Life and Such

A New Home

2005-08-29T19:11:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone - I'm testing out moving my blog to TypePad. So please visit me at my new home at http://lisacohen.typepad.com . If all works out I will make it permanent!! There are some great features over there... including a new feature - my Photo Journal (is on the right hand side of over at Typepad) that I plan to showcase a daily photograph from my life. Please let me know what you think. :-)

Scrap-Artist All Day CROP!

2005-08-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

Can't believe that I haven't posted this yet here.... go get some FREE papers from the talented designers at ScrapArtist. And all day Sunday, Aug 28 there will be crops with links to matching elements. Here's the crop line-up:

10:00AM EST: Ad Challenge with Monique and Dani.

1:00PM EST: Sketch Challenge with ME!

4:00PM EST: Font Challenge with Cindy and Stephanie.

7:00PM EST: Scraplift Challenge with Jessica and Lyndsay.

10:00PM EST: Art Inspiration Challenge with Nancie, Michelle and Dianne! This one is a Surprise! They will be giving you a fabulous mini kit!

11:00PM EST: Ad Inspiration Challenge with Andrea and Jenn.

So please join us in the ScrapArtist Chat Room!!

2005-08-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

No cropping...no color correction...no fancy grunge border... no level adjustment. This is real life photography to capture a silly moment. Restroom doors usually remain closed but this time Jessi had just finished going potty. See with the first child we had those toilet locks that most of our adult guests would have near-accidents just trying to figure out how to open the %$&* things. But with the second one... well Jessi still needs to be able to go to the bathroom without asking us to open the tiolet every time....So we just have to keep the doors closed because someone likes to play with water - of any kind. Not exactly what I have in mind when I think of modern-day eau de toilette.

Lots of excitement!

2005-08-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

Great news on the allergy front. I called up the dr. that we went to see 2 weeks ago and we got the results back from his blood test - and HE'S OUTGROWN HIS WHEAT AND DAIRY allergy!!! WAHOOOO. I don't know if I could shout that any loudly! This is FANTASTIC - which means he WON'T NEED to be on formula for all of next year and possibly beyond. He'll be able to switch to milk relatively soon after turning one. And for his first birthday I won't need to be making the brown rice birthday cake (even though I now have $45 worth of allergy baking products). And the tests also showed that he is no longer allergic to corn, oatmeal, peas, bananas, or millet. He is still VERY allergic to eggs, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Who cares?! The kid can eat a piece of plain bread should the desire for anything other than purees strike his fancy (given that no eggs were in said bread - hey that rhymed).

I'm also so excited because I signed Jessi up for dance class!! It's a ballet and tap class (but for age range and there's a recital at the end - how cute!!). I'm not really a girlie-girl but this makes me giddy! I don't know if it's a right of passage thing, or because I did it when I was younger, or because we're trying something different, or because she'll wear a cute little leaotard... but I am just so happy about this. And maybe this will get me into the girlie spirit! Maybe I will be able to embrace my inner-girlie-girl. She must be lurking somewhere in there! So here's a photo as we are trying on some ballet shoes that we bought for class.

2005-08-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

And tap shoes too!

2005-08-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

Here's a LO I did tonight. HOP (Hooked on Phonics) Time - Summer 2005

Papers and hemp tie from Beach Day by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals (tag made by me from Beach Day papers), Alpha Weathered Round (time) from Michelle Coleman

Journaling:
"My goal this summer was to teach you to read. I don�t know why I picked this to be our project. Why not how to be more comfortable on your big girl bike? I guess it�s because Ryan was still taking naps so I wanted to stay close to home and it was a very hot and buggy summer so I wanted to stay inside. We always suspected that you were very advanced for your age. So why not try! We had started using BOB books with much success but I wanted something more structured for us to follow so I bought Hooked on Phonics at Costco. Most days when Ryan went down for his first nap we would go to the kitchen table and do some HOP Time. Every time you finished reading a story you put a sticker up on our sticker chart. It is so much fun seeing your progress. Summer�s end is near and you can read well over 200 words! I�m so proud of you!"

Fonts Batik Regular, Klill-LightTallX

2005-08-24T07:55:00.000-05:00

Doesn't everything look better with a white sheet and some indirect window light!! Introducing Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread that wouldn't come out of the pan - so I photgraphed it in the pan!! A BIGGG HELLO to my new friend Wendy (if you're catching up and reading blogs today)!! I did NO scrapping last night because all I did was chat with her! So fun! I hope Sophie gets well soon! And to Abby - hope lil A get's better in time to for your trip to FL!

2005-08-24T07:52:00.001-05:00

Some of our projects over the past 3 days... making pesto with basil from the garden.

2005-08-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

And making a bouquet of flowers.

SOAR

2005-08-23T13:18:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of gymnastics - and I don't think we'll be signing up again for the next session - so it's only fitting to share a LO I did of Jessi at her class earlier in the session. Stitching from Katie Periet at Designer Digitals...everything else from Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort.

2005-08-22T17:14:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day. Wow. Inspired by my friend Abby (who made a cute invitation for her daughter's upcoming 2nd bday), I decided to go ahead and make one too (a little later than I should have since his party is now less than 2 weeks away)... hopefully some people will be able to show up on short notice. I used Gina Cabrera's new Virtual Ink CD. I can't belive this is the first thing I've done with this CD - need to do more since the I love the color schemes in the kits and the papers have great texture (and I'm all about texture).

2005-08-22T07:35:00.000-05:00

Just started an ABC vacation album for the holiday gift (for my in-laws and I'm going to re-word some of it and give one to Jessi too for Hanukkah - it's my top secret project and she thinks it's so funny that I am working on a surprise for her). I am scrap-lifting Heather Ann Melzer from her vacation album in Scrapbooks, Etc. Very simple design so that the pictures take the center stage. My pages are 6x6 (not sure which size she used in the mag - but I wanted to be able to easily fit a few on a page and have something small enough for the grandparents to carry around with them to show their friends). I'm using Gina Cabrera's Spring Fling kit. Fonts are Klill-LightTallX and Punch Label. I'll post some more in the upcoming weeks.

Winery Festival LO

2005-08-20T07:19:00.000-05:00

This LO is from a recent festival we attended at a winery nearby. Elements from Designer Digitals (chipboard) and Worn Comfort by Jen Wilson (papers and ribbon).

A Practice in Patience - Pre-term Labor

2005-08-19T05:46:00.000-05:00

This is for the first page in my daughter's first year baby album. I was orignially planning to make a single page about pre-term labor and bedrest for the baby book but clearly with this much journaling it needed to be a double spread. So I'm going to do a title page (I'm thinking something like one picture from every month of her first year - "What a difference a year makes")... won't go into the journaling for this because I'd fill up the whole blogger server! The more I look at this the more I realize that I should have put a picture of me on bedrest here (but I love this sonogram picture - it's our favorite - and she still has the same profile). Oh well. Don't feel like changing it right now! Want to be done with a layout. The feeling of completion of something! Small celebrations.

2005-08-18T10:45:00.000-05:00

Papers by Michelle Underwood (Aged to Perfection - love this - hope she does more like this - vintage-y - hope you're reading this Mich!); Alphas by Ali Folendore. I've been admiring these alpha and then when I saw them in a LO Pattie (ptknox) did for the Mix-It-Up challenge over at 2Peas. I had to buy them. Thanks Pattie (for the inspiration hope you don't mind if I lift your title idea - and Ali for creating these gems!).

My dd and I always say this to each other. We used to save it for our bedtime ritual but sometime we say it randomly. This is how it started out but sometime we change roles and she starts now.

"Mommy: I love you up to the sky and back down again, and around the world INFINITY times.

J: Whoa, that's a lot!"

2005-08-17T13:39:00.000-05:00

Since we very rarely are in pictures together anymore I had to post this. It's from this past weekend right before one of our special dinners OUT.

2005-08-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

I've had a scrapping block lately... or maybe it's that when I felt creativity come I wasn't able to scrap and then when I'd have time I'd sit in front of my computer and not have a clue as to where I should start. So I looked at the eye-candy in Rebecca Sower's book again. I love fabric and texture and stitching so I get so happy looking at her creative layouts. I also started going through the earlier files of pictures that I have.

There are SO MANY pictures that are scrapable... not because they are of professional quality but because there is so much that I want to remember and show the kids when they get bigger. Not to mention the vacation stuff that I want to be able to look back on when I'm old and grey and sitting on a porch swing with Mike. So below is a LO with some of those older pics.

And by the way, the color in these papers remind me of childhood. Why you ask?? I was the only kid in town that asked for her room to be, NO - not pink or lavender. No I was WAAY more original (or outdated) than that - I asked for GREEN, ORANGE, and YELLOW! Yep, 2 of my walls were wallpapered with plaid in these colors and the other 2 were painted solid green. Enough of that!

Here's "Wings of Fancy", Brookside Gardens, May 2003

"When we walked into the butterfly atrium, all around us were verdant plants and jeweled flowers. It was humid and we were at the entrance of what looked like a giant greenhouse. It didn�t seem like there were all that many butterflies. But when we looked closer we realized we were surrounded by them. On many of the flowers and in special �sweet plates� carefully placed among the gardens there were butterflies aplenty. There were no strollers allowed inside so it was hard to see all the beauty that this exhibit had to offer since we were chasing after you - our very curious toddler. But we were able to get a glimpse of a cocoon house that contained hundreds oft caterpillars in various stages of becoming a butterfly. After we finished this exhibit we wandered the grounds of Brookside Gardens. You were most interested in a fountain we encountered along our walk."

