Filed under: Rambling
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I married a drama queen.
It’s the same thing, every morning. He can’t find his pants. He can’t find his socks. He can’t find his keys, wallet, whatever.
It’s the same thing every evening. He can’t find the paper towels (because you know that we can’t allow fingerprints on the fishtank. Oh no, can’t have that, now can we?). He can’t find whatever CD it is that he has to have at this moment in time. He can’t find a screwdriver (they have these neat inventions called TOOL BOXES, but apparently, Mike missed the memo on that one). He can’t find the peanut butter.
It’s funny, really. He’ll say ‘just tell me where it’s at, and I’ll find it’. I tell him. He looks. Still can’t find it. I go over there, lift up one object, and it just appears like magic. In the mornings, I’ve gotten into the habit of putting his clothes out so that he can find them. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work.
Last night, I had to start the blanket that I’m working on over again numerous times because he couldn’t find anything. ANYTHING. So- I’d get up, look, find it, hand it to him, sit back down and then think ‘did I chain 20 or 30?’ Not knowing for sure, I had to pull them out and start over. It took me almost two freaking hours to chain 147 stitches. *Hi, this is me, banging my head against the wall.*
But that’s not really where the drama queen act comes into play. Where it really shows is his over dramatizing things. Like- sleep. The man will come home, go to be at midnight, and not get up for work until 10am. Count em with me folks- Midnight to ten AM is TEN HOURS. He will then tell me that he ‘never’ sleeps in. Ever. Um, ok. Most people would consider sleeping ten hours to be sleeping in. Oh- and the naps. This one cracks me up. My two year old refuses to nap, and my 27 year old takes them almost every single day off that he has.
I don’t mean to say that I don’t love my husband- I do. I just think it’s funny to live with him. There was a thread at TDC awhile back about our quirks. I have this long list of quirks- including my spot on the couch, how my dishes need to be stacked according to color and size, how I eat my M&Ms in color groups, I eat Oreos by first removing the top, eating the top (without the cream), and putting the bottoms (with the cream) in a stack before eating those last, etc. I discovered one of Mike’s quirks this week. He absolutely must sit in his desk chair to put his shoes on. There’s no getting around this. I tried. He whined. I got up.
What’s funny is that Evan is just as much a drama queen as Mike is, and it frustrates Mike.
It just amazes me the generosity of this community. When children digital scrapbookers were diagnosed with cancer- the digital scrapbooking community got together and raised money for their families. Now- Mandabean’s mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and again- the community came together to help.
There’s more- As you can see, this is not your average sized kit. The amazing ladies who assisted me in creating this kit went above and beyond to make sure this one was great..I am so proud. I give these ladies a round of applause on behalf of Myself, my family and the digital community. The support has been phenomenal, and I want to send a special thanks to Shannon Bieger, the lady behind DigiShopTalk forums..for all her support during this project. Thank you Shannon, for allowing this place to communicate so freely. I also want to thank Robin Carlton, and my sisters at Sweet Shoppe Designs for hosting this beautiful kit for me and lending me support every step of the way. This has been tough news to handle emotionally and I couldn’t be as strong without them.
*BONUS*
Digital Coupon Book —
This special treat has been provided by several fabulous digital designers/shops around the community. Not only will you recieve the sweetest kit when you purchase “Angel Eyes”, but you will also instantly recieve 13 coupons, good towards various percentages off your favorite scrap products. This is an incredible deal in itself. You’ll find coupons donated from Carrie Stephens, Designer Digitals, Eve Recinella, Gina Miller, Heather Ann Melzer, Kim Hill, Kristin Cronin-Barrow, Laura Alpuche, The Digi Chick, Michelle Underwood, Shabby Princess & Sweet Shoppe Designs.
Been waiting for a sale? here’s your chance to bring the *sale* to you! We hope you enjoy this extra treat.
*CHAT & PRIZES*
Saturday, July 29th @ 11PM EST/8PM PST —
This chat will be held at the DigiShopTalk chatroom, located HERE. During this chat, I’d like to speak out about our recent situation and how women can prevent this horrible disease from growing. There will also be some fun and games, for those of you who shy away from serious conversation. Please join us, you may be the winner of some AMAZING chat prizes. Prizes have been donated by Shabby Princess, Iron Orchid Designs, Eve Recinella and lots MORE!! Please join me..I’d love the company. Thanks everyone!! (originally posted by Mandabean, copied and pasted by me because I couldn’t do a better job.)
