Is this what I need?

From Janet's blog (Of Cats and Cardstock), there was a fun activity using Google. I googled "Toni needs" and here's what came up:

Toni needs to release a live concert DVD
Toni needs careful, daily monitoring and meticulous veterinary care
Toni needs to get some new friends in the biz
Toni needs to know about her involvement with newcomers
Toni needs to go to Nassau and do the feeding scuba with the reef sharks
Toni needs some real support

Which should I take care of first? I'm thinking the live concert DVD :) LOL!!

What do you need?

What I'm working on

I just got finished with samples for the Summer images from The Cat's Pajamas! You are going to love them :) There are some really unique designs including surfing and BBQ themes! Alma will be posting the new designs on her site very soon....

When I had my trip to Archiver's last week I picked up a couple of fun pieces to try out. One is a blank wooden block, about 4" square. I'm thinking I'll decorate it with photos and embellies and see what happens - it's a fun way to try out a bunch of new patterned paper! I also picked up a huge "t" (by EK Success) which will look great in my scrap room....

We got our new vacuum cleaner yesterday - a Dyson, at long last :) Way cool....I vacuumed the whole house when we got home, and couldn't believe the stuff it picked up. I also love that I can stand the vacuum at the bottom of the stairs and the wand reaches all the way up to the top - no more balancing on the stairs! Yep, I'm easily pleased.

Thankful. In no particular order...

Thankful that we have electricity and water at home tonight.
Thankful that I got my hair cut this afternoon - no more "shaggy dog" look!
Thankful that I'm going shopping for a new vacuum cleaner tomorrow!
Thankful that we're having homemade chili and french bread for dinner.
Thankful that we will all be sleeping in our own beds tonight.
Thankful that I have 3 more weeks to prepare for Nattie's sleepover (originally planned for tonight).
Thankful that I TiVo'd the reruns of "Rescue Me" on F/X.
Thankful that we have neighbors who are concerned about us and are real people.
Thankful that I may actually have my surgery this week (sleep-apnea related) and that Iain may get some relief from my snoring :)
Thankful that I received my Ali Edwards kit in the mail yesterday!

What are you thankful for this weekend?

Saturday ramblings....

Today's Two Peas Blog Challenge is: "blog about character traits in people that totally annoy you". Hmmm...where do I start? One character trait I dislike is people who think they are so much better than everyone else. For example, at dd's old school in CA there was a set of moms who looked right down their noses at the other moms and kids, and didn't hide it at all. How sad for them to feel so insecure. It reminded me of middle school behavior...grrr! Another trait I dislike is dishonesty, for obvious reasons. I always tell my kids that lying doesn't get you anywhere except in deeper trouble :)

The layout above is for a CJ titled "Confessions of a Scrapaholic". We all had to do a layout about our reasons for scrapping and where we scrap :)

Maybe the power will come back on today? This will be day 5....and counting....

Perspective...

I've been able to browse a little more on the message boards over at Two Peas while staying here in the hotel...reading about issues such as a lady whose child is terminally ill, people who have lost jobs, or had their belongings destroyed in a house fire.

These situations make ours look not too bad at all. Really, all that's happened is that we have no electricity or water right now, but at least we're lucky enough to know that at some point it will be turned back on, and that we can afford to put ourselves up in a hotel while we wait to return home.

As a result, I'm feeling pretty thankful this Friday morning.

Here's a layout for a Circle Journal I worked on earlier this week: the title is "What I Know For Sure" (the owner is a big fan of Oprah's magazine column), so I split my layout into two sections - What Oprah Knows For Sure and What Toni Knows For Sure. Take a peek and see what you think :)

Do we have power yet?!

Checking in here from the Marriott in Littleton. We've had no power at the house since Tuesday afternoon's big snowstorm, so yesterday I decided it was time to bail and get myself and the kids to a hotel. My neighbor helped me get the generator going so that we could start up the snowblower, and there were 2 feet of snow to be moved before we could get the car out. Iain came home a day early from Las Vegas and met us at the hotel last night.

