It Must be a Boy Thang

My bloggin’ buddy Becky D posted an entry today that reminded me of something similar that happened in our house. Go read her blog…she’s a funny girl.

A while back, I went to pour G a cup of milk and I noticed that it seemed chunky in the bottle, given the way it swished around. Smelled it…no, it wasn’t “that” kindof chucky, so I figured it was just a little frozen.

I should know by now to never assume that the most logical explanation is the actual truth…when you live with boys, Occam’s Razor does not apply.

So I poured his milk, assembled the cup and returned the “frozen” milk to the refrigerator.

Later on that night, I went back to the refrigerator to get more milk. It was still frozen. Only this time, there was less in there and it felt different.

Investigate further.

Two quarters, three nickels, a dime and three pennies.

Yes, that’s right. There was seventy eight cents in the bottom of the milk jug.

“Why?” you ask.

Well, believe you me, I asked every person under five feet tall in the house, “Why is there seventy eight cents in the bottom of the milk jug?”

G just laughed and asked for his milk.

Ju says “I dunno.” He looks guilty.

“Did you put the seventy eight cents in the milk jug?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Cause.”

“You realize that money is dirty and now we have to pour out the rest of the milk?”

“Can I have my money back?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Whyyyyyy?”

“Cause.”

I’m just curious. At what point does one decide “I think I’ll put my money in the milk jug.”? If someone could just explain this…

It must be a “boy thang” to put oddness in the refrigerator.

Thanks Becky. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who is amused and amazed at these creatures called boys.

Hi Daniel and Dubb!

Well, it's a good thing I've been on my best behavior here at the blog page. I found out today that my oldest younger brother and my best and only sister have been keeping an eye on it. Waving to Daniel and Deborah, affectionately referred to in my house as Unca Daniel and Unca Dubbie!

Heard the darndest thing while the boys were watching PBS today. An advertisement for PNC Financial, one of the sponsors of Sesame Street was touting it's "Grow Up Great" campaign with this slogan:

"Kids who are ready for school are ready for life."

Um...no. They aren't "ready for life". Apparently PFC has thrown one hundred million of it's dollars into this "ready for school" campaign, in an effort to begin preapreing children for education and educating before they even reach school age. In theory, maybe this sounds like a positive plan, but upon closer inspection, it looks suspiciously like another coporate effort to "handle and harrass" our children from the moment of birth.

I'm going to do some more reading about this but on the outset it reeks of the trend of thinking in American (liberal) academia that parents aren't capable or they shouldn't be bothered. By all means, let's leave child rearing and education preparations to the professionals. Yeah, that's the ticket.

(Gag!)

On a more scrappy note...I had a chance to run down to Hobby Lobby tonight. Found the Making Memories Cosmopolitan Collection Papers for half price. Pale blues, chocolate rowns and buttery yellows! Now that's yummy! I'm making cards tonight!!

Happy Saturday!!

For This I Blog

I felt like I was putting my soul out on the web as I blogged about Ju last night. It was kinda scarry...darn it, it was more scarry than I am used to. I was tempted several times to go back and delete the whole entry, but for some reason I didn't.

This morning in my mail came the encouraging words from several friends--mostly friends that I have the great blessing of knowing "in real life" but a few even from friends I've never met in person. Words of wisdom, a heaping dose of perspective and some thoughts that helped me realize my real mistake. A humble and deeply felt thank to each of you. I am honored to count such a wise group of women my friends.

My "validation" as a home schooling parent shouldn't have to come from my student. It comes from knowing that what I am doing for him is right and believing that this is the best way for him. No matter what the cost.

It's also possible that he doesn't realize that we are "doing school" because the home school situation is so drastically different than the traditional school situation he encountered for so long. Perhaps to him, it's not "school" at all. That makes total sense...especially when you consider that there wasn't much one-on-one directed learning happening with him at school...and now that's all he gets! (Well, pretty much.) This never entered my brain...but I really like the thought of it.

And lastly, it's not about me. (I'm hearing this a lot lately...maybe someday it will sink in.) The big IT is not me. It's outside me. What I do is not so much about me. It's about them. J, Ju, G and the rest of my family, the other people in my world...it's about seeking God's love and His wisdom. In Him do I live and breath and have meaning. Imagine that!

Thank you hardly seems adequate for the gifts of time and wisdom given to me today. But thank you.

Sarah

I haven’t blogged (who knew “blogged” was a verb?) in days because... well, because I didn’t want my blog to depress you. Sometimes life gets to me and I feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of it all. That’s the state of affairs I am in right now, so if you don’t want to read about it, I understand.

Two weekends ago we attended family camp with some families from our church. During the first meal at camp, we spent some time getting to know another family. The mother asked Ju “What grade are you in?”

He said “first”.

She then asked “Where do you go to school?”

“West Elementary” he said, with surprisingly clear enunciation.

My heart broke. Neither of these statements is true. He’s in the second grade and has been since August 2004 and he’s been home schooled since October 2004.

Since October 16 of last year, Ju and I have spent countless hours studying, reading, writing, counting, listening to music, creating artistic masterpieces, going to therapy and gym class and field trips and a hundred other things involved in home schooling a second grader. I’ve all but given up my hobby and a fledgling business and I don’t remember the last time I read something non-school related. I’ve made worksheets at 1 in the morning, reviewed curriculum until I just can’t read about it anymore for fear my eyes are going to become cartoon swirls… and I’ve read Firefighters A-Z so many times I can recite it from memory.

And still, he thinks he’s in the first grade at West Elementary.

We’ve had countless discussions about home schooling and why we no longer attend West Elementary. He doesn’t understand. I get that. He may never fully understand that his teachers and the people who were supposed to be helping him had given up on him. He may never understand that I could not allow them to bus him to a school 65 miles from my home where there would be no peer modeling of proper behavior and normal learning skills for him because 100 percent of the children in the school were facing challenges and disabilities of their own. He may never understand that the people involved in his education at school didn’t care for him nearly as much as he cared for them. He may never understand that we decided to home school because we want the best for him and we no longer had a reason to believe that school was giving him the best opportunities to learn.

There are hundreds of parts of his story that he may never understand fully…but I thought he had the basics. I thought that after many conversations, he understood that he’s in the second grade and he is a home school student.

Apparently, I was mistaken.

I know in my head that this is not a rational hurt. He’s a little boy. He doesn’t understand his mother’s feelings. I am fully aware of his short-comings and one of them is the ability to attach facts to answer questions. Current truth has little relevance to Ju. It’s part of dealing with changes that throws him for a loop.

It’s just another in a long line of misunderstood facts that I have to correct him on every day. But it still hurt.

This decision to home school has impacted our entire family. It’s probably been the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted to do, even though Joal helps on a daily basis. Doing the same thing every day is something that drives me to the edge of insanity. I know in my heart it is the right choice for us but carrying it our everyday is a huge, sometimes daunting, challenge.

It hurt that after all this, he still won't, can't or just doesn’t acknowledge the changes we’ve faced and come thru.

It just hurt.
It still hurts.
Sometimes being the mommy hurts.

So Not Me

This is so not me. I rarely carry a purse. And certainly not a pink one. And even more certainly not one that cost more than about $20.

But I've been bitten. I love this bag. It's a Harvey's Authentic Seatbelt Bag. It's made of pink woven seatbelt and lined in pink flight-suit satin (um, can you imagine the flight suit that was supposed to be made of this satin?).

It's adorable. It's girlish and cute without being fragile. I like the black version too, but the pink one is *it*. It's not me at all...but it could be, right?

This is the kind of outrageous creativity that I want. When you look at a seatbelt, so you see a purse? I certainly don't. Maybe that's why I like it so much.

Sam’s Song

Grass is always greener on the other side
The search is never over in the pastures of my mind
Is the meaning of happiness drowning in smiles
Or that dreadful world I left behind?
O Lord grant the grace to accept who I am
Who I am, that You have designed

I know there’s a plan that you have up your sleeve
Rabbi, teach me the faith to believe
It’s the only way my life will ever make sense to me.

Words and Music by Sam Mizell
Recorded by Chris Rice on “Deep Enough to Dream”
1997 Rocketown Records

Bob and Ice Cube

Meet Bob and Ice Cube!

