weekend nesting

Since it rained yesterday and a beach day was out of the question I did some errands and shopping. I could wander around HomeGoods for hours. And I did. I have really been wanting a white pitcher for flowers for a long time. I like how simple they look. Very pretty. So I found this one for $10 and a set of four quilted placemats for $10. My guy isn't a fan of placemats on the table...he likes the plain wood but he might like it when he sees them. We'll see!

I also got this very cute red ceramic pie dish and wire "caddy" for $10. I got home and made myself a blueberry pie. One of my favorites. I tried a Trader Joes crust and wasn't as happy with it as I thought I'd be. It didn't come out flaky...a little soft. Almost like it needed to be baked longer but that didn't help either. Not sure why. I think it's the first thing from there I haven't been 100% satisfied with...
At HomeGoods I also found these adorable little cards I plan to use as invites when I host Girl's Night in July...

They are vintage-like images of Barbie. I love them! Today I get to see my girls for lunch and the movies. We were supposed to go to the beach originally...but

alas...

today isn't a beach day either! Oh well.

Happy Sunday!

good deals

Got some great deals at my LSS's annual yard sale! These stamps all together cost maybe $15....plus I also got a bunch of paper, stickers, clear stamps,....for only $17. Not bad! After going to the yard sale I headed out of state to go do some outlet shopping. Summer clothes. Had fun but now I'm exhausted. Yesterday was an equally - if not longer - day. We went to my little brother's College graduation a few hours away. It was a nice day but tiring. I'm ready to crash!

Tomorrow I am off and hoping to play around with some of my new goodies a bit. I have a craft fair to get ready for next weekend and I'd like to make a few more cards to sell...

Well...enough for now...
Happy Sunday!

birthdays, spring cleaning and Easter

Celebrated my guy's birthday on Friday. We opened gifts, saw Clash of the Titans (which he was looking forward to so much), and a late lunch. When we got home I frosted his strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. Yes. My man's man had a pink on pink birthday cake and loved it!

These past few days have a been a nice break from a hectic schedule. This is the busiest time of the year for me with school stuff. I cannot wait until May and summer break when I have short work weeks.

Anyhow I made some very cute cupcakes last night for Easter today. I'll post them later. I got the idea awhile ago somewhere online and happened to come across the right ingredients while shopping for Easter candy on Friday. They are super cute. I'm bringing some over to my Mom's today where we are having dinner in awhile.

Yesterday I was able to put away my winter sweaters. SpaceBags are magic! I was able to fit them under my bed. That way I wont' have to store them in my parent's shed which isn't the best spot to store clothes. But it works in a pinch. Today when we go over there for dinner I'm planning on taking the rest of my Spring/Summer clothes out of the shed. It is almost like shopping when I take them out of storage. I forget some of the things I have so it's a treat. On Thursday I picked up a few new cute Spring things at NY & Co. which was had everything in the store 50% off! What a deal. Not the best quality stuff but at that price I found some nice things. Now with sweaters away and Spring clothes out...Murphy's Law....it will snow :) But in all seriousness I think we are probably out of the woods in terms of winter. We'll still have cool weather but probably not snow. Though it has happened. In college I remember an April Fool's Day snowstorm.

Hopefully the weather will continue looking up. I cleaned out my flower pots on the balcony and prepped them for new flowers. I cannot wait! But I will hold off for a bit until I can plant petunias and other flowers I love having. I might try tomatos again and possibly peppers. I would like to find one other veggie to plant in a container as well. We'll see! I love Spring...

Happy Easter!

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!

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.

vacation project and other stuff

Our tree. There is a story as to why we have a pumpkin under the tree. It is just the longest-lasting-Halloween-pumpkin-ever! We bought that in early October and it is still solid! So we feel badly throwing it away. I don't know how to make pumpkin pie that doesn't come out of a can...

This Christmas was another different one but so nice. Last year was the first year I wasn't living in my parent's garage apartment so I didn't get up at the crack of dawn and open gifts with everyone. Cary and I went over later in the morning. It was nice...but different. This year he had to leave for work at 6:30am unfortunately. So another different Christmas. He and I celebrated and opened gifts on Christmas Eve day. On Christmas morning I went over to my families house after he left for work. So it was almost like it was as a kid. It was nice to feel like Christmas stretched out over a few days instead.

