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

Classes for the spring semester at My Creative Classroom are up.  I have three up there right now, and I’m working on a couple more.  I had a coupon posted in the newsletter, but in case you aren’t on the mailing list at MCC I’m also offering it here.

Register for my Altered Timepiece class from now to January 16th and get $5.00 off the regular $15.00 class fee.  What a steal that is huh?!?!

I also had some people ask for a class that covers my acrylic mini book that I use to hold all my websites, usernames and passwords.  I need to take a photo of it and get it posted online.  Keep your eye out both here and at MCC for more details.

In other news… we’ve been renovating the house, slowly.  When we bought it I can honestly say it was a real disaster.  I usually can look past things like that and see the potential underneath, but with this house I had a really hard time.  Maybe it was because we had already renovated one and I was just not looking to do it again.  It was only my Dad and Denny that could see what it could be and talked me into it.  We got it for a deal and have been working on it little by little.  Seriously the house was GROSS.  So much so it wasn’t even being shown with the carpet in it… it was down to subfloor when we first looked at it.  Gross may not even begin to cover it.

Anyway, so since we bought it we’ve been working and we are finally near the end.  Denny has been redoing the lower level bathroom and thats almost done.  I think it will be ready next week.  All thats left after that is painting really.  I’m happy about it, really, really happy.  It stinks having a house torn up for so long, but you do what you have to do.  The upside of the doing it slowly is that minor things seem to make a GIANT difference.  You wouldn’t believe what some paint does on something that has sat unpainted for a few years, lol.

I haven’t scrapped in what seems like years at this point.  It’s been crazy here and I’m stressed out.  Not real good for creative flow if you know what I mean.  Maybe I can cut out some time this weekend to get some creating done.  That might make me feel better.  I’m starting the planning for our annual girls retreat for this coming June.  Each year we go someplace.  Last year we rented a house on Harsens Island, and other than the rental guy being a jerk, the house rental thing worked out great.  The view was super helpful to me.  It just left you feeling refreshed and peaceful.  I got a lot of stuff done as a result.

This year we have decided to go the same route.  It didn’t cost us very much to go last year once we all split up the rent.  Each of us took a few meals and we made out really well.  Lucky for me, one of my favorite people was in town from Texas.  She came with us for a few days and made my trip all that much better.  Anyway, I’m looking at a house in Clarkston right now.  Again waterfront with an open floor plan for tables.  We aim for Thursday-Sunday, but at the rate I’m going, I might disappear for a week. :)  Hopefully the lady calls me back soon about pricing and reservations.  It may seem like a long way off, but pulling it all together takes time.  Plus once we know for sure we are going and where we have to start working out in preparation for lugging all out stuff in the house, lol.  Together we all have a lot of, eehh, stuff.

Here is to sweet dreams of a retreat in the future.  Ahhh!

~j

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Yesterday here was a nut house. It was one of those days where I’m cleaning up one mess while one of the kids is making another. Yesterday is was makeup and chili powder. (Eric I hope you liked your Chili cuz now I’m out of Chili powder, lol.)

So as I said before the downstairs bathroom is being renovated… again, so I have to go upstairs to use the “facilities.” As I walk down the hall I see the bathroom door is shut. Odd around here cuz the boys don’t seem to feel a need for privacy and leave it open. I open the door and there is Shelby…

For those of you with kids, you probably have had those safety latches on the inside of your drawers at some point. Well they allow the drawer to open a crack so you can release the latch. Apparently Shelby has mastered wiggling her hand inside and feeling around for what she wants. This day she wanted my make up. So had covered herself, (and my white bathroom), in creamy blush and lipstick. (Really the blush is very subtle when applied properly, lol, not so uhhh, well lets say overpowering for fear of stepping over a not so politically correct boundary.) Anyway, there were hand prints everywhere. As I opened the door and stood there, she looked up and said, “Uh oh, want to pick up?” and started handing me all the stuff she had taken out, and emptied all over her face.

I plopped her in the tub and as I looked at her, and the pink ring she was leaving around the bathtub, I said, “Girl, you are lucky you are so darn cute. If you weren’t, boy would you be in trouble miss.” HA HA, that girl I swear, she is my princess and she knows it. Stinker.

After the tub and new clothes I cleaned up what I could of the bathroom and put the rug and shower curtain in the wash. When I came from the laundry duty upstairs again I see that “someone’, AKA on e of my boys, left the stool out in the kitchen. Well she helped herself and selected a jar of chili powder that was sitting on the counter. At which point she emptied it onto a slice of bread, topping it with another piece of bread, making in essence a chili powder sandwich. Thankfully she had the good sense not to eat her creation. Yet another mess to clean up, and again lucky for her she’s cute.

Another day in paradise. Phew.

