Still No Heat . . .

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 . . .

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

1. Voting for and actually having my candidate elected President
2. The look on Mark's face when he showed up at his 60th surprise birthday party
3. Having Aiden sign that he wanted Mark to turn on the CD player and play music so he could 'dance'
4. Even though the circumstances where sad, driving with Kate to South Carolina/Florida to retrieve some of June's belongings
5. Actually witnessing the oil seep out of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
6. Meeting Bob and Sheri
7. Watching Aiden grow before our very eyes and turn from a baby into a toddler
8. Having Fred mix Sex on the Beaches while in Hawaii
9. Shaking hands with Lori as we formed our new partnership
10. 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 . . .

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 . . . .

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 . . . .

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, . . . .

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 . . .

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

Cartoon by Dave Walker.

Streak to the Finish . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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):

1. time I got up Tuesday morning . . . I was hoping for a delay or cancellation but everything ran on time and I 'slid' into work
2. Mark's and my lunches already to be packed in our lunch bags
3. my new Shaklee 'green' cleaning supplies
4. my odometer . . . 97, 017 this month which means I drove 1313 miles in the past month
5. my desk top first thing in morning . . . you should have seen it by the end of the day!
6. my class working on a properties of matter activity . . . note my new "Calm" poster in the background
7. looking down a book shelf in the library at school
8. 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
9. drank 2 cans of Pepsi yesterday . . . here's one of the cans sitting on my desk in the den at home
10. my friend, Julie, as I looked through her classroom window as she worked on her alternative assessments
11. part of the Vera Bradley display at The Greenery . . . see Cathe, I finally went in to check out the new patterns for summer
12. 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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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" . . .

1. Scrapbook
2. Watch DVDs . . . usually my favorites, over and over again
3. Exercise . . . okay you can stop laughing!
4. Read . . . currently reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" which I am totally enjoying
5. Surf the net . . . like I don't do enough of that already
6. Scrapbook
7. Go to bed early
8. Keep up with the laundry . . . something I usually let way too out of control
9. Organize and reorganize my scrapbook supplies
10. 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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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?

1. Buy a bigger, nicer, more over the top condo
2. Hire a decorator to decorate the new place
3. 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
4. Buy a new Corvette ZR1 . . . I'd let Mark drive it if he was nice to me
5. Buy a scrapbook store and stock it with all the lastest and greatest products . . . then I could attend CHA
6. Continue to get my nails done every week, get bi-weekly pedicures, and weekly massages
7. Hire a personal chef, a personal trainer, and stylist
8. Follow the NASCAR circuit for a season and get seats in private boxes to watch each race
9. Buy a laptop and upgrade my home computer
10. 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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . . .

1. First and foremost . . . the price of gas!


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


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


4. 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!


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


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


7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . . .

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 . . .

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!