This was J's creative writing assignment from yesterday. Here's the translations:

Bob and Ice Cube are snails. They live in a pipe. There is water in the pipe. Bob and Ice Cube like to eat fish. Fish like to eat snails. Bob and Ice Cube hide from the fish.

Doris Made Me Do It!

“* embrace your scrapping "vices" and find your "style"...”

Above is a Tuesday Tip from Doris …”embrace your scrapping vices”! Indeed! Now there’s a concept I can get into! I have no trouble at all defining my scrapbooking standards! Some call it a rut, I call it knowing what I like and having a well-defined personal style. :)

Here’s my list of scrapbooking vices:

• ribbon, of course
• striped paper
• torn and/or inked edges
• brads
• almost never anything crooked or at an angle
• prominently-featured journaling
• less than 3 photos, usually just one
• tags (different shapes and sizes)
• odd or at least attention-grabbing, not-the-obvious titles
• texture…especially thru textiles ie ribbons, fabrics and threads
• poetry or quotes
• hand journaling on vellum
• squares
• stamping
• things in threes
• lots of blues and reds
• not enough flowers for my liking
• Bazzill textured cardstock
• not many traditional events
• use of songs (lyrics and/or titles)

Here are three things I’d like to use more of and add into my “standards”:

• more photos of myself (I know, how vain…but there really aren’t that many)
• better photos, in general
• more sewing (by hand or by machine)

So, tell me, what are your scrapping vices and what would you like to do more of?

Breaking News
For Immediate Release

Sherwin Williams paint company has announced today that it is teaming up with Whitehall-Robins Healthcare (the makers of Robitussin Cough Syrups) to create a new line of paint and home décor products. This new line of paint and products for the home will be available in the fashionable yet somewhat mild shade of pink…the same shade of the famous Robitussin products.

“We have conducted extensive market research and have found that our soothing pink cough syrup color is just what the doctor ordered for sparking up boring white kitchen décor. This new concept in decorating began with a young painter in Nashville, Tennessee. It was reported recently that he received great enjoyment when he used our actual cough syrup to paint his mothers kitchen. This young man is leading us to an un-tapped market and a new use for our products.”

When asked why he chose to paint a large section of the kitchen cabinets with cough syrup the little Nashvillian, a short man of few words, said simply “Stick--y.” Then he laughed heartily.

A Whitehall-Robins spokeswoman noted that one of the major selling points of the new cough syrup paint product is not only its pink color but also its poignant smell and water-resistance. “It also traps flys and dust.” she noted.

It’s not clear at this time when cough syrup paint will be available locally.

__________________________
The above is purely fiction. Sometimes writing fiction can be a way to cope with crazyness and imagine that there’s usefulness in the irritations of life.

PS Well, OK, it's not totally fictional. It's based in truth. G painted my cabinets with a bottle of Robitussin this morning. I can attest to the flies and dust comment. And the smell really clears the nasal passages.

Lessons from a Two Year Old

G is becoming increasingly independent these days. Sometimes it’s amusing to watch him standing on the doorstep of boyhood, learning something new every moment of the day. Sometimes, I admit, it’s annoying when he’s so intently focused on doing something independently without regard to safety, right or wrong or time.

And then there are times that are divinely inspired to teach his parents a lesson.

Today, j went outside to play first thing. After G finished breakfast he wanted to go outside too. I got him dressed and sat him on the sofa to wait while I went to find his shoes and socks. This is pretty much a daily occurrence, so he understood the plan.

While I was tracking down the shoes, he goes over to the back door and starts pulling on the handle, wailing as only a boy in distress can, sounding pathetic. He said “side” for “outside” and in his exuberant wailing the one-syllable word was stretched to unlimited proportions. “Go siiiiiiiiiiiide!” he kept on wailing.

When I found the shoes and socks, I returned to the sofa. “Shoes and socks first, G, then you can go.”

“No” he says, now approaching mad. He crosses his small arms across his chest and drops his head to mope. (Both my boys are masters at moping.) He’s not big enough to open the door and now he’s just mad at the world for obviously conspiring against him.

“Come’mere and I’ll help you.” I said, holding out the shoes. I know that he understands that after he gets his shoes on he can go out.

“No.” he says again, defiantly, punctuating his declaration with a foot pounding against the floor.

I set the shoes and socks on the sofa and went to the kitchen to take care of other things. For a solid five minutes he pouted, right there at the door, seeing his brother playing outside but unable to join him because of his lack of shoes and inability to open the door himself. He fussed a bit…in words only G understands but it was obvious to everyone around (me) that he was complaining and ranting. He may not know the proper words to use but he is a master of gestures and inflection. Frustration is somewhat universal, I guess.

Finally, after a few minutes of ranting, he decided just maybe there was a more productive course of action to be had. (Ya think?)

He went over to the sofa and picked up his shoes and socks. He brought them to me in the kitchen, sat them at my feet, plopped himself down beside them and looked up at me with a slight measure of humility.

I gave him my attention and squatted down in front of him.

“Hope me?” he said simply. (Hope=help)

“Please?” I said.

“Peas hope me.” he said.

Of course I did. He was calmed and willing to comply with the plan of socks, shoes, outside, in order.

As I opened the door and let him outside, I was struck by the thought that this scenario plays out in my walk with God in much the same way. I get impatient with His plan for me and my family. I get an independent streak. I try to do things on my own and usually end up crying over it. I stomp my foot and wonder why things conspire against me. I pace and pout. I get angry and depressed. I kick the door I can not open by myself.

Then finally, when I am exhausted and spent, and emotionally drained, I finally go the Father, as a last resort, and say “Hope me.”

Why is that?

Discovery is Home

Three little words.
Three amazing words.
Three words for which Americans and the world are very grateful.

Discovery is Home.

Blog Stickers

I happened across the coolest blog toy tonight. It's www.blogstickers.com It's an auto generator for blog stickers. Check out the ones others have made or make your own.

Cool, huh?

What is CKU?

Opps, sorry Debby.

CKU is scrapbooker-speak for Creating Keepsakes University.

Creating Keepsakes is one of the largest scrapbooking magazines. CKU is a weekend gathering of scrapbookers attending classes taught by the personalities of the magazine (some refer to them as sb celebs). Many are book authors, product designers, and company “faces”, beyond just the work they do for the magazine.

In the past, it’s been a three day event (Thursday-Saturday) and involved ten classes of your choice, nightly crops and one night of mini-classes and make-and-takes conducted by the corporate sponsors (usually different supply manufacturers). There are usually around 600 attendees and these events sell out within minutes of the opening of registration.

Last year, CKU came to Nashville for the first time and was held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort. In March of this year, CKU-Masters for advanced scrappers was held at Opryland. Masters is the same plan, only it involves supped-up classes for really intense experience. Registration for the event ranges from $300 to $400, depending on the event. Your registration includes all your classes, crops and activities. It does not include hotel, airfare/transportation costs or food.

Unlike a convention, shopping is not a featured activity. It’s a more educational event. However, in many cities, the local scrapbook stores run shuttles from the CKU hotel to their stores for scrapbookers to make use of during the weekend. So there is some shopping to be had…it’s just not on-site. There is a small event shopping area for purchasing CKU merchandise, books, limited supplies, t-shirts, etc.

You can read more about CKU on the web.

Here are some othe information sources:

Nancy's Inside Guide to Surviving and Thriving at CKU

Nancy's CKU Class Review

Nancy's CKU Class Review Part 2

A TwoPeas thread with random comments about the CKU experience

Bad Apple Christians

I don’t usually get too preachy on my blog…although preaching is in my genes, it’s definitely not my gift. However, today, I have a single thought to share.

If you are going to be a Christian, be a good one.

Be the best, in fact, because if you are not, you cost the rest of us deep grief. You (We) are an ambassador of Christ, like it or not, especially if you (we) wear the title of Christian openly. Bringing disgrace to the family name is not something I want to be guilty of, although at times I have. Know that those around you (us) are watching you (us), some openly, some with quick glances and some with only short glimpses into your (my) character. But they are watching and noticing and you (we) are reflecting Christ (positively or negatively) in all that you (we) do.

