For the love of paper

On my mind

2012-02-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

Someone once told me, that if you came to a bonfire and everyone around the circle was throwing their problems on the fire, that once you saw all their problems you would immediately take yours back. I think this accurately sums up my week.

I haven't been feeling well all week, but I hung in there. Didn't miss any work or anything. Nothing really terrible happened. It all turned out fine. But I just had this sense that things were so hard, or heavy, or bigger than me and what I could handle presently. I just could not find my sense of inner peace or well being. It has left me confused.

Contrasted with a year and 1/2 ago, my burdens seem much lighter now. Then: I returned to work after 3.5 yrs at home with J. J went to preschool and had difficulty adjusting (probably because the teachers couldn't understand him with the speech difficulties). J's speech difficulties. My dh deployed to a very dangerous assignment (on top of a recent previous stressful deployment and house buying experience-alone). And then my grandmother died. I think it's little wonder that was the straw that broke the camel's back and sent my into my first flare.

I didn't have any of those issues now. Things really are so much better. J is thriving in school, excelling with speech, happy with his teachers/and they with him. I'm comfortable at my job. My dh is home, with no deployments on the horizon. And so, I feel kind of betrayed that my body would go into a flare or a mini flare or something. I still don't understand it. But I guess I'm never going to understand this illness. It's always going to leave me guessing, second guessing, wondering, blaming, and feeling double-crossed.

And yet, I know how incredibly blessed I am. I did some blog hopping tonight, first time in a while. And I truly would take my problems over anyone elses. Funny how that works. :)

Happy weekend to you. Until tomorrow. Needing to print some photos to scrap with. :)

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

This will be a drive by as I am off to spend time with dh. A page and a card from SC Lawn party (main kit only) plus Cocoa Daisy mason jar stamp:

I think I like stamping. This is a strange realization for me. Happy Love Day to you! Until tomorrow.

Paper Moon

2012-01-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

I have been using up Studio Calico's Paper Moon kit, I like all the primary colors. Here are some pages I made with it:

Thanks for looking, and for the warm welcome back. Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Signs of Life

2012-01-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

I'm actually scrapping again, can you believe it? I took December off, first time off in 5 years of working in the scrapbooking industry. Then I got really sick at the beginning of Jan. and it took forever to shake it. But for the past week, I've been scrapping. I'm using up some kits I have! (Can I get an amen, hallelujah?!) I have a goal, I really want to buy some new CHA stuff, but I have to make a dent in those kits first. Here are some pages I made back when I was with Cocoa Daisy:

I resigned after the December kit. I was feeling like I needed to go in a different direction, needed some space and time to feel inspired again. I've been wanting to fall in love with the hobby again, like I did when J was first born. And sometimes it takes giving up the familiar, walking away from the safe thing, and going your own way. So I intend to fully enjoy the process of rediscovering the joy that I have when scrapbooking. Will be sharing new layouts soon, after celebrating my birthday 2/1. Happy Day to you! Until tomorrow.

Some holiday cards. . .

2011-11-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

Starting to make some holiday cards, you can check out my challenge 8 from Clothing at the Cocoa Daisy crop. We are giving away gift certificates as prizes! Card made entirely from Cocoa Daisy November Bed and Breakfast and add-ons.
Happy Weekend to you! Until Later. ;)

Crop pages

2011-11-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

My first page for the Cocoa Daisy fall Crop for challenge #3, involving labels. I love labels, used two on here. I saw that apple on a sign for the elections this week for the district school board, and I loved that idea! I used a heart from photoshop, reverse printed and cut it out. Love this kit (Cocoa Daisy's Bed and Breakfast and add-ons). I also really like cream colored cardstock (included in the main kit.)
Happy Friday to you! Until tomorrow. Will be posting more stuff this weekend. PS Thank you to all the soldiers, The home of the free because of the Brave.

Crop!

2011-11-08T18:13:00.001-08:00

I'm finishing up a few things, would love to see you all there. These crops are the best! And you don't need to have a Cocoa Daisy kit, just use your stash. Everyone is welcome! Happy Tuesday, until tomorrow.

A Sunday drive-by

2011-11-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

One last page from the Cocoa Daisy October kit Farmer's Market:
I really loved that kit. Just finished a page and a card with the November kit for the crop next weekend (will post a schedule for the crop here soon). Got a new computer yesterday as my old one is acting strangely and sadly on it's last leg. All photos are backed up though, no worries. I'm fanatical about that. Happy about the new iMac though, and a new version of photoshop to learn. You can't get too comfortable with either your computer, software, printer or camera in this hobby, some if not all are bound to change about every 5-6 years. Hope you have a great Sunday, I appreciate you welcoming me back to blogging again. Happy weekend to you! :)

October Hangover

2011-11-05T00:42:00.000-07:00

I never really meant to disappear for the month of October, but it just kind of happened. Nothing bad, we were just outside and busy doing all things fall. We went of vacation at the end of Sept, and subsequently I never really caught up (from laundry either). Then there were pumpkin patches and corn mazes and school field trips and before I even looked up it was Halloween. (This photo was taken outside the haunted house/base Halloween party we attended.) It even snowed the weekend before Halloween. First time in years my dh has been home, I'm thinking it was a biblical sign. :)

I took about a 1000 photos, need to do an October daily in the worst possible way. I have some pages from Cocoa Daisy to share, will have more after the crop this weekend. I am really looking forward to that. There were made with the Cocoa Daisy November kit Bed and Breakfast. You will love all the embellishments in the main kit, good stuff and a cute stamp.

Honestly, the last week and a half have been tough. I've not been feeling well, a lot of joint pain and my stomach is pretty upset. After talking with several family members with this illness, they all tell me how the change in season usually adversely affects them and the arthritis. So, I'm trying to tough it out and just see what happens over the next few weeks. Perhaps it will just get better on it's own without intervention. Going to stay positive. I've got a birthday party to plan and the holidays to get ready for, (and I haven't even started hyperventilating in to a bag yet, so I've got things to do. :) )

Thinking of blogging more, but making shorter, more frequent posts, with or perhaps without photos. Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow. . .

Sneaking in quickly

2011-10-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Bed and Breakfast Nov. Cocoa Daisy kit (main first, then add-on photos):

Sneaking in under the wire with some of my own sneaks:

You will love this kit! Will be working with it more over the weekend for some new, fresh inspiration for the Crop Nov. 11-13. Join us tomorrow night at Cocoa Daisy for the full reveal of Bed and Breakfast. Happy almost Friday! Until tomorrow.

Note: I'm ok, just busy. Not so busy I couldn't blog, but too busy to think of something good to blog about. Still trying to figure out what I want this blog to be exactly. I'll be back soon with pages. :)

Cocoa Daisy October Farmer's Market

2011-10-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Sharing my Cocoa Daisy layouts made with the latest October kit Farmer's Market. This first one is my favorite, and I wrote the journaling on the autumn card there on the side. I've since added the word "pull" in little letter stickers from the kit so that any one else would know that's where the journaling is. (I'm a little afraid it would lead to them pulling the rest of my layouts apart looking for hidden journaling.) This is made with mostly the main kit papers, and ribbon and a few added embellishments from apple pie, pumpkin soup and canned peaches add-ons.

This one is from the Canned peaches and pumpkin soup add-on. I love the paper and the autumn AC letter stickers.
This photo was one that I found at the end of some photos I took last year. I thought I scrapped them all, but then I saw this one. I love all the orange paper in this kit, had to use it. Combining more of all three add-ons with the paper in the main kit.
This one was made for a new magazine. I was asked to use my supplies to make a page about me and J. However, after I made the page I realized that the date to send was after we would leave town for vacation. So I had to pass on the opportunity to be published, but I still love the page. This pages uses the add-ons apple pie and canned peaches. I love how every single piece of every add-on goes so well with the main kit and vice versa.
Last page, I haven't scrapped any of the halloween photos from last year. What I think is so cool about this kit is that you can make it themed if you want, lots of pages about fall, halloween, school, the pumpkin patch, etc. Or you can just do your own thing. I will be using more of this kit soon though.
So that's it. Just got back from vacation a few days ago and dealing with the post-vacation laundry and such. I'm about to start my 4th week of exercising 6 days a week. It might sound crazy, but before I started all I could think of was how tired I was. I was so tired from working all day, had to make dinner, play cars and do bedtime, pay a bill or two, and fall into bed. How on earth was I going to keep scrapbooking except for the rare weekend hour here and there?

But I started doing it anyway, I'm up at 5am (if you follow me on twitter) working out. And a surprising thing happened. I have so much more energy now, so much. Now I try to start everyday with a work out so that I have the energy to do the things I want to do at the end of a day. It's still sometimes hard to wrap my brain around it, but it works. That's why I have so many layouts for this month, and I don't think I'm done yet. Nope, not with this kit. :) Happy weekend to you friends! Until tomorrow.

CD Oct Sneakage

2011-09-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well, after 5 pages I had to put down the new Cocoa Daisy kit for Oct. It's only a momentarily reprieve though, I'm off to take some more photos over the next few days. :) Here are a few sneaks for you:

I love this kit, so so much. I got 4 add-ons, and I love them all! The stamps are amazing, I am so inspired to make something with them soon. Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Some cards

2011-09-17T18:39:00.001-07:00

Was in the mood for some cards. #1 and #3 are using Cocoa Daisy's Printer's Drawer. #2 Uses Cocoa Daisy Siren's Call. There is a prize if you play along here:

Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow.

Playing with:

2011-09-15T15:16:00.001-07:00

Cocoa Daisy's Farmer's Market Oct. (Love, love, love!):
(Favorite add-on! here:)

But I got them all! If you need me, send a search party. I'll be knee deep in this kit! Happy Thursday to you, please come fast weekend! Until tomorrow.

Cocoa Daisy Sept pages. . .

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Just getting around to uploading my Cocoa Daisy pages to the blog here (uploaded last week to 2 peas), this is the Sept kit Printer's Drawer. Some add-ons are still available, but the main kit sold out fast.

You can find me on twitter and pinterest now. But not facebook. I just can't make myself go that far. Hope you've had a lovely long weekend, until tomorrow.

More sneaks

2011-08-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

We made it through the hurricane, what a pretty day it is here. Wish I would have taken photos of my yard before the storm, it's looking a little battered now. :( But otherwise no damage. Scary last night though, really loud at times. My neighbor lost some siding!

A few more sneaks for you:

Hope you will join us for the reveal at Cocoa Daisy! Until tomorrow.

Sneaking in quickly

2011-08-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

Cocoa Daisy's Sept sneaks:

This has been a rough week. Earthquakes and traffic at the beginning. Now running around like a chicken with my head cut off at the end in preparation for this hurricane. I'll be working on the rest of my pages after we lose electricity and there is nothing left to do. Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow. Be safe East Coasters. :)

Sometimes I forget. . .

2011-08-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Struggling today to find my motivation. It's like my get-up-and-go, got up and went. And sometimes I forget:

1. That I'm a mom of a busy 4 year old.

2. That I work a demanding full time job.

3. That I make 57+ decisions a day.

4. That I don't have a maid or a gardener. (Rats, oh well.)

5. That I don't have a cook either. (double rats)

6. Or a dog-walker. (you get the idea)

7. Or an accountant. (Argh)

8. That I'm also a wife, a daughter, sister, and friend.

9. That I have a chronic illness.

I can get so lost in my head, so busy doing the next thing. But I really believe that to call yourself a scrapbooker, you have to scrapbook. And I'm working toward scrapbooking more. This past year I've made strides to simplify and organize the house/yard. This has freed up a lot of time (of course laundry seems to eat up more than it's fair share but still). And yet, I'm still not very efficient about using that time. I can't say I'm so busy I don't have time. I know I do, I just don't know how to use the chunks I end up with. But I'm working on it. :)

I forgot to share this page for Cocoa Daisy, and now the kit is sold out with just a few add-ons for sale. It's Christmas in August:

Happy Thursday to you! Until tomorrow. (Please come fast weekend, I'm ready.)

Everyday page

2011-08-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

An everyday page with the Cocoa Daisy kit Siren's call. This is a take on a sketch provided by Lisa Pace. (Sketch = very good; Me following directions = not quite as good. But close enough for government work. :) ) The Cosmo cricket paper in the middle kind of looks like a border?Honestly, borders intimidate me. :) This is my favorite page this month, the subject just makes me laugh. I love pages that make me laugh.
A rainy day here, but welcome after the hot weather we have had. Will be back with another page tomorrow. Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Procrastination (And Summer Cocoa Daisy Pages)

2011-08-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

Sharing some pages today with Cocoa Daisy's August kit Siren's Call:

(Vee, do you remember this day?) I love these photos, taken with my Blackberry phone. And I finally caught the ice cream truck. It's only taken two summers, really. :)

What an amazing kit this was. I'll be sharing more tomorrow. Until then. (No, I mean it, tomorrow. :) )

Sneaks, yep, I'm on that!

2011-07-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I feel like the summer is over and I haven't even visited the beach yet. It's just flying by, but I love the fall so much that you won't hear me complaining. I should photograph my yard though before everything dies for the winter, that always makes me sad. I need to do a garden journal. I always have a bout of uneasiness come April looking around, wondering if things will indeed "wake up again." I think a garden journal would help with that. :)

Sneaks of Cocoa Daisy's August kit Siren's call here:

You will love this kit! Love, love, love! Feeling well lately. Thank you again for all your support on my previous post. Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Love

2011-07-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

So in love with this new kit from Cocoa Daisy called Siren's call. Do you see the stamp on the tag? How cool is that? I'm loving our exclusive stamps here lately, some of my favorite ever.

Happy Weekend to you! Until tomorrow.
Note: Thank you so much for your comments on the last post, I've missed you all.

Elephant in the Room

2011-07-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

Where have I been and what have I been doing?

I try to come here and blog about everyday things or fun things or silly things we do, but that's the question that haunts me so I don't post. I stay silent. So I thought perhaps that the truth would set me free.

After my grandmother died, I got really sick. I was running to the bathroom day and night, seeing blood. (At the risk of being graphic, sorry). I told myself it was stress, I told myself it was an infection. I must have caught something yucky from work. So, I went to my physician and told him what was going on. He ordered tests. I did not have a parasite or bad bacteria. I did have an elevated sed rate (means nonspecific inflammation). I do have a family history of inflammatory bowel disease. That combined with the lab test and my symptoms bought me a colonoscopy.

