Isn't She Lovely

Strawberry creams and wonderful dreams,

Ladylike airs and teddy bears,

Fairy tales and wedding veils,

Thats what granddaughters are made of.

He Has A Sense Of Humor

Twenty years ago I married a man I knew a mere 5 weeks and 6 days. We barely knew each other when we began our life together, but some things you "just know". So it was with Doughboy. He is gentle and loving, honest and laid back. But what I love more than anything is his sense of humor. Another quirky trait is that he cannot wait until a special event to give me a gift. One week from Valentine's Day is too long for him to reveal the gifts he bought for me.

Today he announced Gift #1 - tickets to see Larry The Cable Guy at the Fox Theater. Larry The Cable Guy is a redneck comic who is part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour - he makes me laugh so hard I can hardly breathe. Check out his web site here.

Gift #2 took a lot of thought and planning. The photos on the M&M candies are of us taken on one of our Caribbean sailing adventures. Here are a few images...

Gift #3 defies explanation.

How did I get so lucky to marry such a man? Some women covet jewelry and furs...I want romantic love and a man with a sense of humor. I have all the riches I could ask for...and more!

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

The downturn in the world economy is on the minds and hearts of everyone. Each time I turn on the television or pick up a newspaper, the news is grim. Long time favorite retailers like Linens 'N Things and Circuit City are gone forever, while many others struggle to keep afloat.

There is sadness in the scrapbooking community when yet another local store closes or a favorite publication fades away. Such is the case with one of my favorite publications Simple Scrapbooks. Here is an excerpt of the official announcement...

"I am saddened to share that, due to difficult conditions in both the economy and the publishing market, the May/June 2009 issue of Simple Scrapbooks magazine (on sale April 14) will be its last. "

If you are a SS subscriber, not to worry. The remaining balance of your subscription will be transferred to Creating Keepsakes. Rather than paraphrase, you can read the complete announcement on the SS blog here.

Another popular publication - Digital Scrapbooking Magazine - also bites the dust. You can read the complete announcement here. Both SS and DSM are publications of scrapbook giant CK Media.

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”—Winston Churchill

Just For Grins

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative:

Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's, like, a serious bummer.

Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

Glibido: All talk and no action.

Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.And

The #1 Pick:

Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole. (I work with a lot of these.)

It's So C-c-c-old!

I was born and raised in the mid western state of Wisconsin. Winters were cold, snowy, and long. Soon after Doughboy and I married we moved to the windy city of Chicago. Winters were cold, snowy, long, and windy. I don't do well with cold and was ecstatic when we moved to the southern state of Georgia 9-1/2 years ago. Yeah! No more cold, snowy winters that last forever!

It rarely snows here and even then it is short lived. You may recall this post from last January when Georgia had its only snowfall of the winter season. The brief winters usually fade into spring rather quickly without the long drawn out seasons found in the northern region.


To keep underground pipes from breaking, our pool has a freezeguard protection. The waterfalls will automatically flow when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. It is never a good sign when the waterfalls flow outside of their normally programmed time - it means the temp is bitterly cold.

But wait...what's this I see?

Could that be ice? You've got to be kidding! Arghhhhhh! Around here this sight is as unusual as a snow plow.

I... HATE... COLD!

Blog Award

I have a confession. I am obsessed with Google. I Google anything and everything, looking and searching for God knows what. It's a total waste of time and energy, yet I can't stop myself. This time, I had a real purpose in mind - I Googled blog awards. Did you know there are literally dozens of major awards floating around in cyberspace? This number doesn't include the smaller awards given as recognition from fellow bloggers.

As little as 2 years ago I never even heard of a blog. If I did, the word went in one ear and out the other. Here I am today - blogging for more than a year - and the recipient of a blog award from Deb at Drivin' 55. It is with great pride that I add the Friendship Award to my list of others. Okay, I only have two other awards. But they are important to me.


The following explanatory paragraph is to be included when you post about this award.

