Jazzing up the blog

Nope, haven't done it yet. Though I'm considering changing my banner. But that would involve designing a banner and then I'd probably get all anal about it and want to change it every season or every month and who has time for that? I'm not too into widgets or gadgets either, but I am looking for a good word cloud, if you have any suggestions. And while I'm asking, what's your favorite site meter?

Card*Ability Week 5

I had a little trouble with this week's sketch, but still like the end result. Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

Supplies: Collage Press patterned paper, Bazzill and Paper Reflections cardstock, Bazzill and Stampin Up flowers, American Crafts ribbon, Catseye ink, Lasting Impressions brads, and a rubon that I bought on clearance and now I can't remember who made them.

Post your card at the Linnecards gallery or on your own site/blog, then use Mr. Linky on the Card*Ability blog so we can see your creation.

Photo 62/365 Groceries

Life cereal x4
Quaker oatmeal x2
Breakfast sausage
Oral B floss x2
Oral B toothbrush x2
Pillsbury pizza crust x2
Pillsbury Italian loaf x2
Lentils x2
Spinach
Salad mix
newpaper

Total $16.36

Nothing was free (so I'm not as good as some of you CVSers or coupon hounds), but everything was on sale or on clearance except for the newspaper. And there's even some healthy stuff in there, lol. I'm pretty impressed that the cereal/oatmeal's final price was 50 cents each after sales/coupons. The regular price on the cereal/oatmeal is over $4/box. Why would anyone shop without coupons or not check what's on sale? Since it's the end of the month, I was leaving soon-to-expire coupons all over the store. Hopefully they will save someone some money (and not make a mess and work for the clerks).

Oink, oink!

Tonight I was tired of eating leftovers. We cooked Friday, Sunday, and Monday and ate the leftovers for the rest of the week. It was worse for me since I took leftovers for lunch everyday. I've really got to start cooking in smaller quantities, lol. Anyway, on the way home, I stopped by a Vietnamese fast food restaurant. Since I couldn't decide what I wanted, I ordered a noodle dish for tonight and a sandwich for lunch tomorrow. But when I walked into the kitchen, the sandwich was calling and I thought about how it wouldn't be as good tomorrow. So now it's gone and it's back to leftovers tomorrow. That is, if I have room to eat anymore.

Vent

A relative asked if Mr. Fix-it would take her to the airport next week. I told her only if he could pick her up early and take her there three hours before her flight so he doesn't miss any work. She wasn't too happy about waiting at the airport so long before her flight and in fact, I'm not happy that Mr. Fix-it is even considering it since it will still potentially cut into his work day. (I don't think that was a run-on sentence, but it sure feels like one, lol.) Since he's independent, that is money out of our pocket.

Hey, there's always Super Shuttle or a taxi. Yes, the former is a hassle and the latter is expensive, but she's the one who picked a mid-day flight for the convenience of the people picking her up. I flat out told her he can't change his schedule since it would be money out of our pocket and that isn't fair to us. It isn't like she's elderly, has health issues, or can't afford the taxi.

I'm not sure why this is bothering me so much. Maybe because this is the second time this has happened this year. I don't mean to imply this person expects us to drop everything to take care of her; she doesn't. But we've been helpful in the past and frankly, this time we can't afford to be. Especially when there are alternatives.

$2.19

Quite a bit more than last week...I think the upward trend is starting again.

Card*Ability Challenge Week 4

Here's the sketch for this week's challenge:

And here's my take on it:
Don't forget to upload your sketch to the Linnecards gallery.
Supplies: Basic Grey patterned paper, JoAnn's brad, Prima flowers, Heidi Swapp ghost shape, Catstye ink, and flowers from a really old swap. It feels good to be using up some of my stash.

Good luck! I can't wait to see what you create.

More on the Linnecards Anniversary crop

If you don't wanna scrap, but just wanna play, I posted a fun game yesterday. You'll need to sign up on the message board so be sure to do that first. If you have trouble with that, e-mail me and I'll see what I can do about it. The crop and games end at 11:59 PST on Monday, March 23, 2009, so you still have time to play. :)

Get ready to scrap!

It's Linnecard's 4th anniversary and we're celebrating! Lots of challenges and games and awesome prizes (like gift certificates! woo hoo!). Check it out! And keep checking back because more games and challenges will be posted today and tomorrow.

(do you think I should add an exclamation point to that last sentence? you know just to be consistent? lol)

Here's the example for my challenge.

