The Croppin' Cabin

More music...

2010-04-24T10:40:00.003-05:00

So earlier this week a friend and I loaded up all of our kiddos and went to Cedar Rapids, IA to the Rock & Worship Roadshow. One of my kids is crazy about Family Force 5, and another one is crazy about David Crowder Band (I have to admit that one, too--haha!) Anyway, it was a long drive, but oh-so-worth it. What a great concert & great way to share the Lord Jesus Christ with families! Tickets are $10 at the door, which makes it quite affordable for entire families or youth groups. If you want to see if they're coming near you, click here and then on TOUR:

http://therockandworshiproadshow.com/

Mercy Me performed last, and this song was so touching when performed live--I think we all feel like this during our walk with Jesus. What a glorious thing we have to look forward to!

Easy Schmeasy Gifts

2009-12-13T22:40:00.002-06:00

This year's easy-schmeasy gift is a fun one! My monthly crop last month was our Open House, and our hostess had made these little gems for us as gifts. They were travertine tiles hand-stamped with a cute picture and greeting, and tied together with adorable ribbon. She had applied small felt pieces to the corners on the underneath side--coasters! A few of us talked it over and thought these would be great emergency gifts for people--teachers, etc...I'm even making my mom, sister, SIL, etc a set.

After looking at the ONE box of travertine tiles left at Home Depot, I decided that they really weren't going to work as well for my coaster gifts as I had hoped because they had an uneven surface and I was concerned about how well they would stamp. A floor store could order smoother ones, w/o ridges and with a slightly porous surface, but not in the 4x4 size. Fortunately Steph was going to KC and was able to pick a few up for me--she ended up buying an entire case and we split it. :-) She also picked up the permanent ink. Our tiles are some kind of tumbled Italian stone, and while porous, they are smooth and free from uneven surface ledges.

I think I have all the necessary accessories, and will post pics as soon as I do some!

Oops! I Did It Again. . .

2009-09-04T10:04:00.005-05:00

I seriously have a travel trailer addiction. What I NEED is a travel trailer dealership, because I love camping, love travel trailers, and LOVE learning about them. But that's a dream for another day. ;-)

I traded down a year this time, but I did my research and once I got there, and walked inside, I was sold. It could have had an eyeball growing out of the fridge and I think I would have wanted it. What is it this time? It's a 2002 Keystone Outback 25RS-S.

This has the hard slide out queen bed in the rear, double entry doors, remote ducted ac/furnace, 2 bunks in front, and bike storage door (bottom bunk stores up and you can put your bikes, etc through the access door. Neato Skeato!) My fave features are the white cabinets and wood-like floors, which make it seem much cozier and welcoming. I also like the outside cook center--this one doesn't have the sink, but that's okay. The Keystone people added quite a few little "nice" extra touches--the pull out hamper in the bathroom, canvas storage with mirror for the kiddies on the top bunk, and cargo net and shelves along the entire front. We paid for it and pick it up next week--we're getting a power jack on this one, and it needed the Dometic fridge recall, etc. I've done enough cranking to meet my needs for a while. hehe

My Matchbox Twenty Song of the Month

2009-08-10T23:30:00.006-05:00

When I first heard this song last year, I fell in love with it immediately. It was one of many of Rob's songs that I could hear for the first time and just want to hear it again & again. Maybe it's just that I could apply it to my life and a situation I was dealing with, or maybe it's just that Rob is a brilliant song writer who seems to always know what's going on in my life and writes a song about it. "Hey...the Shasta girl has seriously HAD it with this relationship! I'll write a song about it!" (hahaha) Okay...maybe that didn't really happen, but he did write an appropriate song for the situation.

So enjoy..this is "All Your Reasons" from Matchbox Twenty's album, "Exile on Mainstream." (Love that title!)

Going to meet Rob Thomas!!

2009-08-09T00:07:00.003-05:00

OMG!! OMG!! OMG!! OMG!!

Did you hear me screaming all the way from (insert wherever you are??)

So earlier this week I ordered tickets for a friend & I to go see Rob Thomas in October. I was pretty psyched about it, feeling oh-so-happy...looking forward to it, and then I got a phone call that would change my life forever. (I just had to say that. Sorry.)

My sweet, thoughtful, and funny-as-heck friend managed to get us 2 tickets to a small, PRIVATE ACOUSTIC CONCERT AND MEET & GREET with Rob this week. I thought it was a joke..the radio station was giving them away and they GAVE them to us after the DJ heard my story about how Rob helped me through some really, really, really rough times. He just...gave us the tickets. We find out more details on Monday, and then Tuesday we go to this mysterious MEET & GREET with Rob. Rob Thomas. I'm going to meet Rob Thomas.

Did I mention I'm going to meet Rob Thomas? I am so happy. I am truly, truly, thrilled! Happy! I just want the chance to say to him how grateful I am for the words he writes...that his music reaches out and helps so many people through so many things. He truly is a lyrical genius, and I am finally going to have the opportunity to tell him how much that has meant to me.

This is a no-autograph Meet & Greet, but we can take pictures, so I'll be sure to post them.

First "Official Trip" in the Coyote

2009-07-30T12:17:00.006-05:00

The kids & I left last Wednesday and spent 4 nights, 5 days in the new KZ Coyote. This was the first official trip, so I feel I can legitimately give a review. Robert & I camped in it one night after we first got it, as our trial run, but this was the first real trip.

We love it. It's just really nice. From what I can tell, compared to the other 5 travel trailers I have owned, KZ has nice quality workmanship from the cabinets to the fabrics and color scheme. Our color scheme is a nice array of fall colors--perfect for me--deep browns, dark greens, etc. We had looked at a few Rockwood Roos, and the blue color scheme really held me back. I'm a girl. What can I say? I also don't notice as much "bounce" in the floor as the Cabana had...most hybrids have some bounce as part of their lightweight nature.

The mattress on the hybrid bed is super comfortable. I have pressure point pain from most mattresses, and pain from fibromyalgia, but this bed is wonderful. At some point on Saturday night, I traded places with Robert, and it took about an hour before I was in extreme pain from the dinette bed. My mom stayed Saturday night at the campground with us and she slept on the bottom bunk. She has pressure point issues, too, and she was miserable the entire night. They must have used lower quality foam on the dinette and bunks. My kids sleep great on the bunks and the sofa bed, and Robert didn't have any complaints of hurting from the dinette so I'm assuming it's just those of us with sensitive bodies. I sleep like a BABY on the hybrid bed though.

The only REAL complaint that I have with the Coyote is the closeness of the bathroom...it's much easier to leave the door open. My only other issue is the big cabinet to the left of the stove/oven wants to fly open going down the road. I solved this problem by bungee cording the door shut, but I will just replace the latch and hope it works.

The outdoor cooktop was wonderful and we used it twice--once for boiling water, and another time for cooking sausage. This kept us from adding unnecessary humidity and smells to the inside of the trailer. :-)

And this picture--if you squint, you can see our new camping table. I love it--I think I got it from Ebay because it was cheaper there, but it's so worth it. If you'll recall, our other table was stolen on Memorial Day weekend camping, so we needed a replacement. I love the storage--it zips, both sides...and both ends have pockets just right for bug spray bottles, sunscreen, etc. It's called The Big Easy Table, by Pacific Outdoors. It was $65, but again--totally worth it. If someone steals this one, I will hunt them down. . .

I especially like the cables on the hybrid bunk end as opposed to the poles that we had with the Keystone Cabana. Set up is super easy with the cables--I'm done in 3 minutes or less. With the Cabana it was sometimes difficult to hold up the end and get the poles lined up. I don't miss it. The velcro all the way around the bunk end makes me feel more secure, too...the Cabana used a bungee cord every so many inches, and left noticeable gaps for bugs, etc. I feel like the bed is sealed up nicely on the Coyote. The bungee cords inside to hold the mattress up during travel is easy to use and I prefer it over the velcro straps that the Cabana had as well. Our Coyote still has the "old-style" latches on the hybrid end, but we've camping in pouring rain, and it's set in pouring rain, and has not leaked or been wet. The seal around the bed is much puffier and heavier than the Cabana. (Sorry to keep comparing, but I feel it helps if you're used-hybrid shopping to compare different features.)

I also like the rear storage and side storage on the Coyote--no slide-through tray though, and that would have been nice, but the entire back area is storage (under the bunkbeds) so that makes up for it. My only wish is that it was a WEE bit taller as it's a tight squeeze to get my Weber Smokey Joe grill inside there.

My sister, BIL, and mom camped with us, and my nephew came out with his girlfriend and their new baby. It was so much fun!

The new-to-us 2003 KZ Coyote 23 hybrid

2009-07-21T11:57:00.005-05:00

I have taken the plunge into the hybrid world--face first. For a brief period of time we owned a 17' 2001 Keystone Cabana, but after spending 4 days at the campground in the rain with 3 kids and a dog, I realized I had grossly underestimated our camping needs. After all, we did have a 32' before...17 feet? What was I thinking? I was TRYING to be earth-friendly, gas-friendly, and driveway-friendly. I achieved that, but I lost my sanity in the process. I did decide that I am fully sold on the HYBRID travel trailer though.

So..on the way home from the campground, we stopped at the dealership and looked at this adorable 2003 KZ Coyote hybrid. It was 23' long, about 27 with the front hybrid end out. Two bunks in the back, a full 3-piece bathroom again, an outside cookstove, a nice new awning, and get this--a SLIDE. We may have achieved camping bliss, folks!

So..I am up to my ears in carpet cleaning today (trying to take advantage of the cooler weather) but I wanted to share pics...Enjoy!

Long-time update! Apologies, and randomness...

2009-06-13T23:45:00.004-05:00

Long time, no post, right? When I started working at the massage therapy spa in December I really had no idea how difficult it was going to be to manage working, 3 kids, a dog dogs, 2 cats, a house, a car, a yard, etc...and my poor neglected HOBBIES, AND maintain a blog. I did manage to make it to most of my monthly crops but I wouldn't say I was overly productive since Steph was always there, and Tina...But that's the fun of it, right?

And before I say anything else, I want to be sure and apologize in advance for the sporadic randomness of this post. I feel like in order to keep this post under a billion words long, I just need to toss out the key elements of the update and skip the thorough explanations. Most of you know me well enough to know what's been going on in my demented little corner of the planet anyway.

I did sell the mini-Winnie to a couple who planned to completely restore her. I'm sure this will be a frame-up rebuild, and wow--are they courageous! I do get a longing for Winnie now and then, but then I remember how I don't have the time/money or skill to rebuild a vintage trailer right now. I think I saw my '71 Shasta on CL though--but that's a whole 'nother story for another day.

I ended up selling the '28 Prowler and buying a '32 Prowler. I didn't really mean to, but I fell in love with the bathroom. I know that sounds like a silly thing to fall in love with, but I did. Then I had to find a tow vehicle cause I was fairly certain the Kia minivan wasn't going to tow anything, much less a 32' travel trailer. I sold Dad's truck that was so graciously given to me and bought a Suburban, and the 32' was still a load. Then when I got it home I realized that it was entirely ridiculous to think that I, a girl, was going to learn to hitch that monster up and tow it anyway. Seriously? That was very stupid & I'm not afraid to say it. I could barely lift the monster load-leveling hitch that it required for towing purposes, so you guessed it--I sold it for $1500 profit. (big cheesy grin)

You'll never believe this, but I was without a camper for a while. It was so serious that I started to worry we'd be tent campers again this season. *gasp* I decided that I needed to go as small/light as possible, but nothing vintage--I needed something that I could manage on my own. I started to look at a nice pop up, but then decided it was a lot of work for someone that camps with 3 kids and 2 dogs. Then there's the entire potty/toilet thing--even a mounted toilet in a pup requires dumping via handheld method. I can do that--nothing I haven't done before during our camping escapades, but why? LOL Selling the last 2 travel trailers put me at enough $$ to buy something small, but self contained.

And that leads me to our new baby...a 2003 KZ Coyote 23. It's THE PERFECT size, VERY lightweight, and I can lift the load leveling hitch. I don't even think I need the hitch but all the guys in camper world tell me otherwise. Plus the guy threw it in so you know--it was worth the taking! I went to the campground and "interviewed" (or stalked) a few hybrid owners and spent hours researching, and felt like this was the right decision for us. It's nice to have the slide out, and the 2 bunks in the rear, as well as the hybrid bed in front. I'm looking forward to using the outside cooktop, too. It also makes a nice "privacy fence" from the creepy neighbor.

