Happy New Year!!!

To celebrate the arrival of 2009 I'm giving away two of the little calendars I designed complete with cute little easel. The calendar measures about 4.25x5.5 and is designed to sit on a desk or small space. Each month has a different color and design but in the same format as what you see above. They are printed on an ivory/white sparkly paper.

If you would like to enter to win please leave a comment about what you are looking forward to in the New Year.

Unfortunately, I will not be sending international so if you aren't in the US, you aren't eligible to win. Not because I don't love you but because it requires a trip to the Post Office and I hardly ever go there so it would be ages before I mailed it out and since it's a calendar it's time sensitive. I know, silly, but it's just the truth!!

I will draw a name after 10pm tomorrow night.

Reorganizing...

Since Owen has not been feeling well lately I've been trying to occupy my time, and some of his, with some work in my craft room. The holidays are always a busy time in the craftroom and things tend not to get put away and Owen helps with the mess as much as he can! It was time to get things put back in order.

Today I sorted and reorganized all of my paper. I have drawers for all of my pattern paper sorted by circle, stripe, floral, text, and geometric. This is loosely based on Ali Edwards' pattern paper book. I do run into a bit of trouble with the double sided stuff but I let that go and put it in the drawer with the side up that I will most likely be looking for. Oh, and this reorganization of the paper was spurred by the 40% off sale my LSS had on pattern paper this week! I stocked up on papers I could use on layouts for O. Before Owen was born I had accumulated a lot of "girly" papers and every time I would go through my drawers when I was planning a layout for him I noted my lack of "boyish" papers. I thought it was a good time to get some new stuff! And I also needed to go through my CTMH papers and either purge them or incorporate them into my stash. Hence the organizing project.

I also went through all my scraps and reorganized those. I had been keeping them in a drawer for the colored stuff and a box for the netural stuff. This was not a good way to use the scraps. So I repurposed the drawers that had previously held some wood stamps (that have been purged) and put the cardstock scraps in them by color. Red/Yellow/Orange, Green, Blue, Purple/Pink/Mauve, Brown, Grey/Black. Now they are much more useful. I had been keeping a small box with scraps of pattern paper in them too. These scraps I put into some clear page protectors and put them into the pattern paper drawers.

Finally, I sorted all my 12x12 cardstock into my expandable file thing. I have two of these. One held just CTMH cardstock and then I had a drawer for other 12x12 cardstock. The LSS had a sale on discontinued CS recently, which I stocked up on, so my CS drawer was full. I relabled the slots in the expandable file by color and combined all the 12x12 CS into it. Now I can just take the whole thing when I go scrapping. There is also enough room in the back of it for larger scrap sheets. I have a file cabinet that holds all my 8 1/2 x 11 CS and that has been well organized for a long time.

Now I feel like I have a better idea of what I have and where it is and it's more accessible thus easier to use. I also don't think I'll be needing any paper for awhile!! Now I just need to get caught up on printing photos so I can get back to a regular routine of scrapping them. I fell behind on my monthly printing in September. I also need to purge iPhoto of crappy photos, burn some to disks, and move the rest to the external HD.

On another note, I've been having difficulty unwinding at the end of the night. After Owen goes to bed, which is around 9pm lately, I get busy doing things I want to finish up or haven't gotten to during the day (like my blog!) and then I get a second wind. Before I know it, it's midnight and I should be in bed. I also don't think my medication is helping me sleep like my dr. was hoping it would. I think it causes me to dream more which I find disruptive to my sleep. I also find Owen's night waking and Ludwig's late night potty breaks distruptive too! Oh, and Morgan's loud breathing and snoring! Sometimes it's easier to stay up than it is to try to go to bed!

We had a bit more snow today and a big temperature drop. Right now it's -2˚ (-18 for my Celsius friends)! Yesterday it started out at about 35˚ and dropped steadily throughout the day. I don't know what the average is supposed to be, it's been so eratic this winter.

Well, I'd better try to get to bed. I'm sure tomorrow will come all to soon and bring all kinds of excitement!

Heading into the New Year...

I am a person who likes beginnings and endings. I like a sense of accomplishment and having something be finished. I don't do as well with perpetually ongoing projects. However, I seem to be able to break up even the most mundane things so there is a beginning and an end.

