happy halloween...and lots of blab!!

Hi Friends!!!
It has been a CU~RAZY week!!! It started off pretty normal, but you know how things go, LOL!!!

Lots of blabbing ahead (consider yourself warned, LOL!):
Tuesday I had my carpets professionally cleaned (I try to do that at LEAST once a year), well that was all fine and dandy. They did a great job!!! Mike and I decided to go out for dinner that night (since all my kitchen/dining room chairs were in the kitchen for the carpet cleaning earlier)...after dinner we went to church for FPU (learned about retirement~kinda confusing, 401K, pensions, insert glazed look here). We got home around 8:30 pm and we were greeted at the door by Kodi (which is always fun!!!), since he is usually gated in the kitchen and family room (tiled floor). I was hoping the damage wouldn't be too bad (usually he only eats the cat food)~well low and behold...I found this (picture below) in the office/craft room *ARGH!!!* Not sure what he was trying to do, but he chewed a hole right in the doorway. Good thing I LIKE that doggie!!!



Wednesday morning I called Phoenix Carpet Repair, and Robert (the owner) came out (that same day) and fixed us all up (he even did some other minor repairs), he is great btw!!! I highly recommend him. Since we didn't have any carpet remnants laying around, he told me to clean out a closet before he arrived, so he could get some pieces to use for the repair. I emptied our downstairs closet (I have been wanting to re-organize it for a while~this just gave me the kick in the pants, LOL!!) I took everything out and put it in the office/craft room. Unfortunately, the carpet in that closet had water damage from a few years ago, so I had to clean out Mike's closet too (closet organization is on the agenda today). I was happy with the end result, the carpet looks as good as new!!!



I also went to Hobby Lobby on Wednesday to look for a large basket to store our 3 work lunch boxes in (which Mike, Josh and I use everyday). I usually store them on top of the fridge, but they are not that pretty, KWIM? I found a basket that I liked at HL (and even had a coupon), but once I got it home it was kinda big~Mike thinks it looks to large for the spot...I am giving it a few days to see if it grows on me~what do you think?? Is it a keeper or should I return it??



And since Halloween is Sunday, and I am not working today *woot*~I whipped up some treats for the office on Wednesday night, so I could bring them to work with me on Thursday~I picked up most of the stuff at Jo-Ann's (except for the plastic bugs~they are from the dollar store).





Ok, I think that is it for today!! Have a Fantastic weekend!!!

less is more birthday card...

Howdy all...
Here we are already back to Monday...sometimes I wish Sunday had a pause button, LOL!!!

Not a lot of exciting stuff going on at the Clark house this weekend~just the usual, cleaning/laundry/groceries. I also had a little bit of time on Saturday night to edit Josh's birthday photos (I am a little behind in the photo editing dept, considering his birthday was in May, LOL!).

I whipped up a quick Birthday card for a friend last night~I cannot take credit for it, because it is totally case'd (copy and share everything) from one of my favorite stampers. I just love the clean and simple (less is more) design!! (oh yeah, I did notice the blue strip is crooked, and will fix it before I mail it out~don't ya hate when that happens??).



Ok Friends have a Magnificent Monday!!!

I {heart} fall!!!

Hooray for Friday!!!
Hope you had a Marvelous week~mine was ok~but I am happy that the weekend is here~as ALWAYS!!

I think it is finally fall here in AZ~the temp was only 75 degrees yesterday (and cloudy) such a nice change after the 100 plus degrees we endure over the summer months. I actually wore a sweater to work yesterday (hey I have thin blood, LOL!). I also turned off the A/C and had the windows open~I LOVE that (my allergies not so much).

One thing I really miss about living in New England, is the beautiful fall colors. When Mike and I were visiting a few weeks ago, the leaves were just starting to change. So that inspired me to pull out some of my favorite SU! colors~Really Rust, More Mustard and Ruby Red (when I was a SU! demonstrator, Earth Elements was my favorite color family!!). Kind of made me feel like I was back in Connecticut in the fall~not really, LOL!!



I hope you have a Fantastic weekend~I may even bust out the hot chocolate and marshmallows and my sweatpants~good times!!!

for my SIL...

Hi friends...
This is gonna be a quickie today...
My allergies have been crazy this fall season~I have been using this, but for some reason yesterday it did NOTHING for me~I ended up falling asleep on the couch last night. So needless to say, my blog post didn't get done. Luckily I go into work a little bit later on Wednesday mornings, so I quickly snapped a photo of today's card so I could get my post up~see how much I love you guys!!!

My SIL lost her father last weekend, so this is a quick card I made for her. I hope it gives her a little bit of comfort to know that I am thinking/praying for her at this difficult time. Her family lives in Korea, so I can imagine how hard it must be for her to be so far away from them.




