Holiday Recovery & Thanks

Ahhhhh.... it's all over for another year!

Our Christmas holiday was really nice this year-- enjoyed our family, good food, being spoiled by loved ones, playing games, peppermint mocha coffee, watching friends and family open the gifts we bought/made for them... LOVE that. It was really,really nice this year.

That being said. I'm glad to move on! lol. Despite the enjoyment, there was ALOT going on this year and we just were hustling to get here and there and shop, and see friends and family, etc.etc. It can take the overall feeling of joy and peace of the season right outta ya! But I attempted to stay in good spirits through it all..and succeeded. For the most part!! Ha!

Yesterday we were a family of lazy loungers. It felt SOOOO good! Stayed in pj's all day, let the kids play with their new toys, grazed on leftovers all day and just lazed about all day. It was wonderful!

Today is about getting back in the groove. Cleaning up the mess, catching up dishes and laundry. Also working from home today. Wish it was like this EVERY day but as far as a work schedule goes- I've got it pretty good right now, so I can't complain much!

Here's a few pics from the last few days... Hope you all had a blessed holiday as well!

~S

PowerLess

We had a power outtage earlier- just for an hour or two. Long enough to realize that we're completely unprepared for such an event. ugh. I scrounged a few candles, one flashlight and a camp light eventually. Robert had drill tonite so the kids and I sat at the table and I read from Book #1 Meet Felicity (American Girls Series) to the kidlets while they colored. Then I thumbed through a new issue of IN STYLE (it came, Joc! Thanks Again girlie!! wink,wink) that had come in the mail and generally savored the coziness of the situation. The kiddos were a little freaked out by the noise outside (incredibley windy) but they had fun too. The worst is yet to come apparently. We got power back and the news states we're going to encounter a severe wind storm within the next hour or two. It's already been VERY blustery. Pepper did NOT enjoy his trips outside today- the wind nearly knocked him over! lol. Funny to watch...

Power is still on but flickery occasionally. Robert came home with some fast food for dinner and more candles so it's all placed strategically in case it goes out again. I'm in my pj's and robe and despite a stiff neck (slept wrong? stress? poor posture while entering hours of data entry the other night? probably a bit of all of that. LOVELY.) I'm comfy cozy.

Did anyone catch the finale of THE BIGGEST LOSER last night??? Oh. MY. WORRRRDDDDD. Those contestants completely transformed themselves!! Especially Eric. WOW. SO cool. Very inspiring! Can't wait for the next season! TOP CHEF was good too. Cannot believe a couple of them are still there...they just make for good tv and that is why they're still competing. ANYwho...

Better get my kids to bed and fold some laundry. blech.
BUT tomorrow I get to get up- go to the gym and then make some coffee in my new French press from Joc. YAY! Or should I say YUM! Then some house cleaning and running errands. That evening is the kids' Christmas program... I have a resident Angel and Joseph to get ready-- and I'm SO excited to see them perform.

Today was my day to teach art for the PreK/Kindergarten class. We made orange pomanders for the kids to give to their parents as presents. It went really well and they enjoyed making them-- so glad! Love finding projects that really "click" with them...makes all the difference!

Ok- I'm REALLY signing off now!
TGIF!!!
toodles,
~S

Survivor!!!

So I did it!!!
I survived yet another joint birthday party for the kidlets...whew!
I currently have *ZERO* pictures to show for it because my batteries were dead. WHY oh WHY on these special occasions?!?!?!?! Because my head was in a million different places and not focused on ensuring I had new batteries. THAT's why! lol. ANYwho- it was great fun- the kids had a BLAST and were completely spoiled with presents from family and friends. I don't think they need presents for Christmas--they seriously had a massive HAUL! We had 27 kids there (including 2 babies) and maybe 18 parents off/on (we encouraged parental units to flee while the going was good! Quick dinner date or Christmas shopping-whatever!) So it was complete and utter pandemonium but fun just the same! I'll post some pics when I get some from my sister!

Tonite was the Christmas banquet at church and it was SO fun!!!!! LOVED it! Didn't have to hostess a table afterall this year- so I got to sit at a friends and just enjoy the evening. The food was wonderful (roasted turkey, roast beef, party potatoes, candied yams, green beans w/bacon & onion, salad, jello, rolls, etc. YUM.) Christmas carols, door prizes, fellowship and our own version of DEAL or NO DEAL. It was GREAT! So fun!! Can't wait for next years! I have a few pics but I'll upload those tomorrow. Also- Aunt Peg- if you're reading this- I felt like you were sitting at the table next to me because there was a woman that looked SO much like you- little mannerisms, bone structure, dark curly hair and ALL! SO weird! Even Robert noticed! So I thought of you throughout the evening! ;)

Love to All!
~S

PS: TO DO list Update= Angel Costume found. Props for play are half done. Still looking for Christmas outfit for Matthew. Lights are strung up outside the house. Tree will be up and decorated on Wednesday. Field trip done and enjoyed! Birthday party a smashing success! I think I'm on a rollllllll..... coolness!

Serious Case of the Mondays....

Ugh.
I was FINE. Until I had to roll outta bed this morning. Tried to get up in time for a new class at the gym at 5:45am but I missed it by 10 minutes- didn't want to walk in late so I opted for the elliptical instead. Watched Joyce Meyers on tv while I was there and learned that since WWII, the percentage of youth who call themselves Christians has dwindled from 64% to 4%. You read correctly: 4%!!! That made me SO sad. What a bummer way to start my day! But at least I got my workout in. SOMEthing to feel good about, right?!

Went home, fixed the kidlets some waffles for breakfast (NOT from scratch, but a good ol' EGGO box) and got the kids to school on time despite sloth-like behavior on their part. FRUSTRATION on MY part. grrr. Get to Dutcho Bros. for a coffee and patiently wait in a LONG line of cars- watch this car whip into the lot, parking RIGHT in front of where the other cars are supposed to exit-totally blocking it. She storms out of her car, slamming the door dramatically and stomps over to the walk up and slams the coffee down and procedes to YELL at the guy that it wasn't nonfat milk in her drink. She could TELL it wasn't and was TICKED. AND he didn't stamp her frequent buyer card. She COUNTED and it was still the same number of stamps as before! How DARE they?!?!? Oh my...what can you do but shake your head...

