October 31, 2007

PUH - LEEZE people!!!

So, my headphones are broken and I was forced to listen to the conversation on the bus this morning instead of Gwen Stefani...ugh.

Here are two ladies complaining about the new recycling bins that the city provided a few months back. They had at least a 10 minute complaint-fest about:
  • how large the bins are (they are slightly larger than a standard sized garbage can)
  • how much of an eyesore they are
  • how long it takes to fill them up
  • how difficult it is to get them into their garage due to its size
  • how they were going to file a complaint after requesting a smaller bin but were told that they are not available
It was all I could do from not butting into their conversation (and I was about 10 feet away from them). I just wanted to say:
  • obviously there's a reason the city only made one size of bin. It could be the way the truck has to pick them up or perhaps they are just trying to promote recycling, huh?
  • um, what did you expect, a pretty garbage can? OMG
  • why wait? Recycling trucks come around every other week on garbage day.
  • maybe you should clean out your garage
I wanted to tell them that if that's the issue they have to complain about, they are awfully damn lucky and should just shut up already.

So there!



October 30, 2007

Feeling Pulled in All Directions

It's been a good week at my house with a better handle on stress and tension in general. I knew Hubby's school would cause an upset in the family but lately it seems like all we do is bicker and when we only see each other two nights a week and weekends it has made me feel very sad.

I've been feeling productive which is always helpful. I've felt more like my old self the past couple of weeks, cooking new meals, baking and getting those things done around the house that no one likes to do. I have also been able to set aside some quiet me time reading a book and some scrapping time too.

I'm working on a review of a new book by Somerset called "Holidays & Celebrations." The projects in there are amazing! I'm hoping to make our Christmas presents this year so it will be a great resource for me. However, most of the projects I want to do are fairly complex and time consuming. I have only one week to work on this review so it's felt stressful for me - I don't like leaving things for the last minute and I'm pretty sure I'll be working on this right up to its due date (Friday). But, the projects are coming along very nicely!!

I feel like I could use a week of doing nothing but scrapping. I'll have to pull some late nights to get gifts done by Christmas, as well as my review team work, and the personal pages that I make just for fun. Although it's stressful, I like being busy...it makes me feel alive and puts a smile on my face.

October 26, 2007

PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE - October 26

I just posted this week's photography challenge on ScrapFriends: Stirring Our Brew

I can't wait to see your photos!

October 25, 2007

THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Fresh Air, Doughnuts and Paper Airplanes

I've been an emotional mess lately but doing okay. It feels like hubby's schooling has taken a toll on our marriage. We hardly see each other and when we do, we bicker. Not fun! I'd love for that to change, but I haven't been able to do it on my own. I know this will pass, and I'm staying strong. These emotions help my writing so I will be spending some time doing that. Trying to find the positive in it.

I was thinking about these feelings on my way into work this morning. It made me sad and close to tears. I'm reading a book where one of the characters is a "live in the moment" type and I keep wishing that were me. I'm shy, reserved, stressed, anxious and worried most of the time. I so wish that were me. I have so much good in my life, so much energy, but it's so much easier to dwell on the negatives it seems.

I kept this in mind as I walked the few blocks to my work. The air around me smelled so fresh and clean, the sky is a beautiful blue and the sun is making the buildings seem to glow. It's gorgeous. Then my thoughts turned to doughnuts...I'm heavily into comfort food right now....but have been resisting that temptation in favor of my lovely Special K red berries cereal.

I wondered what a "live in the moment" person could do at work that might break the day up, make it more fun. I decided a paper airplane would do the trick. I have a large dividing wall between me and the rest of the office. Sometime today when things are quiet I'm going to make a paper airplane and send it soaring over the wall. Why haven't I ever done this before? It's high time for a little levity in my life.

In the midst of all that I caught a strong whiff of steak in the air. Oh did it smell SO GOOD! I'm not sure who was cooking steak at 7:30 in the morning but it made me realize that this day could be an incredibly good one if I just stay "in the moment."

