rain rain go away

March 2008

Feel like things have been so busy lately.

I haven't blogged. I haven't scrapped, made cards or knitted. This is my busiest time of the year at my work and I'm coasting until May when I finish the semester and have shorter work weeks to look forward to. There are some perks to working two jobs.

So I need some direction to my blogging today. Lists always help me! So here goes...

Things I am looking forward to:

• the rain stopping here in New England. Looking forward to 60's and 70's later this week.
• my guy's birthday this weekend.
• shopping on Thursday for his birthday.
• getting my Pampered Chef order soon. Just went to a party tonight.
• planting my container garden on the balcony.
• getting a new bedspread for our bedroom. I want something neat, clean and bright. Less busy then the one we have now.
• going to the gym tomorrow. Love having that routine back.
• taking more photos. Realized I only took a handful this past month.
• reading on the balcony. When. the. rain. stops.

Good Lord! The RAIN HAS TO GO! I am not usually one to complain about the weather but this is getting old. I'm a New Englander. I love a good snowstorm. But this winter has been a dud. Very little snow but SO much rain. And now that it is officially Spring I am having Spring fever and want to take walks outside, start planting my containers etc. But we have been having torrential rains, flooding and wind off and on for weeks.

But it will end. I know it will. And it does make me appreciate the warm, sunny days that much more. There are positives to it.

Anyhow...

...looking forward to a dryer day tomorrow?!

craft fair pride

The craft fair was a success. Above is my side of the table. I didn't sell a whole lot...but the "deal" I had "Buy 3 get 1 free" made it so that each customer bought more than one card! So that worked. It was just fun to do and such a good cause. But what was more exciting was this....

...these are prints of two pen & ink drawings my dad did over 30 years ago. They are of our city hall and the fishing boats/harbor. This was his first time seeing what people think aside from us. He sold 3. I am SO proud of him! He was appreciated from his talent that he doesn't seem to realize is so awesome. They are beautiful and for years I had hoped he and I could draw together sometimes. I buy him pencils and pen & ink supplies occasionally. This may be the inspiration he needs. I am so proud of my talented dad!

Well...I am hoping to enjoy this beautiful Sunday. It is my only day off until next Sunday so I plan on relaxing and doing a little cleaning around the apartment. Then meeting a friend for coffee this afternoon.

Happy Sunday and Happy Spring!

baking & st. patrick's day

Irish Freckle Bread

The past two nights, after work I have been baking. I enjoy baking but I have been tired this week thanks to daylight savings time. But my guy really wanted me to make his family's recipe for Whoopie Pies and I had promised him I would this weekend and never got around to it. So...it was my own fault :) They are very rich and I really can only eat a little bit of one. They are huge...and full of all kinds of bad stuff.

Tonight I made my Irish Freckle Bread in honor of my holiday - St. Patrick's Day. I am always so proud to be Irish but especially on that day. About 4 years ago I found the recipe and decided it would become my own tradition each March 17th. It's a long story but my Nana once had a recipe for Irish Freckle Bread but it wasn't handed down to my mom so I decided we would start our own. It is so good. I use cranberries instead of currants or raisins since I like them much better. I just took it out of the oven and the apartment smells so good and I can't wait to have some with my coffee in the morning. I plan on taking half the loaf to my parent's tomorrow for them to enjoy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

yarn shops, days off and other stuff

feather & fan dishcloth I finished this weekend

This was a great few days off from work. I went to a crop at my LSS on Wednesday night. It was ok. I got a few pages done and earned my way to a $20 coupon. On Friday and Saturday I visited a few yarn shops for the Yarn Crawl. Picked up.....

Just made purchases at two of the three stores I visited. The dark blue yarn is for a small, circular afghan I am going to make. The yarn in the front...the fuzzy red yarn was an impulse buy. Have no idea what I'll do with it but it is SO soft and yummy. I have small plans for the other two skeins. It was fun to check out two new shops. And most of my purchase was done at a store I frequent occassionally. I entered a raffle to win $500 in yarn from that store. That would be nice!

Yesterday, Cary and I went to see Alice in Wonderland. I LOVED it! Great movie. When I got home I made a few more cards. I'm preparing for the craft fair I'm doing next Saturday. I think I'm ready. Just need to make up a few signs and get my tote of stuff out of storage. But today it is absolutely pouring rain and windy so that might have to wait.

I'm not looking forward to a full work week next week. Just not ready. But for today I hope to do some knitting and relaxing. I feel pulled between my three hobbies...knitting, cardmaking and scrapping. There just isn't enough time!
Happy Sunday!

monday gratitudes

Presque Isle, ME ~ Memorial Day Weekend 2009

Today I am grateful for...

• a beautiful day off from work.
• money in the bank to pay the unexpected amt of taxes I owe.
• extra days off this week.
• my education.
• time to make cards yesterday.
• my stamp & paper collection.
• my board certification as an art therapist.
• knitting to relax my busy, over-thinking mind.
• yellow. a color I never appreciated before.
• spring being on its way in New England.
• an apartment with nice morning sun.
• lavendar.
• scented candles...current favorite is "Dune Grass" from Yankee Candles.
• country.
• use of my arms and legs.
• feeling better.
• future milestones to look forward to.
• upbeat music.
• Netflix DVD's to look forward to (thanks to my sister!)

Decided to post an old picture to remind me that (a) Spring will get here, and (b) I need to focus on simple pleasures.Yesterday I tried to relax and eventually did...but in the a.m. did my taxes and had an unfortunate suprise...doesn't pay in many ways to have to work two part-time jobs. I need to make some quick adjustments before too much more of 2010 goes by so I'm not in this position next year. But I was able to calm my thoughts with a little knitting and then sat and played with my new scrapping supplies and made a few cards. I'll post them later. More collage-y in style I think. Fun. Needed some of my own art therapy. Today I need to take my car to the dealer to have them look at my windshield. The rubber liner that holds it down at the roof line is very loose! Yikes. Then a quick trip to Trader Joes. I want to pick up a few things for dinner and some tulips. Maybe I'll splurge on 2 bunches this week.

Happy Monday!

splurging

Yesterday I took one of my old friends to my LSS. She had never been and we had a ball. I picked up this American Crafts stamp set. I've been eyeing it for a few weeks but always cringe when I buy a bigger stamp set at full price. It wasn't that bad....$10 but I feel guilty that I've been spending so much money on supplies lately. I need to start making cards for the craft fair in a few weeks and ease up on the shopping for supplies! I am looking forward to breaking these out today!

This week I have a few extra days off. One of my plans is to get some binders and page protectors and work on a new organization for my clear stamps. Right now they are in a drawer in my desk. But my stash is growing and I'm running out of room. Plus I can't see what I have. I use a binder system for all my alphas, stickers, journaling tags etc. And I have always liked that. Much easier to see what I have. So I'm going to try the same for my clear stamps. We'll see how it works.

Plus this weekend I am SO excited at how beautiful the weather is! Sunny, warm (50'), and did I mention sunny?

Happy Sunday!

content

Content. That is how I'm feeling. Last night I got home from work and a good workout. Sat and watched a a netflix movie (Season 5: Weeds), burned a candle and relaxed. It has been a long week and next week I have extra days off for Spring Break. I have the apartment to myself for a few days. Today the sun is out finally here in New England, I feel good and I'm going to take a friend to the nearest scrapbook store. She has never been and I'm really looking forward to it. But not before driving with the window open (I know almost 50' isn't warm by most standards but without winter so far...) and getting myself an iced mocha from my favorite small coffee shop. Content.