A little love....

For my frustrated goalie. Jason is having a tough time with these back to back games. Not sure why Morris isn't playing Brust on the first or second of the games. Jason still looks good. My sources in Manchester tell me he pretty much stands on his head most of the game. He has his off game but he's usually on top of it. The last game he played in, they lost. They said he had some good saves, but didn't really show any flashes of brilliance. So, Brust got the last two starts. One win, one loss. Ha! In your face all of you Barry Brust lovers in Manchester who have been calling for my boys head! You all suck! Jason is better than Barry Brust. Barry Brust - doesn't that sound like the name of a porn star? I'll give him credit, he's better than Hauser - the 'round mound of no rebound'.
So, here's to my goaltender! My frustrated goaltender in Manchester.

2 points!

Yeah! 2 points. A clean win too. No OT, no shootout - just a clean win over the Sharks. The Sharks. The same team that cleaned our clocks last Thursday saw the other side of the Kings. The Kings that are 'reloading'. With the talent this team has, there is no excuse for the poor play. Dustin Brown said it best last night in the post game interview that normally the team would have been deflated after the Sharks first goal, but they battled back and tied it up at 1. The Sharks scored a second goal (a soft one too) and they battled back again. They didn't let the Sharks into their zone and when they did, the defense was right there and Cloutier was hot. Did I just say that? I did. And the fact that he didn't get at least 1 of the 3 stars of the game last night, kind of upset me. He did have a good game and I do want to give him credit. I won't go any further than that, but he did have some spectacular saves. He's trying to play the short side (where most of his goals slip by) and he left 2/3rds of the net open for Michalek to score. The second goal Cloutier let in was weak. But he stayed in there.
Okay, enough good karma for Cloutier. He still has a lot of games to win before I even consider him a King. Yes, I DID say that!

So, some pictures from last night (courtesy of Yahoo Sports!):

Anze 'Saviour" Kopitar. (Fo'shizzle-kopitizzle). This kid is awesome and the future of the Kings.

Dustin Brown - 'Feelin' YOU!' What can Brown do for you?

Cammy-licious.

The Paper Source...

Just opened up in South Coast Plaza. Normally I avoid that place like the plague. Too many people and the traffic is horrible. Not worth the experience of shopping there. But, if you're going to tempt me with a Paper Source, I might have to break down. And break down I did. My husband was there to witness the breakdown.
But it was for a good cause. I have two friends expecting babies in the next few months and I need to make announcements. One boy and one girl. So, I picked up a few things.......

Of course, there are a few things for me in this stack. How could I resist? It was hard to keep focused with the wall of coordinating card supplies. Envelopes, cards of every shape and size, scalloped cirlces, squares and ovals..... All to be drooled over.

Christmas Lists.......

Do you know how hard it is to wait for Christmas? I'm this instant gratification person. I don't like to wait. I have gifts already purchased for some people and I can't wait to give them out. I hate waiting. I hate waiting for my stuff and to give my stuff. I'd rather just go out and buy what I want. I only have two things on my list this year. My husband wants more ideas, but there are only two things I want.

An Anze Kopitar jersey and a new 30 GB iPod.

And along with that new iPod, I can get a new skin. Since Apple doesn't make a blue iPod (in anything other than a Nano or Mini) I must dress my regular iPod with cool clothes. I've begged and pleaded with Apple to reconsider the blue iPod. They really need to come in colors other than Black and White. Thats just so.....boring.

So, my new iPods first outfit will be......

A Los Angeles Kings skin. You just have to love the NHL shop. www.shop.nhl.com

The Ribbor Jar

If you haven't checked this place out, do it. www.theribbonjar.com They have monthly jars with a color/seasonal theme that you can buy. They come in cute jars - different jars every month. And then they have yards of ribbon for sale. I couldn't resist last months jar - brown and green ribbon. My favorite color combo. I have two of the dress forms to decorate, and they might be getting a green and brown dress.......

Scalloped everything......

