Is it really "Girlfriend and Sister's Week" ?

I am only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray I use and the friends I have.
To the cool women that have touched my life; here's to you!

Just Been Crazy Busy with LIFE!

You know how it is...don't you? I keep putting stuff off and then it gets to be too late. I have a to-do list that's a mile long and counting. I'm supposed to be e-mailing people, organizing crops for my scrapbook group, arranging to have T-shirts screen printed for my volleyball teams, cleaning up my house and a bazillion other things.
So here I am updating this blog. I feel kind of guilty but not really...at least I got my circle journal done. Better two days late than a week. LOL (Sorry Jeanne!)

Anyway, I will keep this whiny post short and sweet and promise to update with some photos next week.

Hugs,

Mel

House Building Update!

Well, I've been meaning to post some pictures of our building project for a long time now...but you know how it is.
We started the whole thing way back in November of last year when I made the appointment for a permit application. The first open slot was for March, so that already put us out almost 1/2 year. Then we brought in our houseplans which we bought on the internet. This is a picture of the original plans:
We took these to an architect, who sucks BTW, and had them altered. We added a bay to the garage, a bonus room over the garage and several extra bathrooms, you know those darn plumbers, can't have too many bathrooms. LOL We started with 2500 square feet and now have 35oo square feet after alterations. There were other changes made later on but not by the architect. We had enough problems with what he did/didn't do...
We finally started prepping the site on August 1st of this year by mowing the lot. Since then we've put in most of the drainage ditches, sprinkler system, electrical, septic tank, cable, etc. Concrete work started on the 13th of September with forms being installed for the foundation pour later that month. The plumbing was put in on the 25th and the infloor heat piping was stapled on the insulation foam on the 29th. We had the concrete guys pour the floor on October the 10th, after which I was watering concrete for two days straight so it wouldn't crack. Of course both of those days were gorgeous and sunny so it had to be watered every 15 minutes. On the 23rd of October we finally started the framing after a week long delay. So that's the stage we are at now...today being the 2nd of November and pouring rain this morning. So the framers left after an hour and then it stopped raining. Of Course!!!
Watch for an update in the next month...

MOM's Club Outing

Two days ago I joined other Mom's on their annual trip to Stoney Ridge Farm. I was very surprised to find out that it's right here in Everson. I lived here for over 5 years now and had no idea this was here? I remember seeing the photos of the trip in 2005 and everyone being all bundled up with hats, scarves and mittens on. Well we couldn't have picked a better date for this years fieldtrip, it was a gorgeous fall day with plenty of sunshine. So much, as a matter of fact, that most Mom's who had worn black or long-sleeves were sweating up quite a shine under the beautiful blue sky. I took plenty of photos but it seems that Grace wasn't in the most cooperative mood that day. She is always pulling her nose up, her lips across or sticking her tongue out. ARGH! Anyway, I got this shot of her making her "Great Escape" when mom was trying to get her to pose on a pumpkin. Eventually, after feeding and petting most of the animals, exploring the crate maze, checking out the "How Tall This Fall" yard stick, taking a hay wagon ride, eating some lunch and trying to pose for impossible pictures we ended up with a pumpkin to take home. Here's the proof:

It's been a while...

Oh My Gosh, I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted anything on here...
I have so much to tell you and don't even know where to start...

