HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween! In the spirit of the season, I bring you FRIGHT FEST with Hailey and Crackers. Insert psycho music here. Reeh, reeh, rehh!!!
-
-
Noooooooooooooooooo. That is NOT a look of "I am totally going to bite and rip those weirds things apart that you just set on my back" on Crackers face. Not at all. Never.
-

And yes, it's QUITE scary having the world's smallest pumpkin on your head, Hailey. And no, that is NOT my hand on Hailey's snout. I'm not trying desperately to get her to cooperate. Nut uh. Not me.

-

And in case you can't tell, those are looks of misery, annoyance and general "I would so kick the snot out of you if you weren't on the top of the food chain" looks from my ladies above. Don't worry, no children were harmed in the making of these photos. And before you go thinking they are being used, you should see Crackers still licking the carpet right now, sure there are more crumbs from the more liver treats.

I suppose this would be a whole lot easier if I just dressed them up in little doggie costumes, huh? NOT!!! What are you going to be for halloween this year? Or your kiddos? Or your furry kids?

Remembering Grandpa: A Look at Telling His Story

Many of you know that my Grandpa T passed away unexpectedly this August. At 81 years old, he lived a long and full life. It was a joy being his granddaughter and I know the grief will really hit me when I go to visit my family in Ohio for the holidays and he won't be there. In fact, it's already trying to seep out the corners of my eyes, just putting together this quick post.

Being a scrapbooker helps me to deal with my loss in a healthy, constructive way. I am working hard to preserve as much memory about him as I can, while it's still as fresh as possible. I'm also still trying to let go the fact that I didn't get more of his information recorded.

I have been working with my family to try and get some of his memories, stories and personality captured and documented. I have been having a particularly good time reminiscing with Andy, as he has a great memory for detail and seems to be one of the only people who can remember Grandpa saying anything about his time in the military.

Here is the result of playing around with some initial digital templates and pieces of Grandpa's military story. Do you like the first or the seocnd one better? The first is a font of my actual handwriting. The second is just another font that I liked. Then again, I may decide to create a hybrid verison of this layout too.

-

The journaling talks about some of the random military memories Andy recalled Grandpa telling us over the last few years. Digital element in first photo was created by me. All others are by Ali Edwards.

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful

Oh the weather outside is Frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,

And since we've no place to go,

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Don't you just LOVE waking up to over a foot of snow, all the schools being closed, some of the highways closed yet your place of work is still open?? I live 18 miles away from work... that's a long way and IT'S STILL SNOWING!!!!!!

-

So, I am sitting tight until the sun gets up and starts warming things up a little bit. I also put an email into my boss (who comes in even further then I) to let me know what the roads are like and if he thinks I should come in or not. Considering he is the City Traffic Engineer and a safety freak (plus I trust him), he will let me know if I will be leaving the house today or not.

-

In the meantime, enjoy a couple of pictures of the ladies playing in the snow yesterday afternoon. This morning, the snow is almost up to their bellies! LOL If you had an unexpected snow day, what would you do with your little slice of freedom?

-

A Quick & Easy Happy Layout

I made the following layout for a submission call. The topic was "happy" layouts. And while it didn't get picked up, I thought I would share it anyway since I enjoyed making it.



Thoughts about "happy" in regards to this layout: "Happy" is sitting down to a freshly cleared off scrapbook table with an idea in mind - to use those blurry, yet happy photos. Photos that you can't help smiling at when you look at them. They may not be perfect, but they capture the joyous motion and playfulness of my doggies.


"Happy" is learning to sit down at a blank canvas and just go, while not fearing perfection, failure or what anyone else might think. "Happy" is fun new products that are just the right color, shape or say just the right thing. "Happy" is having everything come together on a layout: subject idea, photos, layout design, fun products and the words. "Happy" is completing the layout and deciding that yes, indeed, I am "happy" with it.
"

"Happy" is simply having fun playing with paper. What's your "happy?"

Surprise, It's Salmon - A Fish Steak You'll Actually Enjoy

I was diagnosed with high cholesterol a few years ago, but I didn't give it much thought since it runs in my family and the numbers were okay. Meaning my HDL, the good stuff, was high and my LDL, the bad stuff, was okay - nothing to worry about. Well, it seems I took that for granted, along with getting married and settling into a desk job that doesn't exactly excite me.

