The Lazy Gardener Has Failed

Wouldn't it be lovely, if gardening only consisted of good things.  Good things, like this:

and this:

and even this:

But it doesn't.  Instead we have to deal with the good, the bad and the ugly.  Right now the bad and ugly are overwhelming me.  I can't remember a time when I had weeds four feet tall, but I have them now.  A few neighbors along my fence-line never weed, so that makes my job tough, and one feeds her pets (meaning wild birds) thistle seed.  It's probably the worst seed to feed birds in gardening terms, not bird terms.  The thistles are everywhere and multiplying rapidly.  Not that I am perfect.  I am far from that.  I have labeled myself the Lazy Gardener.  I do that well.  So last year I gave up.  Big mistake.  Honestly, I think the Phentermine in my system ran out and all my gardening frenzy before was chemically induced.  Yikes...that's a story for another day.  This year I am paying in spades.  Not the gardening kind of spades, which I imagine would be a good thing.  HA!

The time has come.  Time to take serious action.  The animals think this yard is a wildlife sanctuary and are claiming it as their own.  Animals are a good thing, but not in herds.  The word is out in the animal kingdom that the "kegger" is here and there is a line at the fence gate.  Among the animals moving in or through in the last six months have been the usual, rabbits, chipmunks, gophers and squirrels, but more recently there has been fox, mink, possums and a raccoon.  They all can stay, except the raccoon.  That dude does his business under my pool deck.  Let's just say sitting and relaxing with friends and neighbors isn't as wonderful when the smell is noxious.  Ugh.  I need Billy the Exterminator stat!

So this is the plan.  Regular lists don't work with me.  I need the embarrassment of photos for the public to see and heckle me about.  Behold my back yard with a to-do list included.  Pretty smart, right?

Standing on my back steps going clockwise:

Yeah....monstrous.  Insurmountable.  Joyless.  OK...realistically none of the painting will get done.  I hate painting.  I will hire someone for that.  But the rest is do-able.  Well, maybe not the building of the lattice screen.  It's do-able, but not by me.  I am the Lazy Gardener after all.  I don't want to shock anyone, especially myself.  So this is my goal for the week.  I will report back next week and then we will tackle another area of the yard.  If I live. 

Wish me luck.

Mr. Jack and Mr. Clean....I Love them Both.

This week was busy.

♥ I loved it ♥

My "stand in" godson had his graduation open house yesterday.  

Not to mention a parade and concert before hand.  

He's in a drum corp and carries the largest bass drum.  

Music is his life and love.  

I guess you can tell where he is headed next year due to the shirt.  

He is so excited and so am I.

He is awesome.  End of story.

OK...not end of story, but enough said here.  

Due to my love of procrastination, I spent the week working on his gift.  Let's just say that I made his graduation card three years ago.  I planned what I would make him three years ago as I gave a similar gift to his brother - my actual godson.  I started buying gift cards months ago, but the gift card holder construction began this week.  Squeaked it out in the nick of time.

This is what it ended up looking like.

I was going to add wording under Jack's, like cards or something.  However, I ended up putting other items in it other than gcs.

Sometimes less is more.  

Here's the inner pages:

  

Each inner page is a folder-like/envelope to hold gift cards.  

I have to thank my BASB buddies for their input along the way.

They played a huge part in helping me with this by giving me

suggestions, feedback and listening to my incessant whining.  

♥  Thank goodness for friends!  ♥

 So it is finally done and it has been given.  A friend asked that I list what gift cards I put in the holder.  Basically it is a variety.  The main thing I did do was research what shops and restaurants were around the campus that Jack is going to attend.  I also took into consideration that he would be shopping for dorm items before hand, so cards to Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl's and Target were added for that.  To complete his gift I bought a medium sized Rubbermaid storage container and filled it with items, like a sewing kit, safety pins, first aid kit, microwaveable food, cereal, peanut butter, a laundry bag, plastic utensils, Kleenex and the oh so important - room deodorizing spray.  Almost anything will work.  I should have put a big framed photo of me in that.  Darn.  I will have to send that after he is there.  ;o)  I threw everything in the container, including the gift card holder, and snapped on the lid.  No wrapping required.  Done.  He loved it. 

 And now it is on to cleaning.    

Someone send this man to me.

