Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?

I guess I would have to say the ferris wheel. I'm not a big fan of rides. Barry is the daredevil in the family. The last ride I went on was the Batman ride at Great America probably about 12 years ago...and I still don't think I'm over it. I get motion sickness when Paul takes a corner too fast while driving. As far as carnival rides, I think I inherited dad's mistrust. I don't trust rides that can be put up and taken down in a day. If I'm feeling especially adventurous, I might tackle the ferris wheel and the merry-go-round.

Soup
How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?

I try not to get myself in them in the first place.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics?

That totally depends on who it is with and the particular topic.

Main Course
Did you get a flu shot this year? If not, do you plan to?

Yes. We get it free at work if we want it. Paul and I both had the flu one year at the same time and it was horrible! Ever since then, I have received the shot. I haven't had the flu since. Where is some wood for me to knock on?

Dessert
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend watching television?

Oh gosh. Probably on average a couple of hours per day. We usually watch TV while eating dinner (I know...baaaaaad habit). There are a few shows that I have to watch every week and then I usually catch a little of the Food Network on the weekends. Paul definitely watches more TV than I do. Just don't ask me how many hours per week I spend on the computer!

Lightboxes

Barry sent me an email showing off these cool lightboxes that Lisa and her sister made. He wasn't very forthcoming with the details, and even with some sly detective work, I couldn't figure out how these were made. So, Lisa...spill it sister. Inquiring minds want to know. They're gorgeous with the light and the sheer ribbon.



Edited to add: Thanks to those of you who commented giving me the details...you all are so sweet! Lisa revealed the secret. They're glass blocks from the hardware store with holes drilled in them. They put Modge Podge on them, one side at a time, and then covered them with diamond dust. They then stuffed the lights inside and added the bows. Sounds pretty simple, but the effect is definitely elegant! Great job, ladies!

Merry, Merry, Merry

I don't know what I'm going to do with all these Christmas cards! This one was fun to make. The holly is from a Stampin' Up set that I haven't used in forever. If you can't tell from the shadow, this is a window card with the image stamped on the inside. I also added some sparkle to this one, which you can see better in the close-up.


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Card Details:
Stamp: SU! Season's Sketches, $1 stamp sentiment from Michaels
Ink: SU! Purely Pomegranate, Mellow Moss, True Thyme, and black
Paper: Cardstock: White; SU! Mellow Moss; Patterned: From scrap pile
Accessories: Giga oval scalloped punch, Sakura Lightening gel pen, paper piercing kit, snaps, SU! large oval punch

Gary's Blanket

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, mom cut extra from the spruce for Jackie to make a blanket for Gary's grave. Here's how hers turned out. She did a great job on it. These will be really pretty when a little bit of snow is covering the ground...not that I'm wanting to hurry that along or anything. It snowed a little the evening before Thanksgiving and that is enough to last me the whole year.

Blanket

I talked to mom this evening. She said that this year instead of buying a grave blanket or making a wreath for dad's grave, she decided to cut the overgrowth from the blue spruce in her yard and make his blanket. The neat thing about this is that this is from a tree that dad planted himself about 25 years ago. I think this was a wonderful idea. Dad would love that! She sent me some pictures so I could see it. Doesn't it look nice?


Looks like snow doesn't it? It's not. I emailed her back and asked her what she did to get the snow...thinking it was that canned snow stuff. She said there is no snow...it's just the way the blue spruce photographed. How cool is that?

She cut some extra from the tree, and Jackie is going over there tomorrow night to put one together for Gary's grave.

Candy Cane Fun

The other day I dug out all my holiday images to see what all I have and put them all in a box on top of my table. This candy cane is a $1 stamp from Michaels from last year (I think) that I never used. I stamped it on watercolor paper and colored it with ink and a blender pen. The sentiment is yet another $1 stamp. The dots on the bow and the doodling around the edge have a bit of sparkle, which you can kind of see better in the close-up.


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Card Details:
Stamp: Michaels $1 stamps
Ink: SU! Real Red and Wild Wasabi
Paper: Watercolor paper; Cardstock - SU! Real Red and Wild Wasabi; Patterned - DCWV Text Prints Stack
Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, SU! blender pen, Sakura Lightening gel pen (clear), decorative-edge scissors

Wanted

It's time to start thinking about Christmas cards, and as most of you know, ours always incorporates a picture of our little model, Miss Abby. I set her up for a little photo shoot Sunday and snapped a few pictures. As we were going through them, Paul thought one of them looked like a mug shot, so of course I had to run with that.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Best Games (Video, Board, Card, etc.)

