Life is Good

The dog days of summer...

2010-09-22T21:12:00.009-04:00

Wow...I can't believe it has been so many weeks since I have posted on here. Does anyone read this anymore I wonder??? Ah well...I love to talk so I'll just ramble on anyway...

Summer has come & gone & the crisp fall days are apon us. Summer was so great this year. We started it with the best vacation ever. The rest was just filled with days of hanging out at home, cookouts and swimming.

It was a very hot summer here so many nights after work we would take the short ride up the road to Comet Pond.

Pretty isn't it? Tanner has always loved the water but was always to nervous to go deep enough to learn to swim.

That changed this year though. After a lot of gentle coaxing bringing him a little deeper each try...he finally decided he did know how to swim and that he loved it. There was nothing this dog loved more this summer than fetching sticks we threw into the lake for him.

I always knew he was a true water dog...we just needed to convince him.

Love this picture of him enjoying the view...

When we weren't swimming Tanner was a great gardening companion. He loves hanging out on the rocks in the front rock garden. And I love having him to keep me company while I work pulling weeds etc.

I think that he thinks he's king of the hill,,,,

And he is quite a ham for the camera isn't he?

The best photo of all......such a handsome dog !!! Love this boy sooooo much !!!

Washington 2010 - Part 3

2010-08-04T18:20:00.007-04:00

Prepare to be amazed...because on our venture to the Northern Cascades National Park the scenery was nothing short of AMAZING !!! What a gorgeous gorgeous area !!!

Take this picture for example....Rainy Lake was one of the hikes we took in the Cascades. And when we came upon this beautiful lake we knew we had made the right choice in choosing this hike. Snow capped mountains, crystal clear water and blue skies & sunshine. Amazing !

Here's a picture of all of us that shows more of the view we enjoyed. If you look close you can see a few waterfalls behind us.

And speaking of waterfalls...they were everywhere. This pretty one Jake is sitting in front of was one that was along side of the road that we stopped to enjoy.

This pretty view was along a riverside trail we meandered down in a cute Scandinavian style town called Leavenworth.

And Diablo Lake another gorgeous spot. The glacial lakes were the most beautiful shade of blue-green. This photo does not do the water justice.

My dear friend Liz took this great photo Amanda, Jake & I. I love this photo so much. Love that we're not all looking the same direction, love that we surrounded by clouds and a gorgeous vista...and love how happy we all are.

We took hundreds of photos in the Cascades...but these are a few of my favorites

Washington 2010 - part 2

2010-07-26T22:16:00.007-04:00

One of our side trips away from Whidbey Island was to take the ferry to the San Juan Islands. We had good weather the whole trip so this day was no exception. This ferry passed us by on our way to the island.

I love this photo of Jake & Amanda on the ferry as we pulled into Friday Harbor...

Just about there...

This pretty scene was taken looking off to the side of the boat as we were about to dock at Friday Harbor.

We rented bikes and took a very hilly but beautiful ride around the island.

This photo of my friend Liz & Jake gives you a glimpse of the beautiful scenery we saw as we were riding.

And you can't go to Washington & not enjoy a good cup of coffee every chance you get right?

Washington 2010 - part one

2010-07-25T19:11:00.011-04:00

We did so much on our trip to visit Amanda in Washington that it may take me a few posts to share some of my favorite photos. And blogger is being such a pain about uploading photos that it is taking me forever to get them on here...ugh !

So part one - The Olympic peninsula and Whidbey Naval Air base

The Olympic National Park and surrounding area was so breathtakingly beautiful. We stopped at a few different areas of Cresent Lake to take photos....gorgeous blue green water surrounded by mountains and wildflowers...

We hiked to a couple of different waterfalls while there...Sol Duc Falls was one of them.

The forests were so lush and green...

And some of the trees are enormous..

We spent the night in Forks. For any of you who read the Twilight series you'll know this is where the vampires called home. It was actually just a seedy little town...not much at all to look at. But after getting settled into our hotel we went out to LaPush (where the werewolves in the Twilight books lived) and hiked out to Second Beach...what an amazing place. This panorama with Jake in it is one of my favorite photos from the whole vacation. (click on it for a larger image)

The same beach at sunset...another favorite photo..

We also were able to get onto Amanda's base during our visit and see where she works and trains...

We even got to go on the plane she spends most of her working hours in. Jake loved this (actually we all did) Coming down that steep ladder...not so fun...

It was really cool to see firsthand Amanda's workstation where she tracks submarines from (or practices tracking them...when not tracking the real thing)

Love this photo of one of the planes in being worked on with the sun setting beyond the doorway at the far end.

Amanda has really done so well in her 3 years of service so far and we are really proud of her.

Wow !!!!

2010-07-17T00:39:00.001-04:00

I know I have been MIA for a while. I have recently returned from a 2 week vacation to visit my daughter in the Pacific Northwest. It was an amazing vacation & I promise to post soon to share a few favorote photos from the trip etc.

But I had to quickly share this You Tube video I came across tonight. I'm not a religious person but I think this is the most beautiful song. You get goosebumps when you hear this adorable 7 year old sing it. Amazing !!!

Amazing Grace video

bored...so I'm copying...

2010-06-21T22:33:00.004-04:00

Saw this on a blog I follow & I thought I'd post it on mine too since I'm kind of bored...

Listening: To the dog snoring
Eating: Nothing...still full from dinner
Drinking: Diet Coke
Wearing: Shorts & a tank
Feeling: Bored
Weather: Nice right now...was pretty hot earlier though
Wanting: This week to be over quick so I can start my vacation
Thinking: Life is too short to waste on people who try to bring you down...especially the ones who pretend to be a friend.
Enjoying: How good it feels to weed the pretend friends out of your life. It is the most freeing feeling imaginable. Life is truly good.
Wondering: How much my pup will miss me when I'm gone for 2 weeks. I miss him already...but I have to admit it will be nice to have 2 weeks of dog free time off.

Plants on steroids?

2010-06-19T15:58:00.011-04:00

This years has beeen such a great year for my gardens. Just enough rain & sunshine....and it shows in how healthy everything is growing this year. Tanner was not very happy to be left inside while I walked around taking photos. Can you see him peeking out the front window at me?

After the long cold winters we get here it makes me so happy to see everything begin to bloom..

Some of the plants I have had a while are so beautiful this year. Not even sure what this plant is but there are 2 large clumps of it this year & the magenta flowers on it are are so pretty.

The yellow Evening Primrose with the pretty pink bell shaped flowers of this Campanula look so nice together.

Aren't these flowers gorgeous?

This climbing rose is new this year. I planted it next to the arbor Amanda gave me last year for Mothers day. This is not the best picture but it really is a pretty rose. It's called Night Owl.

This daylily is new too. A Wal Mart special. I love the 2 toned bloom but I have to laugh because when I bought the package at Wal Mart with the bare root plants in it the photo on the bag showed a 2 toned flower...but it was dark & light pink. No pink in this flower though is there? I still like it though.

The heathiest growth in the garden this year by far is the Hosta's. They are gorgeous. These large green ones are particularly beautiful.

And this beauty (Gold Standard) is 3 times the size it was last year. Love it !!

This yellow green monster is still one of my favorites though. (Sun and Substance) Look at the size of those leaves. And the plant itself is almost as big as the double front window. And there is Tanner...still peeking out at me wishing he could come out to play.

Where does the time go?

2010-06-15T22:30:00.007-04:00

Wow...has it really been 2 months since I last posted on here. Last time I was here I was just breathing a big sigh of relief that winter was finally over & spring was here. And now here it is the beginning of summer already.

So what have I been up to?

Well....

I had a couple of ice storm damaged trees cut down. Including the maple in the front yard which I had been wanting to remove anyway. So there is lots of logs waiting to be split now...

I replaced the maple with a beautiful Sweet Bay Magnolia and enjoyed watching it bloom for the first time. The scent of these pretty flowers was amazing. A vanilla, citrus, floral scent....love it.

I spent a lovely day at the ocean ...just me & my camera doing the loop around the perimeter of Cape Ann. I got lots of great photos. The one below is one of my favorites .

Baseball season has come & gone. Jake finished out the season with the best batting average on his team which made him really happy. Can you see the ball in the photo below as it sails by just to the left of that third baseman in red?

I've spent the past couple of weeks going through old photos of Amanda for a project I am doing for her birthday. It was a weepy couple of weeks feeling sentimental & wishing my little girl was still my little girl & not all grown up and 3000 miles away. We leave for Seattle & the pacific northwest a week from Friday to spend 2 weeks with her. Can't wait to see her !!!!

2010-04-15T22:11:00.002-04:00

I did this page weeks ago but I don't think I ever posted it. If I did...sorry for the repeat.

Its not one of my favorite layouts I have ever done...but I love the photo of Tanner begging me to take him for a walk over the top of my computer. He is such a sweet boy...who could resist those big brown eyes.

5 on the 5th layout share

2010-04-14T23:11:00.002-04:00

I'm early this month in getting my 5 on the 5th layout completed. I'm loving joining Brenda on these challenges....and as an extra added bonus it is helping me get over my fear of multiple photo layouts. My spin on Brenda's "signs, signs...everywhere a sign" challenge was to do "5 signs of life" layout.

Now here's a big surprise.......everything on the layout except the brown cardstock...Basic Grey of course. I am so in love with the beautiful colors in this Origins line.

A closer look at photos & this beautiful paper.

Exciting news !!!

2010-03-31T20:42:00.002-04:00

Oooooh...I am so excited I think I may explode !!! I got an e-mail today saying 1 or more of my layouts submitted had been chosen to be published in a Memory Makers upcoming gallery book.

I have never been published in all my years of scrapbooking & submitting pages so this is such exciting news for me.

Now if I could just remember which layouts I submitted : ) Guess I'll have to wait for the next e-mail they said was coming to help me refresh my memory...

A perfect evening

2010-03-13T21:10:00.002-05:00

Its cold & rainy out today....

A perfect day to get the woodstove going...

have some home made beef stew for dinner....

with a bit of begging per usual...

grab a good book.....

And curl up in my cozy bed to read for the night...

Perfect !

Missing....

2010-03-12T19:49:00.003-05:00

My girl....and counting down the days till we fly out to Seattle to see her.

And dreaming of spring, warm sunshine & playing in the gardens..

But other than that life is really good right now. Are there things I'd change? Of course..But I think I'm more at peace with my life than I've ever been. It looks like its going to be a very wet weekend here so spring cleaning is going to be in full gear. And maybe I'll even spend some time scrapbooking. The fire is going & its going to be a cozy weekend at home for me. Beats work any day....

Photo fun

2010-02-27T10:52:00.005-05:00

My friend Sonya had a great photo posted on her blog today & when she shared the simple steps to create it I had to give it a try. Check out her blog here to see the great photo she made adjustments to. I thought the photo below of my daughter & her crewmates on Sept 11th in Iraq would be perfect to test it out on.

Here is the original...

And here is the new version. Love it !!!

Project 5 - February

2010-02-27T10:02:00.004-05:00

My dear friend Brenda posted her " 5 things" challenge for February on the 5th & I'm a bit late getting to it. But I wanted to get it done before her next challenge is revealed on March 5th. If you want to do your own 5 things pages & want to be inspired by this lovely lady you can check out her blog here.

For February her question was "what are 5 things you are loving right now". Below is what I created.

The title is created using K & Company new wooden letters. Love them !!! The pattern papers are from Basic Grey's Origins line.

Have a great weekend !

Better late then never...

2010-02-24T08:30:00.003-05:00

I just realized that I never shared the photos of my "date night" with Jake last month. We do this every year on his birthday but since he turned 12 this year I'm not sure how much longer its going to be cool to spend a night out with Mom. Jake really loves this night just for him so I'll cherish them as long as they last.

