No matter what I do, clutter just finds me and follows me around. Just ask my mother who faints when she can actually see the top of my kitchen table AFTER I've cleaned!
There's no getting around it. We all have a certain amount of "stuff" that we have to save for future reference. Sentiments from greeting cards, ideas for new projects, passwords, birthdays, and the "safe place you put x". Windows 3.1 (anyone remember that version?) had a nifty cardfile function but that was dropped in subsequent versions (sure, get rid of something that actually worked). For several years now I have used a program called AZZCardfile. I use it to store recipes that friends share online, inspirational things that I refer to, manage lists of various collections, etc. There are also ready made lists that come in very handy (recipes for gifts in a jar). I have seen references to how people use the program in their crafting (lists of Cricut Cartridges, Stickles colors, Rubber Stamps, sources for products. It's a very useful program that you can try for free at www.azzcardfile.com.
Today, I have a few little jobs to do and then the rest of the day will be spent taming the clutter. I think I'll put up a pot of soup in my pressure cooker for dinner. That's a great clutter-buster: clean out the refrigerator and pantry at one time and make a yummy dinner to boot! Got to be ready for the trick or treaters tonight.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
New site
I just discovered a new scrapbooking site with tips and videos:
http://www.aboverubiesstudio.com/free-goodies/prizes-and-giveaways/win-it-day-2-a-childs-year-cricut-cartridge/451/
http://www.aboverubiesstudio.com/free-goodies/prizes-and-giveaways/win-it-day-2-a-childs-year-cricut-cartridge/451/
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The Mall Rats take Minnesota - Day 3
Today, being Sunday, the Mall didn't open until 11:00 so we slept in until 8:15. Even then, I was practically comatose until Debbie got out of the shower watching tv news. We went down to breakfast and had to wait for a table amidst some avid Vikings fans. Deb was in charge of finding a table while I made us waffles. After breakfast I confirmed our reservations for tomorrow and then we caught the 11:00 shuttle to the Mall.
Debbie had been asking me to give her ideas of what to get me for Christmas. Over breakfast I told her that I could use a waterproof watch so our first stop this morning was Swatch. Apparently ALL Swatch watches are waterproof! It was hard to settle on just one design. There might be more than one Swatch in my future. After Swatch we went into QVC where I found a ring that I just knew John would like to get me for Christmas. As I was looking around I realized that I neglected to put on my makeup this morning so we decided that our next stop would be Bare Escentuals for makeovers. The gal who helped Debbie yesterday wasn't there but they had lots of willing salespeople to play with our faces. They weren't very busy so I didn't feel too bad and once they found out that we were here celebrating Debbie's birthday we got some great deals. We both left there looking fantastic and ready for lunch at Tucci Benucch. This time there was no waiting for a table. We ordered a roasted mushroom and sun-dried tomato white pizza and Baked Spaghetti. We each ordered a different sauce for the baked spaghetti (which we split). I had a vodka rose sauce and Debbie had meat sauce. Both were delicious. The pizza crust was about as thin as I've ever had. It was not great. We were too stuffed for dessert.
After lunch we decided to separate for 2 hours to do some solo shopping. We were going to meet up at the movie theaters at 4:30. I did some handbag fondling and then found myself up on the 2nd floor at Yankee Candle where I found perfect $10 gifts. I took a look down at what was going on on the first floor and found the perfect Christmas present for a very hard to buy for person. I called Deb to tell her what I saw and then headed downstairs. Can't write about the rest or I'll spoil a surprise. We still had an hour to kill and no more shopping to do so we sat in the Nickelodeon Universe watching the kids on the rides. The one ride Debbie let me ride was the elevator up to the 4th floor to go to a movie. BTW, "The History of Lying" is a good movie to miss. We were sitting in comfortable seats and were off our feet for 2 hours but that's about the best we could say for it. The movie got out at 6:15 and we headed down on floor to Johnny Rockets for hamburgers and a chocolate shake for dinner. When we started out on Friday we each put $120 in a "kitty" that paid for everything except our individual shopping. We had to kick in another $2 each but we have enough money left to buy a bottle of water for the flight home. Perfect! We ate and then headed down to the entrance to catch our shuttle back across the street to our hotel. We arranged for our shuttle to the airport and then went upstairs and FILLED our empty suitcase with our purchases.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Mall Rats - Day 2
We woke up at 7:30 and eased into Day 2 of our Attack on the Great Mall. We fortified ourselves with breakfast in the hotel lobby...fresh waffles, bagels, bacon/egg/cheese biscuits, juice and coffee. We were ready in time to hop on the first bus of the day over to the Mall at 10:00. Today I decided to invest $5 in a locker and at least not have to wear or carry my jacket. It turned out to be a very wise decision. Today we tackled the first floor of the Mall. First thing I discovered was the Mall of America store. I bought a half priced tee shirt and a thimble. Then we stopped at Bath and Body Works and did some damage. Went back to the locker and stashed our bags. Next stop was Build-a-Bear Workshop where I made not one, but two bears. One bear was a limited time promotion for this weekend only and was half price. I'm a sucker for a sale. That bear was for me. It took quite a while to get the bears stuffed (complete with beating hearts) and then fluffed and dressed. Back to the locker to stash one bear and take home box. I decided to carry my bear around and take pictures of him/her in various locations around the mall.
