Friday Frustrations

So, I went to Target last week. I needed some socks and wanted to get a pair of sweatpants since it's been so cold around here. Connie and I went together.

I got home and discovered that there was one of those "ink" tabs on the sweatpants. What the ...?? Since when do Target clothes have those security devices on them? That's when it hit me! This is how they get you back in the store! 

Oh no you don't Target!!! I'm not falling for it! 

So, I went back to the store on Saturday. I went straight to the service desk. and explained the situation. The clerk removed the tag and I was on my way. As I turned to leave, I saw Connie standing there. I went over to find out what she was doing---this wasn't even the Target that we had gone to the day before. She said that when she got home, she had buyer's remorse and was returning the clothes she bought. The only problem was that she forgot them!! She was actually waiting for Amanda to pick up a couple things. 

Like me, Connie knew better than to go back inside. Target sucks you in and lures you with things you don't need. But, I feel bad for Connie. At least I was able to resist and stick to my resolve--in and out!

Connie has to go back again! We'll see how she does the next time!!

Tuesday was...well...

...unusual! That's the only way I can describe it. 

We had hundreds and hundreds of birds flying through. They stopped and completely covered the foster hollies, pecked at the patio, and destroyed the yard. They were after the dried berries that were still on the fosters.

Picture this with 10 times more birds. Even though I was inside, whenever I moved to try to get a good picture, they flew off.

They've torn up the yard!! Last year it was the moles. Today, it was the birds, I could not get a good picture with all the birds there--neither inside or out. 

They would fly off in one huge pack and then another would come. This went on ALL day until about 4-ish. 

There were 11 window hits. And by that, I mean 11 birds hit the windows of the sunroom. It's not unusual for that to happen once in a while, but since there were so many birds, I decided to count them. 

Unfortunately, one did not make it. 

I have never seen this bird before.

So I went online and looked it up. The info said that the red tips on the wings were really hard to see. It's called a cedar waxwing.

There was no way that I was going to touch it to unfurl its wings.

Then I got out our bird book to enter it. We have taken this book on vacation with us and have entries from all over the place. We note the location and the date.

Butch got this book as a high school graduation present from his aunt and uncle. 

That reminded me of this: in 1999, Jordan, who was about 5, had a sighting. We have one strict rule before a recording can take place. One other person has to verify it. Since no one could corroborate her story, I had her draw a picture and glue it into the book. She added the question mark at the top since we didn't know what it was. But she was certain that this is what she saw!

It wasn't until years later, that it was finally verified. But, here's the catch. Cardinals only live 3 years in the wild. I'm just wondering now if this isn't some sort of mutant trait in this particular family of cardinals. But, definitely without that red crown, the head was a shiny blue--closer to navy than her picture. Still, she gets the credit!

My sweet little Jordan!

It's hard to believe that she's 30 now!

Where has the time gone? 

Oh, and on Wednesday, not a single bird--well except for the regulars.

What I Buy Wednesday

I should have written this post a month ago. You could say this was a Christmas present to myself.

A comfortable desk chair.

I fell for it because--go ahead and guess--I'll wait!

It's white!! Okay, my last one was also white. I liked how it looked, but it wasn't exactly all that comfortable. This one is. There is one little problem, but after a month, I've gotten used to it. It's kind of tall. I couldn't find a way to adjust it. Now I'm used to it and it's fine! It's kind of hard to roll on the rug that's under it, but once I get settled, it's perfect.

You might think that this pretty, white, leather (okay, faux), chair would be hundreds of dollars. Well, you would be wrong! I got it at Walmart!! 

I still hate Walmart---as far as the store goes--and I don't even go there. But I admit they have great home decor at really good prices. So, I'd say I actually shop there--via online about 3 or 4 times a year. Just when I get an itch to buy something!

Heck, I can afford anything they sell!

Tuesday Thoughts About...

...Tea. 

If you know anything about tea, you'll understand this. If you don't, you'll have to ask me!!

Me on Monday

Today, I"m going to share something about myself that I'm pretty sure you don't know. You do know that I can tend to be obsessive/compulsive about many things, but I don't think I've ever said this out loud. I "hoard" scrap paper. That's right, I hoard scrap paper. Not the kind I scrapbook with (although I do have tons of that), but just regular scrap paper.

There, I've said it. It's crazy. I know it. I have bundles of it all over.

I have stacks and stacks.

Everywhere. I also have lots and lots (really--lots) of blank books and journals---I've actually stuffed some scrap paper in this one. 

I use it to make lists--like "to do" or grocery lists. 

I use it to sort pictures I'm going to scrapbook, make journal notes or sketches. So in a sense, I do use it for scrapbooking. 

Where do I get all this scrap paper, you might ask? It's anything that I print out and no longer need. A lot of it is junk mail. I figure if we're wasting trees, I should at least get the most out of them.

And I'm not the only one. Butch does it too!

