"Space Monkey, Mafia"

I feel like I have so much to talk about! Hopefully I can slow my brain down enough to actually form coherent sentences...


Jason and I went to Hampton this weekend with Jess & Eric (if you don't know them, Jess and I have been friends for about 9 years, wow, and they are our 'couple friends' when we visit Vermont... hehe. Jess, don't you feel special? Mwah!) It rained part of the weekend and it certainly wasn't beach weather. We had a lot of fun anyway though! We went to the beach Friday night and got our feet wet, I got to play some Skeeball and squish some pennies (and Jess & Eric were again reminded that I am a dork!) We also played mini-golf on Saturday, (I got 2 holes in one IN A ROW! Yeah, I thought it felt that somewhere specific was freezing over too... false alarm.) did some shopping, saw a movie (Wall-E, it was super cute) and just hung out. We also came to some interesting revalations about our spouses... The main one being that Jason and Jess are a LOT more alike than I thought! I thought that's why I like Jess so much, but in reality, I knew Jess way before I knew Jason... So maybe Jason and I get along well because he's a lot like Jess? It's too weird to analyze deeper than that on a Monday, but it's totally true. I already have an idea for a scrapbook page for this trip (not sure if it will be digital or not.) I will be sure to post a pic when I scrap it. Check out the sketch:


A conversation with Jason this morning:
me: starting today we are going to eat healthier, be more active, and play frisbee at least 2 times a week (AT LEAST!) Ka-peesh?
Jason: ka-peesh!!

I found a list of Motivational Calendars on sparkpeople.com today (see the whole year here) and the calendar for July is based on Living a Less Stressful Life. I checked the comment for July 7th (our one year wedding anniversary!) --->
So, my "mantra" is actually hard to choose. There are two quotes I like and they both help me to be determined to be healthier.
1. "A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm. But a tree cannot grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon." -The Dalai Lama
2. "Food is a ridiculous thing to be controlled by." - Samantha Piette
I don't think anyone ever said that I can't have two mantras. They are not really related to stress, but I like these anyway... they are motivating and true. So, today starts a new day of exercise, healthier choices, fruits, veggies, and being happier with myself in general. The best part? I am not alone, Jason and I are doing this together. Who wants in?

We Didn't Start the Fire has been on XM Channel 25 three times in the last week. This means that I have to refrain from demonstrating my awesome hidden talent of knowing ALL the words to this song... I think if I busted out with "Buddy Holly, 'Ben Hur', space monkey, Mafia
Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go" and started dancing around my cubicle people would stare. Seriously though, I know all the words! I spent most of my 5th grade year learning the lyrics (back when you couldn't look them up online!) and therefore know nothing about the Aztecs or Myans... but come on... what's really more important here? Billy Joel lyrics or ancient history? I rest my case.

Speaking of music, I have been attempting to reconnect with my Northeast Kingdom roots by listening to country music more. (I know, I know, but summer just makes me want to drink beer and go fishing.) Anyway, the country station I listen to on XM just played "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Atkins and, aside from the lack of correct grammar in the title, it's a wonderful song! I'm sure you've all heard it and I'm just behind with my Top 40 Country songs, but really, listen to it, the lyrics are very meaningful.

I am feeling quite good today. It may be the fact that it's a 4 day work week, but I don't think that's all. I had a stressful (with a capital FUL) week and a great weekend, where I didn't sleep well. Weird, huh? I didn't get a chance to really "recharge" but I feel recharged anyway. I guess good friends, scary rotaries, and a little girl talk and shopping will do that to you. :-) (It could have been the Captain Morgan and Cream Soda too...)

I should get my photobook in the mail tomorrow! I can't wait to see it! Wee!

Thanks to you for reading my terribly long post... 8^)

'Peace out Cub Scout!'

Lovin' You is Easy Cause You're Beautiful

These little nuggets of Heaven are going to add about 23 pounds to my thighs in record time. If you haven't tried them (and don't have any hard feelings against raspberries...) you should! Yummmmmmmmm.....

Weekend!

