Random Thoughts and Mindless Musings

Layouts - A Look Back - Leap Year Hodge Podge, Part 2

2012-02-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

Created May 2011

Created June 2011

Created July 2011

Created September 2011

Layouts - A Look Back - The Leap Year Hodge Podge, Part 1

2012-02-29T11:36:00.000-05:00

Today's look back post is going to be in several parts. Since this is the last day of February and I want to get everything I created before starting this blog uploaded, I'm going to be uploading all remaining layouts today. Now, that's not to say that there may be one or two that I find along the way that will need to be added, but for now, they'll be pretty much caught up after today. Whew! It's been a long month.

Created: February 2011

Created: March 2011

Created: April 2011

Layouts - A Look Back - Travel, Part 2

2012-02-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

Continuing to look at past layouts with the theme of travel:

Created June 2011

Created July 2011

Created September 2011

This layout was based on a layout done by Nichol Migourik

Layouts - A Look Back - Travel, Part 1

2012-02-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

Coming to the end of the month and I still have a lot of layouts to share. I'm going to split today's layouts into two parts and will do the same for tomorrow. Want to get this over with in the month of February, so when March 1st rolls around, all the past layouts have been loaded and it's only new stuff from here on out.

Layout Created December 2010

Layouts Created March 2011

Layouts - A Look Back - More Random Shots of those Kids

2012-02-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

A look at more layouts about my kids....

Created March 2011

Created April 2011

Created May 2011

Created June 2011

Created July 2011

Created September 2011

Layouts - A Look Back - Let's Go to the Movies

2012-02-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

We're going to look at layouts about movies today....

Again, from this point forward, I probably won't make complete layouts for movie going, these things will probably end up in my Project Life album.

Created March 2011

Created June 2011

Created July 2011

Created September 2011

Auction Finds

2012-02-26T10:33:00.004-05:00

Journal: February 25, 2012

2012-02-25T23:30:00.001-05:00

Another day of feeling sick. Don't know what is going on with that. I missed FGH's entry in the Pinewood Derby and I didn't even know that BMH had an entry - so I missed both of those due to this ongoing malaise. I'm not really sick. No symptoms of anything to note, really - just not feeling like myself. Who knows?

So, despite the desire to get a lot of things done today, I spent the day relaxing with Stew. We caught up on all of our DVR'ed shows - considering I'm going to be out of town for two weeks, that's probably a good thing to have as much space available as possible. Once I get back from this training, Stew and my agreed upon routine will go into effect, which means tv time on Fridays only. I think I'm going to have to cut out some shows...that's not a bad thing.

We also watched the Nationwide race. Who won? I have no idea - someone I have never heard of. So who is going to win tomorrow - same thing, probably some one no one has heard of who just gets through the mess of a wreck that happens on the last lap. It happened in the truck race last night and in the Nationwide race today. I think that today's mess was caused by Kurt Busch trying to block - I really just don't like that guy.

And big news of today - CEH has arrived. We got a text from Matt around 4:50 saying that they were at the hospital, but not in active labor, though they were admitting Kelly because she was too close to going. Update text at 5:35 stated that they were inducing labor within the next hour and at 9:15 we go the text saying that Ms. CEH was born at 8:41. She weighed 9lbs, 5ozs and was 21 inches. YAY! I'm an aunt again - that's baby number 12, 7 girls and 5 boys. I'll have to go see Ms. CEH when I get back from Cincinnati since with this general not feeling well thing I've got going on, I don't want to infect her.

Tomorrow's the Daytona 500 - we normally have a big party, but we're not sure it's even going to happen this year with CEH's arrival. We'll see.

POTD: February 25, 2012

2012-02-25T23:30:00.000-05:00

What else can the picture of the day be other than my new niece. CEH is here.

I, unfortunately, won't be able to meet this little beauty until I get back from two weeks of training in Cincinatti - and then the required isolation time making sure I didn't pick up any germs on the plane. But she's here and healthy and that's what's really important.

Book Review: Veil of Midnight

2012-02-25T12:59:00.001-05:00

Author: Lara Adrian
Start Date: 16 Feb 2012
End Date: 22 Feb 2012

Photo from author's website

Amazon Summary:
Bound by blood, addicted to danger, they'll enter the darkest—and most erotic—place of all.

A warrior trained in bullets and blades, Renata cannot be bested by any man—vampire or mortal. But her most powerful weapon is her extraordinary psychic ability—a gift both rare and deadly. Now a stranger threatens her hard-won independence—a golden-haired vampire who lures her into a realm of darkness…and pleasure beyond imagining.

A combat-loving adrenaline junkie, Nikolai dispenses his own justice to enemies of the Breed—and his latest quarry is a ruthless assassin. One woman stands in his way: the seductive, cool-as-ice bodyguard, Renata. But Renata’s powers are put to the test when a loved one, a child, is threatened and she’s forced to turn to Niko for help. As the two join forces, as desire fans the flames of a deeper hunger, Renata’s life is under siege by a man who offers the exquisite pleasure of a blood bond—and a passion that could save or doom them both forever.…

Grade:D
My Comments: Not sure I'm going to be able to finish this series though there was a character introduced in this book that I'm interested in (of course he's not until book 9, grrrr). Anyway, this book had the same failings as the last one, I thought the conflicts that the two heroes battled were far too easily resolved and the fact that Renata asks to drink Nikolai's blood and he allows this without any sort of feeling of disgust considering the blood bond just didn't make sense to me. Nikolai is abducted and forced into blood lust - but that all goes away in Renata's presence. Give me a break Ms. Adrian. You've set blood lust up to be this overwhelming, to the brink of no return happening and then in this book it is glossed over and not dealt with. Something's amiss. I'm not sure I can read books 6-8 just to get to nine, though I did buy 6 tonight. We'll see. Me and my OCD not allowing me to just skip ahead.

Layouts - A Look Back - Religious Celebrations

2012-02-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm looking back at layouts I've done that celebrate our faith.

Created February 2011

Created March 2011

Created April 2011

POTD: February 24, 2012

2012-02-24T23:30:00.001-05:00

Headed to Bel Air Auction Gallery tonight to bid on some stuff.

Journal: February 24, 2012

2012-02-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

That's all folks. For the next two days, I'm officially unemployed. Wow, right? Today was the last day at my job. I had my final talk with my manager, submitted my final expense reports - expense reports right up until the last minute, haha - that's me. I started gathering all of the things that need to be sent back. It's quite a bit. Stew will take it to the UPS store next week for me - he's great.

We headed to the auction tonight in Bel Air. I'd never been to an auction before and didn't know what to expect. I learned a lot, mostly, you need a game plan. I was making too many spur of the moment purchases so by the time the items came up that I really wanted, I had already spent my budgeted amount. I did score some items that will look nice around the house, but I lost out on all of the lots of rubber stamps I wanted. Lesson learned. Will do better next time. I'll share our purchases tomorrow after I take pictures of them. Way too sleeping tonight for that.

Here's our auction number. You have to pay $10 to get a number and if you buy something they subtract it from the price. If you don't buy something they give it back to you at the end of the night. The only problem is, they take cash only for this and neither Stew or I had any. They trusted us. I'm sure that will change as they get to know us.

The doors of the auction house open at 4:30 and the auction starts at 6. This gives you time to look at the items you really want to purchase. Another thing I learned. The auction goes really fast - so make sure you know what you want to bid on. There were a lot of people there and each one of them seemed to have their niche of things they were looking for - one guy bid on all of the furniture, the lady sitting in front of us bid on all of the jewelry and there was a lady behind us who looked for all vintage things because her daughter is a photographer and she uses them for her sets for her photos.

Following the auction and a rather precarious trip in the car (we bought a lot of glass and not knowing anything at all about this, no boxes or bubble wrap or anything, so I had to carry it) - we headed to Red Robin to eat. Stew got cluck and fries or whatever that's called. I really wanted a burger. I forgot to tell them to only put certain things on it so while it was good, it wasn't great. Bummer there.

This was on the bottom (obviously) of the advertisement they had on the table.

Over dinner Stew and I talked a lot of sports and about how we thought we did at the auction. They have arcade games on the way out of the restaurant and I wanted to play Ms. Pac Man - or what I thought was Ms. Pac Man - turns out, it was something called Ladybug. You could walk through the swinging walls and trap the things that were coming after you and things. It was weird.

Stew played the ghetto version of Break out. We both got high scores - we won't mention that it was because they reset the machines each time.

Another precarious drive home with all the glass, unloading of the car, took care of Stew's hands and it was off to bed for us. So sleepy.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Bethesda to watch FGH participate in the pinewood derby. Should be a blast. Looking forward to it.

Fast Fact Friday

2012-02-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

What is your favorite...

1. Fast food restaurant?

Chick-Fil-A

2. Casual dining restaurant?
Bertuccis

3. Expensive restaurant?
Capital Grille or McCormick and Schmick's

4. Family-friendly restaurant?
Pizza Johns

5. Restaurant that you could go to everyday?
Pizza Johns

Layouts - A Look Back - The Kids Play Sports

2012-02-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

Let's celebrate active children today. Here are layouts I've made documenting my kids playing organized sports. (I guess you don't play karate, but for the sake of simplicity, I'm going to let that go.)

Created February 2011

Created April 2011

POTD: February 23, 2012

2012-02-23T23:30:00.001-05:00

Last day logging into the trip report software.

Journal: February 23, 2012

2012-02-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

Spent the day starting to get things together to send back to my company for my last day. It's hard to believe how much stuff you gather in almost 4 years. Still not feeling any sadness about this - wonder if it will ever come.

YAY for new contact lenses.

