November Daily Thanks - Day 5, 6 & 7

So I was sick all weekend and didn't really feel like blogging so I have two days to make up for, plus today's mention, which I have to start with because I can't hold it in any longer.

Today I am thankful for JOE FLACCO!!!!!

Joe Cool played a pretty solid game last night, but the crowning achievement was in the last 2+ minutes of the game when he marched the Ravens 92 yards and threw a brilliant pass to Rookie Torrey Smith to score and go ahead of the Steelers IN THE LAST 8 SECONDS OF THE GAME. What a nail biter! Being one of his biggest fans, I am ashamed to say I didn't think he could do it, but he did and it was poetic justice for the 65,000 Steelers fans in the stadium who all of a sudden went deathly quiet. Way to go Joe! From now on I will refer to you as Joe Very Cool! Thank you for your classiness when conducting yourself against all the naysayers. You will always be an 'Elite" quarterback to me.

And because I missed two days prior, just a quick mention of two other things I am thankful for: Puffs Plus tissues (yes, I have a terrible cold and the lotion on the tissues make rubbing it against my sore nose bearable) and Daylight Savings time, but only in the fall. I love getting that extra hour of sleep.

November Daily Thanks - Day 4

Today I am thankful that my husband likes to cook. You see I have felt like I have a piece of sandpaper stuck in my throat for 2 days and I can't get warm and my head feels like it weighs about 50 lbs and I just want to let it fall on my desk and take a little nap. I have worked a bunch this week and I am tired and sick and just bleh! The thought of cooking dinner or even eating dinner really isn't that appealing to me. However, my wonderful husband suggested that he make a roast chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner and I thought YUM! That is just what I need, comfort food. Yay!

And as a bonus, the college daughter called this morning and is coming home for the weekend, so the whole family will be together.

And, I have nothing planned for the weekend and I can just relax and chill.

Said husband and college daughter, 3 weeks ago at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

November Daily Thanks - Day 2 and 3

So I messed up on only the second day. I guess I forgot to factor in the time component for a project such as this, but I refuse to feel despair and I figure - just go with it and do what I can. So today you get 2 things I am thankful for.

First, I am thankful for my heated seats in my car. On chilly mornings such as the past couple, they have really made me warm and toasty and they heat up really fast. Since I don't like to wear a coat, especially when I am driving, they really help to make me comfortable first thing in the morning.

The second thing I am thankful for is Josh Freeman. Josh is a former boss who tragically passed away several years ago. Last night I had the opportunity to listen to Steve Bisciotti (owner of the Baltimore Ravens) speak and one of the things that stood out to me was not only his belief in leadership principles, but the ability to create an atmosphere where people could come to work and grow in their abilities, but have fun too. He was referring to his decision to hire John Harbaugh when he fired Brian Billick. He mentioned that he could have hired an established long time coach like Marty Schottenheimer who would have come into the organization and immediately know how to put all the puzzle pieces in place to win games or he could have gone with someone young who had to learn the puzzle making process, which would be way more fun. I think we all know what direction he went in.

Josh was the same kind of person. He created a work atmosphere that was challenging, but fun; demanding, but creative; that one of a kind special place that it was a pleasure to go to everyday. He put together a team of leaders that were inspirational and educational and my years spent there were some of the best years of my life.

I miss working for you Josh and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to experience the magic you created.

Joshua M. Freeman 1964-2006

November Daily Thanks - Day 1

Today marks the first day of my mission to blog everyday during the month of November to mention something that I am thankful for. My topics will not be in any kind of order, some may be serious and some may be whimsical. It is my quest to end my year on a high note and to recognize all the good in my life.

So today I am thankful for my Dad who passed away this year. My dad was a simple man who simply lived to please others. He was quiet and reserved and very intelligent. He taught me a lot of life's important lessons and was always there for me.

Here is a picture of him on his 90th birthday which was this past January:

I wasn't going to start off with him as I wanted to pick something more upbeat and funny to start with, but I dreamt of him last night and in my dream he was just as he was before he passed away but he was able to talk to me and he told me he loved me.

Thank you Dad for the gift of your love, always.

