Happiness in Life

Just found this really uplifting site that showcases the 8 irresistible principles of fun. Takes a few minutes to watch but definitely worth it. I think especially on a cold winter day!!! Enjoy!

WFMW

Today I have a really simple idea that I came up with yesterday. While I was helping Lily with her homework, I baked some chicken breasts. I had sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then put them in a greased pan and baked at 350 for about 40 minutes. I took the chicken out and then cut/diced it into tiny pieces. This chicken is now ready for whatever I want to do with it. Here are a few ideas: put some in a freezer bag and freeze to have on hand in the future, use it in the yummy quesadillas, for chicken salad, for the buffalo chicken dip this Sunday, and so many more uses. It was easy and helped me to be ready for some quick meals during the week and beyond. Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more great ideas.

New Soul

For a change of pace here's a little video to check out...love this song:

The Pictures Just Keep on Comin'

Ok, as if you haven't seen enough incriminating photos of me as a young girl, I thought I'd add another. Here I am in front of our house on Abbey Drive modeling by the big tree. This was taken in May of '78. That is just a month after I turned 12. Wow, I am rockin' the tucked in shirt, belt, and jeans look. And apparently it was mandatory that my eyeglasses needed to be about 1/2 the size of my face.

An interesting note to this photo. The house in the background was where my friend, Kim Craig, lived. We played together all the time. She was quiet and loved to play Barbies, school, and kickball...all my favorites. When she was in 10th grade and I was a 9th grader she died from spinal meningitis. At this point, we had moved and I hadn't really seen Kim in about two years. I found out about her death before school started while I was attending a club meeting. My mom, who taught at the same junior high I attended, came to the classroom and told me. Instantly, I had flashbacks of our days hanging out together...inventing games, making forts, and hiding from her brothers. I was so stunned and shocked, I don't quite remember my reaction. I just remember that it was a sad day and with that day so many memories seemed to fade.

Sneaking M&M's

For Christmas, Shelly got a pink bubblegum machine. Neither of my girls are big fans of gumballs, so I put M&M's into the machine. Shelly is fascinated with the whole thing and the other day I caught her sneaking a couple of M&M's. Loved these photos of her.
(Click to make bigger)

This afternoon I got a burst of cleaning enthusiasm and went after the refrigerator. I was inspired by this video:

Although rather obvious suggestions and advice, it somehow got my cleaning mojo shakin'. By the time I was done, the ol' ice box was gleaming from top to bottom. Doesn't take much to make me happy!

Tonight, I became obsessed with looking through my old baby books that my mother kept. There were so many sweet and precious items in these books...cards, locks of hair, and photos. It made me dash downstairs to be sure the girls' books were up-to-date. And for the most part, they are. I just needed to add a little bit here and there. I realized how important these will be to them some day. So, if you have an extra few minutes here and there, jot down some things about your children for them to read when they're older. I feel confident they will love it.

basketball, forts, and awards

Lily is playing in the 7-9 year old basketball league this year. She seems to enjoy it. Her skills are still developing and she is on one of the younger teams. She definitely has the hands up in the air skill down!!! Here are some of the photos of her from her last game:

The girls were both out of school for a few days this week. They used their imagination and came up with an idea to create a fort. Lily even fell asleep in it one afternoon after school.

I mentioned earlier that Lily used her Justice gift card to purchase a pretty canopy for above her bed. Here it is. Love the soft filmy feeling of the material and really like the color she chose.

Friday morning the children received acknowledgement for all of their accomplishments in the first semester of 2nd grade. I was so proud of Lily and loved her choice of attire for the assembly.

We are off to another basketball game in a bit. They will face one of the tougher teams...hoping Lily turns on her aggressive play. She had three fouls called on her in a previous game...looking forward to seeing her steal that ball again today.

Hip Cool People of the Early 80's

Be sure to click on this one to make it bigger. This photo is from August of 1980. Those are my ultra hip parents at Kings Dominion. I love this picture and its cool retro feel. Again, love these two people!!!