Spent a lot of time cooking today. Made chili, Moroccan Beef Stew (crock pot) and Pork with Greens and Beans (crock pot).

This is the moroccan beef stew - it was delicious.

Other than cooking and working - pretty boring day around here.

Thankful Thursday

2012-02-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

This week's theme - cleaning supplies. Here are my favorites:

My favorite things for cleaning the tub - unfortunately, they are no longer making them. Booooooooooo.

Layouts - A Look Back - Adding to the Family

2012-02-23T10:29:00.000-05:00

More layouts I've done to document the birth of my kids:

Created: February 2011

Created: March 2011

Created: April 2011

Created: July 2011

POTD: February 22, 2012

2012-02-22T23:30:00.001-05:00

Stew's solution for the mess in my craft room.

Journal: February 22, 2012

2012-02-22T23:30:00.000-05:00

Blah is the word of the day. Not feeling well and no motivation. Slept, read and watched tv. The end.

Layouts - A Look Back - The Kids and their Uncles

2012-02-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm celebrating the relationship that the kids have formed with their uncles.

Created: December 2010

Created: February 2011

Created September 2011

POTD: January 21, 2012

2012-02-21T23:00:00.001-05:00

In celebration of Mardi Gras - my gumbo. No shrimp due to a weird contact allergy reaction and I forgot to add the green beans and tomatoes, so not my best attempt - but it was okay tasting.

Journal: February 21, 2012

2012-02-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

Sleep just wasn't easy to come by last night, I think I got all of 2 hours of sleep and while I laid on the couch this morning thinking that a long nice nap would be good, I thought, time's wasting, let's get up and do something that may give me some energy even if that thought is counter intuitive to me most of the time. I put on the work out clothes, went down stairs and broke out the Zumba Wii game that I bought and let me just say I love it. I love to dance any way and this makes me feel like I'm learning more about dancing than I am just doing exercise. I do need to buy a new Wii remote that will work better with the game, but this is awesome. I didn't last very long (to say I'm out of shape would be an understatement) and I couldn't always keep up, but I was moving and look 210 calories gone. Whooohooo.

Following Zumba, I took a shower and got ready for the day. Mail person came and look here - my package is damaged. Thankfully, nothing inside was - that would have been tragic. It's a scrap kit, guys.

Then on to the errands. Picked up Stew's dry cleaning.

Since it's Mardi Gras, I decided to make gumbo for dinner so I went to the grocery store to get the ingredients for that.

Found this magazine - I love my slow cooker and if I can make good for us food in it, all the better...

Got a new Tony Stewart shirt, I'm ready for the season now.

One of the main goals in running around today was to find ice packs for Stew's lunch. I searched and searched Target and the only ones I could find were these - Star Wars - how awesome is that! He's going to love them. Though I did eventually find the other ones, too.

Also bought a new tooth brush stand for our bathroom. We have one where the tooth brushes go into the holder - the bottom of that thing gets disgusting - so this will make cleaning it much easier.

New water bottle - tired of paying for Fiji especially since we have a water filter on the fridge.

Then I made my gumbo - had to peel and de-vein all of the shrimp. I finished this, but my fingers were tingling and I thought it was just the typical sensitive skin reaction I get like when I chop ginger - ummm nope, this was some sort of topical allergic reaction. My finger swelled and I started itching.

You can't really tell without a reference but my finger was swollen and tight to the point that I couldn't bend it. Needless to say, I didn't put the shrimp in the gumbo. Weird reaction though since I've eaten shrimp a lot and peeled them a lot - don't know what's up with that.

The gumbo was pretty good even though a little spicy and I forgot the green beans and tomatoes - after the reaction, my brain was in outer space.

That was it for the day. Got a lot of cooking ahead in my future.

Layouts - A Look Back - Shawn with his children

2012-02-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm celebrating my brother Shawn and his relationship with his children through layouts I've done of them in the past. (Thinking about this made me realize that I have very few pictures of my other brothers and their kids, not to mention pictures of the kids with their mothers - I'm going to have to do something about that.)

Created: February 2011

Created: September 2011

Journal: February 20, 2012

2012-02-20T23:00:00.001-05:00

Today just goes in the blah category. I woke up this morning not feeling well so instead of sharing my germs with all those around me, I decided to stay home and just infect Stew - he had the day off from work because it's President's day.

This is my last week at my job. It's weird but I don't think I'm going to miss it at all. I'm just ready to move on to my next opportunity.

I slept and Stew and I watched tv for most of the day. Not feeling good sucks.

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.

POTD: February 20, 2012

2012-02-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

This is it, folks. The picture of the day. Feeling lousy leads to this...

Layouts - A Look Back - Celebrate Birthdays

2012-02-20T10:11:00.000-05:00

Today, we're going to celebrate birthdays by looking at past layouts I did for these momentous occasions.

Created December 2010

Created March 2011

Pages Created April 2011

Created June 2011

Pages Created July 2011

Journal: February 19, 2012

2012-02-19T23:00:00.001-05:00

The lazy day I had planned turned lazier than I wanted it. I spent the morning in the craft room. I'm on a layout making roll right now. I'll take some pictures and share sometime soon.

I made our menu for the week.

Then Stew got up - we settled in the tv room to catch up on the DVR. That finished, I went upstairs with the intention of showering and getting to the store - but my bed was calling my name. I thought, I'll just lay down for a minute. Turned into a nap that lasted several hours. By the time I got up, I didn't feel like doing anything. Cereal for dinner and more Pawn Stars.

Stew rested the entire day which makes me happy - I on the other hand was a slug. LOL. This week is going to be busy now.

Oh well, some times, you just have to listen to what your body is telling you. And mine's telling me to go to sleep - still!

POTD: February 19, 2011

2012-02-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Received my Simon Says Stamp card kit yesterday but by the time we got home I was too tired to open it. Yes, now you know how tired I was - so I opened it today. I love that they put a tootsie roll pop in it. So cute.

Layouts - A Look Back - Concerts

2012-02-19T09:37:00.000-05:00

A look back at layouts I made for concerts, we or I, attended. Now that I'm doing Project Life, I think these will be captured in there and not given a whole page...

Page Created March 2011

Carlos Mencia, November 20, 2008

Pages Created June 2011

Larry The Cable Guy, November 18, 2006

Kathy Griffin, September 29, 2006

Ron White, September 22, 2006

Elton John, March 24, 2011

Pages Created July 2011

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, December 29, 2006

NKOTB, March 2009

Book Review: Midnight Rising

2012-02-19T07:51:00.001-05:00

Author: Lara Adrian
Book 4 in the series: Midnight Breed

Photo from the author's website.

Description from Amazon:

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2008

In a world of shadows and dark, consuming hungers, desire is the deadliest weapon...

For journalist Dylan Alexander, it began with the discovery of a hidden tomb, thrusting her into the center of a gathering storm of violence and secrets. But nothing is as dangerous as the scarred, lethally seductive man who rises from the shadows to draw her into his world of dark desire and endless night.

Fueled by pain and rage over a shattering betrayal, the warrior Rio has pledged his life to the war against the Rogues. He will let nothing stand in his way—least of all a mortal woman with the power to expose the entire vampire race. For an ancient evil has been awakened, and a stunning darkness is on the rise. Suddenly Dylan is powerless to resist Rio’s touch, even as she uncovers a shocking link to her own past. And now she must choose: Leave Rio’s midnight realm, or risk it all for the man who has shown her true passion and the infinite pleasures of the heart. . . .

Started: 16 Feb 2012

Finished: 17 Feb 2012

Grade: C

My Comments
Besides the first book in this series, this one is the weakest of them all. I thought that, unlike the last book where the hero's conflicts were addressed and the time was taken to explore how he moved past them, Rio's issues were glossed over and this is a very basic romance without the tension and conflict that I prefer. I admit it, I like some angst and while there was some of that, this book failed to walk me through Rio getting over all that happened to him in the past in order for him to explore this new love with Dylan. While the second book of this series made we want to pick up the third, this one made me wonder if I want to read the fifth one.

Menu Planning for the next three weeks

2012-02-19T06:53:00.004-05:00

Since I'm home this week and then gone for two weeks - I needed to figure out things I could make that I could freeze and Stew could eat while I'm gone.

This week:
Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Eating out
Wednesday: Slow Cooker - Moroccan Beef Stew
Thursday: Slow Cooker - Salsa Chicken
Friday: Slow Cooker - Pork with Greens and Beans
Saturday: Chili
Sunday: Daytona Party - making pulled pork

I'm also going to make Chicken Corn Chowder to freeze for Stew's meals while I'm away and I'm making chicken soup today as per last week's menu, so he'll have left overs of that, as well.

I will freeze all of these things and then once frozen, transfer them into a food saver bag, suck all of the air out of them and then they stay good in the freezer for a long time. When Stew pulls them out for dinner, all he needs to do is put the bag in boiling water, heat it through and voila dinner!

Journal: February 18, 2012

2012-02-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

Day started out early - around 4AM. I spent the morning cleaning up my scrapbooking room and working on some projects I'll share in other posts.

I went upstairs around 10AM to see how Stew was doing. He was sleeping pretty soundly so I thought that maybe we'd skip the game and I'd let him sleep, but he woke up and said he wanted to go to the game.

So off we went. We got there before the game started but later than I wanted - I missed the sucks portion of the intros. That SUCKS!

The game sucked, too. The Flyers were standing around on defense. We don't have a goalie to speak of. They seemed like they were half asleep. It was amazing to me that one of the oldest players on the team was one of the only ones to play with any kind of intensity. Even Giroux seemed sluggish. Just not a good game. I still loved being there and thank Matt for the opportunity to go see them face off against the Pens - but they just didn't seem that into it. There was a guy sitting behind us that was screaming that he was embarrassed and that he wanted a refund. Too funny. Gotta love those Flyers' fans - gotta love even more that when the refs came out before the periods began, the whole crowd booed them. The fans are one of the many reasons I love hockey.

