Update~I can see!!

Well finally. After exactly 1 week I can see! YAY!! I started to get really concerned about my vision in the eye. Everything was super, duper bright with a slightly orange/yellow tinge to it. I was thinking it might be for having it closed under that eye patch for so long so I ditched the patch. Used sunglasses and for a few days had to still pretty much keep it closed even with the sunglasses. Finally one morning I used the patch until lunchtime, took it off, put the sunglasses back on then tried really hard just to keep it open and use it.

That worked! YAY! lol By the next day I was fine without the sunglasses. WHEW!! That was a close one!

As for the nose bleed? Thankfully that seems to be a thing of the past. I still need to get in to see my family Dr. though and get some b/p meds. among other things.

Kids are home from school today for the teachers to have meetings. Had them Fri. too. I’m kind of going crazy! lol….want to work on some things but not sure how much I can get done with them here at home. Might have to wait.

Janna tagged me and I’m finally getting to it!! Ready? Here goes nothin’!

WHAT’S ON YOUR DESKTOP??

Ok…here’s mine. What’s really funny is that yesterday our internet/cable everything was out. Don’t know why but anyway I was sitting her messing around with my desktop. Cleaned it up, I don’t like a lot of icons on the desktop, I tend to go by the start button. Put new wallpaper on for Halloween, put on a new screensaver, and then when I did get the internet back on I even put a Halloween theme in for Firefox. 🙂 Then this AM I remembered I needed to update my blog about my health problems and that Jannah had tagged me! I swear I didn’t know what the tag was until today! So here’s my desktop, I just put a stock image on there for Halloween:)

Yes. I know it’s a thumbnail. I was too lazy to try and resize it down small enough not to blow up my blog so just click on it and you’ll see the large size in a new window. Least I think it’ll be in a new window! lol

I just downloaded and put the Flicker uploader in. sigh. Of course for whatever reason it won’t work for me. Oh well. I’ve always been kind of confused where it comes to Flicker!

I only have a few icons on there right now. I did have just the Dell splash screen and did have the blue bars but like I said I changed everything out yesterday..I LOVE the silver now!!

Here’s the info about the tag.

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V). [Edited by April to add: If you’re on a Mac, hit Command-Shift-3, and the screen capture will pop up on your desktop as Picture 1.png. Open this file in a graphics program and do your thing.] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.

C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop.

D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants.
List of Free Viewers:
iRonnie, Thess, Rebecca, Knoizki, Beng, Tina, Rachel, Alice, Julia, Darla, Carrie, Ann, April, Zee, Janna,Martha

As for who to tag??  I can’t think because my youngest is busy chanting, “give me chips, give me chips” over and over and over and over…………………..

serious health issues….

sigh…I LOVE my kids! lol I’ve been physically hurt by them before, just accidents that happen when we play sometimes like being poked in the eye, bruised by a toy, once dd accidently gave me a black eye by knocking her head into mine while I was holding her and playing. This takes the cake though.

Fri. I was talking to youngest ds. We were talking about Christmas and what he wanted to ask for. We were playing around too, as usual I was teasing him telling him if he wasn’t good he’d get a piece of coal or a plain ol’ rock! I was telling him all I wanted for Christmas was for him to try “other stuff”. Other stuff refers to food! He’s seriously the most picky eater in the world! Well I picked him up and we were laughing and talking and he swung the toy around he was holding. Actually it was a piece from his sister’s barbie castle, he’d been pretending it was a phone. It hit the bullseye. Hit me right in the eye, my eyeball. It HURT and I knew immediately I was hurt bad. Couldn’t see. Everything was gray out of the eye. The tears poured. I put a cold compress on it for awhile. Still almost 0 vision. Just the shape of things with a little color and mostly gray. Dh was gone to do errands. The other 2 kids were on the way home on the bus. Nothing I could do. Waited till dh got home then we discussed going to the ER. Didn’t want to do that. The eye looked fine. Wasn’t even red!! It did hurt bad though and no vision. I decided to find out which insurance I had to use and try to find a opthamologist that would see me on Sat.

