Daily Ooos: Wednesday, May 8

[faerywings]

Greetings from rainy NJ! And thanks to the rain, I am not working at all at Weis. Both events will be rescheduled which means I have an entire bonus day. So glad that I rearranged my day and spent most of yesterday afternoon in the yard. I cleaned more leaves around the patio, but still no sign of TJ. Gary saw a few toads but all smaller than TJ was.

[There was a huge toad that lived on my patio for years. I had named him Tif - Toad Friend- and last year, we saw no sign of him. But there was a smaller toad that looked like Tif and I named him TJ- Tif Jr. He hung out in the same area as Tif did, so in my kooky mind, he is a descendant of Tif. Take everything I say with many grains of salt especially when it comes to my outside Friends LOL!]

The wildflower section of the side yard is going nuts! Fleabane has officially taken over. Last year they were scattered throughout but this year it's much more dense. The orange wallflowers are also in full bloom and look dang pretty if you ask me. I will have to keep an eye on all of them but I'd rather have them crowd out the garlic mustard that is everywhere. Pfft.
New fun fact (to me)-- garlic mustard is edible and can be dried and ground to make a garlic-type powder for seasoning.

Only Scott came for dinner tonight, Sam was at a friend's graduation. We played Uno No Mercy afterward. Have you ever played that version of Uno? It is *brutal*! I think the largest card pick-up was 14, maybe 16. If you get more than 25 cards in your hand you are out. But there are a lot of opportunities to switch hands with the other players. At one point I was down to 3 or 4 cards and someone switched hands with me and I ended up with 21 cards! Brutal!

The parties are starting to fall into place. I have just about the entire menu for the May Bash planned. I'm doing a semi-deep clean of the LR/DR/Kitchen today. And I am 100% procrastinating about finishing the ATC cards.
Maybe I will do that today. After I pay bills. Which shows you precisely how badly I am procrastinating LOL!!!

Hope that everyone has a fun and productive day. If if you are productive in doing nothing

 

[A-M]

I live here Down Under ( Australia) so I am about to get ready for bed. I plan to do some reading in bed on my kindle.
Today I worked an afternoon shift in our local Arts and Crafts store where my husband and I sell our crafts - his woodwork and my baby crocheted items and greeting cards. Ken and I call ourselves " Wood Paper Scissors". The store has over 40 members and we all do shifts as part of our membership. It is a store with a very good reputation and popular with tourists. There is a large variety - silk painted scarves, leather handbags, lots of different earrings ( 5 different members sell those), fabric made toy animals, crocheted tiny teddy bears, for the Man Cave - rough timber framed metal artwork which are cowboy image, cars, motorbikes etc ; artwork made out of nature items ( seed pods etc); fabric lavender items; candles; patchwork items; fascinators; aprons; hats; etc etc....

That is enough rambling.... I am now turning off the computer...

 

[faerywings]

@FloridaGranny My knees survived another day! LOL!

@vickyday How true, three hours with toddlers feels like for-ev-er!
Are you counting the days until your June family get-together? June 1 is coming fast. Is your DD hosting again? I remember the picture of alllll of you on the deck.
I love your review LO- that cardinal is still making me laugh!
Your Met Gala reaction!!! Bwuahahahaha!!! What, you don't want to wear something like those concoctions? Shocking. *big wink*

@MariJ I hear you on being overwhelmed. I still get lost here and I've been here a long time. I am really happy that you are finding what you need for the most part and that everyone is helping you out.
I don't know if you saw the "rules" for the Daily Oos- but a quick recap: There are no rules aside from this being a stress-free zone. Post as much or as little as you want, when you want. Everyone is welcome!
Yes, you can use the templates for the AJ challenges if you want or you could do an ATC. Or you could plop an ATC on the template. Scrappers Choice
Where do you live? The weather in NJ is similar to yours. I couldn't get warm on Saturday even all layered up. Yesterday was mid-70s but the forecast was supposed to hit 80*. We are back to the 60s today.

@bitzee I am been head over heels for Bon Jovi since 1982-83. He still has that smile that melts my heart He also seems like he is a decent, kind, grounded person. He runs a restaurant - Soul Kitchen IIRC- where there aren't any prices- you pay what you can afford. He believes in the Jersey community. He - and Dave Grohl too- are two rockstars who deserve that title in my book ♥
And did I mention he is still really cute???
And yes, I know what you mean about the body yelling- act your age heehee!!

@BrightEyes How are the winds and pollen today, and better? I took Allegra yesterday, the pollen count was awful.
I'm sure you will catch up on your scrapping in no time (my brain is screaming at me- tell Kay not to push herself LOL)

@taxed4ever I've been gathering stuff for another Lupus Foundation pickup. Gary has so much **** that he won't get rid of and I am struggling to find stuff to donate at this point. Gary kept his uncle's Ghillie suit after he passed. Why??????
But every little bit helps even if there is still too much in the attic....

Congrats to your ILs on closing!! Can you start moving stuff into the new house or will you do it all at once?
Isaac and Sadie will have a summer to remember. Hard for you not to see them though.
maybe they can swing out for a few days??
Are you excited for your hike? Have fun!

@AK_Tracy I hope that you took allll day as a recovery day. You must have been wiped out after your long day on Monday. What are reading?
I used to teach PreK so I enjoy teaching little ones. One year I had a class of 25 3-5 yos and *legally* I should never have been alone with more than 12. But god forbid the centers have sufficient staff and there were days that I'd be by myself- with a door open to another classroom so I wasn't "alone." You learn quickly how to think on your feet!

