Weekend Scrapbooking - Day 2

The scanning continues today.....

What I have realized as I'm scanning -
1.  I have saved items that were already scanned in. Mostly because I was thinking I would need to refer to it when I was scapbooking it.
2.  It used to be a simpler time...I am scanning wall calendars that were our "home calendars" and to think that I just had that one calendar with all the data is amazing.  Oh to be back to that time.
3.  I'm finally getting to the items that aren't even scanned in!

And I have a new app that someone told me about - PhotoScan by Google.  It's awesome!  I can take a picture of something that is bigger than what I can scan and it will get rid of the glare of the lights where I take a picture of it.

First game of the season and scrapbooking

Last night was the first game of our 5 game pack. 

Our seats are a little down from our previous seats.  We are in the same row but in seats 7 and 8, which is a couple down from our 12 and 13 seats which were at the end of row.  Still some good seats!

The game was awful! They had played the night before, but that's not an excuse because the Panthers played the previous night too.

Dan had to work yesterday, so our schedule was a little off.  I was supposed to be a scrapbooking crop all weekend, with the evening at the game, but I ended up staying up until midnight on Friday, then Theo got sick right after Dan left (at 3 AM) and then I just decided to stay home and do some work. Which was really fine because I really wanted to get a couple of things done for CVBS (my company).

Today, I did come to the crop, but I'm working on some stuff that I just haven't been able to get around to for the business.  

It's funny, I say work, but it really doesn't feel like work - because I LIKE what I do! So - back to what I enjoy doing!

Adventures (in health): Day 7 of Youngevity

Today, I tried mixing the Ultimate Classic with a strawberry Special K protein.  It was good and covered up the taste of the Ultimate Classic pretty good.

I plan on going back and forth between the two flavors of Special K.  I use about half a shake a day.

I also walked on the treadmill today.  I did 1.5 miles at 2.5 MPH.  Slowly getting back to where I was (3 miles at 3 MPH)

Adventures (in Health): Day 5 of Youngevity

We did some grocery shopping yesterday and purchased some Special K Protein shakes for cheap.  Harris Teeter had them on sale for $4.99, then with my VIC savings I got it for $3.66, then I had a 70 cent coupon that was doubled!  Final price:  $2.66

I thought they would be good for mixing with my Ultimate Classic.  I was right!  Wow!  It was better than with milk!

This was with French Vanilla.  I also bought strawberry.

I got back on the treadmill today too.  I just did one mile at 2.5 MPH.  I was up to 3 miles at 3 MPH, but I took about the last 3 weeks off.  I'll eventually get back there.

Adventures (in Health): Day 3 of Youngevity

Day 3 of Youngevity and I think I found the right mix for the Ultimate Classic.

I put it in milk today, and it wasn't bad at all.  There was a little after taste but nothing like the previous days.

Adventures: Busy Weekend Full of Fun

This weekend was full of fun.

Saturday, we went out for lunch at The Village at Leesburg and went to Noodles & Co.  We scanned some munzees when we were there and got a geocache too.  We stopped at Hamilton Sofa Gallery which is going out of business (at that location only) to see what bargains there were.  We saw some items we liked for the basement, but we still don't know what we are doing down there decorating wise so no sense in purchasing anything yet.

In the afternoon, I went to my friend's house (in West Virginia) for a Jamberry party.  I'm glad I got to go since I was shown how to correctly put on and take off the wraps and given some ideas to prep my nails better so they don't come out like last time.  I also signed up for another Facebook party (September 28).

The two wraps I had done at the party.

Sunday, we went to the Lucketts Fair.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but for $5 each, I figured what the heck, it's something to do.  We had a good time.  There were a lot of vendors and I really didn't expect to purchase anything (except maybe a funnel cake).

