Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween from future girl.

Get it? Because I'm 6 hours ahead (we had our daylight savings time already!).


I have been kinda MIA lately due to more foul ups with our internet. But now everything is on the up and up, and I'm ready to return to blogger central. :)


I've never shared with ya'll my newest fave ring. I have to wear it on my right ring finger, but it was an akward angle with the camera, so I swapped for this pic. I have a slight obsession with birds, mainly swallows/sparrows.


I made this last night. Hee hee. It did not turn out so well, but I guess it looks pretty good for my first gingerbread house. I was trying to do a little fence on the bottom walls, but it came out horrible, so I just smoothed the icing out. THat's why there isn't icing going up into the middle of the house. At that point, I gave up. LOL. I can't wait to dig into it though.


Tonight (pending if Joshua gets off of work in time) we are driving to the beutiful city of Wurzburg to celebrate Halloween with some friends. Anberlin is going to be a Princess and Sebastian is going to be a lion. Thank goodness a friend took me to a costume shop last weekend, or else the kids would be in their costumes from last year!


I'll post pics tonight. I'm off to get ready. :)


Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I Love getting things in the mail!

Scrap goodies galore. Well not really, but I did receive two awesome kits!


The first was the new Zing Boom kit from SisTV:
And I lucked out and received this goodie for free from them!! :D I love it.


And after much anticipation, I got my Sweet Spuds kit. Seriously, the post office was playing games with me. I thought it was lost for sure. When Josh brought it into the house, I jumped up and down! I'm going to use this kit to make a mini album of our new place...well, that is once I get it up to par.

I also got a package from Aja, one of her ebay lots. I love winning off of her cuz she always throws in some extra goodies. Last time she threw in a few sheets of Love, Elsie letter stickers. This time she threw in a cute Technique Tuesday stamp which is going to be perfect for my etsy stuff. Thanks Aja!!!

Most of the little towns are having a flea/antique market this weekend, and I hope to find a bunch of vintage goodies for my scrap stash. I can't wait.

Well our internet and home phone finally work, but we're still having issues. The location of the phone jack in relation to the german/american electrical outlets is just weird. The phone jack is located just by the front door. The closest german plug is in the kitchen, a couple of feet away. I guess it wouldn't be a problem if we used a corded phone, but I don't like that, b/c of the kids. So I have to get a long extension power cord for the phone. THEN there's the issue with internet. We have DSL, so we have to use a splitter with the phone outlet. The DSL box uses german power, so we have to find another LONG extension cord to reach the outlet in the kitchen. It's a big mess. LOL. And you're probably confused by reading this b/c it's hard to understand without seeing the place. HA!

off to do chores.

and scrap. :D

xoxo

Monday, October 22, 2007

busy little homemaker bee

Challenge #2 at the scrap mojo blog. This picture cracks me up. I'm desperately trying to get away from the Hamburgler. And how perfect is that Garbage Pail Kid card??


I tried my hand at decorating some cupcakes. LOL. I get bored. Sue me. Instead of unpacking the last few boxes, I felt like baking. The cake part was devil's food cake. mmmmmm.



Friday we went to one of the neighboring bases for a Bazaar. There were vendors from lots of different countries. I saw these and couldn't resist. I also bought a magnet doll. Josh bought some wine (which we drank last night and it was yummy). There was this cute old german lady selling antique metal toys and there was a robot I wanted to buy. I forgot to stop back at her booth to get it. :( It was so cute. It was the kind that came with a separate wind up key.
Brrrrrrrrrrrr. It's cold here! It's been kinda wet and really cold for the past few days...like in the 30's cold! I suppose one good thing about the cold here so far is that it isn't too windy. I'm from Corpus you know, so it's ALWAYS really windy. Pair that up with cold, and it makes it worse.
This is in my dining room/scrap room now! :) I have it just about full. My papers don't fit in it, but that's fine b/c I already have them in their own organizers. Ikea had plastic drawer bins to go inside, but they were 10 euro each. I didn't want to spring that for plastic. One of the benefits of being military here is they have a program with the german government. All german goods have a 19% sales tax automatically tacked onto the price. Well we have at our disposal these forms that give us back the sales tax, so we're basically getting things tax free. It's only worth it when you are spending a good amount of money b/c the forms are $4 each. So...it's like have a 20% off saleI also bought this rug, but I don't know what I was thinking! HELLO!??! I have 2 toddlers. This sucker isn't going to stay white for much longer. Ha! Ah well. It's really cute though. We also got a new computer desk, chair, and TV stand for our room. I can't wait to go back. I want to get some spice jars for all my brads, eyelets, buttons, etc so it's all uniform looking.
Tomorrow some company is coming to get the temporary furniture we have in here. Ugh. Thank god! It's so hideous and old looking. Well, once I get all my scrap stuff situated, I should be back in the swing of things. New things for my etsy shop are being planned too! Keep an eye out for that. Cheers!
xoxo

Thursday, October 18, 2007

my clock *edited*




the coloring WAS off due to lack of sunlight, but MJ was sweet enough to correct the color for me!!! Thanks hon!


