Oh snap! I love this camera! I have only used it a tiny little bit, and not in much daylight, as it came late. But so far, OMG it’s awesome. I still have major learning to do. I would have had more time to work on that tonight, but my dad had to go get in a wreck. I say it like that because for goodness sakes every male in my family has gotten hurt on scooters, and he wrecked his Vespa. Luckily I think it may end up being a funny story he tells because he is going to be fine. Which really is unbelievable because he crashed, then slid, then his head stopped him by hitting a fire hydrant. Then his bike "ghost rided" until it hit a tree and split in two! He said he got his head stapled and that he has patches of skin missing, yuck! I love my dad, but he does like to act like a big kid sometimes. He is in California at a golf tournament, so he is with a bunch of guys. They didn’t want to call Kim to worry her, so she gets a call from the hospital, geez. Men can be so slow sometimes. She’ll fly down there tomorrow, but I can’t wait until my dad comes home so I can hear the story from him.
Amber Garrison professional photographer?!?!
no way!
Okay let’s backtrack. That’s Em Monday night. Were we psyched up for a new episode of Bones.
Like new for the first time in five months new. Damn I was wired about that. I was doing laps around their kitchen island. And I wasn’t disappointed. I LOVE THAT SHOW. Now something I’m equally excited about. I read a bunch of photo blogs and as you know have been taking a bunch of pictures lately. I was going back and forth about taking it to the next level, as I really am loving working the Ribbon Jar right now, and am so not going to stop doing that. But when I saw this, I just thought, that’s it, continuing education, I have to do this. I talked to Bj and on our cross-country road trip we loved North Carolina. And since we stayed only one night basically everywhere we only got a taste of it. So we’re going! He’s just going to come to hang out. And as if that wasn’t exciting enough I ordered this! Ack! That’s been in the works for a while. I bought it with the 18-200 VR lens. So ya, I bit the bullet. It gets here on Friday so expect lots of yumminess, picture yumminess that is.
April Jars are up!
April jars are up! Right here, all the other special collections sold out super fast, but as of this writing there are still plenty of April jars left – ocean themed this month. Also I finally added that Hanah Silk I blogged about earlier here. And we have tons of new stuff on the new page (including Strano Designs yum yum!).
Picture madness!
So I have been scrapbooking like a crazy fool! I’ve made 9 layouts in the last couple of days. Whoa. Considering I think I made like 9 layouts all of last year, I call this progress. I’m just so excited to start sorting my layouts into their new albums that I feel the need to have more layouts done. And more stories told, coincidently. It’s been my place holder waiting for the last batch of pictures to come from Shutterfly, which arrived just now (one day early oh ya!).
That is supposed to be 1,550 pictures, but it’s actually 1,720. I got two of the envelopes twice. I didn’t get charged for it, so I have some random doubles. Which is cool. Oh and one loan 5×7 ๐ I am caught up on picture printing!!! I can’t believe it! I had to go through all my digital files, on multiple computers, tag my favorites into a folder, then edit when necessary. I took it easy on editing for the most part, unless there was something glaring, like red-eye or exposure problems. I look forward to sorting these tonight while watching a NEW episode of the office (can I get a hell ya?!?!). I have only 4.5 empty photo albums. They each hold 204 (but you can totally cram more in there). Still the math might not work out, we’ll see. I’ll just have to scrapbook even more, and add to my category drawers (pictures of that soon).
Meanwhile listening to this song by Sia on repeat. Love it.
And suddenly I feel a lot better
For all of you who recommended Nancy’s yogurt and probiotics, I thank you. Man do I feel better. Like so much better. It was rough going there for a while, especially for Bj who had to go get me everything, go to the post office for me, clean up, ah he’s the best! And now that I’m feeling better I had to get my butt in gear (as my mom would say). I spent the morning cleaning. Vacuuming, dusting, cleaning mirrors, and scrubbing the floors (vinegar FTW!) to get ready for….
