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Changes and New Projects!

So much has happened since my last post.  I guess I should have stayed home sick another couple of days, because the day after my last entry I went in to work and was surreptitiously laid off from my job.  I haven't let it stop me, though!  I am keeping up with the commitments I made and have put myself back out on the job market.  Wouldn't it be miraculous if I could make this hobby of mine into a job?  Maybe one day.

Up close on the centerpiece.

 On to more uplifting things now!  My home church, OakRidge Baptist, has an annual Ladies' Brunch each spring where they ask church members to sponsor and decorate individual tables.  This was my first year to participate, but I had so much fun getting ready for the party!

 Each table sponsor brings their own dishes, table linens, silverware, glassware, and centerpieces to set the scene and make the table their own.  For my table, I used my new FiestaWare that was so generously gifted to me at Christmas last year.  I love the mix of Ivory, Chocolate, and Turquoise together.

Overall table view.

For the centerpiece, I went for a vintage country chic feel.  I used some of my grandmother's hand knitted doilies, various canning jars, pearls, crosses, and baby's breath to bring a personal touch.  I was happy with how it turned out, and am already thinking of what I want to do for next year.  All of the ladies that participated were so creative!  No two tables were alike.



Right now, I am sitting amongst some of my cropping friends at Scrapp'n Savvy in Spring, TX and working on finishing up that CTMH consultant swap I have been working on for the past few months.  I have finally finished my altered item, and now I just have to add some embellishments to my layout before I am fully completed and can deliver it to the swap hostess!

Altered 6 x 6"canvas from CTMH for consultant swap.

I have also finished my Easter gift for Mom and my brother's family, but I can't post pictures of that until I deliver them tomorrow.  I hope you all have a Blessed Easter and spend it with the Lord and your family.

Bazzill Card Swap for March

March has been a busy month here in my household!  Birthdays, rodeo, swaps, work, ladies' brunch, crops, Easter, and now I've fallen ill.  I guess the one saving grace for a sick day is it gave me time to finish up my Bazzill Birthday Card Swap for March.  If you are interested for next month, or any month after that, you can find their swap info here:  http://swaps.bazzillbasics.com/.  You can see a grouping of what I have been working on here.  My LSS, Scrapp'n Savvy, gives us a discount on the product we buy for the swap if we make an extra card for them to display in the store, so I made 12 cards instead of just the ten for the swap.  Now, before you begin to think that the medicine has gotten to my head, yes, I can add and I know that 10 + 1 does not equal 12; but, you remember those birthdays I mentioned up above?  One of them is coming up this Friday, so I made one more since they already went with the theme!

My finished product with the Miss Teagen Sue line of paper can be seen below.

TTFN!

Back to work

So, life has gotten far too complicated these days, but I am determined to get back to doing things that make me happy.  Scrapbooking is one of those things.  I signed up for a few swaps, and have started working on those.  I have signed up for some new classes and open crops as well.

Top:  Corner Bookmark, Bottom:  A2 Card

The first swap I am working on right now is a CTMH consultant swap for the new paper releases in February's catalog.  I drew Claire, and have the first two items completed.

I have the 2 page layouts almost complete, but don't want to post them until they are done as completely as the first two. The last item I will need to complete for this swap is an altered item.  I am so excited to be using the new 6 x 6"canvas that Close To My Heart has released!  I have so many ideas with the canvas and the flowers and the paper doll stamp set that coordinates with this paper pack . . . so many ideas it makes me want to stay home from my real job and just create.



Alas, it is drawing late into the evening, and I must get some rest so that I can go to that job that brings home the paycheck and pays for those scrapbooking supplies.  I hope to post more later, and of course, more often!

TTFN!

Stress

What is is about life that makes you stressed? For me, it is not having enough time in the day to do all the things I wish I could do . . . not to mention not having the energy. Getting up at 6 a.m. to go to work, working all day, and getting home around 6 p.m. doesn't leave much time in the day to get things done outside of work. Weekends, you say? Well . . . after working all week to bring home a paycheck, do you really think I want to work at home? Lord, I wish I had a maid . . . or more like a personal assistant. A maid doesn't want to clean your house unless you've already picked up and organized after yourself . . . a personal assistant does what you tell them to do, because that's their job description . . . to assist. I have so many projects that I need to get accomplished, and more get added every day. Life is never boring, that's for sure . . . and, yes, I realize that that is a blessing in and of itself.