I took about 150 pictures from the game. Here are a few:

Jagr skating off after his second goal - he was one of the few highlights of the game.

Westwood scored his first NHL goal.

Our new guy: Nicklas Grossman

Bobs - let's just say, as a goalie, he makes a good gymnast.

Final score. Boooooooo. Hate the Penguins.

Stewbert saved me the best part of the pretzel - ain't he the best.

Us at the game...

After the game we headed over to mom and dad's. Dad got a new pizza stone last week, so when we made dinner plans, we decided that he'd show us how it's done.

Dad making pizza

The pizza was delish - makes me never want to buy pizza again. Stew and I are definitely going to try to make our own some time in the near future.

Mom's damn brownies - I ate a third of these - to say I rolled home, yeah...

We watched the Bud shoot out while we were up there. Looked like Tony was going to take it. Damn that Kyle Busch. I actually didn't see much of the race, I was falling asleep. Poor Stew had to drive home - I slept the whole way, I was so tired.

Hoping to sleep in tomorrow. Got some chores to do but other than that, we're just hanging around the house. My Stewbert needs to rest.

POTD: February 18, 2012

2012-02-18T22:30:00.000-05:00

The expert pizza maker showing us how it's done!

Layouts - A Look Back - Back to School

2012-02-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

Today, we're going to look at layouts I made to commemorate the kids returning to school in Fall 2011. All layouts created September 2011.

POTD: February 17, 2012

2012-02-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

My Valentine's Day Card from WTK. There were chocolates in the package, too. MMMMMM.

Journal: February 17, 2012

2012-02-17T22:30:00.000-05:00

Spent the morning part of the day organizing and cleaning up the office. Stewbert will need to hang some shelves once his hands can handle that, but for now, you can actually walk in there and the desks are cleaned off so I'm happy about that.

Received confirmation that I'm not going to South Dakota - doing freaking cartwheels about that one.

Had dinner with Chuck, Amber, PAM and PEM tonight. PAM was cute holding the door for everyone during the 45 minute wait at Olive Garden. At one point this little boy was trying to hold the door and PAM told him, "get off of there, little boy." HAHA. Bossy much. PAM has really gotten into playing games on phones. She started with Amber's phone and then spent awhile playing Skee ball on my phone. Hope she didn't beat my high score - what am I saying, I don't play the game. GEP plays and then Stew beat his high score. Hope PAM didn't beat Stew's high score, we know how he is about these things. PAM had spaghetti with a meatball and without sauce. She also downed her share of breadsticks. She was really good. She held my purse while we were waiting for the table and was telling me how strong she is and she constantly tells Stew and I that we are her friends.

This is PAM showing us how she looks when she's cold.

PEM wasn't her particularly happy self tonight. Teething is hitting her full force. The tooth (on the bottom) that was palpable last week has broken through the skin and can now be seen. She gives the sweetest kisses. Stew describes them as trying to eat your whole face, but it's cute all the same. She and I spent a lot of time cuddling while we waited for the table and then we played after dinner. She was pretty tired tonight and while you could tell that her teeth were bothering her, she ate her rice cake and was really good during dinner.

She's getting really tired and cranky at this point - but as I pointed out to Stew, I'd make that face if he was holding me, too! HA!

Love my two girls and am so happy to be spending time with them again. Hopefully with this new job keeping me more regional it'll give me more time to spend with all of my kids.

Got home to find a package from my little WTK. He decorated the box for me...

Made me chocolates....

and a card....

And though everything was addressed to me and Stew - I know that WTK was just sending it to me. *kisses* my little one!

And my remote for the camera came today. No more running back and forth with the timing function - whew, we all know I'm lazy.

Off to the Flyers' game tomorrow and then to mom and dad's for pizza! Yummy!

Fast Fact Friday: 17 Feb 2012

2012-02-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

1. Do you collect anything?

Do shoes count? I think mostly now, I collect scrapbooking supplies. The room is out of control.

2. What’s your favorite hobby?

Scrapbooking, for sure. I walked into this hobby mostly by accident, but I love it. I love preserving the memories and the creative outlet of it.

3. What is your style of organization?

Extreme - everything is labeled. Everything has a place and should be in its place.

4. If you didn’t have any limitations, what would you be passionate about?

Photography - I'd love to learn the ins and outs of my camera. I'm going to take some classes once I'm not traveling as much but for now, my Nikon D90 mostly just stays on auto!

5. What hobby have you been thinking about trying, but haven't yet?

I'd love to learn how to knit and to sew. I'm very interested in making my own clothes and would like to try this once I have some time.

Layouts - A Look Back - Sporting Events

2012-02-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

Today, we're looking back at layouts I made for sporting events that Stew and I attended:

Layout created February 2011

Surprised Stew by taking him to see the Eagles play the Ravens.

Layouts created March 2011

Phantoms Game, April 10, 2009

Flyers Game, March 31, 2007

Orioles Game, July 20, 2008

Phantoms Game, November 9, 2007

Superbowl spent in Pittsburgh 2009 - The Steelers win!!

Bristol NASCAR Race, August 25, 2007

Flyers Game, January 21, 2009

Layouts Created July 2011

76ers Game, January 26, 2007

Richmond, NASCAR race, September 2006

Journal: January 16, 2012

2012-02-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Long day today. Just trying to finish up all of this stuff for my current job while trying to find the motivation to do so. I talked to my manager today about this South Dakota trip and he's going to work on getting me out of it. That's looking up.

I'm just so tired today and I don't know why. Stew brought home food from WaWa - I'm on this pizza sub kick right now and WaWa has a pretty good one. Then he and I watched tv. Mostly Pawn Stars - loving this show. It's amazing what people own. One guy had a motorcycle made entirely out of wood and another guy had a cannon. Incredible!

I came upstairs and took a shower around 9 - had to watch The Big Bang Theory first and then it was reading then bed. Not a very exciting day but I hope I'm not as tired tomorrow.

POTD: February 16, 2012

2012-02-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Stew and I have been watching the show Pawn Stars and I play a game while the show is on trying to guess which "expert" they're going to bring in to appraise or verify an item. Stew found me a list of their experts today - awwwww!

The Power of Habit - Why we do what we do in life and in business

2012-02-16T17:06:00.001-05:00

Author: Charles Duhigg

This book was featured in a NY Times article today. The article was written by the author of the book.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?ref=magazine

My favorite parts of the article:

Researchers have figured out how to stop people fromhabitually overeating and biting their nails. They can explain why some of usautomatically go for a jog every morning and are more productive at work, whileothers oversleep and procrastinate.

The brain will try to make almost any repeated behavior intoa habit, because habits allow our minds to conserve effort.

3 step process

Trigger

Routine

Reward

Habits aren’t destiny — they can be ignored, changed orreplaced. But it’s also true that once the loop is established and a habitemerges, your brain stops fully participating in decision-making. So unless youdeliberately ﬁght a habit — unless you ﬁnd new cues and rewards — the oldpattern will unfold automatically.

My thoughts on the article as shared on Facebook:

Very interesting article. It certainly makes me think about all of the information that is available out there about me that I'm not even aware of - though, honestly, I don't have a lot of habits, so I'm not sure any of the information they have about me is accurate. In fact, they probably think I have a brood of children considering what I buy at Target. Stew and I talk a lot about developing habits, like eating more healthy and exercising, cleaning the house on a certain schedule - it's interesting to see how habits are formed.

A quote from the article" Researchers have figured out how to stop people from habitually overeating and biting their nails. They can explain why some of us automatically go for a jog every morning and are more productive at work, while others oversleep and procrastinate." So, I want to know what researchers know and how to change those habits of overeating, oversleeping and procrastinating. I want to go for a job every morning and be more productive at work. I will definitely be buying this book when it comes out on the 28th.

Reminder to buy this book: entered into my calendar - though it's competing with the new Showalter book. Hmmmm.

Book Review: Midnight Awakening

2012-02-16T16:58:00.003-05:00

Author: Lara Adrian
Book three in the series: Midnight Breed

Photo from the author's website.

Book Description from Amazon:

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2007

With a dagger in her hand and vengeance on her mind, Darkhaven beauty Elise Chase prowls Boston’s streets in search of retribution against the Rogue vampires who took from her everything she cherished. Using an extraordinary psychic gift, she tracks her prey, well aware that the power she possesses is destroying her. She must learn to harness this gift, and for that she can turn to only one man—the deadliest of the Breed warriors, Tegan.

No stranger to loss, Tegan knows Elise’s pain. He knows fury, but when he slays his enemies it is with ice in his veins. He is perfect in his self-control, until Elise seeks his aid in her personal war. An unholy alliance is forged—a bond that will link them by blood and vow—and plunge them into a tempest of danger, desire, and the darkest passions of the heart. . . .

Began: 14 Feb 2012

Finished: 16 Feb 2012

Grade: B+

My comments: I love Tegan. He's exactly the type of hero that I love - unreachable, aloof, a loner. I really liked how the author navigated the many stages Tegan had to go through in order to allow Elise into his heart. I liked how she didn't gloss over the very real obstacles to them being together. I thought she handled it well. I also liked how she progressed through the arc of the overall story - the world story, if you will. I felt that the resolution of the one conflict to move toward the new threat was timely. I'm impatient, so if this backstory had had no significant changes in several novels, I would have been bored, but she ended one story arc and started another that will be explored in the next books and I appreciated that. This book has me anxious to grab a cup of tea and curl up on the couch with the next one. This series may move beyond how I labeled it to Stew initially: "something to pass the time until the next Ward book comes out."