For some reason, perhaps divine, I keep running into people who have been completely and thoroughly turned off to the gospel by their observations of and encounters with what I have come to call “bad apple” Christians. I think bad apple Christians do the worst kind of damage to the name of Christ and the Kingdom. In this case, one bad apple really can spoil the whole bunch.

Jesus takes a dim view of half-hearted bad apples:

I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold; you're not hot -- far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit." (Revelation 3:15-16; The Message)

There is no half way.

So, we should probably start saving now...

Rumors are a-flyin' about the CKU 2006 locations...apparently both Chicago and Atlanta are on the lists. So, girls, what's it gonna be? Tracie, Carla, Sabrina, Leigh Ann,...everybody?? Chicago late March or Atlanta in late July? Or are we going to wait an see if there are any other locations announced in the next few weeks...err, like maybe Nashville?? (Last year, location announcements trickled in...)

I need to cross reference the trade show schedule with the CKU schedule before I decide...oh yeah, and I should probably consult my husband and my checkbook as both will see this as a pretty big deal.

Chicago
Atlanta
Chicago
Atlanta
Chicago
Atlanta

I Love this Daddy

Finally!!

Finally!!

Oh man. What a day! My DH stayed home from work today to complete some administrative tasks he’s been asked to do. Normally, he’s out the door just before 7 and we don’t talk until about ten thirty am. It takes me a while to wake up and get things going…so it’s better for us not to talk much in the morning. (Momma is not a morning person.)

So, today was his day to stay home. I would have been ok with that but for one tiny flaw in the plan. He had to type 15 pages of revisions for a company manual.

He had to type.
On *my* computer.
In *my* space.
All day.

Consequently, I was a basket-case. I know, it’s odd. I love him. We share our whole lives together. Why does it bother me so much that he’s on my computer in my space? It bugged me all day. I couldn’t get past it for love nor money. I was antsy and snippy all day. I felt like I was being invaded. I have my piles arranged a certain way, my tools and scrapping supplies spread hither and yon…and my chair adjusted to suit my legs, which are considerably shorter than his. I had to make myself go upstairs and try to forget that he was using my computer. I was a nervous wreck.

He did his thing.
He tried not to move too many things around.
He asked for help saving files and sending emails.
He left me a little thank you on a post-it when he was done.

Yet, here I sit, trying to catch up on a whole days worth of email and blog-reading and now writing and I still can’t explain it.

Around four this afternoon I was reaching my limit so j and I went to a movie. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was still matinee time so the tickets for the two of us cost $11.50. I was so distracted and out-of-sorts by the computer invasion, I let j talk me into a hot dog, a popcorn and two drinks. The bill…$14.75! Moly Cow!! What a ripoff! The crappy food cost more than the movie tickets! I feel totally bad now about being wasteful with the money. It was stupid. We won’t be doing that again. Ever!

The movie was OK. I have seen the original about 42 times as has j. I was surprised by how closely this one compared to the original. The story line has some changes but not many. The worst part was Johnny Depp, who plays the eccentric (to put it mildly) Willy Wonka. Oh man, was he creepy! Freekishly creepy. I was thoroughly disappointed in the Oompa Loompa songs…or should I say the lack of them. There were only a couple and very modern. They lacked the memorable sing-able quality that is so endearing in the first one.

On the way to the movie we stopped at a clothing consignment sale. I scored G a nice winter coat for $4. I was planning to shop some more but j was antsy…and there were several people trying to shop in the little boys 2T-4T section. Anyway, I’m happy with the good deal on the coat. (I love consignment sales.)

I’m contemplating building a table. Now before you go thinking “What is she thinking??” you should know that my father is a furniture builder. I’ve been around the furniture making and finishing process my whole life. True…I’ve never done it myself…but that’s why I think I might try it. See, I have this design for a table in my head that I can not find anywhere.

Some of you already know that we have a great room on one end of our house. It was a two car garage at one time but the former owner closed it in and finished it. It was one of the major buying points of the house for me. It now houses my scrap space and our school space, as well as the laundry and 4 closets.

I have a dream of a table for this room. It’s mammoth in size, solid as a rock and very rough-hewn. Probably oak or some other hardwood. Something with knots and chinks and dents and lots of grain. Stained but not glossy-finished. I want this table to be used constantly and to show its use and age through the next few decades. Four feet wide. Ten feet long. Big, honkin’ table. A new-old place to share meals with many, a place to scrap and stamp and school and build memories and share relationships. A place for holidays and everyday. I long for a place of warmth, filled with family and friends and the beauty of everyday life. A rustic heirloom farm table on steroids, if you will.

I put a message on one of the local homeschool lists that I am searching for a furniture builder and got a bunch of leads back. I’m torn tho. It’s going to cost a fortune if I have it done by a builder. Some of the websites of the artisans provided showed high-gloss contoured and decorative designs. Those are wonderful (believe me I can appreciate what goes into a fine piece of furniture) but that’s not what I want.

Anyway, J is not really *up* on the idea of me doing this. And he’s not feeling too confident in his own ability to craft such a beast. So, I don’t know how to proceed. If you have ideas…please share.

I have one more thing left to do tonight. I have to fill out the paperwork to obtain my very own passport. Yes, I guess this makes our spring cruise plans official. As of the end of the second quarter (April-June) J is the number 5 salesman in his company. The top ten salespeople (and their spouses) and some others will be cruising to the Caribbean in February 2006. I am trying not to get my hopes up too high…sales can be a tricky business if the wrong pressure is added…but I really want to go. I’m imaging all sorts of exotic things to photograph and yes, I’ve already looked…one of the islands has a scrapbook store. LOL!

Four Baths/the Discovery of the Decade/Ebay, the Evil/a Word from Steven

Four Baths Today
Count them.
Four baths in one single day.
It’s a wonder he’s not permanently prune-y!!

The first one was at 7 am because he woke up with a not-so-pleasant diaper. The second one came at 11:15 am after he dumped a cup of juice down the front of his body. Can you say "sticky"? The third one came at 3:30 pm after playing outside with his older brother. Big brother boy thought it would be funny to pour his bottled water into the dirt and they both squished the resulting mud all up and down their arms. Then, of course, g wiped something off his face, inadvertently schmere-ing mud from one side of his face to the other and up to his forehead. The fourth and final bath happened after dinner. We had chicken pot pie and let’s just say, manners are not yet his forte’. He hasn’t mastered the direct route from bowl to mouth via the spoon yet.

I have found it.
The Discovery of the Decade.
The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

How did I live my life without this gift from heaven? Seriously. I wish they came in larger quantities…like maybe by the dozen! Little boy babies should be born with one of the boogers strapped to their bodies!

Get one! Fast. You'll thank me.

Ebay, the Evil
Sarah, the Stupid.

I enjoy ebay and have for a long time. I’m normally very careful about shopping there and have always had good experiences.

Until now.

I did a stupid thing last week and to be honest, I am ashamed to tell you…but I am hoping that if I confess, I’ll feel better about it and move on. We’ll see. I have been wanting to amp up my stamping ink pad collection. With this in mind, last week I found a woman on Ebay selling 2 sets of 4 ink pads (brand new) in my favorite brand for the starting bid of $2 per set and low shipping. I watched them carefully for a while and by 5 hours before the auction end, no one else had bid on them. I realize that waiting till the last minute to bid is a popular technique but because she had a low feedback count, I thought perhaps bidders were not going to be numerous.

There were four auctions from this one woman that I really wanted. Two were the sets of four ink pads. The other 2 were individual specialty ink pads, priced well under their new retail price. I bid on all four auctions after asking if she would combine the shipping charges. My thinking was I would get the ink pad sets I really wanted, and since I was getting a package from her anyway, I would bid on the other two individual pads as well. The prices were very low and even if I didn’t like the specialty pads, at least I would have the experience of using them for myself. (Isn’t justification a beautiful thing?)

Wouldn’t ya know it? Someone else bid on three of the auctions at the very last minute.

So, fun, fun, fun…I got stuck winning *one* of the single pad auctions that I didn’t really even want. To make matters even worse, I “won” the ink pad for a price of $1 but of course, shipping is $2.75! So, I had to pay $3.75 for a $6 ink pad I didn’t even really want!

