This and That....

Just came back from a whole weekend of scrapbooking and had a lot of fun as usual.

Here is a picture from above of the table that I was sitting at.  Since I am taking the picture, you can't see me but you can see the rubble (AKA mounds of scrap stuff) where I was.

This was my third weekend coming here and the only time of year that I see my old University roommate so its a great time to catch up and have fun.   Did I mention that cooking and cleaning are not allowed on this weekend?  Ahhh yes.

Books of the Day

I am off to the library again today so I thought I'd share what I just finished...



This book was hilarious and a quick read.  Both DH and I read it and laughed like crazy.  I'm sure we've all seen notes like this around the office or thought about writing them at home. 



I have had a few people ask me why I am a happy person most of the time.  I've never had an answer for them.  I took out this book figuring it might give me some insight into that.  I take it as the greatest compliment in the world when someone says that I brighten their day by just being me.  :)   This book was both insightful and irritating.  She interviews 100 truly happy people and investigates what makes them happy people.  This book is insightful in that a lot of the reasons she gives for happiness are indeed things that I do automatically.   I also like the beginning underlying theory of what constitutes happiness levels.  Irritating - in that the book seemed like a shopping channel of excercises and techniques.  Once I began to ignore these and just read around them, I enjoyed the book.  :)   I also know a couple of truly happy people and they ARE a joy to be around.  I also know a couple of people who have such potential for happiness and yet they are stalled - THEY need this book.



This book was recommended by my parenting group so I had to request it.  My daughter goes to bed at 7 and my son goes to bed at 730pm already but again, I wanted to know the reasons that they say that it's a good idea.   They quote a book that I used for both kids bedtime/sleep routines.  I found that I couldn't relate to this book except for the bedtimes.  :)  This book is written assuming that a parent stays home with their children and can follow the daily routine posted here.

Finally - one book that I own.


This one was a fast, fun, great read.  It's one of those "beach books" as I call them.  Not a lot of substance but addictive, light and fun.  :)  Highly recommended.

See Cards Now

None of these are my ideas but they are all made by me!  All of these are scraplifted from the talented ladies at Splitcoaststampers although in some cases, modifications have been made.

Lint Can!

I found this at Winners last week and I'm in love...

(Canadian Tire money in there for sizing)  Since we have moved into this house I've had my eye out for a tiny garbage can to put on top of my washing machine for lint.  Yes, I could walk the 20 feet to the bathroom garbage...but I don't.  I put the pile of lint on top of the dryer fully intending to throw it away when I am done transferring the load.  Then I forget and walk away because my memory is THAT bad.  But now...Mwa - ha -ha!!

No more Chewing?

Still haven't gotten that manicure...still have the gift certificate on my desk staring at me.  I currently have 7 fingernails that would be ok to get a manicure, 1 that is...so-so and 2 that have issues.  I chew more than I did a couple of months ago but less than I did before I started this "quest" of mine.  The worst culprit is me watching any movie or TV.  Sigh. I'll keep at it...

Books of the Day

I am an avid reader.  I have stacks of upcoming books sitting by my bed at any given time.  I am heading to the library today to drop off my latest ones...


I had the opportunity to hear Hellen give a Keynote speech when I attended an APC Canada Conference a couple of years ago.  I really enjoyed her speech and she gave me a great idea on how to organize my monthly bills. I then adopted it and have been using it ever since.  For this book I really enjoyed the quiz that determines your learning style - it had my style bang on.  That being said, as it turns out I already do most of the things she was suggesting for my organzing style.  :)

Another book that I am returning to the library is



This one I flipped through quite quickly.   There were a few recipes that looked good but I couldn't imagine my kids actually eating some of this.  There are a lot of ingrediants here that currently aren't part of our everyday meals like couscous, eggplant, lamb etc.  I think I need to work up to this one.  On the other hand, my office mate Mrs. Smith who eats much healthier than we do got a gleam in her eye and jotted down the title of this one so she can check it out next.  :)


The 3rd of the 5 that I am dropping off today is



Mrs. Smith said this one was ok and enjoyed the case studies.  I also thought it was ok but I'm not at the point to take this one too seriously.  This book is for the person who is ready to take action and change the space they live in.  That's not me. 


The 4th book I am returning is



I am always on the lookout for ideas to improve my own space.  I didn't find that I got a lot of ideas from this book.  The style of most of the rooms here was way off my own style.  I can see how people with different tastes then me could really get into this book.  Which reminds me...I should tell my Mom about this one...

Finally, I am returning



Loved this book.  Earlier this week I made Frosted Banana bars and they were delicious!!  I have jotted down 3 other recipes from here to try soon (next will be mock apple squares).  I will be looking into getting this one again!!

Teeny Tiny Paint Can

I bought this about a week ago to store my ribbon scraps in.  It's just so cute!!

Are you a Gardener?

Does anyone know what kind of flower this is?  I have a basket of them hanging in the backyard. I love them - they bloom all summer long.  But I haven't the slightest idea what they are!!

