10 things I love about My Scrapbook Nook

What can I say, I love My Scrapbook Nook! I can spend hours on end in that room and I enjoy every moment of it too!

10- The Pergo flooring makes it easy to sweep up paper snip-its, brads and eyelets that have rolled off of the counter top and spilled embossing powder. Not to mention that rolling across the floor in my drafting chair is a lot of fun too!

9-My Drafting chair-what a comfortable chair, best of all its got high quality wheels that really move and the seat height can be easily adjusted.

8-Plastic drawers- granted I took the wheels off of mine but these are such a great things to have in any scrapbooking or crafting space. I love how the drawers are clear thus allowing you to see what’s in them.

7- The color of my room is so serene. The walls are painted with 2 colors; they are a shade apart and both are colors of the ocean waters you would see in the Caribbean. This place I call my scrapbook nook is my haven.

6-I've got 2 rather large picture windows in this latest Scrapbook Nook of mine. I've planted beautiful flowers directly outside of both windows. Upon opening my plantation blinds, I can instantly enjoy the beauty of natures color pallet, not to mention I can see the school bus picking up and dropping off the neighborhood children. I have a fantastic view!

5-My husband is a handy man of sorts and has put many great things into my scrapbook nook- one of my favorites being the power strip that he’s put on my counter top. Talk about the epitome of conveniences! I can plug in all sorts of handy dandy tools and have it right there, no fumbling around looking for an outlet that’s in an inconvenient location. This is right where I’m working, how wonderful!

4- I love being surrounded by color! By having all of my cardstock arranged in the R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. manner (rainbow) and by storing them in the Cropper Hopper clear paper containers I can easily find what I’m looking for in the snap of a finger!

3- I love, love ,love my chrome shelves! Each shelf can hold up to 150 pounds of weight, and in my scrapbook nook it’s going to have to! Thanks to Peg and the monthly stamping and paper crafting group meeting she organizes, I've managed to add quite a few stamps and stamp pads to my collection! Peg is quite the enabler!

2-The large wooden clothes pins that have on the walls I use to display layouts and pictures that my children made. I only wish that I had bought more.

1-That this room has a door! I can close it and be in there all by myself or open and hear everything that’s going on in the living room. My husband loves the fact that the door can be closed to hide my scrapbooking and paper crafting messes.

Quote of the day

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Boycotting made in China products

I'm not one to get on the boycott wagon or even start a boycott for that matter, BUT...the stuff going on (deaths and major recalls) with items made in China these past few years has been over the top. Where do I start? Tainted pet food leading to a loss of life of our furry companions, toxic chemical on kids toys causing a HUGE panic in parents here in the USA, lead based paint used in the manufacture of many children's toys and household goods, the addition of antifreeze- a known toxic chemical causing a huge recall of tooth paste in Canada and parts of the USA and lets not forget the hysterics that THAT caused. Now Cadbury Chocolate is recalling chocolate products that were made in China because of the massive number of illnesses caused by the tainted baby milk. Every time I step through the doors of Hobby Lobby I see another recall poster with a very long list of items being recalled (all made in China). Items from children's Halloween baskets, to Christmas Tree lights, 4th of July picnic items and more. So here's the latest- the 27 nation EU has an ever growing list of countries who've now banned or recalled Chinese dairy products because of contamination. Check out the story here on MSNBC, it scares the crap out of me that we have this kind of thing going on this day and age. I'm sick with disgust that this kind of thing stems from nothing more than pure greed.

I look at the country of origin on EVERYTHING I buy these days. From tooth paste to hair care products to where my can of tuna is from to my feminine products and yes even my scrapbooking supplies! So, unless it's something that I just HAVE to have and I'm unable to find a suitable substitute (even at a higher price), I'm sticking to my guns in my refusal to buy anything made in China!

Quote of the day

Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you're going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus.
Oprah Winfrey (1954 - )

my life...or something like it

I adore that quote by Emily Dickinson, so much so I have it framed and hanging on a wall in my home.

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am to have many of the homeowners of our little community step up and volunteer to head up committees and be on our board. I have a treasurer, a secretary (and no they are not the same people) a vice president that actually wants to do something and another person pretty much taking over the architectural committee (look out Ken, LOL), this is FANTASTIC! And beyond that, I've got others volunteering to have meetings in their homes, people that want to help in just about any capacity! WOW! This is what I hoped and prayed for, praise and thanks be to God! I've got people looking into all sorts of things, this is no longer a 2 person thing, it's now become a neighborhood thing! We're even going to have a neighborhood blog and no it's not going to be me doing it, I've got another member of our community volunteering to do this- thank you Lord! Am I sad that that my dear friends Cindy and Allen have moved onto a new assignment? Yes- but as Cindy and I have talked about things and situations that the Lord has put us in always having a reason. My thoughts are thus- Cindy and Allen moving left a rather large gap that needed to be filled, and not by one person but a community. And indeed I feel that the has Lord answered my prayers and more.

When I said a prayer to the Lord the other day I asked him to help me make some new friends as those that I consider my closest of friends have now all moved away. I know that I will have to open myself up once again and let others in, and that's hard for me. I asked the Lord to give me a purpose so as I won't feel heart broken and alone (again). I know that he's answered my prayers. Even with the love/hate relationship that I have with computers, I use e-mail extensively with keeping in touch with friends. My dear friends are everywhere...there's René in Texas, Liz in Florida, Kim in Hawaii, Cindy in VA, Donna in Germany, Barbara in CA and there are many other friends that are scattered all over the USA and abroad like seeds in the wind. Even though they are so very far away, all of them are within a fingers touch. I need to keep reminding myself of this fact a little more often at the moment.

Granted there are moments when I still feel the pangs of loneliness and I miss my dear friends something fierce. But in all I have to say that it's hardest when you're the one left behind. So I'm throwing myself into other projects. Hence donating almost every book we own- minus my collection of cook books Jane Austen, Agatha Christie novels and anything to do with any kind of archaeological findings. Then there's how I'm pairing down my collection of crafting tools and supplies, I'm going as far as to pair down collection of handbags and dishes...and you all know how I love dishes. Now here's something to make you laugh, I've actually given up ONE 9 inch springform pan, LOL! Only a handful of you really know how many I own, me giving up one springform pan is not going to make any kind of dent on the collection of bake-ware I own. Ooh, that sounded like another confession, LOL!

Now to get ready for church...and of course to have some more coffee!

Quote of the day

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

what's in your mail box?

You would tend to think that with the cost of postage and other things that I'd have less junk mail- oh no that is NOT the case! I have more junk mail coming to my mail box these days than regular mail. Besides the tons of sales advertisements for stores that aren't even in this area, I get other off the wall junk mailings. Here's an example-The house directly across the street from ours is up for sale- so what does that dork realtor do? She sends us a postcard letting us know that it's for sale. Um hello, it's not as if we can't see that every time any of us steps out side or open the blinds? LOL! And no offense, but does anyone really want "family" living right across the street from them? I know that as much as I love my mother, I know that she would drive me crazy living right across the street from me :-o

I'm trying to get the neighborhood to "go green" and reduce the amount of newsletter that need to be printed and delivered. Getting them to give me their e-mails is almost like pulling teeth. but today I did manage to get some more at our meeting today with a sign up sheet. Our HOA meeting was a little over 2 hours long, but we were able to get a great deal of stuff accomplished. We've agreed to go to quarterly meetings which will be nice. And we have other topics that we've tabled for now and have agreed to meet again before November 1st.