I attended Creative Escape in Arizona at the beginning of September and what a BLAST it was... I saw the Arizona desert, ate cacti, climbed forts, took photos of a rattlesnake up close and personal, all during the wonderful Hummer Tour arranged by Shelley with Steve from Road Runner Desert Adventures. Thank you so much for this!
I took classes for two days straight and learned so much. I was pleasantly surprised that I learned the most in a lecture class not an actual hands on scrapbook class. Allison Tyler-Jones is a gifted photographer and a wonderful, caring person and her class was funny as heck! Thank you Allison for your insights, tips and making us cry. Please check out her amazing work at her website.
All in all I will never forget this getaway. I learned so much, met so many amazing women, got to listen to my scrapbook idol Stacy Julian give a moving and life changing speech, spent a few great hours relaxing at the pool, had a wonderful massage & pedicure and made a new best friend for life.
You would think things couldn't get much better. The crowning ending to a fabulous, amazing, spectacular weekend was the grand prize giveaway. Of course they had drawings for fantastic prizes all throughout the two evenings, thousands of dollars in cute and adorable prizes including some that were so large they had to get two brawny guys to lift it for the lucky winner. So how are you wondering can it get any better? Well, let's just say that this gal pulled the lucky straw, litterally. The organizers of the event had outdone themselves with decorating the hotel ballroom. We had pink, white and green balloon banners, a huge bouquet of paper flowers, banners with all the awesome sponsors and wicked cute table center pieces made out of these new storage tote buckets and balloon on straws. At one point we were all told to pick a balloon out of the centerpiece. Well, wouldn't you know it, I snagged the one with the pink bottom and my gal pal Megan got the green colored one. So she won the cute little organizer that contained the balloon centerpiece, along with one other lucky gal at each table. So then they asked who got the pink bottom. My heart just about stopped beating... I was the only person standing up in a ballroom packed with over 700 people. WOW! I got up on stage and was shaking so bad my girl Megan took all blurry photos. I guess she was shaking a bit too. **Wink**Wink**
So I won the GRAND Prize of the whole weekend, a free ticket to next year's Creative Escape, and the same for a lucky friend. WOW! What a way to end a dream of a week... Needless to say I ran through who I could take with me in my head and Megan was the logical choice. We had only met like three days earlier, but felt an instant connection and in her words were "twin sisters separated at birth". We spent most of the convention together and forged a great bond and have been talking several times every week and are planning all kinds of mischief together in the future. Check out the convention we are attending in March of next year with our fellow Hydrangeas Jeanne from Chicago, Peggy from Texas and two of their gal pals.

Well, this has been a long post so I will update you on more stuff later. Gotta get some much needed sleep.

Not much to report...

my computer is still down, so that is making this whole thing a lot harder to update. I don't have access to any of my files, photos and such. What a pain. I am debating just tossing the stupid thing out the window and buying a new one, since I was going to anyway in about 6 months for my new office. ARGH!!!
The only reason I spent $269.92 to fix this stupid machine is because...

WHAT do you do all day Honey?

Has your husband ever asked you that question? I'm sure you've heard it more than once. Well here is the perfect comeback. Thanks Jennifer Lim from my Creative Escape Yahoo Group for passing this nugget on.

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.
In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of and was spread by the back door.He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?"
"Yes," was his incredulous reply. She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

The Kindness of Strangers

I just wanted to post a quick note tonight since something really cool happened to me today. Out of the blue a stranger started a conversation with me in a parking lot. He was an older gentleman sitting in his parked car beside mine. I was opening up the doors of my car to put Grace in her carseat when I noticed her dirty diaper. So I proceeded to change her on the back seat. He told me that he thought I was a good mother. What a nice compliment to receive on a hectic, hot, sticky day filled with horrible traffic and long waits at the border crossing. It made my day and left me feeling good all over for the rest of the night. Sometimes it doesn't take a whole lot to turn a yucky day around. Thank you Mister, wherever you are...

Ok so in a perfect world I would update this thing every day, but since I am busy trying to send my husband off on a week long fishing trip to Alaska and prepping myself for my trip to Phoenix...no such luck!
I am lucky to read my friends blog updates every couple of weeks. I am also in the process of completing a page in my Ski Trips Album, it's an 8x8 KI Memories and I'm really excited to play with their papers and ice candy that I bought a long time ago.
So on the 6th of September I will be heading south to enjoy the wonderful sounding Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort. I have a massage & pedicure booked, will be taking a desert tour on a Hummer and delighting in the talented instructions of many wonderful scrapbook celebrities such as Heidi Swapp herself, Pam Black, Eva Flake and Stacey Julian, just to name a few.
I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Ok here's another cheating post...but at least I am updating this sucker, even while I am soooo busy it's not even funny. My computer has been acting up and I don't even know what to do anymore. I have sooo many e-mails to catch up on and meanwhile I am also trying to fix this stupid machine...ARGH!!!

