Everything is Unfinished

So, yeah...

2012-01-22T07:49:00.001-08:00

It's obvious I haven't been able to keep up with my goal of writing a blog entry every day. I'm just not feeling it.

I just don't know where I'm going with this blog. Maybe it's time to give up on the whole blogging thing.

Bedtime

2012-01-18T21:40:00.001-08:00

Now that David works nights, this is who I sleep next to at night.

Waiting

2012-01-17T17:11:00.001-08:00

Sammie and two friends are "managers" for the boys basketball team at school. Every day I get to look forward to this.

The best cat box

2012-01-16T17:38:00.001-08:00

Two years after Ed and I split up I finally have a Litter Robot again. They are crazy expensive but so worth it.

Here is Dexter checking it out.

Happy birthday, Ryley

2012-01-14T19:36:00.001-08:00

Ryley is a year old today. Yay, Ryley!!

The last day

2012-01-13T06:36:00.001-08:00

This is the last day that David is working the day shift. Next week he starts working swing indefinitely. I'm not all that jazzed about it; it's going to change our lives in many ways. One of which I won't have my quiet early morning time any longer. I like to wake up but continue laying in my warm bed while I check in with the world...email, Facebook, etc. Now he'll be sleeping and I'll have to get up.

On the other hand he sleeps pretty soundly, so who knows how it'll go.

Oh, and I'm not putting the date at the top of the post anymore. I figure it's gotta be on there somewhere.

First sunny day of 2012

2012-01-12T15:28:00.001-08:00

Jan 12, 2012

Took this shot from my car window at Walmart. There were a lot more birds when I started, but they all flew off. Grrr. Oh well, it's still cool.

Oops, I did it again

2012-01-11T06:42:00.001-08:00

Jan 11, 2012

I missed another day! I'm really not off to a good start. I should probably set up a reminder.

Yesterday was David's birthday and my parents were in town. We went to Outback for dinner. It was very good, but also $80 for me, David, and Sammie. Ouch!!

Lazy

2012-01-09T18:14:00.001-08:00

Jan 9, 2012

Even though I had a ton to do today (including my job) I spent the day reading on my Kindle. Didn't even put on a bra when I got dressed (in sweats). Sometimes say like this are good to have.

And uh oh. I see I missed yesterday. Oops.

Dog park visit

2012-01-07T19:26:00.001-08:00

Jan 7, 2012

It wasn't raining today so we thought we'd let the dogs run at the park for a bit. There are three dog parks we visit, the biggest of which is furthest away we decided to go there today.

There was a hound dog baying at all the dogs and it caused Ryley to be out of sorts so we didn't stay long.

The park is near a power station and there are power towers (what are they called, anyway?) and it always makes me think of the Barenaked Ladies so f Light Up My Room. "A hydro-fields cuts through my neighborhood..."

Uh oh, another project

2012-01-06T14:26:00.001-08:00

Jan 6, 2012

Here I am, saying I want to get the house decluttered, purge out my projects, etc and what do I do? Pick up another piece of junk! I have big plans for this; but you'll have to wait for another day to see what I do. Have faith!

Picasa test

2012-01-05T13:46:00.001-08:00

Jan 5, 2012

The phone app says I need to be logged in to Picasa to upload photos. I think I'm set up now so let's see what happens.

Here's a shot of the puppies being lazy.

January blahs

2012-01-04T17:14:00.001-08:00

Jan 4, 2012

So, yeah. It's 4 days into the new year and I've already got the blahs. I'm not loving my job right now, and there are things on the horizon that will make it even worse. I'm not motivated to clean or craft or organize or do anything right now.

However, a nap sounds good.

Formal dune buggy

2012-01-03T14:28:00.001-08:00

Jan 3, 2012

While I was driving today a dune buggy got on the freeway I was traveling on. When I glanced at the driver I had to do a double take; he was wearing a tuxedo, complete with bow tie!

I don't know about you, but I always want to know the story when I see something like that. Dune buggy on the freeway? Weird. Man wearing a fix on a Tuesday afternoon? Even more weird. The two combined? I want to know what's going on!

Of course, I'll just have to speculate since I'll never know.

Posting photos

2012-01-02T10:28:00.001-08:00

Jan 2, 2012

Ugh, tried to post a photo last night from the Blogger app on my iPhone. I got an error message, having something to do with Picassa. Looks like I need to get that sorted out or find a new blogging app because we all know that blog entries without photos just aren't very interesting.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:22:00.001-08:00

Jan 1, 2012

David has an annual tradition of hosting a family dinner on New Years Day. The menu consists of prime rub, twice baked potatoes, vegetable, and rolls. This year we invited Andy, his girlfriend Aleah, Alex, and Ann. We ate delicious food, then played cards, laughed, and enjoyed each others company.