Jen WIlson's Worn Comfort Aunt Ida's Sunroom

Fonts: Carpenter, Typewriter, Tw Cent, Misproject

2005-08-15T06:26:00.000-05:00

Here's a LO for Feb for my ds first year baby book (to which I've commited 2-page spreads)Credits: Michelle Underwood's Boys of Summer page kit. R alpha and leaf from Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort Elements kits (Afternoon Lagoon and Toasted Oatmeal), scraplift of a page in Ali Edward's A Designer's Eye.

Journaling:
You sleep in your room for naps and bedtime but still mostly in the bouncer mostly. We have established a bedtime routine now. First we make sure you�re not hungry, then we change your diaper, then I read Brown Brown, Brown Bear What Do You See? By Bill Martin, Jr. After that Jessi reads, from memory, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and then we sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star using hand motions. While we sing, you wildly wave your arms around and kick your legs to let us know how excited you are...and probably also to show us you appreciate our routine so that you know what to expect of your day. You go to bed at 7. Mom wakes you to feed you at 10:30. You wake up to eat at 5:00am to eat. Then sleep until 7:00am. Your 6-9 month outfits are getting snug! You are huge. On Feb 9, you weigh 16 lbs, 2 oz!! At the beginning of the month you start grabbing at toys and are interested in more than just your hands. On Feb 5, you sat up for the first time without support. Then you leaned into Daddy�s legs for help. You first visit the District on Feb 13 to go to The Museum of Natural History. You first slept through the night on Feb 13, but didn�t make it a habit until Feb 24, when you slept through the night 5 nights in a row! On Feb 19 I started to wean you to formula at the advice of your gastroenterologist due to your rash, eczema, and allergies. You hated formula AND the bottle. It took so long to get an OUNCE into you and then you threw it up (you were allergic to the hypoallergenic formula) and you wanted to eat from Mommy. I gave up dairy foods in hopes that it would help. Yes, I gave up bagels with chive cream cheese - my fave. But you�re worth it. At the end of the month, I took you for a hernia check - thank goodness that came out negative - and also to the dermatologist for your persistent rash.

Font: Garamond

2005-08-14T08:34:00.000-05:00

This weekend was so perfect for reconnecting with Mike! We were able to go out to dinner two nights in a row because his parents love watching the kids and letting us get out (since we're very hesitant to get babysitters - okay it's all my fault really - it's hard to find a good one - and I don't trust my kids in the hands of just anyone). I can't even remember the last time I was at a movie theater but I went to one Fri night and saw Wedding Crashers - it was hysterical! Mike and I were laughing our heads off and then after it ended we laughed some more by retelling our favorite or otherwise memorable parts in our trademark silly voices. Great, harmless, non-thinking fun.

And then last night we went to dinner and then Barnes and Noble... I hung out in the photography section and found a nice book for amateurs that had one of the most moving photos I had ever seen. The book was How to Photograph Your Baby by Nick Kelsh. The story was of a blue-collar working man who had just become a father (many years ago) who took a picture of his hand holding his newborn son's hand. And each year, thereafter, around his son's birthday he would take that same simple picture. His hand with his son's hand. When looking back over the pictures (after around 25-30 years or so, I imagine) the first half of the pictures show the son's growth, with the father's hand mainly unchanged. The strong fahter holding to hand of his growing son. And then the second half of the photos show the son's hands now as a grown man and the father's hands changing showing signs of aging. And then the last photo was the hands of the grown son, the aging father, and another new hand in the photo... that of the little granddaughter. I cried. Tears were pouring down my face and I must have made some little holding-back-the-tears-sounds because the woman in the nearby art section glanced over at me. Oh well.

So I decided right then and there that I would HAVE to do this with the kids (and maybe even just Mike and I). And you can be sure that the next photo challenge I help out with over at ScrapArtist will BE THIS! I can't imagine a more powerful visual representation of the strength of family, and passing of time than this. What a great idea. And the rest of the book was helpful and had photography that appealed to me... And the same author has another book called How to Photograph Your Family. I will have to see if my local library has these. I was suprised, in general, at how many mediocre photography books were sitting on the shelves. I guess they just weren't my style.

So anyway, here's a photo of my daughter at her gymnastics class swinging on the rope. I used the sports setting. I would have liked to have had more of a blur in the background but I'll need to not be holding Ryan in my other hand and have a tripod probably for the effect I'm going for... and a better command of manual. I tried to use manual in some impromtu family Candyland shots but it wasn't turning out well so I switched to Aperture priority and full auto at some of them. Oh well - I need more practice. Hope to get to work out today since we've taken a few days off (our guest room is on the same level as our home gym). But I definitely need to work off some of the gluttonous dining that's been going on!!

2005-08-12T07:16:00.000-05:00

Did this LO about 2 weeks ago and forgot to post it. Journaling:
"This is quickly becoming one of my favorite pictures of you. You have only been here a short time. Only ten and a half months. But your life is well documented through photos. This photograph has become special to me because in it I see something important: you find delight in life�s simple pleasures. You discovered the light on the carpet and crawled over to it. You reached out to touch it. To play. To see if there was any reaction. There were no beeping sounds or flashing lights like most of your toys. Only the radiant light of Mother Nature entering our home. Bringing warmth. Bringing wonder. And it still held your interest. You found delight. In the simple act of playing with light."

Audobon Paper Set, Vintage Classroom, staples, Simply Stamped Boy by Katie Pertiet from Designer Digitals.

Fonts: Misproject, Garamond ITC

Hopkins report

2005-08-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

It took me 1 hr 45 minutes to get to the doctor's at Johns Hopkins and 2 hours to get back... not to mention the looong wait there before we even got to see the doctor. Iit's been a looong day.

The doctor was great though, and really helped to put my mind at ease. He said that Ryan will need to stay on formula for most, if not all, of his second year (instead of stopping in a month and switching to milk, be it soy, rice, whatever). He has some patients that are 3 and even 7 that still take formula as part of their nutrition, but that's rare. He said that it may be hard to transition him from the bottle at the "normal age" and he may not give it up until he's through with the formula as his main nutrition.

Ryan had his blood drawn to get more accurate results to the allergy test since skin tests are contraindicated for patients with eczema (who knew?! we had a skin test last time even though his skin was sooooo bad). So we should know in 2 weeks what he is REALLY allergic too and, hopefully, be able to start introducing new foods - other than the 6 he eats right now. The plebotomist was awful. For most of the time my head was turned so I couldn't/wouldn't see but I looked over from time to time and saw that she stuck the needle in and was then fishing around for the vein while it was in my poor baby's arm. Then since she couldn't find it in his left arm she went fishing again in his right. He was SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. And at the end of it all he was so pale and then blotchy red and sweaty. What a tough day he had! I gave him extra hugs and kisses when it was all over.

The doctor wasn't worried about his limited food texture tolerance... he said it's quite normal for patients with reflux and severe food allergies to have problems with textures in food up until they're 3 so I may need to be carrying around baby food with me for a long time to come... and to go on a food strike (which we've had over the past few days). Since reflux/allergy kids have such a negative association with foods they often protest.

So this is more than you probably needed or wanted to know about this whole thing (except for you, Mom!). And we get to go back in a year for re-testing to see if he's outgrown any of it. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

2005-08-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

always CLIMB THAT TREE even if you're wearing a dress. This LO was for the Launch CD crop for Jen WIlson's Layers. Brushed edges and staples by Michelle Coleman available at ScrapArtist, background paper, seek adventure tag, leaf, flower from Summer Travels, polka dot paper and small photo matte from Worn Comfort.

the BIG DAY and Blue Mystery solved?

2005-08-11T07:29:00.000-05:00

So I think the blueish cast on some of my photos were caused by either 1) a very hot day, 2) having Tungsten set as my white balance... I've since set it to auto. We'll see how that goes. Thanks to all the Peas over at the Photog forum who helped.

Today is the big day... the day we've all been waiting for (at least in our family). Our doctor's appt. with the pediatric allergest who's the best in the area. We've been waiting MONTHS for this appt. Hopefully we will have some answers after this visit. It will take at least 1.5 hours there and 1.5 hours back! I hope that we don't have to wait too long once we get there. The patience level of an 11 month old, even a good-natured one, is only so long! I have a feeling that we'll get re-tested since doctors usually do a re-test if allergies are still an issue at about one year old... and we're one month shy of that. I'm going to ask for them to include a few foods that I suspect in their tests that they don't normally include in their intial battery of tests.

And later today my in-laws will be in for a long weekend. Looking forward to spending some time with them.

No scrapping done last night - I spent a few quiet hours with my camera and my owner's manual last night. It was great fun!! No, really IT WAS! I learned how amazing cameras can be these days. My camera has so many great features and now I know how to use most of them. My goal is to shoot in manual and I did this a little last night (on my ceiling fan and drapes in low lighting - hey, it's what I had) and experimented with things I had never heard of before (like AE Lock and exposure bracketing - I think that's what they were called).

I recently discovered that my favorite digital designer (on who's design team I'm NOT on) is coming out with another new CD... she just came out with one a few months ago. Jen Wilson has not heeded my request of slowing down on production for my wallet's sake! So there's a crop tonight at 8EST (the best time for me) so you can be sure that I'll be there. And I'm told there will be goodies. The CD goes on sale tomorrow but I'm probably not going to buy it right now (I stress the word probably). Alot of the colors are similar to the ones on the Worn Comfort... and I want to wait and see the elements packs that go with it (if there are any). But I have very little willpower so you never know!

