(S)ame (O)le (S)tuff

Six on Sunday - September 11

2011-09-12T18:52:00.000-04:00

Well here we go it is a Monday again . . . Better a day late than never!

Celebrated Leslie's and Chris's birthday down in Anna Sunday afternoon. Fun time. Love how all of the guys actually played Catch Phrase. The females were once again triumphant, which was a good thing after our unexplained demise this summer while on vacation.
Met Lori in Indian Lake for a ScrapScription breakfast Sunday morning. Went over ScrapSchool plans and our upcoming kit releases. Feeling very overwhelmed with ScrapScription and school work right now.
Bought two, yep two, Pandora bracelets this past week! It was their annual sale so if you bought so many beads the bracelets were 'free'. Doing one that is personal with beads to represent my life and doing one that a ScrapScription one. It is going to be fun adding more beads and charms.
Seem to be working way too hard for school this year but fortunately the days are flying by.
Decided to make a trip up the coast to San Luis Opispo when we are out in California this Christmas. Going to stay at the Apple Farm - - - Should be a good time.
Nails and toes were done on Wednesday. Switched over to my fall shade . . .

Six on Sunday - September 4

2011-09-05T10:07:00.000-04:00

Note: Actually posting this on Monday because today kind of feels like a Sunday since it is Labor Day weekend

Thought I would try something new - Six on Sunday will be a random collection of thoughts from the past week. So let's give it a whirl!

New school year in full force. Kids started Tuesday after two teacher work days. Love the way that Sheri has switched things around! I am now teaching just high school students and we have the high school and middle school separated into two separate buildings. Really like who I am teaming with, Lana and Elisha, and we have quite a bit of leeway when it comes to making the high school program our own.
Went to Aiden's soccer game on Thursday night. Forgot how disinterested the little kids are when it comes to playing the game. While in goal, Aiden spent more time shooting webs than watching the game. Mark took this great picture of Aiden and his best friend Joey - note Joey's concentration and his tongue hanging out. I think this was one of the few times that Aiden was actually running during the game.

Bought tickets to fly out to Orange County and visit my sister for Christmas. We had pretty much written off making the trip this year because the fares were as high as $650 a ticket - OUCH! Got my Kayak fare update on Saturday morning and ticket prices had dropped to $401!! Needless to say we scooped two tickets right up. We will fly out December 23 and come home on January 2. Planning on attending the Rose Bowl Parade - another check mark on my bucket list!
Working with a new computer program at work called Moodle. It basically allows you to put all of your content for a class on line. Putting way too much time into setting things up but it is fun nonetheless.
Behind on ScrapScription business - Teaching stuff is taking up most of my time. We actually released our September 1st kit on time! I spent the better part of the weekend 'puking' and getting orders out. The paperwork never seems to slow down but at least that means we are doing business.

I totally love the program "The Closer" which is on TNT Monday nights at 9PM. Mark and I have been making a 'date' to watch it together each Monday.

So I Haven't Posted in Awhile . . .

2011-07-10T10:59:00.003-04:00

Can't believe that it has been over a year since I last posted. Totally blown away by this fact.

Since we last spoke . . . .

Mark retired
Mark and I visited Alaska
Lori and I attended CHA-Chicago 2010
Mark and I drove around the Lake Michigan shoreline
my mother had a stroke
Cathe came for a visit
another school year started
my mother moved into a skilled nursing center
Dick and I packed up her apartment
ScrapSchool 2010 was held in Columbus, OH
the holidays came and went
Mark and I flew to Panama City to visit Fred and Lynne
ScrapScription had a record breaking sales year
attend CHA-LA 2011 with Lori, Mark, and Gregg
I became eligible for Social Security
my mother had a second stroke
missed 2 weeks of work when I was sicker than a dog the end of March/first of April
Mark and I spent spring break in Las Vegas
Lori and I took ScrapScription on the road to Mega Meet in Novi for the last time
finally finished out the school year
ScrapScription had it biggest sales month ever in June 2011
Mark and I spent a week in Glen Arbor, MI with the girls and their families

Coming up in the very near future I hope to . . . .

attend CHA-Chicago with Lori July 19 - 21
move my classroom for the third time in three years
visit my aunt and uncle in Georgetown, TX
attend MIS for the NASCAR race on our 40th anniversary
scrapbook more since I have completed less than 5 pages in the past year
make ScrapScription the best mini-album website online
put on ScrapSchool 2011

So there you have the past and the future. Let's see if I can keep this blog up a tad better in the coming weeks . . . .

It's 3:52 AM and I Can't Sleep . . .

2010-06-04T03:57:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since I had one of these nights. I think I have heard the clock chime each hour on the hour tonight . . . UGH!! So much to do in the next week before we leave for Fairbanks and my mind is racing 100 mph . . .

Think I'll get a good cold glass of milk and try to rest my weary head again . . .

Hope everyone is having a great sleep!

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T06:51:00.000-04:00

Whenever I think of Memorial Day and honoring those who have served our country, I can't help but think about both my own father and my father-in-law. Both men served during World War II in the European theatre; my dad, Bob, was an anti-aircraft artillery soldier and my father-in-law, Reg, was an Air Force pilot. Even though neither one of them talked a whole lot about the war, as I have grown older and learned more about those times, I am truly amazed at what those very young men did to preserve our freedom. Thinking of you both today . . . Thank you for allowing me to live the life that I now live.

The final countdown has now begun in the Carpenter household for our trip to Alaska! We are down to 11 days until we leave for Fairbanks. We are starting out our trip by spending 2 days in Fairbanks before we meet up with our tour group. Still having a hard time deciding exactly how to pack. Hate taking tons of clothes, like I always seem to do . . . gotta leave room to bring home some goodies, so what is a girl supposed to do?

Tomorrow is my official final day of the school year. It has been a very long and frustrating year. Don't know how many more years I can take like this one. To get the most out of my retirement, I need to work at least 4 more years. Hope I can make it . . .

Still don't have any idea what I will be teaching next year . . . too many loose ends that need to be tied up in our program. I really do not like the uncertainty, so hopefully by the time I get back from Alaska I will have a better idea. All I can say to the powers that be, "Just give me all the math and let it be done. I'll make it work!"

Hey everyone, have a great Memorial Day!

6:27 AM and a Random Thought . . .

2010-05-30T06:37:00.000-04:00

I honestly have to say that this is probably one of my favorite times of the day. I am definitely a morning person . . . . I could just sit for hours 'listening' to the quiet. After all of the hustle and bustle of a normal day's activities, I find it very relaxing.

A couple of weeks ago I told that to Mark. He told me that many years ago, he had remarked to my dad that he was surprised that he (my dad) drove around without the radio on in the car. Dad then told him that he simply enjoyed 'listening' to the quiet. Kind of freaky how I would say the same thing years later.

Like father, like daughter . . . Miss you Dad . . .

Have a great day everyone!

Long Time, No Write

2010-05-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

Can't believe that I go through all the trouble to have this blog redesigned and then I do zip, zero, nada with it! Typical of me, huh?

Sitting here listening to the Nationwide race and poking around on the computer when I should be doing some ScrapScription work. Christopher (my SIL) made this fancy dancy Excel worksheet for me to track our ScrapScriber members and it kind of freaks me out using it. Have this feeling that I am going to majorly screw it up. So even though I know I should be working with it, I just can't bring myself to 'get er done'. Maybe as I poke around and procrastinate, I will finish up printing our June 1st release instructions . . . sounds like a plan!

Two weeks from today Mark and I will be in Fairbanks, AK and Mark will be officially retired. Definitely entering into a new era of our lives . . . Kind of freaky. No not, kind of freaky, big time FREAKY! Really, really looking forward to Alaska. Ran into a friend this morning at breakfast and she is heading there next Saturday. Also have a couple in the condo complex that left this morning for two weeks and my sister and brother-in-law left for Anchorage this morning too. In fact we will be seeing Lynne and Fred when we finally get to Fairbanks. As I type, it is 68 degrees in Fairbanks right now. Still working on what type of wardrobe to pack . . .

Think I will go read for awhile. Loving my new Kindle! Even bought a light for it last week. Have a great day everyone!

Weekend Wrap-up . . .

2010-02-08T07:38:00.005-05:00

We ended up getting a good 8+ inches of snow. Once it finally started snowing at a good clip around 6 PM it really kept on going until early morning on Saturday. The blowing was amazing . . . parts of our lawn were not snow covered at all and other parts had 3 foot drifts. Took them until after 4 PM to plow us out. Finally got out and about yesterday. We are currently under a 2 hour delay . . . a lot of the roads are still snow covered and slick. Looks like another storm is heading our way. Supposed to hit late tonight and all day tomorrow.

Looking out of our garage before they came around to plow. The drifting was amazing!

Looking across our driveway once the plow came by.

Since my crop down in Columbus was postponed I actually did some scrapping at home this weekend. Did this layout for my Hawaii album. Slowly but surely I am working on layouts for this book. The photo was taken at a Japanese garden park we found in downtown Hilo while we were driving around. Very pretty and serene place.

This layout is a picture I took while at CHA just a couple of weeks ago in Anaheim. My sister, Cathe, spent two days with Lori and me at the show. The first day she pretty much just followed us around but on the second day she spent a good part of the day doing make and takes. She is sitting here making a necklace using Tim Holtz Ideology products at the Tim Holtz booth.

Watched Daytona qualifying on Saturday . . . great job Mark Martin . . . , fell asleep during the Shootout Saturday night, and watched the Super Bowl last night. Didn't do much else all weekend. Kind of nice to just stay hunkered down here at home both days. Made a big batch of vegetable soup that we ate throughout the weekend.

Well I had best get my butt in gear and start getting ready for school. Need to leave a tad earlier than usual so I can stop at the bank on my way in. Have a great day everyone!

To Snow or Not to Snow . . . That is the Question . . .

2010-02-05T13:00:00.003-05:00

They say it is going to snow here today but so far no snow. Even without it snowing, the weather is playing havoc with my weekend plans.

Lori and I were supposed to go to a crop at Scrapbook Art in Columbus this weekend. We had scheduled massages and everything at Charles Penzone for this evening. Yesterday, when it looked as if the weather was not going to be real favorable for me to get there in time for the appointments, we decided to cancel the massages. Okay, no problem, we'll just do it another time.

Spent the better part of last night getting all of my stuff together for the crop. Since I haven't been scrapping much lately on a regular basis, it took some doing to put together my page kits. Got up this morning at 4:30 AM and finished getting all of my stuff organized and my clothes packed. Loaded the car all up before school and headed into work. Around mid-morning, I got a text from Lori saying that the crop had been postponed until March 5. UGH! I looked outside and wondered why . . . no snow here, but I guess it is really coming down in Columbus now.

Then to top it all off, I spent 40 minutes on the phone with Hilton Hotels canceling my prepaid reservation for tonight’s, now we don’t need the room, reservation. Not a happy camper when I finally got off of the phone with Hilton but then did cancel the reservation.

So now I've already called Mark and warned him that I will be home this weekend after all. Told him to get the dancing girls out of the condo before I get home tonight. Big up side to this whole cancellation thing . . . I'll be able to watch Daytona qualifying and the Shootout tomorrow. NASCAR season has begun again! Still have to figure out who I am going to cheer for now that Mikey is retired . . . thinking it might be Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.

Have a great weekend everyone. Still no snow here yet . . . Hope you all won't have to shovel much.

Tale of the Scale Week 2

2010-02-01T21:46:00.002-05:00

Real quick post tonight because I said I would get this down today. Here are my 2 week final totals . . .

Weight lost: 7.5 pounds
Exercise: Walked at least 20 minutes or more 6 times in the last 10 days

Very happy with the weight loss . . . Now if I can just keep it up.

One really bad day food and Pepsi wise . . . Had way too much soda on our trip/flight home from California. Add to that the close to a pound of gummy bears I bought at the airport in Orange County and consumed throughout the day. At $14/pound I made sure I ate every last one of them!

Reading a funny book called "The Slow Fat Triathlete" that my sister told me about. Don't think I will ever take part in a triathlon but I really like the outlook that the author has. Good read. Thinking of signing up for a 5K sometime this late spring/summer. Gotta set some goals you know . . .

Heading off to bed. Hope everyone had a great day!

California Dreamin'

2010-01-31T08:51:00.008-05:00

Hard to believe that just a short week ago I was sitting at the DoubleTree in Anaheim awaiting the start of CHA. All I can say right now is at least the sun is shining today here in Ohio but other than that the contrast is mind boggling . . . Can we say 5 degrees at the moment!?

Anyway, how about a little wrap-up on Winter 2010 CHA? One of the biggest changes that I noticed this year is that both Lori and I were far better organized when it came to picking out products for upcoming kits. Since at this show, we not only decide on what we are going to use for our monthly kits through August, but we also plan on what we are going to use for our kits at Mega Meet in May. All I can say is WOW!! I totally love all that we picked out.

Over the last year I have learned that the product/ideas must 'speak' to Lori and fit into what she likes to work with. In other words, getting her to use bright primary colors is not going to happen too often. So you can imagine my joy when we happened upon this new line from Doodlebug that was perfect for this August's ScrapScriber travel album and Lori loved it too! Can't wait to see what she does with this . . .

Another line that I am completely blown away with is Pink Paislee's Queen Bee collection. Pink Paislee has come up with the coolest twill strips that have so many possibilities. Check out these flowers that were made using the strips . . .

Enough about CHA . . . the trip was whirlwind but a lot of fun nonetheless. Mark and Gregg put over 500 miles on the rental car, we ate well (California Pizza Kitchen, Buca Di Beppo . . . fabulous hot spinach salad that will not disappoint . . . , and Outback Steakhouse), visited with my nephew Trey at dinner Saturday night, our flights were seamless, and I had a great time spending 2 days with my sister Cathe at the show.

