All I Want is a Good Lookin’ Blog

I have template envy. I look at other blogs and think: why not me? Why can’t I code? Could it be because I’ve never learned coding and have hacked my way through every piece of HTML I’ve ever encountered?

I’d like a nice, wide layout like Miss Cellania. I’d like a nice photo album like Clueless Carolina Girl. I’d like a calendar like I see on other blogs — but I’ve figured that one out: Blogger shortcoming. Like I should complain. It’s free.

Took me an hour to update the template for this blog. And I’ll bet most everyone won’t notice what I did. Not that it matters to you all. It matters to me.

Maybe it’s time to get “Blogger for Dummies”. Although I hear my father’s voice and cringe whenever I see the word “Dummies”. One more book to add to my stack of unreads.

Someone pass the bai(3)jiu(2).

Next Crisis, Please

These past three weekends have been Hell on Wheels. In addition, the fun spills into the week.

The last two weeks have been dedicated to Laddie’s digestion. While unsupervised, he ate the insole of John’s shoe. It didn’t want to pass through his gut as fast as dog food would. So he spent a Saturday and most of Sunday in the Emergency Vet Clinic getting barium xrays, IV drugs and fluids, and not eating. He had serious gastritis, but fortunately there was no blockage. We didn’t want to go through that again. (See “Sad News”, November 2005)

Into the next week, it was watch and medicate Laddie. He was on the mend.

Then, he and Sydney decided to eat his doggie bed. The gastritis came back with a vengeance, which meant a weekend of watching and a Monday trip to the vet. Again, no blockage, but there was something funky in his gut — the x-ray showed something that looked like a small Mercedes symbol.

Special diet, more drugs, special fluids … and Laddie poops out a small sea shell three days later. He’s lost about 2 1/2 lbs., which is alot on a puppy that was only 15 lbs. to start. He seems to be back to normal now. I’m still a wreck, but recovering.

So this weekend, fortunately no canine crises. Yet. But there are plenty of crises and bad news all around me. Things I need to help out with, people to support, critters to care for. Everytime the phone rings or someone comes through the door, it’s more bad news. It’s enough to make me want to bury my head in the sand.

I can hope that next week is better. But it’s Holy Week, which means for me running the house solo — John will be busy with church things and rehearsals all week long. Rachel’s 4th birthday is Friday, and I’ve done no prep. I know what I want to get her, but I need to go get it.

So, as far as a blog entry goes, this one is a pretty poor one. Bitch, bitch, bitch. Oh well — better luck next time.

Random Me and Random China and Random Card

I thought I’d better post this now, before Snookie B. ragged on me for being late to blog.

Made two little booklets for my Random Me A to Z class.

I’m to use these booklets to write keywords, random phrases and thoughts on the topic of “me” and on the topic of our two trips to China. The “me” book is for the class. The China book is for the day when I decide I will become a famous author and write a book about our two trips to China. I’ll probably do that right about the time … hell freezes over. Or my kids leave the house. Whichever comes first.

Look at the lovely card I received from my CS August Retreat Secret Pal!

It uses the CS Frames kit, which I loved. This card is colorful and texture-filled. I have fun rubbing my fingers over the various surfaces. Odd; yes I know. But this is just the COOLEST card!

Donna’s Class – Week 12

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‘,’Theme: A layout of the first signs of spring.

I didn\’t do a first sign of spring, because we have many of them. And then a snowstorm will hit. I documented the sign that winter is gone and not coming back — the blooming of lilacs.


I am starting to get my scrapbooking groove back. I made some section title pages for my Book of Me today. I have a bunch of memorabilia sorted in general categories. I am ready to scrap!’,’

Donna’s Class – Week 12

Theme: A layout of the first signs of spring.

I didn’t do a first sign of spring, because we have many of them. And then a snowstorm will hit. I documented the sign that winter is gone and not coming back — the blooming of lilacs.

I am starting to get my scrapbooking groove back. I made some section title pages for my Book of Me today. I have a bunch of memorabilia sorted in general categories. I am ready to scrap!

