Everyday Chatting & Waffling {2025} Let's get to know each other!

[FormbyGirl]

@Jill, I don't know how I found the time to work! It was not easy. I always felt as though work was an unwelcome distraction from my real life—well, except for the paycheck and the amazing travel opportunities.

@dorannmwin Dorann, lots of prayers for your mother and your children's grandpa.

@Carla minicooper452 Carla, I do both paper and digi. You have done a remarkably digi page with your real life paper! It is pretty impressive. My daughter wants her scrapbook to be a paper book. I am quite a bit of the way through it. I might manage it for Christmas this year, if she is lucky. My oldest child got his on his 21st birthday. The second on his 26th birthday. James was 36. Karen is 38 and still waiting. I am not improving my timing on these books!!

@breoni Shana, I don't enjoy the clean up after, or even trying to find my scissors during, but I do love the feel of making paper books. I only have one child's album to finish and one child whose album needs to be done start to finish and I am done with paper albums, except for those I chose to do as gifts.

That was a pretty special time with the author! What fortunate timing!!

 

[FormbyGirl]

@AJsRandom Ane, I meant to say congratulations on your Gallery Stand Out. Your otter page was absolutely adorable. Well-deserved

 

[Carla minicooper452]

Thanks Lynnie! I was really happy with it.
Actually did another layout at our event, but it doesn't have pix on it yet. I'll share it someday. Maybe this will get the juices flowing again.

 

[AJsRandom]

Hey everyone! I think it's been a while since I gave an update on my life. I started a new class this month called Evolution of Life and Intelligence. I call it the Darwin class, since it's heavily focused on Darwin, but I think we'll eventually cover stuff like robotics and AI too. It's interesting so far. I had to do a nature study the second week and this week I have a paper due on creationism and evolution. Fun times!

I started orchestra practice for the oratorio I'm participating in. The first practice was kind of like a car crash, but we're a lot better now. We have 1 more practice on our own then 2 with everyone, and 2 performances. In case you're interested, the oratorio is called Lamb of God (no "the") by Rob Gardner. You can find it on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

About a month ago, we took our truck in for a repair and it turned out to not be worth fixing. So we got a deal on a truck from CarMax. It was shipped here and had some titling issues, but we were supposed to pick it up this last weekend. But that was before a ferocious wind/rain/hail storm hit our area (some minor damage to our house and shed). The hail made the truck unsellable, so we had to start all over again. We got a new deal on a truck from CarMax and it's supposed to be here by the 14th of April. Naturally I am wary. Fingers crossed for no issues of any kind!

Thank you for the congrats on the GSO. I did it for another site, so I can't post it here. I was sure surprised! I'd had 1 before, and that was a surprise too. I don't follow the blog, but maybe I should.

 

[imafishtank]

Robyn (@imafishtank ) how blurred are they? Defogging will help. Topaz has some pretty amazing sharpening tools.

Thank you. Some are simple enough for a sharpening tool to help, none are beyond repair, I don't think.

 

[imafishtank]

SO true Robyn. Even though I don't scrap as much anymore, I truly missed chatting with y'all and reading what everyone was up to. I do have to tell you, I actually created a scrapbook page, but you'll NEVER BELIEVE THIS!!! It was PAPER!!! Yep ladies, a good, old-fashioned paper glue, scissors scrapbook page. SU! is back into scrapbooking and our team has a month-long challenge and one of them this week is a scrapbook page. WOAH! What a blast from the past. I'll see if it will upload here.

View attachment 770713
Not terrible... I guess. LOL

Love and Blessings
Carla, in MN

How fun!! My sister used to own a scrapbook store in Maryland, a long time ago. I would visit her in the summers and scrap to my heart's content. My mom would panic at how many pieces of paper I used an how the costs would add up (not that my sister would ever let her know). I think I'm like my mom because my fav thing about digiscrap is that I can reuse things as many times as I want, lol.

 

[imafishtank]

Hey everyone! I think it's been a while since I gave an update on my life. I started a new class this month called Evolution of Life and Intelligence. I call it the Darwin class, since it's heavily focused on Darwin, but I think we'll eventually cover stuff like robotics and AI too. It's interesting so far. I had to do a nature study the second week and this week I have a paper due on creationism and evolution. Fun times!

