My new little black dress

I totally have spring on my mind these days. Splurged on this little number. Hoping it gives me incentive to get in shape. Love this dress

Oh please, please, please fit!!

6 quirky things about me.

After visiting Heather's blog I decided to jump in and play by listing 6 quirky things about me. So here goes to blowing my image...

1. I carry books/magazines with me everywhere. To the office, grocery, errands you name it. My excuse is that I will always have something to amuse or inspire me if I get stuck in the car waiting on Dean.
2. I constantly wiggle my foot before I go to sleep. I used to rock as a child in chairs that were not made for rocking and in the most inappropriate places annoying all around me. This is my non-obvious substitution.
3. Cannot sing worth a flip but wish I could. Whenever I can, and usually by myself when no one is around, I sing out load. Most of the time it's very very load...may even dance along with my puppy in my arms if the song has a good groove.
4. Have to have air on in the car at all times or I feel like I'm suffocating.
5. Absolutely hate carrying a purse but if I have to I will leave it in the car along with my books and camera, which are the true must haves!
6. I twirl my hair around my fingers while riding in a car. To me being in a car is very boring and twirling helps pass the time away. To my husband it's annoying but he lets me do it anyway. What a guy!

I know this won't surprise my family in the least. They have forever thought me to be weird or peculiar. I guess the cats out of the bag. I've now settled it for all time and have officially confirmed there beliefs.

Another craving

Here I go again....wanting, needing, loving (sounds like a Madonna song) SUSHI! My good friend Gwen sent me a link to this awesome site, so if your a consumable fish monger like me go check it out. For now I have to sit back ans admire the pretty samples. Yes, I consider myself a sushi junkie with all the withdrawals and cravings when I don't get my fix! It's also colorful inspiration for this weeks banner! I hope I don't make the queasy "I'll never eat anything raw in my life" sick. You know who you are. I tell ya I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I don't know how much longer I can bare just looking at the incredibly edible delicacy? The good news is I'm going to that place in Schaumburg Illinois at the end of March. ....hmmm Can I wait??? Anyone willing to take bets?

CIRCA 2005
There are some things in life that you just have to do...and this probably is NOT one of them. I was thinking at the time that there is a little bad girl in all of us and this is my play acting it out. Yes, this was my idea after a more than coaxing, bending, twisting, bribing and begging my girlfriend to do this with me, as if I would do it by myself...I think not! What fun would that be? Always the type to need an accomplice when not courageous enough to do it on my own not to mention justifying the desire to have the "make believe" photo look more realistic... ("c'mon we're bank robbers, who does that alone") she finally succumbed to my badgering and in the end made the photo look like she was born for the job. I have to laugh at this for reasons of her being a reluctant participant she sure played the roll to perfection!! She looks real while I just look angry. I'll bet it's because I was worried about my cut, look how she's guarding the money bag! An honest to goodness true blue OUTLAW if I do say so myself!! I know she appreciates me saying that too...just a joke Gwenie wink wink. Now you may be asking yourself why would I think of doing something so silly....well then I'll just have to show you "yours truley" at the tender age of just barely able to walk. The answer: I somehow believed I secretly yearned my entire life to be a wild rifle toting gender bender diaper wearing big hat no cows kinda bank robbing outlaw??? CIRCA 1962


On another note, I seriously need to get my creative juices flowing again. I hate that feeling of guilt when I look in my studio and see all the fun stuff everywhere, (you know what I mean;) the look of never been opened packaging you can see right thru, looking back at me so sadly bc I haven't been paying attention to them. New kits to work with and inspiration all over the place! If I don't get busy I will probably deserve a real good spanking. Needing to justify having my studio or I may just get evicted.

Get ready for another RAK!

Putting together a new RAK for March. Check back soon for the details on how to play the game and win yourself a box full of goodies! Will post on March 1st, 2007

Hint: Box will contain an assortment of products for altering projects.

Yippee we have snow!

Ok, this may sound strange for those of you living up north who have been inundated with snow lately, but this is our 3rd falling that amounted to anything other than a dusting. I can't believe it even stayed for 1 whole day! Going back to the 50's in temperature again. Oh well, I'm delighted to have it even for a day.

Funny Face

I just can't resist images like this. They are less than perfect but incredibly in the moment. I'm lovin on those adorable braids in Shea's hair. This is from one extreme to the other as a little girl who hated to be photographed to a... dare I say "HAM?"

