Din's World

2011-04-04T10:17:00.003-04:00

Another Great Shopping Trip!

Well gang, I did it again! Saved TONS of money at the grocery store. I even took a picture of all of the goodies I got! Yes, I know, I'm turning into one of THOSE women.

I picked up $134.39 in groceries for $57.65. That's a 57% savings. I also got $10 in coupons on future purchases AND mom gave me $7 more for purchasing a few items for her. So, I really only spent $50.65.

We hit Acme and Shoprite this week.

We went to Acme first - I wanted to see what kind of meat deals I could find. WOW! I totally cashed in on some great deals...

- TWO Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters - BOTH had $2 off coupons on. So, I got each chicken for under $4!
- TWO Hatfield Ham Steaks...are you ready for this? They were on sale for 2 for $5. (Regularly $3.69 each). I had a $1.50 coupon AND one of them had a $1 off coupon! YES. I got them for $2.50! I was so glad I talked myself out of using my Hatfield coupon last week at Shoprite!
- Oscar Mayer Weiners - Normally $4.49 each. They were on sale for 2 for $5 AND I had $1 off coupons for EACH of them! That's like a $3 savings on EACH!
- 3 boxes of Kellogs cereal for $5. The deal at Acme is that you get a free gallon of milk if you buy 3 boxes of cereal. AND if you buy 2 boxes of cereal, you get a free reusable shopping bag. AND two of the boxes had $1 off coupons on fruit if you bought 2 boxes of cereal. Did you follow all of that?
- 1.73lbs of bananas for 19 cents after I used my $1 off coupon from my cereal box
- FREE gallon of milk (value $4.25)
- FREE reusable shopping bag
- 10 Yoplait Yogurt - on sale for 20 for $10 AND I had a $1 off 10 coupon.
- 1 can diced tomatos on sale for $1.
- 1 bag of carrots
- shredded cheese - on sale for $2.49 plus I had a $1 coupon
- FREE loaf of store-baked bread (thanks mom - she had lots of coupons for taking surveys)

So, I spent $26.85 on all of that! Not too bad. The meat alone would have been $28.32 and I got bananas, carrots, a gallon of milk, 10 yogurt cups, a package of shredded cheese, a loaf of bread, a reusable shopping bag, and 3 boxes of cereal on top of that!!!

Then we went to Shoprite. There weren't many items left on my list. Even our favorite check-out girl commented! Here's what I got:

- A HUGE package (4-ish lbs) of chicken drumsticks (on sale 50% off)
- TWO packages of boneless chicken thighs (on sale 50% off)
- Two tomatoes (I've learned that I should have free tomatoes for my husband)
- Two Ziploc Boxes (on sale 2 for $5 and I had a $1.50 coupon)
- Two Ziploc Bags (on sale 2 for $5 and I had 2 $1. coupons)
- Two Fantastic Cleaners (on sale 2 for $4 and I had 2 $1. coupons)
- One Windex (on sale and I had a $1 coupon)
- Two packages of Philadelphia Cooking Creme (2.99 each and I had 2 $1.50 coupons)
- Tortilla Shells
- Colgate toothpaste (on sale for $1.66 and I had a $1.50 coupon)

I found STACKS of the Philadelphia Cooking Creme coupons around both Acme and Shoprite. I love that stuff!

I also had an experiment. I have a stack of $1.50 off coupons for Colgate. Some varieties of Colgate are on sale for $1.66 this week - but not the same variety as the coupon. So, I picked up one. Guess what? It worked!!! I will go back and get more now!

And, when you spend $20 on cleaning products, you get $10 off of future orders. I qualified! I also used a $5 off coupon on Kraft products. And, I got 20 cents off for reusable bags.

SO, I spent $23.80 and got back $10 coupons! I'm pleased!

2011-03-28T11:11:00.002-04:00

"Pretty Good" Shopping Trip

So, I did pretty good this week at Shoprite. I still stayed well under our budget, but I spent more than $5! I knew that I wouldn't be breaking any records this week and accepted that before I walked in the door of the store.

Here's what's on the menu this week:
Monday - Not cooking because of Weight Watchers and I have a workshop.
Tuesday - Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce
Wednesday - Baked Penne (using some of the new Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Creme)
Thursday - Tacos
Friday - Not cooking because I have a workshop.
Saturday - Chicken Pockets
Sunday - Fish Tacos (Mike really wants to try making our own. And, yes, he suggested putting tacos on the menu twice this week. No complaints here!)

The only meat that I don't have is fish for the fish tacos. But, I'm picking that up on Wednesday when it goes on sale. But, here's what I picked up:

Store Brand Dishwasher Detergent - $3.69 (not on sale but we were just about out)
6 packs of Hunts Pudding - On Sale for 4 for $5. I've gotten it cheaper, but it was still 44 cents off per pack. And, I LOVE the stuff!
2 bottles of Ken's Salad dressing - On Sale for $1.88 each and I had a $1 coupon off of 2
2 packs of Jiffy Cornbread Muffin Mix - Not on Sale but it's only 2 for $.89!
10 Cans of Chef Boyardee Raviolli - 10 for $10 PLUS you get a free can with every 5 cans. That's over a $10 savings on all 12 cans!
1 Green Pepper (not on sale but going into the Penne)
1 Red Onion (not on sale)
2 Cucumbers (not on sale)
1 3-pack of Romaine Hearts - only $1.79 with the store coupon!
3 heads of garlic for my chicken dish
3+ lbs of bananas - on sale for $1.60!!!
2 Packs of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (not on sale but had a $1. off 2 coupon)
Tortilla Shells for the Fish Tacos (not on sale)
1 lb butter on sale for $2.99
1 Pack of Philly Cream Cheese (not on sale but I had a $1 off coupon)
1 Pack of Mozzarella Cheese (not on sale but I had a $1 off coupon)
1 dozen eggs (on sale for $1.77 and I had a $.70 coupon)
1/2 Gallon Milk
2 packs of frozen twice baked potatoes (on sale for $1 each and I had a $1 off 2 coupon)

I used 6 reusable bags saving me 30 cents.

Total Savings = $57.42
Total Spent = $25.14

I'm really going to miss the $29 in coupons I have gotten off of each order in the past four weeks. I think this was the last week for them. I have $5 off coupon next week, but my bills will probably go up! But, that's okay! I only spent 1/3 of our grocery budget this week!

2011-03-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

Another Week of Groceries Under $5!

Well, I'm SO glad I shop with my mom. My brain was so exhausted from this weekend, that I forgot how some of my coupons work! She reminded me that $5 of my coupons needed to be used on Kraft, Nabisco, and Coke products - none of which were on my list. Thank goodness I take along my coupon binder because I was quickly able to pull out additional coupons to combine with the items I needed to "buy" for free.

Again, there was really nothing we really needed at the grocery store this week - except for tissues since I blew through (pun intended) all of the boxes we had on hand. I was not impressed with any of the sales at Shoprite and nothing really paired well with the coupons I had. Another item on my nice-to-have list was a ham steak. I planned the menu this week and I'm craving Mac & Cheese. And, the protein that seemed to pair well with that was ham!

Here's what I got...
1 Package of Puffs 3-Pack - On Sale for $4.99 (regularly $6.39)
2 Packages of 4-Pack Charmin Toilet Paper - $3.99 each ($1 off two coupon)
2 Loaves Shoprite White Bread (one was for mom) - $.50 each! (regularly $1.52)
2 Packages of Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese - $2.99 each ($.55 off 2 coupon)
2 Ham Steaks - $2.09 each (marked down 30% because it expires in 2 days - yes, it's already in the freezer)
1 Perdue Oven Stuffer Roaster - $5.42 - (on sale for $.99/lb - savings of $3.83)
2 Packs of Classic Romaine Salad Mix - $2 each - (on sale 2 for $4) - I also asked the restocker if there was more because none was on the shelf. He brought some out for me AND it's expiration date is over a week away!
1 Garlic - $.44
1 Cucumber - $1.00
1 Red Onion - $1.01
1/2 Gallon Skim Milk

Here are the coupons I used:
$24 Off My Order (8 - $3 Dollar Days Catalinas)
$5 Off My Order (Munch Mania Catalina)
$2 Off My Order (Purex Catalina from last week)
$1 Off Charmin Coupon
$.55 (doubled to $1) Off of 2 Kraft Products
$.20 Off because I used 4 canvas bags

Total Savings Today as Printed on Receipt = $40.83
Mom Gave Me $.50 for the bread
Total Spent Today = $3.66

What are Mike & I eating this week? Here's our menu:
Monday Night - Turkey Hamburger Helper
Tuesday Night - Pork Chops
Wednesday Night - Tilapia
Thursday Night - Ham w/ Mac & Cheese
Friday Night - probably a microwave dinner because I have a couple of workshops
Saturday Night - probably a microwave dinner because I'm going to a friend's for Bunco
Sunday Night - Mike's cooking something because I have an afternoon workshop

2011-03-14T09:33:00.002-04:00

Best Grocery Shopping Trip EVER!
So, today was my best trip EVER! My goal - spend as little as possible. I had tons of coupons:
- $5 off Order of Coke/Nabisco Products (earned during last week's Munch Mania deal)
- $24 off of my Total Order (earned during Shoprite Dollar Days earlier this month)
- $1 off my Total Order (because I bought 2 Jello Puddings last week)
- $2 off my Total Order (Shoprite Family $$ discount)

So, here's what I purchased:
- 2 lemons (80 cents)
- 1/2 Gallon of Milk
- 2 Bottles Purex Laundry Detergent (On sale for $1.99 and you get a $2 off your next order coupon if you buy 2)
- 2 Boxes Graham Crackers (On sale for 2 for $5. I had $1 off 1 coupons for each making them $3 for both)
- 4 Bottles Cherry Coke Zero (On sale for 4 for $4)
- 2 Packages Chex Mix (On sale for 2 for $5 and I had a $1 off coupon making them $4)
- 12 Smart Ones Entrees (On sale for $1.66 and I had a $5 off of 12 coupon making them CHEAP)
- 2 packages of Idahoan Mashed Potatoes ('cause we love them, they were $1, and I was afraid I hadn't spent enough $$ to use all of my coupons)
- 4 reusable shopping bags for a savings of 20 cents

I really didn't need any groceries this week. We're well stocked. BUT, I couldn't let my $32 in coupons go to waste! They had to be used this week. And why on earth was I going to throw away $32!?!?!?! I only really needed milk and lemons for the chicken I'm roasting on Wednesday. We certainly didn't need Smart Ones - but who can turn down 12 for $14.92 - that's getting them for $1.24 each!?!?

I figured I'd be spending around $3 when I got to the register. I was pretty scared when the total was well over $50 before she scanned my Price Plus Card or my coupons. Seriously...I only wanted to spend $3!!!

She started scanning and my total came down to $6.38. The cashier recognized us from previous trips and asked why I wasn't doing my happy dance. WHY??? Because my total was TWICE what I was expecting it to be. Okay, it was still only $6.38 and I shouldn't complain but I couldn't figure out where I went wrong. So, I checked out my receipt. Turns out two of my $3 off coupons got stuck together. Because we shop at 8am on a Monday morning, there is no line (trust me, you do not want to get behind me at a grocery store checkout these days). I had time to quickly scan everything before I walked away. She was wonderful (that's why I choose her line). She realized the mistake, gave me my coupon, and sent me over to customer service where they handed me $3 in cash!!! Bringing my total back to $3.38 - right about where I was expecting it to be!!! (I knew there would be tax but didn't figure it into my calculations since I knew it would be minimal - my tax was 52 cents).

SO, my total bill ended up being:
Total Savings Today is: $73.19
Total Spent: $3.38

AND, remember how I bought those two Purex Laundry detergents? It spit out a $2 off coupon towards my order for next week! I get $31 off of my total shopping bill next week - and we still probably won't need much! Go me!!! And, I'm teaching mom along the way, too! She actually had $15 in coupons off of Coke/Nabisco products and she's the one that pointed out the Purex deal to me - I'd completely overlooked it since we have 8 bottles of laundry detergent in the basement. BUT, I had to do some last-minute replanning. See, I was going to use most of my coupons on 1 item and pick up a 20lb bag of rice which was $1 off. But, do you know how big a 20lb bag of rice really is?!?!? What do you do with the thing after it's open? How do you keep it fresh? How do you keep bugs out? How do you store it? Mom and I stared at the thing in my cart before realizing that I didn't need 20lbs of rice. So, I had to quickly figure out how else to spend $8. That's when I picked up the Purex, Chex Mix, and 2 packs of potatoes.

2011-03-07T10:49:00.002-05:00

Another Victory at the Grocery Store

Wow! Oh what fun my shopping trip with mom was today!

Let's see....we hit up Acme first. But, let me tell you about the trip to Acme on Saturday! I STOCKED up on meat that was marked down! I found EIGHT packages of ground turkey on sale for 2 for $5.00 WITH a $1.00 off coupon on each of them! WHOO HOO! I won't be buying ground turkey for awhile. I also picked up two packages of pork chops - each with $1.00 off coupons! I love discount meat. After today, I won't need meat for awhile.

So, let's chat about today. Acme has a great deal on Coke and Tombstone Pizza. Mike and I tried some Tombstone Pizza yesterday (it's currently 4 for $10 at Acme - it's usually $5.79 each). It was quite tasty for a $2.50 pizza! So, I bought four more. OH, and I had a $1.50 coupon. So, my pizza was $2.12. That's a cheap dinner! We enjoyed ours with a bottle of wine from the Kortonick Cellar and some salad (yuck) last night. And, I'm lovin' the 5 for $4 Coke deal. I grab a circular each time I walk in. I now have 15 bottles of Diet Coke in the house. Pathetic, but that's a 2-week supply!

At Acme, I picked up our Roast for the Pot Roast I want to make on Wednesday. It was $4.19/lb - more expensive than the Shoprite deal, BUT, it had a $3.00 off coupon making it $12.29.

I picked up 7 bottles of Coke - the first 5 were $4.00 and the second 2 were $1.00.

I hit the clearance freezer for some single-serve Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Fro-Yo for $.50 each - a savings of $.75 each!

I picked up 2 cans of Cooking Spray. Its originally $3.99 each. It was on sale 2 for $5.00 and I had a coupon that was expiring for $1.00 off of 2. So, I got mine for 1/2 price!

And, the deal of the week is a SUPER buy at Acme - Quaker Chewy Granola bars are 3 for $5.00 (a $2.32 savings EACH). I picked up 3 boxes Saturday and 3 more today.

SO, I bought:
7 Bottles of Coke
4 Tombstone Pizzas
4lb Beef Round Roast (or something)
2 Ben & Jerrys Single-Serve Fro-Yo
3 Boxes Quaker Granola Bars
2 Cans Pam Cooking Spray

My total bill? $37.21 It's not the biggest savings of all. But, I keep reminding myself that I had a $3.00 off coupon, that $12+ hunk of beef really tipped the scale.

My total savings at Acme today was $38.13 - or 51%! I aim to save at least 50% on each trip. Success!!!

Now, onto Shoprite!!! That's where the big savings were gonna be found. I had $24 in coupons plus 8 free re-usable shopping bag coupons from the previous 2 weeks trips. So, here's what I did. I had to split my order into 2 because you can only use 4 of the same coupon per order - and I wanted to keep my Munch Mania stuff separate because it's a business expense!

Trip #1:
2 cans of Tomato Paste for $.59 each (not on sale, but I needed it for my Pot Roast and picked up an extra just to have on hand because it's the second time this week I've needed tomato paste since I'm cooking more)

3 cans of Olives for Mike (yuck) but last night he told me he likes them in his salads and he realized they were on sale for 3 for $4. So I picked up 3 cans.

4 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix - hello comfort food! It's $.89 for 2. Always a good deal, and with Pillsbury not on sale, we like our bread with dinner. And, I think corn bread muffins will go great with my Pot Roast!

3 pound bag of Yellow Onions for $2.49 ($.50 savings) - again, we usually buy our onions individually - but this seemed like a better deal than buying them one by one. And, mom tells me onions keep for awhile!

Carrots f0r $1.49 - not on sale but need them for Pot Roast

Fresh Thyme $1.99 - not on sale but splurged for the Pot Roast - I really want to grow my own herbs and saw potted ones at Shoprite. Maybe I'll buy some with next week's coupons.

Garlic for $.60 - not on sale but needed it for the Pot Roast and it's always good to have Garlic!

Beef Broth - $2.49 (saved $.50) - I was REALLY torn. I had a $1.00 off coupon off of another brand but I'd need to spend close to $10 to save that $1. I don't use broth that much - but I did just use Chicken Broth last week. I chose to buy just the one that was on sale - and with it being $.50 cents off, I guess it was better than using 1/3 of a $1 coupon!

Stroehmans' Bread - $1.99

Rice - $1.49 (not on sale). Maybe I'll stock up on a larger bag in the next couple of weeks with my next big savings

Back to my sale stuff.....
Kens Vidalia Onion Dressing $2.99 ($.70 off) - LOVE THIS STUFF. I was thrilled it was marked down a little. Mike keeps making me eat salad but I didn't have a coupon.

Pork Chops - $2.63. Wasn't happy that I had to buy them. I forgot to defrost some last night, but it was on sale for $.44 off.

Polly-O Jalapeno String Cheese - YUM-O! $3.89 (plus there were $1.00 off coupons sitting next to them)

Egglands Best Eggs - 1 Dozen - On Sale for 2.49 plus I had a $.70 coupon

Box of Gorton's Shrimp Scampi (1/2 price) and a box of Fish Fillet (1/2 price) plus $1.00 off coupon

Box of Chicken Cordon Bleu (1/2 price)

3 containers of Skinny Cows for $1.99 - not on sale (they're usually close to $4 but mom shared her rain checks with me)

4 re-usable bags ($3.96 but cost me $0)

Are you keeping up? That's $71.38 in groceries. Are you ready to hear what I paid??? $21.82!!! That's right! I saved $49.56!!!

Okay...just one more....now for the second Shoprite order. This one was a business expense - well, most of it is. AND, it's all stuff that will earn me a $5 coupon for each of the next 4 weeks.

4 boxes Kraft Mac & Cheese - on sale for $.89 and I had a coupon for $1.00 off
2 boxes of Triscuits - on sale for 3 for $10 and I had a coupon for $1.00 off
4 pouches of York Peppermint Patty Pieces - on sale for 2 for $5.00 and I had $4.00 in coupons!
3 bags of Hershey Kisses - on sale for $2.99 and I had a $1.00 coupon
2 boxes of Jello Temptations - on sale for $2.79 and I had $2.00 in coupons.
4 re-usable bags - would have been $3.96 but mine were free

Did you do the math? That's $48.62 in groceries that I spent $27.29 on. OH, but I received $21 in coupons on future purchases!!! Um, that's like spending $6.29!!! I don't like to think that it cost me $6.29 - because next week I'll be celebrating when I actually save!

BUT, the Triscuits, Hershey Kisses, and York Peppermint Patty Pieces are all business expenses because I'll use them for my May Open House and for door prizes!

But wait, there's more!!! We found SO many coupons around the store today! I got a mini cookbook for free from Pillsbury, $1.00 off coupons for Polly-O, $1.00 off Philadelphia Cooking Creme - I really want to try this stuff but I'm hoping it goes on sale, $1.00 off 3-Musketeers coupons, $1.00 off M&Ms coupons, and $1.00 off crackers/soup coupons!!!

