the waiting....

waiting for snow...
waiting for santa...

Look at all that green in the background....hmm? white christmas anyone? Please.

Okay, fake glittery snowflakes will do. For now.

Finished last of the cards and still want to do some baking. Kids are off for one week. Both came home with sugary rushes from school parties.

...visions of sugarplums danced in their heads....

December Activities

nothing too brainy here today....

just some really cute moments from the last two weeks.


a baby turned 3.
a christmas tree shimmers.
favorite ornaments.
a baby sleeps {for a change}.
birthday cake.
oodles of handmade cards to send.
yikes, what are they still doing here?
favorite catalogs clog the mailbox.
unexpected december rainbows.
followed by snowy days.
reminding me of a snow globe being shook, but I was inside it.

ooooh, I still have to do so much :)

enjoy,
peace
love
joy

alot like christmas

Its been busy.

The last two weeks of November were filled with Thanksgiving preparations, school activities, tree trimming, early christmas shopping, finding more tree goodies to match the color theme of the tree, more shopping for our youngest's 3rd birthday celebration, and the final, big outside clean-up of the yard before winter really starts here in my part of upstate new york.

And yes, then taking time to reflect on the true spirit of the holidays upon us and taking care of others who need it more. Not in that order-- as I get older I feel that all this frenzy between Thanksgiving and Christmas is really nutty. I always feel a little rushed this time of the year. Its no wonder. Sometimes, without thinking, while I go about the normal buzzing that has made this last month of the year so crazy I stand back. I decide not to go early morning christmas shopping or go crazy looking for all the sales and coupons. Or, I don't bake the fancy stuff or put on an elaborate light show for the neighbors. My husband and I purchased new lights for the tree -- the box came with 3 sets of 150 lights -- so we have like 300 tiny lights on our tree, I say -- gee, that seems a little excessive? Then I ponder - what if all the excessiveness is really what we are all guilty of accepting. Opting out of the "fluff" that has become christmas makes me so much more relaxed. Who needs that?

This year our girl scout troop is adopting a family for the holidays, which means our families donate all the food and other necessities for a nice holiday meal for as family that really needs it. Last week boy scouts collected for toys for tots and in my son's religion classes the children of the 2nd grade have picked a local charity, Bethany House, to donate items too. There are opportunities everywhere -- I like that. It reminds us of not getting too excessive with the frivolous and paying more attention to the stuff that matters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Up until a few days ago we in Rochester were treated to very nice 60 degree plus weather -- at the end of November. It was just too nice to stay in to do the normal "wintery" stuff. So we were out in the yard doing what most people probably did in October. Grabbed the camera hoping for some good pics to use for the upcoming Christmas cards -- but no one was in the mood to pose. But the roses were.............I don't think I have ever seen this one of my roses bloom this late in the season. December roses for sure.

It was good for the procrastinators like us because it gave us one last chance to winterize. Though it felt like an early spring day instead of late November.

Some photos of yard "work", planting the garlic {first year we are doing this} and getting ready for the winter months, last chance to swing carefree without a jacket on our swing, last chance to throw sticks and rocks into the creek in the backyard before it freezes, one last backyard fire in the fire pit.


....Hibernation....winterizing whatever you call it.

Okay, I'm ready for a Rochester winter now. Come on, Bring it on!

:)

about two weeks behind

went to my digital stash for a quick post-halloween layout. sometimes i play around with the pictures, digtal papers and fonts as a way to help with the paper version. on paper i might doodle the arrows in.

font:depressionist3 and journal, downloaded from the internet
paper:part of the robyn england "my roots" kit from scrapartist.com
pumpkin: oogeleyboogely kit, also from scrapartist.com
cool overlay: from a site named "tasty tattoos" that I just stumbled upon one night, {not sure if that's the full name. going to check it out again later.}

Found: Kiwi Spoons

Just had to post these two pics here...there is a story and an "I want to remember this" memory behind these that I am journaling in my head as I type this, but more on that later. Are these not the cutest spoons ever? The design is ultra cool modern, ergonomic, they are fun and easy to hold and frankly, I don't know why they don't make more spoons and other utensils like this.

