A few more

Peeks for a A Kiss on the Chic:

Gosh, there is so much more I want to do with this Summertime kit. I feel like I really gravitated toward the color red, but there are lots of colors in it-reds, blues, greens, yellows. I would like to finish one more layout. I still have to put the photos on my mom's picture frame too, ekk! All this while cleaning up the sand that my son has taken to throwing everywhere! I got him a water/sand table. And he loves it, but my OCD is in serious overdrive. The kits go on sale tonight Laura's blog at 7pm Pacific time. (California) Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow, when I can post all the AKOTC layouts.

Old and New

There really is no in between. It's either raining and cold or muggy and stinking hot. At least we got to use the baby pool. J was so tired last night he didn't know what to do with himself, I love that. Now that I know water is his kryptonite, I shall exploit it thoroughly. Because man was he a handful yesterday. I know he looks like an angel, but Dennis the Menace had nothing on him.

In my very limited older stash, I have kept the paper that I absolutely love/can't live without. Cosmo Cricket's Get Happy is still one of my very favorite lines. I combined some Cosmo Get Happy with some new Sassafrass lass chipboard and thickers:

Two Layout

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Get Happy Patterned paper pad in Get Happy Snappy and Get Happy Number 9; plus black Bazzil cardstock, Sassafrass Lass chipboard numbers; and American Crafters thickers numbers.

Instructions: Print text via computer to white patterned paper. Adhere patterned paper as shown. Adhere photos and chipboard/thicker embellishments as seen.

And this one is with Cosmo Cogsmo Patterned paper and Lil Man embellishments:

Air and Space Layout

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo Patterned paper Magical Portals; Cosmo Cricket Lil Man Ready, set, chipboard; plus gray bazzil cardstock.

Instructions: Cut pattern as seen from Cogsmo patterned paper with a craft knife. Apply to cardstock. Adhere photos with text via computer-designed in photoshop. Adhere chipboard embellishment. 

I think dh is really going to like the Air and Space one, I think he was afraid I was going to go too girly with it since there were vintage patterned paper all over my desk when he last saw me working on it. But the gray is very manly I think. You know taking these photos in the very crowded and cluttered museum was no easy task. It was a study in photographic angles, trying to keep all the cluttered planes hanging from the ceiling from encroaching on the one plane I was trying to highlight. And the lighting was questionable.

Well, I guess there will be more pooling today. However, my child can't seem to get enough of trying to spray me with the hose while I'm holding the camera, so I don't know how long I can hang in there. :) We need some new pool shoes, J completely outgrew his from last summer. We may go look for some this weekend. Happy Friday/Weekend! TGIF! Until tomorrow.

Driving-by

Trying to wake up this morning, so tired from last night. I always get a lot of scrapping done though on Reveal nights. I have several things all over my desk, I'm a little backed up on sharing, hope to take some photos today. I'm also hoping for a non-rainy day. I bought J a baby pool last weekend, that we still have yet to use. I love water pictures! And cards apparently:

Best Friends Card

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Snorkel patterned paper: Beach towel; Cosmo Cricket Snorkel Ready, set, chipboard; Cosmo Cricket Snorkel Rub-ons; plus black and white bazzil cardstock.

Instructions: Cut patterned paper as shown, adhere to white cardstock, mat with black cardstock. Apply chipboard stickers. Note: you will need a guillotine trimmer to cut the border sticker (and possibly a running start). :)

Do you go through periods where you are very critical of your own work? I feel like I'm doing that now. And in some ways it is a good thing, I think it's helping me identify what I like and want to keep doing. It is also helping me experiment too. But, it is also very frustrating and I have the temptation to tear apart every layout I make apart and start over, which kind of sucks. Happy Thursday to you! Until tomorrow.

The red pill

I'm napping in preparation for this:

Very excited about door #3. Down the rabbit hole I go. I haven't been sleeping very well the past two days and I am exhausted. This is unlike me, normally I have to prop my eyelids open at 11pm. So, it will be a challenge to stay awake for this. But very worth it for those stamps! Lots of Cosmo Early bird in this one! Happy Wednesday! Until tomorrow.

Sneaks peeks

Just some sneak peeks for AKOTC: 

This last one is because I'll run anything through my printer. And I mean anything. :) I'm into it today, more scrapping to be done before nap time is over. Happy Tuesday! Until tomorrow.