Saw this on another lady's blog. Thanks for letting me borrow the idea!

7 People That I Admire

1) My Mom (need I say more?)

2) My daughter Grace

3) My husband Martin

4) Faith Hill

5) My Mother-In-Law

6) Anyone doing a lot of charity work

7) Doctors

7 Things I Say Often

1) S**T! (Sorry but I thought I’d be brutally honest!)

2) You’re kidding?

3) I don’t know!

4) Venti Light Ice ½ Decaf Caramel Macchiato

5) BALL!!!

6) Hello (answering my cell phone!)

7) I Love You!

7 Things I Cannot Do

1) Curl my Tongue

2) Skydive (I’ve tried!)

3) Purge my Junk

4) Stop buying more scrapbook supplies (I don’t really need!)

5) Clean House (My dh bought me a year’s worth of housecleaning for X-mas last year!)

6) Keep my car tidy & washed

7) Drink a lot [I am a cheap Date! ;) ]

7 Things You May Not Know About Me

1) I have a pierced belly button

2) I am 100% German

3) I speak 3 Languages

4) I’m sort of an army brat (went to High School at CDN Force Base Lahr, Germany)

5) I’ve worked as a Medical Clerk, a Legal Assistant, Translator, a Bank Officer, a Movie Theater Clerk, Video Store Clerk, Waitress, Hotel Front Desk Clerk, Travel Agent

6) I met my hubby @ Starbucks

7) I am a horrible procrastinator

7 Movies I Enjoy

1) 9 ½ Weeks

2) Last of the Mohicans

3) Roby Roy

4) Anything by M. Night Shymalayan

5) Sweet November

6) X-files

7) Gothika

7 Things I Wish I Could Change In My Life

1) I wish I had met my husband 15 years earlier

2) I wish I completed my Business Degree

3) I wish my Dad & Grandparents were still alive

4) My height, weight, eye & hair color

5) I would have played Volleyball in College

6) I would not have wasted 5 years with my ex-boyfriend Paul

7) I would have won the lottery

7 Books I Would Read Over & Over Again

1) Anything by Dean R. Koontz

2) Almost anything Stephen King

3) John Saul Novels

4) The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

5) John Grey’s “Men Are From Mars”

6) The Pucki Series by Magda Trott (Don’t think it’s out in English!)

7) Anything by Tamora Pierce

Today was a WONDERFUL day. I woke up without an inkling of what was to happen to me today. It was an ordinary day where my daughter woke up a little too early for my tastes, my husband actually cleaned up his pile of clothes on the floor infront of our bed (Yeah!), and the weather was looking up to be a hot one today.
So I got some breakfast for Grace, threw together some laundry, checked my e-mail and couldn't believe my eyes...

Right there in my new inbox was a mail from someone called Rene telling me that I was the lucky winner of a pass to attend a pre-concert party with Faith & Tim on Wednesday. I have 5th row tickets that cost me dearly and thought that that would be the best I could do to see my "Faith". Well, what do you know...the Gods were with me today. So I get to go to a Private concert and take as many photos of them as I can and talk to them and.... Man I am sooooo stoked.

And on Thursday night I get to go again with Martin to see Faith & Tim, and then we are spending the weekend in Seattle without any kids. Yeah!

We signed our papers for the new house today. YEAH! So building should actually start in August for sure. Whew, and I thought it would never happen...

It was a topsy turvy kind of day today. We had a 10 AM appointment at Chicago Title and on the way into town Martin locked his keys in the truck. I had to go pick him up and we had to drive all the way to Burlington to get a spare key cut. Then off to the bank to open a new account, buy a cashier's check and then back to the title company to finish the last paperwork off.

