Lavender!

Last summer set more than one record for cold and rain in Western Washington.  We're known for rain so it didn't stop us!  Michael and I spent a day at the Lavender Festival in Sequim, WA, smelling lavender, viewing craft booths, visiting the quaint town, and picnicing between raindrops.  It was fun, the sun came out just as we were leaving but more importantly, we spent the day together. 

Are you a Foodie?

I don't generally consider myself a foodie and I don't generally post about food on my blog but an old friend of mine (Hi Dave!) has been posting about this blog that has the most interesting recipes.  Tonight he posted a recipe that he thought was so good he made it twice.  I have to admit the site has some wonderful pictures and great sounding creations!  Check out the Smitten Kitten.  I'm off to check out the Mushroom Lasagna which sounds WONDERFUL!

Let me know if you make something from the Smitten Kitten.  :)

Romance

Romance is not dead, it just isn't always in the traditional "Hollywood" form. Michael and I spent most of Sunday relaxing. I took a nap, he played on the computer. We had incredible conversation and shared lots of ideas. To me sometimes, romance is a good, intelligent conversation that shares ideas and thoughts. We went shopping and Michael tagged along with real interest at a local craft store and then we went for a nice dinner. After three years and our fourth Valentine's Day, we were relaxed and comfortable with each other. I forgot my make-up and jewelry; we forgot the camera. But it doesn't matter. I watched him across the table and loved him for how he really is to me. When we got home, I gave him this card and he gave me 18 beautiful yellow roses and a new bathroom scale. While many will say that is not romantic, it was. I've been working on eating healthier and loosing weight since the last week of December and only a man who really loves me, REALLY listens to me everyday, and supports me in my efforts would think to get me something as practical and thoughtful as a scale. That is romance in the highest form; not the Hallmark/commercial romance. That is the kind of romance that says I really care what you care about and I love you.


Happy Valentine's Day, 2010.

Do you live in stages?

Seems like I scrap/stamp in stages and post in stages. Why is that? I look through my inspirational sites almost daily and I feel inspired inside of me. Then, when I finally get upstairs in my studio to create (house cleaning done, weekend day free to myself, homework/grading done, not too tired, gym workout completed, and all the other demands on life) I frequently sit at my table jumbled, confused, and not liking what I have in front of me; nothing on the outside of me. I laugh at myself. I have too many stamp sets I haven't used and I want to use them all, then can't decide which one will look right on the project; I have too many colors to choose from and can't decide which ones to use with which papers and whether to use B&T or cardstock; I have too many embellishments and none of them is ever the right size or style (beside, if I use one now, I might NEED it for another project and then I won't be able to replace it because it's retired.....Is that called hording); I can't decide what design to use for the card or the layout that fits the stamp set I've chosen for the theme or size of the project; there are too many techniques I want to try and often they just don't "fit" the project I'm trying to do...

The list goes on and on and so I don't ever seem to get much done. I wonder if I'm over whelmed or don't get up to my studio enough to really use everything a little bit and if I just don't have my own sense of style that lets me create quickly and efficiently.

I wish I knew. I wish I had two or three days at a time to create. Just 3-4 hours every other week or even every weekend just aren't enough. I always feel guilty and selfish when I do stake out time for myself in my studio, anyway, even without a family to manage. Though, it does seem once in a while I do get things "flowing" and I can come up with a couple of things that I like. Why can't I just keep them coming and why can't it be every time?????

Ideas and suggestions appreciated.

Summer Creatviity

It's been a busy summer with lots of visitors coming and going in my household. I have to admit that I have not created as much as I'd like to have created over the summer but here's what came out of my studio the last month and a half.

A going away to college gift for my niece Paige:

A layout of my darling granddaughter Katie when she was one:

Another layout of my son's Loren and his family's visit July 4th this year:

My shower gift to my good friend Jen who is getting married in a month:

And last a layout of a 2001 visit from my Dad who lives in Michigan:

Though I didn't create as much as I'd have liked, I like most of what I did do. :) Hope everyone is having a good summer!

