Bob's Big Blue Blog

And You Really Wonder Why I'm Nuts?

2006-08-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have received this notice on my email for the 3rd time. Obviously the blogger spies think I am a spam-bot! No. I am a REAL human being. Bye for Now...I'm going to my happy place. Hello, Your blog has been reviewed, verified, and cleared for regular use so that it will no longer appear as potential spam. If you sign out of Blogger and sign back in again, you should be able to post as normal. Thanks for your patience, and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Sincerely,The Blogger Team

Change is good

2006-08-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

please bear with me while i freak about my blog i am attempting to change it. duh.

Grass Farmers Should BURN in HELL

2006-08-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's that lovely time of the year...during the end of summer...when grass FIELD BURNING begins in the Northwest. I believe it should be the time when ALL Grass farmers should be taken out and shot in a courtyard against a stone wall. Many people would relish the blood dripping warmly down that wall. I would. A controversial subject. But no matter the controversy, there remain several valid points... 1/Burning releases billions of particulates of CARCINOGENS into the atmosphere which cause cancer in animals and people. 2/Field burning is NOT good husbandry of the land. 3/Grass is NOT worth endangering millions of peoples lives in order to grow & sell. 4/Grass farmers are LAZY and refuse to adopt other methods of growing the grass. 5/If the growing season in the NW is so limited, why don't they grow it in a better area? 6/Grass farmers are GREEDY and want their profits no matter what. 7/Local politicans are LAZY and refuse to respond to the MAJORITY of the public who state they don't want field burning. 8/Grass farmers are "above and beyond" the law- - It is deemed TOO dangerous to burn; the general public is under a red warning as there is danger of forest burning. We have lived here about 2 months without valid rain. Way too dry here. I sit here...sick to my stomach from the stench, my eyes burning from the smoke, and a migraine headache from the poisonous fumes. So...think TWICE before moving here, Jill.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2006-08-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Why is it that people just ASSUME that as a woman, I want to look after their little kids?

Don’t get me wrong. I like little kids. Babysitting is OK if I have scheduled it ahead of time.

I loved my OWN little kid and watched over her if we went to other people’s homes. But this weekend, a guy came over to chat with Greg.

For the 1 ½ hour he was here, this father had NO CLUE where his kid was or what he was doing.

He just ASSUMED that I would watch his kid.

I had also planned things to do and did not have the time to watch over this kid. This little kid was very polite, but starving for attention.

He wandered around the house with me.

I had to keep warning him not to get around our dog, not to pet the dog, not to play with the dog.

Our dog does NOT like children.

I have warning signs on our home-Beware of Dog.

Since she has been with us from 6 weeks, we don’t quite understand her objection to kids–

Isabelle will growl at them and is literally terrified of them…will physically run away from kids.

She has never been abused by a child, but still gets very upset around them.

She has NEVER bitten anybody, but if she is cornered who knows what might happen?

This dog is very sensitive and since it is HER property they are invading, she has every right to be upset. So I told the father of the child several times that the dog does NOT like little kids,

but he really did not listen very well. I gave the little boy a drink and a healthy snack after asking permission from the father.

Also gave Greg and the father a drink while they stood outside “chatting” for over an hour!

Very subtly, I finally reminded Greg that he needed to work on a couple vehicles at the shop... Another time, the girlfriend of a guy that Greg was talking with came walking through the woods with her 2 year old child.

They just got out of the car and decided to wander around the property.

There are LOTS of car parts all around the property that a person could fall or trip over…

there are cougars, coyotes, and wild animals in our woods.

This woman did NOT even ask permission to start wandering around.

And these are the first people that would sue us if their kid got bit by our dog, even after being warned...

or would sue us if they tripped over a vehicle part in the woods.

Let The Bodies Hit The Floor

2006-08-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Shave? Don't Shave? Wax?

test

2006-08-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

test testing this is a test of the emergency blogger system blogger is NOT working!

Can You Say Coug-R?

2006-08-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Yep. Cougar poop. On our property. Kaka directly in the middle of the two-track that leads to the back.

We had it verified by 3 leading authorities. Kevin, Bruce, & Greg. You do NOT want to see this stuff, so I thought I would spare you a picture of their feces. Bones, blood, and fur is still mixed in with this crap! But I am posting a picture of the cougar here, instead.

Maybe a mommy and a baby. Big poop. Little poop.

Greg took me out to breakfast at Old European Breakfast House. Yum. Yum. I had Danish strawberry crepes & German sausage with fresh squeezed Orange Juice. Greg ordered Hungarian goulash & biscuits with sausage gravy.

Afterwards we stopped at the college to view Art On The Green.

After I tanned, we stopped at Home Depot to pick up a few bags of cedar bark. Then home to rest in the 90 degree weather.

Our chiropractor, Kevin, competed in the Longbridge Swim in Sandpoint on Saturday.

We dragged our former shop tree down by where the rude & nasty neighbors have been trespassing on our property with their bicycles, motorbikes, and ATVs. We also picked up 6 'no trespassing' signs at Home Depot.

C'mon people! What don't you understand about PRIVATE PROPERTY? the key word here is PRIVATE!

The supposedly "christian" people...Amy's parents...you KNOW who I'm talking about, Kelsey! Came over the day after we dragged the tree across the property and asked "duh, why did you do that?" Greg replied because it was PRIVATE property! They were STOOPID enough to admit they have been riding their bikes down that area because it is a "short-cut" to the dirt roads behind us.

Whomever decided they wanted to trespass there also cut the previous barbwire fence with fence cutters. We have found garbage, broken trees & smashed bushes. We don't want the side of our property looking like another road!

How would YOU like it if I drove my SUV down the side of your property in your sub-division?

Crushing your fence and damaging your grass & landscaping??????

Same thing. These people supposedly call themselves christians? Where is their christian philosophy?

Trespass on your neighbor? Idiots. Stupid. Grow some damn brains.

I suppose we will have to install a 6 foot barbwire electrified fence.

Cold Inside

2006-08-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

I really don't understand Blogger. SOMETIMES I am able to post pictures. MOST TIMES I can't. Then, sometimes I have to post, then log off and come back to log in and am then able to add a picture. Can't SOMEBODY fix this? I updated our website with new pictures from Project Reese's Pieces. Visit http://www.RockyMtnOffRd.com to see the latest. August 19 Jennifer & Forrest's Wedding Greg got an emergency call out on Friday night. After verifying that the address was not valid, reference to the water district was 15 years old...it hadn't been called that for 15 years. Dispatch called him back to advise that the address WAS valid because...get this..."It's in the SuperPages!" Yeah. honey. WHO told you that Superpages was the absolute most perfect reference and everything in it is TRUE? Greg must have been talking to a blonde.

Found this definition on a dictionary website-

Telecom (noun)

The act of fucking an employee so hard, and so badly, that their spirit is crushed and/or destroyed altogether, crippling them emotionally, and damning them to a life of servitude and RV waxing.

What's Up YOUR butt?

2006-08-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Did you ever notice that the day that starts out perfect will not always end that way? If you get lint in your belly button... What do you get in your butt-hole?

Did You KNOW?

2006-08-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

that I talked with my wonderful daughter and great son-in-law yesterday? My little baby has recovered from her cold, her voice seems OK now. My SIL is obviously attractive to BOTH members of the sexual orientation groups, including all mammals. I am referring to a certain homosexual superior officer in the Air Force propositioning him sexually. Gee. I thought they were not supposed to be doing that. Isn't that sexual harassment? I love you ONLY as a mother, Matt. Not. Any. Other. Way. I mean it. They could start their own soap opera over there. UK Confidential. Isabelle, our dog, was playing with her boyfriend, Wolfie the other day. He knocked her to the ground and she injured her RIGHT leg. A quick trip to the vet for anti-inflammatories and an order of mandatory bed-rest. Yeah. Right. YOU tell a 117 pound dog she has to stay in bed. HA! ATTENTION! Just to let you know. I am STILL around. However, since HughesNet has severely crippled my on-line access because of their Stupidity...there is not a lot of computer time for me anymore. Unless I want to be severely frustrated because of the slowness of the internet. This barely gives me time to: 1. Check daily Email at all 3 emails sites 2. Pay bills 3. Check investments & finances 4. Let Greg cruise eBay 5. Download scrap kits 6. Comment in the Scrap site forums that I love 7. Shop at scrap sites. 8. Surf 9. Blog 10. Chat So it's not like I have removed myself voluntarily. I just don't have enough ISP access to do everything I want. However, I am waiting until spring for DSL. My hopes are high. I am holding my breath!

Summer Fun

2006-07-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

ScrapArtist is having a 1 year celebration. So I participated in one of their challenges and scrapped a page with my summer favorites on it. My 5 favorite things of summer? Bikinis, Suntanning, SkinnyDipping, Barefeet, and the Beach. What are YOUR favorite things of summer? I used Tania JPS Freestyl-ish Alphas for the "Summer" wordart. She is a talented artist selling at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking. The weather has changed here. It is down to the high 70s and lower 80s during the day. Falling to a chilly 45 at night. Brrrr. Our dog, Isabelle has mastered the circular staircase and is quite proud of herself. But she has quite a routine in scaling this mountain...she whines at the bottom, then mounts them and looks over the edge at each step. By the top, she preens as if she has accomplished an amazing feat! She drinks water out of the bowl we placed for her at the top, then takes a discreet look at herself in the mirror before ambling over to the window to gaze out at the night. Sometimes she lets out one bark, sometimes not. Then she hops up onto the waterbed (our daughter's old bed) and circling once, she curls up to sleep. We have noticed that since she has been sleeping on the waterbed, she does not snore as much. The ordeal to wake her up in the morning very much reminds us of when Kelsey was at home. Yelling upstairs at her to wake up, time to get ready to go to school. By the time that Greg is ready to leave, she finally comes down the stairs, yawning and stretching. Getting a goodbye hug from him, she usually manages to snag a couple doggy cookys before going back up to bed.

Going too far?

2006-07-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

So. Somebody reads my blog. Hi Theresa! ~Waving~ And she commented on it. So you know, I will just have to GRIND this into the ground! I'm having SO much fun. We passed this guy on the street today... In other news...it's cooler here. We are going to try to go to a movie tonight... "Pirates of the Caribbean". Jason & Desi are going to fly to Maui to get married on August 22. Greg is almost finished with Kevin Reese's truck...the same truck which almost murdered him!

Cornucopia

2006-07-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Since I detest talking on the phone to customer service, I found out that our Internet satellite provider has an on-line instant "chat". So I signed into it and here is the result (abbreviated for brevity & hilarity). B4 you sign into your account, you have to provide ALL account information and the problem you are having. Then, the chat starts with the Customer Service Agent. CSA-Can I have Name on the Account, Phone number, Site Id and Email address to pullup your Account information. Please. Since when is pullup a word? Pullup diapers? Wouldn't it have been more accurate or acceptable to say..."so that I may assist you"...or "so that I may locate your account". CSA-So as I understand you are not able to login with your username, correct? So as I understand?... Hmmmm. Customer service is obviously based in India, huh? CSA-have you tried to login with all lowercase? Yes. All lowercase, All uppercase. First letter uppercase, all the rest lowercase…I am unable to login…Didn’t I already state that b4 I logged into chat and the first thing when this chat started? Me-Perhaps it needs to be re-set? CSA-Do you want me to reset it? DUH CSA-So here is your new username and password. Me-the system is not accepting the password. CSA-Login again. Me-OK it worked. CSA-Further to our conversation… You mean “in regards to our on-line chat” we would have to be conversing with our voices to have a conversation. CSA-You will be getting a form by email, blah, blah, blah…This survey form is related to the service provided on this contact and NOT the overall Direcway experience. Huh? I thought I had service with HughesNet. CSA-I’ll be really glad if you could take out some time to fill up the form. Take some time out of what? Out of my busy schedule? And Fill Up the form? You mean fill out? Wouldn’t it behoove customer service in India to have at least ONE person whose native language was English to at least align their interpretation of English? CSA-and also it would let us know how satisfied are you with the service provided to you today. How satisfied are you? Gee. Wouldn’t it behoove customer service in India to have at least ONE person whose native language was English to at least align their interpretation of English? I am not very satisified with HughesNet overall, underall, and sideall. And I am intensely irritated with companies that have Customer Service Agents based in India. CSA-Thank you for contacting HughesNet Technical Support. Take care and Have A Great Day Ahead. As opposed to a Great Day BEHIND?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Intermission - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

HUMMINGBIRD We have a hummingbird caught in the house again. It keeps beating itself against the highest window in the front, so that I am unable to reach it. HOW do they manage to get in the screen door when I leave it open about 8 inches for the dog to pass in and out when she has to "do her business" in the mornings?

WHY can't the hummingbirds go OUT the same way they came in? Is that small 8" by 6 foot opening a flight pattern for the local hummingbirds?

TREE On Wednesday night, the 26th of July at about 9pm...Greg decided that he had to "roll out" Kevin Reese's truck from the shop. It does not run, and usually Greg will let it roll as he attempts to push it. But somehow he got wedged between the driver's door and the tree at the edge of the shop. So...there he is, being crushed with a 2 ton vehicle against a tree, no cell phone on his body (how many times have I told him to carry his cell phone ON HIM at all times?) and he thinks his arm is broke, the truck is slowly crushing his ribs. He can feel himself going into shock.

All the while, I am oblivious to what is going on down there, that my husband is nearly dying...and I just go on cooking dinner. I probably would not have gone down to investigate why he had not come home until about 10:30.

He calmed himself down and somehow got the strength to push it out a little, so he could squeeze out of it. The door of Kevin's truck is severely damaged now. Oh, well. It was an old vehicle, and Kevin was in the process of restoring it. Greg has had the body shop guy already out to assess it. This is ALL YOUR FAULT, Kevin! JK.

So on Thursday, with Dwayne's help, Greg cut down the tree. Poor tree. Poor naked shop.

WATERLINE & LEAK We walked the waterline cut last night with the "listening device" from the local town water district and I swear, that thing is useless. We believe that the leak might be at the meter where the line starts at a 2" and drops to 1". Greg said that they dug it up twice when it was first installed. There is so much pressure from the drop in size, that it tends to break there. So probably this weekend, we will ask the nice backhoe guy to come out and dig up there.

ROCKS Because the local ATV, motorcycle snowmobile, and runners/walkers population have worn a two-track in front of our property and then dangerously cross our driveway without observing if a vehicle is exiting, we are forced to put rocks along the property line and out to the road. Hopefully a 1-2 ton boulder the size of a VW will deter them from racing along at 60-80 miles an hour.

