moved between 5 different suites of office space. I had never flown in an airplane before working here, and have now flown (or otherwise traveled to) to our various offices in Tennessee, New Jersey/Delaware, Indiana, Alabama, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, California and Oregon.

There have been whole years here when I have been miserable. And many more years where I have been perfectly happy. I’m glad to be very happy where I’m at now. I truly enjoy my job role now… and the person with and for whom I work. She scrapbooks with me as well!

The company also has milestone celebrations and gifts. When I hit my 10-year anniversary, I was given the opportunity to purchase my scrapbooking modular storage system, courtesy of the company. You’ve seen it here. I was (and still am) thrilled!

This year, for my 15-year anniversary… well, wow. Words cannot express. But I'll sure give it a try...

My supervisor (and friend) came to get me around 10am saying she "needed me".  She walked me down the hall to the conference room where most of the entire office was standing...no, hiding... to surprise me!  Wow... it was awesome to see all of those faces there to celebrate with me.  Next, in another room, there were caterers set up to make to-order omlettes, along with bagels, cream cheese, yogurt and fruit.  Oh yum!  After I got my omlette, another surprise arrived... The Hubs!  He had taken the day off to come and celebrate this special day with me at my office!  I wish I could show you photos but I didn't have a camera and the camera that was there... well, I haven't gotten the photos from her yet! 

We all got custom-made omlettes and chatted for a while.  Then I had a ton of well-wishing cards to open.  One friend who recently (in January) moved to a different office in a different state (Wisconsin), sent me this ring:

I love it.  She has one similar and I had remarked upon it and she remembered.  So she had one made for me.  Pardon my chubby hand and terribly neglected nails, I'm sorely in need of a manicure.  Since they don't last, I never take care of my nails.  But I digress... I love this ring!

Another friend sent me some money for us to have a 'long distance lunch date'.  We used to eat lunch together occasionally, but she, too, up and moved to a different office in our company... only she went to Colorado.  So, we'll have to synchronize a lunch date sometime soon...

But then... then came the gift from the company for fifteen years of service.  I am so excited I can hardly write, so I’ll let photos tell you what I received:

That would be a Nikon D5000 SLR camera, with an 18/55 mm lens, plus a second zoom 70/300 mm lens!  Plus I got a carrying case, some cleaning supplies and a tripod (not pictured).  How totally awesome is this?!  Can you imagine the possibilities?  I can only begin to imagine...

I really am without enough words to express how I feel. So I’ll sign off, for now, simply with, perhaps I am not as Gen-X as my lable were to imply and also say.... well.... WOW!

Disclaimer - Nikon has no clue who I am... they have no idea my company purchased this camera for my scrapfoolery... I just wanted to show you how very excited I am to have one of these beauitful pieces of equipment.  Yum!

Another Big Day...and A Question

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So my big 4-0 came and went, and now on the horizon is another big date.  My husband's and my 10-year wedding anniversary.  It's a week away and I have made little to no plans...

So a quick question:

What should I do?

I'm looking for any and all ideas here.  I've thought about taking him out to a movie and dinner... YAWN... I looked up the "traditional" gifts... it's tin and sapphires.  I have some ideas on each, but I'm interested in more suggestions... please... romatic, inexpensive ideas are super welcome... pricey ideas, eh... not so much at this time.  Keep in mind that he doesn't really like crowds of people, and he doesn't like picnics.  *sigh*

I turn it over to you, then... help me... dish!

This Is Me On Drugs...

Remember those old commercials?  With an egg... and a frying pan... camera shifts to the egg in its shell, "this is your brain..." then shifts to the frying pan, the egg smashed into it, cooking, "this is your brain on drugs..."  then a pause and, "any questions?"

Am I dating myself with that commercial?  Commercials like that were a big part of my life.  Maybe even a credit to my never doing any illicit drugs.  Of course, I thank my parents for that as well. 

