Week 3 of my ongoing battle with the antivirus program called Bit Defender. It all started when my subscription was running out. I paid my $$ and downloaded the new version. And then everything crashed!!!! Thankfully over the years I've learned a few things from situations just like this. But never in all my years of "playing" on computers have I EVER had anything like this!
Last night everything was fine. Router worked. PC worked. Laptop said it had a signal that was strong, but internet wouldn't connect. Fine. I can do without it at home. Went on Facebook and there were these FABULOUS pics of my DD and grandson at the baby shower! FINALLY some pregger pics! :) She's SOOOOOOO cute! Can't believe I half made her! Hehe! Anyway, downloaded the pics, caught up with my forums and emails and minimized the screen to go watch TV for a couple of hours. When I got back and tried to go back on the Net, I was totally frozen out! Wouldn't connect to ANYTHING with OR without the router!!! I'd finally had it.
So this afternoon after my appointment with the client who literally has a million pics to sort through, I took the laptop to Starbucks. Should be easy. Strong easy connection. Just connect. Right? WRONG!!! Bit Defender had gone in and changed all my settings and enablements!!!!!!! It took me an HOUR to figure it all out! Tried to go back to a previous date where everything was fine on the setup when it started up. It would only let me go back two days. Not gonna work! Then I finally found a weird setting in the setup as I was thinking "I'll just go back to factory defaults." And voila! It worked! And just then the lights started flickering as the thunder and lightning struck. GREAT! The laptop has no battery anymore! Finally I was able to get on long enough to quickly post to my 3 fav sites and Facebook that I may be AWOL for a few days. And then it was time to go home...
First thing I did, DELETE BIT DEFENDER FROM THE PC! And ya know what? I got right onto the Net and first thing I did was download McAfee's antivirus program!!! So far so good, but I haven't exited anything yet... We'll see what happens in a bit!
Meanwhile, I'm thinking "There WAS a time when we lived quite happily without these things!" But then I realized how many people I'd miss! And I realized there's no way I can live for long without my online buddies!
So I trudge on trying this and doing that and learning more and more that I didn't wanna know about computers. And hoping that finally, this time I'll be able to relax and just enjoy my time on "the box". :)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
20 Years Ago Today...
... my dear husband Steve and I were married in a little church in Ketchikan, Alaska. It's been an amazing and wonderful marriage full of ups and downs and adventures. And knowing all I know now I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat! After 20 years we are still VERY much in love and still looking forward to living the rest of our lives together. :)
It's really funny tho. The year that I met Steve was 1989. It was a HORRIBLE year. I remember sitting in my fav bar with one of my girlfriends saying "The only good thing that happened this year was that I met Steve." At the time, we were only dating. He had given me a very nice opal heart necklace and a modern day language Bible for Christmas just before he left with his 3 sons to visit his brother who was stationed in Hawaii at the time. I was beginning to realize that I was falling in love with Steve when he called me all the way from Hawaii on Christmas Day! Now remember, at the time you paid for every second of a long distance call you made back then! So this was not a cheap call! We didn't talk long of course, but the fact that he took the time and spent the money meant a lot to me! :) I'd never had a man do that for me before!
We actually met because God put us together. Two men (Steve's dad Charlie and a man named Jim Byrne) 20 years before had become friends through work at the US Forestry Service in Kentucky... Charlie had 4 sons and took a promotion and moved to Alaska thinking he'd only stay a couple of years and then come back to the states. He never left! Meanwhile, Jim had 4 sons as well and moved up the administrative ladder ending up in the Washington, DC area. Charlie and Jim kept in contact through the years and the sons met each other through a vacation or two. Jim bought a farm to retire on about an hour's drive from DC thinking that would be a good investment. THEN he found out that if he didn't keep cattle on that farm the taxes would be exorbitant. Also meanwhile the boys all grew up and Steve married and had 3 sons. When Steve's wife left him, remarried and moved the boys to Virginia, Steve went into commercial salmon fishing. That left his winters free to come down and visit his sons. But he needed a place to stay. So Jim and his wife said "You can stay with us free room and board if you go feed and take care of the cows twice a week." A deal was struck and the second winter Steve came down is when we actually met.