Our new furniture!!! Oh my goodness do I love it so. Yes I do! Now hush all you who are going to say terrible things about our foolishness with white. Here is the thing. We do realize that it is white. That we are going to be careful around it. That we will not eat in here (can I get an amen, I am sick of eating in front of the telly). I do know that I have an almost two year old god-daughter, but still I believe we can keep it clean. However we do have a back up plan. We got our pieces sprayed with some kind of repellent, and we also got an additional warranty just for the cleaning part. It lasts for ten years, and if you get anything on the piece they’ll come out and clean it. If they can’t then they replace the cushion, or chair, whatever. If the fabric’s been discontinued than they will replace all three pieces. Sound too good to be true? Well one of Bj’s co-workers has Ethan Allen furniture, and has had for years, they got the same warranty and had no problem using it. Apparently the only thing it doesn’t cover is sweat. How funny is that. And kinda gross. Who sweats that much on a couch. So the only bad thing is we were not able to sell our old furniture in time. This is mainly because they were so early getting our furniture to us (which would usually be great). So if you’re in the market for some heavy duty (and HEAVY, right Brent?) pink couches let me know. They are seriously sturdy. Old school type springs, so never gonna sag, and can be recovered. Anyway I’ve been up to other tricks as well, like scrapbooking, a lot. I’m going to work on a proper light box (for Ribbon Jar) and use that to take pictures of all the layouts, eventually. I’m behind on a few things right now!
But thank you again for all the get betters and good advice!
What was that? One more shot of our awesome sofa, if you insist:
Next up funky pillows!
Antibotics kick ass (at least they kick mine).
Late last week I got a bad infection. Had to go to the doctor’s ("oh Mrs.Garrison where is grandpa?" the receptionist asked me), and got some generic antibiotic. I was feeling better. Good enough to go hang out in Portland, and visit the newest to join the just engaged crowd:
My dear friend Tex! This makes six of my friends engaged right now, goodness it’s great to be surrounded by so much happiness! She joins Kay, Kristen, Kathy, Sara, and Britt! Whoo hooo! After hanging out with her all day, and walking everywhere (which totally killed me that night, yikes, I am out of shape), I went out to dinner with Paula and her friend. Fun, fun. A little place downtown talking and eating. I love evenings like that. Unfortunately when I got home I realized that the combination of all the walking, plus infection, plus antibiotics was making me feel terrible. I did manage to get to sleep after much wiggling. A couple nights ago I actually slept on the couch because I felt so sorry keeping Bj up with all my kicking and not being able to get comfortable.
But last night was the worst. It turns out antibiotics kill lots of bacteria, including the kind that keeps everything working nice, digestion wise. So I have been just UGH, like seriously. This is exactly what I feared would happen someday. I would get super sick before a jar release day, and not be able to work and get the newsletter and jars out. Well that happened, so if you are looking for them tomorrow I made a note that they won’t be available until next week. Now excuse me while I go whimper some more to Bj and make him rub my belly.
When the stars align
Yesterday was our first anniversary. Thank goodness that year is over! Who knew it would be so insane, so crazy, sad, happy, confusing and everything in between. I really thought we would just throw all our stuff in the same house and everything would be happy go lucky. If you’ve read for a while you know that’s not how it turned out, but you know what? I wouldn’t change anything. Bj and I are who we are because of it all.
The last two nights we spent at this little hot springs resort (thanks mom and Bill!) in Bonneville (near the dam). It was so nice, we really did nothing but go in our hot tub like eight times. It’s full of water with minerals and no chlorine (that we could smell or feel anyway), so you can get in and out as much as you like. Last night we were laying in bed talking about how we got to where we are. We were being pretty mushy about how much we like each other, and what we first thought of each other. I told him some of what I wrote in my journals seven years ago (generally, "Oh Bj is so cool, he’s so good looking… HE ALMOST TOUCHED MY HAND!") and we talking about our favorite moments in our relationship. Hands down our road trip after we graduated. 10,548 miles around the United States. We both knew after that we could do anything. We laughed about the bad campsites, and the crazy people. The weird sights, and good luck. It was so fun to reminisce. We decided we have it pretty good. Gosh I love that guy! Today on our way home we picked up our cake:
I thought you weren’t going to have a piece Bj? I can’t believe just a year ago I was getting married, eating this cake, and dancing like crazy. Oh and to dispel a rumor I heard, no our cake did not cost thousands of dollars (it was like $750, yes, even with all those hand painted flowers. Hello I shopped around). The bakery where we went (Joseph’s; no web page) gives you a gift certificate for a free cake on your anniversary. They are all into freshness and don’t want you to save the top (no problem, I ate the top the week after the wedding). Mmmm so good.
As if my day couldn’t get any fantastic starting off with a hot tub and having a cake break I went to the local office supply store to see if I could get some more dividers for the drawers I’m organizing my photos into. Not only did they have those, they had all this:
I brought the clips on a whim thinking maybe they could order them for me (love local merchants they’ll order anything for you). But they had three dozen just sitting there. Had a total Amber freak out moment. Also I got some of those alphabet tabs (but you can change the green part). They are the same kind as the ones I got vintage and used in my Alaskan scrapbook. That long thing at the bottom is a customizable tab. Like the Avery kind, only you cut it to any length. No idea what I’m going to use that for, it just seemed to be calling my name.
