A Busy Week

Big week around here! We have a new family member! It's a JEEP! And she's silver! We are the proud parents of a new Jeep Patriot and we are loving it! Sunroof, heated seats and lots of other extras to make traveling even more fun!

Last Saturday was Astronomy Day so the local Astronomy club got together at a known bookstore to help inform the public. I went along with Harold. Mainly as an excuse to ride in the new Jeep and a chance to get some yummy coffee at the bookstore coffee shop! While I was there I picked up two new cookbooks that look fantastic! I can't wait to try to some of these recipes! As I try some, I will share the ones I am impressed with!

Mice! Ugh!!! Since we live outside the city limits in what could be considered a country area, it isn't uncommon for us to see ONE mouse about every 4 or 5 years. We set a trap, catch it and that's it for another 5 years or so. But this time they are coming in one after another and we can't find where they are coming in at! We keep setting traps and have caught 7 so far! I told Harold this HAD TO END! My pots, silverware, platters and more are having to sit on top of the counters because the mice keep running around in those cabinets! I WANT MY KITCHEN BACK! It's time for the professionals to come in! *update* The pros are coming out today! YEA!!!

This month marks the (possible) end of an era at our house! We are smokers -- there I said it! Both Harold and I have quit several times over the years only to resume the habit. We both freely admit that we have no will power when it comes to this. Our doctor told us about this new stop smoking medicine called Chantix (www.chantix.com) that seems to have had good results with others so we decided to give it a try. It works GREAT so far! We really don't miss the actual cigarette. But we have had to change a lot of our habits because certain activities or times of the day were automatically associated with smoking and we wanted to avoid that urge. People who have never smoked really don't understand how hard it is to do this but I have to give credit where credit is due and this medicine is WONDERFUL! We have agreed NOT to say that we quit smoking and instead just say we are going to see how long we can do without them.

See ya later!!

Is there a Tuesday song?

Oops! Looks like I forgot about my blog AGAIN!

What makes your mornings run smoothly? I have a regular routine each morning that I follow or my day feels pretty much out of whack!

1. Get up and dressed around 6am on the average
2. Take Whiner out.
3. Set out Whiner's breakfast and fresh water
4. Put on coffee
5. Get clothes in the washing machine
6. Load dishwasher with dishes that mysteriously appear overnight
7. Make up the bed
8. Take out the trash
9.. Eat a little breakfast so I can take my medicine
10. Get online while I enjoy that first cup of coffee.

Whew! Just reading it, wore me out! LOL!

My tomatoes didn't survive the unexpected cold spell we had. I covered them up each night but they were just too young and tender. I hate it because they were just starting to take off really good but if need be, I can get more. I will have to get some more.We have had some really nasty weather lately with severe storms, tornados and high winds in general!

I haven't had much time to scrap lately and that makes me sad! I feel like I need a minimum number of hours per week to devote to this! For my own creative feed. I need to start putting aside some time JUST for this! And I think that's just what I will do -- starting today! I'm looking forward to Harold taking some vacation time when the weather gets nicer so we can take another day trip. New pictures!! I desperately need some!

End of the Week - at last!

I have come to the conclusion that I won't be surprised at all to see Sanjaya make it into the top 5 on American Idol this year. It really doesn't bother me any more and I don't know why it ever did. Just a chain reaction, I guess. The one thing that makes me sad now is knowing that at least 2 of my faves (Melinda, Lakisha and Jordin) will be sent home because there can only be one winner. Of course there could be another surprise outcome with all three divas being sent on their way. Even if this happens I feel confident that each one will be quickly picked up by some smart music producer and go far in the industry!

These are more of the stamps I ordered last week. Aren't they just adorable? They are Autumn Leaves Astro Boy. Not sure how often I'll use them but I couldn't resist!

I haven't done any scrapping in about 5 or 6 days and I really want to before a scrapper's block completely takes over! I haven't even pulled out my camera in about a week! I have several layouts in mind to do. Now to just make myself sit down and do them! Sometimes that is much easier said than done!

I covered up the plants last night in preparation of freezing weather! I hate how Mother Nature plays these weather games with us around this time of year! Everyone was loving their shorts and flip flops again only to have to pull the sweaters and flannel jammies back out!

5 shows I watched on TV this week
1. American Idol
2. The Wedding Bells
3. Entertainment Tonight
4. Ghost Whisperer
5. Take the Lead - movie on HBO

5 foods I ate this week
1. Fried Ice Cream by Bryers - think I'll stick with Starbucks
2. Zesty Chicken BBQ - new recipe
3 BBQ take out
4 Lasagne
5 Salad

5 songs I listened to this week
1. Sway - Michael Buble
2. Save the Last Dance for Me - Michael Buble
3. I Only Want to be With You - Hootie and the Blowfish
4. Peroxide Swing - Michael Buble
5. Me and Mrs. You - Michael Buble

The List Queen is Back!

Splurging is always fun but after it's over I always wonder why I did it! Impulse buying is not my style but has become a common thing for me to do lately and I need to stop it before it becomes a very bad habit! Best get back on track before I'm derailed completely!

