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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 21, 2023 1:39:15 GMT
My oldest graduates the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend--but his party is Mother's Day weekend so I'm a little freaked out about that! He's going to be 9 hours away at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City to study civil engineering and play football. I'm excited for him but going to miss him so much...life is going to be boring without all of his activities to go to!
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 21, 2023 1:33:15 GMT
It's been years since I needed to (our bedroom can be quite cold in the winter) but now I can't imagine wearing socks at night since most of the time I have one foot poking out most of the time.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 20, 2023 15:54:22 GMT
I'm as ready as I ever am for WITL. I'm doing it next week since it should be an interesting week without being a crazy week. I'll get to include prom/post prom and some graduation party prep, but not the actual party or ceremony, or DS' birthday or baseball games (like most years). My hope is that I can still find a little time to work on it before having to shelve it to get party prep done (and recovery...).
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 15, 2023 15:29:22 GMT
My mom had a lot of things for us to use, but a pack'n play, highchair and a small stroller (something in between an umbrella stroller and a huge stroller) were very handy to all of us whether visiting for the day or overnight. My stepmom usually had a pack'n play so I ended up buying one to keep at my in-laws so we never had to travel with one. Everyone had old toys that my boys loved playing with because they were different from the ones at home. Dishes weren't a big deal, but were handy if they had them. A comfortable chair in a bedroom was always appreciated, whether for nursing/feeding or just sitting with a crying child away from others.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 12, 2023 16:08:27 GMT
I missed that this happened to Rochester--same thing happened to our district in January.
Even though my boys are in high school & rely on their chromebooks, no internet seemed like a silly reason to cancel classes until I chatted with a teacher during a sports event the first day it happened. And it wasn't just "no internet" it was no access to anything that had been on district servers because they were shut down to prevent further access by the hackers...so: --nobody can print anything --nobody had anything to print because lessons were stored on the cloud --no access to student files which meant: -no health info (including food allergies during lunch or medications) -no emergency contact information -no access to IEPs & 504s -no access to busing info/routes --key cards did not work and only a select few had access to physical keys --fire system issues --so many more things that no one could have imagined...
Kids sat around not doing much the first day it happened, but were off the next couple of days. The district worked on getting vital systems back online & how teachers could teach. Everyone had to use hot spots for a couple of weeks before internet was restored (they are still having printing issues). They still haven't said if it was officially a ransomware attack or if they stopped it before it got that far. Either way it was a time consuming mess
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 11, 2023 20:55:50 GMT
I use Photoshop Elements. I tried the full Photoshop and definitely liked parts of it (other parts were not so user friendly for someone who had been using PE for several years) but my laptop couldn't handle it and kept crashing. I went back to PE but upgraded to a newer version and have been happy with that for printing with both my PM400 and a large format Epson.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 10, 2023 22:58:41 GMT
In addition to several things already mentioned like avocado toast and eggs, I use it on most of the baked sliders that I make.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 1, 2023 23:57:35 GMT
I had several orders a couple of weeks ago that were all delayed, most just by a day or two. I had another that was delayed so long that when I checked the progress, yet again, there was a message that it's possibly lost so I can ask for a refund if I want (and keep the item if it does show up). So I requested a refund because it wasn't a cheap item...and then it showed up a day or two later. Some of the delays were understandable because of weather, but the "lost" one just took forever once they claimed it had shipped.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 26, 2023 14:05:30 GMT
Forgetting about some digital purchases I make periodically, I voted quarterly. I buy WITL & DD, but beyond that I only go to my LSS a couple of times a year, usually because I need something specific...because I have so much in my stash!
This spring will be the exception as I'm working on displays and centerpieces for DS's graduation party...
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 26, 2023 13:58:33 GMT
Farthest without stopping overnight was just this summer when we drove from NE Utah to central Iowa. That 15 hours or so, thankfully we had 3 drivers available. Our other long drive was from Medora, ND to central Iowa a few years ago.
As a child we drove several times to San Angelo, TX from Nebraska (once in July in a van without a working AC...that sucked...) without stopping overnight. DH & I have driven to Washington DC from Nebraska/Iowa 3 times and back 2 times, but usually stopped overnight.
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Pie day
Mar 15, 2023 3:36:21 GMT
via mobile
Post by huskermom98 on Mar 15, 2023 3:36:21 GMT
We tried out the mini pie maker appliance I got DS for Christmas. It worked out pretty good for some apple pies. I didn't care for the crust, but that's because it was store bought & I love my homemade crust.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 15, 2023 3:30:06 GMT
I'm surprised at how much of this year's WITL I like. I love the star album but I can't wrap my head around the 10x8 size for WITL (love it for DD though). Don't love the peach but I don't mind the printed days. So I don't know what I'll do for an album yet.
