Well, the weather has NOT cooperated for us to go to the Bronx Zoo today. So, we did have a change of plans and will be going to the Aquarium in Mystic, CT. That is about a three hour drive from home. I have most of the IMPORTANT electronics charged up and ready to go ... the portable DVD player for Michaela, the cameraS, and MY portable CD player along with my earphones! This way, I can listen to my music privately, Michael can have the car radio or CD going, and Michaela can watch a movie during our drive.

I do not have a lot of time to blog, but wanted to show you my IRIS'S. I am NOT always the best of gardeners, but I did learn a lot from my (soon-to-be ex)hubby. I have had some problems with my iris's blooming, but a coworker told me they do NOT bloom each and every year. Of course, THAT was news to me. Yesterday, as I was looking around my backyard, I discovered a beautiful yellow flower that had bloomed.

This morning, while pouring my first cup of coffee, I looked out the window and saw LOTS AND LOTS of beautiful flowers. Of course, I had to grab the camera!

Now, I am thinking that I MUST make some brushes and design a kit around these beauties!!!!!!

I want to share one more photo with you. A few years ago, my best friend Pam gave me a teeny "stalk" of a piece of clematis. I planted it near my mailbox, and EACH year for about 3 years, I thought it was DEAD, and was surprised when a few flowers began to appear the third year. Well, this is my "almost dead" clematis, about 5 years after first being planted. I simply LOVE it!

Now I MUST be off for a day of fun!

I had a fantastic time sharing a bit of my life with you this week. Hope to see you in June, too.

Here is your FREEBIE for the day. ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD LINK

TGIF!!! I am so ready for the weekend. How about you? I don't know if Friday has the same built-in "relief" for all you lucky ones you do not work outside the home, but for those of us Monday through Friday workers, it feels terrific.

Depending on the weather, which has THREATENED thunderstorms, I am planning on going to the BRONX ZOO with my son, Michael, and Michaela. It is about a three hour drive from home, and I am hoping the weather report for NYC will be kinder. If not, I guess we will put off the trip for another weekend.

I have never been to the Bronx Zoo, although I have been to the Philadelphia Zoo.
I find it a bit sad to think that I have NEVER been to so many places of fame that are all within a few hours drive from my home. I have never been in the Empire State Building, or taken a ride around Staten Island, or seen Ellis Island. At least I CAN say I have seen a couple of Broadway plays. NYC is such a fun and bustling place, and it is a learning experience to witness how those that live there lead their lives. Everything is always BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

I did a little research on the web to learn more about the zoo. It seems like a fascinating place. There are all kinds of activities for children, and a plethera of our worlds' animal population. Best of all, it is resonably priced! I will need to wear my comfy walking shoes, and pack a lot of snacks for Michaela.

I will also be meeting with my Goddaughter on Sunday. She is getting married in August and asked ME to design her invitations. I have created a few designs and she needs to "finalize" her selection so they can be printed and mailed this week. I am also doing the photography for her wedding. It is very informal, being held on her fiance's grandfathers property. For her wedding gift, I will be making their wedding album, too. I am really looking forward to this affair.

Well, I have to get to work ..... ahhhhhhhh, last day till next week.

Here is your FREEBIE for the day .... ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD LINK
(sorry, link has expired)

Yesterday, the nursing facility where I work celebrated Staff Appreciation Day! It was an all day event with food, games, and prizes. Administration made sure that this fun day extended to the off shifts as well.

Most of the "routine" meetings were cancelled for the day, and the staff was given
"free reign" to wander around and enjoy the festivities. Of course, the nursing staff on the units did not have quite as much freedom as those of us in the offices, since they are involved in patient care.

Breakfast was available from 6:30 to 8:30am, and consisted of donuts and pastries, a juice assortment, coffee and tea. The staff all volunteered to "man" the stations to serve the other team members.

Lunch was served from 11:00 to 1:00pm, and was sumptious. There were many different selections of pizza and subs, (I choose the veggie pizza), several kinds of salads, soda and chocolate kisses.

We had a "make your own sundae" snack at 2pm. A huge table was set up with 3 ice cream flavors, fresh strawberries and blueberries, HOT FUDGE (my personal fav), cherries, sprinkles, and a few different candies, as well as REAL whipped cream to top our delicacy.

