National Scrapbooking Day - Got any plans?

I am trying very hard to get my act together for National Scrapbooking Day. I have two essays to finish, one chapter to read, and two quizzes to take before Friday. If I can get that done, I can spend most of Saturday just hanging out.

Take a gander over there:

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I'm a Stampin' Up rep now. lol. They've got some cool stuff. And new cool stuff coming out in July. Oh! And starting May 1st, their paper packs are buy 3 get 1 free. I'm getting:

Rainbow Sherbet:

Rich Regals:

In Color:

And something for free, lol. I'm too tired to look right now. But it's a great little deal I think.

Anyway, I'm headed to bed. Dog the Bounty Hunter is on and they're are in Hawaii at the airport. I want to be in Hawaii at the airport.....arriving for an extended vacation, lol. I've said it before, I'd live there if I could afford it. I keep dreaming about it.

Alrighty, I'm off here. G'nite!

Some good news!

I spoke to my friend last night and her daughter with the head trauma is eating on her own. I guess the nurses were spoon feeding her applesauce and Gracie took the spoon and fed herself! What a great day indeed!

We are off to the Girl Scout event, Uniquely Me! It's 5 hours long, but is supposed to be very fun and informative. We'll see. My son is not happy about it. But, I personally think he'd look cute in a pink feather boa.

Alrighty, I am getting off the laptop and fixing my hair. And I'm almost done cleaning, so I guess I should spend a hour wrapping that up.

See ya!

Finished with my homework for tonight

I can't believe it's almost time for finals! Guess I better get my butt into gear, huh? Hopefully, I will pass all my classes and then, I am taking the fall semester off to focus on finding and keeping a decent job and to stop spreading myself so thin. (that's the only way I can use the word thin in a sentence about me,lol) Anywho, I only have about 3 more weeks of class. Whoo-hoo!!!

I haven't heard any news about my friend. I saw on her myspace that she's really worried about Gracie and that she misses her husband terribly. I missed an IM from her tonight too. I wish I knew where she was staying, I would try to call. But hopefully she'll try to get in touch with me again. She said the girls got their stuffed animals. I'm so glad. Kids need something to hug when they're scared. I'm still praying and if you know me, you know I'm not the praying type. Although, this past week has gotten me thinking about that a lot. Maybe I should be the praying type.

So, my hunny is gone for the weekend, softball again. And I get to spend the weekend cleaning the mess that is my house. I haven't done anything all week since I hurt my back and um...neither has anybody else. Piles of laundry, dishes, and stuff are EVERYWHERE. I'm dreading going to bed because that means I have to get up and start cleaning.

Sunday is another girl scout function. Hopefully this one will be fun. I dunno if I'm gonna stick around for it though. I will have my little guy with me and I don't think he really wants a makeover. Perhaps we will go shopping. Perhaps not. Maybe we'll just go watch a movie. We need to have some Mom & Nate time. But I need to find out how the event is gonna work before I commit to anything.

I started going to a chiropractor this week. It is unkinking me, but I need to decide if $173 a month is worth it. That would seriously cut into my fun money, but then, what more do I need to buy? LOL I have one more box of stuff, plus my Stampin' Up demo kit coming and well, I'll be almost set. One large die order from SU oughta do it. After finals are over, so after May 15th, I will have all kinds of extra time on my hands. And possibly weekends with no one home and no homework. It gives me chills to think about it.

I'm going to be on the lookout for low cost, healthy-ish meals that my family will eat. Low carb for me, but tastey for them. I wish I could stand fish, because I know it's good for me, but unless it's breaded and on a bun, I ain't gonna touch it. Even then, it's iffy. But I'll eat tuna. Go figure. The reason for this is that both hunny and I are overweight. We need to stop eating so much pasta and start eating more veggies. Poor guy, he lives on pasta. We probably have it 4 nights a week. So yeah, we gotta cut that out. Besides, summers coming. I need to be bikini ready. *giggle* (By the way, if you see me in a bikini, feel free to harpoon me).