I told myself that the colonoscopy would be normal, and whatever it was would go away. I woke up from the colonoscopy to my physician telling me I had redness in various places throughout my lower GI tract. It was not, in fact, normal. The biopsies were nonspecific (read, no help.) So my physician sat me down and said that the evidence was pointing strongly to Crohn's disease.

At that point I freaked out. Went into complete and total denial. Lost my mind a little. I turned down medication because I didn't have that illness. I just couldn't. I'd spent my adult life studying IBD to help others, how on earth could this have happened to me?

I spent the next 6 months in a self imposed hell. I developed arthritis, worst in my lower back and wrists (I'm 35). I had bad abdominal pain, and I never stopped running to the bathroom. I told myself I was just stressed. I needed to deal with my mental state, eat well, rest or something. I told myself if I could just pull myself together, things would get better. They didn't. Perhaps this explains why so very little scrapping has been happening on this blog. It's nothing short of a miracle that I completed my Cocoa Daisy assignments on time every month, and that I managed to go to work and take care of my 4 yr old while my husband was deployed.

After being up all night going to the bathroom one night, half delirious, I decided I'd had enough. I didn't care what we called it, I just wanted it to stop. So I spoke to my physician who told me to just give the Pentasa a try. Having no expectations, or even hope that it would work, I debated for 2 days about taking it. When I did try it, within 24 hours I had no back/abd pain. Within 48 hrs, no diarrhea. And within 72 hrs, the arthritis was gone.

I feel some days like Alice and wonderland. Take the big blue pill Alice and we can pretend that the past year never happened. I'm normal again, except that I take blue pills at every meal. The only thing these pills treat is Crohn's, but most days I still try not to think about that. What can I say, denial is strong emotion. It overrides rational thought. I think it's a self defense mechanism from things that threaten the very core of who we are/what we know. I have some way to go before acceptance, but feeling better is helping.

So, that's where I've been. I want to get back into scrapping because I feel more strongly than ever that I have stories to tell, things to say to the people I love. But it's hard, I'm out of practice and really need to develop some consistent habits again. With each day I get a little stronger and I know I'll be loving paper again soon (I already am in love with the CD Aug kit, omgosh). Thank you to anyone who commented on a page in a gallery somewhere, or on this blog. Your comments have lifted me up and helped me keep crafting when I wanted to give up, so thank you.

Now can we just move on? :) Happy weekend to you (and thanks for reading.) Until tomorrow.

Cocoa Daisy July Pages

2011-07-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting start to the summer, I'm still coughing from the last cold that I caught. Spending a very quiet and low key July 4th weekend. Wanted to share my pages with Cocoa Daisy's upcoming July kit called Urban Loft. This kit is so trendy, I was a little intimidated. If it's one thing I'm not, it's trendy. But I do love the colors. So, here are a few pages from our recent stay-cation:

This last page is a member lift from the Cocoa Daisy gallery. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, it's raining here. Holding out some hope for fireworks tomorrow. Happy weekend, until tomorrow.

Sneezing sneaks

2011-06-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm so very sick with an upper respiratory infection. I have too much to do to be this sick, so before I head back to bed here are some sneaks of Cocoa Daisy's Urban Loft:
Until tomorrow. Happy weekend to you! PS, A link to a wonderful summer promotion: http://www.cocoadaisy.com/blog/cocoa-da ... y-classes/

Cherry Soda (Cocoa Daisy June)

2011-05-29T17:51:00.001-07:00

Spending some time relaxing on my staycation. But wanted to pop in and show you some pages I did for the Cocoa Daisy June Kit called Cherry Soda. I got all the add-ons but Strawberry Milkshake (I already had the Studio calico hearts, which I highly recommend).

I discussed how to alter those hearts with Waleska, I love the result! I painted them with yellow JBS paint dubbers and inked them with the red JBS cough syrup ink.

This is from our visit to the Smithsonian, they had a butterfly pavilion and it was very interesting. I got this new punch from Scrapbook.com. I love it, a lot. At first I was like, it's so small and it said Extra Large in the description. But then I got to thinking that it is the perfect scale for 8.5 x 11. I'm punching tags out of everything, someone stop me.
Case in point:
Yet another. I also found a new font. I'm enjoying my new finds to death I suppose, but I love them. This is a really really fun kit. Christine just keeps picking what I would pick out myself.

Thanks for stopping in. I've got to get back to relaxing. Be back soon. Happy holiday to you! Until tomorrow.

Saturday Drive-by

2011-05-14T07:01:00.001-07:00

Hope your weekend is going well. Another page for the Cocoa Daisy Crop:

Happy Weekend! Until tomorrow.

Edited to add one more:

Driving by

2011-05-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

A Friday the 13th kind of hi! Happy weekend to you, I'll be back with more. Did I mention that Cocoa Daisy is having a Design team call? Awesome kits with the latest and greatest. Think about it. Until tomorrow.

Schedule for weekend crop

2011-05-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

Very excited for the weekend as always, but especially looking forward to this:

I will be posting Challenge #3 and #7. Hope to see you there! Will be updating my blog over the weekend with more pages. Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow.

A glimpse

2011-05-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Some glimpses of what I've been up to this weekend for the Cocoa Daisy Crop next weekend:

So much paper, so little time. :) Until tomorrow.

Cocoa Daisy May Vintage Ink

2011-05-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a strange and long month since the last time that I blogged. I know I owe an update but today if it's ok, I'll just share my Cocoa Daisy May Vintage Ink pages. I have two more done for the crop, but you'll have to wait to see those. I got the main kit and 2 add-ons-Estate sale and Flea Market, plus the mist add-on. (Clearly I didn't have a clue what to do with the mist though, ha!)

This page is my favorite I think, I love watching my boy play with trains.

And this one was from the beginning of the month of April, an Egghunt we participated in on the base.
And an old photo that I love finally found a home. All the main kit here.
This one was all the main kit too. You can even see some of my handwriting on it. My favorite stamp ever in the history of Cocoa Daisy, or any other stamps I've purchased. Love, love the stamp in the main kit, such a treat.
I'll try to update again this week. It's just been so hard with working. I have lots that I want to do, but it seems like time is a precious commodity for me here lately. Until tomorrow (Hasta manana), Happy weekend to you!

My favorite things

2011-03-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

I loved this kit, just love the blues and greens. It was the perfect transition from the kraft and red of the last kit. Some things that I loved: the Jillibean soup butterfly pins, those little tags, the Jenni bowlin butterfly stamp -- a must, must have, love., the studio calico fabrips, wood butterflies and alphas, those little flags-so cute, the alpha in the main kit (seen on Busch gardens). Just a few of my favorite things from Cocoa Daisy's Central Park April kit.

Anybody still out there? We've been really sick here. This first year of preschool has been tough, we've both been so so sick. I feel like a broken record but it's true. It's been hard to stay up past 8:30 most nights for me, I'm fighting viral pneumonia at present. But I'm around, still enjoying playing with paper in the form of kits. The taxes got done, the world keeps on spinning. Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Driving-by

2011-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way to bed, but I thought I'd add one more layout from the March Cocoa Daisy kit and my sneaks for Cocoa Daisy April. Good-night. Happy Friday to you, until tomorrow!

Somethings. . .

2011-03-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Something I'm anxious about: I am waiting for my Cocoa Daisy April kit to arrive.

Some treadmill I'd like to get off: laundry.

Something that's still making me laugh: My boss, an MD says he hates calling me (a physician assistant) a mid-level provider, it doesn't let me live up to my potential he thinks. He wants instead to call me doctor-lite. Half the calories?? Anyway, it still makes me laugh.

Something you may not know about me: I'm an unwilling vegetarian. My son won't eat meat other than beans, eggs, fish and the very occasional chicken nugget. So when my dh is deployed, to avoid making 2 meals for dinner, I eat what J eats. Strange uh?

Something I'm dreading: taxes, taxes, taxes. (You get the point.)

Something I'm listening to: This video by Avril Lavigne. (ps I never said I had good taste in music. I do love what the song is about.

Something I feel like I'm doing right: being in the moment.

Something I feel like I'm failing at: doing the taxes! (I'm even blogging to avoid them.)

Something I'm looking forward to: gardening again. I love my yard. I even cleaned out the planters this weekend.

Until sometime. Happy Sunday!

Cocoa Daisy Coffee House

2011-02-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

This is a very fun and apparently very popular kit from Cocoa Daisy for March. This kit goes on sale to the public March 1, but subscribers have had the weekend to choose their add-ons, etc.

My pages for the month are a total of 5. I was hoping to have even more, but we had to end our creative time a little early this month due to it being a short month. I'm still going to be using it in the near future, can't get enough of it!

A Snow day page using the main kit, patterned paper add-on, and the button from add-on Caramel Macchiato:

I have a lot of photos of J in that red jacket, bare with me. :) This one I was listening to Pink's new song F--kin perfect. I wrote in my own handwriting and stuck inside the envelope-pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel, like you're less than, you are perfect. Pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel like you're nothing, you are perfect to me. I love (underlined, LOVED) those Hambly ink spot rub-ons. I didn't use tons, but I love them, my favorite thing this month from add-on Chocolate Sprinkles. And the Maya Road envelopes from the Main kit, must get more of them. Note to self. :) The label stickers, alphas, paper, etc. is from the main kit, paper from the patterned paper add-on.
This journaling is too funny, my 4 year old doesn't want to be anything when he grows up but little. I love that. Everything but the tag is from the main kit. The 7 gypsies tag is from the add-on Caramel Macchiato.
Another snow page, it's been such a strange and cold month here. Using the patterned paper add-on Black with 2 sugars for the paper/tags, the main for the alphas and clip, and the Caramel Macchiato add-on for the MME lost and found buttons. LOVE those too.
Lastly, kind of a hybrid for me. I don't sew. Printed the background stitching and added some punches and used the Basic grey glazed brads/punched holes from the tags from the add-on Spiced Chai. and added just a little bit of patterned paper from the main kit.
Did I get all the add-ons? No, surprisingly right? I passed on Cafe Ole because I am mist and mist resist impaired, but I thought long and hard about doing so. You must see my friend Ronda's page in her gallery, I thought that was a great use of that add-on.

Ok, off to use this kit more. Was this too much information, not enough, just right? Happy (probably) Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Scraproom Revisited

2011-02-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Don't know about you, but I love to look at other people's creative spaces. I recognize I'm very lucky to share this spare bedroom/office/guest room with my scrap stuff. :) Go ahead, say it three times fast. :) Kidding, anyway, for this installment I had a 4 yr old who wanted more than anything to play the bubble guppies game I found on Nick Jr. (meaning, he wasn't going anywhere during the photos.) This is the view from the doorway, I love all the windows. I'm still trying to make up my mind on the curtains. ???
My dh built the cubes with the canvas bins for me, my first ever piece of scrappy furniture. And I'd have had him make all of it, but he is really busy with his work, so Ikea it was. Those frames are from hobby lobby and they hold some of the very first paper I ever received from my first ever design team gig, My Daughter's Wish. I don't think the company is around anymore, but the paper is very pretty in real life. I should have taken a close up. Oops.
Clip it up shot. I love my clip it up. Got it with a birthday gift card to Amazon last year. It holds my favorite alphas, the rest are in a box in the closet. I may get rid of those in the future.
Other side of the room, Ikea shelf hold my albums and books. The couch folds out into a bed for guests and the pillows/bedding is stored underneath.
One of my favorite things in the room, a digital photo frame. I love to watch it play when I'm uninspired, it always makes me smile and know that I have memories that I haven't recorded yet. The wall hangings are from Pottery barn, on sale with another birthday gift card. (This room has taken years people!) :)
Look, my boards are all clean, for the moment. Someone just realized I was taking pictures. Ha!
To the closet. Where I store my kits. I have one overflow bin in the Ikea shelf for paper. The rest is in here. All the Cocoa Daisy kits are on the right, Studio Calico on the left. Don't hurt yourself, the newest Cocoa Daisy wasn't in there when I took the photos. :)
At the top there is some cardstock, finished pages, tackle boxes holding small embellishments. To the left, all that cardboard you see is American crafts tape runners in boxes. I haven't figured out what to do with them yet. And lastly a close up of the kits, each month on a shelf.
That's it for the 2011 version of my scraproom. I'll be back with Cocoa Daisy March sneaks soon. Happy President's day to you! Until tomorrow.

Up until the bitter end

2011-02-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I had no idea so many were following the DMV saga so closely. My apologies. :) More DMV nonsense:

1. The DMV sits on a corner of a busy street, which means there are multiple ways in and out of it. And I was cut off 3 times and lost my parking space twice by 8 am. Why would people behave this way at a place where they could take your license? Odd.

2. The place looks and acts like an airport. It's cold and not-so-sterile. My 4 year old asked me repeatedly if we were going on a plane. To which I replied with "I wish."

3. At the counter next to me a woman was sobbing and screaming loudy. Who says there's no crying at the DMV? [Note: Not enough room here to post all that drama.]

4. At the counter I show my: social security number, old driver's license, marriage certificate, passport, utility bill, mortgage statement, military Id, my first born, and a band-aid from the paper cuts I've gotten collecting all this together. What I get is . . . a piece of paper stating I have a temporary license and my "real" license will take 7-14 days to get to me by mail. Funny, they collected "real" money from me for said paper.

5. Lastly, and I really think this just adds insult to injury, the license gets here. And it's the most God-awful shade of pale purple I've ever seen. I mean I gagged and silently wondered whose bright idea that was. (No one looks good against pale purple, ick.) And I'm a girl! Can't wait to see what my dh thinks of that. He renews later this year. Ha! :)

Thus ends another bitter tale of the DMV until 2017. And the moral of the story is to renew online if at all possible (not possible in my case, new to the state. Thank you so much for that Uncle Sam, really sometimes it's just all I can do.) Good night kids! Until tomorrow.

Frayed Canvas (and whatever is left of my sanity)

2011-01-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hi friends, posting quickly my projects for Cocoa Daisy's Feb kit Frayed Canvas. Why you ask? Well, I've got a run-in tomorrow with the DMV, time to renew my driver's license. The day before my birthday. And it's not the first time I've tried to get a new license in this state either. I couldn't even find the DMV last week. My aggravation meter is solidly in the red. Fear not, not one to suffer I am medicating heavily with guacamole. :)

I got the Mixed Media and Assemblage add-ons. Happy (probably) Monday morning to you. Until tomorrow. (And all I want for my birthday is this F$%(#! drivers license. Oops, time for my guac. :) )

CD Feb sneaks

2011-01-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a kit comes out of nowhere and steals my heart. This is my favorite Cocoa Daisy kit. I wasn't expecting that. I didn't even get all the add-ons! I didn't know, couldn't for see just how much I would love it. Sigh, it's perfect. I don't know how Christine does that?