We ended up getting Zed a new bed and I got a (thumb) ring with Esa's name and dates.  I have been looking for awhile for something (and I lost her portion of the keychain that I made for me).  This was perfect.  I asked Dan about getting matching ones, but he wasn't really sure about it.  So, I just got one for me.  I love it and have been wearing it non-stop (more than my wedding ring).

The food was very tempting, but we ended up just getting funnel cake and bringing it home.

Z on his new bed.

My memorial ring.

Adventures: Family Tree Collage

Saturday was my DIY day.  I have been thinking about doing a family tree picture collage for quite awhile.

I was thinking about putting it in the stairway, but then no one would really see it.  With our dining room now decorated, I was thinking of putting it on a wall there.  I had bought a canvas that I originally wanted to use, but at the community yardsale last week, I found FAMILY letters that caught my eye.  I got them for $1.

I knew I wanted to paint them - either black or brown to match the room.  I decided on black to match the picture frames and do all of the pictures in black and white.

That was an easy project, but my second using spray paint.  Still getting used to making the paint even!

Pictures - I have so many pictures for my side of the family.  My goal is to get "couple" pictures, but the farther back I go, the harder that is.  Either it's a family picture or single pictures.  The crazy thing - I went through all of my family tree stuff and found pictures that I didn't even remember.

L to R:  Mom & Dad, Great Grandparents LaSala, Grandparents Clark, Grandparents Caprarulo

I did a couple of pictures so far and started doing my templates for the wall.  I think I am going to wait a while to put them on the wall.  I am still gathering pictures from Dan's side of the family.  Plus I need to figure out the layout on the wall.

I'm making progress though!

Adventures: Stop Knocking on Our Door

We get a lot of solicitors in our neighborhood.  Whether it's flyers on the mailbox, flyers on the door, or people knocking on the door.  I have been looking for a cute sign on Etsy, but nothing has really caught my eye.  So, I picked up a No Soliciting sign at Home Depot and then picked up a wooden sign from AC Moore for a little DIY craft.

The supplies

The finished product.  No perfect - the newspaper stuck to it when I was painting the back and the gorilla glue soaked through the sign.  Didn't expect that one!

The finished product!

Adventures: Reading Area

Every night, I try to read a little before going to bed.  Sometimes, it's just a magazine, and even then it might only be a page or two.  I know the short time was due to not having enough light on my side of the bed, so we got a floor lamp.  

Then I keep staring at the empty corner.  It used to have Babe's (my cat) treehouse, then it had an air purifier.  For about the last year year it's been empty.

Now, I know this little corner is not HGTV material.  I have been meaning to re-upholster the chair forever, but have never done it.  It's been sitting in the basement area - first used, and then put in a corner and not being used.  There are stains on the seat, it's not as comfortable as used to be and I think Babe left her mark on it by using it as a scratching post a couple of times.

There's a reason why I keep the (now) worn out chair and doesn't match anything I have.  It was my mom's.  I remember being told that Mom spent a lot of money on it.  I think it was either custom made or at least it was upholstered with a specific fabric that my mom picked out.  I can remember there being curtains that matched it too.  It was originally in the "guest" room that eventually became my room (that's a whole other story).  That being said - this chair is probably 60 years old.  My parents got married in 1951, so I know it's from the 50's (like the rest of the furniture I've inherited).

The little stool/bench has been my nightstand for awhile.  I wanted something small, and had it in the basement storage.  It was made by my grandpa Caprarulo (my mom's dad).  Who knows how old that thing is.  Grandpa passed away in 1969 (2 months after I was born) at age 91, so I don't think it was made anytime around then.

So, yes, my little reading area is not HGTV material, but family history material.

I used it for the first time last night.  Let me just say, Zed didn't like it.  He wasn't able to cuddle up with me like usual.  He sat on the floor next to me, stared at my lap but didn't jump up; and realized that he had to wait until I was in bed to cuddle.

Adventures: DIY in the House

so, I've been posting about how scared Zed has been with the DIY going on in the house.  It's time for the big reveal!