Well I gotta run folks! Lots to do today and this sure isn't the way to get it done. Be on the lookout for my "Tale of the Scale" update tomorrow . . . hopefully I'll be brave enough to report the results. Have a great day!

4:00 AM (PST) = 7:00 AM (EST)

2010-01-26T08:35:00.004-05:00

Trying to stay on Ohio time while here in California, so I was up bright and 'dark' this morning at quarter to four in the morning Pacific Standard Time. I actually did a little bit of digital scrapbooking this morning and completed my entry for Janaury 24 for my Gratitude Project 2010 journal. Thought of this reason I am thankful the other day while on my way to California and actually snapped my photo with my iPhone. How cool is that?!

Need to go finish packing since we are heading back to Ohio this morning. CHA was amazing but more on that later this week. Have a great day everyone!

The Tale of the Scale . . . Week 1

2010-01-18T12:25:00.002-05:00

One of the blogs that I read daily, written by scrapbooking guru Cathy Zielske, discussed today taking ownership of her weight/weight loss situation. I really liked what she had to say and really liked the title for her blog entry, so I thought I would use it myself to document my own weight loss journey.

Don't I wish this is what I weighed!

For more years than I can count, my weight has been a huge issue for me. So now here in 2010, it is finally time for me to take ownership of this problem. It is kind of like the elephant in the room type of problem for me. No one ever really talks about it, but it is always there. Food is definitely my addiction. Not in the sense that I eat a whole bag of chips or a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting, but I definitely don’t eat healthy. And when it comes to exercise . . . hey, what’s that?

In order to get this issue under control, here today, on January 18, 2010, I am making it known to whoever gives a darn, that things are going to change. Not that I am going to announce to all who might read this exactly what I weigh today, but let’s say it isn’t a good number. I have weighed more, and even last year I weighed less, and there is certainly a lot to lose.

So let’s get this party rolling! Actually I got it rolling last week when Mark and I started the NutriSystem program. That lasted exactly one day. The food tasted like I was eating acorns and pine needles. We sent all of the food back. For the remainder of the week, I really watched what I ate. I added a lot more fruit and vegetables to my daily intake and cut my intake of Pepsi down to one can a day. I am trying to drink a lot more water. It isn’t that I find drinking water disgusting or anything, I just don’t drink it enough.

As for the exercise part of this equation, I am slowly working on that too. In fact, I ordered these this morning. Leslie and I are discussing the idea about joining the Y down in Wapak and meeting up after school to work out together. More on that later.

Right now, I am not setting any specific goals and plan on tackling one week at a time. So we will see how it goes. Anyway, on a lighter note . . . no pun intended . . . I am happy to announce that this past week I lost 4 pounds. Not a Biggest Loser type of first week weight loss but a step in the right direction. Stay tuned for future updates . . .

Have a great day everyone. It sure is nice having a day off!

Weekly Gratitude Project 2010

2010-01-17T12:03:00.007-05:00

Over on the Willow Traders website they have started a yearly challenge called "Weekly Gratitude Project 2010". The idea is pretty simple . . . make a weekly layout, revolving around a monthly theme, about something you are thankful about. Since one of the girls over there, Karen, made up a digital template that really seemed to make this challenge quite doable, I thought I would give it a try.

Took a couple of hours to figure out how to make the templates do what I wanted them to do, but I am definitely happy with the final result. January's theme is work, so here are my first three weekly layouts.

Here's to a year full of gratitude!

Ten on Tuesday . . .Written on Wednesday . . .

2010-01-06T06:16:00.000-05:00

This week's Ten on Tuesday is being written on a cold Wednesday morning . . . freezing drizzle expected this morning . . . . fingers crossed for some sort of delay . . . .

This week's question is "10 Things You Are Looking Forward to in 2010" . . .

our Alaska trip in June . . . it's a cruise/land tour
scrapbooking more
new wood floors in the main living area and den
new seasons of Top Chef and Dancing with the Stars
summer vacation
CHA in Anaheim and Chicago
watching ScrapScription continue to grow
getting better organized
spending quality time with family
summer vacation . . . sorry but it had to be said again . . .

Still no delays, so I had best get going. Have a great day everyone!

A Marathon of Sorts . . .

2010-01-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of Winter Break . . . . Back to the grind tomorrow . . . . Not looking forward to it in the least.

Now mind you, I probably should be working on lesson plans for next week today, but since I haven't scrapped at all this vacation I decided to give it a whirl! Got up this morning, pulled out some Bella Blvd. birthday paper I had on hand, found this very doable layout by Brenda Carpenter on The ScrapRoom website to 'lift' using the exact same papers, printed out my pictures from Mark's 60th birthday party, popped a movie in the DVR, and got scrapping!

First movie I watched was "Failue to Launch" starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey.

Second movie on the agenda was "The Wedding Planner" with Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.

And then I finished up this so-called movie marathon with "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" starring Kate Hudson . . . and you got it . . . Matthew McConaughey.

So after my mini-marathon here is my finished page . . .

Felt good to scrap again. Mark actually asked me what I was doing. And I even got my Tarragon Scrapper's group challenge #1 done for 2010! Not to shabby . . . if I do say so myself. Now if I can just keep it up . . .

Hey everyone . . . Have a great Sunday!

Let the Good Times Roll . . . Welcome to 2010!

2010-01-01T12:06:00.075-05:00

First of all I must admit, Mark and I once again slept through ringing in the new year . . . sorry state of affairs isn't it?

I remember thinking as a child, if I was waiting for something to happen, how long it seemed to take for the event to occur. Then why as an adult, does it seem like time just flies by? I cannot believe that we are already entering the second decade of this century and 2009 has already drawn to a close. Needless to say there have been a number of changes and additions to my life in the past ten years, so I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few of them . . .

1. I would have to say that the biggest change is that I am now a grandma and I love each moment that Aiden calls me "Mena".

2. Right along those same lines, I offically became a mother-in-law when Leslie and Christopher were married in 2001 and a "bonus" grandma when Kate and Jamie married in June 2005.

3. I earned a Masters in special education in August 2004.

4. Sadly, I am no longer a daughter-in-law with the passing of June in July 2008.

5. I am now the co-owner of my own on-line scrapbooking business, ScrapScription.

6. I own an iPod, iPhone, orange Dell laptop, shot only digital photographs, and drive a cranberry PT Cruiser.

7. I (or should I say, Mark) no longer have to rack leaves or mow a lawn since we moved into our condo in October 2006.

8. I have actually taught students with behavior disabilities since September 2000 and for the most part have actually grown to enjoy it.

9. I have now traveled to 49 of the 50 states in the United States.

10. I how have more scrapbook 'stuff' than I know what to do with.

So there you have it, ten things that have changed for me over the past ten years . . . What would you list include?

And Now for the Rest of the Story . . . .

2009-12-31T08:54:00.002-05:00

Many of you have probably seen this scrapbook page before since it is one I actually made a couple of years ago. Yesterday while I was setting up some new albums on-line, I pulled out my two 8x8 albums that I made chronicling my summer of 2007. And that's when it hit me . . . I truly enjoy scrapbooking and why aren't I doing more of it?

Since September I have scrapbooked zip, zero, nada pages. Throughout the summer I managed to scrapbook a mere 12 pages. And this is from someone who, a year or so ago, could spend hours scrapping away a weekend. I found scrapbooking inspiring. I found it relaxing. I found it just plan FUN! I found it filled my creative need. I love looking back on what I have created and, if I do say so myself, admiring my work. And above all, I found it rewarding!

So, you ask, why don't I simply make the time and scrapboook more? I really don't have an answer to that question. But I truly do believe that I need to begin to scrapbook more. I really miss the process and it makes me sad that I am not making the the time to do it more . . . .

Long Time, No Post . . . Part Trois

2009-12-29T08:37:00.004-05:00

Okay, okay, I know what you all want to say. Here she goes again . . . saying she is going to start to blog. She has told us that before and look what it has gotten us . . . zip, zero, nada a thing in over 6 months. So what makes this time any different?

Well, let me tell you . . . This time I have actually signed up for a class on blogging and scrapbooking called "Blogging for ScrapBookers" at shiemelle.com. Hope that helps . . . Wish me luck! I am honestly going to try to do better this time . . . . .

So what all has taken place since we last met. Let me see . . .

I did not take the job with Auglaize County. I continue to work for ACESC and am presently and officially called an ED Transition teacher. Great title for someone who is teaching math in the mornings and working with students who we would like to transition back to the regular classroom. Unfortunately there are not to many of these . . .
Aiden is well on his way to be toilet-trained and still is as adorable as ever. His official name for me is 'Mena' . . . Love it!
ScrapScription is growing faster than either Lori or I could have imagined. We offically started our monthly kit club ScrapScribers in August and are preparing to send out our 6th monthly kit.
traveled down to Hilton Head in June with Mark, Leslie, Chris, and Aiden . . . Hot, hot, hot!
Lori and I flew to CHA in Orlando . . . hot, hot, hot and muggy there too . . . much smaller than the show in Anaheim but we got a lot accomplished and purchased
bought the newest iPhone (3GS) and sold my old one on eBay in less than 30 minutes for $199.99
ran over a dead deer on I-75 on my way to school one morning in late October . . . fortunately State Farm did not total the car and I now have it back as good as new
sold the house in Hilton Head . . . Mark went down and donated all of the clothes to charity
going to get hardwood floors in our main living areas and new carpeting in master bedroom
started planning our trip to Alaska in June . . . we fly out June 11
Mikey is going to run a limited NASCAR schedule in 2010 and Jimmie Johnson won his fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship . . . UGH!
having my mother live close by continues to be a challenge
leaving for CHA Anaheim with Lori, Mark, and Gregg on January 23
my Uncle John passed away on December 18 at the age of 93 . . . He was married to my Aunt Jeannette for 70 years . . . Amazing!
ScrapSchool 2009 officially took place on October 17 and 18
Did I tell you how adorable Aiden continues to be?
Christmas 2009 has come and gone . . . very low key this year

Guess that is about all for now. Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Long Time, No Post . . . Part Deux

2009-05-25T06:08:00.008-04:00

Okay, okay, so as a blogger I suck . . . .

Since we last met much has happened including . . .

the county decided to close down my unit at Elida Middle School and after 10 years I am totally bummed that I will be switching buildings
Aiden turned 2 and is more adorable than ever
we, actually mainly Mark, are cleaning out the garage
life with my mom living so close by is definitely an adventure
there are only 3 more days with students this school year
ScrapScription is in the middle of an amazing sales month
Mega Meet was an unbelievable success; better than either Lori or I could have imagined
I have scrapped a grand total of 1 page
Did I say there are only 3 more days with students this school year?
Mark and I made it to Washington DC and back without a hitch . . . way, way too crowded for my liking
OBX trip got cancelled this year but we are heading to Hilton Head with Chris, Leslie, and Aiden instead
Lori and I are all registered and airline tickets are bought for the July CHA Show in Orlando
have a job interview tomorrow after school for a position in another county . . . not really sure how I feel about this
hit an all time high score of 136,300 points on the mind numbing Bejeweled Blitz game
not doing real well on the losing weight, eating healthily, and being more active front . . . there is always tomorrow
springtime has finally arrived in Ohio . . . my favorite season
sold my original PT Cruiser and am now driving June's PT Cruiser . . . hope to get flames added to it this summer
Oh yea, there are only 3 more days with students left this school year!

Have a great Memorial Day everyone! I'll be watching the Coca-Cola 600 which ended up getting postponed a day due to rain in Charlotte. Hoping that Tony Stewart or Ryan Newman can win this one!!

Guess What's Happening Tonight?

2009-04-06T14:25:00.007-04:00

MSU is playing for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship!!

Go Spartans!

Play All Day ScrapScription Kit . . . .

2009-03-02T06:23:00.008-05:00

Just thought I would take a minute and introduce you to ScrapScription's newest project kit, Play All Day . . . . Lori did a fantastic job designing this kit and all the little details she added are too stinking cute. Hop on over to the website and check it out . . . .

Cold one here today but thank goodness we didn't get the snow they are getting on the east coast. Have a great day everyone . . . .

Long Time, No Post . . .

2009-03-01T08:22:00.004-05:00

Sorry about that . . . the days continue to fly by.

Since we last met . . . .

I attended CHA for the first time in Anaheim, CA . . . something I can now check off of my 'bucket list'
spent a great two days with my sister Cathe while visiting Anaheim
missed going to my special ed conference in Columbus due to the weather
Lori and I launched our new scrapbook website, ScrapScription . . . come on over and visit
the Steelers won the Super Bowl Bowl
I entered my 61st year but I refuse to discuss this event any further
attended a scrapbooking weekend getaway at the Craft Farm in Somerset, OH with some of the girls from the Tarragon Scrappers
my baby turned 29 . . . . you know who you are Kate
IEP season is now in full swing at school
NASCAR revved up with a new season and Mikey landed in the top 10 at Daytona!
I started working out with a personal trainer once a week
I started going to Dream Dinners again
my cleaning lady started coming once every 2 weeks again
Aiden is still as adorable as ever
our "bonus" daughter, Julie, and her husband Shane, welcomed Hayden Bradley into the world
it has snowed, melted, snowed again, rained, melted, snowed, and melted again but I truly believe that spring is just around the corner . . . typical Ohio winter
scrapped very little but love what I have completed
bought 21 packs of newly released Thickers from Lifetime Moments . . . definitely my scrapbooking weakness
got all excited and weak in the knees as Lori and I took delivery of all the new products from CHA we ordered for ScrapScription future kits
discussed with Leslie about finding our house in the Outer Banks for June but still have not sat down to finalize plans
planned Mark's and my spring break trip to Washington D.C.
tried to eat less and healthier . . . sure is darn hard at times

Well I guess that is about it for today folks. Hope everyone has a great Sunday . . .