Just chillin'

I've been taking a little break this weekend, from blogging/scrapping/cleaning, etc. We had such a wonderful weekend together. Friday we bought J some summer toys- a baby pool and a sand table. We also got him a Wall-E toy, and he loves it. He was so excited about it Friday night that he spent the better part of the evening falling asleep talking to it. I know money can't buy happiness, but gosh it was close. :)

Saturday I got my hair cut. First time in a while. She took off 3 inches and I still can still pull it back in a ponytail. But it feels so much lighter and healthier. I couldn't understand a word the haircutting lady said, but she did a great job. Sometimes it's like living in a foreign country around here, I don't understand a word people are saying (they talk in their native language, not English), and I'm afraid to drink the water. Of course, I felt this way when I lived in rural NC too.

I also got some summer clothes with a gift certificate at LL Bean. I love their shorts and tops. I still have my bathing suit from last year. I've lost some weight since then, I hope it fits better but I suspect that I probably just lost, um mass from chest, so the top will be down to my naval, which will be extremely helpful to distract the eye from my hips. :)

I cleaned up the bedrooms this am, and J and I are about to head outside. I was editing some photos. I'm not sure whether or not I like the vignette on this photo. What do you think? I feel myself being pulled back to some black and white photos lately. I seem to have gotten into scrapping only color photos, and I'm ready for a change. Or at least to scrap both. Is it really a Monday? Until tomorrow.

Making Lemonade

I don't normally participate in blog awards, but I don't have anything exciting to say or share today and I thought this was a really cute lemonade stand. The image itself inspires me, thanks Sarah!

The guidelines for the Lemonade award are:
Comment on this blog.
Cut and paste the award logo and use it in your own blog.
Nominate 5 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude.
Link to your nominees within your blog post.
Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.
Link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.

And here's a little about the Friends award:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to five bloggers.

I choose:

Houston

Melanie Stanczk

Debra Famularo

Charity Hassel

Lisa Dickinson

All girls who make me laugh with their great sense of humor. Plus, I just want you to see Deb's AKOTC sneaks, wow, there are amazing! Happy Friday, woohoo! Until tomorrow.

Drive by

I need to be doing more of this:

Ants Marching Layout

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Patterned paper Ribbon Sandwich and Apron Strings: Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Ready, Set, Chipboard flower; Cosmo Cricket Lil Man Ready, Set, Chipboard wonder; plus black and white bazzil cardstock and Jenni bowlin flower center.

Instructions: Assemble and cut patterned paper as shown. Apply pearl center to chipboard flower when applying embellishments. Title and text via computer. Simple.

I know that someday I will marvel about the time we spent doing "nothing." But right now, I'm holding onto it and cherishing this moment to pieces. Can't believe there is no Grey's tonight, what a let down after the past 3 weeks. I've always wondered why the summer means re-runs? Is that negotiable? I'm thinking I need to watch a new-to-me show for the summer. I'm open to suggestions?! Happy Thursday! Until tomorrow.

Bits and pieces

I found my sunglasses, I knew I would. Like my friend Houston says, the cheap ones have 9 lives. :)

I am working on a few things, but nothing is ready for sharing just yet. I wanted to show you one thing that I do though to get the most bang for a buck lately. I use the Cosmo cricket Elements for everything. I use my favorite designs for scrapbooking and card making, but what to do with the ones left over? I cut them all up following the lines on the paper. Then I leave a stack near my office stuff. I use them for Tags on gifts-baby gifts, birthday gifts (great if you forgot or don't have time for a card). I use them for cute notes to dh when we are at the park when he comes home, or any notes really. I'm less likely to forget the doctor's appt if it is on pretty paper. I think it's how papercrafters are wired.

I use them for tags on baked goodies-This one is for my new neighbor who just moved into the neighborhood. I feel a little dishonest, misrepresenting the neighborhood. This place is neither social nor environmentally friendly, but I felt like "Welcome to the urban jungle, here's a coffee cake, don't run over my kid with your SUV" was a little too blunt. It just said "Welcome to the neighborhood." :)I also think it would be neat to exchange recipes at a coffee or tea. Everything is just a little bit more special on pretty paper, and that's really why we do this isn't it? To make things just a little bit better for our family and friends. And a piece of Elements paper is very inexpensive for the number of tags you get, I love them. Off to go search for my mojo, maybe I wrote it down somewhere? Happy Wednesday! Until tomorrow.