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T12:47:00.001-08:00

So, yeah. I had an epic post written on my iPhone and the app I was using crashed and lost everything.

Basically I talked about what we had done in 2011 and what was ahead for 2012.

The puppies were probably the biggest thing that happened this year. It's been fun having them, but they are a lot of work, too. I forgot how much work dogs were! But we've had lots of fun with them, too, going on hikes and trips to the beach.

We've been in the house for a whole year now. Seems like I'd have things under better control; some rooms still have unpacked boxes in them.

My goal for the year is to get the house straightened up. I need to decide which of my "projects" I want to finish and which need to be passed on.

As a personal challenge I'm going to try and make a blog entry every day. This was my goal a couple years ago and I got as far as July. I had to stop for personal reasons, but feel ready to give it another shot. This time I'm not creating a separate blog but just using this one. So, to the 2-3 people who follow me, stay tuned to see what I come up with.

And, I'll see you next year!!

Blogger, what is your problem??

2011-08-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Why aren't any of my follow blogs updating???

Clock parts collage

2011-08-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

As all of my friends know, I have a thing for clocks. I don't know what it is, but I like them. And not anything snazzy like grandfather clocks, just plain old clocks. I usually buy them at thrift stores.

The other day I came across this clock/collage at Goodwill.

There's a clock on it, but I was more taken with the clock/watch parts collage. However, I hesitated buying it because of the inscription at the bottom.

Who is Jaime Goldberg? And why did s/he give up this original watch picture made especially for them?

Something else I found intriguing was the document that the man on the right is holding.

Uh oh. Its a subpoena. The other dude doesn't look happy. I wonder what significance, if any, this has for J Goldberg.

In the end I bought it. After all, it does have a clock on it!

I just don't know what I'm going to do with it.

I wonder who this Girard is, and what else he has done. He has this snazzy label; obviously he has made more than one clock picture.

One of these days I'll research it. Maybe. In the meantime...would YOU have bought this?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't post at all in June. I meant to; once in a while something would occur and I'd think, "ooh, I should blog about that." And then, I didn't. But you know what? This is my blog and I'll blog as often...or not...as I feel like it. Nobody reads it anyway, right?

As you guessed by the title, today is the 4th of July. We have no plans at all; so far the day has been very quiet. David is out golfing right now; he decided to go about an hour ago. Later he is going to bbq some ribs. Sammie is with a friend; she is going to spend the night with her and watch fireworks from there. We plan on watching the neighbors' displays from our backyard. I just finished a book, and now I'm checking out some websites.

We got a new puppy a couple of weeks ago. Lucy is a border collie/Belgian shepherd mix. She's all black, with a tiny spot of white on her chest, and she is completely adorable. She has made a huge difference in how Ryley behaves. He isn't nearly as growly about things as he was, but he does still have his moments. The puppy class instructor said its because he feels like he now has a job to do. Whatever it is, everyone was amazed at the change in his behavior at our last class. Right now Lucy is 9 weeks old. I can't wait till she gets a bit older so we can take her to the dog parks with us. We did sneak her to own of the parks today; the small dog section wasn't being used so we had that section to ourselves. There are people at the parks who feel like they are in charge of everything and question anyone they see with a young puppy (dogs are supposed to be 4 months old to go inside). She seemed to enjoy herself, but I could tell she was pretty wiped out by the time we left.

I have rented a space at a local flea market for later this month. My friend, Suzann, is coming down, and we are going to try and get a bunch of stuff sold. I hope I can unload some things I've been trying to get rid of. If not, I guess I'll just donate it. Its going to be a lot of work; I hope its worth it.

That's about it. I feel like taking a nap, but I won't.

Happy birthday, America.

Busy dog day

2011-05-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Today we had a busy day with Ryley, and it seemed to take a toll on him. In the morning we went to check out the "lure course" at a dog park we haven't been to before. (To see what a lure course is search on Youtube.) Of course Ryley is too young to do it, but we wanted to see it, and we figured there would be a lot of dogs there to socialize.

And, wow, were there ever. The park was huge, but the dogs...and their owners...were congregating around the course. It was actually funny to see the dogs run up and down outside the course; they run with reckless abandon, not paying attention to anything, or anybody in their paths. At one point David almost got bowled over, and just about took me with him.

