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Good Morning, America!

Designing

Well, this morning, I have to go back to DigiScrapBoutique and try ONE MORE TIME to get my kit and add-on posted properly in the store.  The ladies at DSB have come to the conclusion that the problems are being created by the fact that I had written the product description beforehand and am copying and pasting the description into the store's software from Microsoft Word.  So, I will go type it all in when I am done here.

I did the alpha for the collection Monday night.  It's really cute.  I love it and I hope my customers will too. 

Yesterday I did an alpha for the most recent kit, Hot August Nights.  I have a 4 product per month minimum at DSB.  Originally that scared me.  But, an alpha is a product, so there!  Anyway, the kit NEEDED an alpha, and now it will have one.  I'll give you a look at it on Friday.  I have hated doing alphas because they are a lot of work for what you can sell them for.  But, I do like to provide an alpha with a kit.  It's a quandry.  But doing two alphas, two days in a row, I came up with a couple of ideas that at least cut down on the keystrokes and the time involved so I'm happy about that.  That, most likely, means there will be more alphas in my kits!

All of the kits in the collection, including the bonus pack, now have previews.  I need to "wrap" them and do the product descriptions.  I think by the time I do product descriptions for 6 kits, a bonus pack, and an alpha, I should get some sort of literary award, non-fiction division.  Surely, that's at least as much writing as a novella???  Anyway, I'm beginning to despair of getting that collection up this week as well as I will be babysitting on Thursday night.  So, I have this morning, tonight after work, and Thursday morning and I'm out of time.  I'm seriously considering changing my new product day to Monday or Tuesday.  I think it would work better if I had the weekend to work on it.  Of course, I ended up babysitting for about 8 hours this last weekend, so maybe not.....  I'm going to observe what goes on around here for another week or so and then make an official decision. 

I did spend just a little time on an almost completed kit.  I put it together a while back and had two papers I wasn't happy with.  One paper needed a little something added to it and I didn't like the colorway of the other.  It just looked dark and dingy to me.  So I fixed those yesterday.  I was thinking of putting that kit up next in the stores, but the color scheme is predominantly turquoise and green, too similar to Hot August Nights to be next up, I think.  And, I think it needs some more elements so that means more design time before I can start previews, etc.  I like what's there, it's just too skimpy for me!  I'll have to prowl around my EHD and see what else is there......

I got myself into a mental do-loop the other day--Friday, I think it was--with all the finishing steps.  So, I quit and made myself a list of the steps that must be done after the design work is completed and before a kit can actually go into a store.  Now, it IS a detailed list, but, honestly, it took up every line on a full sheet of notebook paper.  No wonder I was having trouble!  I plan on just using the list as a checklist from now on and that should help.

Scrapping

Nope.  Nada.  Last night while I was at Jen's house, I got nosey and looked at the photos on her camera from their trip last week to Yosemite.  There are some mighty scrap-worthy photos on there, I think.  But, then, it was me, personally, who forbade her to save even one more thing on her harddrive before she off loaded a BUNCH of stuff.  I am scared to death she's going to have a hard drive crash.  Her free space right now is only about 10% of the hard drive.  That means no defragging either.  Can't do that with less than 15% free space.......  I lost an EHD by filling it too full, so I know whereof I speak.......  Their hard drive is only about 125 gig and that's just not all that big by today's standards, particularly with photo files taking up a lot of space.  Jason has a 10 megapixel camera which makes for mighty fine photos, and mighty big files.  But, she is too busy to mess with this now so hopefully the hard drive will hold out another week or two til Jason gets home.

Real Life

I babysat last night, but with Atticus only.  He's a sweet kid and it's always (well, nearly always) a joy to be with him.  He just hates it when it's time to turn the TV off and get his bath, but other than that, he's pretty cooperative.  Of course, he gets a bunch of warnings that bath time is nearing, but I sometimes wonder if that doesn't just strengthen his resolve that he doesn't want it to happen.  He protested some last night, but when I actually stopped the DVD he was watching, that ended the protests and all was well after that. 

There's not a whole lot else happening here.  We work, we sleep, we eat, and that about sums it up.  There's really not enough time or money for much else.  I do have two tax returns on the verge of going out the door.  Just need a bit more information on each and they'll be done.  One lady hasn't returned my call.  The other brought me some stuff, but it really isn't what I needed.  Oh, well, I'll call again and see if I can get anywhere with that. 

We started on our own tax return and that is scary stuff.  We made so little money last year, but almost all of what we made was self-employment income.  So there will be a balance due on the return for self-employment tax, even though we'll owe no income tax.  Never in a million years did I ever think I'd be running and hiding from the IRS, but we don't have a lot of choice.  We can't pay the bills we have--like mortgage payments and utility bills.  We sure can't chisel out anything for them (IRS) right now.  Since we are both wage-earners now, I am hoping this situation will not repeat itself and perhaps our current withholding will actually be enough to generate a "refund" which will go straight to prior years balances due.  We did determine that in 2008, Joe's income was less than half of what it was in prior years.  And, it's down significantly from the 2008 level now.  We know the Lord has a way out of all this for us; we just haven't figured out what it is yet.  Life is nothing if it isn't a faith-walk!

I do want to climb on my soapbox for a minute.  I have a number of blogs that I subscribe to and read regularly.  Among them is the blog of a lady who used to design scrapbook stuff but kind of gave that up when she had her 4th child.  Anyway, she's recently had an experience with the Lord which I applaud.  And, I know, the Holy Spirit works in us to change us from who we were to who the Lord would like us to be.  But, I've almost had to quit reading her blog.  It pains me to see her approach to it all.  I just want to pull a chair up next to her and whisper in her ear "Grace".  God gives us grace, acceptance, forgiveness.  He doesn't expect us to flagellate ourselves over every weakness, every failure.  He expects us to come to Him in true repentance and to pray for His help in overcoming what needs to be overcome.  But beat ourselves up?  No, not at all.  There's a difference, pointed out by Paul the Apostle, between conviction and condemnation.  What I read in her writings is condemnation.  Sad.  Today, I read her blog again for the first time in several weeks.  And she took off criticizing "the name it and claim it bunch".  I think she needs a bit of education.  Or, perhaps she just needs to read her Bible as though she believes what it says.  If the Bible promises it to us, what is wrong with expecting God to live up to His promises?  Nothing, as far as I can see.  If we can't expect Him to do what He says He will, then He's a liar and unworthy to be our God.  No, He doesn't promise us a pink Land Rover or a home in Madagascar, but He does promise to bless us in all sorts of ways.  I think she'd be shocked if she read the Word, looking for those things He's promised.......  Again, I just wish I could pull that chair up next to her........  But, alas, she's about 1800 miles away....... 

