From Tween to Teen

Today is Brenna's 13th birthday. How can she be a teenager already?
Growing up before my eyes.
She looks more like a woman than a little girl.
She rolls her eyes and says,"whatever."
She has a boyfriend and went to her first dance last week.
She's into trendy clothes and wants to wear mascara.
Can be seen texting from any location.
She finds it "awkward" to have me take her picture, especially in front of her friends.
She's such a great kid.
Love you Miss B!

A Day on the Road

To Manhattan with Dad today.
Traffic was sketchy in the morning, but we made it in plenty of time and were called in to seethe doctor ahead of our appointment time.
The cycle of liver pump infusions is over for now - he was able to complete 3 of the 6. One more systemic chemo, and he will be officially "OFF" chemo for the first time since his diagnosis four and a half years ago. Dad was very excited about a break. He admitted today that he is really feel worn down lately, and the years of chemo have had a cummulative effect. He's looking forward to his hair growing back a bit, time to golf, and maybe even a getaway with Mom. I'm so happy for him.
Still, there is a quiet worry in my brain that maybe no chemo is a bad thing. After all, he's still here, beating the odds.
I decide to bury that worry and choose to embrace this moment of victory.
After all, happiness is a choice. Why not see the glass half full more often?

Letter to my Kids (Soundcheck #1)

Dear Kids,

Tap, tap, tap- is this thing on???
Some days I feel like I'm the person on a stage who is trying to get the crowd's attention, but my mike is cutting out and squealing.

When it feels like I'm crabbing at you, there's probably a lesson or value I hope you'll learn. Little things that will improve your life in the real world, when you venture away from home.

Tonight's lesson...

While I know you heard, "Blah, blah, this is why you should put your belt/shoes/papers/laundry away...yadda yadda, more mom mumbo-jumbo...", here is what I meant:

Being considerate, organized, and following routines are all things that are important to me.

Why?
It minimizes your stress and mine.
It shows the world you are capable and responsible,(this can open many doors for you!)
It shows you respect other people's time.

Just like you like to have time to chill out or play when you get home, so do I.

I don't like searching through your messy room to find socks to wash.
Spending an hour on my night off looking for missing belts and shoes isn't my idea of fun.
Telling you three times to just step away from the TV and video controllers gets old.

I know that you just want to kill one more zombie.
Or that this is the newest episode of Spongebob.

I'm so thankful to have you all in my lives. I prefer spending my time home with you doing things that are fun, such as, playing games, talking, and being silly.

Please try a little harder.
Thanks, Love Mom.

Still here...

Not too long ago, I read a quote that said, "Taking time to live life will only inspire your work." Not sure who said it, but I believe it to be true.
My computer had issues yet again, so I found other ways to fill random moments that I would have otherwise spent sitting at the keyboard. Lots of reorganizing and purging on my days off. My scrap studio is slowly shaping up, although I haven't done much creating.
Summer simply slipped away under my feet this year. Just as I was in the throes of enjoying it, it ended. We closed out summer with a weekend camping trip. It was so much fun, I wish it could have been longer.

After that, frantic shopping for back to school ensued, and suddenly I was preparing to send C off to high school. New sneakers, clothes and backpacks filled the house.
Then Hurricaine Irene came along. I worked through the weekend, and slept at the hospital to be sure I could work. Mike weathered the storm at home with the kids. Our roof leaked where the front porch roof meets the foyer, and we were without power for about 36 hours. I have an ugly brown stain on my ceiling to remind me of Irene. We're waiting to hear from our homeowner's insurance. It could have been much worse.
The kids started school after the storm pushed back the first day. We're all still getting used to the new schedules. R has football three or more evenings a week. B, R, J and T have begun soccer. The business can be hectic at times, but the return of routines is welcome.

I'm planning to return to scrapping soon, and hope the time I've spent the past several weeks will only inspire my work.

Time Keeps on Slippin'

slippin', slippin', into the future... (Remember that Steve Miller Band song?)
That's kinda how July was here.