We started out at the movies where we saw Avatar. I never thought I would like this movie at all but it was Jake's choice....and what an amazing movie. We both loved it. Definitely a movie better seen on the big screen.

Then we were off to The Cheesecake Factory (Jake's favorite place to eat) He started out with a fried macaroni & cheese appetizer...

Then the main course.... Pasta Carbonara with chicken...

And it wouldn't be a birthday dinner without birthday cake & singing waiters. He's blushing but he really was loving the attention too. It was a fun night out with my favorite boy.

Awwww Mom ....

2010-02-13T19:55:00.003-05:00

Are you going on the internet again???

Wouldn't you rather go for a nice chilly walk???

Maybe if I stare long enough with my sweet puppy dog eyes she'll give in....

Gee Tanner...you give a whole new meaning to internet pop up ads. Ok.....I give in...lets go for a walk

Return of the bad blogger

2010-02-07T17:43:00.003-05:00

I know I have been so bad about posting to this blog lately. First there was getting ready for the holidays, then Amanda's arrival home. Then my sister helped me to become hooked on knitting. Needless to say I haven't done too much scrapping in the past couple of months.

But last week I finally got my hands on Basic Grey's new Origins line. Love, love, love the colors in these papers...

Aren't they gorgeous???

Here's a page I made using these yummy papers. Love this picture of Amanda at the train station. It was so freezing cold that day and still Mand looks happy. I realized after I made this page that it was kind of odd to use a flower filled paper on a page titled Brrr. Ah well....I loved the papers & they matched the green of her coat. so its all good I guess.

Have a nice night everyone.....hopefully I won't be such a slacker anymore.

Another fun project

2010-01-18T20:46:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago my friend Brenda had me intrigued when she posted on her blog that she had a new idea for a project she would be revealing at the beginning of January.When the day finally arrived she posted her idea ..... 5 on the 5th ..... her first page and ideas for variations on the January theme can be found here . You'll have to scroll down to January 5th to see it.

I tried to keep mine sort of food related as much as possible....well not actually about food but rather 5 favorite things in my kitchen right now. My layout is below:

Now I just have to wait a couple more weeks to see what her next creative idea is for February...

Need a smile?

2010-01-13T21:01:00.003-05:00

I know I have been pretty absent the past few weeks on here...and I still have no pages to show. But I do have something to share. I got the following in an e-mail...it made me smile & I thought you might like to see it too...

The pink glove dance was created in Portland as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. And to promote Medlines new pink gloves. When the video gets a million hits Medline will make a huge contribution to the hospital as well as offering free mammograms to the community.

Its really a cute video......you can view it here.....it put a smile on my face...and if its true then its for a good cause. Enjoy

Something new...

2010-01-09T16:50:00.003-05:00

Well I still have not done a bit of scrapbooking. I did buy a few pieces of patterened paper today though...does that count?

I went to the yarn store with my sister last weekend...and of course didn't come home empty handed. I've spent the week knitting at night on the scarf in the photo below....

I fell in love with the colors in this yarn and its been fun seeing the scarf take shape & see how the variation of the colors in the yarn would play out.

So today I went to an even bigger & better yarn shop....and came out with this beautiful soft yarn for scarf #2. I'm heading to my sisters tonight for a girls knitting night and to show her how my scarf is coming along. I do miss scrapping though...maybe tomorrow....

A new project for 2010

2010-01-01T22:45:00.002-05:00

In 2009 I decided to join my friend Brenda Arnall in a weekly gratitude project. Each week I created a page for my 52 blessings book. This project was such a good thing for me in so many ways...I met some really nice people and learned to be so much more concious of how many blessings I have in my life. My 52 Blessings albums can be seen here.

While I loved that project I thought this year I might do something on a monthly basis rather than weekly. My thought was a "Year in the life..." type album with monthly 2 page layouts.

Tonight when checking Davinie Fiero's blog I found my project inspiration. I don't know if I will submit my pages each month but I definitely like the idea and I love that there will be monthly layout sketches by Becky Fleck to inspire me further.

If you're looking for a project for 2010 check this one out & maybe it will be just the thing you are looking for too.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T11:07:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!!! I hope it's a little less frosty in your area than it has been here lately.
Is it spring yet?

Photo share

2009-12-29T21:41:00.009-05:00

As I type this post Amanda is on her way back to her base in Seattle. We were sad to say goodbye to her but we had a great time with her while she was here. Jacob was on cloud nine with so much 1 on 1 time with his big sister.

I'm hoping to get my house back in order over the New Years weekend & hopefully have some scrapbook pages to share soon. For now though I wanted to show you a few more photos from our week. Happy new year to all of you !!!

Cooking dinner from a recipe found on the web. I rarely drink except over the holidays when I do enjoy the occasional mudslide to sip on. mmmmm....
A few from a hike on the lower mountain trails with Tanner. I hate the cold...but the snow is so pretty...

Mountain Laurel...

Tanner's favorite water to play in during the summer. I was glad he didn't venture out onto that unsafe looking ice on this day though.

Snow people...

This is the first snowman ever to be built in my yard. Love it !!!

Love this shot...

I'm thinking Tanner had no idea he was going to be put to work as a sled dog when he was invited outside with Amanda & Jake. He doesn't seem to be minding too much though...

I think they tired him out a bit...lol

sledding on the town common in front of the library...

The classic "Amanda pose" she does this everywhere. We have photos from all over the world with this pose. Love this one though with the flag flying behind her.

I absolutely LOVE this picture of Jake !!!

sweet...

doggy kisses...

being silly...

Freezing cold waiting for the commuter train into Boston.

Amanda's old boyfriend John from 10 years ago. He is such a great guy...so glad they are still friends.

One of my favorite photos.

Happy New Year...thanks for stopping by.

Life is good !!!

2009-12-26T19:17:00.008-05:00

Truly, truly good !!! My daughter is home safe from Iraq & Italy and we are loving our time with her while she is home visiting for the holidays.

We picked her up at the airport in Providence RI last Saturday and then headed down to the beautiful seaport town of Newport for a fun family day together. We had a nice lunch together ...

Poked around in some of the waterfront shops and took lots of pictures. (and no I didn't have drinks with lunch...even though it looks that way from this photo...lol)

Then we headed to Bellevue Ave where the mansions of Newport are located and toured this mansion.

From the back of the property you can see the cliff walk that runs along behind the mansions along the coastline. A beautiful place to take a stroll in the warmer months.....in December its very cold back there near the water....brrrr.

This is the Tea House that sits behind the Marble House.

And then there is the mansion itself....which when it was built in the 1800's was built as a summer "cottage" and was given as a 39th birthday gift to Alva Vanderbilt by her husband.

And what a sight it is to see. Not what most of us think of when we think of summer cottages. You can read more about this mansion & the others in Newport here

I snuck this photo of one of the bedrooms

All in all it was a really fun day spent with my 2 favorite people.

Back home there has been lots of just hanging out enjoying our time with Mand. Tanner adores her.

Then we had our family holiday party on Sunday where all the cousins, siblings etc got a chance to visit with each other. Everyone was there from the youngest...

To the oldest (sorry Mom...you know I love you more than anything)

There was lots of silliness...

And lots of love...

On Monday Amanda & I spent the day in Boston at Fanuel Hall & Quincey Market shopping.

the city is not my favorite place to be but it is fun for a day trip every now & then

The rest of the week was spent shopping, wrapping, going to a Bruins hockey game together. Lots of fun family time spent together waiting for the big day...

And before we knew it was here...

Tanner was very happy to find a candy cane shaped cookie in his stocking (excuse the messy house please)

Mand & Jake opened stockings together...

And hammed it up for the camera in their new video camera sunglasses...

Jake was thrilled with the ticket to the NE Patriots game given to him by his sister (they head to that game together tomorrow)

Christmas with these two was good....very very good. Now life can get back to a normal less hectic routine and in a week we will need to say goodbye to Amanda as she heads back to Seattle : (

But for now...we are all content & happy & life is GOOD !!!

Poor Man's Turtles & Buttery Chocolate Bark

2009-12-15T21:59:00.003-05:00

These are 2 recipes I use often for gift giving over the holidays....they are both quick, easy & very delicious.

Poor Man's Turtles

Line a cookie sheet with foil & then place small pretzels on it. Place 1 Rolo chocolate caramel candy on top of each pretzel and bake in a 350 degree oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven & immediately press a pecan half down on top of each one. Cool completely before eating. Enjoy.

Buttery Chocolate Bark

Line a large cookie sheet with foil then place a layer of saltine crackers to cover whole bottom of pan.

In small pan heat 1/2 cup butter & 1/2 cup sugar together till bubbly. Pour evenly over crackers. Bake in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle a 12 oz package of chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk chocolate depending on your preference) evenly over crackers. Return to oven for 3 minutes. Remove & spread chocolate chips with spatula then press chopped walnuts into top (optional) cool for 20 minute in frig then break apart into pieces.

This is so delicious...and so simple to make.

Counting down the days...

2009-12-12T23:00:00.002-05:00

One week from today.....

My girl will be home. Woo hoo !!!!

Isn't she gorgeous? We have not seen her since last April and we are counting down the days till her arrival. She is home safe from Iraq and Italy and loving being back in Seattle again...but we want her here...even if its only for a couple of weeks.

Christmas is going to be so much fiun this year. Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of the 2008 ice storm so exactly 1 year ago I was sitting here reading by flashlight...not knowing I be reading by flashlight for many many more days to come. That storm put such a damper on my Christmas spirit....this year I am making up for it. Soooooo looking forward to the holidays this year.

My new favorite song...

2009-12-03T21:52:00.001-05:00

I love this happy song !!!

A couple of layouts to share

2009-11-28T12:54:00.003-05:00

I was going through some old photos the other day & found some pictures that I decided to create pages with.

The first is a photo of my Dad & I dancing at my sisters wedding more than 30 years ago ( I was a senior in high school when my sister got married ) This picture reminded me how much I miss him. We were so much alike in so many ways. From him I learned to love photography & travel. The first trip I took after he passed away was very sad for me because I didn't have him there to go over maps with deciding which would be the best route to drive. And I didn't have him there to help me enjoy going through my photos after the trip was over.

This next one is with my grandparents. My grandmother had a hard life....she had one husband who left her & her children to fend for themselves. Another who went overseas to Germany & was not allowed to return...and ended up dying while there. And a third who also died. But when she met my grandpa (who was the only grandfather I knew) she met her match. They were inseparable & very happy together for many years.

I love the photo on the right so much. You can just feel the love they share can't you?

The sister act strikes again

2009-11-22T20:58:00.004-05:00

So my sisters & I did another race together today. A 5 mile "turkey trot".

My sisters ran it but as I am not a runner I did the walk...which was also a race. And nope...I didn't come close to winning but it was really fun to challenge myself to keep at a fast pace. And I finished 20 minutes quicker than I thought I would so I was really happy with my time. The guy that was in front of me for the last 3 miles had on the most cloyingly sweet cologne....yuck. I swear he must have been wearing half the bottle...it was torture to be behind him.

The walk finished just before the run began so I waited at the finish line to try to get pictures of Kim & Deb as they passed me. I got one of Deb and then waited & waited for Kim to come by. I finally gave up thinking I must have missed her.

When I found them in the crowd I told them I was only able to get a picture of Deb as I must have missed Kim....thats when they told me Kim was right next to Deb & they finished together side by side in 38 minutes time.

So my one & only picture that I thought was just Deb....and look who's there just to her right. Perfect !!!

And they are looking pretty darn good aren't they...considering they just ran 5 miles.

Basic Grey does it again...

2009-11-17T22:34:00.002-05:00

Does anyone out there love Basic Grey as much as I do? Some of their recent collections have not been my favorites ( Eerie, Porcelan, Lime Rickey, Wisteria) And others will forever be my all time favorites (Marrakech, Ambrosia, Urban Prarie)

But now they have released 2 more lines (shipping in December)...one of which I can not wait to get my hands on. Origins is full of beautiful shades of greens, yellows & browns. Beautiful !!! The other...Sugar Rush is...well...a bit too "sweet" for me. But I think if I had baby photos to scrap....especially girl photos...I'd probably like it a lot more.

