My Weblog

quick, hurry up

Do a post really fast!  Joe is off signing a loan and I should have anywhere from half an hour to an hour of sanity before he comes home and turns on the TV full blast and starts all of his usual chaos-inspiring stuff.  So, I'll try to type really fast and see if I can get a post done.

I don't really have much to say really.  Business wise, things around here have been slow.  Thank God I know He promises to supply our needs.  Otherwise, I'd have chewed what little I have in the way of fingernails off to the elbows.  But, the bills for October are paid and it remains to be seen what happens next month. 

I was supposed to have Will last night.  Joe and I had planned to take him to the Pumpkin Patch.  But, he decided he'd rather go drive the mini-cars at the go kart place with Kirsten and Olivia.  Jen had suggested that we could take him to the Pumpkin Patch tonight.  Well, truth be told, I'd like at least ONE year in his childhood when we go in the daytime and I can maybe get some decent pictures.  So, we're going Saturday. 

I have lunch scheduled tomorrow with a new client.  She wants to form a new corporation.  So, before I go, I will need to copy off all the appropriate documents so we can get all the blanks filled in before I leave her.  She's been pretty patient about all this.  We were originally supposed to get together the week I was so darned sick.  I sent Joe, but he really can't sub for me on tax any more than I can sub for him on loans.  But, tomorrow, we'll see what we can get done.

I also have another new client who was supposed to drop his stuff off Friday.  He called and said he wasn't quite ready so we rescheduled for yesterday.  He called again and said he discovered he had some credit card transactions he needed to take into account so, maybe, he'll drop that off today so we can make a buck or two from him.

In the meantime, we discovered that our favorite (not!) client is buying and selling cars, more or less as a sideline business.  I never knew about that until just a month ago, so now I have to comb back through transactions for the past 5 years and try to figure out whether his income is underreported on the returns we just prepared for him in June and earlier this month.  I'll have to tear into that soon......

I found out the other day that the only thing that is stopping Joe from brokering his own loans is $3000 for a license.  Hey, we've got all these open credit lines.  I'd have no problem using one of them for THAT!  As it is, he gives up 40%-50% of his commission on every loan he does to his broker.  It wouldn't take long at all to repay $3000 and be ahead of the game.  I have a corporate kit here on my desk.  Now all I have to do is find a way to motivate him to take some action.  I know he is worried about finances, but he doesn't seem to want to do much of anything that might make a difference.  Everything is "impossible".  I wonder sometimes if we worship the same God, he and I.

Well, I'm short on news as well as being short on time.  So, I can't think of anything else earthshaking to say.  I can't even think of anything else mundane to say.  So, I'll post some pages and get outta here.

Took this photo of Will several months ago when I took him to the park. It was cold, but we had fun. This kit is by Linda Cunningham and is called Kids-r-Fun. This was done with one of the Agency templates at ScrapGirls. Font is Jester.


This is one of my most precious photos....my DD and my precious DGS. I used VP on the photo and desaturated it even more as well as enhancing the blue in the photo. Love this kit by Keely Simpson called Sweet Baby, available at NDISB. There's not much a person could wish for on a baby boy page that isn't in this kit. Remember the proceeds go to help pay for Shane's medical expenses. I also used Gina Miller's Deckle edge on the photo and a doodle by Bannerwoman. TFL, Marci

Will's Dad was in the hospital during the last few weeks of Will's Bubba Ball season. Will's mind was anywhere but on that field. He was actually even a bit of a behavior problem. His coach was the most patient man I've ever seen and just worked steadily with Will despite his problems. When I saw the look on Will's face, I knew I wanted this to be a very simple layout that would highlight the photo. This is will receiving his medal from the coach for being part of the team. The navy paper is from Lynn Grieveson's Orange Squash kit. The Baseball is by Dani Brath. TFL, Marci

I love this old photo of Jennifer. I love those BIG eyes and that serious little face. My Sweet daughter, 25 years ago........ I used Deb Fisher's Baby Girl kit, available at her shop and at Pickleberry Pop. The scallops are from Shabby Princess and the flower is from the Angel Eyes kit. Thanks for looking, Marci

Jen thought she was so funny, hiding the cat under the covers. But just as she asked me "Hey, Mom. Betcha can't find the cat?", out popped my first clue. I used an old kit by Lauren Grier for this and a template by Nina.



