I guess I'll be the first.... We are still trying to get painting done so we can move... hopefully that will be done this weekend and we can move over the week. In the meantime I started my summer job as a receptionist at my dad's office. soooo boring.. The phones have been slow but with warm weather hopefully will pick up soon! So in my free time I have not been scrapping...:( but once I get moved I will.

Spent this morning cleaning my kitchen, removing all the stuff that I had for the church's meals and rearranging some other stuff.

Got strong son to carry out more stuff to the building. Hope to get in there if it's not too hot.

Had to go to work this morning it was okay kinda boring though

Umm going to go rent some movies and spend some time with dbf today

Getting together with a few neigbors tonight to start planning the August block party.

Giving serious thought to how to help our puppy and family live together.

Storms are still raging through here every day almost. I was so nervous tonight. Dd was driving, weather alerts kept coming on the radio saying the storm with rotation was moving into our area at 78 miles per hour and we were just trying to get home to the basement. I got home, sat on the couch to watch the weather, and fell asleep. I slept through the storm!

Lots of flooding here. Our county and counties around us are under a state of emergency. Lots of people are displaced and living at temporary shelters now. Some of my dd's friends got flooded out of their homes. We are very lucky.

Hi everyone!

I had a super busy day, so I was unable to get online til 11pm.
I had my nephews this morning, then took them back to my youngest sister, who was at a resort spending the weekend with her best friend, my other sister and her "special" friend and my niece and older nephew. Got to talk to my middle sister for about 90 seconds. If you wanna call it "talking." She would not look me in the eyes, kept fidgeting and gave very curt, cold answers.
Then I came home, and laid down for a couple hours. Then I got ready and left at 3:30pm for our church communion service and picnic afterwards.
I had a nice time at the picnic, although we kept having these huge golden-colored beetles drop out of the trees and fly towards the lights. Or drop on to us. ICK!!!!! I HATE HATE HATE bugs!!

I've done a lot of nothing today. However, I did fix a wonderful dinner. I made my own General Tso's sauce (I pureed tomotoes, garlic, soy sauce, onion, sugar and corn starch in my blender) and stir fried some chicken, onions and brocoli with it. I served it over brown rice. Everyone raved....very unusual around my house to get everyone to agree.
I scrapped some last night. I started on two baby boy albums for a friend of mine who has twins. I'll post when they are finished. I need to make two more for my nephew who is already 9 weeks old and another nephew on the way. I'm having fun doing "boy stuff"!
After I finish the boy albums, I'm going to work on my niece's wedding album. (She's the one with the nephew on the way!) I'm a little late getting her album finished, so I thought I'd give them both to her at her shower in July. I now have a deadline.
Tomorrow I'm going to J's to get the rest of the stuff for my friend Kelly's quilt. I only have another week of vacation to work on it before my two summer classes start next Monday.
Still alot of flooding going on around here. There are still many people displaced from their homes and some don't have homes to go back to. Dd went over to a friend's house today to help them rip the carpet out of their walk-in finished basement. They borrowed two fans from us to help dry everything out, but they think they will be mopping the concrete floor with bleach tomorrow because it got so hot here today it is already molding.
It's supposed to be in the 90's tomorrow with more storms. They are predicting about an inch more of rain here and the rivers are cresting at record high levels. The governor has requested from the president that our county and many more around us be declared disaster areas.
And on a totally unrelated note: I'm glad Pat's back!

Today's goal is to move the stuff along the wall by the entrance of my old room to the new area. I will need son's help for some of this.

Also I need him to set up my rotary arm saw under the awning outside. I want to get my bathroom (started this project 2 or 3 years ago) walls finished which requires me to cut up 1x4 and 1x2 boards (all in my bathroom for years!!). I know I'll need to buy more boards to finish my bathroom but that's on this month's agenda, also.

I am cleaning all day today. I'm hoping that I can get so much done that when John comes home tonight, all he has to do is vacuum and put the rest of his stuff away.

Dh was just bitten by what he told me was a poisonous a snake! He's feeling light headed. I'm trying to stay calm by being angry.

Son went online, identified the snake and it is NOT poisonous! :clap: Now I just want to strangle dh!! :rant:

Now that dh knows it's not poisonous, he's feeling better. I'm still wound up!!! Takes longer for me to calm down completely!!! I think I could calm down faster if I could strangle him, just a bit, not all the way, maybe half the way? :p

Son was walking around hold the snake before he identified it!!! I had to go to my bathroom. But in there I could hear them talking about it being poisonous, only to frogs and maybe harmless to humans. That's when I realized that dh had been bitten!!!