:)

It Was Sunny, So I Left My Coat Home...

Just reflecting on the term "bad day".............

Like my cute/ugly/weird little green guy? {mcdonalds happy meal toy}

It was sitting on my desk today and I think his look just sums it up so far today.





Prior to today I thought the worst day ever was the time that I had to walk into my kid's school attendance office to drop-off and sign them in while in my jammies and with toothpaste still sticking to my zits from the night before. But today I laugh at that one.

Because it was way worse today, and yesterday didn't run all that smoothly either now that I'm sitting here looking at my "when printers go bad" prints.

What?????

{big sigh here}

So little girl brings home an assignment for a family tree project the first graders are doing....I was so sure I had all the pictures ready to go....set up a collage on the photo editing software. Ready for printing right ---- right up my scrapbooking alley, right?, sure, except its not supposed to look red!

Printer issues + me not being really techie = big frustration. We eventually had to cut up some already printed pics {but not the ones I would have choosen, ya know} Made it to school with one minute to spare before the bell rings. Whew.

Today we missed the bus again, however we were good with our time, we would have made it before the school bell, but then on the way out the door little girl slips down the front steps and really hurts her shin badly. At the same time I was shutting the door and she was falling I hear what sounds like a big crash coming from inside the house. My mirror and wall shelf from the entrance wall just collapse??? Just fell off the wall?? I'm like what the heck??? Deal with that later.

After about a half hour of calming her down and getting her to try going to school we walk into school [waaay late] but they get what happened and we agree to go ahead with the day I sign her in, go through security check point at main office. I leave, she waves bye bye. What a trooper. {I heart you sweet little lady}

Not one hour back home I get a call from the nurse's office. She needs to be picked up, her ankle is really hurting her. So I get me and the baby back in the car. If you have ever gone to pick up [or drop off] your kid at school nowadays you know that every in and out needs to be documented in the office. Our school now also has a camera and buzzer installed at the main entrance so they can see who is coming in the building and they have to unlock the door. Back in the building, Back to the nurses office, run after two year old who's screaming down the hallway. She is sitting in the nurses office smiling and with an ice pack on her ankle. I say I feel real bad, I thought she would be alright, nurse says don't feel bad, its okay.

Then I get "spoken to" about not signing in at the main office. {geesh, people didn't you just see me an hour ago and didn't you see little wild man make a run for it at the first hallway????] YOu called me to come here, remember??? See, this is where I start to loose it. Cause she is walking fine. Okay, a little limp, fine enough. So we head out, I have to stop at the main office to sign in / sign out again, on the way out she says "but mommy I'm missing the author read her book" she is about to be in tears, I can tell. Today was visiting author day -- It was author and illustrator, Suzanne Bloom -- they had a really fun morning planned she really wanted to stay and now this. We get to the sidewalk. I asked why she thought she needed to come home? She says it was because she couldn't sit with her legs folded and that she bumped her leg while she was in the class room. The teacher said she needed to go home. See, this to me did not really mean she needed to be sent home. It meant she should choose another sitting arrangement. But I guess teachers see it differently.

So I huff and puff my big annoyed self back to the van with a little boy who does not want to get in the car.....there's a struggle for the keys.....he wants to play "open car" I just want to get home. He pulls on the key rope I have, I pull him in the car determined not to let him win. {way to go mom} And now for the really bad part -- what coud make this trip worse?? was it the empty gas gauge? knowing I only had 6$ to work with?

No. It was this....I wish I took a picture of it....the key bent at a 90 degree angle. hmmm. I touch it with the hope and wish that it would just go back into shape. It snaps off. yea. NICE.

No extra key with me. No chance of fixing the now broken metal. Hubby at work -25 min away, with little flexibility in leaving to go save his flustered wife. It will be funny later when I think about it I'm sure. But as I was sitting in the car looking at the thing I was wondering .... if I just had me some duck tape and a paper clip and maybe knew how to start a car without the key I could get meself out of this mess. Where was my McGyver mojo?????

