Yes, my house is for sale...

and NO, I will not

1. find you a maid or a gardener. That is what the yellow pages are for.

2. "throw in" my bedroom furniture and my Italian imported couch

3. give you my grandmother's walnut pull chest that was part of her dowry

4. take down all the wall paper and repaint to see if you like the house better

5. remove the hot tub and enlarge the lanai

6. get you a permit to put in a pool on the side of the house

7. tear up the carpet in 2 rooms because you don't like the color

8. give you a lighting allowance

9. offer you a second beer out of my fridge (I didn't offer you the first one!)

10. accept your insulting offer for my house of 70,000 less than the listed price

11. replace the washer and dryer (we are offering you a year warrenty on the appliances and the house as is)

12. install the storm shutters...we'll give you our video

13. pick up the association dues for your first year (you are getting a steal on the house as it is...don't push your luck).

14. take the word of your stock broker that you have the money instead of you coming up with earnest money.

15. take the tiles out of alcove because you don't like lighthouses

Biker Babes....not!

Here are Barb (one of the best roomies a gal can have on the sb convention circuit!) and me atop some awesome Harley bikes. Did we crank up these beauties and head on down the highway..looking for adventure? Ah, no. We posed and postured but I gotta tell you, had I known what I was doing, I think we would have. A friend of ours who owns a hot pink Harley took us to the HD store in Ft. Worth Tx and Barb and I took turns taking pictures of us on the bikes. We even got a couple of "backside" shots of two hot guys in leathers! and, if I remember correctly, later that evening we also got some shots of some 'not so hot' cowboys on their horses outside of Cattleman's where we had dinner.

Now I need to examine my obvious fixation with backsides...I'll keep you posted on my findings!

Busy Busy Busy! and lovin' it!

I just finished trying to update my calendar and wow! is there a lot going on!

FEB:
* 17-? our good friend, Chuck and Linda are coming and we hope to go kayaking off Pine
Island and visit the artists' colony of Matlacha
*24-35 our last open house here. If we don't get any hits, we'll be taking the house
off the market.
* 25 On-line crop at www.littlescrapbox.com


MARCH:
* 1-3 Orlando scrap Expo: I'll be teaching with Kim Hodges of Scrapbooks N Stickers
(www.scrapbooksnstickers.com)
* 13 St. Louis Cardinals play the Twins here in Ft. Myers (love those Spring
Training games)...many thanks to Kim!
*23-24 teaching at Stamping Memories in Cooper City Fl (stampingmemories@hotmail.com)
*26-28 Key West w/the kids

I think I need a side bar to help me keep track of where I am suppose to be and when...lol

Plus, there are tons of fun stuff coming up with an Expo in St. Louis in April, a bunch of crop opportunities with Hilltop Memories (www.hilltopmemories.com), a big even with Scrapbooks N Stickers on Marco Island in Sept....and Creative Escape!

And then there is the move for the Hang Ten Paper Art kits on March 1st to Hilltop Memories!

Off to take a nap...I've made myself tired!

Tagged by the Kipster!

1. What time did you get up this morning?
AWAKE AT 3:30 AM AND GOT UP AT 5

2. Diamonds or Pearls? DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? NO CLUE...WE RENT MOVIES

4. What is your favorite TV show? SURVIVOR, GREY'S, CSI, BONES, ETC.

5. What did you have for breakfast? TOASTED CHEESE SANDWICH

6. What is your middle name? KAY

7. What is your favorite cuisine? ITALIAN


hat foods do you dislike? LIVER, ANY FATTY MEAT, PEPPERS

9. Your favorite Potato chip? RUFFLES HAVE RIDGES

10. Favorite CD you've been listening to lately? BOCELLI

11. What kind of car do you drive? MINI VAN W/128.000 MILES PLUS

12. Favorite sandwich? TURKEY ON WHEAT W/MAYO

13. What characteristics do you despise? PEOPLE WHO DON'T TAKE CREDIT FOR THE WORDS/WORK OF OTHERS, POUTERS.

14 What are your favorite clothes? MY CARGO SHORTS AND A WHITE BASS TEE

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where WOULDN'T you go?

ANYWHERE IN THE MID EAST OR THE FAR EAST...NO INTEREST AT ALL

16. Favorite brand of clothing? CHICOS, BASS, JJILL

17. Where would you want to retire? I AM RETIRED AND HAPPY IN PARADISE

18. Favorite time of day? DAWN VIEWED FROM THE HOT TUB W/MY HONEY

19. Where were you born? WATERLOO, IOWA



20. What is your favorite sport to watch? DON'T WATCH SPORTS

21. Who do you think will not send this back? NO CLUE BUT I AM TAGGING TWINKS, SHAR AND JAYNE

22. Person you expect to send it back first? ANY OF THOSE 3

23. Pepsi or Coke? DIET COKE

24. Cougars or Huskies? NEITHER

25. Are you a morning person or night owl? MORNING

Pedicure or Manicure? DO I HAVE TO PICK?

27. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? THANKS TO KAREN, I WILL BE JOINING THE GANG AT CREATIVE ESCAPE IN AZ. COME SEPT.




28. What did you want to be when you were little? I WANTED TO BE A TEACHER SINCE I CAN REMEMBER. I RETIRED FROM TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH AFTER 30 YEARS AND HAVE CONTINUED TO TEACH BUT NOW I TEACH SCRAP BOOKING TO ADULTS.