Tampa Here We Come . . .

2009-01-19T11:16:00.016-05:00

Well, not me, but the Pittsburgh Steelers, the AFC Champions! Way to go Ben and the rest of the Steelers!

Haven't been back to school since last Wednesday. Thursday was a snow day, Friday was canceled because of the negative temperatures/wind chill, and today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Only 4 days left in the week and then Mark and I head to Anaheim for CHA! I am so excited!! Meeting up with my sister Cathe shortly after we arrive and she will be spending the night with us at the DoubleTree Hotel & Suites and then she is going to the show with Lori and I on Sunday. Excited! Excited!

Did some scrapping over the weekend. Did this layout for my 2008 Album. Picture is from last August when Leslie, Jude, Aiden, and I headed down to Westerville to watch Josh and the Shawnee "Band of One" give their final performance of the band camp week. Been sitting on this layout since last fall, so I am thrilled to have it done.

Also did this layout about the upcoming Presiden-tial inaugu-ration to-morrow. Going to put this in my Book of Me album. Hidden journaling talks about my excitement about a new change in the leadership of our nation. Used a Valerie Salmon sketch as inspiration. Love how it turned out!

Well folks I had best get moving . . . still sitting around in my pjs. Have a great day everyone!

Two of My Favorite Things . . .

2009-01-15T08:58:00.009-05:00

are black and white photos and freshly fallen snow before anyone walks through it . . . .

Started snowing yesterday around 7:15 AM and didn't let up until about 6PM. School is canceled for the day and the view out of the den is absolutely gorgeous! Blue sky, sunny, and freshly fallen snow. We were plowed out last night so Mark took the Corvette to work this morning. Maybe I'll venture out later in the day . . . . then again maybe not!

Tuesday's Ten on Tuesday list was 10 Things You are Good At, so here is my list . . .

procrastinating
"scraplifting"
being a mother (or at least I think so)
scrapbook shopping
writing an IEP
planning a party
being a wife (or at least I think so)
reading a book while driving in a car
knowing what is going on in NASCAR
'surfing" the web

Just 9 more days until we fly out to California!! Can you tell I am excited?! Heading down to Lori's on Sunday to begin planning what we want to start to get together for Mega Meet. Then when we are at CHA we can find papers to go with our proposed ideas. Clear Scraps has already posted their new releases and the new arrow acrylic album is just too stinky cute! Can't wait to see what our other supplies have in store to show us!

Well I had better get my butt in gear. Want to clean up my scrap area and make room for my new Silhouette that came yesterday! Sure will be fun to start using this . . . . Have a great day everyone!

I Simply Love . . .

2009-01-13T05:56:00.010-05:00

all the new ways to send a message! Our weather this morning is kind of yucky; snowing, windy, and falling temperatures. Already this morning I have received a text message from WLIO, our local TV station, telling about a 2-hour delay at Elida; an email from the school about the delay; and even a phone call from the Alert Now system that Elida is beta testing this school year! Love, love, love technology!!

Can you believe it? I actually scrapped this weekend! It has been over 2 months since I scrapped . . . with the holidays and all, things have been kind of weird around here and I have not been in the mood to scrap lately. Last time I actually scrapped was at the LM crop back in November . . . very sad state of affairs don't you think? Anyhow, the new year of challenges has begun with the Tarragon Scrappers and I needed to complete a project using a scallop by January 15. That was an easy challenge since I love using scallops. Here's what I came up with . . .

Papers for this layout are all from Scarlet Lime September kit I received and the design is based on a layout by Valerie Salmon I found on the their website.

Also did this layout for our January sketch challenge. Really liking how this one turned out! The sketch for this layout can be found on the Inspired Blueprints blog and I used Christy's 8.5 x 11 design and 'lifted' it. Loved how the green Bazzill cardstock went off the edges of the background and these pictures of Aiden at Christmas were perfect for this sketch.

Guess that is about it for today. I'll post my Ten on Tuesday list tomorrow . . . "10 Things You're Really Good At". Keep your fingers crossed for a cancellation today . . . Have a great day everyone!

Sorry Dick and Chelsea . . .

2009-01-11T19:42:00.010-05:00

Pittsburg 35
San Diego 24

Great game! Big Ben was on a roll . . . Next opponent Balitmore and the AFC Championship!

Well the Best Laid Plans . . .

2009-01-10T08:51:00.007-05:00

Supposed to be in Columbus right now putting together my Dream Dinners meals and then heading over to B & B Scrapbook to crop the day away with the Tarragon Scrappers . . . no such luck! Snowing big huge snowflakes right now and ice down Columbus way makes for hazardous driving and I decided not to risk life and limb. Totally bummed right now . . . .

On a totally lighter and much happier note . . . Lori and I are now official members of The Craft and Hobby Association, better known ass CHA. CHA is an organization of artists, craft/hobby store, and on-line craft/hobby businesses that holds bi-annual buying shows that bring together all the products manufacturers. Since our website is not officially up and running, there were a number of hoops we had to jump through to get our membership but we managed to pull it off!

Got Lori and I registered for our show badges on Thursday so now the final piece of our trip to California the end of the month is in place. We fly out of Columbus Saturday January 24 and land in Orange County before noon. Mark and Gregg are 'tagging' along and plan on checking out the sights while we attend the show. Should be meeting up with my sister Cathe right after we land and then we plan on spending the remainder of the day in search of the perfect scrapbook store. Saturday night Cathe, Lori, and I taking a class at The Red Bee from Tersea Collins.

Guess that is about it for now. Cold and snowy here today. . . Hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Sick Day and Now a . . .

2009-01-07T06:28:00.009-05:00

2 hour delay! Yesterday I took an honest to goodness sick day. Over Christmas break I contracted a case of conjunctivitis (i.e. pink eye but that sounds so juvenile). After going to the urgent care place here in town on Christmas Day, I got a prescription and quickly started feeling better. Fast forward 10 days and I still didn't feel quite up to snuff. My eyes were still swollen and stinging like a bee. Got an appointment with my own doctor and headed in there yesterday . . . hence the sick day. Looks like I developed an allergic reaction to the eye drops for the conjunctivitis and that was what was causing the current problem. Told to pitch the original drops and I was put on a new eye drop, to offset the allergic reaction, and a 24 Claritin tablet. Feeling much much better this morning!

Yesterday's Ten on Tuesday list was 10 Things You Want to Do in 2009, so here is my list . . .

return to the Outer Banks for vacation this summer
make ScrapScription a viable on-line business
read the Bible
read and/or listen to a book each month
learn to digitally scrapbook and simply scrapbook more
lose weight
run a 5K
make the appropriate decisions for my mother's care
start using PowerPoints at school
chill more and take time to smell the roses

Heading down to Powell this weekend to scrapbook with the Tarragon Scrappers. Looks like we have a number of new women joining our group, so it should be a fun day. Since I am going to be in the Columbus area thought I would take the time to stop in at Dream Dinners and make up some dinners. Lori is going to go with me to the 8 AM session and that should be fun. Going to be making five chicken meals, two beef, and a delicious sounding mango glazed pork chop. Can't wait to start doing this again . . . Love having great meals already to simply heat up and eat!

Thought I would share this layout with you that I did back in November while I was at the Lifetime Moments crop. Got the idea from Janna Wilson from one of her sketches from a Got Sketch? on-line class that I signed up for earlier this year.

Well guess I had best use this 2 hour delay to my advantage. Think I will go in and clean up the kitchen. Have a great day everyone!

2008 Favorite Layouts . . .

2009-01-06T08:05:00.003-05:00

Saw someone post on their blog the other day about their favorite layouts that they completed during 2008. Interesting idea, so I thought I would give it some thought. After reviewing what I got done last year and taking layouts on and off my list, these are the layouts I came up with.

This is probably my favorite layout from my Summer 2007 album, which by the way was an 8 x 8 album. While working on this layout, I feel in love with the 8 x 8 format. Not really the kinds of patterned papers I normally gravitate to but I found this layout on line at Little Red Scrapbook that was perfect for the 'lifting'. Lori came up with the title . . . . which just happens to be the zip code for Freeport, Maine, the home of LL Bean.

Love the buttons up the side of this layout! Because I stopped on the tarmac to take this picture, got in trouble by the ground personal for snapping away. Oh by the way, another 8 x 8 layout from Summer 2008 album.

Pictures of the motel Cathe, Judy, and I stayed at in San Clemente. Love how the colors of the these old KI Fire papers and embellishments play on the Southern California architecture of the motel. (8 x 8 layout)

Scraplift of a Lisa McGarvey layout I found on line. Probably my favorite part of this layout is the angle of the photo that Mark took. (Yet again, an 8 x 8 layout)

This is a layout I worked on for my All About Me album. (Fooled ya here, this is a 9 x 9 page format!) Second time I 'lifted' this design inspired by Leslie Lightfoot. Love the look of the eclectic embellishments across the top of the layout.

One of my favorite layouts I did about Aiden last year. Total scraplift of a Cathy Blackstone layout. Loving all the small pictures showing his growth throughout his first year. Love it when I can go into my stash and find all the same papers that Cathy used on her layout! Most of Cathy's work is done on 12 x 12 pages, so that is what this one is.

Another layout using a lot of photos. Lift of a Tracy Miller layout I found on line. Started mixing 12 x 12 layouts with 8.5 x 11 layouts in Aiden and my 2008 albums. Really liking the look of 12 x 12 layouts.

One of my favorite scrapbook layout designers is Miranda over at Lifetime Moments. This is my take on "Mirandiizing" a layout. In other words, embellishing your layout with lots of buttons, Heide Swapp ghost shapes, and bling! This is also a 12 x 12 layout for my 2008 Album.

Loving the American Crafts travel papers on this layout and the suitcase embellishment. Got the idea for this layout design from Valerie Salmon's Got Sketch? blog. This layout actually goes in my Hawaii 2008 album which I am doing in the 8 x 8 format.

Another take on the same sketch I used for the 9468 Miles layout. Same basic desgn but did this in 12 x 12 format, used using different papers, and switched some design elements around so it doesn't quite look the same. This is my favorite layout of all last year . . . Isn't Aiden the cutest thing ever? I could just kiss that face all day long!!

So there you have it . . . My favorite layouts from last year. Have a great day everyone!

Home Again, Home Again . . .

2009-01-04T07:10:00.011-05:00

Finally returned from Bluffton/Hilton Head yesterday morning. Our trip actually started out on Friday morning when we pulled out of the driveway at 6:03 AM. Then about 20 miles later I realized that I had left my large Vera tote sitting on the floor in the bedroom. Now mind you, I am not taking all the blame for this one because Mark vacuumed floor in the bedroom just before we left and claimed he didn't remember seeing it there. Ooops! Turned around and headed back for it . . . . my life was in that bag! By 3:30 in the afternoon we were tired of driving, and sitting, and we pulled off in Clinton, Tennessee for the night. Up and at 'um bright and early this morning and we finally arrived back in Lima at 11:58 AM . . . . technically still Saturday morning according to Mark.

Didn't take too many pictures while I was down South but thought I would share these two with you. The first one is my view from The Wreck of the Salty Dog, where we had lunch one afternoon. Also while driving around Sea Pines we stopped and I took some pictures of the area. Sea Pines is absolutely beautiful and tranquil to drive through!

Heading down to Lori's today to work on our new business venture. Things are really starting to happen quickly now. Hopefully we will be up and running by mid-January and I can let you all in on what's up then. Keep checking back for the big grand opening . . . .

Need to get pre-planning this week for next Saturday's Tarragon Scrapper's crop in Powell. Think I will head down a tad earlier in the day, stop by Dream Dinners, and assemble some meals. For about a year or so I was going every month but since the store closed in Troy, I haven't done any meals in well over a year. Lori is going to head on over and join me. Since it is so cold outside this time of the year, I am planning on simply leaving everything in my car while I scrap. Watch it be 60 degrees outside on Saturday and that plan will fly right out of the door!

Guess that is about it for now. Not a whole lot else going on here. Have tons of laundry to do, need to get the Christmas decorations put away, and want to definitely get back into the swing of scrapping on the weekends. Haven't done much at all since the LM crop in November. Have a great Sunday everyone!

And My 2009 Word of the Year Is . . . .

2009-01-01T11:29:00.003-05:00

clarity. There I have publicly stated my word for the year and clarity it is . . .

(noun)
1. clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.
2. the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye; pellucidity

So what is your word for the year? Have a great day everyone!

Still No Heat . . .

2008-12-31T07:49:00.003-05:00

After spending $707 yesterday for a new fan for the furnace in Sun City, we still do not have any heat. Put a call into the heating repair place last night and they are supposed to call us back first thing this morning. Thank goodness the temperatures outside have been above average and we can 'suffer' through the house getting down into the mid-60s at night.

On a lighter and albeit warmer note . . . Mark and I are just about done cleaning out the garage. You would not believe all the trips we took to the dump! Each time the PT Cruiser has been stuffed to the ceiling with bags and bags of stuff and other goodies. There is a spot at the dump where you can place items that you want to give away instead of throw away and so far everything we have given away has been taken. How neat is that?! Our own personal way of keeping the Earth a tad bit 'greener' . . .

Heading into Savannah tonight to have New Year's Eve dinner at Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons. Really looking forward to this . . . . I've heard it is amazing food!

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve everyone . . . .

Okay, So It Has Been Over 2 Months . . .

2008-12-30T14:43:00.002-05:00

since I blogged last. Sorry about that. Things have been really weird around Limaland and I have not been in the mood to do much at all. Hopefully my attitude/outlook will improve with the coming year.

