Leslie's Creative Place

A little PSA from me to you

2011-06-24T13:12:00.002-06:00

According to his website The Long Walk Home.org, for over 34 years Ron Zaleski has moved about his life barefoot. Why? He does it to remember his fellow soldiers. Ron served in the Marines in the early 1970’s, and while he was never called to serve overseas, many of his friends were. When they returned he saw what an impact war had on them. On June 1st 2010 he set out to make the rest of the United States understand, what soldiers already know. War damages more than just the buildings around you. As a soldier I have seen the cost of war, my husband and my brother served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Neither of them is unchanged, and they both suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on our country we have deployed hundreds of thousands of our soldiers. I am here today to talk to you about PTSD, the effects it has on our soldiers, why this is important, and what you can do to help.

First it is important to understand what PTSD is. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is one of a very few disorders known to be caused by a disturbing outside event. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is classified as an anxiety disorder, characteristic symptoms develop after traumatic exposure; historically PTSD has also been called railway spine, stress syndrome, shell shock, combat or battle fatigue, traumatic war neurosis, or post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS). Reactions to and symptoms of trauma can be manifold; although most people experience trauma in the course of a lifetime, only 8% of them develop PTSD, according to the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology.

Veteran as defined by dictionary.com is a person who has served in a military force; especially one who has fought in a war. Everyday 18 Veterans commit suicide that means that in a year’s time more than 6500 have died needlessly. Veterans and soldiers are in need of better counseling; the fact is that civilian police and firefighters receive better coping and grief counseling than our soldiers. Actually the average college student receives more coping and grief counseling than our soldiers. Soldiers and veterans are unlikely to seek help for many reasons including stigma and being seen as week. When I was in basic training the joke was that water and Motrin, could and would cure all that ails you. You fell and broke your leg? Drink water. Oh you fell 15 feet, broke your leg, and the bone is sticking out, drink water and take a Motrin. With this pervasive and ignorant view from the very beginning of training how can we expect soldiers to seek the help they need? In 2009, more soldiers committed suicide than during any previous period on record. Despite being ordered in early 2009 not to commit suicide. Our soldiers and veterans sacrificed to keep us free, how is it that we cannot keep them safe?

A soldier leaves home a civilian, and upon reaching their training base is immediately bombarded with a rigid rigorous schedule designed to force compliance and uniformity. In fact that is one of the first things a soldier is forced to learn/accept, uniformity. For the males this means loss of head hair, their hair is shaved to approximately ¼ inch in length. For the females hair must be pulled up, it must not touch the collar; there is no make-up, no fingernail polish, curling irons, and blow dryers are a thing of the past. You as the individual are not important. It becomes your goal to blend in and not stand out. Standing out means you’ve done something to be noticed, as Private Kelly in my basic training company learned to his regret. Every time the whole company was congregated and the First Sergeant was there, Private Kelly was standing up, sitting down, standing up, sitting down, and doing push-ups. It is to be hoped that he learned his lesson before moving onto the rest of his military career. Uniformity is ingrained by the time you reach your first duty station, anything that makes you standout is recorded in your Military Personal Records Jacket, and it follows you for the rest of your career.

It is no wonder with such a concern that soldiers are not likely to go and seek mental health help when they need it. Quite often mental health is seen as a threat of punishment. In fact my company commander threatened me with mental health at one point. Who among you would today go to your boss and say ‘you know, I’m not feeling very happy with life. I’ve been thinking about ending mine.’ Or ‘I’m so angry all the time I’d like to strangle somebody’ better yet, ‘I miss holding my gun, are you sure I can’t have my gun at work?’ This is a major reason that military mental health facilities are not as effective as they could be.

A recent study mentioned on VietnamVets.yuku.com found that older veterans who suffer from PTSD are nearly twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related dementias compared to veterans without PTSD. This study is one of the first to link combat-related trauma to dementia later in life. It is not yet clear if having PTSD increases the risk of late-life dementia or not. There is however compelling evidence that repeated or chronic stress may damage the hippocampus, the area of the brain critical for memory and learning. The study followed 180,000 older male veterans, 53,000 of which had been diagnosed with PTSD. In 2000 none had dementia, however approximately 31,000 had been diagnosed by late 2007. Could proper care have prevented this?

In 2005 Ron Zaleski realized that going through life barefoot was not much more than an act of personal penance, which he talks about on his website thelongwalkhome.org. It might make him feel better, but it was essentially meaningless otherwise. He decided that he needed to raise awareness, and began planning to walk the Appalachian Trail. But what good did it do to raise awareness when he didn’t have a plan. So he sat down and came up with a plan. June 2010 he started on a 16 month journey from Concord walking across the country barefoot with a signboard. The sign board reads 18 Vets commit suicide each day. Ron walks between 10 and 15 miles barefoot each day, on highways, and freeways, the weather doesn’t matter and people are welcome to stop and walk with him as well. It is Ron’s hope to collect one million signatures on a petition which he intends to present to the President. On his first day he collected eight signatures. His petition list’s three goals they are as follows:

1. Goal: To institute mandatory “grief” counseling for all military personnel as an integral part of the boot camp programs. It would be similar to that which the police and fire fighter personnel receive, so as to enable them to more effectively cope with the emotions that are associated with the trauma of loss of life and limb.

Justification: A) Our troops go into combat totally unprepared for the trauma to come. B) This preparation would pave the way for making treatment for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) more acceptable and more effective. C) Troops would be more effective and efficient in accomplishing assigned tasks.

2. 2) Goal: Establishment of a mandatory Civilian Re-Entry Program for all military personnel prior to discharge. This could be accomplished efficiently in larger groups.

Justification: A) This will give personnel tools and skills to assist them in dealing with the transition to civilian life. B) It ensures more effective screening of those who are severely affected but who neither recognize nor admit it. C) Making the program mandatory, as well as calling it a Civilian Re-Entry Program removes the stigma of PTSD and acknowledges that it is a human condition, that the personnel are not broken nor weak. D) Making the program mandatory prior to discharge also enables those who receive a Section 8 or conditional discharge to get appropriate attention they would otherwise not get due to the loss of benefits. E) This program ensures that no one slips through the cracks.

3. 3) Goal: Making support groups available after discharge, similar to a 12-Step program, to enable separated personnel to continue to lead productive lives.

Justification: Such a program would foster more trust among veterans, the government and civilians through concrete evidence that the nation they served cares enough to do something both practical and effective.

Today I am asking you, is this acceptable? Is this something that we can allow to continue? If you agree with me, that this is not acceptable, that there has to be a better way than the current military system. I ask you to go to thelongwalkhome.org and sign the petition. We need to send a clear and concise message to the leaders of our country, the leaders of our military that our soldiers and veterans deserve better. Our soldiers and veterans deserve better, safer, mental health treatment. The stigma of mental health should be removed, any soldier who seeks treatment should not have that specter follow through the rest of their military career. Mental health debriefings should be mandatory after all deployments, and prior to discharge.

A few pictures to light the dark...

2011-05-30T22:35:00.002-06:00

Nascar

2011-03-12T22:27:00.005-07:00

Sorry I didn't post last Saturday. I was in Las Vegas visiting my family, and enjoying the warm sun at the races. We had a blast, Aunt Karen, Uncle Reed, Grandma Joyce, and me. I took my camera with me and put it to good use. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this weekend.

For those who don't know the Las Vegas Speedway is just across the way from Nelis Air Force base. The lovely pilots always provide a nice show every year, which culminates during the Star Spangled Banner with a flyby over the stands of the Thunderbirds. Here's a few of the shots I managed to get of them..

Who one you ask? Well, funny you should, he's pretty famous for the way he celebrates his wins. Carl Edwards is known to do a back flip off his car when he wins. I managed to catch all of it but the take off. >

What better way than to end the day with a beautiful sunset? I hope you all have a great week. ~Leslie

A new project

2011-02-26T21:23:00.003-07:00

So I've been thinking for a while now about knitting myself a sweater. I have put around 20 or so sweater patterns on my Ravelry favorites list. But about a month ago I saw this pattern and fell in love. I bought the yarn and am now 18 rows into what will be my first handmade sweater. Hopefully it will go well and fairly quickly so that I can wear it before sweaters are no longer needed. Otherwise I might have to wait until this fall. Here are a few pictures of my progress, the yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Lullaby.

Snow and a finished project

2011-02-19T16:58:00.004-07:00

Its snowing today, and the snow is rummored to continue for the rest of the weekend. Before I went to bed last night around 3am there was no snow on the ground of falling from the sky. When I got up this morning around 11:30am there was several inches, and maintence was scraping the parking lot. Last night we were only supposed to get 10-18 inches this weekend. Now however they are saying 12-22. Well darn it I guess I'll just have to stay inside and knit. Here are some pictures from about 3:30 this afternoon. I finished my Ulmus shawl this week, I absolutely love it. When I first pulled it off the needles I was afraid I would have to give it to my niece as it seemed so small, but with a soaking and a good overnight blocking it grew to be a perfect size. I am planning to make another soon which will also include some beadwork as well. Here are a few pre-blocking pictures of it. . The last picture was taken durring blocking. I can't help but love it. I am so excited to wear it out this summer.

Have a great weekend!