I can now solely focus on cleaning and organizing the rest of my scrap area.  That re-begins today.  I am actually very excited about this now.  Before all I could think of finishing the project.  I better get crackin' before I figure out that sitting on a computer is way more fun than cleaning.  HA!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy your day!

Oh Crap.....

I didn't remember this thing still existed until I received an email from my friend, Briana, who told me I better get to updating this or she will drop her stalking of me.  With that I suppose she will then remove the planned shrine of me from her blog.  An ego like mine will not let that happen.  HA!  This brings me to the realization that I have the best friends ever.  Not only are they fun, humorous and talented, but they also feel comfortable enough to kick me in the butt when need be and they don't mince words.  So here I am and while I haven't created too much as of lately, I have done a little.

The above were done for the current BASB challenge.  This time I am hosting and the challenge is to use frames or framing somehow on a layout or card.  Super easy challenge as I think most people in some way or another frame whether through actual frames or white space or any other inventive way.  The challenge is still open, so you have plenty of time to join in.  Deadline is June 14 at midnight central time.  Prize is a $10 gift certificate to Studio Calico, which happens to me my kind of Disney World without all the spinning tea cups.  I'm old.  I can no longer handle spinning.

Other than a bit of scrapping, I have been busy weeding my gardens.  It seems I took last summer off.  You do that and you might as well start over.  A few years ago I wanted to remove all the grass in my yard and install gardens, so I did.  I now want to remove all the gardens and install grass.  Everybody warned me, but I am a stubborn cuss.  The above is the only part of my yard I feel proud enough of to show off.  That was a couple weeks ago.  It's now de-petaled and hanging limply.  Peonies need to last longer.

Other recent happenings:

He turned 13.  Ack.....13.  He loves learning about WWII, flight simulators, P51 Mustangs, Legos, Nintendo DS, laughing, hanging out with friends and playing soccer.  Girls are still weird.  I give it three months and that opinion will change. 

We found a new pet.  For two days.  He now lives with 400 of his friends at the Wildlife Rehab Center.

Out of the blue she decided to give softball a try.  She choose this over soccer.  WOW.  Huge shock.  She loves softball.  Either that or she loves the social part of it.  Does it really matter which one at the age of 7?

He wants a puppy.  Would someone just give this kid a puppy? Other than yearning for one he is still trying to find his niche in the world of sports.  Karate may be the answer.  Until then he will swim until he grows fins and play his Nintendo DS until he is grounded.  Yikes.

He turned 21 and promptly proved his age by bringing home liquor and offering it to every non-drinker over the age of 21 at his party.  Poor guy is surrounded by fuddy duddies. Found out today that he will graduate from the U of MN early.  I am so proud of him. This summer he will spend his time at a popular local lake.  Nope.  Not R&R.  He is interning for the DNR and will be checking each water craft for mussels and milfoil. 

He turned 18 and then graduated.  Sigh.  Time flies.  I have never seen somebody so happy to graduate in my entire life.  The smile never left his face.  A smile didn't leave my face either.  I will miss him when he heads to college next year.  Until that time he will fill his summer with drum corp, parades and playing in a jazz ensemble with his older brother. 

Speaking of jazz ensemble, I was able to see them perform at a local coffee shop on Memorial Weekend.  Our group made them play requests much to their chagrin.  You boys better learn Take the A Train.  That is my next request.  BTW...they sounded awesome!

So that is that with them.  About me....

The pool is open.  Patio time with the fun neighbors has started.  The carhops at Sonic know me by my first name.  Summer is in full swing.

I am also in the middle of a renovation of my scrap area.  That all started with the purchase of an Expedit shelving unit from Ikea.  Dang Ikea.  I think this is an endless project.  If you don't see me here in a month, contact Briana to kick me in the behind.  She's good at that.♥

BASB Challenge: No Photos Allowed

WANTED

Personal Assistant.
Must possess organization skills and have a paddle,
because today it is all up hill against the current
and the sharks are circling.

I haven't had any takers on the above yet. I think it is a lost cause. They see the chaos and run in the opposite direction. Seriously, all I really need is a cleaner to come once a month, one cabana boy that knows how to mix drinks and vacuum the pool preferably wearing a sequined Speedo and a handyman to fix those little projects around that house that never get priority. Oh and a gardener, because let's face it...the weeds have taken over and there is no way out now without a blow torch. So enough whining. When one is overcome by life's deluge of reality...one scraps. Here's a bit of what I did while avoiding the real world:

The above was done for the current BASB challenge. Diana's challenge is to make a layout without photos. The goal listed in the journaling has already been failed. Just keeping it truthful and real.