I'm on vacation this week and loving it! 9 more days...
Yesterday I went to my LSS and picked up a few things for a project with some Christmas gift money...and received a $20 coupon in return! Good deal...I'll be back there this week :)

Anyhow I was eyeing this...

and saw a store sample where it was turned into a calendar. Perfect! I just took down the one I made at a class there last year. So I bought some basic neutral supplies....

And I plan on doing each months's square differently while all using the basic neutral base. Adding colorful, meaningful details. Probably using some of the papers and embellishments I have been getting in my Cocoa Daisy kits. I am looking forward to working on this during the week. And it is the sort of project that while it is hanging up in my kitchen I can add to it during the year if I find something that fits it.

Today I am looking forward to spending some much needed time with Cary. He has been working 12+ hour shifts for the past few days. We plan on going to the movies and maybe dinner. And the mall to pick out a new Wii game or two. Last night I met some old high school friends and a local bar and had so much fun chatting. Two of the girls live out-of-state and I hadn't seen them in years.

Happy Sunday!

homesick at home

desert boots

I've been trying to keep busy since he left. It is such a wierd feeling...feeling homesick in your own home. That is the only way I can describe it. I have new found appreciation for women who send their men off to war for years at a time. Especially those who have children. I cannot imagine being in that position. I only have to wait 54 days to see him and we don't have kids yet. And I know he's safe and not in a war. I am lucky. We are lucky. He will be back soon. But it is still hard. It is preparing me for how it might feel if/when he is deployed.

Friday after I left the hotel and he went off to the airport I did some retail therapy at outlets in Maine. Hit LL. Bean and others. Stayed within my budget and got some really pretty things including a few skirts and summer dresses. I rarely wear skirts but do like how easy they are in the summer. Plus Cary loves when I look girly so I figured he'd appreciate them too. I love one skirt in particular from LL Bean...

...so pretty and flowy. Have a basic white t shirt to go with it. Also got a flowery blue skirt and will wear that with just a white t as well. I should own stock in white-t's. I wear them with everything all year round! I know ...boring but they are so easy!

Friday night I went to the paint-your-own-pottery Girl's Night after dinner at a friends. It was fun but I was so overtired from getting up at 3:30 am and getting very little sleep. Saturday I slept in and cooked dinner for my parents and brother and sister last night. It was so nice having them over. We haven't been able to host anyone since January when we had all the issues with the apartment begin. So it was nice to have them over. I'd like to do that again when he gets home.

Today it is rainy and gloomy out. I plan on doing chores: bills, laundry, etc and then going to my knitting circle tonight. I also rented more of Season 1 of Weeds and the movie He's Just Not that Into You. Looking forward to watching that tonight!

Happy Sunday!

nesting and celebrating

June 1st on the Boulevard

Today's been busy with errands and sending Cary off for his last guard weekend before he goes down south for OCS next week. He'll be gone for 2 months and that is starting to hit me. I guess it is good practice for any future deployments we might face. Today I got a few treats/neccesseties for the apartment. Nothing really exciting...a shower curtain, some new throw pillows for the couch, some fun patriotic summer dishtowels. Stuff like that. I love nesting!

Last night he and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary of when we first met this week. Just a quiet dinner at the place we had our first date. Delicious baked local seafood and a quiet night at home.

As for other stuff...

I finished this layout on Monday (scraplifted the layout from one Wendy Smedley did in an old magazine)....hoping to do a few more layouts this weekend. Trying to get some girlfriends together at my place tomorrow to scrap. We haven't done that since this winter and it was so fun!

"First Moose Sighting"

Materials: Creative Cafe tags, really old patterned paper, Creative Images clear tag, Making Memories tiny alphas, brown pen, distressor, ink, American Crafts alphas.

Well I'm off to catch up on blogs and heat up some dinner. Hoping to do some reading tonight. I know...real exciting Friday night! My favorite kind! Started reading One for the Money - Janet Evanovich. Have heard this series is funny...so far so good. A light read.

Happy Friday!

CKC finds

Thought I'd post about my finds from CKC-Manchester yesterday! I started at Dollar Scrapbooking's booth - my favorite for three years because I can usually find a lot very inexpensively. Have to sort through a lot of things I don't want though. Every time I go to these it is so tempting to just buy things without thinking but now I ask myself if I really want it and will I use it! Also picked up some things at a few other random booths. One of which (I can't remember the name!) also had a lot of my finds for $1-$4. Then I picked up a page set at a smaller local store's booth Scrapbooker's Dream.