We are super happy to have the SGs folded into the O!

Vicky- the dress looks wonderful on you! IMHO- if it makes you feel good and is comfortable-- go for it!

I am sure you all can guess how I feel about the money spent on a dress/outfit for the Gala. How many people it could feed.


@bcgal00 Good luck playing Mahjong tomorrow- the game sounds pretty complex but I know you'll be able to jump right in. I hope that you can find a good and less expensive dentist too
I saw the waxwings on your FB page! Love the photos!

Scott told us there is a pair of nesting screech owls in one of the county parks and he had to tape off the area because people were coming from as far away as Massachusetts to see. Is that rare?

@Cherylndesigns That is terrifying about the tornados. Were you able to get back to sleep at all after that? Hugs!!!
The pillow barrier is a great idea for Daisy!

~~~she was laying with her paws on top, looking at me, but she stayed on her side of the pillows~~
That is adorable!!!! Yup, dogs grieve. Ray was depressed for years after Harley died. We rescued Jaida and she was back to being playful again. It has to be the same with their humans as it is with their fur-siblings.
Hehe! I see you next to me on our "what a waste of money met gala" soapboxes!


Tracy - my dogs are medium-sized (55 and 65 lb) and they will curl up on the floor in a tiny ball. Let them on the bed and they are all stretched out. I've spent more nights than I can count hanging off the side of the mattress

Time to start my day...
xoxo

 

[faerywings]

I live here Down Under ( Australia) so I am about to get ready for bed. I plan to do some reading in bed on my kindle.
Today I worked an afternoon shift in our local Arts and Crafts store where my husband and I sell our crafts - his woodwork and my baby crocheted items and greeting cards. Ken and I call ourselves " Wood Paper Scissors". The store has over 40 members and we all do shifts as part of our membership. It is a store with a very good reputation and popular with tourists. There is a large variety - silk painted scarves, leather handbags, lots of different earrings ( 5 different members sell those), fabric made toy animals, crocheted tiny teddy bears, for the Man Cave - rough timber framed metal artwork which are cowboy image, cars, motorbikes etc ; artwork made out of nature items ( seed pods etc); fabric lavender items; candles; patchwork items; fascinators; aprons; hats; etc etc....

That is enough rambling.... I am now turning off the computer...

Welcome to the Ooos Anne-Marie!
Wood Paper Scissors is such a cute and catchy name- I love it! The craft store co-op must be an amazing place to work and sell. And shop!
Sleep well and we will catch you tomorrow!

 

[vickyday]

I live here Down Under ( Australia) so I am about to get ready for bed. I plan to do some reading in bed on my kindle.
Today I worked an afternoon shift in our local Arts and Crafts store where my husband and I sell our crafts - his woodwork and my baby crocheted items and greeting cards. Ken and I call ourselves " Wood Paper Scissors". The store has over 40 members and we all do shifts as part of our membership. It is a store with a very good reputation and popular with tourists. There is a large variety - silk painted scarves, leather handbags, lots of different earrings ( 5 different members sell those), fabric made toy animals, crocheted tiny teddy bears, for the Man Cave - rough timber framed metal artwork which are cowboy image, cars, motorbikes etc ; artwork made out of nature items ( seed pods etc); fabric lavender items; candles; patchwork items; fascinators; aprons; hats; etc etc....

That is enough rambling.... I am now turning off the computer...

Wow! Wish I could visit this craft store! Do you do online sales Anne-Marie?

 

[JeanneMN]

@faerywings The concert was FABulous and the baseball game was ok LOL. The concert was for grades 9-12, somehow dgs is finishing up freshman year, how does that happen so fast? The last concert of the year is always bittersweet as it features the seniors in their very last concert. I think there were over 20 seniors in the band (we aren't a very big school) and talk about talent, holey moley. Many play 3 or 4 instruments and then some want to be in jazz band, but they don't have a jazz instrument so they learn a new one for jazz band or pep band. It's been a tough year for the director and members, a student who was very involved in the band took his own life the day before school started last fall so it's been an emotional time for all. They dedicated the winter concert to him and his family donated a gorgeous Brazilian wood marimba to the band in his honor. So heartbreaking.

Tomorrow night is dgd concert for grades 6-8 and a baseball game, and Friday it's a track meet, she's found a spring sport she's passionate about and can the kid fly, of course, she has legs to her earlobes, and she's a Type 1 diabetic, and an 8th grader. Saturday is a baseball game and jazz band concert that night. (bet you didn't know I won the gold medal in run-on sentences)

We've been getting lots of rain so the garden is just exploding, and the 2 giant maple trees are exploding has well with their little pollen-stuffed flower stems coming down like rain. We have to keep going out and cleaning them away from the front of the skimmer box or the pump gets to where it is pumping air. Not as much blooming yet like your wildflowers @faerywings , just the bean plant in the pond that has flowers about a quarter inch in diameter. The full frog chorus is now in full bloom however along with the pollen so between allergies raging and frogs singing full volume all day, I have a headache most of the time. Oh we, at least there isn't snow on the ground and I need to savor every speck of our 5-minute summer. @Cherylndesigns I'm so excited for you to have your totem and bench put together so you can use it. My garden brings me such peace and serenity and God is right there with me all the time. It's almost a year now since I lost my friend to cancer and that was grueling, but I got a bright, wild-colored, 6ft. whirleygig in her memory. I spent hours and hours in the garden last year watching that thing spin and see her flying with her hair on fire in her race car, Harley, or just everything she did in life. I'm going to add another for my cousin this year

