a wink and a smile | -m's- weblog

I'm sick and tired of being...

...sick!

Ugh.  Twice within a month.  How lucky can one get!  Though I feel a little bit better right now, I did spend the entire morning in bed—yesterday was worst, so I won't even complain.

Alrighty.

**apparently, I was so out of it that I never actually posted this post, LOL!  I wrote it on 12 March!!  Yikes!!**  So glad I feel soooooooooooo much better now :)

-m

sickies.yuck!

argh!  I caught the flu bug last weekend, and I'm am not just barely getting over it.  I totally lost my voice—which I'm happy to partially have back.  It was so bizarre!  I literally was totally fine one minute, and then I got some water to drink, and in the time it took me to drink a glass of water, I lost my voice!!  It went downhill from there, with the aches and pain, excruciating headaches...it was awful!!  I've been having up and down time this entire weekend/week.  Some hour I'm totally fine, and the next, I'm feeling my head spinning.  LOL!  Can't wait to get 100% better, especially since I'm way behind in several things I've committed to—that's the worst!

Ah...anyway.  There isn't a lot of things I hate, but seriously...being sick is one of them.

Lunar eclipse tonight/early morning on the 21st.  Yay!  I've always been fascinated with many things Astronomy.  After trying to photograph the moon during last year's total eclipse, I find myself wanting to learn more about {basic} astrophotography.  I created this page from last March's total eclipse...

I'm hoping to get some practice tonight. The weather isn't that great, however, and I'm not too optimistic about tonight's visibility :(  I'm actually pretty excited about it, especially since I wanted to try out the 40D's live view.  So far, I'm loving the live view feature...it's a handy little feature, for sure.

Alright, I'm doing a little early cooking, since I'm making some good chicken soup for dinner.  It's much needed...especially during these cold-weather-sick-times.

*• credits:  - Artsy Painted Papers, and Artsy Paper Elements {Jackie Eckles} - paper recolored; Digital Stitching, White {Katie Pertiet};- Tie Fastener {Katie Pertiet}; Clipped Tags {Katie Pertiet}; Altered Embellies, Star {Jackie Eckles}; Blasted Brush {Katie Pertiet}; Vintage Storyboard Frame {Katie Pertiet}; Clock Parts {Katie Pertiet}; Altered Embellies, Corner {Jackie Eckles}; Font used: century gothic*

* • First Snow Day • *

It's snowing!  I'm not really all that excited, especially when I think about the cold and how hard it is to just go anywhere...but, hey, the children are all so excited.  Up until the other night, c was still wondering when Christmas will be here.  He wanted to know precisely how many days we still have left (I'm making us a little calendar today).  Anyway.  This morning, they were all too excited.  It's *really* winter now, which means that Christmas can't be too far :)  Tomorrow is Nikolaustag.  The children already have their eye on getting their boots ready for tonight, hoping that it'll be goodies-filled when they wake up.  Great timing for the snow to start falling!

I've been feeling really unmotivated and downright slow this past few weeks months!  I can't shake it off, and it's really starting to bog me down.  Actually, it's really irritating!!  LOL!  So, yeah, I'm irritated at myself, LOL!  Anyway.  There are just waaaaaaay too many things that still needs to be done.  My scrapbook room, for one, is still a huge mess!!  Just the thought of the boxes staring back at me is enough to suck up what creativity I actually have! LOL!  I really need to change that, and honestly, I just need to hit the gym again—it's a natural energy booster!  ::wink::  I've been really trying to get myself to keep at it.  This too shall pass...right :)  I've been saying that for a few months now, and I'm still positive about it, LOL!  I did get some layouts and a cd calendar done this past couple of days.  I have yet to print and bind my cd calendar—I like to bind things. {I have to make use of the comb-binder I sooooooooo knew I just had to have a couple of year ago, right?!?!}

Oh, and cookie recipes at DD.  Can you say...YUMMY!!  There was once a time when I actually baked, LOL!  It's been awhile, but I'm ready to really get back into it.  I'm hopeful ::fingers crossed:: that the recipes will jumpstart it.  I have a motivation problem, don't I?  LOL!

Here is my favorite cookie recipe.  I tell you...these are just delicious!!

Here's the ingredients:

Chocolate Buttons

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
-mix together butter, brown sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla
-beat in baking soda and flour {stir in by hand if needed}
-roll to about 1/16-inch thickness
-cut out circles on a lightly floured surface
-place on ungreased cookie sheet

**375° oven. Bake about 5 minutes {or until the edges are firm}

...pretty easy, right?

happy day!! -m

• credits:  all digital papers and elements are from DD.  Fonts used are:  splendid 66, al uncle charles, and my own topher

drama

...with my Wacom.  Apparently, living near {am} radio station isn't such a great idea—more reasons than one.  We've got radio static noise on our supposedly crystal clear digital phone line, and my wacom {not the wacom!} isn't working properly because of it.  It's so weird to have to use a mouse again.  Feels like I will never get used to it, despite using only a mouse for years and years before my tablet.  Photoshop is just not right without it.  My workflow is dragged.  I just got to get into the right mode again.  Off with the stress on my shoulders, and I just need to let free.

ah...I feel better, LOL!  Actually, knowing that tomorrow is Friday is the most awesome thing!  I love the weekends!

