So, That's Why!

2012-01-15T19:09:00.002-06:00

2012-01-07T09:57:00.000-06:00

This year, the choice of my One Little Word, has caused me far too much stress. Here it is, the seventh day of the new year, and I'm just settling on a word. And I can't really say, I've settled on a word either, since it's really a word with a bunch of words associated.

Ready?

My word is IMPROVE. woohoo

photo from Link-Assistant.com

Well, I thought that was kind of lame because I'm always trying to improve.. To me, the point of living is to improve. Every little decision I make is based on this idea anyway, so it's no big revelation for me. The thing is, though, this year I intend to IMPROVE with INTENTION. In keeping with past years words, I've decided to FOCUS and ORGANIZE my year with 12 areas that I intend to IMPROVE. (And, if you believe the Mayan calendar, which I DO NOT, this is my chance to do it.)

The 12 areas (12? Hmmm....like 12 MONTHS!) are:

1. DIET - By diet, I mean, food, not weight loss. Essentially, my intention is to not eating things that cause me to feel ill. I know I can't tolerate wheat and lactose, and yet I've continued to torture myself out of sheer stubbornness. No more in 2012. I've already started this improvement with much success. Much as I ended my smoking addition in the past, I'm shunning all foods that make my body miserable.
2. STORYTELLING - My hobbies revolve around storytelling, mostly about my kids, our family and our life together. In 2011, I shifted the focus off those things and this year, I will return to them. There are countless stories that I didn't record from last year, and I'm bummed about that. My scrapbooking will shift back to the basics of storytelling and the paper and glue variety.
3. FINANCIAL - Finally on the right track, now I need to sustain it and keep improving.
4. TIME MANAGEMENT - Our lives have been sucked into mindless games and pursuits again, much like in 2010 when we went internet candy free. So much more time can be added to my days by improving how I spend my time....which leads to ....
5. FAMILY - The most important thing in my life. I need to spend more time with them.
6. PHOTOGRAPHY - Ana is taking a class at school this year, so we'll get to share in this joy.
7. HOUSE and HOME - Projects of home improvement mostly are surface in my home, or left incomplete - with the help of my sidekick, Invisibob, things will get DONE!
8. SOCIAL - I'm happy to sit on my couch with my nose in a book most times, but that is not always a good thing.
9. CURIOSITY - Matt asks me dozens of questions a week (a day? an hour?) that I don't have an answer to. My response is usually, "We should look that up!" and we don't. This year, we will (and not get sucked into stupid computer games before we get our answers, ahem...)
10. ADVENTURE - I need to invite some adventure into my life this year - my kids are going to France with their father for 3 weeks - what an adventure! Since I'll be here, I need to plan an adventure of my own with Invisibob (within driving distance, of course).
11. REFLECTION - I need to take the time to reflect on what I'm improving this year, by writing in my blog or my art journals.
12. RELAX - Finally, this was my dear Invisibob's suggestion. In fact, it's his suggestion every year for the last five that he's been my sidekick and best friend. My usual response is "I can't". There's room for improvement.

So, that's it. IMPROVE. I'll see where it takes me. And I intend to share it here, to tell my stories to friends and family and reflect with a little photography thrown in. See, that accomplishes five things right there! Piece of cake!

*****************

Why Invisibob? This was my dad's nickname for him and also because he refuses to be photographed, so I used the Androidify app and came up with this:

Favorite Photos of 2011 (a bit late)

2012-01-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

Despite the fact that I have a camera in my purse at all times, my good camera (the DSLR that no one touches but me), a camera on my iPod touch AND one on my phone, I seem to have lost my mojo for photos some time last year. Maybe it was because I started to trust my memory and didn't need pictures (not at ALL!), or because I feel the need to "enhance" every photo I share with Photoshop (what a drag!), or it might be because my teenager who used to see a camera and smile instantly now subtly and not so subtly moves out of the shot, looks down, covers her face... much to my to my dismay.

I do have a few good photos to share...

Sweet Sleepy Jack

Jack on the landing overlooking the computer

Dmitry on the way to causing trouble

My girl broke her collarbone in track. Repeat after me: Track is NOT a contact sport!

The Crosly entertainment center I bought for $7 at Goodwill....not a scratch on it and everything works. Dug out my old records...that's a post for another time!

Matt teaching his Great Uncle Don about Pokemon. This picture is precious to me.

I'm a sucker for these twinkling blue eyes and those freckles.

Matt selling raffle tickets for Hope 4 Paws

I'm related to these crazy people!

....and this crazy little duck, too!

Did I mention he's crazy? What a sense of humor this kid has!

And now he's an orange belt!

Ana went to homecoming

Matt's birthday pizza was bigger than him

"I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" (we helped)


Aww...my babies

Thanks for sharing with me....hopefully I'll get on the ball and tell a few stories! And I still need to find my One Little Word...

Can it be 2012?

2012-01-02T10:59:00.000-06:00

Can it be 2012 already?

Can it be that the last time I wrote in my blog was July 16th!?

Can it be that I haven't been here for 6 months?

Yes, I'm afraid so.
(Dmitry says, "It is 170 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date
Or 5 months, 17 days excluding the end date. But who's counting?")

And even though I have good intentions of being back here, truth is, I'm not sure how consistent I can be. All I know is I'll try.

I look back on the end of year posts from 2009 and 2010 and see that I did favorite photos of the year....and I know that I have barely picked up my camera in the second half of 2011. Not because I don't want to enjoy my photos and my memories, but I think I lost my artistic way a bit. Around about August 2011, I hit the brakes on my creative life and shifted gears and my energies to my new job, because, for the first time in over 6 years, I genuinely liked my job and every person I work with. Not since I was teaching at Westwood College, have I felt that I was in the right place career-wise. Not since Westwood and my dear Frank, have I had a boss who appears to care so much about her employees that I really wanted to work hard. And when you consider how much time you spend working, it's so good if you want to do it.

I've made about 4 digital scrapbook pages in the past 6 months. If you've been here before, you know that is basically nothing compared to 2010 and early 2011.

I took some online classes, Soul Restoration II (yes, I'm a Brave Girl, too), 21 Secrets, and Supplies Me with Jane Davenport, and In the Sun and I'm proud of the results. I've grown my drawing skills and my mixed media repertoire. But, sadly, I fell of the Art Journal Caravan, after 2 years. I traded pixels for pencils and have gotten back to basics. The resulting art work has been harder to share, since I never like the way they photograph and there are many more steps to sharing my art than when I was doing the digital pages.

And finally, it's January 2nd, 2012 and I have yet to share my one word (details for Ali Edwards One Little Word are here) for this year. But, that's what has steered me back here. Because it's important. It's important not to beat myself up for not blogging the last 6 months of my life (mostly because I was focused on my new job and my family).

It's important to me to choose a word that will guide my year, as I have in the past. 2010 had me focused, 2011 was organize.

And this year?

Wow, this has been a tough one.

There were so many that I wanted to choose, for several reasons. I need to think a bit more about it and I'll here be back to share what I've decided.

Talented

2011-07-16T08:29:00.000-05:00

Well, we know Dmitry plays fetch. He comes when he's called and wags his tail like a dog. But, did you know he can Macarena?

My Soul is Filling.....

2011-07-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

At the end of May this year, I was laid off of work. This wasn't the type of layoff that one would expect to be called back from, so I'm not sure why they call it a layoff....I guess that's to cushion the blow. Anyway, I was stunned. Knew it was coming, but my emotional self took over for several hours. And then, I was ok. Really, ok.

I felt ok. I got my ducks in a row. I started applying for jobs immediately. I made a list of all the good things that might come of having this time to be home and I must say that helped me not to panic. I'm a silver lining girl all the way. I know many people who are out of work right now. I hold each of their stories in my heart and root for them to get back to work, too. I feel guilty that I am making the best of this time off. I don't make light of anyone's situation and I feel the pain, my friends. But I want to share my list. My good things list. My silver lining list.

1. I've accomplished stuff. My hall closet is clean and functional!
2. I've enjoyed whole days and not worried about having enough time to do things.
3. I've finished reading one book (Freakonomics) and have two more cued up - 1. Fiction-The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood and 2. Non-Fiction - I Love it When You Talk Retro - both of which I found for 89 cents at Goodwill (see #6).
4. I've made my yard lovely again - with the help of my sister, her hubby and my dear, Invisibob.
5. I've been the "driving mom" for the first time in many years. And I've been happy to do it.
6. I've wandered around the Goodwill stores in my neighborhood, finding treasures. Don't scoff, my money supports their mission and the treasures look great in my yard!
7. I let my kids have sleepovers - heck, I don't have to get up for work in the morning, why not?
8. I've gone to Thursday morning matinees with my dear, IB. (See #4, Bob is known as Invisibob because 1. He does not appear in photographs willingly, and 2. He didn't start appearing at family functions until we'd been together for a while. My dad dubbed him "Invisibob" as a joke, and it stuck.)
9. I've stopped eating fast food and started cooking again -can't say that I don't have the time to cook!
10. I've taught Matt to cook English muffin pizzas (at least I'll know he can make something!)

11. Ana and I pulled out the food processor and made a cantaloupe granita this week- yum!

We're also growing our own herbs: lots of basil for pestos and pizzas, cilantro, parsley, and dill. And, our cucumber plants are coming along nicely.
12. I've indulged myself in art and music - something I haven't had time for in a long time.

13. I had a picnic in my backyard for the first time in the 7 years I've lived here. Ok, I kind of had to force the kids to join me, but it was a good time, nonetheless.

I'm so thankful that I have a family who is there to help me out and be supportive as I look for a job. I have a second interview with the same company next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm ready to go back - my soul is filled up again.

And the cat came back.....

2011-07-14T19:40:00.000-05:00

Fred Penner - The Cat Came Back

Gone for two weeks, then on the 4th of July, Melanie appeared at the door. I saw her first and then called upstairs to tell Matt she'd come back. He yelled for Ana, who was in the shower, and there was great excitment.

The Cat Came Back

Naturally, she read my blog post and was so moved that she found her way home. We theorized that she had been shut up in the house across the street for the 2 weeks since that house was being renovated and there were workers going in and out all day.

The Cat Came Back

Not a scratch on her. That was my biggest worry when I saw her. But no, she was in one piece, nothing wrong. She did run right to the food bowl and chow down.

The Cat Came Back!

Yep, the power of blogging is proven once again...like I said, she must read this blog. Maybe I should write about other things that I've been missing, like.my baseball card collection that was stolen by a boyfriend almost 20 years ago? Think that might bring those 1960s rare cards back? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

And then there were 2

2011-06-29T09:39:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, a little girl was out in her yard cutting flowers and a cat appeared. The cat was a tabby with beautiful markings, but no collar, and she seemed a little confused.

She thought the little girl was her own, so she lay down on the ground near where the little girl was trimming back the peony bushes, and she stayed there all day.

Inside the house was a great big black dog,

but the cat didn't know that or she didn't care, because she seemed to just want to stay with the girl.

Even when the girl went into the house, the cat stayed. The girl would go outside and the cat would return, nuzzling into the little girl's arms.

The girl's mom was reluctant to like the cat, since she already had a big dog and 2 kids to care for, but then it started to rain.

The mom and girl hardened their hearts and went inside, leaving the cat outside where it belonged. That lasted for about 2 minutes. And then cat was part of their family for 4 years.

And soon joined by another cat, known as Dmitry.

And Melanie served her family well for her 4 years there- she stayed an inside cat for 3 years and got all chubby and comfy, but the lure of the outdoors was still strong. And so were the bunnies.

This spring, she presented her family with 4 dead mice, 1 dead bird and 8 decapitated bunnies. And the mom cleaned up after her killing spree. Ewww.

