Book of Me - Digitally - Pages 5&6

Here are two digital layouts for Challenges 5 and 6 from So Tell Me Your Story. The two challenges were favorite food and favorite color. I really enjoy working on these Book of Me layouts and can't wait to see what the challenges are for October.

Sunday Scrappin'

I have been a busy little bee this week. Brent went back to his dad's a few days early so I had plenty of undisturbed time to scrapbook. My ta-da list this week includes these paper layouts.

The Easter layouts are from a kit from Close to My Heart. I think the kit is discountinued but I am trying to use up supplies I already own.

The two fifth grade graduation layouts are based on sketches from the Got Sketch 102 class. I am sad this class has ended. I really enjoy working from a sketch as detailed as these are. They are planning a Got Sketch 103 and I will be signing up for that one!


These three layouts from my birthday get away last year are also from sketches from the Got Sketch 102 class. The second two layouts are the same sketch as the 5th Grade Graduation layouts.

I also got some digital layouts completed. I got four layouts done from the 1 in 48 Benefit Class I am taking. Two are below and two are Here. This class is unique in that you get both a paper sketch as well as a PSD sketch. I am using the digital templates in this class and am getting much more comfortable using Photoshop.

I also started a Book of Me. I have been wanting to do a BOM for years and have finally started, also digitally. Here and here are the first two layouts. And here is the third layout:

And, here is my last show off for this week. I made a small, gift album. This was inspired by a post on the Close to My Heart bulletin boards and I love the way it came out.

I have started organizing my digital supplies. What a job! I want to continue working on that this week as part of my to-do's. I also want to work on emptying the boxes of craft supplies outside my craft room and finish cleaning up my craft room. I want to get caught up on a couple of classes that I took over at Big Picture Scrapbooking.

My Grandbaby

Isn't she a doll? I was taking some pictures off my camera and got a huge surprise that these had turned out as well as they did.

Book of Me - Digitally - Page 2

Here is my second layout of my Book of Me. This challenge was My Name Is. There is not much to find out about my name so it is a simple layout but I really like it and it matched the first layout.

Book of Me - Digitally

I have wanted to do a Book of Me for years now. I stumbled upon a website today So Tell Me Your Story. This website has challenges for a Book of Me. I went back and started with the first challenge that is called The Beginning. I went and got some facts from the year I was born and added them to the layout. I was fortunate to have this picture on my computer. My uncle has sent my dad thousands of pictures that he took from my grandparents slides and this was one of them. And the really cool thing is I did this layout digitally! I am getting more and more comfortable with Photoshop. And feel really good about it!

One in 48 Benefit Sketch Class Layouts

So, I am taking another on-line class from NYCScraps that is a sketch class. Now, the sketches in this class (so far) are not the caliber of the sketches from Got Sketch 102 but they one great thing is they are both paper and digital sketches. I used the sample class sketch and sketch 1 on these digital layouts. These were fun, quick and easy. Now if I can just figure out how to upload them to the NYCScraps site.

The Charlie Schulz Philosophy

The Charlie Schulz Philosophy (This is marvelous!! Scroll thru slowly and read carefully to receive and enjoy full effect)
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier? The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials...the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.

Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life, like I did. 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia !'

''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!'

Fall into Reading 2008

Since I have well over 200 books on my bookshelf I thought it might be wise to have a book reading plan. Here are the books I plan to read this fall:

• A Painted House by John Grisham
• Black Friday by James Patterson
• Case of Lies by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• Eat, Cheat and Melt The Fat Away by Suzanne Somers
• The First Wives Club by Olivia Goldsmith
• The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
• The Hot Flash Club by Nancy Thayer
• My Friend Leonard by James Frey
• No One Heard Her Scream by Jordan Dane
• Organizing From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
• Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell
• The Secret to True Happiness by Joyce Meyer
• The Survivor's Club by Lisa Gardner

I am sure I will see books at the library that I want to add to the list but this is a start.

101 in 1001 Days - Week 9 Update

Well, I don't have much to report this week. These are the items that are in the process. I am hoping this week to be healthier - I want to take my vitamins each day, use my Arbonne products both morning and night and drink 6-8 glasses of water a day.