What kind of spell do Oscraps cast on people when they join here? I have become obsessed with scrapping to the point of yesterday I didn't even get in here. I said to myself last Friday, "Self, you need to do the bills & receipts", self proceeded to add more receipts with 2 spending sprees at the O. On Sunday I told Self the same thing and self organized aforementioned O goodies instead. On Monday I told Self , "Self you have to do the financials, and you have to stop shopping", self saw Anna's spend $20 and get a free Art Play Palette of your choice, guess I'm trying to accumulate the O store in a weekend, so self went shopping again. I repeated the same mantra to self yesterday, and well, I got this coupon from the O and now I just have to find something else I NEED and then I wanted to finish a page I started, so today "Self, you HAVE to do the financials before you can play with your O toys and doing some laundry wouldn't hurt either," Self is so hard of listening.

 

[vickyday]

Greetings from rainy NJ! And thanks to the rain, I am not working at all at Weis. Both events will be rescheduled which means I have an entire bonus day. So glad that I rearranged my day and spent most of yesterday afternoon in the yard. I cleaned more leaves around the patio, but still no sign of TJ. Gary saw a few toads but all smaller than TJ was.

[There was a huge toad that lived on my patio for years. I had named him Tif - Toad Friend- and last year, we saw no sign of him. But there was a smaller toad that looked like Tif and I named him TJ- Tif Jr. He hung out in the same area as Tif did, so in my kooky mind, he is a descendant of Tif. Take everything I say with many grains of salt especially when it comes to my outside Friends LOL!]

The wildflower section of the side yard is going nuts! Fleabane has officially taken over. Last year they were scattered throughout but this year it's much more dense. The orange wallflowers are also in full bloom and look dang pretty if you ask me. I will have to keep an eye on all of them but I'd rather have them crowd out the garlic mustard that is everywhere. Pfft.
New fun fact (to me)-- garlic mustard is edible and can be dried and ground to make a garlic-type powder for seasoning.

Only Scott came for dinner tonight, Sam was at a friend's graduation. We played Uno No Mercy afterward. Have you ever played that version of Uno? It is *brutal*! I think the largest card pick-up was 14, maybe 16. If you get more than 25 cards in your hand you are out. But there are a lot of opportunities to switch hands with the other players. At one point I was down to 3 or 4 cards and someone switched hands with me and I ended up with 21 cards! Brutal!

The parties are starting to fall into place. I have just about the entire menu for the May Bash planned. I'm doing a semi-deep clean of the LR/DR/Kitchen today. And I am 100% procrastinating about finishing the ATC cards.
Maybe I will do that today. After I pay bills. Which shows you precisely how badly I am procrastinating LOL!!!

Hope that everyone has a fun and productive day. If if you are productive in doing nothing

It amazes me how many different versions of Uno they come up with! No mercy sounds like fun!

 

[vickyday]

@FloridaGranny My knees survived another day! LOL!

@vickyday How true, three hours with toddlers feels like for-ev-er!
Are you counting the days until your June family get-together? June 1 is coming fast. Is your DD hosting again? I remember the picture of alllll of you on the deck.
I love your review LO- that cardinal is still making me laugh!
Your Met Gala reaction!!! Bwuahahahaha!!! What, you don't want to wear something like those concoctions? Shocking. *big wink*

@MariJ I hear you on being overwhelmed. I still get lost here and I've been here a long time. I am really happy that you are finding what you need for the most part and that everyone is helping you out.
I don't know if you saw the "rules" for the Daily Oos- but a quick recap: There are no rules aside from this being a stress-free zone. Post as much or as little as you want, when you want. Everyone is welcome!
Yes, you can use the templates for the AJ challenges if you want or you could do an ATC. Or you could plop an ATC on the template. Scrappers Choice
Where do you live? The weather in NJ is similar to yours. I couldn't get warm on Saturday even all layered up. Yesterday was mid-70s but the forecast was supposed to hit 80*. We are back to the 60s today.

@bitzee I am been head over heels for Bon Jovi since 1982-83. He still has that smile that melts my heart He also seems like he is a decent, kind, grounded person. He runs a restaurant - Soul Kitchen IIRC- where there aren't any prices- you pay what you can afford. He believes in the Jersey community. He - and Dave Grohl too- are two rockstars who deserve that title in my book ♥
And did I mention he is still really cute???
And yes, I know what you mean about the body yelling- act your age heehee!!

@BrightEyes How are the winds and pollen today, and better? I took Allegra yesterday, the pollen count was awful.
I'm sure you will catch up on your scrapping in no time (my brain is screaming at me- tell Kay not to push herself LOL)

@taxed4ever I've been gathering stuff for another Lupus Foundation pickup. Gary has so much **** that he won't get rid of and I am struggling to find stuff to donate at this point. Gary kept his uncle's Ghillie suit after he passed. Why??????
But every little bit helps even if there is still too much in the attic....

Congrats to your ILs on closing!! Can you start moving stuff into the new house or will you do it all at once?
Isaac and Sadie will have a summer to remember. Hard for you not to see them though.
maybe they can swing out for a few days??
Are you excited for your hike? Have fun!

@AK_Tracy I hope that you took allll day as a recovery day. You must have been wiped out after your long day on Monday. What are reading?
I used to teach PreK so I enjoy teaching little ones. One year I had a class of 25 3-5 yos and *legally* I should never have been alone with more than 12. But god forbid the centers have sufficient staff and there were days that I'd be by myself- with a door open to another classroom so I wasn't "alone." You learn quickly how to think on your feet!

We are super happy to have the SGs folded into the O!

Vicky- the dress looks wonderful on you! IMHO- if it makes you feel good and is comfortable-- go for it!

I am sure you all can guess how I feel about the money spent on a dress/outfit for the Gala. How many people it could feed.


@bcgal00 Good luck playing Mahjong tomorrow- the game sounds pretty complex but I know you'll be able to jump right in. I hope that you can find a good and less expensive dentist too
I saw the waxwings on your FB page! Love the photos!

Scott told us there is a pair of nesting screech owls in one of the county parks and he had to tape off the area because people were coming from as far away as Massachusetts to see. Is that rare?

@Cherylndesigns That is terrifying about the tornados. Were you able to get back to sleep at all after that? Hugs!!!
The pillow barrier is a great idea for Daisy!