With this baby, I can scallop everything. Thats right, I bought one of these little suckers. No more trying to cut in a straight line with those scissors - I never did scissors. I'm kicking myself for not buying the extra package and getting the other two blades. But, there is always the next Expo right? :) So, I've scalloped a few things already and I love this thing. So easy to use. I have no use for the deckle or victorian blades so they'll stay neatly tucked away. I will be purchasing extra scalloped blades though. :) Lots of them. If I could scallop my house, I would. Everything in this house would be scalloped with lots of swarovski crystals on those scallops.

Last weeks loot.....

Shopping - internet and at the store. I don't care, its all the same. This was last weeks haul.

All kinds of goodies. New Lil Davis Designs Rock Star and Vanderbilt.

Bazzill Mini Blossoms.

Stamps (Technique Tuesday, Hero Arts and Cats Life Press)

Lots of goodies......

Back to the Charity game....

So, the other big names were some of the old Kings - Iam Turnbull and Rick Chartraw. Bobby Hull Jr - the son of Bobby Hull - The Golden Jet. Some actors that were there included Michael Vartan (Never Been Kissed), Jason Priestley (yuck, Beverly Hills 90210) and Alan Thicke (Growing Pains). You can find out more about the Freeze the Disease Foundation at www.freezethedisease.com

More pictures from the Game:

Bobby Hull Jr.












Igor larionov - 4 time Stanely Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings.

Ducks @ Kings

So, that Kings Ducks game I mentioned in the last post, well, I took some pictures. not the greatest, but it will remind me that at one point in the game, we led them.

Until they tied it up and we had to go into OT and a Shootout. O'Sullivan and Kopitar had a chance to win this one and they both kind of blew it.

Charity hockey....

is always fun. Especially when you include igor Larionov and Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie Howe. Forget Gretzky, Howe is the real deal. Gretzky doesn't hold a candle to this man. He did it all. he could shoot, skate, pass, score and most importantly - fight. This man has fists of steel.
There was a charity hockey game at Staples after the last Kings Ducks game (which the Kings managed to squeeze a point out of...) to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. A worthy cause. the Staples Center ushers screwed the seating up. Even though you paid for seats, they stuck you in the non-paid seats. I didn't know you didn't have to pay to see the game. I thought it was ticket purchases only. I still would have bought the tickets because it went towards charity.
Well, come to find out, I could have sat in the good seats, the ones behind the player benches but because all of the ushers at Staples never graduated from High School, they can't follow directions.
It took almost an hour for the game to start - they had to go through the player introductions and a presentation by someone who has Cystic Fibrosis. The one bad aspect - the fact that Gordie Howe didn't sign autographs. In the email I received from the Kings it stated that there would be a Meet and Greet with Gordie. When I got there, I found out they were auctioning off 2 lucky winners to meet with him and get their pictures taken. Only two. People were walking away. Do you know how much money they could have raised for CF if they guy had sat there and signed autographs? But no, only two people won that honor. That sucks. I really wanted to meet him. How often does someone like Gordie Freakin' Howe come to town? Seriously.
So, how close did I actually get?
Jumbotron close. Thanks to the Ushers at Staples Center....

I guess that will have to do for now. One of these days, I'll get to meet him.

Blogger has been horrible lately....

I haven't been able to post pictures. I just tested and it worked. Okay, so all of my posts from the other day are coming up.

First.....
Can you say Cammilicious? My husband cut his head off - this would be why I handle the camera in this family. No missing heads - especially off my hockey players. I wish the Kings would have thought before they had this printed. They should have had the pose where he scored the goal on one knee. Thats more Cammy-ish.

Post #1 for today

There will be many, so keep checking. I have a lot of photos to upload.

Just checked nhl.com and it looks like Garon is sitting near the top. Not too bad for a goalie who was supposed to be the #2 this season. My boy Labarbera got the boot to make room for a goalie who can't stop a beachball. Is it wring to want someone on your team injured? Cloutier may end up with whiplash if he keeps up his current play.....
So, even though I'd like to have Labarbera back in LA, I'll Garon his due.

So, with that posted.....bring up Labarbera! He's 3-3-0 with a .901% GAA. Cloutier is 1-6-0 with a .879% GAA. Okay, no comparison right now. And the Kings sadly, signed this moron to an extension before he even played a game. So tell me, why is Labarbera in Manchester???

