Goodness! I haven't done a layout in what seems like months! This was fun, a little tongue-in-cheek, a really cute kit.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
A New Layout
Goodness! I haven't done a layout in what seems like months! This was fun, a little tongue-in-cheek, a really cute kit.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Five Random Thoughts
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| Simple blow dry results. It ends up looking straggly within an hour. |
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| Using straightener to curl the ends. This was the look I sported for my company's holiday party yesterday! |
3. I'm going "internet lite" for the remainder of 2013. I've already been absent a bit, between pulling muscles in back last week and then getting a head cold over the weekend. Well, I just haven't felt myself. I've been unable to concentrate or stick to a task for any length of time. In fact, I spent most of last weekend napping. So glad to have my Christmas shopping and wrapping done and parcels and cards mailed out early so I don't have to feel guilty about days spent doing nothing at all. But for the rest of the year, I'm concentrating on time with family. So no worries if I'm not posting... it's all good!
5. No, I did NOT forget about the drawing for a mixed media canvas from my Inner Critic Post. My winner is Melissa and I already have a quote chosen for her canvas! We'll have to see how much I get into it when I finally get out the paints and start to play. Maybe I'll surprise another blog friend or two!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
A Simple Moment
Tuesday morning. 8:24
a.m. Jay is already off to work and the
girls are still sleeping upstairs.
It is snowing lightly outside and I wonder absent-mindedly
how much we are going to get this time. There are already five inches still
sitting on the ground from last week. It is very unusual for us to have this
much snow before Christmas. But it is beautiful and quiet outside, with that
kind of hush that you only get with a quiet snowfall. I check Yahoo Weather. They say 1-4 inches
accumulation by mid-afternoon.
The only sound indoors is the clacking of my keyboard as I
type up this moment. I realize it is a little chilly. Time to get up and adjust
the thermostat. Yes, indeed, the inside
temp had dropped to 67. I keep it at 68 during the day, still too cold for my
preference, but it is the compromise reached with the miser who can withstand
extremes of heat and cold that most people can’t. Once the girls are up, they will be running
the fireplace in the family room most of the day.
I’ve been fighting off a head cold for the last few days. It
has been cutting into my sleep and my ability to concentrate and get anything
accomplished. So I’m very grateful that cards and packages have all been
mailed, Christmas shopping is done and 90% of the gifts are wrapped. Haven’t
finished decorating the tree, but that’s a small thing in the overall scheme of
things. Cards are starting to trickle in with the mail. Three new ones yesterday! I’m grateful and
enjoy each one. Although it is clear that if I didn’t have blog friends, we
wouldn’t be getting many cards at all this year. Which reminds me, I’ve also
got lots of catching up to do with my blog posts. Time to move on.
This moment is brought to you in conjunction with Alexa's Simply A Moment meme over at Trimming the Sails. To read more Simple Moments, click here.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Play on the Popular
So I wanted to join in Sian's "Blog Cos You Want To" Club and take advantage of suggestion #2 - Play on the Popular. But when I started looking through my old posts, all of the "popular" ones (ie- those with the highest number of comments) came from blog hops and Story Telling Sunday posts. Which bring in an audience far wider than my "regulars". So I started looking through the posts that only my "regulars" saw... and decided to share this one again...written August 19, 2011, this was my 500th post:
My 500th Post - Meet My Inner Critic
I've been blogging since October 2, 2008 - nearly 3 years. But I haven't always been a prolific blogger - and definitely not an every day without fail blogger.
But here I am today, nearly three years later, publishing my 500th post. And if you are someone who likes to do the math, you'll quickly figure out that 500 posts over just shy of three years comes out to just about one post for every two days. And wow! That surprised me. I didn't expect it to be that high.
So how can I mark my 500th post? What can I do to make this one special? Honestly, I wasn't coming up with anything exciting. Nothing seemed good enough. I tossed aside ideas about polls. And lists of 500 things. And then I realized... my Inner Critic was being loud and obnoxious and I just needed to hush her up. So for my 500th post I'm introducing you to my Inner Critic. And then, just to spite her, I'm doing a fabulous giveaway. So keep reading!
I've been aware of my Inner Critic for a long, long time. I think most of us are. But I never really took the time to get to KNOW her until recently. I've been reading a book called Journal Spilling by Diana Trout (I did not realize until I was reading the book, she actually lives about 45 minutes from me.) In her book, Diana introduces her Inner Critic - a short skinny geek with ugly bug glasses who wears his pants too short and his tie too tight. He's a very cartoonish fellow named Stewie. The lesson Diana offers is that when you get to really know your Inner Critic, you take away his/her power.
