CHA Started Today!

My oh my... do I wish I was in Chicago right now. Many new things are being shown to crafters from around the world! CHA Summer has begun!

I know the Making Memories booth is going nuts! It is so full of new things. Luckily, on their blog, they are updating us (for those who can't be there) and having contests throughout the day to win product. Check it out! http://makingmemories.typepad.com/makingmemories/2008/07/index.html.

By the way... if there is anyone out there who can tell me how to embed links into text, without the above "copy-and-paste" method, please do tell... thanks!

And Provo Craft has announced lots of new stuff, too! Hello Kitty! and Sesame Street will be added to their list of cartridges. So will other types of blades! Yeah! I'll finally be able to cut into that magnetic sheet I've saved for my Cricut! Another blogger, Linda, has some great info on her site, too! Check it out! http://just- a-scrappin. blogspot. com

I'm really excited with all of this new stuff! Yikes... so glad I don't live near the Joneses... lol! Toodles for now! lisa

Camping is FUN!

Last weekend, we headed out to the "hot" town of Bakersfield, to a camping site called "Buena Vista." This is on Webb Lake, off the Kern River, in Kern County. It was warmer than my house (105 degrees), but with a breeze, it felt much cooler than home. We got there at 5pm with the heat still on, unloaded the trailer, set up the tents, and started dinner. How peaceful can it get?

Like many others in today's economy, we didn't venture too far. However, there is just too many of us to have a "stay-cation". I'm glad we got away.

There were 10 of us total. My mom and her hubby, the five of us (Jr & Renee didn't come), and my sister, her boyfriend and a family friend. A rather diverse bunch, we enjoyed each other immensely and didn't grate on the nerves too much. Jolene and Cynthia taught John and the girls a new game. It was fun to watch, and I love getting "silly" pics!

Although I love my phone, television, computer, and scrapbooking/crafting/sewing stuff... it was so nice to have the quiet and enjoy friendly time with everyone. We were worried that Ms. Marissa might have a hard time, but she absolutely loved it. She wants to go "again and again and again and again!" I told her daddy... when her birthday comes, don't ask her where she wants to go. I'm not camping in January! But the little girl loved it! She loved playing with her flashlight, playing in her mini tent (only for daylight hours), sleeping in the sleeping bag, and going to the lake.

I got some really great photos. The last day, there wasn't anyone else in the swimming area, so I got to take my camera wading in the water, and got those really awesome shots... I really do miss my SLR! Right now, I've got a simple point-and-shoot digital. The delay kills me sometimes, and I don't have as much flexibility with it, but I'll just have to save up... uh... yeah! As it is, I've added the Cricut Camping Cartridge to my "wants" now, so I can scrap it all with my Circut flair!

But, we all had a great time, and can't wait to go again. We'll be going again in September to Agua Caliente in Palm Springs. These are natural mineral spring pools that stay around 90 degrees! Yippee! Woohoo! I can't wait. To have a spa session with everyone else for just the price of a campground. What a deal!

Anyway, we did have a wonderful time, enjoyed the peace and quiet, enjoyed each other's company... got great pics (even of some people acting rather "silly"), and then had to pack up and come back to reality. Uh... the life! Toodles for now! lisa

Did I forget to mention?

Yah! I did! Some of you have been with me through a lot of my trials (Divine Intervention, etc.). Uh... I got my car back a while ago... just as the gas prices started creeping (jumping!) up! Ugh. What used to take me $80 to fill my tank now takes over $100!

I know... for some of you in other countries, we complain too much. Your prices are much higher. But... we are not used to paying $4.50-5.00 a gallon. YUCK! And now... it's much too hot here (usually at least around 100 degrees F) to walk or ride bikes anywhere. Yes... I like excuses...

But anyway, I realized for those looking here, I hadn't disclosed the transportation issue. It took a little over a month. AND $500. Even though it wasn't my fault, the insurance has had a difficult time getting in touch with the at-fault driver, so we have to wait and maybe never get reimbursed for our deductible. (Sigh...) And so... with all of the problems we had, we also changed insurances. We are getting a lot more coverage for a little less and much lower deductible at a more reputable place. Yeah, us!