Hanging in there. It's been a tough two weeks with illness, etc. The highlight of my week was going to J's school. His whole class knows me and screams "It's J's mommy!" I was dropping him off one morning when a kid in his class coming in said to his Dad pointing to me, "That's J's mommy." It made me feel like a rock star. Except that well, it's a pseudonym like vtpuggirl. Such is my life, I'm ok with anonymity. :) Happy (probably) Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

One Little Word

2011-01-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the big face photo, not sure how to make it smaller, ugh. My word for 2011 is :

Thought really long and hard about this one. I was kicking around 2 at one point: calm and do. But I was afraid that calm would be like permission to be let off the hook at every turn. (Example: I need to be calm, I should calm down on the couch and not do whatever it is I should really do.) That lead me to examine do. Which is still a good word, but I can be a bit hard on myself and I was afraid that do was permission to whip myself into shape every chance I got, and truthfully, I have to practice being kind to myself because on the occasional occasion I am a bit too hard on me. Polar opposites I know, which is why I was stuck.

Then I thought about resolve. And I liked it. It's the perfect combination of calm and do. It gives me a calm because there is decision in it, the indecision is what gives me stress. But I also like that it's bold, it's earnest, it's a fist on the table when needed to get up and get something done. There is intention, and a willingness to solve problems. And I love that design is a synonym for resolve, that's just cool. :)

I Resolve to:

Take more photos, I got a new camera for Christmas and I am just excited about it.

Scrapbook more. This has been hard since I went back to work. But I'm starting to get the hang of everything now so things will get better.

Spend time outside in my garden with J. I resolve not to put the mulch down myself this year, way too much hulling of dirt around, it was hard to do, took me almost a month on the weekends. I'll stick with weeding, watering and planting. :)

Donate the stuff I've purged to a good cause. I found one last night online, will have things picked up 3/7/2011. This includes household goods.

To not take minimalism to extremes. I suppose I could get by with 100 things, but the truth is in an empty room I would be unhappy and it wouldn't make me want to play with my child, or create things or read anymore then I already want to. I'm all for reducing distractions and clutter, but for keeping the heart of the room, the home, the family. We will keep what is necessary, what is wanted, needed and loved. Our home still needs to feel like us.

Keep my priorities toward the top of the list. And peace and kindness. No matter what life throws at me, getting through it peacefully and with gentleness of spirit is all the is required of me.

Be in the moment. Not just this moment or the next one I designate, but every moment.

Accept what I can not change. This is a big one. In fact, this might take me all year to get this one down alone. Recent health issues have caused to rethink everything I know and believe and truthfully, denial sounds pretty good right now. Also possibly facing another military deployment with dh this year. Perhaps my word should have been denial? I think I'll be walking more in my faith to accomplish this.

Happy Thursday to you! Until tomorrow.

Happy new year!

2011-01-02T17:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Here we are, nearly 3 days into 2011 and I have no idea what my word should be. I'm missing precious bonding time with said word and it's starting to freak me out. Maybe my word should be "Chillax." (Somewhere in the world my mother just hit my father's arm and said, "Chillax? What's she talking about chillax?") It's ok, I'm kidding. :) But, my word of 2011 is still up in the air. I'll share it when I know. I did love last year's word/phase: good enough. My word the year before that was focus. See, I focused so long and hard that I had to put the brakes on my perfectionistic tendencies and therefore, 2010 became the year of good enough. I really loved good enough, and I'm having trouble moving on frankly. Enough of that. :)

This is the new January kit from Cocoa Daisy called Domestic Bliss. It's such a cool kit, I'm really enjoying it. I got a new camera for Christmas and I'm in the process of uploading photos from it right now to use with more of this kit. (Sometimes, while I love technology, I feel like I am constantly having to learn something new, or a new way of doing the same old thing. It takes me out of my comfort zone and shakes me up sometimes, but this camera software install went much better than expected.) A couple layout of J:

And a birthday card:

I'll be back once I settle on a word. I won't be gone as long, I'm feeling much better now. Thank you to everyone who posted, I could feel your support and it made me brave on that day. The power of prayer is an amazing thing. Until tomorrow, happy (sun)day!

Hello world, how are you?

2010-12-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

Been creating with the Cocoa Daisy December kit, Winter Magpie. One of the most brilliantly designed kits ever, just so perfect for any holiday or winter. Perfect amount of texture, a beautiful backdrop to all my photos. I was so inspired, I finished my pages in one evening. You don't want to miss this one, and right now, if you sign up for a six month membership you can get it free. (That's crazy.)

On a more serious note, I'm sorry I've been quiet. And I know that I have. I haven't been feeling very well, not the typical cold or flu stuff either. I'm undergoing a medical procedure next week, I'll update when I know the results. If you have any prayers to spare, I could use one (or two.) Thank you for reading, I'm always so pleasantly surprised by how loyal this blog's followers are. Some of you have been here a long time, and I love it when you check in. Happy TGIF, until tomorrow.

2010-11-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

Some scrappage from the Cocoa Daisy crop last weekend. The folder holds lots of misc. photos that I printed and decided not to use on pages, or not to use right now. I sealed 3 sides with adhesive and left the top open.

My dh is home from deployment. So grateful and thankful he is safe and that I don't have to be a single mom anymore. Life is good for us right now. I've knocked out so many things on my to-do list while he was gone that I'm giddy--I cleaned out the garage, I got my old fillings replaced at the dentist (all white now, love this!), winterized my car, have done so much home maintenance over the past 4 months it's unbelievable, just have to get the gutters cleaned before it snows. Very excited to be semi-caught up with everything, and looking forward to not gardening this winter. I love it, but I'm ready for a break. Hopefully will continue the scrapping kick I've been on lately, 7 layouts with the Cocoa Daisy Nov kit! You will love that one. Although, I was blown away when Cocoa Daisy Dec. showed up, it's so gorgeous I don't even know what words would do it justice. I'm a little intimidated to use it, it's pretty perfect as is. :)

Happy Thursday to you! Until tomorrow.

Weekend Drive-by

2010-11-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

It's been a rather disappointing day. We saw the ENT & audiologist and J's hearing is normal, no fluid in his ear (unlike what we were told was the case at the pediatrician's office). And while I am thrilled that my baby doesn't need surgery or tubes, it did seem like a dream come true that we could snap our fingers and be over the speech difficulties that he has had now for the past 2 years. So, on we go with speech therapy. And it's a good thing, I know this. All I need to do is love and support him and in his own time he will overcome it. Probably just in time to be a sassy teenager. Hmm. :)

Just in case you wondered what I was up to this weekend. You can come too! Lots of prizes and fun. As long as you like to scrap you are invited. :) I'll have some new layouts to post after the weekend. I'm finally going to clean out the garage too, but this is more fun.
(Click on it to make it bigger if you need to.) Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow.

Cocoa Daisy November Poker Face

2010-11-01T18:21:00.001-07:00

The summer is gone I can't believe, it went so fast.

Why do only the cold and lonely times, seem to last?

- Patty Smyth, There are no mistakes in love

Goodbye October, and honestly, good riddance. I lost my grandmother, J has been sick again, I was so busy raking the leaves that I didn't even have time to indulge in a PTSD moment this year. I am sad that fall seemed to blow right by though, like it never happened. May as well have just gone from blistering hot weather to frigged cold. Did I mention my car battery died last week (due to the extreme shift in temperature?) Yep, goodbye Oct., see you around.

Haven't been online much, been taking a digital sabbatical and enjoying my life. Being outdoors, I love being outside with J. Trying to do things slower, one at a time, focus on what I'm doing. I've given up multi-tasking and happier for it. I tried getting up early in the morning, just for the peace and quiet, seems my body prefers it's peace and quiet under the covers. (Enjoys it so much that getting up 20 mins earlier is all I can manage right now, but it's a start.) Been eating healthier, until the car battery incident when I consumed a handful of skittles upon arriving home. I don't twitter or facebook, and I try to only check message boards once every day or two. However, this came back to haunt me when I missed the reveal at Cocoa Daisy this month. Had layouts ready to go and everything, but forgot to check the day before. I found out the evening of but didn't have my projects photographed. Oops. I keep forgetting the 28th is carved in stone over there now. Here are my pages for the month of November, the kit is called Poker face:

You have to see this shaped stamp exclusive to the kit, very cool. We are going to see a surgeon about getting tubes in J's ears, hoping this will also help his speech. Thank you for your kind words and thoughts below. Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

It still hurts

2010-10-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

I lost my Grandma Betty, 2 weeks ago now. It's still hard to look at these photos. I've learned that early morning phone calls are never a good thing. I had the pleasure of my grandma's presence in my life for 34 years, and that's a blessing. She was so young when she had my mother, and I know most people don't get to enjoy a grandparent for that long. But it makes it infinitely harder to let them go. My grandma always made me laugh. Even as a child in a room full of adults I gravitated toward her like the sun. She was the only person who was at least as likely as I was to get into trouble. :)
This is one of only 2 photos I took at her funeral/wake. I just had to find a way to understand how final this was, as the entire out of state trip made with a dog and a child in 2 days was just surreal. I'll be honest, I love this picture, it's peaceful and beautiful and I needed that. I hope it doesn't seem strange that I took it, I don't think it's morbid at all. My mother needed my sister and I with her and I know now that it was important that I went.
As always, my grandma didn't look like herself at the wake. At all. I hate that. So I took this photo of her picture in the doorway. No matter what, I'll always remember my grandma golden tanned from the golf course, a martini in one hand and a cigarette in the other, with a little smirk cursing under her breath (that would make sailors blush). I love you grandma, and I'll miss you until we met again.
Until tomorrow. It's a Monday. :P

Updating

2010-10-11T18:54:00.001-07:00

Been out of town for a funeral, an unexpected death in the family. I'll be back soon, to share details. I have to unpack as I have to go to work tomorrow. Not such a happy day. Until tomorrow.

Cocoa Daisy Oct. Happy Days

2010-10-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

Brrr. It's cold here! What happened to Fall? Just like that gone? Seems wrong. Seems like even the weather is just a touch dramatic and neurotic lately. I'm just saying. :)

My baby is potty trained, I can't believe it. I have so much to say about that, but not much time tonight. Here are my pages for the Cocoa Daisy Oct. gallery:

This one's title should have been "an unlikely fall tradition", but that wouldn't fit on the tag. It's ok, that's what we are making when visit this pumpkin patch/shop. And it is tradition now, we are going next weekend. Made entirely of the main kit: Happy days.

This page is kind of a place-holder for me. I take photos of J every year in his Halloween costume, and then I edit the snot out of them in photoshop using a photo extraction technique (if there is interest, leave me a comment, otherwise I won't bore all the non-techies). So, I am up to 3 photos (seen) below. My goal is to have the most amazing Halloween mini album ever, someday. I love how the photo technique is really dramatic, it works for Halloween anyway, it's over the top. But, and this is a big but, I'm not ready to make the album yet. I need more photos, another couple of years. So I made this page to remember and record the details, so when the time comes, I won't forget them. I have my work cut out for me this year, J wants to be Buzz lightyear. That costume is white, it will be my biggest challenge yet. :) Mostly the patterned paper add-on here with a ticket and alphas from the main.
This one is about my dh, and it is made with the main kit except for the JBS butterfly. That stamp, sticker, tag, paper and cardstock are all from the main kit.
Lastly, I misted! What I loved about misting-the randomness of it. What I did not love about misting, the randomness of it! I sprayed it 3 times, big juicy lovely drops of dark calico that looked like ink came out, but when I sprayed for real, a fine mist. It's ok, it was still fun. :) And I'd do it again. I still don't understand what I did wrong, but I guess the learning curve is high. :)
Gotta go, I'll try to post again. Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Sneakage

2010-09-27T18:11:00.001-07:00

It's been a long day, always. I can barely keep my eyes open. Just loaded my Cocoa Daisy gallery for Oct., thought I'd share some sneakage here:

Very excited to work with this kit some more. Presently working on an assignment for a magazine, and listening to the first real rain we have had in over 2 months. Welcome fall. Hope you are enjoying it! Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow. (And why yes, that is some mist you see in the first photo--SC Dark Calico. ;) )

Dear Paper RE: Uncertainty

2010-09-13T17:31:00.001-07:00

If I was paper, I'd probably dump me. I feel as though paper is this close ( ) to breaking up with me, and I can't say that I don't deserve it. But if you only knew paper, if you really knew how very much I love and think about you, then you wouldn't go. :)

I haven't been in much of a blogging mood (um, clearly.) The truth, is that I realize that I can't do things the same way as I always have before. Since I've been blogging for 3 years, I suspect I need to accept that things will evolve. They have to, it's the nature of it. And yet I'm reluctant to change. There, I said it. I want to blog with a project/page or card. And I'm reluctant to do so without one. And yet, I know deep down that if this is the case, I will blog one time a month after the Cocoa Daisy reveal and that's all. And that's not what I want to do.

I suspect part of my frustration may be mojo-vacation. And one part is just general fatigue with life/working/taking care of a toddler in general. And since this is my new-fangled math, one part could be just being overwhelmed (another part, really? What does that add up to anyway?). See, no one is harder on me, than me. And I want to put up something that I love each and every time I blog, but so many days I just want to post short stories, or things that I like and find interesting. Nothing involved, not a masterpiece by any means, just something. And I think I could do that, if only I could check my perfectionistic tendencies at the door.

What I'm saying in the most obnoxious love letter to paper ever written, is that while my love affair with paper rages on, life goes on too. And during this period of uncertainty, as I try to find my way forward with my paper crafting, I want to be free to experiment with my writing here. So, my posts may be a little unconventional, less structured, more rambling (more than this, seriously?) and in general, more me. I can no longer dissect my personality from my blogging, and nor do I even want to. It upsets me that my pages are more "me" then my posts are, and I think that's why I feel like I should put one in every blog post.

This is hard for me, I do quiet very well. Even in real life the people around me will notice periods of quiet and introspection broken up with short bursts of outgoingness and laughter. It's just the way I've always been. Sometimes I wish it was more consistent and more to one side or the other.

If you are still reading, I'm just so glad you are. :) My last project for the American crafts blog:

In short, I'll try to do better. But I can't do it the same. Happy Monday, until tomorrow.

