Sunday, November 20, 2011

Stamp Camp is alot of FUN!!!

Last night was my first time to Stamp Camp.  Let me tell you, it was soo much fun.  I really enjoy paper crafting and my new friend, Kimberly, has lots of great ideas in how to use Stampin Up! products.

Here are the things I made last night:


A bookmark....how cool is that? 


a cute card,


a Christmas card 


where you can put a gift card in,


a pretty Thanksgiving card,


and another Fall card.  I definitely enjoyed
getting in touch with my crafty side. LOL!

So, What did y'all do that was fun this weekend?


Sunday, November 13, 2011

My two {Messy} House Guests

Have you ever had house guests that just love to sleep anywhere they choose?
I have two, and they are living quite the life.
Well, at least they do bathe themselves.
However,
I still have to clean up after them.


Meet PG and Scheggeli


PG decided to cooperate for a picture.
But...


Schenuggli (Swiss for Snuggles) would not cooperate.

or is just camera shy.

As we all know, life has its share of messy moments.

like kittys

 throwing things on the floor,

spilling kitty food all over the place

or

leaving their poop and kitty litter outside the box,
EWWWW!

Thankfully Clorox Bleach is there for those messy moments!


Silly kittys peaking around the corner while

I clean up their mess ~ Figures. LOL!

I received information about Clorox’s Bleach It Away campaign and am sharing my messy moment for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls. To learn more about the messy moment program, check out www.BleachItAway.com. Sharing your story on the Clorox fan page gets you entered for the chance to win $25,000 and daily prizes, and you can grab a coupon for Clorox® Regular Bleach.











Friday, October 14, 2011

A New Do

Well for a while now, I have been growing my hair out after having it in about 4 different layers.
So it has finally grown out a bit and had something done with it.
So thank you to Groupon and my new hair stylist
I am now sporting a new do and a new color.


Please forgive the dorky picture and bad lighting, LOL!
but I now have a reddish tint to my hair.
I really like it and its a nice change! 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Scrapbooking and Friends

I love to scrapbook!  So this weekend I am taking part in Cropping for the Cure.
Raising money for the American Cancer Society but having fun too.
Here is what I have done so far:


One page of me & my friends little girl. Isn't she a cutie?

One Christmas card using the Iris Folding method. Its really easy.


and Frankenstein's head. Now I just need to find a Halloween
picture or two to make a scrapbook page with him as an accent.

You would think I would have gotten more done, however,
when you spend a lot of time talking and catching up with
other scrappers I have not seen in a long time
it becomes more of a social thing, but
hey as long as your having fun and
raising money for a good cause.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

You know you live in Hurricane Alley when...





You see signs like this posted all over town...


All new homes must be built to hurricane specifications (ie. on stilts)
especially on barrier islands or places that are in flood zones
because this is what you might find after the storm


Damage to Folly Beach, SC from Hugo




This is a picture of
Folly Beach in
1989.







Several of your local grocery stores are happy to
provide you with a free
"Hurricane Survival Guide"

and it gets better...

the local weatherman's picture is on each copy
we have THREE
Rob Fowler
Bill Walsh 
and Tom Crawford

so if your ever in Charleston during the month of  August or September 
make sure you stop by the local grocery store and 
you can take home a free souvenier 
aren't you so lucky?



Picture from

Sunday, September 11, 2011

some good advise

I was reading an article tonight about Dolly Parton and she gives some really good advise.

“Find out who you are,” she advises. “And do it on purpose.”

Personally, I think I am still on that journey of figuring out what my purpose in life is.  But then I also think that our purpose can be different at different times in out life.

Thanks Dolly for making me think about that.

If you want to read the article check out Garden & Gun at

http://gardenandgun.com/article/dolly-parton?page=0%2C1

Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

is summer over?

