Saw this on Cherylp's blog and thought it was fun.

Five things:

in my fridge
1. cheddar cheese
2. olives
3. water
4. sour cream
5. various bottles of condiments

in my closet
1. lots of clothes
2. lots of sandals (my favorite thing)
3. some dress shoes
4. purses
5. belts I'll probably never wear again

in my purse
1. my wallet
2. my cell phone
3. a pen
4. gum
5. Advil packs

in my car
1. emergency kit
2. umbrella
3. handiwipes & tissues
4. as many cds as I can fit in the compartment
5. my gate id card

on my bathroom counter
1. body lotions
2. face lotions
3. curling iron
4. toothpaste & toothbrush
5. perfume

Cousins photo from last weekend

I'm the one in the paisley print (4th from the right)

Ah...the weekend is here!!

I don't really have any plans for tonight but I need to food shop & clean this weekend and also try to find something to wear for Sat. night. We're going to John's aunts' birthdays (3 sisters who are 60, 75, 80, I think!). I think I already posted about this. My memory is gone.

Yesterday I got an email about a new study that one of our university departments is doing on memory. I emailed for more info. They're having subjects (over 45) take a smart pill for a month to see if memory improves. I'm all for any memory boost I can get!!!!!! They said it's B12 and a few other things that won't affect any medications or vitamins currently being taken. Should be interesting! They are compensating those who participate but I'm really interested in an improvement.

It's very quiet in here today (LOVE it). No faculty, no bosses, just two of us chickens!! I'm having lunch with John since he has the car for a p.t. appt. I cannot wait until he's working!!!

Diet/Life change update.....

I haven't had any chocolate, cookies, etc. this week and I'm trying to eat smaller healthy meals. So far I've gone down about 3-4 lbs. Now if I could keep that up long enough to add a zero to the end of those numbers, I'll be good to go!! I've been on the treadmill every night too. I'm planning on walking during lunch for the days I don't have a car too. I need to dedicate more time to exercise rather than scrapping/stamping my life away (not that it's a bad thang!!).

Got two more pages done last night. Can I say I'm snowmobiled out?!! I've done 6 lo's in a row of snowmobile trips. I'm ready to begin Lost River soon! I love looking at those photos because they make me laugh & remember when my good friend, N, visited from MI.

The other version.....

I think I like the other one better!!

Finally able to post!

I have had so much trouble posting lately, I almost gave up.

This a.m. I was emailing back and forth with N and tried to send her a picture of my do. Well, I took a rotten photo of myself with my Palm and tried several other times. I thought there was something wrong with it so I took it into the Palm expert. He took a photo while I was standing there and it came out fine. I guess I need photography lessons.

Update on the weekend...

Well, Fri. night we went to rent a tux for G. His gf came with us. It was pretty painless. He chose a black tux, white shirt with grey vest & tie. It was funny because he had on a hood and I told him to take it off before the guy came over. He couldn't understand why. I told him it was rude to talk to someone with his hood on. So...he finally took it off, the young guy came over to talk, let him try on a jacket and G lifted the hood and took it off as soon as the jacket was on and the guy told him to put it back on. I said, "I told him to take it off and finally listened and now he was telling hime to put it back on?!" We got a chuckle out of it. M was laughing at him in the tux with the hoodie underneath. Can't wait to see him dressed up!!! Sat. just went to Christmas Tree shopping and then food shopping with my mom. Things are going a little better these days, not sure why but maybe I'm just getting used to having no privacy and someone else's quirky things in my house. Sun. went to R's shower. It was very nice. We had mimosas, lobster newburg, salad, asparagus salad(have to get the recipe from M on that one!!). Then we had this TO DIE FOR cake from some upscale bakery in Newton or Brookline. YUM! It was whipped cream frosting, white cake with strawberries in the layers. Oh, it was SO worth the calories. We took a piece home and some Newburg & salad. So after the initial stuffed feeling wore off last night, we heated up the newburg and ate that, salad, and cake for dessert. I'm so done with eating. I've it my all time high weight wise and I cannot go any higher. I'm back to salads at lunch and light snacks. I will not cave to the endless supply of chocolate at my office. Got some gorgeous shower photos from my cousin today and saw why I really need to lose. The bridal party is absolutely gorgeous. They're all skinny and young. It was nice catching up with my aunts & cousins.

Weekend update..