One of Jim's sons was a bouncer at the Peppermint Lounge where my girlfriends and I hung out. Chris told me one night about his Alaskan fisherman friend who would be coming in and asked if my friends and I could keep him company as Chris had to work that night. We always did stuff like that and thought nothing of it. That is until I walked down the stairs into the entryway of the club that night! I'm picturing some big, burly, bearded man as an Alaskan fisherman. But this guy talking to Chris was CUTE! Turns out it was Steve! We had a fun evening, went out on a few dates and the rest is history! That was October 1989. By February Steve had bought me tickets to come back to Ketchikan with him and see if I liked it. The sun came out and I fell in love! No talk about marriage or anything so I wasn't expecting the ring on my last night there! But of course I said yes! I couldn't imagine life without this man anymore. That meant a BIG move tho. So I went home and talked to my then 9 YO daughter. She decided she wanted to come with me. So I waited till she got out of school in June and we drove off in a little red Nissan pickup truck with a bed cover thing on it stuffed to the gills with our few possessions we were taking with us.
On August 23rd Steve and I got married with Michele as my maid of honor, Greg as his best man and the other two sons Jeff and Mike as ushers. I barely knew anyone there but it was a sweet wedding. Who knew on that fateful October day what the future was gonna bring? The last guy I'd dated was using my car to go parking with a VERY young girl saying he was going to work. And he was on parole for armed robbery because he was a coke addict! I'd sworn off guys and wasn't gonna date anymore. HA!
So I said all that to say this. Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn. You never know what's around the next corner. You never know what tomorrow may bring. It may be heartache, it may be pain. But there's always another day and there's always hope as long as there's life. Because ONE DAY it will be the most wonderful thing it the world to ever happen to you! So keep the faith. Keep the dream alive. Keep the hope. And hang on to life. You never know what God has in store just for you. I mean after all, it took him 20 years to put Steve and I together!!! And He'll do the same for you if you'll just hang in there one more day...
It's really funny tho. The year that I met Steve was 1989. It was a HORRIBLE year. I remember sitting in my fav bar with one of my girlfriends saying "The only good thing that happened this year was that I met Steve." At the time, we were only dating. He had given me a very nice opal heart necklace and a modern day language Bible for Christmas just before he left with his 3 sons to visit his brother who was stationed in Hawaii at the time. I was beginning to realize that I was falling in love with Steve when he called me all the way from Hawaii on Christmas Day! Now remember, at the time you paid for every second of a long distance call you made back then! So this was not a cheap call! We didn't talk long of course, but the fact that he took the time and spent the money meant a lot to me! :) I'd never had a man do that for me before!
We actually met because God put us together. Two men (Steve's dad Charlie and a man named Jim Byrne) 20 years before had become friends through work at the US Forestry Service in Kentucky... Charlie had 4 sons and took a promotion and moved to Alaska thinking he'd only stay a couple of years and then come back to the states. He never left! Meanwhile, Jim had 4 sons as well and moved up the administrative ladder ending up in the Washington, DC area. Charlie and Jim kept in contact through the years and the sons met each other through a vacation or two. Jim bought a farm to retire on about an hour's drive from DC thinking that would be a good investment. THEN he found out that if he didn't keep cattle on that farm the taxes would be exorbitant. Also meanwhile the boys all grew up and Steve married and had 3 sons. When Steve's wife left him, remarried and moved the boys to Virginia, Steve went into commercial salmon fishing. That left his winters free to come down and visit his sons. But he needed a place to stay. So Jim and his wife said "You can stay with us free room and board if you go feed and take care of the cows twice a week." A deal was struck and the second winter Steve came down is when we actually met.
One of Jim's sons was a bouncer at the Peppermint Lounge where my girlfriends and I hung out. Chris told me one night about his Alaskan fisherman friend who would be coming in and asked if my friends and I could keep him company as Chris had to work that night. We always did stuff like that and thought nothing of it. That is until I walked down the stairs into the entryway of the club that night! I'm picturing some big, burly, bearded man as an Alaskan fisherman. But this guy talking to Chris was CUTE! Turns out it was Steve! We had a fun evening, went out on a few dates and the rest is history! That was October 1989. By February Steve had bought me tickets to come back to Ketchikan with him and see if I liked it. The sun came out and I fell in love! No talk about marriage or anything so I wasn't expecting the ring on my last night there! But of course I said yes! I couldn't imagine life without this man anymore. That meant a BIG move tho. So I went home and talked to my then 9 YO daughter. She decided she wanted to come with me. So I waited till she got out of school in June and we drove off in a little red Nissan pickup truck with a bed cover thing on it stuffed to the gills with our few possessions we were taking with us.