Some interesting things that are happening:

- Huey Lewis and the News has been on XM a lot this week for some reason (I listen at work.) One of the DJ's always says "Peace out, Cub Scout" when she signs off and I literally laugh out loud every time! So great!
- I get to spend July 4th in Boston again! (Finally!) The last time Jason and I were in Boston for July 4th was in 2004! And, like last time, Jason's parents are coming down to spend the weekend with us. As a tradition I will certainly have to walk around Boston pretending that I am lost and have no idea where I am going. For some reason my In-Law's get a kick out of that little game I play with them
- My sister is coming next week to go to a Sox game with us... she's addicted to the game (it has a lot to do with Papelbon though!) Hehe! Hopefully it's nice out!
- We are going to Hampton Beach this weekend and I am going to be able to get 12 more pennies for my collection! I counted them all last night and I have 94! So after this weekend I will have 106! WOO! That's a lot of squished pennies!

Something that has caught my eye:

Not far from our apartment there is an intersection and this sign in posted near one of the crosswalks. My sister saw it first, we were talking on the phone and she mentioned it to me. I thought she was a little crazy and probably reading it wrong. However, I have seen it maybe times since and it still gets me every time. What comes to mind when you see this sign? Some questions arise for me: What made the town post this sign? Did someone claim to not know that they were supposed to stop for pedestrains in a crosswalk? What exactly does "occupied" mean anyway? Do people often occupy the crosswalk for extended periods of time? Maybe there is a group of guys who like to play cards there on Thursday afternoons? I don't know because I've never been there on a Thursday afternoon. What if there is someone in the road, but not on the crosswalk? Can I run that person over and point at the sign and say that it's very unclear what to do in that situation? Also, why is the sign white with red lettering? Did they do that on purpose or did it come in the wrong color? Aren't pedestrian signs supposed to be yellow? So yeah, it's a confusing sign which (on the surface) states the seemingly obvious... don't run people over.

Have a great weekend everyone! If you see any weird signs, please share... (I love signs.) 8^)

My Kitties Make Me Smile...

... and I'll tell you why!

Last weekend I stayed up late doing some digital scrapbooking and talking to my sister online. I was sitting on the end of the couch and looked over to find my two kitties (who don't usually love each other at all) cuddling! Butt-to-butt on the couch purring away. When I went to grab my camera Booger rolled over as if to say "um, human, you are disturbing me" and ended up in this position:

Now, I know that this particular cat has been known to be mean at times. Some people have even gone so far as to say that she is 'evil.' All that aside, check out how freaking adorable my kitty is! :-) Hehe, this picture is going to make me smile for a long time.

The next day, I was still scrapbooking on my computer and Jason had gone into the bedroom to take a nap. I had thought to myself (while Booger was trying to cuddle with me endlessly) that I hadn't seen Bruno in a little while, but I didn't go looking for him. When Jason woke up (Booger woke him up by sitting on his head and purring loudly in his ear) I went into the bedroom with him. We were talking for a while and he turned and exclaimed "hey, look where the Rutus is!" (Rutus=Bruno... we have weird named for our pets. I wonder how weird our kids nicknames will be.) Anyway, I looked and Bruno was in the closet, in a basket, on the second shelf. Now, if you live on Earth and understand the concept of Physics (i.e. there isn't a great way to fit an elephant in a breadbox and it's also difficult to get a queen-size air mattress in a twin-size tent) then you will realize quickly that it doesn't look like Bruno should actually be able to get into this particular basket which leaves maybe 2 inches of clearance between it and the shelf above it. He did, however, find a way in and did in fact need help getting out. I grabbed my camera before helping him out and he didn't seem happy that my priorities were not aligned with his. (Mine: get a picture of Jason's cat being hilarious, His: get out of the basket so he can eat and resume his 8-year-long nap.) Silly kitties. >^..^<

Feeling Happy

I just completed my very first ALL DIGITAL photobook! I just placed my order for my 8x8 book from Shutterfly and literally CAN NOT WAIT to get it in the mail (jumping up and down and shaking a little just anticipating it, seriously!) You can check it out online HERE! It was so much fun to create! The cover (for some reason) isn't coming out right in the preview (I am hoping it doesn't print like that...) so here is how the cover is actually supposed to look. My favorite page (hard to choose just one!) is the one of Jason playing Skeeball. It may be because of my intense love of the game, but it could also have something to do with the fact that I am going to get to play THIS WEEKEND! Whatever the reason I'm loving this page (even though it's yellow and I tend to hate yellow...) :-)

Yesterday I finally went to take a picture of these flowers... if they are called flowers! They are in a little garden by my work and the first time I saw them I thought I had gone off the deep end and landed in a Dr. Suess book. I seriously need some of these (when I finally get a house!) I promise if someone gets them for me I will take care of them and not even kill them like I do all my other plants. Or, well, I'll try really hard not to kill these. So cool! They make me smile everytime I walk by! (Also, a lot of other people turn their heads to look at them too; so it's really not just me being crazy this time!)