2005-08-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

My challenge this week at ScrapArtist.com is to find a LO that needs a MAKEOVER!! This photo has been bugging me for the past few months. I have now scrapped it 3 times. I'm not a total perfectionist but rather I was trying different styles and techniques and wasn't completely satisfied with how they each came out. So dig into the depths of your hard drive, find a LO in need of a makeover, and join me over at the ScrapArtist forums. Come to think of it **I** could use a makeover... new glasses, stylish clothes, a new 'do.... ah well - it's just easier (and cheaper) to do a layout! lol! Everything in this LO was from the free crop kit from last night's ScrapArtist chat called Life is a Bistro.

blue tinted photo

2005-08-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that I'm not sure why the color in the most recent photo post was bluish! I can't remember what my camera settings were. But thanks Abby for the compliment. It was very unitentional but I just wanted to post it quick and didn't have time to futz around in PS!

Tons of ideas

2005-08-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

I bought Simple Scrapbooks and Scrapbooks, etc. from my grocery store yesterday and while I haven't read through them totally yet I saw a bunch of great ideas that I'd love to somehow incoporate into my scrapping...

Here are a few:
-AAM page in Simple Scrapbooks with that heartfelt letter about the reader who lost her sister and nephew in a tragic accident and how there were so few pictures of them with others and information about who they really were
-School album by Renee Villalobos-Campos - an entire album where each school year is summed up in two pages (with teachers names, classmates) and the best part for me was the page where she is going to capture her son's signature on one page at the start of each school year so her son will be able to see how his signature has evolved from childhood to manhood. I just loved this. (I will need to rescrap a page for this but will gladly because I think it will be worth it).
-Birthday party album in Simple Scrapbooks - I loved this but wasn't sure if or how I was going to do this. I don't want to re-scrap Jessi's birthdays just yet... so I don't think I will incorporate this now but it's food for thought for the future. I like that both of my kids' first year albums will include their first birthday in it... but I also like the idea of having all of the birthday parties in one place... anyone do something like this or thinking about it?

2005-08-07T18:57:00.000-05:00

I love getting flowers from this girl. While we were out walking the dog a few days ago I hear giggles... Jessi yells to me, "I'm going to have a surprise for you but you can't look at what I'm doing". So cute. Clover flowers have never looked so beautiful!

2005-08-06T19:33:00.000-05:00

We went out to a winery today for their blackberry festival. I don't particularly like blackberries (the seeds and all) but that's okay because we just went for the wine tasting and hanging out with the kids. We were supposed to meet our cousins (sorry Paula) but it just didn't work out since Ryan took a super long nap. Mike and I had a delicious adult dinner (Thanks Paula!) last night. We went to a Japanese steak house and ate ourselves silly. And because that wasn't enough we went out to Maggie Moo's for ice cream. I tell you I'm the one mooing. I feel like a cow. But we don't get out to eat much so we figured we'd live it up! And we worked out this morning together. I ran - and it kicked my butt again. The elliptical is so much easier for me. But Mike wanted the elliptical so I sweated buckets on the 'mill. It was so hot out today and there's supposed to be more of the same tomorrow so the only rational thing to do is go to the pool. So that's my goal tomorrow - that and go food shopping because we are running severely low on EVERYTHING! Anyway, in scrapping news I've been working on this layout since yesterday and I finally finished it tonight. It's for last month to go into Ry's baby album. I'm not caught up but wanted to last month before doing some of the other ones that are waiting to be scrapped.

Journaling:
"This month brought lots of crawling adventures. If we�re playing in your room and leave your door open for even the slightest moment you head out for discovery. You love crawling into Jessi�s room to make music with her keyboard and then practicing standing while holding onto her dollhouse. Then you�ll crawl into your bathroom to pull up on the tub and remove your bath toys from the basket. Bang Bang Bang go the bath cups! Often, you�ll try to get into Dad�s office. So many books to try to take off the shelves! Towards the end of the month you try to take only one nap on some days� there�s just to much you want to see and too many things with which to play. Your favorite toy is any ball you can find. It can be a small firm one that goes to a toy or a large squishy one � as long as it�s round and rolls you�re happy. I get so much joy watching you chase after it as it rolls on the hardwood floors."

Credits: Papers, adventure ribbon, and embellished tag from Wild Hearts Can't Be Tamed by Jen WIlson, Slide holders, brown ribbon, beaded twine, criss-cross staples, compass, and belt with buckle from Summer Travels by Jen Wilson and Lauren Bird, white straight and zig-zag stitching by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals.

2005-08-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

We have Jessi's 4 year check-up today. And I haven't told her yet - but she has to get a shot this time!! This is precisely why I haven't told her... I'm going to need that kiddie sausage thing that they used in the emergency room (when getting the bead out of her nose) on Monday - it was a big velcro thing that wrapped around her body and didn't allow for any movement. I think we'll hit the bookstore before we go to waste some time and get out of the house for a bit...and I'm going to see if they have Understanding Exposure... my library doesn't have it. But I did put another of the same author's books on hold. So here's a LO about my doggie. I've never scrapped about her and she certainly deserves a space (and a few more will surely follow in the future... I just have to find my fave picture of her - from before we went digital and scan it in).
Journaling:
"How do you always know when I�m cutting up a cucumber? As soon as I start peeling and chopping, you come running. Even if you�re under the couch in your secret hiding place. Even if you�re upstairs in Jessi�s room eating her wooden dolls. Even if you�re chomping on your bone in your doggie bed. You sit right at my feet until I give you your share. The Linky Cucumber Tax. A deliciously tasty tradition. Photo taken July 2005."

Papers from Grass Sand and Sea, Home stamp, and staples by Katie Pertiet from Designer Digitals. Paw eyelets from Faitheful Friend kit by Gina Cabrera - Digital Design Essentials.

Fonts: Garamond and Century Gothic

2005-08-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

It feels good to scrap again. It's been a few days since I did some real scrapping. I've had thank you notes to write (but none of them are mailed yet). And I've worked on some journaling (sparked by Rebecca Sower's book) for future LOs - so this could be considered scrap planning! I've also been trying to learn how to use my camera. Yes I know you turn it on and then press the button... but I mean really USE it... like in manual mode and understand how things work together... I took pictures for my "assignment #1" at MorgueFile's free photography class (thanks Kim for telling me about this!). I'll post some of them as soon as I upload them. The class is great so far. Check it out at MorgueFile.

So this LO was fun to do because I love grunge and I love texture... and Michelle Coleman's Sentimental Journey kit has both (and more). I kept it simple because I wanted to actually complete a LO tonight instead of stare at a screen trying to think of what I wanted to do. I love this quote from Dr. Seuss! And I have to tell you Michelle and Nancie couldn't be any classier! They simply rock and are so much fun to work with! Love you girls!

2005-08-02T10:37:00.000-05:00

What a colorful beads. What tiny beads. I wonder if that blue bead would fit in my nostril. That's what Jessi must have been thinking yesterday when she stuck that blue bead up her nose making for a birthday spent, in part, in the emergency room removing the foreign object from her nose! Ahhhh, memories of childhood. And when we were all finished we got in the car to drop my mom off at the airport and Jessi's first question was, "I wonder what color that bead was that was stuck in my nose." It was blue, honey, the bead was blue.

2005-08-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Jessica!!! Today you're 4! I can't believe it has already been 4 years since you came into our hearts. I am truly blessed.

So I can't sleep

2005-07-31T04:23:00.000-05:00

I am wide awake... too much excitement for Jessi's party later this morning I guess. I am such a dork. I should be sleeping. I should TOTALLY be sleeping but instead I'm here typing a blog entry. It was a good thing because I realized that I have no drinks for the adults at the party. No, not vodka, but water and sodas and stuff, although I'm sure a few of the parents wouldn't mind something stronger!!

Before I went to bed I was reading a few books that my mom bought me as gifts - it was Christmas in July for me yesterday when we went to AC Moore (or Hanukkah really)!! I read through Cathy Z's book... and part of Rebecca Sower's new book. I should start journaling more. I used to keep journals and tried to write everyday but sometime a few years ago that all stopped. Rebecca's book is inspiring me to try to do some daily writing... even if it's just recounting the days events.

I was recently reading over some entries in my journal to recover some details about our trip to Italy 4+ years ago (or as we refer to it as The Last Vacation - lol! the one before the kids came along)... I wanted to scrap some vacation pages and couldn't remember most of the details... it was so nice to be able to see what I loved about the places we saw and what I didn't love. It brought back memories. Like for instance that I wrote down what flavors of gelato we tried!! How silly - but it was a big part of our vacation... I was 7 months pregnant and so hot (perhaps a walking vacation in the heat was not an ideal pregnant woman's vacation) so we went to a gelateria at LEAST once a day... sometimes more. I was always so hungry and I threw caution to the wind! It seems that I was a chocolate chip kind of gal and Mike, consistent as he is, was and still is a mint chocolate chip kind of guy. It was neat to see those kinds of things in my own handwriting... even though I no longer *like* my handwriting. I used to have very loveable handwriting when I was younger... but I've fallen out of love. And there were details that I forgot - like taking long train rides (and the books I was reading at the time while on them)... and how many duomos there were there and that we got tired of standing in lines to see them. So instead we'd sit down and get something cold to drink and become European people watchers....