The irony here is that before leaving the house I thought "its so nice a day, no coat for me." hahaha. Had I brought my coat along -- the extra key was in that pocket.

I mean the rest was just downhill ---I went through my whole purse and car glove compartment looking for the extra key. Then I decide I just can keep the kids in the car in the school parking lot so.... back through the 13 levels of major security clearance. Ring buzzer. Look at camera. "Yes, can I help you?" "Um, yes, I um need to use the phone in the office." "Just a minute." Assistant principal comes to door. He has no idea what is happening so I tell him I just need to use the phone -- office lady sees me "You're still here?" I show her the key "oooooh" she says, then says "you need to sign in and out first" Wow. {i'm all over that list today} I guess If I have to make a positive comment I'm sure glad she does her job well. Because on the day something really whacky is going on I know she will have that sign in sheet!! You can tell she is puzzled so I fill her in a little more. I have to call my neighbor. And thank God, I mean really, really thankyou! she was able to come get us.

So here we are at home, without our car, and one seriously broken key.

That is one fine day huh? I know, I know, this is nothing compared to other awful, horrible things but I just had to vent. whew.

Now how to explain this all to hubby???? He is not going to believe it I swear.

bye now.....off to fix a shelf.

Coaxing Nature

I'm so behind in posting for halloween and those cute shots of the kids and other things that have been going on.
But that is all my own fault -- I get very distracted when I'm online. The blogs, oh all those creative blogs to read. The art sites. The inspirational and thought provoking sites. The "challenges" type of sites. Those I am going to have to do, I also just want to get in on one for the sole reason that they just seem like the perfect fun thing to do to help get out of the paper scrapbooking rut/hiatus. Doing the digital LOs is much easier. And so I think I am only going to allow mega-blog readin only once a week or maybe weekends when I have more time. The projects looming in my brain start knocking around again until I do something productive. But first.

~~~how I like to waste time, ahem, I mean "how to waste time productively 101"
Yesterday we had fun coaxing a squirrel onto our deck {science and nature time}
We photographed the squirrel. {more science blended with a photography lesson}
We went outside for fresh air {recess. phys ed.}
Came back in for lunch and got ready for an afternoon of running errands.

So that encompassed my w h o le morning. yawn. I know. The the little guy thought it was very fun.

I wasn't really sure the squirrel would come back for the second round of peanuts {of course he did} I noticed him hanging out on the deck ledge and then slowly making his way to the nuts.

I decided to grab the camera as he was just too cute and furry. I had to open the sliding glass door and the screen door to get a decent shot. For a moment I thought this might scare him off, but it didn't. I paused and waited and then he froze. Then for a split second I had a when animals attack visual. I thought, "what if this open door {so close to the nuts by the way} invites him in?? what if he attacks?" I decided to deal with the when nature goes bad moment if it happened.

It didn't. His main focus was the nuts. He briefly stared at me then went about his business.
Locate food.
Make sure location is secure. {just a lady with a shiney thing in her hand}
Hold food.
Sniff.
Run.
Dig hole for food.

Then I waited......and waited....and waited....he was so quick the first time that I only got a back shot of him. I waited some more for his return. Finally he trotted up the stairs again for more. Got that second shot. But again he was fast.

This episode reminded me of the movie Over the Hedge. Which the kids and us loved. Hammy is my favorite for sure.

Then, totally unrelated.....
I love how this one lonely leaf is just hanging on so I snapped that pic before the next big wind comes blowing in around Rochester.

Off to lunch with grandma.

My extra hour of "daylight"

My Extra Hour

Though I'm sure some will disagree with me -- I really hate it when we have to switch the clocks -- it leaves me and my circadian rhythms totally out of whack. Yesterday I felt really disorganized, everything was happening earlier than usual -- which of course felt like I had more time to do stuff. But then everyone in the house was turning cranky on me -- oh, that's right it's about time for lunch -- but wait, no -- oh heck fine lets do lunch. Then last night we get home from the parents house after a nice big Sunday dinner -Italian Style- and it was only quarter to six -- wow I actually had time to finish cleaning the kitchen and read, and spend time with the kids, and get everyone's jammies on {without rushing and yelling about}. And it was nice that the kids were playing nice, not arguing over who gets to play with whatever next. They were actually calm and restful and snuggley on our big bed and when it was time to hit the sack everyone agreed. Wow, I could get used to this I thought. Then I remembered, it wasn't really 9pm!! -- it was 10 pm {old time}!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I actually put them to bed waaaaaaaaaaaaaay late. great. Nice goin' mamaslack. NO wonder no ones waking up. Damn, daylight savings time.