~~~she was laying with her paws on top, looking at me, but she stayed on her side of the pillows~~
That is adorable!!!! Yup, dogs grieve. Ray was depressed for years after Harley died. We rescued Jaida and she was back to being playful again. It has to be the same with their humans as it is with their fur-siblings.
Hehe! I see you next to me on our "what a waste of money met gala" soapboxes!


Tracy - my dogs are medium-sized (55 and 65 lb) and they will curl up on the floor in a tiny ball. Let them on the bed and they are all stretched out. I've spent more nights than I can count hanging off the side of the mattress

Time to start my day...
xoxo

Yeah, this body doesn't bare too much skin! I love wearing long skirts for that reason. And the older I get the flabbier my arms get so better to keep them covered too! Ha!

 

[vickyday]

@faerywings The concert was FABulous and the baseball game was ok LOL. The concert was for grades 9-12, somehow dgs is finishing up freshman year, how does that happen so fast? The last concert of the year is always bittersweet as it features the seniors in their very last concert. I think there were over 20 seniors in the band (we aren't a very big school) and talk about talent, holey moley. Many play 3 or 4 instruments and then some want to be in jazz band, but they don't have a jazz instrument so they learn a new one for jazz band or pep band. It's been a tough year for the director and members, a student who was very involved in the band took his own life the day before school started last fall so it's been an emotional time for all. They dedicated the winter concert to him and his family donated a gorgeous Brazilian wood marimba to the band in his honor. So heartbreaking.

Tomorrow night is dgd concert for grades 6-8 and a baseball game, and Friday it's a track meet, she's found a spring sport she's passionate about and can the kid fly, of course, she has legs to her earlobes, and she's a Type 1 diabetic, and an 8th grader. Saturday is a baseball game and jazz band concert that night. (bet you didn't know I won the gold medal in run-on sentences)

We've been getting lots of rain so the garden is just exploding, and the 2 giant maple trees are exploding has well with their little pollen-stuffed flower stems coming down like rain. We have to keep going out and cleaning them away from the front of the skimmer box or the pump gets to where it is pumping air. Not as much blooming yet like your wildflowers @faerywings , just the bean plant in the pond that has flowers about a quarter inch in diameter. The full frog chorus is now in full bloom however along with the pollen so between allergies raging and frogs singing full volume all day, I have a headache most of the time. Oh we, at least there isn't snow on the ground and I need to savor every speck of our 5-minute summer. @Cherylndesigns I'm so excited for you to have your totem and bench put together so you can use it. My garden brings me such peace and serenity and God is right there with me all the time. It's almost a year now since I lost my friend to cancer and that was grueling, but I got a bright, wild-colored, 6ft. whirleygig in her memory. I spent hours and hours in the garden last year watching that thing spin and see her flying with her hair on fire in her race car, Harley, or just everything she did in life. I'm going to add another for my cousin this year

What kind of spell do Oscraps cast on people when they join here? I have become obsessed with scrapping to the point of yesterday I didn't even get in here. I said to myself last Friday, "Self, you need to do the bills & receipts", self proceeded to add more receipts with 2 spending sprees at the O. On Sunday I told Self the same thing and self organized aforementioned O goodies instead. On Monday I told Self , "Self you have to do the financials, and you have to stop shopping", self saw Anna's spend $20 and get a free Art Play Palette of your choice, guess I'm trying to accumulate the O store in a weekend, so self went shopping again. I repeated the same mantra to self yesterday, and well, I got this coupon from the O and now I just have to find something else I NEED and then I wanted to finish a page I started, so today "Self, you HAVE to do the financials before you can play with your O toys and doing some laundry wouldn't hurt either," Self is so hard of listening.

You are too funny, Jeanne! I love it!

 

[vickyday]

Good morning,
Quick in and out for me today. Carolyn is feeling up for a visit so Ilene and I will take the one hour trip to her daughter's house where she is staying.
Still mostly cloudy here. I did get in a 1.3 mile walk before the bottom dropped out of the sky yesterday.
I worked all afternoon on my April monthly review spread yesterday so I'm caught up for now. I'm going to have to take more pictures or May's review is going to be sparse!
I still have 4 days of daily ATCs before I post those.
Ok. I need to get ready to leave.
Have a great day!