I always like the beginning of a new year. It's like a fresh start. Last year I tried to make a list of resolutions, only to cast them aside not long into the new year. I didn't lose weight, I didn't start running again, and I didn't give up candy. What a surprise! Yesterday I was reading Jill's blog and she shared her intentions for 2008 and a few new ones for 2009. Did you see that word INTENTIONS?? What a great idea! So much better than resolutions. It just feels like a better word to me. Not resolving but intending. With purpose. With thought and purpose and intent. Doing things I love and enjoy and perhaps that are better for me than what I'm currently doing. It's another step away from my all or nothing thought process to a more gentle way of living and a kinder way of treating myself.

I think this year I'm also going to give up numbers. At least in relation to my age and my weight. I am not unhappy with BEING 35, I just don't like the number. I also don't like the fast pace of adulthood. Childhood was so much slower and leisurely. When I was a child it was ages, years upon years before I would be a grown-up. And now the years march past with a brisk and breathless speed. I want to be leisurely but I also want to accomplish things. In the middle is where I need to place myself.

The house is quiet. The boys are in bed. All our visiting family has left or is leaving tomorrow. We had a very enjoyable Christmas celebrating with both our families. Owen had a great time with his "primos" or cousins. He was unhappy when I told him today that they had gone home and we wouldn't see them for awhile. However, my SIL got a new iMac recently so if all works well we will be able to iChat with the primos! My youngest nephew wanted to stay at our house for awhile. That would be fine except that Kansas is 8 hours away! I made the mistake of teasing him that his mom and dad were going to leave him at our house and he'd have to sleep on the couch. He thought that was a great idea! Silly me. I forget that to a 4 year old everything is literal!

We had a nice dinner with Morgan's parents and then they attended church with us this evening. I love the evening service we attend. It's pretty contemporary but also very inspiring and uplifting. I always feel good going and enjoy being there.

We also attended a very nice service at my BIL's church on Christmas eve. It was a family service that had good music and some creative interpretation of scripture with the message from the pastors broken up into parts rather than one long 25 minute segment.

In years past I've felt a sort of let down after Christmas is over. I think that's mostly attributed to outside forces. The Christmas music on the radio stops. The stores change their seasonal stock to the next holiday and the world marches on to the next thing. I've decided to keep listening to Christmas music, leave the tree up for awhile, and keep lighting the candles of the advent wreath. The SEASON of Christmas has just begun and I intend to keep celebrating. After all CHRISTmas isn't just about one day but the beginning of something, someone spectacular and amazing. Merry Christmas!

A quiet little Saturday...

Today is a quiet day around the house. Mostly because Owen and Morgan went to the pool! I took Ludwig for a nice walk around the neighborhood in the snow. To be honest, I'm loving all the snow we've been getting. I know my mom is NOT going to like that statement. She's a Minnesotan who should have been born somewhere a bit warmer! It's been like a real December to me. The kind I remember from my childhood. Enough snow to actually play in. It's not blizzard conditions like some places are getting but it's some nice snow. Enough for Morgan to ski. Enough to make it look like winter. Enough to make it feel like Christmas. Which is still funny to me since the first Christmas did not have snow!

I'm also happy because yesterday I finished our Christmas shopping. Owen and I met my friend Lisa and her children at the mall for lunch and some playtime and after they left for school Owen and I finished up our shopping. Now I can wrap it all up and have it be done before all of Morgan's family arrives.

I've got cookies to bake for Morgan's dad. Ornaments to put on the tree. And some other decorating to do. I've also been working on a Daily December/Christmas journal. I think next year I will either not do this kind of project or it won't be a daily thing. I'm not good with these daily kinds of projects. I like events or instances better than recording things daily. It's a little too regimented for me. Which is contrary to my personality! I usually like regimented and orderly. I guess in my own way!

Are you ready????

Six days till Christmas!!! It's 13˚ here today with a forecasted high of 20˚. Warmer than it's been in quite a few days! But rest assured we will be dipping back down into the arctic temps again!

Morgan had yesterday and today off of work. Burning vacation time at the end of the year. Yesterday we took Owen to the Macy's display in downtown Minneapolis. We met some friends from ECFE class there. The boys had a great time seeing how a day in the life of an elf would be! Then we enjoyed lunch together and ran around the skyway system for a bit. Here are a few pictures from the display.

Today on my agenda I'm planning to finish up the Christmas shopping. We don't have an extensive list, which is nice, but I want to get it finished up. Morgan's family all arrives next Tuesday and I need to spend some time getting the house in order this weekend too. After the shopping I am off to work!

Randomness for today...