Thought I would get back in the habit of doing a Ten on Tuesday feature again, so here goes this week's list. And the topic is . . . 10 Best Moments of 2008

Voting for and actually having my candidate elected President
The look on Mark's face when he showed up at his 60th surprise birthday party
Having Aiden sign that he wanted Mark to turn on the CD player and play music so he could 'dance'
Even though the circumstances where sad, driving with Kate to South Carolina/Florida to retrieve some of June's belongings
Actually witnessing the oil seep out of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
Meeting Bob and Sheri
Watching Aiden grow before our very eyes and turn from a baby into a toddler
Having Fred mix Sex on the Beaches while in Hawaii
Shaking hands with Lori as we formed our new partnership
Having June fly in for Mark's birthday and not realizing that within a month she would no longer be with us

So there you have it. Have a great day everyone . . .

Summer 2007 Album . . .

2008-10-14T18:43:00.046-04:00

Last summer one of my biggest goals was to complete my Summer 2007 album before we left for Hawaii. Well lo and behold, I made my goal with about 5 days to spare! If you want to take a peak, you can see it in its entirety here. I must honestly admit, I love this album. In fact it actually is two albums because I ended up doing 56 8x8 layouts. Also thought I would share some of my favorite layouts that I have never posted on the blog before . . . .

Playing euchre while in the Outer Banks. Used a lot of older SEI papers for this layout which was inspired by a layout in the first KI idea book.

Used some of the new SEI Dill Blossom papers. When my cousin Carole came to visit the end of June, she brought all of these older family prints that were so much fun to look at.

Layout about the motel we stayed at while in San Clemente with Cathe and Jude. I really thought the old KI Fire line went well the Spanish inspired architecture.

Another layout inspired by the first KI idea book. The layout is about my trip to MIS with Mark and our 100+ mph drive around the track. Hated the first lap and got into the 'groove' the second lap.

Layout inspired by a Becky Fleck page map from her latest idea book that I bought this past summer. Funny how you start out thinking a layout is going to look one way and it ends up looking totally different when its finished.

Used Love, Elsie Jack + Abby papers for this layout which was inspired by a sketch found on the Lifetime Moments website.

Fun layout about our night of mixing daiquiris and sitting around the condo laughing all evening.

Both of these layouts were done using old Chatterbox papers. Still love those older room collections. First layout is based on a Valerie Salmon sketch and the second layout is based on a Becky Fleck mini-map.

Layout about my dislike of any and all things fish related!

Layout using some of the SEI Chick-a-Doo papers I got in an LM monthly kit in April. Kind of a scary picture of Cathe but really needed to do a layout about the amazing breakfasts we had will staying at the Kingsleigh Inn.

This has to be one of my absolute favorite layouts in the entire album. Got the idea from the Little Red Scrapbook website and the papers came from one of their monthly kits.

Layout about losing our car at the Columbus airport upon our return from Maine last summer.

Layout was 'lifted' from a layout I found on Two Peas. Love all the different Thickers, chipboard, and stickers I used for the 30s. Well that's it for tonight. Have a good evening everyone!

Right Now It Is . . . .

2008-10-13T17:45:00.011-04:00

81 degrees out! Come on folks . . . this is October 13 . . . Maybe 61 degrees but not 81! Went to the Lost Land Corn Maze down in Sidney yesterday. The sky was blue, there was a light breeze in the air, and it was 86 degrees out. Way, way too hot!! And to top it all off, I forgot my camera so I had to resort to taking pictures with my iPhone. How funny is that?

Ended up not scrapping again over the weekend . . . the creative juices simply stopped flowing. This means I will have to share my favorite layout from this summer . . .

Isn't it the cutest picture ever? Leslie and Aiden went with Judy and I down to Westerville for Josh's final performance at band camp the first week in August. Before the show started I was just taking pictures of Aiden as he walked around and I fell in love with this one. He was waving at everyone and everything he saw . . . too too cute! Used two of my favorite products again, Scenic Route's Liberty papers and American Crafts Thickers.

Not a whole lot else going on here. Think I'll head to bed early tonight and DVR Dancing with the Stars and Samantha Who? Monday's are kind of draining . . . . Have a great day everyone!

Will Wonders Never Cease . . . .

2008-10-12T03:15:00.018-04:00

I actually scrapped yester-day! Did this layout for the Tarragon Scrap-pers October 1st challenge to use a 3-D embellishment, and I am really happy with the final result. Inspired by this Valerie Salmon sketch which worked perfectly to document the approximate miles we flew this past summer on our vacation to Hawaii. Used mostly American Crafts products from the Travel collection on the layout. But then as quickly as that creative juice flowed, it ceased to flow any more . . . bummer. Hope to scrap some more today . . . we'll see . . .

Not a whole lot else going on here. Mark and I worked in the garage for an hour Saturday. Hate to admit it but we still have boxes that need to be emptied from our move 2 years ago. Got all of his dad's slides up over the garage too. You know I hate to rush into anything; have to remember . . . slow and easy wins the race.

Yesterday was the "Shawnee Showcase" band competition at the high school. Went and watched about four bands perform including our own Shawnee 'Band of One'. My nephew, Josh, now marches in the band, so it is fun getting back into the swing of things with band competitions and the like. Once again this year, the band will be heading to state competition the end of the month. Hopefully they will be able to keep their string of winning performances going with a Superior rating come October 26th. Took my camera to the first competition back the first part of September. Got lots of great shots of Josh and made this layout for my 2008 family album. The theme for this year's show is based around patriotic photos, so Scenic Route's Liberty papers definitely fit the bill. Once again, this layout is a total scraplift of the fantastic Miranda over at Lifetime Moments. You can see her original layout here.

Looks like another beautiful day here today in Limaland. Yesterday it got up into the 80s and there is more of the same forecast for today. Hard to believe that it is the middle of October and it is still 80 and sunny out.

Well folks, I'm out of here . . . Have a beautiful Sunday!

6 Months, 8 Days, . . . .

2008-10-11T06:36:00.005-04:00

Long time no see . . . . I really do enjoy blogging . . . . Can't really say why I haven't blogged in eons . . . . Since we last met, life has been hectic, calm, fun, sad, and filled with many beginnings and endings. Over the next couple of weeks I'll fill you all in on all the happenings, the good, the bad, and the ugly . . . .

Been kind of in a scrapping slump of late. I always seem to go in spurts when I scrap and buy like crazy and then usually the scrapping part falls off but the buying part continues. However of late, the scrapping and the buying part both have slumped. I'm still receiving two monthly kits each month, Lifetime Moments and Scarlet Lime, and those have actually been enough to wet my purchasing desires each month. Also have all the new October Afternoon (Good Cheer, Night Light, and Weathervane) on preorder at LM which hopefully will be here shortly. October Afternoon is one of my new favorite products lines and I am definitely looking forward to the preorder arrival.

Well folks, I if I want to scrapping slump to lift, I had best get a move on. I'll leave you all with a layout from last April . . . Aiden eating his birthday cake. Isn't he the cutest thing ever and looking at this layout makes me smile. Hope it does the same for you . . . .

Have a great Saturday everyone! It looks like it will be a beautiful day here!

Just Some Food for Thought . . .

2008-04-03T06:36:00.003-04:00

Found this on-line this morning . . . Something I think about every now and then.

Cartoon by Dave Walker.

Streak to the Finish . . .

2008-03-31T05:57:00.002-04:00

This NASCAR season Mark and I have started a weekly NASCAR competition. Each race week we have to choose a driver who is going to finish in the top 10 for that week. If your driver does finish in the top 10, then you earn the points that that driver won for that week. Finally, if you choose a driver and he ends up in the top 10, you can't use that driver again as long as you are on a "streak". (Clear as mud, right?) Anyway, right now I am winning! Yesterday I picked a top 10 driver for the second week in a row. So far this year I have had already had one 3-week streak and I am currently watching Mark "eat my dust" with a score of 853 points to 175 points. I played this game last summer on NASCAR.com and by mid-season I was doing quite well. There was even one week when I was on an 8-week streak and stood about 35th in the nation! Not too bad if I do say so myself.

My sister Cathe sent me this link for a cute video/song sung by the Statler Brothers. Enjoy your Monday!

Dreary Day . . .

2008-03-30T11:01:00.022-04:00

here in Lima today. Overcast and 45 degrees but what else is new . . . Kate called this morning and admonished me for not keeping this blog up to date . . . and I was doing so well.

Since we last met . . .

we had our biggest snow storm of the year on March 7 and 8
Mark and I, along with my brother Dick, went to Bristol for Dale Jarrett's last points race March 14 and 15
watched Aiden for a day when Leslie ran into some sitter problems
spent a day scrapbook shopping with Lori March 21
scrapped a grand total of TWO pages

Aiden came to visit me at school last week along with both Leslie and Kate
IEP season is in full force
ate out too much

still working on losing the pounds I put on in February
only 84 days until we leave for Hawaii
Spring Break has come and gone

So there you have it . . . my life in "bullets"

Seating here watching Race Day on the Speed channel. Still haven't gotten dressed this morning. Have a roast in the crock pot and need to finish up my last two IEPs. Also trying to come up with some inspiration to scrap some. Worked most of yesterday on a mini book that I ended up throwing out . . . I used way too much ink and it ended up getting all over everything. UGH!

Have a great Sunday!

The Creative Juices . . .

2008-03-02T08:14:00.005-05:00

sure aren't flowing this weekend. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon simply staring a the layout I was trying to do with February's 12 on 12 photos. Zip, zero, nada was happening! Tried to take a different approach this morning and still nothing . . . UGH!! Maybe someone is trying to tell me something since I really need to be working on my 2nd trimester grades which are due next Wednesday . . . .

Well yesterday brought to the end a unique era in my life . . . . I ported my Alltel phone number over to AT&T. Loving my iPhone and now I have my old phone number back.

So, since I am in a creative slump of sorts, thought I would share this layout with you all that I did last week-end. Got the idea from the March issue of Creating Keepsake and a layout by Elizabeth Kartchner. Love the large circle and I even pulled out the ole sewing machine to stitch around the outside of the circle.

Well, I should get going on with those grades . . . Have a great day everyone!

Falling Back Into My Old Habits . . .

2008-02-27T10:28:00.008-05:00

of not blogging that is! Sorry about that. No excuse.

If you all don't mind, I would like to go back to my post on February 22nd. Guess what I forgot to post about? No, it wasn't the 28th anniversay of the USA hockey team's victory over Russia, even though that did happen on February 22, 1980 too, but it was Kate's 28th birthday! Can't believe my 'baby' is acutally 28! Where has the time flown? Even though this layout is from last year . . . . Happy Birthday Kate!

Speaking of Kate, she drove into town on Saturday and surprised Mark and I with a visit. Leslie was also in along with Aiden and we all went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. Loving their mini Ruby burgers! Ordered those along with the salad bar. However, don't get the strawberry lemonade . . . . didn't care for it at all. Definitely not with the $3.29 price tag. It was great sitting with the girls and enjoying a meal out . . . just like old times!

Well, the past 2 days school has been canceled due to snow. I bet we got over 5 inches of snow Monday night and early Tuesday. And it looks like we might have gotten another 3 inches last night. Probably our biggest snow storm of the winter season. When is this going to stop? I am tired of it already!

Spent a good part of yesterday scrapping and getting caught up on programs I have recorded on my DVR. Made this layout for Lifetime Moments weekly sketch chall-enge. Very happy with the final product. Picture was taken a couple of weeks ago when we all went to Kate and Jaime's to celebrate Kate and my birthdays. The picture is a bit out of focus but I absolutely love the look on Aiden's face. Isn't he the coolest kid ever?

Guess that is about it for today . . . Have a great day everyone!

Friday Morning and . . .

2008-02-22T06:41:00.006-05:00

we are currently on a two hour delay!! Right on! Since I took my car into the shop today and it is Mark's Friday off, he was going to have to drive me into work this morning. Looks like he has a slight reprieve. Kind of have my fingers crossed for a cancellation today. It has been a rough week with disciplines and all.

Thought I would show off a couple more of my creations this past weekend. Both of these layouts are once again for my Summer 2007 album. This one is one of my favorites of late. It's a layout about all the different blueberry this and that you find in Maine. Cathe is holding up a blueberry martini, which she loved, and the blueberry pie we ate while in Freeport was to die for. As far as the actual layout goes, got the idea for all the tags along the side from a layout by Renee Camacho I found in the AL Designing with Color idea book. The papers are all from the current kit from Little Red Scrapbook that I have received. At first I wasn't real happy with what was sent this month and now I am loving the kit. This layout was the second time I have used these papers in a weekend.

Another layout I got finished was this one about the bed and breakfast we stayed in while in South-west Harbor, The Kingsleigh Inn. It is the same place Mark and I stayed in while in Maine during the summer of 2006. Love this place! In fact I would love to swing a stay there sometime this year too, but I don't think it is going to work out. Layout inspired by a Lisa McGarvey layout I found in the Garden at 2Peas.

Guess that is about it for this morning. Think I'll pick up my scrap area . . . looks like a bomb went off in here. Have a great Friday everyone!

Has It Been Four Days . . .

2008-02-21T05:44:00.008-05:00

since I last said "hi" to everyone? Don't know where the time has flown . . . . What's so funny is that there really hasn't been a whole lot going on lately . . . . Just kind of been in a funky mood I guess.

First off, let me say I LOVED the finish of the Daytona 500 . . . . Truly happy to see Ryan Newman win the race! Where in the heck did he come from? Sorry Kyle Busch . . . . Remember the fastest car doesn't always win the race. Talk about teamwork! Maybe folks will keep off Kurt's back for a week or two. He exemplified teamwork to the nth degree.