On August 23rd Steve and I got married with Michele as my maid of honor, Greg as his best man and the other two sons Jeff and Mike as ushers. I barely knew anyone there but it was a sweet wedding. Who knew on that fateful October day what the future was gonna bring? The last guy I'd dated was using my car to go parking with a VERY young girl saying he was going to work. And he was on parole for armed robbery because he was a coke addict! I'd sworn off guys and wasn't gonna date anymore. HA!
So I said all that to say this. Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn. You never know what's around the next corner. You never know what tomorrow may bring. It may be heartache, it may be pain. But there's always another day and there's always hope as long as there's life. Because ONE DAY it will be the most wonderful thing it the world to ever happen to you! So keep the faith. Keep the dream alive. Keep the hope. And hang on to life. You never know what God has in store just for you. I mean after all, it took him 20 years to put Steve and I together!!! And He'll do the same for you if you'll just hang in there one more day...
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Scrap Street Giveaway!
I've heard about Scrap Street's e-zine for awhile now. I wanted to subscribe but thought that I couldn't afford another subscription so I passed. To my delight and surprise I found out today that subscription is FREE!!! AND they're having a HUGE giveaway and celebration today! 10,000 subscribers and growing! WOW! So be sure to check them out at http://scrapstreet.blogspot.com and enter for their giveaway! And be sure to subscribe to this awesome e-zine too! Congrats Scrap Street!
Friday, August 20, 2010
More Scrappy Goodness!
I've been continuing the MSW ABC crop. What FUN challenges Suzann and Nik have been coming up with! P was for "Pins and Needles" and required stitching. Thankfully faux stitching counted cuz I HATE sewing! Here's my entry for P -
Q was for "Quick and Qute". So I totally scraplifted Suzann's example and created this card using a Scrapdango kit -
R is for "Ready" and S is for "Swirly Stamp". I'm hoping to do those today... The month is almost over already! How did that happen??!!
Meanwhile, I've also been doing the SBD4U Cramfest. This week's challenges are TOUGH! The first one is to use a picture of anatomy and use the name of the anatomy in your title. You also had to add a heart and stitch. (There's that nasty sewing thing again!) So I again pulled out a couple of Scrapdango kits (one was REALLY old) and created this LO about the Houston ladies and their painted toes... The title block originally said "TOOTSIE Wootsie" but I used my pen and carefully added the line and changed it to "FOOTSIE Wootsie"!!! I had everything to gain and nothing to lose! ;) It's PERFECT!!!
The other SD4U challenge has me stumped this week. You're supposed to use the Periodic Table (as in chemistry) to come up with some combination for your subject and title... I may have to pass on that one. But both of my week 1 submissions are in 2nd place so I'm pretty happy! (Even if there ARE only 3 in each category to choose from!) HAHAHA!
Well, off to fight the computers some more... Finally making progress. Guess the laptop, router and PC decided to kiss and make up after I posted about their disagreement on Facebook. LOL!
Happy Scrapping!!!
Q was for "Quick and Qute". So I totally scraplifted Suzann's example and created this card using a Scrapdango kit -
R is for "Ready" and S is for "Swirly Stamp". I'm hoping to do those today... The month is almost over already! How did that happen??!!
Meanwhile, I've also been doing the SBD4U Cramfest. This week's challenges are TOUGH! The first one is to use a picture of anatomy and use the name of the anatomy in your title. You also had to add a heart and stitch. (There's that nasty sewing thing again!) So I again pulled out a couple of Scrapdango kits (one was REALLY old) and created this LO about the Houston ladies and their painted toes... The title block originally said "TOOTSIE Wootsie" but I used my pen and carefully added the line and changed it to "FOOTSIE Wootsie"!!! I had everything to gain and nothing to lose! ;) It's PERFECT!!!
The other SD4U challenge has me stumped this week. You're supposed to use the Periodic Table (as in chemistry) to come up with some combination for your subject and title... I may have to pass on that one. But both of my week 1 submissions are in 2nd place so I'm pretty happy! (Even if there ARE only 3 in each category to choose from!) HAHAHA!
Well, off to fight the computers some more... Finally making progress. Guess the laptop, router and PC decided to kiss and make up after I posted about their disagreement on Facebook. LOL!
