HAPPY BELATED AND HAPPY EARLY.....

Hello........
Hello..............
Is anyone out there??????????????

Okay - I have no idea who actually reads my blog but for all of you who may be a little interested, I guess you've noticed that I've been a little M-I-A with the blogging world.

Feeling a little down and depressed lately.
Yuck.........
I really dont like to feel like this.
Needless to say, the people around me are probably not too thrilled about it either.......

Why????????
Oh, I have no idea.
I can blame it on the economy (and believe me, right now finances are definitely at the top of my list of things that are depressing me)
I can blame it on hormones (that is the beauty of being a woman - you can always blame it on hormones......)
I can blame it on...........
Well, it really doesn't matter why I am feeling this way.
The main thing is to get my butt moving and snap out of it..........
Easier said than done......

Anyway.
I wanted to wish you all a Happy Belated Christmas and also a Happy New Year (just in case it takes me another month before I blog again)

Well, that's it.
It's almost the end of the year.
Out with the old - In with the new.
I have a ton of things I want to accomplish in 2009 - I bet you probably have a list like that too.
How much of it I will get to, I have no idea.
Oh well........
It is what it is.........


Thanks for listening...........

Hugs........

P.S. - If you are reading this, can you please wave & say "Hello".......
Thanks......

Maria

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, today is 12/5/08.......
Not quite sure where 12/2/08, 12/3/08 and 12/4/08 went but obviously my "Picture Of The Day" project went out the window AGAIN.............
Hey, I did one day - Doesn't that count for something??????????????

On 12/2/08 I was going to take a picture and realized that my camera battery want now TOTALLY DEAD......... (As you recall it was on it's last leg the day before.......) No worries - Just go to your other camera - You know..... The fancy expensive one that you were so anxious to get............ Oh........ Yeah.............. That one has a dead battery too............... Sigh........

On 12/3/08 I slept through trying to take a picture.
On 12/4/08 - Same thing...........

Now it's 1:54 on the morning of 12/5/08 and I am officially giving of "Picture of the Day" and going upstairs and going to sleep..............


Sigh.................

POTD - DECEMBER 1, 2008

What is POTD????
P-icture
O-f
T-he
D-ay

So many people are doing POTD and I have tried doing it but have failed so today, the first day of December, here I am starting again.


My first POTD is not exactly the best picture because I had absolutely no time to try to focus or anything but it was 1 second before midnight and I had a camera battery which was on it's last legs (one of these days I'll learn to start charging the camera AND the cell phone on a regular basis)


Anyway.......... The POTD is of my little Boyds Bears that sit in front of my computer.
On the front it says "Friends Make Memories" and it is of two little scrapbooking bears.
On the bottom it has the Limited Edition numbers and their names "Jen & Michelle" and it says "Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures........." - Saint Thomas Aquinas.

My mother had bought me these little bears from QVC many, many years ago.
Not only did she buy one but she bought two. She told me one was for me and that I should give the other to a friend - I had given the other to my BFF Laura because she is the one who introduced me to the world of scrapbooking.


Thanks Laura - Although I am now completely broke because of a slight (major) addiction to buying scrapping supplies, I have met so many wonderful people in this wonderful scrappy community and the memories of great times shared are completely priceless so thank you Mom for my little bears and thank you Laura for being my BFF.





:0)

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING

Every year I kick myself in the butt for missing all the great sales that are out there for Black Friday. This year I did some planning. I wrote down what time certain stores open and what they have advertised. I clipped my coupons and I planned on being at my first stop (Kohl's) at 4:00 a.m. because I need clothes and I had coupons.....

Well.... I couldn't get to sleep Thursday night (so what else is new....) so I did not wake up till 7:00 a.m. on Friday - There went my big plans of hitting a bunch of stores.

All was not lost. I got there later than I thought but I did do quite a bit of damage to my credit card but I did get some good bargains. And you would have been very proud of me - I went to AC Moore and walked around, walked around, walked around but walked out with nothing.

Saturday was another story....... I went back to AC Moore and did buy two paper stacks and two Sizzix dies but only because they were 50% off with another 20% off on top of that but even though I was tempted to buy so many other things I went on to Macy's.

