SWAPs and photos

I've participated in two complete Circle Journals.

What are Circle Journals? Check out this link: http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/artman/publish/article_923.shtml
Themed Albums - A Closer Look At Circle Journals

By Charity Hassel

We're taking a breather - or really, we're waiting for someone to make a color copy of each CJ for everyone, and get the copies bound at Staples. But that someone was out of work for 18 weeks, nursing her post-surgery shoulder back to health. Yeah, that someone would be *me*.

Anyway, someone suggested we do monthly SWAPs. We had several people too timid to do the CJs join us, which is fun. So far, we've completed four. Here are mine:

#1 Funny quote

#2 Favorite Wizard of Oz quote

#3 Halloween ghostie

#4 Thanksgiving gratitude bookmark

Grabbed again!

Just once,

I will not click a link

I will not find new 'gotchas'

I will not drool over others' work

Just once,
I will practice restraint
I will remember too much is ... too much
I will know that I check out plenty already

Just once.
Really.
And then
More than once.

But... I now have several more blogs saved as favs.
SIGH.

Some scrapbook designers' blogs grabbed me.
Really.
http://stacysbigpicture.typepad.com/ "Altogether Too Happy; Stacy Julian
http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/ "Bits & Pieces"; Cathy Zielske
http://rhonnadesigns.com/new/new.html "Rhonna Designs"; Rhonna Farrer
SIGH.

The Weekend

Saturday and Sunday were, well, Saturday and Sunday.

Nothing special, really.

Breakfast: French toast and sausage Saturday and pancakes and bacon Sunday.

Lunch? what's that?

Dinner: hot dog Saturday and meatloaf with noodles [ick; potatoes were rotten] Sunday.

more cookies than I'm willing to admit.

I never left the house on Saturday.

So Sunday I HAD to get out.

Ready to snooze?

I went to:

• Starbucks for a grande no-fat no-whip mocha and no lemon pound cake - go me
• Staples to get my corporate discount and Staple Rewards;
  the network was dead last Sunday when I bought things.
• Staples again {{I didn't even get to the car!}}
  for something to hold 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 paper pads upright
• Borders for "any magazine with an article about biology" for DS1.
  {{Luckily Scientific American has a special issue on cancer available.
  Science is NOT a popular magazine focus, let me tell ya.}}
  -- I also bought
  Arts & Crafts Homes, American Bungalow,
  {{and my favorite style of architecture and home decor is??}}
  Cloth, Paper, Scissors, and Artful Blogging
  {{and my favorite hobby is??}}
• JoAnn's to return an Ott lampbulb and a thread organizer.
  My light decided to work again, and the organizer just didn't organize my Adirondack alcohol ink
  -- and to buy keep-up-the-strapless-clothing tape,
  Scotchgard to protect the show dye,
  ten of those photo albums that hold 36 4 x 6 photos
  and more, but I sure can't remember what!
  {{Can I blame my forgetfulness on age yet??}}

Ok - WAKE UP.

I'm done.

Did I Mention There were LOTS of Bags??

I think I did!

And Another Round of Bags

I hope you're enjoying my trash-art. I had fun creating these.

More Shopping Bag Pics...

Round Three.

Bit of Pics: Shopping Bags

I'm going to keep you in suspense and slowly reveal the shopping bags. Actually, I have to upload each photo AGAIN, here. So slow it is.

Shopping Bags - The Trash of Life

There are bags everywhere.
A LensCrafters bag sat by my nightstand.
The DSW bag was lurking under a chair.
Coldwater Creek and Target bags were perched on the ironing board.
I hadn't even left my bedroom!

Awhile ago, a friend gave me a 4" x 6" photo album that looks like a cute purse, handles and magnetic clasp included.

Smash! What about taking photos of every single store bag I found, and put the bags in the 'bag'?

Sounded good to me.
Off I went, gathering bags from nooks and crannies and the recycle stash.
All in all, I found twenty-one unique bags.
TWENTY-ONE different stores, advertising themselves in my home.
Sad thing was, I could think of quite a few more stores we patronize.

Once I took the photos, I decided to edit them.
Once I edited them, I decided to scrapbook them.
Since when is 'scrapbook' a verb?
Why can't I think of a better term?
Once I scrapped them, I decided to scan them.
Once I scanned them, I decided to upload them.
Here.

I'm hoping you get to see a cute slideshow.

If not, I'll be editing until
I succeed!
or
I quit.

I Crave...Supplies

I am doing paper, glue etc scrapbooking.
And playing with my alcohol ink.
And craving some spray walnut ink and Glimmer Mist.

I spent two hours wandering a local scrapbooking store yesterday. I found two more sets of Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink! Now I have 18 colors and 4 metallic mixatives.
I may have to play with my ink some more.

I've got EIGHT pages planned around my shoulder surgery; 4 are already done.
One - sniff - I don't have the photos I thought I had. I think I focused the shots but failed to take the shots! I had - so I thought - a sequence of DH asleep on the couch, something he rarely does. The only one I have is of him awake, w/ his hand across his face. oh well.

