Daily Ooos: June 15-16: Weekend Edition

[faerywings]

Happy Weekend!

I feel incredibly refreshed this morning, I slept until 5.30. Yesterday I woke at 4.30 and could not get back to sleep at all. Might have had something to do with Whisky hitting me in the face with her paw non-stop. Perhaps?
It was a long day yesterday- lots of work and the humidity was dis-gust-ing. It was only 80* or so but relative humidity was over 90%. I was dripping buckets of sweat. At first, I felt uncomfortable and gross but you know what? Everyone was in the same situation. Dirty, sweaty, and muddy from the stream. I better get used to it if I am helping with summer camp.

I scared the YKW out of myself twice yesterday. In the afternoon, we were talking to the kids about "Survival Skills" (aka hiking safety) and the leader asked the group what they would bring on a hike. One kid said bear spray. I jumped in to say that bear horns are better than bear spray because for the spray to be effective you 1. have to be close to the bear and 2. if the wind is in the wrong direction, you're going to get sprayed, not the bear. The kids asked to hear the bear horn I had. I radioed everyone to give them a heads up that it was me, not a real bear then pressed the button. I jumped a mile! (slight exaggeration) . Even though I was the one setting it off it was so loud that I shocked myself. Hahahah! The second time happened when I thought I was alone cleaning the bathrooms, went into the closet with the slop sink and another staff member was in there. Poor kid! I think I yelped and scared him!

I have a quiet weekend ahead and am so grateful for it. I am off to the FP this morning. I have run out of everything and even with the extra money from working, it all went down the septic and into the car last month. Boooo.
After that, I want to catch up on scrapping here for the party. If there is time today, I'd love to get out in my very neglected gardens too. If not, tomorrow also looks wonderful to be outside.

What good stuff is happening with you this weekend? Hope it is a great one!! ♥♥♥

 

[A-M]

Well my weekend is half over as I am soon heading to bed with it being Saturday night.
This afternoon I worked at the local craft store where my husband and I sell our crafts. I did not serve the customer but one bought a vase that Ken has made. As the store is fairly large we try to have two people on duty every shift. Sadly this year we have had some things stolen - one was an $85.00 leather bag and another was a pair of the baby flip flops I make.

I am enjoying the Birthday festivities and hope to keep up with it all as best I can.

 

[mimes1]

Good morning everyone, all is quiet here. Getting an early shady start to making *another* effort to get the transom windows clean on the porch after our house cleaning a couple weeks again. We have the right tools, lots of shade (at the moment) and two of us. I can't do it by myself. And only a two step ladder is involved, I don't have to climb a real ladder. Hopefully this will take care of it: first pass - hot water. 2nd pass: Woolite soap in water. 3rd pass: Hot water rinse. All with one of those wooly cleaner heads. Hopefully this will take care of it. And may I say it again : Never again will I get my house washed. I'll do it myself.
I'll be back later to catch up with personals! We're racing the sun at this point. Have a good morning everyone!

 

[faerywings]

@BrightEyes How was your day chock full of errands? Very smart to do them before the high temps come back.

@taxed4ever Your cat avatar cracks me up again and again.
I hope that your rest and relax day was amazing for you - you deserved that and then some more. Ahhhh- a pedicure sounds like heaven. I know what you mean about not having much time for scrapping.
Did your Gary come back with any handsome photos of himself and his fellow RMCPs? I hope so. That should get some scrapping mojo flowing if he did.

@Celestine I am sending you gentle hugs and some peppermint and chamomile tea for your stomach. Your guests will want you to be happy and feel well much more than they will care about some dust bunnies. (I tell myself that too--not always successful but I try!)

@JeanneMN You are the cutest little fairy godmother minion ever!
It seems like you are back to your regular busy self after your long weekend, back to the gym and all. Must be refreshing to sit at the pergola and enjoy the weather

@vickyday Soooo very proud of you with your walking! I bet a few months ago you never would have thought you could do 2 mils in half an hour. That's awesome!!!
That's terrifying that you could have gotten hit on the bike. Thank goodness that Mark was attentive and knew what to do.

@Terri M One time when I was a new driver, I was at a traffic light, making a right on red. I looked right, then left but didn't look right again. I started the turn and realized there was a bicyclist and slammed on the brakes. I felt awful and was waving "sorry" to them. But that stuck with me --40 years later it still bothers me that I could have hit them. And having been on the back of a motorcycle in NJ traffic, I am glad I made it through that part of my life in one piece. I miss riding but I don't miss the other drivers. YKWIM?

