Thursday, November 29, 2007

Hi, Mom! :) That's her in the sweater and me in the t-shirt. She was cold (at 75 degrees) and I was hot...

Had a really nice Thanksgiving holiday in Madison with my Mom. She was doing better as far as her shoulder problems, surgery, etc. We were able to go out a couple times. My sister and my two brothers and their families were able to come over the weekend as well. It was really so great to see everyone. I only wish it wasn't so seldom.

And for ALL the media HYPE, our travels on the two busiest (flying) travel days of the year were GREAT. No lines, the flights weren't overbooked, AND we got the exit rows on 3 of the 4 legs of flights and the 4th we sat at the front, just behind 1st class (the closest we'll ever get to it, I'm sure) and still had extra leg room there. I'm tellin' ya - that extra leg room makes all the difference in the comfort of flying. Okay, a few less inches of junk in the trunk would help, too, but, I'm just sayin'...

We're having a gorgeous, albeit chilly, November day here in PA. Day before yesterday, our well pump just stopped. So we've been without running water since then. So enjoyable - NOT! So today, the "well guy" has been here - since 9 a.m. and it's now 3:30 p.m. - fixing it. The fix is turning out to be an entire pump replacement. We had the option of putting a new motor on our existing pump which is already 14 years over the life expectancy, OR just putting in an entire new pump. The guy said that pumps CAN last up to 35-40 years. Well, now our new pump should outlive us and then it will be the next owner's problem!

I'm done with all my banking. We have Praise Team tonight and it's too late in the day to start a new layout in my wedding scrapbook. So I think I'm going to hop in the hot tub and get warm and then crash before Praise Team practice tonight!

I'm off!
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Monday, November 19, 2007

Ooops! Can you hear the sound of a tree falling when - you're asleep?


Apparently not, because we didn't hear it. Well, Chris thinks he heard something, but there wasn't a lot of noise... This is the result of all that VERY wet snow we had. Just snapped that little tree which fell onto the roof of our front porch. No damage - except to the tree, of course. It could have been worse.

It's just gorgeous out there this morning. Chris and Dustin had to take the truck to the shop this a.m. and they ended up taking a back road because power lines were down on the other road they would have taken. Chris said trees/branches were down all over. Yes, a wet snow is very pretty, but can do a lot of damage. Especially when there are still so many leaves still on the trees. We were really surprised while running errands up in Williamsport last Friday, how many of the trees still had all they're pretty fall leaves still on. And that just makes the branches hold the snow more and then they're even heavier.

I think I am fully accepting that it's November now! With that, I'm off to scrap!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

My latest digi. I've been wanting to scrap this photo. I used an "action" on it and made it pretty cool looking, I think. And so now the big dilemma is - do I scrap digi or paper? For this I went digi because I was really dying to scrap it, but digi took so much less time and didn't make a mess at all! :) Oh, but I have some real paper in my room that I'm dying to use. I guess I also don't feel like I can really afford to scrap anything but the wedding album right now. (Which, I'm loving, btw.)

It has literally been snowing all day. We woke up to a slight coating and thought it would either warm up enough to turn to rain or just stop altogether. Well, it did neither! And now, we have several inches and they're calling for 4-7 inches in the higher elevations. Well, we probably already have 4, soooo. Dustin is actually spending the night because he had the truck (for work) and came here after work so he and Chris could take it to the shop to get some work done. But he said the roads were so bad that he's going to spend the night and they're going to go in the a.m.

We had SUCH a nice visit with Jorge and Aime Rodriquez, missionaries to Mexico. They also have a "jr." Jorge, which they call, suprisingly, "Junior"! He's a little doll. And they were just great and wonderful guests. Sometimes I get a little antsy thinking about all the work there is to do when you have someone (strangers, especially) spend the night and eat two meals with you. But it wasn't bad. My problem is I'm just not used to doing either cleaniing or cooking on a regular basis - yet! My house is CLEAN now (as opposed to just tidy) and I LOVE it that way! It always just takes such a load off my mind. And the meals were easy and no big deal at all. So, all in all, I'm so glad we did this and they were just great to have.

This will be a crazy week. Tomorrow I MUST get another 2-page spread done - and duplicated. Tomorrow night I have cards with Kellie and the "group". I do love that. We play pinochle (sp?) and it's just challenging enough and fun! Then Tuesday I must do our banking and the church banking AND pack because we head down to H-burg Tuesday evening to fly to Madison Wednesday. I'm starting to get that merry-go-round feeling. Because I just can't quite grasp that it's Thanksgiving THIS week! And then Thursday will come and it will BE Thanksgiving and I'll be only just getting there instead of anticipating it all this time... It's a weird feeling. Like I just can't quite get onto the merry-go-round.... But, it will all happen regardless.

Maybe I'll blog from Madison.... Off and running!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

My last digi lesson page. If you click on it, you can read the journaling that's in smaller print. With this last lesson, I can say that all my desires for learning digi techniques were met. It was so great and I'm so happy to know this stuff. And my knowledge of Photoshop Elements 5 has just skyrocketed. That makes me happy. I hate it when I can't figure out a program. So, now, I don't have TIME to make any digi pages for a while...

Because I'm working on THE scrapbook. You know, the edding-way un-way for the ids-kay? AND, did I mention that I'm making my own self a duplicate copy? So I'm deeeeepppp into scrapping world in my little room. And now it's to the point where I have to make so many pages per week in order to get it done. So, every spare minute is in there. Okay, and a few on here, too. I love it. There's no where else I'd rather be doing...

