Want to help me arrange? Comment please....

Tonight I'm very sad. It's my last night home before I have to return to Arizona. This week has gone by way too fast. When I'm lying in bed at night in Arizona I am constantly  making mental lists of what I have to get accomplished when I am at the house in Winneconne...well once again I didn't complete my list. But I sure did get a lot done this week. I worked every day on the new scrapbook room, yet when I look at it I see so much more that I have to do. Here's what it looks like so far. What do you think?

I've been rearranging and moving things all around and you can see the mess on the floor, that's things I still haven't sorted through or I need to scan. I really need to get all my precious photos out of those old photo albums before the acid in that sticky stuff eats them away. Most of my old pictures are already yellow. Thank God I do scanning and retouching photos and documents fora living. If anyone out there needs to preserve their photos and make them digital...just give me a call 920-420-0463. I have the capability to scan and touch them up...sometimes repair them back to what they originally looked like. Don't wait another minute!
What I'm not showing you in these pictures is the other smaller room off to the side, mom used it as her office I'm using it as one large storage area. It is getting filled with bookshelves and filing cabinets. I unpacked loads of my Heritage Maker's supplies in that area. I'm not showing it to you yet because it still has boxes piled three high waiting for me to have time to figure out where to put it all.
If you saw similar pictures of my scrap room last fall, you will notice in these new pictures that all my paper is off the shelf on the right. With all the windows in this room and the bright sun beating in most of the day I just couldn't take the chance of ruining all my paper. It all got moved back into the darker storage room.
Hey, I'm open for any suggestions on how to set things up in my room. Just comment on this post. Thanks.

Spring has sprung at this house in Winneconne....

Where do I begin? Let's just start with today. My sister Barb and her husband Mike came over to deliver a desk for me to use. I was expecting a one piece desk with some drawers in it..I actually received a huge computer center desk shaped like an L. I have so much room now to unload more of my office "stuff" that has been in boxes since last March!
Then the two of them helped me move and organize other heavy pieces of office furniture. Some needed repairing and Mike worked on those. Some needed organizing and Barb helped me on those. We got all The Christmas decorations back up in the attic (I had 12 Rubbermaid boxes full!!).  My office in mom's house is now beginning to look better than ever.
We all moved to the outside of the house...Mike drilled and put in hooks for my collection of wind chimes while Barb supervised...Mike put up birdhouses and Barb helped put up different things to feed our feathered friends. I  put out my new solar lights so they could begin charging with the gorgeous sunshine that we had this afternoon. They are awesome. The lights are shaped as butterflies, dragonflies and humming birds and change colors. Donna and Fritz bought me a set for Christmas a couple of years ago and I brought them last summer to put in the flower beds in Winneconne. My sister Barb really liked them so I've been searching for a year and finally found a store that sells these sets. I got two sets for Barb as an early birthday present and I got myself three more sets.

Of course I'm not  going to keep them clumped together like this. Eventually they will go into mom's flower beds but I have loads of weeds to pick out of the beds before I put anything in them. More pictures to follow once I get done I promise. I feel scrapbook pages in the making...
I didn't realize how much I've missed my wind chimes until I heard them today. I have all kinds and sizes and Mike made sure to put in extra hooks so I can collect more (hint hint sons). I'm not sure the neighbors will like the sounds especially tonight with these winds. But it's music to my ears.
If the weather stays nice I will get at those flowerbeds tomorrow. We planted loads of bulbs last year and I can see many green shoots coming up. Also the lilac bushes are getting green leaves and purple buds already and the rose branches are poking through with new growth. What a wonderful time of the year.
The birds have already found the food and were feasting today. I still need peanuts and corn though for the squirrels. Busy, busy, busy...
A big thank you to Barb and Mike for all your help today...I owe you...

How to fly standbye....

