Scraps-R-Fun

One More to Finish Off the Weekend...

I'm just going to leave you with a quickie from the weekend of scrappin' My silly dog Boone...

Sometimes, I Even Amaze Myself

So, the last two days have been sheer stress. This has ultimately resulted in a migraine that refuses to unclench itself from my head. It appears that the vice this migraine has on my brain only loosens slightly from time to time. I'm getting a stomachache from all the ibuprofen, aspirin, etc I've been popping since about 4PM yesterday afternoon. But I am determined to scrap. It relieves the stress. And well, the determined creative muse has beat the head resulting in the following:

And even this:

It may be all I have in me this weekend, but we'll see...

Quick Share

Just sharing a little of what I've been working on. Finally started digging into our ton of photos from a San Francisco weekender Taylor and I took TWO summers ago! I am sometimes amazed at how fast time goes by and I often don't even realize how long it's been since the photos were taken. I also had to immediately scrap a photo with which Miss Tay came home from camp. It's her entire group of campers and the counselors from their cabin. They are all just being goofy and you can see the fun oozing from their faces...

First up: Trolley - created using one of Becky Flek's Page Map sketches. 

Next up: Camp Swift - done for the HMITM challenge. The instructions this week were to create a layout with THIRTY THREE patterned papers, 8 buttons and 4 tags (and your own handwriting) :) - here was my interpretation for the challenge - felt a little Elsie channeling going on, but I loved the results! 

So, have a great weekend everyone!

I've Been Better, Really.

This weekend was sort of up and down. 

The kids came home from camp on Saturday. Wow, were they exhausted, thrilled, exhilarated, filthy. Taylor of course shared the most. Her group was the best - everyone was jealous of their theme (Hippies - no surprise there), all the cool stuff Taylor and her co-counselors had planned for the cabin girls, and the camaraderie they all seemed to share naturally. I am so.very.proud. Apparently, Taylor and her co-counselors were specifically chosen for this group of girls because it included a camper with special health care needs. The young girl (nine) had a tracheotomy and was connected to a ventilator at night to sleep. Taylor explained to me how they described the machine to the other campers and because they were simply so accepting of this young lady, so were the rest of the girls (which as we all know - at age 9/10, they can be so cruel). My kid is pretty special if I do say so myself! 

And well, thank God I've done one right! The other - well - suffice to say that I've finally had to ask (well, not ask, more like put his clothes and belongings on the front porch) him to leave. I have more to say, I'd like to share, and I started writing this out. But my kids do hate it when I disclose too much on the ol' blog. So, I'll keep it to myself for now.

Since the above made me sad, I went shopping. It's my curse. I spend money when I am depressed. And in this case, I charged it. Ohhh, I am sorry Mary Hunt. I fell off the debt-proof living wagon. It's only temporary though - I promise! 

And then I managed to throw this together - because scrapping keeps my mind occupied. It doesn't necessarily make me happy (though looking at this final product is making me happy), but it keeps me from thinking too much - and well, shopping too much. The result - more photos from our weekender in San Francisco - just the kid and me. 

And the best part of the week, the food. Oh my goodness - we ate so well this week! On Thursday - my birthday, we went to a trendy place called Mosaic. Uh, now don't get too grossed out, but I ate KANGAROO! I didn't think I could, but I must admit - it was delish. Then Saturday, we went out to dinner with Dene's mom and her friend and we enjoyed dinner at Christo's. Holy Moly! I had the cioppino - best evah! Seriously, it was so fresh that it was just as yummy as leftovers the next day for lunch! Mmm, mmm, good. Now I must get back in an exercise routine! Need to be in bathing suit shape for the trip to Lake Powell in September! 

The Back Story

So, I was blog hopping the other day and was visiting the sweet blog of Stephanie Howell. She did something which I think is not only courageous in this very public forum, but also something fun. She told us her back story - her history. I learned really cool things about this person I only know via this electronic connection we know as the internet. I also learned we have some things in common (beyond our love of scrapbooking), like we are both in early childhood. How cool is that? 

So, in honor of learning new things from people I don't really know. I thought I'd do the same... Here's a little of my back story:

1. I am an only child. Explains a lot, I know. I grew up not only as an only child, but as an only grandchild for a looong time. My first and only cousin didn't even come along until I was about 10 years of age. So, no siblings, and little extended family. 

2. In addition to being an only child, I grew up in a home with three parents - my mom, my dad, and my maternal grandmother whose husband was murdered when I was about 7. So, my grandmother was as close to a sister as one will ever have who doesn't have one. She was always my confidante - always the one I told my secrets. I still miss her.

3. I eloped when I was 21 - literally. I was living with this guy and we woke up one morning and just said, "let's get married." I don't know what I was thinking really, I said yes. Dumb, dumb, dumb answer! I didn't even tell my parents for two weeks. Now, understand I am the only child of a Jewish mother who grew up in New York. Not allowing her a wedding to show off her "skillz" to all the social gals was just wrong in her mind. She didn't talk to me for a long time. But I am the only child, so she kind of had to after a while. 

4. After eloping, we moved from Arizona (my home state) to Illinois (his home state): we lived with his parents for 10 months - yikes! That was a growing up experience for sure! Then moved out on our own, graduated college and I became pregnant with Ryan the night of our college graduation party. Yup - Ryan was our graduation present! :)

5. However, life was not rosey, the guy was not my best choice, and we fought - a lot. I chose to leave the night he smacked me in the face and that was all she wrote so to speak. We did consider reconciliation (hence Taylor) briefly, but it was definitely not meant to be. I have been on my own since December 31st, 1992 and except for one person in 1999, and until Dene, I have had no serious relationship since that date. 