29. What is your best childhood memory? SUMMERS AT MY GRANDMOTHER'S IN IOWA

30. Piercing? YES, EARS ONLY

31. Ever been to AFRICA? NO




32. Ever been toilet papering? YES

33. Been in a car accident? YES

34. Favorite restaurants? VINCENZOS IN BONITA SPRINGS

35. Favorite flower? HYDRENGIA (SP?)

36. Favorite ice cream? COOKIE DOUGH...NOT A BIG ICE CREAM FAN

37. Favorite fast food restaurant? JUICY LUCY'S

38. How many times did you fail your drivers test? PASSED FIRST TIME

39. From whom did you get your last e-mail? KIPPER

40. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? POTTERY BARN

41.

Mountains
or Ocean? AGAIN, WHY PICK...I LIVE NEAR THE GULF AND USE TO SNOW SKI

42. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? ANYONE

43. Last person you went to dinner with? MY HONEY

44. How many tattoos do you have? NONE BUT MAY GET ONE THIS JUNE TO CELEBRATE MY 60TH B'DAY

45. How many people are you sending this to? 3

46. What time did you finish this e-mail?

ABOUT A QUARTER OF 8 PM

47. Favorite magazine? SOMMERSET STUDIO

48. If you could meet any famous person, who would it be? COLIN POWELL

49. If you could choose another first name, what would it be? NO CLUE

50. If you could choose another profession right now, what would it be? I HAVE AND I DID....I AM PART OWNER OF A PAPER ARTS KIT COMPANY AND TEACH SB'ING.

Morning faithful blog readers,

It is cool and damp here in Paradise. I always feel so sorry for the tourists who come down expecting warm days and balmy nights and we get this crappy no sun, and highs in the 60s. And it seems like the planes are arriving about every 5 minutes these days. Hopefully the weather will clear soon. I always feel much more light hearted and able to deal with annoyances better when the sun is out and the surf is up!

We're off to the cemetery today to change the decorations on my folks and aunt and uncle's grave sites. My sister and I try to do this about once a month and then take our selves out to eat. Today my niece and great niece are joining us. We are armed with coupons to craft and scrapbook stores and I have a shopping list for one of the kits for Hang Ten....ribbon is on sale and I always have ribbon in my kits...lots and lots of ribbon!

I did manage to get a layout done that I am doing for commission and two or three more planned out. A friend who is a photographer has offered photos and I am very excited to be working with her...Robin Gibbons is an amazing photographer. I'll be putting up a link soon to her work so you can see for yourself.

I also had one of my layouts accepted by Basic Gray for display in their gallery. It has been eons since I have submitted anywhere for publication so this response was nice.

Have a great day all!

It is going to be one of "those" days

I didn't sleep well to begin with thinking about the discrepancy in a paper order for my kits and trying to figure it out. Then, we got an upsetting phone call from a dear friend followed by too much coffee!

I know that most things that appear out of our control are not worth the worry, but it seems that is what I do best. My mother was a worrier and I seem to have inherited this trait from her.

I am off for some much needed scrap therapy. I might as well try to accomplish something over which I do have some control.

I need some cheese with my whine!

Super Bowl Sunday at our house

We had our neighbors, Ed and Deb and Kathy and Lyman, over for Super Bowl. We played more cards and talked than we did watch the game. None of us really had a favorite team but, since my pal, Maria, is from Chicago, I rooted for the Bears. Oh well...that is how my luck affects sports teams. For the past few years, every time the Rams played and I put out our Rams flag, they lost and usually by a large margin. I kept thinking that eventually, the owners of the Rams would contact me and offer pay if I did NOT fly the flag!

E went all out on the food: he had little sausages in a cherry bbq sauce, a wonderful dip made with cottage cheese with 4 kinds of crackers, wings from our favorite wing joint, Buffalo Chips, potato salad and a huge baked ham just to mention a few of the items. I ate far too much as usual. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Usually Super Bowl parties hold little interest for me as I do not understand football despite years of coaching cheer squads. This was a nice mix of good neighbors, good food and a good time.

Take Time to Smell the Roses

Yesterday was a bit of a disjointed day...the kind where you just 'can't get there from here' in many ways. I was on a search for E for a medium sized crock pot, getting a birthday gift for a one year old, and ink for my traveling printer. Only when I got to stop number 1 did I realize I did not have my driver's i.d....I went into panic mode for a bit, bought the baby gift w/the cash E had given me for the crock pot and tried to remember where I had used my driver's ID last. It turned up in my shorts pocket from when I had biked up to the grocery store the other day, and is now nice and clean as it went through both the washer and dryer. I raced back out to fax an application to teach and the UPS store had closed ten minutes before...no crock pots in sight but I found my ink at Wally World (who had the right sized crock pot, but no cord for it!).

On my way out, there it was. The sweetest miniature rose bush. The inside buds are a soft pink and the outside petals are a lovely yellow. Rob had given me 3 miniature rose bushes in a lovely planter for Mother's Day a year or so ago but a cold spell had divested them of blooms, and life. Now I can replace one of them!

When I was taking the pictures for the blog, Goofy came up to the plant and I thought he was just going to sniff the buds. Oh , no...he bit one off completely. I must have been yelling at him and he moved when I took the shot! You get the idea. (Back to my digi photography book and the section of taking pic of pets!)