@mimes1 Your brother sounds amazing, how much does he charge for decluttering and displaying services? It has to be hard to sell your mom's home, I guess that is your childhood home?
heh! I am glad that you liked my work stories. I have always been such a geek about nature and it still feels unreal that they pay me to play with bugs.
After the spring field trips, Weis has a couple of quiet weeks, then we start prepping for Summer Camp. The college interns run it but I'll be assisting with that. Field trips start again in the fall when we do Pumpkin Chucking. The kids paint pumpkins, put them in a trebuchet, and see how far they go. The long-time Ooos will probably remember me saying how that was Scott's favorite field trip. In Feb/March, we do Maple Sap Tapping trips. Plus we have Homeschool groups and public programs. There is always something going on.

Kay- that's too bad that you can't get hardcover books with your credit. But overall, you are still cleaning your own shelves and getting some new ones too. Win-win! Hope that you find everything you are looking for.
Contraction traffic is so frustrating! My parents got stuck yesterday coming from PA. There was a bridge that collapsed last week and it took them over an hour to go one mile in the detour. The next time they go to PA, I suggest that come up by me and they will have nice country backroads. It will take them the same amount of time but no traffic. Plus they can visit me for a few.
Lots of healing thoughts to DD#1, sprains can be just as bad if not worse than breaks.

@Cherylndesigns I remember how much you liked those shorts. It's such a PITB when you can't get the same thing or something close. The flags sound adorable, does she use tea to "vintage" them?

Love to you all! xo

 

[Terri M]

I jumped in to say that bear horns are better than bear spray because for the spray to be effective you 1. have to be close to the bear and 2. if the wind is in the wrong direction, you're going to get sprayed, not the bear.

When we hiked in Grand Teton NP, they recommended bear spray. We bought a can and then they sent us over to the ranger for directions. Holy cow! You have to wait until the bear is so many feet away, and make sure the wind is coming from the right direction, yada yada. All I could think was no way I’m estimating distances and checking the wind if there’s a bear coming at me. Really, it seems totally random whether that stuff is actually effective. We settled for making a lot of noise. Fortunately here at Shenandoah NP you generally only get in trouble with the black bears if you’re walking your dog on a long leash and it intersects with one.

 

[vickyday]

Happy Weekend!

I feel incredibly refreshed this morning, I slept until 5.30. Yesterday I woke at 4.30 and could not get back to sleep at all. Might have had something to do with Whisky hitting me in the face with her paw non-stop. Perhaps?
It was a long day yesterday- lots of work and the humidity was dis-gust-ing. It was only 80* or so but relative humidity was over 90%. I was dripping buckets of sweat. At first, I felt uncomfortable and gross but you know what? Everyone was in the same situation. Dirty, sweaty, and muddy from the stream. I better get used to it if I am helping with summer camp.

I scared the YKW out of myself twice yesterday. In the afternoon, we were talking to the kids about "Survival Skills" (aka hiking safety) and the leader asked the group what they would bring on a hike. One kid said bear spray. I jumped in to say that bear horns are better than bear spray because for the spray to be effective you 1. have to be close to the bear and 2. if the wind is in the wrong direction, you're going to get sprayed, not the bear. The kids asked to hear the bear horn I had. I radioed everyone to give them a heads up that it was me, not a real bear then pressed the button. I jumped a mile! (slight exaggeration) . Even though I was the one setting it off it was so loud that I shocked myself. Hahahah! The second time happened when I thought I was alone cleaning the bathrooms, went into the closet with the slop sink and another staff member was in there. Poor kid! I think I yelped and scared him!

I have a quiet weekend ahead and am so grateful for it. I am off to the FP this morning. I have run out of everything and even with the extra money from working, it all went down the septic and into the car last month. Boooo.
After that, I want to catch up on scrapping here for the party. If there is time today, I'd love to get out in my very neglected gardens too. If not, tomorrow also looks wonderful to be outside.

What good stuff is happening with you this weekend? Hope it is a great one!! ♥♥♥

I'm glad you have a quiet weekend after the events and scares of yesterday!

 

[vickyday]

Well my weekend is half over as I am soon heading to bed with it being Saturday night.
This afternoon I worked at the local craft store where my husband and I sell our crafts. I did not serve the customer but one bought a vase that Ken has made. As the store is fairly large we try to have two people on duty every shift. Sadly this year we have had some things stolen - one was an $85.00 leather bag and another was a pair of the baby flip flops I make.