The Friends Award isn't about being the most popular blogger or having the most read blog. It is just because you are a friend. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

It's very difficult for me to choose bloggers on which to bestow an award. I worry about hurting someone's feelings. Therefore, I am giving this award to all the blogs on my blogroll list. I visit them every day and consider each one worthy of the Friends Award.

Thanks, Deb!

How Sweet It Is!

While cruising my favorite blogs, I was thrilled to read Vanessa's post at Lawsy Mercy about a candy give-away. In these trying economic times, is it possible to get anything for free? Yes! You too can be the recipient of 5 lbs. of candy shipped FREE to your home. There is a slight hitch - you must be blogging for at least one year. If you qualify as a long time blogger, click here to request your sugar fix.

Their customer service is exceptional - I received a sweet e-mail confirmation from Carly within 24 hours. Did I mention it's FREE? Just tell them your dentist sent you (just kiddin'). Take it to the office and your co-workers will LOVE you - it's true! I've never been more popular :) Even if the thought of 5 lbs. of candy has your thighs screaming "Don't even think about it!", you could share your candy with friends or donate it. You can become some one's hero for FREE.

Remember, Valentine's Day is in less than two weeks. A great gift idea would be to package a handful of candy in cute bags and tie them with a bow. Spread a little sweetness!


Spend a little time looking at their web site and all the goodies they offer. What could be better than getting your sugar fix delivered right to your door without leaving the comfort of your home? Please tell the folks at Sweet Services I sent you. Enjoy!

Baby Girl

Yesterday was our monthly Scrap Club meeting - a scheduled day when five friends get together at our house for fun and creativity. With the birth of Ava Marie, our circle of five has grown to six. Ava is part of the package and we all take turns holding and snuggling our littlest diva.

Although I see Ava quite often, each time she seems to have grown an inch. See how much our youngest granddaughter has changed...

She is still quite tiny and hasn't grown enough to fit into 0-3 month size clothes yet. At more than two months old, our baby girl is still wearing newborn sized clothes. Perhaps she'll always be a petite little girl. With two older brothers, surely she'll be a tomboy. For now, Ava has us all wrapped around her tiny finger. Not that we're complaining...nope, not at all...

A Lesson In Textures

Country Girl Kate has been enhancing her photography by adding texture. I followed the directions to the letter but I can't quite get the hang of it. I am missing a vital step somewhere but - dang! - I can't figure out where. Here is my first feeble attempt.

First I changed my photo into an illustration per the instructions in this link. Next, I Googled free textures and downloaded a crackle texture that I used in the photo above. Finally, I used the directions in this link for adding texture to a photo using Photoshop. I have both PS CS3 and Elements 7.0; however, I use 7.0 most often. The two programs differ slightly but they essentially perform the same functions.

Somewhere in the instructions I get off track in resizing the canvas. Although I resize the pixels in the texture file exactly to those in my original photo file, the texture file is too small for my photo. It may be that most texture files are limited in pixel size. For example, the pixels of my photo are w: 3317 x H: 2739. Anyway, something is missing but I won't give up...yet. Any suggestions??

I Live For Vacations

Like most people who work outside the home, I live for vacations. I carefully hoard my vacation each year and plan for the most fun during my time away from work. This year started with a Caribbean cruise with two more trips planned for the fall - bare boat sailing in the British Virgin Islands and taking our grandchildren to Disney World.

I am already busy planning for 2010. Yes, it's a long way from now, but I need something to look forward to. One vacation will be an Alaskan cruise. I've wanted to see Alaska for a long time and have finally convinced Doughboy to delay no longer. Click here to view the itinerary on the Norwegian Cruise Line web site.

This is another cruise offered by ScrapMap. The scrapbook I made for Doughboy's anniversary gift is a project taught by Teresa Collins from our cruise a couple weeks ago. She is tremendously talented in addition to being an average gal. She is the sole instructor for the Alaskan cruise and will be teaching classes when the ship is underway. At no time are classes scheduled when the ship is in port. There is plenty of time for shore excursions, such as whale watching in Glacier Bay, and enjoying the ship's amenities. For someone like me who is obsessed with scrapping and enjoys new adventures, it is the best of all worlds.

Come join us, won't you?