Happy Valentine's Day

Couldn't decide which one to post for Valentine's so I did both. Sweet, sweet photo of my brother and his daughter. I just love capturing tender moment like this when they least expect it. No saying cheese with me when I photograph. This is everyday life like a photojournalist out on an assignment. My goal...to document the time and place in the life of families and loved ones. I hope one day by looking back and reminiscing about these photos it reminds them that the little everyday occurrences like a father daughter kiss are what it's really all about and the little things are really "the BIG things!"

You've been Punked!!

This was a successful prank played on dh last summer. He is incredibly obnoxious about his area of the house (office/study) that he sectioned off for himself as the "male domain"and his fanaticism of having it stay impeccably clean at all times. Whew! What an impossible task with me living in the house and not honoring that rule! Personally, I don't get all freaky when there are drops of coffee on the counter but dh goes crazy, especially if it's on his table. Weird? I know. So I just had to play on that idiosyncrasy by making a cup of coffee look like the whole thing spilled. I can't take full blame for this joke . My mom was in on it too.

To do this and make it look real, I made the coffee spill from diamond glaze and added the right color of paint to make it look like it had cream in it (exactly how I like it), with a packet of sweetener and a couple of stirrers to complete the effect, wait for it to dry, then place it right where he would see it when he first walked in. Ahh...the wait, then without a beat... success! Complete with all the drama and laughter for I had successfully PUNKED dh!!!

Then and Now

You know your getting older when you have enough photos through time to be able to conduct a series of "where are they now" or, this was then and this is now and since I'm thinking on being more self depricating these days, I will at the very least post ones of myself that truly indicate a place and time. Big hair and all from the 80's and even a school pic with a very 60's groovy kinda shirt, but for now, I'll start off slow and give you my niece Allison and myself when she was a baby to a photo taken this past summer. Time really does fly by. I remember thinking she was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen! Like a porclian doll with petite features and a sweet dosposition. She is so photogenic but extremely camera shy now. It's a whole lot harder to bribe a teenager for a photoshoot but I'm optomistic that one day she'll give me a chance.

Contentment

What a great idea! To be content right now with what you have! I recently picked up a very interesting and thought provoking read the other day. Lots of good "food for thought."
The title alone sucked me right in "BE YOUR BEST" by Joyce Meyer. In one chapter it discusses the Sweet Satisfaction of Contentment and how most people desire it but are missing it entirely in their lives. It says " One of the characteristics of true joy is contentment, and if there is any quality people in the world today deeply desire and yet are missing it's contentment." Largely, because we are many times looking for something else to fulfill us. Thinking we need to be what others think we should be or be like others.

It goes on to say, "that in order to be content in our souls we need to realize that it comes over time with experiences and that we usually learn to be content after living a discontented life for a long period of time and then crying out to God for intervention." It's so interesting and liberating to know that we can be content here and right now with as little as we have or with a lot. For me it was when I gave up trying to do everything myself, giving it over to the Lord and letting go of the wheel so to speak. To seek what His will is for me. Just completely and entirely letting go! Living in the present and making it meaningful. Knowing and trusting that He will give to me, what's best for me because He loves me. To paraphrase the book: I only want what God wants me to have. I believe He is going to give it to me, but only if and when it is right for me to have it. How true that is to me and I sincerely need to remind myself of this often because part of contentment is finding where real joy lives and that is where I want to be.

Can you just feel the contentment from my niece Shea as she relaxes on her mommy?

and the WINNER is....

Congratulations to:

"Hello. I am going to guess 222. You are sweet to offer this.xiaxiasmom on two peas."


Look for a message in your inbox xaixaismom at 2peas.

RAK giveaway!

I have more products in house than I know what to do with these days and wanted to share with the other scrapbooking enthusiasts who just love get a new stash.

Rak includes 100 sheets of patterend paper including products from Scenic Route, 7 gypsies, Queen & Co., All My Memories, Heidi Swapp, Lil Davis and much much more. All items are in orig1nal packaging and never been used.

I will choose a number between 100 and 300 on friday February 9th at 2:00 pm eastern time....anyone who guesses the number or comes the closest will get the goodies. Good luck!

EDITED: RAK giveaway will end today at 4:oo p.m. eastern time. If you left a name I will contact you in either case please check back here for the announcement.

Scrambled Eggs 101

Had a blast doing this page for a challenge. My neice Shea teaching me how to make scrambled eggs her way. Of course, I couldn't help her make them, I could only stand there and watch because she said "you don't know how it's done" ...LOL