Sunday night checking in

So, this is where I am at with my stitching. I was going to spend some time on this piece this weekend but DH's gall bladder had other ideas.

My sleep cycle is now all out of whack. I sleep from 9:30 AM until 8:30 PM yesterday- yes, I slept through the Block Party!!! (or, at least, most of it).

Got some sleep last night late as well.

Had to work today. By the time I got home, making dinner was about all I was up for. Now, everything is ready for the morning- clothes ironed, bag ready, everything by the door so I can dash in the AM.

Next weekend I am going to the Stitching Jubilee at King of Prussia. It will be like old times- Spirit of Cross Stitch, Heart of Cross Stitch, Creative Arts and Textiles- all those shows hold lots of fun memories. I am really, REALLY looking forward to this.

Phillies Win 2008 National League East - Harry Kalas

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

So, this was the weekend I was going to take care of myself, right? HAH!

As I was happily scrolling through various blogs last night, DH came in and said "I don't feel well" which was quickly followed by "I want to go to the hospital".

Now, this particular DH does not like hospitals; in fact, he HATES them. So, volunteering for a trip to the hospital means it is BAD.

The hospital (Abington for those in the Philly area) was FABULOUS!!

The short version- not a heart attack. Rather, my DH and his gall bladder will be parting company- very soon. They gave us the option of doing it today, but I've never been a fan of weekend surgery unless it is essential.

So, he'll watch his diet, we'll see our GI doc ASAP, and very soon the little gall bladder will be no more.

This all also means that I've been up for 27 hours straight- so all that playing today and taking care of me is out the window.

And the "best" part? (That's sarcasm for those who weren't sure.) While I will make a gallant and valiant attempt to get some sleep, guess what today is? It's the BLOCK PARTY!!! 14 hours of fun and games for everyone on the block, with a DJ!

We're now at 5 weekends of some medical/illness effects and counting.

My luck just gets better and better- yeah!

Cards for a good cause

This card I made with the beautiful Walking Angel stamp- I LOVE her!

I will be sending this card to a friend of mine who is the primary caregiver for her 90+yo mother.

This card is my part of a fabulous blog candy that is running at Carolyn King's (cammie) blog. It is called "Heart to Heart blog candy" and is dedicated to raising awareness of the role of caregivers for patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

Cammie also has a new stamp set at Gina K's from which all proceeds go to the Alzheimer's Association. I would probably buy it just to support the cause but I am really getting it because it is SOOOO cute!

Make sure to check out the links!

NOT a happy camper!

A colleague told me today that I am looking tired and much older. She commented that if you looked at a picture of me from only a few years ago, I look much different now- and NOT in a good way. She also feels my health is a factor in how I look and that stress is the main factor for my deteriorating health. Considering that I deal already with several relatively obscure conditions and diseases and that the latest suspected disease is equally unknown to most people, I usually don't talk about it that much unless there are circumstances that make it necessary to explain myself. (Whining here I consider an acceptable exception to the rule, lol!)

Her final advice was that I had to start thinging of myself first. This is NOT something I am good at. I wasn't raised that way- I was raised totally to never think of myself first. I have a great many people to whom and for whom I am responsible and pushing those responsibilities lower on the priority list is really an unhappy and uncomfortable idea for me.

Intellectually I see the common sense in the advice. Emotionally it feels like abandonment of those I care about and who rely on me.

But, when what at first appeared to be a casual conversation turned to "you look like hell and here's why", well maybe I need to listen.

So, I promise to put me first for the next almost 48 hours (have to work Sunday afternoon for a while) and then what little is left of the weekend after that. I did bring work home, but maybe it'll just stay in my bag untouched all weekend.

In the meantime, there is also the stress of the PHILLIES!!!! I'm TOTALLY believing they CAN do it, but a little shaky on they WILL do it. Gotta dig out either a crochet project (I never crochet in hot weather so they're all put away) or a cross stitch project to keep my hands busy while I watch the game tonight.

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend coming up!

Time for some Stitching blogs

This is the English Garden Sampler from Teresa Wentzler. It is my MOST favorite of all her incredibly exquisite needlework designs. I have the chart, I have all the materials, I even have the fabric gridded, and I WILL complete it someday.

I met Teresa several times years ago at various stitching events and she is as lovely as her designs.

If sophisticated, beautiful things are your taste, check out her designs at her needlework website. And, if you want to read more from this extremely talented lady, check out her blog, Artistic License.

