Bad Broke Blogger!

I know I haven't blogged much.. I have been so busy!
May I vent a bit here? I am BROKE! I had some major dental work done two weeks ago and had to take out a credit to pay for it! The cost was $9500! So, I took out 10,000. I got my upper teeth done all nice and pretty now I NEED a root canal done on a lower tooth! UGH! SO, I needed to ask for another $1000 because a stinkin' root canal will cost $1900! UH.. It is pricey because I go to a sedation dentist. He puts you out and wakes you up when it is all over. I really wouldn't want to have any of it done while awake! Especially the last one. We were able to do it all in one day (4 hours!) instead of coming back over a number of visits because I was put out.
Now, after the 10,000 one I was able to find out what I needed to pay each month and decided I would do double payments each month. Then I figured out how much I had left and I was able t make plans to go to a weekend crop the first weekend in May, get a new laptop (with payments) and buy myself and Mom new dresses for G's Bar Mitzvah. I swear the second I did all that my tooth began to throb! UGH.. it is abscessed and because of what tooth it is of course it will cost more than any other! I am so blessed that I am able to do all of this. I think back a few years to when I would have had to just deal with the pain. I wouldn't have this old laptop, never mind a new one! A new dress? AND able to buy one fr Mom? Forget it! My life has changed for the better and granted I worked hard to change it but I know I didn't do it alone! I had the support and faith of my family and since I am a believer, I had God rooting for me too! I have never been alone! Even when I felt alone I have my cats to remind me! I swear they know when you are ill or down! Sweet boys!
Anyway, That is my money vent for now! At least I am healthy and happy! Even if I can't afford anything unnecessary for the next 30 years! lol I vow to have a good day! It will be in the mid 70's today so I am headed outside to re-pot some plants and clean up the flower garden for planting.. I hope you have a good day too!

tagged!

1. What is your favorite color? *** spring green
2. What color are your socks right now? **no socks.. I hate socks!
3. What are you listening to right now? *** The Today show
4. What was the last thing you ate? *** home made fattening (but yummy)Mac and Cheese
5. Can you drive a stick shift? *** I used to be able to.. not sure if I still could..
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? *** blue
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? *** aunt Mary
8. How old are you today? *** 33
9. Favourite drink? *** water
10. What is your favourite sport to watch? *** NASCAR
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? *** Yep
12. Favorite reality TV show? *** Big Brother
13. What was the last movie you watched? *** Enchanted
14. Favourite day of the year? *** Any day I wake up seems pretty good to me!
15. What do you do to vent anger? *** write
16. What was your favourite toy as a child? *** Barbies
17. What is your favourite, fall or spring? *** I like both equally..
18. Hugs or kisses? *** Hugs
19. Cherries or blueberries? *** do I HAVE to choose? love them both
20. Chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin? *** Chocolate chip
21. Favourite dessert? *** tiramisu
22. Living arrangement? *** In a house
23. When was the last time you cried? *** about a month ago
24. What is on the floor of your closet? *** shoe boxes and a pair of sweatpants the cat keeps pulling down to sleep on
25. What did you do last night? *** I knitted a few squares for my blanket, listened to an audio book then went to sleep early
26. What inspires you? *** Too much to even start to list
(Um, where are 27 through 29?)
30. What are you afraid of? *** fire, living to be more than 100! lol
31. Plain, cheese, or spicy burgers? *** plain
32. Favourite breed of dog? *** Boxers
33. Favorite car? *** I love Toyota Highlanders!
34. Favourite day of the week? *** I like them all!
.35. How many states have you lived in? *** just one
36. Favorite breed of cat? *** Siamese!
37. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? *** yes and yes! wouldn't say I was good at either one though! lol
38. Who is your favourite NFL team? *** Since I live in New England I would have to say the Patriots (not a football follower though!)
39. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? *** Yes, in case of power outages.
40. 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? *** give me the snow baby!!

Hapy Easter to you!

Not much to say but I wanted to post a picture of the yummy cake I made for Easter dessert. It is regular old yellow cake with buttercream icing and tinted coconut.

ENJOY! (I make cakes to sell if you need one!! All celebrations!)

j.

GORGEOUS Quilt giveaway!!