Sat. AM got up to my eye swollen shut. The pain was unreal. Took a pain pill but it didn’t touch the pain. Called around and found a place that said they would have a opthamologist on duty. Light KILLED me, even through a closed eyelid. I wore my sunglasses with a towell held to my eye. When I got there they took me right in. The dr. put numbing drops in to be able to examine me. He starts coming at my eye with this strip of orange paper…it was dye. Put the dye in and examined me under a blue light. My cornea was ripped from near the tear duct almost all the way across my eye. He said it was very deep and jagged. Wanted to know what toy ds had!! lol Good thing it wasn’t his toy sword or something else equally damaging!! He was very concerned about the amount of swelling. Evidently that’s not quite normal to have such swelling of the eyelids. He left the room, came back and said he called another Dr. on consult and that dr. had assured him all my syntoms including the swelling and very, very excessive tearing were normal. ahh…OK. Got anti-biotic drops to put in and BURN my eye to death 4x per day and a big, ol’ black eyepatch! AYE MATEY!! lol All I need is a hook arm and a peg leg and I’m in biz! Sigh….said it would be 100% better in 24hrs. Not cured by then but better. Least he hoped! He gave me his home phone # to call him on Sun. if it wasn’t better or was worse!! Now what killed me is that all along I thought HE was a opthomologist. He gave me his card and there was Dr. in front of his name but underneath his name it said “optomatrist”!!! WTH?? No wonder he wanted a consult! He also wanted me to come in either today or tomorrow to see this other Dr. sigh…….is my eyeball going to fall out?? Well I can say that it’s a whole lot better today. Swelling has gone down a lot. Pain is a whole lot less (wow you wouldn’t believe how bad it hurt!!). I’m still wearing a patch though and the vision is not back completely. Now I can see but there’s like a “halo” of gray around everything….plus it’s still blurry. Amazingly it’s hard to do anything with only 1 functional eye!! Guess it’s something a person would have to adapt to. No way I can drive or even do much like reading, watching TV, and yes I’m on the computer but can’t do my graphics right now…it’s slow going, VERY slow going.

Here’s a couple of photos my oldest ds took….they aren’t the best quality, blurry because I wouldn’t let him turn on the flash…..hurt too bad. Ignore the frizzy bad, much in need of a cut hair! I had it in a ponytail all day and it hadn’t been washed! YUCK 🙂

Looks like my good eye was also a little swollen…..

Here’s one of me in my pirate patch…good eye doesn’t look “good”!!

sigh…..pretty huh? I know what to be for Halloween now!

This isn’t it though. This doesn’t take the cake to what happened to me Sat. night. I’d take a ripped cornea any day over this mess….

I got to ride in a ambulance for the 1st time Sat. night, strapped into the gourney!

DISCLAIMER*****THIS IS GROSS!! DO NOT READ IF SQUEMISH!!

OK. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way! Sat. night dh put the 4th drop in eye. It KILLED me. Burned like heck. I tried to sit up and watch a little TV but that just wasn’t working. I just couldn’t do it. So I decided to go on to bed. I did and fell asleep. I wake up about a hour and a half later to feel what I thought was drainage going down the back of my throat. I coughed a little and laid there. Then changed positions. It got worse. I got up to go the bathroom and when I got in there I glanced in the mirror to see blood coming from my left nostril. Got a tissue and when I leaned forward the blood splashed through my hands and into the sink. I was like “WTF????”!! dh was asleep in the living room so I got a bath towel and went to wake him up. Back in the bathroom blood was splashing onto the floor. I open my mouth to talk and it gushes out of my mouth! I”m not kidding. It was GUSHING from both my nose and mouth!! dh puts me on the toilet telling me to lean forward and put pressure on my nose. I do but it doesn’t work. The blood is pooling in my mouth. He asks if he should call 911. At 1st I said no. After about 5 more mins. of blood splashing everywhere I said YES. He calls and I start to freak out. I honestly thought I was dying. I really don’t remember being quite so scared. It was really odd because then I started feeling like it wasn’t even me, almost like I was watching myself. The ambulance finally gets there and the guys start asking me what happened. I told them and told them about my eye and takiing these strange eyedrops. The put the b/p cuff on and I knew I’d be going to the hospital. I’ve had high, very high b/p for quite a while now. I’ve been treated on and off for it. When dh and I were both laid off I couldn’t afford the script for it or to go to the Dr. anymore….there’s no way you can pay for a office visit or a script when you cna’t even buy food!!! When dh did get insurance I just didn’t go. It’s hard sometimes to even part with $20 for the co-pay. sigh…the kids and things like their lunches etc…come 1st.

Anyway the ambulance guy turns and says something really low to the other one and then asks which hospital I want to go to. I refused to answer or do anything until they told me what my blood pressure was. Now remember I’m also freaking out about all the blood!! Not to mention the mere word hospital makes my heart beat very, very fast!! I knew my pressure was probably stroke level. I can’t remember now the exact # but it was 200 and something over 100 and something……………he finally told me.

We go get in the ambulance, they hook me up to a heart moniter and tell me to lean forward with pressure on the bridge of my nose. THEN the guy says, “Is your eye swollen?? Why??” sigh…I had to go through it all AGAIN.

