Cleaning House

I need to get rid of a few things. Lots of things actually, but first I need to get rid of these stragglers. The 'last of' woodcrafts. They take up too much space to store until next year and I am getting tired of looking at them. They need a new home were they will be loved and adored for many years to come, besides that, I already have one of each of them upstairs. So as the sign says, they are 50% off the ticket price, if you see anything you want, let me know. This is only for locals and I will gladly take trades of scrapbooking stuff, make an offer.

I also have some retired stamp sets and other stamping and scrapbook related stuff, but I am 'cleaning up' first. Which really means, I am moving stuff from one spot to another. I have way too many 1/2 finished projects. Way too many things I bought because they were so cute, so cute that I can't use them, I must hoard them just because they are cute! Way too many thing still in the packages. I think for Spring, someone should organize a used-andor-slightly-used-scrapbooking-supply-sale/swap. Yup, someone should do that. And it should be near my house so I don't have to pack stuff up and travel.

Good news...Shaun has been accepted to OC for the Culinary Arts program. Now maybe someone else will make a few meals around here!

Bad news...I made an appointment to get my haircut and coloured, but I can't get in until Feb. 7th. So if you see me, and I look like crap, with my 2 inch white roots and hair hanging over my ears and in my eyes, consider yourself warned! And don't say "OMG, I didn't realize you had that much grey hair". Not that it hurt my feelings but the look of shock on Yo's face was enough to make me want to smear her makeup and pluck her eyebrows.

Check it out...

my little friend, Yolanda, is hitting the big time with her stamps and rub-ons! Check her blog...
http://wingsofpastrami.typepad.com/wings_of_pastrami/2007/01/lucky_duckie.html#comments

Way to go!

Got Milk? Give it to me!!!

Someone, me, drank the last of the milk yesterday and then that same someone had to work last night and drove past at least 7 places that sell milk and no one else in the house went out last night so this morning, I have NO milk. Which means, I have NO COFFEE. Which means I have caffeine withdrawal.
I know I don't drink that much coffee, about 6 oz. a day. I know this because I am anal and measure it. It is lowly instant coffee, I add 4 oz. of milk to it, and 3.5 squirts of sugar-free Starbucks Vanilla syrup, has to be Starbucks.
I am not known to be a coffee connoisseur. I've been known to drink day old coffee, espresso, the last dredges in Kerry's coffee pot, just about anything as long as it has the caffeine, the milk and the syrup. And as long as it's room temp or colder, I will leave my coffee on the counter for hours to cool down. And if you ask me if I want a coffee, chances are I will say no, unless it's a Starbuck's Tall Any Flavour Light Frapaccino, because I don't drink coffee, not hot at least. At any social family gathering, I will never get asked if I want coffee. They aren't in on my little secret. They think I'm a tea drinker. If they only knew...
If I don't drink my piddly amount of coffee within 45 min. of waking up, I get THE headache, the blurry eyes, the grumpies. Which is where I am at right now. Which is why I am drinking a can of diet Pepsi as fast as I can so I can go out and get milk. How sad is that? Cookie bars (my hubby bakes damn good bars) and pepsi for breakfast!
Nothing like starting the day off right!

Which brings me to the following... I'm going to WW this afternoon, Yo better be there or I will hunt her down! I need Jenni's optimism right now and not just about eating better and being nicer to my body. WW's Jenni is the best! She has so many great quotes and a great memory for them. I wish I could bottle her enthusiasm. I would make so much money! I know she's not perfect but I bet she didn't eat cookie bars for breakfast!

H comes home this weekend and I am still so sad.

SAD sad sad

I really like the following story and unfortunately, I will be using it soon. Not for my Sally, but for a very good friend. The whole situation is too sad, I just keep tearing up. For those that are close, you will know soon and will be called upon for comforting.

Go hug your pet!!!

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals that had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...

Another day gone...

Don't you just hate it when you have all these plans to get stuff done and at the end of the day when you go to check your mental list, nothing gets crossed off?

