good morning ~~ it is another sunny one, although I think it is supposed to cloud up and maybe rain this afternoon.
so I am going to try for a walk and then get back to the books and other projects.
Rhonda, the water class sounds like a great program. And you are correct, it leaves little room for copping out. Enjoy!

Nancy, we do family t-shirts for the Autism Walk. I am always afraid I am going to mess up/waste one. How many will you be making? I like your ideas so far and agree with Rhonda on the simpler letters. You are so crafty, I have faith they will turn out great. Enjoy the quieter day today.

Paula, have fun scrapping with Deb today and for a good cause. And oooops on the broken items. The picture frame glass, not such a big deal, but the lid on the candy dish likely isn't replaceable.

I need to get moving here. I have some genealogy papers I found yesterday that I want to put away. Jim and I were talking about some of the research papers and notes we have, that need to be dealt with. Meaning either filed away, or scanned and then thrown away. I have a ziplock bag full of small papers with notes on them. As soon as I look at the paper, everything comes back to me and I remember more than what is written on the paper. I used to keep a spiral notebook by the computer for those notes and I would mark the date and even the place in the margin. But sometimes the notes just happen and I grab what ever paper is handy to write on. My goal is to get this house in order, before the nice weather so I can spend time on the deck working on my research.

Hello all!

Just wanted to pop in and say hello. I did catch up but I've got to head to bed. Just wanted you all to know that I'm feeling good (I am having headaches but I think that's just my body adjusting). I'm down 2.4 lbs and that's just from eating right.

Well goodnight everyone

Hi friends....yes, it's incredibly late here (12:30 a.m.) and I'm still up. I have made no more progress on the actual report cards, but continue to compile grades and get information from the other teachers that work with some of my students. I've talked to several different people and only a few have their report cards finished, so I don't feel too badly about it. Today, I graded one stack of writing and was really pleased with how the students did. Tomorrow, we will begin another one.

The Valentine's Day party was short and sweet. We actually could have done it in 10 minutes and next year I might just do that. The longer it lasted, the louder they got. Then, today, it rained much of the day which also makes the kids wild. Kelly says it is the crowd mentality, but whatever it is makes me nuts! I also did not get a break this morning when I should have so I was with the kids until lunchtime. Someone came to relieve me, but she was about 10 minutes early, so I asked her to go to the other room to which she was assigned and come back to me; but she never came back. Thankfully, I didn't have to use the bathroom! LOL

I folded one basket of laundry tonight! Woo-hoo! My housekeeper had folded some of the other laundry, so that really helped. I need to put some effort into getting it put away. Terry helps me carry it upstairs, so it will have to wait until this weekend since he is out of town again.

I haven't done anything else...but I do need to pay bills which I will likely do tomorrow evening.

Rhonda, so glad you liked the water aerobics class! It sounds good. And, Pat, I keep all the gifts I buy in my closet in a box with a lid (you know, those storage file boxes) and when the occasion arrives, I just go look in my stash. I also have a shopping bag full of gift-type things in my bonus room because over the years, we have bought items and never given them as gifts. There are photo frames, a throw blanket, and any number of duplicate DVD's! What a mess we are.

Nancy, I have made those iron-on shirts, too...and always felt incredibly nervous about messing one up. And, I have a better story. One of my daughters created an iron-on thing on the computer. All you had to do then was run the iron-on through the ink-jet printer and it would create the iron-on. Well...she had her picture all created...it happened to be Elvis...and instead of running the iron-on through the ink-jet, she ran it through the laser. The heat of the laser imprinted Elvis on to the inside of the printer PLUS completely hosed the printer! We had a good laugh about having Elvis melted into our laser.

Speaking of using off-brand inks, cartridges, etc. We have never done that, mainly because we are too chicken to try anything different. I know I am and I bought the last cartridge for my laser printer. Terry's company buys whatever he needs, so of course he uses the name-brands. Plus, his company owns his printer, so he has to take care of it in a reasonable manner.

I have made plans to go visit my mother right after I get out of school for my next vacation. My travel dates are 3/26--29. I am staying a day longer than usual, so I am thinking of taking some small scrapping project to work on in the hotel room. I've done that before when I have gone to visit someone and knew that I would have extra time alone.

Laurie, good going on the eating right! Keep it up, girl!!

OK...I gotta go to bed. I cannot figure out why I am so wide-awake!!

Good morning fellow Challenged Friends!

