Company is coming

My sister, nephew and his girlfriend are coming down to visit for the weekend. It will be nice - it's been a while since they've visited. Last time we saw them it was for my nephew's 30th birthday party. That was in the fall. So we're all due.
Course company coming has always meant cleaning and food preparation to me (therefore exhaustion). Since i was little whenever we'd have company my mother would go into a frenzy. The house that was already tidy would be practically scoured. Everything was shined up and vacuumed and by the time the company would actually arrived we were all sick of the idea of company. My mom would have gone a little nuts with the cleaning and then there would be some very involved cooking that would just make her seem a little crazy to those of us around her. I mean what was the big schmeel anyhow? People come over to see you - not your house and we'd eat anything right? Well not to my mother - it meant putting on ze dog. Actually when i think back on it - she wanted to just make them feel very special. Making the house look nice of course was a reflection on her - but also for the comfort of her guests. And making something special to eat - just another way to make her company feel they were honored people in our home. And let me tell you - my mother could cook - she still can but now its a little much for her. But the woman is known far and wide for her wonderful food. She can take a box of tuna helper and turn it into fine cuisine - swear to God. And even if she didn't actually cook the food (now and again we'd get things catered) the woman knew how to make it look beautiful. I remember one occasion - it may've been my grandparents golden anniversary party? Whatever - a pan of lasagna disappeared. It became a long standing joke about that pan of lasagna - what happened to it we never did find out but we knew someone was eating pretty darned good is all. Cos Theresa made that lasagna. And she could make lasagna. The Irish girl made better Italian food than any of my Italian uncles families - no arguments from anyone.
So, one would expect that one of my mother's children would inherit her love of cooking, right?
That would be moi. I do love to cook. The sister that is visiting doesn't have the patience for cooking, The other sister is a fine cook as well except she's a vegan so her repertoire is a little limited for the rest of us. So, while i do some mad cleaning on occasion (like today - i vacuumed and cleaned and shined - so much so the cats went to the far corners of the house for fear of getting sucked up by the hoover) i do enjoy cooking something fun for company. On a day to day basis, at least lately, i have fallen into a boring routine of dinner fare. With company coming i try to think up something yummy to serve my guests (i am not named Junior for nuthin - yes, I'm a Theresa too).
Of course the first thing that pops into my mind is dessert. We must have priorities you know. i haven't come up with anything to serve for dinner yet but i do know we're having cheesecake for dessert. Not just any old cheesecake neither. My mother's recipe is the only thing i'd bother making. If you're going to do cheesecake - this is what you want. No Jello Cheesecake for us PULEEZ. That is not cheesecake kids. I'll be back later with the recipe. it is, without a doubt, the best cheesecake ever.

Valentine Rakarama

well since most of you have received yours i feel i can post this years edition. I've been sending my dear girlfriends valentines the last few years and i just couldnt let this year be the year i didn't. Yeah i had other crap going on (i always have some nonsense going on that keeps me from making things!) - but these ladies - well you all mean so much to me. I have been the recipient of many lovely cards and gifts from them. I had to do it. I was dying to do it :-)

Other years i usually had something in mind when i made my valentines. The first year i saw a darling fabric in a local store - looked like vintage valentines. I didnt keep a picture of those unfortunately but i do have some of the fabric left. The next year i made these

and last year i made this one
This year - well i wasn't sure what i would do. I was looking online at a cute project made by Michele of Purple Onion Designs - check it out here - http://www.purpleoniondesigns.com/vintagestamps3.html - scroll down to the wonderful slide mount hanging with her faboo vintage calendar stamp. The papers or stamps she used on that made me think of this lovely stamp from StampinUp! - floral background stamp. I added Purple Onions script stamp as well as the mini-sentiments stamps - and voila - i had my card.

I should mention the valentine gods were working against me - i ran out of clear embossing powder while i was making these. (amazing - do you really ever run out of ep? i swear i didnt think it possible but i'm here to say - yes you can use it all up!) I should qualify that. I ran out of my pristine clear embossing powder (my pristine jar - has no other ep's mixed into it. early on i found that when you emboss sometimes you get little bits of powder stuck in your ep tray - and it taints the stuff you put into it on the next ep adventure. My solution to this problem was to get another ep tray that i only use for clear ep'ing. yes that's just how anal retentive i can be!) so i had to use my less than pristine jar on the last few cards. i cringed on the last few cards hoping no bits of silver ep would get into it. nothing seemed to really show - especially since i did a white wash of acrylic over the ep... did any of you notice the white wash? anyway... i had an extra little heart with bow and decided i'd add a little card to my son's valentine box (i made him his favorite cookies - oatmeal chocolate chip) here's that silly monkey again
if i get back to this blog later today (two posts already and i'm considering a third.. yegods!) i will post a little cd holder i made for mdv for his gift (a cd of our songs)

Greetings from the frozen south

The frozen south (that is sorta like frozen hot chocolate isn't it? i'll have to talk about that another day) - yup its a frozen valentine's day here in northern virginia. The county i live in has already called off school for tomorrow - and it wasn't even noon when that email was received. Sorta gives you an idea of what the weather is like - we had a lot o'sleet yesterday - all day and night. My darling valentine went out this morning to survey the situation - he thought he'd be heading out to a meeting he had in Baltimore (which is approximately 1-1/2 hours from where we live) - and said he was going out to clear off things and be ready to leave when the time came. Well he returned about 5 minutes later - with a chuckle he said there is 5 inches of sleet with a nice layer of ice on top of that - i'm not going anywhere. He's been working from home all day which i find quite nice on this Valentine's Day.

Normally we get up at 5:30 and get the daughter on the bus at 6:25. Her school lies in the next county over and, as they refused to make a declaration last night, her dad (previously called my darling valentine :-) - we'll refer to him as mdv for the rest of the day) woke up early to check the closings and found EVERYTHING was closed. So mdv let me sleep in - i woke up at 8:00 am! Ok - thats enough on the weather folks...

I have been keeping busy. That closed door opened a new one that's for sure. My time seems to be taken up by chauffeuring these days. Not my favorite activity however it is what it is. I took up a new little hobby - Knitting. Actually i have knitted before - i believe i was perhaps 5 or 6 and my grandmother taught me. I know that seems young but i'm sure that must be correct given my memories of that grandmother and where we lived at the time. (i was always a precocious little crafter LOL) Anyway, i'd be thinking about trying my hand at it again and the opportunity jumped up at me in the form of a butt ugly hat. .... Of course i'll explain ;-)

My mom is undergoing radiation treatments at the moment (benign tumor reappears - no film at 11). She went to the center beginning this month. It has been particularly cold here lately and the kind ladies at the center asked my mom if she had a hat - to keep her warm and also because she might, in time, lose her lovely red hair (yes, it's still red. she does enhance the red a bit but redheads don't grey young. she's got only the tiniest bit of grey around her ears... ) My mom said no, she didn't have a hat. She says she's always had trouble with getting hats to fit -big head. My daughter also has this problem. She says big head - big brains - touche lizziebelle. So the lovely center ladies presented my mom with a knitted hat, made by some good kids who make them as community service projects for the center. Enter butt ugly hat. "how ugly is it?" Well, its a concoction of colors - black, green, yellow, orange, red. It is a primary colored collection of hideous yarns. However, it fits and it is warm - so says the wearer - although she agrees it is one U-G-LEE hat.

So there was my opportunity - in the form of that hat. I looked online and found what promised to be a delightfully easy pattern. I went to a few local craft stores and found needles and yarn (a lovely deep wedgewood blue that would enhance my mom's pretty hair and match her beautiful blue eyes). I watched a few online knitting videos and off i went. In the meantime i found i also needed some double pointed needles. These were not so easy to locate locally - the size eluded me wherever i went. So i ordered those online (Joanns.com is having 40% off everything - check it out people) and they arrived yesterday - just in time for me as i'd gotten to that point in the knitting. If i had a yarn needle I would be done with this today but i'm gonna post my hat now - with the double pointed needles still on it. I have to say this knitting was most relaxing and fun. I love doing projects that make me feel capable LOL. If you have any inclination toward knitting - give it a try - its not hard at all and look at the cute hat you can make!