You've all seen it in the old western movies. What a place! We learned so much about why crime didn't pay in the 1800's old west. No air conditioning and cable TV here. Just stifling heat and wretched "accommodations". I used Bella Gypsy Designs new kit "London Fog", available at Elemental Scraps, and a page template by Dawn Wilson. The key is from Jacqueline Carney.

One of my favorite things to do in San Francisco is ride the cable cars. I love the fresh air, the feeling of "adventure"............and on some of those cable car routes, it's better than a rollercoaster! Couldn't resist scrapping this photo. Love it with Lynn Grieveson's new kit, Orchard Road, available today at Designer Digitals.

Trying again

Well, I tried to post the other night, but typepad or someone ditched my post.  So, I'll try again.  I went to Jen's Monday night to babysit Will.  As the evening wore on, I realized I really didn't feel very well.  My ears hurt, my throat hurt, and I had a fever.  I came home and immediately started on the Mexican equivalent of a z-pack.  Z-pack is a 5 pill round of anti-biotics.  The Mexican z-pack is 6 pills.  I've now had four of the six pills.  I guess I'm getting better, but it's hard to tell.  My eyes water off and on, I have almost no voice (none at all yesterday).  But I am coughing up gunk off my chest so that's a good sign.  Yesterday, Joe and I sat here and IM'ed each other back and forth across the room because I could NOT make myself heard.

Well, at the beginning of the week I had 4 returns to finish.  In spite of being sick, I've whittled that down to the last one which still needs just a bit of work and will then be complete.  I'll have it out of here tomorrow, in plenty of time for Monday's deadline.  That will be a load off my mind, though I already know what my next project will be and it won't be fun.  Seems without telling me, my "favorite" client has been buying and selling cars.  I'm going to have to go through 5 years of records and try to determine what he bought and what he sold and if he made or lost money on this garbage.  This guy just makes me nuts.  If I ever get him current, I just might fire him.

There was a baby shower for Jen last Saturday.  It was in Green Valley, hosted by one of her friends from Law School.  It was all kind of a mess from my viewpoint, but........  First, I was asked if I wanted to host such a party.  No, I don't think so. I tried that when will was due, we invited between 30 and 40 people and 4 came.  I tried it when she was getting married.  It was me, the lady whose house we were at, Jen, and 2 people......  I am obviously not gifted in this area.  Besides which, I am absolutely miserable in social situations.  Then, she registers at Babies R Us.  Well, that store has a great selection of Baby stuff, but almost all of it is PRICEY.  I had always planned to try to buy the crib for the new baby.  BUT, I'd planned on doing that through Edie, my client who owns a used Baby store.  She sells strollers, furniture and clothing, but refuses to let anything into the store that isn't perfect.  The clothing is all checked and double checked for spots and it's even ironed before it's put out for purchase.  But, Jennifer wanted a "convertible" bed.  The sides of a "convertible" crib detach later to form the head board and footboard of a full size bed.  And, they run as high as $450.  And, that doesn't include the cost of a mattress!  Well, that's way out of my budget, particularly as slow as Joe's business has been lately.  So, I told Jennifer that since I couldn't buy the crib and would have to come empty handed, I'd rather not be embarrassed and uncomfortable.  I'd rather not come.  Well, that didn't fly.  So, I ended up going, and thank god, got to hide behind my camera for most of the party.  Phew!  This camera thing is really a good thing. 

I took Will to the eye doctor last week.  He's been holding his reading very close to his face or he bends over close to the book to read it.  The doc checked his eyes and said he is the tiniest bit far sighted, but he would actually call his vision "average".  Nevertheless, Jen decided to get him glasses.  I think she's hoping it will make homework easier.  He has to read aloud for 15-20 minutes every evening and one of his parents has to sign off that he has done that.  He should have gotten the glasses Wednesday or so.  It will be interesting to see if he actually wears them and/or how long it takes him to lose them. 