Book Review: Kiss of Crimson

2012-02-16T16:51:00.002-05:00

Author: Lara Adrian
Book 2 in the series: Midnight Breed

Photo from author's website.

Description of Book from Amazon:

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2007

He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets and rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man calling himself Dante is no man at all, but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single erotically charged moment Tess is plunged into his world—a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror.

Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives and fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need—but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless, irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm…and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, and hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante and Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they discover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself….

Started: 11 Feb 2012

Completed: 14 Feb 2012

My comments:

I'm so happy that I looked at the first book for what it was: an introduction to this world. It was full of character histories and an in depth description of the setting and premise of the books. The second book truly focused on the characters and their battles. The characterizations of the main characters were more deeply explored; their motivations and their faults. I like characters who are not perfect. In addition, the author moved the overall story forward while telling us of the love story between Dante and Tess. I thought this was a good book and I'm excited for the next one.

Grade: B

Layouts - A Look Back - Those Crazy Kids

2012-02-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Today, we're going to look at layouts I made to show the personalities of my kids.

Layouts created December 2010

Layouts created February 2011

Layouts Created April 2011

Thankful Thursday: February 16, 2012

2012-02-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

Some thing a little less heavy this week:

Let's thank my seven favorite crafty blogs for all of their inspiration:

1. Nichol Migourik - Though watch out, if you're like me, Nichol will make you want to buy every thing she uses on her pages!

2. Shimelle Laine - love Shimelle's style and the way she captures her memories in a clean and easy to follow way.

3. Kerri Bradford - love all of her kits. Use the photo mats for photo collages and her die cuts for titles and other accents on my pages. Love her!

4. Jennifer McGuire - love all of the techniques she uses. I find myself wanting to try them all and then deciding that it's too much work! LOL! But I sure do watching all of the techniques she teaches.

5. Kimberly Kalil - such inspiration. She does so much crafting while continuing to travel for her job. I can't seem to balance the two, but reading about her ability to do it, while having two children, in fact, just gives me the encouragement to try.

6. Scrapbooking from the Inside Out - Love Rachel and all the girls over there. The encouragement to explore real emotion and their willingness to share their true selves with us, truly inspiring. Besides, I love the kits!

7. Amy Rysavy - I'm going to learn how to color with my Copics - I swear it and if there's anyone who can help me to do it, it's Amy!

Journal: February 15, 2012

2012-02-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

Not a lot happened today. I had a therapy appointment. That went well. We filled out the paperwork for the new therapist. I just need to call and make an appointment and figure out the insurance part of it. I'm still cleaning up things in order to transfer them back to the office so that my departure from the company is smooth. I received an email today that they were cancelling my visit tomorrow because the site isn't ready, which is good news, but they want me to do a visit in South Dakota, which is bad news. I have a meeting with my manager tomorrow and I'll see what he wants me to do.

Tonight for dinner, I made the tortellini and vegetables that we were supposed to have on Monday, but I had Beefaroni instead, so I made it tonight. I was really good, I thought, but as I was making it, I realized that there was no way Stew was going to eat it it. He doesn't like peppers and this had a lot of those. So I had mine.

And I put some ragu on his...as you can see, he doesn't need much sauce!

And Stew made his what he terms "ghetto garlic bread". White bread, butter, garlic salt - it was yummy, as always.

We watched some tv and went to bed. We're both just really dragging lately - don't know what that's about. I think it may be the continued problems with sleeping well. Hopefully this works itself out soon because we're both exhausted.

POTD: February 15, 2012

2012-02-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

In the "those kids" category. Seems my little MNP lost mom's keys.

Layouts - A Look Back - Return to Christmas

2012-02-15T09:06:00.000-05:00

Returning to Christmas in February for another day.

Christmas 2007, Layout created December 2010

Christmas 2009, Layout Created February 2011

Christmas 2010, All Layouts Created February 2011

Journal: February 14, 2012

2012-02-14T22:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day

No specific plans for us, as we don't really celebrate Valentine's Day.

I spent the early morning in the craft room.

Made these glittery swirls using some Maya Road chipboard shapes, some Bubble Bee glitter from Doodlebug and Glossy accents - going to use these on a layout I'm making.

Received my Jenni Bowlin monthly kit. I'm not sure I'm going to keep subscribing to this kit - may find a different one.

Pulled out some of my old (and I mean OLD!!) pictures to find ones I was looking for - man, I really need to organize these.

Laundry, laundry and more laundry...

Which leads to the pile of socks that I can't stand pairing. It's the worst part of laundry in my opinion. Here's just some more that needs to meet their match.

Ahhhh, a basket of paired socks....

Carnation from the guy at the car dealership. I took Stew's car in to get the oil changed. The guy at the dealership said, "here's a rose for you." Ummm, it's not a rose, but thank you.

Here's our romantic dinner (ha!) - steak and potatoes with salad. All of the condiments on the table - awesome. Look mom and dad, there's the ketchup bottle.

Took this screen capture from my phone of my twitter feed. This statement made by Kimberly Jones is exactly how I feel about Stew. So Happy Valentine's Day, my love. May we not celebrate so many more in the future.

POTD: February 14, 2012

2012-02-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

Stew with his special Valentine's Day chocolate chip cookies.

Layouts - A Look Back, Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, Valentine's Day - a day to celebrate love (or for the more jaded, a day created by card and candy makers to get all of us poor saps to buy the pink and red concoctions that they sell - but far be it from me to be so jaded). For the look back on past layouts today, I thought I would focus on those centering around Valentine's day or around love in general. This post is seriously picture heavy. There's a lot of love in my life, folks.

Layout celebrating the love of my life, my Stewbert. Layout created February 2011

Our Anniversary 2009 - together 3 years, married 2. Stew and I seem to always forget our anniversary, but mom never does. We normally remember when her card comes in the mail. (Layout created March 2011)

Valentine's Day 2009

WTK made this card for me. Look at his little hands. (Created March 2011)

The cards I received from Steve and Stew. Stew's has the requisite monkeys and Steve's highlights my obsession with grammar (which I tend to let go a bit while writing on this blog - those hanging prepositions, sometimes when you write it the way that is correct, it just sounds a little too haughty.) (Created March 2011)

Just because cards Stew gave me in February 2008 - to say I was having a bad time is an understatement, but Stew is always supportive and understanding and these just show that. (Created March 2011)

For Valentine's Day 2008, Stew and I spent the weekend in Baltimore. We saw the Blue Man Group and visited the Aquarium. (Pages created March 2011)

Dinner at Sabatino's - the best cannolis ever. (Layout created March 2011)

Cards I received for Valentine's Day 2008. (Layout created March 2011). Love the cut outs, made with the Cricut.

Valentine's Day cards received for 2007. (Created June 2011)

Cute Valentine's Day picture of WTK from 2009. (Created July 2011)

I don't know when this picture was taken, but I know it's adorable. (Layout created July 2011)

Everyone knows the story of how Stew and I met. I saved all of the correspondence from the Yahoo Personals site when we were getting to know one another. (Created July 2011)

July 2006 - our first dance at Matt and Kelly's wedding. We danced to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". It became our song. (Created July 2011)

Cute Valentine's Day card from GDH. Not sure of the date on this. Page created July 2011.

Journal: February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

Some days, I'm super productive, like I can't sit down. I'm cleaning and working and doing laundry and I even squeeze some time in there to scrapbook - today, was not one of those days. Today dragged on like there was no tomorrow in sight. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that work right now is not where I want to be. I'm excited to get started on my new job and I'm having trouble focusing on the things I need to finish for this one. It's a struggle. Only two more weeks.

Stew came home and since neither of us really knew what we wanted for dinner, I ended up making him grilled cheese and I had Beefaroni - love it!

The night was spent hanging out with Stew and watching tv and an early bedtime. Dear God, I hope tomorrow is better and more productive.

POTD: February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dinner for me tonight. Stew had grilled cheese.

Hey, at least it's whole grain, right? That "taste kids love" slogan makes me want to sing the Toys R Us jingle...

I don't want to grow up
I'm a Toys R Us kid

And as I like to point out, getting older is mandatory; growing up is optional.

Good day!

LOL

Crockpot Oatmeal Review

2012-02-13T08:59:00.002-05:00

Last night before bed, I set the ingredients for the Crockpot Oatmeal recipe I posted yesterday.

Worst part of it (and it wasn't really all that bad) was coring and peeling the apples. Otherwise, everything gets measured and put in the crockpot. Stir, set, and you're ready to go. Though I should read directions more carefully. The recipe called for ground flax seed - well, I bought whole flax seed. I was a little worried about that when I set it last night but after tasting it this morning - no issues.

In one word this breakfast is delicious and very filling. Next time I would definitely add more cinnamon than what the recipe calls for, but otherwise, it was a yummy and warm start to the day and I will definitely be making this again.

(See the flax seeds? HAHA) Should have turned the flash off!

All ready for the week - with added cinnamon on top.

One word to the wise, however, don't forget to spray your crockpot with cooking spray before you add your ingredients. (It's even on the recipe - grrrr). If you forget, you'll end up with this:

Layouts - A Look Back - Christmas Past

2012-02-13T08:08:00.000-05:00

Continuing our Christmas Tradition. These layouts were made in February 2011 for Christmas 2006 (I'm not behind or anything. HA.)

Posts from Facebook - 12 Feb 2012

2012-02-12T23:30:00.000-05:00

Sunday 12 February 2012
=======================

8:35 AM Technical support in this house has to wake up. *pouts* My mouse isn't working. (It's so funny to me that when I was single, I would try to figure this stuff out on my own and normally did a pretty good job of fixing the problem, but since I've met Stew, I normally just call him when there's a problem. Hmmm. Marriage has made me lazy.)

