Jamie Danford

Back from the SSIC

Ahh, a nice relaxing weekend at St. Simon's Island was just what I needed!  Here's a recap...

We got down there Thursday afternoon and promptly proceeded to get completely and profoundly lost...

See...these are our lost faces. 

It may have had something to do with these...

Have you ever seen scarier traffic signs?  Needless to say, we spent some time going around and around the traffic circle before Sherry and Autumn guided us to the house we were renting.

Yippeee we made it! So we unpacked the tiny little handful of things we brought...

and rearranged the house to make room for seven croppers and the seven hundred thousand pounds of scrapping essentials we brought with us.  We set up tables around the perimeter of the main room which gave us plenty of space to crop and wander.  (I did a lot of wandering.)

There's Elizabeth, Christy and Trish on that side of the room (no Trisha's not sleeping...she's intently pondering a layout she's about to scraplift.)

And here's Sherry and Autumn on the other side of the room...

Kristine and I hogged the big dining room table at the end...

which was really good because it was only a few steps away from the fridge...which is important to me you know...

See how happy the fridge makes me?  Ah, I sure do love that fridge...

SSIC continued...

Okay, for some reason my bloggy wouldn't let me continue the original post, so I'm gonna continue blathering on here...

One of the highlights of our weekend was our road trip down to The Croppe Shop and Hobby Lobby in Jacksonville.  Since we wanted to spend as much moolah as possible at the scrapbook stores we decided to all pile up in Sherry's van in order to save money on gas. Unfortunately there were only six seatbelts and seven of us which put Kristine and I in one seat together...this made for a funny yet slightly painful trip...(Thank goodness for Weight Watchers!)

That's okay though because the shopping was TOTALLY worth it.  In fact we shopped 'til we dropped!

Seriously  people, if you've got some spare time, I suggest you hop in yo' car and haul on down to The Croppe Shop.  This place is about 7000 square feet of scrapping goodness...my  old store was 3000 at it's largest, so imagine how much trouble you can get into here!  (See, here's Sherry and Elizabeth getting in trouble and loving every minute of it...)

Then we piled into the van and headed over to Hobby Lobby where we found American Crafts 12x12 3-ring binders for only $10...holy cow!!!  What a deal! 

Needless to say, I think we significantly helped the Jacksonville economy...whatcha think?

SSIC Part Three...

What is UP with my blog today????  Argh.... Okay, I'm gonna finish up my St. Simon's story now and get on with my homework. 

Yes, I did scrapbook while I was down there. I only got 17 pages done, but honestly I was more excited about just going and hangin' out, shopping and beaching than scrapping.  So I took my time and completed some layouts that I'm totally jazzed about.  I'll show them to ya throughout the week okay? But here's proof that I did actually scrap...

and here's a cute layout from Christy...I think she broke her lifetime scrapping record this weekend...

There was a whole lot of scrapping cuteness coming from the other side of the room, but I didn't get pics of anybody else's layouts...dangit!

We also ate alot...and Sherry corrupted me with this...

It's 'cause she's naughty...I mean who could resist a chunk o' mouth watering cookie dough?  And see her brandishing that knife?  She forced me to eat it! It's a small miracle that I didn't gain fifty two pounds. 

All in all we had a wonderful weekend and got lots done.  We even hit the beach for a while...

So, we scrapbooked, shopped, and suntanned...what else can a girl ask for?  ;) Thanks for inviting us!!! 

One more time around...

Since I'm out of town this weekend, hopefully having an absolute blast, I thought I'd throw this video on here for your amusement. I'm sure lots of y'all have seen it before, after all it's a true classic, but I feel the need to embarrass Big Dave yet again...especially since we've got a few new 'readers.'  ;)

Yummmm

Go check out the Prima blog at http://prima.typepad.com/ to see this month's page sketch and some AWESOME inspiration layouts.  Geez, when I grow up I wanna be as stinkin' amazing as these chickies!

Ya know what I reeeeally love about my cat?

Y'all know I'm a big fan of my precious calico Trixie right? Wanna know why?

Well, because she loves and supports my scrapbooking hobby of course!

I mean, she's always trying to help us find just the right embellishment, and goes so far as to jump right into a tote and start plundering...

and see how well she keeps my ribbon organized?

(Sometimes she works so hard, she gets a bit tuckered out and has to take a cat nap.)

Of course there's also her talent trash compacting...

...and sometimes she is a 'taste tester' for me (goodness knows we wouldn't want me to drink anything contaminated would we?)

She's also very good at keeping my roll of glue dots from rolling away, because we wouldn't want that to happen...

Sometimes she even tours the room just to make sure everything's A Okay. (Kristine loves it when she does this.)

