My Weblog

Tagged

Well, this is a first for me--I've been tagged.  Honestly, does that mean someone out there is actually reading this drivel I write?  Whoa! 

I'm supposed to list 5 weird things about me.  I guess I can do that, there's plenty about me that's weird.  I'd do a lot better, though, if I were listing 5 weird things about DH, LOL. 

1)  I HATE paper.  What makes that really weird is that I'm an accountant and accounting runs on paper.  I am hopeless with paper.  Unless there's an established file folder for it, I never know where to file it and when I do file it, I get fearful I'll never be able to find it again if I need it.
2)  I hate the telephone.  I think this stems from the fact that I always feel like I need to be in one place and can't do anything else when I'm on the phone.  That's even weirder because we have cordless phones. 
3)  I am so ADD that I find it very difficult to work on one project from beginning to end.  I have to have about 5 projects in process and work on each of them a little at a time or I get bored out of my ever-lovin' mind.
4)  This also stems from my ADD-ness.  I never have the TV or radio on in the background.  I read about scrappers who have their radios going all the time.  But, for me, the excess noise is a distraction.  Then, God forbid, Joe starts talking to me or anyone else, and I am ready to climb the walls.  Hey, what can I tell ya.....it's not easy being me!
5)  I have exactly 7 pairs of shorts.  Three in white, three in denim, and one in beige--all exactly the same style.  I found a good thing and I'm sticking to it.  Now if only they'd make them in olive and black, my life would be complete........

I should tag someone with this, so the rules go, but I don't know anyone all that well that blogs.  So, I 'll have to think about that......

Okay, since I am here, I'm going to post some more pages.  At least it will whittle down my backlog.

Joe took this photo while we were at Kolob in Southern Utah, trying to soak up some fall color before returning to Vegas where "fall" doesn't exist. Yes, that's me (no hand this time, just a camera). This is done with a Dawn Wilson template and a new kit called Longing for Fall by Bella Gypsy Designs at ACOT.  This is from a couple of years ago.  Funny--when I posted this everyone raved about the "design".  Well, I was one of the first to discover templates and jumped on them with both feet, so the design was done by someone else......

I love this photo and I love this place--the reservoir at Kolob, Utah. It's a 25 mile drive of hairpin turns and no guardrails to get up there, the entire drive is scenic, and then when you get there, you don't want to leave. I'm always reminded of the Mount of the Transfiguration where the disciples wanted to stay; that's just how I feel. I used the new kit "Campfire Stories" which will be free in the NDISB August newsletter. (This kit is ginormous!) I used a template by Karen Lind Ramskov on this.  This photo was also taken a couple of years ago, but I just love it.

I took this photo of Joe's daughter when she was with us for a week in early July. Loved the shirt (which says "always up to something"). Had to do this layout to tease her about it. This is done with a new kit at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking, in the store NOW, called Rhapsody in Rachel, full of HOT colors and fun and funky patterns.

We celebrated DD's graduation from Law School last week. I plopped her cap on DGS and he gave me this face. His mom has really struggled but has done very well, and he was in on all of it. He needed a graduation photo too. I used Roberta D'Achille's Summer Sunshine kit. One of my favorite scrappers is Ramona35. I e-mailed her and got some tips on her style and this is my "scraplift" based on the information she gave me. Not like she would do it, but I still like it.


DD and DGS came home from college for a visit and DGS had a new skill. He could make all sorts of faces. He proudly displayed all of them for Grandma and Grandma, of course, took pictures. This is his "shocked" face. I scrapped this using a template by Keely (Shanesmommy) and the Elementary kit by Bella Gypsy Designs, available at ACOT. The violet crayon is recolored from the blue crayon. Just loved this kit. TFL, Marci

I got to spend a few hours with DGS the other evening. Part of that time was waiting for him during his swim class. He had had an asthma attack the night before and I was worried if he'd be able to do what was required, but he performed like a champ. I used a little VP action on the photo, and Roberta D'Achille's kit called Oceanography for the page.

That's all folks.  Thanks for looking and "thanks" for tagging me, Julie! 

Weekend

Not much shakin' here in the way of news.  One of the two major projects my client has been beating me over the head about has been completed.  Picture me jumping up and down with excitement, then falling to the ground in exhaustion.  I HOPE the second is also done, but who knows........  Got a new client dropping off a new "mystery" for me to solve this morning.  NOT looking forward to that, but we need the money.  On the subject of money, Joe sat here yesterday with very little to do.  Finally, he said aloud "Lord, how about some signings?  If I have to earn it $50 at a time, that's okay.  I'll do whatever it takes."  Within 30 seconds, I swear, the phone rang with an escrow officer looking for a signer.  Then, while he was at the escrow office, he got drafted to do a second signing.  The timing was remarkable. 

We have no big plans for the weekend (as usual).  Mostly, we will sit at our respective desks and work.  But, this afternoon, the long awaited trip to The Paris for exploration and picture taking will happen, or so I'm told.  I'm still celebrating the fact that I have new and decent photos to scrap instead of old, deteriorated, discolored, fuzzy photos from the past.  Oh, I'll continue to work on those and Lord knows there are enough of them, but as a steady diet, they're hard to take.  They take SO much work to make presentable.  Often, I have to abandon color altogether and take them to black and white because there's just no fixing the weird colors old pictures turn.  I'm up to 6 CT's now........  Another designer whose work I like is having a CT call, but I decided I was a fruitcake for even considering it.  NO WAY!  Not to say I'll never go above 6, but for now, 6 is enough.