-m

rough

...is the first word that comes to mind which defines this move.  We've moved plenty of times before, but this has been the "hardest."  I guess we can't always have a smooth move.  Needless to say, I'm still trying to get settled.  This past week and a half had been the roughest week and half—I'm so glad that it's over with.  Good news is...I still have my sanity intact, LOL!  {Although...}  LOL!  Anyway.  It's just been one after another, after another, after another...but...thank goodness, finally, things are letting up.  I see the light!!

Every move is sort of a 'new' beginning.  This time, I've decided to try and enjoy colors.  Having colors around the house is good for the soul :)  Makes me happy.  I'm a pretty linear-type person, so it's sometimes hard to bend rules—whatever they maybe.  So, in terms of designing, I really suck at it.  I think to straight and narrow, sometimes...but, hopefully, having bright splash of colors everywhere will help me out a bit.  Here are the first colorful additions to our new place—well, the light fixture came with the place, LOL!—but, I love it...so there it is :)  Oh, and as you can see, the background of the photos are pretty clean.  No, I didn't clean up.  These were taken during our first week here—no boxes yet.

Alright.  Gotta get back to fixing.  It's exactly midnight...and here I am, still fixing. 

Have a great week!

-m

• credits:  frame template-Nancy Comelab; doodles and buttons-Kate Hadfield; font-thinking of you.

...yup...still moving...

...so happy to have our things--finally!  I'm not too crazy about the amount of things we have though, LOL!  Gosh, seriously, I'm ready to toss so much stuff out--mostly b's ;)  Anyway.  I said I'd be happy to have boxes and boxes of our stuff filling up the house.  I got my wish, so I won't complain :)

I'm blogging using my computer!  Soooo missed this thing!  So much to do, though, before I can 'freely' spend my time glued to my sit in front of the computer.  Scrapbook room is looking alright.  I think e-bay is calling me.  Might be time to list some stuff I don't think I'll be using anytime soon.

It's past midnight, and I've got a whole lot of things on my to-do list for tomorrow, and to catch up on the to-do stuff I wasn't able to do today :}   One day at a time.  So glad that the weekend it almost here.  For some reason, Saturdays and Sundays make me feel like I have the right to do nothing at all!  :LOL:

-m

still.moving

not only did I move blogs, we also physically moved back across the Atlantic.  Our new place is pretty empty.  No boxes...yet.  At this point, really, I will be extremely happy when our living room is filled with our boxes; I can't wait to have our things again, especially my computer.

Why am I missing my computer more than I though I would???

So here I am, on the floor of my scrapbook room, which at the moment has empty small boxes as 'desk'.  We got our "hold/unaccompanied baggage" (a small shipment of small household items which is shipped separately from the HHG (household goods); meant to get some of the things faster than the HHG shipment--in our case in a month, instead of the two months for HHG).  Anyway.  I can't be away from computers too long, so in our hold baggage, I included the children's computer--aka mom's old computer--and happily, got it all hooked up this morning.  It's messed up!!  :(  It turns on, but nothing shows on the monitor...just blank black screen.  Noooooooo!!!  The good news is that there is nothing in that computer that is either important or can't be replaced.  The sad news is that I was hoping to use it so I can get back to digiscrapping again, and also, photoshopping again :(   B's laptop doesn't do it for me.  The screen colors are awful, and his mouse is dead.  On top of this, my trusty wacom...my wacom...is messed up.  It was fine up until we moved here to the house.  Now, when I plug it in, the computer's pointer just goes wacky, and the tablet doesn't even respond to the pen. ::crying:: Which brings me to my dilemma.  I thought I had this computer thing covered.  Didn't think I will miss my computer too much...but here I am...I want our stuff, like right now!  I want my desk, my computer, my comfy chair...sigh. 

More on the good news side though.  We have a place here.  I was getting tired of being in the hotel.  We have internet :)  We have cable.  Crossing fingers that tomorrow, we'll have phone.  I have a new bed.  And, most exciting of all...I have new car.  I have yet to take photos of our new ride for scrapbooking purpose :)  We haven't had a new car since we bought the expedition eight years ago, so this is pretty exciting.  The other exciting part is that it's small car!  Without having to have big carseats anymore, we finally fit comfortable in a small car again!  The kids named her cara.  Cute, eh?!

Alright, my back is aching.  I can't stand being in front of the computer too long, and I'm going wacky...like my wacom.  I just went from sad, frustrated, excited, back to sad...all in one post.  LOL!

ciao. xo.