Ok, here's a first for me. I'm blogging from the Phoenix Airport. For those of you who follow my blog you know that I fly often. It's because my son Jon works for US Airways and it's inexpensive for me to travel on his parent pass. But there are always down falls...here is how it's done. First you go online and purchase a  parent pass, then show up at the kiosk in the airport with a credit card so the kiosk can figure out who you are, take your pass to security...I'm getting to be a pro so I know what shoes come on and off easily, I never carry liquids, I do carry my laptop so I can whip that sucker out in a matter of seconds, I never carry anything in my pockets, not even my driver's license or credit card (this was learned the hard way), I know how to stand in the scanning machine with my arms perfectly over my head as shown in the diagram, and since I've had neck surgery I have to have a female guard squab down my neck brace and my hands to make sure I am safe...after all of that I get to the appropriate gate and wait, and wait, and wait because depending on my status and senority I have to wait to see if there is a seat available. If there is n available seat I can either pay again at the customer service desk for a pass on a different airline where my senority is real low because it's not the airline that my sons works for or I can stay for the next flight which might be the next day or I can leave, rent a room if I'm not in a city where relatives live and start all over again the next day. We have been stuck in Milwaukee for two days and two nights a few times. Once I had to fly to Chicago but our luggage went to Milwaukee. I was just lucky that day because I knew my older brother was in Chicago on business and he was able to pick us up. You have to have lots and lots of patience to fly standbye and it's not for everyone. BUT, I've learned to find flights that have many seats open so I know I'll get on and I've just adapted to flying on those day and at those times. Then it is sooooo worth it. Right now it cost me, as Jon's mother, about $31 to fly from Phoenix to Milwaukee. (I'm finishing this blog in Winneconne because I did get on tonight's flight and had to move fast once they called my name.) So the moral to this story, if there is one, is....get one of your kids to work at an airline and enjoy the "friendly skies". Thank you Jon, I love you.

Thank God, Thank God, Thank God...

I am exhausted mentally after the day I had today. I know yesterday I thought Tuesday was like a Monday...well so was today! We had to administer GED tests today. We arrived at our normal location and nothing was set up, then we discovered that I had left the answer sheets for all the candidates in another city over an hour away, then I tried printing up new answer sheets and the doors were locked so had to wait, then the first computer I was logged into locked up and wouldn't print, then I brought the wrong laptop to connect to the GED scanner, then the laptop that we had borrowed wouldn't stay connected to the Internet. Other than that our day went well...Thank God I work with Donna, who is an awesome woman who knows how to handle stress. Thank God Kathy, the Holbrook Campus assistant, was able to get the tv and white board out for us and sent Leonard to help set up tables, and got me logged into a computer and printer that worked.  Thank God for Eric, the director of our IT department, because he was able to get Kim, the NPC IT tech in Holbrook, to our aide within minutes. And thank God that Kim had the patience to work with us most of the day keeping that laptop connected to the Internet. All I could think of was please God, let this day be over with and lead me to the nearest bar that served ice cold beer!

I am grateful for all the people at Northland Pioneer College that I have had the pleasure of working with for the past 14 (almost) years. I love my job and I actually think today was a blessing in disguise. It just reminded me on how much we work together as a team no matter which campus or center you are at. So I will thank God again and again for today.

As I have always told my sons when something seems to have gone wrong "this is an adventure". Well, Eddie, Joey and Jon, your mother just went on one of those adventures today!

Needless to say, we didn't go for beer but we did treat ourselves to a delicious dinner at Eva's Mexican Restaurant in Snowflake, Arizona. If you ever get the chance to eat there try their Pollo Especiale. I think I've written about that before but it's worth mentioning again.

I'm busy packing for my trip to Winneconne tomorrow...where the fish are waiting for me. Actually, not much to pack, mostly gadgets...my neck brace, camera and breathing machine...not many clothes to pack, most of my clothes are already there. So I guess you could say I'm traveling "light".

Tuesday or Monday?, Gold Canyon Candles and new Easter Project...

Since we got snowed in yesterday and therefore the college campus was closed, today which is Tuesday, sure felt like a Monday at work! Confused? So am I most of the time.

