Notice Anything Missing...

...from this sad, lonely parking spot in front of our apartment?

If you guessed a vehicle (or more specifically, my VAN) then you are correct! Sadly, my van decided that since we weren't planning to spend any of our tax return money on a nice gift for it, well then it would just drop it's transmission out on the highway so we'd have to get it a new one. Nice, huh? But the joke's on the van...we aren't getting it a new one, we're just having the old one rebuilt! Heh heh. That vehicle just doesn't understand the human smartness it's dealing with here.

So anyways, I'm kinda stuck at the house until we can manage to pick it up later this week. Not that I had plans to go anywhere, luckily.

How about a 2010 Goals recap:
1) BLOG at least ONCE a WEEK.
Um...still doing better than last year. I consider this a win.
2) Be in a size 8 (or a 6...hey, it could happen!) by the end of the year.
My weight seems to be staying the same, which is frustrating, but I'm still exercising 5 days a week. And I now need smaller underpants, so something must be working!
3) Edit and organize my pics from this year and last, and get them on Flickr.
Yesterday I edited our Christmas photos (better late than never, right?), plus a ton of other pics, and finally uploaded them. Whew!
4) Read 100 books.
I'm halfway through book #15...not exactly on target, but I should at least hit 50 by the end of the year!
5) Get back into my art again!
I've scrapped several pages this year using the January kit from Jen's House of Scrap...I even did this month's prompt for GutterGirlz! And here's my proof:




I've also managed to make 2 etsy sales so far this year, and my robot pinback buttons are being reviewed soon on THIS BLOG...pretty excited about that. :) Hope your Wednesday is happy!

I Just Couldn't Stay Away Any Longer...

I know, I know. I'm weak, what can I say? I was trying to ignore the fact that I even HAVE a blog

....but in a moment of weakness, I've decided to return.

After all, who am I to deprive my public?

I'm sure you've all been wandering listlessly through your days, awaiting an update of any kind...just something, anything, from your humble Coffee to get you through your day. And, like the celebrity I am, I've selflessly returned from my sabbatical to grant your seemingly improbable wish.

So what have I been up to, you wonder?

For your convenience, a bullet list:

• Threw a rockin' cool birthday/slumber party for Maggie, complete with personal pizzas, karaoke, and a movie. Have had to suffer through Supermom status ever since.
  

• Got to see my dad when he came up for a visit around Columbus Day, and took the kids to the Pumpkin Farm in Ligonier. Freezing cold, blustery day. Typical. Considered concealing myself in the bed of his truck just before he made the trek back to Virginia, then disregarded plan due to having to go 13 hours without being able to pee.
  

• Got a job (although, I think if you really plan to enjoy it, you can't really call it a J.O.B.) babysitting the Twinkies, starting Monday.

• I'm not even sure what this picture is about. Nothing to do with Halloween, however. But fun just the same.

• There have been multiple doctor visits due to my constant/chronic allergies; so far no miracle cure. I'm currently on an over-the-counter allergy med with decongestant, a nasal spray, an inhaler, and a nighttime allergy medication, in addition to the thyroid pill and dose of Tylenol I take every morning. Might as well add an anti-depressant to the list, seeing as how winter is already breathing down our necks.

• Family pic scheduled for tomorrow evening. Will post results as soon as they're available...will be our first professional family pic since before Jack was born. Timely.

• Listed some new items in my etsy store, and put my folk art dolls on SALE!! Offering a limited-time-post-Halloween sale, hoping to get some Christmas money, since I'm told the children will be expecting presents this year. Typical.

So, lest this blog post be all about ME, what's new with YOU? I've missed blogging, SO much, and will be making the rounds to visit you all throughout the week. Yay! Have a wonderful evening!

8 More Days...

...til I'm on a plane headed for Texas! I can't believe the time for the Tally Rally is almost here! I've been looking forward to this for months...and it totally snuck up on me. Seriously, eight DAYS?? What on earth have I been doing with my preparation time? Oh yeah, now I remember...

hanging out at the pool with Shyla and our kids. Every. Freaking. Day.

