rachie's place

what to say, what to say...and a little bit of grossness

nothing really. today was, well...boring. did some laundry. went to the grocery store. did a few move-related things.

huh.

julie sent me the link to this blog. cake wrecks i laughed so hard that i think i heard a snort. i go here everyday. cute overload *please note i DO NOT endorse the use of hartz products*. kirsten told me about this fabulous blog. pioneer woman she is an amazing photographer, cook, loves ALL of her animals to pieces...just read this.

let's see...

i watched a movie earlier this evening and was holding oscar in my lap (the boston terrier from the earlier episode about adverse reactions to cat "leavings"). i had on capri pants (yes, had) and was sitting cross-legged. so keep in mind some of my bare leg was exposed to his bare bottom. well, you know what happened next. he let lose a tiny little "pwoop" and then i had to wash my leg, change my clothes, and put him outside for awhile.

i really don't think life could get any grosser when you own a dog that more closely resembles a barn yard animal.

i am almost done with this.

then that is it for this story.

that's it. good night.

and just because he's so cute

this will always be home

i started packing our personal items that we will need until we get our truck. the movers arrive september 2 and we should all be gone by the 4th. i am sad. i have become really close with my next door neighbor and her daughter. they have been so good to me, keeping me company, helping out with whatever i need, and sharing meals. i still love this house so much that i feel disbelief that i am leaving it behind. i am comfortable here and that means so much to me. the weather has been perfect. not too hot or too cold. we don't have enormous scary bugs up here like in the midwest...POISONOUS, enormous, scary, even hairy (yes, hairy).

in the midst of all this moving, traveling, etc. i have made a funny observation. i seem to spend quite a bit of time at DIA (denver international airport). yet, i don't ever get to go too far from there. funny, since we are both from colorado. i took this photo and thought to myself that this airport, the second largest in the WORLD, largest in the US, is really striking. it sits in the middle of nowhere in northeastern colorado and when it was built, it was quite a feat of architecture and construction, with the tent-like structures resembling the snow-capped rocky mountains.

i made me realize that no matter where rick and i live, colorado will ALWAYS be our home.

dear mr. grumpy

i was scolded tonight for not posting more often for my one and only...he misses the dogs and cat and me (i guess), so he asked for more photos and updates.

well here you go!

this is rick in his new job, his sweet cubicle, and my favorite, the parking sign that is at THE national academy of railroad sciences. i had heard about it for so long, but it was never someplace i thought i would get to go see. my husband, who has worked his a*# off  for the last 13 years, is now one of the instructors and i am really happy for him.

11:15 pm

and i am doing laundry. not by choice. oscar has no self-control and apparently (by the looks and smell of it) ate more poop than his fat little tummy could handle. he had projectile (and i mean launched out of a small pig-shaped cannon) vomit that smelled so bad, it could have woken the dead. i had to actually take his wire crate outside and scrub it down with the strongest cleaner i could find and the hose set to stun to remove the excess puke. i also had to scrub the floor and saturate the carpet in the woolite pet cleaning solution that comes in the double-barrel shotgun variety (to match the mess of a similar force and velocity).

poor thing is asleep with his brother in the "daybed" while i sit here trying to entertain myself until the wash is done.

his eyes are NOT open because he is awake...he has passed out and now resembles road kill. smells like it too...

i wish he would put two and two together and understand that if he eats every little turd in the yard (and mind you, i scoop dog/cat leavings every few days), he will feel like, pardon the pun, crap.

i will not be answering the phone early tomorrow morning. unless it is an emergency...of the vomit variety.

the house

this is the prettiest little house we have ever looked at. it is approximately 90 years old right in the heart of downtown kansas city in a great neighborhood. the house has been completely updated and has such wonderful features...it will fit us perfectly. we will be able to incorporate our love of antique/vintage stuff with modern elements (lines, color, fixtures, etc.).

and here we are on the back patio of rick's condo...everyone say it with me...aaaaaaaawwwweee.

 

mission accomplished

we have found a great home, made our offer, did a little countering, and both sides have accepted. it is official and we now have our home in missouri. right dowtown kansas city to be exact, in an old neighborhood called brookside. when i get home (hopefully tonight), i will post photos, etc.

the reason for the "hopefully tonight" is that my connection in denver is exactly 30 minutes. the weather at DIA is not great today and delays are predicted. i have a feeling i will be missing that flight, which will means that i will miss my shuttle back to stanwood, which means i either stay in denver until the morning or pay $150+ for a cab from seatac to my home. ugh.

wish me luck.

off to buy

another house. i leave in the morning to go to kansas city and hopefully buy our new home. i have no idea where we are going to look and am not sure what state we will even live in (missouri or kansas?). i get to see my husband though, and after 1 month (today) of being separated, i sure have missed him.

so, not much else to say, except go here to see a very talented artist from norway. i absolutely love her work and am excited to try her techniques when i return.

i will leave you with this...i had to leave them today at the kennel and it broke my heart.

have a great weekend!

my 5 readers

so i was wrong...i actually have five readers. thank you.

so i finished twilight and am already half-way through new moon...the second book.

i have pretty much restructured my life around these books. when i read the last page of twilight at 1 am this morning, i knew that the minute i woke, i would be heading to target to by the second one...now i wish i had gone ahead and picked up #3. i could possibly read them all by friday, just in time for the release of the 4th. thanks kirsten. once again, your recommendation has become my entire focus. i am lucky i shower.