We are down to about 72 days til the baby is due.  I am so excited.  Jennifer has ideas she's going to keep me out of the delivery room.......I wonder if she's big enough?  Of course, I won't really barge in if I'm not supposed to, but it will take a lot of self-control.  I think she wants this to be just her and Jason.  Next Saturday is the baby shower.  I haven't bought anything yet--I really don't know how much we can afford to spend.  I know what I'd like to buy, but........Mr. Budget is frowning when I mention it, so, I guess not.

She is really not enjoying her job.  She says it consists mostly of telling people she can't help them.  And, considering she has graduated from Law School, the pay is meagerly.  But, it's SOMETHING, and it helps.  Particularly since Jason's medical bills have drained the last of their savings and she will want to take some time off to be with the baby in just a few months.  And, as she gets nearer delivery time, she may not feel up to working--if Jason can manage to wrap his mind around that concept.  She tells me he complains if she wants to go out to dinner or get take-out, complains if she doesn't do laundry every night, doesn't help with Will's homework (which is averaging an hour a day), and she is just exhausted. 

I guess Jason had another meltdown Tuesday night.  Months ago, he decided he didn't want Will in their bed anymore.  Well, Will was old enough to be in his own bed, he's a very active sleeper, and I can understand that.  But, with all that Will has been through, he's pretty needy, and this decision came right after Jason came home from the hospital.  So, they set up a cot at the foot of their bed and Will was supposed to sleep there.  Well, Tuesday night, Jason ran the vacuum cleaner in their room and put the cot away.  Will showed up in the middle of the night, saying he was scared and lonely, perfectly prepared to be relegated to the cot, but there was no cot.  Jason started screaming at Will, ranting and raving about the fact that Will "breathes too loud", etc.  Jen finally got out of bed and set the cot up for Will, but not before Jason grabbed his stuffed animal and threw it--up, where it lodged on the fan.  According to Will's teacher, he cried at school almost the whole day at school.  Having been through something similar, I can say that even when you're an adult and this kind of stuff happens, what makes you crazy is that you can never predict when it will happen.  I cannot imagine how this effects a little guy.  I am working so hard to treat Jason decently when I see him, and to remember that this stuff is a result of his injury, supposedly, but I'm finding it harder and harder to not grab him by the throat.  It is time this stuff was over and done with, and I cannot help but wonder, as Jennifer does, why he seems to be able to behave normally everywhere but at home........  Please continue to pray for him.  If he doesn't pull it together soon, I have a very strong suspicion that as soon as Jennifer is drawing a decent paycheck, she will be out of there.  I can't honestly say I blame her.......

Well enough of that.  I'll post some pages and then try to get my day started.  Joe woke me very early and I'm still very tired, but maybe I can get it going.  The first page is for my Mom--thought you might want to see how your granddaughter looks about now.  The rest are from my stash of posted pages that I am constantly working to get up here.

Okay, I've got several other layouts pending, waiting to be posted, but I had such fun doing this one, I'm posting it next. As DH constantly says (because she's CONSTANTLY in trouble), "there's a downside to having a puppy". I used Theresa Hernandez's kraft paper from a new kit she's releasing tonight called Rhapsody in Rachel. (This is my new favorite kraft paper.) Everything else is from Katie's Botanist 7 Page Kit. Font is McGannahan.  The journaling talks about how she's systematically stripped the bark off the stump in the backyard, which we don't mind, and she keeps bringing the pieces into the house to chew up, which we DO mind because we have to pick it up!

Joe's brother is a BIG man, in fact about a hundred pounds too big. He will either lose weight, the doctor says, or he will undergo surgery to help him lose weight. He sent us this picture of him eating what seems like just another salad in a long line of salads..... I used Shawna Clingerman's Parcheesi paper pack and coordinating stamps available at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking. The newsprint flower is by Tracy Ann Robinson.

DD caught this photo of DGS last week. He looks SO serious. I created this with "Cheer" by Amanda Rockwell, available at Elemental Scraps. I also used a template by Kimberly Geswein.  The journaling talks about how much Grandma worries and prays over this little boy because there are so few smiles these days.

DH was such a good sport about driving to the mountains so we could take his daughter and my DGS to play in the snow. He had fun, too, til he tried to climb up this mountain, slipped on some ice, and came down on his butt. Oh, well, we'll do it again next year anyway. This is done entirely with Deb Fisher's new kit, One Perfect Day, available at her site and at Pickleberry Pop.

