Denny took me out to the Fondue Room on Saturday night.  We love that place, but holy cow was it busy.  I had made reservations and we still had to wait about 30 minutes or so I’d guess.  Reservation was at 7 and we got out of there a little after 9.  However, as always, it was SOOO worth it.

While we were waiting we wondered around Mt. Clemens to pass the time and dropped into Art-o-Craft.  application card credit mbnacollege student credit card debtuk credit card,card credit secure uk,uk aqua credit cardbank card credit providianbusiness card credit smallcredit card fraud protectioncard credit low rateapproval canada card credit instantcard credit debt reducingconsolidate credit card paymentmy premier credit card accountconsolidating credit card debthsbc credit card applicationinternet credit card processing,internet credit card processing servicessecured credit card applicationdownload metro pcs ringtonesfree cell phone ringtones,free samsung cell phone ringtones,free t mobile ringtones for cell phonedownload mobile mosquito ringtones t,mosquito ringtones,mosquito npr ringtoneskeypress motorola ringtonesfree samsung cell phone ringtones10 caller hotlink ringtones top,hotlink caller ringtones,caller hotlink malaysia maxis ringtonesdownload pc ringtonesnextel mp3 ringtones,free mp3 nextel ringtones,i730 mp3 nextel ringtonesinfo personal polyphonic remember ringtones sagem,info personal polyphonic remember ringtones voice,info personal polyphonic remember ringtonesfree ringtones makercell phone ringtones verizon,phone prepaid ringtones verizon,ringtones for verizon phonedownload free ringtones lgblackberry 7520 ringtones,blackberry ringtones,free blackberry 7250 ringtonesringtones for cingular phone,polyphonic ringtones for cingular phonedownload free ringtones virgin mobileinfo nextel personal remember ringtonescell free lg phone ringtonescingular cell phone ringtonessprint download ringtones,download ringtones for sprint phonesony music box ringtonesalltel free phone ringtonessony ericsson free real ringtones,6030 free nokia real ringtones,free real ringtones24 free ringtonestrac phone ringtonesmake your own free ringtones,free make own ringtones,free make mp3 own ringtonesnextel music ringtoneshot new ringtonesdigi caller ringtonesfree motorola ringtones tracfoneboost free mobile music ringtonesblackberry download free ringtones100 free mobile ringtonesfree nextel real ringtones1600 composer nokia ringtones,ringtones composer,mobile ringtones composer100 free mobile ringtones virgin They have so much stuff packed into that place it’s crazy.  I had been looking around for a new candle melter for awhile and came across this one.  It fits perfect in my kitchen and looks super cute next to my wine bottle lamp that one of the other moms at school made for me.  Notice how car stuff even manages to find it’s way into my kitchen.

As I mentioned yesterday, my car went back to the dealership today.  John came and picked it up last night.  I haven’t heard yet, but I’m sure the service guys eyeballs bigged out of his head when my car showed up unannounced, much to his dismay.  So now, there is this monster car in my garage.  The second I open the door to my garage, (right of the kitchen), I see this:

Honestly, I had forgotten all about it this morning until I opened the door to let the dog out on there it was right in my face.  A scary sight first thing in the morning, opening the door to a car that big about 2 feet in front of your face.  :P  When I parked it I put the log there so I knew how close I had to get to clear the garage door.  So yes, I know there is a log under the car.

I started a layout yesterday, which I didn’t end up finishing, but hope to today.  This marked the first time I’ve scrapbooked at home in uhh, dare I say close to a year.  :(  It felt good and I’m liking the part I have done so far.  Hopefully I’ll be able to share it tomorrow.

No big plans for today really.  We do have dinner plans at the Capital Grille tonight, which I’m looking forward to.  That and I may go up to Dylan’s school today to pick up any papers he has there.  Denny and I decided to pull him out of the school, (his second year of preschool), last week.  They didn’t seem to be covering half of the things that they had covered with Ethan at the other preschool, and frankly, he seemed to have hit his peak of what he was going to get out of it.  So, I’ve been doing projects and workbooks with him at home each morning to help move things along.  I think we probably should have made this decision several months ago, and now I feel like we are behind.  I’m crossing my fingers that things work themselves out by next school year.

That’s all for today… Happy Monday.

~j

First, here is a layout share.  This is an OLD photo of Ethan and Denny at a 4th of July fireworks display.  Judging by the look on Denny’s face I’m sure Ethan is busy explaining something in the sky to Denny that only makes sense to you if your about three.