Rebel

I'm probably not supposed to do this, but I just had to show you a little bit of this kit. It's the 4th of July kit from AKOTC (and there is even more that I didn't photograph):

I'm very excited, this is my favorite kit yet! Otherwise, nothing much going on here today.

I'm searching for my sunglasses. I've misplaced them. I've had them for years now, I know they aren't gone, just missing. You know how I know they aren't gone? I paid $5 for them at the Sunglass hut at the Mall 5 years ago. Back in the day when I was a lifeguard in high school, I bought my first pair of $60 Oakley's. I had them less than two weeks when I hit my head on the door of my car talking to a boy (smooth, very smooth) and cracked the rim. My next wake-up call came on our honeymoon. I had a really nice expensive pair of Oakley's this time. I leaned over the rail of the cruise ship and they were gone. Had them less than 2 months I think that time. That's when it finally hit me. If I pay for expensive sunglasses, they will be at the bottom of the ocean in Davey Jones' locker room on Charlie the Tuna in record time. If I had bought the cheap sunglasses instead, I promise you a diver would have re-emerged at that exact moment they fell overboard and handed them to me. So, I know my cheapies aren't gone, just missing. I'm off to look around. Happy Tuesday! Until tomorrow.

One is the loneliest number

I am all for recycling. I am, however, the only person on my street that puts out recycling bins with any kind of consistency. I'll have 3 bins usually and none of my neighbors have any at all most weeks. I thought I had my days for recycling mixed up at first, but it's been that way for almost 2 years now. And while I don't consider it particularly difficult to put out the recycling, it does take a little more effort than just tossing it in the trash. And sometimes I'm a little resentful that my neighbors don't even try.

When we first moved here, I tried desperately to figure out this recycling mystery. I called my Mom and explained the situation. She put me on speaker phone and my Dad walked in. I should give you background that even though most people would find me pretty conservative, compared to my Father everyone is a flaming liberal.

Me: I don't understand it, how can they not recycle anything? Ever?

My Mom: Well, maybe they aren't home.

Me: What do you mean?

Dad walks in: Is that my Birkenstock wearing, bra-burning, flaming liberal daughter?

Me: Yep, it's me Dani Dad. (as opposed to the other one, my sister)

Dad: Why don't you go hug a tree and stop worrying about what your neighbors are up to?

Me: Sounds good. Hey, I need to talk to Mom about a female period thing.

------Silence-------

Me: Is he gone?

My Mom: Yep, in the garage.

Me: What do you mean they aren't home? They live here right?

My Mom: It's so expensive to live there, they probably work all day. Maybe they recycle at work?

Which is a possibility. Or maybe they don't buy the things I do. Like propel or Tide or cereal. Then I start to feel guilty. Maybe if I didn't buy such recyclable stuff I wouldn't have to schlep my recycling to the curb either. So this is karma kicking my butt for drinking propel, which while infinitely better than soda still comes in a stupid plastic container. So now I just feel ashamed, branded with a green recycling bin as someone who disregards the environment with grocery purchases. Am I the only one with strange paranoid delusional thoughts about recycling? Just checking. :)

This layout uses a recycled piece of a Fuji apple bag. I just liked it, I don't typically raid my trash for scrap supplies. The photo is from the local farmers market, J is pulling my leg and I took this over my shoulder in a hurry, can't believe it's not blurry.

Foodie Layout

Supplies: Cosmo cricket Early Bird Patterned paper: Apron Strings, Ribbon Sandwich, Sunrise, Farmers Market; Cosmo Cricket Early bird Ready set Chipboard; plus white bazzil cardstock, Basic grey chocolate alphas, and piece of bag from fuji apples.

Instructions: Cut 4 pieces of Cosmo patterned paper into the design above (rectangles more so than perfect squares. Add journaling, photo and alphas to white cardstock. Adhere mesh, then white cardstock. Add Cosmo embellishment last. 

Happy Monday to you! Thanks for stopping by this weekend! Until tomorrow.