Our living room is primarily red, black, and white so it'll go nicely. :)

Let's Bring Back Some Positive Light

Ok. Enough of my last negativity blog. Time to move on. I've been scrapping the past few days. Here's one that I can show right now. It's for week 3 challenge at SISTV (Courtney's). It's waaaaaaaaaay simpler than my layouts usually are, but I like it. It's cuter in person b/c you can see how the paper bottoms stick up like post it notes. And if you can't read the title, it says, "Note to Self." Get it? LOL. I have another layout that I can't wait to share, but I have to wait a few more days before I can. I am also working on an altered clock. It's very reminiscent of the chalkboard I made for Misty in Alabama a few months ago. Originally it was an ugly wall clock I got for Christmas a few years ago. It was still in it's original package too. LOL. Josh wanted to donate it, but I told him to hold on to it b/c I was going to guss it up. It should be done by tonight, depending on if this headache goes away.



This is for you, Lizee, and all you other lumpia lovers out there. If you've never tried banana ketchup, it is the bomb diggity. It sounds gross, I know. But like a gazillion things that I love to eat, you have to at least try it before judging.


Hee Hee. I made pirate brownies last night bc I needed to make myself laugh. This did the trick. I need some cookie cutters so I can make cute cookies. :D I saw a huge set on Joann.com that caught my eye. It had 101 cutters. I was thinking it'd be adorable to make alphabet cookies and spell the kids names. LOL.

Ayte. Gotta go!!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Holy Crap!

UGH. Seriously, ya'll. UGH.


The past week has been one of those ups and downs type of ordeal. I'm not referring to emotions, although I feel like life has been one giant bipolar rollar coaster.

We got our express shipment, although I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned that. Later on that week, just to get out of the house, Josh suggests we go to Bad Windsheim, the neighboring town. We rushed to get ready and speed walked to the train station. When we got there, we tried to buy a ticket out of the machine, but since the fare was only 1.50 euro each, it wouldn't take our 20 euro bills! There wasn't anyone or anyplace around to get change at, so Josh said, "screw it. They never check for tickets."


Now, I'm sure at this point, you've already figured out what happened. YUP. They asked for tickets, which we didn't have. There was a teenage girl who spoke english, and she tried to help us out with the translations, but the men in charge of the tickets wouldn't hear it. Josh tried paying for the fare right there. NOPE. We tried explaining that it wouldn't take our money. NOPE NOPE. Ah, so we caved in and they fined us. And how much do you think they would fine us for not paying for a 1.50 euro ticket? 40 EURO EACH. Here, let me do the math for you. That is about $57 each. I know I shouldn't complain, afterall, it's our own damn fault.


So we got off the train and walked around, but my mood was spoiled by then. I had a little guide book with me and found the museum that I was interested in going to (because the book said it was FREE), only to get there and see that there was an 8 euro fee. Ah well. At least the town was pretty and I got a view good shots from the town.


Ok. On the way home, WE BOUGHT OUR TICKETS. :D Except, no one checked. LMFAO. When the train pulls up to our station, I get off first with the kids, leaving Josh behind to get the strollers. Either he was too slow or the conductor was in a hurry, bc the train took off before he could get disembark!!! ARGH. Luckily for us, there are only 3 stops in that particular direction before the train heads back towards us. I had to sit at an empty train station with two very bored, very hungry tots for about 45 minutes.


Sigh. I think I've had enough of trains.


So we got the rest of our things! Yay, right? For the most part, yes. Except our movers from Corpus were MORONS and didn't pack anything properly. Our furniture was not wrapped. Our futon is FILTHY. Luckily I packed the cover so the nastiness is hidden. Our mattress was just thrown on top of boxes in the crate.

Some boxes weren't sealed.


Some boxes were empty (but weren't to begin with) if you know what I mean.


Most boxes were smashed b/c they weren't stack according to their weight. Well, I take that back. They were stacked by weight, meaning the heavier ones were on TOP, leaving the bottoms to fold to the weight.



My cute coffee maker won't turn on. :( And we need coffee so Josh bought a new maker. It's cool and all, but the stupid carafe leaks like crazy when you pour it, despite the box claiming it's "spill proof."


Hmmmm. The plastic storage for my scrap supplies weren't packed in boxes and some of the drawers are smashed and won't close properly.


Our TV stand is scratched and chipped and one of the casters was smashed to smitherines.


One of our dining room chairs is horribly cracked.


And the worst autrocity of them all is the kid's toy chest. It's old and the outside is yellow wicker. It was originally Josh's mother's hope chest (for those of you who don't know, Joshua's mother passed away from breast cancer when he was a teenager) and his Dad let us take it last winter. I'm just one of those people who makes emotional bonds with, well, pretty much anything that has a story behind it. I nearly cried when I saw it. How do you put a price on that?


Luckily, the main thing I was worried about (our flat screen) made it without a hitch. I'm nearly done unpacking. All of my scrap stuff is crammed into our dining room. I don't have ANYTHING to put it in. Ikea trip is this weekend though so hopefully I'll come home with something.



