Merry Christmas!

Circa 1990.

A Real Book

I read a real book this week.
That makes three books that I have read for pleasure since I started graduate school- one during orientation, one at Thanksgiving, and one over Christmas break. How sad is that? I have a whole stack of books that I'm looking forward to reading over the next five weeks. I have to make up for lost time you know.

I really like Rowland's books. They are quick reads about a detective in Samari Japan. Once again, she did not disappoint. My only complaint would be that she seems to be moving more towards the supernatural in her last few books. I prefer the more realistic plot lines.

I just started Mrs. Kimball by Jennifer Haigh. I'm having some trouble getting into it. I have to finish Christmas shopping and do some baking, so the rest of it will probably be postponed until the flight to San Francisco.

Good Article

Era of Our Ways

Remember

Remember when you were this excited about Christmas?

Me, Christmas 1985.

We were hit with a nasty snow and ice storm last night. I am almost relieved that I have this final paper as an excuse to keep me inside, under several quilts, with a space heater next to me.

We are going to put up the Christmas tree this afternoon. I have not even started Christmas shopping, never mind any sort of baking or crafting. I miss when Christmas was a joy, not a chore. I would love to have this week to do nothing more than get ready for Christmas and enjoy the season. I would love to go sledding, drink lots of hot cocoa and spiced cider, decorate cookies, knit, make the advent calender I have been dying to create, watch all the old Christmas movies, make hand made cards, find our collection of Christmas books and read them, listen to only Christmas music, and generally just take it all in. I cannot do that, so instead, my goal is to do one of those things each day. Today is decorating. Maybe by next week I will feel like that <- again.

Generally...

I prefer to drive forwards. That seems to be the least preferred direction, after backwards, sideways, and circular, in my neighborhood. Ah, I arrive home just in time for a big snowstorm.

You know you are procrastinating when voluntarily shoveling snow beats reading the book for your last final...

Don't worry, a Mitchell Report report is coming soon. Maybe I'll even do more than skim it for names before I write. Or maybe not, depending on how the alternative driving styles competition continues outside my window.

Damn Car

I should just rename my blog that.

I want to go home. I'm so over Ithaca, the snow, and working on papers. But my car decided to freak out, so I can't leave until its fixed. So I'm stuck in Ithaca indefinitely.

Gah!

I'm one skein of yarn short. I braved my car's temper today and drove to get more yarn to finish my afghan. Yes, I still have those two pesky little questions to finish on my microeconomics exam, but I needed a break. I spent a little while knitting, and one pattern repeat and three knit rows away from project completion, I find that I am out of yarn again. The pattern underestimated by one skein. Grrr.... I try so hard not to overbuy, but making extra trips to the craft store is wasteful too.

I'm totally in the mood for Christmas crafting. I think when I'm home I'm going to make a button wreath like this and a cute advent calendar like this. I also want to do a little scrapbooking. If only these papers would write themselves.

I'm also thinking about updating the blog a little for the new year. The links are sort of old and I'd really like a pretty banner. Any ideas?

What's Keeping Me Busy

Maybe the title is a slight misnomer. Public administration, ICS, Workforce New York, microeconomics, and educational theory (in that order) is actually what is keeping me busy, but a girl has to have some time for relaxation also, right?

First, I started this afghan before Thanksgiving. I LOVE how it is coming out so far. The picture and pattern is from Lion Brand. I need to buy two more skeins of yarn, and then I will be done. Maybe that will be my reward for finishing my microeconomics take-home exam.

Next is this bag. The pattern is from the book Bag Style by Interweave Knits (2007). I got the pattern from Knitting Daily. You are probably thinking that I'm not much of a fan of pink. I am making it blue instead. I will show you when it is done. It has a very cool, subtle color change. I have finished the handles and the front, and I am hoping to finish the back before I go home next week. I'm notorious for not sewing seams, so that will have to be one of my priorities. I think this bag will be perfect for holding socks in progress... once I learn how to knit socks.

I guess I better get back to those other priorities now. I hope you all are staying warm in this icky weather.

What a Game!

Did you see that? I was following the score on the computer, but when I looked with two minutes to go and the Patriots' perfect season was in real jeopardy, I decided to turn on SlingPlayer. What a crazy game! It sort of looked like the Ravens just sort of imploded, no? 35+ yards of penalties in the last minute. I have to hand it to them, that catch was amazing. Too bad it was after the buzzer.

Yes, I'm Alive

Grad school is kicking my butt. Classes are over now, but I still have a ton of papers, take home exams, and memos to do in the next two weeks. Let's see, what have I been up to lately?

• Reading- I actually read a book over Thanksgiving: Island of Exiles by I.J. Parker. It was entertaining, but I prefer the author's other books.
• The Current- We had lots and lots of reading and editing to do. I can't wait to see the final product.
• School- Thumbs up to the modeling exam, thumbs down to the public administration presentation.
• Knitting- I finished a scarf over Thanksgiving, but you can tell it's stress knitting because the gage is all over the place. I'm working on a bag now, and I just need 2 more skeins to finish my first afghan.
• Scrapbooking- yeah right!
• CIPA Prom- Hilarious! The pictures are on Facebook.
  

No, Not a World Series Post

Not quite ready for that yet. I might spontaneously burst into tears again or something.

In the meantime, we saw highlights from this game when we were watching the Sox crush the Rockies. It has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen in a football game.


Btw, is it about time that I admit that this has become an all sports blog? I am knitting again, so maybe that'll change soon.

From the Dirt Dogs

Rox
Sox
Sox on Fox Rox on Fox
Sox on Fox
Rox vs. Sox on Fox
Sox vs. Rox on Fox
Sox vs. Rox in Coors Bandbox

Sox have Jocks
Rox have Jocks
Jocks in Field or Batter's Box
Jocks with Money Box of Stocks
Papi strong as Wild Ox

Fox ex-Jocks sit in Press Box
Listen to Tim McCarver's Vox!
The insanity he Talks and Squawks
Joe Buck oughtta clean his Clocks

Rox beat Sox
Sox beat Rox

No one claims the games are Locks
And on some wood a Nation Knocks
But if the Rox Outfox the Sox
Or Gagne Walks or Beckett Balks
It surely would cause Mocks and Shocks
Requiring Whiskey on the Rocks

... and then, as Manny says, there will always be next year ... -- Mark Stebbins, 10.24.07

Maybe One Day I'll Have Something Intelligent to Say

Until then, another YouTube video.