Had a yummy seafood casserole for dinner and started to set up my new g-mail account which I will use instead of the cablespeed address as well as Outlook. Things are starting to look up.

More at a later date...

I actually scrapped a little over the holidays and here’s what I accomplished, (well two of the pages anyway!) The other wouldn’t scan, so I’ll have to take photos and then post them later on…

Happy 4^thof July!

We spent last night at our friend’s house watching an awesome display of fireworks. These guys always put on a super party with a potluck dinner to rival any dinner you’ve ever had. There was soooo much food, and it was all yummy! There were loads of salads, delicious desserts and slabs of tasty beef and pork, two kegs of beer and juice and pop for the kids. I made a red, white & blue Jell-O layer dessert that was a big hit.

Today Martin was doing paperwork and as a matter of fact he is still hard at it. He gets soooo frustrated when he has to do this because he lets it pile up so long that when he does tackle the mountain it’s a huge job. I don’t blame him for being grouchy, but I hate it when he takes it out on the rest of us. I guess it’s high time for him to get his own office. ;)

I’ve managed to work on some easy pages so I feel like something is getting accomplished. I’m not working on putting up my new desk, which is what I should be doing, but still, I am working on my scrapbook stuff, which is more than I could say for the past three weeks.

Anyway, off to finish this page of Grace’s cousin Oscar…

Ok, I am sooooooo frustrated with my computer. I had typed up most of my post for the day and then Firefox decided to freeze up and nothing worked any more. So I had to do a complete shut down and re-boot. Needless to say here we go again:

I am so grateful that my child is an angel, (I mean it!). My husband's cousin is visiting for the weekend with his twin boys. Oh my Lord, are they spoiled rotten and obnoxious. ARGH!

So since I am supposed to be over at the worksite helping my hubby paint, I will make this a quick and short post. Here's a little questionnaire my friend Stacy sent me:

Four Things you may not have known about me.....

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Bank Teller
2. Assistant/Translator to the Senior Legal Advisor of Europe for the CDN Military
3. Graphic Designer
4. Travel Agent

B) Four movies you would watch over and over:

1. Last of the Mohicans
2. Gothika
3. 9 1/2 Weeks
4. How Stella Got Her Groove Back

C) Four places you have lived:

1. Mahlberg, Germany
2. Lahr, Germany
3. Kelowna, BC Canada
4. Everson, WA USA

D) Four TV shows you love to watch:

1. CSI
2. X-files
3. Prison Break
4. Most Reality TV Shows (Survivor, American Idol, Big Brother, Biggest Loser, etc.)

E) Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2. Moscow, Russia
3. Las Vegas & Reno, NV
4. Paris, France

F) Websites you visit daily:

1. Scrapjazz
2. Blogger
3. eBay
4. Various Scrapbook Sites

G ) Four of my favorite foods:

1. Sushi
2. Lobster
3. Spinach
4. Steak, medium

. H) Four places you would rather be now:

1. Mexico
2. Europe
3. Treasury of Memories (my LSS) check it out at www.treasuryofmemories.com
4. Tahiti

Over and Out!

Who thought life would be like this....????

I never saw myself in the position I am in now in a Million Years! I do not want to be the evil step-mother to a hellion of a 17 year old moronic, lazy teenager. HELP! More on this situation later in this blog...

I am in the middle of cleaning out my scrapbooking area and am soooo itching to scrapbook it's not even funny. But I won't get any pages done till I clean up this mess, so on and on I wade through the mounds and heaps of magazines, paper, embellishments and photos. I am making a list of all the albums/projects I am wanting to complete or have started already to some degree. I am at number 37 and still counting... Whoa! I didn't think that I had that much on the go. LOL

So hopefully I will get this mess under control and start seeing my desk surface again so I can once again succumb to the Goddess of the Scrap and create to my hearts content.

Over & Out from Scrap Mess HQ