Some "ME" work

Have I posted that I started running with a friend of mine? Last fall a friend of mine asked me to join her in a "Walk to Run" class, so I did. Ugh, I really don't like running...especially around a track or on a treadmill...for those of you who do that, HOW do you do it?!?!? BLAH!!! But, I found that I enjoy running with my friend. We talk the whole time...yes, we talk while we run. It's not easy, but I really enjoy it. She is a really good friend of mine (Erica's God Mother) and it's a great way for us to stay connected and good for us to encourage each other to live a healthy (or healthier) life style.

So we JUST started running and all of a sudden Cecile says, "let's run a marathon." Double ugh! I do NOT run enough each week to feel like I'll be able to meet that. I'd like to try a half marathon though. So, in order to reach that goal, you need to take baby steps, right? Well, we ran our first 5K together...the Frostbite Footrace on Feb 28. We ran it without stopping (except for having to tie shoes), so that was a plus. BUT, we finished REALLY slow...I'm not giving you the time except to say that it was a double digit mile.

Here's a layout I did of ME...I rarely scrap myself, so this is BIG for me. Enjoy...and wish me luck in my endeavor!

Camera Dillema

What kind of camera do you have? Is it a small, portable, convenient one? Or is it a grand SLR that has more features than you'll ever know what to do with (or maybe you DO know how to use it...teach me, please!!!)? Or do you have both? I have friends that have both. I never really saw the need for both, so I got a fancy shmancy Digital SLR that will do it all since the cheap ole thing I had at the time was not reliable and had poor pix quality (I'm still learning how to use it after almost 2 years...truth be told, it stays in auto or auto-no flash most of the time). The thing I dislike about it (and what people warned me about) is it's not easy to carry around. That and it doesn't stow very well, so I don't have easy access to it even at home. Recent events (including the two last months where we went to the archery shop for the first time without a camera and then to sell Girl Scout cookies WITH the camera, but I never used it) have me thinking twice about my purchase decision.

I volunteered at Erica's field trip yesterday and was the only parent without a camera...OK, that's an exaggeration, but not by much. They are learning about eggs in her Kindergarten class and Target sponsored a trip for them to the Imaginarium to get some hands on learning...complete with getting to hold a 5-day old baby chick. They were sooooo excited. And I missed being able document it with pictures (hrumph!!!). I've asked her teacher if she wouldn't mind sharing some pix with me...

Then, to pour salt into the wound, Erica had the perfect moment of reflection last night and I consciously didn't get the camera out for it (I'm really kicking myself in the rear about this because I thought about getting it and then decided not to!!!). Poor thing...she was totally distraught about not having a friend to play with. Easter Sunday she played nearly ALL day with her friend next door: they rode bikes, played babies, watched a movie, and played dress up. Erica was very sad when it ended. Monday, we got home from work a little late, but she still went out and rode her bike. She asked if she could go ask for Jenna to come out and play and we said OK...but Jenna couldn't because of dinner. Erica came home and plopped her sad little body on the front lawn and just sat there. In a way, it was the cutest thing I'd seen her do in a while. We had no clue was was going on at first...her shoulders were not shaking from weeping, so it didn't LOOK like she was sad. I opened the door and asked her why she was sitting on the grass (wet, since the snow is melting). She then broke down in tears and whimpered at me: I have nobody to play with!!! Oh, the trauma...and if I had only gotten a picture of it, it would've tied the whole story together. But I'm sure I'll end up with a picture that will adequately allow me to use this story one of these days.

I feel a small digital purchase in my future that will allow me the ease of having a camera where ever I am and allow me to take pix whenever the I have the urge. The question is: Even if I have it in my purse for easy access any where and any time, will I remember to pull it out to get that perfect picture? Or will it stay tucked away and rarely get used?

Mini Family Reunion

More stories from Spring Break...

My mom was born and raised in South Texas. When we went to Texas for Spring Break is was almost a like a family reunion. Erica had never met my mom's side of the family...and I can only imagine what she was thinking when she met everyone. She was taken by Uncle Beto...she even wrote a letter to him that said she would always love him. And Uncle Johnny was not far behind as he kept trying to teach her his version of "good manners." Fortunately those manners haven't stuck. "The Kid Beto" (my cousin Brenda's son) was also one of her favorites as he was just a year or so older than she...they really hit it off.

At the crop I attended last weekend, they had a challenge for us to do a project using the new Creative Memories puzzle punch. You know me and challenges, so I did a layout!!! I used Vintage Moon Die Cut papers that AC Bailey used to carry.