I posted when we (or should I say, Dan) painted the living room.  The next big makeover was the dining room which included a chair rail and crown molding with the crown molding in the living room too.

For weeks, Dan has been trying to figure out measurements and what was needed.  We were at Home Depot every single weekend trying to figure out what we needed and getting a plan together.

Step One:  Painting the dining room:

Step Two:  Getting the crown molding:

That's right, got it into the Jeep.  Good thing Home Depot is only 4 miles away!

We thought about renting a nail gun, compressor and saw, but ended up loaning it from family.  It was a good idea, that way Dan could take his time.

Step Three:  Putting up the chair rail and crown molding

WOOHOO!  I am so proud of Dan.  He did a GREAT job.  I knew he could do it.

Now, onto the next project.

Adventures: Celebrity Interaction on Twitter!

So, I finally changed my Twitter to public.  For the longest time, I kept it on private, and I have it automatically to Facebook.  I have only friends on Facebook (except for maybe two or three people who are associated with companies/products that I use).

I use Twitter a lot for Public stuff - contests, online income, and now, my business.  Since I changed my profile to public, I also updated my bio to include my business.  I think this has lead to more people following me.

Anyway, I love using Twitter to follow celebrities.  I'm sure most of the time it is not them posting, but that's cool.  Some people are lucky enough to have some interaction.  No me - usually.  That changed 2 weeks ago.

I watched the first episode of Chasing Maria Menounos.  One of the main story lines is that her parents want her to get married and have kids.  So I sent a tweet, and next thing I know, it's retweeted by Maria!

Then last week, I was watching Buying and Selling, and I sent a tweet to Jonathan and Drew - never expecting a response, but I got one!

Woot!  This is what Twitter is about.  Interacting with fans/customers.  If your business is to the consumer, Twitter is great to have that quick interaction.

Speaking of which, we recently changed from Verizon Fios to Xfinity.  We never had issues with Fios, but Xfinity was a better deal money wise.  Anyway, this last weekend, I woke up around 3:30 am and went downstairs and put on the TV.  A little after 4 am, the cable went out.  When I woke up around 7 am, EVERYTHING (cable, internet & phone) was out.

I posted a tweet and sure enough, I got a reply late in the day, but still, it was a reply.

So there you go, the power of Twitter.  Thanks for brightening my day, and letting me interact with celebrities!

Adventures: First Country Concert

Last night we headed down to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill in Woodbridge to meet up with our friend, Mike.  Mike has been working with bands for about 15 years, and is out with Chris Cagle right now.

We haven't seen Mike in forever and about 2 weeks ago, he messaged me to see if we wanted to come.  We both are NOT into country music, and really didn't think we would stick around that long.  We figured we'd go have dinner and maybe head out even before the bands started.  Like I said, we were there to catch up with Mike, not for the music.

It was an adventure just to get there and then into the restaurant.  We kind of took the long way to get to the place, then when we got to the shopping center, we drove all around looking for the restaurant.  We finally found it and parked.  By that time, the line to get in was out the door and around the corner.  We stood in the cold for about an hour.  Luckily, it was just cold and not windy. 

Finally, we got to the door and said, "We are on the guest list."  First person, checked her printed list and nope, not there.  Second person, had us written on the top of his list.  We got in and asked about getting a table.  The list was about 10 names, and they said they would try to get us a table, but it probably wouldn't happen. 

So we walked around.  I went into the restroom and when I came out, Dan was by the merchandise table where Mike was.  We hung around the merchandise table for a good hour or so, chatting.  Mike asked if we were going to hang out and stay for a couple of songs.  I mentioned that we hadn't had dinner yet, because we couldn't get a table.

Next thing, he's taking us to the "VIP" room and set us up with a table and food.  The only other people in there was the opening band.  Then when the opening band was on stage, they cleared out the room, so that they could do a meet and greet..  Everyone lined up and we were just sitting at our table.  Right before the meet and greet line ended, Mike asked one of the bar employees to get us and we got to meet Chris Cagle.

