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I've had it!

Well, it's been a weird day.  First, I learned that carrying that printer in from the van may not have been the brightest thing I've ever done.  On the other hand, what choice did I have.  It's not like it will do me any good out there!

I did manage to do a reasonable amount of design work.  I ended up creating 3 new paper designs.  I figured out I have the bare bones of the 4th already done so I'll just adapt that.  I used the "easy" method, but it was still time consuming.  I also worked on the desert kit some more.  I swear this thing is going to have to come with some sort of warning for dial-up users!  It only I could have pared that color scheme down.  But I loved each and every color and really felt each one was necessary to the theme of the kit.  Even with tomorrow being new release day, I think I should be able to finish the kit.

I didn't do too much around the house.  Maybe I'll make up for it tomorrow? 

Alrighty, that's it.  I'm done in.  I'll see you in the AM with my usual new release post!

 

Great idea.......

I came up with the idea to offer my daughter the use of my crock pot.  It is a big one and it was great when I had Joe here eating for two.  But unless I want to cook to stock the freezer, it's pretty impractical for me now and takes up a lot of counter space.  (And, if I DO want to stock the freezer, I still have a large electric pot that will double as a slow cooker that my mother gave me.)  Jen, on the other hand, is cooking for a growing family.  Some days they eat and some days they don't, but I think the larger size of this slow cooker would be more practical for her.  I am frequently happy with a serving of veggies or a frozen chimichanga, but you can't feed growing kids on stuff like that.  Will is getting to that age where boys grow like weeds and eat everything in sight, and at just under 2, Bitsy will eat like a trooper regardless of what you put in front of her. And, Jen has WAY more counter space than I do. It would also help her to make good nutritious meals with cheaper cuts of meat and do it while she's working away at one of her multiple jobs.

I went looking on Amazon.com to see what might be available in a smaller size.  There's quite a variety.  But look at this little thing I found.  No, I'm not going to order it.  Though I think it's a really creative idea, it's impractical for me.  But, still it's cool and I've never seen anything like it.  Of course, I lead a sheltered life so you may know all about it, but just in case you don't, looky here!

This thing doubles as a warmer/server for parties and holiday meals and as a slow cooker.  Each "pot" has a 2.5 quart capacity and there are separate controls.  Now isn't that a slick idea?  Somewhere in the garage (only God knows where) I have a buffet server that holds a hot water bath and keeps foods hot.  Or you can fill it with ice and keep foods cool, like for example if you're serving boiled shrimp.  But how cool is it that you could cook a casserole, like corn pudding, for example, for Thanksgiving in this baby and then keep it plugged in to keep the casserole warm.  And while you're cooking corn pudding on one side, you could bake stuffing on the other. 

Anyway, I just thought that was a really cool idea and I had to share!  If you think this thing is a great idea, you can see more about it here.  And the cost is about $46.50.

Choices for today:

Healing or designing.......I'm going to have to choose today.  I've been up for an hour and a half and I've done nothing but check Facebook and read my e-mail and already my right shoulder is saying nasty things to me.  So, I'm going to pray for it and try to design.  If my prayers don't work, I'm going to have to do very little designing and try to give it time to recuperate.  This is not my idea of fun. 

I am happy to report that my left knee is functional!  I was just sure it would be black and blue and maybe even accumulating fluid, but it is NOT black and blue.  There might be some fluid on the outside of the knee cap but I can't even be sure of that.  I'm surprised because it's not every day a printer falls out of the back of my van right onto my kneecap.  But, I survived that one!

I was just remembering that the sales guy at Office Max said that HP is notorious for manufacturing their stuff with the lightest possible wire.  Epson and Brother have reputations for being better built and part of that is that they use heavier wire.  Harder for heavier wire to become dislodged/disconnected and harder for it to break.  And it adds some poundage to the printer too!