Then I get to work and all is calm. all is well. for a while. And then someone blows in and throws us all in a flurry and it was just UGLY. Then I overhear someone trash talking a pastor and God...using the F-bomb in the mix. I just wanted to pack up and go home. It was SUCH a crappy day there. ugh.

Now I'm home. TONS of stuff on my TO DO list for the next week or two and I just need to sit, regroup and create a timeline for myself- when to do what- so I don't forget anything. We've got an Angel costume to find/buy for Christmas program, scratch any nice Christmas dress because she'll be in costume the whole time. Find a sweater vest for Matthew for Christmas program. And button down shirt. Practice poems and play lines with kids, Field trip to Storybook land, Bible Study, Trip to Home Depot for "lumber", paint,etc. for stage props for play- to be completed by the end of THIS week so they have it for dress rehearsal all NEXT week. Paint and construct props. Pass out birthday invites at school, get party stuff, pizzas, cake,etc for party on Friday. Saturday is the church Christmas banquet- go early to decorate table, hostess said table that evening. Find outfit for banquet.Still have to find sitter for kids. Put up our Christmas tree sometime after kids b-day party. Hang lights outside. Christmas presents (handcrafted) finished and wrapped for teachers. Go Christmas shopping for our family- haven't even STARTED yet. How bad is THAT?! And I'm sure I missed a few things in that whole slew of stuff. And in the midst of all that- I have to maintain a happy, positive attitude about it all. Enjoy it. Which wouldn't be bad really, until you throw work into the mix to put a sour side to it. It's hard to bounce back after leaving there feeling depleted of energy and joy. Totally sucks right now.

And I'm done whining and moaning about work and my TO DO list. It's buckle down time! I'm determined to get through it cheerfully to prove it's possible! lol.

How about some fun stuff? Fluffy, unimportant, materialistic SCHTUFF! LOVE this calendar/planner. Going to splurge and buy it for myself for Christmas this year. I'm SUCH a sucker for a good, fun calendar!


It's from SEE JANE WORK. Isn't it cute?!

How about this?


The Kate Spade Work Bag in a funky apple green. LOVE that green.

And..if I had this girls legs/ankles I'd SO be wearing this! SO cute!

Ok...better get moving on my list! I feel better after venting and dragging you down with me...ahhh. MUCH better! lol.Hope you had a much more enjoyable day than I, my friends!
~S

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ~1 Corinthians 15:58

Creative Endeavors and...stuff.

Wow! A second post in a matter of days! What is UP?!

Hope you're all enjoying a lovely weekend! So far, I am- it's been great!

Yesterday I got up early, went to workout then came home, folded clothes- sipped on an eggnog latte and watched Thursday's GREYS (LOVE my good ol' DVR! With our schedule we work this baby to the MAX!). GREY'S was goooooood. Poor Georgie. Who knew he could be so cold and cutting! Sheesh! I hope he softens up soon because I'm beginning to dislike him... ANYwho. Got the kids fed and dressed and we headed out to do some shopping. We strolled Target for a while and the kids were complete ANGELS. Target or Ross and my kids-- it's like oil and water typically. But we went BOTH places and they were AMAZINGLY well behaved and dare I say- we ALL enjoyed poking around together. We took a lunch break and we all giggled at Matthew's determination to eat crunchy tacos while sporting a dangling loose tooth (we're talking dangling by a THREAD here, people. For a few days.). We left, him with tooth still intact (barely) and headed for Old Navy. I let the kids break open the gingerbread men PEEPS we bought at Target and Matthew started gasping in the back of the car...

"I don't have my tooth! My tooth is not on my front anymore! I don't have my tooth! I think I swallowed it..." insert child immediately beginning to dry heave upon this possibility. I calm him down a bit, and inspect- sure enough- the dangler is no longer there. We checked his mouth, we checked his lap...nowhere. We figure he MUST have swallowed it. He accepts this with disgust and goes to take a bite of his gingerPEEP and there it is- stuck in his PEEP. We laughed SOOOO hard- all three of us. I'm grinning like an idiot just writing about it- it was just so cute! A memory to treasure. Very cool. So my oldest is officially eligible for singing "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth". Can't BELIEVE that. Both permanent teeth are already growing in- his teeth come in amazingly fast!

So after the tooth incident- we went in to Old Navy and ran into my little sister, Anna! We chatted for a few minutes, Matthew showed off his tooflessness and we parted ways. Headed home and I packed up a birthday present for Austin's party, packed up my scrapbook stuff, got changed and once Robert got home- we headed out once again!

My nephew Austin turned 8 years old on Friday and had a pizza party at a placed called "Pizza Factory" here in town. The kids loved it because they have video games, a pool table, candy machines,etc.- so they run around like sugar-hyped freaks flicking quarters in machine after machine! lol. I left a bit early because I had a church scrapbook fest to attend that night too! OH MAN. It was SO fun!!! We hadn't gathered and scrapped in a LONG time and so we were all happy and feeling festive. We did a baked potato bar, desserts and had a gift exchange too. LOTS of fun! I got some scrappin' in- started a few presents... I was on a roll!!!!

Speaking of scrapping... I got a couple requests to see the haul I got from my CaliGirl , Christy. So here ya go. I'm LOVING all this stuff! The "S" and "F" letters are painted and I put them up in the house for fun decor. Love 'em!

And here's the layout that got lifted, Court. ;)

Here's what I got accomplished last night

This is what happens when you don't take a measuring stick to your paper and properly formulate how much room you'll need for your alpha stickers. doh! I left it because- well- it just grew on me, and now I kinda dig it.

I think I've scrapped this pic 4 times or so! lol. Just love it. Using up old scraps on this one.

Hey- what's NOT to love?! This gnome was a gift from my BFF Joc. LOVE, Adore, LOVE him. Speaking of love, this paper ("simply wonderful" from Cosmo Cricket ROCKS. I'm in love with all COSMO CRICKET right now. Utterly & Completely.

Heee!!! LOVED this shot of miss.T coppin' some 'tude...totally hilarious! I put a flower in her hand to make her seem more forgiving. j/k- I really just wanted to cover up the glaring "brass" doorknob in the pic! lol. My scanner chopped this off for some reason...