Ah yes, my lover kitten...always lookin' out for her mama. 

Lots going on...

We leave tomorrow to go on our girls' scrapping weekend in St. Simons Island!!!!  Thank goodness, because I am READY for a break from reality for a few days for sure.  So am I packed and ready? Well, sort of...the groceries have been bought and my car has $64.00 worth of gas in her belly...

and Kristine and I frantically preplanned pages for several hours last night...

Can you tell? hee hee...Hey Sherry, Tricia, Autumn, Elizabeth and Christy...please tell me y'all's scrap areas look like this too.

But out from under all the jumbled mess, I've managed to put together over twenty page kits to work on...

They're all stacked up and ready to go! Now, I've got a couple of oldies but goodies that I'm trying to get on some layouts as well...like this old MAMBI set...

Man, back in the day when these things came out, you'da thought Elvis had just walked in...we LOVED them and freaked out and pretty much bought one of each! Wow, what was that, like six or eight years ago?  Ha! I'm thinkin' I'm gonna find some pics of the boy Miss Priss had a crush on this year and do a layout.

I'm also gonna use this old EK embroidered "Daddy's Girl" title sticker...and these old CI art stickers too...

And see that sheet of paper with the layouts printed on it down there?  Well, I'm taking Deiha's approach and I've got an inspiration layout for just about everything I have planned.  When I see something I like online I stick it in a folder so I can print it off, plus I've got my Idea Notebook too.  This way I don't have to use my brain too much, which is good because after this week of trying to get my final school projects done, I'm ready for a no brainer kind of weekend.  ;)

Now, change of subject here... first, Amber had her baby Monday! Congratulations Amber!!!  It's a boy, and  you can see his little mug shot if you go to Roxann's blog... www.therealroxann.blogspot.com.

Also, Michelle has a friend who needs to find a new parent for his kitties, so go over to Michelle's blog... www.scrappygypsy.blogspot.com and read more.

Ciao!

Bad days and good days...

Whoa Nelly!  When I decide to have a bad day I really know how to do it right!!  Yesterday officially sucked.  First, let's talk about the house saga...at this moment, we no longer have a contract.  Yup, we withdrew the contract b/c of the bugs and structural damage caused by the bugs.  So now, the sellers can either find some sucker to come in and buy it for cash (b/c you can't get a loan without a clear termite letter) or they can do the repairs (probably about thirty thousand dollars...yikes!) or they can drop the price thirty grand and we'll buy it and do the repairs.  I think the part that sucks the most is that the sellers have been less than cool with us this entire time.  Apparently there's a major family war and everyone's grabbing for what they think is their money, which means that in their greed they've done some shady things.  Unfortunately these people are my Mom's neighbors who we thought were our friends.  Oh well...looks like greed has scored another victim eh? 

Whatever...honestly at this point God has given me peace about the situation and if it's meant to be it'll happen...otherwise we'll just keep on doin' what we've been doin'. 

Part two of my really bad day yesterday is actually quite funny.  It involves a tampon, so prepare yourself okay?  You see I have this cabinet in my bathroom that's located over my potty, and when I stood up from the potty, I flushed and then reached to get a tampon (TMI?) and it slipped out of my hand, and fell into the potty, fully wrapped right as the final swirly went down the pipe...bye bye tampon!! Hello Roto Rooter! (Just kidding, Big Dave snaked the drain and made it all better.) But I mean really, what are the chances of that happening?  I mean, I've been doing this every month for the seven years I've lived in this house, and never dropped one in there before...let alone, right at the end when it's too late to reach in and grab it.  See..told you it was a bad day.

And Part three came when my kiddo decided that she hates swim team...hates it...cried her little eyeballs out when it was time to go.  So Big Dave flipped out and told her he was "never paying for her to ever do anything ever again!!!!"  and sent her to her room.  He threatened to ground her for two weeks as well, but I begged him not to because, afterall...I'm the one who has to stay home with her sorry butt, and I'm not gonna ruin MY summer right?  Sure, there's probably some bad parent corner I belong in, but I'm not...I'm here, and they're gonna have to deal with it.  Luckily for Miss Priss, her Daddy calmed down and decided he'd overreacted and apologized to her.  Ya know, it sucks that we can't have some sort of sampler thing where kids can try different sports/hobbies before you pay out the yingyang for 'em ya know?  Oh well.

So see?  My day sucked, and it was capped off by four hours of the most BORING class ever...at least we got good snacks and halftime...yummm, guacomole!