In other news, today is Dilly’s birthday. He turned 5 today and seems pretty happy about it. We had his birthday dinner, pizza. Hey his choice, not mine. We did the candle and the singing, which he throughly enjoyed, until he found wax dribble on his pizza, lol. Sunday we are having his party and tomorrow he gets to make a trip to the toy store. Yippee for Dilly.

On another birthday related note, why is it that Dilly gets the presents today?? As I recall, fairly vividly, I was the one who did all the work 5 years ago today, and everyday since for that matter. Dilly’s God Father, (my good friend Joel), called this evening to wish ME a happy birthday. (See I knew there was a reason I love that man.) Sadly he is in Ohio now with his wife and new baby. Boo Hoo for me, I never see him. Come and see me Joel, dammit. How is that for a hint???

The other thing that occurred to me today… I’ve been changing diapers non stop for 8 years come February 4th, (Ethan’s birthday). I was doing the rough math in my head exactly how many diapers that amounted to, when I figured I didn’t really want to know. That and I was never very good in math. *wink*

I had someone, (Hi Becky), ask where she could get the altered 12 photo clock that I used in my Scrapbooking.com article. Truth be told, I have no clue. It was sent to me via the manufacturer. I have to do some hunting and if all else fails I’ll put you in touch with the owner, who should be able to answer that. I’d hope so anyway. Just wanted to let you know I wasn’t ignoring you… just working on it!

That ends my rant for today.

~j

So this is pretty funny… I had submitted a project awhile ago, (an altered 12 photo clock made by Traditions Studios), for a Scrapbooking.com Design Team type of call.  I’m still not sure where I stand with that, BUT, I did find out my project I submitted is in their January issue.  You can see it here.  There is also an image and a link to it right on the issue front page if that link doesn’t work.  Why is this funny??  Uhh, well I didn’t even know it was there, lol.  My Mom is the one that found it. 

Denny went back to work today.  Bummer.  I miss him when he isn’t here.  Ok people, stop it with the sappy face.  :P  It seems I know a lot of people that don’t really like their spouse very much, lol.  I happen to NOT be one of those people.  Sure he can aggravate the crap out of me, but for the most part he really is a great guy.  He keeps me laughing and frankly he isn’t bad to look at either.  *wink*  Anyway, he’s gone, off to be with adults, and I’m here with the kids who are currently fighting over LEGO’s.  Ethan goes back to school tomorrow but Dilly will be home until Monday.  So I have several more days of fighting left to look forward to.  Woo Hoo!!

I’m working on some cards again today… in between laundry and cleaning.  Laundry = my lifes work.

Happy New Year!!

~j

I got some cashola for Christmas from my Grandma… thanks Grandma!  Anyway, so I’m pretty bad about using Christmas money for the everyday stuff.  So Denny says the other day, “I was going to get you an iPod for Christmas but I didn’t know what one to get.  Let’s go get one with your Christmas money.”  Well of course my reply was telling him about the car payment, car insurance etc, that was going to come out this week.  Ugh.  His response, (in an effort to justify things), was that this is like money we never had, lol.  And that Grandma wouldn’t want me using it to pay a bill.  I”m sure he had a point, but it’s just not who I am.  The only thing I get for myself is some scrapbook stuff here and there.  There isn’t anything else I really need, you know?  Well Denny knew I wanted an iPod, and despite my protests we ended up at the Apple store yesterday.

I had been looking at the Nano for a LONG time and then the Shuffle, but I’m wondering how the heck you tell whats playing on the Shuffle.  Not to mention that the teenie tiny Shuffle would be missing in about five minutes.  So I got the Nano (Product) Red.  I’ve been snuggling with it since I got it.  Denny has done nothing but laugh at me since yesterday.  Apparently he likes the grin I’ve been giving my iPod, lol.

Denny has been working his fanny off on the house and a few cars he has out in the garage.  We ripped out all the tile in the one downstairs half bath.  It has been tiled about a year or so ago, but we didn’t like the tile and we had a leak… so out it went.  Denny just finished up the floor last night and we just have the shower floor left.  Someone is coming out to do that part, so we are pretty much at a standstill until then.  I’ll be happy to have it done, and when it is I’ll post a photo.  I’m loving it so far!!

When I haven’t been helping him I’ve been working on some cards.  Here is one I put together the other day.  It’s all Prism cardstock, with the pink (Razzleberry) stamped with VersaMark.  The patten paper is a Scrapworks print.  Ribbon is from American Crafts.  I saw the “Seize the Cake” phrase when I was wandering through Archivers the other day.  Whatcha think?

Time for me to get going.  I still have a bunch of stuff to do before we leave.  We go on New Years to a bowling party with the Herbert family.  They do a count down around 4pm and the kids really like it.  Plus those of us who are crappy bowlers get to make fools of ourselves.  Fun stuff.  :)  Plus I’m making Mr. Eric some of my chili for Christmas and I have to get that packed up.  (I think this might really be a gift for Michelle… one less meal she has to cook!)

Happy New Year!  See you in 2008!

~j