Pictures

ok, here they are - to most of you this will still look like a disaster in the making, but to those that know me - it will look like paradise lol.

and of course, I could never feel completely comfortable without a companion, and here you see Lover Boy, he has been our friend for over 15 years now, and we are SO blessed to be able to share our lives with him.

Update on craft room

I managed to get my lazy butt into the craft room last night and got a lot done. I think that I will take some pictures tonight and share them with you. I know there are no 'before' shots, never did get there, but, the 'after' ones will be good enough to give you an idea of the space and how I have finally got it set up to actually get some work done in there. It isn't done, it may Never be done...but it is really far into 'on it's way'. I'll post pics tonight. Thanks for joining me on this journey into the land of semi-organization, hope you had fun!!! lol

and Another giveaway

ok, somehow I am managing to come across a number of blog giveaways this week, so I am posting the ones I find..hope you enjoy them.


Very Mary is giving away a flat rate box of 'stuff' from her attic.

http://www.averymarydesign.blogspot.com/

Another giveaway

Another blog giveaway...this one is a trifle different as it involves praying/worship. That is not something I talk about much on here, most people think of me as someone to read to get a good laugh, or groan as the case may be, but there is more to it then that. If you read back thru this blog you will find a couple of posts that reveal the depth of my belief. You might not have seen it as that, but if you stop and think about the stuff that has happened, you will realize that I could not have made it thru those alone. They take a great deal of strength and that is a strength that I do not possess - I just borrow it - and who else would I get it from? Exactly!! God is my trainer and he has built up my spiritual muscles over the years with strenuous exercises in reliance and submission. Anyways, this is just to let you know about a giveaway here and to encourage you to go check it out. Personally I don't want you to, cuz then you will enter and my chances of winning go down proportionally, but, HE wants me to send you there, so, guess who wins? You got it!!! So GO!!! lol

20 day giveaway

this looks like it will be a lot of fun, go check it out!
It's a great blog - loads of wonderful useful tips!

I'm BBBAACCKK - again lol

wow, hadn’t realized that it had been that long since I posted last….I’m sorry…been a little down lately and have really had nothing much to say.

my new toy is harder to use than I thought it would be, but I think I am getting a handle on the program, just a little. Have made a couple of things, but am not really satisfied with my creations yet. Will get there soon.
hhmm, let’s see, what has happened since I talked to you last? not much..that’s bad, nothing to write about?
Trav is getting down to the wire with the David Book, should be done really really soon, I know he will be happy to have that finished. He has been spending every spare moment, when not trying to finish the book, setting up his new Online Magazine…it is really really kewl!!!! Go visit and see what YOU think…let us know what you would like to see and maybe he can do it, he’s pretty good ya know.

Watched Water Horse last nite, pretty good movie, I think Trav is going to review it on his site….

boy that was short and sweet wasn’t it? sorry, will do better next time, must be out of practice.

Cop for a day

this is just way too funny not to share....

http://www.baltimorepolice.org/join-the-team/media-center/cop-for-a-day

First Klic-N-Kut Project

Here is the first project I have made with my new toy that I think is good enough to share. Hope you like it, I posted it on my new message board as well - drop by and take a look.

My New Toy - part 3 (Klic-N-Kut)

Well, I think I overestimated my computer abilities here…this is an EXTENSIVE program and a very professional machine. NOT a plug and play, that’s for sure.

I spent some time on it this weekend and I am just now starting to get comfortable enough to start cutting things out. And then you know what happened?

The Power went OUT!!! and when it finally came back up…my computer wouldn’t boot up!!!!! So I cannot play with it at ALL!!!!

I guess when I can, I will post some more, :o( sniff sniff…until then….take care.


This ends my multi day post, I hope you enjoyed it...be sure to stop by Trav's Online General Interest Magazine and check out all the things he's been doing. Bye for now.

My New Toy - part 2 (Klic-N-Kut)

My New Toy - part 2 (Klic-N-Kut)


We ordered the Klic-N-Kut on Wednesday, June 4th – and when I got the tracking info was astonished that it was going to be delivered on Thursday, June 5th!!! I eagerly watched the computer, waiting to see it changed from “out for delivery” to “delivered”. Imagine my dismay when it changed, not to “delivered” but to “Delivery exception” Customer not available or business closed

I was very upset! What did THAT mean? We have a signature on file, so that when we are at work they can still deliver!! So I went to the FedEx site and started looking around. Did you know that if the insured value of a shipment is over a specific amount, then a real live human being MUST sign for it? And if no one does after 3 tries it will be returned to sender!

Oh NO! That would be unacceptable! So, Trav called the 800 number and arranged for them to hold the package at the Ocala warehouse the next morning and we would drive over and pick it up after work. Still disappointing that I couldn’t have it that night, but better than being sent back.

On Friday morning I pulled up the tracking screen and watched to see if it would say what it should say…and it did NOT!!! At 7:01am it stated “On FedEx vehicle for delivery”! We got the number to the ware house and they said that they had not received a hold for that package.

They were kind enough to give me the drivers cell number tho, and suggested that we call him and see what we could arrange. Trav called around and found someone in town willing to sign for and hold it for us, then he called the driver and he agreed to change the delivery location. At 10:20am, Friday I saw that exciting word on the FedEx Site “DELIVERED” !!! We planned on picking it up on the way home. That would give me the whole weekend to play with my new toy.