My Inner Critic is nothing like Diana's. First off, she's decidedly female. She is 5'6" (the exact height I always want to be but never reached) and physically fit and toned. She wears the classic never-goes-out-of-style clothing and always looks polished and put together. She never leaves the house without makeup on. She never looks frumpy.
We share an affinity for good food, but she is satisfied with a bite or two whereas I am a certified card-carrying member of the clean plate club.
She is the kind of woman who keeps an immaculate home, makes a living, is a supportive spouse and loving mother, yet still finds time for creative pursuits, and does it all with flair and makes it look easy. You know... the kind of woman you love to hate?
And because this is all natural to her, she expects it to be natural to me as well. She scoffs at my awkwardness and discomfort in social situations. She reacts with total scorn at my sticky kitchen floors and cluttered counters. In fact, she is really quite judgmental. Nothing I do is ever good enough for her. You see, we also share a complete lack of tolerance for incompetence and laziness... and she considers me to be both. (if you've ever watched the showThe Gilmore Girls, she's eerily similar to the character Emily Gilmore as played by Kelly Bishop - see what I mean?)
Honestly, her whole "Martha Stewart" persona and "holier than thou" attitude are quite annoying. In fact, as I've thought more about her, I realized there is nothing AUTHENTIC about her whatsoever. She's just a construct of societal expectations and consumerism. The perfect middle-aged woman of 2011. A total phony. And she's doing her best to peddle her wares on me. Thing is, I've decided I'm not buying it anymore. It is time to tell my Inner Critic to stuff a sock in it and kick her to the curb!
My no make-up, yoga pants and tee look is far more authentic. My messy home speaks of the real life and real activities happening here. The fact that I am too busy to clean obsessively - I guess that is a good thing!
To celebrate my 500th post AND the occasion of me finally telling my Inner Critic to shut the hell up, I'm offering a give-away! One lucky blog reader will receive a mixed media canvas art from me (on a canvas panel which can be framed or used as is) designed specifically for the winner. My Inner Critic is yapping away that nobody would really want my "art," it isn't good enough, the winner will surely be disappointed, blah, blah, blah. I've firmly clapped my hands over my ears and am singing "la, la, la, la, la, I can't hear you!" at the top of my lungs. I'm taking the chance and I'm going to do this!
If you would like to participate, please leave a comment telling me your happy color(s), any favorite quote or saying you have, or any other hints that might provide me with inspiration for your piece! I will choose a winner on Friday, August 26th from all the entries received by then. [end of 500th post]*
But here I am today, nearly three years later, publishing my 500th post. And if you are someone who likes to do the math, you'll quickly figure out that 500 posts over just shy of three years comes out to just about one post for every two days. And wow! That surprised me. I didn't expect it to be that high.
So how can I mark my 500th post? What can I do to make this one special? Honestly, I wasn't coming up with anything exciting. Nothing seemed good enough. I tossed aside ideas about polls. And lists of 500 things. And then I realized... my Inner Critic was being loud and obnoxious and I just needed to hush her up. So for my 500th post I'm introducing you to my Inner Critic. And then, just to spite her, I'm doing a fabulous giveaway. So keep reading!
I've been aware of my Inner Critic for a long, long time. I think most of us are. But I never really took the time to get to KNOW her until recently. I've been reading a book called Journal Spilling by Diana Trout (I did not realize until I was reading the book, she actually lives about 45 minutes from me.) In her book, Diana introduces her Inner Critic - a short skinny geek with ugly bug glasses who wears his pants too short and his tie too tight. He's a very cartoonish fellow named Stewie. The lesson Diana offers is that when you get to really know your Inner Critic, you take away his/her power.
My Inner Critic is nothing like Diana's. First off, she's decidedly female. She is 5'6" (the exact height I always want to be but never reached) and physically fit and toned. She wears the classic never-goes-out-of-style clothing and always looks polished and put together. She never leaves the house without makeup on. She never looks frumpy.
She is the kind of woman who keeps an immaculate home, makes a living, is a supportive spouse and loving mother, yet still finds time for creative pursuits, and does it all with flair and makes it look easy. You know... the kind of woman you love to hate?
