First day of school!

I'm finally getting around to editing and posting these photos!!! She was so excited to get on that bus! I actually started to tear up when she got on the bus... but somehow, I managed to hold it together!

And another:

I took a whimsical approach... a love letter (and apology) to my enduring favorite Maybelline Great Lash mascara! Papers are from the fabulous Dream Street papers!

A September project for Scraplovers!

One of our sponsors this month is American Crafts. Yes, those are paper beads... from a continuous strip of double sided paper! One of the residents at the nursing home where I work makes paper beads, so she inspired this technique! The beads sure make for a lousy scan, though!!! I also used a stamp from the "Block This" stamp set from Tin Box Creations! I will take a photo later... TFL!!!

Anyone else feel uneasy...

When the weather starts to get a bit of chill to it.... you know, the kind of gorgeous late summer day with that nice crisp breeze? The kind of day you looked forward to all summer?

It always reminds me of 9/11 now. I can't get over that feeling. As far as the weather goes, that was a perfect day, and I remember that morning before those dreaded events very clearly.... as clear as that crystal blue sky. My birthday is on the 14th. My birthday isn't really a day to celebrate for me anymore, since it coincides with all of the events of that time.

It's a very sad time of year, indeed. A time to reflect on all of the things happening in this world that we can't control... and a time to hold on to our loved ones dearly.

I'm still waiting on the world to change... hopefully, for the better. And hopefully, to reach a point where I feel safe again.

And a card...

OK, so I used this same technique for this card as I did for the tag I just made... I just love using the resist technique!!!

Just a tag!!!

I made this tag with 2 Tin Box Creations stamp sets.... "Block This" and "Spring Flowers Set." I used a resist technique which I will detail this week for Technique Thursday over at Scraplovers!

This must be my lucky pub week!

I am excited to have a page picked up by Scrapbook Trends for their wedding idea book!!! It was a layout I created at the VA SIS crop at the beginning of the month!!! This kind of week never happens to me in the scrapbook world!!!

Yay!!!!

I got an e-mail request for a home decor project I did using beads! It will appear in the new Bead Trends magazine in their premeire issue! :) Bead Trends is a new venture by the same family of publications as Scrapbook Trends!

This was fun!!!

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English 20% Dixie 15% Yankee 0% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/">What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

So, does this mean I speak "normal" American English with a touch of Southern charm? LOL!!! I do live on the northernmost fringe of the South!

The house...

We are under way with building our house. The roof structure is almost complete now, actually, and we should be under roof by Tuesday. The windows and exterior doors arrived yesterday, ready to intall.

Do you think the house will be ready by the end of November as promised? I'm not holding my breath!!! But it would be nice!

Now, with the crash in the mortgage market, I'm a bit nervous about putting our current house on the market, to say the least! Our current home is in a modest, quiet neighborhood where all of the homes are well within the price range of properties which are still moving in our house market. Crossing my fingers....

By the way... see those cute little dormer windows on the second floor? Those windows belong to my new "project" room! Hubby has his big garage of his dreams... the kiddos have a playroom above that.... and I have my special room, too!!! Happy, joy!!!!

Scrapncircle Projects! Piggy Tales!

We got to play with the super fun Piggy Tales papers this month!!!! Thanks, Jeri!!! Love how versatile these papers are!

The "Muscles" layout also features the circle stamp from the "Block This" stamp set by Tin Box Creations! I used the stamp as a border, journaling spot, and to make a tab! You seriously need this stamp set! It is so much fun!

http://www.tinboxcreations.com/boutique/product_info.php?cPath=1_6&products_id=107

Thanks for looking!

I am such a blonde....

I can't even order myself coffee at Starbucks!!! LOL!!!!

Our special treat on Sunday morning (if we get ready in time!) is to go to Starbucks before church! It was my "turn" to go get the coffee this week, so I ordered a Tai Chi latte. The barmister (or whatever you wish to call him!) says to me, "Ma'am, Tai Chi is an ancient form of Chinese martial arts. Perhaps you would like to try a Chai Tea latte instead?"

