February is Fantastic at Scrapperie!!

Scrapperie is having a fabulous, fantastic contest for February.

This will be a points based contest, where you can earn points by posting and chatting in the forums, uploading in the Gallerie and participating in our Saturday Night Fever (SNF) mini crop! There will be games all throughout the month to participate in that can earn you points. We'll also have a trivia based question of the day and by answering it correctly, you'll earn points! There will also be mini challenges posted all throughout the month. You can earn points by playing Bingo every Wednesday night at LeClub!

So, how can you earn points??

* Starting a topic in the forum: 2 points
* Replying to a topic in the forum: 1 point
* Uploading a layout to the gallerie: 2 points
* Leaving love/praise for a layout in the gallerie: 1 point
* Uploading a layout to the gallerie using a Scrapperie kit: 3 points
* Answering the daily trivia question correctly: 2 points
* Game participation: 1-5 points, dependent upon game
* Challenge participation: 1-10 points, dependent upon the challenge
* Signing in at the SNF mini crop: 1 point
* Other SNF participation: Determined by challenge, will be announced at SNF
* Playing Bingo at LeClub on Wednesday nights: 5 points
* Winning Bingo at LeClub: 10 points
* Referring someone to Scrapperie: 10 points (They must fill your name out in the space provided when registering)

What can you win, you ask?? How about your choice of The Essentials Boutique kits? Or maybe you'd rather have The Extras and/or The Trimmings? No problem! You could also win a Scrapperie gift certificate or coupon that you can use any way you'd like in The Boutique! There will be multiple winners and someone just might win a Pièce de Résistance kit!

Come join the party!! (Oh and if you are new to Scrapperie put me down as referring you!)

Scrap Goodies, CHA yumminess and an article

The second article in my new column is up over at Scrapwords. It is titled Meg's Card Making Method 101.

I have no illusions that I am the greatest card maker. But I do sort of have it down to a science where I can whip out about 10 cards using almost all scraps in about an hour. In my article I share some tips and tricks so that you can do this to. Of course, if you are looking for some just gorgeous cards and want to hone your card-making skills, then I also have a link for you. Oh and by the way, it is on my to-do list to hone my own card making skills so that I can make some gorgeous cards for those really special occasions. The 'formula' is just for your every day, on hand cards.

and here are the examples:



Like I said, nothing fancy, but pretty, simple, fast and mostly free!

On to Scrappy Goodness! I got TWO boxes of scrappy fun in the mail yesterday. One from Les at Scrapwords. She sent me some awesome DT stuff from urban lily that I can't wait to try. AND (have I mentioned that she is THE BEST!) she also sent me a few sheets of kraft cardstock!!! I can't get it around here and every time I go to order it online it is sold out, so she took a few sheets out of her personal stash for me. I can't wait to try it!! I think that will be the first thing I do this weekend! woohoo!

The second package was my first ever order from 'a peek into yesterday'. Remember a while back I won a photo contest? Well they gave me a gc, and I spent it - got some fun papers, some cardstock (they were sold out of kraft too) and some distress crackle paint and some stickles!!! Can't wait to try that either!

It's kind of funny that some of these things that I have never tried are old hat to a lot of people. If you have a LSS you just dont know how lucky you are!!

mmmmm, CHA. So with all the CHA sneaks coming out I had been prepared to be blown away by the amount of product that I just HAVE to have. But for the last few weeks, I havent been feeling it. Then along came Karen Russel and her Narratives line for CI. can I just say: yum! I can't wait to get my hands on that whole line! but alas, it doesnt start shipping until MAY - can you believe that? I know what I want for my birthday! Then there are some cool things from Fancy Pants, and prima and even a couple things from Cosmo Cricket that I am eyeing - the blackboard stuff and the Get Happy line. Finally, a new company - pink paislee - seems promising. I can't wait to see the whole line!

Finally, some random things about me. Last night I went to dinner with Shannon for Philly's restaurant week. It is a promotion that they do twice a year with a ton of the center city restaurants participating. They have prixe fix menus where you get 3 or 4 courses for $35. These are NICE restaurants so that is a bargain. However, like Shannon said, it is kinda funny how a bargain dinner turns out being about $70 a person by the time you have a drink, tip and parking. But oh well, we had fun. We both had french fries as our appetizer. I know it doesnt sound elegant or interesting, but we are both sort of on diets so french fries was a huge treat, and they were really good thin crispy fries with light seasoning and three different dipping sauces - some sort of bbq that I tasted but didnt go back to, honey mustard that I could have taken a bath in, and a wasabi cream that was just decadent, although a little light on the wasabi for my taste. Then we had no choice about the second course, we had a cesear salad. Next we both chose the pork tenderloin with carmelized apples demiglaze and smashed sweet potatoes. yum! Finally they brought us a dessert sampler - a white chocolate stick, a lemon tart, a chocolate brownie and a chocolate truffle cake. Each thing was only two bites big, but it was the perfect size! I left feeling full and happy. Of course, that was after the horrid drive into the city where my GPS was playing tricks on me - turn left, no get in the right lane, no get in the left lane. LOL! thank goodness there were not very many people on the road as I zig zagged my way down 4th street! As soon as I walked into the restaraunt I ordered a glass of wine to calm my nerves. I was literally shaking and naseous! I am just not a city girl! I was reminded of this again when we were waiting for our cars and I saw the banner above the entrance to penn's landing. I just can never believe it when I find myself in center city, or old town in these places that were so far away and impressive when I was growing up.

Oh and I lost 2 lbs so far this week. The end.

Yep, we are potty trained!

I think it is official! Eliana is potty trained! Seth is going out today to buy a waterproof mattress pad and we are going to let her sleep at night without a diaper too. She has been waking up dry, so we have high hopes. Wooohoooo! that was easy!