All my finds! All-in-all I only spent around $40 - my budget!

From A Scrapbooker's Dream: My Mind's Eye - Penny Lane. I loved this paper and embellishments! The rub-on tree is what caught my eye initially and then the bird. Now...what to use it for?

Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas. My favorite! Dollarscrapbooking had them for $1.50 and they were buy 3 get one free! I LOVE these. I got a few last year and told myself I'd buy more this year. I especially like the raw chipboard set because you can really make them to fit your page perfectly and try out different finishes.

These were my first find. I told Cary about them last night (he's in Maine) and he was teasing me...saying "are you going to make a scrapbook about them!" I said, "no...I'll make one about YOU!" I just loved them!

So there were my finds. I had hoped to find some more clear stamp sets but I didn't really come across any that were significantly discounted. Anyhow, I had fun putting my new treats away last night and purging some old stuff. I think my desk is finally back in some order and I can start working. I have been keeping many things still in the ziplocs in my desk (don't ask) for awhile. But that actually makes it easier if I want to grab a bunch of stuff to work.

Well..I'm off. No scrapbooking for awhile. At least this am. Off to the laundromat to wash blankets, the bank and later meeting friends for lunch/dinner and our fundraiser at a local Paint-your-own-pottery place.

Happy Saturday!

a day for just me

Fisherman at the Wheel - Gloucester, MA

Before I share about my day I have to share something pretty cool. My hometown...or I should say a landmark in my hometown... will be featured on the Massachusetts version of the Quarter to be released later this year.

As for the rest of my day...

Today was for me. I took my time. Went where I wanted - when I wanted. Selfish I know. But so worth it.

I slept in. 9:00am. That's late for me! Took my tme getting ready and headed out. I frequent a coffee shop in my hometown and they have a "frequent shopper" card. After 10 coffees you get one free. Today was my free day. I splurged....with the beautiful 60' day I had my 1st official iced drink since last summer. A large Iced Mocha Latte...worth the 8000 calories that were probably in it.

Then I went to the mall...the "grown-up" mall... as my dad calls it. We have 2 malls in our area. One is the "kiddie mall" my dad says. That one has the cheaper stores, teens hanging out, not as nice all around. The "grown-up" mall on the other hand is luxury! I browsed around Sephora, H&M, Macy's, took in the wonderful scents coming out of Williams & Sonoma....

I enjoyed myself.

I used up a small giftcard my work gave me on some new, cute PJ's. I also got a basic white Spring jacket. I also got these spring-like tanks at the Gap to wear under some sweaters I have....



and these cute bracelets from Macy's. I loved the ribbon "packaging."




I browsed around C.O. Bigelow and ended up with Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint - Pink.

Lastly, I stopped at Michael's to use my 40% off coupon on some cake watercolors. I got a small Moleskin watercolor book yesterday and really want to use it for a journal. But I want some portable watercolors to bring with me to work and wherever. I have some watercolors in tubes packed up in my stuff but they are not accessible right now and in general aren't as portable. I love this little set...

After all this I went to my parent's for a visit. Had some pizza with them and a cake my mom baked. Mmmm. I love visiting them. Made plans for later this week with my sister and headed home. A nice day to escape from my mess of an apartment, get out in the beautiful weather and just relax.

Tomorrow I'll share my second pair of fingerless Fetching gloves. Messed up a little with my pattern but my changes make them still work. I have one glove done...one to go. When I finish this pair I'll make a second pair with this yarn that will actually be the length I had intended...I'll explain tomorrow ;)

Happy Saturday!

off to my LSS

I'm off to my LSS to help with their inventory. I get paid in store credit and they said there might be other incentives. Yeah! I was there yesterday and spend the $20 coupon I earned there over Thanksgiving. They were selling everything 25% off to get ready for inventory. I just got a little box organizer, some paper, a white gel pen, a blue Distress ink and some glossy accents. Little things I have been needing. I got home and reorganized my desk. Consolidated some stuff so I could put my stamps into two drawers. Originally I was going to buy 2 more storage cubes (one for paper and one with drawers) but I really am trying to not spend.

Yesterday I also bought some storage totes for the closets. Little organizing things that have been bugging me. Also got a few things at Target I needed. Boring stuff. But it was a productive day. Last night played on the computer for awhile with Cary and then crashed.

Well...gotta finish my coffee and be off!