In other news, I got a new mower/mulcher that I've already managed to tear up the spark plug thingie on, my neighbor/friend Reta moved to a new house with her finance, my dad broke his hip twice in the nursing home, and my basement is flooding on a regular basis. We still have a window peeker, and the neighbor-from-you-know-where is still tormenting us by touching our cars, camper, etc. They're not "right." It's annoying..and not sure how much longer we'll want to stay here. We would miss our wonderful neighbors, but there comes a point when enough is enough. I bought new loft beds for the girls, a Captain's bed for Connor, and redid our bathroom. We switched internet companies and switched from Dish Network to Cable One so we could get local channels. That pretty much sums up the past few months.

I will post pics of the new camper--and my email has changed so please make note if you have the sbcglobal email saved in your address book.

The trailer is a WHAT?!

2009-02-26T08:49:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the long lapse of time between posts. Things have been busy/hectic here, and I do have an update on the new "Croppin' Cabin."

I contacted Juergen Eichermueller to help me identify the cute little canned ham trailer. After about a week of digging through his archives, I sent him an email of the hubcaps in case they were "important." I actually thought they looked like they had a "W" in the center, so I wondered if the trailer was an old Winnebago. I'd tried doing internet searches, but all the 60's model Winnebagos looked entirely different from this one. What's funny is that we nearly cross-posted on our emails..he had just opened his Winnebago archives as I was sending pictures of the hubcaps.

As it turns out, the trailer is a 1960 Winnebago 15 foot trailer. Only 28 of these were made & manufactured in Forest City, IA in the later part of 1959, and sold in 1960.

So...who would have thought? Due to the rarity of the trailer, I felt it best that I give it a chance at a restoration if anyone was interested. As of yet, the right person hasn't come along so it's looking favorable for it staying in my possession and becoming the new Croppin' Cabin.

Oh, and thanks for the name suggestions!! We have named her "Winnie," and it seems fitting for the time being.

I tried selling Winnie on Craigslist, but I had a lot of real interest that became lost among the weirdos. I had some guy INSIST that it wasn't rare at allllll, even though there were only 28 made. Gee, I dunno...28 is pretty freaking rare if you ask me. Genius.

I spent a day cleaning, disinfecting, bleaching, and preparing Winnie for whatever her future may have in store. The quilt is the quilt that my grandma made for me...I just thought it looked nice. The curtains are the Scrapbooking Bee curtians, Debbie Mumm Creative Woman line, and my mom made those for me when I was redoing the Shasta. I wanted to try them out and see if they "fit" in case Winnie stays in the family--I think they worked great!

So, as it stands now, Winnie is in limbo at the moment. I'd like to see someone buy her and restore her, and there had been some talk of putting her in a museum in OH. I have decided that if no one stumbles along and buys Winnie before it warms up, I am definitely continuing on with my plans to convert her into a scrapbooking studio. At first I was really disappointed and felt guilty for even considering doing anything like that to such a rare old trailer, but now I'm getting excited again. She really IS the perfect "canned ham" trailer!

Aluminitis, Part 3

2009-01-20T08:37:00.007-06:00

Betcha' can't guess where this post is headed...:smirk: So we traveled to the big town of Corydon, IA last Sunday to check out this little piece of trailer history. I was really anxious on the way there because I was worrying about it not being what we thought, and hoped, that it was going to be.

We pulled into their driveway and the minute I laid my eyes on it, I knew it was just as I had pictured. I can't really say that I was even disappointed in anything other than the screen door was aluminum vs wooden as I had hoped. I have to say it was a little disheartening to open the door and be greeted with black paint glaring back at us. Black walls, black ceiling, you name it--it was black. "Love Shack" was written in neon glow-in-the-dark paint above the door, and everything original but the sink had been removed and replaced with a large dorm-sized refrigerator and a full-sized bed and mattress. First stop will be to find somewhere to dispose of the unwanted bed...the Love Shack will be no more.

We have no idea what brand, make, model or even year of the trailer might be. I checked all over for the faintest sign of a sticker or other identifying mark and found nothing. There were some numbers on the tongue, but I believe they were the serial numbers for the tongue, not the trailer. I'm hoping someone with more knowledge than I stumbles upon my blog and can shed some insight on year, make, etc based on the few original parts that are left.

We haven't towed the trailer home yet, but I did snap some pictures for you to see in the meantime.

Aluminitis, Part 2

2009-01-15T08:53:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I posted that picture because it is ideally the dream trailer that I'm looking for. It is a picture that I took from a Craigslist ad, and I'd emailed the person who had the trailer and finally called them. Right now it appears that if all goes well, this little beauty will be showning up at my driveway in a few weeks. OMG..it's true. OMG. No, I don't know the manufacturer..the PO says he can't locate a name or number anywhere, but I'll ask for some assistance from "my people." (You know who you are, fellow Aluminitis sufferers!)

Be watching for updates about the new Croppin' Cabin!

Aluminitis

2009-01-14T09:13:00.003-06:00

I have an illness..No, not the fibromyalgia, but another illness just as prevailing and just as widespread--I have Aluminitis. Aluminitis is an affliction of needing to have vintage/classic aluminum on wheels sitting around in your driveway, garage, or yard. From the very moment I brought the Shasta home, I was immediately plagued with this strange illness. I began looking for a sister to the Shasta...and while I found a few prospects, I never really found "the one."

So..this year is a new year, and a new beginning for me..a fresh start in a way. I think it's time to give into the cravings of Aluminitis and add to our family. This time I'm looking for even more vintage...early-to-mid 60's, canned-ham shape with a window in the door. I don't care if it has a title, I don't care if the furnace works, and I don't care if the tires are rotted. All I ask is that it has working electric inside. I'm not camping in this one--it's going to be solely a scrapbooking cabin. I have this mental image of this cute canned ham vintage trailer sitting out back with stepping stone walk leading up to the door, a white picket fence around it with flower beds galore..and a porch light and lamp post welcoming all who care to scrap for a while or come in for a sip of hot tea. I might even let the kids use it as a changing room for the pool. I have curtains made already from the ditsy red Debbie Mumm Scrapbooking Bee fabric, and black metallic denim for the seats.

Aluminitis..is there a cure? Probably not, but I don't think I'm too worried about it.

Christmas is over..YAY!

2008-12-29T16:19:00.004-06:00

If I sound elated to you about Christmas being over, you're right. Normally I'm a huge Christmas pusher...I love the smells, cards, gifts, trees and lights and decorations, pictures, music, cookies and turkeys and hams...I make homemade dog treats and give out, and the dogs and cats wear Christmas bandanas. I buy cute Christmas pajamas and outfits for the kiddies, and the house is full of the wonderful smells of Christmas baking and candles.

Not this year. This year it's been a giant pain in the hiney...the dogs knocked the tree over, the cats knocked the tree over, the legs broke on the artificial tree, the tree started shedding more than a real tree, the dogs broke ornaments, the cats chased ornaments all over the house and wadded up & snagged the tree skirt...and the lights refused to work 50% of the time. By the time Christmas rolled around, we had a lightless, decoration-less tree that leaned to one side.

So I think this is my first ever real venting post for this blog? I won't make a habit of it.

PS..maybe I'll post pictures of the Christmas cards that I made and didn't send out? LOL

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer & Go Team Edward!!

2008-12-25T22:18:00.008-06:00

I cannot tell you how LONG I have been patiently waiting to get to my blog and write, obsess, and otherwise share with you my love for the Twilight movie. I picked the first book in the series up this past summer..on the advice of several other women my age who said although it was a young adult book, they found it to be captivating, beautiful, and romantic. I thought it sounded like the perfect pool-side read.

I hate to admit it, but I kind of have a vampire fetish. It started with the Lost Boys movie in the 80's..Keifer Sutherland was a gorgeous vampire. I was always very self conscious about my dark hair and pale skin, because "tan" was definitely in back in the 80's. I spent a lot of time trying fake tans, sun tanning (or burning, such as it was)and hair lightening. It was easy for me to obsess over some hunky guy that not only accepted the dark-haired, pale-skinned girls, but thought they were beautiful. Oh, vampire!! How dangerously romantic are they?! Well move over, Keifer...cause Edward has definitely become my new favorite vampire. (Followed closely by the oh-so-spooky Jasper, and the adorable Alice.) Unfortunately I am never ready to commit to buying a book unless 1.)I've read it previously and want to own it, or 2.)It's a series and I know I'm going to like it and want all the books from the series. This meant I had to borrow it from the local library...normally books have a 2-week checkout, but Twilight was on a "popular book" list and had a short 1-week checkout time. Unfortunately I had to read it fast. It's basically 500 pages long, which for a speed reader such as myself not a HUGE task, but it was baseball season, and this was during the "do I keep the Shasta and buy a new camper, or not?" phase. I didn't get the book finished..and I had to return it because there was a waiting list. Meanwhile everyone kept telling me how I HAD to read it, etc...I managed to borrow it again and do a quick read and fell in love immediately.

Jordan and I anxiously awaited the arrival of the movie..it seemed everyone I talked to either knew someone addicted to the books or was a fan themselves. I noticed it was showing up on every GoodReads list belonging to my peers from World Crossing. It sold out at our small theater before the first showing, so we put it out of our minds and decided we would wait until the new wore off.

I'm not usually a big fan of book-inspired movies--they're usually a let down, so it's normally a "given" that I'll be disappointed. Curiosity wins out though and I almost always go see the movie, especially if I loved the book. For those of you who have read Twilight BEFORE you saw the movie (as opposed to reading it after falling in love with the movie) you'll understand what I mean when I say that in MY mind, Bella, Edward, Jasper, Carlisle, Charlie, and Alice (Okay..just about everyone)had a distinct look in my MIND. The descriptive words used to tell us how they move, look, act, etc are so clear..so very abundantly clear that I couldn't FATHOM how on EARTH they chose Robert Pattinson (from Harry Potter fame)to cast as our beloved Edward. Seriously. In my MIND, Edward and his siblings are by far the most beautiful people in the world--as he says, everything about them invites you in..their face, their musical voice, their scent. How could a Harry Potter cast member do justice to our gorgeous vampire hero?

That all changed about 10 minutes into the movie after Edward makes his grand entrance into the school. If Bella wasn't already saying it outloud, everyone in the theater (who hadn't read the book and didn't already know that Edward was beautiful) was thinking it: "Who is THAT?!" When the other girl says "THAT is Edward Cullen..totally gorgeous, obviously." Sigh. Edward. EDWARD. Robert Pattinson NAILED the part of Edward. I totally forgot whatever mental image I had conceived of beautiful Edward from that moment on. His mannerisms, his voice, his facial expressions..they were all 100% Edward from the book. Perfect! My reading image of Edward was replaced by this tall, thin, muscular wild-haired beauty with the sing-song voice. What was I saying? Oh, yeah..the movie. *cough*

For those of you unfamiliar with the story or the movie, here is the basic plot. (This summary contains MINOR spoilers but shouldn't take away from your reading pleasure..I've kept all the action and secrets to myself.)Bella's mom remarries a much younger man who plays minor league baseball, so Bella moves from hot, dry Phoenix to the cold, wet town of Forks,Washington where she'll be living with her dad. Her dad, Charlie, is the local chief of police. They eat at the diner regularly..for his favorite steak & cobbler dinner. He works a lot, but buys Bella a neat old truck for her own transportation. During her first day at the new school, she immediately notices a group of kids who keep to themselves and look unlike any other people she's ever seen. They are pale, beautiful kids who dress and walk like supermodels. They seem to have uncanny coordination, and are absolutely stunningly beautiful. She finds out they are the foster kids/adopted kids of Mr & Mrs Cullen, who moved there a few years ago from Alaska. Four of the 5 kids are couples, oddly enough, except for young Edward.