 

[taxed4ever]

Morning everyone... quick in and out for me today also. It's my hiking day and I need to get my lunch packed. After the hike I have to meet with a friend to pick up a Norwex order from her. Oh had great news during the early morning hours that my Brother and SIL have arrived safely back home from Australia. It will be a couple of days of re-adjustment to our time before we can see them, but so happy that they got home safely!! They have been gone since December. Its a lovely warm sunny morning so I might even be able to throw on capri pants for this hike and blind everyone with my very white legs . Had to LOL at your post @JeanneMN you really need to give your Self a good talking too!!! . Ok I gotta get going, have a great day everyone!!

 

[BrightEyes]

Morning, gals.

@BrightEyes How are the winds and pollen today, and better? I took Allegra yesterday, the pollen count was awful.
I'm sure you will catch up on your scrapping in no time (my brain is screaming at me- tell Kay not to push herself LOL)

The pollen count is very high again today. My allergies were so bad I ended up taking allergy meds for it in the morning and right before I went to sleep.... the nose and eyes were giving me fits and sneezing all day even with the house closed up!!!! I am going to get ahead of the curve and took one already today. And the winds will be blowing like mad for the rest of the week!!! Had gusts at 50+ mph with sustained winds in the high 30's. mph.

DD#3 called to tell me she was so excited about how the gorilla shelving fit in the garage and that she posted photos on FB. She ordered a couple more of them and hopes to have the garage make-over done in the next week. She is on track to have the garage sale toward the end of the month. She is going to come down later this week and pickup the stuff I want to sell. And she told me about the site that she used for selling items. So I spend some time yesterday taking a few more photos of the stamping stuff and then transferring photos from camera to the ExHD. Will talk to her when she comes down and get advise on which photos to use.

I did look at the challenges but couldn't decide which ones to work on next. My eyes were bothering me so decided to watch DVDs last evening. Was in the mood for music... so watched "The Jersey Boys" and e-Lovely". Will probably do the same this evening with other DVDs.

@JeanneMN I was LOL over your conversations with your Self... yes, it is hard to restrain from buying when the sales are on.

@taxed4ever Glad the inlaws closed on the house. It will so much easier for everyone to have them close by when they need help. Have a good time on your hike.

Need more coffee and then run a few errands before the winds really get bad. CYL

 

[bcgal00]

Good morning ladies. I am heading out in a few minutes to run errands and take Remi to the dog park. I don't know if I said or not previously but the London Drugs stores in western and central Canada were closed for a week due to some kind of cyber security problem. So the third batch of photos I had sent in for printing weren't done b/c of the store closure but today I got the email saying they are ready for pickup.

I'm going to get back into gluten free baking again, need to experiment and find a few good recipes. I've been eating too much wheat and my body is telling me to back off (achy joints, back discomfort and headache). I can tolerate wheat to a certain point and then the inflammation it causes becomes apparent which I have been noticing this last week or so. It'll be interesting to check out the Calgary stores and see what they carry. We have a bulk barn store close by and I think that'll be the cheapest option for flours.

@faerywings We don't post locations for owls we spot here b/c people get too invasive, wanting to get too close, so we post a general area but nothing that can pinpoint where they are. Never played that version of Uno before.

@taxed4ever Enjoy the hike Trudy. My white legs might beat yours

@BrightEyes Darrell has that shelving too and loves it. Very sturdy and durable.

I'd better get dressed and get out of here. Hope to be home this afternoon for some scrappy time. It's not often I have an afternoon free lately so I want to take advantage of it.

HAGD everyone.

 

[MariJ]

Good morning, all - 5 more minutes before it's afternoon in NJ. Chris, the reason your weather sounds similar is because I live in NJ, too - West Orange! We had a downpour this morning, but now it's sunny, hotter and humid. Yes! I was at a little kid's soccer game Saturday and couldn't get warm, then Monday it was HOT! Thanks so much for your kind help and additional information, very much appreciated.
@faerywings

And, yes! Bon Jovi and his restaurant (I think his wife runs it?) is wonderful. My aunt and cousins have been, she even got a photo with him that was a prized possession. It was even at her memorial service.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Woo woot Look! I think my is kicking in! I might have figured out the quote thing.

We played Uno No Mercy afterward. Have you ever played that version of Uno? It is *brutal*! I think the largest card pick-up was 14, maybe 16. If you get more than 25 cards in your hand you are out. But there are a lot of opportunities to switch hands with the other players. At one point I was down to 3 or 4 cards and someone switched hands with me and I ended up with 21 cards! Brutal!

This sounds fun but I dont know if my family could handle it! I play to win and no mercy! Even when the kids were smaller, I didn't let them win. I taught them to play. Okay maybe a little more mercy would have been good but hey, I had to win.

@AK_Tracy I hope that you took allll day as a recovery day. You must have been wiped out after your long day on Monday. What are reading?

Yeah, no didn't take it as easy as I should have. I put my earbuds in and cleaned the living room. Why do they think they should talk to me when I have earbuds in, they're blue you can see them, and then get miffed when I dont talk to them. HELLO listening to 80's rock loud enough to no hear the vacuum! Means I cant hear you. Yeah, so I washed the sheets, hung them outside, moved all three couches and throw rug, vacuumed, vacuumed the couches, spun the mattress, made the bed, cleaned the vacuum, like actually washed the air filters (its been at least 18 months since last washing). So yeah, didn't rest as much as I should have but the spoons were overflowing. Then about 2 pm. I crashed. Got dinner made (thank you instant pot) and that was about all I did. But my house (living room) is clean and my sheets smelled so good.

