I See Dumb People

I got this image from my friend Rebecca recently when she was clearing out more of her craft stuff. I am guessing it is from the mid 1990's, given the subject matter, but the sentiment holds true everyday.

Especially right now, I see dumb people. My neighbor was supposed to pick up a car load of kids after day camp today but got held up trying to shuttle family members around who are in town for a wedding and found their hotel had overbooked the rooms because a golf tournament is also in town. I had to stop trying to move laundry around and go get the kids, all the while hoping my eldest would not burn down the house while he tries to make pancakes for the second time today. Previously today he made a solution of bubble soap, hoping to sell it to neighbor kids, but didn't have any small containers to put it in. He's not exactly one to get hung up on the details.

He made pancakes twice yesterday, too, and what really bothers me is that he always makes a much larger batch than he can eat, but he won't eat leftovers, he likes his pancakes "fresh". While I hate the waste that i see and the mess I get to continually clean up. Then he and all the campers went out to the sidewalk to see if they could light a napkin on fire with a magnifying glass. Don't worry, they had a bucket of water balloons nearby in case anyone caught fire. I couldn't even stand to watch them thinking that if someone catches fire, well, the best lessons are learned the hard way.

We are trying to go to Chicago for the weekend again. I have a neighbor kid looking after the dog and the laundry is nearly done. I have packed for myself and two kids and started dishes, too. I fed the guinea pigs, washed bath towels, grabbed swim suits...you know the drill. I don't know when we are leaving because Scott does not know what time he'll be leaving work. Let's just say, 10 days till school start. Is that about 240 hours plus or minus a few? Not that I am counting, (ha!) but I am still praying for the strength to survive this summer. So close, but it feels so far.

Happy Campers

This card is one for a challenge over on Splitcoast last week. The challenge was to use an image that has a motor in it. The camper may not technically have a motor, but it was a s close as I could come. Fortunately, in the world of SCS that is good enough. I love making little scenes, so used two Stampin' Up sets to make this one, Happy Camper and Under the Stars. I told a little story about how the car that pulled the camper had to go to town for more supplies.

Both boys are rotating through their summer camp days right now. Last week Noah was at day camp and Seth and I had a little extravaganza of eating lunch at places he chose. Very exciting places like KFC and the local cafeteria. Seth is at camp this week and Noah and I are hitting up the dollar store, going to the skate park and having his friends over. It is nice to have one on one time with each of them and just do things that interest that child.

The exciting news is that Doodle Factory is having a new set give away. They are giving away four new sets that they are releasing and that means four different people could each win the sets. Since it is summer and my disposable income is disposed of by the my kids, I could really use some of their fun and fantastic new stamps. How much do I love them you wonder? Well, scroll down a post or two and you will see the necklace I made with their monsters. Not everyone loves a stamp company enough to wear a handmade necklace to advertise that fact! I am not a person who generally wins things, but a girl can dream can't she? Some days my dreams are all I have!

Tonight I am going to a neighborhood party to say goodbye to some friends who are moving a few neighborhoods away. I made about 10 dozen snickerdoodles last night to take along. Those were after the 11 jars of frezer jam I made. I had some of my jam this morning on toast, and I'll just say this...if you are on my Christmas list this year you will be very happy. Although, not very surprised.

Craft sales

I came across a post on SplitCoast about making your own lip gloss. It is incredibly easy, so Seth wanted to make lip gloss and have a sale. We found tubs to hold the lip gloss in the bead aisle at WalMart. They are actually a case of 24 little round bead holders, but work great for the gloss. Seth also stamped on dominoes and had supplies ready so they could be turned into magnets or pins you can wear, depending on the desires of the buyer.

You can see how sweet the lip gloss looks in the little containers. When I made lip gloss I used a 1 and 1/4 inch circle punch and thought it worked perfectly for the size of the lid. Seth liked the look of the scallop punch so that was what he chose to use. I don't know the name of the scallop punch, but it is the yellow sized one from Marvy Uchida.

Here is the recipe: 1 T vaseline and 1 t kool aid powder. You are supposed to warm the vaseline in the microwave for abot 20 seconds so it is easier to mix with the powder. You can choose whatever flavor you like, but I caution you that Grape kool aid turns a greyish color with the vaseline and does not look good, though it tastes great. I thought this was fun to do and would be great for a child's birthday party activity. The stamps for the top of the lip gloss are from Clear Dollar samps and only cost $4.99 for a set of 19 stamps. It was both inexpensive and easy, just the kind of craft that I love!

Mish Mash

Today is full of a little bit of everything. The card was made for a sketch challenge. The stamps are from Memory Box (penguins) and the igloo and quote are from Amuse, while the Eskimo is from a Stampin Up set called Polar Pals. The paper is Basic Grey.

We saw the surgeon today for a check up on Scott's biopsy and he was in the room all of 30 seconds to tell us that Scott does have histoplasmosis and that it is dead. Since it is dead, you do not treat it. If it were alive, there would be treatment to kill it. He said it is many months old and there is no way to know for certain how old it is. I do not know if all the spots on his lungs will clear up or if it is like scar tissue and will be there forever. Scott will now go see his regular doctor to find out why he feels so weak and tired. Maybe it is because his body has been fighting the histoplasmosis.

Afterwards Seth and I went to se our friend Steph for lunch at Olive Garden, and dang, was it good! I cannot remember the last time I was there. Seth says he wants to go to Hooters tomorrow but I won't take him there. Actually, I have never been to a Hooters. I don't know what he'll choose. Maybe he'll pick Chic Fil A. That would be nice and affordable.

We are fine, it is rainy here and I wish it was at least a little sunny while Noah finishes up his days at camp but the forecast is for more rain.