Even though I said I was going to scrap all weekend, and in the technical sense I did, I sure didn't get a whole lot done. Seems like all I did was 'stare' a lot. Here is one of my favorites from the weekend. I took this picture of Logan and Aiden at our January Christmas gift exchange with the boys down at Kate and Jamie's. Played with it a little using PhotoShop Elements, enlarged, and printed it out here at home. Let me tell you, our new printer rocks when it comes to printing black and white! No more red or green tints with my black and whites. Found the idea for this layout over the weekend as I purged some of my old scrapbook magazines. It was a layout by Candace Leonard in the April 2007 Scrapbooks Etc.

Mark and I are having a mini-competition to see who walks the most on the treadmill in a week. Loser has to do the dishes, loading and unloading the dishwasher, for a month. Right now I am ahead by 3 minutes. I figure even if I lose, I really won't be doing any more than I already do, since I do the dishes most of the time anyway, but if I win . . . . fab-u-lous!

Well, I think I will start thinking about the upcoming day . . . . Have a meeting over at the county office after school and then I need to drop my car off at our local car fix-it place so they can check out a small transmission leak tomorrow. Hope it is nothing major. Keeping my fingers crossed. Have a great day everyone!

Bob and Sheri . . .

2008-02-17T07:08:00.012-05:00

Most mornings as I get ready for work and drive into work, I listen to the radio. It used to be that I listened to WJR out of Detroit, but for at least 10 years now, the program I listen to is the Bob & Sheri show. Bob & Sheri orginates out of the Charlotte, NC area and I have come to view our time together each morning as the perfect way to start my day.

I have been there as Sheri got engaged in Greece, married, became first a step-mom to Eric and then an actual mom to two little girls, wrote two books, and now is in the midst of a huge home improvement project. I have been there to listen to stories from her early childhood, which by the way was dysfunctional to say the least; hear about the trials and tribulations of being a working mom; and laugh out loud at the stories about her 'Grandma Black Hair'. I have been there as Bob has raised three children, felt the stress of a marriage coming to an end, and listened to his love for Maine and lobster. I love "Bob's Rules", the notion of the 'cone of safety', and how they have become a small part of my everyday life. I find it funny just how much Bob and Sheri feel just like old friends that you talk to constantly and know so much about, but they know nothing about me.

Well yesterday, I got to meet Bob and Sheri! The local radio station, 107.1, brought them in for a meet and greet/book signing. Leslie and I went up to the mall and stood in line for close to an hour to be able to meet them. Loved it! Thanks Bob and Sheri for taking the time to spend a minute or two with us and learn a little bit about my life!

Scrapped some yester-day, but not as much as I had hoped. Finally got this layout done about our after-Christmas celebration with the boys. I am totally in love with the pictures on the page, but I keep feeling like it needs a little bit of something more. Finally gave up trying to tweak it . . . done is done! Actually used my new printer to add the journaling directly onto the page. Now, at least I can tell Mark that I have printed on one 12x12 layout.

Watched Tony Stewart drive to a win in the Nationwide series race down in Daytona Saturday afternoon. Hey by the way, today is the Daytona 500!!! Let the NASCAR season begin!!!

Met Leslie, Christopher, and Aiden for dinner in Wapak last night. It was a pleasant surprise that we hadn't planned on. I swear, Aiden ate more of my fries than I did! Actually I should say that he handled more of my fries than I did, since 90% of what he ate actually ended up on the floor and not in his mouth!

42 degrees and rainy here right now. Well folks, I am out of here . . . . Have a marvelous day!

Purchases vs. Usage . . .

2008-02-14T16:15:00.003-05:00

Over on the Lifetime Moments board, Susan came up with an idea to keep track of products used for scrapbooking projects, versus products purchased. Thought I would give it a try, even though looking at my expenditures vs. usage scares the crap out of me! So I have started a second blog, Using Up My Stash!, to keep an accountability record of my scrapbooking purchases vs. my usage . . . Wish me luck!

Beat it out of the door after work today so I could get home to watch the second race for qualifying spots in Sunday's Daytona 500. Dale, Jr. won the first race and Kenny Wallace raced his way into the race. Since Kurt Busch had mechanical problems and only ran 6 laps of the first race, he will use the champion provisional so that he can race this weekend. Unfortunately, this means that Dale Jarrett must race his way into to the Daytona 500 or else he will be sitting home this weekend. Here's hoping that he can do it . . .

Hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day . . . . Mark and I will be heading to Ike's for dinner and then maybe back home to scrap a little. Also plan on scrapping the weekend away. Other than Leslie and I heading up to the Lima Mall to meet Bob and Sheri from the Bob and Sheri radio show we both listen to, I don't have any other big plans. Need to start working on my IEPs this weekend, since my case conferences start next week, but that is about it for school type work. Daytona 500 will take up all day Sunday . . . plenty of time to scrap while watching TV. Lifetime Moments is having an on-line extreme crop this weekend . . . want to take full advantage of the challenges they will post. Can't wait!

Sun was out and shining a good part of the day today, melting the snow away! Have a great evening everyone!

Been in Kind of a Funky Mood . . .

2008-02-13T19:46:00.013-05:00

of late, so sorry that I haven't blogged since Sunday. Good time was had by all down in Dublin celebrating Kate's and my birthday Sunday afternoon. Kate made 'breakfast' for dinner . . . loved it! We had Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, bacon, and orange juice. Perfect way to celebrate my birthday! Received the book "I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman" by Nora Ephron, from Kate. Nora wrote some well-known screenplays like "When Harry Met Sally", "Sleepless in Seattle", and "You've Got Mail". The book is her view on life as a nearing 60 woman in today's world. Should be a good read and it will probably hit home more than I would like it to. Leslie gave me some Shaklee 'green' cleaning supplies that we had both seen on Oprah recently. Already tried them out, and they work great!

Yesterday was my "12 on 12" day, so here are my pictures for the day . . . Just like last month, the pictures include (L to R, top to bottom):

time I got up Tuesday morning . . . I was hoping for a delay or cancellation but everything ran on time and I 'slid' into work
Mark's and my lunches already to be packed in our lunch bags
my new Shaklee 'green' cleaning supplies
my odometer . . . 97, 017 this month which means I drove 1313 miles in the past month
my desk top first thing in morning . . . you should have seen it by the end of the day!
my class working on a properties of matter activity . . . note my new "Calm" poster in the background
looking down a book shelf in the library at school
our new picture for our dining room wall, newly framed and waiting to be hung . . . notice the lack of a dining room table . . . in being refinished again because last year's refinishing wasn't quite working out
drank 2 cans of Pepsi yesterday . . . here's one of the cans sitting on my desk in the den at home
my friend, Julie, as I looked through her classroom window as she worked on her alternative assessments
part of the Vera Bradley display at The Greenery . . . see Cathe, I finally went in to check out the new patterns for summer
yesterday's gas prices as seen on my way home from work . . . $3.02 per galloon

Well that is about it for this month's 12 on 12 . . . Have to admit that my battery died on my camera yesterday, so a couple of these pictures were actually taken today . . . trying not to let that bother me too much . . .

Sitting here watching American Idol . . . they are getting the contestants down to the final 24 tonight. Next week the voting by the public begins . . . looks like it will be a great season! One of the final 24 is a student at high school in the district I work in, Garrett Haley. Check out his video here . . . Hey, he also plays soccer . . . Not too bad! Should be fun watching how he does . . .

Well folks, that is about it for tonight. Working on my Ten on Tuesday list . . . I'll post it tomorrow. Have a great evening everyone!

Thunder, Lightening, Snow, and Rain . . .

2008-02-10T07:53:00.000-05:00

Couldn't believe it last night . . . All the thunder and lightening, rain, and then snow! Woke up this morning to our driveway looking like a skating rink. With temperatures right around 20 degrees at the moment, at least it isn't as cold as they had said it would be today. Here's hoping it stays that way!

Scrapping wise, yesterday was very productive! Sat and watched Speed TV most of the day, with all their Bud Shootout coverage, watched the race last night, and scrapped the day away. First layout that I got done was this one for my 2007 Summer album. Picture was taken when we had lunch at our local burger place, Kewpee, when Cathe was in town. The layout was a 'lift' of a Shannon Tidwell layout in the new 2008 KI Idea Planner. Actually forgot that I had preordered this planner and was pleasantly surprised to receive it in the mail on Friday. Second time I have used black as my background color this month . . . sure brings out the colors in a photo.

The second layout I completed was this one of Aiden. The picture was taken when we celebrated Christmas with the boys down in Columbus in mid-January. Loved all the bright colors in the picture and wanted to showcase Mr. Cutie Botootie in a layout. Went back through my stash of patterned papers and found these papers and cardstock from the June 2007 Lifetime Moments kit I receive. The layout was also inspried by one of Miranda's design ideas for that month. Loving all the buttons and Doodlebug gems on this one!

Very happy with the outcome of the Bud Shootout last night. Glad to see Dale, Jr. win the race. Mikey came in 11th and D.J. came in 13th. Not a bad showing considering how awful the year was last season for Michael Waltrip Racing. 7 days until the Daytona 500 . . . Let the NASCAR season begin!!

Well folks, have to start getting it together for the day. Heading down to Kate's to celebrate February birthdays this afternoon. Meeting Leslie, Chris, and Aiden in Bellefontaine around noon and then we will ride down together. Need to still wrap Kate's gift and pull myself together. Maybe I will even walk on the treadmill . . . .

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Saturday Morning and the Arctic Cold Front . . .

2008-02-09T07:58:00.000-05:00

is on its way! UGH!! They are calling for a high of 9 degrees tomorrow and winds gusting to 40 mph. Sound like a pleasant day, huh? I don't think so.

Sitting here getting ready to scrap the day away. Tomorrow we are heading down to Dublin to celebrate February birthdays. Have to be at Kate's by 1 PM, so if I am going to get anything scrapped this weekend, today is pretty much my day to get things done. First of all, I need to get my scrap area cleared up and then let the fun begin!

After over two months of no NASCAR races, tonight is the official start of the 2008 season. NASCAR RaceDay starts at 6 PM and the green flag for the Bud Shootout waves at 8:30 PM. Even though it is one of the two non-point races of the season, it officially marks the end of what Mark and I call "The Dark Time". Can't wait to get the season going! And it's only 36 days until we are sitting at Bristol Motor Speedway watching the Food City 400!

Off to finish picking up and then making a mess again while I scrap . . . Have a great Saturday folks!

Thursday Morning and Another Delay . . .

2008-02-07T07:35:00.003-05:00

but who's complaining . . . not this teacher! More rain last night, a little bit of snow, and icy conditions this morning. As much as I enjoy the delays, I have to admit that I hate weather like this. Warm one day, freezing the next . . . just give me a huge snow fall, get the roads cleared off, and I'm good to go. Hate, hate, all this ice and slipping and sliding.

Another layout from my Summer 2007 album. Picture was taken out in California when I spent the weekend in San Clemente. My sister Judith was getting ready to take a swim in the ocean and was fooling around before she headed down to the beach. Used some really old KI papers again on this layout from the Collection III Together line. Love going back into my stash of papers and pulling something out to use!

Since I didn't post on Tuesday this week thought I would do my Ten on Tuesday today. The theme this week is "10 Things You Can Do Instead of Watching TV" . . .

Scrapbook
Watch DVDs . . . usually my favorites, over and over again
Exercise . . . okay you can stop laughing!
Read . . . currently reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" which I am totally enjoying
Surf the net . . . like I don't do enough of that already
Scrapbook
Go to bed early
Keep up with the laundry . . . something I usually let way too out of control
Organize and reorganize my scrapbook supplies
Hey, did I say scrapbook?

Well there you go . . . Still on a two hour delay and I need to start thinking about getting ready for work. Have a great day everyone!

Home From the Big City . . .

2008-02-06T18:47:00.000-05:00

Busy two days down in Columbus. Rained all the way down and rained all the way home today. I couldn't believe all the flooding we saw on the way home, especially around the Indian Lake area. Totally amazing! Good to be back home. Enjoyed the sessions I took part in, especially the memory and music ones. Great speakers with a ton of motivational ideas. The one great thing about this conference is definitely the way the attendees are treated. Each day starts with a marvelous continental breakfast and at lunch we served a sit down, white table cloth and napkins lunch. Yesterday it was a chicken and rice dish, today it was lasagna, and the desserts are to die for! Between each session is at least a 30 minute break, so you never feel rushed. Enjoyed staying at the Hilton and we all went to Cap City Fine Diner for dinner. Needless to say, a good time was had by all!

So look at what came in the mail today . . . our tickets to the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speed-way on March 16. My brother, Dick, is going with Mark and I . . . should be a good time. This will be Dale Jarrett's last official NASCAR points race . . . hence the reason for our trip to the race. Now all I need to do is put in for my personal day as soon as I get to work tomorrow. Should be a fun time, especially since I will be sharing this time with Dick . . . he's a NASCAR virgin!

Well folks, I am dead tired . . . Think I'll be heading off to bed shortly. Stay dry and have a great evening!

I Have Now Officially Entered . . .

2008-02-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

my 60th year! It is so hard to believe that I will actually be 60 on my next birthday! Maybe I will just hang around 59 for a couple of years. What do you think? Low key kind of birthday. Mark and I went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and I am currently doing laundry. A women's work is never done, right? Still need to run the dishwasher too.

Busy, busy day at work today. Three of my students were are a 2 hour delay due to fog, so things really didn't get rolling until almost 10 AM. Makes for a quick and busy day. Spent a good part of the day getting things together for my sub for the next two days. Picking my boss, Sherri, up at 5:45 AM and we will be heading down to Columbus for our conference. It will be good to be away, mingling with other special ed teachers, and learning new techniques to hopefully engage our students more. Going to take Sherri to a couple of my favorite scrapbook spots tomorrow after the conference ends for the day and then meeting up with some of the teachers from Elida, who are also attending the conference, for dinner. Should be a good time!