Space cadet

We went to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum today, because our little boy adores planes and rockets. He walked around the whole time saying "walket." Here is one of way too many pics:

Then after J's nap we rode a train in a nearby park. Worst 20 mins of the day easily. J was tired and cranky and wanted to do anything else since we really wanted to ride the train because we thought he would enjoy it. It's a twisted cycle I think. It was very crowded and my new to potty-training boy felt like he needed to share with everyone that he had to visit the facilities. That's being kind. Only one photo from the train, I don't wish to remember it!

Thinking I really need to make another medication list for my dog. I can't remember all this! He was on 4 medications last month. He is on 4 new medications this month. Some are 1/2 pill twice a day, some are 3/4 pill three times a day. Some must only be taken with food. Some must never EVER be taken with food. The penalty for screwing this up? Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. No pressure. That's all I need is a dog leaking from every end. I'm certain that will improve my memory. There is a lot of medication to keep up with, and with this going on the second month I'm fatigued. And nothing from last month carried over, so I can forget everything I thought knew. I'm fairly certain I've earned an honorary degree in pharmacy. Or at least a very fruity margarita to go with my chips and guacamole. If I wasn't convinced we were over prescribing drugs in the medical profession, I am now. 

O-M-G, Greys! What a great season finale! Did you scream? I did! You know the part. It's going to be a long summer waiting. Hoping to edit some of these photos and scrap later tonight. Looking forward to one of the new AKOTC June kits that is on it's way: new Jenni Bowlin Front porch and Websters pages Cherry pie. I can't wait to see what embellishments Laura has discovered for us. Hope you are having a great weekend. Until tomorrow (I'll probably still be looking for the dog's pill cutter).

Disagreeable Herbs

Yesterday I had hoped to update a little after 9am. However, we had a veterinary emergency instead and I didn't end up doing so until much later yesterday morning. My husband met J, me and the pug at the vet's office. I'm so thankful he did, it is difficult to handle the very young one and the very old one at the same time.

After they took our dog back, I was feeling anxious and scared. I told J, "It will be OK, he will be OK." I should have known better. J is embracing a new stage of disagreeable, one that is only treated by reverse psychology. J said, "No ottay." So, because I was upset I said, "Yes, yes he will be OK, everything will be fine' as I stroked his hair. And J of course said, "No, no ottay." Anyone with a toddler understands it is foolish to argue such a ridiculous stance, but argue I did for next five minutes anyway. I was dug in.

About an hour later I sat stunned at the vet bill. As I tried to digest the sticker shock, a lady on staff at the clinic handed me J's toy and said, "You forgot this." I looked up and said, "Oh, yeah, well, I always bring my firetruck with me, everywhere I go. You just never know and I want to be prepared." Dh gave me the not-in-public-with-the-crazy crazy look. And he said, "You don't want to leave J's firetruck." I turned to him as we are walking through the parking lot and said defeatedly, "Yeah, it's so much better to leave all our money there instead! It's not OK. This is all just not OK." And dh hugged me and got back in his vehicle and went to work. I put J in his car seat and loaded up my pup, sat in the drivers seat and muttered as I started the truck, "It's not OK." And in my dark moment I hear from the back seat a tiny little voice that said, "Yeah, ottay." Honestly.

Score: J 2, me none. 

Researching pet insurance, moving on . . . My project today is for my Dad. My dad loves to garden and instilled a love in me of growing things. But he is so much better at growing things in pots than I am. I had some extra seeds and now I have a bumper crop of Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Dill and Rosemary seedlings. I know he will take good care of them. And I feel bad showing up with presents for my Mom and my sister and nothing for my Dad. Using Cosmo's Early Bird here:

Cosmo Early Bird Herb Garden Altered Pot

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Patterned paper: Brunch; Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Ready, set, Chipboard; Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Elements; plus Basic Grey chocolate alphas, pot from Michael's and Miracle grow soil and Herbs 20cent seed packs from Walmart.

Instructions: Transplant seedlings first into soil in pot. Wipe off pot with a clean cloth. Measure pot top to bottom with patterned paper, I just eyeball it. With 12 x 3 inch strips, wrap paper around the pot. You may either cut a small rectangular piece for the side with the loop holders or you may just cram the paper a little bit around it (I think this last method works the best because then with the little bit of fray you can smooth it out around the loop attachment.) Adhere in place. Add embellishments. I am going to order Super Seal from Studio Calico when it comes back in stock to keep it from getting ruined by the water. I figure it is worth a shot, I'll let you know how that works out.

