Monday, October 31, 2011

This is Spinal Tape... Coolest name for a new product

Photo and product available and from Amazon.com
This product is so cool looking, I am so tempted to buy it. 
It is such a huge roll, I might have to go halves with someone!

November Card Kit Card #1

Simple card for the card kit class.  I have a crush on the little clothespins holding socks, rascals they are!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Dojo Halloween and Redmond Zombie "Thriller" Event


The WKA Bellevue Dojo had a Halloween Party today.  The older kids set up a haunted house in the dance studio, and there was food in the lobby and games in the main dojo.
The older students also coordinated drop off and placement of the food and marked down names of kids for a party bag later.  When I saw the list there was 32+ names and at least 9 more showed up afterwards.  They all had a great time.

 Our friends and neighbors from around the corner also attend the same dojo.  They invited Conrad to the Redmond Zombie Thriller Event afterwards.
 And this is where Conrad ran into Rob and Kerry McDaniel!!  They all look great. 
 I will search U-tube to see the mass zombie mob doing the "thriller" moves !!

Mummy Zombie Recipe

Ingredients:  20 Sprinkles Zombie Dirt
7 Flesh Tattoos
3 Smudges Grey Face Makeup
2 Smears of White Face Makeup
6 Globs of blood "scab"
1 mummy costume with headband
(yes a thriftshop find for $9, the exposed ribs and heart area lit up, it was broken, and my hubby fixed it!)
1 adult arm fake blood soaked bandage
And a whole can of Kickin it Zombitude!





Friday, October 28, 2011

School Pictures

This picture brought tears to my eyes.. He looks so mature and older.  I know they grow older, but it is so gradual you usually can't tell if you are around them all the time.  But when I looked at this photo, wow, I thought, he really is getting older.  I could see the two inches he has grown since the beginning of the year.  I could see the way his face is losing the chubby look it had in last years photo.

Love this school photo!

Pumpkins


I'm full

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Thrifty finds under $1

Brawwkkkkkkkkkkk  Super cute Miniature Chicken stapler.

Cards we received

Conrad loved your card Karin, we got it tonight!

 Kerry, your card was fabulous too!  They both are proudly displayed next to my
vintage Royal.
 

 (believe it or not, it cost one dollar at a garage sale about 10yrs back.

love it....

Traditions....

After the Great pumpkin hunt with the scouts, we watched the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown..Then You're not elected Charlie Brown. 
Fun stuff..

"Pin"teresting Things Lately

Wow, I stayed up after midnight.  Not a great idea, I just could not help myself.  I love to do crafts.  There are many crafts that I want to do, but really lose track of what I want to do at any given time, or when I do carve out a tidbit of time where I am free to craft, I find myself sitting there wondering, what next?

I have signed up for Pinterest.  Pinterest in an online bulletin board that you design yourself. 
You search the internet and post directly back to the interesting things you want to craft, or just things you love, or things you covet!

Lets say that you are crazy about a certain dog breed, and want to catalog all sorts of sites in one place like dog toys, dog breeders, collars, chotskies, etc,  you can find the sites you would like to visit later, "pin" to your bulletin board, and visit your collection of sites anytime that you like.  This is totally free by the way.  Your bulletin board can be your "go to" place and you can set up several boards.  Pinterest gives you examples to start you off. 

My first bulletin board is "Cute Halloween Crafts"  it is full of "vintagey" paper crafts I adore and fun ideas that I know I can execute myself. 

Alas, now I need to look ahead for Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Freebie Winner!!!!

I am so glad that I got a comment back to send these wonderfully whymsical books to a good home!

Big Winner is::::::::
-Are we There yet?

Thanks for commenting!   I know these books are going to a great home!

Home Today..

Well folks..  Good news I am better than the last few days.  Apparently when I had some dental work done, one of my teeth got a little stressed out, and on Thursday night, and Friday night, I went through some pretty excruciating pain.   I was hoping it would just go away.  My dentist only is open Mon/Tue/Wed... so what the heck.  Saturday during the morning, OMG... later in the day I made myself go to the Farm, and could not eat anything,...Sunday I could not take it... My dentist could not help, but he gave me a specialist to see Monday.  Urgent care could get me antibiotics only.. 

So I call the specialist, and they say, stop taking pain medication or aspirin, we want you in as much pain as possible when you come in...

I really could have strangled that lady..
So all is well now, I was told that when I had the excruciating pain Thurs and Friday for no reason, it was the nerves dying.  The residual throbbing was the pressure of what needed to be taken out... Geesh.  So a root canal of two hours and me recovering today. Crappster.

Saturday, October 22, 2011


This is my favorite picture!
This year Scott joined us, and we were so happy! 