Do you do this?
I plan scrapbook pages all the time.
Sometimes I write down my thoughts; other times, no record.
I have so many albums completed --
Wow, you do?
Well, in my mind's eye I do!
In reality - not so many.

Yea. I think I'm going to go play scrapper - after I do another set of shoulder exercises.

Today was a day...

Just a day.

DD is at school, in her last college residence.
She lamented that she didn't want to go as the last bit of empty space in the Expedition was filled.
Ever notice how possessions increase to fill all available space? that's 'nuther topic..

Her last year.
Her last move from home to dorm.
Two more semesters.
Plenty of late nights, b-o-r-i-n-g classes, parties, chats, papers to write.
This is it.
Next September, there will only be two children dreading and anticipating the first day of school.
I didn't cry. I didn't sniff. Really.
But I think I'm going to cry now.

I will be the mother of a college graduate!
No way.
Oh I know I'm old enough. But...
there's something that sounds soooo old when I hear "I gave birth to a baby who is now a college graduate."

She called hours later to ask what to do with the widdle bubbles filled with liquid all over her back. oops. Her sunburn is getting icky.
oops. She really didn't want to peel.
But come on - no sunscreen and hours on the beach??
I told her to do nothing. At all.
But if she MUST touch, wash her hands with soap and water first.
The remnants of this burn could look really great - not - for the wedding, in under six weeks.


I spent almost two hours and over $100 in a small locally owned scrapbook store today. The ENTIRE store was 50% off Friday and Saturday {today}.
yes, that does mean I purchased over $200 worth of scrapbooking materials. OMG.
Bad - ok, not bad.
I found two more sets of Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink, so now I have 18 colors and 4 metallics.
I got some transparent 1/8" thick acrylic pieces.
Lots of paper. stickers. fiber.
I put everything away already! I swear.

I was feeling a bit guilty.
Then the mailman arrived with a heavy 8.5" x 11" x 6.5" box for DH.
Electronic Media postage rate.
DVDS!?
I refrained from opening it.
TWENTY-SIX DVD CASES would fit in that box.
yup, I did measure a DVD case {5.5" x 7.5" x 0.5", TYVM} and figure it out.
And at the ridiculously low price of $5 each, that would be $130.
Nope, I have no idea what the actual cost was; don't wanna know!
DH hasn't opened the box, but says there's about 10 DVDs. Sure, dear. Whatever you say.
Guilt? What guilt?? No guilt here.

Maybe I should do some scrapbooking.
Really.

~~ I dropped DS2 at work - he's a lifeguard, woohoo.
~~ I grabbed a #6 at Taco Bell {two beef chalupas, one hard beef taco, diet pepsi}.
Duh-me! I forgot "TB chalupas" aren't chalupas. Yea I ate them anyway.
Anyone interested in a soggy hard shell taco? Got one right here in the frig for ya!
~~ Called to reschedule my eye appt for an hour later.
~~ Got home, ate, showered, dressed, dilly dallied with the comics.

~~ Left the house about 10 mins AFTER I was expected at the eye doctor's office.
~~ Hey - it's Saturday, Labor Day weekend AKA "Let's go school shopping at the mall!"
The mall under major construction.
The mall with at least 1/3 less parking.
The mall with a multi-story parking garage under construction.
Yes, that would be the mall with nary an empty parking spot - until you realize the bus lot is now a car lot. sigh.

~~ Walked in to be greeted with "Ah, there she is!"
~~ When you've seen the same doctor for over 15 years, he knows you.
You're not a Lenscrafter customer walk-in any more.
OMG; I didn't realize it's been that long, but he pre-dates the birth of my sons.
Who will be 16 in about seven weeks. Nine days after lil sis' wedding and 11 days after our 25th anniversary. double and triple yikes!! !!!
My eyes - oh me eyes. I want crisp perfect vision.
But I've reached a "certain age". Curses!
~~ My prescription changed minutely. So I keep these glasses. sigh.
~~ I came home, played around, read and turned on the radio! NO TV. NO xBox 360. NObody home but me, me, me.~~ The movers arrived, hot and sweaty. Ready for food.
~~ DH ordered a pizza. Within minutes, DS2 called to get a ride home.
~~ I went to fetch kid and pizza while DH showered. (Thank God for small favors!)
~~ We've eaten. I've read the newspapers.
~~ And here I sit, typing away.

My OWN Font? Really?

Remember calligraphy - that fancy schmancy writing done with the funky pen and ink?
It's hard to do, takes time, and well, there's no spell check or formatting or all those other gee-whiz things available today.

A friend pondered making a font of her calligraphy, but had no clue how to do so. Being curious, interested in having 'my own' font, and bored, I googled around.