The Embroideress is the blog home of one of the great women of modern needlework. Linn cares so much about the art that she has spent untold hours over many years studying the history of various types of embroidery, bringing to the field a scholarship that is amazing. I have admired Linn for a long time now; her committment to education, preservation and understanding of needlework is unparalleled.

Finally, let me introduce you to the lady who makes the magnificent angels- and lots of other designs as well. Marilyn Leavitt-Inblum's website is Told In A Garden, where you can see the vast array of angels and Amish children and Christmas scenes of striking beauty. I have two WIPs (works in progress) from MLI- Angel of Mercy and Celtic Christmas. I put away all my big cross stitch pieces several years ago but they are there waiting for me to come back and finish them- which I will. Marilyn does not have a blog, but you can hear from her on a regular basis through her Yahoo group- the link is on the website.

Until I get a lot more work done on this house, and get my craft room turned into a working craft room instead of a storage for crafts room, I won't be working on either TW or MLI. But, one of these days.....

Tomorrow is Friday! If I can manage NOT to get sick this weekend, on Saturday I will be "playing" with Cindy and all her new CTMH stuff. She is raving about how beautiful all the supplies are- the papers, she says, are really gorgeous and everything is just wonderful. While I've used CTMH stamps for several years, I haven't seen the rest of the line and I'm looking forward to it!

TGIF!!!!!!

Quick post

DH's procedure went well and everything is fine. I saw the new doc, got LOTS of blood drawn and heard about the multiple possibilities coming down the road. No more news til all the test results are in, which will be several weeks at least.

While searching through various stitching blogs recently I came across one I just LOVE. This lady is a riot! Her blog refers to stitching, but is about anything and everything. Check her out at StitchBitch.

GO, PHILLIES!!!

TOO long day!

Today was WAY too long!

I've been trying to conserve energy and do as little walking as possible. I should be using the wheelchair to get around but I've developed some serious pain in my shoulder and down my arm, and also some loss of feeling and function in my right hand from all the weight and abuse from using the wheelchair. So, I've been walking all over the huge building at work- as little as I can manage, but still it's way too much. Today was exceptional for both time and the amount of walking I had to do, so tonight the chorus of pain from my legs could drown out the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

Tomorrow DH is having tests at the hospital- routine but they will take several hours and he will require a driver as anesthesia is involved. Rather than sit there for all that time I was able to schedule my first appointment with the new doctor who is taking over for my BELOVED doctor who retired. She will be picking up where he left off in June- with the discovery that it appears that, as if there weren't enough things wrong with me, I apparently have some kind of blood disease. So, the meet-and-greet and second round of blood tests for me will be going on while DH has his procedures. At least its a good use of the time and maybe I'll get to spend lots of time on hospital exam room tables- tomorrow that would be good because my feet and legs would be UP!

DARN!!! The Phillies lost so the magic number is still 4.

How many Phillies fans are there out there who are old enough to actually REMEMBER 1964? Oh, the PAIN!!!!

This is the poster from the movie "Stealing Home". Most thought it was not a very good movie. If I could be purely objective, I'd probably agree. But I love this movie, for so many reasons.

The school scenes were filmed at my DS's school. We know or knew a lot of the people playing small parts or extras in the school scenes, including the "young Mark Harmon". What a treat to see it and them in a movie! There are so many familiar settings in this movie- we've eaten at the diner, been to the sporting goods store.

The non-Atlantic City shore scenes were filmed at Island Beach State Park in Ocean County, NJ- my summer home all my life. I've been to the park more times that I can count. Seeing it on film is not as beautiful as seeing it for real, but being able to see it anytime from anywhere is soooo nice.

Finally, the Billy Wyatt character is just about my age. I am not a boy, and haven't swung a baseball bat in a lot of years, but growing up in my house, it was ALL ABOUT baseball.

Which brings me back to the Phillies and 1964. It may be impossible to understand unless you lived through it: the greatest collapse in sports history! A 6 1/2 game lead with 12 to play! The whole town was World Series crazy. And.... it didn't happen.

And the biggest reason I love this movie? It's got a sub-plot about the 1964 Phillies and what it was like. It portrays, as accurately as can be done, what it means to be a Phillies fan and what 1964 will forever mean to all of us who remember that AWFUL year. It shows the sheer, dogged faithfulness of a real Phillies fan. EVERY year, for us, is going to be THE YEAR. We always believe. As the beloved Tug McGraw taught us "ya GOTTA believe"!