Sue picked my brain clean...that's just for Sue, she's now going "what? I so did not!" I just needed someone to blame for my day of nothing.

I am going to make a new list just so I have something to cross off...

Yell at the dog, 56 times, to stop licking.

Drink 2 cans of diet Pepsi, my new coffee.

Kind of comb hair.

Get the mail, look through my SU magazine, toss bills aside(they are paid already).

Hopefully help Sue.

Put in last night's SU order, try 7 times because site might be down.

Make crockpot chicken dinner from scratch that smells totally disgusting.

Think about layout for tomorrow's class.

Read fav. blogs, wish I could get my bangs cut like Cathy Zielske.

Hope dinner tastes better than it smells.

Cancel music lesson, Emily has headache, again. Think about booking dr. appt.

Post some pics for blog fans to look at.

Now it looks like I have had a very busy day!

We watched Heros last night, I didn't think it was worth waiting weeks for. I needed a refresher on what the heck was going on. I sure hope the wait for LOST will be worthwhile. Yes, I like my TV.

This is Emily's exciting skating close up. Really, she's saying "Mom, mom, did you see that? Mom, move the camera so you can see me skate with your eyes, not the lens!" She probably pointed me out to her friends..."that's my mom, no not the one with glasses, no, not the one in the hat, she's the one with the camera for a face!" I am one of the only moms that brings a camera to every fieldtrip, I realized this may be the last year E. wants me anywhere near the school so I have to document it.

I am so in love with BG's Blush. I have used so much of it, much more than any other paper they have put out. I actually did something rarely done at my house, I used BG and SU together. I found the ink colours match the paper so very nicely. All brown and pink and teal...yummy. And I am also so into coasters right now. Which reminds me, I need to take a picture of my little coaster box, that was loving made with my Blush paper.

Update

The principal at your child's school can be your passport guarantor, as long as you have everything signed and photocopied. Had to drop the passport off and then go back out and pick it up. Then got E. and went straight downtown to Gaston, where, if someone had said "the post office" I totally would have known where to go. I figured the roads were so crappy only an idiot would go to get their passport done now. Ha Ha Ha.

The line up wasn't too long, only about 24 people ahead of us. We were told how to figure out how long it would take...
15 minutes a passport, not a person, so if one person has 5 kids that need passports, do the math,
if there are 4 people working, 4 people every 15 minutes get their paper work done, about 16 an hour,
if one employee takes a break, you can try to bribe them with money or chocolate but it doesn't work;
you can try to buy a seat further up the line, I don't know what the going rate was;
a passport costs $103 and change.

We didn't move for over 1/2 an hour. No one came in after us for at least that time. When someone did, we moved and moved and moved. And then the guy behind me says "what's the big deal, this is nothing, I'll be out of here in about an hour and a 1/2" and I'm thinking we've been here for over 2 hours, shut up. But you know, no one was grumpy, everyone was in a good mood dispite having to wait in what looks like a fire trap for at least 2 hours.
And even though the idiots were on the road, they weren't in the passport office. A man was told around 3:30 that he needed to have this and that for his wife's passport and she wasn't there, so he asked the people on either side if they would hold his spot. And they did, he promised them chocolate. Every time we moved, the woman in front of him picked up his sandwich and moved it with her. Then the sandwich gets to the front of the line, everyone is speculating "did he just go home, did he say forget it?" when the owner walks in just as they call "Next please". He had a huge tray of chocolate in his hands and passed it to the woman in front of him, and the man behind, and then to everyone waiting. Most of whom didn't even know what was going on. And we ate the chocolate dispite the germs and everyone was happy! I was really glad the kids got to see this, especially after seeing the crazy drivers. We all agreed to meet again in 5 years to renew our passports, except for the guy behind me who is going back in 4.5 years to beat the rush!
And the passport agents are postal workers, not 'government agents', so they are really pleasant! At least, this is what the kids and I decided.
And guess what, Kerry gets to go back with the rest of the passports. We only did Shaun's because he needs it ASAP. And if you need it before March 15, too bad! It takes at least 40 business days right now.

