The Life of Mrs. Miles

OLIVIA DORAZIO'S LOVE COUPONS
8.5 x 11 jpg (300 dpi) ready to print, trim and give!


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Well, since Olivia keeps pestering me (and Amy W.) to help her learn to make scrapbooking stuff, effectively preventing me from getting anything done for you here on my blog... I 'suggested' to her she should make something for you to give away here. She's been working very hard and created all sorts of pretties for the shoppe – they will be available on Monday, so mark it on your calendars! Here's a sneak of some of her newest creations! I'll post the link to her other coupons at the Sophia Sarducci Blog on Monday, when her kits come for sale! You can visit the store by clicking HERE.

And since I'm showing Olivia's stuff, I can't help but put out a 'toot' for Amy's newest upcoming kit too. Why not join Amy Wed 9 pm in the DBD chat room. Love Letters is the featured kit and will be on sale that day. Attendance and posting goodies. (I think she means scrapping goodies, not eating ones, cuz she's on a diet)

Amy W.'s upcoming Love Letters Kit

Mmmmm... since I'm talking food, I'll talk pizza. Seems like everyone is blogging food these long winter days, so who am I to deviate from a good theme. 'Cept Amy, perhaps, who's on a diet. Craaaazy... and I mean this in the nicest way. She has chocolate sitting around home. And not some cheapo cornerstore chocolate but a special kind she loves and got for Christmas. Good thing I don't live close or it would not be around for long!

Anyways, pizza is my husband's love language. You see, I make homemade. He loves my homemade. It takes me a good ½ day to make this thing. Its all the mixing and chopping and stuff. So this is a once or twice a month kind of pizza. What do we top it with? Well, it varies, but it usually involves a lot of fresh stuff. Pineapple, chopped and peeled just hours before, green peppers & mushrooms. Black olives. Hot italian sausage and pepperoni. I'd put shrimps on if it were up to me, but he's not so fussy about that. Then a whole lot of cheese(s). Mozza, cheddar, pepperjack, parmesan and asiago usually. And of course I make my dough from scratch. Its well worth the wait!

I'm working it all off with my own home-version of boot camp (ya, you inspired me Beans)... since I am not a 'gym-girl' I try to be creative right at home. Mainly right now I'm working with a skipping rope, recumbent bike, rower... and my two legs – walking. So, I don't set a time apart for it, it works around my schedule. The excersize equiptment lurks in the basement and if I have to go down there for something (which is MANY times a day) then I have to do several minutes on both machines. Really adds up! This, with going up and down the stairs numerous times and then a good ½ hour walk outside is keeping me from running to fat. Gosh, how I long for how we used to run, but my knees just can't take it any more.

I'm still working through the book “The Beautiful Fight” by Dr. Gary Chapman, and I'm enjoying and learning from it. I want to digest the entire thing, and then I will share an review here with you. In the meantime, it's really opening my eyes up to allow myself to be aware of Christ being alive in me not just when I pray or go to church, but to be vitally alive in me all day, every day, in even the least little thing I do.

Enough about me. I have a few great sites to share with you.

My husband and I love photography, and my friend Becky is a photgraphy enthusiast too – so when I came across the following link I just had to share. If you, like us, work with a limited budget but would like to get set up with lights, then this site is for you. If you're willing to be creative you might just be able to set up your own lighting for most situations. This website will give you some 'hacks' to help you make your own! Just click HERE to get there. I would love to hear what you do with these ideas.

photo altered using FotoFlexer

Another link I've been meaning and meaning to share and keep forgetting... (ya, like 2 seconds after I publish!) I think its the coolest – I've pointed some of the students from the school here, as again, its an online website that could prove invaluable. Actually, I've had a huge amount of fun here too. The site is called FotoFlexer and it touts itself as being the worlds most advanced online editor. IT IS pretty impressive. It has all sorts of features – ones you would find in programs like Photoshop Elements, or Gimp, only its all online. It allows you to import your photos from many accounts, like picasa and flickr, myspace, facebook and photobucket. I had fun playing with the photo preceding this paragraph, in fact. As you can see, it also allows you to add some sweet little cliparts and I believe it supports layers. One thing I should mention is that I worked with a pretty small picture, so unless you have a good connection and small pictures this might not be effective for you. Other than that, its a lot of fun. Hmmm, pretty cool I thinks! I don't know, though, if it alters your original photo unless you rename it when you save, be aware! Click HERE to check it out.

I found this list on the internet the other day, and it makes sense to me? I know some folks would not agree, but then again some will. At any rate, I found it sensible. What about you?

Rules Kids Won't Learn in School

Rule #1. Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase "it's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule #1.

Rule #2. The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as your school does. It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1)

Rule #3. Sorry, you won't make $50,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label.

Rule #4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he is not going ask you how feel about it.

Rule #5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.

Rule #6. It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it's on your dime. Don't whine about it or you'll sound like a baby boomer.

Rule #7. Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation try delousing the closet in your bedroom.

Rule #8. Life is not divided into semesters, and you don't get summers off. Nor even Easter break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on.

Rule #9. Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be perky or as polite as Jennifer Aniston.

Rule #10. Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.

Rule #11. Enjoy this while you can. Sure, parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realize how wonderful it was to be kid. Maybe you should start now.

You're welcome.