In other news- I spent today at my sister’s house. It’s her birthday, so we decided to have her party at her place. I’m tired, worn out, and ready to just take a nap. But, I told myself that I would get at least two more papers on my latest kit finished before logging off the computer tonight, as well as updating my blog, leaving a forwarding address on my old one, and so on.
So- I’m off. I hope that you take the time to purchase this huge, huge kit (there’s a tag and a ribbon in it from me), it’s so worth it.
I’ve been spoiled these last six years.
Growing up, we didn’t have central air. I remember nights of being unable to sleep and coming out to the living room to sleep, because we did, at least, have one monster of a window unit in there. When I moved out in 99, we still didn’t have central air, but we did have an a/c in the bedroom. When we moved in 01, we had central air in our apartment. So nice. Cool, no matter where you were.
Then, we moved back into the house where I grew up. Still no central air. No shower, either. They are on our list of things to do around here. So that is why I’m up at 230 in the morning. It’s freaking hot in the bedroom and I can’t sleep on the couch because two of my boys are there already (smart kids, I tell ya).
We got a new camera a couple days ago. I’m so happy! This one is much better than our last one. It’s not a digital SLR, like I really want, but for now- I’m happy with it.
For being so tired, and I’m actually in a pretty good mood. I ordered a pair of purple Crocs over the weekend- those should be here sometime in the next few days, Cody’s scooter is en route to Chicago and we’ll most likely have it this weekend, and he’s well on his way to earning a snorkel like his cousin has, which means- he’s picking up after himself. And I have a new designer sample in the TDC boutique:
So- stop by, check it out, and if you are so inclined- maybe buy one (or both) of the two new kits that were also released today, by me. 😀
Dylan is a very interesting child. I laugh at him- sometimes, he’s just hilarious. When he had his birthday back in May, he insisted that he was 2. He didn’t want to be 4, he wanted to be 2. No amount of correcting helped- he was 2, and there was no changing that. Until today.
Enter Cody, who believes that it is the job of every older brother to torment the younger ones. Today, he was tormenting Dylan because Dylan is only 4, and 6 is better than 4. I had to sit down and talk to Dylan and explain why 4 is better than any other age.
4 is better than any other age because- you only need one hand to tell people how old you are. Cody, the resident six year old, needs two hands. Four year olds can pedal bikes. Four year olds use the potty. Four year olds get to go to car shows with Grandpa. Four year olds get to drive the Power Wheels. And four is a very good age because Dylan is FOUR.
He ran with it. He is no longer 2- he’s now FOUR. I’m so happy. I no longer have to correct him when someone asks how old he is!
Of course, now that I’ve written that, he’ll revert back to being 2 permanently. Some day, this will be a funny and embarassing story for me to tell his future wife and kids. Some day.
And with that- I think that I’m going to try to go back to sleep. I’ll point the fan directly at me and see how that works.
Filed under: Rambling
First up- I finally got around to starting the photo blog. Yay me! It took my three days, but I finally found my memory stick (on the laundry room floor, of all places). Lesson learned: If your camera has no internal memory and therefore will not work without a memory stick, do not leave the camera within reach of your kids. Or just buy a camera with an internal memory.
Let’s back up a few days. We had fun on Tuesday. We ate a lot, and we played a lot. We took the boys to see the fireworks that night. Dylan and Cody spent more time playing on the school’s playground equipment than they did watching the fireworks, but that’s ok. Evan, on the other hand, is terrified of fireworks. TERRIFIED. He spent the entire show with his head pressed up against my boob and his hands covering his ears. He didn’t cry, but he refused to sit anywhere that wasn’t Mommy’s Lap. Lesson learned: Don’t wear a white shirt around kids who are terrified of fireworks and who also have chocolate on their hands. Also- chocolate is a bitch to get out of white shirts.