I'm feeling pretty tired now, LOL! Heck, I've been up since a little before 4 am, I think that I'm going to try to get a nap before I fall flat on my face from sheer exhaustion.

what's in your closet?

I've been keeping myself rather busy around here. I'm still in the process of purging things in my home. I've sent e-mails to some friends letting them know that I'm selling off my Longaberger dishes. I've not used them in over 5 years and I'd rather see them go to folks I know. But alas if they don't want them then I'll put them up for sale on e-bay. I'm trying very hard to purge things I/we haven't used in quite a while. Those Longaberger items are just another one of those things that have been in storage for what seems to be for forever, so they need to find a new home. And all of my Longaberger dishes are made in the USA where as the ones made in the past few years are made in China.

I came across even MORE books in the storage area of our home. I think that we own enough books to have our own library, or at least a wing in a library. We've had these books in storage forat least 8 years, chances are that they would be in storage for at least 5 more years. With that very though in mind, they're off to find another place to live. Talk about hanging on to soemthing that you just don't use. All of these books are just excess weight when it comes to moving. I'm really trying hard to slim down our household weight.

I'm going to have to make at least more 2 trips to donate all of this stuff. Some will go to the Salvation Army and the other stuff will go to the womens shelter.

So why the big purge? I haven't got any offical news to give at this time but lets just say that I'm preparing our household for a move and leave it at that. Once I get news that I can share I'll post it. Until then, it's purge purge purge!

Quote of the day

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
~Dale Carnegie

Poke me with a fork...

...and call me done! We still haven't got the "kinks" worked out on my computer. I have no way to retrieve photo's nor can I upload photo's from my camera to the computer. And this is coming from me, a person who claims to not "need" a computer in her life...oh lets be serious now, who I am trying to fool??? LOL!

It's after 5pm and it's officially the Weekend! Oh momma, is it time for a Midori Sour? I'd say so! Who else in in for a cocktail?

Technical Difficulties

I'll be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with computers. We're still in the process of setting up the computer in our home office and not all of the files have been transferred over. When your spouse is the one who handles all of the computer stuff you learn to be patient. So here I typing away on my daughters laptop this morning.

I have an HOA meeting tomorrow and no way to access my e-mail. Did I mention that today I hate computers? Now for me to figure out how I'm doing...ugh!

Quote of the day

It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, 1999

Is it Wednesday already?

To think that the week is already at the half way mark- WOW! I've had a busy yet fruitful week so far and I hope to be able to get more done before the week is out.

I got the call from Zales at 8pm notifying me that my ring is back at the store after being sent in for the stone replacement. I grabbed my purse and car keys and was out the door and down the street before the hands on the clock turned to 8:02, LOL! I was down at the mall by 8:15! I thought it rather odd to see how surprised the store manager acted. Apparently she thought that I wouldn't have some to get my ring tonight. Um hello, that's my engagement ring & wedding ring wrapped into one ring, of course I want it back as quickly as possible. Sheesh!

I found myself being impressed at how quickly the men from the moving company packed up Cindy's household goods into boxes. WOW! Then again it helps that you don't have tons unnecessary items hanging around too. I'm more determined than ever to rid myself of excess household items! I'm off to see what I can purge from my kitchen cupboards.

Quote of the day

“Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.”
~Peter F. Drucker

Woo Hoo!

Let me shout it from the roof top- my wedding ring is back! I'm thrilled to have it back on my hand where it should be! I've only been without it for nearly 3 months...nothing to worry about right? insert eye roll here I was sick with grief that I had to send it in for a 2nd time. I had no idea how long it would take to replace it with the correct grade of stone since the mistake was theirs and no one was willing to accept responsibility for the mistake. I'm just so happy my ring is back!

I'm a crafting addict are you?

It's true, I'm addicted to crafting of all types! I can't help myself, I LOVE to make things be it a home cooked meal, a scrapbooking layout, a quilted table runner, a crocheted scarf or a counted cross stitch sampler- it seems that I've got to be keeping my hands busy making something. If this describes you in some way ,shape or form than this is the blog for you to read. I'm always doing something and am also writing about it on a daily basis. I throw in a bit of my real life goings on into this blog. I have a room that's totally dedicated to crafting and from time to time rearrange the entire room. I've changed a few more things in my scrapbook and will post the pictures...once I figure out where on earth on this new computer they are, LOL!

Ciao for now...I'm off to bring some coffee to my friend Cindy as I see the packing folks have arrived at her house.

In the neighborhood

It's packing day, not for us, but for my friend and neighbors Cindy & Allen. It's hard for me not to shed a tear or two at the thought of Cindy and her family moving away to the East Coast. I'm going to miss them dearly. Cindy did a great deal of work with our home owners association and I'm working hard to find someone that is as dedicated to our HOA as she was. Ooh I just checked my business e-mail and it looks like I've got a new treasurer and someone who wants to be on the architectural committee- life is good!

I need to call the Realtors that represent homes for sale out here and see how things are going with them. If they need copies or HOA policies and so forth. I need to finish getting my paper work in order for Saturday's meeting; topics to cover, etc.

Now where did that mug of coffee get off to???

Quote of the day

"Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, 'Did you bring joy?' The second was, 'Did you find joy?'"
~ Dr. Leo Buscaglia

Happy first day of Autumn!

I just adore Autumn! The air is crisp and I love wearing sweaters, mittens, hats and scarves in yummy warm colors. My favorite fruit is at it's height in popularity! Apples are being made into the the most delicious things, apple crisp, apple pie, apple turnovers, apple sauce, baked whole apples- I could go on and on about apples :-) Yup, I love Autumn!

Quote of the day

In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November.
Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden, 1905

Creating the ultimate scrapbooking room- shelves

There are many different kinds of shelves to put up in a scrapbook room. My favorite ones are those heavy duty chrome shelves that you see in Cooking Stores. I love that those chrome shelve units can hold up to 150 pounds on each shelf- no joke! I got mine at Lowe's and I'm in love! They come in various heights and widths, some even come with wooden tops (I have one and use it as an extra work space). These were originally designed and made for use in gourmet kitchens. Those chrome shelves were made to hold things such as heavy cook pots by Le Creuset and lots of heavy pottery items.

There's the plastic coated wire shelving that attaches to the wall (like what I used in my little utility room scrapbook nook). Be sure to attach them to wall studs or you could be in for one heck of an accident! Wooden shelves are nice, but don't put too much weight on them because over time they tend to sag.


Now....this is so sad- I've got a new computer and I can't find my where my pictures are located. And yes I looked in the pictures folder and alas, no photo's. Stay tuned for pictures, LOL!

what's lurking in your garage?

In my quest to reduce the amount of "stuff" We've acquired over the years and to maintain a good sense of organization behind the scenes, I'm really giving it my all in effort to reduce the amount of items we've kept stored cardboard boxes in our home. The embarrassing part is that nothing I've come across so far has belonged to my husband, it's been items such as children's toys, household goods that we "might" once again use one day and of course and my ever growing collection of crafting items. From countless counted cross stitching kits and patterns to all sorts of paper crafting items from my scrapbook nook and yes even fabric from my quilting corner. I'm determined to reduce the amount of my crafting stash and am giving these quality items to places that can use that bit of comfort that comes from crafting.