--

But, he carries it a step further. I just fold it in half. He takes the time to cut his in fourths!

Yeah, I guess we were made for each other!

Something for Sunday

I love these sort of pictures---"befores"---and then "afters" decades later.

I just love this so much--lifetime friends having fun!

I went through my pictures and only found one I thought we could possibly re-produce.

This picture is from 30+ years ago. Now, I just have to see if I can get my friends to cooperate. Believe it or not, this is the only picture I have that could possibly work. Or maybe this one:

Connie, me and Pam camping out for New Kids on the Block tickets. (Forgive the improper grammar, but it doesn't sound correct to say, "Connie, I and Pam.")

I have this one...

...but sadly, one of the girls has passed and another has moved. 

Even sadder is that these three pictures are all I have of old friend pictures. Sure, I have assorted random pictures, but none where we're lined up and posed. We're so used to our phones and snapping pictures on a daily basis, that we forget how picture taking had to be intentional years ago. 

Unfortunately, in today's world, ALL the pictures reside on the phones of young people. 

Speaking of pictures, and in conjunction with the updated photo course I'm taking, AND the fact that January is my "clean out" month, I have culled through my entire camera roll and deleted over 3,000 photos. I still have 4,500 pictures in iPhoto, but they are the best. I certainly don't need a thousand trip pictures!

How many pictures are on your phone?

Scrapbook Saturday

I only have one thing to share today.

This is the title page for my next Christmas album. Pretty simple. I used the Christmas card that Diane and Gren sent us from England. So British with the "post box." It's too cute--I knew I had to use it!

I did a couple other pages, but they are for AYM. Our meeting will be in a couple weeks on our scrapbook retreat. I'll have plenty to report them.

Friday Funnies

Ten Things Thursday

How about some "before and after" houses today? These are awesome. I would love to re-do a house and pick out every last detail! I always wanted to build a house for that very reason. I wanted to choose every little thing. Some people find that overwhelming. Not me. I love lots of choices. 

Which is your favorite?

1.

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7.

8. 

9.

10.

My favorite is number 5! I love the added second story.

Tuesday Thoughts

Something to think about.

Me on Monday

Well, it's official and quite a shock to me. I'm old! I never would have believed it, but things are happening lately that make me realize that maybe I need to accept it. I never thought I would--or could. But here we are, I'm old.

Here's the indisputable evidence.

#1. I have to admit defeat before the month is even out. We cannot live on $50.00 a week for groceries. At this time--only the 19th of the month--I've already spent $261.55. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've spent more than I normally would because I was watching those darn BOGO's and buying the deals. I was a fool to think we could live on the amount I spent on groceries in 1976 with two kids. 

It reminds me of when my friends talk about how expensive restaurants are and I tell them---they are old and just not willing to accept reality! I long ago accepted that restaurant prices are crazy--especially if you add on $18.00 cocktails--which is the going price, it all adds up. But here I am, in the same boat when it comes to groceries. I haven't paid attention to what groceries cost in years. I buy what I want when I want. I had no idea that eggs were $4.00 a dozen or ground beef is around $7.00 a pound. Holy Smokes! I had no idea. (So there, Analise, you can stop worrying about whether we can afford groceries! I'll be buying the name brands again!)

#2. I have to be careful with my footwear. I have to pay attention to the "slipability" factor" I cannot take any chances. I realized it when I was in St. Louis after Thanksgiving. It was snowing and I wanted to go out with my sister-in-law, Sharon. We left the house after carefully navigating their icy, downhill drive. I am not at all afraid to drive in the snow. Heck, I grew up doing that. We weren't out too long before I realized that I would have to worry at any place we stopped about making my way to the stores. I got to thinking that I did not want to risk a fall. I've always said that even though I don't feel old, I have to recognize the number. A fall could be serious, so we turned around and went back home.

#3. I find myself trying to prove that I'm still young:

That's not really true. I just act the way I act and think I still act sort of young. This particular stunt, egged on by my sister, Jeanne, I did solely for my grands. I'm always about the memories. All. The. Time. If I wasn't old, I probably wouldn't think like that.

#4. I have to remind myself to move slower as I can tell I'm not as steady as I used to be. I lose my balance pretty easily. When I stand up, I have to wait a few seconds and let everything fall in to place before I take off. That's old-age for sure. 

#5. Okay, this is the real reason that pushed me over the edge of "old-age-ed-ness." It's what got me thinking about all of this. It's how I now have proof positive that I am old!! Here's the story:

So, two years ago, I took an online photo class--all about organizing photos and editing photos. It was such a good class. I loved it and learned a lot. Now this year, the same teacher, Stacy Julian is teaching "Rock Your Scroll II"--a follow-up to the first class. 

Prior to the class, she sent out a survey. On the first day of class, she showed pie charts with the results. One of the questions was: Where do you plan to primarily work with your photos? A. Phone; B. iPad; C. Computer.

