It’s becoming laughable…

Got the computer back today and guess what? It still doesn’t work! I’ve been raving mad all night long. Then, as I went to post this, I realized that it is just so darned laughable at this point.

Took the beast back to Apple today. They installed the correct operating system, apologized, then signed me up for a free year of Pro Care as a goodwill gesture. Really, what else could they do? The lady I spoke to was so dang cute and super nice… and I know that it’s not her fault. But seriously… I’m ready to just chuck my computer off of the nearest freeway overpass!

I got home and tried to run “Time Machine” to reinstall all of my software, documents and photos. It took about 3 hours to run. When it was done, I tried to open Aperture to look at my wedding and engagement photos, but Aperture would not open. Nothing would open. I looked around on the hard drive and there are no documents or photos. What the heck?

My own personal genius looked at my computer and discovered that I need some sort of restore disc which, of course, we can’t find. He drove back down to the Apple store to buy a new one, only to be told that they don’t sell them. The only way that he could restore the operating system properly was if he bought the software for $130! HUH? Are you kidding me?

So, once again I get the privilege of driving 25 miles to the Apple store with my still broken computer so that they can once again try to fix it. How many Apple “Geniuses” does it take to fix a computer?

More Computer Woes

Can you believe it? I STILL don’t have my computer back. I have to tell you, I have been the biggest fan of Apple since we made the switch many years ago, but I am about at my wits end with them.

I was so excited to find out that my computer was finally fixed after being at the Apple Store for more than a week (they told me it would be about 5 days). Hubby and I drove down to the store and I was practically giddy with excitement. We got the computer and turned it on. Everything seemed to be fine. The hard drive had been replaced and the bottom of the case had been replaced since the old one had a big dent in it. We’re good to go.

We get home, turn it on and prepare to reinstall ALL of the programs, photos and documents that had been lost (Thank you, husband, for keeping up on my backups!), only to discover that the wrong operating system has been put on my machine! The Apple Store put Tiger on there when my old hard drive had Leopard!

Normally, I wouldn’t have an issue with this. For you Window users, this is the equivalent to having Windows XP put on your computer when you had Vista on there. I don’t really care if I have to older version or not… except that Tiger does not run Time Machine, which is where all of my backup files need to run from! Ugh!

So, tomorrow morning, bright and early, I get to drive back to the Apple Store, which is 25 miles away, to have them correct yet another problem with my computer. This will be the 4th trip for this one computer. I have not had my computer in over 3 weeks! I would not want to be the Apple employee who is going to have to deal with me tomorrow…

A Day Off…

So nice to have a day off today. Hubby and I (o.k. really just I) decided that it would be fun to head down to San Diego to check out the Dick Blick down there. I had to pick up some last minute supplies for this, which I’ll be heading to next weekend! I’m so super excited about it.

So, when I got home tonight, I decided to play with some of the Copic Markers that I picked up. I’m not much of a sketch artist, but it was fun to play with the color blending.

Unfortunately, I am still recovering from the week of store moving and set up, so I don’t really have the energy to do much more right now. I’m looking forward to having some down time to really focus on my art. It will be so much fun to get away. I’m planning on bringing my big camera, too, which is always fun. I’m hoping for some scenic opportunities while in Oregon. If nothing else, it is much greener up there than it is here! Ha!

Off to finish catching up on my zzzz’s…..

Crazy Days

It has been absolutely insane around here for the last couple of weeks. I got my computer back on Sunday and by Sunday night it was down again. My husband took it back to the Apple store today to see what is wrong with it. Oye! So frustrating.

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve taken on the position of store manager at It’s About Time Scrapbooks out in Murrieta. Two of the store owners have left, leaving Melody to run the show on her own. If you have ever run a business before, you know that it is very difficult to do it on your own. I offered to help her in the areas that she really needed help and she accepted.

Well, one of the the big things is that the store moved! We moved from a rather large almost 4000 square foot space to a smaller, more intimate 2100 square foot space. It has been absolutely insane. If you think moving your home is crazy, moving a business is 100 times crazier! There are so many little details that you don’t even realize until the time comes!

Anyway, the new store is going to be fabulous. Mel has really outdone herself… Tiffany blue, black and white demask and chandeliers! It’s going to be gorgeous.

2:30pm on Friday

2am

2:30 am – he was such a trooper!

The “mostly” finished product!

Good News, Good News, Good News!!!

Can you see me dancing around the room. Last week, I felt so incredibly helpless, with all of my equipment (and car) breaking down around me. Today… things are definitely looking up!

My car was fixed last Thursday. Woohoo! The hideous rubbing noise that it was making was the bearings that needed to be replaced – all covered under the warranty. Thank God for good customer service. Thank you, Scion!