Okay, enough preaching for today.  Well, I need to go re-type those descriptions.  Have a good day! 

Grrrrrrrr.........

The computer and software in general are the bane of my existence today.  I've struggled 4 day to get my new kit into the store at DigiScrapBoutique.  I can get the kit and the add-on in.  I can't get the descriptions in and I can't get the detailed previews in.  And, last night I finally got the store manager to put up the kit and she put it in perfectly.  However, when I woke up this morning, it was gone!  I've tried repeatedly since then and it's not working.  So, I decided to do this instead while my frustration level decreases--only to find out that Typepad cuts off every post as soon as the first image is entered!

Okay, so I'm going to post another layout and that most likely means I'll be shut down by Typepad.  So, goodbye and here's the layout.

Several years ago we took William and Atticus to a pick-your-own farm nearby.  Atticus really didn't understand what was going on but he sure looked cute among the pumpkins.  I used Punkin' Pickin' by Bella Gypsy Designs for this layout.

Testing 1, 2, 3.......

Nope, it's working just as badly as it was yesterday.  This is part one.  Part two will require you to look up!

Is this thing working any better today than it was yesterday?  I don't have time to fool around with it, so I hope so.  This will be a short one.  Firstly, nothing but a huge pile of frustration with trying to get my product into the shop at DigiScrapBoutique has happened since last night.  And, second, I am on a short time frame.  I just want to show off a couple of layouts I've done.

This first is with my new kit, Hot August Nights.  I also used some elements from the Hot August Nights Add-On.  This was the beautiful GREEN view from our balcony at the Marriott Timeshare Resort where we stayed last November.  I think it looks as though I created this kit to go with this photo, but it's really just dumb luck.

Part Two

I have had such a problem posting today.  This is Part Two.  Part One is below........

So that is what the new wrapper/frame looks like with the newest kit all "wrapped" up.  There's also an add-on to the kit.  It looks like this (in the NDISB wrapper).

This kit is called Hot August Nights.  It is meant to evoke the sights, sounds, and smells of a warm, mellow  summer’s evening.  Trees blowing in a gentle breeze.  The sound of a cicada serenade or children’s laughter as they catch just one more lightning bug.  The rich scent of roses in bloom and night blooming jasmine wafting through the air.  While I was working on it, I thought of the celebration that occurs in August in Reno, NV, filled with rock and roll music, classic cars, free food, and lots of outdoor fun.

This kit contains:  7 gently textured solid papers, 14 print papers, 7 color matched buttons, 6 color matched bows, 6 color matched gingham ribbons, 2 frames and a window element that can also act as a frame, 2 pieces of floral greenery, 7 color matched fabric flowers, 4 butterfly elements (2 are glittery and just turned out GAWGEOUS, Y’all), 1 birdie,  a lamp, a basket, stylized flowers, a potted palm, 1 hydrangea flower, 1 stylized hydrangea flower, 6 stepping stones, 3 floral/greenery rub-ons, 1 flower-filled wheelbarrow, 2 glitter corner overlays, and 1 journaler.

The add-on is in the store as well, or you can sign up for my newsletter, by clicking on that button on the right, and you'll receive it for free.  I'll e-mail you links within 48 hours of sign-up.    

Both the kit and the add-on are on sale, 20% off til September 25.

Scrapping

Bella Gypsy Designs has two new kits coming out on Monday and I've scrapped with one of them, but I can't show my page til tomorrow so you'll have to come back then if you want to see it.

Real Life

So, Joe worked last night.  That's a good thing financially.  His paychecks are pretty darn small as it is, but without Saturday night, they're downright measly!  We're always grateful either way.  If he doesn't work, we just figure the Lord decided he was too tired to go on or it was time for him to be in church one place or another.  If he works, we praise Him because we can certainly use the extra money. 

I had the kids yesterday for about 7 hours.  I think the original plan was for me to have them at Jennifer's house but I was really grateful that she gave me the option to bring them here.  I didn't get a whole lot done, but I did get more done that would have happened had I not been here.  I fed them lunch and then got Atticus down for a nap.  About 3, Jennifer came and picked up William who was headed to doggie obedience school with Mom and their dog, Dakota.  Atticus stayed til around 6:45.  It was all pretty funny.

The first problem we faced was one very exuberant Labrador Retriever puppy who was thrilled to see Atticus at eye-level.  I finally had to put Parker in the crate which made him really unhappy but gave Atticus a little bit of peace.  I let him out of the crate when Atticus was napping and closed the bedroom door.  Had I not closed the bedroom door, he would have been all over Atticus and it would have been one VERY short nap.  However, when Atticus woke up, I was in the office at the other end of the house and he couldn't open the bedroom door.  That's pretty odd since he opens and closes doors at his house at will all the time.  However, Punky was on duty.  Punky doesn't talk, but she DOES communicate.  She came into the doorway of the office, looked straight at me, barked at me, and turned around and headed the other way.   When I didn't immediately get the message and follow her, she did it all again.  She led me right to the bedroom door where I found Atticus workin on that doorknob.  

Atticus brought an assortment (10!) of videos with him to watch.  I seldom operate the DVD player and it was quite a trial to figure out how to do a video for him.  He watched that for a while and then he wanted to switch videos.  That time it went a bit more smoothly.  He switched out videos 5 times during the afternoon, not watching any of them all the way through.  It was as though he'd decided in his little two-year old mind that he should watch them all since he brought them all.  I was quite the expert with that DVD player by the time he left, LOL......lotsa practice.

Slowly I've been sorting through some clothes to donate to charity.  I've tried to do this repeatedly, and repeatedly Mr. Joe has fouled me up.  The IRS requires a list of what is being donated together with an estimate of the fair market value of the items.  I've started several lists and each time he's moved my list somewhere and mixed up the things I've itemized with the ones I haven't.  This time I've threatened him within an inch of his life if he does it again.  So far, I have one large trash bag full.  I'm anxious to get these things out of the house.  I had a collection of silk shirts that would choke a horse.  But, a lot of them I've outgrown and I just don't want to be in the position of ironing silk shirts anymore.  Besides, where I work now, I wouldn't wear silk on a bet.  So, I'm just hoping to get these things outta here.  Hopefully I'll finish up the listing and sorting this week and drag that stuff out of here by the following week.

Well, I've got to get some stuff down.  Have a great day. 

Darn Typepad! Darn Computer!

I've tried 3 times to do this post and each time it has locked up on me.  I've now rebooted, an interminably long process, and I'm going to try again.  If it doesn't work this time, you'll probably hear me screamin'!  UPDATE:  I'm going to have to post this in pieces.  This is Piece 1.  Everytime I try to go beyond the kit photo, it shuts down......