They do the whole 9 getting me to the hospital. Lights and sirens. I get there and begged them to let me walk but no…….so I get in a room and admitably was a total bitch to the nurses. I knew the lecture was coming about my pressure. I told her not to go there. That I KNEW the dangers but was having a hard time and didn’t need to hear it again. That part of the reason I put off going to the DR. was because of the lectures………..Mentally I have a hard time with fear of different things, anxiety and that is a HUGE anxiety producer for me, hearing the lectures.. She just shrugged me off and said, “Oh well then. Die.” nice huh?

They didn’t appreciate my attempt at humor. Like when they asked what I weigh I said, “Too much!!” lol I didn’t get any laughs with that one. So THEN I guess cause I looked like I’d been beat with the swollen shut eye and all that blood they start asking if I’m afraid at home and if I’m being treated badly etc…LOL!! Poor dh……. So I go through the whole story AGAIN.

They hook me up to a b/p machine to moniter my pressure. They give me this thing that looks like a clip and feels like a clothes pin to put on the bridge of my nose, clamping it to try and stop the bleeding. sigh…..I call dh who had woke the 2 youngest (oldest ds was on his 1st sleepover) and they were on the way. Soon they came in and I had the kids crawling on my gourney and asking lots of questions and telling me about the dried up blood all over my mouth. lol

Dr. FINALLY comes in and looks in my nose, the bleeding had finally stopped. My b/p was down but still very high at one point I know it was something like 159/125…something like that. He says he can’t find the source of the bleeding. Could be due to the high b/p along with the pain from the eye. Could actually be due to the eye drops, allergic reaction. Lots of things but he said since I have a history of high b/p it wasn’t like it came out of the blue. I promised him I’d call my family dr. and go in. He gave me a b/p pill and I had to wait a hour to see if the pressure went down which it did leaving me feeling like I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was sooo darned tired and in pain with the injured eye. sigh. He came in and said he’d release me just had to type up the discharge stuff. Well he never came back! The kids were getting very antsy and so was I, went out to ask the nurses several times when he’d be back. She tells me how busy they are all the while never moving from in front of her computer moniter. I could see her from my room……grrr… After about another almost 2hours of waiting for him to come back in we just got our stuff together and LEFT. Nurse sees us leaving and asks, “Are you leaving?” lol NO. I”m just going for a walk. Yes I told her. With the 2 small children we can’t wait any longer for him to get to us with the discharge instrustions. I know what to do…and that’s to go to my family dr. and get this b/p taken care of once and for all.

Sorry this was so long! I’m feeling better today. The eye is doing better. Swelling is down, pain is much better. I am giving myself today as I know my Dr. isn’t in on Mondays, and will call to make a appt. with her tomorrow. I might even go ahead and call this afternoon for a appt. UGH. I have to admit whatever caused the bleed. It scared me and last night, alone while dh was at work, I stayed up for a LONG time, afraid to lay down to sleep.

I truely think the eye drops had something to do with it. I think I had a severe reaction to them. I googled them and there are some very bad, severe side effects to them……rare but they DO happen. Nose/throat problems were part of this list…so was anaphactic shock and breathing difficulties! You wouldn’t think eye drops could do that but these are VERY strong anti-biotic drops that have to be carefully monitered. I called the eye dr. at his home yesterday and he said to quit taking them, which I had already. Said he didn’t think that would be the cause because it was rare but that it surely couldn’t be ruled out. THEN he thinks to ask what meds. I’m allergic to!! After the fact!! I’m allergic to penicillian. He thought that might have something to do with it and wanted me to come in today and see the other eye dr. We’ll see. sigh…….I’m just tired.

If you’ve made it through all this rambling tale thank you. Becky I was going to e-mail you, I’ll e-mail you so you can read this. I’ll be scarce on my CT work for sure for awhile. I almost had another something cool finished but………. I don’t know when I’ll physically be able to work on any of it.

Upsets me too cause I found more than 1 part time job, seasonal openings to start soon, that fit my needs but I can’t go apply or interview until I can see, drive again and get rid of the eye patch.

Thanks again…you’re all so supportive. I know everyone will understand if I’m even more scarce than usual.

Fickle

 

Definition from Merriam-Webster.com.

 

One entry found for fickle.

Main Entry: fick·le
Pronunciation: 'fi-k&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English fikel deceitful, inconstant, from Old English ficol deceitful; akin to Old English befician to deceive, and probably to Old English fAh hostile — more at FOE
: marked by lack of steadfastness, constancy, or stability : given to erratic changeableness
synonym see INCONSTANT
– fick·le·ness noun
– fick·ly /'fi-k(&-)lE/ adverb

yep I’d say the part about being “marked by lack of steadfastness, constancy, or stability : given to erratic changeableness” is ME!! At least in terms of some things. Things like……oh I don’t know. BLOGGING, checking in on friend’s blogs, e-mail, message boards, scrapping, doing what I say I’m going to do. Ya know. All that stuff.