I started orchestra practice for the oratorio I'm participating in. The first practice was kind of like a car crash, but we're a lot better now. We have 1 more practice on our own then 2 with everyone, and 2 performances. In case you're interested, the oratorio is called Lamb of God (no "the") by Rob Gardner. You can find it on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

About a month ago, we took our truck in for a repair and it turned out to not be worth fixing. So we got a deal on a truck from CarMax. It was shipped here and had some titling issues, but we were supposed to pick it up this last weekend. But that was before a ferocious wind/rain/hail storm hit our area (some minor damage to our house and shed). The hail made the truck unsellable, so we had to start all over again. We got a new deal on a truck from CarMax and it's supposed to be here by the 14th of April. Naturally I am wary. Fingers crossed for no issues of any kind!

Thank you for the congrats on the GSO. I did it for another site, so I can't post it here. I was sure surprised! I'd had 1 before, and that was a surprise too. I don't follow the blog, but maybe I should.

Love that you get to participate in Lamb of God! Your class certainly sounds interesting.

 

[Grace.]

SO true Robyn. Even though I don't scrap as much anymore, I truly missed chatting with y'all and reading what everyone was up to. I do have to tell you, I actually created a scrapbook page, but you'll NEVER BELIEVE THIS!!! It was PAPER!!! Yep ladies, a good, old-fashioned paper glue, scissors scrapbook page. SU! is back into scrapbooking and our team has a month-long challenge and one of them this week is a scrapbook page. WOAH! What a blast from the past. I'll see if it will upload here.

View attachment 770713
Not terrible... I guess. LOL

Love and Blessings
Carla, in MN

How fun! Beautiful!

 

[Grace.]

(...)

Thank you for the congrats on the GSO. I did it for another site, so I can't post it here. I was sure surprised! I'd had 1 before, and that was a surprise too. I don't follow the blog, but maybe I should.

Congrats on the GSO my dear, and yes, you can post it here into Non-GingerScraps Layouts category, just don't include links that direct to another store in the description, but you can credit the designers. I love that GingerScraps allows us to create a very complete gallery if we want to do it.

 

[FormbyGirl]

I didn't sleep well last night and I have to go and pick up my friend at the airport soon. She is visiting from Scotland. We have been friends for over 60 years. I met her on my first day of school (in England, not Scotland) and named my daughter after her.

I have had a cough on and off since November and it just won't quit. The doctor has fitted me in for Monday at 8:40 and I have to go and get an x-ray.

 

[imafishtank]

We had a fun weekend. One of my dear friends got married when we were on our bucket-list trip last fall. So we made a point to drive to see them (about 6 hours) and spend the weekend. We got to meet his lovely wife, and they were such good hosts. The weather was lovely and it was a good visit. We left early Sunday morning so we could go home a different route. We stopped at the President Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield, IL, (very well done), and the we stopped at the Walt Disney Museum in Marceline, MO. The museum was filled with artifacts and stories from Walt's family (mostly his younger sister). As we were leaving, I stopped in the gift shop where they had so many books about Walt Disney - many of which I'd never seen. So I selected one single book to buy. When I took it to the counter, a lady walked in... and she saw my book and made eye contact with the cashier. Then she approached me and told me she was the author!!! She signed my book and we visited for a few minutes... it was the neatest thing! Of all the books I picked up, of all the times we could have stopped... and she doesn't even live there (she lives in CA). Gotta love when everything lines up like that!

That's fantastic timing!!! I'll bet she was as pleased that you were buying her book as you were to have her sign it!

 

[imafishtank]

I didn't sleep well last night and I have to go and pick up my friend at the airport soon. She is visiting from Scotland. We have been friends for over 60 years. I met her on my first day of school (in England, not Scotland) and named my daughter after her.

I have had a cough on and off since November and it just won't quit. The doctor has fitted me in for Monday at 8:40 and I have to go and get an x-ray.

I hope that you are able to enjoy your friend's visit and not feel miserable the whole time!

 

[Grace.]

(...) So I selected one single book to buy. When I took it to the counter, a lady walked in... and she saw my book and made eye contact with the cashier. Then she approached me and told me she was the author!!! She signed my book and we visited for a few minutes... it was the neatest thing! Of all the books I picked up, of all the times we could have stopped... and she doesn't even live there (she lives in CA). Gotta love when everything lines up like that!