Technique here is one of my favorites and I’m not sure if I’ve shared it before, but just in case here are the steps/details.  (This works best on dark cardstock!)

You’ll need a VersaMark pad.  I like to use a little cube one for this, but if you have a bigger surface area that full size pad works better, obviously.  Plus, where does it say you only NEED one VersaMark pad??  LOL.  You’ll also need some type of mask.  Here I used a Heidi Swapp “star” mask.

The technique itself is pretty straightforward:

1. place the mask
2. blot the VersaMark Pad over the mask
3. move mask and repeat

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
• Embellishments: Fancy Pants Velvet Ribbon, Sweetwater Chipboard
• Adhesives: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L E-Z Runner & 3D Foam Squares
• Misc Supplies: VersaMark, Heidi Swapp Mask

In other news, this past Friday was the Pinewood Derby.  Ethan’s car took 3rd in his Pack.  Way to go Ethan!  Here is a photo of him with his car just after the event. 

He had a good time, and now he and Denny are already hard at work planning how to speed up the car they enter next year.  Now that Denny knows Ethan is “into it,” apparently Denny is going to go all out.  (Which is what I thought went on the first time around, so I’m a little scared to see what exactly “all out” means!)

Ethan also had his model Solar System due on Friday.  Poor Denny and I were stressed out trying to get all his projects wrapped up.  Ethan was a planet painting fool for two days.  FYI, styrofoam is a. far more costly than one might think, and b. soaks up A LOT of paint.

My motto around here, which I’m told I inherited, is “if you are going to do it, then do it right.” LOL.  So here is the solar system model we came up with.  I took this photo right before Denny trimmed off the rod that all the planets spin around.  Denny thinks we should try to sell it on ebay to some other second grade parent overwhelmed with projects.  :)  And yes, the sun does light up.

My Buick goes back to the dealer again on Monday.  Our friend, and favorite car salesman, John is coming to pick it up sometime today and dropping off a loaner for me to use while he takes the car in.  Poor John works for the Cadillac dealer and got me my Buick via another dealership and now he’s suck with the darn thing.  This will be visit three for the car, second visit for the same thing.  Three separate issues with the car in total though.  I think we got a bad seed if you ask me.  On the upside… John is taking my poopy Buick, and leaving me with a nice Escalade.  John is just too good to me. :)  Too bad I don’t have to leave the house for much this week, lol.

~j

Ginger tagged me the other day… so here are my 7 random factiods!

1.) I have a mustard phobia, lol. I can’t look at it, smell it, see people eat it, etc. Denny asks if he can put it on his food before he does it if I’ll be present and generally I have to leave the room. I have no idea why, just the idea makes me gag. Ok, I’m bothered already. Yuck!

2.) I’m a coupon-aholic. I have a grocery shopping ritual down to only going twice a month and using enough coupons to save me right around $100.00 each trip. Each time I go it’s a challenge to myself to see how much I can save, lol. Sad the things that excite me isn’t it. Anyway, then I come home and show Denny and he acts all proud of me. Frankly, I don’t think he gives a rats-patootie, but at least he fakes it. Last week I saved $109.00 I think. The check out lady really loves me - NOT.

3.) My first baby, Mr. Ethan, was 9lbs, 15 ozs. and I gained 70 lbs. Enough said.

4.) I like to iron. I iron on vacation. I iron baby clothes. Apparently, at least according the Michelle, it isn’t normal behavior.

5.) I’ve been in love with my hubby since I was 16. And I met him while riding in what we affectionately call the Barbie Corvette. It was pink, seriously, Barbie pink.

6.) I really enjoy being alone. It doesn’t happen often, but I could easily go out to dinner and sit all by myself and have a REALLY good time. And no, I don’t talk to myself! It may, subconsciously, be why I love my Fiero so much. Only two seats. Although, as I found out in High School, you’d really be shocked how much you can fit in the sucker.

7.) My favorite band: Barenaked Ladies. I have shirts from concerts that will never fit around my body again, that I hang on to just for the memories. They are in the drawer right next to my “skinny jeans.” Come on, you all have that drawer!!

Onto the next tagging victim… Sarah, Jana, & Jamie!