Other than that, not much new here. I am on day 4 of my new diet and going strong. I am starving. I didnt get much scrapping done this past weekend because I was just not feeling it. I spend the weekend hanging out with family.

Here is one page that I made last weekend though, for a contest and to document my re-commitment to getting back on my diet.

My new column is up!

My new column is up at Scrapwords! It is in the forum section. I have my own forum! The title is Meg's Tips and Techniques. And I just got the first article up titled: Ten Techniques with Transparencies.

Stay tuned because this is going to be a weekly column! Yep, every single week I will have a new tip or technique for you. Of course, they won't always be as HUGE as the TEN for today, or else I would run out of things to say. But they will be useful, I promise!

Lessons for my child(ren)

Well, I issued a blog challenge at the sisterhood of scrap today, so I guess I ought to answer it myself. I have been thinking about this question for a while now, and still don’t really have a good answer. I think that is one of the reasons that I chose to issue this challenge, to challenge myself to do it to. So, the question is, what lessons do you hope to teach your children?

1.Be kind – to yourself and others. I always apply the golden rule – treat others how you would like to be treated. Sometimes, ok often, I forget to apply this to myself. I guess that is one lesson that I have yet to fully learn and leads me to lesson number 2.
2.Love yourself – learn to love yourself for who you are. Learn to love your body for what it is.
3.Find your passion – It doesn’t matter how long it takes. You might not, probably won’t, find it in college. You might not be able to make a career out of it. But find something that you are passionate about, that makes you happy. That is so important!
4.Love deeply. Don’t be afraid to throw your whole heart into love. Don’t force it either.
5.Dance like nobody is watching – What I really mean is, lead your life like nobody is watching. Follow your heart and don’t worry about what other people will think.
6.Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
7.Slow down and enjoy the ride – tomorrow may hold something incredibly interesting but nothing can compare to today. Enjoy it while you have it!
8.You never know until you try, and try your best! If you put your heart and soul into it, and give 100% you will be surprised at what you can accomplish.
9.Find the balance that works for you. What gives one person a sense of balance in life may not give you that same feeling, find what does give you balance.
10.Oh, and whatever you do, don’t drink in high heels when it is raining in Pittsburgh.

A let down and a look up...

I didnt make the team at Serendipity Scrapbooks. I am really bummed out about it. There was a lot of talent over there, but I really thought I had a good chance, and I really thought I was fitting in with the board. So, I started evaluating the way my scrapbooking is going right now and thought about applying somewhere else, but decided that maybe Shannon is right. maybe I just need to focus on what I have going on, rather than spreading myself too thin, and stressing about contests and deadlines and all that. Besides, I would really like to see my style grow a little more and I havent seen that happen lately, possibly because I have been in a holding pattern because I was trying to come up with all these entries.

I know, I sound like a broken record, but I often go and get head over heels in something so that I forget that I told myself I wasnt going to be like that. So here it is - reality check! I am a member of TWO awesome design teams at TWO awesome communities. and yes, the scrapperie one will be over in two short months, but I might as well enjoy it while it lasts. And I really do love it at Scrapperie so I am not going anywhere, and if I have to wait until the next DT call that I am eligible for over there, then that isnt the end of the world is it?

I really want to work on my card making and stamping. So I think that is what I am going to focus on. I am not going to completely abandon serendipity because the challenges are just so awesome, and Shannon and I are in the team challenge and I couldnt abandon her. She has already mentioned that she wants to do it next month - which if she wants a randomly drawn partner that's fine, but if she wants me as a partner again, I am up to it! but the team challenge awards points for how many things you make and how much stuff you put on the pages. And for me, that is kinda counter to what I am hoping to do - which is slow down and savor my scrap time. That really is what it is all about isnt it? (I mean other than the family memories part - but pah! who cares about that stuff anyway?)

So anyway, there you have it. Less contests and challenges and more scrapping for me! I am also not going to totally give up my challenge blogs, but I am only going to enter the ones that really 'speak' to me. There is no rule that I have to enter every one, and why should I?

Oh and another thing that I am going to start doing is creating classes for Scrapwords. I am goign to get my own forum for them and everything! So keep your eye out, in the next week or so, I should have the first one ready - "Ten Techniques with Transparencies (give or take a few)" - lol! I love the aliteration of the title, but I dont think I actually have ten techniques, more like 7 or 8, but it just doesnt have the same impact - lol!

And here is a page that I finished this weekend, using Love Elsie and Pop culture stuff, for the Sisterhood of Scrap challenge. I used an ad from Self magazine as inspiration, and did a color blocking technique.




oh, oh, and in other news. Eliana is proceeding beautifully with the potty training. She is consistently telling us when she needs to go, and even (I think) woke up dry this morning despite wearing her diaper. She has also cut down on the number of times that she thinks she has to go but really doesnt. And she doesnt seem to be sitting on the potty just to attempt to get a piece of chocolate anymore. So that is good. And did I mention that we are going to disney world? so she will be potty trained for that. And as soon as this cold passes (which I think it is on its way out) I am going to start my own sort of training for that. I decided that in no uncertain terms, I need to lose weight before Disney world. It is going to be hot, and I am goign to want to wear small amounts of clothes and go swimming and I can't do that feeling and looking the way I do now. So - workout here I come!

Wow - sorry for such a long post.

I just can't get away!

Ok, I guess the problem is that my own little part of the world is kinda small, but I have been trying to think of some stuff OTHER than the DT call at serendipity scrapbooks, but everything just keeps reminding me! I was just reading ellen's blog and she starts off by talking about how great all the talent is over there. UGH! Of course, that is where I met her (there and scrapperie) but still. She COULD have started with the yummy peeks!

Anyway, so here is a page that I did this weekend for Scrapwords' word of the week. (no, I can't win, but it is still fun to play along) Oh and if you were thinking of playing along, you should get your entry in because there is only one week left!