---

9:01 AM Whitney Houston - gone at such a young age. I remember dancing around my bedroom to "I Want to Dance with Somebody" when I was, gosh, so young. Her performance of the National Anthem was one of the best ever. What a sad journey her life took. RIP Whitney.

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10:56 AM Drinking water out of my The Rock cup and updating my blog while listening to New Age channel on Pandora

Journal, February 12, 2012

2012-02-12T22:30:00.000-05:00

Woke up this morning and got right in the shower - I never do that on the weekends, but I really should. Now granted, even though I put my make up on and did my hair, I still put pajamas on, but I felt so much better and later in the day when it was time to get out of the house, it made the process of getting dressed go that much easier. I struggle to figure out the working out and showering thing. I'd like to work out first thing in the morning, but seem to never have the motivation to do that, so I think that maybe I'll work out at lunch, but that would mean two showers a day which isn't that big of a problem but definitely kind of a time waster - I really just need to get my butt out of bed, put the workout clothes on and work out, shower and then be ready for the day without worrying about those two things on the to do list. Maybe tomorrow.

I started the day working on blog posts. My journaling is behind again, so I really wanted to work to get that caught up. Unfortunately, with my ADD tendencies (SQUIRREL), I got side tracked making a list of all of the book series that I read (which I will be posting my blog soon so that I never lose the damn thing again). I read a lot of series and it's hard to keep track where I am in them and when the next book is coming out, so I really want that in a central, easily found, place. So the blog post task will have to wait until tomorrow.

Did get breakfast and water before coming down to the craft room. Drinking water out of my "The Rock" cup. Another good start to the day.

Stew got up a little before 11 and he showed me a number of awesome keyboard shortcuts. I didn't know if you hit alt tab, the computer would switch you between windows or if you hit backspace while in a browser it essentially acts like the back button. This made making my book list so much easier.

He and I spent a lot of time looking to order Steven's books for his classes and finally go that taken care of. We went over the menu for the week and talked about the shopping list and then we had to leave to go pick up his car which we left at Amber and Chuck's on Friday night since Stew was really tired and I didn't want him driving.

Turns out Amber and Chuck were home so we got to spend some more time with them. PAM and PEM were eating lunch when we arrived. PEM was eating bananas for the first time and wasn't sure what she thought about them. PAM was eating a hot dog and fries and was a little wound up. She's got more energy in her little finger than I have in my entire body. She's so rambunctious. It's cute as hell. And PEM is just the happiest baby I've ever seen. She's not sure what she thinks of me at first giving me all sorts of weird faces, but once she warms up she and I play and she gives me kisses and smiles a lot. She made sounds today that almost sounded like "da da" and Chuck was standing right in front of her when she said it. I'm not sure they're actual words but with her saying that today and "ma ma" on Friday, I'm thinking maybe. She has a tooth coming in that hasn't quite broken through the skin so she's slobbering a lot, but you sure can't tell if it's bothering her or not. PAM was all about the hugs and playing. She really wants people to play the Wii with her. She's loving the Wii.

Amber made cupcakes for Chuck's birthday and of course I had to help myself to one of them. Here's a picture of it. I stole the picture from Amber since mine was gone way too fast to even think about taking a picture of it. LOL.

It was chocolate banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting - and it was yummy.

After we left Amber and Chuck's we headed over to The Bull Pen to grab some lunch after realizing that it was Sunday and Chick Fil A was not an option (Sigh!)

See the slogan - You Can't Beat Our Meat - Stay classy, my friends, stay classy.

Here's a car we saw parked across the street at the Burger King. It's all about the hydraulics.

More poor sleepy Stew waiting for his meal.

At least he perked up when I pestered him with the camera. Man talk about bags under your eyes. I need to get some sleep.

We both ordered Pit Beef sandwiches. Stew got his with fries and mayo/barbecue sauce. Mine is sans fries (trying to be good, sigh...) with only barbecue sauce.

The sandwiches were very good, if a little dry. Definitely need to be ordering extra barbecue sauce next time.

Stew and I headed to the grocery store. Groceries for the week.

The sky was really pretty last night and the clouds were moving really fast. I love watching clouds move.

So we got home, unloaded the car, Stew put the groceries away while I fried bacon for BLTs and BLCs (bacon, lettuce, and cheese) for this week's lunches.

We gathered our tax forms and filed our taxes. We're getting a significant refund from the state, but the federal government is taking most of that. Since Stew is in a higher tax bracket than I am, all of our income is taxed at that rate, but my check isn't - so, we always end up paying federal taxes.

We watched some Pawn Stars while I did some laundry.

And then it was time to put on the crockpot oatmeal and head to bed.

All in all a good productive day.

Oh, one other thing - I had to call Dad and apologize. He found out about my new job through Facebook - opps, my bad. I was so damn excited, I forgot that maybe I should pick up a phone first. So after offering my apologies, we made plans to have dinner next Saturday. He's trying out his new pizza stone tonight and if it works out - it's sounding like homemade pizza for dinner. Yummy.

Back to work tomorrow - why are weekends so short?

POTD: February 12, 2012

2012-02-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

Stew and I being silly while at eating at The Bull Pen

Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

2012-02-12T11:27:00.000-05:00

Book Description: He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell’s deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night—or this man—is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed—a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind—and the unwitting humans existing alongside them—from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.

Here, in the arms of the Breed’s formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all. . . .

Published: May 1, 2007

(Image and description from Amazon.)

My comments:

Funny story about this book. I re-read some of JR Ward's books last week and I was looking for something new to read and was looking through the "readers also bought" section on Amazon and this book was on there. I read the description and downloaded the sample. After reading the sample, I thought that the book might be interesting, so I went to purchase it. Only for Amazon to tell me that I had purchased it on May 22, 2009. I had no recollection of ever reading this book and after finishing it, I still don't. I don't know if Stew downloaded it on one of his download all of the free books frenzies or what, but I sure didn't read it when we bought it.

Being a fan of Ward and Showalter, this book fits into the same sort of concept as those; however, this first book wasn't as good as any in either of those series. It was very slow and the introductions to the characters and the environment in which they live took a long time and wasn't nearly a smooth process. It involved a lot more telling than showing. I'm intrigued to find out what the conflict is between Lucan and Tegan. Even though the writing was a bit stilted, the characters were well developed. I thought the conflicts between Lucan and Gabrielle were too easily resolved and that her introduction into their world wasn't as developed as it could be. I was happy to learn that some of the warriors had already found their Breedmates (the established relationship between Tohr and Wellsie in the Ward books was a good plot device) and that Adrian killed one of her warriors in the first book shows that the author is willing to show that the good guys don't always win and I like that in a story since it is more fitting to a true scenario.

So all in all, the book was good enough for me to want to read more from this series. I downloaded the second book in the series last night so I'll see if, now that all of the introductions are out of the way, if the book reads more smoothly.

Grade: B-

Menu for week of 13 Feb 2012

2012-02-12T09:07:00.003-05:00

Monday: Tortellini with Vegetables
Tuesday: Steak, Potatoes, Broccoli and Chocolate Mousse for dessert
Wednesday: Pizza Johns (Gina leaving for VA tonight)
Thursday: Sandwiches (Gina in VA today)
Friday: Eating out with Chuck and Amber - celebrate Chuck's birthday
Saturday: Eating out - Flyers' Game in the afternoon
Sunday: Chicken Soup

I found this awesome meal planning worksheet to use to plan out our meals for the week.

http://www.theprojectgirl.com/resources/theprojectgirl.com-mealplanner-FILLABLE.pdf

Recipes for this week include:

Crock Pot Oatmeal

Tortellini with Vegetables

Chocolate Mousse

Layouts - A Look Back - Christmas Past

2012-02-12T08:03:00.000-05:00

We're going to do some Christmas in February layouts today. These layouts were created in July 2010 for Christmas 2009.

Facebook: 11 Feb 2012

2012-02-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday 11 February 2012
=========================

10:59 AM Christmas celebration scheduled for today has been postponed - now what to do? I think a nap is in my future.

Journal, February 11, 2012

2012-02-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

The snow came today and the snow went and silly me postponed our Christmas celebration plans with the family because I wasn't sure how the roads were going to be. That turned out to be a less than good idea. On the other hand, I was exhausted today. No amount of caffeine was helping. I ended up napping for quite awhile on the couch while Stew and I caught up on our DVR'ed programs.

We ordered Pat's for dinner.

We both wish we had a better pizza/sub place around here - but in a pinch Pat's will do. Ever since we went to Matt and Kelly's a few weeks ago I've been craving pizza subs. I had one at WaWa last night and one from Pat's tonight. Sad, but WaWa's was better. Stew got chicken cheese steak.

We'll be making our menu tomorrow and going to the grocery store so that we're not eating out every night. It's no good for us, it's not all that tasty and it's damn expensive.

It was a nice pajama day, but I'm sorry that I didn't get to see and hang out with the family. God only knows when we'll be able to reschedule - coordinating schedules - so, so difficult.

POTD: February 11, 2012

2012-02-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

Lazy day around the house. The view for most of the day looked like this...

Layouts - A Look Back - Those Cute and Funny Kids

2012-02-11T07:58:00.000-05:00

Sharing some more layouts made in years past today. These were created in July 2010.

Facebook: 10 Feb 2012

2012-02-10T23:30:00.000-05:00

Friday 10 February 2012
=======================

12:16 PM I'm putting my kids' Valentine's Day cards in envelopes to mail (since you know, I never did mail their Halloween cards) and realized I didn't make cards for two of my kids. How in the name of all that's holy did this happen?

