Happy Memorial Day!

I did finally finish the wedding album on Wednesday/Thursday (I think it was just after midnght, lol). It is 154 pages.

My friend was thrilled and called me Friday to say the Bride's mother and sister were both astounded too. I'm sure I'll hear more about it at work tomorrow!

Uggh, work. I have a ton to get to today. And the next 10 days will be horrible, I'm sure. I also have to deal with a 'problem employee'. Bad timing.

I still have to finish our autograph books for our trip too. Animal Kingdom and Character Meals are done. One side is for a photo of DD with the character and the facing page is for the character to sign. Here's a pic of what I'm doing this time ~ I try to change them each trip.

Hopefully DD's interest in autographs is over before I run out of ideas, lol!

How has a week passed already?

I am getting ready to go on vacation in 24 days!!! My DD and I are leaving June 9th and going to the happiest place on earth ~ Disney World. :)

I have only 10 more 'in the office' days at work and I am totally stressed.

Anyway, I soooooo need a vacation.

"The Rotten Cantaloupe" or 'My Grammy Knows How to Swear!?!'

This is a long story and I'm going to make it longer by setting it up a bit.

My parents were very young when I was born and divorced by the time I was 7. My mother's parents, Grammy and Grandad, were a huge part of my life and I would visit with them for extended periods of time. [Note - I am extremely lucky to have both of them still, they are 83 now (Grammy has a birthday on the 27th) and I wish time and distance didn't stop us from seeing each other more often than we do.]

I believe I was 14, I was staying with them for most of the summer. They both are members of the Lions Club and the club was having a big picnic at the park. Now, I am not lucky when it comes to games of chance. And as you will see, even when I do get lucky, things go terribly awry.

Grandad had gone over to the picnic earlier to help set up. Grammy and I drove over later. They had music and food and BINGO. Uh oh, a game I am not destined to win. However, there wasn't much else to do, so I picked some cards and proceeded to play. Now let me tell you there were some NICE prizes to be had. It seemed like everyone around me was winning and they were down to about a dozen more prizes when the unthinkable happened.

That's right, I actually had B-I-N-G-O! Woooweeee, look at me - I am a winner!

So I go up (remember I am a 14 year old girl) and the man calling the numbers gives me my prize. Yep. Cantaloupe. Two huge cantaloupe. Grammy had accompanied me up to the prize table, and she spoke up and asked if I couldn't have something else. Nope. Not for me. I am not a winner after all. I am a loser, a loser with two 5-pound cantaloupe. Oh, and did I mention I don't even like cantaloupe - it makes me ill.

So at that point Grammy and I had both had enough of that picnic. We took the cantaloupe, Grandad would eat it, and left. We're driving home and Grammy starts saying how she's never liked that man and he's nasty and she "hopes his pr*** rots off in hell". Wha-what?!
When did Grammy learn how to swear?

Being a teenager is soooo funny. I was absolutely shocked and even scandalized that MY Grammy knew such a word.

And those cantaloupe. Grammy cut them open when we got home (she was going to clean them up nice for Grandad). They were rotten inside. Just like that man.

:)

Art Show!

My DD's school art show was tonight. The walls were just plastered with art projects the kids have done this year. Each student had 5 or 6 pieces displayed - that's a lot of art to look at!

Kids are so creative. I was reminded of a quote that a scrappy lady I know has as her tagline...
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. Picasso

My DD is in the second grade and they learned about Picasso's art this year. Her class did Picasso inspired witches and this is hers. (Her witch was actually picked to be on the 'Monthly Masterpieces' board outside the cafeteria!)

Wow, what a week-end!

Friday was the grand opening crop at Feeling Scrappy. Those ladies did a fantastic job. I was away much of the afternoon but while I was there everything moved along at a nice pace and they had a great mix of challenges, games and general questions. They worked great together as a team and the two design members only started on April 30th!!! Kudos to you all.

