Just one more day

I just have one more day to get my act together before I leave town for five days.
I am not a list maker, I am not a planner.
Some people are great at that, me not so much.
I put what I remember into a bag and go. I rarely have problems with this system, lets hope that this time is no exception!
I won't be posting, I am sure that I won't be missed...
Looking forward to seeing a lot of people I know and meeting other new friends!
I am excited about the additions to the Lazar StudioWerx lines.
Christina has been such a good friend that it is hard to believe that I have only known her for one year, it seems like we have always been friends.
I hope everyone has a great show, and that it meets their needs and expectations.
Have a happy week all!
B-

Wouldn't Ya Know...

I get a bunch of HOF layouts done early and I am super happy with them, and this week alone, I have seen one of my technique layouts on the Jenni Bowlin site and another in the CK top ten mag that just came out.
Hhhhhhuuuummmmmmmpppphhhhhh!
I know that there are tons of flukes like this all the time, just why now?
I feel like I need to remake a few of my layouts now and there is just not enough time.
YUCK!
So do I just send it all in and get over it, or do I go through the work of remaking a few just to not look stupid?
Pondering.
B-

This Week...

Will be a busy one, so this is just a quick post to share a little of what is UP.
Very excited, got to play with some of Teresa's new paper and product for her Extreme Boy line and it is FAB! Hope I can post it later this week. Also played with Stacey P's Celebrationz line, a spin-off of the Salsa line but with the theme of birthday, very bright energetic and fun! Made a little mini-album of that and maybe can share that later as well.
Sad that James Blake lost to Fernando Gonzales tonight in the Aussie Open. I just adore James and he has had such a beautiful tournament up until tonight where he just looked flat, very disappointing for him I am sure, he was the fifth seed and looked good enough to go to the Final.
Have some projects that I am working on for the Lazar StudioWerx booth which will be located close to the publications of MM and FW at 3772. I didn't get any new product, but I have seen peeks at Christina's blog and it is exciting! Come by and give me a hug and see the goodies!
B-

Tragically Ugly Feet

This is one sad fact about me that I don't even try to deny.
One of the things you have to sacrifice if you are even remotely involved with anything athletic is the good looks of your feet. To be an exceptional skier your boot must be absolutely, perfectly fit and about a size smaller than a shoe you would wear in your everyday life, after hours and hours like this, your feet start to become deformed and lose toenails. To run marathons you must get used to the fact that you will get blisters and lose toenails. To play tennis, your feet are in hot shoes for a couple hours at a time, building disgusting callouses that are absolutely necessary to the survival of your feet in preventing more blisters.
So...
An adorable friend who was having a crummy day invited me to go get pedicures with her. Now I really enjoy the company of this girl and she was pretty down today, so you would think I could take one for the team and just go get the pedicure and hang out and not be embarassed. NOPE.
I can't do it. My feet are beyond sad, truly a tragedy of GREEK proportions.
I know, I am the worst friend.
I did make it up to her by helping with something else, and maybe she will know that she is appreciated and cherished as a friend in spite of my HUGE shortcomings!
So the moral of the story is if you are having a crummy day, let me help cheer you up by some good quality shopping time, lunch or even maybe a few sets of tennis.
But please don't make me feel like a complete dirtbag when I have to tell you no to a pedicure.
B-

Sore Wednesday

This is Debby and I while we were in Chicago at the designer meet-n-greet.

I am so sore today after the training session yesterday and then an hour tennis lesson with some girlfriends that absolutely crush the ball. It is a good sore, but sore just the same!
Getting lots done on HOF stuff and printing piles of pics.
Working on organizing the room too, that is going to take me a while, lots of rearranging to get it right!
Have a Brrrrr-eautiful day!
(it is still reeeaaaly cold here!)
B-

It has been almost a week...

since I posted.
Actually I think that I am just talking to myself, so updating is for me.
But I was recently reminded that this is a great way for people to keep up with what is going on with each other!
So I am going to try to be better at getting the story out, interesting or (mostly) NOT!
So Sunday evening, so very lucky to get to have dinner with a supertalented and wonderfully kind friend named Debby Shuh. Most people know her for her work with Anna Griffin and Canson, but I have never got to have a class from her. I have gotten to know her from CKU's and trade shows. She was in town to film for some CKU online classes that look like they would be cool!
She is from Upstate New York, so of course getting to see her was a total treat!