GO, PHILLIES!!!!

Judy Garland - Good morning

And here's how Judy and Mickey did it long before Gene, Debbie and Donald.

I've been tagged!

Yes, it's time for the "tag" game!

I've been tagged by my TAC angel, Bridgett! She has a really fun blog, Hoosier Card Angel Creations, which has lots of info about The Angel Company and their stamps but also lots of other fun stuff like challenges and blog candy contests.

So, here's the rules:

1.) Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2.) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3.) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4.) Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So, here we go:

1) I've only ever owned two non-GM cars; both were seriously damaged in freak, non-moving "accidents". (The other one got fried by a direct hit lightning strike! Which I guess is way more out there than hit-and-run in the middle of the night.) Guess I should stick to General Motors?

2) I'm cross-dominant: I'm right handed, but left eyed, eared and footed- which came in handy for playing those pedals on the organ all those years ago!

3) I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 30.

4) I once met actress Patricia Neal on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

5) I rode the real Orient Express in 1972- although not in the kind of cabins seen in the movie! I was a poor college student at the time, and only rode the Venice-Simplon portion of the trip.

6) One of the things I miss most because of arthritis, fibromyalgia and age is waterskiing.

7) I was in my first show at age 5- I sang and danced to "Here Comes Suzie Snowflake" when the kids in the neighborhood really did put on a show in someone's garage. Shades of Judy and Mickey! Poor choice of song in retrospect- it was July!

Look for a Judy-Mickey youtube clip if I can find one!

OK- seven to tag, huh? I'll try not to "tag" people I've tagged before.

1) Abbe
2) kerrianne
3) Diane
4) Pamela
5) Belinda
6) Lisa
7) Jennifer

Off for that youtube search!

It's Game Time!

The Phillies won!
The Eagles won!
The Americans won the Ryder Cup! It's an athletic trifecta!

Sadly, today was the last day for Yankee Stadium. I have never been a real Yankees fan- they play in that other league, after all- but no one who grew up with my father misunderstood what that park and that team meant to America for his generation. Even while Broadway celebrated "Damn Yankees", there was no mistaking that Ruth and Gehrig and the rest of them were the real deal. In a world that today makes "icons" of twits and idjits, the term has lost its meaning and lustre, but in a more real world, they were it.


For all of us who love the game, The House That Ruth Built will never be equalled.

Dorothy Hamill: Weekend In New England

I loved this song the first time I heard it. She made us grin with delight watching her skate. It may be years later for both of them, but Barry Manilow still sings his songs with touching emotion and Dorothy Hamill is still grace personified on ice.

Stop Copyright Abuse Now

Well, I don't know if how I am feeling is quite "human", but it's definitely better than yesterday or even this morning. So, I decided to go Stitching blog reading and I found a lot of good stuff, and some really bad stuff as well.

If you look down my sidebar, you will find a new logo- Stop Copyright Abuse Now! Why this sudden, rather "loud" addition to my sidebar?

There has been an on-going problem for years now in the needlework industry. My favorite name for it is "pattern piggies", which, believe it or not, was originally a name a certain group gave ITSELF! Pattern piggies use modern technology to "share" needlework patterns. Now, "share" is such an innocuous word- sounds kindly and good, doesn't it?

It means that person "A" who has a needlework chart will scan it, then upload it to a "pattern piggies" group online. Then, everyone who belongs to this "pattern piggies" group can download and print out the chart rather than buying it.

We are all familiar with this problem from the major fuss about it over music downloads. Many people dismissed the seriousness of the issue because "musicians make millions". While that might be true- for a VERY small segment of the music industry- that doesn't make it right!

When this same stealing technology is applied to the needlework industry, the effects are devastating. Nobody in the needlework industry is making millions. Some are lucky if they are making a decent living; many are adding to the family income through a special talent.

Needlework charts each take weeks to months to design based on complexity. After printing, packaging, distribution and retail costs, each chart sold nets a designer only a dollar or two at most. So, EVERY chart that is stolen through a pattern piggie group make a BIG difference, especially since many of these groups have THOUSANDS of members! That's thousands of charts not sold and thousands of dollars of lost income.

