reorganizing...

I have recently taken on the daunting task of reorganizing and purging my scrap room. I love to be organized, but I am overwhelmed by the task. Instead of looking at the big picture I am trying to take it step by step. Last night I organized just my ribbon. This task took a whole bottle of red wine to accomplish! Good Lord! I never need to buy another piece of ribbon for the rest of my life! From now on, I will try to go by the "one in, one out" rule when shopping. If I bring something in, I must get rid of something.

I really need to organize my whole house but I'm starting with my scrap room because it is the most fun. I will post pictures when I am done! My biggest problem is my severe case of Adult Onset Attention Deficit Disorder! I keep getting distracted! I need to focus and stay on task. I read a blog the other day about this and I was cracking up because I could so relate! (I can't remember where but I have to find it and share it with you!)

Too much stuff and too much clutter causes too much STRESS, don't you think?

Please leave a comment and share with me your very best organizing tips. I could use a few on staying focused as well! Thanks!

William Morris said:

“Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

Love that quote. I will try harder to live by it! Now back to work!

cool news...

one of the cards i posted yesterday is being featured on Scrap Scene: The Who's Who of Scrapbooking today. if you are not a regular reader of Scrap Scene, well, why not?? i read it everyday and i'm always inspired by the artists that are featured. there are also lots of sneak peeks of gotta have products coming soon to scrap stores! gotta love that!

happy wednesday!

quick post!

Yes my friends, I am still alive and I survived turning 40!! I have so many texts, emails and phone calls to return, not to mention thank you cards to send!! I feel so loved. Thank you to all my friends who were so very thoughtful on my big day!

I just had to share with you a picture of my new baby! Kirk and the boys gave me my dream camera! It's a Nikon D40X and I'm in love with it! I will give you a birthday wrap up later. Gotta run to the gym!

 

Oh, and here are a few Valentine's cards I've made. I'm loving to death the Making Memories Love Story collection (thanks Denise!) and layering all of the accents is so fun. Enjoy and have a happy creative day! xoxo

 

 

 

Today I Am 40!

Yeah! Happy Birthday to ME!
I woke up to Nate throwing up (poor guy) so he is home from school today. I was going to scrapbook (of course!) today but now probably not! Joe and Nick got to make fun of me this morning and tell me all their "OLD" jokes! LOL. I'm sure there will be lots more of that later! Kirk was sweet enough to make me coffee but he makes it soooo weak that it is just awful! I'll be heading out to Starbucks in a few to get some "real" coffee! Thanks a bunch to my girlfriends and my brother for all of the birthday Starbucks cash. I've got enough on my Starbucks cards to rule the world. Seriously!

Kirk will be heading out to the gym this morning. At least I get out of going with him today to stay home with Nate! I'm kind of stiff from my Hip Hop dance class last night. There was lots of rolling around on the floor and stuff. I've got the bruises to prove it! After class last night I went to Target with my friend Pam and she bought me a special Birthday Girl tiara that I get to wear all day today. I might just wear it all weekend! It's very sparkly! Speaking of sparkly, I made these letters for my scrap room yesterday. I love all things bright and glittery. :0)

I've got some fun news to share! There is a big scrapbooking event coming to Boise in May called ICE Escape. Go to www.iceescape.net to find out ALL about it! I will be teaching a class there and the whole weekend is going to be lots of fun. Sign up early and save $$$. I will post more info on this soon!

Have a great day! I know I will! xoxox

a few creations...

here is a layout i did of nate in the snow. he was practically in tears. the first couple of times i took him out to play in the snow this winter he hated it. he won't wear a hat, won't wear gloves and even sat down to take off his boots. i took him out this past weekend and he was definitely "warming" up to it. he discovered that he can eat it and it's pretty yummy!

here are a few simple valentines day cards i made recently. lotsa bling on these babies!

Clear Acrylic Album

I spoke to my friend Kelly the other day and as always she asked if I have been working on anything creative and as always, I said of course! Here is a little sneak peek of the front page of this totally cool clear acrylic album that Denise gave me for Christmas. I've actually finished several pages but haven't photographed them yet. I'm loving this new format. It is so fun. I have also found a source where you can get clear acrylic albums way cheap! Go to http://www.myacrylicalbum.com/

They have a wide variety of shapes and sizes. My album is all about the many people, places and things I love and how I want to make more time to enjoy them all!

snowball war!