Okay, confession #1:  I never even drank illegally... well, not as much as my friends did... until I went to college.  So, yeah, I did drink alcohol under the age of 21... but I was not a drinker in high school.  My friends would party and I was just not there... or felt too guilty to partake. 

Confession #2:  I never took any pills.  I had friends that did, and I didn't know about it until after they "quit".

Confession #3:    I did smoke cigarettes (again, legal)... but only "fake" smoked them...I never inhaled(!)... for three weeks... in college... because I had to.... for a play!   I was a smokin' nun!

Confession #4:  I never smoked pot.  My friends in college who smoked pot knew I had not ever done so, and the few times I even asked to try it... get this... they said NO!  They didn't want the "responsibility" of "corrupting" me.  I still, to this day, can't understand that... other than to really thank them in my heart. I can remember several instances when I was pushed out of a house because there was going to be some bong sharing... and other times when the room would empty while I was watching a movie so that my friends could go out and get high, without bringing me into it.

I think that makes them pretty special in my book... even if they weren't smart for themselves.

So... needless to say, I don't purely understand the "trippy" things that illicit drugs can do to you.  The strongest drug (again, legally prescribed) I have taken has been Vicodin.  And I hated it.  It made me sick.  It took the pain I had away (yay), but it almost wasn't worth the sick feeling I got from it.  I took as few as possible. 

Now, as I stated in this previous post, I've been taking steriods.  It's a 6-day treatment... I take 6 pills on day 1, 5 pills on day 2, 4 on day 3 and so on.  I'm just getting past day 4.   I can't wait to get past day 6!  It's really messing with me.   The doctor mentioned that I might get "cranky".  I wrote about that, in the aforementioned previous post. 

Well... I haven't gotten cranky.  No.  No cranky pants here...

I'm a puddle of tears instead.  I can't stop crying. It started last night... continued on into work this morning (sobbing tears!) and I'm still weepy this evening.  The oddest part about the whole thing is that I don't feel the "black doom" that I typically do when I get into my crying fits.  I don't feel a sadness in my heart... or a heaviness in my chest. I Just. Can't. Stop. Crying. 

So it has to be the drugs. 

And I don't like it.  Not one little bit.

No questions.  I get the picture.

(Apologies for my randomness until I get these drugs out of my system and can return to my regular posting topics...)

It's Almost Over! {*cry*}

LOST

The countdown is on.

7pm-9pm EDT - a recap of the last 6 years.

9pm-11:30pm EDT - The End.

11:31pm EDT - {*cry*}

I have to say, as much as this show brought me frustration and headaches... it is and was so refreshing among all of the "reality", medical/emergency, and CSI type shows that abound on TV.  It was a way to escape into a total mind-bend.  I'm completely sad it is going away... but so very excited to have some answers.  Some.  I am prepared for "not all". 

I'm okay with this.

See you on the flip side!

It Is, After All, All About Me...

Hello all... to those of you who joined my pity party a few days ago, I promise this party will be MUCH more fun!  I joined in with a whole lotta other talented, creative and crafty people in this lovely Blog Hop. Please jump on in and enjoy hopping around.  I hope you find (or have already found) a lot of inspiration.

If you've found me from Havoc and Mayhem, you're on the right path!  If you're just starting out by visiting my blog feel free to continue on, or start at the beginning at I Speak Melsh.  Mel is our great and powerful organizer and conveniently has all of the participants listed so you can travel around the world learning about those of us hosting this party.  Before you leave, though, please keep reading and take a gander at my project.

It is, after all, All About Me! 

Let me officially welcome you to the All About Me blog hop!  We'll keep you moving through our group with links to your next stop (so keep reading!)  Our inspiration came from a free class at Big Picture Scrapbooking called, strangely enough, "All About Me".  The class guidelines teach you how to create an adorable accordian minibook and storage tin, but as I hadn't a tin, nor the desire to make an accordian album, I steered off on a different route.  Following the exact project isn't really what we were going for, but more the inspiration of the project, so I wasn't really breaking any rules.  I was, however, very inspired, and this will only be the beginning...

