good evening everyone!

Lizzy, I'm so glad I asked about the reception because that poem just wouldn't work. I thought you bought a dress but was still going to be looking. I kind of remember you saying royal blue but wasn't sure.

D and I have both been sick all day. I think his is because he's back in a smoky environment. Mine might have been the glass of wine I drank last night to help me fall asleep. Anyway, no wine tonight LOL

It snowed like crazy here on and off all day but there's no snow on the ground. Sometimes it was so heavy you couldn't see in front of you.

Well, that's all folks!

Later!

Hi friends! Rhonda, sorry about the extended family drama...and I completely understand the desire to wash one's hands. Remember the Serenity Prayer!

Sorry about Miss Payton getting her days and nights mixed up a bit. I think that is not unusual with most babies...I think it just takes awhile and it's so much harder on the parents than the babies! LOL Hopefully that can get resolved soon. My friend at work who is expecting twins and I were chatting yesterday and I told her the most important thing is to try and get the babies on the same schedule and then sleep when they do.

Thanks, too, for offering to help me. We will have the popcorn ceilings scraped because they probably have asbestos in them. Plus, I have no idea where to begin. The problem is that the rooms that have popcorn ceilings are the bedrooms and need to be decluttered before anything can be done...at least the girls' bedrooms need to be decluttered. So that is my first task.

Laurie, I think milk is probably a better sleep-aid than wine. I'm not a milk-drinker, but I know that wine may put you to sleep but doesn't necessarily help you stay asleep. Whereas, I believe milk does both...well, something in milk does both.

I am working on getting my lesson plans done for next week so my weekend in completely free to work in the house here. I may even call in sick one day next week if necessary to work in the house. Shhhh...don't tell on me!

I am way behind on grading papers, too. I have stacks and stacks of writing, but it will all have to wait...except for the absolutely necessary ones. It's just the nature of the being right now.

I did buy a dress for the wedding, but when I showed Kat, she said it was too bright. I'm keeping it for now, though, because it's a neat dress. I actually bought two dresses and am keeping both. But one is too casual and the other too bright. The second dress I just got because I liked it. Of the two I ordered, though, I think either could be a good possibility for the wedding. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I rearranged my classroom yesterday afternoon so I need to go in a bit earlier than I usually do to finish things up. I was just too tired after shoving desks around. I have to plug in my electrical stuff and make sure everything works...computer, projector, etc. for today. Tomorrow, we have another royal visit so I need to make sure I'm plugged in and on power for the the guests! I'm not worried about this visit because I'm on my game totally with this visit! I will have to rearrange a few students today, after everyone shows up. I have a girl whose vision is really poor, even with her glasses, so she needs a front row seat and I'm not sure where she ended up. I have a boy who is not allowed to sit with anyone because he is a royal PITA and so he has to be an "island." His partner is now moving to sit with another student and their double desk is being set against the wall. It's really sad, but this kid just cannot grasp the concept of not talking, not looking at someone else's paper, etc.

I got a huge compliment from a mom yesterday. She came in to help as she always does and I told her I was retiring this year. She gave me a big hug and told me she was sorry because she thought I was a really great teacher. I was really surprised...not because I didn't think she thought well of me, but I didn't think she thought THAT highly of me.

Well, folks I have to get moving here. I'll check in later...I've got to find the list of phone numbers the realtor sent to us and try and make some phone calls today about lining up some workers to get in here and give us some bids. So....have a great day, everyone. I'll "see" you later.

Good morning!

Lizzy those colors sound very nice. My wedding dress was an off white. I couldn't wear white because of my coloring. Is Sarah's dress off white or is that just one of the contrast colors. We have some of those popcorn ceilings. I do not like them. We are slowly scraping them down. HOw nice to have such a compliment from a parent. It makes it worth while doesn't it?

Laurie sorry you and Dion have been sick. I hope you are both feeling better today.

Rhonda so sorry you have to deal with drama in your family. I understand washing your hands of them. Sometimes it just feels like the stress is not worth......but they are family so it makes it hard.

Pat did you manage to get all your errands done?

Paula do you have a house today? WHat else are you up to?

Carrie did you end up going to tennis? Carrie wouldn't that have been an experience to be in Rome?

Well the part didn't come in today so the car isn't done yet. THe part is supposed to come today. So another day. I hope it all goes smoothly.

It is snowing again here.......at least it will only be a couple of inches this time. I still don't like it!