It is also FRIGID here! Below normal temps and a huge high pressure system have created crazy cold temps that keep you from hanging outside for very long!

I love the winter and the snow, but when it is this cold, NOT SO MUCH!
I have been trying to capture some of the cool looks that the snow and ice leave for our viewing pleasure. I really WANT a much better camera.
Kids are doing homework, Dave is hitting a tennis ball, so I am going to the scrap room for a few minutes to do some work and some organizing!
I got my Pottery Barn shipment today, and it is so COOL!
Will post pics after it doesn't look like a bomb went off in my room!
It is going to be a couple of weeks or de-junking and prioritizing projects, not fun but important!
I have been working on a Hall of Fame entry, and I am starting to see the finish line.
I don't think I have a snowball's chance, but it has been a learning process. That means growth, and like it or not it is a good thing to experience!
So if you don't mind keeping your toes crossed for me and sending loads of good vibes, I would REALLY appreciate it!
Went to the gym to meet with the gal who is doing my training, and it was hard.
I have a long way to go, but I really want to lose it, so perseverence might be my word for the year.
I have been trying to think of one for the Ali E. challenge, but words are very important to me, so I don't want to choose one for the entire year to lightly! That is soooo me, afraid of commitment, LOL! Perseverence might be the perfect fit, but commiting might be the bigger challenge, hehehe!
Anyway, love to all my friends!
I cherish and appreciate each and every one of you!
B-

Went to the Gym

No really, I did!
I used to LOVE the gym, now NOT SO MUCH!
Ten years later and 15 pounds heavier, I decided that it was time to reign it in.
It was good to go, it hurt. I will be sore, but it had to be done.
I spent an hour with a trainer who helped me identify my major weaknesses and muscle imbalances. These are big problems for me because of the type of knee surgery I had it created most of the imbalances on purpose. So slow and steady should get me back on track and $50 bucks an hour (choke, that I don't have!) I will be healthier and stronger than I have been in years.

Getting excited about going to Anaheim in two weeks too.
I would love to be going with my sis, but that isn't in the cards. The good part is that I will get to hang with EmKayEss! I adore Mary Kay, she is so smart and funny and she is great at putting up with my eccentricities! She just ignores me, LOL!
Lazar has some very cool line updates and it will be great to spend the week with Christina and Terry in the booth!
I am also looking forward to catching up with ALL the people at the show!
Anyway I am going to go drink a bunch of water to try and flush all the lactics that are startng to build up...
B-

Recharge!

Love the holidays, love the excitement and energy of it all!
I also tend to get a little tired!
So this week I am in recharge mode. No big appointments, deadlines or projects!
IT is so nice.
I got an entire afghan crocheted this week! Seriously! I will take pics and share, it is gorgeous, I totally love the colors and it is so yummy that EV, the kitty gave it the purring seal of approval! It is chocolate brown, turquoise blue and variegated browns. It sounds old school and it totally is! My oldest son told me I was getting extra nerdy on him. I am I admit it!
I also went and had FIVE inches cut off my hair yessterday, yikes!
Fresh color new style with lots more layers in the front and way fewer in the back, good change! I loved how my hair was before, but it was just time for a new look!
I'll get a pic of that too!
So, it is a big beautiful snowy day here, so happy for that! Love the snow!
I am ready to get back on track with my other creative things that were set aside.
New goals of going to the gym and getting my body put back together have been set.
All part of the recharge!
B-
update:
This is the pic of the delish afghan!

The Post post

We of course have our Christmas Eve tradition of new jammies, but this year I got them for Dave and I as well!
Hilarious!
We made dipped pretzels for the neighbors, they were really cute and ummmm very tasty...
We did make sure that all elves got to have one (or two!) for dessert after dinner that night!