I am enjoying the Birthday festivities and hope to keep up with it all as best I can.

WOW! The nerve of some people! So sorry to hear about the stolen items!

 

[vickyday]

Good morning everyone, all is quiet here. Getting an early shady start to making *another* effort to get the transom windows clean on the porch after our house cleaning a couple weeks again. We have the right tools, lots of shade (at the moment) and two of us. I can't do it by myself. And only a two step ladder is involved, I don't have to climb a real ladder. Hopefully this will take care of it: first pass - hot water. 2nd pass: Woolite soap in water. 3rd pass: Hot water rinse. All with one of those wooly cleaner heads. Hopefully this will take care of it. And may I say it again : Never again will I get my house washed. I'll do it myself.
I'll be back later to catch up with personals! We're racing the sun at this point. Have a good morning everyone!

Be careful!

 

[vickyday]

@BrightEyes How was your day chock full of errands? Very smart to do them before the high temps come back.

@taxed4ever Your cat avatar cracks me up again and again.
I hope that your rest and relax day was amazing for you - you deserved that and then some more. Ahhhh- a pedicure sounds like heaven. I know what you mean about not having much time for scrapping.
Did your Gary come back with any handsome photos of himself and his fellow RMCPs? I hope so. That should get some scrapping mojo flowing if he did.

@Celestine I am sending you gentle hugs and some peppermint and chamomile tea for your stomach. Your guests will want you to be happy and feel well much more than they will care about some dust bunnies. (I tell myself that too--not always successful but I try!)

@JeanneMN You are the cutest little fairy godmother minion ever!
It seems like you are back to your regular busy self after your long weekend, back to the gym and all. Must be refreshing to sit at the pergola and enjoy the weather

@vickyday Soooo very proud of you with your walking! I bet a few months ago you never would have thought you could do 2 mils in half an hour. That's awesome!!!
That's terrifying that you could have gotten hit on the bike. Thank goodness that Mark was attentive and knew what to do.

@Terri M One time when I was a new driver, I was at a traffic light, making a right on red. I looked right, then left but didn't look right again. I started the turn and realized there was a bicyclist and slammed on the brakes. I felt awful and was waving "sorry" to them. But that stuck with me --40 years later it still bothers me that I could have hit them. And having been on the back of a motorcycle in NJ traffic, I am glad I made it through that part of my life in one piece. I miss riding but I don't miss the other drivers. YKWIM?

@mimes1 Your brother sounds amazing, how much does he charge for decluttering and displaying services? It has to be hard to sell your mom's home, I guess that is your childhood home?
heh! I am glad that you liked my work stories. I have always been such a geek about nature and it still feels unreal that they pay me to play with bugs.
After the spring field trips, Weis has a couple of quiet weeks, then we start prepping for Summer Camp. The college interns run it but I'll be assisting with that. Field trips start again in the fall when we do Pumpkin Chucking. The kids paint pumpkins, put them in a trebuchet, and see how far they go. The long-time Ooos will probably remember me saying how that was Scott's favorite field trip. In Feb/March, we do Maple Sap Tapping trips. Plus we have Homeschool groups and public programs. There is always something going on.

Kay- that's too bad that you can't get hardcover books with your credit. But overall, you are still cleaning your own shelves and getting some new ones too. Win-win! Hope that you find everything you are looking for.
Contraction traffic is so frustrating! My parents got stuck yesterday coming from PA. There was a bridge that collapsed last week and it took them over an hour to go one mile in the detour. The next time they go to PA, I suggest that come up by me and they will have nice country backroads. It will take them the same amount of time but no traffic. Plus they can visit me for a few.
Lots of healing thoughts to DD#1, sprains can be just as bad if not worse than breaks.

@Cherylndesigns I remember how much you liked those shorts. It's such a PITB when you can't get the same thing or something close. The flags sound adorable, does she use tea to "vintage" them?

Love to you all! xo

I've been such a good girl with my walking I am taking today and tomorrow off! . And you are correct. A couple of months ago I did tell my daughter that I would never be able to walk 4mph again like my husband Tim and I used to do back in 2002! But, the difference between then and now, besides the age difference (being the main factor, I suppose) is that we used to do 4 miles a day. There is no way I could do 4 miles a day now. I do good to finish the 2 miles, LOL! But, then again, maybe some day!
The bike incident was scary, for sure!

