Quantum Leaps

Hello, Summer!

2011-06-22T11:45:00.001-05:00

It may be hard for some of us to believe that it hasn't been here for months already, but summer has officially arrived! Fortunately for those of us here in North Texas, we're getting a little break to celebrate - it's not even supposed to hit 100 this week, and we actually had rain the other night . . . it's a veritable Nor'Easter!

Meanwhile, for a person with no job & no kids, I seem to be staying awfully busy . . . so much so that I've been worse than ever about not at least mentioning a couple of really important birthdays here on my blog. So Happy Belated Birthdays to two of my amazing siblings - Joe at the end of May, and Mary last weekend . . . along with the ever-awesome Jaybird at the beginning of the month. Coming up tomorrow is the lovely Miss Kayleigh's birthday AND Mom & Dad's Anniversary - I'll be out of town (yes, again) so won't be around to send greetings . . . so please consider yourselves greeted - LOL!

I'm a little ticked right now since my CPAP's on the fritz, I dropped a 10 lb. bag of ice on my toe on Sunday, and last (but certainly not least) things aren't looking as good as I'd like for Jann to come visit soon. I mean, if she's willing to brave this Africa Hot weather we're having, why can't the airlines just cooperate . . . what is with the airfares?! When I flew out there in April, it cost less than half what it would right now - and it just goes against our religion to pay as much as they're asking these days. I found one flight that I still can't believe . . . Alaska Airlines actually offers a 14 hour trip (beginning at 7:00 am), with two changes of planes, at a cost of only $1,317!! Seriously? I'm guessing that flight gets cancelled fairly often since there are several other options at significantly lower prices, fewer stops, and shorter travel times. I truly don't know why they'd even put that on their schedule!!

But I know she'll get here eventually, and I'm looking forward to lots more great things this summer - beginning tomorrow when I head to East Texas for my annual scrapping retreat - WOO HOO! Speaking of which, here are a couple of the layouts I've done recently . . . there aren't many since I've even been too busy to scrap. But I plan to remedy that situation this weekend!

(As always, layouts are linked to my Flickr gallery, where full credits are listed.)

Brothers Forever

2011-06-08T13:26:00.000-05:00

I've been having a few technology issues (not entirely resolved, but better) which have made it difficult to get pictures & layouts uploaded and posted. But while things are at least temporarily in working order, I wanted to do a quick post about some super folks I got to see with on one of my recent trips.

Ever since I began dating Dave & was blessed enough to have John & Liz come into my life, I have been regaled with tales of the adventures (and sometimes mis-adventures) of them and their beloved friends from their college days in Arkansas. Through these many years, I've come to vicariously know some of the most amazing, brilliant, charming, and colorful group of folks you could ever imagine - and when I was finally able to meet them in real life last fall, I was definitely NOT disappointed! Every single one of them is just as delightful as I was led to believe, and I was so happy to get to go back to Henderson last month to spend more time with them. At one of the get-togethers honoring Jimmy Chaffin (the most recent of their crew to be honored as one of Henderson's Distinguished Alumni), I was able to snap a few pictures . . . here's one I turned into a scrapbook page:

Thank you, John & Liz, for staying in touch with your old pals for the past 60+ years and for so generously sharing them with the rest of us!! xoxoxo

Long Time, No See . . .

2011-05-12T07:31:00.000-05:00

WOW! It's been so long since I've had a chance to post here, some of you may think I've given it up altogether . . . not so! I've just been plain ol' too busy - no complaints, certainly, as I've been having fun mostly . . . traveling for the most part, with a little bit of work thrown in just to keep me honest :-) In any case, I just wanted to say "hi" and promise to be more regular about posting once I can actually stay home for more than a couple of days at a time. Headed out in a bit for the last trip for a while, and then I should actually have time to get some scrapping done (NADA in two whole months!!) and a few other things besides just entertaining myself.

Meanwhile, I have a couple of things I wanted to share today. First of all, eventhough it's past Mother's Day, I loved this piece that Janneepoo was kind enough to share and wanted to pass it along for all my favorite moms out there:

By Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author

All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow, but in disbelief.

I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like.

Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves.

Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.

Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach, T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education - all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations - what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.
Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay.

No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2.

When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent, this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing.

Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.

Every part of raising children is humbling. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the 'Remember-When-Mom-Did' Hall of Fame. The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language - mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, 'What did you get wrong?' (She insisted I include that here.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?

But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.

Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over t he top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts.

It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.

On a completely different note, the following video was posted by a friend on Facebook (thanks, Fred P) & I loved it so much that I also wanted to share it. As someone who despises grocery shopping - partly because of those damned narrow aisles that give me claustrophobia, this really put things into perspective for me. Next time I feel the urge to complain, I'm going to envision shopping here . . . enjoy!

http://www.wimp.com/vegetablemarket/#

A Trip and Some Birthdays . . .

2011-04-14T15:43:00.000-05:00

Much as I was disappointed last month when Jann, Mary & I weren't able to get together for our visit, I'm just as excited that I'm about to head out to SoCal for a visit with my sweet seester and her peeps. Since she & I (with some help from Papa John and Auntie Bing, no doubt) will be attempting to supervise Marek while Stephen & Mel are away, I most likely won't be able to do any blogging.

But there are lots of celebrations taking place while I'm blog-less, so I decided to do a post today lest anyone think I forgot about them! And since I've done ZERO scrapping in so long, I decided to at least make a little greeting for everyone . . . using elements from Aprilisa Designs "Age to Perfection" kit (available at Gotta Pixel).

Actually, one event is before I leave - in fact, it's TODAY! Hope you're having a wonderful day, Sue, and that you & David & Jana (plus whoever else wanders by) don't party toooo hard. Love you bunches, and hope to see you soon!! Here's to you and to all the others who will be celebrating in my absence (including this ol' blog, which turns one year old next week!) . . .

It Definitely Takes All Kinds . . .

2011-04-12T19:39:00.001-05:00

LOL! Well, here I go again - no posts forever & then multiples in one day. But I just ran across something else in Pinterest that I couldn't resist sharing. For anyone who doesn't fully understand the irony of this newspaper clipping, you might want to check out this post from last year:

I don't think I want to even TRY to imagine her attire!!

Manda Pandas

2011-04-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

Yikes, I just realized it's been nearly two weeks since I posted anything on the ol' blog . . . but I just haven't had anything worth talking about (that I was allowed to discuss.) I haven't done any scrapping, so I don't have any layouts to post. Dave & I haven't made any remarkable progress on the kitchen, so that topic's out. Just pretty much nuttin', honey!

But have run across a couple of items the last few days that I thought you might get a kick out of . . . all relating to the lovely Amanda. I found all of these images on Pinterest (which is web-based pin board essentially . . . eye candy & such for inspiration, and a place where I frequently spend more time than I should). I have several boards there myself, one of which is called "Manda Pandas", and I'm always looking for Panda-ish stuff to pin there.

Came across this first one today, and while I haven't been able to determine exactly what it is, I'm pretty sure it's some sort of food - sushi maybe, or more likely bento. Anyway, I think they're about as cute as can be but am not sure I'd be able to bring myself to bite into a PANDA of all things!!

I also thought these Panda cupcakes were pretty doggone cute:

Okay, now this isn't an edible item, but I still think it's pretty cool - if slightly bizarre:

(yep, those are lips decorated like Pandas!)

Finally, nothing about this picture reminds me of Amanda at all - except that it's a Panda, I wouldn't mind giving it a big ol' hug, and I just plain LOVE it!

Head's Up!

2011-03-31T11:49:00.000-05:00

To you expectant parents out there (you know who you are, but I'm not gonna be the one to announce it to the whole world!) . . .

Received this picture in an email yesterday - it's several years old, so you may have seen it before - but I hadn't. I loved it so much that it inspired me to start saving up for gifts . . . not just ones for the new arrivals, but a little something for their older siblings. See if you can guess what the "big kids" will be getting from Dave & me!!

I'm sure you can't wait for Grand Pee/Auntie Buttons/or whatever it is YOU call me to arrive for my next visit!!

xoxoxo

I Don't Like March 21st!

2011-03-22T13:23:00.000-05:00

Eventhough it's traditionally the first day of Spring - and I DO love springtime . . . I've dreaded March 21st for forty years now. It was a gorgeous Sunday morning (and the first day of Spring) when Momma died so unexpectedly in 1971, leaving a hole in our hearts that will never fully heal. Even after all these years, I'm inevitably in a sort of funk this time of year & it usually takes me a few days to figure out exactly what's going on.

This year seems to have been extra weird . . . very much like a roller coaster ride, or maybe I'm just being more "sensitive" to things for some reason. There have been some bright spots . . . Lara's feeling quite a bit better, we're making some good progress on the kitchen, and Dave & I went to a totally delightful party at Paul & Milli's this weekend to celebrate their anniversary. Heck, Amanda even came to visit the other day, and that ALWAYS makes me perk up. Most of all, though, I've been soooo looking forward to Jann coming to visit today . . . we were planning to go see Mary & crew in Houston and maybe even drop in on Sue for a little visit with her.

But I should have known something was a little extra squirrelly this year when the earth's axis shifted, our sprinklers came on by themselves in the middle of the night (and chose to water only one station), I had a toothache in the place where I had a root canal done 35 years ago, and my hip started aching like I'd been hit with a sledge hammer!

Then, the coup de grace . . . we decided yesterday (that blasted March 21st!) that Jann isn't coming to visit after all! She has some sort of respiratory-sinus-or-some-combination-thereof infection, and Mary & I actually discouraged her from coming. Since it's barely been six months since she was hospitalized with double pneumonia, I'm thinking it wouldn't be wise of her to get on an airplane filled with who-knows-what germs only to spend the next week wearing herself out and ending up sicker than ever. Besides which, Mary begrudgingly admitted that her back was hurting so much that she's been going to physical therapy for a couple of weeks . . . and my hip hurts so much that I'm actually going to make a doctor's appointment! So, we would have been quite the interesting trio traipsing around Houston like three little old ladies about to keel over any minute . . . AND trying to keep up with a 13 month old baby in the process. It really is hell getting old, but we'll all rebound soon and will just reschedule the trip for later - we're not THAT old!!

Meanwhile, I haven't scrapped in probably a month & I do believe I need some creative therapy to get myself back on track! I certainly won't find myself short of motivation . . . besides the monthly portfolio at Sweet Shoppe, Scrapadilly's March crop is in full swing. This month, we're "Scrappin' It Green," and - as usual - Drea has come up with plenty of terrific challenges. I was disappointed that I was going to miss all the festivities, but it looks like I'll be able to take part after all. I guess that's the silver lining to this cloud of disappointment I'm standing under right now.

Besides that, it IS spring & the 21st is gone for another year . . . so, my plan is to start fresh - just like the season itself!!

