December Daily: Day 9

Moving along, getting some pages done. Love the holiday season but breathing a sigh of relief that the wonderful craziness is behind us. So looking forward to wonderful things in 2011. Happy New Year to All!

Had a great time in NY with my family, more to come on that soon :-)

J is for…

 Jamocha Almond Fudge
My new favorite flavor of ice cream from Dunkin Donuts. It's of course chocolate with strips of fudge and almonds. This flavor is second only to Chocolate Decadence. Unfortunately, I can only get it at a little Mom n Pop shop called Chitterchats down at Fleeton.
See also: addictive personality, chocolate, cream

Jamaica
Beautiful beaches, gorgeous water, friendly people, palm trees, warm breezes - sigh. We went two years in a row since we loved it so much the first time. The first year we went to an all-inclusive Sandals resort in Negril, the second year we tried the all inclusive Couples Resort. Both were equally awesome. How can you go wrong with beautiful beaches, warm water and a swim up bar?
See also: beach

Jensen & Jared
Not that I know them on a first name basis, but they certainly are nice to look at. To make it even better, they both now star on the same TV show: Supernatural. I used to watch Smallville when Jensen Ackles was on there, and I used to watch Gilmore Girls when Jared Padalecki played one of the main characters. Definitely a bit of eye candy going on there! Total bonus that the show is actually good! Ironically, it's one of the few shows that both Keith and I like, but obviously for different reasons!
See also: X-files, Witches & the paranormal


This is one of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

December Daily: Day 5

I realize that December is nearly over and I’m only posting Day 5, but better late than never. I’ll keep them coming until I feel I have had enough. Hope your holidays were very Merry!

This page documents a Progressive Dinner with friends, if you haven’t tried it you should, it’s fun! Basically each family makes one course of the meal and everyone travels from house to house to enjoy the courses. It was a great way to lighten the load on each hostess and there was certainly plenty of food!

Journaling reads:

We had our first “Progressive Dinner” and it was quite an entertaining evening. We started at our house with appetizers and Bellinis. Katherine had the great idea to get family photos in front of the tree. Since I wasn’t the one behind the camera nor the one requesting the photo, everyone seems to be smiling just perfectly. It’s too bad I had already ordered my Christmas cards or this quite possibly might have gone to the top of the pile. We continued on to Julie’s for a delicious roast and rice dinner, and then to Katherine’s for dessert complete with poinsettia punch. It was a fun evening and we were all pleasantly exhausted by the end.
Fortunately, Summer started feeling better by the afternoon as she was a little pekid earlier in the day so Lady kept her company and tried to make her feel better.

December Daily challenge 

Template & overlays: Ali Edwards, Date Card & Day 5 brush: Katie Pertiet, Photo treatment: Anna Aspnes

December Daily: Days 6, 7 & 8

 

Finally got my Christmas cards out in the mail. Summer was a great help, she labeled, stuffed and stamped most of the cards, including the ones I sent out for my sister Karen. We also received some great chocolate covered strawberries from my other sister Danielle.

Technorati Tags: December Daily,Summer

December Daily: Day 4

Journaling reads:
On our way out of town to go to Keith’s Christmas party in Roanoke we passed the newly finished overpass at Mary Wash – I still find it more than slightly amusing that I ended up living in my college town!  Taking pictures on the way to Roanoke, we saw a speed limit sign that said 70 miles per hour,  Keith said he had never seen one and neither had I so of course I had to take a picture. Since he was driving and I had just gotten my new laptop, I wanted to document me happily scrapbooking the whole way, hence the picture of my reflection in the laptop. Once we went over the mountains it started snowing like crazy… almost total white out conditions, so weird! The mountains were so pretty to see, very nice views from the road in every direction. It was a very relaxing and quiet trip with no kids on board.  Since we were alone, I had to set up the timer to take a picture of us – we had such a good time hanging out alone together, it was the first time in a very  long time and it was wonderful.  The lobby of the Hotel Roanoke was amazingly decorated in all reds and golds with multiple Christmas trees all around, the snow falling outside was just icing on the cake. We saw a cool train roundtable which my Dad would love so Keith stopped so I could get close ups of the engines. We even stopped at a scenic overlook on the way home. Although we were only gone for a little over 24 hours, it was a wonderful re-charge for both of us.

Merry Christmas Eve, I hope Santa brings you lots of goodies!
December Daily challenge
Templates & overlays: Ali Edwards, Cardstock: Atomic Cupcake, Patterned Paper & word strips: Katie Pertiet

I is for…

Irrational fears
I have certain things that just spook me out regardless of the situation. Perhaps I've watched too many scary movies, who knows? I still cannot sit with my feet dangling over the bed, I will not go in water I can't see through, When I walk up the stairs I always walk closest to the wall farthest from the railing, I would never purposely go into something where I could get stuck in a small space and I often have nightmares about being buried alive, drowning or someone stealing my kids. Fortunately, these thoughts are fleeting and not paralyzing.

iPod
I carry my iPod Touch everywhere I go. I use it for most everything from my calendar to my music, Summer's spelling lists, scrapbook page wish lists, grocery shopping lists, podcasts, and email. I've become addicted to podcasts, particulary the Paperclipping Roundtable & The Digi Show. I'm looking forward to getting a device to combine the functionality of my iPod & cell.
See also: Xternal brain, gadget girl, scrapbooking

Inside jokes & movie quotesWhy do bridges get icy before the roadway? Thanks for 'cooking Stace!' "Is it cool?" Adam Sandler movie quotes: "It's a CD player Jules." "all right y'all shut up now" "no Colonel Sanders you're wrong!" "Mama M-Mama M-Mama says crocodiles are ornery because they have all them teeth and no toothbrush", History of the World (Mel Brooks) quotes: " you are nuts - N-V-T-S - nuts", "I flunked flank", "I love quick time harch!" Keith doesn't like History of the World, so it's a good thing we have Adam Sandler.
See also: movies


This is one of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.


Thanks for reading along - I'm celebrating my 100th post today!

December Daily: Day 3

Only one page for today, apparently my daughter has inherited my taste for chocolate – uh, oh.