I am home today. My migrain went away yesterday but I had a headache all night that kept me from falling asleep...at all! Maybe I dozed off here and there but I am fighting to keep my eyes open so far today. My stomach is also making funny gurgling sounds. Not like hunger sounds. They are making my tummy feel weird.

Paula, I remember you asked what an Art Journal is. It is a really cool, artsy painted page, using different mediums. They mostly have a watercolored look. I used stencils with glimmer mist and also cutouts and things like magic mesh to get different designs. I used both water and acrylic paints. I'll attach the one I made. It's nothing like the ones I've seen on Pinterest though! The ones on there have fancy journaling. I'm sure I'll get better with time. I'd love to see the journals you made! And you are right about the water. I drink water all the time (due to my high sugar) but when my sugar is leveled and good, I don't want water. I'm thinking I may be a bit dehydrated. I have to make myself drink it when I'm eating well.

Rhonda, I'm so glad you like the water aerobics class. I would love to do it too. I weigh myself ever other day. I am now down 3.8 lbs. I have also not had any pop or regular coffee since friday. That's an awesome fete for me...especially the pop! I have 1 decaf coffee each morning with my bowl of Special K. I did find an awesome recipe! This one feeds 6 so I just halved it. Dion ate it but didn't particularly care for it. It's pork tenderloin with apples and onions. Only 48 mg sodium and 243 calories per serving. I'll post the recipe later. It was super easy to make too! I can also post the Broccoli pasta dish I had the other night if you want. That recipe only feeds 2 so it was perfect for me!

Lizzy, I'm glad you have your plans set to visit your Mom

Well that's it for now. Nancy and Pat, I'm sure you are both very busy today as always :)

Later

good morning.. rainy here this morning. So no walk. It will be in the 50's tho', so no chance of anything freezing up. This is sure not typical February winter weather for us. However I am NOT going to complain.

Nancy, I used the iron on transfers and we used family pictures. I have to do 10 for the whole family. Kristen usually designs them and I take care of printing them out and ironing them on. I don't have the Varsity cart or I would loan it to you. It would be perfect. I always use Base Camp when I need block letters.
Laurie, I hope you continue to feel better. And continue with the weight loss. I am working at that, but I am struggling with the exercise. The art journal pictures were interesting. What do you do with them after? I am not up with all the new paper projects.
Lizzy, it sounds like you are not so bad off with the report card progress. I also like to take projects to work on when I travel. One year I worked on a swap on the plane. The lady next to me was quite fascinated. Sometimes in the car, I tie bows for cards and work on tea cosies, putting the elastic & ribbon in. If we are driving, I sometimes take the little cricut and work on projects in the hotel room.

Well, I have been working on this for a long time, so I am going to send it.

Hi friends! I did finally get some sleep last night although it wasn't very much. I will likely go to bed early tonight as I have to get up VERY EARLY tomorrow AM. I need to leave here by 5:30 to get up to Kelly's, pick her up, and then bring her back down my way to the airport. Then, I will turn around and go back up toward her house for work. Talk about crazy! (She is going to Indiana to spend the weekend with her DH before he is actually deployed.)

Today was a good day at work, probably because I rode my broom and cast a spell over my students: "I was disappointed with your behavior with Dr. Sandoval [our principal] yesterday. She asked you to line up and while some of you were lined up, the rest of you were standing in a bunch talking." This is unacceptable and beginning today, when you need to line up, you will line up in two lines, no talking, and if you don't do it, you will come back indoors and sit down and line up again. You will repeat this until you get it correct DURING YOUR RECESS TIMES!" This spell-casting continue with other types of things such as talking during instruction and not giving me their full attention when instructions are being delivered. WOW...what a huge difference it made!

I must say that I also gave them positive comments about their hard work and listening and lining up, etc. They even earned a tiny Tootsie Pop at the end of the day. So...life goes on. I then managed to get a great deal of my photocopying done this afternoon before leaving. Eventually, I might even get these report cards done! LOL

So far tonight, I have paid bills and worked on cleaning a mess out of my bread machine. The dough rose too much and cooked on to the inside of the lid. I've never had that happen before...but it should clean up after it is soaked. I turned the machine on its side and put a soggy paper towel inside the lid as it lay open.

Well, I'm going to go here and finish paying bills - there are a few odd bills that I need to log on to different sites to pay...such as renewing magazine subscriptions. After that, I am going to try and tackle another stack of writing!

Hello ladies,

I am having a hard time focusing today.