On Wednesday, I fell. Hard. I slipped on a wet floor and landed on a tote. My back hurt, all day long. I had a hard time sleeping, because it hurt every time that I rolled over onto my right side. I woke up Thursday morning with a huge bruise on my right side from it. When I woke up Friday morning, that bruise was a dark red, almost black. It’s still a dark red, and I keep telling myself that it’s getting lighter. I think it’s wishful thinking, though. Lesson learned: Crocs have no traction whatsoever on wet floors.
Yesterday, the cable guy came to replace our DVR. Yay! Now we are able to record two shows at once! And create series recordings! No more having to double check how long Lost is on, and miss the last five minutes of the show because I goofed! Lesson learned: The cable guy will make you wait all day long just to spite you, and they still won’t have everything that you asked for ready. I think that they get a kick out of this…
This morning: After waiting all day for the cable guy to show up yesterday, I figured that it would be afternoon before he showed up with our new cable modem today. Yeah- it was 9am when he knocked on our door. NINE in the MORNING. Luckily, I was dressed, and I had just gotten the kids dressed. The desk hadn’t been cleaned off, so it was still a mess from last night. Lesson learned: It costs $100 for the cable guy to come in, unhook your old modem, and hook up your new modem. Can we say RIP OFF? We could have done this ourselves!
Filed under: Rambling
I’m starting something new today- a photo blog. I’m attempting two things with this. Number one- to get in the habit of taking my camera everywhere and Number Two- to see how I like WordPress. I may decide to move this blog over there, but for now- I’ll just test drive it.
No pictures yet (I still need to take some today, lol), but the camera has brand new batteries and is already in my purse, ready to go. But you can check the blog out, if you want: Travels In A Small Town.
Ugh. It’s going to be a LONG day. Seriously- LOOOOOOOONG. I’m looking forward to it, mostly because the boys have been up since 630 this morning and they’ve been WHINING and ARGUING the entire time.
Come on dryer, hurry up. I want to get these kids out of the house before they drive me insane…
Filed under: Rambling
Ok, I’m seriously cracking up here. Linky poo. Read the directions. Oh, wait, they’re short enough that I can post them here…
THEN follow our simple steps:PLACE wiener in bread. Add 1 Tbsp. sauce and toppings.
Ah, the joys of simplicity. Or maybe that’s joys of stupidity… (Thanks to Mimi Smartypants for pointing me in this direction. Hey, look at that! This blog addiction thing is good for something!)
I got a new Dover book in the mail this week. Not bad, except that I don’t want to do anything but create papers with it and that’s just not good.
I don’t watch a lot of TV (ok, so I do- but I record it all and watch it on my own time, says she of the almost but not quite full DVR). I love good drama. Combine the two, and I’m in heaven (it’s why I like Big Brother and Survivor- TV + Drama = Happiness). So when Veggieville starts buzzing with the Star Jones dramarama this week, I’m floored. There’s drama? On daytime TV? That doesn’t require watching soaps and Springer? I’m soooo there! So, like any good drama chaser, I break out my trusty Google, and find a video. I’m all excited, break out the pop corn and diet dr pepper, put my feet up, start the video….
And am instantly bored to tears, which happens right before I yak from the syrupy fake wishy washy ‘It’s been wonderful, the show’s going in a new direction, I love you guys’ crap. I was hoping for some patented Barbara Can of Whoop Ass action going on (you know that she has some serious Drama Queen potential, right there).
So- here I sit, my TV drama cravings going unsatisfied for at least another week (Big Brother starts next week- can’t wait to see who made it in).
Filed under: Uncategorized
The other day Mike comes up to me and says ‘You have a blog?’ I turn and look at him as if he has three heads and say ‘Where the hell have you been for the last year?’
I know that I’ve mentioned it to him. I’m pretty sure that I told him that I had one, or mentioned it in passing, or something. He told me that he found out from his mom. I laughed at that one- Mike is the king of selective hearing, and he most likely selectively didn’t hear ‘I changed my blog template today’ or ‘I put an ad up on my blog for the CT call’ or ‘Let me finish this blog entry before….’
So- yeah. I’m thinking that he just doesn’t pay attention to me or something…
So- I got paid and I bought those neato swirly brushes from 2peas on Tuesday. Oh my gosh, I love them! They’re great! I’m horrible at making really cool chunky swirlies, so I have to rely on other people’s really cool chunky swirlies.
