What was I thinkin?

Sometimes...you have to pull on the hiking boots!

Remember when I said, "We called a tow truck?"

We waited and we waited, and then we waited a little more (okay - for probably two weeks we waited.) That tow truck just never showed up! Unbelievable right? Yeah, that is what I thought.

Sometimes you have to say "when" and be glad that you own a pair of hiking boots (and a bottle of water.) You need water when you are going on a really LONG hike.

Oh sure, The Mystery Machine may be having engine trouble; but, it is "a fabulous machine" and well worth a hike to the next service station. (I tell myself this as I endure the LONG LONG HOURS of work we've been putting in to find a good mechanic and get "our beloved Mystery Machine" back up and running.)

Don't let my previous statement (about enduring the long long hours) be confused with complaining. I am not complaining at all, nope not me. Because, even though we've had some big set backs, and even though I am totally dying to see this project launch... and it is killing me that I am STILL not to a point that I can "leak" a really juicy hint at what I've been up to... AND I really wish it were going to be available SOONER instead of later... because Even though we have been staying up until midnight and getting up at 6 AM and I really have to say it - "writing and proof reading REALLY LONG documents" is not generally my idea of fun - all that having been said...

I AM LOVING THIS!

Why? because I am VERY grateful for the support I've had and I know that every set back experienced has been an amazing learning opporutniy that gets us closer to bringing this vision to life.

...and if you could see it, you would think the document we've been slaving over is the most beautifully written and formatted document! (I can't take credit for that  - there are a couple of "mystery men" to whom I owe all the credit.)

So, don't expect anything in the next few weeks, and may be not in the next couple of months. But, the Mystery Machine hasn't been abandoned, at least not by it's devoted team.

 

I'll keep you updated. :)

 

Fun Distractions

Need something to keep your grade school aged child busy while you work on your scrapbook?

Have you ever played Pac Man? SheppardSoftware.com created a new version to help kids have fun while they learn their math facts.  Gotta love that! :)

Instead of eating fruit this pac man eats questions. The question then shows at the bottom of the maze. The player can only "eat" the ghost that has the right answer.

Cole is having fun learning his Math facts and I have time to work on other projects (instead of using the old flash cards) while he plays. :)

There are many other educational games on their website. If you have a child or grandchild in grade school give their site a peek.

 

Tow Truck for the Mystery Machine

Are you wondering what's happening with my "Secret Project"?

It has been almost a year since "official" work began. We've had a few bumps in the road, a flat tire here and there, and now the Mystery Machine seems to be having some engine trouble.

No worries - we've called a tow truck. It should be here any day to get us back on the road again. :)

If you have ever seen the movie "Money Pit" with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long you will know what I mean when I say it will be done in "two weeks!"

Yeah, we've missed a lot of deadlines. I suspect we will miss a few more; but, I keep planning - knowing that one day (may be I should say one month) soon we will be making our big launch announcement.

In the mean time - I've got plenty of scrappin to do. :)

Unpredictable

This has been an unusual winter - the weather seems unpredictable and colder than usual.

I have been a bit unpredictable lately myself. Changing my opinion about things I thought I was pretty sure of... 

1. I thought I hated the beach. However, under ideal circumstances, I really LOVE the beach. I don't like to go to the beach when I have to load the car, drive for hours, drag all my stuff out to the beach, set it all up, lug it (along with 10 pounds of sand) back to the car, and drive back home all gritty and wet. However, if I can arrange to stay "on the beach" - well, that is paradise!

2. I don't generally like baking; but, I recently discovered, I like making sugar cookies. I don't cook a lot and I rarely ever bake. However, give me a food I can decorate and I am a happy baker!

So, for my daughters wedding reception we decided to make wedding cake shaped sugar cookies - over 100 of them. It was a lot of fun - and the cookies were delicious!

Are you unpredictable? What have you discovered about yourself lately?

Feel Free to change your mind - and don't forget to scrap about it. :)

Happy Scrappin!

 

Garrett Ross - Wedding Photographer

Christmas rushed past. The wedding was upon us and at the same time our long distance travelers were scheduled to board planes for the DC area, a snow storm decided to arrive on the east coast. All of the flights (including the one that would carry my brother - the photographer) were cancelled.

Thankfully (and when I say that I mean REALLY THANKFULLY) a wonderful local photographer named Garrett Ross responded to an e-mail I sent to him at 2 AM. 

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Of course, I was awake at 2 AM - couldn't sleep with the "What am I going to do without a photographer!" worry on my mind! I hit "SEND" but, truthfully I didn't expect a response - it's the holidays and even if he checked his e-mail I figured he would think I was completely crazy to ask if he was available on that same day; but, I had to try.  The effort paid off when he called us later that morning. :)

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We won't get to see the rest of the photos for 6 weeks or so - but, he was kind enough to give us a sneak peek. Check it out on his website: Garrett Ross - http://garrettross.tumblr.com/

It turned out to be a gorgeous day for taking photos - with snow on the ground it was a lovely setting here in Jamestown. I admit I got a little teary eyed watching the bride and groom being photographed on this day after the wedding.