So even though I should probably start journaling again in my own handwriting, I think that just to get myself writing again I will start on the computer...in Word. The keyboard has become such an extension of myself and thought process that I just think better while sitting in front of it - the words flow more at the speed of thought than pen and paper. I may change. I, do, after all, have the right to change my mind, but for now that'll probably be my best shot at getting back into writing. And I say, WHATEVER WORKS!

Wow - so far a whole blog entry and NO interruptions from the kids. I feel like I'm able to make complete sentences and have complete thoughts. Maybe there's something to this middle-of-the-night rambling! That's why sometimes I just post a LO with very little words... those adorable little kids. It's not because I'm snooty!! LOL!

2005-07-31T04:20:00.000-05:00

So I'll leave you with a picture that seems like so long ago and yet seems like yesterday of my baby girl 4 years ago today.

Mom Day!

2005-07-30T07:48:00.000-05:00

Today is the day my mom arrives in town!! This is birthday party weekend. I can't believe my little girl is going to be 4 on Monday!! This morning I told her she's getting so big and she said that's okay that she'd always be my baby girl. I could just cry. Before becoming a parent I never knew how much you could love someone. It's incredible. I just love my kids so much (I love Mike too, of course, but our love for our kids is just different - as other parents understand). Growing up you just have no idea how much your parents love you (even though they tell you)... so I'm going to give my mom an extra big hug today to thank her for loving me so much over the years because now I knew how she felt.

So this morning I'm downloading fonts. I'm needing an influx of new ones... even if I end up using the same ones over and over. LOL! I'm getting sone new script ones at dafont.com and others at scrapvillage (all FREE): One Fell Swoop, Monika, Jefferson, Freebooter Script, Lipstick Traces, Barbara Hand, Brandywine...

And in party news I think I need to get some more party goodie bags (and goodies) because more kids are coming to the party than I realized. Something like 21+. YIKES! It will be a ver cake-filled weekend. Today we're going to celebrate my mom's birthday and then tomorrow, Jessi's party... then Monday her REAL 4th birthday.

Today before it rains I'm going to dig up the mint (again) that came back. I know sounds like fun (yeah right).

WHEEEEEEEeeeeee!

2005-07-29T11:12:00.000-05:00

OK so I have to admit that I hate the color yellow. Not just because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do on this LO for the longest time... oh, and I also hate red. I always have since I was little. So I had to work with some fun elements to not go crazy while doing this because I thought this "story" needed to be in my daughter's album. When I look at it now I think I should've done away with that first picture to make it look nice... but I imagine sitting with my daughter when she is older telling her about her climbing up these tall steps that seemed to reach the sky and how she was fearless... surprisingly so. So that's why it's in even though I'm not pretending that all of these bright colors are pleasing to the eye! LOL! CC always welcome!

Everything from Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort (except the staples - they are from Designer Digital's Fastener set).

Journaling:
This year we went to the Paviliion for 4th of July festivities. We love living in such a great community where they have so many activities in which we can participate! They had giant slides, a big moonbounce, BBQ sandwiches and snowcones! I didn’t expect that you would want to go on this huge slide. I thought you’d be aftaid of it. This was the biggest slide you had ever been on. But you went on it and you were HOOKED. I couldn’t get you to go on much of anything else after this. You went again and again and again!

Also included lyrics from Helter Skelter in the upper right:
When you get to the bottom
You go back to the top of the slide
And you stop and you turn
And you go for a ride
Then you get to the bottom
Then you see me again
-BEATLES/U2, Helter Skelter

2005-07-29T10:18:00.000-05:00

Jen is at it again. Jen, if you are reading this, will you please stop creating for a few months so I can stop spending money?!!! I love ATCs. I can't hide it. I love making them and I love these (and there are other packs too - and I love them all). Now Jen has created her own for use on pages. I love the collage style LO and these will look great on it. I even love Jen's marketing... it's so my style. It speaks to me. Okay Jen stop speaking to me (and my wallet).

Blog help! PLEASE!

2005-07-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

Is there anyone that can help me figure out why in IE my blog doesn't appear where it should, but instead appears at the bottom?? I tried to search for any unclosed HTML tags but I won't have a chance to look at this closely until later tonight (hopefully). Thanks Abby for alerting me to the problem. I use Firefox, which is more forgiving with shoddy HTML... not sure how long this has been a problem but hope I can fix it soon.

2005-07-28T09:11:00.000-05:00

I am on a search with Peter Reinhart... the search for the perfect pizza. I started reading American Pie a book about Peter's search around the world for the perfect pie two nights ago. I didn't realize how many different categories of crust there were... so for tonight I am making the Neo-Neapolitan Pizza dough tonight which is described in his book as making a pizza that makes a thin, crisp crust with airy pockets at the crown. The dough itself is described as a little sticky and a touch tricky to handle, but the payoff is in the snap when you taste that first bite. Can't wait until dinner! The dough is resting right now before it's soujourn to the refrigerator for a long rise. This dough felt so heavenly to handle. A good dough will do that... it will transport you to a small town where the local bakery is open selling fresh breads with a crisp, crackly crust that opens to reveal a warm, tender bite. Truly heavenly. I feel that for a few moments this morning I visited an wise, elderly pizziola in Naples who helped guide me in the way of the pizza. Aaah.. I even love the aroma of bread dough rising.

In other news:
**I'm pretty sure that Ryan is trying to give up his afternoon nap so this has been a little trying on me - he's up for many more hours which means many more hours of crawling around fast with him making sure he's not banging on the TV (his favorite thing to do) or getting into Jessi's stuff!! But we are having so much fun. I'm just more tired at the end of the day.

**We had our neighbors over last night and we had such a nice dinner. Jessi played so well with their 8 year old. I mean BETTER than ever with anyone else we've ever been with. I notice that she tends to get along with older kids as well as adults. Not sure if that's a first or only child thing (since I'm an only and remember being that way when I was younger).

**We got a swingset!!! YIPEE! It's for Jessi's birthday - but it really fulfills an American dream of sorts for Mike and I. We always wanted to be able to have a playground area on which the could kids. So we are just so happy and feel so fortunate to be able to do this. I smile when I look out the window and see the bright yellow and dark wood of the set!

2005-07-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

And the grape tomatoes are ripening. That is reason enough for a summer celebration. But the garden needs some serious attention. I have been neglecting it this summer. But I guess that's inevitable with two small children and temperature around 100 degrees with code red and orange air quality days. It's supposed to be cooler in the coming days so I'll be able to tolerate going outside! And I'll be able to breathe instead of feeling like someone sucked the air out of the sky. What a bonus! And the birthday party planning is going well. Ordered the Strawberry Shortcake cake - Jess will be so excited!

2005-07-26T19:55:00.000-05:00

Had to post a picture of this because I LOVE it so much!!! And these photo corners look like they rock!! I love her black photo corners that were in the Colorful Kids kit (my new MU fave of the ones I own).

2005-07-26T19:54:00.000-05:00

This awesome kit is "Tropical Breeze" by Michelle Underwood. Just had to mention that Michelle is having a 50% off sale on all her kits a SBB's store (http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/index.php?zenid=9433b763648bd96edd8f4749c43178ca&manufacturers_id=4&zenid=9433b763648bd96edd8f4749c43178ca&main_page=index). I love her color combos and she's always coming out with a new kit. This kit is #2 on my list (even though I haven't been near a tropical breeze in quite some time - nor do I have any plans to be!)... but I love the colors for those pages that need to be a bit more masculine. So grab some kits on sale while you can. And I just saw that she has a new mini kit which is in the top #1 spot called Aged to Perfection (http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=4&products_id=1249)... Love IT!!

Happy Birthday!

2005-07-26T07:18:00.000-05:00

Today is a very special day! It's my mom's birthday....Happy Birthday MOM!! Looking forward to celebrating with you this weekend!

2005-07-25T10:31:00.000-05:00

Had to document the little one's crawling... since I think next month will be a new milestone. I love seeing his little tooshie when he's crawling.. he is just the cutest. So here's his crawling LO... I thought that I had to get away from only doing double page LOs for the baby album because single ones are so much fun!! This one's called "And He's Off!" Credits: Still Life from Scrap Artist and Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort.

2005-07-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

Warmth of a hug. On our way to Best Buy today I was looking through the July issue of CK (because I JUST got it - why do subscribers get things after the newstands?? August is already out - Iknow this because I saw it at the store, but has it arrive at my mailbox? NO! but I digress) so I saw this quote in a LO and it was just what I was looking for for these photos. Jessi had asked if she could hug her brother so we sat them both on the couch so she could help support them both (since he couldn't sit up at the time!)... so cute. Everything here from Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort collection. Some are from the CD some are from the elements pack. I grunged up the larger type with brushes in photoshop and adjusted the opacity. Fonts: Typewriter and CAC Shoshoni Brush.

Photo Challenge

2005-07-23T08:02:00.000-05:00

Took these for the photography challenge over at ScrapArtist. Jenn's challenge was to see household things from a different perspective... in my case I used part of my lunch yesterday! I didn't doctor anything up or crop it otherwise I would've made the tomato more to the right! But just want to get it up. When I think of cucumbers I think refreshing! And I can't have tuna without some of these..tomatoes were added just for color.. but they tasted great too!

Anyhow, Jessi's fever broke last night and she's feeling much better this morning...but Mike and I woke up not feeling quite right... with our throats a little sore. So we're not going to workout today as planned (today was going to be our make-up day, since we didn't work out yesterday). Okay so only 4 times this week.. better than nothing which is what was going on 2 weeks ago!!

