Too Long Gone!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I haven't blogged in so long...I am sorry! I wish I could say because I have been so busy, but I haven't been. I simply haven't felt like it, not sure why! I haven't even looked at any blogs, I have over 300 blog posts just sitting in my reader waiting to be read! I am such a bad blogger.

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Here is what is going on with me...

I went to a community clinic on Tuesday, they have sliding scale fees-I paid only $5! The docs, nurses and staff are all volunteer! They increased my diabetic meds, got me on an antidepressant, and gave me a flu shot. I did my labs today, so still waiting to hear back from that. I am sure it will involve more meds, lol! If you remember my last post, I mentioned my weight loss...keep in mind, I did NOTHING to lose that weight, I am contributing it to not eating out. Anyhow, my weigh in on Tuesday was 225, 10 more than on last Thursday. I was concerned about the first weight, since it was on a regular home scale. I knew I couldn't have gained that weight over the weekend, since I was eating better all weekend! Still though, that is 35 lbs lost with no effort whatsoever!! Bottom line, I am eating way better, smaller amounts, trying not to snack, etc. Again, very hard with our financial situation and all, but it is way better than before. I am anxious for another weigh in, but kinda glad we don't have a scale here at home, LOL!! I have also been taking 2-3 walks a day! They are short walks, but baby steps right?! I have been increasing my distance and speed, and I can totally see why so many people are addicted to exercise! I rather enjoy it. Cliff has been going with me, and is enjoying it too.

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OH WAIT, the best news of all.....I did it, I am finished, I am a non smoker! This is day 3, hardly craving a cigarette, and feeling really good! I know I announced quitting a month (or so) ago, but failed! It is official, I have quit, I am never going back! It feels really good. Me, Cliff, my Mom, all quitting. Dad however, won't quit, so we all still have to breath and smell his smoke, which is only a problem since we are trying to quit and it is very tempting! I look forward to my new life!

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Cliff's job....Apparently, he misunderstood that last phone call, because it wasn't at all what he thought. It was the normal interview/testing. He found out yesterday he was denied for the job. UGH, what are we gonna do? I would get a job, but the only job I am gonna be able to get is fast food, and it SUCKS!!! I did that for too many years. We will figure something out, we always do!

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As far as scrapbooking...I don't know what to say. I haven't scrapbooked, haven't looked at blogs, haven't been on the message boards, and missed out on like 10 challenges. I did finally clean my desk today, so there is hope! My plan is to be back very soon, with some scrappy stuff to share, and get back on a regular blogging schedule!! Thanks for your patience!

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I want to scrapbook!!!!

But my scrap area looks like THIS!!!!

I am determined to get it cleaned up though, and am sure to. Cliff has even offered to help, what a great guy!! I have 14 challenges to do at this very moment, and they are constantly coming in.

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Did I tell you the good news? Cliff thinks he has a job! He goes in Tuesday with 9 other people for a tour, paperwork, then come back the next day. He is assuming that means he got the job, I guess we will know for sure on Tuesday. It is only a temp job, but he should do pretty well so he could get on permenately. Keep your fingers crossed! Oh, that is also our anniversary-married 8 years. It will be the most boring anniversary celebration. Although, my brother/sil gave me movie tickets for my birthday, we will be using those for our anniversary-no popcorn or soda, but that is probably best since I am seriously trying to watch what I eat!

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I got my ATCs for AMR's ABC swap! Aren't they great?! I love swaps! I started a Christmas card swap over at AMR, but signups are a bit slow, I am hoping for a late surge, lol!

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What A Week!

First of all, sorry it has been so long since I blogged, starting on Monday, I was not feeling very well, then something else developed, courtesy of my diabetes! Needless to say, yesterday I hit the county's free clinic, and today I am feeling better, and in a lot less pain! I am back on one of my diabetic meds and an antibiotic!

For fun, here I am eating some chicken tortilla soup...can you tell that Toby is a scavenger??? I might mention his momma, siblings, and him were found when he was a baby, as feral cats! Although he has never gone without in the five years I have had him (since a baby), he constantly thinks he is starving to death!!!

