2013 Tree - Mistakes and Memories Made

I was on vacation when I had the idea to decorate my tree completely different from the last several years.  I was at Disney, where the holiday decorations are stunning.  I decided to give up my colored lights for white and to move from metallic garland to burlap ribbon and berries.   

Assignments were doled out!  My husband was to take the tree and the lights.  I was to work on finding the perfect burlap and berry garland. 

The tree assignment had two options . . . 1) a real tree, complete with a box of tissues and some cold and sinus medication to get us through the season (allergies) or 2) a new artificial tree without lights (we’ll put those on ourselves) that looks as real as possible. 

The light assignment . . . we’ve been married for 32 years.  He should know what I like at this point.  Plentiful lights . . . and not those new weird ones.   

The burlap assignment . . . wide unfinished burlap ribbon (with all the fray) that can wind and twist around the tree.

The berries . . . strings of berries that look fairly real, and that will get us through a few years.  Nothing that looks cheap or fake, and something that will "wear" well. 

Mistakes were made.  Where do I begin.  Apparently the choices for artificial trees without lights are very slim.  Let me tell you, it’s not just the choices that are slim.  Once this tree was set up and the branches fanned out, I asked my husband how much he paid.  I realized I should have given him a minimum price to pay.  He paid $80.00.  Another $40.00 could have filled some of these gaps!  But you know, that’s o.k. because lights, burlap and ornaments will fill these gaps.  Right? 

Wrong.  We've been married for 32 years (32 years, 5 months, 11 days, 21 hours as of this writing).  Efficiency of lights means nothing to me.  I do not like LED lights on my tree.  He remembers that I like a lot of lights, but he forgets that I do not like LED.  When he turns the lights on I hear Manfred Mann's Earth Band . . . Blinded by the Light.   

"Look away! Don't look directly at the tree." I can picture it now, Christmas eve we'll be sitting round the living room with our sun glasses.  And, what's worse, the lights are so bright they are illuminating the inside of the tree so you can clearly see this is an artificial tree (and not a good one either). 

The berries were the one clear win (3 out of 4 is not too bad).  I placed an order for a wood strand.  They were a little more than I wanted to pay, but they would withstand a few years if I liked this theme.  Plastic ones looked a little . . . what’s the word I’m looking for . . . plastic!  So I went with wood.  I got four strands (could have used five or six, but I made do).   

So let’s talk about that burlap, shall we.  I searched on Amazon trying to find the cheapest roll of burlap in a wide unfinished ribbon-like roll.  I wanted rustic looking with fray.  I compared and compared . . . did math and more math . . . and then I placed an order for what seemed to be the best deal. It is 4 inch wide burlap at $10 a roll not including shipping, which I usually get free, but because it seemed like a great deal, I paid the shipping.  (Remember . . . I did the math.)  And to be sure I would not run short, I ordered two rolls, which barely increased the shipping.   

I was clearly confused. I thought I did the math.  I must have mixed up some comparisons and missed some details.  This past week a large very long box arrives. I'm trying to figure out what I ordered that could be in this box, and the return address label didn’t help (because remember, it wasn’t an Amazon Prime item, so it shipped from someone else).  This is what greets me when I open the box . . . 

Please note the pencil and ruler for comparison.

Folks . . . I have two of those! TWO. What was I thinking?  I know I was comparing yardage and price, so what went wrong.  I went back and read the description on the order. They are 100 yards each. YARDS. I have 200 YARDS of 4 inch wide burlap. I thought about returning one, but the cost to return would be higher than just keeping my second $10.00 roll. 

My motto on Christmas trees . . . What you set up each year is a memory.  Anyone who knows the Bonczek family and the story of "the wonky" tree, knows that we stick with what we have for that year.  Push forward and pray your burlap covers some of that bright light.  

Well, no . . . the light comes right through the burlap (how convenient).

I took this last night . . . pre-ornament. I would have loved to have taken a full picture, but because of the bright lights, I could not get anything that didn't have glare in about a dozen places. Those lights are so bright, they illuminate the inside of the tree so you can clearly see it is artificial. 

I will say, I’m not a fan of metallic garland in daylight on trees.  I love it at night when the lights are on, but I’ve never liked the look in daylight.  The burlap and the berries look awesome in daylight.  I am loving the look, and I surely got a bargain on burlap for years to come.

It's one year . . . one tree.  There's always next year.  

Hoping your tree trimming memories are good ones. 

 

Friends Old and Friends New

In my attempts to get back in the groove, I have made what appears to be a set of cards from one set of pattern papers.  I like doing this, as it gives me the option to give the cards as a little gift with some stamps and perhaps a pen. I created two cards yesterday, and the third card in my series is designed using the Mojo Monday challenge.  Here is the sketch . . .

Here is my design . . .

