So Much Fun!

The gang over at the A*muse*a*palloza site are up to it again! Check out this sweet game of Secret Squares! You have to be registered for A*muse*a*palloza to enter their fun little games and card design challenges, so if you haven't done that yet, make sure to do that first. And, if you want to help me earn some Ambassador points, be sure to let them know I referred you! Enjoy your day!

Tattoo Shops Rock!

WARNING...Graphic post ahead...but no picture, don't worry!

Today I thought I should get a second opinion on my navel ring, so I stopped into Gothic Tattoo, a local tattoo shop. My sister suggested putting neosporin on it and said it should slide right through, but that didn't work either. Since I had already irritated it quite a bit the other night, I only wanted to try it one more time before giving up for good. They thought I should have easily been able to get the ring back in since it was out for only a few short hours, even without the spacer, since I had it for so many years. They took a look at it and agreed that it was swollen and irritated from my trying to force the ring back into it, but they said it didn't look infected at all, so that was good. They also said it shouldn't need to be re-pierced and agreed to try and help me get the ring in. Turns out my original piercing is VERY deep. They even had a bit of difficulty getting it to work and had to put a small rod through it first, followed by a larger one, and then the ring! So, what does all this mean??? Well, my belly button is now pierced again with a new ring and it is not infected...this is the good news. The bad news? They suggested that I don't change the ring out on my own, because of the piercing being so deep. So, now I can't wear the other cute rings that I got this weekend (including the fun row of stars) unless I go back in and have them change it. (Not so bad, but wishing I hadn't already bought the new ones once I heard this news). The really good news??? They did this for FREE baby! They ROCK! Hope you're afternoon was as delightful as mine, but with fewer impailments.

We Finally Painted!

Here are the before and afters. We had hoped to get it all done on Sunday to be able to relax today, but it just didn't happen. We got all the prep work done, the filling, sanding, taping and so on, in the bedroom and then we were tuckered out. Plus we started a little late in the morning because someone didn't want to get out of bed!

Today we started with the first coat in the kitchen (color=fresh cream) and then moved on to finish the second coat in the bedroom (color=toasted wheat) while we let it dry. Unfortunately, we realized after we did the second coat on one wall, that today the temperature was much warmer than yesterday, so the paint wasn't spreading as much, and we were not going to have enough paint. We had wondered this when we started because we had measured out all the square footage, and thought we needed a gallon plus one quart for the bedroom. We gave the dimensions to our landlord to bring down to the paint store (because they are AWESOME and bought the paint for us) and when we got the paint, they only had one gallon for the bedroom. We figured it might be enough, or it might not, and just went for it. Once we realized we weren't going to have enough, we decided to just finish off two walls and save the last two for a later date this week when we get the extra paint so we wouldn't end up with a wall only halfway done with two coats. Then we went back to the kitchen to finish that off.

It looks great so far, but we still have some finishing touches we'd like to add to complete the rooms. I have some new bedding and curtains for the bedroom that are very light and spring feeling, but I have to iron the curtains and wash the new sheets still. I'll take more pictures when that is all set up. Then in the kitchen, we want to add some fun curtains (still looking for the perfect ones) and add some bright red accents on the other walls and countertop. I'm thinking nice red canisters and some hanging coffee mugs. It definitely feels more homey and cozy already and John even said he loves the colors that we ended up with! He wasn't sure about the dark color I picked for the bedroom, but against the white trim it looks perfect. Hope you enjoy!

Edited Post: I can't believe I forgot to brag about what an awesome painter John is! He was seriously amazing at the "cutting in" at the ceilings, door casings, window trim, etc. I kept insisting that we needed to tape it all off, but I ate my words without complaint a few short minutes later when he proved me wrong. We did end up taping off part of the ceiling, but it was messing with his line, so we took it off and it worked out much better. The only place we kept the tape was along the bottom to protect the trim from drips. Just one more reason why I'm so happy we are making our apartment our little home together! He is amazing and I find new things that I love about him everyday!

New Navel Rings!

Okay, so with all the craziness of the MRI today, I remembered that I had to take my navel ring out before we left. Apparently, even though they are scanning your head, you can't have ANY metal on you at all. Nothing on your clothes, jewelry, hair ties, etc. Since I had never changed my ring after I got it pierced seven years ago, I didn't even know how to remove it. John helped me take a pair of needle nose pliers to open the ring up and allow the ball to fall out. It was really easy and came out with no problem.

Then, we went to the mall with Mom and Dad after the MRI was done to pick out a new ring and I found they were much less expensive than I had previously thought, so I treated myself to three new ones! (I'll post pictures tomorrow). I asked the lady how they opened up and all you have to do is just push on the ball to pop it out from between the metal posts. Turns out, that was all we had to do with the one we removed and we could have still used it again, but we threw it away and couldn't find it again when we looked for it. Whoops!