2011-02-21T10:13:00.002-05:00

Shopping Success and Frugal Hawaii

I wanted to take a moment to let you know how my life in frugality is progressing! As you know, we just got back from Hawaii and we were definitely budget conscious. SO, I have a confession to make. In the past couple of years, I bought A LOT of things that I did not need. Luckily, my practice is to leave price tags on until I'm absolutely positive I'm keeping it. BUT, I'm not real good at returning things that have been sitting around. And, with Hawaii quickly approaching and absolutely ZERO pennies in our vacation budget, I started digging around. First up, I knew I had some bathing suits sitting around that I'd bought back in 2008 when I thought I'd lose a lot of weight for my honeymoon. Surprise, surprise, I didn't lose the weight and ended up buying the bathing suits AGAIN in a larger size. I also found a half dozen pair of shoes that I'd picked up at Nordstrom and a few other items. Before Hawaii, I returned around $2000 in stuff. Guess how much we spent in Hawaii? Right around $2000 - that's food, rental car, baggage fees, souvenirs, etc. Not bad! We hit grocery stores for PopTarts, Granola Bars, milk, bananas, and soda instead of hitting the $50 breakfast buffet (although we did go on our last day). I don't think either of us felt like we sacrificed anything on the trip! BUT, it gets better....when we returned from Hawaii, I returned an additional $800 or so in merchandise. The grand total (before and after Hawaii) was $2975!!! I'd like to think that Hawaii was free. Go us!!!

I am really getting into a routine of grocery shopping on Monday mornings. I get the sales circulars on Thursdays and start to plan the next week's menu. But, on Sunday I go and by the Sunday papers that seal the deal! I was bummed that there were hardly any coupons in the paper. Mental note - President's Day Weekend = no coupons! The sales in the stores were NOT impressing me. My shopping list was short. And then I started to understand Dollar Days at Shoprite. So, let me tell you about my shopping trip with mom today (she was impressed)!

Acme: We stopped there first to hunt for good deals on meat. There were none. BUT, on the way back to the meat department, I picked up several Tostitos $1 off coupons along with a few for free Sour Cream and Nuts.

Now....Acme had a deal that if you bought 3 12-packs of canned Coke products, you got an 8-pack of cans for free. WELL, because of my Coke Rewards certificates (which I got for 80% off points), I had FOUR coupons for free 12-packs. I was curious, if I was getting the 3 packs free, could I still get the 8-pack for free??? YES!!!! I was a bit bummed that I still had to pay sales tax. I bought nothing else in the store....but I walked away with 56 cans of soda for $1.05!!!! That's less than 2 cents per can!!! AND, I also have more coupons in my pocket for products I know we use!

Next we headed to Shoprite....

There wasn't much that I needed, but I had coupons for a lot of things that were on sale that also gave you coupons back. Here's what I got:
- 1/2 gallon of milk
- Loaf of Bread
- Bag of Lettuce (on sale)
- 1 lb Hamburger
- 1 can of Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce (REALLY hard to find for my Chipotle Beef Chili)
- Oregano (we were out - no coupons, not on sale)
- 5 boxes of cereal (the bigger boxes)
- 4 cans of soup (on sale for $1 each AND I had a coupon for $1 off of 4)
- 6 packs of Chex Mix (on sale, I had 3 coupons so I got $3 off)
- 6 packs of Dole Fruit (on sale, I had coupons)
- Cream Cheese ($1 off coupon)

I also FINALLY remembered to bring reusable bags and saved 30 cents.
I spent $47.84 and saved $35.32. Now, that alone is not all that awesome. It's only 43% off.

What printed out at the register was SHOCKING!
- FOUR coupons for $3 off my next shopping trip
- 75 cents off of my next shopping trip
- FREE gallon of milk
- $2 off of cereal I actually eat!
- FREE Shoprite Reusable Shopping Bag that will save me 5 cents on every future transaction
- TWO coupons for 75 cents off of fruit that will probably be doubled!

Did you do the math? Um, that's another $23 in coupons that I will DEFINITELY use! WOW!

My total savings for the day was $63.60. I spent $48.89. And, I walked away with FUTURE savings that wasn't previously in my pocket of $37 in coupons for future purchases. Oh, and added enough points to my Shoprite card to turn into a 50 cent off coupon once I accrue more points.

BUT....I just realized that I screwed up!!! I bought 2 Libbys fruit things NOT Dole!!! AND, I could have gotten another $12 in coupons!!!!!!! ACK! OH NO!!! But, I still think I did well. Maybe I'll head back to the store and get some more! This could become an addiction. How much fruit and cereal do 2 people need?

Oh...and then I went and got my hair cut....with my $3 off coupon!!!

2011-01-10T21:06:00.002-05:00

Two Victories!
I have a couple of things to celebrate today! I learned how to ask for a Rain Check at the grocery store! I had to run out to pick up a few things at the grocery store tonight so I waited until the crowds cleared out due to the upcoming storm. I needed some snacks for the trip and some quart-size bags for my liquids...also for the trip. But, before I went, I pulled out the circular and my coupons. Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are 10 for $10 at the IGA and I had coupons....LOTS of them!!! I was determined to use as many as I could. So, as I walked down the aisles I noticed that there was plenty of milk and bread, but NO crescent rolls. I even asked the guy who was restocking the shelves if there were more....just like mom did! He said he'd put the last ones out earlier. No problem.

Next I hit the breakfast bar/granola bar aisle. I had a coupon for some milk and cereal bars. Unfortunately, IGA only carries 2 varieties and my coupons were for the varieties that they don't carry. But, investing $3.69 on 6 milk and cereal bars was still cheaper than breakfast at the hotel. I also threw in a box of granola bars for $3.69. I knew I liked them and they'd travel well.

I then headed up to customer service to see if I could get a rain check for the crescent rolls. She explained that they don't typically issue rain checks for perishable items, but maybe it's because I asked so nicely. She gave me one! WOO HOO! Now I just have to remember to use it when I get back from Nashville. But, before I left the store, I wandered the aisles again looking for good sales. That's when I passed the "Scratch-and-Dent" shelf. I noticed a box of granola bars marked down to $2 because the box was dented. I don't think a little dent is going to hurt a granola bar, so I put my $3.69 box back on the shelf.

It wasn't my biggest savings ever, but I'm still proud of myself.

And what was my second victory? I had a very successful weight loss week! The Weight Watchers leader asked what my secret was....probably not going out to eat. BUT, that wasn't because I was on a diet so much as it was that I'm on a budget. We ate food that was on sale. I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the health content. That's a good sign, right?

Now, please say a prayer...I'm scheduled to fly to Nashville at noon on Wednesday. I'm very stressed. There's snow there and there's scheduled to be snow here. I REALLY want to get there relatively close to on time!

2011-01-04T20:04:00.002-05:00

Shoprite Victory!
So, tonight I went to Shoprite...on my own! I was actually nervous! But there were just a few deals I wasn't willing to pass up. I had some holes in my stock of groceries. Not much protein, no breakfast foods, and I really wanted to cash in on 29 cent yogurt! (Is that a good price for yogurt?)

I knew Shoprite had a 10 for $3.90 sale on Yogurt - and I had 2 coupons for $1 coupon off 10! That sounded like a good deal to me. I think Acme was selling them for 10 for $5 this week. I also needed some cereal. No more "2 Boston Creme Donuts" at Dunkin' Donuts for me any more. However, Mike was surprised to learn I was only spending $1.91 per day on breakfast. Shoprite had a 4 for $6 General Mills Cereal day and I had printed some $1 off 4 coupons on the Acme website. They were manufacturers coupons, so I could use them! I also saw that Perdue Shortcuts were on sale for about half price. We love using them...and that was a good deal.

I actually took my coupon box to work with me today. The girls got a kick out of me! And, I got all kinds of questions about my loaf of bread! So, let me back up a bit...

I don't think I mentioned that I've started attending Weight Watchers meetings again. Notice I didn't say that I "joined" Weight Watchers. Nope. I did that a year ago and have been faithfully paying my $39 per month membership fee every month...since last February. I've succesfully GAINED 15-20 pounds in the past year. I decided that I should either cancel my membership or start attending meetings. I chose to attend meetings. They're 5 minutes from my house and I had 3 accountability partners going with me! How could I fail?

So, yes, in 2011 I'm not only giving up about 90% of my income forcing myself to be frugal, I'm giving up the structure of a corporate job, but I'm also trying to lose weight! SO MUCH CHANGE!!! No, I'm not giving up Diet Coke. A girl's gotta have one guilty pleasure.

I wasn't really prepared to be on Weight Watchers today, but I made it work. I packed a lunch. The girls at work thought I bought a new handbag - I was sporting my KoKo lunch bag that I got for FREE from Stampin' Up! last September (well, free except that I'm being taxed on it). Anyway, I'm getting wordy here and I still have to clean, design a card, and cut supplies tonight.

For lunch, I found an expired Quaker Oatmeal bar. They still tasted fine. I had some almost spoiled cucumber in the fridge that I sliced up for a snack. And, for lunch, I boiled up some eggs for egg salad. Yes, it can be Weight Watchers friendly. However, I had nothing to eat it on. I forgot to buy the $1 loaf of bread at Acme yesterday. Ooops.

At lunch I ran out to WaWa to buy a roll. But, I found a loaf of bread for $2.09. Not the best deal in town, but I had $12 in cash in my wallet and spending that cash doesn't count against my budget. So, I brought my loaf of bread into the office and EVERYONE who stopped by wondered why on earth I had a loaf of bread at work today.

Before I left work, I printed a few more coupons for cereal before heading to Shoprite. Then I created my shopping list on my Shoprite App for my iPhone. It's SO awesome. You can go through the circular and click on the items you want to buy. Then you check them off as you go through the store! I bought 8 boxes of cereal, 20 tubs of yogurt, 5 pounds of Tilapia, 4 pounds of chicken (to freeze for another day), and 6 boxes of pasta. The pasta was on sale for 40 cents per box! I didn't buy a ton because I wasn't positive that was a good deal...even though the sign said it was more than 50% off. As I approached checkout, I was nervous. Did I count correctly? Did I get the right size boxes of cereal? Did I get the right brands? The gal in front of my had a STACK of coupons - many of which appeared to be printed from a website. The cashier congratulated her on her savings. She said she had spent a long time preparing for her trip. So, I chimed in about my grocery shopping lessons with mom and Extreme Couponing. So, the cashier joked that she was going to grade me on my efforts. She gave me an A+ for having a Price Plus Card (I signed up for one this evening at the store right before I purchased my MegaMillions lottery numbers). Then came the checkout. It came down to $32. It said I saved $55!!!!! WOO HOO!!! And, it's all food I know we will use. And, with the $46 I spent yesterday at Acme, we're right at our weekly food budget.

I admint, I really don't know how much money it takes for 2 people to survive. But, I figured $75 per week sounded good. I'm pathetic, I know. But I had to start somewhere, right? And, I anticipate these first few weeks we might be a little higher than we will end up being as we stock up on things like pasta and bulk meats and 8 boxes of cereal that Mike wonders if he'll eat before it expires. However, I explained that my 4 boxes of Cheerios won't last long as that's what I had every single day a few years back when I lost 70 pounds on Weight Watchers.

Okay, I've procrastinated enough. I have to prepare for my stamping class tomorrow night. The first one of 2011! Hopefully it'll be the start of a great (and profitable) stamping year!

Happy couponing!

2011-01-03T10:17:00.002-05:00

Where Did I Get My Coupons?
Okay....since some of you asked.....the coupons I used today were mostly from the Sunday paper. I bought the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Courier Post yesterday. I also found coupons on the Acme website. Mom said my Coke coupons came from a booklet that was available in the aisles of the store over the holidays. There are tons of websites out there that people have e-mailed me, but I didn't use any of those coupons yet. I've found most of those websites to be overwhelming - maybe I'll promote to that after a few weeks. I'll post any sites that I love on here as I find them.

2011-01-03T09:28:00.002-05:00

Grocery Shopping Lesson #1
So, I was talking to mom yesterday about the HOURS I've spent clipping coupons, searching for online coupons, and studying the circulars. I mentioned that I was planning to hit the stores today. I'm not working today because I'm now working 3-day weeks through the end of January. Mom said she was going shopping as well - so I tagged along. I had my coupon box (I made cute dividers with SU card stock). I had my shopping list which referenced sales and my coupons. I was prepared! I was excited!

So, the alarm went off at 7am...and I hit snooze. When the alarm clock read 7:15am, I leaped out of bed and exclaimed "this is not a snooze button morning"! Mike was in the bedroom ironing and he reminded me that it's not - I had to learn some of mom's secrets!!! And, we were planning to leave at 7:30 and she lives 15 minutes away! No worries, my alarm clock is 12 minutes fast so I was on time.

When I got to their house, I heard my dad exclaim that he had just scored on eBay! A good omen. We then piled into my car - we didn't want to miss out on anything. HOWEVER, my mother is a TERRIBLE influence! She asked if we had time to stop at Walmart. Walmart was NOT on the agenda. She mentioned Christmas stuff was now discounted to 75% off. UGH. I'd ALREADY stocked up on Christmas goodies (at 50% off). She grabbed a cart. I did not. I'm pleased to say that I resisted most things. Mom offered to share her cart with me, but I refused, until I started leaving a trail of bows in my wake. But, in the end, I spent less than $10! I spent less than mom. I paid cash so the purchases don't count! There's no paper trail.

Then it was on to the grocery store. We each got a cart. I scored some great deals! She taught me that there are coupons HIDDEN in the grocery store. I was about to attack the Diet Coke display (it's $1 a bottle this week). I was planning to get 4 or 6 bottles. Until mom whipped out $1 off 4 bottle coupons! SCORE! I got Coke for 75 cents a bottle! It doesn't get much better than that! I then picked my my 1/2 price potatoes, my B1G1F lettuce, but then I got stumped when I looked at the soup. I had 4 coupons. A variety of 50 cents off of 2 or 3. I learned that the Acme DOES double! WOO HOO!! And, I learned that 4 for $5 doesn't mean you have to buy 4. So, I picked up an assortment but lost focus. Thank goodness Bruce, my checkout guy, was paying attention....more on that later.

We walked throughout the store. Another lesson learned - shopping on a Monday following a major holiday isn't necessarily a good idea. The shelves were EMPTY! They were restocking as we were shopping but the selection was low.

I discovered the clearance rack in the grocery store! Who knew?!?

Mom has an awesome grocery list - it's printed out and in order of the store. Much more efficient. We had to keep backtracking for items since I was less organized.

I think I successfully only purchased things that were on my list. I got nervous when I got up to checkout. Luckily because it was 8am on a Monday morning after a major holiday, there was no one behind us in the only checkout line that was open. I started to panic that my calculations were wrong. I kept hearing the folks on Extreme Couponing in my head - if there's one miscalculation, you might end up paying full price for an item! YIKES! Thank goodness Bruce was paying attention. One of my best deals of the morning was the soup. It was on sale 4 for $5 and my coupons brought it down to around $1 per can for the good stuff. My coupons were for cans AND the tubs. But, the sale was only for the cans!!! The tubs were still well over $2! Thank you Bruce! He noticed - I did not. I was fumbling too much with my coupons. Luckily the way my coupons were formatted, I was able to take away the tubs and not lose out on the deal on the rest of the cans. Whew! Trust me, I'll be looking for Bruce's line next time.

Someone should have been videoing me as I checked out. I did a cheer when I saw the total and I even danced a little bit when the computer spit out more soup coupons!

In the end, I didn't do quite as good as I had hoped. I saved 44% on my groceries (I was secretly hoping to save at least 50%). I also learned that Aldi (which is located across the street but not open at the hour we were shopping), has fabulous deals on produce and eggs. Mom mentioned 19 cents for a cucumber!

Stay tuned as I continue to go frugal!

2011-01-01T14:25:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!!!
Last Thursday I was at Claire's house for her New Years Party for the Stampin' Up! demonstrators in her group. We were sharing goals for 2011 or holiday stories. I shared that I'm going to give stamping full-time a shot this year! Most of you know this already. Many of you like to kindly remind me that this was the plan. About 28 months ago, I took a leap of faith, quit my job, and signed a contract to be an independent consultant for a former employer. The goal was to pay off some bills, build up my stamping business, and then stamp full time whenever they stopped wanting me. Well, that original 6-month contract has been extended several times. And, here I sit, 28 months later with 11 working days left of my contract. It's exciting and scary all at the same time!

So, for 2011, I need to learn how to be frugal. No more big, fat paychecks. If you know me, you know that I'm anything but frugal. Mike just shakes his head in disbelief when we go grocery shopping together. I've always joked that I have this amazing talent to purchase a cart-load of groceries....none of which were on sale. I don't know what a gallon of milk costs. I don't know what eggs cost. Admittedly, I have no clue! Is a $3 per bottle of shampoo a good price? It's going to be an interesting year. The other demonstrators at Claire's thought it would make for an interesting reality TV show - Kristin Goes Frugal. Well, I don't have a TV show, but I do have a blog! So, I thought I'd share with you (if any of you remember this blog still exists) my experiences in going frugal!

I sat amazed a few nights ago as I watched Extreme Couponing on TLC. WOW! I watched several crazy people save hundreds and even thousands of dollars on shopping trips! I immediately hopped online the next day, searched out some coupons, anxiously awaited the sale circulars this week, and am now looking forward to buying the Sunday paper for more coupons tomorrow. I have my shopping list ready....it's filled with stuff I probably wouldn't normally buy. I'm buying a bunch of stuff so I can get a $5 coupon. I guess I'll eventually need the stuff. Yesterday I bought $30 in batteries because I'll get a 100% refund next month. That's a good deal, right?!?!? So, there it is. I'm going grocery shopping on Monday. I'll post how I make out!

2009-10-13T14:41:00.003-04:00

I'm Back
After reading over some of my old posts, I miss this blog! I miss reading about my crazy life experiences. So, let me pick up as if nothing ever changed!

I went to the post office today. Let me tell you....mailing cards to everyone who attended a stamping event may kill me - or make me go bankrupt! Anywho...while standing in line at the post office to buy the 100 stamps for this month's cards, I was checking out new apps for my iPhone. Oh wait...correction, I was reading the NY Times or something. ANYWAY, I read about this new app that can start your car! It's like those remote starter things but it's through your phone. How cool is that? I quickly flipped over to the app store, located the Viper SmartStart, saw it was free, and downloaded it. (Yes, all while waiting in line at the post office.) It mentioned something about a $29.95 annual fee. That didn't seem too bad. Heck, the starter things you get installed in your car cost a few hundred. That would still be a savings over the life of the car. I couldn't wait to get back to the office to check it out while I munched on my string cheese. I Googled. All I got were hits for BestBuy. I thought to myself....Why the heck would I need to go to BestBuy? I already installed the app on my phone. WELL, they neglected to inform you in the article that you get the free app, you pay the $29.95 service fee per year, AND you pay $500 for the equipment for your car. NO THANK YOU! I deleted the app.

2008-09-09T15:14:00.005-04:00

Me, A Demonstrator
I won't dare post this picture on my stamping website! No one will ever take a class from me if they think I'm nuts. But, Claire snapped this picture of me this past weekend while I was demonstrating how to use the Stampin' Up! Sizzix Big Shot. I'm crazy excited about it, can't you tell?

Here are some additional pictures from the event. In the first one, I'm standing in the back because I was COVERED in French Onion Soup. When will I learn that I just need to wear a bib? I was a mess on Saturday, wasn't I?

And here I am with one of the most talented stampers I know - Tracy Altemose. I got to share a table with her as we demonstrated Big Shot projects. I was SO honored! I also look a bit more normal in this picture. Thank you Stasia for taking a flattering photo of me!