We do the twelve days of Christmas so that the little things that would get lost on the "big" morning get a little more appreciation. One night was the game "Clue" and I have to say that I still get a little welled up when I see them playing together and really enjoying each others company! Very cool!
We had a gingerbread night for the mommies at Aunt Brianna's. This was hard for the kids cuz they usually get to do the decorating, but I actually got to do the picking and planning, and I really enjoyed it! I haven't decorated a house in I can't remember how long, what a treat for me!
I know, kinda selfish, but I promise that it was a one time thing!






We had a beautiful holiday, snow on the ground cheer in the air and lots of time together as a family!
This holiday season has come with a twist. I have noticed the change coming in our family dynamics. Tyler took his first job as a peer instructor at Deer Valley. he is growing up and it is hard to watch! He loves his job and he will be very good at it, he loves kids and he is very patient with them. Very proud of him and his desire to work hard!
Laurel has matured substantially in her capacity for understanding and even though she is still a very impatient person, she is a bundle of joy!
Chloe is such a young lady! She has loved spending time with her BFFs, the cousins!
She has been able to spend so much time with them this holiday season and it has been loads of fun for her!
Carter is still the easiest going guy ever! He is happy if there is something to do and someone to hang out with! He is adorable and it breaks my heart to see my baby getting so big!
So that is the twist, my little family isn't little! They are big.
They are not going to be here for very much longer, and I am trying to squeeze every last bit of me time in with them that I can!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

This time of year is so gorgeous! We had a very large snowfall on Sunday and it was so soft, quiet and serene...
until Laurel and Carter decided that it was time for some snowplay! I had to follow them out, and over 150 pictures later we were laughing so hard that our cheeks ached! It isn't very often that these two get to play together anymore with her being 15.5 and he being just 11 still. But the one thing that they can agree on is that a snowball fight no matter how unevenly matched is great fun!
It is a good thing that our Utah snow is very light, with a very low moisture content it has a hard time sticking together to form a weapon with any bite. Instead what happens when you throw a snowball made from this powder it distintegrates mid-air, showering your opponent with a glow of fractured crystals! So even when you get "hit" in an uncomfortable spot, it is still very tolerable!
This was one of my favorite days this year, and thanks to my camera, one that I won't run out of references for.

One of the pics I took of Rick's family last week, I love how they were all having so much fun together, the girls are still getting used to the idea of snow all the time. Growing up in Texas and just recently moving here has been quite an adjustment for them, so they still do things Texas style. Ya know, flip flops when it is snowing...
Anyway, LOVE them and LOVE that they are really close now!

Got their Christmas card done also, it is sooooo them, LOL!
This time of year makes me very grateful for my friends and family.
I just received a christmas card from my wonderful Grandfather, and it brought tears to my eyes. How fortunate I am that I still have my Grandpa here on this earth and that he remembers and thinks of me! Makes me glad that I have the beliefs that I do.
Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!
B-

December blahs

We celebrated Chloe's 14th birthday with her cousins, Ellie turned 12 ywo days before, and Olivia had her 7th birthday 3days before. It was crazy with lots of goofing around and a huge chocolate cake with candles in it for all of them to blow out together! Chloe got a couple of really cool gifts, spent some of her shopping spree money on some lotion and books and is saving the rest for the after holiday sales! Smart Girl!
I took lots of pictures of Rick and Brianna with the girls for their Christmas card, I haven't edited any of them, but they are soooo cute! I can't wait to see which one they are using!
Holly one of Tyler's best friends had her birthday on the 30th of November (same day as Ellie's) and I made her some Christmas cards as a b-day gift. She is a Senior, involved in everything, and just way to busy to have time to do it herself, so I thought it would be nice for her to have some to send out. I hope she likes them, I used Sande Krieger's new Christmas stamps from Autumn Leaves and I am biased, but they are so stinking cute!
Anyway, December is crazy and I have a giant case of the blahs right now. I am trying to get some design work done for CHA and also get some LOs submitted so I can say i am still trying to be a "professional" in the industry...
HA!
I am glad for the creative distractions, they are helping me stay on track.
That being said, how do you get mojo-nated for the holidays when you just aren't feeling it?
Any thoughts...
Let me know!
Peace, Love and Holiday bliss!
B-

Grateful!

