Kitten At Play

2012-01-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

This is an article by JD Roberto, Writer and TV Host.

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The Best Parenting Advice I Never Got

I got a lot of parenting advice before my first child came into the world. I think people feel obligated to bestow their wisdom on expecting parents and, overall, I guess that’s a good thing. Still, the advice I got – though well meaning and thoughtful – was almost entirely useless once the actual odyssey of being a dad began. Phrases like “life changing” and “wonderful adventure” came up repeatedly, but no one bothered to tell me I should go see a movie. These days, going to a movie involves two weeks of planning and forty bucks worth of babysitter — and that’s before you pay fourteen bucks for a ticket and six bucks for some Twizzlers.
Sleep was high on the recommendation list. “Get as much sleep as you can!” is what they tell you, but that particular pearl of wisdom seems entirely backward to me. What you should really be doing is training yourself to function on less sleep or sleep that is frequently interrupted. I guess you could try to stockpile sleep but, trust me, when you’re up all night with a sick four month old, knowing you got a solid nine hours back in June doesn’t help.

A few times, kindly grandparents summed up their parenting philosophy with something along the lines of, “Just shower ‘em with love!” It’s a heartwarming sentiment but I have yet to figure out how an exhausted parent is supposed to apply such sage counsel when his two-year-old is howling, spread eagle in the grocery store because he won’t buy a pair of Elmo shaped oven mitts.

The most common phrase I heard in the run up to parenthood was the seemingly benign, “It’s a tough job but it’s all worth it.” This is both true and diabolically misleading at the same time. Something about “it’s all worth it” suggests a proposition where some small majority of the time things will be blissful. “Yes,” you’re led to believe, “it’s going to be tough forty-nine percent of the time, but don’t worry because the other fifty-one percent it is great.” Guess what, it’s not. The ratio is frequently twenty percent enjoyable to eighty percent aggravating. Some days clock in at fifty-four percent bearable with thirty-five percent maddening rounded out by a dash of bewildering. I’ve been through entire weeks of eighty-seven percent exasperating, and experienced good-night cuddles that are one hundred percent ecstasy. It’s not balanced, it’s bipolar. It’s worth it not because it’s easy as often as it’s difficult, but because the perfect moments are so overwhelmingly sublime, you somehow forget the maniacal pajama tantrum you endured the night before.

If I could go back and give myself some more practical advice it would look something like this:

1. When they nap, you nap. Don’t send emails, don’t catch up on work. Nap.

2. Travel with your children when they are very young. At six months old it’s just as easy to keep them entertained in Cozumel as it is in Cleveland. You might as well get a tan out of the deal.

3. Buy a rechargeable, cordless hand vacuum. Your floors and cars will thank you.

4. It’s perfectly acceptable to make an entire dinner in the microwave.

5. In every parent-child relationship someone has to be the grown up. Try to make sure that someone is you. A two-year-old has the right to act like a child, you do not.

6. Take everyone who volunteers to babysit up on the offer. Repeatedly.

7. Buy everything you can second-hand.

8. Make time for the other relationships in your life — seeing you in the role of good friend or devoted spouse teaches your kids way more than a Baby Einstein marathon.

9. There’s no such thing as using too many wipes.

10. There will be times when you’re sure you are a terrible parent and, secretly, wonder why you ever had kids in the first place. This is normal. Forgive yourself these occasional moments of self-doubt and, from time to time, let yourself mourn your life pre-parenthood. Then have a healthy glass of wine, get some sleep and get back to work. After all, as you’ve no doubt heard, it’s a tough job, but it’s all worth it.

Oh, and go see a movie while you still can.

Songs I Love

2012-01-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

Loving these songs right now. And I just have to say, I don't understand the audience in the first one. They are all just sitting there....doing nothing. I can only think they were told to be that way because the song rocks and Maroon 5 was awesome.

Recipe

2012-01-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

I made these last night to go with our veggie stuffed shells. I hadn't read any reviews on them and wasn't sure if they would be any good. Verdict was: I like them and Greg did, too. I could eat them with nothing on them but Greg had to dip them in ranch dressing. You do have to eat them warm because....well, because they are just one of those things that taste better warm! They definitely are the healthy version of fried zucchini. Going into it there was no illusion that they would be just like the fried version, which is always important when making a healthy version of anything. Having said that, they are crunchy and satisfying and worth a try! The whole wheat flour is noticeable so if you don't like that, you better use white flour....but they will start being a lot less healthy!

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Zucchini Chips

1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
heaping 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cold milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese and black pepper. In separate bowl add flour, milk and vinegar. Gently stir until combined but do not over stir. Dip zucchini slices in flour mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated zucchini slices on a baking sheet lined with non stick paper and bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices over once halfway through cooking, or until browned and crisp.

(from thejoyofcleaneating.com)

A few things to consider...

2012-01-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

I think you are...

2012-01-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is my take on clean and simple for the Clean & Simple Card Class. I found this stamp set at Michael's last summer in the $1 bin and had to get it. Isn't it cute? It reminds me of high school crushes! I'll give it to my husband and check each of them :)

Hope you like it!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

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Don't Laugh Too Hard

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Untraditional Shabby Chic

2011-11-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

I got this idea in a dream! I often conjure things up while I'm asleep. I guess card making must be on my mind a lot. I really like how the card turned out. The ribbon is something I've had for at least a year. I wasn't sure how I'd use it but I knew one day it would be the perfect thing for a project and this was it. The snowflake is my favorite part. I used my Cricut to cut it and and then I covered it with diamond stickles. When it was mostly dry, I flocked it! The flock didn't stick all over and that's the shabby part of it. In the close up photo, it almost looks as if it's half melted. The woodgrain background just seemed to be the perfect thing for the shabby chic theme. It's untraditional and frilly...perfect for the girl who'd have a pink Christmas tree :)

Supplies used:
Stamps: Imaginise "Merry & Bright", Hero Arts "Designer Woodgrain"
Snowflake: Christmas/Noel Cricut cartridge
Paper: Neenah white card stock, Recollections pink & blue card stock, Basic Grey "Eskimo Kisses"
Ink: VersaMark, Tsukineko Dew Drop "Sea Breeze"
Embossing powder: Martha Stewart Dove and Crystal Clear
Ribbon: Michael's $1 bin
Diamond Stickles
Doodle Bug white flock
K&Company pearl
Signo Broad while gel pen
Various buttons I had on hand

Brownie Lovers Take Note!

2011-11-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

I have not made these but I'm going to try them since they get rave reviews. I usually always have both ingredients at home....probably could make them tonight! Thought they would be a good option for the holidays to help watch the calories!

Diet Coke Brownies

1 Package Brownie Mix
1 12oz Can of Diet Coke

Slowly mix brownie mix and Diet Coke until well blended. There will be a lot of foam and the batter will be very liquidy.

Pour into a 9 x 13 pan which has been lightly coated with non-stick spray (bottom of the pan only), and bake for 30-35 minutes or as directed on the box.

Holiday Card Boot Camp ~ Week 1

2011-11-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Ho Ho Ho! It's starting to look a little merry at my craft desk ;)

Hope you like it!

Supplies Used:
Owl Card
Heidi Grace "Jolly & Bright" holly paper
Red polka dot paper (unknown brand)
Scallop Frame from Cricut Mini Monogram cartridge
Rock Candy Stickles
Pink Cat Studio "Stitched Owls" stamp set
Brown, red, yellow, orange & black Prisma Color pencils

Holiday Card Boot Camp ~ Week 1

2011-11-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

Even tho I should be finishing my Thanksgiving cards, I took some time out to make cards for the Holiday Card Boot Camp :)

Hope you like them!

Supplies used:

Cat Card
My Minds Eye "Snowed In Winter Papers" 6x6 pad
Kraft card stock
Inkadinkado "Peppermint Twist" stamp set
My Sentiments Exactly "Party Animals" stamp set
VersaMark ink
StazOn Timber Brown ink
Tsukineko Sand ink
Martha Stewart white embossing powder
Martha Stewart brown/white bakers twine
Stampendous Crystal Snow glitter
Prismacolor dark brown pencil (tail)
White gel pen

2011-11-08T08:50:00.001-08:00

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 30

2011-10-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

I'm sure it's no surprise that orange day was going to be a pumpkin. I have to admit tho, I like the gray pumpkin better than the traditional orange ones. It's soooo Halloween!

This is it for my 30 day photography challenge. I did have fun and it was good getting back into it. Thank you to the people who took the time to leave me a comment. It's appreciated :)

You probably noticed I missed Sunday (long exposure day). The truth is, I just didn't feel like doing this one. I had planned on going to Mt. Soledad and shooting the east side that looks down on the freeway. That would have been cool for long exposure....but oh well. So it's really been a 29 day photography challenge!

