Mama Kat's Losin' It: Writing Prompt 1.) A bad habit you'd like to break.

The writing prompt for this Thursday (probably the DAY you're reading this, as it is the day it's actually posted...) is 1.) A bad habit you'd like to break.

Please note: The prompt read, "A". That means ONE. Not two, or ten, or thirty... I'm sure I can think of so many more than ONE. Wow. Holy cow. Only one. And so... even though I read this on Monday, it took me until today (Wednesday! - night...). But hey... it's one step towards the topic.

Because, you see... My ONE bad habit that I would like to break more than any habit I have is...

Drum roll...

"... such a hard habit to break..." (Can you hear Chicago singing it in your head? Yeah... You know it'll be stuck there all day... a-yup...)

Um... I'm sure so many other people picked the same thing...

Can I hold it off any longer?

Uh...

Nah...

Here we go...

PROCRASTINATION!!!!!

So... How do you think I did? I think I got past it... at least for this week...

But seriously. I procrastinate (dunno why... and I know it's a bad habit... I've written about it before... at least 9 times that I labeled in the past) and miss out on those rebate offers that are supposed to save me so much money. Not all, mind you. but lots. and lots. Ugh! I also miss out on lots of contests and such because... well... I put it off until "tomorrow". And "tomorrow" never came, and then... I missed it. It was "yesterday" or "the other day" or "last week". No matter what it was, it was too late.

I have good intentions, as I'm sure most post people do, but... When it comes down to it, I just don't want to do it. Sure... "something" always comes up, too. But... I didn't really need to do that something. Apparently. But my mind and my heart just aren't in the thing I am/was procrastinating. And that's a bummer.

I'm okay, in the long run. I just could be better. Then again, I'll get to that... tomorrow...


If you'd like to share in the writing prompts, please head on over to see Mama Kat (click on the badge below...)! Please be sure to comment and give a holler to everyone else (at least 3, please...) while you're there. We'd all love it! Thanks again for visiting here...

Paper Hoarders Design Team Challenge: "Christmas" Layout

I've not been doing so many layouts lately. My main focus has been on gifts and cards and kindergarten projects. There have been LOTS of school projects. LOTS of birthdays, too! I haven't been taking pics of all my work, as me... the procrastinator that I am... doesn't seem to quite find the "time" to take the pic before I have to rush off and give it to the intended... Guess I could take the pic while the glue is drying, hmm?


Anywho, our special DT challenge was to do a Christmas-type/Winter-type layout. And while I "forgot" to order pics and I'd probably forget to pic them up, even if I ordered them! I was going to post this sans photos. However, we (at a restaurant table after a busy busy Elementary School sing-along) were talking about the Mission Inn, and I decided to dig out some old photos to go in my layout. Ok, so I added a little bit of hand-written captioning, but hey... the layout is done, and I'm happy. By the way... I hate dislike glossy prints. And hate dislike the old camera these came from, but I was able to capture the memories AND use up these pics that have been sitting in a box for more than 12 years... ha!

Hmm... Blogger's being "weird" again. This pic was taken landscape, shows up landscape, but isn't loading landscape. And YES! That is my kitchen floor!

The left side... see my shadow?

The right...

And a bit of detail. I LOVE Doodlecharms, and I LOVE Stickles!!!

Boop-boop, be-doop! Whoop!

And no... I didn't procrastinate in the layout, but just the photos...

And now, if you'd like to participate and see everyone else's layouts, head on over to Miss Tanya's blogarooni and see what every one else has got... and HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Jingle Belles ROCK! (and so do I!)

Yeah, I know... it's WAY either past Christmas or way too early to start. But Phsshh! to you!

If you know me... I am a total bargain hunter. I begin my shopping for Christmas AND the year's birthdays to come the Day After Christmas! That is the best day... sales galore!

And so... those ladies over at the Jingle Belles have begun an awesome thing. Because, heh! They must've known that I was coming. AND! They must've known that procrastinating is my profession. Because... well... I'm SO good at it.