Debbie did some shopping in Bare Escentuals and I told her to pick out some things that she would like for Christmas and then I would go back and buy them later. That worked out well, too. And while I was there the bear got a makeover and posed for a picture.
We had lunch at Magic Pan Creperie (a traditional chicken divan crepe, a pizza crepe and a crepe suzette). Delicious! We checked out Tucci Benuche for dinner. Went to the Barbie store (a real letdown compared to the American Girl Store) and then went to the Aquarium. It was fascinating to walk through an underground tunnel with fish swimming alongside and overhead. After the aquarium we continued our tour of the first floor and then went upstairs for another bubble tea. When we placed our order we were told that they had run out of the tapioca pearls and would have more in 20 minutes. We didn't want to substitute the fruit jells so we sat at the end of the counter and waited. And waited. AND WAITED. It was good to be off our feet and relaxing for 37 minutes. Debbie wanted exactly the same drink that we had yesterday but I ordered a spicy chai shake with pearls and tangerine flavoring. It was delicious. After we got our tea we had to go back down to the first floor and finished our circuit. So, in 2 days we covered all four floors of the mall. Now it's time to return to some places that we needed to explore further. I went back to the bead store and bought some beads with a necklace in mind. We tried on slippers in the Alpaca store but didn't buy anything because they just didn't feel right. Somehow the hours just flew by. At 8:00, we were ready for dinner so we went over to Tucci Benuche only to find the wait was going to be almost 90 minutes. Instead, we went up to Cantina #1 where we had to wait a mere half hour. We had some chips and guacamole, chicken enchiladas and a chicken tortilla casserole. Unlike last night we barely made a dent on our dinners. We were finished just in time to dash for the 9:00 bus. We spent 11 hours at the mall!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Shop Til You Drop - Day 1
This morning I woke up at 3:45, a full hour before my alarm went off. At 4:30 I figured I wasn't going to fall back asleep so I got up and showered, dressed and took Rocky out before waking Debbie at 5:00. We were on our way to the airport at 5:15.
By the time we got to the airport, the drizzle that we had at home had become a mix of rain and snow. I just love sitting on a plane when they spray with deicer. It's almost as much fun as having a screaming infant in the row behind you.
We arrived in Minnesota at 10:00 CDT and miraculously our bag (we stuffed our carry-on bags in one big suitcase that we checked) was waiting on the carousel when we reached baggage claim. We were at our hotel at 10:30 and at the Mall of American at 11:05. Now, when we go mall exploring there are certain rules...We started at the top (well, in this case we went to the 3rd floor first). We walk the entire floor, including down all the side "streets".
The first thing that caught our attention was the amusement park in the center of the mall. As we went up the escalator we got a different view of the many roller coasters. It was mind boggling. Our first destination was a restaurant called "Noodles" for lunch. I had Japanese udon noodles with grilled steak and Debbie had penne pasta with a rosa sauce and grilled chicken. It was very tasty and just enough to fill the void and get us ready to shop til we dropped. We continued walking around the 3rd floor making note of places we would go back to. We shared a Bubble Tea, watched some mall cops (and dog) in action. It didn't take us long to get the lay of the land. We found some really neat shops (a bead shop, Archivers scrapbook shop, lots of game stores, as well as the standards found everywhere, but a little bigger and more stocked than our local versions).
