My Weblog

slowly, very slowly

Slowly, very slowly, I think I am beginning to find "normal" again.  I was just worn beyond comprehension with tax season, but I think a few more easy days and I might be fit to hang around human beings again.  I was supposed to have lunch with a client today (same client who has had to cancel on me twice) but I cancelled.  I am not leaving this house today until time for Will's baseball game tonight.  And, I am not cooking.  We'll eat some grilled hot dogs that are for sale cheap at the ballpark and benefit the teams.  So there!

We saw the kids for about an hour last evening.  Joe was doing some reorganizing in our "junk" room and ran across a box of baby toys Jen had left here from when Will was tiny.  So, we took them over for Atticus.  He is such a strange little fellow.  If there is a mellower baby anywhere, I can't imagine it.  He now appears to be officially over whatever was ailing him, but who knows?  Here's the funny part:  When Jen got her first ear infection, she cried non-stop ALL night.  But, Atticus didn't cry!  Jen was in total shock when the doctor's office told her he had a high fever.  She felt so bad she didn't know he was sick, but how could she when the little guy didn't act any different sick than he does when he's well? 

They had the outside of their house painted.  The house is a sort of cream color with pale green trim.  I think, given the desert landscaping in their front yard and the intense color of the red tile roof, I'd have gone a bit darker with the green, maybe even a teal color, but the guy they hired did a good job and it looks clean and fresh.  They used their tax refund for that.  How I wish we GOT a tax refund! Each year we pay thousands of dollars to IRS.  It's no fun, having two self-employed people in the house come tax time.  I did have some withholding from a part time job for the first 10 months of the year, but no where near enough.  We also saved and saved every nickel we could get our hands on, but when we had our tax return almost ready to go, found that we were still thousands short.  So, we filed an extension and we're saving and saving again.

I did finally talk Joe into getting rid of the old "doesn't work anymore" treadmill and ordering us a new one.  He ordered a real cheapie so I hope the thing lasts more than a month or two.  I have yet to figure out what motivates the guy to make a decision.  I think his ex wife just threw temper tantrums, screamed and shouted at him, and threatened to "throw his ass out" (her language, not mine).  I don't do any of the above, but I'm starting to wonder whether I shouldn't start doing them.  Maybe that's the only way to get things done?  Everything seems to take months or years to get decided or done.  I don't get it.  Somethings you just have to do......but he doesn't.  For example, I am fighting high blood pressure and weight.  I can very slowly bring down the weight by avoiding anything that looks or smells like a carb, but it's a long drawn out arduous process.  I can speed it up a bit with weights and the total gym, but if I want to make progress, I have to have the ability to do a cardio workout.  It was 97 degrees here yesterday, so, no, I'm not going to go walking in that!  I NEED a treadmill.  And he's a good 40 pounds overweight, all of it in his belly, bad, bad, bad for the functioning of his internal organs, and needs to burn calories or eat less.  So, where's the problem?  We NEED a treadmill.  Get one!  It's at least as important as food in this house!  He really pissed me off when he said I was going to bankrupt him.  Now listen, buddy.  I go to Mexico for an eye exam to save money and am thrilled to have new glasses I should have had two years ago.  I go to Mexico to get medications that would cost 3 times the price here.  I go to Mexico for dental work that, like the meds, would cost 3 times the price here.  Clothes?  Well, no.  I haven't bought clothes in a store in years.  Everything I buy off of e-bay, sometimes new, sometimes used, at no more than half the price they would sell for retail.  Let's see--in the last year, aside from a few souvenir tee shirts and a souvenir sweat shirt--I've bought myself two pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans, a few nightgowns, and 3 pairs of running shoes--all from e-bay.  So, just exactly how am I bankrupting him?  Perhaps it's my fault that the 24 year old leaky roof on the house had to be replaced.  Or, the 24 year old air conditioner?  Or maybe I purposely broke the stove?  I know--I probably took a hatchet to the plumbing (without making a mark on the walls, mind you) and caused that big plumbing repair.  Or, maybe I hammered a nail into the water heater just so it would spring a leak and I could get a new one!  And, certainly, I've been crawling around on my hands and knees and making holes in the 24 year old carpet because it couldn't possibly just be worn out after people walking on it for darn near a quarter of a century!  Okay, rant over, but I really think he couldn't find a woman who would live like we live and not complain, other than me.   Yes, I bought a new camera.  Yes, I love it, but it is not what I wanted.  I SETTLED for this one because it did most of what I wanted and was cheaper.  I don't get it, but I know I'm tired of it!

Well, there's much to be done around here and I mean to get to it.  I'll post a few pages and then get to work.

This is Jen's friend Kirsten and her daughter Olivia.  I took this at the Punkin Patch last year and have just been waiting for the perfect kit. I found it in Lynn Grieveson's new kit, available today at Designer Digitals, called Daydreams For You. It's not often I get to do a girly page, so I really had fun with this one. I used a template for this and very nicely saved the info in "file info", except it isn't there. So, if it's yours, sing out so I can give you credit.

























A photo of Joe's mother and father in the 40's.  Another photo from the box of photos that turned up after being stored in a garage for 30 years. I put a lot of work in on this one and parts of it are still kind of "blown out", but it sure looks better than it did when I started. This began as a template from Shelle Pukas, but I've changed it up a lot. I used Amanda Rockwell's A New Journey for this, available at amandarockwell.com.

























The last time we went to Los Algodones, this guy wasn't around. He sure added to the local color. We really enjoyed his performance AND his costume. I used tan paper and royal blue paper by Lori Barnhurst. The gold paper is by Anita Stergiou. The plumes are by Anna Aspnes. The teal paper is by Amanda Rockwell, from her A Mother's Love Collection, the Joy kit. Amanda Rockwell also designed all the flowers. I've used her Glitter Flowers, Painted Twirls, and her Tiny Painter flowers, all available at Amandarockwell.com!

























Here I am, sporting my new Mexican hat, taking a rest while on our trip to Mexico. The Kraft paper is by Theresa Hernandez in her Rhapsody in Rachel kit. The turquoise and striped papers are from ACOT's Frostbitten kit. I used Michelle Coleman's sponged alpha as a clipping mask for a paper from ACOT's kit. All that gorgeous stuff along the side of the photo is a "cluster" by Nina, available at NDISB and O Scraps. I did this for the Lifts with a Twist challenge.

























I love sunsets. I don't know what it is about them but they really draw my attention. And, this trip, I was determined to get a photo of a Saguaro cactus as we drove through Arizona. I managed to combine both the cactus and a great sunset into one photo. I scrapped this very simply, using paper and flower (recolored) from Amanda Stevens's Our Twins--Boy Collection. You can grab the kit at NDISB.

























This is one of my all-time favorite photos of DGS. It was taken about 3 years ago. I've scrapped it before in color, but really like the way it looks in black and white too. This layout was done with Windegefluester's Beautiful Dreamer kit, available at Windegefluester's Boutique and at O Scraps. The "plumes" behind the photo are by Anna Aspnes. I cropped an "agency" template from Scrap Girls and used it to frame out the photo.

























We meet a few ladies in our lives who become heroes. Diane is one of mine. Diane is a two time breast cancer survivor, but is now as healthy and energetic a lady as you'd ever want to meet. I used Amanda Rockwell's Funky Flowers for this page. The butterfly pin and tag are from the Unconditional kit which is part of the A Mother's Love Collection by Amanda Rockwell. Amanda's gorgeous kits are available at amandarockwell.com. I participated in last week's Lifts with a Twist challenge and loved the design. Guess you could say I scraplifted it twice......

No excitement for today--I hope

Still not much going on here and that's the best news!  I am so grateful for quiet days.  I was simply down to my last nerve by the time tax season ended and QUIET is my favorite word right now.

Just two or three small items of interest today.

