Tax day has come and gone

Hopefully, we're be getting our refund soon. Somehow, our tax guy miscalculated and we waaaaaay overpaid last year. Usually, we're pretty close. But with A changing jobs and some other changes in our lives, withholdings didn't get calculated correctly. Every time A paid his estimated quarterly taxes, I'd try not to freak out at the amount. No wonder money was so tight last year.

The funny thing was, I had been thinking, if we had an extra $XXXX, life would be so much easier. And it turns out our overpayment was just about that much. Hmmmmm, and A doesn't think I know how much we spend/earn/save.

I just changed my withholdings and it didn't make a whole lot of difference in my paycheck, but multiply the diffence over the rest of the year and we're giving Uncle Sam a lot less this year. Don't tell A, but I opened another savings account and am socking that money away for a rainy day (which have been coming along more and more often).

Just call me Rudolph

Yep, I've got the red nose going, though today isn't as bad. I ended up staying home a couple days last week since my cold came back with a vengeance. Unfortunately, my Puffs (tissue with lotion) was at the office and by Wednesday, I had rubbed my nose raw. I guess that's one way to exfoliate, lol.

Today I ended up taking a nap so I'm pretty sure I'm not healthy yet. When I was home sick, I had a low fever. Now, I can't even hit 98 degrees. No wonder I'm cold! Being sick sure is getting old.

Who's who

We spent Easter Sunday at A's SIL's parents'. (got that?) We had yummy Honey Baked ham, sour cream potatoes, baked beans, jello, rolls, and a side dish that I made up. I wish I could have taken home the ham bone to make split pea soup. Little G wasn't really interested in lunch. All he wanted was dessert and the egg hunt.

He was sooooo excited when he finally got to search for the eggs. I wanted to hide all the eggs again, just to prolong his fun.

The twins were darling in their matching green gingham dresses. C put different socks on them so we could tell them apart, but we still kept getting them mixed up. Is that E you're holding? No, I've got C. No, you've got E, lol. Good thing their Mom and Dad can tell them apart. Everyone else wants to get them tattooed, lol. Just kidding about the tattoos, but they really would help. Obviously the twins are identical.

They're growing quite a bit. C says they're almost out of premie diapers and will soon be using regular infant diapers. They seem so "big" to me now.

Reminising

So on Tuesday, we both had the day off to recover from the funeral. I was actually hoping for a relaxing day, but it turned out to be a rather difficult day for me. We had some errands to run and everywhere I turned, I thought of Uncle T. Stuff like, I should write and tell him a little something. Or I should make him an Easter card. Or was reminded of something he told me.

It was worse at the grocery store. I thought of all the foods he liked. And then I really lost it in the produce section, I thought of all the trimmings that Rascal used to eat. I never used to worry about having leftover veggies because I knew that Rascal would eat them. The only veggies he didn't like were asparagus and jicama. I used to put small pieces of celery or broccoli or carrots in empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes and then fold down the ends. He'd dig and dig and dig at them till he could get to his treats (which only took a minute).

It's a good thing I went back to work on Wednesday. Back to a "normal" schedule. I'm feeling a little better. Thanks to everyone for your condolences. It means a lot to me.

It has been a long weekend

We're home, finally. The viewing was on Friday and the funeral on Saturday. Did family stuff Sunday and this morning before the long drive home. Came home to find that Rascal had escaped somehow and died. We have no idea how he could have escaped since the cage was latched. There was no evidence that anyone came into our backyard (A had put stops up against the gates so if someone had come in, it would have been obvious).

A took pity on me and buried him tonight instead of waiting until the morning. Maybe it is a good thing, to have another reason to cry instead of holding everything in.

Tribute to Uncle T

For an even better tribute, read this post.

He's gone

My beloved Uncle T passed away this morning. He had been ill and was ready, more than ready to go. Poor Mom had to give me the sad news. I have a huge hole in my heart that may never heal.

He was a generous, loving man that gave so much to his family and community. He volunteered his time, well into his eighties (and of course, we worried about him overdoing it). His marriage to Auntie L showed us what true love could be, what a good husband was, how a marriage was a partnership. He was the patriarch of his family. We all looked up to him. He was the wise elder. He was one of the last of his generation. A World War II vet. I miss him more than words can describe.

Blogging

It looks like I've picked up a new reader or two. I'm not sure how, but I'm happy about it. I finally finished updating Google Reader with all the blogs I follow regularly, along with some I don't follow so regularly. Hopefully, this way I'll spend less time checking up on people.;) But I admit I'm disappointed when there aren't any updates. Come on people, talk to your fans!

3.05

Yup, that's what I paid to fill up the car. But I should be feeling lucky since I've seend $3.11 and $3.17 since then.

Generosity

Does a generous nature come naturally or is it something that is taught? Unfortunately, generosity isn't something I'm known for. And when I do give, it is a forced effort. I wish it weren't.

Take today for instance. I wanted to buy a little gift for a former coworker who just had a baby. If she were still at the office, someone would volunteer (or get nominated) to buy a group gift or gift card or both. Everyone would contribute whatever they wanted and it would all be anonymous since it is usually our admin who collects the funds and you won't find anymore more discrete than her. Back to the baby gift. See, we didn't socialize outside of the offce. I didn't even get an (e-mail) announcement. But I do want to congratulate her on this big change in her life. So how much do I spend? Is a card enough? Should I buy a gift equal to what I would have contributed to a group gift? If I buy just a token gift, am I cheap? Do I overthink these things?

J and I talked about this a few times and we agree that we weren't brought up to be generous. Maybe that it was because we didn't have a lot of extras growing up so there wasn't anything to give. And on the receiving side, when we were given something, we always wondered what strings were attached to it. How grateful you were supposed to be to receive it. What you were supposed to do in return. So "gifts" were looked upon with suspicion.

I am fortunate to have friends with big hearts that I try to emulate. But even so, I am still having trouble being generous.

Cough! cough!

Yep, I've still got it. It has been a week. I do think I'm getting better, but now the biggest problem is I cough all night and keep both myself and A up. I don't think I've gotten more than a couple hours of sleep for the past couple of night. A wants to dose me with Nyquil tonight so he can get some sleep.

St. Patrick's Day, not!

So much for celebrating. We went to McDonald's on Saturday to try the new Angus burgers (had a BOGO coupon) and get a shamrock shake. I haven't had one of those in years and I used to love getting them. I loved the flavor, but not the texture. Unfortunately, they were out. Maybe I'll have better luck next year.

I didn't get around to buying corned beef and cabbage earlier in the week so I thought I'd try today when I did my usual grocery shopping. The grocery store had 8 heads of cabbage and no corned beef. Guess I'm not being very Irish this year, lol. Although I did manage to make and send off two shamrock cards.

My splurge of the day

On the way home from work, my carpooler and I decided to stop at the local farmers market. This is a pretty small market, only a dozen or so vendors. Sometimes there's a few more, but it varies. She bought a bunch of produce and some BBQ. I bought some pita bread, tzazhiki, and humus. Now I reek of garlic. Good thing I don't plan on kissing anyone tonight, lol.

Anyway, I call this my splurge of the day, but it should probably be called my splurge of the week or month...how often do I buy a grocery treat without a coupon and it being on sale?

Starve a cold, feed a fever?

Or whatever that saying is, lol. I'm home again today because I don't want a repeat of yesterday (going into the office, then coming home with a fever). A and I have different philosophies on how to treat a fever. I figure my body is running a fever to fight off an infection so I should let it run its course and not take anything. A says to take something to bring down the fever. Maybe he just wants me to take something so I stop complaining.

Two people in the office are sick. One went home sick on Friday and the other was sick Saturday, came in yesterday, but went home early. It sure sounds like something is going around the office, especially since we've got some of the same symptoms. I wonder if I can blame them for getting me sick. And I wonder if I would be sicker if I hadn't had the flu shot this year. It was my first time getting the shot.

I wish I could fall back asleep and take a long nap. But I have trouble napping unless I'm super sick. Guess that means I'll be well enough to go into work tomorrow.

No wonder I don't feel well

I've got a low grade fever and I don't know why. But it explains why I've been feeling achy for the past two days and why I was having trouble staying cool during the day and warm and night. Add in a bit of a sore throat and I think I'm sick. How much do you want to bet that I'll be all better tomorrow, just in time to go back to work.

A new blog

I decided to start another blog, just for recipes. I have such a hard time keeping track of my favorite recipes, I thought, why not keep them online? And on top of that, I can share them with everyone. There's only one post at the moment (and it is mostly a repeat of soup from below, but it's a start. I have a link on the sidebar or you can just click here.