Self-portrait ***** What I wore today
Something green ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
Fruit ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
Pretty pattern ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
Sunflare ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** In motion
Long exposure *****Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** Close-up

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 28

2011-10-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

From a high angle day. A display of colorful vases at Crate & Barrel. Had to be quick about it ~ they get after you if you take pictures in there!

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
~~Something new~~ ***** ~~Technology~~
~~Something I made~~ ***** ~~Something fun~~
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
~~From a low angle~~ ***** ~~From a high angle~~
~~After dark~~ ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 27

2011-10-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

It's from a low angle. Can't get much lower than the tile floor!

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
~~Something new~~ ***** ~~Technology~~
~~Something I made~~ ***** ~~Something fun~~
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
~~From a low angle~~ ***** From a high angle
~~After dark~~ ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 26

2011-10-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

After dark day! Another Vegas photo ~ had to use this one. It was taken from our hotel room at the Bellagio. We had the most awesome views from the living room area and the bathroom. The bathroom was crazy big...like the size of my kitchen! But I digress. The water show happens every 15 minutes so I had lots of chances to get pictures of it. Best viewed large.

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
~~Something new~~ ***** ~~Technology~~
~~Something I made~~ ***** ~~Something fun~~
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
~~After dark~~ ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 25

2011-10-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

I love bokeh photos. Love. So beautiful. I probably like it so much because it's dreamy and looks like a fantasy. It's the little girl in me I guess :) Here you see purple glitter...well...glittering. View it large for best effect.

For those of you who don't know what bokeh is, here is a good explanation:
In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
~~Something new~~ ***** ~~Technology~~
~~Something I made~~ ***** ~~Something fun~~
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** ~~Bokeh~~
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 24

2011-10-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

We've reached something fun day! I could not resist posting these pics. They are the shoes that were in the window at the Christian Louboutin store in Vegas. Of the two, I favor the red ones the most. They make me *swoon*.

When I saw these, I was in love. How could you not be!? They are modern day ruby slippers! If they did a remake of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy would need to wear these ruby platforms. She'd just have to. I'd love to wear them! So so pretty. But at a cool $1,700.00, they are a few bucks out of my price range.

Then we have the mermaid shoe (that's what I've named them). It's impossible to tell from the photo, but they are VERY sparkly. Encrusted with crystals. Sparkly. When you're walking past this window display, you have to look. There is no way that sparkle isn't going to turn everyones head. Curious about the price tag? They are yours for just $3,295.00. *faints*

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
~~Something new~~ ***** ~~Technology~~
~~Something I made~~ ***** ~~Something fun~~
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 23

2011-10-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

It's something new day!

This is the necklace Greg got me for our anniversary :)

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
~~Something new~~ ***** ~~Technology~~
~~Something I made~~ ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 22

2011-10-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today is something I made day.

For our anniversary I made Greg this card. If you're following me on Twitter you know that all the cards I'm making this year are owl cards. I had to come up with something unique and special. I cut the owls/branches out using my Cricut. I cut the tree trunk by hand. The owls are not actually supposed to be silhouette style but I used the shadow feature which cuts a solid image and is usually used as a base but it worked out well for a silhouette. I wrapped the owls with red thread and then twisted it between then and formed a heart. I thought this was going to be hard to do, but it was actually very easy. The sky was done on white card stock by sponging blue and gray inks and same for the moon in yellow and orange. I used a white gel pen to make stars. There's a line right across the middle of the photo and I'm not sure what it's from. Maybe from the reflection on the table. On the inside it says "owl love you forever" :)

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
~~Something I made~~ ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 21

2011-10-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

What I ate day!

While in Vegas we did a lot of celebrating. It was our 20th wedding anniversary on 10/19 and my birthday on 10/20. Two of the things on my 101 things list were to take Greg to a Bobby Flay restaurant and to go to Spago for my birthday. It was great to be able to cross both those things off my list. When trying to figure out what picture I'd post, I couldn't choose just one. So here are some memorable dining moments :)

First photo is the cake Greg ordered and surprised me with. He had it delivered to our room. SOOO sweet of him! It was chocolate with crushed praline filling and butter cream frosting. Isn't it beautiful?

Second is the salad we had at Spago. Very yummy. Sadly, I totally forgot to take a picture of my crab and scallops dinner :-/

Thrid is the ice cream we got for dessert at Spago. We were so full that having cake would have been too much. The ice cream didn't disappoint tho. One of them is brown sugar ice cream. I honestly didn't know if that was going to be good or not because it sounds strange to me. But it was so good! I'd have it again if I ever got the chance. And they wrote happy birthday on the plate for me :)

The foruth picture is my dinner at Mesa Grill. I got the grilled tiger shrimp tacos. Oh. My. These are by far the best seafood tacos I have ever had. They were smokey but not too much. So delicious. They also bring a basket of muffins and bread to the table so I tried a blue corn chile muffin. Awesome!

The fifth photo is Greg's dinner at Mesa Grill. He had the seared sea scallop salad. This was also really delicious and very filling. The scallops were perfectly seared and so tender. They look charred to death in the photo, but they really were perfectly done.

All in all, we had some wonderful meals!

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
~~What I ate~~ ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 20

2011-10-21T14:43:00.003-07:00

Flower day! This is the ceiling in the lobby of the Bellagio. I'm positive it's highly photographed, but I can tell you no picture can do it justice. You have to see it in person to really see how beautiful and impressive it is. All the "flowers" are made of blown glass and are gigantic. They are held up there on iron rods that look like stems. Some have patterns, some just solid colors and some are opaque. I can't even imagine what a nightmare it was to construct that whole thing but it's pretty!

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
~~Flowers~~ ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 19

2011-10-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 44. Has to be self-portrait day. Ugh!!

~~Self-portrait~~ ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 18

2011-10-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today Greg and I have been married for 20 years. I thought it was fitting that today is someone I love day.

Isn't he the cutest? He was eating when I took this. Never know when you'll have your picture taken when you sit across from someone with a camera! The lighting was horrible and it's blurry, but despite all that, I like it! ♥

I'm so lucky he picked me. After 20 years, I love him even more ♡ ♡ ♡

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** ~~Someone I love~~
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 17

2011-10-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today is From a distance. This is the Mojave Desert. Much greener than I was expecting it to be! And the mountains look soft and velvety from this distance. It's obviously impossible to see here, but it's so vast that is takes your breath away if you really take it all in and admire it.

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** ~~From a distance~~
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 16

2011-10-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Most important meal of the day ~ it's breakfast photo day!

Note that after today you won't see any posts for the rest of the week ~ vacation baby! Have no fear, I'll be taking pictures daily while I'm gone and post the missing days when I get back :)

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
~~Breakfast~~ ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 15

2011-10-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

I see clouds in my cocoa... marshmallow clouds, that is! It's clouds day :)

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
Breakfast ***** ~~Clouds~~
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 14

2011-10-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

And we're on to animal day. Just so you appreciate my final photo, I'm posting a few of the many attempts I made to get a decent shot. Why do they never sit still as soon as the camera comes out?! I also attempted to take photos of Suzie but she wouldn't even look in the direction of the camera!

Note that the 4th photo is Abby with mouth open going for the wrist strap of the camera.

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
~~Animal~~ ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 13

2011-10-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

It's black and white day! I had to go to the doctor this morning so I took my camera with me because I knew I'd find something there to take a picture of. Remember what I was saying about people looking at you if you have a camera? It was worse at the hospital. And I took my little Canon PowerShot because there was no way I was walking around with my big camera. At one point I had a security guard hanging about 20 feet behind me just watching me. I do realize photos in a hospital are not the same as just out and about. But I was taking pictures of signs that direct you from x-ray to neurosurgery to nuclear medicine...blah, blah, blah. Really boring stuff. It was actually turning out to be a little disappointing because I wasn't getting anything very interesting. Then it happened. I was just hanging out....clicking through the setting on my camera when this guy opens the doors across from me and goes in. It was an employee only area and the doors were wide open but I knew they were about to auto shut. So I quickly snapped a picture! Honestly, this was the best thing I got the whole time I was there. Unless you think signs are interesting. Once the doors closed I looked at the picture to see if it was clear. I had no idea what setting it was on since I'd been clicking through them all. As I was looking at the picture, I noticed all the silver domes on the ceiling. Uh oh. Video cameras! So I left and checked in for my appointment early. Not that they wouldn't have found me, but I figured I better just put the camera away and end it. There you have it. The story to this rather boring photo of some dude walking into the back of the emergency room area. Sadly, no blood or guts. But it's better than pictures of signs.