The doctor seems to think Atticus is healthy now.  He decided yesterday maybe it WAS only the ear infection that caused the high fever.  Before, he didn't seem to think an ear infection could spike his temp that much.  He got his third shot of antibiotic yesterday, but doesn't have to see the doc til next week.

I'm doing a little shopping on e-bay these days.  Not for me but for Joe.  Joe would go naked or looking like a homeless person if he had to buy his own stuff.  As I've been doing the laundry lately, I've been noticing that some of his slacks are getting a little threadbare or frayed at the bottoms.  So, I'm on the hunt for some new Dockers for him.  I've landed three pairs so far, but I think I'll try for 2 or 3 more.  They're pretty much all he wears so they get washed a lot which doesn't help them last all that long.  I'm also getting him some new running shoes.  He's had the ones he's wearing for about two years.  And he keeps complaining his back hurts when he is on his feet for long period of time, so I think new shoes are in order.  Surely all the "shock absorption" of those old shoes is gone by now.  Of course, it would help if he lost weight, but that may just be a favorite fantasy of mine.

Finally, I'll tell you that I bought two new purses while we were in Mexico.  They both say "Prada" on them, and if they're really Prada purses would be worth a pretty penny.  I'm betting they're knock-offs but I really don't care.  They're pretty and the leather is lush so what's the difference?  I'm just happy to have pretty new purses in red and lime green.  LOVE them and the price was certainly right!  You couldn't buy a vinyl purse at Walmart for what we paid in Mexico so, BIG splurge for me.

Here's a revelation from God for you........  When Jennifer moved into Jason's house, she had an old entertainment center she'd picked up at Walmart or some such place.  She didn't want it anymore so she gave it to us.  We had NO entertainment center, so her cast-off was a step up in the world for us.  Last year, at the end of tax season, we had problems with our cable.  The cable guy attempted to move the entertainment center, fully loaded.  He ended up breaking it and doing a really good job of it!  Joe noticed it but didn't say anything.  I didn't even see it til several months later when it occurred to me the whole thing was listing to one side.  Well, we finally got a cast-off from Matt to replace it, but........The one Jennifer had given it had a lot of storage.  We were able to store Will's toys in it as well as all our old video tapes.  The "new" one has less than half the storage space and there is NO WAY to organize the video tapes so that they're accessible, but that's a problem for another day.  All of Will's toys have been sitting under, around, and on our coffee table (or rather our borrowed coffee table) for months.  I've had no idea where to go with them that they'd be convenient for him and yet out of the way.  The other day, as I was walking down the hall, I came face to face with a storage cabinet that used to be in Jennifer's room.  It has some odds and ends in it which I really need to go through anyway.  But, it occurred to me that I could certainly get rid of some stuff that's in there and make a place for Will's toys.  Praise be!  I am so anxious to get all that stuff out of our living room.  I'll be working on doing that for the next day or so.

I actually got Joe to come out and help me for 10 minutes in the rose garden.  That is a minor miracle.  He hates yard work--most likely the result of the many many yards he mowed as a kid.  I've been working out there a little every day, trying to get it cleaned up, trying to get the roses deadheaded, etc.  But there are weeds in there I just couldn't pull out.  He actually got a lot of them taken care of yesterday which gave me the time to spray some insecticide on the rose bushes which are overrun with bugs.  THIS is a good thing.  I NEED to get this area shaped up before it gets much hotter or I won't be able to do anything til fall.  And, all the bending is really hard on my back, so a few minutes a day is about all I can handle.

Well, Joe is off signing a loan.  It will be quiet here for just a few more minutes.  He's supposed to be bringing lunch home with him so, shortly, the phone will ring and I'll be supposed to come up with some truly unique, tasty, cheap answer to what I want for lunch.  Yeah, right.  But, I want to upload some pages and then I have to get some work done around here.  I just discovered that in spite of the huge laundry we did earlier this week, there are now enough light colored clothes dirty to merit a load--ugh!

Another photo from the box found stashed in a garage 30 years later. This is DH and his big brother, somewhere around June 1950. Everything here is from Lynn Grieveson's new kit, Meadow Blue, available at Designer Digitals except: the daisy is by Michelle Underwood, the tiny bows are by Robin Carlton, the frame is from Theresa Hernandez, and the folded and stitched ribbon is by Amy Martin.

























My mother has the greenest thumb. Sometimes, at 86, I think she's a slave to her garden. But, her heart would not be content if she weren't surrounded by flowers. Here she is, pictured years ago, with her poinsettias. I used paper and elements from Mary Fran's kit, Deck Them Halls. I'd previously scrapped this years ago when I was a paper scrapper, but the idea to re-scrap came from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's Amazing Month of Memories--December 12 is Poinsettia Day! Check it out at ACOT.

























There have been several threads in the forum lately about Birthday Twins. Well, here's mine. I am so blessed to be "twin" to Steven Spielberg, according to the internet, the most financially successful director in the history of Hollywood. Now, how come he doesn't share the wealth with me, his twin? I used paper by Bella Gypsy Designs, from the new kit called Hearts Aflame, available at ACOT and Elemental Scraps. I also used a "groupie" by Doris Castle. I found out Mr. S was my twin by reading the December Amazing Month of Memories by Katie the Scrapbook Lady, available at ACOT.

























Jennifer's friend, Cheri, has been a true friend to the family and a source of counsel and support for her. Though I barely know her, I value her highly. I did this page in honor of her recent visit. This page was done with one of my favorite Doris Castle kits, My Hearts Delight. The stuff below the photo is from one of her "groupies". The word art is by Amy Blesser in her Flowers for Grammie kit. I used template #1 from Nina's Ready to Scrap Template set #12, available at NDISB and OScraps.

























My favorite little boy, Will, my grandson. What a sweetheart he is. I did this page as part of the Lifts with a Twist Challenge. The papers here are from Jen Wilson's Simple Expressions-Handsome. The burlap flower is by Ali Folendore; the other flower (recolored) is by Kay Miller. The swirls and "made to be loved" tag (slightly recolored) are by Misty Cato.

























My sweet little Valentine, my DGS, not quite 6 weeks old in this photo. I used Lynn Grieveson's kit, All My Love, for this page. The stitched heart is from the Ethan Charles Charity kit.

























A prompt from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's Amazing Month of Memories class (available at ACOT) got me to doing a little bit of research about Abraham Lincoln. (We celebrate his birthday this month, according to Katie). Although I'd read about his personal relationship with God, I found he'd been labelled an "infidel" because of his early life. Learned a few other fun facts. I did this page with Windgefluester's Little Prince page kit, available at Windegefluester's Boutique or at O Scraps.

Not much going on here!

Let's celebrate!  It's quiet here.  My lunch date with a client has cancelled so I am off the hook for that til Monday.  I was so hoping that would happen........  Joe has gone off to lunch with a client and has promised to bring back a Cobb Salad for me when he returns.  So, the cell phone is not ringing, he is not hollering into the phone or yelling at the dogs to be quiet.  My phone is blessedly silent.  I am so grateful for every moment of peace and quiet I can get these days.....

Well, I suppose the big news for the day so far is that I've colored my hair!  I do that every 2-3 weeks because my hair is very resistant to color.  You know it's going to be a quiet day when that is the big news!

This will be short, not only because of the dearth of news but also because I'm doing a crock pot dinner and need to go do all the chopping and assembling required to get that baby fired up.  I've not tried this recipe before--It's a soup made with beans and Italian Sausage.  I bought some really nice Italian bread to go with it at the store the other day.

I actually posted a new scrapbooking page today.  I haven't done that in over a week.  I think I'm just generally burnt out.  Oh well, this too shall pass.

Alright here are some pages and then I have to go get dinner started!

An old photo of DH and I, back when we still kissed this way........nuff said. I used Theresa Hernandez's Funky Valentine Kit available at ACOT. This is done with what was supposed to be a card template, I'm thinking maybe a gift card at Christmas time. No name on it, so......thank you whomever. Anyway I enlarged it from 3 x 3 to 12 x 12 and had a page template that worked out pretty well.

