Now, I tried to explain to him that I just took a course on Friday that discussed all of the benefits of Tai Chi.... before I asked him if I could get an iced Frappachino. To which he replied, "Ma'am. All of our Frappachinos are iced. That's what makes them Frappachinos."

Yep. I even have a Master's degree. But I can't order coffee and sound reasonably intelligent.... LOL!!!

So glad my kids are good! (well, most of the time!!!)

We went out to lunch after church Sunday at Ruby Tuesday (I'm seriously addicted to their turkey mini burgers... I know! not orgainic!!). About midway through our lunch, another family sat down near us. They had one boy (maybe about 4 or 5ish). He had a couple of little tantrums, and then all YOU KNOW WHAT broke loose. They were sitting in a booth, and the boy THREW his little container of KETCHUP behind him and over his head... it landed all over the booth seat on the other side AND all over this lady's dress and WHITE cardigan!!!! EEEEKKKKKKKKK!!!

Can you imagine the anguish on both sides of this situation? The lady's outfit was most likely ruined.... and the parents of this child?The thing is, this could have been my children.... it's just today they were exceptionally well-behaved.... and when my younger dd grabbed the ketchup container, we caught her before anything happened!!! The father actually left the restaurant to get money to pay this lady's dry cleaning bill.... he did the right thing... I have just never seen something like this in person!!!

Both my kiddos got dessert after lunch... and lots of praise for being good!!! :)

My sweet dh...

Brought home a surprise the other night.... the Plain White T's CD! Wasn't that nice? He noticed that I had been listening to their song from their website, and brought the album home for me!

He made a statement that these guys were not the best looking... but I also pointed out to him that it looked like their portraits were taken with a very wide angle lens, distorting their features. I don't know if this was the photographer's intent or not, but I am very sure that these guys look much different in person!

It's a fun album.... definitely subjects pertainant to the late teen to twenty-ish crowd!

Whew! I can share...

Well, I can finally share the second bit of news.... I am so happy that Christina and Mackey at Scraplovers have asked me to serve another year at their site! I really love it over there!

A DT call will be announced soon to fill the vacant slots! They have restructured the whole DT design, and it is great!!!

My baby is 2 today!

It seems like it was just last summer that she was born! I can't believe she's 2 already!!! We are going to take her somewhere fun for dinner....

We sang happy birthday this morning and she started blowing (the candles, of course, even though there was no cake for breakfast!) And then she says, "Eat cake!!!" LOL!!!!!

The first picture was taken out by the new house. She found this ring of bark on the ground and was pretending that it was real jewelry! And the second was at a friend's birthday party!

Today was a good day!

I found something that I thought I had lost.... my Lemonheads "It's a Shame About Ray" CD!!! I bought it before I began college, and I really missed it! Well, somehow, it found its way into a Smiths CD case, which I discovered this morning.

I have been on a nostalgic music craving for some old school alternative 80's rock! So I dredeged through my extensive Smiths collection and decided to take a greatest hits CD with me for my morning commute. I still love the music, but man, oh, man.... I was a most self-tortured teenager! I have forgotten how sad Morrissey's lyrics really are!

I'll be giving that old Lemonhead's CD a little more love, too!!! Oh, happy day!

Want to know my first secret?

Go here:

http://www.tinboxcreations.com/entryform.html

:)

More Williamsburg pics!

Here are a few more images from Williamsburg! I can't wait to go on another shoot with my Dad!!!! As you can see, I love to take pictures of STUFF!!!

I have a new look!

Well, I was just getting tired of my old blog.... so I made this banner a while ago and decided to try it out!!!

Have you heard of these guys?

It's my favorite new band.... Plain White Tees! They have this amazingly sweet song called "Hey There Delilah" that plays only on our local Richmond station Y101. I normally don't listen to this station all the time, but it's one of my preset stations, and I happened to hear this song. I was hooked instantly!