Stupid!
Stupid!
Stupid!

I should not be allowed to ebay after midnight…and no, for the record, confessing did not make me feel better.

A Word from Steven Curtis Chapman

“…time and time again Scripture reminds us that God only gives grace to the humble and the needy. His grace is most visible when our need is most obvious.”

My need for God’s grace is going to be glaringly obvious in the near future. (Well, it’s always glaringly obvious…but it’s about to get even more obvious.) We are, as a family, going to attend “Family Camp” with a group of about 20 families from our church.

To explain this dire situation…let’s just say that I am not a “camper”. I’m a hotel-with-clean-sheets-fresh-towels-and-room-service girl. This has to be the ultimate confirmation of what happens to a girl when she lives with too many boys for too long. J I don’t really remember agreeing to this “adventure”…but my signature is on the check so I guess I did.

It truly will be an outdoor boy-lovin’ three days and I am trying to look at the bright side. I won’t have to cook meals or clean up after them for three days. And um…yeah, well, that’s about the best part. For that, I will spend my days outside, in the heat, swimming, hiking, rope-climbing…well, OK, watching them rope-climb, playing ball, and all manner of other sweat-inducing "fun" tasks. Somehow, I think I’d rather make a few lunches.

I keep chanting to myself…the boys will love it, the boys will love it. The boys better love it. Hopefully, next year it will be a father/sons event!

Happy Wednesday!

PS Go check out Stacey Kingman's Blog. She has the prettiest picture of her kitchen window garden posted on her entry from 7/28. It's beautiful! She's another member of the mom-to-boys-homescooling-scrapbooker club who's blog I stalk.

Hop on Pop!!

Could there be a more perfect title for this photo? I just don't think so. Thanks, Dr. Seuss!

For being a creative bunch, well, they aren't thinking very creatively...

Peas.

You can never quite get a handle on what to expect from the veggie group.

SEI's new lines of paper are, for the most part, taking a hit from the peas on this thread. Very few people seem to like the newest offerings from SEI...three paper lines called Fruit Stand, Kaboom and Spring (although most peas didn't comment on Spring.)

Peas are generally well-endowed when it comes to thinking creatively. Most are up for the challenge of pushing the scrapbooking envelope...and do it regularly. I guess that's why I was somewhat surprised to see so many peas claiming they can't see the value of thes two paper lines.

I, for one, think that both lines are pretty cool. Very SEI-ish. SEI is, afterall, known for living on the edge. They were linear before linear became hot. I like that SEI is growing and experimenting with fun designs as well as continuing their lofty traditions of stripes, circles and linear designs.

Kaboom is brown-based...I love anything brown lately. How very 1972 is that? I happen to think 1972 was an excellent year...LOL!

Fruit Stand is different from anything else we've seen lately. It almost has a stamped feel to it. The colors are good and I think it will have as many card uses as scrapbook uses. The stamp companies (PSX, Hero, Stampin' Up and Close to my Heart) have been offering a variety of fruity stamps for many years. I'm glad to see fruity paper coming around finally.

I think it's all in how you look at new paper. The SEI website shows some cool layouts using their new products. I hope that sparks something. I, for one, can't wait to try my hand at Fruit Stand and Kaboom.

Godspeed Discovery

My Dad is a flyer. He served in the Air Force many years ago and learned to fly there. Now he's an occasional hobbyist pilot, but as with many things, once flying is in your blood, it's there to stay.

My first flight was at the ripe old age of six weeks...and I think it infected me for good. I love to fly. Had I money to blow, (and the kids were older) I'd learn to fly myself.

I think this love of flying contributes to more than a passing interest in NASA and the Space Shuttle. I remember the first space shuttle launch I ever watched. It was riveting, even tho I didn't fully understand it. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news that Challenger had exploded. I was in the eighth grade, in the cafeteria having lunch. One of my classmates worked in the office during the period before lunch. He had heard the news on the radion while working in the office and told me at lunch. The media had made an extremely big deal out of this particular mission because Christa McAuliffe was on board...the first school teacher in space.

I remember the disappointment and hurt when Columbia was lost. It seemed like we had already lost enough...why again?

So, today, I share deeply America's concern for Discovery. Watching and waiting. Thinking of the family members of the astronauts, for whom this is going to be a very long week. Praying for a safe and event-free return flight next Monday.



These are the pre-flight interviews of the Discovery shuttle crew. Read them. They are always amusing and enlightening.

The families of the explorers lost in the Columbia explosion a little more than two years ago made this statement:

"As NASA prepares to launch the Shuttle Discovery, we, the Columbia Families, would like to show our support for the STS-114 crew and all the dedication and talent of those who supported this Return to Flight effort. We have had two and one half years to reflect daily on the loss of our loved ones as the Shuttle Columbia (STS 107) broke apart over Texas on February 1, 2003. "

"In the aftermath of the Columbia tragedy we saw our nation's space program reinvent itself. The extraordinary efforts of local, state and national organizations involved in the recovery effort, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, the Return to Flight Task Group and all the NASA and aerospace industry workforce implementing the Return to Flight effort have clearly done an exemplary job in defining and reducing the technical risk as much as possible. As the families of Apollo 1 and Challenger before us, we grieve deeply but know the exploration of space must go on. We hope we have learned, and will continue to learn, from each of these accidents, so that we will be as safe as we can be in this high risk endeavor."

"As important as solving the technical risk is, we must be vigilant to ensure the organizational and cultural issues that contributed to Apollo, Challenger, and Columbia are forever remembered. Under the leadership of the new NASA Administrator, we have every confidence that the sacrifice of our loved ones and those that preceded them will be realized for the benefit of all humankind."

"Godspeed Discovery."

Indeed. Godspeed Discovery. You are America's Modern day Explorers of the final frontier.

Post-its of Wisdom {or Contrasts and Contradictions}

I’m not a pearls kinda girl.
I’m more of a Post-its kinda girl.
So we are going to call this “Post-its” of wisdom.
OK.

Post-it One:
Did anyone notice that it was hot today? Hmm. Yeah. 90 something degrees. You know you are in the south when the “humidity index” is announced at the same time as the temperature.

“Currently, it’s a smoldering 96 degrees outside, with the humidity index of one hundred and three.”

And if you happen to be outside when you hear this information…you look at the radio and say “Duh”.

I spent most of my growing up years in central Mississippi. You don’t know hot and icky until you’ve been there in mid-August. It rains almost every day for about 15 minutes. The rain hitting the pavement creates steam hot enough to cook veggies. There’s a reason the people in Mississippi move slower than the rest of the population. It’s because of August. In August, you sweat in the shower. Mississippians loose a whole month because it’s so darn hot you just don’t want to move. Humidity clogs up the brain and makes work of mundane tasks such as blinking. Tennessee has a little humidity, yes, but it’s not the same. Heat tolerance is about the only good thing that came from growing up a Mississippi girl.

August is also the reason that sweet tea should be served in Mason jars…or at the very least, a glass glass. Sweet tea in a plastic or Styrofoam cup should be criminal. Plastic just doesn’t have the same effect when placed against the forehead in August. It’s just wrong.

Post-it Two:
I had some friends over Friday night to crop…tho we don’t usually get much actual cropping done. We were discussing blogs and I arrived at this conclusion: People who have nothing more to talk about in their blog space than the weather really bug me. Really. Work the kinks out of the brain cells, surf around a bit until you can come up with something interesting to discuss other than the weather. We all have weather. We all know about the weather. It’s July/August. It’s likely hot wherever you are.

Yes, it’s your blog and you can write about whatever you want…but don’t expect me to read about the weather. Unless maybe you are vacationing in some exotic tropical locale.

BTW, thanks for continuing to read my hum-drum about the weather in Post-it One. You are a better blog-reader than me. That will, I promise, be the one and only time I ever mention the weather on my little blog space. (Now you see what I mean about "Contradictions"!)

Post-it Three:
I don’t, as a rule, gush over famous people. Celebrity holds very little appeal to me. In fact, celebrity status often annoys me. I prefer realness over image. People are people...What’s that quote about being famous? Something like “Being famous doesn’t make you special. Being special makes you special.”