I Know the Feeling

Critical Condition

The Concert

The concert in Syracuse was a lot of fun. The band that the people I went with knew was Jukebox the Ghost. Check them out. They are awesome performers.

Soo tired!

I hate to whine, but omg, I am so exhausted!! I could go to bed right now (5pm) and sleep until noon tomorrow.

However, I'm off to a concert in Syracuse instead. Maybe I can sleep tomorrow.

Maybe October Isn't Such a Bad Month Afterall

Clinched!

Need I say more?

ETA- Yes, I guess I do. Did someone say best record in baseball?

Oh, and I thought this was too funny (from Boston Globe Extra Bases):
Francona ended his media availability with this gem, "If he wasn't, I'll make sure Manny's aware that we won today."

Ugly Scarf

I have had a major case of "starter-itis" lately. My knitting bag is completely overflowing, plus I have lots of plans for projects I want to start soon:

• A pair of socks
• The knitting bag I saw on Knitting Daily
• A MagKnits sweater
• A triangular shawl

Plus the projects I already have started or lined up:

• My super-soft blue/green shawl (about halfway there)
• A multi-colored stole
• A green stole (just need to sew the seams)
  
• Lace scarf
• Lace curtains for my kitchen

So what does this have to do with an ugly scarf? Well, I decided that I really need to start getting some projects done so that I can start some of my other projects. This scarf was a good candidate because it was almost complete and I have hated it since almost the day I started.

When I bought the yarn online, it looked like it would make a nice heathery, ski-bunny-esque scarf. When I received the yarn, it wasn't what I had expected. It wasn't very soft, and the colors were harsher than what I had envisioned. Still, I wanted to see if I could make anything of it. After a couple of inches, I realized the rib pattern was much too masculine for that yarn. This would not be a problem if I had a male acquaintance to give the scarf to, but none of them wear scarfs. I figured I might as well continue on because I did not have a better idea for the yarn, but as it got longer, I grew to hate it even more. Finally, I decided tonight that it was done, just so I could get it out of my knitting bag. So I present to you, the ugly scarf:

Phew

I feel much better after the Yankees lost last night and the Sox won.

Look what I'd found. I'd forgotten about this. I don't really like Schilling, but it really is funny.

And this one is just too cute, especially Beckett's "inspiration"

Birthday Presents...

... are so much fun.

Don't you agree?

Casino!

Four of us went to a casino last weekend. The two and a half hour drive was totally worth it. The guys left right after lunch to go gamble. What did us two girls do?

Went to the spa and got pedicures, of course!

We also went to the bar and got yummy drinks from Mike the bartender. He said we were 28 and 26 (grr...) but made up for it with the drinks and little chocolates. I have a cute picture of the drinks, but I need to get a photo editing program on my new computer before I can post it.

I know you are asking if we even gambled. Yes, we did. We played black jack, and even won $20-25 each.

Now That's What I Like to See

It's about time Ortiz got a dramatic walkoff homer!


Sept. 12th

I love this cartoon:
http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/Headline_Archives/2007/09/seems_like_old.html

Too Hot

Fenway has taken to sleeping behind the toilet. I can't say I really blame him.

Facebook

Ok, after resisting for what- 4 years? I've given up and joined Facebook. Not because I want people to stalk me, or because I plan on stocking them, but because I almost missed a pub crawl. The invite went out on Facebook, so if Paula hadn't told me, I would have missed it. We can't be having that, now can we?

What about Toronto next weekend? It would be a fun little pre-birthday trip.

What Did I Get Myself Into?

Wow, I've been so much busier with grad school than I thought I would be. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I'd be able to take classes, do my homework, work 20 hours a week, work out, knit, scrapbook, and socialize. Just two out of the 7 is difficult enough. I'm still working out the rest of them.

I see some people have stopped by since my last post. Please leave me a comment and let me know who you are. I'll check out your blog too :)

A little fun for today. The good stuff starts at about 2:30. A warning- it made me a little motion-sick, but that might be leftover vertigo from this terrible cold.

Eeek!

Classes start tomorrow.

I just found out one of my professors expects us to always be in business casual dress. That just isn't going to work for me. I'm already paying a fortune for this school, and now they expect me to buy a new wardrobe? Besides, I can't concentrate, especially on learning, when I'm wearing uncomfortable clothes or feeling self-conscious. We'll see how that one goes.

Here, But Not Settled

In Ithaca.
My apartment is smaller than I remember it.
I need a bedroom door or I'll kill Fenway.
About halfway through unpacking.
My first orientation event is in two hours.
Think I can find campus?
A little silliness for today:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Countess-Palatine Megan the Mad of Goosnargh on the Carpet Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

On Hiatus

This time next week I'll be in my new apartment. My first time living alone.

• tired
• stressed
• sad
• excited
• busy
• anxious
• happy
  
• NEED TO PACK
  

See you in a week or two!

Crafty Update7/29

Culinary:
Maybe I should just get rid of this category until I actually cook anything. I can't even cook frozen meals- definitely time to go to the grocery store.

Reading:
Today I finished "Morality for Beautiful Girls", part of the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. It's the third book I have read by this author, and I still cannot decide if I like his writing style or not. It is very different than anything else out there. It feels to me like the characters are talking about themselves in the third person, even though it is actually a third person narration. I am going to borrow two more of that series from my roommate. Maybe then I will be able to figure out if I like them. I also read "Repair to Her Grave" and "Wicked Fix" by Sarah Graves. Now, I love a good trashy mystery novel. In fact, they are my favorite. Yet, Graves' books are too trashy, even for me. I have not read such a poorly written novel in a very long time. She would say things such as "I didn't know it at the time, but that was important." Thank you, I passed third grade English and know what foreshadowing is. You do not need to beat me over the head with it!

Scrapbooking:
I think my scrapbook stuff probably will not reemerge until I move.

Knitting:
Lots of knitting this week. I finished the pieces to the bag I was working on last week. I just need to sew it together so I can felt it. I made what is going to be a coin purse with the same yarn. I felted it today (my first felting experience), and I think it came out fairly well, at least well enough so that I am willing to try felting again. Friday night I did a quick scarf like the one in my last post for my mother. I also started work on another felted bag. This week, I need to do some hand sewing, finish the second bag, and maybe even go back to my lace scarf again.

Podcasts:
Too busy trying to straighten out my computer issues.

Movies:
Saw "The Sting" with one of my roommates. A little long, but such an amazing cast.