Here's a link to the band's website, and you can hear it for yourself!!!

http://www.plainwhitets.com/

They are actually doing a Tiffany-like mall tour and will be at a mall that's not even 5 minutes from my house in August! Just don't know if I want to fight the teeny boppers to see them, though!!!

Scrabook Answers = Sassy

Remember Sassy magazine? How different and fun and hip and cool it was? I was a child of the 80's..... emerging into adulthood in the 90's.... and I remember it well. I was a Seventeen subscriber, and my best friend in middle school was a Sassy subscriber. I always read about the cool new bands in this magazine, and found clothes that were things I would really wear!!! (I was one of those semi-goth, alternative, drama chicks in school... even though I cheered, too!)

So, anyway.... when Scrapbook Answers debuted, I was very excited! And right away I saw it as the Sassy of the scrabooking industry. It was as rebellious of a scrapbook magazine as Sassy was as a teen girl fashion magazine. The writers at Scrapbook Answers let us in on their personas, lent their voices to their articles, and dared to discuss products with honesty. I loved that magazine!

But, alas, their run was much too short.... just like Sassy. But die hard fans will still remember them!

Wow! A photographer's job is TOUGH!!!!

So, yesterday, I embarked on a new adventure. My dear friend Tisha asked be to help her shoot a wedding. Granted, I knew the bride and actually referred the bride to Tisha, but I was so honored that Tisha trusted me enough to help her with this!

Anyway, I realized many things. I know that I'm not even close to being good enough to shoot an event so important on my own (not that I really had plans to, anyway!), that I need to be more assertive during shoots (I'm not the bossiest of people... but I need to definitely take on a new persona if I do this again!), and that my camera (Canon XTi) has multiple limitations. Oh.... and that Tisha is one fantastic photographer!!! (well, we already knew that!!!). It was so much fun just to watch her work!

So, I learned a TON about myself and my camera.... and had lots of fun, too! I just hope Tisha will let me try again!!!

Second June Reveal!

Here's my third project for Scraplovers using the super cute, bright, and cheerful papers and templates from the Crafter's Workshop!!!

My inspiration for the giant swirled paper cutout came from a design magazine from the BHG group!

Shhhhhhh......

I have not one.... but TWO secret toots..... so SHHHHHH for now.... (and for the record, I've never had a secret toot before!!!!)

I promise I'll spill the news soon!!!

So much fun!!!!

My Dad invited me to meet him in Colonial Williamsburg for a "photo shoot" on Friday. He's a Pentax man.... he's got the new K10 and it's little brother. He's still trying to convert me from Canon!!!

Anyway, we had a blast!!! He may think that my spending the day with him was a gift from me to him, but I was the one who felt gifted on Friday! It's been a long time since I've had my dad all to myself for a day! I'm just so excited that we both have this passion for photography. Of course, he's the one who planted that seed in me.... he gave me my first real camera.... his Nikon FG!!!

So, Dad, thank you for such a great day! And happy father's day!

More June projects!

These are for Scraplovers!!!! We had the super cute Crafter's Workshop papers and templates to work with.... and man, oh man, were they ever generous with their product!!! http://www.thecraftersworkshop.com/ I absolutely love the versatility of their templates, and their papers are so bright and cheerful!!

In other news, we were on vacation last week on the Outer Banks of NC... we had great weather and a fabulous time as a family! My dh and fil went on a big fishing trip, and my fil caught a 70 lb. Cobia! They also caught several flounder that ended up becoming our dinner one night!

My dh also found out that his job is moving to St. Louis. We, however, are staying in Richmond. All of our family is here, and we have no interest in moving. So say some prayers for us that he can find a new job that he enjoys. It looks like I will have to go back to work full time, though :(.

June Scrapncircle Projects!!!

After I created these, I realize that I essentially made the same design for each!! But I still like them... LOL!!! Jeri gave me the wonderful MME Signature Life papers to work with!!