The following are the final pages for the scrapbook I am making my cousin. I cannot believe the little guy is already a year old and walking. Actually, he dances more than he walks. Favorite dancing tune of the moment seems to be Single Ladies - the Chipmunks version. The kid has great taste. I will have to introduce him to the Glee version the next time he is in Minnesota.

Lastly, is a layout I did for last weeks sketch challenge for Studio Calico. I missed the deadline, but whatever.

The Sketch by Susan Weinroth:

My take:Yeah...I kind of like this last layout. The sketch is exactly what I needed. I've been staring at these photos for almost a year. Ugh.

Well, it's off to water aerobics to me. Seems like a good place to interview potential cabana boys, but believe me it's not. All my fellow aerobi-sizers are 70+ year old women. Well, except for my friend, Jenny, but she steadfastly refuses to serve me drinks poolside. Whatever. The ad states cabana boy, which she is not. I shall keep looking.

Twelve Step Posey Problems

Hi...my name is Denise and I am addicted to crac.....pleated flowers. Not that I want to be addicted to crack, but somehow in my head it seems a little more exciting saying that than stating you are addicted to folding paper into posies. Well, it is what it is. So while I haven't been putting out a lot of layouts and projects lately, I have been folding paper. I estimate that in two years, four months and three days I will use up my last sheet of pattern paper - all on flowers. By that time I may also be driven to use crack. Sorry...I shouldn't tease about stuff like that.

Thanks go to Judi who started a thread on Studio Calico asking for links explaining how to make pleated/accordion flowers. Also to thank are Emily for her Pleated Flower tutorial on the Studio Calico blog and Lisa for her Tattered Flower tutorial on her blog. From that I have the follow and a pile more on my desk:

BASB Challenge - Use Your Favorite Manufacturer

There's a new challenge on the BASB blog. This time hosted by Ki. Her challenge is to use your favorite manufacturer and, if you wish, take it a step further and post it on the manufacturer's website/gallery/blog. While I couldn't post my layout on the manufacturer's gallery as the little dude in the photo does not belong to me, I think it is just the push some need to put themselves out there and potentially benefit. I see so many great layouts from unknowns (meaning your not Ali Edwards) that would be an asset to the manufacturer, if only it had been shared on their website. Rambling here, so to make it short. Push yourself. Get out of your box. Post to manufacturers sites and perhaps by doing so you will find you are what we have all been looking for - a new "Ali". But first enter it into the BASB challenge. LOL

Here's a link to the challenge: BASB. My layout was done using October Afternoon. Love OA. I am still working on the first year scrapbook for my cousin and my mini cousin, who is the cutie in the photos. These layouts are all without journaling, so my cousin can personalize the pages. Makes it easy for me. Whew.

BASB Challenge: Use Repetition

A new BASB challenge is up and running. This time Liz is hosting and her idea is to use repetition in a layout. Even though I suffer from no-mojo-itis I found just enough creativity to eke out the layout above. Baby J is no longer a baby. He turned one this past weekend. Right after I finished the layout he had run ins with multiple little friends at his birthday party and bit them all. Maybe he is Born for Trouble afterall. Nah....he just has new teeth and likes to use them. ;o)

It seems I am born for trouble, too. While working on the layout, an idea popped into my head and I was so excited. Ideas popping into my head is a rarity it seems. HA! Waleska and I both own the i-top Brad making tool, which is a fun tool for it's intended use of making custom brads. However, I finally bought the punch that goes with it. This one:

My grand idea was using it in an alternative way. See the flowers in the layout? That's what I got excited about. Well, I rushed over to Waleska's blog to tell her and guess what I found? THIS. I am pretty sure I saw her layout and stole her idea subliminally. I don't remember this happening, but me coming up with a new and original ideas is a rarity. Yep...pretty sure I saw her layout and stole the idea from her and then tried to make it my own. So before I make a zillion dollars off of this, I must credit her, because the law is you give credit where credit is due. It's all about integrity, People. :o)

Hope you can join in on the repetition challenge. For more information and to see Liz's layouts, check out BASB Challenge: Use Repetition.