Red Sox:
Yes, I cried when Jon Lester pitched again. Are you surprised? Oh, and last night's 12 inning debacle? I am glad we won, but can we finish them a little earlier from now on guys? The Yankees gaining on us is making me nervous.

Other:
Went out to brunch at S&S with Sarah this morning. Lots of fun!

Weekly Crafty Update 7/22

What have I been up to this week? To be honest, a whole lot of Harry Potter.

Culinary:
Let's be honest, the only thing that I remotely came close to cooking this week was the strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry fruit salad I made for breakfast. Oh, and cinnamon toast yesterday.

Reading:
Finished re-reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". Read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" yesterday, then re-read the last six chapters for good measure. I am still not quite sure how I feel about it.

Scrapbooking:
Nada. It's the whole one craft thing. I was too busy knitting and reading this week.

Knitting:
I had a lot more time to knit this week than I thought I would. I finished the bottom and two sides of what will be my felted bag. I'm working on the front and back now. After that, I need to press it all and put it together so I can start my felting experiment.

I also worked on my lacy scarf while waiting for Harry Potter to arrive. I think I'm finally at 6 inches. My camera ran out of batteries, so no picture of that this week.

Podcasts:
I discovered two new awesome podcasts this week: Cast On and Shortorder.tv. I'm a little worried that the second one isn't producing any more podcasts, which would be an utter shame because 3 minute meals are something even I can do.

Red Sox:
It is a good thing the Sox won their last two games. I have been so disgusted with them that I have not watched a game in a week and a half. I'm really looking forward to Lester's return tomorrow night.

Other:
My roommate threw a Harry Potter party Friday night. She decorated the whole apartment and we played trivia, pin the tail on the Dudders, and just had a lot of fun. OK yes, we're dorks, and proud of it.

Harry Potter

Don't worry- no spoilers here. I just wanted to discuss Harry Potter in general now that I finished the 7th book (yes, all in one sitting).

Now I have this completely irrational desire to burst into tears. I started reading the Harry Potter books right when they first came out. They've been a part of my life since high school, always wondering what was going to happen to Harry et al in the next edition. I just finished the 7th book, and I can't believe J.K. Rowling isn't going to write any more. That just makes me sad.

There will never be another book about this magical world that's been in the back of my head for so long...

One Craft Lady

I am Megan, the Queen of Multi-tasking. Driving to work? I am listening to a podcast, writing down inspiring websites (yes, I know this is not safe, but there are several lights at the beginning and end of my commute), planning out my day, and having my morning coffee. At home after going to the gym? I'm likely to be keeping up with the Sox game, writing a blog, updating my podcast list, talking on the phone, reading other blogs, and trying to remember to eat dinner.

So why am I not a crafty multi-tasker?

I recently started knitting again. All of a sudden, I have stopped thinking about scrapbooking. When I go into a craft store, I only buy yarn and needles, barely taking the time to check out the newest scrap supplies. CHA hardly interests me right now. This is exactly why I stopped knitting for a year- I was too busy scrapbooking.

So what am I working on?

I just finished this. I love that it only took an hour or two to finish.

No, it does not have a big hole at the bottom. That is just the way the dropped stitches fell for the picture.

I am now working on this scarf. The lace pattern is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I think I am going to get about 6" and then make another one of the scarves above for a present. I also want to try my hand at a felted purse while I am still living somewhere where I do not have to pay to do laundry. If that works out, I really want to make a cute felted pencil case as a going to grad school present to myself.

All of this in 5 weeks? That mini-album of my grandparent's 50th anniversary party last year is looking even less like it is going to get done.

Why I Hate Fox

I figured I would do a wee bit of blogging (like every other baseball lover) while I am watching the All Star Game. It has been a long day, so you just get lists.

Things I Don't Like About Fox

1. Let's just get it out of the way...it's Fox. Ignoring why it is a bad network, why can't a REAL sports network broadcast the game?
2. 8 pm- what a stupid start time!
3. Homer Simpson doing a promo.
4. "Not a surprise, Barry Bonds got the longest ovation." No shit! You waited 3 times as long for his applause as anyone elses'.
5. Barry, Barry, Barry!
6. I can never find the pitch count.
7. I'm sorry, did someone just say the Tigers are the best team in baseball?
8. A-Rod- where's that clutch performance now? Can't even catch a ball, can you? Ok, I guess I can't blame a Yankee sucking on Fox.
9. Was the fraternity comment necessary? Thank you for alienating all of your loyal female viewers and fans.
10. Just because more people since 1963 have hit x number of home runs in a year, does not mean that steroids are responsible. What about changes in bats, balls, parks, nutrition, conditioning, styles, etc.?

Things I Like About Fox

1. The Willie Mays tribute made me cry.
2. All the baseball-related commercials. Well, except for the unnecessary yelling.
3. Cal Ripken and Ozzie Smith giving us the batting order, along with the cool position graphics.
4. Announcers who at least know more about baseball than the announcers last year. At least they've heard of David Ortiz. No seriously, do you remember last year?
5. There are more of my boys than players from any other AL team. I guess Fox had nothing to do with that.
6. Manny having a "Manny being Manny" moment when he was too busy talking to Paps to acknowledge his name being called. Guess that's not Fox related either.
7. The promo with Manny doing his funny little dance. Think I can get that on YouTube? Manny is totally cracking me up today.

Conclusion: I'll forgive Fox its faults because the AL beat the NL 5-4, making them the winners of the last 10 straight decisions. They gave me a heart attack there though at the bottom of the 9th!

A Good Night

• Red Sox game
• Knitting
• A murder mystery book
• Red wine

Maybe it's lacking focus, but I can't think of a better way to start my vacation. Well, maybe I need some chocolate...

Altered Box

This is what I worked on this weekend:
(Front)

(Inside Bottom)


It's from a 7Gypsies cigar box kit. I bought the vintage postcards off of Etsy (I can get you the seller's name if you want it), and mod podged them together. I think the majority of the paper is 7Gypsies too, with some Lil Davis letters and BG rub-ons.

