Tuesday, January 29, 2008

That's a digi I did for the 365 Challenge (------>over there------->). I like it. (That's Lori Barnhurst's "Forgotten Sunset" kit {Little Dreamer Desings}). I really like the colors and I like the photos my new camera is taking... Oh, and that goofy layout below. It made it onto the catwalk (i.e. "noteables") at SIStv this week. I think that's my fourth (or 5th?) layout that's made it. I so love that website. Right now I'm in the process of applying to be on their design team (a.k.a. a "Fashionista"). That would be an amazing accomplishment and I'm certainly not gonna hold my breath. My only hope is that the choice(s) won't be made on talent alone, but also on how supportive one is of the site (which I majorly am) and how active you are on the site (which I majorly am). And, the other card I can play pretty much exclusively amongst the other UBER talented applicants is that I'm pretty much alone in my age category on the site - and still scrapping in such a way as to make the catwalk from time to time! :)

I'm off to post my 365 for the day. Later!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Yeah. I know. I'm a DORK! But I'm in good company! (Of course, it's entirely possible that two of them up there inherited it from ME.) Oh well. At least I'm a happy dork! This page was soooo fun to make and it was especially great getting my hands on paper and glue again.

The day started with a few light flurries, but now it's sunny and that always makes me feel more energetic - well, at least in the winter, anyway! It's in the 20's today - better than the single digits and 10's of last week. Although it remains pretty cozy and comfy inside. BUT - this has been some GORgeous hot tub weather. (Yes NOW is peak season for hot-tubbing!) The "hot tub guy" came yesterday and is going to phone today with the hopefully not too shocking price of the new part we need to order. I don't know why Chris is even having him call first. Is there even an option that we won't pay whatever it takes to get that thing fixed? Get real! I just hope the pipes, etc. don't freeze up. He's got some lamps on full time under there to prevent just that. So whatever $$ we're saving by not heating that water right now is being eaten up by warming the pipes. I just want my hot tub back! Waaa waaaa!

Well, it's banking day and I sure as heck better get started on it!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Wheels! The boy has wheels! Woo hoo! We're SO excited for Dustin. It means FREEDOM in so many ways. Most importantly, it means freedom in his search for a job and freedom in where to work. Hallelujah! This means everything right now. It will be exciting to see where God will lead... And, okay if that's just a "hard labor" job. He just. needs. a. job. Now. Period.

I've been playing with my new camera a little bit. Reading the manual (ugh) and trying this and that. I have SO much to learn and this will now become my personal challenge this year. To get so good at understanding how my camera works, that I can just fly through the different settings, knowing exactly where I'm going with it. That's a good challenge. I think a lot of people may get cameras - even "point and shoot" cameras - and are satisfied with just being able to snap off a photo and never get familiar with all the different settings. I really want to learn my camera...

I'm feeling the effects of a "new" cold. Hate that. Hate the way it makes me feel. (I don't suppose there are very many people that actually enjoy that, though, huh?) I gave up going to the movies last night with Deborah. Dang. I wanted to see that movie, too. (Atonement). Maybe I can get Tina to go with me next week... Today, Dustin and Chris and I are going to see "Cloverfield". We're going to a matinee because Chris wants to see it right away, but without a theatre full of obnoxious teenagers. I know what he means. Sometimes they think it's funny to make stupid comments (loudly) throughout the movie. I don't mind avoiding that myself. Though I do want to mention that, in general, I really enjoy teenagers. :)

So, in keeping with wanting to cook more, and because I had all the fresh ingredients, and even though I feel crappy, I still rallied around and just made some Potato Leek soup for later. I figured I'd feel more like it now than after the movie AND I recruited Chris's help - for a lot of the prep work and clean up, of course! Credit for the wonderful tasting soup will still go to ME! :) AND, in an effort to continue on my "healthy up the lifestyle" goal for the year, I will NOT be partaking in snacks at the movie (especially since we'll have the lovely soup afterwards - not that that would have ever stopped me before...).

We have snow again. About 2-3 inches. It's supposed to snow a little bit each day for the next week or so - and stay quite cold. Okay. If it can look like it does right now most of the time, then I don't care. There's nothing like that beautiful fresh white snow against the deep, clear blue sky in the winter. Love it!