Well, Fri. night we went to rent a tux for G. His gf came with us. It was pretty painless. He chose a black tux, white shirt with grey vest & tie. It was funny because he had on a hood and I told him to take it off before the guy came over. He couldn't understand why. I told him it was rude to talk to someone with his hood on. So...he finally took it off, the young guy came over to talk, let him try on a jacket and G lifted the hood and took it off as soon as the jacket was on and the guy told him to put it back on. I said, "I told him to take it off and finally listened and now he was telling hime to put it back on?!" We got a chuckle out of it. M was laughing at him in the tux with the hoodie underneath. Can't wait to see him dressed up!!!

Sat. just went to Christmas Tree shopping and then food shopping with my mom. Things are going a little better these days, not sure why but maybe I'm just getting used to having no privacy and someone else's quirky things in my house.

Sun. went to R's shower. It was very nice. We had mimosas, shrimp cocktail, lobster newburg, salad, asparagus salad(have to get the recipe from M on that one!!). Then we had this TO DIE FOR cake from some upscale bakery in Newton or Brookline. YUM! It was whipped cream frosting, white cake with strawberries in the layers. Oh, it was SO worth the calories. We took a piece home and some Newburg & salad. So after the initial stuffed feeling wore off last night, we heated up the newburg and ate that, salad, and cake for dessert. I'm so done with eating. I've it my all time high weight wise and I cannot go any higher. I'm back to salads at lunch and light snacks. I will not cave to the endless supply of chocolate at my office. Got some gorgeous shower photos from my cousin today and saw why I really need to lose. The bridal party is absolutely gorgeous. They're all skinny and young. It was nice catching up with my aunts & cousins.

Weekend

Good God! I just typed a whole big message and got an error message! It's now gone.

Anyway, I guess tonight is the night G will grace me with his presence so that we can try to rent a tux for 5/6 (jr. cotillion). I'm not thrilled about dishing out the dough for his gf's cotillion but what else can I do. If I buy a suit, he'll never wear it again. Either way it's going to cost around $150. Then the ticket and flowers will bring me to over $200. I guess it'll be fun to see him decked out!

No plans tomorrow other than cleaning and food shopping. Sun. is R's shower. NO clue what I'm wearing. I guess the ol' black pants and a top will have to do. Too many things this time of year!

I hope to get more scrapping in this weekend either tonight, tomorrow night or Sun. night. We shall see. I also have 3 bday cards to make for next weekend's party. It's J's aunts' birthdays - three sisters (60, 75, 80). Should be fun with the rest of his family! We don't get to see them much. Ciao for now!

Bleached card

Here's a reject for the card contest I entered. I only entered because they are choosing two winners, one for talent and the other random (me). I hope I win!

I bleached the flower. It was my first time stamping with bleach. Fun!

Soooo tired...

Left at 8 a.m. for the Cape, got to the cottage and loaded up a double bed, twin bed & frames for both, bureau & lawn mower. We didn't think Seafood Sams would be open so we went to Cooke's in Hyannis. It was delicious!!! We got scallops & clams & onion rings. YUM. I was so full, I didn't eat dinner.

Anyway, we drove home, unloaded (with the help of G and a friend). Got the van back to Uhaul and put most everything in the attic. I'm so glad the boys were there to help. I was wiped out from the drive. I nodded off a few times on the way home but felt guilty that J had to drive in silence. He just loves to talk!!!!!!! I don't even hear what he's saying half the time. It has taken me lots of years of practice to shut it off.

I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!!!!!!! Well, it's only three days. It shouldn't be too bad, but then again the teachers/principals are on vacation and they'll have time to come in with any issues!

I went into my sb room and put some photos on paper but that's as far as I got. I'm too tired to concentrate so it'll have to wait until I'm fresh tomorrow night!

Grrrrrrr......

The fun never ends. I had a decent day putzing around, made another batch of scalloped potatoes for E who was coming home from Maine in the afternoon. Got my swap package out in the mail, we picked up a rental van so that we can go to the Cape tomorrow to pick up some furniture and things.

Sat down tonight and finished monogram note cards for R's shower to go with the gc I got. Then I pulled out some photos to get ready to scrap and G called. Wanted to know if he could sleep at someone's house. Ok, he had a sleep over Thurs. night, Fri. night, Sun. night. We told him no this morning and gave in, of course. Now J is mad at ME for giving in even though I asked HIM to make the decision so he couldn't get mad at me. Oh well........he was told that there would not be another sleep over until the weekend, no matter what. He cannot stand to be alone. He has to have a buddy around all the time. So I guess he'll be busy while we drive the 2 hrs. down to the Cape, load up and then drive 2 hrs. back. I hope I at least get a seafood platter out of it!!!

