Pest Control and Other Problems!

Hey Y'all!

Thought I'd let you know that something might finally be done to catch those little pests in my attic! Lynn got someone from the "Pest Control Authority" (LOL) to come and take a look at the problem. Says he can handle it but it might take a day or months. Duh, I know that; it's been two months since they moved in!

I also spoke with my computer guru today and he feels like everything will be cleared up and/or running by day after tomorrow at the latest. I know everyone means well when they give you positives but you and I know that NOthing is ever done in a timely fashion if it's for ME! Well, I've got to laugh about it or cry; I think laughing is best.

I finished a layout today! Yea! It's of my Suzy and it's done with all of my own creations; yep the alpha through the "butterfly dust" is all my own! Butterfly Dust is what I'm calling my ephemerals, cute huh? Any way, I like this one and I hope she does too. I'm hoping to get some new pics of my grand daughter Tabitha soon so I can scrap a good page for her.

Thanks for all the encouragement for me to apply to the CT call at iScrap! Y'all say such nice things! I'm going to work on some quick pages for my daughter Kim tonight so I'll talk to you soon.

Tootles!

I'm Working!

Hey Y'all! Yep, it's me! No, I haven't been on a long trip out of town-just out of my mind! LOL! Between the squirrels, stopped up toilets, sick children, and non-working computer programs, I have been too busy to do the things I like to do. The blasted squirrels will NEVER go away! I finally got the toilets working again (thank goodness). Kim is still very ill and we hope to have some news tomorrow about upcoming tests. The programs are not all working (even my PSE5 is not acting exactly like I think it should). I wanted to take some time and watch the DVD that I purchased from Adobe about Photoshop Elements but it's kind of hard to do that if you have no sound on your computer! I'm still waiting for the guru who put this one together to install the drivers!

I have been reading my email and the nice comments you make about the little Freebies I make available. Thank you so much, you have no idea how it boosts my mood to know that you appreciate me!

iScrap, the International Scrapbooking Association, has put out a call for a Creative Team! I don't have that much experience but I may try for it; I wanted to get on Flergs team but that's gone by the wayside (I didn't really expect to make it since I basically just started digi scrapping). I don't know how many people iScrap wants on the team but wouldn't you think it would be a lot since they are the big gurus of scrapbooking and they are just now putting together a team? Those scrappers who have stores selling their items will probably be picked first, but who knows? I might make it.

I just talked to Kim and I told her I was going to make some Quick Pages for her to use. If they turn out okay, perhaps I'll make them available to you. You know, Kim has Photoshop CS2 and doesn't know how to use it! I'd love to have it but can't afford to purchase it just now and certainly not after I just bought this CPU!

Here's a little mini-kit Freebie! Leave me some Luv! Enjoy!

Download Here

Tootles!

I Am Able To Go Online Now!

Hello! Looks like I'm finally on my way to having an ordinary, every day relationship with my computer! I finally found a 64 bit virus protection program and everything is working as well as can be expected. I am hurting in some areas because having a 64 bit operating system means that all programs won't work for me; the current industry standard is 32 bit. I'm not willing to give up speed for those programs. Anyway . . .

The squirrels are still in the attic! Driving me bonkers and keeping me from having a good night's sleep. But I think if that's all I have to complain about, then I'm doing great. I can type and use the mouse without hurting my hands. I go to the rheumatologist on Valentine's day so wish me luck, please.

I can hardly wait to visit my online friends at Serendipity and DigiShopTalk and Ready, Set, Create! It's been a good month since I was able to visit them! And have any of you visited Flergs or Vicki Chrisman lately? Their blogs are fabulous. They are listed in my "hot spots." Flergs is Welcome to my World and Vicki's is This Art That Makes Me Happy.

In celebration of my current computer highs I have made a small Freebie for you. It is tiny, but it is free! LOL! I have staples, a clippy, and a wooden school ruler ready for you to download. I did a preview page with them so you can see what I'm talking about:

Download Here

I'm on my way to bigger and better!

Tootles!

PS: Wish me luck for the Flergs CT call too! This is the latest page I entered:


I used the flower centers for decoration on the frame and I color changed and bleached out some flowers for the bottom layer. I also did an action on her glitter swirl so that it could be used for a boy! The green and brown go really well together, don't you think? Flergs is a brilliant designer.