Alright, that dreaded time is here. I just have to keep reminding myself....I have 4 boxes of un-opened scrap stuff that came over the last two day. That is my reward for cleaning my house. And if I'm really good, maybe I'll take the kids to town and see what kind of Sizzix stuff the Michaels accross town has. And get them a treat. They'll do anything for a treat.

G'nite.

It's been a week

Since that horrible car wreck. My friend Teri is so heartbroken over the loss of her husband. I can just feel it. I haven't spoken to her yet, but it's in my heart. Have you ever felt that? You just *know*. She is being strong for her girls though and helping them recover. Em is being released from the hospital tomorrow and will need a wheelchair and a walker for a while. Gracie is out of ICU and off of the ventilator, but still not awake. She is going to need a lot of specialized care for a long time. I just want to give them all big hugs and tell them it will be okay. Yesterday I sent the girls some stuffed animals from the hospitals gift shop. I haven't tried to call because this is a very tense time and Teri has many family members there to support her. I got another email that said Teri knows we've all been praying and when she's up to it, she'll start calling us.

Here is a link to a newspaper article about the wreck. Andrew is officially a hero in my book.

I'm gonna get off here because I'm crying again. Be sure to say a prayer tonight for them. G'nite.

Whiney whine whine.....

Yeah, you heard me. I'm whining. Today has been....frustrating to say it best.

*I went to a chiropractor this morning. Guess who's out of alignment? Yeppers. So now I get to spend lots n' lots of money getting realigned. They kept pushing me to bring my kidlets and get them looked at. Ummmm..... no. I can't afford my own treatment, much less treatment for my "still growing" children. The #1 reason I hate chiro's. They can work wonders, but it's really not necessary to involve my entire family.

*I may not be attending college next semester. I'm okay with that, except it's not really my choice. Financial aid is giving me a hard time because they changed the rules about the percentage of classes that you can drop without it affecting your financial aid. It has gone from 75% to 67% AND they are including ALL classes from the beginning of your collegate career. So for me, they are including all the classes I dropped out of when I was a teenager (and dumb), from when I was attacked by a dog, and from when I gave birth and missed finals. All of which are from over 11 years ago. Yeah. I can't use the classes I passed towards my degree, but the ones I dropped count against me now. Lovely. I get to file an appeal. Great. Red tape. Love it.

and another thing, I cannot enroll for a class that I was just enrolled in last semester. I took a math class online and realized that online was not for me. I need to have a class that I attend so I can "get" it. So I tried to register. No go. The reason? They changed the friggin' requirements to get in the class. Now I have to take a placement test. And the testing center is open M-F 9am - 3:30pm. No evenings, no weekends. Isn't that special? It's a community college. Just who do they think is attending? Hmmm.....people with jobs, perhaps? So I get to figure out how exactly I can take off work to take a test so I can take a class I've already qualified to get into to. (My brain hurts)

*I got a collection notice about a hospital bill that for some reason Blue Cross can't get paid. I have been trying to figure out something since July of last year. And I finally talked to the hospital and found out they didn't apply the payments I'd sent to the bill, they applied them to a bill from 1996. Yep. 6 years past the statute of limitations to collect AND included in bankruptcy. The guy I spoke to said they would fix the payments and send me a revised bill and I said if they'd do that, I'd just pay it. Nope. They sent it to collections for the original amount. They never applied those payments. So, I get to get on the phone with all involved parties. I hate dealing with this. I'm ready to say screw it and let it be in collections. I'm not trying to get any credit any time soon. And it's a medical bill, overlooked by most banks. I'm tired of dealing with incompetency on both ends.

And my last whine, I cannot scrap. It hurts too much to reach for stuff. :( I'm bummed. I had time and motivation tonight up until I tried to grab something and had a pain shoot up my back. Hopefully I am better by the weekend. *sigh*

I guess my whines are really dumb all things considered. I should just be counting my blessings i guess.