We stayed for almost two hours, and Ryley got sniffed by a lot of dogs. There were many, many dogs there and I didn't see any fights or even poorly behaved dogs. Everyone was very respectful of Ryley's "puppiness", and made sure that he wasn't mauled.

After we left we had just enough time to grab a quick lunch and head to Petco for Ryley's weekly puppy class. All was going well, when suddenly Ryley snapped at his class-mate, Leia. Leia is a tiny "chi-poo", or chihuahua/poodle mix. After that, there was no reining him in. Ryley was in a bad mood, and we could all tell. For the remainder of the class, we had to keep the two dogs separated.

I worry about Ryley, because he exhibits resource guarding behavior. I've never had a dog where I couldn't just open its mouth and take out whatever I needed to remove. Ryley is protective of his stuff, and will snap if he feels threatened. The trainer, Michele, is convinced we can break him of it, but I'm concerned.

I also worry because Ryley doesn't seem to want to please us. He is SO smart, but will only do things if there is a treat at the end of it. He doesn't seem to want to be with us; exhuberant praise doesn't work on him. David says we ARE his people and he does care about us, but I don't know. Maybe he'll come around.

Another goofy CL listing

2011-05-22T19:49:00.001-07:00

Some of the listings on Craig's List are so weird. They totally make me scratch my head and go "whaaaa...?"

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Recycled monitor

2011-05-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted to my Facebook wall, asking people how I should dispose of a dead computer monitor. Several people replied with helpful suggestions, and one said I should glue cork to the front of it and make a message board out of it. I'm sure he was kidding, but I took it as a challenge.

I knew that just gluing cork to the surface of the screen wouldn't cut it, so I figured I'd take the "guts" out of it. I thought I was off to a good start when I removed the screws on the back, but quickly realized that monitors were harder to take apart than I thought. I pried at it for a bit, and then decided to go with an alternate route...wait till David got home and have him do it.

We actually had something going on that night, so David wasn't able to work on it till the next day. Removing all the innards isn't as easy as one might think, but eventually he got it apart. I was left with a frame, which I used to measure the cork and foam board (for depth and stability) that was to become the message board. My sheet of cork had adhesive on the back, so I stuck it to the foam board, and then hot glued it into the frame.

In the mean time David messed around with the monitor guts and determined that he could put a piece of it back inside to fill the space in the frame. I was done with the hot gluing so I handed it to him to put back together. He snapped and screwed all the right pieces back on, and voila! I had a snazzy and unique message center to use for important bits of paper...just as soon as I get my desk cleaned off.

Just in case you need a before...although I'm sure you all know what a computer monitor looks like:

And here is the end result. Sorry I didn't take "along the way" pictures, but I didn't think to do that.

Thanks for the great idea, Rik!

Placemat pillows

2011-04-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

I read about making pillows out of placemats on some the home decor blogs that I read. At first I didn't get it and thought I needed two placemats. I wondered why it had to be a placemat and not just any fabric. I don't sew so I didn't think it was for me.

Then the light went on! Duh, all you need is one double thick placemat. Cut an opening in the seam, cram in some stuffing, and stitch it back up. I CAN do that.

And so I did. Twice. I like them.

The first placemat came from Target and is now a pillow on the family room sectional. The second one is from Kohls and resides in our bedroom.

PS...as soon as I figure out how to add a link I'll stick one up here. In the meantime, go to www.houseofhepworths.com and check out her stuff.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Easter shoes

2011-04-12T09:38:00.001-07:00

Found this yesterday while surfing Craigslist. Golf shoe?? Of course. No Easter display is complete without one.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Photo challenge: Day four

2011-04-04T14:25:00.001-07:00

Day four: a photo of your favorite night

WTH is this? I'm 48 years old. I've had tons of favorite nights. The first night with each of my newborn children would rank pretty high, if not right at the top.

But I suspect I'll be using my kids a lot for this challenge, so I'm going to pick something more recent and go with any night on the BNL cruise David and I went on on February.

This is from the BNL headline show that we went to.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Today at Walmart...

2011-04-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm approaching the wall clocks; another woman is already standing there.

Her: Can I ask you something?
Me: Um...sure.
Her: While you've been walking around have you noticed anything that would look nice on a front door?
Me: *gesturing towards kitty litter in cart* You know, I'm really just here for pet supplies.
Her: Oh. *picks up clock with rooster painted on face* Hey, we're going with a rooster theme; maybe I'll use this.
Me: Yeah, that would be cool.

She puts the clock in her cart and walks away.

And I'm left wondering who the hell goes with a rooster theme for anything and who the hell puts a clock on their front door?