Tough Love is Tough!

2011-03-14T08:15:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, too many of you already know this from first-hand experience. For those of you who don't, I hope you'll never have to find out find out just how difficult it is.

The need for tough love has loomed a little too large recently in the lives of those I love. There are all sorts of behaviors that require intervention before someone self-destructs. When you know someone you care deeply about is struggling, the normal response is to offer love & support to help them through their crisis. But how do you know when that crosses the line and morphs into enabling? You just plain don't. But there comes a point when you realize that you have to stop giving them anything more than your unconditional love. They'll be hurt and feel betrayed and probably even hate you (at least for a while), but you love them enough that you're willing to let them hate you if that's what it takes to help them help themselves. Because ultimately, they're the only ones who can do that.

All I can really do is to ask God to guide me in knowing what to say & do and when to say & do it. More importantly, with me anyway, is knowing what NOT to say & do and when NOT to say & do it. Although the Serenity Prayer is often associated only with Alcoholics Anonymous, I think it is one of the most powerful prayers ever written and is appropriate in sooooooo many situations, tough love being one of them.

God,

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.

Somebody's Eight Years Old!!

2011-03-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, where DOES the time go? I swear it was just a few months ago that I first met a little fuzzy- headed cutie pie BABY named Andy . . . now all of a sudden, he's EIGHT YEARS OLD! How in the world did that happen?!

Here's a layout I did a few days ago to celebrate his upcoming birthday - and despite my best intentions, I'm barely getting it posted while it's still the actual day. I suppose it's better than being late altogether . . .

Anyway, little man, I hope you had an absolutely marvelous birthday and got to do something extra special to celebrate being so grown up. Uncle Dave & I love you so, so much and hope to see you again VERY soon!!

xoxoxo
Aunt Dee

Quantum Leap . . .

2011-03-05T16:37:00.000-06:00

My favorite line from this week's episode of Justified . . . from the very H.O.T. Marshall Givens his own self:

"So, how much of a bad guy is he? Heads in a duffel bag, or just an asshole?"

Dave & I both cracked up when he said that and had to rewind to catch the part we missed while we were laughing so hard.

Sorry, folks - that's all I've got right now. I haven't even SCRAPPED in over a week (that's downright criminal!), so I can't even offer up a layout. Hopefully in a few days . . .

A Little Inspiration

2011-02-24T14:22:00.000-06:00

Two quick things . . . I completely forgot to post this layout yesterday (although there were plenty without it), but I just love this picture of the 3 beautiful Stone girls & wanted to use it for one of the Life's Little Lessons challenges at SSD.

Also, I am totally cribbing the following . . . lifted it straight from Hummie's blog, but it struck me as one of those things I wanted to pass on.

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie site, he knocked over the bird with a stick.

When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live.

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge." (Psalm 91:4)

Author Unknown

One of the best illustrations I've seen of the infinite love a parent has for its children - and that our Heavenly Father has for us. Have a blessed day!!

Just For You, Kelly!

2011-02-23T20:06:00.000-06:00

Hey, Boo - I have no idea what happened to that other post, but here's the layout I was talking about . . .

xoxoxo
Auntie Buttons

I've Been A Bad Girl!

2011-02-23T18:10:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted a single thing in well over a week, and I promised myself I'd do at least one post every week. Oh well - that's what I get for making promises I can't keep, eh?! Anyway, maybe one reason is that I don't have much to say - sometimes I get inspired to talk (yeah, that's a surprise to everyone, isn't it?) . . . but sometimes I don't. And lately, I just haven't been very chatty. I have been doing a little scrapping, though - between the crop challenges at Scrapadilly and the monthly portfolio challenges at Sweet Shoppe, I've done quite a few layouts - over a third as many this year already as I did in all of 2010!

Yeah, I know a lot of you think "she needs something constructive to do" . . . well, I've been doing constructive sorta stuff, too. Yep, Dave & I are still working away on our eternal kitchen renovation, and I've been doing a little here & there toward that end. Don't really have any pictures to post that would show our progress on that front, but we ARE actually making some :-) Hopefully before too long, I'll be able to post something to prove it!!

Meanwhile, here are a few projects I've done lately. As usual, full credits are listed in my Flickr gallery & you can click on the pics to go there if you'd like - but if you're someone looking to know where to buy any of this, at least 90% of my product comes from Sweet Shoppe Designs. In fact, this little coupon book I made for Dave for Valentine's was featured on Libby Pritchett's blog last week - and the Haute Baby layout I posted on Emma's birthday was showcased a couple of weeks ago on the Sweet Shoppe blog. So, even if some of you think I'm wasting my time, not everybody does - lol!!

This is a quilt-style layout I did about Bill & Lara's latest acquisition . . . a stray (but of course!) puppy one of the ladies at school found during a snowstorm. Yeah, they needed another animal like they needed a hole in the head - but he is sooooooo precious & he's not going anywhere if I have anything to say about it!!

Here's one I've been going to do for a while - pictures from Joseph & Jennifer & the boys' trip to Disney World last year.

Another older picture - one of little Miss Nattie during one of last year's snowstorms. This is for the Life's Little Lessons series at Sweet Shoppe.

Now, if you REALLY want to talk old pictures, here's another layout for my Book of Me. As my older siblings will recall - I was several years old before I could even touch my fingers over my big ol' noggin. Amanda refers to photos from this stage of my life as my "basketball head" pictures.

Well, that's it, I'm afraid. Sorry it couldn't be anything more exciting - but I truthfully kind of like the old routine, if you know what I mean. The older I get, the more it seems like "exciting" all too often means "bad" - so I'll stick with my dull ol' life, thank you very much!!

Happy Heart Day!

2011-02-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

Hey there, everyone! Guess what? You're getting the same kind of Valentine's card from me as you did for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and your Birthday . . . as in zip, zero, nada. Sorry 'bout that!

I did, however, do a little layout in honor of the day - I fell in love with Libby Pritchett's new white-on-white kit "Paper! Snow! A Ghost!" but didn't really have anything appropriate (like a wedding or some other elegant occasion) to do with it. I got to thinking that I could add a few pops of red and come up with an appropriate way to tell you all how much I DO love you, even if I'm not better about telling you often enough.

I also couldn't resist doing one more love-themed layout. Last weekend at Emma's birthday party, her little friend Cullen was bound & determined he was going to kiss her. I snatched these photos that his mom took off of Facebook, and they were just too hilarious not to scrap!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Another Birthday!

2011-02-05T01:24:00.000-06:00

For such an icky month in general, February isn't all bad . . . first we had little Miss Emma's birthday earlier this week, and now it's time for the grandest birthday of them all - JANN'S!! I know you're off gallivanting around this weekend, my sweet seester . . . but just in case you get a minute to pop in to check on the old blog, I wanted to have this waiting for you.

I hope all your peeps are taking good care of you and that you are having just the wunnerful sort of birthday a Janneepoo deserves! xoxoxo

Housebound

2011-02-04T14:45:00.000-06:00

Well, fortunately I'm one of those people who's quite content to be at home without external stimulation . . . with this horrendous weather we've had all week, Dave's taken my car to work every day & I'm without wheels. But, I certainly have plenty of things to occupy my time & it should come as no surprise to anyone that part of what I've been doing is scrapping.

Here are a few recent layouts . . . a couple are for a Book About Me challenge I'm doing at Scrapadilly (they'll be pretty obvious to pick out), one's a page about that little rascal in California I'm missing so much, and the last one's a little more on the serious side. There's never a time that I don't miss Keith, but for some reason this time of year is almost as hard as June is.

(All supplies are from Sweet Shoppe Designs. Layouts are linked to my gallery for full info.)

It's Somebody's Birthday!!

2011-02-01T19:34:00.000-06:00

Believe it or not, young Miss Emma is having a birthday today . . . yep, that little angel is already a year old!! She celebrated a little early yesterday by eating one of her Grammy's Chanel lipsticks, but from what I can tell she's no worse for the wear today. This isn't the greatest picture in the world, but I think you can get a pretty good idea of what a mess she made. Kelly said she had just taken her eye off her for "5 minutes or less" . . . obviously, Kelly didn't understand before yesterday just how much an inquisitive little thing like Emma can get accomplished in such a short period of time - LOL!

In any case, as I told Kelly on Facebook . . . the fact that she chose a Chanel lipstick as opposed to some off-brand definitely proves that she's got taste - in more ways than one :-) Apparently, Emma's just like her mom & grammy in that she doesn't have a clue just how gorgeous she is without any embellishments at all!!

That does not mean, of course, that she can't look extra cute given the right set of circumstances. In honor of her birthday, here are a couple of layouts I've done recently that show her in a little better light than the lipstick photo . . .

I'll undoubtedly do an actual birthday layout once I lay my hands on some pictures, but meanwhile:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMMA BEAR!!!

Be Still My Heart . . .

2011-01-24T16:36:00.000-06:00

I actually stole that phrase just now from someone who left a comment right before me on the Pink Paislee blog, but I couldn't think of a more concise way to describe how I feel about their newest launch (designed by Jodie Patterson/aka Gypsy Chick) - Butterfly Garden. I know that:

I'm not supposed to dwell on material things.
My scrapping these days is almost exclusively digital.
I have enough paper scrapping supplies to last me 3 lifetimes.

But, seriously, how in the world am I supposed to resist this scrumptious stuff?

Check out just a few bits of this line, which will make its debut at CHA this coming weekend in LA. (For you non-scrappers out there, that's the Tradeshow for the Craft & Hobby Association.) For the full load of eye candy, just click on any of the pictures:

Bottom line, if I'm able find a store that can actually keep any of this in stock once it's released, I WILL be getting it!!

I'm So Excited!

2011-01-16T02:33:00.000-06:00

Just in time to rescue me from the mid-Winter blues, my FAVORITE show is coming back for a second season on February 9th. Yep, Raylan & Boyd (along with the rest of the gang) will be back in action in less than a month - WOOHOO!! So, I'm tellin' you now - don't expect me to be answering the phone or making any other plans on Wednesday nights . . . Dave & I will have our butts parked right in front of the tube watching Justified.

Meanwhile, not nearly as exciting I know . . . here are a couple of scrapbook pages I've done in the past few days. The first one is from the little tamale-making adventure Lara & I had a couple of weeks ago. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had - or how delicious the tamales were. I got so many photos that day that it was difficult to choose which ones to use (the one of Lara & Holly was a no brainer), but I had no problems whatsoever deciding which kit I'd use. I LOVE Libby Pritchett's "Olive Juice" (from Sweet Shoppe Designs), and no doubt you'll be seeing more of it :-)

In this layout, I used a picture that I "stole" (with her permission) from one of Sue's Facebook albums. She posts such gorgeous pics of the property and has some especially beautiful ones of snow scenes. But this one appealed to me mostly because of the way that bright red cardinal just popped right out of the picture at me!