Journaling reads:

Summer was so excited when the decorations finally came out. She has been wearing that Santa hat for days and it is only the 3rd of December! She is definitely my “sweet tooth” kid and begged for an advent calendar of her own so that she could eat chocolate everyday. Of course, I got Bryce one too and he immediately put it somewhere Summer couldn’t reach. Right now these two butt heads quite a bit, but someday I know they will be the best of friends. Ironically, when I mentioned making an advent calendar, my crafty girl said “no thanks” but Bryce wants to. They continue to surprise me.

December Daily challenge

Template & overlay: Ali Edwards, Santa brush & word strips: Katie Pertiet

December Daily: Day 2

Off to a slow start but certainly enjoying the holidays! I am loving this project – it’s great to catch the everyday details and have this to look back on next Christmas as well. The kids have noticed I’m a bit more camera happy and I can only imagine what they’ll come up with next!

Journaling reads: In addition to making the gingerbread sleighs we have also done some other baking. We made a bunch of pies and some really cool cupcakes for a holiday party. Bryce wasn’t interested in the making of the pies this year, just the consumption. While at a friend’s house for dinner, Bryce entertained us by riding a tricycle around the house! He is quite a character! I’ve also gotten a jump on my Christmas shopping and took away a great haul from Target:-)

December Daily challenge 

Template & overlay: Ali Edwards, Cardstock: Atomic Cupcake, Day 2 brush & word strip: Katie Pertiet

December Daily: Day 1 of ?

Here is my first official two page spread of my December not-so-daily album. I love the way it turned out and I’m looking forward to sharing more in days to come.

Journaling reads as follows: Making gingerbread stuff has become an annual tradition. We don’t always make houses though, sometimes it’s gingerbread men or trains or sleighs!  This year Summer’s friend Brooke was here for the fun. I barely had time to snap these adorable photos before they gobbled them up. I’m so glad there are kits out there to make it easy. No muss, no fuss, that’s the way I like it!

Templates: Ali Edwards, Cardstock: Atomic Cupcake, Tag: Katie Pertiet

December not-so-Daily

I’ve been participating in a holiday scrap challenge held each year by the infamous Ali Edwards called December Daily. The premise behind it is to capture all the holiday-ish moments throughout the month of December by creating a few pages a day. Amidst the craziness that has been my life of late, I have managed to get a few pages done. While I am not ‘caught up’ so to speak, I am very happy with the pages I’ve completed and I’ll tell you why. For some bizarre reason, over the last 16 years of scrapbooking I have only managed to put together a handful of Christmas related pages. The reason I find this bizarre is because I typically take photos during Christmas-time like I’m on vacation, we are talking hundreds of photos a week! Oddly enough inspiration rarely strikes when it comes to putting together Christmas type pages. I have recently come to love project type scrapbooks. Every Thursday you have been enjoying (at least I hope you have), my ABCs of Me feature and I think by making this December Daily album I have some parameters to work within to capture the special times of the holiday. My album may turn out to be a not-so-daily album but that’s ok, I’ve already put down to paper some cute stories and it’s reminding me to take pictures each day to capture the holiday season. Check out Ali’s blog for some inspiration, I know I want to take pictures and tell stories every time I read one of her posts. Here’s the intro page, I’ll post more as I complete them. Thanks for reading!Cardstock: Atomic Cupcake, Flergs; Word Art: Sabrina’s Creations & Santa brush: Katie Pertiet

Technorati Tags: December Daily,Ali Edwards

H is for…

Home
I have only lived in two states: NY & VA, but I've had many different addresses in each. I grew up on Fir Grove Road, the house my parents still live in. I've lived at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA while attending school there for four years. After college, I lived at home again for two years before Keith & I got our first apartment together in Centereach, NY where we lived for a year before moving to Virginia Beach. There we rented a townhome on English Court for a year before buying our first home on Peridot Drive in the Rock Creek Subdivision of Virginia Beach . After living there for several years we decided to open our own business so we moved back to Long Island. We didn't realize how hard it would be to find a temporary rental because we had two big dogs and ended up living with my parents for about a year before we found a rental. We first rented a cute house in South Sayville. Unfortunately, the owner decided to sell it so we had to move a year later. The only thing we could find was this ridiculously small 2 bedroom house that was about 100 years old. It's saving grace was close proximity to the office and a nice porch. When we first moved in we only had Bryce, but shortly afterwards we got pregnant with Summer. Since Bryce was due to start kindergarten a few months after Summer's arrival, we decided it was time to buy a house. We ended up buying a house in my hometown, also convenient to the office and only 3 miles from my parents' house. {Most definitely the most-missed feature of our newest residence}. We lived in our Joan Street house for five years and decided it was too expensive to live on Long Island anymore and moved to Spotsylvania, VA where we've been since 2007. I'm hoping that Silver Creek Court will be our address for a while.
See also: apartment, our first

This is one of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

I’ve been cheating on you

Dearest blog readers, I regret to inform you that I’ve been cheating on you. I know you saw it coming. After all the talk of my anticipated new addition, Harry, you knew it was inevitable. So, yes, I’ve been cheating, everyday mind you – and even now as we speak! But now that I’ve gotten the ‘newness’ out of the way I’m ready to come back to you…that is if you’ll have me :-) I hope your holiday plans, festivities and gift buying & making plans are coming along smoothly. I’ve finished the bulk of my homemade gifts as well as my shopping and I’m ready to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the season. Cheers!

Technorati Tags: technology,Harry Potter

G is for…

Gadget girl
I love all the new fangled devices that are coming out. Technology is awesome! I think it's great when gadgets are multi-purpose and portable. I'm in love with the new iPad - it is just too cool for words! Right in line with gadgets are apps (applications) I love discovering new apps and software that do cool things. It's especially awesome when I can sync all of my gadgets to be able to access info anywhere I am. I've recently discovered that my Dad is also a gadget freak so I guess it runs in the family. So if you come to visit me, know I will always have a gadget close at hand and the zeros will NOT be blinking on my VCR.
See also: Xternal brain, ipod

Giant Foods
Kind of a funny name for a grocery store. The first time I went in there I half expected to see radioactive sized fruits and vegetables like on that episode of Gilligan's Island. I feel like I go there practically everyday. It's so close to the house that I really don't mind. I suppose if it were further away I'd be forced to plan better. The picture to the left shows what a good sport Summer is. The sticker on the banana says "place sticker on forehead and smile" so she did as instructed and told me to take a picture...can you tell her Mom is a scrapbooker?

