updating

ok so i've been told to update (thanks miss mel.)

let's see - just returned from a weekend on cape cod. i'm seriously wondering why we don't live closer to the beach. the boys had a fabulous weekend - digging in the sand, crabbing, eating too much junk, and riding on the go karts. they can't wait to go back.

adam started day camp today. i'm praying he likes it. it's nerve wracking actually. i can't wait for the day to be over so i can hear how it was.

scrapping has been on a hold for a week or so. i went to a crop and produced nothing really worthy of sharing. i have to start working on july poppy ink. otherwise, i'm chilling. i'm seriously contemplating some changes. i need to make mroe time for my famil and dh somehow.

i'm back at work today and swamped and procrastinating. ugh.

take care!

much better photo

for the action.

oh it's lovely and i hardly manipulated any of the settings. thank you thank you mindy bush!

design team call

scrapgal is having a design team call. it's a great store and a great community. go on over and check it out.

scrapgal design team call

one of the perks is you get to work with me. ;) that was sarcasm. :)

i wish i had more ___________ because _____________.

i wish i had more time because then i would be able to sleep more. i'm exhausted and a little stupid actually - stayed up until 12:30am last night watching food network star - a reality show - now i feel like death warmed over. of course if i had more sleep i'd have more energy and then i could get more done. maybe even exercise. sigh.

action

since everyone (one person lol) is so interested the action is from mindy bush - it's color wonder in her color wonder set.

editing photos

ok so i purchased a set of actions today and i've been fooling around with them this evening. trying to edit three months of photos and get them uploaded and ordered this evening. fun - not. so i decided to give a set of actions a shot. you can see the original, the way i used to edit photos and the action. which one do you prefer?

oh and this is dh being funny at the pumpkin patch. he said, "how about this one?" he's such a jokester that one. :rolling eyes:

wish me luck only 50 or so more photos to go. :)

i've been tagged

by hillary

1. regular or diet soda: rarely drink soda but when i do it's regular - ginger ale or root beer.
2. salt or pepper: i like both.
3. hot or cold weather: can i say in between. i like hot but only if there is air conditioning inside to go into to cool off. and i like cold if there is heat! lol
4. dogs or cats: cats. dogs are too much work.
5. dieting or exercise: neither - yeah i'm ok with being fat.
6. cooking or doing dishes: dishes - i
7. sleeping or shopping: sleeping - i remember when i used to get to sleep.
8. red lobster or outback steakhouse: ick.
9. classical or hip hop music: classical
10. dancing or playing sports: dancing
11. back rub or foot rub: back rub, but only because dh rubs my feet a lot.
12. fruits or vegetables: fruits
13. grey's anatomy or house: grey's anatomy. but i do watch house.
14. coffee or tea: coffee in the morning, tea the rest of the day
15. curling up with a good book or a night out on the town: book
16. straight hair or curly hair: straight
17. skirts or shorts: shorts - i only own one skirt.
18. burgers/hotdogs or chinese food: chinese food
19. vacationing in switzerland or mexico: mexico - love the beach
20. sports car or suv: sports car - better gas mileage at least.

what a week

i feel like i've had the best week. martha stewart - last friday - my layout on tv! i won. what a fun fun fun day. then guest garden girl at two peas this week and that mag assignment from simple scrapbooks. i don't think it can get any better. oh wait it does tonight i'm going to a crop with some of my online friends at a great lss near the shore. i can't wait. the next 8 hours better cruise on by!

incredible week - whee!

well i can't reveal specifics but this has been an incredible week for me in terms of scrappin' goodness. i feel like the planets are aligning finally and maybe just maybe all of my hard work both scrappin' and posting has paid off. all will be revealed soon.

i can share one - beth proudfoot gave me an assignment for her simple scrapbooks color inspiration column. i adore beth's work and that she thinks highly enough of mine to give me this opportunity really pumps me up. it's such validation!

i've been really busy scrappin' this week. i have to work on that assignment (due tuesday.) i hope i finish before saturday because there is an online crop at scrapgal. i'm hosting the crop - there will be challenges, prizes, and chats. so come on over. on friday evening, i'll be posting a couple of jumpstart challenges. then saturday i'll post ten challenges throughout the day. two chats one at 3pm EST and one at 8pm EST - we'll draw the winners at the second chat. hope you can come over and at least say hi. i'm hoping i get to do a few of the challenges as well.

three things i know for sure

one...
three year olds whine. the day they turn three there is a little switch in their little brains that turns on - it's the whining switch - it takes one year for the switch to turn off. instead of asking for something they whine. instead of talking they whine. oy vey - it gives me a headache. this i know for sure.

two...
boys smell. yes they do - it's a weird mixture of dirt, sweat, toe jam and other assorted ick. if they are not bathed daily and do not wash their hair, the house starts to smell funky. this i know for sure.

three...
my boys are a disaster. if there is a clean surface in my house, it will only be clean for as long as it takes the boys to enter the house. if you wash the floor, they will walk in with muddy boots. if you scrub the toilet, they will leave the seat down and miss terribly. if you clean the sink, they will decide to clean the mud pie plate in it. if you make their bed, they will jump on it. if you organize their toys, they will dump them all in a big pile ("i'm making a mountain mommy.") if you change their shirt to go to a function, they will spill juice on it or use the clean shirt to wipe their dirty little hands. this i know for sure.

don't get me wrong, i do love them, but geez.

letters

lisa challenged me to list adjectives that describe me using the letters of my name. great - 3 e's. hmmm.

