calling all girls

I need some HELP here! You all know that I have a son, and a cute one at that! But I am in serious need of some girl pictures to scrap with! I need to come up with three layouts this upcoming month for Nancy, and the layouts that I have planned are WAY too girly for Will to grace! So... if anyone would be willing/wouldn't mind/would actually like me to scrap with a photo of your little girl(s), then send me an email please! I'm planning on making two girl pages, and one boy page (which is obviously reserved for Monk ;) So how 'bout it???

a silent & sideways video for you

Brad took it (since I learned my lesson at the last vertical mishap), so that's our excuse! Some pics and commentary to follow; you can call take that as a future "edited to add" warning! ;)

{numero 2 haircut}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

From your little girl... here are some quotes for the day,

found on your gift. Enjoy birthday girl!

{click on image}

~Bette Davis

{actual fake diamond in real life;
actual hanger pierced through the center (not shown here), too.}

~anonymous

~Satchel Paige

{we talked about this... 48? Haha :) }

~Bonnie Prudden

~Franklin P. Adams, with feminine substitutes ;)

~Robert Browning

credits: papers from the 'Festival Kit' (and little diamond from 'In the Groove') @ Shabby Princess, doodles by Angie Briggs @ ScrapGirls, Fonts by Margarete Antonio & Misprinted Type. The frame at the top is by Sarah Batdorf @ ScrapArtist, with elements from FafBr.

birthdays and polaroids

In honor of my parents celebrating their birthdays this week, I thought I would share a few things. First I'd like to start off with this:

Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber,
not the toy. ~Author Unknown

Believe it or not, that picture was taken from the back of a box of Raisin Bran cereal! Am I the only one to find this a hilarious and fortunate coincidence! Sooooooo fortuitous, wouldn't you agree?! Seriously, busting a gut over here! Won't someone join me?

Moving right along -- as it is my pop's (as my bro. would call him) bday today, I made him a little present. You see, I was in the creative thinking process in regards to my mother's gift, and it dawned on me that the last thing I made my own father was a raggedy neck pillow years ago! So, I made this desk ornament, call it a light paper weight if you will...

Also, in his honor, I went with the polaroid stack, yet again (besides, it's so easy peasy!!!). You see, and in case you didn't notice, my dad is an insurance agent and I have "fond" memories of his polaroid photo shoots, because I was sometimes "lucky" enough to be present. Other times, when I wasn't with him, there would always be stacks and stacks of polaroid pictures (mostly homes and cars) either in the office at home, or the office at work. And since I am his daughter, and having worked for him in the past, I am well exposed in the ways of polaroids (nice pun eh?!). There you have it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!
{yes, that is what I call him, and yes, you could definitely call me a daddy's girl}

But wait, there's more! It's also my mother's bday this week (tricky folks, going and having their births on the same week, albeit a year apart...). And she's been having a rough week, or a rough past two days (same diff), so I thought that this might cheer her up:

Aren't they (my parents) adorable?!
I just love them (my parents)!

Okay, okay, there's even more mother! I can't just tease you with that above pic, so here you go. Happy early birthday and I hope this will at least bring a smile to your face, and know that I'm thinking of you, miss you, and love you. And when it's your day for reals, I'll post some more pics of these close-up so you can read the quotes. ETA: it's a picture holder, hence its holding a picture...

So I would like to say happy birthday squared to my wonderful and loving, ever supportive, parents of mine: my mama and my daddy! Oh, and I'll get these to you two as soon as the next time I see you, whenever that may be! ;)

PS- thanks for all the well wishes below; you're all the best, which makes you the bests, since there's more than one! :) Hugs all around, intangible ones at that!
Oh, and the distressed/curled photo frame is by Katie Pertiet @ Designer Digitals.

total giddiness!