If I can design, I have ideas for a bunch (4) of new paper designs.  We'll see how that works out!  I tend to get very OCD about paper designs.  Perhaps because I once put out a kit with a flawed paper design I'd purchased from someone else.  It really made me angry.  So, I am VERY careful, painstaking about paper design.  For right now, I am very happy designing kits.  But, one of these days, I just might decide to dip my toe into the commercial use market, and when I do, it will be with stuff that is as close to perfect as is humanly possible.  But there's an easy way to get it right and there's a very hands-on hard way to get it right and for some perverse reason my OCD mind chooses the hard way nearly every time.

So, we shall just feel our way along today and see what the day brings.  If I can't design, I'll have to clean.  I wish I didn't hate it so much.  I'm trying to change the way I think about it but this is slow going.  Anyway, I'm off to start the day.  There is NO question that there is a nap in my future today.  I did not sleep well last night.  But, a whole lot of people I know got prayed for so that's a good trade-off, right?  Be blessed today!

 

Correction.........

For years religion has taught that God sends illness or dire circumstances in our lives to "teach us a lesson" or because we've sinned.  But the Bible says it's the Holy Spirit's job to correct us.  God gets no glory out of our sickness or brokenness. 

Something happened to me today that hurt my feelings, a lot.  And I was pretty upset about it.  I kind of knew it was the wrong reaction.  But still, as a human, I have certain rights!  Ah but, it is better to be right than to defend our rights.........  And, so I fussed and fumed and shed a tear or two and asked "why me?" a few dozen times.  And then it hit me that this little tempest in a teapot was just an attempt by old slewfoot to get my attention off of where it needs to be.  And, if possible, to cause me to sin so that my prayers would be hindered.  I didn't get cancer to teach me that.  It was just a gentle thought that made me sit back and take notice--correction.  First of all, Christ was never known for emotional outbursts and I'm supposed to be like Him.  Secondly, If ever there was a human whose rights were abused, it was Jesus Christ.  Yet, he uttered not a word.  And I'm supposed to be like Him.  And, in the 11th chapter of Mark, we are told that we can command a mountain to be removed, and, if we don't doubt, it will be.  But right behind that comes this verse:  "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."  It certainly looks as though the results of my prayers may be to some extent contingent on what's in my heart toward my fellow man........ 

So, I think I win on this one.  I'm keeping my mouth shut.  I've repented for the dozen why me's and the hurt feeelings and the numerous e-mails I've composed in my head to set the situation right.  It's not my job to set the situation right.  It's my job to live the way I'm supposed to live, act the way I'm supposed to act, say things that express faith and edify others, and keep my emotions under control and my mouth shut.  It's HIS job to set the situation right.  The dogs have forgiven me for my mumbling around the house.  They don't understand the word "edify", LOL.  I have a tee shirt that asks God to keep one hand on my shoulder and one over my mouth.  I need to wear that more often, just as a reminder!  And, I will concentrate on what I need to concentrate on:  two part-time jobs, a dream job, finances in general, supernatural debt cancellation, and healing for myself and for others for whom I pray regularly. 

We're told in the Bible that Jesus had a cousin named John the Baptist.  One gets the idea that as young boys they might have been close as cousins frequently are.  And, Herod had John the Baptist beheaded to please his stepdaughter who had performed a seductive dance for him.  And, what was Jesus's response to this hurtful thing?  He healed everyone within shouting distance but the Bible doesn't record Him saying a single mean word about Herod. 

He knew the enemy was Satan.  And he robbed Satan of a lot of friends on the day he got the news of His cousin's death.  I think tonight will be a good night for answers to prayer!  Maybe I can do a little "robbing" of my own...........