Photo challenge: Day three

2011-04-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

There is a 30-day photo challenge on Facebook right now that I've seen a few people doing. I'm going to try and do it on my blog.

Day three: a picture of the cast from your favorite show

My all-time favorite show is Scrubs. I love everything about it and can watch episodes from it over and over. Its really a shame it was so under-appreciated and didn't get the recognition and following that it deserved.

Photo challenge: Day two

2011-04-02T13:22:00.001-07:00

There is a 30-day photo challenge on Facebook right now that I've seen a few people doing. I'm going to try and do it on my blog.

Day two: a picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

I'm actually going to mix this up and use a pic of my kids. If I had thought this through, I'd have gotten a pic of my friend Kelly, who I've known for over 20 years.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Photo challenge: Day one

2011-04-01T14:06:00.001-07:00

There is a 30-day photo challenge on Facebook right now that I've seen a few people doing. I'm going to try and do it on my blog.

Day one: Photo of self with 10 facts

1. I'm not a good napper. Some days I think a nap is just what I need, but when I lie down I can't stop thinking of things I should be doing and I get back up.

2. I tend to get all excited about new projects, only to quickly fizzle out before really even getting started.

3. I have high hopes for our new puppy, Ryley, and fantasize that he'll be a very well trained dog.

4. Some days I think I was crazy to get a puppy.

5. I wish I had more interest in current affairs but I really don't.

6. My left arm and hand bother me a lot lately and I worry it's from overusing my iPhone.

7. I don't read books much since I got my iPhone. All of my entertainment now consists of short bursts found via apps like Damn You Auto Correct or Facebook.

8. I am not a fan of the actors Richard Kind or Amy Brenneman. I'm not sure why.

9. I really, really want an iPad but I can't afford one and also can't justify having it.

10. I need to be in better shape. Not necessarily lose weight...although I need to...but have more stamina for basic things like going on hikes or even walking upstairs.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Vancouver, WA

I love a good pedicure!

2011-03-30T13:11:00.001-07:00

Right around 3 years ago my friend Ami talked me into going with her for pedicures. Up until that moment I had a big issue with people touching my feet. I hated it and couldn't even stand the thought of it. But she was persuasive, and so I went.

I'm not gonna lie, the first time was not fun. I did a lot of cringing. But, I endured and my feet looked great. And I've never looked back! Since that first pedicure I haven't even cut my own toenails. I like bold, crazy colors like lime green or turquoise, but black is my go-to color. It's rare that I get red or pink.

My last pedicure was in early February, and I went with hot pink. I thought it was a good tropical color for the cruise, but I didn't love it.

It's been two months since I've gotten my nails done and they were looking awful!

Blerg. I couldn't stand them a minute longer so I checked out the place near the new house. Much better!

-- Post From My iPhone

One of a kind! But I've got two!

2011-03-27T08:29:00.001-07:00

I came across this Craig's List ad a while back and it cracked me up. One of a kind!!! (With three exclamation marks!!!) But it gets even better because there are two available. But there was no picture; that was a bit of a bummer. How do I know I want this quality giraff print chair if there is no picture to preview?

-- Post From My iPhone

Its nice to have reminders

2011-03-26T22:07:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my ex and I were having an argument via Facebook IM. I was mad because I had asked him to take Sammie overnight while I had Alex. He said he contacted her, but he didn't, and I was mad because the kids were bickering.

It was getting on my nerves, so I sent Ed an IM and called him out. I was a bit snarky but so was he. Nothing out of the ordinary was said.

Until he said PS, fuck off.

I was stunned. I had been going along thinking we were actually friends. Apparently, I was quite mistaken. I didn't respond. The next day he made a half-assed apology, blaming it on his girlfriend. I didn't accept it, and things went downhill from there.

As mad as I've been at him, I'm happy that he did this. It was the push I needed to sever all remaining ties. For no reason other than sheer laziness, I've procrastinated doing all the tedious chores that need to be done when one is divorced and changes their name.

Bank, social security, DMV...I took care of it all the other day. I took Ed and Alex off my cell plan. I feel like I've finally made all the changes needed to go forward with my life.

I'm in a great relationship with a man that I love very much. He treats me (and Sammie) very well. I'm looking forward to what our future holds.