I have no excuse other than I just haven’t done it! I have the best intentions with these things, always say I’m gonna do this, gonna do that. Sigh. I end up doing them for a time and then………poof! It’s gone again. What can I say? I’m not as organized with my time as I should be I guess.

Well it’s been a little over a month since I dared to open my blog…hmm..what all has happened?

I got called back to work the other day! IF you want to call it that! They called me back for 2 weeks!! 2WEEKS?? I’ve been there going on 6 years now. This is the 1st time they’ve EVER re-opened night shift after a layoff but before Jan. I had my choice. Could go to days or nights. Well actually I turned it down this time. Yeah I need the $ but 2weeks??? Trying to find a sitter, upsetting my whole life for 2 weeks?? NOT! Not to mention we’re paid 2x a month. That’s 1 paycheck which I wouldn’t receive for 2 weeks to a month AFTER lay off. sigh.

The kids are fine. Keeping fingers crossed!

ummm….I’m working HARD to try and start up a scrap-4-hire biz. Well actually it will be a “graphic art using your photos or memorabilia” type of thing. I’ve got my niche. I’m just not a scrapper. I’ve come to that realization. It’s ok too:) I don’t scrap! I’m in it for the art! I LOVE the artsy-fartsy part of it all. My memories are kept in letters to the kids that I write and stick in their baby books. Yes sometimes I do a real scrap page with journaling and all that but when it comes right down to it I’m really most interested in digital art and imagary. Maybe I’ve immersed myself in the wrong “part” of the digital world? Maybe I’d be better off at places like Deviant Art?? Not sure. Really I guess there should be room for people like me in the scrap world? hmm… I don’t know. Just know that I’m happy doing the art and maybe if I know I’ll be “booking” the page doing journaling on the back or even doing a 2-pager with the static page being room for journaling. I’m just not much of a writer and find my inspiration through the photo and the imagination rather than the actual “memory” of the moment. Guess that’s one reason why I’ve never done lots of b-day, Christmas, or other event pages? who knows? lol

As for my “biz”. Well I had a client. lol notice I said had !! So one day out of the blue I acidently ran across a potential client. Never having done this type of thing before and thinking when I open for biz it would be totally local, not really a biz where I’d gain much employment over the internet, I contacted this person with a link to my gallery. I didn’t/don’t have a site constructed yet. So they LOVED it! E-mailed and asked me about doing a job for them! Turns out this is a professional photographer. Well to make a long story short this photographer is in the middle of lots of huge financial dealings and couldn’t part with $. Unfortunately, even though the promise of advertising was there, I can’t part with my work without gaining a check for what I feel is a fair amount for the job. We parted as friends. 🙂 Hopefully it will still be a job I can be commissioned to do in the future. Did give me some much needed confidence though!

So enough with my fickle ramblings!! No more coming on here and making promises of blogging or blog hopping that I probably won’t end up keeping! In the famous words of Popeye the Sailor~~~”I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam”!!!

btw~~Carla sweetie~if you read this~ I honestly haven’t forgotten you even though I’m sure it seems like it!! I’ve got another e-mail addy all opened up to try and e-mail you through! ((hugs)) and I’m sorry it’s been such a long stretch of time…

Have a good day off!

Happy Labor Day a little early 🙂 We’ve STILL got a sick child here. My oldest got this horrible stomach virus that’s been going around. It supposedly lasts just 2-3 days but this is his 5th day. I actually called the Dr.’s emergency call line today thinking maybe I might have to take him to the hospital. He’s not dehydrated. Close but so far under control. It scared me that he kept complaining about “burning” in his stomach and then vomited black stuff up…there was nothing in his stomach besides water and Sprite at the time.

Dr. reassured me that was bile. The burning was stomach acids. Got him some Gateraide and Children’s Pepto to coat so please keep your fingers crossed for him! I just feel soo sorry for him. He missed 3 days of school last week and that was just his 2nd week back. Looks like he’ll probably be missing Tues. too and man oh man you should see the homework his teacher sent!!! WOW! I’m very tempted to do most of it myself for him! She said every day last week she had at least 6 kids out with this virus! Wish she’d have gone easy on the work considering.

Today is the big fireworks here. WEBN fireworks. The local kick a@# radio station. Each side of the river (Ohio River) get together and watch huge, massive fireworks display set to music and set off over the river. I haven’t been in years to the fireworks! The crowds are just too much for me not to mention you’ve gotta get there EARLY and wait around all day till 9pm to finally see them. We watch them on TV every year though which isn’t quite the same. Maybe we’ll be brave and take the kids down there when they get a little older 🙂

So here’s a few pictures from WEBN’s web site. Shows some of the highlights of Cincinnati/Kentucky and the Ohio river on fireworks day 🙂 LOL!! You’ll see one of the many bridges over, this is the one my poor dh has to drive every day to work.