I love the layering of the flowers and the ticket.  And the use of white embossing powder for the greeting is a fun touch.  

Supplies
Cardstock - Bazzill
Pattern Paper - My Mind's Eye 
Ticket Embellishment and Buttons - My Mind's Eye
Ribbon - just scraps from my stash
Stamps - Stamps of Life
Inks - Close To My Heart and Versamark 
Embossing Powder - Stampin' Up
Other - Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

Treats for the Paws

By golly I'm excited.

While on Pinterest one night, I came across an awesome photo of little homemade ice cream treats for dogs.  It linked me to this awesome site for Bunny Roo Beagle.  Credit where credit is due!

Bunny Roo Beagle, my dogs love you!

So last night with ingredients in hand . . .

I set out to create some fabulous summer treats for my dogs, Samantha, Buzz, Charlie and Lola.  

 Aren't they fabulous!  Well the pups thought they were.  I made mine a little smaller, because I have a small audience.

And I got sixteen paws up . . .

 The picky one even LOVED it (that's Buzz top left).  Charlie barked for more (literally will have to catch the You Tube Video for that scene).  Samantha was her usual sweet stuff.

And Lola, well she stole the show . . . literally.  Show ends as Lola steals the treat.

She's never been much for sharing! 

Magical Memories

I was recently charged with creating something decorative for displaying pictures of Disney memories.  It is for an upcoming class at my LSS, New England Scrapbook Co. in Canton, Connecticut.  It is a Disney Sampler Day, meaning that there will be three Disney projects . . . a layout . . . a countdown calendar . . . and a piece of wall art.  

I eventually decided to do a 7 Gypsy Artist Printer Tray for my wall art, which if you've not done before, are SUPER FUN!  I have done a few in the past, most recently was a Girl Scout one to honor a leader in our town who was getting an award.  I've done a Christmas one.  I've done a Family version.  So many possibilities (wedding, baby . . . whatever suits the mood).  But for this one, I went Disney all the way.  I used photo snippets of a trip we took in the 90's when my girls were little.  Such sweet magical memories.

I will admit I stressed over this project . . . getting it just right.  The end result was worth it . . . and hopefully the folks signing up for the class will enjoy putting their memories in the blocks of the tray.

Look at my little cuties . . . 

Some fun things I did within the design of the tray . . . embossing a stamped image in silver on the top left Mickey head . . . that sweet little picture of my girl on the steps of one of the houses in Toon Town . . . my younger daughter almost looking up to her older sister as they ride the carousel) . . . a tiny vial of "magic" with a stamped Mickey that was paper pieced . . . my Jar of Magic (very intense stuff there) . . . and my Mickey hand on an Action Wobble . . . one of our favorite pictures of my youngest hanging on a pole near the castle at the Magic Kingdom, which I put into another Mickey Head to balance out the first . . . and I topped it all up with torn fabric strips.  

The magic on the tray matches the magic of my photos!  I can't wait until this makes it back home and hangs on my wall.

And the best part . . . as I said . . . there are three projects.  The other two designed by others on our team are a layout (here is a snippet of one page - fun, fun, fun page) . . .

And a countdown calendar that can sit on a desk, shelf, etc . . . it has flip pages and the BEST PART . . . put photos on the back side and it doubles as a mini album on your shelf.  When you are not counting down to your next trip you've got photos.  But when a trip is a month away, flip the pages and start your countdown.  How fun for the kids to flip day by day!  A snippet (my bad photo taking skills cut off the number 31) . . .  

Each page is a different color and has a different design . . . all Disney!

Looking forward to the class.  Kits are also available while supplies last . . . so you can call the store if there is interest.  Best part about a kit . . . pieces with no thought, and your done. 

Happy Scrapping!  

Into My Heart

I came home from work today, and as I entered my bedroom my precious pup, Samantha, was there to greet me.  I noticed a tremendously deep indentation in my pillows, and I went over and pressed my hand on it.  It was warm.  It occurred to me that while I was away, she went to the spot where she could be closest to me while I was away.

She didn't go to my husband's side of the bed.

She didn't go to the end, side, or middle of the bed.

She went to the spot that was mine.

Samantha . . . "You have carved your way into my heart."

A card inspired by "my baby girl."

 

Supplies:

Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper - Crate Paper and Three Bugs in a Rug; Ribbon - Creative Impressions - Die Cut - Quickutz; Ink: Stampin Up; Stamps - Unity - Pearls - Kaiser

New Year's Resolution - NOT!

I tend to make a resolution or two every single year, and then I tend to lose sight of most of them.  So I thought this year about making a resolution not to make a resolution . . . but then I'd be breaking it right off the bat by having made a resolution at all. 

So I'm not making a resolution this year.  I'm not setting myself up for failure.  I am just going to try to be the best that I can be each and every day throughout the year.  And I must believe in myself.   