I was thrilled to see this smile on Erica's face when she first met Atticus. Erica is my stepdaughter and Atticus is my new DGS. It's great to see that she really likes him even though the "nephew" thing is kind of tenuous. I used the Beautiful Mess Kit by Amanda Rockwell, available at amandarockwell.com, from her new Back in Black 2 Collection. The template is a Sketchplate by Anita Stergiou, available at Pickleberry Pop and at NDISB.

























Sometimes love is about commitment. As DH likes to say, "Love is a verb". Here's my commitment......I used Nina's Celebrate Love kit, available at NDISB and O Scraps. The ribbon is by Amber Clegg.

























The hospital gave Jennifer that big stocking when Atticus was born. Of course, you know Grandma had to tuck him down in there and take some pictures! Everything here is from Tracy Ann's Rejoice kit, except the Christmas tree which is from Pajamas 4 Love.

























This is the dog who makes us crazy, makes us laugh, makes us happy. Punkin is way too much fun! I did this page with papers and elements from the Star kit from Amanda Rockwell's Back in Black 2 Collection, available at amandarockwell.com. Ribbon under the bar code elements is by Amy Martin (recolored) and brad is by Bad Candy.

























Amber is DD's good friend and has been wonderful with Will. Now, it seems, she is pretty fond of Atticus too. Obviously, she has good taste in "little" men! Stem and leaf doodle by Jackie Eckles; yellow ribbon (color altered) and yellow felt stars by Amy Martin; black doodle flower by Christine Borgfeld; paint stroke by Michelle Coleman. Everything else is from Victoria Feemster's Messy Boy kit.

























We were sitting here, doing nothing of major importance when the call came in. "You can buy a brownie from your grandson if you hurry." "Huh? What?" Seems he'd set up his own "brownie stand" at the end of the driveway. We gathered up our money and jumped in the car. THIS is what we saw. I wouldn't trade this memory for anything. I'm so glad we got that call! I did this page with the Have Heart kit from Amanda Rockwell's Back in Black 2 collection, available at amandarockwell.com.

A Quiet Moment

Well, I have worked around the house today, but I can't say I see substantial improvement.  I'll be after it some more when I finish this.  Joe has gone off to a class so it's quiet here and I'll try to write a few lines.

Yesterday was a tough day.  I went to a client's, a company owned by a father and two sons.  Before I got out of there, the three of them got into it, and one "quit".  I have no idea whether that will hold or if it was just something said in anger.  I was not happy to be a witness to all that.  The father promised to call me later, but, so far, no call.  I met Joe for lunch at a little place he likes and then came home and crashed for an hour.  Up again, in the car, beginning my 53 mile circuit from home to Will's school to Green Valley, to the ball park, and then home again.  I finally made it home around 7PM, having left at 2:15PM.  It really does get a bit stressful because the time allotted to get from one place to the next is only enough if everything goes right.  I was very concerned about getting him to the ball park on time because we got snagged in the 5 o'clock traffic.  To make matters worse, I knew the little guy wouldn't have dinner til after 7 if I didn't get him something en route.  So, we drove through McDonalds......  He was lobbying for Port O' Subs, but they don't have a drive through and nothing is premade.  We just didn't have time.  Then, sadly, I disappointed him by ordering just chicken nuggets and a soda for him.  He wanted a kids meal.  Not so he could have the fries, just so he could have the toy!  Grandma screwed up.  What can I say?

I was met at the ballpark by Jason, not Jennifer.  Jennifer had taken the baby in to the doctor for a well baby checkup only to find he wasn't well at all.  He had a fever of 103 degrees.  The doc was very concerned.  He ordered blood tests and wanted a urinalysis.  The baby was dehydrated and when they tried to draw blood from his tiny veins, they had a really difficult time of it.  They stuck him twice, once in each arm and roto-rooted around trying to get more blood.  And, while Jen was at the doctor's, they waited and waited for him to urinate, but he didn't.  He finally came home with a plastic bag attached to collect a sample.  At about 8PM last night, Jen was still struggling with getting the lab to run the test and finding a lab that was open.  They finally got it done.......  She took the baby back to the doctor this morning, and they still don't know what is wrong with him.  He has a slight ear infection but it's the doctor's opinion that that wouldn't be enough to cause his white count to be so elevated.  He's had two shots of antibiotic and the fever is staying down well with a bit of tylenol, so........

Today's adventure was that Jennifer's car broke down on the way to the doctor's office.  I guess it stalled out numerous times, forcing her to pull off the road and re-start it.  It has now been towed to a garage to be fixed and she is driving a rental car.  But, I was on call, possibly to pick her up at the doctor's office, possibly to go get Will from school, possibly to take care of the baby this afternoon.  Whatever the baby has, they think he is contagious, so he can't go back to Day Care.  The doc is thinking it might even be pneumonia.  Jennifer had hoped to be able to get back to work today, but that just didn't happen.  I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings.........  She's already asked me if I could take the baby to the doctor's tomorrow morning and then bring him to her at the University, but I have a lunch scheduled with a client (which has already been re-scheduled once) and I don't think I can do all that running around and be back over here in time for lunch. 

Will had a ballgame at 5 tonight.  It looked as though I was going to have to pick him up from school and bring him to his game.  But, once they rented a car, I was off the hook for that.  I did go to watch him play.  It's so important for him to have people in his life these days who will tell him what he's doing right.  He's still getting a lot of negative input and has developed several habits/problems that are simply the result, we think, of stress.  A few weeks ago, he had stress sores in his mouth.  He's taken to chewing/sucking on his upper lip and it is very red.....  I feel so bad for him.  He was all excited and talking to his mom about asking Jason to play catch with him.  Mom had to say "We'll see about that".  I'm going to talk to Joe and see if he'll spend some time with Will this weekend, throwing the ball to him, helping him with his batting, etc.  I just have to be sure he doesn't criticize but, rather, praises Will for his effort.

Well, it's after 8PM and I haven't managed to have dinner yet, even though I spent almost an hour getting it into the crockpot this morning.  I'm going to stop this and go eat.  I'll post a few pages and then I'll be busy feeding my face and trying to make some sense of the stuff on my desk.

   

A layout to celebrate the strength of my DD who is one of the strongest people I've ever known. She has been through so much and, yet, she keeps on going. She is amazing. I did this layout for the Lift with a Twist challenge. I used Hunibuni's Citrus Drops 2 kit. The paint splotches are by Tracy Ann Robinson and the flower stem is by Sharon Kenealy. TFL.

























I did the page as part of the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race, for Challenge #5. I used the Everyday kit by Nina for the papers, frame, and circles. The flourish is by Mary Ann Wise. I also used Terry Maruca's Text in a Circle.

























When Jen was two months pregnant and Jason was in the hospital with the doctors saying it was questionable as to whether he would live, everything looked impossible. Since then, they have survived 8 months of hospitals, rehab, in-process recovery, pregnancy, and the birth of a healthy baby boy. When tomorrow looked very scary, Jen dug in her heels and faced her fears and went on. I admire her immensely. I used "2 U with Love", the new free-with-purchase kit at NDISB, only available through January 31. The flower and folded ribbon are from Amy Martin (both recolored). The doily heart is by Heather Ann. The word art is from a quote pack by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

























One of Jen's good buddies from Law School has written a book. Jen and the boys went to the book signing and even had their picture taken with the author! She's not rich and famous yet but we're hoping one day she will be and then we can show off this picture and talk about "I remember when...." I used Windgefluester's Angel Eyes kit which is available at Windgefluester's Boutique (just google it--I mean, how many sites could there be with THAT name?) or at O Scraps. Gorgeous kit. The layout started out as a Sketchplate (template) by Anita Stergiou, available at Pickleberry Pop or at NDISB, but I changed it enough even she might not recognize it. Anita does super templates........

