This is a barge, something that used to float up/down river just outside my house when we lived in a small Ky. town right on the river across from Indiana.

Ky. side of the river. Newport is right across from Cinci. Home of “Riverboat Row”.

That big rubber duck in the photo is from the “Rubber Duck Regatta”. You can purchase a little rubber duck for 5$ all proceeds go to feed the needy, and then they drop THOUSANDS of these ducks off the bridge and down the river they go. The 1st duck to cross the finish line wins a new car, well the person that bought that # duck! lol 😀 You should see the sea of yellow on the river!

Fireworks are set off on the bridge and from barges.  One of the highlights is this cool fireworks waterfall they do off the bridge~this is from last year.

btw-Holly I’ll have a e-mail with some info about my page on it soon!! Thanks girl!! 🙂

Keep my oldest in your thoughts and prayers that he doesn’t have to go to the hospital with this virus!

School daze….

Well things are starting to settle around here. We’re starting to hit somewhat of a routine. Until today that is. Oldest ds is home sick! ALREADY! Here it is just into the 2nd week of school and he’s already sick. His best friend has missed the last 2 days home sick so it figures he would get it too. A stomach virus thing. YUCK. I swear what is it anyway about kids and germs?? lol The second they go back to school it’s like they get attacked, when I called the school to tell them ds wouldn’t be there they said there was tons of sick kids. sigh…just what we need.

So I know I haven’t been around the ol’ blog scene much. I have been working on some things though which is good.  Still don’t have a part time job. I have to admit I haven’t been doing a lot of searching. Gave it up for a time. Figured I’d have a better chance after school started and college kids go back. We’ll see! I did apply for a good one the day before yesterday now the wait to see if they’ll call me or not.

I’ve got to admit I’ve been reading another blog. A lot! I find it interesting and honestly a great diversion! Digital Disturbances. I don’t mind admitting to reading it and even posting on it a time or 2. Yep some people on there have trashed a few designers about personal stuff, personality etc…I don’t agree with the personal attacks at all. I saw someone get really, really hurt on the Scrapsmack blog a while back by the personal stuff. Left a really bad taste in my mouth..hope that doesn’t happen with D.D. It’s funny because even though I’ve been around for a long, long time now I hardly “know” any of these designers they talk about! Guess that’s what happens when you don’t use a lot of product 🙂 I stick with 1CT. Stick with RAKS I’ve been fortunate enough to receive (thanks gals, you know who you are) 😀 and I tend to use tons of stuff I find at DeviantArt and places like that. Not that I don’t like designers products! Just feel guilty buying it! lol Yep it’s inexpensive but that stuff adds up and I can see myself going nuts with it! Kinda like a auction, I never could resist a good bidding session and have stopped going to them unless I KNOW that I have lots of $$ and if dh is there to stop me!

So back to this blog. Yep I’ve posted. Yep I read it. There it is! I’m ousted! lol Who knows? I might post on there from time to time. I will keep it annon mostly because I believe that’s really the purpose for the most part, to say whatever without “fear”. Of course I’m telling everyone here that I read/post anyway! lol I’m to the point where I am what I am and that’s all that I am 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever been treated badly by anyone in the digi community, everyone I’ve met has for the most part been real and very nice. Least this blog helps me stay in the loop a little, at least not as far out of it as I usually am! Maybe it will help the design community though, I can see it being a source of info for designers. If I was designing I know I’d want to read some of it, as long as it was truthful. There is one thing I don’t get though. I really didn’t realize until I read some posts there and then took a look at a popular forum just how many people “flip” out over certain designers! lol We’ve all heard about celeb scrappers, especially if you read 2-peas or CK mag. That cracks me up! Celebrities?? I guess in this world they are but outside of it?? lol I can guarantee that 99.9% of the people at my work (and that’s a TON of people) have never heard of these women! Why are there people, sometimes masses of people, that act like the Beatles just came to town over both designers and scrappers? Guess when you get well known in a certain circle that will always be the case. These are all just everyday women with families, problems, joys etc…they are real people with real feelings whether they’re known in the digi/scrapping world or not.

Guess I’ve rambled enough for 1 day! lol See what happens when I go for a time without blogging? I run off at the mouth! Have a great one!

bwahahahaha!!!!! Before I go 🙂 I did this page a while ago. I’m in love with it! lol I’ve posted it everywhere I think so sorry if you’ve been forced to see it time and time again! Now I’m going to put it up here…can’t resist 🙂 It was too big to fit the blog so just click on it to get the bigger size.  Later!!

WHAT is my problem?

I honestly don’t know why but I seem to have the back to school blues.  Sigh.  Getting teary eyed and not wanting to do anything AT ALL…yuck..