Will can be exhausted, but he will struggle to be the last "man" standing when it comes to bedtime. I caught him curled up on the coffee table with his stuffed dog, and tried to get him ready for bed, but that wasn't his idea of a good time! I used Amanda Rockwell's newest kit, available at SBB. It's called Marcus. I also used a Kimberly Geswein template and a doodle by Fee Jardine cut from matching solid paper I made. TFL, Marci

Just gotta update

It's not that I have any earth-shaking news to share, but I haven't updated in a few days, so I'd better get with the program.  The main chore of the day is LAUNDRY.  I don't usually mind laundry, but I have SO much of it stacked up which is unusual for me.  I have a good excuse though--broken dryer.  Finally, day before yesterday, we had the repairman out.  It cost $152 to fix, but it's running well so that's good.  If we'd had to replace it, I would have wanted both a washer and dryer--the new style with the big drawers underneath.  So, $152 is "cheap" by comparison.  But, I did three loads yesterday and will probably do just about the same number today.  I'm actually rewashing a lot of what I'd washed and hung out to dry.  The stuff that was hung out came back in stiff and incredibly wrinkled.  I think it's safe to say that permanent press clothes do not do well on a clothes line.  But, it's great to have presentable clean clothes to hang in the closet and it's even better that I didn't have to break down and start ironing tee shirts and shorts.

Don't think I mentioned that I finally got my computer back.  I had to call and have a very controlled conversation with the computer guy's voicemail to get it, but maybe it was my tone of voice?  I was not amused that it was promised for Tuesday and didn't come back til late Wednesday.  My "favorite" client has just been all over me, day in and day out, for what feels like a thousand special projects.  I theoretically work for him part-time, but he's been getting his time and everyone else's for weeks now.  Joe and I are both on the verge of telling him to "take his job and stuff it", but we hold our tongues because we do need the money.  But, he's made even that a trial.  I finally got him to pay the last of what was past due last week.  Wish I could say that made a big difference in our bank balance, but it didn't....

We had a visitor yesterday.  It was really enjoyable, but neither of us really had the time.  We both had a big list of things to do....  Joe's cousin, Peggy, was in town.  Or, more accurately, she was passing through town.  We were shocked to learn she has a) gotten remarried; and b) moved to California.  She, her stepdaughter, and a friend were "racing" the moving van to California.  It is supposed to arrive there today and she will most likely arrive tomorrow.  Sounds like she is moving to a picturesque little town about 90 miles east of San Francisco.  She's a gambler, so she'll be in striking distance of the Indian Casinos on the CA side of the border and Reno on the NV side.  She told us a story about being there a few weeks ago, just in time for a "cattle drive" down main street.  Apparently, this is some sort of annual thing they do there.  All of Main Street was blocked off for the "event" which she described as consisting of about 30-40 head of cattle and so many outriders you couldn't see the cows.  We had a good giggle about that.  Joe got a good update on his Uncle Bud and Aunt Lena so he enjoyed that.  Funny how much he looks like his cousin.  If you'd put her in a room with 19 other people I'd never seen before, I'd easily have picked her out as the lady we were looking for.  I got just a couple of photos, but I'm sure one of them will turn up on a scrapbook page sooner or later.

I've developed this bad habit which is really time consuming and kinda dumb.  I upload my photos to the computer, but I don't delete them from the card.  I've had a couple of incidents where the "uploading" didn't take and I'm so concerned that I'll lose an entire batch of photos if I let the computer delete them.  So, I end up uploading, then going to check on whether the upload was done correctly, then spending oodles of time deleting the photos by hand.  I did take photos of Will with his missing tooth and of Peggy and Joe but have a bunch of photos to delete off the camera before I dare upload again if I don't want 150 or more duplicates.......

Did I mention that my good camera is broken again.  Now, don't get the wrong idea.  My "good" camera isn't all that good, but it's the best I have and it's a prize in my book.  But, just before we left for Oxnard the thing quit working.  Same thing as happened earlier this year.  Darn thing isn't even a year old yet.  Like i said, not all that "good".  Part of my to do list for today is to get in touch with the manufacturer and get this thing scheduled for warranty work.  I have to say, having uploaded and scrapped a few of the photos from the CA trip, I'm shocked at the quality of the photos I got from the "bad" camera.  Amazingly good if you don't look too close.

It is such a joy to do some scrapping with "good" photos.  I qualify that--I know my photos would be much better with one of the pricier cameras.  But, for years, I've scrapped other people's photos, some of which were good, some of which were so bad they were scary.  I often scrap photos from Jason's uncle--they are excellent (with one of those fancy cameras I drool over) but when I get them, they are so tiny I have to really work to get them large enough to do something with without making them go all blurry with the enlargement process.  The older photos have to be scanned which can be lethal to a photo.  And, many have changed color from years of improper storage (who knew?).  And, it seems, we seldom go anywhere.  So my photos are of whatever stray family members happen to come through the door, over and over and over.  Now, all those photos of stray family members are precious to me, but I can't help but wonder if they aren't boring to the people who have to look at my layouts when I post them here or on the internet.  So, I'm thrilled to have some better stuff to work with.  I'm actually all puffed up--my layouts are gathering a fair amount of praise and so are my photos, recently.  That's about the only positive thing anyone ever says to me........sad to have to hang on the words of internet "strangers" for a little positive input into your life, but that's the case. 

I just took a moment and ran off to the restroom.  What do I find there but coffee and cigarette ashes spilled on the floor.  I swear, Joe reminds me of that Peanuts character who had the little dust clouds all around him--can't think of his name right now.  It seems to be Joe's mission in life to create messes for me to clean up.  And, even when he "cleans up" his messes, I end up cleaning up half of what he supposedly "cleaned" the next time I'm in the room cleaning.  There's so much that I want to get done in this house and I spend so much time tracking after him wiping up spills, splashes, etc.  When I was a kid, it was ground into me that if it was worth doing, it was worth doing "right".  That would include things like not dumping things all over the floor when you're taking out the trash, particularly when you have no intention of coming back to clean up what you've dumped in the middle of the dining room.  Now, some say, that sayings like that are the reason some of us (me included) have such a difficult time with housework.  We feel we can't do it "right", so we don't do it.  I know this is part of my problem with my cluttered desk--I am paralyzed by the fear that I will file something "wrong" and never be able to find it again.  But, I can't help but wish that my husband had either heard those words more often or listened to them better.