I was sick this weekend (and still am) so my scrapping was much less productive than usual. This was a scraplift from Versailles *Focus on Vacations*By: Rhonda Bonifay from the ki memories website

I do have a couple more pages, and I am loving how all of them are turning out, but I will save them for later.

Oh and potty training is still going well. I dont know how we are going to wean her off of wanting chocolate every time she goes potty, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

can I take a nap now?

I am the Sister of the week!

Over at the sisterhood of scrap challenge blog.
http://sisterhoodofscrap.blogspot.com/2008/01/sister-sunday-january-20th.html

that is the news that I couldnt share earlier. I am pretty excited. You should go check it out. I will be featured today, participate in the challenge tomorrow, write about my favorite web sites on Wednesday and issue a blog challenge on thursday!

We're going to Disney World!

We got a reservation at Disney's Wilderness lodge! I am really excited! we still have more than 6 months to plan, but I am already excited.

Oh and today I went to the Dinner Afare place and made my 12 frozen meals. It was interesting. I am not sure that I would call it fun, but it wasnt unpleasant, and I came away with 12 meals that I can't wait to eat. In fact we ate one of them tonight - chicken mushroom alfredo. it was really tasty! I think I will go again!

Then when I got home I got ellie down for a nap, and then scrapped a little. I got two pages done. I am happy with them, but I wish I got more done. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. But I am not feeling well - I think I am getting a cold, so we will see how I feel tomorrow.

I'm a proud mama!

This time I just got a phone call and Seth said, Ellie wants to talk to you. And Ellie got on the phone and said, "I have chocolate in my mouth" - lol! I am like shaking and I hear DH coaching her to tell me what she did, and she said, "I went poop on the potty, and I have chocolate in my mouth" LOL!

I am so excited! I must say that I am a little bummed that I am missing it. But I am just so happy, it really seems like she is ready this time!

I just realized

that it is a pretty good day! This morning I was in a bit of a bad mood because I had to get up early and go to work on a Friday. I havent been to work on a Friday since before Christmas. But I was just thinking - it isnt that bad after all. It IS Friday - TGIF. AND it is only an 8 hour day for me at work, which is only one hour less than the usual 9, but you would be amazed at how much longer that one hour makes the day feel. Plus, I am wearing my super warm, fuzzy comfy white fleece thing from Old Navy. You can't really call it fleece because it has a thick pile, but suffice it to say that everyone at work keeps telling me how warm and cozy I look. Oh AND to make things EVEN better - Ellie went pee on the potty last night, with little to no prompting. She was diaperless, and sitting on my lap. (yeah, I know taking quite a risk there). She got up and started to walk around and I asked if she had to go potty. She said no. Then Seth got up and talked to her, and she said she wanted him to put on a diaper. So he reminded her that if she went pee on the potty she would get a chocolate. That sealed the deal, she went straight upstairs, sat down and went pee! I know this doesnt mean she is trained but it seems like a good step. We all clapped and cheered, and she seemed rather pleased with herself. She didnt want a diaper on when she got in bed, but Seth explained to her that she had to wear a diaper at night for now. So I guess we will see how today goes.

so tomorrow I am going to http://www.dinnerafare.com/locations.cfm to try out making my own gourmet frozen dinners. should be interesting. they have all the stuff chopped and ready. Then I have a couple of scrap pages that I HAVE to do, because they are 'due' on Sunday and Monday. Can you believe that? I have assignments! I guess I could find that stifling, but I actually find it kind of exciting!

Edited to Add: Seth just called to tell me that Ellie went upstairs sat on the potty and went pee, ALL BY HERSELF!!! how exciting! (I am sure all of you reading this are just over the moon - lol)


A congratulations card:

Needing Answers

Well the first thing I thought when reading this prompt was 'my mom'. Whenever I need to vent or need an opinion or an answer, I call my mom. Then the second thing that popped into my head, right on the heels of mom, was religion. Everytime I think about religion I want answers. So, there ya go. Short and sweet today.

And here is the quote of the day. I have been posting a new quote every day at Scrapwords based on a different person's word of the year. I collected them from all of my friends, and most of the blogs that I read. Well, the word for today was Happiness. Honestly, i cant' remember whose word that was, but it is a great one. Maybe it is one that I should have chosen for myself. Anyway, this is the quote that I chose today:

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
--Albert Schweitzer


and this quote got me thinking about success and happiness and of course work, success and happiness. and I realized that this is absolutely true. I am successful iin my scrapbooking becasue I am happy doing it. At work, I am not so happy and hence, not so successful. Then of course the question becomes - what exactly does 'success' mean? I make a decent, some would say good, salary at work and I get praise from my bosses, but I still dont feel successful. In scrapbooking I enter a lot of contests and challenges and I have won a couple, but I lose more than I win, and yet, I feel incredibly successful. I guess, for me, success is being happy with the product of my efforts - so it all goes back to happiness. If I am happy with my work, I will be happy with the result and then I will feel successful - no matter what. hmmmmm

Take this LO for example:


I know this page isnt a winner. I made it for a blog challenge, to scrap about a kiss. I didnt even bother to enter it because I know it wouldnt win. But I still love it. I have a great time making it and every time I look at it I am happy. The pictures make me happy and the paper and embellishments highligt that for me. So, yeah, I think I was successful here.

oh, and I almost forgot. I got some good scrappy news today! I can't share it just yet, but look for it in a few days!

Disney World anyone ?

I am in another 'funk'. Seems I say that every other day. I am starting to get a little worried - but that is a discussion for another time and another place. Anyway, so we are thinking about going to Disney World! I love Disney, and I think Ellie will love it too, so I am pretty excited. We are still in the early early planning stages so it isnt anywhere near final, but that is what is on my mind today.

