pier 1 lunch break

went to pier 1 today at lunch. it's 10% platinum tuesdays so i get an extra 10% off everything. i purchased some bedroom furniture a while ago and it is on sale now so i got to do a return and get a credit back on my account. i also had them raise my account limit and i added on the headboard and a tall, skinny chest of drawers. decided against the large dresser and will have a chair in my room instead.

also got some fun stuff for the house. a rug for the front entry, a lamp, buddah throw pillow, some potpourri and other things. will be fun to go home and decorate. am in desperate need of vacuuming however!

gasparilla layout

i'm quite happy the way this one came out. i have so many good gasparilla photos so i was trying to find a layout in which i could display at least twelve pictures only one page. the draft of this layout caught my eye yet it only held six pictures. i forced my self to narrow it down and picked the best seven and then came up with this. the paper is only one single sheet of patterned paper from a kit i subscribe to. i also used the stickers and some embellishments that came with the kit. overall i think it fits the event perfectly and i'm actually glad that i went with less photos than i planned.

resolutions 2006

one of the scrap book clubs i belong to suggested making one page for each month of 2006. during january we have nothing to scrap yet so the idea was to scrap our resolutions. my resolution was really a goal to gain balance in my life. this is the layout i created. it is serving as the title page for my 2006 albumn. the albumn i am using is a k&co basic grey album so i used the same product line for the paper in this layout.

another day of painting

today is the last big day of painting. they may come back for one more time. i just got my house in shape after putting away all the christmas things. now i had to mess it all up again taking things down off the wall and moving things around. however, in the end this will be a good thing because it will look really nice. my mom comes in about 10 days so i need to really work this coming week to get everything put back together.

color of your dreams

this one i'm not too happy about. it's a circle journal layout and the theme is "life's lessons." the size of the cj is 5x4.5 - the size of a cd cover. so that is basically no real estate to do anything. i found the lyrics to the song and just used that. i do love the words to the song however. i went to itunes to try and hear someone singing it but they don't offer that song.

Live in the color of your dreams.
Know everything you see is
not quite what it seems.
Take everything you have to give.
If you believe it, you can make it
what you want to.
All you gotta do is say you will.

Go for the vision in your mind.
Throw all you doubt away,
just leave it all behind.
You are the owner of the game.
Nothing will ever be the same
once you have played it.
You know yo u're gonna win
if you just say you will.

So dream of the day
when you will fly.
And let the wings of your destiny
carry you through the sky.
Take everything you have to give.
If you believe it,
you can make it what you want to,
and be living in the
color of your dreams.

Color of Your Dreams, Carole King

spaghetti con pomodoro e tonno

the theme for this circle journal is "what is your favorite recipe?" i picked spaghetti con pomodore e tonno which really is spaghetti with tuna sauce. i think i found this in cooking light. i don't know what inspired me to make it because i actually thought it would be kind of gross. it is so incredibly yummy! i think it's one of my favorites because it always tastes way better than anyone expects.

gasparilla 2006

we had a blast yesterday at gasparilla. i went over to linda's around 11am. ladonna and her sister sharon joined us. linda made a really good lunch - mustard chicken, potato salad and a nicoise salad. not exactly on my diet but relatively healthy all the same. the problem was the drinking. first a bloddy mary, then some chardonnay, then over to rum at coke, a switch to beer, back to wine and then finally back to beer for the rest of the night. we left for the parade around 12:30. we walked about a mile down to the bayshore and picked a good spot along the fence in the shade. met a single guy named keith and some of the people sitting next to us. it was AWESOME peopel watching. everyone had tons of beads and there were a variety of different people. at one point someone tipped a port-o-potty with someone in it. Guy came flipped the door open, stood on top with his arms up while the crowd cheered him on. It sucked but he was knocking it when the guy was in front of him so it may have been just. While waiting in line we smelled pot and sharon scouted it out and weaseled two hits. people were really friendly and everyone was just out for a good time.

linda's neighbors got there at 10:30 a.m. and set up a tent so we walked down over to them and they gave us a few beers. we left after about an hour. we all caughts a tons of beads and it was alot of fun. the floats weren't any big deal. everyone dressed as pirates and thew out beads. we walked the mile back to linda's and her boyfriend cuff (anthony) and one of his friends was there. after and hour or two of drinking wine we decided to go out. the problem was that i had the dogs at home that needed to be fed and let out. i called my mom for some motherly advice and we decided they needed to take one for the team and just stay home and have an accident if necessary. i was worried, but i got to go out and party which i never do.