And then, it was time for the first cat, now named Melanie, to move on.

And then there were 2.

And life goes on. Yes, I'm sad. Yes, the kids are sad, but we had 4 good years with her. And we all still hold hope that she'll wander back to our home someday, but we like to tell ourselves that she's found a new family with a little girl and boy who need a cat. We are optimists.

Bye Melanie - hope you are somewhere safe.

Attack of the SHOULDs

2011-06-12T10:55:00.001-05:00

So, I see it's been some time since my last post. You would think that after I was laid off my job at the end of May, that I might have had a little more time to post to my blog, and you would be right. However, I think I've been avoiding it, just as I avoid cutting the grass or doing the dishes (I'm avoiding the lawn mower as I write this post). This shouldn't feel like a chore, right? Not that anyone is holding me accountable to post, that's all me.

That's me in the guilty chair.

All me.

Like how I feel that I should my household under control by now (I don't) or have found a job by now (I haven't) or slimmed down and gotten healthier (not yet). Seems to me that my life is full of SHOULDs right now. My 40th birthday is in 23 days and I feel like I SHOULD have it all figured out by now (I don't).

What I need to do is give myself a break - it's not like I'll become a superhero in 23 days, capable of turning myself into a swirling ball of energy and tying up all my loose ends and finishing all my unfinished projects so I could start my 40th year fresh and in control (though, that would be awesome). I have limitations and need to set my goals and expectations back to the human setting (not superhero setting).

I'm also not likely to win the lottery (I don't play), so I don't think my financial woes will be resolved in 23 days, either. I may find a job in the next 23 days, but if I don't, I'm not a failure, I just need to be persistent, stay positive, and keep trying.

I created this digital art journal page to remind myself of what I SHOULD be doing:

And since it's the first cool day, non-rainy in my neck of the woods, I have to go cut that grass!

Some new pages...checking in

2011-05-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

Haven't been here in a while ... still painting .. all of us are healthy and still wishing for the warm weather to stay a bit longer. We had 2 teaser days in the 90s last week and we are back to the 40s again! Oh May, you are such a tease!

I'm taking a lot less photos than in previous years. Or, maybe it just seems like that since I now have 4 devices to take photos: my iPod Touch, my phone, and 2 cameras.

How about a page of my beautiful girl....

An experiment with Photoshop

Art Journal Caravan page on the word TRY

Art Journal Caravan page on the word UNDERSTAND

Spring Shoes and Colorful Toes

2011-04-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~ Robin Williams

Collage Paintings

2011-04-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

I've been plugging away on one of the 21 Secrets classes: Collage, Paint and Soul taught by Tamara Laporte of Willowing.ning. Here are a few things I've made so far. I can't take any really good photos though...

This.....

Became this...

I'm Still Here Having Fun with Paint

2011-04-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

I'm on the computer less and less these days, but that's because I don't want to get paint on my key board! Here's a peek at what I've been up to, and a peek at my biggest fan, Dmitry, the art cat (I'm sure he was more interested in the bird outside the window than in me.).

Happy Wednesday!

Sign of Spring

2011-04-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

If you live in my neck of the woods, this is just as much a sign of spring as the little buds on the trees and the flowers poking through the ground....

Jewel's Garden Center is up!

(Thanks to my mom for mentioning this...it's true!)

Changing Course

2011-03-31T13:33:00.000-05:00

So, I was doing the digital thing...now I'm like, eh. Time for something new.....I'm going to be hanging out on the playground.

I've been digging art journals for some time now, but I try to do them and I get stuck more often than I get something I like.

Hmmm......I thought to myself....same thing happened with the digital scrapbooking prior to last year, and when I devoted my energies to learning that, I was thrilled with the results of my commitment. So, I'm here, committing to a new art form - art journaling.

Getting messy.

Getting expressive.

Ahhhh...

Just a thought

2011-03-29T16:50:00.000-05:00

Why I Smell Like Coffee Today

2011-03-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

Source unknown: Found on tumblr

The first time, I thought it was just the coffee on the rim of the cup.

The second time, it was because I thought it was just on the rim of the recycled McDonald's cup and took another sip (coffee from home, in a McDonald's cup-I thought I could trick myself into thinking it was "not from home" coffee - the joke was on me).

The third time I spilled, was just dumb - I forgot about to first 2 spills and wanted another sip on my way to work.

THE FOURTH TIME was REALLY dumb! With full knowledge that my cheap McDonald's coffee cup had been compromised and that the lid was CRACKED, and now out of my car and on my way into work where I knew I had a nice Starbucks mug on my desk into which I could decant my now cold coffee, I took another sip. And now my purple sweater smells of coffee.

And I will smell of coffee all day.
And there are worse things, I guess.
And have a good day. Whatever you smell like.

New Pages

2011-03-20T10:18:00.000-05:00

While on this Art Journal Caravan that I've mentioned many times before, we have an monthly assignment, of sorts. This month to illustrate 4 word phrases based on Patti Digh's book, 4 Word Self Help (love Patti's stuff). Here are a couple I've completed.

Fight for Your Dream

My next project is to create an altered board book with some of my favorite 4 word phrases - with actual materials, not digital. I stopped in my favorite used book store and picked up a little board book for this purpose - My First Word Book - a favorite of my Ana's when she was a baby. In fact, her's was so loved, it's in pieces in a zip lock in her keepsakes. I couldn't think of a better book to alter, and I think today is a great day to start working on it. Hopefully, I'll get around to sharing my progress on that when the month's over.

Anyone have a 4 word (inspirational) phrase to share?

2 New Digital Art Journal Pages and some Good News I'm Sharing

2011-02-23T21:06:00.002-06:00

Here are my Art Caravan Journal Pages for Weeks 7 (theme was Wonder) and 8 (Reinforce).

Also, I've been taking a few new classes at Big Picture Classes and I've been playing more with my paper scrapping materials lately. Here are a few tags I made as creative jumpstarts in May Flaum's Creative Retreat class:

Get it?

True, right?

And finally - my digital layout of Bloom Where You're Planted will be published in the Spring 2011 edition of Somerset Digital Studio! I can't tell you how excited I was to receive my copy in the mail. I opened it with my dear ScrapCellar Girls (my wings) and my dear Peggy took a photo of me posing with my copy. I'll be crossing that goal off my to do list now!

Thanks for letting me share! Have a fantastic week!

Sharing - Art Journal Caravan Week 6

2011-02-10T19:25:00.000-06:00

My Week 6 Art Journal Page. This week's word: Live

Found: More Ana first day of school photos

2011-02-05T18:50:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm obsessed out of season. It's not back to school time, but I've found some more back to school photos of my daughter. I've been scanning and correcting photos...oy, I took lots of photos of this little girl! So, here are a few to share:

So, there is preschool, kindergarten and 2nd grade....

Dmitry, the Russian Blue Retriever?

2011-02-04T21:28:00.000-06:00

So, I've shared some of my cat, Dmitry's eccentricities here before ... his ability to fetch, his hoarding of old Fisher Price Sesame Street characters, his destruction of my Christmas decorations, and why he is crazy. Today's story really has me concerned.

My son came down with his first cold of the year. We dug our way out of the house yesterday to get him some cold medicine yesterday. I bought the kind that loosens everything up for him. Anyway....if you have or care for kids, you know the liquid medicines come with a special measuring cup (we always used a spoon...I wonder if that means we didn't get enough or if we got too much?). This particluar brand measures in mL, rather than tsp, so the cup is special for this brand of medicine.

Ok, following me?

So, I'm at the computer this morning, doing my makeup and reading email and I realized that I left the medicine bottle up in my bathroom, so I sent Matt to get the bottle so I could give him some of the medicine before school. He returned a few minutes later with the bottle, but without the cup. Well, he's nine, so I figured, the missing cup was just a slight - he probably didn't realize that I would need the cup. So, I asked him to go get the cup and he say, "I didn't see one". Well, we already tease him for having "little boy vision", so I realize that I have to go find it myself.

One second later, something fell from the staircase landing right above my computer and landed with a dull CLINK on the keyboard. I picked it up and .... it was the cup. THE CUP! The goofy mL measuring cup literally fell from the sky, onto my keyboard. Stunned, I look up and there is Dmitry, sitting on the landing, head between the posts on the staircase above me.

No kidding.

For real.

The crazy cat RETRIEVED the cup.

This cat is SOMETHING!

Good kitty!

Peeking over the piles of snow to share some random stuff!

2011-02-03T15:56:00.002-06:00

So, I'm snowed in. Actually, I can probably leave now, but I don't really feel like going anywhere.

Jack the Dog frolicking in the show

My daughter does, but she is always on the go. Her 2 "snow days" off of school aren't turning out like she'd like them to: shopping and some more shopping, and maybe even a little more shopping...and listening to her iPod and some more shopping. She's done some baking, made Snow Ice Cream, played lots of Super Mario Galaxy, but now she's had enough!

But, what neither kid understands is that I've got cabin fever myself. I'm cranky (need my Get Out of Crankville card) and I feel like doing everything and nothing all at once. I hate feeling this way. Very frustrated.

I used my time today to locate pictures that I've been asked for (like, a long time ago)....first day of school pictures that were "missing" from the set for their stepmom...Ana's first day of 6th grade and Matt's first day of Kindergarten (he was only there for a month before moving up to 1st grade, but I have the pictures from both of his first days). Once I discovered them, I realized why they hadn't be distributed as eagerly as the others...they're BAD. The kids are cute, the photography stinks...they have shadows on their faces and they are overexposed and the angle is crummy...I'm being hard on myself, right? It's the memory that counts. I played around with them in Photoscape (because, while I have Photoshop CS5, I have only a vague clue as to what I'm doing). Here are a few photos from 2007, first day of school:

I've since learned where to stand the kids for the first day "photo shoot": 2008, 2009, 2010

Every year I learn a little more. Every year, Ana is elegant and fashionable. Every year, Matt's a goof!

Ok...now I'm going to find something else to do...what are you up to?

An Affirmation

2011-01-23T20:26:00.001-06:00

Altered Artspiration #63

2011-01-17T12:04:00.000-06:00

I played along with a challenge at www.scrapbookgraphics.com - the challenge was to use this ad as an inspiration for a art journal or scrapbook page. Here's the ad:

Here's my entry, "I Am Captured"

Credits here

Credits Here

Art Journal Page

2011-01-15T12:27:00.000-06:00

I know, I'm bad....not posting much. Here's an Art Journal Page I made:

See ya soon!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T19:47:00.000-06:00

A new year, a new page!
My resolutions are rather low key. Check that silly picture of me sticking my tongue out when I was, like, 3? I have photos of both my kids doing the same silly thing - I need to dig them up - family resemblance!

My Favorite Photos of 2010

2010-12-31T16:39:00.000-06:00

I wanted to wrap up the year with some of my favorite photos from this year:

Caught in the act

Nothing says love like heart shaped pancakes

Scary, isn't she?

Nature girl collecting water samples to investigate

Ana's signature 80's glasses

Nature Matt

Handsome Matt

Yoda Melanie

Genuine laughter

Get it? Matt's the wildlife!

I'd still love to edit this picture. Love their funny set up.

Our day at the beach

And the ride home from the beach

My awesome birthday watermelon cake - thanks sis!

One day they won't be playing!

Matt fell for one of his aunt's foster dogs, a St. Bernard named Ditka

The most gorgeous eyes and freckles

A Hello Kitty birthday for Ana

Freshman year - where did the time go?

You're one of the best people I know, too

Doing homework....with sunglasses on!

Pretty eyes

Samantha!

Matt's birthday cake

Three little kittens abandoned by their mama under my sister's deck

Ana's fave shoes - which are currently missing - anyone?

