Lots to do...

There seems to be so much to do and so little time... what a cliche! But unfortunately, it is way too true. And so, we'll do a little re-cap...

Saturday (day) was spent at a swim meet. Rey took off time in almost every event she entered - Yeah, Rey! You go! Marissa and Jake (my nephew) had lots of fun playing around. There was lots of grass, but once again (listen up, TCC), no trash cans. So we had to find them all up by the pool deck. Someone passed out, the emergency (ambulance) came to help out and slightly delayed the meet. All in all it was ok... until it started to rain. Thankfully, it was towards the end of our kids swimming, and we didn't have to endure much...

Back to Mo Val... the sun was shining brightly! It was like two totally different worlds. The wind was rough, though. And we ended the day at the circus. Literally! Juan, Marissa and I went to Circus Vargas and had a blast. The trapeze artists flew over the tops of our heads... I never knew they came that close to the net in flight! Marissa loved it, but at the end asked, "Where are the elephants and lions?" Too true, this circus did not have them. There were a couple of dogs (one was outfitted like a lion) and a very large horse. By the time we got out, it had rained (you could see droplets coming through the tent pole holes during the show) and it was SUPER chilly!

Then it hailed! Hail the wonderfully white and hard stuff. I had to run out into my back yard and grab my "indoor" plants, so that they didn't freeze. I know... many of you live in cold snowy areas, but this is extremely unusual for here, so I took pictures! Yeah! The pics are from the morning when everything was beginning to melt, as it was too dark and too cold when it was actually hailing (plus... it's a little dangerous!). It looks almost like snow!

Sunday was dying Easter eggs (I know... it was a little early, but we had our reasons...). I got some really great photos. It's too bad my stepkids missed out. Then we had tacos! Yumo!

Monday... the car dealership was a blast, but my great friend, Karen, picked me up half-way through the wait and we went SHOPPING! Let me tell you... Target is clearancing out a lot of their "creative" stock, such as scrapbooking and cardmaking items. We got some really great deals there. Just watch out and price check a lot of it. Even if the item is very similar, it could be a more expensive price. Rey was sick on that day and stayed home from school, so I didn't take her with me, and she stayed home from swimming, as well. I had made Irish Beef Stew and biscuits for dinner, just to add in the St. Patty's Day flare. In the late afternoon, Karen returned to my house with bag in tow, and we got creative.

I mainly cut out stuff on my Cricut for cards (birthdays and Easter coming up), and did enough to get my move on. But, I also played a little with my new cartridge - Paper Dolls. I cut out all of the items for both of our smaller girls to do leprechauns with... Here's a pic of one of those. And I made some smaller cards from my "Sampler" cartridge. Now I think I really need the cartridge called "Zooballoo." It's got some really great bonus things in it... it makes cards and envelopes! Yeah!

Tuesday... Enchanted came out on DVD. This wonderful Disney movie is only $14.97 at Walmart ($13.99 if you get lucky!) I think we've watched it at least 10 times now. It really is a great movie!

Also, just a little FYI... Kohl's has the Dr. Seuss characters from many of the books in a medium size for $5. That is not even a sale price. Juan picked them up (including Horton from Horton Hears a Who) for Easter. Good prices, nice and soft, excellent quality!

It's time to start my day... I should've done that already, but I'm nursing the never-ending headache... ugh! Toodles for now! lisa

Shot Nerves!

If you've ever been to an auction... I'm sure you are quite aware of the rush of adrenaline that pumps through your blood. When I first arrived on eBay... I thought this rush would be non-existent. Boy! Was I wrong!!!

I have been bidding on a couple of Cricut Cartridges (I'm looking at Tags, Bags, Boxes & More mostly) and a heating (embossing) gun. Yikes! When I get outbid, it rakes my nerves, and I feel that pulsing coming and staying. It just takes the !*@ out of me! I feel like SuperB***h on wheels, especially when the bid changes at the last minute. (Sigh!) It's tough. I know I don't "need" them. I know I can spend the money elsewhere (where it is needed). But... I feel like I need them. The juice just keeps flowing, and I can't stop! I'm an AUCTION ADDICT!!!! I'm also a cricutaddict! I just keep wanting to do more and more and more... It is never-ending!

