Huh??

So last weekend, was the second week in a row that CleanScapes was not able to pick up our garbage or recycling. Our normal pick up day is Friday and when there is a major holiday (Christmas, New Year's Day, etc) our pick up day goes to Saturday. (Recycling gets picked up every other week.)

OK, so here's the "huh?" part: On Saturday, when CleanScapes once again said they could not pick up our garbage (they leave a message on our phone - that part is good customer service), they said we could take our garbage to their facility between the hours of 9AM & 3PM. So, if their big huge trucks cannot pick up our garbage because of the conditions of our street, how do they think we can get out with our little puny cars????? On Saturday, we still had lots of snow and no melting. 9AM??? it's still cold and dark and there is ICE on the road. Our car was not going anywhere.

So, this coming Friday it will be three weeks. Luckily, we have a large garbage container so if they really come on Saturday (remember, we have a major holiday this week) we should be OK. But, we are overflowing with recycling and that will not be picked up until a week from this Friday. We have our 96 gallon container filled and have six grocery bags under the table plus three boxes of recyclables that will not fit in the container....they did say they would pick up extra stuff at no additonal charge...just nothing in a plastic bag. Hummmm, we live in the Pacific NW...if we put stuff out in boxes and bags they will be very soggy and yucky.

Anyhoo, the snow is still melting and we never got plowed out. It's still slushy in the street and at the end of our driveway. We still have snow on the lawn. And, I can't imagine what our heating bill is going to be.

Life and times at our house.

It's melting!!!!!

Yes, it started to warm up yesterday & the snow is slowly melting. That is a good thing. If it melted quickly, we would be under flood watch for all the major rivers here. So, we finally got the car out yesterday & DH did a grocery store run, a pharmacy run and post office run. He had the worst case of cabin fever. I'm just happy I'm home can scrap to my heart's content. I'm working on 1988 right now & I'm almost finished.

Luckily we have not lost power, so the On Demand and all the movies were at our command ;-) We mailed off the Netflixs, so we should be getting some new movies next week.

I have another week of vacation, so I hope I can really have it instead of worrying about DH going back & forth to work & then making sure he was warm & dry when he finally made it home.....in the dark....walking on all that ice & snow.

Oh yeah, the washing machine is leaking, so I will now call a Sears repairman tomorrow. **sigh** it never ends.

Merry Christmas

For the first time in years, we have a white Christmas. It is snowing right now - a lot. No more snow pictures, you can look at the ones below to see the white blanket.

A little while ago we saw something we've never seen on our street - someone went by on a snowmobile!!

From our home to yours, DH and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and are snug and warm where you are.

December Commit 2 Paper kit arrived

I just received my Commit 2 Paper kit.


The papers are gorgeous: SEI Alpine Frost collection, Silver alphabet from Thickers, Prima flowers - beautiful browns, whites, gray & tan Bazzill, and some lovely ribbon. I now have more paper to make layouts for my snow pictures!!

More of the same...

OK, it was SUPPOSED to warm up a bit last night....it snowed instead. See that car in our driveway by the lamppost? It was cleaned of snow yesterday. There was about 2" more on top this morning at about 9:30 AM. It's 33 degree F right now with occasional snow showers. Once again, it is supposed to warm up tonight. We will see.


This tree was supposed to have the snow all gone.


It must have warmed up a bit. There are icicles hanging from our back porch roof.


I tried to get Cindy to settle down. So I put her favorite puppy in the chair & she cuddled right up.


I didn't put that stuffed animal on top of her, she snuggled under it & turned around until it was where you see it. The tree is safe for awhile.



Oh, and here is a headline from the local paper:

Snow, then rain, then snow again
A weather system blew into the Puget Sound overnight, bringing a dusting of snow to some parts of the region -- and making for slushy, slippery roads. But rain is already falling in some places, and more snow is in the forecast for Christmas.

Has it been a whole month????

Since I posted??? Geesh, life does get in the way of fun. Well, it's snowing here...we've had about a foot of snow since Sunday and the forecast says more tonight. Nothing like snow to bring neighbors together. Haven't spoken hardly any words to them all year & now we are pulling together to help each other out when needed. The snow brought on one good thing. I will say, I do enjoy watching it fall.

Luckily, I am on vacation until the new year...but, DH has to slog it out to the bus stop & try to get into work.


I'm catching up on scrapping - snow pictures at the moment....yes, Robin, I used some snowflakes & when I take a picture of the LO, I'll put it on the boards ;-)


Our tree has lights and a few non-breakable ornaments on it...........Cindy (furbaby girl) just can't leave it alone & thinks we put it up for her amusement alone. The presents aren't under the tree because she uses them to to advance further up the tree.

Sammy (furbaby boy) is being his lovable self and cuddling close when he can, crawling under the covers, and generally being a good boy.

Felting

November & December kits from ScrapGoods uses the technique of felting. We received some templates to make a flower, but I wanted to see what I could do. So I made a blue bird with a red wing.