Want to check them out for yourself?
http://www.embellishonline.com/basicgrey

Layout share

2009-11-15T22:39:00.003-05:00

This layout was a first for me. Usually I choose photos I want to create a layout with & then choose papers & embelishments that compliment the photos. But with this layout I designed the whole layout before even choosing a photo or title name. It was a fun challenge for me and when I went looking for a photo this picture of Amanda in Italy was the perfect fit. And all those stairs behind her helped me choose a fitting title as well.

How would you like to climb all those stairs? Makes me tired just looking at them !! But the tiles in the front of them are beautiful aren't they?

Bad dog...bad, bad dog !!!

2009-11-04T23:27:00.002-05:00

Oh my god !!! I think I'm going to blow a gasket.

I went down to tend the fire and stay for a few minutes visiting with the cats. And when I came upstairs I found the dog chewing on another memory card from my camera. (the second one he has ruined) But it gets worse...so much worse. My camera was knocked off of my side table next to the chair.....and now it doesn't work. I am so stinking mad at that dog right now I don't dare go near him.

Remind me again why I thought it would be a good idea to get a dog. He is seriously going to send me over the edge...or to the poor farm.

Going to bed to try to sleep...I feel sick to my stomach.

A couple of layouts to share

2009-11-01T20:44:00.002-05:00

I finally have a couple of layouts to share. First another round layout. I am loving using die cut papers lately. I'm thinking I might trace some of them and cut my own die cut backgrounds for layouts sometime.

This one with the brown scalloped edge & leaf design was perfect as a backdrop for the photos from the foliage drive Jake & I took to southern Vermont a few weeks ago.

A pretty simple layout that was very quick to make. My favorite thing on the page is the tree sticker that is layered over the photos. Its from a sticker sheet I picked up by Websters Pages. The Autumn Splendor sticker is by Pink Paislee.

The next one is with my new favorite photo. It was taken of Amanda by a friend in Iraq....I played with it a little in Photoshop to give it a grainy aged look. Love how it has the plane she works on in the photo behind her.

I think the Navy should really think of using her in their advertising. She is so photogenic isn't she? And the best thing of all about my girl...she's not in Iraq anymore. She is currently in Italy & headed to Greece soon. And even better than that...she will be home on American soil in about a month. Can't wait to see her over the holidays. Miss her tons.

A bit of New England history

2009-10-31T10:38:00.007-04:00

I have been meaning to post these photos for a while now but I have been such a blog slacker lately that I just haven't got around to it till now.

Living in New England there is so much history around that sometimes I take them for granted. I took Jake to Sudbury a few weeks ago to the area where all of the following historical buildings are located.

This grist mill was our first stop.

Isn't this such a beautiful old building? You can't tell from this photo but that water wheel is turning. And they are grinding flour inside. From what I understand local growers are allowed to use the mill in exchange for contributing their hours educating the public who come to see the facility.

Jake enjoyed learning about the history of this place...even if it was a dreary rainy day..

This photo is from the back side of the building...

fun to photograph at any angle...

These are the grinding stones used inside. There is a whole row of these old ones set into the hillside outside the building.

a view of the inside grinding area & grain elevators...

And the gears in the lowest level that are powered by that big water wheel outside.

Next stop just down the road is the Wayside Inn...if you go inside & tour the Inn you can see the room where George Washington once stayed. It is still a functioning Inn & Restaurant (the food is said to be fabulous here) If you want to learn more about this beautiful place you can find it here

Martha Mary Chapel is also on the same 1/4 mile stretch as The Grist Mill & the Wayside Inn. If you have seen Matthew McConaughey's recent movie "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" then you saw this church in a scene from that movie.

And just behind the church is The Little Red Schoolhouse. You've all heard the children's story "Mary had a little lamb" right? Well this is the schoolhouse from that nursery rhyme. Mary actually was from Sterling which is the next town over from where I live but in the 1920's Henry Ford had the schoolhouse moved here to this location.

Of course we couldn't go to the area without going to the place my grandparents took us to as kids when they came to visit...the Wayside country store.

Its very much the same as it was all those years ago...and I can remember that old cash register on the right side of the photo from my childhood trips here. Nana & Grandpa would give each of us a quarter & we were in heaven picking out our 25 pieces of penny candy to take home with us. It was really nostalgic for me to come here & to see Jake enjoying the same thing I had done as a kid.

The phrase "like a kid in a candy store" comes to mind here..

Of all those jars of candy I was only able to find these 2 that were still a penny.

Hope you all enjoyed this tour of Sudbury history. Have a great weekend.

Photo share

2009-10-23T21:48:00.003-04:00

I took these 2 photos a couple of weeks ago on a hike with Tanner. Love how pretty the colors & reflections came out in them. Even a little mudhole in the woods can be a beautiful thing...

Caprese salad

2009-10-23T21:37:00.002-04:00

We had this yummy salad for dinner recently. If you'd like to give it a try the recipe can be found on my other blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Noooooooooooo.....

2009-10-15T22:36:00.002-04:00

No ! No! No! Its too soon...this is not right...I'm not ready. Its only October 15th..not November 15th... not December 15th.....

I looked outside earlier and my deck is not brown anymore....it's white !!! Covered with a layer of snow !!!

Ugh....I hate winter !! I hope this is not a sign of how rough this winter is going to be.

Fall in New England

2009-10-12T20:07:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was peak foliage time around here so Jake & I decided to take a ride out to western Mass and up into lower Vermont. Before we left I needed to mail a package to Amanda with some fall goodies since she is most homesick this time of year. I needed one more thing to add to my care package...a small pumpkin.

We stopped at this pretty location near my house....but alas no mini pumpkins here. Aren't the colors in this photo gorgeous though? In Vermont I thought I would get so many great photos but this one right near home ended up being the best one of the day.

Next stop in the search for a pumpkin for Amanda was in Sterling at this farm...

Lots of pumpkins here to choose from. And we did find the perfect little one to add to our care package. So we were off to the post office & then on our way to Vermont.

Every town we passed through had a pretty little church. This one was in Jacksonville Vermont. We stopped at a winery here that was having a wine tasting. I don't like wine at all but it was a festive little gathering & they were serving complimentary cheese fondue, mulled cider & sliced apples with caramel sauce. Yum. A nice break from driving and a snack to hold us over till lunch time.

Jake made a friend there too...

We headed a little further north on Route 100 (voted one of the most scenic roads in America) We were trying to get to a little restaurant in Wilmington that a girl at the winery referred us to. Apparently we weren't the only ones out enjoying the colors of fall. We got stuck in this traffic for a while. At 2 miles per hour you can imagine it took us a while to get through it. Ugh !!!

Finally we arrived at the cafe and at 2 pm it was still packed so we had to wait a bit for seats. Jake passed the time amusing himself by taking goofy self portraits : )

After lunch we headed toward home and after a bit of a climb in the car the view opened up to the gorgeous scene.

and a bit further down the road we saw these on the hillside. Pretty cool to see them all spinning in the wind (10 total) My town is actually in the process of putting these in on the side of the mountain to generate wind energy here as well.

After getting back into Massachusetts in the Berkshires we came across these people kayaking in what I'm sure must be very cold water. It was only about 50 degrees out...brrrr. We watched them paddle upstream for a while practicing in the white water areas just ahead of them. Fun to watch but I wouldn't want to be them. I hate being cold.

It was a long day of driving on pretty country roads like this one...

and this one...

I was so tired when we got home...but it was a nice day spent with my favorite boy.

Do you like blueberry muffins?

2009-10-09T23:50:00.002-04:00

If you do... this is the best recipe ever. And yours will look so much better than this blurry photo. Enjoy.

lucky number 28

2009-10-01T21:55:00.003-04:00

I've come to the conclusion over the past few years that 28 is my lucky number. It comes up everywhere in my life....

I was born on the 28th
I have one phone number that ends in 6028
one that ends in 2815
I bought my house on my birthday the 28th of Sept in 2006
on that day my new phone number was given to me....ending in 2806 (the same day I bought my house...28th day of the month in the year 06) Freaky right?

So this year for my birthday I bought myself another gift....after all it is my lucky day.

I spent a long time making this decision...

Because I had been driving this Jeep.....and I loved this car.

We have so many memories with this fun vehicle...including a trip cross country for a 4 wheeling vacation in Utah. But much as I loved it...it was a huge gas hog and with the miles I drive for work each week I was spending $100 a week on gas. Crazy right?

So it just made sense to go green & trade it in for this hybrid Honda Insight. This car will save me almost $300 a month in gas. Bought on my lucky day of course....the 28th.

Its cute isn't it? And so far this week I am averaging about 55 miles per gallon. Whats not to love about that?

This boy is pretty excited about it too. His favorite part is the navigation system and the hands free functions that go with it. Pretty cool to be able to just say "call home" and your car makes your phone call for you, or 102.5FM and it switches to your favorite radio station. Very cool to be able to do everything from heat, phone, radio & navigation just by speaking what you want.

This car is just so much fun to drive. I'll miss my Jeep for sure....but I think this car is going to help me get over that pretty quick.

If I could ever stay awake long enough....

2009-09-30T22:56:00.003-04:00

I'd post my big news on here...

But again I am falling asleep in this darn cozy recliner. I'll give you a hint though....Monday was my birthday & I got a pretty cool gift (from myself) Can you guess what????

I promise I'll share soon...

Snickerdoodles for soldiers

2009-09-29T06:19:00.003-04:00

These went to my daughter & her friends in Iraq, but its the best recipe for snickerdoodles I have found yet. If you want to make some for yourself you can find the recipe here at my other blog. Enjoy!

A mother's pride

2009-09-28T23:23:00.005-04:00

Feeling so proud tonight and missing this beautiful girl so much.

She's been on deployment in Iraq and due home in December.....she can't get here soon enough for me!!!

She's spends her working hours in these tracking submarines...

Even with the brutal heat she is living in wearing full gear she has kept in good spirits & has formed such a strong bond with her crew and still manages to have fun. I think she has also gained an even stronger love & appreciation for her country while there.

Even in this environment she is still smiling, having fun and loving life.

So very proud of you my beautiful brave girl !!!

working long hours in between the fun with friends...

While we are cozy at home in our with our soft beds & home cooked meals...this is where they are living...

And they are there for us, our country & our freedom. Let's not ever forget what they are sacrificing for us and if you pass a soldier on the street don't be too shy to thank them for all they do.

Layout share #2

2009-09-21T20:16:00.003-04:00

Below is the second layout I was too tired to post last night.

The color didn't photograph very well with the cardstock for some reason. The cardstock on the right and left of the page is actually gray but looks more blue here. This photo is of Jake & I at the Luau dinner show in Disney and is a reminder to me of how much fun we have together whether its here at home or on vacation. Love this boy !!

The scalloped chipboard circle is from Maya road (painted gray with pearl accents added) and the orange/yellow behind it is actually a velvet flower. Love when things unexpectedly come together in totally different ways than you had originally planned to use them.

The "flocking" around the title is something new I picked up at my favorite scrapbook store called flower soft

Its pretty cool stuff....feels like tiny little plastic shavings. I think its mostly used by cardmakers & stampers in landscapes etc. But I'm glad I got some for myself. Its always fun to play with something new on your pages isn't it?

Layouts to share

2009-09-20T22:48:00.002-04:00

I actually finished 2 layouts today but its been a busy day and I am too tired to get them both posted right now. I promise to get the second one on here soon.