It's dangerous to leave me home all day on the computer. Last week I ordered those swimsuits (here's a tip...don't over stuff yourself with food then decide it's time to try on your new swimsuit...real bad idea!). Well, yesterday I ordered a good supply of Gold Canyon candles for the Winneconne home. If you have never smelled a Gold Canyon candle you are missing out. I am a firm believer that those cheap candles that you can buy at Wal-Mart are nothing more than a jar full of wax that barely carries a scent. I guarantee once you smell these candles you will never purchase a cheap candle again. My rep is Julie Sexton and if you want to see what this company has to offer go to http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/Content/Candles

I wrote to you about the all the snow we received over the weekend. I'm a little worried on how my Bella, a 4 pound chihuahua, is going to react to Wisconsin winters. When we have the least bit of snow here on the deck stairs I can't even get her to try to go down those stairs. Most times I have to nudge her butt half way down before she'll try to go on her own. She is always cold and hates the cold, wet snow on her little paws. When I'm not looking she just pees on the deck then runs back into the house. Next winter is going to be very interesting when we experience snow 10 times taller than she is. Maybe I could invest in a kitty litter box.

Did you notice the new colors on my page? Since St. Patrick's Day is over for another year, I changed all the green highlights to lavenders and pinks for Easter. Those colors have always reminded me of Easter. And speaking of Easter here is another project you can make for your home decor with Heritage Maker's.

Wouldn't this basket make the most adorable centerpiece for your Easter dining table? The template is already in our gallery, all you would have to do is upload your own photos, drag and drop them in an egg embellishment and add your child's or grandchild's name. It would only take a matter of minutes. As you can see you can make 6 double sided eggs on a 12X12 scrapbook page and the cost could be as little as $2.64. Go to www.memoriesin.com to register for your FREE account and you can begin your project today.

For My Traditional Scrapbook Followers....

Lately I've been showing mostly digital scrapbook projects for Easter decor and pages...time for a quick and easy traditional tip. This cute paper piecing bunny just takes minutes to make and you can make it in any size that you want by simply adjusting the size when you print it out. Right click on the image, copy, and then put in Word or any other program you have on your computer. Adjust and print out.  It's only 5 pieces (6 counting the sign he's holding). Make this bunny any color you need to match your layout and pictures. I made his adorable face and outlined mine with a fine tip black marker, chalk was essential for the ears, cheeks and paws and a couple of pot dots for the top paws to give him a little dimension. Have some "hoppin'" fun.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

No one can believe this weather! It was in the 70s a couple of days ago and now we are buried in snow. It has been snowing since last night and it is not suppose to stop until Monday! I got the Christmas song, Let it Snow, in my head this morning and I haven't stopped humming it...I keep telling myself to quit and I guess even I don't listen to myself. Some area schools have already cancelled classes for tomorrow. Did anyone inform Mother Nature that it is the middle of March?

Now that is what is going on in Arizona. Want to know what is going on back home in Wisconsin? It was 80 degrees out today! Yes you read correctly, Winneconne had 80 degree weather. People are taking their boats out on the lakes. The bulb flowers are blooming, trees are budding and people are returning their lawn furniture to their porches. I think just about everyone in Wisconsin was outside today after being cooped up so long inside their warm houses because of the winter cold.

(I will be fishing on this dock soon. The fish better keep biting. Jack said he left his minnow bucket tied to the dock for me. And this storm better not be on it's way to Wisconsin, I don't want to have to deal with it TWICE in one week.)

What is wrong with this scenario? AZ snow, WI sunny and warm. For the past 30 years I have been calling my Wisconsin family and teasing them about their snow storms while I was enjoying the Arizona sunshine. Well, today was pay back. I received a number of calls, texts and facebook comments about their glorious weather especially when they found out how much snow was falling on me. I guess I deserved it.

Since I couldn't go anywhere today anyway I spent a lot of time cooking. It was just one of those "soup" days. I made a recipe from brat patties and it turned out to be delicious. Definitely a keeper for the recipe box.