If this were a normal Sunday, Joe and I might have just come home from church or we could be out having breakfast.  Or, I'd be home and he'd be out visiting new and different churches throughout the valley with regard to his Gideon ministry.  But, Joe worked last night and finally got to bed at 6AM, so.......he's asleep and here I sit talkin' to you!  Of course, had I not been awakened by a Labrador Retriever puppy using my head for a pillow, I might have gotten a bit more sleep too!  But, I've got our church's internet broadcast on in the background and I am rocking out to one of my favorite worship songs!  "There's no one like Jehovah"--AMEN!  It's a much reduced congregation because the ladies are on a retreat, but the guys are literally up dancing in the aisles in worship, much like King David did before the Ark of the Covenant in days of old.

Designing

I got all the individual previews finished for the collection's 6 kits.  I still need to complete the preview for the bonus kit and for the collection as a whole. 

I got the chance to test the instrucitons for putting product in the store at DigiScrapBoutique yesterday.  They looked so detailed and step-by-step, just perfect for me.  Of course, I got hung up on the first paragraph........  Typical!  But, the store manager answered my question very quickly and I blazed ahead.  Unfortunately, I've tried 3 times and I can't get the description of the kit--the part that talks about how many papers there are and the list of elements--to take.  I'm going to try again when I finish here.

I got instructions for putting product in the store at ACOT yesterday.  Oh-my-goodness!  My eyes are totally crossed.  Strangest of all, there are no screen shots in the instructions I got.  I'm going to dig around and see if maybe I missed a source for those as it's extremely unusual to have instructions for anything scrap-related without screen shots!  Anyway, I'm going to have to read through these pages and pages of instructions a few times before I'm mentally prepared to try--they're truly daunting to my little brain.  I'm sure it's just me, but then it's "just me" that has to get this stuff in the store!

Well, how about I show you the latest kit, the one I've been trying to get posted in these stores? 

The kit in the other/generic wrapper

Progress is being made

Designing

Though it's slow slogging.  But, I always look forward to the weekend when I get long, uninterrupted time to work....  I think part of my problem is having so many things on my plate.  I need to stop spinning my wheels, set up a prioritized to do list and get some sanity in my efforts.  I usually have one of those, a prioritized to do list, but I worked my way right through the last one and kept working!  Now I find my little ADD brain trying to work a bit here and a bit there and not pushing anything through to completion.  Shame on me!  Guess I'll start that to do list with "set up designing to do list"! 

"Our" collection is moving along.  I decided I'd better use "our" collection in describing it since you've had to suffer through descriptions of every step, LOL.  Anyway, I got one preview re-done and it's not as tough a process as I'd feared because I'd left "crumbs" along the trail when I first did them.  The system I thought up will work well as soon as I have time to really work it.  I did the one preview and then decided I really needed to get something ready for the stores.

So, I'm in the process of doing that now.  I find it confusing having to have one configuration for one store and another configuration at another, so I've got to find a way to organize that work so that I can get it done efficiently.  I think perhaps the best way is to create all the previews for the kit as they will appear in one store, post the kit in that store, and then create the previews for the kit as they will appear in another store, and then post the kit in that store, and so on.  I'm pretty sure I've got it all tucked away for NDISB.  So, I'll be double-checking that and uploading to the store's server as soon as I finish here. 

I have posting directions from DigiScrapBoutique, the smaller of the two new stores.  The manager there seems to be very well organized and efficient and if anyone has held things up there, it has been me.  At the larger store there has been no progress.  I've done everything asked of me, but there's been no response from store management.  Guess I'll have to rock that boat sometime soon......

Things at NDISB continue to be in disarray.  Without our forum, we are having difficulty communicating.  The owner at Digital ScrapArtist Guild was kind enough to set up a mini forum for us, both the designers and the creative team, but it just doesn't feel like home.  At NDISB's forum, there was rarely a time that I would sign in when I would find no new posts; it was a pretty busy forum.  At the mini-forum at DSAG, I've checked in for days on end with no new posts.  Today I checked in to find that someone was trying to launch the Blog Train we'd originally scheduled to launch on August 15.  Obviously, it hasn't happened yet or you'd be seeing my contribution, which has been ready for more than a month, posted here.  I hope we get the Blog Train thing straightened out soon and I FERVENTLY hope our old forum is back and running full speed ahead SOON.

Scrapping

Nope, nary a thing. 

Real Life

I babysat last night.  I am happy to report that both kids are alive and well.  I got through my list of things to do for Jennifer, made sure William worked on his project, fed the boys, got Atticus bathed and ready for bed in spite of his protests, got William ready for bed, all on time.  Atticus had one of those dreaded two-year-old moments around bathtime.  In order to ease the transition, I usually let him know about 10 minutes ahead of time that he will need to take a bath soon.  Then I remind him about 5 minutes ahead of time, then again about 1 minute ahead of time.  So far, so good.  I no more than got the words out of my mouth that it was time to get his bath started than I heard those dreaded words "no way" out of HIS mouth.  He enjoys his bath once he's in it and I'm always a bit surprised when he protests.  Jennifer had a whole list of suggestions as to what I should have said  such as "do you want bubbles or would you rather not have bubbles?", or "Do you want to play with your truck bath toys or would you rather play with your ducky?" And, yes those are all good suggestions and I'd certainly have thought of them within seconds of arriving in the bathroom, but the "no way" outburst started in the living room and I was unprepared.  Since I am not with them on a daily basis and not used to these moments, I'm sorry to say I will most likely be unprepared the next time it happens as well.  But, I try......

I went to work briefly yesterday.  Since I start work around 4PM and I have to fight my way through traffic to pick the boys up from day care by 6, it's hard to get in any "serious" work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  But there was a note from Matthew asking me to do payroll.  I was happy to do so as he'd accidentally shorted me more than $40 on last weeks's paycheck.  I called and left a message for Greg that payroll was done and awaiting his signature.  I sure hope he gets it signed or I'm going to have trouble paying one of my credit card bills on time.  I put in a good long shift on Wednesday and honestly accomplished quite a lot but it did not seem to whittle down the pile of paper with which I need to deal by much.  A couple of weeks ago I noticed a growing pile of paper on the front of the filing cabinet.  However, our understanding is that work I need to do will be placed in a specific bin on the filing cabinet, not in a pile at the front of the filing cabinet.  So, I didn't touch that precious pile of paper for fear I'd be in trouble if I did.  However, for fear of being in trouble if I didn't touch it (I get in trouble either way), I left Matt a note asking if he'd like me to handle that pile of paper.  No, he said, he'd take care of it.  Okay, he did--he put it in my bin!!!  So that is the two inch thick pile of paper I'm struggling with.  I deal with a few things daily but I think the few things are being replaced on a daily basis with new things.  Of course, who ever gets to have an empty in box anyway?