57. Read an average of two books a week
i. 9/15-9/21 – Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich and Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
58. Watch at least three movies each week
i. 9/15-9/21 – Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, The Savages, Dan in Real Life
67. Weed out my DVD and VHS collection
77. Scrapbook at least once a week for six months (9/48)
80. Finish my grandmother’s quilt (I found the quilt top, have taken off the two damaged rows and am ready to choose fabric for the backing.)
100. Write an entry on my blog for each of the tasks completed (9/101)

There are no completed or revised items this week.

Sunday Scrappin' (on Monday)

Sunday Scrappin' September 21, 2008

Ta-da's:

1. I am working on a couple of on-line classes right now. I think I have learned that I should only take one class at a time. That way I might be able to stay current. Here and here are my layouts from the Type+Writer class over at Jessica Sprague. There have been a total of six layouts with intense journaling. I have about 3/4 of the journaling done but need to either find pictures or take pictures to go with the journaling.
2. Here are my layouts from the Sketch 102 class I am taking. This has been a fun, fun class. I love the sketches as well as the tips and tricks these gals are showing.

To-do's

1. Continue working on the Sketch 102 class and stay caught up.
2. I am starting another class 1 in 48 Sketches. I want to stay current with this class. The first sketch will be posted this morning. One really cool thing about this class is the sketches will be both paper and digital. Way cool for us hybrid scrappers.
3. Continue working on my two Big Picture Scrapbook classes. I am taking Product Playground and am two weeks behind in it. I am also taking Journey to Perpetual Happiness and I haven't even started working on that one.
4. I also want to get some more done on the Type+Writer class.
5. Continue putting craft stuff away in my room. All my cabinets are installed and we brought home a van full of craft boxes and I am working on getting those emptied.
6. I have a mini album that I am almost done with that I want to finish and photograph. I also want to make something for my MIL. She has been in the hospital for over 90 days and she sounded lousy on Saturday when I spoke to her. I would like to make her a squash book with pictures so may try to get to that this week.
   

What Your Handbag Says About You

What Your Handbag Says About You

You tend to be relaxed throughout the day. You are naturally at peace. You are a high maintenance person. You feel lost outside of your normal environment. You are a very creative person. Your life tends to be a whirlwind, but you always seem to pull it together. You are practical and down to earth. You tend to be a rather reserved and quiet person.

What Does Your Handbag Say About You?

Food 4 Thought Friday

Food 4 Thought Friday ~ September 19, 2008
Breakfast What is one thing you look forward to each day? Each week? I look forward to talking to my daughter and my mom each day. I look forward to the weekend when Dave spends more time at home.
Lunch Are you a hoarder or a chucker? 100% hoarder. I can't get rid of anything.
Dinner Do your dinner meals consist mostly of home cooked meals, convenience foods (i.e. boxed, frozen, heat & serve, etc.), or fast food? Who does most of the cooking in your home? It depends on the week, some weeks I cook dinner every night, about once every two months we have a week of fast, convenience foods. We do enjoy dinners out and eat out at least twice a week. I do the majority of the cooking but Dave has a few dishes he is known for.
Midnight Snack Has the rising cost of gasoline caused you to restrict, limit, or alter anything in your life? If so what? I try to run errands all on one day. I also keep a running shopping list so when I go shopping I don't forget anything. I also utilize Dave and Brandon - when they go to work I will have them drop off videos or pick up something at the store while they are out.
Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?) This coming week will need to be clean for company week. Dave's brother comes into town on the 25th for the weekend so I need to look at my house from a guest's perspective and have it looking good!

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins #90 September 19, 2008
1. There is no need to get all worked up about things.
2. Where in the heck did the year go?
3. Some days, getting up and dressed is all I managed to do.
4. Prospects for becoming indendently wealthy are slim.
5. Don't take yourself too seriously is the message.
6. Simplicity and tranquility are somethings I am working towards.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to pizza for dinner, tomorrow my plans include getting the rest of my cabinets put up in the craft room and Sunday, I want to scrapbook!