2008-08-20T15:02:00.003-04:00

Hawaii
Okay, okay, okay...so it's been close to a month since I blogged, but I'm sure you all read about convention and Utah and Yellowstone! Oh how fun it was.

But, I'm even MORE excited today. I just booked my FREE trip to Hawaii courtesy of Stampin' Up! And, it's even better than I expected. Not only is Stampin' Up! flying Mike and I to and from Hawaii, we were able to get Stampin' Up! to pay for ALL of our flights between the islands as well - it was all under the threshold of what Stampin' Up! was willing to pay for airfare - it translates into an $800 savings for Mike and I since we won't have to pay for the island hopping ourselves!!!

So, if you're wondering, here's the plan as it stands:

Monday, March 16 - fly from Philadelphia to Honolulu - we have 1 stop in Minneapolis. From there it's an 8+ hour flight to Hawaii. Yes, if you travel, we'll be flying Northwest - the only downside was that USAirways was way too expensive - we'll be flying Coach - UGH - I had so hoped we could fly USAirways and upgrade using miles. But, alas, it just means that I have enough miles to fly us both to Australia someday!!!

Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20 - Mike and I will be enjoying Honolulu and staying at the fabulous JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa (for free, of course using my Marriott points). Some of the things I'd like to do include stalking the Lost filming sites and visiting Pearl Harbor.

Friday, March 20 - we will then fly from Honolulu over to Kauai - also known as the Garden Island or something like that. I've heard that it's an absolutely beautiful location. I'd like to go horesback riding to some waterfalls here!!! Hey Mike, do you like horseback riding!?!?!?

Friday, March 20 - Sunday, March 22 - Mike and I will be staying at the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort (again, for free - thanks to all of those nights up in Geneva, NY last year).

Sunday, March 22 - we will then fly from Kauai down to Kona, on the Big Island, and join the Stampin' Up! incentive trip achievers for 6 days of fun!!!

Sunday, March 22 - Friday, March 27 - Mike and I will be staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Village - a 62-acre paradise. We can even swim with dolphins and sea turtles there! I TOTALLY want to swim with a dolphin!! We also want to check out the volcanos - there are several on the Big Island!

Friday night, March 27 - we will then fly home and get back late on Saturday, March 28th!!

How fun does this trip sound??? And did I mention Stampin' Up! is going to deposit spending money into my checking account the week we depart to cover our meals!?!?!? HOLY COW!!! It doesn't get much better than this!!!

Feel free to e-mail me about signing up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator - we're going to be cruising to the Southern Caribbean in the spring of 2010!!!

2008-07-28T20:00:00.001-04:00

Convention - Salt Lake City
Howdy!!! I'm off to Salt Lake City tomorrow morning for the Stampin' Up! Convention. I probably won't be blogging here, but if you want to read about everything I'm doing, check out my stamping blog. I have a special section of my website dedicated to the convention - CLICK HERE - to read all about it!!!

2008-07-18T10:34:00.005-04:00

Farewell Old Friend
Okay, I've been meaning to blog for days, but an e-mail from my father is what did it. I have to dedicate this post to one of my pianos. It was a good friend. It spent many a lonely day in the Poconos overlooking the lake. No, it was never really in tune. But, it did the job. I have fond memories of singing around the piano with my college singing group. We went on a weekend retreat up there back in 1995 to practice and grow closer. Alas, nevermore. I knew the family had talked about getting rid of the piano - it was never played anymore and sat in a dark corner. We could use the space for a game table or something everyone could enjoy. Well, I had NO IDEA it was going to happen this week! I only found out when several pictures of the broken up piano landed in my inbox - tears are coming to my eyes as I type this. It had a good life. It looks so pathetic and exposed.

What have I been up to?? Well, Mike, Jess, and I went up to the Poconos last weekend. I would have played my piano one last time if I had known. But none of us knew it would roll away this week. That only happened because their roofer was able to come and let them dispose *sniff sniif* of the piano in his dumpster. The timing was good. ANYWAY, back to happier memories...we had a fabulous time at the lake last weekend. Mike and Jess tried canoeing and kayaking. They had a lot of fun - I enjoyed sitting on the porch stamping while watching them float by! We also visited the local mini golf course - Mike beat us, of course. I then thought it would be fun to watch Mike and Jess battle each other in bumper boats! What made it more fun was that the bumper boats had water guns!!! The good news is that I have a bedroom up there again! If I hadn't seen what it looked like in May, I never would have known that it was gutted due to the roof damage! It looked just like it always did. My parents did an AMAZING job!

Finally, I need to vent. Someone here at work keeps forgetting to turn off the coffee maker. When I get to work in the morning, it smells TERRIBLE. Is coffee really supposed to look like this? (Notice there's a bottle of Diet Coke in the bottom of the picture!)

2008-07-03T09:42:00.002-04:00

Catching Up
I had THE BEST weekend last weekend. It all started off when my sister-in-law, Brooke, came over for dinner and some scrapbooking! She's just getting into the hobby, but I see an adict in the making!!! She was scrapping her trip to Maine (with my brother, of course). They went up for a friend's wedding.

Then came Saturday - it was all supposed to be about relaxing after a LONG week. Well, I woke up an hour later than I wanted and dashed out the door. (I was headed up to Sharon and Steve's.) First, I needed gas. I got to the gas station and realized my wallet was at home. Thankfully, I'd just gone to the station in Elmer. Thankfully, I needed gas and didn't realize I had no wallet when I got there. So, after a second trip to the gas station, I was on my way.

I was following Sharon's directions which literally said this: "From Route 295 or Route 95, take Exit 7B (toward Princeton) for Route 206 North"

Now, I interpretted that to mean, take Route 295 to the NJ Turnpike (which becomes 95 farther north in NJ) and take Exit 7B. I knew there was no exit 7B near Princeton on 295! So, off, I went...driving and driving and driving. I passed exit 7. I passed exit 7A. I didn't remember there being an exit 7B on the turnpike, but it's all fuzzy. Guess what...there isn't an exit 7B on the turnpike. I figured Sharon made a typo. So, I called dad and he directed me to exit 7 - that's where 206 intersects the turnpike! Easy to get confused, right? I think so. Well, she then told me to go 16 or 17 miles and that the only "hitch" would be a left turn (which was clearly marked) in Princeton. WELL, let me tell you, when you take 206 from the turnpike, it winds you through downtown Trenton first. There are circles and one-way roads and poorly-marked right turns. What the heck was Sharon talking about??? Well, after driving about 16 or 17 miles, I saw signs saying that Rt 295 and 95 were the next intersection on Rt 206. OOOPS! When I was telling Sharon I was running late, she wondered if I was in PA. Thankfully, I didn't make that mistake. When I told her I took the turnpike, she asked, "did the directions say to take the turnpike?" NO!!! My silly mistake!!! So, three hours later, I arrived at Sharon and Steve's. It's a 1.5 hour drive. As Kelly pointed out last night, I could have left my house, driven to her house (in Middletown, DE) and then driven up to Sharon and Steve's FASTER than I had gotten there. UGH!

We had a delightful visit. They've lived in their home for 5 or 6 years - I'd never been there! They've done a lot of work (and inspired me to update my bathroom). Oooh, there's another project for Brandon!!! Anyway...we enjoyed lunch, then I cashed in my Christmas Gift - a massage from Sharon. Sharon's studying to become a massage therapist - we'll all be her guinea pigs! Unlike my first (and only other massage) in Canada, I loved this one. I wasn't in more pain after the massage than when I started! After the massage, they showed me around the area - which was surprisingly not nearly as congested as I expected. Then they took me to this FABULOUS restaurant. Kelly and Matt got to go there the week before. The desserts were out-of-this-world delicious!!! They sent me home with a box of cookies and I'm eagerly awaiting my next trip up! They were the perfect hosts. Kelly said it right when she said they should open a B&B! The adorable couple, just stood in front of their garage, waving, and called out "Welcome to Hillsborough" as I was pulling away. It was like a Hallmark Card they were so cute! Thank you Sharon and Steve!

Sunday I got a few hours all to myself. It was fantastic! I did some shopping and basically did my own thing for 4 hours - the sad part is, I don't remember the last time I'd done that. Stamping is taking over my life. I celebrated Mike's daughter's birthday Sunday evening and was SO flattered when she saw the envelope the card I'd given her was in - she said "ooh, a Kristin card"!!! It isn't every day you can impress a teenager with a hand-stamped card. What did I get her? An iTunes gift card and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith for the Wii (yes, I got myself one too).

This week has been much calmer. Kelly and Julie came over last night to clean my craft room. It had gotten SO bad that Mike had actually volunteered to clean it. Want to see pictures? Visit my stamping site. It's amazing what 3 people can do in 2 hours!

Okay...time for work now....Have a Happy 4th of July!

2008-06-25T07:41:00.002-04:00

I Know, I Know....
...it seems like ages since I last posted - okay - it has been two weeks. But, it's been a CRAZY two weeks. I've been buried under stamping stuff. Why on earth did I plan 6 stamping events in 9 days!?!?!?! I'm surprised Mike hasn't yelled at me yet - thankfully he's patient and encourages me to get what I need to get done. I'm having a dozen people over tonight to make 148 cards. So, last night I was finishing up the designs, cutting supplies for the cards, cursing at myself for having so many layers - some of which were 1.25" x 2.25", and cleaning. I haven't even started to plan for my workshop tomorrow! ACK! I know who's not getting any sleep tonight! But, after tomorrow is over, I have a month off. Well, a month without events. I'll still be stamping - I have TONS of swaps to make. I have swaps for the Philly Inkers, I have 30 swaps to make for a card swap I signed up for (why!!?!?), and I have a couple of hundred swaps to make for convention. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? Well, if every week was like this past week, I could afford to quit my job - then life wouldn't be so crazy!

But, enough about stamping - let's catch you up to speed....oh gosh...my cell phone just rang - I think it was a customer placing an order. Busy, busy! Ooops...nevermind...just did a reverse look-up on the phone number, it's not a customer - must have been a wrong number. ANYWAY...

First - Mike assembled my grill last Wednesday. He put it together in my kitchen. It's gorgeous, but we thought it was a bit too big to fit out the back door. And, since the cover hadn't arrived, that's where the grill sat...until Saturday.

Second - I had the family over for a belated Father's Day dinner - we used my new grill. I'm LOVIN' it! We missed seeing dad on Father's Day because he and mom were up in the Poconos fixing my bedroom.

Third - gosh....there was a long list awhile ago....OH - BIG NEWS! My air conditioning and electrical passed inspection on Monday! Whoo Hoo!!! It's FINALLY OVER!!!! Although, the inspector kept commenting on the quality of materials everyone used - I thought...hmmm...my bank account is feeling the pain of those materials. He commented on the nice paint job on my electric panel. WHAT?!?!?! Do I have some sort of top-of-the-line panel in my basement? Do I have the Rolls Royce of electric panels or something??? Ugh. I wonder how much I could have saved if my electric panel wasn't painted! Why would my panel need to be painted?!?!?!

Anyway...

...what else...gosh, if I'm forgetting something and it involved you, I'm sorry!!! My brain is so fried right now I don't know what day it is. I don't know what's up and what's down. I keep telling myself it'll all be better after tomorrow....tomorrow is Thursday, right???

2008-06-11T13:03:00.004-04:00

Happy Anniversary to Us and Pei Wei
Yesterday Mike and I celebrated the 1st anniversary of our first date. Wow, I'm a lucky girl! He came over last night with a dozen red roses and made me chicken parm for dinner! YUM. We enjoyed a bottle of some of our favorite Virginia wine and finished off with cheesecake. How can you go wrong with that?!?! Then he gave me a digital photo frame so that I can enjoy all of my favorite digital photos. As he was cooking dinner, I had fun loading some of them. You'll have to come over and see them!

Then I have to share with you my newest discovery - Pei Wei. My lunch buddy, Dawn, suggested we try it out (I think she's tired of Chipotle). What is Pei Wei? Well, if you clicked the link you know. But, Pei Wei is an Asian Diner. It's operated by the same company that operates PF Changs!!! The food is FABULOUS. I had Pad Thai for lunch. It's very casual, semi-fast food. You walk in, order at the counter, and a few minutes later your meal is delivered to your table. I cannot wait to go back. There's one at the Garden State Park shopping center in Cherry Hill. Another is opening at the Moorestown Mall.

2008-06-09T08:19:00.008-04:00

Wine Tasting - Take 3 (Click on Pictures to view full size)
Wow! That's all I have to say! Well, I guess it's not - but "WOW" certainly describes the fun weekend Mike and I just had down in Virginia this past weekend. We both took the day off on Friday to head down early. We stopped at one of our favorite restaurants - Border Cafe - for lunch on Friday. Then we hit the road to check into our B&B - Killahevlin. If you're curious, we stayed in the Blue Room. It had a private enclosed porch with stunning views, a HUGE bathroom with a tub that could fit an army, and an electric fireplace (perfect for the 90+ degree weather). The B&B was fabulous. The breakfasts were awesome. The B&B also offered an Irish Pub to all of its guests. It was open to complimentary wine, beer, and soft drinks at any hour! We had fun visiting with the other guests around the pub in the evening!

After settling in on Friday night, we headed out to our favorite winery, Martarella. I became a member of their "case club" back in March. As a member of the case club, we get to visit the winery after they close to the public on Friday and Saturday nights from 6pm-9pm. They have a brick oven for making pizza on their patio. So, we headed out, enjoyed complimentary tastings (another club perk), enjoyed several glasses of wine, and a couple of pizzas while watching the sun set over the mountains! Everyone at the winery was very nice. The winemaker and owner, Kate, stopped by for a brief visit as well. I believe we're the only case club members from New Jersey!!! And, since we can't visit every weekend, we have to make the most of the visits we do have.

On Saturday morning, before taking the first bite of his breakfast, he exclaimed that he was already looking forward to Sunday morning's breakfast. On Saturday Tom and Kathy made us fresh-baked scones, banana strawberry fool (keep reading to learn about fool), pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage. A fruit fool is made with cooked or raw fruit that is puréed or mashed, then sweetened, chilled, and finally folded into stiffly beaten whipped cream (there should be streaks of the white cream showing where the fruit has not been completely folded into the whipped cream). Traditionally fools were made with tart fruits such as raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries, loganberries, and rhubarb but today virtually any fruit can be used. The pancakes had a touch of almond extract and some cornmeal making for a nutty, harty breakfast!!! After breakfast, we headed out to the wineries!

First stop was The Winery at La Grange. This was the first winery we had visited on our first stop back in October. The winery is just gorgeous - which is why I love to stop. And, it was on the way to the next wineries on the list. There was a wedding being held at the winery that day - the poor wedding party - it was SO HOT! We tasted 8 wines and picked up a couple of bottles!

Next on the list was Chrysalis. Norton is a grape that is widely grown in Virginia. I'm not a HUGE fan of Norton and Chrysalis specializes in this grape - I believe I remember they're the largest grower in the state, but I'd had a lot of wine so it's possible I'm remembering incorrectly. Oh gosh, I don't remember how many wines we tasted here. Mike liked more than I. I have it written down at home, but in the end, I tasted 50 wines on Saturday. Anwyay, back to the winery. Chrysalis is expanding. They're planning a new tasting room, a 3-star restaurant, and some other improvements. It's located down a single-lane dirt road. They were hit really hard with a storm last Wednesday and still didn't have phone service!!! My least favorite part - the tastings were held outside!!! ACK!!! But, they did have a neat patio with a grill where you could come and cook your own food and enjoy wine - that was the original plan.

Next stop - Swedenburg Estate Vineyard. This was a smaller winery - much more intimate than the last stop. We tasted just a handful of wines, but chose to take a break. Mike had a soda, I had a glass of wine. We both enjoyed some cheese and a fresh-baked baguette. We weren't really hungry, but decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a break after our third stop. It turned out to be lunch!

After recovering, we hopped back in the car and drove off to Piedmont. They were the oldest winery in Virigina - they opened in 1973. That shows you just how new the wine industry is in Virginia! They've come a long way.

My favorite winery of the day was our next stop, Vintage Ridge Vineyards. Vintage Ridge offers a more unique tasting experience. Normally, you just walk up to the tasting bar and taste wines. Every now and then, the winery will give you chocolate or cheese or olives to see how the wine compliments various foods. Well, Vintage Ridge takes that to a whole new level! First, you sit at tables for the tasting and they bring the wine out to you. For $8, we tasted 5 wines (a small number compared to a lot of other wineries). But, we didn't just get wine. Check out what's sitting in front of Mike at the table - a whole platter of foods! They brought out blue cheese, olives, a fig wrapped in bacon, mozarella with pesto, cheddar cheese, crackers, turkey, roast beef with horseradish, mushrooms, and four types of chutneys. I think I remembered it all. Then, for the dessert wine, they brought out goat cheese with honey, brie on a granny smith apple, shortbread with some sort of fruity topping, blue cheese, and a strawberry tart! It was so fun to taste the wines and experiment with the foods in front of us! It was such a relaxing experience - and we will be visiting again!!!

Finally, our last stop of the day was Virginia's newest winery - Barrel Oak. They just opened this past Memorial Day Weekend. And their facilities are GORGEOUS, the view is breathtaking, and their wine selection is impressive! They're certainly off to a good start! I was pretty "happy" by the time we arrived here. I hardly even noticed the fact that their air conditioning wasn't yet working as the basement was still under construction! We tasted a nice selection of wines, but my favorite and the one that sticks out most was a wine called Chocolate Lab. I bought a bottle. It's a dessert wine that is FABULOUS and if I heard correctly, they actually added a touch of chocolate to the wine.

After a full day of tasting, Mike drove us safely back to the B&B where I managed to collapse. We then had an entertaining dinner at Applebees several hours later. I say it was entertaining because when we arrived, the fire alarm was going off and the fire department arrived, but we had a nice dinner!!!

Breakfast on Sunday was the B&B's specialty - Eggs Benedict. But they serve theirs over a waffle. Interesting, tasty, and delicions but I think I prefer the classic style. I'm a huge fan of eggs benedict. Mike had never had it before and really liked it. All of this wine-tasting and eggs benedict is really making me want to go back to Sonoma, CA. I had the best eggs benedict at the Lodge at Sonoma a few years ago...anyway...back to this weekend....

We thought about going wine tasting on Sunday. We even ventured out to a free tasting at a local winery, but they hadn't even opened. SO, we said enough with the wine, and headed for Baltimore! We stopped in Inner Harbour and visited the Aquarium. It was nice and refreshing. Mike loved taking pictures of the fish! After our Aquarium tour, we enjoyed dinner at the Cheesecake Factory - there wasn't a line if you were willing to eat outside. So, we opted for outside. We had a front row seat of the Inner Harbour. And, when you're sitting still, it wasn't unbearable! After dinner we walked back to the parking garage to get our car - the final adventure of the weekend was getting our car out. Apparently the parking garage lost power! It's awfully dark when there is no power in the garage! Luckily there were a few emergency lights. Then we didn't have enough cash to get out, but they gladly accepted all of the money we had - $17!!

Oh - I forgot to mention that toughest part - keeping all of that wine cool. I now have a VERY nice selection of coolers! We bought 3 large coolers and a bag of ice and the wine stayed nice and comfortable on the ride home.