One door closes, another one opens

seems life is all about this huh? one door closing and another opening. endings and beginnings.
well this week i closed the door literally and figuratively.
Most of you know i worked at a scrapbook store. One of the few chain scrapbook stores. And on Wednesday i finished packing it up and closing the door forever. Yes, it was a little sad. And i was glad i had the last hour there to myself to look around (yes, and take pictures :-) - i always take pictures right?) and say goodbye. Close that door on this chapter in my life.
I started there a little over 4 years ago. I was at yet another crossroads in my life then. My brother had passed away unexpectedly in April of 2002. I needed to get back to work - i'd left another job right after he died. It wasn't for me. Had nothing to do with what i'm about but it did provide a paycheck and sometimes life requires you to do that right? I decided that life was passing me by - i could be dead tomorrow - siblings passing away kinda hits you in the face with facts like these. A new scrapbook store opened and i decided why not apply there and do something i actually like - what a concept huh? I did and got the job. I appeared for my first day of work at the end of November 2002.
Over the years there i met some wonderful co-workers and some wonderful customers. I could tell a million stories about the people. The good and the bad but i won't bore you with all those. Maybe one day - cos there are some tear jerkers and some jerks :-) I went through 3 managers and ended up becoming the manager for the last few months (i'd avoided being the manager like the plague as i have a very full life outside of work and being a manager wasn't going to fit in with my priorities - my family first).
The last month i will say was absolutely on the list of most difficult experiences in my life. (and as many of you know i've had some pips... 2 brain surgeries for my mom, my brother passing away... ) Both physically and emotionally.
Fortunately i had some really wonderful co-workers - they did their best to assist me in all ways possible and i really couldnt thank them enough.
My family stood by me - and believe me that was tough cos i wasnt in the best shape many days. Out of 31 days in January i stayed home for 3 days. I was exhausted (heck - i still am).
My husband - well he is just the best man in the world - i knew it before but he reaffirmed his superman status once again -his love, support and assistance - Imagine this - in his suit and tie with a hammer breaking down some fixtures that i didnt sell. I wish i'd had my camera that night but it will be indelibly etched in my memory. Never complaining - just that letsgetthisdone attitude. After a full days work of his own.
My son is, as you know, away at college but i know if he'd been here he'd have been right next to his dad :-) My teenaged daughter - every night i'd get home and she would ask me how i was and i just would look at her and she'd hold her hands out and give me a huge hug and kiss. I'm a lucky woman - aren't I? i mean most people are complaining about their teenagers - it is the time of life when one is most self-involved right? Well - not this kid. She is just amazing my lizziebelle. :-)
Onto the customers. I have to say i got a little exasperated at times. I guess its just my way but i dont think i would be asking employees of a closing store "where are you going now?" "are you going to work at that other store". It's just not something i would ask - it isn't any of my business - but i guess that's just me? Oh i'm not talking about the customers i knew well - i understood their concerns - and genuine interest in my well being. I'm talking about the people i barely ever saw shop in the store. I just thought it odd. whatever.
I heard the question "why are they closing" a ba-zillion times. What could i say - and really what would it matter? In the grand scheme of things - to their lives - what would it matter? Bottom line is we were closing - it really doesn't matter what their reasons were - they are a corporation and this is - simply put - business.
Of course for me - it was more than a business and more than just a store :-) And for some of the customers i know it was also more than a store. How do i know? well - this is the part where i'm gonna get all teary eyed again. So many wonderful customers - nay - friends - i made. Well i guess i just didnt realize. There are the special customers - the ones i would looked forward to seeing when they came into the store. Well apparently they felt the same way and took the time to let me know it. They came in and made sure they talked to me - and it was a crazy place the last two weeks - but they made sure i knew how much they'd miss the place - and me. We exchanged phone numbers, email addresses. They gave me their cards. They hugged me and cried and made me cry. :-) The good kinda cry. These women I will see again. I have no doubt. The one that really sent me over the edge was totally a surprise however. And so i will end this with that little story.
The store closed on Saturday. It was Monday or Tuesday. (it's a big blur now but the store had to be vacated on wednesday so i was definitely frazzled). I was working by myself at the time and was near the front of the store and i could see a woman walking through the parking lot towards the store. I thought "oh no.. someone coming to shop again" - this had happened since Sunday - people who apparently didnt know we were closing coming up and finding the store closed. Well as she got closer i recognized her. A lovely woman who had been shopping at the store probably not long after i began. Her oldest daughter was then 2 (now 6) and she was pregnant with the second. When i first met her she was just so very pleasant and wanted help with a few things - I recall her wanting these premade pocket pages we sold. We were out at the time and she wanted more - she was the kind of customer you just love to help. Anyway as i recall i told her we'd order them for her - she was concerned about picking them up by the time they came in as she was due with that second baby pretty soon. Anyway it all worked out just fine and i'd see her periodically throughout the years. Sometimes she'd bring a friend with her and they'd shop. As with many customers in the store, i watched her girls grow up. :-)
So - there she was at the door - and i mouthed through the glass - we're closed. She mouthed back "i know". I opened the door and she said to me "i just wanted to say goodbye and to thank you for all the help you've given me". Well i broke down there and just cried. She went on to tell me (while giving me a hug) i wanted you to know that - you were always so nice, with a big smile on your face, and you always helped me so much. You helped me save my memories for my girls. You made a difference."
So with that i'll end this. I should mention one other customer (another favorite) saying to me "where are am I going to go now? This was the place to go". And so it was.

Ok Tawk like this

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

and i'm darn proud of it. You gotta take this quiz - it has me pegged perfectly!

ok that one was fun so i took another quiz

Your Christmas lights are glowing 100%.

Awesome! Your Christmas tree lights up the whole room! You are a true lover of all things Christmas, and a joy for those around you!

Christmas Trivia
Make Your Own Quiz

i doooooooo love Christmas!

happy birthday mista P

yes i've been gone a few days... well more than that but life gets crazy. i'm doing a newish job at work and its taking some getting used to is all i'll say.

i'm tired.

i'm also having computer problems. my darned Norton AntiVirus is a piece of garbage. And since i've been having these problems i've found i'm not the only one who thinks Norton AntiVirus is garbage - its all over the internet. If you have anti-virus software i don't think you should get a trojan - i'm just sayin.

but enough on that nonsense. its too aggravating for words.

My superman - computer-wise - is arriving home from college tomorrow and he will put forth heroic efforts i'm sure to rectify my problems.

(translation: hey if you fix my computer problems - now THAT would be a great Christmas present - to which superson replied - cool!)

Today is my dear nephew's 7th birthday. I priority mailed his gifts the other day and i hope he likes them. (two shirts - he actually likes new clothes - and one of my all time favorite books Charlotte's Web. I have to admit i had a hard time mailing that book off. I wanted to re-read it right then and there. Such a wonder of a book. If you haven't read it - i guess that's possible- do yourself a big fat favor and get to the store or a library this weekend. You won't be disappointed.) It's so difficult to shop for him and his brother - who will celebrate his birthday one month from today. Difficult because it is so close to Christmas. I have to set my mind on gifts for both occasions for both children. I would never combine the gifts - i grew up with a few Christmas babies - they always said they got gyped. And there will be no gypping these two special boys!

I did manage to make my nephew a silly little birthday card - i think he will love this!

made with my quickutz happy frog die and Purple Onion Designs alphas and some string.

I've been also fooling around with some stamp carving. i've had cute little birdies on the brain for a while - i haven't been able to find any stamps i liked so i decided to make my own

these are just some quick stampings i did of them to see how they looked when inked and i may just use one on something soon.

i don't know if you've ever carved your own stamps but i have to say that carving is probably one of the most relaxing things to do ever. I highly recommend it. When i was done carving them out i was thinking how i missed that feeling - just being totally in that zone - so focused and concentrating completely on what i was making. it's a wonderful feeling.

(as opposed to the peri-menopausal crazy feelings i've been having lately... but i digress)

i also made this cute little glittered up star the other day - i must upload a picture of it. It is just a silly paper mache star i painted with glue and threw glitter all over but you know - its beautiful.

Finally before i forget, i see that i've been tagged by Barbara http://smith411.typepad.com/my_weblog/ to list 6 weird things about myself. Well miss B - i'm a thinkin on it. I shall probably post them a little later!

tag class

I'm teaching a class tonite called Holiday Tags. The classes i teach at the store have prescribed items i must teach. But in addiition i always try to include my little spin on things. How i'd change things using the same supplies - that kinda thing.
this is one of mine.

what is that noise?

http://www.wavelit.com/popup/playerAfricam.asp#
Link courtesy of Annie
ok click on that link and turn up your speakers. this is so cool.
I have my speakers turned up and
my dh comes up the stairs and sez "what is that noise?"
i said "it's Africa"
he said " oh, i thought a bird was stuck in the dryer vent again"
he's a funny one
then my dd came up the stairs and said "what is that noise?"
i said "it's Africa"
she said "oh, i thought a bird was stuck in the dryer vent agan"
Yes, they are a pair.