My dear that's an incredible story, please do a layout about it if possible. I'm so glad for you and for her, what a beautiful experience.

 

[Grace.]

I didn't sleep well last night and I have to go and pick up my friend at the airport soon. She is visiting from Scotland. We have been friends for over 60 years. I met her on my first day of school (in England, not Scotland) and named my daughter after her.

I have had a cough on and off since November and it just won't quit. The doctor has fitted me in for Monday at 8:40 and I have to go and get an x-ray.

Take care and please do everything that doctor says, you are very dear to all of us. Enjoy the time with your friend, 60 years??!! wow

 

[Grace.]

Lately I've been suffering from insomnia, simply I can't sleep all what I need, I've tried qi gong, praying, reading the Bible, warm milk with honey, etc., and nothing works, any ideas?

 

[imafishtank]

Lately I've been suffering from insomnia, simply I can't sleep all what I need, I've tried qi gong, praying, reading the Bible, warm milk with honey, etc., and nothing works, any ideas?

I used to write. I would set a timer for 15 min and write literally everything that came to mind. Even if it was jibberish. Even if it was hateful. Just getting it out onto paper (that I often threw away) helped.

 

[Grace.]

I used to write. I would set a timer for 15 min and write literally everything that came to mind. Even if it was jibberish. Even if it was hateful. Just getting it out onto paper (that I often threw away) helped.

I will try it, thank you so much for the advice

 

[breoni]

Good morning, everyone! It's going to be a typical spring day here. All of the trees are budding and blooming (and everyone's allergies have kicked into high gear). Hoping to go walk around the park today and see the tulips before the expected windstorms start up and blow all the petals off. LOL!

I was starting a layout on my laptop last night, and for some reason, my monitor now as a light "flare" in the bottom corner. No clue what could have caused it, but I'm hoping I can continue using this laptop for another year or two before I replace it. It's starting to do some other weird glitchy things, so that may not be a possibility. Shopping for laptops is not something I look forward to.

 

[Carla minicooper452]

OH NO Shana! We had to take the plunge at Christmas. Good timing of course, but I agree, I always hate replacing my laptop. This time was far easier than I expected and I'm fully embracing my new baby. And I do actually "love" Windows 11. Wow, was I behind the times. ha

 

[AJsRandom]

Ugh, I am procrastinating today. I'm a little nervous about writing a paper about creationism vs. evolution.

Shana, your tulip comment made me aware that it's time to go to the botanical garden again and see the gorgeous displays there. We only have crocuses and daffodils coming up now. Later on we'll get orange Easter lilies. Yes, orange. It's a bit nuts. Totally does not go with the rest of the landscaping. I'll scrap some pix when they bloom at the end of May.

 

[AJsRandom]

Ok, I posted my non-GingerScraps LO that was featured on the GSO blog. I'm going to attempt to post it here. I hope it works!

Nate & Mariah

• AJsRandom
• Mar 27, 2025
• 5

Created with elements and papers from various Pickleberrypop designers (March 2025 mystery box)

 

[FormbyGirl]

@AJsRandom LOVE the layout, Ane, so pretty. Ginger is not fussy if folks put up pages from other sites as long as we don't link product. She understands that we do it to other sites and it is only fair! She's the loveliest!!

Don't procrastinate on your paper.

@Grace. I have a Bible App that has a sleep story portion on it. It is called Abide. There is an annual subscription, but it is worth every penny. They soothe me to sleep. You can also take a low dose melatonin about 1/2 hour before sleep! Melatonin is a natural substance, so is fine to take.

 

[Jill]

I have sleep issues as well, sleep challenged ladies....my problem is not actually getting to sleep but rather waking in the early hours and not being able to get back to sleep. My daughter in law who is a dr suggested I try melatonin before going to bed which I did, but as I said it is not the getting to sleep issue that I have so it didnt work for me. I could try taking it at 2am when i wake I guess, but am a bit worried I will feel zombie like at get up time....oh well, I read or listen to music in those dark hours and try not to let my mind wander into the depths of anxiety. I used to get up and do the ironing when the kids were still living here which gave me a sense of achievement....I dont iron now

@breoni That is an amazing book story Shana, I so enjoyed your post about it...serendipity at work there for sure. I hope there is a LO coming or done...I will have to go check your gallery.

