March Scrap-Tastic Kit

I haven't made much of anything lately, but I have been hoarding some fun lay-outs made with the Scrap-tastic March kit.

Where in the world. . .

. . . is Barb?

Are you wondering?

10 days away from the blog-o-sphere and not one single, solitary exciting thing to say.

• I've had lots of exciting work changes. . . good things are happening.
• I've read tons and tons and tons about educational leadership. . . grad school is happening.
• I haven't created one single thing. . . no creativity is happening.
• I am only spending cash. . . my check card number was stolen and used for online dating.
• I {heart} Kleenex scented like Vicks. . . I have a bad cold.
• I might become a lounge singer. . . bad cold has resulted in super-sexy, Amy Winehouse-esque voice.
• I wore pjs and slippers all day. . . it was pajama day at school (a perk of being a teacher that is hardly ever mentioned).

My Saturday is reserved for watching re-runs of Ugly Betty (thanks to Netflix for sending me a DVD), wearing my pajamas, and, hopefully, making some things.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

For breakfast today I ate a bowl of golden grahams (with milk!).

For lunch I ate a bowl of beef vegetable soup (with dumplings) and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a piece of string cheese.

For dinner, I've prepared a delicious and nutritious batch of spinach stuffed shells with a spicy Italian sausage sauce.

I might have had some snacks somewhere in there include a chocolate-cherry granola bar and some Valentine's Nerds and a tiny, little Milky Way bar that I "stole" from another teacher.

The reason for the food list?

I haven't been around the blog since Monday's little rant; I felt like I should pop in.
But, I really didn't have anything to say.

What did you eat today?

I'm trying to think good thoughts. . .

. . . but the universe seems to be aligned against me this morning.

1. Everyone has a snow day. . . except for me.

2. People who don't have a snow day don't have to work b/c of Presidents' Day. . . except for me.

3. My Golden Grahams are sitting alone in my blue cereal bowl because we have no milk.

Honked

Things that really honk me off:

1. Ramen noodles in the Asian food aisle.
My grocery store recently reorganized and placed the Ramen noodles in the Asian food aisle. Seriously. My knowledge of Asian culinary achievements is limited. . . I will admit. However, I believe the Asian food aisle is reserved for true Asian culinary delights. I do not classify the Ramen noodle as such. I think it belongs sandwiched right between the mac and cheese (no offense, Em) and the Spaghettios.

2. Huckabee
(Disclaimer: I have actually not even the slightest idea what Huckabee stands for politically. I am making this statement based solely on the ridiculousness of his name.)
I most decidedly do not {heart} Huckabee. I think Huckabee is a completely ridiculous name and that if he actually wants us to consider him as a serious presidential candidate he probably should have changed his name years and years and years ago to something far more serious and respectable.

3. People who lack common sense.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. That's all I'm going to say about that.

4. Winter Parking
Just because the lines in the parking lot are buried beneath layer upon layer upon layer of packed down snow and ice and salt and sand and gosh-only-knows what else does not give you the liberty to park your car approximately two inches from my driver's side door. I do realize that my car is difficult to see because of the layers and layers and layers of salt that are caked on to it and that this might seem a little like camouflage, but still. Do not park your car two inches from mine. My jacket and my pants and (gasp!) my purse are covered in a constant brushing of salt from scraping against the vehicle that inevitably parks too close to me. Make it stop!

And to top it all off. . . Law and Order is a re-run. It's a re-run of a re-run to be exact. Damn.

(Thank you to Stephanie who listened to this entire blog post via phone. Apparently, my ranting to her was not quite enough, and I needed to get it all out over again.)

Middle Name

I was tagged by Lyn eons ago. It's about time I take care of it.

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name).
3. After you are tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and your answers.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and that they need to read your blog for details.)
   

The thing that is a real bummer about all this is that my middle name is really, really long. Anyway, hope you manage to learn some new and interesting things about me.