Have a nice Sunday

a terrible blogger

A picture from last years New England Revs/LA Galaxy Game

I have been a terrible blogger! This has been the longest I've gone {since I started this whole thing} without writing. I didn't think I was really that much busier than usual but I guess I have been. Started back at work this past week. This coming week I have my first week back at the college too. Just Friday though since Monday is a holiday. I don't really feel ready. I haven't gotten copies made, printed out powerpoints, found articles...yikes. Yesterday, I went to the mall and got a few things to wear to school. I always feel out of my league as a professor. I always look more like the students than the faculty. I need to go on that show "What Not to Wear." Anyhow...I got a few things. I have a small bonus coming to me from the college that I'm going to use for some more clothes shopping at the outlets up in Maine.

Yesterday I also went grocery shopping with Cary. Spent WAY more than I do when I go alone! I am very frugal at the store. Really he is too but he's more likely to spend more on meats. I will buy good quality meats but not very much of it. He likes a good "grownup" steak (as he puts it!). I do too but have trouble when I see the price tag. Though it is much, much cheaper than going out to dinner.

Well...tonight I'm going to see the New England Revs play the LA Galaxy (with the lovely David Beckham)! I love going to the soccer games and we went to this game as a family last year and it was a fun time. Cary is sitting this one out though. He's not really into soccer unfortunately. But that's ok.

Hope to have some pictures or something later. I made a whole bunch of cards last night to sell at the craft fair. I was on a roll. I had purchased an EK Success scalloped square punch and some American Crafts ribbons that inspired me. The ribbons were only $1 at AC Moore! I bought the punch with a 50% off coupon so it was only $7. I also bought a pack of paper (can't remember the company) because I loved the coordinating papers. Plus it was on sale for $10. Couldn't resist!

Today I have to ease up on the spending money thing!

wierd day

changes*evolve*let go

ATC - Magazine collage

Today was a wierd day all around. Work was wierd. I did get to do a little art though. I brought my set of ATC's and used whatever supplies were available to do one. It was very relaxing to focus on for 15 minutes. The remainder of the day was odd. Hard to explain but made me wonder if it was a full moon. It isn't. But the day ended well. After work and having a quick dinner with cary, I picked up my new glasses. Next friday I am taking the plunge and getting fitted for contacts. We'll see what happens. Eyes creep me out. I can't even do eye drops -when I need them I have a tricky system of dripping the solution on my cheek and letting it roll into my eye- I'm sorry, it's just not normal to look into the sky and let something drop into your eye.

It's just plain wrong.

But I hate wearing my glasses and the Dr. and asst's all said how easy it is. They said, "As long as you can get your thumb and finger close to your eye, you can do it. " Sounds easy enough I guess. My fear is getting one contact in and then not being able to get up the nerve to get it out. They have assured me getting them out is easier.

We'll just see about that!

Anyway, after picking up the glasses I brought Cary a McDonald's ice cream sundae while he was at work. And we chatted for a bit and then I went to do some errands at Target. Nothing exciting - shampoo, conditioner, citronella candles, etc. The candles were hard to find by the way. Apparantly summer is officially over and we have to think school supplies. I hate how stores rush the seasons. But anyhow, I did get a little K&Co. book of ancestry question & answer journaling cards. Hoping to eventually do a mini book about my mom and dad using those questions and some of the old photos I posted about few weeks ago.

Well...that's enough rambling for now. Looking forward to a beach day tomorrow a.m.! Yeah! Hope everyone has a wonderful night and morning...

memorial day

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I've always taken this holiday seriously. I'm reminded of the sacrifice my Uncle Lauri made as a Marine in Vietnam and how he was never the same from what my dad tells me. He was a quiet soul and I think about him a lot. One of my heroes. Never complained. I think about the job my Dad did on the USS Coral Sea during Vietnam at the same time my Uncle Lauri, his brother, was there. I imagine what that must have been like for my Grandparents and the rest of their 9 children (there were 11). I think about the sacrifices my boyfriend Cary made years before I met him as a prison guard in Iraq. He saw scary things and did an amazing job. He continues to serve his country and has for over 11 years in the Maine Army National Guard. To these heroes, old and new, in my life I will mark this Memorial Day thinking about them.

As for other things...I did go to my LSS's annual Yard Sale. I'd never been. There were some good deals to be had. I only spent about $8 and got some border stamps, beautiful paper, some Heidi Swapp journaling spots, alphas, and other goodies. But my favorite find was this...