I didn't finish watching Grey's last night, I only got through the first hour and I figured I'd cried my quota for the evening. So don't tell me how it ends! Happy, happy Friday! Have a great weekend. Until tomorrow.

I stand corrected; winner!

Apparently you all would like to join my son in his mission which is to prove me wrong every other minute. I stand corrected, apparently there are more than two blog readers. I suspect that probably means I'm doing it wrong. :) I miss the time when I used to know everything.

In case it crossed your mind, this is what I'm going to do with all these recipes! New Cosmo Early bird paper and chipboard:

Cosmo Early Bird Recipe Box

Supplies: Cosmo cricket Early Bird Patterned paper: Farmer's Market; Cosmo cricket Early Bird Ready, set, Chipboard, Cosmo cricket Early Bird Borders paper; plus Michael's recipe box and recipe index cards.

Instructions: Adhere patterned paper to recipe box base/back. Cut border stripe and adhere to the side of top. The top is a hybrid wonder. Create in photoshop with crop and text tools, resize to about 6.5 inches width and 3.25 inches height. Print and adhere. Add chipboard embellishment.

I got the box at Michael's for a dollar, and the recipe cards for a dollar! Best deal out there. I presented the cards like they would be for a gift here, but I'm keeping this. I'm so excited. I have always wanted to have 3 recipe boxes sorted by season: Spring/summer, Fall and winter. I'm getting there. One more project, a layout:

Mother's day layout 

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Early Bird patterned paper: Apron Strings, and Cherry Pie ; Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Ready, set, chipboard; plus white bazzil cardstock and stitches 2 peas.

Instructions: Adhere top piece of patterned paper as shown with tacky tape. Print journaling, etc. to white cardstock. Adhere patterned paper, embellishments and photo as shown.

And here is a peek of a project for tomorrow:

Lastly, you know, I thought this was going to be easy with the giveaway. I figured I would just pick the yummiest recipe and go from there. I should have known better, they were all fabulous! I can't wait to try them all, thank you! Thank you so much. And since that is something everyone helped to create it will stay up for everyone to enjoy. The winner of the Cosmo Early bird paper pack is:

True Random Number Service

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

11 

Timestamp: 2009-05-14 15:18:04 UTC

 *reyanna klein* said...

I want this paper SO bad!!! It's perfect for a recipe album I'm doing for a bride. :)

Favorite summer recipe...

Iced tea (green or plain Lipton is fine) with chunks of watermelon and a sprig of basil. SO yummy! :D

Reyanna, please email me (its under my photo on this blog top right corner) with the address you want me to send this to. Don't worry, I'll do a giveaway again soon. And if you are itching to pick up this beautiful paper, check out Studio Calico's June kit with add-on #1 or your favorite online store should have it in now.Happy Thursday! Until tomorrow.

Cosmo Early Bird Giveaway

I'm rushing around today. I've already been to the food store with a toddler which I personally think should be an Olympic sport. At one point he was fussing so loudly, with every one's gaze squarely on me I announced to the aisle, "Everybody hears you, every single person in the whole store knows how upset you are. Should we take a scientific poll?" At least they all laughed, and J stopped his hollering. That should be worth 8.5 pts right there. Ok, 6.5 if you are the Russian judge.

This is a belated giveaway, I wanted to do this for National Scrapbooking Day. Ok, I had the idea on NSBD, but I didn't have the papers yet. So, now that I have them, I would love to share with one of you. Considering there are only 2 of you blog readers, I figure your odds are better than average. (thumbs up!) 

Thank you Julie, and Kristen and everyone at Cosmo Cricket that takes such good care of me and for making this giveaway possible. To be entered to win one Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper crafting kit and one bottle spinner please leave a comment with your favorite summer recipe attached. You may link to your blog, & especially if you have a food blog. You may link to a layout with a recipe on it. Or if like me you came to cooking very late in life, you may snag one off the food network, but please give credit to the chef. I'd hate to be telling Dh, "these are Betty in Tx's favorite potatoes!" and have him turn to me and say, "Yeah, Bobby Flay loves them too." The RAK will be open until Thursday morning at 9am EST, the winner will be posted later that day. Happy Tuesday! Until tomorrow.