It's a blast. We just can't get enough of it, and I have the best tan I've had in years from basking in the sun for endless hours. Also got the best sunBURN I've had in years, but it's gone now and I really don't like to think of it. Because of the nightmares, you understand.

Let's see, what else have we done this summer? A TON of stuff....guess I'll do a bullet-list.

• I convinced Alex to cut his shaggy mop of hair, and he loves his fresh new 'do.
• Jack made a new best friend, named Aaron, whose back yard is behind ours. Jack is over at Aaron's more than he's at home. They're like peas and carrots.

• We've made several trips to the library, and I finished the "Twilight" series. Loved it. Can't wait for the "New Moon" movie...November 20, baby!
  
• Alex turned 11...we had a pool party for him, of course. And ice cream cake, which was my favorite part.

• Been to several BBQs.
• Got to meet my 3-year-old nephew, Tobias, for the first time. He totally loved me, even gave me a slobbery kiss before they left to attend a wedding, then head home to Wisconsin.

• Visited my Grandma Jo and saw my dad, sister Kim and brother David there.
• Watched all of Season 4 of "The Office"...the DVD set was my Mother's Day gift, and I freaking LOVED it. Can't even tell you my favorite episode, since they were all so super fab.
  
• Finished another folk art doll (Flora Bloom) and listed her in my etsy shoppe, along with Aurora Fawn.

• Took Jack in for his Kindergarten physical...poor guy got 4 shots and didn't even cry. My big boy.
• Rick's taught me a few cornhole pointers and I've done a bit of practicing for the big tournament at the Tally Rally. Hopefully Rachel and I (or "Team Chowder" as we've dubbed ourselves) will be able to win at least one game. Keeping my fingers crossed.
  
• We've been to the pool every day...did I mention that already?

That's all I can think of for now! I've got a LOT of cleaning to do before the week is done...laundry, dishes, vacuuming...not to mention organizing the schtuff I need to take and packing for my trip. Busy, busy, busy....wonder how long I can put off the packing before it's officially considered "procrastinating?" Better not try to find out. Off to pack!

Or at least work on the list of what I need to remember to pack. That counts, right?

Friday the 13th, Take Two!

First things first....

Michelle, Becky and Adrienne, I need you to email me (latte_grande921 [at] hotmail [dot] com) your snail mail addys so I can get your RAKs in the mail! You technically have a year before you need to Pay-it-Forward on your own blog, then I come after you with a rubber hose! lol

Today is another wonderful Friday the 13th! Have I mentioned how much I love those? Rick and I are going to attempt to see the movie tonight, but so far I've been unable to contact the theater to see about advance tickets. They don't offer them online. Wth, people, get with the 21st century! So anyway, wish me luck with that.

I also get to pick up Harvey today! I'll be sure to share a picture of him all fired and handsome....I may crackle and antique him first, though. I'm so far undecided on that. I don't know if you knew this about me, but I don't really care for shiny and new.....I much prefer rusty and old! lol And speaking of gnomes, Geoffrey the TallyGnome is flying to his next home today! Wonder where he'll end up....?


Another thing to look forward to today...my new sewing machine!! My old one finally bit the dust, and I dropped it off at the thrift store yesterday. I ordered a new machine at Amazon.com on Wednesday, and just got an email that it had shipped already! I didn't expect to get it until the end of the month, so I'm just super excited. I've been wanting to work on another doll, so I can hardly wait!! This machine is designed for quilting, and has an attachable table for large projects. Isn't she purty?

Let's see....what else happened this week?

Maggie brought home her new classroom laptop on Tuesday....the state of Indiana just received a grant for these computers especially designed for little hands. Out of the whole state, only 20 schools were selected to have their 2nd-graders use these machines, and our school was one of them! Cool, huh? She only gets to bring it home once in awhile, and there are very strict rules regarding its use while it's here. Our kids were so fascinated by it that I was actually able to get a picture of all four of them facing me at the same time!! I consider this a belated Christmas miracle.


