Oh My Gosh!

Remember my last post about signing the beam that is going to be part of the new addition at work. Well, apparently there was a bit on the news showing the "topping off" ceremony when they placed that final beam. They zoomed in on one signature...mine! Holy cow! I didn't see it when it aired, but one of our extra help girls told me today that my name is famous...that it was on the news. She happened to see the clip on the nightly news. I went and found the clip online. Out of all the signatures from the students, faculty, and staff, they showed mine. I'm so embarrassed!

I included the clip below...just click on it. Hope you can see it. I guess this is my 2 seconds of fame.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

The construction of the new addition at work is moving right along. We're in the midst of cement trucks, cranes, semis, beams, and lots and lots of steel. You don't walk outside without looking up to make sure a big piece of something heavy isn't about to drop on your head...it feels that way anyway. The construction crew set up one of the primary beams outside for all the students, faculty, and staff to sign if we wanted. Short messages were allowed. Some people just signed their name. Some people wrote something profound. I just decided to go with something snarky.


The topping out ceremony will be sometime next week, which I believe is when the beam will be placed to signify the end of that phase of the construction. It's neat to be able to leave our mark like that. The new addition will eventually be the new home of the National Center for Rural Health.

Why Do The Weekends Go By So Fast?

We're back from our weekend get-away to Door County. We had a nice time while we were there and actually kept pretty busy, but now that we're back to the daily grind, it just seems like the weekend flew by. I hardly took any pictures this time. It was our third time there, and we stayed in the exact same room we always stay in. We request it every time because of the beautiful view.



We did a lot of the same things we always do...eating, shopping, Pirate's Cove mini golf, drive-in movie. Playing this time was 17 Again and He's Just Not That Into You. Not exactly what Paul would pick to see. 17 Again was cute. The other one was b-o-r-i-n-g. I actually stayed awake through it all though. Usually I fall asleep at the beginning of the second movie.

I was really hoping the cherry trees would be in bloom this time. That's one reason we went a couple of weeks later than our anniversary. No such luck. A few of the trees had a few blooms, but it's going to be another week or so before they are in full bloom. The weather was half-way descent. It rained a bit on Friday night during the movie. Saturday was sunny but VERY windy...which along the water means COLD!! Sunday was beautiful, so we hung around until about 4:30 doing some more shopping and fitting in another lunch...and a sundae at Wilsons. Neither one of us wanted to leave, although I was missing Miss Abby...who stayed with mom and Mr. Sheldon.

Well, I've got to get to work.

Mother's Day Brunch

We had mom over this morning for brunch. Paul made waffles and we topped them with cherries or blueberries and Cool Whip. I made Grandma Brown's bread pudding recipe to surprise mom. It needed a little more sugar, but it seemed to be good otherwise. I'm not a big fan of bread pudding myself, as I have to pick around the raisins, but Paul and mom seemed to like it.

I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day!

Food For Thought Friday

Breakfast

Beach or mountains?

Both. Actually, I've never actually been to the mountains...only the beach, so I feel I really can't answer this honestly. I do love the beach, though. There is just something about looking out over the water and feeling the pull of the ocean. There is no other feeling like it. I love walking along the shore looking for shells.

Edited to add: What the heck was I thinking?! I have too been to the mountains! Thanks, Barry, for reminding me of that fact! When I wrote the above, I had a distinct picture in my head of the snow-capped mountains of the West...a place where I would love to visit but haven't yet had the opportunity to. I have, however, been to the mountains of the East. Heck, we stayed in a chalet in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains, and we still both consider it one of the best vacations we have ever had! It was so beautiful. We were there in October just as the leaves were starting to change...gorgeous and so peaceful! I'm a total idiot! Not only that, but we drove through the beautiful mountains of West Virginia on our way home from North Carolina. I can't believe I didn't even think in that direction. I just haven't been "with it" lately. Ask Paul...he'll agree with that.

So now I really can honestly say I don't know which I love more...the mountains or the beach. I'll take either of them!!

Lunch
Online shopping or store shopping?

I'm not a fan of shopping in stores unless they're not busy. I don't like...make that hate... crowds. However, I don't wind up shopping a lot online either. How then did I end up with so much stuff?!!

Dinner

If you live in America, do you enjoy Mother's Day? If not, does your country celebrate Motherhood in any way?

Since I'm not a mom, this question really doesn't pertain to me. It's kind of a weird question anyway. I do believe that with as tough of a job as being a mother is, they deserve more than one day out of the year. I enjoy having mom over and cooking brunch for her, which is what I have planned.

Midnight Snack

What would be your best gift for Mother's Day?