My Middle Name: ELIZABETH

E is for elephant.
My grandma took me to the circus when I was a little girl. There were elephant rides. One of the elephants was named Barbara, so she absolutely insisted I ride it. I wish there was a picture to capture it.

L is for lists.
I'm a list maker. I cannot survive the day without a list of things to do. Confession: I usually have a list of back-up to-do items in case I finish early.

I is for ice cream.
Shall I list some of my favorite flavors? Rocky Road, Chocolate, Cherry Garcia, Turtle, Mint Chip, Peanut Butter (from Baskin Robbins). Really. I could go on forever.

Z is for zucchini.
I love zucchini. . . especially grilled zucchini.

A is for approximately.
I am approximately 5' 2". Did you picture me taller than that?

B is for Beverly Hills.
As in Beverly Hills 90210. I tape it. Still. What might be even more lame is that I still say "tape." I just can't bring myself to say, "I DVR it." Which is right? DVR or tape?

E is for epicurious.
Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. Perhaps it is because I'm especially fond of buying things for my kitchen.

T is for travel.
I have a serious craving to take a trip somewhere. . . I prefer somewhere interesting to somewhere hot. I'd choose Europe over a beach any day.

H is for home.
There are a few things I wish about my home. I wish it was bigger; it's too small to entertain. I wish we had some things hanging on the walls. I just can't ever find the right stuff. I wish I had a grown-up bedroom--actual headboard, coordinating bedding, real dresser.

Okay. I am tagging:

1. Em
2. Josie
3. Greta
4. Casey
5. Robyn
6. Beth
7. Brandy
8. Stephanie
9. Levi
   

MIA

Hello, friends.

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. I've been off getting professionally developed.

(It was all slightly delayed by the 16" of snow that fell. Seriously. Have you seen 16" of snow in one place before. INSANE!)

One of my favorite parts of the convention venue is the words. There is poetry everywhere. It's posted on the walls in small, individual silver letters, and it's all written by WI poets. It is absolutely beautiful.

The highlight was most certainly hearing Patricia Polacco speak. . . twice. Have you read The Keeping Quilt. Well, not only did I get to hear the story in person, but she actually brought the keeping quilt with her. I cried and cried and cried. It was beautiful.

There was plenty of talk about schema and brain-based learning and comprehension and No Child Left Behind, too.

No worries, though. It wasn't all work and no fun.

Thursday: Dinner at Buca's. Drinks at the Safe House.


Friday: The first fish fry of Lent at Turner Hall. YUM!

Saturday: Drive home. Email checking. Mail reading. Relaxing.

Dad Turns 15

My dad shares his birthday with Groundhog's Day. He came to celebrate on February 3rd, though. Because he is difficult, my dad's annual choice of birthday cake is an incredibly complicated feather sponge cake with some kind of chocolate frosting made from a homemade pudding. It takes hours to perfectly prepare (and one whole helluva lot of mixing), and I am not exaggerating.

Well, when I asked him about it, he said, "Don't even bother, Barb. I'm sure you can't possibly make it." I translated that as a challenge and made the cake. And, it was completely delicious.

He appreciated it and admitted it didn't taste that bad. Thanks, Dad (for the cake compliment and the outrageously entertaining series of photos).


One more completely unrelated thing. . .
Do you know about BookCrossing.com?

It's a site that facilitates the "release" of books. You buy an extra copy of your favorite book, register it at BookCrossing.com, and "release" it into the wild by leaving it someplace for another reader to find. When they find it, they can read it and register it online with their thoughts about it before "releasing" it again for another lucky reader to find.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is the state reading convention. I'm planning to release a few books there.

Wee Weekend Recap

Friday: Double-bubble
It is a proud family tradition to partake in cheap drinks at Friday happy hour.
Enjoyed a few adult beverages with my grandpa and aunts and uncles.