Fast forward to last week, add 65 pounds and a recent cholesterol reading that has taken a turn for the worse. We're talking bad enough to be discusing cholesterol medicine with the doctor. I just turned 30 this summer!! Not good. I started a weight loss blog a few months ago. Usually I keep my thoughts confined there, but I thought I would share a lovely new recipe I discovered in my quest to lose weight and make sure my heart stays as healthy as possible.

The other reason I am sharing this recipe is salmon tends to be a "fishy" fish. I know, fresh salmon, caught the same day isn't, but I can only afford the frozen stuff on a regular basis. Anyway, I am always looking for a way to make salmon taste great and I think I discovered my new favorite salmon recipe this evening. The sauce in this recipe works with the salmon, erasing any "fishyness" and giving it a subtle yet sweet note. Yummy.

BROILED FISH STEAKS WITH TARRAGON CHEESE SAUCE
All it takes is yogurt, cheese, and tarragon for this simple but spectacular sauce.

For extra punch, sprinkle on some cracked black pepper.

Start to Finish: 20 minutes Makes: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ pounds fresh or frozen salmon, swordfish, or tuna steaks, cut ¾ inch thick (I used frozen salmon pieces)
½ cup plain yogurt or light dairy sour cream (I used plain yogurt)
½ cup shredded mozzarella or Monterrey jack cheese (2 ounces) (I used mozzarella)
2 teaspoons snipped fresh tarragon or ½ tsp dried tarragon, crushed (I used dried)
Salt
Ground black pepper (I used fresh cracked)
Hot cooked bow ties or other pasta (optional)
Fresh tarragon sprigs (optional)
Red sweet pepper strips (optional)

1
Thaw fish, if frozen. Rise fish; pat dry with paper towels. If necessary, cut fish steaks into 4 equal portions.
2
in a bowl combine the yogurt or sour cream, cheese, and snipped or dried tarragon. set aside.
3
Place dish on unheated rack of broiler pan. Sprinkle fish with salt and black pepper. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 6 to 9 minutes or just until fish flakes easily with a fork. Spoon yogurt mixture over fish steaks. Broil 30 to 60 seconds more or until heated through and cheese starts to melt.
4
To serve, if desired, arrange fish on hot cooked pasta and garnish with fresh tarragon sprigs and red pepper strips.

Nutrition facts per serving: 188 calories, 8g total fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 236 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 25g protein

Losing the Ranch: Taking Time to Tell the Challenging Stories

This week, we are taking time to tell the challenging stories in Ali Edward's Yesterday & Today class. Ali says that you never have to tell any story you don't want too, and I agree. But I also believe you have to listen to your gut and tell the ones you know need to be told. You know they will answer questions from your children or grandchildren one day down the road. You know your struggle was great, the pain difficult, but the story insists on being told. I believe that is where I am going with my own personal challenging story, but I'm not quite ready to embrace it. And who knows, maybe I will take Ali's advice and let sleeping dogs lie. But somehow I don't think that's what will happen in the end. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve and my scrapbooking reflects it.


So I decided I would work on my husband's challenging story layout first (I am doing all assignments and projects in this class for both my husband and I). Truth be told, I chose this story for him. It's one he tells on a regular basis and has definitely shaped his life. I also asked him to think strongly about whether or not there is another challenging story he would like told, since I chose this one for him.


We had a nice evening, working on a respective hobbies and I "interviewed" him about his memories and experiences from losing the ranch on which he spent his early childhood years. At first he didn't give me much detail, maybe only 3 or 4 sentences. So I continued to ask him questions like "did you get to take anything with you?" "what did the trailer look like?" and so forth. After a bit of prompting the memories and thus the stories started flowing.


It was a neat experience to watch the story come to life. We are also fortunate enough to have a photograph of the ranch. Andy actually took the photograph when he was in college from the highway nearby. He said everything still looks the same. I wonder if it's still that way today.


In the end, we are both pleased with the result and I am happy we were able to capture a challenging story that helped shape my husband's life. It is incredibly gratifying to put together a layout that is truly special and to see my husband happy about it.

It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding

Yesterday afternoon Andy and I decided to go for a drive in the mountains. It was bright and sunny when we started our way up the canyon, but by the time we really driving on some roads above 8,000 feet, it started to snow. It was actually a little bit entertaining for awhile, but that's easy for me to say as I was the passenger. If you ask my husband, who was driving, he might have something a little different to say.