I have 9 binders all done now:
They are so tall I don’t have room to keep them together:
Time to print more pictures. But before I go through my library of photos on the computer again I had to have a little fun first:
After all the photos are being put in there so I’ll use them!
Erin I found them!
I have been looking for these photos. I knew I had some of Erin and I batiking in high school.
and
I know, I know. I guess I thought the huge sweatshirt was cool. And Erin was right in asking, "how did we walk away with any non-stained clothes?"
Those pictures were not in this pile:
I thought that was all the pictures in my big order I had placed to shutterfly, but I was wrong, the rest came today.
Whoa. I really like the quality, the only real beef I have is that for some reason the pictures end up all out of order in the little envelops. I’m thinking they have multiple printers working or something and then just stuff what ever comes out first, but it does take a little sorting to get it all worked out. I have filed away 2003-2005 (it took 8 albums, due in large part to the three for our 2004 USA road trip), and piles for 2nd quarter 2006, 2007, and the wedding. I ran out of photo albums to file it all away. Meanwhile I’ve started pulling photos for the category drawers (see Stacy’s book Photo Freedom). It’s really doing that, and finding all the differnt photos of say, me and my brother, or pictures of my feet over the years.
If you can’t find me I’ll be under piles of pictures! ๐
Bust a Bucket
Tonight Bj and I headed to a concert in Portland with Brian and Melissa. It was awesome, Jose Gonzalez, you rock! Jose is a Swedish singer-songwriter. You might know one of his songs from that awesome Sony Bravia commercial. He sang all my favorites, including Down the Line. His voice is so yummy.
On the way up there we were talking about lots of random things, as if often the case. Somehow we got onto the subject of the Blazers (our professional basket ball team). And I brought up Bust a Bucket. I keep bringing this up because I want someone else to go, "oh ya, I remember that." But I haven’t gotten a lot of response. See back in 1992 the Blazers were white hot, they ended up winning the Western part of the playoffs (I know nothing of the structure of basketball playoffs, nor the game really). It was the coolest thing in school to talk about the blazers, wear something related to the blazers, or try and sing the chorus of Bust a Bucket, a song hey made with a local radio station. Well Brian said he did know it, and then Bj said, "Oh Luke can sing that." So we called him, and he did, and he told me it was on YouTube. And now I’ve just had one of the best flash backs ever. Check it out
Any other fans out there?
What I remember: getting up early with my dad to stand in line at Fred Meyer’s for Blazer’s Western Conference winner T-Shirts so I could wear one to school. My little AM/FM radio that had a tape player and this single was in there a lot that spring. Staying up late to watch a game on TV. Watching my dad do his winner’s hand rub thing (he rubs his hands together when he’s really excited about something). Never being able to say: "Bust a Bucket who’d a dunk it Blazer duty Super sunk it Slamn’ Geez it Killer Three’s it go up get got it good" My favorite part was, "It was rip city show time, fully fantastic, positively Portland, slam bombastic!"
Okay that was fun. ๐
Gains and Losses
Today was my exact two week mark on my diet. I’m happy to report that I’ve lost a total of 8 pounds, or about a pound a week. I’m not happy to report that this would have been more but when ever Aunt Flo comes to visit she makes me eat like a friggin banshee. What is that about? This is what goes on in my head days before my monthly; "eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, ohhh have some more." I don’t get it. The other day I wolfed down two chocolate bunnies. People I don’t even like chocolate bunnies. Grrr. And I’m beginning to think I might have to start supplementing the calorie counting with (gasp) working out. I know, I know. I don’t want to do it, but something is happening with me. I don’t believe those calorie calculators. The ones that tell you how much you can have to stay the same weight. When I fill in all my info (and of course mark my lifestyle as sedentary) it tells me I can have 1,600 a day to stay the same. They are such liars. I have a 1,500 day a couple times a week (1,200ish is what I shoot for) and I’ve gained back a pound. Well anyway enough about that, I did start taking fish oil tablets and the first few weeks I felt like they were a miracle pill, but I think my body’s adjusted. Oh and also it’s hard to eat right when your husband makes you a tuna melt… WITH A WHOLE CAN OF TUNA (who does that? I have never seen that done). I said, "damn hon, with the bread and everything this is going to have a ton of calories." He said, "oh and that’s not counting all the butter I used." Oh but it was so good though. Mmmmm. So that’s me checking in, 2 months down, 2 to go. Watch out for me in June, I’ll be the one in the bikini (laying in my backyard where no one can see my incredible whiteness).