I got an update from my friend's cousin. My friend Teri is okay physically, but I imagine she's going through some terrible things emotionally. Her daughter Gracie, is getting better and has been moved out of ICU and Em is walking, despite the broken hip and pelvis. If they keep improving they'll be moved to Reno soon. I saw a picture of their car, and it's a miracle they survived. I'm hoping to send them some teddy bears via the gift shop tomorrow. And they still need prayers, so keep 'em coming. (It's working)

Okay, I am going to bed. I have another chiro appt in the morning and then it's work all day. I think I get paid tomorrow. Or maybe it's Thursday. Either way, it'll be nice.

G'nite

It's been a bad weekend all around.....

I just learned that one of my dear friends was in a car accident in Wyoming this past Thursday. Her husband was killed and her 2 little girls are fighting for their lives in Colorado. She herself is injured, although I don't know how badly. My heart is so sad for her. I wish there was something I could do for her. I'm saying prayers and asking others to pray as well.

And from my previous post today, my back is still hurting very, very bad. I haven't been able to do anything today. Just getting up to go to the bathroom is excruciatingly painful. I've tried ibuprophen, muscle relaxers, and heat therapy, but have gotten no relief. I'm worried that I may have done something serious. I will see how it feels tomorrow and go to my doctor if it's not getting better by then.

Well, I am going to try to concentrate on my Economics tests I have to take today. I am so distracted by the news of my friends accident that I can't focus. I just keep tearing up. I don't know what to say to her when I talk to her.

The best laid plans....

Well, despite having the plan to spend my weekend scrappin' away, things have gone in a different direction. I am sitting on the couch with a heating pad against my back unable to move without incredible pain. Lucky me. Yesterday, I thought it would be a great idea to rake the weeds in the back yard into piles. Apparently my back didn't think it was such a great idea. I couldn't get out of bed this morning. When I finally managed it, I took ibuprophen and so far, it hasn't touched it. So, I took a muscle relaxer, which will put me to sleep here in the next few minutes. Or maybe it will allow me to go into my scraproom and piddle around.

The moral of this story is hire someone else to do my yardwork. I have learned my lesson. Avoiding another weekend of agony is worth the money.

I'm leaving you with a funny cat picture. Have a great rest of the weekend.

A kick in the pants!

I was finishing up some homework and on a break, I hopped on 2Peas and found myself a little kick in my scrappin' pants! There is going to be an online crop this weekend. This Sat. from 6 - 10 pm (EST) and all day Sunday (8am - 8pm EST). Looks like 10 challenges and a little chitter chatter. I'm down with that. So from 3pm Saturday until 9pm Sunday - DON'T BOTHER ME! I'M SCRAPPIN'!!!!!! Now to plan for this little event, I need to do all my homework tomorrow night and Saturday morning. Oh, and buy a Costco size roll of duct tape for my kidlets. (Silence is golden, duct tape is silver!) Perhaps I will rent some kid flix and give them reign of the 42" monster TV. That oughta keep 'em quiet for a split second or two.

I'm totally excited that they are coming home from dad's tomorrow. I get bored easily without them underfoot. Plus, they have chores. Muahahah! I jest. Seriously, I've been lonely. The idea of them being gone sounds marvelous until it actually happens and I just don't know what to do with myself. Guess that proves that for better or worse, I'm a mom. Say it with me...."Awww..."

OOHHHH!!! Guess who bought a Cricut? My mommy! So, I finally will get to see first hand why it's so much better than my old wishblade. LOL. I just need to help her get SCAL so she can go wild. Which reminds me, I need to upload photos to Walgreen's for developing. Tomorrow night. I'm going to bed here in a minute.

Okay well, speaking of bedtime, it's here. Tomorrow is Friday, which means I will have worked a 40 hour workweek and I didn't keel over. Wonders never cease, do they ?

G'nite!

OMG! It's FREEZING!

I am so cold! It has been snowing today and right now I cannot get warm. It's probably because I don't have anyone here to snuggle with. :(

So I had another good day at the temp job. I like this one a lot. Too bad it's got a end date. While I was there I got an email about becoming a Stampin' Up demonstrator. I'm seriously giving it some thought. I'm pretty sure I can meet their quarterly requirements and I have so many project ideas that I'm ready to bust.