Last night while going through a file box out in the garage that I didn't go through earlier because I thought that it held old business tax records. Surprise! After opening it, I discovered that the file box didn't contain what I thought it had, in fact it was stuffed FULL of counted cross stitching charts (many of which date back to the 1990's). After going through and sorting them, 90% of those charts are going to be donated, I pulled some for me to keep and the rest will go up for sale at my Etsy store Busy Bee Design Studio. I'll be sorting the counted cross stitching charts into groups and will be selling them in bundles going by theme.

So even though I claim to have rid myself of my hoarding/pack rat ways, there's always something lurking in the garage, basement or closet...waiting to be discovered, LOL!

Using my friend Cindy's move as my source of inspiration, I've found myself getting into the groove of preparing my home for a move. Are we moving? My answer is- No, not at this time but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. I relate what I'm doing (sorting and purging of our belongings) as something similar to that of a school fire drill or a military exercise- preparing for something that "could" happen but don't know when or if it will happen.

Personally speaking, there's nothing worse then waiting until the last minute before you start the purging process. I've found that you've can't wait until the 4 to 6 weeks before the move to start the process. You've got to actually stay with it through out your time on station. Waiting until the last minute is when it becomes a frantic push to rid your household of it's "extras" that have been hanging around. I can say this from personal experience, it can be quite the overwhelming task to rid your home things. You know that it's too late when the moving company truck pulls up to your front door and you end up bring that 'stuff" with you only to have to get rid of it at another destination. And so continues the hoarding/pack rat process of accumulation. My question for you is this...What's lurking in your garage?

Quote of the day

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

84 and counting...

Are you wondering what 84 is? That's the number of books I've pulled out of the storage room that are going to be donated. Hannah told me that her school librarian is hoping to get some Nancy drew books- woohoo! I can can count those books as donated to the Douglas Middle School Library! Now to go through the rest of the boxes of books and see what else I am willing to part with!

The BIG Push is now on...reduce, reuse, recycle! Who else is with me?

The garage purge

I enlisted the help of my husband and daughter and together we went through the majority of boxes in the garage. We managed to fill my minivan from top to bottom with "stuff" and took it to the Salvation Army donation center. I dare say we gutted the place! I feel so good for going through that stuff and donating it to a worthy charity that does so much good for the community. There are 3 more boxes in the garage to take to the Salvation Army but alas the minivan was stuffed full and we couldn't fit another thing in there and be able to drive safely. So they we will have to wait until another day. As a surprise my husband took me and Hannah out for lunch. Cleaning out the garage DOES have it's rewards, ones beyond gaining more space :-)

Now to tackle the storage space known as the utility room...

Girlfriends and moving

As I prepare to say good-bye to yet another close friend (Cindy I'm really going to miss you girl!), I have to pause and reflect. I've made some awesome friends over the years- all of whom I'm still in contact with. I can only hope that when it's our time to move again the friends that I've made here locally will keep in touch with me. There's never been a question about my military girlfriends keeping in touch, it's the local friends that I lose touch with.

I'm still in awe of Cindy and her ability to get so much done in such a short amount of time and I dare say that she's done it on her own while her husband is deployed. Cindy you are amazing! And I'll say it, Cindy has been my inspiration. How so you wonder? I like to call it a "take no prisoners" approach to storage and moving. If it's in storage and been there since you've moved, most likely it's something that you do not need. Well of course there's an exception to every rule, there are some things that you want to keep but do not currently have display room for in your home (take my Fiesta-ware tea cup collection). Another example would be all of those hardbound books we own, since I sold the book cases, well frankly there's no place to store them at present, other than in cardboard boxes in our storage room. There are some things that I will keep and others that I just need to let go of. So I'm taking the "take no prisoners approach" and am going for broke! I'm going to make an even bigger push to purge stuff I don't need or use. That doesn't just go for my scrapbook nook but for my entire house! Wish me luck!

Quote of the day

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes."
~ Carl Jung

through a child's eyes...

My daughter Hannah is cracking me up! She's helping to me go through all of my Sizzix dies and weed out the ones I haven't used in ages. So here I am, with oodles of Sizzix dies to put up for sale- cheap! Interested in buying them? Look for them soon at my Etsy store Busy Bee Design Studio.

more of what to keep and what to toss

Along with any organizing project comes the daunting task of what to keep what to toss and what to give away. Such is where I'm still at, LOL! I've gone though my punches again and again weeding out even MORE of them. I know that if I just sit myself down and think long and hard about it that I'll rind myself of at 90% of them keeping only the basics (circle and square punches) plus a couple of other shapes that I don't have a Quickutz or Sizzix die for or that I don't have that particular shape available on any of my Cricut cartridges. My goal is to streamline my collections to those items that I will actually use most often rather than a handful of little things that I'll use once or if I'm really lucky, maybe I'll use it twice (did you feel the sarcasm there?). If I don't do this, they'll sit there collecting dust and taking up precious space and add to our weight allowance on any future military move.

I was at Hobby Lobby yesterday looking for a specific storage item and after looking at it long and hard, I talked myself out of buying it. You see, I had bought myself a Zutter bind it all machine and I was thinking of getting the little aqua blue storage bag for it. I have a 40% off coupon and could get the bag for $18 (retail price $30 before the coupon), but once I looked at it I thought to myself, sheesh! I could design and make myself a bag much cuter than that one! I also looked at the "tools" that I could buy and gave myself a good laugh. I already have all of these and mine are made by Craftsman, again I could design and make a nifty storage bag for these too. But for now they are in a designated "tool basket". I dare say that those Longaberger booking baskets sure to come in handy in my scrapbook nook!

Alright I'm outta here! I've got more organizing to do. I think that I need to go through my stamps next...oh my word is this ever going to be a BIG project, LOL!

Quote of the day

I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.
Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ), O Magazine, September 2002

It's Thursday Gromit!

I'm paying the price today for wearing cute shoes yesterday. Oh my word does my foot ache something awful! Soaking it in hot water does help some, I've done that twice today. But hey, I looked great last night, LOL! What we women do in the name of fashion and looking good, I have no one to blame but my own vane self.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, it's nothing terrible I assure you. I'm needing positive thoughts (and a word in with the Big Guy couldn't hurt) as my husband is looking at a possible promotion and subsequent move. This would be such a great opportunity for him and for our entire family.

Trivia- Volcano's

I'm missing my friend Kim and this bit of trivia is in honor of her move to Hawaii...enjoy!



Volcanoes are vents in the Earth's surface from which
molten rock, debris, and steam issue. About 1,900 volcanoes
are active today or known to have been active in historical
times.
***
Almost 90 percent of volcanoes are in the Ring of Fire, a
band of volcanoes circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
***
Most volcanoes occur at plate boundaries, areas where huge
slabs of rock meet in the Earth's lithosphere, or outer shell.
Volcanoes can rise in subduction zones, areas where plates
meet and one is pushed beneath another. Molten rock rises to
the surface and forms a volcano.