Cosmo Cricket/Tattered Angels Blog Hop

This is my first time doing any kind of a blog hop, I hope someone will set me straight in the event that I am muddling it up! If there is any kind of dancing involved in this, let's just call it a day right now. :)

Tattered angels and Cosmo Cricket have teamed up for the month of May to bring you lots of fun creations! Tattered angels sent our design team some very cool products-glimmer mist and tons of adhesive! For my first layout below I used Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday plus Tattered Angels glimmer mist in Olive vine, Oriental Poppy and Blue Moonlight:

Easter Cutie Layout

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday Patterned paper: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday Ready, set, chipboard; Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday Rub-ons "cutie"; Tattered angels glimmer mist in olive vine, oriental poppy and blue moonlight; plus black and white bazzil cardstock.

Next I made a card for Mom, since we are going to the beach with her in June. Ironically, the Tattered angels glimmer mist that I used with Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel is aptly named Sand. I love that one, I think it's my favorite. It really does look like sand too, it's just so dark here from the rain again today that you can't see it sparkle. 

Beach card

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Snorkel Patterned paper: Umbrellas; Tattered angel's glimmer mist Sand; plus white and kraft bazzil cardstock and Scenic Route rub-ons.

Some things I learned by working with mist are to spray it in a small box. It catches the spray and keeps your work space clean. For more intense color, spray closer. For a fine mist look, spray from further away. 

So I think the way this works is that you hop on over to these girls today:

Maren Benadict

Michelle Jackson

Sally Lynn MacDonald

The full schedule is below for the rest of the month:

Cosmo Cricket design team blogs:

May 4 Natasja Verbeek

May 11, Maren Benadict

May 11, Danielle Layton

May 18, Yukari Takanashi

May 25, Debbie Olsen

May 25, Leah Killian

Cosmo Cricket website
Cosmo Cricket weblog

Tattered Angels design team blogs:

May 4 Trisha Ladouceur & Cheryl McAdam

May 11,Michelle Jackson& Sally Lynn MacDonald

May 18, Michelle van Etten & Melissa Phillips

May 25, Liz Hicks & Vicki Chrisman

Tattered Angels website
Tattered Angels weblog

Be sure to visit the girls from May 4th too to see what they came up with. Happy Monday everyone! Until tomorrow.

Mother's day

I didn't grow up thinking I wanted to be a mom. I grew up thinking I wanted to be something. And I went to school forever, and did just that. We were married for 7 years prior to having children. And I thought I had everything I wanted. I had a great career in medicine that fulfilled the nurturing part of my personality. I had my little dog to snuggle with. I still had my weekends to sleep in, eat out, and spend time shopping with dh. I was really, really comfortable in my life. Even though I occasionally entertained the idea of children, it was a leap I probably would not have been brave enough to make if left to my own ideas. One of my very first layouts I ever posted on 2 peas:


I guess lucky for J (and me), the universe saw fit to shove me right off that ledge. After I received the word that my husband was seriously injured and that M had been killed in Iraq, everything, and I mean absolutely everything snapped into focus for me. I could see so clearly, with absolute clarity what my priorities were, and what they needed to be. Life is about relationships, our interaction with other people, the hope and the joy and the lessons we teach one another. It isn't about things, it isn't about money, it isn't about power or climbing a ladder or success or fame or fortune of any kind. None of it will keep you warm when you are all alone in this world. Yeah, the universe shook me pretty hard and I had never felt more alone then I did in that moment when dh was half a world away in some makeshift hospital. And less than six months after my husband came home and I assisted in his rehab, I was pregnant. And that was not an accident, it was not the universe playing games with us. We made a decision to let our love grow into a family. We needed that little bundle of joy and hope as much as J needed us.

Motherhood has been my highest highs and my lowest lows. When it's right, it's poetry in motion. I stand in those moment in awe of the life I helped create, in rapture of the joy he brings us, and in anticipation of the amazing person he is becoming. And when it's bad, I could crawl back into bed and hide under the covers in tears. Unlike with patients, there is no objectivity with you own kids, so when they hurt you, they can really wound you. And as brave as I was to enter into this motherhood thing with my eyes wide open, I'm still surprised every single day at how inadequate I feel and how I seem to question every decision. Still, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that J is the reason dh is alive, was allowed to live. He is our purpose, and it was meant to be. I knew I wanted to be something, I just didn't know that that something was Mom.