{Notice anything?!?!?! Hint: it's at the bottom...}

>>> My name, it's my name!!! Check it out, my first CT (creative team, for those dads out there) opportunity! I've made the guest spot on Nancy's creative team! She is an amazing designer and I am so excited to be working with her next month! I've got to come up with three layouts (pllllllease, I have ten already, from last month! Haha, see what obsession will do to you!) and I get to use her stuff (you can find her on her new blog, or at Oscraps and PocketPearlsPalace where she sells her beauties)! Nothing better! Sooooo excited (that's an understatement if I ever read one, or written one for that matter!)!!

And since we're on the topic, and since I'm guesting next month, I've been working on getting my stuff up onto some online galleries... but until that happens, I figured I'd go ahead and share these here (because here at least my moms will see them). So, here are two new pages I did last week, with some commentary (as is Beth style! Besides, I count this as my journaling, and I just copy and paste, print, and put it on the back of the pages, so you can read it while looking at the rest of the pictures that follow their title page)! Yay for commentary-slash-journaling!

First we have my first ever page of my hubby (hub for short...). Here's the story: Brad got his P90x program for Christmas, which calls for lots and lots of pull ups. So he made one handy dandy bar to do those pull ups! I'm not the only resourceful one in this relationship! That's right, we made a trip to Home Depot, got the supplies, and mounted it to the beam in our place. And yes, we got permission before doing so (although I'm pretty sure that this is NOT what she had in mind!)! It's worked pretty well so far, but who knows how long it will hold out, in all honesty. Oh, and Brad wants everyone to know how much he hates this picture (and all of the other pics from this particular photo shoot, hence their subsequent absence)! He will have you know that this is a before shot, only to be followed (shortly) by an after shot, to show off his increased buffness. So there.

And here's a page from our excursions at the park (the Malibu bluffs really) last Thursday. Remember how at the last play date there was a certain Jolene who I wanted to get to know better? Well I think I am on my way! We've set up some play dates on a more regular schedule so that we can get out of the house and socialize with someone other than our kid(s)! The Schooleys have two little girls, one's almost three (Heidi) and one is Will's exact age (Hayden). And they are both so cute and fun to be around, especially for Will!!! So I managed to get some photos taken at this said play date (which was quite the task, because the kids were everywhere!), so here are just a few:

Notice the really tired picture of Monk in the car, on the ride home... so cute! Oh, and I got the best picture of Heidi that I've begged her mommy's permission to use for one of my layouts next month, using some lovelies of Nancy's, of course! ;) I'm excited to actually do a girl page, yay! I sure hope we have a girl next...

credits for CrazyHub: Andrea Victoria @ DesignerDigitals, Angie Briggs @ ScrapGirls, Khristy Schmidt & Leah Riordin @ Oscraps, Shabby Princess Kristie, Gina Cabrera, elliesmama @ ScrapArtist, Misprinted Type.
credits for JustBoy: elliesmama @ ScrapArtist, Misprinted Type, Shabby Princess Kristie, Sarah Jones,
Heidi Williams (Weeds & Wildflowers), Jeanelle Paige, Gina Cabrera
And of course the photo collage/Polaroid stack is thanks to Picasa... and in case it's getting old, no worries, because I finally got a photo cluster! But this method remains the easiest...

happy spring and they're off!

Spring is in the air, and it has been for quite a while here... :P But just in case you were wondering if Spring had appeared here in more ways than one, yes, yes it did... in my hanging fruit basket of all places!!! Check out my beautiful sweet potatoes and there strangely beautiful and exotic shoots... they kinda look like flowers... actually we have some gorgeous blossoms right outside my bedroom window. I'll be sure to take a picture of that to gloat over! Ha!