20+ labels

I decided I like this label option on Blogger. I thought it would help me organize and find previous posts. I've tried very hard to not create too many labels or overlap label topics. But in the short time I've been adding labels, I find I already have 22 or is it 23 labels. I can't believe I've posted about that many different topics. Or maybe my life is more interesting than I think it is? I doubt that, lol. The indexer in me is appalled at the rapid increase in the number of labels. Especially since most labels are only used once.

An amazing dining experience

You would not believe our dining experience last night. It was amazing! We actually sat down at our dining room table to eat, lol! We had to clean it off this weekend since our tax guy was coming over. Needed room to spread out all the papers and such.

Mind you, the whole table isn't cleaned off, but just the fact that we've got enough clear space for the two of us to eat is a miracle. No more dining in front of the TV (unless I want to catch the news ;)).

I guess this means I've now outed myself regarding what a bad housekeeper I am, lol.

Soup, soup, and more soup

We're on a soup kick here. A couple weeks ago, I made a beef barley soup. Then A took some leftover yellow peas and broccoli and turned that into a yummy soup (though the cilantro he added was an odd touch). Yesterday I made Peruvian chicken cilantro soup. It was a mix of this recipe and this
one. I love this soup. My version wasn't quite as good as what I've had in restaurants, but all I had on hand was chicken breasts and I was too cheap to pay five dollars a pound for organic chicken at Trader Joes. Besides, theirs was boneless and I wanted bones. Makes a better broth, you know. I did have some homemade stock on hand to add flavor. Next time, I'm going to use chicken quarters for better flavor. If you do follow the above recipes, the only thing I'd suggest is upping the vegetables and decreasing the salt. It calls for one tablespoon and I used almost two teaspoons and I thought the soup was too salty. On the other hand, we hardly salt our food so your tastebuds might like more salt. I am definitely going to make this again.

Rest in Peace Suzy

It was with great sadness that I read of the passing of Suzy. She lost her fight with cancer this morning. You can read a little about her on her blog and this blog continued by her husband. And words from her Lifetime Moments family here and here. Isn't it amazing the auctions her friends put together for her? Such an outpouring of support.

I always scoffed at those who said someone they never met touched their lives. But now I know it is true. Suzy really did touch my life. I never met her in person, but the few times we corresponded by PMs (private messages), her warmth and zest for life were evident. When she posted online, there was never an unkind word from her. She was optimistic and upbeat thoughout her entire fight. I will miss her.

2.73

Ouch! That's how much gas is at the local station. I guess I should be happy at that price since it is 10 cents more per gallon at the gas station closest to the office. Good thing I'm driving a compact car.

Small, Medium, or Large?

I don't know why I bothered. Well, actually, I do know. It was the lure of the sale. An additional 30% off sale prices. The ease of trying things on at home in my leisure instead of some crappy dressing room where the door doesn't even lock. Even the thought of paying for shipping didn't deter me.

But I need to have more will power. Everything looked so cute in the catalog and on the models. Maybe that's part of the problem. I don't have a model's figure. I'm in between petite and regular. And I don't know if I should order a small, medium, or large. I have clothes in all three sizes in my closet. I probably even have an extra small and and extra large buried somewhere. The size charts don't matter. I ended up ordering small and medium in as many items as I could (things were selling out as before I could add them to my cart). Eleven items and $125+ later, I was done.

My package arrived yesterday and once again I was disappointed. When the clothes from Eddie Bauer fit me, they fit really well. Maybe my body has changed or their sizing has changed, but in any case, I'm keeping three things (and one of those is a gift) and the rest are going back. Bummer.

I need a rabbit cam

The rabbit hutch is just outside the living room door. We have our computer in here, plus we watch TV in here. We keep hearing all kinds of banging noises from the rabbit's corner. We haven't been able to catch him doing anything. As soon as we peek outside, he's as still and quiet as a mouse. So we have no idea what he's doing. But we're darn curious!

And here's a little hay update. I've given away two large bags of hay and will give away another next week. But I haven't touched the two garbage cans yet (we filled two clean 42 gallon cans with hay). I'm still working on what I put into the small box. For a while, it seemed like it would never empty. As I pulled more hay out, what was left would uncompress to fill the space. It's been a month and I can finally close the lid.

I'm not as sad now

Just got an update from my mom. Uncle T was admitted to the hospital and she has been visiting him. Today he was awake and actually ate a bit! I have mixed feeling about this. On the one hand, this is good news. On the other hand, he's talked repeatedly about wanting to go. Wondering why he's been stuck on this earth for so long. Wondering why he's still here, but his wife, his friends are gone. Wondering how much more his body is going to deteriorate. I understand why he's tired. But I'm happy I don't have a funeral to go to this week.

Sorry if I was a little dramatic in my previous post. It's difficult to think about losing a loved one.

What I've learned about flying

Here's what I've learned over the past few flights I've taken:

If you fly on the Sunday before a holiday around dinner time, the airport will pretty empty and the security lines extra short (it took me less than 15 minutes to check my bags and get through security, amazing!).

My watch does not set off the metal detector (I forgot to take it off).

Even if you tie a red ribbon on your black suitcase, it will still be difficult to identify it. A took someone else's bag and was checking the luggage tag (he always double-checks), but I immediately knew it wasn't my bag.

You can carry Clementines (tangerines) and bananas through security without any problems. Though if you're flying in California, I don't recommend the citrus because of the medfly problem.

If you forget to turn your cell phone off on the plane, no one will notice.

There are nice TSA agents! Everyone I encountered on this last trip was smiling, cheerful, even cracking jokes. What a pleasant change.

I'm sad

Rambling thoughts, lots going on. I just got back from a visit home. In many ways, it is so stressful. I have three households to visit and that always takes some coordination. I don't want to slight anyone and of course, some people are more understanding of time than others.

It was a whirlwind visit. Had lunch with my dad which is always a long ordeal. He moves slower than molassas and is just as messy. We had Thai food, for something different. W chose the restaurant out of the phone book. Not his typical MO, but it worked out.

After that, we went home to help Mom cook dinner for New Year's. Unfortunately, I had missed some of the verbal cues and didn't realize that Uncle T would not be coming for dinner. I think that made Mom and W realize that all of their stupid ambiguous descriptions were doing more harm than good. Don't talk about Uncle T lying in bed all day and then how much better he's doing with his caretaker. Don't talk about how sharp his mind is, but then confused he is. Just come right out and say it. He's dying and there's nothing that can be done about it. There, I said it. And it brings back all the sad, mixed up feelings I had when Auntie L was dying. You'd think with time and hopefully maturity, I could weather this sad time better, but I doubt it.

So since dinner was only going to be the three of us, I told them I wanted to visit Uncle T before dinner, not after dinner and off I went. Something in me said that I needed to see him NOW.

Yes, his mind is still sharp. He recognized me and was happy to see me as soon as I went in. He was alone, no one had come to feed him, as far as I could tell. He wasn't doing very well and needed his diaper changed so I rang the staff for help. Good thing this wasn't an emergency since no one came for quite a while. I stayed for about an hour, then left.

Mom and I went back in the morning, but he was worn out from getting bathed and moved in the morning and we left after a couple of hours since I was meeting a friend and Mom wanted to go to church.

When we went back later, he wasn't there. They had taken him to the hospital so we went straight there. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and dehydration. We knew the latter was a strong possibility, but the first was a surprise. I felt a small amount of guilt that we didn't know he was that bad, but on the other hand, his two nephews and hired caretaker had been there in the morning. I assume they know more about his condition than me. He didn't wake up the entire time we were at the hospital, but then I had to leave to catch my flight.

Even though this was a three day weekend, I thought I'd just fly up for a short visit. Make life easy on myself. Give myself a day to relax. I was even considering cancelling my trip, but obviously decided not too. Good thing I didn't. I didn't realize that A would be working today. Normally, I'd be happy to have a day to myself. But in my current state, I really need the company. I have to take my car in to the body shop, deal with insurance, worry about the family. All I want to do in crawl back into bed and sleep for long, long time.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Or Gong xi fa tsai for those of you who speak Mandarin. Happy New Year! (a little early). It is the year of the Pig. From Reuters:

Sunday marks the start of the Chinese New Year and it's a lucky one for those starting out in life. But the rest of us are in for a rough ride. Expect epidemics, disasters and violence in much of the world. "The Year of the Pig will not be very peaceful," said Hong Kong feng shui master Raymond Lo. Pig years can be turbulent because they are dominated by fire and water, conflicting elements that tend to cause havoc, Lo said. "Fire sitting on water is a symbol of conflict and skirmish," he said. "We'll also see more fire disasters and bombings." Most soothsayers said the world economy will continue to boom, though they advise people to be cautious about their investments.

That's too bad because after frankly, I've had enough turbulence in my life lately and could use a little calm.

I made a batch of jai yesterday to bring home. Didn't have all the ingredients I needed, but I was pleasantly surprised to find I had more than I remembered (probably from the last time I made it, lol). If you can believe it, I didn't have any black mushrooms, or least not the right kind. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and spend the money. Or maybe I can bum some from Mom. I think she's a little more discriminating in her tastes.