My Hawaiian name. Having fun with these quizzes!

Your Hawaiian Name is:

Leilani Anani

What's" your Hawaiian Name?

Just dreaming back to my Hawaii trip...

Here's our fav beach. Only the locals would go there. Sometimes it was empty!

Weekend is finally here!!

I'm very excited that I have a long weekend coming up!! Tonight we have to food shop for Easter and then we're going out for fried clams!! J is finally cheating on his diet for this! He's lost about 20 lbs. I seriously need to as well. My mom is heading to her sister's for the night! I'm happy for her and us. She'll have someone to talk to and we can talk without worrying about saying something that will be repeated. Not sure what G is doing (our 16 yo).

No official plans for tomorrow. I was really hoping to get a card done to submit to a contest tonight but I don't think that'll happen. Maybe tomorrow morning since the deadline is the 15th. I don't think I'd win on talent but they are also picking a random card so I have a chance to win!!

The cottage fiasco seems to be coming to a close. We are heading to the Cape probably on Tues. to clear out our things. Hopefully we'll get an other fried seafood platter at our favorite, Seafood Sams!! We won't be going back for a long time! I think we'll head North this summer to Maine and rent a place on the water (lake, not ocean). It'll be fun though. I will really miss the National Seashore park beaches at the Cape. :-( Maybe we'll rent a place there next summer.

Gorgeous weather!

What a day! I went out for lunch and didn't want to come back. My stamp store called to say that my order was in. They are in the same town I live in but way on the other side of town and they're not open at night except Thurs. So....being anxious, I thought I'd fly there at lunch time. It was a great day for a ride. I flew over, picked out 2 stamp pads also. I flew back thinking that it would take a while. I got here with 20 min. to spare. I was ripped off. I could have browsed some more but then again, I would have spent more money I don't have. Oh well....now that I know it doesn't take that long, I'll go back another day!

Got a call from my oldest asking whether or not the campus police would jimmy his car. Locked those keys in again and his ex-gf still has his spare and wouldn't answer her phone. So...in my nicest voice, I call the campus police saying that I work here and could they possibly take care of my son. They did and he was happy. Another hard day at work! ;-)

Things....

Well, first off, I'm happy the Red Sox are winning on opening day!! J called me a few times today and that was one thing he called for. The other was to tell me that E was actually CLEANING his car!!!!! His new gf must be having a positive influence on him. Amazing...I'm liking her more and more! What's not to like, she's sweet, friendly, pretty, helpful (has taken the groceries in), AND gets my son to clean his room and car?!!! Yessirreeeeee!

Oh, and a little update on the boy pants!! Got to AE last night, found two pairs, one 29x32 and oone 30x32. He liked both so we got them and went to the register. Now mind you, we found them on the clearance rack and there were several more hanging there. The total came to $96!!! I almost fell over. I told her they were on clearance and she said they shouldn't have been there and they are full price. After arguing, she caved by giving me a coupon even though I was using my Amex instead of AE charge. Big whooop!!! My total was $82. Gulp. Oh well, they look good(normal) on him so we'll just have to deal.

I'm disappointed about this Easter. My family has gotten together as a big group for as long as I've been around (46 yrs.). This year everyone is so busy with the weddings and showers (4), that no one has offered to do it. I can't have that many for dinner. I don't like to entertain if I don't have to. We're about 25-30 strong when we can all make it. So....this year will be quiet. E is going to ME to meet gf's mom. We will cook for mom, G and the two of us, unless G goes to HIS gf's!! This will be mom's first Easter alone. We'll have to try to keep her busy. On the upside, I don't have to find an outfit to wear and can eat what I want and be comfy in my sweats!!

I feel the need to post something.

Boy pants

Oh, I'm sooooo excited. My 16 yo son now wants to wear BOY pants!! He's been wearing tight girl pants (it's a band thang) and I've been embarrassed. Well, last week we bought the checks/plaids, etc., and now he wants MEN'S American Eagle jeans like his brother. So...I'm not letting any time pass so he can change his mind. I'm running to the mall on my lunch hour to buy some for his weekend on the Cape!! I never thought the girl pants fad would pass. Whew!! The only problem is that my charge will suffer! LOL I don't even care at this point. I just want him in normal jeans again.