I Was Not Actually Tagged...

but I wanted to do this anyways.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Probably sometime in the last two weeks. I cry all the time at things that move me (especially books or commercials)
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? More or less
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Salami
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I sure hope so 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Somewhat, I tease/use sarcasm with people I like
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yes
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Never
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Emotionally yes, because I have a large support network; Physically, not at all
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Wedding ring
15. RED OR PINK? Red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My horrible sense of direction.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Jessie, Jen, and Tien
18. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? My grey sweatpants (yes, the ones I always wear) and no shoes- I never wear shoes in the house, or any other time when I can help it.
*What happened to #19?*
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Two sunny-side-up eggs and a peach
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The hum of my computer
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? Red, or maybe orange. Definitely not red-orange or orange-red though. Those colors always confused me.
23. FAVOURITE SMELLS? Baking cookies, coffee, vanilla, my old perfume, some cologne that I really need to find out the name of
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it off a couple of blogs. I like all of them though ;)
26. FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Baseball hands down, then professional football and college basketball
27. HAIR COLOUR? Presently- red; Natural- light brown with more grey than I care to acknowledge
28. EYE COLOUR? Blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, since elementary school
30. FAVOURITE FOOD? Ice cream, chocolate, Italian food
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Live Free or Die Hard (hangs head in embarrassment)
33. WHAT COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue with white clouds. Yes, my pj shirt
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
*#36 appears to be missing too*
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one. Does anyone read this blog anyway?
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See above
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? None at the moment. Just finished "Knit One, Kill Two." I'm taking "Real Women Scrap", "Harry Potter" 1 and 2, "Morality for Beautiful Girls", and "Needled to Death" on vacation next week.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have a mouse pad
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? I didn't watch TV. See the last movie I watched question.
42. FAVOURITE SOUND? Quiet, a baseball game, laughter
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Europe
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Does always ending up at the airport when I get lost count? If you're from Boston, you know that I'm probably the only person who could find the airport during the Big Dig.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Massachusetts
47. WHAT SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU LIKE? Photographic Memory
*Why not go to 50?* Here's my own 3 questions:
48. WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO ON THE RADIO? NPR when my alarm goes off for the news, my IPod, and baseball games
49. FAVORITE DRINK? Margaritas, fizzy water, Diet Dr. Pepper, red wine
50. DUNKIN' DONUTS OR STARBUCKS? Do you really need to ask? (OK, it was my own question, so I guess that is silly) Dunkin' Donuts

My Brother

When my brother was on his not-so-mid tour leave (yes, thank you to the US government for extending it), we took a three day trip to Vegas to visit our aunt, uncle, and three too-cute-for-words kids. An ex-military pilot gave my brother the tickets for free. It was seriously one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for me or him. I wish I had the pilot's name so that I could thank him.

I am putting the photos into an album tonight. It amazes me how many unique pictures we took in three days. This one is one of my favorites of Jonathan and me. Our uncle took it while we were hiking with him and the older two children at Red Rock. I do not normally like hiking or any sort of outdoorsy activity, but it so beautiful there and we had an amazing time. Jon would get up to increasingly higher mountains just to see me freak out about him falling. Exhibit A says it all:

Done with 2006

I finished my last two layouts of 2006 today. For that matter, except for adding a photo to this year's Father's Day layout, I am caught up from Sept. 1, 2005, to the present. Wow!

I want to share the two layouts with you. They are both very special to me, so I'll share them separately. This one is based on Becky Higgin's sketch in this month's Creating Keepsakes magazine. It is of the party we had for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. It was Hawaiian-themed, so I went a little crazy with the bright Basic Grey patterned paper.

For Jessie

Jessie, I just wanted you to know I was thinking of you and your mom today. I suppose this isn't the most appropriate for the circumstance, and to be honest, I can't remember if the thing on GUTV with this song was with you and Cassie or Lauren and Cassie, but anyways, it always makes me think of you, and when it came on my IPod tonight, it seemed perfect.

Why do you build me up (Build me up) buttercup, baby
Just to let me down (Let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (Worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (Say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darling
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (Build me up) buttercup, don't break my heart

I suppose this sounds weird to anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about, but oh well. Whatever you are thinking is probably wrong.

Happy Father's Day

A favorite photo of my Dad, his fiancee, my brother, and me.

This is from my Dad's birthday last December.

Fenway

It's Not So Interesting Now...

Uh oh, according to my little counter, this is my 50th post. I feel like it should be brilliant and inspiring, but it's Monday, and by 12:30 it had already been a long week.

Then again, I typed up one post but never completed it, so maybe my next entry will really be my 50th, so I do not have to feel too bad about being less than brilliant. Which is good, because in addition to the long week thing, I get my test results about my back pain back tomorrow, and I am very nervous. So here's my cute-at-the-time-to-only-someone-from-Boston story...

I was talking to my aunt (who lives in NV) on Sunday when she says that her 4 year old son, Jackson, has a very important message to tell me. He got on the phone, and in his adorable, slightly-lispy voice said "Megan, I have something to tell you. The Yankees suck!!"

The kid is really too adorable for his own good. And very smart too.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Please, please, please don't rain too hard today/tonight! We don't play the Yankees again until August, so if there is a rain out, it might not be rescheduled until then, and I'll be at school and might have to miss the game.

Red Sox vs. Yankees Game Tonight

I keep forgetting about this. I have no idea how- I can't wait!! Also planning to do a little scrapping today. I guess I have to go to bed first (it is almost 1am), then get up, clean the bathroom, and pick up my room. Then I'm planning to scrap until I take a nap before the game. It does not start until 8 pm (thank you ESPN), and those games are always marathons, so I am going to be home pretty late.

Sick

Whine, whine, pity party alert...

The AC wasn't working at work today, and obviously had not been working since Friday. You know you are in trouble when you go out in the sun on an 80 degree day to cool down. I know I should not really complain because I had a fan, but I really do not know how everyone else survived. I made the mistake of going to the gym after work for a quick half-hour cardio session. Maybe that really messed up my body temperature. I did not know if I was going to make it home before I started throwing up. I must have had heat stroke. I got home and started crying (still not sure why) and had to take a long cold shower. Then I iced my back, which was hurting worse than it has in well over a month. It is four hours later and my skin is finally not hot to the touch anymore.

Hopefully the AC will be fixed tomorrow because it is supposed to be a lot warmer.

Scrapbooking Today

A layout from one of the classes I took at CKC. Perfect for my adorable cousins.


I'm taking advantage of the extra weekend day to plow through my to-do list and get a little R&R. What are you doing?

CKC Review 3- Friday PM Classes

I want to be able to blog about other things too, so I guess I better work on finishing up my CKC Manchester reviews.