There was no school on Tuesday or Wednesday, so it looks like the school year will be extended into the first week of summer vacation because of all the snow days... Iain and Nattie have headed up there this morning to see if it's back on yet. I had to dump everything from the fridge so there will be some major grocery shopping to be done when we get back in.

Phew! What a couple of days!

So, for something a bit lighter, here's a little questionnaire I found over at Random Pondering:

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:
Grocery store clerk
HR admin supervisor
Admin asst
SAHM :)

FOUR MOVIES I HAVE ESPECIALLY LIKED:
Thomas Crown Affair
Pulp Fiction
Jaws (such a classic!)
Braveheart

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
Edinburgh, Scotland
San Diego, CA
Boston, MA
Conifer, CO

FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH:
Amazing Race
Survivor
The Riches
Rescue Me

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION:
Paris, France
Lake Wolfgang, Austria
Maui, HI
Trier, Germany

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
Chicken Tikka Masala (Indian)
Chicken w/Black Bean Sauce (Chinese)
Fish & Chips (from a proper British chippy!)
Steak & Onion crisps (British)

FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
In my own house with power!
Scrapping retreat
On a beach with my hubby and endless margaritas
Traveling the world :)

Snow Day!!

Yep, it's April 24th and we have a snow day! The kids and I are in our jammies and are all set to enjoy a comfy, cozy day at home :) The school district took a while to decide but eventually they decided all the mountain schools in Jefferson County would have a snow day today....on April 24th!

Evening visitor - and more...

Check out this gorgeous red fox who has taken to hanging out in our yard at dusk....just beautiful! S/he comes and sits in the trees, just looking in at our house. Of course, it drives the cats crazy :) Between watching the fox and the birds, they don't get much rest right now!

We found a really nice park right next to Nattie's school. I took Jamie there a couple of times last week and was able to get some fun photos of him goofing around. His favorite thing was the tire swing because it twisted around: "twisty, Mama, twisty!!"

And a few random questions from the Monday Madness blog:

1. Name a song you know most (or all) of the words to. "Somebody to Love" by Queen

2. Name a movie that you have watched more than once and would watch again. "The Thomas Crown Affair" (Pierce Brosnan)

3. Have you ever read a book more than once? Please share. "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory; read it several years ago when it was first released and re-read it this year before reading the sequel "The Boleyn Inheritance".

4. Share an inspirational quote with us."Only a few things are really important" - Marie Dressler.

5. What day of the week does (or did) your birthday fall on this year? Friday, December 28.

6. Have you ever bought a book or cd or movie more than once because you forgot you bought it already? There have been a few CD's I've purchased on iTunes, forgetting that I have them in our collection, particularly older ones.

Surprise in the mail :)

I got an awesome surprise in the mail yesterday! A copy of "Just Cards Volume V" from Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine with 14 of my cards in there! I sent them a bunch of work several months ago and had forgotten all about it, so that made the surprise even better!

Most of my work in there is using stamps from The Cat's Pajamas and there are a few others with products from Hampton Art Stamps and Hero Arts. I just loooove surprises in the mail!

I've been working hard on reorganizing my scrap room. I had 2 tables in there but I needed more storage space so Iain moved one of the tables down to the basement. I picked up some more storage drawers and I'm about 2/3 done...I feel like I can breathe easier in there already! This week I have to finish up my 3 Circle Journal layouts - we're heading for that time of the month again...

Beauty tips...

Two Peas Blog Challenge for today: share your favorite beauty tips :)

I am not a big wearer of make up, but I do have a routine that I stick to - most days! I am a big believer in moisturizer and I use Olay Regenerist Serum morning and night on my face. I also use Vaseline Intensive Care lotion everywhere else; it's great for those pesky dry patches that appear in the winter, especially here in CO. And once a week I use the pore strips from Biore. Love those things!