Also, I finally thought to link my layouts directly to Flickr so you can go there to see credits (or whatever) . . . instead of boring you with the little spiel about my sidebar link every time I post a layout. Most of you don't care, but it's important to me that I credit the amazing designers who create the elements I use to make MY creations. So, assuming I remember to embed the links every time, you should be able to just click on any layout you want to know more about.

Odds & Ends

2011-01-13T17:28:00.001-06:00

I totally don't have time right now to be doing a blog post. While I was at least "semi" productive this morning, this afternoon serves as a perfect example of why I need to be more focused on being focused.

It started out with my needing to have a little "chat" with some of the neighbor kids. First, let me say that in this everyone-being-too-afraid-to-even-let-their-children-out-of-their-sight-for-a-moment world in which we live, I am DELIGHTED that there are still children who play outdoors. What I don't understand is why they insist in playing in my yard instead of their own. I'll admit that I'm a bad mom & should have trained Riley and Belle not to go ballistic every time a butterflies passes down the street. And I absolutely do NOT want to be "that old grouchy lady down the street" we've all known and hated. But these boys KNOW that they get the dogs riled up when they play in my front yard, and I have asked them repeatedly not to do it. The oldest of the group is seriously dumber than a box of rocks . . . when I asked them yet again why they weren't playing football in their own yard, he proceeded to tell me that he lived really far away. After I asked why he was in this neighborhood if he lived so far away & he stared at me blankly for several seconds, I reminded him that I know exactly where he lives . . . and two houses away from me isn't exactly "really far away" in my book. I've always tried to talk to them as nicely as possible in the past, but today I laid down the law. Next time it happens, I promised to let the dogs out to see how much fun it might be to make them bark without a locked door keeping them inside. Then I'll call the police. I guess I AM the old grouchy lady down the street after all.

On a lighter note, but even more distracting for me, people keep bombarding me with stuff to check out, and I.CAN.NOT.RESIST! Most of what I've been "researching" today is scrapbook-related and wouldn't be of any interest whatsoever to the majority of you. But in the spirit of sharing, I decided I ought to pass along a couple of links you might enjoy.

27 Possible Names for Fake Meat Products . Written by Amanda's friend (and mine), Darci Ratliff.

Forever Lazy Commercial. I'm soooooo putting this on my Wish List for when it's available in leopard.

Alot Is Better Than You At Everything. This site's new to me, but I'm afraid I'll probably go back. Hopefully, she'll never discover my blog & my using-really-long-hyphenated-phrases-to-describe-things penchant, or she may be posting about ME one of these days!

My Word

2011-01-10T08:12:00.000-06:00

Carl Fredricksen & Dug the Dog from Pixar's "Up"

I have a word this year. It's certainly not a new word, but it's one I need to plant firmly in view and think about often. FOCUS.

If you've ever seen the movie "Up", you'll know what I mean when I say that I frequently have Dug moments - heck, even hours or sometimes entire days. (If for some reason you haven't seen this movie, take my word for it - you SHOULD!) With my penchant for getting distracted by "squirrels" and all manner of other things, it's a wonder I'm even remotely productive - and, truth be told, my habit of flying off in twenty different directions at once is precisely why I named my blog Quantum Leaps.

I've always kind of had this problem, but it's gotten seriously out of hand lately. Used to, I took occasional little side trips but still managed to get quite a lot accomplished. And sure, I might have digressed in the middle of a conversation, but I did eventually get to the point I was trying to make. These days, I seem to spend almost all my time chasing squirrels & not nearly enough staying en pointe long enough to get anything finished.

So, I've decided it's necessary to make some changes . . . in 2011, I am going to re-learn how to focus! Because of my natural tendencies and the fact that I've gotten really slow, that means I'm gonna have to de-clutter, simplify, and purge a lot of the unnecessary "stuff" in my life. But I'm more than willing to do that if it means possibly returning to my once ultra-organized, queen-of-multi-tasking, OCD self :-)

To help FOCUS on my goal, I did this page for a challenge at Sweet Shoppe Designs, which is (big surprise!) where I got most of the elements used in the layout.

(as always, if you click the link in my sidebar, you can go to my Flickr gallery for a full list of credits).

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go focus on de-cluttering a few things . . .

Don't Forget!

2011-01-09T10:55:00.003-06:00

In case you didn't remember, today is National Static Electricity Day . . . WOO HOO! I've been waiting on this one for a while - but not quite as eagerly as I'm looking forward to Tuesday. Milli & Sheila, I know we've been talking about a little field trip this week- but you might want to give me wide berth that day unless the weather's a lot better than it is today! ☺

Meanwhile, I got to thinking that I haven't posted many new layouts in quite a while. Of course, that could be because I haven't done many - but I did complete a few for the crop we just finished up at Scrapadilly and thought I'd post them before they get tooooo old & stale. Actually, a couple of these did double-duty by fitting some of the January Portfolio challenges at my absolute favorite digi spot, Sweet Shoppe Designs. (Hey, I LOVE the designers at Sweet Shoppe & buy practically all my stuff there anyway - why not do the challenges and earn some discounts?)

Anyhoo, here are the pages . . . all about just a FEW of my favorite people. As you may have guessed, almost all of the elements I used are from SSD - but full credits are listed in my Flickr gallery.

By the way - I realized after I had posted this that "unwrapped" should really be "wrapped", but I was waaaaay to lazy to go back & change it. You get the point even with the mistake, I hope - lol!

Public Service Announcement

2011-01-07T17:31:00.000-06:00

There's a lot of discussion going on at several places I've visited today about a personal information website called spokeo.com (I'm not giving you a link. I don't want to publicize it any more than necessary.) In any event, it's pretty shocking when you first find out about one of these places to realize that so much of your personal information is posted right there for the world to see. However, just remember . . .

there are dozens of other sites like this.
there's really not much any of us can do about it. Even if you're successful at getting your name removed from a few of them (which isn't likely), there are plenty of others who don't even give you an option to do that.
much of the information isn't accurate (e.g., neither the number of people in our household nor the assessed value of our house is correct).
any accurate info is readily available on legitimate sites.

Requesting that you be removed from sites like this is pretty much a waste of your time . . . all you're accomplishing is to let them know your email address is a legitimate one (they probably already have it but don't know for sure it's valid until they get an email from you).

What puzzles me is why anybody would pay to join spokeo to the tune of $5.00/month in order to have access to ALL the partially-true information, particularly when any information they have is FREE & generally more accurate at various other (mostly government) websites. (Just too lazy to look the information up themselves, I guess.)

Unfortunately, this is one of the prices we pay for having all the stuff we WANT available at the click of a mouse. Just like anything else in life, there are always going to be those who have to go & spoil it for everybody.

I do believe, though, that I solved a mystery today. Since I've never researched and/or bought any penis-enlargement devices or meds, prescription drugs (without a prescription) or Nigerian get-rich-quick-just-give-me-your-bank-account-number-and-password, I've often wondered why I continue to get dozens of these messages filling up my trashcan every single day. I'm pretty sure they're getting their mailing lists from places like this!

And The Winner Is . . .

2011-01-07T11:53:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the late post, folks . . . yesterday was a very long day (although a good one), and I was too pooped to deal with this by the time I had a chance last night. Without further adieu, however - the winner of the Father Christmas goodies I promised to share is none other than the lovely-on-the-outside-but-actually-quite-mischievous, GLORIA!! Seriously, I know you'll put the papers to good use, Gloria . . . with some Christmas layouts of Drew & Laurie & all those other adorable DGK's of yours. And I'll pop them in the mail to you in the next day or so. Congrats! ♥♥♥

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:34:00.000-06:00

Well, I have no doubt that there will be some dead spots in my blogging this year, but I'm determined to at least start the year off with a quick post. Here's a cute vintage postcard I thought I'd use as my New Year's greeting . . . not sure of its origins, but it looks very German to me & reminds me of how crazy the New Year's celebrations got over there sometimes. I got it (plus a few others) today for free from the Gypsy Chick. (In case I haven't convinced you yet, not only is Jodie unbelievably talented, but she's extremely generous as well!)

Meanwhile, I hope everyone finished off 2010 in style (whatever style you chose - lol!) and that you're ready for a FANTASTIC 2011. I happened to be on Facebook earlier today and found some cute pics that Jennifer had posted of their celebration last night. Not sure if that's real live champagne in the glasses or some DoDad concoction or another, but the kids seem to have had a mighty fine time regardless . . .

Finally, I want to wish the beautiful Mrs. Wilson a super-duper, fantabulous, totally awesome, Kelly-worthy birthday two days from now. I know for a fact that I won't be getting any layouts done before then, so I'm posting one I did quite a while back for her wedding. If possible, Kelly may be more gorgeous now than she was on her wedding day, but I don't think anyone will argue that there's never been a more stunning bride . . . I mean NEVER! Happy Birthday a teeny bit early, Kelly Boo!!

[Credits: Color Theory: Cream (Flergs/Scrapbookgraphics) and Swallow Field Alpha (Kerry Lynn Yeary)]

Happy New Year, Everyone!!

To Finish Out 2010 . . . (Updated)

2010-12-31T14:44:00.043-06:00

I thought I'd leave you with a little smile . . .

A couple of weeks back (December 18th to be precise), I reminded a few of my friends that it was "Wear A Plunger On Your Head Day" (to be fair, I did caution them to use a clean, preferably new one & not the icky thing sitting next to the toilet). Anyhoo . . . "somebody" assured me that when I took a picture of myself with a plunger on my head that she would, too. It's not the greatest photo of me, but how good can a person look wearing a hat like this? Oh, K-A-R-E-N - it's your turn . . .

UPDATE: Nobody better ever try to tell me that I don't have THE best friends! Eventhough she had to make a special trip to the hardware store on the last day of the year, lookie-look what I have . . . If it isn't my dear cyber-friend, Karen, wearing a hat just like mine :-) I love you, Karen!

And just in case nobody wants to miss out on any more of these oft-neglected holidays, here are a few January dates that I plan to celebrate & you might want to slap into your calendars:

1st - National Bloody Mary Day (I may start this one early)

5th - National Whipped Cream Day

9th - National Static Electricity Day

11th - National Step in a Puddle & Splash Your Friend Day

18th - National Winnie the Pooh Day

21st - Squirrel Appreciation Day (guess this one's international!)

23rd - Measure Your Feet Day (another international one apparently)

27th - I'm TOTALLY pumped about this one. It's not only National Chocolate Cake Day but Thomas Crapper Day as well. I guess if you celebrate the first one too much you might end up celebrating the second one whether you planned to or not. You might even need to use your "hat" to clean up!

Anyway, regardless of what holidays you plan to celebrate in 2011, I truly hope it's an AWESOME year for you!!