Once again my top three favorites on American Idol this week were
1. Melinda
2. Lakisha
3. Jordin
They have been the same since the beginning. Sometimes varying in rank but the names are always the same.

My bottom three picks for this week were
1. Sanjaya
2. Gina
3. Haley
Exactly in that order! And Gina was voted off this week. I was totally thrilled that Michael Buble was the surprise singer! I love love love his music!

The weather is changing. We have had summer like days in the 80's and nights warm enough to keep the air conditioner running. But for the next 5 days, highs will only reach into the mid 60's while the lows drop into the 30's. My flowers and tomato plants were just starting to take off really well too! Looks like I will be making a trip outside each evening to cover them up to keep the frost off during this cold spell.

I read an interesting article about daily routines. Please don't ask me where I read it because that piece of information has totally vanished from my memory bank for the moment! After reading it though I began to think about our lives and a few of the things that are normal for us. Time to make a list!

It is Harold's job to change the ink in the printer. He has tried to teach me but I just let him do it!

Doing laundry early. I like to get it out of the way as fast as possible!

A pot of coffee is almost always on!

Music. Either from Michael's room, Ryan's room, the computer or the kitchen.

Making Lists. I am the official list maker around here and make a list for about everything imaginable!

Stampin' It Up!

What is it that draws me to buy stamps?

I love them. I buy them. I am thrilled when they arrive.Then I put them away and never use them! What is that all about?

I know they aren't too complicated for me to figure out! LOL!

I will often list using my stamps as one of my monthly goals. One layout gets stamped (usually a date stamp) then no more. Last night I opened my stamp drawers (yes, that was a plural) and I it was too overwhelming for me to even take the time to count them! Acrylic stamps. Rubber Stamps. Foam Stamps. It's an addiction. Plain and simple. But I can think of other things that would be a lot worse!

I have to justify these stamps and the money I spent on them! I feel guilty knowing that I spent good scrap supply dollars on them only to see them laying around in their unopened packages. One of my goals at this month is to scrap no less than 5 layouts.Five is a safe number. No pressure. I am almost sure to meet it and often go over without feeling pushed. I will add another goal to use my stamps on no less than 2 of these (Start slow and build up).

Wrapping up with a few mid week observations!

Some of my flowers are really taking off while others are doing nothing! Seems like these are totally bored with whole idea of blooming!

A breadmaker might be fun to have! Good hot bread and yummy smells floating through the house!

This house needs a good paint job! Inside and out!

It's time to try out some new recipes. Meal time is getting so boring and predictable!

I really don't miss getting all the subscriptions to my scrapbooking magazines I have had in the past. I can usually read and see enough online about it to satisfy me.

Making Choices

Do you ever feel like you have too many layouts?

And if you keep scrapping at this rate you will be totally over run by them! Sometimes I do but then I remember how much I enjoy it and like everything else, it has it's good points and not so good points. It's just a matter of weighing them out and choosing to do what you feel best about!

1. GOOD. I probably enjoy this craft/hobby more than any other one I have done.
2. BAD. The store I bought my albums at stopped carrying them so I have to look for a new place that carries them.
3. GOOD. I enjoy being able to combine so many of my interests into one hobby.
4. BAD. I have been known to spend quite a bundle on supplies when I should be getting other things I need. For instance, my splurge on stamps this past weekend!
5. GOOD. After working on my family history I realized just how important the story behind the picture really was and scrapbooking gives me the nudge to do this.
6. BAD. Too many pictures to scrap. But I don't remember seeing a rule that says I have to scrap every single one (even though I may try to). Pick the best and leave the rest! Just picking out the ones that really speak to me.
7. GOOD. I just can't say this enough - I enjoy it. Simple as that. Enough said!

I have always been an advocate of having a hobby! I encourage my family to find hobbies and support them in their current ones. Hobbies help a person unwind, relax and breathe. Something to focus on other than the problems and worries of everyday that tend to pile up whether we realize it or not. Plus they have an uncanny way of making you feel good about yourself! I can't think of any better reason than that! Can you?

Choice made! I will continue to scrap!

Keeping it current!

What keeps you coming back to the blogs you read?

I have my favorites that I read regularly for various reasons.

1. I know the person writing the blog
2. Good information
3. Good format
4. It stays current
5. It revolves are a variety of subjects that keep me interested.
6. Pictures. Nothing like a little eye candy to get my attention.

I know I am guilty of neglecting at least several of these so I have added my blog to my list of monthly goals over at Peek (http://www.apeekintoyesterday.com/index.html). These goals always help me push myself to accomplish things I would otherwise let slide. Some months I get each one completed while other months I don't but I still can't ignore the fact that posting them over here really does help me! For whatever reason!

The rain moved in on us over the weekend. Nothing like an overcast dreary day to catch a few extra zzz's and my new flowers will definitely benefit from it but this also made it hard for me to get outside to make some new pictures. And hopefully it has washed alot of that icky green pollen out of the air!