And She Reappears...

Hi all, once again I space out and don't update my blog. Spending way too much time looking at other people's blogs and not taking care of my own! Not to mention the fact I have been LESS than creative for a long time. My sewing room is still a disaster area, as it had turned into a storage unit for things I didn't know what to do with as my boyfriend and I clear the clutter and junk from our tiny home.

In my blog surfing I have come across several organizing blogs which I will post in a couple days, but I just signed up today for 52 Missions, which is a program that gives you a 30 minute mission a week to organize and streamline your life and stuff. And boy I could use all the help I can get.

My dear boyfriend JD has really helped me re-evaluate the stuff I've held onto for so long, like electronics and computer parts/software that are OLD as the hills, and other things like clothes I never wore and still had the tags. He helped me release these things and slowly our home is getting easier to take care of and clean, which is good for him since I am unable to do most of the housework due to my respiratory problems. Sometimes it seems like he's trying to get rid of all my stuff but I realize that I don't need it and its just taking up valuable real estate (and collecting dust...).

We are saving the sewing room for last since it is the biggest, scariest room in the house. We worked a bit in it last week but I got tired both physically and emotionally. I gave an old sewing machine and serger away to a classmate of his who also sews, and she was super-thrilled. Plus it gave me about nine cubic feet of space back!

I am too embarrassed to show pictures of the sewing room, so I won't. It is better than it was, but there's still stuff on the cutting table, stuff in a pile on the floor, and stuff spread out on the pressing area. Its STUFF STUFF and MORE STUFF! And it will be the hardest to let go of, which is why I'm putting it off.

I want so desperately though to get it in order, so I can get back to what I love, sewing. I recently bought the new Maggie pattern from Lazy Girl Designs, and I'm hoping to make one this century...lol!

Anyway, hope you all have a Merry Christmas if I don't get back on before then...Take care.

Special Someone

Oh wow have I been gone a while or what? Well, let's just say that a special someone (hee hee)came into my life around Christmas and I have been a bit distracted for a few months. I've never had a relationship before and so I guess I've been making up for lost time spending as many spare moments with him as I can...

But...I promise to be a better blogger, and get back to being creative...he'll just have to do without all the attention he'd been getting for a little bit every day. LOL

Hope everyone out there in blog land is doing well!

P.S. Dexter likes him too, which is VERY important to me... :)

With Sympathy Card for Nancy

I hadn't had the need to make a sympathy card since I started my card-making hobby, until recently when the husband of my friend Nancy passed away from cancer. I made this card a couple weeks ago.


It's a simple design, using Mellow Moss and Basic Black, with the fern stamp from the Stem Silhouettes set by Stampin' Up! stamped in Mellow Moss on Whisper White. I tied black gingham ribbon around the focal image and attached it with dimensionals. The sentiment is from the Warmest Regards set stamped in Black Stazon ink.

I pray that Nancy and her family and close friends find comfort during this time. I never got to meet her husband Jacques but have been told that he was a joy to be around. God bless him and his family and friends!

Not ALL About Me

I usually don't do these things, but I've seen people put them on their blogs, so why shouldn't I? This is from my best friend Patsy in Georgia, and instead of emailing it to all my friends (all five...lol) I'll just post it here!

1. What time is it? 10.47 pm
2. Full Name: Cindy Michelle %#(@& (edited for privacy)
3. What do you fear most? Fire and drowning/suffocating
4. What car do you drive? Silver Mazda MPV (but I'm no soccer mom)
5. Have you ever seen a ghost? Nope
6. Where were you born? Melbourne, FL
7. Ever been to Alaska ? No
8. Ever been toilet papering rolling in decorating trees? No
9. Croutons or Bacon bits? Croutons
10. Favorite day of the week: Saturday
11. Favorite restaurant: Olive Garden (but I eat from the kids menu!)
12. Favorite Flower: Sunflowers
13. Favorite sport to watch: Not a sports fan
14.Favorite Ice Cream: Chocolate Chip
15. Disney or Warner Brothers: Disney
16. Favorite fast food restaurant: McDonald's
17.What color is your bedroom carpet: none, I HAVE OAK LAMINATE NOW! YAY
18. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Zero
19. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail from ? Non spam or commercially, Betty the secretary at work
20. Bedtime: Around 11-11:30 during the week, 1-2 am on weekends.
21. Who will respond to this email the quickest? no one, not sending...heehee
22. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond??? again, not sending
23. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses: oh forget it
24. Favorite TV show? Lost, Prison Break, Desperate Housewives, American Idol
25. Ford or Chevy: neither
26. What are you listening to right now? Evanescense
27. What are your favorite colors? Navy, brown, red
28. How many tattoos do you have? none
29. Do you have any pets? Yes! My beautiful cat Dexter
30.Which came first the chicken or the egg? I say chicken, because I don't believe God started with an egg, he didn't make Adam a baby
31. What would you like to accomplish before you die? Find a good man to love and love me
32. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? None

Wow, it took me 10 whole minutes to do this. Better get to bed now, work tomorrow and all.

PS. Reno and Mom came back today and finished the floor. It looks so AWESOME! RENO ROCKS! And American Idol was hilarious. Especially the girl at the end who sounded like she was having an orgasm. Gees...some people.

I hate returns

Gees, with as much shopping online as I do, there is bound to be times that I have to return stuff that is either the wrong size (which is usually the case), wrong color, or just plain WRONG! Also, when I do go shopping at stores like Target, Sears, etc. I have to return things because I never try on at the store, it's just TOO tiring for me. Well today was a ultra mega return day.