There are two commericals I've seen lately that are just tugging at my heartstrings. I totally wish I'd had a dad like these....

well, heck, I can't find #2.... Its the popcorn commercial where the dad and brother sit down to tea with the little girl because she has popcorn. Watch for it, it's very cute.

That's all I've got for today. I have to go read a little bit before I fall asleep. I'm still reading
"The Host". It's not one of those that I can't put down, you know what I mean? It's still okay, but not enthralling. We'll see.

G'nite!

Monday, Monday.....

Well, it's Monday. Need I say more? LOL I started a new temp job today. Unfortunately, I am doing the job of someone who was injured in a motorcycle accident. So of course, I hope this is a short stint, because that means that she is well enough to come to work.

So my house is quiet and lonely since everyone is gone. It's eerie how calm it is. Of course I am not really using the vacancy to my advantage. I worked until 4:30 today, and came home to clean. I didn't get too far though, because the March issue of Scrapbook Trends was ready at the library. I got the dishes done, so perhaps that counts for something. Tomorrow, I am cleaning out the fridge because it's gross... Does that count as having plans?

This past weekend my mom and I went to Sacramento again. I think she might be addicted. :) That's okay, I needed a fellow addict on my side. So we went to Ikea, Joann's and Green Tangerines. I am so in love with GT. I agonized over the decision to get their monthly kit. AGONIZED. I liked the Jan '09 kit, LOVED the Feb '09 kit and liked the Mar '09 kit. So I decided that their kits fit my style and could possibly save my wallet. Possibly. So I got the Feb '09 kit, and am going to get April '09 and May '09. Then we shall see. In the mean time, take a gander at why I LOVED the Feb '09 kit:

I told you I'm in LOVE. :)

Check out the rest of my loot from this trip here:

Sac Trip 4/11/2009

OH! We survived the egg drop. I am scrapping those pics this weekend. Let's just say Lizzie was VERY happy because she was one of three students in her class with unbroken eggs.

Alright, I'm headed to bed. But before I go, one last picture...

I bought these bags at Costco because I was sick of loose crap rolling around my van after shopping there. The other day, I had three grocery bags from Walmart rip before I got them home. So I loaded all 10 of my bags into two of these and carried them in. How freaking cool is that? Now I can get all my groceries into the house in 1 trip. It's the little things that make me happy....

K - G'nite! :)

Things have calmed down, sort of.....

I found out yesterday that I am going to be starting a new temp job on Monday. I'm pretty excited. It'll get me out of the house during the day and give me back the pressure that I thrive on. :) My hunny is back in town until Sunday, when he goes to TN again. *sigh* The kids are leaving tomorrow for their spring break week. So come Sunday afternoon, I am all alone for a week. I was going to start posting recipes here on the blog, but since I won't be cooking, I'll hold off on that until everyone gets back.

I took my kiddos to the doctor's office this week for check-ups/new patient establishment. And of course, I was told what I already knew....I have 3 healthy kids. Although I couldn't believe that Liz is 102lbs. What happened to my 7lb 9oz baby girl???? When did she grow up?

Well, I haven't done anything exciting or constructive lately, but hopefully with an empty house, that'll change when everyone is gone. For today, I get to help Lizzie construct an egg drop. I'm going to try to be there for the actual event, so I can get cool pics and see if our idea wins. :)

Before I Fall Asleep....

I know it's only 7:30, but I am exhausted. I didn't sleep well last night and today was a very busy day in my lemony cupcakey world. :)

Introducing the newest member of the extended family, Baby Issac. He was born this morning at 11:58 am. He's 19 inches long and 7lbs 14ozs. My brother and his girlfriend were blessed with a very healthy baby. He's kinda cute too. :)

So I am off to bed because I can, lol. G'nite!

I'm a little bummed tonight

I am feeling kinda blue tonight. I have been trying to make some new friends (scrap buddies) and I'm feeling kind of leper-ish. I really enjoy hanging out and scrapping with another gal but I just can't find anyone. I know, I'm whining. I have a couple of friends, but they don't "get" scrapbooking. And lately it seems as though our lives are heading in different directions, so I'm not getting a whole lot of contact with them anyway. Maybe they sense that I'm starved for adult interaction. I dunno.

