I'm A Bad Grandma :(

I remembered all week that my granddaughter's birthday was coming up, but this morning, when I woke up, I had completely forgotten about it until I looked at the calendar to check my hours for work today :( Today, this little angel is 3 years old! Can you believe it? Where does time go??? I'm so upset with myself because I completely forgot to ask for today off from work & now I just talked to my son & he's going to pick his daughter up, which means I could have gotten to see her if only I would have requested today off :(
Sadly, the last time I saw her was December 23, 2006. Her Mom promised me that I could start seeing her at least twice a month.....well, needless to say, that hasn't gone as planned :( Yeah, I could probably take her to court for visitation rights, but I honestly shouldn't have to! If her parents were more responsible (and yes, by that I'm referring to my son, too), I'd be able to see her! But they were both just kids themselves when she was born & they're both still kids now! Maybe someday, they'll both grow up & realize how important it is for this little girl to have a family. I can only pray!

Can you believe that's 2 blog updates from me in one day? I was just going to edit my first post, but then I realized that this little girl deserves a post all to herself :)

Happy Birthday, my angel!

Love,

Grandma

Weekend Wrap-Up.....

...on a Wednesday. Yeah, I realize that the weekend is over, but since I worked on Monday (double time! :) & yesterday, this is the first chance I've had to update my blog since the weekend. And what a gorgeous weekend it was! Jim was off all 3 days from work, so we spent the weekend doing some things around the house & doing some shopping since it rained 2 of the 3 days. I'm actually glad that it rained because it meant that we still haven't had to turn on our sprinklers yet :)

Saturday night, we took a drive down to Ferndale & ate dinner at a place that Emily told us about called Como's. Since I love Pizza, I had to check it out since she's always saying that they have the best pizza around. And yep, it was pretty darn good, but I still don't think it beats Kalloways. Sorry, Emily :)

Sunday, we were blessed with this beautiful sunset. I took both of these pictures from our deck. After the rain let up, it turned out to be a gorgeous evening & we were able to open the windows & let some air in.

When the windows are open & this Lilac behind our garage is blooming, you can smell it through the whole house! This is the first Lilac that we ever planted & also my favorite out of all of them. The scent is just amazing. I really need to cut some of the flowers & bring them inside the house before they all die & especially since we now have the A/C on since it's hot & stuffy outside today.

As promised, here's a photo of our newest Lilac addition. This is the Tinkerbelle dwarf Lilac that we planted on the side of our garage. The blooms are so pretty! It's amazing what a week can do to a plant, huh? (see post from last Wednesday when we just planted this Lilac & it wasn't blooming yet)

Monday while I was working, Jim went out to WoJo's & bought me another hanging basket plus this gorgeous rose bush. It's a melon color & so fragrant. He did good ;)

Today, I need to drop of my specimin to the doctor's office (fun, fun!) & then attempt to go to Walmart for some groceries. In between, I'm also working on some new class projects & still need to do some more layouts using my May DT kit. Wish me luck! For those of you that are curious about my doctor's appt last week, he's running a LOT of tests on me, one of them being a 'specimin' plus he did an x-ray & he also has me scheduled for an ultrasound of my abdomen on June 8th. So I still have no idea what's wrong with me yet. All I know is I'm tired of having pains in my stomach & back & going to the bathroom so much :(

Happy Hump Day,

Benita

All About Flowers

Monday, I made a trip to Hobby Lobby since they had all scrapbook paper on sale for 50% off. I don't get there very often since it's about an hour one way, so when I do go, I stock up.....majorly stock up! People have been posting on 2 Peas saying that HL has all the newest Basic Grey in stock along with Bazzill Bling packs & edged cardstock & yep, they were right! I bought 3 packs of Basic Grey, 3 packs of Bling & 3 packs of the edged cardstock all for 1/2 price :) I also got some American Crafts albums (also 50% off), but now I'm not so sure that I'm going to keep them because I really don't need anymore albums......heck, I can't finish the ones I do have! While I was there, I also stocked up on rhinestones since they were 50%, too....gotta love Bling ;)

When I got home, I picked up Cindy & the 2 of us went to WoJo's (a local greenhouse) to buy some plants. I spent another small fortune there, but got 2 new Lilacs along with a lot of annuals for my window boxes & planters & 2 hanging baskets (one of them is pictured above). I just love the purple & yellow combination!

Here's a picture of my window boxes. Jim & I just installed these last year & I just love them! They're so fun to change out each year. This year, I went with mostly pinks in them. You can also see my Hydragneas coming up underneath the windows.....I'm so glad that they made it through the winter!

Here's a close-up of one of the window boxes. They'll take a while to fill in, but once they do, they're going to be gorgeous! I found these really cool daisy-like flowers that are yellow with purple centers that I put in my planters on my porch, but forgot to take a picture of them. Once they fill in a little, I'll snap some pics & post them.

Cindy found these dwarf Tinkerbell Lilacs & she said she used to have one, but it died on her. Since I love Lilacs so much, I just had to buy one & this is the first pink Lilac I've seen. We planted it on the side of our garage.....hopefully, it'll do good there. Once it blooms, I'll take some more pictures of it.