I really have to make a list since I have a lot to do. I have to wrap gifts for a birthday party after my tax appointment. I can't do it Friday night since Rick wants to go to the home and RV show. We would go Sunday but he is hoping to pick up the car on Saturday and then go back up north to clean up the house. I have some returns and exchanges to do this weekend too. I have some kohl's cash too. I hope I can get it done on Saturday after the party so I don't have to go into town on Sunday.

OK I have been at his for 2 hours again! Have a great day!

Here I am...

Yesterday we did Tuesday's house. Then I spent hours trying to reorder pics. I got 101 free pics from shutterfly last week and they cropped them and I was missing the top of heads. (Quite a problem since they were pics of the ladies with their crowns on at the ice festival)
So I called and they gave me a credit for them. I did not know that they made the pics smaller and that you have to go in and check if you like how they cropped them. So....I went in and recropped them. Not all of them were bad so I had to download some other pics so I could get to 114 which is what I had ordered.
I also went to church to help with the Wed. dinner. Then my sister and I dropped the leftovers off at the women's shelter. Since we were in B.H. we went to M's and J's. I was looking for a certain paper and they didn't have it. :(
Today I did my Thur. house and then had hairapy. When I was finishing up there friends called and asked us to go to dinner with them.

Monday night I was Serina's travel companion for her first speaking engagement. She did such a super job!! Her 20 minute speech was almost all memorized (just had cards with bullet points) and she delivered it with such confidence. I am so proud of her!!

whew!! That's where I have been.

Rhonda, I wondered what the band was too. Now I understand. What a honor to be part of that group!! It sounds like fun too!!

This has taken me forever to type. The guys are at their last night of hockey so I think I am going to go over and watch for a bit.


Lizzy, you are super busy!! Good thing you have a school break coming up!!

good morning from sunny but chilly MD. I am so ready for spring.

Lizzy, while you have a lot to do to finish up this school session, you do seem to have it somewhat under control. Are you going to just pack up Sarah's room or go through some of it as you pack? And hopefully Kat will be able to come help with her room. It will all get done.

Paula, you have had a busy week. Pretty soon, it will be time to open up the cottage. This year is definitely moving quickly.

Jim is working from home today. We took the JEEP to the mechanic to be serviced and the tail light replaced. We are going to make a Costco run and also do a cemetery look-up while the weather is co-operating. We have rain off and on for the next week. I am so tired of these little periods of rain. I also want to go to J's and try to get the lining for the window treatments in the LR, since I have a 50% cpn. Since we will be out and about, we might go out to lunch.
Plan this weekend is to try to get an inventory of what is in the freezer in the garage and come up with some menus to use it up. Jim also said he will help with my list (which I made last night) of things I need to get done. Like the stuff into the shed and loft and hauling a load to recycle and dump.
Anyone else have big (or even little plans for the weekend? If I get all my house stuff done, I am going to work on finishing up the layouts from the crop. Mostly it is embellishments and journaling. Hmmm maybe I will try to post the pics from the one gingerbread page I did using the CTMH flip flaps.

hello all.. got all my errands done today except for Costco. If it isn't raining tomorrow, we will try to go then. Might night make it till Sunday. I was happy to get the lining for the window treatments and after we went to Red Lobster for a late lunch. I was so stuffed I skipped dinner. I forgot I wanted to go to Staples also to get ink for the printer, so will do that tomorrow also.
This evening I cleaned up my scrap area and got everything from the crop put away.

Rhonda, the gingerbread houses were printed on the paper as well as the saying up in the corner. It came from a stack I got on sale after Christmas. It was just too perfect. Thanks for the compliments.

Well, I need to get to bed. I have been doing a little work on my family tree, making sure I have everything on my uncle Harold. I sure wish I could determine if his wife is maybe still alive.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Rhonda, I would love some of your warm weather. All we are geting is 50's and rain.

Hi friends! Today has been a very difficult day for me. Clearing out Sarah's room has been very emotional...mainly sad. It's bringing home the reality of so many things I hate to think about...the girls are grown and adults now; that chapter in our lives has ended - it ended a long time ago - and only now am I having to face it; the sadness just goes on and on. Well, anyway, I didn't make the progress that I might have liked, but I will survive. I think I really didn't know what to do with the boxes as I finished them off, but when I left her room at one point, I realized I could move them into the bonus room and then someone can move them downstairs for me. So, I think that will be my plan.