2008-06-04T07:52:00.001-04:00

Out for Delivery
I know you're all anxiously awaiting the arrival of my grill! It's status is officially "out for delivery" and was in NJ earlier this morning - I've updated the "MyGrill" map to reflect the two newest cities it's visited!!! You'll notice there's a green pin in Elmer. Green pins on TripAdvisor identify places you plan to visit in the future. Once it arrives, the pin will change to yellow!

I'm sad that it's POURING outside. I know, it's a grill, it sits outside anyway. But who wants to open a big soggy box??? It's being delivered by FedEx, not by UPS. Therefore, it'll probably be waiting for me on my front step. Oh well. At least I'll finally have my grill!

2008-06-03T13:23:00.005-04:00

My Grill's TripAdvisor Map
So, I had some extra time on my hands today and plotted the cities my grill has visited! Keep in mind it started in Illinois!!! This thing is more well-traveled than some of the people I know!!!

Click here to view the map. For some reason my blog doesn't like having 2 of these maps up at the same time.

2008-06-03T11:12:00.001-04:00

Where in the World?
Check out this map - I've pinned most of the places I've visted....I'm sure I've missed several. For example, I can't begin to remember 2 of the cities I visited in Slovakia!

View my profile

Create your own travel map or travel blog

Visit TripAdvisor.com

2008-05-30T10:55:00.003-04:00

Grill Update
Okay, now I'm really confused. I thought my grill was arriving yesterday. But, the status said it departed Chicago at 1am Wednesday morning. Not really close to NJ. So, I thought...maybe it'll arrive today. WRONG. It did arrive today - in PHOENIX, ARIZONA!!! What the heck???? Why did it go WEST??? The updated delivery date is now June 4th.

2008-05-28T08:24:00.001-04:00

Bring on the Cookouts
My grill is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. Wahoo!!! And, Beef Tenderloin was at the IGA last night. Hmmm...should we break in the new grill Sunday night!?!?!

2008-05-27T07:52:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend (Click on Pictures for larger view.)
Well, we had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend. Mom, Dad, Mike and I went up to the mountains. Mom and Dad went up early on Thursday night and arrived to a terrible surprise - the roof over my bedroom lost LOTS of shingles and water poured into my bedroom - it had to be gutted. Luckily, I was able to sleep in the guest bedroom. This is the second time we've lost shingles over my bedroom. The last time it simply stained the ceiling. This time the water pretty much destroyed everything. Mom was able to save the bedding after A LOT of cleaning. But, the carpet, mattress, and even some of the furniture was ruined.

On Saturday night we all went for a walk in the woods to see what changes were there. Apparently the state has been cutting down a lot of trees - we couldn't seem to figure out why. But, it was an interesting climb. Mom and Dad LOVED the rocks that were laying around. Unfortunately for them, it is unlawful to remove rocks from state gameland.

After our walk, Mike and I introduced Guitar Hero to my parents. I think mom really enjoyed it. Dad didn't seem to be as much a fan. Mom kept wanting to try "one more time". It was cute!

We had a fabulous weekend together, relaxing, reading, and stamping. We introduced Mike to Kundla's - a FABULOUS open-pit BBQ place. YUM. I even picked up a microwave to replace the dead one in my kitchen. Now we just have to install the thing. Here are some of my other favorite pictures from the trip:

2008-05-20T14:24:00.003-04:00

Hmmm...
Help me to figure this one out....the Philadelphia International Airport was just named #1 in Customer Satisfaction this year?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?! Philly? Excuse me? I'm scratching my head - MY Philly airport? The one where you routinely stand in line for TOO long waiting for bags? I'm sure people who travel as much as I have in the past would agree - Philly isn't the first airport that comes to mind when you think of customer satisfaction. One of my favorite airports, Charlotte, ranked second. I just don't get it.

Anyway, how have you been? My life has been CRAZY busy. I'm coming off of a lot of stamping events. Let's see..since Monday, May 12th, I've had something stamping related going on on 7 of 9 days!!! I'm happy to say that after tonight, I'm taking a week and a half off - except for maybe some fun stamping with Julie and Kelly next week. Tonight I'm headed up to Sparta, NJ for some training. Yes, Sparta. As in 2 hours (or more) north of here. No, I'm not staying overnight. No, I'm not taking off tomorrow. Yes, I do plan to be at work at 7am. This'll be interesting. Claire and I are going so we'll keep each other awake. I'll be pumping myself full of caffeine (sorry Claire).

I've got an exciting schedule coming up as well. Mike and I are going with my parents to the Poconos this Memorial Day weekend. I can't wait! I LOVE it up there and don't really remember the last time I was up - last July!?!? Oh dear! I don't think I went up last fall at all.

The weekend after that Mike and I are going with my family to Ocean City. Should be a fun weekend. It'll be a short weekend because I have a stamping event on Sunday.

The weekened after that Mike and I are headed back to Northern Virginia. I scheduled it as a wine-tasting vacation awhile back but didn't realize until recently that it's the weekend of our 1 year anniversary! How fun! I know, I know...most of you probably didn't realize Mike and I started dating last June. But, that's when it all began!

So, guess what happened yesterday... I got an e-mail from my favorite scrapbook store that they're selling the store!!! Can you believe it!!! I could buy it!!! It comes with an existing customer base. Only problem - it's in Cherry Hill. Why on earth would I do that to myself? But, stamping is taking off for me so it's not nearly as tempting as it might normally have been.

2008-05-09T15:30:00.001-04:00

It's the Little Things
Isn't it funny how one thing can bum you out or cheer you up? I've been in a fowl mood all day. But, after lunch things started looking up. I talked with my electrician and he pointed me in the direction of an appliance repair place. And, they can come out next Wednesday afternoon with the other crews are at my house putting the finishing touches on this nightmare of a project. Okay, it's not as bad as Noah's (below).

Then, I was browsing through Splitcoast. If you're a stamper, you probably know about this site. You can spend hours there. There's a special demonstrator-only section of SCS. I've been watching the online forums about convention all week. Well, someone was asking for restaurant recommendations in SLC. Guess what - they have a Rodizio!!!!! There's only one other in the country - in Denver. I took my parents there, I drug Claire there during convention last year, I'd fly there in an instant to eat there. My brother would be laughing at me right now - he thinks it's funny how excited I get about food. You should have seen me at Chipotle the other day. Anyway, I'm all perked up, I'm smiling, and I'm counting down the days until I get to eat at the Rodizio!!!

2008-05-09T09:29:00.001-04:00

Noah
I was venting about my electric/ac/microwave struggles today to a friend here at work. She forwarded me the following e-mail. I thought it was cute and I can totally relate!!! Well, maybe not totally - I don't have the EPA or unions involved, yet!!!

In the year 2008, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in the United States, and said, 'Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me.

Build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good humans'

He gave Noah the blueprints, saying, 'You have 6 months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights.'

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard - but no Ark.

'Noah!' He roared, 'I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?'

'Forgive me, Lord,' begged Noah, 'but things have changed. I needed a building permit. I've been arguing with the inspector about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbors claim that I've violated the neighborhood zoning laws by building the Ark in my yard and exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the Development Appeal Board for a decision.

Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.

Getting the wood was another problem. There's a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the spotted owl. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no go!

When I started gathering the animals, an animal rights group sued me.

They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.

Then the EPA ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my building crew.

Immigration and Naturalization are checking the green-card status of most of the people who want to work.

The trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union workers with Ark-building experience.

To make matters worse, the IRS seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.

So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this Ark.'

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked, 'You mean you're not going to destroy the world?'

'No,' said the Lord. 'The government beat me to it.'

2008-05-08T17:30:00.003-04:00

Downhill Fast
Isn't amazing how a perfectly good week can go downhill so fast? I've been on such a high this week - just ask the members of the Philly Inkers who were at Diva Night last night. I couldn't be stopped or shut up! I was wired. I was still wired this morning when I got into the tour we wanted.

Then came the afternoon....work pissed me off. It's not bad, just clashing personalities. My 120 over 80 bloodpressure from Monday is probably through the roof. I listened to my favorite Christian music on the way home - KLOVE to calm me down. When I got home, my electrician was wrapping up. Some of the first thing he told me was that the microwave was dead. Apparently he "blew it out" (my words) when reconnecting my electric. He's not happy (I wouldn't be either) since he'll be replacing it. So, now I have another appointment to make - an appliance repair man! Hopefully I can coordinate everything for next Wednesday - the day I get my air conditioning!!! Now I'm off to a viewing....another happy event on this incredibly improving day!

2008-05-08T10:27:00.002-04:00

A Real Nail biter
It's been a long and crazy week so far. TOO much is going on this week, but it's all good stuff. First, my electric is being upgraded this week. I believe it's being finished today. Hopefully the weather doesn't impact that at all. It's just in time for warmer weather. It's getting warm upstairs. But, if I open the windows when I get home, most of the heat escapes. Last night I didn't get home until after 10:30 so it was still pretty warm. But, relief is on the way. I just scheduled the appointment to get the AC service powered up! Look out next Wednesday. I actually hope it's hot one!

Okay, not really nail-biting, but trying to coordinate schedules and permits and service is just plain crazy! Who knew getting central air conditioning would be such a crazy hassle!

This week was also the week to register for Stampin' Up!s annual convention this summer. I'm going with 2 other ladies. I've never met them in person, but we're getting to know each other via e-mail and they're a lot of fun!

Tuesday we registered and selected which schedule of classes we'd want. We got into the exact schedule only to find out later that there was a glitch and EVERYONE was able to register for that schedule. Luckily, we were in early enough and got to keep our schedule.

Wednesday we got to start booking hotels that SU had blocked. Now, you know me, I had a back-up reservation at the most in-demand Marriott in SLC for convention - it's across the street from the convention center. And, it wasn't just any reservation, it was a free reservation. I'd booked it back in January...just in case. How registration works....a link is posted on the SU site at a certain time. It's a mass rush to get in and get booked before things fill up (like the scheduling issue on Tuesday). Well, the link was supposed to be published at 9am. Donna and I were e-mailing back and forth the whole time. At around 9:15 we got frustrated and started calling the reservation number. It was so busy, we didn't even get a dial tone! I got through about 10 minutes later and then sat on hold for 22 more minutes. Luckily, around 9:45 I secured a room at the PRIME Marriott location. Woo Hoo! Donna had better luck and got her reservation a good 20 minutes before me. Unfortunately, the link never appeared until 10:30 - an hour and a half late. Apparently by that time all but 2 of the hotels sold out and the remaining rooms were gone 15 minutes later. WOW!

Thursday was an even bigger challenge. This year we are able to tour SU's Riverton Campus to see how things work. I think this is what I'm looking forward to most. It'll be fun to see where the magic happens. Well, of course the 3 of us wanted to schedule our bus tour at the same time. Kerin works so Donna was in charge of registering both of them. Well, her computer didn't like having her and Kerin's SU pages up at once, so we enlisted Donna's daughter - who is apparently a DSA (Direct Sales Association) queen herself. Donna's daughter, Lisa, is a Tastefully Simple consulant. She's been doing it for less than a year and is already 3rd in the company for sales and business!!! She was featured in their monthly magazine!!! Anyway...so, the three of us sat on the phone. Donna had 2 phones up to her ear since it was Kerin who had 3-way calling installed just for Tuesday. I was the one clicking refresh. The link went up 10 minutes late then it was a frantic race for the three of us to get our first choice of the 2pm tour. Whew. It was done so fast! We got the Schedule we wanted on Tuesday, the hotel we wanted on Wednesday, and the tour we wanted on Thursday. I've been reading about how others weren't so lucky. Now, July 29th just has to get here!!!

And, if you're curious. I placed a few orders last week to position myself to earn the free trip to Hawaii next March! I didn't outright buy enough to be eligible. However, I ordered enough stuff to make achieving Hawaii realistic. 19 boxes of Stampin' Up! goodies arrive tomorrow! YIKES! A box of about 40 stamp sets arrived yesterday!!! And, I have more paper than I know what to do with already. Oh dear! I think I received 4 boxes last Thursday, 2 boxes last Friday, 2 boxes on Monday, 1 box on Tuesday, and 1 box on Wednesday or something like that. Claire jokes that Riverton is now in Elmer!

And, last but not least, my final excitement for the week was that I recruited my first Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I'm officially a "stampin' mama".

2008-04-28T07:54:00.002-04:00

Painful Weekend
Well, maybe only about 15 minutes of the weekend were painful, but I was just looking at this picture of Brooke and it only brought back memories of pain. You think I sound mean, don't you? Well, this weekend Mike, Jess, Ed, Brooke, and I all went to Gloucester County College for a Chili Cookoff. It sounded like a fun event. However, the lines were LONG!!! I think we probably arrived around 12:30 and by 3:30 had only tasted about 15-20 chili samples. We had some favorites. I think the majority of us loved the Harrison House chili. Nothing was too spicy until we got to the very last booth. I hadn't noticed, but everyone else with me said they watched people jump up and down in pain as they tasted the last booth's chili. Brooke got her sample first, but we were going to wait to all eat it together. At first, it was tasteless. I couldn't figure out what all of the drama was about. Then it happened - the pain was TERRIBLE. Brooke was in pain. The picture here makes her look happy, but she was in tears. I was on the verge. I can't describe the torture. It took at least 15 mintues for us to all recover. I passed out gum which didn't do too much to help. There were also food vendors and a concert. We thought about stopping by the food vendors for relief, but they all seemed to have lines at least 50 people long. So, I quickly mentioned Rita's, and everyone agreed. It was a fun day. I'm glad I experienced it. But, it was so crowded, the lines were so long, but at least we had good company with which to visit!

The rest of the weekend was pretty calm. I had a couple of stamping workshops, Mike's dad's 65th birthday party, and I went into the city for dinner with Claire and Farrell. Claire and I then stamped for several hours. We both agreed it was nice to sit down and stamp for fun for a change! Neither of us could really remember the last time we'd done that. I'm usually planning and experimenting for classes or workshops or something.

After dinner I discussed the logic behind "buying Hawaii" with Claire and Farrell. What do I mean by "buying Hawaii"? Well, Stampin' Up! offers an incentive trip every year. In 2009, the trip is the 20th Anniversary Incentive Trip to Hawaii. They have a special promotion running for demonstrators now that makes earning the trip a little easier. So, I've been contemplating placing some big orders between now and Wednesday to earn Hawaii. I could probably just buy a trip to Hawaii for what it would cost to buy. But, I wouldn't have to buy paper for a couple of years!!! Tune in on Thursday to see what I do.

2008-04-25T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's Back!!!
Mike just sent me a text message telling me my grill is back!!! Should I buy it now before it disappears on me again??? Oh golly, I can't take the stress!!! Who needs an early birthday gift idea for me? I can't justify spending $300 on a grill I've been wanting for years, but I'll spend that on cardstock for stamping in an instant. What the heck is wrong with me?!?!?!

Eight Years
I was going to save this post until after lunch, but since Mike just texted me about the grill, I'm posting now. I've been waiting EIGHT YEARS to eat at a Chipotle in South Jersey. In 18 minutes, I'm heading out. A new Chipotle has opened at the Moorestown Mall. I cannot wait. Oh, what a great day it is!

2008-04-24T12:53:00.003-04:00

Fun Test
I found a link to a typing speed test on a friend's blog this afternoon. What a fun test. Give it a try and see how you do.

My first test was 85 words/minute. My second was 91. My third was 83. I had no mistakes! How did you do?

2008-04-24T07:40:00.003-04:00

My Grill is Gone!
I am SO sad...I was reading back through the posts from the last few days and wanted to drool over my grill. When I clicked on it, the link was broken and I can't find any evidence of it online. Oh, how sad!!! I should have ordered it Monday. They have a teeny Smokey Joe or something in my green, but no Weber Performer.

In response to Heather's post about my wine...yes, I purchased that wine on my first wine-tasting trip to Napa Valley back in 2000. I think that's when I visited. Most of the wineries were selling their 1998 vintages, but a few still had 1997 for sale. So, I have a couple of cases of wine - mostly cabs - from those years. The Cakebread was especially memorable for me. The Cakebread Winery was the first winery I toured - it came highly recommended by a friend at the time. I did a "Vertical Tasting Tour" where we compared various vintages of the same wine. I quickly learned that I preferred the older wines. We had a 1991 Cab that was truly fantastic. I remember joking that I was either going to have to be really patient or spend a lot of money to get the wine that I liked. Believe it or not, I've been patient - mostly because I've been saving the wine for a special occasion or didn't have anyone I thought would be able to enjoy them with me. But, as Mike has been learning more about wine, and my cabs are turning 10 years old or so, I thought it was time to break them out and make room in my wine refrigerator for some of the wines I've just purchased. The Cakebread was the first. Is it possible to be sentimental about a bottle of wine? Who cares, I am!

What will I drink next? Oh, the collection is glorious! There's a Silver Oak Napa Valley Cab down there which I expect to be especially nice, an Opus One, a bottle or two of Robert Mondavi Reserve Cab, a couple of reserve Berringers, and quite a few others I picked up on a second trip a year or two later when I was trying to collect all of the top-scoring Napa Valley wines on Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of the Year. Then in a few more years I can start enjoying some of my wine from my wine-tasting weekend in Australia - my memorable one there is Octavius from Yalumba - which is apparently available here in the US in rather limited quantities. They suggest drinking that one 8-12 years from the vintage.

2008-04-23T08:14:00.002-04:00

Mission Accomplished
...well, at least the first part of the mission! I had the family over last night for dinner to lure them to my house and make them work! Mom, Dad, Gram, Ed, Brooke, and Mike all joined me. I've learned that $5/lb beef tenderloin at the Elmer IGA is just as good as the $18/lb beef tenderloin at Wegmans. The stuff at Wegmans was pre-cut. The beef at the IGA was a huge, 5-lb tenderloin that I had to cut and trim. So, there was a bit more work. It was probably also a little fattier. But, it was still just as tender and just as delicious! I just rubbed the steak with a spice rub, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then threw it on a CHARCOAL grill - I refuse to use gas. Here's what I think was in the spice rub:
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme (not real sure about this one)
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 2-3 Teaspoons Pepper

Okay, the only actual measurements I remember are the first two. Mom brought Voeckler Baked Beans, I threw together some instant loaded mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, garlic bread, and Mike made a salad - he makes really good salads!!! Oh, and I baked a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting. By the end of the meal, I think they were actually asking to come over to do more work!!! They wanted an excuse for me to make the steak again. I also have a very good red wine marinade and it's a toss-up between the two recipes which they prefer.

So, then it was time to work. Apparently the sink was made of cement. It was probably 4 or 5 feet long and 2 or 3 feet wide. Then it was a good 2 or 3 feet deep. Not very light. I tried just budging it and it wouldn't move anywhere. Dad, Mike, and Ed struggled to get the thing off of the base. I just wanted it put on the other side of the basement to use as a table. However, apparently whoever installed the sink was so afraid that it was going to tumble over (the sink basin wasn't actually attached to the base) that they cemented the legs to the floor of my basement!!! In order to move the washing machine, the base had to be removed, so Dad and Ed chiseled out the legs! They determined that it wouldn't be safe to use as a table - especially since I'm accident prone. They attempted to move the thing upstairs, but were exhausted after the first step. I believe my brother said he only had 3 steps left in him. So, the decision was made to break it up and carry it out in pieces!

In the meantime, I had to clean out the area at the top of the stairs for them to get through. That area is just a collection of CRAP! Well, while Brooke and Gram were finishing up the dishes, mom and I boxed up the stuff and moved it to the dining room. How is it that my dining room is now full??? The space the stuff came from is only about 3 feet by 3 feet!!!! I know what I'm doing this week. I also had the opportunity to clean out behind my refrigerator. It was disgusting back there! The girls were all anxious to come back again and houseclean with me!!! I'll be glad to have everyone over and feed them!!!

