Sunday, April 29, 2007
Tara is coming to MN
I would love to have portraits done by Tara, but I am feeling too shy to do it! Tara is one of my favorite photographers. Why am I letting this opportunity pass me by???
Signs that Summer is Around the Corner
- Alexander's buzz cut:

2. shorts
3. bike rides every day
4. needing to eat out because we spend too much time playing and losing track of time
5. the smell of the flowering trees. My favorite moment of this was in the Target parking lot. It was extremely busy and it was a parking lot full of angry drivers. I quickly moved across the crosswalk towards the store and halfway across, I was stunned and needed to look around. My olfactory senses went into overload. I finally figured it out that the lovely scent was from the trees at the edge of the parking lot.
6. first lawn mowing of the season
7. tulips ready to burst
8. applying sunscreen before the bike rides
9. a sweaty, sticky Littlest
10. flip flops
11. fans running throughout the day
12. the boys wanting to run through the sprinkler
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Reconnecting
Since I know that Shawn is reading this - don't forget to grant me access to your web page that you told me about. Also, what is the best e-mail to use for you (the blogger comments don't come through with an e-mail address)?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Memory Works New Products!
Some of my favorite pages of the catalog are the Scrapbook Essentials, Project Essentials, Design Essentials, and Basic Essentials. Check it out:
- new Autumn Leaves acrylic stamps
- 7 Gypsies hardware
- gorgeous chipboard
You will not be able to order from my website for a couple of days, but make a list and stop back after 5pm on Tuesday, April 17th! Here are the important dates:
Monday April 16 - Shopping cart is shut down on company website and consultant websites for new inventory and website maintenance.
Monday, April 16 - New products are available for viewing!
Tuesday, April 17, 5:00 pm MST - Shopping cart will be open again. Orders can be submitted for all new in-stock and available products. New updated Product Availibility listing will be available. New Consultant Black Out special will end and online consultant registration will resume at the regular $35 fee.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Countdown
The jokesters are already in action! I arrived with a plan to do some final clean-up. I was thinking about the things that I would need to remember to pack and one of the things I thought of was my pen/pencil cup. I planned on leaving the pens in my drawer and packing my pen cup since I brought that into the office. I arrived this morning and the first thing that I noticed was that my pen cup was missing! Isn't ironic that the one, small, silly thing that I was thinking about is the ONE thing that is missing from my desk!! I said to my co-workers, "My chair isn't even cold and things are already being nabbed from my desk". One of them smartly replied, "You might come in tomorrow and not have a chair!"
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Portrait Lighting
Enjoy! There appears to be several videos of different techniques on that same page, so you might want to check them out!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
A day alone
The boys headed up northwest to spend Easter with their grandparents and I opted to stay at home so that I could sing for the Easter services at church. I figured that is really only about 30 hours without the boys so that it would be doable. My Mom asked me what I was going to do about Easter dinner and I am hoping that the boys bring home some leftover ham. Granted, they don't always have ham at Easter, so it might end up being a surprise.
So, what have I done with my day today? It wasn't anything extraordinary at all, but I still enjoyed it.
Let's see - the day started with choir rehearsal for the Easter services. The best part about Easter services is that all of the instrumental groups participate: bells, choir, organ, piano, and brass. While we were rehearsing, the Bachman's were arranging all of the Easter flowers around the alter. It is such a beautiful sight with the white Easter lilies, the purple and pink hydrangeas, burgundy tulips, and some beautiful yellow flowers.
I then came home with the intention of cleaning the house, but my "easy read" book (aka trashy novel) called out to me. I guess at this point I should admit that I love Jude Deveraux books. I haven't read a ton of them, but I have enjoyed all of the ones that I have read. I think my favorite was The Summerhouse. The one that called to me and I needed to finish today was The Mulberry Tree.
Since I finished my book, I decided to make a library run to drop off the ones that the boys and I had finished and then to run some other errands - groceries, hardware store, and Home Depot for a universal garage door opener. It took me a while to figure it out, but I finally got it.