Pretty Hello Kitty

He's got the key

Melanie's mouth

Dmitry's feet

Jack's nose

Kids with their Grandpa Bubba

Matt's birthday sundae


My pretty mom

Hope you have a fun, safe New Year's Eve!

A little inspiration

2010-12-29T07:03:00.001-06:00

So, I've set my intention for 2011 - Organize! And here's a little inspiration page:

Credits: Make a Change, Laura Banasiak Designs

Have an inspired day!

One Little Word, 2011 edition....

2010-12-28T07:21:00.004-06:00

So, it's time to finally share my word for 2011. Maybe I should have waited for December 31st, but I'm just too excited to wait. I've even started planning my year - you'll see why in a moment when you scroll down....

I've only told one person so far, and I have to confess, this choice was not difficult to make, but will be difficult to stick to. Just the thought of it this morning is making me a little nervous, but I think that's kind of a good thing.

This is important to me.

As I look down the road to my 40th birthday in 2011, I know I need this. This one little word will be the catalyst to peace of mind, of knowing what I have, what I can do, what I really need, and has the added benefit of helping me discover more time for the things I love.

It's become a very important word as I've recently discovered why I need it so badly.

The word is Organize.

Simple. Concrete. Organize.

I've aspired to this word for many years, and while I'd never put myself in the category of slob, I do admit I have more than I need in my home at the moment. And I think the moment I started watching Hoarders to make sure I'm not one was a turning point in making this decision.

While I wouldn't say I'm a hoarder, I think in the past I've had a psychological need to keep things I no longer needed. It has to do with control just as much as any other weak spot in my otherwise solid life. And having enough "stuff" stems from the fears I had while in a long over relationship.

Well, that's done. I'm a strong enough person now to let go: Of the resentment that came from that relationship, of the stuff, the weight, the anger I've accumulated from that. Weight of things, of mind, of body.

I'm inviting "organize" to be my one little word - now that I know what it is I really need, it's time to cull the things I don't and organize the things I do - mind, body, home, financially, and in my soul.

So, it's funny and a little sad to me that when I went looking for all my books on organizing (of which I have many, many), I couldn't find them. But I will.

Eventually.

For my journey of organize this coming year, I'll be looking to my gurus: Peter Walsh, Regina Leeds, and Marcia Ramsland, not only because I know where their books are in my house (LOL), but because I really like them. And then Dave Ramsey is going to be helping me get my finances in order. I don't intend to turn this into an organization blog, though, but I'll check in with my progress. I hope to feel lighter, freer, and have more time as the year rolls on.

Out with the old..... and don't bring in too much new! Here's to the year of the black garbage bag! (I'm going to have to get to know my garbage man/sanitation engineer by name!)

That's it for now. Thanks for letting me share my word with you. I hope you'll do the same.

Please leave a comment with your word and a link to you blog (if you have one) where you shared your word.

I wish you much success this year!

Reflecting on my One Little Word from 2010.....part 1

2010-12-27T12:00:00.002-06:00

This was the first year I decided to select a word to guide my year. My word for 2010 was Focus, and I'm pleased to say, for the most part, it's been a very good year, and a very good word for me. Rather than making resolutions I'll quickly break, choosing a word for my whole year, was a great success and I'm looking forward to doing it again in 2011.

Though, at some point, focus gave way to abundance, and then overabundance, and finally overwhelm, the word focus did help guide me to setting some goals for this year, and ultimately achieving them.

I've never been one to set goals for myself, regrettably, but this year, the process has proven to me to be really good idea! One of my main areas of focus has been on to really learn digital scrapbooking, art journaling and photography - my hobbies. Though I had had versions of Photoshop Elements since it's 3rd release, I never learned how to take my paper scrapping to the computer. I shared my entry into to learning this hobby/art here.

By continuing to find more things to learn in this art form, I've opened my life to many amazing rewards.

I've met some great people online,
shared my work in various galleries,
been published in 2 books,
was published in an online magazine,
was interviewed on an art journal blog,
and, come March 2011, in a "real" paper magazine (one of my digital art journal pages is being published in the Spring 2011 Somerset Digital Studio! One more goal to check off!).

I also quit my stable job, where I'd been for 5 (unhappy) years, and took a new job, in the same field, at a new company. I'm happier in my career than I've been in many years.

I also started teaching again after a 5 year hiatus (like I'm a TV show, right). As my friend, Peggy often reminds me, if you put it out into the universe, good things happen (I'm paraphrasing, sorry Peggy). Well, I'd applied for a teaching job at this particular college 2 years ago, when I still dreamed being a teacher, and this July, they contacted me.

And though I'm not sharing all the blessings in my life in this post, believe me when I say, others in my family have had their share of successes in 2010, for which I'm grateful.

Focusing on my goals has certainly brought me some confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.

I'm looking forward to sharing my word for 2011 with you tomorrow, and hoping it brings me a new kind of success.

Where I Am, Where I've Been

2010-12-26T12:41:00.000-06:00

If you are a dear friend who comes here to visit me, you'll have noticed that I've been absent for most of December. Having taken on too many projects, I can tell you, I've been anything but absent in my life. Get togethers, kids' holiday celebrations, family outings, ups, downs, work, hobbies - I've been present in each one of them, not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally enjoying the happy holiday season, and being present to catch a loved one who was falling.

I had grand plans for my December, including 2 large creative projects, that regrettably, I abandoned quickly after I started, for fear of feeling obligated to work on them. Obligation and creativity seem to be long standing enemies. So, while I photographed my December, I didn't put them in the pretty book as planned.

Hopefully, January will be a slow month, though, as history has shown me, that's not always the case. There is no slow month in my year, and I'm grateful for that. There is no vacation from my life, thankfully, though I do get frustrated with myself for overbooking my time.

I did want to spend a little bit of time reflecting on 2010 and selecting and sharing my one little word for 2011, which I'll do this week.

Until then, here are just a few photos from December:

Matt's countdown to Christmas

My beautiful girl!

Handsome Matt getting ready for his Winter Concert

Ana's Pink Antlers

Matt's first Gingerbread cookie - Long Grove, IL


Sweet Jack's face minutes before he ate Ana's homemade blueberry orange bread

See You Soon!

Ah....Cookies! or Baking, it Starts

2010-12-02T21:35:00.000-06:00

I'm definitely no Martha, though, right after Ana was born, I fancied myself the Martha type. I even made her baby food with a food mill. Geez - now I can barely make spaghetti and meatballs! I blame it on my teeny, tiny kitchen, but that's another story.

Despite my mini-kitchen, I present to you Cool Whip cookies! My darling baker, Ana, assisted in this experiement and whipped up (get it?) several dozen of these yummy treats tonight. The recipe follows....

And the recipe....

Lemon Cool Whip Cookies

(We used Devil's Food, obviously - more Matt friendly....we'll try Lemon too, as any flavor cake mix may be substituted)

from Allrecipes
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 eggs
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. Beat together the whipped topping and eggs together. Add the lemon cake mix and continue to mix. Dough will be sticky. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar and roll to coat. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 minutes. Cool on racks.

Enjoy!

I'm Blah

2010-11-27T17:55:00.000-06:00

I feel obligated to let you know that I'm writing from a place of blah today. Do you know blah? Can't quite put your finger on it....but it just doesn't feel like YOU feeling? I suspect it comes from this cold I've been nursing for the past week and a half. Why do I feel guilty when I get sick? I feel like I should have this 'stay healthy' thing figured out by now, but I don't. In addition to the cold, I feel like the past few weeks have gone at warp speed. I hate the feeling that life is whizzing by and I'm just along for the ride. I also suspect that my happy mood might be lost on the roof...since I'm paying for the new roof I had to get just a month before Christmas. And the kids are with their dad this weekend. Blah.

It's been a pull the covers up over my head day. I didn't leave the house at all yesterday and choose instead to work on my December Daily book. As I was assembling the pages, I couldn't escape the feeling that I have no idea how I'm going to fill it this year. I'm also working on a Christmas art journal this year. Two projects? I thought my word this year was FOCUS....apparently not.

I did manage to find a few spots of pleasure over the last couple days...and I do have things to look forward to.
1. I discovered (with the help of my mom) Advil Allergy & Sinus works better than anything I've taken. It's nice to be able to breathe again...thanks mom.
2. I took myself to the movies to see Burlesque. I knew my boyfriend wouldn't go near a that movie, so I happily took myself. I have no problem seeing movies alone...I don't have to feel bad picking a clunker that way. This was just plain fun, though. Christina Aguilera....she was amazing......I may have a crush on her. The music was amazing. The dancing was amazing. Cam Gigandet...amazing to look at.
3. In just a week, I get to hang out with my Scrap Cellar friends. Looking forward to that. Hopefully, I'll be back to myself by then.

That's all for now. Hopefully tomorrow will be brighter. The kids and I will pull out our Christmas decorations...I need a little Christmas now....

Grateful

2010-11-21T09:16:00.001-06:00

Starting off a week of Grateful posts, here's a page I did with a new digital kit called Thank You Notes, by Laura Banasiak and SpinkyDink Scraps.

The lyrics are from the song, Grateful, by John Bucchino, which I shared last year at this time. The parents are mine. And they are awesome - you may never meet a kinder, more supportive duo. Still married after 41 years, and still friends (which is really rare, I think), they still have fun together, traveling throughout the country (they are road trippers, and can often be heard arguing with their GPS, whom they've named, Gidget), spending time with their grandkids, and always opening their home for friends and family. I think I'm most grateful for the fact that they have kept our family close. To my parents, family is most important, and so it is with me, as well.

Thanks guys!

Inches of Gratitude

2010-11-14T21:36:00.001-06:00

I know....I'm neglecting this blog right now. I'm getting my December projects ready, working 2 jobs, and being a mom....but I did have time to put this together for an Altered Artspirations challenge at Scrapbookgraphics.com. I needed to fill a 25 square template with things I'm grateful for. Here's my entry:

Can you say COLORFUL?

(And in case you are wondering where my beloved is...since he doesn't allow himself to be photographed...really....well, you see, he's the key.)

How I Feel Today

2010-10-29T07:36:00.000-05:00

Credits: Art Doll, Steamer Trunk, Gypsy Call -Tangie Baxter; Fabulous Girl, Loreta Labarca; Nocturn Delight, Ztampf; Here and Now, Rosey Posey and Stolen Momenets collab; Little Thinker Paper, Laura Banasiak

Ever have one of those days?

Here we get technical.....resizing layouts for the web

2010-10-29T06:52:00.000-05:00

Oooops! I forgot to post this when I was sharing my digi stuff!!!.....

A little something I learned, that I wish someone had told me about digital layouts.....they take up room!

I like to create my layouts as 12x12 at 300 dpi, but then I resize them to 8.333 x 8.333 inches (or 600 x 600 pixels) and 72 dpi (for posting on the internet), which will usually shrink the file size from 10 MB to about 192kb - a HUGE savings on space. I save all my layouts in PSD (the type of file created by Photoshop and Elements) and as a smaller JPG file, for sharing. Why save that big PSD file? Read on.

One big reason to save your layered file is that you can see what you've used. When I started out, I'd post my completed layouts without giving credit to the designers who make the elements and kits that I used....a no-no and just bad form. Since I saved all the layered files before squishing them into a merged file, I could go back and see what I used and properly give credit where I posted.

Another reason? Um....typos! I've made more errors in spelling on my layouts than I care to share, and though I'm all about "being real", I can't get past a typo on my work. With the layered file, I can go back in and edit that layer, rather than starting over or just "dealing with it".