~Leslie

Tuzigoot

2011-02-12T04:45:00.004-07:00

I grew up in Arizona, I don't know if I ever mentioned that before on this blog. I remember many school field trips to various amazing sites. Among the ones that really stand out in my memory are trips to Tuizgoot and Montezuma's Castle. Although Montezuma's Well is relatively close to the Castle I don't think I've ever been there before. My hubby has never been to any of the wonders that Arizona has to offer so a couple of weeks ago we got in the car and took a trip to Tuzigoot. I got to try out my new camera while I was at it. I love my new camera. I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures of Tuzigoot with you. The last picture is of some of the surrounding mountains around Tuzigoot, and the storm that was blowing in at the time. I love how much of the sky you can see in Arizona.

Have a great week!

~Leslie

Current works in progress

2011-02-05T00:00:00.003-07:00

I seem to have quite a few projects on my needles right now. I am also attempting my first KAL (knit-a-long) its with the Sunshine Yarnies group on Ravelry. This is Ulmus in Swedish Short Snout, and Edwards Volvo colorways by Sunshine Yarns. If you haven't experienced Dani's amazing colors you should go visit her website.

This project another shawl has been on my needles for a very long time poor thing. I love the pattern but the repeats are starting to make me crazy. This is Percy Shawl in lilac Malbrigio.

I have a few other porjects in the works: I need to cast on for a mate to a pair of socks for my friend Rebecca. I want to get a pair of socks made for Theresa's birthday later this month. We'll see what happens.

Have a great day!

~Leslie

So many projects so few updates....

2011-02-04T20:30:00.004-07:00

I've accomplished a few knitting projects at a few cards since the last time I posted anything. So here are some pictures of what I've finished. The socks went to a friend of mine Wanda, they were a very late birthday pressent. The pattern is my own design. The cards I made four sets of and they went to three friends in the U.S., and one friend in the UK. I also recently got a new camera which I am in love with. Very awesome and the detail is amazing.

Have a great day! ~Leslie

One Lovely Blog...

2010-11-07T20:36:00.003-07:00

I'm not totally sure I deserved it with the way I often neglect my blog (such is life as a college student) but my Aunt Nancy got this award and passed it on to me. You should visit her blog its full of lots of recipes that one day I would like to try. Thank you very much Auntie! The "One Lovely Blog Award" isn't meant to stop in one place so here are a few of my blogger friends who I've passed it on to. Hopefully they too will pass it on! Thank you all for sharing yourselves with the world :)

With that in mind here are my lovely blog choices:

Nicole at http://backatheranch.blogspot.com/

Nona at http://nonapearl.blogspot.com/

Aaron at http://www.aaronsbooth32.blogspot.com/

Jena at http://livelovelaughscrapbook.blogspot.com/

Erin at http://erincobb.com/ThePigBear/

Karen at http://karenrussell.typepad.com/my_lifejust_not_on_the_ro/

Lucy at http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/

Mean Mommy at http://themeanestmom.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy some of my very favorite blogs.

-Leslie

Digital Scrapping

2010-10-09T03:09:00.003-06:00

So I admit, I am very late to the whole digital scrapbooking thing. I once looked at it several years ago and could not begin to figure out what I was meant to do. Close to My Heart launched a program this past year called Studio J. Its wonderful, very easy and totally user friendly. Here are five layouts I made recently, each layout could not have taken longer than 20 minutes at the most.

Flagstaff and the storm...

2010-10-08T01:16:00.003-06:00

So if you haven't heard northern Arizona, specifically several communities surrounding Flagstaff got to play with some torandos on Wednesday. That's right four confimred touch downs, within a 20 mile radius of my home and college. Unfortunately they did some damage. Six people went to the hospital after a tornado threw them around in their homes. A train crashed after another tornado knocked it off its rails. Here is a picture of what the sky looked like on campus around 10am right after my American Lit class. Its not the greatest representation of the storm as the dark and dangerous storm clouds were behind me. I was attempting to take a good shot for my photography class, I'm not sure I suceeded but I turned it in for assignment tonight anyway.

This is what the sky looked like this evening a day after the storm, as I left my photography class. I took the shot outside, but the view was better inside. I am now thinking that I shouldn't have worried about taking the shot from indoors and gone for it. Oh well would of, should of, could of. After the storm. It was a beautiful day today, which made me think of the world being washed clean.

Peace be with you. -Leslie

A family recipe

2010-10-07T23:55:00.006-06:00

So I know its been a while, I won't even attempt to offer excuses. I will however offer you a easy recipe for Sticky Buns. Its a family favorite that I remember my grandma making forever. There are no measurements in this recipe just add what looks right/good to you. Spread the nuts and in this case mini chocolate chips in the bottom of a baking dish. Add coconut: Add lots of brown sugar, and a little cinnamon with a little nutmeg, and a smidge of white or turbinado sugar: Melt at least a stick of butter (no its not really a healthy recipe) you can use more if you want and pour over sugar, nuts, and other ingredients. Sorry no picture. Add yeast roll dough(I use frozen that I have defrosted but you can also use homemade roll dough. Bake according to your yeast roll dough recipe. When they are done flip out while still hot, and enjoy.

Have a great day and enjoy! -Leslie

I Write Like...

2010-07-18T12:40:00.003-06:00

...So I don't know if you know this about me or not but I like to read. I also like to write and lately one of my many hobbies has been writting. My Mom told me this morning about this website http://iwl.me/ which takes a sample of your writing, anayalizes it and then tells you which famous author you write like. My Mom apparently writes like Stephen King, so does Margaret Atwood who is a writer that is one of the options you can write like. Me I write like one of my all time favorite authors.....

I write like
Stephenie Meyer

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Have a great day!

Leslie

A few thoughts...

2010-05-09T06:53:00.005-06:00

I was sitting here thinking, and I decided to share some random things about me. One for every year I've been blessed to be on this planet.

1. I am the oldest; child, daughter, grand-daughter

2. I love to sing

3. creativity = life

4. I am algeric to: fish especially tuna, and old-time cough syrup

5. crafts I haven't attempted: wood working, glass working/blowing, jewelry

6. current craft obsession: knitting, contemplating a return to quilting/sewing

7. favorite movies: The Beatles Help!, Mulan, Father Goose, Independence Day, and Bend it like Beckham

8. I wish I knew how to play an instrument

9. I love Zorro, my husband

10. I love to read

11. I love colored ink pens

12. me + note taking = < great

13. I want to be an author or editor when I grow up

14. socks = love <3

15. I learned to knit to make socks, mainly

16. I love to cook/ bake

17. I really loathe the dishwasher in my apartment

18. this year is a "milestone" birthday for me and hubby

19. I haven't made use of the vacumn recently

20. I love to drive

21. I am addictd to: Facebook, Fanfiction.net, Dr. Pepper, Holmes on Homes, and sushi

22. I love my Wii, even though I haven't used it recently

23. not so great at regular blogging

24. love skim milk, dislike whole milk (a lot)

25. have attended 2 Backstreet Boys concerts, hoping for a third this summer

26. been to 3 midnight release book parties

27. I own make up but rarely use it

28. I don't wear my wedding ring at home, but I feel naked without in in public

29. I would do just about anything for my friends, and family

30. 30 feels a lot like 18, so far.

Thanks for reading/visiting I know it's been a while.

-Leslie

No pictures today.

2010-02-09T23:59:00.002-07:00

School is going well. I have survived the first tests in three out of my four classes. I am surviving the 8am class, which is english. English is a great class but it's on the entire wrong side of campus from where I park which makes for a 15-20 minute brisk walk. Well love to everyone. Have a geat week. -Leslie

Okay so I know it's been a while,

2010-01-21T10:05:00.003-07:00

Sorry that it's been so long. Between the move and getting my classes straightened out it's been fairly busy around here. The last few days it has been snowing, everyday we wake up to more and more snow. Last night was the start of the thrid storm which is supposed to be the worst so far. It started snowing around 10pm last night, I left to take my friend home and when I returned about 45 minutes later my tire tracks were gone. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what we've got. The first three are from Monday evening around 6pm, and the last three are from this morning around 8:30am.

All is quiet

2009-12-25T22:02:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas, and many blessings in the New Year.

Another pair of socks

2009-10-19T17:22:00.003-06:00

I just finished these socks today. Since I have tried several times to make these socks, and they were a big pain in the butt. I have decided to show everyone the fruits of my frustration. I spent a good chunk of my crafting life as a cross stitcher, and the book I bought by Cookie A. is full of charts that are totally and completely backwards. Instead of reading top to bottom and left to right you read these charts right to left and bottom to top. These socks took around 3 months to finish, and I honestly think that I am going to have to get rid of the book. I know that there are a lot of people out there who absolutely love the book and the patterns, I like some better than others, but I don't feel that this book is even the begining of user friendly. That's my opinion feel free to take a look and form your own. Just don't make the mistake that I did, when I brought the book to the counter at my yarn store I was told "Oh I love that book, it's so wonderful." I mentioned that (at that point) I had not ever made socks before, it didn't seem to change her recommendation. So let me tell you this is not a begining sock book! If you are looking for a begining sock book that is very user friendly I recommend Knit Socks! by Betsy Lee McCarthy. It is sock shaped and so very helpful, I would never have completed a single sock without this book. Have a great day!

-Leslie

Okay so it's not Flagstaff...

2009-10-17T18:24:00.002-06:00

...But it's pretty close. I know I promised to find pictures of Flagstaff, but these pictures appeared in my in-box hours after being taken today. This is Mingus Mountain in Prescott, Arizona. My true hometown. I just had to share with you. Hopefully this will help Nicole understand why I am happy to be moving. Enjoy!

Snow it's a four letter word.