Several years ago I was at a needlework industry event and learned a lot about this problem. I even joined a group dedicated to fighting against it and spent some time for a while trying to help with the effort. I am sad and embarrassed to report that I let my passion for this effort wane, and I have not been active for years in the fight.

Today, while following various links around the stitching blog world, I came across the blog of a needlework designer I knew. She is now working as a substitute school teacher because the "pattern piggies" have driven her out of business. Her blog tells of finding sites which are stealing her designs and her efforts to stop the theft- and of how she can no longer afford the massive drop off in her income combined with the time away from designing that protecting her work requires.

I wonder how many other designers I knew are out of the business for the same reason? Makes me mad, makes me sad.

This is getting REE-DICK-U-LOUS!!!!!

I am awake and lucid for the first time in 36 hours!

Went to bed Thursday night around 10, feeling a little queasy and thinking, "oh, not AGAIN!" Woke up Friday feeling rotten. Took some meds, decided to sleep an extra hour and then try going to school. THAT didn't work. Less than 5 minutes on my feet, then it was back to bed. I don't remember anything except nausea and PAIN until this morning. DH and DS tell me I woke up a few times, whimpered for pain meds, then back to sleep.

I'm now 1/3 of the way through a cup of tea and waiting to see what happens next.

So far being sick every weekend has *only* cost me a scrapping weekend. However, considering that looming weekends include a stitching festival, a stamp festival and a wedding that I would be HEARTBROKEN to miss, this pattern had better STOP!!!!

More cheerful posting to resume as soon as I feel human again.

A Whole New World- revisited

Remember I got a card from a long-time stitching buddy? Well, she wants me to meet her at a stitching festival in a few weeks.

My stitching time lately has been very limited. I did take that one project to the shore this summer but did not put a lot of time into it. More and more though, I am getting the urge to get back to my needle.

I think this invitation is going to push me over the edge.

One of the things I've been doing when I have time the last few days is checking out stitching blogs. Since I don't have much time, I haven't found a lot yet. Finally, though, I stumbled into a blog of someone I know from my stitching days- YIPPEE!!! That led me to another blogger I know, and so forth and so forth!

So, look for another new category in the sidebar in a few days- stitching blogs! As I find old friends, and new blogs that amaze me, I'll be adding them.

FUN it wasn't!!!!

So, this is what I first saw/noticed when I went out at 7:15 to leave for school. "Oh, bleep, someone broke my taillight."

Then I went around the back of the car. "Oh, bleep, someone HIT my car!"

Then I took a close look at the side of the car. "Oh, double bleep, the whole quarterpanel is smashed and the trunk is closed crooked!!!"

Then I started noticing "smaller details". "BLEEP, BLEEP- there are WRINKLES in my car!! There are CRACKS in my car. The back window looks like it's gonna pop out! The bumper is split open like a fault line. My tire and wheel cover are smashed up- on the OTHER SIDE!!! There are cracks in and chunks out of the SIDEWALK from my car."

Then I noticed the debris field- small parts of my car on my car, on the sidewalk, on my LAWN! "Bleep, Bleep, Bleep- there are pieces of my car all over the place!!!!"

Somewhere out there- and probably pretty close to here- somebody is driving around with a LOT of front end damage to their SUV. At least *I* can explain to my insurance company- wonder what the SUV owner is gonna say to his?

The police arrived quickly, the insurance company was REALLY nice and unbelievably fast and now I have a nice rental car for who knows how long. The car is at the shop, the adjuster will call me tomorrow, and the shop already says it'll be at least a week and a half. Between the passenger side from the door back, the entire bumper, the trunk, the wheel, and who knows what else that I can't see or didn't notice- by the time I get the car back almost the entire back half of the car body will have been replaced.

I still managed to get to school in time for homeroom. However, I didn't get to homeroom in time for homeroom- remember how my classroom is on the third floor? Well, today was the day the ELEVATOR decided to call out sick!

And that was my day- how was yours????

Long Day

But better than yesterday- I got out of work aournd 5:15 which is at least slightly better than yesterday. Stomach is also slightly better than yesterday- everything still hurts but at least, knowing anything will hurt, I am back on *some* regular foods.

This is the gorgeous stamp set I was talking about last night. You can find the set HERE. Everything Belinda makes is really delicate and beautiful- and in a style you are NOT going to see in any other stamps.

I can't WAIT to play with the Pierette!

My friend chose to go with CTMH as a new rep- so it's official. This is going to be lots of fun!