I would SELL MY SOUL for DSL

2006-07-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Where is Beelzebub when you need him? The Demon? The Devil? Satan? Hello? Anybody want to buy my eternal soul? Just for the cost of DSL to our residence...Or for an attorney that will file me a class action lawsuit! Satellite Internet just keeps getting worse. Direcway was bought out by HughesNet. When HughesNet assumed control…did they offer discount service? No. Did they offer better service? No. Did they make ANY improvements to their equipment? No. Just learned that they instituted a policy as of July 1, 2006 and did not advise any customers…Fair Access Policy…which states that because 5% of the customers use 50% of the ISP’s bandwidth. Or as in HN speak-a disproportionate share… So…AS IN KINDERGARTEN…everybody must be punished because one person did something bad. Did HughesNet increase the bandwidth as they obviously have OVERSOLD services…WELL OF COURSE, WE DON’T WANT THEM TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE? Gosh. Who would want a company to go above and beyond? Not me~! I pay $69 per month to this service already. DSL customers pay $16-50 per month? Isn’t that an injustice? Now they have enacted a policy wherein our HOME account is limited to 175 MB download threshold. This includes NORMAL “internet web surfing...and a “reasonable” amount of downloading.” As a quote from from HughesNet. And they MIGHT recycle (or set back to zero) your internet usage meter after 8-12 hours. How lucky! If an account goes BEYOND this company imposed 175 mb…then HughesNet will “temporarily limit throughput to ensure the integrity of the system for all HughesNet subscribers.” Throughput? What idiot made this word up? Where is an attorney who wants to file a class action lawsuit for me?????? I will transcribe the conversation from their customer service tomorrow. Get ready to laugh. It is only 7:00am and already I have - -Made a breakfast sandwich for my husband bacon/egg/cheese -Washed 2 loads of clothes & put them away -Blogged -Helped clean out my husband’s work truck Red Sky at Night…Sailors Delight Red Sky at Morning…Sailors Take Warning (I have attempted five times to insert a picture...but Blogger is not working again) Our hot spell subsided this morning and we woke up to a chill of 68 degrees this morning. Weathermen tell us that there will be lightning and thunder, but no rain? They are all fearing a firestorm. Got a semi load of rocks dumped in our yard. Goodbye ATV path! JULY 26-The Year of the Ants & Tiny Moths There must be something about living in this area…Maybe anywhere? But this year is the time of the ants. We have had a worse ant population around our home and the trees than ever before. Our home looks like the “Killing Grounds” for the tiny moths. They are everywhere. Usually landing on my face or near me. They never bother my husband! JULY 25-I found a really neat zip up sweatshirt with pockets when we were in Seaside at a discount t-shirt store there. The sweatshirts were only $9.95 and so being smart for once…I bought 5 of them. Already one of the zippers broke, but that is OK because I have enough left. I could even try to repair the zipper on that one, but maybe I will just use it without. Hot and sweltering. I sold some stuff on eBay. JULY 25-Another 100+ temperature day. Did I tell you about how the Gondola at Riverpark Square was suspended and there were people waiting on it for 3-4 hours to be taken out? Yeah. Not me. I always have my cell phone on me and would have called for help. The news reported that it was only about 45 minutes before the riders were removed. The management at the gondola had attempted to call the manufacturer to find out how to fix it. Yeah. Right. JULY 24-Another Case of WHERE ARE THEIR BRAINS? - Verizon did not advertise Fiber To The Prem (FTP) already installed in new homes on the West Coast. So they are losing money daily because they have NO customers…They are losing a lot of money. And they spent even MORE money hiring temporary workers to install it. Nice work, Ivan, you idiot~ So…by promoting the Advertising Vice President & giving them a raise…management put the onus on the employees to “sell” to the people that this this neat service is available. Sorry Verizon…you are NOT the only game in town anymore. Comcast is raking up the subscribers by the handful! GO Comcast! GO Comcast! JULY 23-Water bill only went up 4.90 from last month. Still have not found leak. Saw the Nissan Maxima commercial wherein the L.A.-based band MELLOWDRONE song "Oh My" (What A Wonderful Day) snatch of lyrics can be heard. Wow. Way to go kids! What great exposure. Hope Nissan paid you for using that song! But this band is Awesome. They generate an excitement, their songs are great and the impression is that they are super relaxed, having fun sharing their music with the audience. If you can possibly do it, GO SEE THEM!

Swallowing Sperm Produces Sore Throats

2006-07-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more disheartening to a mother than to have your baby sick and not be able to comfort them. I love my baby lots and wish her the best. Take care of yourself, Baby Beaker! Well, the only thing I can tell you is... It was 99 degrees here yesterday. It is predicted to be 100 degrees here today. It is supposed to be 101 degrees here tomorrow. After we saw 3 dead squirrels on the roads the other day, the hubby and I were reminisced about the time we drove to Yellowstone. Departing that National Park on a deserted highway, we saw over 80 miles of road littered with dead rabbits. We were never able to figure out why so many were dead in that one area.

Send Me A RCMP

2006-07-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just have to go with it.

I really enjoy talking to my son-in-law, Matt. Even when he's drunk. He has a great sense of humor. He told me the other day that he and Kelsey are having SEX! OMG! Can you just imagine. Gosh. He told me that Kelsey is still in denial. Denial? Of what? Having sex? Telling her parents? Kelsey...it's not news. We KNOW you are doin' the hokey-pokey with Matt!

Matt is a great kid. I love him to death. And...best of all...he loves my daughter. When I call them overseas to talk, there is no sense of urgency that he wants to hand the phone off to her so that he doesn't have to talk to me. I am very fortunate that my daughter gave me a great son!

Bad satellite internet connection. I want DSL so badly that I wanna cry. My satellite connection has been DOWN all this week. Please COMCAST, please come and install cable/dsl/phone service in our area...

Still trying to tidy up the basement. If you don't hear from me in the next 2 days, call the Mounties. What? I'm not Canadian. Or in Canada. But it would be nice to have a RCMP come save me.

My hair is actually growing. I don't know what the heck I'm doing to it. But it is the longest it has ever been. And it actually looks healthy.

Still have no locate on the water leak in our system. Oh, Well.

Just sent M&K a box. Magazines, CDs, Scrapbooking stuff, Toys, Notebooks, and Victoria's Secret Panties (for K to wear and M to take off).

My feet have been extremely dry again. So I had to scrape them yesterday. P-yucky. But I soaked them for quite a while in Yardley Sea Salts. These smell SO good. I hung some of them in our main bathroom.

Hey! See our weather forecast? I'll have to put Greg's egg on the sidewalk to fry!

A hole in My ear

2006-07-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Greg had mandatory safety training at the main yard for 8 hours on Saturday. We rested at home on Sunday after breakfast and lattes... Monday I discovered I was having internet connection problems. I went into town to see my chiropractor, Kevin. Washed the car. It has been very warm day, but the nights are exceedingly chilly. Tuesday we went to the Valley Mall to get my right ear pierced on top. See pic. My belly button piercing which I only received 6/25/2006-prior to our vacation, has already worked its way out. This is the 2nd time my belly button piercing has rejected. My skin rejects the metal so next time the piercer advised trying a different metal. Today I hope to tidy up the basement.

Yippee! My daughter recognized her father!

2006-07-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Wow. I was seriously worried there for a while. Because she hasn't seen us for a long time...But, my daughter picked her father immediately from the previous post. He was the one on the RIGHT. . . Bald is Beautiful when he walked through the door last night, i almost screamed in fright! who was this almost bald-headed man walking into my home? i had earlier asked him to get his hair cut, but this was a little bit drastic. he explained that his usual barber was absent and he had gone to a fill-in who had fiddled with his hair until, exasperated, greg told him to just "cut it all off". during themiddle of this narrative, he picked up the watermelon. posing discreetly as shown, he reflected that his head was very similar to the hairless melon. while giggling hysterically, i was dearly wishing i had kept our daughter's "Mr. Potato-Head" set. well, i suppose i can learn to lovea bald guy. thursday, july 12, 2006

Daddy's Head or Watermelon?

2006-07-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

KRL-N In this picture- - one is your father, one is a watermelon. It's up to you to decide which. Your dad got a haircut. But now he has NO hair left!

Aiieee, There Be Pirates Here!

2006-07-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

We watched the most INTERESTING show on The History Channel the other night. Real Pirates Of The Caribbean. If it is shown again, please make an effort to watch. Lots of interesting facts...like Blackbeard was well-educated. Henry Morgan was granted clemency by the English king after a long life of debauchery and pirating. And that there were 2 female pirates (woot - as my daughter says... woot for women's lib!) Everybody raise their hand that has a broken water line somewhere between the main connection and their home connection...a minor 880 feet of line that has to be checked. The hubby has to call the testers (very expensive) that will use Ultra Sound to find the leak. Our bills for the last 2 months have been ExtremeLy higH and it looks like until we get it fixed, this month will be another expensive water bill. Why Us? Wow.

Looks like I'm the only one in the room that raised their hand.

Lucky Me! Tonight it rained in sheets. Black clouds in the sky. Extremely horrible for about 35 minutes. Then I got outside and took pics of the rainbow in the sky. Scrapped a picture of me and hubby sucking face on the beach at Port Townsend.

SO romantic, huh?

2006-07-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Sunday we stayed home to combat the heat (high of 92 degrees) and just relaxed. Greg watched his automotive entertainment programs and I did some digital scrapbook work. Then we went to the local grocery store in a nearby small town. Since the sun was going down and it had gotten cooler, we decided to walk the dog at the beach. BIG MISTAKE. Lots of drunk, slap-happy idiots were loading and unloading their boats. One guy almost ran over his two-year old kid. We narrowly avoided getting run over by a car driven by an obvious crack-head. And talk about the RV-ers and garbage around the lake. It was awful. I told Greg I was NEVER going down there again. Today I was lethargic and tired. Sort of running a low grade fever. Tried sleeping, but was unable to do so. Greg came home and worked in the shop til late. I made his stir fry shrimp.

Catching Up

2006-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cherry Chip Crumb Cake

1 Pound Bacon

Cherry Chip Cake

Tuna Salad

Pea Salad

Vacuum

Wash Clothes

Wash Dishes

Then get caught up on my scrapping and emails. I had 250 emails in one and 394 in the other.

How can a house get so dirty when nobody lives in it?

Also having to read all the info on NDISB forums to get caught up.

I'll never be done.

Before we left on vacation, the doctor put me on a special medication to combat my endometriosis.

However, a few days into our vacation, I blew up like a balloon.

About 20 pounds were added to my frame.

My clothes would not fit...

After 3 weeks of two hours per day exercise on my bike,

I was feeling quite good about getting back into shape.

My tanning consultant complimented me on it; my husband noticed.

Now I have to start all over again.

How depressing.

Home Again

2006-07-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

After a brief continental breakfast on the balcony overlooking the harbor and marina, we packed and made a quick stop for a photo op at the county building. From the peak of Port Townsend, the vista is teaming with myriad boats of every make and size. Tiny fishing boats for personal use, massive carriers of humans and vehicles, and fabric flapping sailboats. Boarding the ferry for a trip to Whidbey Island, we drove on the lower deck of the steel behemoth. Exiting the vehicle and climbing to the upper deck, we stood at the aft of the boat watching the seagulls dip and float on the wind. Our faces turned to the sun with the water surging and splashing us, we watched PT fade into the background as the Island stood furious before us. Disembarking 30 minutes later, we made our way overland to the 2nd ferry ride of the day from the tiny town of Clinton to Everett. After another exciting 20 minute ride, we drove through Everett and stopped in the town of Monroe to fill with gasoline and top off our hungry bellies. We picked up a snack lunch of KFC to stop at a wayside park beside the Skykomish River. Making the acquaintance of the park mascot, a cross-breed dog that shared in our repast and made friends with Isabelle, we sat in the shade for a while just soaking in the feeling of rest and relaxation. Continuing our journey, we made another brief stop at Deception Fall which lies just past Stevens Pass on Hwy 2. Isabelle was just the best baby dog as we had to walk among many people and children to reach the view of the falls. Unfortunately, the most putrid smelling outhouse was located amidst the splendor and beauty of this area. We drove through the town of Leavenworth which has been made over into a Scandinavian burg. To me, it was creepy. I did not especially like the buildings mimicking the actual Scandinavian architecture. It almost appeared to me like a bloated caricature cartoon city. The remainder of our trip was uneventful until we returned to Spokane, with the massive amount of roadwork occurring, we diverted through the middle of the town to skirt the interstate. A record 94 degrees in downtown Spokane gradually cooled to 74 degrees when we reached our home. We stopped at the local amusement park on the way to watch the very brief 7 minute fireworks ceremony which was quite a disappointment. Even though the house had been closed and everything unplugged, we still returned to a massive amount of dust and disruption. The waterline to the swamp cooler had broken, our weeds had grown a foot in the short time we were gone, and other things needed attention. We unpacked today and did loads of laundry, then ran to get a few necessities for groceries. Very happy to return and greet our local espresso stand! We took Isabelle to the vet to verify her skin condition she picked up at the beach was just mosquito bites; she then received her current shots and got her toenails trimmed. She was just as happy to return home as we were. She kicked up her heels after pooping in the woods, and ran merrily around all day long. Greg returns to work tomorrow. I can only imagine what will happen…

Harborside

2006-07-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Port Townsend, WA overnight and ended up staying two nights. Even though the room was directly next to a marina wherein loading and unloading of boats took place from sunup to well beyond dark...It was very enjoyable. An enclosed deck gave us a breathtaking view of the bay. The town is a quaint victorian themed area. The thought that it was to be the west coast "New York" was held by the town fore-fathers back in the 1880s. However, when a depression ensued and the railroad fell into receivership, many homes were totally abandoned and beautiful enormous downtown buildings in the middle of being built were never completed. The town literally stood still until the early 1970s when it was rediscovered. Most places were well preserved and brought back with slight renatovations to now house shops, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. On the bluff of the town, lies an enormous garden park. Originated by the uppper class women in the 1800s, they wanted a park of great reputation as in larger cities. Once housing gazebos, band concerts, and amphitheatre. We walked through flower gardens, an archway of blooms, and then down to the shoreline to observe the ferry docking, and see the lighthouse at the far end of the point. We visited the Port Townsend museum, 2nd floor temporarily located in a vintage building with a decidedly rolling and slanted floor! Young Parents! Take note!-I do NOT want to listen to your squalling, squealing children while paying a premium price to visit a museum. We had barely been there 5 minutes when this unfortunate incident happened. The mother of this child decided that she would follow ME around the museum. Wouldn't attentive parents have discerned the reason WHY this poor child was screaming? It so happened that it was about lunch time and obviously the baby needed to be fed and napped... But these rude people thought only of themselves and not a jot of ruining a quiet, idle time for others to browse a very interesting musuem of history. Our museum tour then took us to the Rothschild Home; a perfectly preserved home of the local merchantile agent who committed suicide in 1886 after the town went bankrupt. He left behind his wife, 3 sons and 2 daughters. The youngest daughter became a librarian, staying home for the rest of her life, becoming a spinster to take care of her elderly mother. Everything that was in the home from the 1800s is still there, ALL the furnishings, ALL the floor coverings, ALL the clothing. Very eerie stepping back into time. Partaking of a hotdog street vendor that had been in business since 1981, we returned to our hotel room to take a brief nap and recover from our extensive walking. After a brief respite, we then walked around the local boatyard and talked to the locals about the services & vessels being repaired there.