Happy Super Bowl to all

Fun day with my niece...

Yesterday, my niece Jen, came over to scrap her Disney album while I played with some new papers. We took a break when E got home and headed up to Mullock Creek Marina for a cold brew and to get some great veggies from the Veggie Man who shows up every Friday there. We headed back to the house and had some of E's great Gumbo!

Jen got a great new haircut. She had seven inches, at least, whacked off and had a color update to boot. I loved the stacked haircut on her and it made her look even more slender than she already is. Of course, Aunt Julie just had to snap her picture and commemorate the occasion with a layout! The Romani papers by Basic Grey were perfect for this!

Making a list and checking it two/three/four times...

I have tons of little pieces of paper here on the counter where I sit with Minnie, my lap top. Every morning I add to the stack with more things to do and to remember and, by evening, the papers are everywhere.

This morning, in an effort to become that more efficient person I know I am capable of being, I gathered all the little scraps, the memos, the notes written on the edges of coupons and put them on one manageable sheet of lined notebook paper.

Step two consisted of actually doing something with this list. I refused to put more than ten things on it which meant dealing with some of the others 'have to do's' before I could attend to The List as I have taken to calling it.

I combined a couple of the 1-10 items by riding my bike up to Curves, asking to have my membership dropped (I have not gone in about 3 mo.) and stopping at the UPS store on my way home for stamps. I paid my bills, put the stamps on the envelopes and they are winging their way as I type.

I am down to 3 items remaining: use my gc from a girlfriend from last Christmas for bike tags, order Harry Potter (never got that done after all last night) and locate an address for a lss where I am teaching in March (sent e-mail requesting help from a pal on that coast).

Sat. morning, I will repeat the same procedure of listing only ten must do items and actually doing them. I've read that it takes about 3-6wks. to form a new habit when you break an old one. Wish me luck!

Oh, and I'll post the picture of the lovely amyrilis sp?) that is blooming on my front porch but you may have to wait for tomorrow's list! lol

Did you ever have one of those days where....

everything came together? This is my day (record it please!)! So many pluses (or Smiles as I post in a couple of places!)
1. I am going to be teaching at an expo in my old home town ...St. Louis! Look out Old Towne St Charles...mama is coming home!

2. the Hang Ten Feb kits are selling well.

3. My honey has Jadee's Dad's Ribs on our grill (you would die for these: marinated in spices and a mustard sauce overnight and then fired on the grill)!

4.We are having weather that the Snow Birds come here for....balmy breezes off the Gulf, warm sun and that tang of salt air.

5. We are finalizing our plans for the kids's Spring Break so we can do Key West for 3 days! Look out Key West.

6. No new bills in the mail and my cost of living increase on my pension was 2.00 more than my increased house payment....

Tell me good things about you and your life!

"Beautiful" on sale now!

In less than half an hour, the Hang Ten Paper Arts kit for Feb. goes on sale at www.scrapbookshack.com. We have a limited number available so don't loiter! This kit is packed full of lovelies and is designed for wallet sized pics or cropped 4x6 photos. What a great Valentine's present this would make!

I have added St. Louis (April 13th and 14th) to my Orlando and Tampa teaching gigs. I'll be teaching for Scrapbooks N Stickers, who carry tons of must have items in the vendor's booth and in the on-line store (www.scrapbooksnstickers.com) for the Orlando and St. Louis Conventions and am teaching for Hang Ten Paper Arts in Tampa.

We have a few clock kits left and a couple of Winter Wishes kits in our Moving Sale at www.scrapbookshack.com. So check these out!

Off to run a gaz'zillion errands today so have a good one. It is down right balmy here in Paradise!

A few kits left from previous months....

I taught the cute little acrylic 'pocket book' kit this past weekend at Hilltop Memories (www.hilltopmemories.com)Winter Retreat and have 4, scratch that! We have 2 kits left for those of you who may have missed this kit when Hang Ten first offered it last September and those who didn't get to take the class at Winter Retreat. You may contact me at eeickmeier@hotmail.com if you are interested.


I also have 4 Winter Wishes kits left and Jill has a few also that may be viewed at www.scrapbookshack.com. These are such lovely memory keepers. And check out our MOVING SALE on previous kits!

Today is another work day here n Paradise. I have some projects with due dates on them and need to clean up my work room from all the goodies I amassed at Winter Retreat! My honey is off work today and is meeting a pal at the dog track. Hope he picks some winners.

Have a great day all.

Assorted photos

DAY Two at Winter Retreat

After nearly freezing in our 'open air' cabins on Friday night, we hit the lodge where the men folk (or "our husbands" as they were often called) had the fires going in both of the fireplaces and our wonderful hostess, Linda, had breakfast started. And right after breakfast, the classes began all over the place. The lodge where the classes were held was right on the bank of the Santa Fe River which flowed through the state park. I took Lisa Thayer's class in the morning and I can only say, WOW! She designed a 3 panel magnetic board with a place for cute stamped quotes (Technique Tuesday stamps...she works for the co. at conventions)and a place for a memo pad. We got to pick our papers and created these cute pens to match! I will post mine when I repair a couple of places where I scored a bit too deeply. I do know that Lisa has a couple of kits left and you will want one when you see the finished product.