Can't wait for my Junkitz address book class tomorrow! It should be fun. And I'm hoping to get some sb'ing done tonight!

20 yrs. ago...

It just dawned on me that 20 years ago right now, I was whipping my head back and forth like the exorcist!! I was in hard labor for a long time and couldn't take the pain but didn't want to scream so I just kept turning my head back and forth!!!! E was very stubborn. I was in labor for over 20 hrs. Ugh....when I think about that I can't believe I went all that time without meds. What a fool!!! He was born at 2:57 p.m. Anyway, he's well worth the pain I went through. I'm very proud of him. I wish I had a photo to post!!!

Here's a card I made last night....

Used Hero Arts thank you stamp and a HA flower stamp. I used Bazzill teal paper.

So much for the birthday...

Well, we had E's favorite dinner and then he decided he was too full for ice cream cake. His friends were waiting and it would have been too late if we did it later. So.....he saved his gifts and cake for tonight. His gf is stuck in ME with car problems and is hoping to get back tonight. If not, we'll have him to ourselves! If so, he'll go out with her and we'll have to try and squeeze a cake in. It's so hard when they get older!! He didn't want me taking his picture either. He said it was stupid to sit there doing nothing and have his picture taken. Oh well... I snapped a few but they're horrible because he was aggravated with me. Some day when they look at their scrapbooks, they're going to have a gap of about 2 years with no photos and they'll think it was me who neglected to take photos!!!

I spoke to G's gf's mom last night and she sounded nice. I feel comfortable about him going to the Cape with them now. I gave him the run down about manners and he was saying he could take care of himself. I forgot to tell him to make sure he puts the seat down!!! :-) He'll love that one.

Early Father's Day card I made to try out my Notch tool!

Kids & things...

Well, tonight we'll celebrate my oldest son's birthday. He will be 20 tomorrow but will be spending it with his new g.f. So we'll have his favorite meal, chicken, broccoli, ziti, which makes me happy because it's my mom's meal so she'll have to cook!! I always do the cooking for some reason and I hate to cook. Then we'll have ice cream cake.

G (youngest - 16 y.o.) has been invited to go to the Cape this weekend with his new g.f. and her mom. Yikes. I will have to call her to make sure she's really going and this isn't a ploy. I'm sure it's not. He told me to call her so I will. It feels funny having him away with a GIRL! She is a junior and asked him to go to the cotillion. Maybe I've already said that...hmmm...

It would have been a great weekend to go to Maine because I wouldn't have had to worry about what G would be getting away with with my mom at home, but I've signed up for a class on Sat. to make a Junkitz address book and then on Sun. my lss has their customer appreciation night. Oh well....another time.

Weekend

Well, Sat. night was fun. Got to catch up with some of the neighbors I don't normally see. I also learned some interesting things about my son's ex. I was told that she "took out" their mailbox and drove about a mile down the street with it. It was in July. They didn't want to tell me because they knew we'd feel bad. I can't believe my son didn't tell us! He wasn't with her and said he was really embarrassed to tell us. I told him there was no excuse!!

Anyway, did some yard work on Sun. and then went shopping with my mom and youngest. We saw the pants he wanted on clearance for $10 each. So...we each bought two for him! Then he found a pair of Dickies for $7. Good shopping day!!!

It's all about the shoes...

Well, Neece was kind enough to post my first comment!!! Thanks, Neece!

Here are a few cards I made this weekend (since you asked!).

April fools!!

Well, I decided to take Fri. off so I went shopping and found some cute jeans and a nice top for tonight. Then I went grocery shopping, went home and baked two desserts for tonight, stamped a bag for the gift.

Today I had a nice time at the lss doing my baby album. It's so cute! C is going to love it!! I might have to make another while I have it here.

Now I need to get my butt upstairs to get dressed. I hope Chris is surprised tonight! And I hope J can have a good time. He has family issues but they should be all over in a week. Until then, he's totally stressed until he has the discussion with his brothers.

So glad we're getting two nights off from Mom. She went to stay at her sister's last night and called to say she's staying again!!!!!!!! Yeah. Now I'm wondering if I'll hear from/see E tonight (my almost 20 y.o.). He went out last night for his gf's 21st and called to say he wouldn't be home. Maybe tonight. Her car is still here. Hope to stamp and scrap tomorrow!!!!!!!!