I am thinking that in July, I may rent a truck and drive Sarah's stuff down to her in Houston. It would solve the problem of getting the stuff to her and then it would be done. Maybe she can take a few days and do it with me....or maybe not....or maybe Terry or Kat can....or I'll just do it alone.

Regarding the wedding, we are moving ahead with everything. I still need to look for a dress. The two I ordered from Nordstrom weren't very good. One was HORRIBLE and the other made me look like a fullback for whatever professional football player you'd like to think about at the moment. The bodice had these diagonal lines of sparkly things that came down from the shoulders in an unbroken line that would make anyone, except a beanpole, look terrible. My next move is to go to Nordstrom and seek help.

Paula, good luck with your work in the lower level of your home. We already filled our dumpster and will need at least two more - at least that is my estimation.

That's too bad about the church having to reposition the seats in the sanctuary. I hope it doesn't ruin the new carpet.

Pat, it sounds like you have lots of errands. I hate it when I run them and then forget to get something while I'm out. Grrrrrr!

Nancy, did the car get repaired yet? I hope so.

Rhonda, how was your genealogy class?

I am beginning to think about which of my scrapbook things to pare down. Like punches....I haven't used a punch in years. Fancy scissors? Haven't used them in years. And other similar items. I'm sure the girls in my class at school would LOVE to have things like that!

OK...that's it for now. I'm worn out. I'm going to veg and then hit the hay early.

good evening everyone!

Pat,i really like the flip flops. The judges and winners pages are cute!

Lizzy, you filled a dumpster already? That's a lot of progress! I'm sorry you've been having an emotional time going through Sarah's room. If you need help with the truck going to TX I'll go with you. Road trip!

I don't remember anything else I just read LOL

I've been selling and adding stuff this weekend. I've got my scraproom about 1/2 way done setting it up with a new layout and less stuff. Lizzy, I got rid of all my fancy scissors and punches. I kept the border punches though becuase I still used those. I got rid of my big Xyron sticker maker too. Just got a new Xyron Creation Station yesterday. It's one of the prizes I won a couple weeks ago. I guess I'll keep it.

Well back to purging

Later!

Hello ladies!

Ended up running to church yesterday morning to see DS and the puppet group do a song with dowel rods. Very moving!! They did a good job.
Then ran to Costco with my friend. Stocked up on some items.

Today is my "off" monday so I should get something done but so far all I did was order a collage pic from Walgreens. I got an e-mail for a free one. I used the pics of the day Serina was crowned Miss SW MI Teen. (some of you guys were here that day :))
Tonight I am the travel companion for the Miss SW MI. I think she is speaking at a Loins Club meeting.

Monster house canceled for tomorrow. Her hubby is being sensitive about us being in the house when he wants to be there. He travels out of the country a lot so he is home different days. The next two cleans we have moved to when he is gone. We will see from there. I told her maybe they need to go a couple months without a clean and see how he feels then. HA!!

So...I think I will bake CC cookies today. I owe BIL a batch for clearing that heavy, wet snow from our drive on that last big dump.

Lizzy!!! I can't believe you have filled a dumpster!! You are really digging in and making progress!! Good for you!!
Two weeks left of school?? Woohoo!!

Pat, how nice to have another crop right away when everything is fresh in your mind. (I tend to forget where I left off)
We got a bit of freezing rain last night but it melted fast.

Laurie, good work on your part selling things off. You are making good room too. I don't know what the Xyron C.S. is. hmmm...
How is D doing with the job? I bet you miss having him around.

Rhonda, what are you up to? How was the workshop? Get any good ideas? Were you able to start on the baby book? I think I have a cut file to make a word book that says baby. hmmm... maybe it was the name of the baby, I can't remember.

Nancy, what are you up to? How did the car repairs come out?

DH didn't make it home for lunch. Too many meetings today he had to prepare for. Guess I can quit waiting for him and start a project....do cookies count???

hello from INSOMNIA LAND!

I went to bed before 11:30 and slept til 3:30. 4 hrs...my body is used to that or less so it thinks I don't need any more. maybe I willl just stay up so I will be sleepy again tonight. Maybe I can get my body back on some sort of schedule.