Bella & Edward are forced to sit together in Biology, and she immediately notices his extreme discomfort while being around her. At this point she has no way of knowing that he is a vampire and her scent is driving him mad. He wants her...not in a romantic way, but in a "I'm kinda thirsty for your blood" way. The Cullens are all vampires, but have learned to control their thirst and consider themselves "vegetarians." They only kill animals, not humans. This allows them to set up a permanent residence in rainy, overcast towns such as Forks. Dr Cullens works at the hospital, and the 5 foster/adopted kids attend the local school. Edward's interest in Bella causes him to rescue her from a skidding out-of-control van in the parking lot, thus exposing his extreme strength & speed. This threatens his family's secret, and makes Bella determined to figure out "what" he is.

Eventually Edward & Bella develop a dangerous romance..but he is worried that he won't be able to control his thirst, and she is equally worried about losing him and is convinced that she cannot live without him. She is keenly aware that with every passing minute she becomes older, while he remains 17 forever. Hanging out with a family of vampires is a little scary, even if they are "vegetarians." There are 3 books after Twilight, so I'll comment on them as I finish them.

I've read a lot of reviews about the movie, and after seeing it 4 times the ONLY thing that REALLY disturbs me is 1.)There is a lot of info missing from the movie. I realize 2 hours is a relatively short time to cram in 500 pages of information, but really...viewers who haven't read the book want to know why Carlisle would make ANYONE a vampire in the first place, 2.)why no one questions why Dr & Mrs Cullen's adopted and foster kids all share the same beautiful outward appearances..pale skin, bruised eyes, black, piercing eyes that turn golden some days, etc.

Some things were conveyed as quickly as possible and quite thoroughly..you understand quickly that Edward can read minds..although at first you won't understand why he's smiling when he's "listening" to minds (cause you don't know he IS reading minds to begin with), why he's almost gagging when Bella walks into Biology class, or that Rosalie & Jasper are supposedly actually real brother & sister. (Rosalie & Jasper are "foster children," whereas Alice, Emmett and Edward are already adopted by the Cullens. Of course this is just the "understanding" of the townsfolk..Rosalie and Jasper are certainly NOT brother & sister..)Certain things become more clear as the movie goes on.

Fans of the book will be relieved to know that some of the BEST lines of the movie are not left out....My personal favorite, of course, is "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." "What a stupid lamb.." "What a sick, masochistic lion."

Oh, Edward..you sick, masochistic lion. Of course Bella is going to tell you that one of the best things about Charlie is that he doesn't hover, that she is irrevocably in love with Edward, and you'll get to hear her tell Edward, "I know what you are." You'll also get to hear her ask Edward "How old are you?" Edward then replies "17." Bella shoots back "How long have you BEEN 17?" Edward doesn't disappoint us with a slight pause and then he comes back with "A while."

Bella is beautiful, although I was thinking while she was simplistically pretty, she also was plain enough to convey the "beautiful Cullens" difference. I realize that there are millions of other women & girls lusting after Edward as well..they created the PERFECT character for women to fall in love with. He is the epitome of the perfect man--he IS what every girl dreams of, and as it turns out, every 35-year-old woman. He is beautiful, intelligent, charasmatic, and a hero. He is protective of Bella, always making sure she is safe and free from harm...he is witty, intelligent, and chivalry is not lost with our vampire hero. Edward always makes sure Bella has eaten, he opens the car door for her, helps her into the car, into the house, helps remove her coat. During the final fight scene when he is there to avenge his beloved Bella, you can plainly see how distraught he is..he is ready to kill the evil james for harming her. He is the man we all wish we grew up and married. He's every woman's dream man, except for that blood-sucking thing.

I can't really pinpoint a favorite part of the movie, or the book, but I do have to say the baseball scene is a lot of fun to watch. I love how the Cullens immediately welcome Bella into their "family," so to speak..knowing she knows their secret. (Except for Rosalie, who if you'll recall from the book was brought home by Carlisle to be "for" Edward...but Edward wasn't interested.)The Cullens are all so tremendously relieved that Edward has finally found his soul mate that they're willing to open their home, lives, and dangerous secret with a human.

Some friends of Jordan's haven't seen the movie due to the PG-13 rating, but I felt confident that she'd read the book and we'd talked about things, so she would be able to handle it. I was VERY pleased that there was absolutely NO language at ALL in this movie...it had less language than your typical PG Disney movie, so that was a nice surprise. There is no sex, either..although there is a scene on the bed with kissing. The ONLY thing that I can see that deems this movie worthy of the pg-13 rating is the tiny bit of violence at the end when Edward comes to save Bella from the big-bad James. The violence is minimal, and there are no close-ups of anything too dramatic. Most of it is implied.

Please stay tuned for my comments about New Moon, the 2nd in the series. I've already read the 12 chapters of Midnight Sun from Stephenie Meyer's website..which is essentially the Twilight story but told from Edward's point of view. It closes a lot of unanswered questions that you're left with after reading Twilight. I cannot wait to read the ending of it, and I hope it is as long or longer than the other 4 books.

If you didn't see the movie before it left your local theater, or you haven't read the book and I've piqued your interest, here is a clip of the official movie trailer:

Julie's Birthday

2008-11-14T22:01:00.004-06:00

Today is my best girlfriend's birthday...I won't tell you how old she is, but she is older than I am. (hehe) Anyway, I decided to make her a little birthday card & treat box to let her know that I love her & that I'm glad she's older than me.

For this project I used Chatterbox double-sided papers from their wallpaper line. I picked these up quite a few months ago from Happy 'N Scrappin'. I LOVE that online store...these were on sale and I fell in love with Chatterbox after receiving my first papers. I used the Cricut cartridge George, Plantin' Schoolbook for the envelope & card, and Tags, Bags, Boxes & More for the flower box. I filled the box with chocolate Skittles. I've since heard that chocolate Skittles are rather gross...Whoops!

Croppin' at the Crop

2008-11-11T09:29:00.014-06:00

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to be free to travel to a local Friday night/Saturday morning crop. I've been trying to get to this crop for a few months now, so I was pretty excited to finally have the opportunity, especially since an old friend from our old town was going as well. Her name is Steph, and she is a BLAST. I just love her to pieces! She's silly, and I'm silly, and after you've been sitting and staring at paper, photos, and adhesive for hours on end, you start to get even MORE silly.

The crop was very well organized and a lot of thought was put into it. Everyone brought snacks and drinks to share, and there were 3 Cricut machines on a table for everyone to use. I didn't get mine out since the table was full, but I did take 3 cartridges that I set out for everyone to use. (Stretch Your Imagination seemed to be the big hit this time!)Since it's one of my favorites, I let Steph take it home after the crop so she could play with it at home.

I ended up running out of ATG adhesive and couldn't remember how to load the refill...I'm going to draw myself a little diagram in case that happens again. I ended up buying adhesive from Joyce, the crop host. I'll be more prepared next time though with my loading diagram.

Here are the pages that I completed...some still need the finishing touches, but for the most part, they are completed:

Steph being goofy...

Joyce looking for my lost letters...LOL!! I cut the word "Oliver" in tiny polka dot paper, and it blended in with the carpet and "disappeared" before I got back to my croppin' spot. Joyce painstakingly located all the missing letters on Saturday. haha!!

If any of you local girls want to come along next month, please let me know!

Review of my New Blackberry Pearl 8130

2008-10-27T13:30:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I left my phone laying on the bed in the camper, and at some point during the night it was found on the floor at the OTHER end of the camper in a rather unrecognizable condition. Shattered glass, missing antenna, doggy chew marks all over the plastic. Two things could be concluded: 1.)I'm a horrible doggy mommy, and 2.)I was without a phone.

I started researching and reading reviews online, and thought I wanted the HTC Touch or the Motorola Q. I bid on a few on Ebay but never won, and I'm really glad now. After visiting with the guys at the Alltel store here in town, I concluded that what I *really* wanted was a Blackberry, and this is what I came out with:

It's a Blackberry Pearl 8130 in white..(it matches my new van..I'm so easily amused!)I ended up buying it online from the Alltel store because it was $79.99 after rebate, and it came with a free Bluetooth headset and free car charger,and free shipping of course. (I am the free shipping QUEEN!)

The first thing I noticed with this phone was the unique keyboard...then when I realized what was so unique about it, I started to panic. The Blackberry pearl hosts 2 letters per key. Yes, you read that right...it has a Qwerty-style layout, but rather than each letter to a key, you get 2 letters per key. This new-fangled idea is called SureType, and I'm sure the sadistic bastard that created it is laughing his rear off at those of us more technologically-challenged folks.

The other aspect of the phone that took some getting used to was the scrolling/clicking ball..gone are the up/down/left/right buttons and scroll wheels of the past. This roller ball is placed in the top center of the keypad to allow you to navigate horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Pretty nifty, huh?

My favorite features of the phone are the Smartphone features--I was able to sync my email immediately, and set up a Blackberry email as well. The ability to live chat on Yahoo messenger or Blackberry messenger is very nice, and web browsing is convenient and easy. If I get a text, it chimes. If I get a Yahoo messenger message, it chimes. An email?? Chime! With a 2.0 mp camera, video camera capabilities, and Bluetooth technology, there just isn't much that I can't do with my Blackberry.

Just don't ask me to type very fast with the SureType keyboard, okay?

The New Croppin' Cabin Car....

2008-10-22T09:04:00.006-05:00

I've been tracking my expenses, income, and budget faithfully for a couple of months with a very specific goal in mind--to see just how much money I was running through the gas tank in the Gas Guzzler, otherwise known as the Ford Econoline 1/2 ton conversion hi-top van. Yes, it towed my 16' Shasta, and yes, it towed my 28' Prowler, but was it really practical for everyday driving? You know the kind of driving that I'm talking about--to & from school, to the store, to the library..

Needless to say my worst fears were confirmed..I was spending, on average, about $400 a month just driving to and from school & the store. Wow. We don't go anywhere significant since acquiring this conversion van--it's sole purpose was to tow with, and it succeeded. It just didn't seem logical, however, in these hard times (if I may quote a little matchbox twenty just for the fun of it)to use it as my every day means of transportation. That isn't very green at all, and it certainly isn't helping my checkbook any, either.

I sold the Guzzler, and after reading reviews, asking others, and weighing the pros & cons, I settled on this Kia Sedona EX:

Oh, beautiful moonroof! I love you!

Yes, I bought a foreign car..I bought a Kia. Kia is from S. Korea, and it means something in Korean but I've forgotten already although my user manual tells me in the first few pages. And you know what--I LOVE my little foreign-made van...it's way cooler than any of my American-made vehicles. What can I say?

It cost me a whopping $40 to fill this one up, as opposed to the $125 Guzzler. Common sense would say that means you'll be finding me at the pumps a lot more often, but unfortunately, the Guzzler held more but used more, so I don't think I'll notice much difference in time spent at the pump. As for how we're going to tow, we're only going camping once more this season as it's already freezing cold here, and Robert has a tow vehicle. Then we'll have until next spring/summer to find an alternative for towing the Prowler.

So far we LOVE the van. No, we really do LOVE the van. I love the soft leather, the power everything, the fast engine (I'll behave, I promise!) and the quick take-off. It has that new-car smell and feel, and it's so clean that I wouldn't let you eat a Cheerio in it. And Marley & Sadie..well, they're on a car-riding restriction now. Marley got his first ride in the van yesterday on his way to pet therapy, and he didn't seem too impressed.

What do dogs know though?

Bags, Bags, and more Bags

2008-10-10T15:36:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the empty post for a few days..I became distracted. :gasp:

This post was going to be about bags..betcha couldn't tell, huh? Anyway, I've been hankering for a new bag lately. You know how some girls have a thing for shoes?? I have that same thing, but it's for bags, not shoes. I LOVE bags, and I HATE to carry the same one for very long.

So..for the past few months, I've had my eye on one of the khaki signature totes from Coach...especially with the big hoop hardware and pink accent stripe. CUTE!! The other day, though, I was perusing Ebags and came across the Kathy Van Zeeland bags. I've never given much thought to Kathy Van Zeeland, but now I think I NEED a Kathy Van Zeeland bag, and this one in particular:

It's black, shiny, fairly big but not tote-sized big, has lots of the silver hardware that I like the looks of, and the lining is pink. PINK. I LOVE pink!! Oh, yeah..that needs to be my next bag?

Any comments or suggestions? Do you have this bag and hate it? It's on sale at Ebags for $74.99 right now.