You’d think I’d be happy to have the oldest 2 kids back to school and out of the house for a little while.  Especially after the start we had this summer!  lol  I didn’t forget how crazy they drove me at 1st!

Guess it’s my need for routine that’s shaking me up.  When school 1st let out for summer and they were home it was hard.  Really hard!  On both me and the youngest.  Our routine was messed up.  Took us a little while to adapt.  Now?  Same thing goes.  A new routine.  I wish I could just go with the flow.  Sigh.  I get so out of sorts when things change.  Takes me a while to get adjusted only to have things out of sorts again for school breaks etc…It’s not bad on holidays when they’re home for a week or even just a few days but when it’s for a long time?  It honestly just sucks at 1st & right now it pretty much sucks too that they’re gone.

Poor youngest!  lol  I’m afraid he’s a little like his ol’ mommy here.  He likes the routine too.  Yesterday he said, “This is a bad day.”.  Yep little guy.  It is a bad day……

Just a break

I know!  Again it’s been forever since I’ve posted.  I go through this off and on.  Wanted to get some stuff done, spent time with the kiddos, etc…left out blogging, only posted a little in the forums.  I’m not all that dedicated I guess:)

Well not much has gone on really.  I didn’t find a part time job that I could work with.  It’s ok though.  We’re going to manage…I HOPE!  Least we are for now and hopefully I’ll be called back to my REAL job sooner rather than later!

umm..what else?  lol!  I’m NOT exciting to say the least!

The kids started back to school today!  I can’t believe it!  The summer flew by.  We didn’t get to do as much as we wanted to but all in all it was a good summer.  Spent lots of time in the pool as it got HOT here.  We’ve had almost a month of over 100 degree temps. and if you count in the humidity it was almost unbearable!  Just paying the electric bill is a joke, I can’t take the heat and had to have that air set low….

Well guess that’s about it!  I really just don’t have a lot to report!  I’m sorry to everyone I owe e-mails to!!  WOW am I bad about that!!  I haven’t been blog hoppin’ in forever either!  One of these days I will!  Just wanted to check in, let everyone know we’re alive! lol  Thanks for thinking of us!!

Later!! 😀

Has it been this long??

I guess it HAS been this long! Geeze!! Well I do have some excuses. lol

1st of all I’m just sort of disgusted. Disgusted because I need a part time job and can’t seem to find one! I’ve been told time and time again I’m “over qualified”. Sigh…what do these people expect for a part time worker?? Of course some of us will have a little more experience than your average high school kid!

I did get a call from Sears. Sigh. I missed the call and didn’t call back after I heard the full description. It was to walk around Sears for 4 hrs. trying to talk people into signing up to let Sears come to their house for a demo of windows or whatever…I knew it was something a little like that when I called but then when the guy fully explained it?? I thought….um…..NO! lol I honestly hate it when people bug me when I’m in a mall or somewhere trying to shop! If I’m interested I’ll come to you and ask for a appt.!

I did apply for UPS and a few other places. Guess it’s a waiting game now. What happened to the days when if you needed a little job. Part time. Maybe in a gas station, convience store or restaraunt you could just go, fill out the app., talk to the manager and walk out with a job to start the next day?? sigh…guess those were “the good ol’ days”.  It’s really annoying to me too that I am employed but not able to work there right now…guess a little visit to USAJOBS.gov is in order, maybe I can manage a different job/dept. where I work??  hmmm…will take a lot of work to make THAT one happen!
I thought briefly about trying to design a little. Maybe open another blog and try selling some things. LOL!!! That’s about how it went!! I am NO designer unless I’m making something specific for my own pages it seems. Not to mention at the pace I create I’d net about 1/2 cent per hour total!! NOT going to pay the cable or phone bill that way!  Honestly!  You designers out there should ALL raise your prices!!  You’re getting reamed!!  Ya know that don’t ya??  and I say this in the most loving sense!  I want to see you all do well but at the price you sell verses the TIME it takes to design???  just some food for thought!

I did discover something though. Something I’ve known for a long time but did little to change. I’ve spent WAY, WAY too much time on this computer!! No I’m not the most active in the galleries or on blogs anymore but I spent lots and lots of useless time online anyway. Browsing. Reading. Lurking around in the shadows. I read this article. If anyone is too busy to read it basically it’s about a couple that were addicted to internet video games. Addicted to the point that they almost killed their 2 toddlers by not feeding them, letting the youngest baby’s hair be matted to head with cat urine, and the oldest lose soo much muscle tone from not using his legs that he had trouble walking. It’s one of the more disgusting things I’ve ever read!!