Owen is not feeling well today. He slept horribly last night. He and I were up most of the night. He dozed on and off. He didn't want to be in his bed or ours so we ended up on the couch with the Christmas tree light up. It makes me feel better too! I got him so Cloroseptic throat strips. They aren't for children under 3 so I decided to cut them in 1/2. I also got him so orange juice stuff but that isn't as acidic. He isn't napping well either even though he's really tired. Right now I've got him confined to his room with the Cars movie and the humidifier. Hopefully the warm moist air will help him to breath a bit better. I've also propped up his mattress a bit so all that junk doesn't collect in his throat. I think that's what wakes him up.

Not much going on around here this weekend. We have two warm days before it plunges into the single digits. Morgan is out skiing with his brother. First time this season he's gotten out. And probably the earliest in the last few years. Hopefully there will be more snow this winter so he can ski more. (I know Mom, you don't want to hear that!)

I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping. Just a few items left on the list. I'm going to start some baking next week. I've been trying to keep up on my Daily December mini album but I've not had much time to work on it. This was a busy week and with Owen's short naps and late nights it's been difficult.

Thursday thoughts on toddlerhood...

1. I liked it better when Owen couldn't get into the fridge on his own.
2. I thought we were past screaming for attention!
3. "Owen do it" is one of my least favorite statements.
4. Learning that "no" is an acceptable answer even when you asked with a please and a cute face is harder than learning to say please.
5. Screaming "No, no, no" means the same as "no thank you". Which is what is implied when Owen says "right" after saying "no, no, no!" and we say "no thank you".
6. I seriously encouraged him to talk??? What was I thinking!?
7. Toddlers that don't like snow shouldn't live in MN in the winter. There should be a winter camp in Florida for these toddlers and their mommies and it should be free.
8. When I don't understand what he's saying it's sometimes best just to say yes and walk away.
9. A little sedative for mommies of toddlers should be a given.
10. Still the best thing I've ever done.

A little holiday humor...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Boy can Ludwig dance!

Wordless Wednesday...

It's a date...

Yesterday morning Morgan decided we should do something fun together, just the two of us. We don't do this all that often. When we do have time to ourselves, it's usually separately. We dropped Owen off at Morgan's brother's house to play with his cousin and we went to downtown St. Paul. We don't venture to many St. Paul places so it's more of an adventure for us than Minneapolis.

We ate lunch at the Great Waters Brewery and then went skating in Rice Park. They flood an area right outside the Landmark Center for skating. And if you have your own skates, it's free!

Here's the rink and the Landmark Center.

Morgan practicing his mad skating skills! He's only been skating for 2 years. I guess ice skating isn't a big sport in Nebraska.

A picture of us together.

Linus and Lucy by the park.

Squishy bear came too. This was outside one of the restaurants in the Hamm Building. I can't remember the name if it. We didn't eat here.

It was not a warm day! I don't know what the temp was but it was blustery and cold. My skates are nicely insulated and warm but my face was really cold and got numb.

After skating we went to check out the remodeled St. Paul central library. It's an amazing library with all kinds of modern stuff but in an old building with an old library feel. It's beautiful. Then we went to Dunn Bros. and sat by the fire to read the paper and sip cocoa and coffee. It was nice to spend a little time together just having fun and relaxing. Not working on house projects or catching up on our zzzz's!

This week is a busy week around here. I work today. Wednesday is O's last toddler class and I have to bring something for the mom potluck. Thursday is O's physiatrist check-up and my bookclub holiday party. I've also got to edit a photo for my boss to give as gifts and work on the New Year's card to send out to our clients. The house also needs to be cleaned and I still have decorating I want to do and a bunch of other little projects going on! No rest for the wicked!

Celebrating advent...

This year for Advent we decided (or I did and told Morgan) that we should celebrate with a little more pause and purpose. First, I created an Advent wreath for us to light each Sunday and spend some time with scripture and prayer. I used greens from our own trees and some little pinecones I collected from somewhere and had stashed away. Owen loves the lighting of the candle and blowing it out.

Then I created a little advent activity calendar. When I was scrapping a month ago one of the other girls scrapping was creating one. I over heard her talking about it and thought it was such a good idea. I didn't see how she was doing it though so I just made mine up.

I used 12x4 pieces of cardstock to make pockets. Then put a number on each. The numbers were from a piece of pattern paper I found last year. I think by Making Memories. I reinforced each of the pockets with brads so they wouldn't come apart. Each pocket is decorated differently. Then I made a tag (6x2 1/2) on my cricut and then printed an activity on it. I bound the pockets together with my bind-it-all and then made the little stand with a wooden plaque, 3 dowels and two wooden beads. The stand can be disassembled so it will store flat.

