After a wonderful night's rest I feel SOOO much better!
We're being homebodies until late this afternoon- no plans until then. And starting this evening we're going to be busy,busy. It's the grand celebration opening of our church and we have special speakers and things going on everyday. I hope to take some pictures of it to share later...

It's cold out-- so that when you breathe in deeply you get that sharp, biting sensation in your lungs. The grass is trimmed in white frost, each individual blade touched. Pepper is curled up at the base of the radiator in our studio, snoozing contentedly. The quiet hum of background noise of HGTV. I've been entirely lazy and only just now showered and dressed for the day. NO REGRETS! Ahhh. LOVE days like these. Blog surfed a bit this morning. Found tidbits of inspiration and amazing creativity of others. Searched Ebay for American Girl dolls for a certain girl of the house for Christmas....no luck yet. Responded to some Emails, read some blog updates of friends.

LOVE my long distance friends. Love the new friendships I've established. There are only a few- but they are special and true. Keeping in touch with what's going on in their lives. Getting to know them through their daily entries~ full of thoughts, questions, jokes, daily to do lists, family activities, their creative endeavors. I hope to meet up with some of them someday...

I didn't end up doing any pages last night- just pawed through some crafty stuff, read some articles I'd stashed and forgotten about and then cuddled under the covers and watched an episode of LOST with the hubster.

Got up this morning and made some ham, cheese scrambled eggs and amish friendship bread for breakfast, with coffee. Mmmm. Had to keep those Justice League SuperKids fed, ya know...



At Matthew's insistance and sincere pleading, Austin spent the night last night. Apparently the reason was that Matthew REALLY needed his help in beating a new Batman/Superman X-Box game. lol. Silly boy... but quite resourceful in his reasoning.

Josie went over and played with another cousin, Tori for a few hours last night. Can you tell she stayed up WAY too late last night?? Check out those circles under her little eyes!! Sheesh!

Here's yet another fantastic creative blogger to check out...LOVE her latest creation, Ruby. LOVE HER. WANT HER. She's so adorable...
http://mollychicken.blogs.com/my_weblog/ . And I'd post a pic of her here but apparently BLOGGER is limiting me to one pic per entry today.
Stupid blogger.

Cold Indifference

It is COLD tonite! The temps are really changing quickly and we're running the heat already. Sparingly as possible, but being the wimp I am- I am either in sweats and socks chasing the kids around with their robes and slippers saying "Aren't you COLLLDDDD? Get some more clothes on!" ~or~ I'm huddled in front of the heater with a hot cup o' joe or tea! I cannot stand to be cold. HATE it. I'd rather be sweltering in 100+ degree heat than be cold. However, I love the change in season. The crisp, sunny days (when we get them- we've already had some nice downpour,hail days).. the frost on the grass in the early morning...The way the windows mist up, warm on the inside, freezing on the outside... The colorful leaves and pink cheeks on kids in fleece jackets... steaming hot coffee with pumpkin flavored creamer..just good, enjoyable moments of Fall.

Today I'm feeling blah. bleh. blah. ya know??
Just unmotivated, tired, achey ( I think it's from working out a bit too hard this week though) and just indifferent (get the title now??) about most everything. Housework? ummm. unh-uh. notgonnadoit. Extra tasks for work? er...maybe later. Dinner? takeout. maybe. i dunno. we'll see. Run Errands. uggggghhhhh. i don't wanna go out! Just want to be a homebody and do NOTHING. Zone. Cuddle with a blanket and just BE.
I hope I snap out of it because it's driving me crazy.

I did manage to drag my behind to the gym this morning. I thought it might help fix my mood but it didn't. I'm glad I went though- helped loosen up the stiffness and aches I've got going on! After the gym, we (the kidlets don't have school on Fridays) went home so I could shower,etc. and then we went to the Post Office to mail a few things. FINALLY got a box of stuff out to my girlfriend Christy...stuff that's been sitting around here for oh....over a YEAR, some of it! Aaacckkk! I'm TERRIBLE! It felt good to get that mailed! So be on the lookout girl- some silly, fun stuff headed your way! ;) After the Post Office the kidlets and I went thrifting but they were NOT into it- and frankly- neither was I. So we headed home and just worked on cleaning bedrooms and doing dishes. fun stuff.