May Scraplovers Projects! (part 2!!)

I did a bit of stamping with this reveal! With the first layout, I actually made the green patterned paper with an ink dauber and by clear heat embossing of some flower images (Autumn Leaves and Paper Salon).

I had the privelege of working with more Prism, Queen and Company, and Scribble Scrabble!! Did I mention how wonderful Prism paper is to stamp on? And it takes color so well!!! And the Scribble Scrabble papers were so adorable and SO perfect for this picture, I was inspired to create this layout the very day I received the papers in the mail!

A little family fun...

We took the kiddos to Maymont Park on Saturday. They have a beautiful nature center, and the kids had a really good time! I think the otters were their favorite. My older dd was especially amused that one of them seemed to be playing with her! He kept doing flips right in front of her!

It's so nice to have a free resource like this in the area! I wanted to take some photos outdoors, too, but it was a bit too rainy, and I forgot a plastic bag to protect my camera!

One of the things...

about working for a Jewish nursing home is the culture. I love it. I'm a little Baptist girl (although not a conservative one), and I have a deep respect for the Jewish culture.

And working for such a home, the likelihood of meeting a Holocaust survivor is relatively high. I have met 3 in my life... all at the home. It's meeting a gem of human history when you meet a survivor.

I must admit that reading about the stuggles of survivors was an interest of mine in middle and high school. I read the Diary of Anne Frank and other accounts of what it was like to be Jewish and live through such awful times. I studied why WWII came about. I read about that unspeakable evil man and what he did.... to put it extremely mildly, it is frustrating to me that similar things are still happening around the world. (and if you recall US history correctly, we had our own concentration camps here during WWII, but singling out another group).

I am in awe of survivors. It is a great mark of their spirit and character to have endured what they did...

One resident in particular has had me thinking about this recently. He's an amazing man. So sweet... so likable... yet there's this thing always bothering him. It's always there... almost unspeakable for him. What do you say to someone who endured such horrible things? He talked briefly to me about how he survived. He simply became whatever tradesman they were looking for in the work camps. He had no clue how to be a bricklayer... or much else they were looking for, but he did them to survive. And just thinking about it brings him to tears.

I can't imagine being part of that or enduring all that he did. I don't know if my spirit would have been strong enough to live. To have been born in this country, relatively immune to persecution for what I believe... that's a gift. And it's also a gift that I have met great men like him to remind me of how lucky we all are.

May Scraplovers Projects!

These are from the first round for the month. We have the pleasure of working with Prism cardstock and Queen and Company products!!!

I really love the texture of the Prism cardstock. It has that nice orange peely texture on one side and smooth on the other. It's easy to stamp on, too!!! And the fact that they sell little accent color packs is great!

The Queen and Company sequins and brads are simply too cute for words. I love how they are packaged like make-up!!! Adorable!!!

TFL!!!

Remember 4-16-2007

I think I 'm finally ready to write about this.

Most of us who are in our thirties can relate to both the college kids and the parents... it's not too long ago that we were in college, with idealistic dreams, just coming to terms with who we really want to be as "real" adults. And all of those promising young lives cut short. I am deeply saddened by this.

Those kids were to go on to become successful contributors to society. Now there will be no fulfillment of dreams... no marriages to form... no children to be born... no more chances to tell the ones they loved that they do love them... no opportunity to realize that all of that hard work in college pays off.

As a parent, I also sympathize with the mothers... I would be completely heartbroken to lose my child in such a senseless way. Words can't describe what they must be feeling.

I wore maroon and orange today. It's such a small thing... but it made me feel better to show some outward sign of support for the victims, the survivors, and the families. It was nice to see others today who did the same, many of whom exchanged glances with me. Their eyes all said the same thing... that they were sad, too, but hoped for healing as well.

I will continue to pray for the vicitms, their families, and the survivors. God bless you all.

Have you seen this?

If you are a fellow Richmonder, you have to pick up a copy. I'm so proud of my friend Tisha... she does the most amazing work, and this is her photo on the cover! (you can link to Tisha's blog in the sidebar).