Off to create...(I'm not that sick!)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Good morning! It's a good day! Light snow outside (after losing ALL of our snow last week). I'm doing pretty good at not going to bed tooooo late, so I have more time in the morning. I'm starting my morning with my devotions/quiet time again. What a difference (in ME) that makes. And now, I find myself almost all "caught up" on some scrapping/journaling projects, so I am SO ready to get in my little room and CREATE!

Don't forget, one of my projects for this year is to do a daily photo, usually with a little journaling, and a weekly digi page to go along... That can be found at the link on the right, which I have conveniently place right here, too: 2008-366-52-12. I'm really enjoying that, but it's about to get WAY more fun...

...because - yesterday I picked up my new Digi SLR Camera. Woo hoo! I never thought I'd be saying that at this point in time! After this post, I will be taking it out of the box, reading the manual, and then will take my first photos with it. I'm SO excited!!

I had the BESTEST surprise yesterday, too! There's this company called Hambly and they make, among other things, the MOST delicious and out-of-the-ordinary papers and especially transparent overlays which are extremely beautiful and fun to use on scrapbook pages. They also have a blog here and they run the occasional give-away where all you need to do is leave a comment on their blog and, if they draw your name, you win FREE delicious stuff. I'm sure you've guessed by now that MY name was among three that were chosen for January. So I can expect a lovely box of goodies to arrive in my mail soon. (Hopefully, the mail lady will not bend the box in an effort to get it to fit in my mailbox like she did the first time I ordered some precious Hambly...UGH! I took my angry self and the bent box to the main post office guy and he was equally disgusted, sooooooo, hopefully this was passed on to the appropriate ignoramus.)

In other good news, we were able to help Dustin pick out a vehicle yesterday and I think that will be finalized Wednesday. I'll post a picture when it all transpires. I just can't wait to see how this purchase will benefit his life! And we're also so excited that our beloved Rimrockers will be making a similar venture over the next few days/weeks. Happy, happy! :)

Well, I'm off to go get camera drunk! :D

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

This is it. My official list of goals for 2008. And, with this post, this is the LAST time I'm going to scrap/journal/blog about it! I did this page for the 365 Challenge. You can visit my new "other" blog, 2008-366-52-12 by clicking there or anytime at the link on the right. (No, that's not a blurry picture of me there, it's an "artistically altered" picture. I look better that way.)

Not that weather is my life, but, my oh my, how things have changed since my last post on this blog! The temps have risen to the point where it was 50 overnight even. How do you like THAT you Rimrockers? Today it's expected to hit 60-something. Woooo hoooo. Now I am under no delusion that this is here to stay. But, I sure will enjoy it while I can! :) And the BEST part of all? Our driveway (and most of our entire little side of the mountain) is completely freed of snow. So, we're starting from scratch. Interesting. Well, at least the UPS guy can get down here this week to deliver a few purchases from the scrapping shows on QVC. (You didn't see that, Chris....). There was a brief mention of a big storm coming in Sunday, so we'll see where that leads. But for now, it's SPRINGtime! :)

I'm doing okay with those goals up there. It's actually good that I've posted them so much, because then I can keep reviewing them. My main problem is that all I want to do is scrap. Whether it's on the computer or in my lovely little haven of a scrap room, I'm consumed. But I also did work out that rough daily schedule that I plan on mostly sticking to (hey, nothing is written in cement in my life - bring on the spontenaity!). One of the main things I need to do that will effect just about everything else on that list is get to bed before midnight. Because when I go up to bed at 2 or 2:30 a.m., you know I ain't gettin' up in the morning until 10. Yeah, 10 seems to be the time, no matter when I go to bed in the wee hours. But, although I love foolin' around on the computer in the wee hours like that (which is all I'm doing - certainly not at all a productive venture), I love getting up early even more. Early as in 7 or 8 a.m. at the latest. I love the mornings. I really do love early morning - like 6 a.m., but I'd have to go to bed (and sleep) at, like 10 p.m. for that to happen. And I just can't sleep at that hour...

I am slowly getting rid of the junk food in the house. Some is going in me, most in the trash. I have to continue on that path. Some stuff that I don't think I'll snitch has been relegated to Chris's office. Just having to go in there is deterrent enough for me.... Next, we have to sit down and start planning some meals again. And when I get groceries and start cooking better meals, that's where the big change will come. Though, I have been eating more fruit. The going to bed at midnight, again, will also prevent the munching at the computer in the wee hours, too. See? Gotta get to bed earlier!