Whimsical Wednesday Challenge - Favorite Project

The Whimsical Wednesday Challenge this week was to upload a favorite project from 2011.  I have to admit that it was a tough choice.  I've done some super-cool things in 2011, so in reality this is only one of many favorites.

Below is a layout that I did using some old photos and telling the story of my sister, Tammy, who was severely mentally challenged from birth. 

These photos are from the sixties (dating myself here), and it is always difficult to scrap the old photos . . . especially those polaroids which are so thick and really should not be cut apart.  I'm so glad that I got these photos down in a layout.  You really just have to not stress about it and do it!

And I really think this layout is perfect!  Look at those gorgeous eyes and that beautiful grin. That's my baby sister (may she rest in peace).

Positive Realist Project - Take 5

Do you know what you realize when you write down your best and worst things.  You realize that your problems are very small in the scheme of things! 

Yes the holidays were difficult with the loss of my brother, but you do the best to move along and keep his memory strong.  That, indeed, was the best and perhaps the worst of Christmas Day. 

But now for the best of the week . . . it's a crafty thing . . . a little company that I love called Clear and Simple Stamps . . . I found them back in the summer of 2010 at the Stamp Expo in Massachusetts, and I bought some of their stamps.  What I love about them . . .

• Their stamps are Clear and Simple (just like the name says).
• When I order from them and my shipment arrives, it comes in a great box and is enveloped in tissue paper (their signature color!).
• Sometimes they include a complimentary copy of a magazine, and they put a post-it note on the page that has their advertisement!  
• And sometimes they send me a magnet or post-it pad with their logo.  
• They have an App for the iPhone that is awesome and keeps me inspired. 

It's that personal touch that I love!  And so on the 23rd I got a holiday card from them, and it included a free sentiment stamp set . . . not just one stamp . . . a stamp set!  And so for two years running, I've gotten an awesome stamp set for being a customer.  It just arrived in an adorable card.   

It's the personal touch that is just awesome! Their adorable card made it into my Smash Book.  It made me smile.  It was "my best" for the day.  

Positive Realist Project - Take 4

I may be a day late in posting, but I have a completed spread in my Smash Book!  Check it out:

Anyone who knows how I scrapbook knows that I'm all about clean lines.  It has been said that I am LINEAR in my scrapbooks.  My house could be all off-kilter, but my pages are linear. 

a (1) : of, relating to, resembling, or having a graph that is a line and especially a straight line : straight (2) : involving a single dimension b (1) : of the first degree with respect to one or more variables (2) : of, relating to, based on, or being linear equations, linear differential equations, linear functions, linear transformations, or linear algebra c (1) : characterized by an emphasis on line <linear art> (2) : composed of simply drawn lines with little attempt at pictorial representation <linear script>

Need I say more.  I'm linear.   So this whole Smash technique is very new to me.  I have to tell you - it is fun stuff! 

And what did this past week have in store . . .

There were a lot of little surprises.  I think the most exciting was watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition and seeing my friend's work at Queen Vanna Creations featured on the show.  How awesome.  Click on her link if you want to see her work and hear about the shenanigans of when Hollywood calls!  And you can even watch on-line.  Note that her little reminder card that she gave to all of us is smashed into the book!  Super cute! 

I was not too crafty over the week . . . and I need to be because there is work to be done (including my Christmas cards which I started early but will finish late, as usual).

And I think I wrote a lot over the last week about having too much work.  I have a 9 to 5 job that is more like 7 to 6 and has nothing to do with craftiness at all!  I supposedly have two weeks off, and in the first two days of being off, I have worked about ten hours.  What is up with that!  It is definitely something I need to work on for the coming year, so stay tuned!  

I

Positive Realist Project - Take 3

Week 2 is in the books!  Well, it's in the Smash Book!

I am loving this Smash Book idea for day to day.  If there is something that you want to save, you literally just smash it in the book.  I am saving little things that would normally hang around my house.  Now they have a place.  This week I saved two things in the book . . .

1) A rubber wrist bracelet purchased for charity;
2) A printed Facebook post that just brightened my day;

I put them into a little envelope to save, and I included the date.  How super cool is that!

So let me mention my best of the best.  The Facebook post was the absolute best.  My daughter wanted some random ridiculous item that she saw.  I don't know if she would have bought it for herself.  But because I knew she wanted it, I ordered it on Ebay for her 26th birthday.  And this was the post that brightened my day . . .

That was on December 10th.  On December 12th "my best" was to pause and reflect 26 years earlier on my first child's arrival.  No sappiness . . . just amazing surprises for 26 years!

Another "best" was spending the day on Sunday, December 11th taking a class from the amazing Cheryl Mezzetti!  Love her classes . . . look at the little St. Nick book I made (needs some finishing touches):

My worsts were somewhat boring.  The usual.