According to the media, Labor Day is the official end of the summer holiday. 
However here in the Lowcountry it is still HOT!
We wear shorts and flip flops well into the month of October. 
The saying here in the Lowcountry is we have four seasons:
Summer, Summertime, Summer & Christmas 
I have also worn shorts and flip fops at Christmas time (thankfully that does not happen
very often. It's suppose to be cold outside then. LOL!)

So, yes I was caught off guard when I walked into Target and this is what I saw...


MITTENS?

Umm, its still between the high 80's and 90's here...

It made me laugh.

What are some of the things that have made you laugh lately?

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Earthquake and a Cannon Ball

Here in my little corner of the world, I was able to feel a little tremor at my desk.  It was about 130ish in the afternoon and I was busy finishing some paperwork for one of my customers thought it very odd for my desk to feel like it was moving.  I kinda wondered to myself if it could be a small earthquake as the region I live in is on a fault line.  Sure enough, it was an earthquake, I think its amazing how I could feel it here in South Carolina and the epicenter of the quake was in the D.C. region.  Very happy that so far their are no reports of anyone getting hurt.

Tonight, I went to Downtown Charleston after work to go to the library and across the street the police had a whole block taped off.  The local media was out with their television crew and the local paper taking pictures.  Sure piqued my interest, but couldn't find anything out until the 11 o'clock news.  At a building site, a Civil War era Cannon Ball was found.  The local bomb squad was called out and the Cannon ball will be turned over to the US Air Force to detonate at some unspecified location.  Its definitely been an interesting day here in the Lowcountry.     



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Mailbox

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved going to the mailbox.  Now, I certainly do not look forward to receiving the bills, junk mail and more junk mail. However I do enjoy on those occasions when I get a little package from a friend, an order from Amazon.com or even a handwritten letter.

I think handwritten letters are the best! It shows your loved one or friend took the time out of their busy schedule just write you a note and you can savor it for all time.  I still have old letters from friends and family, one of my favorite keepsakes.

One thing that is special is my last birthday card that my Dutch Grandmother sent me when I was 14 years old.  I like it for the fact it reminds me of her and has her signature on it.

I had a picture to share but Blogger is not cooperating tonight. LOL!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Three Rays of Sunshine

     For the past year or so, I have had three rays of sunshine in my life. 
I was able to see them just about every week.


Such a silly girl!


The shy one!


Funny Girl!

This little band of sisters has stolen my heart!
The sad thing is they are moving.
Over a thousand miles away.
They will be closer to extended family
and other reasons that overall are good for their family.
But I am still sad.
Its been lots of fun playing with them and loving them.
I can definitely say that they have made me smile and laugh a lot!


So will have to depend on e-mail and Skype
to stay in touch and hopefully
go and visit someday!
The thing is kids grow-up soo fast!!!
So, goodbye for now to my three little rays of sunshine.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Captain Jack Sparrow???


I was hanging out in the Historic part of Palmettoville and what do you
know?
There went Captain Jack Sparrow and his Best Pirate Girlfriend
and I got my picture taken with them.
Made my weekend!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

things that made me smile today =)

I went by my local grocery store this evening after work and something bright pink caught my eye...

so I had to buy them.


They have brightened my day & I hope they brighten yours too!

Then I checked my mailbox and received a letter


from my Compassion sponsored child.  She calls me Aunt.
I hope to meet her face to face some day.


Sunday, July 10, 2011

25 random things about me

1) If there is a pothole, I will more than likely hit it. LOL!
2) I dislike doing house work.
3) I don't mind doing laundry, just don't like to fold it.
4) I am an only child.
5) SHH!!! Don't tell anyone but I snore.
6) I love kids!
7) The Smurfs were my favorite cartoon growing up.
8) Purple is my favorite color.
9) I have been on three cruises.
10) I have milked a cow.
11) I love stickers.
12) Laura Frantz is one of my favorite authors.
13) My love for Historical fiction started at an early age.
14) In high school I hated English. Now I would much rather write an English paper than do Math.
15) I used to collect old photographs.
16) I collect sayings.
17) I hope to be a really Awesome Mom someday.
18) Facebook is an addiction. =)
19) I miss a good glass of sweet tea when I am not in the South.
20) I hope to visit my friend Palla in India someday.
21) Romantic comedy movies are my favorite.
22) Laura Ingalls Wilder was one of my childhood heroes.
23) I like to scrapbook.
24) Someday I hope to move to Colorado.
25) I am thankful for my home and for good friends.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Weightloss Wednesday