I then did some housework - let's just skip over that. I used it as a justification to start a new book. This one is called Grace Notes and so far I really like it. Right now I am watching Lost in Translation. I like it, but I don't. I haven't really figured out the plot except that it is a middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis and a young woman trying to figure out where her place is in life. I checked the official website to see how they describe it, but the only thing I could find is "Everyone wants to be found".
Several of you have asked about my new job that is starting on April 16th. As I learned from Heather Armstrong's website Dooce, I tend to avoid discuss working topics on my blog. So, I will give you the minimum and say that I feel that it is a good move to advance my career and my skill set. I am going to be a Sr. Consultant for Traust Group. I will be doing the same sort of work that I am doing now - IT Project Managament, Business Analyst work, and a little development work. It will be interesting to see what clients I work with and what my projets are. I am really looking forward to it.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Movin' to Mac

I have copied most of my files, music, and pictures over to my new machine, but I still have LOTS to install and lots to learn. In college and grad school, my main exposure to computers was through the Mac. I was so much of a Mac user that when I got my first job as an IT consultant and was given a laptop, I didn't know how to turn it on because the big "ON" button didn't exist!
I did have fun playing with all of the features on my Mac. One of them is a built-in camera above the screen. Here is a pic of me after spending two hours uploading files. I like to think of that look as being a tired, but pleased look! Yes, I love my Mac!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
New Devil Car!
1) bought a laptop
2) bought a car
3) resigned from my job
Whew! Could we add any more change to the week?
Today I want to focus on my new (used) car because the resignation from the job isn't a fun topic and the laptop hasn't been unpacked yet!
Here is a pic of my new baby:

and its interior (already full of my junk!):

We ended up getting a VW Passat 2.0T - yes, watch out world, I am driving a Turbo engine! I LOVE that feature!
So, the old Camry is going to be retired. Kyle didn't admit to me until AFTER we purchased the VW that the Camry has gained a new shimmy and shake while driving. GREAT......was it endangering the lives of my children and the children that carpool with us??? Yikes. I don't want to think about it. I have just come to accept the fact that it is being retired. At 215,000 miles, we won't get anything for it, so we are going to donate it to a group. Please e-mail me if you have any organizations that you would recommend!!
The vehicle plan is as follows - I get the new car (isn't that the way it should be??!!) because I am heading back into consulting and could be driving all over the Cities. So, Kyle will take the van. He does most of the kid pick-up and drop-off, so it is really best that he has the van. Of course, the boys love the new car and want to ride in it where ever they go!
The only issue with the car is that it came with a license plate from the dealer because it was a loaner car. Guess what the numbers are in the plate???? 666!!! Do you think that this makes it a devil car? It doesn't really bother me, but I have had a few friends tell me that I should get the plates changed!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Memory Works Spring Cleaning!
To see the list of products and/or product categories that are in the clearance section, you can either scroll down or view through Google Docs
2007 SPRING CLEANING CLEARANCE SALE
Out with the old, in with the new! With the new MemoryWorks 2007/2008 Product Catalog right around the corner, we’re doing our spring cleaning to make room for the fresh new product line! We’re saying good-bye to tons of products and this is you and your customers chance to make a clean sweep with an additional 10%, 20% and even 30% off the regular retail price on our retired products.