Well, I can't think of anything important to say and I've got a kit to try to get into two stores, so I'm off.  I hope you all have a great day.  I'll be back later with a preview of the new stuff!

Lord, give me strength........

Designing

Okay, well I've gotten most of the material I need from the small store.  I've gotten next to nothing from the larger store.  Funny thing..........A perfect example of "what have you done for me lately?"  I was on the Digital Creative Team for the larger store for about a year and a half.  Once I started designing, I just wasn't able to keep up.  If you're like me, you're pretty darn conscientious about your commitments, and I was always haunted by all the products being thrown at me that I couldn't work with.  Anyway, I basically received a 3 paragraph e-mail from the digital coordinator of the larger store.  First she suggested I set up an account with them and subscribe to their newsletter.  That's what struck me weird......I've had an account with them and subscribed to their newsletter for YEARS, long before I was on their store CT!  But, since I haven't created for them lately (about 6 months), I am apparently long forgotten.  Geez.........

Actually the smaller store is waiting for me to pay them money.  I have to pay a set up fee and a "storage fee".  Not happy about that.  I think that's why I haven't managed to get that done these last two days.  Well, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and do it......today would be good.

I finished re-texturizing all those papers.  After a while I kind of got into a groove and moved through it fairly quickly.  Next step will be to re-do the previews so they show the newly texturized papers, not the less texturized version from before.  Then, once the previews are done and all the extra stuff like product descriptions, Terms of Use and Piracy Notices are complete and in the folders (if need be), I can zip the files and begin to upload.  But, before I could actually re-do the previews, I had to "build" my new preview "wrapper". 

Let's see if I can explain that.  If you scroll down to a product preview (Try Friday the 4th), you'll see that there is a file that shows all the papers and all the elements.  Over top of that file is a beige or tan colored "wrapper" or "frame".  First I create a paper preview.  Then I create an element preview.  Then I merge those two together.  Finally, I take that merged file and place it behind the digital file that is the "wrapper", that beige thingy with the hole in the middle through which you can see the actual product.  Then I add my "HotFlashDesigns" lightning strike button, and title and copyright information and it's ready to be uploaded to the store's computer.  At NDISB, which is a large store, the idea is to place all products into a uniform "wrapper".  That way, when you're on a page in the store where work from numerous different designers is displayed, your eyes don't go crossed seeing so much variety in one place; everything has that little bit of unanimity. 

Well, there is no requirement for a consistent "wrapper" at either of the new stores.  In fact there is no "wrapper" requirement at all.  As long as it's not obscene or offensive, you can pretty well package your products anyway you want to.  I was just going to use my "naked" preview file.  But, after considering it for a few days and prowling around the stores, I decided against that idea.  I would like my products to look as attractive as possible.  So, some sort of "wrapper" was in order.  Of course, when I didn't need them, I saw numerous products of just this sort in the commercial-use stores (these are a bit like warehouses with lots of car parts in them sold at wholesale prices (not!)).  But, when I started searching, I had to look in a LOT of places before I found something I liked.  Unfortunately, what I found required me to "build" my preview from parts included in the package.  Yup, I had time for that!  Sure!  Anyway, very late last night, I got my "wrapper" built.  It's not terribly fancy, but it's reasonably attractive and I'm happy with it.  AND, no one else will have one like it because I created it myself.  One step toward selling in the new stores has been accomplished!

I took a day off from the collection yesterday.  Sometimes if you dog a thing too long, you just get burnt out on it, KWIM?  I had signed up for a big blog train and I mentioned earlier that it had some gorgeous fall colors in it, so I decided to work on that.  I got all the papers for a full kit put together as well as my contribution for the blog train.  I didn't get the elements done for the full kit, but contrary to my "rule", I think I'm going to switch back to the collection today.  Normally, when I've had reason to create a mini kit for something (2-4 times a month), I've tried to just go ahead and create a kit to go with it at the same time.  I found from experience that, for me, it's hard to go back later and get in the groove again.  But, I really do want this collection finished and ready to go into the stores.  And, I need to repackage some of my earlier kits, using my new "wrapper" and get those ready to go into the new stores as well.  One final consideration is that since I so love fall color, perhaps coming back to this kit for just the elements will not be so difficult.  I didn't choose this color scheme.  It was created by the person who is putting the blog train together.  But, I couldn't have chosen colors that I would love more, so that part is all good.  For the blog train requirement, I have my preview about 95% done.  Still need to add copyright info, piracy notice, Terms of use, and the title to the preview.  Then I can zip it, upload it to a file sharing site, upload my preview to photobucket and post it to the proper thread in the forum where the train is being organized.  That way, my preview will be included with all the rest when they create their hotsy-totsy slide preview.  Maybe 45 minutes-an hour's work.  Then I can start re-doing the previews for the collection.

I did finally include the 6th kit in the collection.  After adding the new texture, I liked what I saw MUCH more.  I know it's a color favorite with a lot of people, so it's in.  So, I will be creating 8 previews all in all.  One for each of the 6 main kits, one for the bonus pack, and one for the whole schlmiel.  That ought to keep me out of trouble for a few days!  (Have I mentioned here that I don't like creating previews??????)  I'm seriously starting to wonder if I'm going to have the collection ready for Friday.  If it looks like I'm not, I've got some completed kits stashed, so I'll have to break off from this collection again and put one of those completed kits in the store(s).  I don't want to go two weeks in a row without posting new product.

Scrapping

No new scrapping has been done.  But Jennifer arrived home last night from another trip to Yosemite, so I am waiting with baited breath for her to upload her photos from that trip for me.

Real Life

As mentioned above, Jennifer arrived home last night.  They left Friday morning.  She drove because to pay for flying and then to have to drive for hours from an airport in a rented car to get to Yosemite didn't make all that much sense.  William got to take two friends with him.  Of course she also had Atticus as well.  I'm not sure, but I think one boy's name is Louie and the other is Jonas.  Well, there were good things and not so good things about both boys.  Louie arrived for the trip with a cold.  Now William and Jennifer have a cold too.  Not sure about Atticus......but if he doesn't have it, most likely he'll get it given the way things like that are passed through families.  But, though Louie shared his cold with the family (not so good), he was apparently a good all-round kid--helped out when asked, followed instructions, didn't complain, etc.  Jonas, on the other hand, did not arrive with a cold.  That was the good part about him.  He, however, did not help out when asked, did not follow instructions, and complained when he didn't get what he wanted.  I have a feeling it will be a long while before Jonas is invited to take another trip with the family.