Okay.
Total whirlwind November.
Started off with a little bit of a bang, I was thrilled to learn that two of my albums had been put in the Junkitz back to the books albums contest final 35.

Vancouver...
Wow, totally crazy. Worked hard, played hard, laughed hard!
yeah, yeah, yeah.
Christina and Terry were the best. I came back home with a beautiful new toque (green and pink!) a pile of amazing new stamps that are recent additions! I got to go sit in Terry's seat for a hockey game that was a blast, Terry made me his wonderful chocolate chai loaf (twice!) and then they sent some toffee home for the kids that was terrific!
Am I a lucky girl or what!
So after Vancouver I had a few days to recuperate, play some tennis and find out that I got moved to a 4.0 rating, woooohooo! That is so great, I have had this as a goal for sometime and it has taken some hard work and tough matches to get there!
yay me.
I also came home to my Jenni Bowlin kit. Dave wonder why I subscribe, almost every month I have already previously bought or aquired through hook and crook what she has in her kit. He wonders why I haven't started my own kit club...
Duh, way tooo much work!
I so love her kits and her little extras that I can't get my hands on are what makes it all worth while! So her project this month was adorable, and I am just not that creative or willing to think of so much fabulousness all the time!
Jenni has the best brain to pick for projects!
I had a great time putting together her grateful centerpiece and my 15 year old took the pics for it...
she really surprised me with her thoughtfulness and gratitude. She took pictures of our pantry with the food in it, the sink and toilet, the dishwasher, microwave and oven, fridge etc. Wow, it really touched me how she really gets what matters and how lucky we are to have those things!
Dave surprised me after much HINTING with Bare Naked Ladies tickets. Great concert.
I love this band, my kids love this band. The story is that we had tickets for all of us two and a half years ago. Then I had to have knee surgery, tickets were 3 days after the knife. Yeah, didn't get to go. They had a great time and brought me a t-shirt, thanks. I was on drugs hooked up to the go to guy at the time, Ice Man. A must have by the way if you are condsidering doing the knee surgery thing.
So, if he hadn't got these tickets, I might have had to call an attorney.
We had a wonderful time, BNL was all that!
Then Thanksgiving was upon us, and I am a serious control freak with this.
I must cook.
The turkey is brined for 12 hours, the jams made, the pies and rolls baked, the sweet potatoes and stuffing prepared. There is a level of perfection that I expect from myself, and it can be a little intense to be around me when I am in the zone.
That being said, four botched batches of rolls later, I did have to let that go, they were not great and the kids ate them anyway! I was so grateful to have my family together, (Roxanne and her family were missed!) We had a day that I will never forget. If it is what heaven is like, sign me up! The kids (all 8) didn't bicker and played and enjoyed each others company all day. The strain between Dave and my parents was not there. Rick and Briana were delightful! We ate, visited and had a perfect day in spite of my lack luster rolls! I can't imagine a more perfect day.
Saturday was a private class with a group of great gals at Memory Preserve. I had spent two months organzing and driving everyone to drink with my e-mails. The darling and amazing Teresa Collins taught a beautiful christmas album that is 40 pages of wow! The company was fun, the class inspirational and oh yeah, I won a grand prize drawing of some incredible Junkitz goodies! Thanks Teresa for dealing with me and thanks to all the girls who made it worth it!
So today, I got all of my christmas cards made and got to play some tennis, a really good day!
I also some how have had time to get some scrapping done and have really been loving doing digi work as well...


so much I want to do and just not enough time in the day.
Thanks to all the people who keep encouraging me to blog and who actually care, means so much! And you know who you are duuuude!
B-

A few pics from Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

October 31st!
Old Hallow's Eve.
Halloween!
My favorite holiday!

These pictures are from 1995!
I know that the image of the layout isn't great, but the kids are so stinkin' cute!
Had to share.
WE are so lucky, tonight the girl cousins are coming over to help the kids scavenge the neighborhood for the houses that give out "regular" size candy bars, hehehehe!
Big plans!
Of course we are one of those houses because not that many kids come through our little cul de sac, so the ones that do get the love!
I hope everyone has a great night full of playful spirits and stomache aches from too much candy!
B-

Think Pink!