I won a game and completed a few of the challenges and was therefore entered in the prize drawings. I just found out this afternoon that I WON one of the prizes!! I'm getting an AMM Tote-ally Cool Scrapbook Bag ~ can't wait! (It sooooo beats a rotten cantaloupe - I'll save THAT story for another day!)

Saturday I spent the day at a Girl Scout camp doing my cabin camping and outdoor cooking training. I actually had a great time. It was a small, friendly group of Brownie troop leaders and the trainer was enthusiastic and really taught us a lot - and made it fun! Later this month I do an overnight for tent camping and I hope that training goes as well.

Sunday I worked on a bunch of the challenges for the Feeling Scrappy crop. This is one I did for challenge #4 BOM - A Favorite Thing....


Lot's of compliments on the delicious looking pizza (and the LO). So, here's the basic recipe.
I triple this recipe and make Eight 9-inch pizzas.

Thin Pizza Crust

Preheat oven to 500F

.25oz pkt of active dry yeast
1/4 tsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup 110 degree water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
pizza sauce (we use Ragu traditional sauce)
cheese and toppings

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; allow to rest about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl combine flour and salt; add yeast mixture and mix well - use a heavy spoon or your hand like I do. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. Press the dough onto a lightly oiled pizza pan. Add sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake in 500 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes.

To make the buffalo chicken pizza: saute diced chicken breast meat with 2 or 3 tablespoons of Texas Pete buffalo style chicken wing barbeque sauce; take a few spoons of your regular pizza sauce and add three or four good shakes of Tabasco, spread on crust; add cheese, I use a mozzarella and cheddar mix; top with the buffalo chicken. I also usually add some thinly sliced red onion and pre-cooked bacon slices.

So, one of my friends commented that I should be glad DD chose the violin over the drums or the accordian!
I don't think I'd mind the drums too much.... I know how to play them, so that could be fun. I'll share a little secret with you, something that I've always found to be completely hysterical... my dad played the accordian as a kid!!! Boy do I wish I had a picture of that.

I didn't get any pics tonight though. It was packed, I was surprised at how many people showed up. Though in retrospect I shouldn't have been. We are in a fairly affluent district and families here are very appreciative of the arts. Our elementary school, K thru 4, has over 700 students - there are 2 other smaller ones in our district too. Also, I found out that they don't start any other instruments until 5th grade.

I did this layout tonight ....


... it's for a challenge at the new site I've started hanging out at Feeling Scrappy . There's a great group of scrappers over there and they will be starting classes soon ~ sounds really interesting and exciting!

Mmmmmm, dried meat!

My boss's husband makes beef jerky. I just got a batch today and I can't stop eating it! It's salty and slightly spicy and ripping your teeth into it is so primitively satisfying.

My daughter has decided to take up the violin starting next fall. She'll be in third grade. Only lessons for strings start in 3rd grade, is that because they are harder to learn than brass and woodwinds? Her school also requires all students to learn to play the recorder in 4th grade. Though I don't know if they skip that in favor of another instrument, I'll need to ask someone about that. Tomorrow night we go and get her 'fitted' for a violin. I thought they only came in 2 sizes - I was wrong. I hope she learns to make music quickly. I dread the 'cat in heat' sounds I know I will undoubtedly be subjected to. But I am already picturing the scrapbook layouts I will create. I hope they don't mind me taking pictures tomorrow night, lol!

So, I'm going to start a blog...

... I think.
I'm aiming for writing 3 times a week, we'll see.

I want to working on journaling to help me with my scrapbooking. I'm feel I am lacking in that department, a title and a line or two about who & where and that's usually all I do.
I've been working on a huge engagement/wedding book for a friend for months. I wanted to be done by now but this book is easily going to a hundred pages. It's very odd as with the exception of my friend (a relative of the bride) and her family I don't know these people. Of course this means I don't have to journal, lol! I'm getting bored though and I'm going to try to wrap it up this week-end if humanly possible.
I really want to get back to 'my' scrapping. I have a ton of pictures ready. I also have an idea for a book of 'Things to Make You Smile'. I want to start doing one page a week and posting those here.