But I will highlight a purchase I made . . . my weekly donation went to Love for Lokomotiv.  On Sept 7, 2011, 44 lives were lost in the worst tragedy in professional hockey history. A plane carrying crew members, hockey personnel, coaches and players of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team went down, breaking the hearts of their loved ones near and far. In a united effort to show support for the grieving families, hockey wives and girlfriends from around the world created a website and have been selling bracelets to support their friends.

And so another week is in the books.

If anyone is interested in joining me on the journey, feel free.  Or . . . just post your "best" and "worst" for the week in the comments.  

Happy Smashing! 

Positive Realist Project - Take 2

I have completed my first week of Positive Realist Project, and it has been awesome!  

I am horrible at writing a journal for many reasons:

1. I am a perfectionist and once a mistake is made, I typically lose interest or want to start from scratch, and 
2. I hate doing anything in my own handwriting because . . . . well, see #1 right above this.  If I make a mistake, I lose interest! So that has been my first real challenge . . . not to care about mistakes and to just keep going!  

Let me tell you . . . there are mistakes!  I have more typos when I do things in my handwriting than I do when I type.  How can that be? 


So before I talk about some cool and not-so-cool moments, here is is a look at my Smash Book.  It is coming along. 

I journaled "my best" and "my worst" for each day.   I incorporated some little items into the book.  I used the top of a receipt from New England Scrapbook Co. where I found a pink Smash Book pen for journaling . . . happy moment on Day 2.  Then on Day 6 I included a little black and white print of the cover of a holiday album my nephew Joe made to surprise his mom and lift her spirits for the holidays!  Super cool!  And then finally, the cardboard cozy from my latte today!  

My bests for the week . . . nothing huge, unless you count the "Joe to the World" music collection, which was a big surprise.  It brightened my evening tremendously the night I saw it, and it is brightening my evening this very moment as I type this.  I realized I could download the songs by making a donation which will go to Connecticut Cat Connection, which was my brother's favorite charity.  A win-win!  So I made a $30.00 donation for one song (erroneously hit the wrong pick), and then a $10.00 donation for the entire track.  I am loving it!  And the money will go to a great cause.  

Another highlight . . . an evening watching a new video I recently bought, "Becoming Chaz."  It was a great documentary about Chaz Bono's transformation from woman to man.  Odd that two of my bests also included Starbucks lattes, which is interesting, because I usually am lucky to make it there once every two or three weeks. 

Some of my worsts . . . getting caught in the rain while searching for my lost iPhone.  Bright sides:  1) I found the phone; 2) it was dark and the UPS man (who showed 10 minutes later) did not see me in my PJ's searching the car. 

Stressful times at work this week.  Really stressful times!  BUT, while at Starbucks, they had these cool bracelets and for a $5.00 donation, the proceeds would go to Create Jobs for USA.  So how do you turn your stress at work around . . . buy a bracelet and be thankful that you have a job. Now it is highly likely that had I not been journaling about my stress at work, I would not have made the connection on the bracelet and made the donation.  I bought two and put them with mugs/tea and will give them as grab bag gifts.  

My goal this holiday season is to make donations to organizations so this week was perfect.  I managed to make $50.00 in donations, and it was all connected to my project.     

And so I will carry on and check in next week. 

The Positive Realist Project - Take #1

I have a little project involving a Smash Book:

I'm about to get really chatty here, because I have this idea about what makes us stronger.  It's a long story about why I'm here and why I want to do this, so stick with me if you can. 

I had a friend who was going through some troubles at home and at work.  She was really going through a difficult time.  She told me that it had been suggested to her that before she put her head on the pillow each night she should think of one good thing that happened to her that day.  Just one!  She would keep a notebook by her bed, and she would write something down each night.  I thought it was an interesting idea.  I've never tried it.  I don't know how that worked for her, but I tucked it away in the back of my head. 

The last three years for our family have been extremely difficult ones, starting with the loss of my mother-in-law.  She was a realist for sure, and in many respects a positive realist.  She would say, "What will be, will be."  She would always forge forward.  She was one of the most sensible, practical women I've ever met.  Unfortunately, these traits of hers did not completely pass down to her son.  He is a bit of a negative realist.  While he is definitely one to forge forward, he always looks for the loopholes first.  He also spends a great deal of time warning about loop holes before they become reality.  Since her passing, I feel like I gained a few of her traits in dealing with him.  I take one cup of my mother-in-law's reality, I mix it with my own reality, and I add a teaspoon of my sarcasm (okay, maybe more like a quarter cup).  I offer this up as a nice contrast to help him deal with most of his problems.  We forge ahead.    