The one below is with what I think may now be one of my favorite color combinations. I love the aqua & teal colors with the grey. The grey dot cardstock is from Bo Bunny and they have so many yummy colors I wanted to buy them all. Love them !!! The die cut paper is from Crate Paper & while I'm not usually into "cute" papers I did like this one and thought it was the perfect happy paper to use on a layout about how lucky I feel to have had my dog's life spared in his recent anti freeze poisoning experience. Its a pretty basic layout wihtout a lot of extras but I liked how it turned out.

Back soon to share the other layout. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Ever feel like you just don't have much to say?

2009-09-17T21:57:00.002-04:00

I know I've been a bit of a blog slacker lately but life has been pretty mundane lately and I guess I just don't have much to share.

Fall yard work has taken the place of creativity ...but don't give up on me ok? I've got a couple of pages in mind so hopefully I'll have something more interesting to share soon.

Happy Fall !!!

So very excited !!!!

2009-09-10T21:37:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned my favorite scrapbook store...and I think I may have also mentioned a class coming up there that I was hoping to take.

I've always been pretty much a solo scrapbooker and the only classes I have ever taken have been at scrapbook conventions...while those were fun they were also sort of disappointing too as I didn't feel challenged by the pages planned for them.

But last night I signed up for a class that I am so excited about. It will be taught by an artist who has inspired me so much the past couple of years with her talent as well as her strength on a personal level during the sickness & loss of her husband to a brain tumor. The "Adoring Autumn" mini book she has created for this class is awesome (as is all of her work)

If you have not visited her blog yet and want to see her work & the beautiful album she created for this class she can be found here. Prepare to be amazed.

Meet Ella

2009-09-05T16:21:00.003-04:00

I had to share this photo of our cute little neighbor. She came knocking at the door yesterday looking for Jake in this silly outfit. I asked her if that was going to be her Halloween costume & she said "no...I was trying to disguise myself from my Mom so she couldn't find me."

Too funny huh? Ella & her younger brother Willem have been great friends for Jake since we moved here a few years ago. Sadly though (for us anyway) their Dad is a pediatric cardiologist and about a year ago got a great job in New York City. So they moved back to their home there and came here on long weekends & school vacations. But now they have rented their home here & the new tenant will move in tomorrow. This is Jakes last weekend to hang out with his friends. We're sad to see this nice family move away but they have made many friends in Princeton so they will be back for visits occasionally I'm sure.

A place for cooking...

2009-09-04T22:00:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone...just a quick note to let you all that after much thinking about it I have finally decided to create a new blog.

I love to cook (when I have time) and while many of our meals are the old standbys that we have often or quick & simple weeknight meals, I also love when I can find some time to cook up a storm trying new recipes or old family favorites. So I thought I'd create a blog where I can share recipes...and who knows..maybe some of my favorites can become yours as well.

There are no recipes there yet as I just finished creating it...but if you want to check it out & let me know what you think so far it can be found here . Check back soon and maybe I can inspire you to try something new as well.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone.

Mmmmmmmm.......

2009-09-03T22:05:00.003-04:00

What comes to mind for you when you think "comfort food"? For me it's meals like meatloaf & mashed potatoes, homemade soup & hot fresh baked bread, shepherd's pie, beef stew etc.

But one of my favorite comfort foods begins with this.....

The 6 basil plants in my garden were so big & bushy I knew I needed to use them before a frost sneaks up on me one night & kills them. So I went out tonight & cut them way back and oh boy did it smell good coming in from the garden with my arms full of those fragrant cuttings.

Jake found me a recipe online for pesto that sounded good. It's here if you'd like to try it for yourself. The only problem I had is that after I washed, dried & picked off the leaves from the sinkful I had cut I had 12 cups of basil !!! So I had to multiply the recipe by 6. I made it without the cheese so I could freeze it (cheese doesn't freeze well) I'll add a bit of cheese to each serving as I thaw it & use it.

Thats a big bowl of pesto isn't it? And that's without the cheese. But you won't hear me complaining because pasta with pesto sauce is one of my very favorite comfort foods.

Of course I had to set some aside for dinner before freezing it. I had it tossed with cheese ravioli & angel hair pasta with some orange heirloom tomatoes from the garden mixed in. Oh my was it delicious !!! Blew my diet for sure with all that pasta, cheese & olive oil....but no regrets : )

Staycations are the best !!!

2009-08-29T21:52:00.003-04:00

Summer is winding down and today it feels like fall has already arrived. Rain all day and temps in the mid 50's....brrrr. All the windows are closed and I was half tempted to get a fire going tonight.

I've been on vacation this past week with Jake & have Monday & Tuesday of next week off as well. Jake goes back to school on Weds and I will sadly go back to work myself. That's going to be a tough adjustment for me after a week & a half off.

No travels for this vacation week & it has been the awesome. We hung out at home & did some cooking together today since it was cold, wet & raw outside. The other days we did something fun each day...hiking, mini golf, a baseball game, a water park etc. A very fun , very relaxing week....and I didn't use my camera all week so I don't have any photos to show for it...but I do have some great memories of a great week with Jake.

Next week we will take a day trip to the ocean to hang out at the beach & play in the arcades as a last hurrah before summer officially ends for us. Its been an odd summer with lots of cool weather and rain...I hate to see it end , but I also love fall. Its such a beautiful time of year and I do look forward to it. I just wish it didn't have to be followed by winter : (

Today I woke with a scratchy throat...and by tonight it has quickly turned into a lot of sneezing & congestion & a sore throat. I'm hoping I can fight it off with the the help of Zicam (which I swear by). I'm heading to bed soon with a big warm blanket and a box of tissues.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Need to lose a few pounds?

2009-08-26T10:10:00.004-04:00

My Mom told me about this really cool site where you can use a photo of yourself to see what you might look like if you lose 10 lb, 50 lbs etc. Jake and I had fun seeing what our results looked like. If you want to try it out just go here

When you go there & try it there is also a link to a site where you can try hairstyles on for size to see how they look on you. We had a blast with this one. We were laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.

What could be so funny about hairstyles you say? Well scroll down and you can see Jake as Jessica Simpson. Pretty cute isn't he? lol

A summer stroll (warning...long photo filled post)

2009-08-24T21:51:00.011-04:00

Today was a fun day for Jake & I ...and I have no photos to remember it by : ( I'm on vacation for the next week & a half so Jake & I are trying to do some fun things near home this week. Today we went to a water park for the day (which is why I didn't bring my camera), then to Cartland so Jake could take a few spins on the go-carts, then out to dinner so Jake could have scallops. We were near the ocean at the base of Cape Cod so we had to get the scallop lover a seafood dinner before heading home.

I do have some photos to share though if you'd like to take a walk with me. I did this last fall & thought maybe you'd like to join me for a summer stroll as well. Its hot & muggy though (especially after a morning rainstorm) so wear your deodorant ok?

Off we go....no easing into this walk...the first hill starts right there at the end of my driveway (try to keep up ok?lol) Tanner is raring to go per usual. Maybe he'll pull me up the hill....

And the church I love to photograph a little further up the road...

The town hall (in the distance) and library (in the foreground)...both beautiful old buildings don't you think?

Taking a right turn we head uphill again. There is really no avoiding hills in a mountainside town. But I have become used to them & can actually climb them without resting now or without gasping for air.

I walk by this bush every day on this walk and admire these pretty berries. They are turning a really pretty color as summer comes to a close. I have no idea what this plant is but I really like it a lot.

And here is an ingenious roof design on this barn. With all the snow we get here I'd bet this roof has saved a few farmers from getting hit with sliding snow...

I think I have shown this old graveyard before....

But now that Princeton is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year they have put this historical marker here as well telling the history of this area of town. The pound mentioned on this sign is still there in the woods beyond the graveyard. It is a small square stone wall with an old wooden gate. My understanding is that when farmers didn't pay their taxes etc their livestock was impounded there.

And just beyond the graveyard & pound this home is on the market again. It belongs to my dog walker's parents and they have been trying to sell it off & on for a long time. I have always wanted to see it....want to come take a peek with me (no worries about trespassing...no one lives here to catch us)

A long curving driveway that hints at the view beyond the house....

The house is not the most beautiful one I've ever seen...so what does this home have to offer you say? Let me show you.....

The view !!!

So beautiful isn't it?

And a lovely gazebo to sit and enjoy it from...

Continuing on our walk...another example of ingenuity. How do you build a stone wall going down hill? I think this one is very cool...

And here we have another home for sale....this has been empty for as long as I have lived here (3 years). It needs a lot of work but I think it could be a beautiful home if someone restored it.

This cute barn scene....

...is right behind this even cuter front porch. I love how inviting this house looks. Wouldn't you love to sit in those chairs or on that porch swing at the far end & sip an ice cold lemonade?

an interesting self portrait along the way...

And here...the best part....time to stop for a breakfast of melted brie cheese, blueberries & walnuts on a bialy at the new market downt the road from my house. It was so yummy that I ate it all up before even thinking to photograph it.

Love this sign hanging outside...

They even have parking & water for dogs too....

And a country store wouldn't be complete without a community bulliten board...

This house is called "The Snuggery" and is more than 200 years old. Love the mansard roof.

And in their yard they have a really fun use for an old wheelbarrow..

Here we arrive back at the town common where the town hall, library & churh are found. The sky is beautiful isn't it?

Love this old wrought iron fence .....

And here comes Patty & Cooper....we got to know each other as our paths crossed walking our dogs. She is one of the nicest people I have met in town...my son adores her too. In fact he stopped at her house to say hello as we walked tonight & he didn't come home till 30 minutes after me. She is so super nice!!!

And Tanner thinks Cooper is pretty cool too...

A couple more photos of the church before heading on home. I like how these 2 pictures came out.

Thanks for coming along in the heat & humidity with me. Hope you enjoyed the scenery.

for a friend

2009-08-23T16:20:00.003-04:00

I had posted a few weeks back about my friend/mechanic losing his daughter in a car accident. He worked on my car recently and seemed in good spirits. He said he has his good days & his bad days but although he acted his usual silly self. when I saw him....joking & teasing....I could see the sadness in his eyes even while there was a smile on his face. I never met his daughter but this man is one of the most genuinely good people I have ever met & my heart hurts for him that he has had to suffer such a tragic loss. If there is anyone less deserving of that heartache it would be him. Although no one deserves to lose a child do they?

I wanted to do something nice for him after a little time had gone by. So I copied a photo of her from the facebook page that was created in her memory and created a framed 12x12 page for him. I'm hoping that this gift will bring him joy and not sadness. I tried to do it in neutral colors so it might look good where ever he chose to hang it.

She was partial to peace signs and at her wake there were hundreds of photos of this beautiful girl on display & in most of them her hands were in the peace sign. So this photo with both hands up and a dazzling smile was the obvious choice to use.

The orange peace sign in the photo below was actually a drink coaster from a restaraunt I ate lunch at recently. I knew as soon as I saw it what I would use it on. It was much brighter so I swiped a brown inkpad over it to tone it down a bit.

The top portion of the text was stamped in brown & then I went over it with a glaze pen. The pattern papers & butterfly die cut are Crate Paper. The center text is American Craft foam Thickers (inked over to match the layout better) And the "forever" letters I think are KI Memories (can't remember)

I hope he likes it.

Observations of an 11 year old

2009-08-16T22:59:00.004-04:00

So today I did my second triathlon with my sisters (update & photos to follow soon) and on the ride home my son & I were listening to the radio & got into a discussion about Woodstock (since this weekend is the 40th anniversary of that concert) Jake actually didn't even know what Woodstock was but was very interested in hearing about it. He then informed me that this week was also the anniversary of man walking on the moon. The conversation from there went like this:

Me: I remember when that happened because they had us watch it on TV in school.

Jake : You actually had tv back then?

Me: (smiling) yes we actually had tv back then

Jake : But you didn't have color tv did you?

Me: No I think at that point we just had black & white tv.

Jake: (totally serious & straight faced) That's how you know your really old.

Too funny !!! Out of the mouthes of babes huh?

