Long time NO Blog

It has been some time since I last blogged, hasn't it?  I have been using twitter and facebook religiously and sadly my blog has been neglected.  Thanks to Beverly for giving me the nudge to finally post something!  :)

Summer is nearly over... but I am THRILLED to have several more weeks thanks to a construction schedule at school.  We are getting central air in all of our classrooms which meant taking out all of the ancient plumbing and vents.  We are also getting new shelving along the outside wall.  Can't wait to see it all put back together.  However, I am so grateful to have the few extra weeks this summer.

Our summer has been full of swim meets as always.  Chris loves his job and has been so very busy!  I have tagged along for a few of the big meets.  He is currently one of the coaches for Team Illinois at the Central Zone meet.  After this weekend, he is finally done for the summer and has a break just about until I go back to school.  Usually he gets done just as I have to go back to work.

We did get to sneak away downtown for our anniversary.  We saw Mary Poppins and also took in a Cubs game with GREAT seats.  I used priceline and we got a GREAT deal on a hotel downtown.  We stayed at the Hilton on Michigan Avenue for $79 each night!  (Of course parking was $55 per night!)  It is hard to beleive we have been married 13 years.  We've been together for more than half of my life at this point!

I just returned from a wonderful weekend in New York with my virtual sisters.  The group of us met 6 years ago on AOL through the Scrapbooking message boards.  We've remained close and try to get together every other year.  It was nice to see them all in person and be able to give each of them a hug.  I was able to see New York and Vermont over the weekend and even took a trip down the Alpine Slide.  Ate lots of chocolate, did some shopping, and had some great laughs.  Looking forward to seeing them again in 2011! :)

My newest obsession involves my hair.  I have had a love/hate relationship with my natural curls for my entire life.  I can say that most of the time I currently lean towards the LOVE side.  Yesterday I went and got it cut short again, and I really am happy with the cut.  I was ready for something new.  I have a great stylist that really knows her stuff and always talks me out of doing anything outrageous.  As I was researching the cut I wanted, I visited naturallycurly.com a site that I often check.  I started to read up on the curly girl method of hair care.  I kept reading, and the more I read, the more it made sense.  I won't bore you with all of the detials, but here is a great link: How to Go Curly Girl.  I have been having a horrible time with my scalp in the past few months and I really think my products are to blame.  I have been using the same products for almost two years now. So as of today, I am now sulfate/silicone free.  It is going to take some time until I find products that I love.  It is my hope that I will have it all figured out before school starts!  :)

Grad school is almost done... November 4th can't come soon enough!  I have one more session in my current class and then two weeks off.  Of course I have several assignments I should be doing right now for that class.  :)  Better go do that now...

Creativity Project

So I am trying once again to participate in a challenge... you can find more information about the Creativity Project by clicking on the picture on the side of my blog. It will take you to Lisa Day's blog where she explains all about this project.

I have learned that I *need* creative time in order to be healthy and happy. Yes, scrapbooking and paper crafts are my hobby, but doing something creative is essential to my health. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but it is really true. Creative play time is my stress relief, my energizer, my fresh air, and so much more. Too often, I let the day to day stuff overtake my life and I don't make the time to be creative. I recently asked a friend to hold me to being creative every Thursday night. I am happy to say that I have been doing that MOST Thursdays. I am taking this challenge one step further by doing something creative EVERY day for the month of March. It doesn't have to be something big, or even paper related.

So today is the first day and I am happy to say that I have finished a baby gift for a good friend and have made a birthday gift for my assistant. I have realized that one of the greatest joys I find is creating things for other people. Creating the baby gift was actually therapeutic for me in a way. I needed to do this. I hope that the mom to be likes it! I am not going to post a photo here until I have given it to her. Wouldn't want to ruin her surprise. :)

So.. check out Lisa's challenge and try to bring some creativity into your day to day!

Girlfriends

I am a blog stalker of the scrapbook "celebrities."  There are a few that I try to visit almost daily.  One of those is Cathy Z.  She has a clean style of scrapbooking and a refreshing view of life itself.  :)  I hadn't been on her blog in a few days and was touched with this video she shared that had been shared with her:







It made me really think about my life and all of the amazing women with whom I have shared my life.  I have never had a large group of friends, and I was actually pretty shy in high school.  I still hate new social situations (working with the social workers at school on that one... LOL) but over the years I have been truly blessed to have some amazing women come into my life. 

Even in high school, I had strong group of girlfriends who supported me and were a big part of my life.  Several of them are still a part of my life today... even those who move across the country.  We may lose touch for years at a time, but when it matters most we are together in spirit.

College was a tough time for me.  I had Chris back and home and didn't really enjoy the college "scene."  While I made friends and have recently made contact with a few of the girls, I just never invested in these relationships since I was so committed to getting home to Chris.  That is one of my regrets today... I wish I had taken the time to really experience college life and develop deep lasting friendships.  I've made up for that in my career, though!

Education is a female driven field.  This has its disadvantages some time for sure!  :)  However, I have also been blessed to meet many women over the years who have become a part of my daily life.  There are weeks that I spend more time with coworkers than I do my husband.  My coworkers have become some of my closest friends and confidants.  They have been there for me professionally as well as personally over the years.  There were a few tough years where I was so very blessed to have a close group of girlfriends who would have done anything for me. They have all moved on from my school, and we chat once in awhile.  I know they were in my life just at the right time.