I ended up at Jen's house for several hours last night.  She called and asked me to be sure to be there at 6PM.  My organized girlie had gone online in Yosemite and ordered enough groceries for the week to be delivered by Vons.  They were to be delivered between 6 and 8PM and someone had to be there to receive them.  I was surprised to see that the young lady who was housesitting was still there when I arrived and she stayed until Jennifer got home.  So, as far as Vons was concerned, I wasn't really needed.  I did do a substantial portion of the unloading of the van.  Jonas's mom got to talking to Jennifer, and while they talked, I made numerous trips into the house with suitcases and into the garage with camping equipment.  When she left, we recruited William and Jennifer and I finished up the unloading.  She was tired and drained from the cold and I felt bad to leave her with a substantial pile of miscellaneous "stuff" (suitcases, pillows, etc.) in the middle of her kitchen floor.  But, of course, I had things to do here so I came home.

Joe had a pretty bad night Monday night.  Just not enough traffic to keep him busy.  So, his earnings were really low.  Last night was somewhat better, Thank God. 

We had some excitement here at the house about 11:00.  I was sitting here, working away.  Suddenly I heard one of the dogs "screaming".  It was the weirdest noise and one I don't need to hear again anytime soon.  I've talked here about how Max guards his food dish.  It's actually a community food dish, but in his mind it's "his", and woebeuntoyou if you mess with "his" dish.  Well "his" dish was sitting in front of one of the displaced shelf units from the dining room.  The shelf unit was largely empty, though it did have some stuff on it--stuff that needed a temporary home.  Anyway, he got his choke chain tangled with one of the knobs on the doors on the bottom of the unit.  And, it scared him and he began to pull and jump and "scream" and cry and just do what seemed like his best to totally hang himself on the thing.  Next thing I knew, the entire shelf unit fell over with Max still attached.  I ran over to help him and at first it looked like he'd gotten toenails from his front paws stuck in a little groove of the door.  I was very careful approaching him; even the best of animals will sometimes bite when they're in pain or under that much stress.  But, being Max, he was perfectly willing to be helped.  I got his paws moved and discovered that wasn't the problem.  I had him free from the knob in just a few more seconds.  Of course, the other dogs had gathered 'round at the first sounds of his distress, and their proximity was one of the biggest problems in freeing Max.  They were very concerned about their big "brother".  Once I got him free, he just shook and shook and shook and came repeatedly to my chair demanding to be loved and reassured.  Of course, he was loved and reassured repeatedly.  Poor Baby.  Thankfully, no one was hurt.

I left the mess for Joe to clean up because he made me mad.  I called him on the phone to tell him what happened and he was too busy to talk.  Now, I'm sure he WAS too busy to talk.  But, I NEEDED to talk and who else am I going to talk to?  So, he starts telling me "I can't do anything about it now."  Gee, I'm so stupid I thought you could fix it from 10 miles away?  I don't think so.  So, I hung up on him and left the mess for him.  I think the shelf unit is pretty well beyond salvage.  Shame too, because it was the one unit that was lit.  But, they had been purchased from Walmart many years ago and they were in bad shape when we got them and a lot of people wouldn't have even had them in their homes, so I guess we didn't lose much.

Oh, about being deaf.  I think I'm on the mend.  I had been thinking about how it had happened, all of a sudden, while doing absolutely nothing related to my ear.  Trying to figure it all out.  It occurred to me that it might have something to do with a build up of ear wax.  The canal in that ear is a bit odd because of some jaw problems I have, so it's difficult to clean.  Then I had a client here and she mentioned ear wax.  Taking that as God's confirmation, off I went to the drugstore to acquire an ear wax removal kit or two.  I've been putting the drops in my ear while I'm in bed and they stay there for an hour or two til I wake up, go to the restroom, and come back to bed to sleep on the other side.  This morning I got a fair amount of wax out of there and for quite a while I could hear.  I'm back to deaf in that ear again now, but I think I see how this turns out.  I'm not gonna be deaf any more--SOON!  What a relief that will be! 

Alrighty then.  I have the ever present load of laundry to transfer from the washer to the dryer and previews to make and a boatload of other things to do so I'll get on out of here for today.  Have a good one.

Why can't I open just one present?

I feel like a kid at Christmas.  I am just haunting my e-mail.  I flip over there every time another e-mail "clicks" onto my screen.  If I leave my computer to brush my teeth or make the bed, I check e-mail first thing when I come back.  What's the big deal, you might ask. 

Well, I'm still waiting for a reply from that last BIG store that's out there.  I'm sure they must have had a LOT of applications, but I sure wish they'd fall off the fence on mine!  I think mine was one of the last in, and they were waiting for it, so that sounds good.  But, still I'd like to KNOW.  Well, this I know--if God wants me there, the response will be positive and if He doesn't, it will be negative.  And, I have yet to receive a new designer pack from either ACOT or DigiScrapBoutique.  So, I can't really start on repackaging any of my kits for those stores.  All of this stuff should come through my e-mail SOON, I hope!

I keep flip flopping on that one pack of paper in my collection.  I think I'm back to including it.  I decided on Saturday that I needed more texture on the papers.  Most of the elements are kind of grungy, country.  Those sparkly new papers just weren't quite right to go with those elements.  So, I'm about halfway through adding more texture to all the papers.  Then I'll have to re-do all the previews.  I hate that, but, that's the way it is.  I think I have a way to do it that will be less painful.  We'll see......  Anyway, with the added texture, that one pack of paper looks much better to me than it did when it was all pristine, so, there ya go. 

I did my shopping for something to package my previews in and found something I think I'm going to like.  It's really versatile and I was able to use a 40% off coupon on the purchase.  I searched a lot of websites before finding anything I liked. 

I churned out 8 Quick Pages yesterday with LaWanna's latest kit, called Schooled.  I uploaded it to a file sharing site and sent her an e-mail, but I haven't heard from her yet.  I also usually have to remind her to pay me for my part of whatever sold last month, and I've done that.  I'd love to get that money.  It's never much, but every little bit helps, KWIM?

And, still, no one has breathed a word to update us on the progress at NDISB's forum and gallery.....

Scrapping

I didn't have time to do much scrapping.  Actually Bella Gypsy Designs put out three new kits and I scrapped with two of them.  I think I have a photo that would have worked with the third kit but I was having trouble finding it.  So, I was good for two out of three.  The third kit has some beautiful papers in it and I'm kind of sad I couldn't find that photo I wanted to use. 

Anyway, first up is a page featuring one of my precious "fall color" photos.  I LOVE fall color.  Since we see almost NO fall color here, we try to run up to Southern Utah, up into some of the mountainous areas for photos and just the general enjoyment of God's handiwork.  This photo was taken at one of our favorite places, Kolob Reservoir.