C - creative or crazy - well they can be similar right?
E - energetic - when i'm not feeling really tired
L - lucky - two great boys, a wonderful man - need i say more?
E - emotional - yes i am a rollercoaster of emotions
S - sarcastic - love sarcasm love it!
T - tired - well at least today - darn medications.
E - expressive - that one is from lisa - i could just blab on and on...

list update

sara asked what i was able to get done on wednesday so i'll update my list...so i've updated the list with x's - by end of day wednesday i was almost finished.

work
x emerging issues news monitoring
x start weekly news briefing
x finish retention report
x download annual reports
x find q1 conference call times
x write up new hire interviews
read pile of reports on desk
x compile frequency and severity for personal lines carriers q1 2007
x start q1 2007 activity log
x finish travelers news for briefing book
x expense report

personal nsbr (not scrapbook related)
x confirm hair appt.
x make doctor's appt.
x write out check for pre-school deposit
x agenda for parent's association meeting tonight
x grid for teacher appreciation
x pick up adam at school
x make dinner
x make kids lunches
x parent's association meeting
x watch america's next top model
x pharmacy - get prescriptions filled, buy tonic

sbr (scrapbook related)
x page a day for scrapgal - scan and post
x finish 4 scrap packs for crop on may 5th
do one layout for secret project (shhh)
x put pile of patterned paper away
x post office - mail scrapbook trends layouts in
x catch up in scrapgal gallery
x post qotd at poppy ink
x email carly about donation

so the secret layout and the pile of reports didn't get done. i finished the reports yesterday. the layout maybe late this week.

fearful friday

ok so my challenge is to tell you about a fear or a time i was afraid.

something happened this week that fits this bill and looking back on it i'm not sure if i should have been afraid or not. after a pta meeting, i was standing outside with another mom talking. we were between our two cars. all of a sudden there was a police car in the road by the parking lot. the policeman was walking down the sidewalk towards a man with a backpack. the policeman said "you've got a needle don't you?" then he said "freeze!" the man kept walking. he said "freeze" again and the man kept walking. then i started running towards the door to the school and so did the other mom. i heard a pop and not a gun pop - a taser pop. now since the door was locked we both got into her minivan. my heart was pounding with fear. by now there were three cop cars and we couldn't get out. we waited a bit in her car and it seemed like the police had it under control. so we left.

i think the incident at virginia tech really has made me more afraid of strangers and perhaps my imagination can more easily see a scenario where i get hurt because of something like this.

how's that for a little fear?

what's the big to do

we all have them - to do lists. i'm a crazy list maker. like almost obsessed with lists. i've been a little bit better lately - not so many lists. i think that perhaps i've got some of the juggle down with two kids and a full time job. i think also that i've let a lot of stuff slide. i still keep my grocery list typed in the computer in aisle order and i have all of our pack lists for trips saved too! i keep a list of assignments that i have due and any scrapbook calls on a white board in my room - with a little corner for things i need to purchase as well.

shandy asked us to share our to do lists for today. the x next to the item means i finished it. i'm not sure much of this will get done.

work
emerging issues news monitoring
x start weekly news briefing
x finish retention report
x download annual reports
x find q1 conference call times
write up new hire interviews
read pile of reports on desk
compile frequency and severity for personal lines carriers q1 2007
start q1 2007 activity log
x finish travelers news for briefing book
x expense report

personal
nsbr (not scrapbook related)
confirm hair appt.
x make doctor's appt.
x write out check for pre-school deposit
x agenda for parent's association meeting tonight
x grid for teacher appreciation
pick up adam at school
make dinner
make kids lunches
parent's association meeting
watch america's next top model
pharmacy - get prescriptions filled, buy tonic

sbr (scrapbook related)
page a day for scrapgal - scan and post
finish 4 scrap packs for crop on may 5th
do one layout for secret project (shhh)
put pile of patterned paper away
post office - mail scrapbook trends layouts in
x catch up in scrapgal gallery
x post qotd at poppy ink
x email carly about donation

well that's it. i used to write shower on my list, empty dishwasher, clean kitchen. but now i know i can get these things done without writing them down. for awhile i felt so overwhelmed that i needed my list to guide me. it gave me a sense of accomplishment. now i'm just happy to be able to get things done. oko well i confess i do email myself at home to remind myself to do things and i'm not above leaving a message on the answering machine either! yes i'm a little whackdoo!