Ok my dearies, the prizes have FINALLY been shipped off. Sorry it's taken me so long to get them to you! And hopefully it's worth the wait... Below is a picture of what the ladies won. I've numbered the page so I could point out things (behind the scenes like, haha). So you'll have to click on it to see it all up-close and personal! Oh, and I need to note that my fabulous and oh-so marvelous, wonderful, etc. mother of mine graciously took these home and mailed them off for me. Isn't she magnanimous??? But, what's more, not only did she pose the prizes for some pics, but she also went and got some cute cards and put some extra cute touches in the packages. So here's a hearty public welcome mama! Than you, times infinite!
1. Thanks to my mother's eye for cuteness and my brother's work (Eagle project), we have Clarissa's baby blocks set on a cute rocking chair! Hmm, maybe uncle Kory could whip one up for his nephew???
2. So I got a little carried away with distressing... It had to be lighter somehow, so that the letters would show. Besides, I keep telling myself (it's my new motto in fact), that every mistake just makes it that much more endearing. *grin*
3. Such a cute little elephant! And you should see it right-side up! (There's one on each block).
4. Such an awesome display my mother came up with! Fabulous! Notice the shy charm, which leads us to...
5. There it is! You can hardly see it! But it's there! I did my own drilling and my own bending of hanger wire. Labor of love (that I also enjoyed doing)!
6. Crazy and funky spoon, eh? I guess it's more of a spatula... The colors aren't really showing up as beautiful as they are in real life... but trust me, it's pretty, albeit weird... anyway, as for the numbering, that's a little "button" of sorts. It's an L, for Lindsey.
7. And a Z for Zufelt! I don't know how long she's been married, but it's always fun to have something collecting dust that has your new initial on it! Hmm, I also got carried away with the fringe. Heck, everything down to the photo cluster I ran off with! Ooh, and notice the book prop rack thing... I have that too! So me and my mom match! Oh, and that's a quilt I made for her, too (her pride and joy :)

So there you have it folks! Thanks for playing! Everyone who participated will be getting some package of some sort soon enough! Hope you like them! Because it was fun making! Oh, and I thought it would be so fun to see how you guys display your maggies/blocks/plaque/spatula! So email me any pics you end up taking, I'd love to see them!!! Now on to make that lil' prize for Heather... and fix that apron for Will... and figure out how to upload my layouts (yes, I have two more since last time!) onto 2peas... and hookup/install my new printer (thanks Dad!) so I can start cutting out that bunny pattern...

credits: Angie Briggs @ ScrapGirls, Gina Cabrera, Shabby Princess, Misprinted Type, Margarete Antonio, and Nancie Rowe Janitz @ ScrapArtist.

wahoo-ee!!!

In the words of Goofy himself... haha! :) So, I lied. It's kinda funny, because since/with the slew of yesterday's posts (Four! I know, craziness!), I've been kind of reversing my role as Summers Camp. That is, I've been sharing more pictures and writing less! Once again, craziness! There were just so many fun and cute pictures floating around, begging for me to share! And I've been going crazy with layout ideas, so I had to hit two birds with one stone! And something you should know, which helps explain my well developed and aforementioned craziness is best described in the words of Robin "If you know me, when I get interested in something, I get WAY obsessed with it for a while. Then it dies back down. But right now [...]" (another FYI, if you haven't already hopped, skipped, and jumped on over to RedRobinLand, well, get to it! Rob is my idol, in a non-worshiping kind of way! She's so talented on so many levels... if I could choose to be someone else for even a day, it would probably be her...). Anyway, I thought we had decided that I was in the mode of more pics, less talk! Ha! So these next two posts (once again, same day >>> me, crazy?) are all from our fun trip at Disney CA. Enjoy!

Will LOVES the water. He's even loving the shower now (no, we don't have a bathtub :( ! So, having remembered from previous trips to this oh-so fabulous theme park (I know some of you may disagree, but as for me and my household, we love it!) we brought along some extra clothes for this reason alone! I took lots of pictures (as you can tell!), but here's the funny part. I was walking over to get Will and got nailed with a shot of water! I was even thinking while mosying on over, "I'm pretty sure I'm not in the direct path of any of the fountains..." when splat! What's more, Brad was purposefully standing in the middle, TRYING to get wet, to no avail!
And last but certainly NOT least, a big hearty thanks to my family for coming and visiting (and for springing the bill)!!! It was such a nice break if only for a day! Really, thanks so much.

credits: layout idea by Amanda Probst* with elements from Gina Cabrera, Jeanelle Paige, elliesmama @ ScrapArtist, and Leah Riordan @ Oscraps.