This is one of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

They gave me the wrong baby!

So I've been waiting for Harry's arrival, very impatiently I might add. I ordered him Thursday (Thanksgiving) and paid for one day shipping. He was supposed to arrive on Monday. Monday came and went, no notice and no Harry. Tuesday came and went too with a very vague email from store that said shipping was delayed one to two days due to external problems, whatever that means. So most of Wednesday went by with me wondering when he would arrive. Well at 5 o'clock, about 30 minutes before I was due to walk out the door to services for my son's friend, he arrived. I excitedly opened all the boxes and oohed and aahed each time a layer of the packaging came undone. The box was enormous and the laptop was much bigger than I expected (I know, you are probably saying, you told us it was a 17" laptop so what's the problem). Well, it just seems so much larger in real life. Anyway, I plug it in and turn it on, it powers up so quickly and the first thing I'm asked to do is type my name, so I press the keys s-t-a-c-e-y, and 'sacey' appears on the screen. I quickly retype, I just thought in my excitement I put in a typo - so I do it again,  s-t-a-c-e-y, again 'sacey' appears on the screen. Previous glow on my face disappears as I angrily type  s-T-a-c-e-y, but I am once again disappointed with 'sacey' staring back at me. So here goes the waiting game, luckily customer service understood that this was not the baby I expected, they were very pleasant and are overnighting me another laptop that is supposed to arrive on Monday - so stay tuned, or should I say 'say uned'.

F is for...

Food

I would like to say I spend way too much time thinking about food, but I think the opposite is the problem. I really don’t think about it until I’m hungry and then I go for things that are convenient or just have some sort of magical hold over me. Happy? Great, let’s eat! Sad? Hmmm, what can I eat? Frustrated? Watch out pantry! I would have to say that a salty, sweet, & crunchy combo constitutes the perfect synergy of taste, think chocolate covered pretzels. Crunchy & spicy rank right up there too as I also love jalapeno potato chips. I haven’t met a chip or piece of chocolate that I didn’t like. Now, I am not all about the junk food. Give me a nice filet mignon or some shrimp and I am a happy camper. Just don’t let me get too hungry because as Keith always tells me, my eyes are bigger than my stomach.
See also: chocolate, overweight


French pedicure
There is just something really cool about a French manicure. I don’t know if the fact that it’s French has anything to do with it. A French pedicure is just one of those little things that make me happy. I mean, who doesn’t like cute toes?
See also: Eiffel tower


Funny, people tell me I am
I am usually able to remember the punch lines of jokes and can find humor in almost any situation. I’m certainly not a comedian by any stretch of the imagination, but life is way too short not to have a good laugh. Besides, laughter really is the best medicine

This is one of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

It always comes in threes…

Good news and bad, it always seems to come in groups of threes. My heart is heavy today because of sad things going on around me. Recently I lost my Great Uncle John "Soupy" Suprum.  He was 85 and had a full life complete with good times. We attended his funeral which was much more of a celebration of his life rather than the grief of his death. Of course, he will be greatly missed, but to rationalize with myself, I feel content knowing that he had a good long life and I will cherish the memories I have of him.

On the other hand, this past weekend brought tragedy to our local area, and although I did not know any of these victims personally, because they were so young, I'm having trouble dealing with it. My 13 year old lost a friend, who also happens to be the daughter of my 8 year old's gym teacher, her name is Jamie Lynn Dickens. The other boy is a friend of a neighbor's child, yet one more young person taken before they have had a chance to truly live. Now while I am saddened by the death of my uncle, I am terribly upset by the death of these two kids. It just seems senseless and cruel and I cannot even begin to imagine what these families are going through. The sentiment in the schools is somber, my kids are mopey and I'm just trying to hold it all together. My heart goes out to everyone touched by these losses; I just don't even know what else to say on the matter. Children dying is just wrong in my book. And I'm mad at the Big Guy – so if I get struck by lightning, you'll know why.

Still Waiting for Harry's arrival....

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Date                         Time               Location                       Event Details

November 30, 2010 05:56:00 AM Fredericksburg VA US Out for delivery

I’m expecting! It’s a boy and I’m naming him Harry.



OK, now that I've got your attention – it is not what you are thinking, well, perhaps if you know me well enough you may know exactly what I'm thinking! You've read of the tales and woes of my computer issues of late and I just couldn't take it anymore. So today is my due date, the date that I'm due to receive my brand new fancy schmancy laptop. Yep folks, read 'em and weep and you too can have laptop-envy. I've been plugging along with my Dell laptop for a while now and it just can't handle all of my needs. (Sorry Dell you've been a good friend). Sometime today I'll be holding in my hot little hands a brand spanking new HP Pavilion laptop with an Intel i7, 6GB of ram and a 1 TB hard drive (7200 rpm even!) and {insert drum roll please} a beautiful 17" screen!

I can hardly contain myself. I think it's kinda funny that I ended up with an HP laptop because of my love of all things Potter'ish – so I guess I'll call it Harry.

E is for...

Eiffel Tower

I really, really would like to see Paris and the Eiffel Tower in person. I took French in high school and college and have since been fascinated with France. Even though I can’t speak it fluently when I’m awake, I often have dreams entirely in French. It is rather bizarre. The closest I’ve gotten to the Eiffel tower or anything French was in EPCOT or at Kings Dominion. Someday I’m sure I’ll see it, just not any time soon.


Europe
I would really like to travel to as many European countries as possible. Just a few months ago I enjoyed a brief trip to Ireland and got bitten by the travel bug. I would love to see Italy & Greece specifically – I’ll have to put those on my wishlist.