All About Me:  Time Does Not Change Us. 
It Unfolds Us. - Mark Frisch

Know Thyself

Left:  ENJOY - favorite VACATION destination: Butterfield Lake
Right:  i ENJOY scrapbooking, movies, reading & TV

Left:  IMPROVE:  always wanting to improve my fitness...and my photos!
Right:  i seek peace and balance.

Left:  BLISS - Pure Bliss:  My Favorite "Treat" - Abbott's Frozen Custard

Right:  when i am in nature, i feel... FREE

Left:  My {heart} bleeds for strays

Right:  I Love spring flowers, snow, summer sunsets,
autumn colors, the moon, waterfalls

Back of Book

In case you're curious, I used my favorite Blackboard album by Cosmo Cricket and all paper and most embellishments are My Little Yellow Bicycle: Vita Bella. 

I must say, this was an absolutely fun project because it WAS all about me.  I know as a wife, worker and mother of kids two-legged and four-legged (not necessarily in that order) plus a multitude of other "roles", I often put myself way down in the priority order.  I think many woman share in that syndrome.  This project was truly ALL about me, and I really enjoyed myself.  If you haven't done anything for yourself lately, try this project.  Put your own spin on it. But keep it all about YOU.  It's very ... freeing. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed my project, now... keep hopping!  Your next stop on this All About Me blog hop is Captured On Film.  Click the link to move on.  And if you started at the very beginning over at I Speak Melsh, you're almost at the end! I hope you have enjoyed this journey and found some inspiration along the way.

If you started with me, you're only just beginning!  Keep going to see all of the other All About Me interpretations and find some fresh inspiration.

Regardless, at the very least take some time... do something all about and for you.  You won't regret it and, as in my case, it may get addicting!

Puny Pity Party...

I love Zazzle!

Pardon me while I have a moment of whining.  I'm just a lot tired and this piece of me is really discouraging lately.

I have had tendonitis in my left arm for over a month now.  It's not the first time it has flared up, but it is the most excessive that I've had.  It has affected my strength and flexibility and I'm very discouraged that it's not getting better.  I can't bend it without pain, I can't straighten it without pain.  I have been on some heavy duty prescription anti-inflammatories for a month and no improvement.  It wakes me up. I can't even lift the handset of my office phone, or set it down for that matter, without extreme concentration that I don't drop it out of total weakness!  Back to the doctor yesterday... she tells me it's pretty much a typical case of "tennis elbow" but I can't think of anything repetative that I do other than working on the computer.  But that doesn't really force me to move that elbow much so I'm very confused that it is so affected. 

Now she wants me on steriods for six days. She says I might become cranky.  I'm already cranky and I haven't even taken a pill. 

Then my mind starts going wacko... is it all "downhill" from here?  I don't want 40 to be a negative number, I really don't, but suddenly I feel like I'm losing my own body!  On top of the elbow, I have been having more and more difficulty with my hands being stiff and occasionally weak, and my thumbs and forefingers go numb at odd times.  Like when I'm driving!  I know this is carpal tunnel and I have been fortunate to escape it for so long, considering how much time I do spend on the computer.  But I don't want it.  And I am afraid... what if my hands and arms give out?  I won't be able to use the computer... not like I do now.  I won't be able to stamp... I already find it challenging at times to grip and press the stamp appropriately.  And scrappin'!  What about that?  Will everything I love to do suddenly become painful and a chore?

I know, I know... I'm tired and my brain is just whirling about.  It's time I should just go to bed and relax.  Deal with it day by day.  Do what the doctor orders.  Take the daggone steriod. 

Pardon me if I'm cranky. The doctor says it's to be expected.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...  I will be posting something fun late Friday night/early Saturday morning... something crafty... something... hoppy.  Come back and see!

My 40th... the Highlights

Whew!  What a weekend.  SO much scrapbooking fodder!

We all know it started with the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure 5K.  Once again, this was Ah-MAZE-ing!  Here are a few photos from this year:

Can you see how far the walkers stretched out in front?