We headed down to the 2nd floor and continued our circuit. Rule #2...you can look across the floor, but you can't peek over the railing to the shops on the lower level. It was very hard to do on the 2nd floor. Big surprise of the day was Debbie's reaction to the American Girl Store. She never had an American Girl Doll but she was completely captivated by the dolls, the furniture and the beauty parlor for dolls. Who'd have guessed?
We checked out the movies for future reference. We had dinner at Bubba Gump's. We had a coupon for a free appetizer if we ordered 2 entrees so we ordered a ton of food and ate it all. We had an assortment of shrimp, trout stuffed with crabmeat and an artichoke and spinach appetizer with chips. Then we ran to catch the van back across the street to our hotel.
Now we're in bed watching Monk and luxuriating in the five pillows and an entire queen size bed for each of us.
By the time we got to the airport, the drizzle that we had at home had become a mix of rain and snow. I just love sitting on a plane when they spray with deicer. It's almost as much fun as having a screaming infant in the row behind you.
We arrived in Minnesota at 10:00 CDT and miraculously our bag (we stuffed our carry-on bags in one big suitcase that we checked) was waiting on the carousel when we reached baggage claim. We were at our hotel at 10:30 and at the Mall of American at 11:05. Now, when we go mall exploring there are certain rules...We started at the top (well, in this case we went to the 3rd floor first). We walk the entire floor, including down all the side "streets".
The first thing that caught our attention was the amusement park in the center of the mall. As we went up the escalator we got a different view of the many roller coasters. It was mind boggling. Our first destination was a restaurant called "Noodles" for lunch. I had Japanese udon noodles with grilled steak and Debbie had penne pasta with a rosa sauce and grilled chicken. It was very tasty and just enough to fill the void and get us ready to shop til we dropped. We continued walking around the 3rd floor making note of places we would go back to. We shared a Bubble Tea, watched some mall cops (and dog) in action. It didn't take us long to get the lay of the land. We found some really neat shops (a bead shop, Archivers scrapbook shop, lots of game stores, as well as the standards found everywhere, but a little bigger and more stocked than our local versions).
We headed down to the 2nd floor and continued our circuit. Rule #2...you can look across the floor, but you can't peek over the railing to the shops on the lower level. It was very hard to do on the 2nd floor. Big surprise of the day was Debbie's reaction to the American Girl Store. She never had an American Girl Doll but she was completely captivated by the dolls, the furniture and the beauty parlor for dolls. Who'd have guessed?
We checked out the movies for future reference. We had dinner at Bubba Gump's. We had a coupon for a free appetizer if we ordered 2 entrees so we ordered a ton of food and ate it all. We had an assortment of shrimp, trout stuffed with crabmeat and an artichoke and spinach appetizer with chips. Then we ran to catch the van back across the street to our hotel.
Now we're in bed watching Monk and luxuriating in the five pillows and an entire queen size bed for each of us.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Catching Up
Catching Up
October 12, 2009.
I totally missed writing about our amazing trip to Montana. If only I could find the flashdrive that I kept my trip journal on. I would go back there in a heartbeat. Not too sure I’d be able to survive their winters but the summer is stunning. When I was away I borrowed our office netbook to keep in touch and keep my journal. I liked the light weight and the keyboard but the 8.9” screen was a little too small for me. When I got home I succumbed to the temptation on HSN and ordered an Acer Aspire 1 with an 11.2” screen. Much better. It also has a full size keyboard. About the only thing it doesn’t have is a cd/dvd drive. So far it hasn’t been a problem. It even comes with a built in web cam. Don’t ask me how to use it.
My Kindle was wonderful on vacation and I really love it. I have read a lot of books in the less than 2 months that I’ve had it, including The Lost Code by Dan Brown. Next up is Diana Gabaldon’s newest book, An Echo in the Bones. Can’t wait to see what Claire and Jamie are up to. When we last heard from them it was the dawn of the American Revolution and I think they were in West Virginia (or was it one of the Carolina’s?) At any rate, it will be a pleasure not to have to lug a 3” thick book around with me. I’ve also been reading some Beacon Street Girls books which were recommended by the 10 year old I mentor. I’m enjoying them very much.