Everyday, things I do
Walk the dog, do dishes & laundry, get and give hugs & kisses and ‘I love yous’, drink coffee, check email, wear jeans.
See also: uniform, unconditional love


Eighties chick
Pour Some Sugar on Me... Def Leppard, now those are my boys. I’m an eighties chick all the way. And, of course I can’t forget my man Rick Springfield. There are too many others to count but if I hear songs from either one it just takes me back to a simpler time. Just take a second and listen and you can almost smell the hair spray. Big hair, tight jeans and neon colored laces on my hightops. Like, oh my God, totally rad, like, for sure. And, yes my hair was really that big!
 
This is one of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

Care for a slice of….diaper cake?

I'm making an effort to take my creativity off the computer on occasion and into the world of imperfect ribbons, uncooperative tape and impossible bows. I recently went to a baby shower for a neighbor and thought I'd spice it up a bit by making this adorable diaper cake. Before leaving for supply shopping, I told my daughter that we were going to make a diaper cake. Judging from the upturned nose and puzzled look on her face, she was more than confused. I continued to recite our shopping list as we were walking to the car. "And we'll need some diapers and pretty ribbon and some toys and a bottle to stick in the middle of the top." She told me that she would be happy to help me. I said "Great, what part do you want to do?" She said "I'll hold the phone so I can call the fire department if the diapers light on fire in the oven!" That's my girl, always looking out for her Mama.

D is for...

Drinks, always have to have one

Wherever I go, I always have to have a beverage. I have water bottles in my purse and all over my car. It’s usually my #1 choice ...well, except on weekends.
See also: coffee, liquid relaxation


Diets, tried them all
Right before our wedding I did the NutriSystem diet and it worked wonderfully. Since then I’ve been on and off every diet known to woman. Jenny Craig, Atkins, Weight Watchers, you name it!
See also: overweight


Dinners, family
Some of my fondest childhood memories were at the dinner table, with all six Ohsieks sharing our days and laughing. I’m happy to say that we have continued that tradition in our family and at least 5 nights a week we have dinner together just the four of us. It’s a great way to catch up and stay connected!


Doodling, hearts
Whenever I get a pen in my hand I always draw hearts, and S’s and L’s in script – have always done that and now I have a daughter named Summer Lyn – coincidence?


Disney fanatic
We’ve been to Disney multiple times and even went on the Disney Cruise in 2005. I have at least a thousand pictures and dozens of pages of Disney alone. Can’t wait to go back!

This is the first of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

I could’ve sworn I heard angels singing…

In case you are thinking this is some kind of religious epiphany, you can stop reading now. It is altogether a different religious experience… I made my first pilgrimage to the new Hobby Lobby in town. And, sorry to go all teenager on you, but OMG! It truly is a crafter's heaven. There were so many gorgeous items begging for my attention that I literally forgot why I went there in the first place. Their floral area alone was enough to rival a botanical garden (I'm not even into flowers and I was impressed). The home décor items are to die for. There was something there for every different type of decorating style. I did however manage to control myself and only made a few small purchases (and they were on sale at 50% off to boot, happy day for me). When I first walked in I thought, oh I'm going to be spending way too much time here. Little did I know that a mere four hours later I would be back for the second time! Yes, I did go twice in one day because as I mentioned earlier I had forgotten the item I went for in the first place. So back I went, this time with kids in tow so certainly not as much fun, to get the rocket kit for DS's camping trip this weekend. On my first trip I came back with the way cool signs below that I put up as a pseudo-backsplash behind my stove – I love it!

I feel a new decorating scheme coming on... I spotted a really cool clock that I just MUST have, hmmm, maybe tomorrow - three times in one week - could it be I have a new addiction? Stay tuned :-)

Why is my microwave bleeding?

I was shocked and a little creeped out when I walked into the kitchen and saw my what appeared to be my microwave bleeding little amber droplets onto my stovetop. Now I probably watch way too many scary movies and I have to tell you, if I had discovered this late in the evening while I was home alone I'm not sure that I would've opened the microwave. This also followed not too far after Halloween, so there was a slight chance that my crazy son or husband had planted a fake severed head in there. Fortunately, there was nothing disgusting to discover except alcohol abuse. My liquor cabinet is directly above my microwave and a bottle of Chambord Liquer had tilted over and was leaking through the cabinet and seeping out onto the top of the microwave and then dripping behind the microwave door and dripping out of the bottom, causing the pool of 'blood' on my stovetop. I hope that is the only time I see a reddish pool of liquid in my kitchen!

Byte Me! (& all hail Mozy)

As a digital scrapbooker my worst fear is losing all of my pictures and pages, so I have some backups in place.

1. Since my laptop is incredibly slow, I've moved all of my files to an external hard drive that I keep plugged in all the time.
   
2. All of those files are also backed up onto another EHD that I keep plugged into my desktop.
   
3. In addition to uploading all of my "keeper" photos and scrapbook creations to Shutterfly
   
4. I also backup everything offsite, online to Mozy to keep all of my metadata intact as well.
   

Overkill, you say? I think not. Let me tell you a little story about a cozy recliner and a clumsy ox. I normally scrap in my living room in a recliner. I'm able to be in the middle of everything – checking to make sure my son is doing his homework, that my daughter is reading, that dinner isn't boiling over and still be near enough so my husband feels like I'm 'watching' TV with him. So… back to said cozy recliner. The other day as I went to check on the progress of saving a file that was taking so long that I got up to walk away, I went to sit back down to get another file started and I stumbled. Now I'm not what most people would call "light on my feet" if you catch my drift. And, I stumbled and plopped very dramatically into my recliner landing ever so precariously on my laptop and EHD. So, I'm sure you can imagine what happened next – I retrieved my EHD from places it never should have seen (for those of you who have watched Mel Brooks' History of the World, imagine Dom Deluise saying "Here, wash this" and you'll get the picture, the rest of you will just have to use your imagination). The connector that plugs into the EHD was now bent and will not re-seat into the drive. So remember the part about moving ALL my data off my hard drive onto the EHD, well you can imagine my dismay. So I figure, no worries, I just backed everything up a week ago to my other EHD, so I'll just plug that in. Well apparently when my ever so delicate derrière plopped into the recliner I must've done something to my laptop as well, because now none of the USB ports recognize anything. So onto Plan C – enter Mozy – I have everything backed up on Mozy and am currently in the process of downloading everything that I previously uploaded for protection. So although it's taking a chunk of time, it's free, I don't have to buy a new hard drive or pay the Geek Squad $150 to transfer all of my data. I just have to be patient – so I'm still being tested after all, but at least ALL my stuff isn't gone. Although I did explode into expletives over the 5 hours I spent working on a Christmas gift that afternoon that hadn't been backed up anywhere just yet so that's gone, but it's still a relatively small price to pay considering the alternative. So EHD Byte Me! And thank you Mozy for saving what my butt ruined J