This is DH's son. I love talking to him because his facial expressions are SO animated! I can stay entertained for quite a long time just watching! I used Amanda Rockwell's "Funkytown" from the Back in Black Collection 2 for this, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. The metals are from a different kit in the collection.

























Well, another photo from the now famous "box" of pictures abandoned in a garage for 30 + years. This is another photo of DH's mother. Papers, ric rak, and paint swatch is from Melanie Colosimo's Butterfly Kisses, available at Elemental Scraps. I predict great things from this designer, based on what I see in this kit. The tabs for the alpha are by Doris Castle, the cardboard is by Gina Cabrera, the raffia bow is by Terry Maruca, the button is by Kim Christenson, and the journaling paper is by Sharon Kenealy.

























We were doing our "tourist in our own home town" thing a few months back at The Venetian. We ran across this little cutie and her Mom and Dad. Mom was trying to get her picture on one of the "bridges" and I joined in. Between us, we took 50 shots. Of the 23 shots I took, she wasn't still for one of them! What a trip--wish I'd been in sports mode! I did this for the latest Lifts with a Twist scraplift challenge. I used Dianne Rigdon's Delish Kit. The flourish on the picture is by Katie Pertiet. The pink paper behind the photo is from the Pajamas 4 Love Charity Kit.

How fast can I type?

I had planned to be in bed 6 minutes from now.  So, this is going to be short.  I'm tired and sore from our "vacation".  Thursday we drove for 6 hours to get to Yuma.  We stayed at the Comfort Inn and had dinner at the Cracker Barrel.  Friday morning we were up early, packed up, had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel (yes, there ARE other restaurants in Yuma), headed across the border.  First I had my eyes checked.  I was disappointed because the girl doing it was so young.  Imagine my surprise when I found out she was an Optometrist, not an assistant.  While they sent the order for my new lenses off to the lab, we went to the dentist.  A new dentist cleaned my teeth and then we went to lunch at a really good restaurant.  I'd hoped for some good Carne Asada tacos, but settled for fish tacos when there were no carne asada tacos to be had.  We went back to the eye doctor's and my glasses were done.  BUT, they were supposed to have my old glasses tinted so that I could wear them for sunglasses and still read.  They forgot!!!!!!!!  So we had to sit there for an hour and wait.  When we finally got both pairs of glasses, we walked back across the border, climbed into the van and headed west.  The drive to San Diego was quite an experience.  We had some mountains to cross and it was pouring rain and foggy.  I was glad, in a way, that Joe was driving because it would have taken a lot longer to get to San Diego under those conditions had I been driving.  On the other hand, I'd have felt a lot better about the trip if it had taken longer to get to San Diego if that meant the trip was less risky.  We checked into the Howard Johnson Express and found ourselves in the tiniest room imaginable.  We ordered Chinese take-out and collapsed into bed.  Up again bright and early Saturday morning.  We had breakfast at the Waffle Spot, the first restaurant Joe and I ever went to together.  Then we went to Mission San Diego de Alcala.  Joe claimed this was the best part of the trip for him.  I'd been there before, years ago, with Jen, but it was good to go again.  This time I went with a lot more knowlege about the mission system in general and about the San Diego mission in particular which made it all more interesting.  As has been the rule at the missions we visited, the grounds were lushly landscaped and gorgeous.  There were a number of very old items about to look at.  I got some good photos, though I was a little off my game, not taking as many pictures as usual.  When we'd wandered all around the mission, we headed to Old Town.  Old Town is full of some of San Diego's oldest buildings including its first public school.  We walked and walked, mostly on concrete sidewalk and my feet were literally sore when we finished walking.  Joe loaded me in the car and drove us over to Coronado Island.  We drove around and eyeballed the Hotel Coronado and explored a good bit of the island which was much larger than Joe had expected.  We had dinner at a great Mexican restaurant, Casa Guadalajara, close to Old Town and went back to the room where I asked for and got my second foot and leg rub in two days!  My back was killing me and I took muscle relaxers and went to bed while Joe stayed up and watched TV.  Sunday morning we were up early again, packed up and loaded the car and headed to the Midway, an aircraft built in 1945, just in time to assist with America's victory over Japan in 1945.  I absolutely could not take all the walking; my back was screaming.  I did manage to make it all the way through the first half of the tour and to wander around the flight deck.  Joe did some additional walking and tried to get a tour of the conning tower, but they'd posted some lame sign about how they couldn't take any more tours because they closed at 5.  LAME because it was 1PM!  We bought a few things in the gift shop, a model airplane for Jonathan's birthday (Joe's grandson), and a souvenir keychain for Erica who collects them.  THen we climbed in the car and headed North and East.  We ended up going to Joe's ex's house.  He wanted to drop off the gift for Jonathan since they'd celebrated his birthday on Saturday and he was already a day late.  Then onward.  We were both starving by the time we hit State Line so we stopped and had dinnner there.  We finally got home around 9. 

I'm still tired and I'm really sore and achy.  I do think my back is back in place, just sore.  I have a mountain of laundry, the house was devoid of food though I made a long trip to the grocery store this afternoon, and there is so much accumulated mess from tax season.  I wish I could stay home for days on end and clean.  However, I'll be gone tomorrow from 8:30AM til past 6:30PM.  Client's in the morning, taking Will to the therapist in the afternoon, and delivering him to the park for a practice at 6:30.  As soon as Jennifer gets there, I'm off-duty.  I'll be even more tired tomorrow than I am today, so I'll be glad to see her for a number of reasons. 

Well, I've now spent 20 minutes, not 6, just typing this as fast as I can.  I'm off to bed with an early wake-up call.  Later, all.  No pages tonight........too tired.

What happened to spring?

Or is it that after living in Nevada for so many years, I just don't recognize it when I see it.  Just a day ago, I was running around here in my shorts and a tee-shirt.  Now I'm back in jeans and a sweatshirt.  It's windy and we're expecting a high of 64 degrees today.  It's such fun when you need to check the weather report before getting dressed!

Speaking of weather, we should thoroughly confuse our bodies in the next couple of days.  We leave here tomorrow with a temperature around 70.  It should be about 81 when we get to Yuma.  We'll spend tomorrow night and Friday morning in the Yuma area, wearing shirts and tee-shirts.  Then we'll head west to San Diego where the temperatures should be right around 60 degrees and it will most likely be damp (particularly for us desert rats), so we'll be back in layers and sweatshirts.  Crazy!

I don't have a lot to talk about.  Mostly just checking in.  I COULD tell you about the freight train in my hallway........  About two weeks ago, the dryer started making this ghastly noise.  It is incredibly loud and onerous.  DH says, "don't worry about it, dear.  I'll take a look at it over the weekend."  Well, much to my amazement he actually meant the forthcoming weekend, not a weekend in October.  He pulled the thing out and fiddled with it and that was that............I thought.  Imagine my surprise when it sounded just as bad the next time I started it up as it did before he touched it!  He tells me the part is really easy to get and really cheap and that the dryer will run this way forever without even replacing it.   Since I just want to place my hands over my ears and run screaming to the other end of the house (where I can STILL hear it, but not quite so loud), the fact that the dryer will run this way for ever is not much of a comfort.   Sometimes I think it might be a good thing to be a little hard of hearing.........

I may have had an answer to prayer yesterday.  I'm not sure.......more prayer needed over the next few days.  Anyway, I got a sort of backhanded job offer.  I have no clue what kind of money I'd be making, but I know I'd be learning what's necessary to launch another potentially very profitable business.  I have a feeling, given a little time, I could make more money at this than Joe and I are making together right now.  It's something I've been interested in learning about for a good 9 years.......we shall see.