 

[vickyday]

Good Morning!
Late morning up and at'em for Mark and I. We had a late night with our friends down at the pits! They didn't leave until 12:30 a.m. or so! It was a great evening! The time went very quickly since we were enjoying fellowship together, laughing and carrying on together. Mark's daughter came, too, as she used to work with Joy at the vet. We laughed and laughed at some of the antics that went on there, including some of the tricks the doctor pulled! They told the story about how he would buy a rubber snake, coil it up, wrap it around a bottle with the head resting on top of the bottle and then freeze it that way. When it was stiff, he would brush the frost off of it and stick the snake in one of the medicine cabinets! Oh my word! I would have passed out.....no, I probably would have had a heart attack and died right on the spot!

No plans for today but laundry. Gonna be another hot one! So I plan to stay in the AC with my laundry duty and try to get some scrapping done. I looked at all of the challenges in the regular challenge thread for June but nothing motivated me yesterday. I did come across a cute little quote in my Daily Almanac email newsletter today that I want to try to find a picture from a couple years ago to scrap. So, I'll do my searching through my pictures while the laundry is working.

Hope everyone has a great day and weekend!

 

[bitzee]

Good luck, Amy. I hear you about racing the sun. That always complicates things here because the hardest windows to get--transom, sidelights, and dormer get the sun from about 10:00 to well into the evening. Please let us know if your cleaning products work. It is not nice to work your butt off just to find out you have "clean" windows with streaks.

Good morning everyone, all is quiet here. Getting an early shady start to making *another* effort to get the transom windows clean on the porch after our house cleaning a couple weeks again. We have the right tools, lots of shade (at the moment) and two of us. I can't do it by myself. And only a two step ladder is involved, I don't have to climb a real ladder. Hopefully this will take care of it: first pass - hot water. 2nd pass: Woolite soap in water. 3rd pass: Hot water rinse. All with one of those wooly cleaner heads. Hopefully this will take care of it. And may I say it again : Never again will I get my house washed. I'll do it myself.
I'll be back later to catch up with personals! We're racing the sun at this point. Have a good morning everyone!

 

[BrightEyes]

Morning, all. Hope everyone is having a good day and having fun with the Birthday events. I just uploaded a couple of LOs here and in digi-land. Have a few more bundles I want to grab and work with... may get those done today. We had quite a thunderstorm come in last evening... lots of lightening so had to stay off the computer. Ended up going to bed early to read but feel asleep within a few minutes of laying down. Woke up when I dropped my book - so turned off the light and back asleep within just a minute or so. Plan on staying inside today... going to be another scorcher for the next several days. It will be another recliner/massager day for me as my body is talking to me again!!! Thank goodness all the "must do things" have been done so I don't have any pressing things to do.

I need to call DD#3 to see how her garage sale day went yesterday. Not sure if she is running it today or not. Felt a bit bad that I couldn't help her with it - but she assured me that she could manage okay as her DSon#1 was there if she needed help.

Off to take a gander at the shop... HAGD

 

[AK_Tracy]

Good Morning Everyone!
This working thing stinks.I am feeling so behind. I feel behind in personal conversations, group chats, layouts, birthday fun. Resting. So behind in resting I like my job but weekdays are so much more work then my normal Saturday work. I some how missed all of yesterdays daily chat. My mom leaves this morning so tonight will be back to normal. Its been weird with her here as I only see her about an hour. 10 minutes before work and then dinner and she's in bed by 8:30 like the kids. Yes, I send my kids to bed at 8:30 so I can have quiet time. Its worked for us for 32 years. Even my 30 year old goes to his room at the time But he games. I know he's not sleeping. But instead of chatting with me and hubs, moms going to bed too. Its crazy.

I am having fun with the sale though. My credit card, not so much But my girl math says I saved money so I better buy it now and yep spend enough to get free kits, twice and still looking and ohhhhhhhh but I have to be careful. The bill eventually comes due. But I can now scrap with a few more things and that's always fun.

Gotta grab that second cup of and then get ready for work.
Have a wonderful day!
Oh and its sunny!!!! Gonna be hot today! 70 Degrees!!! Shorts and tank for sure today!!! Yesterday was amazing with 68 and full sun. I got some sun and tan started.

 

[mimes1]

@AK_Tracy I can feel your 70 degree sun all the way over here! All that side light and warmth? Tank top and shorts? Its so fun learning about AK through you and that it's not all cliche! Everytime I feel side sun now I think of you.