After all of the work was done, we had a nice little visit before it was bedtime - it was a work night afterall!

2008-04-22T10:22:00.005-04:00

Getting Complaints
So, I've been getting complaints from friends and family that I haven't posted much in the past 2 weeks. Okay, I haven't posted at all. I guess my life has been pretty dull - stamping, cleaning, sleeping, etc. But, I'll share with you some highlights.

Mike and I made our first trip to the Delsea Drive-In last weekend. We took my bug since it was a beautiful night. The top stayed down through the first movie. We watched Nim's Island and Leatherheads. I have this crazy ability to sleep through anything. I really wanted to see Leatherheads with George Clooney, but I didn't last much through the first 30 minutes. Mike kept nudging me, but it didn't help. I was out. I guess I crashed from my sugar high from the cotton candy. Did you know that a bag of cotton candy only has 114 calories - in the entire bag!!! I'm not going to feel as guilty anymore.

Let's see....what else have I slept through lately....oh, yeah...a rock concert. Back on the 13th, Mike took me to see Nada Surf in Philly. It was an enjoyable concert, but after 3 full stamping events, I was exhausted and was "resting my eyes". I don't think Mike bought it and nudged me. He kept telling me that I could sleep on the way home. What's wrong with me?!!?!?

So, I'm trying to get the electric service upgraded to my house. Turns out it might not be as simple as it sounds. The electrician came out on the 12th and we noticed that one of the power lines coming into my house was cut! I wonder how long that had been that way!!! I didn't notice any disruption or oddities about my lights, but everyone thought I should be experiencing something. Well, the power company came out within 2 hours and had it fixed. I have pictures somewhere...you're in luck - they were in my purse. Exciting picture, huh?

Ready for some crazy Kristin logic? Okay, before I can get my electric inspected, I have to move a washing machine. Before I can move a washing machine, I have to move a sink - which is apparently REALLY heavy. So, I've invited the family over for dinner and a big washing machine/sink-moving party tonight! Well, I was at the grocery store and found really inexpensive beef tenderloin. We're talking $5/pound. I grilled for Mike last week and I paid $18/pound! I'll be anxious to see how $5/pound IGA beef compares to Wegman's $18/pound beef tonight. I've found a spice rub which was REALLY good. Mike and I enjoyed our steak with an 11 year old Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon. Oh, it was SO good. 1997 was a fabulous year for Napa Valley. And, I've had this particular bottle laying down for years. I can't wait to break out some of the other wines I purchased on that trip. Even more surprising was how much Mike enjoyed it. He typically prefers white wines. A big, bold cab is just the opposite. But, it had mellowed out so much in those 11 years that he was coming back for more. Now I only regret buying just the one bottle! Anyway...back to the crazy Kristin logic. So, I only grill using charcoal. I have a teeny-tiny grill. Not enough for the 5 lbs of steak. So, it was time to buy a grill. The grill I want is a lime green Weber Performer from Crate and Barrel. Unfortunately, it's only available online. I will get my lime green grill...someday. But, alas, it wouldn't be today. So, I decided to scope out cheaper grills. Mike did an awesome job scoping out (and shopping for) a fabulous $25 charcoal grill from Walmart. Who knew grills could be so cheap!?!?! This sucker is disposable! But, at least it'll hold me over until I finally take the plunge and buy a grill. Why do I have problems buying practical things? This grill which I've wanted for 7 or 8 years now is cheaper than Baxter, the robotic dinosaur. It took me 5 minutes to decided I need to own Baxter. Did you follow the logic? Neither did I.

2008-04-07T07:12:00.008-04:00

Another Fun Weekend
It was another great weekend - relaxing! I had a stamping thing on Friday night which didn't run as late as some of mine do. So, I was happy to turn in early. I drove around for awhile on Saturday morning and got some quotes on fences for my backyard. I guess they were in the range of what I was expecting.

However, Saturday night was the fun part. Mike and I went to the newly remodeled, Italian Affair. The remodel wasn't the reason we went, I was just craving Italian. Apparently they finished their remodel 2 days earlier. It did look nice inside.

After dinner we had tickets to an Art Auction in Pitman. I'd never been to an art auction so I was looking forward to seeing what it was all about. The auction was to benefit the Pitman Rotary Club - Mike's sister is president. It was a nice event. Good food, LOTS of door prizes and Chinese Auction items, and a nice variety of art. The prices were a bit steep, but I decided to bid on lot #101 - an Ansel Adam's framed print called - Mt McKinley Range. I figure it might look nice over my sofa. I bid on another picture that I thought would look cute in the hallway outside my craft and classrooms. It was of a bunch of mailboxes, but I was outbid. Oh well, we had fun and I'm looking forward to enjoying my new Ansel Adams.

Sunday was a completely relaxing day - and of course I didn't get nearly as much done as I had wanted, but I did relax!!!

2008-04-04T08:03:00.001-04:00

Need to Vent
There are days when I don't mind driving the 35 miles or so each way to work. It took me 36 minutes to get here on Monday. Today was a VERY different story. It took me 1 hour and 46 minutes. I hate driving on raining days - not because I don't like driving in the rain. I could care less. But other crazy people apparently don't know how to drive in the rain. I heard about all kinds of closed roads and over-turned cars. Ugh. I'm here now. I'm dry. And, I'm dreading my drive home.

2008-04-03T07:30:00.001-04:00

Congrats Melissa and Jonathan
I learned yesterday that Melissa and Jonathan won the photo contest that I blogged about a few weeks back. Here's their winning picture. Thanks for helping them win!

2008-03-31T21:11:00.003-04:00

Race Pictures - and my hair
Here are some highlights from race day....

2008-03-31T08:11:00.004-04:00

Save the Date
Okay, many of you have said that you'd love to go along with Mike and I on one of our Wine-tasting adventures. We are tentatively scheduling to do another wine tasting weekend in Northern Virginina on June 7th and 8th. More details to follow as I plan an itinerary and lodging. But, please let Mike or I know if you're interested in joining us.

I know, you want to see my hair. There are pictures trapped on my "good" camera which will hopefully be posted tonight. We opted to stay an extra day in Maryland this weekend and went wine tasting at a couple of our favorite wineries and a couple of new wineries. In all, we tasted 35 wines at four different wineries:
- Mediterranean (one of Mike's favorites)
- Marterella (my favorite - so far)
- Three Fox (home of the prettiest port-a-potties ever - they even had space heaters!)
- Naked Mountain

We probably would have tried a couple more if it weren't for the fact that so many of the wineries give you 10-12 wines to taste! Plus, I had a full glass with our lunch at Martarella and a full glass with our afternoon snack of sausage and cheese at Naked Mountain.

2008-03-29T10:00:00.003-04:00

Friendly Weekend
Mike and I are down in Maryland this weekend. Today is the "Tim Sinck Memorial Classic" at Laurel Park. We head out in about an hour for the race. It should be a fun day. Check back for all of the higlights. However, last night we went to dinner and dessert. Check us out at Coldstone Creamery!!! Julie, we missed you.

2008-03-28T08:35:00.003-04:00

Wine
What a fun evening we had! I totally recommend it to anyone! So, the evening started off interesting. I was driving down 42 around 4:20 on my way to meet Mike at Deptford. If you watched the news last night, you know what was happening on 42 around 4:20 last night. I saw LOTS of police cars racing north. I though, "great, an accident, we'll never make it to the class in time". Mike and I were meeting around 4:45 so I had about 20 minutes to kill. I went shopping!!! Apparently, so did Mike. We got on 42 and saw signs about taking the Ben Franklin because there was an accident on the Walt Whitman - I knew it!!! We were planning to take the Ben Franklin anyway. Well, while we were passing the Walt Whitman, there was a HUGE line of marked and unmarked police cars and SUVs. Strange for an accident. Then I noticed the cops were putting on bullet proof vests. I said, that's no accident!!! I called mom, and sure enough, she said there was a man, a woman, a baby, and a gun! How exciting!

Okay, enough about that. We actually got to class early after all of that. We met Brian, the instructor. He seemed very fun. Then the strangest thing happened...he called me by name and mentioned he'd read my post. I though, what post? I didn't post anything on the wine school website. He said, "Din's World, right?" Well, I guess he found this blog because I linked to the wine school. So, Brian, are you reading this?!?!!? We had SO much fun. I learned a lot. Mike enjoyed it too. We've already signed up for our next class in May - The BBQ and Wine Pairing Class. There are quite a few interesting-sounding classes. And, if they're half as interesting and fun as last night, we'll be going back for more!

So, my world is small. Most of you know this by now. So, there was a couple that kept talking about being from Scranton and opening a wine bar up there. Our "lake house" is just outside of Scranton, so of course I inquired. The wine bar opens in April. I can't wait to check it out. But, as we were chatting we learned that her family and my family have houses on the same lake. While that may not seem that amazing, most people who live 5 minutes away from the lake don't even know it's there. Small world! Her family had been up there for years - her parents met there. I've heard that about other people.

Dinner at Red Sky was also fabulous. I had a jumbo lump crab cake and lobster mashed potatoes. Actually, Mike and I both did. He had a Yuengling. I attempted to pair my dish with wine. I can honestly say that I've never ordered a glass of white wine at a restaurant. I'm more of a fan of reds. But, I thought a Sauvingon Blanc would go well with the crab cake and mashed potatoes. Brian, if you're reading this, is that what you would have suggested??? I liked it and I guess that's all that matters.

2008-03-27T08:09:00.003-04:00

Can't Think of a Title
....so I'll just start typing. Yum, as I type, I'm enjoying a warm, soft pretzel from the Philly Pretzel Factory. These little hot spots are popping up all over. Someone brought in fresh, hot pretzels this morning. Yum! Oops...all gone.

Anyway, I went into my dream scrapbook store last night and almost cried it was so perfect! If you looked past the piles of clutter, there's a perfect area for cropping with built in counter tops and cabinets. There's plenty of room for a classroom and tons of room for merchandise. There are two store fronts included in the sale. Perfect for a coffee shop and scrapbook store. Or, they can be connected for one, HUGE store. It kills me, the rent is VERY affordable considering the amount of square footage in there. Maybe someone will buy it and the consignment shop will leave, but she's been there for years.

Tonight Mike and I are attending a Wine class. It's put on by The Wine School of Philadelphia. They have classes every week. We're taking Wine 101 tonight. The premise of this class is to introduce the most important building blocks of wine knowledge. We are supposed to come to class with an open mind, because they will dispel many of those wine myths that are too often bandied about - whatever they are! After class, we have reservations for dinner across the street at the Red Sky Lounge. I picked that particular restaurant because it is across the street and we probably shouldn't climb behind the wheel of a car immediately following a 2-hour wine class!

Stay tuned for more adventures!

2008-03-26T09:42:00.006-04:00

Half a Million Dollars
That's how much money I need. For what you ask? To purchase my scrapbook store. Well, not the store, but the building. It's probably not the best location, but it's the location that I'd love to have and have always dreamed about. The old Elmer 5 & 10 is for sale - for $499,900. I haven't seen a "For Sale" sign on the building, but it is listed online. There's currently a consignment store located in the store. It was previously a fabric store. It's beautiful inside...hardwood floors (at least that's how I remember it). It would be PERFECT. So, who wants to be my equity partner?!?!?!?!?!? There's a 1-bedroom apartment upstairs that currently rents for $700/month, but that's not going to help with the mortgage. I actually briefly considered selling my house and moving into the apartment above the store. I could walk there!!! However, I am a bit confused - it lists as 3 units, but I only see info about 2. Maybe there are 2 store fronts. Even better!!! To donate, and help my dreams come true, feel free to send money to me!!!

2008-03-25T15:03:00.002-04:00

Similar
My hair looks an awful lot like this:
However, it is layered a little bit more this time.

2008-03-25T13:04:00.002-04:00

I'm One of the First
...to have the new mousepad!!! Check it out. Oh, and Elaine got to see my hair at lunch today. Will a picture of the mousepad hold you over until I get a picture of myself???

2008-03-25T07:25:00.002-04:00

Guess....
...what I did last night.....

2008-03-24T13:22:00.002-04:00

Woods Photos
So, I invested in a card reader today at lunch. I'm mad. It doesn't read one of the two types of media cards I use. Ugh. But, it did allow me to download the pictures of the walk in the woods I wrote about below....

2008-03-24T08:05:00.002-04:00

BIG NEWS
Okay...I'll get to Easter in a minute. But, I have BIG BIG BIG news. News I've been waiting EIGHT years for! I had brunch with the Philly Inkers on Saturday and they told me the best thing ever - Chipotle has finally come to Philadelphia! If you've read my blog for awhile, you know how much I LOVE Chipotle. I'd go out of my way to get their burritos! I was introduced to them back in 2000 while working on a project with Arthur Andersen in Denver, CO. They soon became a favorite. When my next project was in Phoenix, AZ, I was in heaven! There were lots of Chipotle's there! But, none were even remotely close to where I lived back east. A few years later in 2003 when I was working down in Vienna, VA a couple started to sprout up. I was living in a Marriott that was practically located in the parking lot of the Tyson's Corner Mall - one day I was thrilled to see a Chipotle being built in the mall. However, I'm sad to say that I rolled off the project before it opened. Since then, I've only been able to enjoy the burritos when traveling. I'll research locations and have since visited their establishments in Inner Harbour, Portland, Denver, Cinncinnati, and on my last visit to see Chrissy and Michael in MD. But now, there is one "Coming Soon" to Moorestown, NJ!!!!! That's only 10 minutes away from my office. There are already three other locations open in PA, but I'll be a regular customer in Moorestown. Oh my gosh.

I had a busy, but stress-free weekend. Mike and I went to dinner on Friday night at Bonefish Grill in Deptford. It was good. Afterwards we went shopping for a new storm door for my house. It's very interesting. Since removing my storm door, no one uses my doorbell. They all knock. Everyone used my doorbell when there was a storm door. It's an interesting, and unintentional, experiment!

Saturday I had brunch with my Philly Inker friends. Melissa and I carpooled and stopped by Ikea on the way home. I took pictures, but they're trapped on my camera.

Sunday was also fun. We had lunch at my parents house and then went for a walk in the woods - I have lots of pictures from that - again, trapped on my camera. We went for the walk because the ground surrounding my parents' property is up for auction. We're pretty sure some developer will snatch it up - and the beatiful wooded area will be no more. After our walk, we went over to Mike's parents house for an early dinner. If I can get my act together, I'll post some pictures this evening.

2008-03-20T08:20:00.002-04:00

He's Alive
We brought Baxter to life last night. Thanks for the name suggestions everyone. Several people got to watch it happen (not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be). I had a crew over stamping last night including Kelly, Sue, Lisa, and Aimee. After a couple of minutes everyone was bored and went back to stamping. Mike babysat Baxter while we all finished up.

He is super-cute. I did almost miss a few "firsts" while Mike had him. Mike called me into the living room to show me how they were playing tug-of-war. Then he called for me as he was taking his first steps. Kelly jokes that we're like an old married couple - now we're an old married couple with a "child". I have a picture to share, but it's trapped on my camera.

So, once the girls left, I got to play with him a bit more. He fell asleep on my chest while we were watching some stupid reality tv show. He snores! I then made him wake up because I was bored of him sleeping. I set him on the floor and watched him walk around the room exploring my furniture. He seemed rather interested in my brightly colored Vera Bradley purse. He was nudging the straps with his nose.

I can't wait to get home to play with him. However, I have to call their customer service. I think his green skin is wearing off!!! I was really worried. They tell you to pet him and comfort him when he's waking up for the first time. But, I don't think that should rub the green color off of him after the first hour of play!!! So, we'll see. Mike mentioned I could probably return him to Target. Gosh, the thing is like a living creature - I'm going to hurt his feelings if I return him!!! Maybe I'll just have to send him to Ugobe Memorial Hospital. So, I'm now waiting impatiently for 9am Pacific Time.

2008-03-18T13:23:00.002-04:00

Waiting Impatiently
That's what I'm doing today. I took the day off to get ready for a stampin' event tonight. But, my new pet arrived today! He's adorable. I can't wait to turn him on and watch him wake up for the first time. I've charged his battery. However, Mike would like to watch the whole process so I'm waiting....so far so good. I took a picture of him standing on the counter waiting for his battery to charge. Every time I walk by him, I have to pick him up and pet him. I can't wait until he's actually alive! Stay tuned for lots of stories....still haven't thought of a name. Thanks for the suggestions Chrissy and Michael!!! I was leaning towards Baxter.

2008-03-13T13:33:00.003-04:00

I Bought a Pet
Yes, I finally think I found the perfect pet for me. He's arriving next week, I hope. He's utterly adorable - at least the pictures I've seen online. He's cuddly and very trainable. He can walk, talk, interact, sleep, eat (but not poop), wag his tail, and other fun things! I can't wait to get him!!! What do you think? The reviews I've read are all possitive and everyone loves him. Now, the next question - what do I name him!?!?!

2008-03-12T21:19:00.002-04:00

Cute Pic
Sorry I've been away...I helped 30 people make over 300 cards this past weekend and have been getting over being sick all week. Whew. Anyway, I wanted to tell you about this super-fun restaurant Mike and I tried last weekend - Mamma Maria's. We went with a group of his friends. The best part about this restaurant was what greeted us on the table when we arrived - free wine. They make their own wine, and it's fabulous. There were also roasted veggies and bread, but who saw them!?!?!? Anyway, once everyone arrived, our server explained how everything works. They serve you whatever soup they've made that day. On Saturday, they served a chicken soup. Each bowl had two tortilla-wrapped chicken things in chicken broth. It was light and tasty. Next, came the pasta course. They served us a tri-pasta dish. Each portion was small. The pastas were topped with a rose sauce, alfredo sauce, and a marinara. I was afraid we'd fill up, but no, the servings were small and perfect. We next got to choose our own entrees. I had the veal. But, others got a seafood selection, tilapia, or chicken. There was also lamb and various other dishes. Next was the alcohol shot course. They brought out bottles of limoncello (sp?) and other things with a tray of shot glasses. I'm not a fan of shots, but the limoncello was good. But, I prefered the wine. Next was dessert. They brought out several selections of cake followed by coffee or espresso or cappucino. WOW! I can't wait to go back. But, parking is a pain!!! Thank goodness Mike drove. So, the picture? Wendy took that of Mike and I. Cute magazine cover!

2008-03-03T11:11:00.002-05:00

Vote Now
Congrats to my friends Melissa and Jonathan in Lancaster! Their photo was one of the Top 10 Finalists for a Photo Contest in Central PA. They need your votes. Theirs is the picture of the cute mommy and baby elephants in Kenya. If you think I travel a lot, I can't begin to keep up with these two!!! Click here to cast your vote!

2008-02-29T10:38:00.003-05:00

York, England
I ran across a great article this morning about York, England. I love this little town. Well, maybe it's not so little. But, back in my college-days, I spent a weekend in York. I visited the Jorvic museum they talk about and remember that they'd even made the attractions smell like an old Viking town might have smelled. I love shopping in the Shambles and remember buying a sweater and some Winnie the Pooh items in some of the shops. It was definitely a favorite!