I think I like enough of the main kit to get it. I could do without the 4x4 cards (with 4 squares) because I think those will look weird if I have to cut them down to 3x4. I think I'll attach the Kraft pockets to the outside of a page somehow.
I like parts of the mini, but wouldn't use most of it for WITL. I could have used pieces in my recent trip album.
I like the 3x8 numbered chipboard pages & the Kraft pages. I like the circle set but don't feel like I have to have it. I like the page dividers but I'm not sure about them yet (feel like I'd have to cut out middle sections to get the portion that looks good for a 6x8 album).
Don't care for any of the stamps and have no need for the 10x4 cards (and don't like them anyway).
I'm curious how the "buy it all" option will go over--even if I did want it all, I'm not sure I'd want or need both albums.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 10, 2023 3:35:18 GMT
Having lived in the middle of the US most of my life--only 5 countries--Canada, Mexico, Ireland, England and France. My 17yo son has already surpassed me after his German trip this summer--Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, France (passed through a tiny corner) and England (Heathrow airport only). He has seen Canada when we visited northern Minnesota a few years ago--we were right next to a small river that serves as the border in a state park. He did throw a rock across the river...
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 7, 2023 19:01:59 GMT
Just saw on IG that Ali's doing WITL starting April 24th. I'm not one that has to do it the same week, but I'll probably do it that week for something different (Prom is that Saturday & I've been heavily involved with post-prom). May will be crazy with graduation party/ceremony, DS turning 18 and finishing track while starting baseball. So April sounds good...
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 6, 2023 20:50:37 GMT
I know it's legal in Iowa--at least according my oldest son (but I also remember him saying that Iowa was the only state that allows it...which seems hard to believe...)
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 1, 2023 0:41:24 GMT
Just tonight I was in the "foods" room at my boys' high school and I was quite impressed with the setup! I need to encourage my youngest to take whatever class uses that room because he sometimes likes to cook/bake. My oldest took some sort of Home Ec class in middle school, but didn't in high school. Both boys took/is taking an "intro to woods" class where they made a small table and a cabinet.
The high school also has a few other home ec & industrial arts classes available, but the district also offers a central school that has a lot of career-related classes such as culinary arts, robotics, automotive, agriculture, fashion design, and even aviation (the academic part of pilot school and also aviation mechanics) that students can attend in addition to classes at their home school.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 1, 2023 0:26:49 GMT
I had lab work done the last time I had my annual physical and then a few months later to checkup on issues, but I don't remember what if anything I had to pay for it. DS had to have labs drawn for the first 3-4 months after he started Accutane last fall and we had to pay $5ish each time (but the bill came months later).
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Post by huskermom98 on Feb 17, 2023 21:56:06 GMT
My home laptop and work desktop both have it. I have a different laptop that I use for Quickbooks and other financial things for our church, but it doesnt' have a number keypad and I hate it! If I know I'm going to be doing a lot of work, I'll do it at home where I can hook up to a wireless keyboard (and a larger screen too). I'm getting better at using the numbers above the letters, but I have a hard time finding the period button without stopping and looking for it.
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Post by huskermom98 on Feb 11, 2023 23:28:51 GMT
Intentionally, not very far (at least that I can think of because it would have been a long time ago). Otherwise, I would say 1000+ miles (one way) when we drove to Washington DC for vacation and also visited Gettysburg before we headed back to Iowa--I made sure I had time to stop at a local store in Gettysburg that I had only been able to shop at online a few years prior when working on earlier DC/Gettysburg trips.
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Post by huskermom98 on Feb 4, 2023 2:21:18 GMT
I love the ones from a local chocolate shop. Around Valentines Day & Mother's day they get huge strawberries that are really good, but they are also very expensive.
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 27, 2023 17:39:31 GMT
My license expires this year so I will probably look into getting the Real ID this time around. I know I have a copy of my birth certificate because I got my passport last year, but not sure about our marriage certificate.
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 24, 2023 15:55:30 GMT
This is an interesting concept, but not one I have time for. I LOVE the colors of the DITL set, but that's one project I've never done (and I'm not sure I'd want to do it with a color lens). I'd probably be most interested in the Little Moments set, but I do not like the color scheme. The alpha stickers are a font style I really like, but I refuse to buy sets that have 2 of each letter...we need vowels!
