My Weblog

Double Darn

Grabbed this shot of some folks fishing in a little bay near the Ventura Harbor while we were hanging out at the beach. I used Lynn Grieveson's Little Captain, available today at Designer Digitals, for the page. This started as a template by Janet Phillips, but I made some modifications. TFL, Marci

























This is another photo from our "tourist in our own home town" series at The Venetian. Joe had never seen this effect before, where it looks for all the world like you're outside, but you're actually inside the hotel/casino. This is actually in one of the main shopping areas at the hotel and the lower levels of these "buildings" are shops selling designer goods and things like Godiva chocolate (yum). I used Sara Carling's Golden Moments Page Kit for this. This is a template by Bree Clarkson. The title was used somewhere on the internet to describe this effect at The Venetian. Thanks for taking a peek, Marci


























This photo was taken by my son-in-law's uncle. As far as I know, it is unretouched. I did nothing but run noise reduction and sharpening filters on it. I am amazed by the colors he's captured in the desert. I used Eve Recinella's Hippie Chick on the page.


























Took this photo in front of Mission San Buenaventura, but my understanding is that it could have been taken at any of the missions. When the missions were started, they were the center of a developing community and water was essential. The priests supervised the digging of aquaducts in the hills behind them which brought water down to the mission. Kind of an amazing engineering feat for the late 1700's. I used Theresa Hernandez's Baja Vacation Page Kit available at ACOT. I used a template by Shir Benovich as my starting point.

Darn Typepad

Well, this silly thing allowed me to insert one image and then pooped out on me.  I'll try again.

Joe and I decided to start playing tourist in our home town, Vegas. This is the hallway between the hotel lobby and the casino at The Venetian, indeed a grand sight. I used Misty Mareda's Madder Rose for this page. TFL, Marci


This is Jason's Grandmother. She was here for a visit in early September, but I just got the pictures. I am still working on b&w conversions, but I think this one turned out pretty well. This layout is my version of multi-tasking. The kit is Floral Splendor by Amanda Rockwell, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. The template used is #27 by Keely Simpson, available at NDISB. AND, the quote is from the Great Women Quote Pack by Katie the Scrapbook Lady, available at ACOT. TFL, Marci

Phew! Exhausting to be "thankful"

It's over.  The big Thanksgiving Dinner.  First, we'd planned on 7 but it was actually only 5 of us.  Jennifer, Jason, and Will joined Joe and I for dinner.  Olivia was with her father.  Kirsten went home to Michigan to be with her family.  We had turkey, homemade cranberry relish, stuffing, sour cream mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes with pecan topping, corn pudding, broccoli with cheese sauce, rolls and butter, pecan pie and pumpkin pie.  I don't really get much help from Jen most times, but I pretty well knew I wouldn't get much this year.  So, I started on Sunday.  Made the cranberry relish.  I had the sweet potato casserole put together Tuesday night as well as having the celery and onions for the stuffing chopped and ready to go into the skillet.  Joe peeled the potatoes for me, and he peeled a whole 5# bag before I could stop him.  (We had so many I couldn't even get them all into the mixing bowl to mash them.) 

I made 6 pumpkin pies and a pecan pie.  I baked 2 of the pumpkin, figuring on serving one and sending one home with the kids.  But, Joe couldn't wait for it and cut into one of the pumpkin pies Thursday morning for breakfast.  So I had to thaw and bake another pie Thursday morning.  He still has 3 pumpkin pies stashed in the freezer, so he's happy.  I don't use the traditional Libby's recipe; I use one that's been in my family for years.  Joe has never met my grandmother, but when he meets her in heaven, she'll get an immediate big hug just for the pumpkin pie recipe. 

As far as the meal, everything went pretty well.  Joe and I had discussed having crescent rolls with the meal, but inexplicably, though I had it right on the shopping list, he brought home brown and serve rolls.  I managed to cook them too long and they turned out very crunchy.  But everything else was good.  Usually I do a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, but I was informed that Jason won't eat them because they contain animal products.  But I found a recipe that called for a pecan crumb topping (much like you might put on an apple pie) and that turned out to be WAY better than the usual.  The pecan pie was a bit of a challenge.  I was actually using a very small pie pan, but when I got all the filling prepared and into the piecrust, the pan looked almost empty.  So, I had to make an emergency second batch of filling just to fill the crust.  But, it was worth it.  Yummy!  And, the pie crust, strangely enough, was much applauded this year.  Of course, I made my recipe for 12 crusts, as usual.  Joe is suggesting that I don't need to wait for the Holidays to make pumpkin pies, and apple pies, and so forth......