A Very Bad Idea

2006-07-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Driving thru Washington from Seaside, we traveled along the scenic 101 Hwy (the Coast Highway). With no rooms to be had in Aberdeen, we continued on to Montesarro. Which was a big mistake. The hotel just off the highway, was way too expensive and right next to an all night gas station. Rude drivers leaving their heaps of junk running, boom boxes cranked at 3AM, and doors slamming prevented us from achieving a full rest. Continuing on after a latte in this miniature burg (I am totally amazed by the amount of espresso stands throughout the NW-it is NOT unusual to find quad lattes in 20 ounces. Anybody drinking this much back home is in consideration of being a dope fiend, searching for a new high...) Anyway, we continued on the 101 Hwy to Olympia, picking up fresh Bing cherries for Greg. In Olympia, we made a detour for the dog elimination of bodily fluids. Walking along the waterside and observing many huge boats, it was hotter in the sun than the indicated 72 degrees, so I stripped off my sweatshirt with only my black Victoria's Secret bra for a top. Instantly feeling cooler, at last feeling it was truly summer! Arriving at a beautiful resort town-Port Townsend, WA and securing an enormous beautiful harbor view room, we unpacked and walked through the quaint Victorian town. PICS to follow. Oh. P.S. WASHINGTON-label your highways better. We were on 3 different highways for over 10 miles with no identification road signs. What about indicating on the road itself the designation...i.e.-Hwy 101; wouldn't that be simple?

On the Bee-ach

2006-06-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Warm weather. Sunny. SAND. Walking the dog by the surf. Talking to Clammers. Then a woman with a GIANT Great Dane on a leash...the animal saw Isabelle and launched itself to the end of the leash. Jerking this poor woman off her feet and onto her back. We immediately ran to help, while the small horse was still jerking on the leash at the end of her wrist. The woman had strained her knee and hip falling. So we stayed with her. The clammers came to assist and then they waved down the emergency truck. The poor woman (Julie) was taken away. This monster of a dog must have weighed at LEAST 250 pounds of pure muscle. I had knelt and talked to the woman while Greg kept the dogs occupied. We had lattes & muffins on the beach for breakfast. A walk down the arcade and promenade for the afternoon. A nap in our room, lunch at the Clam Chowder shop-fish&chips; then fireworks and fire on the sand late tonight. Romantic. SO ReStFuL.

VaCaTiOn...Continued

2006-06-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

8:30 Continental FULL Breakfast at Best Western 10:45 Jetboat tour for 2 hours in Portland, Oregon boarding at the OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry) touring the Willamette River. WOW. Water spin outs at 70KPH! 1:30 Travel to Vancouver/Major traffic jam over I-5/Fill with Gas at Walmart/Latte Stop 3;00 Finally arrive at Shawna's. Meet Shawna, Dani, & Kids 3:15 Greg walks Isabelle. Dog FINALLY pees after 2 1/2 days 4:30 Leave Shawna's home 7:00 Arrive Seaside, Oregon to stay at Ocean View Resort 7:15 Dog on sand. Instant peeing. We come to the conclusion she is part cat! 8:15 Rest in room for a while 9:15 Dinner at BOOGERS-Seafood Yes. I MET the Digi GODDESS! Dani Mogstad. I am in heaven. So nervous to talk to her, but she is just a regular person. Just as I imagined-Sweet, smiling, happy. Nervous to the Nth degree, I talked a mile a minute and didn't even TAKE PICS! doh! Met Lexi; Dani's daughter. She is even cuter in 3D than in Dani's LOs. Quietly running around, she reminded me very much of my own little girl so many years ago. I wanted to steal her! Yes. I wanted to steal ANY of those kids. Shawna has 3 wonderful little boys. You can see she is an awesome mother as the boys are so attuned to her. Their eyes are full of love for this mother of theirs. Toys galore and a play yard in the back that any child would envy. A cherry tree in the yard that bears fruit they were telling me about. Those kids were so gracious to a total stranger. Such a wonderful home and full of love. I missed meeting George by minutes as he was due home any time. :( Shawna showed me her design studio and I was so impressed with her extensive knowledge. I did bother her with a couple questions which she so nicely took time to answer. I suppose on the virtual world, I had imagined Shawna as taller than me. Well, this little girl packs quite a lot of talent into that bod! Probably sounding dumb...What DID she think of my statement..."You're shorter than I imagined!" SO Sorry Shawna. I was nervous and say dumb things like that. She laughed and said "My lack of height is a well kept secret around here." Such a sense of humor. Such a very short time to visit. I very much wish I could have stayed for hours with those kids. They were adorable. Dani=Thank you SO much for surprising me by coming over! Shawna=Thank you SO much for graciously having me to your home. Absolutely Wonderful Trip. So many Great memories.

The Resort at the Mountain (Mt Hood)

2006-06-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Reached Portland, OR. We stayed at a wonderful Resort...deluxe accommodations in the quiet woods. A long, leisurely dog walk around the groomed and manicured golf course. (NO, she did NOT go potty on the course- - She's a good dog.) The tastiest, most tender bacon wrapped filet mignon cooked perfectly sitting on au jus, with new potatoes...Pork cutlets with potato fingers and bourbon sauteed apples was had at The Tartan Inn. The theme of the resort was quaint highland Scottish accent. Our wonderful waiter, Josh along with Chris & Cody attended the table gave us a memorable dinner. A restful night, then on to the Alpine Slide...we won't discuss it. Not worth it. Internet advertising was misleading. Quite a disappointment. Then back to Portland to the Washington Park to tour the Rose Gardens. Truly a divine experience. I wasn't interested in obtaining the names of the flowers, only images of the blooms of world renown. Colors that defy explanation! We stay at the Best Western, anticipating our night at the concert! SHE WANTS REVENGE. Visiting friends, relatives, and a JetBoat ride tomorrow!

Wonderful World of Waterfalls

2006-06-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

On our vacation, we stopped in Washington, just outside of Seattle in Snoqualamie. Staying overnight in the worst hotel ever...100 degrees, air conditioning broken, ice machine broken, and a room right on top of the highway... However, a benefit of this dreadful resort was the dread-lock winter snowboarder that stayed to work on into summer at the front desk, that told us of a trailhead with the most wonderful sight ever. After a one-mile hike into an ancient forest overgrown with moss, enormous downed cedars, and a dull thundering roar, we saw the following sight. I can only hope in vain that this photo encompasses the feelings that entered us as we stepped into view of this magnificient work of nature. An array of colors, sounds, and impressions that seldom has been beheld. The spray against our faces, the soggy mud in which we stood, and the feel of awe to behold a...WATERFALL.

Funniest Kid On The BLOK

2006-06-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

Love reading the kid's blog. She is SO funny.

Better Red Than Dead

VaCaTiOn

2006-06-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Yippee! I'm on Vacation!

My Father

2006-06-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

Father's day has come and gone. Thank goodness. There are people that suffer a loss of a father, in some way; But I was unlucky enough to have my father in my life... I was told from the time I was about 5 that my parents might die at any time as they were decidedly older when I was born. My father blessed me at that moment with an obsessive compulsion - fear of abandonment. Never showing for any school programs, never meeting any of my teachers, never holding me and comforting me if I got hurt, (he would always scream and yell at me if I did get injured), he always criticized EVERYTHING I did. I couldn't have the banana seat bike that I adored that was similar to my friends' upon which I learned how to ride. He told me I was going to have an adult size bike. Of course, when I first rode it, I fell and skinned my knee. Tore the flesh right off the top of my right knee and shredded my pants, blood gushing everywhere. Instead of racing over to help me, he instead started ranting-yelling and screaming abuse at me, picking up the bike and leaving me on the ground crying... When I was 10 years old, I was watering a tree that he ordered me to water. He came out yelling and scolding me that I was doing it "wrong" as I had concentrated the stream of water from the hose on the trunk at the base of the tree. He said I had to water the roots. So I directed the spray instead to the ground. Well, DUH. Don't tree roots start at the trunk of the tree? Constantly telling us as a family that we would go XXX place, or do XXX thing. But always breaking his word. Why did he ever tell us we were going to Hawaii if he had no intention of doing it? Why not wait to tell us after he bought tickets? Why tell us he was going to buy a pool table? For about 1 year we visited every store within the metro area, shopping for pool tables, only to NOT ever purchase one. Too many to describe are the times that he would say something rude, invasive or nasty. Asking questions that were totally personal and none of his business..."How much do you pay for electric every month?" "What do you get paid?" Obsessed about money. He adores starting arguments. I would sit back when my older brother came to visit and watch him do it, just to be hurtful. This is the kind of human being that probably tortured poor dogs at the end of a leash. When I graduated high school, I was TOLD I had to be a secretary like my sister....aka "The Devil". My sister is almost as big a bitch as the devil. God. Her own husband even refused to have sex with her. But I will rant on a blog about her at some later date. All through my marriage, he just walked into every home I own, like it was his own. Never taking the courtesy of once calling before they come to see if it is acceptable to visit. The last straw that broke this camel's back was when he attempted to tell me (again) what to do in relation to something that was private with my daughter. It was none of his business. He attempted for 44 years to dominate and control my life. Until I stood up to him and told him NO MORE. He could not tell me what to do after age 18. I refuse to talk to him now, and albeit, my mother also. Even though she has done nothing wrong, other than not to divorce a poisonous man like that. Immediately tossing into the garbage any letter I receive from him. I will also not write to my mother as she passes on anything to him. So I am cut off from her, too. She has let him dominate her for 70 years and you can tell that her health reflects her emotional pain. He is already an old man that has no friends. And he will probably live until he is 100 as his mother did before him. With no relatives that come to see him, no friends who visit. Just lying in a bed. Scared of death. He will get what he deserves. What brought these thoughts to the fore? I was watering my pine tree beside the house, right next to the deck. By directing the spray on the trunk. The tree that is 10 times healthier than any other on our property...the one that has grown 5 times faster than the others.

Bush! Get A CLUE...Here's A CLUE!

2006-06-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

Those animals over there have families. Why doesn't our military get a CLUE...I can GIVE them a CLUE. They have families, stupid! Yes. I'm talking to you BUSH. and You General ass. Military intelligence by now SHOULD have some concept of who is participating in these groups. We have been over there long enough...to know these types of things. The animals that participate in these groups are NOT ORPHANS. And our military know exactly where their family members live. These family members are probably feeding them and supporting them. Let me ask you...How LONG can you live in the mountains on nothing? Where ARE they getting the money to buy guns and ammunition? Clothes? Food? So GO take their grandparents, their mothers, their fathers, their sisters, their brothers, their uncles, their aunts.... AND TORTURE THEM AND KILL THE FAMILY MEMBERS. I can bet you money that the animals in these groups are all of the male gender. I have heard no information of wherein women are participating. Because they don't think much of their women, do they? They don't think much of anything besides their animalistic behavior. Women don't kill. They get revenge. But it's not about religion, it's not about western influcence. THEY JUST HATE. If it wasn't hating this, it would be about hating some other thing. They have a disease and it needs to wiped out. This is not a career for them, it's not a job...They don't clock in at 8am and go home at 5pm; This is behavior at its lowest level. I've have had enough. This is bull crap. Give THIS mother a gun and I WILL GO SHOOT ME SOME ANIMALS. I won't shoot to kill, I'll shoot to maim. Maim their Brains. Let them live as slobbering vegetables. If they are going to kill our US troops, then they have no rights. Where is the bomb we are going to drop on them? Get this crap over with. For goodness sake Bush, show some balls!

Movie? What Movie?

2006-06-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

There is NO movie on earth worth $8.50 to go see it. That is entirely INSANE. The movie theater raised it rates. Wow. I get to sit in a seat beside smelly people, listening to them gossip, play on their cell phones, and see a small screen movie. Nope. Ain't gonna happen. We bellied up tonight to see "Nacho Libre" with Jack Black - - don't bother. It's not even worth $2.50. Disjointed, choppy, and unabsorbing, the humor falls short of anything I would have expected from Jack Black or director Jared Hess (of Napoleon Dynamite fame). So when the cashier demanded $17, I was shocked. Almost $20 for two of us to see a movie. Without yet buying popcorn, pop, or candy. Also...foot high letters on the doors alerted us that "NO OUTSIDE DRINKS OR FOOD ALLOWED" yeah. right. So hubby wanted popcorn. Another $4.50 for a SMALL bag of popcorn. Cheapskates. Whatever happened to popcorn containers that didn't collapse in your hand when you shared? Then when we were finally seated in the theater, we endured 15 minutes of COMMERCIALS. Yes. Commercials. As in...Cola advertisements, Cell Phone Service advertisements, and Automotive advertisements. Like real 3 minute commercials. Then another 15 minutes of coming features...and they were all CARTOONS. Don't they have real people acting in movies anymore? And last but not least...Nope. Not the movie...a REVIEW of the the 15 minutes of commercials & previews that we just watched. 35 minutes and we have yet to see the movie we paid to see! No more. So from now on...it is Pay Per View on Satellite. Another thing we discussed...why do movie theater cashiers have more security (behind a window with a little circular metal microphone) than do any grocery store, inside bank teller, or 7-11? Is somebody going to pull a weapon and demand to see the movie without paying?

Guess Who's Son In Law Got To Re-Fuel AF1?

2006-06-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yep. Mine!

tired

2006-06-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

Massive rain tonight. No internet today. Worked on scrap LOs. Cold. Washed clothes. Very tired. Made dinner for hubby. Exhausted.

Yep, I really do Like this one!

2006-06-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Most of my digital LOs I like. Some I really love. This one was fun. I really like this one. Really. And while I was doing it, there was a FLY buzzing around me.

Jello Salad

2006-06-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry. Wednesday, I indulged my love of fonts and spent all day looking at different font sites on the net. Surfing. Today was making Jello day. For Jello salad. And homemade blueberry mini muffin day. The hubby calls in the midst of this. Answering machine picks up...Conversation as follows: HIM-"Hi, It's me. Pick up." Running to pick up phone b4 he hangs up. Balancing the phone on my shoulder while holding boiling hot water in a pan... ME-"Yes? What do you want? I'm making jello for you." Silence. ME-"Hurry Up" More SILENCE. ME-"You forgot what you called for, didn't you?" HIM-"Dang IT!" Dialtone. I found this unusual site. It has motivated and challenged me to create an altered scrap page.DigitalArtQuirks I REALLY like different stuff like this. This site I found LloydFonts when surfing for Fonts-these are ALL FREE Fonts. I have had the heaters on here all day. Still wearing jeans and sweatshirts. I believe there is also still snow on the mountains.

1 B M

2006-06-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

1 Bad Movie=The BreakUp starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston; two wonderful performers showcased in a horrible movie about fighting, arguing, and splitting. Not a happy ending, either... Tanning is coming well. I am becoming quite brown for our vacation. Greg needs to rent a vehicle for our trip. Preferrably b4 the last day that we leave...June 23. I will be taking my laptop computer with me to record info, pictures, and blog. Monday nite Peas chat was not full- Only about 8 in there tonight. I got a nice compliment from the skinny, young girl (Mandy) at my tanning salon. She said I looked very good, like I was 1/2 the person I was b4. Then I thought...was she saying I was extremely FAT b4? Hmmm. All I have done is start exercising. Hubby says my silhouette is changing. Into What? A rabbit?