   Well I have started counting calories myfitnesspal.com - my cousin started counting calories on there and is already losing weight! So good for him.  I gave him permission to fuss at me when I get lazy and don't count my calories, actually he is very encouraging so we are going to encourage each other in the Battle of the Bulge. LOL! 

   The gym at work is about to open so I will be getting myself onto the treadmill and elliptical here soon.  If you have never been on an elliptical machine before, it will kick your butt. 

   Goodnight!

Captain Jack Sparrow

I went to see the latest adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow last night. 
Needless to say he is still the same pirate getting out of sticky situations.  LOL!
One of my girlfriends went with me and we watched the movie in 3D.



Shhh! Don't tell anyone but I did not recycle my 3D glasses...
OOPS!



I tried to post this last night but Blogger was not cooperating. - Mandy

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Weightloss Wednesday

I have not been doing very well with working towards my goals of drinking mostly water and walking.  You would think that having grown up in the South I would be used to the heat but I am not.  No, I have not been walking like I want to.  The new gym at work should be opening soon, so looking forward to that!

Did anyone watch Extreme Makeover: Weighloss Edition on Monday night. I did and I was very impressed by Rachel and how hard she worked.  I keep telling myself if she can do it, so can I!

Here's the link if you want to see some of the clips: ENJOY!

http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-weight-loss-edition?cid=showsitelinks_search

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Weightloss Wednesday

 Another week has flown by and I can say that I have gotten out and walked some, but I really need to make more of an effort.  Downside to living in the south, the Heat and Humidity.  Its not July and August yet but its already well over 90. (Hey but our winters are great.)

I have been trying to drink more water and stay away from the Coke and Sweet Tea.  I am addicted to both! Whenever I go out to eat I always order one and I add so many calories to what I am eating with that. So this week I am going to continue to focus on walking as much as I can and drinking water. 

One thing I have noticed about myself is I don't just stop eating when I am full but feel like I have to clean my plate.  Or I keep eating because maybe I am bored or I think its going to feel that emotional void in my life.  Some people turn to alcohol and drugs to help them cope with life; however, my drug of choice is food.  I need to change my thinking about food and see it as fuel for my body but I am certainly not there yet! One baby step at a time.

I did not get to weigh myself today as the nice scale at work as disappeared.  But soon the new gym will open at work and I can weigh myself without any excuse. Here's to getting healthy!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Operation: Get Healthy

Tonight I went for a 22 minute walk and it was quite relaxing after a stressful day at work.  I did notice that with being so overweight that my hips were very sore but I kept walking and giving myself my own little cheer to myself. "Mandy you can do it!"  I also need to make an appointment with the foot doctor because I think I have a bone spur. Oh Joy!

So I am going to get healthier one step at a time. Mandy  

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Weighloss Wednesday

Well my first thought was to start a separate blog about my battle to get my girlish figure back, but then realized I should just concentrate on this one and incorporate this subject into this blog.  So here ya go.

I have been struggling with weight since my early twenties and have just been steadily gaining.  Once I started working in call centers and living a less active lifestyle the weight just stuck even more.  I swear I just walk past the cookie aisle at Wal-mart and boom another ten pounds are stuck to the hips. LOL!

