Gardening vs. Scrapping = Somethings Gotta Give

Something gotta give and it has.  For the summer scrapping is on the back burner.  I have been in a frenetic battle with weeds that grow a foot a day and japanese beetles that reproduce in masses every day. I think I might be winning.  So I feel comfortable showing a quick tour of my backyard.................

From my back door:

A scan to the left and surprisingly there's an algae free pool:

Further left shows a small garden that is a little out of hand with the ferns taking over, but for now it is acceptable:

Garden Path #1 has been weeded:

The lower hydrangea garden is looking ok.

In all honestly, not everything is perfect.  The pond needs repair and the area needs weeding.  My veggie garden should be filled with this:

But to find these you have to look through all of this:

 

Yeah.....the veggie garden is always a work in process.  Ever since the slacker pool installers knocked down my retaining wall to make a ramp a couple of years ago.  Last year I finally had the wall rebuilt and this was supposed to be the year of veggie redemption, but alas I fail.  The area is too large and I need to make it smaller.  Perhaps raised beds within this area. That won't happen until next year, so for now I will pretend the reason the veggies have not been over run with Japanese beetles is because the weeds are a protective barrier.  Woohoo!  

Outside of gardening E and I made the wreath below in under 15 minutes.  Looks pretty cute on the door.

Like the 4th of July wreath in the last blog post, the idea for this came from Pinterest.  Here's the link on how to make it:  Drink Umbrella Wreath.  Due to this project, E now walks around the house with an umbrella in everything she drinks.  A sign of the future? Knowing her mom probably.  Hmmmm....I better put that box of umbrellas under lock and key.  ;o)

I hope you are having a fun summer full of weedless gardens!  Thanks for stopping by.

 

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

Just a few words to keep with the wordless theme around blogland of late. I'm currently addicted to Pinterest.  I spend too much time pinning and no time making. Until last night. Then I said enough was enough.

  

Here's the original idea..  Here's my pins on Pinterest.

The wreath was a pain in the behind, but I like. Happy Wednesday!

Project Life Update

Someone should have warned me this was a bad idea.  Project Life that is.  I am currently two months behind on creating layouts.  I no longer remember how to scrap anything larger than the size of my face, which as some might believe is NOT larger than a sheet of  8.5x11 cardstock.  That would be my ego size.  Kidding. Kind of. From making itty bitty layouts my scrap collection never diminishes.  It (and I) will soon be documented on the new show, Scrap Hoarders.  You'll recognize me as the client that refuses to let go of her collection of Paperkins and tells the therapist what he can do with his theory on my attachment to them. No one gets between me and my 'kins. Anyway, this is Denise as usual.  Always a step behind. I'm really not complaining.  Well, maybe I am, but in a "I love my adhesive" fetish kind of way.  You love to hate it, but it sticks with you.  Pun intended.  

So here's some PL layouts, because Briana told me to update: 

  

There you have it.  I have to say I am a mildly sarcastic person.  On this blog it really comes out a lot stronger than in real life.  So in all seriousness, working on the PL has actually been a lot of fun.  With it now being June I enjoyed photographing the ones above and seeing what happened a few months back.  It's a nice reminder, especially since I have seemed to have hit the age when I can't remember what I did a minute ago.  Yikes.  

Project Life: Finishing January

I knew when I bought that Martha Stewart blood drop border punch I would use if for something other than a forensic report.  I did; however, think it would be more of a Halloween usage than one about winter, but it seems it can almost pass for icicles.  Well, if you squint with one eye and yell Martha as you hold your head at a 45 degree angle.  Just try it and see. I'll wait here. Yeah.....now that I have "weirded" out any new "blood "from reading this blog, let's get down to business.  Project Life is still living.  Albeit slow as stated in previous posts, but still happening.  Here's the remainder of January:  

 

I know.....how in the word do I keep up with this crazy life?  I admit it's fairly hard, but I am super organized and have a staff of 300 - just like Martha.  OK.  Enough.  let's end this.  I do want to say one thing.  While it seems that I only take photos of things I do with Emily, it's not true.  Well, it is, but I can't help it and I am not showing favoritism.  Nick and Jake are now teens and want nothing to do with me.  Gasp.  Sigh.  Shock. Not even when I bribe them with food, money, XBoxes and promises that, if they are lucky, they can take care of me for the rest of their lives. I just don't get it. Who wouldn't want that?

Project Life: Week 3 out of 52.

So in part 3 of Project Life we find Denise baking cookies, going to IKEA, hanging with the sister, getting quickly addicted to coke (I'm purposefully putting that in lower case so it seems more exciting), not surprisingly taking more self-portraits and surviving below zero weather dressed only in flip flops and a bikini.  Yeah....I made the flip flops and bikini part up.  Kind of made you want to flip right to the end of the layouts, didn't it?  I mean Denise in a bikini?!  How tantalizingly scary.

And in case you are worried...ha...I am kicking my coke habit.  I have given up coke and have been clean for ten days and since we have brought it up, it totally stinks.  Let me say that in 1903 Coke claimed that they no longer used cocaine as an ingredient in their soft drink.  I'm not buying that for a minute.  I am sure the secret recipe is comprised of 96% cocaine with a shot of meth and a shake or two of artificial flavoring.  Why else would I get hand shakes every single time I drive past McDonald's? OK...I totally admit it may be due to my fear of clowns.  But that story is for another time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Snow Queen

Taking a bit of a break from the Project Life posts.  I make it sound intentional and planned.  Truth is I'm behind and need a day to put more together.  I even went to a crop this weekend with the intention to get caught up.  yep...I seem to have grand and unrealistic hopes and dreams.  After all, I am only a month and week behind.   I completed exactly one 4x6 - January 21.  Nothing else.  Cracks me up.  

The layout below was done a month ago when I still liked snow and knew how to do 12x12 layouts.  I have to somehow re-stamp the journaling over the stamped background as it faded.  I'll do that as soon as I am caught up on my Project Life.  HA! I have to say that this layout proves two things.  One...I used my Silhouette machine and; two, I finally used one of those fancy pins.  I know....it doesn't prove much, but I have wagers out there and it is time for those suckers....ehh people to pay up. I'll take the payouts in large bills, if you don't mind. 

Non scrap-wise I saw the movie, The King's Speech, yesterday.  It was great.  I hear my boy, Collin Firth, may be knighted due to his portrayal of the Queen's father.  She loved it very much.  I don't understand this knighting thing, but kudos to the soon to be Sir Firth.  That sounds wrong.  Does this mean he won't do movies, like Bridget Jones, anymore?  That would be a travesty. Anyway....just go see it.  If for nothing else than to see and hear a theater full of white hair (I went during senior time it seems) people laugh hilariously through a shocking slur of profanity.  Only Collin Firth could get away with making prim and proper people laugh over a string of explicits that would normally raise them into a fury. Love that man.

Project Life. Week Two.

Not sure if I mentioned it or not, but this is my life.  Or I should say what I wish to document.  There are parts not fit for public consumption.  HA...I lie.  There is no way to make this ordinary life sizzle with excitement.  Well, there is, but it isn't legal.  So anyway....let's keep this short and simple.  This is week two:

Still no dancing men.  To be honest, if there were dancing men, I sure wouldn't be taking photos of them with my iPhone.  I would be hurriedly folding dollar bills into bow ties for the purpose of ....ummmm....tipping.  Here's the instructions just in case you are in need of some fancy origami money or just want to amaze your kids, friends or local police department.  There is always a wealth of information on this blog.  Unfortunately, it isn't always needed or wanted.  LOL  Thanks for stopping by!