~j

As I said yesterday, I scrapbooked some this weekend and I think it helped give me a kick in the fanny to get more done around here. Maybe I just needed the theraputic downtime. Who knows! But today has got to be the first day in moths I’ve been in my office and gotten some things done. So I’ve scanned some layouts that I have been sitting here, and managed to pull up the dates for some of the ones I had yet to mark, (I try to date everything).

So without further ado…

Supplies

• Printed Paper: I so totally don’t remember. If someone knows, please drop me a line. It has shimmer and sparkle to it if that helps.
• Cardstock: Bazzill Basics and Prism Papers
• Adhesives: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L - E-Z Runner, Craft & Photo Tape, White Photo Corners
• Misc Embellishments: American Crafts Thickers, Heidi Swapp Jewels, Doodlebug Jewels, May Arts Ribbon, Stickles, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink, Prima Flowers, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Basic Grey Chipboard, Ranger Paint

Technique Tip:
Altering Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Classic Paper Photo Corners. I altered my photo corners using Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to give them a pretty shimmer, (hard to see if not impossible in the scan). I’m a bling addict so this is the perfect touch for me. A similar effect can be accomplished by applying PearlEx to the Photo Corners too!

I’ve also uploaded them to the gallery and put some of the February cards up. Less the ones pending publication.

Enjoy!

~j

I know this may come as a shock, lol, but I actually scrapbooked yesterday. It wasn’t work related, or class related, and it was actually for ME. I know, I know, I always SAY I’m going to set aside time to do something for myself, then I never do it. Yesterday was finally my chance. I don’t think I’ve done anything entirely for myself since maybe November sometime.

Anyway, I went for the day to a crop in Brooklyn. And yes, Pierina, Brooklyn MICHIGAN. I was lucky enough not to be the one driving, (thank you Cheryl), so I was all around pretty spoiled yesterday. I got to crop all day, I didn’t have to drive, I didn’t have to cook and I walked away with some cool prizes. I had a good time and met some nice people too. Sadly, the day did have to come to an end and today I’m pooped out. It doesn’t help that today was the dreaded “spring” forward clock ritual that is daylight savings time. Uhhh, spring forward my butt… I had to scrape ice off my car windshield last night. If I haven’t mentioned it a million times before… I hate winter.

I had some things picked up for publication last week. Two cards, which were from the last card class, and two layouts. Some are for a special birthday edition of Ready! Set! Create! and I’m not sure when the exact release date is for that. I’ll post them though after all the issues are released.

So far today I’ve spent the last couple hours watching Denny work on Ethan’s pinewood derby car. Considering Denny works in the auto fabrication industry, specifically in auto racing and modification, this is really his idea of a good time. Ethan just wants it to look cool, and Denny wants the thing to go so fast that it won’t sit still long enough to look cool. Right now the two of them are testing out the wheel alignment across the wood floor in the kitchen.  Sadly for Denny the rules adopted by Ethan’s pack don’t seem to allow for much, if any modification at all. At least not any FUN modification. As a side note, for a childs pinewood derby car, you wouldn’t believe some of the suggestions he has come up with to reduce the friction and give him, err, Ethan the gravitational advantage. There are other people in Ethan’s pack that read this, so I can’t give away any of the “Team Dera” secrets.

Ok I have to go supervise the racing team here. Tomorrow I’ll post some project scans and some of the February cards. As I said earlier, I can’t post them all here, so if you need any photos from the February class, please email me directly.

~j

P.S. We are still looking for people to join us at our Scrap Palace weekend this summer. This is NOT a full service weekend, unlike the regular non-stop pampering that goes on at Scrap Palace, we will be taking turns cooking/preparing meals. At any rate, if you are interested in the $$ involved, email me privately! (Thursday-Sunday stay in June)

It seems my luck has finally run out when it comes to mass illness around here.  So far Ethan is just fine,  but Shelby, Dylan and Denny… and even myself, uhh not so lucky. 

Saturday I started to feel yucky, went out and then by Sunday morning I was way beyond yucky.  Then during the night the sound of wheezing woke me up and poor Shelby was sick and I spent the early morning hours in the ER.  Yesterday morning Dilly woke me up crying that his ear hurt.  Lucky for me his issues were close enough to the local urgent care hours that I could take him there.  Something about the ER two days in a row isn’t all that appealing to me.  Today Denny woke up whispering, “I can’t talk.  My throat hurts really bad.”  I can’t wait to see how that one is going to turn out.  It’s just 6am now and at least Dilly is still sleeping and I got Shelby back to sleep, although she is in the dead center of my bed.  :|  Thankfully I’m feeling better for the most part, just dead tired.