The day that my husband returned to work after my mother-in-law's funeral, he was laid off from his job.  Talk about kicking a guy when he's down.  Apparently he missed the big lay off day while mourning his loss.  Things looked a little odd when he got to work that day.  There appeared to be some "cleaner, neater" desk areas.  It looked like several people had the day off.  And a few minutes after arriving, he was called in for a little meeting.  He returned to his desk and found an empty box in which he could pack his things.  How convenient and thoughtful, because what if you didn't bring a box that day?  Forge ahead! 

And the third crowning glory in that month of November 2008 was a legal matter regarding the handling of my mother-in-law's estate.  Let's just say that everything that could go wrong, went wrong.  My husband had carefully consulted attorneys before making a move on selling her house while she was in the nursing home.  This one single event has likely tripled his negative realism.  I recall him saying, "It is sad, but we would have been better off just abandoning her.  That is the message that I'm getting here."  Financially, he was 100% accurate.  It is truly sad that there are people who cheat the system as their parents age.  But the guy who tries to do the right thing and didn't make a single penny (and in fact lost money in attorney's fees) doesn't win his case over one small misunderstanding with an attorney.  I remind him that spiritually, we would have never walked away from her, as that would have been way more painful.  So we forge on.  

My husband found work, taking a lesser job, and we continued forging ahead as we battled our little legal matter.  The economy being what it is, he again faced layoff a year ago.  He has found yet another job.  We continue to forge on! 

I have three siblings.  In an 18 month period between 2009 and 2011, I lost two of them and nearly lost a third.  When I think about would could have happened, I could be the last one standing.  It breaks my heart. 

My younger sister was 48-years old, severely disabled and lived a simple life in a wheel chair with very little communication.    She did have some medical issues the last two years leading to her death, but it was unexpected and came at the same time that my brother and his wife were losing her father, who passed just one week later.  It was a tough couple of weeks.  My sister's loss left a hole in my heart. I forged on in a trance. 

Several months later, my oldest brother was in a downward spiral.  He appears to be a forge ahead kind of guy.  He does not have a wife and kids and does not surround himself with his family.  He had lost his sister and his job.  He was without health insurance and was facing some medical issues.  He lost his will and basically nearly took his own life by ignoring his health.  We discovered there was a problem as he was on death's doorstep.  After spending nearly two months in the hospital, he is back on his feet again.  That is slightly funny, because he lost part of his foot during the incident.  I can joke about that because I am a positive realist! 

But the one that really challenges me . . . that really ticks me off . . . that I fear I will have the biggest battle over . . . the loss of my brother less than a year ago.  Diagnosed with cancer on his 50th birthday, he never made it to his 51st.  We were close in that we lived just 20 minutes from each other, we raised our kids together, and we spent most holidays together.  He was not a talker.  The repeated phrase I miss so much,

"Hey Deb, what's going on?  [to which I responded "not much"]  Here's Laurie?"

That was like a thousand words.  It said it all!  I miss that so much.  And yes, I do want to talk to Laurie!  And I don't have to share her with you anymore, so "neener, neener, neener."  I can joke about that because I'm a positive realist! 

I believe I was making these types of jokes early on after his death.  I believe it is what makes me stronger.   I believe there is something about trying to always find the positive in any crappy situation.  I believe that if you don't make light of the dark situations, you will stay in the dark much longer. 

All that said, the realist in me still wants to shake those who upon asking, "How are you?" respond with "I couldn't be better."  Really?  If you were called in and given a promotion right now, you wouldn't be better?  If you won $100,000 in the lottery, you wouldn't be better?  I do understand that they say those things because they are positive people and it gets them through the day.  But really? 

Where am I going with all of this?  I have this idea . . . for the not so crafty or the crafty.  There will be some not so crafty things, and some crafty things.  You can pick and choose . 

Get yourself a journal if you want to play along.  (This is where my Smash Book comes in.)

You can start at any time . . . does not have to be today.  Does not have to be tomorrow.  It can be next week.  It doesn't matter.   I am starting today. 

We are going to be realists.  Positive realists!  As each and every day closes, we are going to write two things in our journal.  It will be an on-going list.  Simple!  We will write 1) the most positive thing that happened and 2) the most negative thing that happened.

Once a week I will pick some negatives from my list, and I will turn them into positives with a healthy dose of sarcasm! I will encourage you to do the same. 

And every so often, I will throw a craft twist in for those who want a crafty twist.  My plan is to have my journal, but to also have an album by the end of the year with some stories and photos. 

Are you with me?  Get yourself a Smash Book (click on the link to see how cool they are).  My favorite scrapbook store, New England Scrapbook Co. has them. 

 Forge ahead . . . let's be positive realists together!

146 Hours of Education and the Story of a Tree

I had 146 hours of education over the last couple of days.  It was education without power.  It was scary.  It was interesting.  It was trying.  It was stressful.  It was also calm.