And I finished my Arizona Defensive Training Course and PASSED! It's an open book test so everyone should get 100%. But I missed a question...they asked me what day my accident took place and I guess I spent too much time answering (I was looking for a calendar) and it was a timed question so it was marked wrong.  I get so upset with myself, first for taking so long to answer but mostly for having the accident in the first place. I am so grateful no one was hurt but it was a costly lesson to me.

If our college calls a snow day tomorrow I will spend the day working on Heritage Makers projects. I have two books that need to be finished and I have loads more Easter projects to show you that are easy and inexpensive for you to make. Check some out in our template gallery. www.memoriesin.com

Happy Birthday and St. Patricks Day...

I have known or do know three very special people who share their birthday with St. Patrick. The first person was Ethel. She was an honorary member of our family and my mother's right hand "person". Ethel had the most beautiful white hair and was probably the tiniest woman that I've ever been around. She helped take care of us kids and also helped my parents with the bookkeeping for their businesses. Even when I was married and gone from home I remembered to call Ethel on her birthday. She has been gone from this earth now for many years but I feel her presence every St. Patrick's Day. The second person is Kelly (what an appropriate name). Kelly came into our lives through my oldest son, Eddie when they were both in the 8th grade. Those two have stayed best friends all these years even though they live 2,000 miles apart. She is from a very Irish Catholic family and proud of it. Then there is my nephew Michael who turned 16 years old today. I remember the day he was born. We were all so happy for my sister and her husband because they had added a son to their family. I want to wish each and every one of them a happy birthday and tell them that I am so glad you were and are part of my life.

Exercise, Confusion and Snacks...

Whew...we made it through the first soccer game. My boys played baseball so I know just about nothing about soccer except that the ball is black and white so I kept my mouth shut on the sidelines today. As promised here are pictures of today's game.

Warm Ups...

Remembering what the coach said...kick, kick, kick and no hands...

Oops, wrong team...

And the best part...bananas, snack crackers and juice boxes...YAY!

I think the team moved faster toward the mom with the snacks after the game than they did on the field during the game. You can bet your bottom dollar that these pictures will make it into both my traditional scrapbook pages and my Heritage Maker digital pages, posters, calendars, cards...everyone in my family better get ready

It's just hard to put into words just how much I love this little guy. My heart melts when he looks at me and says "I love you grandma". The thought of leaving him to move to Wisconsin breaks my heart. After I left him today I started one of my crying jags and it didn't stop until I was half way back up the mountain.
It's been a very long day full of different emotions, I'm exhausted and going to bed now.

Down the mountain, up the mountain...

I wish every day could be as fulfilling as today. Great day at work, got loads done in the office. Our president and vice presidents gave us their bimonthly reports on what is going on with our college.They announced many new changes are taking place such as adding buildings, parking lots, and programs.

Then had dinner with my cousin, Mary Christine, at the Red Onion in Heber. I haven't eaten there for months. Since it's Friday I didn't have one of their burgers which they are known for, but the cheese crisp and salad bar were very good. We talked about the upcoming MacGregor Reunion which is going to be in Wisconsin for the first time! The Schroeder branch of the family tree is very excited about hosting all our relatives this summer in Oshkosh.

Then after all of that we (Bella and me) drove down the mountain! I know it was late and I was tired but Aiden has a soccer game at 8 tomorrow morning in Chandler and I can't miss it. I've been visiting with Marina and Jon just got home (11:30pm)  from work.Both of them have been putting in some long hours this week and Jon looks exhausted. But they are young and want to travel so I'm sure they will think every tiring hour was worth it when they are lying on the beach next week in Kauaii.

Tomorrow I have another birthday in the family, a soccer game, a trip back up the mountain and you all will get to see Aiden in action! I have my camera battery charged and ready to go!!

Happy Birthday JoAnn

I want to wish my sister JoAnn a very, very, happy birthday. I did get to talk to her earlier today but I wanted everyone to know how much I love and admire my older sister. She's been my best friend and mentor my entire life. JoAnn you are loved.  Wish I was there...

What are Easter Pails? Take a look...

