Is it only Wednesday???

Gee this week is a killer! I am so busy at work, I don't know if I am coming or going. For some reason the traffic on the way home has been horrible the last few days too - a LOT of police cars stopping people - which automatically gets me to thinking "Terrorist Attack". Ever since the horrific 9/11 attack and the feeling of isolation and vulnerability that was felt by those living on Long Island, I have never really felt carefree about anything.

And I have Spring Fever, but it is COLD here, the poor little robins are all puffed up trying to keep warm...and I see all the daffodils starting to peek up from the soil and the purple crocus (or is it croci??) in the front flower bed of is almost blooming. To convince myself into thinking that Spring is really here, I have been buying bunches of Daffodils every week in the grocery store. Actually I alternate with Tulips. For those of you that know me - yellow is probably one of my least favorites colors, just barely ahead of red and the all- hated orange, but Daffs and Sunflowers are the exception. I will leave you with a photo of the Daffs I had last week - they were gorgeous - huge, bright yellow bloom that lasted all week - best $3 I've spent in a long time.

Lazy, Crazy Days...

What a crazy day! I took yesterday and today off because it is Spring Break and there are no students at the University, and I could use a lazy day or two. Yesterday I ran all over with my friend Jackie and did a bit of shopping. Today I have been playing around with my photos trying to get them organized and the ones I am not scrapping into sleeves. I got some awesome mail today....two boxes - one from ACBailey with my design team stuff and the April Kit of the Month. OMG! that kit is gorgeous! I wish I could show it to you, but my advice would be to make sure that you order it on April 1st when it's released. You will not be disappointed, I promise.

The second box was a birthday gift from my friend Gail....I was nearly screaming with delight when I saw the newest Vera Bradley Purple Passion bag and a matching wallet slide out of that box. I am incredibly blessed with the most wonderful friends- good, kind, funny, strong supportive women who have all impacted my life in such a positive way. This arrived on a day that was not going so well and it was like a burst of sunshine....so again Thanks, Gail - I treasure our friendship too :) This will be a layout in the making...

Right now, I am waiting for my daughter to come over so I can help her put together a huge poster for her Fund Raiser for the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society . Tomorrow she has arranged a "Pub Crawl" through the village of Babylon, which has a bunch of little restaurants and pubs and they are all providing munchies and specials. About five or six establishments are participating, along with about 100 people!!! My Cosmo limit is two...so I really need to be careful or Crawl will be the operative word of the day - Dana is hoping to raise a few thousand dollars. Check back tomorrow..... ;)

Happy St. Patrick's Day !! Some Ramblings....

I love all things Irish...starting with my name, Deirdre, which is about as Irish as a name can be. My mother told me that I was named after an Irish princess who had dark hair and a tragic love life - except for the princess part, that sounds about right :)
It was funny how when I was in Ireland that not one person had trouble saying Deirdre like they do over here!! I loved Ireland - it is a beautiful and magical place steeped in history, legends and wonderfully kind people.
All of my grandkids have very Irish names - Colson, Cameron, Cailyn, Aidan, Shane, Delaney and Brennan....aren't they nice??

I live an hour from New York City if I catch an express train - yet, I have never been to the Parade. I love the bag pipes and all that plaid.....Today would have been a great day too, although it's cold, the sun is shining brightly.

I baked 8 loaves of Irish Soda Bread last night....it was really yummy while it was warm. I took one to work and will pass a few around to my daughters and friends and hopefully have one left over to pop in the freezer for another day. Since it is Tuesday and on Tuesday I usually grab dinner with my friend Jackie, I invited her over for a Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner. We'll celebrate the day with a Green Apple Martini instead of our usual Pomegranate one.

I'll need to start looking around for another blog background, now that St. Pat's will be over....wishing you a wonderful day today filled with a bit of luck and love!

Getting Ready to Bake

I really try to avoid cooking at all costs. It is just not fun for me. (Don't get me wrong, I DO cook, because trust me, I do not look like I am starving to death). I do enjoy cooking for Christmas Eve though and several other occasions during the year - mostly holidays (except Thanksgiving), any time is snows and for Saint Patrick's Day. I love Irish Soda Bread. There are so many recipes out there, but I started making this one last year. I got the recipe from my sister, who actually likes to cook and is quite good at it (see Thanksgiving). She told me while I was out getting in trouble as a kid, she was learning how to cook. Anyway, I am posting this today, just in case you want to whip up a batch for Tuesday. This freezes really well, so as long as you're messing up the kitchen , make 2 batches! Click on the recipe card to read the directions.
The recipe card was a challenge over at AC Bailey last year - love that Maya Rd Celtic Chipboad!

Feeling a Bit Sad - and some Deja Vu

I got news last night that Xyron closed I Remember When, their direct sales scrapbooking company. When I first started my scrap business I started out with Leaving Prints, and after a while I started seeing signs that the company was in trouble. I researched and found IRW and was an instructor with them for more than 2 years, until I started seeing those same signs of a company in trouble - old product, issues with deliveries of new product and the like. I left there and have been with AC Bailey ever since. My daughter Cara posted on Facebook that I had a 6th sense about these things, but it makes me sad to see another scrapbooking company go under....I thought that being backed by a big company like Xyron would have protected them, but I guess not. I feel sad for the friends I made over at IRW and the shock and that empty high and dry feeling that occurs when stuff like this happens. Almost like a sucker punch you didn't see coming.....

In this industry, in order to be a success you need to have the latest and greatest product all the time. If a customer has seen it twice it's OLD stuff already. That seems to be one the secrets to a running successful scrapbooking business no matter what scale - a big company or just a little side business...that and great customer service.

Spring Ahead!!!!

Don't forget to push those clocks ahead an hour tonight! Daylight Savings Time is starting a month early, which is ok by me! I love the extra daylight - but it takes me a week to readjust my internal clock - I will be waking up at 4:20am for a few days.

A Walk Through Kensington Gardens

This was a pretty paper set in my Design Team products from ACBailey. It's called Kensington Gardens and it's by Fiskars, which is more known, I think, for it's cutting tools and punches. I did a few layouts and with the leftovers made this mini album. The cool thing about this album was that all the pages were different sizes. The colors reminded me of Spring and Summer - cool greens, with some pinks and a bit of navy. I used a Maya Road Calendar Turn on the front cover - a great way to date your work!

SNOW DAY !!!!

I can look forward to the spring now....I got my Snow Day. The University alert system contacted my cell at 10 pm last night to let me know the University would be closed. That's the first time the University closed more than 2 hours before classes were scheduled to begin - and I have worked there 15 years. I think every school district on Long Island was closed last night, so no one set alarms for this morning! Shoveled the driveway about 8:30 this morning....there was 13 inches of snow. It's still snowing :)

March comes in like a Lion!!!

I have waited all winter for a major snowstorm!! I love snow and I thought, that as February came to a close I would have to wait til next year. Typical of Long Island weather --- a Nor'easter is blowing up the coast and we are to get anywhere from 8 to 14 inches of the white stuff!! I am in my glory! I can't wait to get outside to take some photos either . I have been really lacking in the Snow/Winter layouts. I certainly hope that the forecast is not wrong, as I piddled around today and really muddled through chores expecting to have a Snow Day tomorrow......will be back in the morning with a report.

If you are in the mood for some fun and some scrapping, ACBailey has a Pot O' Gold Scavenger Hunt going on that is going to be tons of fun! Click on the link on your right and it will take you to the ACBailey site.