PLUS 2 gifts that aren't QUITE done yet for teachers. Yep. Feelin' mighty accomplished right about now. Until I get out of my chair and go look at the dishes in the sink and the laundry waiting to be washed, dried and (gasp) put away. ~le sigh~

Ok. Enough posting for now.
Does anyone even come here anymore, I wonder?!?!

~S

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snoooowwwwww !

..written on Tuesday 11/28/06
Oh yes... there's NOTHING like waking up to a light dusting of snow! The air is cold and calm...everything seems muffled and dreamy. LOVE it. The kidlets were so excited and couldn't wait until school was over to come home and play in it. They were pre-planning snowmen designs and all...poor things. It melted off by the time school let out so the landscape
"went all boring again. sheesh", per Matthew. I hope it snows again for them. A white Christmas would be so lovely!







I've been in the holiday spirit for a few weeks now...listening to Christmas music, pulling out decorations, thinking about recipes and activities to do to share the festive spirit with my brood. Things are busy as usual with our day to day obligations but I'm making an effort to embrace the holiday time and make it meaningful and enjoyable vs. a time of stress and exasperation. Life's too short! Although my blog reading time is limited lately, I try to visit a few faves and I love seeing what everyone is doing to celebrate the season. Tree trimmings, handcrafted gifts, traditions shared...cool stuff.

I've been wanting to update the blog for a while now...just keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the ever-present/growing TO DO list! I updated to the Beta Blogger version so hopefully no one is having issues logging in. I've said it before and I'm certain I'll say it again- I'm going to attempt to be a little more consistent in posting here...at least little tidbits every week. I've had a few long distance friends that have Emailed to make sure I'm alright because there haven't been entries in a good long while! Sorry about that folksies! Just a busy, busy lady! Same ol' Same ol', really. Work, school volunteer time, teaching art, church, Bible Study, College Group, keeping my house clean and laundry up,etc. It all just eats up my day before I know it!

Thanksgiving was nice this year...relaxed and very enjoyed for the most part. We went to Portland this year to my sisters house to feast. The day was leisurely and everyone visited, passed babies around and ate lots of yummy food.

I've got to get movin' today...will post again soon! WITH visual interest included! lol.

~S

Fiiiiiinnahhhhhlllleeeeeey. gosh.

Hey All!

Feeling much better, although I still have a pesky cough and scratchy throat. Cold air and spicy foods? Not so good right now. Both throw me into a gross, painful coughing frenzy...for a long. time. Quite an annoyance. Other than that- I'm doing much better. Spent the early portion of the week home from work and other obligations, which I felt bad about- but I just couldn't physically do anything but schlepp around at home. Haven't felt that miserable in a while and I'm GLAD it's almost done!

Spent today with my baby girl. Matthew is spending the weekend with his cousins, so last night Robert and I took her to get a movie of her pick and then we got some Chinese takeout and were homebodies the rest of the evening. Today Robert was gone all day helping a friend set up his computer and so Josie and I ran a few errands and then mosied around Target. Haven't been there in FOREVER and it's all dolled up for Christmas! FABULOUS paper cutouts hanging from the ceiling as soon as you walk in. I searched high and low for them in the Christmas section but to no avail. I'd be scared the kids would toss something in the air and ruin it if I had one anyway...so I'll just have to visit again several times before they take them down. We bought some fun stuff for Pepper...a set of reindeer antlers and elf shoes for him to wear at Christmas time--can't wait to see what he does! lol. Also some foofy coconut doggie shampoo and in-between baths refresher spray and more treats to put in his Kong toy. We also got a slew of things from the dollar section to put in Operation Christmas shoeboxes that the kids do every year at school. I had remembered (thank goodness!) this occasion during Back To School sales and picked up crayons and some other fun stuff to add at bargain prices too- so we're in good shape already and they're not "due" for another 2 weeks--always a nice feeling to be ahead of the game both in organization AND financially. Coolness.

Stopped into Starbucks and got an Eggnog latte. They do NOT make a low-fat version of this at all. sniff. I suppose that will force me into great moderation with them this season. dangitalltoheck. oh well. I'll just appreciate them with great vigor at each (rare) occurance. Eggnog mixed with WHOLE milk. Oy. They're using their holiday cups now--love the sihlouettes they're doing in red and white with black script...very cool. And I appreciate this better than some of the "free thinking" messages that were posted on the regular cups. I was getting ticked with every cup of coffee (yeah. I know- I could've stopped being a patron. and perhaps I should) but kept buying them anyway. Anywho... perhaps I just need to refrain and fine tune my java skills at home!?

So things have been keeping me very busy the last few weeks... lots of church related activities. We had The Strength Team at our church all last week- doing shows every night and visiting local schools everyday doing assemblies. We had an amazing turnout every night and although it's definitely not my cup o' tea- it was great to see so many be excited and moved by the experience. A blessing to be a part of it! Of course the kids LOVED it- EVERY night. I didn't take my camera- the lighting conditions were NOT point-n-shoot camera friendly at all- so I didn't even bother. Plus I was running around quite a bit- not much time to even try.

Nothing much in the manner of creativity has been happening. For weeks. Hate that. I need to MAKE some time for it because I miss it. Plus i have ALLLL this fantastic product to use!!! My sweet, generous girlfriend Christy sent me a TON of goodies. I'm talking two big ol' packed to the brim boxes!!! I felt SO spoiled and loved. Each and every thing was perfect. Things I've wanted but refrained from buying. Things I haven't been able to find locally and am too cheap to order online and pay shipping. lol. Just OODLES of goodness. I haven't put it all away yet- it's still sitting in the boxes- and it's on my desk, next to my computer. I just paw through it and drool during my work breaks (telecommuting days)- wistfully daydreaming about tossing my paperwork and pulling out the FUN kind of paper and all the scrap goodness beckoning from the boxes. (sigh) Now that I'm feeling better I'm RARING to create!

Speaking of creative goodness and feeling blessed- about a month ago a groovy Bliss Girl, Jen J. emailed and asked if she could use a layout of mine for part of her monthly design team assignment. Each design team member had to use a general gallery members layout and "lift" it. I was SO bowled over!! Completely flattered. Amazed. I'm sure I scared her with all my gushy thanks.lol. And speaking of Jen, she deserves a HUGE congrats on her most recent work, delivering a beautiful baby girl!