Tryptophanning

thats about how i feel just about now... tired.
It's been a long Thanksgiving but a truly lovely one.
It started out .. not so good.
Unexpected guests last night.
Ordinarily i don't mind guests.
In fact i enjoy guests.
Planned- for- in- advance- guests.
Unexpected guests - well about a month ago i had an unexpected guest. My dear niece was stranded at Dulles (we are a hop, skip and a jump away) and although i was wakened out of a dead sleep, had to put my clothes on and venture out into the dark and stormy night (even Snoopy woulda hid in his doghouse) , and get up 3 1/2 hours later to take my daughter to school - I was happy to do so for this sweet niece who was stranded.
These guests however - also family - invited themselves to stay overnite on Thanksgiving eve. I could go on, but i won't. It would spoil what became a lovely day.
We had a lovely brunch, followed by a quiet leisurely afternoon as I basted the bird. We talked, we ate, we laughed a lot. It was so nice. Only thing that could have made it nicer would have been if my sisters and their families could have been here. (But i wish for that every day!)
i was thinking during the day about Thanksgiving. What was I grateful for? There are too many things to count really. We're fortunate. Not everyday is a holiday that is for certain. But for every not-so-great thing, i would say there are two great things to outweigh it. For every uninvited unexpected event there are too many happy times to count.
Today was one of those.

Crackled Scallops

nope. it's not a fish recipe. its this frame i just finished making. i put the thank you in it just so you could see:

i was on a hunt for a frame to put the thank you in (oh thank goodness grammar doesn't count, huh?) I looked in several local antique stores but nothing the right size. I then hit M's and came upon a frame i think will work (black and gold) and then saw some clearanced frames. Then i got a little brainstorm - adding this scallop trim to one of them. Yes, it involved a miter box and saw - but it took no time to do. Painted it up with some gold and antique white acrylic paint with a crackle medium and voila: cute little frame. I am quite pleased with it. Now i'm thinkin i'd like to try another - this time with black and gold. Oh and here's another frame i painted up:

this one had the prettiest shell pattern on the inside of the frame edge. I really like how that came out too.

So,what are you making?

pretty new stamps

i probably shouldn't post this yet here but heck - i doubt the recipient is checking this blog. i just wanted to show off the new Purple Onion Alpha stamps i got - are they just beauteous?

so here's the darn tree

it's a pear tree. no partridges yet... but soon

i may lose my grip

i wanted to upload a photo of our beautiful tree in the front yard. To make a long story short i am having some kind of problem with my camera software and have spent tooo much time online in chat sessions with the mfg of the camera and its still not working. Mind you i have uploaded photos to my compuer from this same camera several times already with no problem. all of a sudden i'm having issues. i may have to uninstall and reinstall yet again and i may need to throw something in the meantime cos i'm gonna lose it big time.
i think its time to stop and try again tomorrow.

the cure for what ails you

busy doing a variety of things - cleaning this past weekend (not my original intent but i plan to make up for that tomorrow when i have a day off) doing hospital (my mom) last weekend. in between a variety of things. making some stuff which i think i shall show perhaps later today - or tomorrow pretty much for sure. did spend some time during the week cutting out new stamps from Purple Onion Designs - which i have begun to use (hint, hint).

tonite i shall be baking some cookies - mostly for the college son. i'd already decided to make some for him - just needed a few supplies purchased on yesterdays weekly visit to the grocery store. but yesterday i received an email from him - sounding a bit down.
the mom in me knows his favorite cookie (oatmeal chocolate chip) won't fix everything - at the same time it can't hoyt
(channeling my grandfathers accent... he said turkey - toykey.... hopefully you get the idea).
And it reminds him despite everything - we are thinking of him and love him more than we did yesterday (if that is possible :-)
And tomorrow i shall be making some more things - nonfood related - playing with new stamps, some ink, paint, glitter - although a cookie has often cured my problems (and added a few to my hips) making stuff is often my personal cure-all.
now i'm off to work- cyalata

happy thank you

happy card - lousy scan. its the 3d-ness - oh well. i needed a thank you for the friend who gave me the yummy bread the other day. i have been in a mood for glitter - but can't find mine (note to self: get to the store for glitter!) but i did have some of this sugar dust. then i found a button in my jar o'buttons that had sort of a dip in it - creating a perfect little well for the sugar dust beads - using a little diamond glaze to make'em stay put. quickutz the leaves. use some cute felt flowers from i think its american crafts. some chatterbox paper and some ribbon i had. top it off with garamouche alphas from Purple Onion. Its definitely cuter in real life cos the sugar dust just is very fun.
well i gotta run... talk soon

The Answer and Deluxe accommodations

What is that?
It's a loaf of bread
But you guessed that didn't you.
We have yet to eat it. I'm trying to think of what I can cook for dinner that would compliment such a loaf (a nice vegetable soup comes to mind.)

Anywho
I was surfin and came across these Deluxe Accomodations
Don't you just want to bake a bunch just so you can take them somewhere?
This looks like such a great product. Where was it when I was the cupcake-totin-queen (when my kids were in elementary school - the land of all things cupcake)?
I thought i was livin large when i found a tupperware cupcake carrier I still love it but this courier - well thats just amazing.

Post Halloween

ok so here's a picture of the
fastest-carved-jack o'lantern-ever

I'd hollowed him out before I went to pick up DD at the bus. We got home just as it was getting dark. Usually here in Leesburg, trick-0r-treat doesn't start until at least 7pm. Why you say? Well- the Leesburg Halloween parade is the longest running largest parade east of the Mississippi - that's why! And they're mighty proud of that fact. Anyway i'd say anyone who is new to town does the parade - hence the trick or treating starts later. Or i should say started later in our neighborhood until last night.
I carved that pumpkin as fast as i could (maybe 10 minutes) and brought it out to the front step. Ran back in for a tea light to put inside and was just lighting the candle as my first group of kids arrived. They waited while i lit the candle and ran inside to grab the candy. Phew!

Now we'll have a little post Halloween guessing game.
What is this? Can you guess? It was given to me by a customer - well she's also become a friend. She came to the store yesterday with this little surprise for me.
I'll come back later to tell you what it is :-)

Happy Halloween!

here's my card. the stamp is Memory Box and the sentiment is from Purple Onion Designs

anticipation

i love that carly simon song.... anyway
Last nite we were "ghosted". the doorbell rang, the dh answered to find a cute little tin bucket decorated for halloween, filled with candy and stickers and a little poem and a picture of a ghost. We were instructed, via the poem, to copy the poem and the ghost two times then post the ghost on our door - so no one else would ghost us. Then we leave a little something for another 2 neighbors - of course after dark - making sure not to be seen - ringing the bell and running. Very cute. the one who was most excited by the whole prospect - the biggest kid in the house - DH. He couldn't wait. My part - i got the goodies. No problem there - totally my department. After we ate our dinner, DH and DD (a teenager whom I normally wouldn't expect to get into this - but alas, she is her fathers daughter..) set out into the night to deliver their goodies. They were so excited when they returned - got both houses - good neighbor friends of ours with kids. Because of the way their windows are situated - and lights being on in the house - they even saw the little boy bringing the basket into the family room - all big smiles and excitement. Ain't Halloween the best?
we're anticipating tomorrow nite. Big time. i was thinking earlier how i buy the candy. It would be smart to pick stuff i don't like - but i couldnt' bring myself to give out lousy candy.
And there is that anticipation factor.
I anticipate some leftovers...
Anticipation... is making me wait (for my twix, milky ways, butterfingers, pb cups, snickers........)

card for a good old friend

i've been playing around with all kinds of stuff the last few days. Making my ATC's for a swap, the aforementioned Halloween cards, playing with kitchen cleaning products on cardstock (more on that soon) and attempting to get something going with my christmas cards. today i finally decided nothing was happening with christmas cards - so forget it for now and move on. so i did. i made this card for a friend of mine from college. She recently lost her husband. Pretty devastating to say the least - not something we'd expect at our age. Anyway I've been trying to send her a card just about every week to 10 days just so she knows i'm thinking about her. When this kind of thing happens the initial response is to crowd around the person for the first few weeks and then the crowd thins. The person is at the point where they need people more - when the reality of it all starts sinking in. Since i can't be around for her in person - she doesn't live next door- i figured keeping her mailbox busy is something i can do. And i know she appreciates it which makes me feel pretty good.
Anyway gotta run...