Did some more ordering. This time a swimming suit. I haven't bought one of those for probably 10 years and I think I definitely got my money's worth out of the last one. I can be tight on the funds for some things but a good swimming suit isn't one of those things, especially when I make them last so long. Can you tell I don't swim much? I tried Lands End on a friend's recommendation so we will see. It should arrive on Saturday.

The weather has been so unusually warm up on the mountain this winter...but winter isn't over yet for us. The weatherman is predicting high winds and snow for this weekend and into Monday. Flagstaff above 6000 feet can possibly get 10 to 20 inches! We are a little southeast of Flag so I'm not sure what we are suppose to get. We will see, I don't have much faith in most weathermen any more. I always say I could be a weather person because they don't get fired for being wrong.

St. Patrick's Day is almost here and if you haven't had a chance to make your St. Patty's Day card with Heritage Makers you will have to wait until next year. So I'm starting to show you all the great ideas we have for you to decorate your house with Easter decorations. Tonight I made special embellishments for Easter pails. What are Easter pails? Let me show you.

With our templates you can make your own CUSTOMIZED embellishments for your kids and grandkids (in my case I made these for my great-niece and nephew) in a matter of minutes. You can make these embellishments for as little as $2.64 for TWO pails on our 12 X 12 scrapbook page.

Aren't they adorable? The smaller circles are for making bottle caps...the new thing in town! C:\Users\Mary Lou\Downloads\Desktop\Easter HM\Alise_and_Ethan_Easter_Pail.png

Aiden's tree, no family dinner and cheesy gifts...

Stayed in all day today. I started a family tree for Aiden on www.ancestry.com I've been working on the Schroeders' side for some time now so today I began on the Stones' side. It was a little more difficult since I haven't been in that family for over 20 years. I wasn't sure of the first names of Jeff's grandparents but the minute I saw a name in writing it came back to me. Beginning with Aiden I went back seven generations on the Stone side already. I was on that website for so many hours straight that I got a message from them telling me that the site wasn't responding any longer and I'd had to try back later...don't know if that's what they do or if that was just a coincidence...hmmm It was time for a break anyway, my eyes are killing me. I ate fairly healthy today with all my new fruits and veggies. Those English cucumbers are the best! The asparagus was for breakfast and supper...but the kale is going to my friend Sandy at work tomorrow. I'm not going to attempt to cook that since I've pretty much made up my mind that I'm not going to like it. The Stephens family invited me to join them for their Sunday family dinner, I heard chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes was on the menu, but around 3pm my fever returned so I decided not to go. I need to go to bed early and just hope tomorrow will be a better day health-wise for me. In my emails I received a coupon from Hennings Cheese Co. for $5 off my next order and they advertised a new cheese...have you every heard of Caramel Cheese? I haven't and it sounded good so I ordered it, I should have it in a few days. I love good Wisconsin cheese, you just can't beat it. I use Hennings for all my "cheesy" gifts.

Fruits, Veggies and Clock Faces....

Had a new experience today...purchased a basket full of fresh fruits and vegetables from Bountiful Baskets Co-op. I first heard about this volunteer organization from my friend Donna about a month ago and this week I gave it a try. For fifteen dollars this is what was in our baskets today: 4 mangoes, 8 gala apples, 9 bananas, 10 oranges, a pineapple, a bunch of kale, a bunch of romaine lettuce, a bunch of green onions, a bunch of asparagus, a bag of carrots, 2 English cucumbers, a dozen green chiles and numerous orange and yellow chiles. Do you think it was worth it? I do, I know for a fact that the bunch of asparagus was worth over $4 all by itself. I know they deliver to the Heber-Overgaard area as well as the Show Low area. Go online and check out if you have deliveries where you live. http://www.bountifulbaskets.org  Everything will be explained on the website. I searched to see if they had these coops in Wisconsin but I didn't see any listed. This is something I would like to continue when I move there, so I will have to ask how to get one started in the Oshkosh area. Does anyone have recipes for kale and mangoes? I don't even know what kale is, I had to look it up online and what I saw didn't look appealing to me so please let me know soon how you make it.