It’s a school day today for Dylan of course, but with an ear infection and fever yesterday he has to stay home.  Sadly I have places to go today, so the two “sick-lets” are going to have to go with me.  Fun stuff.

~j

I got up with Denny today.  You know, when normal people are sleeping.  He woke me up, and then I couldn’t get back to sleep again.  On the up side, getting up that early gives me some quiet time, which I cherish!!  So I spent the morning with a cup of tea and hammered out some website stuff that needed to be done for Scrap Palace.  A nice start to the day.  I thought about getting dressed early and being all ready when I got the kids up.  Thought about it being key there.  I promptly changed my mind.

At any rate, so I did get some stuff done, and then I broke my favorite USB stick.  Ahhh.  I was sitting, working away, and then moved my foot forgetting I had my tea on the floor.  (The hazard of not sitting near the end table.)  Well I jumped up for a towel and my foot caught the laptop cord flinging it onto the floor.  That part turned out alright, but my poor USB stick met an ill fate… bent right in half when the laptop landed.  I’m pleased to say the thing still works!!!  Shocking I know.  Three cheers for Imation and their well made USB stick.

Denny is taking a vacation day tomorrow.  Yippee.  He was tossing the idea around this morning and decided a long weekend would be nice.  Maybe I’ll get motivated enough today to clean my office and then tomorrow while he is home I can scrapbook a bit.  Maybe.  I miss scrapbooking, at least I think I do.  Like I said yesterday, I’m in an unmotivated state.  Not into doing all that much of anything lately.  Maybe I should get myself all dressed and stuff before the kids get up.  I have about 30 minutes.  Considering I can be dressed and do my hair in under 10 minutes you wouldn’t think this would be such a big deal would ya?  See, told you I’m not motivated.

~j

So sorry Sarah.  I’m here, lol.  How do you like that personal shout out?

I’ve been crabby.  Actually I’m not sure if crabby is the word.  Maybe unmotivated would be a better word to use.  Is there a word out there that is a combo of both… I’m an “unmoto-crab.”  How about that?  Anyway, not real sure what my problem is.  I have a good idea, and it’s totally within my power to fix, but the unmotivated part isn’t in a real big hurry to take care of it.

Last week I got myself a new, and super cool Dyson.  It’s fabulous!  It things go south with Denny I’m going to marry Sir James Dyson, lol.  I bet he has a clean house. :)  I love you Mr. Dyson!!!  I’ve had the DC07 for a little over a week now I think and I’m still sucking stuff out of my carpet that I never wanted to know was there.  I highly recommend everyone have a Dyson.  I got a fab deal on it at an online retailer which makes me love the thing even more.  It’s funny cuz the day I got it I said to Denny when he came home, “Hey wanna go downstairs and suck something up with me?” HA HA.  He just gave me the “what the heck is wrong with you look.”  The point here, if you haven’t already caught on… I love the Dyson.

So what else is new here… hmm… I’ve been hunting out dead people again, (a.k.a. genealogy).  A hobby I dropped awhile back just because I had hit a wall.  That, and it isn’t a hobby that seems to work real well when you have small children for various reasons.  At any rate, so I made some progress and was going through the safe putting some certificates away that I had run across.  I stumbled upon our marriage license.  I said to Denny, “Aww look, our marriage license.”  To which he replied, “Boy, who was the dummy that gave us one of those?” :)  My response… “Obviously someone that didn’t know us very well!”  HA HA all in good fun.  Aren’t we cute?

Michelle and I are supposed to go out for dessert tonight, but now I have a killer headache.  Let’s hope that goes away soon.  It has been way too long since I’ve been out with Michelle.  She actually sent me a card in the mail the other day to tell me we had to make plans, lol.  Mind you it was one of my own cards.  I love getting my own stuff back in the mail, it cracks me up.  At least she assembled it all by herself, WTG Michelle.

~j

Ok so every house I’ve ever owned has started uhh, well less than perfect. Possibly close to uninhabitable in the eyes of some. Especially me. I’m a night at the Hilton vs. Camping in a tent kinda girl if you get my drift. So anyway, over the next few days I’m going to share some of what I consider the most gruesome highlights of the house we have now. I think I’ll do some before and after shots just for the fun of it. Thanks to the ladies at the MCC Grand Opening Chat for the inspiration here.