Valentine's Day 2009

I started this mini album at the Close to My Heart Album Retreat the first night in Salt Lake City. This is a new mini album that has not been released to the public, yet, and Nona Davenport's design. She made hers centered around her daughter and well.....I don't have a daughter but I do have a wonderful man in my life: Michael. I changed the quote, added my own pictures and journaling and the result is below. I also made a non-traditional card for him. I wanted to challenge myself to use paper I didn't really like and do something that was more masculine than pink. Here's what I ended up with. Let me know what you think.

Acrylic Album Thoughts

I've been looking at acrylic albums for a while. I started looking at a local craft store a few months ago and wondered if I was getting old and starting to have a hard time adjusting to new ideas. LOL I'm still not sure they are for me. Where would I put it? Who would I give it to? Where do you display it and how? And other questions ran through my mind. In the last few years, I've started doing cards and albums and other crafts just when I had a purpose other than "neat idea". My things these days tend to be for real gifts (trying to move beyond with "too homey, crafty" look and more to the would you buy this in a store look) or uses that will stay around for a while and really be appreciated for the time spent on the item. I am not sure an acrylic album fits the criteria. Will is just be something that is a cool phase? But, I'm about to get one and think a little harder. Here is a fabulous album done by the talented Tresa Black that just made my heart go pitter patter! (Drink Recipe cards included in the book here) Another album I found on the web I loved for it's black and white winter family photos. This album was done by Michelle Bloom, another Close to My Heart consultant for a workshop she is giving and I'd love to share it here but I can't figure out how to upload it to this blog. I tried saving the photos, putting them in a Word document, moving the photos to Picasa Web, and copying here but nothing seemed to work. Oh well, take me word for it, it's lovely. (If you are interested, send me your email and I'll send you the Word document. At any rate, I think I'll at least get an album and see what I think once it's in my hands. One think about the acrylic albums, though, I'm getting away from stamping because you use rub ons and embellishments on the album. Ink rubs off. That's another angle that I'm contemplating: rub ons. I'm not sure how I feel about them.

Done!!!

Well, five coats of paint and three days later, I finished my one wall and the space over the mantle, finally. I have decided I am not a patient project person. I am used to taking on a project and finishing it in a day. In the past I completely prepped, painted, cleaned up, and resettled a a large room in one day. These three day thing with the furniture all pulled to the middle of the room and everything covered in slippery, crinkly loud plastic is the pits! But, it's done and I am just LOVING this new red painted wall. It' warm, dramatically bold, classy, clean, and well, just me. Here's a look. I took pictures both during the day and at night with the lights on. Looks good all the time!

Evening and daylight in the dining room:




Wall over the fireplace evening and daylight:

Seeing Red

I'm literally seeing red! I have spent the last three days painting one wall and a section of a wall over my fireplace red. I had not idea how much work painting red is! I started on the small section above the fireplace Saturday and it took 4 coats of red paint. When I took the painter's tape off, I realized I had to repaint the white mantle. :( Now that the mantle is repainted, I now see more brush strokes in the red. I decided to wait and let the mantle dry completely before attempting to put coat 5 on that wall. So, yesterday after finishing the mantle, I primed the big wall that goes to the top of the vaulted 20' ceiling. I didn't prime the small wall but I'm not sure it really helped. Today, I painted three coats of red paint. I'll see what it looks like tomorrow in the sunlight. I am almost afraid to remove the painter's tape because that has not been very successful. I may still be climbing the ladder to repaint the the edges of the ceiling, corners, and baseboard, all of which will have to have the tiny areas primed and then carefully painted white. I think I'll use a small artist paint brush. When it's all done, I'll post pictures. In the mean time, I haven't gotten much stamping/scrapping done.......

He's a Keeper!