Good Idea

Just saw a really good idea - In the month of November, I think I too will blog about something every day that I am thankful for. It has been such a yucky year that I think this is the perfect thing to end it with so I can remember allt he good things in my life.

Thanks to Dawn for the idea - here is a link to her blog:

http://everydaymemorieswithprojectlife.blogspot.com/

Been so long

I know, it has been forever since I updated my blog. First my Dad passed away and then to work through my grief I kept myself pretty busy over the last 4 months working multiple jobs.

But now I am back and freshly signed up for another of Shimelle's wonderful classes - Pretty Paper Party.

Can't wait to get started.

I have been lost...

So I know I have not posted in a very long time - been going through some personal stuff with my Dad and he finally passed away on May 19th. I am very sad but I know in my heart that he is in a better place and reunited with the love of his life, my Mom! Rest in peace Dad.

The picture above was taken about 3 summers ago while he was still in pretty good shape. He always did enjoy eating steamed crabs and this was taken at a family crab feast.

Well, on to scrappy things - I am very excited because I rearranged my whole scrap room last night and tomorrow I am having my sister and my besties over for some much needed scrap/fun time. And the Mister is going to cook a lovely dinner for us. I haven't scrapped in so long as it seems that I don't like to do it alone anymore so I am really looking forward to it and hopefully will be able to post some layouts in the next few days.

I am also tossing around an idea for a birthday card/keepsake for my daughter. She turns 20 in two weeks and I have been making a list of "20 things I love about you" and would like to transform the list into a special card that she could keep. I am thinking it is going to have to be multiple pages, so maybe a waterfall effect type card? Anyone have any ideas? I know some of you very crafty people can come up with a few suggestions - all ideas and comments are welcome!

A little help please...

In the spirit of Shimelle's prompt for day 14, I would like to ask for some opinions and/or options for pen and marker storage.  It seems as though mine always run dry without being barely used.  I have read that instead of storing them vertically tip up that you should store them horizontally flat, but unless you put them in a drawer of some sort how do you keep them in their place?  Is it ok to store them vertically tip down?  Does anyone have any great pen storage ideas?



Photo by Sometimesong

Whoops!

I have had a blog on Blogspot for quite awhile and until I started Shimelle's class I knew very little about it.  In fact every day I learn something new and today I learned that I have lots of comments on my posts that I have never even seen!
So to all of you that have read my posts and taken the time to leave a  comment - thank you.  I truly appreciate each and every one.  Rest assured that I am reading all your blogs too and although I have commented a few times, I want to try and comment more. 
Part of the reason that I signed up for this class because at the age of 47 I want to decrease the negative in my life and focus on things that make me happy.  Scrapbooking makes me happy, being creative makes me happy, meeting new people makes me happy, learning new things makes me happy.  Reading your blogs is like all this rolled into one!  So be looking for my comments as I forge your blogs searching for new scrappy knowledge and new people to meet, I promise to be a better commenter.

Mary Ellyn

Can't wait

I am getting so excited for the weekend! My sister and two of my BFF's have an annual scrapbook shopping road trip weekend and this weekend is it! We leave Saturday and head about 3 hrs to where my sister lives near BelAir, MD. First up is a visit to a Joanns Super Store. Last year we spent about 3 hrs in Joanns - needless to say we don't have one near where we live - Michaels and a small LSS is it. I like the fact that Joanns carries inventory that is different than Michaels so it gives us a chance to pick up some different items.

After Joanns, it is on to a Girl's night dinner with lots of laughs and fun and then Sunday morning it is up early and a short drive to the annual Cropmania yard sale in Annapolis, MD. 50 vendors - all scrapbook stuff = pure scrappy heaven! Oh the bargains to be found!

After we finish there, it is a quick lunch and then to Greatscraps in Millersville, MD - a fantastic scrapbook store.

It is one of the best events of my year - spending time with people who make me laugh and are so much fun to be around and spending my money on lots of scrappy goodies. How much better can it get?

A funny story

One of my most fun times ever was when I went on a cruise 2 years ago with my BFF and fellow scrapper, Peggy. I had been given the cruise as a gift and my husband didn't want to go so in August I asked Peggy if she wanted to go with me and she was thrilled and said yes and was packed by September (the cruise was in January!) Peggy has the type of personality that makes you laugh constantly, is ALWAYS up for a good time, and can make even the most mundane task fun. We have been friends since our children went to pre-school together (they are now in their second year of college).