We rounded one corner and all of a sudden, we realized we could barely see St. Malo, a beautiful little rock chapel tucked up in the Colorado Mountains. I actually thought it looked a little eerie in the dark, snowy afternoon and felt it was a bit ironic with Halloween approaching soon.

Andy knows me pretty well by now, plus he has an eye for photography himself. Without even needing to ask me, he pulled over across the street from the chapel so I could get a picture or two. That's when he noticed the photographer on the side of the road and then the couple in front of the church.

Man, she must have been COLD!! Poor gal. I wonder if they were from out of state because planning a wedding in the mountains at high elevation in late October means there will be snow. Then again, maybe they were locals hoping to get a break or some neat pictures. I know I would sure be interested to see how the professional photographers shots came out. Congratulations to the happy, albeit cold and wet, couple!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Almost)

It's ALMOST my most wonderful time of the year. There'll be much mistletoeing, And hearts will be glowing, When loved ones are nearrrrr. It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrrrrrrr.


Disclaimer: when I mention Christmas, I am not excluding your beliefs or celebrations. I am simply expressing my own. In my perfect world, if we were to cross on the street, I would say "Merry Christmas" and you would say "Happy Hanukkah"/"Happy Kwanzaa"/"Happy Solstice" and so forth. In my perfect world the fighting would stop for a moment of peace to celebrate the season, like Garth Brooks sings about it his song "Belleau Wood" also known as "The Solider Song" (lyrics here). Just wanted to let you know I consider this blog a "safe place" where you are free to practice your beliefs and not be judged.


So, you may be wondering, Why on earth am I bringing up the Christmas Holiday season now? Probably because it's almost here. Before you know it we'll be cooking up thanksgiving turkey birds, exchanging greeting cards with one another, making cookies, enjoying family and friends around the festive family dinner table, caroling, going to see the festive light displays and celebrating our reason for the season.

Which means it's time to start planning. I know, CRAZY, right? We are big gift exchangers in my family and trying to figure out what I am going to get people has always been a challenge. I definitely need a head start and I don't really like crazy holiday crowds (I would rather stay home the day after Thanksgiving then get caught in the mobs looking for deals). We also need to figure out who is going to host which holiday and when we can fly back east to visit my family.

But honestly? The real reason I brought this Christmas subject up today is I am shopping for Christmas papers for my December Daily/Journal Your Christmas 2009 Scrapbook Mini Album. Last year I followed along with both Ali Edward's and her journey on the December Daily documenting adventure. I also signed up for Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas class, which delivers wonderful prompts, thoughtfulness and insight into this magical time of year. Sign up here. More information here.

A bonus about Journal Your Christmas, you can take it again for free in following years, so I will be participating again this year. Last year I told things from my perspective, this year I will be focusing on my husband's perspective (which seems to be a theme this fall/winter season). Throughout this blog post, I have been sharing pictures of my album from last year. If you would like to see the whole thing, click here.

So this weekend, I am hoping to shop for some of Little Yellow Bicycle's Holiday line to go with the Websters Pages I already bought. I'm not sure yet what I am going to be doing for the actual album cover itself. I like the cover from last year, but I am eyeballing the album in the Little Yellow Bicycle line, although if I can't put my hands on it locally, I'll probably go back to the same etsy vendor from last year and buy the same type of album.

One more random thought about holiday albums. I store my Christmas 2008 album with all of our regular Christmas decorations supplies. That means it's tucked away and forgotten about until we pull out the decroations and then it's a time of happy enjoyment and reminiscing. I plan to display the album for others to enjoy and compare to this year. I also plan on doing the same with the 2009 album in the future.

Are you thinking about the upcoming holiday season? Excited? Not ready? Not even thinking about it? Buying papers and supplies for a holiday mini album? Making Christmas cards? Or just wondering what on earth to do this year?

Bits & Pieces: Me A to Z

I have been thinking about the process of scrapbooking. I've never really considered anything but the actual "page assembly" as "scrapbooking" before. Now, I am beginning to embrace stages, or "little bits and pieces" of scrapbooking, as detailed in my "on my desk right now" post.


I am still trying to complete my album from Cathy's Me: The Abridged Version class that ended September 31st. It is a LOT of journaling and therefore a lot of work. Not something I can sit down and whip out on thirty minutes. Add to that picking out two pictures to go with each letter's journaling and we have a serious time commitment on hand.