20 tiny fingers, 20 tiny toes

I'm still trying to get the hang of this blogging/HTML coding, lol. I'd like to start sharing my photos and layouts since not all of you hang out at LM.

Here's my latest layout. I was so happy to have another visit with my nieces. Unfortunately, G couldn't come since he had a little cold, so no brother sister pics. The girls are doing better. E is off her feeding tube, woo hoo! Anyway, it is difficult to see in the photo above, but there is a white paper border and white grograin ribbon above and below the photos and color bar. The paper is a couple years old, but I think it worked perfectly for my pics. Good thing I'm a hoarder, lol!

Sweet!

Happy Valentine's Day to you! As is my tradition, I left a card on the dining room table for A to find in the morning. He surprised me with breakfast in bed: coffee fixed just the way I like it and heart-healthy oatmeal. It was topped with bananas cut into heart shapes and honey. How sweet! He's a keeper!

We're excavating

We spent a couple of hours this afternoon organizing one of our bookshelves. We got rid of a box of old software and computer books (all for Windows 98 and earlier, even though we still have a Windows 98 machine) and another box of miscellaneous junk. The sad thing is, the bookshelf doesn't really look any emptier or more organized. There is still a small pile next the bookshelf that we need to find places for. The reality is, it will probably just get thrown back onto a shelf to sit for another five years.

Note that "box" is one of my standard units of measure. In this case, box equals a box of copier paper (Xerox paper box if you're into abusing trademarks, lol). My other standard unit of measure is a shopping bag; you know, the brown ones from the grocery store, preferably the ones with handles. Though the Trader Joe bags and the Ralphs bags are slightly different sizes. But I digress.

We've been trying to tackle the computer desk too, but we both have tons of paper junk piled on it. It is amazing what we found at the bottom of some of these piles. I don't think we need to save the losing Lotto tickets from 2005 or old Mapquest printouts for places we've been. Sad, sad, sad how many "important" pieces of paper aren't important any more.

Maybe we need toss boxes. Like if you don't put this away, it gets tossed. Experts recommend that with kids and their toys. Maybe it works for adults too? I dunno. We definitely need to find a better system.

More savings

In response to the latte factor post below, I decided to open another savings account and have a small amount put there every month. I need to see how little we can live on. We're already living pretty lean, but if we don't "miss" the money I sock away, I'm going to keep upping the amount bit by bit until we hit my magic number (hopefully).

I forgot to mention it before, but we've been tracking every penny that goes out for the past couple months. After this month, I think we'll stop. Three months should give us a good idea of what we spend. And December is probably the most expensive month of the year with gifts and travel and taxes. A has been a lot better than me about inputting daily expenses. I tend to save up the receipts and enter them all at once.

We tracked our expenses a few years ago. It will be interesting to compare the differences. I know that even with my scrapbooking expenses, I spend less on myself now. We don't spend that much more on food, even though I'm cooking less.

I know we can live on less, a lot less. But only if I stop putting money into savings, which I'm not willing to do.

I need to work faster

I have sooo many creative ideas in my head, I just need to get them down on paper, or better yet, just do them! A scrapbook company is sponsoring a contest for those of us who attended a crop and I bought the stuff before Christmas for my entry (actually one of my entries). I just haven't gotten around to putting it together, plus they extended the contest deadline. Me, who is so deadline driven, decided to procrastinate in honor of the new due date, lol. Now I see all kinds of ideas similar to mine floating around the web. There was even a make-and-take at CHA was similar to mine. Grrrrrr. I sure hope the judges don't think I'm a copycat. Come on girl, get going!

The latte factor

I've been looking for ways to increase my savings without having to take a second job. Why? Several things. Like A changed jobs last year and his income decreased, plus we had some added expenses. And a couple of years ago, I had to help my family out and that took a chunk of change; thank goodness we had the money saved. I want to make sure we are set if another emergency comes up again. I want to retire early. Enough reasons?

I've been doing some reading online and discussing this with some friends. But as you know, money is a touchy topic and there are only so many people you can discuss money with honestly and without judgement. Most of the online reading is for people who are worse off than we are. I don't need to learn how to decrease my credit card debt since I don't have any. I'm pretty sure we spend less eating out than most middle class couples. I know that we spend as much in a month on dining out, as a friend spends in a week. Though both amounts are probably extremes rather than the norm.

A friend loaned me a book by David Bach, Smart Couples Finish Rich. He and Dave Ramsey and other financial gurus talk about the "latte factor." Basically, if you take the money you "waste" on lattes (or eating out or buying things full price, etc.), you could save hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. My "problem" is I don't spend money on things like that. I buy maybe 10 fancy coffees a year. I usually have leftovers for lunch. Hardly ever buy books, music, clothes. Our biggest splurge is our cars. Not that they are fancy or anything, just that we like to buy them new. Since my car is twelve years old and A's car is three (but we'll keep it until it's in the double digits), we're willing to take the depreciation.

I feel like I'm already making sacrifices for my future and not enjoying my life now. Do you have any advice for me?

I saw her!

And hold her! Who you ask? My new niece C. My SIL gave birth to twins, early, and they're in the neonatal unit. We couldn't visit without the parents, but yesterday, we were at their place to drop off a little baby gift (little outfits for the girls). They were going back to the hospital and invited us along. They were in a hurry since my SIL wanted to get there in time to feed the babies. So we didn't have a chance to get the camera from home, unfortunately.

The nurse was wonderful. It didn't phase her that there were extra visitors, including one rambucous little boy. No issues with me holding sweet little C. I never asked, but I think BIL knew I wanted to so he offered. Thank you!

There were so many sweet picture opportunities. G kissing his sisters. The babies in their parents' arms. G gently stroking his sister's hair. The nurse handing C to my BIL (that really showed how tiny she is). My SIL cradling E in her arms. I wanted the pictures not just for myself, but for them. Their digital camera is broken and he's been taking pictures with his cell phone. But you know they aren't the best quality. I hope we get another opportunity to visit, with or without the camera. Until then, I can only hold their images in my heart.

Sometimes you just need to talk

I spent some time today chatting with my friend S. We talked about scrapbooking (of course), mutual friends, and general chit chat. I think I'm too stressed about the car (I hate dealing with insurance companies) and there isn't any resolution in sight. So it felt so good to be talking about us and fun things. I felt so good after we got off the phone, I went to tackle a project that I've been avoiding. Thanks S!

Moments vs. events layouts

Just a little vent about all the scrapbook pages in magazines and product examples. Why oh why do the designers and editors continue to only give us one photo examples? Those types of pages are easier to create (at least for me), and show off the paper better, but the reality is, most scrappers are event scrappers with tons of photos to scrap.

One of my most difficult tasks is narrowing down the photos I'm going to scrap. I've got 93 photos from my last visit home, not including what J might send me. That's three events to scrapbook, so let's do some estimating. 93 divided by 3 equals 31; say half of the photos are usable, so we're down to 15. It's pretty difficult to fit 15 photos on a 2 page layout.

The last crop I went to, almost everyone was scrapping events. Come on people, we need more examples to inspire us!

CHA report

I spent a day at the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) show walking the floor. That means I didn't have to work at the company booth and instead spent my time checking out all the new products.

Perhaps seeing all the sneak peaks at LifetimeMoments jaded me (note: I think LM has the best sneak peaks on the net). Or maybe I didn't really enjoy myself because exhibitors get treated like crap since we don't buy anything. I'm upfront with who/what I am. I'm an avid scrapbooker who happens to be working for an exhibitor. Or it could be I've been to too many tradeshows. After all, I was just at Memory Trends a couple months ago.

In any case, there weren't many sneak peaks that made me seek out the manufacturers' booths. I'm sure I have a different perspective since I'm not a buyer for a store. The show was about 3/4 scrapbooking and 1/4 other crafts. There was hardly any woodworking or metal crafts and very little fabric or yarn. Quite a change from three years ago.

I didn't notice as much bling as at Memory Trends. There were lots of bird themes, swirls, and border prints. I hate border prints. The paper isn't as versatile; I think of them as "moments" paper. I'm not a moments scrapper. Swirls/flourishes are still big. You can get them in stamps, chipboard, the aforementioned border prints, and even new dies for the QuicKutz Revolution.

Clear stamps are still big or should I say bigger than ever. I'm not really a stamper, though you would think I am with all the supplies I have. There are even more cute journaling stamps available. But, I think they encourage notes, rather than stories, so I have mixed feelings about them.

More boy stuff and not cutesy little boy stuff. Good for all my friends with sons and me with my nephews.