*ETA: I found her, from that mag I was talking about (I got it from my grandma)! Turns out the magazine is Creative Keepsakes. And you can check out more of Amanda's layouts here.

some sa-weet rides

Ok, so really, Will only went on one ride! But seriously, he was such a trooper, letting us push him around all day. He is the best kid ever! So, back to this ride. It was the Hungry Heimlich ride. Sooooo boring, except for the fact that Monk was having a blast (that's his fuzzy and huge finger in the photo...)! He did not, however, fully enjoy the whole waiting in line part of the ride! But he found a friend to talk to, and some sticks to play with, so he was pretty good. You can't quite his so called friend in the pics below, but that's who he is talking to (top left corner and bottom pics). I think he was chowing down on some PB&J, too (top right pic)... but his cheeks look like that most of the time :)

So, I'm liking my whole decision to just scrap one title page with the rest of the pics to follow... I just happen to use Picasa's hand-dandy collage tool to the max so I can get more photos in a post (you know, only one upload vs. 6!!!)! And I am liking this DS stuff WAY too much too! But I like being able to crank out so many pages, as opposed to just thinking about scrapping some. Anyway...

Ok, so really now, I have got to limit myself! I'm done. Seriously... well, who knows really... no, I've got to be strong! We'll just see how it goes. But I'd like to take a day or two off from blogging, and digi-scrapping, and actually spend some time with this boy I keep taking pictures of! Besides, I should probably let all you poor readers digest what's been posted within the past 24 hours!!!

credits: Paper from the Autumn Harvest kit, found at the ShappyPrincess or TheShabbyShoppe (which I am unable to link to at the moment). But on with the rest of the credits! Also used elements from Mighty Nice, Gina Cabrera, Andrea Victoria & Katie Pertiet @ DesignerDigitals, Kaye Winiecki, Linda GB @ ScrapArtist

it's all about the Willie!

Just so you know, that's what I call my son, and I say that particular phrase all the time! I don't have a potty mouth, thank you very much! ;) Anyway, I was kind of embarrassed having that long post all about me, so I decided that, and as I promised, these next few posts are all about someone other than me, and that is Willie! And I don't do this very often, but I'm going to post more than once today! Woohoo! So let's all bask in the cuteness of my son!

To start us off, here's a little FYI for you. We've taught Will some pretty cool and handy tricks. Such as, high five, pound it, and raise the roof. Let me explain those latter two tricks. 1.) to pound it - think like a parallel high-five, with your fists; and 2.) to raise the roof - hands "raising the roof" with a holla "woo-woo!" Of course he gives some killer high fives, kisses and hugs, too! Oh, and he is using the sign for please consistently now. So he'll start whining for something and I'll just ask him "What do you say?" and then he will sign please. Yay! I'm working on "thank you" now, and he's got half of it, of raising his hand (or in his case, hands) to his chin. He looks awfully cute when he does it. Oh, and he busts some mad moves on the dance floor!

So this past weekend we made a mad dash to the grocery store to pick up some last minute ingredients for the linger-longer (I ended up making Italian Sausages... Besides, being a Borgia and being the avid Italian that I am, I had to have something a little more authentic than a pasta bake...). Anyway, so we were rushing around the store and ended up at the self-check out. It went surprisingly smoothly and we got our automated receipt out of the deal. Brad was holding Will and dipped down to let him pick it out. Monk was so proud of his prize! He clutched onto it all the way home, talking to it and such, and danced around with it once we were inside. So I managed to snap some photos because I thought it was just too cute!