Four For Friday

Four For Friday - The Birthday Edition
Q1 - Today: Some people go out of their way to tell everyone they know that today (or pick your day) is their birthday, while others avoid it like a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and wicked bad diarrhea (for example, I once spent an entire with someone and never knew it was his birthday because he never told me). Do you tell people when it's your birthday or do you prefer to keep it to yourself? I guess I am kind of middle of the road. I don't make a huge big deal about it but if I am out somewhere I don't have any problem telling people my birthday. Mine is a week from Sunday - September 28th.
Q2 - Keeping Track: How do you keep track of birthdays (BirthdayAlarm.com, a little black book, good memory, your computer calendar, Facebook, etc.)? I have a day planner and a palm pilot with birthdays in them.
Q3 - Celebrating: How do you like to celebrate your own birthday? Do you do anything special for yourself, have a tradition you adhere to, take the day off from work and the rest of the world, etc.? Between my mom, my older kids and Dave I usually am celebrating for a couple of days. Brandon likes to take me out to dinner and Dave and my folks usually plan a family dinner. And sometimes we plan a get away weekend which sounds really good right about now!
Q4 - Change: Some of the kids I grew up with felt cheated by the fact that their birthday was in late-June, July, or August... meaning, they never got to celebrate their birthday in school like all of the kids whose birthdays fell on a school day. If you could change your birthday, would you, and if so, what date would you move it to and why? Brandon has a late June birthday and he did get cheated. It was hard to plan birthday parties because some of his friends would be on vacation. Brent gets cheated too since his birthday is January 12th. That is usually within a week of the kids going back to school so you have to have everything planned to go when the go back to school or there isn't enough time to plan it. Also, people (including Mom) are tapped out from Christmas. I usually try to buy his present during the holiday season. I personally think my birthday date is just fine!

Got Sketch 102 Layouts (Sketch 5 & 6)

These layouts are sketch 5 and 6 from the Got Sketch 102 class that I am taking. This is an awesome class and I am enjoying every minute of it.



These pictures make me think about Bailey's first week of life. She was a month early and only weighed 5 lbs, 13 oz and spent the first week of her life in the NICU. She had some type of infection that she needed to be medicated for. It was hard since as a grandmother I could only see her for 20 minutes a day. And to see her today:
Healthy and happy! What a blessing this baby is! Grandma loves you Bailey!

Type+Writer Digital Class/Bowling Update

I am enjoying the Type+Writer class at Jessica Sprague. I have wanted to start a journal and the writing in this class will help me get started. I have decided that I am going to sign up for the third in her series of digital scrapbook classes.

Brandon and I decided that we would join a bowling league. We joined a mixed league on Tuesday nights and found out we would have to find two more team members. So, we got Dave to join and Dave got our neighbor, Joe, to join. Now, Joe and Brandon are excellent bowlers. Both of them have many games over 200. I, on the other hand, am a horrible bowler. Or so I thought. The first week I only had one game over 100. This past week I had a 154 game and both my other games were over 100. I am very happy with my improving score and am really looking forward to seeing if I can continue to improve. Brent wants to join the youth league on Saturday. I will go and bowl a few games while he is at league. The only thing bad about bowling on Tuesday night is we miss House! I guess that's why I have a DVR.

I am Blown Away Excited!!!!

I don't get too geeked out about anything. I enjoy life as a leisurely pace but don't have too many really high highs or too many really low lows. BUT, things have changed. We got home from bowling last night and I checked my email and found out that Jeff Dunham is coming to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL. This guy is awesome, not only is he a really funny comedian but also a great ventriloquist. Hugely funny! I have see him on Comedy Central a couple of times and laugh my ass off every time I see him. Well, Dave called and got us four tickets and a room for the December 11th show. I am so excited I can hardly sit still. I don't know how I am going to wait until December 11th but I guess I will have to!

Type+Writer Digital Class

So, I am not one of those people who backs down from a challenge, especially if that challenge is craft related. I have taken a couple of digital scrapbook classes from Jessica Sprague and even though I loved the final pages I was not enjoying the journey. But I didn't let that stop me from signing up for her Type+Writer class. This class is awesome! I have wanted to switch up my paper scrapbooking to something less holiday-ish and more thoughtful. More meaningful journaling with just the everyday photos. I think this class will get me to look at things differently. I love the way this layout turned out. For those of you that don't know Wendy - we are sisters that got separated at birth and quite frequently we share the same brain! She is a one of a kind friend and I love spending time with her. This layout is about the last time I got to visit her. And I am going to visit her again in February.