I love a good murder mystery or something that keeps me guessing. I love the series that starts with Meet your Baker. Its a small town who done it type and its clean. Well other then murder The newest just released so that's the current but earlier the week it was a murder podcast series (True Crime Junkies) and its based in AK and they get so much wrong its funny. But the plot is good. I'm weird. I read and drink water like no-one else. People look at me like I am crazy but honestly the statistic that the average American reads four books a year is crazy to me. I read on average 6 a month. Sometimes more. This week I am on my second book already. Yeah, crazy lady here only I dont collect cats, I collect ebooks because I ran out of space for real books

Tracy - my dogs are medium-sized (55 and 65 lb) and they will curl up on the floor in a tiny ball. Let them on the bed and they are all stretched out. I've spent more nights than I can count hanging off the side of the mattress

HEHEHEHEHE My dogs are that big too, two of them, and that was the whole reason hubs said no furniture. They are really good about it too. But we do sit on the floor and they get snuggles. Beanbags are fair game and ya better sit the second it hit the floor as they are on it. DS looses out a lot. They're on the beanbag before he lets go of it. Its funny to watch.

What kind of spell do Oscraps cast on people when they join here? I have become obsessed with scrapping to the point of yesterday I didn't even get in here. I said to myself last Friday, "Self, you need to do the bills & receipts", self proceeded to add more receipts with 2 spending sprees at the O. On Sunday I told Self the same thing and self organized aforementioned O goodies instead. On Monday I told Self , "Self you have to do the financials, and you have to stop shopping", self saw Anna's spend $20 and get a free Art Play Palette of your choice, guess I'm trying to accumulate the O store in a weekend, so self went shopping again. I repeated the same mantra to self yesterday, and well, I got this coupon from the O and now I just have to find something else I NEED and then I wanted to finish a page I started, so today "Self, you HAVE to do the financials before you can play with your O toys and doing some laundry wouldn't hurt either," Self is so hard of listening.

EXACTLY! What kind of spell do they weave???? Its magical but dude my cc cant handle it!! I swore I would be good. But again Twin, the self doesn't listen. She saw a sale and poof there went the card smoking again. Okay that's fine a couple kits on sale. All good. What???? Extended sale and I get a coupon??? YES! Wait, sale price better save coupon. Yep more kits. Darn where's the smoke coming from? But they weren't full price so its okay. Now I have the discount code and Self isn't listening again!!! Its a discount. Need more!!! I had filled my wishlist with about 20 items the first day I was here. Thinking okay I will slowly get a kit a month. Yeah no. Wishlist is now down to 2 items.

DD#3 called to tell me she was so excited about how the gorilla shelving fit in the garage and that she posted photos on FB. She ordered a couple more of them and hopes to have the garage make-over done in the next week.

This is wonderful!! I am so glad she was able to use the shelves! And she'll think of dad when she sees them. And they're functional so its not just keeping stuff. I kept way too much stupid stuff when my dad passed and hubs lovingly never said a word but he was happy as the years went that I did part with it as it wasn't anything special or helpful. But shelves are always good.

Today, HAHAHA is another day to stay home and do nothing. So that means I need to get the mail (PO is 20 minutes from home) and a few groceries and dog food (40 minutes from home) and then maybe think of dinner options. Yeah, this is why I refuse to leave home on Mondays (usually). Things pop up all week and I end of leaving.

Off for more

 

[AK_Tracy]

I'm going to get back into gluten free baking again, need to experiment and find a few good recipes. I've been eating too much wheat and my body is telling me to back off

I know its not easy, shipping and all that, but amazon offers a flour that is Italian and its suppose to be gluten good. Wont say free but its suppose to be better than ours (US flour). Also King Arthur has a gluten free flour and my friend told me its amazing. Anyway just options that I am sure you already know about.

Good morning, all - 5 more minutes before it's afternoon in NJ. Chris, I live in NJ - West Orange. We had a downpour this morning, but now it's sunny, hotter and humid. Thanks so much for your kind help and additional information, very much appreciated.

Hi Marilyn! How are you???? I am so so so happy to see you here!!! You will soon love it (if not already) as much as I do!

 

[MariJ]

Hi Tracy! SO happy to see you here too. I'm still trying to find my way around places but seeing you here makes it feel more like home.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Hi Tracy! SO happy to see you here too. I'm still trying to find my way around places but seeing you here makes it feel more like home.

Awwww that is so sweet. It is a challenge finding our place and what/where everything is but the O ladies have made it so easy. One of the easiest sites to navigate (for me) but that's mostly do to all the kind help and suggestions I have gotten.

 

[JeanneMN]

Awwww that is so sweet. It is a challenge finding our place and what/where everything is but the O ladies have made it so easy. One of the easiest sites to navigate (for me) but that's mostly do to all the kind help and suggestions I have gotten.

Totally agree Twin. I've been here less than a month and I feel like I've settled into the bean bag of the scrapping world and I mean that in the best way possible because I have actually started to scrap and if I can't I almost have anxiety. I burned through, literally judging by the Amex card smoking, my wish list way back on Friday. Now I have that coupon burning a hole in my pocket, well if my leggings had pockets it would. But I'm actually USING the stuff which is the best part.