The funny thing, well it wasn't too funny at the time, was that even though Peggy packed and re-packed for 5 months to make sure she had everything covered, her luggage never made it to our boat. That's right - it got lost somewhere in "Air Tran World". All she had with her was what made it into her carry on bag: a bikini, some flannel PJS, a t shirt and pair of shorts, and some flip flops. The Carnival staff was helpful and gave her some personal items, but there really wasn't any clothing on the ship to purchase and we would not be getting to our first port for 2 days. On the first full day at sea we had the Captain's dinner to attend and we had no clue what we were going to put on her. But, being the ever resourceful person that she is, Peggy purchased 3 pashima type wraps from the ship's gift store and with a few safety pins turned them into a most stylish "frock" as she puts it and off to dinner we went. Several people complimented her on her lovely outfit and it made for a great story once we got back home.

We had a great time, one that I will never forget and above is a picture of us before dinner with Peggy in her lovely frock!

Tango looking through the window

Day 4

Well day 4 of my online blogging class and when I read about today's prompt I really wasn't too excited. But then as I was catching up on my classmates blogs I read something that jumped out at me. On "This is the Thing" by Mealiea she had listed 5 of her favorite quotes and this one really struck a nerve inside me: To love a person is to learn the song that is in their hearts and to sing it to them when they have forgotten.

It made me think of my Dad who is terminally ill and each time the phone rings I hold my breath for a second and hope that it is not my sister calling with bad news. My dad was a quiet man, keenly intelligent, proud and honorable, hard working, and my very best ally throughout my whole life. There is nothing he would not do for me or for my mother or for any of my siblings. These days he rarely speaks and he sometimes forgets who we are and sometimes he is even angry and yells at us. I know this isn't my dad. He has just forgotten the song in his heart and it is my job to sing it to him.
Thank you Mealiea for helping me remember.

5 Favorite Scrapbooking items

Today's prompt asked us to make a list of 5 favorites things or inspirations. I wanted to participate today since I didn't get a chance to yesterday, but I don't have a lot of time to really think about the 5 most favorite things in my life so I am taking an easy way out and posting my 5 favorite scrapbooking items - things I can't scrap without:


1. Pictures - duh! I know this seems a little nonsensical, who can scrap without pictures? Well there are some people who do layouts that do not contain photos, but I am not one of them. I love pictures of my family to scrap about. Now that my children are getting older, the oldest being away at college - I find that I have less opportunities to snap a photo of my two favorite subjects so recently I have been scrapping more about my pets and also have been redoing baby books and such.


2. Bling - I think this started when my most of my scrapping revolved around my daughter twirling baton. I developed a love of all things that sparkle and have never looked back.



3. Friends - I have become a social scrapper - would much rather scrap with my friends then alone.


4. Cricut - I love my Cricut! I like being able to cut my own letters and never worrying if I have enough e's


5. My Clip it Up - I painted mine purple which is my favorite color. My clip it up is two tiered with the extension on the upper tier and I also have a mini. It keeps my embellishments and BLING sorted and organized so I can easily find what I need to complete my pages.


I hope you enjoyed my list - the photo is of my daughter in her award winning baton solo to Michael Buble's "Save the Last Dance for Me". I know it is dark, but she is the reason I started scrapping over 10 years ago and I have never once regretted it.

Online blog class

I am very excited about signing up for an online blog class tailored especially for crafty people, especially scrapbookers. If you found my blog through the class list, please leave me a comment so I know that you were here. I hope to learn a lot during the next 3 weeks and just have some fun with my hobby and my blog.

The picture above is of my beloved golden retriever, Hobie. He got caught being a bad boy by sleeping on the sofa.

Day Crop scheduled

Come join us on Saturday, March 12th at the Roxana Fire Hall (10 am to 9 pm) for a day of scrapbooking, card making, or paper crafting. $15 gets you plenty of cropping space, access to scrapbook vendors, door prizes and a pizza dinner. Bring your own brown bag lunch and beverages of choice.

Vendors will be announced once confirmed. To register, email me at rozell12@mchsi.com.