Silly Drowned Rats with Credit Cards

Last night I stayed up until midnight and completed four more layouts for my photobook. When I am completely done the book I will be sure to post a link here. I use Shutterfly to create photobooks (this is my third "official" book that I am actually going to keep for myself!) I usually make them as gifts for family members. I actually made nine after my wedding for our grandparents, parents, and bridesmaids. They are TOO cool, super easy to make, and you can share them online when you are done designing them!

I would have had a super cute picture to share with you today if my husband would actually get used to going into my purse to get my camera! What is it with guys and going through a girl's purse? Whenever I ask Jason for something ("hey honey, can you just grab me my wallet out of my bag?") he brings over the whole bag! The wallet could be on the very top of the bag but for some reason he won't reach in and get it. These "boy" creatures are quite strange indeed. Anyway, I was scrapbooking a page about my kitties and Booger (my small black terror of a kitty who's actual name is Baylee) crawled up on my shoulder and was purring and cuddling with me. I thought it would have been a great picture to get me cuddling with my kitty while I was scrapbooking a page about my kitties. Haha. But alas, when Jason got up to get my camera Booger (obviously) thought she needed to see what he was up to (maybe he was going to feed her, or go to the bathroom so that she could jump in the tub and sit there watching like the weirdo she is) and jumped off my shoulder to follow him. Not that he would have actually gotten my camera out of my bag anyway... ;-)

On a different and virtually unrelated note, I am feeling super sick today. My head is foggy and I'm walking around sort of on "auto-pilot." I'm sure you know what I mean. It's like the world is happening around me and I'm kinda just here going along with it but I'm really not "here" because I'm really not sure what's going on. Huh, come to think of it, I'm kinda like that all the time. It's worse when I am sick though, I'm sure. Who gets a cold in June? Erg.

It was pouring when I left work yesterday. It was humid and hot and summer and it was pouring down huge drops of warm water on everything. I love summer rain! I wanted to go play in it so badly... just to run out into the rain and get drenched and dripping because there is no real reason not to. (Except that I was in the middle of the city and there were people around and they would have thought I was nutty if I went out in a downpour and started dancing around.) Other than that though, I would have totally done it. ;-) It actually reminded me of a time when Jason and I lived in Boston. I think it was a Saturday and we had gone for a walk and to get ice-cream. It was a crazy-nice summer day and very humid. We stopped by Newbury Street on our way home and when we were going to leave one of the shops it was POURING (like, flash-flood warning type of stuff!) So what did we do? We certainly did not wait until it calmed down, or turn around and buy umbrellas... no-sir-ee. We opened the door and RAN down the street toward home! We were drenched within 10 seconds and kept stepping and splashing in puddles in the street. You can bet that I was giggling the entire time! At one point I think we got to a crosswalk and actually had to stop and wait for traffic, just standing in the rain. We ended up ducking into another store on the way back to pick up something (the people in the store looked at us like we were crazy giggling drowned rats who could talk and use credit cards) and when we left the store it was clear and sunny out... like nothing ever happened and we were drenched to the core for no reason other than the fact that we were two crazies walking down Mass Ave in Boston. :-D Good times...

My Font!!!

Digital Scrapbooking Awesomeness

I set out to do a few things this weekend. One was catch up on sleep, (long week!) another was to clean the tub in the bathroom, (Jason had done this when I got home on Friday... he's wonderful!) and the last was to try Digital Scrapbooking. I'm happy to say I was completely successful! Also, I think I have a new hobby to add to my list! The following are my top 5 favorite hobbies (updated 6.23.08):

1. Scrapbooking
2. Digital Scrapbooking
3. Traveling
4. Penny Collecting
5. Geocaching

I'm sorry to say that "Long Walks on the Beach" has been bumped to #6. You had a good run in my top 5 "LWOTB" but I'm sorry to say that you just didn't make the cut. Seriously though, this is COOL stuff. I have always liked Photoshop before, and using my computer for traditional scrapbooking, but I am finding a whole new world of awesomeness in Digital Scrapbooking!