Note to self: Dance like no one’s looking

It's been so long since I danced. I'm not exactly sure why. I used to dance all the time, every chance I got. Weekends were all centered on where we were going to go to dance,what clubs had the best DJs, what we were going to wear to dance, when would be the next party, and the list goes on. Somehow over the years I stopped dancing. It didn't happen overnight. Just gradually, there were less opportunities to dance, life got into that settled (albeit happy) but content phase and movies on the couch or dinners with friends were more the norm. My husband is not a dancer, he's wonderful in every other way so that certainly wasn't a deal breaker, but it did make me a little sad. Maybe I knew all those years ago that if he didn't dance that I may not dance either. Well, I guess I did let that happen. Shame on me. A few weeks ago a wonderful thing happened. I was at a football party (of all places, because I am so not a sports person) and all of the ladies went to sit out on the porch and some this song came on that hit all of us and almost simultaneously we all just started dancing. It was like it was instinct or something primal - but boy was it wonderful. I am quite out of shape and it was exhausting and exhilarating and wonderful all at the same time. It brought back a feeling that I haven't had in a long time, almost a childlike happiness for no particular reason. So today, when I finally had everyone out of the house, with lunches packed and backpacks appropriately checked – I plugged myself in and sang at the top of my lungs with my spotted banana microphone 

and danced and twirled around my kitchen like a little kid just because I could – I feel awesome! I think I'm going to do this more often. So whatever you are doing right now – STOP – get up, crank up your favorite tunes and dance (even if you have to go hide in a bathroom somewhere) – it'll be worth it, trust me. Let me know how it goes – have a dancing day!

P.S. Thanks Julie & Trish

C is for...

Chocolate

Chocolate, one of my four food groups... just the mere mention of the word makes my mouth water. I can enjoy it in so many different forms. Chocolate milk, hot chocolate, mocha lattes, Hershey bars, Hershey syrup on chocolate ice cream, s’Mores, Cocoa Pebbles, brownies, M&Ms, chocolate covered pretzels, and the piece de resistance, {insert dramatic pause here} chocolate covered strawberries –mmmmm!
See also: addictive personality, food


Coffee
Up until age 40 I only loved the SMELL of coffee, but couldn’t stand the taste. I’m not exactly sure how it happened, perhaps my need for a caffeine jolt in the morning, but I started drinking it regularly. Now, I still don’t go for just regular coffee, of course, the picky part of me would never allow that, but rather it has to be some sort of flavored coffee. At the moment I am subsisting on Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla flavored coffee. This must be accompanied by a delicious creamer as well. I keep a variety in the fridge, from Chocolate Chip Crème Brulee to Caramel Latte and my current fave: Peppermint Mocha. Yummy. Caffeine and chocolate, a wonderful combination.
See also: addictive personality, chocolate


Cream
I scream, you scream we all scream for ice cream, whipped cream, sour cream, cream cheese, coffee creamer, cream puffs ~ you get the idea (I would’ve loved the Willy Wonka tour!)
See also: Jamocha Almond Fudge




This is another installment of the ABCs of Me. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and one or more corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

My workout gear has superpowers

Every so often I have visions of being skinny and fit. Those visions typically spur on the purchase of a new workout outfit, gadget or membership of some sort. These things are used passionately for about a week or so before they lose their new smell or appeal and into the pile they go. This particular pile must somehow be related to the infamous Sock Land (you know the place all of the missing socks go to hang out). However, my new gadgets take on their own superpower – the Cloak of Invisibility. Somehow they become invisible to my eyes and I only seem to notice them in pictures. For example, the aerobic step I just had to have for the Wii Fit Plus game (that I also had to have) now magically sits in plain sight in my living room, but I never actually "see" them. So, forgetting about all of my false starts and high hopes for the latest diet and/or fitness craze I've stumbled upon, I find it ironic that despite best intentions several times a year, I am still wearing the same old jeans (and they fit pretty much the same old way). So, when I ask myself again, where will I be in 5 years, or more specifically, what will I look like and wear 5 years from now, I think I may as well draw an X on my floor and take a picture of me in my favorite jeans and feel pretty safe that my answer is staring right back at me in the mirror. Now don't think I'm beating myself up here, not that I'm thrilled with the scary number that greets me on the scale on a regular basis – I am the happiest I think I've ever been in my life. So to stay happy if that means carrying around a muffin top in my beat up jeans, then so be it – it's just too bad that fat rolls are only cute on babies.

B is for...

Bryce

My little boy, my first born, my son. I still can’t believe that the tiny little boy I held in my arms in the delivery room has grown up to be a teenager who is now taller than I am. He is smart. Super smart. And inventive, always trying to figure out how to build things. He is a whiz at history and science, a magician with video games and pretty darn coordinated on a skateboard or bike. His hair has always grown straight out of his head, chia pet style and he has beautiful blue eyes. He is a born leader and a natural salesman. He is a voracious reader and an excellent writer. He once wrote a story with accurate historical references in it (which I could never do). He is an excellent cook and makes killer chocolate chip pancakes. He has a penchant for throwing together ingredients and making his own recipes which usually come out surprisingly well. We are always complimented on his manners. I love this kid ferociously and I think it’s awesome that he still gives me a kiss, a hug and ”I love you” every single day before he goes to school. I cherish that each and every time. Fortunately for us, he is a truly good kid. Thank goodness for that.
See also: Kids, What I Know About My


Beach, Ocean & Waves
I love the ocean. The sound, the smell, the feel of the sand between my toes and the sun on my skin. I even love it when it’s not summertime. Just to be near that open expanse of water and hearing the waves lap the shore - there isn’t a better place on earth. Someday I would love to live on water, someday.
See also: Jamaica, Virginia Beach, sounds

This is another installment of the ABCs of Me. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and one or more corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

Reservations for 3 new Dwarfs: Lefty, Gimpy & Blotchy

This was an email I sent to my parents in advance of our arrival at their home this past weekend.