So this evening I've worked on getting the new printer installed.  The first order of business was getting it into the house.  It LITERALLY fell on my knee when I opened up the hatch on the van.  Oweeeeeee, that hurt and I danced around on one foot for a minute or two after that.  I will not be surprised if it's purple by morning, LOL.  The thing weighs a ton, particularly with all the packing materials.  It was a bit like trying to carry a Sherman tank.  Perhaps it should have some sort of warning label for single women who don't have a guy around to lift heavy objects!  I got it in the house and stopped within a few feet of the door to open the box and try to remove the printer.  Of course, I had to turn the thing upside down to get the printer out!  And that was no small feat.  Anyway, I've got most of the installation done.  I think I will wait til tomorrow to finish as the printer sits in one of the darkest spots in the office.  Trying to figure out where to plug in cords by the Braille method is not one of my strong points.  I think I am going to be very pleased with this printer.  And it will give me great satisfaction to uninstall the three malfunctioning HP printers that are installed on my computer!  This thing has a really nice sized paper bin and will scan at up to 2400 dpi.   My only concern so far is that I'm used to 6 ink cartridges and this printer has only 4.  This could result in me having to buy ink more often but I have completely stopped printing out scrapbook pages to save on ink.  They're all saved on one EHD and backed up on another.  I need that money for other priorities right now.   So, maybe the ink won't be a problem after all.

Well, I'm about done for today.  My right shoulder says it's time to quit.  So, I'm off down the hall.  I think I will spend some time soaking in a hot tub.  Besides I've got some prayers to get answered, LOL!

Showin' off!

I have great grandkids.  Each in his or her own way is just so special.  Sometimes they're cranky, sometimes they giggle, but whatever mood they're in, I love them to the moon. 

This summer, Will, (just turned 12) started taking guitar lessons.  And just after starting those lessons, he went to Music Camp.  A lot of the other kids there had been playing whatever instrument for a while.  Some were pretty good, some just thought they were.  But it all boiled down to the fact that they had all had a lot more experience with their instruments than Will had with his.  And Will is very intelligent.  Sometimes I think too intelligent.  Things come easy for him, and when they don't, he's dismayed and disappointed and way too hard on himself.  So, it was tough for him, struggling, while the others were more advanced.  But, he's a gutsy guy.  In fact he has more guts than I knew.  At the end of Music Camp, there was a concert.  And everyone was supposed to get a chance to "shine".  But, Will didn't want to try to play something alone for fear he wouldn't be good enough.  So, he got up and did a vocal solo on the theme from Spiderman and then played along with the band on another song or two.  He's not Enrico Caruso or even Frank Sinatra, but for a scared kid of 11, he did a darn good job belting out the theme from Spiderman and played right along with everyone else when the band performed.  We were all so proud of him!

The photos from the "rock concert" were still on my camera.  But, I noticed last night that my memory card for the camera was filling up fast.  So, I sat here today and mucked with the camera til I figured out how to get those photos off the memory card and onto my hard drive.  And when I saw these photos, I just had to scrap them. Not that the photos are so great, but the kid sure is!

The kit I used is my kit called Rock On!   There was a reason why I created that kit, LOL! 

You can find Rock On! here.

The acoustic guitar is from my element pack called Make Your Own Kind of Music.  I also should note that I desaturated my "klieg light" paper and lightened it a lot.  I love my bright colors, but even I had trouble finding the photos with all those "bright lights", so I had to dim them down a bit.

Oh well.  I should do something that was on my plan for today, right?  Sorry, I just couldn't help myself, and then I had to run right over here and show off my layout and my very special DGS.

Still on a high!

So, my celebratory post in the middle of the night did nothing to dissipate my excitement over the prospect of having two jobs.  I'm still on a high!  Three jobs would be better (including the dream job) but for now I'll settle for whatever God has for me.  I know it will be good.

I did my "around the world" loop last night.  Picked up the little guys at Day Care, then drove to Jen's house and picked up Will, then drove to guitar lesson, then entertained the littles while we waited for Mommy.  Bethie was initially happy to see me and then she noticed someone else's Daddy picking them up and that set her crying.  Atticus was his usual sunny self.  William answered his phone when I called to let him know to get his stuff together--that puts him at 2 for 4.  Bethie cried most of the way to their house.  The last thing I said to Will as he got ready to climb into the van was "Do you have everything?  Your music book, your picks, etc.?"  His response was "yes".  We made it about 2 miles away from the house with 12 minutes left to get to his lesson when he decided he did NOT have everything because he had left a book he would need for the meeting he attends after guitar lesson on the table at home.  This pretty much seems to happen every week.  He never seems to leave the house with everything he needs.  He comes by this honestly as both Jennifer and I have a tendency to do this.  For a while Jennifer had a checklist sort of thing by her door.  I wonder if that would help Will?  Poor kid just never seems to be able to get it all together and bring it with him when he needs it. 