The House of the Lazy Bums

We had a nice quiet weekend with a lot of laying around. Or in Scott's case, sitting around as it hurt to lay down. We'll see the doctor on Wednesday and they'll tell us what they know.

The necklace was made for a challenge last week. I wish I could remember the title of the challenge, but it was to make a stamped piece with a double item. Double stamp an image, use two of the same embellishments or accent pieces. So, I used double beads. See how they match on each side? I love shrink art. I was going to make a shrinky dink bracelet but didn't get that far yet. The stamps are creatures from the Doodle Factory line from starving Artistamps.

Noah has day camp this week and Seth made a list of places he wants to eat lunch without his brother. Today we went to MCL. It's a cafeteria where old people eat. I am usually the youngest person in the place, but today we ate with a friend and her son, so the age limit was really lowered by us. Other places on his list include :Johnny Rockets, Chic Fil A, KFC, Papa John's, Long John Silver's and Joe's Crab Shack. We will get to a couple more, but won't be able to get to all of them. I don't know when we were last at Joe's and I did not even know he liked it, so that one is very much a surprise to me. I'll let you know how it goes.

Histoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis? Yeah, I don't know what it is either, but it is likely Scott has it. It is called "the dirt germ" because it is a germ that lives in dirt and when fields are plowed (and such) the germ spreads through the air for miles around. You inhale it and... viola! You have histoplasmosis!

Scott has now had his X rays, Cat scan and Pet scan and consulted with a lung surgeon who will do the lung biopsy Friday (we check in at 6AM). They take out tiny lung pieces and check out his enlarged lymph nodes and after a few days of microscope checking they'll confirm the diagnosis. They could change the diagnosis, but since this is treatable and curable, we are hoping this is all it is. Left untreated it is fatal. Whew, what a day.

To make my life more complicated my father had a stroke on Monday. Thankfully it was a minor one. He has been in the hospital and should get out today. Scott and I are car sharing this week as both cars needed some maintenance, so I have not been out to visit him. We thought Scott's tires needed rotating so he went to check them, and they were so bare, the metal under the tire was showing. He drives very little in his car, so he must have really had cheap tires on it from when we purchased the car.

No matter, I still find time to craft. the card today was made with an image from Stampotique and the paper is from a Stampin Up paper pack. The buttons and twine are from Papertrey Ink. My house is clean and dinner is about to head to the crock pot, so if I can get a grip on the laundry I'll be in good shape. But I would really rather nap.

Pie Day

Not really pie day at my house as much as it was pie weekend. Last week Seth wanted to make a pie we call Marshmallow Mermaid Pie. We saw the movie Waitress which mentions this pie, but does not tell you what is in it, so we made up our own version at home. It is pistachio on the bottom and chocolate on top with a decoration of colorful marshmallows around the edges.

When I bought ingredients for this pie, I saw that half and half was on sale, which is the base for my cream pies, so I made 4 Banana Cream pies this weekend. Scott has two employees whose wives LOVE my banana cream pie so 2 of the piues will go to them and 2 went to people I know who are big fans of this pie as well. Not to be outdone, Scott and Noah made 2 strawberry pies. I have not tried them yet, but I can tell you strawberry pie and ice cream is calling to me from the depths of my fridge and I cannot wait to try them out.

I did make a card today but decided not to post it. The challenge at SCS was to make a card with a grid design on it. It was fairly easy to do, but making it look good added another diffuculty level.

We are off to karate and the library as our big plans for the day. I have no idea what dinner will be, but at least I have dessert covered!

Nativity in July

I know, I know, you were hoping not to see Christmas stuff until all the school supply specials had cleared the aisles but someone at SCS thought a Christmas in July challenge was a good idea. Who am I to resist? Especially since my MIL cleared out her stamping stuff and it has been sitting around in my garage for about 18 months. I finally went through her box in an effort to sell off anything worthwhile and I came across a little gem of a set called Nativity Silhouettes. They are naming geniuses at Stampin' Up, eh?

I made a brayered background, stamped my image and added it to some of the denim like paper I had made for another challenge a couple of weeks ago. I added some dots from the Stamping Bella line and there you have it! I know it is a bit early to foist the holiday season on you already. Just remember, it is never too early to start making presents for me, or ordering them on line. I don't mind if you start preparing to spoil me now. Go ahead, give in to the urge.

After a few beautiful days we are going to have a rainy weekend which means indoor children. At least this will give them time to clean their rooms and the bathrooms. Oh, I love that they are old enough for chores! Steak and Shake still has their special where kids eat free on weekends, so no doubt we'll take the little boogers out for a free meal, too. I wanted to have a craft night with the girlfriends but they are all busy on different nights, so it will be more of the same for me, crafting alone and making whatever strikes my whimsy.

It Is Good To Be Home

This card was made with my favorite set from Stampin' Up! It is called A Grateful Heart and the quote that is in the set is from George Herbert and is " O Thou who has given us so much, mercifully grant us one thing more, a grateful heart." I just love it. I made this for the sketch challenge on SplitCoast and thought vegetables were appropriate for the season, and I love the use of the purple on the card. Purple is so under used and under rated in the card world. The paper is from Bazzill and Daisy Bucket Designs. The lower right hand corner has a dot from Stamping Bella and some bling, too. I added pink ribbon and used oval punches from Stampin' Up!

It is good to be home from vacation. My kids thought that their time in Washington, D.C. was like a dream come true. I should be doing the mountains of laundry we have or working on the dishes or enjoying the dog. But I found that on this trip I really missed the computer. I had access while I was gone, but I hadn't realized how dependent I had become on checking in with friends, getting the news of the day, reading the web sites I enjoy. I can definitely see why some families have a laptop for each person. Maybe I need to get out more. But when I am out, I just want to come home and sit in peace and quiet and read, whether a book or magazine or on the computer.