1. Gin Rummy
2. Cribbage
3. Breakout - You know...the computer game where you move the paddle across the bottom of the screen and hit the ball up to remove bricks. I don't know what it is about that game, but once I start, I can't stop! It becomes an obsession and I have to get through all the levels!
   
4. Sequence
5. Cranium
   
6. Uno
7. Aggravation
   
8. Yahtzee
   
9. Scrabble - Even though I'm horrible at it. It's like I lose all ability to form words when I get those little tiles in front of me.
10. Phase 10

I didn't grow up playing a lot of games. I had the standard Candy Land, Monopoly, and so forth. I could talk dad into playing once in a while...or my cousin Beth and I would play. I remember we would always play Monopoly but never buy property. It would take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to finish. One game we especially loved playing was Mystery Date? Remember that one? Would it be the ski dude or maybe the guy in the tux? Oh no...it's the dud!

Paul and I love playing games, whether it's board games, trivia, cards or even darts, pool, or bowling. We're always up for a game.

Be Merry

Last week's Color Challenge on Splitcoast was to use Pretty in Pink and Wild Wasabi together. I usually don't get a chance to participate in the Color Challenge, but I was intrigued by that combo, so I thought I would give it a try. Here's my card...


For those of you who might be wondering what happened to last week's "Friday's Feast," there was no feast last Friday...the chef took a Thanksgiving break. I think we were all pretty full of turkey anyway.
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Card Details:
Stamps: TAC
Ink: SU! Positively Pink, Wild Wasabi, and Barely Banana; CTMH Chocolate
Paper: SU! Pretty In Pink, Wild Wasabi; watercolor paper. Printed is from scrap pile, so I'm not sure.
Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, SU! Blender Pens, stickles (on star)

The Weekend's Over

Why is it that weekends, especially the long ones, always go so fast?

I didn't do too much this weekend. I developed a headache late Thursday afternoon and couldn't shake it until sometime on Saturday. It's a good thing we didn't have any plans for Friday anyway. I told Paul weeks ago that I didn't even want to look outside on "Black Friday." All I wanted to do is stay inside and watch Christmas movies. I need all the help I can get to get into the holiday spirit. It gets harder and harder every year. Maybe it's the commercialism of the holidays. I don't know. We alternated between watching movies and playing games, and we didn't leave the house...not even to get the mail. Paul's cousin called to see if we wanted to have lunch, but I stood my ground.

I was trying hard to even avoid watching any news, and I preferred not to know what was going on outside our four walls. Unfortunately, as we were relaxing and watching Elf...one of my favorite Christmas movies, which we recorded when it played on Thanksgiving...we saw a snippet of the news. There were two homicides in town. They kept showing one of the houses where one of them occurred...one on the southeast side of town. We kept saying, "Why does that house look familiar?" Finally Paul Googled it and we figured out why it looked so familiar...because we drive by it almost every single day. It's just down the street...about 4 blocks away. So...a 28-year-old Hispanic man was shot to death in our neighborhood at 1:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. As far as I can find out, they still haven't caught the person/people who did it. They said it wasn't a drive-by and that he was shot at close range in his neighbor's driveway. Wednesday night I had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs and was still sleeping at around that time. It's weird the sirens didn't wake me up. We went out to lunch today, and as we were driving home there was a gathering of the family in the driveway of his house in a prayer circle. That was sad to see. It's scary...that's for sure. This is a quiet neighborhood. Not one you expect to see on the news. I guess it doesn't much matter where you live anymore.

Well...I better get to bed. I know I'm going to have a long day at work tomorrow. We were already behind before Thanksgiving, and to make matters worse, the clinics were open on Friday but not us...so now we're really going to be behind. Hopefully, that means there will be some overtime in my future, though! The extra money would be nice about now!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great long weekend! I have some cards and pictures to post, so hopefully I'll talk to you again tomorrow night!

Happy Birthday, Sheila!

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things You're Thankful For

1. I'm thankful for my wonderful husband whom I love and whose love for me I never doubt.
2. I'm thankful that I have a job that I like and enjoy going to every day.
3. I'm thankful that in the current economy we both still have jobs to go to.
   
4. I'm thankful for having a mom that allowed us to move in with her while I stopped working and went back to school full-time in order to find a job doing something I enjoy.
   
5. I'm thankful that we are able to own our own home.
6. I'm thankful to a lady in town who decided to breed Katie and Buddy together to produce a litter of adorable puppies, one of which is my baby girl.
7. I'm thankful to all my friends...past, present, and future...those who have stuck by me through thick and thin and those I have yet to meet.
   
8. I'm thankful for my family. We're small in number and sometimes it seems that we're so far apart, but I know we're always close in heart.
9. I'm thankful that I live in America. I may grumble and gripe sometimes about how weird this country has become...how it seems to be falling apart. It, however, is still the land of freedom and opportunity, and for that I'm grateful.
   