Now I'm thinking Summer

The snow is really starting to melt during the day...but it freezes at night, making for some *fun* driving in the early rush hour traffic (ugh!). But I am enjoying the memories of South Padre Island over Spring Break last month. And thanks to the crop I went to this past weekend, I got several layouts completed from pictures of the trip.

Erica had never been to the ocean before, so this was quite a treat. The water wasn't very deep (thank goodness) so she really didn't know what to do in the surf at first. She let the waves come up on her and tried to jump over them for fun. Then as she got more comfortable, she would venture out a bit, only to be chased back to the shore by waves...it was fun to watch! We didn't build a sand castle, but she liked burying her feet and legs...and I buried her whole body once. I particularly like the series of pictures where she's sitting in the sand and the water comes up behind her...check her out looking back as if to say, "Hey, where did THAT come from?!?"
The papers are Scenic route (again) and Bazzill, along with coordinating stickers and chipboard. I used the bonus sketch from AC Bailey's blog last month (I'm a HUGE sketch fan!) and turned it into a two page layout since I had so many pictures. I still have some of Erica and I body surfing, so I'll do another layout another time.

More Spring Feelings

This is another layout from the crop this weekend. The pictures aren't so much spring-y as the papers. I used the April Kit of the Month from AC Bailey along with felt from Queen and Co and some new paper flourishes from Bazzill I just HAD to get! I saw the layout by Becky June and HAD to "lift" it. I didn't put a title on it because nothing has "hit" me yet...and the pix look like my printer was starting to die (I will have to re-print them). Isn't the layout awesome??? As I was putting it together, my new scrapping friend did one, too.

And I have to share the funny story behind the pictures. One Sat morning Erica and I are hanging out and all of a sudden she says, "Momma, take a picture of this." She sitting on the couch with her baby and her puppy and has a scrunched up face and smile. I go get my camera and start shooting her. After every picture she wants to see the results...and critiques me! She says, "No, I want my whole body in it..." and "No, I can see the couch...get closer!" So who is making who in this dangerous duo??? I bet you think I'm making her that way, but think about this: could it be that SHE is making me the way I am???

Feels like Spring

Well, in Alaska, not really...except the roads are always wet from the melting snow. I washed my car yesterday and promptly found all the wet roads in town...ugh!!! At least the new grime is not piled on old grime... So my scrapping is feeling like Spring even if it doesn't yet LOOK like it outside (to me).

I went to a crop this weekend with a new scrapping friend from the girl scouts...she emailed me out of the blue and said, "I see in your email siggy you're a scrapper...I don't want to go to this crop alone, are you interested?" SCORE!!! A new scrapping friend and a crop!!! I'M IN!!! Turns out, I knew the gals hosting the crop and had trashed the invite because it was a weekend deal and I couldn't go the entire weekend. DUH...why didn't I ask about a day attendance?!? I went, had a blast, and was VERY productive.

Here's one of my favorite layouts from the weekend. I used some Scenic Route paper, stickers, and chipboard, and the rub-on title is from 7 Gypsies. This was the first layout I did at the crop...the pictures have been screaming at me to scrap them since I took them. Isn't Erica a hoot?!?

Sneak Peek

Wow...it's been too long since I blogged...sorry. I went to a crop this weekend and was VERY productive, so I have lots to contribute this week...YEAH.

I don't usually participate in swaps, but since I've been fairly active with AC Bailey, I decided to go ahead and join a "Rolodex swap" with some of the other consultants. The idea is that you alter the front of the Rolodex card and put a pix of yourself on it and include your statistics (phone, address, website, etc) on the back of the card. You make "_" number of cards based on the number of participants and each person in the swap gets a card from everyone else...so we all have every one's information and a picture of them. I'm excited to get 16 cards from other consultants...not everyone has their pix on the forum, so I can't put a "face" with the all the names.

So here's a sneak peek of part of my card...I won't post the whole thing until the swap is complete and everyone gets theirs in hand :) I wanted to make it relevant to Alaska, so I used some old Cloud 9 Frost papers I had from last year. I cut the snowflakes out with the Cuttlebug and Sizzix dies from Stampin' Up!, then added Ranger Stickles . I just love these stickles...but I need to use them a bit more to get better at it! Oh, and to make it easy to adhere the papers and card stock to the front of the Rolodex card, I used another Sizzix die from Stampin' Up! on the Cuttlebug (sure was nice not having to trim around those little notches!).