I have started many a diet and read lots of books on the subject, but to know success.  In 2003, I went to a weight loss doctor, spent several hundreds of dollars and successfully lost 40 pounds.  The sad thing is I really didn't learn what I should and should not do.  When I could not afford the doctor anymore and went back to my old eating habits, I gained all the weight back and then some.  Very discouraging!

Now 8 years later, I know I have to do something.  My family has heart problems and I do not want to deal with those issues if I can avoid them. 

I am really embarrassed to announce this on here but thought if I put it all out here for my readers to see, then that might give me some motivation to make improvements even if its just one small step at a time.  According to the scale at work last week, I am way to many pounds. Yikes! My BMI is horrible too.

Tonight I pulled out my new Sketchers Tone-Ups and walked down to the mailbox rather then just checking the mail on my drive home from work.  It's a short walk but it's a start.  My first goal is to lose 5 pounds and focus on short goals rather than the big picture because I will get overwhelmed very quickly.

Here's to better health! Mandy


Monday, May 16, 2011

The Mother of My Heart

Many of us have blessed with women in our lives that we call Mom.  For me, I have been touched by a woman in my life I consider to be the Mother of my Heart.  She was there for me during some really dark days in my life and never said an ugly word to me either.  Has always been encouraging to me and let me know when she thinks I may not be doing the smartest thing in life but has given me room to grow into the woman I am today.
Probably early on in our relationship she was more of a mother figure to me, where as now we have more of a sisterly bond.
For Mother's Day, we went out to dinner for authentic Italian food. Can we same YUM!


Chicken Alfredo for me

and I can't remember what Helen ordered.


and dessert was delicious too!

So here's to a Happy Mother's Day to you Helen!

Thanks for being there for me when others were not.

Mandy


P.S. Calories do not count on special days or at least I like to think so. LOL! 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A few of my musings...

     Sometimes, I really wonder why does it take so many guys to build a road? One guy to hold the slow/stop sign and his walkie talkie at one end of the road and another  guy at the other end.  Also, one guy to stand in the middle of the work area and hold a lighted orange stick thing to direct traffic in whatever direction in the dark of the night.  Then their are several men just hanging out until its their turn to drive their big rollers (or whatever they do).  I guess they have job security working for the county or state.  Of course, cross-training has never been thought of, but then again they have not asked us the public.  LOL!

     Where O Where, did my metabolism go?  I swear all I have to do is walk down the sweets aisle and another ten pounds have stuck to my hips.  ACK!  The days of eating whatever I want have ended long ago.  So, my goal for the next seven days is to start limiting myself to only 12 oz of soda a day. It's a place to start. =)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Its just funny...

I recently saw these signs at a local buger joint and they made
me laugh and wanted to share them with everyone.







Which one is your favorite?

Saturday, April 16, 2011

the Good, the Bad, and the Stinky


So instead of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly , I am gong to tell you about
the Good, the Bad, and the Stinky of my new job.  LOL!


the GOOD -
  • Positive work environment
  • Warm and friendly co-workers
  • Hilarious supervisor
the BAD -
  • New supervisor is a Carolina Gamecocks GameHens Fan (ICK!)
the STINKY -
  • the papermill located right near my place of employment - somedays it smells like a pig farm, other days like dead fish or shrimp boats, but the workers there say it is the smell of money.  A good attitude to have I think. =)




Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Morning Light

I thought this picture of the morning sunshine shining off of the tree
was just beautiful!
So hope you enjoy!


I took the picture with my smart phone.

Happy Spring!

Now if the pollen was not so bad then Spring would be even more enjoyable.
LOL!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

First Week



Well I have to say the first week of my new job went very well.  From talking to and hearing how people got their start with the credit union, several people have left the credit union and come back because they missed it so much.  I am taking that as a very positive sign that I am in a good place.  Three more weeks of training and then off to the phones and crazy questions from customers. They can come up with some funny stuff sometimes or be really physco too.

