Tophole

Ever hear that word before? Tophole? I was looking for another word for terrific and that is British slang for terrific. So folks, we've got a word for today. How many times can you use it???

I've spent the last few days mostly puttering around. Tuesday Aly spent the day here - she did her laundry, we shopped for a winter coat (what is up with stores - it's late October for goodness sake, get out the winter coats!!!), and she also got new sneakers and winter boots. And Halloween candy. :-D But other than shopping all day with Aly, I've been puttering lately. That's got to change today. I have three scroll assignments. At least I hope it's only three. :-P And I'm babysitting the Spence, Max and Maddy this evening. So, got to get laundry done and work on scrolls today. No more puttering. Oh and I need to drag out the sewing machine and sew favors for the Queen. But that I'll probably do on Monday. Cause this weekend we're going to visit Jenness and Joe. :-D I can't wait.

*yawn* Not enough sleep. Gotta get breakfast, start a load of laundry, go to Curves and start my day of scroll work. What fun!

The Weekend is Almost Over :-(

Aren't they cute? That's just some of our little "friends" decorating the yard. I'd like to have a lot more, but the big problem is no place to store it the rest of the year. :-( Maybe one day!

Spent the day scrapbooking with Paula, Julia, Annabelle and Stephanie from Curves. It was quite a nice day! I got 14 pages done from our trip to D.C. at Easter. Only 6 pages left to go. Maybe next weekend at the next scrapbooking day that I'm going to. :-D I'm so lucky!!!

But this week, I have to get started working on scrolls. And go to the local libraries and see what I can find for a possible castle project. Wish I could find some proof that sprang was done in Ireland. Sprang looks like an interesting fiber project. I could spin the wool and use that to make something - hats maybe? Bags? Socks? But I need to prove that it was used in Ireland first.

On other news, Jenness bought our tickets to go to Florida in February! I'm so excited! I vote that our drink for the weekend be OJ and Parrot Bay. :-D Maybe I'll start a coutdown till Florida. 102 days till we're in Florida!!!

Better get back to cleaning this messy office - need to have space to do scrolls this week!

Feeling More Like Me

Whoo-hoo! I'm feeling better! Not 100% yet, but better. Already today I've been to Curves, the post office, the bank and BJs. After I finish writing this, I'm going to bake butternut squash.

BJs has a great deal on them - $1.29 each. I have six. :-) While they're baking, I'm going to work on scrapbooking stuff and doing laundry. At some point this afternooon I also want to pop over to Michael's to pick up a few more things. It's nice having a craft store close by.

I have a goal to hit 10,000 steps today. 5,600 steps already done. :-)

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Where, Oh, Where Did My Energy Go?

*YAWN* I am so tired. I need a nap. Only I can't nap cause I have to go get Jacquie from work... hey Chris just offered to pick her up. I love that man. :-)

This is a picture of Katie taken in very early November, 2003. I was visiting Oregon and we went to Cannon Beach for the day. Katie was just too adorable in her wellies and raincoat, jumping in puddles! This is one of my favorite pictures from that day. :-)

I finally got around to cutting up my perg paper. Now I can start working on some new scrolls. Although I think the rest of this week will be spent working on scrapbooking stuff. Got to get ready for a fun day of scrapping on Saturday! :-) Plus I want to pack just what I'll need to work on my album of our trip to Maryland and D.C. at Easter. And on the 29th, I ahve another full day of scrapbooking. I'm a lucky girl!!!

I need to get a good night's sleep so that I can get some cleaning done tomorrow. Oh joy! I think I'm going to get a drink, get into my jammies and crawl into bed.....

I'm feeling a little bit better today. Love those meds! I was at the grocery store with Jacquie and I forgot to buy some lemon. I was going to make some hot water with honey and lemon in it to drink. I'm still really tired. *yawn*

I am nearly done with my Christmas shopping. Well, with the gifts for extended family anyway. Why so early? I start shopping after Christmas and if I find that perfect little gift, I'll pick it up. I am such a bargain huntress. :-) This year, we're taking the gifts for family in the Western New York and Canada areas when we go to visit in November. One of my big reasons for getting that shopping done. Now I just need to figure out what to get my own family. Sometimes they can be the harder ones to buy for!

I forgot what else I was going to write about. I am so tired. yet every time I lay down, I can't fall asleep. What is up with that? And I need a new book to read. I'm reading the Artemis Fowl books right now, but I need something new soon. Maybe I need to do a little eBay shopping for some romance books. :-)

One of My Wishes Has Come True

Now if only that wish had included £295 + shipping from the U.K.! If I was to ask you, what would be the one manuscript that I would want to see a facsimile made of, would you know the answer? *deep sigh* I discovered today that there has been a limited number of Luttrell Psalter facsimiles made!!! And all it costs is £295! One of my biggest wishes is that they would make a facsimile of it. And they finally did it! Several years ago I was lucky enough to see a facsimile of the Book of Kells and that was very impressive. But to see, touch and possibly even own a facsimile of the Luttrell Psalter? Ohmigawd. I can't imagine it.