But they decided to create/make a different Christmas card every week, with unique challenges put up on Fridays to do it. And I... since I just found it last week... decided to join in. Now... they were on WEEK 3 for the challenges, but yeah... I decided I could try to catch up. So... I'm posting not one... not two... BUT THREE CARDS!!! Omgosh! Can you imagine that? Whelpers, neither can I... but here ya go!

Let's begin with this week's challenge - to use acrylic paints. But that wasn't the whole challenge... the challenge was based on UPC (Use, Practice, Create!) and that I did!

I created a simple card. And I seriously thought (in my head, of course!) that it would be simple to make. Easy peasy, right? Uh... whatever...

It took me a total of 3 tries to get it close enough to the way I had envisioned it, but here we are:

Attempt #1:

I brushed white acrylic paint over a Cuttlebug folder,

thinking the image would be impressed into the dark blue cardstock.

The Verdict: FAILURE #1!

Attempt #2:

I brushed white acrylic paint over the other side of same Cuttlebug folder,

again thinking the image would be impressed (but) onto the dark blue cardstock.

The Verdict:  FAILURE #2!

AND! The Final Attemp (#3), for Jingle Belles Challenge #3

(hmm... do you see a pattern with that number???)

The trick? Since the other attempts were blotchy and soaked into the cardstock upon pressing... I chose to brush the whole folder with white acrylic paint... and then... I LET IT D-R-Y! Yep! I did... and then the emulsion was pressed through the Cuttlebug onto the dark blue cardstock and very carefully, strategically, even... the blue cardstock was peeled off the folder. I kinda like the end result.

I'm kinda pleased... I then painted glitter glue on the snowy rooftops and glittered the whole night sky. Because... I kinda like glitter.  "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (Studio G stamp) was heat-embossed in opaque white (Ranger embossing powder).

Whew! That was a lot! And so... since it's so late... and I still have to link up to their post, I am retiring for the night and will post the other two cards tomorrow. G'Nite all...

Oh yeah! And if YOU want to participate (or just see what others did for the challenge)... go check it over at the Jingle Belles! Rock on!

New Year's Resolutions? NOT!

Nope, I say! NOT for me! This year, I will not set myself up for failure like so many other years before. Less than a month (sometimes more, sometimes less...) into it, most of us just can't do it any more. Most times, it's from burnout. We/I may have overly done it. We/I may have gone way too gung-ho. We/I may have gone cold turkey (uh... no! I'm never giving up Coke, The Real Thing again!) We/I may just simply not have been ready to do it.

RESOLUTIONS

No matter the resolution made, we/I have not been one that keeps it. It is not in my daily regime, or even in my life for that matter. I cannot remember a time when I kept it up for more than a month... well... I take that back. There was ONE time, that I kept it up for 47 days.

I exercised, doing Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred. And I loved it. Until, that is... my body decided to get sick and I pulled a muscle on top of it. And then... I did what I always do. I make excuses. I'm good at that. I can give/find an excuse for anything and everything. And I know it.

What does a resolution do, anyway? A resolution sets oneself up for failure. Seriously. Who the heck has carried out a resolution without being forced to (for medical or financial reasons, or maybe even being incarcerated)? Yeah, I thought so. And so... it just makes me/us feel crappy and bad and the self esteem drops to an all-time low. I won't do it again. I won't set myself up for disaster with an ending pity party. I can't and I won't.

My time is NOW. I am going to stand up to myself, for myself. Self... get a grip. You can do anything you set your mind to... when YOU are ready. When the circumstances are right. When... (do you remember I'm a professional procrastinator?) YOU feel like it. Don't feel bad. It's ok. It really is. You see all your friends out there...? Go ahead and laugh now... and say, "I told you so." Because we all know, it is futile, and it won't last long. Self... I will NOT make a resolution this New Year's.

I simply am setting goals for myself. NOT resolutions. I figure this way... I have a much longer time to achieve it or get closer to it, and even if I semi-reach it, I have accomplished something so much more than with a failed resolution.

(mini)GOALS ARE THE WAY TO GO!!!

What are my goals? Yeah... that's another post. But basically, I aim to be a little bit better in everything I do. Just a little. Not a lot. And I aim to try to straighten out my life. And I've already begun that journey to that goal. So... my little bit is already accomplished. Now other things need to get into place. And this is why I don't believe in resolutions any more. BECAUSE... no matter how hard you try... there's always someone or something out there to help you fail... that wants you to fail, or just not succeed.