Below are a few of my layouts I completed this weekend. I downloaded the elements (papers, embellishments, etc.) from a few different Digital Scrapbooking sites. I completed 10 total (5 two-page layouts.) Seriously... 10 layouts in one weekend! And the best part? I didn't make a mess of the apartment! Woo! My goal is to create 20 layouts (+ a cover) for a photobook of "The Best of 2007" that I am going to order from Shutterfly. I haven't even created all the pages for it but I already can't wait to order this book and see it printed up! Wow, I am way too excited considering that it's a Monday...





On a different note, I have a cold. I'm a huge baby when I am sick and I have been lucky to NOT be sick all winter & spring. I knew it would catch up to me, but com'on... it's JUNE! Who gets a cold in June? Maybe it will be gone by this weekend. Jason and I are going to Hampton Beach with friends for a couple days. How weird would it be to have a cold at the beach? Either way, I can't wait, stuffy nose & sneezing or not! :-)

BUNNY!

Outside our apartment we have occasionally seen a bunny. (3 times) They are wild and hop really fast. I love seeing them and think it's totally cool that we have wild bunnies that hang out on the grass.

So yesterday Jason and I were leaving for work and we stepped out of the apartment building and we had a conversation that went like this:
Sam: oh honey, wouldn't it be awesome if we saw a bunny today?
Honey: do you realize the chances of us... (turns head and sees a bunny!)
Sam: ahh! a bunny! AHH! ANOTHER bunny! (there were TWO bunnies!)
Honey: erg...
Sam: you were just going to say "do you realize the chances of us seeing a bunny today compared to the number of times we have seen a bunny while being here is very unlikely?" weren't you?
Honey: we spend too much time together.

8^)

Happy Summer Solstice!!! 8^)

I have to admit... until I saw the Google logo, I didn't know today was the first day of summer (I thought it was yesterday!) Now that I know, I am totally excited! Happy Summer to all of you! One of my goals this weekend is to find my bathing suit (We are going to Hampton next weekend with friends!) and actually go to the pool! I love swimming and having a pool at our apartment is too cool! I just have to find the motivation to get my butt over there! Haha. So tomorrow you can bet I will be saying things like "hey butt, you need to get off the couch and get to the pool... no arguing with me butt, just do it!" Wow, it's been a long week; I am having a conversation with my butt... Anyway, Happy Summer!!!



This photo was taken last weekend... My Father-In-Law's garden is absolutely beautiful this year and I took A LOT of pictures of all the flowers. Simply beautiful. This year the neighbor is letting him expand his garden onto the next property... not sure how he managed that, but really, who wouldn't want a beautiful garden in place of having to mow a yard? Seriously, this garden is awesome. There is a fountain and a pond with goldfish and a patio and it's just all really Fairy Tale-ish to me. 8^) <--- shades on my emoticon because it's SUMMER!!! Hee hee!

So Busy...

As they say in the Snickers commercials, Life Comes at You Fast. I had a super busy week and hopefully I can fully recooperate this weekend. Until then, check out this site I saw on Ali Edward's Blog today: www.scrap4acure.com/

Totally cool. Such a good way to help some great causes. They say on the site they are "all about the love, peace and scrappiness." (Scrapiness is a fun word and I'm going to use it nonstop from now on... kinda when I learned the word 'Ginormous!') Have a great weekend everyone!

PS - I'm attempting to start digital scrapbooking tonight. I told my husband, it's cheap (mostly free downloads!) and it doesn't make a mess of the dining room table or loft! :-) I will post what I come up with next week.

Rainbow

I had the pleasure of seeing this rainbow on the way home from Vermont last night. I don't remember the last time I had seen a rainbow (especially in Boston, there are too many buildings in the way...) It was beautiful! However, I had quite the internal conflict when I saw it. Jason was actually sleeping in the passenger's seat (he hadn't been feeling well all day.) I was driving and my camera was in the backseat in my purse. My options as I saw them were:

Option #1 -
Wake up Jason and ask him to take a picture.
Consequence -
He will feel worse once he is up and won't be able to get back to sleep and I will feel bad because he was sick and should have been resting.