New Haircut

2008-10-10T15:30:00.003-05:00

I finally got a new haircut the other day..the "ponytail" thing was starting to become my everyday uniform look, so I knew it was time to stop the madness.

I realized as I was parking the van that I totally forgot to bring the picture to show Elizabeth how I wanted it cut, but she guessed and did a great job.

I took some pics so you could see...please ignore the dark roots--I'm overdo for a color, and I think instead of lighter, or streaks of dark & light, I'm going to go dark. (insert evil laughter)

Enjoy!

Scrapbooking Toys

2008-10-10T15:15:00.003-05:00

I haven't purchased any new scrapbooking toys lately, because all my spare $$ seems to be going into the gas tank...however this doesn't mean that I'm not wanting and desiring a few new things.

Here's what I have my eye on these day. Number 1--Nestabilities scalloped ovals and circles, Number 2--Bazzill In Stitch'z Kit (why can't I find embroidery floss at Walmart anymore? GRRR!) and 3--a Bind-It-All.

If you have experience with any of these items, would you please leave me a comment & let me know what you like & don't like about them? I plan on "rewarding" myself around the first of the year, but I can't decide what I want most. :-)

I've been anxiously awaiting to hear how everyone likes the new Slice, but I hear from Pen-Pen in California (hi, Pen-Pen!!) that it hasn't shipped yet. The price is nice, but with the small Cricut & the Cricut Expressions, I don't feel like I can justify anotyer die cutter.

Or can I? Hmmm...hahahahaha

This weekend is my kid-free weekend, so I'm planning on surrounding myself with pretty papers, brads, eyelets, Primas, and skittles. (the scrappin' kind, not the candy kind, but that sounds kinda yummy now that I think about it.)I WILL get some pages done, or at least the cards that I've been planning to made for a month now. I might even venture over to the Cricut boards and say hi to you fellow Cricut girls! (((HUGS)))

Lemme know what you're using that's on my wish list, girls (and guys!)

The Hoover Floormate

2008-10-10T14:50:00.003-05:00

My new cleaning gadget arrived on Tuesday--the red model Hoover Floormate. (I believe this is the wide path model but what do I know..haha)I ordered from the Home Shopping Network (so cliche am I!) for $169.95 with free shipping & handling, plus it came with the flexibility to do 4 easy payments of $42.45 and it came with 4 bottles of cleaning solution vs just the standard two. I'd read reviews and decided this was one of the best models, and I like the flexible payment plan with NO interest. I'm a happy girl! I obviously have NO life, either. haha

I had it assembled in less than 10 minutes and went straight to the kitchen with it. I have 3 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. I also have The World's Ugliest Ceramic Tile, so you can imagine how I might fret & worry about my floor. It's bad enough it is cosmetically challenged, but I cannot STAND a dirty floor. If I feel a crumb with my bare feet, or see a dog hair, I flip out. It's almost become an OCD thing for me, because I've tried every mop, Swiffer, etc on the market almost, and NONE of them leave me feeling "satisfied" with the cleanliness of my floor. I routinely perform the "white paper towel" test..you know, after you mop and the floor dries, take a white paper towel, dampen it ever-so-slightly, and wipe a spot on the floor. NO OTHER MOP has passed the towel test until NOW. After one use with my Hoover Floormate, my floor passed the paper towel test with flying colors!!

As stated, the assembly was quick & painless. This model comes with 2 sets of brushes..the grout/ceramic tile set, and the regular set for laminate, hardwood, vinyl, etc. Switching the brushes out is painless and takes less than 20 seconds. The cord is super long, which I like because my house is old and is outlet challenged. The appliance has 3 modes--dry vacuum, wash, and wet vacuum. You change modes by turning a large dial--easy schmeasy! There are 2 tanks--a dirty tank and clean water tank. First you can dry vacuum the floor, which did a great job removing pet hair and crumbs--the typical gunk on my floor. You empty the bottom tank into the trash can & you're ready to start "mopping." You add the recommended (and included) solvent to the clean tank with hot water, and flip the switch to wash. You press the trigger on the bottom of the handle to apply the hot water & cleaning solution, then release the trigger when you pass it back. (Brings back fond memories of using my Hoover steam cleaner/carpet cleaner..I'm such a cleaning nerd!)If the floor is still too wet for your liking, you can flip the switch to "wet vacuum" and suck it dry. SWEET! It's also handy for cleaning up wet spills...most of mine seem to be dog water spills.

I had to dump the dirty tank once and fill the clean tank just one extra time to do both my kitchen & bathroom floors. Some people would find this annoying, but if you own a shampooer, or a Rainbow vacuum, as I do, then you're already accustomed to the frequent fill/dump method of cleaning. I just realized that all 3 of my major cleaning applicances require water and tanks. I really AM a nerd.

The handle folds down for storage, making the entire unit much smaller. My cleaning closet contains a Rainbow SE vacuum, a Hoover steam cleaner, and now a Hoover Floormate, so I appreciate the fold-down handle.

The cleaning solution appears to run about $7 for a 1/2 gallon bottle at Walmart, and the filters seem to run about $10. I did see that Hoover says you can use plain vinegar and hot water if you're opposed to using cleaning chemicals on your floor, and since we're making a serious effort to be more GREEN at my house, I love that idea. The cleaning solution itself has a pleasant smell though, and it isn't overpowering. It smells a LOT like the Hoover cleaning solution that I use in my shampooer, but it plainly states in the manual that you cannot use ANY type of cleaner with solvents in it.

So there's my poorly-written review of the Hoover Floormate, and PS...you guys didn't guess it, but one of you came close!!

Guessing Game..

2008-10-03T01:08:00.003-05:00

I am out of time for today, but I bought myself a little cleaning gadget from the Home Shopping Network today. Your clue--it has free shipping & handling right now.

First person to guess what it is gets a small surprise...post your guesses in comments or email them...(I know some of you are shy...pbbbbt) See? I didn't forget! And no, those of you who know already can't play. Sheesh!

And for those of you who were asking, I do have a new scrapbooking RAK coming up. I missed last month, and I'm sorry! (insert pouty face here) Hold onto your hats, girls...(and guys)and I promise to have a bigger & better scrappin' RAK soon!

Marley Gets Attacked

2008-10-03T00:18:00.011-05:00

Last Sunday I had to go get a pool about an hour & a half from home, and since it was a straight there, straight back trip, I thought I'd take the dogs. On the way back we stopped at a state park that we're fond of. There's a cave, a great river, rock climbing, etc..the dogs LOVE it. The kids love it, too..especially seeing the frogs and walking barefoot in the lake. The dogs love being able to romp and run in the water, then roll their wet furry bodies in the sand (much to my dismay.) It takes a LONG, LONG time to get wet sand out of the fur of an F1b labradoodle..just take my word for that. HOLY SMOKES!

Anyway, after a long afternoon, we came back home and I thought we'd come inside and have a little nap before the kids came home. I got out, shut my door, went around and opened the side door to the van. The dogs know what "go inside" means, so Sadie got out first and ran to the steps, and Marley was last to jump out. Just as I was shutting the door, I saw a BLUR of fur and heard mean-ass barking out of the corner of my eyes & ears..and the neighbor's pit bull dog ATTACKED Marley from out of nowhere. Marley never saw it coming, and neither did I. He lunged and attacked, and Marley let out the most awful noise that I think I've ever heard in my life. For those of you who know me and for those of you who have been reading since the old blog, you know that we've had repeated attacks from this same dog. Marley managed to get up and scramble away..he ran as fast as his puppy legs could take him into Reta's yard, and the dog managed to catch him and attack again. It was the most sickening thing that I have ever seen..I felt nauseous & terrified at the same time. About this time the neighbor comes running around my van..I was screaming, and he hollered, and I ran up to his dog (not the smartest thing, looking back now)and the dog let go and ran from me..Marley was still screaming and crying and yelping.

So by this time I'm no longer at the terrified phase, and I'm into the "OMG, MY POOR BABY" phase. Reta and I spent a long time going over him entirely. The problem is that you just can't SEE through all of that fur--it's unreal! Reta then tells Mr Dull that if his psycho pit bull ever comes into HER yard, he won't have to worry about it anymore. GO RETA!! She really gives him what-for, and he sulks off to his own house. No apology, no nothing. These people are not the sharpest tacks in the box, if you catch my drift, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me.

Marley is doing better, and has a big day tomorrow. He's still afraid to go out, but we're working on it. ..he has a visit to a school and a visit to a nursing home. He has a few stories to share since his last visits. Marley is a trooper, and I'm so glad he came to our family!

Marley Goes Camping

2008-09-24T23:09:00.004-05:00

The kids & I took Marley camping this weekend--his first ever camping trip! He did great..he seemed to understand that the camper was just like the house in that you potty outside, and sleep indoors. He loved going for walks, smelling the smells, playing with Sadie, and just being 2" next to me the entire time. (We're still working on that velcro-attachment syndrome thing..I hope to be peeing w/o his assistance by next month.)

Our neighbors were sitting around their campfire Saturday night, and one of the guys hollered at me and asked what kind of a dog he was. I said labradoodle, in that way that only labradoodle owners can SAY labradoodle, and one of the girls exclaimed, "I KNEW IT!! Can we see him??" Then the guy said, "He's an awesome-looking dog." AWWWW, Marley had his own little camping fan club!! Go Marley! They loved Sadie up for good measure, too, and then we went in for the night.

Here are pics from Marley's first trip..enjoy!

Are you ready to go camping, Marley?

Come get in the van, Marley!! We're going camping, boy!

On top of sleeping people is the best place to chew bones in the whole camper!

Sadie gets in on the waking-up action:

Aww, a boy & his dog:

Wake up, Maddie..is that a giant wet doggy paw print there beside you? Nice..

This must be the guilty, paw-print leaving party..trying to look all innocent. Notice the trees & campfire outside the window, and picture the cool, crisp early-fall air..Sigh..LOVE it!

Kid 2 is worried about his bed-head hair...he's temporarily forgotten that we're in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees?

Sadie tries to ONLY lay at the end of the bed...until they're asleep, then she plots her power takeover of the entire bed....BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

XM Satellite Radio...No more Boonies Radio

2008-09-24T22:38:00.005-05:00

I've fallen victim once again to the wonderful world of electronical gadgets...For whatever reason, our local radio station refused to work or tune in about every other week for most of the summer. This left us with a few Christian talk stations, a country station, and an oldies station. That's it...The cd changer in our van is stuck, so we've listened to the same 6 cd's for 8 months. It was becoming a dire situation. Furthermore, in the house or at the lake, we're only able to pick up the oldies station as it overpowers everything else. Eventually the kids start to whine that their arms are tired from holding the tip of the antenna anyway, so I knew something had to be done. (I'm kidding..really.)

So..after some thought & consideration, I decided to take the XM Radio plunge. This arrived in the mail last Saturday:

The little XM thingie slides into the boombox, so we can listen to XM satellite radio in the house, and the camper. And for the car, it just sits in the docking station and plugs into the cigarette lighter.

What do we think of it so far? Well, we all agree that the overabundance of sports channels is a bit overkill. I guess if I ever get a hankering for flipping through unlimited baseball/football/hockey/golf/tennis/softball/bowling games, at least I take some comfort in knowing I can do this in the house, camper AND car. The kids love the Disney channel, which plays ample amounts of the Jonas Brothers & Miley Cyrus. I like the Oprah talk channels, and the comedy channel, and of course the 80's, 70's, and MIX & Hits stations. I was pleased to see you could still listen to Rick Dee's Top 20, too.

It's a whopping $12.95/month for XM, and it's too early for me to say with definite certainty that we'll be keeping it, but I think we'll enjoy it for a while at least. The boombox option is really sweet, and was super-easy..we just opened the box, set the antenna in the window, plugged everything in, slid the radio into the boombox, and we were on & going in 20 minutes or less. (After signing up..took 20 min to get all the stations loaded from the satellite.) The dogs kept knocking the antenna off the windowsill in the camper but I think I'll hang a small shelf for it.

Possibly the BEST thing about it so far, aside from having radio at the lake, is that with our $12.95/month membership, we get unlimited online listening, too..how sweet is that? I also like the remote control...heaven forbid I have to put down the ATG gun to switch channels.

Keep on rockin', small-town girls!

