Monday, May 18, 2009

Flea Markets and Faith Journals

Okay, so don't tell anyone, but I *gasp* skipped church yesterday and went to the flea market with Martha. I think it's really important to spend some quality one-on-one time with your daughter-in-law, don't you? Gotta build those relationships, right? So I thought it was really a spiritual decision to give up church to spend time with her... Right?

Okay, fine! But, hey, since we've been committed to our little local church, this is the first time in years - YEARS I tell you - that I've skipped church when I wasn't actually out of town. And I don't feel too guilty about it. Maybe just a little.

Here's a little photo montage of the flea market:

Martha ended up buying what she's pointing at, which you can't see in the photo, but it was a large and very old, kinda grungy, but in a cool way, crucifix and also those little musical people in the middle photo.

I bought the vintage sheet music and the Longfellow poetry book (for $1.25 total). Of course, you will see pieces of said items featured in upcoming scrapbooking projects.

It was a beautiful morning, albeit a tad chilly, and I'm glad I went. Chris had a seminar he had to go to and our Pastor's college-aged children are leading the music for the next month, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to duck out. I was tempted to go to Border's after I left Martha's and buy an expensive coffee and leisurely-ly (?) read a magazine and/or to walk through Michaels or Target, but I knew these things would all lead to needless spending, so I refrained. Instead, I came home and read the paper - okay, did half the crossword - and fell asleep with my fuzzy little Beatrix in my lap and my devoted Rocky plastered to my side. What could be sweeter? Only coming home after our business meeting last night and watching the 3 hour finale of Survivor and seeing J.T. win it. Maybe not sweet-ER, but JUST as sweet, anyway!

Another project I was able to work on this weekend was the beginning of a faith/art journal that I'm keeping to record my thoughts while going through an online study I'm doing with some friends. Right now we're studying about joy.

So, here's the journal:


And here's the first page:

(as always, if you click on the image, you'll get a closer view) I'm so looking forward to expressing my thoughts and feelings and meditations on the subject we're studying through art journaling. I've been perusing some great art journaling magazines lately and have been really inspired to do this. Also, the galleries at SIStv are so full of beautiful art journal pages, so I'm feeling really inspired - in many ways! :)

Yeah, it was chilly at the flea market yesterday morning, but it was NOTHING compared to THIS morning. Which is fine for me, because I got up around 8:30 a.m. (it was about 37 degrees) and hopped into the hot tub - and listened to the birdie symphony, thank you very much. But Chris and Gary and M&M all went up to the Pine Creek area and were going to kayak and canoe down the creek today. Yowsa. I just stepped outside at about 11:15 and it was barely 50-ish - HERE. So, up there, it's certain to be a lot cooler. That wouldn't be SO bad if that water wasn't ice cold as well. Yeah. I'm glad I didn't go on this trip. I think I only want to be in a boat on the water (and especially a kayak-y or canoe-y type of boat) at such a time that if said boat would suddenly flip over and spill me out of it, the water would be a welcome refreshment, not a shocking, hypothermia-inducing, breath-sucking death machine. Um, yeah. I know Martha wasn't looking all that forward to the same stuff I just described, so, hopefully they dressed accordingly and all will have - literally - smooth sailing.

Well, seeing that it's almost 1 o'clock and seeing that I want to exercise sometime today and seeing that I'm going out tonight and seeing that I also wanted to continue my scrapbook room purge - well, SEE ya!

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Here's my latest for One Little Word, the word this time being "two". (You can see the credits for this layout here.) I already told the story about how these photo came to be taken in this post. I'm so glad M&M allow me to take their photos - at least some of the time. My other daughter-in-law, who is incredibly beautiful and photogenic really resists the camera. Too bad. Our loss. So, being the shutter bug (and I mean bug!) that I am, I really do appreciate it when I am allowed to snap away...

Okay, I will say I had the most delicious meal yet at the Old Forge Brewing Company last night. It was cajun scallops with roasted red pepper aoli sauce over lemon rice pilaf. Oh my gosh - DEEEEElicious, Martha! And PERFECTly cooked Dustin. (Oh, how I love that my children can create one of my favorite things in life - a great meal!). I actually asked the waitress to convey to the cook (my son) to take it easy on the "cajun". And he presented me with really the perfect amount of seasoning. Because I tried one of Chris's scallops with the full seasoning and it would have been too spicy for me. But mine was perfection and the scallops just melted in your mouth. And the combination of flavors - the cajun, with the aoli and the lemon rice - just WOWser! Really exceptional. Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

My toe is just about healed and I'm getting all excited about exercising again. Okay, sure, I probably could have found something to do, but I've found that if I take a little break from something sometimes, it really refreshes my motivation to get back into it. Plus, Wii is coming out with a new fitness "game" this week that I totally want to get. It's a circuit training kind of thing that measures your progress and grows with your abilities. Can't wait for that. Wii has definitely changed my level of activity and jump-started my working out again.

It's kinda gloomy out there today. Chris is bringing home Eva after work today - but just til after supper since she's not spending the night tonight. Chris has a seminar tomorrow, so Martha and I made plans to do something I've been dying to do with her, but never have had the opportunity because of my committment on Sundays. But, for the next month, Robby and Emily will be taking over the leading of the song service. That doesn't mean that Chris and I won't go to church at all (though that's the case THIS Sunday...), but it does mean that we have a little freedom to do some other things that have been begging. And we can take this opportunity to sit under Matthew's song leading as well. Love it!