I was really, really bummed about the camera. Michael and I researched on the internet for a new one and concluded that I'd just get another Canon Power Shot since I still had a battery, small memory card, and all the cords for the old one and could use them on any Power Shot. We agreed to go to Costco together since there was a deal on the SE850 (one step up from my lost camera, but neither are manufactured any longer) that included a printer. I was also going to look at the newest SD890 but I wondered whether I really needed the few new features for the extra cost of the latest model. I felt better knowing I had a plan but I still felt funny just not having a camera around. I was surprised how much having one was part of my life, sort of like a car. LOL I also found that there is a scrapping store about 10 miles away! Yeah!!!! I got up yesterday, went browsing through the scrapbooking store figuring I'd stop by the grocery store to pick up peaches for a pie for Micheal, lure him over for the night, and then we'd go to Costco together today to compare shop. Nothing captured my attention at the scrapping store; I kept thinking I needed to use what more of the stash already in my craft room and I had lots of stuff that could produce the "trendy" looks I saw in the store. I called Michael from the grocery store to try to bribe him with the pie. He was weirdly untalkative and would not commit to coming over. Oh well, I bought peaches anyway and drove home thinking about the layout currently in progress in my craft room. I opened the door to my condo and there was a big box with a printer and camera in it from Michael. I was so touched, I literally had tears in my eyes. I tried calling him right away but wouldn't you know it, he didn't answer the phone. Now that is agony! But, eventually, he did come over and he did get his peach pie. My new camera and printer are now ready to go! What a sweetie and certainly a keeper Michael is! I find myself wondering about the women in his life before me who let such a gem go......

I am thinking I need to take pictures of that peach pie I made before it's all gone. LOL Would I scrap it? What theme and journaling would I use.......always on to the next layout, huh?

Home but......

Well, we're home from our trip. We spent a day visiting wineries, a couple of days wandering the town and viewing the beautiful old buildings of Walla Walla, WA, and another day driving down to Pendleton, OR to visit the Umatilla Indian Reservation Musuem and the Pendleton Woolen Mill. On Monday, I got a flurry of phone calls on my cell because my house alarm went off. My neighbor's dog was spooked by the alarm sound when she dropped off the mail and then when the door shut, the key to the house was left inside. The alarm company called, the police arrived, my brother called (he was the emergency contact) and I'm sure my neighbors were annoyed. But all is well. Then yesterday,we packed up, drove up for a nice visit with Paul and Katie in Cheney, WA, and finally did the last 5 hours of the trip home.

Both Michael and I were tired last night, he the most with all the driving. We didn't even unpack the car but crashed. This morning, when I was getting ready to come home, I couldn't find my camera. I'm pretty sure I left it at the restaurant we went t with the kids for lunch. I've called the restaurant, Paul and Katie have actually walked down to check under the table but my camera is lost forever. I'm just sick and my mind is going to all the negative thoughts about employees at the restaurant. :( I can get photos from Michael, probably better ones, too since he has nice, big, one with multi lenses, but I'm just sick about loosing the camera itself. It was a gift from Michael before we went on our Yellowstone/Jackson, WY trip last summer and I really, really treasured it. I really loved having that camera! It was so small and took great pictures. I carried it with me everywhere I went. Every time I used it I was reminded of him and now..........

Ok, so now I'm in replacement mode of the camera (though it won't be the same) and as I was unpacking I discovered the dreaded bottle explosion in my make-up bag. Now, I have all my stuff laid out to dry while I do a load of laundry. Today just doesn't seem to be my day.

I'm not really sure what to think of this trip, right now.........

Vacation!!!

We're off to the wedding today. Michael's son David is riding over to Vashon Island with us and then we hope to get a nice pizza after at Boston's. Then tonight, back home to pack for our trip to Walla Walla and wine country! We're going to be staying in Walla Walla for three nights, touring the historical town, visiting wineries, marveling at the different scenery of eastern Washington, hopefully getting in a visit with Paul in Cheney, and enjoying each other's company. I'm taking my computer but won't be on much. Hope too much doesn't happen I can't catch up when I get home! :)

Finished!!!! Yeah, after all this time!!!!

I finally finished my layout of Barb's and my road trip to WSU in 2004. I have spent 4 years looking at the pictures and thinking about how find the words and expressions that would convey how I feel about this trip and taking it with Barb. I'm not sure I ever would have gotten it just right even with more time. But it's done and it meets Marjorie's #15 Color Challenge: Barn Red, Crystal Blue, Bamboo, and White Daisy. I added lots of silver embellishments because WSU's colors are crimson and silver.