good e-vening

the last few days i've been busy making Halloween cards. some for family, some for friends. I just kept making them til i'd had enough (well enough stamping and embossing til the point i said to myself - tracy you won't wanna finish these - mat, attach to card backs, stamp the inside - if you don't stop now- hence some friends will probably get cards for thanksgiving or fall or even christmas at this rate - its more about the saying - hi - i'm thinking of you - than making sure i get one to every single person for halloween. i make myself crazy. but i digress)
Amidst this stamping and embossing i'd been emailing back and forth with my oldest child who is away at college. this child - well he is a character. an original if there ever was one. And of late he has a greeting - which he uses when answering the phone, sending emails, or talking to you in person. Whether it be in the morning, the afternoon, the middle of the night or in the evening - he greets you with a "good evening". Like i said he is a bit of character. You cannot help but laugh.
So i was stamping... and i decided he needed his own special Halloween card.

now its not much of a "card" - i was going more for a-muse-ment. I know when he opens it he will laugh. And that, of course, is the point. I used Purple Onion Designs "lizziebelle" alpha stamps (oh... what a surprise.... ) colored them in with a zig marker and put a shadow on them using another zig pen. i'll have to post the other halloween cards on tuesday - Halloween - when i'm sure the recipients have gotten them.

Every Grampa was once a little boy

One last thing for today - i wasn't gonna post it but heck.. why not
its a layout using that Signature Suite line from My Minds Eye. Pictures are of my Dad as a little boy. The most wonderful thing, i think, about having these pictures of my father is that you can see the face of my son in one, my nephew in another and my brother in another still. It is really quite amazing. Daddy (and my brother) would be so happy to know it - the living reminders of them.

Books to read, Books to make

Okay so i've been absent lately. I'll bring a note from my Mom soon.
What have i been doing? Working, Mom-ing, Wife-ing
Today i am home as I'm teaching a class this evening. Its a Christmas Planner. Yegods. Christmas you say? Well if you're a planning type person, this would be just the ticket. (And if you're not - well its can be viewed as another reminder of your lack or organization or an excuse to make something cute :-))
I don't have the actual class sample here to scan for you - I do, however, have 2 versions i made to show my students. The class will be making the planners using composition books - covered in Basic Grey Fusion papers:
specifically Mesmerize http://www.basicgrey.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=314
and Chartreuse http://www.basicgrey.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=324
then add some ribbon, some faux Dymo label letters and you get the picture in general.
I made two - one for each of my sisters (who love Christmas as much as i do).

this one is for my older sister. I used Wild Asparagus papers cardstock stamped with Purple Onion designs Paisley stamps (its hard to see - I versamarked them). The alphas, tabs, and holly and berries are made using Quickutz (the font is Zoe).



This one is for my younger sister. I used papers by Doodlebug. The tabs, tree and alphas are all by Quickuts (font is CK Handprint).

Oh and i modpodged over the entire cover. Each tabbed page uses the same line of papers and cardstock and features a pocket.






Now books to read.
a few i've read recently i've been meaning to share:
Miss American Pie by Margaret Sartor
Very interesting book - its the diaries of the author from the time she was about 12. I suppose i found it interesting because she is approximately the same age as me - although she lived a very different life. But its like a time capsule - brings me back to the same era.

After This by Alice McDermott
A novel about an Irish-Catholic Amercian family living on Long Island - the husband/wife and their 4 children. It spans the 40's thru the early 70's - and the effects really of 2 wars on their lives (WWII and Vietnam). It is like nothing i've ever read. I'm a big "scanner" when i read. I know i don't read every word - but with this book - you must read every word. And it is incredible writing. The story skips back and forth - time wise. One minute you are reading the present - and the next moment the author drops a little bomb about what happens in the future. It is really something to read.

Well enough now. I've got a few things to do before i go to work in a little while.

Happy Birthday Dear

(the aforementioned card - stamps by Purple Onion Designs)
I hope its a wonderful day Annie! Don't forget to wear your crown :-)

i'm getting ahead of myself

and i actually made a card for my sisters birthday - and its not for another week! scarey i know. its been on my brain since i saw that pig. the same pig i used on the card below.
When i saw the pig it reminded me of Green Acres. Remember that show? if you don't check this out
http://www.tvland.com/shows/greenacres/
well my sisters and I loved it. We were particularly fond of Arnold Ziffel. (how could you not love Arnold?) Anyway there was one episode someone was selling greeting cards - i can't recall who - probably was Mr. Haney. Anywho - EVERY card started out with the same phrase - with the recicipient reference changed to suit. Example: Happy Birthday O'Sister O'Mine; Happy Birthday O' Uncle O'Mine; Happy Anniversary O'Wife O'Mine... (the inside of the card would alwyas say "I hope this card finds you well and fine") get the idea? Well, it was hilarious and this has been a running gag for my sisters and me ever since. Hence the following. Having the pig - well it just reinforces the green acres thing for my sister - i know it will make her laugh and, of course, that is the whole point.
The stamps are Purple Onion Designs and I MCPT'd the background and used a pen to draw in the border line.
I have another birthday card to post but I need to wait til the recipient has seen it :-)

a little card

for a dear friend - hope it was a happy one miss B

i've been gone all weekend - so i'm catching up. things have been busy between, work, home, blah blah. hoping to write again soon.

oh the card - the alphas are Purple Onion (natch), the hat was stamped using Michelle Ward stamps, and the paper is MME and Basic Grey and the pig - courtesy of the washington post (an ad i cut out)

talk to you soon

Birthday cards

Its been a while

sorry bout that. you know how it goes.
where did we leave off. Oh yeah
DD and i did go to the Smithsonian Naturalist Center. Bad day to go though. They were gearing up for their annual 2 week cleaning (before the hoards of kids start to descend on field trips). Many of the larger animals were already covered with plastic in preparation (although they told me they'd later remove the coverings to vacuum the fur... sounds icky but ya gotta watch out for bugs i'm told). The employees were very helpful and welcoming but DD and i could not help but feel we were in the way. We stayed for an hour. My favorite sketch was of a stone crab but it isn't anything i want to share here. suffice it to say i'm a bit rusty. DD however wasn't. The kid is talented is all i can say. She sketched in minutes the essence of several animals. i could go steal her sketchbook and scan in some drawings but i don't know if she'd appreciate it. Also, I hate to interrupt her at the moment. She's working on homework - either pre-calculus or chemistry and it took a little prodding to get her going, on a Saturday, with the homework.
Earlier today we went on a hunt for a camera for DD. She's taking photography in school and she needed a manual camera. In my day that meant a 35mm. Now its a bit different. Even the Nikon we finally settled on had auto and manual modes. A most cool camera i must say. Oh whilst i have been away (from you all) i also purchased a new digital camera. i think i mentioned my camera died while on vacation. The new one is quite slim and pretty - has a manual feature which i'm looking forward to playing with - it suits me just fine - not too fancy or spensive.
It seems lately i've only gotten to work on work- related things. I've got a 2 page spread on my drawing table right now that is for a class I'm doing at the end of the month. Same materials as the class dictates with a bit of my own twist - and it has pictures (which the class samples don't have naturally.) i think it helps to see these layouts with real photos instead of imagining how they'll look like when they're finished.
But i stopped working on that because today i needed a birthday card. I'm going to a luncheon for my friend's 40th birthday tomorrow. I'd bought some of my new favorite patterned papers - My Minds Eye Signature Suite. Gorgeous stuff and i know my friend also loves it so...
I used Purple Onion Designs alphas on that card and the one i made for an online friend, Michelle (its supposed to be her adorable beagle, Macy)
well darn. i've been trying to upload the pics of the cards for 20 minutes now. i'm gonna post this and hopefully post the cards later. gotta run

Baking and stuff

Last weekend I baked some brownies (chocolate chip cookie dough thrown in a 9x13 baking pan) for DS. He'd mentioned wanting some before we went off to the beach, then he left for school with no time for me to bake them & send him down the road with a batch.

