Simple Saturday

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Details:
Stamps: Sassy Stems (SU!)
Ink: Bliss Blue, Pretty In Pink, Mellow Moss (SU!)
Paper: White
Accessories: Blender Pen (SU!)

She Really Needed It!

Since I didn't work any overtime today (by choice), Abby and I had some time to spend together, and I was able to give her her much, much, much needed haircut. I think she's pretty happy with it. It's a good thing she has curly hair and you can't really see what a chop job it is! You would NOT believe the pile of hair I cut off of her. I swear it was enough to make a whole other dog! Crazy huge pile! I'm sure she feels so much cooler. Poor thing has been walking around here panting up a storm. This weekend she gets a bath (shhhhh, don't tell her).

Here she's just irritated that I keep interrupting her bunny sniffing to take pictures.

A yellow lab just moved in next door, so she has a new fence-running buddy.

She just can't find that bunny!

Another Headless Lady

I don't know what it is with My Favorite Things stamps, but none of the ladies have heads. Despite that, it's quickly becoming one of my favorite new stamp companies. I think I mentioned that before. Remember the headless lady with the umbrella walking her dog in the rain? Same company. When I saw their new releases, I just had to have them! Two sets came out at the same time...Gone To The Dogs and Friends Furever (click on the links to see the full sets). These were delivered right before Mother's Day, and this is the first chance I've had to play. I threw this together quickly tonight after watching American Idol.

There are a bunch of different dog breeds included with the Gone To The Dogs set...including a golden! This set is so me!

Oh, and I always walk my dog wearing a skirt and high heels. Doesn't everybody?

Speaking of AI, who do you think is going to win? I think it's going to be David.

David A. that is. I still like David C. better, but judging by the screams coming from the crowd tonight, I think David A. has it in the bag. He just seems so overwhelmed. I hope he can handle it!

Wilson's

On of the places that everyone who visits Door County has to eat at is Wilson's Ice Cream Parlor in Ephraim. We were disappointed last year because they weren't open for the season yet, but this year they were, so we had to check it out. It has been located in the same spot since 1906. It's an old fashioned soda fountain and ice cream parlor with a plenty of nostalgia including table-top jukeboxes playing the oldies. We had intended to stop for ice cream, but it was around lunch time so we decided to try out their burgers and fries and home-brewed root beer. Unfortunately, the jukebox at our table was out of order.



Please excuse this horrible picture of me. We had been walking around in the rain...NOT good for the curly hair.

Anyway, we wound up going back the next day for ice cream and I got to play with the jukebox. Choosing songs by Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys among others.

Simple Sunday

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is the nearest big city to your home?

Chicago.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

10 - If you tell me something and say you don't want anyone else to know, I'm not going to tell anyone else. However, I'm not fond of keeping secrets, so don't make a habit of it.

Salad
Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

Medium brown intermixed with more and more gray every day (I really need to pick up some color), shoulder length, naturally curly but manageable.

Main Course
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I think I'm a confident driver. It doesn't pay to be aggressive, and going too slow can cause aggression in others. I have noticed lately that a lot of people are slowing down (much to Paul's chagrin), and I think that's due to the price of gas. I'm courteous to a certain point, but not to the point of being stupid. I mean, if you're at a four way stop and it's your turn and you wave on all three cars to go before you...holding up the line behind you...that just messes up the flow and causes aggression in those behind you. If it's your turn, go!! I have an issue with a four-way stop in the neighborhood where I work. Oh yeah, and another issue of mine is if there a yield sign, that means you YIELD! You have no idea how many times I have seen cars just blow right through a yield sign while driving through that above-mentioned neighborhood.

I better quit while I'm ahead because I'm just going to get myself worked up.

Dessert

When was the last time you had a really bad week?

I don't know. I'll have a bad day once in a while, but it usually doesn't ruin my whole week.

Eye Am Okay

Just a quick note to update you on the results my ophthalmologist appointment Thursday. Everything is fine...he didn't see anything to worry about. He said the peripheral of the retina looks different than the rest of the retina and that is probably the reason the optometrist saw something she thought was a hole.

So...good news.

Now it's off to work.

Anyone Need A Vacuum?

I have a crappy Hoover you can have. There is a new sheriff around these parts, folks, and his name is Animal!