I Question What the Heck Where Saving Here

The calendar says "daylight savings time ends" so does this mean we are back on "regular" time now? In the spring it's just as annoying. Wait--- why are we saving the daylight???? If in the fall we get that extra hour, then I guess it sounds good, in theory, but then don't we give it up in the spring? So it cancels itself out?? Why did someone think an hour of a mom's time could be so foolishly tossed up in the air for random swapping??? who???


my extra hour -- I guess I did more with the kids and photographed more pretty autumn leaves. Two things that make me pretty darn happy.

Autumn pictures for today

A Late Afternoon Walk

yesterday was a perfect day for taking a walk at our nearby nature park, Tinker Park and Nature Center. Just the right amount of autumn chill in the air. A 1.2 mile trail, which little guy walked the whole way. {yep, he slept great} I'm always amazed at the quietness that surrounds you while walking the wooded trails when just a few blocks away are several busy roads and housing developments. You just don't hear any of it, just nature. Its an awesome gift to give yourself on a sunny day at the end of a wild week with the kids. We {just little guy and mommy} enjoyed the quiet falling leaves, an occasional squirrel darting across our path and even a tiny waterfall.

{I tried to post pictures twice, some message about a connection not connecting......will try again later} poo.
________________
Okay -- here they are

First Snow - Upstate NY

So the weather folks were right this time. We actually had a light dusting of snow soon after midnight. It's slowly melting now, and very sunny, so everything is glistening and glossy, but this is what the back deck looked like at sunrise.

Earliest snow in Upstate NY I think they said. I usually happily anticipate the first snow {like in November, around Thanksgiving} but this is a bit too early in the season for me....

Loving Fall {while It lasts}

It's been over a month since my last post -- I'll start with a photo taken this past summer {yea, I'm still in denial that summer is over}

I added a small photo corner flourish -- I've been liking those alot lately on my digital prints and layouts. These are available for download at the scrapartist.com site.

So, I'm freezing my toeses off, we had a brief stint of a nice Indian Summer over the weekend and yesterday. Today is a complete fall-ish kind of day; rain, drizzle, thunder, tons of beautiful leaves plucked early from branches because of the winds. They say "snow" for Friday of this week. Please no. Just one more nice weekend of fall leaves for picture taking pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.

Alot going on here....kid activities, school night homework, girl scouts, cub scouts, house stuff, hubby back to his night class schedule.

Creativity has been in bloom -- I'm getting alot of some projects done that I kept holding off on "until the kids get into school all day." It has just been a really nice break from the computer. Now, I'm itchin to log on again. I have been having fun learning the new {new to me} manual functions on my digital camera. Sepia tones have been popping up in all my stuff lately. I was asked to do a senior portrait for a friend. She knows I have been learning my camera and so this gives me a chance to practice some more. Also did a photo shoot for a friends little girls. They turned out so cute I might have to frame them and send off as a christmas prezzie.

bye for now.

Farm Market Flower

Outside at Outlook Farm, Westhampton, Massachusetts

An amazing shot just by co-inky-dinky. In other words, when I downloaded it off the digital camera I was like -- wow, I took that? I used an edge distresser by Heidi Swapp {from MemoryWorks} and sand paper to give the edges a "shabby" appearance. One of my scrappin buddies says, "I like how you cropped that" Yea. I have learned that it's better to crop while you are taking the shot. I have seen way nicer results on the photos. This will end up being a photo-note card or part of a set for summer notecards that I am working on.