There I was not so good........ I shopped myself silly.

Again - It is the whole coupon thing. Everything I got I got on sale plus coupons so even though I spent a lot I did save and it's all stuff that I needed.

On the way home I was thinking how quickly Halloween came and went - How quickly Thanksgiving came and went - How it will be soon time for Christmas.
Then I saw it............. Yes............. There they were again........... Cars with Christmas Trees on their roofs. Not one, not two, but THREE of them in a row driving in front of me (so ofcourse I had to speed up so I could take a picture but in order to avoid crashing my car I only got a picture of two....... LOL)

Well..........

It's official..........
It's time to start decorating.

Now...........

Where in the world are all my decorations????????????????

Sigh...........

JUST TAKING A LITTLE TIME TO RELAX...

Today is Sunday. I probably should be doing stuff around the house - cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc. I probably should have gone out - There are sales everywhere, I should probably have gone to the grocery store. I probably should have gone to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Stamford (Bob is working setting up the barriers and then taking down the barriers for the parade) but it is so darn cold and I just dont want to go out. Even he came all the way home during his break because he would rather drive all the way home and all the way back then to be out in the cold.

So instead of doing all the stuff I should have been doing, I spent all morning browsing the internet - Mostly SIS because I am so darn addicted to that site.
So anyway......... I came across a post from a wonderful scrapper who uses the name "SCRAPBABY" but her real name is Norma.
She posted this very funny picture of this old lady and how she thought she had more patience now that she is older.........
This ofcourse had me cracking up and so I had to see what else Scrapbaby had in her gallery.
I then came across a layout she did of her coffee cup. A coffee cup that she went out and bought for $2 because at age 68, it was time that she had her very own coffee cup - One that was hers and hers only.
Somehow this layout touched me.............. It really made me think.........
I was sitting here reading about other peoples lives and seeing their pictures and here I was just about ready to let a moment slip away.............
What moment is that????????
Well, the moment where I get off my butt, go to my china cabinet, take out my Royal Daulton Old Country Roses coffee cup and pour my coffee out of the styrafoam cup that I had it in and poured it into my pretty cup........
This cup is from a set that my Mother bought me years ago....... It has been almost four years that she has been gone and I miss her so much. She knew I had fallen in love with this pattern years ago and she had bought me the set but it just sits there collecting dust.
So today - I took time to just relax. I had a few laughs, I had a few moments of reflection upon my life and my family as I read about others and their families. I sat and enjoyed my coffee from MY CUP that my Mother had bought me........
It has been a wonderful Sunday so far.

Okay - Now it's almost 2:00 p.m and I must get going.
The laundry still needs to be done.
Dinner still needs to be made.
Tomorrow is Monday and reality is not always kind.

But thank you Norma for letting me share a laugh and a cup of coffee with you..........

Hugs.........

:0)

TWILIGHT....

I've always had a thing for vampires so when I heard how wonderful the book was I just knew I had to see this movie. It came out at midnight Thursday but since there was work the next day it would just have to wait.

So Friday after work I went and bought tickets. I got to the theater around 5:00 and the 7 O'clock was already sold out. The first theater for 7:30 was also sold out but I got three tickets for the second theater.

Definitely a great movie. Loved the story, loved the acting, love it all.

Wait............ One thing I would have changed.

Yes, Robert Pattinson is very cute and he did a great job acting as Edward but hellooooooooooooooooo....
Can you please look at Cam Gigandet at tell me he is not HOT!!!!!!!

Now that to me is my idea of a vampire....
Sigh...........

STUDIO - My new additions.......

So the are finally home:

1 Executive Desk

1 Computer Desk With Hutch

2 Leather Chairs

I ended up hiring a moving company to bring these home for me.

It cost me an arm and a leg and I know that I could have gotten it a heck of a lot cheaper if I had just rented a truck and had Bob bring it home but I just did not want to take the risk of anyone damaging anything at the office. We just moved in and if there was a scratch on the paint on the walls or if there was anything done to the carpets they would have probably fired me right there.

Okay - I know that is being a little extreme but there are things that you just dont want to mess with.....

So anyway........

I have already made some great discoveries:
Originally I thought the desk would take up most of the space between the windows but on the left I still have room between the desk and the radiator - which is a good thing cause we dont need a fire hazard.