This is just a random photo from last weekend. Owen and Morgan were scrubbing the kitchen floor. Owen loves to help daddy with whatever he's doing!

O's napping so I'm off for a bath and then to work on the things on my to-do list!

Catching up a bit...

I haven't been able to keep up with my blog too much because we've been busy and Owen doesn't let me sit still at the computer for too long! I'm also a little addicted to Facebook!

Here are a few pictures to share. Owen enjoying some chocolate pudding last week. He loves his pudding.

Just a snap shot before bed last night.

My six dollar decorating project in Owen's room. I bought the black frames at Ikea for $2 each. The robots are a font I found at Scrap N Fonts. In PSE I colored them and added a drop shadow and printed out on cardstock.

Here is my new haircut! I decided yesterday I was tired of it and had 7" cut off!

Morgan is off for three days. Today we had the furnace and ducts cleaned and the faucet in the bathtub repaired. There goes our Christmas money! I'm hoping to get an Advent wreath made and maybe some other projects done. Like my September and October pictures edited and printed and my Week in the Life project done.

Thoughtful Friday...

"I'm as happy as a tornado in a trailer park!" -Mater (from Cars)

It's currently 9˚ here. Yes, you read that right. 9˚. For my Celsius friends that's -12˚. Which is darn cold! We're going for a high of 26˚ today. Wooo Whooo!

I don't think we'll be playing outside today. Especially since O is in just a diaper. Any ideas for fun activities with a 2 1/2 year old would be greatly appreciated. He's really into videos and TV lately and we need to get out of that mode!

Also, I'm planning to make an Advent Activity calendar so any ideas you have for fun, thoughtful, nice activities for Advent... please share. I will make a list of them and share once I have a bunch.

Have a great Friday!

Ugh...toddlerhood...

Owen has been a bit of a challenge lately. In our toddler class we've talked about this thing called the spiral of development that children move along. On the left side (there's a visual chart) is when they are in disequillibrium and on the right is when they are in equillibrium. There are ages that correspond with the sides. 2 1/2 is on the disequillibrium side. Super. Most days I can tell.

Yesterday we took a trip to Ikea with Mimi. It was a nice trip. Despite the challenges that Owen presented. Mimi got a new table for her kitchen and I got a couple Christmas gifts and a some picture frames and a few odds and ends. We had lunch there too. I love Ikea. I love the carts (3 choices of carts) and how all the wheels rotate. Not just 2 of them. Owen likes to spin in the cart. I love all the neat stuff and how there are full apartments of displays. The bathrooms have really cool Dyson hand dryers. I love the prices. I love the cafeteria. They even have bibs.

Last night I worked and then stopped at Toys R Us to look at train tables. I got a set of Cars cars for Owen for his Christmas stocking. Not sure about the train table idea yet. We've got a budget to stay within for Christmas gifts. Then I went to Archiver's to browse and get some cardstock. I also found a cute idea for Christmas ornaments. I'll share when I have a visual. Then I came home. Owen is always excited to see me. Somedays I'm not as excited to see him. I feel bad about that. Sometimes evenings are challenging and I don't look forward to them. It would be nice to be able to spend some time with Morgan after Owen goes to bed but by the time he's in bed and asleep it's already 10pm and we are both tired. So we talk for a few minutes and go to sleep. Last night I came out of O's room at 10. Washed up, grabbed my book and read for awhile and then went to sleep. Around 12:30 Owen woke up crying and hollering. I went in to try and settle him but he wasn't having it so I left him to work it out. I was so tired I just didn't have the energy to deal with him either. So I went back to bed. Unfortunately he didn't work it out himself and continued to get upset and gag and hack and then throw up. Morgan went in and got him. Then I got up. He ended up in our room watching TV. He finally calmed down and stayed in our bed to sleep. And now this morning he was mad because dee-dee was dirty. So dee-dee is in the washer and he is watching Sid the Science kid and eating crackers. I'm hoping today will be a better day. And because I don't want to wallow in all the things that are on my mind and causing me anxiety lately I've decided to do a list of things to be thankful for. So here goes.

I'm thankful for:

• Being able to stay home with Owen.
• Morgan helping to keep the kitchen clean.
• Spending time with my mom and Owen.
• Facebook
• Good friends
• My uncle and his friend coming to fix the tub faucet today and install the bathroom fan.
• having a job.
• having a creative outlet.
  

I also wanted tell all of you thank you for your kind words and support on my last post. THANK YOU!!

Believe it or not...