Then- I hit Scrap Artist’s sale. Picked up Carriage House and Redemption and Element Essentials by Iron Orchid Designs and Fresh Start Tool Kit by Dianne Rigdon (for the to die for gotta get my grubby little paws on it brush that she uses in her previews). Then I hit Jen Wilson and bought some element packs (don’t ask me to remember their names- I didn’t look, lol!). I spent the afternoon creating two new layouts with my schtuff. *So happy*
Look- I already use that to die for brush by Dianne.
I didn’t know IOD before I lost my internet. What a nice little surprise to come back to. Really awesome papers, and I’m loving the Element Essentials pack thingy that I got today. But… for some odd reason, I keep getting their name wrong in my head. I don’t say Iron Orchid, I say Iron Orchard. I’m kinda glad that I don’t normally type out Iron Orchid Designs, because let’s face it, it would be rather embarassing to type what my mind insists on saying. Orchid, Orchid, Orchid.
Oh- something else that I love about this layout. The title. I had bought this font awhile back and hadn’t really played with it. The font is LHF Boston Truckstyle. And I just went to their site and saw a font that I really really really really really want to own and alas- it won’t be available until July. *pout* So- while I’m waiting for English Rose, I’m going to oogle the fonts there. Like this one: Sarah Script. Would look good in chipboard… Or Sophia Script (a nice alternate for Susie’s Hand on layouts). I love Letterhead fonts- so worth the money. But then again, I am a font addict. *big cheesy grin*
In my best Conan OBrien voice (I’m probably spelling his name wrong, but oh well): I’m agonna go to hell when I die. (unfortunately I can’t do the amazing bouncing hair thing the same way that he does…)
Since I know that my mother in law reads this (Hi Vicky), I know that the next time that I see her, I’ll be a dead woman. But- I don’t care. I got a kick out of this layout. And, to be fair, she knew that I took her picture and knew that there was a possibility of this happening, so I’m not totally to blame here.
And with that- I say good night. It’s so freaking hot in the bedroom and Mike is like a furnace that I had to get out of that room and sit in air conditioning for awhile. Hopefully I’m tired enough now that I’ll get to sleep. So- I’m going to go point the fan directly at my side of the bed and try to fall asleep.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I don’t feel like working on any kits, but I can’t keep Photoshop closed. So- I’ve been catching up on my scrapbooking. It’s such a relief to be able to do something that I don’t have to be perfect at. And, ok, I’ll admit it- I’m still doing what I can to save my pen.
I love this picture of Cody and his brothers.
Yet another one, this one is about Cody’s soccer coach.
Another neat picture that I like a lot- Dylan eating his ice cream. I really like how this layout turned out, with the cicle and the strips of paper.
Not my favorite, but I really like how the star turned out. When I saw the pictures a couple months ago, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at them. The best pictures of Cody really aren’t the best pictures- but they are hilarious!
And- one about me. I laugh at the books in this picture- Elie Wiesel, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Janet Finch, and others share my nightstand. Yep- my taste in books is broad.
And look at those papers- love them! I went on a shopping spree last weekend. It’s funny, really. I went in looking for one paper pack. Saw that she was having a sale and stocked up.
I’m loving the way that freestyle looks, but find that it’s hard for me to use doodles all that often. That’s what I’m working out right now. I have this cute idea for a layout that involves tons of flowers, but I can’t seem to get it right. ARGH! Driving me nuts!
Veggieville has added a ton of new garden girls and I’m so excited to see what this means for the digital board there! I wonder if this means that we’ll get more kits (or a wider variety of them). Oh- and speaking of Veggieville, can I just say that it sucks being broke? Check these out:
and…
Both of these have ended up in my Wish List. I’m thinking that with some cute swirly doodles like these I might actually be able to doodle more on my pages. Only a few more days until I get paid and you bet that I’m buying these cute brushes. Oh- and some others, because I love Rhonna’s brushes. They’re doodle-y without being ‘doodle-y’ (does that make any sense at all?).