I also find that if I want to print my layouts at home, I'll have to resize to 8x8 @ 300 dpi to get a crisp image that my home printer will print. For this reason, I suggest saving your layered PSD file (the type of file created by Photoshop and Elements) as a full sized layout @ 300 dpi, as it gives me the ability to re-open that file and merge layers and resize the page to what I need. Once all the layers are merged (which I do by right clicking on the bottom layer of my completed layout), I Save As a .jpg file, which I can then share on the web, in email, on Facebook, on the blog....

Additionally, some of the galleries you can post to will limit the size of the file you post. For example, MyScrapbookArt is 154 kb max....which I can rarely do...I'm sure I just need to work at figuring that out, but Photoshop Elements does have a feature called Save for Web, which allows you to define the optimal size for your layout, which is much better than the guess and check method I started out using.

I've just re-read and I can see how this would be like reading Chinese if you aren't familiar with all this. Sorry!!! Once you start playing with it, it'll make more sense, I promise (no, I hope!). Those tutorials I shared with you earlier in the week will help, too.

So, here are my steps:
File - New - Blank Page
....create something layered (see previous posts for sites that have tutorials on how to do this.....)
Save PSD file with all layers open
Right Click on bottom layer and Merge layers
Image - Resize - Image Size (see sizes I use above) and save as a JPEG to post, print, etc.

Are you still with me?

Well, of course, I made digi scrapbook layouts, silly!

2010-10-28T07:05:00.001-05:00

There are so many digi scrapbook kits to choose from!

Here are a few of my Halloween layouts, some old, some new, that I've made.

The pieces used come from a variety of sources: Laura Banasiak, Tangie Baxter, Rosie Posey, Holliewood Studios, Sherrie JD.....if something sparks your interest, leave me a comment and I'll let you know the source...Enjoy!

Happy Haunting!!

Getting Ready for Halloween

2010-10-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

This Halloween has been just a little more interesting since we've been selected to hand out the new Snickers product that comes out in the winter. After entering a contest on the SheSpeaks website, we were chosen to receive some free goodies to help promote their new product, and had a lot of fun getting my sister's front yard ready for Halloween. Here's our video:

Come back tomorrow for some more Halloween goodies.....I've been making Halloween scrapbooking layouts!

Pre-Halloween

2010-10-26T21:53:00.000-05:00

Halloween was never one of my favorites, but since I've had kids, I seem to have warmed up to it a bit.

I don't like spooky things. I don't like scary movies. I like to see my kids get all excited, though, and I love help them pull together the costume they've been dreaming about since last Halloween. This year, I've been extra busy, with all the things I've overcommitted myself with. So, I'm extremely proud of my daughter for making a costume for her brother. With the help of her Nana, in from Oregon (or is it Washington these days?), she put together the costume he's been talking about all summer.

With the creative vision of a contestent on Project Runway, they scoured the local Goodwill store to find just the right garments to execute their vision. He's even convinced me to let him grown his hair out just to be Link from the Legend of Zelda games. Although it's not quite Halloween, the kids did go trick or treating in their Grandma's neighborhood for a pre-Halloween practice run. Ana's not in her costume here. She's still working on her Hello Kitty costume (which required another trip to Goodwill today), but I can share some pictures of Matt in his costume...though, it's kind of hard to see all the detail....I'll post more after the "real" Halloween.

Come back and visit tomorrow for the video we made for being selected to hand out Snicker's new candy!

Sharing a Link....{simply.scraps}: Cookies & Tea for 2 Gift Set Hybrid Project by Amanda

2010-10-16T09:33:00.001-05:00

{simply.scraps}: Cookies & Tea for 2 Gift Set Hybrid Project by Amanda

For a REALLY cute hybrid digital project -- check this link out! Just goes to show you, this whole digital thing has practical (and super cute) applications as well!

Today, We Share Our Work

2010-10-13T06:52:00.003-05:00

Another thing I quickly learned about the digital world was that getting feedback was easy and, like blog comments, strangely addicting! Most of these encouraging people were perfect strangers who also loved the digital offshoot of the hobby, and left "love" for whatever I was brave enough to post in a gallery....(a gallery is often found in a store, though some digi sites are purely for sharing your completed pages....).

One word of advice....just as in life, you have to give love to get love in return....or at least you should.

This is how I found Log Your Memory, a site dedicated to sharing layouts and inspiring others to use this hobby to preserve memories of everyday life. You have a pile of laundry to the ceiling…take a picture of it and write about why spending time with your family is the tradeoff you make for daily chores, or write about your family’s laundry routines. The idea being, one day, you may want to remember what it was like to live every regular day, not only the birthdays, holidays, and other big events of your life.

When it comes down to it, the everyday routines are what make up a life, and the big events are just frosting on the cake. If you are already a fan of or familiar with Ali Edwards, Cathy Zielske, and Stacy Julian, you know that this focus of the hobby has a great following. I always think of it this way, I’d love to know how my Grandma, who’s no longer with us, felt about my mom’s first day of kindergarten, or how she felt when she was learning to drive and crashed into the garage and never drove again, or what it was like for her growing up. She didn’t keep a journal, so I’ll never know these things, so I’m trying to leave some of these memories of my own for my kids, their kids and their grandchildren. Scrapping about everyday life is not only the good stuff, but also the bad, though I tend to keep those pages to myself right now.

Log Your Memory is run by Kristen Rutten, who I’m sure has figured out how to get 30 hours of stuff into a 24 hour day. Maybe even 31 hours. Her store offers a Logbook to keep track of those everyday happenings and weekly challenges and prompts to help you tell your story.

(I’m not compensated in any way by Kristen to advertise, but her site propelled my excitement with this hobby, and I think she’s done a great job of inspiring others as well).

The challenge early this year, Sweet Talk Challenge, gave us 13 different ways to tell our stories. The challenge may be over, but the methods are still a great way to start journaling. There are loads of other inspirations all over the site – hopefully, you’ll be inspired by something there like I was.

Other places you might want to share you work, and stores I frequent (though there are many, many others)

Scrapbookgraphic s – my current favorite haunt
The Digi Chick – this is the store the designer I CT (creative team) for sells – she’s Laura Banasiak and she’s cool and fun, and can also cram 30 hours a day into 24
Sweet Shoppe Designs
DigiShopTalk
After 5 Designs
Gotta Pixel
The Lily Pad

Do you already have a favorite site? Share it here!!!

Where to Learn Digital Scrapbooking or "I did it my way"

2010-10-12T06:52:00.000-05:00

Despite my misgivings, I made an honest attempt to learn digital scrapbooking in January, after finding this year-long free class being offered by Erica Hernandez at Two Peas in a Bucket: Digi 101. I watched the first tutorial video and played along with making the layout.

There were three things I discovered in this first class that got me hooked:
1) designers of digital scrapbooking papers and elements (this is what embellishments are called in the digi world) are wonderfully generous individuals who often give freebies of their design kits for people to try before they purchase a full kit - a search for digital scrapbook freebies in Google will find you lots of freebies from digital stores and these wonderfully generous designers,
2) if I didn't like the way something looked on my page, I could move it, resize it, duplicate it, recolor it, not to mention I could REUSE it!,
and 3) cleanup for this hobby is a breeze! (Though it does take some space on the computer).

I won’t be sharing the how to put a page together here; those tutorials have been done by many others who are way better at that than I am.

Here are just a few other places to get started with the nuts and bolts:

The Daily Digi and lots of tutorials to get you started there – on the right side of the page, you’ll see tons of links on how to get started, how to learn the programs you’re using, how to do certain techniques. Bookmark it!

Ali Edwards did a series of tutorials on digi, too.

Cathy Zielske walks you through creating a 12x12 page here.

And don’t forget Erica Hernandez’s class I mentioned earlier, Digi 101. There are other tutorials on the Two Peas in a Bucket Site, as well.

Other gurus: Jessica Sprague, Renee Pearson (though I think these cost $)

If you know of any others you’ve come across, please share here.

***Note: I’m not compensated in any way from these designers or sites. I’ve been asked often, how I learned and these are the places where I started learning.

Next Up: How to Share Your Work and Real Life Scrapbooking, Digi-Style

Digital Scrapbooking....So, Here's Where to Start.....

2010-10-11T06:52:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, or you are new to my blog, I really enjoy digital scrapbooking.

Before I started really trying to learn in January this year (after some failed attempts), I thought of it is "cheating" in some way. I had been a paper scrapper for 15 years. I liked to buy stickers and paper and adhesive. I liked to print photos and arrange embellishments onto a layout and create a finished page that I could put into an album to share with others. I still like to do that, especially with my creatively, inspiring friends in the Scrapbook Cellar. Nothing beats real live friends getting together to create, inspire, and support each other. But, day to day, I don't have all the time to haul out my supplies, ponder an arrangement, complete a page, and then clean it all up (I have a dedicated creative space, but it's in the front room of my house...the first thing you see when you come in, so I like it tidy, and I share it with my creative daughter, who usually has her projects drying on the table. So, I'd really need to add another step to getting creative on a daily basis, as I'd be the one most likely to clear off her work in progress before I could even have room to start mine.) This is where using the computer came in handy for me, and the start of my digital obsession.

For this hobby, I use Photoshop Elements. I'm using version 7, but I think they've just released, or are about to release version 9. I've had PE, as it's referred to, since version 3, but back then, I only used it to store and sort my photos. I had no clue of the full capabilities of this program until I started digital scrapbooking, and even then, there is so much more I need to learn to get it's full usefulness. There are other programs you can use, the full Photoshop (which is expensive, so I don't have) and Paint Shop Pro (which I've never used). Likely there are more out there, I'm just not familiar with them.

So, to start, you'll need a program to work in, some digital papers and elements (which I'll talk about in the next post), and a little time and patience to learn.

Tomorrow, I'll share where I started learning about how to do digital scrapbooking. I'll also be posting my journey into digital all this week, and how I went from this:

To this:

Here's the plan:

Tuesday: Digi 101, tutorials

Wednesday: Feedback, Real life Scrapbooking, Telling Your Story, and Log Your Memory

Thursday: A valuable lesson in resizing your layouts

It's 10-10-10.....Here's what I won't be doing!

2010-10-10T06:52:00.014-05:00

And sweetheart, if you're reading this.....I love you!

If you have been following my blog, you know that I've being doing a lot of digital layouts this year. Many have asked me how to start, how to learn, and what goes into a digital scrapbooking layout. Every day this week, I'll be posting my journey into digital. Please come join me!

Also, if you are on Facebook, my blog now has it's own space in the grand scheme of FB....come join me on So, That's Why here!

Happy, Happy Birthday Matthew!!!

2010-10-06T06:01:00.003-05:00

My baby is 9. Oh, where has the time gone?

What sets your creativity on fire?

2010-10-05T07:01:00.003-05:00

Here's what sets mine a blaze:

Now, how about you?

I'd love to know!

When you are a 9 year old boy, you'll understand....

2010-10-03T22:52:00.000-05:00

1. That bouncing for an hour and a half is fun.

2. That shooting your friends with neon orange and green foam "bullets" is fun. (Even though your mama HATES the idea of you playing with guns, she's conceded to letting you as long as they are neon orange, yellow and green...I think NERF must have been listening).

3. That chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and fudge filling is a food group.
4. That running for hours makes for a great birthday party (not the mama's idea of a great birthday...give me spa, give me coffee shop, give me casino, even....but running? Not this mama).
5. That when you introduce your friend and say, "I've known him since 3rd grade"....it's not as impressive when you are only in 4th grade, but you'll quickly get over that.
6. That your birthday can't come FAST ENOUGH!!!
7. That Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos is also a food group.
8. That's is cool to have an older boy cousin who knows how to play Halo Reach. (Even if he wins the tournament and gets the Cheeto Trophy!)

9. That 20 candles on your cake makes for an impressive display!

Happy Birthday Party, Matt!