I've been trying for a few weeks now to figure out how to put these cool digital frames on my photos and I am so happy to announce that I have finally figured it out! I downloaded some cool digi stuff from 2peas and played around enough to make it work. What do you think? I got some shots of Kirk and Nick having a snowball WAR in our cul de sac yesterday!

Oh, and by the way, I got carded only 2 days before my fortieth birthday today, buying a bottle of wine! Yippee! I refuse to listen to my son Joe who says they are just cracking down hard on the alcohol laws and carding "old" people! Phffff, yeah right! It's my extra pounds that plump out my wrinkles, now don't you think?

{hugs}

I'd like to focus right now on giving. I've always been a big fan of the whole giving concept. When I was younger and I would give more than I would receive, I would occasionally get resentful and wonder why people weren't more like me and couldn't at least meet me in the middle. Now that I am older and oh so much wiser :-) I have fortunately gotten over all of that and just realized how damn good it feels to give, regardless of what I get back. I am so blessed with such a damn good life and I believe it has a lot to do with karma. I am a firm believer in karma. Try it. You'll see. Give whatever you can. A kind word, your time, your talent, your stuff, your money (if you've got it).

One of the things that I have resolved to do in 2008 is recognize, each night before I go to sleep in 2008, is to make sure that everyday I do at least one kind thing for someone. Whether it be something planned or unexpected, something big or something small, maybe just a quick call or email to somebody with a positive note. What a great way to end every single day. To reflect upon something so positive

This may sound super corny to some of you but it works for me and it makes me feel good so I feel obligated to share.

Another thing that makes me feel good is hugging.

"Hugging is healthy. It helps the immune system, cures depression, reduces stress and induces sleep. It's invigorating, rejuvenating and has no unpleasant side effects. Hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.
Hugging is all natural. It is organic, naturally sweet, no artificial ingredients, nonpolluting, environmentally friendly and 100 percent wholesome.

Hugging is the ideal gift. Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive, shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and, of course, is fully returnable."

-Author Unknown (But Very Much Appreciated!)

Watch this video. Many of you have probably seen it but it so doesn't hurt to watch it again.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Go do something kind today. Because it feels good. Because of karma. Just because.

Peace

Meet Clara and Miles!

Aren't they precious? I just adore holding them and feeding them and find it hard to put them down when they are sleeping in my arms. These sweet little babies were born on November 9th of last year. Before they were even a month old, on December 7th, their mom Carrie passed away. She was the sister of one of my best friends, Stacey. The family has been dealing with this tragic loss for over a month now. Stacey has taken on so much responsibility in helping to care for these babies so much of the time. I have had the pleasure of getting to know their dad, Tom this past month. He is a wonderful man.

Please take a few minutes to read this article that was in The Idaho Statesman. to find out how you can help the family during this painful and difficult time.

I hope to take lots more pictures of these gorgeous little siblings to share with you (I made sure I got the okay first!) and to scrapbook!

Perfect!

Well, the Pats are still perfect at 17-0! They started off rough but ended up brilliant last night. Loved the little fake out play by Tom Brady. Maroney, Harrison, Bruschi and Seau also played unbelievably well! Next week they will play in the AFC Championship against either the Colts or San Diego. I'm so pushing for San Diego. I am NOT a Peyton (my Mom would be loving this blog post!) fan and I don't want to see him next week. I have to see him enough in all of the stupid commercials he does. Go Chargers!

Kirk and Joe are hitting the slopes today. I'm going to set up some creative projects for me, Nick and Nate to do while the football games are on.

I'm rooting for the Cowboys over the Giants in the NFC. Can't root for a Manning! And what's not to love about Tony Romo?

Anyone else out there LOVING football at playoff time??

a little saturday eye candy for ya!

So excited about the Patriots game tonight! I thought I'd share some photos of the (in my opinion) sexiest, most babe-alicious (I watched Wayne's World the other day) man ALIVE! Not only is he all that and a bag of chips but the man is also the best QB evah!!!! Right Brin?

Go Patriots!

a quick thursday post...

been sitting on my ass scrappin' all day. it's not good for my body but good for my mental health! i figured since my abs were sore today from last night i had a free pass today.

i started my hip/hop dance class last night. stop laughing! my next door neighbor and dear friend Pam talked ten of us into doing this!! it was lots of fun and a good workout but hell, i wish i was 20 again!

here are a few layouts that i have done. i had to do a layout about nate's reading. too cool. and i loved the layout and the colors so much so i used the leftovers (sorry joe) on a layout for joe. the paper and buttons are from the mellow line by basic grey. i just love the colors! i also did a very simple layout with some pictures of joe and my niece marlies. the paper is from scenic route. not my usual "overdone/too much stuff" look but i am so glad to have those pictures on paper. they are not great quality photos because it was so dark but it was a fun moment and that's what it's all about, right? capturing those moments!