So . . . what are some of the things in your life that make you less stressed? For me, music is a big part of it. No, I don't play or sing, but I do love to listen to music. My favorite thing is going to a great concert . . . I would love to be one of those free spirits who can follow their favorite bands or singers around the country while they are on tour. My last concert was Christina Aguilera on opening night of her US tour for Back to Basics. It was really awesome . . . that girl can sing! Even though I had worked all day before the concert, I was still energized and up throughout the show . . . that energy even carried me all the way home. I could not go to sleep I was still so pumped. So, maybe that's my key here . . . I need to start bringing my music to work with me more often. I stopped doing that when I got this job a few years ago, but I think I need to get back into it. My iPod has over 11,000 songs on it, so I'll never be without something that I want to listen to. BTW: I love this version of the iPod . . . when they came out with the video version that is in color and has the album art displayed when the music is playing I was in heaven! When I ordered mine, I had them personalize it . . . it's mine, all mine!

Progress

Since my last post, I finally finished those birthday cakes for my niece and we had her party . . . of course, nothing turned out the way that I had expected it to but we got lots of complements anyhow. When I get the pictures off Mom's camera, I'll post them. The party itself was interesting to say the least . . . it was the first time that we had a party outside of the house for Maddie. It was at one of those blow up/jumping places that all have some weird name. All the kids had fun, but the part of the party that most of us spend the most time with was the most rushed part of the day . . . they give you 30 minutes to eat birthday cake and open presents, and that is just too fast in my opinion. LOL . . . this was the first time I had experienced one of these new fun parks for kids . . . and it was fun! Loved the slide, although I will have to figure out a way to get LJR back for jerking me down the slide before I was ready! ;))

I'm pretty much keeping up with my work at the office. In between planning for our 15 year anniversary party, though, it has been hectic. Having a lot to do is good for business . . . it is also great for job security . . . but sometimes a girl needs a break! I think after this party is over (Thursday) I may try to schedule at least one if not a couple of days off work. The last time I had a day off work with no other plans was New Year's. It's about time to have a long weekend . . . then maybe I can get my closet sorted out and my scrap room closer to being finished. Disorganization is a pet peeve of mine, and living in the midst of this chaos is only contributing to my grumpiness and my procrastination. How can I be expected to start work on anything if I don't have a place to start?

Mother's Day is coming up soon, and I love my mother. Throughout my life, she's been the one person who has always been there from Day One. When I was a kid, I always knew I could count on her whether I wanted her there or not. And, since I've become an adult we've become friends rather than just mother and daughter. It's a special bond that I love and only came to really appreciate after moving out of her house and living on my own. So, fear not mothers of the world, your children will realize all you do for them once they get out there and have to do it for themselves. Anyhow, I say all this to come back to the point that I have already begun plans for Mom's Mother's Day present. I will not procrastinate and wait until the last minute to do it this time. After 32 years of motherhood, we have gone back to the days of handmade gifts for Mom. First of all, anything she wants to buy she buys for herself. Second of all, she likes handmade gifts as long as they are in some way useful to her. So, for those of you that know me and my mother, don't tell her but I am making her gift and I think she'll appreciate the thought and effort behind it. I think she'll even find it useful in keeping her coordinated in some of her scrapbooking efforts.

Oh yeah . . . and for those curious folks out there, I finally filed my taxes! One more task checked off that long list of things to do.

Update on that procrastination thing . . .

So, we started off the week with procrastination . . . and this being a short week for much of the world's population means that putting things off makes things even worse . . . so I have caught up on my work, and I have pretty much stayed on top of things. Now, I just have to worry about the things at home that aren't getting done because I'm working 10 hour days and I'm dead tired when I get home. The laundry is piling up, new clothes that I bought won't even fit in the closet, swaps are sitting undone and not even thought of, I haven't started my niece's birthday cakes (yes, that is plural for a reason) and worst of all I'm neglecting myself. I have not cooked a real meal for myself to eat all week. The last real meal I had was when I stayed at Mom's almost 2 weeks ago now . . . otherwise it's been fast food, skillet meals, or chips and dip for dinner. This has got to stop!