Manufacturer Product Name/Category Discount
American Crafts Play Collection 20%
American Crafts Good Things Collection 20%
American Crafts Trademark Rub-Ons 20%
Autumn Leaves Splendor Collection 20%
Autumn Leaves Enchanted Collection 20%
Autumn Leaves Going Places Collection 20%
Autumn Leaves Summer Collection 20%
Autumn Leaves
Autumn Leaves Select Clear Stamps 20%
Basic Grey Blitzen Collection 10%
Basic Grey Color Me Silly Collection 10%
Basic Grey Lollipop Shoppe Collection 10%
Basic Grey Lucky Collection 10%
Basic Grey Skate Shoppe Collection 10%
Basic Grey Book Clips - Pewter 10%
Basic Grey Jumbo Bookplates 10%
Basic Grey Rub-ons 10%
Basic Grey Undressed Chipboard 10%
Basic Grey Rolls of Ribbon 10%
Three Bugs in a Rug Rub-ons 20%
Three Bugs in a Rug Theme Set - French Country 20%
Three Bugs in a Rug Theme Set - My Wish List 20%
Three Bugs in a Rug Theme Set - Spicy 20%
Three Bugs in a Rug Theme Set - Rhapsody 20%
Chatterbox Theme Sets 20%
Chatterbox Embellishment Kits 20%
Chatterbox Doodle Genie - Botanical 20%
Chatterbox Doodle Genie - Decorative 20%
Chatterbox Mini-Album Kits 20% Chatterbox Transparency Letters 20%
Coluzzle Accessory Starter Kit 10%
Coluzzle Template - Folk Heart 10%
Coluzzle Template - Gift Tags 10%
Cropper Hopper Select Products 20%
Crop-in-Style Select Products 20%
Daisy D’s All Inventory 20%
Etcetera All Inventory 20%
Fancy Pants Chi-Chi Collection 10%
Fancy Pants Dapper Collection 10%
Fancy Pants Frou-Frou Collection 10%
Fancy Pants Spiffy Collection 10%
Fancy Pants Wild Heart Collection 10%
Fancy Pants Biggest Board Chipboard - Flourishes 10%
Fancy Pants Biggest Board Chipboard - Tabs, Tags 10%
Fancy Pants Big Board Chipboard - Mats, Corners 10%
Heidi Swapp Chipboard Albums 20%
Heidi Swapp Chipboard Frame Kits 20%
Heidi Swapp Chipboard Letters 20%
Heidi Swapp Decorative Photo Corners 20%
Heidi Swapp Decorative Tape 20%
Heidi Swapp Florals 20%
Heidi Swapp Mini Iron 20%
Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons 20%
Heidi Swapp Iron-ons 20%
Heidi Swapp Roller Stamps 20%
Imagination Project Carnival Collection 30%
Imagination Project Dig It Collection 30%
Imagination Project Sings At Weddings Collection 30%
Imagination Project Take A Vacation Collection 30%
Imagination Project Treasure Hunt Collection 30%
Imagination Project Wonderland Collection 30%
Junkitz All Inventory 30%
KI Memories All Inventory 30%
Making Memories All Inventory 20%
My Mind’s Eye All Inventory 20%
Pebbles Theme Set - Easter 10%
Pebbles Theme Set - Great Outdoors 10%
Pebbles Theme Set - Happy 10%
Pebbles Theme Set - Summer 10%
Pebbles Theme Set - Zoo 10%
Prima Flowers All Inventory 10%
Rob & Bob Studios All Inventory 20%
Simply Chic Stamps All Inventory 20%
Scenic Route All Inventory 20%
Scrapworks All Inventory 20%
SEI All Inventory 20%
Wild Asparagus All Inventory 10%
We R Memory Keepers All Inventory 10%
Essentials - Ink & Pens Fiber Scraps EZ Tintz 20%
Essentials – Adhesives Click & Stick Tabs 10%
Box Albums Bay Box Albums 20%
Album Accessories Bay Box Albums Refills 20%
Albums 12x12 Premium Leather Albums 10%
Albums 12x12 Suede - Sky 20%
Albums 12x12 Suede - Violet 20%
Albums 8x8 Suede - Sky 20%
Albums 8x8 Suede - Violet 20%
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Autism Speaks
At the end of her entry, Ali has a note that Technique Tuesday is also supporting autism research as the philanthropic support for 2007. The are supporting this in two ways: 1) they have created a set of stamps from which 50% of the profit will go to Autism Speaks, 2) you can enter an autism awareness scrapbook challenge during the month of April, and 3) you can make a donation.
It is really amazing to me the more I learn about autism. It has such a broad spectrum of symptoms that it is amazing. It is also amazing at how much control it has over families who struggle with it daily. I have a good friend who is up against autism daily and she absolutely amazes me.
I am also amazed at how powerful a community can be. In this case, the community is the scrapbooking community. It is an amazing network of people who can really make a difference!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Alexander's New Bike!