Speaking of "filing", I've spent every spare minute for the last few days, filing scrapbook layouts.  Particularly since I started scrapping digitally, they go so fast and I can do quite a few in a fairly short time.  But, I hate the filing, which is even more complicated because I have pages that go in early books that my mother already has.  Now where do I put those?  Anyway, I started with a pile about a foot high and I've whittled it down to about 8 inches.  Looks like it's going to take a while to get caught up.  But, since Jennifer and Jason borrowed the big table from the office for Will's birthday party, the surface is clear and I actually have room to work.  So I thought I'd take advantage of it while I can.  We have boxes of "stuff" in the living room and in the dining room, and sooner or later, we might want to see the surface of one of those tables again, so I must get these layouts filed while there's room to do so.  As hard as I've worked at it the past few days, it looks like it's gonna take a while.............yuck!  Like I have nothing else to do.......

Okay, well this has been a lot about almost nothing, so enough already.  I'll post some layouts here and then go check on my laundry.

This, too, is from DH's stash. Seems his x-girlfriend took this photo. Well, I'm not proud--I love the perspective on the photo. I did photoshop out some people in the background. Don't you love that his face is covered up with her frilly hat? Very simple layout, all done with Deb Fisher's 90 Mile Beach kit, available at Pickleberry Pop and Deb's own store.

When I saw this new kit by Theresa Hernandez, I really wanted it, but wondered just what I would scrap with it. Then DH produced this photo from his stash. Now, I ask you, is this not the perfect photo for this kit? I LOVE those big paper flowers--you can even hide an ex-wife behind one of them! This is Theresa Hernandez's Baja Vacation, available at ACOT. The flourish is by Michelle Coleman (recolored) and the font is Century Gothic.

I love this kit with it's ice cream theme and it's colors of chocolate, pistachio, and strawberry. And I love this photo which I took of DGS when he was 2. This is NOT a staged photo! Love it! The kit is called Double Dip by Bella Gypsy Designs and it's available at ACOT.

This photo was sent to me by a friend whose brother has a ranch in Oregon. He doesn't have a super duper zoom lens, so this is not the clearest photo. In case your glasses need cleaning or you haven't been to the optometrist lately, that's a tiny little baby fawn with the horse! I used "Olivia" by Shabby Princess. Deckled edge is by Gina Miller. Fonts are Jacoba and Arial.

Since his dad was hurt, Will has been such a serious little fellow. I was so happy to see this little spark of humor. It was funny that he pulled it off without Grandpa knowing, and great fun that he and I shared the "secret". The papers and word art are all by Bella Gypsy Designs, their "Dressed for School Dudes" kit, available at ACOT. The flower is by Jackie Eckles, the ric rac by Stacie Prinzo, and the "laugh" button by Krista Mettler. The font is Century Gothic.

I have always loved this photo of Jennifer. It was taken under the worst of conditions with a throw away camera, but....it speaks to my heart. I used Anita Stergiou's Krafty Chic kit for this (available at ACOT and Natural Designs in Scrapbooking) and a template by Kimberly Geswein.

Short week?

Well, in theory, it was a short week.  We didn't get home from Oxnard until Monday evening.  Yet, I'm tired......as tired as if the week and had extra days, not fewer. 

Today was a reasonably quiet day.  We had Will for about an hour while his mom went to an appointment.  We originally were supposed to go on one of our "tourist" trips, this time to The Paris.  But, then Jen asked us to watch Will from 10:30-3:30.  That kind of blew the Paris trip.  Then, this morning we were notified that we would only have him for about a hour. 

Big news:  he's lost a tooth!  Our little boy is growing up.  The tooth fairy left him $2.00 and he thought that was great.  Jennifer says the x-rays of his teeth show that all of his adult teeth are pointing every which way under the gums, so orthodonture is pretty much going to be a must.  He lost a bottom tooth.  His mom and I are betting the one next to it will be the one next to one that's been lost already. 

Things have been really slow in Joe's business.  We continue to rely on the Good Lord to meet our needs as He's promised.  We've no clue HOW He's going to do that, but, we're holding Him to His promises. 

We rented a Dodge Grand Caravan for the trip out of town.  We hate doing that, but our cars are so old we don't want to depend on either of them to get us anywhere out of town.  If one breaks down between Southern California and Vegas, the towing can run as much as $400-to $500.  It's not worth taking a chance.  I know lots of people wonder why we just don't buy a new car, but we really can't afford to do that right now.  And, even if we could, we really don't want to face car payments til we have to.  I don't know how much longer we can hold out.  Joe's car shakes like crazy when it idles, and mine needs the clutch worked on.  We had a quote on mine of $700 to fix it.  The car is probably not worth much more than that, so it's hard to decide to spend that kind of money to keep it going.  We really liked the van.  This is the second time we've rented one of those.  The last time was when we drove to Reno for Jen's wedding.  It's an easy vehicle to drive and seems ideal for us.  It's large enough to be comfortable on a trip, and we drive so few miles, the fact that it is large and uses a fair amount of gas can't hurt us much.  Also, we like the ability to "haul" things with seats that fold all the way down in the back.  Well, maybe one day.....