I was close to the beginning so there were twice as many in back of me.

Pink as far as the eye can see!

Here are The Hubs and The Girl.

The Hubs is so nice to carry my camera bag for me!

Throughout the walk, what I love best is the entertainment and the people watching. There are musicians along the way playing music to keep you moving... there is always this guy on his balcony cheering us on with a cow bell or a pot and wooden spoon (like this time).  And then there are the cheerleaders...

Bikers for Boobs.  They rev their engines as you walk by.

Very cool (excepting the exhaust)

And the people watching.  Pink wigs abound, as they are in support of some local celebrities who passed from breast cancer.  I wore one, as you can see in this post.  One of the salons in town offered to style the pink wig for $5 (donated to breast cancer research)... I'm not sure if these ladies styled their wigs themselves or if the salon did it.  Excepting the one on the far right, methinks they did it themselves!

And the gal we walked with who is a survivor:

This is she coming through the Survivor's alley...

Afterwards, I took a nice long nap, to get ready for my 'bash'.  The Hubs and the kids took me to the restaurant.  Sadly, I don't have any photos from this event because even though I brought my camera, I was too busy being "in the moment" to take any.  Friends did take some for me, though, I just haven't gotten copies from them yet.  No worries on that scrappin' front!  My bestest buds were there, plus a couple of their husbands... and a surprise friend who is my LONGEST running friend since I moved here to Ohio.  We don't get to spend a lot of time together because our lives move in such wildly separate directions, so it was awesome that she was able to make it.  From my friends I got some lovely gifts, including a wonderful art print (she has a different art print in her office that I have coveted) all the way from New Mexico...

Sorry about the glare.  It says, "Time stands still  best

in moments that look surprisingly like

ordinary life."

...some cards (by the same artist), the decorative license plate at the top of my blog, and a KITCHEN AID!!  I've been wanting one of those forever, and keep failing to win one over at Pioneer Woman!

After a scrumptious dinner, some of the "elder" friends went home (and I do say that lovingly... it was their choice!) while the rest of us went to my (as you already know) FAVORITE entertainment venue, Shadowbox Cabaret.  My loving Hubs had a wonderful surprise for me... CHER!  Yes, CHER came out and sang a version of the song "Do You Believe in Love"... with a few birthday twists, of course.  (S)he was HOT, man!  HOT!  Here's a photo as proof.  Cher!!

In addition, my sweet, thoughtful, loving friends got me yet ANOTHER gift... of course my own well-being as embark on the journey over the hill was topmost in their mind as I opened this:

Depends for Women, Ensure, Century Senior Vitamins,

Vaseline, Stool Softener and an over-sized pill sorter.

The rest of the evening was uneventful with great rock-n-roll and comedy and some drinks.  Home after 1am, though... am I too old for that?  Let's see...

Sunday the festivities continued.  I went BACK to Shadowbox to see Back to the Garden again.  (Told ya I love that place).  Then after that was over, I had to work at the store.  It was Survivor finale night, and we do a special Survivor crop each season, so I had to go host that.

Monday I was soooo sleeeeepy that I didn't drag myself out of bed to take a shower until well after noon. And even after that I snoozed quite a bit.  I was surprised to be woken from one of my naps with a knock on the door to receive these:

Flowers from Rachel at SFTIO.  I love them!  How cool are they?!  Thanks Rachel!! 

After the flowers roused me, I sat at my scrappin' table and forced myself to clean it up.  The Hubs and kids interrupted that with dinner for me, then cake (from Cold Stone Creamery) and presents.  Two of my gifts were DVDs of Avatar (yay!) and August Rush.  We watched August Rush after those festivities ended and then to beddie bye.

Tuesday was much of a repeat of Monday, with a lot of sleeping and napping. I finally got down to scrap a little after 3pm and did that until Lost came on. 

All in all, it was a most excellent 40th birthday celebration!!

Tag, I'm it! Noo.... YOU'RE IT!