Anyway i baked the brownies on Sunday nite so i could send them along with some books he'd ordered that were due to show up probably Monday or Tuesday. Well the books finally arrived today (Friday). the brownies have been sitting here all week screaming (at anyone who will listen) to eat them. We don't like to ignore such screaming and so the brownies have diminished substantially... ahem. Enough to send DS a small portion but i decided i needed to send him some other goodie. So this afternoon i baked up a batch of his favorite cookies (oatmeal chocolate chip). I have them all bagged up and ready to mail in the morning - even if they don't quite survive the trip - the crumbs will be delicious. :-)

Project Runway - i knew as soon as they said the designers would be dressing moms/sisters there was gonna be trouble. I loved the idea - imagine creating clothes the real world can wear? What a concept.
I was pretty sure Vincent would do ok - only because he had some experience having his own company and perhaps because he's older and the reality of selling clothes requires realizing you need to design for someone other than a perfect 2. I didn't think he'd win but was quite happy he did. He isn't my favorite, he's a little quirky for sure - but gosh - anyone who cashes in their life savings and puts themselves out there like that - well i wish him well - how's that?

I felt sorry for Robert early on - he looked so lost. Vincent's sister was no Barbie doll - his usual client LOL. I was sad to see Robert go - i didn't think his was the worst. (the red was a great color on her - and i can't imagine any woman who is bigger wanting to put on some print like the judges suggested - obviously they've never had a weight problem)

Jeffrey's behavior - well you just wanted to slap him one. Be a big boy and do your job. I think he was more ticked off at having to design for someone who wasn't young and pretty with a tiny little figure and then to get Angela's mom on top of that - well you knew there was gonna be trouble. I was hoping his own mother would go in there and give him a talking to - tell him to grow up. Oh well. He would have been my choice to go this week even though there's something about him i like (and its not those neck tatooes i assure you). His design - well yuck.

Tomorrow DD and me are going to try and hit the Smithsonian Naturalist Center - a small hands on extension of the Smithsonian Museums. http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/naturalistcenter.htm
Our intention is to go there and draw.
Years ago i had to take DS there to work on a school project and found the place fascinating. All kinds of stuff - from insect collections, to shells, to stuffed polar bears (for heavenssake) - they've got it all (including some creatures in jars - things like octopii... ewwww) I got to talking to one of the people who works there and she told me they have many artists go there to just draw. So i filed that in my scarey little brain and knew eventually i'd go back with sketchbook in hand. The best part is its right down the street - literally a minute in the car - or a fine little walk. DD and i have wanted to go there all week - she's only got one week left of vacation - something always seem to get in the way. Their hours don't leave much time after work for me so tomorrow seems to be the best bet this week. Here's hoping we have some great sketch time and good mom/daughter time.

I just realized

its Project Runway tonite! Yeah .... love that show.
i remembered it was on earlier and thought i would throw my two cents in on last weeks elimination. Sorry but i'm the only one i guess on the planet who liked Vincents dress. I know you're thinking i'm crazy. i didn't love it mind you but i think there were several a lot worse. I looked at the show more than once (passing thru and saw it was on again) and i loved the silouhette of the dress with all that junk on it. If you can stay with me on this - and check it out again on the replay tonite - there was one shot of the dress with the girl coming down the runway and the pieces on the dress kinda reminded me of beading and things. Whatever.... I'm sorry but Kane's dress was hideous. And even though i loved her, Alison's dress was not up to her usual. I wish she'd stuck with her original idea. Anything woulda been better than the poofy thing she came up with. i really loved Jeffrey's dress (when i was watching and realized he was working with the newspaper i was hoping he'd paint it up with some PearlEx since they were allowed to buy some art supplies... wouldn't that have been pretty?)
In general i don't like the judges. Michael Korrs and Nina (whoever) were a little skitzy in their critiques. They want inovation but they drooled all over Laura's dress. Sorry - i saw nothing innovative in the dress. I loved the dress but for me it didn't fulfill the challenge. Kane - they went on and on about how hideous it was but MK said somethig like - he can sew a dress. Well again... where was the innovation and they just finished saying how awful it was. So they're allowed to base their choices on past weeks? if so why did sweet hip little Allison go home??? He shoulda gone home. Alison at least tried and hers wasn't theee most awful thing. And Vincent - well- they carried on about how the model couldn't walk in the dress. Hey - she made it down the runway just fine and are they saying that coutoure is always easy to wear? I can remember tons of coutoure that number 1 never was gonna make it into a store and 2 plenty that wasn't easy to wear or walk in (take a look at a few awards shows with these women in tight full length gowns and they can barely walk up or down stairs) Even Heidi conceded the dress was innovative.
ok... done with my rant. We'll see what they come up with tonite... can't wait.
oh and my class... they were just the best bunch of women - so fun and worked like mad - and they were newbies too. Caught on real quick and just were so happy to be there. Made it a total pleasure to go in and work.. doesn't it figure? I spent time whining and it worked out so nice in the end. i hope i see them again real soon :-)

Not in the Mood

for work.LOL i know how pathetic am i?
i went to work yesterday and found out my class tonite is on. Before i left on vacation no one had signed up for the class (zoo pages... actually very nice class - if you like paint & chipboard - which i do) and i thought well fine. I'll have an entire day off after i get back from vacation to catch up on things yaknow? Well yesterday i looked at the schedule and three people had signed up for the class. It surprised me for some reason - i mean no one had even commented on the samples in the store (we usually get a feeling for how the classes will go just by the comments people make - if they get lots of good talk - the class will fill up nicely). Since i'd mentally decided the class wasn't taking place i had to totally shift my thinking. I had to reacquaint myself with the whole thing and get some more samples done. Last nite i ordered from photos from Costco and i picked them up this morning. (love Costco photo developing for just that). Early this afternoon i created 2 more 2 page layouts for the class with pictures. And although they came out quite nice (nicer than the "class" ones if you ask me) i just wasn't into it. It was such a chore and i hate feeling that way. Know what i mean? Well off to the orthodontist with dd.

Beach Books and DVD's

I read only two books while on vacation (i should've brought a few more)
12 Sharp by Janet Evanovich - if you haven't already read any of the Stephanie Plum novels - do yourself a big fat favor and run out and get all 12 (this series is numbered - for example: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, three to get Deadly and so on). They're hilarious reads. I literally laugh out loud reading them. I've even got my mother reading them and she laughs out loud as well.
Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani. I think I've read all of her books - i especially the The Big Stone Gap books. This one was very good, if not a little sad. I loved the time frame in which the main story takes place - the 1950's in New York City. A good part of the story takes place at B.Altman's. If you don't know B. Altman's i can only say how sad. A wonderful store that no longer exists - a favorite store of my youth. It was a favorite of my grandparents as well as my parents. When i was a child my grandparents would sometimes have us stay with them in NYC on weekends. We'd go all over the city (museums, the UN, Radio City) and 5th Avenue was a frequent destination being not that far away. We'd shop at B. Altman's & Saks. Anyway - I loved the characters and the way the author tells the story.
When i'm picking books i want to be entertained - and both these books and authors know how to do that.
DVD's - I'd heard a lot about a series on Showtime called WEEDS. when we went to the Blockbuster at the beach i saw the first year on DVD and thought why not try it.
OMIGOSH... If you don't have Showtime (we don't) you must rent the first season. Of course if you can't imagine being amused by a comedy wherein the main character is a newly widowed mother of two who sells weed - don't rent it. It's outrageous - we loved it. It's not for children thats for sure. And since we watched something like 10 episodes i have the theme song stuck in my head - it is a brilliant song - actually each episode has music that is quite the coolest bunch of tunes i've heard in a while. But the theme song is something of a 60's protest tune and its just wonderful - called Little Boxes. I shall be purchasing the cd shortly. Here's a link if you want to hear what i'm talkin about http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.do just click on the link for the music and listen to Little Boxes.
time for bed - i have to work tomorrow. ugh...