I took the dog for a walk, thought that might clear my head- lift my spirits...Nope. And to top it off- I walked down to the mailbox and all we got was one piece of stinking junkmail. That's IT. So I moped back down the drive feeling even more melancholy. Silly? Yes. I know. Like I said- I hope it's gone tomorrow. It's truly pathetic and annoying.

How about some good things??? Ready for some o' dat yet??

To view some amazingly suhweet stuffies- check out this amazing blog..I think I've referred you there before in the past...because her stuff just BLOWS ME AWAY.http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/
Tell me those aren't adorable?! And the storyline and such...just inspires me. Inspires me to learn how to sew. Inspires me to use my creativity in a unique way (still trying to discover the unique part) that brings inspiration and happiness to others. It's just heartwarming goodness to me.

Watching Josie get excited over American Girl Doll magazines. These things just get looked at over and over until they're lovingly tattered and dog-eared and crumpled from being slept with. We just got a shiny new issue a few days ago and Josie has been toting it around EVERYWHERE. In the car, to the gym, to the Post Office...you name it- it's with her. Watching her look through it- without her noticing I'm watching- is a joy. She gazes so intently. Slowly taking in every little piece of every page. Oohing and sighing quietly over pretty things. Love it! I wish I could afford to buy her a doll from them but $102 JUST for a doll?!? Eeek! That's a bit much for me. At least right now... as much as I know she'd love one. I'll keep my eyes peeled at thrifts and pray I come across a gently loved one sometime.

Amish Friendship Bread starter... got it from a girlfriend a few weeks ago and we've been enjoying it. And passing it along. But now we've had our fill. I have two loaves in the freezer and don't even want to touch 'em. Tired of smelling the starter. Tired of smelling it baking. Tired of tasting it. Don't get me wrong- it's GOOD stuff! But I'm done until next year sometime probably! lol. I get burn out on bread starters rather easily I guess. I've given out ALOT though- because I kept twice the amount of starter for myself last time- so I had 8 bags to give away this last time, plus LOTS of bread for us.... So yeah. Good but we've had our fair share!

Still thinking lots about how I want to change our home. Got the itch but not the funds right now- so I'm just brainstorming like crazy to really get a concrete plan of attack so that once we've GOT the funds- it'll move along smoothly and quickly (I hope). I think it would be SO cool to get some shelves built on either side of the fireplace..to look like built-ins.
Of course BLOGGER is being twitchy and won't let me post any pics. Figures. I'll post a pic of our boring living room again soon. And some color swatches. Furniture ideas. Fun stuff like that... coming soon.

So readers... what is inspiring YOU lately? Inspiring your crafting? Your home decor? What gets your mind moving about these things?? Is it magazines you look through? Tv shows or movies? The change in seasons? Other blogs? Do tell!!

That's it for now. I'm going to try and scrap. create. just sit and stare at crafty goodness if nothing else. I've got plenty of yummy stuff just sitting here, begging to be used. Blast this stupid mood. I'm off to bust through it!!!!!! Wish me luck!

Friday~ WooHOOOOOOO!!

I'll post on Friday.... pinky swear! ;)

~S

Retail Therapy...it's a Good Thing.

Ahhhh.
It's been a nice day! Got up, made the clan some whole wheat pancakes for breakfast and some strong coffee. YUM! Then got down to business on some joyous household chores- dishes, laundry, sweeping, swiffering, blah,blah,blah

Then I had a slew of Ebay stuff I'd pulled to take pics of so I can list like crazy this coming week. I am SO anxious to get rid of this inventory and pare down. So it felt good to be proactive- taking pics, making a pile of stuff to list. Already have a few listings going too.

Got cleaned up and headed to Albany to do some shopping. Had to get my kidlet a coat with a hood for the downpour days ahead, return some workout pants that didn't...work. out. heh,heh. me so hum-o-rousssss.
Exchanged my workout pants for another pair, an ADORABLE Harajuku Lovers Tee (Gwen Stefani's line--Japanese inspired, VERY cute stuff)












and a fun little hat for Fall. I had received a gift certificate from a friend as well- so I headed to the scrapbook store and had fun spending THAT... picked up some great paper on clearance, a set of inks I've been wanting, a ton of "undressed" Basic Grey chipboard letters (love that name!) and some more glue dots. Doesn't sound like much but it adds up fast!