Fridays are my least favorite day of the week. By Friday there is little to look forward to in the day. We've been to Target, we've had lunch with Mimi, I've worked two days, Naunee has been over, toddler class was two days ago. There's just not anything to do. This week the weather has been wet and gray. That does nothing for my mood either. It also means we haven't been outside much. Morgan also tends to get home late on Fridays and by the time he gets home I'm well beyond my tolerance for being a SAHM.

This week has been particularly annoying for me in the SAHM dept. I'm feeling a little.... not unappreciated, I know what I do is accepted and appreciated, maybe just a little useless. Not in anyone else's mind but my own though. Sometimes I just have difficulty keeping in mind the importance of what I do. I guess sometimes I feel a little bit like nobody special. I don't have an important job (outside of my home). I don't make a lot of money. No one notices if I don't shower or wash my hair for several days. I'm not popular or famous. And I know those things are not what is important. And it's a lot of vanity to even worry about it. But somedays or weeks I just feel a little less interesting than I want to. It also doesn't help that a lot of my accomplishments during the day/week are undone so quickly! Especially my cleaning efforts.

For instance. This is how I like the kitchen to look. It looked like this when I went to work on Monday. And a few other times through out the week. But when I came home after work on Monday it did NOT look like this. I really think Morgan has a subconscious aversion to a kitchen this clean.

Some of you are aware of my little obsession with glittered and sparkly things. One of my favorite decorations for fall are my little glittered pumpkins and gourds. This year I found these apothecary jars at Michael's and thought they would be lovely for the buffet in our dining room. One has some of the glittered pumpkins in it and the other is waiting for some candy.
On the other side of the buffet is this pumpkin and little vintage looking glass turkey dish. I found the little turkey dish at JoAnn's for $2.

Yesterday I finished up the calendars for the craft fair on Sunday and then bought the easels before book club. I brought a sample for the girls to review. Maggie liked that it was bigger than last year's, BJ liked last year's better. And Lisa thought they were great. (Lisa is my new best friend!). Nikki was mumbling something to Maggie to the effect that they should all get one as gifts for Christmas. Especially since they already have the easel!!

I have some fun tags I made for the fair and a few more ideas that I'd like to work on. We'll see how it goes. My creative juices have been fairly cooperative this week and PSE has been cooperating too.

Here are a couple of layouts I finished up earlier this week. I'm mostly happy with how they turned out.

And now I think it's time for me to go because Owen has climbed onto my lap and wants to type too. He likes to see the green light on the caps lock. So while I'm typing all the sudden everything is in all caps. Toddlers are so helpful!

Cleaning...

I think I've mentioned before that I enjoy cleaning. It's therapeutic for me. I like things in order and clean and tidy. I like to know where everything is. I don't like to search for things. It took me awhile (and some therapy) to learn that people have different tolerance levels for messes. Morgan and I have different tolerances. When I cook I clean up as I go along. Morgan doesn't. He claims it's because he's in a hurry. But I think it's just not how he works.

Most days I spend a lot of time putting things back where they belong. My stuff, Morgan's stuff, Owen's stuff. All the stuff. I'm the one who knows where the stuff is. Or at least I'm the one who is always asked where things are. "Have you seen my keys?" "Have you seen my wallet?" "Have you seen my phone?" "Have you seen my shoes?" I rarely have to ask these questions because I KNOW where my stuff is! I keep telling Morgan to put his stuff in the same place so then he knows where it is. Sometimes he does, lots of time he doesn't. And I'm always accused of moving it! And sometimes I do. Because I think shoes should go in the closet! Silly me!

Anyway, yesterday I had the kitchen nice and clean. Dishes done and put away. Counters and table wiped up. Floor swept. Then I went to work. When I came home all my efforts were undone. I think Morgan has a subconscious (or not) desire to foil all my cleaning! He did wash up the dishes he used and sort of wipe the counters. But as I mentioned we have different ideas about what is clean and I have work to do.

I tend to be a little obsessive at times about the state of our house. This week is one of those times. Other weeks I can let things go a bit. But lately that's not the case. So today I'm tidying up and obsessing about germs. Lucky me!

A busy Monday...

It's been a busy Monday around here. While I'm still in my PJ's I've accomplished the following already today (in no particular order):

1. Got out of bed. (This is a big deal for me as a lot of the time I'd just rather stay cozied up in there!)
2. Fed Owen 2 good meals and a snack. I've had a few bites of good meals.
3. Finished putting plastic on the rest of the windows in the house. That 3M indoor window insulation stuff ROCKS!
   