Gosh, I can't think of anything to say. I don't have any interesting pics to share. Just boring business-as-usual stuff around here. Promise to post something of visual interest soon!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!
~S

Doodle-BLAH

Sorry to ALLLLL my frequent readers! lol
I've been sick the last couple days and things have just been
CUHRAAAZZZY.
If I owe you an Email or phone call, I'll get to you soon! Promise!
I'll update this "blaH" blog soon too...
(cough,cough, wheeze,wheeze)
~S

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!!!!

Keep on Truckin'

It appears that I've turned into one of those once a week (if that) bloggers. It's not as though I have a huge "following" of readers but I still feel bad for friends and family wondering if I'm ever going to post again! Sorry! Things are still rather busy and so I'll just post what I can, WHEN I can!

We've had several birthday parties, church meetings, volunteer meetings, volunteer commitments, prep for Robert's class starting this week, school stuff, work stuff, Ebay here and there, household chores, babysitting here and there, Sunday school meetings and SO much more I'm probably mentally blocking for sake of my sanity. All this while hobbling around on my immobilizer boot. Well...to be honest- it's an off and on (literally) kind of deal. After a week of hobbling around on my supposed sprained foot...I finally broke down after some SERIOUS peer pressure from co-workers and friends and spent Saturday last weekend in Urgent Care. My foot hadn't improved, the bruising had actually kept darkening a blackish/purplish color in just one area and it just plain out hurt! So they X-ray'd it and said I might have a hairline fracture underneath my pinky toe but I most definitely tore some tendons around the ankle. (IDIOT!!! ala Napoleon D.). So they put me in this totally HOT lookin' (SOOOO not)black velcro boot (you know. you've seen people gimpin' around on those bad boys before. tell me you're not jealous!). Nope. No slinky, knee high leather boots for Fall. No trendy slouchy pirate style boots for Fall. Just *a* boot. I'm just NOT feelin' it....are you with me?! The thing that sucks is that after lugging my leg around with this ugly monstrousity strapped on it- I feel like my hips are going to be dislocated and my LEFT foot hurts from compensating for the other! Talk about frustrating! And the doctor says I am supposed to wear this thing for 2 straight weeks and then go from there. He said I may have to wear it much longer than that. Pphsshaaawwww. Me thinks NOT. I've been alternating days wearing it to give the left foot a break. And yeah, this puts a SERIOUS damper on any kind of cardio exercise efforts. Pay me 20 bucks and I'll show you the most hilarious speed walker you've ever seen! Nah...I haven't tried it. yet. (HUGE sigh). VERY frustrating.

OK! I'm DONE griping! But there's the 411 on what's goin' DOWN ya'll.

This weekend we've run errands, picked out some new clothes and shoes (MUCH needed) for the hubster, done a ton of laundry, household chores, had a couple meetings for church stuff, have babysit for friends and then church tomorrow. We could really use a NO COMMITMENT weekend around here. Really,really,really. I'm feeling a little burnt out- but I think it's mostly because of my stupid foot dragging me down (again, literally).

One HAPPY thing that I'm kinda excited about...we were asked to help with the College age kids in our church. We'll be working with a couple we're already VERY good friends with and I just think it will be a great opportunity for us and this age group within our church. Very thankful and looking forward to it!

Just feeling very happy about what we're doing with our lives lately. I know I just griped about how busy we are- but most everything we're doing is fruitful in some way. For our children, for our community, for our church... it's a GOOD tired/burnt out feeling. Granted, I would love some down time here and there- but I'm just truly blessed and content in where I'm at right now. Also very thankful that my hubster feels the same way, or it would be very stressful right now.

We're good. The kidlets are good. Life is good.

~S

SERIOUSLY.

It's finally here.
The evening to be savored.
How giddy can one be about a silly tv show?!
Seriously?!?!

It's time to live it up...
The kidlets will be nestled in their beds...
the jammies will be donned, a hot cup of tea and something terribley unhealthy (undecided as of yet!)will be joyously consumed as I enjoy the warmth of a quilt and the laughter and pitter pats of my heart that this show brings....
SERIOUSLY CANNOT WAIT.
Off to make the necessary preparations because this
is SERIOUS business.
Ok.Ok...I know- enough already.

Gimpy's Adventures

WHo's Gimpy?! Well that's ME, of course!
You see, as if Thursday's chain of events weren't enough...
On Friday my sister came down from Portland with her two boys to visit. The kids and I couldn't WAIT for them to get here! The morning drug by so slowly.... but they got here, we sat down and visited and cooed over baby J. He's SO cute!! Very much his own little being. I'm really curious to see who he most favors because right now I'm not seeing Kate OR Chris there! lol. ANYwho... I was curled up on the couch for quite some time, next to Kate and baby J, and Pepper (our Pug) decided to try and grab some sort of baby item on the floor- so I jumped up to shoo him away and didn't realize my foot was completely asleep. So as I put all my weight on my foot I heard loud cracking/popping and I fell on the floor! Nice!! It hurt like crazy but it didn't really swell and I could put some weight on it- so I figured it wasn't broken anywhere. But as the day wore on it became more and more painful. That night, I went out with my girlfriend Jocelyn, and before we left for our evening out- we went out and picked up some Chinese food and soda for the boys and kids. Everytime I had to get in/out of the car or walk around I limped more, and More and MORE! I felt SO stupid!!! lol.

It's still hurting but not quite as much as last night. I didn't sleep well though--so tonite we're picking up some Tylenol PM to help me out a bit. Tomorrow's Sunday School time should be an adventure~ eek! A group of 4-5yr olds and ME with a gimpy foot. It's got a slight bruise across the top of my foot, but again- not really any swelling- just a teensy bit of puffiness. Just basically a painful annoyance!!

SO! Last night- I did have a nice evening! It was nice to spend time with Joc and just TALK and eat good food and talk some MORE. Then we went to a late show of THE BLACK DAHLIA. I didn't know what to expect really-- I knew what it was about but still...it just looked different. And it was. Joc said it well-- she said it was very DICK TRACY. Very true- as far as the acting- it WAS. Kinda campy, melodramatic. But overall- I hated it. I don't typically mind graphic reinactments ( I watch ALOT of forensic style shows- reality style and CSI,etc.) but this just really bothered me. Very graphic. And just many sexual scenes that weren't necessary- but of course, they played ALL that up as much as possible. I was annoyed that I didn't know more about that before paying full price- lining the pockets of the people who made this picture. It just REALLY bothered me. So- if you don't particularly enjoy graphic scenes of violence, murder or extensive lesbian scenes- then just pass it on by, 'k?? Ick. 'nuff said. Gimpy gives it TWO thumbs down!!