Jen Gallacher Benefit

Jen Gallacher's son Joey is 12 years old and has been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Here is a post from Jen about it...http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2207039

He did have Make a Wish come the other day...http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2211728

The family has incurred incredible medical bills and a fellow scrapbooker, Tania Willis has started a fund for them. A lot of scrappers and companies (including Carly and Steve) have donated layouts, gift certificates, and supplies. There will be a drawing on May 2nd from the pool of people who donate to the fund. Here is the link to the fund website...http://www.benefitforjen.blogspot.com/

Jen is a published scrapbooker on the DT for Deja Views, Karen Foster Design, and Li'l Davis Designs. She was an 2006 HM in HOF.

I just felt the need to pass on the information. Please give if you can.

bizarre facts

i can surely bore you with all of the bizarre facts i know about insurance. doesn't that sound like an interesting way to spend your time? no. ok here are some more facts i know.

did you know...
a person uses approximately 55 sheets of toilet paper a day?
the phrase we say most to our kids is shut the door?
83% of men have played little league?
on average people spend two whole days a month on the internet?
if kids wear a superhero costume they are more likely to end up in the hospital?

well you would if you visited scrapgarden - they have an impossible question board with useless trivia just like this. :)

truth or dare

well lisa asked me truth or dare so i'm taking the truth. i'm not a risky type. ;)

here's lisa's question...
have you ever "regifted" a present. if you have, tell us what the gift was, who you gave it to and why the gift was passed on to another person. was it a hideous velvet elvis painting? a chia pet? a sweater that was three sizes too large and in a color you'd never wear?

i have regifted before, but for some reason i can only remember one. it's not anything exciting or anything. for a secret santa exchange one year, i received one of those glass jewelry boxes with the dried flowers embedded in it with a slot to slide your photo it. i really don't have much jewelry, i'm not a fan of dried flowers, and at the time i didn't have children so whose picture would i have slid in the top? needless to say i regifted it to my stepmother. well at teh time she wasn't my stepmother. i really didn't know her very well, but we were going to their house for her birthday (which is also adam's birthday) and i didn't have a gift. the jewelry box was still in the box awaiting re-gifting. voila - instant present! she liked it - i guess.

what celeste needs

well google tells me the following....

• celeste needs his help. hey i'll take all the help i can get.
• celeste needs to understand that don was married for 10 yrs and you don't just forget someone who was a big part of your life. who in the heck is don and why can't he just forget?
• celeste needs to do her own dirty work. don't tell terry or he might make me vacuum. :P
• celeste needs a girlfriend. um nope but i'd take a wife. lol
• celeste needs to get to sleep. this one is true - i do need sleep.
• celeste needs all the support that we can give at this difficult time in her life. well it's not that difficult right now, but i'll take the support!
• celeste needs surgery because she needs her gall bladder removed. ack! get that scalpel away from me.
• celeste needs a trifle more time. i'd love more time. more time to create, more time to spend with my boys, more time to relax, more time to sleep.
• celeste needs to buy a new quality digital camera with her blood money. ooh i wish i had some blood money i'd have that 10d in my hot little hands.
• celeste needs to lighten up. true too true.

have an awesome wednesday!

Life is like a box of chocolates

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get"

Lisa has asked me what this means to me. I guess I just believe that you don't ever know what is going to happen in life and you have to live each day as if it's your last. Seize life! I don't do a great job with this, but it's always a goal of mine to try!

The movie was Forest Gump and Forest Gump says this in the movie and so does his mother, Mrs. Gump.

Have a great Monday!

what's in a name

shandy has challenged us again to answer the following...

"tell us about your name! yep, that's right... your name. how did your parents come up with it?... is there a story behind it?.... do you like your name?... if you could have named yourself, would it have been the same or something different? "

my name...hmm. well my mother was never very original about anything. so you are probably thinking, how did she come up with the name celeste? my father really had no say in any of our names - he let her have her way after pregnancy, labor and delivery. i'd say who could blame him. my mother named me and my siblings after people she knew - unoriginal. celeste was her best friend in college. celeste lives on long island and i probably haven't seen her in 25-30 years - my dad saw her a few years ago i think. if i was a boy, my father wanted to name me miles. thank goodness i wasn't a boy.

growing up having a name that was different was not easy. of course, the fact that my name rhymed with pest wasn't easy either. i also rue the day that celeste's pizza hit the market - cries of abondonza and mama celeste would ring down the school's halls. in high school, one girl took to calling me mama leone - no idea where that came from. the only true nickname i had in my life was c - yes the letter c and only one friend in high school called me that.

as a child i did wish i had a different name - something common and everyday like jennifer or susan or christine - no offense to any of you jennifers or susans or christines out there. it would have been nice to have a name that (a) people could easily spell, (b) i wasn't asked to spell every time i ordered something, and (c) that people didn't misread ( i get collette or chelsea a lot.) i can't say i cared for my name - i threatened a good part of my life to change it and i should have when i was married, by that time however it had stuck.

and my middle name - well my mother didn't give me one. no one believed me growing up. they figured with a name like celeste for the first name, my mother must have given me an absolutely horrific second name. nope. nada. nothing. i took my maiden name when i was married because i couldn't stand not having a middle name. remember when those monograms sweaters and little purses were popular? i couldn't have one because i had no middle initial. thanks mom!

now i'm ok with it for really what's in a name?