2009-10-05T13:30:00.003-06:00

Snow, usually I enjoy the first snowfall, but this year, I don't want to see it. In the last week it's snowed at least three times. It's only the first week of October. Unfortunately as I have pointed out to several customers the snow isn't early, its actually late. Usually the first snowfall happens in September. I guess it still did I beleive it snowed on the 28th. Anyway it is what it is, and I can't stop it, so I guess I will just have to deal with it. Here are a couple of pictures of the snow I woke up to today.

Have great snow free day! (Hopefully!)

-Leslie

Well, it's been quite a while...

2009-09-14T23:41:00.003-06:00

Truthfully I don't really have an excuse either. I have thought about updating several times and just haven't done so.

Now onto a big change that has Nicole upset with my husband, but me very excited. We are moving in the next few months, so that I can jump-start my languishing college education. I will be starting NAU again in January. Unfortunately this means that I won't get to see Nicole's new little one until around the middle of March durring spring break.

I was born in Northern Arizona, and my heart has always called it home, so I am very excited to be able to return. Maybe I can convince Nicole and her family to come and visit me in Flagstaff. It would be cool to take her munchkins to look thru the telescope that discovered the planet (former) Pluto, which actually (ironically) sits on Mars Hill. I will try to post some of my old pictures of Flagstaff, and NAU so that I can share why I love it so much.

With happy thoughts

Leslie

Some lovely music

2009-07-29T07:19:00.002-06:00

I love music almost everything, (not so much gangster rap) I was looking thru a blog that Nicole asked me to look at and I found this burried deep in her past posts. I just had to share because it's so wonderful.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have

New socks

2009-07-20T19:33:00.005-06:00

Okay so it's been a while, but I do have a couple of finished projects. If you've ever met me you know that I am a reader. I love to read, and when I read I become obsessed, witht he series, the author, the genre, with something (Harry Potter, Janet Evanovich, Stephenie Meyer, vampires, Gina Showalter.) Just over a year ago I discovered fanfiction, I discovered it after obsessively exploring my then current favorite author's (Stephenie Meyers) website. I have to say that I love it, I spend so much time looking for new stories. It amazes me how many truely tallented authors there are out there that we may never see beyond fanfiction. If you are at all interested in finding out what I am talking about or seeing your favorite story from someone elses perspective try www.fanfiction.com. That website has something for everyone. I would like to point out that there are ratings for a reason please keep that in mind, I would hate for someone to find themselves involved in a story and get broadsided with something that they are uncomfortable with.

I have several favorite yarn stores one of which is an online store called Sunshine Yarns. The lady who does the yarn is wonderfully sweet and helpful. Her colorways are gorgeous! Some are inspired by books, (see above paragraph.) I have completed three pairs of socks in the last week and a half or so, all of which use yarn from Sunshine Yarns. The first pair I made for my friend/co-worker Elly she's way into baseball and is a huge Braves fan. The color way for these socks is called Vampire Baseball (can you guess which book?) when I saw the colors I just had to get it for her. I don't have an modeled pictures cause here feet are smaller than mine are, but I have heard that she really likes them.

I made my mom some socks from a colorway called Pygmy Puff (two guesses!) I let her pick out the color. She is so tickled! They really are cute. In all honesty the yarn is a little expensive, but it knits up so beautifully, and smoothly it almost seems to fly off the needles.

Mine are from yarn called The Half-Blood Prince, I really like the colors. What do you think?

In Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series homemade cakes equal love, in my family socks equal love. The funny thing to me is that I hear/read that a lot of people think socks are hard and hate to make them. I don't mind at all in fact I love making socks. I've made 5 or 6 pairs in the last two months and I enjoyed making every little stitch. I hope everything is going well for you!

-Leslie

It's that time of the year...

2009-06-29T04:33:00.003-06:00

If you live in my neck of the woods, then you've probably been hearing/seeing what I've been seeing. If you don't then I should mention that I live in the unofficial Fireworks capitol of the world. I love it, the best fireworks display in town is the one at the end of my driveway. We spend quite a bit of money on fireworks every year. Last year my aunt and uncle from Vegas came up and we took them with us when we went fireworks shopping. My aunt wanted to know where the ice cream aisle was in the fireworks store, she wasn't really exagerating. The stores around here are big and do a good amount of money (several years ago my ex-sil worked for one and was talking in the millions.) Here are a couple of pictures from last year, my camera isn't the best so just imagine bigger brighter with more boom. ;)

Have a great day!

-Leslie

Bad blogger!

2009-06-10T22:34:00.004-06:00

It's been a full month already, oh dear shame on me! So sorry to have neglected my blog. I have been having fun playing with yarn, and buying more than I really need right this second. But I do have something to share with you. These are my first pair of socks. I made them for my dad for Fathers day. I am really pleased how they came out and I can't wait to send them to him. Just a little picture of the sunrise in my neck of the woods this morning. Have a great day!

-Leslie

Happy Mother's day!

2009-05-10T17:39:00.002-06:00

Just a short note to say, Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful women out there! -Leslie

Excited!

2009-05-08T01:14:00.004-06:00

This week has been really good. On Saturday I was able to go to Salt Lake and take a beginers knitting class. It was just what I needed. I have knit things in the past, but I taught myself from a book, and sometimes I felt like it was harder than it should be. I was right! I was casting on so very wrong it's no wonder I was having a hard time with it. Also it turns out I was purling wrong as well. Well, I've got that all straightened out and I have already spent a considerable amount of money on yarn that I love but could not seem to justify when I was just crocheting it.

As far as I know none of my family including my mom, ever visit's my blog so, I will post my current knitting project which is a Christmas gift for one of my auntie's. I know it's only the first week of May, but since I am planning on giving everybody something that I knit myself it's best to start now. This is a scarf the picture is from Tuesday night, now however it is a few inches short of 5 feet and 7 1/2 inches wide. The pattern stiches I am using is called seed stitch. I plan to finish the second skein of yarn, or stop when it's excessively long which ever happens first.

My birthday was this week (Wednesday) and my husband and momma spoiled me very nicely. Zorro gave me a good amount of money, and then took me to Salt Lake and Ogden to spend it. Two new shirts, a skirt, a couple of bras and some pretty panties, iTunes gift card, and a dock for my iPod. He even braved a yarn store with me! He stayed in the car for the second one. My momma got me a beautiful bag from Barnes and Noble, (even though we both know that I don't NEED another bag) a gift card to B&N and a gift card to iTunes. Even Andrew remembered my birthday and sent me birthday wishes via text. My aunties (even my brand new one) all sent my e-cards.

One of the really cool things that happened this week is that I became a supervisor with Close to My Heart. I have been with CTMH for 2 1/2 years and on my birthday Ro signed up under me. I am very excited to welcome her to CTMH and my team. I love my supervisor, she is wonderful and I hope to have that kind of relationship with my downline.

Have you read any of the Stephanie Plum books? Oh my goodness they are just to stinking funny. It's amazing the things that happen to her and the situations she finds herself in. I have to say that, that is a another series to add to my absolute favorites! They are by Janet Evanovich, I have read(listened to them from iTunes) books 8-14. I just bought book 7 tonight. My favorites right now are books, 8, 10, and 13. But that is subject to change as I finish them all. Book number 15 titled "Finger Linkin' Fifteen" is due out June 23, and honestly my mom and I are just as excited about that release as we were about the Harry Potter books. My mom and I have gone to the colonge counters to sniff the Bulgari Green that Ranger wears, talk about mmmmmmmmm. I might just have to get some for my hubby for his birthday. To bad that I really doubt that he would actually wear it. It's probably a prefect sent. Not to strong (you all know what I am talking about!) and not the least bit wimpy or sweet smelling.

Well this post is getting really long. I will stop now before I bore everyone to sleep.

-Leslie

Welcome to the Summer Idea Book Release Blog Hop!

2009-04-30T00:00:00.004-06:00

Welcome to our Close to my Heart Summer 2009 Idea Book Blog Hop! Over 40 Close to my Heart Consultants are celebrating the upcoming release of the Summer 2009 Idea Book by sharing their amazing creations using new products via their blogs.

If you have come here from Tresa's blog, you are on the right path! If this is your first stop, you may want to go back to Erin's blog and start from the beginning!"

This is simple do to- just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go! These fun card was so easy to make with the new Tinkerin' My Reflections paper! I love these colors for summer, and as soon as I saw these stamp-sets, I knew I had to have them!

Originals Template: Lucky Three (turned on it's side,) and another that I can't remember right now Paper: Tinkerin' My Reflections level 2. My Acrylix Stamp Set: It's a Zoo, and Thank You. Ink Colors: Clover Meadow, Sunny Yellow, Twilight, Sunflower, and Black Staz-On. Embellishments: Mini-Medley's White Daisy, White Hemp, Connections Club, and Summer Craft Buttons, Citrus Leaf Organza Ribbon, and I used a sponge to apply the ink.

Now "Hop" on over to Rebecca to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and see the great new Paper Packs and My Acrylix Stamp Sets! Remember, the Summer 2009 Idea Book goes LIVE on May 1st! Here's a full list of everyone who's participating:

Carrie Zrodlowski Thank you for visiting!

-Leslie

A sneak peek at a new CTMH My Reflections set.

2009-04-14T23:19:00.003-06:00

I have seen on several other blogs people giving sneak peeks and so I thought that I would show you all my favorite My Reflections sets. Today I am showing Animal Cookies, I just love it, it's so bright, cheerful and happy! I hope you enjoy it too. This will be available with all other new summer products on May 1st, 2009. -Leslie

A couple sympathy cards.