10. Last but not least...and definitely most important...I'm thankful to God. I'm thankful for the life he gave me, the beauty that surrounds me, and for everything he has brought into my life. Without him, we simply would not be.
    

Catching Up

These are cards I've sent lately for various reasons. I didn't want to post them on here until they were received by their recipients. As far as I know, they have all been received and are safe to display.

Another Digital Page

I spent a few minutes tonight playing around with the digital stuff again. This is using a "quick page," meaning the page was already put together, so all I had to do was add the pictures and text. Clicking on the picture will bring up a larger view. The original size is 12 x 12, but I shrunk it for faster loading.

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Page Details:
"Snow Wonder" quick page by Sugar Snap Scraps.

Purple Snow Cutie

Paul's aunt's birthday is coming up in December, and purple is her favorite color.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Penny Black "Little Snowy"
Ink: Palette Noir; SU! Lovely Lilac, Positively Pink, Bliss Blue
Paper: Cardstock - SU! Positively Pink, unknown purple; Printed - KI Memories
Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, brads, SU! Photo Corner punch

Another Cute Video

This one is on the patience of the golden retriever. LOL. This kitty is a riot!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What was your first “real” job?

That would be my first job in a salon right out of beauty school. If you want to call that a real job. I think the crazy lady hired me just because she had no business and wanted someone to talk to. She was strange. She was a little too into ghosts and spirits and stuff. I can't remember how long I worked for her, but I quit the day after she had me go buy a Ouija board and asked me to play along at work one afternoon. That is a whole other story for another time, though.

Soup
Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?

The stamp store, of course.

Salad
Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…

I come out of a store and can't find my car...and let me tell you, that's happening more and more lately.

Main Course
What values did your parents instill in you?

Honesty, hard work, equality, integrity, loyalty, responsibility, empathy, compassion

Dessert
Name 3 fads from your teenage years.

Leg warmers, acid-washed jeans, Rubik's cube

More Miss Molly

Got an update from Sheila. Molly had another checkup at the vet. She has gained a couple of pounds and is doing great!

Be Thankful

Sorry about the crummy picture...it gets dark so early now and I just really don't have good lighting around here.
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Card Details:
Stamp: TAC
Ink: SU! Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Marigold Morning, Basic Brown, Eggplant, and Certainly Celery
Paper: Misc. from scrap pile (except base is SU! Always Artichoke)
Accessories: Cuttlebug script embossing folder, SU! blender pen, ribbon, brads

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Songs That Bring Back Memories (and why)

1. Once in A Lifetime by Michael Bolton - This was one of the songs we chose for our wedding that the soloist sang.
2. I Swear by All 4 One - The other song we chose for the soloist to sing at our wedding.
3. She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby - For some reason I have a distinct memory of lying on the floor as a teenager doing homework and this song came on the radio. I never liked that song, but I remember thinking at that time that I will always remember this.
4. You're Beautiful by James Blunt - This is the song that we heard over and over and over again while driving to North Carolina during our last vacation.
5. Look What the Cat Dragged In by Poison - My first experience with the 80's "hair bands." Sheila had the album and made me a tape before she went on vacation to Arizona one year. I remember thinking I wasn't going to like it, but since my best friend was out of town and I had nothing else to do, I listened to it...over and over and over again. So started the obsession.
6. She's Got The Look by Roxette - I remember dancing with Paul to this song before we were even going out.
7. Don't Take The Girl by Tim McGraw - This doesn't really bring back any memories, but I absolutely refuse to listen to this song because it makes me cry every single time. I can't handle it. Dang country music...it does that to me a lot.
   
8. The Sweetest Days by Vanessa Williams - Another wedding song. I remember us driving back from a mall somewhere before our wedding, and we paid special attention to the songs on the radio, trying to come up with songs for our reception. This one came on, and we both thought it was perfect.
   
9. Grease by Frankie Valli (the theme song for the movie) - I remember Deb taking me to see that the theater. It came out in, I think, 1978...so I would have been 9 or so depending on what part of the year it was. That would have made her 18. Taking your little sister to a movie probably wasn't the coolest thing to do, but I loved it and will always remember. It has been one of my favorite musicals since then. I have to sing along with every song whenever I watch it on TV.
   

This was actually really hard for me because I'm not one where music brings back a lot of memories. I don't hear a song and am instantly taken back in time. I had to really dig deep here. Paul is...so he would be better at that than me.

