10 things I love about My Scrapbook Nook

What can I say, I love My Scrapbook Nook! I can spend hours on end in that room and I enjoy every moment of it too!

10- The Pergo flooring makes it easy to sweep up paper snip-its, brads and eyelets that have rolled off of the counter top and spilled embossing powder. Not to mention that rolling across the floor in my drafting chair is a lot of fun too!

9-My Drafting chair-what a comfortable chair, best of all its got high quality wheels that really move and the seat height can be easily adjusted.

8-Plastic drawers- granted I took the wheels off of mine but these are such a great things to have in any scrapbooking or crafting space. I love how the drawers are clear thus allowing you to see what’s in them.

7- The color of my room is so serene. The walls are painted with 2 colors; they are a shade apart and both are colors of the ocean waters you would see in the Caribbean. This place I call my scrapbook nook is my haven.

6-I've got 2 rather large picture windows in this latest Scrapbook Nook of mine. I've planted beautiful flowers directly outside of both windows. Upon opening my plantation blinds, I can instantly enjoy the beauty of natures color pallet, not to mention I can see the school bus picking up and dropping off the neighborhood children. I have a fantastic view!

5-My husband is a handy man of sorts and has put many great things into my scrapbook nook- one of my favorites being the power strip that he’s put on my counter top. Talk about the epitome of conveniences! I can plug in all sorts of handy dandy tools and have it right there, no fumbling around looking for an outlet that’s in an inconvenient location. This is right where I’m working, how wonderful!

4- I love being surrounded by color! By having all of my cardstock arranged in the R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. manner (rainbow) and by storing them in the Cropper Hopper clear paper containers I can easily find what I’m looking for in the snap of a finger!

3- I love, love ,love my chrome shelves! Each shelf can hold up to 150 pounds of weight, and in my scrapbook nook it’s going to have to! Thanks to Peg and the monthly stamping and paper crafting group meeting she organizes, I've managed to add quite a few stamps and stamp pads to my collection! Peg is quite the enabler!

2-The large wooden clothes pins that have on the walls I use to display layouts and pictures that my children made. I only wish that I had bought more.

1-That this room has a door! I can close it and be in there all by myself or open and hear everything that’s going on in the living room. My husband loves the fact that the door can be closed to hide my scrapbooking and paper crafting messes.

Quote of the day

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Boycotting made in China products

I'm not one to get on the boycott wagon or even start a boycott for that matter, BUT...the stuff going on (deaths and major recalls) with items made in China these past few years has been over the top. Where do I start? Tainted pet food leading to a loss of life of our furry companions, toxic chemical on kids toys causing a HUGE panic in parents here in the USA, lead based paint used in the manufacture of many children's toys and household goods, the addition of antifreeze- a known toxic chemical causing a huge recall of tooth paste in Canada and parts of the USA and lets not forget the hysterics that THAT caused. Now Cadbury Chocolate is recalling chocolate products that were made in China because of the massive number of illnesses caused by the tainted baby milk. Every time I step through the doors of Hobby Lobby I see another recall poster with a very long list of items being recalled (all made in China). Items from children's Halloween baskets, to Christmas Tree lights, 4th of July picnic items and more. So here's the latest- the 27 nation EU has an ever growing list of countries who've now banned or recalled Chinese dairy products because of contamination. Check out the story here on MSNBC, it scares the crap out of me that we have this kind of thing going on this day and age. I'm sick with disgust that this kind of thing stems from nothing more than pure greed.

I look at the country of origin on EVERYTHING I buy these days. From tooth paste to hair care products to where my can of tuna is from to my feminine products and yes even my scrapbooking supplies! So, unless it's something that I just HAVE to have and I'm unable to find a suitable substitute (even at a higher price), I'm sticking to my guns in my refusal to buy anything made in China!

Quote of the day

Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you're going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus.
Oprah Winfrey (1954 - )

my life...or something like it

I adore that quote by Emily Dickinson, so much so I have it framed and hanging on a wall in my home.