October 19, 2007

PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE - October 19

Just posted this week's photography challenge on ScrapFriends!

Do you make anything by hand besides scrapbook-related projects? Knit a scarf, bake a pie, beading, quilting, etc.? Well this week we are going to showcase your lovely talents. Please take a picture of something you have made and tell us about it. Anything goes, as long as it is not a scrap-related item.

Join in here.

October 15, 2007

Hand-Carved Stamps?

This month I was able to review Staedtler's MasterCarve blocks and tools. I was not sure this was a project for me but once I started I didn't want to stop! You start off with a block of rubber like material, trace an image onto paper and then rub onto the carving block. From there you can begin to carve your design. I have three carving tools to work with. It only took me once to get hooked but a couple of attempts to get a great stamp image. These two layouts both use one of my hand-carved stamps, an owl and the word "she."




The Tooth Fairy Stopped By

Korbin lost his first tooth! It's been loose for about a month now and he wiggled it quite a bit and it finally fell out while he was eating dinner last night. He was so excited!! He immediately wanted to call a friend to share the good news but I told him to wait until after dinner and then we ran out of time.

Katie passed down her tooth fairy pillow to Korbin and she read him the tooth fairy booklet before bed and carefully placed the pillow on his footboard. When Korbin woke up this morning he found a $5 bill and was practically screaming he was so excited! He ran into my bedroom, where I was still sleeping, to let me know what the tooth fairy had left! And then he asked "Can I call my friend now?" It was about 5:45 AM!

Great first tooth experience!

October 10, 2007

THURSDAY THOUGHTS - My Life in 100 Pages

I accomplished a goal today - I finally printed out a hard copy of my Thursday Update (n/k/a Thursday Thoughts) emails. I began them in May 2004 and stopped their email form at the end of November 2006. A year and a half of my life printed out in nearly 100 two-sided pieces of paper. Wow!

I immediately read my first email after Pam's death and it brought back a lot of memories and emotion for me. I'm feeling okay with that, seems like memories and emotions have been a significant part of my life the past few weeks. Maybe it's the time of year with all of the holidays coming up when all of us would be getting together and it just reminds me that we are missing someone - things just don't feel quite right anymore.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of my Updates though. It's always very fun to look back on life in such detail. I see a lot of the same goals year after year and now it's almost 2008 and I realize that I've failed miserably in some of the goals that are most important to me. Number 1 is eating healthier and getting more exercise. My friend Sherry recently pointed out that this has been a consistent goal of mine, but one that keeps getting pushed aside for others. I need to make a change. I keep thinking of my brother Paul who started training for a duathalon this past spring. Having never trained for such an event he suffered through a lot of aches and pains, sweat, rain and winds, but he stuck to it and superbly met his goal by competing in two duathalons and finishing both of them. What an inspiration!

If you know me well you know that I'm a very goal oriented person. I think writing one's goals down is a crucial step in achieving them. It would be common to make some resolutions on New Year's Eve but goals change based on circumstances, not the calendar. So, today, I am rewriting my goals.
  1. Exercise and eat healthier. No more indulging in treats that have been brought into the office. No more excessive crap eating.
  2. Purchase a Nikon D80 camera ASAP and no later than April 1, 2008 (anyone care to donate to the cause? LOL!)
  3. Get on a manufacturer's design team. I am targeting Scenic Route and Rusty Pickle. I am preparing a specific method for achieving this, one of which is to use these products as much as possible. If you have any advice, please share.
  4. Continue writing my novel. My long-term goal is to have this completed within 5 years.
I am running down the course that I have set for myself determined to cross the finish line. No more excuses.

October 9, 2007

Love notes

I received this note from Katie a few weeks ago:
To: mommy
I love you it is nice to see your smile you go girl friend.
Cute! I have this hanging above my desk.

October 5, 2007

October 1, 2007

Here are a couple more layouts I finished over the weekend. I used this one for an October Ad Inspiration Challenge at ScrapFriends:
And this one was using Tinkering Ink's Botanical Bliss collection:


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