Gone are the days when I could come from work and sit for 5 hours, uninterrupted, at my craft table. I have been taking more responsibilities on (preparing healthy meals, moving my butt, home improvement projects, etc) and find it's really cut into my scrapbooking time. At first, I thought that meant I couldn't scrapbook at all. I was quite used to sitting down and creating a page from start to finish. For a few months, I just decided if I didn't have enough time to complete it, I wasn't even going to start on it.


Thankfully, I got over that hang up and have begun embracing the process of scrapbooking in "bits and pieces." A little bit here, a little bit there. It's a result of having several classes that need to be completed and several big projects going on at once. Let's be realistic. Unless you are "my super exgirlfriend" (fun little movie, by the way) there is no way you can complete a 28 page album with apx. 300 words and 2 pictures per page in one evening. That's 218,400 words people! Crazy!


Actually, no, it's not crazy. It's really neat that I am now a little over 50% done with the project. In the past, I would have given up and the album would have sat unfinished for who knows how long, possibly even forever?! The success and confidence of this project is because I set small goals for myself. Tonight, I will journal 2 letters. Another, 2 more. On the weekend, print, trim and adhere them to the pages. Next week, spend an evening picking out photos to go with the letters. Another night, print them out and add to pages. Repeat this whole process and finish up the album.


How cool will it be to finally have a completed album from a class and not care that it didn't happen in the time alloted for the class (which was only 30 days)! I am looking forward to using this to continue to balance my scrapbook work load as I have to finish up this Me: A to Z album, work on Ali Edward's Yesterday and Today projects, get ready for my photography class next month and also get reading to be even more of a blogger with Shimelle's class on scrapbook blogging. Stay tuned, things could get interesting!

Pioneer Woman Photography Assignment: Textures

The Pioneer Woman put up a bit of a photography assignment on the photography section of her website. It's basically texturing a photo to give it some interest. You can read the details here.


I thought it would be fun to play along and after I found the textures by this flickr photographer, I was hooked. All textures below are from her. All photos are mine.
-






So what do you think? Do you like textured photographs? I think I do. I wouldn't use them in scrapbooking, but the right textured photo could make a really cool canvas wrap up on my living room wall.

A Look At Yesterday: Childhood Memories

As you may know, I am taking the Yesterday & Today class with Ali Edwards at Big Picture Scrapbooking. So far, it's been pretty good. This week we are working on a layout about random childhood memories. Short memories that maybe wouldn't fill up a whole page, or maybe they would, depending on your scrapbook style.


For the class, Ali is providing templates and digi elements (pretty darn cool) and I have decided that I am going to just use what she is providing without much tweaking so I can focus on the words, photos and the stories. I wasn't sure I was going to be okay with this approach, but it turns out using the templates is a life saver when you are digging through boxes full of old photographs and memories. It can be QUITE time consuming.



This is the first half of my childhood memories two page layout. Okay, you caught me, it's actually the second half (if you look at the numbers, it gives that away). Not sure why I started with the second page, since they are basically the same design, but I did. And let me tell you, I LOVED scrapbooking these photos and memories! It may have taken three hours to choose photos, scan them in and tell the stories, but I LOVE the final result! And while we all scrapbook for different reasons, I primarily do for 2 reasons: creative outlet and I want to leave a legacy. I want my great grand children to have possession of this particular album (if all others get lost) so they can know something about how their great grandma lived as a child in the 1980s.


If you are interested, the journaling reads:



Art Classes: I love this picture of Erik & I. We grew up taking children’s art classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art while my mother would paint and sketch in the galleries. I believe I’m holding a self portrait, but I wasn’t blonde and I hate clowns. I’m not sure what the hair on the bridge of the nose is about – bangs, maybe? The mask I am wearing is another interesting piece. I actually have a vague memory of my class going into the African gallery at looking at the masks for inspiration. I believe that is why there are teeth missing from my mask. I also remember some of those masks being creepy and looking down on me. I like to think you can see my brothers emerging art talent being nurtured here. Not only is he younger then me, but even as a kid his work just looks more composed. Today, he is a talented designer and I am quite proud of him.