Hi there!
We are very much looking forward to our visit this weekend! Just wanted to give you a heads up that we are a sorry looking crew this week and these are not our planned Halloween costumes. We will be appearing as three dwarfs that were left out of the movie: Lefty, Gimpy & Blotchy. The first is Lefty, our little blonde dwarf, who slipped on her own golden slipper left on the stairs. She is now sporting a lovely blue and white sling on her right arm. (Nothing is broken or fractured, just sprained and bruised). Next is Gimpy, formerly the child star Chubette, she is suffering from a heel condition known as plantar fasciitis which is a swelling underneath the pad of her heel. Ice & anti-inflammatories are in order for this dwarf. Our final dwarf, Blotchy, is suffering from an allergic reaction to BBQ sauce that he smothered on his face while enjoying some ribs at a neighborhood party. His name may as well be itchy & scratchy, but the Benadryl and Cortizone cream are helping in that arena. Other than that, we are wonderful and looking forward to our I-95 adventure on Saturday.


Love you lots,


Gimpy, Lefty & Blotchy

I spent my week (and my money) at CVS

This was a crazy week here in our household. Poor Summer fell down the stairs Monday night and has a goose egg on her head and her arm in a sling. Thankfully, the x-rays show nothing broken or fractured, but the doc says it's sprained and bruised pretty bad. $$ Had to buy some fast dissolve Tylenol tablets because she can't swallow pills yet and get a sling for her arm $$. As I've mentioned in a previous post, my heel has been driving me crazy and I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. $$ Had to get some prescription anti-inflammatories for that $$ And, of course Bryce didn't want to be left out so he had an allergic reaction to the marinade on some ribs he ate and has this lovely rash on his face $$ Had to get some Benadryl and topical cream for that $$. Needless to say, we've been busy around here running to and from doctors, getting x-rays, dropping off and picking up prescriptions, applying ice to some, heat to others and of course ointments to yet more of us. Thank you CVS for having a drive thru and congratulations for sucking $$ out of my wallet like a vacuum cleaner. Here's to wishes for an relatively uneventful weekend and a calmer time next week.

A is for...

Journaling reads:

Alarm clock hater

Short & sweet, I hate alarm clocks. I have nothing against the invention itself; I actually use timers and reminders throughout my day to make sure I get the important stuff done. But, I LOVE sleeping, and the fact that there is this THING whose specific purpose is to interrupt the peacefulness of my sleep does not make me happy at all. Although I am not a morning person, (those who know me understand that that is an understatement of the biggest proportion) I will occasionally wake up before my alarm is due to go off and think – HA I beat you, you dastardly little devil you. Until tomorrow then…

See also: nicknames, zzz’s, gotta have ‘em

Addictive personality

I tend to get obsessed with things, I get going fast and furious, some things stick, some things don’t. Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law seems to be at play with these things. For example, I don’t think I’ve ever suffered from an addiction to exercise or apples, but scrapbooking and chocolate?? Well, that’s another story.

See also: scrapbooking, drinks, chocolate

Apartment, our first one

It was a one bedroom basement apartment with one tiny little window. There were some weekends where we would sleep in until the afternoon, but because it was so dark we would have absolutely no idea whether it was night or day! It had a kitchen that opened to the living room. A giant closet that was a coat closet/pantry and of course, a bathroom and bedroom. It was really small, but cozy. We were newlyweds, so it suited us just fine! We lived there for a year before moving to Virginia Beach.

See also: home

This is the first of many installments on the ABCs of Me's. Each week I will feature a different letter of the alphabet and a few corresponding entries on yours truly. This project was inspired by a class I took at Big Picture Classes (Me: The Abridged Version) which was based on a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

Running between the raindrops

I always find it amusing to watch people walk, and ultimately run, in the rain. There's this universal posture of slouching over. What's the deal? Do they really think that if they arc their body at the perfect angle that they will somehow magically run between the raindrops? And, umbrellas - do they really help? My experience with umbrellas is such that unless you are standing perfectly still in a rainstorm that is coming straight down from the sky, then you have a slight chance of remaining somewhat dry. If however you live here on a planet called Earth, then you are out of luck. I have found that umbrellas are good at a few things, 1) making your hand cramp as you try desperately to hold it at the perfect angle for staying dry; 2) aggregating not just one tiny drop, but a whole group of drops so a giant drop rolls directly down the middle of your back and 3) causing immense frustration as you attempt to shake off and simultaneously collapse said umbrella while dispersing the remaining raindrops on the one dry spot left on your right foot. Rainy days are good for several things however, such as sleeping in, watching movies and ordering take-out!

Just call me peg leg...

Every morning for the past two weeks, I've been gimping around for the first hour or so in the morning. My right heel has been hurting pretty bad. It wasn't to the point of being in screaming pain, but enough to be terribly annoying. After practically falling down yesterday when getting out of bed, I figured I'd better do something about it and quick. So, I went to the doctor today to confirm my suspicions, and I apparently have plantar fasciitis. It is basically an inflammation in the heel pad. Just in case you were wondering, it kind of feels like there's a big elastic band going from the back of your heel to the middle of the bottom of your foot that won't let you stretch it like it should. And by the way, yes it does hurt, and not only when you stand on it. The worst part is in the morning. This 42 year old bladder wakes up way before this bum foot is ready to make a mad-dash for the bathroom!