Son has snake in a cage now. :rant:

Kitty was stalking it. That's how dh noticed it. :rant:

Gotta calm down!! Need chocolate!!!

I'm trying to make myself eat 5-6 times a day. Small and healthy mini-meals. Exercise and get alot of water in.

I've got to get healthy/healthier.

Plus my home really needs my attention. I've let alot of things slide while I was cooking for the church. Been reorganizing my kitchen back what it was like before but somethings need to redone.

Plus the building. Need to take more stuff out there and change out some of the shelving.

I'm gonna limit my time online. :(

I really have to limit my computer time so I'll be really checking the blogs for stuff and only skimming the thread until I get certain things under control in my life. This won't be fast and will take weeks at the earliest.

I don't think I can go totally cold turkey with any of ya. :hugs:

DD called yesterday. She wants me to get the boys tomorrow. So today will be full of just getting things out the building. I want to use this room for them while they stay with us. So son and I will be very busy today! Then there's church tonight.

Once I have the boys, I'll busy with them. Don't know how I'm supposed to get my cooking done Saturday. I guess Uncle Eric will be busy, too.

I think I decided on going with Memory Works... I guess we'll see what happens... Moxie... Remind me to order those pages we talked about like early - mid july... I should have the money then...
Love, Ashley

Meeting dd about half way tomorrow morning. Son will ride/drive with me. I don't think he's gone on the interstate or over 55 yet. So that'll be new for him. After we get the boys, we've got shopping to do. Food for the weekend, dd kinda, sorta requested a bbq brisket. Plus the boys will be a blast with me and their uncle. I'll take my camera.

Gotta find my camera, first. Want to take pix of the condition this are in right now in the building. I can't help but think, "how in the world did I have so much stuff in this room!!!"

The OB told my niece that she probably won't go more than three more weeks without delivering.
Jacob decided to put off his TX trip because of this.

Having mechanical problems at home. One bathroom is ripped apart due to leaks. Decided to re-do the room since we had to rip it all out anyway. Were able to see behind walls of the 2nd bath - there are leaks there too - probably for years, dry-rot in the subfloors. So that room will be next.

Then our a/c compressor took a lightening strike, so we are without until that can get fixed.

Yesterday cable & internet went out. They don't know when they can get that fixed. So I can't get on from home and only limited time at work.

DS#2 baseball team keeps winning in their playoff games, which means more games!

I really should be getting ready for vacation - leave one week from today and haven't gotten my planning done! Not like me - just been too busy!

Miss you all!!

Here is an update for Jenni from last night:

OHNOHEDI'NT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just called and checked in with Kim.

GUESS WHO had the NERVE to call this morning?!?!?!?! (ED)

*whine whine* Me and Wifey are getting a divorce. *whine whine* I'm trying to get my priorities straight. *whine whine* I know I've been kind of a d o u c h e bag. *whine whine* I wondered if I could get involved with Ethan again. *whine whine*

O.M.G.

Starting today I have been getting more responsibility at work and learning new things. I'll pretty much be taking over the duties of the waste division for my boss (although he'll have the final say still) as he will be helping run the lighting division as well. So I'm sure I'll be doing some lighting stuff as well.

Had my birthday dinner last night with my mom. My birthday's on Father's Day this year and my DH plays softball 3 nights a week so it was the only time we could get together. She made my favorite, beef stroganoff and got me a $50 gift card to Michaels. The dog got me a talking Elvis keychain. It's awesome! Tonight my friend is taking me to dinner and then we're going shopping at the mall for clothes. Saturday my bestest friend is coming down to hang out with me for my bday. We're going to go see Indiana Jones.

I still need to finish my dads Fathers Day present and make the cards for him, my step-dad and my FIL. Need to get busy. Plus I haven't been able to scrap all week!!!!

Got a pre qualification for a mortgage. So we're really starting to house hunt. We called a Realtor yesterday and decided we didn't want to work with him. It's very important to me that I stay in the town we're in now and he tried to push us to move elsewhere. He also lied about what properties are out there. I know he did since I look at online sites for houses for sale. We'll be going with someone else that better fits us.

I'm back .... missed all of you so much ...