Winter Wonderland, NOT!

We woke up to a nice dusting of snow. But unfortunately it keeps snowing and is now a driving hazzard. Well, the snow isn't really the problem, it's those people that think they can still go 60 down Rutland road and turn corners in Toyota 4x4's without slowing down.
Yes, we almost bit it while sitting innocently at the light. Some young woman must have been driving for the first time in the snow or she's just stupid. Shaun and I let out a OH CRAP she's gonna hit us. And luckily she slid just past us and then spun out trying to take off fast again. People!!!
We have shovelled the driveway twice already (it's just after noon), and most of the times I love our super wide, super long driveway but not today. My sides hurt, my arms hurt, my neck and back will be next.
I think Shaun needs to be prepared for the worst. He, and his parents, put off filling out the passports until the very last minute and he may not get it before his school band trip. Even though they are going by bus, the teacher wants them to have it just incase. So I may have to go out yet again today to brave the downtown traffic to find the passport office. If I'm lucky, no one in their right mind will be out in this weather, except me and the Toyota girl. But she should be so traumatized that she should go home and look at her driver's manual again.
I made a bunch of cards for my little friend Nancy and for my displays. But I wasn't smart enough to make some for grandmas and their card boxes.

Happy Place

I neglected the family starting late Friday and managed to get a decent amount of creating done all weekend.

I wanted to get the lunch tins covered for Christmas gifts but procrastinated so much that I didn'teven get them out of the packaging. Turns out, they are much easier to do than I thought. Who knew?

I made another CD album using SU's Friends and Flowers kit, the one for Hostesses. And the tins are covered with Enchante, the double sided paper from the Winter mini. The little accordian/tag card is made with SU paper too and check out the stamped images, that's a new set from the Spring Mini! Nice little freebie for being a demo.

Most of the items pictured are class samples, with the exception of the last 2 pictures. Heather gave me the BG Blush kit for Christmas, she got it the day before they left for their Mexico trip. And Sue gave me 3 chipboard coasters to play with, I had to make a fourth one. I got my inspiration from SCS to make a Valentine's treat for Kerry. He loved it. I love the paper, all brown, pink and teal.

I have seen the Spring Mini and it is better than the Winter. I spent more than I have ever spent on a Mini in November, and I think I will surpass that amount in February when we can pre-order. There are 3 sets of pattern paper that I want. And 2 new punches, think office supplies, that's where the punches, some stamps and paper got their inspiration from. And some doodley stamp sets...I'm so excited! But I have to pace myself, Kerry reminded me that we are saving for the big trip! Really, I'm saving to buy the boxes and boxes of Gravol that it will take to get me on the plane.

Been busy....

I have lots of things to post, pictures to be taken, classes to plan, but the most important things are these recipes to try. Shaun and I watched Ellen on Friday and she had on a family that owns a restaurant...I can't remember their name and am too lazy right now to look it up.

Anyway, they made these little Nutella balls of love and some yummy looking potato and zucchini chips and I just found the recipes. Kerry loves Nutella, eats it by the spoonful. And I love potatoes, and who doesn't loved deep fried stuff!

BOMBOLONI DI NUTELLA (6 SERVINGS) For The Donuts

2 jars Nutella (13 ounces each)

1 pound ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups all purpose flour

4 eggs

2 quarts Canola oil granulated sugar
1. To make donuts: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 jar Nutella, ricotta, salt, vanilla, baking powder, flour and eggs. Mix until smooth to form dough.

2. Drop heaping spoonfuls of dough into hot oil at 375° and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Remove donuts from hot oil, drain on paper towels for a moment, roll in granulated sugar, and fill with Nutella. Serve immediately.