So, anyway, the gloom is really the perfect atmosphere for me to get in my scrap room. If it was gorgeous out, I'd want to be outside.

My biggest dilemma of day is whether to MAKE cookies (for youth group Sunday night) or to have Chris pick some up at the store. I think I'll go ponder my recipes and make up my mind right now. And then get some (paper) scrapping done...

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Kittens


That's our new little girl, Beatrix. She is sooooo sweet and cuddly. Her face is just mesmerizing, it's so cute. But don't let that fool ya, because she is TROUBLE. With a capital T. My thigh is just covered with scratch marks where she digs in to crawl up on my lap so she can then sit on the desk while I'm at the computer. I put her back on the floor - and she climbs back up. If she's willing to chill, I do let her sleep in front of the keyboard. (Okay, that's probably why she keeps trying...) I was working at my desk the other day and heard her making some noise, looked up, and there she was - at the TOP of the screen door, hanging. Oy. I do love that she wants to be where I am, but having her walk across my face and choose to sleep on my neck, well, it's not real conducive to getting a good night's sleep. Neither is having her get an energy spurt at 5:30 in the morning and being hell-bent on stripping my sneakers of their shoelaces. This doesn't go over real well with Chris, either. I think there will be a baby gate in our future - to keep her downstairs at night until she's a little more, um, mature.

And Rocky. Oh, poor Rocky. She just. will. not. leave. him. alone. At first he just ran away from her, but now he tolerates her relentless attacks - mostly of his tail. But that girls attacks ANYthing. Even air. She's ca-RAZY! And she and Rocky have actually been seen curling up together. Okay, Rocky was asleep on my lap and Bea was asleep on my shoulder, so I laid her up against him. But neither minded. And Rocky does play with her. I mean, if he wanted to, he could probably bite her neck and put an end to it all. But he doesn't. And she has nailed him with her claws. But all that will change after June 2nd when she will get de-clawed. At least her front claws. My thighs AND my leather furniture will be grateful. If that process doesn't prove to be enough, then we'll have the back ones removed when we get her spayed in September. After which time I'm predicting that she'll be much more settled down.

I love kittens, though. They're just so cute and entertaining. And Beatrix tops them all in both departments, that's for sure. It's so fun just to sit and watch her antics. I know, I know. She won't be a kitten forever. But by then it will be too late. I'll be hopelessly in love with her. I already am.
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Saturday, May 09, 2009

Motherhood


It's the hardest job. And it's the best job. I feel their every pain. I share their every joy. This job doesn't end. I'll be their mother forever. And that's okay. I wouldn't have it any other way. This is such a wonderful "phase" of motherhood that I'm in. I get to see my children settling in to their own lives. Married. Having pets. Having children. I have to remember that they are adults now and don't always want the advice I so often have at the ready. (I have to remember how I felt at their age.) But, I just enjoy them so much. Enjoy laughing with them. Enjoy chatting with them. Enjoy sitting and watching a movie with them. And enjoy sharing a meal with them. I still wish I could wave a magic wand and make their lives nothing but happiness and success. But then I would deprive them of a lot of growing and maturing. And so, I sit back and take them in like a sweet fragrance and just relish each moment I have with them. I am SO grateful they both live near enough that those moments are often. I am SO blessed. I love you Matthew and Dustin.

I love you madly.
Mom

Monday, May 04, 2009

A Little Spring Cleaning


Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day! And us Fashionistas were able to put out some challenges on the boards over at SIStv. Oh, there's just a ton of inspiration over there. I wasn't able to get much scrapping done - only a page for my own challenge (which was pretty fun, I might add). But at least I know I can check back to the boards and do some of those challenges some other time. And I will, because they're all awesome! :)

My challenge was to use product from when you first started scrapping - or at least "older" product. AND to use at least one "older" photo on your layout. So I made that layout above. I cracked open some packages that had NEVER seen the light of day - what a good feeling that was! You can read the story about the layout here on my SIStv gallery post. The older photo was taken exactly (according to the flower bloom time) 24 years before the newer photo. I just love BOTH photos to death.

Okay, so I've pulled out my cleaning system cards again. Yes, I'm in the mood, so I'm definitely gonna GO with it! I'm supposed to be cleaning out the fridge and cleaning the toaster oven and can opener today. (In addition to a few daily tasks which I will spare you the mentioning of here. And I plan on doing that. BUT - it gets better - Chris's golfing fell through today because it's raining (yes, I guess it DOES rain on the golf course, after all!) SO now we are going to go through the kitchen cupboards and get rid of crap. I LOVE doing this kind of stuff. So, I'm gonna put on some "removing the crap" music and get started. Cuz, I do have OTHER things to do today as well!

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Friday, May 01, 2009

That's my latest digi for One Little Word. The word is journey. You can find the credits here. My Sam is on his way. Well, technically, he's not MY Sam. He's my friend Deborah's Sam. But I've known him since he was a red-haired cryin' baby boy and, gosh, I love him! So, now he's finally busting loose of the apron strings and out on his own. He's going to a great design school in the Chicago area. And I'm SO excited for him! So excited to see what he'll do and where he'll go. I envision him on one of those design shows on HGTV! :)

Well, we just brought Eva here to meet our little Beatrix. So I'm going to go play with them and make some lasagne for dinner! I'm off!