And in the mean time, I have this to remind me to never let my guard down with Ed:

-- Post From My iPhone

Steven Page IS Barenaked Ladies

2011-03-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month David and I (and our friend Laurel) went to see Steven Page perform live in Portland. For those of you who don't know; Page used to be one of the "lead" singers with the band Barenaked Ladies. A couple of years ago he left the band due to a number of "creative differences". I'm not gonna lie; I was pretty upset. I don't know if I've ever mentioned how much I love BNL, but I really do. And part of what I loved was Steve. His voice, his banter with Ed Robertson, the whole vibe.

Last April David and I went to see BNL perform in Portland. It was the first time I had seen them without Steve, and I was worried. But, they did a great job and we enjoyed the show. I did miss Steve's voice on certain songs. Kevin sings Sound of Your Voice now, and it just isn't the same. And, there are some songs that they just don't do any more, like Break Your Heart. But they added a few new things to the show that made it a lot of fun.

This year we went on the Barenaked Ladies cruise. It was a great time, and again I found the band's performance enjoyable, but something was still missing.

Then we went to the Steven Page concert. OMG! I finally felt like I had been to a BNL concert. I've missed hearing him perform. I really love the sound of his voice.

After the show we waited for him to come out to sign autographs. I had him sign my BNL iPhone case; he laughingly commented on the signatures already on it.

We posed for pictures and he seemed genuinely grateful that people were still supporting him.

(Not sure what's going on with my boobs in this picture...they seem a bit wacky. Must be from the stretched position I'm in. I hope.)

So, yeah. I kind of feel like I can't keep saying I'm a fan of Barenaked Ladies, when its really Steven Page that I love.

Ryley the wonder puppy

2011-03-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I was reading through Freecycle offerings and saw a posting for 8 week old border collie/Australian shepherd puppies. Last summer David and I talked a lot about getting a dog once we got into a house; we wanted a dog to take to the beach and on hikes with us. But then we moved in and somehow ended up with 4 cats. I knew that, in David's mind, 4 cats was all the pets we needed and I put the idea of a dog on a back burner.

But I kept thinking about the Freecycle ad. I couldn't get those puppies out of my head. I sent a reply, asking if they still had any left. I was kind of hoping that the answer was no, all the puppies were gone. But instead the owner replied that he had 8; males and females. I sent David a text, asking what he thought. We went back and forth for a bit, and he agreed that we could go look at them. He knows me well enough by now to know that meant we'd be getting a puppy.

I had it in my head that I wanted a female. We arrived at the owner's home, and were shown to the room housing the 8 puppies. I mentioned that I was looking for a female, and they were all pointed out. They were cute...after all, they were puppies, how could they not be?...but didn't really speak to me. However, there was a little tri-colored male that David seemed to be taken with. After several minutes of deliberation, we decided on that puppy.

Next we needed a name. That required more discussion, but by the time we arrived at Petsmart to pick up supplies we had decided on Ryley. We headed home...and then we had a dog. I've had dogs before, but its been a while and I wasn't sure what to do with him. Everyone I know recommended crate training. I had never done that, but it seemed difficult to keep him under control. We went to bed with him in his crate in Sammie's room. He didn't fuss, but he did soil himself. The next night the same thing happened. I went online and did some research and found a site that really seemed to be what I was looking for. I started following the author's advice for housebreaking a puppy and had results almost immediately. Since then we've been following a loose schedule during which Ryley is closely monitored, spending a good deal of time in his kennel. We take him out to play quite often, but he also gets a lot of down time.

I've been doing a lot of reading about puppies and dogs in general, and border collies and Australian shepherds in particular. Both of those breeds on their own are very intelligent; I'm curious to see what the combination gets us. Ryley is doing remarkably well with his training; he's already showing a lot of progress with his potty training. He's adapting very well to the household.

Its been years since I've had a dog...at least 10...and I'm really excited about seeing what this dog can do. I'm going to start him in puppy socialization classes soon, and go from there. Stay tuned and see what comes next.

Dear People of Craig's List

2011-02-23T06:16:00.001-08:00

It's "wrought", not rod, rot, or wraught; "drawer" not draw, and "cabinets" not cabins. Also, this is a CHAIR, not a mini sofa.

-- Post From My iPhone

Angela Lansbury

2011-02-21T07:46:00.001-08:00

So, I came across a listing in the Arts and Crafts section of Craig's List. The description read, "You can just enjoy looking at this or use it as the background photo on your phone, like I did." and it included this photo.

It cracked me up so I grabbed a screen shot. A few minutes later I went back to look at it again and it was gone. It makes me wonder. Who posted it and why? There was no dollar amount listed. How much should one expect to pay for that lovely image of Angela Lansbury? And why was it removed? I'll probably never know.

