Friday, July 29, 2005


NEW HOUSE Posted by Picasa

Done!

Whew! what a long day.. Mike flew in on the Redeye from Vegas and arrived at 5:30am and by 6am we were off to Blacksburg for walk-thru and settlement... after the last 2 days of highs and lows as the final details were worked out it was nice to finally be done with the legal side of things. After 8 hours in the car we are both dead tired... and happy to be home again... Tonight.. a glass of wine... a cute puppy and good thoughts of Heidi and Leah who I just know are having a great time at the CK Convention...
and maybe alittle scrapping???

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

I will scrap tonight

It never fails... I had the week planned out that everyday after work I would scrap scrap scrap... Mike is out of town and the time should be mine... but darn if things haven't kept creeping into MY time... I am desperately trying to get current on our LAKE album ---last night I posted a picture of one of the layouts.. this poor book is 8 1/2 x 11 and I am really struggling. Most of my older pictures were on film and they are all 4x6 and don't tend to be crop worthy... so I am trying really hard to vary the look of the layouts with 2 pictures on each page!! HARD HARD HARD... and then if thats not enough of a problem these pictures span 10 years and pretty much look alike... kids playing in the water... on the boat.. bbqing etc... but because they show how we have all aged I want to include them all --after all its our history... anyway.. like I said I am struggling... So I while I am trying to whip through these pictures..I am trying to expand my horizons and use some of the "stuff" I have collected... I have papers that I tend to buy but never use... kits that get sent to my house that I ohh and ahh over but never touch... well I am trying it all.. get ready for some bright layouts!! I am pulling out the colors I just never seem to pick... Heck I might even pull out some of those old cartoony die cuts.... hahaha no I probably won't go that far...
But just as soon as I get through doing this leftover paperwork for the kids college loans I will scrap tonight!!

finally alittle scrapping! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Amanda is 19


I finally feel like I have recovered from the weekend... between the heat and the late nights yesterday was truely a MONDAY.... Amanda turned 19 yesterday... and somehow her birthday seemed to take over the weekend.. She and Corey had a few friends over Saturday night, very relaxing evening with Brooke, Mike and Jay and us old folks hanging by the pond with a fire... but in a blink of an eye it was way past my bed time.. 1am.... and then Sunday we had her grandparents over for lunch and then the kids had a cookout to celebrate Amandas birthday--The early evening hot dog roast turned into playing horseshoes in the dark and again a fire by the pond..

And somehow on Saturday I managed to sqeeze in time to buy a new Washer and dryer-- That was alot harder than I thought it would be... see I still love mine..alot... but I am giving them to Amanda so I stood in Lowes looking them all over and really they seemed so expensive for such a mundane task-- Do I really need to see my clothes as they go through the spin cycle??? I guess so.. I ended up with a Maytag Neptune set...and you ask why that model... The door seemed sturdy!! hehehe and heck with a name like neptune it certainly made washing clothes sound alittle more fun.... so much for market research!

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Blog manners????

Ok so I think that I am addicted to blogs... but as you can see not necessarily mine... I guess I have neglected it lately... but really life is just kinda normal and there doesn't seem like anything new or exciting to write about...

BUT I have gotten kinda a long list of blogs that I read everyday... and the weird part is I feel like I know the people that I read about now... But what I can't figure out is do the people who respond to some of these blogs ACTUALLY know who they are writing to??? Sometimes I want to write something back but does that make me a true stalker????
I mean really when Cathy Z was preparing for her new puppy I really wanted to chime in... and then when she returned it... whoa... I wanted to give her a cyber hug.... So what is Blogger etiquite?? or is there such a thing??? do only goofy people respond to blog's from people they don't know??? or is a blog open for anyone to comment on??? Since all of the blogs I read are generally scrappers blogs or at least people with incredible artistic talent do they just assume that strangers will comment??? And again is Wierd??? I am being a stalker in the making for even thinking about all of this??? Voyaristic.... nosey..... stalker..... AM I THIS PERSON???? hmmmmm
Would I mind strangers posting on my blog... probably not... especially if they had something to say that I wanted to hear! hmmmm lots to think about...

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

HOT, Homes and Envy

The heat is totally unbearable... there I said it..outloud... I know I promised last winter that if it would just finally get warm I would not complain... but really enough is enough....