When Chris was on stage, we were the only ones in the "VIP" area.  It was a good experience.  Chris is a really good singer, just not our type of music.  The place was sold out.

It was nice to get the VIP treatment!  Thanks Mike!

Adventures: Minor DIY today

I planned on doing some minor DIY today - caulking & patching.! Mission accomplished!

Caulked the half bath sink.

Caulked the kitchen counters (it will dry clear).

Removed wall decorations and patched the wall in the dining room.  Soon we will be painting and putting up a chair rail and crown moulding.

Adventures: The 127 Sale - World's Longest Yardsale

For months now, my sister-in-law and I have been planning a trip to The 127 Sale - World's Longest Yardsale.  We have talked about this sale for years (since it was featured on HGTV) and it's been a bucketlist item for me.   

This trip really did not go as planned.  Basically from the start.  Originally I figured that we would be there the whole time (Thursday to Sunday).  Unfortunately, my sister-in-law had to work on Monday, so no big deal, we'd come back on Sunday.  For planning, I originally thought 100 miles/day but overnight decided on 50 miles/day (THAT was a good idea).

The original plan was for me to drive up to NY with the Jeep.  Well, the check engine light had been coming on a lot (at least once a month since May).  It's always been code 740 (torque converter).  We were told in July 2011 that we would need a transmission, but after a reset and a flush, the code didn't come on again until September 2012.  The jeep has been driving fine, but we figured that we would at least get it checked out before I went on this long trip.  Bad news - it really did need a new transmission.  First gut instinct was "new car" (90K on the car & 10 years old), but then after thinking about it overnight, we changed our mind (no job and new car payment = bad plan) and got some estimates.

Backup plan in effect - I would take the Elantra to NY and we decided to take my brother's car (now my SIL's car) to Ohio.  The Impala is bigger than the Elantra.  That way we could get some stuff in the car!  Bonus change in plans - My SIL's sister, Helen, decided to come with us.  The more the merrier!  Hence another reason why the Impala would be better.  At home, originally we thought that we would have to wait until I got back home until we got the Jeep fixed and Dan would drive it to work and if it broke down, he would just have it towed and then get a rental.  HOWEVER, believe it or not, the Jeep dealership was the best price/deal for the transmission AND we got a loaner car during the work.  WOOHOO!

So trip up to NY was fine (Tuesday).  Wednesday, we were going to leave about 3 pm.  My SIL text me that she was coming home early because she thought she might be getting an UTI and was going to head to the doctors.  Doctor's visit went fine, SIL got antibiotics and was going to down a bunch of water.

Since it was a drinking evening (and I mean water/fluids, not alcohol), we stopped a LOT.  But we were all fine with it.  We had a blast on the ride out.  Luckily, we all get along.  We finally arrived at our hotel about 11 pm.

Thursday, SIL felt better and we had a great day.  We probably stopped at over 75 yard sales.  Some multiple sales in one location.  We started probably about 9 am and by about 3 pm, I was done.  We weren't really seeing anything interesting and I think all of us were about done.

I picked up bunch of old (like 1940's) cat and dog figurines.  I have my mom's dog figurine collection so those old figurines call to me.  I also picked up one small depression glass dish that caught my eye.  And I picked up 2 glass pendants.  I ended up spending about $20.

About 30 miles out from the 2nd night stop/hotel, we decided to just go to the hotel.  Once we unpacked, we headed to dinner and then we were basically ready for bed.