We were chatting about home decor and got onto the topic of wallpaper. Wallpaper and I have had many intimate meetings over the last 7 years or so. It seems I always get a house that the person before decided to wallpaper… over and over and over again. Of course never removing one layer before adding another. It is almost like a treasure hunt as you peel each layer off to find another layer underneath that reflects on an era long past.

For example, and this is probably the BEST example I have… How many of you have ever come across a layer of wallpaper celebrating the United States Bicentennial (1975)? I sadly, can say that I have seen such wallpaper and I hope to never lay eyes on it again. Back in 1975 wallpaper I don’t think was manufactured with the intent of ever actually being REMOVED from the walls. So each piece came off in about 1/2″ strips that were about 5″ to 6″ long if you were lucky.

And what would this story be without a photo to share. As you know if you read this on a regular basis, I’ll take a photo of just about everything. lol. Really. Anyway, without further ado…

You’ll notice that this layer of wallpaper was uniquely situated UNDER a layer of CEDAR SHINGLE that was NAILED to the walls in this particular room. Thats a pile of some of them there on the floor. Interesting decor choice I know. I suppose I should be grateful that the cedar was nailed and not glued. There is a silver lining to everything I guess.

Why couldn’t these people have celebrated the Bicentennial like everyone else with a special US Mint coin… quarters, half-dollars, Eisenhower dollars?? No, instead they too the far more sensible approach and wallpaper our house in celebration. That makes so much more sense.

~j

I’ve been a terrible friend, blogger, designer, and teacher lately.  I know it.  I’ve found that I’ve really just spread myself too thin over the last few months.  I vowed at the beginning of this year I was going to learn how to say no, and frankly, I’m not too good at it.  I’ve over booked myself, some of which is my own fault, and some not. 

I really wanted to take care of some personal issues and get the house renovations as close to done as possible.  After living in a half way done house for almost 5 years now, I think both Denny and I had had enough.  So a couple weeks ago I found myself needing an appraisal on the house.  I stalled with the appraiser as long as I could to try to get as much done as we could.  It’s been a marathon painting session amongst other things.  Then the other night Denny dropped the toilet in the garage as he was bringing it back it.  Which set us back on time as of course it broke when it hit the floor.

The appraiser comes tomorrow in the late afternoon.  It will get done, at least pretty darn close.  I’m fairly confident.  I’m tired, Denny is tired.  My dinning room table and such are still in the middle of the dining room as of this moment and I don’t expect it to be moved back until tomorrow around lunch.  Down to the wire, really.  I put myself in this position, which I have mixed feelings about.  I think we needed the push to get it done, but I’m wondering if it was too hard of a push.

Last week I started PT for my knee.  I’ve been a few times, and I’m fairly convinced it isn’t going to help.  I’m open to it helping, but even the girl that did the evaluation didn’t seem real confident, nor did the doctor.  Basically it was an effort to help with some of the pain.  If it worked great, if not, at least I tried.  Well, all it seems to be doing so far is making me crabby cuz I’m in pain.  Which in turn makes Denny crabby.  I canceled my appointment for today.  I just don’t want to go out, or suffer through another night with so many more pressing things to do.  I did get a call for a mystery shop that needs to be done tonight, and I should have said no.  But… lol, of course I didn’t.  :p

The kick off for MyCreativeClassroom.com is quickly approaching and I have a lot of things I still want to do and need to do for that.  I’m offering some free classes and I need to have them listed, like yesterday really.  I also have a sample for a class I want to offer at the end of February or March. 

Ethan had four teeth pulled on Friday, and gets two more done next Monday.  The poor kid just doesn’t have room in his mouth for all the teeth.  Major crowding issue he was lucky enough to get from me.  He wanted me to stay in the room with him.  I was hoping to end up in the waiting room cuz no Mom wants to watch that happen to their baby.  Really.  The assistant looked at me and said, “Sometimes it’s hard to be the Mom isn’t it?”

I feel like I’ve been all over town the last few weeks, and I don’t usually book myself that full.  Last week I had to go out everyday.  Yuck.  I’m stressed out, and I’m not my usual self.  I haven’t talked to my friends much, I’ve neglected Pierina and Jeannie, and even Michelle really. 

So to everyone that feels neglected, know that I feel bad.  Consider this my public apology.  Sorry ladies, really.  I need to get through this, and then I’ll be back to my regular multi-tasking expert self again.  I promise.

~j