The fourth class I took Friday was the Basic Grey class. I had read about it on the CK forums, so I was prepared for a huge, fast-paced class. We really did complete 4 layouts in an hour! I didn't finish the titles though because I thought I might want to use different words. The layouts were beautiful! I especially liked working with the Stella Ruby paper because I have such a hard time using some of BG's big patterns that I tend to avoid the manufacturer altogether. I felt inspired enough though to go buy some more at the vendor fair. The thing I did not like about this class was the instructor- she really rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like she was constantly talking down to us and insinuating that we are stupid. Just because I do not use a craft knife every time I scrap does not mean that I do not know how to use it- I just prefer not to! The thing that really bugged me was that she basically tricked everyone. After they had cut out their letters, she said that the best way would have been to use the straight edges of the paper to minimize cutting. She also said that if she'd told us that before, we would have been confused. I do not confuse that easily thankyouverymuch! I do not want to say the class is bad, just that I do not learn the best with those types of instructors. Her sanding hints were very useful though.

In summary:
Event Name: Basic Grey Latest & Greatest
Cost: $16 (1 hour)
Recommend: Yes, if you can't just get the class kit
Finished?: Mostly
Hints: Just be prepared for a fast-moving class with no personal interaction with the instructor.

Before I took my next class, I got a nice break for shopping at the vendor fair. I spent way too much money, but got lots of cute things. My hint on that- shop around. I saw items that had a significant price difference from one booth to the next.

My penultimate class was "Wanted!" I hate to be overly critical, but this class was a waste of time. Basically all the instructor did was hold up a board with a layout and tell us to copy it. Cute layout, worth a $5-7 page kit, but that's all. You can more or less figure out how to do the layout just by looking at the thumbnail example on the CKC class list. The one thing I learned was how to make "buttons" using chipboard, pp, and eyelets.

In summary:
Event Name: Wanted!
Cost: $16 (1 hour)
Recommend: No
Finished?: Yes, with time to spare, and I did more to my layout than the example
Hints: Good for a beginner, but otherwise, save the $ for shopping.

Phew, are you tired yet? Six classes was a lot, and by the end of the day I was completely exhausted, but I loved it and would do it again. My last class was possibly my favorite. Super fun/nice/happy/amazing instructors, lots of student-teacher and student-student interactions, cute project, new techniques. This is one of the only classes where I actually learned a technique. We learned how to use the Strano Ribbon Stiff. Such a cool product! It makes your ribbon stiff so it won't fray and so you can run it through die cut machines, punches, etc. That plus the inspiring instructors (including the founder of Strano Designs herself and the founder of scrapbookeronline) would have made the class worthwhile, but we even started a cute mini book and learned another technique- how to bind the book using ribbon. We did not do any of the internal book pages, but the instructors showed us samples, gave us lots of ideas, and even included a bunch of extras in the class kit.

In summary:
Event Name: Strano Designs Ribbon Mini Book
Cost: $25 (1.5 hours)
Recommend: Yes
Finished?: Finished the cover and binding of the book (what they intended us to do).
Hints: Check out these links: Strano Designs; Scrapbooker Online

CKC Review 2- Friday AM Classes

Hi, I'm back for another installment of my CKC Manchester review.

My first class was Holiday Highlights made simple. I do not think this was the best class for me to take first. It freaked me out a bit and did not set a very good tone for the rest of the day. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the class, because I did. The album is super cute. (Take a peek of the cover on the CKC website.) The concept is great too- I love the idea of having a book full of family holiday traditions. The problem was that basically all we finished was the cover and the tabs. There were instructions, so I know I will be able to finish the album later, but I still wish there had been time to complete a couple of pages. The problem was that one of the first steps was to punch holes through chipboard. Any of you who have ever tried to do that know that it is nearly impossible with a regular hole puncher or eyelet setting tool. They should have either pre-cut the holes or provided each table with a crop-o-dile. It is no fun to spend most of your class punching holes. Also, I did not really like the stamps, but I guess that is more of a personal preference for clear stamps over mounted ones than anything else.

In summary:
Event Name: Holiday Highlights Made Simple
Cost: $19 (1 hour)
Recommend: With reservations. Cute project, but I would have been happy just buying the kit and doing the whole thing at home.
Finished?: Not even close
Hints: Bring a crop-o-dile and be prepared to do most of the album at home

My second class of the day was Rusty Pickle's Everything Mini Album. I had heard that Rusty Pickle classes were some of the best, and I completely agree. The class name is a little deceptive. Basically, we did a mini A B C album with the theme "Everything I Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten." I have already decided I'm going to put a bunch of my school pictures into this album. We started out by painting the album covers and cool cardboard letters. Painting is a little hard to do in such a confined area, and there was not nearly enough paint, but it was also fun to do something different. After that, putting the rest of the album together was a breeze. The instructor was very outgoing and fun. I finished about 20 minutes early, but even if I hadn't, they included very easy to follow instructions in the class kit.

In summary:
Event Name: Everything Mini Album
Cost: $32 (2 hours)
Recommend: Yes!
Finished?: Yes, with time to spare
Hints: Wear something that you don't mind getting paint on. Also, bring lots of adhesive- there is a lot of gluing in this class.

Still reading? You're quite a trooper. Just one more review for now. My next class was "Just Be You" by The Button Farm. Go check out their website. They had some of their other kits on sale at the vendor fair, and they are so cute and fun. I'll be keeping my eyes out for new kits. We made a 4 x 6 album using Scenic Route papers. The instructor was sweet. You could tell she wanted us to all have a good experience and didn't mind answering questions, demonstrating how to use rub-ons, or handing out extra supplies. I really liked this album and could see myself making more of them. Just note that if you want to add pictures, they will have to be small, and you need to plan ahead so you don't put a rub-on or other element over where you want to put a photo.

In summary:
Event Name: Just Be You
Cost: $20 (1 hour)
Recommend: Yes
Finished?: As much as I could without adding photos
Hints: Plan for a few minutes where you want to put your photos, or just make it an inspiring quote album

CKC Review 1- Thursday Album Crop

Ok, I have a lot going on, my back really hurts, and I'm sure you don't want to read a bunch of long posts, so I'll be doing my CKC reviews in pieces.

First up- location. My room was divine- as big as a large part of my entire apartment. Sleep number bed, comfy chair, plenty of floor and desk room for cropping, and NESN. What more could a girl want? Everyone from the front desk person to the people who delivered my room service were friendly and helpful. I definitely recommend the Manchester Radisson if you're in the area. My only complaint was that I had to pay for parking. Glad I did though- the parking lot was full by 11 am Friday morning.

Now on to the good stuff.