Today- we went to pick up my car. It's fixed!!! YAY! Apparently it was a bad fuel pump. Robert spent all day Friday traipsing all over looking for a replacement, which he ended up having to take out of a junkyard car and then got it into mine. My hubster rocks!!!! It's SUCH a relief to know I can drive to work on Monday. WHEW!

Right now he's down at the church prepping materials for the Evolution vs. Creation classes he's going to be teaching this Fall. I'm excited for him- this is something he's so passionate about. And he's just absorbed all this amazing information to pass on to others in our church- to educate and inform us biblically. Scientifically. Logically. It's going to be REALLY cool.

And me?! The Gimp-meister is pecking away at the computer and soon to limp into the kitchen and pour herself a cup o' joe (I made my OWN Pumpkin Spice coffee blend this morning by sprinkling some Pumpkin Pie Spice by McCormick into the coffee grounds before brewing. Then a teensy bit of Vanilla Creamer and YUM. Maybe not quite Starbucks but very good!).

AUF to the AUDI

ugh.
WHAT a day I've had today! No issues in the morning. In fact, it was nice. Robert took the kidlets to school this morning to give me a few extra minutes to get ready for work. Then we met up at Starbucks for a quick morning coffee date! We saw one of our pastors and HIS wife there too- had a little chat..it was nice! And, I just KNOW you're wondering what I ordered...Pumpkin Spice Latte of course! YUM! Then I get to work- stay busy- a nice pace... before I know it, it's time to head home! So I leave, enjoying the smell of rain in the air-- get onto the freeway and it began to POUR rain, and about halfway home, my car just COMPLETELY loses power. Nothing. Nada. Nyit. Zippo. Zilch. Everything stiffened up (power steering,brakes,etc.) and I coasted to the shoulder. Turned it off all the way and tried to restart it and NOTHING. I had *10* minutes to get to the school to pick the kids up. And not only MY kids, but the two I babysit in the afternoon. NICE.
Thank goodness I had my cell! Radio'd Robert and he headed out to get me and check things out. Then called the school and explained the situation- they were totally kind and sweet! Robert had quickly phoned a buddy and the buddy arranged for a tow truck to take my car to "buddy"'s business to have his onsite mechanic take a looksee. THANK HEAVENS for good friends!!!! Robert got there quickly and was only there a few minutes before the tow truck showed. I took Robert's car and picked the kids up at school with profuse thank you's and explanations to friends wondering what was going on. lol. Headed home and proceeded to have to steam clean Josie's room since Pepper decided to go poop ALL OVER and STEP IN IT and SPREAD IT EVERYWHERE. Threw away a few Barbie clothes that were hit, threw apologies Josie's way for that and hopped to the task at hand. GROSS. But very satisfying to have a nice clean carpet in there when I was done! Decided to go ahead and do the hallway too.

Robert called with periodic updates from the shop-- it might be the fuel pump. Maybe. Could be relay somethingerother...yes. I *am* car saavvy. notsomuch. lol. They ordered a part that won't get here until Wednesday but Robert is running all over on Friday trying to find a part locally so we can get the whole situation dealt with NOW vs. waiting. Bless his heart... so I MAY have to do some coordinating with Robert for school, work,etc. for next week. Or maybe not. We'll see. BLEH. SO annoying and my stomach is just in knots over the whole thing. Stresses me out a bit. I know it'll get sorted out but it just zaps you, you know?!

MOVING ON...
Project Runway last night...WOWZA!!!
First, Laura is SOOOO hormonal! I almost feel sorry for her! lol
Bringing Vincent and Angela back was just PAINFUL. It was beyond apparent that everyone was NOT happy about that. BUT, they got quickly AUF'd at the end with good ol' boy Kayne. Poor Kayne...king of whitetrash couture...lol. He really IS already in his element with his evening dresses and pageant gown business. He does tacky REALLY,REALLY well. Oooh, and howzabout the guest designer Zac Posen?!!? Love him! Their cocktail gowns were ok... of course Michael ROCKED it. Not like Jeffrey's "rock'd" though. Jeffrey needs to get past the rock and roll and show his talent in other areas of fashion. He's shown that he's got the punk rock thing goin' on...we already know that. Show me more!! Laura's= big yawn. I thought it was designed well but boring. MUCH better than her mime costume last week though. oy. Uli=same ol',same ol'...She also needs to show some diversity in style beyond Miami. Did you hear Michael's imitation of her?!? HILARIOUS!
Vincent and Angela's...must I even COMMENT?! Disasters. Laughable.

All in all- I think Michael has got this in the bag. Unless he totally chokes...which previews of next week hint at! Eek! I don't want Jeffrey to get it simply because his attitude STINKS. He's talented but full of himself. Ok,ok...you poor non-PR people reading this...lol.

Keeping SUPER busy!! Tonite is the first night I'm home with nothing scheduled! WHEEEE! Maybe I'll get some scrappin' done! Here's to hopin'....

Other things going on in the Freeman household right now...
Volunteering at the new church- working to get it ready for our first Sunday THIS coming Sunday!!! SO exciting! Working on the decorating committee for the upcoming Pregnancy Alternative Center Fundraiser dinner. Teaching Sunday school. Ebay. Getting Swimming Lessons set up for the kidlets. Laundry. Dishes. Laundry. Dishes. Robert is prepping/studying for his upcoming class he's teaching at church. Babysitting after school. Doctor appointments. Cleaning up flower beds to prep for Fall. And so on and so forth. Busy,busy and enjoying MOST every minute! lol.

Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us.
— Oscar Wilde

I Want a New LUNCHBOX!!!

So, school has started... you're packing the kidlets their lunch and already you're thinking "PB&J..AGAIN." But hey- it's fast, cheap and they LOVE eating them EVERYday... I can hardly stomach slathering them all up everyday, let alone EATING them but ANYwho...