I'm only 35, but my hair is about 50% gray. For years I fought coloring it, but I know now that when I let the color grow out I seem to age by about 10 years! Also, being English, I have very pale skin - freckles and all, so I have to be vigilant about sunscreen (probably more than I am, LOL!). You'll see from the photo that the kids also got that British complexion...

And this week I am back on the exercise wagon. I have walked 3.5 miles every morning this week and already I feel better. I hate doing the work, but I love the feeling I have for the rest of the day and I know that I will love it even more in a month or two when I can fit into some other clothes in my closet!

r...e...l...a...x...

The challenge on Two Peas today is to describe your favorite relaxing activity. Mine is pretty easy: anything where I am alone in the peace and quiet. I love it when Iain takes the kids out in the morning and doesn't come back till dinnertime :) With his travel schedule for work, I cherish that alone time. If I have that amount of time to myself in one day, I'll usually clean up a little then head up to my scrap room and work on circle journals, printing photos, my own scrapbooks, or tidying up the mess from other projects! I'll have a nice quiet lunch, perhaps watch something from my TiVo list, then get right back to creating.

Before I know it, everyone is home and I feel recharged again :)

Conifer Area Chorale Festival...and more

On Tuesday Jamie and I went to see Nattie and the other 4th graders sing at the Conifer Area Chorale Festival. There were kids from 3 elementary schools, and the local middle and high schools singing songs "Celebrating Broadway". As you can see from the photo, Jamie was engrossed, even during the rehearsal :) The kids did an outstanding job with "Edelweiss", "Anything You Can Do" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile". The harmonies were awesome and I could see the younger kids admiring the work of the older kids.

In other news...I had my follow-up appointment with the ENT doctor and we have scheduled surgery for the first week in May to open my airway some more. From what he told me I'll be in hospital for one night and recovery will be 7-10 days...yikes! What is way more scary (and difficult) than surgery is that I also have to seriously commit to a weight-loss program, since that is also a contributor to sleep apnea. Fellow bloggers, I need your support with that one...

Took Jamie for his 5-yr checkup today, complete with s-h-o-t-s. Poor little guy, he was looking at me like, "how could you do this to me?". At least now he's all set for kindergarten in August. He got to watch Polar Express this afternoon which seemed to help him feel better. It's amazing what a movie and a bowl of Goldfish crackers can do :)

Love :)

Today's blog challenge from Two Peas: what does being in love mean to you? Hmmm....well, for me being in love is about the everyday, not the special occasions. Iain and I will be celebrating our 14th anniversary in September, and over the years I have learned:

• if you can stick it out, the bad times do make you stronger and therefore make the good times better
• talk about it!
• there aren't many things sexier than a hubby doing housework without being asked :)
• men are not psychic
• laughter makes the heart grow fonder!
• try and put things in perspective and look at things from your spouse's point of view
• get the kids to bed at a reasonable time so that you can hang out together
• talk about it!
• always remember that the kids will eventually leave home, and you and your hubby will be together, alone, after they leave!
• doing little unexpected things can make someone feel extra-special
• and the last one - talk about it!

Yup, it's all about the communication. Well, that and laughing together - a lot :)

Color

What color do you gravitate towards lately? My response would always be blue; it has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. When Nattie was born, I dressed her in way more pretty blue clothes than pink. I find I often use blue in my cards/scrapbooks, and if I'm at the scrapbook store and there's some new blue patterned paper - I am right there :)

Happy Everything :)

Have a very Happy Easter! Enjoy the day :) From the Two Peas blog challenge, here are 20 things that make me happy:

• hearing my kids laugh
• having my hubby get home from a trip
• our new home here in CO
• watching the animals in our yard
• Amazing Race All-Stars
• the smell of new scrapbooking paper
• having someone thank me for a handmade card/gift I sent
• fun stationery
• living in a state with 4 seasons
• being lucky enough to be a SAHM
• getting a good grade on a paper I worked hard on for school
• good Indian or Chinese food
• listening to our cats purr contently
• being cozy indoors when it's snowing outside (as we are today!)
• getting a letter from Gramps (he lives in England)
• hearing Nattie playing the piano without being asked
• receiving new stamps to play with from The Cat's Pajamas (as I did this week!)
• having time with Iain after the kids have gone to bed
• alone time to scrapbook, read, hang out...
• seeing the kids play together, unprompted!