Will got an electric guitar for his birthday.  He's pleased as punch about that though he seems to think there's a problem with the amplifier.  He sits all the way in the back of the van and he speaks softly and does not enunciate well.  With the air conditioner blowing up front, I only manage to catch a few words here and there.  What I got was that his dad had promised him an amplifier or a different amplifier that was supposed to be here within 3-4 days and Will hasn't gotten it yet.  So, he was calling his dad about that on the way to his lesson last night. 

Yes, I had the air conditioner going full blast on the way yesterday.  Here it is, the end of September and the temperature reading on the van's thermometer hit 103.  The forecast for today is for a high of 100.  Ugh!  The good news is that by next Tuesday and Wednesday, we're forecasted to have highs only in the high 80's. 

My design plan for this week called for a little catch up work and then to move into Christmas kits.  I am having a little trouble "dreaming of a white Christmas" when it's 103 outside!  My imagination is pretty good but, living in the Northern Hemisphere, perspiring and Christmas just do not go together, even in my imagination.

So I did get a fair amount of work done during my wee-hours-of-the-morning design stint today.  I still need ribbons, frames, journalers, more word art, etc.  The color scheme in this kit is downright gorgeous.  I don't think my papers do it justice........  I'm not sure anyone's papers would do it justice!

I recontacted the store that is my top choice for a second store.  The lady had promised to get back to me last week.  But, I know from the store's newsletter that she's been out of town for a few days.  That always throws things out of kilter.  So, I just sent a gentle reminder that I'm still out here, holding my breath and turning blue.  No, I didn't REALLY say that but that's kind of how it feels.  I'm sure she'll get back to me as soon as she can.

So, it will be more work on the desert kit for the design side of me, and vacuuming and dusting and, I think, a load of laundry for my housekeeping side.  I have about decided to go back to trying to pack up Joe's clothes by moving everything back into the dining room.  That's where I started and I made reasonable progress.  Then I decided I couldn't abide having all that stuff piled around in the dining room and I moved into the guest room.  Well, now it is all behind closed doors and, more or less, out of sight, out of mind.  That is not working.  I need to get this done.  Once I finish the last few clothing items, I can take them to the charity drop off and start back in on his papers.  The papers are difficult emotionally, but, as it turned out, the clothing was/is difficult emotionally too.  So, I just need to push ahead with it.  It will be better, I hope, when I don't have little reminders poking at me all the time.....

I have never tried this before.  I'm trying to embed a youtube clip.  It's so darned cute.  Hope this works!  Nope, didn't work.  Okay, here's a link.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Su1YLAjty-U

 

 

Who you callin' weird?

Doesn't everyone write a blog post at 3AM?  I went to bed around 10 and slept til around 12:30AM.  Got up, used the restroom, and went back to bed and stared at the ceiling for half an hour.  I got sick of lying there trying to sleep, so here I am.  I've been working for 2 hours, doing flowers for the desert kit.  There are so darn many of them I may have to sell them as a separate add-on! 

So, I listened to a sermon by my favorite pastor the other day on the subject of "Supernatural Debt Cancellation".  I have been overwhelmed with debt since Joe's death and with no way to pay it.  On some of it, I've been making minimum payments, but you know how slowly the balances go down with minimum payments.  On some of it, I've been paying a little extra.  And some of it is just sitting there growing because of interest.  Pastor said there are 3 methods behind supernatural debt cancellation.  1) God will provide the finances, 2) God will remove/reduce the debt, or 3) God moves on others to pay the debt.  So, I've been praying for supernatural debt cancellation.  God provided one widow with so much oil to sell that she filled up every container she could borrow and once all that was sold and her debts were paid, she and her sons had enough to live on.  I don't necessarily want a shipload of oil to try to sell, but I'm a widow so, since God is no respecter of persons, what He did for her, He should do for me, right?  Well, you know I went for that interview to do the accounting work for the Day Care.  They desperately need me and the owner ended up hugging me before I left so I'm believing I'm about to have a new part time job.  But, today, it looks like my old part time job is about to be revived. 