Winter Storm Alfred dumped some heavy wet snow here in New England.  It began last Saturday, October 29th, and while the weather forecasters were predicting power outages, I don't think we really thought it would be this bad.

The problems . . . HEAVY WET SNOW + TREES WITH LEAVES = DAMAGE

We were not finished with Fall here in New England.  And it was not a light fluffy snow.  It was big flakes of wet snow.  The kind that look absolutely magical from your window . . . like Christmas.  The kind that usually last for a few minutes before turning to the little teenie flakes that look so pretty when they land on your mitten and you examine their shape.  No, these were the ones that land on you and stick so that you are completely soaked when you get inside.

So the leaves were covered with this heavy stuff, and the branches were weighed down.  By the time I arrived home from work on Saturday, we had no power.  As I exited my car, I could just hear cracking noises in the wooded areas.  It was eerie.  Cracking, and then snow falling from limbs.  Cracking, and then limbs falling.  Limbs taking out other limbs.

I got into the house while still light . . . no power . . . and as daylight turned to darkness it became an entire night of listening to noises outside.  As we tried to sleep in the night and would hear loud noises.  We would go to the windows and look with our flashlights.  One such flashlight adventure at around 4:00 a.m. showed a really sad sight.  One of our back yard trees, which surprisingly had no leaves left on it, had completely split about 10 feet up from the ground.  Half had fallen in one direction, skimming the side of the house and just missing our fence.  The other half fell in the other direction.

Flashback to about 1994 when our kids, who were early elementary school (perhaps around 1st and 3rd grade) found what they thought was a weed growing in the middle of the front yard.  Mama tree is our very favorite tree out front, and she had sprouted a baby tree.  We told them it was a baby tree, and that we would have to pull it out because it was not growing in a good place and would likely die. So my girls dug up that little one-foot baby tree and moved it to the back yard.  They put it in our fenced in half of the yard.  They thought our dogs Angel and Ashley would enjoy sitting under the tree in the summer. 

We kind of laughed.  We never thought that little thing would survive, and my husband said he would wait a few weeks and remove it.  But we mowed the grass around it for years.  We dealt with how stupid it looked in the middle of the fenced in yard until it became a real tree.  Flash forward to the summer of 2011 and it is the tall tree in the backyard that our dogs Lola and Charlie enjoy sitting under in the summer.  (Lola and Charlie are the two "paws" that have not yet been introduced on my blog).

Our tree will be gone later today or tomorrow.  Our newly purchased chain saw will be taking her down completely.  So sad!

So . . . what have I learned in 146 hours:

1) Trees break!  It's a sad, scary noise that they make.  It is a little heartbreaking too . . . even for the ones that don't have sentimental value.

2) If you have to drive 70 miles to fill your tank with gas, you will be down about a quarter tank when you get back home.  

3) Friends and neighbors help each other in situations like these.  People's true colors really come through loud and clear in these situations.   

4) You can make things on a grill that look horrible, but taste pretty good in dim light.  And you can eat really burned stuff without getting sick, even if the aftertaste doesn't go away for a few hours.  

5) Your situation may be bad, but it could always be worse.  A friend of mine had power come back on in her home, and a fire started, gutting their in-law apartment and causing damage to the main house.  It sent her husband to the hospital and scattered her pets so they were hard to find.  They are in a hotel and will eventually have a happy ending.  It will just take longer. 

6) Dogs and cats are nice to have around when you don't have power.  They are also warm.

7) My husband was a great guy on Days 1 through 3 when he was not working due to the power outage at work, but once he went back to work, we discovered that we are on opposite ends of the communication spectrum.  Emotions were a little high these last few days.  I will now blame work for all of our communication problems.  However . . . HOWEVER . . . the chainsaw that I immediately purchased via my work computer on Monday morning (because I figured by the time we found an open store with power, every chain saw would be gone) which he thought was a bad idea . . . admittedly became a good one by Friday when he went to buy supplies to get it running.  Five points for me in the Game of Matrimony! 

8)   Hand puppet shapes on the wall can be fun.  However, they don't hold my attention and the flashlight kind of scares my dog, Samantha.

9) You can, indeed, wear certain articles of clothing for multiple days . . . the ones that people don't notice. 

10) AM talk radio isn't too bad when it is the only show in town and it is your lifeline to what's going on! 

I could go on and on for hours.  Going to bed early and getting up early isn't so bad.  I can miss my television shows and not die.  Feet do eventually warm up with the right amount of blankets and dogs strategically placed on the bed.  Blah, blah, blah!

Creatively . . . I was useless.  There was not one iota of creativity in me.  My energy went to working 11-12 hour days and surviving the elements at home. 

It was 146 hours of education.  It was 146 hours of reality check.  And as I type this, I notice that my house has a certain hum to it when there is power.  It is a hum that kinds of says "Home!"