Laptops & Laptop Nerds

2008-09-15T14:37:00.008-05:00

So my birthday was this month, and I bought myself a little gift. I'm a nerd. It's no secret amongst my friends & family--I'm a nerd. I like gadgets..I like mp3 players, computers, photo software, digital cameras and camcorders, etc. I chat online, make web pages, blog, do almost ALL of my shopping online, pay bills online, etc. I have an mp3 player on my cell phone, and I've had it for 3 years. I'm obsessed with these things. I could easily become a hermit if the dogs didn't insist on taking walks. I don't like complications though..if it doesn't work, I have zero interest or patience in fixing it..that's where GG comes in handy! She can help me fix my gadgets, and I can teach her to blog. So it only seems natural that I would buy myself something that I would use, that I've wanted for a long time, and that would help me achieve the highest in nerdy standards. I bought a laptop. I have wanted a laptop forever, mostly so I can get Design Studio for Cricut and have it portable, and so I can follow along with recipes on Pioneer Woman & AllRecipes & not have to print them. haha Yesterday I made a delicious apple crisp with some fresh apples from my Aunt Lorna, and I just used the laptop to copy the recipe and listen to Launch. Sweet, right?

So..when I go camping, I have a laptop and I can install Design Studio for Cricut and be able to weld words, etc...I also take the laptop upstairs to the loft where my scrapbooking/sewing room is...I can chat on IM, listen to Launch, watch a DVD, etc..while I craft/sew.

GG did the wireless router for me, so now we have 3 working computers in the house and a wireless network. I feel like I've been behind the ages forever! haha We keep the 2 desktops on an 8-foot table in the living room...they both have flat-panel LCD monitors, so it's just easier to share the printer, etc at one location. What cracks me up though is that Jordan & I will sit here and IM each other..we're 3 feet away from each other on separate computers. HAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I'm very excited to get Design Studio now..which means I can even take the laptop & software to scrapbooking crops. OH BE STILL MY NERDY BEATING HEART.

Shasta Sistas Travel to MO from TX

2008-09-15T11:33:00.005-05:00

This blog post is way late, but I was waiting on my friends to send pics that they took during their visit. They never got around to it, and now they're sitting around without power, so I'm going to talk about them and post MY pics while they can't stop me. BWAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! (Love ya, Lisa & GG!)

A few weeks ago, Lisa & GG from the Shasta Sistas came from Houston to visit the kids & I. They arrived about 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, and stayed until the following Saturday morning. They stayed in the Prowler so that they had their own space, beds, coffee maker and potty/sinks. I haven't had guests in so long that I was nervous, and I was probably the worst hostess anyone could have imagined...but I think they had a nice time. Lots of things happened outside of my control..I had a horrible ear & bladder infection, as well as a persistent outbreak of poison ivy or sumac, the kids had a dentist appt that they wouldn't let me cancel, and then Madison became very ill and had to go to the ER, where we found out she had bronchitis and strep throat. We'd also had some 75mph winds and storms the days before, leaving our yard trashed, our tree fell on our swingset, and some orphaned baby squirrels to deal with. (How did I miss posting about THAT?) Poor Lisa & GG!

So..back to the story--we hit ALL of the resale and consignment & thrift stores, and GG bought me a sewing machine and taught me how to sew. GASP. I have to say that I am LOVING IT, and I'm making grocery bags as my first project. hehe They seemed to really enjoy our cooler MO weather, and I made them pose at the hitching post at our Walmart store for kicks & giggles.

They also stayed for my birthday, and boy did they spoil me...one of my fave gifts was the vintage train case they picked up for me. I cannot WAIT to get that thing altered...YAY! Gadget Girl introduced me to the wonderful world of wireless internet and laptops, and fixed about everything in the house that needed fixed. (When ya comin' back, GG??) She fixed our upstairs shower so no one has to shower in the basement shower anymore..which was always a contest to see if you could get showered and out of there before a run-in with a brown recluse spider. Lisa introduced me to the wonderful world of some very delicious spices...I've been using them on everything--steak, burgers, chicken. YUM!

They tried out one of our MO Mexican restaurants and said it was "pretty good & they were impressed," so I guess it passed their Tex-Mex tastebud test.

Here is Lisa trying to get our cat, Oliver, intoxicated..Shame on you, Lisa (okay, not really..but that's what it looked like..haha)!!

Actually I'm not sure what is up with that..Oliver doesn't like ANYONE, and he hisses more than any cat I've ever met in my life. Keep in mind that this is the sweet little baby kitten that we bottlefed and spend hundreds of dollars on for iv's, etc to save his life. He adored Lisa for some reason...of course trying to remove him from her lap would result in a loud HISS and scowl, but if you didn't know better, you'd think they were bonding:

And here's a picture that they took with my camera on my birthday..that is a bottle of Ralph that the kids gave me..Sadie had to get in on the action:

And here are Lisa & GG & all of us, minus Marley, Oliver & Mia, and the hamster:

And here are Lisa & GG leaving us...*sniff, sniff* Come back soon, TX girlies!! We love you & miss you, Shasta Sistas!

Rain, Rain..Go Away

2008-09-15T11:21:00.006-05:00

I swear it has rained here since...I can't remember when it wasn't raining. It's rained here and flooded more since June than I can ever remember during my entire 35+ years.

So, for the first time in YEARS, I am going to buy a pair of galoshes. Yes, rainboots. And not just some practical, boring rainboots..Oh, no..that will never, ever do. I want pretty, unique, whimsical boots.

So the other day at the Chinese restaurant, I saw a college girl sporting these:

She said she got them at Target, which figures...(remember how I mention at LEAST every month how all we have is Suck..er, Walmart?? Sigh. The nearest Target is at LEAST an hour & a half away..bummer, dudes.)So I looked all over town...in a desperate attempt to find something equally cutesy and in my giant size 9, and found nothing...Sometimes living in the middle of nowhere is not fun! I did come across these at our local Tractor Supply Company store though:

Unfortunately they didn't carry them in a size 9, so I'm going back this week to see if they get more in. (The girl in the shoe dept thought they were...YAY ME)

So do you know what this means??? I will no longer have to stand outside in the flooding yard, waiting on dogs to piddle, with wet shoes. I will no longer have to wade through water soaking my shoes on the flood streets of town during our daily dog walks. I can take the trash out w/o getting my feet soaked.

Oh how the simple things in life thrill me!

Marley Updates

2008-09-15T11:12:00.005-05:00

Marley has been here a full week, and he is doing wonderfully well in his new home. (He can't speak, obviously, so this is my observation.) *smirk*

Marley has had no accidents in the house, and none in his crate, either. The first few days he took his sweet time going potty, and I spent a LOT of time outside in the rain. (Nice that it decided to rain solidly for a week after we get a new puppy...Mother Nature is a real pill sometimes..)On about Day 3 he started to understand what GO POTTY meant, and he did his business and bounded back in the house, muddy feet and all. Alpo Snaps are a WONDERFUL training tool! No, they're not the most nutritionally-sound doggy treat, but it's for training purposes. He's still not digging the van or car rides, so I'm keeping some real dried meat doggy treats from Western's Meat Market in the van for him..he gets one every time we get in the van. He hasn't been sold on that 100% yet, but I think it's working.

He & Sadie seem to be getting along as well as could be expected at this point. There are some squabbles over toys & bones, but they break it up the minute I yelp at them. He likes Lego's, my old nasty mowing shoes, my new shoes, and Mizzou baseball caps...those are on the "list of things I've removed from the new puppy's mouth the first week." He seems to like his food, and we're learning that we do NOT put our paws on the kitchen table or counter.

Marley & Sadie both went to the vet last Friday..Marley got all of his puppy shots, wormer, flea preventative, and heartworm preventative. He goes back in 3 weeks for boosters and to schedule his neuter. (Poor Marley!) Sadie went for the raging yeast infection she has from her neverending allergy issues..(Poor Sadie!)

Marley goes to the nursing home tomorrow for pet therapy..so today he gets a bath. I can't believe I gave him such a horrible hair trim on his face...but maybe by the end of next month it won't be noticeable? I can dream, right?

He's also learned "sit" in his first week, so we'll keep working on that for another week or so before we move on to "stay." He's also learned to walk well on a leash, and follows me with his eyes constantly. What a good boy--he needs to teach big sis Sadie because she requires a LOT more effort on walks.

And look what's going on when I'm not looking:

The newest addition to the family!!

2008-09-11T14:15:00.003-05:00

My birthday was last Friday, and I had some guests from Texas staying with us. (They stayed in the Prowler, nonetheless!) Anyway, Robert wanted to know what I wanted from him, and I mentioned a labradoodle. (I've been looking for one for over 2 years, and we had one for a while that was just psycho...)

Well, believe it or not, Sunday we went to pick up my new labradoodle. He is a 2nd generation labradoodle, and he is 6 months old. We have named him Marley (DoodleBob Marley, 'cause he has dreadlocks...haha)Mama was a black labradoodle, and daddy was a white/cream labrador retriever. When we picked him up, he could barely see due to the fur on his face, so after I bathed him, I gave him a little trim. I got a *little* carried away, but it's only hair, right? It will grow back, right??

So far he's the sweetest little boy you could ever hope for...He was totally an outside dog, so we have a lot of learning to do-housebreaking, manners, crate training, obedience commands, walking on a leash, etc. His crate has been dry/clean every morning, and so far he hasn't had one single accident in the house. He's almost entirely ignored the cats, and he & Sadie are starting to get along a bit better. He hates being left alone, so we're working on his separation anxiety.

The other day I took him to the nursing home to meet my dad, and the nursing home employees and residents ADORED HIM. Some said he was their first real-life labradoodle meeting, and some wanted to know where THEY could get one. lol He was such a sweetie that they asked us to come back next week for pet therapy. YAY Marley!

Meet Marley:

The new Croppin' Cabin!!

2008-08-28T12:58:00.009-05:00

Wow..I am so behind here, and I apologize for being absent for so long. I've been very busy, but I'll spare you the boring details. However, I have made some MAJOR changes here on the homefront, and I'm excited to share them.

First, and by far the most highly-expected news I am sure, is that we have added a new camping trailer to our family. It replaces the Shasta, but doesn't really replace the Shasta. Does that make sense? What I mean is while this MORE than adequately fulfills our camping needs as a family, it leaves me feeling a bit void in the "I want a cute canned ham vintage trailer to read & scrap in..." need. But that's okay, because I am totally, completely, 100% okay with that. I know that someday when my babies are at college becoming doctors and lawyers (a mom can hope, right?)I'll have plenty of time to find a new vintage trailer to submerse myself in, but for right now I need to go camping with my family and make memories!

So...I was perusing Craigslist & Ebay and all the local papers pretty heavily after the sale of the Shasta, and just when I thought I needed to take a break from the search, I happened upon a small ad posted on the St. Louis, MO Craigslist RV thread. There were no pictures, but I emailed and asked for pictures. In the next few days, I had totally forgotten about the email, and I sat down to log off one night and lo & behold, there is an email with pictures attached. Robert was here, and we both took one look at the pictures, and my heart started racing. This was THE one..I knew it. I immediately called them, and we arranged to come look at it the following Monday.

The kids, Sadie & I made the 2 1/2 hour trip where the trailer was sitting at a private lake. It had been sitting for 5 years in this same location, as a permanent vacation trailer, so I took the digital camera so I could show Robert the tires, etc. (And hitch, and all those other "guy" things that I'm still learning about but that usually bore me to tears...hey, at least I'm honest.)The seller was super nice, and he took his shoes off before we entered the trailer. I took this as a VERY good sign..the outside & inside were both meticulously clean..you could tell he was proud of his trailer. He gave me a walk-through, and showed me all about the electric hot water heater that he'd replaced the old gas one with, and the water pump, and the toilet and etc..I paid him $200 down and we went back later on the weekend and picked it up.

So..here are the pictures..It is a 1986 Fleetwood Prowler, 28 feet long. It has double doors, a queen walk-around bed in back bedroom, full bath with toilet, tub and shower, stainless steel appliances, jackknife couch, dinette, OODLES of storage, and get this--everything works. No more porta potty, no more sawing and nailing and electric screwdrivers and putty and water lines and gas lines. YAY. No, really..DOUBLE yay! My favorite things are the toilet (hehe), the extra table with leaf by the sofa (can we say SCRAPBOOKING!!), the porch lights at both doors, and all the storage.