Paula, D started days yesterday and he said it was so much better. He's exhausted because he never got into any kind of sleep schedule during these past 2 weeks and he was so sick all last week. I really missed him being here at night these past 2 weeks because I don't like being her by myself because I'm not used to that. But now that he's on days, I can get more stuff done here. We pretty much had been under each others skin for the 2 weeks prior to him going back so it's nice to get him out of my hair! LOL The Creation Station is one of the Xyrons that has a handle you crank your die cut through and get adhesive all over the back of it. Saw it at HL yesterday and it's $50! I thought it was $20. Even though I just sold my old one (different style) I think I'll keep this one. It's especially great for letter die cuts. How did the cookies turn out?

pat, do you have all your gingerbread house making layouts in the same book? I think that would be neat. Is the end of March early for the cherry blossoms? I really want to go visit my Niece and go see them and have her take me on a DC tour. She is enjoying the experience of working and living in the area so much. I think she'd be a great tour guide for me :)

Lizzy, after we hung up last night, I took a tiny power nap for 10 min and was starving when I woke up and left my phone on the bed and got something to eat. Sorry I missed your call back. how'd it go with your meeting and the ceiling guy?

Rhonda, sounds like you are going to have a busy time at work. I did an explosion box on a smaller scale using some rooster paper. I am going to add recipes in it. I have it fr sale at the yard sale FB site I've been selling on. No one has jumped on it so I said I'd add recipes and personalize it with a name if somebody buys it. I don't think they really understand the concept of it. LOL How did the Lady Hornets do?

Carrie, did you get to see the golf course when you were there? I've heard it's a really nice one with great views of the river.

Nancy, hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Well, I guess I'm pretty talkative in the wee hours of the morning. I think I am going to go ahead and have some breakfast and start my day. My kitchen and living room are a mess because of all the stuff I'm selling. had it all on a large utility shelf in the living room but someone bought the shelf yesterday so it's all over the place again. Today I am putting my table and chairs on the site. We don't ever eat there (tv trays in the living room is where we eat) and it ends up just being a catch all for everything. When we get to FL, I want to buy a more modern one. I'm looking at the ones that are up higher and have high seats with backs on them. We had one at one time but only had high stools with it. My Sister has a nice one with nice chairs that I really like. Oh and I'm painting my front door. I don't know if I want to paint it blue to match the shutters or RED! to match the brick. I love the contrast of a bright red with the blue of the shutters. I'm really leaning toward red but...I already have the blue paint. I hate dilemas!

Later!

Good morning!

Laurie sorry your schedule is off. I would not be able to function on 4 hours of sleep. 6 is the minimum but 7 or 8 is better. Let us know what you decide to do on your door!

Rhonda did the Hornets win last night? That would be nice if Cody joined you tonight. I just got a call from the Mayo blood bank and realized it had been a while since I had been in.

Paula What will you do today since you don't have the monster house? Yes the car repairs came out fine. No unexpected charges.

Pat I like your LO's. Will you be totally caught up if you get done what you want to at this weekends crop? I would hate to have to get permission to change the color of our house. That must be a pain.

Carrie you were very busy this weekend. How is your hand doing? I hope it has healed well.

Lizzy sorry about the dresses not working. Do you have a Dressbarn near you. They have a lot of dresses and they are usually very reasonable too.

Well we had another snow day yesterday and 2 hours late today. We have had over 22 inches of snow just this month. It is the 4th snowiest March. I am so done with it. WHat makes it worse is we have below normal temps too. This morning the windchill is below 0. YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!

Over the weekend we went to the home and RV show, got our taxes done, went to birthday parties and got the groceries bought. I also returned a few things and picked up some new jewelry. While I was doing that I got a call about my mom. She had a fever and just wasn't herself so the nursing home sent her to the ER. I met her at the ER and brought her home when she was done. She ended up being just fine. She just has some sort of virus. That ended up being a late night (and a long day).

Have a great day everyone!

Paula enjoy holding those babies! I bet mom appreciates the extra help!

My mom got admitted to the hospital yesterday. It seems she may have pneumonia. There was nothing on the x-ray Saturday night so it either progressed fast or they missed it. The nursing home forgot to call and let me know though. I found out today from the hospital. I was not happy. I called the nursing home to let them know how I felt. They apologized for it and were going to talk to the nurse to find out why I wasn't called. I can understand if they were busy and forgot for a little bit but to not have called? I even checked for any missed calls here at home and my cell phone. I found one this morning about 11 on my cell phone that was turned off. I called to let them know to call the home phone first and the cell phone last since I am home almost 24/7 on weekdays. Anyways she will be in the hospital until Thursday. They are pumping her full of antibiotics. I just hope I can go and see her. The roads are still horrible and the wind isn't dying down and that blowing snow is what is causing the slippery roads. I'll see what Rick thinks after his evening commute home.