side note about edge distressers -- I loved trying this out, always thought I'd mess up the photo. Monday night I learned that Stampin' Up is now offering a handy-sized 4-in-1 tool that includes an edge distressor, scoring tool, cutter blade, and a perforating tool. The thinks you can think with that little tool easily found by your side. Someone asked the demonstrator if you could travel with it --- Although she said yes, bec it's all enclosed, I would probably guess not- though I could be wrong. I wonder about the knife/blade part in there. But it's still a cool tool. I want one now.

Back Home Postcard

I hated to leave the lake house and yet couldn't wait to get back to my computer.... I worked on a photo collage of our trip out to Massachusetts.
I planned on using it for a postcard -- but will use in our
"vacation pages" scrapbook too.

Could it be any cuter?

We are doing things to get ready for back to school and for our trip out to visit friends in Massachusetts.

Yesterday was mommy and daughter night out {as she called it} We went for haircuts and then some shopping mommy/daughter style. I have to laugh because we are such girls. We came back with:

hairbands
barretts
lip gloss
hair color {for me}
glossy folders with polkadots for school
nail polish
hair shine spray and leave in conditioner {for all those morning snarls}
and a my little pony dvd {at once realizing where this shopping trip was going, I had to put down my "Eight Below" dvd. sigh. cute man in a parka}

so essentially, hair and makeup and a cute girl-flick.

This was the conversation prior to leaving the house for our cuts.

I don't want to get my hair cut, I want long hair!
We are going to get a trim.
what's that? No.
Its where you just cut a little bit to get your style evened out.
I don't want short hair!
You won't have short hair.
Are you getting your hair cut?
yes.
I don't want to get short hair!
They only do long hair. They won't cut short hair if you don't want it that way.
They don't do short hair?
Nope.
Only long?
yes. I am getting my hair medium cut.
you are? okay. But I only want long hair.

It was an exhausting car ride. Flips through a kid-cut magazine only made things more confusing. In all 1.5 inches were cut off making for a happy girl and happy mom.

Mine was a different story -- about 3 or 4 inches cut. Sounds drastic I know but really it had just grown sooo long those three to four inches were really already dead probably. feels better. shoulder length feels different, lighter. I still need to fight the urge to put it back in a pony-tail.


Going to get back to packing the family up, but had to just post one day this week at least.

Also,

Who knew getting a rubber stamp set {actually 3!} in the mail could squelsh a stressful evening with the kids. It did. It always helps to get creative and draw/paint/or stamp something. I had no idea what I would be getting as my "free" gift was going to be so mini & cute. It almost got lost in the packaging of tissue paper and bigger sets. I looked at it, and after thinking "wait, this is it?" I followed it with...

"could it be any cuter?"

I'm always surprised that it can get everyone so happy, Art Therapy...my seven year old son gets really into stamping all the shapes and images. I love that he gets into it. Last night it was just him and I. And those times are so nice. If only for a little time, then he's off teasing his sister or building some giga-giagantic lego/starwars/bionicle ship.

so on the back of the invoice we practiced.....he thought they were " little surf boards" {good idea} then I showed him what else it could make..he says "cool"

I love when online companies send you your stuff and there is a handwritten note...."Thanks" they wrote in real ink. I think that's cool. Somewhere in the big wide universe of the internet {Nebraska I think} someone put my mommy-diversion-kit together and wrote thanks. As we enter all our info on websites and message boards and we get so used to the electronic connections, never meeting in person, but feeling like we know each other so well, it is so refreshing to be greeted all of a sudden with a familiar handwritten"thanks!"

Handwriting Fonts

Creating....loving it and making such a beautiful mess with all the pretty paper and tools.




















and..your own handwriting and doodles can be fun...see....I encourage scrapper friends to use their own handwriting - it makes it so unique. But, I still collect all the free fonts I can get my hands on. Creating Keepsakes just offered two free fonts from two of their designers {you have to go to the website and message board} and they are beautiful! They're handwriting fonts!

Fun with journaling strips and Blue Princess

You know, I could work on those cards and such all day. Wish I could work like this all day. But a sink full of yucky dishes has been waiting.....