I am at the VERY end of the deadline for these 2 challenges, hope I get them submitted in time!

This week, Pencil Lines and One Little Word teamed up, and the design teams designed for each other's blogs. I don't like to double up on challenges (I think it is cheating), but since I am just able to get to these today, a couple hours before the deadline, and they are teaming up, I figured it was a perfect time to double up.

Pencil Lines uses this sketch...

One Little Word's theme is "KEEP".

I used Bazzill cs, Dream Street pp-Enchanted and Art Nouveau, DCWV-All Dressed Up, Bazzill and Prima Flowers. BTW, don't ink the Bazzill Flowers, they won't stick to anything once inked-LOL, and American Crafts Thickers. This was a challenge on AMR. Make a layout for Stacey (the owner) telling why you love AMR. I used MM Noteworthy pp and die cuts, Prima Flowers, rhinestones, one AC Thickers, and stickled chipboard heart. I haven't sent this yet, haven't really left the house. I will try to get it off tomorrow!
This is also for AMR. Amanda Probst was the guest this month at the online crop last weekend, and challenged us to use one of her Album In A Year sketches, I chose the single page sketch from September. I Used Cloud 9 Design pp, MM metal tag rims, and AC Thickers.
Yesterday, Technique Tuesday has a warehouse sale, which normally they don't even let customer's come in to their office! It was really cool! A lot of the prices were 1/2 off, and I could have gone crazy! Cliff (and my parents) said I could spent $20, so I spent $16 and got lunch too! I got the lower case of the Wayfarer I picked up in Newport last month, for only ten bucks, then a really small Big Timber alpha set for $6! There were lots of deals, but that is all I could do, since I went with mostly alpha sets in mind! I hope they do it again sometime so I can spend more!

One more bit of good news, and you know I am honest and open on my blog.....At last check I weighed 260 lbs....last night I weighed 215!!! I hadn't noticed anything, but the more I thought about it, I had noticed my pants we slipping off my hips more, and my belly doesn't hang like it used to!! I officially weigh less then I did when I got married (245), and only 35 more than when I graduated HS!!! I am attributing it to living here with my parents, and not being able to eat out at every meal. Needless to say, I am VERY motivated to take better care of myself! I have been testing my blood sugar, and trying to eat less!

Thanks!

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I Am Wiped Out!

Whew, that was a long, busy weekend-all I did was scrapbook, LOL!!! I really need to get a life.

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Since this is Monday, the new challenges were posted at Scrapbook Challenges.

I got to post my DT challenge this week, I decided to do "Designing with Printed Paper", no other embellishments and no cs except for the background. I really had NO idea what my challenge was going to be as I designed this page. I need to start catalouging ideas for future challenges, lol!

I used Bazzill cs, All Dream Street pp-Nouveau line, and I inked the edges. This is the sketch this week, #112. Pamela, who leads the group, designs all the sketches and devotes lots of time to this group. Thanks Pamela for all your hard work!
Here is my take on the sketch. I am really trying not to do the sketch exactly as is, so I rotated this one.

I used Bazzill cs, unknows scraps, a ginormous Chip Chatter letter. American Crafts Thickers, inked Maya Road chipboard snail, MM paint, and a Kaiser Crafts rubon.

Don't forget about the other challenges going on right now at Scrapbook Challenges. You have until the end of the month to complete all the challenges, and for each challenge or sketch that you do, you get an entry into the drawing for the prize, this month's sponsor is Inque Boutique!

Sketch 110

The Write Stuff

Feel Your Way With Felt

Sketch 111

In Search of the Great Pumpkin

Let's Get Moody

Sketch 112

Designing With Printed Paper

Create a Layout That is Circular

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This is another layout for AMR's crop this past weekend. This was Heather's 1st challenge, to scraplift her layout, both in design and theme-your favorites today!

All products are Basic Grey Sultry, except for the Technique Tuesday stamp, the buttons, and the inked Bazzill Just the Edge strip.This was Jenn's challenge at AMR this weekend, use a vertical title.