POTATO AND ZUCCHINI CHIPS WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

Ingredients

1 pound large baking potatoes

½ pound large zucchini

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 quarts peanut oil for frying

1 cup Gorgonzola cheese crumbled

Kosher salt to taste
Procedure

1. Peel potatoes, cut into very thin slices and immediately place in a bowl of cold water. Cut zucchini into thin slices, place in a large bowl and toss with flour. Drain potatoes and dry on paper towels.

2. In a heavy sauté pan, heat oil to 325°. Deep fry potato and zucchini chips for about 2 to 3 minutes; drain, season with salt and let cool.

3. Add potato and zucchini chips to a large baking pan. Spread out evenly to make just one lager. Top with gorgonzola cheese and bake in a 350° oven until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

We told the kids that we are going to Disneyland. It didn't get the response I thought. We took them to Eastside Mario's for our 'last' dinner out. I took the cover sheet of my Mickey Mouse scrapook papers, the ones from Memories and More. I handed it to them, after making them sit beside eachother. Shaun opened it and they read it and I said I needed help because I want to make this Disney album and I need to go and take some pictures. Shaun said "oh, okay". Emily said "there's a Mickey Mouse comic?" And then tried to read it. KIDS!!! You try to do something nice for them and they just don't get it.

The Month After Christmas'
Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber)
I'd remember the marvellous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces with turkey all paired
The wine and the rum balls, the pate and cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please!"
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt--
I said to myself, as only I can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So, away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the chocolate, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that
I like must be banished
'til all the additional ounces have vanished
I won't have a cookie, not even a lick
I'll now only chew on a long celery stick
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot -
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

I found this today and couldn't have said it better.

So I went to Costco and at least 3 employees are enjoying their hot little dish heaters. Apparently the company makes 1 million of these hot little suckers and Costco sold out beginning of December. Went to Home Depot and got a cute little ceramic heater instead. It's motivating. It's a Calore. Which kind of looks like calorie, and it's a heater, so I think 'calorie burner'. Therefore my heater will make me thinner!
My mom radar told me Shaun was finished school around 11 so I drove that way and found one teen on the side of the road, right near the school. He was as amazed as I was. So we went to Costco together. Gotta love that. No heavy lifting for me. But that meant I had to have lunch at Costco and darn teens, they talk a lot. And they need to know exactly how long shopping will take. Like more than an hour, no, maybe an hour, but not more, no I am hoping not more, less than an hour, probably, okay, I'll go then, because if it's more, take me home, no I'm not taking you home, but I have to watch . Like the DVD is going anywhere and to top it off, he might need a nap, because 2 hours of band is so hard. I need a nap because I spent less than an hour at Costco with chatty cathy.

I did it!

Heather gave me a beautiful pack of BG Fruitcake for Christmas. Yesterday I opened the package and ...brace yourself...It took a lot of thinking and planning and measuring and then I cut 2 pieces into thirds. Too late to turn back so I stuck them to some cardstock, this took a few hours. And then I stopped. That took me the majority of the day. Now I look at it and think "what was I doing?" Oh, I did make a card with my little cow stamp, but other than than, nothing too exciting happened.
I did make a yummy chili with stuff found in the freezer. If you move the 58 containers of cherries, you will find the odd container of ground beef, pack of bacon and 13 containers of strawberries. The freezer is full of freakin' fruit! I don't know where all that baking went that I did before Christmas, oh, wait a minute while I loosen off my belt. Anyway, it's like a freezer black hole, the baking is no where to be seen.
Kerry and I played a little Wii last night, I think we play more than the kids, I know we do! My golf game is improving. Kerry's mom will be so proud. When I played with her, I lacked a little sportsmanship. I was averaging 10 over par and last night golfed 1 under! The happy Kelli dance is much nicer than the 'John McEnroe of Golf' dance. Emily beat Kerry to a pulp in boxing. Our conversation later...
Me: So a 10 yr. old girl beat you at boxing?
Ker: Ya, I suck.
Me: Did you let her win?
Ker: NO, she really kicked my a$$! My mom was right, I'm a lover not a fighter!
Me: Snicker Snicker Snicker