I'll Be Back Soon!

Looks like things are getting a little better for me. The new CPU isn't perfect but it is fast. My problem is I'm afraid to spend too much time online because I had to remove my virus protection (so I could actually work on the system) and haven't been able to find any at a reasonable price for a 64 bit system. Just wanted to let y'all know that I'm still around and am going to work on some more Freebies for you. I'm also working on a layout for the CT call for Flergs! Dream come true if it would happen! LOL! It would be a dream-I haven't been doing this for very long! Take care. See you soon!

Tootles!

I got it!

I got it! The computer man, Kevin, brought it to me! It's just sitting there waiting on me to hook it up but I wanted to tie up some loose ends before I shut down. You never know what might happen once I unplug this baby and put the new one online. Keep your fingers crossed for me! All those nice thoughts y'all had for me today worked so maybe if you continue everything will be okay! Just wanted to update you!

Tootles!

Snow & Waiting

Hey y'all! Well, the southern part of North Carolina got snow! Yep, real honest to goodness snow that lasted about 5 hours. Of course these 5 hours were during the wee hours of the morning and when the children could have enjoyed it, it turned to snain (snow/rain)! We don't see much cold weather around here; one day it's in the 30's the next in the upper 60's (don't know how to translate that for you Celsius nations but 30's is cold, 60's is very warm). But I was really dismayed to see the one snow we have in several years fall during a time when I want to go and PICK UP MY NEW CPU! Ugh! The schools were closed for the day in Concord, NC, so my daughter had both of her children home. On top of that (and much, much, worse) Kim was sick all night long. She is an insulin dependent diabetic with problems of organ dysfunction and failures; she also has gastroperhesius (sp). That means that her stomach doesn't work more than 70% of the time and therefore the food she eats justs sits in her tummy and rots and makes her throw up for hours on end. I'm praying that she will get some rest today and be better by late afternoon; she doesn't deserve to always be sick and hospitalized so often. Count your blessing everyone. I don't believe I could continue on as this young woman has so valiantly. She is a true hero to her children and family; she volunteers at the children's schools and at her church. She tries to be available for me too. She is awesome!

So, if the computer guru will be kind enough to wait until Saturday morning, I should be able to pick up the new machine then. I need to do some back up work so I'll be signing off for now.

Tootles!

More Butterflies!

Hello everyone! As requested, by some of you who posted comments at 4SHARED, here are some more butterfly moths! There are 3 more and these are also 300 ppi and do not have any drop shadows added. These are not as life-like as the other 3 because these were harder to draw! Hope you like them and will leave me some luv either in the comments here or at 4Shared.

Download Here

I haven't heard a word from the computer guru who is assembling my new CPU. I'm so anxiety ridden that I have a permanent cramp in between my shoulder blades. I really wish I had it now because Flergs is having a CT call for just 1 (one) designer and I'd like to try my hand at it. I worked for two days on a layout that I'm not all that pleased with; it takes forever to bring things into the PSE5 workspace. Maybe it will get here before the competition closes and I can do another layout that's, hopefully, better!

What do you think of it? I'm not sure I'm doing this right, I recolored the ribbon and maybe I'm not suppose to do that?

Products Used:
Made with Flergs' SD Mini Kit with some frames from her Rough & Tumble kit & Lavender Tea kit; the note paper and butterfly are from her Caramel Pudding kit. The little cardboard tab is one I made and so is one of the frames.

Journaling:
Suzy, you will never realize how happy I was to find these early photos of you in some old albums of your Grandma Rose's! They were all just tossed in between blank pages as they were taken because no one had time to document them back then. What a delight to see you as you were before you came to our family! These photos will be cherished by me always to remind me of the little Suzy who filled my days with joy and my heart with love.

The theme for the competition is about what delights us and believe me, I couldn't have been more delighted that I was when Kim showed up with some of Rose's old albums and I found these of Suzy. Bart and Kim didn't meet until the Christmas before Suzy turned two, so we didn't have any photos of her prior to that. I guess you can imagine how much they mean to me! I love doing girly layouts and having these and the few I have of Tabitha really inspire me to do lace and butterflies!