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 22, 2023 20:57:23 GMT
I have a U-shaped desk in the basement. The vast majority of it is covered with supplies as is the floor around it, and I scrap on the pullout tray intended for a keyboard. Lately though, I've been scrapping on a different table that we had set up with a large monitor for my oldest to do online schooling on during the 2020-21 school year and my youngest to do homework on the last two years. I used it for DD and now am using it for DS's German trip album. It gives me space to set out supplies specifically for the current project without disrupting my usual set up at my regular table.
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 22, 2023 2:21:27 GMT
"Let's get lost" in a travel collection...nope, sorry but the last thing I want to do on vacation (or any trip) is get lost! And it's in so many collections.
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 8, 2023 20:44:51 GMT
Thanks everyone--I've never realized how much "story" I like to tell when journaling, not just the facts. Seriously, I would scrap an overview to keep in the family scrapbook, including your feelings and reflections, but for his scrapbook, keep it simple. He will mentally revisit his memories as he pages through it. This makes the most sense--thank you!
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 7, 2023 23:02:14 GMT
I've finally started my son's scrapbook for the school trip he took this past summer to Germany, Austria & Switzerland, but I can' decide how to do the journaling. Should I write it to him ("You flew to Chicago...", "You loved seeing the BMW building..." or just about what happened "Joe flew to Chicago..." "He loved seeing the BMW building...".
It's about him and for him, but I can't decide which way sounds better. Normally when I make layouts for his "everyday" album, I journal to him.
I'm honestly not sure how much journaling will be done anyway because I didn't experience it. He has a tendency to claim to not be able to remember things, but I know it's not true. I would love for him to do the journaling, but I don't know how practical it would be (especially since I have an unofficial deadline of his graduation party in May).
What would you do?
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 6, 2023 18:54:43 GMT
I'm finally done. I debated on finishing with Christmas Day since we ended up not traveling, but I had enough to go thru New Years so I did (plus it was the first time in forever that DH & I did anything on NYE). The last 2 pages I did were simple collages with the number glued on, but I'm ok with that!
I even did a page for the 1st because I had a picture of DS17 watching football knowing he had won the family fantasy football season. I love that he was fine with me telling him that the traveling trophy was going to be going with him to college (DH won last year so this huge trophy has been in my house for too long already...). It was a good place to reflect/mention that this was DS's last Christmas before graduating, but I didn't get to relish us all being home for it because we were only home because I was sick (only the 3rd time in his life we've stayed home over Christmas).
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 5, 2023 14:59:23 GMT
Ultimately to keep making progress in my everyday photos/layouts (I'm towards the end of October 2020 and really want to just get 2020 done and over with), but definitely:
1) Finish DS17's German Trip album 2) Figure out what and how I'm doing pictures for DS17's graduation party 3) Finish DS14's St. Louis Trip album (I keep forgetting about it because I'm trying to do it pretty much completely digitally) 4) Finish our 2022 vacation album 5) Figure out what of the above I can maybe do at my 4-day retreat in March without literally packing up everything I own to take along "just in case"... 6) Continue reorganizing my digital files on my laptop to make them more usable
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 4, 2023 16:54:10 GMT
I used to, but haven't actually done any for at least a decade. I started with some huge CM albums so I could fit the 11x14ish pictures we'd get from Portrait Innovations when my boys were little. It started with those types of portraits, then school photos, then I started adding team photos from sports. I kept up thru some time when my oldest was in elementary, but haven't since then although the photos are in a pile ready to be done. My oldest is now a senior and I'm thankful I actually know where his school photos are all at!
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Post by huskermom98 on Jan 3, 2023 20:34:18 GMT
Other...I guess? I consider myself to be "years & years behind" because I'm close to 2.5 years behind. BUT...I only say that because I started with my oldest son was 3 months old. For several years I was able to stay 2-6 months behind (one time I was actually caught up and enjoyed it for one retreat because I was able to work on trip albums from before kids and before I started scrapbooking). It has slowly stretched from one year behind, to 2 years behind, etc. I don't care so much about being behind, but I'm starting to forget why I took some of the pictures that I took--I know there's a story, but I've forgotten because of how much time has passed. I also don't care because as my boys get older (both in high school now) the fun stories are fewer and fewer even though I have tons of pictures to do because I take waaaaaaay too many at football & baseball games.
Thankfully I never planned to have all/most of DS's albums out at his graduation party, otherwise I'd be frantically scrambling to catch up! I plan to do some photo displays, include a bunch of photos under clear tablecloths on the tables, and maybe put out his trip album from his German trip last summer (if I ever get it started...and finished).
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