Meet the new baby:

Charcoal Grilling

2008-08-09T13:36:00.004-05:00

We have a new member of the family..or should I say to our backyard oasis...a new charcoal grill. Up until last week, I was a gas grill kinda' girl...but after my fairly new gas grill decided to be tempramental and rarely work, I gave it away on Freecycle & picked this little guy up at Walmart.

Assembly took about an hour, and it was $25 for the grill and another $9 for the chimney starter. (I didn't want to use lighter fluid or other chemicals.) Add a bag of charcoal and some meat, and you're good to go! The first night we had steaks..they turned out delicious. The next night I did burgers & dogs, and again..delicious. I had no idea what I was missing out on. Yes, I was a charcoal grill virgin. There. I said it. I have to agree, however, that while a gas grill might be quicker & easier, this charcoal grill taste is hard to beat.

How to Maintain A Metal-Frame Intex Pool

2008-08-09T13:17:00.005-05:00

So Pool 101 has been going well for us...we did some minor landscaping around the pool, which has helped add to the atmosphere of our backyard tremendously. We added a floating turtle thermometer so we'd know what the water temp was before we took a flying leap in.

For the landscaping, I added a garden edging around the pool..I punched small holes and used heavy-duty zipties to secure to the pool poles. My intentions are to keep the mulch from touching the pool. I then used mulch plastic around the pool, and topped this with some mulch. We then added patio lights with an on/off sensor, and some landscaping timbers around the entire project. Perfect! I'm considering adding some Bamboo fencing to the chain link for added privacy and to put lights on, but for now we're just hanging lights on the fence.

As for maintenance, we use a 3" chlorine tab in the floating tablet dispenser. (Was about $8 for the dispenser, and $3 for the individual tabs.)We use about 1 tab every 7-10 days which makes our water test in the perfect range. We also have a testing kit, and a box of test strips. I've only shocked the pool once, but I believe I'll shock it every week from here on out--it really keeps the water looking & smelling clean. A bag of shock is about $3. I use a skimmer with a telescopic handle to retrieve bugs/leaves..I spend about 15 min every morning, and maybe another 10 min each night, depending on how much wind/rain or swimming we've had. I also keep a dish pan full of clean water beside the ladder that they must step in first before getting in--this helps keep the water clean. I did buy a pool vac, but honestly I find it's just as easy to use the skimmer to stir up anything on the bottom, then scoop it out. Wala!

Bye-Bye, Croppin Cabin

2008-08-09T12:59:00.003-05:00

Last weekend was a sad weekend for me. After much deliberation, frustration, and sadness...I made the difficult decision to sell the Shasta. I shed tears...I listed it, then immediately had seller's remorse and UNlisted it, then thought it over some more and relisted it.

The Shasta was a beautiful thing...it was nearly 40 years old, with shining wings and original everything. I didn't find the Shasta because I was looking for a vintage/classic trailer to restore--I found it because I was searching for an inexpensive trailer that I could take my kids camping in and make some memories with. And we did that. But a year later, I realized that I could continue on my journey, getting more & more in over my head financially & emotionally, or I could cut my losses and sell it. I chose the latter. The fact remains that I do not have the manpower to do most of what is left of the restoration--the water heater, the gas lines, the pump, the paint. It was the coziest trailer ever, which was nice when it was just the dog & I, but when the kids, Robert, the dog, and I all went camping--it was a little too cozy. The layout wasn't the most practical for 5 of us and 1 big dog..with the beds all at one end on top of each other. Without air conditioning it was like being packed in a tin can at times.

Of course I'm sad..I had high hopes, dreams, and plans for the future for that little piece of American history on wheels. It's value was immeasureable, not because of it's worth in terms of being a trailer, but more it's worth in what it brings to a family..a piece of history, nostalgia, and fun. Everywhere the Shasta went, people wanted to see it, comment on it, tell me about their trips with Grandpa in one just like it.

Some kind folks from Olathe, KS made the trip on Sunday and took the Shasta home..here is a pic I took after I set it up for them to inspect; call it a "Farewell picture," if you will:

I will have another vintage trailer at some point in time-I know that for sure. Once you have the Vintage Trailer bug, it never escapes you...it's part of you...you notice them in backyards, in driveways, at campgrounds. I know better what I'm looking for--a canned-ham shape, a bed at one end, etc, etc. I'll know the PERFECT Croppin' Cabin when I see it.

And what are we going to do for camping in the meantime? Well, we do still have a TENT (everyone groan together now!)but we are actively looking for a replacement..something much longer/bigger, with the beds spread out, and some a/c. Oh, and something functional. We're going to see one on Monday...maybe it will follow us home?

Summer Fun!

2008-07-24T10:17:00.006-05:00

The Croppin' Cabin has been sitting peacefully in the driveway...last week we spent nearly every night sleeping in it, enjoying the cozy atmosphere and closeness that it offers. I haven't been scrapping in it because we've just been enjoying our yard and being outdoors so much, and we've spent the hot summer days at the park pool & at the library. We love the vintage Shasta, and we love our firepit and patio with the tiki torches & lights...but our little hearts desired something more...We knew we'd really like a pool of our very own.

On Sunday I heard from a neighbor that the easy-set pools were on clearance at Walmart. We've been admiring them for a while now...hoping to find one on sale. We ran to the store, and they were out of the metal-frame 15x4 pools, so we bought the 13x3.5...we decided the metal-frame was sturdier than the easy set, and it did have better reviews.

Monday morning we made another trip to the store for some heavy-duty tarps to lay under the pool, and I mowed the lawn and we started clearing the flatest spot in the backyard. The kids helped take parts out of the box and assemble the frame, and we were up & filling in an hour or so. It took about 8 hours to fill...I filled it 3/4 of the way on Monday, and then finished filling Tuesday morning. Unfortunately Mother Nature decided to bless us with some heavy storms, wind & hail Monday night. The kids were at VBS & they had to move everyone to the basement, and Reta's tree left a big branch in my front yard. The pool was FILLED with tree bark & leaves...talk about Intro to Pool Cleaning 101.

Here is a picture about half filled...we just couldn't wait any longer!

And here you can see the Shasta peeking out in the background...Hi, Croppin' Cabin!

And here we are, filled up with all 2888 gallons of cool summer refreshment:

Yesterday was Day 2, and I was very pleased to see that after running the filter overnight and with no storm aftermath, the pool stayed remarkably clean. I bought a "Pool Care Kit" at Walmart for $20..it has a telescopic handle, skimmer net, and pool vacuum. I probably spent 30 minutes total yesterday skimming the bottom & surface of the pool, and I realized that I am grossly uneducated when it comes to pool maintenance & care. I picked up a "floating tablet dispenser" and some 3" chlorine tabs, as well as a package of pool shock. I think I need to go back & get a testing kit, but as of Day 3, the water was clear & clean.

It is raining & storming today, and supposed to rain the rest of the week into the weekend, so I guess this will also be a learning experience.

If any of you guys have tips & suggestions from your OWN experiences with these pools, I would appreciate hearing from you! I'm still toying with some ideas to add to the pool area...I've seen people put a rock area around the pool, but I'm afraid one would somehow slip underneath & give us a good-sized complication. :-) I realize the odds of that happening are slim, but yet...I wonder. It would definitely be easier to mow around. I've also considered adding a plastic mesh/net fence on stakes to help keep the toys/balls in the pool as that seems to be an issue, too. We'd also like to string lights & Off lanterns around as well. Suggestions or pictures?? I would love to hear from you!

In other news, we found someone on Freecycle with free firewood, so we spent most of yesterday afternoon loading wood and unloading wood. Then Reta's boyfriend cut down the branch from her fallen tree, so now we have a lot of firewood. It's all still wet, but it's nice to know we have some wood stocked up.

My Naughty Friend Michelle

2008-07-18T16:23:00.003-05:00

I have a Shasta Sista named Michelle...and she's great. You can find her blog at http://www.shastagirls.blogspot.com.

Anyway, Michelle is intelligent, funny, witty & clever...but today she got herself into trouble. Maybe it was the Jack Daniel's Lynchburg Lemonade she enjoyed yesterday...Michelle did the unthinkable..she uttered a bad, bad word on what she thought was the Classic Shasta chit-chat thread..but instead she sent it to...(gasp)the Classic Shasta site.

I know, I know..it's unthinkable...I really don't think she meant to. I think it just slipped out and I suppose the consequences of said slip up will haunt her for quite some time.

So if you feel like it, hop on over to Michelle's blog and give it a read..Even though it won't help her remove the foot from her mouth, I thought it would be nice to share the blog lovin'.

Joanns.com

2008-07-18T10:52:00.006-05:00

I've been really, really good lately with my scrapbooking hobby. If you're wondering if that means if I have a plethora of lovely pages & projects that I've completed the past couple of months, ahhh...uhm...that's not EXACTLY what I mean. You see, I have this thing for scrapbooking, and that means I have a thing for buying things TO scrapbook with. One day I realized that the supplies were spilling forth from every crevice of my scrapbooking space, and said space was spreading farther & farther into the living space of our tiny living room. I thought for a brief moment that perhaps I had plenty of supplies, but then I came to my senses because can you ever REALLY have too much scrapbooking stuff? Nonsense! I did decide, however, that maybe I should try to use them up before I buy more, unless it was something special, or something I run out of, like cardstock, adhesive, etc. And I've done very well...remarkably well if you will. I purchased 2 ATG refills and that was it for a long time. I don't know if I've ever had that long of a dry spell. I saw sales, and I resisted. I didn't even GO to the craft sites or craft section at Walmart. I was proud..and then Joann's.com had a sale.

I was just going to the site to take a peek, so I'm not sure what happened after that. I clicked on clearance items, and then I saw Die Cuts With A View, and the rest, as they say, is history. However, that being said, I did manage to keep it under control. I bought 2 new 12x12 Cricut mats, which I desperately needed, and which were on sale for $9.99. And I just had to have the DCWV Christmas Glitter stack that was on sale for $6.99, and then I added the Glitter Stack and the Spring Stack..for a total of 270 sheets of paper & glittered cardstock. Sigh. Such happy bliss...my total was $36, shipped.

So while JoAnn's ruined my no-spending streak, I admire my ability to not order one of everything at prices like that. And since then I haven't bought a single thing, and today I'm going to use up some of these supplies & make a belated (oops) birthday card for my BIL.

(P.S..the paper smells lovely!)

4th of July Camping

2008-07-07T14:19:00.004-05:00

First of all, I'd like to say "Happy Belated 4th of July" to my fellow bloggers & readers!

We decided to venture away from home this past week/holiday weekend, so we found the Catfish Place in Arbela, MO. I'd actually eaten at the Catfish Place once before..they have a little buffet-style restaurant with an outside eating deck that looks out over the lake that is stocked with fish..you can buy .25 bags of fish food & feed the fish, who are more than happy to jump out of the water & put on a show for your dining pleasure. Overlooking the lake is a campground with over 90 sites, as well as lakes & ponds for fishing. They have shuffleboard, pool, washers, basketball, exercise room, laundry, in-ground pool, & plenty of areas for golf carts & bikes to ride. I pulled the Shasta there on Thursday...arrived late afternoon after having to take a detour due to some closed roads from the recent flooding that part of MO has had. I remember seeing a sign that said we were 10 miles from IA.

The Shasta was just a few feet from the water, which made me nervous but as the weekend went on I became more comfortable with the water being right by us. There were some very friendly full-timers across from us that helped me level up and set up the awning...they also loaned Kid 1 a bike to ride for the weekend. Another set of folks loaned me an extension cord when we realized our electric didn't work and had to move closer to the other site.

There were some disadvantages....the road there made the kids carsick, the sites are really close together, and the BIGGEST problems for us were the campsites were lacking in picnic tables & firepits. (Not to mention the electric not working at a few, apparently.) Robert came up the next day & brought my firebowl from home, but I guess I'll invest in the folding Walmart firepit for future excursions. The lack of a picnic table was kind of sucky, too, but we made do. We were close to the bathrooms, showers, and pool..and we had a HUGE grassy spot next to us because the site wasn't occupied. Our site didn't have sewer, either, but we don't have the shower & toilet working yet anyway. (Poor us..)