2009-04-13T00:08:00.002-06:00

My boss needed a couple of sympathy cards for Friday so I put two together for her. Here they are nothing really fancy but I liked them and more importantly so did she. Everything is from Close to My Heart on these, execpt the sentiment in the card that uses Unforgettable. Have a great day! -Leslie

I had so much fun in Phoenix, last weekend.

2009-04-12T10:42:00.006-06:00

It was such a blast, when Mom and I got to my Grandparents house we wondered why there was a car with a Colorado license plate in the driveway. Suprise! My Aunt Nancy had flown in from Texas, and brought my cousin Alicia down to visit with us. It was so neat to get to catch up with them. I haven't seen either of them in about 4 and half years. Here are a couple of pictures we took everyone out to dinner at Macayos.

My Aunt Nancy just got her Cosemetology License in the state of Texas, and she put some beautiful highlights in my cousins hair while Mom and I went to see Stephenie Meyer. Here is a good picture of Aunt Nancy and Alicia.

And well, I suppose it would be really mean of me to talk about Stephenie Meyer, and not post a picture or anything. Mom and I got in line about 2 hours early, as there were no assigned seats, just certain areas for certain tickets. We ended up in the 7th row, right in the middle. We had so much fun, the Emcee Shannon Hale (Author of The Princess Academy) introduced all the authors, but forgot to introduce Stephenie Meyer! It was so funny when one of the other authors on the pannel asked if she was going to. She started laughing so hard she fell over. I have been so busy with work I haven't really had time to post anything, but I have made a couple of cards and I will have a preview of the Summer Idea Book. Have a great day! -Leslie

A tease or two...

2009-04-01T00:30:00.003-06:00

So I just got to look at the new Close to My Heart Idea Book, which is active for customers May 1st, 2009. I have to say I am very excited lots of cute and fun new stamps and papers. I already have a list over $300! When I get some of my new things I will be sure to post some project pictures. There are two really great boyish papers with matching stamps that I just have to have. Good thing I have that new nephew ;) If you are currious I will say that right now it's a toss up for my favorite new paper set between Tinkering, and Animal Crackers. You'll just have to wait for my projects to see which you like best.

On Friday I am flying out to Phoenix for Project Book Babe. I am very excited. They are doing a really cool online auction as well so go over to www.projectbookbabe.com and check it out. I will get to spend 3 days with my very best of friends from college Melly, and Kitty. I can't wait. Kitty is expecting her first munchkin in the fall and Melly has two munchkins the youngest of which I have never met. Naughty Auntie Lecy, I know. Melly's hubby is in the Air Force currently stationed in Germany so there is a good reason.

Well I am off to drool some more over the new products. Have a great night!

-Leslie

Blog candy winners

2009-03-29T17:03:00.003-06:00

Well since I had two comments I have decided that I will send candy to both Sparkle and Sanela. Please email me with your address at leannelion@yahoo.com I know bad bloger, no dessert for you! I am sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have had the craziest shifts because of vacations (mine to Vegas) and the regular graveyard guys. The last few weeks at work have gone something like this: 7 days on, 3 days off, 1 day on, 1 day off, 7 days on, 2 days off, 10 days on, 3 days off, and right now I am in the middle (litteraly) of 6 days on again. Oh well at the very least this pay check will be nice. I was able to get some cards made on Friday at Girls Night out at my lss. I was tired so I made the four cards and called it a night at 8:30. The paper and stickers are by Doodlebug maybe I think don't quote me though. ;) I have recently decided I really like rub-ons. I vaugely remeber using some as a young child and I know that I enjoyed them then, so I guess I have just really re-found and old friend?

I love Riley he's so much fun and this stamp is one of the very few "boy" stamps I own. I don't have any children as of yet so I buy what I like.

This card is for my little soon to be nephew, my brother is engaged to a sweet lady who has a 3 year old son named Alex. Hmmm, maybe I need to start stocking up on "boy" stamps after all. ;) This little card I think I will give to one of my favorite girls either Elie or Mady. Two of my favorite children to babysit, they are so very well behaved.

Well, have a great week and I will try to post again soon. This next weekend I will be in Phoenix Mom and I are going to see Stephenie Meyer at the Project Book Babe fundraiser. We are both so excited. If you would like more information you can go to www.projectbookbabe.com

-Leslie

A few cards I have accomplished

2009-03-12T14:34:00.005-06:00

These are just some cards I created yesterday afternoon. I was trying had to get out of the box I usually find myself in. I don't as a general rule do much with flowers or buttons. I do however have small collection of each. Yesterday I decided to take some and see what I could do with them. I think it turned out well, I really like them and my Mom did as well. What do you think?

So I made a few changes...and the promised blog candy.

2009-03-04T17:14:00.004-07:00

I have been eyeing everyones pretty blogs for ages now, but I could never figure out how/what to do to make mine pretty too. But today I figured it out and I hope you all like it! I am making one of my all-time favorite foods for dinner tonight! Cheese and Onion Enchilada's, and I am using the good sauce. My favorite enchilada sauce is not sold anywhere near me as far as I have been able to see, it's Macayos, and it is soooo good! Yummy! I am so excited about them I can't help myself, I might have to go and start them now, even though nobody is home yet.

Okay so for my very late blogaversary candy I am offering up some cute images of three dragon stamps from High Hopes Stamps, a couple Bella's and some Riley's as well. I am also including a sampling of some of the really cute papers I picked up this weekend in Vegas. The samples will be 6x6 sized in order to facilitate mailing easier.

Leave me a note about what your favorite comfort food is and maybe a recipe and I will enter you in the drawing.

-Leslie

It's been a while....

2009-02-24T02:17:00.005-07:00

Well I guess it's been longer than I realized, but I do have some things to share with you. I also will be going out of town this week, Nascar in Vegas! I can't wait to be nice and warm. When I return I will post some blog candy to celebrate my 1 year aniversary. I didn't think it was already passed, but it has. Better late than never right? My first card is for my Grandma Stinson's 70th birthday, it uses some of CTMH's Unforgetable paper, the stamp set Aspiration, and the new Love Notes rubbons. The second is the card I made for my Momma for Valentines day, and third is Hubbys card. The fourth is for a thinking of you card swap I am participating in.

Hope you all enjoy your week and weekend, I know I will ;)

-Leslie

An award for me?! You are too sweet Tilda!

2009-02-03T00:51:00.005-07:00

The Fabulous Award Rules:

1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.

2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

3. On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.

Here are my 5 addictions

1. My family

2. Any sort of gadget really

3. Fabric, quilting, and crossstiching paraphenalia

4. Dr. Pepper

5. Candy, chocolate, or fruity gummy thingys.

I will tag, Nicole, Sparkle, Kathi, Tresa, and Laurel.

Well, I am going to go play with some toys, and get my work done. See you all later. -Leslie

A new layout by me!

2009-01-26T15:05:00.003-07:00

How long has it been since I posted a layout. Umm, I think I know the answer and it's too long! I went to Girls night out on Friday and I managed to get this layout completed. I thought I would share with you all. Have a great day!

Leslie

A little fun stolen from Sparkle...

2009-01-20T01:54:00.004-07:00

The bolded items, I've accomplished.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied?

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check, back when I was young and stupid

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy, I still have probably my first stuffed animal

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt, I love to quilt, I just bought more fabric for a new one

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone, I managed to crack my elbow falling on the ice

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person, I was born in Northern Arizona

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car, hubby and I both got new cars 8 months before I got out of the Army

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox twice

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone, infact I just got a new one before Christmas

99. Been stung by a bee

Some pictures

2009-01-17T21:57:00.004-07:00

Hello, it's been a little while hasn't it. I got to go and see my dad this week. his birthday was Monday, and I got to go out and see him on Wednesday. He lives in Nebraska in a little turn of the century farmhouse that he and his wife Lisa (such a sweet lovely lady) have been slowly but surely renovating themselves. My dad is a very talented carpenter, and it shows in his house. The living room is ceiling to floor in Knotty pine, so pretty, and all the floors are wood. Anyway another little tidbit about me is that I have two brothers one half one full, and I have two stepsisters. Lucas, is the baby of the family, literally. He started Kindergarten this year. Yeppers, my littlest brother really is littlest. Okay well maybe not; I haven't seen him in four years (yes, I know bad sissy, naughty, naughty, naughty!) So you can imagine my suprise when I find out that he is the tallest kid in class, and then I realized that he comes darn close to the height of my shoulder! I told Dad and Lisa that at least someone got his tall genes. Well actually Lisa is taller than me as well so it was probably inevitable.

So about the pictures, the first one is of me when I was a tiny munchkin. Number two is Lucas who is totally obsessed with Batman right now. The third is my brother Andrew and I at our Grandma Smith's wedding, I was five so he was almost four. The last one is a picture of my Dad with Andrew who looks slightly confused. Sorry the pictures are clearer. I don't actually own them, my dad does. Since he lives in the middle of nowhere, I couldn't take them to Wal-mart to make copies for myself so I took pictures of them with my camera, all in all they came out pretty decent.

Talk to you again soon (hopefully!)

Leslie

Shh...don't tell my boss.

2009-01-06T01:30:00.002-07:00

I am at work, the graveyard shift. I love the shift, dislike the lack of things to keep me occupied. I usually just surf the internet all night long, or if I have a project I need to finish ie a swap I do it on my graveyard shifts. Well I ran out of glue, Darn it! So all I can really do tonight is play with my markers and color in some images. The image on this card is only hanging on by a small bit of glue at the bottom, but I promised I would put it together and show you so here it is.