I did discover this neat little contest, though.
http://www.bl.uk/newsletters/whatsonnewsletter.html

In the blue column, you will see a competition to win one of the facsmiles. It ends on December 4, 2006. I looked for rules and regs, but couldn't find any, so hopefully U.S. citizens are allowed to play. :-D Can you imagine if I won? Holey Moley Batman, I'd be on Cloud Nine!!!!

Well, I better go to bed. I've got nasty sinus pressure and am just waiting for the drugs to kick in. Ahhh, the joys of a cold!

I'm Sick

This has been a week of the blahs. No motivation to do anything. I did drag myself off to babysit Frances on Monday and Wednesday evenings. And I had fun. :-) But of course that sweet little darling has given me her cold. Sore throat, runny nose, mild fever, headachey and little achy. And what do we not have in the house? No Dayquil and no Nyquil. Ugh. Guess I'll be running out to get some later today. Need the energy to get a shower and get my clothes from the laundry room. What a perfectly blah way to end the week. Oh and did I mention that I'm babysitting Frances again this evening? Gotta have meds before then. Need my energy to keep up with her. :-)

I did finish making 17 Queens Favors this week and picked up more supplies to make some more. And did a Silver Crescent scroll. And spent HOURS looking up stuff for the Castle project that Michel assigned us. I can find lots of info on castles, just not enough on what would be found in the castles. Jenness suggested that I go to school with Jacquie and see what they have - our public library is being renovated and they have crap for books anyways. I did discover something that I would like to learn how to do - Sprang. It's a form of weaving/braiding. Now if only I could prove it was used in Ireland or England! So, the plan is to go with Jacquie to her college library this week and see what they have in their stacks.

Okay, I'm going back to bed for a while. Maybe I can get one of the girls to make me some soup in a little while. Yeah right. That's real funny. Ha ha ha......

Scarecrows Gone Wild!!!!

I came home the other day to see that my scarecrow was just a wee bit excited. ;-) My own fault for leaving a summer decoration hanging up and adding in an Autumn one. And we all know how randy those gnomes are ... they multiply faster than rabbits!

I'm definitely feeling a little silly. I'm lonely. And bored. And I don't want to clean. :-P I did drag out some of the Halloween decorations. I need Chris' help with the lights. We also need to put away those randy gnomes for till Springtime.

This evening I'm going to make Queen's favors and get Jacquie to help. She did great helping Jana make them at War, so she has experience. :-) And maybe clean up the office/craft room so that I can start on a scroll.

I think I will go surf the web and see what information is out there about Maynooth Castle, Trim Castle, Blarney Castle. And some other Irish castles......skip the light fandango...turn cartwheels cross the floor...

Scan Slides? What Was I Thinking?

I started scanning the slides yesterday. Oh good gravy! What was I thinking? Sure I could get them scanned and made into slideshows and burn them on to DVD for the weekend of November 17th. NOT! Approximately 50 wheels, holding up to 100 slides each. Plus at least 15 trays holding up to 36 slides. Then there are all the little boxes of slides. Easily have 6,000 slides. Not all will be scanned - blurry ones, slides where the pics are nearly identical, etc. Yesterday it took me about 6 hours throughout the day to scan and edit 105 slides. Things will go a lot faster for me now that I've worked out the kinks. This morning I scanned 27 slides while reading my emails and checking my daily stops on the web. So about 30-ish minutes. Still have to edit them, though.

The picture above is my mom's parents on the left, my mom in pink and my dad. Taken sometime in late 1967 - that little belly bump you can see on my mom is me! :-D

It's been cool seeing pictures of family that I haven't seen in awhile. Then of course there are all of the people who I have no f-ing clue who they are! lol I've decided that I am going to get as much done as I can - even if its just scanning 30 slides a day. Whatever is done by November will be made into a slideshow. I'll just have to keep plugging away at this...one day at a time...

*sigh* I need to get out more often. Not today though. Today is clean the house and run to Walmart for black thread and black and white material. Is it really Friday? This week has been a blur.

I'm Tired, Are you Tired?

I don't know what's up, but man am I tired today. Just too many late nights, I guess. :-P

Here's a nice picture of Eilis, me, Varus and Dugan at Coronation Feast. We had a great time! Gotta love that Parrot Bay and OJ! lol

After all that build up for Coronation, I've been slow to get going on stuff this week. I did get a lot done today though. Laundry - done. Summer clothes packed up - done. Get caught up on LadyClodagh emails - done. Sort through Christmas presents - done. Re-box Papa's slides - done. Watch the new episode of lost. Done. Forget to watch Project Runway - awwww man! I missed it! And it was the re-cap show. I'll have to look and see when it will be on again. Probably one day this weekend.