I had a creative bug a few days in a row, loved working on the journaling strips this way, I had never tried it. But have seen it in all the scrapbooking/paper craft magazines, a million places. Always seemed like it might take too long but actually it was fun...its all about how your feeling when you sit down with all the tools and the creative juices start flowing. It also reminds me of the magnetic poetry words. This week I also found out that the company that makes the magnetic poetry also now offers them as rubber stamp sets. Know what my next online purchase is????

We've had a good week, in that its no longer a gazillion degrees out. 30 degrees less than last week is what the weather man said. Wow. 72 feels wonderful.

In the "funny things kids say.." department:

There's this six year old girl here who happens to like to play dress up, who happens to like wearing a blue princess crown this week. Everywhere. This week she wore it to her playdates, our trip to the grocery store, the beach, the soccer picnic and who knows where else...It is blue and sparkley, and glitzy, and glamed up with all things shimmery. The women at the grocery store said "happy birthday honey" {its not her birthday} she says "its not my birthday, I'm blue princess." Oh, okay.

I had heard her proclaim that she was blue princess one day but I didn't know she was going to carry through all week. I would have taken a picture had I know the blue princess was only going to last one week. As is the case today there has been no sign of the blue princess. I must have had something to do with encouraging the color because on Sunday of this week, she was wearing something blue. This shade of blue is hers. She looks so beautiful in it. The browns of her eyes and hair and soft tan of her skin look great matched with it. So I say "Blue is your color sweetie, that looks so good on you." Since then only blue garments are getting the nod. In fact there was a whole separation of blue v.s. other colors in the clothes department this week. Now there is a pile of pink purple yellow and red in her room. These are unapproved blue princess colors. White is okay, I'm told. One day she comes out wearing a {blue} houndstooth pattern skirt with a {of course, blue} striped shirt. Both the same shade of this wonderful robin's egg/turquoisesy blue. She has alot of it already in her stash, I had just never noticed it. I comment that the combo doesn't quite "go" together. She says back {while tossing her hair and walking down the hallway} "Blue princess wears what she wants."
hmmmm?


And overheard in the car while sitting next to the youngest....."I'm glad that I have a baby brother like you {news to us} because little sisters can be so naggy." This gets my husband and I to glance quietly at each other, he mouths "write it down" to me. I look behind to the way back row in the mini van at older sibling, big brother, he has a quizzical look peering over the seat. She pretends to be completely oblivious to our jaws dropping and sighs as she looks out the van window.

one word d-r-a-m-a.

A pony ride and Brain Age

Something I've been working on all week, a digital layout of our first pony ride.

She is still smiling about this ride two weeks later. Thank you God for ponies. Thank you for that smile on that little face.

I loved playing and creating this. Loved the pretty paper kit from www.digitalfreebies.com and the flourishes and swirls designs from www.scrapartist.com

We just had a one week mini-vacation, just here at home. Did the beach and some parks for the kids. Been keeping busy with soduko. I know now why its addicting.....It all started out slowly, but then I downloaded a puzzle to my desktop {this was waaaaaaaaaaay more fun than doing it on paper} then I was buying some games for the "kids" and I found a Nintendo DS version. Now I'm hooked. My son says, "mom, you're playing with the DS too much." Hey, isn't that supposed to be my line? The DS version comes on a game cartridge named "Brain Age."

Supposedly, you are to train your brain to keep it healthy and sharp. This is not a new idea, but the game comes with puzzles and quick math problems to solve that actually make it fun. Brain Age comes with a mini science lesson about how the brain works. The puzzles and questions are designed to "activate the prefrontal cortex" of our brains and make them work harder and stay sharp. I was glad to see that reading out loud is actually one of those activities that help with that, I do that all the time. {I figured I was golden.} I mentioned the prefrontal cortex thing to my husband {who hadn't really tried the game yet} and he just gave me a weird look, then made a dirty-boy comment about activating his prefrontal.