Lunch was hot and filling and some of the best down home cooking! That Linda just doesn't stop. I taught my class in the late afternoon and it was tough to concentrate with that beautiful view out the window. "Our husbands" had fueled the fires and we were warm and toasty. I had fun students and we did the little acrylic boxes with the mini accordion albums inside. I'll post an example of these tomorrow too and I have 3 left if anyone is interested.

We cropped the rest of the evening with Kip and I heading back to the cabin first. It had been a long day after a short night. Our cabin was much warmer than the night before so we settled in with a glass of wine (or two) and were joined by first Miss Jayne, followed by Teri and, around midnight, Barb. The rain began as the storms moved through the rest of the night. We laughed and talked and just enjoyed each others company. Lisa and Gerri-anne got trapped in the lodge until the wee hours and ended up sleeping in the SUV...after driving around a bit with the heat on high! Smart chickies.

More later: DAY THREE

Winter Retreat...Day One

(this is my 3rd. attempt to post here this morning...wish me luck!)


Winter Retreat is such a wonderful experience, it defies description. It is a one of a kind, have to be there, laughs never stop 3 day extravaganza of creativity, fantastic food, and companionship beyond measure. The Hilltop Memories gals (www.hilltopmemories.com) of Temple Terrace Florida: Linda, Dee, Elle and Michele, put on a scrap weekend that is so amazing! Hats off them one and all.

And now to feebly attempt to describe the weekend day by day over the next few days on this blog.

Day One: I got to Barb's (my roomie from my old convention teaching days)at around 9 and her funnier than hell daughter, Gerri-Anne picked the two of us up about ten. Poor girl had to go into a meeting at her work on one of her vacation days but she was sure ready for some fun and adventure when we hit the road. Up 75 we went...destination: St. Pete and my good friend, The Kipster! Thank God Gerri-Anne isn't affected by that nemesis of mine, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge! I got off a couple of good shots of it in it's admitted splendor.

Kip had sent us all a funny e-mail hoping we had left room for her and her belongings in the SUV or at least brought bungee cords to strap her to the top. When we got to Kip's, Gerri-Anne pulled out some bungee cords and told Kip to hop up on top of the SUV...too funny. Here we are posed in back of Gerri=Anne's (or, as Kip called her, Mary Lou)'s SUV. We were packed in tight in the back as you can see.

First stop on our way to O'Leno State Park where the retreat was being held was lunch and then on to Hobby Lobby in Ocala. None of us had been in a Hobby Lobby and boy! were we in for a treat. Several of us bought darling paper mache houses to alter, wooden letters and boxes and, of course, packs of papers. Teri had sent us each coupons and we sure put those to good use. At HL, we met up with Teri and shopped like there was no tomorrow. Then we crammed all our purchases into the back, sides and everywhere we could and headed on to the retreat.

We had our cabin from last year, Cabin 6! We love this cabin as it is close to the shower house and not too far from the lodge where we eat and crop. The cabins are "open air" with screening, for the most part, from about half way up the cabin walls. There is limited electricity and no heat. The temp dropped to 30 the first night but things like frozen toes and noses make for memories!

We organized our beds, stowed our clothes and wondered who had already arrived in our cabin as one bed was completely made up. We assumed it was our pal, Lisa Thayer, all the way from the Carolinas. Lisa arrived and now we were really worried as the bedding was not hers. We only found out when we went into the lodge, that our dear friend, Jayne had surprised us by coming to the retreat too!

We scrapped, laughed, got caught up with each other, hugged, visited with other pals at the retreat and had a wonderful evening....

STAY TUNED TOMORROW FOR THE NEXT EXCITING EPISODE OF ... WINTER RETREAT 07

No more teasing....

Check out Jules'Creations for the BIG NEWS...we are so excited. And to see Kip's amazing photography for our Feb. kit, go to www.scrapbookshack.com and click on "Feb's Kit" on the pull down on the left! Many thanks to Kip!

Tagged by Kip

I've been told to list 6 weird thngs about me...only 6? lol

1. I hate the phone. I don't even own a cell. I know...even ten year olds have cells but I had one once and never used it.

2. I need to be near water. All my life I have lived within walking distance or sight of a river, stream, lake,canal or large mass of water. This is a must in my life.

3. I won't turn on the tv during the day. When I retired I worried I'd get addicted to soaps and talk shows so I never turned on the tv. Now, when E is home and he has his shows on, it drives me nuts.

4. Given that I hate tv during the day, I fall asleep almost every night to Law and Order repeats...lol.

5. I am driven to write every day. Sometimes it is just my blog; other times I write poetry and I must read something be it the newspaper or a book or magazine.

6. If I have a problem to solve or something is bothering me, I take a bike ride and generally come home with the solution.

So, I tag Shar, Jayne(can't remember if Kip got you or not), Madeline, Michele in Tampa, and Tami.

Start 'em young...

My niece and great niece spent the day at our house yesterday. It was so good to see Jen and Kaela. We scrapped our fingers to the bone! Jen was working on a surprise and had tons of pictures with which to work. I gave Kala, age 5, a little album, some papers, stickers, flowers and glittery butterflies and off she went. I took some pictures of her while she was scrapping, printed them and gave them to her to put in her album. At one point, she said, "I'm ready to have more pictures taken, Aunt Julie" and struck a pose! Way too cute.