There was a parade & fireworks for the 4th, a huge playground, lots of areas for the kids to play and ride bikes, etc...the fireworks display was easily seen from our site so that was wonderful!

So here's the pics...overall we thought it was great and will definitely go back sometime.

Sadie guarding the campsite:

The Croppin' Cabin at our site..right by the water. Nice!!

Nighttime at the Shasta Croppin' Cabin:

Pictures from the parade:

Fireworks at the Croppin' Cabin:

View from the back window of the Croppin' Cabin:

Robert posing, hoping to catch some orbs:

Me posing with the Shasta/Croppin' Cabin:

View from the restaurant deck:

Feeding the fish from the restaurant deck:

View of our Shasta far, far away..from the deck at the restaurant:

Other views of the campground area:

Sadie

2008-07-01T11:25:00.013-05:00

This post has nothing to do with camping, a retro trailer, or scrapbooking. I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of our golden retriever, Sadie. Sadie joined our family about 10 months ago when she was still just a pup. Kid 3 & I drove to Kansas City, MO & picked her up, and from the minute we brought her home, she fit in perfectly. She loves to camp, she loves to go for car rides, she loves having kids in her pack, and she even tolerates the cats most days.

So here are a few pictures of Sadie throughout the past year...a little "tribute" to Sadie, so to speak. And after the slideshow, check out the cute Sadie video made by Kid 1.

CUTE SADIE VIDEO:

ATG 714

2008-06-27T17:14:00.005-05:00

I just want to give a quick shout-out to Lorri from keeperscards on Ebay...she is a fabulous seller and I just want to say "THANKS, LORRI," for always getting my order out to me so quickly! I purchased my ATG 714 from Lorri, and it has been one of the BEST investments in scrapbooking tools that I have made. I recently needed refills of the gold 1/4" adhesive for my ATG, and I ordered & paid Lorri on the 24th..my order arrived today on the 27th, well-packed and in perfect condition. Is that speedy or what? Now I can get back to some acid-free adhering to my little heart's content. I will always go back to Lorri for my ATG refills..with great service like that, I'd be crazy not to!

I've sprung a leak. . .

2008-06-27T16:46:00.018-05:00

It finally happened...every vintage trailer owner's worst nightmare--the LEAK. We've had a lot of rain here, lots of flooding and closed roads and schools, etc., so I suppose it was inevitable that THIS was going to happen...the Croppin' Cabin has a leak. I panicked, and wondered if I could even FIND where the leak was..was it in the middle of the roof and running to the lowest spot, or was it directly in the door...HOW IS A GIRL SUPPOSED TO KNOW THESE THINGS..?? I'm still trying to find missing parts & rennovate & learn to back up. Now I have a leak, too? Good golly, Molly!

After surveying the situation, I determined that said leak was coming from a faulty aluminum drip cap above the exterior of the door. (Chris from Classic Shastas (visit his site at www.vintageshastas.com) told me what this was..I was calling it a rain guard...haha I'm still learning, so cut a girl some slack!)

I assume that nearly 40 years ago, this drip cap fit flush & snug against the body of the Shasta, and the rain ran along it instead of under it and into the door. In 2008, however, the drip cap decided it was tired and took on a lazy position, and what with the multitude of inches of rain we've received lately, it let most of that run underneath and through the crack in the top of the door, where it pooled up at the top of the metal frame, causeing buckling above the door:

. .and then ran down the frame on both sides of the door, causing damage & rot in both corner cabinets:

Not pretty. Not nice, and NOT fun. And see this little piece of metal trim that runs along the bottom of the door and on the floor..a threshold, so to speak..well it doesn't screw in anymore:

This is what our backyard looks like right now, compliments of Mother Nature:

So..in a pinch and not sure what else to do, I grabbed a caulking gun & some clear silicone caulk and went around the top of the drip cap...however it's hot, and humid...and we're getting more rain & storms tonight, so I can only hope for the best. Chris from Classic Shasta also recommended another product that won't wear down like the silicone does..a product called Geo-Cel. I'm anxious to try it..my silicone job was rather sloppy, as you might have noticed, so I'll be happy to remove it and apply the new product.

And while I'm at it, thanks to all of my Classic & Vintage Shasta group friends out there...The information that you all provide during this trailer process is inmeasureable..and I love you guys for it! PS--your trailers are FABULOUS.

Weinie Roast, anyone?

2008-06-25T15:30:00.005-05:00

So we have this HUGE tree in our backyard that was hit by lightning a couple of years ago..and every week before my neighbor mows, and before I mow, we have to spend a lot of time picking up the fallen branches & limbs from said tree. This has always been a problem because the city picks up yard waste the last week of the month, or so they say...Often times I've lugged it all out there only to find it still sitting long after the trash goes by. Then I lug it back to the back yard..it's a mess. After all of the storms & rain we've had this year, Reta & I both have a rather large pile of limbs/branches piling up beside the back fence...

So...I was thinking about how much my kids love to camp, and the campfire..and how we sure would like to cook on a campfire at home once in a while, and today while I was at Walmart I picked up a firepit. It was $50, and it burns wood. You know..WOOD..like the fallen branches/limbs. It's the perfect solution!! The bottom of my pile is seasoned enough to burn, and now I can take Reta's pile of sticks and burn those, too.

So you can guess what we're having for dinner tonight..

OTHER MISC NEWS: I talked to my sister today, and my BIL has offered to graciously install the Pergo floor in the Croppin' Cabin in exchange for some help organizing their office. As soon as Summer Adventure is over, I'll load the kids up for Grandma's, and I'll take the Cabin to my sister's house. He can install the Pergo, and I'll organize. I'm really excited..it's very sweet of them to give me the floor, and an extra bonus that he's installing it. I think it's really going to change the look of the interior, and definitely add a coziness to the cabin.

And a girl from Freecycle contacted me today about a train case that she has..I am very excited. Robert also said that I could have the one we found at the yard sale a few weeks ago--the new wore off of it today and he became tired of digging to the bottom to find what he needed, so it looks like I've gained 2. I'm VERY excited to start altering those. :gasp:

AND..last but not least by ANY means, my sweet, sweet, super-sweet mom came to my rescue again today. I was telling her that I was going to buy a 1.5" Memory Foam topper for the Cabin because the futon mattress resembled sleeping on concrete, and she offered to let me have the queen-size one that she has as she doesn't really like it. I think it will fit inside the futon cover since it is only 1.5", and I hope it helps. If not I'll be forced to buy the 4" one, which seems awfully tall.

And if you've read this long, then I admire you...that's all of the happenings around the Croppin' Cabin homestead for now...check back tonight or tomorrow for pictures of our first campfire at home!

Campin' in the Cabin

2008-06-22T21:52:00.010-05:00

The kids went with their dad this weekend, so I thought it would be fun to take the Croppin' Cabin out to the lake for a weekend of leisurly camping & scrapping. Sadie was all for the trip..she loves it out there. It smells like other dogs, racoons, and hot dogs..what's not to like?

Anyway, Robert spent most of Friday night with me, but I had most of Saturday and all of Saturday night alone..I scrapped, and I listened to music, and I cuddled with Sadie, and then I made some popcorn & watched Dirty Dancing.

I took some pictures so you can see the cozy cabin..it's still a long way from being finished..I can't wait to get the new dinette cushions and paint. ENJOY! (PS...see that blue vintage train case..Robert & I found that at a yard sale for $2...we nearly fought over it but I let him have it. I think I need to steal it back though--it's perfect for the Cabin!)

Awww, peekaboo Sadie girl!

This was Sadie's position while I scrapped all night:

Bags & Boxes for Sale!

2008-06-18T09:45:00.004-05:00

So after some friends twisted my arm, (ok, not really) I decided to start selling a few of my bags & boxes..A friend of mine asked me if I would make & sell some bags for her, so I took some pictures of papers and she picked what she liked, and I put these together this morning..I hope she likes them! I hope I am able to sell a few things here and there--the gas guzzler guzzles a lot of gas pulling the Croppin' Cabin around!

I also made a quick card for my cousin..her dad passed away a couple of weeks ago..I feel so bad for her and there's not really anything I can do, but I did want to let her know that I've been thinking of her a lot lately. The paper is My Mind's Eye Magnolia line, words are from Cricut cartridge Jasmine, and then I traced them with Stickles in Platinum. I did some chalking on the inside.

And I'm waiting this week for a guy from IA to come & give me an estimate on a paint job for the Croppin' Cabin. I'm really nervous..hoping it's going to be affordable, and that I'll just "know" the color when I see it..;-)

Exploding Box for Father's Day

2008-06-15T01:18:00.005-05:00

I've been wanting to try one of the infamous "exploding boxes" and I thought Father's Day would be a great time to learn how to make them. They were easier than I had expected them to be, so that was great. I made one with the kids for their dad, and one for my dad..The larger one is for my dad...I still need to add pictures to his, but I'll do that tomorrow. It's now 1:19 a.m. and I've been working on these most of the night. (I had to take a break and talk to my friend/neighbor Reta, and bake some cookies for the little cookie monsters.)

Here is the completed small one, and the beginning stages of the larger one:

And here is the inside of the smaller one:

And here we have the completed larger one for my dad:

And what happens when you open it:

And a little peek at another of the layers in the inside...I know, I have freakishly long fingers. ?? Please don't let that distract you..

Papers for the small box are DCWV Stack 5, and papers for the larger box are Chatterbox (ohhhhhhh, how I love both DCWV & Chatterbox--they make me so happy!) I chalked the outside of the larger one, and I chalked the pages of the smaller one. I used a few Memory Makers brads, some ribbon, and a few eyelets that came with my CAD.

I hope the next one I make is even better..I hope it is anyway! I think I may do a black & white with the DCWV black & white stack & some b&w photos..add a splash of color here & there..what do you think?

The new cabinet hardware is up!

2008-06-13T22:48:00.008-05:00

The Croppin' Cabin has been taken over by little spaceships...Okay, not really, but the new cabinet pulls/handles are installed. I bought light pine wood putty and hoped for a good match, and it was..I puttied the existing holes, and Robert drilled new ones (centered.)It isn't perfect, and I noticed when the handles were off that there's significant wear/staining around the handle area. I had originally decided NOT to paint the lovely 70's blonde interior, and then I decided that I would, and then I decided again that I would not (are we seeing a pattern here??...someone save me from myself!). Now I think I may need to, although the spaceships are quite a bit larger than the original pulls.

How do you guys think they look?

In OTHER exciting news, Mom came over today and we went to see Dad at the nursing home. They were waxing the dining room floor on his wing, so we took him out the doors and to the main cafeteria (aka restaurant.) While there, Jordan noticed they had a big pool table in the back....she & I started playing, and Mom finally convinced Dad to come & help us. (Trust me..we needed it!) Anyway, lo & behold we discover that he not only used to be quite the pool player, but he REMEMBERS HOW. He knew how to hold the stick, what ball to hit, which angle to use..he was AWESOME. He got them in left & right. He even helped Jordan. It was a great thing to see..my dad showing/sharing something with my child..I thought those days were long gone. *sniff sniff* (Please excuse the bad pictures..I only had my phone and I got paint on the lense last summer..oops.)

Anyway, we went to Walmart after that and I showed Mom the new fabric I'd decided on for the dinette & futon/sofa for the Croppin' Cabin. We ended up buying all 5 yards that they had so I'm sure we'll be looking for more..

Guess what, though??? I'm not telling you what it is or what it looks like. You're just going to have to wait & see.

Tommorrow I need to do some quick & serious card making..I need to make a Father's Day card for Dad (thinking I might do something with a truck, or pool table?? hehe) and the kids want me to help them make one for their dad, too. I was thinking I might try my hand at an exploding box, but not sure I'll have time. I'll be sure to post pics of whatever I come up with!

Birthday Happenings

2008-06-09T21:28:00.012-05:00

We had 2 parties for Kid 3 this past weekend..we had one at home for her friends, and then a small family party at our campsite later that night...wienie roast & marshmallows & the whole bit.

