Very Hungry Caterpillar

You might recall a recent post where I shared an ad from our Craigslist equivalent. It was the one about the free piranha that tickled my funny bone. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have one to top the free fish! I really did not think it was possible, but we do! And I must thank my friend Jill for alerting me to the ad...

Without further adieu, here it is:

There is a giant dead moth that died behind the screen to my front door. (I live in H-style housing so it is fairly well preserved). I would just go and throw it away, but I am terrified of it. My irrational phobia of insects makes me think that if I were to try to sweep it out the door, the chances that it would reanimate and fly at me are fairly high. However, common sense tells me it is very dead and has been sitting in the same place for over a week. I asked my husband to get rid of it, and he flat out refused, I think he is afraid of it too, though he insists he just doesn't like insects.
I thought I might try to give it to someone on here. Maybe you have a kid who is fascinated by these things, or maybe you disect insects for fun and pleasure. If so, I have the giant dead moth for you.
thank you for your time, at the very least, I hope you were amused by my posting.
first email gets it.. get it before it's gone.

Hope this made your day! I really could not begin to make things like this up!

I must add, it is very ironic that my youngest is studying caterpillars and how they grow up to be beautiful butterflies...or enormous moths that scare the bejeeses out of unsuspecting people just wanting to open the windows for some night air!

Swap Cards

One of my friends here organized a Thinking of You Swap. What makes it pretty cool is that the +1 card is going to the deployed troops from our base. :) Makes you feel good and, as a bonus, you get some neat cards in return from the other swapers.

So, I had my Wild Wasabi promo burning a hole in my file cabinet! I had just never used it! I pulled that out with the other In Colors from 07-08 (I know, I am a day late and a dollar short, aren't I??!!) and got to work.

I love that new SU Scallop punch, so I used that on the bottom, then lined my ribbon up at the score line. I put a sliver of vellum under the scallops to set them off a bit from the underlying card. You may not be able to see it, but vellum is also covering the image to give it a slightly muted look.

I made 2 sets, simply because I wanted to use up my promo pack and I got bored after doing several cards in the Groovy Guava!

Stamps: SU Stem Silhouettes, Sincere Salutations
Ink: SU Markers direct to stamp, Close to Cocoa (sentiment)

Paper: Wild Wasabi Promotion, Groovy Guava, Whisper White, Vellum

Accessories: Groovy Guava ribbon, Ribbon Slide, Silver Brads, Scallop Border Punch

Stamps: SU Stem Silhouettes, Sincere Salutations
Ink: SU Markers direct to stamp, Close to Cocoa (sentiment)
Paper: Wild Wasabi Promotion, Blue Bayou, Whisper White, Vellum
Accessories: Blue Bayou ribbon, Ribbon Slide, Silver Brads, Scallop Border Punch

Thanks for looking! Have a great weekend!! :)

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Part 1

So many people ask me about living in Japan, so I decided to do a little pictorial series about my neighborhood. I hope you enjoy the tour!

A question for my female readership (which is probably 100%!), how do you give directions? Are you a North/South/East/West person with street names, or do you like to give landmarks? My DH is annoyed by the fact that I am a landmark person...you know, right after the Target, etc. Well, there are NO street signs in our town! So, directions are all by landmark! HA!

This picture is of the house on the corner of our street. It is Forest Green and has this cute RCA dog on it's porch! Kinda struck me as funny...and does every other American as well because if I just explain where I live via the RCA dog, everyone knows where it is!

This picture is of the houses across the street from us. I love the yards...so nicely taken care of. Rumor has it that people who prune trees here make a lot of money. It is a real art.

This picture is of the back road we take into the city center. Yes, it is 2 lanes! Yes, it is SCARY! Especially since it is an everyday occurrence to have people riding their bikes and walking their dogs along the side of the road. As you can see, not a sidewalk in sight! Did I mention that after the bend down a ways are concrete ditches on both sides? They are conveniently a little wider than your tires, so about once a week you see some poor soul whose car is tilted and stuck in one. (Knock on wood, that has never been me!!) This road is extra special when it snows...