Watched the entire Super Bowl game last night. I think it was the first time in years I have actually watched the entire game. Loved the outcome! Scrapped the entire time the game was on and got this layout completed for my 2007 Summer album. Used this layout by Miranda, a design team member at Lifetime Moments, as my inspiration. The Love, Elsie Roxie paper and epoxy sticker I used were a near perfect match for the top Cathe had on in the picture. Aren't the buttons sewn on the heart the cutest touch? Love, love all the little touches Miranda adds to her layouts! Wish I could take credit for the design.

Since I am going to be gone the next couple of days I am not to sure if I will be able to post at all tomorrow. I'll try but doubt if I will have access to a computer. I'll be back early Wednesday evening, so I will get with you all then. Have a great upcoming two days!

Super Bowl Sunday . . .

2008-02-03T19:27:00.000-05:00

and hoping the New York Giants can win tonight. Guess we will just have to wait and see. Saw two Super Bowl ads already today that simply made me laugh out loud. One was earlier in the day during the pregame and starred Ben Roethlisberger singing a very poor rendition of the Pina Colada song . . . too too funny. The other was a Pepsi Max commercial where some guy is whacked to the ground by a swing . . . basically a dumb commercial but that one part was funny in a sick sort of way.

Didn't get much scrapped today but I did get this layout done yester-day. Every month I want to do a layout with the 12 pictures I take on the 12th of the month and this is my January layout. Found the idea for this layout by Tracy Miller in the Two Peas Creative Garden. Love the straight line design. Also got most of my pictures that I want to use on layouts for January printed today. Did some here at home but sent most of them to Walgreens. Also apent some time playing around with my new iPhone getting about 40 of my layouts saved on my phone so I can look at them whenever I want. Most of them are from my Summer 2007 album. I am really really loving this album and it will be fun to have them all in one place to look at whenever I want to.

Spent a good part of the day writing two quizzes and a test for my kids to take at school while I am gone Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully I can get everything together for the sub by the time I leave tomorrow. I have a 4 o'clock hair cut and would hate to have to go back to school to finish up if I can't wrap it all up by then. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Hope you all had a pleasant weekend. Looks like the next couple of days the temperature might get up into the 50s . . . here's hoping they do. Off to walk the treadmill while I watch the halftime show . . . Have a great evening everyone!

So Picture This . . .

2008-02-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning 10:55 AM, 7:55 AM PST. I am logged into the Reserve America website. At that exact same time, Cathe is sitting at home in California, logged into the same website on 2 different computers. Each of the computers is set up to try to reserve a cottage at the Crystal Cove State Park in Laguna Beach for this coming August. At actually 11 AM, I hit the "reserve this site button" and Cathe does the same at her end. The "checking availability" bar starts working and we patiently wait . . . . and wait . . . . and wait. Then in flash we both get . . . . . NOT AVAILABLE! Can you believe it? Not one stinking cottage was available! The entire month of August was sold out in under 1 minute . . . . Those must be some amazing cottages! So it looks like it is on to Plan B for our summer getaway . . . .

Actually ended up spending the day in my pjs yesterday. Started feeling a bit grody around 1PM, so I did take a shower, but it was back in my jammies for the remainder of the day. Loved, loved it! Looks like we missed the bullet on our winter storm yesterday. From what I can tell, it tracked a bit west of us. We got rain, some ice, and just a dusting of snow. Maybe we could have gone to school after all, but this teacher is not complaining . . . Loved my snow day!!

Scrapped the day away. Got this layout done for my Summer 2007 album yester-day morning. It is a picture of Aiden that Leslie took when we were in the Outer Banks last summer. They brought his automatic swing with them and Aiden would sleep in the swing all the time. Don't know exactly who put the sun glasses on him, but isn't it an adorable picture! Got my inspiration for the layout from a sketch by Shimelle Laine I found on line on the Pencil Lines blog. Great place for ideas . . . check it out.

Guess that is just about it for this morning. Not much on the schedule today. Maybe I'll scrapbook . . . . Sounds like a plan! Have a great day everyone!

Sitting Here Waiting . . .

2008-02-01T05:43:00.000-05:00

for Elida school to finally do something about the "weather" that is expected in the area this morning. We were supposed to get 1 - 3 inches of snow last night but it looks like that didn't happen. Guess it is pretty icy out there instead. The Weather Channel says that there is still more ice and snow on the way . . . come on Elida, decide what to do! Just called Leslie because Shawnee is on a 2-hour delay. . . .

Right on . . . we just canceled!! It has been a rough week at school. I am having a lot of issues with one of my students . . . definitely need the break. Next week I am in Columbus for two days, so that will make for a nice little respite. Then for the next two weeks we only have 4 days with students each week . . . . Monday February 11 is a teacher in-service day and Monday February 18 is President's Day! February is definitely shaping up into a great month . . . Oh, the life of a teacher!

Just did my weekly weigh-in for our biggest loser contest at school . . . another 2 pounds lost. I've been drinking too much Pepsi this week, especially at work . . . seems to go hand-in-hand with behavior issues in the classroom . . . so seeing a loss this week was a pleasant surprise. I still have a ton of weight to lose but 2 pounds a week is my goal.

This morning at 8AM PST, my sister Cathe is going to attempt to reservation a cottage at Crystal Cove State Park in Laguna Beach for this coming August. Hoping that she is able to reserve one because then Leslie and Aiden, Kate, and I will hopefully fly out for an "all-girl" getaway along with my sister Judy. These cabins are right on the ocean and you can only reserve them 6 months in advance . . . August goes on sale today . . . keeping my fingers crossed.

Well I'm off to plan my day . . . Let's see, I think I will scrap, scrap, and scrap some more! Have a great day everyone!

Well, One Winter Weather Advisory Did Not Pan Out . . .

2008-01-30T18:59:00.000-05:00

but according to the Weather Channel another storm is on its way! Last night our temperatures plummeted from the 50s to single digits in a few short hours. The winds howled and the rains came but no snow. A number of schools were delayed two hours this morning but we started on time. Now they are calling for up to 6 - 10 inches of snow Thursday evening through Friday evening . . . can you say school cancellation on Friday . . . keep your fingers crossed!

Three of my students all come from a small district west of Elida and lo and behold their district canceled school today. When I went in this morning I knew that they were on a two hour delay and by 9 AM I heard that they had canceled. Guess there was a power issue in the district . . . don't quite understand how that affects the transportation of students to neighboring districts but it made for a very pleasant day for Joyce and myself. With just one student, who needless to say had a lot of make-up/missed homework to complete, we got a ton of things done. I got all my weekly reports together and got caught up on grading. Also started planning for my 2 days off next week, when I am at a special education conference in Columbus. Feels great to have my desk back under control again!

Since calm is my word for the year I found this neat poster on-line on Ali Edwards's blog. She posted a link to some places to buy the poster . . . it's a reproduction of a British poster from World War II. Well I ordered 3 of them from a store in England, Barter Books. Places here in the US want a minimum of $20.00 a piece and I bought all three of mine for $29 and that includes shipping. Going to put one of them in my computer/scrap room and one in my classroom at school. Not sure about the third one, so if you are interested in one, let me know.

Well guess that is all the news here in Lima that is fit to print. Have a great evening everyone! Stay warm!

So What Would You Buy for Yourself with $1,000,000 . . .

2008-01-29T18:10:00.001-05:00

That's what this week's Ten On Tuesday question is . . . You’ve got a million dollars, and you’ve got to spend it on yourself . . . not your family. Another stipulation, you can't save it or give it to charity. So, how would you spend it?

Buy a bigger, nicer, more over the top condo
Hire a decorator to decorate the new place
Take care of outstanding bills for the next year so I can take a year off from work and travel the world . . . Alaska, Australia, African safari
Buy a new Corvette ZR1 . . . I'd let Mark drive it if he was nice to me
Buy a scrapbook store and stock it with all the lastest and greatest products . . . then I could attend CHA
Continue to get my nails done every week, get bi-weekly pedicures, and weekly massages
Hire a personal chef, a personal trainer, and stylist
Follow the NASCAR circuit for a season and get seats in private boxes to watch each race
Buy a laptop and upgrade my home computer
Buy at least a 2 carat diamond solitaire ring, 1 carat diamond solitaire earrings, a 2 carat diamond solitaire necklace, and a diamond tennis bracelet

Well there you go . . . I probably spent more than a million . . . a girl can dream, can't she.

Guess that's it for today. Rough day at work today and it is not even a full moon. Think I will simply veg tonight and hit the sack early. Have a great evening everyone!

Monday Morning . . . Enough Said . . .

2008-01-28T05:54:00.000-05:00

New student coming again today. Should be interesting . . . Not real sure how this one is going to work out. Seems like a nice enough kid but a lot of behavior issues. Just have to keep telling myself to stay calm and to remember that it is "my room, my rules".

Got one more layout done yesterday. Took this picture a mere 6 days after our 3+ inch snow storm January 2 . . . could not believe that all, and I mean all, of our snow had disappeared! No piles, no nothing! The papers used in this layout are from my December kit from Little Red Scrapbook and the design was inspired by one of their designers, Katrina Huerta. That's one of the big reasons I like to get kits each month. Everything is all matched up like I like it, and the kits force me to use papers and embellishments that I would normally not use.

Watched parts of the Rolex 24 at Daytona . . . the official start of 'Speed Weeks' down in Daytona. Less than 3 weeks until the Daytona 500! Mark and I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel . . . or what we fondly call the "Dark Time" here at home . . . the official start of the 2008 NASCAR season! We read last week that Mark's driver, Dale Jarrett or as all his friends refer to him . . . DJ, has taken a job as the color analyst for ESPN/ABC NASCAR broadcasts. This means we will be seeing a lot of him come the second half of the season when the races are broadcast on ESPN and ABC.

Guess that is about all for this morning. Going to go make myself a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast . . . high of 46 degrees predicted for today . . . have a great day everyone!

Scrapping and Other Fun Things on a Sunday Afternoon . . .

2008-01-27T14:09:00.001-05:00

Well, there are a ton of things I should be doing other than scrapping but scrapping has been my priority today. Didn't get a whole lot done yesterday since I spent way too much time playing with my new iPhone. Also, yesterday morning, Leslie and Chris dropped Aiden off for an hour or so while they headed to Verizon to check out new cell phones. I made a pot of veggie soup and we all had lunch when they returned. It was fun having Aiden seat up by the table in the booster like high chair I bought earlier this month at Babies R Us. It straps right onto one of the dining room chairs and works like a charm. Aiden definitely enjoyed his Cheerios while the rest of us enjoyed our soup and fresh brownies for dessert.

Anyway, I got this layout done this morning with pictures that Mark took when he and the girls went to the Detroit Auto Show on opening day last weekend. He and Chris really wanted to see the new Corvette ZR1 and I wanted to make sure I included a picture of the Corvette in the layout. I thought that the picture of the red car was a Corvette. Wrong . . . it's a Dodge Viper. Sorry about that! Got the idea for the layout from my newest Scrapbooks, Etc. that arrived in the mail yesterday. I was looking through it last night in bed and knew that this layout by Tracy Miller was perfect for the 'lifting'. Love the final product!

Sorry this entry is so short today. Have to head on out and buy some milk. Have a great Sunday afternoon everyone!

Look What Came to Live at My House Yesterday . . . .

2008-01-26T07:03:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it . . . . an iPhone! I am in heaven!! I can't believe I actually own one!! When they first came out I thought I might like one. Then the idea of switching mobile carriers stopped me . . . I've been with Alltel since day one of cell phone ownership. Just before Christmas I got to hold one in my hot little hands and I was blown away by the color it displayed. Finally decided I wanted one when I found out that my Google calendar could be synced to the iPhone but the price of the phone was stopping me. Anyway, Mark surprised me with one for my birthday!! It is the coolest device and does so, so many neat things. Only problem right now is that I have to have a temporary cell phone number until the end of February when I can port my old number over to AT&T. Oh the trials and tribulations of owning an iPhone!

Here is another layout from my Summer 2007 album I am currently working on. Picture was taken last summer when Kate received some belated birthday gifts from my sister Cathe. The items are part of the new Vera Bradley leather line and coordinate perfectly with Kate's Vera Bradley bags. This layout was inspired by a Mellette Berezoski that Lori had ripped out of an old scrapbooking magazine . . . I love the little details that Mellette always adds to her layouts. Even made my own transparency on this layout . . . wanted to use the definition for happy on the layout and printed it out on a transparency so it could cover both the photo and some cardstock.

Off to play with my new toy . . . I'll post more about this wonderful device tomorrow. Have a fabulous Saturday . . . I plan on it!

Sad Sad Day in the Carpenter Household . . .

2008-01-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

Now it's nothing earth shattering but sad nonetheless . . . . Today I gave up my cleaning lady. Okay, stop laughing but it is one of those luxuries that I have enjoyed the past 3 years. Some known but unplanned for bills have popped up . . . can we say real estate taxes . . . and when looking into a savings plan to make up our short-fall, I bravely chose to give up my bi-weekly cleaning lady. Don't want to give up my nail appointments and heaven forbid you touch my scrapping money, so Pat had to go. Now all I need to do is make sure Mark and I set aside time every two weeks to do the cleaning that Pat used to do. Really shouldn't be all that hard but a challenge anyway. Wish us luck!

Thought I would share another layout from my Summer 2007 album. Mark took this picture of me while we were visiting in the Outer Banks in June. The idea for this layout came from this layout by Lisa McGarvey. Really, really like how she adds all these little touches to her layouts.

Guess that is about it from here in Lima. Looks like the temperatures should be in the low single digits tomorrow morning . . . BRRRRRRRRR! We've been freezing in my room this week, so tomorrow should be no different. Have a great evening everyone and stay warm!