It looks like a number of big jobs have come in and like the el hugo job that's been dangling in front of our noses for months is about to become a reality.  I am due what is for me a large sum of money from the company.  And, of course, when they work, I work.  Immediately there's a geometric multiplier on checks written, purchases, payroll checks to cut, etc, all of which generates accounting work.  So, in addition to collecting on what is owed me I should be able to earn more. 

If possible, I will try to work both jobs.  You might think that would mean I would be rolling in money, but I think that's a bit optimistic.  It WILL stop the bleeding.  I've been paying the bills and being very frugal and careful with what I spend and I am still watching the bank balance go down month after month.  Working both jobs would certainly stabilize that.  But, I don't know if there will actually be extra.  I hope so.  One of the credit cards is worked down now to about $2500.  A few really good months would just about get that one off my back.  Anyway, I have known for almost 9 months that God had a plan to get me out of this mess.  Now, I just might be seeing the outlines of the plan.......  And, of course, the "dream job" is still out there and that would take care of all the problems very quickly.  I still believe that is the ultimate plan.  And that will be a blessing beyond anything I can ask or imagine. 

Well, I think I just might be ready to go back to sleep.  At least I'm going to try.  Goodnight.

God is good!

Oh, it is so helpful when I wake up having rested well and without a sinus headache!  I slept like a log last night.  I was still up twice, but so tired that I barely remember it.  But, I slept well in between the wake up calls and I feel rested this morning.  This is just an amazing blessing.

I was so bemused by my "interview" yesterday that I didn't do well on my to do list.  Actually, I was also BUSY with the printer problems.  I'm so glad to have a new printer not made by HP to hook up today.  I have a photo lying on my desk that I have wanted to scan and scrap forever.  Maybe I can actuall do that sometime soon! 

I am back to work on the desert kit today.  I just finished a very unusual word art element for the kit.  One of the things I have to do today with the kit is build some layered flowers.  There are so many steps to that that I usually find it confusing.  However, I think I have a plan that will simplify the process immensely.  I'm actually kind of anxious to try it out as opposed to not wanting to do it which is my usual mode.  I do have an idea for one more specialized theme-y element and I want to work on that today too.  I doubt I'll make it all the way to finishing the elements, but I'll get close.

My design partner came up with a request for a kit.  I've been trying to pull together ideas for how to make what she wants.  It is a minefield of copyrights and trademarks so I have to be careful.  But, I'll get it done.  I've already created a folder on my EHD and am tucking little things in there every now and then. 

I am going to finish up with the vacuuming today.  I really only have a tiny bit in the living room and the office to go.  Of course, the office is always a major challenge frought with dog hair and mud crumblets, but I think I can get it done. 

I am pretty sure the 15 minutes on my desk today will go to paying bills.  In that the first of the month is coming up, I've got a stack of them to pay.  I'm sitting here looking at my power bill.  Ugh!  It's really much lower than it was at any time last year during the hot months.  Still it's way more than I want to pay.  And, I was so tired when I finally caved in and went to bed last night I was a dummy and didn't turn off the overhead light in the office.  That's no way to lower a power bill!  I think I might make it my business these next few days to look for power cords I can pull throughout the house.  It may only save a few cents, but those few cents are needed elsewhere.

Well, I decided not to even put product in the store at SUN this week.  One of the designers there has marked all of her products down to $1 or $2 and, even with a 30% introductory price, I can't compete with that. In fact, I won't compete with that.  If customers only knew the hours and hours that go into creation of a kit, they'd be embarrassed to pay only $2 for one.  I'm sure of it.  Anyway, the day you see me selling my stuff for that price, watch for the retirement announcement.  That's the only way I can ever do it.  I put too much of ME into these kits......I'm emotionally attached to every one of them!

All right.  Time for Eye Candy and to get moving.  I think I have one more, maybe two more layouts with You Can Call Me Mr. Cool to share with you. 

