Lots of changes online

I got back from a short visit with family and friends (more on that later) and discovered lots of changes online. One of my favorite bloggers took down her blog. I don't know why and will e-mail her to make sure she's okay. A message board where I lurked doesn't have non-SB topics anymore. Or maybe they do and I can't see them because I'm not a member.

I wonder why these changes occurred. Privacy issues? Legal concerns? In any case, the internet is much less interesting now.

A new addition to the family

A is outside right now, working on an addition for the newest member of our family. Bet that got your attention! Will update with more news later.

(Or maybe this is just a test to see how many people read my blog and comment/contact me about today's entry, tee hee.)

Scrapbooking inferiority complex

I went to crop at the LSS last night so I could try finish a page that I started last week. (Hey, at least I was being realistic about my goal.) It certainly made packing easier since I brought only what I needed for that one page. Unfortunately, after I finished the page, I decided that I need to redo it, sigh. Guess I'll be doing that this week.

As I watched L, K, and S (and all the other scrappers I didn't know) work on their pages, I felt so inadequate. I was so impressed by their work. When I work on my pages, I'm happy with what I've done. But when I see other people's pages, I think that mine don't hold a candle to them (perhaps not a good metaphor to use around paper).

At crops, everyone always praises each others work, but I wonder if everyone is just being polite about my pages, you know, the obligatory That's Great, Cute, Whatever Adjective you can come up with on short notice.

I've submitted work for publications, tried out for a design team (and still need to scrap that experience), and have entered some contests. I'm so optimistic when I enter and so disappointed when nothing comes of it. I'm not sure I can handle any more blows to my ego.

I'm psychic

Or at least it seems that my carpool partner and I are psychic. We have a set time to meet and it seems like whenever one of us is late, the other will be also. For example, she called me this morning to say that she just left the house so was obviously running late. I told her that I wasn't on the freeway yet, so I was running late too. She burst out laughing and decided to stop for a Starbucks, her treat. So sometimes times running late pays off, lol.

Every week, we say we're going to turn over a new leaf and both be early. It hasn't happened yet. I used to make more of an effort, but now that she's a crackberry addict, I know she can work in the car while waiting for me. When I'm waiting for her, I usually read a SB magazine or sort my coupons. What, you expect me to work when I'm not in the office?

What would you do in an emergency?

Are you prepared for a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or other natural disaster? Can you evacuate in a hurry? I've been thinking about all the recent natural disasters and the war in the middle east. Where would I go if something happened? Could we get to a safe place? FIL lives close by; would we be able to get to him? Whose house would it be better to hole up at? Unfortunately, I have lots of questions, but no answers.

I was listening to the news; they were talking about the war. I thought it was so sad that people could not evacuate from the bombings because they didn't the means or the funds or a place to go. I think I have enough family and friends that could take us in temporarily. I am very thankful for that.

My SIL sent out an emergency contact list for her family. She had me on the list, but I asked her to change my contact info because 1) I hardly ever turn my cell phone on and 2) about 5% of the time, I forget it at home. I'm still a landline person. Call me at work or call me at home. The cell is only for emergencies or for free long distance calls or for breaking up the monotonous work commute.

Stockpiling

It's a bad habit of mine. Can I blame it on my parents? If something was on sale (any kind of food or paper goods), Mom would buy cases of it. I think she still has canned goods in the pantry that were there when I moved out of the house. And toilet paper and tissues? (I'm trying to help Kleenex protect their trademark, lol.) Mom has dozens of boxes spread out in a couple rooms in the house. Do you remember colored toilet paper? They stopped making it because the dyes were bad for your skin. I'm pretty sure Mom still has some of that also. As for Dad, if he found something that he liked, he'd buy it in every color and style (no matter if we could afford it or needed it).

As a result of all of this, I'm a packrat and stockpiler. Right now, I'm a little stressed because I only have six rolls of toilet paper and four boxes of tissues in the cupboard. The coupons and sales have been lousy so I haven't been able to get tissues for my goal price of less than 50 cents a box (35 cents/box is the preferred price). Maybe I just have to accept that prices have gone up?

Although I've tried not to stockpile laundry detergent, I accidently did. I didn't realize we still had a couple of large bottles so I bought three more. Now we have enough detergent for 200 loads, almost a year's worth!!! Guess we'll be a pretty clean family (or at least our clothes will be). You'd think that A would have mentioned something to me since he's been with me everytime I purchased the soap. But noooooo! I guess he chalked it up to my stockpiling habit. Even I think that five family size bottles of laundry soap is too much.

If I had an extra $100

As I was driving home today, I was daydreaming a bit (but still paying attention to the road) and wishing I had an extra hundred bucks. I'm talking about a one-time thing, maybe winning a contest or something like that. I'm not talking about a pay increase or birthday gift...that money goes immediately into savings.

So if I had an extra $100, I'd buy a new seatbelt bag purse, the zip baguette in razzleberry thankyouverymuch. This is the purse I want. Scroll down a bit to see the one I'm interested in.

Or maybe I'd send in my payment for the fall weekend crop a little early. Or get a massage. Or take A out to a very nice dinner. Something fun, something slightly impractical. Something so not like me.

It's fun to dream. What would you do with an extra Ben Franklin?