Semicolon and the Exclamation Point!!

I am resolved to STOP using the exclamation point after every sentence! I am also resolved to start using the semicolon; to learn how and when to better use it; to add dimension to my blogging.

Got this from a post at Challies

Honoring the Semicolon

by Lewis Thomas

I have grown fond of semicolons in recent years. The semicolon tells you that there is still some question about the preceding full sentence; something needs to be added; it reminds you sometimes of the Greek usage. It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. The period tells you that that is that; if you didn’t get all the meaning you wanted or expected, anyway you got all the writer intended to parcel out and now you have to move along. But with a semicolon there you get a pleasant little feeling of expectancy; there is more to come; read on; it will get clearer.

Thomas’ thoughts on the ever-annoying exclamation mark.

Exclamation points are the most irritating of all. Look! they say, look at what I just said! How amazing is my thought! It is like being forced to watch someone else’s small child jumping up and down crazily in the center of the living room shouting to attract attention. If a sentence really has something of importance to say, something quite remarkable, it doesn’t need a mark to point it out. And if it is really, after all, a banal sentence needing more zing, the exclamation point simply emphasizes its banality!

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You can read the rest of Thomas’ thoughts on punctuation here.

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Have a great day; enjoy spring; love somone! oops...someone.

14,000 visitors!

Yahoo, my 14,000th visitor stopped by at 6:40pm this evening from Wewahitchka, Florida. Now how would you like to teach your 4 year old to say that - almost like trying to teach them to say Saskatoon...or Saskatchewan for Pete's sake. My Florida friend came via a Google search for "Hawaii Layouts".

I do believe this whole scrapbooking movement may one day take over the world! Scrapbookers unite! Imagine the power! We can demand.....well we'll think of something! Unlimited glue supplies? A taxable receipt for all scrapbook supplies - after all this is am investment in our children's futures? Any ideas?

birthday party

I have now put all the 2000 layouts (except for two still up at JSI) into two albums - 76 of them!! Plugging along with the photos from the year 2001. I have an e-mail off to Lucille to ask "exactly when IS your birthday" cause my trusty calendar from 2001 does not have this event recorded. But the photos tell me it is our family room (the cluttered home schoolers version) and we are having cupcakes and Lucille is blowing out candles. Looks like Paul is playing the guitar. And I did manage to remember the names of all the people in the photos - which btw have difficult colours and are soooo busy. So why did I fill the page with so much stuff? Got carried away when I saw the new layout for pencillines. Love this site! So what product did I use? It would be easier to ask me what I didn't use! Cordinations for the very back - am starting to like this product here and there. Stuff you might not recognize is the new Amanda Blu chipboard flowers and butterfly - with a little bling! Very fun - very girly!

Funny thing is I keep telling myself that I am going to change to a more streamlined, simplistic style - less stuff and more focus on the photos. Just haven't found it yet!!

Off to a few appointments this morning and then to JSI for the day. Weather looks fab for the day - plus 22 - did I get that right???? For you Americans, that is in the 70's - wow - get out the bathing suits and the lemonade. I expect to see a lot of scrapbook friends at JSI today! Then the temps plummet to a balmy 8-14 later this week - that is just plain cccold again but tolerable! We HAVE, in total rebellion, put the snow shovels down the basement - the stuff will just have to melt if it dares to show up again!

Have a blessed day - and come say hi to me at JSI if you are in the area!

Julie

In the City - Toronto

Couldn't resist using this new DCWV paper "In the city" along with the city nightlight chipboard from Riff Raff (at the bottom of the page). It is hard to see the chipboard with this scan though. I filled the windows in with shimmery stickles. This picture of David and I at a gala dinner and awards night in Toronto seemed to fit quite well - you know - tux an all. A few gold pebbles at the top.

On another note life is feeling very disorganized...the house is a mess (sixty five hour work week just ended) so I am hiding here on the computer...putting it off until tomorrow..oh ya tomorrow is fully booked...Wed?

Our daughter is home from University. I was tempted to take some pictures of the piles of STUFF all over her room, the guest room and the upstairs hall, but she might not be impressed. My life of no clutter for 10 months has come to an end. One day I will take a picture of the shirts in her closet - there has to be over 50 of them - seriously!

We are in the midst of renovation plans for the family room - it has the original carpet...25 years old...and we once had a dog remember? So this project is LOOOONG overdo. We have visited at least six flooring places and quoter # 4 is due out Wed morning at 8am, colour, wood, grain, quality, finish - it is too much for me. Then there are about seven furniture places we have been to. How fast can you fly through a place on your 45 min lunch hour? We cannot find a coffee table we like - ANYWHERE!! The one we have David had as a bachelor..and we have been married 28 + years...also looong overdo! Right now I really don't care. If someone would just arrive and do it all and hand me a decent bill, life would be so much easier! I go to work and come home to a new family room. Sounds simple eh?

I spent the whole day today looking at reno stuff - the WHOLE day! That and helping my daughter on the computer search out a summer job....cause if she doesn't get a good paying job this summer to pay for university next fall, the renos are off and we clean that carpet one more time and find some new doilies for the coffee table!