What I Was Up To

On the Club Scrap list, we were talking about how to catalog the sample layout sketches we receive every month. Inspired by this, and by a project from Donna’s class in February, I decided to create two layout sketch books.

And with the leftover paper, some ink, stencils, and a photo I took of the CS Headquarters two years ago, I made this card for a secret pal.

It was a good day.

Donna’s Class – Week 9 and 10

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Due to all the activity in the tech comm class I am teaching, I haven\’t been able to keep up with Donna\’s challenge assignments. Until today, when John took the kids to an organ recital and I went to Archivers-Roseville to meet up with some of the MN Club Scrap bunch.

In week 9, Donna wanted us to document someone we admire — someone that we don\’t have many photos to remember them by. I decided to document my high school English teachers and Speech Team coaches, Mr. Iten and Mr. Randall.


The paper is from the Club Scrap Jr. Paisley kit (March \’06). The photos come from my yearbook. I had to photograph them, as they did not scan nicely. I have an unfortunate flash in this photo, too. I\’ll go back later and clean that up…

For week 10, were were to work with text boxes, documenting family fun. Well, I went for \”extended family\” fun — a night at the Mall of America.


The paper for this layout comes from the Club Scrap Games kit (March \’03).

I\’m hoping to get to week 11 after I get this next batch of papers graded, and before Donna issues the week 12 challenge!

This is a great class!’,’

Purge

I have been in a severe scrapping draught. I managed to do a couple more projects for Donna Downey\’s class, but that\’s been all I\’ve been able to muster.

The draught started when my teaching time ended at The Scrapbook Shop. I\’m realizing now just how angry the whole situation made me — how classless it was. I didn\’t start realizing this until Michelle got pushed out of The Shop\’s ownership team. That situation also lacked a lot of class.

So tonight I decided I needed to do something to symbolically purge The Shop out of my life, and as an attempt to get my scrapping muse back. I went through all my stashes of paper, alphabets, and stickers, and either threw out the small, ugly stuff or put it in a plastic bag. The plastic bag will go to school with Sarah on Monday, as a present for her art teacher.

I\’d like to think I immediately feel better. But just like when I purged all my Creative Memories paper stuff, it will take a while to feel the weight lift.

Right now, I feel OK. I know I did the right thing. Now I\’m surrounded by my much loved Club Scrap paper, some special papers I purchased at Paige\’s, and my collection of Asian papers from various sources. All things I love and use without a hang-up. Maybe I\’ll feel free to play tomorrow.’

Crash and Burn

Who knew Adobe Acrobat and MS Word wouldn’t play nice, plus their tussle would end up hurting Corel PaintShop Pro?

My computer has been a mess for a week, and I finally got it straightened out. The only thing that DID work was email. What a switch. My buddy Amy held my hand over the telephone the other night as I was trying to work out the bugs, and served as my secondary troubleshooter. Thanks, Sista!

I hope to finish the Rachel tale — she’s been bugging me for more “me” stories. But that’s hard to do when the computer is misbehaving.

Otherwise, life marches on…

Donna’s Class: Week 9 and 10

Note: This is the absolute earliest scrapbooking blog post I have found. This post refers to a class I took online with Donna Downey at Big Picture Classes, back when it was still Stacey Julian’s baby.

Due to all the activity in the tech comm class I am teaching, I haven’t been able to keep up with Donna’s challenge assignments. Until today, when John took the kids to an organ recital and I went to Archivers-Roseville to meet up with some of the MN Club Scrap bunch.

In week 9, Donna wanted us to document someone we admire — someone that we don’t have many photos to remember them by. I decided to document my high school English teachers and Speech Team coaches, Mr. Iten and Mr. Randall.

The paper is from the Club Scrap Jr. Paisley kit (March ’06). The photos come from my yearbook. I had to photograph them, as they did not scan nicely. I have an unfortunate flash in this photo, too. I’ll go back later and clean that up…

For week 10, were were to work with text boxes, documenting family fun. Well, I went for “extended family” fun — a night at the Mall of America.

The paper for this layout comes from the Club Scrap Games kit (March ’03).

I’m hoping to get to week 11 after I get this next batch of papers graded, and before Donna issues the week 12 challenge!

This is a great class!