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1:05 PM Found my Valentine's Day cards - they were hiding out in my ultra secret, don't smear the glitter, hiding place. All's well now.

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1:42 PM Official confirmation today. Start date at my new job is 27 Feb 2012. So damn excited.

POTD: February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about my new career move. I can't wait to join the team...

Journal, February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

Well, first the most awesome news of the day. I got the job! A job I actually didn't apply to. Now for the whole story since I couldn't say anything about it until now. Around November of last year, I had several conversations with my current supervisors about moving business units so I could begin working on more challenging and complicated studies. They said that as my current project was coming to an end they would look into this. Unfortunately, due to company demands, this wasn't a possibility, so I made the decision that I needed to find a position doing research for which I am passionate and phase IV just isn't it. So, I applied for several jobs and made my CV public again. I interviewed with a major CRO - three interviews in fact, two on the phone and one face to face. From what the recruiter said everyone was impressed by my CV and thought I did well during the interviews, only when a time came to make the decision about hiring they decided that they didn't need a regional monitor in Maryland - ummm, why interview me three times? I haven't moved, but anyway, I think everything happens for a reason because three days after I found out I wasn't going to be hired for that job, the fire happened at the house. It would have made moving to a new position incredibly hard.

In January, I received a call from CTI (clinical trial and consulting service). The hiring manager had seen my CV on the ACRP website and call me to see if I would be interested in interviewing for a CRA position with them. I told them that I would like to learn more about their company and the position. The company is based in Cincinatti; it's a small company compared to where I work now; and they specialize in transplant research (i.e. complicated). They are trying to make their monitoring force more regionally based. Yes, yes, yes, I'm interested. I had an initial phone interview with HR, a phone interview with the CRA manager and then a skype interview with the VP, the CRA manager and the HR rep. Doing a skype interview was really interesting - I think I need to be more aware of the position of the camera next time; anyway, following that interview, they called and wanted me to fly out to Cincinatti to interview face to face. I did that on Wednesday. It was a long interview process. I met with two of their CRAs, the VP, the manager of the CRAs, the associate director of research, the HR rep, and the president of the company. Through all of these interviews, the more I learned about the company, the more I really wanted the position. Their outlook on research is the same as mine. Our priorities and ways of thinking coincide. I walked out of that interview on Wednesday knowing that this was a place I really wanted to be a part of.

The call came this morning. They had an offer for me. The financial part of it was lower than what I wanted and with the difference in tuition benefits between CTI and my current employer, I asked for the difference in salary and then when I got off the phone, I panicked. Stew talked me off of the ledge and I waited to hear back from them. They matched the money. I start on the 27th. I can't even put into words how very excited I am. The position will be more regionally based than what I am now. They do a lot of studies at Hopkins and the University of Maryland - no brainer, right? And it's cutting edge research. All things that I wanted. I'll spend the first two weeks in Cincinatti doing training and even that isn't daunting. I can't wait.

I put in my two weeks notice today and while there's a certain amount of sadness that accompanies leaving a company, I'm ready to take this next step.

To top off that wondrous moment of the day, I got to spend the evening having dinner with Amber, Chuck, PAM and PEM. Amber made fried rice and ginger chicken. Delish. Had to get her to send me that recipe. Will be making that soon.

After dinner, PAM opened all of her and PEM's Christmas presents since we haven't seen them since then.

PAM truly enjoyed herself.

This is what PEM thought of the whole thing. LOL.

Chuck has a picture exactly like this of Stew - boys will be boys.

Though the little one really doesn't like to sit - she loves to stand and she's strong.

PAM loved her cook books and book of science experiments she can do with food.

My thoughts exactly PEM...

PEM's getting Uncle Stew's nose.

Kissy, kissy. PEM loves giving kisses. She is about the happiest baby I've ever seen. She's getting her first tooth - can't quite see it yet, but you can feel it.

So awesome...

I've missed my girls so much. It was really nice to see them and to catch up with their parents. I've already made plans with them for next week so we can not have so many months go by without seeing each other again.

All in all, a great day!!!

Fast Fact Friday, February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

1. Do you like Valentine's day?

I'm apathetic about Valentine's day. There have been a few years that Stew and I have celebrated it. There have been more years that we've forgotten about it.

2. What is one Valentine tradition you have?

No Valentine's Day traditions here, though this year, I made Valentine's Day cards for all of my kids and mailed them. Maybe that will be a tradition going forward.

3. Who do you want to be your valentine?

Almost six years ago, I met the man who will be my valentine for the rest of my life. I couldn't want for anything else.

4. What was the funniest valentine you ever received?

Steve went shopping with Stew a few Valentine's Days ago and bought me a card. There are two women on the front and one of them asks, "Who are you going to spend Valentine's Day with?" The other replies, "Don't end a sentence in a preposition." Open the card and it says, "Who are you going to spend Valentine's Day with, bitch?"

5. What do you want to get from your valentine this year?

Nothing really - just his company.

10 things on the 10th

2012-02-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

It's the 10th of February, so it's time for another 10 things on the 10th. I thought since today is Rachel's birthday, I would talk about my 10 favorite memories and believe me, I had a hard time narrowing it down.

These are in no particular order - how could they be when you've shared so many important moments.

1. Our vacation drive from Maryland to Maine - we got in the car without a destination in mind. We knew we wanted to see Salem, MA; but beyond that, no hotel reservations, no idea where the path would lead us. We just drove and saw the sights until the money ran out. We stayed in some crazy weird motels - we slept inside our sleeping bags one night because the room only had electric heaters and they didn't look like they would turn on without starting a fire. We, okay Rachel, had lobster in Maine. She took a million pictures of water. We threw fake tea into the Boston Harbor, we walked the paths of Salem learning about the witch trials. We saw the wondrous Acadia National Park. We talked. We laughed. We sat in traffic in New York because it was the same day as Princess Diana's memorial service. We went to small shops in Vermont. Stopped at road side stands. It was one of the best vacations ever.

2. Trips to Disney - once with her parents, once on our own. My first plane ride. Incredible. Flirting with the Disney Princes, eating awesome food, going on amazing rides, sharing awesome times.

3. Our treks to Jarrettsville on cold winter nights to see these guys we had crushes on. Getting stuck on the side of 95 with one coat between us and the keys locked in the car after the Grand Am broke down.

4. Concerts - most of which we shouldn't reveal that we attended: NKOTB, Marky Mark, and yes, Vanilla Ice.

5. Late night runs to 7-11. We must have looked like pot heads out to get our snack on.

6. The drives to WaWa for sandwiches and sitting in the parking lot across the way eating our sandwiches and talking.

7. Rummy battles with her mom. Or Skippo, or Uno.

8. Sharing an apartment and trying to combine our outlooks on life. I'm uptight. She's laid back. I'm a neat freak, she's more easy going.

9. Tuesday afternoons and the mad dash to the magazine rack for the latest editions of the teenybopper magazines.

10. Hooking school to meet Brady Anderson or to tour Oriole Park or just about any time we hooked school.

There's so many more things. The list is endless!

10 things on the 10th was created by Shimelle. Head over to her blog to see what it's all about.

Layouts - A Look Back - A Bit of Exploring and More of Those Kids

2012-02-10T07:40:00.000-05:00

The "at the zoo" border is the first cut file I ever did on the silhouette. This layout makes me cringe. Those stickers on the second page. Sigh and the journaling isn't straight. I learned from this layout that sometimes you just have to put the memories on paper and let it go.

Love this layout. Masking using Tim Holtz masks. Found a way to use that ugly circle paper. Embossed and inked the dark brown paper in the back. Used mosaic tiles down the side and chain.

This layout reminds me of the need for a ribbon iron (which I now thankfully own.) Otherwise, I like this layout.

The tired falling off from the title was Stew's idea.

Couldn't believe the number of people who commented on this page and said they liked it. The teeth came printed on the paper. Simple page but tells the story.

One of the favorite pages I've ever made. Love all of the texture and the mix of color and the use of the transparency.

Love this picture of Steve holding a picture of my mom making the same face. This layout is special because of the memories - the design doesn't matter.

Layouts created July 2010

POTD: February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

Received my Burlap and Buttercups kit today - can't wait to play with these goodies this weekend.

Here's my picture:

And the picture from their blog showing all of the fun supplies included:

I get the add on for this kit club, as well!

Journal, February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T21:30:00.000-05:00

Back to work today - actually sitting at my desk. 463 emails in one month, not too bad. I had that number cut down to 43 by the time I left to go to the doctors. I had a meeting with my project manager and study lead - we're in full assault initiation mode for the study - so it's time to set up these visits and hit the road. Not looking forward to that all that much, but in order to do my job (which I love), I have to travel (which I don't love but see as a necessary evil). First visit is a trip to VA next Thursday. Not bad to start. My other two sites are in Louisville - so again, not bad.

I did receive terrible news today though - my counselor is moving to Richmond. This is devastating. This is the longest I've ever stuck to therapy and I feel like we have been sorting a lot of things out and making a lot of head way and now she's leaving. She guarantees me that the person she is referring me to is just as good, but I'm skeptical. Once you find someone you like (whether it be a hair stylist, a dentist, a doctor, etc), it's pretty hard to think about finding that same level of comfort with anyone else. First my hair stylist and now my therapist. Sigh....

I'm sure other stuff happened today, but that's the basic gist of the day.

Looking forward to seeing PAM and PEM tomorrow. Hope they stay healthy until then....