-- Post From My iPhone

Scenes from the Cruise

2011-02-16T11:56:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I recently returned from a cruise with the band Barenaked Ladies. This is the 4th year that I have gone on this cruise; its always a good time filled with great music and terrific friends. I've blogged about it in great detail before, although right at this moment I couldn't tell you where those blog entries are.

But, the point is I have written about the cruise, and I don't really feel like doing it again. Instead, I'm just going to post a few of my favorite photos. There is no particular order to them.

David and I floating in the ocean at Maya Chan Beach Resort. You may not be able to see them, but there are drink holders on the floats, which we definitely utilized.

This was a fence at Maya Chan; I just liked it.

This is my photo with Ed Robertson. We weren't facing towards David's camera; other people had cameras and Ed thought they were taking the picture. I kind of like it this way.

This is Goose from Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. I love that this band has a tuba player. They use it in the song "The Bear".

Posing with the macaws in Cozumel.

Posing after our horse-drawn carriage ride.

Standing in the ocean in South Beach.

What is this called? A driving cage? David and I discovered this while exploring the ship; of course he had to take a few swings.

I had my iPhone case signed by the 4 members of Barenaked Ladies.

Tall paperback books

2011-02-04T18:13:00.001-08:00

What's the deal with these newer tall paperbacks? They aren't as compact and easy to carry in a handbag or tote and they cost $1.50 more. They drive me nuts.

-- Post From My iPhone

Scrapbooking

2011-01-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

The other day, while looking to see if there were any new issues of the magazines that I read, I picked up a copy of Creating Keepsakes scrapbooking magazine. Several years ago I couldn't get enough scrapbooking. I had all the latest tools, I knew who all the big scrapbookers were, I went to the conventions. I subscribed to all the magazines and participated on several online forums.

However, at some point my interest...faded. I blame it on the switch from a film camera to a digital camera. There was something about picking up a packet of new photos that really motivated me to create. Its just not the same when you download photos to a computer. You look at them, and think, "Oh, that would make a cute page", but then you think about printing out the photos, and get distracted by something that the kids need, and then it doesn't happen. Eventually I found other interests.

So, I'm standing there holding the February issue of CK, and started wondering what was happening in the scrapbooking world. I just bought a pad of really cool 12x12 paper the other day, I have some ideas for it. But, I put the magazine back and didn't buy it.

Yesterday, I was doing a scan of Craig's List and saw that someone was selling the last 16 issues of Creating Keepsakes. For only $10! One issue is $5.99, so it would be silly not to get them, right? That's what I thought. So, David and I drove into Portland...during rush hour traffic...and picked them up.

I couldn't wait to get home and dive in. I started with the Feb '11 issue, the one that I had been looking at in the store. And...nada. Nothing on the first few pages interested me at all. Maybe I hadn't gotten to the good stuff yet. Flip, flip, flip. Still nothing. Four issues later I've learned that I really couldn't care less about scrapbooking anymore. The layouts don't even appeal to me. Sure, some of the stuff is very creative. But, really? Bottle caps on pages? Where is it going to end?

Pretty much all I I find appealing is the paper, and I like to look at the scrapping organization. Its kind of sad, actually. Scrapbooking was such a huge part of my life. I have 5 albums, and Sammie loves to look at them. They end when she was much younger,and there is nothing new to look at. She pretty much has them memorized. I feel a little bad that I haven't documented the kids' lives since then. I've been thinking a little bit about checking out digital scrapbooking, but I don't know if I'd even keep that up. Does anyone do that? What are your thoughts on it?

I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Time is on my side

2011-01-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why, but I have a thing for clocks. Certain ones appeal to me and I have to buy them. Fortunately, they usually aren't very expensive ones, just ones that I like the looks of. There are only so many places you can logically hang a clock in one's house, so I painted a grid on one of my office walls in order to display them.

I have this one hanging at the end of our hallway, but I think this is a temporary location.

And this poor guy is just stuck in the corner of the living room. I know it want it hung in there, but haven't figured out where yet.

I was thrift store hopping today, but not for myself this time, I promise! I am trying to find some large print Reader's Digest magazines for my stepmom to read while she sits with my dad who is undergoing chemotherapy. I struck out there, but I did find this. I have a few ideas kicking around for it. I just hope it works. Note to self: start carrying a AA battery around to test thrift store clocks. Also, I sure hope the pictures included are the stock photos that come with frames, etc, and not some little boy whose family couldn't even bother to remove his photos before they donated the clock that he was displayed on. Sometimes I'll come across collage frames with the photos left in place, and it always seems kind of sad to me.