4. Washed dishes and cleaned up the kitchen.
   
5. Cleaned all the toys out of the tub yesterday. While Owen didn't have a bath yesterday he had fun throwing all of his bath toys into the tub while I was in it.
   
6. Made the bed.
7. Harvested some crops on my FB farm. I love that application!
8. Played with Owen. Chase, get you, Mama Dat? Read some stories.
9. Put O down for a nap.
   

I've got the following this to accomplish:

1. Sew up the curtain for the bathroom.
   
2. Take a shower.
3. Clean the bathroom.
4. Sweep the kitchen floor.
   
5. Work on the 2009 calendar I'm going to sell at a craft fair this weekend.
6. Go to work.

And whatever else comes my way!

*****EDITED*****
I got all the things on my list done! Go me!

Happy Birthday to my honey...

Today is Morgan's birthday. My birthday week is officially over! Happy Birthday honey! I love you! You are a great husband and a wonderful father.

Owen and I got Morgan a guitar for his birthday. While O is sleeping I'm going to hide it and write clues so it's like a scavenger hunt. I would have given it to him this morning but he gets up way too early. He's hoping to come home a little early from work today but Fridays are busy for him so it may not happen. O and I may bake a cake today too.

It's also snowing today. Which I'm sure Morgan is happy about. He didn't get much skiing in last year because of our lack of snow. Maybe this year will be different.

The challenge on 2P's today is: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18? Ick! Seriously, just ick. High school was my least favorite time of my life. I didn't feel like I fit in and I didn't like a lot of the people in my high school and I just wanted to get out of there. Despite my dislike of the number 35, I'm happy with who I am and my life. I guess that makes the icky parts worth it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Thoughts on a rainy Thursday...

Random thoughts for today...

1. Why does Morgan need to make such a mess in the kitchen?? There are 5 knives, 1 vegetable peeler and a zester on the counter right now. Who uses that many knives to cook!?
2. Now sure how O and I are going to survive a rain day today. He's playing with stuff in the sink right now. (The knives are on another counter and not within his reach!).
   
3. I'm going to make soup today. The recipe made me anxious just looking at it! I can put furniture together and follow complicated computer directions but recipes give me the hives!
4. I love facebook.
5. Morgan put some of my birthday cupcakes in the freezer. He didn't think I'd be able to eat them all. I love a good challenge!
6. Morgan's birthday is tomorrow. Owen and I have a little surprise for him!
7. I'm having a hard time reading the book club book for this month. It's non-fiction, kind of long and a little boring.
   

And I'll stop there! Hope you have a great Thursday!

Wordless Wednesday...2 1/2 years old today...

Hooray Hooray it's election day!

Owen and I went and voted this morning. It's a lovely day here in MN so we walked to the school where we vote and then went to the park. Owen was a little irritated about voting. He thought we were going to "boat". He kept talking about boats and such and I kept telling him we were voting, not boating. Which of course just made him mad. But then I told him we could go to the park after I voted and that seemed to perk him up. It was nice to get some fresh air. This is one of the trees at the park. I've taken very few pictures this fall so I took my camera with me to see if I could capture a bit of the warm fall weather we're having.

I am so thrilled for today to have finally come. In the 17 years I've been of voting age I don't think I've felt anticipation for an election like I do for this one. First for it to be just plain over and second to find out who wins. In MN we've had a particularly vicious senate race going on between Senator Norm Coleman and Al Franken. It's practically overshadowed the presidential race. And I'm not big on publicly advertising my vote I can say that I did not cast my vote for either of them. I chose the independent man, Dean Barkley. He's a long shot (which surprises me) but I have hope that neither of the mud slingers will get elected.

Both Morgan's mom and sister tried to change his mind on his vote yesterday. I find it interesting that neither of them bothered with me! Morgan and I can talk politics and have frequently during this election. While we disagree on some issues and candidates we always hear the other out and respect the others decision because we know it's an educated and thought out decision. I don't think either Morgan's mom or sister gave Morgan that same courtesy yesterday. They basically approached him with the thought that his choice was the wrong one and he was making a bad decision. Both of them have made their choice based heavily on one issue with little consideration of other issues and also for fear of what the "other" candidate might bring. This is just not how Morgan or I think or approach things. We both tend to be optimistic regardless of which direction the election goes and we also try to examine a broad range of issues. I believe in any election it is the choice of lesser evils and a person has to decide who they believe is right for what they believe is important. I guess that is what Morgan's mom and sister did but I got the feeling that their decisions were not as informed as they could be.

Happy voting everyone! And may the person who wins to the best they can with what they've got!

Oh boy 35!

