They Broke Ground!

Yesterday I got a call from Ginger, the lady who sold me my future house in Kentucky and someone I've become friends with. Ginger had just come back from a vacation in Florida, during a cold snap, poor gal! She also informed me that they had broken ground on our future property and were excavating! Oh my gosh, they will be pouring the foundations next week! Woohoo!!!

I am so happy to know that construction has begun! Of course this isn't Extreme Makeover: Home Edition so there will be many, many weeks of waiting and no one is sending me to Hawaii. But to me this it is an exciting adventure! I've been told that the builder has 90 days to complete the construction phase to earn their bonus. After the construction phase there are a few weeks of inspections and then the closing! The only problem is that the last few weeks of live here in my Riverview home have not been condusive to me getting a whole lot done and I need a kick in the errrr... pants (with me in them) so I'm going to ask some of my friends to come over for a M-C "stimulous" party. And no, just like the stimulous bill that was recently signed into law in the US, neither myself nor anyone else will see a nickel! HaHa!

For you scrapbookers out there, today was the start of the Tampa Bay Scrapbook Treasure Hunt. Janie and I thought it started tomorrow, but when we went to pick up our bags, we were surprised to see people in the store and doing make and takes and lots of piraty spirit, Arrrrrgh!
So we did the make and take, spent our $5 minimum and were on our way to the next store! You can find out more about the Treasure Hunt here.

One more thing, did no one notice that I announced the January/February winner a few days ago? The winner's name is posted on the right hand side of the blog and she only has a short while left to email me. So just maybe a little birdie out there will whisper something in her ear?

Oh and don't forget! If you observe Daylight Saving Time, tomorrow as in tonight before you go to bed is the time to move your clocks ahead one hour. Have a great weekend!

In Memory of My Son's Dad

I've debated whether this was the right thing to do, the right place to share an event so difficult for my son and I. But I decided to listen to my heart, asked my son if it was OK with him, since this blog entry is also very personal to him. Since this is a blog about life etc, I can hardly avoid speaking about an event of this magnitude. A couple of days ago, after rejoicing that we had finally been able to get in touch with my ex-sister-in-law and my niece Malanie through Facebook, we found out that my son's dad had passed away. He didn't pass away a few days ago, in fact he passed away more than a year ago. You see he didn't stay in touch with us and after a few years, we stopped pushing to stay in touch with him. We did try to reconnect shortly after that with his sister, but our efforts failed, as did hers to get in touch with us. I guess it wasn't meant to be. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, that doesn't mean that we stopped caring what happened to Shaun's dad or that we are not feeling bereaved by his passing at far too young an age.

Joseph Wayne Lewis Whalen was born in 1953 and never quite made it to his 55th birthday. He was always a bit of a rebel, which made his choice of joining the military rather unusual and his service not always smooth. I spent more than 20 years of my life loving him from up close. Then I spent over a year mourning our life together, followed by 13 years of loving him from afar. That love was not the same as the one I felt when we were married, and it was certainly tinged with regret. Regret for what we had at one time and what we could have had, but mostly a excruciating gut wrenching regret that he and my son did not have the relationship I always prayed they would have. If only the picture above had been a truism of their relationship, rather than a rare moment on a very rare occasion.

The life that Wayne chose to live, was not one that I could follow him in, nor one that was right for a 15 year old child to be exposed to. However, I wished Wayne well, hoped and prayed for his happiness and wondered if he had given my son a half brother or sister. Needless to say, it was a shock to find out that he had passed, and as a believer in the after life, I can only hope that he is now in a better place, free of pain and worry. I am sure that his family misses him. I just want them to know that we have missed him too, despite going on to have happy and productive lives in another country, surrounded by another family who was kind enough to take us in and love us both.

My son and I look forward to being in touch with the Whalens again. They were part of our lives for many years and we hope they will be part of our lives for many years to come.