I've had the most perfect weekend, perfect in my eyes anyway. Even the weather seems to have come around. Happy Mother's day to all who stop by! Until tomorrow.

Weekend Randomness

Soaking up the vitamin D. Getting my daily quota and then some. I even have a little bit of a sun burn from all the time J and I spent outside yesterday. So thankful for the sun. I know it will be all too hot here soon, but I'm thankful just the same.

Trying to figure out what to do with these piles of ever growing layouts:

You know, layouts and products seem to multiply, but adhesive gets more and more scarce. I can't really explain that. My very next purchase needs to be albums and page protectors. Or I'm going to need to cover these with a blanket so people can sit down. Either way. . .

Trying to figure out why my dog is acting strangely. If he didn't eat so well, I would say he was depressed. Now, he doesn't spell out "goodbye cruel world" with his kibbles nor is he giving away his bones or anything, he just seems a little down. I think he might be struggling with arthritis, that's my best guess. He still smiles and wags his tale when I pet him, so I don't think we need to call the doggie psychiatrist just yet.

Thinking of where to go for Mother's day to eat. Dh and I made the best batch of guacamole today, one of our great collaborative efforts. We work so well together, I love that about him. I'm still procrastinating about getting my mom's digital frame loaded with photos. I found a way to drag it out until June, I told her I have to hand deliver it as I'm afraid the mail and UPS will be too rough with it. Not sure she is buying this, but I hope so. Have a great weekend. Until tomorrow.

Do you think. . .

I'd actually be lucky enough that it would stop raining? I was actually mid-project last night and it started to thunderstorm. That was just it for me. I threw down my studio calico kit I was fondling and went to talk to dh, as if he has control over these things. And he gave me the what's-up-with-crazy? crazy look, that he gives me when I act, well stupid. I can't help it, I haven't seen the sun in two weeks. Every single time we walk out the door, it starts raining. It's almost funny, it would be funny if I didn't have a toddler that loves to go outside. 

I cleaned up a level of my house this morning, I figured we are stuck in here anyway because it is still raining. Might as well do something productive. I took this photo a few days ago, and then J and I ran back in the house as the rain had started up again and here I am out there with my camera. I liked the way the rain drops had fallen on it. But I was hyperventilating about the camera getting wet.

Normally J and I go out and about when it rains, but I've been more cautious with this flu thing. We have avoided Walmart and Target and the Mall. We went to Michael's yesterday and I figured it would be quiet on a Wednesday morning, but it was really busy. My Michael's doesn't seem to be getting a lot of new stuff, same old stuff in there. 

I'm working on something for the blog hop Cosmo is doing with Tattered angel's this month. I post mine on 5/11. Hope you have a good Thursday, we are going to the library this afternoon. Should be very few people in there. Until tomorrow.

Updating

One last one with the A Kiss on the Chic garden kit:

I paired all my projects this month with brown, I'm into it. I really have nothing to say today. I killed a spider this morning in my scrap/guest room. I didn't want that thing hiding out in my cubicles that I reach in blindly to pull supplies out of. It took all my courage. Thrilling for you reader I know. But boring is good. Someday I'll look back and miss the boring, the mundane, the everyday.

An update on my sister, she is doing very well. Since her surgery to remove a pill endoscopy camera due to a stricture from Crohn's disease, she is actually doing better than before. Prior to her surgery she used to eat tiny meals frequently to avoid the pain she felt by food passing through her stricture. Now, she can eat how she wants and has been enjoying her meals for a change. A big improvement in her quality of life. She's still working, going to a conference here in Florida next week or two. She is understandably nervous about that in light of the swine (H1N1) flu, she would definitely qualify as having "significant other medical conditions" and getting this flu would be a problem for her since she is still on Remicade. But, she has to go for work, can't get her money back and they won't cancel the conference. I advised her to go to her doctor and get some Tamiflu and beyond that you can't live life in a bubble. She knows that. Thank you for all your prayers for her. Please say a little one that she doesn't get this flu on her trip.

It might finally stop raining today. That would be so good. I'm having a miserable time photographing layouts due to the weather. Happy Wednesday, until tomorrow.