Option #2 -
Stop on the highway and get my camera and take the picture myself.
Consequence -
Possibly being struck by a vehicle on the interstate and waking Jason up anyway because we would be stopped for no apparent reason.

Option #3 -
Reach into the backseat and get my camera from my purse and take the picture myself.
Consequence -
I could crash into another car and potentially hurt someone and at the very least hurt Jason's car that he likes so much while still waking him up anyway. (Also noted was the fact that I don't like the car and the car doesn't like me. See my post about being stuck at the train station in February here.)

Option #4 -
Just look at the rainbow and not get a picture of it at all.
Consquence -
Wait! I'm a scrapbooker! I usually need pictures in order to scrapbook! What a ridiculous idea.

So, in the end I choose Option #1, to wake up Jason. He got this good photo of the rainbow as well as many others. (The photo doesn't do it justice, or course.) He ended up feeling ok but still not going back to sleep after I woke him up. I felt bad for waking him up but I also got some great pictures! :-D

Because I was thinking of the rainbow and how pretty it was (and incidently how terrible the weather is today... ew.) I would like to share this song with you. It's a beautiful version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. This song was thisclose to being our wedding song and I absolutely love it! (It also makes me want to learn to play the Ukulele!)

Who Doesn't Love to Color?

I firmly believe that, as a society, we adults need to color more. If everyone sat down with a coloring book and a box of crayons once a week this world would be a happier place. That being said, this is what happens when you add some colored pencils and a little techique (water pen!) to an already beautiful stamp:

That's right, you get an even more beautiful card! Denise made this card using the Stacey's Stamps she has in the store right now. They are triangular stamps and oh SO versatile. I am personally not a stamping person (somehow I always manage to get more ink on my hands then on the stamp...) but Denise has been stamping for longer than she's been scrapbooking and has definitely mastered this particular art. Here is a similar design where she used the same stamp and changed the colors a bit:

Also, speaking of stamps, Hero Arts has some CUTE owl stamps (for some reason birds are all the rage in the scrapbooking world today... it must be because they are so ADORABLE!) Check out the thank you cards Denise made using background stamps and the owl set from Hero (she also added a little bling, which, let's be honest, every project needs... check out the owl's eyes too!):

Weekend Project

This past weekend while visiting A.C. Moore (a ritual I try to fit in at least 5 times every week...hee hee.) I picked up six photo mattes from the clearance bin. They were 25 cents each and I knew I could use them for something. Also, ribbon was on sale that weekend, so I picked up some of that too, in my favorite color, red. (The words 'ribbon' + 'sale' are two of my favorite words!) I ended up creating this wall display for my living room. I first hung it near my dining room table and quickly decided the wall was too big for the display. So I moved it above my desk (which is really just a shelf and a place to collect spare change at the moment) and there it hangs. At first when I put it up I didn't love it. It works in the space, and it achieves the purpose (getting pictures on the walls instead of hidden away in scrapbooks) but it didn't feel like it had that "wow" factor I want when I spend more than 10 minutes creating something (this project took about an hour to complete.) After fussing with it a little and deciding it was level enough I left it alone. The next morning I woke up and looked at it again and, you know what... I really like it. It fits well in the space, it has red in it, it showcases some of my favorite pictures (not all posed!), and it's something I created that I get to see every day. Sweet! I told Jason I liked it and he said he got up in the middle of the night to shut some windows and he decided he liked it too. 8^) Mission accomplished.

Weddings = One of the best excuses to scrapbook!