Brighter Skies

2010-08-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Thank you so much for your concern, I guess I've been quieter then even I thought. I don't mean to be, I'm just busy. Feeling really good about everything though, I feel like I've found a really good fit for me with the office I chose to work in. And J loves his school, and slowly but surely I'm fitting in some crafting on the weekend nights. Today I just feel really lucky and feel like I'm finding balance again. Until the next time the apple cart topples. :) I think that I thought that scrapping and working were mutually exclusive and I'm pleased to find that is not the case. Let's see what happens when we throw the holidays into the mix. :)

Here are some layouts made with Cocoa Daisy's Brighter skies. This first one was made for a sketch challenge we are having in Sept, that's why it looks like my style thrown in a blender. But I kind of like it.

And this one is to help me remember my son singing his ABC's and how amazing it is to watch a child learn. If you know me, you know how very much I love Jenni Bowlin and it physically hurt me for like 10 mins after I decided to do this with the alphas. But it's ok. :)
This one is about that gut-wrenching first day for mom, um, I mean J. :) I love those basic grey fabric buttons, I'd like one in every color/style please. :)
Lastly, I was going to make a card with this paper that said on the front It's not complicated and on the inside put, I love you. And then the more I thought about it, the more I knew that I was feeling this because sometimes J looks at me like he doesn't know what planet I'm communicating from. Why doesn't mum want me to jump on the couch? So, this was my way of feeling understood, even though I know it's futile as he is too young. But it will still be relevant when he puts his hands on his hips and gives me that look when he's a tween so I'm not worried about it. :)

And that's it. Hope you have a good Monday. Until tomorrow.

Sneaking around

2010-08-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Pages coming soon, I promise. :)
Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow.

Updating

2010-08-22T19:02:00.002-07:00

We've been trying to settle into a routine here, and with all the illness we have had with preschool, I'm afraid it's just not working. Been hanging on for dear life some days, just trying to remember to feed the dog and pack a lunch. Unable to stay up much past the time J goes to bed, and that's really putting a cramp in my scrapbooking and blogging here lately.

Some developments:

1. I decided to stay on with Cocoa Daisy for another term and I couldn't be more excited about that. These kits are the best at getting me out of a scrapbooking rut and I'm currently waiting on this one to arrive:

It's called Brighter skies, and it will be available for purchase midnight August 27th I believe. We are working on having a more defined reveal date so that everyone on the site knows what to expect. We also have some new Divas including Debee Campos, Lisa Saunders and one still yet to be revealed. I love that loyal members as well as bigger name talent all have equal opportunity to be guest designers and on the design team there.

2. It's Christmas in August here. I finally opened my new photo printer, as I finally ran out of ink for the old one. It came with new software that is really fun to play with. It makes me want to try my hand at digital, but I know I could never give up the smell of new paper.

3. Waiting for it to finally cool down here, end of summer long dog days are making me long for the pumpkin patch and the cool crisp air. I'm a fall girl, I love every single thing about it. Also waiting for temp to drop so I can spend some time in the garage, can't even think of organizing it in this heat. I keep asking J about what he wants to be for halloween, is that bad?

4. Loving my yard, with the little bit of rain we have had the grass is much greener. Not as good as it will be in the fall, but a vast improvement over the scorched look of summer.

5. Listening to: Sara Bareilles (any of her songs on vevo) and Jon Meyers "Half of my heart" (love, love that one!)

6. Reading about Primary Biliary Cirrhosis. It's a liver disease. It's part of my CME this month.

Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Guess this means summer's over

2010-08-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Some of my most recent American crafts blog offerings this summer included:

June Calendar page:

Sunkissed layout:

Beach mini album:

All made with American crafts Heatwave. Kelly Purkey said I would love that line, she was right. I had a great year with American crafts and I am grateful for the opportunity to design for them. I'll be back later on, I have to make lunch. Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow.

And a little child shall lead them. . .

2010-08-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

When we pulled up to Chipotle this weekend, I said, "J we're here." And from the back seat in a small voice I heard him say, "I peel (feel) like guacamole." And just like that it was Sunday morning with me saying "Amen brother, hallelujah! That's my boy." He gets me, he really does! :)

And you might be a redneck if your imaginary friend is named Taterhead. It's true, I couldn't make this stuff up. And I can barely keep a straight face while drying and tucking taterhead in bed tonight. They say that kids with imaginary friends are really smart. Do you think this still applies if they name the imaginary friend taterhead? :)

We've been really sick here, another round of antibiotics on me. And when I noticed that said sick child had his finger up his nose I told him politely not to do that, that that's why we are sick. This was met with a "Try it Ma." Um, no. What do you say to that?

And I'm proud to report that J is the new owner of the Chuggington interactive railway. I was so excited that he went #2 in the potty that I nearly wet my own pants. What a day! Happy Wednesday to you. Until tomorrow.

About Chuggington

2010-08-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

My little guy has fallen off the wagon with potty training. I've tried for months with no success to bring him back to the table, er potty. This all came to a head last week where I insisted that he use the facilities before we headed out for school and he refused, loudly at the top of his lungs and ran away. That's when I knew that we were pretty polarized on the issue and it was going to take something big and magical to bring both parties back to the table. Enter interactive Chuggington:

The trains and everything talk. We have been excited about it for a long time. So I bought the set with the tracks, and 5 trains (6 if you include Wilson and Vee with the track set). I use this company in the UK--Toys Direct. They are awesome. The site converts pounds to dollars, and it shipped and was here in under 4 days. I'm just a satisfied customer is all and when you look at what they are charging on amazon for chuggington toys, the prices are totally ridiculous.

So, my whole counter top is full of talking Chuggington (like I need anymore lip from anyone when I make dinner, geez.) And we have a list going-12 potty trips gets him the first train. He still has about 6 to go, so he's doing well. He's motivated I'll give him that! Me, I'm just hoping it will buy about a week or two of time, something to get a routine down so that he can stick with it. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it. Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow.

And it was a Monday

2010-08-03T04:11:00.000-07:00

This past month has been so hard, since J started school we both have just been so very sick. I can count on my hand with fingers left over how many days I've felt well lately. I've got another upper respiratory infection, which I'm certain by the way I'm coughing now will linger with me a little while. The antibiotics are making me feel just as lousy as the cold. It's one of the worst things in the world--to be sick and try to take care of a small child, nothing compares to the feeling of complete and utter uselessness I feel trying to function this way.

These projects were featured on the AC blog during our swap with Pebbles back in May, I just forgot to post them here. They feel very spring/summery to me. Sometimes I have to remember that it is still summer, I'm so focused on everything I want to get done in the fall. Our winter here was so brutal last year that I'd really like to get both cars in the garage this winter. One, no problem at all, but two is going to take some thinking. :)

Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow. I thank you for stopping by, I appreciate you being here. I'll be returning comments this afternoon from below.

Friday AC drive-by

2010-07-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

So glad it's Friday! :)

This page was inspired by some cards I made for the AC blog that will be seen later this month (I know, that's not very helpful is it?). This is the American crafts I do line, and why I certainly understand why it is named that, this line is so much more than just wedding. I haven't done anything wedding related with it yet! I'm just really smitten with it right now.

All the patterned paper is American crafts I do, the thickers are Marquise pearl thickers in Black, but in real life they are a steel grey. Grey goes so well with this line. And a little Jenni bowlin stick pin. I just like them.

Well, I have a lot of patient charts to dictate, so off I go. Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow.

Driving by

2010-07-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a page I did from my stash of American crafts and Jenni bowlin:
I used American crafts Salutations thickers in chestnut, AC blue glitter brads and AC Marilyn Chestnut Minimarks plus Jenni bowlin playdate papers. Love these JBS papers. The stars are from an old SC kit, I think they are heidi swapp, not sure though. Our 4th was spent being sick, as has every moment since then. :( That's why J is so glassy eyed.

Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Me vs the to-do list

2010-07-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

Having a hard time getting my act together to blog lately. It's a casualty of going back to work I suppose. I'm juggling, but clearly I'm not juggling fast enough or very well. 2 weeks is the longest break I've ever taken from blogging, and I kind of miss it.

I've been doing some things for the AC blog and I will have some layouts to share this week. I get that our relationship is built upon me showing the pages and you coming to see them and if you are here reading this, then I haven't been holding up my end of that bargain this month. But things will improve. I've just needed time to adjust to a new reality lately.

This is J with his pillow pet:
So cute! And a photo he took of me:
He loves to take photos with my camera. He's very careful and it cracks me up when he takes a photo like this one and looks at the play back screen and says "Oh love that one!" Wonder where he gets it from. :) Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Here comes the rain again

2010-07-13T17:48:00.001-07:00

Photo by Kiraniacus/photobucket

I love a rainy night!

I do, it's been forever since we had rain. At least a month or more. The grass is all scorched. I just love to crawl into bed with clean sheets and listen to the rain. I've missed it. I don't want it to rain all the time or anything, that's depressing. Just sometimes. :) Can you see it raining in this photo? How cool is that?

Been busy, over at Cocoa Daisy updating the forum on the CHA Summer 2010 sneaks. Lots of great stuff from American crafts (Enchanting and City Park); Jenni bowlin (Family Tree), and Crate paper (Restoration and School Spirit), and the glimpses of Studio Calico's release (Elementary) look amazing. And this is only the beginning, more stuff to roll out this week I'm sure!

Been busy at work. It's my first real week, and everyone is on vacation. Talk about a trial by fire. :( Tomorrow I get to figure out how to dictate patient charts on a new system, and I'm kind of nervous about that. It's all the little things, like ordering radiology tests on the right paper pad or figuring out each pharmacy's drug refill sheets and prior authorization forms, that are the things that make you crazy. It just takes time, but no one seems to have time in medicine these days. :)

We are recovering from the bout of strep plague that ran through our household this weekend. J has decided that taking his medicine is worth a Hershey's kiss. :) It's getting better. I still have bronchitis pretty bad, but that's just going to take more time to resolve. J's double ear infection seems improved.

It's so strange to me. Two weeks ago I would have told you that scrapbooking felt normal and work felt weird. This week, I would say the opposite. Everything seems frighteningly topsy-turvy lately. And yet, I know that I will push some paper around this weekend. I need the familiar as much as the unfamiliar at the moment. No deadlines, no assignments, just me having fun, enjoying my photos. Looking forward to it like the cleansing rain.

Oh how I love the rain! There is just something so romantic about a rainy night. Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow.

This is me, in a nutshell

2010-07-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

I found this on my friend Leah's blog, and it made me laugh so hard (for like 15 mins) I almost died. And then I went and got dh so that he could read it and we laughed some more. I'm putting it here in case I need to find it again. :)

If you've ever really wanted to know me, get inside my head and walk around, this is it. Might be your only chance so. Blog post: So very me.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend. The drama surrounding the antibiotics continues (as does the ear infection and the fever, but the puking seems to be better. Hey, I'm an optimist. :))

Until tomorrow.

Best laid plans

2010-07-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

The best laid plans. This is my first week back at work, and even though the office is nice, this change is stressful. And even though J loves his school, that has been stressful.

But it all came to a head this morning. Last night in the middle of the night J woke me up with headache/ear pain. He's never had an ear infection. He took some fever reducer and went to sleep. Then this morning he was just not himself, not moving around much, looking and acting sick. So I decided not to take him to school, but I thought we could stop by my work for a minute while I tried to get him a doctors appt.

Plan b (or c) happened after he threw up all over me (in dry clean only clothes) this morning. I decided we were both going to the pediatrician's office. He threw up in the car, so we both smelled just lovely at the doctors. She thinks he has strep, which is what I thought when I decided to bring him in. Now after waiting in line at the pharmacy forever, we have medicine that he won't take. I'm seriously losing my mind a little. :(

Not loving this aspect of his school. It's been less than 2 weeks and he's been pretty sick twice already. I've been sick, had bronchitis all week. It's hard to concentrate on learning anything new when you can't breathe. And scrapping has really been pretty far from my mind at the moment. But in the past week I have had two projects on the American crafts blog--a beach layout and a beach mini album. Here is a glimpse of the album:

Isn't that camera the cutest thing? Love that. I've used my AC slick writer pen in black all week to label stuff because it is smear proof, waterproof, permanent and quick drying. And unlike a Sharpie, I can actually read my handwriting with one. :) Happy weekend to you, hope your's is better than mine! Until tomorrow.

Cocoa Daisy July

2010-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

I survived J's first day of school. I wish I could adopt the motto that new/different/change isn't bad, and that every new situation has just as much potential for good as it does for bad. But I guess I'm of a fixed quality, change is hard for me. I have to prove to myself that if I put a foot off the ledge I will indeed feel the ground before I'll believe that I won't be a splat on the pavement. He did great, had the best time. Can't wait to do it again. Today was definitely harder on Mom. :)

Nothing has gone according to plan these last few days. This is a good and a bad thing. It's good because it's opened my eyes to so many things, and yet it's bad because I feel like I'm rushing around instead of relaxing and enjoying. I'll get there again. Got some great recipes to try on the grill this weekend. Can't wait for the 4th!

Here are some pages I made with the Cocoa Daisy July kit. Let me first say that I was kind of worried when I saw the colors, I'm not the biggest "orange" person out there. But I learned something with this kit, I really love color, in any form. I gravitate toward neutrals because I feel like they are safe, but then I like to get all anti-establishment with color.

One I made with the main kit and Tunnel of love add-on:

This one uses only the main kit, I love that exclusive Cocoa Daisy stamp! This one also uses American crafts pigment ink in Clay and I love, love the chestnut brown cardstock AC puts out, it's the most perfect shade of brown.
I thought these colors reminded me of Fall, after I had done my Summer layout. Is that weird to have made a summer and a fall layout with this kit?
And lastly, this is my attempt at whimsy. I think I failed miserably, but I tried. I wanted it to be light and airy, dream-like, which is sooo not my scrapbooking style. But I tried. :) Lil dude is way too happy in mornings. Must get that from my dh. Hmpf, not me. :)
Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Introspection

2010-06-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

Enjoying our last few days of freedom before J starts school and I start work.

It's funny how the end makes you think of the beginning. I once read that having a child is like throwing a grenade into the middle of a marriage. I disagree with that. I think that having a child is like throwing a grenade into the middle of your life (if you are the Mom). I felt so happy to have my little guy and yet so lost that I didn't get up and go work with adults all day. I missed having someone to talk to who could talk back, although I am kind of used to one-sided conversations with my dog but still. It was the best of times mostly, and the worst of times some days. But I adjusted, changed, compromised, and in the end thrived in my new environment. Thrived as a Mom.