Then there are Ellie's nightmares. She has been having nightmares and I am starting to wonder if they are due to her watching - how's this for irony - Disney movies. LOL! Now, we arent planning to go to Disney until August or September so I am not worried that she will be scared then. But think about it, some Disney movies (or most really) have some pretty scary parts. How about when Simba's dad gets trampled in the lion king? how about when the rat attacks in Lady and the Tramp, and the Tramp gets taken away by the dog catcher? I mean - to us these things arent scary but to a little kid they could be right? So should we have her stop watching them? OR is this something she will work through?

Oh, and final thought for the day is the announcement of the Prima design team. I applied. I had no delusions that I was going to win, I am just not there yet. So as I am reading the list, I am, of course, a little jealous. And I am thinking, thats ok, it is just not my time yet. I will get there. But then I think, do I even want to be there? I mean, I want to KNOW that I am good, but I am not sure I want that kind of responsibility. Oh, I don't know. One step at a time I guess. I am happy with where I am right now. I also found it interesting though that I "know" about 4 of the 12 girls listed there. Ok, maybe not KNOW, but I have 'seen them around'. Weird. I never thought I cared about that stuff (fame) and now all of the sudden I am like - wow, I know her!

And finally some pages.
Here is a page that I worked on with a lot of white space. I am not usually into white space (let alone when it is actually WHITE) but I kinda like the simplicity here and the bright yellows. It makes me happy.


and here is one that I did of Ellie.

my word of the year

I don't know how I forgot to share this. Things have just been so crazy! Anyway, I mentioned before that I picked 'evolve' as my word of the year and here is the layout that I did about that:


Here are a couple more pages that I think I forgot to share:

A Drive with no Book on CD - AHHH!

So Today I didnt have a book on CD to listen to, so I was forced to listen to the radio. Why is it that they don't play music in the morning? I listened to my favorite morning show (favorite being a relative term here since I would much rather be listening to music or a book) Preston and Steve. And they spent the entire time that I was in the car - about 40 minutes - talking about condiments. Yep, condiments - not condoms - condiments, the stuff you put on fries and burgers and hotdogs. They discussed the ever popular mayo vs. miracle whip debate, and whether you mix mayo with ketchup, and every other possible combination of popular condiments. I have to admit I was a little interested at first. But then I just started thinking - wow, these people make their living talking BS for hours at a time, and people LIKE IT! Heck, I listened to it, and I even laughed. And what did I gain from that 40 mins of listening - no education (unless you count realizing that some people really have an opinion on the Miracle whip vs Mayo debate) no real enlightenment, and not even much of a laugh. I spent most of the time thinkign about how crazy our world is that people can make money doing this, and that people listen. AND THEN I started comparing it to blogging. And the fact that you are reading this right now, me re-hashing a stupid conversation. And yet, I am not knocking it, I read your blogs too most likely, and heck, I am spending the time sitting here writing. I just wonder why? Do you know what I mean? Seems like so much time wasted, and yet, we love doing it! I don't have an answer, just the thought for the day.

Oh and what is my favorite drink. Colleen asked this today and since I can't fit it in with the thought of the day, I guess I just have to have TWO thoughts for the day - now THERE is a first! Two thoughts in one day for me. So anyway my favorite drink. That is an easy one: red wine. I love everything about red wine. I love the feeling of being pampered that I get just from holding the glass. I love the majesty and elegant beauty of the ruby red liquid swirling around the crystal. I love the complex taste on my toungue. I may not be an expert yet, but I can often taste blackberries and chocolate and sometimes various spices. I love rolling it around in my mouth and tasting those elements. I love the dry feeling that the tannins leave that makes my mouth pucker just a little bit. And I love the warm soft buzz that I get from it. It is a totally different buzz than with hard liquor or beer which just seems to addle my senses. Rather, wine makes me relax. Before that first sip even hits my stomach I can feel the muscles in my shoulders ease. And once that first buzz appears, it is soft and gentle, softly asking me to relax and enjoy the moment.

to me, beer says night out with the boys, vodka says getting smashed and partying, tequila says get smashed to obliterate painful thoughts, margaritas say relaxing on the beach, and wine says relaxing with the girls at a spa.

a little update

A couple quick things. First, I have had a great day, I can't believe I have to go to work tomorrow! I ran some errands, bought too much stuff in ACMoore, and spent the afternoon scrapping with my new scrappy friend Shannon. Now, this evening I have to go sign up for our outing to the make your own freezer meals place.

Also, this morning I found out that I was chosen as the layout of the day for yesterday at Serendipty scrapbooks AND a different project of mine - my deck of me box - is being featured on their blog. http://serendipityscrapbooks.blogspot.com/ woohoo!

Ok off to dinner. I will hopefully be sharing a few fun projects from today - tomorrow after I beg DH to take some pics of them.

Ellie's first haircut

Here are some of the pics from Eliana's first haircut. we took her to one of those 'cuts for kids' kind of places because I was worried that she would be difficult. She was an angel though! She sat there and watched elmo the whole time, and barely noticed that she was getting her hair cut. Next time I think we will take our portable dvd player and go to someplace cheaper. This place was $20 for just the tiniest trim on Ellie. (To be honest, I am not sure she even needed it but Seth and his mom seemed to think she did) It does look better since the trim. She doesnt have a ton of hair but it was all cooked.

before


during


after



and on a side note. here is a pic that I took of myself while we were waiting for the sushi place next door to the hair place to open.



I dyed my hair medium auburn yesterday. I think this color totally works for me, and this picture turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. So I was playing with it in photoshop, seeing if I could make it look better yet. I brightened it up a little first, then I thought - hmm it would be great if I could airbrush my skin. So I looked up a free tutorial on how to do it and sat there for like an hour making layers and following countless steps, then Seth walks in just after I finished and he says - it looks like a painting! - lol! I was bummed because I was trying to make my skin look naturally flawless and it ended up looking like brush strokes. But it was kinda funny because he thought he was being nice saying that I was so pretty I could be a famous painting. Interesting how the point of view changes. I am thrilled that he was giving me a compliment, but he was unknowingly giving my photoshop skills an insult. Which I am not insulted because my photoshop skills are pretty much nonexistent. anyway, here is the pic - brightened up in photoshop but not airbrushed.