I'm in Boston for Anikas surgery ... Ive had major "drama" going on.... the doctors in Iceland have been giving me a lot of grief ... they dint approve Gabriella's surgery apparently a 50% chance of it helping is not acceptable ... it does not make sense ...

But Anika is getting the BAHA and having one surgery in Boston ... they gave us 3 days notice on the trip... things were crazy the last two days trying to get everything done before I left Iceland for weeks...

SO here I am slowly baking to death ...

Ive finished the journal but forgot to mail them out but I'm arranging for that to be done while I'm here ....

The trip came on so suddenly that I didn't have time to pack any supplies except my stamps so no scrapbooking for me for the next few weeks ...

Was feeling really sick, so I went to the family doctor before my neurologist appt on Friday. Confirmed sinus infection. It is a bad one (probably because I confused the headache with side effects from the spinal tap), with pain in my face, pressure on ear, and worst one: dizziness and nausea.

Got anti-biotics.. I'm totally out, slept from 7pm to 11am, still feel out. DD has dance recital. I have to make it to her recital...

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

This is the weirdest, weirdest feeling....
I hit the motherload with this box I brought home. I flipped through it. Oh wow...how to even describe it! I am in awe, I am in shock, I am feeling a little like I am violating a sacred past. I had to keep reminding myself that Grandmother told me I could get the box! And you better believe I will MAKE the time to sit with her for how ever many hours she will give me and can stand me to go through these pictures!

And I have had my mother's father's family tree back to the 1600's for as many years as I can remember....but my Grandmother's whole family tree is in there too...back I can't even tell you how far. And typewritten stories about people.
Pictures of my grandmother when she was little, pictures of my great-grandmother when she was born! Pictures of my great-grandfather when he was little. My great-great grandparents...even one I think is a great-great-great grandmother...great-grandmothers aunts and cousins, it just went on and on....I didn't even hit the bottom of the box!

And I want to tell my grandmother that more than anything in the world...I want this box. I don't want my aunt to have it and add it to the piles of junk in her piled and stuffed house t be lost forever...I want it.

OH OH OH and my Grandmother's yearbook, and diploma, and some of her gradecards are in this box!!!!

I know! I know it sounds crazy (my reaction), but see...since they lived into their 90's, I actually KNEW my great-grandparents, in fact was very close to them...and I heard stories of their parents, mostly my great-grandmother's parents...in fact, I tried to name my oldest son after my great-great-grandfather, Michael Patrick...but my ex wanted his name in there so....

so to actually see these pictures is just so cool to me. To know what they all looked like when they were young.
I probably won't get to keep them forever...my aunt and my cousin will see to that I am sure...but I will get them all scanned before they go back that is for sure. And if she will honestly take the time to go through them with me, I will write down everything she says about them, unless she will let me record her.

Wow...you just cannot believe the detail someone went into to write these family stories. Clear back to the 17oo's again... I don't know if they were passed down or researched or what. These pages are typed, so there wasn't a lot of online research into it. They are old!
I know what this ancient ancester did in the army and when he was sent from England to the American Colonies and fought in Bunker Hill...who he married, where he moved, he had a 750 acre farm, who his children married, how many people lived in the town they moved to and the names of the families.
I have so much family from all over Ontario, I could be related to Jane!

FAMILY DRAMA!!!!! So we arent even married yet and I already have issues with Chris' family. They never were good parents, he was physically abused ("spanked" with 2x4s, cigarettes put out on his back etc). His dad started a fight with him about a year ago and when Chris defended himself his mom called the cops and Chris got all the punishment! So anyway, Chris decided that he wanted his parents to be part of his life again because of his little sister and things have been going great for about three months now. Last night Manhattan was hit by a tornado, it was about 200 ft from the radio station that he works at (and was there doing storm updates) and it was scary! He has been trying to get ahold of his family all week because they were supposed to visit on saturday. They ignored him, when his dad called him back he acted normal and even said he was at work. When his parents didn't call to see if he was ok he called them to see if they knew what had happened. When his dad finally answered he said that he had seen it on the news but "figured Chris was busy".... ALL DAY!!!!! Come to find out his parents were in Branson on vacation all week, they didnt tell him because they didnt want him to get his feelings hurt that he wasnt invited. At this point all Chris is thinking is I dont care that you went without me but you werent even going to tell me you went and you lied about being there!!! On top of that, they didnt call to see if he was dead or alive!!!!!!

Sorry for the venting but I know you all would understand!!!