Happy Scrapping!!!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
WOOHOO!!!! I MADE IT AGAIN!!!!!
I'm SUPER excited and honored to announce that Lucy from My Sketch World has asked me to return as a layout designer on her team!!! I LOVE MSW! It's my home away from home. I can't WAIT to share her sketches and my creations over the next few months!!!
So I'm still having computer issues, but not as much as before. Now it's just all those silly MS updates! UGH! WHY can't you find the stupid file you're looking for? You created the program that runs my computer didn't you? Quit bothering me!!!
But in the meantime I've managed to do a few challenges here and there... Scrapbook Deals 4U is having their Cramfest. These are NOT easy challenges but I did the first week's two challenges and I love the results. Here's some fun pics from my Houston trip...
And of course the MSW ABC crop is still continuing... Here's my creations for I through O... (F through H I'll have to post later... They got lost in the computer nonsense...)
I is for Inky - Glimmer Mist and a mask -
J is for Jiminy Cricket (use a critter on your layout) -
K is for Kiss - I used the positive piece from the Inky card for this one...
L is for Love (a layout about a loved one) - In my case it's my two guys enjoying each other's company...
M is for More Layers
N is for Nekkid Chipboard. I also did this for the SBD4U Week 1 Challenge so please see the Rooster Tails layout above.
O is for Owl -
So I'm still having computer issues, but not as much as before. Now it's just all those silly MS updates! UGH! WHY can't you find the stupid file you're looking for? You created the program that runs my computer didn't you? Quit bothering me!!!
But in the meantime I've managed to do a few challenges here and there... Scrapbook Deals 4U is having their Cramfest. These are NOT easy challenges but I did the first week's two challenges and I love the results. Here's some fun pics from my Houston trip...
And of course the MSW ABC crop is still continuing... Here's my creations for I through O... (F through H I'll have to post later... They got lost in the computer nonsense...)
I is for Inky - Glimmer Mist and a mask -
J is for Jiminy Cricket (use a critter on your layout) -
K is for Kiss - I used the positive piece from the Inky card for this one...
L is for Love (a layout about a loved one) - In my case it's my two guys enjoying each other's company...
M is for More Layers
N is for Nekkid Chipboard. I also did this for the SBD4U Week 1 Challenge so please see the Rooster Tails layout above.
O is for Owl -
Saturday, August 14, 2010
I've Been Tagged!!!
What a time I've had the past couple of weeks! I renewed my subscription to my antivirus program, downloaded the upgrade and all H E double hockey sticks happened. I finally had to go back to factory defaults on my PC but now my router won't work. So that means no laptop still. :( However, I'm finally able to get on the internet and trust that it won't crash on me again! Sheez!
Anyway, I haven't scrapped as much as I was hoping to. I've mostly kept up with the MSW ABC crop challenges (we're already up to the letter M!) and have A through K finished. I'm about to do my L is for Love layout and need to figure out what I'm gonna do for the M is for MORE (5 layers on a card...
Meanwhile, I've been trying to catch up on all the forum posts, emails and blogs that I missed and look what I found! I've been tagged by the lovely and talented Miss Kerryn Fry! (Newly appointed to the Bella Blvd. DT too I might add!!! CONGRATS Kerryn!) So I'm going to attempt to post the linky here. It's never worked before for me so we'll see what happens... Anyway, here's my answers...
Yep. It isn't working. I'll post the pic and the link is listed in the bottom. You'll have to do it the old way and type it in. So very sorry!
Here are the rules that go with it:
1. Put the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award on my blog.
2. Share 5 things about myself.
3. Pass the award onto 5 other Bonny Blogs.
4. Add links to my 5 chosen Bonny Blog Winners.
5. Let them know they have been chosen to win the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award by leaving a comment on their blog.
OK now 5 things about myself:
1. I have been a non-smoker for almost 20 years now. Glad I gave it up!!! One of the best things I've ever done for myself!
2. Hate being over-weight, but having trouble finding the motivation to fix it.
3. I absolutely positively HATE Green Pea (split pea) soup!!! BLECH!!!
4. After nearly 20 years of marriage (the 23rd is our anniversary) I'm still madly in love with my husband Steve!
5. I hate being cold! Give me the heat any day!!! :)
Now... who to tag...