While I was at Value Village I heard Pinch Me, by Barenaked Ladies. The last time I was there I heard Its All Been Done, by the same band. Its like VV wants me to shop there!

After I left VV I headed down the street to Goodwill. Some of the things there are kind of expensive, much more than I'd pay for thrift store goods. I'm wondering if GW has picked up on the "repurposing" fad and jacked the prices up on the wicker baskets and candle holders that soccer moms buy to spray paint and make new again.

Doors of Perception

2011-01-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

My title makes it sound like I'm going to write something really deep, doesn't it? However, that's not the case. Instead, I'm going to talk about cabinet doors. Specifically, the ones I picked up for free from Craig's List yesterday. (BTW, CL is another obsession of mine. Love it!)

Anyway, I saw that someone was giving away cabinet doors. I have no idea why I wanted them, but something possessed me to call her, and see if they were still available. Of course they were, who wants a bunch of mismatched old cabinet doors, right? I drove out, and and first glance I wasn't very excited. But, I said I'd take them, so I started to load them up.

Those are all of the doors, I ended up with 9. I know what you are thinking. "Is she crazy?" Yeah, David thinks the same thing. But he loves me anyway.

At first I was excited about the bigger doors; I have a project that I'm working on and need some solid pieces of wood. But, upon further inspection I realized they are not solid. I don't know why I thought they would be, they are pretty thick and that would be one heavy door. They do have some hardware that is kind of cool; I'll sit on them for a while and see if any inspiration strikes. Feel free to chime in if you have any ideas...and don't say "firewood".

I do have an idea for this door. There are two of these, and the insert on the back is 12 inches square. I have some really cool 12" sheets of scrapbook paper, and I have a few idea kicking around in my head.

There are a couple of doors similar to this, I have something in mind here, as well. Stay tuned, and see what I come up with.

BTW, I figured out how to get pictures from my camera to my laptop, but I'm not jazzed by the way my photos are turning out. They are too small, the lighting is terrible, and my staging needs some work. I'll get there.

Could this be the year I finally do it?

2011-01-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

I love blogs. I can sit and read them for hours, going from one to another as they direct me to their friends' blogs. For years I've wanted to be one of those bloggers; someone who actually has something interesting to say, with a snazzy looking site that invites you in. A blog that others go back to over and over to make sure they don't miss anything. Yeah, I want to be that person, but, unfortunately, I'm not. But, I've decided I'm ok with that.

However, I'm not totally giving up. I want to have a blog for my own sake. Sort of an online journal, or a place to stick things that I find amusing. I do that with Facebook, but a blog feels more permanent to me, more "mine". I keep thinking I need to have a theme, and I've even tried that in the past. But, ultimately that becomes tiresome and I give it up. I'm not going to make any promises here. I may write something every day, every week, or throw up several posts in the same day. My subject matter will be all over the place, as well.

My current obsession is restoring/repurposing Goodwill/thrift store finds into something cool and usable. I have a couple projects that I'm going to be starting soon; and I'll share my before and after pics on my blog. I may also write about an upcoming vacation, a tv show I've watched, and the latest drama involving my tweenage daughter and her friends (OMG, the Justin Bieber movie is coming out soon!!).

Something I'm not good at is downloading photos from my camera to my computer. I forget how to do that as fast as I'm shown. I use my iPhone to take my photos, and then blog from my phone. That can be somewhat ~~annoying~~ challenging to do when there is a lot to say or many photos. So, I'm determined to figure out once and for all how my damn camera works.

The title of this blog is from a Barenaked Ladies song. It was how I was feeling two years ago when I initially set it up, and I find that I still like it today. It was actually a bit of a challenge to get back to this blog; I had forgotten my log-in info and had long since stopped using the email account that I signed up under. But, I did it, and I'm going to stick with this name. Nothing else really works for me, you know? I deleted a bunch of old posts (there were only 13 there), reworked the 25 Random Things entry, and changed the look. For now. I'll be changing things around a lot until I get it tweaked how I like it.

Those who know me know that I was divorced last year, I'm in a committed relationship with another man now, he just bought a house, and we live here with my daughter. My ex and I get along fine, and my son lives with him. We live in the same zip code, and its all good. I'm not going to spend a lot of time filling in the blanks; I'll be posting as if the reader knows what's going on. You'll just have to keep up!

So, that's it for now. Tune in once in a while; I might have just posted something interesting! And, if turns out that you kind of like me, could you "follow" me so others can see I might be ok? Thanks!

Testing 1 2 3

2011-01-24T19:23:00.001-08:00

What better subject for a test post than adorable kittens?