A Little Story....in Digiland

2010-09-26T20:56:00.001-05:00

Remember Paper Dolls? I remember going to the store with my mom (wish I could remember the store...might have been Woolworth's) and having dozens of paper doll books to choose from. I remember one I had with babies and toddlers, and I remember playing with them while in the waiting room of my Grandma's doctor's office. How delighted I was to find digital "paper dolls". These were made using the Ultimate Art Doll Collection by Tangie Baxter.

Bloom Where You're Planted

2010-09-25T12:11:00.001-05:00

This week's Art Journal Caravan Challenge was to take the statement, Bloom Where You're Planted, and illustrate it. Our guide, Tangie Baxter, who issues the challenges, admitted she just doesn't get what this means. I agree, it's vague. It can mean a number of things. It's one of those phrases that I've seen around, but never really zoned in on what it means to me. So that was the challenge. And here is my entry:

Here's the journaling:

What do you mean this wasn't the plan? You have a unique opportunity to show the world that it's not how much you have, but what you do with it that matters. Stop wallowing in what could have been. This is you life. It's all up to you to share your gifts with those who's lives you touch.Maybe you're here for a reason, after all?

This is me talking to myself. I struggle, as I'm sure many of you do, with why I'm here, and how I got so far off course. But maybe this is the plan. Maybe the change of plans was the plan, all along. I've recently started some new chapters in my life, as I've shared. And every time a start a new adventure, I want to remember this sentiment. It'll be my "kick in the pants" when I get overwhelmed with the direction I've chosen.

So, what does it mean to you? Something different? Similar? I look forward to your comments....

Monday Night Family Art

2010-09-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

Tonight, after dinner and homework, (and Dancing with the Stars....I had to see Jennifer Grey....no one puts Baby in a corner), I twisted the kids' arms and got them to do a little art (Well, I twisted Matt's arm, Ana was all in....she loves to play with our art materials). Using an activity from Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun by Carla Sonheim, we created "Picasso dogs"....drawing each dog body part and then turning the paper 90 degrees, and finally connecting the parts. We colored them in with Copic markers and hung them on the fridge!!!

Ana's Homecoming Pictures and Photoscape

2010-09-19T18:13:00.000-05:00

Hi - just a quick post with Ana's homecoming pictures. Thanks to her stepmom for providing the photos. I used Photoscape to edit them. Have you tried Photoscape? It's a cool application for editing photos - less scary than Photoshop, and it's completely free! I stumbled on it while watching YouTube videos a couple years ago (there are a lot of tutorials on YouTube for this program - just search Photoscape). Here's some photos of Ana that have been Photoscaped:

And here's the original:

And the original

And this is the original

Some other pictures I've Photoscaped

Hope you give it a try!

New Fall Layouts

2010-09-12T22:57:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad fall is almost here. I love the cooler weather, the smells of the season and the rich colors. It was time for a blog header change, too....the fall '10 edition.

Some fall pages to share:

Kit: Pumpkin Spice by Laura Banasiak Designs

Kit: Artisia by Krystal Hartley and Amy Stoffel

Kits: Elements: Leaf it to Me Freebie, Studio Flergs; Repository, Studio Gypsy; Today We Learn, Rosey Posey; Bird and Frame, She Found her Bliss, Tangie Baxter; Font: Hobbes

For Monthly Scraplift Challenge at Scrapbookgraphics.com of Doodlebug's Innocent No More. Using Tangie Baxter's Compendium of Dreams; Remember the Time Add On, Studio Manu, Alpha and Stamps: Stampy Goodness, Heather Roselli; Destroyed Watercolor Brushes by The Shoreways; Elements from Altered Girl Talk by Viva Artistry

SuzyQ Scraps, Journey 365 Jumbo
The Digi Chick, Every Life Has a Story, Chapter 3

Never Forget

2010-09-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

Image from here: http://home.pacbell.net/gpeterma/South/art.htm

So, today is September 11. Funny thing is 9 years and one day ago, I'd never have given it a second thought. I suppose that happened to people the day Kennedy was shot or when Pearl Harbor was bombed. And, although I remember when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up, and when Reagan was shot, I was younger then, not as interested in the world at large, just what was happening in my own life. I suppose another reason 9/11 sticks in my head is because I often hear the events of that day referred to by the date rather than the actual tragedy. But I think, even more so, I remember that date because I was in a very precarious position.

I didn't lose anyone I knew personally, but I was pregnant with Matthew, and he was born less than a month after the events on September 11, 2001. I knew I was having a boy, and my greatest fear was that I was bringing a child, a male child, into a world I no longer understood. Funny, I was thinking of my in utero child being drafted (and yes, I know, woman are fighting for our country, too). I even had a OB/GYN appointment that day, and naturally, I was worried about my blood pressure after such a shock. I was also sending my kindergartener to school that afternoon (but I decided not to). And I was afraid to let my husband (at the time) go to work downtown because there were still planes being hijacked. Also, I was feeling very shocked because he had done work in the Twin Towers on several occasions. Oddly, I think this was the time that I really felt like I had grown up, even though I was married with one child and one on the way. I think it was the first time I really felt my innocence was gone, and I started to look at the world with different eyes. I had always walked on the sunny side of the street, so to speak, and suddenly, I didn't know if that side would be ever there again.

Now, I realize these are not the kind of things that we are supposed to remember. We are supposed to feel pride and gratitude for the heroes on that day and the days after (and, believe me, I do). We are supposed to remember those who's lives were lost (and, I certainly do, too). But when all that has been recalled, it all comes down to personal memories. Those are the things that help us get in touch with remembering that day, nine years and 15 years and 20 years later, and feeling grateful for what we didn't lose that day. A student of mine shared her reflections of that day in class last night. Her daughter was born on September 11, 2006, and she recalled praying her child won't be born on that date. To make her story more poignant, she is Muslim, and had her own concerns about her and her family's safety on that day and after.

We all have a story to tell. Some may be more painful than others, and some more angry. Feel free to share you story here.

I'm writing my own story....and so are you!

2010-09-04T09:53:00.003-05:00

I was in the shower this morning (where I do most of my thinking....sorry, try not to think about it too much) contemplating this little blog and how my life has gotten so full of late. Massive guilt for not posting overwhelmed me and I had to tell myself to stop. Take a breath and think about all the things I've been doing the last few weeks. I have a creative friend or two who are in full apology mode, always saying I wish I could have done more. To them, and, I admit, I am one of those "friends", I say, you do more than you realize. If you have young (or even grown up kids, right, Mom?), you give them copious amounts of your time, for good reasons. They need you. They need you to be there, to guide them, to wipe noses, and kiss boo-boos, and commiserate about broken hearts and hurt feelings. You willingly make sacrifices for them to have all the good things and the time you could be spending nurturing your own interests, so that they will become wonderful adults. That takes a lot of time. It's ok. And in case no one has told you lately, you're doing a great job.

I have a lovely friend, who has a lovely husband...really, both are the cream of the crop. I recently overheard her apologizing to her lovely hubby for not being there while she was taking some much deserved time to herself. How many of us do that? I'd venture to say...uh.... nearly all of us. No matter how wonderful and involved our husbands and partners are, they aren't us. They can never be us. And that's ok. That's why you're you and he's him (or however your relationship is set up). I've realized that being the mom means you may see something that needs to be done or needs attention when you partner may not. It's like special mom vision, that goes along with the eyes in the back of your head.

I'm not going to get into a discussion about gender roles here, but I assume in saying this, that you already know that a mom is a mom and a dad is a dad. Or, maybe you have the privilege of being someone's favorite aunt or grandparent or teacher, which is also a great responsibility. Speaking from my own experience with my niece and nephew, I love them as if they are my own, but I also can be a friend to them, while letting my sister and brother-in-law have the hard part of raising them. It's one of my favorite roles in life.

After 3 paragraphs, let me get to the point, right? Being an adult role model for a child is a full time job. I make choices as their mom that I may not have made as that 22 year old college student. Sometimes I miss that freedom, but I choose to see it as just another chapter in my life (it's because I have all those books...). This "Mom" chapter is definitely a highlight of my story, and I don't want to feel the guilt in abandoning the world conquering college grad chapter or the spunky high school student chapter or the young married chapter. They are all a part of my story. It's a story rich with everyday miracles, choices, falls and missteps, successes and surprises. It's my story, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Holy Cow!

2010-08-27T05:00:00.006-05:00

Guess what? Remember my dream bookstore?

Here are a couple new ones:

The kit: Everywhere to Me, Laura Banasiak Designs

The journaling:

These are the scrap cellar girls, my paper scrapping girlfriends. We get together once a month to spend a day (or night) scrapping, supporting, eating goodies, laughing and sharing. Though I’ve known Leanne for over 20 years, I’ve only known her sis, Laura and their friend, Peggy for about a year. I feel like I’ve always known them . I’ve always longed for a group of friends who got me, who supported me, and I’ve found that with these ladies. They encourage me to try different things and lavish me with their friendship and support. They are truly good for my soul!


For the Art Journal Caravan

Kit: Place Vendome by Miss Vivi

Hope you're having a good week!

Back to School

2010-08-25T19:14:00.000-05:00

The Courage to Trust

I've being going through a lot of changes lately. I'm able to finally share all that's been going on.

So, you know it's the beginning of the school year, and also my favorite time of year. I look forward to the weather getting cooler and the leaves changing. We've spent many hours back to school shopping, getting into new routines, and preparing our home for the new school year. I've got one in high school now, and my youngest in 4th grade, the same grade I taught when I did my student teaching 10 years ago.

New changes for the kids, and changes for their mom, as well. After 5 years out of teaching, I'll be back in a classroom, teaching writing. You know I had to get myself new school supplies, too, right? Love new school supplies! Also, after 5 years with my employer, I've decided to move on to a new opportunity. This is the longest I've stayed at the same job, given I've jumped out of the work world twice to have my kids and changed careers twice, as well. It's bittersweet, but I have to say, I'm very excited. I've been treading water, riding the rollercoaster economy, but praying that something would break -- that is the story behind the new art journal page above.

All this means is that I haven't had much time to write or create, what with getting everyone ready and planning my lessons for the first few weeks of class. Of course, I could argue that I am being VERY creative in getting all these things done. I know, from experience, that the first time I teach a course is always the hardest on me, so I have to gear up for that. I'm looking forward to a day with my scrap cellar girls this Saturday, to fill my soul and feed my creative energy. I sure could use a recharge!

Happy Birthday Ana!

2010-08-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

Oh My! My baby girl is 14 today, and tomorrow is her first day of high school! I'm so proud of her - she's really come a long way in the last 2 years. This is for her:

The kit I used is the one she picked out called Candy Box by Miss Vivi. I won a gift certificate to her store by winning a chat game and let Ana choose.

The journaling:

Happy 14th Birthday
to my beautiful young lady.
I’m so proud of the woman you’re becoming.
You are the perfect blend of serenity and vibrance; of purpose and fun; of vintage and modern.
You know your style and you express it with every choice you make
Be true to your heart, and show them how it’s done.

Sharing a couple of new pages....

2010-08-15T10:01:00.000-05:00

Just a few things I've been working on....

created with Growing on Me kit by Spinkydink Scraps and Kinda Cursive Alpha and Doodle Frames by Laura Banasiak

created using Fiesty Girl collab kit by Laura Banasiak and Bella Gypsy

Classy Kid Grab Bag, Laura Banasiak Designs
Lyrics from the song, "We're Going to Be Friends" by The White Stripes (but I know the Jack Johnson version better....Curious George Sountrack!)

How my kids got their names....Using Great Expectations kit by Jen C Designs, Bead n Bits alpha by SpinkyDink Scraps and Arrows by Laura Banasiak

The page created using Art Stomp (I think) by Tangie Baxter

More to follow.....