Thankful Thursday, February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

Today, I thought I would look back on all of the individuals who have helped shaped my professional career. There are way more than 7 people that I could add to this list, but when I think of those that have helped me to get to where I am now, these are the individuals who have significantly shaped me:

1. Mrs. Watson - my 6th grade English teacher. I was a new kid at a new school, coming off of my worst quarter of school ever. (My first quarter of 6 grade, I failed English, received two Ds, and Cs in the rest. This came on the heals of a particularly difficult time at home.) Ms. Watson took me under her wing. She was unfazed by the fact that I came to her class having failed the previous quarter. I have her to thank for my love of Shel Silverstein and for the courage to get up in front of the class and recite, "I Cannot Go to School today". I will never forget her unwavering belief in me.

2. Mrs. Lieske - guidance counselor in middle and high school. She saw a troubled kid and gave the kid the confidence to be the type of student everyone but the kid knew she could be.

3. My mom, of course - if she hadn't told me when I graduated from high school that I wasn't going to spend the summer sitting on my ass, that I needed to find something to do, I would have never found myself volunteering at Hopkins and putting myself in a position to start my career

4. Joy- from a few days volunteering with her for ECOG, she came down to Radiation Oncology and told me she had a job for me in clinical research - umm, what is clinical research? I learned so much from her, not only about clinical research, but about being myself and not allowing anything get in the way of that.

5. Skip - from the first of many freak outs when he looked at me with those calm eyes of his and asked me if I could control the situation to his encouragement to grow, to take on more responsibility and gave me the confidence to know I could do it.

6. Serina - what can I say about Serina. She's my girl. One of the hardest things about leaving Hopkins was not seeing Serina everyday. I not only have her to thank for the encouragements in my career, but I never would have gone out on a second date with Stew without her.

7. Stew - with his love and encouragement, I finished my degree, took a job traveling all over the country and his calming words when I think the world is caving in - and those are only a few reasons I feel incredibly blessed and thankful!

There are so many other people: Michele (without whom I would have never been introduced to Joy); Mike (who gave me another chance during one of the darkest hours of my life); Patti (who took a chance on a young volunteer); Kathryn (without whom I would have never gone back to school); Janice (all of the love and confidence she gave me, really a mom to me after I lost mine); Rachel (I had to get to work somehow!); Dina, Avery, Rana, Monica, Penny, Vivian, Judy and all of the other nurses over the years who taught me, supported me and became friends. The PIs I've worked with, all of whom taught me something about life as well as this vast realm of clinical research - and I'm sure there are others that I've missed and I apologize for that. To everyone who has taken the time to encourage and support me in this career that I love - I thank you!

And I have to say - to the patients that volunteer for clinical studies - you really are the heart of all of this. Without your participation, we wouldn't have been able to learn all that we have or continue to learn all that we can so that we can make future treatments better!

Layouts - A Look Back - Gotta Love the Kids

2012-02-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Another post of past layouts.

This layout I made using one of PAM's toys. It's a bunny that you use to teach kids to tie their shoes. I cut the bunny out and then where the holes are added embroidery floss. The eggs and baskets were stamped and then cut out. I don't know what I was doing with the white ink at the top of the page. Live and Learn...

A list of funny phrases GEP used.

Took this design idea off of the package of Autumn Leaves' stamps.

Used DCWV paper and some gold embossing on grunge board. Framed the pictures with double sided tape and poured on the embossing powder. Heat set to make the frames.

I don't remember where I found the idea to use a circle template to add a decorative element with floss, but this is not my idea, just something I saw on line and thought was awesome. First flower cluster used on a layout.

Facebook: 08 Feb 2012

2012-02-08T23:30:00.000-05:00

Wednesday 8 February 2012
=========================

6:07 AM Business suits and heels for three days now. I'm ready to be back in my jeans and hoodie.

POTD: February 8, 2012

2012-02-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

Flight plans for today. Delta and US Air....sigh...

Journal, February 8, 2012

2012-02-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

Long, long, long day. Early morning trip to Cincinatti - did you know that the airport known as Cincinatti airport is actually in Kentucky - yeah, neither did I. I guess that saying, "learn something new everyday" really means something.

A trip by taxi to Blue Ash, OH and I was set for my day of interviews. This interview schedule was crazy, I must say, but to know that the company puts so much into the hiring process really gives me comfort in knowing that I'll be surrounded by like minded people who share my passion for clinical research. I'm excited about the prospect of this job and everything I learned today only heightened that excitement. I'm anxious to get back into what to me is more meaningful research. There is a place and a need for Phase IV trials - they just aren't for me. I like to be knee deep in medical records, putting the puzzle pieces together and this company does the types of trials that will allow me to do that. The fact that they do a lot of research at Hopkins and the University of Maryland and that they're looking for regional monitors - well, that's icing on the cake. I have my fingers crossed. I'm trying to stay level about all of this considering the disappointment about the last job, but it's hard not to be excited.

After my interviews, it was back to the airport, a quick (running) layover in Charlotte and then home. Spent the entire drive home on the phone with Stew reviewing our days and I'm glad that we did because by the time my feet hit our front door, I was ready for bed.

Now the wait begins - the worst part. As all of us know I'm not the most patient person in the world.

Layouts - A Look Back - Christmas Cards

2012-02-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm sharing all of the pages I've made to hold Christmas cards - I keep the cards whole as they came and make a pocket page to hold all of them. I do this every year.

These pages were made in July 2009.

Layout made February 2011

POTD: February 7, 2012

2012-02-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

Steve's comment on my shirt, "Do you really need a shirt to tell us that?" Smart ass.

Journal, February 7, 2012

2012-02-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Another full day of meetings. Had the investigator's meeting for my new study via Web Ex - that actually went much better than I was expecting. Very smooth and I feel like all of the questions were asked and answered. I'd never done a virtual investigator's meeting before, but I see this being the wave of the future. Very good meeting in my opinion. Feel like we're ready to get this study started.

Long drive home afterwards though - geez I don't miss rush hour traffic.

This is my very definition of hell.

Went to Walgreens on the way home because I needed pantyhose or tights or something to wear with my suit tomorrow. Found that and more. HA! Got a call from Steve while I was shopping and he headed up our house.

Got home and Stew was making dinner: Pork loin, risotto and corn. The corn and risotta were really good. Whatever seasoning Stew used on the pork loin wasn't my favorite - he and Steve liked it though and Steve took it home for future meals. All good there.

Steve showed me the gift he got for his girlfriend for Valentine's day - very pretty. He also got a jewelry store credit card - sigh. We had a bit of tension over that, only for him to tell me that he's going to be an accountant so he knows what he needs to know about credit cards. Okay, okay, this is me backing off.

After dinner we spent some time talking to Steve about schools and things like that then he left and we went to bed. Another early night. Have a very early flight in the morning.

Layouts - A Look Back - Random Assortment

2012-02-07T07:22:00.000-05:00

Sharing some more older layouts. These were created in May 2010.

Did some dry embossing with inking around the outside of this layout. Did some distress tearing around the photo mat. The flower by the word beautiful is a Coke can that I cut up and then embossed. A shell from the beach and some decorative glass. I made the pocket for the brochure to go in.

Used masking tape and glitter to add shine to the open circles, added decorative glass.

Made a holder for the deflated balloon. The cheeseburger and sunglasses are from the actual drink. It'll be interesting to see how long that cheeseburger lasts.

Used a Tim Holtz mask and Glimmer Mist. Black paint over dry wall tape to make the textured black part.

A thrown together page - a kit given to me while I was going through confirmation classes.

One of many pockets I've created to hold all of the cards that I have collected over the years. Tomorrow, I will share all of my Christmas card pocket layouts.

POTD: February 6. 2012

2012-02-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

I sure don't miss this commute.

Journal, February 6, 2012

2012-02-06T21:30:00.000-05:00

I owe, I owe, so it's off to work I must go. First day back after being off for a month. Rough isn't the word for it. Besides that I had to drive to Pennsylvania for an all day meeting. I couldn't sleep last night and I struggled to keep my eyes open during the meeting. All really good information was discussed and there was a lot of comments and suggestions and really good conversation about the goals for the trial, but man, it was a struggle. I bowed out of the team dinner just because of the two hour drive and the fact that I could barely keep my eyes open.

Why can't people in Pennsylvania merge? That's what I would like to know. The merge off of 476 to 95S - brutal.

Came home and crashed. I mean I was in bed before 9.

Have to get IT to reset my password - they're all expired. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Bed now.

Layouts - A Look Back - Newborns, Pouty Faces, and Ice

2012-02-06T06:55:00.000-05:00

The following are layouts I made in May 2010 - still developing a style, the layouts are getting more cohesive and I'm experimenting with more techniques.

For this layout, I made the butterflies out of craft angel wings, metal sheeting, and metal wire. The journaling is printed on velum and adhered. I was very proud of this layout when I created it.

For this layout, I used snowflakes I found at the dollar store and I did some inking.

Painted on the layout, used crackle paint, embossed the title.

All layouts created May 2010

Facebook: 05 Feb 2012

2012-02-05T23:30:00.000-05:00

Sunday 5 February 2012
======================

8:24 AM I am simply overwhelmed by the amount of things I have to get done today. Back to work tomorrow.

POTD: February 5, 2012

2012-02-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

So I spent the day cleaning - no pictures of that. I sent Stew to the Superbowl party at Matt's, without a camera, sigh....

I don't have any pictures of today, but lucky for me, my girls Kelly and Laura are picture taking fools themselves.

I stole this picture from Kelly - my two kids at the Superbowl party. GDH and WTK

Journal, February 5, 2012

2012-02-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

Today is a day I wait for all year. I love football and I love the Superbowl even if my team isn't in it - now granted if the Steelers are there - well, that's a definite cherry on top of that icing, but I like it either way. I love getting together with family and friends to take in the game and I agree with what my mother said a long time ago that Superbowl Monday should be a national holiday.

