2009

Happy Happy New Year, people dear!
Happy days will come to you all year!
If I had one wish, then it would be...
A happy happy New Year to you from me!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Having worked the past few nights and flying out of here in the morning, I have a million things to do today. Only one itsy bitsy problem....I have no clean clothing!! So, after a few loads of laundry are done, I will be running to catch up.

In case I don't get to tell each of you personally, Have a Wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! May all good things come to you and yours, not just this time of year, but always!!

4 More Days! (pause playlist to listen)

GRRR

So frustrated! Due to the holiday soon to be here, I have made multiple purchases online recently. So far, at least until yesterday, my deliveries have gone off without a hitch.

I purchased a rather pricey item from Amazon, who so kindly sent it via FedEx 2-day shipping. This package was due to arrive at my doorstep yesterday. I worked the night before and last night, so I slept soundly until early/mid-afternoon and when I woke, I debated the merits of trying to get more sleep and getting up so that when the package arrived, I'd be there to sign for it. I went with the getting up idea. Anxious and excited, I waited....and waited. Around 3 pm, I started peeking out, in case it had been delivered earlier. No sign of a package. When I left for work in the evening, no package had shown up yet.

During some free time in my shift last night, I pulled up the tracking on my package. Sure enough, it said it had been delivered to my door at 2:43 pm!!!! Where is it?! There was no note saying it had been left with a neighbor...nothing! I pulled up the FedEx website tracking and noted that this package, worth about $250, had been sent to me WITHOUT A SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT!!! That's a lot of money to waste just because it could be simply dropped off on my doorstep without anyone receiving it...and no liability to either FedEx or Amazon if I never happen to actually receive it!

After checking with my lovely little older lady neighbor...on the off chance that maybe she'd taken in the package for safe keeping ('cause she's sweet like that) and finding she'd never seen it either, I called FedEx today. 10 minutes on the phone just trying to access a live person, then 10 minutes trying to get them to track down the package and all I got was...."Well, our records show that the package was delivered to your front door. I'll put a note in to the carrier, but you will have to file a claim with Amazon, as they are the ones who sent the package not requiring a signature."

Several minutes were now spent on the web, scouting out the Amazon helpline number. I finally got connected to a representative (who, by the way, obviously did not speak English as a primary language!). I then spent 15 minutes on hold while this rep. went through the exact same tracking of the package I had already done. I had to repeat my account name and address no less than 3 times to verify I had really ordered the package to MY home!

The Amazon representative finally was able to authorize a replacement....complete with 1-day shipping (and a note requiring signature for the package this time!). It all could be worse, I guess. The biggest problem is that this whole issue has cheated me out of some much needed sleep in the middle of my 6 12-hour shifts in a row. I'll be a walking zombie at work.

So, to whomever out there is the recipient of my first package...Merry Christmas! I hope that you can enjoy this item, knowing that it isn't yours and someone else paid an arm and a leg for it. Enjoy the true spirit of the season...giving? or stealing?!

Free stuff

For those of you who asked:

http://www.shabbyprincess.com/ , http://www.scrapbookflair.com/ , http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/ , http://www.rakscraps.com/ , http://www.freedigitalscrapbooking.com/

These are a few of the sites that I find FREE and cheap digital scrapbooking kits and bits and pieces. LOVE 'em!

Oh, and of course, thanks to the wonders of Photoshop Elements 7 .... which you can purchase right now at a quite reduced rate at Costco.

It's so much fun that I've just started working on the Cali. trip from this spring. I'm so glad to be able to finally put all my digital pictures to use.

Digital Scrapbooking

Ok, I just thought I'd share a little bit of the cuteness and funness (is that a word?) of this whole digital scrapbooking craze. I am making all the girls that came to my princess party a "Princess Party" storybook/scrapbook. It's so much fun. These are a few of the pages I have done so far:

How do they look?

Thanks still on

I haven't forgotten my month of thankfulness, I've just been a bit busy. With what? you may ask... Well, I've discovered digital scrapbooking!!! Sooo fun! Soo easy! And there are so many sites out there with free 'paper' and notions!!! Finally my pictures are finding a home! So, thank you to all you wonderful people at sites like www.shabbyprincess.com that are making my transition to digital scrapbooking so easy!

All the things that I've done (or at least a few of 'em)

I copied this from a friend's blog. Copy and paste into your own post. If for no other reason, than to be able to count number 100 on your score. I was only able to count 41 of them.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (or orchestra at least)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis (long story but yuck)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (but I want to!)
16. Had food poisoning (multiple times)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (if anyone answers no on this, they are lying)
24. Built a snow fort (yes but they were only good until stray dogs and cats would make them their homes)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (One of my favorite trips)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (yes but only at friends and families not in public)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (do home or school project movies count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I was a brownie and junior)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (It was really cool!)
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (multiple times)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (unfortunately yes)
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Thankfulness x 5

I know, I've been a slacker! So, to make it up to all of you, I have a treat for you


1. I am thankful for companies that keep their promises. So....this being said...all you Dr. Pepper fans.... (drumroll......) Tomorrow, starting at 12:01 am, the Dr. Pepper website will have a printable coupon for a free 20 oz Dr. Pepper available to all here in the great US of A. This offer is available for exactly 24 hours and the coupon is good for a couple of months. Just check it out!



2. I am thankful for gravity. Without it, life would certainly be interesting, wouldn't it?



3. I'm grateful for cell phones. While sometimes it is annoying to have people be able to always reach you and expect you to always be available, it also comes in handy when your sister is two hours later than you expected her to arrive and you are worried about her safety.

4. I'm grateful to live in such a prosperous country. I know the economy is really struggling right now, but we still have so many things that we need available to us at all times. So many places in the world, people just struggle to survive. The majority of us have not only what we need, but so much more. We need to remember to give to those in need, not only in this time of year, but all the time.
5. And, finally, on a lighter note, I'm thankful for 'Psych', the show! I love that show!!! If you haven't seen it, take a bit and check it out. Soooo funny!




All caught up!!! Yay! I'm going to try to do better this next week...

I want to...

o/~Thank you for the music, the songs you're singin'

Thanks for all the joy they're bringin'

Who can live without it?

I ask in all honesty...

What would life be?

Without song or dance what are we?

So, I say, Thank you for the music,

For giving it to me. o/~