This is by Sara aka Keling.  I love her layered papers along the side and also that cluster on the left.  Cute kitty got caught mucking around with mama's laptop.  Doesn't that kitty just look like she got caught in the act.  Guilt all over her face!  Love this!  You can give Sara some love here.

Don't forget the freebie alpha which is down a post or two on the post from yesterday morning.  Enjoy!  And, of course, be blessed!

Divine Appointment?

Sometimes you get the feeling you're right where you are supposed to be at exactly the right time.  I met this morning with the owner of the day care and I think it was one of those times when I was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.  The place, like many start up businesses, is tight on funds.  But, they opened less than a month ago and are at 50% capacity so they're doing well, even if they'd like to do well faster.  They didn't actually get the lease on the property nailed down until July so having everything ready by the end of August, when they opened, was close to miraculous.  But, I would guess that by the end of August, many parents had their kids situated for the year. 

Whether or not I will get the job is still up in the air other than the fact that I had a great rapport with the owner--so great that she hauled off and gave me a hug as I was getting ready to leave.  I was pretty impressed with that! 

If I don't get the job, I have the satisfaction that I was able to speak good faith-filled words into her life today.  I think it was just what she needed today.  It always feels good when you get an opportunity for "ministry".  This lady does not attend my church; but there is no question in my mind she loves the Lord and loves kids and looks on what she does as her own form of ministry.  Anyway, I think I'll know something within the next two weeks.  Gives me 14 days to pray this job in if, indeed, it is the one God has planned for me. 

The place is lovely, clean and fresh and very nicely put together.  We met in their "chapel" room.  There is a painting of the cross on one wall and all around the room are the words "Jesus loves me" over and over just above the chair rail.  I peeked into the pre-K classroom.  It is very nicely furnished.  The kids wear uniforms and they all looked spiffy.  Unfortunately, one of the benefits of working there is 50% off tuition and my 30 year old wouldn't fit into the student body very well so that's probably a benefit I won't be able to avail myself of, though it applies to grandchildren too.  At least if Jen has to go out of town or something and I have the kids and need to work, they'll be welcome there.

A lot of my day got spent on printers.  I am sick of mucking with printers.  I just want one that is reliable and will last more than 6 months.  I finally gave up and went and bought another printer.  I really don't have a choice.  I have at least five tax returns to get out before 10/15/11.  I have to have a printer.  I walked into Office Max dragging the second of my two mucked up HP printers behind me.  I announced that it didn't work and I wanted a new printer and I wanted to see what they had in the store that was an all-in-one and that wasn't manufactured by HP.  I ended up getting an Epson.  Under normal circumstances, I don't believe in those add-on warranties, but, believe me, I put one on this Epson.  I've had Epsons before and been very pleased with their performance.  But, then, I've had HPs before and was pleased with their performance as well.  So I wasn't taking any chances.  I have to hook the new printer up and install it.  I'm saving that great joy for tomorrow.  I'm thrilled to report that Epson actually supplies you with a hard-copy manual, not 294 pages online like HP, another advantage. 

I did manage to get a lot of filing done this afternoon between phone calls and before the Office Max trip.  I got rid of at least 50% of that pile of filing today.  And processed a bunch more mail.  Lucky me, I've got a pretty good stack of bills to be paid.

Well, that's it for tonight.  I am going to take something (I have no idea what, but something) so that I get some small amount of sleep tonight.  I'm getting a bit slap happy from lack of sleep.  Goodnight.

I ate the very last of my hash browns tonight.  So, I'd better put that on my list for the next Costco trip. 

I'm so glad it's "morning".........

Thoroughly rotten night's sleep.  But, thankfully, no sinus headache this morning.  I was up repeatedly during the night.  Sometimes just a potty call, sometimes with a cramp in my left foot.  I was so tired of "fighting" for sleep that I finally crawled out of bed 40 minutes before the alarm was set to go off.  Now I am just tired.......