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I loved tag as a child… I really enjoyed the chase, and the “win” of tagging someone. I especially loved freeze tag. Having a rather large front yard while growing up, this was the BEST place in the world for those kinds of running games. I grew up in an awesome house. Man, do I miss that house.


But I digress.

In the cyber world, there is a new kind of tag. Typically, it involved someone “tagging” you in a photo or on their blog. And guess what? I’ve been tagged. My turn. Beware… be …ware…. Because you may be next, my friend. You may be next.

Anyway, first things first. I must answer 10 questions from Felecia’s blog AND 10 questions from Cheri's blog.  That's right, I've been double-tagged...check their answers out to the different questions they were tagged with. After I answer those questions, I have to tag others with MY questions to them. Muahahhahaahahhhaaaaa…

Well, here goes, you're about to learn a lot about me. 
Felecia's questions first:

1 - What MUST you wear for your weekend-kicking-around-clothes? Most of the time sweat pants and a tee-shirt, depending on the season. That’s pretty much it. I’m a sloppy-clothes gal. Summer time will see a pair of elastic-waist shorts and a tee-shirt. As long as it’s non-restrictive and light-weight, I’m all good.
2 - What is your “quote” for life? I love quotes, so I have many. The one that has been with me longest is “It’s never too late to be who you might have been” by George Eliot . I also enjoy “…and then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin And the one at the top of my blog is very dear to my heart as well.
3 - If you knew your next meal would be your last, what would you eat? Probably a perfectly cooked trimmed Delmontico steak (medium), with wine-and-butter sautéed mushrooms and any sort of potato on the side… probably baked, with butter, sour cream, chives and cheddar cheese, with crab legs (yum!), freshly baked dense-with-crusty-crust bread and real butter, fresh green beans and sugar snap peas sautéed with olive oil, parmesan cheese and seasoning… hmmm… with ice cream as dessert. And a nice glass of my favorite Redcat wine (thanks Dad!) on the side… and water, lots and lots of ice water. Ugh, I’d never fit all that in my tummy, but man does it sound good!!
4 - What do you think is the greatest invention of our time? Personal (home) computers with an easy interface made popular by Apple and the Macintosh 128K. The interface, in my opinion, was then “stolen” and adapted for Microsoft in the form of Windows. Soon after the PC or Mac, the next greatest invention was the internet. This started for me in 1988 when I discovered that computers in colleges all over were connected up so I could talk to people miles and miles and miles and oceans away. One of my first internet friends was in Australia! What a cool concept. Soon after that came “Relay” and multi-user chat interface that allowed people to go into “cyber rooms” and talk with one another “real-time” as a group or privately. This morphed into IRC or Internet Relay Chat after I stopped using it. Then came MUDs, MUCKs, MUSHes and MOOs. All cyber text-based games. This opened up all kinds of avenues to the computer games today. Yes… the personal computer, circa 1980’s. I absolutely think this is the greatest invention of all time (as I sit here writing this on my laptop while still in bed).
5 - You have one day of uninterrupted time alone. What will you do? Well, what I will do and what I intend to do are two different things, I have discovered. Having had a day of blissfully uninterrupted time yesterday, my intention was to scrapbook all day. What I did do was lay in bed most of the day napping on and off. Eventually I went down to my scrapbook space and started cleaning it up (a tornado hit it… really, a real life tornado came into my house and tore through ONLY my scrapbook room). It’s after noon today on my 2nd day of uninterrupted time, and I’m still in bed again. And it feels pretty darn good!
6 - The beach, the mountains, the desert, the farm country – all are just 30 minutes from you. Which way will you go? Why? The mountains, as long as there is a body of fresh water in the vicinity. I am a nature girl, and I love trees and green and water… fresh water. For some reason, I’m not a fan of the beach even though I love the concept, because it’s near so much water, but I’m not a fan of sand or salt-water. I love fresh water and forest and wildlife. Yep, the mountains… not to climb, but to be so enmeshed in the green nature.
7 - This one’s important, now: Coke or Pepsi? Coke! Coke Zero, specifically.  But as an every day, all the time drink?  Water.  I love water!
8 - What do you think it would be super fun to dress up as for a costume party or Halloween? Y’know, I’ve always wanted to go to a “costume ball” where people don’t dress up as a ‘thing’ or a ‘person’, but just deck out in all kinds of fancy clothes (period pieces) with hair and make-up and hand-held masks. I once read a period novel and they had one of these balls, and the woman dressed up as “night”. I would love to do that… dress up as something that intangible. Night. I would dress up as night.
9 - What absolutely, positively HAS to be on your i-pod (or radio, or mp3 or CD player, or whatever)? Variety. That was a cheesy answer. Okay, uhm, 80’s music. I love my 80’s music. I also love the Beatles, so that’s a must. Hmmmm… honestly, I can’t narrow it down to one song or artist or whatnot. Yep, variety.
10 - Its sports day at school….who’s Jersey are you wearing? Ugh… sports? I don’t watch it. Not ever, not no-how. I actually have anger issues when it comes to football season. However, if you’re going to push me, I grew up near the Buffalo, NY area so Buffalo Bills was the ‘thing’ to wear. Now I’m married to a man who is die-hard Raiders fan, so the last sporting event I went to (a Bills vs. Raiders game in 1998), I wore a Buffalo Bills shirt with a Raiders bandana in my hair. Switzerland, that’s me. Ugh to sport!