I’ve probably bored you all to death by now. Mike has said that we might not be keeping another kitty besides Pumpkin, but we’ll see about that. He asked me today which cat I’m taking out to my parents’ tomorrow. I didn’t know that I was taking a cat to my parents’ tomorrow. It looks like Moo is moving tomorrow (that is- if I feel like taking a cat with me).
Pumpkin is definitely my kitty. I can’t sit on the couch without him cuddling up to me. He comes to bed with me and cuddles next to me before I fall asleep and he begins his nightly prowls.
Filed under: Uncategorized
But before I get to that, I am going to address the chameleon. Yes- we have a chameleon. His (her? not about to figure out how to check that one out) name is Frankie and he’s now back in his cage. Not happily, but he’s there. I really have no problem holding or touching him, but he wasn’t too happy with me when I found him the day after he escaped. Most likely because I was putting him back in his cage.
Now- on to the races. Mike has almost decided that we’ll be keeping another kitten, as well as Pumpkin. This one is an almost all black cat (he has a teeny tiny white bib and his belly is white), and his name is Monkey. Mike won’t let me name him Pie so that I can have a Pumpkin and a Pie, but oh well. Monkey is a good kitty name, too.
Anyway- there’s also Moo (black and white) and Creamsicle (orange and white tabby). All boys. They sleep all day long, and then come evening, they start wrestling practice. It’s funny to watch. I’ve seen Monkey stand up on his hind legs and actually leap into the air to land on top of one of the other two cats. I’ve seen Pumpkin, Creamsicle and Monkey wrestle each other… at the same time.
From wrestling practice, we move on to hide and seek. All but one will hide and as the one not hiding walks by these hiding places, he gets attacked by the ones hiding- or, if he’s lucky, he’ll see them before they see him and he’ll attack.
From hide and seek, it’s on to the Indianapolis 500, held in my very own house. They start in my bedroom, on my bed, jump off the bed, run out the door, go down the hallway, into the living room, jump on the couch, jump off the couch, go down the hallway, back to my room and up on my bed. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. If I didn’t shut my door at night, they’d do this all night long.
I am becoming a crazy cat lady. I talk to the cats, get a huge kick out of them following me all around the house, and in the evenings, when I’m sitting on the couch watching tv, I usually have two on my lap, one at my shoulder, and one next to me on the couch.
My computer hasn’t been fixed yet, I’m hoping for sometime in the next week or so. I miss my keyboard- the keys don’t stick.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Apparently, I’m not updating enough for my sister, Jess. So- here’s her update (even though she knows everything that has been happening around here).
Pumpkin is going to be one spoiled kitty. I went to Wal-Mart today and bought him a couple of catnip fish toys. He’s also an attention hog- and definitely a mommy’s kitty. I walk by- he will wake from a deep sleep and meow until I stop and scratch him behind his ears (he loves that).
My computer died. Nothing big- just needs a new motherboard and I didn’t lose anything. Of course this happens right before I discover a new toy that I absolutely positively MUST HAVE. A wireless Wacom.
I need to replace my pen nib, and was looking at Wacom’s website when I saw the Graphire 4 Bluetooth. Larger than what I already have (Graphire 2 4×5, the Bluetooth is 6×8), plus I’ll be able to put my foot up and use it like a sketchbook- on my lap.
I just looked in our chameleon’s cage and… he’s missing! Ack! The last time that he got out, I saw him wandering on the desk and was able to grab him and put him away pretty quickly. Today- I didn’t see him, and I just looked all over the dining room, and he’s no where to be seen. Wonderful. Now I’m going to have to keep a look out for him. He’ll probably freak me out in the bathroom or run over my foot or something.
But- back to my pen. It’s funny. I was just noticing that I’m almost worn the nib down to the point of uselessness. I showed Mike and he said ‘Well, I guess you do use your tablet.’ Well, duh. So now I’m thinking that I can just simply make do with my pen, only use it when I need it, and once I have the money for the new tablet saved up, I’ll buy a new one.
Mike wants me to get a better motherboard- to basically use this as an excuse to completely upgrade my computer. I’m not interested in that right now- I’d like to save my money until I can afford to buy a new laptop instead of worrying about upgrading everything.
dreaming in {digital} 