Things to do while avoiding The Pile.

The other day, I showed you The Pile.
Everything fun thing I own is in this pile, people. Scrapbooking stuff. Books. Whoopy cushions. Possibly a pet or two.

***Editor's note: No pets were physically harmed in the making of this blog post. They may, however, have been slightly shamed by their inability to thwart Teri's need for humourous photos.

So, in my attempt to avoid boredom-induced insanity, I have compiled this short list of things to do while avoiding The Pile.

1. Place pets into humourously-compromising positions. Photograph as needed. Then, realize that you must have packed the camera cord and you cannot do anything useful with these photos.

2. Curse your infernal packing.

***Editor's note: Suffice it to say that said photo involved a wiener dog in a recycling bin. Hilarity ensued.

3. Watch your favourite SNL skits on YouTube. Don't even care if they're crappy quality.


4. Rewatch everything you've saved on your PVR.

5. Remind Americans that a DVR is called a PVR in Canada.

6. Clean.

7. Add items to list just for comedic value, such as number 6 above.

8. Teach yourself to crochet flowers using this tutorial:

and butterflies using this tutorial and dishcloths using this pattern.

9. Adjust the patterns a little and plan to blog about them soon.

10. Drool over all of the projects you wish you were doing, like this one guest-posted by Lovey Crafty Home at Tatertots and Jello:

11. Ask blog readers for other suggestions of things to do for the next five days before we officially become homeowners.

And now, my bloggy friends, I am off to do number 6.

Ha! See? It really is funny!

Do you see what I see?

A whole bunch of crappy pictures?

Ok. Just checking.

So we're moving in two weeks, and this is what my living room looks like.

Yes, that is my bed blocking the door. Hello to you, fire hazard.

Here's something that's a little less chaotic looking...
I gave you the "after" picture first. See how I mixed it up a little?

'Cause, yeah. I don't even want to think about the "before".
So I've been decluttering and boxing and taping and scraping and draping. Or at least the first three.

Oh - and dreaming about doing this in my new house. *Swoon*.

So, yeah. Chaos, decluttering, and dreaming.

And taking crummy iPhone pictures. That about sums up my life right now.

Fun new website!

Have you heard of Whoopdwhoop?

You get to trade cute handmade stuff for cute handmade stuff! No money required - you use "whoops" instead. Seriously. It sounds scandalous, but it's not.

What could be funner? Funn...ier? Funn...erest?

I'm not sure what I'm going to post to trade...but in order to get stuff, you have to post stuff...so I better get on that.

(Shameless plug: you can also earn whoops by getting others to sign up...so if you happen to feel generous, send me an email at teritodd_at_hotmail and I'll send you a wee little invite along with my undying gratitude...)

If you decide to sign up and post some things to swap, let me know. I would love to bask in your talent!

Winner! And a secondary prize!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my giveaway. I'm glad you all like free stuff as much as I do.

I wrote out your names...
Drew one (BY hand, WITH no tracing!) at random...
And I pulled out...
Yay! Here's her story:

"I have endured a lifetime of embarrassing moments. I am as clumsy and ungraceful as they come. They freshest embarrassing memory is from two weeks ago. The cold had finally broke and the snow was melting making the sidewalks mini lakes. I set out on the two block journey to pick my kids up from the school bus stop. It was a treacherous walk trying to avois the puddles but I was almost there. Just one more puddle to get across and I would be safely at the bus stop with the other parents who were already gathered waiting for the bus to arrive. Now this last puddle was a big one so I decided I would have to step in the middle of the puddle to make it across. Not such a big deal, my boots were already wet anyway. The only problem was I didn't realize that this puddle was actually a huge ice patch covered in water. I stepped in the middle, my feet slid out from under me, and I landed with a thud in the puddle. There were more than a few giggles when the parents at the bus stop turned to see what the splash was. I then had to stand at the bus stop for 10 more minutes, soaking wet, waiting for the bus to arrive. "

By the way, I loved reading all of your embarrassing moments. Thanks for making me feel like I'm not alone in my klutzdom.

One of your stories stood out, though. Thanks to Patty for this little gem:

"Embarassing moment???At my age, mostly I embarrase my kids. My daughter was over to my house to borrow the stand mixer. As I walked around her--And Her Boyfriend- I did the OLF! (If you don't know that is the Old Lady Fart!!) the one where when you take a step and you make a noise. got to laughing and it sounded like a machine gun. They didn't come back for a week or two and I was glad. "

I laughed till I hurt, people. I only wish I was an OL to blame for my Fs.