we''re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

well we got back yesterday afternoon. a long delay on the approach to the bay bridge and another delay due to a terrible accident maybe half a mile in front of us on the beltway but we're back. we were trying our best to get home before ds left for school. we thought he was returning on Sunday but he wanted to get going on Saturday. Fortunately he was still packing his car up when we arrived home. Its funny how the first year they go off to college you go with them and its a big dramatic thing. This year (the third year) i think i was the only one who was feeling it. I miss him already. Despite the fact he was rarely home more than a second any day during the summer - barely time to shower and change clothes - i still miss him. oh well.
The rest of yesterday was taken up with doing laundry (piles and piles) reading 100 emails, and unpacking various and sundry items.
We had a wonderful vacation. I shall fill you all in later but i will mention the one bad thing now. I am camera-less.
We were on the ferry to Cape May and i took several pics with no problem. We got off the ferry and started walking about. I saw a house - gorgeous Victorian - tons of gingerbread and it was - pink! - and it practically screamed "take my picture". So i pulled out my camera and took a shot and looked at the review - nothing - black screen. I tried repeatedly to no avail. i thought perhaps when i get home and upload the photos (i took a few more just in case) they will be there. Perhaps something was wrong with the review portion of the camera. Everything else seemed to be working just fine. Last night i hooked it all up and uploaded and still black.
The rest of the vacation i was camera- less. it was like having my arm cut off. At one point, on the beach, i pulled out my phone, forlordssake, to take a pic - i'm that desperate. bereft.
tomorrow i'll be calling the repair company the manufacturer recommends to see what it would cost to repair it. Of course i'm thinking already it may be cheaper to just buy new.
We shall see.
gotta run for now

well thats weird

i uploaded the ocean city pic and its no where to be found. hmmmm
lets try one more time

ah now there you go

and whilst i'm at it a few close ups

See you next week

we are heading out

in the morning for the beach.
de- laware
i plan to :

• do beach (dh's family's way of saying going to the beach. when i was growing up in NJ we said we're were going "down the shore" - so...when in Rome and all that..... )
• read beach books (aka - trash; also semi trash and maybe a little jane austen)
• eat beach food (in these parts that means CRAB. CRAB and more CRAB. did i say CRAB?)
• play skee ball (why i love skee ball - i cannot define it - i could say its because you get tickets and then trade those in for prizes that are total trash which makes it all the more wonderful - but then when i played skee ball as a kid "down the shore" we never got tickets and i STILL loved it... go fig)
• play putt putt (again.. NJ we said miniature golf... but i am in another land - not even that far away - but it might as well be Mars - regardless its got a stick and a ball and its toooooo fun and it is our tradition. And i love traditions.)
• walk every morning (we have taken this up at the beach the last few years. we get up, put on something not too hideous and walk at a good fast pace for around 45 minutes. i like to think of it as an antidote to the ice cream with chocolate sprinkles i will eat later in the day. )
• eat ice cream (with chocolate sprinkles - a major dose of those please) - see above
• see at least one movie
• go to the dollar store for something we forgot. the dollar store is up the street from the house. makes for a nice walk in the middle of the day.
• walk on the beach at least one evening. it is so pretty at night
• draw in my sketchbook every day. i plan to share that here next week.

the skee ball we'll probably play in Ocean City - thats the OC in Maryland not the OC in New Jersey (and certainly not that "other" OC) And on that note - i'll share a photo of a most cool place in OC, MD. We went there one day during last years "beach week". its a short ride from the house in Delaware. everything is a short ride from Delaware (right Lindalou?) Anyway i took my camera (as i'm known to do - i'm no photographer and don't plan to ever be but i like recording for the scrapbook or just to be able to look at things later or refer to the pics for drawing) and snapped this pic of a most cool place on the boardwalk.

sexy since 1981?

have you seen those commercials for Candies? Pat Benatar singing her heart out? Well i had seen the shoes recently at Kohl's and i had a little flashback to college. I took a peek at their website
http://www.candies.com/sitelet/default.asp
and that's the tagline for the original - or rather "vintage" - candies.
Sexy since 1981
I stared at the screen and thought -i think not. I know we had those shoes back in college. Which was between 1975 and 1979 for me.
So i consulted the highest authorities to check that my memory was correct.
The highest authorities - my girlfriends from college of course!
The agreed with me - and have photos to prove those shoes were around long before Candies said they were. How odd -for them to say the company was founded in 1981 with those shoes when we know different. Dontcha think?

Last few days

haven't been ultra interesting. Our A/C was failing and we had to call in someone on Sunday to check it out. It definitely needed fixin. Let's just say freeon (is that how you spell it?) has gone up in price - akin to the gas pump.
I visit the gas pump frequently as E is doing a class this summer and we are running back and forth to the school every day. Well, J does the drop off and i do the pickup, but i digress. An hour to and an hour home - kills a lot of gasoline. Good news is Thursday is the last day of her class. What's she been learning? A computer science class she must have for school. She must be learning lotsa fancy stuff. She was working on her final project last nite when i checked in on her, working hard at her computer. Playing a game that looked like Pong. She made her own version of the game. She wasn't done yet but it looked pretty darn good to me.
Well i'm off to work. I hope to check back in later.

Black is ever so slimming

so tonite i went to the crop at work with the intention of getting work done. i have two classes in september and the idea was to work on the samples: one completed and a good start on the 2nd. well i finally left in disgust at about 9pm. I never began the 2nd sample. The first sample was halfway completed when i walked in the door. I'd done all the cutting yesterday (while i was cooking dinner...lol) and thought this was gonna be easypeasy assembly.
needless to say it wasn't.
darn if these projects that appear sooo simple end up being theeeee worst.
however.
one of the other croppers is a wonderful woman named Teri. She comes to the crop most every week and works on ATC's. she's in a bazillion swaps (or seems to be) and uses friday nites to create her swaps. she is very talented. her atc's would make you drool. they're just - wow. and yaknow i don't think she realizes just quite how good she is.
anyway Teri and I are sitting at tables that face one another and we are chatting off and on. somehow the topic of weight always comes up in female conversation doesn't it? interspersed in the same conversation we're talking about what we're working on. i noticed her atc's are edged in gold. i was inking an edge of a tag with some chalk ink. I commented to her how they (my employers designers) are enamored with black ink. I didnt think it appropriate on the very colorful tags i was working on for their class so i chose a pink pad and was dabbing away. (it looked just right) and suddenly i got a pretty funny notion and started to laugh. Teri said "what?"
i asked her if she thought that if i inked all my edges in black (hips, thighs....) that i might appear thinner? you know - black is ever so slimming.
i hadn't laughed that hard in ages.

tumble dry kitty

i said i was doing lots of laundry yesterday. I pulled a load out of the dryer and left the door open. i went to get the next load for the wash, returned and this is what i found.
he's a funny boy, my frankie. i wish i could've gotten a shot without the glowing eyes but he's not one to sit still long. I am amazed he sat there long enough for me to run down the hall to grab my camera.

2 out

ok so project runway - i guess i lied before when i said i didnt have a favorite. i really liked Keith. Well... maybe not liked him but i loved his clothes. I kinda suspected he might be the one to be getting the boot when they showed the previews last week. He was a bad boy. And we love a bad boy - especially when they make pretty clothes. It was kinda stupid of him to have those books (how did he get them past them in the first place?) but i guess he also left and used the internet (apparent no-no's). You break the rules - you gotta pay the piper.
I really liked his design and was happy the other two were able to pull it off without him leading. i woulda picked their team. Angela - she's a piece of work. She was able to work with her team - not like when she was paired up with Vincent - egad. And those little rosettes worked as buttons (thank goodness they talked her into that!)
When i saw those rosettes i thought of this quilt my mom told me my grandmother made. It was out of little circles all sewn up like little puffs - not unlike Angela's rosettes. Funny - everything old is new again.

a little this - a little that

ok. so i've been on a long blogging break.
but i've been delightfully prodded back
- thank you miss b -
anywho -- life has been whirlwindish. summer brings visitors, new schedules and more reality tv.

i admit i've been hooked for years on Big Brother. It is back and its all stars and it is tooo stinkin fun. it might be hard for someone to just jump into watching BB7 now but if you're at all inclined give it a try.
my other reality guilty pleasure is Project Runway. I watched last season and was so happy to see a new one starting up a few weeks back. Last season i had my definite favorite - Daniel - but this year i'm still on the fence. I do so enjoy watching and tonite you know where i'll be - watching PJ. Course i can't just sit there and watch. Tonite i'll be folding piles of laundry. Makes me feel a bit less guilty :-)

well i'm off right now. i just finished making a huge batch of meatballs (for tonite and a few other meals) and now i think i'll see if i can work on a little project.
i'll be back soon

i'm sure they didn't realize

so last nite i filled out the form for E's summer school (she has an opp to take a course during the summer to free up time for other classes during the school year. translation: she can fit in an art class which is her r'aison d'etre) She'll take a computer science course which she has to have by end of sophomore year. The postmark date must be no earlier than today. I realize this morning i forgot to have her sign the form (required... sigh.. i guess i could forge it? won't help - you must supply a copy of her report card - distributed today - with the application) and i'm thinking well - i'll pick her up this afternoon, have her sign and we'll hit the post office.
I'm listening to the news as i get ready for work and realize
YEGODS... ITS TAX DAY.
We did our taxes months ago so i didn't even give it a thought.
Now we need to go to the post office... to get it postmarked today - so we have a fair chance she'll get into the class.
I wouldn't even think of going anywhere near a post office today but these are the things you do for your child, right?
I am sure the school administration didn't realize it was tax day when they named today as the first day for sending in applications.
i'm sure they couldn't be that cruel