Speaking of Lilacs, mine are blooming like crazy this year! I have 6 of them in a row in my back yard along with 2 around the deck, one behind the garage, one in the side yard & now the new pink one & a dark purple one that I still have to figure out where to plant. Can you tell I love Lilacs? :) The one in the front is the smallest because we planted it a year after the other ones, but hopefully, it'll catch up.

I usually don't wait this long to do gardening, but with the wacky weather we've been having (80 degrees one day, 60's the next), I've really had no choice this year. Plus work at the Zone has been so busy between CKU, the Birthday Sale & the Mega Meet. Don't get me wrong.....I liked it when it was busy.....it really made the day just fly by! And while it's nice to have a little bit of a breather now, I kinda miss the craziness & busy days. Yep, I still love my job just as much as the day I started :)

I'm off work today, so I made a doctor's appointment & hopefully, he'll be able to find out why my stomach has been giving me so many problems lately. I won't bore you with the gruesome details, but for the past couple of weeks, I just haven't been feeling up to par. Say a prayer that it's nothing too serious.

Have a happy hump day,

Benita

My Home MeMe

Sophia posted this MeMe on 2 Peas & I just knew I had to play along....great one, Sophia :)

Your home meme:

Ranch, Rambler, 2 story, More: 2 Story, or 3 if you count the basement.

Brick, Rock, Siding, Log: Vinyl Siding.

Garage attached or detached: 2 car attached.

Number of Bedrooms: 3

Number of bathrooms: 2 1/2

Best extra in your home: The Jack & Jill bath in the 2 smaller bedrooms because it gives me a sink right in my scraproom :) plus I love the archway that separates the entry from our dining room.

Favorite room in your home: Why, my scraproom, of course ;)

Least favorite room: The kitchen.....while I love my kitchen & how it's decorated, I know that it's also a place that I have to work in (cook) & it always needs the most cleaning done to it, too.

Last room you purchased something for: My Scraproom.....5 wicker baskets at Ikea for my Expedit bookcase.

Worst piece of furniture: Definitely our bed! It's a cheap imitation brass & it's falling apart :(

Style (Country, Old Word, Pottery Barn, Primitive, Traditional, Hand-me Downs): A little bit of victorian mixed with modern, I guess.

Clean and Organized, Cluttered and Chaotic, Clean but lived in: For the most part, organized, but not always completely clean unfortunately.....where is that maid anyway??? ;)

How long have you lived there: This September, it will be 7 years.

Your dream home or a step along the way: Definitely not our dream home, but by the looks of the economy in Michigan right now, we won't be moving anytime soon :(

Feel free to play along & post your own Home MeMe on your blog. I'd love to read your answers!

I actually got to do some scrapbooking this weekend. I worked on another class project, which I love the way it turned out, plus I finished up a DT mini book I was working on.

Today, I'm making a trip to Hobby Lobby since paper is on sale for 50% off plus I just want to get out & enjoy the nice weather, even though it's a bit on the chilly side this morning.

Have a great week,

Benita

Happy Mother's Day!

Just a quick post to wish all the Moms out there a very special Mother's Day. The picture above is of my Mom & I taken about 2 1/2 years ago, before she had to have her leg amputated.

If you still have your Mom in your life, give her an extra special hug today. Unfortunately, I'm 500+ miles away from my Mom & Jim's Mom went to be with the Lord back in 1986, so we'll be giving each other a lot of hugs today instead. And Shawn, if you're reading this, you BETTER call me today!!! Or better yet, you could always stop by to see me :)

Have a terrific day,

Benita

Sometimes I Am SO Stupid!

Yesterday, Cassie received her "Citizen Citation" from the Sheriff's Office during their National Peace Officers Memorial Day. When we arrived there, we couldn't believe how crowded it was, so Cassie got nervous (although she'd never admit that she was). She didn't want to go into the auditorium & wanted to leave to go back to school, if you can believe that, lol. But we talked her into staying & told her that we would leave right after she received her award. When they called her name, Jim went up with her to get her award & I snapped pictures......or at least I thought I did! Dummy me forgot to put my memory card back in my camera! I wanted to cry, which is exactly what I did :( Luckily, there were other photographers there & I'm hoping that I can find out who they were & how I can go about getting some pictures from them. Wish me luck!

I know said I would post about why she received this award, but since the case isn't closed yet & it still has to go to trial, I decided to wait to post about it. Sorry, but I promise I will share the story once everything is over.

Tuesday night, as Jim was driving home from his bowling banquet, he called me to tell me that the local Coney Island (Country Coney) was on fire. He said he could see smoke just pouring from the roof & there were 6 firetrucks there. When he got home, we decided to go down & get some pictures, but they already had the fire under control. I did still manage to get a few pics & I like the one above the best because you can see the fireman still spraying water in the roof. Apparently, they were repairing some natural gas pipes inside the restaurant & when they relit the water heater, it started the fire. Although we never ate at this Coney before because it's only open for breakfast & lunch, we heard it was a really nice place & kind of like a landmark for our town.