Also, I was washing dishes and putting them away as I unpacked. I pulled out a brand new set of (in my opinion) these gorgeous copper colored charger plates my mom had given me. I washed them and set them on the counter to dry. About 5 minutes later, I heard a "crack" and ran to the kitchen to find one of the plates with a clean crack through the middle!! ARGH.



I have pictures to correspond to some of these events, but alas, blogger has been having issues for the past couple of days. Well, at least for me!

But for all these bad things, one very very good thing has happened. WE GOT OUR CAR SUPER EARLY! It wasn't supposed to be here until the 31st, but Josh was able to pick it up on Friday. No more trains! No more walking to the store and only getting a few days worth of groceries b/c that's all we can carry at a time! WOO HOO! On the way back from the vehicle processing center, Joshua bought a GPS. I have to keep telling myself that it's a necessary expense b/c I do NOT want to get lost here. If you're on the autobahn and you miss your exit, the next exit may not be for another 30 minutes...and then you have to pray there's a turnaround! Plus it has the option for walking directions which is sweet when you're on foot, exploring old towns. That may be a regular feature on all GPS', but I wouldn't know as this is the first one I've ever come in contact with.

*phew* I think that's enough ranting, raving, and whining for now. Ikea this weekend for some furniture! We're only going to get a computer desk, some bookshelves for the living room, and a sideboard/other storage for my scrap ish in the dining room. And maybe some decor if it's in the budget. :) Hopefully it'll fit in our car.

xoxo

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The 4's

I've been tagged by miss lizee!

The 4's
Jobs I've had:
1. I worked at some boat show for a credit card company, signing people up for credit cards and then giving them a free shirt. I was paid like $120 for sitting on my butt for 6 hours and it was all under the table. LOL. I was like 16, so it was awesome!!
2. Bagger at the commissary in Corpus. Worked for tips only!
3. Waitress/Hostess/Cook/Trainer/Cashier at Cracker Barrel in San Antonio.
4. Sales Agent for Shop NBC. Hey, the pay wasn't great, and the callers sucked, but I got to do it from home!!

Movies I could watch over and over:
1. The Princess Bride
2. Anchorman
3. Tombstone
4. Walk the Line

4 TV Shows I watch:
1. Frasier
2. The Office
3. Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
4. House

I've lived:
1. Texas
2. Sicily
3. Hawaii
4. Germany

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Sushi!!! I need a fix so bad
2. NUTELLA
3. Lumpia with Banana Ketchup (damn you Lizee. I'm making this for dinner tonight too)
4. Mungo and Rice.

4 Favorite Colors:
1. Pink
2. Black (Ok, I don't think it's technically a color, but whatever)
3. Aqua
4. Red

Places I'd love to be right now:
1. Italy
2. Spain
3. Paris
4. California (LA to see my bestest friend's baby being born, then a side trip to meet all my scrap buddies).

4 Names I love but could/would not use for my children:
1. Sterling (we almost named Sebastian this)
2. Dana (for a boy...that's coming from Josh though. lmao)
3. Zoe
4. Lola (but it means "grandma" in filipino so that would be ackward around my mom!)

Bad Blogger! Bad! Bad!

Ugh, I've been denying my blog. Primarily I blame the location/position of the laptop. It was at waist level (when sitting down) and it's an uncomfortable position to be in for an extended period of time. Well now, this is my setup for the laptop AND my scrap items from my express shipment.

THURSDAY!! I will be getting the rest of the household goods! I am SO not looking forward to all the unpacking and all the mess, but I will be happy to get things decorated. Josh and I are saving for a shopping spree at Ikea in the near future. We're going to rent a large cargo type van too for all of our goodies, because let''s face it, we're not going to get much into our little honda crv.

Dear friends, if and when you visit me, I will make yummy meals like this. Mmmmm. Pancit. :)

Seeing Anberlin and Sebastian hold hands melts my heart. Sebastian's stitch came out last week and he's good as new. He still runs around and falls, and gets "boo boos" but ce la vie. Speaking of my little rascal...

I was wondering what was happening to my grapes!!!! Man, I can't keep anything on the counter tops anymore!

Ok, I promise I will do the "shame masks" blog tomorrow!!

xoxo

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner



Here's my take on the first challenge at http://www.scrapmojo.blogspot.com/.

The challenge was to use the title "Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner" from the movie "Dirty Dancing." The second part was to also include a handmade felt embellishment. I received about 1/3 of my scrapbooking stash last week in my express shipment, so I'm starting to satisfy my scrapping itch. :)

x0x0

Monday, October 1, 2007

Just FYI

We've switched apartments! But that means the plethora of open wireless networks at the old building is in the past. It's hit and miss at the new place. I roam, room to room with the laptop, trying to find a strong enough signal. Right now I'm in the dining room, the laptop resting on the window pane. LOL. So if I go MIA, that's why! We ordered internet and it should be hooked up in 1-2 weeks.

xoxo