 

I also used a template from their new template pack called "Ur Hard Drive Wants Me".  Where do they get these names?  The kit is called Autumn Afternoon and has such beautiful papers.......

My second page was done with "Autumn Moonlight".  Once again, I used one of their template packs, Just Clique It.

 

This photo of Jennifer, William and Atticus was taken by Jason when they were at Yosemite in August.  Atticus is being carried in the sling by his mom.  I'd have thought she had enough to carry around with Elizabeth nestled in her belly, but I guess not.  Little guys do get tired and need a lift sometimes.  She's gotten a lot of use out of that sling.

Real Life

Well, when last we "talked", Joe's cab had broken down and needed to be jumped.  He got 'er going and then it died again en route back to the yard and had to be jumped again.  They gave him a new cab and it only lasted another couple of hours before he noticed the headlights were not working.  So, he had to take that one back to the yard too.  Fortunately, ir was almost quittin' time, so he just came on home.  So, Saturday was a good night, but it fell far short of its potential to be a great night.  And, certainly, there wasn't enough earned on Saturday to make up for the three missed days from the prior week. 

I finally caught Jennifer on the internet and found out she has a friend staying at her house, taking care of the dogs.  I'd IM'd Jason about it but he never responded so I'm glad I caught her.  I could have scared someone pretty badly, barging in there to check on the pups, not knowing there was anyone there.  Glad I stayed home and minded my own business.........

It is finally cooling off here a bit.  It's 11:30AM and it's breezy and in the 80's.  We are only supposed to have two days of 100 and over temps this week.  What a relief that is!  We can finally step outside the front door without being overwhelmed by the heat!  I desperately need to work in the flower garden.  Not sure how I'm going to do what needs done--I really need a hoe.  We don't have one and I'm disinclined to buy one as I'd have to use the credit card. 

Okay, I'm off to retexturize more papers!  Have a great day........

So sorry, did I say two?

Designing

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

I think I did.  I think I said I'd be selling in two stores from now on.  Well, I was wrong.  Can you believe it?  I'll be selling in THREE!!!!!!!  I am doing the happy dance around here, let me tell you!  My deals with NDISB and ACOT are solid.  AND, I've received an offer from another store.  This store is small and intimate, I'm guessing 10 or so designers.  They are adding a few more designers now, but will still be nowhere near the size of the other two stores.  I'm VERY pleased to be joining this group of ladies.  I've prowled around the site and they have a very nice gallery and forum.  I've looked at the other designers' work, and, if anything, their work is of the calibre that it challenges me to do better.  That's a GOOD thing.  It's a bit expensive at start up, but I think maybe that's a function of the site being so small.  So, I'll ante up and just be happy to be there.

Of course, I prayed about all this and then decided to just leave it in the Lord's hands and see what He would do.  But, when the latest offer came in, I had an "attack" of fear.  The contract requires a minimum of four products a month.  I got to thinking about how I don't have a laptop and sometimes we have to go to Mexico for two weekend days (days when I have the most available time).  And, then, there's the new baby that's due in about 6 weeks--I want to be there to help Jennifer through the labor and delivery, and also to help her out with the baby the first few days.  When Atticus was born, I somehow got it into my head that Jason was home and he would help her, but he just wasn't capable of doing that.  As a result, she ended up totally exhausted.  I'll not let that happen again!  But, how will I produce a product a week with things like this in the way?  Well, it took me a while, but eventually I settled down.  The contract does NOT require 4 full kits, but rather 4 products.  So, if the need arises, I can create an alpha, or an add-on, or a paper pack, or a set of Quick Pages.  Any one of those things will take less time than a full kit and qualifies as a "product".  Besides, this is the digital world.  It isn't like they can take me out and shoot me if I fail to put 4 products in the store one month!  They'd have to come here from wherever and find me first, LOL.  Of course, I intend to do my very best to live up to the terms of the contract in full.....it's not just in their best interest, it's also in mine.  And, as a born-again-Christian, I should be the most dependable designer in the shop.  So, that's my goal.

There is still one more store from whom I haven't heard, another large one.  Large and it's been around a long time with a really solid customer base.  They looked at my NDISB store and liked what they saw.  Then they asked for samples to look at.  And, now I'm waiting to see how they feel about the samples. 

Shortly, I'll have to go looking for some sort of fancy background for my previews.  After looking around the newest store, I realized that my simple idea for previews will really look poor compared to the way others have their products displayed.  Since customers cannot hold or touch our products, can't hold them up to the light, or smell them, that first visual impression is of primary importance so I've got to deal with that straight away.

I decided against including that one pack of questionable paper in my collection.  I just don't like it and if I don't like it, I can't sell it.  So, the collection will have 5 kits and a bonus pack of papers and elements.  I had it just about done when I decided I really need to do a bit more "texturizing" on the papers.  So, I'm reworking them now and then I'll need to re-do the previews......Oy!  I really didn't want to do that, but I have to say the revised version looks better, so that is what I will do.  I've re-texturized all the papers in the bonus pack and am about done with Kit 1.  Four more to re-do and then I'll re-do those previews.  Oh, well, the next round of inspiration has not hit me, so what else would I be doing, design-wise, if not this?  Hmmmm...wonder if I'd like that one kit better with the new texture on it?  Guess I'd better try that before I throw it in the trash!

Scrapping

Let me just say I am really under the gun on this.  I have kits I haven't scrapped with.  We were told the layouts needed to be in by Sunday because that is the day the advertising is prepared.  And, I've been getting them in by Sunday.  But, my layouts never seem to make the advertisements anyway.  Truth be told, I think they start putting those advertisements together the moment the first layout is turned in.  And, I guarantee you, mine are NEVER first.  So, by the time I get mine in, they just don't need it for the ads.  In which case, I just post them in the appropriate galleries on Monday and it's all good.  So, tomorrow, I'll be taking a design-break to scrap a few pages. 

Real Life

Jennifer headed out of town with her contingent of boys, both her own and a couple of rentals, yesterday morning.  I did call her cell to try to find out how it was going, but she hasn't called back.  I'm sure she's very busy and I remember her saying that cellular reception at Yosemite is really iffy.  Besides I prayed for a safe and sane trip for her and the kids, so I need to believe that's exactly what she had, right?  If I don't believe that, then I shouldn't have wasted my time praying.....

I also wanted to check on what was happening with the dogs.  Usually, when she leaves town, we're asked to check on the dogs and the cat.  She didn't ask us this time.  I HOPE she didn't just forget to ask........those pregnancy hormones can really mess with the memory!  I think I should go down there and check on them, just in case.......