Joe got two interesting calls this past week.  First, he was asked to be an usher at the church.  He had volunteered for that a good year ago, but hadn't heard anything.  Then he got asked to help "lead" one of the men's group tables.  He whined and complained about the paperwork he had to fill out to be an usher.  I think he never took into account that handling a collection basket in this church could mean access to thousands of dollars.  Then he complained about the whole "lead" the table thing.  I swear, if anything good ever happens to him, I sure hope I'm around to see it and hear about it.  But, of course, in all this time, when he wasn't being called about "serving" he's complained about "being on the shelf".  It's so good to know God can't get it right either.  I thought it was just me........

He has been mean as a snake lately.  I just hate it.  It's utterly miserable having him around all day and all night.  NOTHING is right.  NOTHING that I do, NOTHING that I don't do.  NO phone call is satisfactory.  He yells at the dogs and I'm certainly not too high on his list.  I love the way he can be impatient and mean with me and then turn right around, get on the phone with one of the girls from his office or with a client and be sweet as pie.  Then, when he says he loves me, I'm supposed to believe him.  Yeah, right.  Surely if you love me so much, you can treat me at least as well as you treat perfect strangers?

Oh, well, enough of that.  It's darn miserable and not likely to get any better so talking about it won't help.  Let's look at some pretty scrapbook layouts instead.  Those always cheer me up.

I found this old photo of my mom. It was badly faded, but VP amazed me at the transformation it made. The lace here is by Traci Sims; the bow is from Ronna Penner. "DIVA" is with Michelle Coleman's alpha stamps. I made the dark brown. Everything else is from Lynn Grieveson's Love Letters Page Kit.

This photo was taken in the Trauma ICU just 8 days after Jason was attacked. We had no idea what would come next, but the predictions from the doctors were not encouraging. That was 4 months ago and I am just now scrapping this because I could not bear to look at my daughter's face. Still, 4 months later, I was on the verge of tears while I did it. I used "A Mother's Love" by Amanda Rockwell (available at Elemental Scraps and Digital Freebies). This is also a Template by Janet Phillips, which I modified. Journaling says: "Life has brought me great pain, loss, and suffering. But, never have I hurt so much as when I saw this look of pain, sadness, and worry on my daughter's face. I don't know how many more years I have, but part of me wants to beg a benevolent God that I won't live long enough to see such pain again. The other part of me wants to beg for the opportunity to be there, to help in any way I can, should such tragedy ever come her way again. Surely this was the epitome of that old saying about one's heart walking around outside one's body."

DGS has reached that age where little boys don't want to pose for pictures. His mom snapped this picture while he and his friends were goofin' off, making faces and just being silly. I used the Adventurous Spirit kit from ACOT and a template by Janet Phillips--her "for Fun 2" pack.

After posting the layout showing Jennifer and Jason in the hospital, I received an e-mail asking for details about what happened to him. The short version is that he went to investigate the scene of a crime and was mugged. His skull was fractured together with substantial bleeding to the brain. Three discs in his neck were herniated with the force of the blow. This layout talks about some of what has happened to date. TFL, Marci

This is a scraplift of a page done by NEE. You can see it here: http://www.pickleberrypop.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1045&si=giggly&what=title&name=nee&name=nee I used the Sunkissed kit by the ACOT Collaborative kit. I had to see if I could do it. TFL, Marci

I did this quite a while ago and cannot find my notes. I know it was done with a template but I can't remember who did the template. The papers are from ACOT's Celebrate Life kit. This is my mother and my DGS, checking out the fish and baby gators in the St. John's River in Central Florida. TFL, Marci

I give up

I have written my post twice.  Both times my internet explorer has dumped me.  I'm sick and I'm going to bed.  I'll post some pages, but that's the end of it.

We've shared the trauma of having a puppy with my DH's brother, but they've failed to heed our warnings. They've gone out and gotten a puppy and are just beginning to discover how trying it can be. This was done with Keely Simpson's Easy Scraps #6 (available at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking). Remember the proceeds from Keely's template sales will go to help defray her son's medical expenses. Black paper is by me, polka dot ribbon is by Gina Miller. Everything else here is from Natural Designs in Scrapbooking's Campfire Stories.

DH brought this photo home from his trip to New Mexico in April. LOVE that architectural style. This is done with a kit by Shawna Clingerman called Parcheesi, at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking. Flower is from Theresa Hernandez's Baja Vacation, available at ACOT. The design is by Keely Simpson, her template #4, available at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking under the name Easy Scraps. Remember, the proceeds from Keely's sales go to help defray her son's medical expenses.