Front Yard Snow Surfing: I remember the little slope in the front yard being a big hill. Erik and I thought we would try “surfing” down that hill on our favorite trusty yellow sleds we had received one Christmas. I remember being a bit scared to try standing on my sled and judging by my grip, I think I was afraid of falling over (after all, the same thing happened on a skate board in the summer & after that I rode the skateboard sitting down). Today that slope is just mere steps but when we were kids it seemed like Everest.



The “Gee Gee” Club (rhymes with Me Me): The Gee Gee Club consisted of my cousins Mike and Elaine, my brother Erik and me, Lauren. The club had “positions” and Gee Gee 1 was the unnamed president. That honor fell to Mike, as he was the eldest cousin. I was Gee Gee 2 as I was the next oldest, only a year behind Mike. Technically, Gee Gee 3 went to Erik, since he was two years younger then I and Gee Gee 4 to Elaine at one year less than Erik. Elaine didn’t like being last and would try to battle the Gee Gee 3 position away from Erik.

What else can I remember about this club? Not much, really. I remember that we had “private” meetings away from all the other relatives at the holidays. I can remember meeting at the table on Grandma and Papa Kozak’s screened in back porch, overlooking the golden delicious apple tree. Why were these meetings private? Why do kids do anything? I don’t know. What were these meetings about? I have no idea, though I think it was pretty much a way to figure out what game we wanted to play with Mike’s idea usually winning as he was the head Gee Gee.


If you made it this far, thanks for reading about my childhood memories. I would LOVE to read about yours. Do you have any links to any pages/posts about your memories or heritage?

On My Desk Right Now...

Well, table really. LOL



I thought it would be fun to do a "what's on my table" post, kind of like those "what's in my purse" photos you see from time to time. So here is a peak into my creative life at the moment and what's going on. And no, my table isn't always this clean and organized. I am a rather messy scrapper. It only looks this clean when I have to stop and regroup. This is something I try to do about once a week or so. Hopefully that way, nothing will slip through the cracks and get lost.
-


Generating a list of draft blog posts - ideas really, waiting to be written, photos added and posted. I find this is an excellent way to make sure I always have something to say! LOL Plus, it helps me balance my topics, i.e. putting enough scrappy goodness out there to keep you coming back to read about all my little adventures. Hope it works! :o)



I am trying to finish up my album for Cathy Zielske's Me A to Z class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. The class ended September 31st and I am about 40-45% of the way done. I still have a bit of writing to complete, photos to pick out and finishing the actual page assembly.
-


Photos from my husband's life waiting to be scanned into the computer so I can use them on layouts to tell his story. I am doing layouts for him for the Yesterday & Today class by Ali Edwards at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It has been a lot of fun looking through our childhood photos together and reminiscing.
-


I like to print off other people's scrapbook pages for my inspiration binder. What makes the cut? Overall designs I like and/or just some details that I would like to try my hand at.
-


My Big Picture Scrapbooking "In Progress" binder. It seems that at any one time I have 2 or more Big Picture Scrapbooking classes that I am working on. I use this binder to keep the "to do" stuff straight.



Ali Edwards has been providing us with some digital elements in her Yesterday & Today class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I have been thinking about trying the same quotes in my own handwriting to add to the layouts. I think it would be nice to add that little piece of myself to the pages.
--

My mom always likes to send something fun along with the serious mail she has to send once a month. This time it was a little it was a little paper latern. I am also keeping the envelope as a handwriting sample to maybe use on a layout. Thanks mom! :o)


A book about embracing creativity. What's cool about it? It applies to so much more then just your art. It applies to your life. Check it out.


I also like to print off other people's card designs for inspiravtion. I have these out as a reminder, I've got to hurry up and crank out some Christmas/Holiday cards for Operation Write Home and turn them in.


And finally, I will leave you with something not on my desk, but always under it. Miss Hailey likes to keep me company and warm my toes whenever I scrap.

Management + Tropic Thunder, A Couple of Quick Movie Reviews

Andy and I are a couple of movie freaks. We have just about rented everything at our local video store that looks interesting. Problem is that we live in a small town and they don't carry much, so we are seriously debating NetFlix.

Two recent movies we rented that I thought were worth mentioning. The first because it was AWFUL and I would recommend to stay the heck away, but the second turned out to be surprisingly good and funny and I would say check it out.