So, after our fun afternoon of dinner and shopping with Mom and Dad, I tried to put one of my new rings in when we got home for the night. To my great surprise, I could NOT get the ring to go in, no matter what I tried. I tried for about twenty minutes and really started to irritate my belly button when John finally convinced me to stop trying or I'd hurt myself. Determined to figure out how to get it back in, I looked it up online...only to find that all recommendations suggest you put a small plastic catheter in place as a spacer when having to remove the ring for any medical procedures!!! It went on to say, that even if you've had the piercing for many years, the small hole can close up in only a few hours and without a spacer, is nearly impossible to re-insert a new navel ring! Awwwwwe man, now I have to have it repierced. Instead of only paying a few dollars for the plastic spacer, I now have to pay to have it redone. Bummer man!

New Specs and More

That's me in my new specs from LensCrafters. I think they are cute and spunky, just like me! They are just for being on the computer and reading, so I don't have to wear them all the time, but I sure got a ton of nice comments on them when I was wearing them at work today. They are also the reason that I haven't really been posting a lot this week...

I got a little more than I had planned on when I went to the optometrist this week. Being the famous procrastinator that I am, I hadn't gone to the eye doctors in over six years, WHOOPS! While performing the standard eye tests, the doctor found that I have swollen/protruding optic nerves. She described it to me like belly buttons, "most people have innies and only some have outies. And your optic nerves are like outies, but different from belly buttons, this is a bit concerning." After asking me some questions about the amount and severity of the headaches I have, they grew more concerned. I have always had a pretty consistent run of headaches and they are often quite severe. I have always assumed they are due to my work being computer based all day, a stress-filled job and long drives in the dark that put strain on my eyes.

Next, they did some additonal tests and a retinal scan test which shows your internal eye on a computer screen (very cool to see). It was so weird, as I had just seen a test like this explained on Good Morning America last week. Anyway, she told me she didn't want to scare me, but that she had to call my primary care provider and send me to have an MRI done as soon as possible. It turns out that the swelling can be caused by excessive cerebral spinal fluid, putting pressure on the eyes from the brain. They need to perform the MRI to see if this is the case, and if so, see if they can determine why this is happening. So, I'm not sharing this to scare anyone, but since I know a lot of you "catch up with me" through my blog, I wanted to make sure everyone knew what was going on, at least what we know at this point. I am having the MRI done tomorrow and I have an appointment with my doctor next Friday, then I have another optometry visit the Monday after that. We should know something more by next week and I'll be sure to post as soon as I have more details.

Please don't worry about me, but keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. It's a little scary, but I'm DOING JUST FINE! I promise! I feel badly that my parents, my sister and John are so worried about me, but it is great to know what a wonderful support system and love I have in my life. I'll update the blog as soon as I know more.

Challenge #4!

Challenge #4 is up over at the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA website...and it involves one of my favorite tools, PUNCHES! Go check it out and enter to win a mystery prize this week. Your cards must be posted by Sunday night. Good luck!

And #3

Here is the third card for the challenge! Also altered just a bit...I wouldn't be me if I didn't change things up a bit. Sorry for the crappy photos of the last two, but it's 11:30 pm, so they are difficult to take under the orange light from the lamps, but you get the idea. Goodnight!

Entry #2

Here is the second card I made for the challenge. I also made it for my mom to give to my uncle for his retirement from the military after 30 years of courageous service. Hope you like it Mom (I'll mail it this week, once I finish the sympathy card).

Just in Time!

I just finished my cards for A*Muse*a*palooza Challenge #3 and it's almost midnight, I have to get them uploaded quickly so I can make the deadline. I altered the sketch a little bit, so I hope that is allowed. Hope you enjoy. The first one is a card I made for Johnny when he moved in a few weeks ago and I realized I had never downloaded it from my camera.

Challenge #3

There is still time to enter a card into the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA weekly challenge. This week's challenge uses a sketch and is really fun and easy to follow, so be sure to enter some fun cards! You have until the end of the day on Sunday, May 20th. Good luck!

Off to CKC Manchester!

Off to shop and have a fun day with my girlies...the *Nearly Famous Miss Jenn" and the now "Almost Famous Melissa." We had a blast at Margaritas last night with the crew (hopefully I'll be able to snag some of the cute photos that she took, since I didn't bring my camera). I might even share the one where I spilled salsa/ranch dressing dip not on my shirt, but down my shirt! Hahaha. I'll share more later, but we had fun. Now after a morning of tea and banana bread, we're on our way to the vendor fair! Have a happy, rainy Saturday!

I've Been Busy!

Yikes, it has been Waaaay to long since I posted last. Here's what I've been up to and what is coming up, in no particular order:

1. Going with John to buy his new car (he was VERY excited and I have pictures to post soon).
2. Going hiking with my parents on Mother's Day (also have super cute photos to post, but haven't downloaded them yet).
3. Crazy busy with work and got to see a really great presentation by Lisa Cyr that NH Creative Club hosted (she has a number of books about promotions and graphic design, it was very inspiring).
4. Still learning tons at my camera class...this week was color and metering, so I'll be getting on that assignment this weekend.
5. Had the day off today, so I got my hair cut and highlighted and did a little shopping for fun! I'll have to take some pictures when I wear my cute new duds to share with you all!
6. Came home to clean the apartment and made my first successful banana bread....it turned out soooo yummy! Johnny thought it was really good too.
7. Hanging out with Jenn and Melissa tomorrow and Saturday for CKC in Manchester! Dinner tomorrow night and vendor fair on Saturday.
8. Going to Carrie's BBQ Saturday afternoon/evening....oh boy, we'll meet some new friends!
9. Getting a ton of cards done this weekend (I have a lot to finish)!
10. Last but not least, I'll be at the laundromat on Sunday...YUCK, I waited too long this time so I'll be there for a while.