October is breast cancer awareness month.
It is also Wendy's birhtday tomorrow, I have to remember to call Rick and the kids and tell them how much I love them, and cry over how much I miss Wendy.
Breast cancer needs to go away.
That being said, too many of the women we know and love are fighting this disease, so lets all pitch in and help find a way to make it just disappear forever!
Think Pinka cafe'press store by Tia Bennett is doing a fundraiser for a wonderful woman {Stef} and we should all show our support. 100% of funds will go to help Stef with her battle and when she WINS the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Koman foundation for research.
Please find a way to support the fight, if not this way then find another, we need to win this war!
B-

It takes guts!

To do halloween kids style!
Getting the pumpkins emptied and carved for seven kids is a gory and hilarious experience!
The kids have grand plans, and they are so cute when they draw their own images and then carve them oh so carefully!
We put the seven kids/pumpkins on the kitchen floor. Each with their own garbage bag opened and the pumpkin set inside.
This process saves a LOT of cleaning!
Every year we buy a few new carving sets to replace the ones we broke or couldn't find. We get out big huge serving spoons, rice paddles and ice cream spatulas to dig the slimy innards out of the crusty shells.
Every year we have one pumpkin top that is opened to large and one that is opened far too small. But this year was just that more interesting because some of these distinctions were shared with the cousins. Usually the four of my kids manage to do many crazy and silly things themselves but this year some of those distinctions were able to find new places to land! And of course I am so amped that I have my book done and waiting for all these darling pics! WooHOoooo!
It is so great having Rick and his family living so close now, the kids love having the "girl" cousins to spend time with, and I love having my brother and his amazing wife for friends! The holidays have become so much more now, and I LOVE IT!
B-

Holding my breath

Do you ever find that there are times in your life when you feel like you are holding your breath?
You are not sure why you feel like you can't breathe.
You just can't.
So I am holding my breath waiting for the moment when I find out why I have felt like I have been in a holding pattern.
I learned so much in Las Vegas, got to hang out with so many amazing people.
So here are my shouts:
To Tia, Jenn, Leslie, Becky, Rhonna and Kelly (the AL girls) thanks for being so much fun!
To Margie and her family, how stinkin' cute are all of you, it was great to meet you and Megan, call Mike he is so cute and he thought you were all that! Loved getting to do the whole photo booth thing over and over, super fun!
To all the MME guys, you are so fun, smell good and are great sports about getting worked over by Rox and I! Mike call Megan!
To Thena and Sharon (two hams!) loved catching up with you both it is always so fun to find you and get my hugs!
To Sarah and Jim thanks for entertaining me for pretty much all of Wed morning, I love to visit with both of you and love the stories you always have! Jim next time let Sarah know where you are ;)don't just take the kids to the volcano at midnight without anyone knowing where you went!
To Tif, thanks for being such a fun and understanding friend!
To Jessie the specklebird, my sistah from anotha mistah, I LOvE you! Just wish we had more time, I will plan better next time! I need pics hint hint!
To all the Prima gals, Sharon, Carla, Kim, Tina, and Michelle thanks for sharing your roof! It was so great getting to know all of you and I so enjoyed your company!
I learned so much from each of you and appreciate each of your individual talents!
To Joanna and Annie, thanks for the company at dinner, you were so fun and the delicious sauce followed by the dessert bar was just too hilarious!
To those who I am brain cramping on at the moment, thanks! I had a great time and it was because of all of you!

So on a back to reality note:
Tyler turned 17 yesterday!
It was great Mom & Dad, Rick's family and Rox and her family were all able to come up and help celebrate and a couple of Tyler's good friends from school!
So we had Chinese from Asian Star for twenty!

We had a spanking machine! Hilarious...

I'm BAAAACK!