Back to the Grind . . .

2008-01-22T05:31:00.000-05:00

Well my big scrapping weekend is officially over . . . bummed but ready to get back to the routine. I am off again in 2 short weeks . . . heading down to Columbus for a special ed conference for two days. I will be staying at the Hilton at Easton so I definitely see some more scrapping shopping in my future!

Thought I would show you one more layout I finished up on Sunday. This is a picture of Mark's sister Lynne and Aiden which was taken when we were vacationing in the Outer Banks this past June. Loving all the buttons I used as a "frame" and the Heidi Swapp ghost hearts on the bottom left of the photo. Once again I used a Becky Fleck sketch as my design inspiration for the layout.

Today's Ten On Tuesday is "Ten Things That Were Better "Way Back When", so here goes . . . .

First and foremost . . . the price of gas!

I probably shouldn't bring this up and I am working on correcting the situation but . . . my weight.

Respect in the classroom . . . as a teacher you know I had to add this one in.

Paparazzi and the media attention paid to the rich and famous. . . I am sick and tired of hearing about the trials and tribulations of stars and other famous people as they screw up their $100,000,000 lives . . . take that Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton!

The presidential election process . . . I actually remember when the campaigning didn't actually start until after Labor Day during an election year!

Major League Baseball . . . clean-up the record books and get rid of the steroid driven records set over the past 10 or 12 years!

The Today Show . . . not into Meredith Vieira at all . . . take me back to the days for Katie Couric or maybe even Jane Pauley and Tom Brokaw.
Customer service . . . I just hate having to call some business now and you have to go through 10 million prompts to end up getting to the wrong person and they really don't seem to give a darn what your problem is anyway.
Kids playing outside . . . I remember many a night staying outside until the last possible minute playing ball or some other group activity with the neighborhood kids.
Attire . . . I am definitely tired of looking at some teenage girl's boobies. Where are the days when attire was by far more modest and not so sex driven.

There you go . . . made it to ten this week! Gotta get moving . . . lots to do at school today. Looks like our weather this morning is going downhill quickly . . . schools are starting to call in 2 hour delays . . . keep your fingers crossed that we are delayed! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Trying to Go Green . . .

2008-01-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

Mark has started our household on a recycling program. He ordered four of these really nice recycling containers from Plow & Hearth and they arrived just before Christmas. He set them up just outside the laundry room door in the garage and has done all this research on-line as to what materials are recyclable and how we should actually be recycling. So to also get into the "green" mode, I bought these shopping bags from reusablebags.com in the paper bag brown color. For the last week I have carried them around in the backseat of my car and always seemed to forget to carry them into the grocery store with me. Well, tonight I didn't forget and used them for the first time! I'll keep you posted on our going green progress.

Here is another layout I did when I cropped with Lori in Columbus this past weekend. It is actually a scraplift of a layout I found on-line at Becky Fleck's Page Maps website. Totally love the scalloped paper and buttons! In fact, I like the design so much I actually used it for this layout too. The actual Chatterbox papers I used in each layout came from different room collections, so the layouts are not actually identical. Sick, aren't I?

Well I guess that is about it for today. Wrote an IEP tonight for a 10:00 AM meeting I have in the morning for another new student. Don't really know if he is suited for my program at Elida . . . we'll have to discuss it more tomorrow when we meet. Hope you all had a great Monday . . . loved having the day off today! Have a great evening!

Home Again, Home Again . . .

2008-01-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

Got back from Columbus and my scrapping weekend around 1:30 this afternoon. Ended up getting 6 layouts completed, so for me it was a pretty productive weekend. Real happy with what I got done including this layout I did with pictures I took at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach this past summer. Definitely not the colors I normally gravitate to, but I am quite pleased with the final rendition. Started out matting the pictures in a rust color . . . like you see in the brown patterned paper . . . but it just was not doing anything for me. Lori convinced me to switch over to the deep maroon/red color and it was the perfect fix!

Also did this layout about Cathe's and my trip to Maine in August. Love the tags on the left hand side of the layout. Used some older KI patterned papers from the Journey collection in 2004 and cardstock tags from Earth collection back in 2005.

Spent a good part of the afternoon scanning and posting some layouts for the Lifetime Moments WinterFest. Also watched to San Diego Chargers lose to the New England Patriots. Bummer . . . Right now the Packers/Giants game is headed into overtime. Oh my God, does it look cold in Green Bay. Current -4 degrees with a wind chill of -24 degrees. Keeping my fingers crossed that the Packers can pull this off.

Keep warm everyone . . . It's 8 degrees outside here in Lima at the moment. Thank goodness I don't have to worry about getting up tomorrow morning. Have great evening!

7 Minutes to Midnight . . .

2008-01-18T23:53:00.000-05:00

and can you believe I am still up! Productive day scrapping today. Actually got 3 layouts totally completed and one about 60% finished. Really like what I got done. Not much else going on . . . I'll try to post again tomorrow. Hope Friday was a great day for you!

T-Minus 24 Hours and Counting . . .

2008-01-17T05:18:00.001-05:00

until I am loading the car up for Columbus!! Long day ahead of me today but I am sure it will fly by. Got zero preplanning done last night . . . I think I was asleep by 8:30 PM and I didn't wake-up until 4:45 AM this morning! Have a few more layouts I have ideas swimming around in my head for, so hopefully I will get those put together tonight.

Last night all my plans for preplanning pretty much went flying out of the door when Mark got home and told me that the battery place closed at 5:30. I have noticed over the past month or so that my car was not starting as 'perky' as it had in the past. Then on Tuesday, after it sat out in 17 degree weather all day at work, it really moaned and groaned to start. So, since the battery is just about 5 years old and the prospect of having to call AAA this weekend, after my car sits out in typical January weather all weekend didn't really excite me, I decided it was time to replace the battery. So at 5 o'clock we quickly headed out to the Battery Warehouse. By 5:45 PM, my new battery was installed, my terminals had been cleaned, and my checking account was $67 lighter!

We decided to go to RubyTuesday for dinner . . . hadn't been there in a while. Mark and I split an order of their Ruby Minis hamburgers and a spinach and artichoke appetizer . . . I was very pleasantly surprised how good the hamburgers were! We also split a strawberry cream puff for dessert, which was very tasty but definitely not the healthiest thing to eat. As a side note . . . our server reminded me of Chris Daughtry but with a full head of hair . . . left him a decent tip too.

Well folks, I need to get some photos sent off to Walgreens so I can pick them up after work. Busy, busy at work today getting everything ready for my day off tomorrow, but it is worth it!! I'll try to post while I am in Columbus . . . if not I will catch you on Sunday for sure . . . . have a great Thursday!

Getting Ready for My Big Weekend . . .

2008-01-16T19:36:00.000-05:00

Spent a good part of last night preplanning for my scrapping weekend with Lori . . . only one more day of work . . . can't get here fast enough!! My IEP meeting for tomorrow has been postponed . . . very happy about that . . . think I'll head to bed early.

Really thought and thought about yesterday's Ten on Tuesday . . . couldn't come up with anything else . . . sorry.

Guess that is about all I have to say today . . . . have a great evening!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Movies That Disappointed Me . . .

2008-01-15T05:45:00.000-05:00

For this week's list I will do my best to get to ten, but I tend not to watch movies that I think I won't like. So here goes . . . .

Sound of Music - Don't know what it was about this movie . . . maybe all the hype . . . maybe so many people saying that they loved it, but I definitely was disappointed when I saw it. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie but I sure didn't love it.
Gone with the Wind - My mom always said that this was one of her favorite movies and how I had wished I would have been able to see it. Then it was re-released when I was maybe in 5th or 6th grade and I was so bored as I sat watching it in the movie theatre one Saturday afternoon.
2001: A Space Odyssey - I remember going to see this with Mark, the first year we were dating, and I just didn't get the point of the movie.
Any of the Star Wars movies after the first one - Loved the first installment . . . so unique and innovative for the time. All the rest seemed to be the same story with a little more elaborate special effects.

Gotta get going this morning . . . Come back later . . . I will think on this today. Have a great Tuesday!

What a Pleasant Surprise . . .

2008-01-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

when I walked into work this morning and who should be walking down the hall toward my room but . . . . . . . . Marie! I could not believe it, but she was in to sub for my aide, Joyce today! For those of you who might not know it, but Marie was my aide for 5 and a half years. She officially "retired" at the end of the 2005-2006 school year when, due to class sizes and student realignments, we found out I was no longer going to have an aide. So instead of being reassigned, Marie retired. My students must have thought we were crazy, but all we did was talk and laugh all day . . . it was great getting all caught up on what has been happening in her life over the past 18 months. Oh my God, was it fabulous to have her back! I felt like she had never left. All seemed right with the world! I already have her scheduled to come in for another day on January 25th . . . Maybe we won't be talking so much that day . . . Fat chance!

Didn't get any more preplann-ing done yester-day, but I did get this layout done for my Summer 2007 album. It was inspired by a layout Susan at Lifetime Moments did for last Thursday's newsletter. Really in the mood to scrap this week but I know that I need to save my creating for my weekend at Archiver's. Only three more days of work and then I am out of here! Already starting the countdown!

Glad to see the San Diego Chargers win yesterday. My brother, Dick, was ecstatic! Being that he is a Chargers fan, living and working in Indianapolis, should have been a fun day for him at work today! Even though it might seem highly unlikely, I would love to see San Diego go all the way to the Super Bowl. Their next opponent is New England and Tom Brady . . . I'm not going to hold my breath. Not surprised that Dallas lost to the Giants.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Monday. Have a great evening!

Janaury's 12 on 12 . . .

2008-01-13T06:29:00.001-05:00

And without further ado here are my 12 photos that I took yesterday . . . .

The pictures include (L to R, top to bottom rows):

the time I got up on Saturday morning . . . Hey, I'm an early riser!
my scrapping clutter as I "created" Saturday morning
our new treadmill
Mark in the middle of his weekly Saturday afternoon nap . . . he looked at this picture and asked when the funeral was . . . funny guy!
the entrance to our condo complex
our patio . . . note the lack of snow . . . it all melted within a week of our last big snow fall
my car parked right next to the cart corral at Ray's . . . What, I might add, is what I consider one of the best parking spots in the lot . . . especially on a cold or rainy day!
my odometer . . . . 95,704 miles driven since my purchase in April 2002
the counter top in the guest bath . . . the picture and the arrangement are new
the price of gas at the corner BP. . . $2.99/gallon
the wine aisle at Ray's . . . love the look of this department. The store has been remodeled recently and I am amazed at the huge wine section they put in . . . and I don't even drink wine . . . go figure!
one of the three arrangements Jude made me for the condo when she was here for Christmas . . . I love its simplicity!

So there you have it . . . my first "12 on 12". Next month the 12th is on a Tuesday, so I should be able to take a number of pictures of "professional" side of my life.

Happy to see the Green Bay Packers win yesterday! Could you believe that snow? That first quarter drove me crazy . . . couldn't believe the Packers were down by 14 points within the first 3 minutes. Great comeback Brett Favre and company! Went to bed before the end of the Jacksonville - New England game . . . I wanted to see Jacksonville pull off the upset, but no such luck.

Another busy week ahead. One of my two new students arrives on Monday, another IEP meeting on Thursday, and then off to Archiver's at Easton in Columbus on Friday to scrap the weekend away! Picking Lori up at 8:15 Friday morning so we can stop by Cord Camera before settling in at Archiver's for the long haul. We are going to be staying at the Residence Inn right behind the store . . . should be a great weekend!

I have really gotten into reality TV over the last couple of years . . . The Amazing Race is one of my favorites and I absolutely LOVE Dancing with the Stars! Also hooked on The Biggest Loser, Survivor . . . can't believe that the 16th one is about to start . . . , and am currently enjoying the dynamics of Celebrity Apprentice . . . talk about having egos . . . my God, Gene Simmons takes the cake! American Idol starts this week so that means I have yet another show to record. Really don't like the first couple of weeks of the show, but I will record them anyway just in case there is something of importance to watch. Like it better when they finally get down to the final 12 . . . it is amazing how the cream always rises to the top on that show.

Well folks, that's enough rambling for today . . . need to finish up a layout and still have to wrap some gifts for this afternoon. Have a great day one and all!

A Sunny Saturday . . .

2008-01-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

and all is well in Limaland. Up early this morning and actually got a layout complete this morning. It is a scraplift of a layout by Miranda at Lifetime Moments called Text Me. Took this picture January 2 when we had our first snow of the new year. Hard to believe but the snow didn't even last a week. By the next Monday it was upwards of 60 degrees here in Lima and every last inch of our snow melted.

Since today is January 12, I have decided to take part in a monthly challenge of sorts called "12 on the 12th". The idea is to take 12 pictures on the 12th of every month. I've already taken 8 photos, so I have 4 more to go. Decided that there are 4 pictures that I want to take every 12th; price of gas at BP, my car odometer, time I got up, and the entrance to our condo complex. It will be kind of neat to see how things change throughout the year. I'll try to get my "12 on the 12th" pictures posted in the morning before we head on down to Columbus.

Guess that is about it for today. Still need to get the boy's gifts wrapped and hope to scrap some more this evening while watching football. Started my preplanning for next weekend . . . need to kick it up a notch. Beautiful blue sky and bright sun today . . . loving it! Have a great one everyone!

Oh, My Greasy Lover Bacon . . .

2008-01-11T18:58:00.000-05:00

My favorite meal of the day is definitely breakfast and one of my favorite places to eat is a restaurant that has a breakfast buffet, especially one where they make your omelet right to order. But what I really like best about such a buffet is the amount of bacon you can put on your plate! I really enjoy good bacon and even though I know it is not the best thing for you to eat, I can't help but load up on it whenever it is available . . . . hum, maybe that is part of the reason I need to diet. So with my confusion of my love for bacon, please enjoy the following video I found on YouTube . . .