Will has a ball game tonight and Joe has a class.  I am supposed to go alone to be there to cheer the little guy on.  I don't know........as windy as it is, I just may stay home.  My allergies were causing me trouble last time, and with the wind blowing so hard, they're like to be worse tonight. 

A few pages and I'm gone. 

We were seated next to this little guy at breakfast a few weeks ago and watched him practice his peek-a-boo game over and over. It was SO cute. Thankfully, mom and dad didn't mind us snapping a few photos. Everything is from Amanda Rockwell's Back in Black Collection, the Funky kit.

























The photo here is a variation on a theme, faces DH gives me when I get the camera out. I think they deserve to be scrapped and posted to the internet! Maybe it'll cure him..... Papers are from Nina's Soft Breeze paper pack, available at O Scraps and NDISB. The burlap heart is by LaWanna Desjardin; Kimberly Giarusso made the Clock; the pin/star combination is by Tracy Ann Robinson; Faith True made the paper flower; the silk flower is by Misty Cato.

























This layout is for Challenge #3 in the Amazing Digi Scrap Race. One of the ideas for this challenge was to scrap the differences between something we had as kids v what our kids have. As a kid, rabbit ears were the bane of my existence. Once my Dad got seated in his chair, he didn't want to move. It was always my job to get up and adjust the rabbit ears to improve reception and I just never did that to his satisfaction. I used Celebrate the Moments by Windgefluester available at O Scraps and Windegefluester's boutique. The doodles are by IDA at Cat Scraps. Picture is from the internet. Stitched frame is by Kim Christensen.

Just one of a few shots from a less than successful photoshoot with my new DGS. I used a paper by Jeanie Papai from the Ethan Charles kit. The doodle circle frame and heart element are by Lisa Whitney. The stamps are by Tracy Ann Robinson. The bow is by A J Smith and the ribbon is by Bad Candy. The black paper is by Kim Christensen.

























Of all the dogs I've ever owned, none could come close to being as loving as Toby. And, though it was I who rescued him, starved and near death, and brought him home, it is Joe he loves most. He'd literally follow Joe anywhere. But, he loves EVERYONE. When we took him to the mountains just after Christmas to play in the snow, he became such good friends with everyone around us that they were all calling him back by name when he started to wander too far astray, or just calling him so they could pet him. If you want to be "worshipped", a Labrador Retriever is the way to go! I did this page with "Snow Flurries" from SherArt Designs at NDISB. Quote is from The Soup at 2 Peas.

























This is really a take-off from an e-mail I got yesterday. I just knew I needed to scrap the story and hang it over my desk for those days when I'm feeling overwhelmed. I am also using it for the Jumpstart Challenge at DD. The page is done with "Vivid Intensity" by Kim Jensen.

























DH found the perfect way to relax Christmas morning. He grabbed a cupof coffee and his new grandson, kicked off his shoes, and stretched out on the couch to watch the excitement of the day. Credits: Flowers for Sarah Kit Katie Pertiet's Flourished Overlays (color altered) Background Paper from Katie Pertiet's Outback Paper Pack Word Art is a freebie from Designer Digitals

Last Day

Yesterday was SO quiet.  I loved it.  I had one tax-related phone call and I had one client show up to pick up a tax return.  Of course, she showed up within 2 minutes of the time Joe got back home with dinner, but.......at least it was only one client all day!  We still expect one more client to come by and pick up returns.  He should pick up 3 and 3 boxes of records.  That makes Joe happy.  He's had these three boxes stacked by his desk for quite a while.  We are really holding onto the hope that we can get rid of some of the multitude of boxes that inhabit our office, our dining room, and our garage this year.  It would certainly be a relief.  I think even the house would heave a sigh of relief to be so much lighter!

We have picked up one additional company for bookkeeping purposes.  And, we're setting up a corporation for that company.  We should make some money off of them on an ongoing basis.  Our "favorite" client ante'd up a retainer yesterday.  He made us wait more than two months for payment of our bills last round and I'm not going through that again.  You forego working on other income-producing stuff to get his "emergency" (self-created) dealt with and then you don't get paid?  No, I don't think so.  So we asked for a $2000 retainer.  It was deposited to our account yesterday via a cashier's check meaning the bank can't put a hold on the funds (his last check they held for an additional 10 days after we'd already waited 2 months for it).  So, perhaps we can begin to finish up enough of his stuff to get his boxes out of here.  I believe there are 14 boxes and 2 file cabinets of his in the garage.  There are about 13 boxes of his in the office and at least 6 in the diningroom.  What a relief it will be to have that stuff gone!

I have the day today to work on the house.  Whoopee!  Sheets on the bed at last!  I can hardly wait.  I really want to work on my desk and clean up all the bills and try to find homes for the many many pieces of paper that have taken up residence on it.  I need to back up client files, but I'm afraid I don't have anywhere near enough CD's to accomplish all of that.  There's laundry to be done and I have to make an attempt to determine what the weather will be in Yuma and San Diego so I can figure out what to pack for the trip.  I'm figuring I will probably need jeans and sweatshirts in SD, but I'll check the weather report before I make that decision.  Tomorrow is also a "house" day, except that I am getting a long overdue haircut in the afternoon.  I am sure happy about that.

So, to save wear and tear on Jennifer, Will has been taking the bus to school in the mornings.  Jason usually takes him to the bus stop.  His bus stops at another school and drops off other children and then proceeds on to Will's school.  He has to be at the bus stop by 7:34 AM.  The other day, at 7:25AM, Jennifer was dressed and ready to leave for work but Jason was still stark nekkid!  She asked if she should take Will to the bus stop since she was ready and he was not.  No, he said.  He really enjoys taking Will to the bus and wanted to do it.  However, he has trouble staying focused so the chance that he would be ready in time was pretty slim.  I am not sure how that got resolved, but I'm betting that Jen herded Will into the car and took him where he needed to go.

Atticus seems to have adjusted to the whole idea of Day Care on a daily basis.  Of course, he's already brought home one cold which he passed through the family.  Funny thing--he hates riding in the car.  That is so odd because I've never heard of a baby that wasn't soothed by the motion of the car, but NOT Atticus.  So, wherever Jen takes him, she seems to have to listen to whining and crying the whole way.  I don't know how she stands it.  That kind of noise in a closed up car would wear out my last nerve!

Joe has been getting some loan applications in from a pool company out in Pahrump.  That little town which 10 years ago had one stoplight is growing like crazy.  It's within striking distance of Vegas (about 60 miles out) but "small town" as opposed to "big city".  Lots of retired folks, refugees from the high prices of California housing, the high taxes on real estate back east, and the snow and ice of winters back there too.  We love the extra business, but Joe had to go sign a loan out there and was gone more than 3 hours, more than double the time it would take for a loan in the city.  Joe's main man at the pool company he's been working with has called and asked him to lunch tomorrow.  That is a bit worrisome.  We have no idea what that is about.  We DO know that anytime they've gone to lunch before, Joe's done the inviting.  And, we DO know that there was some sort of meeting within the company and Joe's main man is unhappy about whatever happened there.  Pray with us, please, that this does not mean we are going to loose that business.  From what we've been told, sales there are down and there are no leads for future sales.  Joe makes a decent commission on swimming pool loans, far better than on the loans he's been doing for his CA clients, so we are concerned.

I have good news/bad news.  Between Sunday morning and Monday morning, I lost 4 pounds!  That's pretty great.  However, the gas pains I was experiencing turned into 36 hour of full on diarrhea!  I chugged water all day yesterday, bottle ater bottle, but by last night I was still wiped out.  I suppose this is not the preferred way to lose 4 pounds!  But, I'm feeling better today, so all is well.

In scrapping news, one of my favorite designers has opened her own store--Ms. Amanda Rockwell.  She opened yesterday, having had a lot of help in doing all the behind the scenes work that entails in record time.  I'm so happy for her.  So, if you're looking for some good stuff to scrap with, head on over to amandarockwell.com!