SaturDAY: Crop-tastic
Scrapped with Aunt Amy at a crop organized by Becky of Scrap-tastic.
Nothing to share, though, because it was mostly DT work for March.

SaturNIGHT: Bake a Cake
2 February is my dad's b-day. He and my mom are coming to visit today. So, I needed to make him a birthday cake. Figures that the cake he loves is amazingly complicated.

Now: Couch Time

Hopefully, I'll be back with pictures sometime soon.

Copy Cat Scrapbooking

Scrapped today.
Wasn't feeling particularly creative, though, so I can't take much credit for my creations.

A lift of Christine Drumheller's lift of a Tara Pollard Pakosta lay-out from the January Cocoa Daisy gallery. Made with the January Cocoa Daisy kit.


A lift of a Jamie Waters's lay-out from the February Scrapbooks, Etc. Again, made with the Cocoa Daisy January kit.

And, last, in case you thought I'd completely lost my own brain--a lay-out that is actually all mine. Made with the January Cocoa Daisy kit.

(In case you were wondering where I found the time to scrap. . . we had a snow day today!)

Science - Babs's Style

Okay. So, in case you missed the news flash. . .
I'm entering week three of my stay at Sickville.

I've been to the doctor.
I've gagged while my throat was swapped. I've given several vials of blood, yet an answer as to what exactly is wrong with me has not been found.

The basic symptoms:
I'm tired. Crazy, insane, cannot think tired.
My glands are swollen. Big, sticking out of my neck swollen.

My mom's solution to all of this is that I must (obviously!) be preggo.

Duh! Don't you know that swollen glands are the first symptom of pregnancy!??! But, sorry, Mom. . . cancel the shower and stop spreading the happy news. There is most emphatically and certainly NOT a baby on board.

I think I've found the cause of the mystery illness . . .
our bed.

I've completely convinced myself that if we had a prettier, more relaxing, put-together, grown-up bed that I would sleep better and, therefore, feel exponentially better.

NOTE: Our bedroom is one of the only rooms in our house that has not "grown-up." We have the same mattress we moved out of my parents' house in college. We don't have a headboard or a foot board. Our bedding doesn't match. Our furniture is hand-me-down (not to be confused with antique), and tv trays double as our bedside tables. There is a cabin and a bear decorating the shade of the lamp that sits on my side of the bed. It. is. hideous.

All my problems would be solved if I could redecorate the bedroom.

New bed = better life

Here's the shopping list:

• headboard (preferably this one)
• nightstands (two, yet to be chosen)
• lamps (two, yet to be chosen)
• bedding (I actually put this in my Pottery Barn cart just to feel what it would be like to buy it)

Please note that I'm not even being greedy. I'm not asking for dressers or a new ceiling fan (don't even get me started on that!) or new carpet or even new window treatments. I'd just like the bed, please.

Now. I'm off to bed. . . a place where I must convince myself that I do not need to redecorate our bedroom. . . that quilt is so calling to me from the Pottery Barn shopping cart.

ETA: I think the link to the bedding works now.
And. . . no fear about the quilt. Grandma Audrey to the rescue!

Made some Stuff

Made some time for movies. . .
27 Dresses = two thumbs up - great romantic comedy
Kiterunner = two thumbs way up - amazing!
Waitress = 1.5 thumbs up - love the shots of pie
Borat = 1 thumb - laughed a little then fell asleep

Made some food. . .
Made lasagna on Saturday. Yum.
Made beef stroganoff tonight. Not so yum and total bummer because I was looking forward to it.

Made an apron.
Sometimes it feels good to choose fabric instead of paper.



Made a canvas.
(part of January purchases from Studio Calico)
Lots and lots and lots of paint.
That was a first and very fun.


Made some goodies
with the Scrap-tastic February project kit.
More goodies to come later in the week with the February kit.

Off to make my February purchases from Studio Calico.