Flop Goes M-C

I made it home yesterday around 4:45 pm. I should have been home earlier, but a couple of accidents, slowed things down considerably as did a whole lot of road work in Georgia. I think I can call my trip a success, despite the fact that I ended up staying a couple of extra days. I was really tired when I got home and after dealing with a minor crisis and eating some pizza, that Rick was kind enough to order for me, I flopped down on the bed and to my surprise, fell asleep at 6:45 pm and save a couple of short periods where I was awake for a few minutes, I slept pretty much till 9:30 am. Today I've just been chilling and watching HGTV.

I did have a little time off between meetings while I was up north. I visited the Archivers in Cincinnati and was suitably impressed. The people were really nice and the products were much more updated than what I had seen in one of the local scrapbook stores. I also stopped at the Archivers in Marietta, GA as it was just the right time for a break before I headed into the Atlanta traffic. They had a free make and take going, a thank you card, and I did stop to make that before getting back in the car.

I've got to say that I fell even more in love with my iPhone when I noticed that the map application let me know instantly if the traffic was heavy and for what distance . It sure helped seeing how fast I was travelling through traffic and being able to see roughtly how long the slow down would last. Because of the rubber necking you can even figure out if it is construction where only one side slows down, or an accident where you see a slow down on both sides, with the actual accident side being red for a longer distance than the rubber neck side. The iPhone also allowed me to type in just the word Archiver and the phone would show me where they were and select the closest one. Select the one and you instantly have directions with maps and timing and yes, traffic. I tried doing scrapbook, but I'm afraid that the tree times I tried, the stores had closed. Such a shame really!

Todays two pictures are of the master bedroom in two different decorated models of the same Valmont model. Amazing how the paint color on the wall behind the bed makes such a difference. The paint color in the first picture really makes the height of the ceiling stand out and because it is a warmer color it also makes the room look a lot cozosier! I can't wait to furnish mine and paint it.
I do hope to catch up with my buddies over the next week and I really need to do some serious packing. I'll do that maniana, tomorrow... yup tomorrow.

My Blog is Suffering from Neglect

I know, I know, I haven't posted in ages and how can anyone be expected to post comments to a blog that doesn't get updated! In my defense, life has been very, very busy. I am currently in Northern Kentucky putting the final touches on the plans for our new home. Monday I did take time out for a trip to IKEA and found two items that are must haves for Rick's office space in the new home. Then I had a 4.5 hour meeting to decide on securityt, data, TV and phone wiring. Tuesday I had a 4 hour meeting going over the plans and locking down all the details. Today I had four different appointments and tomorrow, Thursday I will probably have at least two things to nail down and I'll rest and relax before I undertake the 15 hour drive back home to Florida on Friday.

One of the items I've added to the house is an intercom system so that I can answer the door without opening it from either my craft studio downstairs, my office on the main floor or from the second floor master. I personally consider this an important part of my security as like most people I still tend to open the door when someone knocks to see what they need. A few years back I was lucky that my son was home as I opened the door to a young man who, I learned later, had broken into Rick's car and had a knife. I still open the door, but I am always a little worried when I do so.

I've been told that they will be breaking ground on our new house in about three weeks, which means I'll have to be here again at that time. The building phase of the house will be completed 90 days after that followed by the inspection phase and closing which normally occurs about 30 days after. All of a sudden things seem to be moving very, very fast and time seems to be slipping away! On the one hand I am excited about seeing the house built and moving into it and making it comfortable and homey. On the other hand, I know that I will miss Florida, my friends and more than anything being less than two hours away from my son.

To get the picture posted above, I played in photoshop with a new picture I took of my inspiration house. I flipped it horizontally and changed the color of the roof to black. You can now get a pretty good idea of what our house should look like. So there you go. Take a look soon at the right side of the page. As soon as I get home I'll announce my first blog candy winner of 2009. At stake, $25 (retail price) of goodies.