1. Shelley
2. Lucy
3. Nicole
4. Bev
5. Lori
LOVE YOU LADIES!!!! :)
Anyway, I haven't scrapped as much as I was hoping to. I've mostly kept up with the MSW ABC crop challenges (we're already up to the letter M!) and have A through K finished. I'm about to do my L is for Love layout and need to figure out what I'm gonna do for the M is for MORE (5 layers on a card...
Meanwhile, I've been trying to catch up on all the forum posts, emails and blogs that I missed and look what I found! I've been tagged by the lovely and talented Miss Kerryn Fry! (Newly appointed to the Bella Blvd. DT too I might add!!! CONGRATS Kerryn!) So I'm going to attempt to post the linky here. It's never worked before for me so we'll see what happens... Anyway, here's my answers...
Yep. It isn't working. I'll post the pic and the link is listed in the bottom. You'll have to do it the old way and type it in. So very sorry!
Here are the rules that go with it:
1. Put the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award on my blog.
2. Share 5 things about myself.
3. Pass the award onto 5 other Bonny Blogs.
4. Add links to my 5 chosen Bonny Blog Winners.
5. Let them know they have been chosen to win the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award by leaving a comment on their blog.
OK now 5 things about myself:
1. I have been a non-smoker for almost 20 years now. Glad I gave it up!!! One of the best things I've ever done for myself!
2. Hate being over-weight, but having trouble finding the motivation to fix it.
3. I absolutely positively HATE Green Pea (split pea) soup!!! BLECH!!!
4. After nearly 20 years of marriage (the 23rd is our anniversary) I'm still madly in love with my husband Steve!
5. I hate being cold! Give me the heat any day!!! :)
Now... who to tag...
1. Shelley
2. Lucy
3. Nicole
4. Bev
5. Lori
LOVE YOU LADIES!!!! :)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Scrappy FUN!!!
I've been having great fun with My Sketch World's ABC Crop! They alternate days with layouts and cards with a theme based on the alphabet. Here are my creations so far...
A is for Adornment(lots of sparkle and bling)
B is for Border Punch - I did a 2-pager about Noah's visit
C is for Cloud so I made this card using cotton balls for my clouds...
D is for Dots - So I made a page about feeding the giraffes. Then I made the other 2 pages that go with it.
And (for now) last but not least is E is for Events so I did this wedding card -
And finally I did a page for the Banner challenge at Scrapbook Deals 4 U -
Oh and speaking of Scrapbook Deals 4 U they're having their 2nd Annual Back to School Blast starting Monday, August 9th. If you decide to check them out let them know I sent you! :)
Happy Scrapping! I'm off to see what I can do with the F is for Four Pictures challenge...
A is for Adornment(lots of sparkle and bling)
B is for Border Punch - I did a 2-pager about Noah's visit
C is for Cloud so I made this card using cotton balls for my clouds...
D is for Dots - So I made a page about feeding the giraffes. Then I made the other 2 pages that go with it.
And (for now) last but not least is E is for Events so I did this wedding card -
And finally I did a page for the Banner challenge at Scrapbook Deals 4 U -
Oh and speaking of Scrapbook Deals 4 U they're having their 2nd Annual Back to School Blast starting Monday, August 9th. If you decide to check them out let them know I sent you! :)
Happy Scrapping! I'm off to see what I can do with the F is for Four Pictures challenge...
Monday, August 2, 2010
My Houston Trip
I just HAVE to share this!!! My friend Lori who's another designer at My Sketch World and who was also on the Houston trip with me just wrote the most AMAZING post on her blog all about our visit to Houston. She's an awesome woman (all 5 feet nothing of her!) and she writes better than anyone I know... I could never say it as well as Lori has so if you wanna get the FULL MONTE version of our weekend, read this - scrapinator dot blogspot dot com.
Sorry but I can't seem to make my link work so you'll have to copy and paste it... Don't forget the http:// and the www. parts... Okay this is getting RIDICULOUS!!!!! I've tried six different times to get this link to even show up in my post and I'm hoping this will be IT. GRRRR! Believe me, it's worth going there!!!
Sorry but I can't seem to make my link work so you'll have to copy and paste it... Don't forget the http:// and the www. parts... Okay this is getting RIDICULOUS!!!!! I've tried six different times to get this link to even show up in my post and I'm hoping this will be IT. GRRRR! Believe me, it's worth going there!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