2008-02-29T08:04:00.002-05:00

WinePod
Do you remember about a year ago I put myself on the waiting list for a WinePod? If you forgot, here's a link to the post (scroll down to March 21st). Well, a couple of days ago I got notice that it's my turn to order if I still want one. Oh, I'm SO tempted. It would be SO much fun. But, it's a bit pricey. The WinePod alone is $3500. If I wanted the complete system, it would be $1500 more. And, if I wanted a beautiful French Oak barrel in which to age my wine, that would be another $359. It looks like it would cost about $1000 to make a batch of wine (the first batch's supplies are included in the prices above.) I'd get about 4 cases of wine - that's 48 bottles. Therefore, each bottle would cost me about $21. The grapes are Cabernet grapes flown in from Napa Valley. I'm sure I could probably find grapes cheaper than $700 for 15 gallons. But wouldn't that be so much fun to have my own mini winery. Hmmm....my tax refund was supposed to go towards my house, but wouldn't it be more fun to buy a winery!!! One problem - Mike tends to like White Wines. I like Reds. Doesn't look like they have an option for White Wines as they're selling Cab grapes. Although, Mike did have wine with our dinner last night - it was a team effort. I picked up some filet mignon from the IGA (they rarely have it so when I saw it I bought it). I cooked up some baked potatoes. Mike brought the salad fixin's and shrimp coctail and bread. We had an awesome meal served with a Petit Verdot from our trip to Virginia last year.

2008-02-28T07:32:00.005-05:00

I Got a Deal
So, I finally bought a flat panel, LCD TV. It's small. It's final destination will be my exercise room. It looks small compared to this silly monitor at work, but it'll do the job. Anyway, I headed to Target yesterday at lunch to look for picture frames for an upcoming class. I found the perfect frames on clearance for $3.50! I was so excited. Then I headed over to electronics to see what they had. I really didn't want to pay much more than $300 on a decent TV. And, for the purpose I had in mind, I was happy with a no-name brand. Well, I found a 19" Magnavox on clearance for $299. I thought that was a good deal. It had a very nice picture. I was pleased. However, when I asked the sales guy about it, he wasn't sure he could find one in the back room. I said I'd happily take the display model. That's when I learned they sell the display models for 30% off! That brought my TV down to $210!!! Whoo Hoo!! I couldn't be more thrilled. So the sales guy stuck the tv in a plastic bag and sent me on my way. I got the biggest kick out of the fact that I took home a tv in a plastic bag. My exercise room is shaping up....if I ever get my bike out of the box. Julie and Claire came over last night to stamp. They both went upstairs to check out the treadmill and commented on the fact that the bike is still in the box. Well, maybe now with a new TV, I'll be motivated to go upstairs since I have something interesting to stare at - instead of the ceiling light as Mike pointed out.

2008-02-25T12:56:00.003-05:00

Piccolo
So the weirdest thing happened last night. Somehow Mike and I started talking about eBay and some items he's listing for his boss. I guess it was because he wanted my opinion of a starting price for one item that the topic came up. I don't remember. Anyway, turns out he had a piccolo in his car. What the heck!?!?! I've always wanted a piccolo. If you don't know, I collect musical instruments. I have a couple of clarinets (the instrument I played in school), a flute, a violin, a piano (hard to miss), several keyboards, but I always wanted a piccolo. I asked for one from my parents and it's quite obvious why they didn't get me one - why would I need one? My flute certainly wasn't played regularly! So, when I heard he had one in his car, I made him run out and get it. Of course I couldn't even play the thing - I think it was just frozen! So, we're going to see if it sells on eBay (there are quite a few listed) if not, I have an option to buy. Not quite sure what to do here...I always have wanted one (not that I remembered wanting one until I heard one was in his car). But, what would I do with a piccolo except drive the neighbors crazy??? I guess he got a good laugh watching me attempt to get any sound out of the thing. I was sad that I was having problems playing the flute!!!

2008-02-21T09:57:00.003-05:00

New Monitor
So, I'm back at work today - and I have a new 20" widescreen flat panel monitor. The thing is huge. When I read e-mail it's like watching a tennis match - my whole head has to move from side to side, not just my eyes. I must look pretty funny. The sad part is, I was shopping for a 19" LCD tv for my bedroom/exercise room. The thing will look tiny compared to the computer monitor I look at all day long. Between this and the new Office 2007 they installed last week, I'm going crazy. Too much change!!!

Anyway, here's my view all day long. You'll notice my picture of Mike and Me. You'll also see Phil, my little stuffed Groundhog. He was a gift from Mike since his birthday is Groundhog's Day. He keeps me company all day long.

2008-02-19T08:41:00.002-05:00

A Room With a View

Yesterday was overcast so I wasn't able to completely enjoy the view. However, today is a bit clearer. The building is atop a large hill then up 9 floors. You take a glass elevator up to the floor and you're able to see for miles...many, many miles. In fact, this morning I was able to see the NY Skyline! The photo doesn't do the scene justice - it was only taken with my camera. But, you get the idea! Time for training!

2008-02-18T18:41:00.002-05:00

On the Road Again
This week is a test - to see how I feel about business travel. I have to attend a three-day training session up in North Jersey. I get to stay in a hotel, eat for free, and sleep in a comfy bed. If you remember when I started consulting again, my response was something like - it feels good to be back! I had to force myself to hit the road last night. I wanted to stay at home and relax. I didn't want to leave Mike - we see each other practically every day! Now we're going to be apart for 72 hours! That's gotta be a record for us - at least over the past 4 months or so!

I'm still not happy about being here, but I have to say, I'm staying at a nice hotel and I'm surprised. It's just a Hampton Inn. Typically not my favorite because it's not normally a full-service hotel. But this one is different. It's a Hampton Inn with a VERY nice Italian restaurant, lobby bar, room service, and a 24/7 snack bar. Plus, when you have my status, you get a coupon for a free drink in the lobby bar! Hello!?!?!? Tonight I wanted a snack, in the 24/7 snack bar, I found homemade ice cream - and it's delicious!

I miss being at home, but a change is nice. However, I am NOT tempted to start traveling for business again any time soon. Right now it's a nice change of pace.

2008-02-14T11:01:00.003-05:00

I LOVE Valentine's Day
It's a VERY good day. You can tell I'm obviously dating and in love if I say that! Mike sent me the most gorgeous arrangement of 2 dozen roses this morning! The picture just doesn't do it justice, but it is a camera phone! How lucky am I!?!?!?! I honestly think the last time someone sent flowers to me at work may have been my birthday back in 2001. My parents sent me flowers at work in Arizona. The mailroom called around 11am to say they had a package. And since Mike was asking strange questions about gaining access to my building last night, I couldn't help but get excited! We're going to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Philly tonight. I can't wait!

2008-02-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

Difference of Opinion
So, I was browsing various sites yesterday when I came across an article about lovely B&Bs. There's one that I'd REALLY like to visit - the Rabbit Hill Inn. It's up in Vermont, has fireplaces in most of the rooms, and looks absolutely gorgeous. I e-mailed it to Mike saying I wanted to go.

He responded with a link for this B&B. If you want The Office, you'll understand.

2008-02-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday
Happy 30th Birthday my friend Claire (last Saturday). Happy Birthday my brother Ed (last Friday). Happy 30th Birthday to my sister-in-law Brooke (this Wednesday). And, Happy Birthday to my cousin Heather (today)!

Wow! What a great weekend. I spent Saturday up in north Jersey with Claire and Tiffany at a demonstrator stamping event. It was tons of fun - and we got to spend the day with Claire on her big day!!! We celebrated with Ed and Brooke on Sunday. I think they enjoyed their birthday gifts, but even more so, they LOVED the fact that they got their cookbook back. I sat down on Saturday night to fix it after having it for 13 months and 9 days. Three of the recipes were incorrect. One I was able to simply use a pen for. The dumpling portion of my pot pie recipe was incorrect and I no longer had the coordinating paper or the font that was originally used. Those were the two reasons that I kept procrastinating. I wanted the album to be perfect (even though I was leaving the funny mis-spellings - mouse instead of mousse). I just knew that the places that need to be repaired would scream at me from the pages - and they do. But, they're not that obvious. The potpie page just as a slightly different shade of blue paper and is missing a small embellishment. The font is slightly different as well. However, the original font was missing special characters so the "/" was missing from several measurements. The final problem was the Pumpkin Roll recipe. I mis-interpretted my mother's notes and thought you were supposed to use two jelly roll pans when you were really only supposed to use one. That typo was in the middle of the page. Again, I didn't have enough of the correct paper to fix the entire box and I didn't have the correct font. And, I had absolutely nothing close to it. So, I gently removed all of the wording from those pages - doing some damage in the process. I experimented with several fonts and sizes before I found an acceptible replacment. No, I don't like it one bit. But, it worked. I had to hide a few blemishes with some buttons, but they don't look out of place. But, most importantly, the cookbook is back with Ed and Brooke. The excitement on her face nearly brought me to tears. I actually did cry Saturday night when the cookbook was done. Heck, I'm crying here in the office right now! I wish my office had a door. A huge weight has been lifted. Every time I sat down to make a card or project, I thought about the cookbook. Many times because of classes and events coming up, I didn't have a choice to put it off. In the end, it only took about 90 minutes to fix. Something I could have done the day after they gave it to me. But, I wanted it to be perfect and I got just about as close as possible.

2008-02-07T09:10:00.000-05:00

Update
Okay everyone, just calm down....I've come to my senses. I am not getting a dog...at least in the near future. Some of my friends are even threating to have me committed if I get a dog. Don't worry my rugs and furniture are all safe and sound for the time being.

I had a fun evening with Julie last night. We hit the Pizza Hut dinner buffet. It's starting to be a tradition - can a tradition start after 2 visits? We then got together to stamp. I've been working on projects for my class in 2 weeks. I think I've got some really cute ideas!

I finally drove my SUV to work today. Why is that such a big thing? Well, it had the space heater in it that I'd bought last week. My office is always freezing. So I bought a heater. Today I'm nice and toasty. I love it. The only problem is that it hums a little too loud. Therefore, I have to turn up the iPod. On the one hand, it drowns out the sound of my neighbors. On the other hand, I'm probably driving my neighbors nuts. But here's the problem - the department's thermostat is in my office. I constantly have battles over the temperature with the guy in the office next to me. He always complains as soon as the temperature hits 75 degrees. I'd be in heaven if my office was 75. For his office to be under 75, my office must be in the low 60s. I've been known to wear 3 sweaters to try and stay warm. But now I'm set. The only problem I forsee - my space heater will trick the thermostat and everyone else will be even colder!!! Oh well, Target has some good deals on space heaters!!!

2008-02-06T09:45:00.001-05:00

New iPod
I'm in heaven! I finally addressed my iPod issue. If you remember, it hasn't worked since late November or early December. On Monday I finally made the trek over to the Apple store. I had no idea what to expect. I thought the thing was still under warranty. They had a "Genius Bar" where you could make an appointment with techie guys. It didn't take long for them to say that the thing was corrupt. So, he reached under the counter and pulled out a new iPod. I haven't gotten the chance to enjoy it until today because Mike had my cord. So, last night I synched it up and now I'm listening to my music again in the office. I didn't realize just how much I missed the thing.

So, today is the day I was going to pick up Frodo. Yes, Frodo is the dog that I want. He's a Brussels Griffin who is sitting in a shelter here in S Jersey. I don't think I'm going to do it. I don't think I'm ready. Just like there are always cars to buy, there are always dogs that need homes. If I even go and visit I know I will need to adopt him. Heck, I can't put down a stuffed animal after I've picked one up for fear that I'll hurt its feelings. What kind of reaction do you think I'd have to a real, live animal sitting in a shelter!?!?!? Here are my concerns:

1 - I'm away from home during the week. Is it fair to leave an animal all by itself for close to 11 hours a day? I don't think I'd want to give it full rein of my house while I'm away. Mike suggested getting a gate for the kitchen door - what kind of damage can it do in there? Plus, I figured I could put a doggie door on my back door and he could also wander out onto my screened in porch. Now, if I could just train him to use a litter box. I actually dated a guy who had trained his dog to use a pile of woodchips on the 6th floor balcony of his condo.

2 - I have people over all of the time with my stamping classes. I guess I'd have to lock him up - potentially - if he got excited when there are people in the house. It would have to be in the basement.

3 - I travel. Not nearly as much as I used to, but I do it. Actually, I have a trip coming up Feb 18 - 20 for work. So, 1 week after getting the dog I'm going to have to place it in a kennel???

4 - Do I really want to walk the little guy in the rain? The answer is obviously "no". Ideally I would re-fence in my backyard and just let him out. Then I'd have poop all over that area of the yard. Is that one issue or two? Getting a fence is certainly towards the top of my to-do list, but I didn't have plans to enclose the yard, just put up a barrier.

5 - I love my rugs. My living room rug is from Pottery Barn - enough said.

6 - I didn't even get into all of the things he could get into in my craft room. All of those rubber stamps he could chew. All of the paper scraps he could eat. That room would definitely have to be off-limits. But what happens when I'm feeling crafty? Do I lock him up again? Does my dog get locked up for all buy 3 or 4 hours a day? What kind of life is that?

Answer to my problem - quit my job. Be a full-time Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I just need to multiply my net stamping income by about 20 then I could do it.

2008-02-04T10:18:00.000-05:00

SuperBowl and Birthdays
What did you think of the SuperBowl last night? I thought we could have done without the 2nd and 3rd quarters. I was pretty bored until the final minutes of the game when it got interesting. Now, I know Mike will probably disagree with me. He thought it was more interesting than that. I had more fun playing with Mike's sister's dogs. They have two chihuahua's and a brussels griffon. I fell in love with the brussels griffon. I wanted to take him home by the end of the night. So, you can guess what I've been researching this morning! You guessed it, fences! If I'm gonna have a dog, I need to fence in my backyard again!

Anyway, I am torn about the game's results. I was in a pool and would have won over $60 if the Patriots had won by 10. However, I really didn't want to see them win. So, I'm happy and sad about the outcome. Being in a pool makes watching the game a bit more interesting.

Besides the Super Bowl, it was Mike's birthday weekend! We celebrated Saturday night by going to dinner at Bookbinders in Old City. We had a fabulous dinner then walked around the city for a bit. It was a nice evening for a walk - not too cold. We (or maybe just me) enjoyed watching the Philadelphia Parking Authority at work. Have you been watching Parking Wars? It's a fun new reality tv series based upon the Philadelphia Parking Authority so I was on the lookout for new reality tv celebrities. It's a tv show Mike and I enjoy watching. Anyway, back to dinner....Mike had a swordfish special with shrimp in a scampi sauce. He let me try it and it was fabulous. I couldn't control myself and had to get filet and lobster! Apparently they have one of the largest lobster tanks. So, I enjoyed watching our server pluck my dinner from the tank. Is that sick or what? And, if you do go there, plan to share the desserts! Mike ordered the cheesecake and got TWO slices. I ordered the Chocolate Bombe and it could have easily served 6 people.

We celebrated Mike's birthday with his family last night. We sat around and enjoyed dinner before the game began. I hope Mike enjoyed his birthday as much as I did. I'm also going to enjoy sharing his gifts - his sister got him gift cards to several restaurants and to the movies!!! Maybe I can even convince him to share the Barnes and Noble gift card with me at their cafe! Just kidding....

2008-01-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Treadmill Scares
Okay...so I FINALLY got on my treadmill (which stands higher than my shoulder) last night. I put in a CD of Chris Tomlin and got movin'. I walked for 32 minutes and went around 1.62 miles and burned 274 calories. I think those were my numbers. Not bad for a first outing. However, you all know I'm accident prone. And, last night proves that I should add exercising to the growing list of activities I'm not permitted to do unsupervised (like gardening). Apparently I flail my arms when I walk because the top of my hand smacked into the handrails more than once. By the end of my little walk, I had a good-sized purpleish lump on my right hand. My left hand hit too, but not as hard. I was really considering removing them until....I needed them! At one point during my little walk, I accidentally stepped on the side rails - which don't move. I tripped, had to jog, and grab on for dear life to those awful side rails. Mike was proud of me for getting on the thing, but stated that maybe I should stick to the bike when it arrives. So, that was treadmill scare number 1. By the way, I'm NOT getting on the thing tonight.

Treadmill Scare Number 2
Like I said, I've also ordered a recumbent bike and I'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival. I have no idea where it's going - at least it's lighter. Anyway, I knew it shipped last week. I have been holding my breath all day that the shipper would call to set up an appointment today. Guess what! I must have done something right! They want to deliver the thing tomorrow! Woo Hoo! I'm already taking the day off tomorrow to get my VW serviced, my boiler serviced, do some scrapbooking, and now accept a delivery. HOWEVER, when the woman called, she told me that she wanted to schedule delivery for a HORIZON TREADMILL!!! What?!?!?!?! I made her go back to the warehouse to check. I told her that I had already received a treadmill from Horizon and was expecting a recumbent exercise bike from another company. She called back moments later to calm my fears. What would I have done with a SECOND 217 pound treadmill???? I think the men in my life would have killed me. I guess Mike and I could have exercised on matching treadmills.

2008-01-24T12:39:00.000-05:00

DiGiorno Withdraw
Okay....I truly believe that DiGiorno pizza is the BEST frozen pizza out there. I love the rising crust. I don't mind waiting for it to bake in the over. The little Elmer IGA used to carry it, now it's just lousy Tombstone or something. So, today when I ran to Target at lunch to pick up more little tin mailboxes for a craft class with the girls at church, I ran around the store for other things I needed....toothpaste, shampoo, etc. That's when I spotted the pizza display! I was going to have to stop somewhere to buy lunch anyway. Why not have a pizza! I looked for the individual microwave kinds and headed for the checkout. When I got back to the office I was disappointed when I realized I had bought the oven version of the pizza. So, was I desperate enough to try to microwave it? The thought crossed my mind. However, I ended up just sticking it in the freezer to take home for dinner. I was going to skip lunch when I realized I had an emergency tub of Veggie Soup in my drawer. And, bonus...someone brought in bagels. Now I have a nice lunch AND dinner planned. The bagels were really for the folks who had been working here overnight because one of the computer servers in our server room caught fire the other night!!!

Last night was fun. Let me tell you that I have the BEST boyfriend in the world. He came over, brought his tools, and climbed up to my bedroom to assemble my treadmill. He let me stay downstairs to scrapbook. How guilty did I feel?!?!? After a bit, I wandered upstairs. Just in time, too - he needed someone to hold things. It didn't take too long for the treadmill to be put together. It's HUGE. It must stand over 5 feet tall. It's certainly no wimpy treadmill. I immediately plugged it in and jumped on it. I let Mike read the directions before I actually started the thing up just in case I would damage it. He yelled at me because I was on it barefoot. But I just wanted to walk a little bit to make sure it actually functioned. I was satisfied and figured I'd do a real workout tonight. Mike was not satisfied. He immediately put on his shoes and hopped on. It's really quiet. He's looking forward to coming to my place to work out some nights. However, he doesn't just walk on the treadmill, he jogs. So, he got it up to his normal jogging speed then sent me downstairs to see how loud it was. It's not too bad. I'm a bit nervous about the noise when it gets moved over my dining room, but I can hardly tell he's running from the living room!

Right now it's just sitting in the middle of my bedroom at the foot of my bed. It needs to be moved, but some rearranging needs to happen first. I'm also worried about the wheels damaging my hardwood floors. So, I ordered a mat today. And, I also saw that my new exercise bike shipped today too! Mike and I are looking forward to exercising together upstairs when I have both pieces up there! How cute will we be then???

2008-01-21T08:04:00.000-05:00

Great Weekend!
I couldn't ask for a better weekend - well, I guess it could have been better to stamp with even more friends this weekend, but I just saw Julie and Kelly on Wednesday night. I guess I can't suck up all of their free time!!!