Ok, by O-sies, as opposed to onesies, I know Color Play (well, I think I know) comes out at the end of the month, but do the designers have a certain day when new things are released?

you really need to give your Self a good talking too!!! . Ok I gotta get going, have a great day everyone!!

Self can be such a pre-schooler sometimes, talk about not growing up! We finally agreed I would work on financial stuff for an hour and a half and get things ready for phase 2, then I would start a load of laundry (which is now done and I forgot to put in the dryer) and then I could scrap for a while, or the rest of the day, whichever comes last. I had one post-style album still left in my bucket of album business so I converted it to a snap style and decided my Key West pics could start a new album. Now Self, clothes in the dryer and go check the pond pump, and then scrap. I am excited to relive the Butterfly Conservatory.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Quick in and out. My friend, Aly surprised me with all the fixins' for Vanilla Chai Tea and even brought Almond Milk (Silk). She fixed both of us a glass of iced chai and even used crushed ice. It was SO good, then we sat and talked for awhile. I love it when she drops in. We were sitting there sipping our tea and she said "Chuck would have loved this". He loved anything sweet, and she used to back him cookies about once a week. He got the biggest kick out of her bringing him cookies.

I'll be back with personals later - I'm REAL late for posting on the blog today. I usually get it ready to schedule on Tuesday night, but I spent a long time on the phone last night. I had long and meaningful conversations with two of my nieces. Family always comes first - the blog can wait. I'll be back.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Now I have that coupon burning a hole in my pocket, well if my leggings had pockets it would. But I'm actually USING the stuff which is the best part.

Yes, I have many holy jeans/pants from the cc burning through thanks to sales. The best is that hubs can't see any of it so he has no idea how or why its smokey in the house

 

[JeanneMN]

Yes, I have many holy jeans/pants from the cc burning through thanks to sales. The best is that hubs can't see any of it so he has no idea how or why its smokey in the house

We are soooooooooo twins, I don't wear jeans, but the hubs part, oh yeh.

 

[AK_Tracy]

We are soooooooooo twins, I don't wear jeans, but the hubs part, oh yeh.

Yep, just look at our photos! We're twins to the core! Both adorable and sassy!

 

[Terri M]

Day 3 on our biking trip yesterday: 48 miles and day 3 is always the worst omg-my-tush-hurts day. The weather forecast was for thunderstorms, hail, and maybe tornadoes in the afternoon so we were not dawdling to get in before that happened. Fortunately the severe weather came overnight. We were woken up at 10:30 with our phones squawking a tornado warning! Since we have to pack light for the trip I don't have a robe with me and I worried what I'd do if I had to go out in the hall of the hotel if there really was a tornado. Fortunately it passed and I went back to sleep.

Today was day 4 and the weather was gorgeous. We had lovely biking across the heart of Ohio, another 48 miles through pretty landscape, lots of parks and rural areas. Tonight's hotel is so cute. They even offer a free glass of wine and a beautiful garden to drink it in. There was one slippery bridge, 4 of us slid and fell off our bikes, including me. I will have bruised knees and stiff muscles in the morning, but nothing that kept me from a full day of biking.

@MariJ We lived in Summit, NJ, before moving to Virginia 10 years ago! All in the neighborhood, right?

 

[AK_Tracy]

WOW @Terri M that sounds like quite the ride so far. So glad the yucky weather went over at night and you didn't have to deal with it. I so cant wait to see all these photos I know you're taking. I hope youre not too sore from the slip and slide nature offered you on the bridge.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Let me try this again. We ended up going out this afternoon - went to one of our favorite little shops; Adrienne was looking for a baby gift and I was looking for something for Steph for Mother's Day. We ended up buying front door mats with changeable centers - I have never seen anything like this. The middle of the mat is indented and you can buy any kind of "centers" for it. I got a summer insert and one for The Fourth of July and Adrienne just went with a plain "D" for their last name. I did find a cute magnetic list thingy for Steph that's nurse related and got her 3 "syringe pens". She's going to love those pens. She used to have some and I hadn't seen them for a long time.

Then we went grocery shopping and banged that out in about thirty minutes. Ava and I went together and Adrienne went alone. Adrienne's cooking dinner, but I don't think I'll be walking up there anytime soon. It's about to break really bad - thundering and lightening and we have a Tornado Watch AGAIN. This is getting old. She said if it was bad, she'd make Roger bring me my dinner. Poor Roger.

Chris @faerywings Night Two of the "pillow barricade" worked again. I think, I hope I've stumbled onto a solution. She stays on HER side. The night of the tornadoes, Sunday, I didn't get to sleep until going on four o'clock. The storm didn't pass over us until 2 am, then lingered for a long time, then the thunder and lightening continued and I finally got to bed about three, but couldn't go to sleep because I guess I was too worked up. I just laid there and tried to rest once the rumbling stopped.

Jeanne @JeanneMN the memorial that you have built for your friends sounds beautiful. I'm so big on that kind of thing - I love "ceremonies" and remembrances. They bring the person that you lost back to life again. Chuck loved our home and our view of the mountains and the bench and totem will be such an honor to him and his joy at looking at that view every day. You'll see layouts ad nauseum of our flower garden and out views. LOL

Well, it's pouring right now and I think Roger is on his way down, so I'm going to sign off again. Love and hugs to everybody. XOXO

 

[bcgal00]

@AK_Tracy Thx. I am looking at gluten free flours on amazon and found quite a few so will experiment with a couple. Fingers crossed, it's hard to know what is good.