Bazzill has a new Smoothies line of cardstock. It is thinner than their usual stuff. I feel like they're going full circle. I remember when the majority of their line was smooth. Me, I don't need the texture. But everyone else seems to like it. Actually, in an ideal world, I'd like every Bazzill color to be available in textured and smooth CS. And I'd like the textured CS to be textured the same on both sides.

There were even more die cutting machines. ProvoCraft has a 12-inch wide machine and QuicKutz has something that is rumored to be an OEM version of the CraftRobo. I think they'll do well because QK has a good reputation in the industry so people who were hesitant to buy a cutter before will buy one because of the name.

There was one item that really excited me, but I don't know if any stores I know will carry it. It was a little machine that punched squares for wire binding. It was perfect for making your own mini books ala 7 gypsies. You can see it at Bind-it-All. If you find someone who's selling this, let me know.

(edited 2/4) I forgot to add the other item that I wanted. I walked over to the OTT light booth to give them a suggestion: I've spent the past year looking for a portable battery operated task light with no luck. It turns out, they are releasing a battery operated model in April. Woo hoo! It is definitely going on my shopping list.

I saw one celeb, Heidi Swapp, but that's it. I heard there were a lot more on other show days.

I did a couple of make and takes. They were just okay. The really good ones all had huge lines and I didn't want to waste time in line.

Glad I had a chance to walk the floor. Wish I could have walked it with friends rather than by myself. After all, isn't scrapbooking a social activity?

Never ask a woman this question

I was at a luncheon with my cousins and friends of my cousins. My cousin is pregnant and brought her 4D ultrasound to share (just taken that morning). I'm curious, but not fascinated by the whole baby growth process. I always imagine it as an alien growing inside you. Maybe that's why I'm not a mom, lol.

On the other hand, I love babies. Love, love, love babies. I don't mind the crying, the pooping, the spitting when I'm babysitting. I love holding babies. I don't have one of my own so I'm always thrilled when someone offers me their baby to hold.

I'm not sure which side of me this person saw, but as we were admiring the ultrasound photos, she asked me, "Do you have kids?" I can handle that. But when I answer no, just move on. Don't ask, "Do you want kids?" That is an extremely personal question. It is none of your d*mn business why I don't have kids. Whether I answered yes or no, I was sure more uncomfortable questions would follow. So I told her the truth. It just never happened. And I guess she saw my pain since she shut up.

Thirty-one and done

Between the last post and last night, I designed and made 31 baby shower invitations. Not bad eh? And you thought I didn't scrap, lol. Cardmaking counts doesn't it?

I only have myself to blame since I did volunteer. Wednesday, I designed the card in my head and spent some time on the computer laying out the text. Thursday, I went to the scrapbook store after work and bought paper. I printed out the directions and most of the cards and put together about half of them. It was fun to finally get so much use out of my Xyron Cheetah. Friday morning, I stopped by a local wholesaler and bought a spool of white grograin ribbon (if you need any, just let me know. I bought 100 yards, lol). Friday evening I had to buy more paper (more on that later). I finished making the rest of the cards, ahead of schedule, woo hoo! Today, I delivered the cards to the hostess and I'm done with the shower. I think I've contributed enough.

From what I hear, the hostess is an organized person at work, but that wasn't obvious during this process. I had several questions, none of which were answered in a timely fashion (you ask to help on Tuesday and you want to mail the cards on Saturday?). You don't tell me how many invitations you want for sure until Thursday night, after I've purchased the supplies (hence the Friday night trip to the LSS). The original estimate was 25 or 26, at most 28 including souvenirs for the honoree and hostess. So I bought enough supplies for 30, thinking that two over would be adequate. It just killed me when told me she needed 31. Of course, I could have used different paper, but of course, I wanted them all to be the same.

All in all, I think the cards are pretty cute. I had a few moments of panic when I looked at the papers at home and the colors clashed instead of matching like they did in the store. I got over it pretty quickly since I didn't have time to buy more paper. I know that colors change in different lights so I hope everyone looks at their cards under fluorescent lights, lol.

That was an odd phone call

I just got a call from a friend (T) of my cousin. I only met her once so it took me a bit to remember who she was. T said that my cousin asked her to call me to make sure I was included in her (my cousin's) baby shower planning. But then T said that she pretty much had everything planned so I was wondering what I needed to do. Plus most of the guests would be coworkers and friends so I was really wondering why I should be involved (I only know two of her friends). Still, I graciously offered my help and asked what I could do to help. Nothing. Okay, so why the call? Then I asked when it was going to be and that cinched it. I'm going out of town that weekend. So then T was going to change the shower date. Whaaaattttt? T said that my cousin really wanted make sure I wasn't left out. I didn't think we were that close. Plus I'm not the kind of person who expects others to change their schedule for me. I hope that I don't give that impression.

Now I'm wondering should I have offered to help pay? Was that why T called? What could I really have contributed? Do I worry too much? (You don't need to anwer that last question.)

Hay, hay!

I'm now the proud owner of a bale of hay. Why you ask? For Rascal of course! We got tired of going to the feed store every month to replenish his hay supply so I talked A into buying a bale. It is a much better value than buying the shopping bag sized bags of hay, which costs $5.99. The bale was $25. I'd guesstimate that the bale equals at least 10 of the smaller bags. If the hay goes bad before Rascal eats it all, I can always use it for compost or mulch.

So far, I've found two people to share the bale with. If you have any need for Timothy hay, you know where to find me.

Coupons are our friends

I've been trying to save more and am trying a couple of coupon things (hey, I'm tired and can't think of a better word, lol). I've always been a coupon clipper, but am trying to take it to the next level. I joined the Grocery Game to get her weekly lists of lowest prices. It took a while to get used to it, but once I did, I found that I did save a little more than I did on my own. On the other hand, it look more time than clipping and checking ads on my own. My subscription renewal comes up this week, which is good timing. I won't have time to do much grocery shopping these next few weeks so I'll just go back to my usual shopping ways. I may join again soon. Frozen food month is coming up and though I save lots during this time, it will be interesting to see what she says.

The other thing I've done is to get coupons online. There are several services online that offer all the coupons from the Sunday paper. For items that I purchase often, I think the service is worth it. My problem is, sometimes you have to purchase a minimum of five coupons and I only need one or two. Good thing I have lots of people to send coupons to.

Of course, I have to share my best coupon savings story. A store had vitamins BOGO (Buy One Get One free). Their regular price of $28.99 was $9 higher than the usual sale price at the grocery store, but BOGO made it a good deal. Plus I had two $5 coupons and they let me use both. Plus I had a grand opening coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase. So a $57.98 purchase came out to $8.99. I'd say that was worth the special trip I made to the store.

I need to get organized

I've got scrapbook stuff scattered all over the house. It is so embarrassing (to me). But even worse, I waste so much time looking for things. It hasn't gotten so bad that I buy duplicate items, but right now, I can't find some things that I know I have. And since I know I have them, I can't bring myself to buy more.

I did get my act together enough to scrapbook with a couple of friends. One woman graciously offered her home, which in many ways is better than cropping at a store. There weren't any distractions like shopping, lol. Nor are there any time constraints like store closing times, not that any stores have cropping time on Sunday nights. Two cards and one layout...I think that's a record for me!

Just how old do you think I am???

As you know, I never discuss my age. This is something that started, oh, maybe ten or more years ago. I think it had something to do with not meeting life's expectations, where I was in life, the ticking baby clock, wishing I was in a different place in my life. Now it is a habit and I don't feel like breaking it.

Lately, I've been slipping a bit and I'm pretty sure that some of my coworkers and friends have guessed my age range, if not my true age, not that I would ever confirm it. Really, it isn't that difficult to guess. I don't hide that getting a color TV was a big deal to the family or that I watched certain sitcoms when they first aired instead of on Nick at Night. I've got enough years of work experience that if you add that up with college, you'd at least get in the age range.

So why am I bring this up now? A (not so) funny incident over the holiday break plus a skin care discussion over on LM. Several people are discussing the merits of Arbonne, a skin care line sold through direct sales. I know several people who "sell" it so I'm debating whether or not to try it. We all want to look younger right? Especially after what happened when I was visiting my dad.

We were at the assisted living facility he's at and one thing that's important to do is to say hello to everyone. You know, brag that your family has come for a visit. So as we're coming and going, we had to allow extra time for meeting all of his friends and exchanging the usual plesantries. There were the usual choruses of how nice to meet you and aren't you lucky to have such nice children (making us feel like we're twelve again). So it was all very pleasant until one woman said to me, "Oh, are you his sister?"

I know it has been a while...

but I'll be back soon. I just don't feel like spending too much time on the computer when I get home. I think the ideal situation would be to dictate my posts on my commute to work and then have someone transcribe them for me so I could edit them before posting. Ahhh, to have that luxury.

Just like going to the market with Gung Gung

(That's grandpa for those who need a translation.)