Happy Easter

Greetings
isn't he the cutest ?
more later

blog hopping

tis the season for hopping tisn't it?
so tonite after an early Easter dinner (early as in -son visits for Easter weekend and is going back to school on Easter Sunday- early) i had good intentions of updating here.
its been over a week i'm sure since i've posted.
but intentions are often good 'round here
but i digress
(as i often do)
First i work on some cards.
feeling a tad inspired.
new stamps do that for me :-)
new stamps and old stamps ta-gether
so after playing a while with the stamps i think
now i'll upload a few photos from our annual easter egg dye-ing event
and then i think
i'll just check some of my favorite blogs
do a lil readin
well i blog-hopped for hours it seems
hop
hop
hop
and now its way too late
so
demain
(tomorrow)

i don't whistle while i work

i listen (and half watch) tv and movies.
sometimese i full watch but whatever.
i know some people find the tv distracting but its like the radio to me.
i have it on in the background. Sometimes i watch only.
More often than not however i work on something while i'm "watching"
With movies we rent - those- i sit and watch - just watch.
No sketchbook or project.
Like over the last two weekends we've rented
Capote, Crash, and North Country.
For me - thats a lot of sitting still and watching and doing nothing else.
However all three were worth it. See'em if you have time.
But back to tv.
I like having it on. Like i said its like radio to me. Perhaps i don't like complete quiet.
No - definitely i don't like complete quiet.
But i find i can work on scrapbook pages, make cards, stamp....definitely sketch in
my book - while "watching" tv.
Things just flow for me with that noise in the background.
The radio or cd's rarely do the same thing for me.
And once i get to that place - i have no idea whats happening on the tv -
i just tune it out. funny huh?

This explains my problem

with the scrapbooking world
(i have numerous other problems... but today we'll tackle this one... we just don't have enuf room to tackle all the others)
read this blog entry titled "scrapbooking" dated yesterday, 4/7
http://traciturchin.typepad.com/traci/2006/04/scrapbooking.html#comments
her entry about the editors wanting her to crop the butt out of her layout is where my problem lies.
No matter if she was scrappin for herself or to get herself into a magazine - why oh why is the editor asking her to edit her life?
If scrappin is taking your photos and putting them on cardstock and adding the words to retell a story why do we need to edit that memory?
that butt is real. it's part of the story. Years from now it will still be part of the story. (perhaps it is not the focus of that particular layout however it is part of that persons anatomy - that person was in the picture. they were part of the story of that layout. Just cos some editor didn't like the picture - now we change the memory of that day?)
i'm all for cropping photos. getting rid of distractions in pics. Sure. You're trying to tell what happened in the photos. But why does some editor need to step in and tell her what she should be editing. Obviously she included that pic as it was. Thats the way life is. Big butts and all.
If she wanted to edit out the butt that was her business. But having some magazine editor tell her to edit it out... i got problems with that.
It is her memory. She gets to include what pics she wants and edit them the way she wants.
(i should add here apparently the blogger didn't mind the fact the editor wanted her to crop that pic. i mind. does anyone care what i think? no. but i still have an opinion and that is what this is about. So there)
Is she designing a magazine spread or a scrapbook page?
i've done both.
They are entirely different things.
But more and more i am seeing less scrapbooking and more magazine layout creation - as a scrapbook page.
i don't want my scrapbooks to look like a magazine layout.
i like the way scrapbooks look real.
i'm talking old time scrapbooks.
Like someone's hands have made them.
There's love in that handmade look.
Magazine spreads look very sanitized. Very perfect and thats all good if you are making a magazine.
ok. rant over.
go back to what you were doing

my laugh for the day

i was reading a thread on a message board.
someone was asking for easy recipes for a get together.
a poster replied with a number of suggestions.
One being a platter of -
get this -
crue d'ete
i swear i'm not makin this up

just hilarious!

old friends

the other day i was talking to dh on the phone and i heard the annoying beep of call waiting. Dh was just telling me he was on his way home so we got off and the phone rang.
it was a friend of my mothers.
an old friend. we're talking old.
I'm talking the length of their friendship.
I've heard about this friend probably all my life.
My mom has a group of friends she has had all her life - well practically.
I know they've been friends since at least high school.
And that, my friends, was almost 65 years ago (since she began high school).
Isn't that incredible?
this friend was trying to get in touch with my mom just to chat. She was increasingly concerned as she couldn't reach her at her home. My mom has had a lot of health problems so the friends was naturally concerned. i reassured her that my mom has just been away visiting one of my sisters and not to worry.
I've been emailing with some of my old friends a lot lately.
my friends from college. probably some of the best friends i have ever or will ever have.
We email all the time actually.
There had been a bit of a lull. We all have busy lives: families, jobs etc etc.
Lately the email has surrounded our attempts to schedule a get together. (its always tough to get us all together but we managed it on a number of occasions over the 27 years since we've graduated.)
I'd seen two of these good friends back in the fall. My roommate was having a 25th wedding anniversary and she invited us to their party. What a wonderful time we had. It had been so long since we'd seen one another.
but the thing about these kinds of friends is that no matter how long its been since you've seen one another - its just like yesterday.
We continue where we left off.

This and that

i saw this ad today in the Washington Post Magazine section - it says
Urban Style
I say
Cheddar Style
Anyone got a wheat thin?
seriously would you want to be sitting on a wheel of cheese in your living room.
the kitchen maaaaybe
hell.. not even maybe.
onward

Under the heading
I looked it up:
the word "pompitous" (as in pompitous of love - steve miller was playing on the radio when i was out and about this morning and it occurred to me i'd finally like to check that word out.
to see if it is actually a word.
these are the things we like to do 'round here. We are always referring to the dictionary. (i guess we are in constant scrabble challenge mode... whatever.)
it ain't... a word.... pompitous.
i know you're relieved.
As was I
but under the heading of "believe it or not"
(and i'm sure you will)
there are quite a number of websites which debate and discuss this line from the song
it's a wonderful world isn't it?

moving on....
we heard from DS last nite. he's on an interstate scavenger hunt for a frat.
yegods.

we're having a quiet sunday 'round here. just the dh and myself.

DD is off sampling macroorganisms or somesuch thing from the waters of Fairfax County.

She had her hipboots, goggles, and other sundry scientific materials ready this morning. DH took her to meet up with her fellow scientists.

She should be calling for her ride home soon.

Me - i went to the grocery store, put away said groceries, cleaned a bathroom (don't i always seem to be doing that? we have 4 - so its inevitable.) and baked some brownies

I think i will go work on some cards or scrapbook pages with the time i have left

go back to what you were doing

all fixed

which is a relief.
water pump.
i guess it coulda cost more
:-)

H is for hot

in the last week or so i've noticed something on the garage floor -
looks like a puddle of water. like when you've got snow on the car or its been raining - the garage floor usually reflects that.
so last nite i pick up dd from the bus and we're on our way home and some kind of light comes on the dashboard.
it looks like a tiny thermometer.
we are sitting in mega traffic.
of course - it's NoVA
i begin to get a little nervous but think we're almost home.
then an alarm starts to sound.
it's like a bell being rung over and over
i see the temperature guage is on H
i'm thinking "crap" with a big C
at this point we're are soooo close to home. just through one more major intersection and then one more (very busy) left turn and we're home.
i decide to turn the car off while we wait at the big light
its a loooooooooong light so i'm hoping it will give the car a chance to cool off
a bad word pops out of my mouth
dd says its ok mom. we're almost home. :-)
and indeed we do make it home.
Guess what we're doing this morning?
dropping off the car
more later

you know you're distracted when...