If It Weren't For Bad Luck

2006-06-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

It was near perfect. We had welcomed into our midst an awesome predator willing to eat lots of vicious, vermin squirrels. However it was not to be. The highway took care of that. The fish & game officer made a visit early this morning to pick up our little HAWK. Determining that she was maybe less than a year old, he told the hubby that the parents will bring the offspring to the area where they were born and leave them with an established hunting ground. The parents then go on to find other pastures as they are more experienced. How sweet. Searching the woods, she was huddled under a pine tree seeking shelter from the rain not far from where we had first spotted her last night. Approaching her calmly, he gently tossed his coat over her head and picking her up tenderly, he turned her on her back to carry her to his truck. He will take x-rays, but made a preliminary diagnosis that her leg was severely broken and she might have to be “put down”. If she can be medically treated and returned to health, he will release her in this area. Good luck, little HAWK. Dream of huge, slow squirrels and fat, dumb mice. Get better soon and come back to us!

Bad Things Happen to Good Birds

2006-06-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

While working in my library on the computer, hubby was taking a short nap right after work. I heard the unmistakable noise of a sudden impact on the highway. My heart stops everytime anything unusual is heard from there. The vehicle had been a semi as I recognized the sound of air-brakes and tires squeal as they were locked. The smell of burnt rubber wafted around in the early evening breeze. Immediately verifying that OUR dog was curled up on her dog bed...I proceeded to run out to the road. But the semi had apparently taken off and I saw no accident. Assuming that a deer, or moose had mistakenly crossed the road, the wildlife was now long gone deep into the woods. Deciding to make a quick 10 minute trip into our little berg to pick up milk, hubby had gotten the dog to wake up and go outside in preparation for coming with us on our little jaunt. However, Isabelle decided to go romping into the woods-which is definitely NOT like her. Greg had her beside him ready to jump into the Bronco, he looked down and she had disappeared. After locking up inside, I soon followed them out and Greg suggested we walk out towards the woods to see what she was now barking about. Obviously the near miss had actually been a hit as we arrived on the scene to find our HAWK...limping along and endeavouring to get away from the dog. Immediately calling 9-1-1 for the local State Wildlife info...we were advised to leave the animal alone as it would probably be in shock. A wildlife officer would stop tomorrow morning (Saturday) to verify its condition and evaluate taking it to a shelter. We believe it might be a female as we heard a young hawk, but could not locate it. Maybe more info in the morning if a wildlife officer does show up!

A Most Amazing Thing

2006-06-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Izzy was barking violently. I peeked out from the bedroom window upstairs and told her to be quiet. I noticed that she was looking off into the woods and would not cease her racket. Proceeding downstairs and out onto the deck, I perused the area and did not notice anything. Then while I yelled at her to get her butt inside and shut up...she hung her head as if I had beaten her severely. As I swung around to shut the door behind us...I again looked once more out towards where she had been aimed "on point"...and noticed that the log out on the hubby's burn pile was a little bit taller than it had been. In fact...the log seemed to move. I froze; my brain needed a second to actually comprehend was I was seeing...Today had been somewhat cloudy and the sun was not shining, so I didn't get an adequate look when Izzy had been barking. So I quickly grabbed the camera, opened it and the film card was still in the computer! Running to get the film card, loading it quickly and by now my hands were shaking SO much that I almost dropped the camera. I attempted to hold a position, but the dog was again barking. I was yelling at her to shut up so she would not scare anything. And I was STILL shaking. Snapping away, taking totally blurry pictures! Remembering my brand new tripod just inside the door, I grabbed it and wasted precious seconds attempting to secure the camera to the apparatus. Then adjusting the focus, I tried to get as many shots as possible. The dog kept advancing towards the pile of logs until with a great "WOOF", she scared it away. I will scrap the pictures of it later, but share one with you now... HAWK

Mega Kit's Almost Here

2006-06-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

You must be a subscriber to get the June 2006 NDISB Mega Kit for Free It will be released any time now. Aren't you just quivering with the suspense? This layout was made with the kit. Go. Sign Up Now. Just because I said so. Go here - - > http://www.ndisb.com

Hate Cleaning

2006-06-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

The dust & pollen has been so bad here lately this spring that if I dust in the morning, it is back by the afternoon. So I think...Why bother? Lawn mower man came Friday and took care of everything besides the areas he can't reach in the woods, then hubby mowed around the house last night. Looks much better. But it still needs the weed eater in places. A friend recommended a very strong weed killer last year that as yards manager of the local amusement park he used. Told us that it REALLY killed the weeds...yah. right. Our weeds must be stronger than those weeds because my weeds are back this year in the same areas that I DUMPED a ton of toxic chemicals on. It has been over 2 weeks and the areas on my ankles have still not healed from the chiggers that I got when I walked in the unmown grass...never had this problem in past years. Worked all day yesterday on CT layouts; and while Greg mowed, I vacuumed and dusted the house last night. The weather has been nicer, and Isabelle has been going out on the deck to nap. Debbie at the latte stand told us that when she drives by our home early in the mornings...she sees a big bull moose. We saw those 3 at the end of winter...and we have seen deer lately. Already made 1 LO and got it posted... Think I will make jello salad for hubby this afternoon.

1st CT LO

2006-06-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

That's..."first creative team layout" in layman's terms...for NATURAL DESIGNS IN SCRAPBOOKING

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

2006-06-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

I got to do 3 things this weekend that make me happy.

1/Spent time with Greg & Isabelle

2/Baked & Cooked

3/Had hot monkey Sex

-made more pea salad (hubby just INHALES this stuff)-secret ingredient-sun dried tomatoes!; -Lima Bean Soup (new recipe);

-cherry chip cake with cream cheese frosting;

-cooked 2 lbs bacon for breakfast sandwiches;

-made jello salad;

-baked weiner winks *Isabelle's Favorite

Victoria's Secret Breasts

2006-06-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's true. Those BOOBS are really NOT that big!

Enhancement and deception are the names of the game!

But...whoo hoo! Victoria! Ya just GoTtA find another developer for your catalog that knows HOW to digitally enhance correctly and proofs the catalog b4 sending it out to millions of customers...

Yet another Victoria's Secret catalog came in the mail today.

The hubby and I avidly tear through each catalogue received almost daily in the mail to point out the imperfections. It's become somewhat of a competition to spot the flaws!

We have discovered uncovered tattoos that exist on one page and disappear on the next page...breasts that mysteriously look like 66DDDs on one page, and on the next page the same model is flat as a board.

Laughing our way thru looking at bosoms that are hugely saggy on one side and perky on the other side...we cringe at the straight crops on crotch shots-no camel toes there! And moan at the cropping of thighs, calves, & underarms; Gasping at the stretch of the models' legs. HOW can a woman have 6 foot legs?

We have seen tans that are the shade of a pimento or an orange...and tans darker than those advertise in old St. Tropez ads!

These models are hired for their extreme height and thinness as the clothes hang better, to be displayed to the fullest advantage; but then the layouts are digitally enhanced to such extremes of ridiculousness.

When we get our catalogue in the mail, it's better than going to a comedy show!

Smeg Heads

2006-06-02T22:07:00.001-07:00

Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer, Cat, Kryten, & Holly It’s cold outside, there’s no kind of atmosphere, I’m all along, more or less. Let me fly, far away from here, Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun. I want to lie, shipwrecked and comatose, Drinking fresh mango juice. Goldfish shoals, nibbling at my toes, Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun, Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun. I’ll pack my bags, and head into hyperspace, Velocity at time-warp speed. Spend my days in ultraviolet rays, Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun. We’ll lock on course, straight through the universe, You and me, and the galaxy. Reach the stage, hyperdrive’s engaged, Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun, Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun.

I KNOW My Daughter

2006-06-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Just recently I read in the news of a horrific accident that occurred in Indianapolis. It killed 5 people and critically injured a young woman. There was a mix-up of identification and the girl that had originally survived the accident was in a coma for over a month. After reviving from the coma, the parents indicated that they thought it was not their daughter; the coroner had misidentified the bodies and their daughter had died. This was a totally different girl; the girls sharing a distinctive blonde color of their hair. Now, I don’t like to judge, but I would like to hope that even after a few hours in the hospital and my daughter was extensively injured- face swollen, broken bones, and swathed in bandages that I would recognize my own child. She was with me (us) everyday for 18 years; I carried her for 8 months; She has a VERY individualistic hair coloring; I would even recognize her SMELL. Not that she has an offensive smell, I believe it is just something subconcious mothers associate with their children. My daughter also has tattoos now that would be identifiable; She has a scar that I would recognize from when she fell off a friend’s playground equipment; She has a beautiful birthmark on the back of one leg. Did these people actually begin to know that this was not their daughter, but an underlying desire for their daughter to NOT be dead would make them deny that acknowledgment? My heart grieves for them. My spirit rejoices for the other family that had their daughter restored to them when they thought her dead. Very damp and dreary Memorial Day weekend; we took the dog to Bayview to walk around. Lots of improvements there as it has been bought by a conglomerate. Wow. Maybe an infusion of a massive amount of money will transform the small burg on the edge of the water. In the kitchen I prepared home made spice cake with cherries (the darling husband LOVES cherries); angel food cake, and weiner winks.

While Surfing Through the Web One Day

2006-05-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

While wandering around the web the other day, I came upon two things that were rather odd. In doing research for a digital layout, I came across the unusual information that previous to 1972, BIRTH CONTROL was AVAILABLE ONLY to MARRIED PEOPLE. Can you possibly comprehend that it has only been 34 years since women... married or single... have been able to make those choices for themselves? How astonishing that with the advances in modern technology that our nation is even considering asking us to go and live in the dark ages again...to take the freedom of CHOICE away from us. The other oddity was www.shopinprivate.com, as they have several unusual things that might be purchased from the privacy of your own home, without the rude stares or comments from others. ***The following is for adults*** If you are a kid, it will probably disgust you! And send you screaming from the room. One was Anal Bleaching Cream. I can only wonder who would know (besides your intimate partner...) HOW you would need this item. Does one put their head between their legs and look down there to determine the texture and color? Or perhaps the conversation from the boyfriend..."hey, Hon. Your butt's kinda dark" Or are girls really THAT concerned about the color of the boyfriend's behind? "Sweetie, i got you something "special" for you to try...back there!" Another one was the Vaginal Training Weights. Which can be inserted to strengthen muscles "in there". Advertised to help the wearer with kegel exercises to strengthen those muscles. Now, not only do you have to be concerned with the muscles on the "outside", but those muscles on the "inside". There is the ever popular Cleancut Pubic Shaver for your best lawn mowing possible; and my personal favorite...The Razorba Back Shaver designed for those men...who don't want help in shaving their backs! Wow. What brave souls those men be! This thing is about 12 inches long so that you can reach everywhere. Personally, I believe if you are THAT hairy back there, go have a wax job. Much easier. Slight pain. No messy stubble. Liquid Virgin Drops used as contracting lubricant to temporarily tighten the walls of the vagina. Do guys want to "do" a virgin EVERY night? I don't even want to TOUCH this subject. If you don't have enough package down there...you can purchase The Big Boy Package Appearance Enhancer. The equivalent of a girl stuffing her bra...imagine the disappointment in the bedroom when you take those underwear off, guys! "oh, bobby! um. i think i have another appointment right now..." as she exits the bed naked, casting frightened looks at your diminished package and runs with speed towards the door. Because no matter WHAT we say...size DOES matter, guys! Flanders Buttocks Ointment...which is quite popular with mothers to cure diaper rash. And even a game for the girls...Pin The Macho On The Man...which is self-explanatory if you think Pin The Tale On The Donkey; The game comes with poems that are to be read before pinning the "equipment" in various sizes on the poster of a hunky, naked man with his legs spread... Fart Filter Underwear Insert should be purchased by any woman that wants to line her man's panties with a filter so his farts will not smell in public! Gee ladies, wanna change THAT filter before washing his underwear? Not me! And last but not least...The Man Catcher Voodoo Kit...serious strange and spooky rituals required to "catch your man". In my humble opinion, a voodoo kit would be better if it performed evil retribution on the man, instead. I believe a lot MORE women would purchase that kit! Have a GREAT Memorial Day Weekend.

Just the Fax, Ma'am

2006-05-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

B.L.O.G.G.E.R. F.A.C.T.S. 1/Greg ran into Chris, Kelsey’s school friend. He has lost weight, added tattoos, and is working for a construction company. Chris said he just got married the other day. 2/There is still snow on the mountains here. 3/Idaho is moved to the South Pole each night at 9PM and brought back at 9AM.

It is chillingly cold here during those hours. 4/The green pollen is about ¼ inch in depth. I can see it visually blowing in the wind. 5/After 1 week, I am up to exercising 2 hours each day on my bike. 6/Mattster & the K-Meister are moving today. She called me yesterday. 7/I had 178 emails on my hotmail account. LAST NIGHT=DATE NIGHT Chad is Bad/Schucks/Costco/Merle Norman/Albertsons/Movie-Ice Age 2

Garbage Can Force Field?

2006-05-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

It has occurred to me that my garbage can has a force field hovering around it. Whenever anyone attempts to use it, the matter immediately hits the side for some unknown reason and falls on the floor. Erin used a new, exciting font on her layout. Honey, I Stole Your Jumper. My challenge today is to find some unusual font to use on one of my layouts that will amaze and stun! Yes. I am a font junkie. They drive me mad! In a vain attempt to feed my addiction, I roam the font websites to find the different and unusual. Pancakes, bacon, cheese, and egg. Greg loves those pancake sandwiches I have been making him. I love to cook and bake; coming up with different culinary delights that he enjoys eating. Even though he is limited on his intake, he still manages to eat the food he likes. He and our daughter especially enjoy SPICY food. I once had to cut up some peppers and just touching them burnt my skin. He popped them in his mouth and didn't once BLINK! Ah!

Cooking, Baking, and HOUSE

2006-05-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was extremely busy in the kitchen; Made pea salad, lemon cake, pancake breakfast sandwiches, and southwestern-style scalloped potatoes. It rained and was cold again yesterday. The long-term forecast show rain for the next week. Oh Goody! Started scrapping again yesterday. Sometimes are inspirational, sometimes are just blah. Blah to think about all the wasted photo ops when KRL was little; blah to think about all the photos we lost in the storage unit fiasco when we moved here. After a completely satisfying day on the computer and in the kitchen, settled down to watch HOUSE. Yummy. I really understand his sarcastic sense of humor. "I always say if you're going to get shot, do it in a hospital." Last night's season finale was an excellent cliff hanger, unlike a lot of the shows we have seen in the past few weeks.

Rain, Hail, Tornado!

2006-05-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

Awfully frightful weather here today. Rain, ultra black skies and hail. Of course, my batteries in my camera died. Oh NO!... As Mr. Bill used to say. A tornado touched down at the southern tip of Lake PDO this afternoon and the hubby called me to warn me. Like a tornado will travel uphill and then 10 miles to our home to rip us up. Yeah. Sure. This is only the 2nd tornado around here in the 15 years we have lived here. I was only thinking last night that in all the time we have lived on our acreage, we have never seen snakes. Then TODAY, when I went out to grab the hose to clean off the deck...I saw a snake. YUCK!