I don't know if y'all noticed, but I put a counter back on the site. I needed it for tracking because I hope to get some revenue someday to offset the cost of my addiction to scrapping! It's only been on for 4 or 5 days so I'm getting some pretty good traffic!

Well, time to go clean up the kitty litter (ugh), tomorrow is garbage day! Oh! I found the cutest photo of Peaches when she was little, I had forgotten all about it. Check it out:


Isn't she just the cutest little baby? She was so sweet back in those days; she wasn't afraid of everyone like she is now. We cannot figure out why she is so skittish; no one has ever hurt her in any way.

OMGosh! Kevin just called to let me know the CPU is ready. I'm almost crying. I am scared and excited at the same time. Please think good thoughts for me and maybe this purchase will turn out to be a good one. My track record is pretty bad when it comes to getting a good deal or product. Gotta go!

Tootles!

Update

Just wanted you to know that I'm working on 3 more butterflies for your collections.

My new CPU hasn't arrived yet but when it does I will probably be occupied for several days getting it burned in and loaded. Keep your fingers crossed for me, okay? I really am anxious about this purchase and hope I've made a good decision. Till next time . . .

Tootles!

Sunday in NC

Today was suppose to be a good day for me but it looks like I've come down with a cold. I'm just checking out my favorite blogs and my email. I really hate it when I don't feel good enough to do
something productive.

Check out this beautiful layout:



It's my beautiful friend Megan with her adorable baby. I think it's Deacon but there are no clues as to which of her babies she's holding. She's just as beautiful now so I can't date it by her age either! She has recently posted some new layouts on her slides and this one just popped out at me. Don't you just love this kind of photo?! I've got a similar photo of my Kim and her Joshua when he was tiny. I've paper scrapped it but not digi scrapped it-maybe that's something I might feel up to today.

Oh, well. Hope all of you are having a great weekend and I pray that the weather doesn't get any worse no matter where you live!

Tootles!

Slow?

Yep, I'm very slow! I'm still waiting on that new CPU so that I can begin my year in earnest. Between the squirrels (and this morning's Great Blue Heron) and my computer problems I'm not getting much rest. A lot of my online friends are also in the middle of big changes so it seems like we've lost contact (thought I know this isn't true-it just SEEMS that way).

You know I told you how I hate Vista? It messed up my printer and scanner while it was messing with my mind! Both my printer and scanner had to have new drivers installed in order for them to work and they will probably never be the same again. I'm so ticked off with Microsoft. How can they do these deals with the CPU manufacturers when they know their product isn't functioning as it should. I even heard that they are going to issue another new operating system within six months; I believe it's Vista-reborn! Maybe they are fixing all the things that should have been ready when they released Vista. It's just a shame that those people who invested in a CPU or bought the program outright and were therefore committed to use the stupid program can't get their money back or at least an apology and a fixed program from MS.

Alright, off the soapbox. Is this weather driving y'all as crazy as it is me? One day you wear shorts and the next you have to put on woolen mittens and a hat. I feel like I'm coming down with the flu; I hope it's just my allergies giving me a fit-I can't deal with the flu on top of everything else that's going on in my life.

I'm really missing my friends over at Serendipity SB and my friend, Jill, at The Scrappy Gourmet. I just don't have a minute to myself these days that I'm not working on this computer or fighting with wildlife! As I mentioned above, we have a (actually a pair) Great Blue Heron that lives in the neighborhood. As my house is between a pond and a lake, the male who I call "Blue" (very original, huh?) likes to sit on my roof and survey the water from high up so he can see the fish better. We use to have a hybrid (Canada goose and a domestic goose) who liked to sit up there too. My roof looks striped (bird poop)! I don't know why I'm rambling so today. I think I may just be in a "holding pattern" waiting for things to get settled and I don't want to commit to anything right now. I think I'm going to go watch the football playoffs.

Tootles!

The Butterfly Kit

Well, one of the main problems of getting old(ER) is memory loss! I promised some butterflies and forgot all about them, duh, sorry! Correcting this right now! I've been so busy trying to get the squirrels out and getting a new computer in that I've neglected friends and family for too long. The squirrels are still here and the computer isn't, so what's new for me? Anyway, here are three little butterfly moths that I think you will like. I'll make more soon. Be sure and add drop shadows for realism if that's what you're going for; they are great to printout and use on paper layouts too!