SOPEL-tastic!!

That is the word to describe the game last night. SOPEL-tastic! 2 goals and a great block in the crease last night. Saved a Ranger shot from sneaking in the net behind Garon.

And then there's Garon. A little off on some of the shots, but he was right on when he needed to be. When it counted. Which is so much more than I can say for Cloutier.

Do you know how nice it was to quiet those Ranger fans last night?
I think the pedicure is working.......

Kings fans only......

Look what I found. Its an iron on transfer (I know, so 80's) made by Me and My Big Ideas - a scrapbook company. They're putting out several different iron-on transfers to make your own shirts. Do you see this? Were they thinking of hockey fans when they made this? Because I bought every one I could find. I'm going to make myself some shirts!!

And how cool is this? I'm the hockey fan in this family, not my husband. This SO fits. This is me. And it comes with a little bling. Who doesn't like a little bling on their clothes?

And yes, that crown is purple. :) Team LA Store - eat your heart out!!!

Go Kings Go! Beat Dallas!

More layouts......

A few more layouts from last weekends crop at the Oasis.

The Brown and Green one is a kit from a Michelle Hill class. Still cute. I didn't have a picture for it, but I found one. I love this photo. Its my dad walking with my cousins' son when they were out from NY. Too cute.

Want to see some of my loot? I won a few things at the crop. Good stuff. New Stuff. Stuff that hasn't been sent out to the stores yet. :) An SEI album, some new SEI papers (Boy and Girl) and the new Piggy Tales papers (Lil Red Riding Hood and another one which the name escapes me).

And who could resist the new Basic Grey papers? Yep, my trusty website for BG came through again. :) And they sell packs of the matching cardstock too.

Okay

So the ooutcome of yesterdays game wasn't what I was hoping for. At least they squeezed another point out of it. They had the game in the bag, but instead of trying to increase the lead, they just tried to defend it. Sad too, because they were playing like they deserved to win. The fact that it took 7 shooters in a Sudden Death Shootout to decide the game was enough for me. Next game, the Duckies are going down. Them and their stupid orange Cal-Trans looking shirt wearing fans of theirs. All 7 of them.
Garon was in net. Don't get me started on that other pice of poo the Kings picked up. Still trying to make sense of that move. If he'd been in goal, god knows how many Duck goals he would have let in...
On a bright note, my boy Labarbera is 3-1-1 in Manchester. I'm currently scheming, trying to find a way to get out to Manchester for the weekend to see some games......
I'm also scheming for a Kopitar jersey. Fo' shizzle Kopitizzle. :) I'm going to have his sign it "Hockey God".
Next season, I'll be scheming for a Patrick O'Sullivan jersey. Yep. And I'll have him sign it "Irish'. The Kings are giving away free St. Patty's day hats on St. Pattys day this year. the last time they had a hat promotion, Pavol Demitra scored a hat trick. Looks like everyone must tune in to the Kings game on March 17th to see Irish score a hat trick. :) Must see T.V. folks!

Oh, I was surprised when my husband got the cable bill this month and alerted me to the fact that I do indeed have Center Ice. Yes folks, that means everyone will be seeing a little less of me as I hibernate in front of the tv for the long winter months. Family who? Where? Holidays? Must have missed them. See, I was trying to be the 'good wife' and save a little money. I mean, Bryan was nice enough to let me renew my season seats again this year so I thought I'd give something back. :) I didn't renew my Center Ice package. Little did we know that they will continue to enroll you in it until you tell them to stop it. Ooops! So, I've been missing all of these great games thinking I don't have it when in reality, I did. I've started looking at the schedule now to see which games are a must see over the next month. :)

Anyone wondering how the crop went on Saturday - it was awesome. Won some new Piggy Tails paper thats not out yet and an SEI album - those cute, pre-made little albums. Those make great gifts. Lots of sneak peaks at the new stuff and as always, the Oasis was awesome. Karen and Wendy always put on a good show. I didn't make it the entire time though - but I hung on for 11 hours!! So many projects were finished including these:

I used the chipboard flower from MM. Covered them with the new Basic Grey and I can't remember what brand the green paper is. Paper Salon maybe? Added a few primas and HS bling.