Baby Album

2006-05-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

I am preserving the photos of my daughter from when she was a baby. We took her into a formal photographer to have her picture taken every month on the anniversary of her birthday. So...she was born February 14th-my Valentine's gift! Every 14th of the month for the first year, we dragged her butt into the studio. Got 4 layouts done just today for her baby album. AND got them uploaded to SLIDE for KRL to view! She was an adorable baby. So happy all the time. Hope her hubby Matt thinks she is cute as a baby! I was chosen as Guest Creative Team member for the month of May,2006 at www.NaturalDesignsInScrapBooking.com ; which is pretty exciting. This is the first of their Guest CTs to be chosen from the layouts posted in the gallery. Also, new to this digital store is that Tammy Bankston has been added as a Designer. Just ADORE her designs. I am positive that she will have many sales as she can expose her work to many people who frequent the site. Theresa, her husband Ernie, and Anita have made this site stupendous! The designers they have attracted are great and I can only see that their shining star will only get brighter over time. Today the weather was warm again. Isabelle was outside most of today. She likes to hang around home, either sitting (lying down) on the deck...or chasing the stupid squirrels up our huge tree in the middle of the circle drive. Greg mowed the weeds last night while I cleaned and vacuumed the Bronco. The yard looks much better. Thank you, honey! He brought me an ice cold Granita from town today AND a bunch of Lilacs that he had picked. Oh. Love that smell. We sat on the deck outside (smelling the sweet horse poop-how I long for the days when we had no neighbors with blathering dogs and stinky horses...and no teenagers that rode noisy motorcycles all day and all night...and no cigarette smoke on the breeze...and no shooting guns at all hours of the day or night...) Anyway, we were sitting on the deck, just quietly talking about nothing...and a jet went by overhead. Isabelle craned her head and looked up, following the lights & noise of the jet until it was out of sight. Greg and I just looked at each other in astonishment. How many dogs take notice of things like that? We have also noted that Isabelle will discreetly watch television at times from her dog bed. Very odd. Did I say that she has learned to circumnavigate our circular staircase both up AND down? She walks very slowly and watches over the side...but this is really something! What a dog! Her odd behaviour of avoiding the hollow elevator shaft openings when we visited Spoky Joe was very odd, too. Most humans (and dogs) will just walk over anything; but we tested her. And each time, she will definitely go around, or stop and avoid...anything that is hollow over the ground. We walked around grates on the sidewalk...hollow gutters at curbs...and any ramps made of metal...that happen to be hollow - she managed to avoid them all. Such an oddity.

Hummingbirds & PeaSalad

2006-05-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Monday had record breaking temperatures here. We were in the high 80s; and from such a cold spring, this sudden drop into hot weather was quite a shock. I spent the day in the yard Monday and Tuesday, cleaning up more pinecones, watering, re-arranging, planting, and working on my rock rustic pathway throughout the "estate". Tuesday morning, I discovered that I was covered in bruises on my legs and my left arm. In my opinion, I think my adored husband is whacking me at night whilst I sleep. There is no explanation how the bruises got there as I did not sling rocks into myself. I carefully pick them up, load them into the wheelbarrow, and unload them once they are wheeled over to the walkway build. Hmmm. Once we get the place the way we would like it, we will probably sell...(isn't that always the way?). Greg has already started talking about moving elsewhere. He really wants to find some other property this year to start on his "retirement plan". Yesterday, a very pretty hummingbird got into the house through the sliding glass door which was left open for the dog. It flew around quite a bit in the loft, then somehow got back out. I snapped this picture as he perched on the side of the cedar wall in the loft. I woke up Tuesday morning with my right ear totally deaf. I tried to clean it out with an ear cone, but I am still deaf in it up to now. There is also an enormous pressure similar to being underwater...My right ear has always given me fits, it is just doing the same thing it has always done. It will probably give a large pop and I will be able to hear later. Monday night's dinner was pizza! Tuesday I made no-bake cookies for Greg to munch on; and au-gratin potatoes last night for his dinner. He has already scarfed down the pea salad that I made on Sunday as he ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Must have been some GOOD pea salad! *Doodles courtesy of www.digitaldesignessentials.com

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-05-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Mother’s Day. What a wonderful day. My beautiful daughter, Kelsey and awesome Son-in-Law, Matt called me from the UK. They both wished me a happy mother’s day and we chatted a bit. I told my daughter that I had received the card and beautiful European black lingerie that she had sent. Also pointed out that my mother’s day gift from her father was getting my toenails done. Usually, I will have my toenails painted - - my favorite colors are OPI Black Satin; Sinful Colors Black on Black; China Glaze Royal Tease or China Glaze Stone Age. But this time, I thought I would have french tips to match my fingers. My tootsies are pretty again!

Greg got me a latte this morning when he went on the weekly dump run with Isabelle. (did I tell you that he has a special song that he sings when he goes on the Dump Run-so cute!) He grilled bacon and we had strawberry covered pancakes, eggs, toast that I had made & maple donuts he had picked up in town. Since I had to clean up afterwards, I also cleaned the refrigerator & freezer while Greg watched his car shows on TV. As I cleaned out the freezer, I boiled eggs & made PeaSalad for the hubby. Within the cave of the freezer, I discovered Strawberries and thawed them out to eat later. Then hubby and I both washed the dog and cleaned out the fish barrel. Greg got out the power washer and washed the interior of the Mercedes. Power washed the cedar siding on the house, and all the vehicles in the drive. I picked up another 6 wheel barrows full of pinecones, and worked on my stone walkway through the area. The sun was shining and it was about 80 degrees out.

Thank you for making me a mother, Kelsey. Thank you for making me a mother, Matt! I love you guys!

What a wonderful day.

Moyie Springs-Dust, Drunks, and Dustbog

2006-05-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

A run up to Moyie Springs today for the mud bog. Dust, Drunks, and Dustbog. We had to stop 3 times because we had cell phone calls from guys up there that broke various things on their rigs.

We hauled up tools, an axle, and bolts. We finally got there about 11:00.

Walked around and found some friends to say hello. But the place abounded with drunks and I'm sure there were about 3500 people there-3250 of whom were drunk. Lots of porta potties, but as Isabelle and I walked back to the truck to get water, we observed one young man urinating against a bus when there was a porta potty about 15 feet from him. There was one young drunk girl who asked if the dog would bite her if she attempted to pet her. Greg answered yes. But the girl said that was OK, she would still try to pet her; Isabelle did the little dancing "don't even THINK of touching me!" jig, pulling against her leash in a vain attempt to get away from the drunk girl.

It was SO dusty. The mud bog had very little water in it and even 2-wheel drive basic vehicles were running through it. The native sandy soil would have made an excellent mud bog if they had started mixing it Friday morning with water and backhoe to make it into a nice slushy, pit.

$20 was an excessive amount, in my opinion, to charge for the event. Even though that price gave you admittance to the whole weekend...how much fun can you really have driving through the same pit again and again?

My shoulders and head were fire-red burnt by the time we left after 3 hours. Isabelle was tired and dehydrated.

Not a fun time was had by all.

On the way back, we stopped at McArthur Lake WildLife Area so that we could stretch our legs. People fishing, pussy willows in the water and a spillway caught our attention. Isabelle met a little dog friend named "Dino" that followed us around. We spent about 30 minutes at this beautiful lake before continuing on home.

Greg worked for a while down at the shop tonight and I cleaned up, did laundry as our clothes were totally covered in dirt,took a shower and had a short nap.

A Tough Decision

2006-05-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hokus Pokus

Sam & Libby

Michael Antonio

Dibe Groove

Mia

Flo Jos

Ellie

Pleaser

Demonia

BCBG

Candies

Colin Stuart

Steve Madden

London Underground

Chinese Laundry

Footsies

Devious

Baby Phat

These are just a few of the name brands of the shoes I wear. I adore shoes. There was a movie once that made fun of the girl who had so many shoes. She enjoyed displaying them on top of her dresser so she could gaze at them overnight and her boyfriend made fun of her for doing that. Ever since, my husband has always referred to my necessity of putting my shoes on my dresser. Gee. It’s been since March 25 since I purchased new shoes… The other day, hubby said either some of the shoes go or he goes. I’m still trying to decide. I asked him yesterday if I could more time to think about it. TOPIC CHANGE

The day is slightly cloudy. So, of course, no satellite internet access. I have to fool around, shut the system down. Unplug, unattach, disconnect; re-connect, re-attach, re-boot. There is nothing at their online site to offer assistance about the quality of service. My darling husband called to point out our ever worsening service to Hughes.net last night. Customer Service disconnected him. TOPIC CHANGE

Did I tell you the other day…after dumping all my bushels of pinecones into the burn pit, we took our laptop out, pulled up some lawn chairs, and had a fire? We watched “Blade” starring Wesley Snipes & munched on M&Ms with hot, buttery popcorn until a cold breeze became too much for us and we abandoned the out-of-doors. Doing this was like going to a drive-in movie (for those of you old enough to recall) and oh so very romantic to sit out under the stars holding hands and watching the small screen as the fire's flames danced just feet from us. A warm toasty feeling all over. You know; it doesn't cost an arm & a leg for romance. TOPIC CHANGE

When I signed into MSN.com the other day, they had attempted to re-vamp the site. I absolutely DETEST that. The site set-up is familiar to me; I don’t have to search for what I want. YAHOO does this all the time, too. Please guys, leave well enough alone. TOPIC CHANGE

Greg came home yesterday and helped to wash Isabelle. The dog is morbidly terrified of water. She tolerates standing there getting drenched if we soothe her the entire time. Afterwards you can just see that she is happy to be clean, she jumps, runs, rolls in the grass, twist, and SMILES she is so ecstatic. TOPIC CHANGE Late last night, I was working on a digital layout and inches away from being complete, I lost the entire thing. And because I had not saved it during creation, I had to start all over again. Agh~The frustration. The agony. The horror. Remember the magic word-

s a v e. TOPIC CHANGE I try to tell people I love them as often as possible because you never know when somebody will not be around. Or maybe YOU won't be around. And I'm not talking just about death. I'm talking about distance, time, etc. Whatever. Remember Patrick Swayze's character in Ghost? He couldn't use those 3 little words.... so he said "Ditto". My favorite phrase to use is Hogs & Quiches. Meaning=Hugs & Kisses. A friend says "Bacon & Eggs, right back atya!" Everybody always has a way.

=

2006-05-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

HOUSE = HUGH LAURIE = YUMMY TAINTED LOVE = SOFT CELL = MARILYN MANSON CHOCOLATE = AMBROSIA = SEX SUMMER = HOT = FUN TOM CRUISE = IDIOT = MI3 MOVIE BOMB!

DS.Biz Can Kiss My Ass

2006-05-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

I forswear that I will not compete or participate in any further challenges/contests. Because...yet again. I have been proven correct. It is all a high school popularity beauty contest, therefore - subjective. I do congratulate the participants that went on to week 2 and I am not bitter. BUT I do object to the layouts not being judged upon the criteria stated within the mainframe of the contest..because the one design that I observed looked like it was thrown together at the last possible second; the picture did NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE QUOTE used; layout was boring (cookie cutter); and the picture was posed/unimaginative. The layout that was chosen to go on to week 2 was chosen ONLY ON NAME POPULARITY. Not on the specified criteria of Quote-"CREATIVITY AND UNIQUENESS" "CAPTIVATING QUALITY PHOTO" "LAYOUT THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE PHOTO". The layout was again one of the cookie cutter plain boring things that are everywhere. Like driving through a suburb of ticky/tacky homes...all alike...don't you notice the one that is built differently...that stands out...that is custom...colorful? I will not be purchasing any further items from that website as I am thoroughly disillusioned. They had me in the palm of their hand and had many opportunities to create goodwill. And didn't. Wow. Go back to school. Get a degree in MARKETING, you stupid bitches! My name might not be popular; my layouts are not cookie cutter; but I have more money than I know what to do with...and I KNOW I won't be spending a single solitary cent on their site or on ANY of the designers that sell at their site! Really, you would think after so many years...I would not be so naive.

I Luv My Mom

2006-05-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

This is to commemorate Mother's Day 2006 for me. I got this done early enough so that it can be a Mother's Day gift to my Mom. As a little kid, I always knew my mom was beautiful. This is how I will always imagine her. In my mind, she has never aged.Mom is 85 this year. Wonderful Papers are from a kit-A Rainbow Shades of Dusty Rose2 by MYSZKA, who is a fantastic designer. Myszka hails from OZ and you can find her beautiful designs at http://www.digitalscrapbookpages.com Journaling-The quote is by Madame de Sevigne from a gift book published through Hallmark entitled Mothers & Daughters (another mother's day gift) "I love you so passionately that I hide a great part of my love so as not to oppress you with it." I am planning on making a 12X12 hard copy for my mother; and also a 3x3 magnetic layout for her so that she can display it on her refrigerator.

Mother's Day & Static Electricity

2006-05-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

The other day while watching television in the evening, my darling husband got up from his chair to go into the kitchen. As he passed me by, he bent down for a kiss. Naturally, I leaned my head back to kiss him…as our lips met…HE ELECTRICALLY SHOCKED ME. He had just his white socks on and scuffed across the floor, not meaning to do it, but we both drew back in shock and started swearing. I told him “Never Do That Again!” Which is just like waving a red flag at a bull; now I will hear about it to the end of my days…it will go something like…'You TOLD me not ever to kiss you again!'. Here it is 2 days later and my lips are STILL burning from that static shock! Today I go to Summer Sun to bake in the booth. 5 minutes until I get built up to 20 minutes a day. I am SO pale! I have never been this white color before. I look like a vampire! Totally not ready for summer. Yesterday spent working in the yard has already burnt my face in places. I picked up a total of 10 wheelbarrows full of pinecones. Saturday night we will have a pinecone fire roast! Have to make an appointment to see a podiatrist as my right foot crack has expanded and is getting deeper & more painful. I still don’t understand why my feet are SO dry. Friday night, picked up Maybelline Lash Stylist Mascara in Very Black which came with a special gift eyeliner called Line Stylist. The eyeliner is marvelous. I highly recommend both. I picked up the CDs Motion City Soundtrack’s Commit This To Memory and GooGoo Dolls Let Love In We listened to the GooGoo Dolls on the way home. I still have yet to open the CD case for the other. I attempted to attend as many National Scrapbooking Day digital events as I could. HOWEVER on a clear Spring day, with no clouds in sight; and blue sky as far as you could see…OUR SATELLITE INTERNET WAS DOWN. This is my posted LO WindowS for the Ultimate Digi-Scrappin' Contest. Sunday is the day they eliminate 200 entries and go onto week 2 for the rest of the entries. Even if I don't go on; I am still very, very happy with my LO. I like my creations. There are some B-Yoo-T-Ful layouts on the site for the competition. Tonight we roasted pinecones in our firepit and watched "Blade" (starring Wesley Snipes) on our DVD player while munching popcorn and M&Ms. It was so fun. It finally got too cold and windy out, so we came inside around 10:00pm. No photos as it was too dark by the time we went out. So just a great memory.