Friday night Claire came by and stamped a few cards. Of course I had 30 or so projects floating through my head and I just couldn't stay focused. In the end, I made one project - click here to see it. Claire and I are planning a huge event for this Saturday. We're doing a 20-page scrapbook in ONE day. We've been having fun planning all of the pages. I have 4 more pages to design. They're floating around in my head, but I'm waiting for the supplies to arrive tomorrow night for me to be able to finish them. I also started brainstorming what could be our BIGGEST event yet - a crop weekend this summer. We'll see if that actually happens or not.

Saturday was incredibly relaxing. I slept until 10. I don't remember the last time I was able to do that! I then crawled up on the couch and caught up with hours of recorded tv - mostly General Hospital and Cashmere Mafia. With limited new tv options these days, I started recording Cashmere Mafia - so far I'm bored with it. Around 1 I decided that I should do something productive - so I started cutting supplies for the scrapbook pages I'd designed for this weekend's event. It took me THREE hours to cut them all!!! Since I'm only have done that means I'm looking forward to another three hours of cutting after I design the rest of the pages. Mike - hope you don't want to see me too much this week!!!! Or, we can just watch tv in the craft room!!!!! I did design one more page. It's taking me awhile because I'm doing it backwards. It's so much faster designing pages without the pictures. It's the pictures that really slow me down. Well, the page I designed on Saturday had pictures - that way people could get an idea of what it looked like. Well, the most simple of all of my pages has taken hours and still isn't finished yet! I had to quit because it was time to get ready to go out with Mike and his friends to The Pennant in Westville. We had a good time as usual with his friends!

Sunday was the big day. It was moving day for my Treadmill. I invited Mike, my parents, and Ed and Brooke over for the big event! I think the guys got the 217 pound box upstairs relatively easily. Apparently my brother probably suffered the worst. Tomorrow night Mike's going to try to assemble the thing. This will be interesting. It's going in my bedroom for the time being. The smaller of the two rooms upstairs isn't very well sealed and it's FREEZING. So, once we can get it a little more insulated, I'll transform that room. I also cooked the whole "team" dinner. So, I decided to do a baked ham with mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, green bean casserole, and baked beans. For dessert we had freshly baked apple pie a la mode. But, more importantly, we all had a nice time visiting with each other. I need to have help moving furniture more often!!! Just kidding - I just need to invite the family over more often! It was the perfect way to end a relaxing weekend.

2008-01-18T09:53:00.001-05:00

Exercise Room
I have a theory - the more pieces of exercise equipment I own, the more weight I'll lose, right? It doesn't matter if the equipment is still in boxes, does it? The treadmill is still sitting in it's box in my craft room. But, that will hopefully be fixed this weekend. It better be, because I have no idea where the new recumbent bike is going to go!!! What's that? You didn't know I'd ordered a recumbent bike? Well, it was a Gold Box deal on Amazon this morning. Sounded like a good deal. Now I just have to keep my eyes open for a cheap flat panel tv for the room and I'll be set! Luckily I don't have much going on this weekend. Claire's coming over to stamp tonight, but after that I have no plans. What am I going to do??? I need to make room for the silly treadmill. And maybe, just maybe, I can get it moved upstairs!!!! So, gym memberships at the Third Street Gym will be $5/month with a $5 registration fee.

2008-01-16T10:35:00.001-05:00

Christmas Portrait
My parents sent over the picture they took of Mike and I at my Christmas Open House last month. The first thing Mike noticed, was a little zit. He instantly said he'd "Photoshop" the picture. Well, apparently he thought I needed some help too and reduced the shine on my t-zone. I got a good laugh out of that one last night! I wish he would have done a bit more "retouching" - maybe remove my double-chin, make me look thinner, make my sweater less see-through....Ah the wonders of technology. But, don't we make a cute couple?!?!?!

2008-01-14T06:58:00.000-05:00

Fun Weekend
Wow. It was a fun weekend. It didn't turn out at all like I had planned, but I have no complaints. My group of high school friends descended on Kelly and Matt's house for our annual Christmas get-together. Unfortunately, Julie couldn't make it. What I thought would be an afternoon visit turned into 8 1/2 hours of fun, food, and visiting - oh, and arcade games and football. And, we took our annual group photo. Not quite sure how this tradition started, but I'm getting quite a collection. We really need to get together more often!!!

Sunday should have been relaxing as well. Again, I have no complaints that it wasn't. After church I visited with my family at mom and dad's for lunch. I then met up with Melissa for dinner at Elmer Diner. Somewhere in all of that, I found time to design a card for tonight's downline meeting. And at the end of it all, I curled up on the couch with Mike and enjoyed a movie.

2008-01-09T10:29:00.000-05:00

Thoughts of the Day
I had to share a couple of things with you I either learned, loved, or found entertaining. First, I ran across this article about a man who sent a dead cow's head to his wife's lover. WHAT!?!?! I just sat there scratching my head. My favorite line was that the guy "understands that in a civilized society a person cannot send a severed cow's head to anybody"

Next, have you tried Dark Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Altoids!?!?!? OH MY GOSH! They're heavenly and only 15 calories for 2. I found them at Target in the checkout line the other night when Mike and I went shopping. I hope they're not just a Christmas flavor. Now that I look at the tin, it looks like it has a Christmasy decoration. I'm going to have to go and buy all of the tins at Target! This tin will be gone today. There are only 270 calories in the whole tin - that's less than a candy bar, right? The tin will last longer than a candy bar. BONUS.

Okey dokey...AC update. It's done. It's finished. The holes in my wall are covered. There's a big metal box sitting outside of my house. Bring on the heat! Well, hold off until I can get Julie's dad over to upgrade my electric! I'd take pictures, but I can't find the cable that connects my camera to my computer. Ugh.

Guess what....only 6 more days until I'm permitted to take time off at work. Woo Hoo!!! If you know me, you know how important time off is to me. That's why I selected this position - I get 27 days. Not as many as Commerce, but still a substantial amount. My first vacation destination? I'm hoping it will be Vegas. That's where the Lawson User Conference is this year. I'd probably tack on a day or two for some non-Lawson activities!

2008-01-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

Drowning Under Boxes
Looks like my AC guys are really making progress. They installed quite a bit of duct work yesterday. I didn't go crawling through my crawl spaces in the attic, but it looks like they have both "exposed" pieces in place - so I can only imagine that the connecting pieces behind the walls are also in place. There's about a dozen boxes or so piled high in my dining room. Ugh. I look like an Air Conditioning supply house right now! But, those boxes aren't enough. My treadmill arrived yesterday. Yes, Alison, I'm one of the millions (really?) that bought a treadmill. I couldn't resist. Amazon had one for 50% off and was offering free shipping! Shipping would have been over $130 for the thing. But, now that it arrived, I don't know what to do with it. It was supposed to arrive before or after the AC - not during. The box is HUGE. It's got to be at least 10 feet long, by 4 feet wide, by 1 foot thick. It is in one box and weighs 217 pounds. Mom met the delivery guy. She sweet talked him into bringing it into my living room.

If you've been in my living room, you have a general idea of how much open area is in there. The treadmill takes up the ENTIRE space. I have to push my coffee bench/table against the sofa just so I have a path to walk. Right now, the living room floor is the best place for it. I'll attempt (with lots of help) to get it upstairs after the AC is installed. But, I have a stamping open house on Sunday and the AC won't be done until Tuesday!!! This is crazy!!! And, my back porch is covered in boxes too! That's what you get when you do all of your holiday shopping online and are too lazy to take the boxes out with the recycling last week. UGH!

But, I'm having fun dreaming now about how to disguise the exposed duct work upstairs. Along both side walls of the house will be a duct. It's about 1 foot by 1 foot. Everyone talks about building shelves on top of it. That would work. But, what about a cabinet? I'm thinking about a waist high cabinet with doors. Under each window I could build a window seat. How cute would that be? Mounted on the front bottom of each bookshelf or cabinet will be mounted my electric heat! I'm looking forward to having a more permanent heating solution upstairs. Maybe I'll have it finished in time for summer!!! So here's my homeowner's to-do list:
- AC is installed.
- Have electric service upgraded so AC will work!
- Clean out 2nd room upstairs for exercise room
- Carry up treadmill and set it up (room to be finished later)
- Fix overhead light fixture (already purchased and upstairs)
- Build bookcases or cabinets or whatever to hide exposed ductwork
- Cut hole in wall and install custom-made door (already purchased and upstairs)
- Finish priming the walls and bookcases
- Paint room
- Install electric baseboard heaters
- Hang ceiling
- Install wall-to-wall carpeting in Master Bedroom Area (not a priority since I'm broke)
- Pick out and have new screen door installed (gift cards from Christmas are burning a hole in my pocket)
- Scrub/Clean and restain front step (waiting for warm weather now)
- Save money then replace windows and siding and doors.
- Replace/Build fence
- Plant grass in backyard
- Have landscaper make my flower beds pretty and maybe plant some trees/shrubs in backyard
- Replace front and back walks
- Enclose screened in porch, raise porch floor, rework basement door, and install wood-buring fireplace
- Replace garage and have driveway paved
- Build shed in backyard for gardening tools - I have tons of extra time on my hands to pick up an extra hobby!
- By that time I'll be married and maybe even have a couple of kids and will need to buy a bigger house!!!! But, at least I increased the resale value of my home!

What do you think? Remember, it doesn't cost a thing to dream......

2008-01-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

Home Improvements
Well, my Air Conditioning is being installed as I type! The guys are really nice (and love my craft room). I've been designing my projects for this weekend as they work - oh, and I "work". I heard some drilling and pounding and things, but when I exited the craft room, I spotted one of the guys drilling a small hole in my dining room ceiling. When I commented about drilling already, he pointed out that there's already a vent in my kitchen!!! That was before 10am! I guess they're only going to install the vents today. They'll figure out what other supplies they need for the rest of the project and start the duct work tomorrow. I also can't believe how big the air handler is! They say they may have to take it apart. That sounds risky. But, I trust these guys.

What's my next project after the AC is installed? Well, it's obviously finishing the second floor and installing heat. Oh, and getting my electric upgraded. However, a major piece of the next project arrives tomorrow - my treadmill. I think I'm going to turn the second room upstairs into an exercise room. The challenge? Getting a 200 pound treadmill upstairs!!!

2008-01-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year
How did you ring in the new year? Mike and I headed up to Westville to party with Julie and her family. It was a fun evening and at about 10 before midnight we headed outside. Julie's sister, Tracey, and her husband live about a block from a perfect viewing point for the Penn's Landing Fireworks. But, everywhere you looked fireworks were going off all around us. It was beautiful. But, what was the best was kissing Mike and midnight - at least it was pretty close to midnight according to his cell phone!

2007-12-31T14:06:00.001-05:00

Never a Dull Moment
I'm sure by now you've all realized that there's never a dull moment in my life. At 11:15 this morning, my air conditioning installation guys called to tell me they'd be at my house at 9am on Wednesday. Yes, this should be good news. HOWEVER, I wasn't expecting them to install the AC until the end of the month or early February. I still have to clean out the second floor - which means carrying a ton of crap from the attic down 2 flights of stairs to the basement. It also requires me to have updated electrical service. Julie's dad will probably be updating my electrical service, but because I wasn't prepared for such an early date, I hadn't even talked with him yet. I probably also have to line up the electric company to upgrade my electrical service. UGH. So, the good news is that I can start finishing my second floor a lot sooner than I thought, I'll have real heat a lot sooner than I thought, and I may not have a room to sleep in for a week. I'm wondering what this means for my stamping open house on Sunday afternoon!!! There's never a dull moment in my life and I'm overdue.

2007-12-31T08:20:00.000-05:00

FABULOUS Weekend
Mike and I had one incredible weekend this past weekend! We packed so much in and visited with so many people, it'll be tough to beat.

We started out Saturday morning for Lancaster around 10:30 - I was in desperate need of an eyebrow wax and he needed to hit the gym before heading out. We stopped for lunch in Gap, PA but later regretted it. We were just going to do something quick and simple since we knew we had some great meals coming up the rest of the weekend. However, once we got down towards the outlets, we realized there was a new Sonic. I've heard people rave about this fast-food establishment before. And, Mike and I get frustrated when we see them advertised on some of the cable channels since there aren't any near us. The food looks good. So, we know where we'll eat on our next trip.

We first hit the Rockvale Square outlets. Of course our first stop was Lenox China! I found some real bargains there while trying to stick to some kind of budget. We then hit the Eagles Outlet. It was interesting, not too many bargains unless you wanted a player's jersey who no longer played for the team! Otherwise, most things were only 10% off.

We then walked over to Pfaltzgraff where Mike proceeded to strongly encourage me not to start a whole new pattern of dishes, but to add-on to the sets that I already owned. I walked out buying nothing. But, as we exited the store I spotted a brand new Restoration Hardware outlet. My favorite window candle lights are from the store. My bathroom window doesn't have a light because I'd have to string the wire all around the room. However, they had one remaining battery-operated light left - and it was mine!

We then drove over to Bass Shoes. I needed new black shoes and Mike was shopping for boots. I found a comfy pair of shoes - Bass always comes through for my big feet. He then insisted on walking over to Pottery Barn. It was a nice day and we had time and it wasn't that far. But, in the back of my head a little voice told me that we wouldn't be able to carry whatever I bought back across the parking lot. Unfortunately, only about 10 minutes later, I was right!

Everything in Pottery Barn was 25% off. Furniture (which I tried to avoid) was 50% off. I saw one couple buy an entire dining room set. I just don't have any room left. Well, I struck gold. Everything I bought was something I'd been wanting (sort of). I picked up another couple of place settings for some dishes I already have. I picked up a domed cake server (I didn't have one) for $12!!! And, all of the Bedford Accessories in my Craft Room must be soon to be discontinued, because they had my magazine racks, scrap bin, and accessories spinner-thing in there discounted, then 25% off. So, I picked up "backups" of the ones I have - plus, I'm sure I'll be able to use them!!!

Mike and I were both pooped. Even though, we were invited to stay over at Melissa and Jonathans, we opted to stay at a hotel so I could earn another night and try to desperately hold onto my hotel status for at least one more year. So, we crashed for about an hour then headed up to Lebanon.

I love Melissa and Jonathan's house. It sits back in the woods and is so spacious and beautiful. They've made some improvements since the last time I'd been there so I enjoyed seeing the changes. Melissa cooked a fabulous dinner of stuffed shells. They hit the spot. They shared their photos from Kenya. They put together a book using Shutterfly. It was REALLY cool and looked SO professional. I may have to have one made of Australia. I hate to say this, but it's much faster than traditional scrapbooking. After dinner, they brought out a game they have fallen in love with - I had never heard of it. But, we gave it a try and it's now at the top of my shopping list. It was called "Settlers of Catan". The manufacturer describes the game like this: "One of the most successful games of all time, Settlers of Catan is a trading and building game set in the mythical world of Catan. Players roll dice to determine which resources are generated each round and then must strategically trade those resources with other players to get what they need to build their settlements, cities, and roads."

Yesterday morning we woke up early and decided we needed to do more shopping. We stopped at Target first because I needed to restock my non-existant supply of allergy medicine. Mike came prepared with just about every remedy under the sun. Every ailment I had, he had a fix for. With my travel-planning abilities and his packing abilities, we're a good pair! I was doing really well at only buying what I needed - four things from the travel items aisle. That's when Mike called to tell me he was in the Christmas section and everything was 75% off. Now, I should have had enough smarts to realize we would need a cart, but we tried to carry it all - and failed. We did good. In the end, we had a cart full of stuff. He spent $20 and I spent $30. Not too shabby!!! Then it was on to the outlets.

Mike was still searching for boots so I left him off at Timberland while I explored Coach, Bath and Body Works, and Eddie Bauer. I got a little nervous at first because the Coach store has moved. I didn't really find anything in any of the stores then jumped in the car and drove down to the very front of the outlets to go jewelry shopping. I didn't find any jewelry, but I did find a new Burberry Watch. I love it, but forgot to put it on. Poor Mike couldn't find me. He was calling my cell phone, but I didn't hear either of them ringing!!! So, I raced back up to Timberland to provide my opinion of his new black boots. Overall, it was a very successful shopping trip and we got everything that we wanted. I found the dishes I wanted, shoes, and even some things that were on my wish list. He found his boots and picked up a book he'd been wanting.

We next drove up to Stevens, PA and spent the afternoon with Mike's friends. We had a really nice time and they have some very affectionate cats! I enjoyed listening to Mike talk with his friend Dan. They love to discuss and analyze tv shows and movies. You have to listen to appreciate it. We also watched the last half of the Eagles game then set off for our final destination - dinner with Kelly and Matt at Border Cafe!!!

Mike and I are both trying to get back on diets after New Years. Since we both love Border Cafe (who doesn't), we figured stopping there would be a good idea as a last treat to ourselves. We had a great visit with Kelly and Matt then headed over to Borders for some coffee and shopping.

We really couldn't have planned a better weekend. I hope we can do it again - with maybe a little less food!!!

Now it's on to New Years Eve. We're heading to three different parties/dinners over the next two days. We're certainly making the rounds! I hope I can stay awake!!!

I hope you all have a safe and happy new year!!! Blog to ya next year!

2007-12-26T13:47:00.001-05:00

Christmas Review
So, what was your favorite Christmas gift? I don't have to think too long before answering that one. How did you spend the holiday? Here's how mine shaped up...then I'll answer my first question.

My family's Christmas Eve was fairly traditional this year. Ever since I bought my house, I always serve Christmas Eve dinner. I guess I'm a central location for the family - not that anyone lives too far away - and I also live a few blocks from church. This year I made it easy on myself. I did a pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, and my family's baked bean recipe. Mom and I both experimented with desserts which were both flops. Oh well. Mom's was Rachel Ray's quick Fudge recipe. I think I saw it on Oprah a few years back. Mine was a Smores Bundt Cake - a mix from Williams Sonoma. You'd expect both to be good. Thank goodness there was crack and cookies as a backup.

For the Pork Tenderloin, I made a spice rub which was made up of equal parts Garlic Powder, Ground Thyme, Ground Oregano, Cumin, and Corriander. I then seared it in olive oil and minced garlic for about 5 minutes on each side. Then I baked it until done - 30 minutes or so on 350. It wasn't half bad!

After dinner we headed to our church's Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. I always cry when we all have our candles lit and are singing Silent Night. It's always such a beautiful service.

Now on to Christmas! I got up very early as Mike and I exchanged gifts first thing. He's adorable. He's like a big kid at Christmas. I wasn't allowed in the living room as he arranged my presents under the tree. I had already boxed up the ones to take to my parents. So, the only gifts under the tree were his and mine - and the gift Brooke and Ed got me from Pottery Barn (that's an important part of the story). So, once allowed in, I tried to sit on the sofa and open gifts. He wasn't having any part of that. So, we sat on the floor in front of the tree. The pile of gifts for me was larger than the pile of gifts for him, so he suggested that I start.

My first gift was kind of a joke. Because Kmart was open late on Sunday night, I thought it would be fun to go and see what was on sale. I struggled with a snowman pillow from Martha Stewart. I had it in my cart and walked around the store. At the last minute I talked myself out of it. Well, the next day Mike went back and got it for me. The best part??? He was giving a coordinating snowflake throw blanket away at his family's white elephant on Christmas Eve. In the end, he ended up with the blanket and gave it to me on Monday night as an early Christmas gift. So now I had a matched set! Mike and I love cuddling on the couch under fuzzy blankets - so it was an appropriate gift we'll both enjoy. Wow...this is going to be long if I talk about each item for that long.