Will share more about the race soon....it was very fun, very hot & I think we came in 5th place again but all the results were not posted yet last time we checked. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Layouts to share...

2009-08-15T08:19:00.002-04:00

Continuing on with my recent obsession with die cut papers I created the next 2 pages. As I said before these are a challenge for me because I struggle with deciding what to do with them & how to use them. I was talking on the video camera on Skype the other night with my daughter in Iraq & was showing her the new papers I had purchased. When I showed her this one from Creative Imaginations (which is actally from a Christmas line they came out with) her response was "ooooh...I'm not too sure about that one Mom" I felt the same way when I bought it....I liked it well enough but I don't do many Christmas pages so this one posed even more of a challenge....how to use it, and how to use it in a non-Christmas layout.

What do you think now Mand? Kind of grows on you doesn't it?

I added couple of strips of Basic Grey paper under the die cut so it didn't look like it was floating in the center of a sheet of cardstock so much. Then added the photo edged with another small piece of basic grey, a chipboard title & accent piece and an epoxy sticker.

And I'm wondering....am I the only scrapper out there who often creates a layout and then realizes I have given no thought as to where to add some journaling in? You can see in the photo below how I solved this problem and it ended up being the perfect place to add some text & a bit of bling. I think my friend Brenda would call this a happy accident : ) I have rarely used die cut papers on their own as the background of the page until this week. I like how they look but when I put them in my scrapbooks I have to make sure they are behind a page that has a complimentary color which is kind of a pain.

I love this next layout though. The colors are happy and cheerful and I adore this photo of my beautiful daughter (taken the same day as the one in the layout above). The title is American Crafts foam Thickers and this die cut paper is from Deja Views.Love it because it had the lines on it perfect for adding journaling directly to the page.

I added some gems as bullets for the journaling and to help finshing framing the photo.

This last one was also a challenge for me as the paper is from the Basic Grey June Bug line that I bought recently.Its an odd collection of papers....bright, busy and none that really appear to match each other. Although that seems to be an upcoming trend in scrapping to use odd mixtures of patterns & colors its really not my thing.

So anyway I had this series of photos of Tanner playing in the snow last winter that I wanted to use but was having a hard time finding a color to use with them since they had an odd blue tone in the snow (need to learn to photgraph snow so it comes out white !) and this busy red plaid from the June Bug collection ended up being a perfect choice I thought. And oddly enough the yellow and black seemed to go well too. So maybe I am following the trends a bit in my own way.

So here's a little quiz for Brenda....what are the first 2 things you notice on this page? I'll give you a hint ...1 is from you (thank you again) and the other is something we both rarely do.

A creative week

2009-08-13T22:49:00.003-04:00

Boy, there's nothing like some new fun papers to get your creative juices flowing is there? I have been having so much fun with those die cut and Basic Grey papers I picked up that I finished 3 more pages tonight. Well actually 2 are done and one I need to do some journaling on. Hopefully I can get them photographed & share them tomorrow night.

Hope you are all having a good week.

Layout share

2009-08-11T21:50:00.003-04:00

Remember those die cut papers I couldn't keep my hands off while shopping the other day?

Below is a layout I created with one of them. Don't you just love the shape of this background paper? The patterned paper used on the page is also from the same paper line from Collage Press. I believe it was called "Knave of hearts" I loved the colors in this paper grouping...shades of gray, mustard, soft teal (your favorite Brenda), burnt red. I wanted them all but instead chose 3-4 favorites to take home with me.

I usually struggle with how to use these die cut papers...use them whole? cut them up? I love them but they are really a challenge for me. I know it looks as if I placed this gray die cut on a light grey cardstock background but that is actually my deck box that it was sitting on when I took the picture. The dark grey paper is the base...and I was really pleased with this page. Very basic & quick to do...but with the colors of the papers & the black & white photo of Tanner I am loving this page. More pages to share soon hopefully....

If you're ever in Massachusetts....

2009-08-09T21:03:00.002-04:00

this is the best scrapbook store ever !!! I only get here once or twice a year because it is more than an hour from my house, but oh how I LOVE this store. They have the best selection of product.

Next weekend my sisters & I are doing another triathlon so today my sister Deb & I went there to do the bike portion of the race (twice) to see how it was. Afterward since I was in the area I decided to stop by my favorite scrapbook store. I spent more than an hour checking out all the cool stuff they had . And my mind must have been focused on die cut papers since that is all I really bought. Now I'm dying to play with them and create some new pages.

But if you are ever in the area definitely check this place out.

Another first....

2009-08-03T21:25:00.003-04:00

I guess this a year of firsts for me....

I planted my fisrt veggie garden a couple of months ago and the 2 yards of compost I added to soil is working wonders. The tomatoe plants are as tall as me and the cucumbers are growing insanely fast. This is my first red heirloom tomatoe (not a great photo...it was really a beautiful orange/red) and it was so incredibly delicious on our tacos last night. Yum !!! This variety is called Break o' day and will definitely be one I look for to plant again next year. Soooooo good.

Thats my first jalapeno pepper in there too.

Tanner wasn't quite sure what to make of the cucumbers though....

Am I supposed to chew on the stem?

Or is it a funny shaped new ball for me to play with?

No worries...I washed them well before they turned into this...(thats red pepper in there...not tomatoes)

Which then was put into these (along with the vinegar/sugar/spice mixture)

And became my first batch of refrigerator bread & butter pickles. I even snipped the jalapeno up & added it into the ingredients. Off they went into the frig & I had some with dinner tonight...they were delicious !!! If anyone would like the recipe I'd be happy to share. They were so simple to make.

I'm on a roll....

2009-08-02T23:21:00.002-04:00

2 pages completed in one week...its been a while since I've done that. Summer is just too busy for me to find a lot of spare time for scrapbooking. But since I had picked up Basic Grey's new Lemonade line I was itching to play with it. The page below is of a photo that will always be close to my heart.....my first race ever, my first race as a team with my 2 sisters & my Mom there to celebrate with us. The look on my Mom's face in the photo is priceless...she looks like someone just told her the funniest joke.

All the papers on this page are Basic Grey except for the pink cardstock

The chipboard accents are K & Co & Me & my big ideas (oh how I wish they'd change the name of their company...its sooooo long) The blue circle with the pink flower is actaully a Basic Grey sticker backed by cardstock and adhered with pop up glue dots.

Kind of a busy page but I like it anyway. Probably because I love the photo and the new Basic Grey so much.

Layout share

2009-07-30T22:44:00.003-04:00

So I thought it was about time I got on my daughters myspace page & started stealing some photos to scrapbook for her.

Crazy fearless girl that she is, she did something I will NEVER do....skydiving. This layout is pretty basic...again using white cardstock which I am really loving lately. And a bit of crate paper and a Theresa Collins chipboard accent. The title is Heidi Swapp ghost acrylic letters....perfect for a nutty girl flying though the blue skies I thought.

But this layout is really about the photos and capturing this experience for Amanda.
Can you tell by her huge smile that she thoroughly enjoyed herself?

Soon I hope....

2009-07-26T22:27:00.003-04:00

Soon the weather will warm up....

Soon the tomatoes will get enough sun & heat to actually produce tomatoes...

Soon I'll find time to finish & share the new scrapbook pages I have in progress. (have I mentioned how much I love the new Basic Grey lines?

Soon I will be able to see Basic Grey's next 3 lines released (yes I am a Basic Grey junkie)

Soon I will do my 2nd triathlon with my sisters (3 weeks from today to be exact)

Soon I will be in court....jury duty : (

Soon I will gain control of my diet coke addiction.

Soon my daughter will return home from Iraq...not soon enough...I wish it was in 3 days instead of 3 months

Soon I will stop annoying you all by saying "soon" and will get my tired bones into bed.

Actually...sooner than soon

Is it summer yet?

2009-07-23T22:20:00.003-04:00

Because if it is...I'm not seeing it. Its raining here (again !) and it is 56 degrees. Brrrr...

I haven't used air conditioners yet, have not turned on a fan, have not been swimming or to any beaches. And I'm tired of rain & cold weather. I'm ready for some hot sunny beach weather.

A first for me....

2009-07-21T22:26:00.005-04:00

This past Sunday my sisters & I did a triathlon together...a first for me as I have never done a race of any kind before. My sister Deb (in the center) has done more then 20 marathons & many triathlons as well...she is in incredible shape...a huge inspiration to Kim & I) We were 1 of 15 all women relay teams to enter the race that day. The whole race had about 500 participants so I was very very nervous. Here we are bright & early at 7am all registered & numbered with permanent marker (that I'm still trying to get off) And there is my bike behind me all cleaned up & ready to go.

My Mom came down for the weekend to watch & cheer us on. Debs husband Ken came along as well & helped us get all these great photos.
So how did we do? Well, as biking is pretty new to me I seriously thought we would come in dead last. But we didn't really care because we were doing it more for the fun of racing as a team than anything. But lucky for me I have fast sisters....we came in 5th place out of the 15 teams in our division. And of all the relay teams (40-something total I think) consisting of all women, all men & mixed...we came in 14th place. How exciting is that !!!!

Deb did the 1/2 mile swim portion first...here she is in the center of the crowd with her hand on her forehead waiting to start.

And here she is after finishing 2nd fastest of the 15 swimmers in our all women team division. I love this picture of the big smile as she runs to where I am waiting so she can give me her ankle band & send me on my way.

and here I am trying to fight down the nerves as I wait to start.

And here... at the end of my 10 mile ride... getting off my bike after crossing the bike finish line & running it down to where Kim is waiting for me to tag off with her so she can do the final leg of the race ...a 3 mile run that is partially through a trail in the woods. I finished 10th fastest out of the 15 bikers in our division which was much better then I had expected to do.

And here is Kim (#82) coming across the finish line...check out that leg muscle in action. She, like Deb, also finished 2nd fastest of the 15 runners in our division.

And she ws so hot after finishing she went right to the water & went for a swim to cool off. This picture cracks me up.

And here we all are again after the race. This was such a fun day we are thinking of doing another one in August.

Worldwide Photowalk 2009

2009-07-19T20:43:00.014-04:00

Welcome to Portsmouth New Hampshire...and be warned...lots of photos ahead...

My sweet friend Brenda posted about how she & her husband we doing the world wide photo walk at the location near her in Florida and when I heard about it I signed up for it as well. I chose to participate in the one in Portsmouth NH about an hour & a half away from my house. I knew this was a lovely ocean side town full of history and scenery and would be a great place to take photos. This was so much fun & really made you so aware of taking in your surroundings. I will definitely do it again next year...maybe try a new location. But I'd love to do some on my own here & there too just for fun.

For some reason blogger isn't letting me move the below photos around into categories (boats, plants, etc) so below is a mixed up collection of my favorite photos. I have to choose two of them to submit to the photowalk website...so if anyone has any you think I should use (that means you Brenda & Wayne) I'm open to any suggestions.

There are so many old brick buildings & gorgeous gardens and this porch with the weathered steps and wrought iron chair caught my eye...

Very old houses everywhere you turn

This scene just caught my eye for some reason...not sure exactly why...but I kind of like it

Random close up shot...

The ivy on some of the old brick buildings was really fun to photograph....great textures.
This tree in one of the gardens was so cool....

Random harbor photo with a sea duck putting on a show for me....love the old green boat. I may submit this one...

This one I chose to keep the top edge of the fence in as a border to frame the lower edge of the photo.

Love the color contrast in this picture...
a couple of pigeon buddies... I learned on this photo shoot just how fun brick is to have in your photos...

Another harbor view...

I like the lines in this photo...I also am considering this one for submission...

More brick....love the old fire box too.

Peeking through a temporary wall into a construction site and to the view of the bridge beyond. This one may be submitted also (but I can only choose 2)

A colorful storefront...

Love this one of the tugboats....a definite possibility for submission...