Intraplate volcanoes are caused by hot spots deep within
the Earth. Magma rises and erupts as lava through cracks
in the Earth's surface, forming volcanoes.
***
Volcanoes can erupt in a combination of ways: explosively
with hard pyroclastic material; explosively with fluid lava
(lava fountains); effusively with hard pyroclastic flows
(clouds of ash and gases); and effusively with fluid lava.
***
Although some volcanoes are considered extinct, almost any
volcano is capable of rumbling to life again. Volcanoes
provide valuable mineral deposits, fertile soils, and
geothermal energy.

what I did last night

I went to the OSC function last with hopes of making new friends and to be reacquainted with old friends...well what old friends that haven't PCS'd that is. To my surprise, there wasn't very much mingling going on. Bingo its self went quickly and for the most part folks were excited about the prizes. I didn't buy any tickets for the craft table as every basket was filled with items that I didn't need- here's an example...
there were 2 different baskets filled with scrapbooking supplies and tools. I certainly DON"T need those. A coffee basket filled with the kind of coffee I don't drink and mugs I wouldn't have used. The rest (4 or 5 more large wicker baskets)were filled with wine and wine glasses...and I certainly do not need any more wine glasses! So I paid for my dinner, had a Singh-tini, played bingo, had some dinner conversation and was home just before 9 pm. I brought my camera and I didn't take a single picture. Like I said, people were not mingling. So many new faces too, granted that's a good thing. But I did start to feel a huge gap in age from the rest of the crowd as did many of the other OSC members at my table. You know you're getting old when...LOL!

Quote of the day

"You have to recognize when the right place and the right time fuse and take advantage of that opportunity. There are plenty of opportunities out there. You can't sit back and wait'.
~Ellen Metcalf

get up get out get going

Those words are ringing in my head this morning. I did not want to get out of bed this morning. I didn't want to get dressed and I certainly didn't feel like doing much of anything. Talk about feeling like a potato- I just wanted to lay there in bed. I don't feel like this very often. I'm just dragging my feet with things I need to get done around the house, LOL! Between my sore aching foot that feels like it's had a foot cramp for 3 days now and my allergies- well I'm done for, LOL! Toss in a little bit of depression because my friend is moving away and some abdominal cramps and there you have it, LOL! Some Motrin, some allergy medication and a lot of coffee will set me to rights again :-)

I've got to take some pictures of shelving and post them along with the rest of what I was talking about in my on going series "creating the ultimate scrapbooking room".

Okay, I need some more coffee if I'm ever going to get anything done around here today.

Quote of the day

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978)

things to make you laugh...

So I take this quiz over at fineliving.com about entertaining. I got 9 out of 10 questions right. Now the one that I didn't get...was the one about extra seating. Never in my life would I have answered turning trash cans over and using them as extra seating- but apparently this was the correct answer. Turned over trash cans for extra seating and fine living, hmmm makes me scratch my head and wonder, LOL!

a diamond in the rough

Here's a funny for you- I was in Office Depot yesterday with my son in-between his orthodontic appointments. I needed to get some ink refills for a couple of pens. At the last OSC function that had a craft table -the best way to describe this is that it's like our own little garage sale of sorts where we bring in items and they are sold through a weird process of buying tickets 10 for $5 and we put a ticket in a glass that's placed next to the item we want in hopes that our ticket is drawn-clear as mud right? The money earned from the craft table ticket sales goes to the squadron or group hosting the that months OSC function. Okay back to the OSC function...I ended up "winning" a lovely ink pen, but not just any ink pen, a Waterman ink pen. I already own 2 other Waterman pens, I've had them for at least 10 years. I can tell you that they write ever so smoothly and I love the way they feel in my hand when writing (and I write a lot of letters). Now, I couldn't remember if the newest pen I had was a roller pall or ball point style. So I went to look at the fancy schmancy ink pen display there at Office Depot...that's when I realized that I had a very expensive little prize. The retail price on this puppy put it at over $100 and to think that someone put it on an OSC craft table- sheesh! So in essence my $5 purchase of some tickets for the craft table netted me something that I'm going to cherish for a very long time! I have to say that I know for a fact that my other 2 Waterman pens didn't cost this much combined, LOL!

Thought of the day- don't take anything for granted!

It's Tuesday Gromit

It's quotes like the one I came across this morning that give meaning to why I scrapbook. Don't you find it simply amazing the kinds of feeling that pictures can invoke? I can look at pictures and remember the events that happened during that day, the sights, the sounds and sometimes even the scents. Memory is a powerful thing! For me, a photograph is a ray of light into our thoughts and dreams, a glimpse of who we are inside. Feel free to quote me on this, LOL!

So here I am up early on a Tuesday morning, with a mug of my favorite coffee in my hands, I'm now ready to start a brand new day. As with any day, there's always something to do.

Quote of the day

We try to grab pieces of our lives as they speed past us. Photographs freeze those pieces and help us remember how we were.
Gene McSweeney, Grey Water Photography

The big day

The much anticipated BIG DAY is finally here for our son Andrew. What's the big deal? He gets his braces off today. I told him to be prepared for sore gums. And yes I have the refrigerator stocked with his favorite types and flavors of yogurt! between the 2 long appointments with the orthodontist, he'll miss school today. We contacted his teachers and let them know about this and had them send work home with him accordingly. It's rough trying orthodontic appointments around school and school activities, especially the really longs ones like today.

So with camera in hand I set out with my son...and I hope to get some good pictures for a scrapbook layout :-)

random thoughts...

I hate it when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. So here I am surfing the web, reading news on line and drinking mint tea in hopes of getting sleepy. So many things are on my mind...

One thing in particular was a conversation yesterday with a woman from church. In my 18 years of being married to my career Air Force husband, for anyone to open up a conversation with "what rank is your husband?" or "is your husband an officer or enlisted?" sets me off balance. I've found that people who ask that question before they even ask your name are insecure with themselves. It's like they've set up some sort of invisible boundary line and you're not allowed to cross it unless you are exactly the same as they are. How sad. I've never let my husbands rank or duties dictate who I befriend. It saddens my heart to think that this woman for what ever reasons has prejudged me to be a certain way before she's taken any steps in getting to know me all because of my husbands rank. So much for my attempts at making new friends through church yesterday. By the way I never did tell her my husbands rank, just that he was an officer.

I wonder how the OSC function will be on Wednesday. It's a dressed up affair and the theme is "Bingo at Tiffany's". I have a groovy new outfit for this function. I thought about having my hair done up with a tiara to be like Audrey Hepburn but I think that I will pass on it. I feel that it would be a little over the top this time around. I want to wear my hair up but being that my hair so long, it's rather a pain to do it myself. Okay that and I think that I've waited too long to be able to get an appointment on Wednesday afternoon, alas this is what happens when you procrastinate, LOL!

Now for me to get my book and start reading it. I've started reading another Agatha Christie novel and although it's started off rather slow, the more I read, the more I find it to be interesting.

A side note- my e-mail is not connected to this new computer as of yet, so now I have to read it on line-ugh!

Quote of the day

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
e e cummings (1894 - 1962)

a slight interruption

Hey! I have Internet access! It's a miracle I tell ya! My DH is updating our computer system this weekend and I've been wondering when it will be done. And here I am here plugging away. I don't have access to my e-mail account -you know, access at the touch of a button kind of thing. But I'm sure that will be completed by the end of today. So anyone who needs to contact me today please phone me, LOL!

I hope that today's weather stays pleasant as our church picnic is today. I find myself looking forward to this church social as it's out of doors and in a recreation area on the base.

There's nothing like being kept busy with things at home. Yesterday I went out walking in my neighborhood, delivering our HOA newsletters- today I'll get the rest delivered. The 35mph winds were enough to drive me back home. I've only got a handful of houses to get these to, and I'm writing a note on each of them to please give me their e-mail address as I will not be hand delivering them during the winter. For those that do not have e-mail addresses they will have the option of picking up a copy of the current HOA news letter from my house. I refuse to drive around the neighborhood and waste gas, not to mention I would still have to get out of the car and walk up snow and ice covered driveways and walkways. One neighbor had a dog (which looked very much like a pit bull) tied to his front porch- there's no way I'm going up to a house with any breed dog tied up to it! As I see it, that's just asking for trouble!