After working for Verizon Wireless for six years and most of those years in the collections department, I have heard some interesting excuses.  The best one of all would be the man I called on an outbound call to see if he would make his three month past due balance of $1000.00.  Now mind you this was in 2009, when President Obama and the Washington Gang were passing the Stimulus Bill.  My friendly customer told me to call 1-800-OBAMA because Mr. Obama was going to pay his mobile phone balance for him and then the customer promptly hung up on me.  I have to say that response left me speechless!  Also, I laughed and laughed and the joke for the rest of the day was call 1-800-OBAMA because the President was going to bail everyone out of their mobile phone bills. LOL! Silly customer, mobile phones are still considered a luxury item but I know my mobile phone is my lifeline too. 

Good Night!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Crazy Weather

The weather here in the Lowcountry is always crazy at times.  This past week has been no exception for March.  High 80's the beginning of the week and now in the mid 40's, so yes I did turn the air conditioner on already. LOL! Now I am going to bump up the heat just to make the house a little more comfortable.

Tomorrow is the first day of my new job.  I am excited and looking forward to it.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

they say the first thing to go is the mind...

They say the first thing to go is the mind.  I'd swear if my head were not attached to my body I would lose it too.  So sad, I am not that old yet, just 3 years past 30. 

This was my problem this morning.  But first I have to give you the background of the story, I was in an accident on February 14th (Single Awareness Day).  Ofcourse it was my fault, so yours truly received a ticket or better know as a Blue Light Special. No one was gravely hurt, just my pride.  I really think the police around here have a monthly quota to reach for giving out tickets or maybe they get a commission. (Now please don't think I am disrespecing the police officers who put their lives on the line for all us law-abiding citizens and lead foot drivers.)

However, I could not find the lovely little ticket that I had received from the kind-hearted police lady. So I tear my house apart looking for the blasted thing and could not find it! GRRR! I had to pay it by Friday or I would have had bigger issues with the Sheriff's Department.  So I finally gave up looking and figured the police will have it in their computer.  The next stop I made was for a quick bite to eat for lunch and off I would go to pay my traffic violation.   While waiting for my food, I start to look through the junk in my purse and there is the offending piece of paper.  All that wasted energy and the stupid ticket was in my purse to begin with. {SIGH!}

 Now that I have paid my fine and am once again an upstanding and respectable person in my city, I can look forward to June when my insurance policy will renew.  State Farm is looking forward to revoking my Safe-Drivers Discount.  Can't you tell how much I enjoy spending money on insurance and traffic violations?

Monday, March 21, 2011

Sarah Elizabeth McSween




Wow! I have family from Scotland!  Sarah Elizabeth McSween is my 4th great grandmother, I wonder what she was like.  Born in 1768 in Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire, Scotland, she and her family immigrated to the United States sometime before 1780.  According to Ancestry.com she married William John Wadsworth at the age of 12 years old and he was 20 years old.  That is still hard for me to fathom, married at 12 years old.  I guess that is how it was done back then. 

Isle of Skye is described by Country Life as "...the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides, is renowned for its spectacular scenery, vibrant culture and heritage, and diverse wildlife. The island's dramatic scenery is dominated by the Cuillins, a wild and rugged range of mountains rising to more than 3,000 feet above sea level."

Well now I have to add Isle of Skye to my list of places to visit.  I wander what else I will find out???


http://www.countrylife.co.uk/property/details/property/502993/for-sale/Waternish-Estate-Isle-of-Skye-IV-GB.html

Saturday, March 19, 2011

New Job...

I finely landed a new job! WooHoo! I will be starting in less than 2 weeks and working in the banking industry.  Funny thing is I thought I would be able to escape the call center environment but back I go. At least this one is small and from what I know so far, I think it will be a good experience.  At least I will be getting banking experience as I have never done that before.

I got a call for a 2nd interview with another company today.  So I went to the interview just for the heck of it and to see if I would be offered the job.  I thought the interview went well and all the people I have come in contact with are very warm and friendly.