I used CTMH's new paper pack Stardust, my Prismacolor markers, and some cheap ribbon from Walmart, image is from High Hopes Rubber Stamp company, and the sentiment is from CTMH For Every Occasion.

Enjoy!

-Leslie

So excited!

2009-01-05T18:06:00.002-07:00

I told Nicole just a little bit, I am so excited, I am a happy/silly girl right now. I played with my new Nestabilities, (they just came in the mail today) and my Prismacolor markers. I figured out how to use my markers without them going all over the place. I also got a really good start on my weekly planner that I am doing for my Auntie Karen. I am so happy that I got to play with my new scrapping stuff. I haven't got to play very often. Well, thats all for now. Oh, well I will show you a picture of what I played with. I will post again when it's actually a full blown card too.

-Leslie

Today's the day!

2009-01-01T14:09:00.003-07:00

Today the new Spring Idea Book from Close to My Heart is available to everyone! Yay! As a consultant I have had it in hand for a month, and I love it all. The new papers are gorgeous, and the new stamps amazing. Take a look at the catalog online at my Close to My Heart website www.lesliek.myctmh.com Enjoy!

-Leslie

Happy Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T13:18:00.003-07:00

I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I got news yesterday that has made me a very happy lady. One of my best friends Dawn has been going thru an ugly divorce for the last 2 1/2 years. Her husband had taken her daughters and was claiming that she was unfit for custody. Her attorney called yesterday afternoon and gave her the good news. The judge decided in her favor! The girls are finally coming home to stay! I am so happy for her I can't hardly stand it. I am planning a scrapbook page to celebrate. I can't decide between two titles, so let me know what you think, and maybe, you can use one for your own inspiration. If you do let me know. The two titles are Rejoice! In the Lord always. Or I will celebrate...sing unto the Lord.

-Leslie

Merry Christmas Everybody!

2008-12-25T03:49:00.002-07:00

I wish you all a Merry Christmas! I am up way to late but that's okay. I don't have any munchkins to wake me up. I got to pick out several of my Christmas pressents yesterday, so Zorro didn't bother to wrap them, but that doesn't mean that I am not going to stick them under the tree. My mom is supposed to fly back from Portland today. We will see how that works out. It's my understanding that there is a nasty storm still raging in Portland, and well here it's winter in Wyoming/Utah and her flight is supposed to arrive durring the time our coming storm is raging it's hardest. We shall see what happens. My hubby got me the Cricut Expressions I have the manual out of the box so I can figure out how to use it. I will probably read it in a little bit while I bake the apple pie. I just pulled 2 loaves of bread out of the oven (more than slightly deformed) they were the frozen variety, and had a little mishap while defrosting. They should still taste good anyway. I also baked some Banana bread muffins, using my Mom's Aunt Carol's recipe. It's the best I have ever tasted. I decided to switch it up this time and put in mini-chocolate chips instead of nuts. I often use half wheat flour/half white flour it works really well and gives the bread a deeper flavor. I always add vanilla and an extra banana (if I have it.)

Well I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas. As one of my favorite t.v. pastors says..."May you be blessed in your goings out and your comings in." I know it's paraphrased from the Bible somewhere but it is such a beautiful and simple blessing, I love it.

-Leslie

2008-12-24T03:08:00.001-07:00

Which Christmas Character Are You?

Mrs. Claus

That's right — your unwavering support, hospitality, and comforting touch have landed you the important role of Mrs. Claus. You know how to take good cheer and deliver it wherever you go, spreading warmth even on the coldest winter days.

Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

Planes, snow, tears, frustration and sadness!

2008-12-22T23:45:00.003-07:00

I posted a while back that my brother would be flying in from Portland for Christmas. He was supposed to arive on Friday, but if you've watched the news at all you know that Portland has been covered in snow for the last week. Well on Friday they got a new storm and we got their old one. Everything was fine when I left for Salt Lake to pick him up from the airport. Well okay it was snowing and the wind was blowing but, as far as the information on the flight everything was "On Time" well that means that his flight should have left 30 minutes before I did. It didn't. My poor brother has huge issues with PTS having served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Due to the Army's hurry up and wait way of doing things he also has huge issues with planes. After being on the plane for as long as he could handle with no information, and sitting next to a lady who (apparently) smelled as if someone forgot to change her diaper before she got on the plane, he go up and got off. I don't blame him. I was talking to him on the phone several times until he couldn't handle it anymore and I couldn't calm him down because at that point I was slinding (in several directions) on Parleys Summit and trying desperately not to be pushed into the median. At the end of the trip to Salt Lake I was sobbing on the phone to my mom, my friend Kori, and co-worker Zach begging Zach to take my 7am shift the next day because there was NO Way I was getting on Parleys again that day. Thank you Zach! Thank you Kori for letting me stay the night at your house, as well.

Well, after all of that I got on the phone and called Southwest and called to see if anything could be done about the ticket. Many thanks to Cindy operator number 66. She listened to what I had to say didn't even ask for any details she offered another plane and when I said that there wasn't anyway we would able to get him anywhere near a plane she gave us a credit that is good for anyone. On Sunday my Mom used it to fly out to see him for a couple days. Poor kid he was worried that we were mad at him and all sorts of other junk. I told Mom when she was making the arrangements that she'd better make sure that she spent Christmas with him. She decided that she would spend Christmas morning with Andrew and the afternoon with us.

Sadly, our fish Calli that I posted a couple pictures of a month or so ago has died. She died yesterday morning. Poor fishy, has had trouble before when we cleaned the fish tank, with not getting enough oxygen. The fish tank with a fish tank that big needs to be cleaned at least once a week and unfortunately the bubbler was off for just too long. Calli was still alive but just never recovered. We will miss Calli.

-Leslie

Merry Christmas from Louie!

2008-12-17T00:00:00.003-07:00

Mom brought home a big box to mail some Christmas gifts for my Aunt and Uncle in Texas, tonight. My cats being the cute little buggers they are immeadiately tried to investigate. Unfortunately, Minerva didn't stay in the box long enough for me to get a picture of her as well. But any way Louie wishes you a Merry, Merry Christmas from his box to yours!

I Love the snow

2008-12-14T13:34:00.003-07:00

I love snow, and it has finally started snowing and sticking here. I am so happy, as long as I am in the house. I really hate being cold! Oh well, the thing that I really hate is the migration of the de-icer. I guess that we use to much de-icer (I say we, but really I don't put it down very often) and so we track it in the house, which would be fine if it stayed by the door where we leave our shoes. But it does not, somehow it's all over the living room, down the stairs, in the hallway, everywhere, including (probably) the bathroom. I guess it's time to get out the vacumn, and leave it by the front door. Of course, that will make for some really attractive Christmas morning pictures. Speaking of which for the first at this job I have both Christmas and Christmas Eve off! I am really happy about that, too. Andrew (my brother) is flying in from Portland on Friday and he's staying for a whole month! I love my brother, so I am looking forward to this. Since he will be here durring the time of my Dad's birthday, we are planning to go to see him that weekend too. Well, I need to get in the shower and get ready for work. I don't want to but, I must be responsible and well I like having a paycheck, so off to work I go. Have a good day, or week or whatever until I talk/type to you again.

-Leslie

How many have you read?

2008-12-14T11:06:00.004-07:00

"The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed."

I bolded the books that I have read...

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6. The Bible

7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8. Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell

9. His Dark Materials - Phillip Pullman

10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens

11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14. Complete Works of Shakespeare

15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien

17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks

18. Catcher in the Rye -JDSalinger

19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20. Middlemarch - George Eliot

21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - my favorite book of all time!

25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26. Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh

27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - I seriously love Tolstoy

32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens

33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34. Emma - Jane Austen

35. Persuasion - Jane Austen

36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41. Animal Farm - George Orwell

42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47. Far From The Maddening Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding

50. Atonement - Ian McEwan

51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52. Dune - Frank Herbert

53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70. Moby Dick – Herman Melville

71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72. Dracula - Bram Stoker

73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson

75. Ulysses - James Joyce

76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78. Germinal - Emile Zola

79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80. Possession - AS Byatt

81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87. Charlotte's Web - EB White

88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom

89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90. The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton

91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92. The Little Prince – Antoine de St. Exupery

93. The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks

94. Watership Down - Richard Adams

95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole

96. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute

97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

By my count I have read at least 13 of these how many have you read? I am a little iffy on Lord of the Flies, I know this was read to me in class, but I don't know if we finished it.

-Leslie

Last night!

2008-12-02T03:19:00.002-07:00

I have been doing the night audit for 9 days straight and all I can say is thank goodness that I have tomorrow and Wednesday off! I am the back-up auditor, and he decided to go to visit his parents for the week of Thanksgiving. Which I don't really mind so much usually, but usually I do get days off too. Not this time, it's the second year that he's gone on vacation for Thanksgiving, which isn't so bad, (double time for holiday pay is very nice) but that means that for the last 2 years, I haven't been able to cook the turkey. My mom and I have an agreement that we switch years on who gets to cook the turkey. Well I guess there is always next year, maybe. ;)

I am no where near prepared for the craft fair on Saturday, but I hope to fix that on my days off this week. But only time will tell. I will post what I get done and let everyone know how it works out.

Talk you soon!