But today's a good day...so far, a GREAT day.  No, still no house, but remember God's granted me peace which makes me A Okay.  I found the perfect pair of sneakers for Miss Priss (she's gotta have sneakers for camp) then I went out to SCPS and got all signed up to be a substitute teacher starting in August. Then I was naughty and ate a McGriddle for breakfast...geez, it's been soooo long since I had one!  Then I hung out with Sid for a while in the half of the house she's allowed into.  The other side's been totally gutted and stripped down to the studs...wow! And finally I got a great pair of pink shorts for dirt cheap at Wal Mart.  Yep, it's a good day...a really good day. :)

I'm gonna throw up...

Ya know what?  Trying to buy a house is the biggest rollercoaster EVER, and I'm getting sick to my stomach.  First it was DRAMA with the sellers b/c of their family war, and now it's this...

Know what this is? It's a Powderpost Beetle and about a gozillion of them have been munching on MY DREAM HOUSE.  So guess what...unless the sellers are gonna pay THOUSANDS of dollars in repairs, the house can't get a clear termite letter...and without those repairs and that letter...ain't nobody buying that sucker.  ESPECIALLY ME!  Oh this sucks sucks SUCKS...I'm gonna go throw up now.

Guess what I'm getting?!?!?!!?

Yesterday was a day for some big news 'round here...I'm getting something...something REALLY great! (No, it's not a job, but that SURE would be nice too.) SO what is it? WHAT am I getting????

Is it a new puppy?

This little dude is freakin' precious isn't he??????

Is it a boob job?

Geez, I HOPE the real ones look much better than this eh?

Or is it a uber cool new MUSTANG??

 

 

Or could it possibly be my dream home?

Hmmmmm....what could it be....

Should I tell you? Ah, I don't know...

It's pretty exciting...yep, definitely exciting...

Oh fine, you twisted my arm...I'll tell, I'll tell...just stop with the look would you?? You KNOW I can't resist you when you do the puppy dog eyes!

It's a house.

It's THE house.

THE HOUSE!!!!!!!  

For those of you who've known me for a while, you'll probably remember me babbling on and on about my Mom's neighbor's house and how bad I've wanted it for, like, my whole life. In my mind, it's the most wonderful place in the world (besides my Mom's of course.)

Well, the woman who's lived there since it was built in 1944 has finally been moved to a nursing home b/c she's A HUNDRED AND THREE YEARS OLD, and needs full time care.  Her family approached us right away b/c they know that in the whole wide world, there's no one that wants this house more than me.  The man who built it was my Dad's boss...they're the people who sold my parents the three acres where they built their dream home. I have such happy memories of the couple and their house.  After my Dad died when I was ten, I spent a lot of time at home alone b/c Mom worked, and when I got scared sometimes...especially on those stormy afternoons when the thunder rolled in, I'd take off over to their house for safety and comfort. 

This house is a grand old lady...glorious I tell you! She's weathered many storms in her years and I know she'll keep us safe.  Of course, being 64 years of age comes with it's bumps and bruises, so we're going to be full time fixer-uppers for a looooong time.  Here's what she looks like...

She's nestled into a large wooded lot just across from my Mom's house...I took this pic from Mom's driveway. Check out that big ol' screened porch...yesss!

From the porch we can see the Forest River...

and of course, Mom's house.  This is one of the best things about the deal...being Mom's neighbor, because we all know that ever since she snipped those apron strings I've been desperately trying to tie them back together! ;)

The kitchen and bathrooms are gonna need MAJOR help...

Can you say NO dishwasher?????

And scary blue tile?????

However the view of the side yard and gardens from the kitchen window (over the sink) will make up for some of it don't  you think?

Oh, and heck yes the master bedroom scores HUGE points...did I mention, HUGE???

Yes, that's a king sized bed in there, and still enough room for a dresser on the side...and check out the bay windows...oh and this... It's got a fireplace! Whah???? 

Miss Priss's room is upstairs..there's two other chunks of it, but I couldn't get it all in the pic.

And she's got a beautiful marsh view from one of her MANY windows...

Oh, and remember when I said something about being on a wooded lot? well...I'm NOT kidding...here's our driveway...

Oh Big Dave's gonna LOVE hauling the trash down this one isn't he?  And holy crap check out the overgrown kuzdo stuff...yikes!!!!

Okay...so what do ya think?  To be honest, I think I'm still in shock over the whole thing...it's something I've wanted for so long, and it's happened so fast! We're set to close on July 11th, so we'll be moved in before school starts...OMG!!!  We've got a LOT of HAARD work ahead of us, but I totally love the idea of making this ol' gal into something fun and yummy...kinda like a scrapbook page.  I'll keep ya posted on the progress, and take lots of before and after pics so we can all be in it together.  Sound good?  Now I'm off to go cruise through the kitchen pics on Rate My Space (it's addictive!)  :)

Keep your fingers crossed ok? The termite inspection is scheduled for Monday!