I would love to try going to a crop, but logistically it's hard. Just finding somewhere to stash the kiddos for a little "me" time is a challenge. And I'm not really good in groups of people that I've never been around before. I always feel awkward and out of place, so I don't say a lot. And I think that makes me appear snobbish, when in reality, I'm not. I tried to meet a fellow Pea in person and I think I may have scared her. I know I talked her ear off. Desperation is ugly..... *sigh*

Alright, I guess I'm gonna go feel sorry for myself while I bake some brownies or cookies or something else I'm not supposed to eat. Hopefully, I'll get into my scraproom and play around and that'll make me feel better.

It's 12:30am and guess who can't sleep?

Bet you got that answer right, lol. I've been up finishing homework and then I spent the last ten minutes looking at Stampin' Up. I ordered from them last week and am very happy with my purchase. I have to admit that I got sucked in because I wanted a certain stamp set that was "free" with a $50 purchase. Like my economics professor says, there's no such thing as free. ;) But wouldn't you have wanted it too?

Well, to meet the $50 I bought a couple of cool things. #1 - A white pigment ink stamp pad or as SU calls it : Craft Stampin Pad - Whisper White. For the record, this is totally AWESOME! I don't have a lot of experience stamping, but I have tried to stamp white on a dark color, like black. I never had a lot of success. This stamp pad changed that for me. I used it last night and I'm in love with an ink pad. Go figure. #2- a very large skull vinyl decal for the older girls room. It ROCKS! I just need to figure out how to get it up on the wall. :) #3 a stampin' around wheel kit, stamp, roller and ink - in Scary Skulls of course! #4-Rockabilly papers (notice the skull theme continues) #5 - the scalloped edge punch, because every scrapper should have one. :) The part that really sucks is that I am on a strict no spending spree through the month of April, or until I get a job, whichever comes first. But I can guarantee my first purchase will be more of those yummy ink pads, because I'm getting into this stamping stuff. :)

Speaking of which, I SCRAPPED!! Yes, yes, I did. My son's teacher is expecting her first baby next week and they had a shower this afternoon for her. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning making this little album:

The part that took the longest was waiting for that white ink to dry, but man, it was fun to play again. His teacher loved it by the way and thought I should try selling them. Maybe once I've improved my technique. But hey, craft fairs happen a lot around here. So maybe......

Alright I should try going to sleep. I don't sleep well all alone, and its starting to show. Plus I have 5 kids here tonight that I have to get up with and feed in the morning. I'm babysitting the neighbor kids. So I guess I'll shut the laptop down and try for some shut eye. Oh! Before I go, I guess I can show a pic of my chopped off hair. I got it cut this past week. It was buggin' me be so long. The girl at the salon cut it too short, but that's the way it goes. It's hard to judge curly hair like mine. Anyway, what do you think?

I *heart* recycling! :) And IT's ALIVE!!!!

I have been ordering scrap stuff as a form of retail therapy. I know I shouldn't be, but it makes me feel good. And it all comes in those cool priority mail boxes that I recycle in my scraproom. They make great paper holders. :) I've gotten like 6 in the last two weeks, lol. And there's a couple more coming, which is good because I have more paper.

I got a letter from the Girl Scouts today. According to their records, I've been a scout for 15 years. It really feels like much longer, lol. I am supposed to be presented with an award at a luncheon, but I already have plans for that day. :( It's still pretty cool, I love being a Girl Scout.

And my most exciting news ~DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!

My wishblade is now connected and operational! I finally got it to communicate with my laptop. Now, I get to learn the software. I'm so excited!!! I may never go outside again, lol. :)

Alrighty, I am going to go back to searching for wishblade files and then I am headed to bed. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to make fried chicken for dinner. I'm feeling ambitious, lol. We had Burger King since we had scouts tonight and I just hate that. So I thought I'd do something home cooked tomorrow. Plus I have potatos that need cooking so we'll have mashed potatos. My poor kids have to live with my cooking experiments. Don't worry, I bought a new bottle of Pepto this morning. ;)

Good Night!