The Farm at Swan Trails, Snohomish WA

It rained @ 10am when we met at Hellen Keller to go to the Farm.  By the time we got to the Farm, it was clear skies.








 We nailed that Corn Maze in about 12 minutes... So cool. I fessed up and told Scott that last year Conrad and I wandered around, didn't use the map, and ran into alot of dead ends before we found a side exit, then just headed to the pumpkins.
This year, we found the Coulee Dam, the Space Needle, both the Vantage Bridge and the Galloping Gertie (Tacoma Narrows Bridge), and straight out the Grays Harbor main exit. 

 Today was also Seahawks Day sponsoring kids at the farm.  The Seagals and the Mascot were there, there was also a player... Though we are not football followers, so meant we were clueless....
 Olympia in the maze!
 Congrats ---we made it to the end.

Awesome roasted corn!
 Caramel apples too!!
This is the one!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Freebie: 3 Emily Windsnap Paperback books by Liz Kessler

Freebie: 3 Emily Windsnap Paperback books by Liz Kessler

Post a comment on how you like to swim, or anything you think about Mermaids
to have a chance to have me send you 3 (gently used) No box:
Emily Windsnap paperback books by Liz Kessler. 
I will pick a random winner this weekend!


 I remember that happy feeling as a kid.  When I was very young I was brought down to the pool in the summer by my older brother.  Very, very, few people know this about me, I was a fish.  I was considered really good, and went to meets, I joined the swim team as the youngest member in Colville, WA at 6.  The parents split, we moved, and that pretty much ended a very great memory of being a swim star.  Later on it was very hard for me as a kid to get to a pool or lake, and any chance I could tag along, I would be there.  And when I would go,  I would always pretend I was part fish ......see how I could glide or flip around, .......always thinking, don't I swim great?............. don't they know I am part mermaid?

I took Conrad to a make up session just with me on a YMCA family swim day on a weekend.  I still can glide, and I still love the water.  The stillness, that floating and weightlessness, and the smooth gliding.  I guess I am still a mermaid...

I am always looking for book sets for Conrad.  I came across this set, and it was way too cute to pass up.  Alas.........It is for GIRLS.
But since I sit and watch Conrad at swim lessons, it was appropriate that I read a book about Mermaids.  The reading level is age 8+, and these books are just about adventure and King Neptune, finding out a girl is part Mermaid and her journey to find her father and get her family back together, and the adventures along the way.  It is also about friendship and forgiveness as well.
Wholesome life lessons that I wholeheartedly recommend for "tween" girls that love to read.

Of course the whimsical cover art drew me in.
So I highly recommend (I have read all 3, there is a 4th too which I do not have yet) of the Emily Windsnap series by Liz Kessler.

If there are no winners, these will be donated to the school or after school program.
Good luck.

Graduated to Guppy

Conrad has been taking swim lessons at the Bellevue YMCA since June. Due to scheduling, he has only missed 1 session a month.

They have cute names for the sessions.
Polliwogs - Beginner
Guppy - Some experience
Minnow - Better
Fish - More skilled
Flying Fish - Good swimmer
Shark - Great Swimmer

This was his 3rd polliwog set of lessons. 
Each session is a half hour with a class of only 5 kids max and is typically 5-7 weeks in length.

He received his 3rd report card, and he couldn't read the teachers writing, so he had no idea until I told him "Congratulations!!!"

"What?"""  ----"You are now a GUPPY!"
"Cool!!!   ......"Wow, that lady has bad penmanship!"

We immediately called Grandma and Scott to tell them the news. 
He has worked hard, he no longer sinks like a rock, and there is less stopping to hold the side of the pool after just a few strokes.  His attitude is great, he really shines and smile immensely when he is in the water. His body control is better, and soon he will glide.
We picked up a mini caramel apple sundae as a treat.

We are so proud.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

More Halloween Decor...

 Eeries glow from the house project I made.
 Found a Cemetery sign for $2.99 at Micheals
 Spooky spiders and bats and snakes
 Creepy crawlies all over the window drapes
This one is especially nasty..

$2 Dollar Finds!

Don't you just love it when you find something in a bargain bin for cheap, and you actually like it, can use it, and will not feel bad about snatching it up?...And there is of course the Husband....On these finds, he would approve.

I found these for $2 at the Issaquah Barnes Noble.
My bathroom is "beach" themed, so this is great!

Conrad loves all kinds of games, so this $2 Pirates of the Caribbean Yahtzee...perfect too for a Christmas gift.

These guys are Stabilo mini monster highlighters.
I got these cuties, only a pack of 3, blue, yellow and pink, at the store next to Micheals in Issaquah. Aaron Brothers Art and Frame for $2.  Since it is Halloweentime, and I use highlighters all the time at work, they came out of hiding...  When I saw them, I thought, cute for Conrad!... No these little cuties are MINE,..all MINE!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Falling Leaves..