Now that article had me thinking. Of course I’ve never neglected my kids anywhere even remotely close to that!! Not even imaginable in my opinion!! I do feel that I have chose the computer over them at times though. I should be reading more stories, I should be just sitting on the couch to watch cartoons with them if nothing else. I’m in the same room with them. I talk to them, help them with their little games or crafts but….I’m usually on the computer. It didn’t used to be this way. I used to do more. Used to play, go for more walks, even just lay on the couch. Slowly but surely I got addicted to all this starting with digi scrapping and then going away from the scrapping and into just…being online period! Now all this might be a little different if I had a JOB working from home or something where I HAD to be online but I don’t!! I feel sorry for people that do because even though it’s their work just as if they were gone to the office, I’m sure, I KNOW that guilt tends to eat them up too. Especially with the kids at home in the summer.

Well now we’re going to go about things a little different. I’m almost out of time. It’s not long till school starts back up, it’s not long till my youngest will be gone to school too. I’ll still be online. I’ll still be trying to do my digi scrapping but there’s a limit now. I’ll be online in the mornings but when lunch time comes forget it!! For the rest of the day NO COMPUTER!! lol Even after they go to bed unless I have something I really have to get done or want to get done! I’ve realized I need my alone, downtime, sleep time too 😉 This time only comes once in a life time. Soon, too soon, it’s over. They’re gone and don’t want/need you as much anymore. I’ve GOT to have more memories with them than this…

Ok. now that I’ve been kind of a downer/guilt producer!! lol On to something really, really cool!!

My good friend Zee has given me the honor of being “Rockin’ Girl Blogger”!!!

LOL!!  Lord knows I’m always talking about listing to some rockin’ tunes!  Especially when I scrap, tends to give me the most inspiration!  Well part of this is to pick 5 more “rockin'” girl bloggers!!  Here goes!  Hope none of them have been picked already 🙂

Audrey aka Alitfin!!   She’s a KILLER photographer!!  Her subject matter is rockin’ too!  Not only does she highlight the family in a gorgeous way but she takes kick a$$ sports photos and actually PLAYS the sports!!  lol  Her dogs and her dh are way rockin’ as well as her layouts!!  😀

Carla aka Cardee!!  She’s multi talented this one!!  She’s got rockin’ handbags she makes!!  I’d seriously love to have one!!  hint~hint!! lol  She’s also a killer photographer with the most gorgeous, talented family!  She’s sooo incredibly sweet too…I’m so glad we met through digi scrappin’!!

Carrie Stephens!!  She’s one ROCKIN’ designer!!  She’s also one of the most sweet people I’ve ever met!  She’s generous to a fault too 🙂  hehe…sorry Carrie but I also HAVE to mention how hot her rockin’ husband is!!!

I have many, many more ROCKIN’ girl bloggers that I could/should tag but I’m keepin’ true to my intent here!  Going to do a few past due e-mails.  Maybe finally upload some pages to my poor, sad, neglected ScrapbookGraphics CT member gallery, thanks Becky for fixing my sign-in btw 🙂 OMG>…I sure HAVE neglected my CT gallery!!!  I didn’t realize just how long it’s been, I should be fired!!!  But PLEASE don’t fire me Maya!!  lol  Just goes to show ya how fast time really does go by…

Happy 4th!!

Wow have I been terrible about blog commenting!! I’m sorry! No excuse other than being busy with the kids lately and then being so tired…

Happy 4th of July everyone!! And for those who don’t have this holiday, happy Wednesday 🙂

My dd has a birthday tomorrow!! 7 years old. Time FLIES! I remember the year she was born. I was HUGELY pregnant with her. lol I looked kind of freakish I was soo big! Skinny arms and legs with a gigantic belly…my neighbor across the street had asked me if I was carrying twins! Thank goodness it was only 1!!

I was having a planned c-section. I had already had 1 section after a 40 somethin’ hr. long labor and had wanted to try having dd the “normal” way but my OB after numerous late sonograms to check her size said I’d probably end up laying there only to have another c-section. She was BIG, well she was supposed to be anyway and I can say at 8lbs.7oz. she was no light weight! lol Not to mention she had a really big head 😆

I almost didn’t make it to the planned date with her! Had been having contractions for several days, REAL ones. I get to the hospital and the nurse hooks me up to the monitors etc…and says, “Did you know you’re having contractions?”!! Duh!! Really?? lol

The thing I remember the most about her birth is seeing her start to be pulled out. Before her body was out of mine she was crying and she didn’t stop until she was finally handed over to me to nurse! lol All the nurses and the Dr. were cracking up! Every 1st photo we have of dd shows her with her mouth wide open!! Just like now! 😉

I got lucky going in to have her. They were FILLED up! They told me just about every woman in the greater Cinci area had gone into labor over 4th of July! I wasn’t going to get my private room and I was TICKED!! lol~I know, I know!! I’m a snob!! I just didn’t want to share a room and germs etc…Got lucky and someone got to go on home leaving me a private room 🙂

So my little dd was born. Almost a 4th of July baby in the millennium year of 2000 😀 This particular birthday is perfect for dd!! She’s every bit as loud and sparkly as the biggest fireworks!!! Her birth date suits her personality 🙂

Don’t anyone go into shock but…………. I made a page!!! lol!!