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
Animal ***** ~~Black and white~~
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 12

2011-10-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

My shoes day! I got these in the mail yesterday! So excited! I'm taking them on vacation with me. And I know what you're saying....what the heck are they!? All I can see is the zipper!! They are boots that come up to my knee and they zip up the back. And the zipper is purple! I just love that part of them so I made it the focus :)

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** ~~My shoes~~
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 11

2011-10-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's in my bag day! I love doing these. And I love looking at other "in my bag" photos. Not sure why exactly....maybe it's just the mystery of what's hidden in those deep bags that look so heavy. There has to be something interesting in them, right!? I say that hoping there's something interesting in mine!

Here we go from left to right:

Pink butterfly wallet
Round sliver compact mirror
Toothpaste
Barrette
Campus ID
Kiss My Face lip gloss
Smashbox lip gloss
Chapstick
Little plastic container (empty)
Purple ear plugs
Ibuprofen
Old receipt
Lost earring (now found)
Pen
Orange pencil case with monthly girl stuff in it
Ugly purple/yellow leopard change purse
Lotion
Instruction book for my new phone
Cortizone cream (I have a bug bite)
ridiculously large carabiner clip with unknown tiny key on it
Memory stick
Very annoying green flash light that's too heavy but looks light
Flap of my Juicy messenger bag (yes, there are pom poms on it)
Set of keys - no idea were in there & would have never found had I looked for them
Cell phone not pictured because I'm using it to take the picture :)

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** ~~In my bag~~
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 10

2011-10-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today is Technology photo day.

Every year my department has a faux pumpkin decorating contest. A few years ago a group of guys I work with made this pumpkin out of various computer parts. The Blackberry "face" is actually a just a display and isn't real. I thought it was really creative with the wires for the hair and everything :)

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** ~~Technology~~
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 9

2011-10-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today is tree photo day. I know it says trees...but...you know. I don't live in a forest and finding a group of trees that are picture worthy isn't as easy as you'd think it would be. So it's singular. And only the trunk. This is a pine tree and it has the most beautiful bark on the trunk. I had to use this as my tree picture to show it's beauty. As with my other photos, this is best viewed large by clicking on it. The small image does not do it justice.

Okay, now I need to digress for a minute. I got some crazy looks when I was taking the photos of this tree trunk. This happens a lot. When I was taking the picture of the sky on sunflare day, you'd have thought I was trotting around in a leprechaun outfit. People just do not get it. They look at me confused and bewildered. I don't even need to be taking pictures of anything...just holding the camera is enough to draw crazy looks. This happened just last week when I was at the hotel taking the fountain photo. I was walking back and this woman was walking toward me and scowled at me. I could just hear her saying to herself:

"what the heck is she doing walking down the street with that camera!?"

Now, I know taking pictures of a tree trunk isn't something most people do....maybe something no one you'd ever know would do this, but that doesn't make it crazy. So....next time you see someone taking a picture of something that seems unusual...like, the sky or a tree trunk, think about this post. Think about me and my 30 day photo challenge. Maybe they aren't crazy or doing anything seedy. Maybe they are just looking a little closer at the things around them and finding beauty in uncommon places :)

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** ~~Trees~~
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 8

2011-10-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Purchased photo day. Joe Joe's from Trader Joe's! If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, you should give them a try. These are special for Halloween and it's the first time I think they've done them this way. They are the traditional vanilla cream center. In December they'll do peppermint Joe Joe's ~ oh so good!

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** ~~Purchased~~
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 7

2011-10-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's fruit photo day! Grapes....pretty obvious.

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
~~Fruit~~ ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 6

2011-10-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

Today is pretty pattern photo day! This isn't technically a pattern, but I'm going with it anyway. The pink ruffled edges remind me of a fancy skirt :) No idea what the plant is called, but it's lovely.

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
Fruit ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
~~Pretty pattern~~ ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 5

2011-10-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today is close-up photo day. These are the hydrangeas in my front yard. I think it will be the last of them since it's getting cooler. It's a new bouquet so the flowers are still pretty tiny and green. Interestingly, they are more blue this season. We usually get a bubble gum pink color every year but this year they have a purplish blue hue to them. Not sure what's changed, but I do like the color change :)

This one is also best viewed larger by clicking on it. Probably they will all be best that way!

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
Fruit ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
Pretty pattern ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** ~~Close-up~~

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 4

2011-10-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today is n motion! I walked to the Estancia Hotel & Spa that's 2 blocks from my office today. I had my camera with me and just looked for inspiration. They have a fountain in the middle of one of the courtyards and I walked past it but then went back. I've seen it before and it's....well....just a fountain. But something made me go back and look at it and I'm glad I did. As I watched the water flow, I realized it would be perfect for the in motion photo. I had been thinking I would photograph cars as they drove past us on the freeway, but this is much more beautiful option. And the car thing probably wouldn't have turned out very good. I had several to choose from and it came down to two. Then I figured....I just post them both. So it's a twofer! They are both best viewed large (click on them).

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
Fruit ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
Pretty pattern ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** ~~In motion~~
Long exposure ***** Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** Close-up

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 3

2011-10-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

This started out being the cloud photo day but then quickly turned into sunflare photo day. I walked down my street to get a better shot of the puffy clouds and suddenly the sun popped through the clouds for a few minutes behind me. I quickly turned around and only got about 5 shots before the sun was eclipsed again. Right place at the right time :)

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
Fruit ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
Pretty pattern ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
~~Sunflare~~ ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** In motion
Long exposure ***** Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** Close-up

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 2

2011-10-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is proving to be harder than I thought it would be. It's only day 2 and I already forgot to take a picture! I got to work and all I had is the camera on my phone. To make things harder, I'm at work! Not too much inspiration around here. I went outside at 7:20am and started looking around. This was the most interesting thing I could find. So day 2 is something green. This is the ornamental grass they have outside my office. It had just been watered so it has some water droplets. Best I could do with a camera phone and being stuck at work.

Self-portrait ***** ~~What I wore today~~
~~Something green~~ ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
Fruit ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
Pretty pattern ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
Sunflare ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** In motion
Long exposure ***** Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** Close-up

30 Day Photography Challenge

2011-10-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

I saw 2 different 30 day challenges on Pinterest last month and thought it would be good for me to do since I haven't picked up my camera in ages. Problem was, some of the things on the lists didn't appeal to me. For example, one had "a bad habit". How do you take a picture of a bad habit? A bag of chips or something? I don't know, just seemed like an odd thing to dedicate a picture to. So I decided to take things from each them and make my 30 day list.

Here's the list in random order:

Self-portrait ***** What I wore today
Something green ***** Someone I love
Something new ***** Technology
Something I made ***** Something fun
Fruit ***** From a distance
Flowers ***** My shoes
What I ate ***** In my bag
Pretty pattern ***** Trees
Breakfast ***** Clouds
Sunflare ***** Bokeh
Something orange ***** In motion
Long exposure ***** Purchased
Animal ***** Black and white
From a low angle ***** From a high angle
After dark ***** Close-up

Day one is: What I wore

Today we went to my nephew's wedding today. The location was really beautiful. I really should have taken advantage of it and gone out and about looking for photo opportunities...but I wasn't thinking I guess. I should have taken a picture of the bride and groom, but there never seemed to be a good moment for it. So I took a photo of the necklace I wore. Love this necklace. Greg got it for new about 5 years ago :) We'll see what I come up with for day 2!

Calvin

2011-09-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

Calvin passed away last Monday (8/22).

I've been thinking of posting something here but it's been too hard to "talk" about. It's still hard and will always be hard to talk about. I'm sure you understand. He was a special little thing. We miss him a lot. I'm having a hard time just typing this.

He'd been having trouble with hairballs over the last month and we had taken him to the vet in July for it. On Sunday (8/21) it seemed like he had another one so we took him in again. We got a liquid medication that would help greatly and were feeling very confident that this would take care of the problem. Sunday night he wasn't social and just wanted to sleep in the corner of my craft room. He'd done this the previous time, too. We thought he'd perk up by the next day. Monday morning Greg woke up around 5am and went to check on him. He wasn't doing well at all. I got up and we put him on the bed and he took a step and collapsed. We rushed him to the vet hospital. We usually put them in the pet carrier but he always seems so terrified in it so we wrapped him in a blanket and Greg cradled him in his arms like a baby. He barely made a peep the whole way. I know he felt safe in Greg's arms. While driving to the pet hospital I looked over at him a few times. It's really hard to explain, but his pretty green eyes were very expressive and were telling me something that I kept to myself. When we got there they whisked him away and we waited. It's hard to wait for bad news. After some blood tests, they determined he was in renal failure. He'd probably been in renal failure for a month and the hairball issues were actually masking the real problem. Chances are he probably didn't even have hairballs but it presented like that because he has a history of problems with them. His little body just wasn't working well enough to keep things moving in his digestive system. They told us that morning his condition was terminal and he would not recover.