Friday morning, we were in Van Wirt, OH and we were thinking about hanging around there for a Ribs Festival along with the yardsale.  We got ready and then, SIL said "I think we need to go home, I'm not feeling well and I don't want to end up in the hospital here"  That's all it took and we were on our way home.  Let me back up and say, on the drive to OH, whenever I saw a hospital sign, I would always ask "do you need a hospital?"  And on Thursday, Joanne said that she almost said "we need to turn around" on the drive to OH.  I knew if she said we needed to go home, she defnitely wasn't feeling well.  She was WAY TOO excited about this trip to let a little belly ache ruin it.  We (Helen, Joanne's sister) and I could tell she wasn't feeling well during the drive.  Joanne wasn't talking at all.

Friday, we got back to NY about 6 pm.  We took some backroads and took our time.  I figured I would head back home a little early (Sunday instead of Monday), but got to spend some time with each of the nieces & nephew.  Friday, was Maegan's turn - dinner at Friendly's.  Saturday was VJ's turn - dinner at Texas Hot then No Bake Reese's Bars with Chrissy.  Sunday, VJ rode home with me so we got plenty of time together.

Let me say that we came back to a construction mess (we left one too).  Joanne is getting their bathroom redone so no shower for a couple of days, just a toliet upstairs.

Jeepy is back at home and is working fine.  Hubby drove the loaner car - a Jeep Patriot - while I was gone.  This is the 2nd time I've driven a Patriot & I didn't care for them either time - especially this time since there were NO UPGRADES on it - no power ANYTHING (windows, locks, nothing).

Satellite radio was the only good thing.

However, was only for 2 days - it ended on August 1.

Becoming Betty Crocker: (No) Baking with the Niece

So there is something to be said about genes and taste buds.  My nieces and nephew love some of the same foods as I do.  One of them is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Usually whenever I see a Reese's Peanut Butter recipe, I post it to +Chrissy Clark's Facebook page.  Just in time, one was posted a week before I was to visit.

Since our 127 Sale trip didn't go as planned, I was able to spend time with each of my nieces and Chrissy & I made No-Bake Reese's Bars.  These were super easy to make and within one hour, ready to eat!

I will say, the recipe calls for a 9X10 pan.  We had a choice of 14X10 or the pan we used.  We picked the smaller pan - the thicker the better!

Chrissy stirring the peanut butter mixture

Mixture in the pan.

Pouring the chocolate on.

pre-refrigerator

post refrigerator

THICK, THICK, THICK!

 

These things were RICH! But AWESOME!

Adventures: Volunteering with a friend

My friend +Nancy Williams has her own business, The Dijitl Group, and does video & photo production.  She asked me to help her with a video production at Project Horse that she is doing pro bono. 

I figured what a great opportunity to see what she does, help a friend out, get some experience and learn about an organization!

Today (Tuesday, June 18), we met with the owner and assistant to figure out what the plan is for tomorrow.  The only bad part is that it will be an early morning shoot (starting at 5:30 am)!  I'm not used to getting up early (even when I was working).  I think tomorrow afternoon will be naptime since I'll have to get up around 4 am!

Thursday, June 20
Yesterday went well.  It was so much fun.  Nancy got a lot of good video and I got some good pictures on our phones for her.

It was great to learn about Project Horse and I even met someone who is volunteering that who used to volunteer at the Animal Shelter.

Chief, the Project Horse Ambassador and filming director of the day.

Nancy in action.

Chief in the director's chair at the end of the filming.

From Dijital Group's Facebook page.

 

At the end of the shoot, our adventures continued (I can say adventures, because Nance & I have had several through out the years!).  Nancy's car wouldn't start and she had to get a jump.  The back hatch was open the whole time and I was charging my phone in the car, so it was at ACC setting. WHOOPS!  Luckily, we ended early, so we had a buffer for when Nancy had to be home by.  Nancy picked up her son and the three of us went to brunch at Panera. 

 

The production assistant postion will continue since Nancy has two more shoots to do and some meetings with Project Horse! 

 

I am so grateful for this time that I can do what I want and help out friends and family.  I feel the best I have (mentally) since I was probably a teenager and my mom & dad were alive - before really becoming an adult and having the weight of the world on my shoulders.