-- Post From My iPhone

That's so random

2009-01-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

I wrote this list 2 years ago...let's see if anything has changed. Today is Jan 25, 2011

Here are 25 random facts about me to start out the new year...

1. I hate to cut my toenails. Hate it!! I'll do it, but only after I've put it off as long as I possibly can. I started getting pedicures right after this and haven't cut my own toenails since.

2. I've always had a cat (or several) in my life. I have 4 cats right now.

3. I ran over my son's hand with a shopping cart. It was not pretty. That happened when he was much younger. The nail is still messed up.

4. I went to Austria/Italy/West Germany because my ex-husband cheated in a contest and won tickets. Venice is cool. I've been on 3 cruises now, and I have another ex-husband.

5. Almost everything I hear reminds me of a song. Also, I almost have a song running through my head. Currently I don't even know what song it is, but it incudes the lyrics, "You're in and you're out, You're up and you're down". What the hell is that? This is still the case. The lyrics are from a Katy Perry song.

6. I used to date a guy with a single engine airplane. Most of our dates involved flying somewhere. Shortly after we broke up I read that he had died in a crash. That made me feel sad and relieved at the same time. Not much I can add to this.

7. I like to buy crappy bits of costume jewelry on clearance and take it apart to make different pieces. I still buy clearance jewelry but not much creating has been happening lately.

8. I want to be a great blogger, but I'm just not that motivated or creative. I do have one though. It's sad. I've made some many blogs attempts: Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr, etc. I can't seem to find my voice. I cleaned up this one yesterday; I'm determined to do something with it.

9. I met my husband through the personal ads in the local paper. I ran the ad. We'll have our 15th anniversary in March. We were divorced last year. I'm now involved with another man; we met through an online dating site.

10. My first pregnanacy was unexpected and ended up being ectopic. After that I had trouble conceiving and used Clomid for both kids. Still just have two kids.

11. My brother makes me laugh like no other person does. He is a total spaz. Ask me about the Spiderman episode some day.

12. When I was pregnant with my 12 YO son I was part of an online community on Prodigy. When our babies were about a year old several of us flew to Atlantic City to meet up. Everyone thought that was INSANE! Some of us are still in contact, and I am friends with them now on FB. The group is getting smaller.

13. I am really not a fan of very many vegetables. Still not. Corn and broccoli, that's about it.

14. I love my Blackberry Curve phone, but wish it had more cool apps, like the iPhone. Blackberry? WTF? I have had an iPhone for a couple years now and can't imagine life without it.

15. I really, really like my new job. Working from home is my favorite! Still like working from home. Just got out of the shower, and am wearing a robe. I'll get dressed...whenever.

16. When I was a kid my friend and I saw Star Wars over 20 times in the theater. We couldn't decided who was hotter...Han or Luke. Looking back, neither of them, but I'd say Harrison Ford has aged better.

17. My favorite movies now are The Matrix, Independence Day, and The Princess Bride. Still love these movies.

18. Almost all of the furniture in our house came from Ikea, except for the living room sofa and loveseat, and the furniture in the master bedroom. I still have a lot of Ikea furniture, but not as much as before.

19. I went to a scrapbook convention with a bunch of friends several years ago and 3 of us ended up getting tattoos while we were there. Somehow word of it got out and women were approaching us all day, asking to see them. I want to get that tattoo redone into something more striking. Right now its pretty much just a lizard shaped blob.

20. Sometimes I'm surprised when I think about how old I am. I don't feel that old. I'm now older and I still feel that way.

21. I'm not a very social person, yet I run into someone I know just about every time I leave the house. My friends think its the weirdest thing. This doesn't happen nearly as often.

22. I go to bed earlier than I need to every night so I can read for a while. Its much harder for me to fall asleep if I haven't read for a while first. I haven't read a book in months. My iphone is my primary source of entertainment.

23. When I was in my early 20's I had several snakes that ate critters ranging from newborn pinkie mice to rabbits. When I think about that now I'm amazed I was able to feed them (the snakes). Blech!!

24. I'm not a big fan of the holidays. Nothing bad ever happened to me during any of them, I just can't get into them. Still not feeling the holidays. We moved into our new house the week before last Christmas, we didn't even bother with a tree.

25. I sort candies such as M&Ms and Skittles out by color as I eat them. And then I eat them up from most to least. I also sort potato chips by size, and eat them smallest to largest. I still do this. Also, whenever I eat Neapolitan ice cream I'm compelled to mix it all together, creating a new flavor.