Use something really old from your stash and mix it with something new. Gotta clear out your old stuff for the new stuff arriving from Winter CHA, right?

Photo 61/365 Hail to the Chief

The closest I'll ever get to President Obama. Yes, that's Air Force One landing. He was flying into town for a town hall meeting.

Card*Ability Challenge Week 3

Here's the sketch for this week's challenge:

And my take on it (I love this Imaginese patterned paper):

Don't forget to upload your sketch to the Linnecards gallery or use Mr. Linky on the CardAbility blog. Good luck! I can't wait to see what you create.

Photo 60/365 Food

Sometimes you just wanna be bad. No, I didn't eat all of it, even though I did order all of it.

Not helping the economy

I went to the mall after work today. Target was bustling, but the rest of the mall was dead. In fact, there were several shops that were closed. I couldn't tell if they were closed for good, closed early, closed for the season (one was an ice cream shop), or what. In any case, I figure that closed shops are not a good sign of the economy. I was there to return a couple of items and I had no intention of buying more stuff, but there was a shoe sale and I need new shoes. No, really I do. I need more dress shoes for work, both for wearing with dresses and pants. Lucky for my pocketbook, nothing fit or was available in my size. Not good for the store or the economy.

Mom's not helping the economy either. When I was home, she thanked me again for the pants I gave her...about 20 years ago. Honestly, I can't remember when I gave them her so I'm just guessing. (Hey J, do you remember?) Mom hasn't bought new clothes in years. She wears the hand-me-downs from anyone who'll give them to her, no matter how they fit, lol.

As for grocery shopping, we struggled to spend $20 so we could take advantage of the some of the loss leader coupons. I think the six-pack of water for me put us over the top. She's got a fridge/freezer full of food so I'm not sure where it all comes from. Basically, I'm just saying that as much as I like shopping, don't depend on us to stimulate the economy.

Photos 57-59/365

Before: March is Frozen Food month so last month I started using stuff to clear out space. Then last night I rearranged stuff in anticipation of today's shopping trip. I don't know if you can tell, but the third shelf is half empty.

After: It was a bit of an effort, but I fit almost everything in. I did have to take out some tamales, so we'll be having those for dinner later in the week.

$45.46 for 44 items. Enough food for about 25 breakfasts and 25 lunch/dinner entrees (not all of that is frozen foods, for example, there's yogurt in the fridge and oatmeal in the cupboard now). I still have to buy fresh fruit, veggies, and soy milk, but not bad, eh? Theoretically I saved $95, but it took quite a bit of time to check the ads, clip the coupons, and find the items in the store, so my savings/hour isn't as high as I would like.

Photo 56/365

There was a "yard sale" at the LSS and this is my haul: eight stamp sets, four 7 gypsies stamps, several yards of ribbon, and a few other things. Not bad for $15, eh? The problem is, I'm not really a stamper, so why did I buy all these stamps?

Photo 55/365

This is the Ribbon Ring. I'm trying to convince my DT store owner to stock them. I think they're the best way to organize ribbons for home and crops.

Photo 54/365

Mr. Fix-it gave me this tillansia arrangement for Valentine's Day a few years ago. I'm always pleasantly surprised when it blooms.

I'm going to scream

Just wanted to warn you ahead of time. Because the next time I read that I could save hundreds of dollars a year by cutting out Starbucks, manicures, and cable, I'm going to scream. Are people really so stupid that they can't figure that out themselves? That a latte and muffin picked up on the way to work is probably $8/day (including tax and tip). Going out to lunch another $6 (if you're lucky). That adds up to $70/week, which is way more than I spend on groceries for two for a week. As for the manicures, never had one. As for cable, never had it. How about some tips for those of us who already scrimp and save?

$2.15

Good thing I waited till this week to fill up since prices were higher last week.

Calling all cardmakers

Check out this new card challenge blog. Create a card based on the sketch and you could win a $25 GC!

I survived without

a computer for 81 hours (yes, I counted, lol). Sometimes I wanted one, like when I was waiting at the airport and saw people with their notebooks, Blackberries, iPhones. But really, I didn't need to be connected. I just wanted to be.

Photo 53/365

I spent a couple hours on Friday and Saturday digging/hacking/chopping this out of Mom's yard. That tree root is six inches in diameter, in case you can't tell. My arms are sore!

(I am still behind on taking photos, but I'm trying to catch up.)