Notice his infamous camoglauge jammies! I swear, he's in these all the time, which is why you see them on him so frequently! I love them because he looks so tough, for being the sweetie that he is!

credits: ksharonkdesigns, Digital Couture, and Margarete Antonio

the lounging lad

It's been just plain beautiful here these past couple of weeks. And Will LOVES to be outside. But we can't just be outside all day, because then we'd miss all of our shows and the tellie! Haha, just kidding. Anyway, we have farm split doors (or whatever they're called), so we've been opening the top half so as to bring the outside in and to let Will enjoy it from the inside. We place our coffee table next to the door so Will can peer outside, and he will do so for hours!

Well, a couple of days ago I gave him his bottle and turned around to find him lounging on the coffee table! These aren't the best of pics, but at least I caught the moment, right?

Isn't this kid the greatest?! I just love him to pieces!

lucky >>> boat trip!!!

I've been meaning to share these pics with family and friends for FOREVER!!! Some might remember when we had our adventures such as this in Seattle while we stayed with Brad's folks (remember Clarissa??? Finally, right?! :) So we were not only lucky enough to have lived with such wonderful parents, but they took us out on a 5 day trip to the San Juan islands in their boat. It was a total blast! It was a wee bit difficult with Will. I think he was like 10 months... yeah, sleeping was an issue. But it was TOTALLY worth it! Such a special treat, honestly.

Since I restrict myself when it comes to scrapbooking (somewhat ;), I've decided to only scrap a main page per event, and then the rest of the photos will be placed in pockets, like baseball cards, in the album after this so-called title page. Make sense? I've mentioned this before... anyway, so here are the rest of the pics of Will from our trip:

And if I may add, he is so cute! I'm so glad I was able to snap these of him poking his head out! I love them!

credits: Amy Tanabe, Gina Cabrera, Shabby Princess, Sarah Batdorf

going up...

Yet another one of our adventures in Seattle: hiking Mt. Rainier. It was way fun! It was soooo hot that day, that we just had to make a run for it! To the hills!!! It was nice to get a break from the heat and it was a really fun trip up there! Will was a trooper and I was lucky to catch lots of cute pics. The perfect lighting gets all the credit! Man, those were the days... when Will would wear a hat! We really need to be doing more activities like this while we're here in CA. Heck, we live right across the street from a county park (I think there might be two actually!)! Ok, ok, so we've been slackers; slackers all around!

Well, that's it for now! I'll be sharing some more in a couple of days (more adventures from WA AND from this past week at Disney)! So I'll get cracking on those when I can. Thanks for viewing! Oh, and this is probably my favorite page I've done so far... there, there's one tidbit relating to me! I'm working on it! :) And so now, I'm done for at least a day or so!!! Besides I've got to get some work done on my Mess... sheesh! So, later it is!

digi-credits: Amy Tanabe @ ScrapArtist, Shabby Princess, Weeds & Wildflowers, Sarah Carling, ksharonkdesigns, Margarete Antonio, Leah Riordan @ Oscraps and Mighty Nice. And since I'm new at this and don't really understand if this is even necessary, I got the idea for this layout from a hard-copy scrap-booking mag, and her name is Amanda Probst*... I sure hope I've got everyone included so that the credit is given where the credit is due! I'm always nervous about things like this...

*ETA: I found her! And you can check out more of Amanda's layouts here.

what other things do I do for fun?

{warning: lengthy post, heavy laden with pics}

Fabulous Kim asked me this question and I've been thinking about it for a couple of weeks... and with the fiasco of last week, I came to realize that I do a lot for fun! It's how I stay alive really! You see, this past week Brad had about the hugest paper of his entire Law-school career. Did I forget to mention that it was his Spring Break?! That's right, they assigned it right before and had it due right after. So his break was shot, along with our time together. BUT my family came and visited for a few days during my bro's break, and that was super nice. Pics from our Disney trip to come later! So, as I was saying, the rest of the week I pretty much just crafted, to keep my mind and body busy so I couldn't feel sorry for myself. Oh, and did I forget to mention that I have a son?! Although, I think I crafted more than I did home-make this week. So, all in all, I've been thinking about what I do for fun, and I decided that I would share what I have been doing this past week and what I have done in the past. And I'll also be sharing what I have planned for the near future. So, here goes; I've broken it up into 6 different categories {click on images}:

1. sewing: probably one of the first hobbies of mine in the realm of crafting. I'm real good at sewing straight lines. I love piecing quilts, but I'm afraid I don't have the prowess (as of yet ;) to actually quilt my quilts. I leave that up to the professionals like Maureen or Maurae in Mesa. So I have TONS of quilt tops that are begging to be battered (not a word) and bound. I also have made tons of pillows, a bedskirt, duvet covers, and a few curtains, as far as straight-lined sewing is concerned. However, I have made one or two skirts back in the days, and this past week my mother helped me make an apron (pattern from Aunt K)! Thanks mom!

2. stitching: also back in the day, I roughly learned how to crochet and knit, just by the basics. I've revived that desire after purchasing such lovely Anthropologie headbands (my pride and joy, uh, next to my baby, of course!) and being inspired by such lovelies as Heather, Danie, Aunt K and Mrs. Bailey. So I've been working on developing that skill this week too. I also got pretty good at cross-stitching, which is one of my all time fave things to do. I like to do free-hand stitching, especially any kind of lettering (so the pic below is a closeup of my quilt from above, of just the stitching. I always liked to make my tags on my quilts really big with stitching).

3. scrapping: I think this is what you call it. It's like scrapbooking, but without pictures and albums... my mom and I endearingly call it crapping (crafting + scrapbooking). I've been really into that lately. I've made things like my ornaments, Will's ABC blocks, all of the girls prizes (and maggies), Shelly's V-day challenge, lots of gift-bags, cards/tags, letter boards, and this past week I made these canisters (from empty formula cans... I knew they'd come in handy!).

Also, this week I was finishing up the prizes (pics to come either tomorrow or next day!!!) and started some projects for my parents' b-days...

4. digital scrapbooking: I am fairly new at this... I say fairly because really I've been doing stuff like it for years in Word and didn't know it had a name to it. So I've been getting used to the whole idea that there's this HUGE online community with wonderful elements to work with, along with my image manipulation program, GIMP (which hardly anyone uses). I did a couple of pages before >>> Gramps and All Boy were done without any scrapbooking elements, just pure GIMP and Picasa. I have a couple pages in the works now (another time-consuming past-time this week) that I want to post really soon, hopefully later this week. And I'd like to get a header up on this site too... But for now, here are some pages that I've done in the past (don't judge me too harshly, I'm a newbie!!! >>> click on images for credits):

And ever since I've discovered the world of digi-scrap, I've found every excuse to use it in just about every post! It's an addiction...

5. miscellaneous stuff: Something I do for fun is just sit and brainstorm on something to make. Most of my "creations" are made out of wanting something at a store/boutique and promptly thinking "I can do that!" I admit that most things I make aren't necessarily of the same professional quality, but it's fun to do. But I also come up with crazy decorating ideas, like my framed tin-foil, my upholstered-from-a-slip-cover couch, my refurbished coffee table, my "puff frames" and these here boxes. They're not too pretty, but they do their job. They're made from cardboard and duct-tape, covered in suede shelf liner. It was cheaper than buying the fancy ones. I also wanted some really cute painted plaques from PBK, but decided to

make some of my own. So I've decided that I like to paint (wood especially), too. Oh, and I "design" things, like my wedding announcements and my wedding ring (hence calling this category misc. stuff).

6. take pics: I've always liked to take "fancy photos" but never had the proper teachings or techniques. But I still do it. I don't have a super fancy camera either, but here are some of my pics that I proudly display in and around my home (or blog for that matter).