I started thinking of FUN. YUMMY. EASY. What sorts of foods can be packed in a lunchbox that AREN'T the same everyday that have these qualities??? I found my answer while in the middle of a VERY late night jaunt through FLICKR. I swear, that place just sucks me in for hours!! And you can find pictures of ANYTHING. So I was looking around, admiring amazing moments captured and decided to do a search for lunchbox foods and LOOK what I found http://www.flickr.com/groups/laptop_lunches/pool/

You will begin to salivate almost IMMEDIATELY. And if you don't...well, I just don't know what's wrong with you! How could you be an aquaintance of MINE and not love it?! It's ok if you want to lick your screen when you get to the linked site...I will not judge. It'll be our little secret!

Now I have GREAT ideas for my kidlets *AND* I'm just thinking a nifty laptop lunchbox is just what { I } need as my new work accessory! Nifty, yes?!

Catch Up

Sorry it's been a while....AGAIN. STill trying to get everything balanced and it's definitely NOT an overnight accomplishment! Things are good though! Keeping VERY busy- but enjoying most all aspects. Work is..work! Training, learning, enjoying a new field and challenge. DEFINITELY enjoying the additional paycheck! A great blessing to us!

The kidlets started school on Tuesday. It's always a bittersweet time for me. I love the excitement, the thrill of buying new supplies and school clothes, new teachers, new rooms, seeing them learn and just soak up information like little sponges...BUT I miss hanging out with my kids. Summer activities were pretty slim this year with all the health hub-bub in our family, but we still had fun. Just hanging- being together. Garage sales (OF COURSE!), thrifting, playing in the yard, riding bikes, taking walks to get the mail, lego fortresses, BBQ's in the backyard. Good times.

SO! Matthew is a BIG TIME 1st grader now! Can't believe it... I don't FEEL old enough to have a 1st grader..?!? ANYwho...he's totally diggin' it. Loves his teacher, loves being in the same class as his buddies and cousin. I hope this year brings him out of his shell a little more. At home he's a CRAZY dude- but at school he's very quiet and gets embarassed with a lot of attention. I just want the little man to be comfortable in his own skin and enjoy school and not feel so self-conscious and shy. Josie is the exact OPPOSITE. She's just OUT THERE- "here I am, take it or leave it". lol. The drama queen, the one who wants to be in charge, the cheerleader,etc. THAT is Josie. lol.













I have a couple more pics and hopefully the four I posted will show up-- BLOGGER is acting finicky and odd....arrggg. My kids are completely camera shy lately- so no SUPER pics but the moment was captured nonetheless!


As for scrappin... I did a bit last week! Felt SO good! Tomorrow night I get to scrap some MORE with a girlfriend! Cannot WAIT! She'll bring her hubby and kiddos over and we're going to eat some savory rib-eyes and the works, let the kids run amuk and the guys can do whatever! WE are scrappin'!! Can you tell I'm excited?! Here's a few of my latest pages...



Again...I have a couple more but BLOGGER is being WEIRD!!!! No matter how many times I try it won't let me upload anymore photos after a certain point. VERY frustrating! Don't they realize I'm trying to cover alot of ground being the blog-slacker I am?!?! Sheesh!

Ok--moving on. How'd my PR groupies like last nights show??? I was SO tired last night but I was determined not to miss it! It was a so-so episode. Not too exciting. HOWEVER, Mr. LooneyToonGoon Vincent had to say BUH-BYE last night!! If a designer talks about every design as one that "get's me(him) off" then he just needs to hit the road. BLECH. He just gave me the heebyjeebies! I loved Jeffrey's (punk guy's name,right?! I can NEVER remember his name!!) dress..very innovative compared to the others. Michael- good intentions but if he would've tucked those crazy wing things on the chest down like they suggested during judging it would've been MUCH better. Still- great effort but the result was a bomb. Uli's dress was just another Uli dress...I'm getting a little bored with it even though she's talented and they're nice dresses. Can't wait for next week! My tv wigged out right at the end where they preview the next weeks challenge a bit- so I missed that. From what I hear it includes Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Not sure what to think about that. AND there was a preview for season two of TOP CHEF! Can't wait for that!! I loved the first season- much more than I thought I would!

Sunday School starts fresh next week. I'm looking forward to it! I got put in charge of the 4-5 year old class, so I'm looking for teachers to cover lessons and stuff, alternating with me so I don't get burnt out doing it myself ALL year. It's a new format and we're incorporating a kids only worship time, etc. so it'll be really fun and exciting for the kids.

Creatively my mind has been working but I just haven't had the time to do anything. That's one reason I'm looking forward to tomorrow night..need to "vent" some creativity!!! I got a FANTASTIC idea for a journal- now I just need to see about making it HAPPEN. VERY excited about it though. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I think I've rambled long enough. I'll try and update a little more regularly. Things are coming together and looking up!!!

~S

"If you let your Imagination go...Does it Return?"
(saw this in a recent Kenneth Cole ad...thought it was fun!)

The Little Girl Giant

I would *LOVE* to take my kids to see this in person...how AMAZING!!!! Love watching just the video~gives me goosebumps...had to share...

As for an update on things- SUPER busy but I'm gettin' a rhythm going so it's all good. Well...mostly! lol.

THuRsdAy rambLin'

First and foremost- behold the newest addition to our family! Little J is the sweetest little thing... my little sister now has two little boys! Very exciting for us all! Can't WAIT to hold this little guy! I got to stroke his cheek several times but we all KNOW that just DOESN'T cut it!!! ..and I just realized each and every sentence in this entry has ended in an exclamation mark!!!! Can you tell this news is exciting and pure happiness to me?! lol.

As far as my schedule, I'm hanging in there...
Figuring out how to best manage my day and get some quality time in with the kidlets. It's coming together but not without some late nights playing "catch up"! Whether that means shuffling papers, clothes, unloading the dishwasher or whatever. One thing that's been a saving grace for me has been making sure I get my daily devotion reading in. It's a high priority for me- to take the time to get in God's word and pray. It's such a lift to my spirits and gives me hope about every little aspect of my life. It's much easier to handle it all knowing *I'm* not the one in control here! Having my head and heart in the right place truly makes all the craziness bearable.