Quick update

This is going to be quick because my internet is being really slow - so no pics - and I have to go. We are taking Eliana to her first haircut!!

Ok, so the update is that the Design Team at the Scrapbook Nook was chosen and I wasnt on it. I am a little bummed, but not really surprised. I knew I didnt really fit in there. I am not seeing this as a reflection on my scrapping style or skill, but more about getting along with the other ladies. Don't get me wrong I didnt NOT get along with them, I just didnt really hit it off there. The good news is that not getting the DT there freed me up to apply for the DT at my new favorite place - Serendipity Scrapbooks. Now, THIS place I am feeling like I really fit in. I am loving all the challenges and activities that are going on. In fact I am already signed up for the team challenge with my friend Shannon and we are going to kick some butt - lol! well we better get a move on if that is going to happen because we are a little behind in points right now. Anyway, so I sent my application and threw my hat in the ring over there. And this one I really want. To be honest, I think I didnt give the Nook my all because I found serendipity at about the same time as the finals at the Nook were announced and I have been spending too much time counting up points and reading posts for the team challenge. oh well, whatever - what is meant to be will be right? gotta go now. will post some pics later.

The News is so Depressing

yeah, that makes you want to read what I have to say doesnt it? I make it a point to check in with cnn.com pretty much every day and just see 'what's up' and for the past couple days the news has just been unusually depressing. Yeah, the news is never uplifting but lately it has been down right terrible. Maybe it is just me though. Maybe I am still in a mild depression and everything is bothering me. Maybe. But come on - a baby starving to death next to his mother's dead body, an 8 month pregnant Marine going missing because she was charging a superior with assault, 4 kids thrown off a bridge, 4 kids found dead in an apartment with their mom still alive, a serial killer who decapitates and on and on. it doesnt get much worse than that does it? this is the stuff that gives me nightmares. And where do these people come from? What makes someone snap and do that kind of thing? How do you alienate yourself so much that no one notices you are gone until your child has starved to death? What is going on with our society?

Ok, changing the subject completely - because really what do you say after that? Where do you go from there? You move on, right? Either you do something, or you move on. And what can you do? So, I am going to move on. Today is my last day of work before the weekend. Another week down, a million more to go. Yeah, I sound depressed don't I? Maybe I am in need of another dose of Scrapperie. Everytime I go there I start smiling and having fun, being sarcastic and silly. I think I am going to do that. But to snap YOU out of the misery I just displayed for you, here is a breath of fresh air:



seriously, how fun is this page? it didnt take me long, it isnt complicated, but I just love it! Some black, some white, some bright colors and some whitespace and a cute face - what is not to love?!

oh and on another entirely unrelated note, I did NOT win either one of the bad girls kit club challenges that I entered.

interested yet?

There is a blog challenge from Suzanne today to blog about your morning routine. So here goes:

My alarm goes off usually around 6am. That is the buzzer. I hit the snooze button and cuddle up closer to DH. The buzzer goes off three more times and I repeat the process (although sometimes it isnt DH that is next to me, it is DD) Then around 6:30 the second (radio) alarm goes off - unless DD has played with it and turned down the volume, in which case, I am totally screwed. I (again) hit the snooze button three times, before begrudgingly rolling out of bed, grabbing my towel from the bed post and heading to the bathroom. I brush teeth, shower and put my contacts in before heading downstairs.

So, that is how it usually goes. That is NOT the idea way. The way I plan for it to go is that my alarm will go off at 4:30 and I will bound out of bed because I dont want to wake anyone up, and head downstairs to work out for a half hour, before taking my shower. That has not been happening lately. I change the time that my alarm goes off almost every night depending on how tired I am, how motivated I am, and what my mood is at the moment. The end.

Since I read Shannon's blog this morning about the wonderful weather we have been having, I found out that that was another challenge - the prompt of the day from Colleen at Scrapperie. And I have also checked the 5day and realized that yes, as I suspected, we will be getting rain on Friday. So, my plans to take advantage of this unseasonably warm weather and take Ellie to the zoo on my day off, are foiled and I will have to make up for the ensuing depression by scrapping the day away. Or maybe renee will come over and we will have a glass of wine while we watch the kids play and gab. either way - drowning my sorrows in one way or the other.

Yep, in case you havent gathered, I am STILL in a pretty nasty mood. I think it is normal January blues, but I dont know why because so far Jan has been pretty good. Actually that is a lie. I do knwo why. I had a week off and now I am back at work, with the thoughts of spending long blissful mornings with my family and scrapping the afternoons away dancing in my head.

I read a pretty funny article this morning while I ate my cereal. (which incidentally I dont usually do because I am in such a hurry to get to work. but I was soooo late this morning that I figured another 20 mins wouldnt matter - make sense? nah but who cares) Anyway, the article was in my new favorite parenting magazine - wonder time. It is about the life of a mommy-blogger. And the intro to the article said that blogging is narcisistic (I can't spell that word to save myself) and will probably mortify our kids when they grow up, and it just gives strangers ammunition to trash us, but we still do it because - well, we are narcisistic lol! - that is only part of it though. The other part is that we like hearing from other people that they are the same as us. It is calming to know that there are other women out there who enjoy the same things as you, and who have the same problems, and sometimes it can give you a better view of your own life when you listen (or read) to someone else describe their ups and downs. Personally, I find that it makes me even more sarcastic. I am not a funny person in real life. I cannot deliver a line AT ALL. but when I blog, I find myself just being a total smart a$$. I dont know - maybe you disagree. Maybe you find my ramblings boring and flat. But I enjoy writing them and I love reading comments. And some of my friends do leave comments - even if they didnt read the whole thing. I will never know right?

ok, here is a page. LOL almost an afterthought, and I can't even remember which ones I posted yet. But I find blogs more interesting when there are pictures so here is one for you:

interested yet?