And so... with every little inch, pound, step, etc. I am getting to goals of "little bits". And I have reached those goals.

Here's to a better year in 2011. May you all reach your goals, and get there just a little bit at a time.

The After-Christmas Cookie Affair

Today... was a good day. I did those things that I put off yesterday. And it was good.

I had Rey bake sugar cookies from a Krusteaz bag...

The "Un-Dipped" Truffle Balls

And I made cookies, too! These cookies (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles) just sounded divine, and I couldn't do without them! And so... they ended up in my cookie lineup. (Please note: I did not use Wilton Candy Melts, but instead melted Nestle Toll House Morsels in a double-boiler, dipped chilled dough balls, then drizzled melted white chocolate [Nestle] and refrigerated.) Yum-O and a total keeper!

The Cookie Dough Truffle Bowl...

Another note about those Cookie Dough Truffles - If you haven't checked out the link for the recipe, because you are afraid... Don't be! They may taste like raw cookie dough (inside), but they have NO EGGS included and are absolutely safe (and super duper easy, too!). This is definitely a recipe to put in your repertoire for holidays in the future! It was SO good... see the bowl? Licked clean!

And I also made one of my faves... Butter Spritz. Classic Recipe. Something similar can be found HERE. I did a simple poinsettia-style flower and sprinkled with red colored sugar before baking. Simple, because... you know... I procrastinated and was running out of time AND forgot that I had to allow time for the dough to chill... oops!

And so... I had the older girls help set up tables, chairs, food ware, and crafts. Overall, I think it was a success. It was a little unorderly, but the kids appeared to be having fun.

They decorated cookies with homemade butter cream (made with real butter) icing and sprinkles, made a snowman craft, put Nativity stickers on paper and ate pizza (YES! I made that!) and salad... And then they played Just Dance Kids on the Wii and fought over the remote. (Note to self: You seriously need to purchase another Wii remote, so there is more than just ONE!)

The "Blue" Cookie

The "Perfect" Cookie

The Overly Sprinkled Cookie

Thank you ladies for a big success!

Us ladies chatted and ignored the screaming meemies in the other room. We swapped cookies... And it was good.

So, as I sit down and snuggle with my coffee (and cookies, too!) before I go to bed, I think to myself... "Yes... I think we might do it again next year, only not so "after" Christmas... Because it was good..."

Getting Ready for the New Year... and Cookies, too!

So... last week, a couple of friends... uh... well... I know them all, but none of them know each other. It's a funtastrophy. We'll see. Anyway, a couple of my friends were supposed to come over and have a mini-cookie exchange thingy. It didn't happen (insert "The weather started getting rough..." music from Gilligan's Island here). The wind and the rain were killin' us! Floods were happening everywhere. And then there was "the week before Christmas" rush. I don't think any of us were truly ready.

And so... it's gonna happen tomorrow. Tuesday. Three days after Christmas. And one person has already let me know they're flaking. They told me tonight.

(Sigh.)

Oh well...

I still have to make cookies. And I will. Tomorrow.

I still have to go to the store to get baking soda (so my cookies aren't flat like the chocolate chip ones we left for Santa, because my baking soda died). And I will. Tomorrow.

You see, because today... I'm cleaning up the craft room from the Christmas/holiday mess and straightening it out and lounging around and catching up on all those Lifetime and Hallmark Channel and ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas and Lifetime Movie Network's Christmas and Happy Holiday Cheery-type movies that I TiVo'd during the past couple of weeks but haven't had the chance to watch and that might get recorded over because there's no more room on my DVR. (grabbing chest and catching breath because... well, HECK! that was a long-winded statement!)

And today... I don't feel much like going out. Because... I'm tired of the crowds and the grabbing and the traffic and the angry post-holiday people. And I just want to sit on my ass and chill or veg in the craft room and do my own thing.

Is that too much to ask?

Because well... my husband thinks it is...

And so... I'm cleaning up and getting ready to be the most organized non-procrastinator-that-ever-lived for the New Year. Do we think I can do it?