So, I've put together a little prize pack for this most hysterical of stories:
The book pages are from an encyclopedia, an old children's book, a dictionary, a German book, and a Ukrainian book.

Patty, please send me your mailing address to (teritodd_at_hotmail) and I'll get this little package into the mail for you! Hopefully these suit your style. Or could be used to line a bird cage or something.

A layout and one last giveaway reminder!

One last giveaway reminder: Go here! Now! Do it!

Now, look at this layout:

It's Cliff! Blowing bubbles for the little ghosties! Look, I say!Boy, I'm demanding. I'm lucky you put up with me.

Giving away cool stuff is apparently making me a little bossy.

An un-blogged page. I think.

First of all, there is still time to enter my giveaway! The only catch: you have to tell me your most embarrassing story...and let me tell you, they're all hilarious. I may have to add an extra prize for the funniest story.

Second of all, here's a page I made a while back but never posted about:
At least, I think I haven't posted it before.
Is it bad that I don't remember?

Third of all, I may be experiencing memory issues.

Fourth of all, there is still time to enter my giveaway! The only catch: you have to tell me your most embarrassing story...and let me tell you, they're all hilarious. I may have to add an extra prize for the funniest story.

Fifth of all, I may be experiencing memory issues.

My Most Embarrasing Moment...and a Giveaway!

Hello, all! Happy Family Day!

Yes, in Alberta, today is the day we celebrate families. Immediate families. Extended families. Annoying families. Colour families. All in the families.

So, my bloggy family, I am celebrating with a giveaway! Today, I reached a milestone - 60 followers - and since my bloggy family has grown so much, I figure I should randomly show one of you how much you're my favourite.

Kind of like I treat my own family.

Here's the little kit I put together from my stash...
Oooh, Little Yellow Bicycle, Cosmo Cricket, and Making Memories!
Oooh, random bits and bobs!

Oooh, free stuff!

But we have to make this interesting, peeps. In order to enter this giveaway, you must share with me your most embarrassing moment.

Dun dun DUUUUUUUUNNNNN!

Or at least, share with me something kinda embarrassing.

In other words, make me feel better for the story I am about to tell you.

Picture it: Langley, BC, 2007. A young teacher must move her office to a building across a parking lot. She has one box. She has no tape. She has an office chair, but no dolly.

She's just a girl with a dream - a dream of one day having an office bigger than a shoebox and of moving into it without having to ask anyone for help.

She fills her box to overflowing, using the box-tops to hold in the bits and pieces of office-clutter that threaten to jump overboard. She loads it onto her office chair, and she begins her trek across the parking lot.

If you haven't yet guessed, that girl was me. And that man was Pablo Picasso.

***Editor's note: If you get that reference, I think I love you.

I could have taken the sidewalk, but sidewalks are for the weak. I was young! I was ambitious! I had complete faith in the rolly-box-carrying capabilities of that office chair!

I don't know why I took the speedbump.

Of course, the next car to come by was the vice-principal, who sees me collecting pencils and pens and paper and hole punches and books and other miscellany that have now been scattered across the roadway. Of course, he gets out to help me, like a gentleman.

Of course, this is the exact time that several other people decide to leave the parking lot.

Of course, I have now caused a traffic jam.

Of course, I have put my idiocy-in-the-name-of-independence-and-poor-impulse-control on display for all to see.

And of course, I still have to put the box back on the office chair and inconspicuously push it across the parking lot.

Did I mention the classrooms all had big windows facing the parking lot?

And that, ladies and gentleman, is the most embarrassing spectacle I've ever made of myself.

So, once again: If you would like to enter this giveaway, please comment below. Tell me something embarrassing. Make me feel better! Make me laugh! Make me believe I'm not the only one dumb enough to take a speed-bump with a piece of office furniture!
The draw will close at midnight MST on Friday, Feb. 25, at which time I will very scientifically put your names into a hat and draw one at random. At this time, I have to limit this draw to only Canada and the US, as Canada Post won't give me an international discount for having publicly embarrassed myself. (Please feel free to take that up with them, though. I think this story should be worth something.)

On a serious note, thank you, everyone, for following me in my Pursuit of Scrappyness. It really does mean a lot to me, and I appreciate you for reading, for commenting, and for making blogging worthwhile. You should know that you are my favourite follower. Yes, you.

Don't tell the others.