Good News/Bad News

2006-05-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Good News: Coconut Milk makes my hair very, very soft. Bad News : After treatment, all the skin my hair touches on my shoulders has broken out into a heat rash Good News: Greg finally went to the doctors to check out his various ailments Bad News: He has to have a MRI for a possible tumor pressing on his ear causing his hearing loss Good News: Kelsey & I finally got our WebCams hooked up Bad News: The feed is very slow probably because of my satellite internet; and there is a horrible interference noise on the audio Good News: I was asked to be on another Creative Team Bad News: Wow. Except for being in shock. This is like being asked to guest star on “The Colbert Report” Good News: Finished the layout for the entry to the DigiScrappin’ Ultimate Contest along with 381 other competitors Bad News: I have no hope of making it past this first week! Good News: The weather is getting gradually warmer. It was up to a balmy 63 degrees with a brisk cold wind blowing. The sun did manage to shine all day today. Bad News: The lawn is looking shaggy… Good News: Finally got Greg's b-day Present-Wacom Intuos3 6x8 from UPS yesterday Bad News: It was a week late for his birthday Bad News: Greg’s father is in the hospital in Tucson, Arizona with fluid on his lungs Good News: Sounds like he is getting better

MeanStreak

2006-05-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we visited the various motorcycle dealers in our local area. Not much of a huge choice in the showrooms, but we did find a potential bike that we both felt happy with. The Kawasaki 1600 MeanStreak. On the 29th, Greg's birthday started with the annual family tradition..."Happy Birthday" song with the cupcake and candle. The special white long-johns that he loves were one of his gifts. Too surprised for words, he wolfed the first one down with milk almost immediately. He had helium balloons in the shape of a "4" and and "8" that were about 4 foot tall. Huge. Taking these and the Birthday chocolate chip cookie the size of a large pizza to the shop with him, he worked in the shop til about 2pm. Telling whomever visited that it was his b-day. Isabelle went with him to the shop and settled in the middle of the drive, sunning her belly all day. We then visited town to look at motorcycles. Stopped at Michael's to pick up a couple more custom wood birdhouses. And ate a delicious pizza; garlic, sundried tomatoes; feta cheese. With fresh squeezed orange juice to drink. A beautiful day with the weather almost at 74 degrees & the sun high in the sky. Driving down Seltice, we went through the newest subdivision on the river with its gaily colored homes. P-Yuk. Only a steal at $500,000. Crammed onto a tiny lot, directly on top of your neighbors, with tiny one-way roads it seemed like a nightmare. For nothing better to do, we toured the open-house and the interiors show advantages in some areas such as high ceilings; but a waste of space in others. The only homes with a view would be the outside ones with a small view of the river from the tiny master bedroom windows. The riverside walk was narrow and was not designed to house much foot traffic and could have been made much more attractive to coincide with the extragant homes? Not my cup of tea. Presenting the birthday boy with a card and a write-on board for his shop, he cut his special chocolate with white frosting cake. On Sunday, the 30th of April; we awoke to SNOW. Believe it or not. After Greg, Izzy, and I picked up lattes and made a dump run, we lounged around inside and watched movies on tv. It was cold and cloudy all day. Kelsey called and we had a long chat with her. My left arm started to hurt again as I was holding the phone, so I passed it to Greg so he could talk with her. Matt is in Florida doing training. I sincerely hope it is not snowing there.

You Only Turn 48 ONCE

2006-04-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I will pick up Greg’s presents. His birthday is tomorrow! The big 48. I never thought when we first got married that we would ever reach this age. Can't possibly have been 25 years ago. Seems just like yesterday. Cake, White long johns, Decorations, Traditional Hostess cupcake, Sears gift certificate, T-shirt, Balloon, Card. He already got a few of his own gifts at Harbor Freight the other day~an Air Drill and cut off wheels. I have to FORCE him to purchase tools. He just won’t spend the money to make it easier on himself. Maybe I should get a big banner that says “Today is Greg’s Birthday” and put it up at the shop! Isabelle and I picked up 9 wheelbarrows full of pinecones yesterday. And those are just the ones around the house and drive. The wheelbarrow is 8 cubic foot capacity. So we had quite a few pinecones.

COULDY Weather

2006-04-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

One ~Day~ In~ My~ Life 7a-8a Up & out of bed/Make bed/Put away laundry/Put Away Dishes 8a-9a Review Emails/Drink Latte 9a-10a Feed Dog/Play With Dog/Walk Dog 10a-1p Picking Up Pinecones/YardWork 1p-3p Work 3p-5p Scrap/Forums 5p-6p Hubby Home/Make Dinner 6p-7p Dinner 7p-Mid Free Time

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When is gas going to be so expensive that the stupidly indulgent father that lives behind us will restrain his pre-teen son from riding a motorbike around their property ALL DAY LONG?

It used to be so quiet in this area. And since we had 20 acres, we didn't have too many people bothering us.

But neighbors have moved in all over and what was once a quiet area where you could hear owls hooting, wild turkey calling, and coyotes howling...is an overcrowded area where all that is heard is dogs barking all night, motorbikes racing all day, and the crap falling out of the horses as their riders trespass on our property.

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But in the past 3-5 years the population has exploded. The county wants to raise taxes?

Hello? Property taxes have already increased because you have more people living here...more houses being built.

In addition there is tax revenue from more employers, more building permits, and sales tax.

Why the drive to raise taxes? They are not fixing the roads, they are not improving anything around here.

The roads are so rutted from snow tire studs that they almost pull you along without touching the steering wheel of your car.

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THE REASON I DON'T READ THE NEWS :

Anybody ever heard of COULDY weather?

And then? And then? And then?

2006-04-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

Greg bought me a juicer so that I can start drinking a glass of carrot juice per day. The nutrients in carrots give benefits that:

strengthens the immune system
increases metabolism
helps protect & repair cells
maintains healthy skin
maintains vision

My darling husband has a friend that was diagnosed with lung cancer and the physicians gave him 6 months to live. Tom (his friend) researched on the internet and found that a few people had success with an all carrot diet. But Tom LIVES on carrot juice and nothing else. He does not eat other foods. And within 1 year his cancer is completely gone. GONE.

I'm not looking to cure any cancer, but I would like to maintain a healthier body. Maybe it will help my drying. I'll try it for a while and see how it goes.

I have also found a website for long hair. LonG HaiR I will attempt to read, digest, and incorporate some of their advice. My ends are dry just as the rest of my body. Perhaps I can induce some health into them. And eventually grow my hair to an astonishing length like my Beautiful Baby!

She has such amazing red, long hair. Of course, she has never tried to bleach, chemically straighten, color, iron, perm or otherwise totally destroy it.

We have been going for a midnight walk around the property for fresh air since the weather has been warmer. Last evening, Greg decided he was too tired to walk. But Isabelle was already up and out of her bed, body blocking him to force him on our walk. So he had to come with us. A creature of habit, she is.

Birthday Coming Up!

2006-04-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Greg's B-day is April 29. I was hoping to have Ty returned from his Hawaii trip, but found out that he is there for 2 weeks. And he did NOT get the WACOM for Greg like I requested. I even stressed how important it was because the WACOM was to be a gift for his birthday. Poor hubby also wanted a t-shirt with a design on it. I had showed him some special "artistic" checks and checkbook covers mailer from the bank. We believe it was "Mr. Potatohead" but neither of us can remember! Too Funny! I think I will call a donut place to order white long johns for him. He has always loved THESE pastries and it is what actually brought us together. I was selling donuts for our club in college and he would stop to buy one everyday. Pretty soon, I was always saving one for him, especially when he was late. He was always amazed that we had 1 left over...DUH. Men are so thickheaded. But most times, he was there when we opened and we would talk. He finally asked me out after I draped myself across his desk after accounting class...Talk about OBVIOUS! So Saturday, he worked in the shop all day. Mostly by himself and he got a lot of cleaning done. He still needs to do tons more AND get cars out of there. I do not want any trouble with neighbors, complaints from county, or to have people drive by and see we are living like White-Trash. He just has this overwhelming tendency to collect junk and keep it around. He has made tentative arrangements with his friend, Richie in A-town to rent space to keep them there...Hopefully he gets them moved before my nerves are Frayed! Our driveway still needs to be leveled as it has somewhat stopped raining. Weather is better here. Yesterday was 59 and windy. Today it is windy again. The pinecones were dropping so hard and hitting the roof the garage, they almost sounded like little explosions. Several have hit the cars, so we tried to move the cars to avoid any damage. Saturday, I was a little bit more aware and got some scrap pages done and posted. But the drugs are still making me weak and dizzy. Today I will go in to the dentist again at 2:50 to discuss long-term solutions for my teeth. My solution=pull them all and get dentures! Sunday, Greg and I went to Spokey-Joe and he got his hair cut. He said the girl talked non-stop, but he managed to ignore her. HOW do men do that? If somebody is talking to me, I listen. I got my nails done and we did a little bit of shopping together. Made a deposit at the bank and picked up lattes. We stopped at Wendy's for bacon cheeseburgers for the dog as we did not take her along with us. Greg's dually is still being repaired and we had let the Mustang out for a spin. We also picked up 4 wheelbarrows full of pinecones, tidied up around the yard, and cleaned the fish tank! Wow. Clean water and now we actually SEE the fish. Afterwards, we sat on our swing on the porch and enjoyed the beautiful weather! Isabelle is sitting by her water barrel again. She just LOVES that thing. We have decided to get tickets to see She Wants Revenge in Portland, OR in June and will get reservations to stay there, visit with cousins & friends, and go on the Alpine Slide at Mount Hood. Hope to look at motorcycles soon. Greg is harping about trading in the Dually for a Harley Davidson edition truck. We actually saw one yesterday...and it WASN'T bad! So maybe I will cave in...

Linda Ronstadt Songs CAN Be Irritating

2006-04-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

How many husbands will leave in the morning for work with a quick kiss to their wife and then as he drives away sing Linda Ronstadt songs meant to remain forever entrenched in your mind... Desperado, You're No Good Nope. Only mine. But I got revenge. I sang "Blue Bayou" in a very deliberate off-key loud voice which echoed through the woods. He drove away giving me his Salute. And then gave me those final words that sent a horrific shiver down my spine... "Educated Horses"! Oh yes. He's an evil husband. A bad man.

Bad Tooth

2006-04-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Abcessed tooth. Lots of Pain. Surgery today. Pain killer meds & anti-biotics. Will post when I can.

Happy Easter

2006-04-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

So...did the Easter Cow come and visit you? Did he bring you a Bunny Big Ears? Yummy. I suppose the ears are gone and you have started chewing on his sweet, chocolate body now. Or is that gone, too? Did you break into your Cadbury creme eggs and slurp out the yellow & white drippy frosting? Or maybe you are crunching into those sugary marshmallow Peeps that are out of this world. Did you know that there is an artist that specializes in creating works of art with Peeps? Yesterday we had...Snow and...Hail...and Rain...Poor little kids. Hope today was better weather for finding their Easter treasures. But it snowed briefly again here today. For the Easter holiday, most stores were closed. So we went into town and got a few groceries at Albertsons, stopped at Wendy's to get cheeseburgers for Isabelle, and then purchased lattes at the old reliable Government Way CDA Espresso stand (which, by the way, is for sale and has been renamed CDA Hot Shots). When we got home, we briefly visited the shop to take pictures of Greg's latest project. Then I conditioned my hair with Paul Mitchell Super Charged Moisturizer while Greg took a nap covered with my homemade flannel blanket! A walk around the property at 7:30pm concluded our night. Watched a little TV and went to bed. What an exciting day?

New Digital Scrap Designers

2006-04-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

I just want to Barf. Knowing that nobody reads this doesn't bother me. I am not in the race to have everybody read my blog. I don't care. But I DO CARE that I observed that ANOTHER new digital designer(s) has started selling, I really like their stuff and they started a Creative Team... And since they are NEW do you think they would give a chance to a NEW list of scrappers that would be eager for the chance to be creative and distribute for them? NO. GOD NO. Of course they get the same old, same old people to be on their Creative Team. And I am sorry, but Gina Miller, just does not do it for me anymore. I am SO sick and tired of seeing her name on EVERY creative team. I want FRESH ideas. Fresh meat, Fresh different. Her designs are the same old same old. She was different at first, but now, again. Same old, same old boring. And Creative Keepsakes magazine with Elsie Flannagan. I immediately THREW OUT the april 2006 magazine with the TRASH. I didn't even open it. When I saw her face on the front cover I almost threw up. Creative Keepsakes is JAMMING HER DOWN OUR THROATS. Her 2nd grade artistic designs were cute at first. Different. But when you have to see the stuff for the 1,000,000th time. It is boring. Doesn't Elsie get bored with it? Yuck. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate their designs. It is just BORING now. Different at first, a new way of looking at things. I thought Wow. That is different. Neat. But now...it is So So So So So So So So boring. And I am not bringing this to anybody's attention because I want to be on a Creative Team. Don't get the idea that I am jealous. I just want SOMETHING DIFFERENT. It is similar to associating it with a mother making a child eat chocolate pudding for breakfast lunch and dinner for 6 months. Different plate, different utensil to eat it with, but always same, boring chocolate pudding! Even my DOG likes different foods. Excuse me...there are MILLIONs of women that scrap out there. Be in it to be DIFFERENT. Get a NEW and different creative team. Be daring. Step outside. Breathe the Fresh Scrap Attitude.

Sporadic Satellite Internet Service

2006-04-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

If you want a low quality, poor reception satellite service, by all means...subscribe to Hughes.net (formerly Direcway). Because that is what I have and we have the worst service ever. Yesterday it was down and up and down; mostly down all day. It was only available briefly for me to add music to this site. And to add music to our Rocky Mtn Off Road site. It seems that the service has gotten even worse since Hughes.net took over. Time for another complaint letter (another out-sourcing at Direcway) maybe there are real english speaking persons based in the United States that I can contact. But I won't hold my breathe. Because my upload speed was 10kbp yesterday. That was with sunshine. Today it is better. With severe rain? Upload speed begins at around 120, but then drops. It makes no sense. I will attempt my white-chocolate moose layout later today. After we attended my doctor appointment, I was directed to the Lab to draw blood. Which I am NOT queasy when I give. I used to donate blood, but had to quit as I started passing out afterwards. Don't worry, Kels! I'm just going in to find out WHY I am drying up! My feet, my fingers, my elbows, my hair; I am exhausted all the time; and I forget things so very easily. According to investigation on the 'net, I might have a thyroid imbalance. From the lab, we went to Barnes & Noble so I could download some stuff. I never knew that they had wireless internet service. Obviously we will be visiting that bookstore often! Coffee sucks, but wireless is great! I just HAVE to change my NIN on my site because Trent Reznor has a just TOO seductively delicious voice. Too distracting for me to get anything done. I just sit here and stare into space, listening.