Well it looks like the windchill is still 10 below 0 so I am thinking we will have to stay inside this afternoon. I don't think I can ever remember a day in March that we have had to stay in because of cold temps. Did I say I am so done with this weather??

I hope everyones day is going well.

Hi friends...

Nancy, I'm sorry to hear about your mom and her being sick with pneumonia. I hope she makes a good recovery. More than that, I hope you are able to get up to the hospital to see her. I totally understand your frustration with the nursing home for not calling you, too. I worry quite a bit about something happening to my mom and the nursing home not calling me and me simply not being informed about it. Please keep us posted. I'm sure you are very DONE with winter about now!

Laurie, sorry about the insomnia. It must be very difficult. I'm also sure it must be tough trying to keep the house tidy while you are selling so much stuff.

Rhonda, tell me more about the upcoming expo and sale day you are going to be having. What does your company show? And sell? I'm in the "dark" about exactly what your company does. Who is your favorite school in the NCAA Tournament?

Paula, I saw the photo of you on FB holding the baby! That was a special photo!! I love those collage photos. I get one of those each year from Costco for my yearbook picture of my class. They are pretty nice.

Carrie, thanks for your words of support about my sadness in clearing out Sarah's bedroom.

I didn't make the progress that I'd hope I would make in Sarah's bedroom. However, I will hit it again as soon as I can. I got about halfway done...and actually need to buy more larger boxes. What remains are some books, clothing, and breakables. It would be fabulous to have it done this weekend...so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Once that room is finished, I think the rest of the house will feel like a walk in the park! LOL

School is flying past...just eight more days until vacation! I can't believe it! It's going to be fabulous. After that, just maybe six more weeks, then retirement. Woo-hoo!

good morning and Happy Spring. It is sunny, but that is about it. We have some flurries possible the next couple days, plus a coastal storm. I keep telling myself it could be worse, but this weather pattern is getting old.
Carrie, sorry the boys are both under the weather. Wish I could share some of the warm weather, but it lasted one day and wasn't all that.

I have got to buckle down here and get the pages ready to work on at the crop Sat. I am hoping the flip flaps will work for the 2009 the g'bread pages.
I also want to finish up the society pages. Nothing creative or fancy on those, since they are just meeting pictures and a few fun pics.

I've been having fun on find a grave. I have a lot of cemetery pics of family, that are not on there, so I have been adding them. Of course, I am not getting other things done that should be.

Rhonda, I hope the sale goes well today and they sell a lot. I am guessing these items are discontinued pieces or maybe slightly damaged/as is ??

I got an email this morning that a nearby scrapbook retreat house/shop is having their annual sale in mid May. I think I might see about a table. I need to find out from someone who has done it, how they did and if it is worth it.

Good evening....

Lizzy, hope you can continue to make progress in the cleaning/sorting process. I do understand how hard it is to sort through the children's things. But I had each one sort through their own things so I knew what they wanted. Then the rest was fair game. Of course I kept some things but was able to let go of lots more. I know the girls will appreciate your going through all your things - because at some point they will have to go through it and that will be hard. Have you had any luck finding a dress?

Pat, is your crop this weekend just a one day crop? I love to look around in Find A Grave. I too have added lots of family headstone photos.

Paula, I agree, the weather seems really weird this year. We had mid 80's on Friday and snow chance for the rest of the weekend! Glad you got to spend more time with the babies!

Nancy, sorry to hear about your mother. Will keep her in my prayers. I would not have been very nice to the nursing home if they had not called me. I'll bet it will not happen that way again!

Carrie, hope the boys recover quickly. Sounds like they still need their mother!

Our expo went very well today. I didn't really know what to expect so at times I felt very lost. The company I work for is a Food Service Equipment company. We sell kitchen supplies and equipment for restaurant as well as the home kitchen. We also sell and install equipment in commercial kitchens - like restaurants, hospitals, etc. We have a sister company that is a local grocery wholesaler. Both businesses combine for this huge expo and day of great sales for invited customers. This is our biggest single sales day of the entire year! I enjoyed it but I sure am tired tonight!