On the right side I have a rolling filing cart which holds file folders for either 8 1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12 papers.

In the computer desk on each side of the keyboard holder (which slides in and out) are shelves but if I take the shelves out - Guess what....... It fits my 12 x 12 Iris carts PERFECTLY.

I am torn.

On one hand I would like this room to be all pretty and clutter free but reality is: IT'S A CRAFT STUDIO so it needs to FUNCTION. I need to be able to store more stuff than most stores carry in their entire inventory (due to my serious shopping addictions......... Sigh.......)

So, even though I would love to have a clutter free look with a few decorative items here and there, I will soon have these new pieces of furniture full of all sorts of STUFF.

This is why I am the self proclaimed "CLUTTER QUEEN"

:0)

STUDIO - The end of C.H.A.O.S. begins......

Hello all.......

Here is a picture for you.
Why did I take a picture of my floor?????????
Because I haven't seen it in a loooooooooooooooooooong time.

It looks good.

Okay - I agree - It is nothing much.

It is not an expensive hardwood floor.

It is not fancy tile.

It is nothing but some old carpet tile that has been there for years but today I can actually SEE IT........

I'm getting new furniture today.
Well - It's new to me.

It's a hand-me-down from my boss who is getting new furniture for his room so I get the executive desk and the computer desk and two chairs and one of the other girls is taking three book cases (she's a major reader) and a filing cabinet and two chairs.

Okay -
Gotta run......

Stay tuned for more..........

If I live through this you may actually see me posting some "After" pictures of the Studio and maybe even pictures of some stuff that I make here.......

:0)

GEARS OF WAR 2

Can someone please tell me why I was out minutes after midnight driving my son to a GameStop???
Oh - yeah..... Cause I'm a Mom and sometimes we do stupid things because we want to make our kids happy.

Gears of War 2 came out today. We knew about this months ago and had the game reserved when they were first taking orders. Bob even paid the whole thing off for Bobby's birthday back in June.
I really did not think I would be dragging my butt down there in the middle of the night but Bobby did get a 95 on his Spanish quiz and that is pretty good considering Spanish is definitely not one of his favorite classes.
So I told him - Keep getting good grades and I'll keep doing stupid things like driving to a video store in the middle of the night........
As long as he poses for a picture so it can go in the scrapbook - :0)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

Click here:

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/speeches/obama-victory-speech.html#


GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

VOTE!!!

One more day till Election Day.

It's times like this when I wish I were a citizen.
This time I would really like to vote.
Such an historic event.

One way or another it is a major step forward.

We will either have the first black President or the first female Vice President.

Either way - This is major.........

But more importantly.

The reason I wish I could vote.

I do believe that one of these people is really going to make a difference.

I really do believe that one of these people is for THE PEOPLE.

You know - The every day people like you and me.

Hint - I am NOT talking about the female who although it is great that she has the opportunity to be where she is but I just really can not figure out how it all happened.......

I just cant see how she would be of any help to any of us. Yikes.....

So if I could I would definitely vote.

SO LOOK WHAT I WON......

Hey, check out what I just won from Angie Delarie. Isn't this just the coolest chipboard camera you've ever seen???????
She has many, many great things on her blog here: http://angiedelarie.blogspot.com/ and at her Etsy Shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5294847 so you need to go and check her out.





Oh, and since the cool new camera was coming my way, I could not help but get the Spirit stamp too........ Isn't she lovely???? I've had my eye on her for a while and now I cant wait till she comes to add a little spirit and inspiration to my studio (which by the way is a disaster zone and needs to be cleaned up ASAP so I can make room for my new desk - But more on this in later posts..................)

NOVEMBER 1, 2008

Oh my goodness...... I knew it has been a long time since I updated my blog but I did not realize it's been a whole month.
I thought about just blogging about all that has happened but then I realized that I would probably put you to sleep and you'd never come back so let's just go forward......


So today I spent the day with Laura, Ally & Tammy at an all day crop. This was the first time we cropped at this place but I dont think it will be the last.