I'm off to read the news...lets see what else is going on in the world.

Quote of the day

No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.
Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)

Creating the ultimate scrapbooking room- shelving

In order to store anything we need a place to put our containers of scrapbooking stuff, that's where shelving comes into play. What kind to buy is based upon a few factors;

First and foremost is price. What can you afford should be of top concern. You want to keep in mind that you want to get as much bang for your buck as possible. My recommendation is to simply Shop Around. You'd be surprised to see what is available at Thrift Shops, Hardware and Home Improvement Stores as well as warehouse type stores like Sam's Club and Costco. One of my all time favorite places for the items I've bought for my last 2 Scrapbook Nooks has been Lowe's. But don't turn your nose up at 2nd hand stores and garage sales- there are gems to be had almost everywhere!

What will be stored on it? Keep in mind the dimensions of the containers - their height and width.

How much weight will it hold? As you know, scrapbooking and stamping supplies can weigh a lot!

Where will be be placed? Keep in mind the size and dimensions of the space in which it will go. There's nothing is worse than realizing after you get home that you bought the wrong size (especially with gas prices being so high).

Do you want wall mounted shelves, free standing shelves or would cabinetry work better for your space? Assess your needs and go from there.

Do you want something that will be stationary or movable? Does it matter that the item might need to be anchored into a wall? Or would you prefer something with wheels?

What kind of materials is your shelving to be made of? Wood, MDF (wood composite), high density plastic or metal?

Do you want to buy it all at once or add to it as needed? As your collection grows so will your need for more storage.

You need to make a plan and draw out a diagram of the room. Graph paper is such an excellent way of your seeing ideas of how you want to organize your scrapbooking space without having to move heavy stuff all over the place. You'll need to measure your room, make notations of window and door placements their height and width. Where's your light fixture? Does it hang in a spot that you want to place some shelving? Can the light fixture be moved? Will the door swing into your shelving? Can the door be changed to swing outwards instead of inwards? Just so you know, it's not impossible to change that- I did that very thing when we moved into our current house.

My next post on my on going series Creating the Ultimate Scrapbook Room will have pictures of the various kinds of shelving and storage that I've used for my scrapbook nooks. I'll cover things like their size and how much weight they can hold. Be sure to check back and see what I've got going on :-)

Happy and Sad

How can one person feel both emotions? Seems impossible but yet I am. I'm happy that my dear friend has her house rented and she and her family are preparing to move on to their next assignment. Now the sad part, my dear friend and her family are moving away (insert big sigh here).

The past 3 years has had me here on the side lines seeing close friends move away to new assignments. I've always been fine with moving and leaving friends and making new ones- as long as I was the one moving away. So here I am feeling sad for myself- again. I'm just going to have to make vacation plans to visit my friends, there's nothing more to it that that!

Quote of the day

If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair.
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)

It's almost ready...

I'm almost ready to unveil my cleaned up scrapbook nook. I'm just waiting on a special something to arrive...then once I get it set in place I'll have something neat to share.

Creating the ultimate scrapbook room- paper storage

This is an over view of how I had things stored in My Scrapbook Nook while in our tiny house on base. I'm going to walk you through how I had stored my patterned paper and cardstock....

As in any scrapbooking room, being able to properly store your cardstock and patterned paper without it getting or becoming damaged is a must! Be it a small stash or a gigantic one- you need to have your paper in an easily accessible area. As you see here in this photo, the paper is close to my work surface and in full view so I can see what I'm looking for.

ROYGBIV- There's no better way to organize you card stock other than in rainbow fashion. RoyGBiv is not someones name, it's something we learn in preschool or kindergarten, it's none other than an abbreviation of colors of the rainbow. red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet

Here I have used plastic envelopes to hold/store my paper. At the time this was what worked best for me in my little scrapbook nook in base housing. Below you see the accordion style paper keepers. These house my specialty papers such as vellum, transparencies and mulberry paper. The accordion file folders were great for keeping these more delicate items from being damaged.



Here is the 12x12 stacking paper drawers, these were great for me to put cardstock and paper that needed to be filed/put away in their proper place.


Here are the smaller stacking drawer units that house my 8½x11 cardstock. My label maker went into over drive in this room!

By January 2006 I made completely made the transition to this 12x12 paper storage system by Generations. While my old way of storing my paper was fine, it was rather time consuming, as I had to open up the envelopes and thumb through the cardstock. I had several envelopes with the same color families which made it rather tedious when looking for just the right shade of Green, Blue, Red or what ever color. This new system was awesome! I could pull the container out and find what I was looking without having to take everything out of the container.

Quote of the day

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987), The Philosophy of Andy Warhol

Creating the ultimate scrapbook room-an on going series

Creating the ultimate scrapbooking space is all about organizing your space. Utilizing every square inch and finding an organizing system that works best for your space. Be it a corner in your bedroom, kitchen or family room or maybe you have cleared out your utility room and plan on using it as your future scrapbook nook. Keeping your space neat and organized so you can see what you have- if you see it, you will use it.

There are dozens of companies out there that sell organizing systems. Deciding which ones to use depends upon 3 things- the size of your space, the amount of scrapbooking supplies you have or what to have and of course the cost.

My very first scrapbooking space was the kitchen table at our house in Texas. My supplies were stored in an unused linen closet. I had my photos stored in the "Keepsake" containers by Rubbermaid (and I still do). My page protectors and papers were stored in a Longaberger magazine basket organizer, my "tools" and such were stored in a Longaberger small market basket. My stamps were all stored on a plastic tray . I'd take my basket with my tools and put it on my dining table and go to work. Life was good.

My second scrapbooking space was an fold up table in a corner in the formal dining room in our house in Virginia. Once I started working at a scrapbooking store that was all over! My husband built me an Oak Armoiré to house all of my supplies, albums and photo's. Lettering templates were all the rage, and I had a fair amount of them. Plastic folders were great storage devices for them too and for the idea books that were starting to come out. A brand new items came out for scrapbookers Sizzix the at home die cutting system- woohoo! A break through for all of us getting tired of tracing and cutting out letters with scissors and X-acto knives. Suddenly my collection of nifty scrapbooking tools were expanding and that Armoiré although it was a very nice place to store my supplies, it couldn't hold everything.

I had discovered Bazzill Card stock and the rainbow of beautiful colors it came in...scrapbooking and card making has never been the same since. So many new companies were coming out with patterned paper and embellishment lines. I stored my paper in the accordion paper organizers. Those were fantastic! I still have 2 of them and those house my vellum and mulberry paper. Then came the 3-d embellishments and also at that time we were all getting into using fibers, brads and eyelets on our scrapbook layouts and cards. Storage in my "nook" was now getting to be a bit tight. You have to keep in mind that my scrapbooking area also housed all of my other crafts- there was yarn for my crocheting projects, Aida cloth and linen plus embroidery floss and patterns for my counted cross stitching projects. And lets not even talk about my sewing projects with fabric, patterns and thread, LOL! Oh and it also held all of the kids crafting materials as well.

By then I had moved into my 3rd scrapbooking space, the formal living room . I moved the card table into a corner in that room and I bought my first 2 tall plastic drawer units. I bought another couple of short ones and put them under the card table. So two areas underneath of my card table scrapbooking area were being utilized to their best ability. Those short carts were great for items I wanted to grab quickly. Slow but sure my scrapbooking stash was expanding. Because my space was in the formal living room and we had to worry about resale of our home I was not able to put up sort of shelving on the walls. I had amassed a lot of great scrapbooking supplies but my organization wasn't the best. Life was good but I knew that it could be better.

