Didn’t think I’d get the chance to do this this weekend, but I have surprised myself and here I am. I’ve been spending this week and weekend getting ready for a visit from my mom, sister and brother-in-law. I’ve been spending time tidying up a bit. They live in Ohio, so we don’t see each other often. If we lived closer to each other as in the same town, then they would know what slobs we really are. But as we only see each other once or twice a year, and every other year it’s here in Colorado, we spend a week or two before their visit getting things done around the house. Wish they’d visit more often because my husband has accomplished a great deal in anticipation of their arrival. Otherwise, the “honey-do” list keeps getting longer and nothing seems to get done. Oh, that isn’t true. I know.
My new favorite stamp set is Kinda Eclectic, next to Gorgeous Grunge, and Work of Art. I wasn’t going to order Kinda Eclectic because I’ve been told we are getting it at convention this year, but I forgot that and went ahead and ordered it after I saw it used in this month’s Stampin’ Success magazine, a magazine to Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. I’ve used all three of my favorite stamp sets on this card. It was really simple to make. Actually, there are two versions. The first version is a little fancier than the second. The first was also partially inspired by my friend Cathy. Hope you like both.
Hope you enjoyed your visit here today. Until next time…
So, I need to come up with something thought-provoking to write about, but I have not a clue as to where I should begin. I have even googled topic suggestions for my blog, but none of them seem appealing to me. One possible idea is to write about something controversial. Gun control is a provocative subject. Should I write about that? Maybe one day I will.
About that word google, isn’t it funny how Google started out to be the name of an internet search engine, but now it is a verb as well? Now it is something you can do. It’s a verb as in, I googled on Google.
Or, I could write about my goals. Two of my goals are to get one million followers on my blog because my writing and my stamping creations are so awesome. People don’t have to follow me just because I am an excellent stamper. They can follow me because they enjoy my writing as well. Did you know that I have always wanted to write a book? Don’t know what I’d write about though. That is another goal I have, and that is to write a book.
Have you ever typed with your eyes closed? You really need to know where the keys are; otherwise, you might not be able to read what you’ve written after you open your eyes. That’s what I did here. I typed with my eyes closed, but you wouldn’t know it because I spell checked before I published. That’s what my students used to do, you know. They would type their papers with their eyes closed, and they DIDN’T spell check. At least that’s what I think some of them were doing by the looks of some of the papers I used to get.
What could I write about that is funny? People like to read funny stuff. I know! Having kids is like having pets. At least, that’s what a childless couple with four-legged “children” would tell you. And they believe it too! Sorry, I don’t mean to offend any of you out there. I have had pets, and I can see where they might get their reasoning, even though I don’t think there is any comparison between having children and owning a pet.
Here are nine ways owning a pet and having children can be similar.
First, both pets and children are usually brought home when they are babies.
Second, both have to be house broken. That is, dogs need to learn not to pee on the floor and so do kids. Dogs need to learn to go outside to the bathroom. Kids need house breaking as well as they must learn how to behave inside the house vs. outside. You could say you do that with dogs too. For example, some people don’t’ let their pets or their kids on the furniture so you have to teach them not to jump up on the furniture. The kids, not the dogs. (JK—the dogs too!) Some people will let their pets sleep in bed with them, but not their kids. Go figure!
Third, pets have their very own food and water bowls. Some people do the same for their kids. When my kids were babies, I had a special warming plate that I used for them to heat up their baby food. I also had special plastic bowls, plates and cups for them to use so they would not break if they fell on the floor. Heck, we even buy our pets and kids (at first anyway) their very own special food. Then the kids transition to regular food. Some people give their dogs people food.
Fourth, a fenced in back yard is nice for both kids and dogs.
Fifth, both need to have their shots, although some parents would argue that vaccinations cause Autism… in children, not animals. (I know, Autism is not funny. Please don’t think I am making fun of it.)
Sixth, both kids and dogs can go to day care.
Seventh, both pets and kids will throw up in the most inconvenient places
Eighth, both children and pets can go to school. Dogs go to obedience school. Kids can learn obedience in school as well, but it is better if their parents teach that.
Ninth, leashes are useful. Some people leash their kids, but not their animals. Some leash their animals, but not their kids. I leashed both because I have had both. Either way, leashes are a good thing when you have pets and children. Oh, Lord! The comments I am going to get after saying that!
Enough said about that! Today I have two projects for you. The first is June’s Paper Pumpkin. I created a little table centerpiece with some of the pin wheels that came in the kit this month. The second is a simple little card I made.
Hope you enjoyed your visit today. Until next time…
I would say I am an adventurous person. I like to try daring things every once in a while. But once I try them and see what they’re like, the chances of me “doing it again” are slim to none. I lived in Colorado for twenty years before I got up the courage to go white water rafting. You see for me to do something daring or adventurous, I have to work on “getting up the courage.” When I was in my twenties I would just do things without thinking, but as I’ve grown older I’ve grown a little more cautious. Or maybe I should say “smarter”?
I finally went white water rafting about five years ago when my nephew and his wife came out to Colorado for my daughter’s wedding. Their two young girls were flower girls in the wedding, so they decided to make their trip to Colorado their vacation that year. White water rafting was something they wanted to do. What is it about people who don’t live in Colorado that makes them think that all we people who DO live in Colorado want to do is white water raft? Anyway, they wanted to go and asked my husband and I to go with them, so I agreed. My daughter came along as well. My older sister, my nephew’s mother, well let’s just say she’s older than me so she is a little more cautious. I won’t say “chicken”. 🙂
We booked a half day trip down the Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge with Raft Masters. It was a guided trip in that we had our own guide on board our raft. Chicken me wouldn’t go any other way! Did I just call myself a chicken? I was going on this trip!