Things are going real well with my new aide, Joyce. It is amazing how much we think alike when it comes to the behavior of our students. I am definitely glad to be working with someone who believes that all behaviors have consequences . . . no matter if they are positive or negative consequences. Now if we could just get our students to realize this, our job would be much easier. We have a new student arriving on Monday. It will be interesting to see how he fits into the classroom mix.

My big project this weekend is preplanning for my scrapping getaway down in Columbus next weekend. Think I will preplan pages for my Summer 2007 album I am working on. Really enjoy working on the 8" x 8" pages. Also heading down to Columbus on this Sunday afternoon to celebrate a belated Christmas with Logan, Skyler, and Grayson. They were Texas over Christmas visiting their mom, so they did not spend Christmas Day with us. Should be a fun time . . .

Well I am off to preplan. Hope you enjoyed the video. Have a great Friday evening everyone!

So What Would Your Names Be?

2008-01-10T15:39:00.000-05:00

Found this on-line this morning and it cracked me up!

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & first car) Dum-Dum Volkswagon
YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo
YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) Ccar
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Dog
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) CarCa
SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Yellow Pepsi
NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Elmer Leon
TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Johanson Juneau

SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, favorite flower) Summer Tulip
CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Peach Sweaterie

HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Oatmeal Maple

YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Scrapbooking Clear Skies Tour
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Ann Royal Oak

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Mae Noel

So what would your names be?

Oh by the way . . . Everyone at work liked the new haircut. I'm still not too sure . . .

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Hump Day . . .

2008-01-09T05:13:00.000-05:00

Middle of the week . . . it is downhill from here! And to top it all off . . . today is an early release day which means students leave at 12:55 PM! Staff still has to stay until 2:55 PM, but the time to get work completed, uninterrupted, is heavenly. Also on the agenda this afternoon . . . I am trying out a new salon/stylist to get my hair cut. Even though Steve has been cutting my hair for over ten years now, I am in the mood for a change. Hope I am satisfied . . . .

My new aide, Joyce, starts this morning too. Got the room are all arranged so she can have her own area. She has been working for the county for just about a year now and has had an assignment at our off site severe behavior unit. Hope she likes coming over to Elida . . . I think she will be pleasantly surprised with how quiet it is in my room. Knock on wood . . . I honestly don't deal with a whole lot of negative behaviors in my room, mainly just students being stubborn. Seems as if once they realize who is running the show, we have very few, if any, physical and verbal altercations.

Thought I would post another layout I did over the weekend. I think this picture of my dad was taken sometime in the mid to late 50s. Since his birthday was December 24th, we always had a big family get-together on Christmas Eve. Loved those family times together! And it never seemed to fail, but my dad would always fall asleep before the last guest had left for home. Take note of the beer cans stacked in the bottom left of the photo . . . sure hope those were placed there for the picture and not what Bob had consumed for the evening! But then again, even though I hate to admit it, he probably could have drank them all on his own anyway.

Hey everyone, have a great Hump Day!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Best Memories from 2007 . . .

2008-01-08T05:31:00.000-05:00

Since I am back in the blog business, thought I would start right back in with Ten On Tuesday again. This week it is "Best Memories from 2007" . . . actually it was best moments but I like memories better, so here goes . . . .

This is an easy one . . . watching Aiden being born and seeing how much he has become part of our family in nine short months
Having Kate tell me that she passed the last part of her Praxis exams . . . so now she could become fully certified to teach in Ohio
Eating dinner at the Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits restaurant in Newport Beach, CA . . . possibly the best meal I have ever eaten in a restaurant in my life
All the traffic jams we managed to sit in while vacationing throughout the summer . . . not really fun times, but memorable nonetheless
Staying at the Beachcomber Motel in San Clemente, CA
Returning to Maine with Cathe and revisiting the Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor and Acadia National Park
Having my brother Dick visit for Thanksgiving . . . Now that he is living in Indianapolis hopefully this will happen more often
Spending Christmas right here in Lima with my sister Judy and her son Josh flying in from San Diego
Having the rental agency cancel our Outer Banks rental because the house was not finished yet, 10 days before we were supposed to leave on vacation
The last day of the school year when all the teachers stand outside and wave good-bye as the buses pull out of the parking lot . . . Let the summer begin!

So there you have it, in no particular order I might add, my most memorable memories from 2007. So what are yours?

Woke up to 59 degrees again this morning! Can't believe it. Yesterday we broke the record high temperature for January 7 here in Lima . . . wouldn't be surprised if we did it again today. The rain and thunderstorms are supposed to move in later today and then they are calling for snow again this weekend. Oh, the joys of living in Lima!

Time to begin thinking of my Tuesday school day activities. Both of my students were back to school yesterday and for a Monday, it was a pretty smooth day. Oh by the way, Ohio State lost the national championship game to LSU last night . . . should make for an interesting day of moaning and groaning at work today.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Monday Morning and All Is Well . . .

2008-01-07T05:29:00.000-05:00

Or as well as it can be for a Monday morning. Yester-day I scrapped the day away while watching football on TV, which I haven't done in a long time. Really enjoyed myself and got two layouts finished for my "Book of Me" album. Did the above layout about my favorite movies. I was inspired by a layout that my friend Lori did about both her and her husband's favorite movies. Real happy with how it turned out. Love the color combination of the pink and brown and how I was able in incorporate some way too old KI paper (October 2005) from the Beautiful collection. Also made the title using my newest font for my Revolution cutting system, Beauty Queen. Love it! Oh by the way, glad to see San Diego win their wild card game. Also, bummed to have Pittsburg lose on Saturday night. Looks like "Big Ben" almost ecked out a win, but no such luck this year.

Busy week ahead of me. IEPs to write, new aide arriving, and meetings to attend. Thank goodness Wednesday is an early release day . . . students go home two hours early but the staff has to stay. I never seem to get as much as I would like done on these days but it is great to have the time to myself.

My computer/Internet Explorer has been acting for the last couple of months so Mark spent a good four or five hours uninstalling and reinstalling everything this weekend. Now it seems to be working like a charm. It is definitely a plus to be married to a guy who earns his living 'fixing' programs on computers . . .

Woke up this morning and the temperature outside is 59 degrees . . . craziness for the 7th of January! All the snow we got last Wednesday is gone, including the snow piles around the driveway. Guess that is it for today . . . Ohio State plays for the national championship tonight. Hope they win so I don't have to listen to a rehash of the whole game tomorrow at work. But then if they lose, at least I can say that Michigan won their bowl game!

Have a good one everyone!

Sad but True . . .

2008-01-06T14:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my sister Cathe sent me the following joke . . .

"Last night my sister and I were sitting in the den and I said to her, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle to keep me alive. That would be no quality of life at all. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.'

So she got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my Pepsi."

I guess, if the shoe fits, I must wear it. This is so me!

Scrapping the day away for the first time in a long time. Gotta get back to creating. Hope you are having a great Sunday!

I Could Eat Him Up . . .

2008-01-05T09:21:00.000-05:00

said the loving Nana! Thought I would post this layout I did at my weekend crop I went to in November up in Novi, MI. It is a layout for my Autumn Leaves/Basic Grey 2006 album that I have working away on for the last 2 years. I had hoped to have the album done by the end of 2007, but sadly to say, that is not to be. Anyway back to talking about the actual layout, which by the way was inspired by a layout made by Leslie Lightfoot, whose style I absolutely love . . . Boy, that girl can work with embellishments! . . . is a picture of Aiden that Leslie took back in September. Isn't he the cutest little boy you have ever seen? I even used this photo to make stamps from photostamps.com up for Mark's mom, June, for Christmas. (Shh, don't tell, but my mom will also be getting a sheet for her birthday in March too.) Love, love spending time with him and actually watching him grow, right before our very eyes!

My sister, Cathe, has really taken off with my, via Ali Edwards, idea of having a single word to focus on during 2008. She is getting a number of her friends to also embrace the idea and it has been interesting seeing what everyone is coming up with. After hearing about all the different words that people are choosing, I thought about possibly changing mine, but I have decided to stick with calm. Actually, it is working quite well for me. Yesterday, I was in the middle of a phone conversation with a parent, and the parent simply did not want to listen to what I had to say. So after mentally telling myself to remain calm, I was able to refocus our discussion . . . Didn't help with our discussion, but it sure as heck helped me out. Check out some of the words in the sidebar, that some people I know have chosen as their word. So come on, think of a word . . . It is amazing what a difference one word can make! Let me know what word you come up with and I will add it to the list.

Well folks, time to get it in gear. Have to head off to the grocery store . . . the cupboard is bare . . . and get some things accomplished around here. Also hope to get a ton of scrapping done for Lifetime Moments WinterFest Challenges . . . gotta earn those discounts, you know! Overcast, rainy, and a high of 39 degrees expected today. A perfect day to scrap! Have a great day everyone!

A Historic First . . .

2008-01-04T06:15:00.000-05:00

of sorts. First, let me set up this historic event for you. Yesterday, after a 2-hour delay, I actually made it into my classroom 20 minutes earlier than normal . . . not a "first" but I have certainly gotten a tad lazy lately and have been squeaking into my classroom right under the wire. One other little fact needs to be mentioned here, and just to let you all in on my dirty little secret, so far this year I have gone from having 3 students on my roster, to having 4 students, back to 3, and finally, about 6 weeks ago, down to 2. So low and behold yesterday, by 9:45 AM I had received a phone call that one of my students would be spending a short vacation at our local juvenile detention center . . . definitely not a "first" since I teach kids with behavior problems and this happens at least once a year to one or more of my students. Then by 9:50, when my other student should have arrived, he was a no show. Folks, that meant I had zip, zero, nada students to educate yesterday! So that's my first for you, not earth shattering or anything major like finding a cure for cancer, but a historic first for me nonetheless.

Now don't think I sat around playing with my thumbs all day, I actually got a whole lot accomplished. Over the next couple of weeks I will be getting 2 more students and because of some of the disciplines these 2 students will be bringing with them, I am once again going to have an aide. So most of yesterday was spent rearranging my room, moving bookcases, and generally getting ready for 3 additional bodies. Over break I was wondering when I was going to have time to get this work done and lo and behold, there it was!

Well, I had best get moving. Friday is always Jean Day at work, so it's already shaping up to be a great day! Have a good one everyone!

2 Hour Delay . . .

2008-01-03T06:20:00.000-05:00

Elida Local Schools is currently on a 2 hour delay . . . Life is good! Don't really want to see a cancellation because we have already used 3 of our 5 days this year . . . would hate to have to make up days again this year. However, with only two days of school this week, I wasn't planning on accomplishing all that much this week anyway. Better to ease back into this teaching thing again, right, than to jump right back in?

Thought I would start posting some of the layouts I have completed lately. The Cousins layout above is one I did for my Summer 2007 album. When Cathe was here visiting back in August, we drove up to Michigan for a couple of days. Met up with our cousin, Alice, and her daughter, Amy, for lunch one day . . . good times were had by all. Really like this picture that was taken of the four of us, so I took the picture, removed the color, and then changed it into sepia. Used an older Tara Whitney layout I found in Simple Scrapbooks magazine as my inspiration . . . real happy with how this turned out. By the way, Amy is standing behind Cathe, Alice, and me (L to R).

Ended up still getting my nails done yesterday but still need to do something about my hair. Ugh! Oh, by the way, Leslie had to remind me about my word for the year, calm, yesterday as I was ranting and raving about posting to Blogspot. Couldn't get it to look the way I wanted and I was getting a bit upset. Old habits are hard to break . . .

Guess that is about it for today . . . have a good one!

Snowy Day and Home Bound . . .

2008-01-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

Home bound by choice that is . . . . Had a small snow storm pass through Lima last night, dumping about 3+ inches of snow on the ground and driving our temperatures down into the low teens. Anyway, Mark asked if he could drive my car to work today, and since I don't drive the Corvette, I"ll just sit at home today.

Had to cancel two appointments . . . my weekly nail appointment and a haircut/color appointment, which I am in desperate need of . . . but it is worth it for a day home all by myself. Currently sitting here listening to Kenny Chesney's new CD, Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates. Loving the peace and quiet!

Also hope to get some scrapping time in today. Going to take part in the WinterFest Challenge at Lifetime Moments again this year. Love having different challenges each day to get my creative juices flowing. Haven't scrapped much since my weekend getaway with Lori back in November. Need to kick it up a notch and get some layouts done!

Back to work tomorrow. A 2-hour delay would be great . . . pathetic aren't I? Oh, the life of a teacher! Hope everyone is keeping themselves warm and cozy. Have a great day!

New Year, New Blog . . . .

2008-01-01T09:14:00.001-05:00

Well, once again I "rang" in the New Year by sleeping right through it . . . quite the party animal, right? In an effort to save some pennies, I will be giving up my TypePad blog the end of January and have found a new home right here. Since my attempt to blog more often last year was definitely not achieved, I figured it would be better to switch to a free site instead of paying for something I really wasn't using. So here I will now reside . . .

To start off the new Year, I have chosen my "word" for the year. Ali Edwards came up with this idea last year about choosing a single word to use as your word for the year . . . something you would like to achieve and/or live your life by. Didn't do a word last year, but thought it would be a good idea to have one this year. So without further adieu, my word for 2008 is calm.

calm (adj) freedom from agitation; tranquillity; serenity

Needless to say, I get far too upset about quite a few things. It is definitely time for me to calm down and not let things, especially those that I have no control over, get to me. My sisters, Judy and Cathe, have also chosen words for the year . . . Judy chose focus and Cathe chose balance. Great words for both of them! So what is your word?

Well folks, that is about it for today. Have a great one!