No... I didn't lose much (weight). I go back and forth. Such is life, or maybe it's just I'm not quite ready to give up the hefty me... hmmm... have to think about that one. Anyway... just wanted to catch ya'all up on that one. Toodles for now! lisa

The Weirdest Thing... on Craigslist

I went to wake up my girls this morning, as they weren't up and about when they should be (summer school... ya know!). Rey told me she didn't want to go and why. Apparently, she had received more than a handful of phone calls (via her cell phone, which has a LB number) since before 5am this morning. People kept calling, a few even yelled at her. She asked me to look on Craigslist for a "Harley". Someone had told her about this ad.

I couldn't find it. So I started calling the numbers. Someone finally answered and was kind enough to cooperate with me and apologized profusely for calling my daughter. But... he did give me the location of the ad.

Why did all of these people call? Well... the ad was listed under free stuff! It tells of a non-working Harley Davidson that someone would have to fix up, that just needs to be gone, because "the wife is nagging." Who wouldn't call on that. I can definately understand the frustration the people felt. There was no way to contact the person through e-mail. Only a phone number was given... THE WRONG ONE! And so... Rey has been instructed not to answer any other phone calls today (except from the numbers she knows), until this problem is solved.

I have written to "Help" at Craigslist. I have flagged the ad. Hopefully... something will get done soon. It is kind of scary, though. Anyway, thought I'd share... Always check your ads before submitting. Toodles for now! lisa

UPDATE! Well, Craigslist did an auto e-mail response with a bunch of FAQ's and a link for further assistance at their help forum. Someone nice enough responded to me in the forum, and I followed their link which sent me to a form on Craigslist, and per their instructions, I put a 911 in the e-mail subject line. It is now off the posting, and they are sorry for the problems. No problem, only 1 1/2 hours to fix it, after I knew about it... but 3 1/2 hours for wrong numbers... yikes! Anyway... problem solved. Toodles for now! lisa

It's Been 3 Months!

... Well, almost! Life has been extremely hectic, and I've been inundated in the small-world style of politics (people never see the full picture, only what they want to see... they just don't "get" it! and... they think they are being fair, but if they never see the big picture, how can they truly judge what is fair?). And that is my political view. Enough of that. I've had so many problems and things happen over the past couple of months, I just sort of gave up, so today... I stretch my wings again, and vow to try to not complain.

I am here, it is now, the past is gone... There are no excuses if I haven't posted or kept in touch... sorry. I just get frustrated and anxiety hits. Go figure. Where are you? What are you doing with your summer months?

Here it is in a nutshell the brief past, with lots of stuff missing (there's just too much to go through, and I don't want to harp on the negative)... Stacy got her braces off, Rey commenced to High School, Jr graduated (believe it or not!), and Renee is in a drum & bugle core. Marissa is still growing, and still doesn't want to potty train. She does occasionally want to go "sit."

I still have my squirrels, but except for a couple of peaches, a couple of blackberries, and one large tomato, we've been ok. My backyard is green, the grapes are coming in (we'll see if they last!), I have more tomatoes ripening, squash coming up, other seeds sprouting... hopefully, this will be a more productive year.

In the front, the cannas, callas and gladiolas are beautiful. The lavendar has grown so much. Much of the seeds I planted, however, have not sprouted... probably due to birds. Oh well... It's still pretty.

Scrapbooking? I've been working on a couple of pieces of projects, but haven't done much. I have made LOTS of cards, though. And I forget to take pics of most of them. I still love my Cricut. I got the Zooballoo cartridge and absolutely adore it! It is a font and shape cartridge all in one compact thing. Super cute stuff can be made from it. Here're some pics of cards I made...

Anyway... I started this much ealier today, and still am not finished. So, now, it's just kind of thrown together. I won't try to "catch up" this time... just go on! Toodles for now! lisa

It's Not Too Bad...

Ok, so Divine Intervention working... I am exercising, but not losing weight. Hopefully, I will at least lose some inches. I couldn't get it in me to walk to the pool yesterday, so I asked hubby to drive us, and that we would walk home. Ya see... Stacy was at school (had the meet) and didn't have her bike; Rey was at the school next door and was going to walk to the meet and meet us (lol!) and didn't have her bike. So... my only option was to either get a ride and take the stroller, or stroll myself there. I am LAZY! So... I chose the first option.

Stacy did semi-ok at her meet. She really thinks it's a Sunday Swim or something, because her times (as well as her casual stroke) showed she wasn't giving it her all. She puts much more effort into her dramatic faces. I wish she'd put it into her stroke or kick, then it might increase her speed.