For us, our pets are our children. Loosing them is a pain like no other we have experienced. We find little comfort these days...it's heartbreaking to know we will never see him again.

I took this of him and it captured his personality pretty well. He was so curious. Can you see it?

He was into everything all the time. And always wanted to be with people. Such a charmer. I can honestly say that everyone loved Calvin. But no one more than Greg. They had an extraordinary bond. Cat's tend to be aloof but Calvin was more like a dog in that he always wanted to be with people. But no one more than Greg. They were like two peas in a pod. This will sound exaggerated, but it's not. When I was home and Greg would come home, Calvin would run circles around the coffee table until he came in the house. Calvin was so excited to see him. Not a few times ~ every time. Wouldn't it be cool to know someone or something was that excited to see you every single time you came home? I love to see Greg, but I'm not running around the coffee table when he comes home. This is how much Calvin loved Greg. And Greg loved him, too. So much.

Every story has an ending....for us, this one came too soon.

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves"
~ James Matthew Barrie

2011-08-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

Is all true. If only I had the nerve to follow every one of them.

2011-08-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

At work we interact via email with systems administrators daily and get to know them that way. Often we don't know anything about them. Very little personal information is exchanged since they are emailing us to take care of departmental business. Unless we've met them at a campus event, we don't know their age, what they look like....nothing.

Today, just a while ago, we got email from a systems administrator who says he's sorry to have to deliver this news, but one of the other systems administrators we also deal with in his department is in the hospital and isn't expected to live through the weekend. He said her husband will meet people in the lobby of the hospital today if they want to come by and be taken to her room to say goodbye to her.

Man.....this was like a ton of bricks falling on me. I don't know her personally but I know her from her emails to us. I just thought about it for a minute and wondered what happened to her. I checked and we got email from her about a month ago but nothing since. I wondered if she was an older woman so I Googled her and found her Facebook page and her Flickr account. She's young. Maybe 30's. As I looked at her Flickr account, it was hard to comprehend that this young woman is in a hospital dying. I got very sad. I looked at one photo of her taken in 2008. She looks really happy. She's pretty. Big smile. I thought to myself as I looked at her, did she have any idea she would die in 2011?

This just made me start thinking how no one knows what will happen tomorrow, next moth, 3 years from now...

Get busy having a good time TODAY because you're here today and you can. Life is short....we just don't know how short.

2011-08-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

How can you not love this song? Seriously.

(I like the directors cut the best)

Summer Card Camp - Week 4

2011-07-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's the last week of Summer Card Camp :(

I wanted to make my last card really great. Humm. Not sure it turned out that way.

Yesterday when I saw the new challenge colors I thought of a stamp I got a while ago but have never used. It's by Memory Box and is called "grove of trees". All day at work I was imaging how I could use watercolors to paint the landscape in. But then I thought it would be even better if I had pearlescent watercolors! So I stopped at Aaron Brothers on the way home and got some. The stamp itself is just a sideways V of trees so you have to add the hills so it looks right.

I did a quick test version to see how it would look. I didn't like it. So I put it away and didn't look at it for an hour. It's amazing how things can look better after an hour. It didn't exactly turn out the way I imagined, but you just have to go with what you have. And this is what I have. Hope you like it!

Block Party - Not!

2011-07-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Last year....or maybe the year before, we got a flyer in our mailbox about a block party. The thing we noticed right away was the fee. Yes, there was a $20 per person fee. For a block party.

Huh?

Greg and I looked at each other in confusion. I've never heard of having to pay to go to a block party. Needless to say the flyer went in the recycle bin. This year we got the same flyer....another $20 block party. Went in the recycle bin like the previous one.

Who pays to go to a block party? The block parties I remember were free. You go from house to house and catch up with the neighbors. The aroma of people BBQing is everywhere. Everyone has their garage doors up a boom box playing upbeat summertime tunes and coolers are full of various beverages...the kids play football in the street. This is what I think a block party is. Apparently I'm behind on things because you gotta fork over money now. However, I have to admit I probably wouldn't be too interested even if it was free. The people on my block are not exactly people I want to hang with. We have the oaf next door who I cannot stand. We have the drug dealer who walks around in his underwear across the street and next door to him is the woman and her kids who are so loud and obnoxious that I can hear them like they're in the next room. No thanks.

Anyway, a few days ago we get another flyer. I just had to share what it says.

Friends and Neighbors,

Due to lack of positive responses, we're struggling to come up with funds to cover the cost of the block party. Therefore we must regrettably cancel.

Fire permit $91
Insurance $325
Band $350
Inflatable jumps $150 each
Lighted barricades $70
Food, water, paper goods $700

When I read this I was perplexed. Not that it had been cancelled, but by the list of things that had to be covered. Insurance? Lighted barricades? What the....?

Honestly....why does everything have to be so grandiose these days?

Roll up the garage door. Sit in some folding chairs with a cold drink and watch the kids play frisbee. Grill some hot dogs and hamburgers. People need to get back to their roots. Seriously.

Summer Card Camp - Week 3

2011-07-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

I went for a masculine card this week. Hope you like it!

Homespun Feel

2011-07-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

This card has that homespun feel to it with the stitching and the heart. I can see it on a shelf in a country kitchen :)

I used my Cricut to cut the heart frame with a free SVG file I found online. The inside was stamped with 2 different sets I have that have various stitching designs in them. It's hard to tell, but the background is stamped with polka dots and embossed with clear powder so it had some added texture. Hope you like it!

Supplies Used:

DCVW Textured Card set (orange)
Recollections red card stock
Neenah Solar White card stock
Memento Tangelo ink
Color Box Fresh Green ink
Versa Color Canary ink
Martha Stewart Valentine ink set (red)
Martha Stewart clear embossing powder
Inkadinkado dot background stamp
Fiskars Celebrate stamp set
Sassafras Lass Stitchery stamp set
My little Shoe Box Sew Cute stamp set
Uni-ball Signo Broad white gel pen
Recollections dimensional adhesive

2011-07-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring our independence from Great Britain. I hope you all celebrate grandly under a glittering sky and atop soil where red, white & blue is proudly displayed.

I'm going to transition into something a little unusual now. Weddings. I had a dream this morning and it was just too good not to share. I swear it still has to do with the red white & blue.

If you know me, you know I'm patriotic. I mean, the National Anthem is my favorite song....which I've already listened to 3 times so far today! This quote sums me up pretty well.

My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue. ~Author Unknown

I just say all this to explain the dream and why I'd be dreaming of such a thing.

Here it is. A 4th of July wedding!

I'm positive people have done this and I just hope I'm invited to one someday. Can you imagine how awesome it would be!? I love weddings to start with and then to have a 4th of July wedding on top of that! Wow. I really wish I had done this when I got married. But you know....the idea came 20 years too late.

Here's what I would have planned if I'd thought of it.

White dress with a red or blue sash....this depends of which color shoes I pick. Here are some choices. I know which shoe is my favorite....which is yours?

The men would be in blue suits with red ties. Maybe a cross somewhere between these 3. I think the pinstripe is very classy. The combo of the blue vest and blue tie is also very classy. The one in the middle is made from a material that has the sheen to it and would elevate it to wedding status.

The girls would be in either red or blue dresses. Here are some finds ~ which would you choose?

Then, of course, the food! It might sound low class, but I would totally do a traditional BBQ theme. Going to a 4th of July party? That's what you'd get. Maybe mini sliders ~ how cute! Can't forget fried chicken, potato salad and corn on the cob with lemon-aid to wash it down. Maybe there would be a bowl of spiked lemon-aid, too! How could this wedding not be fun?!

The cake. About as popular as the wedding dress. I found this.....and how could you not have this as for the inside of the cake! You'd HAVE to.

Or maybe you could have cupcakes and make the cake part layered in red, white & blue. Awesome! How about strawberries dipped in white chocolate with blue sprinkles? And festive party favors?

If you have some cash to spare, you could do fireworks!

I didn't have a 4th of July wedding, but it was fun planning this one ;)

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Summer Card Camp - Week 1

2011-06-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

I joined in on the Summer Card Camp that Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner have put together. This week the color challenge was to use purple, pink, aqua blue, orange and white on your card. As soon as I saw the aqua I thought of a sky so I knew that would be one element of the card. Then I remembered seeing this 3D wall art on Etsy. I had thought it would be cute to do the same kind of thing on a smaller scale for a card. I sketched a template for the hot air balloon and the clouds and the basket. It went together pretty fast. The dimensional part of the balloon is glued on at the seam and will lay flat in an envelope but then can be "fluffed" back up. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the clouds are cut from white glitter paper so they sparkle! Hope you like it :)

Supplies used:
Echo Park Springtime 6x6 paper pad
Echo Park A Walk in the Park 6x6 paper pad
DCWV Hippie Chick paper stack
Colorbök glitter paper
American Crafts Fountain stamp set
VersaMark Ink
Martha Stewart dove white embossing powder
We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Recollections dimensional adhesive
Purple embroidery floss

I Try.