Love This Desk

I am totally hooked on a new-to-me blog called
http://creativeorganizing.typepad.com/

I read the first few entries and am now ignoring all new entries as I have gone back to read it all from the beginning!  I think I am caught up to some time in 2008 right now.  :)

One of the books she recommended for getting inspiration for your workspace was Pottery Barn's Workspaces.  I put it on hold at the library and was able to pick it up yesterday.  Although I am a fan of some Pottery Barn things from a distance - it's not a place that typically inspires me.  It probably helps that there is not one in my city. 

Typical for me - I've been jotting down the ideas that inspire me on a post-it....which I have since lost in my house.  LOL  I *think* it's trapped beside the fridge in that clutter hotspot but I haven't ventured over there to check yet.

Blah blah blah.  Anyway - when I saw this page - I got all revved up about it. Excuse the crappy photo but it's from my Blackberry:

Isn't it great? It is a raised glass top on a desk so you can tuck your most used supplies underneath or a scrapbook layout that you don't want disturbed.  I was so excited about it that I left the book open on my co-worker Mrs. Smith's desk so she could see it too.  Mrs Smith is a fellow office supply lover and thus, is totally understanding of my desk organizing worship.  She was acceptably excited as well.

You'd think that my organizational worship would mean that I have a neat desk.  No - then there would be no point in coveting the just out-of-reach perfectness of these desks.  Take a look at my desk right now:

Speaking of which - it's time to attack it....

A New Stamp Set and a Card

When I saw the post on Scrapbookers Paradise Ponderings advertising their Flouishes stamps back in February of 2010 I fell in love with the strawberries and the card that they made.   In May I had the opportunity to go to their store and bought the set for myself.  Finally in July I took the time to make a card with them.  I used a border punch to make the white border and yes, I screwed up on the corners but I don't think it is a big deal to the overall look.

Fingernail Chewing Update

It's been....how long?...since the last chewing update?  I don't remember either.

I have been off the fingernail painting wagon for some time.  Some of the good habits have stayed while others have been sliding.

If I had to walk into a spa now to get a manicure (something that I STILL haven't done before) I could hand over 6 fingernails with full confidence, 3 with some blushing/head ducking and 1 that would be covered in bandages so the staff couldn't see it.

New to this blog?  Click on the Label "Fingernails" to get caught up on my quest to someday stop chewing my nails and someday get my very first manicure.  :)

New York

Back in mid-June we had the opportunity to go to New York for half price.  My husband was sent to a conference just outside of New York so work paid for his flight and hotel.  I flew up on the last day and he met me at the airport.  We spent the next 2.5 days in New York.

I have to admit it.  New York was never high on my list of desired destinations.  It was pretty high on my husband's list though.  I'm happy to admit that I was mistaken!  I had a great time in New York.  It is a beautiful city and most people are very friendly!  We found that 2.5 days is not enough time to see everything there.  We didn't even see half of what we had wanted to see.

We bought a hop on - hop off bus pass from Grey Line tours that let us get on and off the bus whenever we wanted to.  The bus line had 3 loops around the city that stopped at various points of interest as well as a night tour.  A tour guide was on each double decker bus and spoke about the city and various sights as the bus moved along.  It was well worth our money!!

We also took a TV and Movie Sites tour from On Location tours.  Here was our bus:

We were a little leary about going on this tour but we ended up having a good time.  The tour met right outside a singing diner called Ellen's Stardust Diner.  We read about it and thought it would be a great way to have breakfast.  I get a kick out of diners and have actually decorated the craft room in my house after one.    Here is a picture of what it was like inside:

Apparently this waiter made it past the 2010 first auditions for American Idol.  I don't remember his name.  What I do remember is that the food was good but the service was terrible.  We asked to move to another table and were refused.  Service was slow and sometimes non-existent.  The singing was too loud and we saw more than one table ask them to turn it down.  Not a place I'd recommend going.

The "On Location" tour was fun though.  Most of the sites were pointed out on the bus but it did make 4-5 stops during the 3+ hour tour.  A couple of pictures from the tour:

As a huge Friends fan I was pretty happy to see the Friends apartment building.  I was surprised to learn that none of the show was actually shot here besides this building.

Do you remember this building from Ghostbusters?  This is where they put their offices!  There is a ghostbusters logo outside the main fire hall door and a no ghosts sign just inside.  :)

We also saw the Guggenheim Museum - something my husband wanted to see.

The building itself was really neat but I have  to admit that I have no idea what constitutes good or bad art.  I found it to be a little boring.  I guess I'm not sophisticated enough to get art.  ;)

We did spend half a day walking through Central Park.  It is really a beautiful place to see and it's amazing that such a nice park is right in the middle of the city.  Here is a sampling of pictures from there:

At one point we walked near the University Campus and discovered a really neat place - Peanut Butter and Company.  They had the best menu and we stopped here to order a snack:

Who doesn't like ants on a log right?  We followed up with some samples of their peanut butter and then bought a few jars to bring home.  Yummy flavors like Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter and Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter....