And now, well, it feels like a second grenade. A second explosion, leaving me feeling much the same way. Who am I now? What is expected of me? I know that work and school is what is good for both of us at the juncture and yet I still feel scared to death. I'm still a Mom, and a physician assistant but I'm not the same person I was before I had a baby. Change is so hard. Feeling the need to seek out much guacamole. :)

And it's not really the end, it's a new beginning. A new chapter. Sorry for the introspection. Here are some sneaks, still working with the kit:

Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow. :)

July Calendar page

2010-06-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

This page is a follow up to the June page for the calendar I created for the American crafts blog. I'm up to July, woohoo! The frame on this is just a digital black frame, because I still have my June page in the frame. June isn't over yet and I didn't want to risk damaging it to get it out just to take a picture. It's kind of fun to keep the same design, and yet I sort of want to change it up. But after I take July out, who would know? Ok, you, blog readers would know. But shhh! Don't say anything! We'll see, dh is shocked that I'm continuing on with this. He said, "I thought for sure you would have caved by now and bought a calendar." Normally he is right. :)
I'm busy busy. Finishing up an assignment for the AC blog, getting together sneaks for Cocoa Daisy. I plan on posting them tomorrow. Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow then.

PS If you love American crafts, they are having a design team call now. :)

At the moment

2010-06-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

I am:

Mimicking: This whole blog idea from other blogs I've seen.

Listening: To Lady Gaga's Alejandro. I heard it on the radio and wanted to see the video. Mistake, horrible awful mistake. It's Satanic, but gosh the girl can dance.

Eating: Chicken that dh made on the grill. He got home late last night from his most recent trip.

Drinking: Water, lots of water.

Wearing: My second pair of khaki shorts today, and a pink top. We went to see Toy Story 3 like everyone else in the US, and 5 mins into the movie, even though we took him to the potty twice, J had an accident. While sitting on my lap. Now, I've been a parent for 3.5 years now, and I'm not one to let a little unexpected bodily fluids ruin my good time. So, I changed him and enjoyed the show. :) It was my first movie going experience since having a baby.

Reading: Too many CMEs to count! 4.5 more hours to go. That will make 100.

Feeling: Anxious, worried about all the changes happening. Wanting to feel differently though.

Wanting: To enjoy the weekend. Trying not to stress.

Needing: Clothes for work, but my weight keeps changing. Not sure what size to buy?

Thinking: About my horoscope for the day. I always read it from Jonathan Cainer. It's really cryptic today.

Enjoying: Having my dh home again. :)

Wondering: About a medical mystery I am researching.

Scrapping: With the Cocoa Daisy July kit and American crafts Ink:

and

Happy weekend to you! Sneaks very soon. Until tomorrow.

Home Again

2010-06-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Just got home from vacation at the beach (which for me is my parents house). Not that it makes up for the lack of blogging or blog reading, but it was a much needed break before we go on to the next phase of our lives.

I've really been working on my photography lately, not because I will ever be a professional photographer or anything like that. I hate the business side of things. I just enjoy taking photos of my family, it's a hobby for me. So, been working hard at that and I was thrilled with a few that came out of the camera, as is, no photoshop/touch up.

These were taken about a mile from my parent's house, insane! :) I love it there, would give anything to live in that little town again. I didn't know how good I had it. Now I fight with traffic everyday of my life. :(

Busy filling out paperwork for work and J's school and doing CME's at present. But I did contribute this project to the American Crafts blog today. Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Randomness

2010-06-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

1. Home improvement sucks. Here's why: collateral damage. We got a new AC/furnace last week, but the thermostat box is way smaller than the old one. Which means that to hang it properly on the wall, you have to paint over the areas where the old one was. I hate that. And this lead to me painting and repairing other walls, which lead to dh having to paint one entire wall, and on and on it went. It's over now, but my gosh!

2. I am down right chilly now, despite the fact that the AC is approaching 74 degrees. There really is no middle ground. :)

3. My flowers look good, the whole yard does actually. See:

3. I've been busy lately, I recently accepted a position as a physician assistant with an doctor's office here in town. They have been remarkably accommodating of my schedule with J and I feel really lucky in this economy to find something that I am excited about doing.

4. Not sure how best to juggle everything, specifically-family, working and scrapping. I feel like time will tell. I've tried hard to limit my DT commitments to only those companies that I really love, and I hope to continue with them at present, but again time will tell. I know that I will always scrapbook in some form or fashion, I love it, it's fun to me.

5. I have been taking a ridiculous number of photos. Some things never change it seems. :)

Happy Thursday to you. Until tomorrow.

Mini me

2010-06-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

I bought this set for J last christmas. I offered a choice between this outfit and a police officer's uniform, and he chose this. Lately he is in it a lot.

Today his Max doll came in with arm pain.

And Max was treated with a shot/injection.

Orthopedic surgeons are such cowboys. :)

I can't wait to scrap these photos. Happy Thursday, until tomorrow.

Been a while . . .

2010-05-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

And it's still hot! Tomorrow, tomorrow we get the new air conditioning and heating unit. :) Hanging in there until then.

Something cool though is Cocoa Daisy's June kit Cubicle. A seriously fun kit! I went crazy, had to have all the add-ons which I've never, ever done before. Actually I didn't get them all, but close. I would absolutely recommend picking up some corkboard to use with the kit, it's just kind of a fun look and you can stamp on it, mist it, punch it, use it as a background, etc. I'm really into it at the moment. :)

This page has hidden journaling under the pull tab and a huge pocket for me to put some memorabilia. I've even saved clothing tags from J's baby clothes and I needed some place to store them.
Little dude is all about that bike. Its a kettler car. I so love that Girls Paperie banner paper, and I'm not a super duper banner person. But I thought it went well with the theme of racing.
A father's day layout with dh and J. My whole world begins and ends with these two. :)
I think this is my favorite page, it was the most fun. I do judge them by how fun they are to create. It might be a great page, pretty and all that, but if it was hard for me to make it, I won't like it. This one was fun. I love, love those Pink paislee alphas. You get the black/white in the main kit and one of the add-ons (that I didn't get) has the white/cream ones. Very hoard-worthy. I had some from little davis long ago and used them all. Definitely loving these. The background is the Basic Grey basics edge stickers, I used the whole sheet as is. Everything on this one is from the main kit.

I just loved those pink paislee journaling pads, what a cool idea! I want to use them all, might be a new goal. :) Not sure which add-on this is in. I kind of mixed everything up at this point.

A last minute edition to my gallery, I'm missing the beach (which is home to me) so badly. I hope we visit again soon.

Lastly, this is the 7 Gypsies journal that comes in the main kit. Some Studio Calico rub-ons complete the look. I'm using it in my purse to hold small pieces of paper--receipts, phone numbers, important information (I guess it's important if it's in my purse, maybe not?), business cards, etc. I just felt like the number rub-ons gave it that functionality. If you decide to do one, don't punch the corner rounder on these edges, too big. Adhere the paper and then exacto knife it to fit. Trust me. :)

Dh spent today remembering the men from his military unit who were killed/injured. So thankful for dh, for his life, for his service. He is called to a higher purpose and through that so am I. This military life isn't easy, it's one day at a time, one obstacle and triumph at a time. But it's made me the person I am today, and us the couple we are today. And I'm grateful, thankful and always hopeful. Happy memorial day, until tomorrow.

Big girls don't cry . . .

2010-05-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

We cuss. Like sailors. :)

Let me explain. No, it's been a while. Let me sum up. The air conditioning guy came out last week, told me the repair would be hundreds of dollars and even then there were no guarantees as the system is original to the house-20 years old. So, after much teeth gnashing and nail biting and extensive conversation with dh, we agreed to replace the entire thing--heating and cooling units. Because everything is so high efficiency now a days, you can't just replace one on an old system like this. :( :(

I was conflicted about this decision. Very conflicted. Spending a couple hundred vs thousands still seemed like a good deal to me! The repair guy did fix the existing unit (basically for free since we are getting new unit), but here's kicker number 2: They can't put in the new unit until after memorial day weekend. But things seemed like they were once again rolling along.

Until Sunday night. I was downstairs folding clothes, staring off into space when it hit me that something was very wrong. In our unfinished (concrete floors) basement, there was a small flood spanning the entire room. The furnace part of this heating/cooling unit was spuing water all over the floor. This, this is when I started cussing. :( :(

I'd been really good up until this point too. I don't need my little mockingbird (aka my 3 yr old) throwing the f-bomb back at me, so I've been nearly a saint for the past 2 years. But I just could not hold it in any longer and fly the words did. And what is particularly upsetting to me is that I was cussing in the face of a sign from above. If that wasn't a sign from heaven to replace the piece of crap (aka heating/cooling unit), I don't know what was. Hope St. Peter had his ears covered, my grandmother is going to beat me with a stick when I get there for this one. And she should. :)

Since now I'm on the $h@! list, would it now be inappropriate to pray for low temperatures and overcast/rainy days until next Tuesday? Not seeing as how I have all that much choice. . .

How about them sneaks? (and a nice change of subject):

I can say without reservation, you will love this new June kit from Cocoa Daisy called Cubicle. It goes on sale June 1, earlier for subscribers. Happy Tuesday, until tomorrow.

Blocks, cubes, whatever

2010-05-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ever had writer's block? I do. I go through periods where I just have a hard time typing anything. When that happens I mainly turn into a lurker, where I don't have to think of something to say. I've had it for nearly 2 weeks now, hence the blog silence. But mostly I've been offline catching up on things exciting like laundry and grooming the dog. :) We went to the airshow last weekend at Andrews Airforce base. I was a little disappointed that Airforce One was not on display, and Tom Cruise (from top gun) as not there. Not even a cut-out! Otherwise it was a lot of fun, loud though. :)

I'm currently stuck here waiting for the air conditioning repair man to show up, or I doubt I'd be blogging today. I have been crafting though with this kit:

It's called Cubicle, Cocoa Daisy's June kit. And I love it. I drowned myself in add-ons this month, something I normally do not do since I know how I tend to develop ADD with too much scrapping stuff. :) I just loved every single thing, and I've never, ever ordered more than 1-2 add-ons ever from any kit club. This month I got 4. Sneaks coming soon. I also completed an assignment for the American crafts blog, but I'm not sure when it will be up though. Sometime towards the end of May I guess. And 15 CMEs got done already this month, phew.

It's so rainy here, is it dreary where you live too? Please come back sun, after the ac gets fixed of course. Happy Tuesday! Until tomorrow.

A HeArt for Linda; Ella winner

2010-05-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

So many of my wonderful blog readers and friends have gotten the word about the fundraiser for Linda. I'm so touched that so many people want to help. And all I can think is, I can do more. I should do more. And I am. :)

Tricia has added this to the fundraiser sponsor giveaways. If you donate $10 (or more) to Linda, then you could be eligible to win this:

Um, no, you can't have mine. :)

But if your donation ticket wins my raffle, then I will make you your very own custom Altered Heart project. The winner can pick out the colors for the heart, and customize the message. The altered heart project will include a black frame similar to this with glass, as well as the completed piece of artwork sent to the winner. This project has been one of my most popular of my postings on 2 peas and the Cosmo cricket blog. I still get emails from people asking if they can buy one in an Etsy shop (no etsy, sorry). My sister is still badgering me to make her one. (Bec, I'm on that. thumbs up. :)) I think it would be a good gift for newly weds, any anniversary couple, in pink or blue (or green/yellow) for a baby; I even think it could be a birthday gift if the colors were done right. So, lots of options for the winner. :) I will also post the completed project here on my blog, so you can have a little preview before it gets to you.

I believe this is the right project for me to donate to the Linda fundraiser because if you read her blog, she has a lot of heart. She's pushing past the doubts and the pain to be there for her family and her adorable boys. And prosthetics are not easy. Having treated amputees returning from Iraq at Fort Campbell, I know it's not as simple as slap on the prosthetic and go. They rub, they cause ulcers and blisters and pain. There is phantom limb syndrome and people stare. Linda has a lot of heart. And if you donate so that she can move into a house that doesn't have steps, well you might have a little bit of an altered heart too. :) Compared to the other very generous and/or very talented sponsors --Cocoa Daisy, Studio Calico, Jenni Bowlin Studios, Scarlet Lime, and newly added Hero Arts, Maya Road, a layout by Mou Saha etc. my prize isn't much. But I think you will agree, it's all heart. :)

You can find out about donating and Linda's story here. And you can visit Linda's blog here.

The winner of the Ella ebook giveaway is:

Please email me (top left paragraph under photo) and I'll get this code for the ebook right to you. You are going to love it! Happy weekend and Mother's day to you! Until tomorrow.

So much for normal; Ella giveaway

2010-05-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

What is normal anyway? I'm not sure exactly what I think it is at this point. I suppose house hunting for a year isn't normal. I suppose moving while my husband is still deployed, on my own with no help isn't normal. I suppose making sure the pantry is stocked while we ride out 3 blizzards this winter isn't normal. I don't think getting all the home improvement, house and yard in order in one month is quite normal. And I don't think having company for 2 weekends last month, going on vacation for 5 days, completing a guest design team position (7 layouts), American crafts blog hop (1 layout) and AC blog posting (2 layouts, 2 cards) and a Cocoa Daisy crop (4 layouts) all in the span of 30 days is normal either. Apparently though, this is indeed how I roll. :) Maybe I only have two speeds--busy and busier.

Thank you for the overwhelming response to Linda's fundraiser. Over $4000 has been raised so far, and any little bit helps them dig out from under a mountain of debt and worry. I'm seriously in awe of the generous spirit of the scrapbooking community, it's amazing to see. I wanted to note that the one of the photos (watermarked) in the post was taken by Caroline, and I don't know who took the other ones. They aren't my photos, just wanted to mention that.

This week I have been working on continuing medical education (CME) while awaiting my Cocoa Daisy June kit. Basically, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it (that was a hint). I've done 5 and I need to finish about 10 more CMEs this month, I got behind with the move and I can't quite dig out of that. Finding tons of inspiration in this to scrap last summers photos:

I wanted to post these so that I can oogle it here instead going all the way over to the JBS blog, ha! I always have so much red/blue in my summer photos, this is going to be perfect. :)

And last but not least, Ella publishing wants to give one of my readers a complementary copy of this book:

You might have seen this on some other blogs, I know I have. I am thrilled to be able to get a copy for myself and one for my readers today. At $5.99, I was considering purchasing it anyway. The authors are Becky Novaceck, Elisha Snow and Kelly Noel, all professional family photographers but also camera happy moms like ourselves! Here is a little about the book:

Organized into nine relevant sections (babies, toddlers, kids, teens, pets, adults, duos, trios, and larger groups), this eBook is packed with practical advice that will help you take your photographs to the next level. Several of the tips are geared toward those with some experience with semi-manual or manual modes on a DSLR camera. But even if you're a DSLR beginner (or you use a point-and-shoot), you'll learn how to improve your photographs dramatically.