Next I opened an adorable Mickey Mouse mug. It's a really cool shape. Sorry, can't find an online picture of that one. I think I made him open a gift next. I had one big gift for him and a gag gift. I had him open the gag gift. He seems to love graphic t-shirts. While mom and I were shopping, I spotted a Christmas-themed t-shirt that read "Your rooftop or mine?". Well, I had lost the gift and had pretty much convinced myself that it was accidentally thrown away. I found it at 9pm Christmas Eve sitting in it's bag on the top shelf in my basement - a perfectly logical location for it! He proudly wore the t-shirt all day long!!! He did, however, say he wouldn't have worn it if I had done what I had originally planned - and bought us matching t-shirts!!!

So, it was back to my gifts.....I think the next gift I opened was the one he promised he'd get me - a Pizza Cutter. In my family, we're perfectly content to cut pizza with scissors. Most people think we're weird. But why not use a multi-functional tool instead of cluttering up drawers with tools designed with only one purpose!?!?!?! Apparently I was insulting his Italian heritage - no scissors for pizza (at least in front of him).

My next gift was a coordinating Disney mug. This time it was a Pooh Bear mug. I love Winnie the Pooh. I was down to my last gift. As I felt it, I was pretty sure it was probably Season 3 of Lost on DVD. I was really excited. I love Lost and I'd forgotten to mention the idea to anyone. So, I was flattered that he thought of it all on his own. But, instead of opening it and confirming my assumption, I had him open his big gift. I got him a Navy Peacoat. He had commented awhile back that he'd wanted one for awhile (apparently years). He seemed thrilled with it and wore it proudly over his embarassing t-shirt all day long!!! Well, he took it off in the house. I'll have to post pictures when I have my camera (kinda doing some "personal" stuff at work).

Then I got to open my gift - and I was right - it was Lost Season 3. I was happy. He got me lots of nice, thoughtful gifts. HOWEVER, I had convinced myself that I was getting jewelry for Christmas. Why? He had told me a story about a shopping experience he had with his sister and mother before Thanksgiving where he needed their advice. Now, I pretty much knew about every gift he was giving every family member. Since he didn't go into great detail about this shopping trip, I could only assume that he was shopping for me. And, what else would you need a mother and a sister's advice for but jewelry. Well, I was trying to hold back the tears and convince myself that it was all my fault that I was upset. I had allowed myself to foolishly get my hopes up. Well, Mike was standing in my living room, trying on his new coat, when he pointed to a small, silver bag hidden behind the gift Brooke and Ed had given me the day before. He said something like "looks like Santa left you another gift over there." It was TOTALLY "A Christmas Story" moment - the moment when the kids have opened their gifts and Ralphie hasn't gotten his Red Rider BB Gun! His dad points to the corner of the room and hidden behind a piece of furniture is his most-wished for toy. Well, that's how I was. I opened the bag (and little box inside) to find a gorgeous pair of diamond hoop earrings!!! Now, just the night before I realized that my left ear was pretty infected from wearing costume jewelry. It HURT a lot. But, I couldn't get those earrings in my ears fast enough and suffered through the pain all day!!! I guess by now you've realized what my favorite gift was this year!!!

Okay...that brings me to 9am!!! I have a whole day to go!!! Mike and I parted ways - he went to his parents' house and I went to mine. I like being the only kid on Christmas morning (sorry Ed - you get your day the day before). I got lots of things I asked for - a new Tivo that allows you to record 2 shows at once, a gift card for a new screen door for the front of my house, dish storage containers, some more jewelry, dishes, an alarm clock, an indoor/outdoor thermometer, and lots of other goodies! Mom cooked a delicious lunch of cream of chicken soup and homemade bread. The house smelled wonderful and the food was delicious.

After lunch I flew over to his family's house to celebrate for a few hours with them. Mike has a 2-year old nephew, so it was fun to watch him get excited about gifts. Although, he was getting pretty tired.

We enjoyed a few hours of downtime on our own before heading over to my parents house for dinner. Mom made a fabulous ham dinner. My Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Ray also joined us to wrap up an enjoyable evening.

Mike and I then went back to my house to snuggle up with some Christmas presents and watch the Incredibles. Very cute movie!!! Now I'm back at work and Christmas already seems like it was weeks ago. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me!!!

2007-12-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

2007-12-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars
Did you try them last Friday? I thought I'd share the recipe with you. Click here for the recipe. Enjoy!

How about my super-easy Peanut Butter fudge? Yup - here's the link.

2007-12-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

Julie and Knives
Julie and I went out to dinner last night. But, she's starting to scare me. We went to Pizza Hut - I've been craving it for several weeks now. I needed stuffed crust pizza. I know, how much worse can you make pizza??? But, that's what I wanted. And, to Julie's delight, they had the all-you-can eat salad bar buffet on special as well. That's where the problem began. Apparently Pizza Hut only gives their customers the dullest knives known to man - and they don't cut tomatoes. So, Julie - not shy at all - and went up and asked for a sharper knife. They didn't have any. So, when the server came back to the table we were joking about it. She said the only thing they had were giant knives used to cut vegetables - Julie's eyes lit up. That's exactly what she needed!! So, the server brought her the gigantic knife in the picture. Julie barely finished slicing her salad and the server came to fetch the knife - guess she didn't trust us with that "weapon".

2007-12-18T10:37:00.001-05:00

They're Sent!
Straight from my mailbox to yours....my Christmas cards were mailed this morning!

2007-12-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

Pictures
Hey gang! I posted the pictures from Friday night. Click here to view the album.

2007-12-17T07:47:00.000-05:00

What a Weekend!
I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Well, I can think of one thing I would have preferred - I would prefer not to be sick today, but that's okay, I'll recover.

I thought my Open House was fabulous on Friday night. I think everyone had a good time - especially the folks who played the Wii. Kelly, Matt, Sharon, and Steve didn't head out until like 1am!!! I could have sold at least 4 Wii game systems that night! I enjoyed watching everyone play. I promise to post photos, but they're still trapped on my camera. My biggest priority right now is getting my Christmas cards finished and mailed so you all receive them before Christmas. I got 42 out of 73 completed last night.

I couldn't have pulled off Friday night without the help from mom, Julie, and Mike. Thank you guys!!! It may have to be a tradition I keep up for years to come. After too few hours of sleep, I was off to Philly to have brunch with my Philly Inker friends. That was tons of fun too. Claire made a fabulous brunch which included blueberry pancakes and an egg/asparagus caserole. Yummie. Then we set a record - we made 52 cards in about 45 mintues. And, it was an involved card with several layers. And when I say "made", I mean we cut supplies, stamped cards, and even stamped envelopes! I wish I could have that team to do my Christmas cards!!!

After brunch, I raced home to meet up with someone who was going to give me a quote on windows and siding. I'm still waiting to hear back, but that project isn't going to happen for several months....I have to get through this AC thing first!!! I did squeeze in a 2-hour nap before getting ready and heading out for Suishi date night with Mike and some of his friends. We had a lot of fun! After sushi we headed over to Adelphia.

Sunday I elected not to go to church. I had to "flip" my house and convert it to my stamping open house. I was doing pretty good - but I didn't get everything cleaned in time. But, I had fun visiting with some of my customers. And, Julie and I stamped our Christmas cards and ate leftover appetizers from Friday night. I miss stamping with Julie!!!

So, I survived. Woo Hoo!!! Now it's time to relax!!! Bring on Christmas!

2007-12-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

It's Party Time!
Well, tonight's the night. I've been planning and preparing all week. The house has been transformed! The food is ready. Of course I have a bit more clutter to "hide", but the house is otherwise ready! Aren't coming? You're going to miss tons of fun. Here's the menu:
- Beer Bread and Spinach Dip
- Veggie Tray
- Potato Chips
- Pretzels
- Tortilla Chips
- Various Dips: Onion, Fiesta, Veggie, and Asiago Cheese
- Chocolate Fondue served with various dippers: marshmallows, rice crispy treats, pretzels, bananas, and strawberries
- Cheese and Pepperoni Platter
- Several varieties of cookies
- Nuts and candy
- Peanut Butter Fudge
- A Gingerbread House (if we can figure out how to eat it)
- Chocoate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars
- Sundried Tomato/Feta Cheeseball
- Various hot appetizers

The classroom has been transformed into the Wii gaming room. It even has a tree! I love it! I hope people have fun. I just wish I had more guitars! The craft room has been transformed into a bar. The living room is cozy and welcoming. I've even rearranged my dining room and kitchen to accomodate all of the food and beverages. I can't wait to see all of you!!! Yes, I'll take pictures. Mike has been a HUGE help and has kept me sane. He helped me purchase beer and wine last night. I could tell the guy was getting frustrated. Julie's coming over as well to help tonight. But, luckily, a lot of it is already done because I had a blessing in disguise yesterday.

Remember my plumbing issues? The one where solid human waste flows out of my vent pipe and into my backyard? Yup - perfect timing! However, this time we were going for a more permanent solution! My plumber wanted to drive a new pipe in through my basement and under my back porch. This made me REALLY nervous since if things went wrong, I wouldn't have a bathroom for the party. I had already started thinking about "Port-a-Johns". Wouldn't that have been fun? So, I "worked from home" yesterday. I don't get time off for another month, so having the day at home was a huge blessing - I got lots of preparations done. And, the plumbing fix only took an hour and a half! Not too bad!!!

See you tonight - and bring your appetite!!!

2007-12-11T09:55:00.000-05:00

Ooops
I guess I forgot to blog. Sorry about that. Lots of stuff has been happening-good stuff. I'm finally recovered from Friday night's concert. Here's a picture. As you can see, we were pretty close to the stage! We were also standing right next to the speakers - so it took quite awhile for my right ear to recover. It was enjoyable and we're already looking forward to their next concert on February 8th (Ed's birthday).

The rest of the weekend was fun. I had stamping classes on Saturday then Mike and I headed over to Melissa's Tree-Trimming Party. That was fun. I just LOVE her house. It has so much character - and a fireplace. Sunday was relaxing. I spent the day starting to decorate. I got up my two big trees - living room and dining room. The garland is hung around the porch. I also decorated last night. I got the Christmas China in the cabinet and continued decorating. My goal tonight is to get the decorating done. Julie's coming over Thursday night to help with some of the pre-party baking. Sounds like I'll have a good turnout - I'm expecting 20 people!! That's a lot for my tiny house. The living room seats 8. I want to see my mom play the Wii!!! Oh, I almost forgot - all of the Christmas presents that have arrived at my house are also wrapped and under the tree! I did quite a bit of shopping the last few days so they're still coming and need to be wrapped. I'm feeling pretty good.

Okey dokey - time for me to get some work done. Ooooh - 1 more hour until Amazon posts their next special!!!

2007-12-07T08:47:00.000-05:00

Concert Number 3
Tonight Mike, Jess, and I are headed back into the city for another Marah Concert. Marah is the group Mike and I went to see in Old City several weeks ago. This is their Christmas concert. I'm looking forward to it since I really enjoyed their music the last time. However, the concert doesn't start until 9pm and there are three bands performing! What time do you think we're going to get home?!?!!? And, did you hear they're predicting more snow for today!?!?!? Wow! I love the white stuff, but I wish it would melt off of the streets and walkways. I shoveled a lot of the white crap from my front porch thinking the sunny day yesterday would take care of the rest. Boy, was I wrong!!! At least it's supposed to stay freezing for awhile now - do I believe weather.com???

2007-12-06T15:28:00.001-05:00

Is it Bad When....
...your boyfriend sends you this article? Do you think he's trying to tell me something????

2007-12-06T14:18:00.001-05:00

So, I took these silly online things to figure out what I'd be....here are the results. What are you?

Your Elf Name Is...

Ditzy Fluffernutter

What's Your Elf Name?

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts.

You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary.

But you sure can beat a good drum.

"Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

2007-12-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

SNOW!!!!

How did I ever live without a camera phone? Mike and I were chatting last night and disagreed over our snowfall totals. He seemed to think we got about an inch. I disagreed and snapped this photo. How much would you estimate was piled up on my front porch at 10:30 last night? The 11:00 news mentioned that Glassboro received 3.5 inches. I think there's at least 3.5 inches there. I actually had to get up and shovel this morning!

I was supposed to head to Philly last night for our monthly downline meeting. I'm glad I didn't. I would have driven home in a big mess. Granted, the further north you were, the less snow you received. But, by staying home, I was able to finish cleaning the craft room and class room. So, I feel like I am in much better shape for this weekend now. I even have tonight to get prepared for Saturday's class.

Ooooh...and I'm loving my new wireless home! I was carrying around my laptop as I was cleaning the craft room and typing in the supplies I needed to reorder as I went. At the same time, since my iPod is dead, I tuned in to internet radio on my Tivo. How nice!

Oh....and I also set up a bare bones MySpace page last night. I had been putting that one off for awhile. I have three websites that I maintain, plus I've been trying to upload more photos to Splitcoast on a regular basis. I didn't need another site. But, I have one. It says nothing about me - but Mike did make sure I changed my relationship status!

2007-12-04T07:38:00.000-05:00

Great Monday
Yesterday was pretty great, considering it was a Monday. Work was work. But, Mike made my Monday fabulous! First, he finally got my wireless internet up and running. I'm sure you're scratching your head wondering why it's taken me this long to get wireless internet in my house. You may also be more curious if you knew that I've had a wireless router for about two years now and have never hooked it up. Well, I was chicken. I was lazy. I was scared that it would be unsecure. Well, Mike got me all fixed up last night. Now I can go anywhere with my laptop. But that's not all!!! It gets better! Because I now have wireless, my Wii can be connected to the internet. So, now I can download games - like Super Mario Brothers. Remember that game? I remember playing that game in my brother's room as a kid. I downloaded it immediately! But that's not the coolest part. I can now play Guitar Hero against other people online!!!! Mike and I did that. It's a bit more of a challenge for me until they start selling additional guitar controllers for the Wii. But that's not all!!! Mike also connected my Tivo to my internet. I've been dialing up for a couple of years now. Being online means I have TONS more options - I can rent movies online, I can listen to music, I can get updates quicker, and I'm sure there are several other things I can do that I don't know about yet. Oh, I can log onto any computer in the world and tell my Tivo to record a program. How cool is that?

On top of that, Mike cooked me dinner last night! I had to wonder what I'd done that he would do so much for me in one day. I felt very spoiled.

Tonight my goal is to clean the Craft Room. I REALLY want to decorate for Christmas, but I'm finding that to be difficult because I have a messy craft room hanging over my head. So, I'm going to knock that out, have a clean house, then clutter it up with all of my Christmas stuff!!! Check in tomorrow to see if I was successful!

2007-12-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

ACK!
Did you know that there are only three weeks left until Christmas? I think I'm now in all-out panic mode. I've been calm and reminding myself that there's plenty of time left. Thanksgiving was early. Saturday was only the 1st day of December. While that's all true, Christmas is rapidly approaching. I had a fantabulous weekend this weekend. I even sorta decorated the house. I hung wreaths on the door, lit the window lights (they haven't been put away for years now), and threw some garland around my dining room chandelier. Oh, and I'm serving food on Lenox Holiday Platinum! Tonight is dedicated to decorating. Although, there's no room in my house for a tree - let alone the four or five I usually have. ACK!

Are you coming to my holiday party? It's gonna be a blast! I think I now have between 15 and 20 people coming! Woo Hoo! You know I'm having fun planning. Want a sneak peek at my brainstorming??? For those of you who are attending - and it's not too late to RSVP - I'm sure you'll be entertained to see how much of this actually works out!
- The Stamp&Scrap Classroom will be transformed into the Wii Wonderland! I'll have the ability for up to 4 people to play at once and the room should be large enough for some good games of tennis or golf or bowling. And, you can even perform a solo on Guitar Hero!
- The Craft Room will be transformed into the bar area. Where you will find a nice selection of beverages.
- The Dining Room will be overflowing with hot and cold appetizers, cookies, and snacks. I'm planning on a chocolate fondue and all kinds of other goodness. I may even experiment with the Food Network's 12 Cookies of Christmas. There's even a Gluten-Free cookie on the list this year. Yes, there will be "crack".
- The Living Room will be an intimate sitting room for lively conversation and visiting.
- The Kitchen will be a buzz of additional activity! That's probably where you'll find me since I will have overdone it! Although, Mike and my friends are really trying to encourage me to "keep it simple".

This weekend was fun. Mom and I went shopping for Christmas Gifts for homeless kids on Saturday morning. This is an annual tradition at our church. In our tri-county area, there are 1043 kids who are considered "homeless". Our church and a few neighboring churches "adopt" a child and buy a bag of goodies for them. These will be the only gifts they receive this year. It's a fun tradition mom and I have been taking part in for at least the last 6 or so years!

Saturday night I had some stamping friends and mom over to make holiday cards. Okay, I'm getting jealous of my customers. They have their cards done! Mine aren't even designed yet! Every time I come up with something I'm told it's too complicated. Ugh.

Sunday was packed full of fun! Church was in the morning followed by my Tastefully Simple party. We had an intimate gathering and sampled lots of delicious dips, bread, cake, beverages, soup, and pretzels. Be on the lookout for some of these at my Open House - especially a couple of those tasty cheese balls! Claire came down for the party and decided to stick around for our church's Christmas Pageant. Mike also escorted me. Our church doesn't exactly put on a "traditional" pageant. They've been putting on a series of plays every year now that focuses on a group of cousins. This year "Christmas Leaves Cricket County" entertained us all. They put on such an entertaining play. Each year they get better and better. I'm sure it wasn't at all what Claire was expecting - I warned Mike - but I hope they enjoyed it.

Now it's back to a fun week at work. 3 Weeks 'Til Christmas!

2007-11-30T15:38:00.003-05:00

Another Review
Just trying to pass the last 30 minutes here at the office this week and ran across this new review of Guitar Hero 3.

2007-11-30T15:38:00.001-05:00

Another Review
Just trying to pass the last 30 minutes here at the office this week and ran across this new review of Guitar Hero 3.

2007-11-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

Sad Day
I've just received word that a former colleague of mine, Dave Johnson, died yesterday. We worked together at Commerce. You all knew him as the "mystery commenter" from last year. He hadn't commented on my blog recently, but I know he faithfully checked it daily. He was a good guy. He was caring and friendly. He would always bring a smile to my face, encouraged me to open a scrapbook store, and picked on me for never having enough candy. In fact, I believe his last comment on my blog was related to a jar of candy he spotted on my desk in a picture I posted of my workspace at the college on May 31st! I know he will be missed.

2007-11-29T15:33:00.000-05:00

Convenience
Wow! I'm so excited. I just learned that two new places deliver to my house. First, I came home earlier this week to a flyer from Domino's Pizza hanging on my door. A major pizza chain now delivers to Elmer! How cool is that?!?! Next, I think I'm going to be lazy and let my groceries come to me! There's a standard delivery fee ($9.95) to have Acme deliver your groceries. Here's how I'm gonna justify it - when I shop, I tend to buy items I don't need. Plus, I spend a good $4 or so on gas getting there. Plus, my time is valuable. I'd rather sit at work and type my list into the computer! So, I figure as long as I don't spend $6 on something I didn't need in the first place, I'm saving money by shopping online. Make any sense to you?

Oh, and Merry Christmas to me! I'm treating myself to central air conditioning - finally. I got a couple of quotes. So, just in time for the coldest days of the year (January and February), my air conditioning will be installed!!! I can't wait until June!!!