So, right this minute... I have an eBay stalker. He or she keeps upping my bid, and of course... I keep changing my max. This is not smart. I have to stop. But... how? I'm totally frayed, and almost feel like it's a personal thing, although I really know it isn't... lol! How silly am I? When someone beats me at a bid... it's almost like they are telling me "Na, na, na, na, na... you ca-an't have it..." in a sing-song voice. Oh, how I hate that voice! But one more time... it's not personal... lol!

So, I'll go back to my normal Thursday things... laundry... and kind of try to stay off the computer... until I can't stay away any longer. Maybe my stalker will take a break! Toodles for now! lisa

Gotta Get With It!

Ok, and so I've done so much more doing things than writing... this includes buying things (which means searching the web...), reading blogs, reading e-mails, reading lots of other things, swim team stuff (go MVAQ!!!) - which, by the way... is LOTS of drama!, writing for other things, shopping, Marissa's stuff, going here, going there, etc...

And this is going to be my "first" post for March! Yeah! But I finally realized that I have been neglecting this, even though for some reason... I couldn't get on. Ok, I'd get on, but my blogspot would "freeze" when I tried to "add" a new post. Guess what! Just right now... it finally let me on!

Oh yeah... and I've made sure I don't keep my hard drive full. I guess that was the cause for problems a while ago.

I'm not really sure where to start. Should I go from here, or should I play catch up? I have some excellent pictures from my adventures from the past couple of weeks... I did go watch the L.A. Marathon... and we did some other stuff, too. Pictures are always great and always fun for me. I guess tomorrow I will try to put together some Smilebox(es) for you (and me!) and see where to go from there.

Anyway, I had tried to go to sleep, as I was VERY tired. (This time change thingy is kickin' my butt!) Now my eyes are burning... maybe I will actually be able to sleep. Toodles for now! lisa

Another Busy Day on the Farm!

Yes! I do have a farm! A farm of children that act like animals (count the hubby, too!). They are all crazy, and like farm animals, have to be taken care of... Their food has to be prepared, themselves cleaned up, as well as their living quarters... you know what I'm talking about.

Today was a typical day. Got up early, went to church, went out shopping for some things (Easter decorations), came home and got to work. I cleaned the front porch and began putting up Easter things. Marissa has been bugging the heck out of me lately. I made lunch, and Juan's dinner (for work). Then I began uploading photos.

The problem with doing that was so many of them had to be "fixed" prior to uploading. I cropped, enlarged, brightened, and enhanced many (127 - to be exact) to upload to Walgreen's. Then I went and got them! The guy didn't want to give me the coupon rate! And so... we all know me... I simply told him what the ad read versus what was said on the website. My discount was entered. Stacy and Rey picked out photos to do, too. But they didn't use them today. Hopefully they will. I've already told them I won't be printing anymore until they use the pics I just paid for. Let's see what happens.

I got almost a full two-page layout done. I made the background and began cutting photos and mats. With the uploading taking forever and the printing taking longer than I planned, I didn't get started until much later. But, I did get some other things done in the meantime.

I am also working on a 3-D decoupage. I got one whole figure (a mouse) done, ready to put on the background once it is dry. This is cute, but tedious. It takes a lot of patience, but my aunt is worth it!

I just got finished cleaning up here. Tomorrow is another busy day. Maybe one day my life will get back to normal... Wait a minute! What is even considered "normal" now-a-days? Is anyone's life ever normal? I don't really think so... it's all about the concept, and I think we've all lost track of that by now...

Toodles for now! lisa

Been a Long Time...

So much has happened in just a short little time. The winds and rain have us running crazy, as well as our families. Let's just leave it there. I don't want this to be a venting session, which believe you me... I could very well do in much more than one page. But, I will not do this to you.

Last Sunday, however, I was able to go to the Scrapbook EXPO with a dear friend of mine. My family (Mom, brother, sister & their families) met up with us and was able to give me a couple of hours sans children. I didn't remember what it felt like! I was actually able to really check out items, learn a lot from observing, ask questions without a kid bugging me and not being able to hear the answer, and most of all... I was finally able to attend a workshop. I learned to make 10 cards in one hour!

Now, granted, these aren't the kind of cards I usually make. They were pretty much "tear-and-shares". I call it these because you tear paper, add layers to card stocks, write a message to someone, and hand it off! But, hey! Karen & I got 10 done in one hour! I learned some quick tips to help me out.