batman, has continued to squeeze under the fence in the night after getting out last week (he walked out the front door). he has tasted freedom but doesn't quite know what to do with it. when i go looking for him in the morning, he comes running/tripping up the sidewalk in front of our house, frantically meowing. he is so happy to see me...i guess he discovered that he does not have a collarbone. i wish he could figure out how to squeeze back under the fence. his escape is blocked off for now...i'd rather keep him close with our move looming in the near future.

now, i would like to direct you here. since this blog is supposed to be for sharing scrappies (which i almost never do...) i highly recommend reading her blog. the latest entry in regards to challenges scrapbookers face is very refreshing. keep in mind that this goes for ANYONE that has hobbies and interests outside their daily routine, whether it be work or raising a family, and they are frustrated with the limitations that they may face. i would like to share my thoughts on this topic...

1. i am an absolute perfectionist right down to how i keep my house...to the point of being obsessive really. but the one place i have learned to let go of the OCD is in scrapbooking (and all arts/crafts). my studio/room is usually a disaster. sometimes it leaks out of this room...i have seen glitter sprinkled on the cat and scraps of paper in the dog poo. ANYWAY, i also (like k said) do not repeat pages once they are finished. no redo's are allowed. when i taught classes in k's store, i always told the ladies that art is NEVER wrong (learned this from mom at an early age). be proud of what you accomplished because it is a reflection of you.
2. since i started scrapbooking over 13 years ago, i have an incredible amount of supplies. i used to really stress over what to use in a layout and would ruin the creative process because i spent way too much time picking out my pieces and parts. now i literally grab my photos (which are always my starting point), then my background paper, and the other embellishments. i like to use a variety of meduims in my layouts because i really enjoy a page with lots of detail. once i have my supplies chosen, i move forward. i have been able to complete projects much faster (1-2 days rather than a week...i am still a slow scrapper).
3. i do majority of my projects in a 12x12 format, but i have been changing it up for a little variety. i really like smaller (and i mean SMALLER) sizes because i can finish a project quicker than with a larger layout. i like the atc (artist trading card) size up to 4x6 or 5x7. i love those large playing cards/flash cards (heidi swapp and martha stewart) and i print my photos wallet size to 2.5x3.5. i can still achieve great detail and i also am able to use up the "extras" from past projects. great way to never waste!
4. i make sure to work only when i feel inspired. i tend to plan my day to include scrapping in the morning. then i have to take care of chores, bills, etc. then i push it to after lunch, but i am too sleepy form eating, or the sun is out (which is rare in these parts). then i end up frustrated, mad that i "wasted" my free time. really i haven't, because it was never free to begin with. i scrap late at night, which is when i feel creative, and my daily responsibilities are completed. i put the dogs to bed (the equivalent of my children), and i turn on music or a movie. if it is a movie (in my computer), then it has to be funny and uplifting. usually disney. finding nemo is great...right now i am stuck on the simpson's movie. colorful, funny, and they make me feel happy. happy ALWAYS=inspired.
5. and finally, i scraplift ALOT. i have a select few artists whose blogs i read daily (listed in the inspiration column) and their work always gives me an idea. once i am on a roll, then my own ideas are fresh and i am successful.

that is it for tonight. sorry, kind of boring if you don't scrapbook, but maybe you can apply this to something you like to do...gardening, reading, flyfishing, woodworking, hiking. whatever your hobby or interest may be.

i hear voices

actually i hear only one voice. my own. in my head. constantly yammering on about whatever is insignificant. no wonder my husband tunes out after five seconds when i get going. i don't blame him.

i have a constant sarcastic inner monologue. since rick has been gone and i have spent copious amounts of time alone, the inner conversations are becoming stranger and transition from one topic to another without any sensible lead-in.

i actually wrote down what i was thinking last night...

"oh shoot (i used another word, but my mom reads this blog, so i have done some editing for content), forgot to close the closet door...better do that so the monsters can't get me."

i just bought new toothpaste. crest pro health night. great tasting and it is #1 recommended by dentists blah, blah, blah. i then read this, "stannous fluoride may produce surface staining." which leads to, "WHAT?! i thought i was using this product partially to REMOVE stains. oh wait! says here i can go have my stains removed by my dentist, the one guy i am trying to avoid by using this VERY PRODUCT. well, that sure is a good use of MY time."

i put the dogs in their crates. i go into the bathroom. i come back out 30 seconds later. " now how in the world did they manage to turn themselves into fat little fleece burritos THAT FAST?!"

went to the grocery store. bought red pepper hummus. as i am stuffing it into my face..."wow hummus is so good. i love hummus. oh, but hummus sure doesn't love me." i laugh and keep stuffing my face.

i pull my hair out of its rubberband. "WHOA. could my hair GET any messier? hey that just sounded like chandler bing from friends."

when i enter the closet to look for clothes. "you are so lazy. quit dressing yourself out of the laundry basket. you look like you were wadded up in the hamper for 2 weeks."

later on. "yep should of laid off the hummus. why don't i listen to myself?!"

i have now confirmed that i sound crazy and if the 2 readers of this blog quit visiting, i don't blame you. i better go. i am late for a chat with myself.