Summer Card Camp Week 1

So more laundry early today. But just three loads as I had to take Don out to the groomer. He looks so pretty now! See?

He definitely does not like to pose for photos. I had to make a weird noise, (which was very difficult for me), in order for him to look at the camera. Yeah, I know, his left eye looks at the camera, while his right eye looks at the television. What can I say--he's talented. (Or a little walleyed).

So I started the online Summer Card Camp this week. I am still working on a card for a CMC class, which I will show you when I finally get it done. I can't figure out what is taking me so long to finish that card. Anyway, I did do a card for the first week of camp. Yeah, I know, I am amazed, too.

Our assignment was to make a card with "warm shades of purple, pink, and orange alongside sky blue and white". I looked through my entire stash of patterned paper and card stock, and I couldn't find anything I liked. So I winged it [is that proper grammar--or should I say did wing or wanged ;^)] and this is what I finally settled on at 2 a.m. Please don't look at it too critically, as I was really, really tired when I finished it.

I used a Holly Berry House medium tulip stamp and colored with Copics: RV02, RV06, RV09, V000, V01, V04, YR000, YR65, YR68. I used several dies from the Spellbinders Parisian Accents sets. I colored Stampin' Up rhinestones with RV06. I added a bow (without the aid of my Bow Easy, which I still can't find a year after we moved--perhaps I should buy a new one?). And the card stock is Stampin' Up Vanilla and Blue Bayou. Now, I have to confess that I meant to use Whisper White, but it was so late that I obviously couldn't see and grabbed Vanilla instead. And I just realized it now; but, there is no way that I am re-making this card. So my white is a dirty white. Sue me. (But you have to catch me first).

Anyway, I am pleased that I submitted a card during week one. I will have to miss a week during the Card Camp, as I will be on vacation with Gary, and I am positive that he will not want me making cards in Oregon. Actually, I am positive that I will not want me making cards in Oregon. We will be spending too much time tasting wines and just enjoying cooler weather.

Wishing everyone everywhere a fabulous Friday!

I need a nap

I'm sleepy. It's 9:06 a.m. and I'm sleepy. I went to bed after 1:00 a.m. and got up at 4:00 a.m. to start my laundry. One has to start laundry at 4:00 a.m. because our cold water is too hot to use during the daytime. Living in the desert in the summer does have some drawbacks. Like scalding yourself in the shower with the tap set all the way to cold water. And having to get up in the middle of the night to start laundry. I am a night owl and it hurts my feelings to get up early. Especially at 4:00 a.m.

I would like to prey upon your sympathies some more by saying that I stayed up and am doing laundry on 3 hours of sleep. But that would be a lie. I went back to bed and set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., so I could get up to put the washed clothes in the dryer and start a new load in the washer. I would like to tell you that I stayed up then and am doing laundry on approximately 4-1/2 hours of sleep. But that, too, would be a lie. Because I went back to bed and set my tea timer for 30 minutes. Because I could. And because, since I was so horribly sleep-deprived, I was stumbling around like a drunken sailor. Being tired does that to me. And I really need a full 8 hours of sleep in order to function like an intelligent adult. Otherwise, I act like a cranky child. Not pretty. So I would now like to tell you that I am finishing the laundry on 5 hours of sleep. But that would also be a lie, or a fairy-tale. Because both times that I went back to bed, it took be a while to go back to sleep. I am not sure why I bothered with the last 30-minute attempt, because by the time I finally drifted off, that damn tea timer started beeping at me. Ugh.

So I am doing laundry on about 4 hours and 22-5/16 minutes, give or take a minute or two. I am washing my sixth load now. Not that you care, but I just want you to know how self-sacrificing I am. And I was able to wash the last two loads this late into the morning because they needed to be run on hot water. Which I have. In spades.

Well, the good news is that I have plenty of time today to take a lonnnnng nap. Without setting an alarm or timer. And you can bet your bippy, (now I am really showing my age), I will be doing just that! And I know you are happy for me. I can tell.  

After my doctor's appointment yesterday, during which he found out I truly do have "white-coat-syndrome" blood pressure, my sister, Merrilyn, and I went to lunch. We ate at St. Francis in central Phoenix, and if you haven't yet been there and have a chance to go, do so. It was fab.u.lous! Loved it. Service was great, quirky atmosphere, and the food--well, let me tell you it was simply divine! We each had what is called Roasted Salmon "Superfood"; dang, it was tasty! Yummy roasted salmon, red quinoa, avocado, soy beans and radish served with a sweet chili vinaigrette. Perfection. And the fact that it was actually a healthy meal--well, that just enabled us to split a dessert without too much guilt. (And I am still trying to fit into those new pants. Sigh.) But if you go there and do not get the sticky toffee pudding to split with someone, (anyone--or call me and I'll drive the 39.3 miles to share it with you), you are really doing yourself a disservice. It was unbelievably delicious, with a capital D! But don't try to eat one all by yourself, because it is so rich and sweet, it would spoil the experience.