The Royal Gorge is known as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River. It is located near Canyon City, Colorado and measures about 50′ wide at the bottom and a couple hundred feet across at the top. Its sheer rock walls climb approximately 1200 feet from the river to the top. While sitting on a raft at the bottom of the gorge, a feeling of insignificance over took me as I looked up at the Royal Gorge Bridge. Built in 1929, the Royal Gorge Bridge is the world’s highest suspension bridge at 955 feet high and 939 feet long. This part of Colorado is a major tourist attraction and a sight to behold!
Anyway, back to the rafting trip. First thing we had to do was slip into a wet suit. Well this was a first for me. And slipping into a wet suit sounds easier than it actually is. I found it nearly impossible to get into as it was wet, cold, skin-tight, and smelled like bleach. It had been sanitized after the last person used it. My daughter had to help me pull it up, and I had to do the same for her. I hadn’t needed help pulling up my pants in years! Wet suit finally on, next was a jacket, life jacket, helmet, boots…why was I doing this again? Oh yea, now I remember…a moment of insanity when I didn’t want to disappoint my nephew. Gee I am a good Aunt! I hope he realizes it.
We took brief bus ride to the spot where we would be putting our rafts into the river. During the ride we were given what I would assume was the standard safety briefing. We were told what to do if we fell overboard. Huh? You mean I could… I looked at my husband with tear in my eyes and said very softly, “Gary…I don’t want to do this.” He looked at me and said, “Oh, come on Jos…yes you do. Besides we already spent all that money for this. I bet we won’t get it back if you don’t go.”
We arrived at our destination and got off the bus. I cried, “I don’t want to go! I am scared! Do I have to?” Everyone in my party reassured me that yes, indeed, I was going. “As a matter of fact,” our guide said, ” you can get into this raft right here.” As I climbed in I searched for a place to hold on. Imagine my surprise when I learned there are no hand holds in a white water raft! The raft’s occupants hold themselves in place by jamming their feet under the sides and seats of the raft. Hands need to be free for gripping the oars. AND, the guide told me, if you are rowing, then you don’t even sit IN the raft, you sit on the EDGE of the raft. Well there was no question about it, I was not going to row. I was not going to sit on the edge of the raft. I was sitting in the middle in the back. “And you see this rope here?” I said to the guide. “This is what I am holding on to. I hope that’s okay, because that’s what I am going to do.” My nephew and niece sat in the front of the raft, my husband and daughter sat on either side of me behind them. Behind us sat the guide.
Water was extra high that day because we’d had a lot of rain and there was a lot of run off from the mountains.. We encountered class III and IV rapids that day. In one word, the adventure was AWESOME! No one fell overboard; although, we had a close call. My daughter just about went in almost taking me with her. As she began to fall, she put her arm around my neck. Motherly instincts set in and I let go of the rope to grab for her. It was an excellent time. The build up to the trip was more fearful than the trip. But I will tell you what….. I will NEVER do THAT again!
Here is my card for today. It is CASEd from the Annual Catalog. Then there are a few photos from our rafting trip.
Hope you enjoyed your visit here. Until next time…
Today was housework day around here. I was needing to vacuum and mop my kitchen floor for a while, but I had been putting it off because my husband had a batch of wine going and I wanted to wait until he spilled it everywhere while he was bottling before I mopped. My mother would have had a conniption (is that a word?) if she would have seen it. My mom’s floors are so clean you can eat off them. You can eat off mine too…bread, Cheerios, anything that’s down there! LOL! That’s an original joke I wrote about one million years ago when I dabbled in amateur stand-up comedy. Bet you didn’t think I could be so funny, did you?
Seriously, before I went back to school to become a teacher, I toyed around with stand-up comedy. We have a comedy club locally that used to do Open Mike Night on Sunday evenings. I used to go and practice my stand-up routine. I opened a few shows for a few famous comics. Can’t remember who they were right now. I even did four shows in a Boulder comedy club. I got paid $100.00 for doing them. My hotel for the night was $150.00 so I didn’t make that much. I did this while I was getting divorced from my first husband. I felt it was cheaper than going to therapy. 🙂 Then I went back to school to get my teaching license, and for 17 years I had a captive audience every day! There were times as a teacher that I felt like I WAS a stand up comic. One thing my students always said about me was that I had an excellent sense of humor. And I do! I have other jokes, but don’t know if they would be appropriate here. We’ll see. Maybe in the future.
Anyway, my husband got his wine bottled last night, and I am glad I waited to clean. While he was bottling, he managed to knock a full bottle over and it broke. Wine went everywhere! (What a waste of perfectly good wine!) So, today was housework day. I got the stickiness from the wine off the floor… along with a few Cheerios. 🙂 I even managed to do a few windows.
I am thinkin’ I am really liking this stamp set that’s called Endless Birthday Wishes. This makes three or four cards in a row where I’ve used this set. I’m liking the way this card turned out too. I was going for a vintage look and I may have achieved it. I like the subtle look of the pink against the tan. What do you think? Let me know. I always appreciate comments.
Here’s another view so you can see how everything is layered.
Hope you enjoyed your visit here today. Until next time…
Happy Stamping!
P.S. The chevron ribbon I used is reversible, and the lace trim is retired. But, we do have some new lace trim that I will be ordering soon. 🙂
You must be logged in to post a comment.