Well, you know my answer---my computer, of course. 

OMGosh---89% of the respondents said A. Phone. Next was iPad with under 10% and LAST was C. Computer with only 1.8%. Do you know what that means? If we assume only 100 people signed up for the class, it means that I am the ONLY person out of 100 planning to use my computer (because you can't have 8/10ths of a person)!! 

Talk about old! I know that young people ALL use only their phone. In fact, most young people don't even have a computer--outside of work that is. I don't think any of my girls or grands use computers anymore. They all use their phones. 

I JUST CAN'T DO IT! I use my phone as an actual phone to talk to people. Yes, I will text, but I don't like it--I'm too slow. Oh, and my phone is now my camera. 

Another thing I thought was interesting. Stacy said to stop trying to get your  old, print photos organized if they aren't already. Our kids don't want them!!! Hmmm! Where have I heard that before? I knew they didn't want our stuff, but I never thought about the pictures. I guess that stands to reason since I'm sure they don't want my gallery wall either:

I know every person in all of those pictures. They don't and they don't care. Times they are a'changin'! Actually they already have! 

I'm not sure how this class is going to work out this time. I'm already feeling, well, a little behind. I can learn and I'll catch up, but I'm unsure of my first assignment--"delete EVERYTHING from my home page on my phone!" Yikes! That scares the heck out of me!! Honestly, I'm not sure I'm going to do it. 

Yep, I'm definitely old with a capital O-L-D!

Something for Sunday

1. While Jordan was home for Christmas, she was going through some stuff in her closet. She found this:

She thought this pillow was stolen years ago during a move. I'm just happy she found it. Isn't it so cute?

2. Karolyn came over and fixed my sewing machine. I'm lucky that she can do it. I'm kind of afraid of it now. I told Karolyn that it really bothers me that I cannot seem to learn this sewing machine. I mean, come on--how hard can it be? Well, apparently too hard for me! I'm going to try it just one more time. If I mess it up, I quit! Using a sewing machine very well might be the first thing in my life that I wasn't able to master. I believe in that saying "practice makes perfect." I'm used to teaching myself things and having success. I might have to accept that this is not for me.

3. So, while I'm thinking of scrapbooking, I've had another malfunction. Now, first, I have to say that I have printed on transparenies at least a hundred times. I don't recall ever having a problem--until this time. This happened:

This was a paper jam the likes of which I've never seen. Somehow, the transparency got sucked into the area where the ink cartridges are. The ink cartridge carrier was all tangled up in it. 

I managed to get it free, but was worried about how it was going to print. I thought the print head might be all messed up. After testing it, all was fine. I put another transparency through and it worked perfectly. You might be wondering why I still subject myself to this aggravation. Well, because most of the time it's a relaxing, enjoyable hobby. But when it's not---it's not! 

4. Earlier in the week, I mentioned to Butch that the tile around the sink needed caulking. The next day, he was "on" it!

He's really good at keeping up with everything. I love that! He keeps a spreadsheet of all the household chores he needs to do on a regular basis. and then he follows it.

5. 

Scrapbook Saturday

So, today, I had another frustrating few hours of scrapbooking. I had 3 more paper jams in my printer. It requires shutting down the printer, unplugging it, then removing the back and turning it upside down to remove the cardstock. It’s totally my fault. I need to accept the fact that my printer cannot handle Stampin’ Up thick cardstock. But it’s the color I need, so I keep trying. I have to stop. 

Then, this happened:

The darn paper holder door popped off spilling paper all over. It’s always something.

I had this idea that I wanted to create a December layout (could easily have been for this year’s AYM album, but I’ve decided to go in another direction). I wanted to have a layout representing the entire month—a daily accounting of what I did. I knew it was going to be time intensive…

…but this is day 2 and I have a long way to go. I had to format all of the journaling—breaking it up in to little bits to fit in 2” square blocks. I’m in the process of figuring out how I’m going to layer them in a way that you can still flip them up to read and see the pictures. Ahhh, the pictures...

So, for the pictures, I had to duplicate the ones I want to use, edit them to a 2” size so that the proportions would be correct and show what I want to show. Like I said, time-consuming. Luckily, I'm kind of a pro at it.

For day 3, I did the assembling. Day 4 did the embellishing--there's not much, so that was quick. Here's the finished layout:

This shows some of the flip-ups. There will not be a page protector over this one—at least I don't think so. That would be a heck of a lot of cutting! I’m happy with it, but I don’t usually spend this kind of time on my layouts.

Oh, and I tried to fix my sewing machine. That’s hopeless. I somehow have 2 threads coming out of the bobbin area. As I see it, I have four choices. 

1. I can spend $100 taking it in to have it fixed—or

2. Just buy another machine for that $100 and start over.

3. Plan ahead and sew on our retreat with Nancy’s machine.

4. Just hang it up! 

Not sure what I’m going to do yet.

Can’t’ wait to hear what you’ve been working on.