Sharing photos from recent events...

Sean set up for his sister (who does hair) to highlight my hair and cut the kids' hair too. I got highlights that I LOVE this time. I have had some scary experiences with hair dye. LOL
I often think of Anne, from Anne of Avonlea, and her experience getting GREEN hair. (A must see movie if you haven't seen it!)








I also started doing some Spring Cleaning, and found some OLD photos of me as a toddler. I decided to put them into a frame. I love these photos, and the personality I was captured having. :)


Now, it is time to pry myself from the computer... Meghan and I have bulbs to plant before the next burst of rain and hail. Hugs to all!

We went to the Falls, FINALLY!

I have planned many times now, to go out to the Gorge; and go through the many waterfall areas. It was either bad weather or just didn't happen for one reason or another. Today, I decided to go, even in the rain. It was a great day. Just me, the kids, and their friend who had spent the night at our house.





We ended up turning off I-84, trying to find the viewing area that we literally nearly blew off of, a few years ago. It was a horribly windy day, and we didn't realize just how bad it was. Until we were standing with a kids hand in ours, and the kids body parallel to the ground. SCARY! So, it took a bit of talking the kids into it... but we decided to go again today.
Well... we took the wrong exit, but that simply took us onto the old scenic highway, beside I-84. We found multiple spots with parking lots and waterfalls. It was amazing. Short .2 mile hikes up STEEP trails took us to beautiful winter waterfalls. The snow beginning to melt in the mountains means powerful water coming out and down. AMAZING!!! It felt like it was raining still, but we soon realized it was the mist from the falls shooting over us.

When we got to Multnomah Falls, the biggest and most well known, we planned on skipping rocks in the creek that runs from the falls to the river. Well... it's winter, and the water is higher than in summer. LOL
We found an area that allowed some rock tossing, but nothing like what the kids remembered. It was interesting to discuss why the changes had and were occuring. Seasonal changes, erotion, etc. A little learning thrown into the day. Some great conversation between parent and kid. :)



We did stop by a ranger station and get directions to the Vista House, as we returned home. We toured the building and that is a must see, if you are ever out this way. I enjoy the photos from long ago, and no-so-long ago. It was fun discussing the tree growth, the new path growth, and all the changes.
We finished the tour, at 7-11, where we found hot cocoa.

I even found a little time to google some good instructions on cutting a tween boys hair. Not to bad!!! This is a boy who has been depressed for a week now, since I trimmed his bangs too short. I was able to keep it "Not too short", and yet blend in and make layers that don't make him look so fluffy and thick. :)
Now, I just need to sit on my teenager or cut his in his sleep. LOL

Spring Break!

It's Spring Break week, for my kids. Today is my day off, and we planned a trip to Multnomah Falls. I swear, if we mention the falls... it rains. LOL
However, we are Oregonians... we should have webbed feet by now! But we don't. We are going to take our non-webbed feet and go adventuring. I am thinking of stopping at a few places as we go out I-84.
I try to give the kids something new during their breaks from school. It doesn't really need to cost anything more than a few dollars in the gas tank, and maybe a camera battery refresh.
I figure it will be interesting, since the boys are already at each throats. UGH!

We are taking our neighbor boy too. Atleast he is generally a great kid, and gets along with both of the boys. He is Jarod's age, but often can be found with Jordan too. :)

Oh, does anyone know what makes fingernails grow quickly? I can't remember what vitamin it is exactly. Whatever it is, I have plenty. LOL I just finished painting my nails, and was shocked to see them all grown in a week. I broke most of them off working truck two weeks ago. Mine seem to have grown strong too. WOOHOO!

Ok... enough boring stuff... what's for dinner? Last night was Nachos / Tacos. I only had one lb. of ground turkey in the freezer, so I added a 1 lb. of hamburger. Eew!! I was totally grossed out by all the grease in the beef.

Tonight, I think it will be fried potatoes. I fry up bacon and cube potatoes. I use the bacon grease to fry the potatoes. Yummy!! LOL Oh, and I then add a bag of peas / carrots too. Gotta make the diet a little healthy. :)

Enjoy your day!!

Car accident today...