Here's the blue bird in progress:



And then making the wing:



And then the end product.




I decided I wanted a wispy tail & end of wing. It was fun. I really enjoy this technique, and am so happy I also got several other colors of wool. I'll sew a bead on for an eye and cut out a felt beak. Then I plan to felt a limb for it to sit on!!

Only one thing to say....

Breast Cancer Awareness

My best friend and neighbor was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month....in the same breast that was treated 13 years ago (lumpectomy). After all the scans, x-rays, MRIs, blood tests & such, I took her to the hospital last Tuesday for a mastectomy.

Luckily, it was caught early & no lymph nodes needed to be removed. She is home, cancer free - again - and no chemotherapy!!

How blessed we are that she will be with us many, many more years.

My SS came through!!

Yup, I got the entire paper set of Basic Grey Euphoria....I am soooooo happy!!

On Saturday, I was elated to receive papers that had luster and shimmer and I was blessed to receive arcadia, helio, utopia and elysian fields. I was in a ferver and frenzy trying to figure out where it all came from. It was with madness and delirium that I went into my trance.

When I awoke I was cool and in rhapsody when I realized that my secret sister felicity had sent me a gift.

Euphoria was spread out all around me. Now I am fondling all these lovely Basic Grey papers and am very euphoric!!

I have a secret....

My ScrapGoods secret sister, that is. A lovely lady that I get to buy for. And, I can buy stuff for myself, too!! Her tastes are much like mine, so this is going to be really fun. I've already scoped out the links she gave me; already put in a couple of orders.


Her name.....





You've got to be kidding.................no one finds out until I reveal myself. ;-)

What love is

I received this in an email in my aMUSEme group:

What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . .
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Dad dy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

And the final one

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

So, what does love mean to you?

Tag you're it!

I've been tagged! Kylie seems to think I need to update my blog. Can't imagine why she would think that!! So, the little kiwi tagged me.

The "rules" of the game are as follows:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag

Write six random things about yourself...
1. As soon as I get home, I take my shoes off and wiggle my toes.
2. My favorite color is blue.
3. XML & CSS are easy peasy.
4. I never skipped a class in school.
5. The beach is my happy place.
6. Teenaged children can be a pain in the patootie!!


Tag six people at the end of your post

1. Miss Bee
2. Julia
3. Tara
4. Geri
5. Amy
6. Marinka

Mama Mia!!

I really want to see this show. I love the people in it & the music sounds like sooooo much fun!! Anyone else looking forward to this one?

Tim Holtz & CHA...

Just read in another group:

"Back to Tim Holtz stuff. Grungeboard is coming out in a holiday pack and nature pack. Also grungeboard books. The stencils are finally going to be released. Keyholes are coming out in the Ideology line. Tim Holtz fragments are coming out in oval and round shapes plus a set shaped liked tags. The tag shapes are all pretty small and great for ATC's. The crackle paint is coming out in metallic colors and white."

Take a look at his blog for pictures.

Oh wow, I can hardly wait to see the goodies!!

The goddess within & other creations

OK, the quarterly ATC swap at aMUSEme. Two themes. GODDESS - must use your face on the card. I guess I went a little overboard, but is was fun adding all the glitz:



The second theme was UMBRELLAS. At first I was going to do a paper piecing of the Morten's Salt Girl with white micro beads flowing out of the salt box. Too many pieces and I was not happy with the results. Then I saw a lovely stamp online of a beautiful Victorian lady with a parasol over her head. I was going to put lace on the parasol & use Glittering H2Os on it. The stamp came & it was no where near the fine detail as was shown online..poor lady looked like she was possessed. So, I decided to do some more iris folding and got my pattern and folded 16 umbrellas:



No, I didn't put the gold seal & ribbon on mine......the hostess gave me an award for knocking her socks off!! The back of the card reads: The back of the card reads, "Congratulations! Your ATC has been chosen to receive the Hostess Choice Award for the aMUSEme UMBRELLAS ATC swap. This award is given to ONE swap participant for outstanding workmanship. Your ATC is EYE CANDY and knocked my socks off!"

Charming, just charming

I was fascinated with the charms that some ladies brought on the cruise to trade. So, when Jan said she would host a charm swap, I jumped right in..........never had made a charm before in my life, but I do make dangles for my tags. Then, at ScrapGoods, one of our members wanted to host a swap & I suggested... CHARMS!! She took me up on it and so here are the charms I have made for both swaps.

They look alike, but for one swap the wire is gold & for the other swap, the wire is red. I attached lobster clips before I mailed them off. Thank you for looking & enjoy.

My first acrylic album..

OK, so it takes me awhile to get my feet wet when a new technique shows up. We received acrylic albums in September 2007's ScrapGoods kit. Humm, I started saving embellies that would look good with 'see-through' albums and amassed quite a bit....I can collect with the best of them!!

Well, the weekend of June 7th the ScrapGoods design team held an online crop & had several classes & challenges. One of the challenges I took on was to create an acrylic book. I'd been thinking about this for awhile & wanted to do a book of my sister who passed away in 2000.

