"Window of Time" Fiascos and FWF#12

This past week, Marika celebrated turning nine years old. Of course I had to make her a card! I used this week's card sketch #22 from Sketch and Scrap. 

I used the following Unity stamps:  Everything Wonderful {June 2013 Sentiment Kit}, Everything More, Grandma's Lace (heat embossed with AC Zing!),

I also used Party All Day for the envelope front and back... I *love* how I can center things so easily, with that amazing Stamp-Ma-Jig from EK Success. The heart is from Handmade Valentines.

So this week, I'm back to posting a picture of Bo every week - he's weighing in at 48.2 pounds now (he's gained 15 lbs since he joined us 2 months ago) at supposedly 7 months of age

I took him on a 5-mile walk on Monday, because our lawncare people (not the mowers, the people who come to fertilize, aerate, or lay down weedkillers) confirmed TWICE that they would be there Monday morning. It's a struggle to keep an active puppy in the house, because we have two yummy guinea pigs and I didn't want to crate him if I could help it. He also loves to chew on things. So, I tried to tire him out. It worked - but the lawncare people didn't come! When DaddyDude called to see what was up, they said they weren't scheduled to come until WEDNESDAY. Boy, was I peeved! I tried to convince DaddyDude to cancel the service completely because the dog is digging and trashing the yard, but DaddyDude is quite partial to his lawn looking green, so he refused.

So, we went on another 5-mile walk today and the lawncare people still did not come in the morning! The technician finally called at about 1 pm, saying he would be there shortly, and he didn't know why there was a note saying we wanted the morning time window...? When I explained about the hassle with Bo, there was a slight pause, then a comprehending, "Ohhhhh...", followed by "... sorry..." I took Bo with me to get the girls from school and of course, that is when the lawncare guy came (after 1:30 pm). And of course it rained while the dog and I were waiting outside for school to get out!!! Nothing like a wet dog in the confines of a car!

Why offer a time window if you're not going to honor the request?! ARGH! We used to crate our other dog when we both worked, but I feel just terrible doing it with Bo, seeing how much he relishes his freedom outdoors. Of course, this also means it's only a matter of time before he is eventually skunked. :( He cornered his first oppossum last week. See, that's why I worry about the guinea pigs! 

Bo at the top of the mile-high hill...

Thanks for visiting! Be sure to check out the latest awesome sale at Unity! Oh, and by the way, for anybody looking for Scrabble tiles for art projects, check out HasbroToyShop.com - they are offering free shipping plus 20% off (most orders) until April 7th with the promo code: FRIENDS14. Of course, they sell games, etc., as well. :)

Is Two Weeks Too Long? FWF #11

Hello, hello! Well, we're in our second week of spring break and wow, do the kids really have to be off that long? I'm very much a creature of habit, so my schedule feels discombobulated - and I was only able to create one card this week, based off The Deconstructed Sketch DS142.

Sequins are so fun! These were part of a free gift Unity sent me.:)

 

Don't forget to check out the sale at Unity Stamp Co - they are offering a free stamp for every $15+ order.  

Well, this is a short but sweet post - I hope to have more time to be crafty next week when the kids are back in school. Hope everyone has a great weekend, thank you for visiting!

"The Circus Tent" and FWF Week #10

Hello, hello! Hope everyone's week went well. The kids are on spring break and DaddyDude was on vacation, but... it wasn't a particularly fun week. Why not...? Well... there was the little issue of treating that drywood termite problem I had discovered a few weeks back. Unfortunately, you have to do what you have to do - so we cleaned/purged, bagged all edibles, and went to stay in a hotel for a couple of days, praying that no one was going to break into our house while we were gone.

 Here are the kids and DaddyDude, waiting for the fume crew to arrive...

 

 

And here is our house, visible from outer space. :) I'm pleased to say that the house was completely fine while we were gone - DaddyDude took the opportunity to install some wireless cameras, to make sure no one entered the house while the fumigation was taking place (and yes, you do risk your life doing so, but criminals aren't exactly known for being smart now, are they?). And now he can rest easy, knowing that the girls are going to have a tough time sneaking any boyfriends into the house, in a few years... LOL! We were back in the house on Wednesday and spent the next couple of days unpacking things, retrieving our animals, and sorting things out.