Something About Lucy

You've met Samantha.

You've met Jennyanydots.

You've met Buzz. 

It is time to meet another of my 4-legged roomates . . . Lucy.  There is something about Lucy! 


Lucy was named after Lucille Ball . . . my daughter was (and still is) a huge fan back in 2003 when Lucy came to stay.  She was just 3 weeks old after being rescued from an underground pipe.  She was rescued with two siblings before her feral mama relocated the rest of the litter.  She was one sick little kitten, loaded with parasites, had a horrible respiratory infection and an even worse eye infection.  Had she not been rescued, she likely would have not lasted much longer. 

Little Baby Lucy . . . just 4 weeks old.

Since coming here to live with us in 2003, let's just say it has been interesting.  She pulled the usual kitten shenanigans on our dogs . . . diving from high places, swatting butts from under furniture and doing karate moves on her hind end to their faces. 

Lucy (a little over a year old) trying to get new puppy Lola to play!

She peskily picked a fight with our older cat, Jennyanydots, just one too many times and had a tiny sliver of her lower eyelid sliced by an angry older kitty claw.  A visit to the vet determined it could not be repaired (without a micro-surgeon) and that her tear duct had been damaged.  The result is a cat who always seems to have an eye infection . . . but does not.  The amount of times visitors have said, "Oh, you should have that checked out by a vet." as we re-tell the story and watch them cringe when they hear of her lower eyelid mishap. 

Lucy grew up to be a friendly little girl who could hold her own with our dogs. 

 

But in the last few years things have changed a bit.  Poor little Lucy stopped cleaning herself and we noticed she had a growth on her tongue.  So she had some surgery to remove it, and things have not been the same since.  It took a long time for her to trust us, and she took to hanging out in the basement a great deal.  She also chooses to "selectively" clean herself.  She cleans her top half, but her bottom half has gone to hell!  We often refer to her as "dirty kitty."  She has nice white front paws, and really dingy gray back ones.  She smells like basement!  But we put up with "dirty kitty", and I often sing the "Smelly Cat" song to her (from "Friends").  She seems to enjoy that . . . but she does not enjoy the occasional bath forced upon her.

Check out my crazy blinky eye, my dingy not-so-white belly, and my fabulous posture when sitting. 

And there is not much we can do to improve her tongue issue!  She is literally missing a part of it after the surgery . . . proven by the day I attempted to snap a photo and caught this lovely shot. 

I think she was trying to send me a message. 

She's a dirty little thing, but she's our dirty little thing! 

What's Shakin'

So what's shakin'?  Not much crafty stuff going on.  Life is a little busy.  The Monday to Friday job in the insurance world has me hopping . . . the weekend job at my local home away from home (New England Scrapbook Co.) keeps me busy.  The combination of the two makes me too tired to be creative (sometimes).  But . . . I better get my craftiness going because I'm less than two weeks from my vacation . . . a weekend crop in Myrtle Beach with friends followed by a few days of R & R with my husband.  That's pretty much all that is shakin', but I suppose that's a lot.  

When I saw this little stamp set from Unity, I just had to get it.  I kept thinking . . . what the heck will I do with a salt and pepper shaker.  But they are so darn cute, it is the perfect little card.  I used a card from the Doodlebug Card Tower along with pattern paper from Simple Stories 100 Days of Summer (beautiful collection of paper and stickers which was available at NESC).  The red and cream checked makes me think of a picnic tablecloth, and the reverse side is the floral print that I used as my "ribbon accent."  Paper as a ribbon accent . . . absolutely.  I cut a half-inch strip, broke the fibers down using my ruler (a bone folder would have worked better, but I couldn't find mine).  Run adhesive on the back side and just glue a little, fold a little, glue a little fold a little, etc.  Trim when you get to the end and ta da!  A paper ribbon accent! 

I stamped the salt and pepper shakers onto a very light cream cardstock, and then the lids on a shiny silver pattern paper that I had on hand.  I cut the shakers and lids out, glued the lids to the top of the shakers, and then popped them onto the card.  I used black and diamond stickles for the salt and pepper.  I then covered them with a coating of Glossy Accents to give that glass look to the shakers. 


Super easy and fun!

He's Speaking My Language!

Nothing papercrafty today!  Just a story . . . 

Did you read my post . . . "Sometimes I Quote Movies."  It was last week, I believe.  And people who know me well know that sometimes I do quote movies.  I quote them a lot!  Random quotes from movies just spring from my vocabulary.  It is true. 

The same cannot be said for my husband.  The man cannot remember what I said to him last night, let alone what came from a movie.  I think he is annoyed when I quote movies to him. 