I just saw this MeMe posted by Sophia on 2 Peas & decided to play along:

TWO:

Two Names I Go by: Benita & Benny, what my grandmother always called me.

Two Things I am Wearing Right Now: my bathrobe & jewelry.

Two Things I Want (or have) in a Relationship: Lots of Love & Respect!

Two of My Favorite Things to do: Scrapbook & Bowl.

Two Things I Want Very Badly At The Moment: a new bed (not a mattress.....the actual bed (headboard & footboard)) & more scrapbooking stuff, which I'll be buying today :)

Two pets I have: Onyx & Reeses, both mutts rescued from shelters.

Two things I did last night: Had an eye exam (finally!) & caught up on some of our TiVoed shows.

Two things I ate today: Nothing yet, but I'll be eating breakfast soon & then I'll probably have some Ice Cream while I'm at the Great Lakes Mega Meet today :)

Two people I just talked to last: My hubby & my daughter.

Two Things I'm doing tomorrow: If tomorrow is supposed to be considered today, I'll be going to the Mega Meet today & shopping like crazy!!! But if tomorrow is supposed to be Friday, then I'll be working at the Zone & probably putting away all the stuff I buy today at the Mega Meet.

Two longest car rides: Virginia to Florida for vacation, Virginia to Michigan when we moved in 1997.

Two Favorite Holidays: Christmas & Labor Day because it's close to my birthday :)

Two favorite beverages: Water & Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Milkshakes from Steak & Shake.

Enjoy your day,

Benita

PooPeD!

Not only am I pooped from working all weekend, I'm pooped from shopping all weekend, too! I just figured out how much I've spent at The Scrapbook Zone since I started working there & well, let's just say that my whole first paycheck plus more is GONE! Yep, it all went to the Zone :) And most of it I spent in 3 days during the 5th anniversary/birthday sale! Here's some pictures of just some of the stuff I bought this weekend:
On Friday, I didn't get much time to shop, but I did manage to buy a little bit of stuff.....some Hambly rub-ons, which were on sale for 30% off, 2 chipboard composition books & lots & LOTS of Bazzill cardstock since it was on sale 5 for $1.00.

On Saturday, I bought some patterned paper from My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey & Creative Imaginations along with some CI embellishments, rhinestones from Doodlebug, Queen & Co Felt Borders (just had to get more of those), new MM glitter chipboard flowers, Junkitz felt flowers & chipboard from their Salsa line, a Cosmo Cricket Lacing Card Kit & a few other things not pictured.....a American Crafts leather album for Cassie's Europe layouts along with extra page protectors & a set of the MM wall text alphabets that were on clearance for $11.99. Let's just say that I managed to spend enough to get my free AMM Tote-ally Cool Tote ;) All the purple ones were already gone, so I ended up getting pink instead.

On Sunday, I managed to spend some more.....got some glue dots since they were on sale, a AMM shoulder bag for when I go to the Mega Meet this week, another AC leather album, this one in black, some clips for my Clip It Up & some more CI paper.

Here is the first layout I did for Cassie's Europe album (click on image for better view). As you can see, I just had to add a little bit of Primas to it :) I think I'm going to use all of the older Basic Grey papers (Motifica & Sublime) for this album as the colors just seem to go perfectly with her pictures.

I'm off work today, so I'm just going to relax & do some things around the house while Cassie's in school & then I told her I'd take her to the mall tonight since she was stuck at home most of the weekend. Jim did take her out to dinner last night, so she enjoyed that. I work tomorrow & on Wednesday, Cassie gets an award from the Sheriff.....very long story, but I'll just say that I'm VERY proud of her for what she did! Maybe I'll post about it on Wednesday after she receives her award. Then on Thursday, I'm going to the Mega Meet with Cindy......WOOO-HOOO! I can't wait!!! There goes this week's paycheck already ;)

Have a great Monday,

Benita

Ready for the Weekend?

I'm exhausted just thinking about this weekend! May 4th, 5th & 6th, The Scrapbook Zone is celebrating their 5th birthday & they're having an AWESOME sale! But it also means that I have to work all 3 days of the sale, which I don't mind at all. I'm actually looking forward to it as it should be a lot of fun! Since I don't go into work until 2:00 p.m. today, I'm hoping to get there a little early to do a little (or should I say a LOT?) of shopping myself before everything's gone :) I actually wished I would have been scheduled to work this morning, though as that's when all the excitement is.....people start lining up outside around 7:00 a.m. to be the first in line for the goodie bags that the Zone is giving away. And let me just say, you WON'T be disappointed in these goodie bags! I bagged them......all 175 of them, and there are some really cool things in there :) They're giving away 100 today, 50 tomorrow & 25 on Sunday.

I did manage to do a little scrapbooking the other day. The layout above is from when Ali Edwards was here for CKU. Yes, I know, the title Me & Ali E isn't proper grammar, but I liked the way it sounded better than Ali E & I ;) I also started working on Cassie's Europe trip album & I think that's what I'm going to be putting most of my energy on for a while since I want to have it done before her birthday in July.

Just a short entry today as I have to get a shower, go get the car washed, mail bills & stop to get gas before I head to work. Have a fabulous, wonderful weekend!

Benita