Window cleaning DONE! Thank goodness, finally! The offending drips and water spots were guess what - on the INSIDE! My Mark did the heavy reaching with the wooly cleaner outside, and we got all done and the spots were still there. I'm ready to call the company who cleaned the house and make a complaint, but Mark said wait, lets go clean the inside and see. Inside? Seriously? The cleaning was outside and these panels were replaced less than a year ago and they. are. clean! Well, turns out, the spots were on the inside. And then I just finished re-cleaning 16 of the 44 lower panels that we got accidently soapy in the process. And, @faerywings you'll be happy to know that Mark vacuumed the ceiling while he was at it! So now the windows are clean and I can stop griping about them.

It has to be hard to sell your mom's home, I guess that is your childhood home?

Yes - My childhood home. It's the home in that layout I posted a few days ago. HERE I was two when we moved in. Lots of happy memories there, but honestly I'm OK with letting it go. Mom hasn't been there in 4 years, my brother has been taking care of it - it's time. I think it's so interesting that so many of us have parent care in one way or another. This is such a nice place to be safe in the talking about it.

@faerywings So nice to hear all about your work. How lucky that you found something you love so much. When you love your work you never work a day!! Being new here from what I've gathered your work is newish? What was your work prior? We found a click-beetle on our front porch one time and had an entomologist friend from the zoo ID it. They're kind of cute in an odd sort of way! Maple sapping sounds like tons of fun! I bet the kids love that.


Here's the biggest spider ever that we found in garage a day or so ago. Mark collected him safely and we put him in the Farmers field behind our house. Glad he's not in the house!

@Celestine Hope the peppermint and chamomille that Chris sent over helped you feel better!

 

[mimes1]

Please let us know if your cleaning products work.

The woolite took care of everything. There's a tiny bit of etching from the chemical they used in the cleaning so a little spotting remains but for the most part I'm much happier with this last effort.

 

[bitzee]

@mimes1 Woohoo!! Glad your hard work paid off. Love my house but windows are a pain and I have a lot of them. Thanks.

 

[mimes1]

@mimes1 Woohoo!! Glad your hard work paid off. Love my house but windows are a pain and I have a lot of them. Thanks.

I capful woolite to a gallon of warm water. Rinse with clean water. Squeegee or hand dry!

 

[AK_Tracy]

No no NO! @mimes1 NO! We don’t relocate bugs. We squish them for daring to enter my domain. That’s a freakishly big spider. No. No No no

 

[AK_Tracy]

It’s 75!!!! Beautiful breeze. Awesome day even at work. Thankful I can sit outside while working.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Good evening. I finally managed to get Challenge 1 done (Scraplift). I'm so far behind and glad we have so much time to make up with the challenges. Adrienne, Aly and I went out all afternoon. Left about 1 and just got home. We had a good time and went into one of our favorite stores that Aly hadn't been in. We all bought hats. We decided we all needed big floppy hats to wear to sun in w/o getting our faces scorched. The one Aly wanted me to get was HUGE. I couldn't even see anything. I ended up getting one a little smaller and finally found a cowboy hat that is soft. They're always so hard and I have a big head so they never fit.

Chris @faerywings I know some of you remember those "perfect" shorts. I had ordered a pair on Amazon - took a picture of the "perfect ones" and uploaded it to their site. I got lots of "hits", ordered a pair in a darker wash and they were too big. Adrienne said "can't you just hang out in them?" I told her that they were thirty dollars and too expensive to just hang out in. So, I took them back to UPS today. I DID find another pair of shorts up on the high shelf of my closet today - I KNEW I had a pair that had distressing on them but I couldn't find them. They're not "the perfect pair", but I love the darker wash.

Darn it, I think Adrienne took a picture of the antiquing wax that the lady in the store said she used. She gets it at Walmart and she said that she tried tea stain first and it did nothing. She did say it was quite a process and she had it all over her hands, so that doesn't excite me much. Got my new big flag out last night and tried to put it on my old pole. The old pole was missing a "hook" for the second grommet, so I found a new pole at Wally's today. Oh, yes, we went there, too. It's hanging on the front of my house now and my house looks complete. It doesn't take much to excite me.

Amy @mimes1 on that spider. EWWWWWW. I think I have Arachnophobia. Theryl does NOT like spiders.