Urinary Tract Infection

2006-04-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

Greg encountered some problems on Thursday, but waited until Friday to visit the doctor, but didn’t have enough time. So I took him in on Saturday morning. He has a urinary tract infection. I always think of that cat food when I hear that. There is a special cat food you feed to cats that prevents that. Wonder if I could slip it in his jello? Then we visited the store to get a few things while waiting for his prescription. I failed to have a list. Did you know it is DANGEROUS to go to the store without a list? We always buy things that we shouldn’t…or forget things that should be on a list. Well, after waiting 20 minutes (why didn’t they page us?) we ambled back to the pharmacy. And were told that our MAJOR prescription card was not accepted by them. Now…we have filled prescriptions here before. And they DO accept it. But the person explained that they had called to get authorization & talked to a non-english speaking person (ANOTHER OUT-SOURCING PROBLEM) and were told it was not valid. Gee, do you think the language barrier is a problem? Or their attitudes? When are the major companies going to learn that out-sourcing DOES NOT WORK? Get a clue! DUH! I am going to scrap a page today of White Chocolate Mousse and then post it here. The recipe is DELICIOUS! The best mousse I have ever tasted. It is never in the fridge for long. Thus far, I have NOT out-sourced my recipe. Yippee! Saturday-After returning home from the doctor & shopping, Greg rested. I nursed. Sunday-Greg made dog grog this morning…Fired up the BBQ and made it on the deck. Greg rested. I nursed & scrapped. Greg worked in the shop for about 2 hours late tonight. Monday-I did spring clean-up outside, as most of the snow has melted there is just isolated areas where there was a LOT of build up. Picked up a wheel barrow full of pine cones. Put out my pink flamingos, pulled some wayward weeds, picked up some stray garbage. Along the highway, we always get garbage blowing into the yard…Scrapped 3 pages and posted 1 (there is something wrong with uploading at the Kitchen); Left positive comments on several sites. Went to pick up the UPS delivery at the shop, washed 3 loads of clothes & put them away. All this b4 10:00am. And still have to vacuum. WHY, oh, WHY do they have to OPEN the GATE? To drive in 5 feet and leave a package? The other UPS driver drove around our barricades, and left the package at the house. Didn’t he wonder why the gate was closed, why there were no trespassing signs, and why there were car-size logs on either side of the gate???? People…what do we have to do to make it clear that you are NOT to come on the property? Land mines? Or maybe just a big sign advertising land mines! That’s an idea! Greg will stop to see Kevin & Karen at the chiropractor’s today. Kevin is the Chiro, Karen is his dedicated, wonderful, excellent receptionist! Love them.

Hopefully we will make it to a movie this week! Oh. Almost forgot! I got TWO new Starbucks cups this weekend to add to my collection! A pretty blue and a flowery spring one!

Where DID the week go?

2006-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry not to have attended my blogging folks...a dear friend of mine was having surgery in the hospital. Then a viral infection laid me to waste for what was left of the week... A brief reflection...

Sunday-day of R&R for hubby & me
Monday-2 hellions tore through our 20 acres on an ATV & dirt bike, trespassing and forcing me to find the father...giving him a stern lecture..."do not trespass...all trespassers will be shot...notification of cops on 2nd offense...notices posted." *These types of teens give a bad reputation to their age group; no respect for property...did not ask permission...I even attempted to flag them down, and they refused to stop. When I talked with him, the father seemed to not have any control over them.
Tuesday-Worked on taxes. Received my camera in the mail. Great pics. Great color. Great camera thus far. Highly recommended.
Wednesday-Bedrest
Thursday-Comatose
Friday...Why...That's right now.

So today I am trying to get caught up.

Hogs & Quiches to all!

The EASTER COW

2006-04-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

Everybody knows that with April upon us, soon the EASTER COW will come and bring lots of candy. I don't know about you, but I am always happy to see the EASTER COW come to our home. He used to bring our daughter little eggs full of money. However, he left them out in the woods instead of the house. Maybe our front door was a little too small for him! As I have stated in previous posts...the weather here does not know that it is April...Spring...Daylight Savings Time...the Vernal Equinox...because it SNOWED here again today. Greg and I have been suffering from a low grade fever, that results in extreme exhaustion. I could barely get up out of bed today, do a few things, then drag myself back to bed.

As ill as he felt, Greg somehow worked down at his shop all day today AND repossessed a vehicle that was not paid for by some idiot. And trust me, folks...this guy IS an idiot. He is the ultimate con artist. Talks people into giving him money or things or letting him live at places, and then he NEVER follows through with payment. What Trash.

Hope the kids got their BOXES from us. They have never said anything about it!

I tried to scrap today, but with the fever and a headache, I could not do anything.

We are going to work on our website tomorrow.

Hate HTML

2006-03-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

I adopted a new Blog page today and was extremely frustrated in working to enable all my personal things to show. I never did find a calendar that I could adapt to my blog. Will have to visit other blog sites to find how they are set up. HTML is extremely confusing to my poor brain. I understand the basics. But in attempting to find the code for a horizontal line? It's horrible. Ordered my camera today. I am getting the Canon Powershot S2 IS 5MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom; I KNOW I said I would never purchase another Canon, but in researching all the data on the cameras, this is the best of a bad lot. Focus problems, shutter recovery problems, stabilization problems...they all have them. If I don't like it within the first few weeks, back it goes! Well, I'm tired now. Last night I stayed up until late to IM my lovely daughter. Miss those kids so much.

Pucker Up, Baby

2006-03-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

Earlier today, Isabelle and I were outside as it was SO warm..about 56 degrees & partly cloudy. We both heard a far away noise, and stood there waiting for it to come closer. It was the honking of geese! We stayed on the deck, both of us craning our necks to watch them overhead; both of us holding very still. Watching the geese high in the sky, honking, flapping their wings, flying in a "V" formation. Awesomely beautiful against the blue cloudy sky! A perfect Spring day! I then came out of my reverie and ran for my camera...too late. They had already passed us, and gone beyond the tree tops! I scrapped this page from pictures we had taken last night. Kelsey wanted photos of us smiling, so I plopped down on Greg's lap and started snapping. Only thing was, he was so tired and couldn't smile too much. But this was a good one.

Barnes & Noble & High Speed Internet

2006-03-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

So I mis-placed my latte yesterday. I finished one, then when I went to start on the other one, it was nowhere to be found. Curious. Must be the early onset of Alzheimer's. Yet I remember how to spell correctly and remember where I live and my phone number...sometimes. Found it this morning on the library shelf. I must have put it down when I was re-arranging my scrap magazines.

Greg and I went to Wal-Mart to get a few things. Got the kids some surprises for Easter. I got my thumb nail fixed and a pedicure while we were there. However, I got the "mini" version of a pedicure because they were to close at 8pm instead of 9pm as I had thought. Now will have to go back over to get the full treatment one day because my feet are so dry, dry, dry.

At Barnes & Noble...I took our pictures, which turned out quite well. Purchased a couple of books on Adobe Photoshop so that I may learn the program more thoroughly. What software! Now I can believe that Victoria's Secret models are not what they are look like in the magazine...stretch out their asses; add in fake boobs; accent with color for the overall "tan" look. BIG NEWS ~~ I found out that there is High Speed Internet Access at Barnes & Noble! Yippee. Go in, have a coffee, soak in the beautiful seats and overall great atmosphere, and download my digi-kits! Yippee. "talked" to Kelsey last night on IM for a while. Hello, which is supposed to be on-line instant sharing of pictures...did not work. The pictures we sent each other through IM were slow. So we finally switched over to www.SLIDE.com. Which is the neatest tool. I really NEED to sit Greg down to get his website pictures on SLIDE. There is a countdown to April 15, income tax filing deadline...and I am so depressed this year about it. Usually I have our taxes done by now. But I am procrastinating this year.

Spring, It Is SO Spring Like!

2006-03-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

There is a spring in my step, there is a spring in my mattress, there is a spring feeding the well of love in my heart.

Sounds like a song, huh?

Well, SPRING is here! Yippee!

Sounds Great!

But obviously somebody hasn't told Northern Idaho that Spring is here because it is still SNOWING. I hate that frigging word. Snow. I want to move somewhere else! Somewhere WARM! Is there ANYBODY in Italy that wants to trade homes with us PERMANENTLY?

Up All Night

2006-03-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

Greg worked in the shop last night until 1AM. Then came home and watched mindless TV for 1 hour; Carson Daly & Leno & IMF...Then retiring for bed at 2:30. So we got up late this morning. The upstairs alarm clock read 7:30am. BUT...it was actuall 11:30am. Wow. It was weird. Seems like the day just rushed by! I scrapped a little; shopped at some digital shops; learned more Photoshop techniques; and bought...SHOES~ Baby Phat's Bonita and Diba's Brie. This weekend is the one that I WILL buy a new camera! Maybe.

storyofamilitarywife.blogspot

2006-03-24T21:38:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this yet, it is an excellent site. Most people don't think about the women that are behind the men in our military. These women are young, funny, and fresh. My daughter is one of the bloggers at this site!

She is actively doing so much. I am SO proud of her!

Proud of Matt

Proud of BOTH of them!

I called the UK today to talk to her and left a message on the answering machine. She called back later and we talked quite a bit. Don't you just feel that you HAVE to hear their voice sometimes? Probably that mothering instinct in me!

Raining & cloudy here the past 2 days; but the snow is receding (just like Greg's hairline).

Isabelle is well on her way to recovery. She has recovered her appetite and has been visiting the shop nightly with Greg. Tonight she met another pooch down there. They played and had a ball! She came back with snot flung all over her face, so you just know that she had fun.

Shoes, Scrap Journaling & Adelphia Cable

2006-03-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

As my husband and daughter can attest, I really like shoes. New shoes make me happy. The taller the heel, the better. Since I am relatively short, high heels make me appear taller, and make my legs longer. I love the stride that I can achieve with heels. I was even comfortable wearing high heels until my last month of pregnancy!

So. I found these in www.WindsorStore.com

as there was a catalog in the mail for Prom dresses...addressed to me.

Now...I am a little bit too old to be thinking about a prom, but they have some fabulous dresses there. Don't be put off that they are modeled by about 16-17 year old girls...the dresses are just beautiful. A few of these would be wonderful for the annual Christmas party.

And one other thing I would like to insert here b4 I move on...I never went to my high school senior prom. Besides HATING high school...no guy asked me and I had no confidence to go by myself. I did not enjoy the people at school. Was not part of the popular crowd so I probably would not have had fun anyway. And I just want to comment that you guys were ASSHOLES. You just could not recognize good prime Grade A meat when you saw it. I asked Greg if he went to prom or asked anybody out. He answered..."No". When I asked why?

He just gave me this dumb look. So I explained

to him that if he had not had a current girlfriend,

there were LOTS of girls out there (that didn't have dates or boyfriends)

to take to a major event

like that.

Then he tried the quick save..."Well, if I had known YOU in high school, I would have asked YOU out".

Duh.

After struggling with taxes for a while today, I finally had to relieve my headache and scrap for a bit. I also emailed my daughter about her outstanding journaling over at A Cherry On Top. Her gallery page is called

His Mistress

Checking on it, found that she has 19 comments on it so far.

The kid should have been a journalist! Frustration abounds as I washed the white washcloths that were no longer white! Using them have turned them to a dull, dusty brown. Just not the thing I want to wash my face with first thing in the mornings. So I gathered them up and bleached them THREE times. They are still not a pure white as if they were new, but they are a brighter dusty brown. Oh, well. Purchased the James Blunt Back to Bedlam CD (over Greg’s vigorous objections~I told him it was either this, or he took me to see Brokeback Mtn. He caved-in immediately!) and She Wants Revenge She Wants Revenge self-titled album. Both are very good. Oh, and even though we were NOT talking about internet speeds and connections, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Dani at www.DesignByDani for her St. Patrick’s Day digital freebie. I finally got it downloaded on our satellite service which is sometimes almost slower than dial-up! I am still praying for a cable company to wake up to the profits to be made and run it by our home…did you hear that Adelphia?

Blah, Blah, Blah

2006-03-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Greg took the day off to run around and visit his machinist in Sandpoint to drop off some designs to fabricate. He also made a visit to Garwood Wrecking and Richie Cole's. While at Richie's, Isabelle was "forbidden" to play with Dobie (Richie's mini-doberman pinscher) as she had been bathed on Sunday afternoon. It is amazing how clean and beautiful this dog is after a bath. All the colors in her coat are clearly visible reds, soft browns, golden, and tan; she is the SOFTEST thing ever! Greg compared her coat to Kelsey's hair color. Kelsey has a deeper red, Isabelle is golden. Made the extremely long haul to Spokey-Joe for beautification for my fingernails. Costco for necessities and gasoline; Wal-Mart for groceries. It rained once we got on the interstate, but promptly stopped. However, storm clouds hovered around the entire time we were over there. I am having a hilarious time learning Adobe Photoshop. Flipping back and forth from tutorial to program. Playing with brushes, downloading items, and getting partially frustrated. It is very similar to the time 3 months ago when I learned Paintshop 9. Isabelle has been responding wonderfully well to her anti-biotics. She seems like a different dog. This illness came upon her so suddenly that we hadn't realized she was sick. Now we know that the tiredness, listlessness, and whining were part of her illness. We had just thought she was picking up some extremely odd habits all of a sudden. Poor little dog; she can't tell us, and suffered in silence. The last couple of days she prances around, has more energy, and is holding her tail curled up again! Wow. While shopping, Greg and I looked at some more cameras at Costco and Wal-Mart. My goal is to have a decision made by this coming weekend because... Greg had to make a brief trip to Sandpoint again to drop off parts at his Machinist. When we were returning from Sandpoint on the Long Bridge, Greg pointed out 3 American Bald Eagles sitting in a tree overlooking the lake. They were incredibly huge and beautiful. Majestic. Even tho I had the camera, there was no way I could have gotten it out and turned it on in time. Besides...the zoom does not work as the focus is not working. I can zoom, but it will not focus on the zoom... Greg also stopped on the way up at Tri-Con Bolt. While he was inside, Isabelle and I had a short walk around a portion of Lake Cocolalla. The lake is once again frozen and beautiful, but the pics I shot were unfocused...and the sun was not shining. We passed a poor poochie tied up with a chain...but when sniffing noses...the male dog decided to begin barking which scared poor Izzy. She jerked back and was quite upset emotionally...her friendship had been rebuffed. In other notes...Ebay sent us a 10% off coupon to use as we have a birthday membership coming up. This will be great for Greg when he purchases his automotive parts. Good for up to $25 off.

Canine Cooter Lift

2006-03-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

I reviewed and have not posted in about a week. Here it is Thursday, and I have finally found some time to detail what has been happening. Poor puppy. Isabelle got a bladder infection and we took her to the vet. She is on bed rest and anti-biotics. I have been taking care of her this past week. Worse than a little kid! The vet said that she is overweight, but I doubt that. There is no extra fat on her, but she is a solid, muscle bound dog. However...the vet did note that she has a "poochie" around her pee area. These dogs are know for having "extra skin" everywhere. So the poochie area is causing dirt and mess to stay in that area which might lead to an infection. The final upshot on this is that I have to wipe her down there to make sure she stays clean. Or the vet mentioned a canine vagina lift. Like a stomach lift they perform for humans, go in cut out the fat, and pull the skin together. Oh, heavens. I also applied for a scrapbook Creative Design team. Am hopeful, but not getting too excited. Greg has applied for a different job-cable splicer and seems optimistic.