Here are pictures of what I made. They had two make & takes. One was the leaf & acorns. We took chip board and covered them with cardstock. The other was the cards. The third thing in the picture are my Mini's. These were so much fun!!!


My son called me during the crop & asked how many pages I got done. (I hate when they ask because EVERYBODY knows that I am NOT a very productive scrapper..... Sigh......)
I told him that I didn't do any but I did do three Mini Books (the Christmast tree, the snow man & the flowers - Sorry about the lousy pictures....) Although I did do them myself, I have to give credit to this blogger: http://ericasdoingsomethingelse.blogspot.com/2008/03/one-sheet-mini-book-tutorial.html. Thanks Erica for the great tutorial!!! I found her blog just searching the web for mini tutorials. Now I think I'm hooked and will probably make a billion to give out as little Christmas gifts.

MS. MUFFIN GOES ON VACATION

This was the first time that Muffin went on "Vacation". We go camping every weekend in the summer but this was her first time on "Vacation" at a Kennel since we've had her (which is practically all her life).

The Kennel is close to home and came very well recommended so I did not worry much but ofcourse you always worry a little when your baby is not with you.....

Each of the dogs have their own room which is connected to a 6 foot x 24 foot dog run which is covered so even if they want some fresh air and it is raining, they wont get wet. I'm not sure how big the actual room is but it is obviously 6 feet wide and probably a few feet long. The dogs are kept apart unless they are from the same family in which case they are allowed to be in the same place. They can see each other when they are outside on the run but the fence separates them from actually touching (or biting) each other.......

Anyway.....

The first picture is of Muffin in the dog run looking at me like "Hey....... Where are you guys going???????"

The second picture is when we picked her up two days later.

As you can see by the look on her face, she may have been happy to see me but I think she's planning on peeing and pooping all over the house just to get back at me for not taking her to Caesar's with us.

Granted, the kennel seems nice enough but I think she thinks that she deserves to stay in a hotel with us and sleep on a king size bed and order doggie treats from room service........

ANOTHER WEEKEND OF NO CAMPING

Well, we stayed home again this weekend.
The weather was supposed to be all rainy and nasty but it turned out not so bad which ofcourse makes me sad that we did not go camping.
We only have two more weeks left.
I cant believe "Closing" is almost here.
Sigh......

What did I do all weekend - Again???
I have no clue.......
It's like you spend the whole weekend doing laundry, cooking and doing dishes and all the other fun house stuff but when you look back you just wonder if it even made a dent??????
I love to see the neatness of where I've cleaned but it's so frustrating to see the rest... And I must confess - "the rest" is much more than then clean part.
Both Bob and Bobby looked at me all weird because I yelled at them both this weekend.
Well, not really yelled but I kept telling them to pick up this and put that away, etc.
They know I am NOT a clean freak (I'm more the Oscar Madison type) but I told them the only way we are going to ever get any order around this place is if I do become a Royal Bitch and start yelling at anyone who does not put things where they belong.
Yes......... I know - I know........ That rule should also apply to ME......
At least there are a few inches of "clean space" around here now - That is good.

But I sure do wish we had gone campin..........

SHEA STADIUM

Well, since I had blogged about the last game at Yankee Stadium, I guess it would be only fair to mention that today was the last game at Shea Stadium.
They lost.
Nuff said.....

(Sorry - Not a Mets fan......)

NYC ATC SWAP

Stephanie - AKA: "Livingroomfloor" over at SIS - is coming to New York next month so she is hosting an NYC ATC Swap.

There 10 of us participating in this one.

I decided to do two different ATC's for this swap.

One is for Broadway because who can think of NYC without thinking of Broadway and one of the shows that I would love to see right now is Wicked. (Now if someone could suggest to Bob that he should get some tickets and take me I would really appreciate it...........)
The other ATC is actually from an ad for Kids R Us but I thought it was cute and again - Who can think of NYC without thinking of the yellow cabs......

I hope Stephanie and the other girls like my ATC's.........

BTW - Go see Stephanie's Blog here: http://lrfloor.blogspot.com/

She is a very talented lady and she's got some really amazing stamps that I am sure you'll want to check out.......

...

YANKEE STADIUM: "THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT"

Yankee Stadium.