Today we went to the Italian deli to pick up some grating cheese (grated Parmesan cheese, but A's family always calls it grating cheese) and I couldn't resist walking by the bakery section. I decided to splurge and get a cookie (and if you know me, you know that really is a splurge, lol). I had to take a little time to decide between two varieties, then the girl behind the counter handed my choice to me with a smile. No charge. Big smile on my face. I felt just like a kid again.

Gung gung used to take me to the market with him and I'd get a big ol' breadstick from the man behind the counter. They were kept in a huge glass jar on the top of the counter. The man had to reach way over and I'd have to reach way up to grab my treat. Mom didn't like it because she said it would spoil my appetite. So if she wasn't with us, I could gobble the whole thing down myself instead of it being broken in half (or thirds) and shared. Of course, there was always evidence when I got home since I'd be covered in crumbs, no matter how much I tried to hide them. And yes, I ended up with cookie crumbs in my lap, lol.

I'm sure others feel this way too

I was reading dooce, one of my favorite blogs and this make me laugh out loud, "Jon...was shaking his head at me, like, woman, I know that I agreed to spend the rest of my life with you, I just had no idea it would be this embarrassing." I know A feels that way sometimes. Hopefully it is only sometimes and not all the time, lol.

Thank yous

Thank you to the manager at the Chinese restaurant. I really appreciate your patience with my dad who moves slower than molasses. It was thoughtful (and smart) of you to ask the bus boys and dim sum ladies to move their carts out of his way as we made our way through your busy restaurant. And then the mad waving of your arms was a sight to see, but at least dad saw where you were standing and made his way over to the elevator without my prompting.

Thank you to the man in the parking lot who came out to his car just as we were getting out. Thank you for your patience as we slooooowly helped dad out of the car. And for not getting mad when Dad thought that you were staring at him.

Thank you to the clerk at Sears for your cheery attitude and patience with the long line of customers.

Thank you to Auntie MJ for being such a good friend to Mom. We enjoyed your visit and of course, we enjoyed your yummy homemade cookies.

Thank you to the family and friends who've supported and loved us during another difficult year.

The joys of Christmas

This year, Christmas was (as usual) full of sadness, stress, anger, and oh, a bit of joy. We did the usual running around to all the family places. There were a few lost tempers, but also much appreciation among ourselves for everything we're doing for the family. W hates thank yous so I never said it to him. Sometimes you show your love and appreciation by actions, rather than words. I think he appreciated us doing things like changing out the kitchen lights (my idea, A's labor and expertise), driving Mom to the grocery store (all four of them so she could get the best deal), attempting the balance the checkbook, and suggesting that he leave early and letting him know we could handle the rest of the visits without him.

W was extremely generous with his gifts. He's always generous that way, too much so. I guess that's his way of showing his appreciation. Mom felt bad because she didn't get us much, but we're just happy to spend time with her. It was wonderful to see J (and B). I just wish we had more time to spend together. I really couldn't relax until a couple days into the visit and by then they had to leave.

Uncle T recently stopped driving (his doctor told him to stop driving) and is feeling the loss of freedom. He really wasn't driving much, probably less than once a week, but it is the idea that he can no longer come and to as he pleases. I really think this is the beginning of end. I haven't seen him so sad since Auntie L died. Physically, he is much weaker than when I saw him a few months ago.

Anyway, I only cried a bit during the visit (but didn't cry when I said goodbye to J or Mom), but did cry a lot on the drive home. That's about par for the course.

Any questions about this post? Please e-mail me instead of asking here.

Cards and wrapping paper and ribbon, oh my!

I just finished the last (I hope) of my Christmas cards, although I am expecting a few more since a few people asked for my address. My problem is I've run out of Christmas cards. And if you know me at all, you know how strange that is. I usually buy my cards after the holidays, but I had so many boxes, I stopped buying. And now I'm in trouble because I've only got a few leftovers from previous years, but I don't like sending the same cards to people and I can't remember who I sent them to. So it looks like some people will be getting repeats. I hope they don't notice.

I better hit the after Christmas sales this year and get a few boxes of cards, plus toss (give to Goodwill) all the onsie and twosie leftovers. Basically, if I receive your card after I send out my usual batch, you don't get a card for the year. But I definitely add you to the list for next year.

I still need to wrap about 10 presents. I'm definitely in a bah humbug mood now, lol.

That's what friends are for

I've been feeling really down about work and life in general. Everything seems way too complicated and I am constantly worried about money (that's not news to anyone, I'm sure).

Last night, I was doing my usual wasting time on the computer and decided to turn on AIM. To my surprise, two friends immediately IM'd me to say hi and I've missed you. Wow, didn't think anyone would notice if I wasn't around and here I get a double dose of love. Thanks for cheering me up!

Oink! Oink!

We still have Halloween candy in the house, leftover treats from the LM crop, cookies from the cookie exchange, and various other snacks in the house. Add to that all the vendor goodies that have shown up at the office, and I'm suffering from sweets overload. So far we've received a small Harry and David basket, a huge Harry and David basket, assorted chocolates, and a huge basket of Mrs. Field's cookies. Yes, I ate my share and maybe more, lol.

On top of that, we had our department holiday lunch. Ohhhh, so yummy! We had Ethiopian food. Some of the food was catered and some was prepared by our admin. She's so sweet; she was afraid there wouldn't be enough food so she made several dishes to bring. All at her own time and expense. She wouldn't take any money for it. But next time, I know better. I can leave the money with an anonymous note on her desk and then she'll have to take it!

We were all game and ate traditionally with the injera bread instead of forks. But towards the end of the meal, I cheated and used a fork because I was too full from the bread and wanted to have more of the entrees. I think she asked the caterer to make the dishes milder than usual. Once, she brought in some food that she had cooked for us to sample and it was quite fiery.

I found this website that talks about Ethiopian food. But it doesn't do into the details about how time consuming it is to really cook the dishes. First, she prepares the butter (it sounds similar to preparing ghee, but with spices). Then she browns chopped onions (she loves her food processor). These are used in so many dishes, she prepares large quantities ahead of time and freezes the onions so they are available whenever she's cooking. She told us about how much work it is to wash and cut up the meat by hand. Whenever family or friends go back to Ethiopia, they bring back suitcases full of spices, even bringing back an extra suitcase and paying extra for it because it is cheaper than mail order.

Anyway, today was a special treat. Thank you! (And I can't tell you her name because she'd be embarrassed.)

Food choices

Most of us have a choice in what we eat. I assume if you're reading this, you own a computer at home and thus have an adequate income to have purchased it. So you (and I) don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from and we can choose whether to eat out or at home, to eat french fries or fruit.

This city in England also made a choice. I love it!

So sad

It was with a heavy heart that I read the news of James Kim's death. I wasn't even cautiously optimistic, though I was excited that they were going to drop survival packs with a personal message for James along the route he might have walked. Unfortunately, before they were able to do that, his body was found.

I found it interesting that all the news sites, a few blogs, and all the scrapbooking sites I frequent all followed his and his family's story.

My condolences to the Kim family.

Missing

No, this isn't in reference to my previous post, but the title is apt. I originally wrote about the missing cnet editor, James Kim. I followed the story this morning and started blogging about it during my lunch break. Unfortunately, I somehow lost the post and was unable to recover it. The updated good news is his wife and children were found. Unfortunately, as of tonight, he is still missing.

His story, along with something that happened a couple weeks ago, got me thinking. But first, here's what happened a couple weeks ago. A friend e-mailed me to confirm plans for this weekend. She sent it to an e-mail address that I check frequently, but not daily. So it took me an extra day or so to reply to her. I didn't hear back from her right away, but I wasn't too worried since I thought she might be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. I called her about a week later and didn't hear back from her the next day. So I started to get concerned. Perhaps she was still traveling? Or maybe she was sick? My next thought was that I could call her sister to see if she knew what her plans were. I don't have her phone number, but I do know where she works. The Internet is a wonderful tool for sleuthing. She ended up calling me back two days after I left the message. She laughed good naturedly when I told her I was getting worried after not hearing from her, but she also said that it made her feel good. That someone cared about her. She's single so there is no one to miss her if she doesn't come home. And she works out of her home so there isn't an office staff to miss her. As we talked, I realized it could be so easy to disappear, at least for a while.

The Kim family was missing for about a week before a search was called. Would someone wait that long before searching for me? When A and I travel, we're pretty casual about it. Yes, we make reservations at hotels so we know we have a place to stay. But we don't tell people when and where we're going, especially if it is just a weekend trip.

I have a friend who is obsessive about planning her travel. She has a detailed itinerary for the entire trip, with each day's events planned down to the hour. She leaves this itinerary (along with hotel and airline info) with a couple of family members, so if they need to get a hold of her, they know how to. Probably something between what I do and what my friend does is reasonable. But I would hope that if I were missing, someone would miss me before too many days had passed.