Ok I am off to work...see you on Friday :)

lots of chit chat and a thank you card...

Is it Monday already???
I hope you had an AWESOME weekend!!! I was able to cross a few things off my to-do list, that had been there way too long (which always makes me feel good!!!). I also had a list of people to mail cards to, that had been on my list for quite a while, and it felt good to get them written and mailed!!! Procrastination is BAD!!!

I found this website over the weekend, on making recipes to stock your freezer...how awesome would that be?? I am gonna try to talk Ashley into giving it a try with me!! ;)

And while I was web surfing...I found this site which I think is quite helpful if you ever plan meals for your friends (which I do regularly for my church), I am gonna try it out this week for a friend of mine.

and...
I am excited that it is that time again for Operation Christmas Child. I am in charge of this ministry again this year. I had so much fun shopping and filling up my shoe boxes. OCC is such a great ministry!!! I thought I would snap a photo of my boxes (I usually make a few more, but needed 2 on Sunday for the display table at church). If you would like more info or want to donate boxes feel free to email me ( just click on the "contact me" tab right under my profile pic).





And finally onto the stamping...
I needed a thank you card for a sweet family who blessed Mike and I last week with a generous gift. Of course I was feeling a little unmotivated in the stamping department, so I went to my favorite sketch website and used this weeks sketch challenge as my inspiration.




Ok friends make today a GREAT one!!!

family room decor...

Howdy,
Today I have a decorating post for ya...I was supposed to post this last week, and then my computer kinda pooped out, so here it goes...

I have been wanting to change the photo I had over the sofa for a while (should have taken a before photo), but wasn't really sure what I wanted to do (I am sometimes undecisive)...one trip to Hobby Lobby helped me to get my decorating juices flowing, LOL!!! I have been wanting a metal star for a while (they kinda make me feel New England ~y) since they are very prevelant in the NE area. And since HL always has their metal decor 50% off (not sure if it is always on sale, but every time I have gone in, it has been on sale), I scored a few pieces that really didn't break the bank!!! *woot* Then I found a chalk board (really cheap), which I thought would add a fun touch to the wall, along with some vinyl wall decor (which I used my 40% off coupon on~I had to find something not on sale, so I could use my coupon LOL!!). Then all I needed were some plates to go in the plate rack (also 50% off at HL)...can you believe I found these plates at Target??? And can you believe that they are plastic? They really look like glass...REALLY !!!



Of course Kodi was sitting in his usual spot when I snapped the family room photo...CRAZY DOGGIE!!!


Here is a close up of the wall~I added a little message to the chalk board for my hubby, who very graciously hung up everything for me~and when I came downstairs, I had to laugh that he commented on it too, LOL!!!



And just for fun, this is Kodi playing I am hard to photograph (which he has down pretty well).



Hey CRAZY DOG...Lookie over here I have a snack...GOTCHA!!! Isn't he a cute??? I think so!!

Enjoy your weekend!!!

boss appreciation day...

Hi blog friends!!
It is sooo nice to be back to blogging with my computer!! All I can say is "she is SUPER fast now" and I LOVE IT!!! The only downfall to getting all new parts in your computer is that I lost a lot of my not so important "stuff". Luckily all my documents and photos were all intact, but my email addresses and Internet bookmarks are all adios amigos...which I really cannot complain about, because I just have to enter that stuff back in~no biggie!!!

October 16th is Boss Appreciation Day (which falls on Saturday this year~kinda crazy!!), each year I like to do something a little special for my bosses, because they are really great to work for, and really appreciate all of us in the front office. I am bringing the gifts in today, since I have Friday off (and the office is closed on Saturday, LOL!).

I found these candy dishes in the Target dollar spot and just filled them with some m&m's and a gift card...what is not to like??? Chocolate and shopping (2 of my favorite things, LOL!). Instead of cards, I decided to make a tag for the gifts and tie it all up with cello wrap (which makes everything look pretty IMO).






Enjoy Today my Friends!!!

back in business!!

my computer is baaaaaaccckkkk!!! Can I just say how HAPPY I am!!!
I have been re-installing programs and will hopefully have a post up tonight or tomorrow *woot*

see ya soon!!!

it's monday...