1923 - 2008

What can I say......
I am not a sports fan. I am not a baseball fan.
But I will definitely remember some really amazing times in these seats....

And the best part - Knowing that my son got to see some great games in "The House That Ruth Built" (This picture is from June, 2008)

NYC TOW TRUCKS MAKE HISTORY

Saturday, September 20, 2008 - 292 tow trucks spell out the words 'NEW YORK' on a runway at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field after setting the Guinness World Record for 'Largest Tow Truck Parade'. The parade, which included flatbeds, wreckers and 50-ton rotators, was staged by the Metropolitan New York Towing Association and went from Shea Stadium in Queens to the small historic airport in Gateway National Park in Brooklyn.

According to Norman Teitler, Metropolitan’s executive director, the purposes of this event are to set a new Guinness World Record; remember those tow truck drivers, who as emergency responders 24/7, have died in the line of duty during the last year; and raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children from the corporate sponsors involved. Metropolitan‘s goal is not only to break the existing record (83 tow trucks in Washington back in 2004), but also to establish a record so large, it will not be broken again.

(You can see more pictures here: http://www.wnbc.com/slideshow/17520073/detail.htmlindex.html?currentSlide=1&taf=ny )

As I look at these pictures I wonder just how many of these tow truck drivers I know.
Probably a whole lot of them.

:0)

MOVING ON...........

Yesterday was our last day working at our old office.
Today was spent moving boxes and computers over to the new office.

This weekend everything gets hooked up and we go in to do our final set up of our work area (as little as it is considering most of us are going from our own office to a cubicle the size of a postage stamp........)

Monday - Back to work as usual.
But will it be the same???????
How can it????????


Some things I will miss:
Having my own office. Not that it was fancy but at least it was mine for so many years.
Being able to wear either pants and heals or jeans and sneakers depending on the mood.
Being able to have flexibility with my hours (I am NOT a morning person.....)


Some things will be good:
New place - New start - New attitude
Although my new work area is small, at least it is "pretty". I do like the decor and I am planning on a "fresh start" of being more organized, more punctual, and more productive.
No, I dont mean doing more work - I have tried that.... I have tried "getting everything done" but that is just not possible and no matter how you try there will always be someone who feels you're not doing enough....
The only thing that I CAN try to do is do more of "my work" and do it more efficiently. (Hey, remember what Chris used to say all the time: "Work smarter - not harder") I'll just try to get everything accomplished that I set out to do before I get distracted by all the other things that need to be done.
I am not sure if this is possible but the plan is to walk in Monday with a new attitude.
Just do as much as I possibly can and call it a day and go home to what is truly important in my life: MY FAMILY.........



Do you remember the final episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show??????
The cast all hugged each other and did not want to leave and finally they walked toward the door still holding each other.......
It's funny. Somehow I thought our last day at our old office would have been more emotional....


But also - Let's not forget the beginning of that same show.......
When Mary tosses her hat up in the air.
So happy about her future and all the great things ahead...........

So fine - I will not look back........
I too will toss my hat up in the air and look forward to all that the future has to offer.
I'M GOING TO MAKE IT AFTER ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!



:0)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBTWF1bDPn0

NEVER FORGET.......

Today is 9/11/08.
It has been 7 years.
Today's weather is beautiful here in New York.
Just like it was 7 years ago.
Just like it was in Washington.
Just like it was in Pennsylvania.

Has it been so long???
Have we forgotten???
Can we ever forget???

As I sit here on my computer I hear the TV in the back ground. The news is on.
I am filled with emotions. Emotions which I can not describe to you in words.
I will keep my thoughts to myself. I am sure you have thoughts of your own.

Just one thing.
Never forget 9/11/01
Never forget there are dangerous people out there. We do not know their names. We do not know their faces. We do not know what country they are from. We do not know what religion they are. But they are out there.............
NEVER FORGET: There are also HEROS out there. We do not know their names. We do not know their faces. We do not know what country they are from. We do not know what religion they are. But they are out there..........

DO NOT JUDGE.
You may find yourself on a day when you are face to face with someone.
Only then will you find out if they were an "Enemy" or your "Hero".
Only then will you find out if they were there to hurt you or to save you.
Until then - DO NOT JUDGE.

be aware of the crazy people who dont know any better.....