Andy and I thought this movie would be funny, a kick to watch. IT WASN'T!!! It was as bad as a kick in the pants would be to most men. And it's RAUNCHY just for the sake of being raunchy... too much. It passes the line of raunchy/funny into just plain stupid. I think I lost brain cells during the duration of this movie. Two thumbs down.

Interesting to note that Tropic Thunder was written, directed, produced and starred in by Ben Stiller. It seems that the worst movies we have watched lately are from a star that has too much money and doesn't know when to simply stick with acting and stay away from writing and directing (i.e. Helen Hunt directing herself in Then She Found Me. Ugh! Another big fat two thumbs down!).

Sometimes actors directing themselves works, the hint that it isn't working is you never heard about the movie before you ran across it on the shelf at the video store and it's directed by the star. Bad combo! Set the box down and walk away! LOL


Andy and I actually thought this movie would be bad and after the weird butt grab scene (as indicated on the poster), I was ready to turn the movie off. Thankfully, Andy told me to give it another 10 minutes and I am happy I did. It got better and better and better. Turned out to be a fun movie that's weird, but just works and has enough one liners to keep you coming back again. Steve Zahn's character is just Innocent enough to keep him from being creepy and Jennifer Aniston's character is just eccentric enough but sweet to make it work. An unusual sort of romantic comedy that works. I would watch it again, always a good sign.

Anyone have any thoughts for or against NetFlix? Blockbuster isn't an option, they aren't in town.

All About Andy, Yesterday & Today

I have decided to create an All About Andy Album for my Yesterday & Today class (blogged about some details here). Last night, I sat Andy down with a few boxes of his childhood photos and asked him to pick some out that were special or just made him happy. I scanned in about 3 dozen photos and with his help choosing photos, created this intro page for his album.


When some of Andy's Sami/Norweigan relatives came to visit this summer they looked through some of my scrapbooks. Helga wanted to know where were the boys? Andy and his family and his friends?
-
I didn't think my albums were all about me, but turns out they are because it's my family and friends - those were the stories I was telling. I'm embarassed to admit, I wasn't really telling his story. That is no longer the case!
-
Now, I am creating a special album that will be All About Andy: his family, friends and his story. I hope it will be a treasured keepsake for my husband. I also hope it will teach me to intergrate his story and my story in our eveyday life albums.

A Book Review by Crackers

While Crackers is no Chuck from http://www.dooce.com/ (totally love her website, by the way), she is obedient and lets me put things on her head and nose.


Besides, Crackers was able to absorb all 190 pages in a record time of 3.5 seconds before she decided to lower her head, sending the book crashing to the floor. A new land speed record in doggie osmosis.
-

For those of you "Cat Who" mystery series lovers, The Cat Who Had Sixty Whiskers does not disappoint! In fact, by the end of the book you are wishing the next book in the series had been published last April because some interesting developments with the standard story leaves you desperately wanting more. However, with the author getting on in years, this may be the end to our beloved saga. :(

Charting the Mist

Last week, I posted a little envelope I created since I wasn't able to pick one up at my local scrapbook store or online. It was fun to "take matters into my own hands" and be pleased with the outcome.

After I finished this little project, I got several more mists in the mail. It was beginning to get difficult to remember which mist color and what it would look like when actually sprayed on paper. So, I decided to create a Mist Color Chart.

Pretty simple really, I got out my handy dandy square punch and made squares out of both white and kraft card stock to see what they look like in the reality. Then I simply ruled out an 8.5x11 paper and mounted the sprayed card stock as a visual guide.

How do you keep your mists, inks and paints straight?

Meet Sally, The $900 Pumpkin

My husband Andy and I joined a local CSA this past year. What's a CSA? See here or here. Anyway, after a lot of hemming and haaing, we took the almost $900 leap to purchase fresh, organic local produce. Please, before you go think we are wealthy or just crazy with money, realize the cost equals about $30 a week - close to what we would spend buying lots of fruits and vegetables in the grocery store, only this was to be a local, fresh, organic adventure.



Overall, I would give this particular CSA 2 thumbs down. I understand the risks involved with farming (I worked for 7 seasons as a farm hand as a teenager) but the fruit and veggies we received were pathetic. We found out that the farm we joined sold produce to the local grocery stores and we wound up with the seconds. And to top it off, their customer service was awful when we tried to address some of the issues we had (moldy foods, poor quality, etc). But really, that is a story better left untold. In general, joining a CSA is a good thing for you, your family's health and your local economy. Mostly, I just want to put this whole CSA business behind us and move forward with our own garden and supporting the local farmers market next year.