Projects that need to get done the soonest - a scroll and making Queen's favors. I'm hoping that Jana will be home next Wednesday evening. This way hubby can do fight practice and I can visit with Jana. :-D Oh and I can deliver the scroll and the favors.

Next on the list of things to do - finish gathering up the Christmas gifts. I shop all year long, picking up gifts whenever I find the perfect thing and it's on sale or clearance. :-) I am such a bargain hunter. The reason for sorting everything out was to put the gifts into boxes for each family group (my in-laws, friends, family in Wisconsin, etc.) and then I could see who I have left to buy/make/bake for. We're going to western NY/Canada in mid November, so everything going there has to be done before we head up.

Now that I've gotten the slides put into smaller boxes (instead on one GIANT box), I can bring one box at a time into the office and start scanning the slides. My scanner can do slides - and does a pretty good job. Then, I'll create DVD slideshows of the pictures. That's going to be part of my Christmas gift to family if I can get it done. I've been meaning to do it for a few years now. I also have 8mm films to get onto videotape. I wish I had a digital camcorder, or knew someone with one so that I could tape the 8mm films then save them on to the computer and create DVDs. I really need to get the 8mm stuff onto video or DVD pretty soon. The tape is getting so brittle. I wish I had the money to pay to get it done. Last time I looked into it, it was going to cost me at least $125 to do it. So, I will do it myself. Videotaping the films, then making video tape copies.

I also want to get going on my sampler project. And Michel has given us a new project. Due at Spring Coronation. It seems pretty interesting. :-) Of course, I might be whining about it in the months to come! lol

What else I can I talk about? I have 15 minutes to waste till I have to go pick up Jacq from work.

Oh, I know what I forgot that I have to start doing - yard work and decorating for Halloween. That's one of our projects for this weekend. :-) Rake the leaves, burn branches and decorate the outside for Halloween. Work and fun at the same time.

Okay, I can't think what else to write. Guess I'll go surf the web for the next 13 minutes....

Whewww! Whatta weekend!

What a fabulous time we had this weekend! I am so exhausted, all I want to do is curl up and sleep, but everytime I lay down, can't sleep. lol Saturday was the Coronation of Lucan and Yana. Very nice! And they looked GORGEOUS! I wish I had a picture of them to share. I can't wait to see the pics that Dugan and Caoilfhionn and DeVos and, well all the other photo nuts out there took throughout the day. :-) I'm so mad at myself though. I didn't get a picture of Demi or Caoilfhionn or Michel in their Rus-type garb. :-(

We did our presentations of our unicorn projects to their Majesties while they were sitting in State. I wish I had gotten pictures of each of them. Just amazing. Li did a gorgeous picture of the unicorn from her tapestry, Sight. Eilis did presented a beautiful box that had a specially made insert to hold a bottle of orange essence (? I think that was what it was, Eilis will let us know I hope!) and she painted the orange tree from her tapestry, Smell, on the inside cover of the box. Demi created a gold bowl (gorgeous!) and candies from her tapestry, Taste. I did the banner that you see in the picture above from the tapestry, Touch. Fygen did this fantastic rug thingy (forgive me, my words are gone and I can't think what it's called) and I think she took the pattern off of something from the tapestry, Sound. We did a research paper each. Mine was fairly simple and it included step by step what I did for the project. We apprentices ROCK!!!

So many people in the Haus did some from of Russian/Scythian/Kievan, etc. and we looked great!!! I wish we had had a chance to do a group shot. Maybe at Crown we can do it. Wouldn't that be nice, Jana? :-) And the stage looked so cool all draped with furs and the chaises that Turi made up there for Lucan and Jana to sit on. :-) I hope someone got a good picture of the set-up because it was so I can't think of the right word to use.

Oh and Eilis discovered Parrot Bay Coconut Rum and orange juice. OHMIGAWD! It was FAB-U-LOUS!!!!! What a nice pleasant buzz off that. We so have to have some of that the next time we get together. :-)

I am so exhausted. But it's done and the mad rush to get everything done, cleaned, created, etc. is over. Now I can get caught up on other things, like reading my emails and see how Roak and Jocea's coronation last weekend went. Hopefully there are some pictures out there somewhere to look at. And maybe finish up the cleaning around here. And do some re-organizing. I need to make up that list of Autumn projects.

I have a few things to say about this weekend: "Where's my pepperoni?" "Where's my cream filling?" "Wow, you look fabulous!" "Please sir, can I have another Parrot Bay and orange juice?" "Love Monkey" "That's not a chicken? How cool is that!"

I'm fading fast, time to try the nap thing again......