So now, let’s talk about the gains. Oh, you know where I’m going with this, thrifty goodness baby! First of all I forgot to tell you that I went to an estate sale on Saturday before we started dying. It was across the street. There is no way I can not go to an estate sale across the street from anything (baby shower, lunch date, visiting a long lost relative, whatever). It was totally cleaned out because it was the second day. But the prices were good and everything under $35 was half off. So look what I got for five bucks:
Some of you might remember that I have one of these that looks very similar. But listen that was a crazy model. It had a slot for a 3.5" floppy disc, and way too many functions for me. I like simple. My friends I think I’ve finally found the perfect electronic typewriter: GX-6750. OH MY GOD looking up that link for you I see that they are not even an old model. They still make them, retail: $119.99 . Oh man getting deal like this makes me feel so awesome. Especially when they come with this:
Come on, two refill cartridges and a corrective tape? They were practically giving this away. Well this and the two callanetics videos (circia 1986 and 1992 – it’s a gentle workout!) I got, too bad VHS players have gone the way of the dinosaur. I wonder if Bj would like me to hook one up to his high tech system. Oh man I’m cracking myself up over here. I have got to scan in the covers of these videos, classic high cut leotards. LOLOLOL.
So that was my first sale of the season. But I’m not going to call it official, since it was an accident, and I had to borrow three bucks because I was unprepared. Anyway I’m going to look at the paper Thursday and see if there is any reason to get up early Friday.
Did you know it’s spring break here in Oregon, or at least the valley. It’s true we like to have vacations during our worst possible weather. Floods of 1996 anyone? My brother took a little boat down and was floating on the golf course. It was like one giant lake. Good times. Well Michele has her nephew and I told them about the Tulip Festival (
We can all handle the weather of course, but apparently the tulips can’t and the only blooming were safe under tents. I bought some blooms, ate a sausage and headed to the goodwill nearby. Where I totally scored. I got lots of cool ledger paper. I think someone brought in stuff from a going out of business office supply store or something. Then I was picking around and saw this bag:
I never have good luck with getting used stamps (except off eBay) because they are usually just teddy bears. Nothing against teddy bears, but… I started pocking around the bag a little more. It was 9.99 (which is like a hundred bucks in Goodwill land) so I had to really look at it. And check out what I found, they are teacher’s stamps!
27 differnt actions, including my favorite:
That’s right, knitting. Also has random things like drumming, pushing, waving, pointing. I am in love with them. There were 10 modes of transport in there as well (including a hover-craft, LOL), and three random stamps: a teapot, kettle, and tap. Making me think that Goodwill split up a bigger set.
So this made me just about giddy, coupled with some other things which I’ll explain below. Plus I’m still coming off the high of being on the juice (two diet cokes in one day yesterday, bad Amber, but I really get stuff done :). So I felt like today needed to be immortalized. I made a two page layout, "happy today" in like an hour, but I don’t feel like the two pages have to be shown next to each other (read I can’t seem to get a good picture of them like that). So page one:
The 11 things making me happy. KI Memories accents, new paper, fabric, random paper and flowers. I used my fountain pen so I’ll type it out for you:
1.Someone left 1:13 worth of change in the meter at the library.
2. Pulling onto a busy street someone let me in.
3. Driving to the tulip fields, seeing Brett, Michele, and Violet. Eating sausage.
4.Awesome stamps: 27 actions, 10 modes of transport, 3 extras
5. this cool paper for 99 cents a pack
6.the $5 typewriter w/ extra ribbons & corrective tape!
7. 8 pounds lost in 2 months today.
8. Oregon weather – the rain, hail, and bursts of light.
9. new ribbon – getting lots done in Ribbon Jar land.
10. Finally found the song, "tears and Laughter" from Bones.
11. Being Alive.
Page two:
The today thing was an accident, I punched the letters out to close together with my quickutz, so I decided to use the negative image. The top right picture is a paper sample from Sciarrino, a perpetual calendar. All the pictures I took today, love my mini printer (old picturemate, 2005). Super quick flower with new silk. Expect to see a lot of these. I love making ribbon flowers like this! So there you have it. A good happy day. And I hope yours was even better.
p.s. yes, the layout is straight in real life. ๐