I was EXHAUSTED yesterday! Just couldn't bounce back from lack of sleep and I was working from home, taking care of the kids, doing dishes, laundry, this and that... it just kept me flying ALL day despite my eyes burning. Of course, going to see my new nephew in the middle of the night/morning was COMPLETELY worth it! But I *did* struggle the rest of the day...lol. BUT! Do you think I went to bed early?! NO WAY, dude!! Project Runway was on! Couldn't miss THAT. It was interesting. Loved seeing their reaction to the guest models...and I had a hunch that Angela's mom would get picked last. Punk boy was just outright RUDE and out of line. I respect his talent and determination but man, his attitude just SUCKS sometimes. We found out Laura is pregnant again. That'll be 6 kids. whoa. And her comment about having another one to "toss on the pile"...hmmm! Interesting outlook,yes?! And HELLLOO?! Crazy Vincent won the challenge. unreal. You gotta love this show...

The Ebay venture is going well. Steadily listing all the stuff I have to unload- listing it cheaply so it will MOVE. That's my main concern right now. I've already gotten rid of over 25 things in the last week or two. Didn't make a great profit- but I made a little and those things are OUT OF MY HOUSE!!! THAT is exciting! Downsizing feels good.

Things with my new job are going really well. There's a distinct possibility that I'll be hired on permanently (I was hired as a short term temp a few weeks ago) which would be wonderful!

Fall is in the air here. It seemed to happen overnight...
Love that.

"Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny."
~Thomas Merton

Bella Devellah....

Been busy,busy lately. Good busy.
All kinds of developments lately!!

I tried out for another design team...we'll see what happens. Not feeling uber-confident about it but I still like my pages so I win regardless!! If I *do* get it you'll be SURE to know ASAP! lol. It would be my first and the very idea is exciting. I should know by the end of the month so I don't even have to wait long (thank goodness!)~yeah!

Ebay upped their fees AGAIN- so I had no choice but to close my little store. So now I'm running strictly auctions and trying to get a bunch of my inventory listed to be rid of it! Tired of seeing all of these bins stacked next to my desk... so it's going- and going CHEAP! So far so good! I'm disappointed that I had to close my store because it was such a cheap way to have things listed for months! Oh well...not meant to be I suppose.

In addition to that I have a new JOB! Working for the State of Oregon in a licensing department. Not exactly creative, stimulating work but it's a consistent paycheck that I consider a great blessing right now!!! It's a big change- but I'm hoping things will sort themselves out and I'll be able to balance all the different aspects of my life with this addition.

On top of THAT-- I have my nifty little bella shop. I love my bella shop. I am slow in developing it, but it's going to be wonderful. Easy to view. Easy to use for both creator and shopper. And it brings me so much pleasure to sell things I've created myself. Tonite I took some pictures to add to the site for baby albums. I love how they turned out...





And this was my creative director during the shoot. He yawned alot- which I took as a hint to tweak things here and there. And afterward, he DID seem satisfied. I give you...Mr. Fatty Cat. Seriously. That's his name and it's not without merit. He has the fattest, flabbiest gut I've EVER seen on a cat. The rest of him is "normal"...very strange indeed. And yes. It IS a boy. A snotty, big bellied thing that just decided to adopt us after some neighbors moved. I don't mind him when he's using his manners... you see that he's NOT amused that I've taken his picture. I think he prefers to be anonymous vs. splashed all over the 'net. Oops. My bad, Mr. Fatty.

Feeling better...

I'm trying to find some peace in all the craziness right now. Woke up this morning feeling more serene and rested. Took the kidlets to the store first thing, for breakfast and lunch stuff. Then we stopped at a church rummage sale. Oh my- there's nothing like a little RUMMAGE therapy! lol. I completely SCORED at this little sale! I got 2 pr. Hanna Andersson bike shorts, an adorable CAKEWALK dress, a pair of OILILY/CAKEWALK Wizard of Oz pants AND a pair of pinstripe GAP trousers all for 50 cents! I left there positively GIDDY! Everything but the GAP trousers (mine) were in Josie's size. SCORE!!!

LOVE excellent little unexpecteds like that...one of my favorite things!

Then I came home. And as I scowled, driving through all the construction trying to get home. I looked to my left and saw my home. And despite the lawn needing mowing desperately and weeds trying to rule the world- it was such a cute, comforting site to me! Despite being surrounded by loud, obnoxious machinery and mounds of dirt, piles of torn up concrete and stacks of pipes... there sat my cheerful little abode all light and bright. Even though it's not my dream house. Even though it's on the "wrong" side of town from the fire station. Even though it has issues- it's still a great little place. It makes me happy that we found it when we did. That we've turned it into our "own" until we can buy our own place. Granted, we're still looking for another rental- but I'm not DESPERATE to get out of here. I know the next "perfect" place for us will turn up when it's supposed to. And until then... this is home and I enjoy it.

ANYWAY..it's just a welcome peaceful site and thought during a rough spot. I *love* the arbor we have now! My in-laws gave us that and I'm thrilled! Such a nice touch to our front walkway.

I'm off to make dinner! We're having chicken alfredo with mushrooms, french bread and salad! Mmmm~

Might I Just Add...

BOO
HISS
BOO!!!!!
I cannot BELIEVE they picked that goon Vincent over Allison. I'm in shock. I was screaming (ok. not really SCREAMING. Just like a scream w/the volume turned WAY down- it's 11pm, I've got kids in bed ya know!) at the television. I cannot BELIEVE they voted her off. Just don't know if I can watch it anymore. -sniff-

Well... you know I *WILL* because I've got to see Michael win it now. And the punk dude just needs to go. Like YESTERDAY. I was over his lip a long time ago. What a whiner. And Laura...hmmmm. That lady is the cheshire cat. I sometimes like her- she's talented- but NOT trustworthy or kindhearted. Although I love how she lost it on Vincent. lol. Couldn't help it. Oh man, I'm just SERIOUSLY bummin. Over a show. Over a girls broken dream of winning the show. I hope she makes it big ALL on HER OWN. ..still...Just bummin'.

Anywho... this just DOESN'T help the balance thing AT ALL.

Badumpdadum

Just feeling off balance right now.
SO much going on.
SO much crammed into everyday lately.
Lots of new things being learned.
My typical day is no more.
New schedule.
More on my plate.
I'm glad but I'm sad.
I'm excited but I'm tired.
Just a wee bit off balance--trying to recover and bounce back.
My core is a little flabby so it's taking longer than usual...lol.