Tried to have a movie night last night with Mike but we rented two bad movies... Stepford Wives (so far from the book and in your face - as if the directors and screenwriters thinks that their audience is a bunch of morons... the book was far more subtle. We turned it off after 45 minutes) then we popped in The Terminal. I like Tom Hanks but I just couldn't spend 2+ hours of my life and watch him be victimized while that stipud guy just tried to get him to break the law. We stopped after 40 minutes... right when the head guy made someone in charge of collecting the luggage carts so Tom Hank's character could no longer collect the change from returning them. I'm sure the movie redeemed itself but I couldn't sit through it. I was saddened by it, while Mike couldn't see the plausability of them not being able to find a translator at JFK in the international wing. So it was a bummer of a movie night... we'll have to pick out some other titles on our Netflix list (I'm so loving their service - we just need to pick better movies - LOL!).

2005-07-22T07:25:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday Jessi woke up with chest congestion and wheezing so we gave her a breathing treatment and last night she developed a high fever... so I think it will be very low-key around here. Have to cancel our playdate - I feel so bad because Jessi SOOO wanted to see her preschool friends. She really misses them - she keeps asking when it will start up again. But playing with friends will have to wait. I have a feeling we'll be reading lots of books and watching many Strawberry Shortcake movies today.

2005-07-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

Mom - *don't* look at this post - come back tomorrow (or if you're still reading - which I suspect you are go ahead and look since you don't like surprises)!! Finished off the pages for the ABC album... which is a good thing since I plan on giving it to my mom as her birthday present at the end of the month. Please excuse the white space (it's set for printing on the poster size at Costco and I just haven't filled the rest of it up yet)... so I thought all I had to do was add the pics but my P/Q page and my W page seemed to have vanished! So I had to redo these. Oh well. The ATCs are printed now (on HP matte photo paper - which I also printed on the back of to include all the card info like my email, name, credits, etc.) I'll go and trim them now and see if I have a corner rounder... I think I must have one of those still lying around among the dusty paper stuff.

2005-07-20T21:04:00.000-05:00

And the last ones.

2005-07-20T17:55:00.000-05:00

I was so happy to discover that one of the camp counselor's at Jessi's camp finished Harry Potter so I could talk to her about it. I just handed the book off to Mike so I haven't been able to talk to anyone about it except Dena (through her blog: http://www.dbcooperfamily.blogspot.com/)... can't wait until Mike finishes!! I need to talk and hypothesize to make myself feel better about the latest book. Had a playdate with my neighbor today and had a great time. I consider hanging with this friend a playdate for me because I so enjoy talking with her!! My iPod's not working - it won't shut off or go back in the menus so I need to call Apple later today. Also on the list of things to do is to make dinner reservations for when my in-laws are coming in for a visit (the middle of next month). I tried to meet my husband for lunch today (I know this is funny since he works from home... and, hey, so do I.) But after dropping Jessi at camp we tried to meet at a real restaurant and discovered 10 minutes into that we are now at the stage where we can no longer do this. Ryan doesn't want to sit in the high chair and only wants to crawl around. So I packed up with Ryan and left; Mike got everything wrapped up to go and brought it home where we finished up at our kitchen table (which is what we should've done to begin with). Oh well... now we know for sure!! We'll try again in a year! lol!! Oh, I got this picture today from my mom (a money bouquet). She made this for her boyfriend's teenage neice! I just thought it was so cute! She's so crafty - it's no wonder where I get my love for making things from! Great job Mom!! I love you!! Now I'm off to print out my ATCs for Rhonna's ATC swap. Also on my to-do for tonight (my ME-time) finish Ryan's ABC album (minus the picture needed of him yawning - that I do NOT have). Also on the list for the week is cleaning out my FONTS and finding some new fonts that I like. Post your favorites in the comments if you'd like. Toodles!

2005-07-19T21:58:00.000-05:00

Just finished Harry Potter earlier in the evening so I had to do a LO because I haven't done ones in a few days (the ones I posted were done before I started - just hadn't posted them yet!). Jess and I love to do puzzles together and the moment I saw Nancie's new Aged Floral I knew I had to use it! I love this kit because my daughter always wears these colors so I knew they would go wonderfully!!! Here's the journaling: Looking back I always remember loving puzzles as a young girl. Great-Grandma Dorothy would let me help her with whatever puzzle she was working on at the time whether it be animals, a complicated city scene, or huge ones with thousands of pieces. Grandma Sandy would set up a card table for me in our living room so that I could do puzzles and still be in the same room with her. And she even bought me puzzle glue and frames so I could have a lasting reminder of my hard efforts. I just loved the thrill of so many tiny pieces, so colorful, each one having a precise place, but yet unknown to me at the beginning. I would always start with the edges and then work on the inner pieces; something I still do to this day. It seems you have inherited my puzzle gene. We started on 24 piece puzzles when you turned three but we have quickly progresses and you are already doing puzzles with 150 pieces! And tonight was the first night that upon opening a new puzzle you said that we should start with the outside edges! It seems as if my snese of order is rubbing off.

2005-07-19T21:56:00.000-05:00

How's this for feeling? This is for the ScrapArtist photo challenge for this past week. Tomorrow there will a new one so I had to get this in.

2005-07-19T15:57:00.000-05:00

LO of the day is by ksharonk (http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=96426&cat=500&ppuser=1266). So cute!!

2005-07-19T15:55:00.000-05:00

My pick for paper sets today is Whimsical Watercolors from Designer Digitals. Love this paper set - the colors remind me of having a picknic with a glass of wine on a comfy blanket in the great outdoors (without the high humidity we've been having in the mid-Atlantic)!

2005-07-18T08:29:00.000-05:00

My daughter is always asking when she can do specific things like have a sleepover, go to visit where the Wiggles live (Australia), when can her baby brother come out and play with her in the rain... things like that. I always say when she gets older and she always says, "Okay maybe when I'm ten or five." Credits Hush papers and tags, staple, and chipboard from Designer Digitals, solid paper from Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort and photo corners from Michelle Underwood's Colorful kids.

2005-07-17T20:57:00.000-05:00

Harry is very angry at breaking my date... but for the DigiChick and Michelley-Jelly - well things happen. I was at the crop (missed most of the chat since I can't do both at the same time!) LOL! Here's an older picture (when my daughter, now 4, had just turned 1). Great kit. Thanks Michelle and Holly for the freebie! You two are a great team. Hope to see more collaboration in the future!

2005-07-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

I'm picking out some kits that I love this from this week and last week (that I don't own - but hopefully will someday)... but after buying the camera I'll be trying to cut down on my consumerism. The colors in this remind me of the SEI pack that I bought a looong time ago and have never used because I not really biscraptual and after I found digital.. well there are lots of supplies hanging around that I plan to use for cards or for art projects with Jessi when she gets older.. or maybe they're eBay-bound!! So this one is by Holly (http://www.thedigichick.com).

2005-07-17T12:17:00.001-05:00

The Vintage Alphas from Ali F (and her others are gorgeous too).

2005-07-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

The NEW Vol 3 from Gina Cabrera at Digital Design Essentials.

2005-07-17T12:15:00.000-05:00

And Panache from Carrie Stephens.

2005-07-17T12:09:00.000-05:00

Come on over to ScrapArtist's Forums for Challenge #2 this week... creating an ATC. Even if it's your first one or your twenty-first!This is the ATC that I did for the second challenge. It uses a bunch of different ScrapArtist kits (Women's Day, Daddy-O, Fair Trade). Love all the stamps, ribbons, and soft blended papers - perfect for the ATC I had in mind.

2005-07-16T20:24:00.000-05:00

Here's one of the first pics taken this morning with the new camera. This is my first baby. Meet Linky (actually Lincoln; but more often than not, she's Stinky Linky) - she's now 7 1/2 years old. She's just as quirky as the rest of the crazy characters I live with - this one has a foot fetish and will sit and lick feet for hours... and like all things associated with feet. Don't leave shoes on the floor out in the open because she will lick the insides until they are all goopy and soaked... and she might even eat them (just ask my mom, victim #1), and even if you stuff your socks waaay inside your sneakers she wil get them out and run away with them. But I love her... just look at her face - how could I not?

drumroll please!! (Canon EOS 20D NEWS!)

2005-07-16T17:01:00.000-05:00

At 5:35 last night (with a splitting headache) I went upstairs after Mike suggested I go take 15 minutes to lay down - and hopefully feel better and more able to deal with eldest offspring whinings. It was the last day of the rebate for the Canon EOS 20D. The gift card I had been awaiting hadn't come earlier when our mail was delivered. Imagine my surprise when at 5:45pm the doorbell rings and I hear Mike yell, "LISA!" Our gift card had been delivered by UPS (duh - so there would be tracking - of course!!)!!!

So last night after the kids were put to bed, I went to Best Buy and bought the CAMERA (and they did a price match with Costco)!! We took a ton of pictures today - the auto ones look great (even the mundane ones due to overzealous photographers)... need to figure out how to operate the "creative modes".... but that will have to wait until I have time to read the manual and play around...because HARRY POTTER arrived this afternoon and I will be taking an evening scrapping break to spend time with Harry.

And did you hear that the great Gina Cabrera has a new CD coming out!?? There seem to be so many amazing designers releasing new products lately. It's hard to keep up. I'm going to post some of the ones that I think look particularly interesting in the next few days... so stay tuned.

2005-07-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

This for tonight's crop for the CD Release of That's Hawt by Dawn and Trish. Looks like a great CD if the freebies are any indication!!

I've been found out!