The game software is a little humorous too. After a brain age check I did a few days after starting my "training" the computer image of a talking head comes on and types "...your brain is very tired..." then the next day, after I tanked on some math problems {man, I didn't realize remembering my math tables could be so hard?!?!} the talking head says "...your brain is asking for help..." very funny. I keep asking my hubby if he has gotten the same message and he says no. I think he's covering up. Being that a 20 brain age score is the best, you are supposed to keep up the training to get close to that goal. My first attempt about a week and a half ago was a very poor 70. Yikes! And for those of us that tend to get a little competitive with games and scores {ahem, not me, really} it makes you work harder cause it records your "brain age" right there on the screen and then saves your file. Whoa. No way I was going to stay on file with a 70! Naturally, you do the puzzles enough and you start to get the hang of it and your memory improves considerably. By the other day I was up to 54, then 41. The head comes on and says "...you are such a trooper...you are much closer to your actual age...." and then something about an "old brain." Niiiice. I finally reached my personal best at 24 on Friday. Try taking a swipe at me now talking head...I got a "...you are doing well, might almost beat me..." huh? Anyway, a fun game to pass the idle time {not that I have that much} and the soduko is fun.

A sad week for journaling

Its been a down kind of week. I find it hard to want to journal or even log into check email and such. I have never figured out why but I just find it hard to write about things that are making me sad. I like to stay upbeat and positive, as a way to remind myself of all that is good around me. That is being thrown out the window today.

I have journaled for a long time, privately, at least, but blogging is different -- for me its been more about exploring a creative side that has long been "at rest." If I think back to times that have been tough -- I did journal quite a bit about the things that effected me. I also have a tendency to summarize the "unsettling things"in my blog entries into categories, like a list. So I think I do this so its down on paper and off my mind and that I have explored {at least a little} the reasons for feeling sad. Then I move on. I admit I like to skim over those sad thoughts quickly.

Keeping a journal is a good way to explore why you are feeling a certain way -- by doing such you are supposed to help yourself get over what is troubling you, by doing such you are making yourself look deep into what really matters and what is good in your life. But you know life just happens sometimes, that there is no getting better, its just about getting over it in the best way you can. In the most positive way you can. Coping with changes and sadnesses that enter into our lives is just in fact, part of life itself. So I love this part. And hate this part.

Not sure when it started, but I can totally categorize it into "losing people in our lives" mostly. Its been going on in my head for several weeks now.

A close friend's Dad not doing well, and in his last few days. I can't imagine that last troubling week for her and her family. These are things I have never had to go through in my own family yet. Receiving the communication from her this week that he had passed on early in the week made me feel sad all over again. For her, for them, for all that have to go through losing a loved one. A sort of relief for her that his painful time is over. But pain that she has to struggle through more grief at losing a parent. I keep her in my thoughts.

The news of killing and fighting overseas. Any of it. All of it. Why children? Why? What those families are going through no one should. I keep them in my thoughts.

The news of a kindergartener in our district with an inoperable, stem cell brain tumor. The email says P.U.S.H. Pray Until Something Happens...
"Her tumor is inoperable and resisting treatment. Her days are numbered, ..." She is the same age as my kindergartener going into first grade. Today is Alyssa's birthday. She turns six. Happy sweet birthday little Alyssa!! You deserve so much more time. Your mommy and daddy deserve to have so much more time. Can't even imagine having to face the prospect of losing one of my children. Can't even imagine. I keep the family in my thoughts.

All of sudden I get a rush of warmth to my cheeks and tears in my eyes. I can't wrap myself around the thought of not having one of my babies. I realize why I write their stories. Why I jot down silly words. Why I keep the pictures and drawings, even the not so adorable ones, near my bed, in my purse, in books, in albums, in random places. Because there is no random space in my heart. All space is taken by the love and bonds that exsist.

~M

if you give a kid a colored pencil

KidART

I love it when the little ones get all creative. I found crayola colored gel pencils for .50 each per package and dark paper at BigLots. Kept them busy for quite a while, a few days later I was putting the papers away and decided to pull them all together in a picture.