I was so exhausted from all the extra work of putting that meal together that I went back to bed for several hours Friday morning.  I was also sore--sore legs, sore hips, sore back.  Felt better after the extra rest.

Speaking of Joe, he has been on the treadmill very consistently for a good three weeks.  Actually, it might be closer to 4.  I have to giggle.  I've begged, pleaded, nagged, etc., about the fact that he eats WAY more than he should and doesn't workout.  I've reminded him that before we were married, he'd promised he'd work out consistently and has NOT kept the promise.  Nothing I said made a difference.  Finally, I shut up and started praying about it.  Well, he got selected to be an usher at church and one of the requirements is a dress white shirt.  He got one out of his closet and found he couldn't begin to button the collar around his double chins.  So, he's been on the treadmill about 5 times a week, doing a mile a day.  As of last week, the collar "almost" buttons.  I've told him for years I'd cook whatever he wanted if he'd get himself on a consistent exercise schedule.  Thank God, it's happened.

Jen informed me Thursday that the doc has moved the due date back from 12/10 to 12/8.  So, that leaves us with just 13 days to go as of today.  I don't usually post photos until they're scrapped, but this one is for my mother.                                                                                                                        

I wanted to do some lovely "belly shot" layouts for Jen, but she didn't want anything to do with that.  But, she actually requested this photo Thursday and I was thrilled to oblige! 

Well, on the design side, I now have three packs of quickpages ready to sell.  I am very excited about this.  I know it won't make me rich, and with the best of success, will probably pay me no more than minimum wage for the hours invested.  But, I've said over and over that I just wanted to find a way to make some money doing the thing I love doing most--scrapping.  One of the designers I scrap for has agreed to sell my pages under her name.  The amazing thing is she doesn't want any share of whatever is made even though they are created with her designs and being sold under her name.  Most unusual.  Maybe this is the answer to my prayer.  I'm hoping to save whatever money I make towards the camera I really really want.  My "better" camera came back from the manufacturer, after requiring service twice in a year.  I hate to think what happens next because the warranty is now expired.  So far, I have not been able to make it work--I'm hoping that just means I need new batteries.  (For non scrapbookers, a quick page is a pre-designed simple page.  A scrapbook page can be created very quickly by just slipping a photo under it and adding a title and maybe some journaling or a date.  Of course, if you've a bit more time, and the desire, you can add more to it.)

Oh, Jen has another job offer, more or less.  Not this past summer, but last summer, she did an externship in the Special Public Defender's office.  They've just opened a position for another attorney and requested that she apply!  That makes me think they just might want to hire her.  She wasn't sure about applying.  The judge in the family courts who had "hired" her before Jason's accident is supposedly still holding a position for her.  And, the county legal services office where she's been working has been nagging her to apply for a position there.  But the reality is that they pay only $35,000 a year!  That's an insult to an attorney.  The position with the SPD office pays around $60,000 and has full benefits.  That's a big difference when you have a lot of student loans to pay. 

I think that's all the news from around here.  I'll post some pages and then I'm going to get on the treadmill and work off some pumpkin pie!

Joe and I went down to spend some time at the beach. We're not all that interesting, but this little guy was a hoot. He was intent on catching a sea gull. Of course, he didn't, but it was great fun watching him try. I used Deb Fisher's 90 Mile Beach, available at her shop and at Pickleberry Pop. The swirl is by Tracy Robinson, used as a clipping mask for papers from Deb's kit.

Busy, busy, busy

I am as busy as a one-armed wallpaper hanger with an itch.  I've got stuff coming at me on all fronts.  First, my favorite client.....another "emergency".  Of course all of these emergencies are of his own making, because he wouldn't work with me at the appropriate time to give me the information I needed.  But, now, it's my problem.  He's willing to cooperate and expects me to drop everything and do his stuff NOW!  And, he's owed me money for 10 days.  Claims he will make a deposit today.  Boy, he'd better or I'm going on strike! 