Growing up, my dad taught me to box, play baseball, and he tried to teach me to ride a motorcycle. At home, I could do it but at school, I was too shy and very much afraid of getting hurt. But now, I can shine and kick Kerry's and Shaun's butts on a video game! My dream has been fulfilled! The motorcycle thing, ya, after dad bought me a nice shiny blue and yellow one with gears that no one taught me how to shift, I promptly ran into the swingset and bent it and never rode it again. I stuck to my brother's little no-gear bike. I'm sure dad had big hopes, he was an amazing rider, built tracks, had a trophy room, and then wrecked his knee. I could have gone pro, if not for the gears.

No pictures today. Nothing to show for yesterday's lack of work. But today, I am going to Costco and I think I will see about getting a heater so that my stampers won't have chilly little tootsies! And maybe I will look at light fixtures. We aren't doing very well finding one. Over the holidays we bought track lighting. Kerry put it up and turned it on. A craft room is no place for a spotlight, which is exactly what this thing did. It was so dark in the cornes. So down it came. This is the second fixture we have installed. We may just have to get an electrician in to wire for 2 lights. We were trying to avoid removing the ceiling tiles. I hate it when something that should be easy turns out to be so darn hard. At least we did get a closet organizer and it's beautiful. And we discovered that if you are buying a stud finder, don't buy the B&D $15 one unless you want 8 holes in your wall. Spend a little extra and get a good one, one that doesn't tell you your studs are 2 feet wide.

Slow but steady

I was fairly productive today, dispite the fact my hip and rib were out of alignment when I woke up this morning. I could hardly stand upright. My chiropractor managed to squeeze me in and hopefully fix me up. I am still sore but I can sit and stand upright now and not like a 98 year old.

I played with my new Sell-A-Bration sets today. I have two, Very Punny and Big Blossom. I love them. And I mounted a set I had bought before Christmas but hadn't the time to play with, Hip Hip Hooray! It's really cute. I can do more masculine birthday cards with this set.

Did I mention that I love just about everything in the new SU Winter Mini? I have never spent that much on a mini. I love the ribbon, check the above LOVE and little frog cards, I also love the Accents and Elements kit, Sweet Nothings, that I used on the little piggy card. That tin is packed full of neat little things to use on cards and scrapbook pages. And I used the distressing tool that comes in the Cutter Kit on the little frog card, the idea for this card is right out of the SAB mini. Check www.stampinup.com to see it!

It felt so good to be able to play today. My goal in the next week or so is to get out some of those stamps I haven't used in awhile and put them to work.

I will be helping to do inventory at Memories and More in Westbank this weekend. Should be fun with all the hilarious girls that offered to help. And then it's back to school for the kiddies! They are not going to wake up easily on Monday morning. Neither am I.

I am so looking forward to Heros, Gilmore Girls and Lost.

Catchy Tune...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP_tfVGKxdE

Hopefully the link works, it should take you to a Kitty Cat clip of a cat dancing to a stupid song that will get stuck in your head. And everytime you sing "Cat, I'm a Kitty Cat!" your dog will jump up and look for the cat, maybe even hit her head on the desk because she's trying so hard to find that darn cat!

I made my layout for yesterday's class. I used the photo technique in the Feb. CK mag to 'glam' up my pictures. I used all Stampin' Up! products for the layout. I accidently ordered the Loves Me patterned paper and thought it would be great to use it up. It's not the kind of patterned paper I would normally buy but my layout turned out better than I thought it would. And while MR was doing her layout I made 3 cards! I used the SAB set Very Punny and some of the different SU patterned papers. I used my new Weathered BG stamp and I don't know why I waited so long to get it, I love it.

Leave me alone...

and I will keep myself amused for hours.