Download Here!

I used one of them on this layout of Joshua after opening all his gifts on Christmas Eve. He is such a character and so cute too! Gotta Love 'em! I put this one together really fast so it's not as detailed as I wanted but it will do for now. When (and if) I get the new computer, I'll do a better job; it just takes so long with my current model.

Products: PP, Rubberband Wrap, Torn Chipboard, Butterfly: Liv's Lovelies/Paper Tears, Gear,Tab: Flergs-Rough & Tumble/Box Top Edges: Laura Burger/Crumpled Star: Manu70-Trevors Treasures/Horse Tag, Imbedded Eyelet: ScrappyPonyDesigns/Black Button: M Martin-Trevors Treasures/Rust Button: BooLand Designs-Paperblitz

I just love those cardboard box edges, I just need to learn how to make them look more realistic. Check out that little horse tag by ScrappyPony Designs, isn't it the cutest? I think it goes perfect with Flergs Rough & Tumble kit.

I heard from my friend Jill yesterday; she sounds like she feels better but keep her in your prayers along with my Kim and Joshua's possible dyslexia. I need to check (again) and see if the computer place has sent me a quote on the new system yet. Take care. Enjoy the Freebie!

Tootles!

Still Here!

Yep! Everything went fine yesterday, from the wildlife expert to taking back the CPU to Costco.

Kim came down to make sure I was okay and took me and the CPU to Costco. They are really great to deal with; no questions-just give back your money!

The wildlife expert, Mr. Jeffery, was really nice and kind and loves animals. He left a Hav-A-Hart trap for me to set and then call him and he'll move my little friends to a beautiful park located about 15 miles away. He told me to put out peanut buttered bread around and in the unset trap to get them use to eating around it before I actually set the trap. I swear I think the ring leader went outside last night and told his peeps that "hey guys! the party's at my house tonight! come on it!" What I thought was crying is actually kind of like a purr, Mr. Jeffery said the squirrel was VERY happy in my attic!

I have made some designs to stamp on some papers! I'm going to make a pack of papers! I'm excited about doing something for a change. I've also been working on a Christmas layout with me and my Joshua.

Oh! I found a few places that make custom setups and one of them is not too far from my house. I'm just hoping the prices are reasonable. I'll let you know what I find out. The online places are great and offer so much, including the XP Operating System! The shipping ads so much to the cost though and what recourse do you have if the machine doesn't work and you paid big bucks for it? I've purchased all kinds of things online (even computers and jewels) but always from well known companies if it is a big purchase. Now, scrapbooking online retailers are awesome! If you aren't aquainted with the way they operate you should try them out. No taxes, minumum shipping (and sometimes free) and most usually include a little candy gift or extra scrapbooking element with the package. One time I forgot to check outside the house for a package right after it was delivered by the post lady and when I did go out it was covered with ants! You better believe I make sure I check often when I'm expecting a package. LOL! One of the many perks of digital scrapping is the shipping is always free and another one is if you loose or mess up what you bought you can go back and get it again free if it's within the month you originally purchased it.

I have lots more to run on about but I need to get crackin' and do something!

Tootles!

Liv

Happy New Year

Well, in order for my New Year to start off right I decided to send the CPU back. I fought with it from the moment I received it-Vista is just too unstable for my needs. Even the sites I visited when I had it hooked up said they couldn't communicate with me because my browser was too old! The only program I got to load correctly was PSE5 and I didn't work in it but a couple of minutes so I'm not even sure of that. I'm toying with the idea of surfing the computer sites to see if I can get one custom built with what I want and using XP. Vista had some neat things in it but the bad way, way, way, out ranked the good. Maybe in another 5 or 6 years it will be stable. LOL!(believe me when I say I was not LOL yesterday or last night or even this morning).

Speaking of morning, I have a nice man coming to see if he can trap the squirrels that are in my attic (cut the jokes!). He is suppose to be here at 10am tomorrow. If you don't hear back from me, send in the SWAT team-I'll be alone and I don't know him. Not to worry-the lady that gave me his name and number is with the local government, so I'm sure he's very nice.

Hope to get back on here soon with something for you.

Tootles!