I will...

Tomorrow...

Xanny - being just as lazy as I'd like to be... livin' the life!

The Santa Curse? - Is it REALLY, or Just a Lesson Learned?

On Monday morning (YES! This past Monday!), my life shattered and fell into multiple pieces... Pieces that I don't know if they can be restored or not.

What happened? My external hard drive crashed. I know this might not be a big deal for some of you... But it totally is/was for me. You see... my WHOLE life was on that drive. Every document that I've written and/or wanted to save, scanned (instead of copied!) items to keep on record, a 1000-page cookbook that I've been copying/pasting recipes to (AND making changes with notations), my kids' school papers, my school (college) papers, and pictures. Did you catch that last one? I said "PICTURES!!!"

That is over 8 years' worth of digital photographs, since I got my first digital camera! That is half of my older girls' lives and my 5-year-old's whole life. Sure... I have some printed, but that is nothing in comparison as to what was stored there.

What? Didn't I have them on CD? Uh... no.  Didn't I have them on my original hard drive and use my external as my back-up? Uh... no, again. Look, there are so many questions you could ask me... but in the end, the answer is going to be the same. Yes! I was S-T-U-P-I-D, stupid. Yes! I now know all of these things that I coulda/shoulda/didn't do. Can it be restored? That we shall see.

Currently, our most recent computer dude checked it out and said that he couldn't do it, that it wasn't a simple fix like a cable or something, that we would have to be referred to someone else, and it could cost a lot of money, that it depended how important it was to me. REALLY? How important is this to me? It was my whole frickin' LIFE!

And so... we're going to get a couple of estimates and hope/pray someone (anyone) can fix it/restore it for us long enough to make (SEVERAL) backups.

But in the end, we need to ask ourselves... Is this the Santa Curse?

"Huh?" you ask. Yep. I said it. The Santa Curse. Last year, hubs (who wasn't too experienced with ANY camera, let alone digital), got a new Canon PowerShot. We had just taken Santa photos and I had him take sneaky set-up photos (you know... the kind where they're all candid and fun and stuff), because, well... those are the kind that I really like.  Cute pics they were, too. We got home, and before he had me download the pics... he decided to see what "format the card" meant. Yep... you guessed it. New Santa pics wiped out. Needless to say, he learned his lesson.

Enter this past Sunday (the day before the doomed Monday when I lost all my pics). I downloaded this year's candid Santa set-up photos (click on this to see that story and the final pic story here) on Sunday.

Did you catch that? Last year I didn't get to even download the candid pics, and they were gone. This year, I got to download them, and do nothing with them, because... Enter "Monday". and Woosh! while trying to upload pics onto a photo site (you know... to print them for a Christmas present or two...), all of a sudden, the stupid computer/site doesn't recognize or even register the external hard drive. Uh, oh!

Panic set in... and I tried to do everything/anything I could think of to recognize it. And I mean everything. I even cried, and that didn't work. Didn't work. Nothing worked. And like I said before, the current computer dude can do nothing. So, we'll wait.

Patience is hard for me. And I have to breathe in slowly and deeply. But, I cried. I still tear up. And this is why I wonder if it's a curse... The Santa Curse... or just Fate. Fate telling me that I need to shut the hell up and quit procrastinating and taking things for granted, because... well, ya know! I do that.

*Note to the above: There are no pictures to describe how the hell I feel... words cannot describe them. My lesson learned: Always have back-up to any method of photo and/or document storage you use. That is all.

Christmas Cards (That Haven't Gone Out Yet!)

I think my New Year's resolution is to create a new profession. Heck! I'm already so good at it, why not take it in as a title. "What is it?" you ask? A Professional Procrastinator! Yep... that's me!

I've had this "idea" for my cards for quite a while. I did bits and pieces in little spurts of time, but basically, this whole season (heck! this WHOLE frickin' year!), I kinda kept losing my mojo-my creative juices (please, no ugly comments here). That's a bummer. And a set-back.

But... because we canceled our mini-cookie exchange and postponed it until AFTER Christmas (see? more procrastination practices!), I was able to create more cards. (Only 2 had been done previous to this!)