And Cheri's questions next:

1. What is your happy color? Green. And blue. Except in clothing, I’m most comfortable and happy wearing black.
2. What one product could you live without but wouldn't want to? Sugar.
3. What is your guilty pleasure? That’s a toughie. I don’t have anything, really, that I deny myself (although I should). Probably kettle cooked potato chips. I know any time I buy them, I can’t resist them, like I can regular chips.  So I rarely buy them.
4. If you could travel anyplace in the world, where would you want to go and why? Ireland or Australia. I don’t know why, really. They just call to me…
5. Favorite t.v. show? Lost. But that’s almost over now. Boo hoo!! House would probably be next.
6. You have 24 hours of free time with no expectations, no work, no cleaning, no fixing meals, just free time. How will you spend it? Just as I did yesterday and am doing today… mostly in bed, on my laptop, watching movies and TV and napping on and off with a little scrapbooking on the side.
7. You are being given the gift of one super-power (think cartoon characters - flying, xray vision, super strength, etc.). What super-power do you choose and why? I will choose Samantha’s ability (from Bewitched) to speed myself up while time stays the same, so I can get all that housecleaning I want done in no time at all! I would SO love that, so I could spend the rest of the “real time” on things I want and like to do, rather than dreading and dragging my feet on the things that “need” to be done. Is that cheesy? I would only use it on things I didn’t like to do so I could get them done and out of the way faster.
8. Favorite quote? (I collect quotes, so this one is important!) See my answer above in Felecia’s Qs. Although I’ll add two here that are in my email signature that I didn’t include above: "You must be the change you want to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi "If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse." ~ Jim Rohn
9. Describe one of your funniest/silliest/most embarassing moments? Heh. This one is for the books. Right out of college I was working for the county legislature. I detested every moment of that job. I’m not political so this was so not the job for me. I hate dressing up. I hate dealing with people who are angry. I hate “politics” both in office and office politics. Anyway, we had one of the legislature meetings and one of the items on the agenda was gun control. Naturally, the NRA came out in force. We could only have 100 or so people in the legislature chambers so the rest of the NRA and others opposed to the gun control law were milling about in the hallway… and the hallway on the floor below… and the floor below that (it was an open design, so even though we were on the fourth (top) floor, you could see all the way down to the first floor in the center of the building). Needless to say, there were a lot of people. Of course, before going into the meeting, I decided I’d better use the restroom. So I did… finished up, and came back out. I had to get the attention of the people in the hall so I stepped up on a chair and shouted in my loudest “military voice” (as my husband puts it) and said my piece. Then I stepped down and headed down the hall to the legislature when Eli, one of the security guards, called me over. He, very haltingly, told me that my skirt was tucked up in the waist of my panty-hose on my backside. And my bright pink undies were out there for ALL TO SEE! I wanted to die! It was the worst, most embarrassing moment of my life. And Eli flirted with me for months after that. My face still gets hot thinking about it.  *sigh*
10. Optimist or Pessimist? Be honest. Realist. I like to think I can honestly see both sides of things without putting a spin on it to be positive or negative. Some things in life are naturally positive. Some things are naturally negative. It doesn’t hurt to see it for what it is. At least, that’s my take. Although I do try (now, not when I was younger) to find the brighter side of any negative situation - so maybe I'm leaning toward optimist these days.