Today... I used those tips. I made cards for 3 birthdays (Vic, Jr., & Renee's). We celebrated all three at Mom's today. My nerves are still slightly on edge. I prefer to be prepared, but pretty close to the last minute, we added in a birthday, and I had to jump to make more cupcakes and figure out a gift or card to make sure everyone was covered. I didn't want to leave anyone out. The night was good, but my nerves (and head) were blasting from earlier. It usually takes days to go away.

Tomorrow will be Church in the morning, playing with photos & uploading them (probably to Walgreen's), then scrapbooking in the late afternoon. We scrapbooked last Monday afternoon (Karen & I), and the girls got enthusiastic about it, too... so I'm hoping that since they were bummed about not having photos, I can use this to my advantage. I would like their room clean. So, I told them if they clean their room, they can upload 10 photos each and I'll pay for them to be printed... This will allow them photos for tomorrow for at least a couple of layouts (which they asked what "layouts" were... honestly!). I sure hope they keep a continued interest this time, as it really is a good thing for them, and could keep them into something we have in common.

We got a new garage door today! You might not think this is anything big, but it really is to me. My garage door opener has been having issues with my old garage door. It was REALLY old, wooden, and soaks up the rain, making it extremely heavy. Also, the brute had broken two sets of hinges and springs. It was about to kill my garage door opener, and looked awful! Not to mention, in the rains it would "stop" half-way open, and I would have to leave the car (in the rain) to "help" the garage door up... We were the only house on my block to have the original doors... So we finally got new ones. YAY! Now, it is much quieter, and the house looks much prettier, and I am completely happy. Bella Doors... you do a wonderful job! I was told they would be here between 11am-1pm and take 4-5 hours. They arrived 15 minutes early and only took 2 hours! These installers were totally awesome (retro 80's, there...)! I would recommend them to anyone! The customer service and sales were great to deal with as well. If you are in the Riverside area, I say you should call them. The prices are great, too!

I'm tired and cranky, so I'll be leaving you now. I just wanted to make sure you all knew I was still around (and alive!!!). And that we hadn't gotten destroyed by the weather... although it did snow here last week! Remarkable... it didn't stick, but I did see the little fluffy bits fall lightly on my windshield... Toodles for now! lisa

An Odd Day... and a Forgotten Birthday (I'm sorry!)

Waking up at 5:30 am is just not for me. But, whatever, as I have to do it for my kids... well, at least one of them. Stacy began swimming practice for the high school swim team today, and they have "Hell Week" until the end of the month. Since the season starts during school, their week lasts about 3 weeks. They have to be there at 6am, in the pool, ready to work. Oh what fun! I'm just glad it's not me!

Well, lazy soul that I am, I came back and flopped into the bed. 7:45 came really early! I had to take the other one to school, as well. Yay! Rey looked so pretty as she walked up the school steps. She curled her hair today and looked almost angelic. At least she smiled. (She woke me up at 7am, showing me a cut foot. Put tape on it, and let me sleep... lol!)

I came home, did a little bit of research and was off to the library (StoryTime for Marissa). Only, I guess my awake mode wasn't in gear just yet... As we were walking to the library, she asked for me to change her diaper (she did a doodle...). No problem, right? Uh oh! As I was running out the door, because I thought we'd be late, I had forgotten the diaper bag. Yuck! I am a horrible mother...

We were already half-way there, so I told her to hold on. When we got there, I did a mad dash to the restroom... Did you know they don't have a baby changing station there? I know this is a library and everything's supposed to be quiet, but there are kids with diapers who go for StoryTime! I had to lay her down in her stroller, wet some paper towels, and clean her up. There was no way to reuse the diaper, so she went diaperless. She did well and sat through the whole rest of StoryTime, without screaming and without pottying her pants. Usually when I don't immediately put a diaper on her, the shrillness of her screaming makes me cover my ears and run for the diaper bag. We even got home with the pants still dry. She calmly asked me for a diaper, once we got into the house, and I obliged.

Then I began decorating for Valentine's Day. I still have to finish, and I am starting a little later than I'd hoped, but at least it's getting done prior to the big day. Gifts are already purchased. The girls will work on their Valentine's Tuesday & Wednesday night, and we will be ready to roll. Marissa will have hers done Tuesday for the library "friends" on Wednesday. I still have to figure out the menu, though. Haven't done that.
Oh no!!! I have a wonderful sister-in-law. She is so patient and understanding... (do you feel that smooch yet?) I was so pre-occupied with thoughts of my dad and my normal everyday things, I neglected to call her on her birthday. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, VIC! Sorry about that. We can call and sing to you, if you'd like... Please forgive us. (huh, huh? What do you want? I will make you something yummy...)