Back in the Land of the Manatees

I am back home and glad to see hubby again! Nuku my other kitty didn't come and see me right away and that made it even more obvious that Radar wasn't here. He always came to make nice when I got home even if that done he would let me know that abandoning him wasn't the right thing to do. Perhaps there will be a new kitten once we are all settled into our new home in Kentucky, but that is a big question mark and will depend on how old Nuku does getting used to things. She doesn't always do well with change and she does seem a little lost these days.

Today was all about unpacking, finalizing house contracts and getting to work on DH's Kentucky Bar application. It is amazing all the info they need! I've also got some scrapping that needs doing, a page due on Wednesday for a special friend of mine and the love book for the class on the 8th at Scraptopia. I'm wondering if anyone will sign up for it. Things are tight all over and not that many people are putting money into attending classes. I also really miss my Scrapbook Buddies and am planning to put up a scrapbook date on the site soon. It's just a little hard to put in a date that has a chance of not needing to be changed!

Anyone watching House tonight? It's a new episode! Yeah!! I'll have to tape the Bachelor. Man did that guy get into kissing everyone fast, LOL! I can't wait to see what it is he can't do... that comes up at the rose ceremony! You know, I still haven't figured out why I watch that show, I guess it's a little bit of a Cinderella story where we all hope to see a happy ending. Frankly that isn't something to bet on!

Half Way Home

I am halfway home after a successful trip to Northern Kentucky. We found the house we want to build; it is the one I showed everyone in a previous post. After adding ton of options, we put in an offer and got the price we wanted. From my research I think we got a great price and I can't wait to see the house built and finished with all the choices I got to make.

I will be going back to Kentucky in 3-4 weeks to review the plans for the house and finalize everything. After that I'll make another couple of trips and then probably move into an apartment once the house is framed and stay until the contruction is complete. Since there is another month after the actual construction is finished having various inspections done, I'll have a few weeks back home after that to complete packing and hang with my buddies.

I like the kitchen so much that I might just have to start cooking, LOL! And my craft room? It will be just awesome!!! Here is a picture of the kitche in the model. I picked maple cabinets and stainless steal appliances both of which are shown in the second picture taken from a different model.

I have a shot at 2 part time jobs when I get up there. One is teaching classes at the local scrapbook store and the other working in the model home in my community a couple of days a week. Time will tell if either of these come through, but they would be loads of fun to do and keep me out of trouble if I did get them.

How Beautiful

Is this a special picture or what?I guess they aren't kidding here when they have signs on the roads to look out for deer! It will be something to think about when driving at night!

I drove down a neighborhood cul-de-sac and when I came back up the hill there were 3 and then 4 deer just grazing there next to a home and across from the model home.

I was a little too far away when I took this picture, I didn't want to scare the deers away, and although I zoomed in and then did a little photoshoping, it still isn't all that clear. But if you click on the picture, you can see a bigger version.

Home Search Current Front Runner

How about this house, on the lot shown bellow? I've been trying to find a great home for us. I want it to be cosy, affordable and totally functional. We want a house that is in sync with our lives and for me, one that allows us to have family members or friends over. I want to be able to accommodate my scrapbook friends whether they are new local friends or the friends I've made over the years that are willing to come and visit a beautiful area of the USA. Choosing a home is an agonizing process. Having one built is even scarier. I can only hope that I make the right decision and that both Rick and I love living here and feel cozy and comfortable.

This is not the usual look for the front of this home. I came across this front visiting the model in Monroe, OH. I think this is absolutely gorgeous. But I had to consider the reality of having the most expensive home in the subdivision and then it occurred to me this morning that if the house is on a lot that rivals anything in any subdivision I've seen, IE a million dollar view, it would continue to be attractive. So here is the lot that I would love to put the house on.