For example, you won’t see me linking my blog to 42 celebrity scrapping blogs—the same 42 blogs that every other blog is linked to. It’s a “thing” with me. Probably a “thing” that could use some counseling over…but a “thing” nonetheless. I like my real-life friends and some pea-scrapbookers I truly admire (some published, some not), without regard to their status in the industry.

This is probably also the reason that I don’t like much popular music. I prefer artists who make me think rather than just give me a half-baked, backwards-rhyming lyric that sticks in my head. Give me substance over a pretty face any day. There’s grittiness and realness to artists who haven’t “made it” professionally. Polish and seamlessness doesn’t work for me. Give me George Canyon over Garth Brooks…any day of the week.

But I digress…

Given my general lack of admiration for celebrity, just for the sake of celebrity-status, it may surprise you to know that I’m sold hook, line and sinker for one of the hottest names in scrapbooking right now--a new author named Donna Downey. DD just may be among the coolest chicks on the planet. I know some pretty cool people in real life…and I don’t really know her other than by her work…but still, I’m pretty sure if I had the chance to know her, she’d make my “too-cool-for-school” list.

Here’s why! In the dedication of her book “Photo Décor” (published by Simple Scrapbooks) she wrote this:

“The best ideas are those spoken freely, impulsively, and bounced around amongst friends.”

Everyone needs a friend with whom you can share your ideas freely without wondering if that person thinks you’ve lost it. Generosity and honesty are qualities I look for in friends and are the same qualities I want to have with my friends. If I can’t trust you with my ideas (and vice versa), how can you call me a friend?

But wait. There’s another Post it of Wisdom from Donna’s other book, “Creative Albums”:

“Consider this your chance to cut loose. Have fun, be creative, go wild. Drive your family crazy. Change, alter, or modify these projects to suit your whims. But above all, these scrapbooks are meant to be displayed and handled often. They invite people to touch and look through them, and that’s the best part. These aren’t museum displays—they should be dog-eared, threadbare, banged up and well-worn after six months. If they’re not, you should be inviting more people over for a visit.”

Now there is an idea I can really latch on to. I live with boys. Boys = dirt. Why didn’t I think of this? Dirty hands are a part of my real life. A very big part. So here’s my new motto: “A well-worn scrapbook is a well-loved scrapbook.”

Post-it Four:
I’ve heard this song a thousand times but today I really heard it, as if for the first time.

Silently Going Under
Words and Music by Wes King and Mitch King

Silently going under
Quietly going down
Longing for shallow water
Desperate for solid ground

She once went to parties
Played Ken and Barbies
And the flag was red, white and blue
Her mom bought her dresses
Cleaned up her messes
And some things she never outgrew
But she knew what she wanted to do

She’s silently going under
Quietly going down
Longing for shallow water
Desperate for solid ground

Now the picture has faded
And bright hues have shaded
And she wonders what was it she knew
The TV’s persuading
And she’s hesitating
For someone to help her get through
As of now she hasn’t a clue

She’s silently going under
Quietly going down
Longing for shallow water
Desperate for solid ground
Jesus said my yoke is easy
And my burden is light

He quietly reaches under
Graciously reaches down
He pulls you to shallow water
Puts you on solid ground

If you’re silently going under
He’ll put you on solid ground
If you’re silently going under
Let Him put you on solid ground.

© Locally Owned Music, Inc. (BMI)

Diggin' the card experience...

Last post for the evening..the treadmill is calling my name. Mocking me, really...but that's another post.

I made cards last night/this morning while cropping with friends. We had a great time (I think) and I actually made some progress on my cards. Finished up this morning. (Thanks Carla for finding the quote...it's perfect!)

Here's the Green/Yellow Version:


and here's the Pink/Green Version:



Patterned Paper is by Flair Designs
Stamps are by La Pluma

Sometimes Love is really expensive...

My son, j is 9. He has encountered some developmental and spatial issues that have, so far, prevented him from being able to learn to ride a bike. We have purchased two bikes in the past three years and have spent countless hours coaching him on how to ride, but without much success. After many tries, he became frustrated to the point of tears and gaves up. Each time, the bikes met their demise, first in a wreck or two and then finally serving as the plaything for his alter ego, Destructo-Man. Luckily, we didn't spend too much on them...the first one was new from Target. The second was used and discovered by Dad at a pawn shop.

It bothers him that he can't ride a bike. He sees our neighborhood kids zooming up and down the streets of our neighborhood on their bikes and he feels the sting of being left out. Sometimes he talks about it. Sometimes he withdraws quietly to brood about it. As the mother bear, I hate that. I can't begin to put into words how much I hate that. I don't want him to feel that way, especially about something that should be so easily overcome.

So, recently I've been on a hunt for a way to solve this problem. The challenge is that he is unable to maintain balance on a bike and he can't seem to learn to look forward to where the bike is going while continuing to peddle. If he's peddling, he's watching his feet. (Thus, the multiple wrecks because the trees neglected to get out of his way.)

After some searching I found this young adult trike. The Trailmate Low Rider. How cool is that? It has three wheels but doesn't look "grandfatherly" in the coolness department like many of the other three-wheeled machines. It has a hand brake and best of all, since it's a recumbent cycle, his feet would be streatched out in front of him, so glancing from feet to horizon wouldn't be such a bi-directional experience.

I think this would work. Or rather, I *thought* it would work until I called the recommended local bike shop for a price.

$700.

Wow! It must do housework and wash the cars as well. As J would say..."Moly Cow, Moma!"

Seven hundred dollars. I've had cars that didn't cost that much.

We're definately going to have to continue the search and give this more thought.

Ads - the good and the "what were they thinking"...

Advertisements get my attention.
Always have.
Especially print ads.
I am especially drawn to scrapbook supply ads (I know, you are shocked!) ...like this one from KI Memories, in the front of PaperKuts. Message received loud and clear! It's all about the ribbon! Very cool ribbon.



However, this pseudo-ad in CK for Heidi Swapp's book on handwriting left a little to be desired, in my opinion. The page shown is stunningly beautiful! There's no surprise there. Heidi's work is known far and wide for being unique and artistic. She does have an amazing way with writing.

But the ad copy...what were they thinking??


In case you can't read the short paragraph to the right of the layout, here's the first line of the text:

"To help journaling show up clearly, use dark inks instead of light colors."

Um. OK. Thanks for that enlightenment. Is this really what should be classified as a "new idea"?

I'm looking at the layout and I can easily think of several other handwriting tips that this layout could have been used to illustrate...all much more informative and usful than "use dark inks".

I really like Heidi Swapp's work and her ideas and I know that this in no way reflects on the quality of the book she's written...but I think CK dropped the ball on this one.

It's Alliterative!

I’ve been thinking about names lately. I think people with alliterative names (first and last names that start with the same letter) have it really cool.

Ansel Adams
David Duchovney
Ben Bradlee
Peter Parker (aka Batman)
Donald Duck
Mickey Mouse
Cassius Clay
Lisa Leslie
Matthew McConnahey
Robin Roberts
Ronald Reagan
Lennox Lewis
Helen Hunt
Courtney Cox
Rebecca Rominjn
Harry Hamlin
Hugh Hefner
William Wordsworth
Mike Myers
Travis Trit
Tamika Tyler

While I was assembling my list, I ran across this article on Yeah Baby.com that says that perhaps alliteration is a shortcut to definite stardom. Apparently, alliteration makes a name stick in the brain and roll off the tongue with ease. I can see that.

There are a few alliterative names in the scrap community…

Donna Downey
Christina Cole
Brittany Beattie
Brenda Birrell
Bazzil Basics (ok well technically not a person…but still well-loved)
Sherri Steveson
Leslie Lightfoot
Marianne Madsen
Michael Miller
Making Memories

So, I guess if I had wanted to be a star, I should have stuck with the plan I devised in Kindergarten to marry the boy with the long hair named Matt Sanders.

Can we say "Road Trip"!

Textile Nirvana

From the pictures that's really what they should have named Britex Fabrics in San Francisco. A Pea, May, aka chocoholic pea , wrote about it on her blog a few days ago. (Scroll down about half way for the entry.) She so blessed to be able to visit in person! What a beautiful, inspiring place that must be.