Dean DeCarlis

When I was in 6th grade, this fella really got my heart pumping. His name was Dean DeCarlis and he was absolutely adorable. He had sandy blonde hair, a great tan, and the most beautiful blue eyes. I think he jump started my boy crazy fever. I worshiped him throughout 6th and 7th grade. Eventually, I got over him. I really don't even remember him once we hit junior high in the 8th grade. And by 10th grade, we were both at different high schools.

So, as I rummage through my old photos to scan them, little bits of my history come back to haunt me. When I look at this photo I don't really pay much attention to the skinny boy in the photo, but I reflect on the person that I was at the time. I was a young girl who was skinny, had acne, wore glasses, and had braces...wow, could I sound much more awkward!!?? Anyway, I was insecure and so hopeful that someday somewhere I would find a fantastic boy who would love me. And, I did. It just wasn't Dean DeCarlis.

Saying "I Love You"

I know I tell John that I Love Him, but I really hope he grasps the magnitude to which I feel this way. He is a great husband who does things for me even when I know in his heart he isn't into it...and he never tells me. He is a super dad who loves to make his children laugh. He provides a wonderful life for us and I am so thankful for his love and support...in good times and in bad. I just think he is one of the best people I know. Here we are on our honeymoon in 1998.

Randomness

1. I think the beloved laptop has gone kaput on me. So, I now have my own little screen to log into on John's laptop. All is good.

2. I just realized I can sync my iPod to 5 different computers...duh!!!

3. Lily was beyond thrilled to go with me to Shelly's school this morning. Lily and I spent the morning together running errands and being just 2.

4. Lily used the rest of her Justice gift card on a really cutte bed canopy. I need to photograph its cuteness.

5. I am thinking that a miniature beagle would be a fun dog to own...one day.

6. Speaking of dogs, here I am with my Aunt Sue's dog, Max. Isn't he pretty?? He is now gone, but I really loved his big fluffy fur. Oh, and the dog on the left...yes, that's me in 1978 (12 years old).

7. I am rethinking my New Year's Resolution word. I think I may just go with last year's...Simplicity. That word worked well for me and I think I'll stick with it.

8. I was thinking this morning about how and when my computer fascination really began. I realized it was in 2000 when we moved to North Carolina. As sad as this sounds, the ol' computer became my good friend. And...I actually made several cyber friends via the electronic box. I guess that's why I still continue to enjoy being on the computer so often.

9. I have no idea what we're having for dinner tonight.

10. I need to make another Nifty Nine...haven't done that in quite some time.

All for now!!!

Shelly's Birthday Invitation

I don't think I ever posted the invitations I made for Shelly's party. I printed these (like a photo) and then mounted them onto a pink cardstock and then they went into clear envelopes. Very fun. If you click on the image, it should get bigger and easier to see. oh, and obviously, the real copy had our actual phone number on it.

Paper & Glue Layouts

So with the introduction of this scanner into my life, I can now show some of my "real" scrapbooking layouts. I scanned some of the 8 1/2"x11"s that I have on hand. Here are a few:

I also scrap in 6x6 and 12x12. If I can figure out how to scan and stitch the 12x12s, I'll post some of those, as well.

Photographer Extraordinaire

For Shelly's birthday we got her a Fisher Price digital camera. The girl loves taking photos. And some come when the person being photographed least expects it! Here are some of the pictures she has taken with a few thrown in that Lily took, as well.

Twiggy

When I was in high school, I got the nickname of Twiggy from a few friends. Just wanted to share the origin of this nickname with those of you who know me now...not quite as Twiggy, huh???

In the first photo I am enjoying a walk on the Virginia Beach boardwalk with my Aunt Sue and my dad. We are all quite stylish in this photo, don't you think???

In this picture, I am posing with my Grandpa Ruesch. I think the Twiggy roots may be traced back to him. What do you think????

Back to the Retro Photos

Just wanted to post two photos of some of my favorite people.