Time for bed!

Late Monday quick post

It was NOT a good day. Food is still an issue- and I am getting REALLY tired of saltines! The Eagles JUST lost- to those AWFUL Cowboys and that REPUSLIVE TO! I left for work at 7:10 AM and didn't get home until 6:30 PM- so much for that vaunted "teacher's schedule", huh? Lots of aggravation all day and night- just not a good day in general.

But, in specific..... there were some happy highlights! I got the BEAUTIFUL photo card here from a long-time stitching friend. She was the VERY first "Internet" friend I ever met IRL, many years ago at a stitching festival. She is coming to town in a few weeks for another stitching festival and wants to get together. Haven't seen her in quite a few years so that is really exciting- I can't wait!

I also got a stamp package from Firecracker Designs by Pamela- several new stamp sets. Not sure yet which one I like best- and with no stamping time looming on any visible horizon, not likely to find out soon. You can check them all out HERE and maybe you can see which is best!

Well, staying up late to watch the Eagles win is always tiring but worth it- staying up to have them lose is just depressing. So, I'd better get some sleep!

OH- an important PS- don't forget the new release at Clear Artistic Stamps tomorrow night- there will be a launch party chat starting at 8PM Central Time, which is 9PM for us East Coasters. You can find the chat link at CAS!

Monday morning yuck

"Heigh-ho, heigh-ho (I'm still sick, but..) it's off to work I go"

Sunday night- again

Blogging on Sunday night was something of a habit with me last year. Back into old habits I guess.

Most of the weekend was spent sitting or sleeping. The food report? Well, pretzels are ok (I am really liking Herr's Special Sourdough at the moment), saltines are ok, toast is ok. Chicken noodle soup didn't do so well. Tea and 7-Up are the safe drinks of choice. Oh, and I forgot to mention rice pudding!

Did some reading, a little TV and some looking at catalogs. Exciting news is that my friend is thinking about becoming a Close To My Heart rep. She looked at several different companies but CTMH is the most balanced one for products for both stampers and scrappers, so that's where she will do her inquiries first. I haven't gotten any new CTMH supplies since my previous rep gave up the business for family reasons 2 years ago.

I am still LOVING the TAC stamps- and need to get my act together and get an order in soon!- but I also really love CTMH products.

My DS unloaded my car trunk for me today so all the stuff that went to the Wedding Album Weekend but never got used is back in the house.

I'm hoping to go to the Heirloom Production's Rubber Stamp show in York next month- so if I can manage to have a healthy weekend I have that to look forward to!

I hope Etha and Belinda won't mind me stealing an image but I HAVE to show this. Etha made this beautiful card and the image is Pierette- a French female clown derived from the male Pierrot, who was originally from mime and the Italian Commedia dell'Arte.

She is, I think, QUITE beautiful.

Pierette is part of the Moondreams stamp set being released on Tuesday evening at Clear Artistic Stamps. There are three sets in the new release and they are ON SALE as a pre-order right now! Check THIS out if you want to get not three, but four sets of stamps for a great price.

I am looking forward to getting all the new stamps in the release, but I am positively thrilled about this gorgeous Pierette!

ETA: Gwen just added another Pierette image at the Clear Artistic Stamps Blog! Definitely check her out as well- she is, again, GORGEOUS!!!!

It is getting quite late. I need to get up early tomorrow no matter how rotten I feel- and if right now is any indication, I will still feel rotten.

Off to bed and the prospect of a new week!

Before I go back to bed......

......here are a few more new great blogs I discovered while sipping (very slowly) my tea.

http://hopartstudios.typepad.com/

http://melaniemuenchinger.blogspot.com/

http://www.paperhugs.typepad.com/

http://www.paperlicious.typepad.com/

http://withfeathersandsequins.blogspot.com/

Another weekend ruined

Last weekend I got to spend most of my time in bed recuperating from a long week of too much heat. Headache, nausea, the usual heat effects. This week the weather was comfortable but I was incredibly exhausted and worn out from too many, too long, days of dealing with stuff. So, I spent all week looking forward to a great weekend with good friends, scrapbooking.

A while back a couple of us were talking about how our wedding albums had to be redone. When I got married 32 years ago, our photographer, a good friend, took wonderful pictures and gave us all the negatives. I made my own wedding album- WAY before scrapbooking as we know it today was popular. Well, *THE* thing in photo albums then was the "magnetic" album- which had nothing to do with magnets, but used thin clear sheets that lifted up for you to arrange your pictures and then stuck "magnetically" to cover the whole page. What the scrapbooking world and everyone else discovered about 25 years later is that these books degraded your pictures!

