Cardmaking Elements Session

Since my recent organization efforts that I just blogged about, I was able to have a session of cardmaking elements. I yanked my tin of cardmaking rubber stamps and my caddy of inks and turned on a movie I had tivoed.
While I was watching it, I rubber stamped one of almost every rubber stamp in my cardmaking tin.
I used mostly black and a sepia brown color.
I tore around each image for the effect.
I have them all stored in a large 8x10 envelope; and while I am waiting for a webpage to load [I have way slow dial-up]; I will pull one out and color it with markers or colored pencils or chalks. Then I will have these elements all finished and ready to use on a card.

Cardmaking Organization

I have been organizing and decluttering all my crafting items. Giving away any that do not work for me, to make way for what does.
My dh seen how much I was getting rid of and asked if I was getting rid of all my good stuff. But I told him that I wasn't getting rid of my good stuff; I was decluttering so that I could find and use my good stuff.
I went through all my rubber stamps and on the first cut got rid of anything that I didn't like or could not imagine using.
Then after they were pared down some; I went through them a second time and separated the ones that I would use for greeting cards or ATCs or for mail art; from the others that were mostly for scrapbooking or altered art and art journaling.
Then I found a very large decorative tin and I put all my cardmaking rubber stamps in the tin; so even while they are just sitting on the shelf they are decorative looking. Plus when I decide to work on cardmaking I can just grab the tin and move it to wherever I am going to work at.
All my blank envelopes are in a box, standing on edge so I can flip through them to get to the one I want.
I got the majority of them at the local flea market; the lady had a large box about the size of a medium microwave and it was full of envelopes also all were Hallmark greeting card envelopes. She had a sign on it saying $4.00; so I asked her how many do I get for $4.00? She said the whole box and naturally I snatched up that deal.
I have also found at the flea market embossed greeting card blanks; using some of them last Christmas to make my own Christmas cards.
The scrapbooking rubber stamps I have stored in 3 drawer white plastic cabinets that I got rather inexpensively from Wal-mart. I have them organized by theme; like frames, Christmas, doodles, etc.
My idea is that the easier it is to grab my things and get working on a craft project when I have a few minutes, the more I can accomplish.

Ongoing Genealogy Organization

Since the dial-up internet at my house is as fast as an arthritic turtle on crutches; I am at my oldest son's and he has dsl; so I can actually post.
On the other hand, not being able to get online has helped with real life. My house is clean all the time.
I have been doing some major genealogy organizing lately. I have discovered that some of my old files haven't been touched since 1996-1999. Doesn't seem possible that it has been that long.
What I Have Accomplished
1. Have located all genealogy papers and notebooks.
2. Cleaned off 2 rows on the bookshelf and have all the genealogy research notebooks arranged on there.
3. Gathered all genealogy files on my computer and moved them all to a folder named "Genealogy".
4. Gathered all loose genealogy papers and sorted them by family name.
5. Took all sorted genealogy papers and placed them in plastic page protectors and stuck them in proper surname binder. At this point I simply want them in the right binder; I am not trying to deal with them another further than that. So I stick multiple papers in each page protector.
6. On the computer I opened the Genealogy folder and made a subfolder for each surname that I am researching plus a subfolder titled "Organization". Then I moved each file into the appropriate subfolder. On a side note, some of these files have not been accessed since 1996-1999.
7. Now that the files are organized and the notebooks in place; when I have a few minutes to work on the genealogy; I either open a file and work on entering the information from the file into my genealogy database program or pick a paper and enter that information.
Ongoing Plans for my Genealogy
1. Eventually, all the random papers in the page protectors in the genealogy research binders need to be entered into the genealogy database program.
2. All the information in the random genealogy files in the Genealogy folder and subfolders needs to be entered into the genealogy database program.
3. Once all this hard, boring, and tedious paperwork and files are organized and entered into the genealogy database program then I can get back to the fun part which is the research and actually finding the missing pieces.
Inspiration and Guidance
Dear Myrt genealogy column has a monthly genealogical organizational advice post that is most helpful to getting your genealogical life / business in order. Just google Dear Myrt + genealogy; and I am sure that you will find her most helpful.

Expecting a Grandson

Found out that my third son and wife are expecting a little boy. We are all excited, and are awaiting his arrival late this summer.

What's everyone up to?

Well here is a current rundown on my bunch:

I am currently visiting friends in Ohio.

DH is at home watching the critters and the place.

DD1 is still stationed in Virginia; she is a staff sgt in the Air Force and thankfully returned safely in January from her third deployment. She has been home to visit 2-3 times.

DS1 is in Kentucky; he is still working for the same place; him and wife and kids are doing well; grandson and granddaughter made honor roll in school recently.

DS2 is still stationed in Kentucky with the 101st; he recently was promoted to Specialist; his wife is starting a new job; our granddaughter is going great.

DS3 entered the Army on New Year's Eve and has successfully graduated from basic training and is in the middle of his AIT now; his wife is about 4-5 months pregnant with their second child; the baby just turned 1.

DD2 is currently in Florida; and in the National Guard; she does the Honor Guard for the military funerals; she is engaged.

DS4 is up in Ohio this week visiting on of his best buddies; he is doing well in school; and is taking a welding class this semester that he is enjoying.

DD3 is spending her spring break with ds2 and family in Kentucky. She is doing well in school and recently had her birthday.

As for the extended family:

My dad and step-mom are still in Ohio and doing ok.
Much of the other family is in Ohio some in northern Ohio and some in southern Ohio. Thankfully most are doing pretty well.

I am blessed with my family and thank God for them.

Visit to Ohio

This past week, I have been in Ohio. It is spring break for the kids back home in Kentucky. So, my youngest son, begged to come back to Ohio to hang out with one of his best buddies. So I brought him and have been having a vacation / visit myself.

So far I have visited with my brother and sister-in-law and niece. We caught up and went yard-saling and went to lunch at the Chinese buffet. It was a long, fun, tiring day. We also went to visit my sister-in-law's dad for a while, he is almost 85 and still very spry.

The next day I got to visit with my dad and step-mom. He is doing pretty good. It stormed that night; and reminded me of why I do NOT miss Ohio weather.

Also got to visit with my aunt and uncle; she is the one that had bariatic surgery a year or two ago and she is doing much better.

Yesterday, I took my son and his buddy out to lunch at Arby's; and then son and I drove almost an hour further north to one of my best friends' house. I have been visiting here since. It is amazing how after not seeing each other in almost two years, that we can catch up like no time has passed at all.

Tomorrow I pack it up here, go pick up my son and head back to Kentucky. I am looking forward to going home, I have enjoyed the visit; but as the old cliche puts it so well ... There is no place like HOME. Especially after going for a year without a home of my own, I deeply cherish my home each day and am happy and content each morning when I wake up and realize that I am in my own Home Sweet Home. Corny but wonderful.

Back after a while

I haven't posted in over a month. So much has happened since then. My husband and I have reconciled and have moved into our own place together. This has brought about many changes in my life; mostly for the better.

My third son, Joseph has graduated from Fort Knox and is in the middle of his AIT training. His wife and baby girl came to spend a week with us.

Our new home is way out in the boonies, near a state forest. One of the few not so great things about living here, is that there is no dsl. I currently have a dial-up service that is very taxing on the nerves, after being used to cable speed internet. On the positive side, they only charge $13 a month for it. But on the negative side, it is horrendously slow. So much so that, it takes minutes for each email to load, etc. However, Hughesnet which offers satellite service here charges the better part of $100 a month.