I took pictures of the inside pages before I attached any ribbons, just to make sure the pages showed up OK. I hope you enjoy seeing as much as I enjoyed making it.


My sister loved the poem "When I Am Old I Shall Wear Purple" - so that's the color combination I chose - purple & red.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.


You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickles for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.


But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
~Jenny Jacobs ~

Marianne as a baby and about 3 years old.

Marianne at about 2 on the left. The poem is a Native American Prayer

I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn.

Marianne at about 5 years old.

Marianne & our cousin Barbara. The poem reads:

A life well-lived is a precious gift of hope, strength and grace
from someone who has made our world a brighter, better place.

It’s filled with moments sweet and sad, with smiles and sometimes tears,
with friendships formed and good times shared and laughter through the
years.

A life well-lived is a legacy of joy and pride and pleasure,
a loving, lasting memory our grateful hearts will treasure.

Marianne's high school graduation picture 1960.

Marianne's college picture about 1964. The poem on the other side of the page reads:

The tide recedes,
but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down,
but gentle warmth still lingers on the land.
The music stops,
and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains.
For ever joy that passes, something beautiful remains.

M.D. Hughes

My sister & I at two stages in our lives...when I was a baby sitting on her lap and in 1997 standing side by side.

The text below the picture reads:

Sisters share that unique & special relationship that combines friend and family - a bond that is at the same time supportive and enduring. The woman who shares her life with a sister is blessed.

And the last page with a quote:

Each life is a miracle that changes the world…
And leaves it a better place than it was before.

Indy is back

My two guys (DH & DS) and I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last night. Indy has aged, but he is as handsome as ever & can climb mountains and save the damsel as good as he ever did!!

Remember Disney's Even Stevens & Shia LaBeouf? He is great in his role in this film...a younger adventurer to carry the fun forward? Maybe so.

At any rate, I enjoy the entire film & will probably be adding the DVD version to my other three Indy DVDs!!

What color of Opals best suits your personality?

Sponsored by After Midnight! (opens in new window)


Aurora Bright Blue

There's a bit of magic in any great work of art, but you seem to have found the source of pixie dust. Faerie, fantasy, myth and legend are all sources of great inspiration for you, and you delight in giving others a glimpse of something far from the mundane. There's some part of you still playing with the Lost Boys, or dancing with Pan himself, and hopefully you will never lose that.


To take this quiz yourself, just click here!

Cruise blogging

If you take a look at Tim Holtz's blog you will see his video of the Alaska adventure. When he pans around the audience at the end, I'm on the left, second row back...........hummm, I couldn't find myself, either.

And, this is the blog of The Creating Place a neat scrappy store in Juneau. They were very excited to see Tim!!

Cruising Day 7 - the final gift.

At the end of the session, Tim said he had a very special gift for us. He showed us this cute little suitcase.



He had it made just for us (remember, presentation is everything) to hold the special gift.



The suitcase was soooo cute and opened up......







A stamp made just for us to match the logo for the entire artistic cruise. The stamp will never be available for sale.



Tim was nice enough to sign each one for us. We were sworn to secrecy since ours was the first group to receive them.

Cruising Day 7 - Alaska Memories - a picture frame

So we were given a paper photo frame, a page of colored Alaska images and several pieces of clear acrylic. We used a glaze to adhere the acrylic pieces here & there over the various images. When dry (like 5 seconds later) we cut out the acrylic pieces from the paper & had lots of little acrylic Alaska images. We were given a grungeboard tag which we inked. We then used the glaze to attach the pieces to the paper frame.



This is Tim's example.



This is the one I did:



These are the gifties we received.

Cruising Day 6 - Words & Windows - Ketchikan

Oh boy, alcohol ink, Hambly & Prima overlays. We used the blender solution in a Koi waterbrush. There were six drops of ink in each well of the pallet. It was totally dry and we used the blending solution to wet it & put it on the transparancies.



I only colored the Prima overlays because the pattern is sandwiched between two layers and the blending solution would not have any effect on the design. The Hambly overlays are not sandwiched & so the paint that makes the design would be dissolved by the blender solution. I didn't color the Hambly overlays. We were also given plain transparent pages & two heavier duty transparent pieces for the front & the back. All the projects already had the holes punched in them, but there was a bind-it-all on the table & we used it to bind all of our books.






And the gifties so we could decorate our books some more:

Cruising Day 5 - Weatherd Reflections

Glacier Bay. Wanted to share some of the photos I took from our veranda off our cabin. It was beautiful.




Ice particles in the water.




And then the project. A 12x12 frame with a mirror in the middle.



Many strips of grungeboard pre-cut into 1/2 inch wide lengths. We then painted them with various color daubers. When dry, we used sand paper on them and then a wire scratching tool. We then cut the strips into various lengths & glued them onto the frame, including the four edges. We then wiped the grungeboard with an ink pad and blended it in.



Then we were given some Thickers and some ribbon to finish the decoration....something I still have to do.