hmm. putting them all together didn't work so well in a picture....but its still cute.

journaling & layout about a blog

For some reason I could not get this to show up earlier {ahem. has nothing to do with operator error and fatigue, I swear} Thought I'd play around a little with photo editing seeing as that I couldn't get the banner thingie off the ground. After I saved and flattened all objects I thought of some other changes to make. So now I have another project to busy with.

But first....Today is an awesome looking day - may take the kids to the playground since its not scorching hot yet. Have some customer orders to deliver from memoryworks. Its so fun delivering the orders. Did you know that scrapbookers who are addicted to the hobby {like me}can carry on a conversation for a long time about scrapbooking and nothing else? So here's to a busy yet fun day ahead..........

















I posted "small size" so I would be sure it showed up this time. Could be too small to read the smaller print {not sure} I'm still a newbie at all this blogging and image posting/hosting. I like to see my stuff up here though -- you know, makes me feel like I finished something.

designer credits:
my own doodle in the picture {I love doodling swirls and flourishes lately}
patterned papers and photo turn : all from a digital kit "bold and sassy" from Angela Sharrow
little flourish and doodle flower: digital kits from Angie Briggs and digitalfreebies.com {Maria LaFrance designed}
background words and the "what's in blog" arrow are created by me in my software.
I used too many fonts at an ungodly hour so I really can't remember.

how iblog in the middle of the night.

well here I go again. my world of innsomnia.

Its 4:05am. Once, at 2:03am, I was thinking "I need to get to bed"...........but just not tired. At that particular moment I was at villagephotos.com signing up for a free account for hosting photos that I found out about through another website, {Screen Shots} lindsayteague.blogspot.com, because I was trying to figure out how to get a banner on my blog. That idea came from another blog, paper-cat.blogspot.com, who talks about putting a banner on her blog. I got there from -- following another link, though i can't remember how I found paper-cat, though from her blog I have added several more to my list of favorites. They are both very talented scrappers in my opinion. I love reading blogs of other scrapbookers. There's that commom thread, you know? In looking at my list of "favorites" tonight I notice there is a growing number of blogs I now like to pop into here and there. I know alot {I mean ALOT} of people all over the world blog, but tonight as I was going from creative blog to creative blog I realized it would never end, there would never be a link that said. Okay you've read all the scrapper blogs out there, now go to bed you sleepy girl. then another thought....{besides, you read alot of blogs girl}

what if everyone blogged, and what if we all had time to read each others, how much more we would understand each other, empathize with each other, deal with each other, help each other. Just plain get each other.

{skipping around to other thoughts..}
I went from one website to another, at some point I forgot why I logged in at 11:30pm. It was already late, I was kinda tired, but the pull of checking my email and signing into the forums and galleries of my favorite scrapbook sites was just too stong.

{here i go skipping again.}
Tried the banner thing but didn't get anywhere. Decided to go back to my photo editing software to gussy up my photo that I wanted to use. Ended up spending all my blogging time doing a layout, and it came together slowly but I like it. Now my legs are stuck in the sitting position. My hips are hurting and stiff. Its time to get to bed?? um. don't know if I should at this point. Yeah I probably will. 3 hours is better than none. maybe. At this point should i say Its too late? Its early just sounds wrong, yet right, so it automatically sounds wrong.

The typos in here before I cleaned it up were horrendous. Don't drive if your sleepy, and don't blog either.

Scrapbook layout for Independent twosomethings

Finally getting around to doing some fun stuff.

credits:

One very cute, very stubborn 2 year old

digital kits from

"America", by retrodiva (tracy collins) and "JustCause" Alpha {the letter J} also by Tracy Collins. She is a very talented designer at the www.digitalfreebies.com digital scrapbooking site.

Sigh.

Wish I could churn these out quicker. I get all absorbed in picking the colors and arranging the photos, then I get all gushy and weepy at the thought of my baby growing up....make me stop {:)} Then the big goofy smile.....then I say "you are sooooooooooooooo {pause}" and he says in his best 2 year old diction "Kewoot!" Then there's a gazillion kisses and tickling and tummy raspberries. Its a wonder I get anything done.