Picked up some kettle korn outside Safeway tonite too. There was a guy out there, mixin' it up in his giant black cauldron and it smelled SOOO good! PLUS 100% of the proceeds was going to Breast Cancer- a cause close to home- so I grabbed a bag without hesitating! ;) YUM!!!! Moderation. Moderation. Moderation.

Need to get my kids to bed so I can play with my new scrap goodies!!

Busy day tomorrow starting around 6am. Meeting at church, then church, then lunch, then movie with mom, then home again, home again- to prep for the upcoming week!

Hope you're having a great weekend, friends!
Blessings,
~S

TGIF!!!

Despite the literal Earth-shaking from the construction outside- I am in SUCH a good mood today and things are cool 'round the homestead. The kidlets are off on Fridays, so we're home. Actually- if it were up to me, we'd be OUT right now, but since there's a huge 3 foot (DEEP)hole in front of my driveway, I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon (sigh). There's new construction going on across the street and they're now working on paving our little dirt road and into the new subdivision being built. It's a pain to contend with (especially when you're in a hurry to get somewhere) but in the end, it's worth it! No more people whizzing by kicking up dust as I try to wash my car! YAY!!!! My car is SUPPOSED to be white but with the dirt road and all this construction- it's futile to keep it washed and spiffy- so it's a very dingy tan-ish white lately. Dirty cars (inside and out) are a pet-peeve of mine- but I'm hangin' in there.

I just officially joined up at our local gym yesterday. I had been going using a trial guest membership to see if I liked it, and I really,really liked it. Nice to add that to my weekly routine and look forward to the group classes. I like the machines, the free weights and other amenities but I really wanted some fun classes to get me excited and sorta accountable in my exercise efforts. So far, so good. And I've lost a nice little chunk of weight in three weeks, so that's a nice jumpstart too. Still have a ways to go to get where I want to be, but progress is progress!

I'm going to see the new MARIE ANTOINETTE flick with my mom this weekend and I'm VERY excited about it! I haven't been able to spend much time with my mom lately due to my crazy schedule and I just miss her. I'm so proud of her and her attitude right now. She's amazing and I love her so much... So ANYwho...we're going to see that together and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I heard somewhere that the previews with the 80s tuneage is misleading as it's not in the movie soundtrack at all... that's kind of a bummer- it ranked high on the intrigue factor for me but I'm still excited to see it.

I've been brainstorming and doing some serious PURGING around our house lately. I think I am wanting a cleaner, more modern aesthetic overall. Not pure IKEA styling but more that route. Comfy but easy to clean and keep up, but still stylish too. A little West Elm meets IKEA meets Pottery Barn. A tweek of vintage thrown in. Cozy color scheme but a little funky too. Chocolate, moss/celery green, a touch of reds/oranges..maybe a spot of light blue... those colors are my faves consistently when I look through ideas in mags, catalogs, etc.
I went to Target to try and score some Bamboo style shades for my living room windows and realized I'd missed out. They're gone already. Must have been a seasonal thing?? I want these on the inside of the windows- not the outside. Anyone know where else I could look for them and not pay a fortune like I would if I ordered from Smith+Noble??

Robert has been working on converting our hot tub so that it runs on electric vs. gas. Last year the gas bill KILLED us and since the only thing running on gas is the fireplace and the hot tub- we decided to shut it off. We got an electric radiator for the living room and just stopped using the hot tub (something was wrong with the gas heater on it anyway I think) and our bill dropped tremendously. So now we're getting the hot tub up and running again with John's (step-dad-in-law) help. Robert is VERY excited to have it running again. It was the clencher in deciding on this place when we were looking for somewhere to rent, in his opinion. lol. I like it but could go without with no complaints. We're going to fix up the spa room (it's off of our bedroom) a little bit, get some curtains in there for privacy and a light, storage for towels,etc. The hot tub itself is this funky rust red/orange color with ugly "tile" around the edge. Then the owner painted all the concrete and wood around the room rust too- to match. So it'll be a challenge to make it look pretty or have that serene spa feeling! lol.

Enough babbling...
Just wanted to "gab" a bit and update the blog since my last vent session!lol.
Happy Weekend All!
~S

Mean People Suck

I am just beyond saddened right now. Sad that people have to feel the need to tear others down. Be it because of the clothes they wear, their physical appearance, their talent (or lack thereof)...whatever. It's sad that there are SO many people out there that feel FINE and GOOD talking badly about others. I hope their conscience at least nags at them, but these days who knows. People overall have become so hardened and self-oriented and full of opinionated hot-air. Morals out the window. No thought to how the people they speak of might truly feel reading/hearing such hurtful words. No thought to how THEY would feel if THEY were the one being slandered and criticized.