I’m very patriotic. I’m very in tune to what sacrifices our military men and women are making for us to be able to be in the greatest country on earth. To be free. To be safe. To have good lives and have the opportunity to become anything we can dream of becoming.

I have some friends who have sons in Iraq and Afghanistan. Risking their lives for my children to be able to sleep in peace.

I was listening to “American Soldier” by Toby Keith and opened up PS and started playing with the few scanned photos I have of my dad when he was serving with the Marines in Korea in the early 1950’s. This is what came out…

I really would like to send it to him but I’m unsure. He’s soo…..I don’t know even what he is! He’s never really liked my graphics work. Says it’s not serious enough. I have another page of him with the kids that IS serious enough and is done in the “realistic paper” style. He looked at it and complained about the photo of him I used…sigh. Why at almost 40 years old do I still crave his approval?? I don’t know. Guess it’s that “always a kid” thing. No matter how old you become your parent always manages to send you right back to 9 years old! lolNow

Now maybe I’ll open up PS again. 2 days in a row?? OMGosh! lol Here’s a few tunes/videos to remind us not to forget our service men and women. What a great country America is!!

Trace Adkins~~The National Anthom

Toby Keith~~American Soldier

Toby Keith~~Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, the angry American song

A True American Hero video

My bio…DSM:)

lol!  Seems like forever now that I was asked to be on the creative board for DSM!  Seemed like even though I’ve done a few assignments I’d never see my pages in the mag.  They are so far ahead.  You know how it is with mags.  You submit something for Dec. in June 🙂  Just finished a little one, look for it in Dec. issue!

Well I got my subscribers copy of the Aug/Sept. issue and there I was!  Me and the kids and even dh.  So if you get the mag. check out my bio!!  Very neat stuff for me to see that after all this time!  LOL!  Janna you got your issue before I got mine!  btw~CONGRATS Janna!!!  She had at least 5 maybe 6 pages in this issue!!!  How cool is that??!!  They are all gorgeous Janna!!

Here’s a couple corrections to my “toolbox” from the article.

I use a Panasonic Lumix camera.  A Epson 1280 wide format printer, PhotoshopCS (I did used to use PSP but haven’t in a long time~I find it a difficult program).  I do have a Wacom tablet.  I really had to laugh too at MY mistake in the article.  Just like a man I usually get my anniversary wrong~not the date but the year!  I’m always forgetting just how long we’ve been married until this year, our 15th.  When I wrote my bio for DSM I told them I’d been married 13years.  It should’ve been 14!  OOPS!!  oh well!

I have a purse in there too.  Back in the section about the memory purses, mine is the “Peace” one.  I noticed the coloring wasn’t what it should’ve been.  hmmm…guess something got lost in the transfer?  Not sure there.  This was my very 1st “hybrid” or “fusion” project and it was fun but HARD!  lol   Here’s another photo of it.  1st the front…

Here’s the side~these purses are soo cool!  You can decorate ALL sides of them 🙂

Now here’s my favorite side~the back!

I did this purse using papers from Maya of ScrapbookGraphics Oh Happy Day kit~recolored and brushes from 1lovesdevine~DeviantArt.

If you’d like to take a look at the purses, there are a few different styles, you can see them at Pursue Your Art.

Now I’m going to show something that accidently got lost!  The company changed FTP servers and it seems that some files kind of disappeared!  ACK!  One was for my recipe ATC I did.  It was supposed to appear in print but I didn’t get it resubmitted in time so then it was to go on the web site but I haven’t run across it yet…sooo here it is 🙂

here’s the back…

LOVE stuffed green peppers around here!  I planted some bell peppers in my garden and have been trying to keep them watered but I’m just not sure I’ll get many to eat on out of it.

When this issue came out I remembered how fun it is to see your stuff in print!  I think I need to get busy.  Actually SCRAP again!  lol and maybe submit a little more!  I haven’t submitted anything in a long time, time to dust off the ol’ “submitted for pub” folder and get at it!

Nothing much else happening around here.  Still haven’t heard back from my old friend.  sigh..oh well.  Maybe I will eventually.

Just a week left till 4th of July and dd’s 7th birthday!  Can’t believe she’s going to be 7!!

Oh and we’re still planning the yard sale for tomorrow!  Wish me luck and lots and lots of customers!!!  lol!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!  TGIF!! 🙂