Do you love quilts? I do! I used to love big fluffy comforters but now I find that handmade quilts give me more "comfort".
There is a beautiful quilt up for grabs at Old Red Barn Isn't it beautiful? I have a picture of the quilt in my side bar but be sure to click on that link to check it out along with the details. If you don't win that there are 2 other prizes.. gift certs to Old Red Barn store.. I have not shopped there before but I am going to give it a good look! You know what a sucker I am for hand made things!!
Happy St. Patrick's Day all!!

Creative Escape! why do I think I am so ambitious?!

I am headed to Creative Escape in September.. Great! I can't wait for the event! Can't wait to see Heidi again, meet Tim Holtz, Kolette Hall and her husband (great inspirations! both of them!), Jenni Bowlin.. a few others.. all of them I am dying to meet!! I can't wait to see the project classes they come up with! Especially the winner of the CE teacher spot! Jessica Guthrie. She runs a great store Kits2remember I bought my Bind It All from her with a few acrylic pieces for some mini books (that I haven't made yet! lol)
ANYWAY, the reason for this rant.. There are still a few months left BUT... why do I think I am so ambitious? I signed up for every single swap, project, event associated with the CE event! lol I signed up for the bracelet charm swap.. I have done a few before and I love to show off my awesome piece of wearable artwork! I get tons of compliments on my Christmas and Valentine ones! THEN I signed up for the 8X8 page swap.. no biggie, only 10 spaces for each group on that one.. (I took 2 groups) THEN, I signed up for the ATC swap.. THEN I signed up for.. well, you get the idea!! I guess I had better start with some of them now! lol I always say I work best under pressure.. I say that because I always work under pressure! I am such a last minute person that I don't know what working with plenty of time feels like! lol I would like to find out!
Oh well, it will all work out and be tremendous fun in the end! I will let you know how it all works out!
I am going to work on the circle journal I am doing (for CE of course) now.. Having fun with that one!
Wish me luck!

more cakes, more cats and trash..

I am sooo tired! It has been such a long week! I began my Wilton 1 decorating class last Tuesday. I made my first batch of "Wilton icing" last night.. It was thick.. I tried to frost a cake and ripped the poor thing to pieces! I am going to bring the icing in with tears in my eyes and cry.. whyyyyy? lol Seriously.. I think it has been so many years of "eyeballing" the perfect icing recipe that I am just used to mine, YKWIM? I did manage to make a rose though! lol
Mishka is still kind of sick. He is acting better but I need to have him on a special acidic diet and he hates the food! Apparently cats are not supposed to eat dry food. That is hard to do.. They both love dry food. I put about 1/2 cup down for each of them a night and for them to not have it is... well.. loud! lol They are Siamese don't forget.. talkers! big time! lol Anyway, things will turn out fine.. They are strong guys and I will do what has to be done.. even through the crying..(mine!lol)
Finally the last task of the day.. Trash... ugh! WHY do I keep it all for the night before pick up? I just hauled out 5 bags of trash! My lungs are beat! It is cold and I am tired! Being a dummy though.. I put a load of laundry in the dryer.. I am one of "those" people who can not leave the house or go to bed with the dryer running. We had a dryer fire when I was little and I still recall the smell.. and I still mourn the loss of the tiny rose bud flannel might gown my Mom had just finished sewing for me! I LOVED it! I wore it for 5 night straight until she finally pried it away from me to wash.. if I had only held out a little longer! lol oh well, funny the things I remember, huh?
Well, dryer is almost off.. night!!!

Hi again! Questions, cakes, cats and cards!