 

 

I finally managed to find some time this evening, to make a card for Marika's friend (and the only friend of hers that was willing to watch Marika's Madagascar hissing cockroach colony during the fumigation!). This is the same card sketch (Sketch #21 from Sketch and Scrap) I used last week, but I really wanted to use Sabrina from Unity Stamp Co - they are having another wonderful sale, check it out here! Sabrina's on sale, too! :)

 

 

Cardstock (DCWV), stamps (Unity Stamp Co), markers (Spectrum Noir and Copic), chipboard (UmWowStudio), Stickles,
AC Zing! Embossing powder, Bazzill borders, pop dots

 

 

And as promised, I'm leaving you with a picture of Bo. He has really brought some sparkle to this family, but one of the things I love the most about him, is how he honestly seems to love our kids.

Thanks for visiting my blog! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :)   

Julie's Blogoversary Celebration of Friendship - and FWF #9

Welcome, friends! This week, I 'm hopping along with my crafty cyber buddy Julie and friends, to celebrate her blogoversary! Julie and I met at cropchocolate.com, which many of you may remember as a fun and friendly "deal of the day" craft site. I'm sure I'm not the only one with stacks of paper and embellishments serving as reminders of those days!

This year, Julie is back with an even bigger and better "Celebrate Friendship" blog hop! If you didn't come from Erin and Ruth's blog, you'll want to start the hop at Julie's blog, so you don't miss a thing. Here's a quick look at the prizes up for grabs:

Two $10 gift certificates from Unity Stamp Company (donated by Unity!)
Three sets of winner's choosing from The Cutting Cafe (donated by Regina Easter)
A ribbon bundle from 3 Girl JAM
Timeless Twine -- Rainbow Party Pack (Donated by Timeless Twine)
Close To My Heart Stamp Set
Close To My Heart Stamp Set
One $15 Pinque Peacock gift certificate (donated by Jessica Shelton-Buffa)
Embossing folders (2)
Two $25 Gift certificate winners for My Scrap Chick store (donated by My Scrap Chick)
Websters' Pages 6x6 Sweet Notes pad, an embellishment set and a Websters Pages Stamp set, plus a Unity Cloud background stamp - donated by Lucy Evans

I'd like to shout out a big "thank you!" to all of our wonderful donors! But, what's the catch? Each prize is "hidden" - you won't know which prize is attached to which blog, so hop away and be sure to leave comments at every stop - you won't be sorry!

Since the theme of this hop is "friendship", I decided to make a card for a good friend of mine - we met through our kids playing softball and I just think of her as a ray of golden sunshine. I love that she tries to be positive about everything and everybody - I really admire that. To me, that makes her beautiful inside and out. :) She recently had some surgery, so I wanted to make her a card to remind her that I think she's awesome, even if she doesn't feel like it right now.

The card was based on Card Sketch #21 at Sketch N Scrap (they have great sketches here, check it out!)...

I used Unity stamps from All That and a Bag of Chips and Everything Christmas (did I already rave about how much I love my EK Success Stamp-A-Jig?), together with MME papers, Prima flowers, sequins from Unity (love their free gifts with purchase!), UmWowStudio chipboard, and colored in the image with Spectrum Noir markers.

The card itself, by the way, was part of another one of Unity's "free gift with every purchase".

And look! I finally purchased my very own personalized stamp from Ebay! :) 

Thank you for joining us on our blog hop - I'm sure you've gotten a lovely eyeful of Unity Stamp goodness, too. Be sure to check out their latest sale here. Your next stop on the blog hop is with...

The Amazing Angeline

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. I'm leaving you with a picture of Bo, who got  little bit of make-shift agility training over the past (rainy) weekend... oh, what kids will do for fun! And yes, I'm having fun experimenting with our new camera. :)