More tomorrow?!
We'll see.

Sunnyside!

We just got back from a great weekend of camping! Went up to Sunnyside with Robert's mom and stepdad and then Sue, Dave and their boys! From Friday night to late this Sunday afternoon.... very,very fun!
We got our tent set up despite the hardest ground known to man, and ate yummy food, talked, laughed, watched the kids run around and eat WAYYYYY too many smores... AND we spent LOTS of time on Robyn and John's boat! That was a BLAST. The kids loved it. WE loved it. They bought an inflatable "jet ski" to tow behind the boat and we took turns flying around on that...LOADS of fun! We discovered along the trip, that Pepper does not take kindly to gently winding country roads OR boat excursions. He gets motion sickness! He threw up in the CAR, he threw up in the BOAT... ugh. It wasn't TOO bad but gross, nonetheless. And he was just miserable, poor pugster. He enjoyed the boatride until we got to driving all wild and crazy, so whoever was being towed could get a good ride. His poor little eyes were half mast and a little frown on his mug! lol. Sue told me there's dramamine for dogs! We'll have to try that sometime! lol.

The rest of my little brood is taking a short siesta. I'm happy to be home and anxious to get unpacked and relax. Flowers need watering. Need to do some scrapping. Need a shower. Need shampoo. Need pumice stone for poor summer flipflop feet! Ahhhh....so happy to be home!!!
More camping pics to come...

PSYCHED!!!!

Ok....first, it's Friday! WOOT!
Got up, fixed the kids pancakes- ate my eggs and drank my water!
Took the kidlets to a few garage sales..didn't find much but it was still nice. Gorgeous weather- not too hot and a slight cool breeze...very,very nice! Especially with an iced coffee in hand, browsing through other peoples JUNK and watching my kids ooh and ahh over other peoples JUNK! lol.

Saw an old friend from high school again--hardly ever run into her anymore- so it was nice! Chatted for a bit, browsed through HER junk (lol), made a stop at 7-11 and got a BIG GULP (ahhhhh.) Then, as we were heading home we noticed they're putting up our new sign at church!! The kids made it even more fun-- they noticed first (our church bought an old Walmart building and have been remodeling and the kiddies love watching the changes) and started shrieking and saying "Oh my word! Oh my word! LOOK!" Their enthusiasm is so infectious!! I wish I'd had my camera....perhaps I'll update later...

Came home, checked my email and my Ebay listings and did a chairdance. Yep. I did. You see, I found these hot rollers/curlers recently that apparently are a HOT thing on Ebay right now. I found 'em at my local thrift store for $4. They've got 2 days left and they're at $53!!!! I'm SO thrilled! LOVE when I get a doozy like that. LOVE IT.

Even though I have dishes in the sink and laundry to be folded...I'm anxious to create some scrapbook pages. I don't want to work, I want to PLAY! The reason I'm so psyched is I had an epiphanous moment last night! It was 12:47am and I was in bed. I had just thumbed through a new issue of a magazine and then got ready to go to sleep. I started praying- just thanking God for my life and getting me through recent trials. And when I said "Amen." I just felt WIRED. Wired with overflowing thoughts and ideas for scrapbook pages.

This has NEVER happened to me. I was just complaining day before yesterday to a girlfriend and fellow scrapper, that I have to be inspired by something I see and then I'll get an idea. But I *NEVER* get ideas out of the blue. I don't keep an idea book handy at all times because it wouldn't get used! lol. But last night- I couldn't write fast enough. Couldn't sketch fast enough. I hadn't been thinking about scrapping or looking at a scrap related mag--it was just completely out of the blue! It was the most amazing, happy feeling! My eyes couldn't stay open anymore, but I had the BIGGEST smile on my face as I laid down my pen and paper and turned out the light.
Thanks, God. I *really,really* needed that!

Ahhh...the Smell of New School Supplies

On Tuesday I went through the kidlets closets and purged outgrown clothes, jotting down what things we needed to purchase for their school wardrobe this year. Got rid of LOTS of stuff (yeah! Instant Ebay inventory!lol) and it felt good to have a good knowlege of what's in their closets and drawers right now.

I'd purchased some school supplies earlier in July and pulled those out and compared those to the supply list I just got- and was able to cross off alot. We're ahead of the game!! Double YEAH! Only a few more things and we're all set. What a nice feeling! They're even marked with initials already!

So today we're going school shopping. Get the remaining supplies, new lunchboxes, backpacks and clothes. It'll just be me and the kiddos so we'll see how far I get! lol. I've got my list and plan of attack so hopefully it will be efficient and fruitful.

After we spend the morning/early afternoon shopping we'll be going to spend the afternoon with my girlfriend Kim. We're going to let the kids play while we work on some crafty projects. I'm *SO* looking forward to that!!!

Happy Wednesday!

Stay The Course

There are so many people that need this word...People I know. People I love. Including ME...a good reminder to stay the course. I signed up to receive this daily devotional, but I must admit that I get SO many emails, that it's often skipped over, deleted, forgotten. But I felt the need to open this one. And I'm thankful that I did.


In Touch Daily Devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley
Monday July 31, 2006
The Grace to Overcome
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

The Lord declares that His grace is sufficient for every painful situation we will ever encounter. Because of His abundant goodness, kindness, and love for us, we do not have to succumb to discouragement, give up hope, or walk away from His plan. We will know God’s grace is working in us when...

We have the strength to persevere. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, Godreleases into us His supernatural power so wemight endure (Acts 1:8).

A spirit of confidence in Him is ignited within us. Grace awakens our hearts and
minds to believe God will turn our troubles into something beneficial (Romans 8:28).

We have a sense of His presence with us. When grace is at work, we will be conscious ofthe Spirit’s abiding support.

Our focus shifts from our trials to God. Grace helps us shift our attention from oursituation and emotions to God’s sufficiency.

We trust that God will bring us through this — and not just barely through, but withdeeper intimacy and greater faith at the end.

We are assured of God’s sovereignty. He knows our frailties and has promised to limit trials to what our weaknesses, strengthened by His power, can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The apostle Paul had been through shipwrecks, imprisonments, and beatings - difficulties far worse than most of ours. He didn’t quit because he drew on God’s grace and found it sufficient for every circumstance. Where do you need an infusion of grace in order not to give up and walk away?