Italy, Andrea, & Snow

2006-03-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Yummy. I was scrapping today while listening to the new CD that Greg purchased for me as a surprise. Andrea Bocelli-Amore. What an amazing voice. Then there is the duet with Christina Aguilera who has the best female voice. Ever. Period. That girl is SO multi-talented. So much better than the idiots that are out there that can't sing. Went in and had my hair highlighted & conditioned. It snowed another foot on Wednesday, March 8. I will have to do another layout wherein I detail how much I hate snow and cold. I am now working on Greg to move to Italy when we retire. So we can be warm all the time. This is a scrap layout swap pic I did with Theresa H over at ScrapKitchen. I was outstandingly happy with this layout.

Hal, The Super Computer, aka CHAD

2006-03-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Going to pick up our super computer, which I have nicknamed Chad (Chad is Bad) or as Kelsey refers to it...Hal. Ty has told us it is 250GB RAM which with the external hard drive of 100 GB, should be OK for now. I'm only going to state this one people, then never discuss it again. DON'T EVER BUY DELL. We have had 2 Dell computers and they were both krap. Also, Dell has krap customer service. They have out-sourced their customer service and the people are rude and will not help with anything. When we received the computer, only the front 2 USB ports worked, all 6 in the back did not do anything. The computer should have been returned and repaired, but Cust Serv refused to authorize it. I took it to the local computer expert, and he said that nothing could be done to repair it, unless it was returned to the factory under warranty. I called the Cust Serv from day one, and they refused to do anything. In other matters, we were scrap swapping pics at the Kitchen and I was unable to get hold of Theresa for a couple days. So, in the forum, I jokingly said I should do a "missing" poster. She was confused and thought she was supposed to send her pics to Beck, and I finally got them. But yesterday I still went ahead and did the WANTED POSTER.

Moose Part 2

2006-03-05T01:24:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like the moose family has moved in to the area. Greg was at the shop tonight when they strolled by about 6:00pm. Adorable- - Mom, and 2 babies. God. They are over 6 feet tall. Babies... Isabelle has been going crazy all day barking at unknown noises. While doing dishes, laundry, and vacuuming, I also managed to clean her bed. The dog is shedding like mad since Spring is almost upon us. Bath for that big baby = tomorrow! Scrapped this page of me using Tania's freebie from her Blog-o-rama.

MOOSE

2006-03-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

Isabelle was standing on the back deck intently staring at something. She cautiously started down the stairs, obviously on point, ending at the edge of treeline. With her eyes still glued to something in the woods, she was quietly making noises-not a growl, not a bark, just noises. Greg walked over to another angle in the foot deep snow to see her line of vision, when "something" moved. He told me that there were 3 HUGE MOOSE not 15 feet from where we were standing. Of course, my friggin' damn piece of crap Canon SD110 (don't EVER buy Canon products-This is my WARNING) decides to not work. It has "issues". Mainly the issue of the focus not working. There is a known problem in the focus sensor. NOW I'm lucky enough to buy a new camera TOMORROW. So the best pic I got was a blurry one. Which I am hereby sharing.

Wasted Days

2006-03-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

Not much going on here. Just wasting my time away. Walking dog, shopping, Interneting. Same old. Same old. Talked to the kid on IM Tuesday, Feb 28. Can't believe it is already March! Probably need to start on taxes, huh?

Digital Camera Pics = A Big Zero

2006-02-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

so, we went for a long walk around the lake on sunday. and i even dragged my cell phone (with camera) and digital camera with me. and as we were walking along with the dog, a big red truck pulled up and parked next to us. we were surprised to see our friends mike & carrie. we talked to them for about 20 minutes before they had to continue on their way. and did i take a picture of them to post on my blog or scrap? nope. did i take any pictures of the dog frolicking on the grass? nope. any pictures of the overcast lake? nope. i must just not be in that frame of mind where pictures are out there for me. taking my camera along has become an accepted way of life for me. but i don't use it often enough. oh well. i must strive to take more pics. this is a page i scrapped of our house. it rates a 9 out of 10 on my scale.

Dealing With Complete Moronic A-holes

2006-02-24T23:12:00.000-08:00

OK. Had to vent. Now I'm done. I did this wonderful layout which is a combination of lots of things, but mostly the kit is "Design Your Own Bulletin Board" by the wonderful Gina Miller. Great artistic talent. This kit can be purchased at www.scrapbookbytes.com This is everything that is meaningful to me as is currently own my own bulletin board...except for a calendar. My peppermint hippo I designed and scrapped Our upcoming trip to Italy with the kids The Eggers Blinky Cool Cat Club Blinky designed by the multi talented Tania JPS Carabella dress I want for the trip Dooney & Bourke suitcase to match my purse for the trip Hubby's note to me..."Beaver" Hubby's doodle of a cat (I find these all over) Grocery list List of things to do Family Pics Backyard sunset Pic Powerball Lotto ticket Digi Bra by Designs by Dani Mogstad another uniquely talented individual The DollPalace Avatar Cherry Pie and Cherry creation Satisfaction font signature "Bob" name in mini beads by Designer Digital Kellie Mize

Glued!

2006-02-22T16:59:00.000-08:00

Just a little while ago, I decided that I just had to glue something...and I'm not going to tell you what, because then I will look like a dumb blonde... OK! OK! My fake plastic french manicure toenail had to be re-glued onto a toe. It had fallen off the other day, and it looked dumb without one on it. All my other toes were real pretty, so it was calling out to me...Bob, Bob, make me pretty! I know. I know. Vanity...thy name is Woman! But...I was BORN with ugly toenails and fingernails. (that's my excuse & reasoning- don't criticize) Thank goodness for acrylics! So now I can go to the beach or wear sandals in public and not have hideous looking toes! I swear to God, there were little kids that used to run from me in terror when they saw my toenails. So to get back to my story (long-winded, ain't I? but, just trying to set up the "mood" of the narrative) I had picked up the Krazy Glue...(here it comes...wait for it...) Krazy Glue, and tipped it upside down to squirt JUST a LITTLE out onto my tiny toe. And the dispenser explodes. Yeah. Right. You guessed it. Krazy glue all over. Oh no. Hubby's gonna be POd. All over my clothes, all over my...whoops! All over my HANDS! All over EVERYTHING! The next thing I knew, my pants are Krazy glued to my legs. My shirt is Krazy glued to my boobs. My shoe is Krazy glued to the toilet seat. My other foot Krazy glued to the floor. All my fingers of both hands are Krazy glued to each other. My toes on my left foot are Krazy Glued to each other AND the shoe. My hand is Krazy glued to the toe still holding the fake nail, my other hand is hardening up but still unrestrained! Oh gosh. What do I do? I'M STUCK! And then I gotta pee! Cuz of course, what do you have to do when you are in the bathroom???? So, then I start to see the dumb/funny side of it and start giggling. But when you start giggling, you start laughing, and tears are running out of my eyes, and I reach up to rub away the tears, and my other hand drenched in Krazy glue gets securely stuck to my cheek! The dog wakes up, drags herself off her bed, and walks into the bathroom to see what is going on. oh no. OH NO, Isabelle, Stop! Now the DOG walks into the Krazy glue on the FLOOR! The dog is stuck and starts whining, I'm giggling more, and peeing myself! And you know what? During all of this...I was irritated that there was nobody around to take a picture of this...so I could scrap it.

World's Greatest Videos

2006-02-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

I just adore watching IMF, World's Greatest Videos. They have some of the best (ROFL) artists and give you exposure to them. One never could have thought that so many people could view artists from different countries on a medium like this. Prior to this it has always been major countries releasing (or coming to the US) as if we were the only country in the world, duh, not! Most of us are just regular people who eat, sleep, go to work, and go home to families. We are nothing special here in the US. I have heard so many different bands from so many different countries and so much diverse talent. It is such a break listening to something extremely different instead of the same old, same old. I love listening the the Latin Bridge. They have a lot of great talent there, too. Last night I heard Christina Sturmer and Band sing Engel Fliegen Einsam which roughly translates to Angels Flying Alone. It is a hauntingly beautiful song. The video appears to be shot in a huge hothouse with massive plants. Scribbles, doodles and intricate angel wings are "drawn" by computer graphics as the singer/band walks around. It is awesome. Go out and try to buy this CD. I am going to get it today! Using silver papers from a different kit, I have scrapped the following. Greg and friends thought it was great. This is from the kit Love N Roses by Janette Padley which can be purchased at www.thedailyscrap.com The frame was done in pink and gives it that romantic feeling. This picture is just one of us I took as the hubby had just gotten home from work and was clocking out on his company computer at home. He is home dispatched, and does at least 1 hour of computerwork in the morning and 1 hour at night in addition to his 8-10 hour days. Isabelle eating weiner winks as we speak. They're not just for breakfast, ya know!

Catching Up

2006-02-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

Quick Notes to cover what has happened in the past few days. Sat. Feb 18-Greg finally woke me up about noon; I had another sore throat and fever. Seems I will just have to resign myself to being sick permanently. It was bitterly cold outside, so Greg decided against going to the shop to work today; it would never have heated up enough to work comfortably. So he spent the day at home alternately on the computer, taking care of me, and watching tv. I finally felt better late that night. Kelsey's t-shirts came today. Sun. Feb 19-Drove into A-town to get morning lattes with Greg & Isabele; IM'd with Kelsey this morning; Scrapped on the computer a little, then Greg watched the Daytona 500. I started working on taxes. Horrible, I know...but it HAS to be done. Robert returned the trailer to Greg this afternoon. We walked Isabelle tonight and she took off into the woods frantically digging at something. It took forever b4 she decided to join us again. Made a list of things to do. WACOM is for Greg so he can hand draw his designs on the CAD program I purchased him for Christmas. I want to talk to Ty about Adobe Photoshop software. Still need to update our Internet site, www.rockymtnoffrd.com. Reminded Greg that he has to write another article for the site. Just another boring life.

Romantic Getaway Weekend

2006-02-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

Greg reserved a suite for us at The Davenport. Valet service to park our vehicle; Isabelle was able to come along and created quite a stir walking through the Lobby. We checked in and went up to our Suite 1406 on the private 14th floor. Access via elevator with card key only. Champagne & long stem roses in our room upon arrival. Our room was quite expansive-500 square feet. We rested for a while, then changed to formal clothes for dinner at The Palm Court at 6:30 I ordered filet & lobster; Greg had crab cakes. After dinner, we walked around the hotel observing all the vintage memorabilia; stopped for a quick drink in the "Peacock Room"; then retired to our room to change into jeans & walking shoes. Walked Isabelle to the city park about 8 blocks away all the while observing the city on foot when as we have not had a chance to do that from a vehicle. Returned to our room about 11:00 where Greg passed out with a fever from the rich food consumed that night. No hanky-panky for V-Day for me. Boo Hoo. Upon our return from the walk to the park with the dog, our room had been cleaned and the bed turned down into a "heart" fold with the blankets. Rose petals were scattered on the bed creating a very attractive romantic atmosphere. There were mints and candy on the side table, along with a pot of fresh, hot coffee. With my husband passed out on the bed...alternately moaning and groaning, I proceeded to fill the European spa tub and scattered the rose petals upon the water. Dousing the lights, I took my own "romantic spa bath"; I did, however, manage to give him cold compress clothes to relieve his illness. The bed was VERY comfortable and we had a good night's rest. In the morning we had Starbucks lattes by the lobby fireplace in a comfortable setting while munching on bagels & muffins. Shopped at the famous candy store then checked out.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2006-02-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Birthday Kelsey Rae. Love to you and yours. Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Weekend Extravaganza

2006-02-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

Off for a grand old time for an early Valentine's day celebration. We will be staying at this hotel. Isabelle will even be coming with us! www.thedavenporthotel.com Penthouse Rooms are located on the top floor of the Hotel, measure approximately 500 square feet (46 square meters), and are available with one four-poster king bed. Bathrooms are designed with an extra large walk-in marble shower. Penthouse Rooms offer a variety of city views and boast the following features: Fireplaces in all Penthouse Rooms Jacuzzi jetted tubs Lady Primrose luxurious bath products Hand-carved mahogany furniture The Davenport Bed Complimentary high-speed wired Internet access 27" flat-screen televisions with Nintendo and Lodgenet Three phones with voice mail and private direct-line capability Spacious crosscut Travertine marble showers encased in glass In-room safe, iron and ironing board, make-up mirror and hair dryer Coffered ceilings with crown molding My darling husband also has dinner reservations at a surprise restaurant; he told me to bring my dress up duds! I'm so excited. Packed a small suitcase and will be back tomorrow to tell all!

Baby Announcement

2006-02-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

I wish that I had been able to have my child at this point in time; as mothers of today have a lot of advantages which were not available 20 years ago. Cell phones were non-existent. ...Now families and friends can be informed that the birth of the baby is imminent while the expectant parents are in the car on the way to the hospital. Ultra-sounds were only given with insurance company prior approval for high-risk pregnancies. ...Now many women have ultra-sounds every other month. The pictures are clearer; and there is even a video tape of the ultra sound they may have. It was a total surprise until the birth what sex of child you would have…boy or girl. …Parents can now ascertain the sex of the child, and give the child a name prior to birth. Then, plastic bags came in sandwich size or gallon size. ...Now, for convenience, plastic bags which are re-sealable come in many sizes. If a mother has a smaller sandwich, or one cookie, a bag can be used that is suitable. Many bags come decorated. Diapers were sold in boxes of about 3 feet by 3 feet square. ...the same amount of diapers at present is compressed into a space of a small shoebox or less. Birth announcements were picked up at the local card store and sent out by US Postal Mail; which took anywhere from a week to 10 days to arrive. ...Now, birth announcements such as the beautiful, custom work of art (see above) are the norm, sent out by email which can reach the recipient in seconds. Pictures were taken with a 210 camera. Resolution & quality were poor. Film and separately purchased flashes were costly. Flashes oftentimes did not work. After completing all 12 or 24 pictures, the film (if not exposed when removing from the camera) was taken to the local retail store to be developed at their lab. If the film and pictures were not lost, you would receive the pictures back within 2 weeks. By that time, you had forgotten what the pictures were that you had taken. That is if you remembered to take the film in to the store at all... ...All pictures can be captured on a minute digital card which can store up to 500 or more pictures, batteries are smaller than 1 inch and can be re-charged; and automated flash is built in to the digital camera. Video is built into the small 3 to 4-inch camera and an ability to "freeze" a frame of the video is a choice. You were finally able to view your pictures, but if the picture was out of focus, or someone had accidentally taken a picture of the bottom half of the person, or caught a stray thumb...there was no do-over, no retakes. Good gosh, the event was already 2 weeks past. ...Now there are digital cameras, with extremely high quality/high resolution. The ability to review the picture immediately, retake the picture from different angles, and alter the camera settings is all available. Computers did not exist to the general public. There was no world coverage public Internet available. ...Now pictures can be immediately downloaded to a computer wherein you can fax, email, or IM the picture anywhere, to anyone. The only ability to save a picture was in a photo album or on the negative, which were often thrown away or, if retained, rotted with age and exposure ...Now there is an ability to save the pictures to a computer, CD, or other media. Red eye, facial disfigurations, and other misc "junk" within a picture were tolerated. There was no way for the average person to fix these problems. ...At present, the ability to alter a picture in any way you wish is available via computer digital programs. So, since I was unable to "announce" my child's birth at the time. I am taking the opportunity to do it now in this beautiful way for my beautiful baby!