Now the rules of this tag game says to pick 7 bloggers to answer 10 questions I create. So, here you go, TAG, YOU’RE IT: Go forth and answer these questions and continue the game (if you so wish) by tagging others with your questions.

Here are the bloggers I’m tagging, just because I love ya!

Christina (wake up!), Cheri, Mel, (Cheri and Mel, you don't have to tag anyone else since you've already been tagged in this little game), Anna (I can’t comment on your blog, Anna, I’ve tried repeatedly… please fix or give me an email so I can speak my piece! :), Paige, Hazel, and Diana.

And my questions to you:

1 - What’s in your garden, and if nothing, why not?
2 – What’s your favorite retro era and why?
3 – What’s your favorite thing to do for pure entertainment (e.g. see the Opera, movies, have some beer at a pub with your friends, etc.)
4 – Do you have pets? If yes, what kind and why do you have them? If no, why not?
5 – You have a secret. Does it eat at you and you have a hard time keeping it in, or does it settle well and it’s safe with you forever?
6 – If you could have professional help in any way, what would it be (e.g. professional landscapers, professional cleaning crew, professional chef, etc.) and why?
7 – What one actor or actress, still alive, would you want to have a private dinner with and why?
8 – You are behind a locked door, perfectly safe for as long as you need to be. Something on the other side of the door gives you a weird feeling… a little scary, a little exciting… makes the hair on your skin stand on end, you don’t know if it’s good or bad. Would you open the door and confront it, or would you stay behind the door forever? (Deep one, huh?)
9 – If you could go back in your past and change one single thing within your power to change, what would it be?
10 – What’s your favorite dessert? Please, be descriptive.  :)  I have a sweet tooth today.

Ready? Set. Go! Answer and tag 7 people (if you so choose) and leave a comment here, please, so we can find your answers.

I’m off to shower and scrapbook. I’ll be back tomorrow (or earlier) with more fun details on my birthday weekend!!

You Say It's Your Birthday...

Well, it's my birthday too, now.  Happy Birthday to my "twin" sister.  I was born on her 7th birthday, so today is every much her celebration as it is mine.

Just a few pictures to share some of the things that went on this weekend.  I'm pretty tuckered, so I'll be back, of course, to elaborate.  Until then, here's just a few things from my most awesome birthday celebrations, and more, this weekend:

I've got more festivities yet to come... so stay tuned for more of the story!

Weekend Festivities

Have I got some weekend plans!  I know I've mentioned it before, but I will be turning 40 (really) soon.  Monday to be exact.  A few months ago, I was totally upset about this prospect. But... as time does... it has passed and new perspectives have been gained.  So, I'm not so upset, now.  In fact, I'm looking forward to a "fresh, new" decade.

But to top it off with a cherry, my friends and The Hubs have been planning and being sneaky.  I've known something was going on... they told me as much... but I hadn't a clue what, exactly.  Strippers were threatened.  Oh, then it became our husbands would be the strippers.   Uh.  No.  Well, this past Wednesday, I met one of my friends for lunch and she issued me this invitation to my own birthday festivities.

How cool is this card?  She has an Etsy shop if you want to see more of her creations. 