Oh, what a day to get rear-ended. Meghan and I were on 82nd, major city traffic and just darn stupid drivers making crazy lane changes. I was sitting at a green light, waiting on the car in front of me to clear the intersection in front of me. The lady behind me, hit me. UGH! I threw open my door, ready to have an extremely bad tude with her. LOL
Mind you, I just finished shopping for clothing to wear to my parents vow renewal. I had just gotten my photo enlarged from the photo developer. I was rushing back to my house to get dressed and leave for the evening event.
So, the women gets out of her vehicle and says "I feel SO Dumb!" The guy in the passenger seat gets out, and starts toward my car. I look at my bumper about this time as I am beginning to say "I SO don't have time for THIS" LMAO (oops!)
I then realize, my bumper did what it is supposed to. It bounced right back like it was never hit. I than said "You didn't do a thing, I only see this TINY scratch, and I so don't have time for this." I remember saying "You are good. I gotta run".
I got in my car, she got in hers... I did think to call my dh and have him write down her license plate as she followed me for a few more blocks before turning. :)

My neck is a tiny bit sore, and Meghan seems fine. I hope that nothing is sore in the morning, and all will be well. :)

BTW... My cakes turned out well... the reception and all went great. My mom even had to dash out on the vow exchange, because she forgot the sheet she had written her vows on. LOL (We will tease dad for years, about her leaving him at the alter after 41 yrs.) Hee-hee!!

Good times!

What a day!

Sean called me at about 4:45pm, while I was at work. "Wanna hear the BAD news?" he asked. I said "No, not really!" LOL
The compressor in our refrigerator had blown, sending smoke through the house and a lovely NASTY burnt plastic smell too. The fix would be atleast $500-$600. So, off we went to buy a NEW refrigerator.
We went to several stores that we kept hearing the salesmen say "Oh, the economy is too bad; we don't keep anything bigger than 18 c.ft. in stock." UGH! We wanted atleast 25, and ended up getting a 26 cubic ft. stainless steel model. Lowe's is the only place that keeps things in stock. I swear I don't know why I shop around when we buy appliances. We basically waste time and gas, running around... then ending up right back where we started at Lowe's!
The new fridge has a tray in the bottom that "quick chills". 15 minutes and pop cans, juice, etc. are chillded. Oh yeah!
Oh, we also got to test the hold I placed on my Soc. Sec.# last weekend. I had to answer multiple questions before I was allowed to get credit. YEAH!!!

Well... back to baking. I am working on wedding cake layers, for my parents anniversary celebration tomorrow. :)

Inflammatory Breast Cancer...

http://www.ibcsupport.org/

My co-worker/friend was just diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. It is something that every woman should find out more information about. My friend was diagnosed at stage 3. There are just 4 stages. There is only a 40% survival past 5 yrs. That is down right scary. We need to educate everyone we can, to this quiet killer. Please look at the website and pass on the info to anyone you know. Men get it too!

Parents aging...

I swear that everyday I am reminded of my aging process. I know my parents spent years caring for me; and that in return I will probally spend time caring for them. I don't mind that. But what happens when you feel like your parent is more lonely and depressed, rather than needing the care. I don't mean to sound selfish, and actually I am not speaking of my own parents as I write this. I am simply speaking about what is on my mind, from experiences I either view while I am working at the sales counter or see as I experience life through friends and extended family.

What is the responsibility of a child. When is the expectations from a parent, just too much? How does a person not feel guilty for wanting to say no, for thinking "is this really the problem, or are they just lonely today?"

Humm...

On a up note... I want to say "I love my husband". We have been married for almost 15 years. I can easily say there have been days that I have HATED that man. I am sure he can return that sentiment to me. Hee-hee! Today though, I can say we have been on a pretty decent up-swing in the "ups and downs" of marriage. :)

I had to replace my heat tool yesterday. The crafters and scrapbookers will understand when I must say I need to post a "Missing tool", lost somewhere within the walls of my scrapbooking space. LOL
However... I saw a technique on DIY scrapbooking (lovin' the DVR that tapes the 1am shows for me). I plan to make puffy and embossed chipboard letters. I will take pics and post soon, for those who might enjoy seeing the idea. :)

Hugs to ya'll!

Changing seasons...