-Leslie

Just a little update

2008-11-24T02:58:00.003-07:00

In my last post I told you about falling down the stairs. Well I called the advice nurse for the VA and she told me to go ahead and get seen at the emergency room. So my mom and I drove down to Salt Lake and went to the emergency room. The wait wasn't as bad as it sometimes is, thankfully! The doctor wanted to have me get into a gown but when he pulled the gown out there was some really wierd snaps that we couldn't figure out so instead, we went with a sheet, it was kind of funny really. The verdict is that I pulled/bruised some muscles in my thigh but I didn't rip anything or break any bones (I didn't think I had broke anything.) So he gave me some prescriptions for anti-inflamitories, pain killers and muscle relaxers. I am at work trying desperately not to fall asleep. The doctor offered me a work excuse, but I am the back up night auditor, and the regular night auditor went on vaction this morning so there wasn't any point. We just don't have anybody trained/willing to take over, and truth be told, I don't mind. Eight days of night auditor pay will be very welcome to pay for new toys from the new Idea Book which will be coming out soon, and for Christmas pressents. I think I know what I am getting everyone but my husband for Christmas. I just don't know what to get Zorro, maybe a gift certificate to NewEgg, or another computer supply store. Have a great day, and be careful on the stairs!

-Leslie

The Twilight Movie

2008-11-23T14:08:00.003-07:00

My mom and I went to see Twilight yesterday with several friends. It was great. We (mom and I) decided that we wanted to see it again so with a short break for dinner, and to purchase an ace bandage since I was a klutz(more on that in a second)we went back to see it again. The first time we saw it at The District in Salt Lake the second time we saw it at The Jordan Landing theater. There is a huge difference and I found myself distracted and almost bored at the second theater. They still had the air conditioner on there was less the 30 people in that showing but the air was set at like 55-60 degrees, and it was stinking cold! Also the screens are dim I was really disappointed. I now remember that it was really dim the last time I watched a movie there. There is a scene where you can see the clouds rolling in and forming, but on that screen it just looked like a pretty picture because there was no definition and the contrast was way too low.

For those of you who know me, you know that I have foot problems. Well becuase of those my right ankle is really pretty weak. In the last 4 years I have managed to fall down the stairs probably about 10 times. My ankle will just suddenly turn under (it almost seems to fold) and I will be sliding down the stairs. It's really not very fun, but it's only been bad enough for me to need crutches once, but I always need to brace my ankle for a couple of days. Last night I fell down the stairs in the movie theater before the movie even started. It was awesome, at the time the only thing that hurt was my ankle, so we just planned on stopping to get an ace bandage after the movie got out. Which we did, and I kept it wrapped up all night long. Well after we got home and I had relaxed for a while I realized that I have managed to pull something in my left leg when I fell. It just plain hurts. around my knee, in my thigh and in my hip.

Oh well, life is an adventure. Have you seen Twilight yet, did you do anything goofy while you were there? Drop me a little note and tell me what you think!

Craft Fair

2008-11-20T18:05:00.003-07:00

So Nicole called me tonight to see if I wanted to take a table at a craft fair. I tld her I would so now I have to figure out what I am doing and order accordingly. Any suggestions? I am currently thinking some notecards, and Christmas cards, notebooks, daily planners and post-it note holders. Also since I crochet pretty well I think I will do some dishclothes, potholders, and dish towels. I also have some stamps that I either have duplicates or, bought but don't use I will probably have those available as well.

Leslie

It's been a while

2008-11-18T01:00:00.004-07:00

So I was told my Nicole today that I need to update my blog (the or esle was not specifically noted but...) so look Nicole I updated aren't you so very proud of me? Hee hee, sorry I have been busy finishing and sending out swaps and I have to redo a second one that managed to get lost in the mail. I got my Christmas card swap back they were all beautifully done I was so happy. Sometimes you get a couple of things in a swap that aren't what you were hoping for and you end up very disappointed. Not this time. I have even managed to sign, and partially address them. Yay! go me!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? I have I already have one of my mom's Christmas pressents and I just purchased a couple of things for my brother. My brother Andrew is very talented he has taught himself to play the guitar in the last couple of years, and loves to draw. He draws mainly anime, but he is very good at it. Does anyone know where I could get a book or dvd on drawing anime or maybe even comic books? I think he would enjoy finding something like that under the Christmas tree. I still haven't even got a clue as to what to get my husband for Christmas. It will have to be something he won't think of because he has a habit of telling me not to get something for him. We haven't even been shopping recently so I can't use my usual tricks of watching him browse to figure out what he would like. Maybe I will get him a magazine subscription, just for the heck of it. Anyone have any suggestions for a 30 something husband who likes to tinker with cars, and computers?

Oh well maybe next time I update I will have my new markers and some artwork to share. I hope this is a long enough update for you Nicole! Just kidding you know I love you and your munchkins too.

-Leslie

I wasn't tagged but I wanted to play too...

2008-10-25T00:11:00.004-06:00

What is your husbands name? Zorran Kolic (Known to most as Zorro)

How long have you been married? 7 years

How long did you date? About 4 months

How old is he? 38

Who eats more sweets? Zorran, I buy the most sweets but he is the one who eats most of them.

Who said I love you first? Honestly I don't remember.

Who is taller? He is all day every day

Who can sing the best? Me, I love to sing, and get compliments often.

Who is smarter? Now why would you want to start that fight? He often thinks he is but I would say that we are pretty evenly matched.

Who does the laundry? Actually we do our own, if one of us needs something done we'll ask the other but usually we do our own.

Who pays the bills? He does.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do

Who mows the lawn? Neither of us, we're not allowed, we both have back problems. The neighbor boys 2 doors down do.

Who cooks dinner? I do, but our schedules conflict quite a lot so it's very rare that we are both home at the same time for dinner.

Who drives? It just depends on whose car we're taking, and how tired we are, if we are taking his car always him, and only him, but if we take mine, we'll trade off.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I do, but for the most part we just get over it, and move on.

Who kissed who first? Umm, I know that either of us kissed first, because we were talking about it, so I would say it was a mutual decision.

Who asked who out first? He asked me

Who wears the pants? Umm, we were both in the Army so we both wear the pants.

My fish, and Louie one of my spoiled kitties

2008-10-24T04:02:00.004-06:00

I live with my husband and mom, so I guess our pets aren't just mine, but I just have to share becuase I have to say that I enjoy how people react the first time they see our fish. Callie, is short for calico I think you can see which one she is, the other is Mister Phischer. The funny thing is that Mom bought these two about 4 years ago the were $3 specials from Wal-Mart. Hee hee hee, are you shocked yet? I live in Wyoming and a lot of people's first response to talk about "pan-fryers." Ha ha. Callie is bigger than our biggest frying pan. She's between 18 and 20 inches I think.

Louie is our big black cat, or as Zorro likes to call him our "Puma." Louie, who's full name is Louis Du Pont Du Lac, (my brother named him) is named for a character in a book. What book? Interview with a Vampire. Actually both of our cats are named after fictional book characters, Minnie, is truely Professor Minerva McGonagal. Tee hee hee, do you know what book that's from? Ahh come you can guess. I don't have any pictures today of Miss Minevere as mom likes to call her lately, she's a little shy. I will post a picture or two of her soon. Today Louie was on my lap acting like the little ham that he is, I swear sometimes I think he thinks he's a dog the way he lays!

More swap cards and 2 afghans.

2008-10-24T03:45:00.003-06:00

I have been working on one afghan for over a year now. It was commissioned by one of my coworkers who has been very paitent with me, but I was intimidated by how big she wanted it. Queen sized, I hae only ever done throw and baby blankies before so I guess you could say I allowed myself to be overwhelmed. I have since made a large blankie that is on my own bed still not queen sized but in the end neither is Sheila's. It's just short of 5 feet, I know this because I am 5 feet 2 inches and it comes to right about my nose from the floor. She is going to visit an aunt that she hasn't seen in several years and since her aunt paid for the plane ticket she asked me to finish the afghan where it was and then use any extra yarn to make a throw for her. That I was able to do so here it is finshed, washed and tied with ribbon. Sheila's is the blue and chocolate colored afghan. The other one I started for my cousin Lenny, (I posted the afghan that he's getting earlier) but as my Mom pointed out, my Aunt and Uncle commissioned it, and my Uncle Reed absolutely abhors yellow, it wasn't a good choice. I started it with those colors in an attempt to avoid ordering yarn from Joann's which takes a ridiculous amount of time for delivery, in fact my yarn spent 5 days in a city that's less than 90 miles from here, but that's a story for another day.

These cards I completed about a week ago and promised to share them with you. I am not completely happy with the Aspen one, but those corduroy brads are very big (and expensive) so I can't really replace them and I don't really want to buy another set of them. I really like the giftcard card I got the idea from Nona but adapted it so as not to use so much paper.

PSA #1 and 2

2008-10-16T21:10:00.003-06:00

So I have to do my part. Hee Hee Hee. Did you appreciate your Boss today? I did, but by the time I got there to give Sandra her gift she had already done the payroll and left for a 2 week vacation. So I guess she'll get it when she gets back. Alright that's number 1.

On to PSA number 2. For all you lovely ladies out there have you checked your bra size latey. 80% of us are wearing the wrong sized bra. I have heard the statistics before, but really thought I was wearing the right bra. Lately however I realized that there was an excess of material at the top of my bra cups. Today while Zorran and I were out I decided to get sized imagine my suprise that I was wearing a cup size too big, AND a width size too big. Apparently not only is it Breast Cancer Awareness month it's also (unofficially) check your bra size as well. I saw several advertisements for free sizing. Lane Bryant is offering free sizing specifically this weekend, but they do it all the time as far as I can tell. So I guess while I am doing my bit. Don't forget your self breast exams ladies!