I found a site that will fontify - yup, that's the word - any handwritten alphabet, either print or cursive.
The site charges $9.
For a mere NINE DOLLARS I can have my very own font? $9 to simply type my scrapbook journaling? Then have the words appear in my bestest handwriting or printing?

I can type faster than I can write neatly. I can use spell check, grammar check, and all those other checks. Wow. Just sayin'.

It's a great deal IMO. I think I'm going to have to print some of the forms and start trying to capture my bestest printing and cursive writing.

I mean, for NINE DOLLARS? Heck, I can spend more than that on LUNCH, a non-sushi lunch at that.

No pandemonium; just s-l-o-w

My blog isn't off to an auspicious start, is it?? Not one word for two entire days! I haven't accomplished much -- I suffered through almost two hours of physical torture {AKA therapy} on Wednesday, then talked to my BFF for over an hour.

OH - before PT, in 90 mins, I got a gift card Visa to thanks my chauffeurs {Mom & Dad} for six weeks of getting me from home to PT and back. I asked the magic money machine for money and it spit some $20s out. I bought a grande mocha frappucino light, no whipped cream, and a pumpkin loaf slice; breakfast at 12:20 pm. I slipped into the no-appt nail place and had my polish changed. I love the color but forgot to check the name! THEN no - I didn't go to PT. I toured JoAnn's; I left w/ Archival Mist, which neutralizes acid in paper; TWO issues of Cloth, Paper, Scissors, someday I want to be published in a mag; and some odds, no ends though. Everything was on sale or I had a coupon. I love it when I don't pay full price. Once I left JoAnn's, I zipped to PT.


I noticed about a week ago that ever since i started one-handed typing seven weeks ago, i mispell words with double letters - mispell ends up mispeel, letter is leeter. I double the letter before the real double. totally odd. One handed typing is not enjoyable.


I take three Rx meds each day after I brush my teeth. I tired of opening five bottles every single morning, day after day, with no end in sight. So years ago I bought a weekly pill keeper. I only have to open bottles once every eight days.

Today started w/ a quick toss on of clothes and dropping off my DSs at the pool for swim practice. I only had ~90 mins so I visited two craft stores - Michael's and AC Moore. I only spent about $30 and paid full price for nothing. Then I hung out in Barnes & Noble, consuming a bagel and mocha light, no whipped cream.

Once we got home, I did my PT exercises, showered, etc. After brushing my teeth, I opened the cabinet to get Thurs' pills. UH OH; Friday's stash is gone - in addition to the days that should be gone. I have no idea when I took them.

I checked the 3 Rx drugs on line. I OD'd on two. But I didn't take all three doses together - well, I don't think so. The recommended action in both cases is to watch. I slept for 2 hrs and feel much better. I'm just hoping that I didn't Ambien-sleep take a day's dose. [Ambien-sleep-eating is a documented side effect; I've never had any problems.


It is time for me to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another pain & torture day. I PAY for this!

Like I don't spend enough time at a keyboard...

I'm plunging into a new world. As though I needed another thing to occupy my time. Well, I do since I am six weeks into an untold number of weeks rehabilitating my left {dominant of course} arm. I can't actively use my left deltoid muscle for another six weeks, among other restrictions.

What's a deltoid? Where is it? I know only because I asked; HS bio was many blue moons ago. The deltoid is located somewhere around/behind the collarbone. It's the primary muscle that makes arms move on command. The doc cut through mine when my 'just a few little holes' surgery turned into 'pinky length slice and two holes' surgery. So I type one handed though I cheat once in awhile now that I've been released from the dreaded sling. That took five weeks.

I lived on mega-doses of controlled narcotics for the first two weeks. I "slept" in a recliner positioned next to our bed for ~2.5 weeks, waking up at least every 2.5 hours. I wore the sling for five weeks - 24/7 except when bathing or showering. I needed help pulling up my underwear and washing my hair for ~2 weeks. It was 2.5 weeks before I was allowed to shower - that's how long the stitches stayed in, plus three extra days for the tiny thread holes to close.

Physical therapists have tortured me since 19 hours after I came out of 3 hr surgery. The torture started w/ 5x/week and now is 3x/week. I PAY $50 for each session; now that sessions take ~1.5 hrs instead of one hour, I get more pain for the buck. The first place rejected me when they realized my insurance wasn't acceptable; I rejected the second place because I has three therapists in as many days - and the place made me think of an old 1950s gym. The third place doesn't accept my insurance either, but I only pay $10 more than m y insurance co-pay. "Only" $10 - who am I kidding? The cost adds up!

I was given permission to drive! Only 6.5 weeks of being the passenger. You'll learn - I don't like always being the passenger. My parents moved here ten years ago when the last child graduated HS and Dad retired. They stated that grandparents make decent taxi drivers, and they've proven it over the years, shuttling three grands everywhere. Now they've added transporting their oldest daughter to the list. DH appreciates their willingness to haul me there and here; he doesn't have to take time off from work.

Oh - I tend to drone on and on and.....