I was in my best friend Jess' wedding this past weekend and I can not wait to begin scrapbooking the pictures I took! Sometimes the candid shots are so much better than the posed ones (even wedding ones!) because they tell a story. I haven't posted any here though, in the interest of protecting those who wouldn't want embarassing pictures of them on the internet, but either way you should all keep that in mind when you go to your next wedding. The most hilarious pictures are taken when the person in the photo doesn't know they are being photographed (or in my case, they may not even be able to remember their name! Haha!) Here is a sample of the photos I get to play around with:

We've Come a Long Way

I am considering buying a new digital camera and have been thinking of how lucky we are to have the availibility of this technology. Below is the first photograph ever taken. I remember seeing this photo in my History of Photography class in college and thinking "yeah, what's so great about that?" This was, of course, before I started scrapbooking and before I knew the significance of what was in front of me. Although it doesn't look like much, this photo tells a remarkable story and marked the beginning of an era of the idea that a picture truly is worth 1,000 words. This photo was actually started in the morning and took over 8 hours to take. The shadows in the photo extend 8 hours time, which is why it may look odd to someone just looking at it. It's remarkable how far we've come. Not only can we take photos with lightning speed, but we can take them digitally, see them immediately (what did we do before digital photos anyway?) and most importantly, we can share them with the world with only a few clicks. In just 182 short years we took a flying leap from this:

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
View from the Window at Le Gras, c. 1826

to this:



Source: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/abbey/an/an26/an26-3/an26-307.html

How to Use Rub-Ons

I came across this video today and thought it may be beneficial to share. The first year or so I was scrapbooking I stayed away from using rub-ons. I have no idea why, but for some reason they scared me. A little while ago my sister tried them and now she can't get enough of them! She urged me to use them more and more and now I'm hooked! They really are incredible and give your pages a very clean feeling (you can't see the edges of them like you can with say, clear stickers.) Honestly, you all have to try rub-ons... you won't be sorry you did.

Stupid Raisins!

Because it's gloomy and rainy out (and my morning commute lasted forever because of the rain!) I want to post something funny to cheer everyone up!



I found this graphic on threadless.com but it looks like they are sold out of the T-Shirts they printed up using this graphic. Bummer. Either way how hilarious is that? If you are one of those people who likes raisins in cookies, I am sorry to offend you. I offer this hilarious joke as an apology.

Q: What is red and invisible?
---------------------------------------
A: No tomatoes!

Ok, so when you are done laughing yourself silly, pick yourself up off the floor and have a marvelous day! 8^)

Inspiring Words

I stumbled across this blog post today and feel that it's certainly worth sharing. It makes me think of my crazy literature professor in college (seriously, this guy was nuts!) but he always had a good message. The idea that you are who you are because of your actions and at any moment you can change your actions and change who you are. It's inspiring, and everyone needs a little inspiration on a gloomy Wednesday morning. Any of the post could be used as journaling on a scrapbook page. Or maybe the words inspire you to write your own list of goals or "rules to live by."

Here is an excerpt from the post:
"Dream big, work harder. Have lots of fun, lift a finger, do something for someone else. Cheer your friends on. Cheer yourself up. Celebrate as much as possible. Enjoy everything. Right now. It’s OK to want more and do more but be present with where you are or who you are with. Don’t rush the situation - even if it’s bad. Move on when you can. Don’t settle. Try everything you can and get over everything holding you back."

Hero Arts Goodness

The Front Desk and Hero Arts are doing something amazing together. Seriously, believe me, it's awesome! You can go into the store (or look online from the comfort of your own home) at all the great Hero Arts products and order ANYTHING you want! Really... go to The Front Desk, find Denise (she is the one in the office surrounded by penguins!) and tell her you want to custom order from the Hero Arts catalog! Better still, they have 3 catalogs out right now and they are chock (CHOCK!) full of great scrapbooking and card making awesomeness. Find links to all three catalogs here. (Available in high-speed and dial-up speeds!)

Wait, the fun doesn't stop there! Not only can you custom order anything in the catalog, there are samples right on the pages of the catalog to show you the beautiful creations you can create with all that cool stuff! If you visit the online catalog you can actually click on the project and it will bring you right to the instructions and products needed to create it! How EASY is that? Here are some of my favorites I found while browsing the catalog online:
Colin's First Year Mini Album
She's Here Baby Announcement
What's Up? Card
Really, just print these pages and you will have a list of everything you need and instructions to complete the project!


What? You want more? Wow, you just can't get enough of this stuff can you? Well, it's a good thing there is more isn't there? If you go to the Hero Arts blog (click here!) you can enter to win prizes every week using your Hero Arts supplies! The designers post something new every day and everything is SUPER inspiring! Whenever I need some ideas I always go to this blog. They always have some cool new product to use (CLEAR cards... how cool is that?)

