million dollar mattress

I'm curious....how do you forget something like a million dollars in your
mattress?

Some of these T-shirts are pretty funny.

Me, if I were a ghost

Me, if I were a ghost
Originally uploaded by photo kitten.

Goofing off at work with Photo Booth

fun old folk with a good spirit

About them...possibly more information that you really wanted to know tho....he's a gabber




The woman who shot the video and her Mom

new stamps

You know how you get excited when you get new stuff? Whatever stuff makes you happy? Well I got some new stuff and I'm pretty excited about it. Stampin' Up is makes stamps and they come in sets. This is one of the sets I ordered....



Oh goodness.....those little owls are just too cute!! I can't wait to make a card with them :) I know this is a bad photo, but it's the best I could do at work....used Photo Booth.

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This has nothing to do with new stamps.

The guy in the cube behind me is a geek. Seriously, a big nerd. I work with mostly nerds, but he might be the most nerdy of all of them. I get along with him really well, but he has an issue I can't get past. His keyboard tray squeaks. A lot. I know everyone else in the isle can hear it, too, but no one says anything because he is kinda funny about things. It's hard to explain. I'm pretty sure if we asked him about it, he'd say it's not a big deal to him....therefore, not gonna do anything about it. I don't think he considers other people very much....lives in his world and that's all that matters. It also could be that he does not hear it squeaking because, and I am not kidding, he wears a pair of vintage headphones from the 70's. Something like these....



He does not plug them in, the cord just dangles.....so no music, just wants to keep the sound out. Looks ridiculous. But anyway, maybe he can't hear it. So last week I brought a can of WD40 to work and sprayed all the joints on his keyboard tray. He comes in about an hour after I do so by then the faint smell of it was gone. I was sure to not to over spray and clean off any residue from the surface of the joints so the smell would not be an issue. Pretty happy with myself. Then he came in and.....squeak, squeak. I was like.....what the heck!? So I thought maybe it was his chair. Next day, sprayed the chair. He comes in.....squeak, squeak. I tell you, I was ready to pull my hair out. The 3rd day I wiggled everything in his cube to find the source of the noise and nothing squeaked. As I sit here typing this....squeak, squeak is behind me. I'm going to have to ask him about it but I know he won't want to spray the WD40 in there and I can't very well tell him I know it won't smell very much because I did it 3 days in a row last week! Ugh.

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge 8

Hi All,

Here's my card for Dawn McVey's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge.

So far I think I like these colors best. Though I did like week 4's colors a lot, too.

Here's the card recipe:

Cut kraft and raspberry papers and rounded edges
Stamped flourish pattern (Autumn Leaves) in VeraColor "bark" ink
I used my Cricut to cut all the flowers out in different sizes
Arranged flowers then cut foam bits and adhered them in place
Used hole punchs to punch dots for center of flowers & glued them on
Stamped "hello" (A Muse) in VeraColor "bark" ink
Added raspberry organza ribbon
Stamped dots (Stampin' Up) across the bottom in VeraColor "bark" ink
Glued all the layers down

I know the flowers might sound like a lot of work, but they really weren't. The only part that took some time was peeling the paper backing off the sticky foam bits. If I make another card like this, I'll have to think of another way to do that. If you have a suggestion, let me know. But otherwise, it didn't take a lot of time. Having the Cricut to cut all my flowers was the best thing. It's better than using a punch because you would have to have 4 different punches to get the size range I have on the card. With the Cricut, I just cut 2 sets of flowers in each size and it was really fast. If any of you are thinking about getting a Cricut, I highly recommend it. I have the original one and it's great. Since the larger Expression version has come out, I think you can get the smaller ones for about half the original price. I use it for some aspect of nearly every card I make. I was thinking of getting some vinyl to cut a cute design for my walls in the kitchen. They say you can etch glass and cut chipboard, but I have not tried that yet. Anyway, hope you like the card!

*Update: I think I can use a glue dot that has been rolled into a ball for dimension under the flowers rather than the foam bits....it seems like that would be much easier. Speaking of glue dots, I use Fiskars brand and those suckers and hard to get off the roll! Is there a better brand that comes off easier?

Well, the results are in for the fair photos. I didn't get in again.

I can't tell you how depressing it is. Someone told me that I've had a lot of success with my photos, and it's true. However, none of that makes this any easier. Like anyone else, I want to succeed at every attempt and not doing so is hard.

I'll get over it, but for now it really sucks.

Updates

Remember my stamp luck post? If not, see it here.

My stamp luck turned into stamp bad luck. I waited and waited and never got the stamp. I emailed the woman to inquire about it and she said she mailed it. She checked her log book since she mailed it from work and said it was logged and I should have got it. I waited another week and still no stamp. So it seems to be lost in the mail. Or she sent it to the wrong address and someone else has stamp luck. Anyway, she told me they finally have it back in stock and I can order one. So I did. Let's hope I get this one!

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I also posted last Thursday that I would hear about my photos and the fair last Sunday. No email. I looked and looked for information about this and nothing I found online said they were going to email us on 5/30...but I know I saw that posted when I dropped them off. *shrugs* However, last night I got email from them that accepted entries will be announced tomorrow. Then on 6/12 they will announce the winners picked from all the accepted entries. I tell you, all this waiting is torture. But like I said before, I am not even looking to win anything....I just hope one or both get accepted. *crosses fingers*

Not Your Mom's Mac and Cheese

And if it is your Mom's Mac and Cheese, you're lucky. I have no recollection of my Mom making Mac and Cheese....except if it was out of a box. This is made with all white cheeses so it also does not look like regular Mac and Cheese. When I read the recipe and saw it called for onion and garlic, I was leery. I almost left them out, but at the last minute I decided to add them in. As it turns out, they do add a nice underlying flavor but nothing that screams garlic and onions so I would not leave it out. This would be great to take to a pot luck or serve to a crowd.