The computer was really bad this morning and then it started doing better(not well, but better)...what really is the problem??? Anyhow, I don't know why this site is the worst, everything takes soooo long.
That being said...DH had picked out all the parts and pieces and I believe is going to order a new computer today.

Katie posted on their blog today and sent me an e-mail. A very good day. Oh, and a girl on their team posted a pic. It feels good to see her smiling face. Overall she is doing well. She loves it and is asking for info on our church's Africa trip late this summer. I think she is going to have to win the lottery!!!! ;) She was sick a couple days but is hanging in there. They just left an area they stayed in awhile that had no electricity or running water. Everyone keeps mentioning how beautiful the sunsets and the stars are out there in the middle of nowhere.

Laurie, sorry you are struggling with feeling well. I hope it passes and you adjust. I know when I was eating well I felt so much better. Now I am back to sluggish and achy. You are doing well with your meals!!

Lizzy, how very busy you are these days!!! How nice of you to do all that running for Kelly. Was she able to arrange all the child care?
I think setting expectations for the kids and making them very clear (and reminding them often) is very important. Many of them probably don't have that at home so they really need the reinforcement.

Rhonda, I am so glad you like your class. Way to go trying something new!!!
What did you find to work on last night??

I am waiting for my sister to come and scrap. She had to go to the catering kitchen today to help her DH for tomorrow's cater. I think she is making up the veggie tray. I will go to the basement and get started. I am also doing L.

good afternoon. well once I got off my, tush,things went much better. I got most all the cards sorted into piles and now I just need to divy up the goodies into the boxes. I have some puzzle books, mind puzzles and small items. Also a bunch of Reader's Digest. All I want to do is get it all out of my way and the house. I still have a box of cards that need some fixing up. I like to do those when I am watching TV, but forgot I had tossed them in a box. sigh~~~
Paula, this morning I noticed this website was kind of slow, but everything else was ok. This afternoon it seems to be fine. Is anyone else having issues with the MB?
Nancy, I have only used white and grey t-shirts, but I am thinking the same as you on the blue. I didn't even like the ones we did on grey. So we switched to white the next times.

I got a short walk in this afternoon and did a little picking up in the yard of sycamore branches. Jim should be able to get them into the can tomorrow to put out on Monday for p/u. It was breezy out, so it felt much cooler than it is.

Paula, have fun scrapping today. I am still trying to decide if I want to go to the crop next weekend for a few hours. I can get about 7 hrs in before I would have to leave, but I will have to pay for the full 12. Seems a bit of a waste of money. I have to make a decision though, to get a space with the group I always sit with.

Hello all,

Nancy, I can't believe you are making those shirts already!! You are so good. The week before graduation I would be going...hey I wanted to make shirts!! haha!

Rhonda, I am so glad you are liking this class! It's nice to have something you enjoy, look forward to, and feel good about doing something good for yourself!
Sorry tomorrow didn't work out, keep trying.

Pat, I have a friend that is organizing a craft time for next Fri. and Sat. Saturday we are going to dinner and to a comedian show so I would probably only go Fri. I don't know if I want to haul stuff for that. So I know how you feel. I would like to visit and get a bit done but don't know if it's worth it. hmmm...

DH ordered the computer today!!! Need I say I am happy??

Also, we had a productive time scrapping. We got a late start but have 19 pages together. I need to do some journaling then maybe an embellishment or two. That leaves about 4 miscellaneous pages, Christmas and one New Year's Eve page and 2007 will be complete. Hurray!
Maybe tomorrow I will spend some time on the computer and make a picture order.

That's it for now, off to bed soon, I am tired tonight.

Good morning all..

Laurie, I love the plan you all have for celebrating your mothers life in NH. The bracelets sound beautiful. Enjoy your walk. I will take you up on the challenge but I will be walking through an old cemetery but will get over 30 minutes in walking!

I also have to go to the recycle center and the post office today. Then will listen/watch basketball the rest of the day while I work in my craft room!

Paula, a new computer!!! You will really enjoy the speed of a new computer since you have been struggling with your slow computer.

OK, I am off to get the day started!

good afternoon everyone.......I was going to post this morning, but didn't make it. I did read all though and took Laurie up on her walk challenge. I might do another one later and get Jim to join me. It is sunny and very nice out (upper 50's), so good weather. Our pending snow storm is likely going to be mostly south, so we will only get an inch or so. Nothing like the 4+ they were predicting. It will start around midnight I think.