Got a couple of other small things hanging fire.  Joe is pushing me on those, because if we can get them finished, we'll get paid.  Well, yes, dear, but in the meantime, do you remember that you want clean clothes every day?  And that there's a "production show" for Thursday? 

Speaking of Thursday, here's the line-up.  It will be just us and Jen, Jason, and Will.  I have an 11 pound turkey thawing in the fridge.  The cranberry relish is made and taste tested (multiple times) by Joe who says it's excellent.  We'll be having sour cream mashed potatoes, a new sweet potato casserole I found that looks deathly good, corn pudding, broccoli with cheese sauce, crescent rolls, pecan pie and pumpkin pie.  I plan on making as many pumpkin pies as possible and freezing them.  We did that last year and it worked out well and breaking one out of the freezer every now and then helped keep Joe's sweet tooth at bay.  If possible, today I want to chop the celery and onion for the dressing and tear up the bread, and make the pies.  I am using frozen broccoli this year, not fresh, which will make a small dent in the work to be done.  The corn pudding is no biggie.  Like a ditz, I forgot to put yams/sweet potatoes on the grocery list and Joe looked at them in the grocery store and wondered why.  But, he didn't call to ask, so now he'll have to go back and get some!  I usually do the sweet potatoes mashed (like mashed potatoes) and then put marshmallows on top.  But, Jennifer informs me that marshmallows have animal products in them and Jason won't eat them.  So, we're trying something different this year.  Will made a special request for stuffing (as if I wouldn't make it anyway) though he didn't know what to call it.  He described it as brown and mushy.  Gee, THAT description helped, LOL.

My scrapbook designers have suddenly turned productive.  It seems it's feast or famine with them.  Sometimes I actually have the opportunity to scrap with my own stuff, and other times, I've got so many Creative Team kits hitting me at once I don't know what to do first.  I've started a first in/first out policy, except for one designer whose stuff has to be ready every Sunday or else.  I did two pages this morning by 9:30.  I wish it had been 4, but with two, I'm still way behind the eight ball on what I should do.  I have to do 7 more pages before I'm even and by the time I finish those, there'll be more to do!  But, other things have to be done too, so I can't just sit here and scrap all day.   Guess those designers will just have to roll with me.

I have been dealing with unusually high blood pressure the past few weeks.  I HATE that.  I know it's because the doc cut my meds in half last time.  I honestly think he did it accidentally, so I have decided to double them and see  him to "confess" sometime next month.  Sure as shootin'  I won't get there this month!  But, going back to the original dose brings it right in line where it should be and I like that.  I particularly like that because when it's sailing really high, I don't feel well--headachy, and scared to get on the treadmill which is about the only thing I can do to help make it better. 

Oh, one other thing of note, and then I'll post some pages and I'm outta here and on to my mile long to do list.   I have been given the opportunity to make some Quick Pages.  For those of you who don't know, Quick Pages are partially complete scrapbook pages.  Essentially, you add your photo, your title and whatever journaling you want to do and your page is complete.  Of course, if you want to, you can add other things to the QuickPage from your stash of digital goodies to dress it up a bit more, but I think most people just use them as they are.  Anyway, I will use all the designer's stuff, and they will sell under her name, but I get a share of the profits.  Some designers sell them singly, but some do albums.  I'm doing albums, 8 quickpages per album.  After commissions to the store owner and other costs are subtracted, I get a share of the profits.  I'm not going to get rich doing this, but as long as the designer leaves the original kit up for sale, the Quick Pages will be there too.  So, eventually, I should have a fair amount of stuff for sale and should turn some money worth counting from that.  I've done two sets of 8 since Thursday or Friday.  I think I was nearly blind by the time I turned the computer off yesterday!  But, we need the money, and if I can make some doing something I love, why not?  And, I've learned a few tricks doing this so that's good too.  The designer I'm working with at present is out of town for a week.  I hope to have 3-4 sets ready when she gets back.  She's a sweet girl and I SO appreciate her allowing me this opportunity.

Okay, pages.......                                                                                                                                    

Well, she's a sweet princess, but a princess nonetheless, crowned by her Daddy. I used Bella Gypsy Designs Vintage Dreams (available at Elemental Scraps). Page bracelet is by Cindy Simon at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking, and the watercolor doodle is by Ida R.

