Wiped Out!

I am so wiped out - didn't even get out of bed today until late. My trip to Anaheim for CHA was great!! Getting to meet the gals from Scrap Addict; Fee, The Nana, Julie, Liz and see Karen again - was so much fun. I stayed with Fee and Nana's friends Peggy and Cathy and they were so welcoming and wonderful - I appreciated them taking a total stranger into their home.

Fee and The Nana are so much fun to be around. I needed their laughter - and boy did we laugh!! I will never be able to look at a kitten **aka feral puppy cat** without thinking of them. We shopped, we ate, we worked our asses off at CHA, we laughed and talked and formed a friendship that I know I will value forever. Thanks for listening to my tale of woe, and providing such great comfort and advice :)

Of course, since I'm such an enabler - Fee had to be just like me and buy matching bra and panties **aka Mary Ann's** and also a thumb ring just like the one I bought. Was so nice to have the gal at Build a Bear ask us if we were sisters :) Sorry I told her you were my boss ;)

I'm just starting to get back in the swing of things - working hard on getting all the fabulous product that Fee bought for Scrap Addict up in the store - so I can prove that I'm more than just a pretty face *snort*.

I Hurt.

I found out something last night that hurt. Hurt to the core. Shook me to my foundations, made me question everything. And so, I hurt. Time heals all - and that is what this will take - time.

I am fortunate to have a good friend, who reached out to me when I needed her. She didn't have any wise words of wisdom for me, but just hearing her voice on the phone and having her listen - meant the world to me. Thanks Larry for being there.

Go Speed Racer Go!

Horrible day today - nothing seemed to go right. Mitch woke up in a bad mood, Braeden missed the bus. Mitch left me his truck so I could take the recycling and trash to the dump, because it didn't make it to the curb for pick up and was full, and I had a list a mile long of errands to do to get ready for my trip to California.

So, I make Braeden wait until after Brett catches the bus for school, we go to the dump and get rid of the garbage and recyclables, and I'm on my way to drop Braeden off at school. At a time I'm never out, in a truck I don't usually drive, on a road I'm never on - and I get pulled over for speeding.

The motorcycle cop was coming towards me, and he says at the bottom of the hill, he had me at 55 mph in a 35mph zone - $173 ticket. I don't believe for a minute that I was going that fast - but can't really argue with the cop. Also, I had been after Mitch for about a month or more to put his new insurance card in the truck - it was stuck on the refrigerator - and he didn't. So I also got cited for No Insurance - even though I explained to the cop about the insurance card - that's a $538 ticket. But the ever so nice (notice the sarcasm there) motorcyle cop said that would be easy to get dismissed if I showed them my insurance card.

So, anyway, I'm fighting the ticket. I put down that I agree that I sped, but there were mitigating circumstances. I thought the speed limit was 40 and I am sure I wasn't going any faster than 45. So I agree I sped - but there is no way that I was going 55.
So wish me luck - I haven't had a ticket for almost 20 years. Don't want one now!!

Hooray!!

My good friend and fabulous scrapper friend Jen got invited to join the Scrap Addict design team today. Check out her gallery, I'm sure you will be wowed too!

Jen is a talented scrapper and I wish I had her handwriting. When we met in Texas last November, I even had her write my journaling for me on this layout

A layout I actually Love

It is fairly rare for me to do a layout - and say that I love it. But I do love this layout. Doesn't use a sketch for a change, but as usual uses a great Scrap Addict kit - Lavendar Blue. I made this layout as part of a challenge on Scrap Addict to scrap a not so happy photo. I altered the photo to b/w but left her eyes blue.

DT Payback Challenge

Some of the members of the Design Team, who shall remain nameless, but who's initals are JulieP and LindaS, decided that since our Challenge Goddess Catherine was coming up on 50,000 posts - in honor of that - we should have a month long challenge for her - and come up with some very creative and comfort zone stretching challenges. In true Catherine fashion, she excelled at every challenge we gave her - and even had time to think up a DT Payback Challenge. In true payback fashion, she zeroed in on each of our weaknesses - and gave us a challenge.

My challenge was to create a 2 page girly layout with lots of bling. So, since I have the perfect subject for that - I give you
my DT Payback Challenge -

Drama

I run a yahoo group for Military Wives - and there has been DRAMA with all caps this last couple of days. I am saddened to see this, as I thought of most of these gals as friends even though we haven't met. And it all started over a swap, and I stuck up for someone, who then turned around an basically knifed me in the back. Hard to deal with the reality that even though you know someone for 4 years over the internet, and talk with them on the phone, and exchange Christmas cards, that they can declare you useless to them when you no longer serve their purposes.