Baby Elijah has been with us for a couple days while his momma takes her classes (his regular babysitter had some doctor appointments), and last night he spent the night with us! He's such a good baby.....Jack and Jacob like playing with him, as you can see!


In scrappy news, there's a new challenge up today at Lotus Paperie!! This one is to use 6 or more pictures on a page, which is right up my alley. LOVE multi-photo pages! Here's what I came up with....using pics of Jacob's 1st haircut from last summer!


And I finally got my new kit put together and listed in my etsy shoppe...say hello to Earth and Moss! Woodgrain contact paper, vintage fabric, clay buttons.....I'm really happy with this one, lots of great projects just waiting to happen!


Okay, peeps, this has been a much bigger update than I had planned...we just have a lot going on, I guess! Happy Friday the 13th....enjoy your weekend!!

Monday Again? Hecks to the NOOOOEE!!

Monday means it's my cleaning day. Monday means it's back to work, back to school, and back to the daily grind. Monday means I STILL haven't updated you on my Friday the 13th. The day I visited my mom's hometown. I got to see the church where my parents were married.

The house where my mom grew up...looks totally different now, with new siding. The new owners tore down the corn bin, too, one of my favorite places to play as a kid.

I inherited this watch from my aunt Violet's things, and just had a new battery put into it. I think it's beautiful.

Monday means I haven't yet told you about the new challenge over at Lotus Paperie, to use this awesome sketch!

Here's the layout I came up with, and the one I did for this week's Survivor challenge at TallyScrapper:


Monday means it's time to update you on my weekend! I can't believe it's over already, to tell you the truth. Friday I finished our tax return....but I don't have a picture to show you of that. :) Saturday was the Fun Fair at the kids' school, which was kind of a disappointment since we showed up for the last hour and they shut things down 30 minutes before the fair was supposed to be over! We missed out on the balloon animals AND the bounce house, which really sucked. The kids had fun, but next time we'll go earlier.


(Sheesh, that kid needs new glasses....look how crooked those are!)
After the fair, Alex and Maggie went to a birthday party/roller skating party/girls' slumber party (yeah, Alex was back home and missed that part), and I went to an Archivers' crop with Miranda! Got to see Kristy and Amy again, which is ALWAYS a good thing. And I'm not sure how this happened, but I only got two stinkin' layouts done! Well, mostly done...

(See that little Taco Bell dog in the corner? Rick and I take turns hiding that for the other to find, and he had tucked it into my packed scrappy supplies! That made me smile.)

And lastly, here's a sneak peek of my newest mini kit....I'll be adding more to it, but this is what I have so far. Still haven't thought of a name, but I want it to have the word "green" in it. Can you tell by my redecorated blog that I'm in the mood for green? :)

Sunday? I can't remember Sunday very well. I know it involved grocery shopping, a stop at the thrift store, then the rest is lost in a YoVille-induced haze...

Ooo, wonder if it's time for me to check in at my widget factory job yet? The next time I get paid, I can get that exercise bike I've been saving for...

Okay, remember how I said that Monday is my cleaning day? Yeah. I better get going on that before I get fired. Have a happy Monday!!

Coffee's Shoppe is in the GUTTER!!

That's right, this month my etsy store is sponsoring the Gutter Girlz! This is the prize you could win simply by participating in at least one of February's prompts, then linking it up in the comments!

And speaking of my shoppe, I added a couple new listings today. Finally, Deidre Clementine is available for purchase...

And I have a few new tags for sale...

Now, speaking of the GUTTER...the new prompt is up NOW!!
THE PROMPT:
WHATEVER, DUDE.
THE SONG:
I don't THINK SO by Kelis
THE PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE:
Handprint
Here's what I came up with:

People, it's been a great weekend. I'll be sure to give you a run-down SOON...it involves a scary movie and revisiting my roots, with an antique store side trip. But first, I must get some groceries before my family members end up devouring each other. Have a great day! :)

Meet Deidre Clementine!