2011-06-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

But sometimes I fail.

Let me explain. If possible.

I've been trying to keep my mind open and let in new ideas and new thinking. Get out of the pattern of doing what I've always done. I believe that the only way you'll invite new and unexpected things into your life is to change the way you're currently doing things. This sounds easy enough, but it actually requires a lot of effort. It's so much easier to just carry on the way you always do. Go here, go there, go to bed. Familiar is always easier. But familiar is not always the best or what you should be doing. Actually, familiar can be down right bad for you. We're not talking about trying a new brand of BBQ sauce here. This means taking steps to "broaden your horizons" as they say. The first step isn't to run out and buy a ticket to a far away land. It's starts in your head. It has to start there or it will never work. If you're body is doing something but your head isn't in it, it ain't gonna work. You have to have it on your mind to the point where you make it happen because you can't stop thinking about it. We've all had this kind of thing happen. You can't stop thinking about a CD you want, a pair of shoes, a new computer, a new place to eat, getting your hair cut, new clothes, going to see a movie, buying something for a family member, getting a new bike, a new bat, a new refrigerator. Whatever it is, you can't get it out of your mind and somehow you make it happen because you want it. This is how change starts. How new things open up and you see farther than you did before. You see there is more out there and it makes you smile and you can't wait for it.

And here lies the hard part. It isn't that you don't want new things. New ideas. It's the realization that it will require more effort because you will need to learn something new. Put yourself in situations that are unfamiliar....maybe even uncomfortable. In some cases the effort is minimal....but we never know how much effort is really involved until we do it. How many times have you done something and it was easier than you thought it would be? And on the other hand, harder than you thought it would be? Thinking you know how it will be before you do it is a serious road block. It's familiar tapping you on the shoulder saying you better just stay on the path you're already on. But just like with everything else, after time the unfamiliar becomes familiar and you're better for having veered off the path.

I'm trying to do this, but sometimes I fail. But at least I'm trying. Just typing all this has me wanting to turn down the new path I see ahead.

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step -Lao Tsu

Random Memories

2011-06-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've been having a lot of random memories lately. Here are a few.

The last year I was in elementary school we got to go home at noon on Thursday's. Or maybe it was Wednesday's? I forget. Anyway, I remember going home and being alone so I heated up a can of bean soup to eat on these half days. I don't remember making a sandwich, but it would seem like I must have had something with the soup. But walking home and heating up the soup is the part I remember.

I also remember being about 19...not exactly sure of my age, and I painted ceramics. This seems to be what I did most of the time. Painting ceramics of all kinds. Mostly I remember painting a ceramic house with Christmas lights and I gave it to my Mom for Christmas. I think she still has it.

When I was 15 my hair was just past my shoulders. I'd pull it up into a side ponytail and use a curling iron to create one long curl. I was always so impressed with it because it was perfectly smooth and I thought it looked great. However, I never managed to get a comment from my Mom on it. Either she didn't like it or she didn't care. So that's kinda sad, but I was happy with it so it must not have mattered what her opinion was. I honestly don't remember soliciting her opinion on my hair or clothes very much. I still don't.

In 6th grade I was kick-ass at tetherball. And I know I was because I played with a girl that was a good 3 inches taller than me and it was hard to get it over her head. But I beat her frequently and as far as I can remember, she was my only real competition.

That's it on memory lane :)

Loving This Song

2011-06-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

New favorite song.

Matthew Morrison - Still Got Tonight

If you're not home, I'll sit here on your doorstep
Button up my coat and wait
We'll go upstairs close the curtains and we're all set
to pick up where we left again

There's question marks hangin' over us
But we won't give the time of day, oh
'Cause all we got is these few stolen seconds
And we can't let them go to waste

The stars collide
We come back to life
We come back to life
The sparks will fly
One look in your eyes
My heart's open wide

I know time's running out now
But we'll hold back the sun somehow
See the sky?
We've still got tonight
We've still got tonight

Come 9am
I'm packing every suitcase
Leave you in your bed so warm
I'll do my best not to wake you but it's useless
Can't tiptoe 'round this no more, oh

It's gonna get much harder
Before it gets better baby and that's for sure, mmm
Just say you'll wait for my footsteps on the staircase
And I will walk back through this door

The stars collide
We come back to life
We come back to life
The sparks will fly
One look in your eyes
My heart's open wide

I know time's running out now
But we'll hold back the sun somehow
See the sky?
We've still got tonight
We've still got tonight

So keep your eyes open
There's no time to close them
Just hold on
So tight now
We still got tonight
(We've still got tonight)
(We've still got tonight)

If all we got is these few stolen seconds
We can't let em go to waste

The stars collide
We come back to life
We come back to life
The sparks will fly
One look in your eyes
My heart's open wide

I know time's running out now
But we'll hold back the sun somehow
See the sky?
We've still got tonight
We've still got tonight

We've still got tonight
We've still got tonight

Mac 'N Cheese - Update

2011-06-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

I finally made a good mac 'n cheese! I should have taken a picture...next time. On a scale of 1-10, Greg gave it an 8 :) Next time I'll cut the ingredients in half. It makes way too much for only the 2 of us.

Spicy Mac 'N Cheese

I pound cooked elbow pasta
16 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour cooked pasta into baking dish. In a large bowl mix together all the jack cheese, half the cheddar cheese, flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg and sour cream, egg, heavy cream and half-and-half. Pour over the pasta and incorporate together. Cover with remaining shredded cheddar. Sprinkle panko crumbs over the top. Melt butter and drizzle over panko crumbs. Bake uncovered until top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes.

Mystery Song

2011-06-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Posted this on Twitter last night after a tortuous day of trying to remember the words to a song I heard yesterday afternoon. Just curious if anyone will know what it is. Let me know your guesses based on what I remembered about it. Well....maybe I'll give you a little extra info. Sung by a man. Very popular in night clubs and reached #2 on the billboards...this according to Wikipedia. Also, it's not "I Wanna Be Your Lover" by Prince.

What do you think it is?

KittenAtPlay
I was going crazy this afternoon. You ever hear a song and want to download it but forget what it was when you get home?

KittenAtPlay
I've been trying to recall the lyrics all day since I had no idea who sang it or what the name of it was. Pure torture.

KittenAtPlay
All I could remember was it was an 80's song and had the word "lover" in it. Oy.

KittenAtPlay
and there was a part where he said half the line, paused, then said the full line. something about lover. that's all I had.

KittenAtPlay
I finally found it by Googling "be your lover, 80's"

**Updated**

Here's the song. And possibly the worst 80's music video. But I didn't have MTV when I was growing up so I didn't see very many of them...it's sad to think there are worse videos out there. So just listen to the song :)

Mac N' Cheese

2011-05-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

The truth is, every time I make it....it's not very good. I mean homemade, not out of the box. If you can't make it out of a box, then you might just consider eating out.

Greg, on the other hand, can make mac n' cheese and it's always good! And his is a very simple recipe. No fancy roux or tempering eggs. Just noodles, milk, cheddar cheese, salt & pepper. We always end up going back to his recipe.

But then I come across recipes like this and think maybe this will be the one that redeems me. I mean, it does look good and she makes it all sound so good, but so did the others. Very tempted to try it....

Things I'm Loving Right Now

2011-05-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Skies
by Natasha Wescoat

Two Birds on a Branch Gold Necklace

This Flickr Stream

Browsing this food blog

Window Shopping - so dangerous!

Nerdfighters

2011-05-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this YouTube channel and found these brothers to be pretty amusing. I'm also amazed at how fast they can talk. The video below is just their FAQ and not nearly as amusing as their other videos....so give them a view. The one how on to make a baby is the first one I ever watched. Maybe you'll enjoy watching them, too.