Happy Thursday!

130 Points!

Okay, I have added up my points for the first two weeks from the A*Muse*a*palooza Ambassador Competition, and I am only at 130. Geesh, I need to get my cards into some of the challenges and get my A Muse card album up on the blog. Hoping to get to that before the weekend ends, but we'll be busy with Mother's Day events and potential car buying for John this weekend. That's a long story for another night though. Happy Mother's Day weekend to all you mothers out in blogville!

Playing Catch Up!

So A Muse added the links to all the people in the running for the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA Ambassador contest that have blogs or online galleries and there is some STRONG competition! After reviewing some of the sites, I fear I'm falling behind in points, so I will have to get cracking on taking pictures on some of my most recent card creations. I even signed up to join another person's ATC swap today, at the direction of the nearly famous Miss Jenn, because I hadn't read the notes from A Muse that this was an additional way to gain points!!! Oopsie! Oh well, it's all in good fun and it's always nice to have that added push to make a fun new card. If you haven't registered yet, be sure to do so (and tell them I sent you)...and I'm going to start in on the challenges this week too, so come join in the fun! Here is another card using the cute Seattle girl that I did during my weekend on the cape. I just love how her raincoat and umbrella are matching thanks to some fun patterned paper! Enjoy!

A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA Map!

I have added the Frapper Map from the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA to my page. See where all other A*Muse stamp lovers are located around the globe. Whooo Hooo, I'm gaining more and more points towards being the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA Ambassadore! Be sure to register and let them I know I refered you to help me reach my goal! I'll be back to post my challange card tonight...stay tuned.

Counting Points

Here is a fun little points notebook that I made for my mom a few weeks ago. She is doing Weight Watchers and I wanted her to have a "fun" notebook to keep track of her points in. I've been thinking about returning to the points system myself the past few weeks. I lost about 10 pounds last fall when doing Weight Watchers, but then I stopped when the meetings stopped at my work. I really need to jump start my system because vacation is only two months away!

John and I did get in a quick workout at the gym tonight and we had a great salad with dinner too, so that is a start. We're trying to have salad every night with dinner. John isn't one for veggies so he's not so excited about this plan, but he's being a good sport about it. Okay, not much else to report on tonight. Hope everyone remembers to go vote for an A Muse Mother's Day card by Tuesday at midnight...see the post from a few days ago!

a*muse*a*palooza

Today I entered a contest to be the first A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Ambassador, since I had such great success with the Stacy's Pita Chip Ambassador duties a few months ago, I thought I would give it a shot! Please visit the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA blog to see some fun activities planned for the next 10 weeks. I will get points for every friend that I refer to register (so mention my name if I'm the reason you're signing up), points for every A Muse card I post on my blog (get ready for some more eye candy), points for when I mention A Muse on my blog, and more! The prizes are awesome too! So go check them out today.

QUICK...Someone Needs Your Vote!

It is time for the next reader gallery over at A Muse! This one is for Mother's Day cards, but Mom, I sent in two, so you can still go vote too, since you won't know which one I'll be giving you. Maybe neither...maybe you have an additional one created just for you...just maybe. Anyway, please take a look at all the wonderful cards that some talented people put together and cast your one vote. My cards are #44 and #45, but don't let that sway you. Vote for the one card that you *LOVE* by Tuesday, May 8th at midnight!

Paint Colors

John and I went to the paint store last weekend and picked out some color options for our bedroom and kitchen. Just when I think I've decided on one, I switch over to liking a different one more. Today I decided that I want to make another trip to the paint store and see if there are any others that seem "just perfect" LOL. I guess until we choose one and paint it, I'm going to keep changing my mind. What do you think, based on just these two names? Toasted Cashew or Comforting?

Bike Weather

Yippee! Bike weather seems to be upon us. It is that time in Spring when everything is blooming and fresh and the air smells crisp and feels so cool against your skin. I'm excited to get my bike from my parent's house next time I'm home to visit and try out some of the trails here in Concord. Johnny doesn't have a bike, so I'll have to find a buddy at work to ride with me...(Joanne, are you interested?). Anyway, here is a cute little card that I made at the Spring Crop on the Cape a few weeks ago. The cute bike girl is an A Muse stamp and the trees are from Hero Arts. I'm still bummed I didn't buy the tree set (set of four stamps-these trees were only from one of them!) when I was at Colorful Creations, but alas, I had already gone over my self imposed limit. Happy May!