Changes at Scrapwords!

I am pretty excited about some new stuff that is going on at Scrapwords. The software that runs the forums and blogs was updated for improved functionality. But the big deal - to me - is that there are bullets on the homepage for the deal of the day and the challenge of the day. You all probably know by now that I LOVE challenges! So I am pretty excited about having a new challenge every day! And of course, the deal of the day is pretty cool too. But I need to try to stay away from that because I have a budget to stick to - a budget that I have already gone over by $20 for the month of January. Yep, and January isnt even half over!! And every time there is a sale at Scrapwords I just HAVE to order something, because there is so much neat stuff there. And I keep telling myself - wait until the new stuff comes in. But then of course, there is always new stuff coming in, so I wait and order then hear that something else is coming in that I HAVE to have. It is a vicious cycle.

I am making a promise that I am not going to check the board at the Scrapbook Nook more than 3 times today! Yes, we are still waiting. Yes, Leah said that the announcement will be made on Saturday. and of course, Yes, I am holding out hope regardless that the announcement will be made sooner. But NO, NO checking today!

And finally, yet another page from this weekend. This page is so cute - it uses the Fancy Pants holiday papers from Scrapwords, and the matching rub-ons. Oh and a dude journaling card.

I am now CPR certified!

Isnt that fan-flippin-tastic! LOL! Seriously though, I did want to take the training, it was all my choice. Making for a VERY long day today is really the only downside. I should have done this ages ago! Did you know that the old advice was something like 10 compressions for two breaths, but now they teach 30 compressions then two breaths, then 30 compressions, two breaths, repeat. And that goes for babies, kids and everyone! That is your little tid-bit of possibly useful information for the day. Bet you didnt think that you would find something useful on MY blog, now did you? Yep, so my company is now equipped with our very own AED - automated external defibrillator and about 15 employees who are trained to use it. Pretty neat I think.

Ok, so the other thing today that is on my mind, is that I just read over at Scrapbook Nook, that Leah has almost made her decision. AHHHHHH! this totally freaks me out. For me, the time before a decision is easy, it is the time immediately following when I wonder if I made the right choice or not, but I know it is locked in, that is the hardest. This is made even harded by the fact that I am not the one making the decision, rather I am the person being decided on. I have said it before, and I will say it again: I am NOT going to be hurt (sad and a little let down yes) but not hurt if I dont make this team, becuase I know that there are a ton of very qualified ladies who are in the running. but I want to know! I want to know NOW!!!

ok and now for putting up with my whining. Here is another page from this weekend. This one was done for the "today" about me, challenge that Leah issued to help her decide. I think this turned out pretty cool! Why wouldnt she pick me? LOL!

I've been tagged

1. My 2 favorite scrapbook topics are my daughter and myself!
2. The 2 best places I've been to are Switzerland and the Big Island Hawaii
3. 2 things I do everyday are eat and check email
4. The 2 things everyone knows about me are that I scrap and I'm a computer person.
5. The 2 places I wish to visit are Palau and Nepal
6. 2 things you may not know about me are: I'm addicted to diet coke and I love video games.
7. My two favorite foods are: chocolate and chocolate.

and I am going to tag: Michele and Suzanne answer the above questions, add one and then tag two people


Ok and I just have to mention something that is weighing on my mind today. I can't stop thinking about the DT competition over at My Scrapbook Nook the announcement is going to be made on Sat at 1pm EST and I am just getting more and more nervous by the day. I am having a tough enough time focusing on my work and this is just making me totally scatterbrained. there is so much competition over there. I keep telling myself not to be upset if I dont win, because there are so many deserving choices.

Oh and Bad Girls is going to announce the first winner of the apron challenge, and I am pretty excited about that too. I know there is no way that I am going to win, but my entry was pretty cool if I do say so myself. So I am anxious to know the winner!

New Bloggy and Scrappy things a-goin on

Did you notice my new banner on my blog? Nothing fancy, but at least I have one now. And I have a pic in my avatar! pretty neat huh? oh and I updated my friends' blog list - or rather, created one. Let me know if you don't like your name being there and I will gladly remove it for you.

Oh and I am going to have to update my favorite places list and add a new blinkie because I have a new favorite place - Serendipity Scrapbooks. Seriously loving this place. It seems like the right place for me with so many nice, challenge oriented people. Yes, you probably already know this but I am addicted to challenges and they have some amazing ones there. I entered the monthly team points challenge and my teammate is my new friend and fellow Tres Chic Girl, Shannon. And I have over 1000 pts already! The point system is kind of complicated, and it was a getting kind of annoying when I had like 10 pages to post, but it is so fun! It is like an added benefit to making a page - counting up the points! Except it is bumming me out even more that I have to hold some back for this hall of fame contest. Which, by the way, I think I am not going to enter after all. It just isnt in line with my goals for this year. I really want to have fun scrapping and have fun with my online pals. Design teams are cool because I get to meet people on the forums. And I would like to be published, but I just dont think that I would even really want to win HOF. I guess I was going to enter just to see if I could. But now I am thinking that I am going to change that idea into submitting one page a month for publication. so that means that I already have my page done that I want to submit, but I will have to wait a couple months until the Christmas calls come out because it is a holiday oriented page. But oh well. Anyway, that clears that up. And I am going to stick with this Deck of Me challenge, but the 365 photo challenge just isnt working for me. I am going to edit that one too - to be a weekly photo of me. That is so much more do-able for me. And so, without further ado, here is my first deck of me card:





and this is a page that I made for the scraplift challenge #2 over at Scrapperie and the year in review challenge at A Peek Into Yesterday

Deck of Me Tin

I did made this tin for the Serendipity Scrapbooks challenge I altered it to hold my deck of cards from Suzanne's weekly challenges.