My camera was returned to me on Monday. It looks all beautiful and new again. I was shocked to see the amount of repair that was done on it, though. It definitely made me thankful that I had it repaired. It also explains some of the issues that I was having with it. They had to fix the auto focus operation and the mirror angle. That totally makes sense given the incredible impact that baby endured. But that is all in the past. It looks so pretty in that shiny new body.

The best news of all… I just checked the repair status on my computer and it has been fixed! It is on its way back to the Apple Store as we speak. The best part… it was covered under the warranty! Can I get a big WOOHOO! for that. I have to tell you, I have been really sweating it out about that one. I think that even the neighbors could hear my screams of excitement. To top it off, it looks like I will have it in time for the two classes that I will be teaching this weekend!

I want to thank you all for the kind words that have been left here on my blog. I cannot tell you how much it meant to me to read such nice things when I was feeling so low and vulnerable. You are much too kind to me…

Ok, on to some more good stuff. I decided that I really wanted to break out the paints. I had an idea and wanted to see how it would look. I’m really pleased with it. What do you think?

Not sure when I’m going to have time to work on some more of this stuff. Things are a bit crazy at the store I work at right now, and I will be heading to Arizona to visit my friend, Kiera, next week. But you can be sure that I will be making some really fun stuff at Art in Ashland, which is just 2 short weeks away!

It never rains… but it pours!

Isn’t that the motto for Morton Salt? Well, lately, it has definitely been my motto! I wrote earlier this month about my beloved camera that is now in the shop. It seems, though, that anything mechanical or electronic that I touch lately ends up broken. Have you ever had one of those months?

For about a two weeks now, I’ve been struggling with my brand new computer. I bought it shortly after I bought the camera that is now broken. I’m not sure what has been going on, but while I was editing photos, the whole system would just lock up. I’ve been trying to deal with so that I could get through the couple of weddings and the engagement shoot that I’ve been working on for my clients. Apparently, God had other plans for me.

Yesterday while I was working on the engagement photos, the whole system locked up and I could not get the computer to come back up. Luckily, I back up my computer every 3 days or so, so all of my files and photos are very safe. But what an inconvenience! I took my computer to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. The tech looked at it (of course, it turned on right away for him), updated some software, clicked the memory cards in and out, then told me he didn’t think anything was wrong. Ugh!

So, I drive 20 minutes back home, start to edit photos and BAM! the darn thing locks up again! I drive back to the store, with the computer open and on to show them what it has done. They decided that it has to be shipped out for further evaluation. Obviously there is some kind of hardware issue. YIKES! Yeah, this on is under warranty for sure, but still… what an inconvenience!

To top it all off, my car has been acting up. It makes this hideously loud noise that neither my husband or I could figure out. Took it to the dealer and, thankfully, it just needs some new bearings. Of course, they had to order them and it will take a week, but “it’s safe to drive.” Yeah, that makes me comfortable!

Moral of the story here… if you have anything mechanical or electronic, keep it far from me! Ha!

It’s like Christmas in July!

I only have a quick second, but I just had to post the goodness that came in the mail for me today. Next month, I will be attending this fun event. I’m so super excited as the date gets closer.

Well, one of the classes that is being offered is a jewelry class. I do not make jewelry, nor do I really know anything about it, so I’ve been super nervous about what supplies I should bring for this class. In the class description, it says this:

Chain: Bring a total of two feet of your favorite chain style. I like to use old rosaries, bits of old necklaces, watch chain, and new large link silver or gold chain. I will demonstrate how to oxidize silver chain in class. You can also buy chain at your local bead stores.

Beads and Buttons: I love natural semiprecious gems, rhinestone buttons, and old beads found on vintage necklaces. You may want to try to attend a local bead or gem show in your area to purchase stones and pearls, chain or wire the prices are usually better than the bead stores.

and this:

Hints to Help Your Treasure Hunt:
I suggest that you search your local flea markets, antique malls, thrift stores, and if you are so lucky, a relatives’ jewelry collection. Local bead stores, and local gem/bead shows are also a great place to find everything you may need. The price and the selection are better at a gem/bead show than at a bead store.
Gather the treasure pieces you plan on using, and even some that you may not think you will use. It is better to have multiple options when creating your piece. If you have something you love, but are unsure how to use it, bring it to the class and we will try to work it in.

Again… not a jewelry maker, so although these descriptions are great, I still don’t really have a clue as to what to bring.

