Laura Vegas

i'm not one to shop on black friday. i think i did it once, about 10 years ago. i'm not a morning person to begin with. just can't see getting up that early, unless it was a really awesome deal. and since we don't get a newspaper these days, i never even looked at all the ads. i know, i know. how is it even thanksgiving, unless you spend part of your day looking through the mile high stack of ads? lol! but i did want to share these 2 sales that are still going on.

scrapbook bakery. use coupon code blackfriday09 and receive 30% off your entire purchase. heather just extended this sale until monday night 🙂

making memories slice. a black friday special, that gives you $50 off the slice cordless 3-in-1 digital designer. this is an online special that is not sold in stores, and includes a ton of stuff. check out all the details at buymyslice.com. available until wednesday, december 2nd. 

and this one isn't a black friday thing, or even a sale thing. but i was just typing up a supply list for a layout, and had to research where i got these digital frames that i like to use from time to time on my photos. i know people have asked me about these. well, now i can tell you where i got them. distressed edged fotoframes no.1 brush set.

this is a totally random post having nothing to do with scrapbooking or family or daycare kids or anything. it's more a post about the crazy things that happen to me late at night. when the majority of the world is sound asleep. this was crazy enough that i went upstairs to get my laptop, so that i could blog it right away.

picture me. it's a little after midnight. i'm watching a few shows on the DVR, like normal. tonight it was "good wife" (which is an excellent show btw). i hear a rukus. ignored it at first, thinking it was the girls moving in their sleep. but then i hear more rukus, and car doors shutting. now, i live on a corner. and one street is fairly busy. people like to randomly stop outside my house for no particular reason. so i get up to check it out. first the laundry room window, since it's the closest. then the kitchen window. then the playroom. with the way the house and the windows are, i have to go to 4 seperate spots in the house to really see what's going on outside on our corner. i see a few cars outside. not normal for the side of the house. so i go check another window for a better view. there's a large group of people out there. and something large on the ground that they're rolling onto my grass. very suspicious. i can't make out what they're doing. but they start talking really loud and unloading more stuff from the cars. so i flick on the porch light.

i go back to my window and check it out again. they're are all these large things that they're holding. wait a minute. is that a trumpet? is that a trombone? and oh yeah, that must be a drum. i kid you not, there was at least a 12 member marching band getting ready for a performance outside my house. i can't even make this stuff up. so i fling open the front door and walk over to the side of the porch. i ask "what's going on here?". no one answers. ahhhh, no habla english. i get it. so i tell them that whatever they're doing, they're not doing it on my corner. and yes, this is totally MY corner (more on that later). so i stand there, but no one moves. they start spreading out. looking down the street past my house. so i get closer and ask "what exactly are you doing? what exactly are you waiting for?". finally some guy that does habla english tells me that they're going to the house next door. i say "no, you're not". and he asks "just one song?".

really??? you and your 12 member marching band want to play just one song, at midnight, on a dead quiet street? do people really think this sort of thing is ok? do they really think that no one would possibly mind that going on while they're sleeping? so what did i say?

"no, it's not ok if you play just one song. it's after midnight. the entire neighborhood is sleeping, my kids are sleeping. so you all need to pack up your things and get out of here". and i stood right there, staring them down. until they finally realized i meant business and packed up. the trombone and trumpet players start walking down my street, toward my neighbor ruth's house. then the cars, with the rest of the marching band drove over to meet them. i actually thought they were going to try it again, thinking that i'd somehow be ok with it because they weren't parked by my house anymore. so i didn't move, just stared them down. have i mentioned what a good "stare-er downer" i am? lol! and i'm pretty sure they were talking about me. i start wondering if ruth is awake, if i should call her and tell her that there's a marching band outside her house. i decide that she might think i'm talking crazy talk.

after a few minutes, one of the guys came over to the house next door to me. and then the daughter that lives there came out and walked across the street to everyone. they start talking super loud and dramatic. that's how they always are, and it always bugs me. i wondered if they were going to take out the instruments. i think if i wasn't watching, they would have. after about 5 minutes, they all packed up and left. which was good, because it was freezing out there. but i wasn't about to give in.

i do have to wonder what they were going to do. just out of curiousity. but can you imagine. being awakened at midnight, by a marching band outside your house? i would be livid. which is why my neighborhood should be thanking me tomorrow. sadly, the only one that will probably know is ruth. and probably because i'm going to call and tell her all about it. lol! i'm usually the only one that ever catches these sorts of things. or the only one that does anything about them. the unofficial "neighborhood watch". that's me. i am very good about watching what goes on outside and doing something about the stuff that shouldn't be going on. and i have seen some crazy stuff. the stories i could tell. maybe someone else is watching too. but i'm the only one that every seems to do much about it. i really could use some back up on occasion. because honestly, what could i have really done with my bad back? lol!

so here it is 1:10am. which is about my normal bedtime. the thing about fighting crime or craziness at this time of night? it gets your adreneline going. your heart is racing, not knowing what's going to happen. at least, that's how it happens for me. so now i'm a little hyped up. not my usual relaxed self, that is ready to peacefully doze off to sleep for my normal 6 hours. guess i'll go watch the rest of "good wife" 🙂

3 days later, you would think that i would have pages from my thankful album to share with you. that was my plan. the stuff is all out and ready to go. i know what my plan is, the design of the album. it was going to go together quickly. and it was what i was going to blog about this week. but i have nothing for you. and i'm placing all blame on him.

yep, donald duck. this goofy little toy that has been around for years on end. probably a happy meal toy or something. we're always finding stray toys under the tables. ones that just didn't quite get picked up. on saturday morning, joe saw donald peeking out from under the table and picked him up and set him on the table. we all know that i can't leave things out where they don't belong. so i was walking by, and went to grab it off the table. and as soon as i ever so slightly leaned down to get it, i felt that snap in my back. i knew within seconds what just happened. my back went out. seriously, i wish there was a better story as to how it happened. but it was just me picking up donald duck from the table. this happens to me at least twice a year, for about the last 10 years. stinks. 

3 days later, and i'm still down for the count. so needless to say, there are no pages from this album to share yet. sorry. if nothing else, i'll try to assemble at least one of the pages later. just enough that i can share my basic idea with you :)