Joe has had 6 days of work this week.  He will be totally spent by the time he comes home in the morning, but, hopefully, our pockets will be a little fuller because of it.  Losing 3 days last week means the current paycheck is going to be minuscule.  And, we have bills due which we can't pay.  Again, we've prayed about it, and if we don't believe God is going to handle it, the whole prayer thing was a waste of time.  So, I'm believing!  Last night, he had a "restricted" cab; that means he cannot pick up either at the airport or on the strip.  There's a football game tonight, UNLV versus University of Oregon, and it was predicted that 10,000 Oregonians would descend on the town for the game.  And, of course, most of them would be flying in.  That's a tough time to be denied the opportunity to go to the airport, but he still managed to turn in a decent night's proceeds.  Tonight he was blessed with an urestricted 5-pack.  That means he can go anywhere he wants AND he can legally haul 5 passengers.  A lot of his time, most nights, is spent sitting in a cab line, waiting until it is his turn to load.  But, with a 5-pack, since there are not many of those on the road, he stands a pretty good chance of being pulled to the front of the line.  That helps since he can't earn a dime while sitting in line. 

Late breaking bulletin:  Satan hasn't given up attacking us yet.  Joe just called to say his cab has broken down.  The battery is dead.  Apparently there is a large crowd of folks looking for taxis at the stadium and there are repeated calls for taxis.  Joe was on his way there when he stopped to use the restroom.  When he climbed back in the cab, it wouldn't start.  Of course, he's called in and a supervisor is on his way out with a battery pack.  But, if I understand correctly, that will simply "jump" the cab.  Then Joe will have to take it into the yard and get another cab.  That whole process could take up to two hours, during which time Joe will earn nothing.  We prayed together and claimed victory over this situation.  Now, let's see what's in God's plan to deal with this!

Oh, here's a funny story I'm willing to tell on myself.  For about the last month, I've really been hung up on Starbucks.  It is most likely because it has been SO hot.  The idea of an ice-cold coffee drink sure sounds good when it's 110 outside and your car is panting trying to make the A/C work.  I live pretty much between 3 Starbucks stores.  One is on my way to work.  One is closest to the house.  The third specializes in a decaf version of my favorite drink, the Venti Mocha Frappucino.  That's really rare as Starbucks took the decaf version off their menu several months ago.  Somehow, this store has found a way to produce my fave in a decaf version nonetheless.  So, I am likely to end up at any one of these three stores on any given day, depending on which direction the car is pointed when the urge hits.  But, primarily, I usually end up stopping on the way to work.  (I probably should feel guilty about the expense, but we refer to this as my $5 dinner; I drink my Starbucks and that takes care of me for the evening.)  Friday I pulled into the one that is closest to my house.  A voice comes through the little order thingie and says "I bet you'd like a Venti Mocha Frappucino".  I was shocked and I'm sure my eyes were as big as saucers.  I don't believe in psychics, so I figured this lady must either be hearing from the Lord or she says that to all her customers.  Later, as she handed me my drink, she clued me in that they have a camera that allows them to see who is pulling up.  I don't know whether she recognized me or the van, but it sure caught me unawares!  I'll be really careful to pick the spinach out of my teeth BEFORE I get in that drive through line from now on, LOL.

Well, it's 10PM and I need to get a load of laundry into the dryer.  It contains my comforter and it might be a bit uncomfortable sleeping if I don't get it dry!  Be blessed!

catchin' up

Designing

Well as of yesterday around 3PM, I had most of the elements done for kit #5 in the collection.  But then it was time for me to tear out of here and go to work and then pick up the boys from day care and stay with them til Mom got home.  However, when I got home and tried to check my e-mail, the whole computer locked up, even the clock!  I had to reboot this morning and lost everything.  But, as I was going along, designing, I wrote down all the specs for the products I was putting together so it should be quick and easy to re-do.  Had the computer not locked up, I'd most likely be reporting here that kit #5 was complete.  But....... 

Of course, as I had guessed earlier in the week, I will not have a new product for the store this week.  In a way that is just silly on my part.  I have 7 kits within an hour or two of work which could then be placed in the store.  But the creative bug has bitten me really badly with regard to this collection and I just can't seem to concentrate on anything else.  So, I'll skip a week.  I've seen designers crawl into a two or three week "hole" (or longer) when they are trying to produce a collection, so I'll just do the same.  I should have this collection finished up by the weekend so perhaps I'll vary my pattern and instead of putting a new product into the store on Friday, I'll do it on Monday instead.  Besides, I will REALLY need those kits I have stashed since I intend to re-do all the previews for the products I am moving over to ACOT.  That will take some time and is not the most fun thing I can think of doing! 

I signed up for another blog train.  It's a BEAUTIFUL color swatch, rich, warm fall colors.  I can't wait to play with them.  I've been checking out the previews from the few people who have posted them and am once again amazed that some designers consider giving 3 papers and a handful of elements a good deal.  I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and anything one gets free is more than you had before you got it.  BUT, these blog trains are for the purpose of advertising, giving the scrappers out there a taste of the kind of work you do.  As such, I want to put my best foot forward for these things and that means I want my stuff to be good quality, gorgeous, and generous.  So, watch this blog on October 1.  But, time has a way of messing with all of us and I can't fault others.  Who knows what's happening in their lives at the moment? 

In that I'm adding a second store, I've decided I need to commission some more work to be done.  I really need blinkies for my signature, one for each store, so that potential customers can just click on them and be linked to my stores.  And, I think I'm going to make some improvements to this blog.  One thing I'd like to add is a slide show of my kits.  Since the blog is used for advertising, I think that would be a good thing to have.  So, I've got to get on the stick and get those things underway.  I don't have the knowlege or the time to acquire it to do these things myself, so I'll have to hire them done.  Doggone it, there goes more money.......all in a good cause, but more money nevertheless. 

Scrapping

No scrapping has been done!  I have three kits I need to work with and a fourth I haven't downloaded yet (YIKES!) but all my time has gone to designing.  I'll have to be one very busy girl this weekend to keep up.