I guess some of the DRAMA stems from jealousy. I suggested a get together trip for whoever could come, and 5 of us got together and met up in Texas. Evidentally that left some that weren't able to go, feeling left out, and comments were made to the effect that if you didn't go to the retreat - you didn't matter. Which was so untrue, and unfair that it left me speechless. Any time people get together IRL there will be things that are understood and laughed about between them, an inside joke so to say, but that doesn't mean that they are trying to exclude anyone and I thought that adults would understand that.

Mitch says that DRAMA is why women will never rule the world.

Again with the power

Man, I am so tired of this wonky weather that we have been having and also the power outages.
We have lost power over half a dozen times in the last year, and most of them have been in the last couple of months.

Mitch came home last night and was making his specialty dinner, BBQ Chicken Pizza, and right in the middle of it all, the power went out. Fortunately, since I had prepared for the "big storm" a few days ago, it was nothing but a thing to hook the generator up and continue with business as usual. The power was only out for about 2 hours - thank goodness - because our temperatures never got above 30 all day yesterday and we weren't looking forward to being without power for a long time in these temps.



On a funnier note, Emma got a little kit that had slippers and a matching sleeping mask that you could decorate. She was so excited to add her little sequins and baubles to her sleeping mask and pestered until Grandma Sandy finally helped her decorate it. Now, she hardly goes a night without wearing it. That child is the only one I know that will wear a stocking hat (for a night cap) her sweater, her slippers and a sleeping mask to bed. She is so cute though, Mitch has decided that he will start to call her Lovey, after Mrs. Howell on Gilligans Island :)

CHA Winter

Felicia had asked me to go to CHA Winter in Anaheim the end of January, and initially I was going to go, and get to meet Felicia and my pal Bonni. Then Mitch came home and informed me that he had Security Managers school in Yuma during that time frame - so government wins over scrapbooking - and I had to back out.

Mitch came home Wednesday and told me that his trip had been cancelled. So, my trip to CHA Winter is back on!! I get to meet Felicia, The Nana, Julie B., and Liz. Bonni won't be there though :( Will also get to see Karen H. again, plus all the new scrapbooking goodies! I know it is going to be lots of hard work - but I'm excited!!

Ice Ice Baby

Well, that dabble of snow we got last night, froze up good and hard overnight and made for some slippery weather. Kids were on a 2 hour delay for school. Which meant that once again, Brett's field trip was cancelled - he's so disappointed.

Our power went out this morning just before the kids were due to go on the bus, I called the school and they had power - so I sent the kidlets off. I went to work and by the time I got home our power was back on.

I am tired of talking about our weather all the time - but I lead a boring life, what can I say :)
Here is a little WA weather trivia - from Nov 1 2006 to today, we have received 75% of our usual years worth of precipitation. Yikes!

Me - 1 Storm - 0

Well being prepared definitely works for throwing the weather off. We had a tad bit of hail, and a bit of a breeze, but that was it. Definitely not the arctic storm they have been predicting. The kids are on a 2 hour delay for school, due to icy roads. It did begin to snow this afternoon around 3pm but tapered off to nothing by 4:30 and it didn't stick.

Kids still wanted to go out and play in the teaspoonful that was on the ground. But since they have had colds the last couple of days and this is their first day back to school - that was a definite no.

The weatherman is now saying it is going to be 22 here tonight and could be icy conditions tomorrow. I hope it doesn't cause any problems with school. Brett's class has a field trip to see Charlotte's web, which was cancelled once already because of school being cancelled due to bad weather. I hope we will actually get to go this time - I'm chaperoning!!

Preparing for the Storm

Well, once again they are forecasting snow - up to 5" and winds up to 45mph. I don't really believe that it will be as bad as they are saying - but I decided that if I was prepared it wouldn't hit, and if I wasn't it would. So, in the interest of trying to thwart the weather. I got prepared

• Gas for generator - check
• Generator in from shed - check
• Extension cords in from shed - check
• Crock pot dinner cooking - check
• Extra water - check
• Flashlights and batteries - check
• Called Mitch to bring home the propane heater - check
• Storm - ??
• Wind - ???

So we'll see.

SA Blog Challenge Week 2

1. I've come to realize that my life is... average.
2. I am listening to... the fan on the heater.
3. I talk... before I think.
4. I love... to read.
5. My best friends... are people I've never met
6. Love is... unconditional.
7. Somewhere, someone is thinking... that they are worse off than me.
8. I'll always ... miss my Mom.
9. The last time I cried was because... of a dream I had about my Mom.
10. My cell phone... rarely rings.
11. Before I go to bed... I kiss my kids goodnight.
12. Right now I am thinking about... Emma not feeling good and staying home with me today.
13. Today I... will take down my Christmas decorations and tree.
14. Tonight I will... spend time with my family.
15. Tomorrow I will be... at work.