Poof, it's gone

So much for blogging during my lunch hour. I just clicked the wrong button and lost four paragraphs.

Good deeds

I've been in a bad mood lately so rather than post about that, I thought I'd write about something nice instead.

A few weeks ago, a relative went to get his flu shot at a local clinic. The wait was really long and his back was starting to hurt so he squatted down to relive the pressure. The man in line in back of him got him a chair and everytime the line moved, he moved the chair. This went on for 45 minutes. When they got to the front of the line, he put the chair back where he got it. I was so touched when I heard about this man's kindness.

Awesomeness at the LSS

LSS = local scrapbook store for the non-scrapbooking readers

An LSS had an "open house" today with almost everything in the store on sale (but they had a 30% off coupon you could use on a new item that wasn't on sale). Minimum sale price was 25% off with some stuff 50% off. Now I wish I had bought more cardstock. You can never have enough cardstock you know. ;)

They had several awesome make-and-takes...for free! Awesome, awesome, awesome! I made a cute little Christmas hanging decoration, some very cute to/from tags, and an incredible cookie recipe book. It was incredible; I even bought an extra to use as a gift. The women who designed the projects did a huge amount of prep work. Everything was not only cut out, they were all preglued also. Now that's above and beyond. I could have stayed all day, but alas, I do have a life outside of scrapbooking.

Anyway, it a lot of fun (plus I got to spend some time with L). Just wanted to share my good day.

I'm a cranky old lady

At least that's what I feel like at work today. There were lots of conversations of why can't we, and why don't we, and why did he/she? I'm not against progress and I'm not into pointing fingers (and honestly, I don't think most of my coworkers are either), but having these conversations one after another just puts me in a bad mood.

Really, all I want you to do is get to your point so I can respond and move on. And if you don't want to hear my opinion, don't ask.

Scrapper Wish List

With all the holiday wish lists being advertised, I thought I'd create my own here. So if I could have any scrap-related gifts I wanted, here are my top five picks:
1. Someone to organize my scrap stuff
2. The new Quickutz Revolution and Washington font
3. A trip to the Heidi Swapp/Bazzill convention thingie in AZ next year
4. A large format scanner (even though I don't have too much trouble stitching)
5. An unlimited supply of Bazzill

What's on your scrap wish list?

Odd dream

A few days ago I had the strangest dream. I dreamed that I was having trouble seeing so I decided to take out my contact lens. As it turns out, my contact lens were the problem...because I was wearing several pairs on top of each other! They were different size and different colors; I think I was wearing three pairs. Now, that's impossible (I assume it is impossible though I haven't tried it). Anyone care to analyze this dream?

Veteran's Day

Is it appropriate to say Happy Veteran's Day? Does anyone care? I was quite moved to hear all the publicity and interviews on the news and NPR. I think I have a different point of view from many of my peers because of my background. I'm somewhat of an in-betweener. My father served in WWII, but before I was born. So I don't have any experience with a father/relative being away at war like someone older or younger than me might. I was vaguely aware of the Vietnam War growing up, but didn't know anyone who was drafted. Hardly any of my coworkers have parents or brothers who were drafted. The majority of people I know are anti-military. So as not to start any debates, I usually keep my mouth shut.

For my father and most of my relatives who served in WWII, there was a lot of pride in their military service. We flew the flag on July 4th, Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, etc. I loved seeing the flag wave in the wind. We always went to watch the parades downtown and there were always events at the American Legion posts.

It saddens me when I think about how my father was turned away when he first tried to enlist. They didn't want his kind. But those he served with didn't have any choice when he was drafted.

We don't talk about the war, about how it affected him. A bit of lost history there. Maybe it is enough that I'm proud of my father and uncles who served. Happy Veteran's Day Dad.

My voting adventure

When I got my sample ballot in the mail, I noticed I had a new polling place, a fire station a few blocks away. I was a bit concerned about the location because I knew there was a lot of roadwork going on in the area and parts of that street were blocked off.

Yesterday morning, I'm off to vote. Traffic is heavy in the morning so I took a slightly longer route to the polling place. Just as I feared, the street was blocked to southbound traffic so I drove several blocks around the subdivision to enter from the opposite side. Unfortunately, the street was blocked on that side also. So I went home to call the Registrar of Voters to make sure my polling place hadn't changed. No it hadn't and they gave me an alternate route to the fire station.

So off I go again. This time, I had no trouble getting there, but had to park a block away from the fire station (no biggie). There was a line of people (the polling place was in their huge garage) so I had to wait a bit (not unexpected, and again no biggie). Then a poll worker announced, "We're having technical difficulties." Great, just great. Only one out of the eight or so electronic polling booths work. No wonder there's a line. Somehow, we find out paper ballots are available, but she can't offer them to us; we have to ask for them (must be some legal restriction about offering alternative voting forms). I decided not to wait for the electronic poll and ask for a paper ballot. So I had to go through the verification again because they had to figure out which ballot to give me.

After I finished voting, I leaned over to place my ballot in the ballot box on the floor. When I stood up, I hit my head on some tubing that ran from the floor to the ceiling. The poor poll workers were besides themselves with worry. I wasn't hurt at all; the tubing wasn't hard and I really just tapped my head. I sure was glad to get my "I voted" sticker; I think I earned it this year.

Rules of the road

I guess the rules of the road changed since I learned how to drive. It seems you are only supposed to pause, not stop, when making a right turn at a red light. And you are no longer supposed to yield to on-coming traffic. And signaling when you need to change lanes? Forget it!

I consider myself a decent driver, but considering how many times I was honked at (three) tonight (all for yielding to on-coming traffic), you'd think I should stay off the road. Sigh. I do miss living in an area with good public transportation.

Sometimes you estimate wrong

We went away for a few days and left Rascal alone. We had someone checking the house, but didn't want to burden them with the rabbit. As it turns out, we left the rabbit alone about half a day, maybe a day too long.

I had been monitoring his water and food intake very carefully over the past few weeks since I knew we'd be traveling. He had never finished his water in all that time. I knew that there was a strong possibility that he'd finish all his food in the first day or two (but he'd still have his hay), but I never imagined he'd finish his water. :(

Thank goodness I checked on him as soon as we got home. But I think he was okay. Given fresh water and food, he was more interested in the food .

Tempo tales

What is Tempo you ask? They're a brand of tissues available in Europe and other parts of the world and hard to find in the US. It turns out, a coworker bought some on his recent European trip and fell in love with them. They're much heavier (4-ply) than the tissues available here. He was raving about them to another coworker and he thought they were fantastic. Another coworker overheard them and said that her husband loved them too (I'm noticing a theme here) and brought them back whenever he took a trip to Europe (me, I'd prefer chocolate). Lest you think that all we do at work is discuss sundries, I'm sure these were very short conversations that took place during lunch or after hours (I can't say for sure though because this happened when I was at Memory Trends and I was told all this later).

Anyway, I saw the Tempo tissues in my coworker's cubicle and he was talking about ebay. I was like, huh? What do those two things have to do with each other. As it turns out, you can buy anything on ebay, including Tempo tissues. The above mentioned coworkers went in on a group buy and purchased a few hundred packs of Tempo tissues. They were thrilled to get them for approximately 11 cents each, including shipping. At that, I informed them that the tissues are available at the 99 Cents store. They were dumbfounded and perhaps even a bit skeptical.

So on the way home, I purchased a few packs of the tissues. Cost? 99 cents+tax for an 18 pack. It came out to about 6 cents each. They felt a bit sheepish then and I think I may be making another trip to the 99 cents store after the cold season, lol.

Memory Trends

I just got back from a big scrapbooking tradeshow, Memory Trends. It was held in Las Vegas so it was a pretty easy travel trip for me. I was a little nervous since I was going to be staffing a printer station up front, to draw people into the booth. I felt like a carnival barker (step right up little lady and let me show you this AMAZING printer!). It turned out to be easier than I thought. I think I sold a few printers, but don't really know since I don't have any way to track it. Some people said they'd be coming back on Thursday to order, but I wasn't working that station to see. I was also a "rover" to help wherever needed and worked the 4x6 printer station. Now that was easy! Even though I had never used those printers, I was still able to expound its various features. Guess I can think on my feet better than I thought! I did take the time to review all the marketing material I could find before I left for the show so that was helpful.

I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to walk to show and take pictures of all the new stuff. And I wish I had spent more time reviewing the previews at LM. Then I really would have known what to look for.

The show is much smaller than CHA so I didn't feel as overwhelmed (as in sensory overload) as I did there. Plus it was scrapbooking stuff instead of all crafts supplies ('cause you know I like it all, lol). I think most of the manufacturers do their big annoucements at Winter or Summer CHA. I got mixed messages from a lot of manufacturers. Everyone tried to put on a good front, but you could tell that they were tired of three shows a year. Plus there are other shows they might be attending, the NY Stationary show and other events. Who knows how much traveling they might be doing.