When we moved to South Dakota, we decided to live in base housing. My 4th scrapbooking space a room dubbed "My Scrapbook Nook" was the utility room. The room really was a "nook" as it was 4 feet wide by 10 feet long, it housed the water heater and the furnace. The space didn't have heat nor air conditioning and only 1 naked light bulb located on the end between the furnace and water heater. But we saw something more, we saw my future Scrapbook Nook. My husband was the visionary on that little space. He was excited that my space had a door- and that it could be closed to hide my scrapbooking and card making messes :-) Life was about to get a while lot better!

Now stay tuned as I walk you through the transformation of that small utility room into My Scrapbook Nook.

just one more quote commemorating 9/11

Obviously no country can claim a special place in God's heart, yet we are better as a people because He has a special place in ours...I want to thank you for helping America, as Christ ordained, to be a light unto the world...
President George Bush, commending the National Religious Broadcasters for their support in the war to drive Iraq from Kuwait

quote in honor of 9/11

We have learned that terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength; they are invited by the perception of weakness. And the surest way to avoid attacks on our own people is to engage the enemy where he lives and plans. We are fighting that enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan today so that we do not meet him again on our own streets, in our own cities.
George W. Bush (1946 - ), September 7, 2003

The 7th anniversary of 9/11

My heart is in my throat as I write this. Where were you when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania? It's the 7th anniversary of that tragic day September 11th, 2001. I was home and my husband called, told me to turn on the TV- my heart was in my throat. I cried for 3 days straight. I still can't think about it without crying. Heaven forbid that I watch any of the documentaries that have aired on TV- it breaks my heart, and I can't help but to think of all of those people that died. It makes me an emotional mess, and I feel like I'm reliving that day every time I see some news clip from the planes crashing into the 2nd tower to when the towers came crumbling down with all of those innocent lives trapped inside.

For me, I'm going to try to think of happier times and happy thoughts. Its not that I don't want to, it's that I can't watch anything about that tragic day. It's still a very raw emotion for me, even after 7 years.

Quote of the day

Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world; it is God's gift to humanity.
George W. Bush (1946 - ), State of the Union address 2003

could you pass the US Citizen test?

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 7 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Tuesday Morning Meme

I saw that Kate had a Meme and I said to myself- this looks like fun lets give it a try. So here's my Tuesday morning Meme...

1. My uncle once ... called long distance from Germany to talk to my Mom

2. Never in my life...was I more afraid than I was during the birth of our children

3. When I was five... I found my biological father dead on the bathroom floor from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head

4. High school was...a series of interesting and drama filled years

5. I will never ... buy a house that does not have central air conditioning

6. Once I met.... my mother in law I knew that we would be the best of friends!

7. There’s this boy I know...who invited me to his birthday party when we were in the 6th grade- I was the ONLY girl in attendance

8. Once, at a bar...I put my purse on the counter and had to buy everyone a drink

9. By noon ...I hope to be finished cleaning out my scrapbook nook

10. Last night...I attended the OSS spouses coffee

11. If only I had ... looked at that package of bacon a little closer I bought on Sunday, I would have realized that it was RAW and NOT pre-cooked :-o

12. Next time I go to church...I will be bringing my husband and daughter along with a pasta salad for the church picnic

13. What worries me most ... is my husband going away on another deployment

14. When I turn my head left... it feels rather stiff

15. When I turn my head right... I see my crutches, a vacuum cleaner, the door with 2 tote bags hanging off of the door knob

16. You know I’m lying if ... I start laughing

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is ... the cheap gas prices, 50¢ a gallon!

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be ... Hero's cousin Beatrice in the play "Much ado about Nothing"

19. By this time next year ... I hope to be talking about our vacation to Hawaii in August 2009

20. A better name for me would be ... The Cheesecake Lady

21. I have a hard time understanding ... why people think that killing themselves is the all mighty answer to their problems

22. If I ever go back to school ... I'd want to attend the Cordon Bleu in France

23. You know I like you if ... I bake you a cheesecake

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be ... Jesus, the 2nd person would be my husband

25. Take my advice ... reduce, reuse, recycle

26. My ideal breakfast..... is coffee, coffee, coffee

27. A song I love but do not have is ... our National Anthem

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest ... going to Custer State Park and seeing the roaming herds of Buffalo and don't forget your camera!

29. Why won’t people ... ever use their damn turn signal?

30. If you spend a night at my house ... you'd find out how truly peaceful our neighborhood really is

31. I’d stop my wedding ...only when the walls were falling down around us and the church was on fire

32. The world could do without ... intolerance

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than ... Watch either the Democratic or Republican National conventions

34. My favorite blondie is ...My daughter Hannah

35. Paper clips are more useful than ... staples

36. If I do anything well it will be ... taking care of my family

37. I can’t help but ... to watch anything and everything on Sharks!

38. I usually cry at ... watching sad movies

39. My advice to my nephew/niece ... get your act together! At the rate you're going Hannah will graduate from high school before you do!

40. And by the way ... it drives me crazy when people talk with food in their mouths. It makes me want to smack them upside the head and ask them where are your manners????

Clean Sweep

I came across a Crop in Style binder stuffed full of items I've received in swaps. Obviously these are items that I never used. There's nothing wrong with them, it's just that I never used them. So off to the women's shelter they go! I'm determined to curtail my hoarding of scrapbooking merchandise. And with the help of my daughter I've gone through my punch collection and have decided to donate some of them too! I'm really taking this purging thing to heart and it's not that I'm getting rid of items I consider to be junk , I just want to let you know that I would never donate items that I consider to be garbage.

I've been taking the TV show "Clean Sweep" to heart and I've got my 3 piles of stuff....keep, toss and donate/sell. I'm still working on whittling down my keep pile. I'm going to reorganize my photos- currently I've got 2 plastic bins and a Longaberger large market basket full of photographs all tossed together. I'm taking it one step at a time and and just working on getting the room back together, then I will go through the pictures. There's something to be said for NOT printing your digital pictures until you're actually ready to scrap them!

Now for me to get into my scrapbook nook and clean that floor before I do anything else in that room! Lots of little sticky spots from adhesive residue. Now I can't imagine how they got there :-o

Quote of the day

"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not".
~James Gordon, M.D.

reduce your stash

I don't think that there was a color of ribbon or fiber (aka fancy yarn) that I didn't own- well that's changing as of right now! I'm taking my big purge all the way! What do I mean by all the way? I mean I'm purging something of EVERYTHING! I've even purged some of my album stash, all to be donated to to WAVI (a local women's shelter) and the children's ward at the hospital. I feel like such a slug for having accumulated all of this stuff and just letting it sit there for months (or even years) on end without doing something with it. Why do we scrapbookers save paper and embellishments for that "special" layout? Aren't they all special? No this isn't any sort of a revelation for me, it's me saying out loud and in public- Sandie, REDUCE YOUR STASH Girl!!!

