Ten on Tuesday - Looking Forward to May

I can't believe it's the last day of April! This month really did fly by.
I love this week's prompt of 10 things I am looking forward to in May.

1. Going to a scrapbook weekend retreat with my friend Marcy. My scrap bag is already packed because we had the Crop for a Cure last weekend. I can't wait to scrap for two days. I'm planning on finish an album project from 2010!

2. Getting a haircut.
3. Joel starts a new job this month. He took a leap and a risk professionally and it paid off. I'm so very proud of him.



4. Joining a bunch of my friends and their husbands for a fundraiser. It's been a long time since we all went out as couples.
5. Joel goes on a business trip. This will be the first time he's the one spending a night away. Usually it's me who is out of town. 
6. Running outside without gloves. And a headband. And sixteen layers.



New Balance Minimus-WR10GY - light and comfy and neon!
I switched last summer from Saucony Grid as I work on correcting my toe first running stride

7. Going to the Brimfield Fair with Joel and my mom.

8. Getting a new pedicure and finally wearing sandals and flip flops again.
9. Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer. I can't wait to get my toes in the sand.



Coast Guard Beach, Eastham MA

10. Eating crunchy food again. I had my wisdom teeth out in early April and recovery has not been easy or fun. My oral surgeon's answers for everything has been "well you are old." and "if you had these out when you were 16 it would have been a lot easier." So I've been eating a lot of mushy, smushy, soft food. I'm so looking forward to a piece of steak and a big ol' salad. 


It looks like May will be a busy month! What are you looking forward to in May? Hop on over to CaroleKnits to see more great responses. Maybe you'll play along next week?

Ten on Tuesday - 10 April Fool's Pranks

I am definitely not a practical joker or an April Fool’s prank player. 

So this week’s topic was a bit tough for me.

1. from DIY Boston: No Yard, No Problem. Now this headline caught my eye in my blog reader because my husband has a dream of raising chickens some day. I emailed it to him thinking “boy people are crazy for chickens.” He replied back that he thought it was an April Fools Day joke. Duh. (See I told you I’m not good at these things!)
   
   

2. The Tale of Sid Finch from Sports Illustrated circa 1985. I remember reading this article back in the day. This remains in my mind the ultimate April Fool’s Day hoax. This was before the internet so you couldn’t go fact check this article with a quick google search. 
   
   
   The subheading of the article was the big clue: “He's a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd's deciding about yoga — and his future in baseball." The first letters of these words spell out "Happy April Fools Day - ah(a) fib"
   

   
   
3. Quite a few years ago, two co-workers turned every item in our boss’s cube upside down. The furniture, the post-its, his (empty) coffee cup. Everything.
4. Google Nose - for results you can smell.

and now here is where I rely on Google to fill out my list!

5. Netflix added new genres such as “Reality TV about people with no concept of reality”
   

   

   
   
   

   

photos via TechCrunch

6. Birchbox announced a new service called Birchbox for Boxes? For $20 you will get a variety of boxes delivered to your door step every month.
7. Did you see the flashmob that got thousands of people to walk backwards in Times Square? http://www.geekosystem.com/backwards-flash-mob-in-times-square/

and finally, three pranks you could play on your family next year...

8. Serve cake for dinner - mashed potato icing covers a two layer meatloaf cake inside!
9. Lunchtime switcheroo - put carrots in the chip bag and seal the chip bag with glue dots to fool them!
10. Breakfast Fakeout - freeze the milk and cereal, create a poached egg out of yogurt and a peach and pour jello into a glass to look like juice.

There you have it! Some ideas for next year's April's Fool Day.

Head on over to CaroleKnits.net to see more lists and to play along!

Ten on Tuesday - Powerball Edition

10 Things You'd Do If You Won the Big Powerball Jackpot.

OK. So the first thing I would probably do is scream or cry or jump up and down.

Or maybe just stand there and stare with wide eyes and an open mouth.

1. Invest the majority of the winnings so we could live off the dividends and interest.

2. Buy a house in Chatham. Nothing too big. Doesn’t have to be near the water. Just a little place of our own. With a deck. And a pretty guest room for company.