...for $2.00! I had been eying this for a long time but could never get past the $20-pricetag. But $2.00 I can do! I still haven't really done any scrapping with my new goodies. Or worked on my mini book with the photos I got developed but I did some organizing. I have a binder I use to store layouts and scrap magazine clippings in. I went through that and purged. I also went through some older issues of magazines and clipped out stuff to put in. I sat outside in the beautiful weather while I worked...

Then I went for a nice walk and am now waiting for some BBQ wings to finish cooking to go along with my homemade potato salad. I am so hungry! Have a nice rest of the day everyone.

goodies

Here are my finds! I didn't spend much. Somewhere around $40. I didn't keep good track. My favorite find was some Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas. I use those all the time. Also got some Cat's eye chalks that I've been wanting to try. A few stickles, Queen & Co. sequin flowers and alphas...a bunch of stuff. But my favorite find were these...

Got both from Rusty Pickle for $3! They are neat inside. Accordian with all different pockets. The chipboard covers aren't attached but I think they could easily. Well...I'm home for a bit having some lunch. I'm feeling a lot better today. I appreciate everyone's "Get Well" wishes. After lunch I'm off to see the new Narnia movie with Cary...then hopefully will get to play with my new goodies later! Have a nice weekend everyone...

today

Know when you are looking for something and you have something particular in mind and can't find it anywhere? or at least for a decent price? That's been my search for some shoes to wear with the dress I got for the college graduation next weekend. Today I found some at Filene's Basement. They were a little more than I wanted to spend but not outrageous...and I love them...

Today has been a day of errands so far. The shoes. A haircut. A birthday present for my brother. And a few treats at C.O. Bigelow for me! I could spend hours there walking the aisles smelling all the luxury...but I only left with three small sized products - I have to stop spending $$. I got a small aromatherapy lavender pillow spray to help me sleep... hopefully. Last night I couldn't and lately I've had trouble. Dreams, nightmares, etc. I usually sleep through the night but its not a restful sleep. Even though I only left with a few small things, the great thing about that store is they always slip a bunch of free samples into the bag. Love it!

So...now I'm home with my finds checking some more things off my "to do" list. A few minutes ago I grabbed a store bag and re-designed it to wrap my brother's birthday present. I hate the idea of spending $4 on a giftbag like I usually do so thought I'd recycle this time. Here it is...I'm quite proud. I even recycled the tissue paper from my buys at C.O. Bigelow. It literally took 5 minutes while I was waiting for my lunch to heat up on the stove!

In a little while I'm off to the college for the opening of the Senior art major's Art Show. I'll have to mingle with faculty, students and parents. This whole experience of being in the professor role has been surreal. Last night at the student BBQ my supervisor hosted it felt strange. Like I didn't quite fit with the faculty but also not quite with the students. Wierd. Especially wierd since it doesn't feel like that long ago since I was in the student's shoes and my (now) supervisor was my professor. Also in the catagory of wierdness...just now...as I have been sitting here writing this blog, I had an itch on my hip...a tick. A deer tick no less. Yuck! The season begins. It didn't bury its head thank goodness but it was a sucker to get off...I hate them.

Well, now that I've grossed everyone out I'm off to relax for bit and read my new issues of Somerset Studios and Somerset Memories that I picked up during my errands.

a weekend for me

I have had so much fun last night and today! Last night I went to the "Yarn Tasting" at Butterfly Yarns with my Mom and left with some yarn to make a summer tank. My goal has been to make something I can wear that isn't a scarf...I will need Mom's help with part of it though. I bought a yummy espresso brown yarn with gold flecks...I think it will be much more flattering than the color shown with the pattern. In the store they had one in a dark purple. It was gorgeous.

Today I took myself shopping in Kittery, ME. Outlets. I got some pants and Spring-y sweaters, etc. Also found something to wear to graduation which I'm excited about. A black wrap dress with 3/4 sleeves. I love it! I am a little bummed though since everything is a size larger than I was wearing. With everything going on I have put myself and exercise on the back burner. I'm dissapointed and don't want to back track on all the hard work I've done in regards to health over the past few years. I need to get back on my schedule. I think that's also why I've been getting sick more often lately. I need to make it a priority.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to work on a mini-book I want to start and the knitting project and I'll try and post some picts. And...I will make myself walk as long as the weather cooperates...maybe even if it doesn't. I don't need to be making excuses.