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am to have many of the homeowners of our little community step up and volunteer to head up committees and be on our board. I have a treasurer, a secretary (and no they are not the same people) a vice president that actually wants to do something and another person pretty much taking over the architectural committee (look out Ken, LOL), this is FANTASTIC! And beyond that, I've got others volunteering to have meetings in their homes, people that want to help in just about any capacity! WOW! This is what I hoped and prayed for, praise and thanks be to God! I've got people looking into all sorts of things, this is no longer a 2 person thing, it's now become a neighborhood thing! We're even going to have a neighborhood blog and no it's not going to be me doing it, I've got another member of our community volunteering to do this- thank you Lord! Am I sad that that my dear friends Cindy and Allen have moved onto a new assignment? Yes- but as Cindy and I have talked about things and situations that the Lord has put us in always having a reason. My thoughts are thus- Cindy and Allen moving left a rather large gap that needed to be filled, and not by one person but a community. And indeed I feel that the has Lord answered my prayers and more.

When I said a prayer to the Lord the other day I asked him to help me make some new friends as those that I consider my closest of friends have now all moved away. I know that I will have to open myself up once again and let others in, and that's hard for me. I asked the Lord to give me a purpose so as I won't feel heart broken and alone (again). I know that he's answered my prayers. Even with the love/hate relationship that I have with computers, I use e-mail extensively with keeping in touch with friends. My dear friends are everywhere...there's René in Texas, Liz in Florida, Kim in Hawaii, Cindy in VA, Donna in Germany, Barbara in CA and there are many other friends that are scattered all over the USA and abroad like seeds in the wind. Even though they are so very far away, all of them are within a fingers touch. I need to keep reminding myself of this fact a little more often at the moment.

Granted there are moments when I still feel the pangs of loneliness and I miss my dear friends something fierce. But in all I have to say that it's hardest when you're the one left behind. So I'm throwing myself into other projects. Hence donating almost every book we own- minus my collection of cook books Jane Austen, Agatha Christie novels and anything to do with any kind of archaeological findings. Then there's how I'm pairing down my collection of crafting tools and supplies, I'm going as far as to pair down collection of handbags and dishes...and you all know how I love dishes. Now here's something to make you laugh, I've actually given up ONE 9 inch springform pan, LOL! Only a handful of you really know how many I own, me giving up one springform pan is not going to make any kind of dent on the collection of bake-ware I own. Ooh, that sounded like another confession, LOL!

Now to get ready for church...and of course to have some more coffee!

Quote of the day

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

what's in your mail box?

You would tend to think that with the cost of postage and other things that I'd have less junk mail- oh no that is NOT the case! I have more junk mail coming to my mail box these days than regular mail. Besides the tons of sales advertisements for stores that aren't even in this area, I get other off the wall junk mailings. Here's an example-The house directly across the street from ours is up for sale- so what does that dork realtor do? She sends us a postcard letting us know that it's for sale. Um hello, it's not as if we can't see that every time any of us steps out side or open the blinds? LOL! And no offense, but does anyone really want "family" living right across the street from them? I know that as much as I love my mother, I know that she would drive me crazy living right across the street from me :-o

I'm trying to get the neighborhood to "go green" and reduce the amount of newsletter that need to be printed and delivered. Getting them to give me their e-mails is almost like pulling teeth. but today I did manage to get some more at our meeting today with a sign up sheet. Our HOA meeting was a little over 2 hours long, but we were able to get a great deal of stuff accomplished. We've agreed to go to quarterly meetings which will be nice. And we have other topics that we've tabled for now and have agreed to meet again before November 1st.

I'm feeling pretty tired now, LOL! Heck, I've been up since a little before 4 am, I think that I'm going to try to get a nap before I fall flat on my face from sheer exhaustion.

what's in your closet?

I've been keeping myself rather busy around here. I'm still in the process of purging things in my home. I've sent e-mails to some friends letting them know that I'm selling off my Longaberger dishes. I've not used them in over 5 years and I'd rather see them go to folks I know. But alas if they don't want them then I'll put them up for sale on e-bay. I'm trying very hard to purge things I/we haven't used in quite a while. Those Longaberger items are just another one of those things that have been in storage for what seems to be for forever, so they need to find a new home. And all of my Longaberger dishes are made in the USA where as the ones made in the past few years are made in China.

I came across even MORE books in the storage area of our home. I think that we own enough books to have our own library, or at least a wing in a library. We've had these books in storage forat least 8 years, chances are that they would be in storage for at least 5 more years. With that very though in mind, they're off to find another place to live. Talk about hanging on to soemthing that you just don't use. All of these books are just excess weight when it comes to moving. I'm really trying hard to slim down our household weight.

I'm going to have to make at least more 2 trips to donate all of this stuff. Some will go to the Salvation Army and the other stuff will go to the womens shelter.