your daughter says to you,
"Mom, why is there a towel in the dishwasher?"
this happened last nite.
I had a day off yesterday.
got my hair cut and hilighted (i was lookin like a skunk in reverse again so it was tiiiiime)
and
doing this
that
and the other thing.
and apparently i left a towel in the dishwasher.
(to dry off shtuff as i take it out. Does your dishwasher leave you with pools of water in the tops of the cups? someone should seriously work on the re-design of the top rack -youknowwhati'mtalkinabout?)
anywho
i didn't think it was such a big shmeel
but apparently it amused those living in my household.
i'm getting a bit of a ditz reputation.

hey this is like some kinda record. i've posted everyday this week.
and countem'
twice today.
now go back to what you were doin

The Concierge does it and you can too!

i was reading Heidi Swapp's blog this morning and saw her video demonstrating her rub-ons. If you want a little chuckle please take a look at it:
http://www.heidiswapp.typepad.com/
scroll down to where it says "here it is!! so excited!"
she's got a link there.
It really is quite a bit of marketing genius. It would be a faboo commercial. Seriously.
If you're not hip to the history on these rub-ons - well i'll clue you in. They got some bad press that i know of -on a particular well-known scrapbooking site (which shall remain nameless...ahem).
Totally unfounded i might add.
I have the aforementioned rub-ons. And i used them over this past weekend. They worked just fine - i didn't need a video either.
But hey.. that's me.
I am rub-on inclined.
Perhaps others are not so gifted. (these are the jokes people.)
Regardless these rub-ons are a fine.. nay.... a WONDERFUL product.
However since they got a bad rap or rub as the case may be i am sure HS felt the need to do a little PR? whatever. Personally i would love to see more creations ( she's something else that one - what a creative mind she has!!!!) than her spending her time trying to redeem a perfectly wonderful product.
But in true HS form - she creates this hilarious little video.
A 12 year old can use them; a grown woman and a grown man can use them. Heck ...
even the Concierge can do it.
Some might say they all had instruction from HS. so of course they could do it.
I say.. oh who cares.
go back to what you were doing now....

i'll get my clothes dirty

cos it'll be cheaper than this
http:/www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/486569.html?cm_id=3000.640
yegods.
i checked to see what it was made from (thinking hey it must be some exotic 'spensive fabric for $49.00 right?).
it says "kool rugged cotton, 4 pockets, a silkscreen wasp and great twill straps".
what if it was cool rugged cotton with a "c"?
or maybe a little less rugged?
would that cost less?
or perhaps if there were only 2 pockets
i mean the second set of pockets (viewable in the "alternative view") would reside on my butt.
i don't know about you but i don't need pockets on my butt when i'm creating (or otherwise)
and the great twill straps.
what if they weren't quite so great?
and i could definitely live without wasps. i have enough problems with wasps around here building nests. i don't need one on my chest.
oh heck. i don't wear aprons anyhow.
i'm done blabbering now.
go back to what you were doing

it has become obvious

that i stink at keeping up this blog.
but i digress right away.
it became apparent to me over the weekend, whilst working on ds's scrapbook that
while i adore patterned paper
(like some women love shoes)
(my love for patterned paper is close to my adoration for chocolate)
that i don't use it much (the paper not the chocolate)in my scrapbooking
i have three containers full of patterned papers - stuffed to the gills i might add
and two containers for 12 x 12 cardstock that are moderately full. (we won't discuss the 3 containers for 8.5x11 cardstock, k?)
i came to this conclusion when i was searching through the cardstock bins to find an appropriate color. I wasn't likin my choices. i had used them up.
now i use patterned paper like KA-RAY-ZEE on my cards.
but on the pages - not so much.
now the question becomes: do i keep all this patterned paper? do i sell it on ebay (as have some of my friends have done) or do i keep it for cards (i will never make that many cards i guess.
and what do i do when i see more cute paper.......

So you see why i hate resolutions

i can't seem to keep to 'em.
i have been drawing more - so that's good. I've been drawing almost everyday even if its a doodle. doodles count in my book.
Great things come can come from doodles (great thighs from cheese doodles - great ideas from other doodles)
anyway things continue to be busy. work (taught 2 classes in the past 2 weeks); dd has kept us hopping with her rehearsal schedule for her play at school. Thankfully that's over til the next play appears on the horizon. We went to the play on thursday night. "Much Ado About Nothing" - one of Shakespeare's plays i was not familiar with - never having seen it performed. It was quite amusing, our daughter was wonderful (natch) and the rest of the cast was quite wonderful. What a wonderful bunch of kids she has met at that school.
anyway, other than doodling and work obligations - not much creating going on here. Its in the brain but not making it to paper - other than notes and doodles. and for now i have to be content with that. Too much time talking about what isn't being done.
What is getting done? Ah well bathroom cleaning seems to be never-ending (4 bathrooms will do that) as is cooking and laundry (the bane of my existence - fortunately the husband seems to love doing laundry - or just puts on a good act for me.... and what more could one ask? he does it once a week and i do it once a week - apparently we make a lot of dirty clothes). This afternoon i'm baking. Do we need cookies? absolutely.
Sometimes creating doesn't have to be with a pencil, brush, stamp or whathaveyou. Sometimes, in my mind at least, creating means making something. Any thing. And today, for part of the day, my creating will take the form of oatmeal and chocolate chips.
And whilst i'm scooping out dough, wonderful ideas will swirl in my head and then into my sketchbook (in between batches). So what if the sketchbook gets some traces of dough on it, right?

resolutions

i really hate resolutions - new years and other kinds i spose but its that time of year and i've neglected this blog for way too long. So i'm resolving to post more often in the new year. the last few months have been filled with not-so-fun stuff. I guess that's an excuse - certainly a rationalization but also true. Things are calmer at the moment. I'm starting to feel a bit like my old self. The craziness of the holidays is almost over (although we venture out of town to do the husbin's family christmas and if that ain't crazy - nothing is... more on that in a second). My kids and husbin are home. My mom is visiting my sister. I have new music and books to listen to and read. Life's feelin good at the moment. I'm a little chubbier -thanks to my own baking skills :-) - but i think even that's surmountable in due time.
Tomorrow we leave for the husbin's family christmas - i guess about a 3 hour drive to Delaware where all his siblings will descend upon the main family home (as opposed to the beach house which will house some overniters - we however are staying in a local motel). This event makes me cringe every year - its all very nice - all friendly happy faces - its just the sheer numbers that get to me i guess - and my feelings of claustrophobia :-) Approximately 30 family members will attend this years event. And there is no escape. There are people every where. For me this is difficult. Some people who know me think I am an outgoing personality - I am certainly "on" at work - but for those who truly know the real me - I am a shy girl at heart. I am most content in a quiet environment - listening to music, reading a book, watching an old movie. Drawing in my sketchbook - making things. Being in my own little world. I like quiet. I enjoy being alone. I will however be there and try my best not to freak out. I could send my cookies and meatballs (both requested items) and stay at home. But the husbin would not be very happy about that. My participation is important to him - he knows it is very hard for me but he really doesnt ask much - so i will suck it up and go. I will report back later - perhaps with photos of the insanity. I am always armed with my camera and the pics of the gift exchange alone are amusing (a literal sea of people watching a particular giftee open their present)
Our gifts are wrapped (courtesy of the husbin) and my gift tags are adorning them (courtesy of my quickutz - i love it and my dies lord help me - its an addiction). I've packed up the cookies (which i painted with edible gold dust and vegetable coloring - i've painted cookies as long as i can remember - its not Christmas if I don't paint my sugar cookies). I need to pack some clothes but i'll do that in the morning along along with a new book and my sketchbook and my rapidograph. maybe the new issue of CK i haven't had much time to look at and we'll off. We'll be back on Saturday early afternoon, in time to ring in the new year from the burg. Oh and we will be taking a sidetrip to Ikea on the way back. Lookin forward to that.
so... resolved to writing and posting more.
My other 2 resolutions: draw and scrap more. Drawing is number 1 however. always has been and always will be.

okay... so i've been busy

and not posting. there are only so many hours in the day and i like to use a few to sleep.
In the last two weeks we've been to the beach, my sister and her family from Arizona have been here to visit; as well as my sister and nephew from NJ also came to VA for a few days; my mom has been in the hospital (9 days and counting); we've taken our son back to college and done a picnic to meet other families from my daughters high school (its not in the area so this was a good opp for her to meet a few kids and us to carpool network). And to top it all off I'm on call for federal jury duty. Haven't been called in yet (which is good cos the courthouse is over an hour away - yuk... Northern VA traffic not included) and i've got one week left to go after this one.
Hopefully i'll be back again soon to post some stuff.