So, this is a big morning for me.  I'm headed back down to the new day care in the neighborhood to talk to them about an accounting position.  They are impressed with the resume but concerned about the price.  What else is new?  Everyone wants loads of experience and the assurance that they will not be left holding the bag with the IRS, but few are willing to pay for it.  Of course, the rate question is one you never answer in an interview situation until they tip their hand. 

Here is the way I am looking at it.  In my previous position, it took me an hour a day to commute.  That was an unpaid hour but one that still got spent on "work"--couldn't be spent on anything else.  I would normally not have gone in for less than 3 hours.  So, if you multiply my hourly rate by 3 and subtract gasoline cost and then divide that by 4, you boil it down to what I really made.  At this place, the full commute, there and back, is 10 minutes.  So, I can afford to take less and still will break even.  And, yes, I did the math and I know the number, but I'm not telling you!  So there!

So, at 9:00, I will be dressed and spiffed up and at their door, smiling and ready to chat.  We'll see how it goes.......  I will have up to 1.5 hours to land the fish before chapel.  Yes, friends, this is a Christian Day Care, two city blocks from my home.  I love that.  I love the idea of working with people who have a certain mindset as to how other people should be treated.  After the last place, it will be a shock to my system, but I can get used to it really fast!!!!!!!!!  No one shouting curse words just for the sake of trying to upset me.  No one smoking dope on the premises.  No need to move a bong out of my way to get to the work surface.  I figure if I land this job and it turns out to be a decent place to work, it will be my reward for sticking it out for more than 3 years in the most dirty, despicable environment you can imagine.  And, I'll bet they won't require that I come to work at 5AM just so they can have free access to the company computer for the purpose of conducting their personal business! 

So, I did a whole lot of sorting of papers on the computer desk yesterday.  Now I have a pile about 4 inches deep to file.  One of my handicaps with filing is that it is nearly impossible to see the labels on my file folders in my desk at night.  The light just isn't adequate.  Yet, it is night when I am most likely to want to file in that I am tired from the day and don't want to be pushing a vacuum cleaner or other more active pursuits.  I need to grab the UGLY gooseneck lamp from Joe's side of the office and plug it in over here.  That will help the lighting issue significantly, I think.  Then, in the evening, when I'm tired and my brain has gone numb, I can still see to file. 

I really didn't want to deal with that mess of paper.  I was sure it would take me hours.  But, I actually spent less than 15 minutes on it.  Of course, I still have to do the filing, but I sorted through everything and trashed what was trashable in far less time than I thought. 

I e-mailed the receipt from my printer purchase to HP last night.  This morning I received a reply which I do not understand.  It should be obvious to you that I have a decent grasp on the English language.  You're not having any trouble reading this and understanding what I'm saying, right?  Okay, then, how come I don't have a clue what their correspondence means?  I guess if you manufacture an entire line of defective printers, you have to obfuscate the meaning of your correspondence until such time as customers seeking warranty rights just give up.

So, today is the deadline for uploading products at SUN, so that's what I'll be doing for part of the day--uploading Saturday's new release and putting it in the store.  Hopefully I'll get some design work done too.

I vacuumed a substantial portion of the house yesterday, down to and including the pieces of furniture I am capable of moving.  So, today I will try to finish that up.  And I'll spend another 15 minutes on the desk and 15 minutes chasing dust bunnies out of the office.  I need about 15 minutes in the kitchen to unload the dishwasher and make the kitchen all shiny again.  I guess the rest of the time will be spent on the living room and then moving down the hall toward the back of the house.

Well, how about some eyecandy this morning?  I still have some gorgeous layouts with You Can Call Me Mr. Cool to show you. 

This layout was created for me by MimaScraps aka Lori.  I really liked the way Lori layered the papers behind that cute photo.  And she did a good job on the cluster of metal flowers on the right too!  You can leave her some love here.

And finally, I have a little freebie for you.  This alpha was created to coordinate with You Can Call Me Mr. Cool.  I hope you like it.  Preview is linked.

Links for the freebie will expire October 11, 2011.  Hurry!

Alrighty that's it for now.  Back later with news of the interview.  Be blessed today!