Its been one of those weeks already... I shopped on Sunday with Amanda for her new townhouse... talk about a draining experience both emotionally and financially... For everything I picked up I realized she needed something else... for example: We bought glasses and then I realized she had no glass baking pans... and then while thinking of important kitchen items ... you know the must haves.. I realized she had no trash cans... for any room!!! and then when all that trash flashed through my mind I realized she has no mop or broom either.... there is a reason young ladies used to not leave home til they were married... Needless to say after alot of money shes still got a very long must have list... Lets hope the room mates Mom's are thinking and shopping too....

On another whole different topic I am totally into the ad that simple scrapbooks sent with Donna Downys new book... It shows a three switch light cover and has pics in two of the holes... HOW DARN CUTE IS THAT???? Creative genius at work-- Where was I when those brains were being handed out????

Speaking of scrapping.. Its been awhile since I have produced anything... really my Madison mini album for Creative Coterie was the last scrapping I did... Hopefully tonight I will get some great creative ideas... I think I might have alittle time....unless of course Mike wants to eat dinner hehehe....

Thursday, July 14, 2005

excited

Ok I finally posted to Creative coterie.... can't wait til tomorrow to see what everyone did!!! off to Bonco with the ladies!

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Bits and Peices

Just alittle list of things on my mind....

1) I just want to scrap---- We've had out-of-town friends visiting for the last 12 days... and I totally love having them here -- but I really need some me time... I just want to scrap

2) I am totally into the new BASIC GREY STUFF I really want the darn lunch box album....

3) I need to go back to using my "to-do" lists.... I have so much that needs to be done each day that I am slipping farther and farther behind.

4) Been working on a mini book... which I like the topic... and I like the colors.. but now that I am almost done with it... I have realized I don't like the topic and the colors together...make sense???? (Guess thats what happens when you have 12 days to think about it!-- you start second guessing)

5) When did OC get so expensive??? I have been trying to help Amanda find a 3-4 day getaway and figured she could afford OC!! Wrong... Back to the drawing board....

6) I really like my kids... They have been in and out of the house alot lately (cuz we've had company) and yep I like them alot....

Thats all for now....

Thursday, July 07, 2005


Some mornings you just gotta laugh at what you find in the bathroom.... Thanks David for making a sleepy girl giggle... Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, July 05, 2005


whoops---Forgot to show you this!!! -- Consider this challenge done for now.... Posted by Picasa

Last week I worked on using the adirondack ink that we used in the Tim Holtz make and take.... I wasn't very successful.... but today I bought some plastic circles at Joannes so maybe that will help.....


oh and another firework picture.... I'm kinda obsessed with them now.... but I guess I will have to wait til next year to practice again!

Fourth of July-Fireworks II

There are moments that sometimes you wonder if you deserve. I think I've been lucky lately because I have been getting more than my fair share. With the Kodamas in town we really felt it necessary to venture out to see fireworks, something we haven't done at home in years. So after dinner we gathered the blankets, the cooler, and headed for Old Town Manassas.. It was alittle late to be looking for a front row seat and finding a parking spot was going to be impossible...so we decided to go to PLAN B... drive farther into town and go sit in the Maaco parking lot... but as luck would have it we drove past the carwash and noticed lots of spaces! and a big freshly cut grassy field next door... Chris, Amanda, Corey, Summer, David, Ukikio, Madison, Mike and I.... laying on the blankets, staring at the sky, relaxing, amazed, impressed ..... It was a very Happy Forth of July

Sunday, July 03, 2005


Guess whos baby sitting? Posted by Picasa

fireworks Posted by Picasa

Karen after the BIG WAVE Posted by Picasa

fireworks

The weekends not over.. but thought I better jump on now while I had a moment. We spend yesterday (and most of today) playing in the water soaking up the rays... We took the boat to the bridge to catch the fireworks...the water was alittle rough.. and KAren and I took a hit with a wall of water... but once we got our spot it was "smooth sailing" as they say.... I took the opportunity to play with my camera to see if I could catch some of the amazing the colors they were so vivad and it was as if you could reach up and touch them... It was totally awesome sitting in the middle of the water watching them burst in the sky above us.
As a side note We learned that Max loves the water.. and despite his shortcommings can actually swim quite well....