One again...doesn't really pertain to me. Maybe Abby could stop shedding for the day. That would be nice.

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)

How things look on the outside of us depends on how things are on the inside of us.

Watercolor Happiness

Here are the last of the Mother's Day cards I made for mom's craft show. I would have liked to have made more, but it's just not going to happen. I had to hurry tonight to get the insides done because I need to get them all over to mom tomorrow night. I used the same image for all of these but different colors. I love this set (Summer By The Sea)...perfect for watercolor. They're painted using Stampin' Up ink pads and a water brush. I'm way too tired to list the details for all these, so if you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me an email.

Sorry for my lack of posting in the last week or so. I don't see it getting any better in the immediate future. Things have been crazy busy...and I do mean CRAZY....at work. We are so overloaded that it's not even funny. Actually...all we can do is laugh about it, so I guess it is funny. I worked all last week plus Saturday and will be doing the same this week. I feel like my boss and I are the only ones in the entire state working any overtime right now. Don't get me wrong...I'm thankful for the extra hours. I will be when I get my paycheck anyway. I'm thankful to have a job period, but I have been exhausted when I get home. It has been taking a toll on my eyes and my hands/wrists/elbows. My boss is starting to have shoulder pain. If the two of us fall apart, I don't know what they're going to do. Seriously. The sad thing is that we are busting our butts now in an attempt to keep up (which is impossible) only to have it all taken away from us down the road with the implementation of the electronic health record. Well, maybe not all taken away, but who knows. We're hanging on to a tiny shred of hope that a few of us will still be needed. "They" make promises, but you know how that is.

We need to start playing the lottery.

I am so much looking forward to our trip to Door County in a couple of weeks. It will be so nice to get away for the weekend. Please keep your fingers crossed for good weather for us! I'm going to try really hard not to feel guilty for taking a Friday off in the midst of stacks of work.

Food For Thought Friday

Breakfast

If you owned a CB radio what would your "handle" be?

Since dad's was "Big Chief," maybe Pocahontas. I don't know...maybe Golden Girl, but then that makes me sound either old or self-righteous.

Lunch
What are you looking forward to this weekend?

It's our anniversary weekend (Monday), so we'll probably go to dinner somewhere out of the ordinary. We're going back up to Door County but not this weekend. Sunday Sheila and I are having lunch and shopping at a stamp/scrapbook store out of town, so that's always fun. I'm working Saturday, so I know I'm not looking forward to that.

Dinner
If you could snap your fingers and appear somewhere else, where would you be?

On vacation somewhere far away...like maybe Hawaii.

Midnight Snack

What magazine(s) do you subscribe to?

Women's Day, Family Circle, More, Paper Crafts, Prevention, Better Homes & Gardens, Shape, and TV Guide. Seems like I'm forgetting one. I'm thinking about subscribing to one of the Taste Of Home magazines...either Healthy Cooking or Cooking for 2. I love magazines, although it seems that anymore I don't have time to read them and they just pile up.

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)

Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not. ~Henri Frederic Amiel

Mojo Monday - Look...No Pink!

I did it...I actually made a Mother's Day card without using any pink! I really wanted to reach for that pink, though. You would think after all the pink cards I made this weekend, I would be burnt out on pink.

For this card I used the Mojo Monday sketch.



My mojo was majorly enhanced by the package waiting for me when I got home from work. It was my goodie box from Stampin' Up for being on their survey panel! Yea! This is just about the coolest thing ever! I used some of the supplies to make the above card!

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Details:
Card 1:
Stamp: Playful Petals (SU), Happy Mother's Day (Hero Arts)
Ink: Palatte Noir; markers - So Saffron (SU)
Paper: Patterned - Tea Party (SU); Cardstock - So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue (SU).
Accessories: Gems, So Saffron polytwill ribbon (SU), pop dots.

Am I Stuck On Pink, Or What?

Here are three more Mother's Day cards I have done to put with mom's jewelry in her show next month. I must have it in my mind somewhere that all Mother's Day cards should be pink. I seriously should hide all my pinks and start using some other colors.


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Details:
Card 1:
Stamp: Blossoms Abound (SU), Happy Mother's Day (Paper Inspirations)
Ink: Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Close To Cocoa, Wild Wasabi (SU)
Paper: Patterned - CTMH; Cardstock - Pretty In Pink and Regal Rose (SU).
Accessories: None.
Card 2:
Stamp: Digital Images by Fred She Said, Happy Mother's Day (Paper Inspirations)
Ink: Blush Rose (Colorbox).
Paper: Patterned - Digital paper by Fred She Said; Cardstock - Regal Rose (SU).
Accessories: Fruit Punch Stickles
Card 3:
Stamp: Butterfly (TAC), Wind Beneath My Wings (word art ...my own design).
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Patterned - Basic Gray; Cardstock - Pretty In Pink and Regal Rose (SU).
Accessories: Butterfly punch (Fiskars), ribbon, gold embossing powder.