Welcome To Holland

Today we had an appointment with Nate's developmental pediatrition. He is the doctor that originally diagnosed him with Autism. I really like this man. He is very compassionate. He read this story to us in his office today. It rings so true it brings tears to my eyes. It is about a parent trying to describe the experience of raising a child with autism.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley.
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

withdrawals...

It's only been two months since baseball season ended. Seems like years! Three more months to go. Can't wait. I asked Kirk if we could go to Fort Meyers, Florida to watch the Red Sox in Spring Training. He said I had obviously mistaken him for someone with a job! Speaking of that...

I love the snow. Really I do. But if it doesn't stop snowing, I'll never get him off the slopes and into job hunting mode! UGH! :0) It is such a double edged sword. When he is back into workaholic mode, I'll wish he was around more to help with the kids!

Fifteen more days til my 4oth birthday (maybe the countdown will get me geared up for it!) When I turned 39 I said I was going to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday. Didn't happen. Think I can do it in 15 days? C'mon, I went to the gym yesterday! Had to get the map out to find it, LOL. I hadn't been in almost a month! I'll just keep on keepin' on. See what happens. Maybe 41 by 41??

Happy Wednesday (anti-procrastination day!)

resolutions?

I've been reading all about resolutions on my friends' blogs (thanks for the laughs, Jann and Brin!) and I realized that it's January 8th and I still haven't put mine in writing. Ok, well I resolve to write my resolutions for 2008 by my 40th birthday! That gives me 16 more days to procrastinate! Maybe not procrastinating should be one of those resolutions!

Many of you have said that you want to scrap more this year. Well that is definitely not one of my resolutions. I scrap too much. I should scrap less and find a better BALANCE (my word for '08) in my life. I scrap when I should be sleeping (I'll sleep when I'm dead!) and when I should be exercising (not a tough one) and when I should be cleaning my house. I choose to scrap because I love to! I just love creating stuff.

Here is a layout I created the other night while watching my very favorite TV show, Desperate Housewives. Man, I love that show. I got my friend Denise into it and we always choose our favorite lines of the show and text them to each other. My favorite line from Sunday was "you're pimping me out for a new roof?" Love that show!

 

life comes at you fast...

Being a mom of a teen, a tween and a pre-schooler, I can totally relate to the "life comes at you fast" commercials on TV. I look at pictures of my oldest son Joe and see the shadow of a mustache on his upper lip. Seems like just yesterday I was taking cute pictures of him and his baby brother in the tub!

Nate was playing in the tub yesterday and he was just so happy. He loves the bath. He swims around like a little fish. I figured I better take a couple of pictures before he gets too old for it!

All three kids went back to school this morning and the house is so quiet. I'm enjoying the silence and watching the snow fall like crazy outside, covering everything. It looks so pretty.

Happy Monday!

adorable...

my girl on the street, denise, sent me a bunch of valentine's day paper and embellishments. my very favorite!! she also sent me these wicked cute pictures of her kids so what's a girl to do but scrap them??? i am so loving the new lace paper by KI Memories.

yippee!

 

This is my little sister from another mister! She is coming to see me next month (on Valentine's Day!!) So so so excited!

joe..

My oldest son (formerly known as JOEY and gets ticked if you call him that, LOL!). I can't believe how much he has grown and matured in the last year. He is such a big help with Nate. I am so grateful for him. He loves to talk late at night about all kinds of things. Last night I got home late from my friend Stacey's house (he was still awake of course, typical teenager!) and I told him how I played Rock Band with Stacey and Tom. He was so impressed. I can't say I actually "played" I just sang very badly. Someday I will totally rock the drums and guitar like Stacey and Tom do! Joe is DYING to hang out at Stacey's house. As a matter of fact he wants to live there!

Normally at this age, you can't get teens to talk but I am so glad we are close. I know we are harder on him because he is the oldest. I'm trying to be better with that!

He is having a "guy" night tonight. He has invited his friends over to play poker (just chips, no money) and Guitar Hero. I'm so glad he has made some great friends in his new school this year. His grades are unbelievable too. What a difference a year makes. Last year all I wanted to do was choke him. Now all I want to do is hug him. I have to stand on my tip toes to do it. (Gees will he ever stop growing??) I'm a proud mama!