I don't know how she does it! I swear Lynn Grieveson is psychic! She looks on my EHD and knows just what pictures I want to scrap and what I need to scrap them with. This is the perfect kit for this picture of London Bridge. London Bridge is not falling down in London. It is alive and well (so to speak) in Lake Havasu, Arizona. We stopped by there on the way to Mexico over the 4th of July and I am just now getting to these pictures. Everything here is from Lynn Grieveson's gorgeous new kit, Shell Cottage, designer digitals. I used a template by Alma Townsend too.


   

We were in Oxnard, CA, over the weekend. Oxnard calls itself the Strawberry capital of the world. Everywhere you look, you see strawberry fields. I couldn't resist doing a page titled this way...... Kraft paper by Theresa Hernandez, flower by Ida R, stitching by Tandika Star, and the fillable alpha by Katie the Scrapbook Lady at ACOT.
We walked through the courtyard at the Mission in the late afternoon, just at that point where the sunlight turns all golden and orange at sunset. Loved the way it made this photo of the courtyard look. I used Autumns Artistry by Bella Gypsy Designs (available at ACOT) for this page. The swirl is by Tracy Ann Robinson, used as a clipping mask for papers from the kit.     While we were doing our tourist thing over the weekend, there was a wedding or something (we didn't get close enough to be sure) going on at one of the places we visited, with folks in traditional Mexican/Spanish garb. And there was a professional photographer working. I snagged this shot of a total stranger while the photographer had him posed. I used Bella Gypsy Designs Autumns Artistry, available at ACOT, for this.











I had to wait for this picture. DD took it using my camera, but it took me a while to get the camera back. I used papers from ACOT's Summer Blues kit. The little plaque is by Roberta D'Achille. The quote is by Katie the Scrapbook Lady, available at ACOT (I changed the colors of the stars to better coordinate with this layout.)

This is really starting to tick me off

A number of movies were made at the Yuma Territorial Prison. Some of the stars were relatively short men, but they were playing bigtime heroes. And, according to the movie makers' idea of the American psyche, short men can't be heroes. So, they actually lowered the doorways so that as the star went through, he'd look taller! (And, yes, Alan Ladd was actually known to stand on a wooden box when it was time for those kissing closeups--just a bit of movie trivia I'm throwing in for free.) I used Bree Clarkson's Cuppa Joe for this page along with a page template from Laura Burger.

When Jennifer and Jason aren't available to be with Will, chances are, Grandma is. What does the little guy do when all three of us are busy taking pictures? Well, act like a goofball off camera and crack us all up. Jason was totally distracted and looking off into the distance while Jen's effort at keeping a straight face turned into something really odd. Luckily, the camera blocked my line of sight and I wasn't laughing or this photo would be very blurry! I used a new kit available at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking. It is created by Tania JPS and is called September Garden. It will be available this weekend. Template by Laura Burger.

My last try

Okay, I'll post whatever I can......

Steel straps reinforced the walls of the Yuma Territorial Prison and were fashioned into the doors for the cells. An extra long strap of steel secured into the lock outside the cell to help prevent prison breaks. In the days before all the modern security, this prison housed over 3400 prisoners while it operated, with only 26 successful escapes. I used Dani Brath's Fresh Linen kit for the page. The key is from Jacqueline Carney's Old World kit. The template is from Laura Burger.

Persistence

Trying again........

My son-in-law has an enviable green thumb. This is only part of his collection of plants, gently nurtured. This is my DD's kitchen window. Between his plants and their lovely back yard, it's a very nice view from her kitchen sink. I did this with Shawna Clingerman's The Grass is Always Greener and the gold paper is from the Delicious Bella Byte by Bella Gypsy Designs. Also uses a Bree Clarkson template. TFL, Marci

So we spent Saturday afternoon wandering through The Venetian, one of Vegas's most luxurious hotels. I ran across this little group--a wedding party--and was amused to see the bride in flip flops. I've seen photos of brides in combat boots and all sorts of unusual shoes under long gowns, but never with a short dress. Is this a casual Vegas thing or a trend I just don't know about? The flip flops are from Scrap Artist's summer kit and the flourishes are from Michelle Coleman. More scenes from The Venetian to follow soon..... TFL, Marci

Darn Typepad

Okay, Typepad got cranky on me and wouldn't accept but one photo with the last post.  So, I'll add a few more here.