The last picture for today is a close up of the sign. I don't read Kanji, but I am sure it says something like "Slow Down you idiot!"

Shopping Cart

My husband is on vacation all this week. Today we ran errands together...I know, sad isn't it? Before kids, we would have "done something"...now errands without children constitutes a "day out"! And to be honest, I actually rather enjoyed his company! We even went the commissary together! (Just so you know, we spent $70 more this week due to his "extras" that magically appeared in the shopping basket!)

We checked our mail and my Just Cards Magazine arrived! Of course, I immediately pulled it out of the plastic protector and started thumbing through.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed.

"What?" DH asks.

"I got some cards printed in the magazine!!!!"

"Great, " he says sarcastically.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"That more validation you get, the more money that gets sucked from my wallet."

OK...and his point is.....?????

Here are pictures of the cards that got published. I am now off to do some online shopping. :)

Shield Your Eyes...

So, I have a Pen Pal that really, really likes the Dallas Cowboys. I found this out after I decided that I really liked her, otherwise it would be grounds for termination of all correspondence! LOL You see, there is one ONE football team worth cheering for, and that would be (Becki, help me out here...)

The San Francisco 49ers!!!

With that said, you know I really have to like Lisa because I not only spent my time, but used my glorious cardstock to make her this card:

Happy Birthday, Lisa!! :)

It is About Time...

...I posted something "crafty"! Here are a sampling of the pages I completed during this past weekend's crop.

I am somewhat amused by the post it's over everyone's faces, as if my family is in a medical textbook or something! LOL Well, some would say my husband is a freak of nature...but my kids are just perfect! :)

This page is one my favorites! I used my beloved Cricut with the somewhat new Street Sign Font as well as Jasmine. I dressed it up with some SU rub-ons in chocolate brown. I also love this page because of the theme! I donated my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, which gives wigs to adult women battling cancer.

This page was based on a Becky Higgins sketch. Lisa purchased these books for me as a RAK and I LOVE them!! I think I lived under a rock previously because I had never heard of Becky Higgins!! Again, used the Cricut for the letters (Mini Monograms). I have some fun CM stickers that I layered as well! I love how it came out! (Solid Paper is Making Memories, Print is BasicGrey Dasher series)

This page is Christmas Morning (of 2006...I am a tad behind)! Title is off the computer, paper is SU Always Artichoke and BasicGrey Dasher series.

Finally, we have the priceless page! This was the night before my hubby left for Iraq. The paper set is from CTMH, title from CM. Layout is Becky Higgins.

Thanks for looking! We are going to the Air Force Ball tomorrow night! I am pretty excited, but at the same time dreading having to get all dressed up! I still don't have a clue what I am going to wear...maybe if I wear a post-it over my face no one will really care!

Gigantic Jalapenos

I was going through some paperwork tonight when I happened upon a "book" my son wrote last year while in second grade. It was a compilation of short stories they completed in class. I wanted to share this one with you, my faithful blog readers:

Gigantic Jalapenos by XXXXX

Once there was a man who lived near a jalapeno plantation. He found the best jalapenos in the world. But a sign said "Danger, Super Hot Jalapenos!"

"Wife, help me pull the gate down!" he yelled.

So, she came running over. They pulled with all their strength but could not pull it down.

"Sissy, help us!" Wife yelled.

Sissy came running over. They pulled with all their strength but couldn't pull it down.

"Dog, Cat, Mouse, help us!"

So, Dog, Cat and Mouse jumped on their heads, grabbed the jalapenos, busted the gate and had them for dinner.

"These are super hot!" they all yelled!

Additional titles in the "book" include The Caterpillar that Plays Football, The Curse of the Were Mummy, Flying Milkshakes, and Alien Ambush.

Yup, it is official...my son is a complete goofball!

Family Friendly Home Aquarium

We have our version of Craigslist over here and this ad came up this morning. I am not sure why it made me laugh, but it did:

FREE Piranha

Posted by: XXXXX

Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:17 am (PDT)

My husband is getting ready to deploy and i do not want to take care of his piranha
call XXX-XXXX or email if interested.