April (snow) showers...

Yup, more snow for us this morning :) Just a couple of inches, but it seems very strange to have snow on Easter weekend! We are having our egg hunt today instead of tomorrow because Iain has to fly to Brazil tomorrow, so he is out there right now hiding filled eggs in the snow. The great thing is that we have a much bigger yard this year than when we were in CA last year, so the kids could be out there for a while, LOL!!!

Today's card is made with justjohanna stamps and foofala patterned paper. Have a great weekend!

"I've got the apnea"

Remember that line from an episode of "Mad About You"?

My ENT doc called today to say he received the results of my sleep study. I'm going in next week to discuss treatment options, but he told me on the phone today I was having an average of 46 apnea episodes an hour! Also my oxygen saturation levels at several points were only 83%; my average was 90% but it should be around the mid-90s. Wow.

No wonder I've been feeling so tired!

Spring birthday card - and favorite movie lines :)

It's a beautiful Spring day here in Conifer, so I thought I'd post a Spring card. This one is made with stamps from justjohanna, like yesterday's.

The blog challenge on Two Peas today is to write about your favorite line from a movie. That's a tough one! The first one that springs to mind is the classic "we're gonna need a bigger boat" from "Jaws" :) Others I like are:

• "Do you wanna dance? Or do you wanna dance?" - Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) in "The Thomas Crown Affair"


• "I don't want Fop! I'm a Dapper Dan man!" - Everett McGill (George Clooney) in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"


• "Pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the *&^&^*# car" - Mr. Wolf (Harvey Keitel) in "Pulp Fiction"

I looooooove movies; Iain and I have a great DVD collection. We also have a little game where whenever we choose to watch a DVD we have to take turns choosing - and the other one has to watch whatever is picked (Iain threatens me with "The Great Escape" and I hold "The Sound of Music" over his head, LOL!).

Latest projects...

I just mailed my 3 circle journals off for their April round :) Next up for me is the Summer line from The Cat's Pajamas :) I received them from Alma last week and can't wait to get some time to play with them and make up some samples! Once again, Alma has come up with some very unique ideas...keep checking her site here for the official release of the stamps!

Nattie's friend Vivian stayed with us for a couple of days during her visit from California. The girls hadn't seen each other since we moved in October, but watching them play together it seemed as if they had never been apart. I made the most of the beautiful day to take some pics of the kids. Nattie and Jamie both go back to school today. I have to say, I am ready for a little peace and quiet, even if it is just for a couple of hours this afternoon when Jamie is at preschool. My school class finished yesterday, so my plan for this afternoon is as follows:

• take Jamie to school
• come home
• make cup of tea
• sit on couch until it's...
• time to pick Jamie up from school :)

Ah, the smell of a clean house....

even if it only lasts for one a few hours, I can enjoy it, right? Iain and Nattie went skiing yesterday and Jamie and I stayed home. I decided I was going to do a big clean, so with cleaning supplies in hand I tackled the house - with Jamie's help, of course! I love the smell of the Swiffer Wet wipes, and the floor looked so shiny. The carpets were nice and fluffy, the toys were put away.

But of course - we live here!! So by the time everyone got home, had dinner, and bedtime rolled around last night, it was all back to normal - toys scattered, floor scuffed and smattered with cereal crumbs, bits of carpet flat again. And I wouldn't have it any other way :) It's what I'm used to, and it means everyone is home.

Talking of home, this card is made with stamps from justjohanna. I stamped on to different patterned papers, cut out pieces of the house and then put it back together. I love the "blah blah blah" coming out of the chimney :)