More plants (one of my favorite things to photograph)

The tugboats before the fog lifted...

more fog....

and more fog over the harbor.

This town was full of textures and plants to photograph. I love this photo...
Love this one too..

this door number caught my eye...

Love the colors in this photo...

And one last photo of the ivy that was all over town. I like the contrast & lines of this one...

And that's my favorites out of 150 photos taken. Any suggestions for submission?

Counting my blessings

2009-07-17T21:36:00.002-04:00

Phew...what a week. Work has been crazy and I'm so glad its Friday. On Weds I went to the calling hours of my dear friends daughter and then to the funeral on Thurs. It was so very sad to see such a beautiful young girl's life cut short & to see my friend do what no parent should have to do...bury their child. I feel so sad for him and find myself counting my blessings that my own daughter survived her youth. And that we all have our health.

The weekend doesn't look any less busy than my week was....but should be more fun. Tomorrow I will be doing the worldwide photo walk in Portsmouth NH. Looks like I may be doing it in the some rain but I'm still looking forward to it. Brenda....looks like you might be doing it in some rain as well from what the weather channel says.

On Sunday I am doing my first race ever & am very nervous about that. My sisters & I are doing a small triathlon as a relay team and I am doing the bike portion. I hope I don't embarrass them by making us come in last place. Ah well its all just for fun and as long as I don't wipe out I'm sure it will be a blast. Wish me luck.

I'll have photos to share soon I'm sure. Have a great weekend everyone.

Layout share

2009-07-12T22:38:00.002-04:00

I finally found some time to work on a scrapbook page and this one is my new favorite page. I love how it came out. Love the colors, love how they "pop" on the white background ( I need to scrap with white cardstock more often..these always end up being my favorite pages) Love everything about this page except for one thing....I wish I hadn't put the fine black line around the edge because I messed it up a bit. I may end up trying to cover that some day.....or maybe not.

Below is a closer look. When I pulled out this Basic Grey paper from the Marakesh line I knew that the quilt look of the paper was a perfect match with this picture of Jake & Tanner in front of my favorite barn. The layered die cuts that the "boy" portion of the title are on were cut with the Slice (love that machine so much !!!) I'm so happy with how this page turned out...its been a while since I did a page I really loved.

I copied some pictures of Amanda to my computer from her mysapce page so I can do some pages of her for a change. I'm sure she's getting tired of seeing just pages of Jake & Tanner on here....sorry Mand. I promine the next pages will be for you.

The best mechanic ever....

2009-07-09T23:00:00.005-04:00

So I know this guy....he is the most honest, decent mechanic I know. He is also a dear friend. Add to that the the fact that he is totally adorable, has a heart of gold, is kooky crazy funny, and never fails to make me laugh hysterically when I see him and you can see why I (and everyone else who knows him) feels lucky to call him friend.

Tonight my heart is breaking for this sweet man. His 19 year old daughter was in a very bad car accident recently and had no brain activity. They have signed off and are discontinuing life support today. So this wonderful man who deserves only good things in life is losing the one thing that he loves the most and I am so very, very sad for him.

Life really is just too short isn't it? Sometimes tragedies like this remind us of just how short our time here on earth can be. Just a reminder to me to never take the people I love for granted & tell them I love them every chance I get. Because you never know when you will wake up one day & not have that chance again.

A day of inspiration, determination & AMAZING athletes

2009-07-05T22:37:00.006-04:00

July 4th was a beautiful sunny day here in Princeton....a welcome sight after 4-5 weeks of so much rain. It was also the 49th year of the Longsjo Classic Bike Race...a 4 day race held in nearby Fitchburg for 2 of the 4 days, Westminister for the time trials one day & in Princeton for the most grueling portion of the race...an 11 mile loop that starts at the mountain loops around through town with very large hills a good portion of it & finishes by climbing to the top of the mountain. The pro men do this loop 10 times at 110 miles total!!!

This year because the mountain road is still closed due to ice storm damage the finish line was moved to the center of town...right at the end of my road. So this year instead of just seeing the hundreds of riders pass by but not seeing the finish we enjoyed the best part of the race. There were 800 riders in all this year. The pro men's group had 175 total I believe. Riders come from all over the world to do this race. In the picture below you see some of the pro men coming to the top of Gregory Hill into the center of town. This is the hardest hill of the whole course (referred to the "the wall" by the riders for obvious reasons). Just after they passed me here they turn right into Princeton common & the finish line is just a couple hundred meters around the corner...they have about 8 mores loops to do at this point though.

This was a portion of the pro women's group...they do 64 miles.

The lead woman after the first loop.

And the lead man after the 2nd loop

It was a sea of legs as you sat on the sidewalk and watched the large packs of bikes go by..

The riders were so focused they barely saw you as you cheered them on...the pain & determination was all you could see on their faces. And an occasional smile here & there.

The biggest display of determination was the youth rider that broke his chain on Gregory hill just before the finish line & picked up his chain in one hand and put his bike on his other shoulder and RAN the rest of the way up the hill, around the corner & over the finish line. Amazing !! It was a good day and I was so inspired I got on my bike today & did 20 miles...not up Gregory Hill though !!!

Hope you all had a great holiday.

Happy 4th to my favorite girl

2009-07-03T22:40:00.002-04:00

I feel a little guilty celebrating with fireworks & cookouts etc when my beautiful daughter is in Iraq suffering horrible temperatures. No worries though Amanda...you are here in our hearts always & there is not a day that goes by that we aren't thinking of you.

And just because I love you I had to post this silly photo so everyone can see what a ham for the camera you are.

And this blurry one of you on the job.....I love this picture...even if it is a little out of focus

I miss you, love you, and am so incredibly proud of you. Hurry home safe ...we're counting the days !!!

P.S. You're stuck with me !!!

With a little help from my friends...

2009-07-02T22:59:00.003-04:00

I finally found time to do a layout...and I'm really not sure I like it. It just looks too busy to me. I like the colors, like the larger photo of Jake on my favorite section of trail on the mountain (the plants and rocks in this area are so cool) I think if I had left the border of the photo alone I would have liked the end result more.

And I can thank Kristi for the cool new use for glimmer mist. Great idea Kristi...I will definitly be trying this again soon. And Brenda....do you recognize the paper behind the "life" portion of the title? Its one of the textured papers you sent me...and yes the Slice cut this particular one with no problem. The felt & fabric stem & leaves is actually the remains of a catnip toy after my cats tore apart the rest of it to get at the catnip. I love it on this page though....kitty drool and all.

Thats it for tonight...this darn chair is putting me to sleep again so I'm heading off to bed. Have a great 4th of July everyone.

In my quest for solitude...

2009-06-29T20:52:00.005-04:00

So this beautiful boy would have less people to possibly jump on...

We tried the trail at this land trust about a half a mile away from my house. I had never been there before so I didn't know what to expect. But I rarely see any cars in the small clearing on the side of the road where the trail begins so we gave it a shot today.

I prayed it wouldn't be a mess to get through like the one a few weeks ago. But it was actually a beautiful walk through woodlands loaded with ferns....

I took the picture below just before a large deer shot across the path in front of us. Tanner gave the poor thing a run for its money I'm afraid...he is one fast dog...but I think in the end the deer was faster. I was worried Tanner would chase it too far from me but he came back pretty quickly.

Then we passed through a meadow full of wild blueberries...yum.

Then through some more woods when suddenly we came across this unexpected sight. Wow...how gorgeous !!!

Tanner had fun splashing around in the water while I took pictures...

And blue sky...what a welcome sight that was with all the rain we have had here in June.

To the left of this picture was a large beaver den but I couldn't get a good shot of it. I also missed getting a picture of the large blue heron that flew up out of the grasses in front of me & off to the other side of the water.

The reflections were really pretty on the calm serene water.

After we finished playing near the water we continued on our way through some really pretty woodlands. It was such a nice walk & I know we will definitely go there again soon.

Lessons learned today...

2009-06-27T22:46:00.003-04:00

When you head out at 7 am for a short hike on the lower mountain trails....

...don't forget your trail map at home....you'll need it when you decide to climb all the way to the top and then take the wrong trail down the wrong side of the mountain.

...don't decide to eat breakfast when you get home because you are only planning to take a quick 1 hour hike....you'll be very hungry when you have to climb the moutain twice because you took the wrong trail down and you end up hiking for 3 & a half hours instead of 1

...don't leave your camera at home because you think you're taking the same trail you usually do & you've photgraphed it before....when your 1 hour hike turns into 3.5 you'll be kicking yourself every time you see something you wish you could photograph...like the gorgeous view from the top.

Tag ..you're it

2009-06-25T22:05:00.006-04:00

Hey Kristi ...thanks for the blog award. Not sure how many people follow my blog but I'll join the fun anyway and anyone who wants to play along consider yourself tagged. (that means you Brenda and you Sonya...you're the only people other than Kristi that I know read my blog from time to time)

Here are the rules for this Award:

Post 10 honest things about yourself and post the award on your blog.

Give this award to some people who follow your blog.

10 Honest things about me

1. I love being single...I also hate it

2. I didn't eat vegetables till I was in my late 20's...even now there are many I don't like

3. I'm afraid of dying & leaving my kids without a mother. There was a long span of time when I was a child that I woke my Mom up every night because I was afraid of dying. I'm amazed to this day at her patience with me during all those months of being woken up by me.

4. I love spicy food..the hotter the better

5. I have always wanted to write a book...either a novel, a cookbook or a photographic "coffee table" book

6. Although I think Michael Jackson made some bad choices in life I never believed he was a child molester. I'm really sad that he has passed away

7. My favorite color is orange

8. 30 years ago I graduated from hairdressing school but never pursued a career as a stylist. It has saved me many dollars through the years though in being able to cut my children's hair rather than have to pay at a salon for their haircuts.

9. I am really grossed out by body piercings. Pierced tongues, nipples & those big discs in the earlobes turn my stomach. The only one that doesn't bother me (other than ears) is a belly button piercing. I don't judge anyone for their piercings...my weak stomach just does not like them.

10. I'll talk to anyone and love people...but I'm a bit of a recluse as well & love my time alone.

Sadness

2009-06-25T21:05:00.002-04:00

Such a sad day today to hear first that Farrah Faucett had lost her long battle with cancer. And then the news that Michael Jackson has died from cardiac arrest.

I grew up watching Farrah on Charlies Angels and when I was in high school everyone (except me with the curly hair) was wearing the "wings" that she had made famous. Such a classic beauty.

Michael Jackson is someone I have always admired..even when everyone else was calling him a freak. I think he was definitely a troubled unusual person but I have always thought he had a truly gentle soul. And talent? No question there...the world has lost one of its most talented today with his death.

Tanner update

2009-06-24T21:55:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone...just a quick update to tell you Tanner is home and doing great. Even though he had tested positive for a lethal dose of anti freeze (which I still have no idea where he found it) His kidney values every time they were checked were in the normal range. They are pretty confident that he has no kidney damage which is a very very good thing.

He still smells of skunk and is definitley getting a bath this weekend if the sun ever comes out. But he is his usual sweet spunky self and we are really lucky he is ok. One more test on Saturday to check his kidney values again. Keeping my fingers crossed that comes through normal...then I will breathe a big sigh of relief and try to forget this horrible nightmare.

Pray for Tanner

2009-06-22T23:26:00.003-04:00

I'm not a religious person but I do pray in my own way. These past few days its been for this sweet boy. Anyone out there who wants to send some good wishes or prayers his way would be really appreciated.
They say "when it rains it pours" and with my luck that's the way things always seem to happen. I have been very stressed lately as Jake's Dad suddenly decided he didn't need to make his support payments. So now being short $900 and facing summer camp payments for Jake at $225 a week the stress & worry about how to pay the bills is pretty intense. Then Saturday night my sweet pup runs out the door for less than a minute & comes back with something yellow all over him & horrible fumes coming from him. When he started to act like he was going to get sick I called the urgent care 24hr vet clinic, who referred me to call animal poison control. After talking with them they told me I should bring him to the clinic to be tested for anti freeze which is deadly to animals within a couple of days after ingestion.