Through the University, DD had free child care at Early Headstart. Without this program, she would never have been able to go to college--there just wasn't enough money, loans, or scholarships available. The program made her their "poster child" and sent her many places to speak about the program, including home to LV to testify in some senate hearings being held by Senator Harry Reid. I've scrapped this before, but the photo was extremely bad. I've learned a bit more about photo editing so this is better. I used Natural Designs in Scrapbooking kit, Freedom Rings for this layout. I also used Keely Simpson's Easy Scraps Template #21 (available at NDISB). The Mega Swirls are Tracy Ann's. The flower is from Dani Mogstad

My stepdaughter took Joe's DGS to Knotts Berry Farm. They had great fun riding the miniature stock cars. This page was done with Sherrie Looper's Psychedelic Daisies, available at NDISB. I used Keely Simpson's Easy Scraps Template #17, also available at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking, and the flower is by Andrea Burns.

Quiet Moment

It's actually been kind of quiet around here this morning.  Joe is studying.  He has to renew his real estate license for CA every four years and this is the lucky year.  So, he has to do 10 hours of CPE which he's taking on the internet.  But, at least, he's not inciting the dogs to bark or some of his other usual noisy activities.  And, he's just left for a few minutes to take another box of paper scrapping stuff to the church school to donate.  That's five boxes to the church school and about $200 worth of stuff to Will's school.  And, there is still lots to get rid of.  But, most of what's left is smaller stuff, so I should be able to finish with just one or two more boxes.  This room feels lighter with every box that goes out of here.

Well, my "favorite" client has calmed down.  I cannot believe the amount of work I've had to put out for him in the last three-four months.  It's been an on-going "emergency" since mid June.  I THINK we're past it now, but what a stressful time it's been.  I picked up a new client last week, and got a call today from another new person.  We'll see how that one goes.....  Joe's work is still slow, slow, slow, so we need whatever we can get.  One way or the other, I'm sure God will provide. 

I am happy to say the Punkin seems to have levelled out.  I think she was scared to death and miserable when we boarded her at the vet's while we were in CA.  Now, she's behaving very well.  She hasn't chewed up anything since we brought her home--at least not anything much.  Joe goes outside and checks the sprinklers every morning, ever mindful of that time in September when she chewed up one a day four days running.  In the desert, that makes for dead shrubs and grass..... She has been kind of weird the last few months--she pesters us all evening for attention.  She stands up on her hind legs and supports herself on the backs of our chairs to get us to pet her.  But, when bedtime rolls around, when we might actually have time to give her some attention and want to, she has gone to the foot of the bed and stayed there, ignoring all our attempts (short of us dragging her up to the top of the bed) to give her some lovin'.  But, lately, even that has changed.  She comes and lays next to us.  It's a pleasant change.  I always figure that petting a dog lowers blood pressure and mine can use all the help it can get.

I babysat Will and his friend Olivia Monday night.  It turned out pretty well.  They kept each other amused and Olivia's mom showed up to pick her up just as it was time for me to ship Will off to take his bath so it all worked.  Jennifer and Jason went to a childbirth class.  According to my calculations, it is 68 days til her due date.  I am anxious for this baby to arrive.  I hope I get to spend some time with him.......I know Jason's mother is planning on being here so maybe I'll have to wait a few days and that will be hard.  Oh, well....anything to keep her from stirring up trouble for Jen. 

I'm trying to systematically scrap my way through our CA trip pictures.  But, I can't say I'm totally successful in that effort.  I keep getting distracted by other pictures I also want to scrap.  Of course, I took over 600 pictures, so if I only scrapped CA pictures, I could be busy for a long while.  But, some of them will never be scrapped--just not good enough or significant enough.  So that makes it easier. 

I have finally caught up with the laundry.  I was beginning if it would ever happen.  I got so far behind when the dryer was broken, and then I decided I had to rewash almost all of what had been hung outside to avoid having to iron it.........I ended up with mountains of stuff to wash.  But, I'll be stripping our bed today and putting clean sheets on it, and that will be the last "leftover" load.  Then, I'm caught up and can do something besides sort, wash, fold, and put away clothes.  Joe continues to make little messes everywhere he goes, so there's lots of that for me to catch up on.  I ended up scrubbing the kitchen floor last night because it was covered in spots of spilled coffee and tea........  And, I need to get to the Master Bathroom soon because, in dumping the trash, he dumped ashes all over that floor......  I swear, it never ends.