we headed back out to a bar for a few beers. then linda and cuff decided to head home for the night. ladonna, sharon and i headed over to a place that had a reggae sign that we saw earlier. ended up that we just missed the reggae band. we hung out for a while. i started smoking cigarettes which i never do, not even when drinking so that tells what type of a night it was. i'm lucky that it didn't get me started again. all it got me was a sore throat and notion reaffirming that i don't want to be a smoker. but it felt good last night.

we headed back to linda's and all went to sleep around midnight. i left about 9:00 a.m. to get home to my animals and have my regular jenny craig food for breakfast. i'm a bit hung over but it could have been worse. taylor held it all night but tristen had 5 accidents. that's okay - he couldn't help it. all in all the event was a blast. i'm going to have to tell tiffany and margie to come down for it next year because they would love it. so relaxing and beautiful weather. i even got sunburn!

charlie's beak

i'm worried about charlie's beak. it is peeling quite a bit and i'm not sure if it's normal. i emailed the bcc group with some pictures asking if this is normal or if i need to get him to a vet. he's been a bit bitey lately but not sure if he's just playing or if something is bugging him.

a woman's guide to . . .

the theme for this circle journal is "a woman's guide to...". i had no idea what to do so i decided to write about my little guy. it should be cute to the person who receives it since most people don't own parrots.

A woman's guide to. . . owning a parrot!

1) You do not own the parrot, the parrot owns you 2) The parrot considers you to be around to do its bidding 3) Parrots are snuggly and like to play and cuddle on your shoulder 4) Be careful what you say around your parrot because if you say it often enough, or just once with great emotion, he may start repeating it. 5) Your bird likes to eat all the same things that are good for you, including pasta, rice, vegetables and fruits. 6) Parrots like to be part of the flock so make sure to include them with your entire family 7) A parrot will chose one of its flock (your family) to be its mate. This may not even be the person that likes the parrot the most. It can be a husband, child or even pet 8) You do not own the parrot, the parrot owns you

crispers

linda, julie and i went to crispers today at lunch. crispers is an awesome salad place. i had a chinese salad with smoked chicken. i even ordered fat-free dressing so it was pretty healty. the only thing that was in question was the fried wonton things that are in asian salads. there were alot of them and i ate them all up. overall, i think i did good for going out to lunch.

tristen's a keeper

yup. i decided to keep him. he's so cute and things are starting to work out. it will be more money and more time, but i've already pretty much adjusted. i'm really happy about it. he's got a different personality than taylor.

who would play you?

i had to prepare a layout for a circle journal with "who would play you?" as the theme. Instructions were: Which actress (can be current or past) would you choose to star in a movie about your life? Tell me why. Include a picture - of both of you, if you can. And if you've got a name for your movie, add that too!

I came up with Shirley MacClaine. I really like here and we kind of look alike since we both have red hair.

preparing to cruise

margie emailed me today to say that she was excited to go on the cruise. this got me into the vacation planning mode for a while. i spent most of my afternoon at work reading through all the excursions. the document is 64 pages long. there is so many good things to do it's hard to narrow them down. i signed up and paid for the america's cup sailing regatta that mom and dick are already signed up for so margie and i will go with them on that one. there were better ones for that destination but i guess this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and dick is really happy we're going. so now the ball is in margie's court to review them all and narrow it down a bit. i think the only thing i definately want to do is snorkel with the turtles.

leaning towards keeping him

i'm leaning towards keeping tristen. he's been holding it and waiting to pee outside after i get home. he and taylor seem to be developing some sort of relationship too. they may not quite play together yet but they are starting to. also, they are definately tolerating each other which i guess is all i can ask for.

dinner at alan's

tonight was a fun evening. karen and alan had out project group over to dinner. they made spaghetti and we all hung out and spoke. sam and rajiv asked that i bring charlie bird over so that they could meet them alan didn't care because he thought the kids would like it. they sure did. they all had tons of fun and were fighting over who got to hold him. it was the first time charlie was around so many people. but he was very good. cautious at first but then he was going from person to person like a trooper. he got to have pasta and bread for dinner which he always liked. i guess i came across as the crazy bird lady though :(

manatees

at lunch today we went over to the manatee viewing center at the big bend teco power plant. i was surprised how many people were there! it is actually a big attraction in the area. i thought we'd be one of only a few - maybe ten. instead there were at least 100 people there. a few buses of school kids on field trips. there was a gift shop that sold all sorts of things. i bought an ornament which i thought was a manatee but it ends up it is really a seal. sam, one of the consultants at work, got manatee necklaces for his children. i'm thinking about taking my mom there.