I did get to have dinner with several LMers, some of whom I already knew and some of whom I met for the first time. Of course, they are all very sweet. We had a good laugh with T who turns out to be more naive than me. W is superwoman. V is as fun and bawdy as ever. L is just a sweetheart. Unfortunately, we were sitting too far away from each other to talk much.

All in all, I'm glad I was able to go. It was great to get away from the office for a few days and feel like I was still contributing to the company.

Tag - Songs, more

or rather, not more since no one took my tag, lol! So either those people don't read my blog, don't care, or both. Oh well, I tried.

Tag - Songs

I usually put blog tags in the same category as those pass-it-on emails and ignore them in general. Usually because they are too long, require too much thought, and require me to put too much of my private life online. I was tagged by S; I'm supposed to list seven songs I'm really enjoying right now. Although it should be easy enough for me to do, it isn't. First of all, I don't listen to the radio that often, nor do I listen to my CDs very often.

So I'm going to modify the list to include a few favs that I've heard recently:
Over the rainbow/what a wonderful life by Iz (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole)
Pacabel's Canon (saw/heard an electric guitar version on you tube)
Lady in Red (TV commercial)
Long time gone by the Dixie Chicks
(title unknown) by Coldplay

I had to struggle to get to five; how sad is that?!!?

I tag Kristie, Misty, Dianna, Lisa, and Stephanie. Remember, seven songs that you enjoying right now. Now let's see who really reading my blog, lol.

Nice to know I'm missed

Thanks S! I didn't realize it had been a month since I updated. Let's see if I can sum it up. I named my rabbit Rascal, because he is a little rascal (and oh so cute!). I've been trying to train him, but it is slow going.

Arctic Frog (a SB company) had their huge Deal or No Deal contest all summer and I entered twice and placed in the top 10 once so that's a pretty good track record. (Now if only there was a design team looking for simple layouts like mine....)

Work slowed down for a bit, but based on all the e-mails going around today and the meetings scheduled for this week, that will end soon.

I was trying to lose some weight, but decided to just try to maintain until January. I'm doing a lot of traveling over the next month, plus the holidays are coming up. So I don't want to yo-yo diet.

Family is doing fine. Garden isn't, lol. That's about it.

The $150 dollar rabbit

I am now the proud parent of a golden brown rabbit. It arrived via BIL's MIL. Don't ask; it is a longish story. Anyway, this is the new addition to the family I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping to announce via photos or a SB page, but since I don't have either yet, you get a regular post.

Why $150? Well, the lumber and parts to make the hutch ran about a hundred. And yesterday, we went to the pet store to get food, a water bottle, a harness (yes, I hope to take it for walks), and treats, and that was $30. Plus A had to get a few more supplies so let's just round the cost up to $150. I was going to take the rabbit in for a checkup, but that is $45-60. If I get it fixed, that's another $80-$150. So I don't plan on doing either any time soon. So far the rabbit seems healthy. I don't even know if it is a he or she. And no, you can't tell, just by looking, depending on the age of the rabbit and I don't know how old it is. I suspect I have a he though.

I'm still trying to decide on a name.

Too much multi-tasking is a bad thing

Tonight there was a cool chat on the Arctic Frog website tonight (more on that later). Unfortunately, I was in the middle of cooking dinner and kept running back and forth between the kitchen and computer. In my haste, I burned my wrist. It kinda of matches the burn on my hand from a couple of weeks ago. Geez, combine this with my previous post and I'm a downright mess!

Arctic Frog is a cool scrapbooking company and they're having their own Deal or No Deal contest. A good friend of mine won two weeks (congratulations S!) and and was a finalist again this week. Another friend was also a finalist and she was also chosen to play. Woo hoo! It was great fun to be part of the "audience" and almost makes me want to try out. (Don't go getting any ideas S. I don't have any AF paper anyway.)

Purty colors

That's how I'm describing this lovely bruise on my inner wrist. I noticed it a few days ago and have been watching it progress from pinkish-purple to yellow-green to dark purple. What is most interesting is it was yellow-green this morning and I noticed it was purple just now. I have no idea how I got it. Part of my natural grace, I guess.

Lotto

One of my favorite Lotto commercials was on TV (the family reunion at the baseball stadium) and I asked A if he knew what my favorite Lotto commercials were. He successfully named the other two (the family watching the numbers in their "living room" and the dad who brings in snow for the kids), and then asked me if I knew what his favorite commercial was. I said no. His favorite commercial is "the one where we win." Tee hee, I hope we win soon!

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?

All this heat is bad for the environment

As I said earlier, I've been running the air in my car every time I'm in it. This isn't normal behavior for me since I'm usually asking A to turn the air down when we're in his car. I'm not used to using so many of our natural resources. :( On the other hand, I'm not ready to suffer any more in the heat either.

I've been tempted to take two showers a day. I haven't given into temptation yet though.

Then there's the laundry. I definitely can't get a second wearing out of my clothes. Forget the glow, I'm dripping in sweat! Yuck, I know, but hey, at least I'm honest.

Even the garden needs extra water, sigh.

We (the general we) could probably save some rsources if we didn't keep the commercial buildings at freezing temperatures. I need to keep a sweater in the office because it is so cold in there.

Word Perfect

It's amazing what you can find on your bookshelves. How many of you remember Word Perfect? Gosh, I'm dating myself. I finally threw out my Word Perfect 5.1 and Lotus 1-2-3 reference guides, and Novell study guides (yep, I knew something about networking at one time).

I wonder what else I can get rid of...

$3.15 for gas

And I was happy to pay that. Gas was hovering at $3.17 for a couple of weeks and I was hoping the price would go down. Though on the news they said that gas was probably going to stay over $3/gallon until Labor Day.

I remember when it cost around $10 to fill my tank. Obviously, this was many years ago. Thank goodness I still get over 30 miles to the gallon. Which is surprising since I've been running the air conditioner to and from work. No reason for me to jump on the new car bandwagon when my little car is still in such great shape.

I still carpool about half the time. My carpooler has a Prius and gets around 45 miles to the gallon. Better than what I'm getting, but still not enough of an incentive for me to turn in my car. I don't believe in replacing perfectly good things like cars until they're worn out. Hence my 10+ year old car. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so practical.

Those aren't tomato cages...

they're bird perches, lol! It seems the local sparrow and hummingbird population enjoyed perching on the tomato cages in the garden. They are so cute. I've been feeding the sparrows our leftover bread. Probably not the most nutritious food for them, but fun for me.

As long as we're talking about the garden, I may as well give a tomato update. I ended up taking out one plant (Goose Creek), and will take out another (unknown name) as soon as the few tomatoes on it ripen.

The unknown cherry tomato plant is doing well. It is unknown because the label got lost and I don't remember what it was called. I want to know so I don't buy it again, lol. When the tomatoes are ripe, they are tasty, but pick them one day before that and they are barely okay. The other cherry tomatoes I grew (Sweet 100s) weren't so finicky.

San Francisco Fog is the healthiest plant in the garden. Unfortunately, the tomatoes are just so so. I don't know if it my gardening technique or the tomatoes themselves. The first few I picked were tasteless, so much so that I was tempted to pull out the plant. The tomatoes I picked today were much better, but they still have super tough skins. I don't mind for cooking, but not for salads.

I'm still holding out hope for the Early Girls I planted a couple of weeks ago. And the San Maranzos are huge! Hope they taste as good as they look.

It is so d*mn humid!

We had lightning and a short thunderstorm today. Now we just have the humid after effects. I did like seeing all the unusual light and cloud formations last night at dusk. I wanted to take pictures, but A said they have the same effect so I didn't. Although I should have since digital doesn't cost anything except a bit of time.

Yesterday, we went to Target to escape the heat for a bit. I suppose it is cheaper than air conditioning (we don't have it). By that I mean of course I bought stuff I didn't need, like some lotion and SB supplies. I could have put the lotion back, but the SB adhesive? It was regularly $6.99, marked down to $1.74. I don't use that particular kind that often, but I did run out. I was bummed because when Xyron was at the local Scrapbook Expo (a consumer show), I missed out on the refills at $4 and was bummed. Now I was thrilled to get the same stuff for less than half that price. I was good and only bought five packs and left the rest for some other lucky shopper.

World Trade Center movie

I recently saw the ads for this movie on the TV. I don't be seeing it. I started to cry just from what little I saw. There is no way I could sit through that movie without turning into a wreak. I don't need to relive my sorrow again.

I'm usually rushing in the morning to get ready for work. For some unknown reason, I was early that fateful day and was watching the news. I watched the news in shock and horror. Andy was at work and I called him. I don't think either of us could really comprehend what was happening. The worst was watching the plane hit the second tower. It was so unreal, unbelievable, shocking that this was happening.