I have been upset this week about the incident in Lancaster.  I heard one newscaster talk about how we're all guilty of thinking "it can't happen here".  Well, if it can happen in an Amish community, it can happen anywhere.  They are the most peaceful people.  I cannot imagine the sorrow and stress among them right now.  I did see a headline on MSN.com that quotes NBC as reporting that the Amish have been quick to forgive.  Joe read and I am reading a book by John Bevere called "The Bait of Satan".  It is a book about us taking offense and how Satan uses that to lead us into bitterness, loneliness and alienation, anger, etc.  Truly, it is "bait" and when we rise to the biat, he catches us up every time.  Bevere was at our church a few months back and gave a very inspiring message from the book, but I've had to wait for Joe to finish before I could get my hands on it.  (Joe reads about a page and a half every night and then falls asleep with the book on his chest and his light on, so it takes a while..........)

Well, I've got a "to do" list as long as my arm, so I'd better get moving.  Only 45 minutes til lunchtime and so much to get done before then.  I'll post pages and then I'm outta here.  This first one is of the Ronald Reagan Library courtyard.  I don't know if I'll post it cause I'm not too sure I even like it, but I'll post it here anyway.  There'll be many more photos from there that I will eventually post.

I used a kit by "Bad Candy" for this page called "Vanilla".

Over the 4th of July, we headed to Arizona en route to Mexico where I had a dental appointment scheduled. Unfortunately, my client mis-spoke when she told me I needed to go to Tucson to go to Los Algodones. Wrong! We were supposed to be in Yuma. It all ended up costing us an extra night's motel, an extra day's food, and about 6 hours of driving time. I used Cindy Simon's kit called Lisa's Laughter, from Natural Designs in Scrapbooking.  The map is printed from the internet.

There are a few old family stories that are worth the telling and that I wanted to record. This one is about my mother who, as a young woman, was one of the world's most shy people ever. Today, we might not think so much of this, but to her it was mortifying. I used Lynn Grieveson's Live Your Dream kit, available at Designer Digitals. The pen is from Kathryn Balint; the postcard, lace doily, and bow are by Ronna Penner. The font is Marnie Regular. Journaling says: It was a cold, icy Pennsylvania morning. She was a young, shy, innocent farm girl, recently moved to the city. She was hurrying down the hill to catch her morning bus when her foot landed on a piece of ice. Her skirt flew up as she went down. She slid down the entire hill. She was really embarrassed but hoped that maybe no one had seen it. Her hopes were shattered and her face was red when she spotted the milkman she saw almost every morning, giggling. She was never so happy to board that morning bus.

106 days to go. I am anxiously awaiting the birth of a new DGS. I am so excited! I did this page with Deb Fisher's new Classic Baby Boy kit. The flower is from ACOT's Relax and Rejuvenate, the brush is by Michelle Pearson, and the arrow, used as a clipping mask for paper from the kit, is by Christy Sturm.  This photo was taken toward the end of July, 2006.

While Jen, Jason and Will were in Redlands, Will had great fun playing with his friend Henry. I got a kick out of these pictures of the two of them clowning for the camera. I used Amanda Rockwell's Summer Brights for this (available at Elemental Scraps), with the green recolored to match Henry's shirt. I used a template by Lauren Barden. The fonts are First Grader and Times New Roman.



This photo is from Jen, Jason, and Will's trip to Redlands. When my daughter told me the story behind this photo, I knew I had to scrap it because it's so typical of her. I used an "old" kit by Michelle Coleman--Free Spirit. The circle is by Shabby Princess. Fonts are Arial and Flick Bold Hollow.  The journaling talks about the fact that Jen was in charge of a bunch of kids (along with some other adult helpers).  They were supposed to go to a certain building at a certain time but when they arrived, the meeting place was occupied.  Jen just happened to have a book with her, got all the kids seated under the trees and proceeded to read to them to keep them entertained until their space was available.

That's all for today.  BTW, Happy Birthday, Mom.