Make sure you browse to the third story to see this! Oh my!!

So, how far is it to San Francisco? Who wants to go?

Twenty Yards of Grosgrain Striped Bliss

Isn't it beautiful?

Negativity Fades

OK, I let my passion for the good of this hobby run away with me in the wee hours of the morning. No more blog space devoted to negitivity, okay.

I am in deep like with these stickers:



I don't usually go for too many stickers...but these are so cool. They are made of thick vellum so they have a semi-transparent feel and the colors are vibrant without overpowering. I found them at Michaels while browsing for firetruck stickers. I've used them on a couple different projects today. Here's one, a 6x6 card that used these snappy stickers and a scrap of patterned paper I've been hoarding for too long:



Stickers: Sticko by EK Success
Cardstock: Bazzill
Patterned Paper: Making Memories
Ribbon: Offray
Eyelets: Prym Dritz
Tag: Avery
Safety Pin: Making Memories
Jewelry Tag: Avery
Blue Pen: Zig by EK Success

I have been hoarding all the scraps of that Making Memories striped paper. I love it! It's cardstock weight patterned paper...I love that stuff despite the extra that it costs. That's good stuff!

Speaking of firetrucks, j is coming home from 6 days with Gram and Popa tomorrow. He's ready. Very ready, from the sound of things. I still can't believe how much one person can change the entire dynamic of a household. And how did I not know that?

Minor meltdown this morning...G was sitting at my desk as I worked, puttering around with whatever he could find. He got his hands on a new bag of empty wooden thread spools. Ripped open the bag and was having a delightful time stacking them and knocking the stacks off the desk. All is well until I hear him gagging and sputtering. All I can think is "Oh my goodness...he's swallowed a spool." He sputters for a moment and then starts asking for a drink. He's not choking and he's breathing and talking fine, but there are spools all over the place and I take a long hard look at them. Could he have actually swallowed a wooden spool? Where's that safety gadget thingie when you need it? Those are pretty big. But my boys have always been over-achievers...they get it from their father...Could he?

Frantically, I rummage around for the mangled package. It says there should be 20 spools. I make stacks of spools on the desk, praying that I can locate all 20. Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen...um. Of course. There's one missing. By this time there's a small war going on in my soul. Could he have really swallowed a spool? They are kinda big. What happens if he did? I can't know if he did without a trip to the ER because he looks fine and he's breathing fine. Joal's in Bowling Green today. He'll come if I call of course...but what if he rushes home and g didn't swallow a spool after all? Those spools sure are big. He's only 2. I couldn't swallow a spool that size...but then I wouldn't put it in my mouth to begin with.

Maybe I should make one more pass under my desk in hopes of finding #20 before I really panic. A rubber stamp and a sock (ewww)...some paper giblets...and yes, there's spool #20. Thank you, Lord.

Sorry, baby. The spools are going in a drawer. Crisis averted.

In other news, my little birdie friends are gone. "Flew the coop" as it were. I will miss them. I wish I could hang a bird nest vacancy sign out on the tree, in hopes that some other birds would make use of this well-cared-for home in my tree. Maybe someday.

"It was nice knowing you, my little friends. Farewell and be safe.
Thank you for enriching our lives with your beauty."

Absolute Trust

No deep thoughts tonight...just a new layout. I know...I can practically hear some of you gasping as the image loads because it has no journaling - and I a-l-w-a-y-s have journaling. But ya know what? Sometimes the photo and the title just say it all. For me it's rare...but sometimes.

This is one of those times.



Patterned Paper - Scenic Route
Metal Rimmed Tag - Making Memories
Eyelet - Bazzill
Ink - Marvy LaPlume II Pen No 14 (turquoise)

La Pluma Stamps
Noted Lowercase Alpha
Dial-Up a Word Band Stamp

All is Quiet on the Home Front...

Wow! What a difference one nine-year-old can make!

j has gone to visit Gram amd Popa for a few days. It's so unusually quiet around here. G doesn't know what to do with himself...and neither do I. He walked around today looking for j, saying "Knock, Knock." (It's a thing they do. G says "Knock, knock." j says "who's there?" G says "me, Bubba." It's very cute.) But today, j wasn't here to answer.

It was quiet.
We only had 2 small messes to clean up.
I actually got the laundry done.
There was only one bath given today. (Usually the minimum is 3.)
No one whined at me.
G took a 3 hour nap.
I scrapped during his nap. (See card and layout below.)
It was so darn quiet.

G found a photo of j in my junk photo bin. He toted it around much of the day. I really feel for him because he probably doesn't understand that Bubba will be home in a few days and he's having a blast at Gram's.

All in all, it was a very different day.

I found this scrap of purple-ish embroidered paper in my scraps. I've had it forever. Today, I was determined to use it and here's the result. I think I might try to do a "use-one-scrap-a-day" challenge to myself.



Embroidered Paper - Provo Craft
Patterned Paper - Daisy D's
Ribbon - Offray
Sticker - Vellum Stickers from the Cathy B line of EK Success
Tag - Making Memories
Eyelet - Making Memories
Ink - Ranger
Stamp - LaPluma Dial-Up a Phrase

PSA: How to Treat a Salesperson...

Salesmen (and women) are a rare breed. Good ones are ever more rare. I’m married to an excellent salesman…and I’m not just saying that because he buys me Bazzill…LOL! He really is very good at what he does.

So, with that in mind, can I just make a Public Service Announcement about how to treat salesmen? If, thru the course of your day-to-day business dealings, you encounter a salesman, of any caliber…but most especially a good one, here’s a secret to remember: It’s simple. Just be nice.

It’s not his goal to waste your time or sell you something you don’t want. Sure, he wants to make a sale, but a good salesman is not there to sell you something you don’t want. He believes he has something to offer you that you do/will want or need. If his product is something you don’t want, don’t put him off and tell him to come back later. Don’t blame your mother/wife/secretary/dog. Don’t lie. Just tell him the truth and save his time and yours from being wasted.

See, what you may forget when looking at the salesman, is that behind that practiced professional, really good salesman may just be a good man. A man who works hard, takes care of his family, and believes in the good of what he is doing. He’s making a difference in the world. He’s not much different from you, really. How would you want to be treated?

I know salesmen get a bad rap for tactics and ploys. Those who use tactics and ploys should get a bad rap…on the backside with a switch. But don’t lump them all together. If a salesman has given you no reason to think ill of him, treat him as you would want to be treated. It’s better to decline his offer and give him the chance to move on to someone who is interested…than to waste his time. See, to a salesman, more than most other people in business, time really is money.

It’s easy.
Salesmen are people.
Be nice.
Don’t lie.
Don’t waste time.

That is all. Now back to your regularly scheduled scrapbooking!

Once in a While...

In my life before scrapbooking, I was a serious lover of crafts. There are very few crafts that I haven't tried...and passed on...until scrapbooking. When I discovered scrapbooking, the need to craft was replaced with the need to create scrapbooks. The various crafts came and went as my hobby-of-the-month-or-two, but scrapbooking has "stuck around" for just over nine years now.

Maybe once a year I get a wild hair, as my friend Leigh Ann says, and do a tiny bit of crafting, just to prove I've still got it in me.

On our last trip to Mississippi I watched a show on DiY called Embellish This!...Dena Fishbein, the host of the show, demonstrated how to cover a lightswitch plate in lengths of ribbon. The project can be seen here. Well, of course, that looked like a cool use of ribons and it was just enough to get the craft bug going again.

So, here's tonight's creation--

It's a very simple project, using a precut photo mat from the frame department at Michaels and many lengths and widths of ribbon. It was fun and I can see it being a neat project to repeat with different ribbons. It would also be cool placed on a scrapbook page with hinges. The mat gives it extra sturdiness, making it the perfet flap for hidden journaling. It also has potential as the cover of a small book. Lots of ideas...that's why I enjoy this hobby...there are always so many options.

In other news...my new Club Scrap Leather Album came today...it's official. I'm in deep like! That is one fine looking album! Shipping was awesomely fast and it was packed really well. However, I wish there had been a reminder on the album page on the website that I needed to order extension posts if I really wanted to fill it up. It's a large album but only comes with one set of one-inch posts. That means I can only fit about ten pages in my new album. Do you *know* how many pages I have waiting to go into a new album?? Many. Bunches. Tons. So tomorrow I'm going to Home Depot and get some big-moma album posts! The ones for *real* scrapbooks. LOL!