So why the big purge? I haven't got any offical news to give at this time but lets just say that I'm preparing our household for a move and leave it at that. Once I get news that I can share I'll post it. Until then, it's purge purge purge!

Quote of the day

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
~Dale Carnegie

Poke me with a fork...

...and call me done! We still haven't got the "kinks" worked out on my computer. I have no way to retrieve photo's nor can I upload photo's from my camera to the computer. And this is coming from me, a person who claims to not "need" a computer in her life...oh lets be serious now, who I am trying to fool??? LOL!

It's after 5pm and it's officially the Weekend! Oh momma, is it time for a Midori Sour? I'd say so! Who else in in for a cocktail?

Technical Difficulties

I'll be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with computers. We're still in the process of setting up the computer in our home office and not all of the files have been transferred over. When your spouse is the one who handles all of the computer stuff you learn to be patient. So here I typing away on my daughters laptop this morning.

I have an HOA meeting tomorrow and no way to access my e-mail. Did I mention that today I hate computers? Now for me to figure out how I'm doing...ugh!

Quote of the day

It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, 1999

Is it Wednesday already?

To think that the week is already at the half way mark- WOW! I've had a busy yet fruitful week so far and I hope to be able to get more done before the week is out.

I got the call from Zales at 8pm notifying me that my ring is back at the store after being sent in for the stone replacement. I grabbed my purse and car keys and was out the door and down the street before the hands on the clock turned to 8:02, LOL! I was down at the mall by 8:15! I thought it rather odd to see how surprised the store manager acted. Apparently she thought that I wouldn't have some to get my ring tonight. Um hello, that's my engagement ring & wedding ring wrapped into one ring, of course I want it back as quickly as possible. Sheesh!

I found myself being impressed at how quickly the men from the moving company packed up Cindy's household goods into boxes. WOW! Then again it helps that you don't have tons unnecessary items hanging around too. I'm more determined than ever to rid myself of excess household items! I'm off to see what I can purge from my kitchen cupboards.

Quote of the day

“Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.”
~Peter F. Drucker

Woo Hoo!

Let me shout it from the roof top- my wedding ring is back! I'm thrilled to have it back on my hand where it should be! I've only been without it for nearly 3 months...nothing to worry about right? insert eye roll here I was sick with grief that I had to send it in for a 2nd time. I had no idea how long it would take to replace it with the correct grade of stone since the mistake was theirs and no one was willing to accept responsibility for the mistake. I'm just so happy my ring is back!

I'm a crafting addict are you?

It's true, I'm addicted to crafting of all types! I can't help myself, I LOVE to make things be it a home cooked meal, a scrapbooking layout, a quilted table runner, a crocheted scarf or a counted cross stitch sampler- it seems that I've got to be keeping my hands busy making something. If this describes you in some way ,shape or form than this is the blog for you to read. I'm always doing something and am also writing about it on a daily basis. I throw in a bit of my real life goings on into this blog. I have a room that's totally dedicated to crafting and from time to time rearrange the entire room. I've changed a few more things in my scrapbook and will post the pictures...once I figure out where on earth on this new computer they are, LOL!

Ciao for now...I'm off to bring some coffee to my friend Cindy as I see the packing folks have arrived at her house.

In the neighborhood

It's packing day, not for us, but for my friend and neighbors Cindy & Allen. It's hard for me not to shed a tear or two at the thought of Cindy and her family moving away to the East Coast. I'm going to miss them dearly. Cindy did a great deal of work with our home owners association and I'm working hard to find someone that is as dedicated to our HOA as she was. Ooh I just checked my business e-mail and it looks like I've got a new treasurer and someone who wants to be on the architectural committee- life is good!

I need to call the Realtors that represent homes for sale out here and see how things are going with them. If they need copies or HOA policies and so forth. I need to finish getting my paper work in order for Saturday's meeting; topics to cover, etc.

Now where did that mug of coffee get off to???

Quote of the day

"Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, 'Did you bring joy?' The second was, 'Did you find joy?'"
~ Dr. Leo Buscaglia

Happy first day of Autumn!

I just adore Autumn! The air is crisp and I love wearing sweaters, mittens, hats and scarves in yummy warm colors. My favorite fruit is at it's height in popularity! Apples are being made into the the most delicious things, apple crisp, apple pie, apple turnovers, apple sauce, baked whole apples- I could go on and on about apples :-) Yup, I love Autumn!

Quote of the day

In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November.
Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden, 1905