This is right up my alley, I like to be able to read things and study them at my own pace, no pressure. I love learning more about photography and my local library knows me by name and what I like check out (photography books). They actually hold things for me that they think I might like. It's good to make friends with librarians. :)

So, please leave me a comment and tell me a little about you and photography. Do you aspire to be a professional photographer? Just an amateur/enthusiast like myself? Just always loved photos? I'd love to hear about it. I'll draw a winner over the weekend (Sat.) by random and then I'll email the winner the code and just like that you will be enjoying this ebook too. Happy Thursday to you! Until tomorrow.

Want to go to Greece for Free?

2010-05-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

One day you’re on the top of the world; your life is going just as you had always hoped. You have a great family, a loving husband, an adorable son and now the second child you had always hoped for. On top of that, you are a seriously talented scrapbooker, take a mean photo and have an incredible knack for leaving your friends in hysterics.
That was Linda Burnasakorn’s life. Then one day she woke up with what she thought was the flu. In the blink of an eye she was in the ICU fighting for her life. Over the next several months she fought to overcome pneumonia, collapsed lungs, multiple infections, internal bleeding, organs on the verge of shutting down, blood clots and so much more.
Despite all the challenges and setbacks, Linda made it through!
But, as a consequence of her illness and extremely low blood pressure, her doctors needed to amputate both of Linda’s feet and all of her fingers. Linda has been such an inspiration to all who know her (and many that don’t) throughout her ordeal. Within weeks of losing her legs she was up and walking on her own, with the aid of prosthetics. Linda’s last hand surgery was in January and she is already out driving, cooking, doing laundry and even tying shoelaces!
Linda still has much more to overcome. There are the medical bills from 6 and a half months in intensive care and rehab. She will need additional prosthetic legs and insurance coverage is limited. And Linda and her family need to sell their current home. It is located on the second floor in a building without an elevator. A situation that isn’t conducive to Linda’s new circumstances.
And this is where we hope you come in! Linda’s story could be anyone’s story. There was no rhyme or reason to why this happened to her. I’m sure that every one of us would hope that if we were to find ourselves in a similar situation the scrapbook community would rally around us. We want to bring this community together to help support this incredibly brave, inspirational and phenomenal woman. And, in turn, to thank you for helping out we are offering some unbelievable prizes!

You could be the lucky winner of a Cocoa Daisy Destinations event in Greece with Ali Edwards, Karen Russell and Jenni Bowlin worth $3000! Or any of the generously donated prizes listed below!! To be entered to win all you need to do is make a donation through www.paypal.com to LindaB@cocoadaisy.com to be entered to win. One ticket is $10 and you’ll receive an extra ticket for every $50 donated (separate donations cannot be aggregated). The fundraiser runs from today, April 29th through May 22, 2010. Winners will be announced on May 26th. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to help a fellow scrapbooker in need and the chance to find yourself enjoying the beaches of Mykonos with some of your favorite scrapbook celebrities!
-A spot in Karen Russell’s online “The Photographer’s Workshop”
-A wall canvas designed by Ali Edwards
-$150 in Jenni Bowlin products and a 3 month subscription to Jenni’s Mercentile Scrapbook Kits.
-$250 of American Crafts Products
-4 Crops in a Box from Cosmo Cricket (each contains supplies for a party of 6)
-A project kit designed by Christine Drumheller
-An assortment of scrapbook storage totes from Cropper Hopper
-A Kenner Road kit and Embellishment Kit
-An autographed copy of Lisa Pace’s Delight in the Details
-One April and one May Scarlet Lime Kits to one winner
-Scarlet Lime Beadart $50 Gift Certificate
-A layout designed by Stephanie Howell
-3 Six-month subscription to Studio Calico and 3 $75 Anthology rub-on collections
YAY!!! Maya Road just offered two $100 Gift Certificates for the fundraiser as well!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at mailbox@cocoadaisy.com.
Thank you!!

Terms and Conditions are posted here.

I did not have the opportunity to be on the Cocoa Daisy Design team with Linda. But I have gone to her blog and read all about her struggles, and faith, and courage. And I encourage you to so as well. I will be contributing to this, I only wish I could do more. I am grateful to have my fingers so that I can take pictures, and scrapbook and type on the computer and do all the things that I do everyday. Can you imagine all that being taken away? Her story mobilizes my humanity. I hope you feel the same way. Life is too short not to help each other, this is what it's all about. I'm lucky, I get to make a difference in my patients' lives everyday. Today you can make a difference in someone's life. Happy Monday (and happy everyday, isn't it just a great day to be alive?) to you. Until tomorrow. :)

TGIF

2010-04-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

Gosh, what a week. I've been getting ready for company this weekend, and it's just been one of those weeks where everything is kind of going wrong--light bulbs burning out, appliances acting up, etc. The carpet is fixed and good now. The carpet people came back and tacked the piece that was a poll mark down really well (so no one was tripping on it-it's thick carpet so it stood up, weird) and now it looks a lot better. It takes about 6-8 weeks for a poll mark on carpet to go away completely and ours is very nearly gone now.

Here are my last offerings for Your Scrapbook Stash.com guest design team spot:

This one is using the Jillibean Soup Old World Cabbage line. This paper is perfect for black and white photos. I might need some more. Although, my love affair lately has been with color photos and not black and white.

This one uses Jillibean Soup Chicken noodle (mostly with some old world cabbage tossed in). The journaling is from a quote Doris Sander used on one of her JBS layouts. I can't tell you what the design of the page was or the colors or even the photo she used, but the words stayed with me for weeks after I saw it and that makes it the best page I've seen all year. I knew I had to leave J something similar. The numbers on these are his age. The photo, well, it's the only one I have of him that he looks kind of pensive. But knowing J, he could have just tasted a bug or something. Really. 99% of my photos are him smiling, so it was hard to find a photo for this. :)
And last a quick one about how lucky I am to have this little guy. Uses Lillybee hello Sunshine paper and rub-ons with Jillibean soup Egg Drop soup paper (again with some old world cabbage and chicken noodle tossed in).
So I'm worried. Not as worried as when I give J a lollipop, because then I know I won't find it for a while and when I do I'll wish I hadn't. No, not that worried. But I am concerned. What does it mean that I keep using string on my layouts? What would a psychiatrist say about that little ink blot litmus test of my personality lately? That I'm all tied up? Tying myself up in knots? Not sure, but I'm concerned none the less. :)

Well, gotta vacuum. I'll be back to return comments and check some blogs this afternoon. You can also check out the AC blog today to see my AC/Pebble offerings if you are just surfing. :) Happy Friday to you (and you new blog followers!) Until tomorrow.

Giveaway winner #3

2010-04-29T18:13:00.001-07:00

And the winner is:

Congratulations! Please email me and I will reply your gift certificate to you. My giveaway box is nearly full again, so if you didn't win, I still give away a lot of my stash here so stay tuned. Be back with more layouts and a post tomorrow. Until then.

Cocoa Daisy May

2010-04-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone else have that scare with blogger last night? Not being able to comment or check comments? Glad it's fixed, yikes!

Over the weekend, after we got home from vacation, I spent some time at the Cocoa Daisy Crop. Lots of inspiration and challenges. Here's what I contributed:

My Challenge was called Green thumbs, it was a product challenge. I like to limit myself on what I start with sometimes, makes it easier to begin. You can always add more. :) The buttons (Cosmo cricket material girl and Lily bee rub-ons are from add-ons, everything else from the main kit.) Wasn't easy to hit those circles on the AC Dear Lizzy paper with the printer. :)

The next one was from Kim's Challenge, it was an inspiration piece challenge. I love those. Here's what I made:

That Paperie paper is in the main kit, and if you have young-ish kids, you are going to need it by the truck load. Great for boys or girls, and esp. baby pics. This layout is about my grandmother who taught me sign language (her brother was deaf). This means "I really love you." J's pinky is supposed to be up, but close enough for government work. :) I made the office tie, I don't know what else to call it. I used a circle punch and tied with jute. The string represents a tying of my grandmother and J together, even though they have never met.

Next was Christine's challenge, Dear you. Another inspiration piece challenge with a twist. The layout needed to have a letter on it. See what I mean about that Paperie paper? Everything but the rub-on is from the main kit here. I put my photos over the pink parts, made it more boy-ish. :)

And last was Christine's food challenge. I took this photo with my crackberry, and I really am liking how these are turning out so I think I'll take more pictures with my phone.

Lots of American crafts on here. I used the lily bee rub-ons on the sticker (from the main kit) at the top. The Dear Lizzy fabric paper is in the paper add-on, it's sooo neat to touch. I cut it with my paper trimmer, as long as you leave the backing on it's fine.

So many beautiful things this month from Cocoa Daisy-a beautiful main kit, the fabric paper,etc in the patterned paper add-on. Cosmo cricket alphas, Webster's pages sparklers and ribbon, Lilybee rub-ons in the add-ons, and that's just off the top of my head. I have at least 2 more pages I'd like to scrap with this kit due to the colors, but we'll see how it goes.

I participated in the Pebbles/AC blog swap this week, I'll have a layout and 2 cards up soon. Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow. (PS the giveaway is still open below.)

YSS giveaway #3

2010-04-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

It's been such a whirlwind, this month. It's been my pleasure to be the guest designer for Your Scrapbook Stash.com for the month of April. I'm currently finishing up my projects since my time is up at the end of the week. Be sure to keep on eye on the YSS blog for more guest designers and of course more associated giveaways.

My third and final giveaway, a $10 gift certificate to the Your Scrapbook Stash.com store. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. I'd love to hear about some summer things you enjoy doing with your little ones, simple things like eating popsicles or riding bikes. :) Some simple things I'm enjoying at YSS are:

On Sale $3.50-$4

New Maya Road Banner album (so cute!)

Jenni Bowlin Homespun Collection (I love it all, had me at hello.)

And you can get everything I've highlighted in this post for $10, maybe more with the Spring sale code of: SPRING2010. You will save 20%, that's for anyone, not just the gift certificate winners. :)

Maybe things will start to get back to normal around here, whatever that is! I'll post a winner by Wed/Thursday. I'll have Cocoa Daisy May kit layouts to post tomorrow. Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow. (PS, hello all new blog followers!)

Giveaway winner #2

2010-04-26T04:50:00.000-07:00

Before I do the last giveaway later today, I figured I better draw a winner! You know it's bad when you stop at your own blog and wondered who won the giveaway. :) I was on vacation last week from Tues to Saturday. We were at Busch Gardens and Great Wolfe Lodge waterpark. They have a military special where heroes, spouses and children get in (admission) is free to Busch Gardens (normally it's like $60/per person). If you are military you can find information here: Here's to Heroes.

Kelly, please email me (it's under my profile photo, in the paragraph top right on this blog). I'll get you the gift certificate straight away. And I'll be back to post the last giveaway in a little bit. Happy Monday! Until then.

A glimpse

2010-04-20T04:53:00.000-07:00

At the May Cocoa Daisy kit. :)

Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow. (The giveaway is still open below.)

YSS giveaway #2

2010-04-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

Is it really Monday morning again? I have been sooo sick this weekend. If I wipe my nose one more time, I'm pretty sure my upper lip will go up in flames. :) I'd forgotten how much fun this was, being sick. I'm better today, but still really short of breath going up and down the steps in our house.

But let's get to the good stuff. The giveaway from Yourscrapbookstash.com, another $10 gift certificate good for anything your heart desires in the store. Here's what I would get:

Studio Calico Month stamps:

I have the SC butterfly stamp and the fence/abc stamp. Love them. And I love, love these! Studio Calico Anthology is still available in the store. Plus the new Crate paper Brook, paper doll and pink plum have been added. New 7 Gypsies, and Girls Paperie On Holiday and Paper Girl are in as well.

So, please leave a comment to be entered to win the $10 gift certificate to YSS. Internationals (and everyone!) are welcome to enter. I will email the winner the gift certificate as soon as they email me. Catherine did get her's last week, so just one to give away today. Let me know what your favorite release was from CHA Winter 2010. Did you really look forward to one line and then fall in love with something else? The drawing will be closed Wednesday night. I will most likely draw a winner this weekend-Sat./Sun unless I can get to the computer sooner. I will post my Cocoa Daisy sneaks really quickly tomorrow. Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Into every life. . .

2010-04-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

A little illness must fall. It's job security for me right? :) As I wipe his runny nose and feel his hot little head I can't help but think we have had a good run. No one has been sick since Sept. 09, so this little blip on the radar will be ok.

Here is my mid-month gallery over at Yourscrapbookstash.com:

This is what my dh says about J.

Wish I had had this paper for J's book about cars. Love this Jillibean soup line.

J's bedtime buddies. I know he will grin when he sees them.

And lastly this layout is the equivalent of tying a string around my finger, a place to record what I don't want to forget about baby J.

The method of my madness as this: I was a little (ok a lot) overwhelmed by all the wonderful things YSS sent me. So what I did was decide to work with Lilybee Hello Sunshine and Jillibean Soup New England Chowder first. And then I'll work with the rest of Jillibean soup towards the end of the month. :) Maybe it's not so much of a method as it is just madness. :)

Here is the winner of the first YSS gift certificate:

Lucky number 7! Catherine, please email me at amigas6415@mypacks.net so that I can email you the gift certificate! If the gift certificate is not claimed by the next giveaway, Monday 4/19, then I will draw 2 winners from that batch, so email me soon! If you didn't win, there are still two more $10 gift certificates to giveaway, the next two Mondays. I have really nice blog readers, really, and I'm pulling for you to win. :)

This afternoon I plan to return some blog comments since I feel yucky and J is too sick to be outside for long. I hope to post my Cocoa Daisy sneaks of the May kit soon, just waiting on the official go ahead. :) Happy Thursday! Until tomorrow.