So, we are trying to make the best of a bad situation and we faithfully pick up our box of produce every Wednesday afternoon. This last week, there was a newsletter with two tickets to something called Harvestial, along with a token to pick a pumpkin as part of our CSA membership. Needless to say with our experience and determination to get as much good as we can out of the situation, we were going to get our $900 pumpkin.



Then we were hit with an early snowstorm this weekend - 3.5 inches of snow, lots of accidents and pretty much no participation in outdoor activities. Even so, as we were driving up to the farm, Andy said "watch, there will be some little pumpkin dude, going 'do you have your token?' 'do you have your token?' When we got there, guess what? There was said pumpkin dude, telling us that they were closed (it was quarter till closing) but since we had our token, we could go pick out a pumpkin real quick. But he would be watching us and making sure we only got one pumpkin and turned in our precious token.



Once we were out in the snow covered field, it was kind of romantic and even a little bit of fun. And in the end, we found the perfect pumpkin.
-




And to have a little fun, I will share one final picture of a rather realistic butt shaped pumpkin that didn't make the final cut. Enjoy!
-

Yesterday and Today, An Introduction

I am taking Yesterday and Today, a class being taught by Ali Edwards at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Ali has been my long time favorite scrapbook designer (closely followed by Cathy Zielske, for those of you who might be wondering). I LOVE Ali's sense of design, choice of color and personal style to balance the story, pictures and even a few pieces of cute new product in a way that is technically trendy, but does not scream it and will still look nice 50 years from now.

The layout I am sharing with you today is the introduction layout for the album I will be creating as part of the class. The driving thought behind the class is essentially: if I were gone from this life tomorrow, what do I wish that people had known about me? In other words, what are my most important stories?

Even though Ali's style and mine tend to be different (I like to be a little more messy in my designs), I LOVE the graphic style of this layout and the focus on the photos. Funny how good design is timeless, which is something I am hoping to learn more about in Cathy Z's 2010 edition of Design Your Life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Random thought: Apparently a lot of scrapbookers have a hard telling telling "their" story for a number of reasons, often including the telling of their children's stories and the lack of themselves in the photos as they tend to be the photographer. I don't seem to have that problem: after two classes that are all about me, I am thinking I will need to "do them over," but this time they will be all about my husband, Andy. It's time to start telling his story.

3rd Generation Photographer

Photography runs in my blood. Literally. I am a 3rd generation photographer. From the moment I found the photo of my Papa (my mother's dad) in a pile of family photos this past spring, I have been wanting to do a layout celebrating the family love of photography.



The photography bug isn't just limited to my papa, mom and myself (in the layout above from left to right). It also includes my Uncle Richard, my dad, my cousin Elaine and my cousin Mark who just started his own photography business based out of Cleveland, Ohio. You can check out his website here.



It makes me incredibly happy when a project like this comes together. Great photos, great theme/story/idea and the perfect paper (by Studio Calico). It's not life changing, but it is fun and represents where my love of photography orginates and that makes it worth remembering.

We Interrupt this Program to bring you the First Snow of the Year!

The first snow of the year is happening right now in Northern Colorado (on the plains, it's been snowing up in the mountains since the end of August). Goodbye summer. Where the heck did fall go??

`

Hello Winter.

Ella Publishing, My Layout

Ella Publishing has decided to feature one of my digital layouts in thier October Ezine. You can find my layout in the Editor's Corner. I am flattered! Thanks ladies!

Here is the original layout, which I completed shortly after my Grandpa passed away late this summer.

It was thearuptic to deal with the emotions of his passing by documenting and celebrating his life with some hertiage photos we found at his home. The youngest boy in front is my Grandpa. Don't you just love how our hobby allows for the expression of emotion in many different ways?

Miss you Grandpa!

Playing with Product

Despite my last post about scrapbooking bullies, I LOVE to play with product. My musings in that post are a reflection of my own inner struggle and desires. I need to find balance between having fun, playing with product, being artsy and making sure I tell the story.

Part of me believes that someday, no one will care about how the layouts look. They won't care about the product, style or design. What I hope they care about are the stories. I hope I can record the stories that will matter to them. They will learn a little bit about me, my family and our traditions. Some of my most treasured heirloom items are pieces of paper that someone took the time to record what a Christmas was like on the farm during the depression. FASCINATING! And while I wish there was a photograph to go with it, just the description in my relatives own words is an incredible treasure. I want to pass that on to some unknown future relative of mine.