I am a terrible blogger, aren't I? I made a promise to myself that I would blog at least once a week.. well, that didn't work out now did it? lol I am actually wondering if I switch to a pay site if it would "remind" me to blog.. Does anyone have any tips on how they keep up with things like this? Let me know!!
Cakes.. I am so excited! I signed up for the Wilton 1 class.. I know the basics of cake design from the "Wedding Cake Era". Mom made wedding cakes for everyone she knew when I was little. I can recall sitting at the kitchen table (on her lap!) while she made the little roses out of sugar frosting. Then they would set and I would help put them on the cakes! I still know how to do the things we used to do even after 20 years but I am dying to learn how to do the gorgeous fondant cakes I see out there. I figured I may as well begin at the beginning, right?! My first class is this Tuesday so I will let you know how it goes!
Cats.. Mishka was terribly sick a few weeks ago.. I loaded him and Mom into the Toyota and away we went to the Pet ER on a Sunday (are you seeing dollar signs yet? At the time all I saw was a sick kitty but now.. well, now the $$ signs are lining up! lol) Turns out he had a Lower Tract Infection. I had to give him 4 days of antibiotics then load them back up a week later and do a re-check. I get there to find a surprised vet.. Why am I there so soon? Well, because YOU gave me 4 days of meds and made an appt. for a re-check in 1 week.. What? It was a mistake? So now I need to pay more for more meds (have you ever tried to give a cat a pill? Ouch!) and come back in fourTEEN days... gotcha.. what? Oh no.. no problem at all.. The cat just LOVES to go for a ride (NOT). So, Monday I need to re-load my cat, my disabled Mom and my check book (re-check is free but I am sure he will come up with something that will cost me!) and drive 30 minutes away... again... Thank God for Mom! It isn't easy for her to g out but she does so she can try to keep the cat in the back seat and out from under my feet (and the brake!) If you are of the praying persuasion could you keep Mishka in your daily prayers? He seems find but at 8 he isn't a toddler anymore.. He acts like an old man! lol
Cards.. I haven't had a chance to sit down and do anything lately! I managed to do the circle journal for my Creative Escape group and 2 cards for a SU Occasions mini swap. I used the sets One Smart Cookie and Time For You. I will post the cards later on.. Now I need to get to an ATM machine.. central CT got between 5-9 inches of snow last night and our "guys" are here to shovel the walks.. I am broke so I need to run get them some $$.. Vets and shovelers.. 2 people I am happy to pay for! lol
Have great day all!

quilt related blog candy

WOW! I knew it had been along time since I posted but I had NO IDEA it had been so long! I found some great blog candy on Quilt Nut Creations Go check it out!
I PROMISE I will begin posting with more regularity. I also promise to start putting up some blog candy o my own! I am Clean Sweeping out my home this Spring and what doesn't go is going into a dumpster.. Harsh but I need it! I have thins that I don't recall even liking before never mind not recalling the buying process! I have an illness.. an addiction.. some people say that jokingly but I don't think it is a joke with me.. I have way too much "stuff" to have purchased rationally.. Lucky for you! You guys will be the recipients of the fruits of my illness! So, keep an eye out!
Speaking of keeping an eye out! Don't forget it is nearly SAB time! I you don't have a SAB brochure be sure to drop me a line to let me know! I will get you one right away!
Have a blessed day!

Stampin' Up! Sign Up Special!! Choose your Own Family!

Wow, Stampin' Up! is doing it again...if you sign up to be a demonstrator between August 10th and September 30th not only do you save nearly 40% off retail by purchasing the kit, earn future discounts and all the other benefits of being a demonstrator BUT during this limited time you'll get an entire Classic Ink pad color family of your choice - ABSOLUTELY FREE! for more information check my Become a Demonstrator page over on the right and be sure to link to Stampin' Up! here and click on "choose your family".
Happy Stamping!

SU Holiday Mini catalog!!

I got a goodie box from Stampin Up today! I actually haven't opened it yet! I have been trying to stave off a migraine fro a few days now so I laid down for a "few minutes" this afternoon... SIX HOURS LATER! I woke up..
I am about to break into that box to peek though.. Maybe even mount a few sets from the Holiday mini.. what? How can I do that so late at night? Why the answer is simple... the mini sets are all DIE CUT from now on! Only the minis though.. Still hoping for the main catalog one of these days but for now I don't mind cutting stamps.. it is part of my process I guess but I do like the break! lol
You can order from the mini (and see it online if you don't have a hard copy) from Sept. 1-Nov. 30 Email me if you want one.

Could I post any less frequently? / lot's of stuff to say!

Well folks, I am still here. It has been truly crazy these last few (two) months. I won't get in to any of the boring details but I will share some great stamp stuff! I have been creating but most for swaps I took to convention July 24-30 in Denver. What a blast I had! Next year will be even better! only 1 SU convention session! It is the 20th anniversary so they are holding only 1 session so we can all celebrate together!
Anyway.. more to say but I am going to post it in separate posts so every great item can have it's own space!!