My kids DO want some goldfish! Maybe this will help break us in...

Vacancy

At my house, dinner conversation is well...interesting! We can go from talking about road kill (yes, seriously...I will have to post that one later), to talking about sports. Last night was no exception...

My darling 6 year old daughter says, "Mom, you know what I did when I was 4?"

Oh gosh, do I really want to know the answer to this question?! Hesitantly, I say, "No, what?"

"Well," she says, "since I did not want to wash my hands after I went to the bathroom, I just peed in the cup, poured it down the toilet and flushed!"

Oh, how I wish I was making this up...

Anyway, I said, "Are you kidding me? Are you serious?!"

"Ummm...yeah," she says, "I am serious."

"Oh my...well what cup did you use? A paper cup?" Again, I don't really want to know the answer, because I know it is going not be any of the aforementioned options.

"No, the cup in the bathroom," she answers as if I am completely dumb for asking such a question. I mean, we don't even have paper cups in the house.

"The one with flowers on it...that you use every night when you brush your teeth?" I hesitantly ask for clarification that again, I do not really want!

"Yes, that's the one!"

Can you just picture my face right now? Oh yeah...needless to say, we had to have a serious conversation about how GROSS that is! And why would using a cup exempt you from washing your hands??!!! Blech...

We are still hoping that even after this story, people will want to come visit us! We have room!!

Tarzan for Hire

Today is mama-san day. That may not mean anything to you, but it equals freedom and a clean house for me! See, a mama-san (here where we live, anyway) is a sweet Japanese lady who comes into your home to clean and do laundry. Some even watch your kiddos! I am lucky enough to have one that does both at the same time! She is a dream!

Did I mention that she does all of this for 6 hours for about $50? Yeah, I know...you hate me now, don't you?!

Anyway, my 3 year old adores her mama-san! This morning the little one came up to me and said, "Mommy, is Tarzan coming today?"

Now, she has been on a Tarzan movie kick lately, so I am thinking she wants to watch it.

"Do you want to watch Tarzan?" I ask her.

"Noooooo", she says in a tone as if I am the dumbest Mom evah, "is Tarzan coming here today?" This time she actually emphasized the words coming here.

"Um, no," I replied, thinking how much trouble I would be in with my dear hubby if I invited some hunky man dressed only in a loin cloth over to clean the house and watch our kiddo! Hummm...does anyone know of anyone...

Then, it came to me...she means Mama-san!!! Well, Mama-san is very superhuman, with her multi-tasking and all...but she is NOT Tarzan!!!

The Monkey-Free Zone

Jazzy Creations inspired me to share my crafting space! I think it is really fun to see where people create!



This is my "desk", which is a 6 foot table we purchased from the furniture store here on base. I use the term "we" loosely; it was really me, while the hubby was in Iraq last year! I also purchased myself a nice rolling leather chair! I love it! Very simple but it is perfect for me!

The picture above my desk was given to me for Christmas by my husband. I LOVE the artist, Karyn Young. We also have a beautiful Kimono piece up in our dining room. She is a very talented artist and this collage piece is just perfect for my craft space, don't you think?! :)

This cabinet stores all my stamps! When I start to outgrow it, I sell my older sets off. It keeps me contained somewhat! The closed drawers hold my ever-growing collection of ribbon.

Fun story, I actually won this cabinet last year! It is hand-painted and very eclectic. So not our design style in the house, but I love it for my space!



This holds my SU markers as well as my Copic collection! I just love my Copic markers! Honestly, I would not have so many if we did not live here. They are made in Japan and are much cheaper here than you can find them in the States. I made the marker holder out of a stainless shelf system I got locally, as well as some square plastic containers I found at the 100 yen ("dollar") store.