on the fence about tristen

i can't decide about keeping tristen or not. i go back and forth at least five times a day. he is a cute, kind and snuggly little guy. taylor and he are tolerating each other. real issues come when they eat, have toys or get my effection. and it's not that bad. the real downer has to do with his accidents. he just does not get it that he's supposed to go outside! sometimes he is outside for over a half and hour and then comes in and goes on the carpet.

please . . . {u2}

Sometimes song lyrics really hit home. I love that first moment I really HEAR cool song lyrics. Often I hear the song itself several times before I actually HEAR the lyrics. Another special moment to really HEAR lyrics is at a live performance. That is the case with this song. I was at my first U2 concert and was not a really big fan at the time. I got caught up in the performance and the entire show. Then, Adam’s pulsing bass and the Edge’s light guitar started making the most mystical noises. Bono started almost speaking the lyrics. They came out clear, precise and right at me. I was completely swept in and the entire journey of the song was like a roller coaster ride. This is one of the most emotionally charged, complicated, incredible songs the band has ever done. The lyrics reminded me of a previous time in my life. A time that is painful to remember. But I think that is part of what makes it such an incredible experience.



Please . . .
Lyrics by Bono and the Edge
performed by U2

So you never knew love
Until you crossed the line of grace.
And you never felt wanted
Till you'd someone slap your face.
So you never felt alive
Until you'd almost wasted away.

You had to win, you couldn't just pass
The smartest ass at the top of the class
Your flying colours, your family tree
And all your lessons in history.

Please, please, please
Get up off your knees.
Please, please, please, please, oh yeah.

And you never knew how low you'd stoop
To make that call
And you never knew what was on the ground
Till they made you crawl.
So you never knew that the heaven
You keep you stole.

Your Catholic blues, your convent shoes,
Your stick-on tattoos now they're making the news
Your holy war, your northern star
Your sermon on the mount from the boot of your car.

Please, please, please
Get up off your knees.
Please, please, please
Leave me out of this, please.

So love is hard
And love is tough
But love is not
What you're thinking of.

September, streets capsizing
Spilling over down the drains
Shard of glass, splinters like rain
But you could only feel your own pain.

October, talk getting nowhere.
November, December; remember
We just started again.

Please, please, please
Get up off your knees, yeah.
Please, please, please, please, ah.

So love is big
Is bigger than us.
But love is not
What you're thinking of.
It's what lovers deal
It's what lovers steal
You know I've found it
Hard to receive
'Cause you, my love
I could never believe.

new york {october 2005}

gatorland

16129 Bridgedale

nope - another ipod night

well, haven't got to the scrapbooking yet and it's almost 11pm. from 7pm until 10pm i was messing around with the ipod and making new playlists. i did decide real quick to select two layouts and get the pictures printed out. then i'll be closer to actually creating the page for tomorrow - hopefully.

a scrapbooking night

i don't think i'm even going to turn the tv on tonight. i am a bit tired but i'd like to get some scrapbooking done. maybe if i can dedicate two evenings to scrapbooking each week i can get alot done. it will be one approach i take to finding that balance i'm looking for.

lipizzaner stallions

we saw the lipizzaner stallions at the st. pete times forum this afternoon. i went with marcia and two of her daughters. these wonderful horses are originally from austria. i was unable to see them when we were visiting vienna but i had wanted to. it was very relaxing as the stallions performed to various waltzes and other music.

what's in my purse

this was a fun circle journal to participate in. the theme is "what's in my purse." it's part of the cj for cku houston. actually, this one i am not supposed to complete until februray of 2006 but i messed up and got this one confused with the one for 2 peas. luckily both of them were 6x6 pages so i was able to use this one as i originally created it.

life full circle

this is a circle journal layout for the two peas cirle journal i'm participating in. the theme is "life full circle" and we were each tasked to identify 10 goals we would like to accomplish before we die.

the girl in the mirror

this layout is for the cku houston circle journal. theme was called the girl in the mirror. i took kind of a goofy picture because it shows that everything is not perfect right now, but that it is all okay.

tristen gets another chance

well, i could have met up with the corgi rescue today and given tristen back, but i decided to give him another try. he is still having accidents but i guess he was never really house broken. if i decide to keep him that will be priority number one. he and taylor are okay, but jealous of each other. he is kind and gentle and does not go after charlie bird which is a plus. i get one more week to think on it.