I used Bazzill cs, Scribble Scrabble pp, American Crafts Thickers, and hand drawn (with ruler of course) border.
This is Sandy's Challenge at AMR, as the spotlighted member this month. This challenge was a bit more involved...Use colors from your picture on your LO. Use one picture. The object of this challenge is to use only colors that are in your photo. Pick at least 3 colors from your picture; now pick these same colors for your cardstock, patterned paper and embellishments. Use at least 3 embellishments. Try to stay with the same or similar colors in the picture. No other colors can be used unless you are using rub-ons, and they can be any color. Distress some of your cs/pp using an emery board, file, sandpaper or distressing tool. Ink or chalk some edges.

I used Bazzill cs, Basic Grey Blush scraps (red), Cosmo Cricket Strip Teases, 7-Gypsies pp (I think), Glitz Chipboard birdies, misc arrow brads and some buttons. The circles and squares were made with Cuttlebug dies, Funky Circles and Funky Squares. One more AMR challenge, for now anyway, was Debbie's challenge, make a layout about something life changing. While her example was a bit sad, mine wasn't so much (she said this event can be joyous). I used Bazzill Dotted Swiss cs, Melissa Francis pp, MM Noteworthy journal card and die cuts, Kaiser Crafts flowers and pearls, and American Crafts Thickers.
This card is for Cuttlebug Challenges, make a Halloween of Fall card, using the Cuttlebug of course, lol! I used Bazzill cs, Boo To You embossing folder, scalloped circle Nestabilities, classic oval Nestabilities, Quickutz Cat die for the swirls, and Quickutz scooter die for the stem. I had a lot of fun making this one! I MUST thank tigardlilly for letting me use her dies and folders, or none of this would be possible. While I have a Cuttlebug, I only have a tiny bit of stuff for it, and none of it applied to this challenge.
This card is for another Cuttlebug Challenge Blog, The Cuttlebug Spot. This challenge was to color your embossing. I used my newly found Prisma colored pencils and colored the Stylized Flowers embossing, then used the 2x6 Flowers die for the flowers. I don't like the flowers that are on the embossing folder, so adhered my own flowers on instead, lol! I finalized it with a Studio G stamp.
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know a bit about my financial situation and my current lack of scrapbooks, lol! I decided to make my own "temporary" scrapbook that should get my by until I can afford to buy one, probably 2 new scrapbooks. I found my extra page protectors and used the chipboard in that packaging. Using the "strips" that came with them, my trusty Crop-O-Dile, and some extra posts I had lying around, I made a scrapbook!

I even "doodled" on the cover. Now you can see why I don't doodle on my pages, LOL!!!
The finished product! I know it is ghetto, but at least they are in one place and fairly protected.
Tigardlilly came over today to scrapbook with me, since she had today off! As you probably know, I live with my parents and I scrapbook in my room, right next to the bed. Hubby helped me put the bed against the window, went to the garage to un-bury my regular scrapbooking table, and we had a crop!! Notice my cat??? He is always getting into something!!

This is the view from the door.

Here is the view from the closet, sorry about the lights, that is all I have to scrap with-hence all my terrible layout photos!! You can really tell how small this room is!
I didn't feel very well today, so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked to. I still have 12 challenges to do and a couple swaps. It never seems to end, as soon as I get a couple challenges done, there are more ready to start! I DO enjoy it though! Hopefully I will have more for you tomorrow!

I apologize for the spacing, I think Blogger is freaking out tonight, lol.
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The Fun Never Ends!!!

I got 1 regular challenge done today, or early this morning, lol!! This one is for Making Lemonade. A challenge blog helping us to use those pictures that are not neccessarily good enough to begin with. This challenge was "fixing noise in a photo". Noise is that grainy or pixelated look in some photos. She gave us some tips on how to do that, including a link to a freeware noise reducer program. It worked pretty good, I think. I am still fairly new at this kind of stuff, but I do notice a difference in the original and edited photo. Details on my photos below. For this layout I used BG Granola pp, stripped and inked chipboard letters, inked grungeboard, Bazzill flower, misc button, and an unknown journal notecard (a RAK).