We drive 40m minutes to get there only to be told he had been sprayed by skunk(who knew skunk spray was yellow?) It didn't smell like skunk to me...but now that they mentioned that it did begin to (and my car really smells like it now !!!) So we see the Dr since we are already there & after talking with her I decided to have the test done for the deadly ingredient in anti freeze just to be safe even though we were pretty sure the skunk may be the only issue. After we drove 40 minutes to get home at 1am the vet calls me to say the test was positive...with a lethal dose of ethylene glycol. I lost it...and poor Jake sitting next to me in the car did too when he saw my reaction.

We turned the car around & made the 40 minute ride back to begin him on immediate treatment .... 3-5 days of intensive iv fluid treatment & medications to try to stop the deadly effects of the anti freeze that causes kidneys to shut down in 24-48 hours. The cost estimate for what needed to be done was a staggering $1500-$5000. You can imagine how scary that was to me since I'm already wondering how to pay for summer camp. But not as scary as the thought of losing my beloved dog who has become such a huge part of my life.

We got home at 3am and I barely slept waiting for morning to come so I could call to get the results of his kidney values....thankfully they were in the normal range...but then the wait for the next test 24 hours later began so see if the EG had begun to do damage & raise his kidney values. Today his kidney values are again in the normal range in both tests (early am & tonight)..again a good sign. They are hopeful that he hasn't suffered any kidney damage which would be so great. But after the treatment the past 48 hours he still is showing some level of the EG in his bloodstream...but not at the lethal levels of 2 days ago. He needed to stay one more night on the iv fluids and is scheduled to come home tomorrow. I need to have his blood tested again at the end of the week & I won't rest easy till his blood work comes back clear of the EG.

The odd thing is that if he hadn't got sprayed by the skunk & I hadn't thought the smell of that was chemical then I probably never would have known he had gotten into anti freeze and he'd be dead or dying by now. Things happen for odd reasons don't they? Fate is a funny thing. That skunk was a real blessing. No more running free for my dog...my neighbors yard is too dangerous with the stuff we saw over there for a young dog to get into trouble with. He'll have to get his running done on hikes from now on.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a full recovery with no kidney damage. Keep us in your prayers please ok?

I miss....

2009-06-18T22:44:00.002-04:00

...my long hair. I want it back : (

A gift of love

2009-06-14T21:19:00.005-04:00

My daughter gave me this lovely arbor for Mothers Day and I have kept her waiting too long to see how beautiful it looks. Here it is Mand....I finally got it assembled & in place. Isn't it gorgeous? Love, love love it !!! And it will always make me think of my beautiful, thoughtful girl. The garden behind it always makes me think of her too since she & I planted it together on Mothers Day 2 years ago.

This was truly a gift of love & I will always cherish it. Love how it frames the view across my front yard. I'm thinking a walkway to the front door needs to get added to my wish list of things to accomplish someday.

As soon as the cement in the holes sets those bricks at the bottom will be gone & plants will go into place. Can't you just imagine this with a pretty flowering vine climbing up it?

And speaking of love.......how much do I love this girl for helping me get this project done? I can do many things but building things is just not something I enjoy or am very good at. Liz to the rescue! She pretty much built the whole thing while I handed her things as she needed them.

She has been my closest friend for more than 35 years and she is such an amazing person. Love this girl!!!

I never would have got this done as quickly without her help. Thanks Liz...you're the best !!

And thank you Mand for this beautiful gift of love. Hurry home safely so you can see it in person. Love you !!! (P.S. .... You're stuck with me)

Blessing # 22...

2009-06-12T22:51:00.002-04:00

...for my 52 blessings project. Can you guess what it is Brenda?

Eye Spy....

2009-06-08T23:07:00.003-04:00

Eye spy a little dog....well actually he's not so little , but in this picture he is. Can you spot him poking his head up from behind the ferns?

I actually love the way the sun is shining through the trees in this picture. Tanner & I went to the mountain early in the morning on Saturday & Sunday this past weekend to do some hiking. I'd rather sleep in a bit on the weekends, but the goal was to get our hike in before too many people arrived to hike. The less people on the trails with us, the less people for Tanner to try to jump on. Thankfully we saw no bears while we were out there alone.

Its so peaceful being there so early in the morning & unlike our walks through town, Tanner can run off leash when we hike so I try to do it with him as much as possible. He is such a bundle of energy and being able to run some of it off is so good for him.

These are the times I'm really thankful for my health because I know there are some people who are unable to do something as simple as taking a hike in the woods.

We couldn't have a hike without Tanner burying his head in the ground looking for critters. Someday I swear he is going to stick his head in a hole & come out with a chipmunk clamped on to the end of his nose.

Its supposed to rain most of this week so I don't think any hiking will be in our immediate future. Have a great week everyone.

Been there, done that...never again!!!

2009-06-07T22:15:00.003-04:00

Remember this barn from a post a while back?

One of my favorite barns in the area & I get to admire it every day on my way to work. This is Stillwater Farm. No one lives on the property it is a historical place to visit & admire. Behind the barn is an "interpretive trail" that I have been wanting to check out for a long time but just never have. So last week after work one night I asked Jake if he wanted to go for a hike there with me. He had the same opinion as me afterward...never again!!!

The trail was only .8 miles long but we couldn't wait for it to end. There was so much ice storm damage that hadn't been cleaned up and we spent most of the hike picking our way though the damage (most of it much worse than this)

And it was so grown over in places that sometimes the only way we could tell we were still on the trail was by following the blue dots on the trees. There was some beauty along the way amid the branches & swarms of mosquitoes...like this mountain laurel getting ready to bloom

And here's Jake sporting the latest in hiking fashion with the dogs leash around his neck :) This was just before we got a bit lost because there were so many trees down in this area that we couldn't find any blue dots. As we stood there looking for blue dots & swatting mosquitoes I leaned my hand against the tree next to me & it fell down just missing Jake...scary moment !!!

Finally back where we started from I was able to get a couple of nice photos near the barn.If we had known when we were lounging around here that we had multiple ticks crawling all over the inside & outside of our clothes & all over the dog I don't think we would have stayed around to take photos.

I'm glad I got these nice photos, but like I said...been there, done that...never again.

Ok...I just HAD to share this

2009-06-04T23:25:00.002-04:00

Ever want to try a new color combo on your page...then give this site a try.

So fun. And if you like one of the 3 colors it gives you you can check "hold" to keep it & spin again to change the others till you have a combination you like. Or really challenge yourseld 7 use the colors it gives you on the first spin.

I am definitely going to be using this site a lot. Enjoy.

That is NOT a dog !!!

2009-06-04T23:06:00.002-04:00

Thats what my neighbors teenage boy said when he looked out the door & saw a black bear on their terrace.

Just a couple minutes later as he worked his way down the road he crossed right in front of my car as I was taking Jake to his baseball game....at 5pm!!! Thats scary that he is making the rounds in broad daylight while everyone is out in their yards etc.

And this was not the same size bear that I saw in my front yard a year ago. This one was VERY large. Standing on all 4 feet his back would have been about to my waist. Lovely....I'll be looking over my shoulder on every walk I take with the dog...thats for darn sure !!!

On a mission...

2009-06-03T21:26:00.002-04:00

I have a confession to make. I'm an addict. A magazine addict that is. In addition to the subscriptions I have I also have a really hard time checking out at a store without picking up whatever magazine catches my eye that day. Also friends & family pass along magazines to me when they are done with them...

The result? I have a coffee table full of about 30 magazines. So my mission is to spend one night a week trying to get through as many magazines as I can....starting tonight!!! Hopefully I won't fall asleep in the cozy chair again while trying to make progress.

Hope you are all having a great week !!

Layout share

2009-06-02T23:00:00.002-04:00

I'm not loving this one too much. Not sure exactly why but it just doesn't do much for me. Ah well there are always going to be layouts that are not my favorites. But this was another photo I have been wanting to scrap for a while so I'm still glad to be able to add it to my scrapbook.

The title & journaling area was cut with the Slice. The pattern paper & die cut on the right are from Crate Paper & the butterfly is from K & Co.

WOW !!!

2009-06-02T22:40:00.002-04:00

They don't call them bold painted daisies for nothing do they? Loving this picture !!! I have the perfect black frame & black mat to place an enlargement of this in so that gorgeous hot pink can just pop right out at me whenever I need the dose of springtime.

Tanner likes them too !!!

And just a random shot of a section of the garden with my favorite deep purple Iris' on the top right, Purple catmint (Walkers Low variety), painted daisies, and geranium at the bottom.

Catmint (not the same as catnip I don't think) is a great perennial. After it blooms you can cut it back & it will bloom again. It gets bigger every year but not in an invasive way. Just a great plant !!! Love it !!!

The Funnel

2009-06-01T22:35:00.004-04:00

I've been a bad blogger lately haven't I? Why....look no further than this photo & you may guess why. The funnel.

Ok...I know...that makes no sense at all does it? Let me explain...

Flash back 30 years to my late teen years. I wasn't a bad kid...but like so many teens in the 70's I went through my partying phase. There was a group of people we hung out with & usually we ended up at the same house. In the corner of the living room was a big white chair that the homeowners had affectionately called "the funnel" because everyone who sat in it got "sucked in" and fell fast asleep. There was also a phrase attached to the chair "you snooze , you lose" but thats a story for another time (thankfully I never fell asleep in that chair though : )

Now flash forward to today. See that cozy chair inthe photo above. Its my own modern day "funnel". I bought this amazing chair for my bedroom about a year ago so I'd have my own little reading nook. But most nights I was in the living room & the chair was sitting unused. So a couple of weeks ago I moved it to the living room and it has been so nice to relax & recline in it each night. The problem? It "sucks me in" every time and before I know it I'm sound asleep.

So I apologize for my boring blog these days...I do have another layout to share...but for now...I'm fading fast again. zzzzzzzzzzzz

A couple new layouts to share

2009-05-28T22:28:00.002-04:00

I made a couple of quick layouts this week with some of the new products I had bought at the scrapbook convention recently.

I love the colors in this first one...it might even inspire me to re-do my living room in these colors...lol. The burnt red cardstock and the white paper framing the photo (cut with the slice machine) are the only things that are not Theresa Collins. I had been wanting to get my hands on this line for a while now & when I found it at the convention I scooped up a whole bunch of it.

This picture is one I had been wanting to scrap for about a year now. My sister running the final stretch of the Boston marathon and my son running at her side for a short distance.My sister is an amazing inspiring person and I've enjoyed seeing her run many races...including this marathon. But this day had special meaning as she was running for team Parkinson in honor our Dad who had suffered with Parkinsons for years and also for her husband who had recently been diagnosed with the disease. An emotional day for all of us that I wanted to make sure to record in my scrapbooks.

Below is a closer shot showing how yummy these Theresa Collins papers, phrases & chipboard charms are. The title was also cut with my Slice. Have I mentioned lately how much I love this machine?

This next one was created with Crate Paper, Theresa Collins and my Slice machine.

I placed the patterned paper & my photo side by side as they would be on my layout and then used the Slice to cut a circle in them. I cut a scalloped circle out of the dark brown Crate paper (also with the Slice)and then mounted the Theresa Collins "remember this " cardstock circle on it, topped with the chipboard charm that says "the good stuff" and placed it in the center of the large cut circle. Loved how that came out....definitlely something I will do again sometime.

The color didn't come out too great on this photo....the patterned paper on the left of the photo is actually green....but looks more tan here. Probably because I photographed it indoors rather than outside in natural daylight. Ah well....