(Sigh!) Today has promised to be another exasperatingly busy day. Marissa is rather demanding today, and I promised myself I'd get more done (I did that in Church yesterday). I've got to run to pick up Rey in 1/2 an hour, then pick up Stacy an hour after that, then run back to the high school for Rey's swim practice. Yay! We are back at our home school! The pool is done! No more camping out on the other side of town for hours on end! Home Sweet Home.

Oh! I've still got to make Juan's lunch (isn't he just so lucky...) and upload photos to have printed... I'm actually going to scrap for myself tomorrow. I'm goin' to Karen's! She has the day off, and she is NOT going to cancel this time! Yay!

Oh yeah! A new friend of mine published a piece of mine on one of her sites. Check it out at http://molly-mormon.com/the-journey-to-better-friendships/. Toodles for now! lisa

Daddy Got Out! (and Other Things...)

Of the hospital, that is. He is staying for a couple of days at my aunt's house (she is an RN, who spend many a year in the ICU/CCU) to get some 1-on-1 attention. He seems to think he will be returning home Sunday (tomorrow - to me... as I haven't gone to bed yet). We'll see... They sent him home on oxygen and potassium, and other wonderful things, so... like I said... we'll see. He also seems to think he will be going down to Baja (Mexico) for a fishing trip in the middle of March. Uh! We'll see!!!!!!! At least he is extremely positive and has some ambitious goals...

On this side, yesterday was Friday, and I had the most difficult time finding dinner. Since this is Lent, Friday is "fish" day (or vegetarian - just no meat!). I had a serious craving for Stouffer's Vegetable Lasagna - you know... the really rich one with the Alfredo sauce oozing out, made with broccoli and carrots? Yum! I was going to make some French bread and make it cheesy garlic bread. But... Guess what? I went to 3 different stores, and couldn't find it. So... I gave up! I could've made it myself, only Alfredo is pretty pricey to make (to get it really rich and tasting right), and it would've taken hours - and usually only costs $9.88 to purchase already done... I ended up getting fish tenders and made fish tacos for everyone. They all like the sauce (1/2 c sour cream; 1/2 c mayo; 1/2 t ground cumin; juice from 1 lime). It was a hit, but I still missed with my craving. Oh well.

Today was a cleaning day and cooking day. Wait a minute! Everyday is a cooking day! Yeah, well... Juan brought home carnitas for breakfast, along with an Entenmann's Cheese-Filled Crumb Coffee Cake... oh my gosh! It was to die for! I ended up eating, then going through some things and (once again) de-cluttering. Did I tell you the Flylady (see the link to your right) habit for February is 15 minutes of de-cluttering? Hey! It's great! But I did it for more than 15 minutes...

For dinner, we had teriyaki beef ribs, Guy Fieri's "The Bomb Bakers", and steamed veggies (in chicken broth). The beef ribs were frozen, so I decided to have a go with one of my Christmas gifts. Juan gave me another crock pot - 8 quart that has an "auto" feature. With this auto feature, you can defrost, then when it detects the proper temperature, it switches itself to cook. What a smart cookie - or crockie! It worked beautifully. My ribs were done in time for dinner!

I stitched up something really quick, as well. 2 years ago, I received a Cuisinart Griddler. It comes with extra plates (2 sets - one for the griddle, one for the grill/panini press [has ridges]). One set is stored on the appliance, and the other came in throw-away plastic bags. I was getting tired of the plastic bags and made a simple little bag with a divider, out of red flannel (soft to not scratch, and red to go with my Coca-Cola kitchen). Now, it works just fine! No more fear of a tearing bag or scratches on the non-stick finish.

We watched a movie... I won't comment, as it was much worse than I thought it would be and really don't want to waste words on it... and I seem to have lost my day. Such is life.

Tomorrow is an unsure day. I was supposed to go to my mom's house to clean, but they are feeling under the weather, so she'll let me know in the morning. But, we are still going to Church in the a.m. If we end up not trekking out to my mom's... I'm sure I could come up with something to do (lol!). I still have more to write, and I still have to decorate for Valentine's Day! (You know it's this coming Thursday, right? Are you ready?) Gonna lay my head down, now. Toodles for now! lisa