I'd love to answer everybody but I need to go do the Color Play posting on Instagram. Are all on Instagram? Here's a link to the Oscraps Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/oscraps/

Hugs to all.
XOXO

 

[JeanneMN]

Holey moley, you all were busy yesterday. I shan't compare myself to ya'll because my Loser scar will appear across my forehead, Harry Potter for slackers. It was gray and rained on and off all day, and I scrapped all day and still did not finish anything. I had an Epiphany about my scrapping though, I've decided my process for scrapping is a lot like constipation, you try and you try and nothing happens, but then when it dissipates, things start flowing smoother. Once I threw out what I'd done so far and hated, the new one started materializing. It's about my cousin so I think that also has something to do with it. Still raining when I got up at 4:30, I've started waking up early like that, but I like having the quiet house, coffee and doing something scrapping related.

@BrightEyes glad you are listening to your body and resting, it did a LOT for you the past weeks, you both deserve to be pampered in the AC. I will picture you in your recliner with a book, a box of bon bons and mint julip.

@mimes1 Very interesting about using Woolite like that. Washing windows is always a big job and sometimes I think when we wash windows, God laughs, because it always rains a day later. Relocating a spider? Seriously? I relocate myself and yell for my husband, shudder, and escape to land with Theryl, of course most people think that's my permanent residence. Ewww, ewww, ewww, ewww, I do not like spiders, I do not like spiders, I do not like spiders Sam I Am.

@AK_Tracy Hey twin, I agree about learning about Alaska through you. I think I had the Deadliest Catch version of weather there; it just feels like a chunk of Minnesota broke off and floated it's way around looking for greener weather grass, , and got stuck on the edge of Canada. I guess a chunk of Minnesota did break off and land in Canada though I would be like your mom and go to bed at 8:30, but then I'm awake early.

@faerywings Why is it we get this extra money and think we're going to have extra money and then the poop hits the fan and we have no extra money, in fact we have less money. One of the great mysteries of life, we make plans and God laughs.

Supposed to be hot and humid today so the Minnesota whine about "it's not the heat, it's the HUMIDITY" begins. Minnesotans have a whine for every season, I tell ya. Don't know if we'll do anything special today, not a big deal to hubs, I'm sure he'll say, let's stay home and save money which is probably a wise idea. I'm sure I can find some deadheading to do, the honeysuckle could use a haircut and then I can stare at the water lily bud and will it to open, and Lord knows I don't have to look too far to find a weed or 60.

 

[faerywings]

hello hello! Is everyone enjoying the party?

I finally scrapped a page for a challenge! It was easy- I scraplifted Trudy and ya cannot go wrong with that. I texted my hiking buddy that I had uploaded a picture of us to FB and she texted that she was on a hike ATM. I asked her why didn't I sign up since it was one that I wanted to do. She responds with -- your crazy schedule, you know- the shower and work and all that.
Oh yeah. *nods* That's why I didn't go. LOL It's too bad, the weather was perfect for hiking, sunny, and low humidity. We don't get that often in the summer.

I took advantage of the weather and spent a few hours weeding the yard. The lilies of the valley needed to be cut down and in a lot of cases, totally ripped out. They need so much management. I hate ripping plants out but sometimes it needs to be done. I plan on being outdoors today since it's supposed to get way too hot for yard work this week.
I didn't get to the FP-- for some reason, my gut was telling me to double-check the dates. It's usually the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month but I found the church bulletin online and it is next week. It worked out, I had more time in my yard.

My parents are coming for bagels this morning and Scott is coming over too. I am hoping that my kids can cheer my dad up, my mom told me a few more things my dad said that have me concerned

Speaking of the shower, it's two weeks from today and I haven't gotten a gift for Caitlyn. I have no clue what to do about that. Any suggestions?

Have a wonderful day and much love to the dads and father figures in your life!

 

[BrightEyes]

Guess my body had enough sleep last night-this morning. Fell asleep at 9PM and woke up at 3AM. Managed to stay in bed resting with eyes closed until 4:10... Gave in and got up then. Was playing around on the computer when the modem went to blinking at me and lost the internet. Same thing happened last Sunday morning!!! The tech told me that they send an up-date through the system once a week (for us it is early Sunday morning). He showed me how to unplug the modem, wait a minute or so, then plug it back in. Takes a few minutes and then the modem starts working right again. It is a PITA but it worked. So I am back on-line now.

Feeling a bit sad this morning. Today is my Mom's birthday - she has been gone for 10 years; and I am missing my Dad and hubby on Father's Day (Dad has been gone 30 years and hubby for 6 years). Will call my sister this afternoon to talk to her as she also lost her hubby the same year as I did. The call will cheer both of us up.