With that, I'm outta here.  A few pages and on to trying to make some inroads into the mess this house has become over the last 2.5 months. 

Our little 3# teacup poodle, who now lives with DD, her best friend, is very very ill. I said goodbye yesterday, just in case.....I used Moments in Time by Windgefluester, available at her boutique, for most of this. The bow is by Mary Fran. Buttons by Kim Christensen. I also used the Round Fill-a-bet by Katie the Scrapbook Lady, available at ACOT.

























I decided to scrap one of DH's heritage photos from the box found in a garage after 30 years. This gorgeous guy is his father. Quite a hunk, IMHO. I used Moments of Life by Nina available at NDISB and OScraps. It's a pretty simple page....hope you like it. Marci

























DH's daughter is here for a visit, timed so she could see the baby, our DGS, Atticus. On this particular day, Jen couldn't get him to sleep, but Erica did! Paper and ribbons are from "Grandma's Love" by Nicole Pols (Windgefluester) at Windegefluester's Boutique . The WHOLE KIT is on sale for just $2.63 right now. Eyelet closure by Bella Gypsy Designs, Dried Flowers by Studio Sausan, Ric Rak from the Elemental Scraps October Mega kit.

























My stepson, Matt, is a mountain of a man, 6'4" and 300+ pounds and most of him is mouth. And, he's ALWAYS stirring the pot. I thought this photo was so characteristic of him and I just had to scrap it. The background paper is by Jeannie Papai from the Ethan Charles Charity kit (recolored). Everything else is by Nina, her "Symbiosis" kit, available at NDISB and Oscraps

























Our daughter-in-law, Rochelle, is a sweetie. It has not been hard to learn to love her. She gives the appearance of being easy going, but we've come to believe she is quietly, oh so quietly, in charge. She is the power behind the throne, the iron fist in the velvet glove. And, with Matt's personality, we're glad she is! The background paper is from Michelle Coleman's Glow kit. The flower is by KristinCB. Everything else is by Amanda Rockwell, her A Mother's Love Collection, the Warm kit. I did this for the Jumpstart Challenge on the Designer Digitals blog.

























This is not the greatest picture, but it represents a milestone. Saturday we took two kids and two dogs to the mountains to play in the snow. The perspective is off because of the angle at which I took the photo--seat belt, you know. Punkin really only weighs 40 pounds and Will is much bigger than she is. I turned around in my seat to see this sight, Will cuddling with Punkin. He's been afraid of Punkin because she barks at him when he comes to our house (him and everyone else, LOL). I'm so glad he could put that fear to rest, once and for all. I used ACOT's Adverturous Spirit kit for this. This is a scraplift of a layout by Dagmar which you can see here: http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=42387&cat=fav

Two days and counting.......

At midnight, April 17, it will be all over.  Filing season, that is.  Most of the completed returns have been picked up and paid for and most of the extensions are done.  I still have one really wretched return to do and an extension that will probably have me thinking fondly of hari kari before I get it done.  BUT, it's finally coming to a close.  Not a minute too soon as far as I'm concerned.  I have so much to do to get life back on an even footing.  There's a stack of bills on my desk to be paid.  For a change, they are not unpaid because money is coming in slowly, but rather because with ringing phones and faxes and clients trooping in and out of the house and dogs barking and........  I haven't had enough presence of mind to get them paid.  I took the sheets off our bed a couple of days ago to wash them and for the last coupla nights, we've looked at each other and the clean sheets, shrugged, and crawled in between the naked mattress pad and the down comforter and collapsed.  I am afraid that when I venture into the kitchen to actually cook dinner, I may chop one of my fingers off, due to my lack of familiarity with kitchen utensils.  It is TIME for this to be over!!!!!!!

Last night Will had a ball game.  We try our darnedest to show up at those to let him know he is important to us and to help make sure he gets lots of positive feedback.  We had the not-so-brilliant idea to take Punky and Toby with us.  Not smart!  Punky goes into a panic when she goes anywhere.  We literally have to trap her to get a leash on her.  Toby, besides his normal "pet me, pet me" thing wants to explore everything and make friends with everyone in sight.  Hard to keep him under control too.  We can't have him dashing out onto the field "retrieving" the ball as I'm sure he'd want to do, given his genetics.  Punky weighs in the neighborhood of 40 pounds, perhaps a bit more.  Joe had her on the leash and he couldn't control her.  She is STRONG!  She was pulling him along as if he were a pull toy on a string.  (Of course, he has no clue how to properly control a dog that pulls, so that doesn't help.)And I had Toby who was pulling also, so, just getting to the field from the car was a real trip.  Punky was spooked by everything--people walking past, the sound of cars, etc.  Eventually, she settled down though.  Toby never really settled down til we'd been out there a good hour. 

Jen dropped Jason and Will at the game and went on to Babies 'r' Us.  Seems they've tried Atticus on a sippy cup and it works.  We've all given the "bottle" idea a good try, several good tries in fact.  But, he just isn't that interested.  If it doesn't come straight from Mom, he won't take more than about an ounce and that is a bit of a struggle.  Apparently some babies go straight from the breast to sippy cups, skipping bottles altogether, and he's one of them!  They tried the sippy cup idea at his day care last week and managed to get him to take a good 2.5 ounces, which is way better than the bottle, so, our 4 month old grandson will be drinking from a sippy cup from now on.  Weird!  Jen took him with her to a Body Shoppe party yesterday and he was the hit of the party.  There were numerous grandmas in attendance and each had to have her turn holding him.  He was pronounced a most wonderful and good-natured baby, which, of course, he is!

Because Will was late to the game, he had to warm the bench for a while last night.  And, he was truly warming the bench as it had gotten very overcast late in the day and was a bit windy, so a bit chilly out there.  I was afraid I'd be the only strange person in a sweat shirt, but I was in good company.  Joe went in a tee shirt and claimed to be comfortable.  I can't figure out that guy's system.  He's the one who always complains that it's cold enough in the house to hang meat!  Anyway, Will had 3 times at bat and on the third hit a double.  He was SO proud of himself, jumping around and expressing pure joy.  Unfortunately, Grandma couldn't get many pictures last night as I had the leashes for both dogs anchored under the leg of my chair.  Had I gotten up to get a better angle (and Joe set the chairs up where it was almost impossible to see anything) they could have taken off in any direction and maybe even run out into the street.  So, I didn't move!

We leave for a long weekend on the 19th.  We'll be back sometime on the 22nd.  Both of us are frazzled and it will be good for us to get away.  We are headed first to Mexico where I will have an eye exam and get glasses (my first in 4 years) and then have my teeth cleaned (can't remember the last time I had this "luxury").  For the glasses and teeth, we expect to spend under $100 total, based on the prices we were quoted last trip and on the phone when we made the dental appointment.  Most of the merchants seem to take American credit cards, but we prefer to pay in cash, so we check prices before we go.  We'll head out the afternoon of the 19th and spend the night in Yuma.  Then we'll go across the border the morning of the 20th.  That afternoon we'll head west to San Diego.  We're going to spend the nights of the 20th and 21st there.  We hope to explore Mission San Diego and Old Town while we're there.  I've been to both but it was a good 12 years ago so it will be fun to go back.  Both are really interesting from a historical point of view.  I'm going to take my book on the CA missions with me and read up when I'm not driving so I don't miss photographing any historical points of interest at the mission.  We're planning to have breakfast at the same restaurant where we had breakfast on our first date--Joe's idea and kind of a romantic one at that!  I LOVE that I get to take the new camera this trip.  It is such a step up from what I was using I can hardly believe it.  The shots are so much cleaner and crisper, better white balance, etc.  I'm so happy with that thing! 

We have arranged for someone to act as housesitter this time.   We've boarded Punkin the past few trips but I think she'll be all right here at home now.  She's pretty much  stopped the chewing stuff, thank God!  But, I do want someone around.......