The walking isn't going so great since I'm having toe issues. And now an old ankle injury (on the other foot) has been rearing its ugly head. But I'm not giving up. I hope to get up to get the mail today. Thank goodness for a long driveway. If I can at least walk that, that will be something! And a dog would help, too. Then we'd have to take it out for a walk. It's surprising to me how often that conversation has come up lately. (Thanks, Taco). When I'm weak, Chris is strong and when he's weak, I'm strong. I think we both agree that, as much as he loves corgi's, they're too big and heavy to have with our leather couches and not as portable as a smaller dog would be. I'd want something we could take everywhere with us. We've agreed that IF we're going to get a dog - which, at this point we're NOT - we would rescue one from the shelter because then we'd be able to see what it's little personality is like ahead of time. We're not into surprises that much anymore...

Gotta get going here. There's scrapping and playing and reading and walking to be done!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Yep. That's the harsh reality. And especially since we just got back from AZ, where the temps weren't exactly tropical, but the 50's we had seem almost tropical now! The thing is, it wasn't that cold before we left. We'd had a little snow, but none of these super cold temps yet. Ah well. The only compensation is that it's gorgeous with the snow and the blue, blue sunny sky. This is when you get to wear sweaters and your pretty new scarves and make soup and hunker down under the cozy blankie with a good book.

Well, none of that for me today, though. I'm glad I tackled our virtual MOUNTAIN of receipts from the holidays yesterday and got that banking done. It was brutal, but in the words of Tim Gunn (Project Runway), I was able to "make it work". :) Today I have the church banking before me and I have to go up to Williamsport for a haircut. Afterwards, I do sense there will be some hunkering time, but it will be in front of the tube because there's 3 hours worth of scrapbooking "stuff" on QVC this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon. NOT that I need to buy a thing. I actually doubt that I will. But I still love to look at it all and they do tips and demos and stuff. I just find it fun. And a good thing to do on a cold day.

Hey, I've started a new blog project. I've taken on a challenge where you take a photo a day, do a little journaling about the day's prompt and then scrap a page a week and do a journaling summary once a month. I'm doing the whole bit digitally. Why not? Here's the link to my new blog - which, obviously, I WILL be updating every day. You can also get to it from the link list at the right on this page.

I'm off to cut and hunker!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008


HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Barlow clan! There we all are in Jerome, Arizona last week. The temps were a tad chilly but the skies and our dispositions were sunny and we just had a ball together.

And now, welcome 2008! Oh, how I love a new year! Here are some of my goals for the year:
- healthy up my lifestyle
- get back to a more productive routine
- put some of my creativity to both purposeful and productive use
- prepare for the arrival of Matthew and Martha to the eastern half of the USA!

Perhaps my word for the year will be: productive! :)

A short review of the year 2007:
- the loss of my dear father-in-law, Chris's dad on January 25th
- a big surprise for my Mom's 80th birthday, including me, in person on May 13 and 14
- the wedding of Matthew and Martha on June 8
- big projects accomplished around the house due to aforementioned wedding
- Dustin moved closer - only 10 minutes away!
- a Thanksgiving trip to Madison for Chris and I
- a Christmas trip to Arizona for Chris and I and, surprise, Dustin, too!

I'm excited about beginning some on-going "creative" projects as well. I'm going to do what's known as an "ATC" or Artist Trading Card once a week using a deck of - yes, 52 - cards; I'm going to participate in 365 which consists of taking a photo each day (365), scrapping a page a week from said photos (52) and journaling once a month (12) about the experience. I'm going to get caught up on my "This is Me" journal as well. I plan to take at least one more digi scrapbooking class and I'd like to do a digi page a week, or at least 2 a month. Finally, I'm going to start taking action on seeing if I can earn some money from my scrapping somehow, which, if I would get some projects comissioned, would blow the rest of the plan out of the water. Hey, nothing's written in cement in my life!

So, though there are some changes planned for the future, I'm sure my life will remain simple. Because I just like it that way! Hope all your hopes and dreams for 2008 become reality for you as well!