That said, I like to play with product. I like to pretend I'm artsy-fartsy (yup, I definitely have scrapbooking bullies in this area). It makes me happy and that counts for something. It's important to enjoy what we do. We cannot predict the future and we don't know what will survive after we leave this life. We can only hope and play in the meantime.

I "belong" to Studio Calico, an awesome scrapbooking kit club who is about to turn manufacturer with the best online scrapbooking community. I say "belong" because I am not currently subscribed to the kits (financial reasons), but I still enjoy posting, chatting and get the occasional stamp or patterned paper from their shop. This month, their kit includes these ADORABLE kraft envelopes from Maya Road.

Mini Album/Bottom Photo by Maggie Holmes

Needless to say, I WANTED them like crazy. Esp after seeing Maggie Holmes mini album (above) using them here. Yum!

Since the shop ran out and I wasn't having any luck finding them online, I decided to make my own. I'm rather pleased with how it turned out and I am thinking that I will make it into a mini album and/or art journal. Here's to finding the balance between product, story telling and your own pleasure with them.

Scrapbooking has It's Bullies Too

Trent at The Simple Dollar wrote a fantastic, thought-provoking essay, Money Bullies. It basically talks about the everyday pressures that bully us into spending money, including items such as Advertising ( I never wanted a Carl's Jr burger before seeing 369 of their commericals + hearing another 452 in the car) and "Keeping up with the Joneses" (I try to do this with my family and friends from time to time and it only leads to being dissatisfied).

I would never have expected the personal finance and scrapbooking sections of my google reader to crossover and be so relevant. I can't believe it took me this long to realize that scrapbooking and money share an awful lot of the same bullies.

Scrapbooking Bullies create pressure to:

• buy the latest and greatest product
• be on a design team
• have large blog readership
• belong to 87 kit clubs
• be trendy
• be simple
• be artsy
• use one photo
• use 10 photos
• use no photos
• to stamp
• to ink
• to mist
• to mask
• be active on the message boards
• say the right thing
• to fit in

Ali Edwards is teaching a class called Yesterday & Today. One of the points she is trying to drive home is the way we think about scrapbooking. It is less about playing with product (potential bully alert!) and more about focusing on the words and photos. It's about telling the story, telling your story.

We are learning to let go of the scrapbooking baggage or bullies and replace them with the real reasons for our hobby: to document, to create, to enjoy or simply tell a story. I took Trent's idea of "Money Bullies" and combined it with Ali's idea of simple, authentic story telling and decided to give my scrapbooking bullies the old heave-ho.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not here to point any fingers and I don't necessarily see anything wrong with the above list. The problem comes when these things consume your life and cause you grief, pain, disappointment and possibly feelings of unworthiness. NONSENSE. Scrapbooking is about story telling. How you pursue that is up to you. Only you know the balance of satisfaction and bulling scrapbooking can have over you.

Unexpected Inspiration

I'm taking Ali Edward's Yesterday & Today class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. The class just started and for this week, we are brainstorming and get ready for the rest of the class.

One of the things Ali instructed us to do was to let go of our scrapbooking baggage. Literally. So I burned my paper on which I had written the various thoughts and feelings that hold me back in scrapbooking. It felt good to watch those crummy thoughts dissappear right before my eyes, even if I did end up burning the tip of my finger.

I also think this would be a good exercise for everyday life. Record the thoughts and feelings that say "you're not good enough" "too fat" "too skinny" "other parents do this or that" and such. Reflect on them for a moment, say goodbye and light em up! What an unexpected release and surprising inspiration to move forward, baggage free.

Holding a Little Piece of My History in the Palm of my Hand...

Holding a Little Piece of My History in the Palm of my Hand...

The last two times I have visited Cleveland, I have begun photographing old photos belonging to my mom, dad and more recently, ones we discovered at Grandpa's house. This little gem is my mom being held by her mom. Such a sweet little memory. Recorded and not forgotten.

An Ultra Quick Digi Layout

An Ultra Quick Digi Layout

Quick layout with a beautiful free template from Designed by Ellie. Get it here: designedbyellie.blogspot.com/2009/09/quick-page-freebie.html