And because this is all natural to her, she expects it to be natural to me as well. She scoffs at my awkwardness and discomfort in social situations. She reacts with total scorn at my sticky kitchen floors and cluttered counters. In fact, she is really quite judgmental. Nothing I do is ever good enough for her. You see, we also share a complete lack of tolerance for incompetence and laziness... and she considers me to be both. (if you've ever watched the showThe Gilmore Girls, she's eerily similar to the character Emily Gilmore as played by Kelly Bishop - see what I mean?)
Honestly, her whole "Martha Stewart" persona and "holier than thou" attitude are quite annoying. In fact, as I've thought more about her, I realized there is nothing AUTHENTIC about her whatsoever. She's just a construct of societal expectations and consumerism. The perfect middle-aged woman of 2011. A total phony. And she's doing her best to peddle her wares on me. Thing is, I've decided I'm not buying it anymore. It is time to tell my Inner Critic to stuff a sock in it and kick her to the curb!
My no make-up, yoga pants and tee look is far more authentic. My messy home speaks of the real life and real activities happening here. The fact that I am too busy to clean obsessively - I guess that is a good thing!
To celebrate my 500th post AND the occasion of me finally telling my Inner Critic to shut the hell up, I'm offering a give-away! One lucky blog reader will receive a mixed media canvas art from me (on a canvas panel which can be framed or used as is) designed specifically for the winner. My Inner Critic is yapping away that nobody would really want my "art," it isn't good enough, the winner will surely be disappointed, blah, blah, blah. I've firmly clapped my hands over my ears and am singing "la, la, la, la, la, I can't hear you!" at the top of my lungs. I'm taking the chance and I'm going to do this!
If you would like to participate, please leave a comment telling me your happy color(s), any favorite quote or saying you have, or any other hints that might provide me with inspiration for your piece! I will choose a winner on Friday, August 26th from all the entries received by then. [end of 500th post]*
* Obviously, this giveaway was over two years ago! But if you've been kind enough to read this far, here's the reward - I've decided to do it again anyway... just as an excuse to play with canvas and paints and messy stuff. So same rules as before, only I'll choose a winner on Friday, December 13, 2013. I won't guarantee that the canvas goes out until well into January however...
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thirty Days of Thankful - Wrap Up
I participated in Cathy Zielske's "30 Days of Thankful" during the month of November.
For these pages, I used Cathy's templates (available at Designer Digitals) along with papers and elements from Gobble On and Autumn Days (available at Sweet Shoppe Designs).
My final four days of the month:
Having completed a month of things to be grateful about, I felt ready to tackle the title and closing pages:
Monday, December 2, 2013
Story Telling Sunday - My Precious 12
So another installment of something precious from the depths of my hope chest. And the last of Story Telling Sunday... really? I SO hope not! I've enjoyed this meme so much and I really hope Sian has something wonderful up her sleeve for 2014. Because I need the nudge. And she is such a wonderful and gracious host!
My last Precious is this lovely stack of cards and letters from my husband and daughters over the years. They all think I'm not particularly sentimental. I doubt they even know that I've kept these. Some of the more recent cards I've received have ended up in my "Junque Journal" (like a smash album) or on scrapbook layouts. But I don't really get cards much any more. Card giving seems to be a dying art in this family. So I treasure these ones that I have - both home made and store bought, for Christmas, Mother's Day, My birthday, or just to say "I love you" ... for the memories, for the tangible proof that at some points in their lives they all honored card giving occasions with sentiments that meant so much to me. And still do. And always will.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
One Little Word Blog Hop - December Edition
Whether you arrived here from Lee's Blog as part of the One Little Word Blog Hop, or you are here because you love me and drop by regularly... Welcome! I love visitors! The One Little Word Blog Hop is a monthly hop run by Lee for members of Ali Edwards' One Little Word class over at Big Picture Classes. The hop goes live on Sunday at 6:00 a.m. You can always check back later if someone's post isn't live yet.
Our November assignment was to collect photos that represent our word. This is the first month I haven't had the time or made the time to get it done. Family here all week - and family is always first for me. So here's a picture of the biggest DARE I've done in the last few months:
Our November assignment was to collect photos that represent our word. This is the first month I haven't had the time or made the time to get it done. Family here all week - and family is always first for me. So here's a picture of the biggest DARE I've done in the last few months:
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| A helicopter tour at Grand Canyon West Rim
If you are continuing on in the hop, your next stop is Margareta's Blog.
And just in case you get lost, here's the entire list:
Margareta: http://www.paperpilekitten.com/
Mrs. Wookie:http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/
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