New Improved!

I finished my layout of my 51st birthday dinner with Michael. I chose to use Floral Tapestry, which I found really, really hard to work with!!!! Here's how I ended up:

Cape Flattery

Last week Michael and I drove over to Cape Flattery. It is the most northern and western point of the Continental 48. It is the tip of the Makah Indian Reservation, the famous tribe that has permission from the US government to hunt whales as a part of their culture. We figured we'd go over on a hot day and enjoy the cool coast. We also figured it'd be about a 3.5 or 4 hour drive. The weather cooperated and it was a beautiful almost cloudless day with temperatures in the low 60's. We missed on the timing, though. The trip was about 5 hours of driving each way. Once you go through Port Angeles, the road is a two lane, twisty, turny, old logging road that slowed us way down. We did see lots of eagles and know why they are not on the endangered species list, now, as well as a cute little marina. Once we actually go to the park, we hiked through the rain forest and out to the observation deck. The view of the island, cliffs, lighthouse, mountains, birds, just everything at the edge of the earth! So, here are some of the sights we saw:

I had to go to a beach etiquette training this morning in preparation for Tuesday's field trip. Trainings and field trips are dependent on low tides so I had to be there at 9:30! On a Sunday, yet! I'm going to take a nap after I post this to hopefully generate enough energy to make Mother's Day cards and gifts. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute. I'm sure you never do that. Anyway, on my way home I stopped at JoAnn's. There really isn't a good scrapbook store near me. There is a Michael's about 5 miles from here but it doesn't have a good scrapbook department. Things are always out of stock and the section seems to always be messed up and dark. JoAnn's is about 10 miles away in a direction and on a street I almost never go down; I actually avoid it. What I discovered in JoAnn's though, is that if I ever get tired of being a CTMH consultant, this JoAnn's will have everything I need. LOL Maybe it's a good thing it isn't closer! I loved the large 12X12 K&C paper packets. They have colors or "themes" packaged together. Packages come with duo B&T or cardstock or stickers or rub-ons or a combination of any of them. The B&T duo packages are (if I remember right) 24 sheets (seems like it was more, so maybe I don't remember correctly) $9.99 or $10. That is cheaper than CTMH sells their Level 2 packages but with my discount, it's still cheaper to buy CTMH. I do wonder if I'd get overwhelmed with all the choices in the packages or if I'd get used to have such choice. Either way, I was amazed at the wonderful things JoAnn's carries. Trendy, and lots of choices! Aisles and aisles and aisles of embellishments: stickers, rub-ons, chipboard dies decorated or not, brads, slides, buttons, ribbons, tags, and the list goes on. And two long walls of 12 X 12 single papers (B&T and cardstock) and I didn't even look at the 8 X 12. I'm almost talking myself out of CTMH...... Could I manage as a customer w/ JoAnn's to feed my need? LOL I think I'd miss the inspirations and "how to" tips if I left CTMH and I wonder if I would be overwhelmed with the choices. Oh well, nap time and then I have to head upstairs to work on using up some of the stash I have in my craft room! Oh, and there is my new Bind it All I got yesterday. I get to play with it! I wonder where everyone gets their chip board for cover of their books, though.

Tulips from 2005

As I worked on this layout, I realized that Jen and I have seemed to find one day during each of the last 4 spring breaks to spend time together, (almost every year since 2005). In 2005 we went to Mt. Vernon to view the tulips. Here is the layout I finally finished thanks to a color challenge and an Out of Your Box challenge to use specified quotes from my Close to My Heart site. This year we scrapped together but it's hard to take pictures when you are scrapping. The color challenge was to use Hollyhock, Sunkissed Yellow, Sweet Leaf, and Cranberry; Marjorie's 9th color challenge. (Am I behind or what??? She posts one challenge a week, YIKES!) The Out of Your Box challenge is by another incredible consultant, Pam Klassen. She posts quotes and challenges us to use them in our layouts or cards. This quote: Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain.