My New Toy – part 1 (Klic N Kut)

(this is going to be a multi day post as well as appearing on Trav’s online magazine…I am going to be his first guest writier!!! Go here to check it out, it's kewl!)



I’m not sure if I have written on here yet about my die cutting machine journey…I don’t think so.

Back at Thanksgiving we bit the bullet and purchased a Cricut Expression electronic die cutting machine to use with my card making and scrapbooking. It is a pretty awesome machine and really does a wonderful job.
However, it is constrained by the requirement of cartridges in order to cut things…if it’s not on the cartridge that you own, you have to buy the one it IS on….and at anywhere from $50 to $90 a cartridge, that gets expensive fast!!! They do have a program that allows you to do more, ($89) but it will only allow you to cut what you have cartridges for, no matter that it allows you to design with ALL of them on the screen. Limiting again.
Trav and I did a lot of research and decided to sell the expression and upgrade to a Craft Robo. This machine was a bit more expensive, but it allows you to cut designs from your computer, and is only limited by your imagination. It is said to cut vellum, paper, cardstock and other materials of similar thickness.
This interested us quite a bit…so we did a little more research…and discovered that although it cuts a large number of materials, it was limited in the thickness and would not cut something like chipboard, mat board or similar items. This was disappointing as we do have a photography business and cutting photo mats would be really helpful. So, back to the research.
Guess what we found? It’s called a Klic-n-Kut and yes, it Does cost more, but…it will cut MATBOARD!!! and vinyl, and chipboard, and vellum and will etch metal and emboss and score and draw pretty much anything else we have been able to think of. So, we sold the Cricut and ordered the Klic-n-Kut (KNK). Boy was I excited!! My thought was “This is going to be SO much FUN!!”

Mornings

Sometimes I wake up Happy - but usually I try to let him sleep!
Trav is a morning person...he sings, he talks, he whistles - I think he would even dance a jig if he thought I wouldn't throw something at him! I am a night person - mornings are an abomination to me, truly distasteful. There is a song out there from a long time ago with the phrase "breaking up is hard to do" I have changed that to "Waking up is hard on you". I think that we should write a law that says that morning people have to be silent for the first hour of a night person's day! NO SINGING!! DON'T talk to me! Do NOT ask me any important questions! Just give me something to drink, water, coffee, tea, what ever...let me sit hunched up in front of my computer, keep the critters away until I become human...or relatively less homicidal. I know, I know, you morning people just don't understand what could possibly be so horrible about mornings, they are great for you. You wake up ready to face the day, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, all is right with the world. We wake up to clouds and croaking toads...but...when you are done for the day, ready to hit the hay, so tired your eyelids are falling of their own accord, WE are coming into our own...WE are bouncy, cheerful, all geared up and ready to go - the whole world and you are going to go to sleep now. NO you MUST stay awake and be TORMENTED by my cheerful happy mood!!!! It's only fair!

Always remember and never forget...NO SINGING IN THE MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And it's Tuesday again

and I missed blogging on Monday....bad bad YF. I think I'll change my resolution to at least three or four days a week and take some of the pressure off...maybe - maybe not...I don't know yet.

Well Sunday was a normal day for us - right up til the STORM!!! lol It was a doozie too...we needed rain, but I think it might have been better if it had maybe slowed down just a trifle and then hung around a little longer, but I'm begging, so I won't be that choosy. The hail was fun to watch tho lol
Then the power went out at about 4. ho boy...I still have THREE loads of laundry pending!!! one in the washer...so, go open the door (so they don't smell) and sat back to listen to the UPS scream. Usually they quit after about 20 minutes, but not that one...it was still screaming 2 hours later. And Yes, we were still without power then. I convinced him about then that we needed to go out to dinner cuz -you know - how could we cook with no power? We have a gas stove, but no water, so anyways...he aquiessed and that is how we found BubbaQues in Bronson...(GO SEE HIS BLOG FOR DETAILS!!!!! http://travelerstales.wordpress.com/ )
We followed the power lines all the way out and didn't see anyone or anything that might have caused an outage of that length...well, we still didn't have power when we got back! So Trav called them again, and asked that they please call us and let us know what was going on as he needed power for his CPAP. No call...so he goes out looking to see if any of our neighbors had power...while he was gone it came back on!!! :YYYEEEAAAAYYYY Got to blow out all the oil lamps as it was well past 9 by now and a little bit dark. So, alls well that ends well, right? Oh yeah, they did have their little robot system call to see if the power was on...joy.

anyways...talk at ya tomorrow - maybe lol

Sunday night

How did it get to be Sunday night already? What happened to the week end? Spent 6 hours at Althea's yesterday...I had a really good time, and I hope she did too. Debi and Donna went round and round for quite some time, but Althea and I just kept right on keepin on and got our project finished. I enjoyed the creativity involved.

Then today I worked a little in the yard - planted a couple of things, watered everything, just spent a little time outside, that was nice.

Then there was a major rainstorm!!! complete with marble size hail!! I got the Cricut sold and was packing it up when the storm hit...had to go out on the porch and watch the hail bounce around...then the wind changed direction and the hail was hitting up on the porch where we were!!! lol so I came back in and was about to print the packing slips so I could seal up the box, and the power went off. That was at 4:07 pm...it just came back on at 9:24 pm...we had to call twice - I HATE when that happens. But it's on now and I'm going to print that right now before something else happens....lol

I also have to work on a wedding invitation keepsake, and a charity ride logo...gonna be a busy week.

Talk at ya tomorrow!