We've had such a wonderful break in the weather.  I heard it was 12 degrees below the average high yesterday, with a high of only 85 degrees.  It was supposed to go down to 59 last night, and I'd bet it did.  We had windows open and fans going and it was actually a bit nippy in our bedroom.  My sinuses LOVE that, so it was great sleeping weather.  Unfortunately, Joe snored, as usual. Even more unfortunately, the high is slated to continue to climb til next week, with a high of 97.  Yuck.  We're so tired of the high temperatures.  As Joe describes it, we've had three straight months  of high temps over 100 degrees.  We are so ready for the colder weather. 

A couple of funny things.  Joe actually ended up getting 4 phone calls for loan signings while we were out of town or on the road to or from southern California.  Last summer, we were both signing loans like crazy.  We had so many signings, in fact, that we had to bring in a 3rd signer.  But it slowed down in September last year, and many of the last 12 months, we've not had a single call.  To receive 4 calls in 4 days was really freaky.  And, Joe's done several signings since we returned.  The really odd thing about that is that signings in the middle of the month are few and far between.  So this is all odd.  We're just figuring this is God's way of helping to take care of our financial needs.

Today Will said something funny.  His mom commented that when she drops him off at school, 3 or 4 little girls come running to give him hugs.  Joe was teasing him about being a "ladies' man".  Will pops out with:  "Well, just takin' care of my rep".  Funny....from a 7 year old.

While we were gone, we boarded Punkin.  I hate to do that, but we can't leave her here if we want any furniture left when we come home.  (She's getting better with the chewing, but is still doing enough to strike fear in our hearts.)  When we went to pick her up Monday evening, she was so excited to see us, she was shaking all over and piddled on the floor of the vets office.  Since then, Joe is celebrating the fact that she has not chewed a single sprinkler head--he's gotten to where he checks every day now.  Right before we left town, she chewed one a day for four straight days and Joe was really pissed.  Thank God, that's decreasing. 

Well, those are all the little bits of news I can think of for now.  I'll post some layouts and I'm outta here.  I want to get in some time on a workout before I head to the bathroom for a hot soaky bath. 

I think this will be the last "Bubba Ball" layout for a while. This is Will's idea of 1) how to be "catcher"; and 2) how to handle those admiring little girls. This was done with Amanda Rockwell's Cheer, which is available at Elemental Scraps. Super kit for boy pages!

What Will eats is always a topic of conversation these days. DH and I were raised with the "clean your plate" syndrome and DH is a faithful plate-cleaner (and has the belly to prove it). Jennifer tries to limit Will's choices to healthy things. Occasionally, Grandma spoils him (shhhhhh...don't tell anyone). I did this with "Gift Bag Chic" by TaniaJPS at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking and a page template by Kimberly Geswein.


While we were out of town over the 4th, we visited the Cracker Barrel. LOVED this row of rockers lined up in front of the place. I did the black paper, everything else is from Heather Roselli's Zen kit.
Well, I'm pretty proud of this one. I think the page turned out pretty well and I KNOW the kid did. As a family we celebrated her graduation from Law School Sunday night. She made it through college and Law School on guts, grit, willpower, hardwork, and an amazing mind! She might be mine, but she's great! The "Page Bracelet" is by Cindy Simon at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking. The deckled edge on the photo is by Gina Miller. Everything else (except the beautiful young woman) is by Amanda Rockwell, her "Pop" kit at SSD.  Journaling just talks about how we'd planned a big party but Jason's injury but changed all that.  But, we are so proud of her for finishing Law School with honors.
Well, to some, a new roof might seem a silly thing to scrap, but I worried about that old roof for years before I married Joe, and we've worried about it together for 4 years! What a relief to have a new roof! Goes with the new a/c we put in in June. Momentous time for us! Everything here is from Amy Tanabe's Sanibel Blues, available at ACOT. marci

I made DH ante up his photo stash and found this cute photo in there. It's his DD at about age 7. When I plopped it on the bg paper, I couldn't believe how close the colors were. I guess I did okay with the page--we e-mailed it to her last night and she liked it. I used Bella Gypsy Designs' Divas Dressed for School kit, available at ACOT. This is a Jen Caputo template too.

Thank you, God

I stood, just a few minutes ago, beside the casket of a 23 year old "boy".  When we walked in the door, his daddy hugged me.  Whe went into the viewing room, his younger brother hugged me and sobbed into my shoulder.  I patted his back and said "It's okay, I'm a momma from way back.  You can cry here."  His momma hugged me after we'd paid our respects.  His big brother hugged me as we were leaving.  And, selfish, selfish me, all along, I found myself thinking "Oh, thank you, God, that this isn't one of ours......."  When we entered the viewing room, the family and many friends were gathered by the casket, saying the rosary.  We sat quietly and waited, praying that God would bring comfort to the people gathered in front of us, mopping their eyes and making the sign of the cross.  I could not help but blot my own tears as I thought about the pain this family is enduring.  The boy had a car accident Saturday night on the way home.  The accident happened only 3 or 4 blocks from the safety of "home".  I am so sad for these people and I know I will be asking God to give me words to say to them because I have none.........just hugs which I hope spoke, without words, what is in my heart.