I got another LO finished and uploaded yesterday. I am bouncing between working on the Birthday Challenges/games and the regular monthly challenges. Almost done with the Scavenger Hunt.

 

[faerywings]

@A-M Glad you are having fun with the party!
Congrats to Ken for selling his vase. That is awful that people would steal handmade items. (I mean, stealing anything is bad but I at least understand food if you are starving). But when you make something, a little piece of your heart and soul are in it. That would be so upsetting

@mimes1 Woolite for cleaning the windows... that's a great idea. I worry about harsh chemical runoff so Woolite seems like it would be super gentle for that. Hope that they look sparkling by now. And if they are not, try to not worry about it, no one will notice other than yourself. It's like the smears on the bathroom mirror. They are glaringly awful in my house but I have never gone to another person's house and paid any attention

@Terri M Hehe, that's funny about the bear spray/ranger at Grand Teton. OTOH-- that is a completely different type of bear and I think I would want every tool in the toolbox. Even if I only throw the can of spray at a brown bear. Yikes!!!
For the bears around here-- black bears- - I always tell the kids that the biggest way to keep them away is noise and they make plenty of that.
Brown bears-- still shuddering over that. Eeek.

@vickyday Never say never about walking 4 miles. You just might do it after a while
You must have been laughing so hard at all of those stories. - The snake in the medicine cabinet would have freaked me out too. Snakes outside= good. Snakes inside =

@bitzee there is only one glass cleaner that I truly like using inside the house- Sprayaway. Windex is awful. The houses I clean now both have Windex or store-brand glass cleaner but a microfiber and water do a better job.

@BrightEyes sounds like a good idea to stay inside while it is super hot. Especially if your body is crying "Enough!"
We were supposed to get bad t-storms Friday night but they only lasted a short time and barely got any rain. Everything is so dry already.

@AK_Tracy Are you able to get some rest today after church? I hope so. Don't worry about the challenges for the party, they stay open until the end of the month. You have plenty of time.
Oh heck yeah-- send the kids to bed early so you get downtime before you utterly collapse into a heap.
Overall, did you have a decent visit with your mom? Not as bad as you expected? *fingers crossed for ya*
Enjoy the weather too!

Amy- whhhhheeeew!!! I bet you are thrilled that you can officially ignore the windows for the rest of the summer. *shoo birds, go poop somewhere else*
I vacuumed the ceiling in my office space yesterday too, me and Mark make a good team LOL!
The 4 years your mom hasn't been at the house must have been a decent emotional transition for you. Either way, it has to feel odd.
Yay for "Friend Transports!" That is what we call the cup and paper removal of bugs. We even have the plastic cups labels as such. We relocate most bugs, other than ticks (DIE!!!!!!), many ants, and the yellowjackets were swarming inside the house last year.

Want to guess what my prior work was? When you hear it, you'll be "That totally fits."
Have something in mind?
I used to be a PreK teacher. (See? It fits! ) I taught until I had my kids, and went back to work for a year when they were little. I was offered a job at the preschool where Scott was going a few days a week. But teaching other people's kids, while hiding from Caitlyn who was in the infant room and lost it if she saw me, then going home to finish the day with my little ones was too much. Then we all got sick and I couldn't work a regular job for years.

@AK_Tracy My mom would throw shoes at spiders if she saw them in the house. or ants. Every insect had to be annihilated.
Glad you can work outside, soak up that sun!

@Cherylndesigns I can't see you in a floppy hat but totally see you in a cowboy hat
The antiquing wax does sound messy but I would guess you would need natural fibers for the tea to work on the flags.

@JeanneMN at your scrap epiphany. Hey, whatever works. Sometimes I can't do a thing unless it is started with a template. Then it ends up looking nothing like the template and I'm happy.
It makes sense that if you are scrapping something you are emotionally connected to that you want it to be perfect, honoring your cousin fits that bill.
That's the truth, the second you have "extra money" -- not that there is ever *extra* just a little more than nothing ha!- Something else needs every last cent and then some. Bah.
Hope that your gardens are loving the weather

 

[faerywings]

@BrightEyes sending you love and hugs for missing your mom.

 

[BrightEyes]

@faerywings So glad you rechecked the calendar for when FP is open. Hope you get some good "yard time" in today. I know how good you feel after you spend time out there. So sorry that your mom is concerned about your dad. Sending good healing vibes his way.