3. Pay off the cars.

4. Set up a charitable foundation. I even have a name picked out “The Letter S”. it will have the tagline of “brought to you by The Letter S” like on Sesame Street.
   
   
   

5. Take my family on a great vacation and fly first class to get there.

6. Hire a cleaning person to come every other week.

7. Set up a trust for Brendan, Nick and Erica. The stipulation is that the money is not to be used until they turn 40 and it must be for something fun, extravagant or out of the budget in their future grown up lives.

8. Upgrade our towels and sheets.

9. Have more of my photography custom framed.

10. Work part-time. 20 hours a week or maybe just 5 mornings a week. I’d still want a reason to get out of my jammies every day, but I’d definitely want more time for crafting, visiting, reading and baking.

This was a lot harder list to come up with than I expected! I guess it’s good to know that there really aren’t a lot of things on my dream list.

Ten on Tuesday - Random Edition

This week's Ten on Tuesday prompt is 10 Random Things on Your Mind.

1. Today it is snowing. Tomorrow is the first day of spring. I’m starting to think this winter will never end.
   
   
2. I really like grapefruit. It’s been my new favorite dessert this winter. So refreshing.
   
   
3. The first paid work holiday of 2013 is Memorial Day. That’s still 10 weeks away.
   
   
4. I am getting my wisdom teeth out next week and I’m extremely nervous about nerve damage and going under general anesthesia.
   
   
5. Two members of my household have had an ACL replaced in the last year - one human and one poodle. Who would have thought?
   
   
6. I have wanted to try a spin class for almost a year. I think this is the week I finally get my butt in there and try it out.
   
   
7. Somehow this “I will only run when chased by a dog” girl has signed up for THREE 5Ks this year. Run for Charlotte in April, Harbor Walk & Run in June, Finish at the 50 in July. 
   
   
   I’ve participated in all of these events before but mostly walked. This is the year I will run!! Especially Finish at the 50! I am going to conquer those darned ramps! You can see them in the left side of this photos.

8. Last week I tried a new recipe, Spinach Ricotta Calzone from King Arthur Flour. It was a simple, easy recipe and perfect for a Lenten meal. I added some broccoli and cauliflower, a little garlic and a dash of red pepper flakes to the filling.
   
   
9. Have you seen the Kelly Purkey Project Kit from Simon Stamps and Kelly Purkey? I love the colors and the clean fonts. I was really really tempted to order it and do a monthly Project Life with it. But then part of me thought - that’s almost as much as the running skirt you want to get. Seriously, who am I? Then by the time I talked myself into buying it, the kit was sold out. Guess I’ll be getting that running skirt at Athleta instead!
   
   
10. We are planning to book a cruise to Alaska for Summer 2014. I'm a little overwhelmed by all the options. Does anyone have any suggestions or information?

Ten on Tuesday is a weekly prompt from CaroleKnits.Net. Go check it out! If you decide to play along next week, let me know in the comments so I can check out your list.

Meet Curious George

Isn't this little guy the cutest? I have had this photo on my desk for quite a while with no ideas on what to do with it. 

Last Sunday I went to a crop and I packed a very, very old Studio Calico kit (Promise you won't judge if I tell you it was HandPicked from April 2008?). The colors worked great with the photo. I find I get a little more creative at a crop because I make myself use just what I packed. In that kit is this crazy Sassafras paper with a big deer on it. I just have never liked that paper. It turned out to be a perfect mat behind the photo. The doodly clouds add a whimsical touch to the page. The Jenni Bowlin gold rub-ons, despite being 5 years old, went on smooth and easy. Definitely want to use some more of those on some cards.

I had used up some of the Sassafras letter stickers that came with the kit so I couldn't spell out George. Luckily, my friend Lynne shared some of her Echo Park letter stickers. That was the finishing touch for my page. 

I'm linking this layout up with Use Your Stuff (critter challenge), TwoPeas Pokey Peas and Shimelle (sketch).

Supplies: Studio Calico Hand-Picked Kit (April 2008), Echo Park Little Boy stickers, brown Slick Writer, CTMH chocolate ink