Food For Thought Friday

Breakfast

When was the last time you did something for the first time? What was it?

Last night we ate at the new Italian restaurant down the street for the first time (dine-in anyway...we have ordered pizza from there a couple of times). Exciting, huh?


Lunch
What's your middle name? Why?

Lynn. I have no idea why. I guess it just goes with Monica.

Dinner
What was the first car you drove?

Whatever mom and dad were driving when I took driver's ed. It had to be either the Mustang or the Cougar.

Midnight Snack What is the strangest/weirdest gift you have ever received?

Paul's mom once "moved" (more like took off with some weird guy) to Arizona. When she returned a few months later, she had some gifts for us. Her gift for me was a "Mexican pepper man." A weird paper mache figure that stood about 12 inches tall of a little old Mexican man holding a basket full of hot peppers. I still can't figure that one out.

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)

He who angers you conquers you. ~Elizabeth Kenny

Trying for Simple

I'm trying to come up with a simple design that I can make multiples of for mom's show. I'm not too sure about this one. Boy, do I need better lighting in here...or I need to stick to taking my pictures in the daylight.

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Stamp: Hand of Friendship (Stampendous), Happy Mother's Day (Paper Inspiration)
Ink: Palette Noir; Lovely Lilac (SU); markers - Almost Amethyst , Gable Green, and Certainly Celery (SU).
Paper: Patterned plus green and dark purple solid - CTMH; Cardstock - Almost Amethyst (SU).
Accessories: Marvy Mega circle and Giga scalloped circle punches

Mother's Day Mayhem

The "mayhem" part would be the top of my desk. If you could only see it. I can't even see the surface. Okay, here's the deal...mom is going to be putting her jewelry in a craft show at the Women's Club the day before Mother's Day. She asked me to make a dozen or so cards to put with her jewelry. This is against my better judgment because of my belief that getting paid for something totally sucks every last bit of fun out of whatever it is you're doing. I'm trying to tell myself, "But why not get paid doing what you enjoy?" Anyhow, since mom asked, I'm going to give it a try. So...happy Mother's Day. LOL. This is for you, mom.

For these cards I decided to go with Lauren's (My Time) Saturday Sketch. Lo and behold she had three sketches to choose from this week. Perfect! Since I'm trying to reach my quota of Mother's Day cards, I decided to try my hand at all three.




In the details below, some of the information on the different papers is unknown, as I'm really trying to use up my scraps.
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Details:
Card 1:
Stamp: Hand of Friendship (Stampendous)
Ink: Palette Noir; markers - Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke(SU), Cool Gray and Skin White (Copic).
Paper: Patterned - unknown (sorry!!); Cardstock - Pretty In Pink and Close To Cocoa (SU).
Accessories: Marvy Mega circle and Giga scalloped circle punches, dew drops, flowers, gem.
Card 2:
Stamp: Hand of Friendship (Stampendous)
Ink: Palette Noir; markers - Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana(SU).
Paper: Patterned - Text Prints (DCWV); Cardstock - Pretty In Pink (SU), green is unknown (sorry!).
Accessories: Fiskars scalloped punch, butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), gems.
Card 3:
Stamp: Elegant Script (CTMH), , Werdz (Biblical Impressions)
Ink: Blush Rose (Colorbox).
Paper: Patterned - Basic Gray; Cardstock - Sahara Sand (SU), red is unknown (sorry!).
Accessories: Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), gems.

Bloom With Happiness

I combined two challenges for this card...the Mojo Monday sketch challenge and the Papertake Weekly Challenge. I borrowed this Stampin' Up set from mom a while back. It's kind of a fun set and lends itself well to pastel colors, which is what this week's challenge is...using pastel colors. Here's the sketch and my card.

That's it for me for tonight. Time to go watch 24 before Paul starts watching it without me. I've had a headache since about 3 p.m. Time to break out the Advil. I think it's just a Monday thing.
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Details:
Stamp: Blooming with Happiness (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Palette Noir; markers - Pretty In Pink, Lovely Lilac, Gable Green, Appricot Appeal, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, & Only Orange (SU)
Paper: Patterned - Euphoria (Basic Gray), Cardstock - Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Celery ribbon (SU), scallop punch (Fiskars), flowers, gem

Happy Easter Everyone!