Today is my 35th birthday. To be honest I can't believe I am 35. Turning 30, which feels like just yesterday, really freaked me out. And here I am 35. Which I definitely don't feel like I should be. The odd part is that 30 and beyond has been the best part of my life thus far. I am older and wiser and feel more confident in myself. I have a great husband and good friends and family that loves me and a wonderful little boy. Lots of people do a list of things to do before they turn another year older. I contemplated a list of that sort but I couldn't come up with 35 things I wanted to do. At least things of significance. So I decided on a list of 35 things I am thankful for. I'm going to have Morgan take my picture later today and then I will do a layout about the 35 things with the picture. It's my way of letting go of the number and embracing all of what my life has brought and what the experiences of it have taught me and appreciating all that I have.

Here are a couple of pictures from previous birthdays. My mom had one of my 18th birthday. I forgot to bring it home with me though. But I had to look at the number on the birthday cake to determine how old I was! I thought I looked about 13.

This was my 4th or 5th birthday. I can't tell for sure. But I know there are little gnomes on that cake!

Happy Halloween!!

1. The Great Halloween Parrot, 2. Happy Halloween 2007, 3. Happy Halloween! ... porque haberlas, haylas ..., 4. Halloween, 5. oooOooOoo...Happy Halloween!, 6. Halloween 2005, 7. Dining room mantel Halloween style., 8. Happy Halloween!, 9. Happy Halloween '07, 10. Happy Halloween!, 11. Halloween magic is in the air....., 12. halloween bokeh, 13. Fairy Tale Creatures : Kawasaki-Halloween 2006, 14. Happy Halloween!!, 15. shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen...voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!", 16. Have yourself a spookylicious Halloween, 17. Happy Halloween!, 18. Halloween Witch (detail), 19. this is halloween!!, 20. Happy Halloween!!

I didn't have any Halloween pictures of my own to share so I did a mosaic instead. Found some great stuff on Flickr. I know I say this every time I do one of these but I LOVE Flickr!

Owen still hasn't decided on a costume! I wrestled him into his Elmo costume yesterday but he wiggled out quickly saying "no mama!". So he may just go as a toddler! I may use Maggie's stand by costume too. A shirt with a red, yellow and green spot on it for a stop light! She's so clever!

We also haven't carved O's pumpkin yet. Maybe he and I will do that today.

CKC was fun. It wasn't as big as I had expected or as busy. Not being busy was nice. Not so many people to deal with. That's my least favorite thing about those events. All the crazy scrappers! I got some Rusty Pickle papers and rub-ons. All 50% off. Some Scenic Route arrows for 20% off. I love those arrows. And a couple of SEI albums for $5 each. There was this cool new book binding system called the Unibind that I would like to have gotten but I didn't want to part with the money.

Tomorrow I'm scrapping again. A friend of Lisa's is a CM consultant and she's hosting a 9am-12am Photopalooza! Morgan said to me last night, "I think you should go for the whole time and get it out of your system. See if you can make it the whole 15 hours!" I guess I've been scrapping a lot lately!

I printed some pictures for tomorrow. I've got 21 pictures to put on 2 layouts. Rather ambitious for me. BJ has gotten good at getting a ton of pictures on a layout so I'm going to give it a go. One layout is from our visit to the apple orchard and the other is of Owen's baking adventures. Then I've got a bunch of other layouts and projects to work on. Should be fun.

I'm being told it's time to be done by Owen! He's getting kind of pushy lately! Hope everyone has a great Friday and a Happy Halloween!

Saturday...

Off to CKC this morning with my friend Lisa!! Scrapbook shopping without Owen! What could be better! Especially since he's in rare form this morning. I told Morgan last night that if I don't come home today I'll be at my mom's but not to tell O. He's all about right now and Owen do it, which gets to be a little trying day after day.

Hope your weekend is a good one.

7 facts...

Janet tagged me for this challenge.

RULES:

• Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
• Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
• Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
• Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

(You can be my facts can be random and or weird!)

1. I love to learn. And the scope of what I like to learn about is vast. I love to take things apart and figure things out. I'm mostly a hands-on and visual learner. My favorite segments of Mr. Rogers was always the part where he went to see how something was made. I still love that.
2. I like my bed made. Neat and tight. And it has to be made before I go to bed. Which irritates Morgan because sometimes I don't get around to making it until it's time to go to bed. And then he's already in it. So I shift him around and cover him up until I get the covers just right. We have one set of sheets that is my favorite too. I'll use the other sets but a lot of the time I'll just strip the bed, was that set, and put them back on. They are just super soft.
   