No, I don't think that making the movie is a bad thing, same with "Flight 93." I don't think it making a movie about an event is capitalizing on the tragedy, at least not always. I think I'm in the minority though. I think that people don't want to think about 9/11 or to glorify it, but in any case, if the movies help us remember that day, it is a good thing.

We were supposed to fly to Mexico for vacation two weeks later. Of course, we cancelled that trip. There was no way I was willing to fly to another country after that. We ended up going to Hawaii instead. Getting to the airport was surreal. We had to take a shuttle to the airport because no private cars were allowed. There were patrol cars at the main road to the airport; no cars waiting at the curb (that was really disconcerting); military with machine guns patrolling inside; tons of security that I could see and probably lots that I couldn't. Most of the passengers looked tense and worried.

I actually cried on the plane. I was scared and relieved at the same time that we took off safely. And I know I wasn't the only one who cried when we landed safely. All through the trip, everyone thanked us for coming to the island. It was very touching. Like our vacation was actually helping them. I guess it was. Hawaii is so dependent on tourism, businesses were really feeling the loss of tourists.

I used to like to travel; I used to enjoy flying. Not anymore. Now traveling is a chore with security checks, early check-ins, luggage concerns. Not the fun it used to be.

It is so d*mn hot!

I actually am enjoying the commute to/from work because at least I have air conditioning in the car. How's that for a sad life, lol!

You know it is hot if I've been wearing what I call my "skanky teen tanks" out in public. A doesn't think I'm letting it all hang out and I shouldn't be embarrassed about what I wear. But if you think I'm dressing inappropriately for my age, please let me know. I don't want to be that embarrassing friend you don't want to be seen with.

What's for dinner?

We had homemade chicken soup. Yum! It included Swiss chard and squash from the garden. I also made chicken chili for dinner tomorrow. Hmmm, do you think chicken was on sale this week, lol? The original plan was chicken soup and BBQ chicken. But the store ran out of what we originally wanted so we opted for whole chickens instead.

Healthy foods for dinner all week, that's a good thing.

I don't have good scrapbook junk either

The post title is in reference to a previous post I made:
Junk . I did another garage sale yesterday, this time a SB garage sale at a local store, and it was another bust.

On the plus side, this sale was easier in some ways than the previous sale I did. The store didn't require you to staff your table, so I could come and go as I pleased. Since I had stuff priced from the previous SB sale (which I did not blog about), there was less for me to do. On the down side, the store did not have air conditioning and boy, was it hot yesterday.

There weren't as many people selling, so I didn't buy much, which is a good thing. I got an awesome set of new stamps for $5 (MSRP $40). I already have a stamp from the set, but I think I will RAK it away. L and I traded a bit, but I still owe her since she had better stuff than I had.

One person sold $75 of stuff! Wowsers! The rest of us were in the teens, if even that. And she said that at a previous sale, she sold over $600 worth of stuff! I can't imagine having that much to sell.

So now my dilemma is should I now donate most of the stuff to the Boys&Girls Club. The tax writeoff will be so much easier to deal with. Or should I just keep the stuff and continue to try to sell it? Obviously, the next time a store has a sale, my stuff will be even older and even less desirable.

If you're local, you're welcome to stop by and rummage through my stuff before it goes away. And of course, I'm not going to charge you. A will be thrilled that the stuff is gone!

What is a worm bin?

You know, vermicomposting. Turning "trash" into brown gold, AKA worm poop, lol. It is great stuff for the garden. Vermicomposting is a faster way to turn your table scraps into compost. Here are some links if you'd like to start your own:
Easy worm bin
Indoor worm bin (similar to previous link)
Photos of worm bin and sorting
Wood worm bin
Another plastic worm bin
Yet another worm bin link

Yep, I'm turning my veggie scraps into worm poop. Hope you're not grossed out.

Disappointment

I had a chance to win tickets to a Rascal Flatts concert, but didn't win. Oh well, no biggie. Then the tickets were offered to me after all, but by the time I got a hold of A, the tickets were gone. I'm so bummed!

I so rarely want things like this, then to have the opportunity again only to lose it, really hurts.

Plus I decided to be good and not buy another QK font, even though it is a killer deal. Plus, I'm still at work and still have several hours more to do. Yes, we're still short handed. Sometimes life sucks.

Mid-July garden update

Prompted by a couple of conversations on organic produce and a segment on the Today show, I decided to add more seedlings to the vegetable garden. The Today show listed the "dirty dozen" that you should always buy organic:

Apples
Cherries
Grapes, imported (Chili)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries
Bell peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach

I eat most of the above on a regular basis and buy none of it organic. But I can grow my own bell peppers so I will. Actually, they were another veggie that I tried to start from seed with no luck. So off we went to Home Depot where I bought a six pack of bell peppers and a six pack of Early Girl. To heck with the heirlooms, I just want to make sure I actually get fresh, home-grown tomatoes this year.

It looks like I won't be getting a second batch of cucumbers. Something keeps eating the seedlings as soon as they come up. But I haven't given up hope and will keep planting seeds until I run out.

Anyone have any organic hints for getting rid of sowbugs (you know, those gray things that roll up when you touch them)? (Other than squishing them, which is gross and tedious and time consuming.)

Oh, I decided to start another worm bin. A helped me drill holes in a couple of 10 gallon containers; I finally found the ones I wanted at Lowes. I started the bin with coconut husks and newspaper shreds and I'll get the worms from my compost bin.

Change is bad

Yahoo has a new UI and I'm still getting used to it. I'm sure they put research into the new design (if they were smart that is). Actually, the new tagline is "You spoke. We listened." so it does sound like thought went into the new design. I'm just not sure if I like it.

Yesterday, I tried to change the look of my blog, but I don't know enough HTML to edit the standard templates. Oh, I did make several changes...and then everything went all wonky. After that happening several times, it was back to this look. Like I said, change is bad.

Should I apply for the job?

I was considering applying for a job at a local SB store. They want someone for the Friday night crops and Sundays. That is perfect for my schedule since I do have my day job. I wonder what they pay?

I don't have any retail experience, so that would work against me. And I'm not a cutting edge scrapbooker, again a negative. Too bad fun, enthusiastic, and dependable don't count when you're applying for a job.

I have a new reader...

so I added her to my blogging friends list. Thanks for all the comments! Be sure to visit my blogging friends and leave 'em comments. Or if you can't because you don't belong to the various sites, just send them an e-mail or pm. We all love our readers.

2 for the price of 1

I love it when a veggie does double duty. I've been picking the squash blossoms from the overabundant crooked neck squash plants. The first time, I gave them to a friend (who then decided she needed her own plant for the blossoms, lol). The second time, I sauteed them with some onion and ate them in quesadillas. The onions overpowered the blossoms so I need to adjust the ratio next time. Tonight, I floured the blossoms and pan fried them. They were yummy, but certainly not low cal. For the best effect, I should have used more oil, but was trying to be good, healthwise.

There is no danger of running out of squash, even though I've been picking the blossoms. I've got several little squash growing and besides, crooked neck squash isn't my favorite. Ironic that I usually have a lot of trouble growing squash. You know how everyone complains about being overrun with squash? I'm lucky to get a meal or two. But this year? We've already had several meals, and gave away three batches. Why can't I have this kind of luck with snow peas?

I have no fashion sense

I had a one year subscription to a shopping/fashion magazine and it was a complete waste of $ and time. I'm just too cheap to spend what the articles showed. And the fashions they showed? Oh gag! I'm just not into buying clothes that last a season. I still don't understand how to mix stripes with florals or baby doll styles. Or how to mix tailored with soft looks with the right shoes and accessories. Maybe that's why I haven't bought anything new for a year or more.

Oh, I did buy some new shoes, but I was due for those. I stopped wearing skirts to work because my dress pumps all wore out and I hadn't replaced them. I got some awesome deals on a pair of boots and a pair of brown pumps, but then after I got home with them, the number of outfits that looked good with them was very limited. Sad thing is I couldn't tell until I actually put the whole outfit together. I couldn't see it in my head. I still think the boots and shoes were a good deal since it less than $20 for each pair.

Hey fellow bloggers...

time to update your blogs! I've been updating my favorites and deleted some blogs that were not updated since last year. There are several others that haven't been updated in months. If you're one of those people, you're in danger of falling off of list.

And, if you've been checking out my blog, how about some comments? (how pathetic, now I'm beggin for comments, sigh)

Now you see it, now you don't

Yes, it is another case of the disappearing blog entry. Hey, you gotta be quick around here, lol. It was another complaining post and although after reading it again, I decided it wasn't as much of a downer as I originally thought, I still decided to delete it. Besides, no one commented on it, so no one must have read it, right?