I forgot to mention that the other night, Kerry went to Fight Night at my dad's, Shaun had friends over and was monopolizing the whole upstairs and I can't remember where Emily was. Such a good mom I am.

Sally and I were so lonely and bored. And seeing as how I have again lost my mojo, I pulled out my camera. And low and behold I have the perfect white backdrop in my craft room, my door. First I took pictures of my favourite Bear. It was love at first site when I was setting Michaels up, I couldn't buy him until the store actually opened so I would just visit him every day for weeks. Here is my Gingerbread Bear contemplating life. This is just before he tells me about why he wears the suit. Very simple, he's naked without it.

Then I tried to take pictures of me and Sally. Not so good. She is such a ham but she wants to do it her way, laying on the floor on her back. Think soggy noodle dog...I had to hold her up for most of the shots. The blurry shot is her trying to push me away while I am holding her up. Not the best shots, but they are so her. I will do a little Photoshopping to them and maybe use them in a layout.

I also took pictures of my hatbox. I won a huge $100 box of goodies from my Mary Kay rep. Mylene had the whole lot packaged up in a blue hatbox and I thought I should use some of my stash to alter it. It took me a whole day to do it. I am not a modge podge person and I think with thinner paper and some patience this could have been less lumpy. I used Cosmo Cricket stuff, Bazzills and SU cardstock, Making Memories paint, 7 gypsies(?) printed twill. And the scallopped white cs on top is actually a whole lot of circles lined up around the patterned paper and lovingly attached before being modge podged to the top.

What the heck am I going to do with this thing?

I also got a couple pictures of the kids, my mp3 player, my butt with my mp3 player in my pocket, more of the dog, the bear (he doesn't move or complain and I was testing some camera functions, and my favourite...what I wake up to every morning. The kids gave her to me, I think it's a hint, maybe they see me as this grumpy, maybe they think I have super powers. My fav Powerpuff Girl!

I was busy. Too bad I didn't do what I was supposed to be doing...prepping for a class tomorrow. Who does my scheduling?

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great, safe and happy New Year's celebration.

We had a pretty low-keyed night. Shaun went to the dojo where his sensai had a great little idea. For a small fee, you could drop the younguns off from 7 pm to 2 am. They had snacks, played games, had a few tvs with video games and a few adults stayed as supervision. Shaun took his Wii and the kids loved it. At 12:10 we got the call to pick him up, he was going to sleep. He had been up since 5 am, had to work all day and was dead tired.

Emily had a friend spend the night and I think they expected more than what we had planned. They did play in the snow for quite awhile, ate all kinds of 'good' stuff from M&M's, and seemed to have a fun on the computer.

Kerry and I did the most exciting stuff out of everyone...The kids discovered that London Drugs has the best assortment of Anime and spend hundreds of $ there this past week. More than my boots cost! Anyway, they bought the first 4 DVDS of Elemental Gelade. I'm not big into this stuff because it's like a soap, you have to watch all the episodes or you are so lost. We watched everyone of them, the kids hadn't even seen them. So for a few hours of my life I knew more than they did about something they like! It was great! And now I need to find the other DVDs for this series because I am hooked! I need to know what happens to Ren and her friends.

If you haven't tried the Nintendo Wii...don't, you will want one. H. and K. came over last night and played it, hilarious! My 89 yr. old grandpa has not played it but has watched and given tips on how to bowl better, Kerry's mom and both my parents have played it and had a blast, Kerry's brother tried it and couldn't find one for his son. But I am such a good sis-in-law. We went to Walmart for the millionth time this week and the sales associate was telling a group of people that this was the last one of 5 in the store that they just that minute received. No one new much about it and no one was stepping up to buy it so I said "I'll take it". The lady beside me said my kids would be so happy, I told her we already had one and she thought we were selling it on Ebay. And NO, I was getting it for Kerry's bro! What are the odds? Not only have we had 2 of these things in our hands, but we seem to be the only people with 4 controllers and almost 4 nunchucks. Lucky us!