Nothing really to write home about, but it seems my body keeps sending me little signals to remind me I'm getting older (as if those tiny growing crow's feet aren't indication enough). I'm totally ok with the increasing number associated with my birthday, but I am not ok with feeling like I'm twice my age. So here I sit, icing my heel, trying to freeze the fasciitis away. Wish me luck, and if you see someone walking around the neighborhood looking like a pirate, don't worry, that's just me. However if you see me with a parrot and an eye patch....well, that's for another day.
 

Goodbye Sir Kenmore, Hello Monsieur Whirlpool

Well, it finally happened. The dryer that has been taking longer and longer (and longer) to dry our clothes finally just up and quit. I certainly have to give a shout out to Sir Kenmore for sticking it out until the last load. Fortunately since my life operates a la Fly Lady lately - I had conquered Mount Washmore by doing a load a day and I was all caught up. So even though it took a few days to scrape together the money for the new dryer as well as pick it out and have it delivered, not one person in my house had to go commando. Dare I say it again, life is good.

Please meet my new best friend...

Holiday Crafty Wishlist

Teacher gifts (include busdriver)

Personalized monogram cards for family members

Christmas cards for me, Mom & Beyelers

Neighbor gifts

Yarn necklaces for Halloween & Christmas

We love Isabelle

We welcomed a new niece just two short weeks ago and I'm sending this layout in a frame to my sister as a present.

Getting a leg up on Christmas

It's only September and I'm well into taking care of things in anticipation of the holiday season. Since I was "hired" by the family to create a scrapbook for our parents, I am enjoying putting the foundation of it all together. I've already decided on the layout of the book as well as the template of the pages. I've picked the colors and fonts so now all I'll need are the photos. I'm proud of myself for working in advance so I won't have the last minute rush. I've mapped out Bryce's 2 page spread as a jumping off point and I think I like it!

This was my Tuesday

up at 6:30 to wake Bryce up
me dressed and face on

make him breakfast,
pack his lunch
talked about being more organized in school and planning ahead
also helped him make a plan for earning money for an expensive video game he wants that comes out in 7 weeks
pack Keith and Summer's lunches also
7:05 Usher Bryce out the door to the bus, get my morning hug and kiss
feed the fish
check kids' grades on PASS - Bryce 97 on history quiz - yes!
check bank balance - need to find out what the recurring pmt from verizon is???
check email
wake up Summer
put in a load of laundry

7:30 walk Lady (listen to Paperclipping Roundtable podcast on my ipod)
got to listen to my Fab4 in the last two days: Stacy Julian, Ali Edwards, Cathy Zielske, Becky Higgins
feed the dog
help Summer with her shower
put outfit together for Keith
make coffee
empty the dishwasher racing the coffee pot, I won!

check on Summer
return text messages to two friends
feed Summer breakfast
remove wheels from her sneakers for PE today
practice for spelling test and talked about horseback riding lessons (she wants them bad!)
take Lady with me to walk Summer to the busstop

walk the dog again (accompanied by PRT)
folded and put away a basket of laundry
switched wash to dryer
make a shake for Keith and fix his coffee before he leaves for work

made all three beds, time for coffee!
9am - finally get to sit and have a cup of coffee :-)
pay a few bills online, research weird bank charge
find out how much Bryce's christmas list stuff is going to cost me

research local horseback riding lessons
checked the blogs of my Fab4
decided to test drive Becky Higgins' Project Life Monthly View - will see if I like the setup - really wish she would create the digital kit rather than make it only available on her site, but we'll see
was getting too many bookmarks on my favorites bar, reorganized and created folders for those I don't use daily
blogged about getting Christmas album designed already, just waiting for photos from everyone
texting with Julie to check on kids and see if they want to come to Fleeton for the weekend with us
walked the dog again (I know 3x and it's only 10:10am - she is totally spoiled, but she gets me off my butt regularly throughout the day

ate the last of the long stem chocolate covered strawberries my sister sent me for my birthday
10:20am out the door for an eye doctor appointment - Julie is coming along for the ride
talked to one of Jimmy's clients, they want AntiVirus software, will have to check later
11am eye dr appt, arrived early - what a miracle! - eyes got worse of course (it's been 2 years), said I now have a slight astigmatism in my left eye but it shouldn't affect my prescription for a year or two - based on my description of my recent eyesight he said I may need - ahem - reading glasses in the next year or two as well - no, no, no - c'mon eyes don't let me down, I already have to wear contacts to see far away - don't make me wear something to see close up too - that's just not fair!
lunch with Julie at Wendy's and browsing around the mall, bought the cutest little shoe-socks for Isabelle, they look like Mary Janes with socks underneath them, but it's all one piece, so cute! - home at 12:45pm
Julie wants to do a book for her daughter Sophia for her upcoming 13th birthday so we spent some time browsing thru some of the books I've done and showing her different options. She seems overwhelmed because she's NEVER printed any of her pictures, we need to remedy that quickly
showed her some of the many pics we have at Fleeton and the stash of baby clothes I'm getting ready to send both of my sisters, cute boy stuff for little Eric and adorable girl stuff for baby Isabelle
also checked out Fleeton on Google Earth so she'd get an idea of where we are going this weekend
client called back, left message for Jimmy

stopped by Giant to get milk, bread & and meat for dinner burgers
3pm - just sat down for my 2nd cup of coffee
Bryce worked on sewing badges on his Boy Scout sash {pic}
pulled together a few photos to scrap a baseball page for Bryce
3.45 Summer home, hear about her day
 she is Cardinal of the week, she gets Lady all crazy after school