All I need to know

I learned from the Easter Bunny!

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

There's no such thing as too much candy.

All work and no play can make you a basket case.

A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.

Some body parts should be floppy.

Keep your paws off of other people's jelly beans.

Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.

To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

May the joy of the season fill your heart.

Happy Easter!

Talk To The Paw!

I caught Sheldon in one of his favorite positions.

The greyhound pose.
How in the world can he sleep like that?
What a goofball.

Better Put On Your Sunglasses!

'Cause this is a bright one! I must make a point to find myself an orange marker that's not so bright. After ending up with such a bright orange, I felt I had to go with some brighter colors for the rest of the card. Is it too much?? Well, it is almost Easter after all, and if there is one time of year when you can get away with all these colors, I guess this is it. For this card I used Lauren's weekly sketch challenge.

Instead of using the two small squares I changed it up and put the flower and the butterfly, still using two things in that spot.

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Details:
Stamp: Flowers For You (Whipper Snapper)
Ink: Palette Noir; markers - Lemon Yellow and Tangerine (Impress), Pretty In Pink and Almost Amethyst (SU), black (Zig), Cool Gray (Copic).
Paper: Patterned - Butterflies from The Spring Matstack (DCWV) Cardstock - Rose Red, Regal Rose, and Whisper White (SU).
Accessories: Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), scallop punch (Fiskars), flowers, ribbon

Another Color Challenge

I'm telling you...I'm getting so inspired by the color challenges. This one is by Kristina Werner of kwernerdesign.com. I admire her color challenges every week, but this is the first time I've played along. I was on a roll, so I couldn't help myself. Here are the colors...



These colors were difficult for me too, and here's why...I don't like Kiwi Kiss. To me it's like puke green. Sorry. (That sounds a little Simonish, doesn't it (i.e. American Idol)...just add the British accent and the matter-of-fact tone that tells you he doesn't really mean it. Sorry.) Anyway, moving on...I had a hard time finding anything in my collection that even came close to this color. If it would have been Certainly Celery...no problem (we all know I love that color). I also don't have Baja Breeze, so I had to settle for Cool Carribean. Here's my card...I'll just leave it at that.

The outside says, "A wise man once said..." The inside says, "Follow your dreams, except the one where you're at work in your underwear."

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Details:
Stamp: It's a $1 stamp I found somewhere...I have no idea where or the company name. Sorry.
Ink: Palette Noir; markers - Chocolate Chip, Only Orange, Always Artichoke (SU), Cool Gray (Copic).
Paper: Patterned - Daisies (Sandylion), Cardstock - Chocolate (CTMH), Cool Carribean and Whisper White (SU).
Accessories: Fiskars border punch.

Raspberry Suite Challenge Week 3

Emphasis on the word "challenge." Five colors this week. These colors were difficult for me, but I loved it! I was inspired...so much so that I did another color challenge which I'll post tomorrow.

Here are the colors we had to work with. Beautiful colors but, wow...I had a hard time putting them together.

After going through all my papers and going back and forth on what to use, this is what I settled on. It was actually finding the right "berry" color that got me...that and fitting pink in there somewhere!

Well, that's it for me for today. We're spending the day working around the house on projects that we've been putting off for too long....fixing a pipe, fixing a toilet, putting up shelves, etc. I was hoping to get an earlier start, but Paul is still sleeping. At about 12:30 a.m., the power went out on our whole block followed by a loud bang somewhere. We still have no idea what it was, but Paul couldn't sleep until the power came back on, which I think was about 2:30 a.m. I fell asleep, but when the power comes back on, our security system makes this loud screeching noise, so that woke me up. And then Paul has to come upstairs and announce that the power is back on. Yeah...I think I figured that one out. Anyway, I'm going to be nice and let him sleep for a little while before making him get up and work.

______________________________
Details:
Stamp: Hand of Friendship (Stampendous)
Ink: Palette Noir; markers - Tutti Frutti, Pure Red, and black (Zig), Always Artichoke (SU), Cool Gray and Skin White (Copic).
Paper: Patterned - 1st layer Kraft Designer Paper (SU), 2nd layer Bittersweet Vanilla Fudge (Basic Gray), 3rd layer red (KMA); vanilla and coral (unknown).
Accessories: Fiskars daisy punch, Cricut (flowers...thanks mom!), red square brad.

Happy Birthday, Puppy Love!

She's 6 today.

Friends and Flowers

Here's another card made a couple of weekends ago using the Wednesday sketch challenge on SCS from a couple weeks ago (#220). The stamp is from TAC. I think it's called Oopsie Daisy. I like the way this turned out. I think it's 'cause I like the colors.