I am still working on the "clunker".  My computer is due back sometime this afternoon.  Unfortunately when it finally arrives, I will have to install all of my software again.  That will take a while and I have pressing jobs that need to be done ASAP.  I'll be grateful to get it back and certainly hope THIS TIME it works!

Not a whole lot else going on.  I've got to exert great patience and try to post some pages here.  With all the computer woes I've had, I'm falling behind in that. 

I have always gotten a kick out of it when kids wink. And, watching DGS wink, I couldn't help but snap a picture. The Blue paper (slightly recolored) is from Christy Sturm's Paisley Poppy. The striped paper and Pink/orchid paper (recolored) is from Her Black Orchids Paper Pack, both available at Butternug Squash Designs. The flower is From ACOT's Celebrate Life, the Jewelry tag from ACOT's Circle of friends, and the eyelets are from Katie Pertiet's DST freebie.

Jennifer and Jason had this picture done last year. Because of Jason's injury, it seemed particularly poignant to me the other day, so I scrapped it. I used Amanda Rockwell's Blue kit, a particular favorite of mine which she is retiring and which is on sale at Elemental Scraps.

Another tongue in cheek look at Will's Bubba Ball games. We were so amused the night he played "catcher". They always have an adult at key positions like pitcher and catcher. The little guys are just supposed to back up the adult. Will's idea of backing up the catcher consisted primarily of standing around with his hands in his pockets. Then this little scene happened......... This was done with Amanda Rockwell's Charlie which is available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. The balls are from Dani Brath.

Several years ago, Jennifer met this young man through her church. For a short time, he added a male presence to Will's life that was important. This page was done with Lynn Grieveson's latest kit, Crissy's Summer, available now at Designer Digitals.

In the spring of 2004, Jennifer and Will went to Florida to spend some time with her grandmother. Grandma took them to a restaurant near her home where you can watch the horses train while eating. I love this photo of my Mom and Will together. I did this with Lynn Grieveson's latest kit, Crissy's Summer, available now at Designer Digitals. The doodle is a freebie from Angie Briggs.

It's an honest-to-goodness river in the desert, not a mirage. So unexpected to see butted up against the red dirt and tumbleweed....... I did this with Theresa Hernandez's Waterfall Melodies, available at ACOT on SALE! The polka dot ribbon is by Gina Miller.

Short but sweet?

Okay, folks.  My computer is still with the repair guy.  I am still on the clunker.  Do I need to tell you I am not going to make this a long post?  We are back from Oxnard.  We were only gone 4 days, but it was so wonderful to get away, even for that long.  I did not come back willingly....I never do when I go to Oxnard.  I would move there in the bat of an eyelash.  Except, of course, that Jennifer, Jason, Will and the anxiously awaited new baby live here.......  We had a wonderful time, took over 700 pictures, toured the Reagan Library, an old house constructed in 1847, and two of the California missions, constructed in the 1700's.  And the area around Oxnard/Ventura/Santa Barbara is always awash in GREEN and flowers.  Oh how I miss both, living here in the desert.  My spirits are much improved by even this small break.  God is so gracious to let us have even a few days off, away from this place.  People keep asking us if we're rested.  Of course not.  What kind of silly question is that?  We walked and walked and walked and walked touring the places we visited, 4-5 hours a day.  My feet are literally sore, but the memories of the sunset over the Channel islands Harbor, of the waves washing in along the Pacific Coast will linger with me for a very long time and completely make up for sore feet!  We gorged ourselves on fresh strawberries and on frest tomatoes (they bear NO resemblance to what we get in the stores here) and seafood.  Except for while we were driving, Joe was reasonably calm and not cranky so that helped a lot too.  He gets himself so wound up here at home that everything elicits a mini temper tantrum and I can barely stand to be around him.  But the time away together was good.

Right before we left, we had two problems.  The dryer just plain quit working.  I left home with wet clothes hanging on the cross bar of the treadmill!  And, I'm washing today, hoping to dry a load, bit by bit, on about 6' of rope strung on the patio.  This is NOT my idea of fun.  We haven't decided what to do about it; shall we buy a new washer and dryer or try to fix the old dryer.  The old one is about 17 years old...........we aren't even sure if it's worth fixing!  And, who wouldn't want to just go buy the latest and greatest in washers and dryers?  We'll see..........  One of the incredibly maddening things about Joe is his inability to enter into a discussion about anything.  Ask him a question and wait for days and there is still no answer.  Bring it up, again and again, and you can't get an answer that way either.  It drives me to the brink of insanity.  I mean, we either are willing to spend the money or we are not.  For sure, if we're spending the money, it will have to come off the home equity line........Joe's business is slow, slow, slow. 

And, as I was packing, I decided to slit the plastic seal off a jar of face cream with the scissors.  It started to fall, I caught it AND the scissors.  I did a nasty cut on my finger.  It really probably should have had stitches, but I wasn't about to go sit around an emergency room for 3 or 4 hours waiting for that when we finally had a chance to get out of town.........  I have kept it bandaged and put antibiotic cream on it and it's doing fine, but it was a doozy of a cut and bled like crazy.  The one good stroke of luck was that Joe didn't pass out at the sight of the blood and was actually able to help me get a bandaid on it....