Anyone have any leads on a great summer job for a very bright girl with one year University under her belt - preferable one that pays fairly well?? E-mails me! over there o the left at the top! And if you have any tips on hardwood floor - let me know that too!

Have a great evening everyone!

Scrapping Frenzy!

Well I am home, but 46 gals along with Ralna, Deb and Laura are still at JSI partying it up (in a creative way) despite weary eyes and lack of sleep. Here are some photos before I head to bed. The day ended very sweet though - came home at 7:30 tonight to my DH and daughter serving a wonderful supper and dessert - which meant DH also did all the grocery shopping today - what a guy! DD and "friend" did the dishes tonight. Am I spoiled?
Here are some photos from a very fun and creative weekend! May Deb and Ralna have a good sleep tonight! Here's to the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's!

Typical staff antics!
Wasn't that a party??

Camera woes

It is eleven pm and I am tired - I have worked over 50 hours this week and will be back at it tomorrow am. Tonight at JSI the party is on and so I pulled out my camera to get some of the action on film (or digital...you know what I mean) My new wide angle lens, recently "fixed" by Olympus on a recall, would NOT auto focus!! It also made a very unhappy noise when I turned off the camera - quite disconcerting because I was without my lens already for a week with the recall - and before the recall the lens was working perfectly fine - like all those great Hawaii pics from the helicopter.

So am I ever glad I didn't send it back on the "recall" before our trip. I know Olympus is good for a fix - their customer service goes way and beyond the call of duty!! But I REALLY do not have the time or inclination to package this lens back up and make a trip to purolater again!! AND I want some great shots of the crop this weekend. Oh well...get over it right??

So I was feeling a little disheartened as I drove home tonight and then when my windshield wipers wouldn't work. I had to peer around the ice on my windshield all the way home...well things just didn't seem to be going my way. Kind of like, okay I will just pull over and have a melt down right here outside Pharmasave! But I persevered and pulled into the garage and with a little readjusting of the wipers at home and knocking off ice, they were fine and worked again.

Maybe it is just being so dog tired, or getting behind with all the house work and stuff, maybe it is this weather and another forecast of snow - enough already!!! But I am thinking I need a holiday! (okay you can stop throwing stuff at me I was just kidding!!) All right a good nights sleep will probably do the trick...

so why am I blogging? Wind down time...I don't watch TV so I need wind down time. Yeah you heard it - I haven watched TV in probably 15 years - can't stand it - find it a time waster...so much other stuff to get done. Seriously, add up how much time you spend watching TV in a week and then make a list of other stuff you could have done...but I digress.

One game of Spider Solitaire and I am off to bed. I will attempt to read my Bible but expect I might get through maybe three verses. :) Tomorrow I am back at JSI for nine hours for more fun and games and this time I will stick with the macro and the zoom lens!!

I have already sent off my "complaint" e-mail to Olympus. I was very nice about it...I will save the big guns for back up! Hopefully I will not be too tired to post some pictures of the convention tomorrow.
Blessings!
Julie

one more quote for the day...

I have no pleasure in any man who despises music. It is no invention of ours: it is a gift of God. I place it next to theology. Satan hates music: he knows how it drives the evil spirit out of us.
Martin Luther

music to my ears

Moving right along with my photos from the year 2001. Great memories, but those 8X10 's from Hawaii are a little more fun to work with! Here are a few pics from the days when we all - parents and kids alike - played in a community band. This is what home schoolers do. Hats off to Peter Gravlin for putting up with us all those years! I don't know how he did it. I actually learned to play the bass drum! tada!! If I was allowed to bring that drum home it would have made a very effective wake up call at 7am!! haha nothing like waking up to the Hallelujah chorus...well the bass drum part anyways!

A few families got together in our basement to practice and then did a mini concert at one of the seniors homes. It didn't sound very good..actually if I remember correctly it was downright awful. But seniors don't hear all too well and are very forgiving. Come to think of it they never did invite us back.

Do your kids play an instrument? I do believe (and remember I am over 50 now so this is wisdom speaking here) that all children should learn to play some instrument, even if their practicing drives us to the furthest corner of the house.

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
Aldous Huxley

and what home has silence??

44 years old

That's how old I was in 2001 - was it that long ago? Journalling reads.. Well I feel blessed! For my 44th birthday Harold made me cookies with Happy Birthday Mom inscribed on them and gave me some beautiful carnations – boy he sure has a soft spot for his mom. The Bergen’s invited us, along with Judy Leslie, all over to their house for supper and surprised me with an ice cream cake. Lucky me!

Ah sweet Harold...when did you get to be 26! And you still brings me flowers. I am blessed!

Beautiful Lily's

My brother and sister in law came from Winnipeg for a brief visit on Friday night... they brought me these beautiful lily's - their fragrance fills the house.

Blessings!
Julie

Great Outdoors- more gecko's

My last gecko page seemed to be well liked so I will post another one. This is my favorite picture of the gecko's - he is looking right at me with those dark brown eyes.

If you double click on this layout you can see the detail in this gecko's skin. You can also see his brown eye looking right at the camera...wondering just what I was up to.

I used the new fancy pants line again here - very outdoor...love the colours and the distressed look.

Julie

U can't see me

Oh yes I can and I have captured you on my new macro lens - haha!
Isn't he just so cute?