The girls each completed an album and yours truly? I did this one page! Just call me Slo Mo! lol

Be sure that you check out Hang Ten Paper Arts' Feb. kit TOMORROW, Thurs. Jan 25th, at www.scrapbookshack.com and read all about our big news. Thanks to Kip Mitchell for the photography and to Linda Jenkins for her unbelievable persistence with our paper order! And three cheers to Jill, my surfer girl partner! Love you all!

I've been playing...

While waiting to hear about a couple of overdue deliveries, I've been passing the time scrapping. My daughter, Kristen, is always after me to finish her wedding album. I mean give me a break. It has only been 3 years, right? And I did finish volume one and am part way through two, right? So, this layout is to appease the kid! Do you like it Kristen?

I am so looking forward to Winter Retreat, the big old cabins, the wonderful lodge with its two fireplaces, Linda's wonderful cooking, the companionship of some very funny, incredibly talented and most likely certifiable women, the swinging bridge over the river....can't wait. Only 3 1/2 days now. (www.hilltopmemories.com)

Now, to decide what to take....

Have a great day!

Pausing here in Paradise

I am taking a much needed breath of fresh air here today in Paradise. Things have been moving at warp speed and I need a me day. I took E to work this morning as I have a couple of bank visits to make; I need to move some funds and set up a new account to better keep track of business expenditures and income. The next few months are going to be busy ones and I need to get organized and prepared...organized being the key word here!

Here is what the next few months look like so you get an idea.

Jan 24th. Reveal for Feb's Hang Ten Kits (www.scrapbookshack.com)
26-28 Winter Retreat (www.hilltopmemories.com) teaching the little box class
Feb 9-10 Possible visit from Janet and Bob
17-21 Chuck and Linda visiting from st. Louis
24 March Reveal for Hang Ten (www.hilltopmemories)
March 1-4 Orlando Expo (teaching with Kim Hodges www.scrapbooksnstickers.com)
TBA 2 classes for Stamping Memories in Cooper City Fl.
(stampingmemories@hotmail.com)
24th Reveal for April for Hang Ten (www.hilltopmemories.com)
last week Key West w/Kristen and Chris

Oh, and there is the Tampa Expo June 7-9 and my b'day on the 9th...a big one too! and Kim Hodges big retreat on Marco in September where I'll be teaching 2 classes.

So, I am off to take my last cup of java for the morning out to the patio where I will close my eyes, smell the flowers, listen to the birds and the fountain and enjoy the Gulf breeze before I have to jump into this day running. Care to join me?

How does this sound for a great salad?

Lump crab, artichoke and hearts of palm tossed in lemon basil oil.

1/2 lb. of lump or jumbo crab
12 large artichoke hearts (canned) and quartered
12 large hearts of palm (canned)rinsed and cut into 1/2 inch lengths
1 small head of red cabbage (cored and cut chiffonade)
1 each red and yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienne

Toss all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

(for those like me who have no clue in the kitchen, "chiffonade" is defined in the Food Lover's Companion as, "...a French phrase that means 'made of rags'. Culinarily, it refers to thin strips or shreds of vegetables..."

and Julienne "n. Foods that have been cut into thin, matchstick strips...about 1/8 of an inch") Learn something new everyday!

Bon Appetit

I just couldn't wait til tomorrow to post

We have an amazing kit for February and I just couldn't wait til tomorrow to show you what all you will get in this kit. For a full listing (and some items are not pictured here) please go to the links list on the left and click on Jules Creations. We will preview the finished project at www.scrapbookshack.com on Jan. 24 and will take orders on Feb. 1. We also have some exciting news to share with you ....but you'll have to wait. Sorry to be such a tease but ....

Good things are worth waiting for...as my Nana use to say!

This week is racing by....

 


It is probably because I have kept busy, busy, busy. I've been loading kits for my "Pocket Book" class at Winter Retreat for Hilltop Memories (www.hilltopmemories.com) and loading what I can of the Feb. kits for Hang Ten (www.scrapbookshack.com). We haven't heard back from one of the paper companies about a big order for the Feb. kits which has me concerned. Hopefully we'll get a response from them today and I can sleep better. The paper is obviously an intregal part of the kit. The contents for the Winter Retreat class are all in hand. Hoping the other follows suit.

This is a picture of my neighbor and friend, Deb, and I on a biking adventure we had last year on Gaspirilla Island. We did the 17 mile bike route and it was so much fun: two light houses, a couple of beautiful beaches, the historic town and the lodge, lunch and a wine cooler...life is good. (Memo to self: need to ride more!)

Today the cable guy comes and maybe we'll find out why we have intermitten service with our internet connection. Of course, since I called and set up the appointment, we've only had one short occurance. It is like the noise the car makes, until you take it to the mechanic, right? Guess I better get out of my jammies before 8 am which is when he is due.

I will post a teaser tomorrow for the Feb. Hang Ten kits...how about a list of all the goodies that will be in the kit?

Have a great one!

For my cold Northern Friends

 

We are having a cool spell here in the Tropics but nothing compared to what many of my friends are getting. We called our St. Louis friends and they have been battling with ice and downed power lines, in mnay cases for the second time this winter. We called E's mom to make sure she had power and she was fine. We're so glad his brother and his family live so close to Mom.

Only 9 more days until the Wonderful Ms Linda and her amazing crew (Dee, Miss Elle, Michele et al) throw a wonderful event here in Florida called Winter Retreat. Hilltop Memories (www.hilltopmemories.com) is both an on-line and traveling store but is the home of a great crop and retreat company. I am so exicted to be teaching, once again, for this company and working with these people.