Testing

Trying to switch my blog over to WordPress on my own site, and get the comments and posts transferred. Way tricky process - alot easier if I had done it prior to "new" blogger. Got the posts across, but lost all the comments - so have to see if it is worth it.

Scrappy Slump

Man, I was looking at my gallery over at Scrap Addictand I haven't uploaded anything since the layouts I did when I went to Texas to meet up for a scrapping weekend with my MSP peeps. That is a long scrappy slump.

I did scrap one page - but lately I just feel like all my stuff is so bland. No spark. I wish there was some way I could get the FSB to bring back my scrapping mojo. I'm going to declare tomorrow a scrapping day, and try and work on some challenges - maybe that will help kickstart me into scrapping again. I miss it.

Wind and rain again, oh my!

Well, Catherine, the challenge Goddess and Mother Rap n Scrap over at Scrap Addict, got the DT members back for giving her a month of challenges during December by giving us each a challenge that was tailor made for our weaknesses or dislikes.

My challenge is to do a 2 page girly layout complete with bling, or a layout about living in the PNW and losing power all the time.

Well, once again we are in a High Wind warning - and our power could go out. But I am looking on the bright side - if it does at least it is a photo opportunity for photos for my challenge from Catherine.

Licensed driver

Braeden is officially a licensed driver. He passed his test with a 92. You only need 80 to pass. I was amazed that the road test is only 10 minutes long. Braeden was calm cool and collected and I was a total basketcase.

Mitch was the basketcase later though when Braeden went out on his first solo drive. It was very funny to see him with his nose pressed to the glass of the front window, looking to see if Braeden had made it home yet.

I didn't get but one picture - but I do have his test slip and his fee stub from paying the $25 for his license. So I guess I can do a layout with that.

Doesn't seem like I should be old enough to have a child that has his license. I remember getting mine and it doesn't seem likethat was so long ago LOL.

Anniversary Surprise

Yesterday was our 19th anniversary, and Mitch surprised me with an overnight stay at the Clearwater Casino Resort.

We had a nice lunch at Casa Luna mexican restaurant, rented some movies to watch in our room, and went to the casino for a bit. Luck was with Mitch, and he played for a long time on his initial $20. Out of boredom, I lost quite a bit of money LOL.

When we checked into our room, they had a nice anniversary card and a bottle of champagne waiting for us. Their beds are soo comfortable, with yummy down pillows and comforters. We watched My Super-Ex Girlfriend and MI3.

Was very nice and quiet. Nice to spend some quality alone time with Mitch. Braeden kept the kids, with the neighbors on stand by, if the kids needed anything. Fortunately the were fine, other than missing Mom and Dad.

Annette's Scrap Addict Blog Challenge #1

Q: What do you want to accomplish for YOURSELF this year? What are you goals or dreams? What are you most looking forward to? Give us a prediction of how you see your life going in 2007

A: This year I would like to be the year of family and making healthy choices. I see us spending a lot of time together as a family, including spending a good portion of the summer on the boat, as we store up family times in anticipation of Mitch's year long deployment to Bahrain in 2008. I would also like to learn more about making healthy nutritional choices for myself and the family that results in meals we will all eat and a healthier lifestyle for us all.

Emma and her card trick

Emma came up to me with 5 playing cards in her hand, and wanted to show me a card trick. "Mom, pick a card, any card" so I choose one. Then she says "Okay, now tell me which cards are still in my hand!" Nice card trick - right? LOL.

Today is the 19th anniversary of the day I married my most wonderful DH. He has something exciting planned (his words) but he won't tell me what. I do know that Braeden's basketball practice getting switched to tonight put a crimp in his plans, but he said he could adapt. I'll let you all know what the excitement was!

Blogger Blogger

Why can't I keep up? Why do I have this wonderful little place to record things about my day, little snippits of kiddo wisdom that I don't want to forget, and not use it?

Probably because I have become the PRINCESS OF PROCRASTINATION. I didn't use to be like this, I blame it on Bonni - the QUEEN OF PROCRASTINATION. And since Bonni and I have never met in person it has rubbed off via the internet. Yup, that's my story and I'm sticking to it - I blame Bonni ;)

So, my resolution for the new year, is to come and blog at least twice a week. I will put it on the list along with my other resolutions, but below my biggest resolution - DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!