The Ciao version of the Copic markers do not come with color numbers on the end of the caps. Quite frankly, it was driving me crazy! So, I took my Dymo label maker, made some labels, punched out the numbers with a hole punch and applied it to the end of the markers. Can you say OCD? Are you a fan of the show Friends? My husband calls me Monica. I really don't think I am that bad until I see proof that I spent 4 hours labeling 144 markers...LOL

Rock Band and the Pop Tart

This morning my son came into my room to wake me up. He laid down for a little cuddle and, in his sweet little 8 year old voice asked, "Mom, when parents get divorced why do the Moms always get the kids?"

"Well," I replied, "they don't always get the kids. Sometimes the Dads do. It just depends on who the judge feels is better equipped to care for the children."

Confidently he stated, "Well then, I know why Moms get the kids."

"Why is that?", I asked.

"Because if Dads had them they would eat junk food and play video games all day!"

Always nice to start your day with a chuckle!! :)

Blog Candy, Anyone??

Apparently the sugar from the cakes I baked today got to me! It seems all my favorite blogs are offering candy this weekend!

Check out Crafty Sally's Blog. She is a RAF wife and an excellent crafter!

Also found Jacquie's Blog through Jane (Whoopsie Daisy-love that blog name, btw!). Jacquie is giving away some BELLA images, SU paper and wheels. She has a lovely blog as well!

You only have until Sunday, so go visit while you are thinking about it! :)

Trying to Type...

...with a 3 year old next to you is challenging, at best! (LOL...I just misspelled that to say "challenging at beast", which also would have been completely appropriate!)

Sorry I have been MIA...wipe the tears from your eyes...I am baaaack! LOL Seriously though, this week was a BEAR...a big grizzly with some wicked teeth.

To start, I had an "I just want to go home" type of week. (BTW, this is a whine section, so grab your cheese, or you can skip over it and get to the good stuff!) I love Japan a lot...really I do, just sometimes I miss home. I miss choices. I miss Target. And maybe even Wal Mart, if I am really, really homesick! So, just that kinda of a week.

On the bright side, my "baby" started preschool and LOVES it! Guess what? She stays dry at school and asks to use the bathroom while she is there. As soon as she comes home however, bathroom amnesia sets in. Maybe she can go live at Miss Tanya's for a while and come home potty trained. You know, like those places that offer in-their-home obedience training for dogs?

Last night I had to make 16 invites for a Japanese-American friendship group I belong to. My friend requested Pink/Black/White and she stated she liked polka dots and floral. What do you think?? You know I just had to use my Bellas!

In my spare time today (LOL) I "got" to bake 20 cakes! Our base hosts an annual airshow and the Japanese like to purchase American cakes, so base organizations sell them at food booths for fundraisers. The worst part of having to bake today...the smell! It was horrible to have the kids come home to a house pungent with the scent of freshly bake cake and have to say in my best evah Seinfeld Soup Nazi voice "sorry, no cake for you!"

Note to self...next time, purchase an extra cake mix for the kids! And I guess their Mom, too!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Another Asian Creation

I have been a card making fool lately! It is almost surprising I have not been threatened with divorce for the amount of time I have been at my craft table this week! LOL In all seriousness, my back kind of hurts from sitting in my chair so much! Ahh...what we must sacrifice!

So, this is my latest...I made it for my DH's grandparents as it was (eek! late again!!) their anniversary at the end of August. In addition, it fit the bill for a challenge my Pen Pal group is doing! Julie challenged us to make a card with our favorite set! I love Asian cards, so I chose Oriental Paintings. I had not used this stamp previously, so it was fun to try something new as well.

It is inspired by SCS's SC160 which I had been wanting to try for a while now. I started out with just versamark on the red background, but liked the contrast of the black in the end. DH said it looked a little busy with the black ink, but I thought it tied all the colors together. What do you think??

Stamps: SU Oriental Paintings, Asian Poetry BG
Ink: Palette Noir, Copics (G17, G14, R46, Y02, and 0)
Paper: all SU: Naturals Ivory, Basic Black, Brushed Gold, Real Red
Embellishments: Gold eyelets
Tools: Crop-a-dile, Score-Pal

Hope you enjoyed your long weekend!!