Spring means time for changing seasons... I am not just simply talking the weather seasons though. Jordan's basketball season ended last night. His team had their last game yesterday and then the award ceremony last night. We won a "Portland Blazers" bobblehead in the raffle at the ceremony too. Fun times!!
Today we went to the baseball meeting that opens the season. He will be on two teams. One is a "prep" team for 13-14 yr olds. The other is the "Parent" team for 13-15 yr olds. Jordan is 14.
He was already traded too. LOL
Luckily we know most of the kids already, from previous teams that Jordan played on. We know the coaches from all the teams, so anything was good news. He will have practices 4 days a week, and play games in there too. Of course, he won't practice on a day he has a game. His prep team will play games earlier than the parent team, making things a bit easier on our over all scheduling. He also is now traded to a team that our friends are parents on too. This will make things SO much easier on Sundays when Sean and I both work.
I swear I still don't get how parents work full-time and have multiple kids playing sports. How do they get it all done??
I just want to be able to make it to the games, to see my kid play. I hope that my scheduling changes at work will not be a huge issue. In this economy, I can't bear to think about needing to change jobs; but I may not be able to make schedules work if I have to deal with new schedule each week. UGH!!

So... now it is Sunday. Nearly the end of my weekend off work. What to do? I hate getting to the end of a day and thinking back that I didn't get much accomplished. We wanted to go to the beach. Too windy!! Then we thought about Multnomah Falls, again RAIN and WIND... now it's HAILING. UGH!
Spring, "Can you hurry up?"

Note to self...

When you rent movie and video games at two different rental locations... make sure you return them to the correct places. LMAO
Sean just went to rent a movie at "Hollywood Video", only to find out we didn't return the last rental. Well... it turns out that he told me to return the movies to "Blockbuster", and FORGOT that one needed to go to "Hollywood video".
He is headed to blockbuster now, to see if they still have it. UGH! Hopefully Blockbuster will not charge us a fee for not returning it. I would not be a happy customer if they didn't understand and waive the fee. Will update soon. LOL

I went to Bunco tonight, as a sub for a friends group. I paid $5 into the pot, and left with $12. Not bad!! (thanks for inviting me, Diane!) Wish you "Loser" streak had held out a little longer. Hee-hee!! :P

What is your favorite song?

Do you have a favorite song? I was just thinking about this as my blog came up. I heard my playlist begin to sing "God bless the USA". This has been my favorite song for SO many, many years now. I used to hear it every year on July 4th, as I sat with my parents and sisters... just as the "fort vancouver" fireworks would begin their huge celebration display.
I remember thinking about the day, the fun with my family, the joy of the event and the memories of each year we did this. Then, as I got older and it became something that I brought my kids to; I thought about my pride of raising kids in this country along with the already mentioned ideas.
Today, it made me think... what do I really think about living in THIS country. I now wonder if I know anything about not living here. I really don't. I haven't traveled. I have alot of anger toward other places and the people that come from other places. Now I am gaining anger at people from here too.
How did such a great song bring such wonderful thoughts and emotions, and now turn to ugly thoughts in my head. What do I do now?

I know the stress of the economy, changes at work, my purse being stolen, and so much more is turning my into a desperately negative person. I just can't snap out of it. I try to start the day thinking "today, no negative, just the positive". It turns to be negative so darn easily, doesn't it?

So what do I have...
*Family
*Friends
*A job
*I can provide for my kids basic needs
*Jordan is beginning spring baseball (fun family times watching him too)
*Camping is just around the corner (though I hope and pray I can juggle work schedule changes now)

My purse lost...

Yep... my purse was stolen. From my locker at work! I wonder if the suspects that do crime like this, ever think about the people they hurt in the process??? Not just the $$ gone. It is about the safety, time spent, time lost, sentimental things gone forever.
OK... YES, I was stupid and had EVERYTHING in my purse. I was called off my lunch (not on the clock and against the law) to help at the framing counter. I will no longer go to lunch and not be gone for 30 minutes. PERIOD. Don't even talk to me while I am not on the clock. Enough said on that for now.