And, I got a call this morning that is very saddening.  The son of one of my clients, a young man around 20 years of age, was killed Saturday morning in a car accident.  I am so sad for the family.  I spoke to the father this morning and, much as I abhor funerals, we'll be spending part of tomorrow at this one.  I just want to sit down and cry, but that won't do anyone any good.  I know whose job it is to "steal, kill, and destroy".  Please pray for this family.........

I'm giving up now.  Between this computer and my sore finger, I've had enough.  Maybe, with this short vacation behind me, I'll be in a better frame of mind to communicate more often.  Let's hope so. 

Sadness

This will be a short post because I'm on the clunker.  It is SO slow, so I could spend 3 times as long doing this and it would still be very short.......  My computer is disconnected now.  I guess we'll call the computer guy again tomorrow.  I'm so tired of this......

This evening I am sad.  I cannot help thinking about the date.  Today is 9/10.  Tomorrow is 9/11.  5 years since the tragedy of the World Trade Center.  I am watching a documentary while I type this..........It seems the memories are just as fresh, just as sad, as they were years ago. 

And, my sadness is heightened by a conversation I had with Jennifer a few hours ago.  There is nothing to do but pray and pray some more.  But, again I feel my daughter's pain.  Today Jason took Will to a birthday party.  Will said something that would indeed be horrible to hear--"I wish I were dead."  (This is something Jason has been saying a lot lately.......he's very depressed, according to Jennifer).  Anyway, when Will said that, apparently Jason went off.  It was so bad, screaming and yelling and harsh words, that a passer-by stopped and told Jason he needed to calm down and not be so hard on Will.  I think that must have been pretty bad.........I can't imagine it would have been easy to speak up as a passer-by under those conditions.  Jennifer now tells me this is the second time this has happened, Jason being rebuked by strangers over his treatment of Will.  Additionally, Jason's grandmother was here for a visit last week.  She is a gentle old soul, but ended up rebuking her grandson for "nitpicking his family".  Jason, though, thinks he is the same person he was before the attack.  And, he thinks he doesn't need to do anything about counseling or whatever to make any changes or improvements.  I'm afraid Jennifer is about at the end of her rope.  She has had constant stress of some sort for more than 4 months now in addition to being pregnant.  I don't know if she can take it much longer, and if my grandson is going to be treated badly, I can't say I'm too sure she SHOULD take it much longer.  She just wants some relief and I remember times like that when she was small when I was married to her father.  And no one can make the decisions or carry the load for her, though I'd shoulder what I could if I knew how.  My poor daughter talks about how she and Jason, before they were married, talked about how they would handle various situations and nothing is the way she thought it would be.  Of course, how could it be?  And, who has the promise of anything when entering marriage?  The future, which we promise, is always uncertain......  So, I have prayed and prayed and I will pray some more, but knowing that all this is happening to two of the people I love most in the world is so hurtful and hard and depressing and maddening.  I don't know how to deal with it all.......

Oh, well, can't linger on that........  I'm going to post some pages here, if I have the patience.  This machine is a pain.  I usually post pages in the order I did them.  I'm going to make an exception and post one out of order.  I think you'll know which one.

There's not a whole lot on this layout for which I can claim credit. The photo was taken by a family friend. This is a beautiful glass "ceiling" in the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. You can imagine how this looks when the light plays with the many colors and shapes. It bounces off of everything and adds a real Ethereal quality to what would otherwise be a utilitarian space. I used Christy Sturm's kit called Ethereal, available at Butternug Squash Designs.

This is a scraplift of a scraplift of a page I saw on Digital Freebies. I believe the original page was done by Kimberly Giarusso. I apologize but I don't have the information as to who did the first scraplift. This is the only picture I have of Jennifer bringing DGS home from the hospital. I ran it through some filters and tried to give it a dreamy look. Not a good photo, but since it's the ONLY, you just KNOW I'm gonna scrap it. I used Bella Gypsy Designs newest kit, SarahLynn, available at ACOT. Aren't the colors scrumptious?

Will is forever constructing something from duct tape, scotch tape, cardboard boxes, and whatever else he can find. This photo was taken at his school with a project he constructed in Kindergarten. I used Lynn Grieveson's kit "It's Elementary", available at Designer Digitals.

Well, DH pulled out the camera while we were on our way to Mexico over the 4th and I was unprepared. SO, I assumed my favorite pose and he snapped the picture anyway. I use Ange Barton's Fifteen for this. The deckled edge on the photo is by Gina Miller.

DH and I just giggled and giggled at DGS's ball games. He had been through a lot and his mind was NOT on playing ball. When he was in the field, this was about as much "action" as we ever saw. Couldn't resist a tongue in cheek layout about it. I used Amanda Rockwell's Garden Sunset papers. The Filmstrip is by Kim Hill, and the ball glove is by Dani Brath. TFL, Marci

Pages.........