I used almost all October Afternoon papers and die cuts from Scrapwords. I also added some Fancy Pants felt.

I won a photo contest!

I am one of the winners at A Peek Into Yesterday. I entered the picture of Eliana looking for Santa's presents into their Here Comes Santa Clause contest and was chosen as one of the winners! That just made my day!

I have a ton of pictures of scrappy stuff to take and share today, so I am going to post again later, I just couldnt wait to share this! woohoo!

Two of the other winners are really really cute - babies dressed like santa and posed in baskets and such. (the look on "Santa Aimee" is priceless) but I think mine is cool because mine was totally candid. and I was thrilled to capture such a 'telling' moment.

the scrapbooker's number one rule...

always have a back up battery for your camera!

I am guilty today of breaking that rule, and now I will pay for it by not having a photo to share with you all. the good news is that this 'event' has somehow snapped me out of the blues and I am in a much better mood now. the bad news is that I feel a little guilty about being happy because the story involves misfortune.

so we came home from the grocery store (where I hoped to get into a better mood, but ended up getting in a worse one) and I noticed a river of water running down the street (luckily it is mostly in the gutter) and I thought, boy that is a lot of water to be coming from washing your car. (which of course would be a really crazy thing to do in these temperatures anyway, but i didnt get to that part) Then we got to our driveway and I noticed that the source of the water is a fountain coming from between the sidewalk and the driveway of our neighbors across the street. they, of course, were not home. And my elderly neighbor, who had by chance pulled into our shared driveway just before us, had not even noticed the water. So i called the township and then the water company. And we ate our lunch while watching the water company men arrive, spray paint the road and leave again. The water pressure from the sidewalk seems to have diminished, but it is still flowing freely. we can't wait to see what happens next!

I guess I am just excited because it is something you dont see every day. Of course, we are worried about whether our neighbors are going to have to pay to get the whole mess fixed up. (which then makes us wonder if maybe we SHOULD take the water company up on their offer of insurance on the lines to our house) But it provided some welcome distraction from my depression and now I think I am ready to scrap again. although, if they start ripping up the street I may need to go watch for a while - lol! I guess it is kind of like a train wreck - not a good thing, but exciting and interesting all the same.

quick post

I am going to make this one quick because Ellie is pushing me to try to get me up off my stool. I stayed home from work today because I had a headache(which has gone away) and my neck is just killing me, and I am depressed. I have had depression for ages, but got it mostly under control now, but every now and then it comes back. It isnt too bad today, just enough to make me lazy and unhappy. So you wont be seeing me online much today.

Oh and the blog topic of the day at scrapperie is "review something" now I was thinking about reviewing something that might mean something to everyone, like my new favorite book - shantaram - but I think the restaurant we went to last night is more timely. we went out to eat last night with my in-laws at this Italian restaurant - Valentino's. It was really tasty. The decor and location leaves a little to be desired, but it was really good. And it is a BYOB so they give you one complimentary glass of wine, and the wine was GOOD. I was in shock really, I expected something terrible. so anyway, it was good and there are coupons in the paper a lot so I think we will be going back.

Well I guess that is it for today.

So many goodies, so little time!

First, I just have to say how excited I am about the new kits available at Scrapwords. Leslie and I talked about them and I had a bunch of ideas and she decided to use some of my ideas! There are two kits available this month. She split up the Fancy Pants valentine felt and put two sheets in each kit! I think this is really cool because the full pack of felt is fairly expensive, but I would like to know what colors I am going to get when I order a kit. So you get to pick! if you choose kit number one then you get black and red felt and if you choose kit number two then you get pink and purple! pretty cool huh?! There are some other differences too, just enough to make it hard to pick just one! Oh, and since splitting up the packages is kinda tough, these kits are limited edition - so when they are gone, they are gone!

Ok, now on to me. It is sooooo cold today! This morning was no fun because Ellie woke up before I left and she didnt want me to leave. She was pretty tired and cranky and just crying and crying. It broke my heart to have to leave. BUT at the same time it kinda makes me feel good that at least I know she misses me. Does that make me an awful person? It just seems like she likes DH so much more than she likes me, so it is good to know that she really does love me and miss me when I leave.

Last night I had a migraine when I got home, and I had some dinner then scrapped a little. I got a whole page done! AND I really like it! I can't share it yet, but I am kind of impressed at how much scrapping can help my headaches. This is the second time I have tried it, and it really does seem to help. First, my posture when I scrap is totally different than when I sit at work, so that helps my head because my neck muscles get so tired from looking at the computer all day. Second, I can configure the light in my scraproom to be soothing rather than harsh. Third, it takes my mind off the pain. Fourth, it really helps me relax. Last night I was doing some deep breathing exercises while I scrapped and my headache just seemed to melt away. Unfortunately, when I went upstairs to get ready for bed, it came right back. What is the moral to that story? keep scrapping!

Oh and one more thing! I got chosen as a finalist in the design team competition for scrapbooknook. I entered the contest before I found out that I made the team for Scrapperie. I am thrilled but at first I was a little overwhelmed. I don't want to get too much on my plate because I want to do my best work for everyone. But then I thought about it some more, and the thing that is really stressing me out is this HOF entry, not the DT duties. Plus the kits at the Nook are totally yummy and everyone is so nice! So I have decided to stay in the running and now I even made up my mind that I want this!

Oh and I only made it one day in a row with the 365 day challenge, because I forgot to take a photo yesterday - lol! I blame it on the headache. But oh well. My diet did go well yesterday although maybe that is to blame partially for the headache, who knows. Today I vow to do Tai Chi at lunch, because I need to relax and because I read last night that Tai Chi was shown to help migraine sufferers in one study. LOL - everything seems to be able to be shown in one study or another huh? but still it will help with my stress, and help get my blood flowing and if it helps the headaches then great and if not oh well.