Everybody's A Winner Here

2010-12-30T15:35:00.006-06:00

Most of us know how wonderful it feels to receive a compliment or how a kind word can brighten someone's day, but I have to admit that I'm guilty of not doing it nearly often enough. Especially when it comes to blogs and online forums, I tend to just "lurk" . . . enjoying the experience but never really saying much even when I think something I've seen is awesome. Partly that's because I don't think I have anything particularly worthy to say - but, still, we should all do it more often. Besides making the other person feel good, it's a great feeling to do something nice . . . plus, as I discovered recently, it can even have added benefits!

Quick background . . . a couple of the blogs I visit regularly are Gypsy Chick (aka Jodie Patterson) and Pink Paislee. Both of these sites provide their readers with a steady supply of eye candy, inspiration, and terrific products. To my delight, they recently joined forces & their first collaboration resulted in a simply yummy line of vintage (Jodie's forte) holiday papers called Father Christmas. One of the cool things PP did earlier in the month was to sponsor a 12 Days of Christmas giveaway . . . with daily product tips, digital downloads, and lots of opportunities to win some of this scrumptious paper.

Of course, I downloaded every single digi piece they offered. And I bookmarked (and/or printed out) almost all the product demos. I even used one of the items to create a quick layout for the Holiday Bingo contest I've been running at Scrapadilly. Last, but not least, I was so taken with the line that I actually took the time to tell Jodie on her blog how much I love it.

No, I wasn't one of winners - exactly. But Jodie was so appreciative of the positive feedback that she made sure I got a prize anyway :-) Helloooooooo, people . . . check out what I found on my porch on Christmas Eve:

We're talking the jackpot, folks . . . full sets of 12 x 12 papers AND 6 x 6 papers, plus two gorgeous Petaloo products - flowers from their Chantilly Collection & FloraDoodles Velvet Leaves!!

I've already told both Jodie and Rebecca at Pink Paislee how totally thrilled I was to receive this most generous package, but I just have to say publicly that Gypsy Chick and Pink Paislee totally and completely ROCK!!

All this simply because I took just a teensy moment of my time to pay someone a compliment. And I plan to do that more often in the future - not because I received this fantastic gift, but because the experience has reminded me how much it means to people to occasionally hear how wonderful or talented or smart or whatever they are. Besides that, it doesn't cost you a cent, and it makes YOU feel good - IMHO, it's the quintessential example of how EVERYBODY can be a winner :-)

Now, if somebody out there can just help me find the time to dig my hands into all this yumminess and create something worthy, I will be eternally grateful!

Meanwhile, if I haven't bored you to tears yet & you're still reading this post . . . I've decided to share my bounty. Although you'll probably be able to find some next year, it's next to impossible to find Father Christmas for sale right now - it's been so popular that it's sold out almost everywhere. Soooooo, anyone who leaves a comment on this post telling me how much they love the Father Christmas line will get their name put into the hat to receive part of my stash. I'll use Random Generator to select a winner one week from today, January 6th.

And, just in case I don't get another chance to say this - Happy New Year!! May 2011 bring you and those you love much joy & happiness . . .

A Big Ol' Birthday!

2010-12-29T09:35:00.000-06:00

Yes indeed . . . big in both numbers & importance - it's Bill Pounds' 40th!!

I'm not going to write much, because I've said it all in either this layout or in person . . . but I must admit that today is very bittersweet for both Dave & myself. We're having a difficult time accepting the fact that we're parents of a 40-year-old - particularly since we can't possibly even be that old ourselves. But that shock is more than outweighed by the pure joy of having a son as awesome as Bill Pounds. (Yes - for those of you who don't know, we generally call him by both names, as odd as that may seem - lol!)

Anyway, without further adieu - Happy Birthday, Bill Pounds!! I made this little layout in honor of your big day . . .

(for credits, see my Flickr Gallery - link in sidebar)

xoxoxoxo
Mom

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T22:23:00.001-06:00

I know I won't be blogging tomorrow or the next day, so I'm using this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Once again, I'm more than slightly ashamed of myself for not getting holiday cards sent & am using my blog as a way to reach as many of you as possible to offer my apologies. Despite the fact that I got so many beautiful cards from you this year, I must admit that I have not reciprocated. And while I don't generally make New Year's resolutions, I do resolve to be better at "regular" correspondence next year . . . meanwhile, this will have to suffice as my holiday greeting to you.

I actually stole the idea for this prayer directly from another scrapping site (Little Blue House) - but I thought it was appropriate given how muddled the lines between religious Christmas & secular Christmas have become.

Santa's Prayer on
Christmas Eve

By Warren D. Jennings

The sleigh was all packed, the reindeer were fed,
But Santa still knelt by the side of the bed.

"Dear Father," he prayed "Be with me tonight.
There's much work to do and my schedule is tight.

I must jump in my sleigh and streak through the sky,
Knowing full well that a reindeer can't fly.

I will visit each household before the first light,
I'll cover the world and all in one night.

With sleigh bells a-ringing, I'll land on each roof,
Amid the soft clatter of each little hoof.

To get in the house is the difficult part,
So I'll slide down the chimney of each child's heart.

My sack will hold toys to grant all their wishes.
The supply will be endless like the loaves and the fishes.

I will fill all the stockings and not leave a track.
I'll eat every cookie that is left for my snack.

I can do all these things Lord, only through You,
I just need your blessing, then it's easy to do.

All this is to honor the birth of the One,
That was sent to redeem us, Your most Holy Son.

So to all of my friends, lest Your glory I rob,
Please Lord, remind them who gave me this job."

Happy Festivus & Other Celebrations!

2010-12-23T16:22:00.000-06:00

I just know I'm not alone in waiting all year for this very special holiday - I hope you ALL have a wonderful Festivus :-)

Meanwhile, I need to shout out some belated birthday greetings to this "little" guy (slightly older & a bit larger now, since this pic was taken in 1992). Happy Birthday two days late, Josh!!

Also, 38 years ago today, Dave was commissioned into the Army . . . I can't even imagine how different our lives would have been had that not happened. Despite a few lows (very few), we had an amazing & wonderful twenty years in the military - we met so many lifelong friends and got to travel to places we'd never have gone otherwise. Thanks for giving us those experiences, Dave - and happy anniversary!

Last but not least, today is also the birthday of an extremely special person in our lives. John Lynn is many things to many people, but besides being my terrific brother-in-law, I consider him to be the very best:

~ Music Man
~ Margarita Man
~ Move It, Make It, or Modify It (no matter how big or how ridiculous the request) Man
~ Mind Your Own Business and Don't Ask Jann & Dee What They're Up To Now Man
~ My Sweet Sister's Main Man

This is a photo of him from October being the Marek-Taming Papa John Man.

Mostly today, though, he's the Birthday Man. Hope your day is even half as wonderful as you are, John.

YOU DA MAN!!

The Christmas Story

2010-12-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

Received links today from a couple of different folks showing different versions of the Nativity. Since Christmas is almost here - yikes, only 4 more days, I thought I'd share them . . . they're both from YouTube.

Children's Version of the Christmas Story

A Digital Nativity

It's Crop Time . . .

2010-12-14T00:15:00.012-06:00

at Scrapadilly beginning this Friday (the 17th) and running through the 31st. As usual, Drea has come up with some terrific challenges & we'd love to have you come join us for It's a Dickens of a Christmas.

Here's a layout I did for the last crop but never got a chance to post . . . can you believe how young Dave & I were? Anyway, maybe I can come up with some more funny pictures to scrap about this time around :-)

A Quick Little Visit . . .

2010-12-13T15:33:00.001-06:00

Man, the days are just flying by . . . I can't believe Christmas is almost here! Due to the "current state of our home" Dave & I aren't doing much in the way of decorating or anything - but there are certain traditions that just CAN'T be ignored . . . one of which is delivering goodies to all those precious angels in Wichita Falls . . . and I got a chance to do just that this past weekend!

Not only did I get to spend (a little, but not enough) time with them, but I also got to watch young Emily Jane & her seriously good basketball team play their season opener :-) Any visit to WF always has the added bonus of getting to see not only Joe & his whole crew, but also John & Liz - so that made the trip even better. And eventhough it was a whirlwind trip & I contemplated pulling over at Catfish O'Harlie's (yes, that's really the name of the place) on the way home because I was so sleepy, I am sooooo glad I live close enough to do this at least occasionally. It would only be better if I got to make personal deliveries to Marek, Emma, and Colette as well . . . but last time I checked, you just can't have EVERYTHING!!

Oops, I almost forgot . . . besides all the other wonderful things that happened on my trip, the kids surprised me with a birthday present - an adorable pink polka dotted coffee mug with a flamingo spoon rest. Not to mention, a card signed by each one of them. Hey, you may not be able to have everything - but I sure as heck have most of it!!!

A Very Special Thank You

2010-12-07T19:12:00.001-06:00

to my amazing father-in-law, Fay Pounds, who was serving at Kaneohe when Pearl Harbor was attacked 69 years ago today. Please know how grateful we are for your service to our country, Dad, and how deeply we honor your comrades who sacrificed their lives that fateful day.

Happy (Slightly Early) Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-23T13:42:00.000-06:00

Not much to say today, but thought I'd post a few layouts I've done over the past few days while I've been "trapped" in my office. All the pages were done for challenges from the Sentimental Journey crop going on over at Scrapadillly, and the last one is meant to be a sort of Thanksgiving "greeting card" . . . in lieu of the ones I didn't get sent this year (bad Dee!) As always, credits are listed in my Flickr gallery & you can just click on an image if you want a closer look.

First is a page I did using some of the cute pics Kelly posted on Facebook of Emma's first trip to the Pumpkin Patch:

Here's one about Janneepoo & her beautiful horse, Baron. The photos are over a year old, as Jann wasn't up for riding when I visited earlier this fall - but I know she'll be back in the saddle just as soon as she can be, and Baron seems to be quite content with "just" visits in the meantime :-)

Finally, here's a layout I did with every single one of you in mind . . . I've always loved Norman Rockwell's stuff anyway & this is one of my favorites. Whenever I look at it, I remember of all the wonderful times we've had together in the past - and look forward to the ones yet to come. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Gloomy Sunday Here . . .

2010-11-21T17:23:00.000-06:00

Well, it's pretty gloomy in Flower Mound today . . . no rain, but a heavy cloud cover all day long. The good news is that it got up to 80 lovely degrees this afternoon, and I am NOT going to complain about temps like that at the end of November :-) Oh, and it's been soooo nice & QUIET here today - for a real change from the past couple of days!

In our original remodeling plans, Dave & I had every intention of removing all the old tile and laying the new stuff ourselves. Eventhough we knew it wouldn't be easy, Dave is a Tile Layer Extraordinaire (here's a pic of the floor he did in Amanda's bathroom) & we still thought it was doable . . . until we ran into a big problem with somebody's version of thin set. After several unsuccessful attempts to remove the corrugated concrete from our kitchen floor, a LOT of knee pain for Dave, and the realization that we still had three-fourths of the demo left to go, we finally admitted that we'd have to call in the pros for this part of the job.