Last month I ordered from Kodak.com. I bought a new digital camera, the Easyshare V610. Pretty neat, it's sleek and black, has a huge LCD screen, 6.1 megapixels, dual lens technology, 10X optical zoom, and neat video capability. It also came with a free 1GB memory card. With the camera, I also ordered the printer dock which came with a free travel case, and an accessory pack which included a case for the camera and a beautiful beaded neckchain and wrist chain. Well, the case did not fit the camera, despite what the website said. I was peeved because I didnt want to pay for return shipping, when it wasn't my fault that the case didnt fit. But I had no other choice. I also decided I didnt really need the printer, so I went to Office Depot today to return the accessory kit and printer/case via UPS. Cost 10 bux to ship, but should get back around $170.

I also made an order at Kmart.com last month. I saw in the local weekly ad in the paper a button up cardigan sweater that came in vanilla and also in black. I was going to go to the store to buy it, but when I checked online it was actually CHEAPER to buy it online. So I ordered one vanilla and one black. When the package arrived, to my dismay the vanilla sweater was there, but the black sweater was not. In its place was, get this...a corningware bowl. WHAT??? So I called customer service, and was told to take the bowl to the nearest Kmart and tell them that there was a mistake, and that I would like a refund of the sweater I did not receive. Well, I went today to the Kmart down the road, and guess what, NO SATISFACTION. The lady was rude and unfriendly, telling me she couldn't do anything because I didn't have the sweater. HELLO! That's why I'm here dummy! So I don't know what is going to happen now. I emailed customer service for the website and we'll see.

Lastly, I bought some clothes (two sweaters and a pair of pants) in the girl's department at Super Target in September, and later decided I didn't want them, but didn't get around to taking them back until today. Unfortunately, the receipt expired two weeks ago and they would not give me a refund, NOT EVEN a store credit. So I'm out almost 50 bucks. I know it's my fault for waiting too long, but I'm still mad about it. I'll not make that mistake again.

So anyway, didn't buy anything today, too p.o.'d and tired. I wanted to go to Joann's and use the gift card my good bud Patti gave me, but was exhausted and headachy from dealing with surly people. Maybe I can go by myself this week, and get some use out of that hot red scooter sitting in my garage...

Let's Roll!

Today I got my scooter lift installed in my new van. This was the second attempt by the Scooter Store. The first lift they put in was a boom arm type which would have required WAY too much assistance from me. I can barely stand up long enough to put my pants on, and I would have had to rotate, guide and help the scooter into the back of the van. I felt awful, but even after the two really nice guys (Chris and Jose) spent ALL day two weeks ago installing the lift, I had to tell them I couldn't use it. I had no idea I would have to do so much, and if I had known, I never would have had them install it.

Well, the wonderful people at the Scooter Store didnt give up on me, and found a platform lift that would fit in the back of my van, and wouldn't require anything of me except pushing a button! So today the same sweet guys came back to my house and installed the new lift, and I'm ready to roll!

Here is a picture of the scooter on the lift:


It's a Revo 3 wheel, which gets (supposedly) up to 20 miles on a full charge. I don't expect to do THAT much shopping, but you never know, especially with Christmas around the corner. It comes in Candy Apple Red and Viper Blue, but I really wish it came in black. But the red was the best choice, since the blue was pretty wild. The seat is pretty comfortable, but we'll have to see about how long I can stand to sit in it...

Here's a shot of the scooter all the way in the van, with Chris holding the button:


It was so funny, he said "I'm gonna take a picture of it in the van!" because the company initially said it probably wouldn't fit in my car. But they proved them wrong! Yeah, ok, I lost the 3rd row of seats, but how often do I cart around six people anyway? (NEVER!!!) There was a chance I might lose the second row of seats, which would have been awful since we hope to use this new van to travel. But they were able to save the second row. There is not a whole lot of room left over in the back, but that's ok.

So, I'm pretty happy. The scooter is outside in the garage right now charging up, so I can take it for a spin soon. May do it tomorrow, we'll have to see.

A NEW CAR!!!

OMG I am so excited, I bought a new car this past weekend. I wasn't going to buy a car for a couple years because my Honda CR-V, even though nine years old, runs great and still looks pretty good for its age. But slowly I've been deciding it was time to swallow my pride and get some sort of power scooter to get around so I don't have to depend on my mom and friends to go places on my own. And the CR-V just wasn't going to carry one.

So what did I get? I got the 2006 Mazda MPV. I wanted the bronze one, but settled for the silver one, and you know, I think I like it better anyway! It has a V6, which I'm getting used to, you press the gas and ZOOOOOOM! I love it. It just barely fits in my garage though. Other minivans were just too big. We plan on using it when we travel, so it will save on van rental.

Today I signed an order for a power scooter. The Revo 3-wheel in candy apple red. It gets up to 20 miles on a charge, so that's a lot of shopping. LOL I also will be getting a lift for the back of the van, unfortunately the 3rd row seating will never be able to be used because of it. Oh well. Not like I haul a bunch of people around anyway. I should be getting both sometime next week. Lots of money out the window. But it also means points for my Marriott Rewards so free nights at hotels!!

I will post pictures soon. I played today with my Adobe Premiere Elements software, captured the video from my trip and also some of Dexter playing with a dirty washcloth. He looked like he was actually washing his face with it. May send it to America's Funniest Videos.