2005-07-14T18:45:00.000-05:00

Just read this over at http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/20dd70.htm (thanks Candeewrapz over at 2Peas for the link):

"Don't become a victim of analysis paralysis. Just go get one and have a blast making photos."

Oh, sure, easy for you to say!!

2005-07-14T13:11:00.000-05:00

Cake Delay. I know that this is overdue but I was just recently able to upload my pictures from the camera... this is the cake I made for July 4th. As you can see we didn't use enough raspberries!! I only wrote down 2 half pints of strawberries but the recipe called for 3. So we improved here and there and spaced as needed! Everyone loved it... except for me (and Jessi - like Mommy like daughter) we're both buttercream frosting fans and didn't want to eat the cake due to the cheesecake-like fronting. It was fun to make it with my pint-sized helper but I don't know that we'll be following the exact recipe again (from Barefoot Contessa). Just checked the mailbox and there is STILL NO gift card... tomorrow the rebate ends and I was hoping to be able to use that in getting the new camera. Maybe it'll be here in tomorrow's mail.

Day 3

2005-07-13T14:29:00.000-05:00

How many days does it take to make a new habit, again? Because I forgot. I went to the gym today and took part in a real, live group exercise class, took the kiddies to the play center there (didn't go over so well)... it's been a long time since I've participated in one of these types of classes - since the kids appeared on the scene, well maybe arrived is more appropriate, since I don't want you to think I wiggled my nose and all of sudden two darling little children appeared... so since they've been here I've been a work-out-at-home or, less seldom, a with-jogging-stroller gal. But I realize now, as if I didn't realize it before while trying to complete 12 measley push-ups (bent-knee mind you), that I am OUTTA SHAPE folks! There was an 80 year old woman in the class that was doing all of the push-ups... and this was in the first 20 minutes. There were 100 lunges and 200 squats and 300 kicks and 400 crunches and 500 bodybar whatchamicalits. At least it felt that way. There's no way I'm going to be able to move tomorrow morning. But I STILL DID IT, right?! I'll spare you every day of my working out - but for the first week I feel that if I'm obligated to write about it here then I'll be motivated to do it! So bear with me for a few more days.

I am not feeling creative today... it started last night really but I haven't shaken it yet. And tonight I'm hoping I can persuade my DH to watch a movie. I haven't picked up my camera in a few days - because of the now 2 hinge-broken battery door (instead of just one). When my DH got the mail the other day we thought the Best Buy gift certificate came in -- and you know what that would mean - NEW CAMERA DAY. But it wasn't yesterday. MAYBE TODAY! Gotta go check the mailbox to see if it came yet.

My favorite LO of the day is: 5 Things
It's actually a collection of 5 or so layouts by scrappingmum ... and I love the idea. Will have to lift this for the future...

Update

2005-07-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

I finally got the chance to work out today. Two workouts; two days. So far , so good. I've been researching cameras every chance I get. I'm sure regular readers are tired of hearing about my indecision. I know I am!

Ryan has been resisting a nap today. He's finally down - but 7 hours of being awake for a baby can only mean one thing - another milestone is near. This happened with the crawling, happens with the teething... so I'm guessing that he'll be walking before the end of the day. {OK maybe not - I don't think we're all ready for that!} Need to make sure the videocamera is charged at all times and ready to go!! I'll have to post my daughter's first steps one of these days that we caught on video!! It was an amazing thing to witness {yes, I realize I'm a little biased!}.

I'm drinking water right now, are you!!?? {trying to continue and promote the healthy choices}

Day 2

2005-07-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 2. Got up, out of bed, dressed for workout. Baby was up. Mike set up the pack and play downstairs for Ryan to play in. He didn't like it. Workout stopped during WARM-UP! Will have to try again later in the day... maybe after gymnastics and during Ryan's first nap.

Hey, the forums at ScrapArtist are now OPEN! Come and join me in the Inspiration Challenge forum where each week I'll post a new layout challenge (I'm going to try for every Monday but it might be Sunday night - for those wanting to get a head start! lol!). Sometimes it will be fonts, sometimes a journaling prompt, ads, art - anything goes. The first week's inspiration comes from the J.Jill web site (there's a picture of it at the thread since web site's are known to change). Hope you'll stop on by and say HI!

2005-07-12T06:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a little color for your day: ATC #2. Everything from Summer Travels Moroccan Hideaway. Nothing fancy, just wanted to play with the Summer Travels CD over the weekend.

Day 1

2005-07-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

Okay so the alarm went off at 6:45am and I just wanted to cover my head and ignore it. So I did. I tried to go back to sleep... operative word: TRIED! I really wanted to slack and slumber on but my body would not go back to sleep. So instead of hanging out in bed, since my mind was already beating myself up for not getting out of it yet... I got on my workout clothes, filled up the water bottle, grabbed the latest issue of Digital Photographer (thought I'd buy it in the grocery store since I am in the market for a new camera) and went into the basement. Now I am not a morning person so I knew that it would be a bad idea to get on the treadmill and try to run lest I desire to bucked off of the machine like a bad rodeo scene. So onto the elliptical. So if all else fails today I will have at least done something good for me. Halleluyah.

And a small victory for yesterday (a failed workout day - was going to and then didn't)... I was starving at 10:30 in the morning even though I already had breakfast and instead of grabbing the m&m chocolate chip cookie that had been calling my name I picked up - get this - a banana! Look out world! I'm chasing my demons!

This need for workouts has come about because it has occured to me that Ryan is a little older than 10 months now. He will soon be a year old! How did this happen? I'm so out of shape and it's not just the kind where my shorts don't feel good (because that's waaay long ago - I already bought shorts 2 sizes bigger than normal as you know from reading previous entries) but my body aches when it shouldn't; I was getting winded after carrying Ryan with the backpack for a short period of time, and sometimes pushing that double stroller was feeling like a workout. So I am going to try to be healthier. I really am. I will try to eat healthier, make healthier lifestyle choices, try to change my attitude when I'm in a crappy mood, just try to be better generally. So who's with me?

2005-07-10T12:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a LO as a sneak preview for the ScrapArtist crop tonight (with the Summer Dew kit). Will likely add a quote or some journaling.. work in progress. Hope you enjoy! Off to go for a walk with the family... we've been sitting in the house and it's such a beautiful day out - don't want to waste it!

Meet the ScrapArtist Creative Team - tonight!

2005-07-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

Just finished The Great Gatsby last night (in the nick of time - since my book club meeting is tonight)! I thought I enjoyed this book when I read it the first time in high school (required reading)... but I was just so disgusted with the characters... I mean why does Nick hang around with people his whole summer that he doesn't like? Maybe it's was the author's intention to paint the times as appearing glamorous and exciting, but actually lonely. Can't remember the literary analysis from back then... but I can't have imagined that I would have done the same as Nick. As for Gatsby, I'm amazed that he hung on to Daisy for so long. That man was persistent. And Daisy... well I don't know what to make of her. I can see both sides. But since I read this so quick I'm sure I missed things so I look forward to discussing it tonight with friends. And onto a more creative note... tonight it's the ScrapArtist's Meet the Creative Team chat/crop. Come to the chat tonight from 10-11pm EST (in the new ScrapArtist chat room: http://www.scrapartist.com/scrapchat/index.php). I'm amazed by the talent on this team. And they are all so much fun. Loved working with everyone so much. Hope to see you there.

2005-07-10T07:37:00.000-05:00

I have been having the toughest time working out lately. I just can't do it. Sometimes I try. And other times I don't have the ooompf. But today I DID! I ran too (gave hubby his choice and he picked the elliptical so that left the treadmill fo me)! WAHOOO me. Okay let's just forget that I had a chicken philly cheesesteak at Great Steaks in the mall with french fries. Yes, let's forget that whole thing happened. I"m so stuffed that I didn't eat dinner... it must've had more than 1000 calories... how else would I be so stuffed for so long. But it tasted sooo good. So this Monday we're going to start getting up early and working out together (whenever we do this it usually works - but uggh it's so hard to get up early!) Okay I have some new layouts to post. I told you I was going to play around with those Worn Comfort Element kits... so here's In My Daughter's Eyes. I know I already scrapped this picture but I wasn't totally happy with my LO and then I found Martina McBride's song. I have never heard this since I don't listen to much country music... bur I've got to track this down and have myself a listen. I love the lyrics. Layout Credits: Papers and Elements from Jen WIlson's Worn Comforts CD (Saturday Sundae kit) and Saturday Sundae Elements Kit. The flower is from Front Porch Elements kit (recolored).

Journaling (lyrics by Martina McBride):
In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daugter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there... in my daughter's eyes.

2005-07-10T07:25:00.000-05:00

Here's the other layout that I did today. I think I should do something with the photo - maybe a filter or an effect - something. Any suggestions? Anyone out there? I just love these papers. They coordinate so well. I'm having so much fun with the Worn Comfort and Summer Travels CDs. Great job Jen and Lauren!! And now for the layout credits....Papers from Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort CD (Front Porch kit), flowers, ribbon, and alphas from Front Porch Element kit, tag from Saturday Sundae Element Kit. Date tag from Summer Travels CD (Midsummer Night -Jen Wilson), staples from Sumer Travels (Sand Dune - Lauren Bird). Fonts: Garamond (date), ITC Franklin Gothic (journaling), Corinthia (my)

Journaling Poem (from 2Peas but I thought it fit perfectly):
That smiling little sunbeam, with the sparkle in her eyes,
With that charming baby manner, she is heaven in disguise;
Just as busy as a minute and so happy all day long...
That's my girl, and when she's near me, nothing ever can go wrong.