The only other thing I can think of this time around is my stomach.  Several months ago, everything I ate gave me gas.  It's back.  I've got stomach cramps, and I'm belching like crazy.  Had to send Joe to the pharmacy for another box of Phazyme last night.  This is not fun!  It's probably some kind of stress thing, but I'm ready for it to be over.

There is probably more news, but I can't figure out what it is now.  I'll think of ten more things to say after I sign off......  That's always the way it goes.  But, there are always pages to post.  I've been scrapping less the last few weeks, as you can imagine, but I'm posting from my backlog so still plenty to post.  Here goes.  I do have one page completed that more or less has to do with Easter and I'm going to post that here so Great Grandma can see it.

Trying out the new camera here! Jen wanted photos of Atticus in his bunny suit, so here we are. I used Lynn Grieveson's new Woodlands kit for this. I did slightly recolor the blue paper to harmonize better with the baby's outfit. Cardboard eggs are by Amanda Rockwell and the bow is by Kelly Shults. Lynn Grieveson's designs are found exclusively at Designer Digitals. TFL!

























More photos from Baby's first night. For a while, I worried about having baby Atticus's privates exposed in this layout. Then I looked a little closer and realized that's his navel/umbilical cord! Gee, by now, you'd think I could easily tell the difference....I'm certainly old enough! Everything here is from the Ethan Charles Charity kit

























When we handed Jason the baby, his reaction was "odd" in that we couldn't see a reaction. He kept his head down, face hidden by his hat, and just stared at this beautiful baby boy. I'd have given a lot just to know what was going on in his mind at that moment, or, for that matter just to watch his face..... Jen told us later that when the baby was delivered, he was handed to Dad who was supposed to show him to Mom. Jason just couldn't take his eyes off of him and Jen was left to say "Hey, you're supposed to show him to ME!" I did this page with Marcie Reckinger's "Casual Friday" kit, available at ACOT, and a great kit in my book!

























One of the last photos from the night Atticus was born. Grandpa had a new experience this night. He now has 3 grandsons; he met Will when he was 3; he met Jonathan days later; with Atticus, he was in hearing range of all that happened til this little guy arrived. It sure looked like love at first sight..... I used Shakespeare's Canvas by Marcie Reckinger, available at ACOT, for this page. I used a "fabric" piece with a frayed edge as a clipping mask for the photo.

























One of the last photos from the night Atticus was born. Yes, I know that's not really how you spell "naturally". Jen said that this little guy was sucking his thumb on one of the last ultrasounds. It didn't take him long to find it again after he was born......minutes, in fact. I used Deb Pearson's Lazy Days kit for this. Marci

























While putting together a calendar for gifts, I discovered this photo of Jennifer, Jason, and Will. I loved the backdrop of Nevada's Red Rock mountains. Jason's uncle who took the picture loves doing nature photography. I thought it was a cute little photo of the "family". (I liked Will trying to squirm away, and Mom holding him in place. Smile)Not to mention, pretty gutsy of the 96 year old great grandma to say "let's go see the mountains" and climb in the van...... I used a template by Nina, her Ready to Srap set #11, Template 1, available at NDISB and at O'Scraps. The kit is "Virginia" by Kimberly Giarusso.

























I've had this particular artificial tree for 31 years so there are a lot of memories there. I thought about this one as I was putting it up this year and decided it deserved to be recorded. I LOVE this hand-drawn Christmas bough as an accent on any Christmas page. It's by Helena Jole, from her "All Aglow" element kit, available at NDISB. Paper is by Theresa Hernandez, her Christmas Opulence, available at NDISB and ACOT.

Fried

My brain, that is.  Can't even think of a title.  Oh well...  Glad to report that the pain and tightness in my chest has subsided about 95%.  I should be past it all in the next day or two.

Well here's a fun little item.  Right before the Fuji camera (the one I just replaced) more or less died, we went to the Bellagio and I took a zillion pictures of the fountains, the Conservatory, and the kids--Jen, Jason, Will, and Atticus.  Then, for reasons unknown to me, the onboard flash just quit working.  Well, that upset me, but I'd already ordered the replacement camera so I didn't fall apart or anything.   Well, earlier this week I went to upload my photos from the Bellagio and was dumbfounded to be presented with 80 of about  150 shots that wouldn't upload.  Some of the shots that WOULD upload were messed up.  I was just heartbroken.  Some of them I could just take again, assuming I could get Joe to go back there sometime before I die.  But, some, were irreplaceable.  I had no clue what to do and was so upset.  I went into the photography forum at digishoptalk.com and posted a question, only half believing anyone would actually respond.  It just all seemed too weird to me, not like anything I'd ever heard of.  Well, a bunch of people responded!  It seems that somehow my memory card had become corrupted.  No clue how that happened.........  They recommended two pieces of software that they thought might help.  The first, a free program, did nothing.  Or, maybe it was just me.  The thing was certainly not what I would call user friendly so I may have screwed it up.  Who knows?  But the second for which I paid $30 got back almost all of the photos I'd "lost".  Unfortunately, some of the "holes" in what it recovered are no so good.  For example, Joe and I stood around for half an hour on tired feet with aching backs to catch the fountains so that I could photograph them.  There are really only two reasonably good shots of the multitude of shots I took.  But, all the Conservatory photos are good.  But, the shots of the kids are quite dark and I'm not too sure my photo-editing skills are equal to the task of fixing them.  That's a darn shame because they were the first photos I've ever been able to get of the four of them together.  I'll take another run on that when I get a spare minute, but that won't be tonight.  Way too much on my plate for that. 

So, I finally recovered the photos, with the help of the ladies at digishoptalk, only to find that when I put the memory card back into the camera I got an error message to the effect that the card was not initialized.  I had no idea what that meant!  Went back to the same source and asked about that.  Again I was rescued by the kind hearted souls who inhabit digitalscrappingland.  Oh, they said, you have to reformat the card.  Okay.........  Now how do I do that?  Well, about that time, the guy Joe calls to work on his computer shows up at the front door to transfer data from one computer to another.  I asked him if he happened to know how to re-format a memory card.  Yup, he says, just put it in your card reader and format it like you would any other drive.  Well, I felt pretty stupid, but that made sense.  Of course, it's been years since I've formatted a disk (so long, in fact, that I was using Windows 98 at the time) and it took a minute or so to figure out how to do it in the current version, but it's done. 

Now, here's the really fun part of this long story.  After formatting the memory card, I installed it into the camera, and just for kicks and giggles, attempted to take a picture using the flash.  Well, if you remember the flash had quit working.  However, somehow, I've no idea how, the flash works again!  I am not about to ask any more questions, just celebrate the return of function to this camera. 

We were planning on giving a camera to Jen.  I had two, but then the flash quit on the Fuji.  Well, we couldn't give her that!  And, Joe does sometimes take pictures when we go somewhere or are involved in some kind of special event.  So, we were down to one spare camera.  Now, we're back to two since I got the flash working.  I guess we'll give her the older one.  It's sturdier and more dependable. 

Well, I have to do some tax returns.  So, I'll post some pages and get back to work. 

This is another picture from the "box", my brother-in-law at 5 months. Love the old time stroller. The papers are by Nina, her kit called "Pierre Turquin", available at NDISB. The brads are by Shawna Clingerman and the little baby shoes from an old freebie by Mada Engel.

























I've scrapped this photo before in color, but it seems to have so much more "soul" in black and white. My sweet DGS, Will, on a sleepover at Grandma's house about 3 years ago. I wanted the softest possible look for this photo and page. I went with Lynn Grieveson's beautiful new kit, Night Magic, available today at Designer Digitals.

























Every now and then my DD and I have a conversation that leaves me laughing, even though she's 26. Here's another in the series........ You probably need to know that my daughter's distance vision is not very good. I used Windgefluester's "Jonas" kit for everything but the heart. The heart is from ACOT's Circle of Friends kit.

