I've moved on from jobs and lost touch while others have moved on as well.  It's hard to stay in touch... even in our society of constant communication, but we manage to do the best we can.  While I may not talk to the girls each day, I still feel a strong bond to each and every one of them.  

There are amazing women who I call close friends at school today who help me get through each and every day.  They were there for me when the IVFs failed, surgery, and even the fail of the adoption.  They've carried my pain when I couldn't do it myself.  They've cried as they've told me their joyous news of expecting a child themselves.  They have made me a better person.

Swimming has brought many families into our lives.  We spend a great deal of time with families during the season.  Many of these families have truly become our extended family.  These women have been mentors and friends to me in so many areas... from decorating, cooking, entertaining, shopping, and so much more.  Each one has come into my life just when I needed it most.

Scrapbooking is my passion and with it comes message boards and scrapbook websites.  I was blessed several years ago to cross the path of an amazing woman who started a "sisterhood" of scrapbookers.  At one time we were focused on scrapbooking and had a large membership.  Now there are just a few of us, but our bond is strong.  We've seen each other through so very much.  These women are closer to me than many of my "in person, real-life" friends.  We were so blessed to actually meet up a few years ago and it was as if we had always known each other.  Looking forward to getting together in "real life" again soon!

I am feeling blessed as I sit and reflect on the women who have been a girlfriend to me.  So... THANK YOU to each and every one of you.  :)

Feeling Creative

I am avoiding work... at least for one more day.  I wanted to get some creative time so I spent a few hours over the past few days on a few layouts and cards.  Here are two of the layouts I did.  Both are 6 x 12... a fun new size for me.  Now that I am using the Library of Memories system, I can mix page sizes.  I bought 6 x 12 page protectors and have been wanting to try a few layouts at this size.

Simba:

 

2008 Intentions:

I also did a few cards, but haven't scanned any of those.  I have a few more projects that I would like to do today.  Tomorrow will be all about getting ready for the week ahead... back to work.  :(

DeChristmasing/End of Break :(

I really loved decorating the house this year. It was fun and I did most of it over Thanksgiving weekend. I really don't like taking it all down. I had good intentions of working on it yesterday, but we really just lounged around yesterday. I am sad that my break is just about over... today is the last real day of break. I had so many things that I wanted to get done over break and many other things that I *need* to get done. So I am trying to cram it all in today!

The decorations are all down except for the lights on the tree. That is Chris' department and he will do that when he gets home tonight or tomorrow. He is at an all day swim practice today so I have the house all to myself. :-) It's been good that he has had practice and private lessons. This has given us the right blend of together and alone time over break. We even had some bonus time thanks to snow before break started.

One of my Christmas gifts was a small point and shoot camera that I can keep with me at all times. I love my Digital SLR, but it is just too large to carry around. I have wanted to document some of the day to day parts of my life, and this camera will help. I am hoping to participate in Project 365, where each participant takes at least a photo a day. We'll see! So far I am at 100% for 2009.

Off to get some more cleaning done. Can't believe I actually have to go back to work in a few days!

Happy New Year... One Little Word

Happy New Year! We had a wonderful evening with our friends closing out 2008 and welcoming 2009. It is amazing how hopeful a new year can be... full of possibilities and new challenges.

I have been a long time fan of a woman who is considered one of the icons in the scrapbooking world, Ali Edwards. I have been inspired by not only her creativity and scrapbooking style, but also by the way she chooses to live her life. A few years ago she challenged her blog readers to choose one little word to focus on for an entire year. This one little word is your guiding philosophy for the coming year. You can read more about it on her blog here.

Last year I chose a word but didn't do much with it. This year I was really inspired to choose a word that truly would be my guiding force for the year. After much thought and reflection yesterday, I chose my word...


Grace has many different definitions according to the dictionary. All of them fit as to how I want to lead my life in 2009 (and beyond.) Here is the dictionary definition:

grace

Noun

1. elegance and beauty of movement, form, or expression

2. a pleasing or charming quality: architecture with few redeeming graces

3. courtesy or decency: at least she had the grace to laugh

4. a delay granted for the completion of a task or payment of a debt: another year's grace

5. Christian theol the free and unmerited favour of God shown towards humankind

6. a short prayer of thanks for a meal

Another poster on Ali's blog chose grace and commented on the definition from another source, Style Statement: Live by Your Own Design by Danielle LaPorte & Carrie McCarthy. I really liked the quote that she gave from the book:

Graceful is poised and dignified and, at her best, is a giving, generous spirit who seeks to impart kindness and dignity. Love is her fuel; goodwill is her motivation and guide. Graceful prefers meaning and substance but will practice courtesy and compassion rather than forcing her views about a situation. Graceful has a sense of fit and propriety, a craving for balance and good form and proportion. She adores harmony and material and immaterial luxury—from finery to leisure. Rooted in feminine power, Graceful has a quiet and steady confidence. She endeavors to make everything special in the most considerate and ultimately charming ways, and she tends to make it all look effortless.

This really sums up how I want to live my life. I want to be more graceful (and with my recent falls on ice, this is a literal goal as well as figurative!) I want to be a better friend and teacher who listens and provides compassion to all those around me. I want to work in improving my confidence and get it "all together"

I am hoping to write more about this word in the coming year. For now I am going to create some kind of art to hang up here in my studio that is a constant reminder. I am also planning to order one of these so that my word is always close to my heart.

So my challenge... choose one little word for yourself. What will YOUR word be? How will you bring this word to life in the coming year?