One of the more stomach fluttering things we did was go up to the Top of the Rock.  A few people had told us to bypass the Empire state building in the interest of time and go to the Top of the Rock instead.  There really was no wait here and we went right up the super fast elevator to the top.  From there we had a spectacular view of the city.  Here are a few snapshots from our time up there near sunset:

We had a great time in New York and someday we would like to return to see the things that we missed and there are sooo many of them.  We never did see a Broadway show, the Statue of Liberty, all of Brooklynn, most of 5th ave etc.  We never even got a chance to get our shop on unless you count a couple of souvenirs in Times Square and those were mostly for the kids. 

The buildings were fascinating there.  I could look at them all day.  There was so much interesting architecture.  I can't even describe how amazing it is to see such a history in a city.

We stayed at St. James place which made me feel like I had shrunk down into a monopoly game and I kept looking for Marvin's Gardens...    The hotel was fine.  As expected the rooms were small but they were exceptional clean, super quiet, the bed was comfortable and the staff was friendly.  What more could you ask for?

I forgot to mention Weed Man and Gold Man.  Without further delay here they are:

Gold Man was working this corner...

Then Weed Man showed up....

Weed Man garnered a few laughs and a few donations.  Gold Man got upset.

Gold Man gave Weed Man a stern and loud talking to.  Just when I thought they might come to blows...Weed Man gave up and walked to another corner.  Fun.

Homework - New York

After a month of not blogging, I've assigned myself some homework.  Time to blog about the New York trip...

Coming soon...here is a teaser pic:

Origami

At work we have optional sessions called Lunch and Learn that can be taken during lunch hours (free for employees).  Look at what the last session was about-it was really fun:

Organize it!

This is how I organize my scrapbook paper.  On the left hand side is 8.5x11 cardstock.  The middle is patterned paper divided by themes such as: Baby, Christmas, Kids, Heritage, Plaids, Stripes, Sports etc.  The right side is my 12x12 cardstock.

Vegas - Stuff to See and Do...

The final of my 3 posts about Vegas.  Post one was Hotels.  Post two was food.  This is the post that talks about things to see and do.  DH and I are not big gamblers so we were looking more to experience other things in Vegas.

Some of our favorites are:
\
Freemont Street.  We have visited both during the day and at night.  The night experience is definitely better.  You can buy a bus ticket for the bus that runs up and down the strip and they will go here.  At night the ceiling is alive with lights, music and pictures.   We found everything down here to cost less than being on the strip.

On the strip - make sure to stop by the Bellagio Fountains.  Every 15-30 minutes the music will start up and the fountains will dance in sync with the music.  It's fun to watch and you just can't help but smile like a little kid watching a magic trick.  Someday I would like to stay at the Bellagio to see this out my window.  :)   You can also get a good view of the fountains by eating on the patio of the hotel across the street - the Paris.

While you are at the Bellagio - take a look inside.  In 2010 - they had a garden feature.  All the flowers that you see were placed into little pots and lined up in the formations seen.  Access like the flower pot, large bugs, mushrooms etc were added as well.  Very pretty and impressive to see the work put into doing this.  Even better than visiting by day - is visiting at night...

In the Aria hotel, try to take a quick peek at the World's Largest Chocolate Fountain. 

At the MGM end of the strip, near the Aria is the M&M store and the Coke store.  Both are really fun to walk around in and span multiple levels.  At the coke store you can pay about $16 and get 2 large platters of soda samples from around the world.  Be careful about the Italian clear soda - we watched a number of people nearly spit theirs out.  It's...strong...almost like gasoline!!

From the Vegas strip you are only a short drive away from the West Rim of the Grand Canyon - home to the Skywalk.  The drive there is quite pretty with the moutains, cactuses and Joshua trees.  The road there is paved most of the way but there are a few miles of unpaved road.  If you are used to driving on unpaved roads anywhere this one is about the same and not terrible like some of the reviews I've read.  It IS very dusty though - bring water to drink!  I think if you drove it in the rain - it would be a very slippery road but when it's dry it's just fine and very scenic if you like local flora and fauna.

Once you park you are directed to get tickets and buses arrive every few minutes to take you to a viewpoint.  The viewpoint below was actually at the second viewpoint and was spectacular. 

Halfway between the strip and the grand canyon is the Hoover Dam.  In the photo below you can see the beginning of the bridge they are building to span the canyon below.  This picture was taken in late 2008 but by April 2010 - they had almost completely crossed the canyon.

This is a picture of Lake Mead - you pass this not far out of Las Vegas on the way to the Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon.

Back to the strip.   The picture below is taken at the Mirage at night.  They have a volcano outside the hotel that goes off at timed intervals throughout the evening.  This picture was taken in 2007.  It has been renovated since but in our last trip in 2010 - we never did get the time to go see it again.

  

At the Venetian they have a wax museum and everyone told us that if was one of those don't miss things.  To be honest, we weren't impressed with it and didn't think it was worth our money.  Within the Venetian they do have live statures and mini shows.

The MGM has lions inside the hotel which was interesting to see.

As for shopping we visited a few malls: The Fashion Show Mall near Treasure Island (we liked this one although it is somewhat confusing to navigate), the Outlet Mall near the car rental place past the MGM (we really liked some of the stores here), the Open Air Mall (DH liked this one but I was meh) and another one who name escapes me but since neither of us liked it - I don't suppose it matters.