If the computer doesn't die on me, I'm going to try to post some extra pages today, just to try to catch up on the backlog that's being created by my inability to post......  Here goes (wish me luck):

Journaling is about the first year Jennifer was in Law School. DH and I made at least weekly trips of 45 miles RT to pick DGS up at Day Care and take care of him for the night, then take him back to Day Care the following morning. When we picked him up, he was tired, cranky, and hungry so we'd go to our favorite restaurant for a quick meal. We'd try everything to get him to smile. What that didn't work, this particular evening, I tried pouting with him. This is Amanda Rockwell's fun new kit, Charlie, available TODAY at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

This photo was taken the same time as the photo on the page I posted earlier today. I've scrapped this photo before in black and white, but never found a kit I could make it work with in color. Charlie by Amanda Rockwell, available TODAY at Sweet Shoppe Designs worked perfectly. Everything is from that kit except the flower which is by Sara Carling (recolored) and the ric rac which is from a kit by Lynn Grieveson available at Designer Digitals.

Another photo from our trip to the go-kart place. See, I TOLD you he preferred the slide to the go-karts! Love the summer-bright colors in this kit by Amanda Rockwell, called Fruit Punch, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. TFL, Marci

The desert is full of cacti and dried up tumbleweed. But, in the early spring, around February, the desert blooms. It's amazing with an annual rainfall of 4 inches a year...... I used Lynn Grieveson's Roses from the Attic kit for this (available today at Designer Digitals). The quote is a freebie from Katie P a few weeks back. Frame (recolored) is by Meredith Fenwick. The photo was taken by my son-in-law's uncle who produces wonderful photos!

I had a lot of difficulty with this photo. It was VERY dark when I started. It's still not what I'd like it to be, but it shows off my gorgeous daughter so I scrapped it anyway. I used Lynn Grieveson's new kit Waikiki available today at Designer Digitals.

My daughter brings me some of the greatest photos. This photo was taken in Hawaii. I love how she waited for the water to "blow" through that hole. Loved Lynn Grieveson's kit, Waikiki, available today at Designer Digitals, with this photo. TFL, Marci

Living in the desert, we see a lot of landscaping like this. Generally, it doesn't appeal to me much, but I was staying at DD's house last week and couldn't help but notice how much this one spot of intense color added to the landscape. This page was done with Amanda Rockwell's Lucky kit, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. The small Jade circles are by Lynn Grieveson. TFL, Marci

Joe was sitting here in his golf hat yesterday, working. Before he moved here from CA, he commuted 60 miles one way every day. When he moved here, his office was 8 minutes away and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. Now, for at least the next 9 months (Lord help me) he is working from home. No commute and he dresses any way he chooses. Check it out! I did this with Amanda Rockwell's Lucky kit, available at SSD. 

When I saw Jennifer's stuffed animal, Snuffles, at her house last week, I almost cried. Snuffles went through a lot with us. Her nose is worn now, but what a lot of memories of my DD's childhood came flooding back as I held this little stuffed polar bear. I had to scrap her. I used Amanda Rockwell's Quirky Cabernet, available at SSD, for this one. TFL. Marci  The journaling talks about the time we went to Reno and Jennifer left Snuffles behind.  We had to have him mailed back to us by the staff at the Reno Hilton.

Things have been very difficult for my DD since my DSIL suffered a traumatic brain injury in May. He's angry and negative and difficult to get along with and just not the man she married. Someone sent me one of those endless "forwards" in my e-mail last night and I realized it said just what I wanted to say to God for her. I did this with Amanda Rockwell's A Mother's Love, available at Elemental Scraps. The flower is from the ACOT Relax and Rejuvinate kit. The yellow and gray papers on the page were recolored. I'm using this for the ad challenge at Butternug Squash Designs. I don't usually do challenges, but this one was right up my alley.

Third time's the charm?

Well, who knows if this will actually end up being posted?  I've tried day before yesterday and yesterday, but my computer is not working right and both times the computer has just shut down in the middle of me trying to post.  So, maybe I'll have a post today, maybe I won't. 

This thing has been acting up for more than a week again.  The worst of it was last weekend.  Saturday it was literally shutting off on its own accord every 23 minutes.  It would coem back on, but then it would have to reboot and go through all kinds of virus stuff so I got next to nothing done.  i finally switched to a clunky old computer that a client gave me.  It stayed on, but didn't have an internet connection!  What fun it's been.  Finally on Tuesday, the computer guy came and charged us another $105.  Within 5 minutes of him leaving the house, it shut down again!  And, it's been doing that every now and then ever since. 

We have a new addition to the family, so to speak.  Our new stove was delivered on Tuesday and today they delivered a new microwave.  Our under-the-counter microwave/hood has been broken for years.  I've been using a counter top model that Joe had before we were married and in my tiny kitchen, what I DON'T need is anything more on the countertop.  I'll be so glad to see that thing disappear. 

Jennifer got a part time job.  I was concerned it would be really hard for her, since she's about 6 months pregnant.  But, it happened.  She's not being paid anything near what she's worth, but even this lousy hourly wage that she's receiving will be a help in their budget.  She's hoping the first paycheck will be next Friday, but no one she's talked to seems to know that for sure!  Weird way to run an office........

I am really sad.  Seems I've lost an entire batch of photos somewhere in this virus mess.  Now, on top of everything else, I can't get the computer to recognize the card reader or the camera when it's directly attached via the USB cable, so I can't upload any photos.  I'm really disgusted with all this! 

Well, I'm actually afraid to try to write much more for fear it will all vaporize again if I spend much longer on here.  I'm going to post this and then sign on again and upload some scrapbook pages if I can.