Later in the day, supper was served to the evening shift, so no one was overlooked.

There were all kinds of SPECIAL EVENTS, too: a "name the celebrity" and "name the staff member" contests. This was a collection of basically high school pics for the actors and actresses, and BABY photos of the staff members. I had given a picture of me at about 3 months old, and was AMAZED at the number of people who guessed correctly. Of course, there were some "hints" as to the identity of the staff.

Also, there was a huge jar filled with m&m's, and the contest was to correctly guess how many were in the jar. Can you believe, one of the Supervisors won, and she was withing TWO of the total count.

Karaoke filled our inservice room, which was all decorated with balloons. We had a ball belting out those old "hits" from the past.

Outside there was a dunk booth, a ball throw, and a couple of other games. The weather was very accomodating ... clear blue sky, 70 degrees, and a delightful soft breeze was blowing.

But, by far, the BEST part of my day was the MASSAGE. We have a masseuse on staff who scheduled 5 minute back massages for staff. Mine came right at the end of the day, and let me tell you, it relaxed me for the rest of the night.

It was truly a fun day. I think it is awesome that administration took the time to show their "thanks" for our hard work. In todays world, things are taken for granted so often and EVERYONE always likes to know that they are appreciated. Who could ask for anything more?

So, to make YOUR day pleasant, and say "thanks" for your support, I am offering
todays FREEBIE ... HERE IS YOUR DOWNLOAD LINK. Enjoy (sorry, link has expired)

As many of you know, my mom lives with me and suffers from advanced dementia. Many times I just have to laugh, or I would be doing a lot of crying.

She has given up many of the things she did all her life, like reading the paper and doing the crossword each day. She even did the weekly crossword in the NY Times. She was an avid reader and loved to sew. She favored political television, as well as biographical and historical shows.

Even now, she keep the tv on, but is a bit "confused" as to the content. She was telling me there's "a woman running for president", and she thinks that woman will win because she "has a brother or something who is in politics!"

Mom has been exhibiting some BIZARRE eating habits lately. She is not oriented to the time of day, and often enters the kitchen several times a day, announcing, "Good Morning". Then she looks for a cup of hot coffee. Of course, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, there is NO hot coffee. She had been in a routine of eating PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY sandwiches .. two or three a day! Now, she has been "raiding" the fridge, opening jars of things like pickle relish, horseradish, ranch dressing, and WHATEVER, and eating with a spoon right out of the jar. Now, not only is this DISGUSTING to me, but she uses a clean spoon each time, and places empty jars back in the fridge! She no longer makes sandwiches, but eats the peanut butter right out of the jar, too. Because she is disoriented to time, she eats everything all at once. I go shopping, buy her a dozen yogurts or so, and by the next day she has eaten them all! It sort of reminds me of going on vacation; you can leave food for a cat for a few days and there is no problem, but leave it for a dog and he eats it all, THEN vomits it all, before you return .... lol.

My solution for this was to buy a new refrigerator. My son and I went shopping last weekend, and I purchased a smaller one for our garage. He will pick it up later this week. My plan is to set it right outside of our kitchen, which is attached to the garage. So it will be pretty convenient for us, and I will STOCK our old one, in the kitchen, with a day's supply of food for mom.

She thinks the snow will be "flying" any day now, but has decided she will not drive this winter! (She hasn't driven for about 10 years). She gets our names confused, and often comments that she has not seen "so and so" for quite a while ... when actually that person may have just left a few hours before. She asks several times a day where my son Michael works and what he does. Each morning when I check on her, give her her pills, and say goodbye, she says, "oh, you have to work today? This is Sunday isn't it?"

All in all, I am still able to keep her in my home. However, I have begun the search for an assisted living facility where she may be safer and I would not have to worry so much. I am sorry to say, the day will come when she will need more than I am able to provide for her.

Until that time, I will just continue to "greet" her with "good morning", each night before I go to bed!

Now, for you, for being so kind to take the time to read about MY life, I am giving YOU a FREEBIE. You can DOWNLOAD HERE. Enjoy! (sorry,link has expired)

Ouch ... Mini Vacation is Over

Well, it's back to work today for me. It was a wonderful three-day weekend. I accomplished so much, but it was EXHAUSTING! Now I have to "fit" a 5 day work week into 4. Guess I will be ready for FRIDAY ... lol.