Just remember friends, DO UNTO OTHERS as YOU WOULD WANT DONE UNTO YOU. Think twice before you shoot off your mouth; but PLEASE OH PLEASE- if you're going to say something STAND BEHIND IT. Don't hide behind an "anonymous" post in a message board or blog.
THat's just pathetic and cowardly.

And THAT is all I have to say about THAT.
(I *know* some of you will be scratching your head on this entry. It's ok. I just had to vent my anger and sadness here! lol)

Carry On!
~Sarah

Recent Pages

Here's the two I did Thursday night...hope to do more REALLY soon!! It felt SO good to sit and create. And it wasn't a struggle- they just came together very easily. LOVE when that happens. I. WANT. MORE. OF. THAT!

You can click on them to enlarge...

Have a wonderful weekend!

~S

Insert Witty Eye Catching Title here...cuz I can't think of one.

Ahhh. It's Friday! Wahoo!

Woke up after 8am this morning (insert heavenly choir angels here)- it was SO nice! The kidlets slept in too. VERY nice. Sat and ate breakfast with them and just enjoyed seeing all of us bundled in our robes sipping our hot cocoa/coffee and eating. Nice, quiet, cozy morning.

Put some laundry in, unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded- then decided to go down to the gym and take a Yoga class. There's free childcare there so that was nice- no last minute search for a sitter or having to NOT take the class. The class was FANTASTIC! I was curious if they'd have the heavy spiritual aspect and it wasn't like that at all. Just kept focused on breathing and going through the poses. Very,very cool class. Plus, it's new on the gym schedule so it was only me and one other woman- like a semi-private lesson! I think I'm going to take it every Friday. I feel really exhilirated and my muscles are tight. Forgot how good that feels!!

Came home, and got to work (telecommuting) for a while. Taking a break now to post!

Last night was nice too. First, Robert and I took the kids to their first Karate class. They are SO ALL OVER IT! Josie is a FAST learner. When she wants to learn something she's incredibley focused. Curious how far she'll take this! I like seeing Matthew enjoy something other than computer games and light saber duelling too! lol. Ate dinner, got the kiddos to bed and stayed up late- watched all my shows and SCRAPPED! Holy Moly- yes, it's true. I got two pages done in two hours. Not too shabby! UGLY BETTY was great- lovin' that show! And GREY'S ANATOMY was even BETTER! Oh man, I just LOVE that show. SO good.
SIX DEGREES is another-- just one right after the other. I'm addicted. And that's o.k. (what was that character's name on SNL that said that?! Stuart Smalley or something?? I totally see/hear it in my head!lol)

I stayed up WAY too late but it felt good all the same. Tonite the kids are spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa John. Robert and I are going to have a nice dinner and either catch a movie or just stay home and spend some quiet, quality time together. A spontaneous, much needed thing. Cannot wait.

Better get back to work! I'll leave you with photos of my crazy kung-fu kids... orrrrr NOT. BLOGGER is misbehaving. NOT COOL. Maybe later.

Oh Happy Day!

* Last day in the office for the week!

* November LUCKY mag came in mail today!

* Pilates class tonite!

* Biggest Loser on tonite!

* The air is crisp and the sun is shining

Good, Good. Happy, Happy!

Columbus Day!

The kids don't have school today- so I'm working from home. Slept in a little, had a cup of coffee and a pumpkin doughnut (kinda disappointed- it didn't taste like Pumpkin AT ALL)for breakfast. Emailed a few friends. Listened to an MP3 message on Brand New Radio. That guy can PREACH IT! I always glean so much from his messages. And since I've been teaching Sunday School for almost 2 months- I've been missing out on being "fed" myself. Thank goodness for mp3's and the internet! I have a few favorites (Email me or leave a comment if you'd like the links!)that usually always inspire and encourage me. The pastor at Brand New is a top fave. They're actually located in Washington I think.