New Beginnings....

2010-08-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been by, dear blog, but I've been under the weather this week: possible strep, ear infection and sinus infection have made me just want to lay my head on a pillow. Thanks to a visit to the doctor, I was able to go with my daughter to her high school registration and walk the school looking for her classes. A freshman? When did that happen? I remember her first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday:

Her first day of kindergarten was September 4, 2001, just 7 days before our country and our whole way of life, really, got shook up. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Matthew, and I was sending my first born off to a new place, a new world really. And now I'm about to do it again. Back then, nothing worried this little girl - she was friendly, loved to play, and did her own thing without worrying what others thought- check out her Winnie the Pooh shoes! Times change. She's seen the world a little more and knows a little more what it's about, a little more worried about what she's going to wear (remember, this fashionable girl has bravely worn a tutu to school). She's not worried that she won't get to play at school (the kindergarten concern), but she was concerned about being stuffed in her locker (she doesn't fit, she tested it). If I could only get her to believe that high school will likely be more fun than kindergarten, just in a different way, we'd be set. I used to be able to convince her that I knew best. And, some days, she still believes me. So, I guess that's a good thing.

Have a good week.

An Artistic Mother's Lament: Too Many Ideas are Swirling

2010-08-07T10:47:00.001-05:00

Does this happen to you - you have no inspiration, you are desperate for something to just "click" and then, suddenly, just when you thought all hope was lost, ideas come swirling in, less like the swirl of a soft serve cone and more like a tornado, with ideas coming so fast, you're afraid you'll miss something?

Yes, it's a blessing to have lots of things I want to do, but then I have to press pause until I have enough time to make them "happen". Then I worry that I'll forget to do something I thought I wanted to do.

When I have projects at home that I need to complete, I make a list of to-do's, but it seems less "creative" to make a simple list. I stumbled upon some right brain ways to make lists back when I was teaching a freshman college course called Success Strategies. Since half my students were entering logical fields and the other half were going into creative fields, I did some research to find different ways to approach the dreaded to-do list. That's how I found Mind Mapping!

Now it's my turn to put my own words into action. Here's a Mind Map. It's all about color and interest for this to-do list....

(This is just the start of my map....there are many other things that I could have added, like my projects for The Artistic Mother group and Leslie's 31 days of creativity, but, you get the idea.)

And here's my typical list:

Which one would I much rather do? We'll the fun one of course....but how about my other list? It has to get done. Couldn't I make that one FUN too?

Here's Ana's right brain version of my list:

It's oodles more fun than my list!

Ana's been, shall we say, less than organized in her school career. We were thinking of maybe making her a master list of her classes this year, scanning and copying her blank list (rather than buying an assignment book) and she can fill in her assignments for each class. The design will be hers and she can do it in a way that works for her. She starts high school this year (gasp!) and she can use a little help making sure she gets all her assignments down.

So, that's what we are working on today. I still need some extra hours in the day, but now I have a plan!

Have a wonderful day, and please share what you do to make sure you don't lose those brilliant swirls of ideas!

Hi from Matt

2010-08-04T07:41:00.000-05:00

I think God painted each of those freckles on himself.

And those blue eyes...

And Matt only "charged" me $2 to take his picture.

(That was the price I paid for about a 100 other photos like this one - hard to sit still when you're 8)

Such a deal!

Artistic Mother....Made my Poetry Journal

2010-08-03T13:32:00.000-05:00

I finally completed the second project from the book - a poetry journal, only problem is, I'm not a poet. Some are going to argue that I need to follow the book, and I will. I'm just not as likely to share my bad poetry! I have a rather unpractical English degree, and have taken MANY poetry classes, but never been a poet. I do, however, like how my book turned out. I usually go for "happier" colors, but the blacks, creams, and reds made me think more "artsy" and "poetic".(And, that's a heart mirror on the bottom - didn't photograph too well)

An Art Journal Page for the Caravan

2010-07-29T07:55:00.000-05:00

I made a digital art journal page based on my 17 random thoughts for the Art Journal Caravan using Tangie Baxter's Art Journal Caravan Provisions #30 and Compendium of Dreams kits.

Don't you love the party elephant? Elephants never forget, right?

Some recent purchases to share....and words of wisdom

2010-07-26T05:00:00.004-05:00

Quotable Cards


Quotable Cards....from Rules for the Unruly: Living and Unconventional Lif e by Marion Winik

Sidenote: In the fall, I'll be teaching folks to use semicolons. I'll be teaching a Developmental Writing class at our local community college. I've caught the teaching bug again....go figure.

A little blurry...from Quotable Cards, too... a Quotable notepad....for, you know, writing down more ...quotes!

Bonus: On the back of one of the cards, it says: Happiness may not be a destination, but you can visit Carefree, Arizona; Happy, Texas; Nirvana, Michigan; and Happyland, Oklahoma.

Roadtrip Anyone?

The Hardest Cat to Photograph.....EVER!!!!!

2010-07-26T05:00:00.002-05:00

A little blurry

Two cats?

I think his face grew!


Scary

Now, that's a good one! Finally!


And this one is ok, too....

Either the cat's wonky or the photographer needs more practice.....let's blame the cat, shall we?

The Artistic Mother .... I made some background papers, finally!

2010-07-25T05:00:00.004-05:00

Week One - Made some background papers...they are not really that inspired, but they were fun and I made a good mess!


Watercolor and Salt


Oil Pastels


Bubble wrap, watercolors and watercolor pencils

My lovely mess!

17 Random Thoughts (that came to me as I was driving to work today....)

2010-07-24T19:08:00.000-05:00

Photo take in April....I was alone today!

1. I like Rob Thomas.
2. It's too blessed hot outside.
3. I'm glad my car's air conditioning works.
4. Robert Pattinson isn't really a good singer. (listening to Twilight soundtrack)
5. The only good thing about working on a Saturday is you can turn your music up.
6. Why wasn't I born rich instead of beautiful?
7. I haven't seen my daughter in 2 weeks, but I have to work today.
8. I'm going to make something good for dinner, but what, I don't know. I should have something healthy.
9. I have a 40% off coupon for the Blick Art store burning a hole in my wallet.
10. A few months ago, I wouldn't even go in the art supply store because I was afraid they would know I was pretending to be an artist.
11. The people at the art store are not snobs, they're nice and helpful. That guy Emmett is sweet and he doesn't think I'm pretending to be an artist.
12. Snobs are snobs and I try to avoid them.
13. People may think I'm a snob, but the truth is I'm really shy.
14. I have focaccia in the fridge and I will use them to make something yummy tonight.
15. Actually, I think I'll ask my boyfriend (or man friend, as my mom calls him) to make dinner - he's a better cook.
16. iTunes genius chose Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" for the Indie Rock mix....that's kinda funny.
17. When I get home, I'm going to make a list of 17 random thoughts that came to me on my way to work today.

100th post! Really? Me? I made it this far?

2010-07-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Whoa! I've stuck with this little blog for 100 posts - that's a feat for me since I've never kept a journal or diary more than the first...."Dear Diary, I bought a new journal and I PROMISE to write in it every day this time"....um, yeah. I have countless journals that start and end that way, so that's why I'm a little proud to have made it this far.

Thanks for sharing this little experiment with me. Thanks for your encouragement, your support, your comments.

A few more things I cherish...

A special thanks to my dear friend, Leanne for getting me back on the right/write track!

Family Art Day

2010-07-17T13:25:00.000-05:00

I took the boys to an Family Art demonstration fair at the local Blick store. I've been planning to go for about 2 weeks, and I'm so glad that the boys were in the mood to try something new. Boys you ask? Where's Ana? My Ana's in Oregon for 2 weeks. She's my usual sidekick for these types of things, but I was pleasantly surprised that the boys were willing to go. Matt you may recognize, but the other guy is my nephew, Nick. The dude with the gray hair is a very nice, patient man who cheerfully allowed Matt to airbrush with his tools. Matt also made an Artist Trading Card, we painted on mini canvases (and just HAD to buy some to take home....they are such fun!), and the boys did Gyotaku fish prints with rubber fish. As, it was approaching 95 degrees, we had to leave before the pottery wheel and the spray painting demos started. Here's some photos:

I'm thankful for this day to share something a little different with my guys, and I'll be on the lookout for other opportunities to share art with the kids. Of course, I'll have to find something for my Ana, since she was a little bummed to not be here....of course, I'd love to be in Oregon, but that's another story.

How do you encourage the artist in the people around you, both young and old?

The Artistic Mother or Here I Go Again....

2010-07-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

There's been an idea I've been playing with for a little while. If you stop here by my blog often, you've no doubt seen it emerge. It's that idea that I may be artistic.

Shhh....I don't want to say it too loud, but I'm not sure why.

I've been caught up with self doubt about my "art" for many years. It's just a hobby, it's just a craft, I'd say to people who gave me encouragement....then I'd go back to painting, or making jewelry, or scrapbooking. Lately, though, with the encouragement of some wonderful ladies, I've begun to believe in myself....just a bit. I still struggle with the doubt that what I'm doing will mean anything to anyone other than me. But then, someone will say something. Someone else will "get" what I was doing. Someone might even say ,"Wow". (Thanks, Mom), and my heart soars.

I feel firmly that I would keep doing what I'm doing without that extra boost, but I really like to hear those nice comments. See, back when I was singing in high school and college, when someone would complement me on my voice, I thank them kindly and quickly tell myself "they are only saying that to be nice". At the advanced age of 39, I am finding that had I believed what they were saying, my life may have taken a much different turn. While I wouldn't change what I have for anything now, I'm ready to accept the nice words and enjoy them for a while, rather than let that inner critic who silenced my singing voice get the chance to squash my dreams again.

No, I may never make a living as an artist. That's not what it's about for me. Though I would LOVE to be creative all day, my kids need a roof to live under and food to eat. It's about having the chance to explore, freely, what makes me really happy. I feel a little bolder when someone else likes something about me that I like about myself....does that sound selfish? Maybe a little...but the little girl who loved to sing and paint and play the piano and make things should like herself again, shouldn't she? Even if she's 39 now.

So, I've gotten this book, The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole and joined this group.....maybe I'll meet someone along the way who is like me and needs to feel that what she's doing is meaningful even if she is the only one it means something to. I've been slowly visiting the blogs of some other Artistic Mothers, and I leave a little genuine encouragement for them, especially when a post has the air of despair and the inner critic in them starts to take over their writing, and I ask that you leave a little comment if you happen to stop by and visit me. See, it means a lot more than you may realize.

All right. I think this is the longest post I've ever written! I suppose I could have summed this up in one phrase and saved you the time it took you to read this:

Never, Never Give Up!

Art Journal page....Words of Wisdom - My Dream Bookstore

2010-07-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

Took me all night, by I completed one of the weekly assignments for the Art Journal Caravan that I'm working on over at Scrapbook Graphics with Tangie Baxter and Amanda Sexton. I've added a tab for my digital art journal pages as well, in case you're interested. This week's itinerary had us focusing "Chasing Down your Dreams".

It's long been a dream of mine to own my own bookstore...surprise, surprise! In the era of the super bookstores (should I mention that You've Got Mail is one of my all time favorite movies?), the little bookshop I dream of is not likely to fly....so, I've created this one....come on in, sit down and grab a cup of coffee and a book off the shelf and stay a while....

Papers: Art Stomp, Tangie Baxter and Roben-Marie Smith, Every Life Has a Story, Digichick Designers
Elements from Studio Manu, Viva Artistry, Faith True, Gunhile Storide, Fresh Outdoors Collab, Impressions of the Sea Collab, Jen C Designs, Libby Weifenbach, Connie Prince
Bookcase: Dustybear, Sassy bookcase

Greatly sorry if I missed any credits

Don't refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase -- that's what wild geese are for.
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
~Vince Lombardi

Yippee!!! It's my birthday.....today I'm Celebrating Cindi!