The first photo is one of my parents at the cottage in Pennsylvania. It was taken in 1978 and there they are on the screened porch together. I really like this photo and I really love them.

The second photo is of my sisters, Kathy and Linda. They are another pair of my favorite people. Kathy was 21 and Linda was 19 at the time of this photo and I was 12. They were both cool, hip college students and I thought they could do no wrong. Really things haven't changed much. We are all a bit older, but I still have the same great feelings about them both. At the time of this photo, I remember that they would frequently head out to all of the cool bars in town while I stayed at home and sat on the steps crying...really! I so wished that I could go with them. Oh, and, one of my favorite activities with them was cruising around in the blue VW while they both cracked the car windows and smoked...nice, huh? But I loved it!!!

Love Story #3

After hearing about this (hot) policeman, I decided I would gussy myself up and attend our blind date. I put on my cute little tan shorts that zipped up the back and a really cute black top that had skinny straps that criss crossed at the neck (outfits are very important to me). I slipped on my black tiny heeled shoes and turned to my cat, Misty, and told her to wish me luck. I believe she did with the swish of her tail.

I arrived at the restaurant at 7:00 on the dot and my friends (the couple who was setting us up) were there, as well. The only thing missing...the blind date policeman. We sat in a booth on the bar side. The couple sat across from me and I had my back to the door. My friend said, "Karol, I think that's him". I did a slight turn and saw this tall, tan, dark haired guy standing by the table. I really think that my jaw may have dropped, but I would never want to actually admit that!!! I scooted over in the booth and he sat next to me. We said a couple of polite hellos and such and then I went back to talking to my friend and he talked to the fella. Finally, I asked where he went to high school and when he graduated. I was so concerned he was about to tell me he graduated in 1990 or something in that range. But, to my delight, he said 1984...the same year I graduated from another local high school. We then realized that we had attended the same junior high school at the same time. And then from there, we discussed all of the people that we both knew. It was amazing how many people we had in common. It was beginning to be a very small world. After a couple of drinks, my friend and I excused ourselves and went to the restroom. When he stood up, I scanned his attire and well, his physique. He had on dark green shorts and a dark blue motorcycle police officer polo. It fit his arms perfectly and then I realized it...there were the strong arms I had mentioned a few months back!!! We proceeded to the restroom and my friend and I discussed all of his finer attributes...hot, hot, hot!!! Really he was a dreamboat and I was ready to sail away.

When we came back to the table, the boys were ready to move on to another venue. So, we dropped my car off at my cute little apartment and then piled into his Thunderbird. He was playing a U2 cd and I was impressed with his music choice. We continued to dinner where we chatted it up a bit more and discovered more similarities in our pasts. After dinner, we all chose another bar to hit. Once there, I was really falling for the dreamboat. But, I was ready to hang out with just him. We dropped off the other couple and then continued our night of fun at yet, another bar...this was the beginning of a wonderful relationship!!!

Birthday Celebration & NC Snow

Shelly had a great 4th birthday. The two of us ran a few errands and then got a bite to eat at one of our favorite places, Steak 'N Shake. Shelly had a yummy vanilla shake to celebrate her day.

Once Lily got home from school, we had the birthday present scavenger hunt. I had little clues with a photo of where the gift was along with the words. Shelly loved running all over looking for her presents. Lily loved helping her with the whole process, as well. I am thankful they both appreciate one another's special day.

Shelly really loved her camera and laptop...a girl after my own heart!!! The cake (an ice cream cake from Carvel) was a family hit. We all had a piece before dinner!!! It was a great day. Here's a little video of some of the fun.

Last night before heading to bed, they posted that the schools would be closed today. There wasn't a bit of snow on the ground at this point, but the forecast was for overnight snow/sleet. Leave it to us Southerners to close things up before the snow even hits. So, we went out and played in the little bit of snow we got. Notice you can see the grass under that little bit of white stuff. Oh well, it works for us!!!