Barb, Gerry-Anni and I will be leaving here that Friday and heading up to get Kip in St. Pete aroud noon. Now, if we leave too early, we may just have to kill some time on the way with a stop or two at some of the scrapbook stores that litter our way up to Kip's. I think the girls are going to really enjoy this retreat. They met several of the 'regulars' at a Sarasota crop and commented over and over how very welcome everyone made them feel.

Off to stuff some kits for my class and for the February Hang Ten kit which is called "Beautiful" and is done in the lovely blue Bohemia papers with pearls, rhinestones, inking, painting, rub ons, flip pages and the "must have" Biscuit books! I'll put up a pic or two as a teaser early next week in conjunction with the reveal at www.scrapbookshack.com on Jan. 24.

Have a great day and stay warm!

My Friend Kip

This is my friend Kip. I am trying to do a layout of each of the women who play such an important role in my life. I have done one of my upcoming cruise roomie, Dee and now, this one of the Kipster. I have tons more to go since so many of you have had such an impact on my life. And thank you each and everyone of you!

Wonderful Weekend

What a great weekend: the crop at Lisa's store, Ruban Rouge (www.rubonrougepaperarts.com) was such fun. It was wonderful to see everyone. Kip, Teri, Robin, Little Amy, Michele, her mom Alice (HI ALICE) and her sister Cheryl and Diana, whom I had not met before but had heard all about from Dee, Linda and the Kipster. We shopped, we laughed, we ate, and we even scrapped a little. Lisa let Kristen bring up some yummy snacks and take some Pampered Chef orders and even invited her back to a Friday evening crop even though K does not scrap!

The guys got lots done on the dinning room. They tore out wood that the termites had eaten, replaced that and worked on dry wall and the exterior of the house as well. We were all so beat from our various ventures that cooking in was out of the question. The kids offered to take us out to supper. We ate at Red Fish, Blue Fish which is a really cute restaurant near their house. We ate out on the deck and listened to the reagge band. The food was super and the atmosphere fun!

Sunday Kristen and I hit Jo's and Mike's loaded with coupons. She got some clings for her sliders as the dogs keep running into the door when it is shut! I found the plastic scrapbook bins on sale for 5.00 instead of the usual 8.00 and got 3. I love these for on-gong projects and pages. Lisa, from RR, is the one who showed these to me sometime last year and I tried them out on her word and love them! I picked up enough foam brushes to last me for the next 3 Hang Ten kits too at 15.00 per.

Speaking of Hang Ten, we have some exciting news to share soon. But I can't tell all right now! Such a tease, aren't I?

I am having connection problems and the cable guy won't be able to get out until Thursday. So, if you don't see the blog change, you'll know why! Love to all!

Those darn cats....

Cute, aren't they? Just Jack the Fat Cat in yellow and white and Goofy in gray stripes. Litter brothers...same mama but obviously different daddys. These are our "boys". Jack has E wrapped around his paw. Jack cries and E jumps...who would have thought it? E and Jack work cross words together, read the morning paper and oogle Giada on the cooking channel.

And then there is my cat...the Goof. He is a sweet baby who loves to cuddle with him mama when she can't sleep at night. We read books together, enjoy the silence in the house when the tv is not going and he even sits with me while I scrap book. What a guy!

and all the lovey kissy came to a screeching halt this morning when we attempted to give both of The Boys their pills for their bladder infections. One cat refused to sit, the other fought like a banshee after taking the pills quietly for the past 2 days. It took forever to chase each cat down (pulling Jack from under the bed and Goof out from under the dinning room table), finding a good grip and opening the mouth. Then we had to try and find where they spat the pill...and repeat same.

I don't think either of us will need plastic surgery or stitches and the blood will eventually come out of our clothes. Tomorrow is another day...and we can just hardly wait (insert caustic look)!

Redo on the Guest Bath and the debate

When we moved in to the house that E and I built together, we decorated in 4 mo. flat. A friend of my sis' gave us the border for the downstairs guest bath: blue moon and stars on a yellow back ground. It was perfect. But, five years later, we are ready for a change. We have no idea how long we will be living here as the house is on the market. Meanwhile, we want to live in comfort so we redid the downstairs bath and our bedroom. The bedroom is done and the bath...well, we are having the equivalent of a Senate debate over the border. I found THE border but the man says maybe. He wants to "look around". Now, he has no time to do this, right?

Last night, he admitted that he wants to cruise some books but will probably, in the end, go with my choice. OK. Let's just cut to the chase and order now! lol Men!

Ok, this is my last one of these for a while

Dee had this on her blog...all nicely lines out but the copy/paste left out the lines...lol

A


Aphrodisiac. What turns you on? Italian cooking

B


BFF. Who’s your best friend? JoAnne with whom I have been pals since we were 14.

C


Celeb. Favorite? Sean Connery Most annoying? Paris Hilton

D


Drink. What’s your poison? Wine

E


Everyday essentials. What do you use everyday? My glasses

F


Fav. color. What’s your signature color? Chocolate

G


Groove. What music are you enjoying today? Bocelli

H


Hot! Who’s hot? Keifer Sutherland Who’s not? Donald Trump

I


Indulgence. Dish about your guilty pleasure. Eating a whole bag of Bach's Bridge Mix

J


{dream} Job. What would you do? Edit a scrapbook magazine for adults/those of us who don't scrap kids, actually imbibe intoxicating beverages and attend events like jazz concerts and Fantasy Fest in Key West.