Okay on to some fun stuff. I finally downloaded the pictures of the baby afghan that I made for my cousin Lenny. Also is a picture of the gift and card for my boss.

Yay! More accomplished.

2008-10-14T06:03:00.001-06:00

Yay! I managed to get another 2 swap card sets done tonight. I haven't had a chance to take pictures of them yet as I am still at work but I will get them up soon.

Somethings I have been working on.

2008-10-12T22:34:00.002-06:00

I have crazily signed up for 5 or 6 swap spots on the Close To My Heart bullentin boards, here are a couple of the cards I have finished. I also finished the baby blanket for my cousin Lenny's new son. I will post of picture of that soon.

My newest toy.

2008-09-18T01:33:00.002-06:00

Well I have finally done it. I am typing this update from my brand new laptop. I am so excited. I have a desktop that is 5 years old, and have desperately been needing a laptop, or a new desktop. Today Zorran and I went to Ogden and picked up a laptop for me. It's a Sony Vaio, and it's kind of purplely blue. I love it! I was going to get a Gateway that was red but they didn't have it in stock so I decided to go with the Sony.

Do you have a new toy? I would love to hear about it.

Leslie

I played today!

2008-09-08T00:03:00.003-06:00

Well I guess technically it was yesterday but anyway I have some cards to share with you. I signed up on the Close To My Heart Bulletin Boards for a challenge this week that involves me making a card everyday for 5 days, with just a couple of prompts. So here are my newest creations.

Hello is this Margret?

2008-08-28T12:42:00.004-06:00

Sorry one last picture I guess you can only load 5 pictures to one post so here is the last one.

It's me again....(Margret)

2008-08-28T12:22:00.004-06:00

Have you ever heard of Ray Stevens? His songs are so funny I love them. I was suprised that one of my co-workers had never heard of him before. I was listening, (okay singing along to the Mississippi Squirel Revival) and he just kept giving me the wierdest look. Oh well, are you ready to be shocked? I took pictures, and I am going to load them with this post the first two are my thank you cards for a swap that I am in. The last four are from my unit meeting last Saturday. My Upline and her Upline are awesome Hi Nicole, RaNae! (waving) Silly me anyway I hope you like them. The first one I really like but I am not so sure if it isn't too simple you know what I mean? The only guidelines are layers, and some embleshiment.

I actually played with my new toys!

2008-08-27T05:01:00.003-06:00

yay,I have been pretty productive in the last couple of days, I have designed and completed 22 cards. I don't have any pictures as of yet but I will soon. If you replied to my post about addictions, send me an email at leannelion@yahoo.com with your address in it and I will get a card to you in the mail.

I've got it! In my hot little hands!

2008-08-02T02:12:00.003-06:00

I have the last book of the Twilight series. I love it, so far the book has been really good. And now I must go back to my book Breaking Dawn!

I'm a fruit how about you?

2008-07-24T01:28:00.001-06:00

You Are a Strawberry

You are friendly, outgoing, and well liked by many people.
You are popular, but there's nothing you ordinary or average about you.

You a very interesting person, and you have many facets to your personality.
Sometimes you feel very conflicted. Your different sides of your personality pull at you.

You are a very sensual and passionate person. You are fiery... you can't help it.
In general, you keep your passionate side under wraps. You are only wild in private.

What Type of Fruit Are You?

Ah...addictions, we all have them

2008-07-23T01:04:00.002-06:00

Some worse than others. I have in the last couple of years developed an addiction to Hallmark christmas ornaments. I can't help it, I picked up the new 2008 catalog today and all I can do is drool they are so cute. I love Snoopy ornaments and a few others snowmen, and santa clauses' to name a few. I already have the catalog marked with what I am going to buy for me, and ones that my family members will like as well. So what is your addiction? Scrapbooking supplies, pictures, napkins, sugar packets? Leave me a note a let me know. Maybe I will send you a little card.

Yay! So Happy!

2008-07-18T17:21:00.002-06:00

I just got back from the dentist, and have spent the last couple of years with some embarassing holes in my teeth. I got three of them filled today I an I can't even beging to tell you how happy that makes me. I just keep smiling. I have a couple more holes to get filled and then I am done. I just can't beleive how happy I am right now.

Hee hee I knew working at the hotel would pay off...

2008-07-11T03:24:00.000-06:00

55 words

Speed test

I just want to take a moment to brag about my boss.

2008-07-03T07:57:00.002-06:00

I truely am blessed with a wonderful boss. On Monday morning somebody walked away from my work area (near the timeclock) with my i-pod. I told my boss about it and she promised to look into it and ask around. She asked everybody she talked to about it, but nobody seemed to know anything about it. I asked around as well. This morning when she came in just before I left she asked me if I had found it. I told her that I haven't. She told me that she felt bad about it and wanted to give me some money to go towards a new one. I can't believe it! She told me it partialy because I am a good worker and never complain when she messes with my schedule, and I am always willing to help when and where she needs me. She handed me more than enough to purchase a new one. I can't tell you how loved and appreciated I am feeling right now. I am going to make her some cards and write her a thank you note.

It's truely amazing how kindness suprises you when you least expect it!

Catching up

2008-06-30T18:34:00.003-06:00

I didn't realize how long it's been since I last posted. Shame on me! Ah well. several things have happened lately. One of the most important is that I am no longer recallable (is that a word?) All first enlistments in the military carry a mandatory 8 years. This can be active duty for the full 8 years or a 4/4 split of active and inactive, or any mixture of the two. Saturday the 21st was my last day in my inactive recallable status. I am free. Well I realize that I have always been free, but to know that no matter how desperate the Army gets they can no longer call me back to duty is a relief that I can not express.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed my years of service, and learned many things. Being in the Army was a blessing in my life. I met many good friends and became a better more driven person. I have the Army to thank for my husband. We met when we were stationed together at Fort Campbell, KY. Of course the fact that he was also my brother's roommate also helped. I urge anyone who thinks that they need a change a way to be a better person to consider the military. Any branch. I joined for many reasons, but the most important at that point in my life was to learn discipline. I have learned what I needed and have seen more of this country than I would have if I hade not joined. I am proud to have served my country and will never reget my choice.

On another note, my work schedule is going to be changing. The current night auditor is leaving and I will be taking over the audit position full time. I don't mind it at all. It's slightly better pay, and I love the night shift anyway. You don't have to deal with a lot of people on that shift most everybody else is asleep while you work. It's wonderful.

Zoryana is doing beautifully, she is eating on her own and is over a month old now. They are working on getting her to weigh just a little bit more and then she will get to go home for a while. Here's a recent picture of her. I am so glad to see her in baby clothes. What a little sweetpea!

New toys!

2008-06-06T20:19:00.002-06:00

Today I got some new toys in the mail. They weren't even supposed to be here until Monday. I am so happy but of course I am at work and cannot play with them right now. I got three of the fairy stamps from Bella's and three sentiments. I will try to play with them when I get home tonight, but we shall see. I get off at 2am tonight and have to be back at work at 3pm tomorrow. Ugg. Can't be helped unfortunately, the hotel is so short staffed right now it is ridiculous. Hopefully I will have somethings to show soon. Leslie

Today we remember and thank all soldiers

2008-05-26T04:26:00.003-06:00

Today is Mememorial Day. Please join me in saying a small prayer for all of our soldiers, whether you agree with the war we fight or not, our soldiers deserve all the support they can get. I have a favorite quote it is from Robert Schuller Sr. He says it durring his broadcasts every week. I beleive it goes "May the Lord bless you and keep you in your comings in and your goings out." It just hits something with me. My brother, husband and I all served in the Army and we were all stationed at Fort Campbell, KY durring the Septemeber 11th, 2001 attacks. I sent my husband and brother to both Afghanistan and Iraq, it never gets easier being alone worrying for your soldier, so I ask as a friend, if you know someone whose soldier is gone right now, please invite them over for dinner or something help take their minds off of everything for a while. God Bless everyone. Blessings to my friends who served, and are still serving, LT. Spencer Beaty, SPC Michelle Thomas, SGT Marshal Thomas, SPC Andrew Hood, SPC Zorran Kolic, SPC Kyle Begay, SFC Johnson, 1SG Johnson, SPC Davida (?), SPC Ana Gonzalez, SPC Tonya (?) and my other friends and famliy from Fort Campbell, and Fort Jackson.

Little Pumpkin!

2008-05-25T22:13:00.002-06:00

Zoryana is doing better and there are new pictures of her on the website so I thought I would share another one with you all. Thank you for your prayers and support they are greatly appreicated! Here is a picture of her with all of the tube out of her face. YAY! She is almost 2 weeks old.

I am an Auntie again!

2008-05-17T15:05:00.003-06:00

Zorran's sister Donna had a beautiful little girl this week. She is named for her Uncle Zorro. Zoryana was born with her stomach attached to her throat, or in her throat. She has already gone thru two surgeries. She is doing well, and the problems weren't as bad as they were thought to be, thankfully! Here is a picture of the little munchkin. Unfortunately we are in Wyoming and they are in New York so I don't get to spoil her and hug her and love her. But I already told Uncle Zorro that I am going to have to go buy some yarn and make this little sweetie a blankie! I will be back a again soon, this time with pictures of some cards hopefully. Leslie

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T10:20:00.001-06:00

I just want to say Happy Mother's Day to all my friends and everyone who visits here today! Love, Leslie

I have a great family

2008-05-07T11:27:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my birthday. My sweet husband set his alarm clock and got up at midnight to call me at work to tell me happy birthday. What a sweetie! My mom told me what she was getting me but hadn't ordered yet, (a really cute quilt, and sham set for my bed) and then when she came home last night she had a beautiful peace rose bush for me and a hydrangea plant. I love peace roses and hydrangea's so this made my day! My hubby is giving me money to use to buy a laptop as my computer is almost 5 years old now and very outdated. I have such a wonderful family.