The rest of the day was spent on the computer.Organizing my new facebook timeline page for the company, listening to motivational speakers on different subjects and I designed a cute St. Patrick's card with a pic of my great-niece Mollie, a 4th of July poster and a face for a clock. Heritage Makers has templates for all these products and there is something for every occasion..they have over 5,000 templates in their studio gallery. Or you can design your own from scratch and maybe get published. I've been fortunate to have been published in the template gallery ten times and if you design your own project they could choose you next! Watch for the darling Easter products coming real soon.  www.memoriesin.com

Computers and Scrapbooks Tips #11

How to use Microsoft Word

11.  Watermark Images – Use Word’s picture editing tool to enlarge and wash out an image for use as a page accent.  Add your image to a Word document (#1) select the image and from the picture toolbar choose COLOR WASHOUT (in some versions you’ll choose IMAGE CONTROL WATERMARK instead). Use a single watermark image to accent a page or repeat for a background.

Shots, taxes done and cleats in bed...

Started the day with the non-drowsy Claritin...works much better during day-light hours. Now maybe I can sleep tonight. I haven't been happy with the recommendations from our local clinic. I've had this sinus infection since December. When I reacted badly to the antibiotic that they precsribed me I was told to just tough it out. Well, three months later I'm still suffering because the infection has never gone away! So I was awarded today with a shot in my butt! Painful, but if it kills this damn thing it will be worth it. I remember as a kid the doctor came to our house to treat us when we were sick and 9 times out of 10 he didn't leave until we got a shot in the butt. It hurt me much more back then, but my butt was a lot skinnier back then too. I wanted to run and hide when I saw Dr, Kuhn and his little black bag knocking at our front door.How many of you out there reading this can remember housecalls made by your local doctor? Tell us about it. The second most fun I had today was doing  my taxes...for the second time. I worked hours online starting my taxes about a month ago and I must not have saved it to my computer, so today I got to start over at the beginning. I'm finished for this year and that's a great feeling.Yesterday I showed you pictures of Aiden at his first soccer practice. His mother told me that he didn't want to take off his cleats last night and begged her to allow him to sleep in them. She didn't allow that of course. I think his first official game is tomorrow. More job applications went out today. I'm beginning to be an expert at writing resumes and cover letters. I pray something comes up for me in Wisconsin real soon. I want to come back home.

I can breathe again and Aiden's 1st practice...

It's been a few days since I've written. I've been down with a bad sinus infection and headache. I went to buy some Claritin D at the local Safeway but they were sold out. I had to suffer through another day waiting for more to come in. I went back the next day and had to show my driver's license and sign for the medication. I asked for two boxes since it was on sale and was told "NO". A person is allowed to purchase one box per day. Everyone else I've told this story to seemed to know why all the security...what world have I been living in? I guess this stuff is used for making meth? Wow, I just wanted to be able to breathe through my nose again! And I learned a very valuable lesson after taking the Claritin D without reading the instructions...it was non-drowsy medication and I took it at bedtime. NOT one of the smartest moves on my part. I don't think I slept at all last night, as a matter of fact I was so wide awake I watched lots of Netflix and Hulu and got work done on my computer. Oh well, I'll read the label before I down a pill from now on and the good news was I was finally able to breathe through my nose. On a much happier note...today was Aiden's first day of soccer practice EVER!! His mother sent me pictures and I'm sharing them with you. I look at these pictures and hardly recognize him, he looks much older than 4 years old and I don't like that one bit. His shin guards are so stinkin' cute! Wish I could have been there to watch him. How many of you out there have kids or grandkids who play soccer? Share some pictures with us.

Computers and Scrapbooks Tips #10

How to use Microsoft Word

  

10.  Fill-in Page Titles – Print an outline of any font for a fill-in title with a few simple steps. First, choose the landscape page orientation – go to FILE, PAGE SETUP then LANDSCAPE and OK.  Type your page title.  Next choose FORMAT, FONT to select the font style, then COLOR and SIZE you wish.  Under the same menu, click OUTLINE.  Print the title and fill in letters with chalk, pens or other media for a custom effect.