Look at Mr. Alexander on his new bike with his new matching helmet!! Yes, my SIX year old is on a 24-inch bike! The sales clerk at Penn Cycle could not believe that he was only 6 years old.
We did a trip around the block after dinner tonight. It was a little dicey at first since he hasn't been on a bike this big before. He had some difficulty remembering to keep calm and steer with the handlebars rather than taking his feet off of his pedals. It was very cute for us to watch, but very frustrating for him! I am sure that he will be a pro at his new bike in no time!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
iPods: Are They Leading to Anti-Social Behavior?
Listen to music. This is something that approximately 80% of the commuters that I watched did on their way to work and/or school on the LRT. All of the music-systems were personal players such as iPod or another type of MP3 player. I was one of the masses listening to music. Listening to music in public places reminded me of our honeymoon to Greece where music was everywhere! There was music in all of the stores, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and even in the airplanes. It was a sort of communal music that you were exposed to, but everyone was exposed to, so it became a sort of background noise to the conversations that were loudly occurring in order to be heard over the music. Music and conversation co-habited in the society.
What has happened to the conversation in society now that the iPod has become so prevalent? Do we miss an opportunity to have a conversation with some who may end up being a friend or even a soulmate? Okay, let's not take it that far, but are we losing our ability to hold conversations with new people?
Is the iPod and other MP3 players leading to a new type of anti-social behavior? For instance, the first day I rode the LRT, I did not have my headset on immediately and the woman next to me struck up a conversation with me. Come to find out, both of us were headed for jury duty and we had a really nice conversation about the process and how it was affecting each of her lives. She is a stay at home mom with a husband who is fighting cancer and is trying to start up a remodeling business. She expressed how she was going through a series of feelings: excitement to be out learning something new and talking with adults, guilt for leaving her husband with the three children, and concern for her husband's health. Overall, it was a snippet it time that left an impression on me. Neither one of us knows each other's names, but when we saw each other 3 days later at the LRT station, we were able to readily (and easily) strike up another conversation and we caught up on the court cases that we had both been assigned to and how impressed we both were with how the deliberation process worked. If I had been wearing my iPod that morning, I would not have had an acquaintance with whom to share notes about our perceptions of a common experience between us.
Okay, do NOT get me wrong, I am NOT going to be getting rid of my iPod. I love it AND I purposely used it to avoid conversations when I don't want to be bothered. I just find it interesting that we might be missing out on different opportunities to meet other people. Of course, I am a chatty person with strangers (I think I inherited this from my Mom), so other people may never even consider striking up or continuing a conversation with a stranger on the Light Rail.
What about you? Have you thought about iPods and lack of conversation? Do you feel a sense of isolation (this can be desired isolation, not just the negative connotations derived from the word) when you have your iPod or MP3 player in your ears?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
More Memory Works Sneak Peeks!
There are LOTS of new sneak peek items being released at Memory Works!
Check out my Home Page on my website Scraps of Time for the latest news
and links to all of the newly released products.
Here are some things that I am really excited about:
Pebbles Foam Stamps and paints:
http://tinyurl.com/ywadgs
Cosmo Cricket (LOVE this product line!):
http://tinyurl.com/yrpsor
and Piggy Tales, a new company for Memory-Works:
http://tinyurl.com/2euxz4
Please let me know if you are interested in ordering any products!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Was It Anxiety or a Premonition?
As soon as I called in and heard my group number to be the first on listed, I hung up and immediately packed up and headed downtown. I got there in plenty of time, which is not normal for me, if you know me! I got there so early that after checking in, I got myself a cup of coffee and started to look around me. It was then that I realized that I was in a government offices building and that I might be able to get my driver's license renewed (it was due at the end of the month). After obtaining directions to proceed to the giant blue S (what does that stand for? Service Center? I don't know, it wasn't obvious to me!) to do DMV types of things. I waited in line for about 5 minutes to have a form and a computer generated number (C277) handed to me. This number then flashed above one of the counter areas in the next isle. Okay, so I hurried over there with my form and had to fill it out while the young clerk waited for me. He was actually a hoot and made a couple of funny, cynical remarks. Of course, I can't remember any of them, so that isn't too funny to you!! As soon as I finished the paperwork and handed him my check, he said, "OK, I'll meet you at desk 15". Ahhhh...the picture taking area. He had to do two takes of my picture (the joy of glasses) and after the second one, he asked me if I liked the picture. There was NO way that I could even see the picture. The two photos that he took of me had practically blinded by the gigantic flash on the machine. I said, "All I see is two giant white blobs - I trust you." And that was that!!