Well, I finally have two, count them--two, followers. Angela is no longer alone. Merrilyn and I finally figured out how to set up her Google account and add her as a follower. Yay! I know I have a couple of more readers, but they must also be having trouble adding themselves as followers. I still haven't broadcast that I am doing a blog. But, if you are a reader, and you enjoy this (how could you not), feel free to refer this blog to your friends, relatives, and worst enemies. Hey, a girl needs all the encouragement she can get, and so do us old ladies. ;^)

Here is the card I gave to Gary in May for our 41st anniversary. Not that we got to spend the day together. He was in England on business, and I was home sick in bed. Lovely. Anyway, I will try to finish up another card later today to post soon. In the meantime, here's wishing everyone everywhere a super Thursday.

Hair's the thing

OK, so it has been mentioned that I didn't blog about my new hair style. And that's a valid point. I cannot tell you why I hadn't--but now that it was brought to my attention, I shall fully disclose the results. I really like my new "do"; it's shorter than my old hair style, and I now have bangs. I told Linh, my hairdresser, that I would live with it for a few weeks to see how I like it. And to see how easy it was to maintain. So far, so good. Linh said she didn't want to cut my hair really short--she felt I would hate it and blame her--which is probably true. She knows me too well. After all, I have been going to her for 21+ years now. That's a long time, don't you think? :^)  So we compromised with the in-between cut, and we'll see how it goes. Gary took a photo of me last night (at our daughter's irritating insistence--she kept emailing me to send a photo); my comment to him when I saw it was something on the order of, "I don't look as good as I thought I did. I look much older." He just laughed.

Yeah, I'm not laughing. Look closely at my eyes, if you dare. (It may turn you to stone.) I have the droopy upper eyelids and the puffy lower lids. Not a good look, if you know what I mean. And today, of all days, I got a "Buy with Me" offer to get an laser eyelid lift for half off. I said to Gary, "Hey, maybe I should do this. It would probably improve my vision." You know what? He actually told me that if I really wanted the surgery, to go ahead. But he said he didn't want me turning out like Joan Rivers. I'm afraid I'd turn out like Priscilla Presley--now that's a scary thought. But I now know why a cashier at Joann's recently asked me if I wanted the senior citizen discount. Aaaaaaack!

This hits me really hard. Don't laugh. It's not funny. To me. At all. Really. (Well, maybe just a teeny bit, but very teeny). You see, people have always thought that I was younger than my real age. (Well, always up until now, apparently). Can you imagine this scenario--when I was in my early twenties, I hated people thinking that I was much younger. (Was I crazy then, or just stupid)? I didn't want them thinking I had married an old man. (Gary looked much older than he was then, and I looked younger. So people thought there was a huge age difference between us; actually it is only 15-1/2 months). Now I would give almost anything for people to think that. I'd laugh about it--I'd actually brag about it. No such luck. Not anymore. Sigh. Sometimes, it is just hell getting old.

We ate at the Deli last night and had a wonderful salmon dinner; it was served with delicious orzo and a squash gratin. Mmmmmmm. And we finished the meal with a fresh berry tart, served with lemon cream. Again, mmmmmmm. Luscious! Then today Gary ran back out to the Deli (good thing it is nearby, or is it?) and got a sandwich for us to split for lunch. When he walked in, our favorite waiter said, "Get a life."  Is it possible that we do the Deli too often? Not on my watch!

Tonight the dinner club--from Gary's work--got together for our monthly meal. We ate at Mellow Mushroom Pizza in downtown Tempe. It was pretty decent pizza, but not our favorite--that still remains the Parlor, and in second place, Grimaldi's. There is another new place, that is certified by some group in Italy (who it is I couldn't tell you) and if we can ever remember the name of the restaurant, we might give it a try, too. You know, to compare to our favorites. To see if certification by whomever is all that.

Of course, since we were in downtown Tempe, we had to go to the Shoe Mill. Because I had a coupon, naturally, and I needed a pair of black sandals to wear in Hawaii. (Maybe "needed" is stretching the truth just a tiny bit). So I try on a pair of leather Ecco sandals that fit and are very comfortable. And the salesgirl tells me that I won't want to wear them on the beach because I could ruin them. But she has another pair that would be perfect for the beach and for hiking. OK, so I try them on and they fit and are comfortable, too. But they are ugly. And they are just like the ones Gary was wearing tonight. And it's fine if he wears ugly sandals, but I didn't want to. So there was a little tug-of-war going on between Practical Penny and Peevish Penny. I am proud to say that Practical Penny won. I bought the ugly, comfortable sandals and shall wear them in good health. Or whatev.