Since we’ve been back I participated in a Christmas Card Swap at the Scrapbook Clubhouse in Westbrook. I went home with a great assortment of cards and signed up for an “All Purpose” card swap later this month. I signed up to make sympathy cards and I finished 16 cards this weekend. I might not be able to attend the card swap party if John and I really go away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary. It would be our first overnight trip with Rocky. We might head up to Acadia National Park in Maine.
But, before that happens, this weekend is Diane and Debbie hit The Mall of America. The MOA is a gigantic shopping destination in Bloomington, MN. Yeah, we’re flying 2000 miles to be Mall Rats. Our flight leaves Friday morning at 8:00. To make our flight we have to leave home around 5:00 am so Debbie is sleeping over Thursday night and Friday morning we’ll roll out of bed and drive to Windsor Locks. We land in Minnesota around 10:00 CDT and we’ll be at the Mall before lunchtime. Debbie is in charge of what we do once we arrive. The trip is my birthday gift to her.
Yesterday we celebrated Debbie’s birthday at Outback Steakhouse.
I've been consistent about working out at the Y (though, now that it's getting colder and darker it's harder to get up and out and face the thought of getting in the pool, but I'm really enjoying the Aquacise classes. I try to get there at least 3 times a week, sometimes more. There's such a difference between the morning class and the evening class. The water is usually warm, the showers are hot, the sauna is fantastic and the ladies are friendly.
October 12, 2009.
I totally missed writing about our amazing trip to Montana. If only I could find the flashdrive that I kept my trip journal on. I would go back there in a heartbeat. Not too sure I’d be able to survive their winters but the summer is stunning. When I was away I borrowed our office netbook to keep in touch and keep my journal. I liked the light weight and the keyboard but the 8.9” screen was a little too small for me. When I got home I succumbed to the temptation on HSN and ordered an Acer Aspire 1 with an 11.2” screen. Much better. It also has a full size keyboard. About the only thing it doesn’t have is a cd/dvd drive. So far it hasn’t been a problem. It even comes with a built in web cam. Don’t ask me how to use it.
My Kindle was wonderful on vacation and I really love it. I have read a lot of books in the less than 2 months that I’ve had it, including The Lost Code by Dan Brown. Next up is Diana Gabaldon’s newest book, An Echo in the Bones. Can’t wait to see what Claire and Jamie are up to. When we last heard from them it was the dawn of the American Revolution and I think they were in West Virginia (or was it one of the Carolina’s?) At any rate, it will be a pleasure not to have to lug a 3” thick book around with me. I’ve also been reading some Beacon Street Girls books which were recommended by the 10 year old I mentor. I’m enjoying them very much.
Since we’ve been back I participated in a Christmas Card Swap at the Scrapbook Clubhouse in Westbrook. I went home with a great assortment of cards and signed up for an “All Purpose” card swap later this month. I signed up to make sympathy cards and I finished 16 cards this weekend. I might not be able to attend the card swap party if John and I really go away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary. It would be our first overnight trip with Rocky. We might head up to Acadia National Park in Maine.
But, before that happens, this weekend is Diane and Debbie hit The Mall of America. The MOA is a gigantic shopping destination in Bloomington, MN. Yeah, we’re flying 2000 miles to be Mall Rats. Our flight leaves Friday morning at 8:00. To make our flight we have to leave home around 5:00 am so Debbie is sleeping over Thursday night and Friday morning we’ll roll out of bed and drive to Windsor Locks. We land in Minnesota around 10:00 CDT and we’ll be at the Mall before lunchtime. Debbie is in charge of what we do once we arrive. The trip is my birthday gift to her.
Yesterday we celebrated Debbie’s birthday at Outback Steakhouse.
I've been consistent about working out at the Y (though, now that it's getting colder and darker it's harder to get up and out and face the thought of getting in the pool, but I'm really enjoying the Aquacise classes. I try to get there at least 3 times a week, sometimes more. There's such a difference between the morning class and the evening class. The water is usually warm, the showers are hot, the sauna is fantastic and the ladies are friendly.
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