Vlog Brothers

Recipe

2011-05-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

The other night I made a curried mango chutney to go over a Thai chicken dish. To the best of my recollection I've never had this before. Reason I say this is, I've stayed away from curry for about the last....oh....18ish years. Why? I got food poisoning after eating curried shrimp. You can imagine how disgusting that whole experience was for me. I never wanted to see or smell curry again. And to make it worse, I was in Indiana! We were visiting Greg's family and staying at his parents house. So on top of the whole bad curry disgustingness, I had to be at my worst with his parents. Traumatizing. Anyway, I guess 18 years was the key number for me to get over it all because I went for it and made the chutney due to such good reviews on it. I have to say....it was awesome! And not a single bad memory of the shrimp so I think it's safe to say I'm over the trauma of it :)

A few things about this recipe. I didn't know how to pick a ripe mango. I smelled them and got nothing. So I just picked 2 and hoped they were ripe. One of them was ripe and juicy and the other wasn't. And it was hard to cut...sort of like a potato, but it was even harder to cut than that. However, I figured since I was cooking it, it would be ok. I always hear cooks say that if you use unripened fruit in recipes that will be cooked, it's ok. Turns out, at least in this case, this is true. The mango got very soft and was sweet. The overall flavor of it is a hot/sweet taste. Both Greg and I liked it.

It says a lot that Greg liked it. He's a picky eater but has become more adventurous and will try new things. It used to be I was limited to only going to places he would eat at because he wouldn't try anything. He'd say it was gross even tho he had never even tried it! That's changed and he's realized he has been missing out and limited himself. Now we enjoy trying new things together :)

Curried Mango Chutney

Try this over chicken & rice or for dipping anything fried (shrimp, chicken tenders, fish). Also would be great with pork chops! If you use it to dip things in, the mango should be diced pretty small.

2 cups diced peeled ripe mango (about 2 mangoes)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 - 20 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates and mixture is thick, stirring occasionally.

Wednesday Laughs

2011-05-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of Greg's favorite's.

The best part of this one is when you hear the scream after the dog goes in the room!

Pineapple!

2011-05-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

I love pineapple! Has to be one of the most delicious fruits out there. I came across this recipe and just have to try it. It sounds like an odd combo but I bet it tastes yummy and would be easy to take to work for lunch!

Pineapple Chicken Salad Pitas

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup finely choppsed carrots
1/3 cup sliced almond
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup plainyogurt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
4 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, each cut in half
8 Romaine lettuce leaves

Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Line each pita half with 1 lettuce leaf; fill each half with 1/3 cup chicken mixture.

picture from cookinglight.com

101 Updated

2011-05-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time to update this list.

I removed: 2, 10, 14, 19, 34, 39, 42. 53. 66. 69, 74, 86 90 and will update them with new things as they come to me.

Also crossed a few things off. Number 11 was kinda iffy, but I did get paid for a photo so it counts. I will be able to cross three things in October :) Still really thinking about number 6. Ugh, that one always has me on the fence. I don't see number 4 happening, but I really want to so I left it on there. I just love the smell of the ocean.

Digressing. Just now when I wrote that it reminded me of our cruise to Hawaii at Thanksgiving. It was 4 days at sea both ways. On the way back I remember having my laptop open playing Christmas music. The sliding door to the balcony was open and the salty air made the sheer curtains flutter. We feel asleep to the music and the scent of the sea. Love.

Anyway, that was just a random memory :)

Now onto the list!

1. See The Boss in concert
2.
3. Go back to Denmark
4. Live by the sea
5. Go to New York at Christmastime
6. Sell something on Etsy
7. Retire early (please, please, please)
8. Or at least work less than 40 hours a week...
9. Plus, work more than one day a week from home...
10.
11. ~~Take a money shot (a photo worth some money)~~
12. Publish something
13. ~~Go see Maya Angelou speak (I better get on this one)~~
14.
15. Wear a bikini....in public....and feel ok about it
16. Take Greg to a Bobby Flay restaurant
17. Go to Prince Edward Island
18. Have a fancy Christmas party at my house
19.
~~20. Have a realllllly beau~~tiful craft room/office
21. ~~Snorkel and see lots of pretty (small) fish~~
22. Go to Ireland
23. Age well
24. Wear a ball style gown to a fancy event
25. Enjoy reading again
26. Eat a croissant in France
27. Understand what all the buttons on my camera do
28. Renew our vows
29. Take the White House tour
30. See the Vietnam War Memorial
31. Have my backyard be spectacularly beautiful
32. Take a road trip across America
33. Stay at a nice ski lodge while it snows outside
34.
35. Have a chef quality kitchen
36. Feel peace
37. Love my hair!
38. Go to some kind of craft convention
39.
40. Be healthy
41. Live green(er)
42.
43. Eat 70% organic
~~44. Have a photo of mine in a magazine or calendar~~
45. Camp at the Wild Animal Park
46. Win a costume contest
47. Decorate my *entire* house
48. Sponsor a needy child
49. ~~Clean out my craft room closet (ugh)~~
~~50. Well....keep my cra~~ft room clean in general
51. Be on the Martha Stewart show (dream big, right?)
52. Have less regret
53.
54. Go on a spa retreat
55. Stop passing up opportunity
56. Speak a foreign language well (ha!)
57. Learn to line dance well (ha!)
58. Discover California culinarily
59. Vacation in the Hamptons
60. ~~Worry less about what others think~~
61. Love hard...forgive harder
62. See the cherry blossoms in DC in spring
63. Watch all my Buffy DVD's again
64. Take another photography class
65. Be an extra
66.
67. Grow a vegetable garden
68. Learn to sew
69.
70. Run thru the sprinklers every summer
71. Feel financially secure
72. Give 100 Barbie dolls away at Christmas!
73. See the 17 mile drive in a convertible
74.
75. Send Oprah a birthday card
76. Have a lemon tree in the back yard
77. Make homemade lemonade more than once a year
78. Wear jewelry again
79. ~~See more movies~~
80. See more sunsets
81. See more sunrises
82. ~~Live my life the way I want to~~
83. Get a more professional massages
84. Buy a custom pair of jeans
85. Eat at Spago's in Beverly Hills for my birthday one year
86.
87. Use those darn exercise videos I bought!
88. Take an art class of some kind
89. Go to Atlantis
90.
91. Turn my bedroom into an relaxing resort style retreat
92. Learn more history
93. Ride a horse on the beach
94. Make persimmon cookies or bread
95. Go to one of my high school reunions (yes, Laura...you, too)
~~96. Get a Sleep Number or TempurPedic bed~~
97. ~~Take more pictures of Henry...our oldest girl~~
98. Have picnic style dinners at the beach with Greg a few times a year
99. Make sculpey ornaments for the Christmas tree
100. ~~Leave work....at work~~
101. Make a difference

Dude looks like a lady....

2011-04-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to wonder about Steven Tyler. Is he wearing a blouse?
*shakes head*

Sweet Thing

2011-04-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

It's a sad day. Our sweet Henry passed away 1 year ago today. I cry every time I think of her. We miss her very much.

This picture of her was taken 18 years ago when she was just a few months old. We always joked about her ears...they were so hairy. Big tuffs of hair in them for as long as we had her. Her feet were like that, too...tuffs of hair between her toes. It was so funny. You can see her "tuffs" in the bottom picture. She was very fluffy! Her fur was thick and a few inches long....made her look very poofy! Her nickname was Jigglypuff :)

She was such a sweet thing.

Henry's Memorial Page

She will always be young and beautiful

2011-03-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best" ~ Marilyn Monroe

Poll -->

2011-03-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I can't believe I'm doing this....it looks like we're going to Vegas for our 20th anniversary.

Maybe for some that would be first choice, but I remember telling Greg that Vegas was not an option. And here we are....Vegas is it. It comes down to money. And we have none. And we don't want to fly. So...yeah. But I'm okay with it.

A few months ago I thought about it and I realized that as long as I'm with Greg, it will be fun. Whatever we do will be good as long as I'm with him. It doesn't have to be thousands of dollars to make it a good vacation. I think sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the idea that it has to be far away and it has to be expensive or it won't be good. It's what you make of it that makes it good or bad, not the location. And I have not been to Vegas in a really long time. Maybe 10 years or something. We'll see a few shows AND I'll get to knock 2 things off my 101 things to do list! Bobby Flay has a restaurant there and there's a Spago's there that I just found out about, so I can cross 2 things off my list! AND....maybe we'll renew our vows! We could go to the drive through chapel! Oh my....that would be hilarious. Cross another one off! So Vegas could be really helpful for the 101 things list.

Now I need your help. We're not sure where to stay. Check out my poll in the side bar and vote. If you've never stayed at any of them but you've heard rave things about one of them, then vote that way. You can also leave a comment if you have details to share. Since it is a very special occasion, we want to stay someplace that is nice over all. Not just the rooms, but the whole hotel. So if the rooms are nice but the hotel isn't so great, or vice versa, then probably not the best choice for this vacation.

So vote! Leave helpful comments! :)

2011-03-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

This video is humorous. It gives me hope that *Frosty Old Folks Home might be a little bit more exciting than I imagined.

*Many years ago my aunt and uncle were in a place called Frost Street Residential Care Home. My aunt was a little nuts in her old age. One day my Mom gets a letter from her...the return address was from Frosty Old Folks Home ;)

What am I supposed to be doing?