A Kiss on the Chic Layouts

Well, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is here are two more AKOTC layouts with the garden kit. I will probably do one more with pics of J, but I had a good time using some of my other photos that I take. I take them to supplement pictures of J, but I'm not that great about incorporating them. So, this time they got their own layouts. Nearly everything is American Crafts here:

My herb garden, I think Martha Stewart would be proud. They are to grab when we are grilling.

And I just wanted to show you these kits in their entirety (click on picture to see closeup).  Psst, come closer, I have to whisper this. I'm not sure how on earth she can sell kits with this much stuff at that price ($32)? That's a ton of paper and the embellishments alone are more than enough. And American craft embellishments at that! Lots of ribbon, butterflies, leaves, buttons, pins, flowers, chipboard trees, and I could go on and on. Seriously, journaling tags and borders, transparencies, 11 sheets of paper (I think maybe more) and cardstock. And this is one kit, just one. Crazy.

And the bad news, this kit is already sold out from what I understand. If you are interested, you can email Laura and make doubly sure. But I wouldn't get your hopes up, they sell out quick. And now you can see why. There's always next month. :)

I really hope it stops raining. We haven't seen the sun in days. Until tomorrow, happy Tuesday to you!

But what a way to go

This has been a very busy weekend, and don't worry, this is most likely my last post about houses for a while. After I posted Saturday morning, we met with our realtor to look at houses. We looked most of the weekend. We drudged through the weather, rainy and nasty, which meant we had to take our shoes off at every house, and that slowed us up a little. Having a two year old also slows you up a little. But J was so good, he really was.

We didn't find anything we wanted. We saw two very nice houses, ironically the cheapest houses too, in the worst neighborhoods and the worst school district. We didn't even get to see our top 3 picks in the good neighborhoods because after being on the market for less than 72 hours, all three had multiple offers on them. The interest rates went down and the home buyers were out in force. We did see one older home that was kept up nicely. Some of the homes were so bad I can't believe anyone would show them like that, and have the nerve to ask over 1/2 million dollars for them. It's like insult to injury really.

So after much deliberation, we decided to wait until the fall to look again. The prices here have gone up at least $50,000 since the leaves on the trees came out. We realize we are taking a risk by waiting 4.5 months, and that if things continue at the pace they are now, we will be effectively priced out of the market, again. But it's a chance I feel like we have to take. We don't want to compete with 3 other people, paying full asking price, for a very old house that needs alot of work, in a good school district/neighborhood. At least in the fall we might be able to get a little bit of a discount on such a place, maybe. It's so hard to wait, so hard to just be still. I still believe our house is out there, maybe it's just not ready yet.

We got home pretty late for us, around 6pm both nights. Saturday I cooked anyway not wanting to go out to eat. Sunday, I was just done. We ate at Chipotle. I figured that if I got the swine flu, well, anyone who knows me would say, "She went out in a haze of guacamole goodness, it's how she would have wanted it." So far, we are all still healthy.

I didn't get to do anything I wanted to do this weekend. The laundry is piled up. I had hoped to do some pages and work on loading my mom's birthday present with photos:

But I didn't get to that either. I always have such high expectations for my mom's birthday and Christmas, I want to give her a really personal photo gift you know? Like a book, or calendar or digital photo frame, but I never leave myself enough time to get it done. I feel like I fail every time. I'm determined to finish this and not get a Macy's gift card, again.

Hope you have a great Monday! It's still raining here, seriously thinking about working on an arc. As if I had time for such endeavours. :)

Driving by; an umbrella weekend kind of hi!

Here is a page with the A kiss on the Chic garden kit:

Almost all American crafts on here.  Those butterflies helped me so much. I had the pictures, but you couldn't see the little white butterfly in them at all. So they looked kind of silly. Then I got these butterflies in the kit, and they finally made the pictures make sense.

My friend, the very talented Linda Rodriguez sent me her fonts of her own handwriting to use when she saw how much I liked to use text on my pages.  Her font here is called Lindy Belle (on Chaser) and I love it so! More pages with this kit to follow. Have a great weekend! Until tomorrow. PS For the 2 people or so that follow this blog, I have a secret I will share with you. In honor of NSD, I will have a belated RAK for you in about a week. You'll want to be early for this one. ;)