2010-07-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ok - kinda goofy today since I LOVE my birthday. And, I'm not ashamed to admit, it's my 39th birthday! I've made this little page....since today I'm "Celebrating Cindi"....

Also, here I am at the start of my 39th year, feeling like I might have figured a few things out, finally. For example, I can attest that you do in fact get more bees with honey than you do with vineager....turns out you were right, mom! I have this plaque on my desk:

I have a new project I am hoping to start a 365 Project to document the year before I turn 40 (which I hear the 40s are better than your 30s...from a number of reliable sources). I usually don't like to tell people when I undertake a big project because if my past is any indicator of the future, I will usually do 2 days and drop it. Hopefully, I haven't just set myself up to fail here....I can use all the encouragement I can get.

I plan to plant flowers today, have lunch with my mom, my guy and my kids, and hang out with my family in the evening, all things that enrich my soul. And yesterday, my sister made me this awesome cake:

How cool is that?!?!

Finallly, if you have the day off of work because the 4th fell on a weekend...you're welcome....you know it's really for my birthday, right? ;)

The Beach...Souveniers...Part 2

2010-07-04T07:53:00.002-05:00

I'm sure if you've been to the beach, you've come home with sand, too....I've come to realize, I hate sand. At this time in my life, sand is an enemy to be avoided.

Now, sure, I was delighted to see my kids digging in the sand, covering each other up, and I'm sure they were also enjoying covering themselves up in sand and then going in the lake (Lake Michigan, by the way), to rinse off. I know they enjoyed it...Matt even told his cousin that he liked playing in the sand more than playing with his Nintendo DS...whoa.

But dragging my heaviness loaded down with bags and towels and chairs and food through the hot sand, in my flip flops was not as much fun as it sounds. Eating sand in my sandwich (oh the irony) and drinking sand, hmmm. And then there's the sand I brought home in my bag and my clothers....didn't like it then either.

I DID like the sand in the lake, I liked how it shifted under my feet. I liked how it was solid, and if I moved, it moved too. I liked how through the clear water of the lake, I could see the ripples the waves made in the sand.

Next time (ha), I'll just have to be more prepared, and do this sand thing a little smarter. It might take a while to figure that out.

The Beach....I think you missed a spot....part 1

2010-07-04T07:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've been a "stay away from the sun" girl for several years. This may have contributed to my Vitamin D deficiancy, which my doctor detected a few months ago. I've stayed out of the sun for a number of reasons- wrinkles, skin cancer....sweat. But when it comes down to it, the biggest reason is I get sunburned. Ouch. Even when I put on sunblock, I get burned. Case in point, yesterday, at the beach....I put on sunblock, yes I did....twice....and I still am left with spots of burn. No matter how much I put on, I miss spots and I don't know until later when my skin glows the ugly red of the burn.

Notes on a Saturday Morning

2010-07-03T07:01:00.000-05:00

Some happy, some sad.....

Today is my sister's birthday. She wants to spend it at the beach. I haven't been to a beach since I was pregnant with my now 8 1/2 year old son. Of course, the first thing that ran through my mind was, "Yay, beach photos!" and the second was "Oh no, swimming suit!". I then told myself to shut up and enjoy it....I mean, it's the beach!

I'm transforming my unused living room into a place we can create in - I've moved the computer out of my bedroom, and restored my bedroom as MY room. I've also set up a table where the three of us can work on art projects. Matt's taken to it quite quickly, as he's been tracing Pokemon out of his books. I woke up to find this:

How Sweet!

And had a peaceful morning that looked like this:

Just 2 more days until my birthday....

The kids have been discovering the joys of bubble wrap....not the little ones, the BIG ones and they sound like firecrackers. Hmmmm....I like it....safe firecrackers!

On a sad note: A childhood friend's husband passed away suddenly yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with her, their 1-year old son and their families. I'm still too shook up to observe my dessert tribute that I wrote about here, but if there ever was a time to stop and think about how important it is to enjoy the little things, it's when a young life is cut short.

I wish you a happy, peaceful Saturday! Enjoy all your blessings today, and every day, ok?

Oh...Ma...Shu.....or Why we Love the Last Airbender

2010-06-29T21:56:00.001-05:00

I'm going to admit something.

I don't want you to think differently of me.

Promise you'll love me, anyway?

I'm a little bit obsessed with a TV show. Not just any TV show, a kid's show. A cartoon. The BEST show....EVER....Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Now I was trying to keep this under my hat, so to speak, but I've let a few people in on the secret, and I fear they think I'm a little nuts. I need to assure them that, although I've gotten a little silly over this show, it's going to be ok. I know you have your little obsessions, too. I'm talking to you, Leanne....and you, too, dear reader.

So, here's what's happened. The kids and I, and my guy (because we sucked him into our madness), have bonded over this little show that ran for just 3 seasons on Nickelodeon, since it's being re-run, like, ALL the time on NickToons this past month, in anticipation of the release of the live action 3D movie on July 2nd.

OMG....should I get our tickets now? What if it's sold out?

To plead our case, Ana, Matt, and I came up with our TOP TEN reasons why Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best show EVER!!!!

10. Katara's hair loopies....a fashion statement native to the Water Tribe.
9. Random characters: The Cabbage Merchant, The Singing Nomads, and the Guru. Foaming Mouth Guy, Bosco the Bear, and King Bumi.
8. All the animals are combo animals: Lion Turtles, BadgerMoles, Boar-Q-Pines, Buzzard Wasps, Catgator, Cat Owl, Goat Gorilla, Rabiroo and the Saber-tooth Moose-lion.
7. Appa, the flying bison, and Aang's best friend and Momo, the last flying lemur.
6. The Kung Fu scenes are all based on actual Kung Fu. (Yeah, we all like Kung Fu.)
5. Bending - the magnificent manipulation of elements...you have your main ones: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, but also Metalbending and Sandbending, which fall under Earthbending, Bloodbending and Swampbending, which are other forms of Waterbending and Lighteningbending.
4. Toph - the sassy, snarky blind Earthbending master who sees with her feet...and is only a kid.
3. The love stories....Aang and Katara, Sokka and Suki, and Zuko and Mai.
2. The Avatar State. Aang can go into the Avatar state and fight with the knowledge and power of every Avatar there ever was. There can only be one Avatar at a time, and Aang was frozen for 100 years and then brought back to find the world at war. If he's killed in the Avatar state, all Avatar's will cease to exist. The Avatar can master all the elements.
1. SECRET TUNNEL....the best song. From the episode, Cave of Two Lovers. The kids and I sing this at the top of our lungs...um...everywhere. Care to sing along with us????

There. I've said it.

What are you obsessed with lately?

Photo from here: http://www.airbender.net/graphics/wallpaper/site31.jpg

Cut It Out! or why I'm a rebel

2010-06-26T08:22:00.000-05:00

photo by ThisParticularGreg

So, yesterday, I did the unthinkable, for me, I took scissors to my own clothes! GASP!

See, I'm a play by the rules gal: I use my turn signal, I say please and thank you, I observe the posted speed limit (well, most of the time). But yesterday, I just could not take it anymore. I went into by bathroom, cut two tiny holes in the sides of my bra, and RIPPED THE FREAKIN' UNDERWIRE OUT!. Oh, how freeing that was! If you are a gal, like me, who needs LOTS of support....then you know what I'm talking about....

The underwire is a thin, semi-circular strip of rigid material such as metal or plastic fitted inside the cloth along the bottom and sides of the bra cup, from Wikipedia

Like METAL!!! Sounds like torture already, right? That got me wondering, who invented this brand of torture? One would think a man (we always joke that a man must have invented these things that we as women have to endure, right?) but no, the patent, from 1893 was given to Marie Tucek (Wikipedia). Marie, honey, I'm sorry, but I can no longer "support" your invention. (Note: When I tried to find a good picture of an underwire on Bing images, I found lots of ladies in their bras, as expected, but also Johnny Depp, Zach Galafanakis, several cars, food dye and a Cat in the Hat onesie. Go figure.)

Anyway, not intending to be a history lesson here.. You can check that out if you are interested. All I know is, I'm wire free, feeling MUCH better, and a little like a rebel, too.

I can't totally shame the underwire though, I'm sure some ladies swear by it, and I've found a couple underwire "bright spots", too.

For example, I like is Quinn Cummings blog, The QC Report, which was made into a book, Notes from the Underwire (one I do not have yet, by the way). Quinn played the precocious little girl in the movie, The Goodbye Girl, the original one with Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason....one of my all time favorite movies.

I'm thinking of making something useful from my underwire castaways...any ideas?

And finally, if I start to miss my underwire, I can always get this necklace, by designer Jung Ee Eun.

Nah, I don't think I'll miss it THAT much!

Anything make you feel like a rebel this week? Or, maybe you just can't live without your underwire? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

I'm counting down.....

2010-06-25T07:39:00.000-05:00

Nephew and Ana pose for silly pictures!

5 days until I see Eclipse (at an 18 and over showing, mind you....and I have to say, these "women" I go with, love this series of books/movies, just as much as the teenagers)!
7 more posts until the big 100th post!!
10 more days until my birthday (which, for the record, I love to celebrate and I don't mind telling you, I will be 39 this year)!!!

I hope you come back and share the 2nd and 3rd with me....sorry, I didn't get you a ticket for Eclipse (did I mention we got our tickets in May?)

New Pages....or why I'm in love with simply.scraps....

2010-06-23T21:31:00.001-05:00

Hope you're week is going well....I have a buncha new digi-scrap pages to share from my CT (Creative Team) spot with talented Laura Banasiak aka simply.scraps.

Using A Little This, A Little That template and Big Daddy kit at Scrap Orchard, font is Ali Edwards. Here's the journaling:

Matt is quite the card player, now that he has learned to follow rules. However, there is only black and white, no shades of gray, and he gets very bent out of shape if someone doesn’t follow the “right”rules, or if he suspects someone is cheating. He has a very strong moral streak, but he’s gotten into trouble telling adults how things should be. Oh, Matt, a little tact, buddy!
Using the Mommy's Boys kit from simply.scraps and Shawna Clingerman at Scrap Orchard
Ah, sweet Ana....pure sunshine.
Laura's kit: Sugar, Sugar at Scrap Orchard

Using the Two Peas in a Pod kit from simply.scraps and Lyndsay Riches at Scrap Orchard

and finally...

Using Rockstar in Training, Tap Tap black alpha and metal mama all from simply.scraps at Scrap Orchard.

Wondering what Scrap Orchard is? Find out here.
Also, I'm not being paid to advertise Laura's products, just having fun with her awesome kits!!!

Real Beauty - The Mirror Project

2010-06-21T22:08:00.000-05:00

For Ana's 8th grade graduation, I created a book for her to remind her what it really means to be beautiful. The directions for this project came from a Big Picture Scrapbooking class called, The Mirror Project, by Donna Kert. On each matchbook page, there is a special message from to Ana. I've shared just a few of the messages and I left some of the inner message pages for her to complete with her own ideas. Of all the mini book projects I've completed, I think this may be my favorite. One last thing before I share - the cover circle that just looks black is really a mirror, it just didn't photograph that way. I wish I could remember what the papers I used were - they were so perfect for my vision of this project. I'll add a note if I remember.

Happy Father's Day! Here's My Dad!

2010-06-20T07:14:00.000-05:00

I've been saving this layout to post for Father's Day. Here's my awesome Dad ....love you Dad! Here's the journaling:

Dad - We may not see eye to eye all the time, but I know you always have my back. You never fail to surprise me with how much you care about our family and you are one of the kindest people I know. I love how you always know how to fix things, whether it’s a broken vacuum cleaner, or my broken heart.