>>> Soooooooo, lots of crafting going on! So here are my plans for some more projects (Easter ones) within the next few weeks. 1.) I want to make a bunny for Will, based on the Wee Bunny pattern. 2.) I want to make some small stuffed eggies for Will's Easter basket, based on the OJ&Co. pattern 3.) I want to revamp a chick-pully toy for Monk's basket (from Target's dollar section). 4.) a little manly apron for Willie

Oh, and speaking of making stuff, Heather, the amazing intellect behind Simply Fresh Designs, is the winner of the short de-lurking contest! Man, I totally failed on that one, I thought I would at least have some family member delurk, but no such luck. Haha! But I really can't complain because I have made some WONDERFUL friends via the net, including my cousin-in-laws that I have yet to meet in person (Katie and Heather), and random, but oh-so dear, blog buds that certainly deserve some honorable shout outs as well (Candra and Britt)! :) But yesterday was the other Heather's first time posting, and thereby de-lurking, so she gets a lil' ol' prize from moi. So I'll be adding that to my list, too (so I'll be needing your address... just email it to me dearie.)!

Sheesh, what a post. I hope you all enjoyed it. And I hope even more that it didn't come off as, "Look at me, look at what I can do!" because that is not what I meant at all! There are so many times when I feel so inadequate... I've always struggled with the fact that I never really excel in any one thing, but rather do lots of other things mediocre-ly. But I've come to realize that that's ok, and that that is rather quite beautiful, in and of itself! Here I am, just trying to develop my talents (while Brad is MIA), and there's nothing wrong with sharing what I do, right? In referring to a quote that I've seen so much of lately (and in all honesty, have already heard of before, quite a while ago...):

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
--Mariane Williamson, from 'A Return to Love'

But I've kinda crapped myself out, like I said previously. But I have lots of little stories and photos to share of Will and our adventures here in the 'bu, so I thought I would get all of this "crap" ;) out of my system so I can focus some more on my family. Not saying that I won't be making stuff or that I won't share things every now and then, because like I've said, this is what I do, this is my life, this is me. But I have some plans to get Brad up on here (whether he likes it or not!!!) and focus more on Will since the bulk of you come here to see or hear about him! So, stay tuned because those are my plans for the next few days: less me, more them!

PS- Now I pose this question to all y'all: What do you do for fun? I want to see what you all do for fun, whether it's biking, reading, cooking, etc.! So consider this a chain letter blog of sorts! :)

no such luck

I was right in the middle of creating this cute page to celebrate the holiday (St. Pat's for those of us who are totally out of the loop... like me this morning *blush*) when my program restarted itself and I lost it, lost it all! What I was going to say was this:

"Lucky U" { actually, I'm the lucky one!
I've been thinking for the past 24 hours of how lucky
I am to have such good friends. Friendship is so important,
nay, vital, to me and I wanted to let you know how much
I appreciate everyone's friendship. Whether that relationship
is maintained via blogging {comments}, emails, snail-mail,
phone calls, or some very real-life shoulders to cry on,
every friend of mine has been there for me
in some way or another and at some point in time.
It saddens me that as our lives change,
many friends will be "lost"... some of us (aka. me)
aren't as good at keeping in touch as we would like to
and you know what, that's ok. Because, what I've realized
is that everyone has their own and varying capacities
to show their friendship. And every single friend
that I have made or will make will always be a friend to me,
regardless of any silence or time passage.
I've been told that I would make many and good friends,
because I would be a good friend in return.

I hope that I have been that for you.

I got a fun little email from my Aunt Ariane (thanks so much!!!) with a cute little message/saying/question that I'd like to post to you: Did you wear your green today? If you didn't, you're lucky that I can't pinch you through the computer! Haha! At least it brought a smile to my day! And sadly, I totally forgot that it was Green Day until after Brad left for school and I heard some voice announce it on the Disney Channel. Shoot! I had wanted to do something fun, like my mom always did. Or like my mother-in-law (who is the absolute best MIL I could have asked for!) would sneak green into Brad's breakfast or lunch somehow... and I had wanted to do something similar for him today. But no such luck! Besides, I don't have ANY food coloring! Although, he does get a salad for lunch today... that counts, right? Oh well.