We're hosting a young missionary family this weekend. It's a young couple with a 1 year old and they'll be staying overnight Saturday and having dinner with us Saturday and Sunday. I'm really so happy to be opening our home for this kind of thing. PLUS, our house is getting cleaned this week! Now, to plan some kid-friendly - and easy - meals. Maybe good old spaghetti or something for Sunday. That's so quick and easy and everyone likes it. And maybe some kind of soup and bread and cheese for Saturday evening.

I'm so excited (I'm embarassed to say) that Project Runway starts toNIGHT! In about 35 minutes, in fact. I don't know why, but I just love this show. I guess it's the whole "Survivor" mentality, but, also, because these are up and coming designers trying to make the big time, we get to see their creative processes and some really cool stuff they make. And some not so cool and rather amusing stuff. Of course, someone gets kicked off every week if they don't make the grade. LOVE it! :)

I'm off. Gotta make hotel reservations down by the H-burg airport for next week. I can NOT believe Thanksgiving is next week! Wow! Okay, I guess it's early this year. But I'm still trying to get used to the fact that it's November! At least I can say just about ALL of my Christmas shopping for Chris is DONE! And almost all of our shopping for the kids, too as well as stocking stuff. We're in pretty good shape!

Ho ho ho!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Can't believe I'm blogging TWO days in a row! Wow! Well, I discovered something pretty fun and amazing today when I logged in to SIStv. That digi page that I worked so long and hard on yesterday - the two-page layout at the bottom of yesterday's post? It made the catwalk today! This will be the 3rd time my work has made the catwalk. (Catwalk = the design teams' favorite layouts of the week - out of hundreds and hundreds. SUCH an honor.) I'm flabbergasted - and feeling a little guilty because, after all, I didn't really design that page. It was the same page that everyone in my class made. I did recolor some of the elements and make a unique green page and added an extra brush here and there. And, of course, all the photos and words are all mine. But, still, a little tinge of guilt going on there.

And, in other news, Matthew sent us a new song that he composed. It's so cool. I just love his music. I'm going to try to put a link in on the right ----------> so, if there's one there, I succeeded. If not, I'll figure it out another day.

Goodnight!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Ahh, free time. Gotta love it! But I used my time pretty wisely today. After I got up and went downstairs I called Chris up from the cave, er, I mean, basement (he'd been down there several hours already) and invited him to join me in a 10-minute clean up of the disaster area otherwise referred to as our kitchen. Now, this is BEFORE I've even had a drop of coffee, mind you. I tell ya. I took one Advil pm (not two) and 3 regular Ibuprofen last night when I went to bed (at 2 p.m.-ish) as I was feeling a bit achy, and I had the BEST night's sleep EVAH. It's been a long long time since I've had such a good sleep.

So, anyway. Back to the kitchen. We got it cleaned up and I had my breakfast as I had my quiet/devotional time, which has also been sorely lacking lately. It was wonderful. I'm reading this - a recommendation from The Boy (aka Dustin). It's deep. And it's got some new thoughts. I love both and I especially love both in the very same book! :) I'm highlighting and re-reading sentences. I highly recommend it.

After that, I got started on my new Monday digi-scrap lesson. I soooooo love this class. It involves some of my favorite things - scrapping, the computer and learning new stuff. This was a loooooonngggg lesson today, though. I stopped after a little while and walked up to the mailbox, taking photos here and there. Haven't looked at 'em yet, though, so I don't know how they turned out. Hopefully, there will be MUCH more of that action! (both the walking AND the taking of more photos...). Came back and Chris and I re-arranged the front porch since there's like, 13 thousand chairs on there. I remember when we used to wish for more seating. Anyway, Chris had already cleared off the frost-bitten plants (though, I must say, those dang ferns are still going strong, which you'll see in the end result photos coming up from my lesson today) and so we moved the bench and re-arranged all the seating so it didn't look so lop-sided and crowded. MUCH better!

THEN I came back in and worked for a loooonnnng time on that lesson! Somewhere in there when my stomach began lurching in pain, I heated up some leftovers. There was no dinner planned because Chris was going to help Emily (and, therefore, Dustin) move to an apartment just a few steps from Dustin's. Go figure! :) And me? I actually volunteered, yes V-O-L-U-N-T-E-E-R-E-D to babysit Eva while they were all moving. Well, you know, it's awfully darn hard to move with a little one under foot. So I reserved some time in the evening for that, not really sure if my services would be needed. Plus, we had tentatively been planning on going to a movie with Deborah and Gary, so I figured I had already given up my evening scrapping time anyway (even though I have quite a few projects I'm PRESENTly (as in presents) working on.... And, after all, Emily did move some stuff and was very appreciative of my offer. Okay, part of the reason I offered was just because I missed little Eva. She's just so adorable. And so, I had her for only a couple hours and they flew by and she was just perfect. How could she not be? :)

All that to say that I never finished my lesson - due to a rather FULL day for someone with so much free time - until after Eva went back home, which was after 9 p.m. We had fun, though and I'm glad I did it.

I'm even MORE glad that I did finally finish this layout. There was a LOT to it - and it's a 2 page layout - a little trickier to post, but here it is anyway... I'll post the double and the single pages.

Ta ta!