SO… I started browsing through Etsy.com to see what I could come up with. There aren’t really any bead or jewelry stores by me, so I was hoping to find something online. Well, I think I hit the mother load! I found this incredible “lot” of miscellaneous old costume jewelry stuff for only $20! I was so happy that I found this online, but as I received it and open the package today, I was audibly gasping! Each piece was wrapped in tissue paper and carefully placed in the box for shipping. As I sat at my kitchen table opening all of these goodies, I just could not believe how lucky I was to have found this. Here are some photos:

Although I would probably not wear any of these pieces individually, I think I have a very nice selection of things to work from to recreate something fun! Not only that, but I can see myself using many of these items on some of my mixed media art projects! The lady I ordered from is in Canada, but my package got here in like 3 days. I was very shocked to see it here. You can view more of her goodies here. Happy shopping!

Something New

Last year, I was blessed to be able to attend Creative Escape in Arizona. Although I signed up to go alone, I had so many new and wonderful friends by the time the event actually happened thanks to some really smart girls who decided to organize some monthly crop time for those of us attending.

Well, at Creative Escape, we had a class taught by Rhonna Farrer. Many of you know her work. She has the most amazing stamps made by Autumn Leaves. She also designs beautiful digital kits and brushes. I just love her work. In the class, though, we were to make a journal using some of her stamps. To be perfectly honest, I don’t even remember what the journal was to be made for – some kind of self improvement, I think. I wasn’t very interested in using the journal for that purpose (how can you improve upon perfection… ha ha ha!), so I stamped all of the pages and pretty much left the journal blank otherwise. When I got home from CE, I just plopped that baby on the shelf and never really looked at it again.

How many of us do that with our class projects? I mean really! I take so many classes, buy so many lovely kits and never complete any of them! I’ve made it a priority to get these things done – the whole large drawer full of them.

Of course, the journal was not in the drawer, but on the shelf. So, why am I even talking about it, you ask. Well, for something like 6 months, I have wanted to start an art journal. I’ve made several attempts on my own, and even took a lovely online class by Teresa McFayden, to no avail. I just can’t seem to… I don’t know… let go? find an interesting topic to journal about? find a medium that I would really like to use?

Additionally, I have been wanting to get back to my regular home Bible study time. Since leaving our church about a year ago, Will and I have not been able to find a home church. Of course, when you don’t have that constant reminder from friends, you tend to become lax in certain things. Don’t get me wrong. My faith is still as strong as ever, but I know that I need to be reading every day and I’ve allowed that to slip in my life – mostly because I find Bible study to be inherently boring (sorry, God, but it’s true). How selfish am I, huh? At least I’m honest…

Anyway, it has been on my hear to start an art journal based on my faith. Somehow combining to the two things that I love the most just seems so natural. So, I pulled that pre-stamped Rhonna book out today and dug in. Having the pages pre-stamped gives me a jumping off point to work from. The journaling comes naturally as the topics are based on my daily struggles in faith. And as for the medium… well, I’m still experimenting, but I think I’ve decided that markers, colored pencils, pastels, and charcoal will work perfect as they are easily managed away from home. Of course, I’m sure that my beloved acrylic paint will be working it’s way into this journal as well.

So here are photos of the “missions statement” if you will, and the first page that I have created. I think that I am really going to enjoy this little daily project.

I also wanted to share a couple of new pup photos. They are getting so big! I hope they stop growing soon. I don’t want them to get too big. Trixie can already jump over this little gate that we have put up to keep her from getting into the bedrooms. Ugh… but they are so dang cute, huh?

I’ve been tagged…

My friend, Jodi, has just entered the blog world! Yeah, Jodi. Of course, she got tagged right away and then tagged me. LOL! So here goes:

3 Things that bring me joy
1. Being with my husband, even if it’s just sitting in the same room.
2. Crafting with my friends
3. A quiet house full of happy children (yeah, like that ever happens… I can dream)

3 Things that I fear
1. My children being hurt or worse when I’m not around to help them
2. Earthquakes!
3. Drowning – but I’m so buoyant that that will never happen… LOL

3 Current obsessions
1. Anything with an owl on it
2. BevMo (Beverages and More… we’ve had the most fun trying out all of the funky sodas that they carry)
3. Getting out and about with my animals (I won’t elaborate on this one. Suffice it to say that I am turning into your crazy aunt Edna)

3 Random/Surprising facts about me (really? do I surprise any of you?)
1. I used to be a really good long distance runner until I blew my knee out in high school. Nothing serious, just enough to scare me and I stopped running after that. Now I couldn’t run down the street!
2. I know how to play the guitar… not very well, but I can get by. (ok… some of you might have already known that)
3. I was a serious tap dancer when I was younger. I took tap for about 9 years and I absolutely loved it. If I ever get into shape again, I’ll definitely be buying me some new tap shoes!

3 People I tag
1. Zanne
2. Cheryl
3. Kim