Back by Popular Demand

(aka I'm blogging because a certain someone reminded me it's been awhile)

I'm sick. I've been sick with some kind of a mysterious illness for more than a week. It's an illness that requires me to sleep a lot (like 12 hours a day). So, the 12 hours I sleep plus the eight hours I work just hasn't really left any time for blogging.

Enough about that.

Here's what else has been happening. . .

Girls Vaca (Galena, IL)
8 genius scrappers.
Sub-zero temperatures.
Too much time on County Road I (lots of Amish people).
Lots and lots and lots of giggling.
(photo credits to Stephanie and Brandy and Tonya)


I played with Josie's typewriter on the trip.
I considered stealing it.
Then, I found this on eBay.
Alas, it cannot be mine.
$50+ for a pink typewriter (still two more days in the auction, too) is just not in the budget.
Isn't she cute, though?


Went on a date with Brad.
Ate those yummy biscuits at Red Lobster and saw Bucket List.
I cried through the entire movie.
Serious, serious, sobbing, ugly tears.

This fabric came.
It is going to be turned into an apron or two.
The process is slow.


I got new shoes.
I love these shoes.
I love them so much that I actually wore a different pair in the messy snow this morning and changed into them at work.
I love them so much I made a colleague try them on.


And, last but not least, I have been scrapping. . . mostly DT work for Scrap-tastic. So, I leave you with a few sneak peeks of the February project kit and main kit.


Okay. I'm off to read. This whole writers' strike thing has forced me to read more. I am reading this. . . great story, but horrid writing. I've decided to try this (suggested by a colleague) instead. Inevitably, I will fall asleep about two minutes after opening the cover.

It's Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I've done a little virtual re-decorating.

I present to you (drumroll, please!) the things I'd buy if I won a Pottery Barn shopping spree.

For the living room. . . don't you love all the colored pillows?


For the living room wall. . . how fab are all those pictures?


A girl needs a scraproom.


Are you seeing a pattern? My love of color is extending to the bedroom.

Can't forget about Memphis. . .

And, last but not least, the kitchen.
I'm crazy about the display of plates on the back wall, and I love this table.

But, I would mix it with these chairs in a variety of colors.

And, can't you just picture my Fiesta dishes in this cabinet?There is, however, one thing from the catalog that is in my budget. I like the lunch tote (the rectangle one) in orange.


I seriously need to figure out a way to either make more money or purchase knock-off Pottery Barn furniture.

A is for ______

A is for artichoke
A is for avocado

In the past few days I've really found myself wishing I liked these foods.

Reason 1:
This recipe from Giada.
I do not like artichoke hearts, but this looks so incredibly delish.
I think Giada could make me eat almost anything.

Reason 2:
This magazine talks all about avocados this month.
All the recipes look incredible.

Any foods you really don't like that you feel like you should learn to enjoy?

I am . . .

. . . a rockstar.

Oh, Cristina Yang.
You may be a bit of a robot.
But, this will totally be my motto for the next few days.

Imagine all the ways it can be used. . .

Brad: Thanks for doing the dishes!
Me: I'm a rockstar.

My co-worker: How's your day going?
Me: I'm a rockstar.

Really. The possibilities are endless.

But, seriously. Those writers better stop their striking and start their writing. This whole "I am a rockstar" business is going to get old real quick. I'll be needing some new lines.

(Plus, I need to know what will happen with Alex and Izzie. And, what will it be like for George to get together with Lexie? And, I'm willing to bet a non-fat, no-whip grande pumpkin spice latte that McDreamy takes Rose to bed instead of dinner. And, who will Meredith get together with? Maybe there will be a new character soon. . .)

Detective Barbie

The Scene of the Crime:
Our Driveway

The Evidence:
1. Half of a half-eaten ham sandwich lying in the driveway
2. Half of a half-eaten ham sandwich wedged in the basketball hoop

Strange. Very strange.

Memphis consumed the half of the evidence that was lying in the driveway. The remainder is getting completely soggy (due to the torrential downpour of sleet) hanging in the basketball hoop.