So... this is what I came up with. *Note, you may be receiving a different version, but basically, their the same idea... lol! Enjoy!

The finished card. Inside reads: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (embossed in metallic blue)

My "first" card... had real machine stitching around the blue background. Uh, no... didn't like it. the paper came up through the holes and "bled" through, not making it clean enough, so I ended up faux stitching/doodling with my white Gellyroll pen.

My second and third cards (made exactly the same as each other) didn't have this raised/cut/glittered snowflake. They had a stamped and embossed snowflake... and then I realized I had so many cards left to do... and not enough white embossing powder.

The stamped image behind the snowflake is "Special Delivery" and embossed in clear. (Dunno what happened, but the 2nd & 3rd cards ended up clear, while the remaining cards were kinda milky white. Huh? Clear ink + Clear embossing powder = Milky White? That's a new one to me... go figure.)

Here you can see the embossed stamped image under and the layers of the snowflake.

I ended up using my most absolute favorite glitter. (Needs to get me some more of this stuff!) It's ultra-fine and gorgeous. I cut our 2 snowflakes (Cricut Cartridge: Christmas Solutions) on white cardstock, ran them through my Xyron, stuck down the first one, flipped over the second and glitter-galored it (like I said... LOVE, love, love that glitter!), then pop-dotted it on top of the first one. Love the effect!

Just a different angle... (see how GREEN my tree still is-and it's REAL!)

Then of course, as I love b-l-u-e SO much (my fave color, ya know?) I had to add a beautiful shimmery organdy ribbon to it. I love it! It's so... um... ME!

Oh... The weather outside is frightful...

(sing-a-long now...)

But the fire is so delightful... and since we've no place to go... Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Um... NO!

Here, in Southern California, it has been raining for a week (or more). "We" are not used to such rain. If we truly wanted this type of weather, we'd live in... let's say Oregon or Washington? Um, yeah... Not going to happen. But, it kind of feels like that right now. So ya know...The "S" Word (SNOW) wouldn't even close to work for us.

Seriously, it hasn't let up for a couple of days. (My prissy poodle-mix [much as I L-O-V-E, love her] won't go outside for her walks and has to literally be picked up and put on the grass for her to take a... [you know what].) And our streets are flooding. Our county (and surrounding counties) have been declared disaster areas.

That's ok for people who are used to this. They know how to adapt, but SoCali people? uh, no... They don't know how to drive in this stuff. There are accidents everywhere, which makes that a disaster in itself.

Now insert the wind. Trees are being torn out by their roots with the top-heaviness of the their rain-trodden limbs. (See? They're not used to it either!) And much of our housing (good ol' track homes) are cheaply made, so we don't have double panes. (This means we hear the wind whistling ALL. NIGHT. LONG.)

I so long for days like this!

Can you tell I'm "just" a tad crabby? uh, yeah... add in the kids are all on vacation, starting to fight/argue... and we're ALL going crazily insane cooped up in the house, cuz you know... I am still working on Christmas stuff... such a procrastinator...

Procrastination - at it's best! Just in Time for Christmas...

Howdy there! I actually did something creative and semi-scrappy! Here are some pics of the cards I made (only yesterday!), yes!!! It is procrastination, up until the last minute of the season. I will probably still be doing some of that last minute stuff even too late... lol!All three of these cards were made with the Cricut and Joys of the Season cartridge. Of course, most of you know I love Stickles, so the glittery stuff is just that.

The fuzzy looking stuff is Fun Flock, and it is fuzzy and velvety (if that's even a word).

The cards were cut using the "card" feature, and are 5.5"... just big enough to put into a note-size envelope. Inside, an artistic version of "Merry Christmas" was embossed in gold with an acrylic stamp I picked up at Walmart.

I backed the cut image with a "starry night holiday joy" themed paper. Don't know what it is actually called, or who made it, but loved it and the effect. I do know that I bought it at Joann's.

Then... I glued a star to each of them, gold of course!, to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem.

I hope you like them... I've still got lots more to do.

A couple of packages are supposed to go out today, and I don't have much more time, so I'm going to get off here and boogy... Toodles for now! lisa