2011-03-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

I go back to this question all the time. What am I supposed to be doing? The answer is, I have no idea. I know what I'm not supposed to be doing....so maybe I'm half way there?

I hear the success stories. Someone who took a risk and it paid off in amazing ways. They're living their dream. And then there are the people who stumble into success. They do something having no idea it will be anything more than some little project they had to take care of....and boom....it's their calling.

And then there are the people like me who sit and wonder what the heck their calling is. Does everyone have a calling? Because I think the vast majority of people go to their 9-5 jobs and just wait for retirement. I can't think of someone I know who found their dream job. Or maybe not a job, but just found their dream and ran with it....whatever it is.

A lot of times it seems like people try to make things they like doing their big dream. Let's use fishing as an example. A guy, I'll call him Heathcliff, loves to fish and Heathcliff is good at it so everyone tells him he needs to be a professional fisherman. Heathcliff thinks about it and does love to fish, but he wonders if he really wants to fish for a living? Fishing on his days off and vacations is what he likes, but would he really be happy doing it day in and day out? Heathcliff isn't sure. Or there's the computer geek, Boris. Everyone tells Boris he should be a professional geek. But would working on broken computers be a dream for Boris? I can honestly tell you, broken computers are a serious pain in the ass, so I can't imagine that would be anyone's dream....but that's just me.

So I don't think it's as easy as looking at the things you like to do in your spare time and trying to turn them into cash. That almost makes me think I'd start to dread my hobby if I became a slave to it. And it requires passion. You really gotta love it...want it. I like to craft....but I honestly can't see myself cranking out cards for a living. And besides, how much can you make selling cards? I'd have to make a sell a zillion cards to actually make any money.....I'd have no time to sleep. So I know making and selling cards can't be my calling. How could it be? I mean....if I'm missing something here just tell me.

So again I sit wondering.....what am I supposed to be doing?

Etsy Love

2011-03-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

3 Full Moon Musk candles
I'm pretty curious what these smell like.

Purple Summer Skinny Scarf
I think this is so pretty. It would be great to wear inside a black coat for a bit of color.

Love you to the moon and back
Love this necklace! I'd get Greg's name stamped on it :)

I'm still looking for a new tea cup/mug. I've seen LOTS of pretty and unique ones on Etsy but they are expensive! Around $20 (or more) plus shipping! So just looking for now. These are some I have considered:

Cinnamon Blues

Lovely Lovely

Black Mountian

Goulash

2011-02-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

Not the most appetizing name for food.

*SOMETHING* made me start thinking about it....but darned if I can remember what it was. Anyway, I started thinking back to the goulash my Mom made. I'm pretty sure it was something she made when she had things to use up. It was a one pot meal and had some stuff that was always in it, but then there would be some different things each time. The overall flavor was pretty much the same every time tho. It was my least favorite meal I think. Not that it tasted bad....it just wasn't my favorite thing. However, the more I've been thinking about it, the more I think I want to actually try it again. Why? Not really sure. Maybe I think it will taste better now? *Shrugs*

So I looked at recipes on the internet and none of them seem close to what I can remember about it. It's been at least 30 years since I've had it! I was thinking I'd ask my Mom and see if she can remember her recipe for it, but she's pretty cloudy lately. Maybe I can at least get the basics from her and go from there. Who knows, it could go from least favorite to most favorite!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

Pomegranate Gelatin

4 1/4 ounce unflavored gelatin packets
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups pomegranate juice
2 cups white cranberry juice

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1 cup cold water; let soften, 5 minutes. Place over low heat, and cook until gelatin has dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. (When rubbed between your fingers, it should feel smooth.) Add sugar, stirring gently until dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat.

Transfer gelatin mixture to a medium bowl; gradually stir in juices. Pour into a 1 1/2-quart (6-cup) Bundt pan or mold, and skim any foam from surface. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

To unmold, dip bottom of pan (do not submerge) briefly into hot water; invert onto a serving platter, and shake firmly to release.

from marthastewart.com

Favorite of the moment

2011-02-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

A Bad Wheel

2011-02-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

This guy Glenn I used to work with would always say you had a bad wheel if you had a problem with your foot.

So I've had this bad wheel for a while. A month? A few months? Try 2 years. I know. Here's the deal. A few years ago the side of my foot started to hurt just below my baby toe. I had/have no idea what I did to it. There wasn't some big "ouch" that happened. Just kind of started to hurt. It wasn't that bad at first. Kind of ached but nothing major. Then it got a little worse. And a little worse. A year later I went to the doctor and while I was there I asked her about it. She barely looked at my foot. Said it was this Y shaped tendon that's on the bottom of your foot and mine was strained. There was nothing to do for it. Just wear supportive shoes and deal with it. This past November was the 2 year mark. It pretty much hurt all the time by then. It felt like a broken bone. I wasn't sure I was buying the strained tendon anymore. In December I had the last 2 weeks of the month off so I had planned on going back to have her look at it again. No rush....it'd been 2 years so it couldn't get much worse, right? Vacation commenced and I was lounging around the house most of the time because Greg was working. Not on my feel all that much. After just 2 days it started to feel better!! By the time my vacation was over, it was drastically better. I came to a conclusion: the stairs at work were killing my foot. I took the stairs everyday. And I hate stairs but that's what all the doctors say, right? Take the stairs. See, I do listen to doctors. But now I avoid stairs like the plague and I wear my Crocs almost every day. They are very supportive. Ugly, but supportive. It's made all the difference. I'm well on my way to having a wheel that's good as new! It's not there yet, but I bet a few more months of Crocs, no stairs and no long distance walking should help it heal once and for all. And, I didn't have to go to the doctor during my vacation! :)

Want a pair of Crocs? Here are the ones I have (in solid black). They are awesome!

If my foot problems continue into spring/summer, I think I will get these.
Or possibly these.

Secretariat

2011-02-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

Greg and I watched the movie Secretariat Saturday. I really liked it. You can't help but fall in love with that horse. Watch it if you never have.

If you saw the movie, this information might be interesting to read. Makes you love him even more.

*from Wikipedia*

In the fall of 1989, Secretariat was afflicted with laminitis, a painful and often incurable hoof condition. When his condition failed to improve after a month of treatment, he was euthanized on October 4 at the age of 19. Popular both as a Triple Crown champion and in retirement, Secretariat was mourned by millions and buried at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, given the rare honor of being buried whole; usually only the head, heart, and hooves of a winning race horse are buried, and the rest of the body is cremated.

A necropsy revealed that his heart was significantly larger than that of an ordinary horse. An extremely large heart is a trait that occasionally occurs in Thoroughbreds, linked to a genetic condition passed down via the dam line, known as the "x-factor." The x-factor can be traced to the historic racehorse Eclipse, who was necropsied after his death in 1789. Because Eclipse's heart appeared to be much larger than other horses, it was weighed, and found to be 14 pounds (6.4 kg), over twice the normal weight. It is believed Eclipse passed the trait on via his daughters, and pedigree research verified that Secretariat traces in his dam line to a daughter of Eclipse. In the 20th century, the heart of Phar Lap was weighed and also documented to be 6.35 kilograms (14.0 lb), or essentially the same size as that of Eclipse.

At the time of Secretariat's death, the veterinarian who performed the necropsy, Dr. Thomas Swerczek, head pathologist at the University of Kentucky, did not weigh Secretariat's heart, but stated, "We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe it. The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine." Later, Swerczek also performed a necropsy on Sham, who died in 1993. Swerczek did weigh Sham's heart, and it was 18 pounds (8.2 kg). Based on Sham's measurement, and having necropsied both horses, he estimated that Secretariat's heart probably weighed 22 pounds (10.0 kg), or about two-and-a-half times as large as that of the average horse.

Master Class

2011-02-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

I watched the Master Class with Diane Sawyer yesterday. Wow. It's the first epidode I've watched and it was so good. It really made me think about a lot of things. The part where she talked about her and her Dad was really interesting. Just the way she looks at things in general was interesting. If you get a chance to watch it, I think it's worth it. Below is a preview Oprah did about the series.

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

2011-02-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

Have you seen/heard of this? I just heard about it today and watched it at lunch on YouTube. I thought I'd just watch part 1 and that would be it...but before I knew it, I was watching all 6 parts! I'm not sure how to describe it....outrageous? You have to at least watch part 1 and see for yourself. And I must say, the Greeks have nothing on the Gypsy's when it comes to wedding dresses. It should really be called "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding Dress".

You'll see....