Real quick

2010-04-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

I will draw a winner and post these layouts in their entirety tomorrow. For Your scrapbook stash.com:

These are just the mid-month. I will have more by the end of the month. :) I'm crazy busy today. Happy Wednesday, until tomorrow. PS Hello to all you new blog followers!

YSS gift certificate giveaway #1

2010-04-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning to you! As the April Guest designer for Your Scrapbook Stash.com, I will be giving away 3 gift certificates to the store, good for whatever you'd like to spend them on. This giveaway, since I will be emailing the winner a $10 gift certificate, is open to internationals as well. (Very excited to include you too!) I will keep the giveaway open through Tuesday at midnight. I will draw a winner shortly after that, and as quick as you can email me, you will have your prize?! How cool is that?

I've discovered something about myself, I don't really like shopping. (sacrilege) I stress about things for my house, often contemplating a purchase for a month (at least) and up to 6 months for something like carpet. I become frighteningly indecisive when clothes shopping. And I hate shoe shopping (it's true). It is not uncommon for my dh to whisper to me that it's time for a new pair, especially when he sees me with duck tape in hand to fix the soles. I can't help it, I feel like I'll never find a pair as comfortable or functional as what I have. I get attached, it isn't pretty. Now, I have professional clothes for work. I can dress up when I need to. No need to worry that I look that frumpy, although on the weekends I do feel a bit nibbled on by the frumpy monster. I despise going to the food store. Scrapbook supplies are the only thing that I truly enjoy shopping for. (I'm a freak, I know it.)

So I hope you won't mind that I checked out the store and the new products at Your scrapbook stash.com and I wanted to point out things that I loved. (Hey, let's spend that gift certificate before we get it, shall we? :) ) Some products that really spoke to me were these:

Loving any and everything Elle Studio. I had never seen it sold anywhere else. And I was going to purchase these for myself, except that I was able to talk Tricia into putting these vintage tags into the Cocoa Daisy May kit (the main kit). How's that for a hint?! :) I don't know what set she picked though, there are quite a few that would have worked for Spring/summer.

Also, since I am working with these products, I know that Erica at Yourscrapbookstash.com has the all the new Jillibean lines--chicken noodle, old world cabbage, egg drop and new england chowder, plus the new Lilybee Hello Sunshine as well. I'll be back in a little with a glimpse.

Please leave me a comment to win the first $10 gift certificate to the store. I'd love some gardening tips, but if you are very green like me and can't think of any, please tell me what you loved in the YSS store, how you'd spend the gift certificate. Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Some AC

2010-04-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Spending the day out for a Sunday drive, checking out nurseries. I'm looking at the prices on annuals/pots, etc. Finished mulching the yard, woohoo! I think the total was like 60 bags of mulch, ouch. Our carpet got put in, and wouldn't you know it, there's a problem. Hoping this can be fixed early next week. It looks like a defect in the carpet, not an installation problem. Very upset about it, but it will get straightened out in time. Glad there is no more home improvement planned. Between the fireplace and the carpet, this has been so much *fun* I just can't stand it! :)

Anyways, I'm a bit behind sharing my American crafts blog layouts here.

March AC blog, Botanique:

February AC blog, Letterbox:

January AC blog, Letterbox:

Happy Weekend to you! Until tomorrow.

Such Randomness

2010-04-08T08:13:00.001-07:00

1. I think that I can share now, I'm the April Guest designer for Your Scrapbook Stash.com I'm very excited to give away 3 gift certificates to the store this month, this is your official blog reader heads up. Cuz I dig you. :) Mondays 4/12, 4/19, and 4/26. I will have work in the gallery on the 15th and 30th using Jillibean and Lilybee. Hope to have some sneaks for you soon.

2. Totally overwhelmed by the blog hop. Here's a little snippet of my layout that will be featured today on the American crafts blog, more of the Abode line:

3. Spending too much time out here during the day:

We put the mulch in last weekend--just to the back and side yard. It took 25 bags of mulch. We are guessing the front and other side yard will take at least 25. There are so many raised beds! And they are all full of perennials from what I can tell (since they all came back right? I didn't put them there!) Can't decide if I should attempt to put in annuals, my thumb isn't really all that green. And it's kind of gluey on a regular basis.

4. Missing Carolina. How I love the weather there this time of the year. My family came up for Easter and we had so much fun. But I miss going home.

5. Thinking about how much I still love this hobby. It's been nearly 8 years and I still love it when I see a piece of paper that makes me think of a memory. I think that's how it's supposed to be. Feeling like I've really got a handle on my stash at the moment, using the things I have. That's all I want, to use what I have, what I've loved enough to save. They always make more paper. :)

6. Tired of answering questions about why I don't facebook or twitter. I have my reasons, and they are excellent reasons. No, I won't be sharing them here but rest assured they are good and sound. So, please stop inviting me to join. :) All I'd ever twitter about is food, (just ate a cupcake, thinking of chipotle, best guacamole ever, that kind of thing) so I suspect the world can/and probably should do without that. At 130 lbs, I just think about food a lot, I don't know why.

7. See, now I'm dreaming about Chipotle. Rats, gotta go see about some guac. Happy Thursday! Until tomorrow.

American Crafts Blog hop!

2010-04-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hi blog hoppers! Here is my project using American crafts Abode line. It doesn't have to be used for just home-themed layouts! My page features the AC thicker tenant phrases thickers in black, patterned paper (Boxelder Terrance and Roosevelt Way), and the American crafts printed chipboard (button) embellishments.

Thanks for stopping in! In conjunction with a guest design team position, I have several store gift certificates to give away here on my blog later this month. I invite you to stop back by. Now hop on outta here! :)

Kim Arnold www.kimarnold.typepad.com

Moon Ko www.mooner363.typepad.com

Kathy Thompson www.kathythompsonlaffoley.typepad.com

Katrina Simeck www.katyat34.typepad.com

Melanie Louette www.melanie-notesfromhome.blogspot.com

Piradee Talvanna www.piradee.blogspot.com

Loredana Bucaria www.lovescraplife.typepad.com

Martha Bonneau www.mugsyboo.typepad.com

Nichole Duenke www.nicholew.typepad.com

Shannon Zickel www.shannonzickel.typepad.com

Beth Proudfoot www.bethproudfoot.blogspot.com

Paige Evans www.chrisandpaige.blogspot.com

Wendy Sue Anderson www.wendysueanderson.blogspot.com

Doris Sander www.sanderdk.typepad.com

Mary jo Johnston www.maryjojohnston.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Carney www.itsmythingy.blogspot.com

Dusti Nakamura www.acupcakelife.blogspot.com

Kim Watson www.kj-starre.blogspot.com

Holly Hanks www.hollyscharmedlife.blogspot.com

Danielle Layton www.vtpuggirl.blogspot.com (you are here!)

Kelly Purkey www.kellypurkey.typepad.com

Amy Tangerine http://amytangerine.blogspot.com/

Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Caribbean blue

2010-03-29T05:06:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning! Caribbean Blue couldn't be further from the gray nasty day I'm staring down, so at least it's a nice escape posting these Cocoa Daisy April kit layouts (Caribbean bliss is actually the name) here:

This one is made with everything from the main kit except the AC Bliss coffee Thickers and Crate Brook epoxy brad (add-on #1-not sure what the names will be just yet). The kit goes on sale to the general public 3/30, right now the subscribers are getting first crack at everything. For those of you from the sneaks that thought I was pregnant, I'm not. Two refers to J and dh, and me realizing that even though I only dared hope for love from one boy in this life, I got lucky and have two boys who love me. Sweet! :)
This one is actually my favorite I think. My dad gives me lots of little pieces of parenting wisdom, and he told me that someday soon J would be my shadow, doing everything I do and helping me. And he is such a big help to me, especially this week in the yard. I really liked those Maya Road chipboard butterflies (add-on #3). I hope I used them in ways that aren't girly. :) The patterned paper is from the patterned paper add-on. The heart and AC bliss coffee thickers from add-on #1. And all the cardstock is from the main kit.
These photos were from last year. All the paper and alphas are in the main kit, the butterflies in add-on #3 and "spring" is from those AC bliss coffee thickers (Love those lots too.)
Everything on this is from the main kit, including the stamp, journaling tag, ticket, Tim Holtz thing-a-ma-bob (I have no idea what those things are called, but they are really fun to use!), patterned paper (Crate's Brook collection) and those tiny blue alphas. I love those! They come with 2 sheets to a package too, so you have alphas to spell out your kids full name (including the middle one) plus continue on for several sentences! I couldn't believe how many you get, it's really crazy in a good way. :) I hope you can see the fish in that photo, you might have to blow the photo up to see them right next to J's face.
Last is one of J and I at the beach, also home to me. I used patterned paper from the patterned paper add-on, and embellishments from add-ons #1 (AC thickers, Crate brook brads and stickers) and #3 (butterflies).

I had hoped to make a few more layouts, but time got away from me. I need to prepare for CD May (we have that kit already), make some things for the AC blog and blog hop and I'm looking forward to a guest design team position I have next month. I'm waiting on this to arrive for J's room:

How cute is that? I've never shopped at Land of Nod before, and all I can say is that I probably should not be allowed to go to Susan Weinroth's blog anymore. She linked to LON about something she wanted for her son's room and it was all down hill from there for me. I tried to talk myself out of it for about a month. It didn't work though. :) Clearly.

Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-24T06:35:00.001-07:00

Please don't send out the guard looking for me. I'm ok, I'm better than ok!

Just enjoying my new house and yard. Did a bit of spring cleaning last week, didn't think it was blog worthy though. Love having a clean house!

Still a bit overwhelmed by the yard. Ok, a lot overwhelmed by the yard. It's not a big yard at all, a postage stamp compared to what a normal American yard is actually. But it is meticulously manicured, right down to the last raised bed. And I don't even know what's in the beds! Strange buds keep popping out of the ground, things I would have written off for long since dead have green stems and new growth. It's weird, and it makes my head hurt. All I've been able to do is pick up twigs with J, and pull weeds. One day (leaf) at a time. Photo from Sept 09.

We are spending as much time outdoors as we can, soon it will be too hot to bake out there so we are trying to enjoy it. When we don't get rained on. :)

I ordered some new carpet for the downstairs, but it's going to take some time to get it in. Once we do that, I am done with home improvement. Home maintenance/repair we will still have to do, but other than it, it's my dream home and I'm not touching anything else. Ok, I'm going to dead-head that plant out front once I figure out what the heck it is, but otherwise, I'm done! :) After that, I think I will finally feel like this house is ours. I may never feel like the yard is mine though. :)

I did 10 continuing medical education credits this month. When I'm not scrapbooking, I'm reading medical literature. Good stuff about antibiotic resistance (we have to culture everyone?! for everything?! according to the CDC). Sorry, I know no one but me cares about that.

And otherwise it's peaceful here. I suppose that's what has kept me away so long. Nothing exciting to write about. But peaceful is highly underrated, and it is good for the soul. To be with the ones I love, in a place I love, this is good. It's the good stuff.

And this month's Cocoa Daisy kit is good stuff too. Here is a glimpse:

Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow. Signed-unbelievably blessed and lucky.

Something different

2010-03-10T07:01:00.001-08:00

Sometimes with all the fun supplies out there, I look around and I feel like a little kid in a candy store. And I often wonder how my child must feel around the supplies that are clearly things that he loves. I have shared a few of my American crafts Junior chipboard pieces with him, and he will spend hours playing with the dinosaurs, cars and robots. I thought for sure they would be toast in 5 minutes, destroyed. But he is very careful and loves them so much. I could pick them right now and use them on a page, they are still in great condition.

So sometimes I get the itch to make him something. Something that only he will love and appreciate. I've had all these supplies in a Studio calico crop bag for nearly 6 months now. Everything has delayed this project, most especially the move. But I finally had some time to complete it this weekend. It is going in this Maya Road chipboard album.

I started to glue the pages, but then I was afraid it would be too hard to take a photo and keep the album open at the same time. So I stopped and just laid the pages out for the picture, but they will be in the album by tonight for sure. J has been watching the progress, I put each 2 page spread up on my magnetic bulletin board each morning for him to see. He really likes it, he loves cars/planes so much! So this "book" is dedicated to J, who loves cars and planes more than anyone I know.

Supplies: American Crafts Delight thickers-white and black; American crafts white gel pen; American crafts Letterbox chipboard frame; American crafts felt Blue skies embellishments; American crafts black 03 pen; plus Scribble scrabble patterned paper and 2 packages of Sassafras Zoom, zoom Felties.

We got the book out of the library several months ago called Alphabeep. Much of this book is inspired by it, and the Scribble Scrabble paper. I just love the colored grid paper, wish that trend would catch on. The words were inspired by a Thomas the train book, Jeremy the jet plane. Thanks for humoring me. :)

And I promised you a picture of it:

Dh and I have been spending our evenings this past weekend in front of our new gas logs. The ones that took over a week to install correctly. The ones who have subsequently brought 60 degree temperatures around noon to our region. The snow, it's still not melted yet. It was a ton of snow. This thing cranks out some heat though, it's not just for looks. I love it. :)

Thank you so much for the kind words on the mini album, and thank you so much to everyone who bookmarked it, voted, etc. at 2 peas. That was a nice surprise. I'm so overwhelmed by all the comments. Thank you. Happy Wednesday! Until tomorrow.

Part Two Mini album

2010-03-03T05:01:00.000-08:00

I was tied up yesterday with the gas logs people, but I think we finally got it right! I'll post a photo tomorrow, now I'm loving it! Here is the mini album from the Cocoa Daisy March kit Ozzie and Harriet. How this came about was I had been thinking what photos I'd like to scrap with the colors in the kit. And it dawned on me that I'd like to scrap some from each different folder of the 2009 year. Then it hit me further that I had not been very good about my monthly pages last year and that I really should do something about that.

The one big question in my mind was could all the newly released paper/embellishments play together in one mini album? I think the answer is yes. :)

The cover: (Studio Calico Anthology Fabrips, American crafts Emerald Black thickers, Maya road chipboard scissors, and writing and sewing hybridly designed via computer). The only thing not from the kit or add-ons was those thickers. The thickers that came with the kit are bigger and I wanted very much to use those, but they didn't have 2 zeros and the "o"s were smaller and kind of wonky with the "2". So I got ones that were the exact same texture and color from my stash.

January: (Studio Calico anthology paper, notebook paper kit, Martha stewart snowflake punch)

February: (Studio Calico Anthology paper (front and back) with Sassafrass Cherry delicious paper accents, Jenni Bowlin Studio pins, Martha Stewart heart punch)

March: (Jenni Bowlin homespun paper and butterfly.) One of my favorite pages.