Real Life

Joe had an accident at work the other night.  Some tourist drove right into the side of his cab, bashed in the side door, and then wanted to know if the police thought it was his fault!  Hey, fool, YOU hit another car!  Of course it's your fault.  Fortunately neither Joe nor his passengers were injured, but it took over an hour and a half before everything was checked out by everyone and Joe kept getting conflicting "orders" as to what he ought to be doing.  His instructions from his company are that he is NOT to move the cab.  So, he called in to the company, leaving the cab exactly where it got hit.  The accident happened on the MGM property so MGM security came out and started screaming at him to move the cab.  Joe told the guy, who was "huge" according to Joe, that he was not moving the cab until the supervisor for his company and the Transit Authority got there.  The guy just continued to yell about how this was MGM property and Joe had to listen to him and Joe had to do what he told him to do, etc.  Joe said he was even taller than Matt, which would make him at least 6'5" tall.  And Joe said he was black.  I just have this mental picture of Joe, who is as fair as fair can be and all of 5'7" if you stretch him, a little Irish leprecaun, craning his neck to see the face of this black "giant" while refusing to "obey" him.  What a mental picture I get from that thought--it's really good for a laugh, reminds me of the stuff cartoons are made of.  Anyway, Joe stood up to him for a while and then the supervisor from Joe's company arrived.  The security guy then went over to mess with Joe's supervisor.  While all that was going on, the Transit Authority finally showed up.  The MGM security team sent out a female security person who was busily taking pictures of the whole thing, which was a good idea, in case of a lawsuit.  However, when Joe's supervisor got done looking over the situation, and the Transit Authority got done looking over the situation, Joe was finally at liberty to move the cab as ordered by the "giant" security guard.  As Joe climbed into the cab to move it, the lady taking pictures asked Joe NOT to move it til she was done.  Then the "giant" came over to yell at Joe some more "I thought I told you to MOVE THIS CAB!"  Once again, Joe had to stand up to the guy (and get that mental picture of Little Joe and the Giant trying to argue face to face when there was so much difference in their heights) and Joe simply referred the Giant to his fellow security guard.  Finally, when all was said and done, everyone agreed that Joe was not at fault.  He drove his smashed up cab back to the yard and traded it for another not-smashed-up cab and went on about his business.  But the whole thing cost him a good hour and a half of time when he could have been making money.

Of course, about 11:15PM or so, the dispatcher from the company called here.  She asked for Joe.  At first I was confused and told her he was at work (which I really thought she ought to know).  So, then she asked for his cell number, which I gave her.  Then I started to think maybe someone had hit him over the head and taken his money and left him knocked out cold in his cab somewhere and maybe they were concerned because he wasn't responding to radio calls.  THAT gave me a good shot of adrenalin.  But, no, they just didn't have his cell number and were trying to call him to let him know the supervisor was on the way.......

I babysat last night and the kids were good as gold.  However, if Will never knew the meaning of "white on rice", he surely does now.  I had all kinds of orders from his Mom and I made sure they were all carried out last night.  We worked on a project for school and picked up around the house before bedtime and took the dog outside to do her business and fed both dogs and just were generally very responsible people. 

In my little heart of hearts, I had to giggle a bit.  I remember that Jennifer was a train wreck when it came to picking stuff up and putting it away.  I paid her; I withheld her allowance; I made her lists; I talked to her; I made her charts; I rewarded her; I withheld rewards.  No matter what I did, she just didn't do what she was supposed to do.  There were days I didn't even want to come home from work because I knew it would just be the same scene it was the day before and the day before that.  I remember that for a while we lived in a two story condo.  EVERY night I'd work all evening cleaning and straightening up the first floor of that condo.  I don't think there was EVER a night when I actually had time to straighten upstairs.  Now it's her turn to go through it with William and I daresay he is just about as unconcerned with that sort of thing as she was.........  No, actually, he is much more cooperative than she was.  But, so far, she seems far less frustrated with him than I was with her.  There were times I was just reduced to total despair over it all; I don't think she's gone there yet.

There were two bags, one REALLY large and one grocery-store sized bag on the kitchen floor in the kitchen.  (You enter the kitchen from the garage, so things kind of tend to get "dropped" there temporarily.)  I saw PINK in the bags and couldn't help myself.  I peeked.  More clothes for Elizabeth and some receiving blankets, etc.  I think this will be one very well-dressed little girl, at least for the first 12 months!  There was the cutest little furry hoodie in there.  My camera finger is just itching to photograph a cute little girl all dressed in pink and then scrap the photos!

She got home late so I got back here late.  It was really weird because only Parker came bounding up to greet me.  Normal drill is for me to be surrounded by three dogs who are very happy that Mom is home, so happy that I can barely get into the living room from the kitchen.  (We refer to this process, moving from place to place surrounded by three large dogs, as "salmoning", like salmon swimming upstream to mate.)  Finally, after a minute or so, I saw Punkin, across the living room.  She looked at me and then disappeared.  I never did see Max.  I fiddled with the computer and it locked up.  I waited for it to maybe free itself and talked to Joe on the phone.  Still no Max.  I left the computer cycling and headed down the hallway to go to bed, figuring that once the bedroom light went on, Max would be there to occupy his spot at the foot of the bed.  No.  He didn't come.  THEN I got worried.  Truthfully, mental pictures of Toby, lying dead in the backyard last December, flashed through my head and I tore back down the hall to find Max.  I looked out the west door, no Max.  Then I looked out the east door and saw him.  He was fine, but I also found a pile of white "sticks" on the ground.  Or, at least, that's what they looked like in the moonlight.  I went Wednesday night to Petsmart to get Parker a collar.  While I was there, I picked up a package of 100 rawhide chews, thinking that having them around might save the electrical cords from Parker.  When I left yesterday, I put the bag with the rawhide chews on top of the printer.  My printer stand is a double decker, which put that plastic bag at least 5 feet up from the floor.  If you remember, I made a big deal about Max and his thievery just the other day.  Apparently, he'd managed to reach the bag.  He took it to the backyard.  He left Parker's new leash lying on the patio and invited his friends, Punkin and Parker, to a little rawhide chewy party out there.  So, there I was in the dark, playing "pick up sticks" with 100 rawhide chews. 

So, I came back in and remembered that I hadn't put my phone on the charger.  Imagine my surprise when I found myself plugging in the cord and it was only about a foot long.  Parker had found it, chewed the cord, and now I can't charge my phone.  So, don't bother calling me on my cell--it's dead! 

William's 10th birthday is the 16th so for his birthday, Mom is taking him and two of his friends to Yosemite where they will camp.  This means 7 hours in the van with 3 10-year-old boys and one two-year old baby.  Actually, it's only 7 hours if you can just get in the car and drive.  But, needless to say, there will be numerous potty stops and opportunities for the guys to get out and stretch their legs.  I do not envy her!  They leave this morning and will not be back for several days.  According to WIlliam, they will only camp one night and will stay at the apartment where Jason is staying the rest of the time.  This trip is his big present from Mom and Dad, though he's getting a few other things as well.  I saw a few boxes, all nicely wrapped, waiting for his return.........  And I carried two large boxes and a plastic shipping bag into the house last night which the postman had left out front.

Well, that's it for now.  I'm off to follow the crumbs I left yesterday and recreate those elements that got lost last night when the computer locked up.  Have a fun day!