Even with their experience & special equipment, it took them two whole days just to demo the remaining tile and remove what they said is the thickest thin set they've ever seen. Their assessment did make Dave feel less like a wimp for not doing it himself - but YIKES, the noise has been deafening, and all this peace and quiet is soooooo refreshing :-)

Guess Who's Four Years Old!

2010-11-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

(I know, months with nothing & then three posts in one day - hey, it's either all or nothing, I guess!)

Well, like I said before (at least a couple of times), I've missed a whole slew of birthdays this year. But I'm only one day late on this one, so I'm taking this opportunity to wish our beautiful Nathalie a very happy, if belated, birthday. Not sure about the rest of you, but it's hard for me to believe that she's already 4 . . . eventhough I can't imagine what life was like before she came along!

I haven't done a layout of her lately, but here's one I did a while back - this series of pics was taken at one of Kayleigh's softball games last year. Nattie's such a little character, and it's always hard for me to stop taking pictures when I'm around her (and all the other Stone & Muterspaugh kiddos).

Sentimental Journey Crop at Scrapadilly

2010-11-18T18:37:00.001-06:00

It's time for another fun-filled crop at Scrapadilly - this month our theme is Sentimental Journey, and we're traveling back to the 1940's with Drea's extra-fantastic challenges & even a jukebox in the sidebar so you can listen to the Big Band sound while you scrap. The crop just started today & runs through the end of the month, so there's plenty of time to complete the challenges - even with Thanksgiving thrown in next week.

I haven't had a chance myself to complete any layouts, but I thought I'd show you a few of the ones I've done over the past several months but haven't had a chance to post yet. If you want to get a closer look so you can read the journaling or anything, just click on the image. (Credits for each layout are posted in my Flick'r gallery - link on sidebar.)

First, here's one I did about John & Liz . . . and it's waaaaay overdue. I never did get around to writing about the phenomenal trip we took with them in May to attend several events honoring John as a distinguished alum of Henderson University. Lots of photos got taken that weekend, but the one I used for my "bad photo" layout last month was probably my favorite. Mind you, I only call the photo "bad" because it wasn't in proper focus - IMHO, it's a wonderful picture of two of the people I love most in this world.

This one about Amanda (and her amazing smile) was done for a Chinese Whispers challenge (one person starts with a sketch, sends their layout - but not the original sketch - to the next person, who sends it to the next person, etc. It's pretty interesting to see at the end how the sketch has morphed after everyone is finished.)

I did this layout for Mary's birthday - way back in June, but never got it posted here on my blog. Boy, have I missed a ton of birthdays this year . . . I know this isn't the first time I've apologized, but I swear I'll try to do better!

Finally, here are a few from last month's Scrapadilly crop . . . mostly they're about my visit to California, but the crop theme last month was all about disco music & the 70's, so I just had to do a layout using one of the infamous Muterspaugh Kid Pyramid Pictures . . . we were soooooo stylin' back then!

All I Wanted Was A French Door

2010-11-18T17:23:00.011-06:00

I know it's been forever since I've posted anything here - eventhough I said months ago that I'd be more regular about it. But I just seem to manage to stay busy constantly, although I couldn't provide an alibi for most days if my life depended on it!

Mostly what's been taking up my (make that OUR) time & energy lately is that "little" remodeling project we undertook a while back. It started out small . . . as I mentioned before, I've been wanting a French Door onto the patio ever since we moved into this house nearly 11 years ago, and Dave finally relented. But, Scope Creep (changes to a project after it has started, causing it to expand from its original purpose, timeline, and BUDGET) overtook us & the project now involves an entire kitchen remodel, replacement of all the tile in roughly half of our house, and an overhaul of our guest bathroom . . . sometimes WE amaze even me!

Anyway, the train had already pulled out of the station before I thought to take "Before" pics, but here's one from a couple of years ago that shows the kitchen pretty much as it used to look:

And here are some "Work In Progress" pictures . . .

Fridge in family room - classy, eh? (It's now in the living room!)

Kitchen as of last night - tile (and EVERYTHING else) removed.

Family room as of this morning.

Front hallway looking into family room - tonight.

Anyway, I'll undoubtedly be posting plenty more about this mammoth project we've undertaken, but meanwhile - for any of you who has ever wondered if we are totally insane, this should dispel any doubts. By the way, if you think these rooms look bad, you should see the ones where we crammed everything to clear the demolition areas. I absolutely only wanted a French Door.

Help Is Out There . . .

2010-08-11T15:54:00.002-05:00

. . . for those of us who suffer from occasional (or even frequent) feelings of inferiority.

Okay, I'll warn you now that this is a TOTALLY frivolous post, but I was directed today to an internet site that ended up occupying way too much of my time. You know - that "like watching a fire" thing. In any case, I came away feeling a whole lot thinner, more attractive, and smarter . . . and I think that's a good thing except for the fact that I also feel like I need a shower.

I'm not including any pictures in this post . . . if you're interested in spending a little time surfing the net in a non-productive way, you'll get plenty of those without help from me. (Plus, I would never have been able to decide on which one(s) to use - so I'll let you pick your own favorites.)

And, if you don't get your fill here, this site also has plenty of other links so you can visit even more sectors of the Twilight Zone. Meanwhile, here is a link to illustrate why I don't generally "do" Walmart: People of Walmart. You can click your state to see selections from there, or you can sort them randomly, or whatever. I'm sure that, like me, it won't take long before you resolve to NEVER do Walmart . . . unless, of course, you're a masochist - or are perhaps trying to get your own photo published on the internet.

Who Knew?

2010-08-04T01:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I've been on hiatus for way too long now, but I think I'm about ready to begin posting again with a little more regularity. This summer has been chocked full of all sorts of stuff, some good & some not so much - but I'm pretty sure things are falling into place enough that you'll be seeing a little more of me.

There have been at least a hundred things I've considered blogging about over the past 6 weeks, but I just haven't been able to get up the gumption. Unfortunately, I've dropped the ball on a host of birthdays, anniversaries, etc. - and to those of you who got skipped, I apologize. That certainly doesn't mean I love you any less - just that I've been a little extra flaky lately. Mea culpa . . .

One reason I don't get more accomplished is because I get sidetracked sooooooo easily - I'm forever starting out on one path & finding myself hours later somewhere on a road 5 counties away. Well, the latest thing I found intrigued me so much that I just had to blog about it.

A quick bit of background . . . Dave & I are in the process of remodeling our kitchen. Of course, like everything else we do, it's gonna take forever & we'll change the plan a dozen times before we're finished. It all started out because I thought a French door leading out onto the patio would be cool. Sounds relatively simple, right? Well, not when it's us - the King & Queen of Scope Creep! Anyway, right now we're in the demo mode & researching our options for countertops, flooring, and appliances. In our travels through the ninety gazillion things you can find online about kitchen appliances, we made a discovery tonight that prompted this post.

Did you know that they make refrigerators and ovens with a Sabbath Mode?
According to Wikipedia,

"Sabbath mode . . . is a feature in many modern h ome appliances, including ovens and refrigerators which is intended to allow the appliances to be used (subject to various constraints) by Shabbat-observant Jews on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

Jews are forbidden from doing creative work on the Shabbat. Observant Jews interpret this to include doing things such as making a fire, preparing food or even closing a switch or pressing an electronic button."

(If you're interested in reading more, here's a link: Wikipedia/Sabbath Mode.)

But the reason I was prompted to write about this is that I'm puzzled. Mind you, I'm not even remotely anti-Semitic & I certainly don't have a problem at with these features being available - I just don't understand WHY! It seems to me that if you're that strict in your observance of the Sabbath, you probably don't need an appliance to help you follow the rules. It's not like if you were Jewish you wouldn't know it was Saturday until you tried to cook something & the oven wouldn't cooperate!

Anyway, I was so fascinated by the whole concept that I just had to mention it. I'm really interested to find out if other people have heard of this & I've been living on another planet, or if it's news to everybody else too. At least it wasn't one of those factoids that Dave already knew about but failed to share (he has an amazing inventory of information he keeps stashed away for just the right moment!) But, he had never heard of Sabbath Mode either, so neither one of us understands why you'd need that on your Kitchenaid or why they have Braille on drive-thru ATMs. (Hey, I'm not prejudiced against blind people either, but I hope there aren't that many people actually driving around who need to read by Braille. I think the roads are plenty dangerous enough already!)

Doohickeywhatchamacallit

2010-06-15T17:15:00.003-05:00

Do you ever find yourself searching for just the right words to describe something but invariably come up blank? Well, I just happen to be good friends with the QUEEN of this phenomenon, and the scary part is that I always know exactly what she's trying to say! Even if nobody else has a clue what she's talking about, I know precisely what she means, and vice versa.

I first "met" June several years ago on a scrapbooking message board (before Scrapadilly), and our connection was immediate. We're so much alike it's eerie, so she & I have come to the conclusion that we are actually twins who were separated at birth (or shortly thereafter). I have this picture of Momma with Andy & Jann where she's holding two little babies - one of them is me, but I never received a satisfactory explanation as to who that other "mystery" kid is, and now I'm convinced it's none other than Junebug!

Somehow she made her way to Ohio, and it took us half a century to hook back up :-) Meanwhile, her new parents even changed her birthday, because mine is in December & hers is tomorrow! Since I've been my normal non-productive self and failed to get a card sent, I decided I'd post a couple of layouts to celebrate her big day.

Remember that weekend when it was Dave's & my 40th Anniversary and I abandoned him to go see friends in Oklahoma City? Well, Junebug was one of the people I was going to meet. We had such a fantastic time - shopping & eating, napping in the middle of the day, and laughing ourselves silly . . . it was nearly impossible to believe that it was the first time I had ever met her or Drea or Jo in real life! Unfortunately, hardly any of the pictures we got that weekend turned out well - but I just had to do a layout using them anyway. Since the quality was so poor, I tweaked the pictures to look kind of like cartoon drawings and made a comic strip out of them. The reason I titled it "Joe's Gals" is because June hadn't been in town an hour when she was getting kissed by a complete stranger at the sandwich shop where we stopped for lunch, and we named the stranger Joe.

Click to enlarge. Dialog boxes & alpha by Ana Reis (Two Little Pixels)

And this is the layout I made for June expressly for her birthday . . . the title is pretty indicative of how she communicates when she's at a loss for words.

Click to enlarge. For full credits, please see my Flickr Gallery (link in sidebar)

HAPPY DOOHICKEYWHATCHAMACALLIT, JUNEBUG!!