NEVER FORGET THE HEROS.............

Drinks anyone????????

I admit it - I've been feeling a tiny bit STRESSED lately.
Sometimes when you are stressed, you think to yourself: Hmmmm Maybe I should mix up a nice drink for myself.
Maybe a nice vodka and orange juice - Maybe a nice Chocolate Martini..........
Hey - You really don't even need to mix it yourself - Sometimes I like to just pick up a nice bottle of Van Gogh flavored vodka......... YUMMY!!!!!!!
But what I want to know is this:
Who in their right mind would think of mixing BACON with VODKA??????????????
Yup - You heard me........ There is actually "Bacon Flavored Vodka" and here is the recipe:


Fry three strips of bacon
Add cooked bacon to a clean pint sized mason jar. Trim the ends of the bacon if they are too tall to fit in the jar. Or go hog wild and pile in a bunch of fried bacon scraps.
Optional: add crushed black peppercorns.
Fill the jar with vodka. Cap and place in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks.(No need to refrigerate.)
At the end of the three week resting period, place the bacon vodka in the freezer to solidify the fats. Strain out the fats through a coffee filter to yield a clear filtered pale yellow bacon vodka.
Decant into decorative bottles and enjoy.

(If you dont believe that this is an actual recipe - just do a Search and see for yourself)

Yeah.........
My life is a bit stressful right now but if I ever get to the point where I start mixing up a batch of Bacon-tini's please just lock me up in a padded room somewhere and throw away the key.......


Cheers.........

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT GET YOU THROUGH

UGH............... What a horrible day I had. I'm seriously stressing at work. Nothing is going right. Do you ever feel like you're a little hampster on one of those wheels running as fast as you can and getting nowhere?????? Well, that's how I felt and I was feeling really, really upset.

Anyway..... Instead of working late I decided I'd better leave on time and go home.

Things then started picking up. Two great things:

1 - The Purple Monkey ice cream shop finally opened up. They've been "Coming Soon" for months and I even said to Bobby that I wish they were open and sure enough as we pulled into the parking lot to get our Subway sandwiches, there they were - The Purple Monkey was open for business.

We ofcourse had to go in - Not bad - Not bad at all........ Nothing like a little ice cream to start getting you out of a mood....... Especially when you get to have ice cream with the best kid in the whole world who is starting 10th grade tomorrow..........

2 - Look at the pretty card that Laura sent me....... I can always count on her to cheer me up. Enclosed in the card was a little blurb from a magazine that she cut out. It was about "Glamping":
If your idea of roughing it is basic cable, then Glamping - a blend of glamour and camping - is for you. When Glamping, you sleep in a luxurious tent with carpets, a fireplace, a TV, fine food, and other amenities. But the bugs aren't of a higher caliber.

LOL
Thanks Laura - I needed that - A gorgeous card and a good laugh can also help a girl start getting out of a bad mood.......

(If you want to check out Laura's Blog go here: http://sylscrapbooks.blogspot.com/ She is not only a great friend but a great talent so go check her out...........)

GOTTA LOVE THE BAD BOYZ.........

Yup - I admit it. Sometimes you just gotta love the bad boyz. Definitely gotta love em when they do stuff like this:

1 - LUDACRIS & TOMMY LEE do their part to GO GREEN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BfQylW6Fbk

That's just a funny commercial for Planet Green - The first "All Green TV Network". I'm addicted to this channel. Anyway - Ludacris and Tommy Lee had a showdown on who could be more green. It was called "Battleground Earth". Lots of fun stuff. Great guests along the way. Dont know how much it saved the planet but it was fun to watch and as far as I'm concerned every little bit helps..........

2 - KID ROCK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwIGZLjugKA

Kid Rock has some songs that I like but this one - Well........ I just LOVE IT.

Who doesn't love good ole Southern Rock & Roll?????? Give me some Lynyrd Skynyrd any day and I'm a happy camper. Then Kid Rock goes and takes Sweet Home Alabama and does his version and he's singing about hanging out by the camp fire and doing all sorts of crazy things ALL SUMMER LONG........... Oh yeah......... Woooo Hooo........
Okay - I know......... I am not as young and sexy as the girls he has in his video and I am DEFINITELY not doing most of the things that man is probably doing but heck, it's a great feel good, turn up the radio & roll down the windows, open the sun roof and let your hair fly free kinda song that is fun to blast as your flying down the highway on my way to go camping on the weekends........