K


Kitchen Companion. Most used item in your kitchen? Ah,that would be E, my honey!

L


Life is incomplete without. . . ? love

M


Mc. . . What would you “Mc”? Not sure I understand this one. We're not talking Happy Meals are we?

N


Natural or dyed? Part nature and part non...

O


Outrageous Outfit. What’s hiding your closet that you’re dying to wear? Those lacy things my honey bought me ten years ago just to prove I still can/ but I can't!

P


Pet Peeve People who eat with their mouths open

Q


Quote. "Inhale life" (SARK)

R


Restaurant you give rave reviews Carrabba’s and Vincenzo's in Bonita Springs

S


Starbucks order. Yuk!!! (A normal, regular caffinated coffee if I get anything there at all.

T


Television. What keeps you glued to the couch? Survivor, any CSI or Law and Order

U


Ultimate Vacation Destination Italy

V


Virtual Babe Name. What’s your online ID? Jules

W


Wonder Woman. What woman leaves you in awe? All my friends leave me awestruck in a gazillion different ways.

X


eX - husband, The Mole

Y


Youth in a bottle. What keeps you feeling young at heart? My kids (who are adults and fun)

Z zodic I am a Gemini


Zodiac sign Gemini

Italia Circle Album

I have been working on the panels for this album for a bit over two weeks. I wanted to capture the overall impression I had of Italy and the sheer richness of the country and its history. I had tons of fun playing with tons of different techniques....I printed my pictures on June Tailor canvas and iron on papers,some vellum I had and onto transparencies. I stamped and inked and painted and used rub-ons and stickers, dyes and embossing powder I am please with how these turned out. Scroll down for a set of 4 more and again for the last 4 panels. And thanks for looking.

Italia Circle Panels Part II

Italia Circle Panels Part III

And the last four.

Found this year review on Michele's Blog

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before? SWAM WITH MANATEE

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I DON'T MAKE THEM

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?YES
4. Did anyone close to you die? YES

5. What countries did you visit? MEXICO

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? MOVE TO TAMPA AREA

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? OUR eleventh ANNIVERSARY

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? WE STARTED HANG TEN PAPER ARTS

9. What was your biggest failure? NOT BEING AS GOOD A FRIEND AS I COULD BE

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? MY WRIST AND ARM PROBLEMS

11. What was the best thing you bought? CROP O DILE AND MY NEW SONY

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? MY DAUGHTER'S HARD WORK AT HER SECOND JOB, PAMPERED CHEF

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A FAMILY ISSUE

14. Where did most of your money go? TRAVEL AND CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? BEING ABLE TO SEE OUR FRIENDS AGAIN FROM ST. LOUIS

16. What song will always remind you of 2006? CRAZY BY GNARLS BARKLEY

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a)HAPPIER or sadder? b) thinner or fatter?ABOUT THE SAME c) richer or poorer? ABOUT THE SAME


18. What do you wish you’d done more of? SCRAPPING MEMORIES

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? SPENDING CASH

20. How did you spend Christmas? FAMILY

21. Did you fall in love in 2006? EVERY DAY WITH MY HONEY

23. What was your favorite TV program? SURVIVOR, ANY LAW AND ORDER, GREY'S

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? THERE ARE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WITH WHOM I AM NOT HAPPY BUT HATE IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD.

25. What was the best book you read? THE LAST CONVERTIBLE, THE SHELLSEAKERS

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? GNARLES BARKLEY

27. What did you want and get? MY NEW CAMERA, FLASH!

28. What did you want and not get? DIAMOND STUD EARRINGS

29. What was your favorite film this year? PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN II

30. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you? E TOOK ME OUT TO EAT FOR LUNCH AT THE LIGHTHOUSE RESTAURANT...I WAS 59

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? SELLING THIS HOUSE

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? COMFORT FIRST

32. What kept you sane?
FRIENDS, FAMILY, SCRAPBOOKING

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I LUST AFTER SEAN CONNERY

35. What political issue stirred you the most? THE WAR, INSANE HOMEOWNERS RATES AND RISING TAXES HERE IN FLORIDA, MEDICAL INSURANCE AND LACK OF COVERAGE

36. Who did you miss? MY TAMPA/ST. PETE/ANYWHERE IN FL PALS AND OUR FRIENDS IN ST. LOUIS (I FEEL VERY ISOLATED HERE)

37. Who was the best new person you met? I'VE 'MET' LOTS OF PEOPLE THIS YEAR AND HAVE ENJOYED THE COMPANY OF ALL

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. DON'T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. NO CLUE

40. What was the most unselfish thing you did in 2006?I DONATED 3 BIG BOXES OF SCRAP SUPPLIES TO A CHURCH GROUP WHO WAS STARTING A CROP GROUP...BUT THIS WAS NOT UNSELFISH AS IT GOT THESE EXTRA SUPPLIES OUT OF MY WORKROOM.


NEXT?

I got tagged!

My friend Dee tagged me and a few other gals so here we go.

Here are are the rules to play:

1. List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets
2. Tag 5 friends and list them.
3. Those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people.
4. Don't forget to let the people you tag know by posting a comment on their blog!