This weekend was nice but busy! SO good to see my sister and little nephews. It was very loud and distracting while she was here (4 toddler/pre-K kids and 1 baby make for NOT SO SERENE surroundings!lol)but we still enjoyed the time. It went by really fast though. Kate, we're going to have to get a long weekend in at some point! Do a little shoppin', etc. Overall though- it was really nice. The day before was spent preparing for the Pregnancy Alternative Center Dinner. Picked up flowers, ran errands, then went to the location to decorate with two girlfriends. It was fun being able to work on this with two close friends! Guarenteed "girl" time while doing something cool for a great cause! The dinner was great (the food...not so much. It was done at a local college and their culinary dept. cooked and the meat was like..Beef SLUDGE. That's all I can say. SLUDGE is the only term that truly defines it. The fall vegetable spears were perfectly delightful, however. All 4 of them. Nuff said.). They had some girls speak who have benefited from PAC services,etc.and lovely live music all throughout.

Last night was our first College group meeting. I just have to say I am REALLY excited about this! We have a cool group of kids we're working with- and it's going to be a blessing all around. Last night was just a time to get to know them, talk about what we want for them, what THEY want out of it, etc. PLUS- we can take our kids to the meetings, events,etc. with no worries. The college set loves goofing around with them and they have two of their best friends there to play with too (the other couple working with us have a boy and girl in Matthew and Josie's class- it's perfect!)so they're entertained the whole time. VERY nice to not have to worry about a sitter all the time!!

Well- I better get back to work. bleh.
I've been wanting to sit and scrap a bit lately. Need some creative time. Maybe tonite...Here's to hopin'.

Have a great day, friends!!!
~S

GOODIES

Don't you LOVE when you get a little package in the mail? Even a letter is a precious commodity these days. Everyone is so busy- it's become this charming, decadent thing to receive. It saddens me a bit. I used to write often. I was a GOOD letter writer. I loved to do it- and I loved receiving them. But it just doesn't happen anymore. Life moves so fast- you'll get an Email from me if you're lucky! I'd love to change that... but don't see it happening in the near future!

Josie received HER first package in the mail last week! I keep meaning to post about it- but like I said, life has been CUHRAAZY! So last week, we take a walk down to the post box and there's a package! Josie's first assumption: "Ebay stuff, Mama?" lol. When I showed her the box had her name on it- she gasped and held out her arms for it. She walked proudly back to the house- carefully carrying this (heavy for HER!)box. We opened it and read the card and she giggled and "awww'd" when she found out this was from Aunt "Piggy"(Peggy-she just say's it funny) in Kansas. ;) I took a couple pictures of her opening it- pulling things out...she was IN HEAVEN. She slowly pulled out things one by one and held them up to herself (all adorable clothes!) and sighed and said "it's BEAUUUUTIFULLLLL" a bazillion times! lol. Plus, I got a funky little tape measure and fall candle to boot! Nothing like a little mail love.... Thanks Aunt Peg!!!!!







She got SO spoiled with gorgeous clothes!!! Lots of stuff for this Winter, Spring and next year...she's SO excited! Definitely her mother's child (loves her mail and official clothes hoarder!)!! Gotta love THAT! ;)

Robert's first class at church was last night. He was a little nervous but he did SOOO great! I'm so proud of him for being brave enough to put himself out there on such a touchy subject! For those of you who don't know already- he's teaching a Creation vs. Evolution class. It's been on his heart for a long time and despite the fact he's a rather quiet person, he felt like God was calling him to do this class. He stepped out in faith and now he's blessing others. I can't tell you HOW COOL that is to witness. VERY,VERY proud and blessed to have such a Godly man as my husband.

This weekend should be busy... Friday is the PAC Dinner. Decorating first, then attending the benefit. Nice little date night with my hubby- supporting something we strongly believe in. The kidlets are excited because they get to hang with their cousins for a few hours and then ALL DAY the NEXT day too! Two of my nephews are going to come play with Josie on Saturday- all day/night. Matthew gets to go with his dad to an all day/night gaming event. Silly boys! I'm not sure- need to talk to my sister because there was talk of them coming down for the weekend too...which would be GREAT! We'll see if I can refrain from any tendon-ripping jumps from the couch this time (sheesh!). Lots of talking, laughing, cooing over a "new" baby nephew, catching HGTV and What Not To Wear whenever we can, and lots of thumbing through magazines....it's like a "tradition" for my sis and I. Couch potato time!!! Comfy loungewear, no makeup, ponytails, junkfood, coffee, mags, kids, fashion rags and tv shows... all GOOD THINGS (in moderation of course).

Sorry if I've bored you to tears.... trying to be good about posting SOMETHING now and then!!!!