I know of many scrapbookers that were very much into the whole hands on feel of working with their supplies that have made the leap over to digital scrapbooking. I do see why others have made the cross over to doing digital layouts exclusively- NO MESS, no stash build up and no paper snippets all over the floor to get tracked throughout your house. The other great thing to going digital- you won't run out of ribbon or Prima flowers in that one color you desperately need to finish your layouts at 2 am, nor will you run out of adhesive or anything else! I bet you're wondering- am I going to be making the switch over to digital scrapbooking? Not yet, but I do have to be honest and tell you that I've got at least a dozen or so digital scrapbooking kits downloaded onto my computer. Now if only I could make myself sit longer at the computer, LOL!

reduce, reuse, recycle

As I started the process of reorganizing and reducing the amount of unused scrapbooking supplies and tools, I realized something- I can reduce it more! I first started off to take out 1 of my tall plastic carts. Then yesterday once I managed to do that I wanted to take out a 2nd tall plastic cart (I had started with 4 carts). I knew that I could streamline my storage even more! I have oodles of little plastic containers of various shapes and sizes that I'm not using. Off they go to enable others to store their beads, snaps and buttons. I'm opting for metal ones that are a bit larger that attach to my magnetic boards. It's a much better use of my space.

While cleaning out one of the cabinets in my scrapbook nook, I've came across a container of wire, a package of sanding paper and a roll of dry wall tape in my scrapbook nook, items that clearly belong out in the garage. They migrated into my scrapbook nook because of a project that one of my children did for school last year and the stuff never made it back out to their proper place- the garage. I've found that I have several items in my scrapbook nook that have migrated there from other places in our house. Does your scrapbooking area have items that belong in other rooms of your house? I bet that it does! Go reduce your clutter right now and put items in their proper place!

Quote of the day

The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.
Claiborne Pell (1918 - )

Blog Tog Makeovers

So what do you think of my blog make over? I love it! You can get your own blog a makeover over at Blog Togs Makeover , Cindy has tons of kits to choose from and you're going to be amazed at how terrific you blog looks when Cindy's finished with it!

Sharing Happiness

Today was crafting group day- I laughed for 2 hours straight with these ladies! During our time together I was talking about clearing out unused/unloved items from my scrapbook nook and wanting to donate them down town to the children ward at the hospital. Well guess what, Ellen from crafting group is going to take all of the stuff in for me- how truly wonderful! Now for me to scrounge up some cardboard boxes. Rats! I just took all of ours over to the recycling bin. Ellen if you're reading this- thank you again! You're the best! Now for me to get a move on and clear out some more stuff!

I found it!

Talk about finding sudden happiness! I found my watch! You know what they say...you always find your things in the oddest places! So where was my beloved little watch? At the bottom of the dirty laundry hamper, LOL!

a part of me is missing

I've misplaced my wrist watch, I don't know where is! I'm one of those people that feels lost without a watch on my wrist. I kid you not, I feel as if part of me is missing. I take my watch off in just a handful of places- the kitchen while washing dishes, the office when using the computer (I'm left moused) and my bedroom/bathroom. So far it's in neither of those places. Clearly it's time for me to do a more thorough in depth search. It's been missing since Friday afternoon-Ugh! Time to strap on a replacement watch and continue the search for my favorite watch.

Quote of the day

"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver".
~Maya Angelou

My Scrapbook Nook

It's never easy deciding how to rearrange a room and is even worse when trying to decide how to rearrange items in a scrapbooking room. What items will you keep ,what will you donate, and what items will go directly into the trash bin. I thought long and hard about donating my years worth of scrapbooking magazines to the base Thrift Shop. Then after mulling over the idea in my head for a while I've decided to just deposit them to our neighborhood recycling bin. I figure that I'd only be enabling others to become packrats and thus straight to the recycle bin they go! There's so much to be gotten off of the internet these days, why clutter my scrapbook nook up any longer with magazines. I'm surprised that magazines like Creating Keepsakes, BH&G Scrapbook Etc and Simple Scrapbooks don't all offer an on-line subscription- it would be the way to have companies like that "GO GREEN". Heck I'd be more interested in having an on-line only subscription. As it is, ALL of my scrapbooking trash is recycled, plastic and paper going to their respective recycling containers.

I'm here to challenge others to donate their huge piles of scrapbooking "left overs" to worthy causes. I've got these 2 gallon zip lock bags that are stuffed full in every color of cardstock under the sun. Every few months I pull it out and stuff even more scraps into them. To be honest, I but rarely ever go looking in those baggies, so off they go to where they will do the most good. Partly used packages of embellishments from left over page kits- donate them to a local children's organization (you couldn't find more appreciative recipients). So I not only reduce my stash and clear out items that are just taking space I'm also enabling young children to use their imaginations and be creative.

My scrapbook nook is a HUGE mess at the moment as I have pulled out everything from the cupboards and cabinets. I'm looking through everything, pulling out items I know that in all honesty probably won't use. Now for some strange reason I'm still holding onto all of my Fiskars decorative scissors- can anyone please tell me why I'm doing that? There are some things I still hold on to for unknown reasons. That will be among the last things I go through- my box of decorative scissors. Glass Beads, I have every type and color of glass beads under the sun! What on earth and I going to do with all of them? I suppose that I could incorporate them into my counted cross stitching projects more often (I make myself laugh with that thought). Once my daughter Hannah sees that box of beads I know exactly where they're going---to her personal little crafting nook, along with the elastic cording and a few other little things like the beading tray and tweezers. I should set up a "beading party" for her - she could invite her friends to come over and they could create earrings, necklaces, bracelets and what ever. Oh yes, that's an excellent idea!

I'm off to make my little girl and other peoples little girls very happy and at the same time reduce the size of my crafting stash!

Quote of the day

"Put your whole self into it, and you will find your true voice.
Hold back and you won't. It's that simple."
~Hugh Macleod

creating the ultimate scrapbook room

I get news letters of all kinds from various companies. I was reading something from Better Homes and Gardens yesterday on (what else) Organizing your Scrapbooking Supplies/Scrapbooking Room. The ultimate scrapbook room in this article was 15x15- damn! What my kids wouldn't give to have their bedrooms this size! To be honest most of us have a closet or a corner in a room. Since moving here I've upgraded from a utility closet (that was at our last house) to having an actual room designated from the beginning to be my scrapbook nook.

So I'm comparing my scrapbooking space to the space in the article. They have tons of custom cabinetry. One thing that caught my was the pull out shelves inside of the cabinet, similar to what I have in my kitchen for my pots and pans- but in the article it was used it for paper and cardstock. I'm not sure how practical that would be in my scrapbook nook, not to mention that it's on the pricey side and I'm not so sure that the shelf unit could take all of the weight from my hordes of cardstock, LOL! The other thing that caught my eye was the spice jar organizer located in a drawer. For most of us, drawer space is at a premium and putting a spice jar organizer in there is just not an option.

So this article got me thinking...I'm going to undertake an Autumn clean sweep this weekend! I'm gutting my scrapbook nook of ALL unused items- be it organizing materials or actual scrapbooking merchandise. It's outta here! If it doesn't have an actual use at that very moment it has to go, no question about it! I need to be brutally honest with myself and rid the room of items causing it to look cluttered. I'll enlist the help of my daughter and take input from my husband. Here we go! And yes, I'm taking pictures along the way:-)

Every day is a winding road

You wake in the morning with plans for your day to go in one direction and before the end of the day, it's taken a turn here and a twist there and you've ended up somewhere other than you had planned. To be perfectly honest, that happens to me quite frequently. Take yesterday for example....