So isn't this an interesting and shocking scenario.  My husband (let's call him Rick, because that's is name, and sometimes I pronounce it "wreck") is a bit of a combination of hoarder man and OCD boy.  He can stress out about the nerdiest stuff in the world, but other things that are right in his face . . . nothing.  And when you explain these vast differences . . . he does get a bit quizzical, but it likely won't change him.  

Here is the situation . . . Hurricane Irene forecasts are coming fast and furious.  And I come home talking about it, because I work for an insurance company.  It's all around me.  So I'm a little stressed about being pulled from my regular work to go work at our company's catastrophe center.  I'm feverishly trying to get my "work life" in order.  I come home to "Wreck" the other night.  He mentions a generator and how we should have one to keep our fairly new sump pump running when we lose power.  Our basement is going to flood.  I hear him, but I somehow hear, "blah, blah, blah" between all the important parts. 

I mock him.  You won't be able to find a generator unless you go right now.  In a flash, he is gone.  I can't help but wonder how this man who is too tired to do a thing every night of the week has suddenly mustered up the energy to go shopping for generators.  He returns with stories of his evening.  He bought one . . . but then talked with a man in a parking lot (as men often do at the Home Depot) and then he ran to another store (under advisement from parking lot man) to buy a second generator that is cheaper and has more power than the first.  With "more power" generator in his possession, he goes back to Home Depot and returns the first.  

Seriously?  All in one night.  Is this the same man who is usually asleep in front of the television by now?  

O.K., so generator comes home.  He talks about it all excited.  It will power the sump pump and refrigerator.  Really?  No air conditioning?  I'm moving into my car when we lose the power.  He is obviously disappointed in my lack of enthusiasm. 

So then comes the on-line research mode where suddenly this man becomes an expert on generators.  He could now teach a class on it, I think.  

He spends Thursday night out buying supplies to hook up his generator (two nights in a row of an awake state).  

Friday morning comes the fun part.  Let me just say . . . after nearly 30 years of marriage this man should know one thing about me.  I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON.  Do not wake me with happy news.  Do not wake me with sad news. And most importantly, do not wake me in Henny Penny (Chicken Little) fashion and tell me the sky is falling.  

This man has never learned.  Friday morning while I'm trying to sleep, it's the constant, constant panic mode boy known as "Wreck" who is coming in and out of my morning dreams.  He is listing all the things that have to be done before we lose power.  He is telling me what he expects of me.  Between ramblings, I am just trying to sleep.  By the time I do fully wake up, I'm madder than a mosquito at a mannequin factory and he is gone.  I shower, get dressed, cool down from my anger, and then I call him at work, and I tear into that boy.  

Seriously folks . . . I do not mind helping.  I'm a worker.  But it's all in the delivery!  You come at me with your "Chicken Little" attitude, and I'm running the other way.  Our conversation on the phone lasted about ten minutes, and nine minutes was me yelling.  He had possession of the other minute, and I was two winded and angry to know what he said.  But I know that I said I wanted a detailed list of what he wanted me to do sent via e-mail to me at work. 

So a few hours later I send a quick e-mail in the afternoon and I say, "Where is my list?  Do we need batteries or water?  I can go out and buy them."  

His typed response . . . which speaks to the "hoarder" in him . . . 

            If you knew how many batteries I had, you would have me committed. 

My thought . . . I have news for you.  I would have you committed even without the battery information.  

But here is the funny part.  He goes into a rant about everything he is going to do, and then he talks again about his generator (he is so proud).  This is what he says . . .

      Looking through the manual, I think the generator will run the sump pump, refrigerator, fan and fluorescent light or two.  

      We could run the coffee maker or microwave when the sump pump is turned off, or unplug the refrigerator.  

Here is where it gets really good for me . . . 

Wait for it . . . 

      Remember the Apollo 13 movie.  "It's all about sequencing the devices that draw power." or something like that.  

That single line was the ice-breaker to the fight.  Whether he knew it or not, he was speaking my language.  A movie quote for the queen of movie quoting!  (I'm sure he does not know . . . he does not read my blog.)

He's still a wreck!  He's still a battery hoarder.  He's still a nerd.  But the "fight" fizzled out.  I don't think anyone won. 

What's scary . . . I've already moved on to the next one.  He does not know this.  He is clueless.  Woman remember everything.  We drag up crap from five . . . eight . . . twelve . . . seventeen years ago to use as ammo in an argument.  

Now that I know he can go to three stores shopping, and actually think and reason with money (when he has told me in the past that he is just SO TIRED at night) . . . now that I know that he can go shopping two nights in a row . . . now that I know he can spend a third night in an awake state hooking up a generator . . . I have ammunition for why he should get off the couch and fix a few things around this place.  


My line is ready when he's not moving off his spot on the couch on a Wednesday night in the not too distant future . . . "Uh, hon . . . pretend there's a hurricane in the forecast." 


And there the argument will begin!