 

[mimes1]

Hi Everyone! I actually want to get some scrapping done tonight so I'll keep this short! Last night I came by to check in and actually fell asleep at the computer. I woke up after 45 minutes or so and stammered off to bed early! Like 8:30!! Mark kindly pointed out that I've been staying up waaaaay to late for the last couple of weeks visiting with my new O friends..... I woke up 10 hours later so I must have needed it!

[There was a huge toad that lived on my patio for years. I had named him Tif - Toad Friend- and last year, we saw no sign of him. But there was a smaller toad that looked like Tif and I named him TJ- Tif Jr. He hung out in the same area as Tif did, so in my kooky mind, he is a descendant of Tif. Take everything I say with many grains of salt especially when it comes to my outside Friends LOL!]

I LOVE that you name your outdoor friends!

Ken and I call ourselves " Wood Paper Scissors"

Ann-Marie that is a super cute name for your booth! I also wish I could see it! Maybe you should make a layout of it.

Your Met Gala reaction!!! Bwuahahahaha!!! What, you don't want to wear something like those concoctions? Shocking. *big wink*

So funny - on IG I follow a couple of authors and they had screenshots of all the people in their get-ups and likened them to book covers! And then I saw Peets coffee do the exact same thing only likening the outfits to coffee drinks - and one a filter and one a coffee pot! So hilarious!

We are super happy to have the SGs folded into the O!

And we are super happy to be here! For all the reasons that the twins @AK_Tracy @JeanneMN point out!

Tomorrow night is dgd concert for grades 6-8 and a baseball game, and Friday it's a track meet, she's found a spring sport she's passionate about and can the kid fly, of course, she has legs to her earlobes, and she's a Type 1 diabetic, and an 8th grader. Saturday is a baseball game and jazz band concert that night. (bet you didn't know I won the gold medal in run-on sentences)

Your dgd sounds very talented and she's lucky to have you cheering her on at all her activities!

My garden brings me such peace and serenity and God is right there with me all the time. It's almost a year now since I lost my friend to cancer and that was grueling, but I got a bright, wild-colored, 6ft. whirleygig in her memory. I spent hours and hours in the garden last year watching that thing spin and see her flying with her hair on fire in her race car, Harley, or just everything she did in life. I'm going to add another for my cousin this year

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend and your cousin.

What kind of spell do Oscraps cast on people when they join here? I have become obsessed with scrapping to the point of yesterday I didn't even get in here. I said to myself last Friday, "Self, you need to do the bills & receipts", self proceeded to add more receipts with 2 spending sprees at the O. On Sunday I told Self the same thing and self organized aforementioned O goodies instead. On Monday I told Self , "Self you have to do the financials, and you have to stop shopping", self saw Anna's spend $20 and get a free Art Play Palette of your choice, guess I'm trying to accumulate the O store in a weekend, so self went shopping again. I repeated the same mantra to self yesterday, and well, I got this coupon from the O and now I just have to find something else I NEED and then I wanted to finish a page I started, so today "Self, you HAVE to do the financials before you can play with your O toys and doing some laundry wouldn't hurt either," Self is so hard of listening.

Yep - what you said!!

Yes, I have many holy jeans/pants from the cc burning through thanks to sales. The best is that hubs can't see any of it so he has no idea how or why its smokey in the house

Yep - that trick works here too!!

Hope you all have a good rest of the day!

 

[MariJ]

Day 3 on our biking trip yesterday: 48 miles and day 3 is always the worst omg-my-tush-hurts day. The weather forecast was for thunderstorms, hail, and maybe tornadoes in the afternoon so we were not dawdling to get in before that happened. Fortunately the severe weather came overnight. We were woken up at 10:30 with our phones squawking a tornado warning! Since we have to pack light for the trip I don't have a robe with me and I worried what I'd do if I had to go out in the hall of the hotel if there really was a tornado. Fortunately it passed and I went back to sleep.

Today was day 4 and the weather was gorgeous. We had lovely biking across the heart of Ohio, another 48 miles through pretty landscape, lots of parks and rural areas. Tonight's hotel is so cute. They even offer a free glass of wine and a beautiful garden to drink it in. There was one slippery bridge, 4 of us slid and fell off our bikes, including me. I will have bruised knees and stiff muscles in the morning, but nothing that kept me from a full day of biking.

@MariJ We lived in Summit, NJ, before moving to Virginia 10 years ago! All in the neighborhood, right?

I enjoy hearing the diary of your trip and sure glad you are ok after the weather warnings and tumble.
And yes! I know Summit well, I took art classes there and my neighbor is a teacher in the High School. Small world for sure.

 

[mywisecrafts]

@Cherylndesigns how was that vanilla chai tea? Now I want some!!!

I did buy a juicer, I haven't decided if I'm into actual juicing for the juice or for the machine. I'm inclined to think its gadget that I enjoy more.

Anddddd my daughter just ran in here yelling.... "there's a bug, there's a bug! Don't you hear me yelling, aren't you going to help me?"

Meanwhile I'm laughing and like, ok, so catch it and release or kill it... and yelling, how is that any different than your norm when you are the phone. I heard no signs of distress so it's business as usual for me.

Not to change topics, since that is all I'm doing in this post--what is up with Met Gala dresses? Seriously, I wonder if it's "How ugly can we make these dresses?"