Five Weird things about me and my pets
1. I hate talking on the phone
2. I don't like to drive (I'd rather pedal my bike)
3. My cats are territorial: one sleeps with us and the other on the back of the couch. If one invades the other's territory, the first leaves.
4. I have tons (literally) of half finished creations and albums in boxes and in my workroom. I need to take one month and just finish these
5. Our boys (Just Jack and Goofy the Cat)think they are our children not our pets and Jack likes to sit at the table with us for meals.


I tag: Darla, Anne, Shar, Robin and Mama Jayne (from the Monkey Board)...edited as I put the insert in the wrong place...apologies to Mama Jayne darling.

Another Day...

E read me my horoscope this morning and it advised that I take it slow and easy and that making no decision was preferable to making the wrong one. Wahoooooo...that sure gave this ol' gal license to chill.

My first stop of the day was the library where I owed a whopping 30cents. I never get out of there w/o a fine of some kind. Now my library is awesome...it has all the newest and hot novels and I seldom have to wander back into the stacks unless I am looking for something esoteric. But, timing at my library is everything! and today the pickings were slim. I did manage to find about 4 books that were not too bad and if any are wonderous, I'll post the titles and authors.

My second stop was the new outdoor mall in my never ending search for the perfect shower curtain. We (I) am/are redoing the guest bath downstairs from moon/stars blue/yellow to citrus colors and I can not find THE shower curtain to save my life. Until I do, our Christmas Snowman theme will stay up in that room...come May I think E may find the curtain for me!

And then I went to Best Buy and returned the adapter that was too much for our dear departed dancing Santa and replaced our surge/battery back up thingy for Harry, our big computer (who is also on his last legs...but don't tell him, ok?)

And now I am chilling even further watching my master chef, E, cook up something enticing...he knows the way to my heart (and other body parts) is through my stomach...smart man!

Love to all (pics of dinner tomorrow)!

Nibbles on our house

We had a couple come through today who stayed quite a while the first visit and then came back for a second look. They told our realtor to expect an offer by Tuesday...sounds great, right? Well, they are concerned about the steep insurance rates (ours and almost everyone we know here in Florida had the same gouging by their homeowner insurance co.) so they want to get some bids before they make us an offer.

It is always something, ya know? Just once, it would be nice to have someone come in, say, "we love the house" and make us a reasonable bid. The last one we got was so low as to be insulting. These people don't even want to close for 6-8 months which would be ideal for us. We could find a place we like up close to the kids and not have to rent while we look.

We have no clue how much they will offer but I am hoping it is a sincere offer and not a low ball like the last one.

Meanwhile, we have even more people coming tomorrow to look at our house. E is taking me out to breakfast so we don't mess up the kitchen...lol. Will keep you posted and good thoughts for us would be greatly appreciated!

Sun is out; Surf is up!

Well, one of the two is correct. It is a slightly overcast day here so far. I took E to work today as I am off to the Owl and the Pussycat Stamp Arts store for demo day. I get inspired every time I go and I haven't been in eons. I may take my Italia chipboard circle panels up for show and tell even though I still have 3 sides left to do before I am 'officially' done with it.

I should be able to pick up a copy of the new class Regina, the owner of O&P is offering this Winter. She packs so much into a class and I am hoping she will offer one on book binding again.

I played most of yesterday as I couldn't find the boxes I needed in the garage to pack up things inside. E is off half day today and all day tomorrow so we should be able to get most of everything put away. Right now I can't even sit on my side of the couch and watch tv, not that there has been much on.

Off to play a bit before I get cleaned up for Demo Day. Will post anything new I find out or anything that inspires me later...have a good one all.

Just another year in Paradise

E had to work yesterday from open until around noon. We did get the trees down and the big one with all the light problems put out for the trash. We also go the back lights and some of the front down. I figure at the rate we are going, we'll have everything down and packed away by the 4th. of July! lol

Today is the day that always makes me nervous: Jill and my kits go up for sale (www.scrapbookshack.com) and I try not to check back more than once every half hour to see how well they are selling I am often not good at self restraint. Thanks to all of you who look and buy! We appreciate your business!

We are having the most lovely of lovely sunrises here. Smokey gray clouds lace the sky and the tangerine and cobalt sky is so pretty reflected in the lake. My roses are starting to improve and there is jasmine blooming on each corner of our house...does life get much better?

Have a great day all!

Happy First Day of 2007

We had such a lovely day yesterday. We met my sister, Janet and her beau, Dennis at Smoking Oyster Brewery and Restaurant on Estero Island near the beach. E use to have his kiosk for the Chamber of Commerce down there and he got to see a couple of his favorite waitresses. I had a buffalo chicken salad that was yummy and the beer was perfectly chilled.

E and I took a walk down to the beach and out on the pier. The temp was about 78 with a lovely breeze. There was still some red algae in the water but it didn't smell like when Linda and Kip were down visiting. We had intended to have a drink at Jimmy B's (our favorite place to toast sunsets during our time share week on the beach during the summer)as they had the top open once again. It was so crowded that we changed our mind and stopped at Plaka's in Times Square instead.

We had our crab legs early at home and were so full from lunch and the legs that we didn't even fix the steaks. Today E is doing what we call "Jadee's Dad's Ribs" and they are in the fridge marinating in the mustard and spices.

Have a great day all.

A word about the quiz...top score was an 80 as I only had 8 questions up.