Kudos to you, my friend! You deserve all the best that comes your way!

In honor of the survivors...

of the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

A little background about this layout... this is an idea I've been mulling over for almost a year now. The idea was to capture that feeling you get when you celebrate the simple joy of living... and how wonderful life can be. With the recent tragedy so close to home, it took a new direction, becoming a quiet tribute to those who survived this horrific event and, for me, what I will try to take away from it and other similar events, like 9-11. It is in no way meant to discount the suffering so many have faced... or the answer to why it has happened. It is, however, a reflection of how precious our lives truly are, and the hope that those who have been affected can rebuild their lives.

The quote I have used for my layout is from John Mayer:"I am invincible... as long as I'm alive."(Cautiously celebratory of our gift of life...)

This is my third April project for Scraplovers.

Supplies:

Patterned papers and chipboard letter (Zsiage)http://store.scraplovers.com/zsg-z0205.htmlhttp://store.scraplovers.com/zsiage.htmlStamps (Stampin' Up)Inks (Colorbox, Ranger)Journaling pen (American Crafts)Cardstock (Nicole, Bazzill, DCWV)

Photo by Tisha McCuiston

April Scraplovers Projects!

This month, we have the pleasure of working with the awesomely unique products from Zsiage! Our theme this month is poetry/quotes, one of which must be incorporated into each of our pages.

The "welcome home" project was made by altering a 5 x 15 inch plaque from the Dollar Tree. I had so much fun painting and inking the Zsiage chipboard letters! The swirl is a foam stamp by Teresa Collins for Junkitz.

I love how the page about my cat turned out. The paper was just perfect for showing off my handsome old man!

April Scrapncircle Projects!

I had so much fun playing with the SEI "Such a Boy" paper line. Such beautiful colors with those aquas and terra cottas... it makes it a very versatile line! Perfect for beachy layouts! Thanks, Jeri, for challenging me with the boy papers! I always love how that makes me think outside the box!

Yay!

Well, first of all, we finally got my dd into the bathtub tonight, and she feels much better. She even wants to try to go visit at school tomorrow!

And another toot! This one for a photo for Simple Scrapbook's Focus on Photos column! It is scheduled to appear in the September/October 2007 issue!!!

As much as we try...

As much as we try to protect our kids from danger, accidents still happen. And I am so sad. My older dd broke her leg yesterday. She's only 5. And she cannot bear weight on her leg for at least 3 weeks. I did at least know to ask for a script for a wheelchair from the doctor today. Being a PT does come in handy sometimes. I called my favorite medical equipment provider, and we had the chair by this afternoon.

*sigh*

We spent several hours in the ER yesterday evening. The pediatric orthopod on call would not come in to cast it. By making us wait, he sent me the message that my child was not worth his time or effort to get up off of his butt and go to the ER to set it. He made her wait until today, but was expecting our call... or so he told the ER doctor. When I called the office this morning, he was not in today. It was a scheduled day off after being on call. The receptionist told me I must have been mistaken, not the doctor. (my discharge paperwork even has this info about the expected office visit on it!) Needless to say, I was more than a little PO'd..... the other pediatric specialist was in surgery. She told me I would have to wait another day. I told her no.... and asked her how she would feel if this were her child who was injured and in pain and a doctor had lied to her. She found another doctor who was willing to see my dd, but made it very clear to me what an inconvenience it was for her office, that I would have to wait a long time, and that we were being worked in. It was a complete fiasco!!! I asked her to tell me about any other orthopedic practices that had peds specialists, and she would not tell me. So, I stuck with them. They were fine in the office, and the doctor was nice, so I guess it all worked out. But I'm still feeling like a momma bear.....

She's in so much pain despite the pain meds. And I feel totally helpless in how to help her. I told her that I wished it had been me that broke my leg instead of her... and she told me that she wished that, too!!! LOL!!! Still a smarty pants, that kid!