I have spent the day packing up the cfs boxes. I ended up with 3 boxes, but will have to wait to finish them. I have cards still coming. Hope they arrive today, but if not they will come Tuesday. Anyway.. I have added ALL the extra stuff I had on hand, emptying 2 small boxes. YEA!!!

Rhonda, are the cemetery pictures ones you are taking for other people? Seems like you had mentioned that is what you were doing.
Good luck on getting to the crafting. Now that my table is empty of the cards, I can see what I have that I could work on if I were to go to the crop next Saturday. I will get out all the bags of page kits and analyze them.

Paula, nice that you are getting a new computer. Are you getting a laptop this time?

I am going to get busy on the pages kits, so I can see where I stand. Be Back later..

Edited by user Saturday, February 18, 2012 6:30:50 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hello all...

Laurie, you got some really good deals at Kohls. Wish I had one closer. You need to make sure you have something in your car at all times for times like today when your sugars went too low! My boss is diabetic and he has learned that the hard way. He keeps things at work and in his truck, just in case! Glad you enjoyed your new shoes. And the walk. Your supper sure looked yummy!

Pat, how are the page kits coming along? Glad you were able to get a walk in today. Did you get Jim to go along with you on another one?

I spent over 3 hours walking through 2 cemeteries. I found most of what I was looking for, and some I didn't even know were there of my own family! I was really excited. It was in the mid 40's but the fresh air was wonderful. And lots of good exercise today! Pat, the stones I was looking for were for other people. Now I just need to upload the pics and post them as requested.

Paula, how was the performance tonight? Did you get a walk in with DH?

Rhonda, the program was fun tonight. It was shorted than I expected but I enjoyed it. DS went again tonight. I went to church so he got there first and got me a ticket so I wouldn't have to stop and get one. (church gets out at 7 and the Variety show started at 7) He got tickets with one of the Boston girls and a couple other friends so I sat with them.
It sounds like you had a nice day today. And got some pictures you were hoping for! Good.

I did take a walk with DH today. It was windy and cold and I whined the whole way. Thanks Laurie for the challenge because I probably would have made some excuse not to go.
I also went to the store and got 4 meals made up.

Sorry about your scare today Laurie. I agree with Rhonda, you need to keep something in your car and maybe your purse.
Hurray for good shopping deals! Glad you found some things you like.

Pat, way to go getting the cards packed up. Did you get to work on the page kits?

Lizzy, I see you posted while I was typing. I am so sorry you are feeling so crummy! Sure glad the headache stopped. Hopefully with a good night's sleep you can get back on track.

I had fits with this site again tonight. It wouldn't show the last page so I could read up on the posts. It said it was on the last page but was not. Weird!

Good morning everyone!

After a really nice day yesterday, we wake up to drearyness today and it's supposed to snow.I think Mother Nature started taking drugs last year LOL She's so confused!

I will still go for my walk today so my challenge yesterday is up again today. If it ends up being to cold I will do my walking/running in place for 30 minutes in my living room :)

I have been sleeping great! It's amazing what cutting out caffeine can do for your body. I am drinking 1 regular coffee in the morning now and I haven't had any headaches. I will be searching the internet for some new recipes this morning so I can make a meal plan for myself for the week.

My purging continued last night. I did start cutting my 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inch sheets and I have tons now. Oh, I have a challenge in my head. If you would like, I will send you 10 different pattern paper cuts and challenge you to use them to make 10 thank you cards. Anyone want to do it?

Ok, it's time to eat so I'm outa here

Hope you all have a great Sunday! What are you all up to today?

Later!

good Sunday morning... dreary and cooler here also Laurie, but the snow forecast is dwindling away. Maybe an inch or two this afternoon. Tomorrow will be sunny and it will all melt, if there is anything.
Ended up with only one walk yesterday. I will try for another today.
I went through all the partial page kits I have and there is not enough time this week to put any together to work on Saturday, so I have decided to NOT go to the crop. I really feel it would be a waste of money and probably my time.

Laurie, I am so inundated with my own challenges right now, I am going to pass on your new card one. I still have piles of papers to finish going through and a room to get back in order. I need to have page kits ready for the March crop, so I can get caught up with my albums.

Rhonda, unexpected surprises at the cemetery were good. Jim & I were talking yesterday about genealogy things we want to do this year. I want to get back to CA to follow up on my finds from last year. Jim will no longer have meetings in CA, so we can plan our trips differently. The 1940 census release may open some new doors for me.

Lizzy, I hope you feel better today.