My first scrappy event? The Thursday evening album crop. I would post a picture of the cover, but I do not know if that is really fair to CK. The album theme was "Things I Love." I think it was worth the money for the adorable Technique Tuesday stamps. Each page or two was taught by a different instructor. There were a few pages that I did not like, but the rest were generic enough that I think I'll use them. I especially enjoyed learning how to use the Basic Grey magnets. My one suggestion though would be not to attend the album crop alone if you aren't very outgoing. I am not, but I just sat down at a table with four other ladies, thinking I would make friends. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong table. Each only talked to her friend, and I felt very left out. One group of two was even making fun of the obviously newer scrappers who kept asking questions. I could not believe they were so rude. All four left early, so I ended up sitting at a table all by myself. One of the organizers came up and talked to me (we have the same last name) and was very friendly. I also won a door prize, which was pretty cool.

In summary:
Event Name: Thursday night album crop
Cost: $35
Recommend: Yes. I personally like a structured crop where you actually complete a project, as opposed to regular crops which are more social than productive
Finished?: Mostly. I did a couple finishing touches up in my room after the crop
Hints: Go with a friend or sit with a table full of nice people

Have I mentioned...

...how excited am I to be going to CKC?

Yes? Good.

CKC This Weekend!

I can't wait! Hmm, I think that needs a couple more exclamation marks. I can't wait!!! Much better. I'm going to the crop Thursday night and then classes basically all day Friday. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures, stories, class reviews, etc. when I get back.

Complete Game

There isn't a single Red Sox post on my first page of postings, so I figure it is about time. All of you non-baseball fans can skip this one if you want.

I just finished watching the Sox beat the Tigers 7-1. The big story here (besides the bottom of the 8th)? Daisuke Matsuzaka, the $100 million+ man just pitched his first complete game. According to the Boston.com Extra Bases blog, this is the first complete game by a rookie since Tim VanEgmond did it in 1994. While I commend Dice-K on a wonderful outing, I cannot help but feel that it was showing off a little. He pitched 124 pitches, much more than the typical 100 or so for a starter. I guess it adds to his legend though, sort of like the gyroball and running for a long time before a start, making him a more formidable presence. Even if I feel the complete game was unnecessary, it was fun to watch. I do not usually yell at the TV unless someone does something particularly stupid, or we are playing the Yankees, but I did my fair share of yelling in the 8th and 9th, plus a bunch of chuckling after the game.

Part of what made the game so fun (and funny) to watch was what happened after the Sox won. Of course everyone wanted to congratulate Dice-K. This is where the cultural differences got a little confused. It was hilarious to watch the mix of congratulatory bows, tentative high fives, hugs, and fists. I think every player hit their head at least once. Dice-K looks like he still does not quite understand the concept of the high five. He does it like a four year old would. If he keeps pitching the way he has in his last couple of starts though, he will have plenty of opportunities to practice.

Happy Mother's Day

Layout

I'm loving this lo right now. No, I'm not that clever- it's a scraplift from a magazine. I think it would be fun to have everyone fill out the journaling. I bet it would be very different, especially the occupation part.

Happy Saturday!

Just a Random Picture

I found this picture while looking for photos for my CK All About Me album. (Sorry, couldn't find a link to it.) I was looking for a more recent picture, but I couldn't resist this one.

I think this was one of the pictures that my parents submitted to my senior year high school yearbook. I guess they thought it summed up my childhood and my personality pretty well too.

• Brightly colored clothes- check
• Big purse- check
• Basket filled with stuff in baggies- check
• Extra beverages- check
• Ready to do some serious shopping- check

Think there were some scrapbook supplies in that cart?

Edited- Not sure why it looks like my eyes are brown. They've been blue my entire life. I also need to remember to ask where this picture was taken- I'm guessing one of my grandparents' houses.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

I hope all of you who scrapbook had a great National Scrapbook Day. I had fun chatting on a couple of sites, and even finished some pages (insert shocked face here). Actually, I've already done more than I did in all of April. Here is my favorite page from yesterday:

I love the new Rhonna Farrer line for Autumn Leaves. I have a kit full of her stuff to play with this month. I attempted a hand cut title. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, although I am sure it would have been easier if I'd had a craft knife instead of using scissors.

Just for fun, here is a page I did about my cat. Now that the weather is nicer, we can open our windows. Fenway loves to sit in the windows, watching the birds and staring at the cats in the building next door.

Exhausted

I am so mentally and physically exhausted that I can barely sit up to type this. The problem with being an insomniac is that exhaustion does not necessarily = able to sleep. I hope that is not the case tonight.

Saturday

Guess I suddenly decided to be chatty tonight...

Who is as excited as I am about National Scrapbook Day on Saturday? I'm meeting for the 1st time with a personal trainer at 10, but then I plan to scrap the rest of the day, at least until a Cinco de Mayo party. Couldn't they have planned that one better?

Weekend at Cornell

Still recovering, so this probably will not be the most enlightening post. I do not know what it is, but whenever something big happens, I have a hard time writing about it. I do not know if it is because I want to keep it to myself or if I just need time to digest it. Probably a little bit of both.

Anyway, this weekend my dad and I drove 5.5 hours to Cornell. It is the opposite of what I am used to. I live in cities and attended a relatively small, contained university. In contrast, Cornell is a huge school in a small city. I can already tell I am going to get lost even more than usual.

Everyone at the CIPA program was really nice. They seemed to genuinely enjoy their studies/job. I got the impression the program was a true family. Hearing about all the different opportunities, from the public affairs journal to internships to service learning classes made me really excited. I love that I am going to be a part of a group of people who are as idealistic as I am. I think the practical basis of the program is perfect too. This time when I graduate, I will have some usable skills and real-world experience.

I got a cute little apartment right near downtown. Emphasis on the little. The balcony, the apartment's selling point, is about the size of the whole apartment. I felt like I imposed on the people who live there now, so I just looked around briefly. For the life of me, I cannot remember if I saw a closet. I sure hope there is one because I have a lot of stuff. I'm very happy Fenway can come with me, although I am worried that we are going to be outnumbered by Yankees fans.

Long story (or post) short... CIPA is awesome. I think Cornell is going to be good. My new apartment is adorable. I do not want to have to make that long drive again for a long time!