Slumber Party at Scrapadilly

2010-06-15T00:16:00.001-05:00

Well, with CIS Summer Program going on, I'm not sure how much time I'll have to dedicate to scrapping, but I'm sure looking forward to the upcoming crop at Scrapadilly.

This month, we're having an 8 day Slumber Party (beginning on Friday - WOO HOO!), and I can't wait to see what challenges Drea comes up with this time around. She never ceases to amaze me with her creativity, and I invariably have a hard time choosing which ones I'm going to do. Since I'm such a slow scrapper I never get them all done, but it's always fun trying :-)

Here are a few of the layouts I did last month (Click to enlarge. Credits for all can be found in my Flickr Gallery):

The yummy house where John & Liz & Amanda stayed when we were in Arkansas:

Andy's boundless energy:

Wildflowers along the highway between Oklahoma City & Dallas:

And Marek "driving":

Fire in the Hole!

2010-06-09T01:10:00.004-05:00

I never thought of that as a phrase I'd find popping into my mind repeatedly, like some commercial ditty you get stuck in your head & can't get rid of. But that was before Jann got me hooked on the FX series "Justified", which - much to my dismay - ended its first season tonight.

I'm pretty sure I've never been captivated so quickly by a t.v. show before, and I can't really tell you why it grabbed me so fast. It's actually based on a short story by Elmore Leonard called, appropriately enough, "Fire in the Hole." The show's pretty dark in many respects, but it's also funny, fast-paced, and extremely well-acted . . . and I am in LOVE with it! Kind of like I'm in love with U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and even begrudgingly with white-supremacist-turned-man-of-the-cloth Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins). They are arch enemies and about as different as can be, yet they have an awful lot in common (most notably their ass-hole fathers), and IMHO the scenes they do together are mesmerizing.

There are plenty of other colorful characters populating the rural Kentucky landscape in this series, but the out-and-out stars of the show are Olyphant & Goggins. No surprise on the Marshall (although he just keeps getting hotter & hotter each week). But I doubt anyone suspected early on how compelling a character Boyd would become (for anyone who hasn't seen the show, he just happens to have hollered "Fire In The Hole!" more than once this season and got it stuck firmly in my head.) I'm certainly no expert on acting, but I absolutely believe that Goggins should win an Emmy for this series. Actually, there's a whole host of writers and actors who deserve awards for the show, but if Goggins doesn't get one, I think maybe Boyd Crowder should pay a little visit to Hollywood & take his rocket launcher with him!

Happy Birthday, Jay!

2010-06-03T06:59:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm running really far behind this morning . . . headed out to the Great American Scrapbook Convention with Milli - to see if I can find another way to spend some of Dave's hard-earned money.

Meanwhile, it's Jay's birthday & I wanted to take just a minute to remind everyone and to post this layout I did for him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAYBIRD! Hope you have an absolutely fantastic day . . .

Click to enlarge. (All elements from "Celebrate" by Elise Hansen at The Digichick)

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T05:50:00.010-05:00

While most of us are all cozy & warm in our beds this morning, Amanda's friends are in Austin getting ready to start their triathlon. They've been training for such a long time, and I know they're all excited (and a wee bit anxious) about how they'll do both individually and as a team. Once again, here's a picture of the team, Good Ass Fried Chicken. Please don't anybody bother to ask me how they came up with that name, because I do not know! I can only conjecture that they ate some really good fried chicken one day & decided that would be a good team name. I truthfully have no idea, but maybe Amanda will fill me in when she gets back in town. As some of you may recall, she's the team's No. 1 athletic supporter - so she's in Austin as Jockstrap LBS, cheering her team on to victory. Regardless of how GAFC places in the race, I'm extremely proud of all of them for the time and effort they've put into preparing for this event and helping raise money for the LLS.

As much as I admire them, the REAL reason for this holiday shouldn't be lost on any of us who live in this wonderful country of ours. It may be flawed here and there, but it's still the greatest nation on earth - and hundreds of thousands have fought and died to keep it that way. We owe it to them to take at least a few minutes today to pause and think about the sacrifices they made to preserve our freedom. And while we're at it, I think we should also stop & say a little prayer for all the military personnel who are currently serving in combat. Even if you disagree with the political reasoning behind their deployment, these men & women are performing their duty - and the very least we can do to repay them is to remember them in prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform in service to our nation.

In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

If You Don't Believe Me . . .

2010-05-27T17:33:00.003-05:00

When I was a kid, it seems like the last day of school was nearly always May 27th. I don't remember that as much for the fact that summer was starting as I do because it was Joe's birthday. It was always a day of celebration, and it's still hard for me to realize sometimes that kids nowadays go to school all the way into June! A lot of years have passed since I could even remotely be considered a kid, and I have a tendency to forget a lot of things these days. But I guess May 27th is forever etched on my memory, because I actually remembered a birthday on time for a change!

It's a shame that we can't all be together to celebrate the occasion like we did in the old days - but there's a new generation of Muterspaugh kiddos running around the Wichita Falls area these days who IDOLIZE their DooDad, and I know that he will be treated with the appropriate amount of hoopla. I was lucky enough to be in town last year for his birthday cookout, and I don't have the words to tell you how heart-warming it was to witness Joe surrounded by his amazingly wonderful family.

I have to admit that there have been times over the years when I could never have envisioned Joe as he is today - most notably, when we lived on Polk & he hung around with Jackie Cameron. Now, except for Joe and (perhaps) his grandmother, nobody really cared much for Jackie. In his defense, he had a really crappy home life, but that didn't change the fact that you couldn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth. Well sure enough, Joe picked up the habit & started coming home with all sorts of wild tales - some were true, of course, but it was difficult to believe him a lot of the time. If challenged on the "facts", his response was invariably "Well, if you don't believe me, just ask Jackie." (And of course, we always jumped right on that!)

But time has a way of changing us all, and that was many long years ago. Who'da thunk way back then when he was telling us all about quackless ducks (actually true) and other implausible stories, that one day Joe would become the quintessential family patriarch? Certainly not I, but that's exactly what he is . . . and I guarantee I'm not alone in that opinion. Heck, if you don't believe me, you could always just ask Jackie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE!! In honor of your big day, I did a layout about another one of your "eccentricities" when you were a kid. I love you sooooo much and hope you're having a FANTASTIC birthday . . . xoxoxo

Click to enlarge. (for credits, please see my Flickr gallery - link in sidebar)

I Have a Confession . . .

2010-05-21T19:26:00.004-05:00

I'm a thief.

Even worse, I steal from people I love.

I'm sure there's some fancy-dancy cyber term for what I do, but essentially I'm an internet photo thief. You see, I go to Amie's blog and Kelly's, Amanda's, and Erin's Facebook albums - and I take their pictures! If any of the rest of you had pictures for me to steal, I would probably burglarize you as well.

Sure - occasionally, I acquire my treasures by legitimate means. Stephen and Jann are pretty good about sending me pics of our little miracle baby, like the one in the layout below of Stephen & Marek at the kitchen sink. Then, of course, there are my all-too-infrequent visits where I actually take my own photos (what a concept!). But mostly I just have to rely on my pilfering skills.

A few days ago, Amie posted school pictures of the girls. Besides the fact that they're pics of three of my FAVORITE little girls, they're excellent photos. (I know that most of you don't need me to tell you that they did NOT take school pictures like this back in the day.) In any case, I just couldn't help myself - I took those suckers and turned them into a layout for a challenge at Scrapadilly.

Bottom line, if I know the pictures are out there, I'm gonna grab 'em. So if you don't want me snarfing them up to drool over and use in my scrapping projects, just don't ever tell me where I can access them. It's as simple as that.

(for layout credits, please see my Flickr gallery - link in sidebar)

I Believe in Miracles

2010-05-20T11:41:00.007-05:00

I pretty much always have, but any doubts that might have lingered have been dispelled by a little guy named Marek Thompson Crane.

When Marek was born last April 28th, he was 3 months premature and weighed only slightly over one-and-a-half pounds. The obstacles he faced just to survive were astronomical, but fortunately he had exceptional medical care - and more people praying for him than you can imagine.

From day one, he was a fighter. Despite so many medical issues and the odds against his making it, Marek was able to come home from the hospital at the beginning of July. I was lucky enough to be there when he was released and to spend a couple of weeks helping Stephen and Mel feed him and do his exercises and suck the gi-normous boogers out of his nose . . . and generally just being in awe of the miracles God can work.

Today, you'd never know by looking at him that Marek had such a rough start in life. He is a healthy, happy, and QUITE active little dude - and on April 28th, he and his folks went to Irvine to celebrate his birthday at Papa John & Boujie's house. Boujie (aka Jann) made him his own little cake, and his response was just as normal as could be . . . he was a little unsure at first, but it didn't take him long to figure out that this was something quite yummy!

I know that despite all the horrible things going on in the world, there are plenty of places to look every day and know that God hasn't yet given up on us. He's still watching over us and doing His darndest to keep us headed in the right direction. But if ever I find myself wavering in my belief that He still performs miracles, all I have to do is think about Marek.

(for credits, please see my Flickr gallery - link in sidebar)

An Angel in Disguise

2010-05-18T00:55:00.013-05:00

Nine years ago, a shy little 2nd grade girl with big brown eyes walked into Lara's office wondering if she could get a coat for one of her younger siblings. Lara had just started as the CIS (Communities in Schools) campus manager at
7 Hills Elementary, and the precious little girl who came to see her that day was Maritza Mauricio. At the time, Lara knew almost no Spanish - and Maritza was struggling to keep up at school, largely because she had no English skills. Despite the language barrier, the connection between them was instant, and since that day, Lara has served as a shining beacon for Maritza & her entire family. At the same time, they have been a constant source of inspiration for her (as well as myself & others). The Mauricios are absolutely wonderful people, and we have come to love them as though they were OUR family.

But Maritza is the frosting on the cake . . . the creme de la creme . . . the whole enchilada!

I can't even begin to tell you how proud we are of her . . . despite disadvantages too numerous to mention, she has become an excellent student and has blossomed into a remarkably talented and poised young lady. It would be next to impossible to find anyone who works harder, has more determination, or maintains a more positive attitude than Maritza does. She is beautiful inside and out, her smile is contagious, and I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't think the world of her.

On March 27th, CIS of North Texas held its annual "Celebrating Successes" Gala, and our family had the honor of sitting with the Mauricios as CISNT honored Maritza as Student of the Year for 2010. More than one tear was shed as we watched the video of her journey from "then" to "now". She was presented with plaques, a statuette, and so many certificates that I couldn't keep track of them all. She also received the gift of a senior ring which she had helped Lara design (thinking at the time that it was just a fantasy game they were playing). Throughout the evening, she mingled effortlessly with all sorts of bigwigs, including Texas State Senator Jane Nelson. All the while, Maritza remained nonplussed, carrying it all off with so much poise & grace that you'd have thought it was an everyday occurrence for her. It was truly a memorable evening, and I was delighted to have a part in honoring her.