3. I don't like messiness. People told me this would ease after I had children. For me it has gotten worse because I stay home and I notice it more. So I spend more time thinking about it and wandering from room to room tidying things up. Our house it by no means immaculate but I would like it to be!
4. I love chocolate. Candy, cake, ice cream. Milk chocolate, a little dark chocolate. Hot chocolate, chocolate milk. Chocolate covered donuts. If it's chocolate, I'll probably eat it.
5. I also love potatoes. I've not had a potato made in a way that I don't like. Baked, mashed, fried, augratin, hash browns, twice baked. I love potatoes.
   
6. Before my digital camera I wasn't too interested in taking pictures. I wanted to learn but I figured it was too much work, too expensive, and too difficult for me to do. Then my mom gave us a digital camera for Christmas three years ago and I was off!
   
7. I love art and crafts and doing all kinds of crafty things but art was my least favorite thing to teach when I was a classroom teacher. It was difficult and messy and I didn't like the hassle. I'm learning to overcome this with Owen. I want him to try all kinds of creative things. So we paint and color and bake. And I do it in a way that I can handle but that is still enjoyable for both of us. Morgan cooks and bakes with Owen too and his style is far different from mine (Tazmanian Devil of the Kitchen) so Owen is exposed to more than one method!

Okay, 7 people to tag, Noelia, Lynn, Lily, my Sister, Alli, Emily and I can't think of anyone else at the moment that hasn't been tagged so if you want to participate please do!

More layouts to share...

Here are the last of the layouts I've finished up this week. The butterfly one has been sitting on my table for 2 months. It was waiting for the labels and the stitching on the top. I never did figure out what the black and white one is on the second page, top middle.

I'm really happy with how this one turned out. I did the journaling on clear sticker paper and then adhered it to the layout. I didn't want any more paper to distract from the photos.

This is my least favorite layout that I've done recently. I love the paper and the pictures but I just don't like how the layout came together. It's very disjointed to me. But I've decided to let it go. I can't love all the layouts I do. Sometimes I'm just off.

I took this picture the other day. Owen is actually dressed! Those are his jammies though. Which means he didn't get dressed until later in the day. I wanted a picture of the disaster he had made in the living room. He decided it would be fun to get out all the toys! And when I tried to start picking them up he wanted to play with whatever I wanted to put away. Eventually I talked him into helping me though. He wanted to play something else so I told him we need to clean up all the other stuff first.
Today (Wednesday) was a long day. It was raining and wet most of the day so we couldn't play outside. Owen was rather disagreeable and wanted to throw things and hit me today. This never works out for either of us.

Oh, and speaking of getting hit. Knocked down in this case. Owen likes to give tackle hugs. Which is fine, when you know they are coming. Here is a little video of Owen and his tackle hug.

Meet squishy bear...

Squishy bear came home with Morgan one day. He was in the pocket of an ape that is an award in Morgan's Toast Masters club. The ape was passed on to the next person but squishy bear stayed here with us. Owen was attached. He named him squishy bear. Or fwishy bear, when Owen says it. Squishy bear likes to go places and see things and have his picture taken. This was him on the ladder at the apple orchard this weekend. You can see more pictures of squishy bear in his Adventures of Squishy Bear album on Facebook.

Layouts to share...

Friday night I spent the evening and night scrapping with BJ. I actually got quite a bit done in the 7 hours we were there! I always have bits to finish up at home but I don't mind that. Here are the completed (except for one) layouts.

This picture doesn't do the layout justice. The pattern paper is very pretty and shimmery. And the colors are better in person! There are also green stickles on some of the leaves on the tree.

A layout of Owen's first Halloween. I love these pictures.

This is the layout that isn't done. I have journaling that goes with it but I've not decided where to put it yet. The zig zag around the edge is variegated thread.

A layout about the Cozy Coupe. This one needs the date. The stitching at the top is dark blue floss that I did using the new Bazzil stitch guides.

This word needs and apostrophe. So glad I'm married to an English major! The letters have some foil stuff on them.

O's first baseball game.

Our trip to the state fiar this year.

I don't seem to be able to take real good pictures of my larger layouts. I wish I could scan them but it's difficult to scan and stitch and get them to look right. I've not been using a lot of embellishments on my layouts lately. I think some of them are busy enough with the paper and pictures. And I think I'm okay with that. I'm also a keep it simple and clean sort of scrapper so it shouldn't be a surprise to me that I'm not cluttering my pages up with stuff! I'm just not good at making that look nice.