I was so rushed on time this week, and someone on the Circut mb had posted some cupcakes she had made for her son...so I modified this idea (thanks for the scraplift, Uh-Oh-Mommys*Addicted)!! Hers was way cuter, but I think I did okay..I was leaning towards a similar idea and she REALLY helped me pull it all together in my mind..If you want to see hers, you can find her on the Cricut MB..she posted it in the Crafts thread...you should go have a look!

I printed the Scooby online, adhered it to chipboard (Cheerios box..haha) and then colored it in with pencils & softened it with mineral spirits. My sister called while I was doing this and asked what I was doing, and I told her I was "coloring a Scooby." She questioned my sanity I do believe, but we moms have no limits to what we'll stoop to! I cut a large scallop for the plate, and used some dowel rods to support the sign & Scooby. I added some Stickles to Scooby's collar & nose & spots. (I knew that Black Diamond Stickles would come in handy!)

And here's a picture of the gift bags we made for the little party guests..we found the bags 2/$1 at the Dollar Tree, and filled them with Smarties, play doh, silly putty, and scented bubbles. Then we found those pretty colored file folders 4/$1 at the Dollar Tree, and we printed out Scooby coloring sheets and hole punched them to fit in the folders, then tied them with ribbon. I made the tags for the bags with Tags, Bags, Boxes & More, of course. I then stamped them with a small Thank You stamp from Stampin' Up. (Found the set at a yard sale this summer for $7..yay!)

Here's a picture of some of my family members enjoying our little campsite..no, I didn't ask first..don't tell them I posted their pictures, okay? (giggle)That'll just be our little secret..

And you can see a brief glimpse of the Croppin' Cabin in the background..in all her unfinished glory:

Oh, and here's Kid 3 kicking my sister's hiney at a game of Ladder Golf..new game for my sister..she was pretty good though. Kudos to her! (It stinks to get beaten too badly by a 6-year-old..I speak from experience.)

Oh..and one more picture of the jellybean paper cake..right before they took their pieces home and devoured the beans.

Croppin' Cabin has new curtains!

2008-06-09T20:57:00.006-05:00

So my wonderful, fantastic, super-sweet mom finished the new curtains for the Croppin' Cabin..and she did them in a hurry, too, so that we could have them for the first camping trip of the season last weekend. Thanks, Mom! (Do I have a great mom or what??)

Anyway, here's a picture...these are the Debbie Mumm Creative Woman line, and the print is called Scrapbooking Bee, in red. You can scroll down to a previous post & see a close up of the fabric if you'd like. She lined them for me, too, to help minimize fade.

And the new cabinet pulls came in today..and the centers aren't the right distance. OOPS. I don't know what happened with that..I know I measured, and I remember emailing the company & asking them, but they still aren't right. I freaked out at first, naturally, but now I'm going to buy some wood putty that matches the cabinets and have Robert drill new holes for the new pulls..the puttied-in hole will be under the new pulls anyway. Whew.

AND..last but not least..this is kind of exciting! On my way out to the campground this weekend, I passed this little beauty in the parking lot not far from our house. I turned around & went back, and asked the gentleman if I could take a picture of his car. What a BEAUTY! I asked him the color and he said it was "dusk pearl." I think it *might* be the new stripe color for the Croppin' Cabin..let me know what you all think??

My first cake box "cake"

2008-06-05T22:33:00.006-05:00

So I've been wanting to try one of these for a couple of months, and finally got the bigger Cricut & was waiting for the right occasion to make one. We're having a family party for Kid 3 this weekend while camping, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to try my hand at these nifty little cakes. Unfortunately I didn't have enough same-color cardstock, and I was pressed for time, so this was all I had on hand. I think it turned out okay for my first one..at least I know what I want to look for now. I was thinking this would be a wonderful "thank you" gift to take to my dad's nursing home for the nurses on his wing...who wouldn't like a little box filled with candy now & then?

The boxes are made with orange cardstock...I used the Tags, Bags, Boxes & More cartridge to do the boxes, and Accent Essentials to do the large green scallop the cake is sitting on & the small pink scallops on the ends. I used white vellum on the "windows" and stamped each with a small flower. I then stamped "thank you" on the side of each "piece." The top is adorned with black/white ribbon, a small prima, and a Queen & Co small brad. The centerpiece is made of large primas and a large Making Memories black dot brad.

The inside is filled with jelly beans, and I hope they make great little party favors for our guests.

I have the entire thing sitting on a white shirt box which I decorated with some primas, glitter brads, and curly ribbon. I'm not really sure what I should have used to set the "cake" on?? If some of you know or have a good idea (keep in mind that I only have Walmart) I would love to hear from you!! Thanks for looking!

Cabinet Pulls...or spaceships?

2008-06-05T17:09:00.006-05:00

So I've probably made about 5 trips to Home Depot, and countless hours online, searching for cabinet pulls for the Croppin' Cabin. I was inspired by the new light fixtures, and I finally decided on some new pulls today, too. Here is what the Croppin' Cabin was graced with nearly 40 years ago:

And here is what I am replacing them with:

Now if I hadn't mentioned "space ship," would you have thought there was a resemblance? I have to say.."space" wasn't really the theme I was going for, but some Shasta sista's mentioned there was a slight resemblance.

I guess we'll just have to see when they're installed..I'll be sure to post an updated pic when I get them on!

Workin' on the Cabin..

2008-06-04T20:43:00.009-05:00

So..Robert & I have spent the past 3 days working on the Shasta...aka The Croppin' Cabin. The kids & I are pulling it out to our fave camping spot this weekend and having a family party for Kid #3 on Saturday, and I wanted to get all the major cleaning, etc done, and there were some things that I needed his help with. He's such a good sport! hehe

Anyway...the toilet issue is still unresolved, but we did find 3 new interior lights that were 110...the originals were broken, all but 1. I found these at Home Depot for $45 for the set of 3. It was more than I had originally hoped to spend on lights, but it's difficult to find a light small enough for the camper & that has an on/off switch..Here they are..brushed nickel with frosted glass globes:

And then Robert made shelves for my closet..and did the new ceiling. (I had ripped the bathroom & closet ceilings down last year because of the dry rot.)

And then I found this little gem at a yard sale last weekend..It is a fabric lamp..Robert bought it for me..it's going into the Croppin' Cabin eventually, along with the furry gray pillows that you see below in the next picture. I'm thinking of doing polka dots on the navy sofa there with some pink & red fabric paint, but haven't gotten that far yet. I will also add more throw pillows, and a throw..waiting to see what fabric I can find for embellishing. I'm hoping to add some shag or furry throw rugs, too.

My wonderful, wonderful, extremely talented MOM is working on the new curtains for me...here is the fabric:

So..I still have a long way to go, but it's getting there. My sister & BIL are giving me some Pergo for the new floor..I cannot WAIT to get it installed..I think it will add some warmth & give a very nice cozy feel to the Croppin' Cabin!

If you have any suggestions or comments about how to fix up the Cabin, I would love to hear them!

Thank You Card

2008-05-26T22:46:00.006-05:00

So I got this new House Mouse stamp, and couldn't wait to use it. I decided to make a Thank You card for my mom, because she's just a great mom, so I thought it would make a cute image to use for her card.

I'm trying to learn the colored pencil/mineral spirits technique, and while I AM getting better, I'm still learning/struggling. I chose a textured cardstock and it didn't occur to me that it wouldn't stamp or fill well until AFTER the fact...I went ahead & used it though. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the pink paper, and another stamp for the Thank You. The red/white dotted brads are from Queen & Co.

Graduation Card & Gift Card Holder

2008-05-26T13:17:00.006-05:00

A friend of mine has a daughter that is graduating from high school this year, so I made this card for her in her school colors..the GC are the initials for her school. I used textured cardstock from ColorBok in gold, black & white; cap is from Locker Talk, and letters are from DoodleType & George. The card holder is made from DCWV Pocketfull of Posies stack, and TBBM cartridge. I added the light blue ribbon, Prima flower, and "skittle" decorative accent. Hope she likes it!

Cricut Expression! I'm so in love...

2008-05-26T13:03:00.008-05:00

So I finally took the plunge & ordered an Expression machine. Some of you know what went down with the original order to the scary-hairy website..What an ordeal that was! Anyway, I finally got a machine, and I have to say--WHY did I EVER wait so long?? What was I thinking? I love it! I went to our local Walmart though and discovered they do not carry extra mats in the 12x12 or 12x24 size..bummer. I did pick up a Cricut personal trimmer with scoring blade, but more about THAT later.

Here is a picture of the new baby:

AND...my neighbor Reta had this in her yard sale..and she gave it to me. It was originally for VCR tapes, but as you can see my new Expression fits perfectly on top, and the cartridges fit perfectly in the doors...there are also 2 shelves inside. YAY.

I need to get some 12x24 paper so I can make BIG things with my fave cart--TBBM. I just can't wait to play with it more..several people asked if I was going to give up my baby Cricut now, and I just really don't think I am. I like that it is portable, and I can take it camping & to crops.

I'll be sure to post updates..hopefully I'll become an Expression Master before long!

Room to Scrap

2008-05-05T16:50:00.009-05:00

So as soon as the Shasta is "finished," (I don't even know what that term MEANS anymore..ugh) I'll be doing a LOT of cropping in it..but my MAIN crop space is in this tiny corner of the living room. Our house is just small...it's possibly the smallest house ever built. Okay..maybe not THAT small, but it's tiny. I finally decided to get over my "how will it look" and "what will people think" issues and just designated one corner of our living room as the SCRAP SPACE. It's not like my visitors don't KNOW I'm a crafty kinda girl..(and not in the witch sense of the word, either.) I dream of someday having a house with a scrap room once again, but until then..this will suffice. Here are some pics!

Projects

2008-05-04T18:30:00.008-05:00

Here are the pics of my recent projects...I've really been having a great time with my scrappin' goodies lately. I got a new Cricut cartridge, Tags, Bags, Boxes & More...I don't have the Cricut Expressions (yet..haha) so I'm limited with size, but aren't they cute? I used the infamous & ever-so-hot-right-now DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies paper for the boxes, ribbon for the handles, velcro circles for the closure, a Prima on the center with a small "Skittle" decorative accent. (The Cricut girls coined the term "Skittle" for those little cuties...they're so much fun to use! No..I didn't Stickle ANYTHING on these..(the paper was already glittery so I had to practice some self control! Seriously..do you people think I have to Stickle everything?)

Also you'll see pics of the "paper bag album" that I made my sister for Mother's Day. (Shhh...don't tell her..she hasn't seen it yet!) I'm going to make one for my mom & SIL, too. These papers were all from the Chatterbox Wallpaper Rooms line, and the MME Magnolia & Everyday Tango lines. MM brads, Prima flowers, Stickles (oh, be still my beating heart)and some gingham ribbon. Simply adorable!

National Scrapbooking Day 2008

2008-05-04T18:18:00.007-05:00

This is my neighbor/friend, Reta..and her first EVER layout...Saturday, May 3 (yesterday) was National Scrapbooking Day. I had planned to have a small crop at my house, but only one friend would commit so we just went ahead & had a fun day without everyone else..I made taco salad, bought chocolate & scattered it all over our big table, and we had a great time!

Tough Day

2008-04-16T20:31:00.006-05:00

First I want to say thank you to all of you for following me to the new blog. I think we were all ready for a change of scenery..this one is a lot easier to use, so maybe that'll mean more entries from yours truly.

Today we had Dad moved to the nursing home on the Alzheimer's Unit. We won't go visit for a few days, per their recommendation. They wanted him to have time to get settled in--or as settled in as he can be. It's been a long & difficult journey for everyone...I haven't slept for so many days that I can't remember the last good sleep that I had. I keep thinking about Mom & how she's doing, and about Dad & how he's doing.

I did get some new toys today! Fed Ex brought a brand new Cuttlebug with 1 embossing folder (Stylized Flowers) and a Silent Setter. The SS was on sale for $4, and the CB was 50% off at $35 with a free embossing folder. (www.creativexpress.com LOVE this site!) The kids are pretty impressed with my abilities to take smooth paper & make flowers on it. Go me!

I think I almost have my corner scrap space set up. I am waiting on the Primas to get here, and I may try to find a few different storage containers before all is said & done.

I'll post pics of my little scrap space soon...and in the meantime, enjoy the pics of the pages I'm doing for my dad to keep at the nursing home!