I did some re-arranging today in ye ole scrap space. I'm cleaning out and I've discovered that I have too many scraps. I know...most every scrapper on the planet has too many scraps. It's a side effect of our craft. They just seem to hang around and multiply. I *need* to do some pages using scraps. Desperately. Someone on 2Peas should do a challenge.

Lastly, remember the Pebbles/EK Success lettering templates called ABC Tracers? If you do, you've probably been scrapbooking several years! I have two vintage editions of these books, Book 1 and Book 2, seen here:


These books have excellent ideas for embellishing hand-cut or die cut letters and titles. They are filled with sample pages in the classic, colorful Pebble in my Pocket style. If you would like to own these books, leave me a comment somewhere on my blog (anon is ok) and then email me and let me know that you want the books. I'll mail them out to the first person who asks.

They are vintage. You can tell because they originally sold for $6.95...and idea book for $6.95 is unheard of nowadays. LOL!

For the record, yes, I am bribing people for comments. It's true. I have no shame. I love to see comments...comments make my day. Sometimes, I feel like I'm having a totally one-sided conversation here...so indulge me a little. Thank you.

The Daddy-Oh Bird

Yes, j has picked up on exactly what the role of his father is in this house.

My computer sits in the corner of my scrapbook space in our family room. To my immediate right is a large window that looks down our driveway and across our front yard. There are two large (taller than the house) trees that shade my window almost completely hiding it from outside viewing. I love this spot. On a sunny day, the window lets in plenty of light for me to work without electric lights. While the limbs on the trees hang low enough that people outside don’t notice me sitting at my desk…I can look between the branches and see what’s going on outside.

About two weeks ago I happened to think how perfect “my trees” would be for a bird nest. Sure enough about a week ago I noticed a bird family had moved in. The nest is situated so that it’s on a low branch and I have 24/7 All Birdie TV going on right outside my window! It’s so cool!

I have been birdie watching from my window seat for days now. Yesterday I suspected by the way the mother bird was hanging close that there might be some eggs in the nest. Sure enough, in the afternoon, Moma Birdie flew around the nest with a worm dangling from her beak and two little upturned beaks appeared from the deep part of the nest. That’s about all I can see from my spot--just their little tiny beaks. If nothing else is making noise around me, I can hear tiny little squeaks too.

Isn’t that how babies are? Always squeaking when they are hungry! I can relate to that, Moma Bird. I can surely relate.

I knew j would love this! So in the evening, I showed j the nest thru my window…and threatened his supply of stickers if he dared disturb the birdie family. He’s not allowed in the front yard anyway, but it never hurts to be clear with him. We watched the nest for a while and talked about birds and God and families. It was very sweet.

At one point, j asks: “What do birds eat?”

“Worms and bugs” I said.

“Ewww” he said. “That’s worse than beans.”

This morning, just after we got up, j came downstairs into my corner and looked out the window. “Good morning, little birdies.” he said, in a groggy but cheery little voice. He continued to watch for a while and soon another bird flew into the area of the nest. This second bird perched on a branch right beside the nest and was poking at the nest with its beak. We watched intently. Finally, j says “I think that’s the Daddy-Oh Birdie.”

Um, “Daddy-O”. There’s a term I’ve never heard him use. Especially not in relation to birds. I asked him to explain.

“There’s the Moma Bird. She feeds the babies.” he said pointing to the bird we have seen before. “The Baby birdies are in the nest. We can’t see them. They are tiny.”

I nodded.

He continued “And that birdie over there is the Daddy-Oh Bird. He’s working on the nest.”

OK, so that’s the Daddy-Oh Bird. Gotcha. The Daddy is identified by his home repair skills. Interesting.

And wow. I was a little surprised at the crispness and clarity with which j realized the roles of the bird family members, just like the roles of our family members. The mom cares for the babies. The Daddy-Oh makes repairs to the nest.

So, he has been paying attention…even when I wasn’t.

Hello Scrapworks!! Hello Scenic Route!!

Everyone's talking about the product previews flowing from last weeks CHA...me included. I admit it. I've looked. I've drooled and I've lamented that it will be months before we actually get our hands on any of it. Scrapbook companies are such merciless teases.

Anyway. After all this "window shopping" I have two companies that I am officially stalking for paper:

Scrapworks for these papers:



Both are from the Ethan Kate line, part of which was featured on Ali Edwards blog. (Gosh! I hope they paid her for that advertising!) It seems the whole line is somewhat fashion inspired and I would love to see the complete display...it looked like a merchandiser's heaven from Ali's photo.

And I can't locate the photos of the new items from Scenic Route...but they are equally delicious. I will be waiting with baited breath for them too.

Betcha wouldn't loose these scissors...

So you know from previous posts about my affinity for scissors. So guess what I found while lusting over...err I mean drooling over The Pottery Barn catalog tonight! (Sorry, Heather.)

Try these babies on for size?!!



Yes, those are solid mahogany carved scissors and they are 24" in length! And on sale for only $34!

Like that's gonna happen!

Through the Eyes of Love

I’m jealous of people with proof-reading skills. As you may have noticed, given the many misspelled words in my blog, I have zero proofing skills. I know the rules in my head…I have aced every English Language and Composition class I’ve ever taken. However, I just can’t proofread. I get so wrapped up in content and idea that I don’t see the mistakes. It’s a problem that has plagued me like a paper cut since high school.

I write much like I talk and think. I like short and sweet thoughts. In the world of Sarah, too many paragraphs is better than too few.

I once read that the internet has spoiled our ability to write complete thoughts in paragraph form. I agree with that premise. I started using the email system in 1999. Since that time I have developed a sort of reading attention deficit—that is to say I can’t stand to read paragraphs longer than a few sentences. I literally get lost in them.

But I digress…

I just don’t see my own mistakes. (Boy, couldn’t that turn theological real fast?!) Thank goodness for the spell-check system and the man I married (who has impeccable proofing skills which he generously shares). He once tried to figure out why I can’t see mistakes in something I have written. There is but one explanation: I read thru the eyes of love.

I am totally and blissfully incapable of being objective about things I write and now, my scrapbook pages. I labor over them—especially the layouts—trying different things, making adjustments, shifting, replacing, redoing until every element is “right”. It’s an imprecise art, as “right” only exists in the blurry eye of my mind and I won’t know it until I see it. Creating, for me, is a labor of love. When a layout is done (and not until), I love it. If I don’t love it, it’s not done. It’s a sort of birthing process.

Maybe that’s why there are dozens of layouts in progress hanging around my workspace. Hmm…

This “thru the eyes of love” concept translates into other areas too. It makes correcting school work difficult but it makes me able to give generous complements on effort. It makes me able to enjoy letters from family and friends, despite errors that would annoy those with the gift of proofing. It makes me look at my sons and see what they can be when they are clean and calm, instead of the dirt-covered, mischievous munchkins they are most of the time. It allows me to look at the art of others and see past what I would have done differently “had I done this piece” to truly enjoy the piece just as it is.

There are some down sides. The inability to proof my own work cost me serious points in college. I’m not objective about my scrapbook pages…meaning sometimes I value them too highly. “Through the eyes of love” was much to blame for wasting time with the wrong guy in high school and having my heart broken. It also contributed to us buying a house that needed more work than we originally imagined. (I’m still deciding if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.)

When I think about looking at people in my life and things I’ve created “through the eyes of love”, seeing them with value, despite their flaws and imperfections, I realize that’s close to how God looks at His children. He sees us as we are, yet also values us for what we could be in Him.

And some days...many days that amazes me.

You there...with the Ballerina Photos! Yeah, you...

I have a request. I need to scrap some photos of a ballerina(s). If you have 2-3 good shots of tutu-clad ballerina(s) that would look spactacular on a pink and black based layout with touches of silver...email me. Photos can be color or black & white. I'll either pay for you to reprint them and mail them to me...or if you have the capability, you can email the high-res images and I'll get them printed myself.