Thanks, Dad, for always being there for me.

If you are a dad, married to or in a relationship with a dad, see your dad, or keep him in your heart, Happy Father's Day.

Been a long week.....

2010-06-19T09:10:00.000-05:00

This is my Swedish Furniture Name. Want to know yours? Follow this link to Blogadilla

So, I know I haven't posted all week, but not to worry, I'm here and I'm thinking about why I haven't said anything in a week. I've been devoting my creative energy to planning a makeover in my home, and it's been hard to think about anything else - one track mind thing. First up will be my son's room, which is really just a loft. He's gone from tiny tot to big kid faster than his room has, so he'll get the first update. Thanks to IKEA, I have it all planned out and it's affordable! He'll have a wall of their Expedit book cases to put his collections in and a desk where he can do his homework and set up his lego Star Wars battles.

I went to Behr.com and they have a super cool color design thingy and I know just what colors to use now:

Now all I need is the energy to complete the project. *sigh* Oh, and a big strong guy to lug it up my staircase!

Happy, Happy

2010-06-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

I had the layout of the week over at Log Your Memory this week....the challenge was to do a page having to do with what you like best about summer and I chose my birthday!

Here's the journaling:

My birthday is July 5 and I still, love, love, LOVE my birthday. I don’t worry about getting older, I just look forward to celebrating another year with my family. My favorite summer memories are tied to my birthday, too: fireworks the day before, then I always take the day off of work for my birthday and spend it with my kids and people I love, and some of the best birthdays I’ve had were spent relaxing in the swimming pool. The 2 photos on the bottom are the swimming pool birthday cakes my sister made for me (by the way, her birthday is 2 days before mine!)

Those awesome cakes were created by my sister Jeanne...here's a close up:

An effective use of my daughter's outgrown Polly Pocket toys, don't you think? Look for the recipe for this cake? We found it here.

Jeanne has selected the design for this year's cake....it's a Watermelon! Can't wait!

*************************************************

I also did a page on my recent trip to Naperville that I wrote about here.

In Other News:

Ana graduated from 8th grade this week...holy cow!....I'll be sharing photos for the West Coast Erickson/Clark/Davis clans once I get them uploaded!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Have you ever??? Photobooth Style

2010-06-04T08:15:00.000-05:00

So, what do you get when you have a bad day at work and just need some silly family time?

Photobooth-style photos on the couch!

You know you have those silly pictures of you or someone you love, squashed up in a photobooth, and making silly faces?

It's the cure for most bad days....

Ana the cheeseball and my head on Matt's body!

Melanie the cat tries to get in a photo!

My two kooky kids - thanks for cheering me up!

Have you ever??? Silly Cat Style

2010-06-03T08:15:00.000-05:00

Matt tried to dress Melanie the cat up as Yoda. She didn't mind. Have you ever?

Have you ever??? Outdoor Style

2010-06-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not an outdoorsy person. Nope, never been.
I like my air conditioning and I'm not afraid to admit it.
But, sometimes, when the sun is bright enough, and the air is just breezy enough and the right mood strikes, I can be lured outside to enjoy my breakfast. And yeah, that is Diet Coke. For breakfast. I didn't feel like making coffee.

Even the dog gets it!

Have you ever??? Riverwalk Style

2010-06-01T08:15:00.000-05:00

I dragged my indoor self out with my son to walk on the inspiring Naperville Riverwalk a week ago. Years (and years and years) ago, a guy I was dating took me there for a "romantic" stroll....I just wasn't into it (or him since he was a nice guy and I had a thing for the jerks, but that's a story for another time). I moved to the area years later with my then husband and my babies, and I finally got it. It's a beautiful spot of nature in the middle of a (great) city. There's a beach, walking trails, covered bridges, the river, paddleboats, sculptures, fountains and lots of shady spots to sit and read or people watch. I always feel like I'm on vacation when I'm there. Last year, I took my sister there and now she gets it, too.

...I vow to spend more time there this summer....

Soles 4 Souls Barefoot Week

2010-06-01T06:59:00.000-05:00

I came across this charity, Soles 4 Souls on a photography challenge website, I Heart Faces and wanted to share...

About Soles 4 Souls: Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes free of charge to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 7 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently donating one pair every 9 seconds.) The shoes have been distributed to people in over 125 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States. Soles4Souls has been featured in Runner's World, Ladies’ Home Journal, National Geographic’s Green Guide, and The New York Times. It has appeared on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, BBC, CNN and thousands of regional news outlets across North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Anyone can join our cause, and we need your help.

Now, I don't know about you, but I have a LOT of shoes I don't wear anymore. For what ever reason, they don't fit, I have nothing to go with them, they seemed like a good idea at the time.....and I have a tendency to hang on to things because they may be useful some day. No, you won't see me on "Hoarders" some day (I hope), but I can't seem to get rid of things that I know will serve a purpose and now, I have a purpose for all those shoes....

Have you ever??? Dmitry Style

2010-05-30T08:15:00.000-05:00

We recently discovered our crazy cat, Dmitry has a talent...he fetches, just like a dog! I tried to capture the silliness of a cat running after a fuzzy ball and bringing it back only to get it again, but you'll just have to imagine the crazy scramble to run down the hall to get it (the floor is wood, so there is a lot of sliding and slamming into things). He enjoys this game so much, he stalks Ana to play with him.

A Weekend Agenda

2010-05-29T09:24:00.000-05:00

Big weekend ahead -

Ana's graduating from 8th grade on Wednesday, June 2nd and due to travel schedules, we're having her party this weekend. Making some goodies for that with my nephew (who likes to cook)...
My niece and nephew are getting ready to spend a month in Arizona with their Grandma and it's my (self-appointed) job to make sure they have enough to read. Taking my nephew to The Frugal Muse today to get him some reading material ..... all my hardwork shoving books in his face since he was a baby has paid off and he's a "reader"! Yeah! His hardwork helping get ready for his cousins party will payoff with some summer reading - I'll let you know what he chooses!
I've got some much needed time off to recharge my batteries - the "work battery" (Memorial Day Weekend) and the "mom battery" since the kids will spend some much needed time with their globe-trotting father this weekend.
I've had the itch to paper scrap this week....I'll share some stuff soon. I have a book I've been working on for Ana about Real Beauty, that she will get later this week.....
Also, have a digital scrapbook Summer book in the works using some of the fun papers and elements creating by the awesome Jen C Designs, which I will get to share this weekend, too.

So, fun stuff for me....hope you have some fun things planned as well. See you soon with some pics from our weekend!!!

I'm Sharing.....Log Your Memory Weekly Challenge: Siblings

2010-05-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

So, I spend a lot of time over at Log Your Memory. Each week, there is a scrapbooking challenge to document something about your life. This week's theme was about siblings. I could have written about my kids as sibs or my own sibling....I chose to share my thoughts about my sister. I know she reads my blog (good sister!) and this assignment was a chance to finally document how I feel about her. So, meet my sister/best friend, Jeanne:

Here's the Journaling:

My sister is my best friend. She’s my go to person and I talk to her every day. Really. Every single day. It wasn’t always like this, though. She’s 4 years younger than me but you know how time seems to close the age gap when you get older? Well, now there’s really no telling who’s the older sister and who’s the younger one unless you look at our driver’s licenses! What I mean is there is no older sister/younger sister roles between us. We are just us. I think the time gap closed when we were both pregnant at the same time with our first borns – they were born a week apart. We both had the good fortune to stay home during those first couple years with Nick and Ana. Because I didn’t drive at the time, she became the “big” sister, helping me go everywhere I needed to be. We did our shopping together, doctor’s appointments, hung out and took care of our kids together. Fast forward 13 years to today. She’s still as vital to my daily happiness as she was back then. The difference is, we are both stronger women. We are both hard working moms, with teenagers. She opens her heart and her home to foster rescued dogs, while working a full time job. I do my scrapbook thing, and work full time. We support each other’s passions and wipe each other’s tears. We plan movie dates, and scrapbook together. We even have sleepovers just like the teenage girls we still feel like. Only, when I was a teenager, she was too young to really hang out with. I’m really thankful that we’ve maintained such a strong relationship for the past 30-some years. We are truly friends by birth.

And another, much different page I did featuring my sister and me:

Jeanne and Ana at Ana's Confirmation (Jeanne's both my kids' Godmother)

Just curious:

Are you close with your siblings? Has your relationship with them changed over time like mine has?

Matt and "The Big Fish"

2010-05-16T23:04:00.000-05:00

(Kit: Write On, a new kit from Laura Banasiak/simply.scraps which is available 5/17 here)

Back on April 23rd ...., we had a celebrity among us....our very own, award winning author, none other than, Matt! Matt's short story, "The Big Fish", was selected by the Brainstormers as one of 5 stories to be performed by the group, in front of his classmates.

The school called that Monday, and let us know his story had been selected and instructed us not to tell Matt. Yep, it was a BIG secret - he couldn't know until the very moment his story was performed, that he was a chosen author! We all gathered, as his entourage, in the conference room at the school, so he wouldn't see us until it was time for the show --Me, My Guy, Stepmom (on Dad's behalf, as he was stuck in Canada), Grandma and Bubba, and I even sprung Ana from school a little early, so she could be there to celebrate Matt.

The Big Fish

by Matthew Erickson

Once there was a bear that was really good at catching fish. One day, it saw a really big fish. But something else was trying to catch it. It was an alligator.

And the bear went up to the alligator to ask, "Want me to help you catch that big fish?" And the alligator said, "Yes. So the bear told the alligator all his way of catching fish: using a fishing pole, using a fishing net, and using a trap.

So first, they tried using a fishing pole. But when they tried casting the line, it got stuck in a tree. And the tree was too weak to climb. So they left it there.

Then, they got the fishing net. But the bear had it for a long time, so it had a hole in it. And when the fish came, it just went through it.

Next, they used the trap and the trap was to get some logs and put them behind and in front of the fish, then jump in the water. So they did and they caught it.

But they had to decide who would eat the fish. And they decided they would both have a half. So, they split the fish and ate it. And that's how the alligator and the bear worked together to catch the Big Fish.

Couldn't be prouder!!!

My son, the author....and just one week later, Ana found out she took second place in a writing contest! Oh, they make their former English teacher mom proud!!!

I found it....I bought it....you want one too, don't you?

2010-05-11T14:44:00.000-05:00

New Glee tonight....liked, no LOVED last week. Found this on Etsy and had to buy it...

Yes, it would.

This guy has all kinds of buttons over there....Ana and I have had fun sharing and wearing them...

This one is so me too....

I'd love to show you more, but why not check them out for yourself.....

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beanforest

Happy new Glee tonight!

A few pictures from Matt's First Communion and Ana's Confirmation

2010-05-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

Family....here are some of the pictures from Ana's Confirmation and Matt's Communion...naturally, I took a zillion more...here are the highlights...

Jen C Designs - New Release - Strawberry Delight

2010-05-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

Jen C has a fresh new kit available Monday, May 10th - it really got me in the mood for summer....think I might plant strawberries this year. Do rabbits like strawberries? I can't plant anything that might turn into rabbit food -- 2 years ago, I spent BIG bucks on my garden only to realize 2 weeks later that all I really did was provide an expensive buffet for the rabbits in my neighborhood! Nothing grew back - I was NOT happy. I've learned my lesson and I plant a border of marigolds around everything now!

Strawberry Delight

And a couple layouts using this kit....

Hope your Mother's Day was everything you hoped it would be. Thanks to my kids for treating me like a queen!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

--Elizabeth Stone

To all of my bloggy moms - Happy Mother's Day - there is nothing harder or more rewarding.

From simply.scraps, available at The DigiChick