Rey practiced afterward. Her shoulder is feeling much better. The coach has worked them pretty hard since getting back from a clinic. These kids need it, and the coach, therefore, has my eternal support. Plus, she's a great coach! (as well as my friend... Go Robyn!)

And... I will be "working" the meet on Saturday from a different angle than usual. (Thanks, Desiree!) I am actually going to be an "Official" (in training). Bring out the whites (and khakis), folks, as Lisa is going to be a "Stroke and Turn Referee." Yes! I am on my way... lol! Anyway, it saves the team a great amount of $$$, which we could totally use, and could get me on my way to my officials certification. Yeah, me! I think it will be a blast. It's a sure-fire way not to miss one of my kids' events, right? Uh, huh...

And so... I've also been working on a couple of sketches and ideas for my scrapbook... I have a vision, but it is not quite coming on board. I have had lots of hits on a messageboard for my Beach Scene layout, but not many comments. Lots of hits, though. Those Cricut ladies are awesome! I was so happy with the layout and the way the new techniques worked, that I just wanted to share it and see if others were as excited as I was. Also... Karen liked the accordion so much that she asked how to do it, and (YEAH KAREN!) did one herself. She stepped out of her box! I just need other people to realize that even though something appears "difficult" that it isn't, and it can still be "simple".

Now, I'm at a loss. Like I said in yesterday's post, I'm working on this one layout for Michelle's Quincenera. I would like to do "The Princess & Marissa" angle, and I think it will work, but there are so many photos from that event, and I don't want to dedicate more than two pages to it... so... I'll have to do more hidden things. I like the "hidden" elements. They are fun to do. However, I am trying to use only what I have. So... I am thinking and thinking, because, of course, I want to go buy something new! A new "magical" paper, stickles, glitters, rhinestones... whatever... But, I need to make sure I stick with and use only what I have. That is my challenge! It's a good one. But I will succeed.

I have work to do tonight, as well as the layout for the Meet Program, which I hope to take to the printer tomorrow. And I've got to work on a couple of elements from my page... Today we will bike to practice... tomorrow will be a repeat of decision from yesterday (walk... or get a ride).

BTW... the walk home wasn't so bad. It was cold, but we kept moving and stayed warm, until we got home... then we froze while I looked for the garage door opener... Yikes! Gotta keep that thing a little more handy! With the wind blowing and the colder night air, our sunny Southern Cali wasn't so "sunny". Life is good... Now if only everything would work right! lol! Toodles for now! lisa

YAHOO!!! Who knew? and another ALERT!!!

For a bit of the morning, I have been trying to access my Yahoo account. It is "freezing" anytime I click on an e-mail. I assumed it was my computer. However, I am able to log in here and type this... as we speak! (LOL!)

For those of you who are nearby, or who would like to support my swimming kids, or even our team... SHOUT OUTS! are due today. Also, so are team/program sponsors to ensure publication in this Saturday's meet Program. If you are interested in giving an encouraging note to anyone on the team, or placing a business ad, please contact me by leaving a comment below or e-mailing me at info@mvaq.com. We appreciate any and all sponsorship and look forward to working with you.

Another DEAL ALERT! Tomorrow - April 9th, Walgreen's is developing one roll of film (per household) for FREE!!!! Yes... for those of you who still use the old 35mm (or still have some rolls stashed somewhere - I know I do...) you can get one roll developed for free... tomorrow only.
Since Marissa was slightly sick, and we stayed home from the pool last night... I played with my new Happily Ever After Cricut cartridge last night. It took me a while, but I think I've got it figured out. After hours of frustration, I realized I was actually doing something wrong... yes... ME! I couldn't believe it either! lol! But I did create my own version of Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). She is more Hispanic looking with dark hair, eyes, and skin... I thought it would be pretty cool to do a layout of a Quincenera (15th Birthday) with this being the "Princess." I still have to finish her by chalking and putting her in the layout and adding "sparkle", but I thought I'd show my "in-process" mode...

Oh yeah! Stacy has a high-school swim meet today... wish her luck! I'll be walking there... (Divine Intervention - lol!)

That's all I got for now... I'm going to run bot-checks and ad-aware (mal) so maybe Yahoo can get "un-stuck." Toodles for now! lisa