I am having trouble getting used to this @name business, I dont do any social media so, even though I have seen it used, it is new to me and I find myself typing the name I use for that person rather than the username ie @Lynnie ...new things and old people don't always go together seamlessly, I was feeling my almost 80 years of age with this new platform but pretty happy with my progress now. i can mostly find what I want or where I want to be.

 

[Grace.]

Good morning, everyone! It's going to be a typical spring day here. All of the trees are budding and blooming (and everyone's allergies have kicked into high gear). Hoping to go walk around the park today and see the tulips before the expected windstorms start up and blow all the petals off. LOL!

I was starting a layout on my laptop last night, and for some reason, my monitor now as a light "flare" in the bottom corner. No clue what could have caused it, but I'm hoping I can continue using this laptop for another year or two before I replace it. It's starting to do some other weird glitchy things, so that may not be a possibility. Shopping for laptops is not something I look forward to.

Oh no dear Shana I really hope that your laptop continues working properly. I too hate replacing computers or laptops, always is a real mess and usually I need to learn something new, add new programs, etc.
If you haven't done, use a cooling pad, that helps to increase the life of your laptop. What brand is your laptop? someone told me that Asus and Dell are the best in durability.

 

[Grace.]

Ugh, I am procrastinating today. I'm a little nervous about writing a paper about creationism vs. evolution.

My dear, don't procrastinate, I'm sure you'll do fine. Sending creative vibes

 

[Grace.]

@Grace. I have a Bible App that has a sleep story portion on it. It is called Abide. There is an annual subscription, but it is worth every penny. They soothe me to sleep. You can also take a low dose melatonin about 1/2 hour before sleep! Melatonin is a natural substance, so is fine to take.

thank you so much for the info, I will check the Bible app and the melatonin.

 

[imafishtank]

Good morning, everyone! It's going to be a typical spring day here. All of the trees are budding and blooming (and everyone's allergies have kicked into high gear). Hoping to go walk around the park today and see the tulips before the expected windstorms start up and blow all the petals off. LOL!

I was starting a layout on my laptop last night, and for some reason, my monitor now as a light "flare" in the bottom corner. No clue what could have caused it, but I'm hoping I can continue using this laptop for another year or two before I replace it. It's starting to do some other weird glitchy things, so that may not be a possibility. Shopping for laptops is not something I look forward to.

I hope it continues to last for you! I think everyday that mine still works is a bit of a miracle. It's older than 2 of my kids.

 

[AJsRandom]

I have sleep issues as well, sleep challenged ladies....my problem is not actually getting to sleep but rather waking in the early hours and not being able to get back to sleep. My daughter in law who is a dr suggested I try melatonin before going to bed which I did, but as I said it is not the getting to sleep issue that I have so it didnt work for me. I could try taking it at 2am when i wake I guess, but am a bit worried I will feel zombie like at get up time....oh well, I read or listen to music in those dark hours and try not to let my mind wander into the depths of anxiety. I used to get up and do the ironing when the kids were still living here which gave me a sense of achievement....I dont iron now

Jill, I have the same problem as you. I can get to sleep all right most nights, but staying asleep--that's the trick. I will wake as early as 4 am and have trouble falling back to sleep or just giving up and get up, only to nap later. I take 2 drugs and 1 supplement to help me with this problem. It is definitely something I'm going to bring up to my doctor when I see them next month. Ironing is not a bad idea, lol!

 

[Grace.]

Jill, I have the same problem as you. I can get to sleep all right most nights, but staying asleep--that's the trick. I will wake as early as 4 am and have trouble falling back to sleep or just giving up and get up, only to nap later. I take 2 drugs and 1 supplement to help me with this problem. It is definitely something I'm going to bring up to my doctor when I see them next month. Ironing is not a bad idea, lol!

Sending loads of love my dear

 

[breoni]

Oh no dear Shana I really hope that your laptop continues working properly. I too hate replacing computers or laptops, always is a real mess and usually I need to learn something new, add new programs, etc.
If you haven't done, use a cooling pad, that helps to increase the life of your laptop. What brand is your laptop? someone told me that Asus and Dell are the best in durability.

You are the sweetest, Grace. Yes, it's a Dell... and I've had it for several years. So I'm not entirely surprised that things are starting to look worn or go wonky. It's been a workhorse of a computer. I bought the one with the absolute largest screen and this puppy is HEAVY! So I may look for something a little more transportable for my next one.