Ok, so, just to get you drooling a little more here are some of my other favorite products from Hero Arts!
Flowers
Gemstones (to put in the center of the flowers!)
Tags (I can't get enough tags... string them all together with a ribbon and you have a mini scrapbook!)
Buttons (made to match the flowers! woo hoo!)

8^)

Memorial Day weekend I used Monday as a "free" day and literally scrapbooked all afternoon! I was so excited to make the time to actually scrapbook some of my pictures! Of course, now my loft is a complete mess, but who cares... I completed 5 layouts in one afternoon!

5 Things

Getting into a routine is supposed to take 21 days, or so I have heard. So, this is day one of my routine of ACTUALLY POSTING ON MY BLOG! I'm sure we all know that it's hard to find time to do many things in life, and often times these things are the most important. For some reason working, eating, and sleeping are on the top of my list of things to do above scrapbooking, blogging, exercising, bubble baths and drinking red wine. Go figure, right? My theory on how to deal with this is not just prioritizing, because honestly, scrapbooking is a priority for me, I am always thinking about it and thinking of what I can create next. Instead, it's chipping away at what I can every day and making a little time for those things I love. Like now, I decided that it may take me all of 8 minutes to write a blog post, particularily because I'm just writing down what's on my mind and don't really have to even think about what I'm writing anyway! So, here are five things that are on my mind right now... for your reading enjoyment.

1. It's my sister's birthday today! She's 20 years old... not a teenager anymore! The other day she asked my father if he felt old, when he asked why she told him because both his daughters are not teenagers anymore. I believe he replied with "oh." Haha. Happy Birthday Erin! It was 20 years ago today when I visited North Country Hospital with Gramma Jeannie and saw you for the first time (I was almost 3, but I do remember.) In my mind (even though I know it's not true) you are still 12 years old and fearless, the same girl who was thrown from her bike across the dirt roads of Holland, Vermont and fussed and complained when her crazy older sister wanted to go back and clean the gravel out of her hands instead of continuing the bike ride. 8^)

2. I have been reading Ali Edward's "Life Artist" book lately and have found it to be one of the most INSPIRING books I have read in a long time (aside from Lamb, by Christopher Moore and anything by Louise Rennison, of course.) Ali's outlook on scrapbooking is reflected in every page of this book. She focuses mainly on the pictures used on her pages and the stories they tell. You should all go check out her blog here.

3. My sister is coming down tomorrow for the night. Jason and I are taking her to her first Red Sox game and we are all super excited. I can't wait to get my hands on a Fenway Frank and a bag of cotton candy (a tradition for me and Jason at Sox games.) I'm not sure if anyone agrees with me, but I swear that Fenway has some of the best relish in the world. I'm weird, I know, but I am one of those weirdos that really loves relish (and any pickle product really.) "Pickle product" is fun to say. You want to know what other cool things Fenway Park has (aside from relish and cute guys in tight pants, yes Mr. Ellsbury, I am talking about you...) That's right, PENNIES! There is a penny squishing machine at Fenway! Woo hoo! 8^)

4. You should all go download the song "Grace Kelly" by Mika. It's a really catchy song and my personal "sing-in-the-car-at-the-top-of-my-lungs-when-I-am-driving" song. This is only when I am alone though. The song I sing when there are other people around is called "Diner" by Martin Sexton. It's quite possibly the best song ever, in the world, and maybe the universe, and you should all download it and listen to it endlessly so that you know all the words and you can sing along with me next time you are in the car with me.

5. This is a short week for me as I am taking Thursday and Friday off to spend with my best friend at home in Vermont. Why the much needed girl-time you ask? Well, it's because she's getting MARRIED on Saturday! Woo! I am too excited for her and her husband-to-be and can't wait to spend some time with her before the big day. Aah, weddings... makes me wish I was still planning mine. No wait, it doesn't. Haha! Last night I shortened the straps of my bridesmaid's dress (the only alteration that needed to be made, woo hoo!) and tried it on again. Seriously, this dress is super cute. It's a gorgeous color and I can't wait to dance in it. It has about an 8.7 "swirl factor" as well. Of course, in order to get me to dance I need either pineapple rum or red wine, both of which I am bringing to the wedding. I have a feeling Saturday night is going to be a fun time!