She's a precious little helper, as she follows me about,
With her endless bits of chatter, she is sweet, without a doubt.
If I scold her when she's naughty, and her little face is sad
Then I give her something special, just to try to make her glad.

There's a doll in every corner, and a toy on every chair
And a book that she's been painting, and forgot and left it there;
But the way she says, "I'm sorry," is a precious sight to see...
That's my girl, and all's forgiven,'cause she means the world to me.

She's so very diplomatic for a tiny little miss
And she fills my heart with gladness, with a tender hug and kiss.
There's no angel quite as lovely, with a ribbon on her curl
And there'll never be another, quite as sweet, 'cause that's my girl.

Worn Comfort Element Packs

2005-07-09T09:56:00.000-05:00

Jen Wilson is one of my top 5 favorite designers! I haven't done alot of scrapping with her stuff but that's because I have recently discovered what a gem her products are. They are so life-like and real that I want to just reach into my computer screen and touch the stuff. Yes, they're that good!

I just found out that her Worn Comforts elements sets are now available at SBB!! Here's a view of the Front Porch element pack that coordinates with the Front Porch papers on the Worn Comfort CD. I just bought all of the ones available! I want to be her apprentice! Hey, Jen, a reality TV show anytime soon? So go grab these now and they just happen to be on sale too... each are only $2!!! (And no, I'm don't receive any kickbacks from this, and I'm not on her design team - maybe next time! -- I just simply know good design when I see it).

Organic Trade Association

2005-07-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

You've got to see this mini-movie! My husband showed this to me this morning and I love it! He's a huge Star Wars fan and I love the organic foods movement... even though we're not eating as much organic food lately since Whole Foods isn't right by us any more (although I do garden organically in my veggie garden). With characters like Cuke Skywalker, Princess Lettuce, and Darth Tater this is sure to entertain. There's even a light saber scene that takes place on a grocery scale. Love it. They put alot of thought and time into this. Check it out. Hope you enjoy.

2005-07-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

Today I have to Jessi's new carseat installed. I tried to do it myself and just couldn't figure it out. So off to the fire station we go. I'm closer to making a decision on the camera... think I want the EOS 20D with just the standard lens... found out that it comes with a battery and charger so I will only need to get an extra battery and a bag.. I will worry about extra lenses next year. Maybe a tripod for the holidays (hint hint). I'll leave you with this LO Love this...probably because I learned to extract... love learning something new! I love the blues and the papers here. Designer Digitals papers and elements Batik Paper Pack and Batik Accent Elements, Definitions paper (delight), Digital Date Stamps
Brushes - unknown (named sq3)
Fonts: Misproject, Hootie. When this gets printed out it will go right into a 12x12 frame that I found at Wal-Mart and hang in our living room... along with the recent LO from our wedding day.

2005-07-06T18:36:00.000-05:00

So I called the Food Allergy Network today asking for them to send me some information and they suggested this cookbook. Who knew that this even existed! How cool! I really thought that by the time I was comfortable with dealing with Ryan's food allergies I'd be writing a book about it.. but someone already has. I'll be ordering this soon.

Possible Camera Progress

2005-07-05T15:44:00.000-05:00

Maybe this is a sign. I was researching cameras (today I had had enough of the broken battery compartment)... Canon just launched a new site for beginning digital SLR users ... I just printed out what seems like 100 pages from a review over at Digital Photography Review and I just realized that the Nikon D70s is in the same price range as the Canon EOS 20D so the Rebel XT is looking REAL good... I'm going to check over at the photography forums at SBB and read the rest of the reviews over at DPR (which could easily take a year - lol!). Stay tuned. It's pouring out right now and I let Jessi play out in the rain... I think I got some great shots... still have to wait until I have upload capability.

Table For Two, Make That Three

2005-07-04T21:57:00.000-05:00

more more more... scrapping during fireworks... I'm home with the baby. Everything from ScrapArtist (staples, alpha pebbles, and the Sweet Shop paper set). Fonts are Garamond (TABLE), PetraScript (journaling), Typewriter (two, three), Misproject (date), Plastique (make that). Stapled title strips from Autumn Leaves Designing With Calender (Apr 8, 2005). Thanks for looking.

2005-07-04T16:18:00.000-05:00

This day is waay more productive that I thought. Both kids are napping (told J if she didn't nap she wouldn't get to see fireworks tonight) and I think Mike is working on the outline for the book he will be writing this year (or he might be sleeping - not sure). It's eerily quiet around here. Still no July 4th layouts even though I had a great time with Jessi at the neighborhood festival because since we set Jessi up on her own computer I realized that we now have no monitor attached to where I normally upload our photos... This photo is from Jan when Jessi gave up her nap time!! Jean Belt loops, popsicle stick, market tag, staple, and Krafty Girl papers by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals.

Journaling: "No more afternoon breaks for Mommy. You�re not tired. You want to color. You want to play dress-up. You want to jump on your trampoline. You want to put on the music and dance. You want to bake something with Mommy. But you�re definitely not tired. Okay, but can we please have quiet time for a little while so Mommy can make a phone call or make the grocery list? OK, sounds good. And hey, no nap time means you�re tired and ready for bed at 7:00 pm. Not bad. I think Daddy and I can learn to like this!"

2005-07-04T10:25:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 4th!! We're about to head off to the July 4th festivities (well after I take a shower)...but I managed to get a LO done that I had in progress and forgot about. I love Jen Wilson's Beautiful You kit. She ROCKS! I'm so glad I discovered her stuff (note to self: buy more of her kits! play with the CDs of hers that I just bought)... and she's really nice too. So here's "Asleep in the Hallway".

Journaling: "So I am walking upstairs and it�s really dark. I suaully tiptoe up since you and your brother and I never want to disturb quiet angels because they can turn on you rather quickly. I look straight ahead and there you are, totally laid out on the floor. On your belly. Sleeping. With fingers in your mouth. Mom and I were downstairs and we thought we had heard you run around earlier in the night. But there you were, conked out right on the floor right outside your bedroom. It was funny, strange, and little scary. After checking your breathing (you were fine) I tiptoed into our bedroom thinking that you might be trying to pull something over on dear old Dad. You weren�t. I walked down the stairway and you still didn�t move. I ran over to Mom and said, �Whatever you are doing now, please, you have to see this�. We went upstairs and Mom couldn�t believe it either! She got the camera from downstairs and shot some night vision photos, which don�t do it justice. You apparently stayed up too late -- even for you -- and wiped out on the floor outside your room. -Dad (I ended up picking you up and bringing you to your bed)"
Feb 1, 2005

Ribbons, title alphas, and papers from Jen Wilson's Beautiful You. Staples from Michelle Underwood's Enjoy the Day. Chain (Jen Wilson) and J Lighhouse alpha charm (Lauren Bird) from Summer Travels CD's MidSummer Night Kit.

Fonts: Garamond, Plastique, SF-Remember, Misproject

A New Coat of Paint

2005-07-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

I don't have any July 4th pictures for today... hopefully I'll take some later when we go to our friend's house so I can post a patriotic LO tonight. But here's...A New Coat of Paint. Papers from Designer Digitals's Simple Simon Kit.

Fonts: Typewriter, Garamond, Misproject, SF-Remember

Journaling: You had FUN with this art project. We combined two things that you love: your rock collection and painting. It didn�t matter that all the sparkly paint washed off after we put them back outside the next day when it rained. For a few moments you quietly created a masterpiece and gave new life to your rocks with... a new coat of paint.

2005-07-03T11:22:00.000-05:00

Here's a LO from a recent trip to the pool! One of my all time favorite things to do!! All papers from Michelle Underwood's Enjoy the Day kit (I think that this is my new favorite Michelle Underwood Kit - well it's tied for #1 with Summer Blooms). Fonts: Pertra Script, Sonderfistad.

2005-07-02T22:56:00.000-05:00

Yea, after several days off from real scrapping I got a chance to do one. This was a really funny event that made my husband and I laugh so hard! The fact that Jessi thought about how her brother was going to someday start crawling (this took place last month, mind you, before he could actually crawl) and that she had to clean up her room so there'd be no toys for him to grab and possibly break or worse - PLAY WITH!... was just so cute to us!! I called this LO: Where Did Everything Go? Journaling: "After I helped you brush your teeth I went to go get Daddy so we could read a story and sing bedtime songs. When we came in we were greeted by you... and, oddly enough, a VERY clean room. Now don?t get me wrong, your room is usually clean, since you are a product of me and Dad but this was even cleaner than normal. You had a determined look on your face and stood with your hands on your hips. You carefully explained that you had to clean up your room and get everything up off the floor so that your brother wouldn?t be able to get to any of your toys when he, eventually learns to crawl. You are so cute. Ryan can?t crawl yet... and probably won?t for a little while, but it?s always good to be prepared!"

Papers and epoxy stickers from ScrapArtist's Sweet Shop, staple from Fair Trade kit, photo turn from ScrapArtist Metals. Bow from joint venture Independence kit (ScrapArtist and SMDesigns).