ipod meltdown

to my great frustration, i somehow erased all the songs off of my ipod yesterday. i simply renamed it from DemonChild to Rachel and poof - all gone. I spend most of last night and most of today re-adding all my songs. I'm sure it will end up being a good thing as I will have many more songs which I like and forgot about. also, all the songs will now be on my pc so if this happens again it will not be a problem. but it's been stressful and not what i wanted. on a good note, i finally got my christmas tree taken down!

charlie bird helping out

charlie decided he wanted to help out as i was unloading my jenny craig food. he loves styrofoam. there was a better picture by my battery was dead. all the styrofoam was staticy and stuck all over him!

one week later

well, i picked up tristen last friday night. we spent the entire weekend together and i was out sick for two days during the week as well. he keeps having accidents. he and taylor don't get along. his foster parents who had him before i took him want him back. i think i will give him back. i hate to give up a dog but i know he is going to have a great life. he is just not happy with me. and neither is taylor. i'd normally feel defeated but i think it's the best thing for the dog.

tristen and isabel

i have been contacted by the corgi rescue about a brother and sister pembroke corgi who are both available. i have decided that i would like both. this way, the two can play with each other and leave taylor alone a bit. since taylor is getting old, they can learn from her but not bug her too much. then when she is gone i will still have two loving babies for several more years.

i get to go pick up tristen tonight. he is the sable corgi (solid brown). the foster mother says she doesn't want to give him up i have a two week trial with him but they tell me i will quickly fall in love. i get to go see isabel next week. she is being spayed today and will be up for visitors probably next weekend. at that time i can bring her home as well. charlie and taylor will think i've gone crazy - bringing home more dogs every week. i have an appointment for 1/20/06 for home depot to come out and see about a fence.

The Sonnet

The Sonnet
Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLDf)

Romantic, hopeful, and composed. You are the Sonnet. Get it? Composed?

Sonnets want Love and have high ideals about it. They're conscientious people, caring & careful. You yourself have deep convictions, and you devote a lot of thought to romance and what it should be. This will frighten away most potential mates, but that's okay, because you're very choosy with your affections anyway. You'd absolutely refuse to date someone dumber than you, for instance.

Lovers who share your idealized perspective, or who are at least willing to totally throw themselves into a relationship, will be very, very happy with you. And you with them. You're already selfless and compassionate, and with the right partner, there's no doubt you can be sensual, even adventurously so.

You probably have lots of female friends, and they have a special soft spot for you. Babies do, too, at the tippy-top of their baby skulls.

ALWAYS AVOID: The 5-Night Stand, The False Messiah, The Hornivore, The Last Man on Earth

CONSIDER: The Loverboy

Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.
My profile name: AutumnHarmony

blogthis

Way cool! I am using this new BlogThis! tool. I guess I had it all along and never knew it. There is an orange b in my goole toolbar. i just have to click it and a window opens up allowing me to type. then i can just post right to my blog. let's try it now . . .

when does it end

i have not yet even taken my tree down. i have too many ornaments and not enough storage. i ordered two ornament boxes and i do not think i'll start taking down the tree until i get those. other items i've had boxed up and my big challenge was to get them into the attic. i'm kinda afraid of heights and was very uncomfortable carrying things up the ladder into the attic. then, as i was almost finished i had the bright idea that since i live here alone, and have plenty of room in the garage, there is no reason to put all the christmas stuff in the attic. i could simply buy another set of shelves and stack everything up on that. too late for this year, but i'm not going to worry about getting anything else up there - except maybe the tree.

straightening up

it seems that i've spent the last few days straightening up. all sorts of things. my house, my life, my computer, my work. the housekeepers came today and it's so nice when someone else has cleaned. not as perfect as me, but at least i didn't break my back doing it. i'm still working on balance. tonight i'd both like to scrapbook and watch tv. since it is not even 7pm i should be able to do both. but since i never do anything half ass, i know i'll get totally sucked in to whichever one i decide to do. i think i'll aim for watching tv and at least making some decisions on the next scrapbook layout i do. usually when i try to take one step at a time, it goes faster.

christmas and relocation layouts

trying to catch up on my 2005 scrapbook. I counted that I have 13 pages available and I determined which layouts I still want to do to complete my year. I worked on the relocation one based on a layout in a magazing that I saw. I bought the perfect Florida title sticker complete with an alligator when I was down in Marco Island. The Christmas one I just finished up a few minutes ago. I used page kits from The Scraproom for both layouts.