It's a Dyson Animal! Isn't he purty!! This was an anniversary and early birthday present for both of us from mom. She bought it from Bob and Jerry!

I've never been so excited to vacuum in my life. I have been wanting one of these ever since I found out about them. With the way Abby sheds, we needed something stronger than we had, and according to John Dyson, his vacuums "never lose suction." I have read a lot of great reviews about it and stare longingly at them every time we go to Target, but I am waaaaay to cheap to pay $500 for a vacuum. It just so happened that Jerry was wanting to sell hers and she remembered mom talking about how I would love one!

Mom brought it over the other night to surprise us and then we went out to dinner. As soon as we got home, I sat down with the instruction manual and then took it for a test drive. Paul had just vacuumed the living room the day before...the morning of Mother's Day...so the carpet shouldn't have been too bad, right? I mean, it looked okay. Never mind Paul threatening to shave Abby bald by the time he was done. So anyway, I plugged it in and started with the area behind the love seat...the walkway from the front door to the kitchen. After I vacuumed that area, I had to empty the canister. Oh my gosh!! I couldn't believe all the hair and dust that thing sucked out of the carpet! I then proceeded to vacuum the rest of the living room. I emptied the canister a total of three times. Wads of hair came up! It's crazy! I haven't attempted the stairs yet, but I can't wait to see what comes out of them because our old vacuum did a horrible job with stairs.

Here's a picture of Abby with her new friend...looking not so thrilled (she's terrified of vacuums).

Anyway, I just wanted to share my new possession with you and just dance around a little saying, "I got a Dyson...I got a Dyson...I got a Dyson!!" LOL

I must be getting old. If you would have asked me 20 years ago if I would have ever gotten this excited over a vacuum, I would have thought you were crazy!

Now I'll have clean floors and Abby will get to keep her hair.

Thanks mom (and Abby thanks you too)!

May is a Busy Month!

I had/have a ton of cards to make this month! Can you believe the month is half over already?! It seems like it was just Christmas.

I pulled out my PMSaBella again for this next card, and this one was for my boss. Not everyone can give their boss a card like this. I'm very lucky. We're the same age, started just months apart, and have been through a lot together in our department. She loved it...as I knew she would! This was just to wish her a stress-free day.

This next one is for another coworker for her birthday tomorrow. She is celebrating what she considers a milestone birthday...she's turning 65. We've become good friends since we have worked together and she's going to be retiring at the end of the year, so I wanted to make her a special card. We each bring in a treat for our own birthdays, and tomorrow she's going all out for herself. She ordered a special cake and bought party decorations...for herself. Leave it to Cindy.


If you want any details on the cards, feel free to post a comment or email me. It's waaaay past my bedtime!

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all you mom's out there had a happy Mother's Day, including both those with two- and four-legged children alike. We had mom and her friend over for brunch this morning, which consisted of your choice of strawberry, blueberry, or cherry crepes; cinnamon rolls; bacon; scrambled eggs; and coffee and OJ. This was my first attempt at making crepes. Paul ordered some while we were in Door County and really liked them, so he suggested maybe we try those. I was a little nervous about trying something new on a holiday, but what better guinea pig than good ol' mom. Even if they were horrible, she would say they were good. However, I do have to say that they turned out pretty good. I practiced on one before they arrived, and it was a complete disaster. By the time she was there to watch, I looked like I knew what I was doing...even though I had no clue. I should have taken a picture. I had my camera sitting there the whole time but didn't get any pictures. Shame on me!

After they left and I took quite a long nap on the couch, we went over to Paul's aunt's house and took her some flowers and a card and sat and visited with them for a couple hours.

One thing I did get pictures of is the cards. Yeah, leave it to me...get pictures of the cards but not the people. I really need to work on that.


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Details - Card #1:
Stamp: Garden Collage (SU), Happy Mother's Day (Hero Arts)
Ink: Metallic chalks; Chocolate (CTMH)
Paper: Cardstock - Close to Cocoa (SU), Blush (CTMH); Patterned - CTMH
Accessories: Blender pen (SU), dew drops, foam dimensionals, ribbon
Details - Card #2:
Stamp: Buzz in the Air! (Penny Black Margaret Sherry Collection)
Ink: Chocolate, Blush (CTMH); Barely Banana, Mellow Moss (SU)
Paper: Watercolor paper; Cardstock - Close to Cocoa (SU), white; Patterned - CTMH
Accessories: Watercolor brush, Prima flowers, dew drops, computer-generated sentiment, large oval punch (SU), Mega circle punch (Marvy), Giga scalloped circle punch (Marvy)

Friday's Feast 2 For 1

Since we were out of town last Friday and I didn't participate in Friday's Feast, you get a double feature this week. Hope you're hungry!

Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

Flintstones. Meet the Flintstones. They're the modern stone age family. From the...town of Bedrock...they're a page right of of history....

I was also a big fan of Sesame Street and the Electric Company, although they weren't cartoons.

Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

Gee....this is a toughie. A dog (golden retriever or a golden doodle, of course). Right now I'm liking the name Olive, but Paul's not to keen on that one so we'll see.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

I'll say 7-3/4. It's fun to get dressed up once in a while, but I'm most comfortable in jeans and a sweatshirt or sweats and a T-shirt.

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

When I'm driving by myself, I typically don't listen to any music. In the morning it's too much talk radio and news. After work I prefer to unwind in silence. If Paul's driving, he usually has the radio on a classic rock station.

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

I bought a plain round clock to decorate and put in the bathroom, but it's been sitting on my shelf in my craft room for a couple of years now. I'll get around to it someday.

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Appetizer
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

Yes. I hate it when you smile at someone and they don't return it.

Soup
Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

Carpet throughout except in kitchen, bathrooms, and entryway where it is ceramic tile. We're thinking about hardwood. Maybe someday...after I hang the clock in the bathroom.

Salad
Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

My mom makes mouth-watering meatballs.

Main Course
Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

I don't personally know anyone right now with an adopted child, but I know a couple of adults who were adopted as children.

Dessert
Name 2 blue things.

1. My car.
2. The car we rented for our trip last weekend. Look at this...it's a 2008 Ford Taurus, but it was POWDER BLUE! Unfortunately when you rent a car, you don't get to choose the color. This picture doesn't even come close to how powdery this car actually was.

The Eyes Have It

First off, let me apologize for not posting very often lately. There just aren't enough hours in the day. I've been working a TON of overtime because we're so busy at work. We have had a couple of people off sick for quite a while. Well...one is sick. The other one just has "issues." I won't get into that, though. All this overtime is really starting to cut into my personal time. There is so much I need to do around here. We're planning to finally put in a patio out back this spring, I'm trying to get ready for a garage sale to get rid of some stuff that is just taking up space, and I'm working on garden plans. I just don't have time for everything. I can't complain about the money I've been bringing home, but I would really like some free time to get stuff done.

I also had a few days off so we could enjoy our trip to Door County for our anniversary. We had a really good time. It was very relaxing. I'll try to post some pictures in the next few days, although we didn't take that many this time. We did pretty much the same things as last time, but this time it rained quite a bit. We requested the same room we stayed in last year because of the wonderful view. There was a question of whether it would be available or not because they apparently had some sort of electrical fire in the unit (yeah...that's a little scary), but it was ready for us by the time we arrived. Next time we go, we're planning to try it a little later in May so we can see the cherry blossoms in bloom. There are a ton of cherry orchards up there.

On top of all that, I've had a few doctor appointments taking up my time. I've been poked and prodded and scanned and all that jazz. It seems I have a few ovarian cysts and infected tubes and stuff causing me quite a bit of pain. Now next week I have another appointment to contend with. I had an eye exam last week because it was time for some new glasses, and my optometrist saw something that concerned her, so she's sending me to a retinal specialist. I've always had a lot of floaters, so I always go the extra step with eye exams and get my eyes dilated so they can get a better look. She saw a small (pinpoint) thinned out area on the very outer edge of my retina. Because of how far out it was, she had a hard time getting a really good look at it and said she would feel better if I had it looked at. Yipee. It's more than likely something that they will just want to keep a close eye on, but it does put me at a higher risk for retinal detachment and subsequent blindness in that eye (my right eye). I'm not having any symptoms of detachment such as flashing lights or anything, and I can see fine...with my glasses, of course. Without my glasses, I'm blind as a bat as usual. My appointment is next Thursday morning. I hate going to the eye doctor even more than the regular doctor or the dentist, so I'm not looking forward to this. Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes.

That's Not Entirely True

She also got a variety of flavored doggie treats.

I'm sure she prefers our cherry popcorn, though.