I would love to read your comments, both positive and negative and any suggestions you might have on this choice. I'm also including the link to the plan for the house. Our home would include a full bath with a shower on the main floor. On the second floor we'd have a shower in the hall bath and a door from bedroom two, creating a second master. Bedroom 3 would be the guest room and bedroom 4 the exercise room/Rick's office. As for the basement we would finish the rec room a little bigger, add another window as well as have the slider put in. Like many homes in this area, the basement is a walk out. I'd make sure that my scrapbook friends could roll their carts right into the rec/craft room and would include another full bath and a space for a fridge, microwave and sink.

So what do you think? On the right track or completely out in left field?

So Much Going ON!

Well here I sit in a hotel in Newport, KY on a house huning trip. Some might think that this is a bit early to be doing this but there is a chance that we might need to be here in early May and since we are considering having something built that we can live in virtually forever, we wanted to make sure that I'd get here early. There is also the fact that the mortgage rates are low enough that in some places, most of the better priced homes are going a little more quickly.

I left Tampa yesterday morning stopped for the night about 90 minutes north of Atlanta and drove the rest of the way today. I got into the area around 3 and immediately went to work, stopping to look at some models in the Florence/Union area. I even went out to Alexandria to see a market home but despite the beautiful lot, it just didn't make my heart sing, so more looking to do tomorrow. I wonder if I'll dream of the perfect home for us. If I do, I hope the dream includes the address, LOL!

Pictures coming soon!

I've also been asked by my friend Jackie at Scraptopia to put together a Love word book as a Valentine class, so I hope to work on that in the evenings while I'm here in KY, so that it can be almost finished when I get home! Plus I can't forget my Scrapbook Buddies, and hope to schedule a meetup as soon as I can get home to FL and clean up the kitchen and the living room. I've spent the last couple of weeks cleaning out various things, which in plain talk means I've made a mess of the whole entire house! Hence the joy of being away from the mess for a few days, but the desire to get back there, and clean up so that my friends can come and scrap soon!

Goodbye Radar

Today we had to say goodbye to our favorite pet ever, Radar. Radar was born some 15 years ago on a night filled with fireworks, June 24th 1993. He was one of 10 kittens born to a cat I owned which I had been assured by the shelter was male and neutered! That night, I knew for sure that Fred was really Freida! I was right there when Radar was born and helped his mom with the litter over the next few weeks. Radar was the cutest and the cuddliest of the litter and he always, right up till today went all limp when I picked him up, just the way a kitten does when his mommy cat picks him up. Unlike most cats, he nearly always came when he was called even when he was a young kitten. Radar went into kidney failure, faded very quickly and had to be put to sleep. I am grateful that my furry buddy never suffered and that Rick was petting him as he passed away.

From the beginning Radar was a very special kitty. Even my vet wanted him for her own. Over the years Radar moved with me to 10 times. He will not get to see our new home in Kentucky. I am so sad that he is gone but feel blessed that I got to be part of his life. I'm going to miss tripping over him in the morning and having to him follow me into the bathroom every single time for all those years. Bye Radar, you were the best!

Happy New Year!!

There is no doubt that 2009 will be a very different year for my husband and I. While 2008 was a nerve racking year where major changes were set up and waiting for things to unfold was our norm; 2009 is a year where we already know that many changes will happen.

First, I am both happy and sad to say that we will be moving to Northern Kentucky within the next few months. We are not sure how soon this will happen, though we do want to take advantage of the low interest rates to buy our new home. The biggest concern for us is what we should do with this house. The housing market in our zip code is particularly lousy and we would really love to find a renter looking for a sweetheart deal for a couple of years.

My emotions have been all over the place. Happy that my husband has the new job he so wanted and that we will get a new start, but really upset that once again I have to pack and leave wonderful friends behind! I am trying to look forward to being settled in KY and to remember that good friends remain a part of your life and who you are forever. Good friends will cross your path again though never as often as you'd like.

Anyhow, this is January 1st and a time to look towards the days ahead and consider what we can do to make the next year better. I wish you well and I will do my best to keep eveeryone updated, though hopefully not bored, with our progress with the move.