I do love music, though, and love to sing. Speaking of singing...and the movie Grease...I remember owning the soundtrack and writing down all the words to all the songs so I could sing along. Now of course it was a record, so that means picking up the needle placing it back down to "rewind" over and over again. Probably not the best thing for my record player! There was no internet back then where you can punch in the name of any song and get the lyrics instantly. Try trying to write the words to "We Go Together" from the Grease Soundtrack by listening to a record! That takes some talent!

We go together like ramma lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong
Remembered forever as shoo-bop sha whada whadda yippidy boom da boom
Chang chang changity chang shoo bop that's the way it should be
Waooo Yeah

We're one of a kind like dip da dip da dip do whap de dobby do
Our names are signed like boogy boogy boogy boogy shooby shoo wap shoo wap
Chang chang changity chang shoo bop we'll always be like one
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-one

She's a Good Sport

Snow Friends

I've been playing around with watercolor paper and Stampin' Up inks and blender pens off and on all weekend. I'm also on some sort of snowman kick. This is another stamp I bought at Archivers last weekend. One can never have too many snowmen (or snowgirls in this case)!

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Card Details:
Stamp: Little Snowy by Penny Black; TAC Snow Friends sentiment; SU! Snowflakes
Ink: SU! Positively Pink, Bliss Blue, Bordering Blue; Palette Noir
Paper: Cardstock - SU! Buckaroo Blue; Patterned - DCWV Text Prints Stack
Accessories: SU! Blender Pen, SU! Large Oval punch, Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder

Peace On Earth

I was at Archivers last weekend and picked up this pretty holiday stamp by Northwoods Rubber Stamps. I stamped it a couple of days ago on watercolor paper and used some Stampin' Up! ink and a blender pen to color it. I decided to go with a blue ornament because I had just received my SU! order containing some Bliss Blue paper and ink. It's been sitting on my desk for a couple of days , and today I was inspired by a blue card by Gail at The Dragonfly Garden, so I thought I would go ahead and put this together tonight. I found this patterned paper at Archivers too...another one of those papers that cost about $2 a sheet, but it's so shimmery and pretty that I couldn't help myself! The layout is a sketch by Emily at Stamping Expressions.


Well, I absolutely have to get to bed. I'm going with mom tomorrow morning to check out a condo that she wants to look at!

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Card Details:
Stamps: Northwoods Rubber Stamps; sentiment by Rubber Stampede
Ink: SU! Bliss Blue and Always Artichoke
Paper: Watercolor paper; Cardstock - SU! Bliss Blue, Buckaroo Blue, and US White; Patterned - Heidi Grace Designs.
Accessories: CM Circle Punch, SU! blender pen, Stickles

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?

Popcorn...or Reeses Pieces...or both. I guess it's a good thing we don't go to very many movies.

Soup
What year did you start using the Internet?

If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say late 1994. I remember the first time Paul came over to mom's house we got on the Internet...AOL on a dial-up connection. That would have been early 1995. I don't think I had it much before then. I still wish dad would have gotten to experience the Internet. He would just be blown away with what you can do today.

Salad
What is your first name in Pig Latin?

Onicamay.

Main Course
Name something you are picky about.

Oh, gosh. I don't know. I don't think I'm all that picky, but some might disagree. Let's see...I don't like my cooked vegetables, especially broccoli and green beans, to be crisp. They have to be on the well-done side. I don't like cooked carrots or peas (however, I love raw carrots). I also won't eat a hamburger if I can see any pink in it.

I think I was supposed to stop at one thing.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: I ____ ____ yesterday and I ____ ____ today.

I was tired yesterday, and I am tired today. What's new.

Look Who Came to Visit!!

All this past week Sheila had been trying to find time to get together with me because she had "something she wanted my opinion on," but I was either not home or not awake every time she called. Finally I said that I'd me home on Thursday evening...and awake (had to watch the crossover episodes of CSI and Without A Trace, you know).

Well, look what she "wanted my opinion" on... I would like for you all to meet Molly! Isn't she a cutie! She's part corgi and part Jack Russell terrier, and she's three months old.


Sorry for the picture quality. We don't have very good lightening in the living room plus one of the kitchen lights is out and Paul needs to change the bulb. She'll be back, so I'll take some better pictures then. I just had to get a quick picture to post here.

Abby didn't quite know what to think of her. She was excited to have a puppy in the house; however, she was for more interested on kissing on Molly's daddy. (She's such a flirt.)

On a sad note, after having Molly for only two days, they found out she has a congenital condition in which she has narrowing of the esophagus above the heart. The vet doesn't know how long she'll be with us...it could even be to adulthood, but you can bet she will have a happy life for however long that is.

Congratulations Sheila and Dave on the new addition to your family! Send me some better pictures so I can post them on here! Oh, and Dave...Abby sends her love.