6. I thought I was going to be a doctor - a pediatrician to be exact and swore, since my mother was in education, that I would NEVER be in education. Well, the joke's on me. I am in education. I hold my M.Ed. in Special Education - birth - five emphasis. I work for a state agency in a policy and research position and I also teach at the university - in the teacher preparation program! So, I am helping others be in education too! hah! I was a 4.0 student in high school. However, in college I discovered extracurricular activities and went a bit downhill for a while. I blew up an organic chemistry lab one day (singed my eyebrows and made a big BOOM) and my fate was sealed. 

7. I am content with my life. I LOVE my job. It is challenging, it is rewarding, it is making history. My kids are nearly grown, I own my own home, my own car, I have a hobby and a partner. Life is good.

Taking a Mental Health Day

I've been working really hard lately. We've had many late nights and have been working at a pace that is faster than anyone should really work. But we are doing it. However, this all means that it catches up with us eventually. This week, it caught up with me. I am burned out. I woke up yesterday with a migraine and decided it was a sign to take a mental health day. So, I did. But languish around the house, I did not. What better way to regain balance than to catch up on a little scrappin'. So, I grabbed my last two Studio Calico kits and tinkered away. At the end of the day, I had this to show for it:

I really wanted to play more with the October Afternoon stuff from the Apple Orchard kit from June. So, here was my attempt at that...some older photos from last year.

And then I realized I haven't really scrapped any photos from a mother-daughter jaunt to San Francisco we took two summers ago! Shameful I know... but apparently I was just waiting for the Via Airmail kit from July because I moved on to this photo... (which my daughter took of me - isn't she the best???)

And finally, back to the June kit for this one. I still have some journaling I want on this one, but I think it's just going to go on the back of the layout. It feels finished - for now... 

So, I'm headed back to the office today, sans migraine and feeling a little renewed. It's a good thing. :)

Being "kidless" pays off!

So, last night friend, Kim called and said - "hey, you are free, come over and scrap!" And after thinking about how tired I might be and how I had nothing ready to travel and crop, I said, "yeah, sure!" And I came home, packed up my two most recent Studio Calico kits and headed across town thinking, "this is so worth the gas!" I was free, I was scrapping, and I was heading to see my friend who has been too busy being a PaperCraft Pro to hang with me this summer. So, when she called, I jumped at the chance to catch up and laugh and create! We both decided to do the gauntlet challenge for our fave site ScrapSupply and well, I won! Yup a 25.00 GC to the store for entering the challenge! Here's the winning layout (chosen by random drawing)! Yay! Just in time for my birthday! 

Most Days, I Love Them...

My children that is. But today, is the best day of the year. Why? Because BOTH, yes, BOTH my children will be gone as of today. Only for the next five days, but those will be the most heavenly five days of the last 20 years. This has only ever happened once before in those 20 years. When they were 7 and 4, they went to visit their sperm donor (aka biological father) for 3 weeks. That was not heavenly. I worried about them - constantly. And it didn't help that the sperm donor would call me to complain that he didn't know what to do. Like when Taylor had an accident in the bed (because she had never been away from me before) he called me and instead of doing something normal and rationale, he spanked her - my four year old. I wanted to come through the phone line to beat him. Or, when Taylor got mad and she threw Ryan's leather sneakers in the river when they were with the step-mom who was just as stupid as the sperm donor. Thankfully, we didn't have to endure any more of those trips - ever. Two weeks after they arrived back home, the sperm donor sent me a letter requesting to terminate his parental rights. And well, that's what the judge (and I had to give permission too) did. So, from that moment on, we were on our own - completely. And it was hard, but better. They didn't even hear from their dad again (no holidays/birthdays, nothing) for eight years. And those were peaceful years for sure. Since the sperm donor has been back, life has been rougher. Ryan has handled it the worst I think. But this too shall pass as my Gram always said.

Fast forward 13 years. And now, both the kids are off to be counselors at CAMP SWIFT. Wow, both of them. And I won't have to share my house with any teenage angst, any young adult male pissed off rebellion, just the quiet solitude of MY HOME. I cannot tell you how I am looking forward to this week! The dogs and I are going to snuggle, be quiet, read and eat take out every night. Well, maybe not the latter as I'd rather eat more healthy. But I won't be cooking or coming home to a sink full of dishes, unless I'm the one who's left them there. Heaven I tell you, pure heaven.

CAMPING ROCKS

I love camping. Period. I could go on and on about all the reasons why I love camping, like all the natural goodness that surrounds us:

Or maybe it's all about the wildlife (or at least the ones caught on film)

(and yeah, well, maybe in YOUR world cows aren't wildlife...)

But it could just be that camping is fun...

And we see sights beyond beautiful...

 

And well, I have to say, that this camping trip was one of the best. We rode to the tops of hills, we were rained on - daily. We hiked in meadows and across gorges. We relaxed and hung out with friends. We laughed until our sides hurt, and we had quiet moments warming by the fire. Yeah, I love camping. Period.

Happy Early Birthday to Me! :)

This past weekend we went camping - and boy oh boy - what a trip! However, more on that later. This post is about the cool birthday present from Boyfriend Dene. He - very atypically mind you - gave me my present early this year - just before we left for our camping trip. Of course, this was a calculated decision since the present he gave me was one of those VERY COOL, VERY HANDY Gorillapods! And well, like I said, this was a calculated decision... you see, it allowed me to do this:

and this:

And this too:

And even this!

So, now - I get to be in the pictures and I am SOOO going to make that happen!