Seriously... it's gorgeous, and classy... and the best part is that it has invited me to two of my favorite places to be, with some of the best people around!  I really am very excited. 

I'm thinking there will be other things "going on", but at this point, I'm happy with what I know.  I hope it's not fake... something to "throw me off the scent" so to speak.  Y'know... and then they ferret me off to some Nickelodeon inspired place where I get pinned with "over the hill" buttons and slimed with green slime.  I don't think it is... I hope it isn't.

Anyhoo... tomorrow begins with the Race for the Cure downtown.  The Hubs and I will be walking, along with a few friends and our youngest.  The Boy can't go.  It's such a great experience, so this is exciting in and of itself.  Then I get to come home, clean up, nap and get ready to go out to my PARTY!  Well... gathering.  Uhmmm...festivities.  FUN!

BTW, I will be taking some major time over the next few days (as my birthday present to myself) to SCRAPBOOK!  So... perhaps you'll actually get to see something crafty on here for once.  Until then, think of me puffing away in the walk tomorrow morning, and then partying it up for my fortieth! 

See you on the flip side!

Oh, and for those of you who have been waiting oh-so patiently... here's the RED:

Sorry about the flashbulb

washed-out face... and the smirk...
it was the best I could do!

I've Got An Answer...

Photo Credit

One of my snarky comments for years when someone has said, "I've got a question..." has been to reply, "I've got an answer, let's hope they match."  Really...why say, "I've got a question", when you could just ASK the question?  It particularly irked me when someone in a classroom would hold up their hand, get called on, and then start speaking with, "I've got a question..."  Uh, hello?  Isn't that why your hand was in the air?

Sorry, but I digress.  Yes, I can be a little sarcastic... I'll try to curb that more.  It was one of my traits that my mom was never fond of.

I have seen the following "questions" on various blogs, most recently at Sian's.  It began at Copy+Paste, I discovered, at their weekend birthday party.  I liked the open ended statements and thought it was a fun little game, kind-of like Mad-Libs, so here are my "answers" (in bolded italics):

1. Everyone knows that I work more than one job but you'd never guess that my secret desire is to quit them all to write and publish several novels.
2. I'm proud to admit that I like attending live theatre/live shows but my guilty pleasure is actually acting IN, or participating behind the scenes of, them.
3. I'm inspired by nature and it surprises me when other people don’t see the things outside that I see automatically.
4. I'm always late but I'm never a no-show.
5. I've got lots of emotional baggage but I've always wanted to be a free spirit.
6. I tried to be a mom, instead of a stepmom and it broke my heart.
7. If I never lose all the weight I want to it will be disappointing but I’ll be okay.
8. I didn't continue to be the “me” I discovered and loved during college after I graduated and now I’m having a very hard time finding her again.
9. It's not that I don’t like a clean house but I'd really rather watch a movie, scrapbook or sleep.
10. Doing jumping jacks makes me very bouncy.
11. Someone once told me I was her kindred spirit and then she never spoke to me again. Ow.
12. I'm happy to say that I’m turning 40 on Monday and even though I was depressed about it months ago, I’m looking forward to a “fresh, new” decade now.

That was fun.  I might have to have my kids and The Hubs answer these... it's good scrapbooking fodder.

KUDOS go out to Cheri, for winning the SFTIO blog hop giveaway.  Cheri, ENJOY that kit full of paper & embellie goodness!  Let me know what you think when you receive it!

Yes, yes... the photo of the red hair is coming soon. I  promise!

Blog Candy?

photo credit

I had never heard the term before today.  But apparently it's another, more enticing, term for "giveaway"?!  Regardless, it matters not because this blog candy has Tim Holtz stamped all over it!  And I love me some Tim Holtz!

Anyway, interested?  Go here to find out more and sign up to win this "candy"!

OH!  And CONGRATS CHERI for winning the SFTIO Anticipation kit from the blog hop yesterday!  You go, girl!  Enjoy that paper fun!