Brad claims he knows nothing about that. I'm not sure what other witnesses can be questioned.

Any ideas about what exactly might have happened in my driveway today?

Tomatoes aka Tornadoes

So. . . there were tornadoes in WI today.
Seriously. Tornadoes in January.
Even my grandpa (totally admitted to the Weather Channel) says he's never heard of such a thing.

Personally, I think there were plenty of signs to let us know this was coming.

There was a tornado on Friday Night Lights on Friday night.
There was the clean-up from the devastating tornado on Desperate Housewives on Sunday night.

Really. Two tornadoes on major network television in only three days. Certainly that was a sign.

Anyway.

I bet you're wondering about the title.

I was a very confused child. I completely misunderstood the word tornado and actually thought someone was saying TOMATO.

Yup. That's right.

Every time there was a tornado warning, I hid in the basement completely positive that there were giant TOMATOES flying through the sky. I was sure we'd be able to make lots of spaghetti sauce after the storm.

Wee-kend

(The title uses "wee" as small. Not "wee" as the thing Memphis does in the yard.)

Why is it that weekend always seem so much shorter than any other part of the week?
Seriously. It seems like Friday was about three seconds ago.

My Weekend In Review

Thumbs Up:
Unexpected gifts from friends. Especially gifts filled with beautiful photography and amazing recipes - gifts that you can use to make yummy shrimp, pasta, and cream sauce dinners.

Thumbs Up:
Ebelskiver. We made totally adorable little puffy pancakes on Saturday morning. They were filled with yummy lemon curd and mascarpone cheese.

Thumbs Up:
Juno. Funny. Smart. Great soundtrack.

Thumbs Down:
Monopoly. Got my butt kicked. Seriously in the poor house.


Thumbs Down:
Melting snow. I do realize that melting snow means warm weather. But, there really isn't anything uglier than melting snow. Everything is brown and soupy. The bottoms of my pants get wet when they drag on the ground. Memphis tracks in mud and water every time he comes in the house.

Thumbs Down:
The house looks amazingly empty after taking down the Christmas tree. I sort of want to put up another tree.
Thumbs Up: Babysitting gigs. It's official. Brad and I are the coolest babysitters ever.


Thumbs Up:
A big ol' box is sitting on my kitchen table. Contents? One 12 x 12 lay-out to be published in Memory Makers July 2008 issue.

How was your weekend?

To knit or not to knit?

So, I'm trying to do Photo-a-Day to really capture 2008.

I'm struggling to figure out what exactly to take pictures of. The ideas aren't flowing real naturally.

So, I went to Flickr and searched for "scarf" thinking I'd get some ideas to take a picture of myself in a scarf. (It's FREEZING cold here today, and a scarf photo would really capture the mood.) I found tons of pictures of scarves and got to thinking. . .

Gee. It sure would be cool if I knew how to knit.
Look at all these cool things I could make if I knew how to knit.



1. tudora, 2. center square, 3. 100_2848, 4. Sungazing Knits, 5. 12 weeks old, 6. Saartje's Bootees, 7. Sock monkey group, 8. Another Brother Blanket, 9. One Done!, 10. Chevron scarf in progress, 11. Chevron Scarf from LMKG - Close Up, 12. Summer knitting qualities, 13. Ribbon knit button bag, 14. You ain't shit if you don't knit, 15. Why aren't more people knitting this sock???, 16. Knitted Dishrags

Plus, there are lots of fun supplies involved in knitting (yarn, patterns, needles).
Knitters seem to have an on-line community.
There's always a cool finished product.
The finished products would be much more practical than a scrapbook page.

But, the truth is that I don't really want to learn how to knit.
I've tried to learn how to knit. It did not go well.

I think I'll stick to scrapbooking and just spend some time looking at cool pictures of things other people knit.

And. . . I still need to go take that picture for today.