So send my little girls some prayers and positive thoughts, will you? She really needs them!!!

You take the good with the bad....

So, the bad news, obviously, is that I did not get a call of any kind for HOF. *sigh*.... but I see some names of some truly talented folks on that list.... so kudos to them!!! It's been an exciting couple of days!!!

But, the good news (which really softened the blow!) is that Paper Trends wants to publish the shadow box I made for Scraplovers using Hambly products!!! Yay!!! It is by far my favorite project I have created thus far! Yay!!! My second pub with this family of publications! Even more fun? I will be in the SAME article with 2 of my fellow Scraplovers DT members!!!

So, I am happy! And grateful for another opportunity to have my work in print!

March project #3!

Our theme this month is inspirational women. So, I had to do a layout about my mom!!! Where would we be without them, right? My mom is special. I just wish I could spend more time with her! It seems like since I moved an hour away it is nearly impossible to coordinate our lives :(. I miss our shopping trips especially!

Patterned papers and brads from American Crafts. Bazzill cardstock.

Some days I just love my job!

I am a physical therapist, and I specialize in geriatric rehabilitation. I never thought I would end up in this specialty. I originally entered this field because of an interest in pediatrics. I swore I would never work in a nursing home, but the truth is, the most rewarding job I have ever had has been working for one!

I have an amazing patient right now who has suffered a stroke. He came to us just a week after the event. He has the significant advantage of not having suffered any cognitive deficits, but his affected leg was pretty much flaccid. In other words, little to no voluntary movement in that leg.

His first day with me, I made a point of walking with him. I have a few tricks I've learned in my years of practice for teaching someone how to walk who is paralyzed on one side. Well, he did it. And he did it well. He was so excited... and so was I. Those are the days PT's live for!!! He has now progressed from using a rail in the hallway to a large based quad cane. He has lots more movement in that leg... his progress is phenomenal, and I am so glad to be a part of it.

I guess the bigger challenge of working with this population is assisting those with dementia... especially those with significant issues, such as what you find with advanced Alzheimers. I have one patient now who is a retired Baptist minister. He just happened to go to the same seminary as my father. And I found a connection with him.... which is the key to helping these patients learn to trust me to help them. My breaking moment with him.... asking him what his favorite hymn is. He could tell me. And I told him mine. And he told his wife that they have some fine people working there....

I try my best to treat everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve. I imagine how I would want my own mother or father to be treated. And I pray that I never have to see them that way....

Sometimes the best toots in life are not scrapbook related. I am so lucky to have the job I have.

How ironic....

that while I was searching in my car for one of the latest and greatest inventions of the past couple of years (my bluetooth!), I came across some quite older technology.... one of my cassette tapes from my college years.
You know you made mix tapes from your CD's when you were younger, right? This one was my favorite. From 1994! I remember that I had put it in my car when I sold my little red Corolla last fall. It has songs from the Smiths, REM, the Cure, and bands I've even forgotten the name of.... each new one that played was like uncovering a long forgotten gem!!! I had fun listening to it again.... and it suddenly dawned on me. The only tape player I have now is in my Subaru!!! Once I get rid of that car, I will have no way to play it anymore!!!!
Hmmmm.... I wonder how many more years I can get out of my Subaru?

March project #2!

I bought this chalkboard from Big Lots months ago. I kinda forgot about it... but found it again the other day while searching for something else! I had this crazy idea about ribbon for the center of a flower, and I really like how it turned out.

More with the fabulous American Crafts products. Love these colors!!!

March project #1!

Here's my first of 2 projects for Scraplovers. We got some of the AWESOME papers and embellishments from American Crafts to work with, including those cute Thickers letters!!! Love those things!!!

Anyway, had to do a page about a girls' afternoon at Krispy Kreme. We call the doughnuts "hot nows." LOL!!! I don't know how often we will be going from now on with this change to a more organic lifestyle, but I'm sure we'll sneak a trip there every couple of months!