We had to wake Will when Atticus was finally born. He just couldn't hold out til 2:29AM (no surprise there, after all he's only 7). So he was very tired but also very happy to be ale to hold his little brother. He waited a very long time for a little brother........ I used Zen Calm by Bella Gypsy Designs (Tabatha Reed) available at ACOT.

























I loved this picture of Jennifer, Will, and the new baby, Atticus. I made a very simple page using paper and photo corners from Theresa Hernandez's "Christmas Opulence" kit, available at NDISB. Sorry about the super big picture--you don't think I'm proud of these three or anything, do you?

























Once again the superiority of women comes through as the "boys" all sleep while Jennifer is in labor. I did this page using Kim Hill's Vaio paper pack. The flower is by Lena Brandenburg in the Pajamas 4 Love Charity kit, available at Elemental Scraps.

























More photos from Baby Atticus's first night. Thought DSIL looked pretty cool, all suited up to go into the operating room for the delivery of DGS. I used Lisa Whitney's Beautiful Mess kit for this page.

getting better now

Okay, after copious doses of anti-inflammatories and mega-ibuprofen and antibiotics, I am feeling better.  Not ready to take over the world yet, but better.  Still hurts some when I lie down, but I can breathe freely.  I've even bathed, dressed and brushed my teeth!  WOW!

Well, what news do I have?  Since the last time I wrote, Jen and the boys sent several days here with us.  Things got out of hand at home so she came over here.  She's gone back home now.  The original idea was that Jason would stay in a hotel.  But, he's back in the house.  I never know whether I want to see this thing continue or whether I want to see it end.  I really care about Jason and I know my daughter and DGS love him.  But I also know that with the way things are now, they are being hurt, often, by the way things are.  But, they get hurt if they stay and hurt if they leave.  There is no good solution except continued prayer. 

Thursday afternoon I was delegated to pick up Will from school on the far east end of town (we live west), drive him to the therapist on the south end of town and then take him home.  One thing I learned is that making that drive in our "new" van is MUCH easier than making it in our old Mitsubishi.  The only real problem during the trip was that Grandma didn't know how to make the DVD player work.  The sweetest thing..........as I was leaving DD's house, Will stuck his head out the door and called to me "Good bye, Grandma.  I love you."  My heart smiled all the way home.  He's kind of reached that age where "girls" are yucky, so stuff like that is hard to come by. 

Well, I've saved and saved and finally got my new camera.  I really wanted a DSLR.  Was looking at a Sony but I re-evaluated and decided on something else.  I got an ELF......whatever that means!  I got the Sony DSC H-5.  I've only been able to take a few shots with it but I already know I'm gonna love it.  It has 12 x optical zoom which is a big kick up from the 4x I had.  It also has a Carl Zeiss lens and boy can I tell the difference in the few pictures I've taken.  Another thing I like about it is that it does take additional lenses for macro shots or telephoto shots or panoramics.  And finally, it will take a high speed memory card.  That will help with any lag time in writing to the memory card.  The camera also has the ability to adjust for white balance and it also has image stabilization.  I saved quite a bit of money going this way over the DSLR.  And I think the learning curve will be much less steep with this camera.  Oh, I forgot to mention that it has a good sized viewing screen as well if I don't want to use the view finder.  AND, the decision was made just in time.  The flash on my FUJI died.  So, now, it will need to be fixed again--the third time in under 18 months.  Actually the flash died last Saturday and the new camera arrived on Friday.  SO, I'm happy.  Shortly I'm actually going to walk outside and take some photos of the irises and roses that are in bloom out there.  Can't wait to see what this camera can do!

I did actually get to TOUCH a DSLR.  Jen's uncle-in-law arrived Thursday afternoon and while I was dropping Will off, he handed me the camera and asked me to take some photos of him with Jen and Atticus.  I was almost afraid to touch it.  He claims it's "old".......gee, i'd love to be around when he decides to replace it!  I asked Jen to tell him I'd be interested in buying it used when/if he decides to get a new camera. 

Well, that's about all for now, except for posting some pages.  Here we go:

Joe and I were practically raised on Daytona Beach. I don't know about him, but I basically go into withdrawals if I don't get near the ocean for long periods of time. We enjoyed a tranquil time, just staring at the water....... Everything here from Lynn Grieveson's Casablanca Evening, available at Designer Digitals today, except the shell which is from her Blue Waters kit.

























This is another photo from "the box", Joe's mother (on the left) and her younger sister. This is one of the few photos Joe's grandmother didn't date. It arrived in a black and mirrored finish deco style frame, and Virginia's hair style looks like a "bob". We know Mary Alice was born in '24 and Virginia in '25, so we are guessing this photo to have been taken in '34 or '35. We know it wasn't Memorial Day because 1) in those days the girls wouldn't have been wearing white before June 21; 2) Memorial Day is a WWII related holiday, so instituted after the mid-30's. Can't be Armistice Day (November 11)--way too summery. So, by the process of elimination.... The papers, stitched star, and flower shaped brad are from ACOT's Summer Blues Collaborative Kit. The ribbons are from a freebie by Mommyish Designs and the flower was a freebie by Dani Mogstad.

























This is another photo from the box of photos Joe received a couple of weeks ago. I feel like "Monk" when I scrap these photos. There's so much we don't know that everything has to be pieced together. Joe thought his dad received treatment in Memphis. But we found photos his Grandmother had labelled Coral Gables, Florida. I think it is more likely Mary Alice could wear shorts and a halter top in Florida than in Memphis on Christmas Day. We also have not found their marriage certificate. But, we know they were good Bible-believing conservative midwest folks so it is a given they were married by the time this photo was taken, plainly labelled with the date. Since Joe's dad was on active military duty during WWII, by 12/25/45, he can't have been home long so they had to be newlyweds.... I used Michelle Coleman's Glow kit for everything here except the paint stroke which is also by Michelle Coleman.

























In the "box", amongst the heritage photos, was this photo of my stepson, dressed in the height of fashion for the 70's. Cute kid who looks JUST like his dad except that he's now about 9 inches taller and more than 100 pounds heavier than his dad. The burgundy paper is from Kim Hill's Vaio kit. I used Bella Gypsy's Beautiful Day kit for all the green and blue/purple (available at ACOT). The snowflakes are by Roberta D'Achille. The tree is by Megan Leeson. The Christmas package (resized, recolored and shape changed) is by Jen Wilson. The "journaling" is a quote from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's Christmas Quote Pack available at ACOT. I used VP on the photo and also had to do a lot of color work on it--you know those color photos from the 70's and 80's.....

























I don't know why, but this Christmas morning "portrait" is one of the pictures from the "box" that appealed to me instantly. I think it is that Mary Alice's gifts were so simple--PJ's, a robe, and a stuffed puppy--but she was so proud of them. In my mind, I don't know why, her jammies and robe have always been turquoise, so when I saw this kit by Nicole Pols (Windgefluester), it was perfect. I really like that flower--it has the look of trapunto quilting. The kit is called "Celebrate the Moments and is available at Windgefluester's Boutique. An added benefit is that it's on sale for only $3.67 right now. The beautiful word art is by Katie the Scrapbook Lady, her "Christmas Quotes", available at ACOT.

























I am not sure what Matt, my stepson, did to his cousin Chad to make him cry, but I can't get over the fact that he's giggling about it! Such a cute 70's picture with all the problems of 70's color. It looks better than when I started..... I used a kit called Tough Guy from Bella Gypsy Designs (Tabatha Reed) available (on sale) at ACOT.

























My new DGS, born in the wee hours of December 16. I hope you don't mind that for internet posting purposes, I erased most of the last name. I did this with Windgefluester's beautiful kit called Believe available at her boutique. The flower is by Marina Brendstrup, and the stars, used as a clipping mask for a paper from the kit, are from the Pajamas 4 Love kit.