Once I learned about this, several years ago, I dis-assembled my original wedding album. Bought a new album, filler pages, lots of paper and assorted embellishments, etc. Had the whole "kit" together but never got around to actually making the new album. Then my friend and I in conversation learned we both had the same situations- ready to go but never done.

So, three of us planned "wedding album weekend"! It was gonna be SOOO much fun!

I didn't feel great when I got home yesterday- parts of the day were spent in too-hot rooms, I'd gotten drenched walking to my car, my stomach was queasy. But, I decided to go anyway- BAD DECISION!!!! As the evening progressed, I just got sicker and sicker. I don't know if it was something I ate during the day yesterday, getting soaked before the drive home, just a "bug"I picked up, or a combination of all of the above- but by late evening, I was SICK!!!

It just was not meant to be, I guess. I called DH about 8:30 to check in. When he asked how it was going I told him: "I'm sick, "C" can't find her wedding pictures, and "A" (who was planning to do online scrapping) can't get a signal on her laptop- other than that we're having a grand time".

I finally got so sick that I had to call DH and DS to drive out and bring me (and my car full of stuff) home. That was about midnight- needless to say, since DH had to go to work at 9AM today and DS had to leave around 8AM for a trip with friends to NYC today, NEITHER of them was particularly thrilled. We got home a little before 2 AM and I've been sleeping, with many "sick" breaks, ever since. I MUST say, that although they clearly did NOT love driving across several counties to rescue me, they were both wonderful about it!

So, that's how my weekend is going. Hopefully I will start to feel a little better sometime soon. I will, for sure, have to be more careful for a while, probably quite a while, as in DAYS, about what I eat. Right now I am waiting to see how a cup of tea and 6 crackers are going to behave. Whatever they decide to do, it is definitely time for more medicine and back to bed.

Here's to the Heroes Tribute

Another GOTTA HAVE stamp set!

One of the blogs on my sidebar is Stampin When I Can. Well, she has a card there now that uses a stamp from a set called Images de Mon Pays which is French for "Images of my Country". The scenes are French Canadian and the stamps are GORGEOUS!!!!

My first trip "out of the country" was in 1970, a short trip to Montreal and Quebec. It was fabulous. THEY were fabulous!

Now, having seen it, I just GOTTA have that stamp set!

So, if anyone has a set they want to sell, if anyone knows anyone who wants to sell one, if anyone can think of any way for me to get this stamp set- PLEASE let me know!!!

PS- just sitting here at home reading blogs is turning into a potentially very expensive activity today!

Blog Candy and new stamps!

While following a link chain today, I ended up at Suzanne's blog Scrap Bitz. She is doing some great blog candy right now, so check it out.

Another reason to check it out is her link to a stamp company new to me, Whiff of Joy. The stamps are lovely and sweet. AND, there is one I MUST have; NOT "want", but MUST HAVE! Willow with Lantern is a simply gorgeous stamp and reminds me a LOT of one of the many UFOs (Un-finished objects) in my needlework pile- one I WILL finish some day- called Celtic Christmas, by Marilyn Leavitt-Inblum.

More on MLI one day soon, but for now, definitely check out Suzanne's blog candy and the really nice stamps at Whiff of Joy!

Fly Eagles Fly

Something crafty- although not mine

This beautiful card is a "TAG" I received from one of the SCS Stampin Flybabies. The scan does not even begin to show how gorgeous this card is.

"TAG, You're It" is a special swap that the SCS Flybabies do. Rather than have deadlines and stress, you can send a card at anytime to anyone in the Flybabies. Once you are a TAG recipient you need to send a card back to anyone who sent you one- when you can. SOOOO no stress!!!

Finally I am starting to feel better. Today I am going to an Eagles party, but I will be taking my laptop and a few stamps. The hostess is a major crafter like me and she does BEAUTIFUL work- wish I had her eye for design. I want to show her the beautiful Autumn Treats set from Clear Artistic Stamps and maybe do a card or two using the set.

Time to (again!) get back on the Flylady wagon. I was so sick all week from the heat that nothing got done at all when I got home each day. So, I'm off to start the laundry and the grocery list and get some hot spots under control. Hopefully this coming week will be better!