Last week we celebrated my Dad's 68th birthday. It was a great day, with sunshine, blueberry cookies and smiles. I wish I would have taken more pictures on this day, but I had fun helping my mom get the food ready. I think Dad had a good day.

What else did we do?
The big kids stayed a week in Ohio with my in laws. They had a great time. The rest of us back home had fun together , going to a Rock Cats game and building forts in the living room. We were happy once we all were back together, but that was only for a few days.


Then C, R & J went to their respective scout camps, and Mike volunteered a few days.

I made a trip to NYC with Dad. Things are going well for him in the chemo department. I just have to figure out a way to get down to Manhattan without sitting in traffic for hours.

I began the process of organizing and redoing my scrap space. Too chaotic to share yet, but I'm plodding along. I'm trying to do it on a limited budget, so I'm buying odds and ends each week and repurposing things I have around the house. Stay tuned for pictures.

I've made a few projects here and there, but I am really trying to finish up my room before I get too crafty. Here is one layout I did for a July HMITM challenge. I brought some scrap stuff on vacation with me. Love Echo Park.

A Welcome Pause

Finally catching a moment to breathe after a whirlwind month of June. Summer has arrived amid a month filled with...

baseball games:

Brenna's dance recital:


school functions, like Kindergarten Step Up and Colin's Class Night





a graduation:


Father's Day

Lots of opportunities to take pictures. I've taken hundreds this month. Wow!

I've started to step back into scrapping after spending weeks rethinking how I want to store my supplies. I've been organizing away, and still have a long way to go. This is the first layout I created in my new space, and it was for challenge 174 at How Much Is Too Much?

Talk about a challenge! It requires you to use light colors with yellow, 1 circle, 7 kinds of flowers, 7 stamped images and 24 other items.

Here is my interpretation:

I misted over the background, then layered Thickers on top of washi tape. The rest of the title was stamped with my favorite Studio Calico alphabet stamps. I outlined the letters with a black Signo pen.

I used some October Afternoon Ducks in a Row papers as well Making Memories. Both were perfect to evoke some of the nostalgia I felt when looking at this ten year old picture. Time flies!

So that's what I've been up to. Looking forward to sharing some more inspiration soon.

A Clean Slate

Hello! Welcome to my new blog.

If you found your way here via my old blog, Silver Pool of Light, thank you. You rock!
If you're visiting for the first time, let me know you were here. I love reading comments. You can also find me on Facebook , Pinterest, 2 Peas & Scrapbook.com.

I'd been wanting to get a customized blog for a while. My old blog's name didn't appeal to me anymore, and I hadn't posted in so very long.
Since I am all about getting my life and home organized and uncluttered these days, I thought it might be fun to start fresh. So I asked Mike for money to fund a new blog as my Mother's Day Gift. After all, if I sunk money into a blog, I'd be more motivated to keep writing in it!

Then the frugal thinker in me decided it might make sense to find a less costly way to get a blog facelift. So off I went sufing.

I found this template on Smitten Blog Design. I love the cottage fresh feel, the lacey border and the sweet bird.

The best part? Five bucks. So the rest of my gift money went toward organizing my scrap room.
But that's a post for another day...

Challenge 173 went live at How Much Is Too Much challenge blog. We were to create a layout that had six circles placed together to create a bigger circle, use 6 patterned papers and embellish with 6's of like items. Here is my offering:

I busted out the very first Studio Calico kit I purchased. I just adore October Afternoon papers. To create the background, I dipped a stiff bristled paintbrush in some water thinned black acrylic paint. I ran my finger across the top and let the splatters land on my paper. Messy, but oh so fun. LOL.

Titlework is Sassafrass stickers, the green were outlined with a black pen. I scattered six star stickers and six pieces of green bling around. I used a ruler and pen to add the journaling lines over and around the embellishments. I really enjoy creating pages with an artsy feel, and this one was a blast.

So there you have it. I'm back and ready to be better than ever.