After adding a few finishing touches, my love-themed folk art doll is finally complete! **Thanks to Kristy C. for helping me with her name...I love it!**

Deidre (meaning "broken-hearted") has had some unfortunate relationships in the past. She was always searching for the love of someone else to make her feel complete. Now she's barefoot and poor, with her grandmother's heirloom necklace as her sole remaining possession of any value. After a string of greedy and hurtful lovers, Deidre has decided to brush herself off and mend her broken heart. And though she's lost her way before, Miss Deidre Clementine is finally on the right path. She's beginning to learn how to love and respect HERSELF.





Deidre is enjoying her time here in our home, but she's feeling the urge to travel and see what this world has to offer. I'll be listing her in my etsy store in the hopes that someone out there will provide her a loving home and the opportunity to heal and grow! I know there's a kind soul out there that would love to care for Deidre through the rest of her journey....could that person be you?

I am ON it, Dog-gonnit!!

Yes, this week I'm actually on TIME! Allow me to introduce you to my newest layout for Lotus Paperie, for the sketch challenge that just went up this morning!

I also just finished my art journal page for the 2nd prompt, "Because." You should check out the video on the art journal blog! Really awesome, healing technique that I'd like to do again sometime.

ALSO, I mailed out the clay button order for Scrap Muse...

...got a package in the mail for my Tally Sis, and sent an order from my etsy shop overseas...all the way to the United Kingdom! (Nicole, today I'm working on assembling your custom kit...I didn't forget about you!) I feel so very productive!

A BIG THANK YOU to Miranda & Troy, who came over yesterday to do me a big favor.....since Rick has to take my van to work while his car is out of commission, Troy stayed with the kids while Miranda gave me a ride to the vet....with Nicodemus. Yeah, it appears that he has pneumonia, too. But this time we may have caught it early enough to save him. He's already had two doses of his antibiotic, and though his activity has slowed and he's stopped eating, I'm really hoping these meds will kick in and he'll start feeling better! Poor guy. And thank goodness for these etsy orders, or we may not have been able to foot the $77 vet bill. *sigh*

Today's "To Do" list includes listing some new goodies in my shop...


Working on a tutorial for the TallyBlog...

Getting started on my 52Q project, hosted by Emily Falconbridge (who just found out she's pregnant!)...

And maybe even getting some laundry and dishes done! Set your goals high, that's my motto.

Hope your Friday is happy and productive!!

Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired

Okay, seriously, can I be DONE blowing my nose every five minutes already? I feel like I've had a stuffed-up head since November and I'm ready to feel normal again. Whatever THAT is. I'm hoping it's something as simple as needing to change my allergy meds....later this week I'll pick up a bottle of generic Zyrtec and see if that helps. In the meantime, I think I'll just take DayQuil every few hours to keep from dripping snot on everything I see.

Needless to say, I have NOT gotten much done on the clay buttons.

Some randomness:

My brother Mark stopped by for a visit the other day.....and Jacob promptly attached himself at the hip. I think it's SO cute how much he loves his Uncle Mark. And he doesn't act that way around any of our other visitors. So bizarre!

We got a new pet rat over the weekend! His name is Pepsi Max, and he's the cutest little guy! He and Nicodemus are getting along quite well, but Max isn't sure what to think of us yet. I expect in a week or so, he'll be ready to come out and play with his new humans. :)

SO glad the kids went back to school today. They had a snow day on Friday, then MLK Jr day off yesterday....made for the longest weekend EVAH.

We were able to see our BIL Mark for a minute or two over the weekend....he's on his 2-week hiatus from Iraq, and his plane came in Sunday. We all met at IHOP for dinner, and a good time was had by all.

Some of us had a little TOO MUCH fun (ahem, Vikki)...

My layout for the current challenge over at Lotus Paperie (use a frame):

And this is my new etsy kit, "Love Blossoms," which I still need to list in my etsy shoppe!

All right, consider yourself updated! I'll try to remember if there's anything I've forgotten, but I'll need coffee first. :)

Have a happy Inaugeration Tuesday!!