December 1

I am so excited! It is the little things in life that I need to embrace - things like I am doing a December daily album (a la Ali Edwards) and I got it nearly completed in time to start today AND I got my first page done today. I also signed up for Shimelle's Journal your Christmas and got that first page almost done today - just need to do a bit of embellishing. I realize the 2 may be redundant, but I'm hoping together I'll do a good job of documenting life right now and my Christmas memories. Truth be told, I don't remember much about Christmas as a kid, so hopefully this will refresh my memory. I just need to finish the cover of my DD album - need some stronger adhesive for a 3D accent I found and liked - and I am short ONE page of having enough for all 1-25 days. I did stop at Christmas, but I can add more if needed. I am doing hand journaling and it is a 6 x 8 album I made myself with some binder rings and chipboard, with just PP for the pages. I don't branch out like that so I am proud! For the Shimelle class, I am doing 8 1/2 x 11 pages, mostly computer journalling as I expect it to be more writing intensive. Sort of hybrid pages, if you will. Here is the photo I used for the first page - taken tonight in the dark, bulb setting on my camera, camera on computer desk and I pushed the shutter and held really, really still, holding my breath until it was closed. I really need to replace my tripod. LOL

A New Venture

I'm trying something new - I got the idea from the Big Picture Scrapbooking Class I'm taking with Elizabeth Dillow called "Red Letter Days". I found a site (several actually) with different holidays, birthdays and such for each day fo the year. I'm going to try to post on some of these and just get thoughts out. Some of them will be serious, some funny and some just because. I think some of them will be nice to use for journaling someday. Some of them I will write ahead of time and some that day.

So today ~ October 1 ~ is World Vegetarian Day and the start of Vegetarian Month. I had originally considered trying to eat as a vegetarian on today when I first came up with this idea. But I had already eaten lunch when I remembered and I had a cheeseburger. Ooops. If I did eat as a vegetarian, it would be due to a preference and not a belief in animal rights or such. I actually was very near a vegetarian at one point. I ate very little chicken and fish and no red meat. I just don't like the taste of it as much. I could easily elimate all but fish and chicken, but sometimes, like recently ~ a burger or steak just sounds good. My mom always says it's my body trying to tell me something, like I'm low on iron or something, and maybe she's right? I could do some research on it.

In other news, I'm trying to scrap more again. Summer was rough on me and I was in a couple contests online that made me stressed about scrapping. One of them didn't go well at all ~ but the other was okay. I was not nearly the scrapper most of the other participants were, but at least people were friendly there. I am trying to embrace white space more.

My BPS class with Cathy Zielske starts tomorrow and I can't wait.

Back again

I'm scrapping today, but taking a little computer time too. Hope to have a mini book done tonight to show!

Went with Michelle, Wendy and Sheila yesterday for a pedicure. Fun times! I went with a pretty pink color and did enjoy the experience for the most part. I don't like to try new things and I'm self conscious about my feet, but I did manage to relax and have fun. :-)

We went to the Meadows last night - no winning to speak of, but fun times. It was a bit odd, with the new no-smoking law here, you can't smoke outside on the track apron anymore, but you can smoke inside where we usually sit because there are slot machines on the same floor. So our area was packed and our group had to go outside to all be together. It was a cool night though, in fact, a couple of us were cold! Today is a different story - hot outside.

Hopefully back later with new stuff to show!

June 1

I am initiating a challenge with myself about blogging and today is the first step. So here I am!

I am recovering from a cold, still feeling yucky but not much to do about it. And this morning I had a teensy episode of vertigo - something I've struggled with before but haven't had much problem with for a couple years. I am worried about that - 2 years ago in June was horrible - Scott was in Canada and I was home with the 3 youngest kids, passed out on Meclizine(sp) and non-functional. Today was just a little spell, so hopefully it's not back full force. I'm sure it is from the pressure in my ears from the cold.

I have one more day with teachers and then they are gone for the summer. The kids left Friday. My own kids have classes until Tuesday (littles) and Wednesday (bigs).

I hope to get some scrapping done tonight, maybe a trip to Archiver's today when Scott goes to Scheel's. We'll see how I feel. Ugh.

Catchin' up

I would like to state for the record that I am DONE with winter. UGH! So over it. I am tired of being freezing cold all the time and walking like a penguin because I'm afraid I will fall. I'm tired of my kids wanting to go outside all the time and having to explain that it is subzero wind chill and they can't go out. I'm tired of being tired and cranky because I get no sunshine. I'm just plain over it.

I'm making spaghetti for dinner as we speak. Gotta put new cartridges in the printer and help Tiff with her science project after dinner. She thought it was due next Tuesday and unfortunately, it's tomorrow. :-( I want to scrap after dinner but I don't know yet again if I'll get to. Need to get laundry done, need to clean the house in general. Argh.

Thursday! Woo-hoo!

I don't know why shorter school weeks always seem as long or longer than normal ones. Maybe because the kids try to pack everything into the days that they have? I don't know. All I do know is that I'm constantly frozen everywhere I go lately. I took an old sweatshirt to school today to wear over my long sleeved sweater after lunch. I'm always freezing then. Then I came home and covered up with an old comforter to watch a little TV. Now I am on here and my feet are freezing and my arms have goosebumps. I am so over winter! I could get in the hot tub and warm up but I don't want to have to get out into the cold. (It's on a 3 season, unheated, non-insulated porch and it's presently about 9 degrees outside. Brrrr!) It is supposed to warm up to 35 this weekend and over 40 on Monday. I might be able to unthaw a bit.

My DMACC class is kicking my butt. I knew it would be a lot of writing but I don't think I knew how much work it would really be. I should have taken it in the summer when my job is easier but it's too late now. Argh. I have to interview a peer this weekend and write up the interview, have him review it, then have another peer review it, make revisions along the way and have the final to the teacher by Feb. 2nd, I think. I gotta get my questions to him tomorrow at the latest. Ugh.

So needless to say, I've completely fallen off the LOAD wagon. *sigh* I was so excited too. But I do have a lot of pages mapped out in my head or at least inspiration started for them. So hopefully I will get some things done soon. I am keeping up on the 366 pics for the year though. I think it will document how boring my life really is. :-)

Well, off to formulate questions!

She said......

Last week I took Macy and Brady with me to Hobby Lobby for buttons and maybe to look at scrapbooks to see if they were 50% off. They weren't but paper was 5/$1 so I had to buy 119 sheets. I tried to buy 120 but I lost count. And I also bought 31 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 too because I can't apparently count to 32 either. But as I was picking out my 60, er, 59 sheets of cardstock, Macy felt the need to tell me, "Mom, you have some really white highlights in your hair." Um, that'd be gray....thanks so much.