I was also thinking of scrapping something, but I'm "crapped" out from making other stuff (which is why I decided to do some little thing in the digi field, but no thanks to the aforementioned fiasco!). It's been a LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGG week, but more on that tomorrow.

credits: clover swirl by Carrie Bombrias

withdrawals anyone?

As prompted by the dear Miss Probert {see comments from last post}, I have returned, albeit for a wee bit. I've been busy with family visits, computer/internet disturbances, and creative overload (as Kim would call it). But here's a quick pic to wet your palate of what's been and what's to come:

{click on image}

I hope you all like your designated maggies... I tried my best to make them "match" their owner. And I hope I spelled everyone's names correctly!!! And do I have everyone's addies??? Also, I've kind of enjoyed taking a break from blogging... but don't worry, for those of you who are so intent on following the life of moi, I will be back and this break of mine won't be for much longer, I'm almost sure of it! :)

But I thought it might be fun to try something out, thanks to an idea à la Candra (once again). For those of you who are going through similar withdrawals as the aforementioned dear-heart, then let me know! That's right, I'm issuing another challenge! I want all of you regulars to join with the lurkers and de-lurk; that's including any silent real-life friends, among "strangers", and any quiet family members out there- such as, but not limited to: in-laws/grandparents/cousins/Aunts/Uncles, etc., etc., etc... And, who knows, there just might be another give-away, although most likely done on a smaller scale than the last *wink, wink* ;)

Till next time (which won't be long, since I do have LOTS to report on!)!!!
*smooch*

all whilst crafting

So I've been busy crafting all day! And I'm done!!! I haven't decided whether or not I want to spray acrylic on some things... that'll have to wait until Monday, perhaps... but I have everyone's gifts/prizes just about ready to go! Now, what I am about to tell you may be shocking, maybe even horrifying: I let myself, and my house, go in the name of hobby-ing. I know, terrible isn't it?! If I really wanted to be a perfect Stepford housewife, I would have an immaculate house whilst crafting... but I'm no robot and I craft and mother all in the same space... all within 10 feet really.

It was during all of this, and upon realization that having let everything go, I had made quite the creative mess. I started to laugh at my ""studio" ... STUDIO?! WHAT STUDIO??? Hahahaha, hilarious! Especially when I remembered the holy grail of studios, à la Heather Bailey (do you hear the angels singing?!), I found my space stinkin' hilarious! So here's some comparative photos, of my dream studio:

Absolutely gorgeous! I want absolutely everything that this space contains and embodies! How could you NOT be creative in such a space?! It makes my heart swoon... everything to the last detail, such as this mirror >>>

Oh, and I've been telling Brad that when I do have such a studio, that it will be decked out in all sorts of Black Apple prints, such as this, and this, and this... *sigh*

Now let us compare to my space:

{during said crafting}

{after said crafting}

I'll have you notice the sippy cups and the dishtowels that I just haphazardly placed wherever whim took me. Annnnnd... do any of you see some little treasures? They're all there, you just have to look for them! Just a little teasing (as that is me to a 'T')! Speaking of which, I can use this post as a reminder to all those who haven't sent me your addresses to get them to me ASAP so I can mail them out the beginning of next week!

'Night-'night ladies. Oh, and yes, that is my kitchen area, where I'm supposed to be cooking... I find it easier to craft while standing, thanks to Monk. Sitting at the table, or perhaps on the floor? Not so much, because he crawls all over me and steps on or pulls at everything! So basically, I've been on my feet all day! That makes me feel a little better about not working out! See, I've been active and busy! That counts for something, right? Right.

ETA: I just noticed the different times on the clock between the two pictures! Haha. See, all day. I wasn't lying! ;)