I found this photo of me and tigardlilly in 1981. It is old and scanned...
This is the filtered one. There isn't a huge difference, but looking at them side by side, you can see a little difference. This second one has more defined edges and is a tiny bit crisper.
So, as I mentioned earlier, today was this month's online crop at AMR. There were a total of 8 challenges this time, and in 11 hours I have completed only 2! lol In my defense, I spent a few hours searching for pics for my upcoming pages, talking on the phone, eating dinner, and playing games for the crop-1 of which I won, YAY!

This first challenge was posted by Nicole, a color challenge. She basically talked about the different color schemes with a color wheel, so I chose the rectangle method and came up with these papers. It was also discussed in another thread, the gallon/quart/pint/cup technique, where you use different amounts of color based on the idea of those measurements, so I did that at the same time. Trust me when I say, that the colors I chose do match better in real life compared to what they look like here. Here is the layout I came up with. I used all Bazzill cs except for the tiny bit of orange-that is DCWV, misc buttons, Reminisce stickers, Crate Paper rubons, American Crafts Thickers, and staple-pleated some ribbon.
This was one of Heather's Challenges....

So you want to be on a design team? well, it isn't always smooth sailing, even though it is fun! You just got your kit late and your design was due yesterday, and inside is:

1 yard of ribbon

4 sheets pp

2 pieces of cardstock

3 flowers

a handful of buttons

a journaling card

alphas

rubons

various chipboard shapes
This is what I came up with... I used Bazzill cs, BG Ambrosia pp, Bazzil and Prima flowers, chipboard shapes-most covered in pp, buttons, Teresa Collins journal card (cut from 12x12 sheet), Maya Road and BG rubons, and jute (?) ribbon, and American Crafts Thickers.

Here are all the pics I printed tonight, enough for all my projects I need to get done. I am really liking printing these at home, but yikes, the ink goes fast! Next time I get photo paper (I am using my mom's) I am getting matte finish, I HATE glossy photos, lol!

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I know, you are thinking, do I really need that many pictures for the next few days??? Why YES I do, lol! I have a total of 17 challenges to get done this week-many in the next couple days, and 2 DT layouts to do. I have only done 4 since I last shared the number of challenges to do, and it has increased in size in just the last couple days!! At least I have plenty to keep me busy!!! People have told me "You don't have to do them all", and I know that, but I want to!! Wish me luck in getting this all done, LOL!!!

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2 Challenges, a great find, and WEEZER!!!

This layout is a challenge for Pencil Lines, see the sketch here. I used some Weezer photos-yay, Bazzill cs, BG Infuse pp, Bazzill flowers, rhinestone brads, American Crafts Thickers, Kaiser Crafts pearls, and a Me and My Big Idea rhinetone flourish.

This is for Pink Sketches, see sketch here. These pics are from our crop last weekend. I used Bazzill cs, Sassafras Lass Hog Heaven pp, misc ribbon, and American Crafts Thickers.
Look what I found yesterday!! If you have looked on my wish list, you will see I want some. I found these in my hubby's drawing stash-which he never uses, they are mine now, WOO HOO!!
The AMR monthly online crop starts in 15 minutes, and I am cleaned up, stocked, and ready to go!!! I am looking forward to the chatting, challenges and prizes! Always a good time.
Since I gotta get going, I will leave you with some images from the Weezer concert from Thurday night.....

Dinner at Newport Seafood Grill, Happy Hour baby!!!

The Memorial Coliseum from the parking garage

Before the concert, there is nothing like a $7.00 Bud Light, lol!

Hmmm, this is what happens when you can't see the view finder because it is too dark! They would have been really greats shots too!

During the show. Tigardlilly is showing her age!! She says she can hear better, lol! She is right though, it wasn't too loud for her, she was just drowning out all the extra noise so she could hear him better, I just thought it was funny!

During the show, not bad for 2 "buzzed" girls armed with cameras, in the dark!!!

Angels and Airwaves, one of the opening acts, I LOVED them!!

WEEZER!! Keep in mind, we were at the opposite end of the arena..this is the best I could do, without totally blurring the photos any more, lol!




It was a REALLY good show, and for the price we paid, we got 3 awesome bands, and 4, count 'em, FOUR hours of loud music and fun!!
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