That's the update. Sorry for the length. Actually, I'm not. So there.

Wishing everyone everywhere a super Sunday. Now go buy something ugly and comfortable. You'll feel good about yourselves.

Too much typing today!

You know those emails that get sent out with the fill-in-the-blanks. The ones you roll your eyes at, but then, when you start answering them, they actually are fun to do. And fun to get back. You can learn some surprising things about people you thought you knew. Well, I am in the middle of one of those right now. I blame it all on my sister, Barbara. She started the dang thing, and it has morphed into a life of its own. Honestly, I left my computer for a few hours today--to do some CONSTRUCTIVE things, ahem--and I came back to 52 new messages. And they were all from various members of my family, smart-mouthing each other over and over. (I think I am really ticked because I didn't get to play with them real-time!) I fixed their wagons for them (what does that really mean), because I was on tonight when the barrage began again. I was able to respond with witty comments of my own--typing faster than I ever thought possible. Gosh, I am exhausted. I don't know how people actually do this for a living. I used to, many moons ago. I digress. And lucky for you, I forgot what the point of this whole paragraph was.

So, tomorrow is hair-cut time. I haven't even left the house for a week. I just can't face the public with my hair looking soooo bad. (Yeah, like anyone really cares, or would even notice--LOL). I need hair help badly. Do I sound desperate? Perhaps just a teeny bit.

I got a couple of images done for a class I am taking on-line with Suzanne Dean and her Color Me Creative Classroom. I actually liked doing them--a sepia image and a black-and-white image. I may use this technique on some cards in the future, as it is rather fun.

I made a card for another surprise birthday party--two in one month is a little weird--this one for Barry, my son-in-law's brother. I added bling at the insistence (really) of my daughter. I don't think that Barry minded though, as he is pretty easy-going. It was a great party, btw, thank you for asking!

So You Think You Can Dance was great tonight! The Viennese Waltz was beautiful--loved it. There was even a performance that brought tears to my eyes--the one about a soldier coming back from Afghanistan to his wife. Very emotional. Mmmm, it took me back to the days of Gary in Viet Nam. Scary days, those--and it would be wonderful if no one had to experience them ever again. 

And I wish everyone everywhere a wonderful Thursday! :^)

Hooray, I got my blinkie! :^)

I am so tickled! I emailed Suzanne and requested the picture file for the CMC Classroom blinkie. She sent it right away; and, after a bit of maneuvering, I was able to add it to my blog! Yay!!

So, as my father would have said, now we're cookin' with gas. :^) That is actually pretty funny, as my parents never had a gas stove all the years I lived with them. I wonder if they had one before I came along, or if that was just a saying from years and years and years ago. Yeah, I'm old. I know it. I admit it. And it's OK; it surely beats the alternative! And don't call me Shirley (what movie did that come from?).   ;^)

I have decided to do something different with my hair. All of a sudden I really dislike my hair style. It is so strange how that happens. One minute you love it (of course, the one minute lasted a couple of years) and the next you want to shave your head. Well, maybe not that extreme, but I really would like something different. Something easier than what I have been doing. Should I go back to "Spike"? Mmmmm, probably not. But, certainly, there has to be an easier style to deal with, doesn't there? Hopefully, I will find out on Thursday afternoon. Thank heavens!

So I am getting the new Stampin' Up catalog tonight. Be afraid, Gary, be very afraid! Fortunately, for him anyway, I am buying mostly children images now, and SU does not have very many of those. So I spend the bulk of my (his) stamp money online at various websites. There are so many I love, but right now my faves are Magnolia. Today I received my first Magnolia magazine, and I am excited to dig into it!

Here is another Magnolia image, which I did for my great-nephew, Trevor. He just graduated from high school in Texas. His school colors were maroon and white--I hope the maroon was close.

Here's wishing everyone everywhere a terrific Tuesday! :^)

Bits and pieces

So Gary and Angela had a cooking class at The Dhaba in Tempe last night. I think they both enjoyed the class. The girls and I had yummy pizza and salad from Jimmy and Joe's Pizzaria for dinner. Then we played cards--that Kelsey surely knows how to win Uno! After Kelsey's two wins, we played "horses" with Brynn, as that was her choice. So it was a good evening.

I came home and worked on images for an on-line class I am taking with Suzanne Dean. I am not completely happy with how they turned out, so I think I am going to color another set before submitting them. Yeah, that's the obsessive-compulsive coming out in me again. :^)

I decided to post another card I made. Since my great-niece, Christine, just got married on Monday, I thought I would show you the one I made for her and Adam. I don't know what her actual colors were for her wedding, so I just used ones I like. I used another Magnolia stamp--I seem to be stuck on them lately. I think Magnolia images are just adorable. 

Wishing everyone everywhere a super Saturday! :^)