4.15 parent teacher conference, Summer is doing very well in school

5pm took Bryce to get a haircut
went to Petco to try to get a mouse for the snake, they were sold out but we were able to get him a new house to hide underneath
picked up Keith's dry cleaning
got home, said hello to hubby, planned dinner, walked the dog (talked to Julie to let her know that our plans for Fleeton were a-ok and it was alright for her to bring the dog)
psyched for our weekend, now to have dinner and
get Summer's homework done -eeekk - this after school time goes so quickly (Keith was nice enough to cook dinner so we could finish the pile of homework she had, including make up work from the day she missed last week)
clothes still not dry, put it on for another cycle
Bryce wants his favorite sweatshirt to wear tomorrow, so put in another load of laundry
dinner at 6:30, now 8pm, just finished Summer's homework, Bryce off to shower, summer off to change in pjs while I walk the dog (again)
8:20pm me into my pjs early tonight, kids winding down - but Bryce still in the shower
checked laundry, clothes still damp - yet another cycle (and yes, I remembered to clean out the lint trap again) Summer wants to snuggle - how can I say no to that
added some journaling to the page I started about Bryce earlier, moved some elements around, now I need to let it marinate for a day and see if I still like it
updating the rest of this post, now 9:10 - off to switch the 2nd load of laundry and then off to la-la land
- reading through everything we did today and looking forward to getting some sleep -that 6:30 alarm comes way too quickly

Writing about me

I'm currently taking a class called Me: The Abridged Version through BPS. I get the opportunity to write about what makes me tick...from A to Z. The class is inspired by the book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. It's been quite an interesting journey trying to define myself letter by letter. So far I've designed my pages by color scheme and I've started writing a bit. I'm interested to find out how it all ends up. I always take time to make scrapbook pages about the rest of my family, now I suppose it's my turn. Now everyone will really know what makes me tick, maybe a little bit too much? I don't know yet :-)

Chocolate covered strawberries are DIVINE

I was the lucky recipient of a delivery from Edible Arrangements yesterday. My sweet baby sister sent some deliciousness my way as a thank you for my participation in my new nephew's dedication ceremony. We received not one, but two boxes of chocolate covered fruit! The pineapples are covered in chocolate and coconut, and the strawberries are covered in chocolate. Not just to say the strawberries are delicious is an understatement. These are positively the best and most delicious strawberries covered in delectable chocolate I have ever had (well, at least since my last delivery that is :-) ). They were certainly a treat and very much appreciated.

Love These Eyes

Have had these two photos just propped up on my bookcase for a week or so. Love the way their eyes look in the photos and how their shirts match. Woke up to an email challenge from LOMcom to make a monochromatic layout and voila! This is one of the first times I've played with brushes on a layout and really like the look. Also, I think it's interesting that I was able to use a Christmas themed kit for a non-Christmas layout. Scrappy goodness!

Jonathan The First Year

Click here to view this photo book larger

Timothy The First Year

Click here to view this photo book larger

Designed Thank Yous for Eric's dedication

Loved using scans of the decorations from his party to create this cute thank you note. Don't you just love those cheeks?

Skype is helping me with my word of the year

My word of this year (2010) is CONNECT. Skype is helping me do that. My sister and her family moved to Ireland in 2008. I was recently in Ireland with her and feel so re-connected , it is wonderful. We now Skype quite often and our kids are getting to know one another better which is very cool :-) She is getting ready to have her fourth child (whew!). So I'm anxiously anticipating when I'll get to physically see them again. In the meantime, Skype to the rescue!

Photos I'm Proud Of

Click here to view this photo book larger

God Bless Eric Daniel

Fun at Gram & Fossil's for Eric's baby dedication

This free slideshow design personalized with Smilebox

The perfect photo for the perfect photo

I have always loved the photo of Keith & Bryce as a baby, so when I took this picture of the two of them at the county fair recently I knew I had to pair them together in a layout. I still feel like I need to work on the journaling a little bit, but I love the way the photos go together.

Summer's birthday layout

My little cutie pie is 8.

Paperclipping Digi Show

Posted at paperclipping.com about the Paperclipping Roundtable and the Paperclipping Digi Show.

"I have to say, aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, and thank you. It is so wonderful to have a place to tune in to listen to other people who love scrapbooking as much as I do.  I've listened to the first 13 of the roundtable and am eagerly awaiting the next digi episode as I've caught up on all of those. I just found you two weeks ago and have become happily and completely addicted to both shows. Halfway into the first show I knew I had to make a deal with myself about this new addiction or I would've plopped myself in my studio to listen to every show while scrapbooking leaving my family to fend for themselves. So again, another thank you to you as I have walked through every episode racking up over 70 miles in the past two weeks!

I adore the tangential nature of both shows, particularly the hilarious interactions that Izzy instigates. I'm often laughing out loud as I walk and consequently some of my neighbors probably think I'm crazy - LOL. The Digi Show was such a natural progression of the show and as a digi scrapper I am soooo excited about that! I started paper scrapping in 1994 and have all the gadgets and totes to prove the beginning of my obsession (they've been passed on to my 8yoDD who is just getting started), I started what would now be called hybrid scrapping in 1997 when my son was born and then switched to 100% digi in 2003 after my daughter was born. My love of set up/ and clean up ease was the original motivation for the switch. There are so many reasons why I continue, most of which have been addressed on the show already. 

My product pick is a website for the newest thing I've been doing in scrapbooking for the last year and a half (and what Izzy has termed 'motion scrapbooking') The website is Smilebox.com. We can upload pictures and video clips and combine them in an animated slideshow of sorts. The designs and ease of use make it a wonderfully quick solution for sharing both everyday and special memories across the miles. I've even taught my 62 year old (non-techie) Mom to use it and she loves it too! It gives me such joy to share the love of scrapbooking in whatever way I can.

In order to give you an idea of what I do scrapbook-wise... I blog, I share things on facebook, I post on galleries at BPS, I Smilebox regularly (since my parents live almost 400 miles away and my sister is overseas), I email pictures and layouts and make photobooks and mini books and cards and gift albums and special stuff for my walls, and I could go on and on - anything I can do with pictures and my laptop are all game!

A new project I'm working on is scanning my memorabilia and snippets from our everyday lives to include in our scrapbooks, you all have given out some great recommendations, so perhaps you could recommend a scanner?
By the way, it was so awesome to hear my industry faves Stacy Julian and Ali Edwards already on your shows.

Keep up the great work, you guys make me smile on a regular basis and I just might have to include you in a future layout! If there are ever any more opportunities for a 'regular' digi scrapper on your show I'd love to be considered :-) Sorry I have a tendency to ramble I'm just so excited I had to let it all out. Can't wait til the next episode, thanks for doing what you do!"