Friday, February 13, 2009

Valentine Pretties

Not much happening today. Just working on some Valentines to hang on my Valentine tree. Need to start packing up soon to head to Archiver's to crop with my BFF Tracy, Tracy's Mom, Jackie, and a couple friends, Stephanie and Kim. It's Kim's Birthday today!! Happy Birthday Kim!! Tomorrow, we have a basketball game, then home to make some Valentine Cupcakes with the kids, and hopefully a flourless heart-shaped chocolate cake.

Just found out I have another LO getting published in Scrapbook Trends July 09 magazine. Doing my happy dance here!!

Leaving you now with a few pictures of the Valentine ornaments I have been working on.



Monday, February 9, 2009

In My World...

Well, in my world, ponies don't eat butterflies and poop rainbows, as they do in Horton Hears a Who!! My kids love this movie, and especially love the scene in which the characters describe their perfect world!! I keep meaning to scrap and journal a layout about this. Each of my children has a description of their perfect world. I'd like to tell you they describe their worlds to be ones in which there is no hunger or poverty and of course world peace exists, however, the worlds they describe seem to be more like the ones Horton's friends do - the ones with rainbow pooping ponies and such.

In any case, my world is pretty OK for now. I recently found out I would be having a layout published in Scrapbook Trends magazine in June this year. This finally ends my long dry spell, as I have been submitting on a fairly regular basis, but have not had anything picked up in awhile. It will be my first time in Scrapbook Trends magazine and I am pretty excited, as is Isabelle, since the layout features her.

Let's see, what else is going on in my world...I have started running again. Several sessions into my physical therapy after knee surgery, my physical therapist and I both determined that resuming running as exercise would be possible. So far I have been working back into it slowly. I probably won't ever be able to run as far, or as often as I used to, but at least I can run, and that is what matters most to me. I just have to be more conscious about listening to my body, and when it starts to hurt - stop!

What else - well, the job hunt continues. I left my FT job several years ago when we relocated to Washington state for Trey's job. Since then, I have been a SAHM, dabbling a little in PT work here and there in the craft industry. With economic times they way they are now, and my kids in school FT, I have been hoping to get back to work FT now. It hasn't been easy. I've heard everything from "you're over qualified" to "well you know, since you have been a SAHM for awhile now, you may want to consider going back to school and getting a masters or taking some refresher courses". Yeah - refresher courses in WHAT exactly?? Do they think my brain cells died because I stayed home with my kids - well technically - some may have, but still!! Jeesh. AND - believe me, if I COULD AFFORD to go back to school, I WOULD (well maybe - don't really relish the thought of doing homework), but if I COULD AFFORD to go back to school, I wouldn't be looking for FT employment. Really if you think about it, I've been doing one of the hardest jobs out there for the past 12 years - raising children!! I am a mediator, a negotiator, an event planner - a MOM!! We do it all and you know it is one of the toughest jobs I have ever had, yet one of the most rewarding too - at times - you just have to keep reminding yourself sometimes!! LOL!! So maybe I haven't dabbled lately in Excel, or done any database or product management as of late. I have learned many new things - like how to thread my sewing machine. Seriously, I am blessed to have had time to explore hobbies, I once never had time for like scrapbooking and photography.

Speaking of scrapbooking, here are a few pics of some projects I have been working on. First a little Love Notes book. I finally used a kit I got in Jan. 08 from Scarlet Lime to do this little album. I used some of the designs shown in the kit instructions, and some are my own creations. Also, I have added some pics of little Valentine Hearts I made to decorate the cupcakes the kids and I will be baking this week. Hope to post some pics of my Valentines tree I am working on now real soon.