May 2009 be the best year of your lives and may you wake up everyday with a smile on your face and a spring in your step!

Announcing the 2008 Winner of the Super Prize

The winner of the 2008 superprize is Teresa my friend from Hilltop!!!! Congrats on your win, you will receive:

A. Adirondak Markers
B. Miscellaneous Papers and embelishments
C. PortaInk Dual Swivel Traveler
D. A marker buddy to attach to the PortaInk to store your markers,











E. An Acrylic mini-book
F. And a partridge in a pear tree...oups, where did that cone from? That's wrong!
G. A Big Bite, yup that's it, a Big Bite!

Congrats to Teresa and to all have a wonderful holiday!

Remember everyone, the blog contest will start again in January with the first gift handed out early February 2009~

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

A Yearlong Gift

A Yearlong Gift

Rushing here,
Rushing there,
Christmas gifts bought here and there.

No more time
For me to share,
Have to wrap those gifts with care.

What is free takes little time
What each can give to humankind,
Don't have to charge for it, it's free,
A smile I give to you from me!

M-C Graves

I love Christmas time. Not the preparation, that's a lot of pressure, but the enjoyment of the smiles and laughter and goodwill. I'm not the first to want to bottle the Christmas spirit and I'll surely not be the last. I truly enjoy the smiles of people receiving a gift and am touched and humbled when someone things that I'm worthy of their time or thoughts. A smile is a small thing and yet it is the biggest gift of all. It is hard to feel lonely, hurt or angry when someone is looking at you and giving you a genuine smile that says that they care, that you are special. A smile is something that you can share with a stranger you cross on the sidewalk, a cashier handing you your sales slip, a child or harried mom in a checkout line.

I've always believed that a smile is the best gift we can give each other, and so I send you all a smile for Christmas and my wish that you exchange and receive a zillion smiles in the months and years to come.

Close to Home

Sometimes beautiful things are so close to us and yet we either don't hear about them, don't pay attention or even just simply take the time to go and check them out. So it is that down by the smoke stacks on Apollo Beach, a 5 minute drive from my house, there was a place that I had never paid attention to though I would think that I must have heard about it before. Truly, after I took the time to check it out, I noticed the signs about it on the highway. Silly how we sometimes don't notice something that is right under our nose! Too rushed, too busy, to self absorbed? I'm not sure why I never paid attention to this wonder earlier. If I had checked this when I first moved here, it could have given me an extra two years of enjoyment!

During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I wanted to do something special with my son. Something new. It occurred to me that it would be great to go down to the power plant and see what was really going on and find out if it was worth adding to the list of things that you bring visitors to see.

Oh my goodness! Well put together, it is an awesome sight. There is a coffee shop and walkways and a space where you can sit and eat, a souvenir shop. Like I said well put together. By now you are surely wondering what I am rattling about.

I am speaking of a well cared for Manatee Viewing Center. Manatees are huge, inoffensive sea mammals. Strict vegetarians, they seek the warm waters of Florida during the winter and even more so the warmer waters of places like Blue Springs, or the Crystal River and Apollo Beach power plants amongst other spots. Because we were having a cold snap, there were about 30 manatees in the inlet and according to the ranger there were roughly 80 manatees in the inlet in the early morning hours! What a site! I can only imagine that they must have been almost shoulder to shoulder, or is that side to side in the morning. Manatees are protected animals and they cannot be fed and people are not allowed to touch them. This isn't a problem in Apollo Beach since swimming isn't allowed and frankly I wouldn't be inclined to go swimming there, but in Blue Springs, humans and manatees share the beautiful, warm spring water.

Needless to say that any visitors I have with a little time on their hands will be directed to drive down Big Bend Blvd right down to the Manatee Visitor Center! I wonder if there is a similar site near your place that you have a tendency to overlook?