Without a doubt, Maritza's fate was altered that first day she walked into Lara's office. But other lives changed that day also . . . mine among them. In ways she could never imagine, Maritza has given back so much more than she's received - and she is another one of those blessings that I thank God for regularly. I do believe in angels, but one of the things I've learned from knowing Maritza is that they can come in all shapes & sizes - they might even sneak up on you as a timid little Mexican girl looking for a coat.

Credits: Clementine - Shabby Princess, The Shabby Shoppe

Cheap Trip to the Vet

2010-05-17T22:21:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, Dave & I have spent enough money on our dogs in the last several years to buy both of us our dream cars, plus some. Of course, we would rather have the dogs (most of the time, anyway) - but it really is amazing how much we've shelled out trying to keep these furbabies healthy. We've been to the vet's office so often that we're on a first-name basis with the vets, and I've wondered at times if they suspected us of having Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome for Canines. The office manager even told me recently that she really liked us a lot, but she'd just as soon we drop in some day only to say "hi" - without bringing either a sick dog or a checkbook!

Well, we'd actually gone six whole weeks without having to take either one of them in. I had even considered taking Ina up on her offer to just stop in & chat, but Fattie LaBelle decided she didn't like that plan. Yesterday, her neck started bleeding inexplicably. We knew she & Riley hadn't been fighting, but we didn't know whether she had another one of her mysterious volcanic cysts or had impaled herself on an Agave needle. Either way, we figured she'd need antibiotics - so I drug out the ol' credit card and headed back to the vet once again.

Fortunately, it appears that the dumb-dumb managed to gouge herself with an Agave needle (or some other unknown pointed object in our yard), but at least she doesn't have a cyst that requires excision, stitches, checkup visits, and all the other associated costs. She only needs antibiotics, AND she's lost 12 pounds since we put her on her thyroid meds two months ago. WOO HOO!

All in all, it was one of our more positive visits - and I actually got out of there for under 100 bucks :-)

Just The Way I Roll

2010-05-17T18:55:00.002-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that there's really no point in continually apologizing for being late - about my blog posts or anything else. I used to be an extremely punctual person and sometimes got quite irritated by people who weren't. Well, that's just one more thing that has come back to haunt me - the "never say never" syndrome, y'know?

Besides, I've been chastised countless times for saying "I'm Sorry" too often - and many of you who've told me that read this blog at least occasionally. So, I'll do my best not to say it any more . . . at least not in writing (LOL) and will just do my blog entries when I can, without worrying whether or not they're about "old news" (there are definitely several of that variety in the offing)!

Let's face it, I'm getting older & slower every day. I'm rarely on time for anything these days, and - despite my best intentions and efforts to do better, I'm not seeing much progress. It's actually become somewhat embarrassing, but I can't seem to get a handle on it. So I'm just gonna run with it, cause apparently that's just the way I roll.

Late Again . . .

2010-05-16T23:09:00.006-05:00

I'm afraid it's becoming quite a habit of mine to be tardy in wishing congrats to people on their birthdays and other notable occasions . . . I dropped the ball yet again by failing to wish Kelly & Chris a Happy First Anniversary yesterday. Mea Culpa, guys!

To help assuage my guilt, I'm posting a photo of them at their wedding last year - along with a layout I did the other day on the beautiful little product of their union, Emma Kathleen :-)

Credits: I Loved Her First - Traci Reed, Sweet Shoppe Designs

Still Rockin' After All These Years

2010-05-14T17:30:00.021-05:00

I'm so far behind on this blog and have about a dozen things I need to post about - but I'm short on time right now, so I decided to do a quick post about one of Joe's treasures.

The subject of jukeboxes came up today, and I couldn't help but think of the 1948 Christmas Edition Rockola we had when we were growing up. It quit working decades ago & lay buried under all sorts of tools and egg cartons full of golf balls for who-knows-how-many years in our old garage on Polk Street. I truly thought I'd seen the last of that sucker until I was at Joe's house not long ago and saw the resurrected version sitting right there in his living room!

He's replaced the old 78's with CD's and the original lighting system with strings of Christmas lights - plus he's added a few extra embellishments (like Rhinoceri & NASCAR memorabilia).
But the labels are exactly like they were when we first got it so long ago, and it is surprisingly reassuring to know that this tangible little piece of our childhood still lives on.

Margaritas & Other Good Stuff

2010-05-05T16:15:00.008-05:00

Well, before the day gets any further gone, I've got to wish you all a Feliz Cinco de Mayo!! I believe that in honor of the occasion, I just may have to treat myself to some TexMex and a Margarita (or two). Of course, I've never really needed the 5th of May to trigger my taste for either of those, but it's a muy bueno excuse in my book :-)

Meanwhile, I've kind of been neglecting this new blog of mine . . . just so much stuff going on right now & I can't keep up! Yet again this weekend, I'm abandoning Dave and the dogs to head out for another play date. This time, I'm bound for Arkansas (along with Amanda, Bill, Lara, and a whole slew of Meuxes) to take part in a round of celebrations honoring John at his alma mater, Henderson State University.

Also this weekend, Marek is being christened . . . you don't have any idea how I hate to miss that - just as a hint, it's almost as much as I hated missing his FIRST birthday last week. ARGH!!

And speaking of birthdays . . . this weekend is another BIG one in our family - our beautiful Amie will be THIRTY YEARS OLD on Saturday! Where do the years go? I vividly remember the day you were born, Amie, and it's almost impossible to believe that so many years have come and gone since then.

Last, but not least, we all know that Sunday is Mother's Day. I'm so grateful that I've been fortunate to BE a mom and thankful every day that God chose to bless me with such AWESOME children as Bill & Amanda (and Lara!) It's always a little bittersweet for me since Momma isn't here any more . . . but I can't dwell on that too much, because I have so many other incredible moms in my life (you know who you are). And since I haven't had time to make any cards this year, I'll just have to use this post to wish each and every one of you a FANTASTIC day!

Who knows? I might even decide to have a Margarita to celebrate all these momentous occasions . . .

Hey, I'm Just Sayin' . . .

2010-05-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

Dave isn't particularly fond of that phrase, but maybe this post will help him see it a new light :-)

TODAY IS OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY!

My awesome husband has loved me and tolerated me for forty long years (even longer if you count the two years we dated) in spite of my many flaws - and, for the most part, he's kept a smile on his handsome face the entire time. In fact, Dave loves me sooooooo much that he didn't even pitch a fit when I told him I wouldn't be home for our anniversary . . . yep, I'm out of town playing with a few of my friends this weekend. In all fairness, he's missed an anniversary or two himself . . . but he was always gone for WORK, and I can't claim that excuse.

In any case, eventhough I'm gone, I've scheduled this entry to post automatically (sure hope it works!), so he'll know I'm thinking of him even if I'm physically absent. I even did a little layout to celebrate the occasion . . .

So, Dave - even if I'm not there right now so we can celebrate together, I hope you have at least a slight idea of how much I love you, how grateful I am that I met you at that Sigma Nu party in 1968, and how much I'm looking forward to the next 40 years!

Hey, I'm Just Sayin' . . .

Where Am I & What Do I Need?

2010-04-27T00:09:00.007-05:00

I first uttered those words many years ago when we were playing a game at John & Liz's and I found myself without any idea whatsoever as to what I was supposed to do next. Over time, it's morphed into a pretty common phrase at my house, as I seem to be increasingly less capable of keeping myself on track. But I apparently don't ask the question often enough, because I really dropped the ball yesterday . . .

I'm pretty sure I knew where I was all day since I didn't leave the house, but I obviously didn't remember something I needed to DO.

I missed a birthday - a very IMPORTANT birthday! We are talking a SERIOUSLY important birthday . . . and I hope you'll forgive me, John!! To help make up for it, I'm posting this cute little picture of you when you were a mere lad. All it had on the back when I borrowed it from Jeane was "Johnny Boy," so I can't tell you exactly when it was taken (I'm guessing age 6). I'll just bet you can remember every single detail about when & why it was taken, and I'm hoping that when I get to be 82 maybe my memory will have improved enough to do fancy tricks like that :-)

Meanwhile, it seems that "no longer able to boil eggs" has a new companion. I just may have to start a list so I can keep track of all the things I can't do any more . . . yeah, that's what I'll do - I'll start a list. Now, if only I can remember to do that.

Oh yeah - I almost forgot . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!

A Nod to My Scrappin' Muse

2010-04-25T13:28:00.004-05:00

I was asked a question the other day about how I've evolved as a scrapper & how I got started in the first place. That set me to thinking about how instrumental one person has been in making me the addict I am today. No, it's not Becky Higgins or Ali Edwards or even Tim Holtz . . . none of the usual luminaries that spring to mind when scrappers are asked who inspires them most. It's none other than my BFF, Milli!!

(She might even shoot me for posting this picture, but just the fact that she posed for it in the first place is one of the many reasons I love her. Besides, it helps keep this post from being too much on the "cherishy" side!)

Like a lot of other folks, I sort of starting scrapping in the late 90's after being invited to a Creative Memories party. But I really didn't accomplish much there except to mutilate nearly every decent snapshot I had of Bill & Amanda growing up . . . you know, cutting them into heart shapes and such, surrounding them with little pieces of b-o-r-i-n-g construction paper, and slapping Mrs. Grossman's stickers all over the page. And that's right where I was stuck until Milli came along!

We had both moved to the same neighborhood in 2000 and become friends, but we didn't realize until about 6 years ago that we were both scrappers (and I use the term loosely to describe myself). I can say with no hesitation that THEN was when I really began to scrap in earnest. Milli opened a whole new universe to me . . . products & techniques I knew nothing about, scrapbooking magazines, places to shop and take classes (both online & off) - and last, but certainly not least, blogs & message boards.

With each new step, Milli has been there not only to introduce me to new things but to encourage me and boost my confidence. After much cajoling, she finally convinced me a couple of years ago to post one of my layouts in an online gallery. Yet again, new worlds opened before me - and after a while doing that, I began to notice some really cool layouts that were done digitally. Fascinated by them, I wanted to learn more - so I plunked down a few bucks for Photoshop Elements and signed up for some online classes. Hellooooooo Jessica Sprague and Pattie Knox and Linda Sattgast . . . and all the folks who offer free tutorials (way too many to list & I know I haven't even discovered them all)!

My foray into the The Dark Side (as digital scrapping is sometimes known to its detractors) is about the only scrapping step I've taken where Milli wasn't holding my hand tightly. She's sticking with paper, and I'm pretty much converted to digi for my layouts - but just because we aren't using the same medium does NOT mean that we will part ways. We've still got our mini albums and cards, both of which You-Know-Who taught me all about . . . and we'll ALWAYS have our retreats and shopping expeditions. And who knows what's on the horizon? There will most likely be some innovative way to scrap headed down the pike, and chances are Milli's going to be the one to tell me about it and help me do a little more exploring!!