Game Night

Sarah and I went to the Sox game tonight at Fenway. Fenway is one of my favorite places to go. Very fun vibe, even though the Sox didn't win. I think I'm a curse or something. They've only won once in the last 4 or 5 times I've been to Fenway. As long as they win on June 3rd, I'll be happy. (hint: we're playing them)

4 In A Row

When I started this blog, I meant it to primarily be a scrapbooking blog. However, it is getting warmer, my windows are open, and it is nice and sunny, so my thoughts are turning to my other main hobby- watching baseball. Lots of baseball, not a lot of scrapping. Sorry.

I have two things to say about baseball this weekend.
1. Sweep! After being at Fenway for game 5 of that terrible series last year, it feels wonderful to sweep them this time. (For those of you who don't follow baseball them can mean only one thing to a Red Sox fan- the Yankees)

2. Four home runs in a row!! Manny...Drew...Lowell...Tek. I honestly could not believe it. Only the fourth time there has been 4 home runs in a row in MLB history. The last one was last year with the Dodgers, and Drew was part of that too. The last time it happened in the American League was 1964. Wow!

Going to the game tomorrow :) Maybe then I'll actually be able to focus on scrapping a bit.

Whoo hoo!

I got into Cornell today for an M.P.A. (Master's of Public Administration)

More Art Journal Cards

Here are three more art journal cards:

The themes were "What's on my mind", "Birds", and "My initial". It's funny, I am not big on birds, but I think that card was my favorite to plan and do. I love that chipboard bird. I had been thinking about a post on this blog about doing a page influenced by a cartoon, so that's where the color scheme for the stress card came from. Had some fun playing with stickles and going through the dictionary looking for words that start with "m" on the initial card. More later. Time to do laundry- it's taken over my entire closet.

Word of the Day

Today's Word of the Day is abrogated.

According to dictionary.com, abrogate is a noun meaning to abolish by formal or official means; annul by an authoritative act; repeal: to abrogate a law.

Wondering where I came upon this word? It was part of Today in history- April 13 from The Boston Globe
In 1598, King Henry IV of France endorsed the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to the Protestant Huguenots. (The edict was abrogated in 1685 by King Louis XIV, who declared France entirely Catholic again.)

Oh, and Thomas Jefferson was born on this day in 1743.

So I guessed I learned two things today.

Luv Ya Sarah!

When I'm especially lucky, I get these occasional emails from Sarah: "Hey, I was wondering if you are free on ... I have Red Sox tickets." My response every time? "Do you even have to ask?!" So I'm going to a game on the 23rd. YAY! That brings the # of Sox games I'll be attending this year up to 2. It was supposed to be 3, but I forgot the date when I signed up for CKC Manchester.

11 days and counting!

Just Rambling

I had something I wanted to talk about today. I did...I swear. Of course, now I can't remember it. I'd even started to write the brilliant post in my head. It was going to start out like this:

I know you are expecting me to write about Matsuzaka's debut at Fenway today. After all, that's what every journalist, amateur sportswriter, and blogger in Boston, Seattle, Japan, and probably many places in between are doing today. Well, not me. Instead I want to talk about...

It's the ... that I can't remember now. I could go back to talking about Matsuzaka, but I'm still too upset. Maybe someday, but not today. All I have to say is, Thank you Drew!! I'm sure a lot of Sox fans, including me, are warming up to you and your ridiculous contract now that you're on a hitting streak and managed to save us the embarrassment of being on the losing end of a no hitter. Maybe we underestimated you.

Enough rambling, I have hope that my original topic will come back to me and I'll actually have something intelligent to say next time. Have a good night. :)

Art Journal Cards

I've started working on my art journal cards from this blog. I love the concept! I'm behind, but I'm sure I'll catch up soon. It's fun to sit down, do some stash raiding, and create something small. These are the front and back of my first three cards:


The theme for the top left one is "Note to Self". My note was about accepting that I'll never be able to finish everything on my weekly to-do list, so I should do the most important things first and then let everything else fall into place. Definitely something I need to work on! I got the ribbon, flower, and SEI brads from a swap. I love how they coordinate. I'm sure there's a spring layout in their future (if spring ever comes, but that is another blog post). The theme of the top right card is "Inspiration". I'm inspired by pretty and new products, like these awesome ribbons a friend gave me. You'll notice the bottom card has a lot of journaling. That's because it is about what I miss, in this case, my aunt's family. I have to go do one of those important things on my to-do list, but I'll post more cards soon.

Home Opener

Today is a wonderful day- it is the Fenway home opener. Now I feel that baseball has officially started.

GO SOX!!

Organizing and Happy Easter

Yesterday I bought a rolly scrapbook cart with my 40% off coupon from Joann's. That inspired me to start organizing my scrap stuff today. I honestly had no idea how much I had. Or for that matter, where I used to put it all. I have to buy some more organizers just to get everything put away. So right now my room is an absolute mess. Oh yeah, and my cell phone somehow ended up in the trash bag. Oops! Good thing my aunt called me and I had to go looking for it. I think this might prevent me from scrapping for a week or so, but I'll feel so much better after everything is organized. I hate being disorganized!

On an unrelated topic, Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day with your family/friends/whoever. Today I decorated eggs with two of my roommates. Tomorrow I'm getting up early (yick! I hate setting alarms on Sundays) to go to Church, then my mother, brother, and I are going to my aunt's house for supper.

Make sure you eat lots of chocolate :)

Computer Problems

I have so much that I want to do this week, plus some things I'd like to share, but my computer isn't cooperating. Long story short, it can't be plugged in, and my battery life is about an hour. Not enough time when I get home to read blogs, check in on message boards, do a little research for a circle journal, plus everything else I want to do. Hopefully my computer will be fixed this weekend. In the meantime, I am enjoying reading, not to mention baseball has started :)

Ali's Blog

Have you checked out Ali Edward's blog? She is doing an absolutely amazing thing raising money for Autism Awareness. I'm completely blown away by how much money she has raised and how many people have donated. Please check it out if you get a chance. Thanks!

Mini album

This is the cover of the mini album that I made this week:


It's a book about one of my college roommate's visit to Boston for St. Patrick's Day. We had not seen each other in a year and a half. Between St. Patrick's Day, and a balance of beer and basketball, we had an awesome time.

The idea of the album is from Shimelle. It's a project she did on Fiskar's TV. It is just so adorable. Each page is a 4 x 6 photo on Bazzill cardstock, a strip of Basic Grey paper, a 7 Gypsies word sticker, a Heidi Swapp flower, a strip of ric rac or ribbon attached with staples, and a Brad from Joann's. On the cover I used Lil Davis chipboard letters, CTMH stamps (first time I got to play with them), Versamark ink, and brads that I believe come from K & Co, though I'm not 100% sure. I worked on this a little bit at a time for a couple of days. I couldn't believe how quickly it came together. Thank you Shimelle and Fiskars!