Fonts: Mechanical Fun, TW Cent, SF-Remember

2005-07-02T09:36:00.000-05:00

I sooo love the one issue of Photoshop User that I got at my local Borders that I'm ready to take the plunge and join NAPP. One of my goals this year (before even starting digital scrapping) was to learn how to use Photoshop better... now my hobby has certainly helped. I've always had a love affair with this program and when I was doing web programming at Nasdaq I would find excuses to use it... I'd often find myself redesigning the site in my head while sitting in meetings. So when you join NAPP you get a subscription to this and a discount on Layers (which looks great but was wondering if it is still a Mac mag - and would that even matter - I'd be able to follow along with different shortcut keystrokes right)? But this magazine, stylistically seems even better.. if that's possible. So it's all a slippery slope... and the hobby that was supposed to save me money now has me wanting a Photoshop upgrade and a new camera... hmmm. Not exactly as planned! But I'm LOVIN it! Have a great weekend everyone.

2005-06-30T14:30:00.000-05:00

And this past Tuesday we had a surprise visit from my brother-in-law. Jessi had a great time romping around the house with another person to pay attention to her!! She got to stay up late, eat ice cream first, then pizza for dinner. It was fun to catch up with him while he was in town for business.

2005-06-30T14:17:00.000-05:00

We had a fun day today at the Dinosaur music show. We met some friends there and then had a snack picnic after the event. I took only a few pictures because pictures of the show weren't allowed... I got this one before I realized that I couldn't take any... and right at the same time this little boy or girl in front of me puts her hands up!! As if to further tell me.. no no, photos not allowed.

2005-06-30T14:15:00.000-05:00

I'm outta here. So this is pretty much what's been happening around here. I put Ryan down and he's off. He doesn't sit still for a second. Always on the go. Right now speedracer is napping. Our floor contractors just left... repairing their mistakes from a year ago. I still have that electric nail gun sound in my head and the smell of caulking in my nose.

2005-06-29T14:06:00.000-05:00

Bubbles, glorious bubbles! Taken about 2 weeks ago... but I haven't uploaded the pics in my camera lately. Yesterday we went to the farm to pick blueberries!! These are probably the most fun to pick for me since they come off so easily and the kids always find enough ripe berries to pick so there's not alot of disappointment (or whining). We also picked broccoli, but there weren't many heads to pick... mostly florets. But the delivery from the farm came today and we got 3 nice-sized heads! My favorite veggie - yum yum! Well our floors are finally getting repaired... it only took about a year. But the contractors were supposed to come to finish up this morning and didn't show... so they said they'll be here tomorrow. My DH will be home to "greet" them because I won't be home. Tomorrow I'm taking the kids to see a show at a nearby park. I'll bring my camera. Today we had lunch at the park. Delightful. Got a lot of stuff done today. No working out lately. But I watered the garden and planted a few herbs (I know this doesn't count)... I'm not used to our new routine (with J at camp at a different time than I'm used to). Made an appt with a nutritionist for Ryan next Tuesday (also when our air conditioner is being checked for maintenance). I switched our pediatricians finally! So I feel like today was productive in that I got a lot done that has been on my TO DO list for what seems like forever. I also sent out the LO I did for my friend a while back - So Abby, sorry it took so long but it's now on it's way to you. Maybe I can get in a 20 minute weight workout right now. Allergy update: the baby is also allergic to corn, did I mention that in a recent post or no? Oh well.

2005-06-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

Well the procedures themselves went okay yesterday but then after we were home for a few hours Mike started getting these wierd side-effects and called his doctor. He told us to go to the hospital so we were there for most of last night. After a bunch of tests we were released and got home at 11pm. Mike rested most of the day and is feeling alot better. It's so scary to have the person who is usually my "rock" in the hospital with tubes in his arm... and then to see him so lethargic and not wanting to eat. So I've been worried about him for the past few days and doing whatever I can to help (not much) and to try to keep the kids away from him since they tend to be very physical and I didn't want him getting hurt. So I'm exhausted mentally and physically - Ryan has started to crawl so my job just got a little more challenging. No longer can I put him down near some toys and get Jessi lunch... he's zoooming across the room to get to the hard step-up in our living room where I hope he doesn't, one day, split his head open. I've tried to introduce him to the joys of magnets hoping that would keep him entertained while washing the lunch dishes but he'd much rather be on the move. So I'm going to watch a movie tonight and just relax. Even though I haven't been on the computer in a few days and miss creating with PS, I just want to curl up next to Mike and watch a funny movie... so Hitch it is; starring Will Smith (I've loved watching him since his Fresh Prince of Bel Air days).

Oh, we joined Netflix for the summer and our first 2 movies came in yesterday! We got Coach Carter and The Aviator... both clock in at over 2 hours. And both dramas, if I'm not mistaken. I'll post reviews after we view these. I just love how fast it arrived! Very impressive and I don't have to deal with the not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer people at the nearest video store (I'm not being a generalist - since I used to work at Blockbuster while home during summer breaks in college - but the people that I worked with were very courteous and efficient... not at all like the people at my neighborhood store). So three cheers for Netflix and internet movie ordering!! Brilliant.

2005-06-24T10:06:00.000-05:00

Yes this photo is from Amazon. Directly. I ordered this recently from said store. It is a great cookbook for preschooler that have illustrated pictures for the directions. We are going to make popovers from this (we have made these before from when we checked this book out of the local library). Jessi had such a good time because she was the head chef and I was her helper. She loved the pictures so she could see what we needed to do at the beginning and then again at every step. Confidence builder, helps with math. Cooking as education, enough said. And there's a yummy treat at the end that we'll eat at dinner. Okay so not too much creativity right now because I have to take my husband for some medical tests (just sorta routine stuff) - I'm nervous because I hate when anyone has to be "out" for things. So I'm bringing lots of scrapbooking magazines and my CK journaling book... but I may just end up reading People magazine in the waiting room. My awesome cousin is coming over to watch the kids until we get back. Wish us luck.

2005-06-23T21:06:00.000-05:00

The Baby's ABC Book is still not done so I thought I'd add some pictures to this page so I'd be one page closer. I will post the credits when I post to the galleries (off the top of my head the strips of paper are from Shabby Princess's Boy Dirt, Hardware from Shabby Princess too - diff kit, background paper looks like it was from Digital Design Essentials).

2005-06-23T20:18:00.000-05:00

Enjoy Life. Here's my first go at making an ATC for Rhonna's ATC group. And for the credits of course: Designer Digitals - Audobon Paper, Music Overlay, Vintage Classroom, Botanical green (background paper), stitching, flower stamp (upper left). Brushes are tere_flowers, tere_butterflies, mim-circles2, can't remember where I got the grid but I love it (if you recognize it please let me know so I can give proper credit). Fonts: LainieDay, Hootie.

2005-06-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

This is my All About Me page for the ScrapArtist Design Team. Looong list of credits... Everything from ScrapArtist. Papers from Funky Faded paper kit. Staples from Fair Trade kit, Heart pebble made from blank alpha bubble, negative from Still Life kit, suspender, photo turn, and rivet from Daddy-O kit. Ribbon from Popsicle Toes kit.

Fonts: Elephant (my style), Coolvetica (occupation), Mr.B (drive a mini-van), FinePtMarker (said I would never), Girls are Wierd (my college sweetheart), Plastique (perfume, married to, age), Hootie (guilty pleasure), St. Nicholas (hardware, ribbons, etc), FontDinerdotCom (I talk to my mom). Thanks for looking.

2005-06-22T12:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, so after a few trials of the snugli I have a few compaints. It's cumbersome. I don't think it exactly fits right on my short frame. And while I love all the compartments - I really want it for around town (which doesn't include the backcountry) and it's too big - plus I can't wear a ponytail with it because it's right in Ryan's face. I want something like the Baby Bjorn that I already own but on the back... so I'm probably going to continue my search. I came across this. It's called the Ergo Baby Carrier. Apparently there's this whole culture of babywearers that swear by these things. I had no idea there was such a thing. Is a baby carrier even necessary for a 9 1/2 month old? The thing is he hates to be carried the normal way to the point where I can hardly do anything while carrying him (opening the front door when locked). Maybe this will be my next choice. Ugggh.

2005-06-21T21:13:00.000-05:00

Here's a LO of my little Funky Fashion Diva from back in Dec '03. She has on this cute little knitted hat and, of course, the leopard purse. A gots-to-have for any aspiring fashion diva. All papers and elements from ScrapArtist. Papers from Funky Faded kit, Eyelets from Popsicle Toes kit, Fashion Alphas (recolored) from Cherry Slush. Stitching and tag shape from Digital Design Essentials.

Fonts: Roughage, PetraScriptEF, Phank, and I can't remember what font funky was in because I rasterized it before I grunged it up. So if you recognize it let me know and I'll give the proper creds! Thanks for looking.

2005-06-21T19:02:00.000-05:00

Some people have been asking about which cameras I've been looking at... well here they are. The first one is the one I'd love but don't know if I want to spend that much money on it (plus you need to get extras right?? extra lens, a case, an extra battery, anything else? I'd love a tripod too - haven't even looked into that). I'm still undecided about the last two. ARRGHGH!

2005-06-21T16:34:00.000-05:00

Our Wedding Day. All papers from ScrapArtist (background paper from Women's Day Bonus over LtWash, Yellow patterned paper from Women's Day, Bottom paper is from Painted Dessert over the Rose paper from Women's Day). Photo Corners made from metal frames at ScrapArtist. Ribbons from Women's Day Kit also from ScrapArtist. Authentic taken from the Overlay included with the Women's Day kit from ScrapArtist. Beaded bracelet - Summer Travels by Jen Wilson and Lauren Bird (Oceanside Breeze), Beaded Flower - Beautiful You Jen WIlson
Fonts: St. Nicholas (LOVE), SF-Cali (friendship), Corinthia (foundation)