My Kind of Cricket

2010-04-24T14:03:00.009-05:00

Ever since I was a little girl & used to find great pleasure in scaring the bejeezus out of Paula Cook with grasshoppers I'd caught, I've been petrified of bugs . . . hmmm, Karma perhaps? I could tell you all sorts of ridiculous tales about my bug phobia (maybe another day), but I do remember many years ago telling Dave's brother that crickets were my "worst bug" - I think because they jump AND crunch . . . ick, ick, and more ick!!

I never really thought I'd come across a cricket I thought was CUTE - but I was sooooo wrong! Now tell me - who couldn't love this Cricket? She was born April 14th at the Denver Zoo, and you can read all about her here.

In fact, if you want to put a smile on your face nearly any day of the week, I highly recommend making a visit to ZooBorns part of your daily routine. Thank you, Ingrid, for telling me about this site . . . it's become one of my favorite places on the internet :-)

The Excellent Adventures of Dee & Jann

2010-04-23T22:00:00.005-05:00

Of the gazillion blessings God has bestowed upon me, I'm most grateful for my family - not just Dave and the kids, but my siblings and my nieces & nephews and their children & and all the in-laws! I feel a little guilty sometimes for having such bounty, but that is tempered by the fact that we don't all get to spend nearly as much time together as I'd like.

Two weeks ago, though, Jann came from California & we had a rare opportunity to get together with at least part of the crew . . . Mary & her family in Houston and Joe & his in Wichita Falls. Everybody ate too much & slept too little, but it was one of our best visits EVER . . . and I wanted to share just a few pics from the trip. If you weren't there with us, I wish you had been. If you WERE there with us, I'm ever so glad. Either way, I hope we can get together again - very SOON!!

Houston leg:

Janneepoo with Miss Emma

3 Old Ladies & A Baby

One More Cute Bunny!

The Happy Little Family

Grammy Mary & Emma

The Princess Herself - All Worn Out From Her Bath

Wichita Falls leg:

What sort of tall tale is he spinning here?

The lengths we'll go to for a good shot . . .

Joe & Nancie's new "puppy" - Midnight

Aunt Jann with Kayleigh

No telling what just happened . . .

Jofus, Baby Bear, and Janneepoo

One of these days, I'll get his FACE . . .

Go Muterspaugh Kids!!

MOST of the group (Nancie & Casey taking pics, Jennifer absent)

Meanwhile, I miss you ALL soooooo much (even the ones I just saw & especially the ones I didn't) - and I love you even more than that! xoxoxo

Reality Check . . .

2010-04-23T01:46:00.009-05:00

Well, I'm bummed that this season's Project Runway came to an end tonight, but I'm totally pumped that SETH AARON won!! He's been my favorite since the very first week (although, who couldn't love Anthony?) . . . and I couldn't be more delighted with the outcome. I didn't really care too much for the red dress Kristina wore, but Seth Aaron definitely stepped up the

sophistication level on his collection without compromising his style & I liked most of his designs a lot. Besides, Emilio's smugness was beginning to really bug me . . . and under no circumstances whatsoever did I want Brandise to be walking away with part of the prize. So, YEAH, SETH AARON!!!

Meanwhile, somewhere in Samoa J. T. is probably still scratching his head. Y'know, it's that smug thing again . . . I just don't like smug - especially when you're sooooooo off-base for feeling that way. I like to see attitudes like that come back to haunt you. Sure, Russell is a smug jerk - but, he's smart smug, not stupid smug. And, so far at least, he has reason to be a little on the complacent side (hopefully that won't last much longer). J.T. didn't have a reason in the world to feel so invincible - although I guess I can understand feeling superior to the other eejits on his tribe. But seriously . . . giving the immunity idol to
someone on the other tribe? What a bonehead move
that was!

I was seriously delighted when his stupidity backfired on him - and as much as I've never been a Parvati fan, I have to give her props for the slick (and ballsy!) move she made at Tribal Council. At the rate she's going, she could win it all again. But at this point, I'm secretly rooting for Sandra . . . the trailers for next week kind of look like she may be making her move. But, we all know that the trailers don't mean squat - and Russell has quite a good track record for getting rid of anybody who even thinks about coming after him. We'll see . . .

Jofus, The Mayor of Glasgow

2010-04-22T15:07:00.079-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Earth Day . . . and in honor of the occasion, I did a layout about one of the earthiest people I know - my brother Joe. He's occasionally mistaken for Willie Nelson and is commonly known in his neck of the woods as Jofus, the Mayor of Glasgow, but mostly he's just an all-round great guy. He has also taught me quite a bit about organic gardening . . . and keeping all those nasty chemicals off our plants and foodstuffs is an important step towards not only keeping us healthier, but making our planet a cleaner place for us to live. So, here's to Joe . . . long may he have a hoe in his hand and dirt under his fingernails!

Most of the elements used for this layout are by Shabby Miss Jenn. For full credits, see my Flicker Gallery (link in sidebar)

I'm Thinking About Hiring a Wife

2010-04-21T16:01:00.007-05:00

Yeah, I know I've already posted twice today - but the blog thing is still something of a novelty to me (that won't last, I'm sure) PLUS I really felt the urge to share this . . . lest any of you has doubts about how flaky I'm getting.

So . . . I decided yesterday that some tuna salad sounded really good and put some eggs on to boil. Then I let the dogs out, started a load of laundry, and got busy doing various & sundry things. Some time (quite a bit apparently) later, I heard a sound like something had fallen in the other room - but I assumed it was Belle pounding on the door to be let in and hollered that I'd be there in a minute. Just seconds later, I heard another noise . . . and then I smelled it! You guessed it . . . I not only burned those suckers - but 3 of them exploded all over my kitchen!! It's amazing how gi-normous a mess 3 little eggs can make . . . although I must say that Riley & Belle quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately, they wasted no time eating all the parts that were on the floor - so I didn't have a chance to take pictures.

However . . . I did manage to get a picture of the ones I burned TODAY! Yep, you heard me right . . . Little Susie Homemaker has burned up a dozen eggs in barely 24 hours! At least they didn't explode all over the place today - when I heard that first pop, I knew EXACTLY what it was. So, the dogs didn't get an extra treat like yesterday (if you count burned egg fragments as a treat) - but I don't have nearly as big a mess to clean up either.

Meanwhile, I still don't have what I need to make tuna salad. In 10 days, I will have been married for 40 years . . . I've boiled quite a few eggs in that time without any problems whatsoever. I guess I've lost that talent, though - I just hope the ability to boil water doesn't go next . . . maybe it's time to hire myself a wife!

Gimme a Break Already!

2010-04-21T09:42:00.008-05:00

I'm still pretty dumbfounded by this new (to me, anyway) concept, so I'm not going to get on my soapbox. But I can't help but wonder if we don't already have a surplus of people running around who are concerned about nothing beyond their own needs and wants. Is it really a good idea to create more on purpose?!

It's rare that I run across a person, place, or thing with ZERO redeeming qualities - but this is one 'em. Judge for yourself . . . and whether you agree with me or not, I'd be interested to hear what you think!

Good Morning America Piece on Unschooling

A Very Happy Birthday to a Very Special Person . . .

2010-04-21T05:54:00.011-05:00

At the risk of being boastful (which I dislike intensely), I'm compelled today to jump right out there and scream to the world that I have the BEST daughter-in-law in the entire world!! All you other mothers-in-law should envy me, because I couldn't have written the specs for a better DIL than Lara. It's actually uncanny how well we get along, and we have a hard time convincing some people that we aren't really mother and daughter because we enjoy one another's company so much.

So, to the matter at hand - today is this remarkable lady's birthday . . . and although I never sing "Happy Birthday" (especially to the ones I love & don't want to kill with my markedly UN-dulcet tones), I think it's safe to do it like this without causing any major damage.

(In C Major - notes in parentheses)
Hap-py: (G,G)
Birth-day: (A,G)
to: (C)
you: (B)
Hap-py: (G,G)

Birth-day: (A,G)
to: (D)
you: (C)

Hap-py: (G,G)
Birth-day: (G 1 octave higher, F)

Dear: (E)
La-ra: (E,D)

Hap-py: (F,F)
Birth-day: (E,C)
to: (D)
you: (C)

My Daughter, the Jockstrap & Some of Her Amazing Friends

2010-04-19T13:28:00.027-05:00

Amanda and I are very different in many ways, but one of the most important things we have in common is that we have THE MOST AWESOME FRIENDS EVER!! Unfortunately, one of Amanda's very close friends, Shoshannah, lost her first love and best friend, Justin Sullivan, to Hodgkin's lymphoma just before Christmas.

Despite his ill health, Justin had hoped to participate in the New York City Triathlon - unfortunately, that dream never came true. In his honor, however, Shoshanna and several of her friends are training to compete in the Capital of Texas Olympic Triathlon to be held in Austin on Memorial Day. None of them has ever done anything like this before, and they are truly sacrificing their time and energy to support a noble cause. In exchange for intensive coaching and mentoring from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program, the team is raising funds for the LLS, which has raised over a 680 million dollars for cancer research and has funded studies responsible for life-altering and life-extending drugs.

Much to her regret, Amanda won't be able to take part in the Triathlon - but to show her support, she designated herself as the team's Athletic Supporter, aka Jockstrap LBS - and I'm her self-appointed Assistant Jockstrap. While I know funds are extra tight these days and there are plenty of worthy causes vying for what little there is left, a couple of the team members are just shy of reaching their goals, and it would be such a disappointment for them not to be able to participate after training so long and hard! So, I'm asking you to at least consider donating to this extremely worthwhile endeavor.

Here's a picture of the team:

And here's where you can go to help with whatever you're able.
Sonya
Shannon

Remember that even small amounts add up quickly - and your donations go directly to LLS & are tax deductible. You, too, can become an assistant jockstrap . . . who wouldn't want that on their resume?!

Guess I'm Not a TOTAL Dinosaur . . .

2010-04-18T11:21:00.022-05:00

I already sort of do the Facebook thing (as a lurker mostly), and I don't think Twitter's for me since I use too many words. But when Jann was visiting last week, she finally convinced me to do what I've been thinking about for quite a while - I've entered the world of blogging!

It's kind of difficult for me to decide on a topic for my first post, but since I already need/want to be somewhere else right now anyway, I'm just going to say this: if you're a scrapper and enjoy great challenges & super-friendly people, you really owe it to yourself to pop in to Scrapadilly.

We're in the midst of our monthly, week-long crop (this month it's Friday Night Boredom Fighters) - and right now would be a great time to jump in and join the fun! (The crop lasts until midnight (CT) on Saturday, the 24th, so there's still plenty of time to participate.)