A photo of DH as he drove us to "tourist heaven", the Las Vegas Strip, to do a little sightseeing. We had a ball. I used Shawna Clingerman's Techno Grunge Page Kit, and a template by Bree Clarkson.

DD and her husband were in San Francisco in 2004. She snapped this photo of him, leaning on a statue. I am sure this statue is in honor of the song Tony Bennett made so famous...... Polka dot ribbon is by Gina Miller, Doodle is by Bannerwoman, and everything else is from Lynn Grieveson's new kit at Designer Digitals, "Orchard Road". TFL, Marci

Another Day in Paradise

I am convinced God must have an incredible sense of humor.  Otherwise, there is absolutely no way Joe and I would be married.......  I know that when opposites get together, the objective in His kingdom is to provide some "balance".  But, Dear Lord, do we have to be SO opposite? 

This is THE most negative person I've ever known (with one possible exception).  I swear, if God had a perfect stranger walk up to him and hand him a briefcase full of thousand dollar bills, he'd complain about having to carry it home.  His immediate reaction to EVERYTHING is NEGATIVE.  It is SO DIFFICULT to stay positive and upbeat with him around.  Nothing is right in his world......Well, too bad for him and too bad for me because every now and then I DO find something right in mine. 

Today I had Christian TV on.  He went to the bathroom to shower and shave and do whatever else it is that he does in there.  As he came back out, he heard the minister who was speaking say just one sentence.  Of course, he heard it totally out of context since it was only one sentence and the minister had been speaking for a good 15-20 minutes.  He walks back into the office announcing "I don't like this guy!"  What a way to pass judgment!  I had listened to everything the guy had to say and didn't hear a single word that was out of line...........  You know, there's something wrong when you just want to smack someone over a sermon.......

No new news here to speak of.  There is only one piece of news worth talking about and that happened Friday.  Jennifer was sworn in before a special session of the Nevada Supreme Court as an attorney, licensed to practice before the bar.  Yippee!!!!!!  This child has given me many a proud moment and now I get to add this to the list.  I haven't uploaded the photos, but I don't have a lot of hope for them.  I was sitting there, turning green with envy over the camera the guy in front of me had.  The max zoom on the camera I was using is 3Xoptical, and I was getting lousy looking "little people" in my viewfinder.  He not only had a much better zoom function on his camera, but I think he had more adjustment functions....he seemed to be able to adjust his camera to capture more light.  We'll see what I can produce.  Thank God, I've learned a lot about photo editing and every now and then, I can make up for the camera's shortcomings that way.

I do have a somewhat better camera, but it's in the shop.  We shipped it off last week.  It's actually been broken since September, but we haven't stopped and taken the time to call the manufacturer, and jump through all the hoops required to get warranty service until now.  This will make the second time we've had to have the camera fixed for the same problem in the year I've owned it.  We HAD to ship it out last week as the warranty was about to expire!  The other problem with that is that they are SO slow.  I'll be lucky to have it back by Christmas, at least based on my experience with them the last time they had it.  But, it wasn't getting fixed laying around here and, at least, now, it's in process.......

I did see a camera that had me salivating last week.  We had to go to the office supply store and, of course, they sell digital cameras there.  I wandered over there and found a 6MegaPixel Sony camera with a Zeiss lens and 12 x zoom on it for $379.  AND, it has the ability to accept accessory lenses!  Of course, it's not a top of the line camera, but it's a darn sight better than what I have.  I do have some money stashed which I'm keeping quiet about.  The last time I had a stash of cash, Joe insisted I use it to cut down a tree!  And THAT TIME I had enough to get the camera I really really dream of........  If I let him know I have anything stashed now, I'll probably have to use it to pay for a new garbage can or something equally exciting.  Anyway, if that baby goes on sale between now and Christmas, I just might make it mine.  I think I might be able to sell the one that's currently in the shop for enough to make a decent dent in the price thanks to e-bay.  We'll see.......

Okay, well enough of chatting about nothing.  I need to post some pages and then get back to work.  Mr. Grumpy will have something to say about me "goofing off" if he figures out what I'm doing.

This is not a great photo--an old polaroid. This is the most destructive dog I've ever had, but thankfully, as an adult he has slowly mellowed some. I thought Shawna Clingerman's Techno Grunge kit had to be perfect to go with a photo of a puppy sleeping in a computer case.