I didn't set out to gut my son's bedroom yesterday I just set out make his bed and to take out the garbage that has been accumulating in it, LOL! Before I knew it I had rearranged his bedroom furniture, organized his closet and taken 8 empty cardboard boxes from his room and and entire bag of trash. WOW! I emerged 3½ hours later and his room was clean- with the exception of his desk as I couldn't tell what was school work and what wasn't. I'm not used to the mess that teenagers make in their rooms, frankly it drives me bonkers. I did manage to find out where this obnoxious rotting stench (aka bad smell) had been emanating from- a pair of hiking boots was the culprit! What died in my boys boots? Talk about just plain nasty! Those boots are now banned from entering the house! PU! Heaven forbid if my boy was wearing those boots and took them off at a friends house- the stench from those shoes is so bad , that people could think that a sewer main had broken and it would cause a panic and an evacuation!

Is it like this for all parents of teenage sons? Do we all have to suffer through what I'm now referring to as "the pigsty years"? The smell is what really drives me over the edge! I know that girls go through this too- heaven knows that my younger sisters' bedroom was always a total pigsty when she was growing up and it too had a funky smell when you walked into it, LOL! Heck, it's probably a pigsty now. Angie if you're reading this "clean your room"!

This is my confession- I'm horrifically anal about my house not smelling and I've now got those boots sealed in a plastic bag in the garage. They just might find their way to the garbage bin... completely by accident of course ;-)

Quote of the day

Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)

the Joy of cooking

There's something to be said for the change of seasons, the rekindling of something warm and wonderful inside of me that makes me want to share it with everyone I meet. The cooler weather has brought something with it- it's brought back to life my joy of cooking and baking! It's hard to be happy and bake something when your kitchen is 80º's when you start, LOL! The cooler weather has me back in the kitchen and chopping veggies with such zeal and excitement that my emotions can only be compared to what it feels like on Christmas Morning.

To be able to create something that I can share with others, well that to me is the ultimate euphoric feeling! For me, cooking is to give something of yourself that gives friends and family a smile and at the same time you can see how that very same thing is filling their souls and their tummies. Okay, so I'm more "into" cooking than any of my girlfriends, I'm okay with that and I'm sure that they are too. We all have talents, it's for each of us to discover what it/them is/are and to share them with others. For only in the sharing of the gift does it become a true blessing from God.

I woke up tired but now am feeling over joyed with the prospect of creating something yummy. Today I'm playing with Pork, you know...the "other" white meat :-) I'm going to look at my lovely pork roast and figure out what to do with it :-) I'll go with where my thoughts take me, all the while taking pictures of what I do to the little piece of pork for a scrapbook layout- what an interesting layout that will make!

Quote of the day

"Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love".
~Socrates

Change...

It's September and the weather is changing and taking a cooler tone here in the Black Hills. My daughter informs me that it's still technically "summer" for a couple more weeks. So with the change of the season quickly approaching, it's time I make some changes too ☺ I had foot surgery in mid May and since it's now September, I figure that it's okay that I go back to the gym- at least that's what the foot doctor told me when I last saw him. September was the time frame he gave me for resuming (quote) "normal activities". I went to the gym on Tuesday and rode the life cycle 10 miles- little did I realize how out of shape I am. About an hour after working out, my knees and ankles were aching like I had been in a car wreck, LOL! Today I will take it slow and build up from there. I also signed up for water aerobics/exercise classes, I'm looking forward to being in the pool again.

Quote of the day

The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 AD - 180 AD), Meditations

adding "stuff" to your blog

I've added a couple of things to my blog- first and foremost is music. My life certainly would be rather dull without music. So for those that don't like the music put it on mute!

The other thing I've added recently is visual DNA- you've got to go do this! There's a lot to be said about how or what you view as Art or things that are gross. I'm sure you've all noticed that I picked as Art- that tattoo is fantastic! Although I do not have any tattoo's nor do I plan on having any I do see it as a beautiful representation of art. To be able to put something so beautiful on a living being- now that to me is talent! Now on to the gross out part- the kitchen didn't nearly gross me out as much as the toilet did- EEEWWWW!!!! But do go make yourself a visual DNA profile, it's interesting stuff to say the least!

more on my ring and Zales...

The saga continues with my ring. I brought it back in yesterday - a day and time where the store manager was actually there when I could be there. I let her know that I was not happy with what happened and of course she apologized for the mishap. We got all of the information filled out correctly this time on the forms and my ring went off to the Zales headquarters for the stone replacement. This time the true value of the stone and the colors for the correct stone were documented. I let her know that I would not be happy if this replacement took an additional 8 weeks. She e-mailed her regional manager and the regional manager's manager to let them know about the mishap with the stone and to notify them that the ring is on it's way back for a replacement of the current stone and asked them to place a "rush" on it. It boggles my mind how this could have happened in the first place. The price of engagement rings is expensive and when you get one that comes with a lifetime guarantee that if anything were to happen to your stone that they will replace it at no cost for the same style color and clarity of the damaged stone. What they forget to tell you that once your send it in for replacement, it could take as long as 8 to 16 weeks or in other words...basically it's a quarter to a third of a year to get your ring back on your hand- AUGH! I wait with bated breath.
To see what's been going on read my post dated 8-23-2008

I love Autumn!

Autumn is my most favorite season of the year! Where you can wear a button up sweater over a short sleeved blouse during the day and a warm cozy pull over sweater in the evening. I miss having Maple and Oak trees in the yard as their leaves always turned brilliant shades of orange, red and purple. But the trees we have in the yard at this house do have color to them. From the Choke Cherry trees that have leaves that are first green then turn to a deep burgundy red and the Russian Olive tree that is first a bright green then the leaves turn to a silvery green as they mature.

The Acorn cakelet pan you see here is from Williams-Sonoma, I think it's the cutest thing next to their Great Pumpkin cake pan. I can't help feeling the way I do about Autumn. Wouldn't it be cute to have these little acorns cakes make from cornmeal and serve them up with a steamy hot bowl of chili with melted cheese on top? M'm I'm in the mood to cook up a batch of chili right now!

The feelings that Autumn gives to me are about making changes, gradual changes in how we feel towards people and situations in life. With this very thought in mind I'm going to change out my valances in my entry way and get ready to welcome Autumn with open arms!

Quote of the day

In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November.
Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden, 1905

How early is too early for Halloween?

For the past few weeks every store I've gone into seems to have candies and decorations for Halloween for sale. It seems that back to school was glazed over and Halloween was everywhere in August. Now with the onset of cooler weather I'm getting into it. Halloween is my husbands favorite holiday- it's a HUGE event in New England. I've never gotten into it as much as my husband has but this year might be a little different. I like the goofy off the wall looking things such as this trio of pumpkins. I'm going to try and have something like this set up on my front porch this year. What a laugh riot that will be! Don't you just love the cute little bat that the smallest pumpkin is holding? It's just too darn sweet!

Blog makeovers

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a blog makeover! Every time I try to add something or change something I end up screwing up something. Now I have things in Italics and I have no idea how to get them back to "normal" or at least what I consider to be normal, LOL! Which make me remember the time when every time I posted something it came out Purple, LOL! It took me over a week to figure that one out. There are many business out there that are all about making over your blog and giving it a face lift. I'm excited to say that I AM getting a blog makeover so stay tuned to see how groovy it'll be and which fantastic NEW company I've got working on the project!

I've started my picture a day scrapbooking pages. That's where I take a picture every single day of the month and journal about it. It has to have something to do with my day. Once I get some pages done up I will share them. It's doing small challenging projects such as picture a day that really gets me excited to venture into doing other projects.