So many interesting, educational, hilarious stories from the last week in Vegas, some of them have to stay in the vault, but others I might have to share!
But, not right now, long day driving home after a long night (not from fun)!
Anyway, I loved seeing all the peeps that I soooo love! And I loved seeing all the beautiful goodies that the amazing talents come out with!
And, only 3 weeks until Vancouver!
B-

Hump day

It was a hump day for me.
Just getting through right now.
I get to leave for Las Vegas on Sunday, I need a break. Reality has been a little too real for me lately. I have had to exercise a lot of patience and good will lately, and I am just worn down and it will be great to have a change of pace for a few days.
So I will spend the next few days packing and prepping.
And then viva Las Vegas baby!
B-

I have a been a digi'n fool!

Had one of those weekends where I couldn't be with my beloved paper and paste, so I packed up my laptop, my external drive and my mouse and took it with me!
I felt like I got so many thoughts out there onto a LO, and I was also able to try some different things that I had wanted to play with!
This scraplift is from the Ali Edwards designing with patterned paper book and the layout I lifted was one by Jamie Waters. It is good for me to use some of the designs by these artists, it really shows how to put a beautifully designed LO together. When they are balanced visually it makes a such a beautiful image and is so easy to look at. Thanks Jamie for the inspiration!
There are some really fantastic kits out there also that really help me "see" what I want to try, very mojo providing!

Anyway, so I went very geek this weekend and it was great!
Today I am finishing up a Halloween album out of Teresa Collins papers and a 7 gypsies 3 ring album with MM velvet stickers, it is so cute and just waiting for my pics from this year!
Woohoo, ahead of the curve for once!
B-

Projects

I have a hard time getting projects finished without a deadline.
I get too picky! I want everything to be perfect, and if left to my own time, it is never good enough to be "finished".
So I had a project that I had started that I wanted to be just right.
I wasn't finishing it so I decided literally 12 hours before the deadline of MM Idol that I should enter. So I finshed the project, and so glad that I made myself have a deadline, because now it is finished and I love it!
Anyway, so not really holding out hope that I will be the next MM Idol, but I am glad I used a deadline to get a very important project done!
On other fronts, I have managed to drop a few pounds (about a pant size). It is fall here and it is gorgeous. The Snowbird Canyon Raquet Club will officially be closed Saturday forever. My kids are great and Dave and I are communicating better lately.
B-

Girl Friends

Every girl needs them!
They are sanity when we have none. They are safe harbor for secrets we wish we didn't have. They are silver linings when we just see clouds.
I got to spend Saturday with girlfriends, and it was great!
We did a crop at Pebbles, and we just giggled and pretended to do useful things. It was great! Of course there are those who actually do get lots done, but that usually isn't me!
Thanks ladies, and you know who you are, for being the girlfriends!
B-

Been to long

It has been exactly a month since I last posted.
I have lost weight, (woohooo!)
I have had a dear friend lose her husband to a heart attack. Beyond sad.
I have played and lost in two tennis tournaments (with tough matches, boohoo!)
I have four kids in four different schools.
I have been creating digital layouts, so relazing.
I have been organizing a very cool album class with a very cool teacher.
I have been growing in some ways and failing in others, and I am ok with it.
I have amazing friends and a wonderful family.
I am blessed.
B-

Went off the deep end today!

Been slowly gaining weight that is making me miserable!
Bracket creep I call it.
So I finally cracked yesterday and signed up for a gym membership. Did the nutrionist and got the trainer sceduled.
My goal is to lose 25 lbs and 13% body fat.
Very ambitious, but I can do it.
This is a great week to do it, I was already disapointed in not making a DT that I wanted, and there is one more that I really want, but their is very stiff competition, so I am not holding my breath for that one either. So I figured that while I was really grumpy from all of that, I might as well jump all the way into the deep end and just get all my grumpy over with at one big ugly moment!
I have to find a way to cut 500! calories from every day, and or burn those same calories. So I can either give up scrapbooking and get off my a$$ (which is tempting given my lack of success at this time!) or I can suck it up and remove some unnessary calories! WEll, I really love scrapping and don't just do it for the "success", so giving it up won't happen. So that means getting jiggy with my food choices and commitment to exercise!
So if I seem grumpy for the next little while, offer me a baby carrot, pat me on the back and tell me it will be okay!
B-