Notice. This LO will be displayed on the internet and will be submitted to magazines for possible publication. You will be given credit for the photos by name. I will send you the actual layout when I am done with it.

Thanks!

And in other news...if you are a mother of a boy (at least one...more is fine too), you m-u-s-t go read Becky's Blog. It's hilariously normal boy stuff. No sap. No fluff. Just scrappin' boys! (pun intended)

Oh Scrap!!

There's nothing like a daunting task to get me scrapbooking. Avoid the task by doing something else until the wee hours of the morning. Yeah, that's the ticket. LOL!

Well, I don't recommend the procrastinators approach, although I have seemingly mastered it...anyway, here's what I did instead of doing what I didn't want to do:

It's confirmed: Ribbbon is Hot!

A trend setter - I am not.
A trend follower - I am not.
I keep up, but at most, am only very lightly influenced by what's "in", especially where my scrapbook is concerned.

That being said...It thrills me to hear from the CHA insiders that so many companies have hitched their trains to the ribbon wagon. My dear precous ribbons are finally getting the attention they deserve...and then some. American Crafts, KI Memories, Heidi Swapp, Making Memories, Doodlebug, Chatterbox and so many others displayed new, hot ribbons at CHA last week!!

And get a load of this from Maya Road:


(Image borrowed from 2Peas.)

Careful now...don't get drool on the keyboard...!

Forget that deep, theologically-challenging blog entry I was considering...just look at that ribbon. The stuff of life, I tell ya. Well, OK maybe not...but darn close.

Show me the Ribbon!!

Show me your ribbon collection! Jars, rolls, drawers, clothespins, boxes...however you have it...SHOW ME!!! I know there's some awesome ribbon collections going on out there. It's time to share!!

Let's see that ribbon!

It was a very good day!

Summer Saturdays are my favorite day of the week.

J is home and always doing something. Ju and I only do an abreviated bit of school work, usually a little math and alot of art. (Art makes me very popular.) The boys are happy to have Daddy around to putter with. We usually do utterly normal stuff like go to the grocery, Home Depot (what weekend would be complete without a trip to Home Depot, rigth?) the post office, once in a while Target, the used CD store and maybe out to eat. J has a growing affinity for household projects...today he replaced two door knobs and the defective light fixtures in my scrap space. (Insert the Tim Taylor growl here.)

I think it's less about what we *do* and more about doing it *together*.

J and I are very different. After 13 years of marriage, I'm comfortable with our differences, for the most part. He's an earthquake...I'm more like a gentle breeze. He goes to the grocery and shops circles around me. He generally walks ten paces ahead of me...and no, it's not some submissive wife thing...I just tend to mosey, while he sprints. He's goal-oriented. I'm all about the moment right now. He gets juiced about a little confrontation. I avoid confrontation at all costs. He has facial hair...I hope I never have facial hair! (Just had to make sure you were paying attention.) I think these are the things that make us good together. He speeds me up when I need it. I slow him down when he needs it (and sometimes when he doesn't.) We've worked thru much of the conflicts that married people face and now, like old married people, we pretty much get along. I'm thinking that makes for a pretty peaceful, wonderful life...especially on days like today.

Ju and I did take a little field trip over to The Paper Moon for some stamping supplies. I was on the hunt for a refill for my trusty Nick Bantock's Van Dyke Brown...which PM doesn't keep in stock but can order, just in case you were wondering. :) Ju loves to stamp and I love that he loves it. He picked out some paper and stickers. I fondled the ribbons. Bought a few. Three. When did pink and brown become my favorite color combination?? Anyway, I'm in the process of amping up my ink pad collection, so I picked up a couple while we were there. One is a mini Vivid! inkpad made by Clearsnap. I was surprised that the actual pad is not the traditional felt. It's more spongey and soft. Very juicy. Wonder what that stuff is? I'll have to work with it before I know for sure if I like it.

Anyway, I'm still looking for the VDB re-inker...but we had a great time at the Paper Moon. Ju was well-behaved and I enjoy that he's interested in the art of stamping. It makes him think and ask questions.

Also on the stamping front, I made my first original stamp last night. Out of extra-thick fun foam, no less. I drew and cut a large floppy Daisy and a leaf. This is really cool. I'll post my projects as soon as the paint drys.

The boys are in bed now. (There's something to be happy about!)

So, that was my Summer Saturday. It was a very good day.

Scissors, scissors and more scissors...and other tidbits!!

Does anyone know anything about scissor sharpening? Where does one go to get it done? What kinds of scissors can be shapened? What does it cost? Does sharpening eliminate nicks and gouges in the blades?

J did some re-organizing today and found (and combined into one box) all my pairs of scissors. All 12 pairs. Yes. I have 12 pairs of scissors. Is that unusual? Apparently my honey thinks so. But not so unusual when you consider that I used to teach classes at the scrapbook store and often provided scissors for students to use...at least that's what I use as an excuse.

The truth is I have a certain affection for scissors, especially Fiskars...one can never have too many pairs of Fiskars. One for ribbon. One for paper. One for intricated cutting. Several for Julian. One ragged pair for clipping wire and things. Kitchen scissors. Flower scissors. A couple of decorative edge scissors that rarely get used. A pair of scissors just for cutting rubber stamps. Spring-lodaded. Soft-Grip. Ergonomically-Designed. Non-stick. Small. Large. Left-Handers. You name it...I've probably got it.

Weird. I know.

And, in other news...early reports from CHA at 2Peas indicate that American Crafts and at elast a couple other companies have finally seen the 8.5x11 light and will soon be offering fashionable albums in this size. Do the dance of joy with me!! Options are always a good thing!!

Have a happy weekend!

It's Rembrandt's Birthday!

Today is the birthday of a Master...Rembrandt. Above is one of his most famous works, called "The Night Watch". Notice the ornate details of the costumes and the extra-ordinary facial lighting.

Read Elizabeth's Travel Experience, a moving description of her journey to see the actual painting.

Random Tidbits of Knowledge from a Nine Year Old Boy

Try these genuine pearls of wisdom on for size:

“Peppers make you strong.”
This was a brotherly piece of advice from J to G during lunch.

“Mommy, you look really handsome in that new shirt.”
(Well, um, thank you, I think.)

“Would you like me to make you a cocktail, Mommy?”
This was asked nonchalantly at breakfast. No, my son is not serving mixed alcoholic beverages at breakfast. According to his explanation, (after I asked "Where in the heck did you learn about cocktails?") while watching $40 a Day with Rachael Ray at Gramma’s, he learned how to make a “fabulous cocktail”…basically, it’s a cold glass of juice or orange drink with a cluster of grapes hanging off the rim. He has offered everyone cocktails lately, including G! I just can’t wait till he goes to Gramma’s to share this tidbit with her.

“Math makes my head hurt.”
Now there’s something I can completely understand! Math makes my head hurt too.

“God makes it rain so the birds can have a bath.”
More brotherly wisdom shared with G.

“My underware was on backwards all day and I didn’t even notice.”
How on earth does one not notice this?? Boys!!

“Gra-----y, don’t touch my hair. You’ll mess it up!”
(Julian has a number two, military-style buzz cut all over his head. It’s utterly impossible to mess up.)

And my favorite thing he's done lately shows just what a generous little heart he can have. "Can we mail this to Debbie?" he asked first thing this morning. Into my hand he thrust a mangled gift bag, tied up and knotted "boy style" with an unmatching ribbon. The gift bag was practically bursting at it's seams. "What is it?" I asked, with some trepidation. "It's a goodie bag for Aunt Debbie at camp." My sister Deb is working for the summer at a campground. Lately, we’ve been assembling and sending her care packages. Sure enough, he’d generously packed the following items into a care package:

a Rescue Hero
a can of Diet Orange Sunkist
a fireman book
a roll of tape
a snack bar
a bowl of grapes
and a picture of himself at age 3.

Somehow I think “Uncle Debbie” would be totally impressed.

Life with a nine-year-old is always interesting...that's for sure. Especially this one. :)

Blatantly Self-Serving Post Ahead!

I am cleaning out! I have listed a few things at the wonderful Scrapbook Addict Marketplace...especially album kits and stamps sets. Check it out! I'll probably be adding some more things tonight and tomorrow as well.

Thanks.