I went to the Utah Valley Womens Expo

2008-05-04T11:59:00.002-06:00

My mom and I went to the expo yesterday mainly to go to the Close to My Heart warehouse sale. That was crazy, but not as crazy as it was on Friday apparently. I found a lot of stuff, and bought mostly for friends, but now I find I have buyers remorse. Oh well, I will just offer the stuff I got to my fellow consultants and see if anyone wants what I don't.

I found a really awesome headband that I love at one of the booths, (I knew they were going to b there and went looking for them.) The headband is made by Pink Bench you put them on your head, tie them on, and they stay, they don't have elastic, and they are made of cloth so there is no pressure, and they don't hurt! Love 'em!

Yay! They're done and in the mail!

2008-04-29T03:09:00.003-06:00

I finished my card swaps (I even replaced the card my mom stole) and I put them in the mail yesterday. I am so glad. I even have a vauge idea as to what I am going to do for the remaining 2 card swaps. I still have to do the July and August, but they aren't due until June 25th, so I have some time.

I went to Ranae's house on Saturday (my uplines upline) and had a blast. She had 5 projects set up for us. Four cards each one using the new Stamps of the month from the new Summer Idea Book. Each project used one of the new paper packs too. It was so much fun.

I am getting some new toys!

2008-04-22T06:24:00.002-06:00

So I did it, I went to kitchensinkstamps.com and ordered some dew drops! I love dew drops I think they are so cute. I probably should have just got one or two jars but I couldn't help myself, I order four or five. The total was still under $25, and truthfully, I know I will use them a lot. I can't wait to get them, I keep checking my email to see if they have shipped yet, and I only ordered them last night! Oh well, I will post projects soon.

Well....That'll teach me!

2008-04-20T00:42:00.004-06:00

That will teach me to try to be organized, and keep things where I can find them. I had my stack of finished swap cards sitting on the table next to the front door so that when I finish the second set, I could grab them and take them to the post office. Today is a friend of my families birthday, and my mom took one of my swap cards to give as a birthday card. D'OH! Darn it all anyway! Oh, well I love my mom, I have enough paper to make another one, and on the bright side the teenager who received it said it was really cute. Oh the joys of trying to be somewhat organized. The sad thing about this is, I have a drawer full of premade cards in my craft room and my mom knows it. She just forgot where it was and she was in a hurry and they were there. Oh well life goes on.

On a side note apparently I am not the only Burt I know. My very good friend Nicole is a Burt to, so since I am in such good company I think I will try to think positively, but really the only song I really remember is Rubber Duckie your the one, you make bath time lots of fun Rubber Duckie I'm awfully fond of you!

Well I was going to say that's all but I just had another thought, for all of you who are Twilight fiends (like I am) I have recently discovered fanfiction. What a truely awesome artform. Fanfiction is when someone gets an idea to add on or change what happens in a book, and they write the story and share it with the world. Stephenie Meyer's website has links to several, my favorites so far are the Topaz and Debussy and Twilight Archives They are truely awesome, the Topaz and Debussy does have some smut stories so if your younger ones are interested I would recommend the Twilight Archives as an alternative.

I am

2008-04-05T18:03:00.000-06:00

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you lovable - even if you don't love them!

You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you

You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil

How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I think I just might cry, I always thought that Bert was one of the more pathetic charatcers on Seasme Street. Oh Dear!

So Happy!

2008-03-28T14:40:00.002-06:00

I have a three day weekend this weekend. I found out yesterday, to bad I don't have any money, and didn't know last week. But I am so happy because 1.) I didn't ask for it, 2.) I have been working crazy shifts lately and I am tired, and 3.) I need sometime to play in my craft room which at this point is very scarey looking indeed. I work tonight from 4pm to 2am and then I have until 10pm Tuesday night before I have to work again, so almost 4 days really. Everyone say it with me YAY!

I found it!

2008-03-24T00:43:00.003-06:00

I finally found my Freindships Blessings stamps set! Yay! I love that set, I need to make some cards with it I think. Ahh, it's the simple things in life sometimes. I hope everyone had a great and Happy Easter!

Okay here are my answers...

2008-03-19T00:43:00.005-06:00

1. I have heard Vice President Cheneyspeak once, and President Bush (current) speak twice. I have also met former Secretary of the Army Thomas White and former Chief of Staff of the Army General Eric Shinseki.

2. I love ankle socks! (Thanks Nicole!) My feet and ankles are super sensitive and at this point in my life I can't stand long socks. The presure from the elastic is actually painful.

3. I want to return to school, I love to learn...I am terrified of going back to college...I don't know why.

4. I hate snakes!...but when I was younger I used to have recurring dream that we had a pet rattlesnake that we would let out every once and a while to raom the house...It still gives my the shudders.

5. I love washing clothes..it's justa that I hate to fold them and put them away.

6. I have been to 2 Backstreet Boys concerts. I still love them. I own all of their albums released in the U.S. My brother got a pyrotechnic cap for me from a concert he worked once.

7. I daydream all the time. (It's one of my favorite passtimes.) I make up storylines and entertain myself with them a lot. Mostly, I daydream when I should be going to sleep. I have only really shared my daydreams/storylines with 2 people...my bestfriends from college Melly and Kitty.

Okay so the rules are...

Link to the person who tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.

Share 7 random/and or wierd facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.

Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here are the 7 who I chose to tag: papermadnessinc.blogspot.com jimandjenharper.blogspot.com inkyprints.blogspot.com michongarf.blogspot.com katiespaperhaven.blogspot.com createwithchristine.blogspot.com nonapearl.blogspot.com

I have been tagged!

2008-03-19T00:12:00.003-06:00

Nicole got me! So I am thinking about what I am going to share, and I will post that again soon I think I have it. Since I don't really know anybody, to tag I am going to tag some random people from a post on the CTMH bulletin boards. If I tagged you (for the most part) that's where I found you...just in case you were curious. Talk to you again soon! Leslie

My favorite layout so far

2008-03-14T00:52:00.003-06:00

I took these pictures on the drive home from Las Vegas last weekend. I love this canyon. This is my first time playing with a file folder, and hidden journalling. I really like this layout. I am not particularly fond of Taffy but it seems to be a good match with Silhouette, so I will probably be pairing them together again soon.

A few of my current favorite things...

2008-03-11T20:39:00.002-06:00

I am currently obbessed with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga series. I can't help it I love the books. I even have all of the books on c.d. and loaded onto my iPod so that I can listen to then when ever I want to. I can listen to the stories and then do something else, (like the dishes or cook dinner.) I love to crochet, my very favorite yarn is called Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand. It is so soft and lovely to work with. I love my Cuttlebug, I keep getting more and more of the embossing folders and cutting dies. And who could forget...I love my new Bare Minerals makeup, I even convinced my Mom to try it and now she loves it too. Yay. Today is a very good day. Here's wishing everyone else a happy day!

I love this picture!

2008-03-10T17:46:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I miss Arizona so much. Everyone thinks of Arizona as a desert wasteland but there is so much more to it than that. The beauty is everywhere, the high desert with the pinetree forrests, the red rocks of Sedona, the twisting curvy mountain roads of Jerome, with the whole of the world laid out before you. It is all so beautiful to me. I took this picture from a car moving 65 miles an hour down the road. Arizona has so many beautiful canyons, this particular one is along I-15 in the little bit of Arizona you drive thru going between Utah and Nevada on your way to Las Vegas.

Have you seen my.....?

2008-03-06T15:42:00.001-07:00

Stamp set? I can't find my Friendships Blessings stamp set anywhere. I have no idea when I lost saw it either. Darn it! If you see it will you let me know? Please, pretty please?

So excited!

2008-03-05T17:24:00.002-07:00

Two weeks ago I decided that I would go ahead and try the Bare Minerals makeup. It just landed on my doorstep 20 minutes ago. I just put it on, it's awesome. I am so happy with it. It was so easy, and my face looks so much better. I just can't tell you. I have such huge problems with acne, it's connected to a different health problem of mine. For my face to look so clear it's amazing, now I am kicking myself for not ordering the eyeshadow to go with it. Oh well I guess that is just the next thing on the agenda. I am so happy!

Ugg!

2008-02-22T00:35:00.003-07:00

I woke up this morning with such a bad migraine. I haven't had one so bad in years. Sick to my stomach, tearful (niether of which is a normal symptom for me,) painful to blink, or look at anything for that matter. I tried all of my normal cures, three advil, I took a shower, had something to eat (and immeadiately wished I hadn't) nothing. I ended up making my husband drive me all the way to Salt Lake to the VA hospital. I am feeling so much better now, but wow the pain this morning was so intense.

So I decided to jump on the bandwagon.

2008-02-17T15:41:00.002-07:00

I don't even know why, I decided to do this. I have seen a lot of the other ladies from Close to My Heart's blogs, and thought that could be fun. but now that I have it I don't know what to do with it or even why I have it at this point.