Whoop-eee!

Congratulations Georgetown!!!! Keep it up boys!

Product Review 2

Now that Kansas had to go and lose yesterday (I had them winning the whole thing) and it's not quite time for the Georgetown game yet, I figure it's time for another product review. It actually is not a product, but rather a class. I love taking online scrapbook classes, especially mini album ones. I think there are three major reasons for this: 1. I love the feeling of accomplishing something 2. I do not have a LSS where I can take classes 3. I like to learn new techniques and play once in awhile. With these three goals in mind, I took the Rolodex of Inspiration class by Kolette Hall from Creating Keepsakes online last night.

I thoroughly enjoyed this class. At first, I thought it would be a fun little project, but that it would not amount to much. I like quotes, but I do not actively search them out. I ordered this course almost a month ago, but did not have a chance to actually take it until last night. In the meantime, I collected quotes, some from the bonus material Kolette sent, and the rest from blogs, magazines, and the quote a day I get on my google homepage. I cannot believe how many quotes I accumulated!

I'm good at accumulating things, so that in itself is not a sign of success. But how cute the whole thing turned out is. Below is my cover. A little hint- cut the holes at the bottom first so that you don't accidentally cover them with an embellishment.


Kolette's directions were easy to follow and her assembly line approach helped me to finish the whole thing in no time. I did not find all of her themes (friendship, identity, boy, girl, family, love, joy, holidays, birthday, and seasons ) particularly useful, so I changed some of them. My topics were: friendship, identity, celebrations, joy, children, family, wisdom, inspiration, and love. Here are some of my cards. I used the Basic Grey Romani line. It's just so yummy and fun!



To sum up, if you want a fun little project that will look cute on your desk and also be useful to you when designing pages, definitely take this class. The directions are easy to follow and there is plenty of room for you to make it your own.

Norway

Yes, the thing that is most frequently in my train of thought today is Norway. Well, that and my broken desk, but that is another story. My contemplation of Norway is not quite as strange as it may seem. We work with a Norwegian company at work. Hardly a work day goes by that I am not talking with someone from Norway. Well, there was the one day they were all out on a boat and I couldn't get in touch with any of them... Does anyone know if sailing is a traditional way to celebrate in Norway? Has anyone been there before? I'm sure it is quite beautiful. If only I could think of a reason for a business trip out there.

Getting back on track, now that we've established that it is not unusual for me to be thinking about Norway, why a blog post about it? Yesterday I was reading an article on http://www.bbc.co.uk about the EU. The most shocking thing about it was that Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein are not members of the EU. I had no idea! I assumed because Norway used the euro that they were part of the European Union. I guess there is some sort of economic agreement, but not a full political arrangement. You learn something every day!

By the way, another interesting thing I learned about in the article is that one of the major reasons that Iceland is not part of the EU is because of fishing laws. What an interesting sticking point in the negotiations. Want more information on the EU and non-member countries? Here's an interesting article on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlargement_of_the_European_Union

TICKETS!!

I can't believe I forgot until right now. My Red Sox/Yankees tickets arrived today :D

Go SOX!

Monogram

I made this monogram for a challenge on a scrapbook site. It so much fun to just play. I cut the monogram out of chipboard and painted it white. Then I used the Lil Davis glitter glaze everyone has been talking about. I love how it came out, except that I wish there was more color. You can't tell from the scan, but my glitter is blue. The directions said to layer it over their colored paint. I'll have to give that a shot and see how it comes out. Next I added some American Crafts flowers (someone will be getting more in a swap soon ;) ) sewn with a clear Foofala button in the middle. I don't know what brand the ribbon is, but it came from the immensely talented Rebecca Sower. I bought something from her Etsy shop, and even the wrapping (this ribbon and some pretty paper) was amazing. Last are my initials made from some Lil Davis rub-ons. This is going to be the cover for my CK All About Me album. I followed the directions a couple of months ago...Ok, fine, sometime in 2006. When I get a chance I want to go through and customize it. I figure a cute cover is the first step.

March Madness

This is the one time of year that I really love basketball. Not that I don't like basketball usually, it's just that I like football, and of course baseball, better. However, I love the whole NCAA March Madness thing. It's really the only thing that we talk about at work. There have been all sorts of articles about how much productivity has decreased nationwide because of it. As an anecdotal evidence, traffic at one of our websites went down 90% right when the first game started. We're just all obsessed.

I WAS in first place in our office pool tonight until Duke had to go and lose. Now, I know they weren't seeded very high, but I expected them to win one game. I thought that if someone just told them "Hey, I know it's a rebuilding year, but you're DUKE and you have COACH K" they would go "oh yea, right" and win at least one game.

And Marquette, I'm disappointed in you too.

Go Georgetown!!!

Product Review 1

I thought that it would be fun to do a weekly (roughly) product review. It will allow me to use some of my stash and do something creative, and maybe someone out there will even find it useful. So without further ado, here is my first review:

American Crafts Felt Flowers and Punctuation

The first project that I created was this card. I thought of it as a birthday card, but I suppose it could be for any type of celebration. I used a Fiskars' texture plate to make the pp (Provo Craft) a little more interesting. I have not hand sewn anything for awhile, but the card seemed boring without it. The stamp is by K & Co.

I also did a 12 x 12 layout. It was so beautiful outside today that I had to go take a walk and capture some late winter pictures. I cannot take credit for the design- it is by Amanda Probst. Chatterbox pp, Bazzill cs, Marvy Uchida pen. I also used American Craft thickers letters because they matched. They're one of my new favorite lettering tools.

There are things that I really love about the felt flowers and punctuation. They add great texture, come in cute colors, and spice up any page. You get a lot of different pieces in the container, so it is well worth the money. However, I haven't found a good way to adhere them besides brads and staples. Liquid adhesive shows through, and glue dots and my roller adhesive only stick to them sometimes. The major thing that I don't like about the American Crafts felt sis that each container doesn't contain all the shapes in all sizes and colors. I was looking for the largest flower in one color, but found that it was only available in two other colors. The advantage of the packaging is the variety, yet it seems like there was never the piece I was looking for. My suggestion to the manufacturer: make even numbers of each shape and size and each color. Then I would buy the whole line!