Unfortunately, for me, this year I found myself not watching the Superbowl, simply because I had just way too much stuff to do.

So I missed GDH running up to Stew when he arrived and launching herself into his arms for a hug and then asking him to put her down so that she could watch him run.

I missed WTK winning the football pool.

And from all accounts, I missed a really good game. The commercials were so-so from what I understand and the half time show was blah (what about Madonna says football to you? What with her fake accent and the like. Sigh...Bring back Bruce, or U2 or give The Eagles a chance - the group mind you, not the team. The only way the Philadelphia Eagles make it to the Superbowl if someone smartens up and cans Andy Reid and since they've already announced that that isn't going to happen, I feel bad for those Eagles' fans).

So, I sorely missed the game, but my house is clean and really with thinking about going back to work tomorrow, that was really more important - it sucks being a responsible adult sometimes!

Onto next year - and hopefully a Steelers appearance.

And just for the record, I can't believe that New England lost. I thought for sure they were going to win. See, this is what happens when I root for a team - I'm sorry Pats fans.

Some graphics of the day I found around the web - since, a post without pictures is dull.

Layouts - A Look Back - A Cute Boy and a Complicated Layout

2012-02-05T06:49:00.000-05:00

This layout I made in April 2010. I think this is the first time I really took design into consideration when creating a layout. I used a design from the book "Scrapbook Borders, Corners and Titles" (Memory Makers, 2003) to make shadow box shelves. I remember the tedious process of cutting all of those strips of paper. I was super proud of this layout.

Facebook: 04 Feb 2012

2012-02-04T23:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday 4 February 2012
========================

9:01 AM Lots of errands to run today. Eye doctor, getting my hair done, going shopping for clothes to wear to the big kick off meeting next week for my new study, need new make up, a new purse, and grocery shopping for the game. Lots to do, lots to do.

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9:05 AM I earned the Keep It Up badge on Lose It!

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10:46 AM I'm just not sure how I feel about all of these memorials sign decals on cars. I mean it's not my car, so no big deal if people choose to do it, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. This car next to me has so many the entire back window is covered. Feel sad for them for losing so many people in their life.
https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3200680022537&id=1432151523
by Regina Priet Huminski via Facebook

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11:05 AM The slurpie I had last night was 708 calories. If I'm ever going to fit my fat butt back into my cute clothes, I would suggest stopping the 7-11 runs. Sigh.....back on track today.

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1:22 PM It's so weird to hear all the words of songs whose lyrics are censored on the radio. For instance Kid Rock's Picture. Forgot all about that cocaine line.

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4:02 PM I can't believe that my skin care (wash, lotion, make up) cost more than the clothes I bought. Damn sensitive skin.

POTD: February 4, 2012

2012-02-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

Lots of shopping today. The Clinique counter at Macy's loves me...

Journal, February 4, 2012

2012-02-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Oh today was the day of running around. It started with a trip to the eye doctor. I knew even before I went that my vision had changed. I was kind of on the edge of needing a new prescription last year but it wasn't bad enough to warrant it so we kept it the same. Not this time. Actually went to a new doctor since my doctor left her previous location and I no longer felt like driving to Dundalk every time I needed something done with my eyes. I like the new doctor a lot. She was thorough and she made the decision to change my prescription to -7.00 and to put me in a contact lens that will correct for the astigmatism in my right eye. She gave me samples of the -7.00, but the lenses needed to correct the astigmatism weren't in stock so she's going to order me a sample set of those to try before we finalize everything with that. I also ordered new lenses for my glasses. I like my frames a lot, but the prescription in them is outdated as well. I didn't order transition lenses this time - I mean if they don't change while I'm in the car, they're no use to me. Instead I got some clip on sunglasses that go on my glasses - that'll do for the rare times I actually wear my glasses.

Headed off to get my hair done. My previous stylist has taken a leave of absence to care for her sick mother which is sad so I had to see someone else. I liked her just fine and she did a great job on my hair. I don't think my hair has ever been as straight as she blow dried it today (of course she used a straight iron, too - but it's really straight!). No cut today as the ends are still healthy. I'll see her again in 6 weeks or so, depending on how fast the gray grows.

Off to get clothes then - stop at Lane Bryant. I'll be happy when I can shop at regular stores and not the big girl store. I'm sick of being a big girl. I did find some awesome deals in their clearance section. All of their clearance items were 50% off. Score! I picked up 4 outfits. This is just one of them.

I'll have to post pictures of the others later - I just haven't been in that big of a camera mood of late.

I got fitted for bras - wow. Let's just say that was a surprise. I had no idea I'd been wearing such the wrong sized bra. So I got four bras so that now the girls are taken care of. LOL.

After Lane Bryant I went to Macy's to buy make up. It's a sad day when make up costs almost as much as the outfits I bought. But since my damn skin only let's me use Clinique that's what I have to deal with.

Got home around 5. Showed Stew everything I bought and he and I ended the night on the couch watching tv.

Superbowl party tomorrow - provided I can get all of my stuff done. We'll see.

Layouts - A Look Back - Wedded Bliss

2012-02-04T06:42:00.000-05:00

Sharing another older layout today. This one was created in early 2010. It's the first time I printed a photo out at 8x10 and used that photo as the basis for my entire layout. The photo in the bottom right is the one printed at 8x10. I learned a valuable lesson with this layout. See the pearls - they were straight when I put them in the binder. Always let things dry first - or a better way to do pearls is to actually string them and then attach the string to the page. Each layout teaches us something!

Facebook: 03 Feb 2012

2012-02-03T23:30:00.000-05:00

Friday 3 February 2012
======================

4:59 AM I hate the hiccups.

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3:37 PM Motivation, ummm motivation - are you out there? Now where the hell did I leave that this time?

Journal: February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

What a rousing day of inactivity. LOL. I had so much stuff I wanted to get done today and I did absolutely none of it and I'm so tired. How can doing nothing make you tired? It's a weird sort of thing. I've just lost my motivation today. It'll come back some time soon - I hope.

This morning I worked on adding all of the scrapbook pages I've made previously to the blog. Those posts will show up every day for the month of February since I didn't want to overload the blog all at once with them. So every day along with a new layout (I hope), there will be an assortment of older layouts posted as well.

I had an appointment with the psychologist today. That went well. We're talking about some of the harder things that happened when I was a kid, but it's all going pretty good.

Stew and I are totally failing this don't eat out thing and the no 7-11 visits. LOL. Next week will be better. I'm back to work and hopefully we'll be back to some semblance of a routine.

We're still enjoying Mike and Mollie season one. Some of our favorite quotes come from grandmom.

"Best gift he ever gave a woman was leaving."

When Mike's partner interjects while Mike and grandmom are talking, grandmom says, "Did anyone ask what the stupid people think?"

Too, too funny.

Tomorrow is a day where Stew will be sleeping in and I'll be out running around: eye doctor, hair appointment and much shopping.

POTD: February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Spent most of the morning scheduling posts for the blog so that I can get all of the layouts I've created previously documented on my blog.

Fast Fact Friday, February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

1. Do you have/have you ever had any pets?

When I was child, my father bought my mother a dog for Valentine's Day - turns out the dog was pregnant. She gave birth to nine puppies. I picked out a beige colored one and named her Candy. Unfortunately, we weren't able to keep her. As an adult, I adopted a dog from the SPCA, but due to scheduling issues, we found a great home for her. Don't think I'll have any more pets until my job settles down some.

2. What’s your favorite animal?

There are many animals I like. My favorites are primates - bald eagles and sharks rank right up there, too.

3. What animal scares you the most?

Mosquitoes - I hate them things.

4. If you were an animal, what would you be, why?

Definitely a bald eagle - to soar in the sky above all else, the sense of freedom.

5. What’s the most exotic animal you have ever seen before?

Stew and I traveled to Monterrey Bay aquarium to see the great white they had in captivity.

Layouts - A Look Back - An Assortment

2012-02-03T05:19:00.000-05:00

Some more older layouts to share today:

Here's another cringe worthy layout that I did early in my scrapping days. I'd say this layout was created sometime in late 2009. I remember very clearly seeing this end note design on everyone's pages and couldn't figure out how they did it. I couldn't find paper shaped that way even after a long time searching on the internet and in local scrapbooking stores. I finally asked someone and she told me it was a die cut. I had no idea what a die cut was. I eventually found page kits at I think Walmart that had a cardboard frame in this shape. I traced the frame and then cut out this end note design. This is the first layout where I used brads - and why didn't I round the corners of the photo to match the mat? Come a long way!

The cutting edge technique on this page ;-) - I printed the "Are You Ready for Some Football" on a clear transparency, cut it out and used it as my subtitle. Love those foam number stamps. Page created late 2009.

Cutting edge technique ;-) - I used real playing cards on this one and I stitched the word Family from a Bazzill stitching template. (Page made late 2009)

My first two page layout. There's a quilled pumpkin on the second page. I used glossy accents on the letters and glitter on the large P. The small yellow flowers were made from buttons and a hair tie and the large flower was the first time I used die cut papers to create a layered look. At the time I made this page it was Stew's favorite. (Page made: late 2009)

This is the first layout I ever received a comment for on scrapbook.com. Painted the chipboard frames. Stenciled those fish on with stencil paint. I thought it was awesome that I used twine around the photo - but ack, I cut that photo with shaped scissors. *rolls eyes* (Created late 2009)

(Side note: I left that Nike sweatshirt in a hotel room - I'm still upset about that!)

It's great to look back on all of these old layouts. I'm honestly really enjoying it - it continues to show me how much I've grown.

Another trip down memory lane tomorrow.