@Cherylndesigns I was over visions of you in a huge floppy brimmed hat! I had one like that - it kept falling down over my eyes and I had to lift the brim up with my hand so I could see where I was going!!! You were wise to get a smaller brimmed hat. So glad you found the shorts where you had put them. I KWYM about finding "the perfect pair" and wanting more just like them in a different color. Good luck on your search to find one that fits like it should.

@JeanneMN I am with you... NO Spiders in the house or anywhere around me!!! I have been known to freak out if I see one in the house to the point of throwing a shoe at it (this was after hubby died - as he always took care of getting rid of them for me).

@BrightEyes glad you are listening to your body and resting, it did a LOT for you the past weeks, you both deserve to be pampered in the AC. I will picture you in your recliner with a book, a box of bon bons and mint julip.

I will own up to sitting in the recliner with a book... and a few chocolate pieces... but no mint julip.. or any alcohol drinks as my body doesn't do well with them. Give we a cup of coffee or tea and I am a happy camper.

@AK_Tracy WOW a heatwave in your area!!! 70 will be that up where you live!!! Hope you have more "hot" days like that.

It was 72F at 4AM and has fallen to 65F at 6AM... so need to go open the house up for the cool breezes to cool it down. HAGD

 

[bitzee]

@faerywings I hope your kids can cheer your dad up or at least distract him enough to ease things some. Thanks for the Sprayaway glass cleaner tip. I hate Windex.

@BrightEyes I hope you and your sister can get the TLC you need from one another. There is nobody like a sister to truly get it. I am going to my sister's today. Dad died a few days before Father's Day 8 years ago so we were still early into grieving on Father's Day that year. It gets better but still saddens.

 

[alsoartysa]

I‘ve never taken part in these chatty forums, but here goes. I have been a slug, a couch potato, and resting as much as i can before my trip up to Maine for a month. I broke a rib last week so it’s hard to move without pain. So no cleaning or packing going on in my house. One more day (today) of rest and then full on cleaning (Monday) and packing on Tuesday. Red eye flight. I’m trying to scrap the birthday challenges here, and plan on doing the monthly challenges, but I’m still trying to make my way around Oscraps. It’s very different to Scrap Girls, which was my home for many, many years. I’ll eventually get to know you all I’m sure. Have a great week everyone!

 

[AK_Tracy]

Good Morning!!!
Another beautiful bright sunny morning here!! We got up to 77* yesterday. It was glorious. I took photos and will turn it into a layout at some point. Maybe the AJ week 3 and my connection to the sun

Overall, did you have a decent visit with your mom? Not as bad as you expected? *fingers crossed for ya*

Thanks for asking, yes it went well. It helped that I worked and only really saw her a total of 2 hours a day. It was crazy. The boys loved it though as she actually played lots of board games with them. What I saw, she wasn't on her phone as much as normal. Huge plus.

Welcome Andrea @alsoartysa The chats are fun and before long you'll find you spend all your time here laughing.

Twin, @JeanneMN and Theryl @Cherylndesigns we can all sit over there in the spider free zone!
No spiders/bugs allowed in our corner. I leave them alone if they're outside and not next to me but you step in my house, game over.

@BrightEyes how annoying Kay to have to reset the modem every week. It seems like there has to be a better system for them to update. And why not middle of the night instead of first thing Sunday morning. Glad you are all rested up but sorry to see your day started so early.

Dogs are bugging me for breakfast. Off I go to see to their sweet little begging faces. Nothing like four sad dog faces.
Have a wonderful Sunday. Happy Fathers day to all the dads.

 

[Terri M]

Our house had been empty for many months when we bought it, and the spiders had taken up very comfortable residency. That first summer I just walked around with the vacuum every day sucking up webs and bugs. It's been 10 years now, and they're way more under control, but in the late spring they organize and still try to take a beachhead. I don't save any of them - there are plenty more where they came from!

This is my first Father's Day without dad. I felt sad at church this morning when they blessed fathers. I have a tendency to buy greeting cards when I see one I like, even if it's not needed right away, and last year I bought 2 fathers day cards. Sent one, kept one for this year. I ran across it a few weeks ago when I was looking for another card, and just took a deep breath and threw it away. I know it will get easier over time.

I'm having fun with the birthday challenges but I definitely have to get on those monthly challenges! Maybe I'll have some time later today. I did a quick "birthday cake" one for today, knowing it's not something I'll be printing or keeping for a book. David asked for steak for dinner, so that doesn't take a lot of time to cook. He does want to do a winery visit this afternoon, though, so off we go.