Off to print a few more photos and then to bed. Have a great night !!!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T21:51:00.006-04:00

Happy Memorial Day everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend. I know that Memorial Day is the beginning of summer & filled with cookouts & weekend getaways...but I hope everyone also remembered the real meaning of Memorial day today...a day to remember those who have lost their lives serving this country in our armed forces (and I personally think its a good day to give thanks for those who continue serve.)

On Mothers day my gorgeous girl left for Iraq on her first 6 month deployment.

Luckily she won't be in Iraq that whole time. She leaves there on Weds for 6 weeks in Italy, then a week in Germany and a week in France before returning to Iraq for the remainder of the 6 months. Having her in the Navy has helped me to remember what Memorial Day is really about. Keep your fingers crossed for me that she comes home safely in November.

I had a really long list of things to get done this weekend and it was gorgeous weather for 3 full days....in the upper 70's to low 80's with no humidity....perfect for yard work. I worked really hard on Saturday all day...took Sunday off to go for a bike ride & get the grocery shopping done & then finished up some things today till about noon and then we had company come over for a cook out & then Jake's game. So I've update my to-do list....

Doesn't it feel so good to be able to check things off of a list.....my lists never end but it still feels good to make them smaller...

- re-edge & mulch 2 gardens - Done

- finish washing the deck

- finish fencing in the vegetable garden - Done

- finish planting annuals in the pots on the deck - Done

- mow & weed whack lawn - Done (except for the very far back grove area...still need to get to that)

-wash the Jeep

- take hard top off the Jeep & put the soft top on (if I can find someone to help me lift it)

- 2 baseball games - Done (one was rescheduled)

- grocery shopping - Done

- laundry - Done

-bike ride - Done

- hiking Done

I'm off to bed soon but wanted to leave you with a funny picture I took in Disney.....I love this photo these 2 flamingo's each standing on 1 leg with their head tucked in ...too funny.

photo share

2009-05-23T22:45:00.003-04:00

ok...so I may never stop doing so many pages of him if I cant stop photographing him. He was such a good boy today hanging out with me while I did all my yard & garden work. I got so much accomplished today that tomorrow I'm going to spread the last of the mulch & then spend the afternoon going for a bike ride.

I took a few photos of some of my favorite plants that are in bloom right now. This lamium will always make me think of my Mom since we both bought one last summer when we went to White Flower Farms in Ct. I saw hers last week when I visited her...and sorry Mom but mine is about twice as big. It must be very happy where I planted it. Isn't it a great looking plant? Love the variegated leaves.

This is one of my favorite Hostas (June) I love the color variations in the leaves...gorgeous !!

This pretty woodland flower is a columbine....this is the first year it really bloomed well so I was happy to see these lovely flowers arrive this year.

Jake picked out these petunias for the deck. Love them !!!

And saving the best for last....my favorite flower in all of my gardens is in full bloom today with more gorgeous flowers than ever. I never used to like Iris' but I adore them now. Any wonder why....so beautiful !!! I think I may frame this photo so I can enjoy it all year.

That's all for tonight. I am soooooo tired after 8 hours of working outside today. I'm off to bed. Have a great weekend everyone.

Down & dirty

2009-05-21T22:36:00.002-04:00

hah...my ex used to say that...but I can't remember exactly why. I think maybe playing poker with the guys.

No poker being played here though...what I was referring to was me....down in the garden getting dirty. The only time I like getting grubby. I love gardening...love the sense of accomplishment when things begin to grow and transform, love the way working in the yard relaxes me, love the solitude & quiet of working on my own out there...just me, my thoughts & plenty of fresh air.

Tonight I was able to get a couple of things scratched of my long list of things to try to get done over the long weekend. The vegetable garden & blueberry bushes are all planted & the fence posts are in place. The garden at the end of my driveway that was covered in dirt & rocks when the telephone pole was replaced last winter has been repaired/replanted/re-edged & mulched. and all the gardens are watered (which reminds me one of the gardens still has a sprinkler turned on...need to go shut that off) My cell phone also got watered too since I had it on the deck railing where the sprinkler was soaking it for a good half hour. May need to buy a new one tomorrow if it doesn't dry out enough to work by then.

So now my list to work on for the weekend looks like this...wish me luck !!!

- re-edge & mulch 2 gardens
- finish washing the deck
- finish fencing in the vegetable garden
- finish planting annuals in the pots on the deck
- mow & weed whack lawn
-wash the Jeep
- take hard top off the Jeep & put the soft top on (if I can find someone to help me lift it)
- 2 baseball games
- grocery shopping
- laundry
-bike ride
- hiking

hmmm...wonder if I can even get half of this done...

I know I promised....

2009-05-20T21:52:00.004-04:00

...to do a layout of something other than my dog. And I know I really need to get some of those vacation photos scrapped. But seriously....look at this sweet face. Is it any wonder this dog inspires so many pages. He's so fun to photograph & just as fun to scrapbook.

I went to the CK scrapbook convention last week and bought 2 of the Crate Paper lines I had been wanting for so long and this layout is almost 100 % Crate Paper. The chipboard title & the stamping are the only part of the layout that aren't.

And do you recognize the handwriting in the "little everyday moments" ? That was a stamp from one of the new Technique Tuesday stamp sets I bought at the convention designed by Ali Edwards. I love Technique Tuesday stamps...I have probably invested more than $1000 dollars in them over the years & I was glad to add a few of the sets designed by Ali to my collection. Below is a closer look at how great this Crate Paper line is.

I'd promise again to do something other than a Tanner layout next time...but apparently I can't be trusted to keep my promises...lol. Have a good night everyone.

Disney Part 3 - Magic Kingdom

2009-05-17T22:41:00.005-04:00

We spent 2 days in the Magic Kingdom and still didn't see all the things we didn't want to miss. Its funny...when you get hot & tired the things you thought you just had to see don't quite seem as important as they did before. So the 2 days we went there we ended up leaving around 2-3pm & spending the rest of our afternoon in the pool at our hotel.

We took the usual photo that I think everyone must take when visiting this park. You just have to have a picture of the castle right?

Personally I hate having pictures with people I don't know in them so I'm always looking for ways to get a photo without having a bunch of total strangers in it.

Nope...no tourists up there...lol
Our favorite ride here was the Buzz Lightyear one. This was such a blast that we just kept getting back in line & doing it over & over again as there was no line. I love the colors in the photo below that I took inside. Jake wants me to enlarge it for his room.
Jake had fun driving the cars around the track. For me, as his passenger it was a preview of him learning to drive a real car in a few years...eeek !!! And a trip to the Magic Kingdom wouldn't be complete without a ride on the jungle cruise.Jake really got into the pin trading at Disney. He decided on day 2 to buy 2 pins & a lanyard to attach them to and just have fun trading those with the staff members. (you can trade your pins with people working there if you see one they have that you want...Disney found a great money maker with that idea !!) 2 hours later Jake had 8 pins and he had so much fun hunting to people with pins to look at & trade with.

By the time we came home he had 2 lanyards full of more than 30 pins (can you say obsessed?)Luckily he was spending his own spending money on them & not mine.
He made some other friends along the way too... We were able to ride in the front of the monorail twice and the view was great. Jake loved this as you can see from the smile on his face.

We were also lucky to be able to see & have dinner with my cousin Jim & his lovely family. I love these people so much and don't see them nearly often enough so this night was such a treat for me. (and thanks for the recipe Val...we had it for dinner tonight...yum!)

DIsney Part 2 - The hats of Disney

2009-05-13T22:09:00.005-04:00

No one could ever say my boy is not a good sport. With all the different hats in all of the parks in Disney I wonder if we're the only family that had this much fun photographing them. There are a lot of photos here, but these are just some of them.

Goofy? Pluto? Jester?

Princess mouse ears...lol

too funny !!!

Yah man...we be jammin....

Pirate Pluto. (the expression on his face in this one is priceless)

Pirate mouse ears...

Argggghhhh......

Vrooooom....

We have lift off....

somehow the sunglasses with the flags of Norway on the lens just don't go with this hat...

I don't even know what to put for a caption for this one .....except....hahahahahaha !!!!!!

This one is a little blurry....but my boy makes a pretty handsome cowboy doesn't he?

tee hee !!!

This has to be one of the funniest ones don't you think?

And yes.....these definitely will end up on a scrapbook page one day soon.....

More doggie layouts to share...

2009-05-12T22:17:00.002-04:00

I'm so glad baseball season has begun, the gardens are almost ready to bloom and I have 400 vacation photos to play with. Because I seem to be in a bit of a rut in doing all my pages of Tanner lately. You'll have to admit though...he is totally cute & a great photo subject. I did these pages a while ago but am just now getting around to sharing them.

This series of photos just makes me smile. Especially the last one where he looks like he has a clown nose with the ball caught in mid air right in front of him. I love this patterned paper from Basic Grey's Marrakesh line. It fit the title of the layout perfectly I thought.

This is my favorite photo of him. Its sits on my desk for me to look at every day at work but I also wanted to create a page with it. And really there is no more perfect title for this page than "Unconditional love"

The "unconditional" part of the title & the 2 hearts on the right side of the photo were cut with my Slice. The patterned paper is basic grey & the die cut papers are from K & Co.

Chef Jake does it again....

2009-05-12T21:43:00.003-04:00

I came home from work tonight tired and just wanting to relax....But I also wanted to get out & begin digging up grass so I can get my veggie garden planted this weekend. I asked Jake " do you mind if we just have a bowl of cereal for dinner tonight so I don't have to cook?"

But my boy had other plans. He had been watching Challenge on the cooking channel...one of his favorite shows....and he was inspired to create a dish all his own. So while I dug in the dirt he got to work and made this yummy dish for dinner.

Pasta tossed with a olive oil that he had added a bit of fresh rosemary, dried basil, and crushed red pepper flakes to. Topped with fresh mozzarella...broiled till melted . And then topped with steak cutlets he had breaded with a new french onion coating mix I had purchased. Sauteed till done in a bit of olive oil (we use olive oil rather than canola or vegetable oil for everything except baking)

I've said it before but it bears repeating....this boy is going to make someone very happy one day with his love of cooking. And boy can this kid cook. Thanks Jake for a delicious dinner & for saving me from cooking. Love you sweetie !!!

Disney - Part 1

2009-05-10T22:05:00.008-04:00

So I finished sorting my Disney photos into folders by where we stayed & the parks we enjoyed. And now that I have them in order I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.

As I mentioned the other night we stayed here at Coronado Springs. Amazingly this beautiful hotel is one of Disney's lower priced resorts. It is huge with well over 1000 rooms that are placed all the way around the small lake it is located on. We really enjoyed our stay here so much.

The water on the lake was so calm that the resulting reflections just begged to be photographed...and I of course was happy to oblige.

again, and again...

This is the lobby of the resort....so pretty

And then there were the fountains in all the courtyards between the buildings....

This was without a doubt the prettiest hotel I have ever stayed in.

The pool was beautiful as well. These were taken at the large pool. There are also 3 smaller pools on the property. Bigger than my home...but they call them the small pools...lol

And Jake & I spent a lot of time in between parks & dinner reservations playing & cooling off in them. For us the weather in Florida felt sooo hot since we're used to much cooler weather here in New England.

Thankfully we weren't swimming in the lake since there were a few critters in there I wouldn't want to swim with. Like this little alligator....

And these 2 large turtles....

Then there were the critters that were a little too friendly. Like this guy. Thats part of my bagel in his mouth. This was the only time we ate at the lakeside tables...the birds were a little too agressive for my taste. It was a bit like the movie "the birds" with all the birds swooping down on us & almost flying right into us. Want to know someting else freaky about this photo? See that guy to the left of the bird? He looks exactly like my ex husband used to look back when we were married 16 years ago. Now he just looks old...but that person in the photo could have been his twin back then. I zoomed in on the picture & it still looked exactly like him...freaky !!!

Off to bed...I'm beat. I'll share a few photos from the different parks soon.