More projects to follow shortly. I'm still scanning and stitching.....

Croppin'.....

... at the Oasis tomorrow. So excited. Lots of new product and previews from the Memory Trends show. Its an all day thing 10 am- 1 am. See link for Scrapbook Oasis at the right.

I just spent several hours packing my bag for tomorrow. Lots of goodies. I started some layouts a few weeks ago and have finally started scanning them in. With the hockey season started, there is going to be little time for scrapping.

I looked at the Kings schedule today and there is a home game every Saturday for the next 7 weeks! The first Saturday they have off is the one before Christmas. Crazy stuff.
Here is one of the layouts I completed. Still trying to perfect the stitch feature. Its a little lopsided.

Brent Sopels hit on Scatchard

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c124/rascal1004/?action=view&current=061019_sopel_boynton.flv

If you are a Phoenix Coyote fan, you've been warned!

3 hard earned points

So the game against Minnesota could have gone either way. It didn't go the way I wanted it too, but the Kings did get a point out of it. Cloutier looked better in goal, except for a few mistakes. Avery coughed the puck up in OT - 25 seconds into OT. Personally, I would have had a different line up against Demitra and Gaborik, but Crawford went with Avery. Oh well, like I said, it was a point.
And I was there, with my JLB jersey pressed against the glass during warmups again. Yep. I'd like to take some credit for Cloutier's slight improvement. I think I pissed him off. :) Hey, if it forces him to play better, than why not? Just because we are in a rebuilding year doesn't mean they have to suck.

Speaking of suck, have you seen Jeremy Roenick lately? Invisible. The only reason I knew he was out there - because the Kings color guys mentioned him. Apparantly, Gretzky was quoted as saying that JR is an asset to the team, blah blah blah. And people wonder why I have little respect for Gretzky the man. Gretzky the player, fine, but the man - I wouldn't give you two cents for him. And to think the Kings payed him $5 million to suck last year. The Coyotes got him for the bargain price of $1 million.

So, one player that we acquired last year has really surprised me. Brent Sopel. Okay, so he was playing hurt at the end of last season, but I still didn't see any promise there. I kept asking myself why Dave Taylor would got out and acquire an injured player and another one who didn't really want to be here? Well, Mark Parrish (Mr. I'd rather play in Minnesota) got his wish and is playing in the hockey mecca while Brent Sopel is soaking up the attention here in LA. Freaky little dude fits in here too. And someone over at the Kings board just HAD to post this the other day. Too funny. But I can see how at times, he could be considered sexy. Whatever, he's a great defenseman. http://www.freewebs.com/sexysopel/index.htm

And his hit last night on Scatchard was priceless. Scatchard make the mistake of turning around to pick up a pass from a teammate. Brent skated out of the penalty box and just stood there, like one of the concrete pylons. Scatchard, who was busy looking over his shoulder, never knew what hit him. Completely clean and legal hit too. I love Sopel. Sexy Sopel.

Let Sleeping Dogs..........

...Sleep? Look at that face! He crawls up on the back of the couch and burrows a hole in the cushion. There is a permanent dent where he usually sleeps. After the busy weeks we've had, I don't blame him.
I'm looking forward to more sleep. The Kings home stand has finally ended. Don't get me wrong, I love the games, but they need to space them out a little more. This was the longest home stand of the year. Add to that, the free tickets to various Ducks games in my company's suite. I was going to games every night! Crazy! 4 games in 5 nights. AND I had to be at work by 6 am. Thats a 4 am wakeup call for me, people. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a morning person. I may be up, but I don't communicate any other way than short grunts and facial twitches. The snooze button is my friend. And I don't do people this early either. Recently, more people have started coming into the office earlier and its killing me. They want to talk, make conversation, sing, whistle and whatever else. This is my quiet time, where I get a lot of work done. Add to my usual non-morningness the fact that I'm averaging just a few hours of sleep a night and I become a serious grump.
But its HOCKEY season!

......we will return to our regularly scheduled program in June......