Happy Monday!!
I hope you had Marvelous weekend!!! I am still waiting for my computer to come home!! I have missed her soooooo much!!! (I should be getting her back later in the week~HOLA!!). But I do have to admit that without my beloved computer this weekend, I actually relaxed. We had my SIL's parents over for dinner on Friday evening, which was so FUN!!! It was so nice hearing about their cross-country adventures!!! Makes me wanna rent an RV and take a trip like that!! (maybe if Mike and I are ever able to retire, LOL!!).
*I will post pic's next week when my computer returns (too hard to edit and upload with my laptop).*

Saturday was pretty low key, Ashley and I decided it is time we start walking again, and pay more attention to our WW points, (it is amazing how easy it is to get off track!!). Now that the weather is cooling down here in AZ, hopefully it won't be too hard to keep up with my walking schedule :0)

Since I pretty much slacked off this weekend~I didn't do any stamping *gasp* CRAZY I KNOW!!! So I am gonna leave you with a "doggie" funny for today (this is totally KODI). I actually saved it to my laptop desktop because it makes me smile/laugh every time I read it.



Enjoy today!!!
I am thinking positive and hoping to be back in business on Wednesday!!! *fingers crossed*

on my mind...

Happy Friday my blog friends!!!
I don't know about you, but once again I am so happy Friday has finally arrived!!! It has been an interesting week!!

I am still anticipating my new computer, which will hopefully be coming home soon!!! Now don't get me wrong, I am so happy and thankful to have my laptop, but it is so sloooooowwwwww!!!! I think it took me about 45 min to edit and update my blog post last night (usually it takes me about 15-20 min MAX). But since I LOVE my bloggy readers, I powered through, LOL!!!

Here is a quick card I whipped up last night for a friend of mine. She has been going through lots of stuff and I want her to know I am thinking of her!!!



Tonight my SIL's parents, will be coming over for dinner...they have been traveling the US in their RV enjoying their retirement, and they just so happen to be in Phoenix~I am anxious to hear about all their adventures!!! I am sure they have lots to tell!!! Of course I will have my camera handy *wink*

Ok Friends, have a super weekend!!!

bad news and good news...

Hi all...

The Bad News...I found out that my computer has 5 blown capacitors (photo of blown capacitors from wikipedia below) *sad face* That is why it keeps shutting down on me.

The Good News...Luckily we have a good friend that owns a computer store (and builds systems), that is going to "hook me up!!", and rebuild our system. He said I may even have it by Friday *woot woot*

I do have to say that I have been having withdrawals, LOL!!!

I have today off today (since I am working on Friday), so I hope to pop in later with some stamping!!! Luckily I have my laptop~so I am not totally "unhooked"

see ya a little later peeps!!!!

it's fall...

Hi all!!
I hope you had a Marvelous weekend!!! My computer is having some issues, so she is going to the doctor today for a check up...I hope she isn't going to be gone long!!!! Let me say...I have sure missed having her over the weekend!!! Luckily I have my backup laptop *smile*



I don't know about you...but I still cannot believe that it is October!!!

I don't have very many Halloween stamp sets, but decided to pull out the I had and get a start on my Halloween stamping.

Since I don't have access to my desktop~I will have to post my family room decor' project later this week (hopefully I well get her (computer) back soon).

While I was visiting my mom in CT a couple of weeks ago, she made a yummy apple cake that I remember having when I was younger...so I whipped one up over the weekend~it was delish and put me in the "fall" mood (even though the temps here in AZ are still in the triple digits).

Here is the recipe if you'd like to give it a try...(it is NOT Weight Watcher friendly!!!).

Yummy Apple Cake
4-6 apples (peeled and sliced) any kind except delicious
3 C flour
2 C sugar
1C oil
4 lg eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C orange or pineapple juice

combine apples w/ 5 Tblsps sugar and 2 Tblsps cinnamon. combine eggs and sugar; beat until smooth and creamy. add vanilla and oil; beating slightly. combine dry ingredients; add alternately with juice. mix until creamy. using a tube or bundt pan (well greased); place layer of batter, then apples, repeat ending with apples.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min, reduce heat to 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 min or until done.

Enjoy!!

HB2 Nathan...

Happy October~am I the only one who is wondering where the heck September went???

Today is gonna be somewhat quick, since I am off to work today.

I whipped up this card for my cute nephew Nathan who will be celebrating his birthday this weekend~I am pretty sure he doesn't read his auntie's blog~so it is safe to post!!! I really tried not make it too girly~cause Nathan would let me have it, LOL!!! I may have mentioned that last week when I was in CT visiting, he told me that I looked "more wrinkly" than the last time he saw me~gotta love him!!!





And as promised (original post here)~here is a photo of my bedroom wall~I was pretty happy with the result...just have to move the bed over a smidgen to the right *wink* I will post my family room photo on Monday (didn't want to overwhelm you with pictures, LOL!).






Ok peeps~Have a MARVELOUS weekend!!!

card supplies (PTI unless noted): Enjoy the Ride/Fillable Frames #3 stamp sets; Fillable Frames Die; White cardstock; Black ink; Polka Dotted Grosgrain Ribbon (Michael's); Pure Poppy Button; Twine