GO EAGLES!!!!

No crafting- or anything else today

Well, it's the first Saturday of the year- and I got no crafting done. I got NOTHING done!

Woke up around noon; back to bed around 2; up again at 5.

Still feeling rotten so I'm taking it easy.

Tomorrow is the Eagles' first game- so its PARTY TIME!

Hope I can enjoy it.

GO EAGLES!!!

Quick Post

Four long days in a dangerously hot room = headache + nausea + complete exhaustion = I slept from 6:30PM until 11:45 AM. I'll be back later.

YIKES!!!! AND OUCH!!!!!

DH had a bad day. The school where he teaches was built in 1848. It has those gigantic, massive windows that are like 6 feet tall for each section with mahogany frames. One of them slipped out of its track today and crashed down on his hand. He moved quickly and it only smashed the top joint area of his middle finger (the distal phalanx). Then there was getting the bleeding stopped, getting it elevated and iced, getting the nurse to evaluate, going to HR who then called the workmen's comp clinic at the hospital- where they told them they were not taking anymore patients today.

So he came home. The finger is not too badly swollen as he was so careful to keep the hand up and the finger iced, but it is dramatically bruised. Tomorrow morning its off to the clinic for evaluation. Fortunately, its his right hand and he is a leftie.

So, he's in a lot of pain, there is nothing I can do for him except give him advil, and it's going to be a LONG night around here.

One more day down

Very long day. VERY hot. TOO hot- I was literally sweating so much my clothes were wet. Followed by a very long late afternoon meeting (to which length I must admit being a definite contributor) in a room with frigid level airconditioning. I think I'm getting sick from the drastic temperatures and drastic temperature changes.

But, I really, REALLY learned a lot of valuable and sometimes fascinating stuff at the meeting, so it was worth it!

So, I'm going to take some proactive cold medicine and get to bed early- just as soon as I iron for tomorrow and finish my evening routine.

Some new blogs

I am REALLY tired- the first day was tough- it was INCREDIBLY hot in my classroom with just me in it- I am dreading tomorrow with a room full of kids!

Lots of meetings today. Most of them in hot rooms. Too tired to write or think.

So, here's a few blogs to check out:

http://www.ashleyscreativecorner.com/

http://karenskreativekreations.blogspot.com/

http://ericasartisticattic.blogspot.com/

http://1of2shoes.blogspot.com/

http://paulssandy.typepad.com/papertransformer/

Now its REALLY over

The sun has set on summer.

I've removed my summer reading list from the sidebar- and added a Christmas countdown.

School starts tomorrow.

DH and I finished it off with a nice evening out to dinner and met up with DS and some of his friends. So, our last summer memory is a happy one.

Only 284 days until next summer!

Summer is Over

So, how many of us are celebrating Labor Day? This picture, which I love, is from Labor Day 1940 at the Jersey shore. One of those girls about to start in the stilt-walking race is my mother!

It's not quite such a celebratory day around here. I have to iron something to wear to school tomorrow- something appropriate for school AND appropriate for the predicted temperature of 93°! (Our school only has AC in the administrative offices- and my classroom is on the 3rd floor under a black tar roof.) I have to pack up my schoolbag, make sure I have my school keys. I have to pack up the plants for my classroon and all the many things I bought over the summer for this year's craft club activities. I also have to pack up all the videos I bought for the kids to watch after school- I got a bunch of movies and the wonderful Pride and Prejudice mini-series, the Colin Firth one, of course!

I'm very late starting out today as I was at the hospital until very late last night- or early this morning, to be more accurate. My post-op Auntie sounded so bad on the phone last night that DH and I went over there and promptly called 911. I am so glad that she agreed to go to the hospital; she is doing much better already.

If I have any crafting time today- doubtful, but possible- I think I may finally try out ATCs. If you have never heard of them, it means Artist Trading Cards. They are tiny pieces of personal art, sized 2.5 x 3.5 inches. You can see a sample and read about them at Etha's blog and find a link to the ATC challenge this week at DRSDesigns.

Time to go work on getting ready for tomorrow, do some work on the Houseworks Holiday Plan, and hopefully sit outside for a while and enjoy the incredibly beautiful weather here for the last day of summer.

Judy Garland - Dear Mr Gable, you made me love you

And the world fell in love with Judy Garland in this scene.