April: (Cosmo cricket Material girl with Maya road Chipboard needle/thread)

May: (Fancy Pants Lil Spout paper with GDC flower accent from homespun chic paper with Maya road leave pin)

June: One of my favorite pages! (GCD homespun chic paper with Jillibean soup cut-out birdhouse, Maya road chipboard heart.)

July: Studio Calico Anthology with Cosmo cricket paper strip, Tim Holtz sprocket (not included in the kit, but you could have just done a circle):

August: (Jillibean Soup Old World Cabbage paper, Maya Road chipboard hanger; shorts made out of GCD papers, random button)

September: (GCD homespun chic paper, Maya road chipboard paperclip). I forgot to add some of the trim that came with the main kit, oops. :)

October: Scenic Route Lemongroove paper with Jenni bowlin banner stickers. I added some American crafts Marilyn rub-ons from my stash, but any rub-ons in a smaller size would work.

November: 7 gypsies Journey edo paper, with a die cut leaf from the cardstock in the main kit and cut piece of Sassafrass Cherry delicious paper.

December: Front and back of Apple Jack Sassafras paper and Jenni bowlin Green vintage buttons.

There you have it, pretty simple. For someone who is more graphic than vintage, I think I made all these new vintage-inspired lines work for my 2009 year in review album. Off to go clean the downstairs, repair people always make such a mess. Happy Wednesday! Until tomorrow. As always, your comments are appreciated by me. Just glad you dropped by. :)

Ozzie and Harriet part 1

2010-03-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Sharing the layouts I did with the Cocoa Daisy March kit Ozzie and Harriet. This is the kit I will compare all others too, past and future. I really, really loved it to pieces. Here are the layouts, I will share the mini album next time. I got the main kit and the patterned paper That Girl and had bits and pieces of the add-ons Bewitched and Gidget in my stash.

This one is all the main kit except for the JBS stick pins and journaling card. Gosh he is getting so big, so fast. He's potty trained now, guess being stuck in the house with all the snow this past month was good for something! :)

This one is very representative of how I am spending my days at the moment. J's favorite thing in the whole world is to "play trains." He has Thomas the train, and I am now proficient at building all kinds of cities. I love, love that studio calico anthology paper. It's so perfect for a little boy. That little notecard (blue) comes with the main kit. Everything from the main kit here.

This is me reminiscing over last year. Our spring this year will likely be much different, J wants to play with other kids, wants to start preschool, it's just all different this year. It makes me a little sad. At least scrapping is a way to let those emotions out. I love the JBS stuff on here, green is my favorite color. The JBS paper, SC alphas and the JBS buttons are add-ons, everything else is from the main kit.

And this one makes me laugh. From my journaling exactly, "When he's happy it's a joy, and when he isn't, oh boy." He's intense and passionate. I'm that way, you have to take the good with the bad. The blue and yellow check paper was in the patterned paper add-on-That girl. The SC alphas were in add-on Gidget. Everything else is in the main kit. I love those maya road chipboard shapes (from the main kit).

I'll be back tomorrow with the mini album I did with this kit. It's too long to post on this post too. Here's a little look of a page I did for the AC blog coming up:

I've got a thing for that Foil paper and those Emerald thickers! It's good to hear so many of you have similar tastes in music. Do you like Pink and Katy Perry too? Or is that way too much information about my otherwise lousy taste in music?! :) Happy Monday! Until tomorrow.

Note: Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, and Add-on Patterned paper are presently sold out.

Driving-by

2010-02-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

Well, the gas logs installation did not go well. Instead of enjoying the fireplace, both dh and I are so mad we hardly go in the living room and no one has turned the thing on. It's too long of a story, and to the companies' credit they are still trying to sort out all the problems. The best laid plans I guess. At least it didn't snow much. :)

Listening to Lady Gaga while I scrap lately. Now mind you I never said I had good taste in music, so take that for what it is worth I guess. And in the event that you go from here to google her videos, be sure to do so with no children in the room-adult themed for sure. Some of my favorites--Poker face, Just Dance, Bad romance.

Just realized I should have paid more attention to my spelling and less to the music while I made this one:

I'm nearly obsessed with that Studio Calico butterfly stamp, it's so detailed and gorgeous. I want to use it on everything, appropriate or not. Kind of like Lady Gaga. :) I know it looks simple, but this layout has 2 pieces of patterned paper (the background from American crafts Valentine collection), AC rub-ons, AC Marquise thickers, JBS stick pin, Maya road chipboard heart and the SC stamp.

Well off to start the weekend! Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow.

Cold but Sneaky

2010-02-24T06:10:00.001-08:00

Sorry for being an inconsistent blogger this past week, I've had a lot of scrapping assignments and that has taken all my free time it seems.

Dh and I purchased gas logs for our living room last weekend. We are tired of winter. I suspected that this would make the temperature rise to at least 70 degrees, as this is my luck. Or I'd be nice and toasty for the reminder of the stupid winter. I figured either way winter was over for me and I could celebrate. :) Never underestimate the universes' ability to kick your butt. More snow storms are scheduled for tonight and tomorrow, wondering now if my gas logs installation is in fact, cancelled for tomorrow morning. :( :(

On the upside, I loved, loved, loved the March Cocoa Daisy kit! I almost can't stop myself and I need to, I have other things to do. It was as if I was right there with Tricia at CHA and she asked me what I wanted in the kit. This is the kit I would have put together myself, if I did those kinds of things. :) I have 4 layouts already, and a mini album with 13 pages. I know right? It's got new Jenni bowlin (how I love thee Jenni), Sass Cherry Delicious/Apple Jack, Studio Calico Anthology (omg) and even some new Jillibean Soup (a recently discovered love). How could you go wrong with the brilliant colors and graphic nature of these goodies? Here are some sneaks:

And here are a few of my mini:

And if you'd like to win a Cocoa Daisy shirt like you see here (Tricia is in the middle):

Two lucky winners will each win a t-shirt (and some fun scrapbook products for good measure)! Just leave a comment on the Daisy Diva blog post before the next Monday and tell us what you think might be coming your way in the Cocoa Daisy March kit. I am really looking forward to my Cocoa Daisy shirt, can't wait until that comes with the next kit! The reveal for the March kit is Feb. 27th.

I recognize this does not get me off the hook. I'm looking forward to focusing on American crafts for the rest of the week, I'll be back. Happy Wednesday! Until tomorrow.

Little bit of Randomness

2010-02-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, how the time gets away from me here lately. What we've been up to since last week:

1. Lots of snow. No mail or trash pick up. That's been lots of fun. The UPS man finally broke a dry spell of nearly 2 weeks of no mail or packages yesterday. He brought me American crafts Botanique, I do and Heat wave! Lots of new thickers, embellishments, & beautiful papers (see Paige's blog here, I can't do it any better than that.) We will get Dear Lizzy and Abode in a a few weeks. Love, love the AC Winter CHA releases. This company is so good to us! Here is one from Valentine's day with the AC Valentine's line:

J is wearing an apron from a baking set my mom got at Target for $5. So cute. Dh asked me when he saw this page if J was wearing a dress. :) No dude, apron.

2. Updating my new address and phone number with the whole world. I guess this is a right of passage. I didn't know the phone number or the zip code prior to last week, now I have it committed to memory. I made my dog a new tag at Petsmart, but I messed up the phone number. :P Guess I'll be re-doing that here soon.

3. I completed 11 hours of continuing medical education, logged them and renewed my medical licenses with several states. It's a daunting process, not hard just tedious. Lots of forms. Changing my address again. :)

4. Laughing at God's sense of humor. One of the main selling points of this house for me was the fenced-in backyard. However, since we moved in it is completely filled with snow, even now. Over 3 feet still! So, my little old pug can't even use/enjoy it. We both fell on the ice yesterday on the driveway. At least he can blame it on his age/arthritis. I have no good excuses except klutziness.

5. I got tired of waiting for the mail, so I took letters and a package to the post office yesterday. Only to find they were closed for the holiday. They have been closed for a week and a half, and they got the holiday too. So, that's pretty much been my week in a nutshell (frustrating)--trying to track down people who don't show up for work anymore because it snowed, trying to go out to eat only to find it takes an over an hour to get somewhere because of "snow removal," and trying to send and receive mail only to find the post office never working/delivering/or open. Yep, trying to accomplish much will just leave you tearing your hair out so I'm just breathing deeply and moving on to more enjoyable topics.

6. Like organizing. I spent the weekend organizing my closet. This was really hard for me, I had lightly used kits from a year ago in there and I really didn't want to bust them up. But it was time, it was time to put the papers I still loved in the stash and embellishments in the container and to let the rest of it go. I'm glad I did it, and it was fun to discover things I had forgotten. But it was a lot of work organizing and sorting (and putting in the give away pile). Now I feel like I'm ready for the new CHA releases coming, the March Cocoa Daisy kit should be here any time (anytime you feel like it postman.) I also organized my stamp collection on the advice of Reyanna like this:

She works at the container store and is very knowledgeable about organizing. Very happy that my stamps are organized, thank you for that suggestion. Happy Tuesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Postcards from the edge

2010-02-08T17:42:00.001-08:00

If by the edge you think I mean Canada, but you'd be mistaken. :) What happened to global warming? I was kind of looking forward to wearing shorts all year round. :) Still here, just freezing cold. It looks peaceful enough, but that 3 feet of snow has gridlocked the town. And there is another 10-20 inches on the way, it will be here tomorrow afternoon. Too.much.snow.

He still loves it though. I should be scrapping with all this extra time I have, but I am chasing more practical matters, such as trying to actually get to a food store that is open and has things to buy. I did find one today, and we are stocked up again for the next round of winter weather.

I've been working on continuing medical education and medical state licensing requirements these past few days. And of course taking lots of pictures. Hope to scrap something soon. Happy Monday! Until tomorrow, or 5 more feet of snow, whichever comes first. :)

Snow Fatigue, RAK winner

2010-02-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Omitting the one deleted comment, I drew out of 22 comments and the RAK goes to:

Congratulations! The good news, you may take the weekend to email me (my addy is in the paragraph under my photo on the right). The bad news, it may be a little while until I can dig out to go to the post office. We are expecting 2 feet of snow this weekend!

You know, I used to really like snow. It only happened about twice a year-once in Dec around Christmas and once in Jan. And that's it. And I really looked forward to the photos, those were so fun. After having snow nearly every week for going on 3 months, sometimes like this week-3 times already, I'm just over it. And having had nearly 3 feet Dec. 19th, and now with another 2 feet coming this weekend, I'm more than over it. We still have snow on the ground from the last storm-I mean covering the front and backyard (no grass showing).

Where I live isn't set up to get snow like this, it paralyzes the entire area for days. The food stores were cleaned out within the past 48 hours. It's kind of mass hysteria on a regular basis anymore and it's difficult to keep your pantry stocked when the snow comes 3 times a week. Can you tell I've just had it? He hasn't though, it's always a magical event for him:

Trying to see it this weekend threw his eyes. Happy weekend to you! Until tomorrow. :)

Driving-by, a RAK and hi!

2010-02-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the birthday wishes, you've overwhelmed me! Here is the other page I was telling you about. I like that the Cocoa Daisy Memphis Belle kit can be theme-y or not. J was walking around with cake mix (he wanted me to make the kind with the sprinkles and hearts) and said Pea Balentine, K? = Happy Valentine's day. I think. :) He has adjusted to the move very well, we had a lot of time to talk about it, to come over and play at the house for a few hours a day before we lived here, so it's all been very gradual and worked out really well.

I found the box with the stuff for the RAK I had been looking for, and it had clearly been a while since I looked in that box. I grabbed a few 7Gypsies and Prima flowers (because they are timeless and never go out of style) and that's it. So I have one flat rate postage box full of current paper, etc. to give away. Unless you don't care that the paper isn't from the last year, if that is the case, please leave me a comment and tell me you want the older stuff for yourself, school, organization, etc. and I'll be happy to mail off the second box to you with the older items. Otherwise, I'll just donate that locally and save the second box flat rate box for the next round of giveaway.

Here is what I have:

Please US participants only, to send it over seas it's $43. What's up with that? Doesn't the post office know that the net unites us and the postal rates divide? Sorry internationals, I really am. Please leave me a comment about how you celebrate Valentine's day (let's keep it clean). :) I'd particularly love to hear what you do for or with your kids that is fun. Apparently I'm making another cake/cupcakes. :) I'll draw a winner Friday morning.

Until then I'll be enjoying the snow, and the snow, and more snow. Happy Wednesday, until tomorrow.

For the love of paper

On my mind

Valentine's Day

Paper Moon

Signs of Life

Some holiday cards. . .

Crop pages

Crop!

A Sunday drive-by

October Hangover

Sneaking in quickly

Cocoa Daisy October Farmer's Market

CD Oct Sneakage

Some cards

Playing with:

Cocoa Daisy Sept pages. . .

More sneaks

Sneaking in quickly

Sometimes I forget. . .

Everyday page

Procrastination (And Summer Cocoa Daisy Pages)

Sneaks, yep, I'm on that!

Love

Elephant in the Room

Cocoa Daisy July Pages

Sneezing sneaks

Cherry Soda (Cocoa Daisy June)

Saturday Drive-by

Driving by

Schedule for weekend crop

A glimpse

Cocoa Daisy May Vintage Ink

My favorite things

Driving-by

Somethings. . .

Cocoa Daisy Coffee House

Scraproom Revisited

Up until the bitter end

Frayed Canvas (and whatever is left of my sanity)

CD Feb sneaks

One Little Word

Happy new year!

Hello world, how are you?

More pages

Weekend Drive-by

Cocoa Daisy November Poker Face

It still hurts

Updating

Cocoa Daisy Oct. Happy Days

Sneakage

Dear Paper RE: Uncertainty

Brighter Skies

Sneaking around

Updating

Guess this means summer's over

And a little child shall lead them. . .

About Chuggington

And it was a Monday

Friday AC drive-by

Driving by

Me vs the to-do list

Here comes the rain again

This is me, in a nutshell

Best laid plans

Cocoa Daisy July

Introspection

July Calendar page

At the moment

Home Again

Randomness

Mini me

Been a while . . .

Big girls don't cry . . .

Blocks, cubes, whatever

A HeArt for Linda; Ella winner

So much for normal; Ella giveaway

Want to go to Greece for Free?

TGIF

Giveaway winner #3

Cocoa Daisy May