Labor Day is over and summer will be gone soon enough. Let me have a little fun and enjoy the Bad Boyz of Summer - 2008..........

MICHAELS MESS UP

Hey, it's not MY fault that Michaels messed up is it???????
THEY were the ones who sent out an E-mail coupon showing a "40% OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE".

So what if the bar code on the coupon rings up as 40% on only one item (which is obviously what they intended to advertise). Well, there were a few people who were quick enough to catch this error before Michaels corrected their site. Those quick people were kind enough to share with many others - Me being one of them.
Yup - I printed out a whole bunch of these "40% OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE" coupons and went to town...... Well, actually, I went to SEVERAL towns and several Michaels and shopped my little butt off....

I shopped in Hartsdale, I shopped in Brewster, I shopped in Waterford - No problems in any of these stores.

I did have a problem in Waterbury..... They only took the 40% off one item and since the store was closing the manager was a pain in the XXX and would not re-ring everything so I made her write something on the receipt and I took it all back today and had the poor cashier girl ring everything up..... Hey - I saved more than 30 bucks so it was worth it.........

Then ofcourse I topped it off with a Finale with one Michael's 50% off coupon and one AC Moore 50% off coupon. (These were actual correct coupons from the Sunday paper.)

Okay - I think I'm done buying for a while. Gotta lay low and start MAKING STUFF!!!!!!!!!!

.

Carol Wingert

What an AMAZING DAY........

Went to the Scrapbook Clubhouse to take not one but TWO classes with Carol Wingert. The first was a gorgeous mini book that taught us tons of cool techniques. Check out the adorable bird on the cover - Wish you could see it in real life cause it is AWESOME........

The second mini was a "Dosados" album. Basically it is a mini that can be viewed one way and it has cool pockets but if you flip it around it is a totally different album.

Again - You'd have to see it in person to get the full effect. I had liked them when I saw pictures on line but when I saw these books in person I was like "O - M - G"..........

The other cool thing was that Carol was kind enough to sign my book - "Lifelines - Creating Memory Art To Chronicle Your Personal Connections" This is a book that Carol co-wrote with Tena Sprenger. It is full of inspiration - Definitely a great book - Especially now that it was signed by Carol herself..... :0)

Chillin' With Her Gnomies......

Muffin (like most dogs) loves to go sniffing around. She could probably spend hours sniffing the ground or leaves or rocks or flowers or what ever else she can find to sniff (some things she sniffs will remain unmentioned........ Yuck.........)
But then after a while it's just time to relax and be chillin' with her friend the garden gnome.

Ahhhhhhhh.......... The dog days of summer ain't so bad after all..........

Hey, she did it........ She survived CAMPING

Finally after years of camping, I finally dragged my best friend Laura camping with us and look - I think she may have actually had a little fun (or at least I hope that she did and will want to come back again soon......)
Friday we just hung out and played Phase Ten with our camping friends. Then Saturday was a quick trip to Memory Lane cause Laura's never been there and it's close to the campground. This was followed by a wonderful "Hybrid Crop" at the Scrapbook Clubhouse. Sunday we just hung out and relaxed (Laura read her book by the campfire - Shhh..... Dont tell her there is no fire and there will be no smores served this weekend....... )

What did the boys do all weekend???????? Played video games ofcourse - Go figure........

So Laura....... When are you buying a trailer and joining me EVERY WEEKEND????

Happy Birthday to ME

Yes.

This is ME at 43.

YIKES......

Okay -
I need a new hair cut, a manicure, new clothes and I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

Wait - First I have to finish eating this DELICIOUS chocolate cake with strawberries and bananas & fresh whipped cream.

But after that I AM GOING ON A DIET!!!!!!!!!

(Pictures are of me & cake at the campground and then of me at Foxwoods Casino where Bob & I had a little fun playing the slots machines. We won, we lost, we won, we lost. For the most part we broke even......... but we had a lot of fun doing it......... )