Mac and Cheese

1/2 pound penne pasta
2 cups milk
(I use fat free milk)
2 cups blended asiago, mozzarella, parmesan, gruyere grated
(I use Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggio Shredded blend)
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
3 slices bread, roughly diced
(I used a rustic sourdough wheat bread)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Small, medium or large pinch of red pepper flakes (to your liking)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
salt
Ham steak, diced

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to pot and toss with 1/4 cup milk.

Beat 1/4 cup milk with the eggs in a bowl. Stir in 1 cup parmesan cheese and fold in the bread.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until just brown, 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Slowly add 3/4 cup water and 1 1/2 cups milk; bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining cheeses. Add to the pasta and toss. Add diced ham steak.

Transfer to a buttered dutch oven or large baking dish. Top with the bread mixture. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20-30 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

Well, I thought today was National Doughnut Day because that's what someone told me last week. Turns out it's this Friday, not today. So that's kind of a bummer since I had this whole post planned about doughnuts. But you know what? I'm doing it today anyway. Happy National Doughnut Day in advance.

I'm telling you right now, this link is dangerous. Red lights and sirens going off. I saw this and it made me crave doughnuts for a week. You have been warned.

Wanna go into the doughnut making business?

Ever been to the Doughnut Plant? I must go if I am ever in NY.

Maybe you want a slightly inappropriate doughnut t-shirt or some underwear? If so, click on "shop now" after the jump. Plus, if you want to get hitched, you can look at their wedding packages.

Now a doughnut joke. And, of course, a cop is involved.

A policeman pulls a man over for speeding and asks him to get out of the car. After looking the man over he says, "Sir, I couldn't help but notice your eyes are bloodshot. Have you been drinking?" The man gets offended at the accusation and says, "Officer, I couldn't help but notice your eyes are glazed. Have you been eating doughnuts?"

Be sure to have a doughnut on Friday :)

stuff

I find out Saturday what will happen with my photos I submitted for the fair. Kinda excited but kinda apprehensive, too. I just hope at last one of them gets in. I'm not even thinking about winning anything, I just want one of them to at least be displayed. I'm trying not to think about it very much....trying.

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Anyone watch Jon & Kate + 8?

I watch and when last season ended I wondered if there would be a new season because Jon expressed that he was ready to end the show because it was taking over their lives. Kate, on the other hand, was really starting to enjoy it. No big surprise that they didn't see eye to eye on it....they never seem to see eye to eye on things.

I honestly think the reason people watch the show, including me, is because of the Jon & Kate dynamic. I watch the show and think to myself that it really is a crazy life. On top of it, they have this dysfunctional relationship. It's well known to those who watch that Kate is a control freak, has a temper, and isn't very kind to Jon. He let's her verbally abuse him. If it were him saying the things she says, people would be outraged and call it verbal spousal abuse and tell her to get out of there. But for some reason when it is a woman doing it to a man, there is less outrage. Weird.

So he was caught with another woman. He says they are just friends, but I don't buy that.

Jon & Kate got married when he was 22 and he had no idea who he was or what he wanted in life. They had all these kids and in the midst of all that, he was growing up, too. When you are 22, you really should not get married in my opinion. She was 25, also young, but not 22. He is 32 now and has a much better idea of who he is individually. This is obvious since he didn't want to continue the show. He wanted to start living life in a way that would let him be more of himself and not just "Jon & Kate + 8".

Kate says he has changed and he isn't the same person anymore. Uh....duh! Of course he has changed. So has she! I recall videos of them before they were married and when you see her, it's like it isn't Kate. She seemed much different. So it's fair to say they have both changed. She also said that he's made his decisions....regarding the affair. It's very true, he did make the decision to do it. However, if I were him, I can't say I would not have been tempted away from her, too. The woman is not very nice. It has to be incredibly hard to live day after day with someone who scolds you publicly and talks down to you daily. I'm not condoning his actions, I'm just saying I can see how it would happen. He married her and took vows with her for better or worse, but it was a bad idea from the beginning.

They do have really adorable kids....mostly. One of them I just can't stand, but the other 7 are pretty cute. So that is one good thing that did come out of their union. I would hope they could work things out, but I do not see it happening. I think he finally has drawn the line with her. As for Kate, I think if she is able to shoulder some of responsibility for what has happened, that might help. But I can't see her doing that. It was obvious from the season premier that they can't even look at each other. Time will tell I suppose.

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Etsy

I have been thinking about opening an Etsy card store. I was thinking November, but now I am thinking October 1st. I got some Halloween stuff over the weekend. Cute stuff. Would make cute cards. But I am still on the fence about it. I don't know why I can't just jump in and go for it....that's just not something I'm good at. I have to think about things....a lot. I guess I will know in September. That's why you see all these card challenges.....I have to build up my stock and I am horrible about just sitting down and making a card for no real reason. These challenges get me going and I make about 4 cards a month from them, so that will help with having stuff to sell if/when the time comes to open my "store". Otherwise, I have a pretty good stockpile of cards to give out for a while :)