I finished planting my flowerbeds, the pool is up and running. I even managed to get in some grocery shopping, laundry, and that general (yuck) housecleaning. I decided to take the time to "pamper" myself with a pedicure and manicure. It was actually a "necessity" after all my work, but it felt soooooooo good to luxuriate!

I made a very "untraditional" Memorial Day meal. Chicken breasts with rice and a cheesy sauce. Since there was only Mom and me at the house, it did not seem like a day for a big barbeque. My oldest and youngest kids were off camping; the middle child had to work this weekend. I did get to see my dgd, Michaela, Friday evening, but not since ... I REALLY miss her when she is not around.Michael sent me a couple of pics he took with his cellphone. I am not sure where they were, but looks like Michaela wanted to "test" the waters! She is just too cute; but maybe I am a bit prejudiced!

I have completed a commercial/personal use kit which will be in the store later this week. It had a terrific time creating it ... just WAIT till you see the preveiw.

I also was able to spend some time in our chat room over this weekend, getting in as much CELEBRATING as possible for TSG's birthday bash. It is ALWAYS so much fun to get to know everyone. There is so much to learn from each other, and I love to hear others' stories.

So, I had better get a move on if I want to be to the office on time.

I have NOT forgotten your FREEBIE for the day ... You can DOWNLOAD HERE.
(sorry, link has expired)
Enjoy and see ya back here tomorrow.

Gotta Love Summer!

I am really excited about summer coming! There is nothing better than returning home after work, hopping into my bathing suit, and heading for my pool. I have been know to fall asleep on my float, sometimes for hours at a time! I often say, if only someone would invent a WATERPROOF laptop, my life would be complete ... lol. Well, not really. I would need to relocate to a place that was warm and sunny year 'round. I feel God made a mistake when he "delivered" me to the northeast!

Beside lounging in the pool, I love to garden. For most of my life, I have had a brown thumb, but with years of "learning", it seems to have turned around. Last fall, we took down several pine trees that had been planted by the former owner of my house. The roots were beginning to grow into my pool area ... HEAVEN forbid! So now, I have a new garden, where I am planting perennials, and sun on my pool from sunup to sundown.

I also like to barbecue in the summer, too. As far as the rest of the year, I am not really sure why I have a kitchen ... all I really need is a microwave and a phone for take-out! Seems, though, I am the exception. Do you know that EVERY house I looked at when searching for my current home had a kitchen?

I have a super recipe for grilled salmon. It involves some marinating, using of all things, chardonnay. A few extra little spices and I am in heaven. My favorite food to go with it is "grilled" sweet potatoes and some green beans from my garden. MMMMM!

If you are interested in my DESIGNING ...I have started work on a new kit named
SCARLET. I thought it would be a nice idea to offer you some FREEBIES from the kit, this week on TSG Blog. I decided against previewing, so you can be surprised when you open the zip.

So, you can DOWNLOAD freebie1, here; but grab it today for tomorrow it will be gone! Enjoy (sorry, link has expired)

I am heading out to my pool now ... see ya' tomorrow!

"They Say It's YOUR Birthday" ...

"it's my birthday, too, yeah" .. Well, not really, but just singing that ol' Lennon and McCartney tune in my head.

Although, it is not MY birthday, we are celebrating TSG's second birthday. This week has been full of SALES, fun crops, and all kinds of challenges.

Tonight, at 9pm, I am hosting a special IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY chat. I designed a kit, which is on sale in my store, NOW FOR ONLY $2.00!!!! It is full of everything you need to scrap those birthday memories, and is appropriate for any age group.
Like our celebration here this week, the kit is bright, cheery, and fun-filled! AND, I have a SUPER challenge that goes along with it.

I am really looking forward to seeing your birthday celebration layouts in the special gallery ... AND, a poll will be posted to choose the FAVORITE .. AND the winner will receive either my new kit, OR a coupon for my store is you have already purchased IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! So how can you loose???????

Today, as an "early" preview of goodies to come ... if you are able to attend my chat, is a QP for you. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD HERE
(link has expired)