Dream Car

When I lived on Army posts, (Ft. Lewis and Heidelberg, Germany) I used to walk through the senior officer's neighborhoods because they has sidewalks and beautiful gardens around their homes. I started noticing that those field grade officers usually had a nice car in their driveways. You could even make assumptions about rank based on the car in the driveway. For instance, you'd usually see a Lexus or Acura in a Major's driveway, BMW and Audi in the Lt. Colonel and Colonel driveways, and Mercedes and Porsche in the General's driveways. I always wondered if I'd ever have one of those cars. My dream car since I was in high school was a Jaguar. I loved the round/oval grill and the sleek design of Jaguars. When I moved up to Mukilteo, I was still driving the Mom-mobile Honda Odyssey, even if it was a nicer, more luxurious model than my Mazda MPV. For one person, it was big. I felt like I was driving around in a large cavern most of the time. In the spring of 2006, I dragged out my good friend Torrey from school and we went car shopping. Long story short (and certainly not the stress I felt at the time) I ended up with a 2 year old Mercedes that I found on a Mazda car lot. I suffered from the shock of owning a Mercedes at first because in my mind, it was beyond the dream of a Jaguar. LOL For the longest time, I'd be opening the garage door just to look at the nice white "Benz" I had driven home and put to bed. There sure is a lot more room in my garage and sometimes people forget I don't drive a big 7 passenger vehicle that carpools everyone where we want to go but those are hardly things I'm having trouble getting used to. :) Marianna and Veronica laughed at me as I scrapped the photos of my "dream car" in January. So, yeah, I'm proud of it and I love driving my Mercedes.

Taxes!!!

This year's taxes have been an up and down whirl wind ride! First I owed over $8K and spent a sleepless night frantically trying to figure out how to rearrange my budget, finances, and investments. I figured I'd sell my car (prompting Michael to say, "But you love that car!"). I started wondering what things I store in my garage I could sell and where, eBay? I told myself I would not look at the return again for 24 hours and just think. I went to the gym and worked out harder than I think I've worked out in months, well at least since the Chilly Hilly. Then at school I stayed and applied my energy into setting up the next week and a half of the chemistry unit planned for my third graders. Finally, I headed to Michael's with the plan to plug in all my figures into his tax program. Then, I got to thinking. I owe between $10 and $12K every year depending deductions and I thought geeze, they take so much out of my paycheck, how can I owe that much in taxes, after monthly deductions. So I pulled out my W-2 and checked the amount of taxes I paid in 2007 and there was my mistake! I had entered $10K less in the return than I paid and suddenly my bottom line was a refund!!! Yeah! I have now learned to take a beak from projects. :) Michael would say I should have learned some other things, as well.

Anyway, now, I feel like scrapping and stitching, again. AND I'm off to the Semiahoo Resort for the weekend with Michael. The weather should be fabulous with temperatures expected to be in the mid to high 60's on the coast and even 70's inland! I'm looking forward to walks on the beach, working out, relaxing, and spending time with my sweetie. And, yes, I'll try to remember to take pictures.

My latest album additions

I've been involved in some challenges lately on the CTMH Artwork Board. In most of my moods, I'm competitive so throw the word "challenge" at me and I'll take you up on it.

Anyway, Marjorie Enro posted an unusual color combo: Vanilla Cream, Taffy, Holiday Red, and Sunflower a while back. I haven't worked with any of those colors in a while and never those together. Here's what I came up with after our Chilly Hilly ride on Bainbridge Island. What a fun weekend that was at my sister Martha's house!






Then my next layout knocked off two challenges: Pam's OOYB (out of your box) challenge to use a chosen quote on a layout, and Marjorie's color challenge. This time the colors were: Outdoor Denim, Cranberry, Olive, and Indian Corn Blue. I added White Daisy. :) Aren't the roses Michael gave me beautiful? Pam's challenge was to use The Rose, by Bette Midler: "When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long, and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong, just remember, in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose. "



Gotta love a challenge to put you to the test!