It's Monday....ugh

2011-01-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd look back at my resolutions for last year (finally) and see how I did. Here they are:

Grow the herbs we use most...and don't kill them
Take lunch away from the office (this is on my 101 things list)
Learn to do perfect french pedicures
Use the Wii Fit
Submit 5 cards to craft magazines
Document card making

Let's see....growing herbs. Yes, did (am doing) that. However.....killing them was hit and miss. But I'm going to check it off the list anyway. Check!

Take lunch away from my desk. Ooish. Not good....I mostly eat at my desk. I don't work while I'm "at lunch". But still :(

Lean to do a french pedicure. Did that. Check!

Use Wii Fit. Ummm....I don't even know where it is! :(

Submit 5 cards to craft magazines. Check!

Document card making. This is hit and miss again. I do have a copy of the cards I made....so I guess that counts as documenting them. I believe I was thinking I would photograph them, but having one is better anyway. So I'll count that as done! Check!

I think 4 out of 6 is pretty good!

I'll make my New Years resolution this year to use the Wii Fit. It's still January, so I'm in just under the line. We'll see how it goes.

Not going to add taking my lunch away from my desk because I know it's unlikely to happen. It might have been easier when I had a car because I could go somewhere. But now that I carpool I'm stuck here. And there's NOTHING around here that I can walk to that's of much interest to me. This place is a drag as far as getting away from the office (and the people in it).

So Wii Fit. Gotta find that thing!

Did you make any?

2011-01-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." - MLK

Love....

2011-01-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Earbuds

2011-01-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

I just had to show these to everyone. They are my new Skelanimal earbuds I use at work. How frickin' adorable are they!? Forgive the photo....I had to use Photo Booth to take the picture and I have them stuck to an envelope. But you can see the cuteness!!

While I was doing this it reminded me of something I saw at Target. Have you seen the Monster High dolls?

Monster High Frankie Stein Doll

I have to be honest, when I saw them, I wished I could have been Frankie Stein in high school. She has this cute little plaid dress and these cute shoes! It's exactly the way I want to dress every Halloween!!! She is just beyond cool. Is it wrong that I want to buy Frankie? I could buy it with the idea it will be valuable someday and I could eBay it....does that makes it seem less weird? We'll see. These dolls just bring out my inner goth....and really, it's amazing I'm not gothy all the time. Frankie comes in different outfits, but she looks best in the plaid. Well, at least I think she does. But I'm drawn to things that are plaid. Did I ever tell you about my plaid car seats? Another time....

Top Tunes **Updated

2011-01-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

I've never really looked at the iTunes play counter but I was checking it out today and thought it was interesting to see what songs I listen to the most at work. I wasn't surprised by the list. However, I'm positive it's a totally different list at home.

Here are the top ten I listen to at work:

1. October (Danny Wright) 265 plays
2. Come Away With Me 231 plays
3. Across The View (Richard Burmer) 205 plays
4. Theme from A Summer Place 203 plays
5. Human Touch 190
6. I'll Remember You (Sophie Zelmani) 176 plays
7. Fallen (Lauran Wood) 161 plays
8. The Air That I Breathe 160
9. Patience (Guns N' Roses) 138 plays
10. The Scientist 121 plays

As expected, my top ten at home is different ....except for the last one!

1. Glory Days 271 plays
2. Christmas Canon (Trans-Siberian Orch) 169 plays
3. Ordinary People 167 plays
4. Photograph (Ringo Starr) 166 plays
5. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life (Laura Fygi) 163
6. Hysteria 161 plays
7. Southern Cross 158 plays
8. 40 Dogs (Bob Schneider) 156
9. Little Red Corvette 142 plays
10. The Scientist 138 plays

I think it's pretty amazing Coldplay's The Scientist is in the same spot on both lists and not very far apart in number of plays! I do like the Christmas Canon a lot so not a surprise I listen to that the most at Christmas. Ordinary People is a fav but I'm surprised it's so high on the list. I must have listened to it everyday for a while. Not at all surprised that What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life is on the list. In fact when I was at work making my list, I was trying to think what would be on my home list and I knew that one would be in the top ten. Love her version. So there you have it ~ kinda interesting....for me at least!

Happy 2011

2011-01-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a happy new year!

We had PeiWei for lunch today and my fortune cookie said I should finally do something I've been thinking of doing. Hummm. Seems like I shouldn't ignore that fortune on the first day of the year!

It's been said for a long time that having black-eyed peas on the first day of the year is good luck....so we'll be having some for dinner. I'm not saying I believe it, I just figure we have nothing to loose, right?

Resolutions.....ugh. I'll have to look back at my post from last year and see how I did. I honestly can't recall what was on the list. One resolution I've made so far is to try to "eat the rainbow" daily (eat fruit and veggies the color of the rainbow). I'll give this a good try. I know I won't get much purple tho. I don't care for eggplant and I rarely see concord grapes. What else is purple? Greg asked if purple Skittles count - *laughs*. Blue might also be a problem. Ummm....blueberries? I know those are a super food so maybe I'll buy some and eat a handful at breakfast each day. I bet Greg will ask if blueberry pop tarts count :)

All the best to you this year!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T06:03:00.000-08:00

Remember my July 25th post? The day has come!

Read it here.

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

2010-12-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

Pretty funny :)

We're Not Friends

2010-12-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

I have an unusual relationship with my boss. Both my bosses actually. And when I say unusual, it's unusual for me because I've never had this kind of relationship with a boss before. It might not be that unusual for other people.

We were friends long before she was ever my boss. We worked in the same department in different areas and it never occurred to us that she'd ever be my boss. When it did happen, it was hard. I kind of thought it would be really easy. It was anything but that. She's an extremely hard person to work for. She expects everything but gives nothing. I had very little training. She was always gone. I always felt like a candle in the wind. When she did give training, it was tedious and uninformative. I usually had more questions that answers. The thing is, I knew about some of these traits before I worked for her, but because I was her friend, I thought it might be different with me. You know how friends lookout for their friends? Well, I was wrong about that. She doesn't do that. Like I said, candle in the wind. The saving grace in the beginning was she was only my supervisor and my boss was actually someone I did trust. So when things got unbearable, I had someone to go to. However, this eventually changed and she became a manager. A real mistake in my opinion. And other people feel the same way. She isn't manager material. But I digress. Back to our friendship. It became hard to be her friend and work for her, too. The way she treated/managed me was horrible. Honestly, it was. You don't just leave people in a new job to fend for themselves. And it was a technical position and I had no idea about how things worked. That's where training would have helped. So I ended up having a lot of resentment about it all. But she was clueless. She really was. Sometimes people act clueless, but they really know what's going on. She really was so wrapped up in herself that she never noticed what a struggle it was for me to figure things out and that she was at the root of the problem. She's one of those people who if you said something about it, she'd look at you all crazy because she was totally oblivious to any wrong doing on her part. She's still like that. She absolutely never takes responsibility for anything. If you tell her how you feel.....it's "I'm sorry you feel that way" with the implication the way you're feeling is beyond her control and it's your problem....you've chosen to feel that way.....has nothing to do with her. She's blind to the fact something has to happen to cause the feeling. Whatever event occurred manages to get squashed and your feelings become the focus...taking the focus off the event and making you look over emotional or too sensitive. It's really frustrating, as you can imagine. So I pulled away from her quite a bit. I only saw her at work and avoided any personal activity. She noticed this but didn't understand it. She made comments to me a few times that she missed our friendship. Kind of trying to ask me what the problem was. But I always managed to get away from talking about it with her. Like I said, she wouldn't understand my side of it. And I still have to work for her, so it's unproductive to have conversations with her about something she will never comprehend and would likely lead to an argument.

There are times when things get a little easier, but this isn't often. She is who she is and she'll never change. I know this. And as I get older I understand more. I've come to understand the way things are and just accept them. I was always waiting for things to change and, of course, they didn't and they never would. Waiting and hoping for something that will never be is disheartening. Your soul wants to shine brightly but the hope for something that won't happen is like a black spot on your soul that won't let the light through. When you let go of it, the black spot will be gone.

We're not friends. And my soul shines brighter now.

Day 12: Twelve Days Of Holiday Recipes

2010-12-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

Hope you have enjoyed my Twelve Days Of Holiday Recipes! Ending with something pretty yummy and really easy!!

Caramel-Apple Galette

1/2 (15-ounce) refrigerated pie dough
3 medium Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon turbinado or regular sugar
1/3 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 425°.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; coat paper with cooking spray. Roll dough into a 13-inch circle on prepared parchment.

Combine apples and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Place apple mixture in center of dough, leaving a 3- inch border (apples will be piled high on dough). Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover apple mixture). Combine water and egg white; brush over edges of dough, and sprinkle galette with turbinado sugar.

Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until golden brown (filling may leak slightly during cooking). Drizzle with caramel topping, and serve warm.