Today someone left our company that had been here about 15 years... 

It was bittersweet.  Like enjoying the Autumn leaves beautiful color only to see them slowly drift and fall to the ground to wither..

I never like it when anyone leaves the company, whether they were the deciding party or not.  If it is not their choice, I am really torn and think of their family and how this will impact them all.  But in the end, I always want to think this is going to turn out to be better for them and their family and is meant to be.

 I have been working here 19.5 years (20 May 1st) , and I know a whole lot about the folks here.  I am really open, and probably tell too much about myself, but you know what, they know me.. the real me.  The me that has told them about my mom's kooky antics (since of course she lives in a mother in law suite in our bottom half of our house), the times of my car falling apart, family issues, medical scares, you name it.  They hear my stories whether they like it or not.  Sometimes I feel  a little silly about it, but I am who I am and there is no changing now.

I try to leave an impression, and whatever impression that is, I hope it is a positive one.

So I know the choice of them leaving was not an easy one, it took a lot of thought and I am sure worry too.  I know they want what was best for their family, and after a teary eyed departure, I hope it turns out to be worth it.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Bob Rivers Show ---- My Call in

For years I have been listening to the Bob Rivers morning radio show.  His cast is crazy cool and funny and takes my mind off the mindless commute to work.

(This is an example of why I do not get engaged in politics)

This morning they had a guest caller that was a Florida senator promoting his appeal of the law that bans "dwarf tossing."  I had never heard of such thing.  They wanted callers to call in.

I called in and my question to the senator was,
 "I am curious to ask if you have other laws that you are spending your time on trying to appeal besides this one silly one."

That was it.  That was all I wanted to know.  I asked this on the "air."

His response was that this one is just the one grabbing the media attention, and he has several, for example there is a hundred year old law about it against the law to ride a bicycle without both hands on the handlebars."  .....REALLY??!!  Oh yawn..

He really didn't sound believable, the cause good or bad was not the point.  He just seemed so full of hype and grabbing at the media attention.  I honestly thought he was a comedian, and it was one big joke.

Wow, aren't we glad that he is spending his time in dusty books searching for ridiculous laws that will gain media attention, instead of laws that may be helpful needy kids, or neglected or abused animals, or the general populus in general???

(Again, this is an example of why I do not get engaged/discuss/or otherwise comment on politics (or religion for that matter) - I would get to worked up as I have a point of view, and feel all have their point of view and beliefs, which if as it should be.  I just have a knack for highlighting things that seem outright silly, and no one likes to be confronted that their belief is silly......)

Whose pants?

Conrad accidentally grabbed another boys Gi (White Karate) pants, in addition to his own, after class Sunday.

I asked him, "So how did you get 2 pair of pants?"

"I don't know, I really don't know how, it is crazy back there and they shouldn't set their pants near me."

"Why not, they are changing just like you."

"Well, I guess.... because I guess I will just take them."

I had to laugh because he looked so worries that it will happen again.

I made sure his pants and Gi top had his name in sharpie on them, and hopefully we will not have more incidents.  The Dojo has extras in case this happens for kids to borrow, so they don't have to be returned immediately.

Pack Activities for Halloween

Well, my camera was charging so I don't have a picture of what we helped the scout denmaster with.  Tonight is a Pack Meeting, so I will get some pictures there so you can see the cute "take homes" the boys, and siblings will make.

There are 3 activities for the kids tonight.  One is decorating orange pumpkin shaped rice krispie treats that have tootsie roll stems.  The second is making tootsie roll pop ghosts, the third.. Oh yeah, outlining their hands and decorating it like a spooky ghost.

Conrad and I, and one other mother and her boy showed up at the denmasters and we all helped make the rice krispie pumpkins.  It actually went pretty fast, and the boys helped some too.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Card Kit Event

We were going to get together to bring individual projects and work on our crafts.  I made a few kit cards, and so did Kerry and Liz, so it turned out to be a card kit making get together.  It was great. My three cards were made, and here are the kits from Liz and Kerry.

Liz brought vintage images, for these two cool cards:

 Kerry made witches boot kits from a card class she took, and she brought out an inspiration card to make a bat over the moon card.

All cards were fun to make,  I especially liked the "dauber" tool used to make the perfect harvest moon.
We had so much of a great time we will meet again next month to do more holiday card kits.  Thanksgiving and Christmas this time.  I was so inspired I stopped by Ben Franklin on the way home for card ideas.  And boy do I have the ideas, and one card project already mapped out that includes a cute stamp and "sweet" sentiment.  So I can't wait!
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