365 days challenge - day 1

here is my photo for today for the 365 days of photos challenge. the idea was to take a self portrait every day for a year, but I am adapting it to be - take a Book Of Me type photo every day for a year, because really, who needs 365 pics of me? so here is today's my ode of goodbye to chocolate (well not totally goodbye, but going on my diet, not eating a ton of chocolate, goodbye)

New Year, New You, New stress

I've been doing some thinking this morning. That is always a dangerous thing for me, because it usually turns to something negative of stressful. I've decided - well I've really had an idea for a long time, but I've just decided to really make it official - that I am not good at starting new things. I prefer to be in the middle of something. In the middle, you make a plan and make it happen and that I can handle. I guess I work best under pressure and I am confident that I can make things happen when I have to. But at the beginning, you have choices - do you want to start this thing, or do you want to start something else? how do you want to start? what is your goal? what is your plan to approach that goal, is that the best plan? are there other options?

So this being the first day of the NEW year, kinda has me stressing out a little. Last year was good. I feel like I have grown and matured and become more comfortable in my skin. I have a long way to go though and now with this year looming ahead and everyone asking about resolutions and mottos and plans, I am having trouble deciding and feeling anxious about what is coming.

First there is the Word of the Year at Scrapwords. Leslie challenged us to come up with one word that we hope to use to describe the coming year. I am thinking of it as a motto. I chose a word and made a page about it, but now I am wondering if I made the right choice. It might seem trivial - oh it is just a scrapbook page - but I have really been using my scrapbooking as a sort of journal/diary/therapy so to me it is real. I picked that word because I feel that is what I would like to have happen in the next year, but now I wonder if it is too broad, too ambitious or just plain wrong.

My word is "EVOLVE" because I want to evolve into a better version of myself in this coming year, much like I did in the past year. That encompasses a lot though - working out, eating right, just plain being healthy, being a better mother and a better wife, continuing to follow my passion in scrapbooking and be true to myself in doing it i.e. not follow the trends too much or 'sell out' in the hopes of fame, and most of all relax! so I am thinking about making another page about 'relax' because that is my first subcategory that I want to tackle this year. but I can't get excited about a 'relax' page because I just dont even know where to begin. (ahh back to that again) I mean, relaxing is such a foreign concept to me that I wouldnt know how to make a scrapbook page that reflects relaxing. I mean, would that be pale blues or whites or what?

Speaking of relaxing, here is a perfect example. Yesterday I decided that I would enter the CK hall of fame scrapbooking competition. Leslie has so much faith in me that I figured, hey why not? do I think I can win - absolutely not, but you never know until you try right? Then after I made that decision I started THINKING about it and realized that it was a victory for me to just make the decision to apply because even if I know I wont win, just going to the trouble of making the application means that I have some amount of confidence in my abilities that makes me feel that it is at least possible if highly unlikely. So I started thinking about some of the projects that I would have to do, and got excited. This was in the car on my way home from work. When I got home I was really excited to get started and went into the scrap room and looked around bewildered and scared to death! I kept replaying my ideas and then telling myself how stupid they are and how I will never win so why bother? So I started getting depressed and decided to give up for the night and play some games with DH and DD. Well this morning in the shower, I decided not to apply after all. because one of my main goals for this year is to relax and be true to my art, and stressing over this entry is contrary to all of that.

So I would say, that is that, but I guess I sort of have it in the back of my head that I will hold back some pages from the internet in the next month and see if I can't get an entry together anyway, even if I dont send it. That kind of thinking seems to work for me in the contest and challenge area. And I usually end up inspired by the challenge and not stressed because I know that I am just creating for myself. so I guess that is the approach. I still may submit, but I am not going to be actively working towards it and if it doesnt happen then it doesnt happen.

In other news, the scrapperie website doesnt seem to be working today and I am really upset. I was looking forward to chatting. Oh well. Oh and Seth went to Old Navy yesterday to get me some sweaters because my office is so cold and he did a GREAT job! all of them are perfect, and they were almost all on sale. I am wearing one right now, a fluffy fleecy white thing with a big collar - kinda like a turtleneck but not tight - that brushes my chin and just makes me feel cozy. I am kinda bummed that I am going to have to take it off soon because my scrap room is warm and I am going to start scrapping. Oh and he said - "speaking of stress, shopping is stressful, after I left old navy my shoulders were all tense, maybe that is your problem, you shouldnt shop anymore" lol! but I told him that I dont really go into stores anymore, since I gained weight, I HATE shopping for clothes and I do most of my scrap shopping online, and there isnt really anything else I need right now.

Oh and that is another thing - sorry this is terribly long. But I was thinking about the name of my blog. When I first created this blog, I called it thoughts of traveling because I was obsessed with traveling and we went on lots of trips. I just love seeing new places and learning about new cultures and ways of life (I guess that is why I started a masters in anthropology - which I didnt finish because I decided there was no real point) but anyway, this morning I realized that I dont think about travling anymore. I mean, I am not really even interested. Sure there is a huge list of places that I want to see and things I want to do, but right now it is just not appealing to me, it is WAY down on my list. I dont know if that is because I did a lot of traveling already and kinda 'got over it' or if it is because I am just at a different place in my life, or if it is because I have a new obsession. what is it with me and obsessions? I have said this tons of times, but I am an 'all or nothing' kinda person. if I am going to work out and eat right then I am going to go all out to do it, if I am going to scrap then I am going to do it as often as possible. what is up with that? actually, come to think of it, maybe it is my hatred of starting new things. I mean if I am in the middle of something then I dont have to think about the other options. So right now I am in the middle of my obsession of scrapbooking (not that I am saying there will be an end, but you never know) and therefore I dont have to think about the other things I could be doing.

Alright, I think that is enough for now. I am going to stop rambling and start scrapping - in a RELAXED way!! LOL!