I then returned down, down, down to The Jury Assembly Room. This room is a lovely, circa 1970s room in the bowels of the government center. The interesting thing about this room is that every now and then the entire room and all of its contents shake and rumble. I thought that we were having a mini-earthquake with the first rumble. No, it wasn't an earthquake - it is simply the fact that the Jury Assembly Room sits directly beneath 6th street. LOVELY. So every time a big truck or a bus passes overhead, everything shakes. At one point, I was getting concerned about motion sickness after what must have been three buses passed overhead. Would you consider that poor planning, designing, or engineering???
Okay, enough about my experience so far. I will have to leave some more to share tomorrow.
Tomorrow, you will learn about my little, oddly placed seat that was assigned to me!
Jury Duty Anxiety
I am on a "call in" status where I need to call in daily after 6:30 pm to see if I am needed the next morning. If not (as in last night's phone call), I need to call in at 12:15 pm. If I am summoned at that time, then I need to be at the Government Center no later than 1:30 pm. Well, that doesn't give a huge amount of time for getting there and it didn't hit me until right now that that is the case. I am now starting to stress because I realized that I don't have cash for parking and I don't have enough time to make it to the Mall of America to use the Light Rail. Yes, this response is ridiculous. I am stressing over little things that can easily be handled:
- I can run out around 11 and get some cash from the bank
- I can drive into Minneapolis to make it to the afternoon call time in time
- If I want to ride the light rail (which is a very nice option), I could start driving towards the Mall of America at lunch time and then call from the road. I would be able to catch a light rail (I have a free pass and therefore would not need cash!) and would be calmer.
Okay, I am feeling better. Sometimes just putting the anxiety down in writing helps to alleviate it!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Red Crab

Saturday, March 17, 2007
Plato was Accepted!
Here are some pictures of Ethan in part of his costume (he thinks he left his sweater vest at school), his suitcase (love the "chicken" in his bag!), and his paperwork.
Friday, March 16, 2007
A Missed Photo Op of Plato Aristophones
The missed photo opportunity was of Mr. Plato Aristophones at our house this morning. Ethan's class is studying immigration and today is the big day. Each child was assigned a role to play as either an immigrant or an immigration officer at Ellis Island. They are to dress up to fit their roles. The immigrants will then move around the entire school today representing their different countries to simulate the trip across the ocean and then will enter Ellis Island, aka their classroom.
Ethan's character is Plato Aristophones. He is a young man who is the son of a Greek business man. He is in good health and has money (Ethan assumes that this will help him get into the country). He is coming to New York to setup a rug business. Ethan chose a cute little "travel" suitcase and filled it with what he thought Plato would have: a chicken, money, a can of beans, and an extra pair of glasses. His attire was khakis, white oxford shirt, a sweater vest, a tie, and fake "glasses". He looks very cute. I wanted to get him a mustache, but we ran out of time.
I can't wait to hear if Plato Aristophones is allowed into the United States! I MUST take a picture tonight!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
My new website is up and running!
Works Consultant. This place is pretty cool because they sell my favorites like
Basic Grey, Wild Asparagus, etc., but they do not sell by the sheet; instead,
they sell by the "theme". Yes, it is a way to continue to feed my obsession! :)
My Memory Works website is now and running! Please check it out at
http://scrapsoftime.memory-works.com
Here is how it works:
- you can place an orderly DIRECTLY on the website!
- I will receive a notification that your order is waiting
- I will contact you to talk about payment options (in the future, I will have a
Pay Pal account tied to the website so that you can pay directly)
- The product will be shipped directly to you (unless, of course, you want to
visit with me, then I will deliver it to you!)
Thanks so much for your support!!
Marcy
http://scrapsoftime.memory-works.com