My locker was left open (my mistake) and my purse was gone. Not to be realized for another 4 hours. UGH! Now, the down side gets worse. I believe it is my co-worker. I am in the process of going to the places that my credit card was used, to view videos. $20 in gas, $22.68 in postage stamps, and a denied trial at an ATM to get $300. Too bad for the crook that my cards were near their limits. LMAO!! (I found a funny side to this all)

I have blocks and alerts on my SS card, my kids cards, cancelled accounts, new cards with NEW NUMBERS have been issued... I am TIRED! I didn't sleep well. Then I lost an hour of sleep to daylight savings, and was woken up at 7am (was 6am yesterday) to a call from the police for their report. UGH!

I will be going to view videos tonight, when the gas station owner is in. Cross your fingers that I can see someone I know. There is good and bad in that though. Imagine knowing the person that would do this sort of thing. I know people aren't always good, but jeez...

What is your inspiration??

What is currently inspiring you? With all the depressing stuff going on in our lives... I thought I would ask "what is keeping your spirit going now-a-days?". I have been down right depressed, angry, etc.
What did I do about it? I went SHOPPING! Not too bad, I just used a credit card, to get myself a new pair of sunglasses, new pants for work, and then a new pair of jeans. Oh I also bought two candles. I love candles. I enjoy the light flickering, the slight warmth, and the scent. I found clearance candles at Walmart. The cutest jars ever!! I got the big (strawberry rhubarb pie)one for $2.50and the smaller (plum cobbler) for $1.50. Nearly the whole candle isle is clearanced at Walmart. Not to mention, a lot of their isles. They just did inventory in my area, and the economy is probally showing its signs too.
I would take a pic, but my camera is in my trunk. I took my camera with me yesterday, thinking I might stop somewhere to just enjoy photograpy for a moment. I ran out of time, before heading home for the kids school bus. I will share a pic soon.
So... will you post if you are stopping by... share how you are enjoying life. Maybe share what you are thankful for.

I am... Scrapbooking (enjoying past events again), reading (4th twilight book now, Jordan and I shared the 3rd book the last week or two again, and it slowed me again!), I am thankful for still having a two income home (my bil was just told he will be laid off for 60+ days as of tomorrow), and I am thankful for my kids feeling safe.

My kids don't get the issues around us, right now. They know we aren't eating out, we are making them have top ramen on weekends, and just getting a bit tighter on our budget. But I don't think they really get the turmoil. Last night the news was looking at people who were deciding between health care premiums and paying the rent. Jordan said "Well, just cut out the entertainment in your budget!" I about spun a 360. I wondered what he meant. Is that ALL he thinks it takes? Haven't I taught him more than that? Have I sheltered him too much? Wait... he is 14 now, but is it better that he isn't stressed like we are?
I decided to simply explain "Jordan, it isn't about taking entertainment out, when you are talking health care or rent, you already took out the entertainment from the budget." Oh my!!

Ok... sorry for the babbling, this is my place to vent. My hubby is stressed enough, and I don't want to discuss too much of my stress with him. Not that I can't, but I don't want him to add me being upset to his list too. KWIM.
Hugs!!!

Purging in process...

I am purging my scrapbook paper today. Oh my!! How does my paper grow faster than my kids?

I didn't take before pics... and these are kinda in process pics. I just needed a break from the dust! Yep... DUST on my paper. Isn't that SAD!! I knew it was time to go, for a bunch of it.
The greatest feeling now, is sitting here and realizing that I can now move my chair around my small space. I was just thinking that I have removed enough unused items; and I still feel like I have plenty to work with. I simply made myself really look at what I will use and what I will not store any longer.
I buy mostly slabs of paper now. I use most of what I buy, and get a good monetary deal. However, I end up with several of the same papers. I don't generally make layouts with the same elements within my albums. I have a new style for most of my pages, and work with simple pages now. I barely even use much embellishment. I am working on memories, not crafting now. I am really working on keeping my stash to a usable level.
I can not tell you how often I am asked "what supplies will I need to start?". I work at Michaels. I actually scrapbook. I am sent most of the customer questions, from the other associates. I enjoy my job, in this respect. The hardest part is watching newbie scrapbookers buying all the junk that I am now tossing (giving away, etc). I try to explain this to them. They are just so darn over-whelmed and excited in the same moment.

Ok... back to it... My Jolee's collection is luckily under control, but needing some organizing.
That's for stoppin' by. Now go purge YOUR space! (and carry that feeling, the next time you are grabbing out of that clearance bin, sale item, etc. :)