Sharing (part 5).

This cabinet used to be a natural wood color, so I just painted it White Linen. :) It holds my rubber stamps and things. :)

The top drawer holds acrylic blocks, my stamping press, and stamp cleaners. :)

The next few drawers hold rubber stamps, laid out in one layer (not stacked), so I can see them easily. Each drawer has a theme, so it's easy to find things. :)

The 2nd to last drawer holds my foam stamp shapes. They are housed in project cases I found at Target's Dollar Spot. What a steal!

The bottom drawer holds my foam alpha stamps. Each column is stuck to the bottom with a strip of double-sided tape. Then I used my white Uniball Signo to write the letter of each stamp, so I don't have to pull it out to look. :) I used to keep these stamps in plastic bags, but I use them SO much more now because it takes less time to find the letter I need! :)

This cabinet sits right under my Stamping and Trimming Station. :)

Sharing (part 4).

Did you know that all you need to make cool ribbon storage is a 5/16" dowel, closet/shower rod hardware (found at any home improvement store), and some thumbtacks?! I wanted something easy; something cheap. This is what I came up with...

Then I got a really cool cabinet (found at a moving sale for $5... though any wooden shelves or cabinet will do)! The doors on this used to be blue as well, but these people left it outside and it got yuckier than any soap and water could fix. Well, painter's tape and some Antique White spray paint fixed it right up!

Once that was finished and dry, I "installed" my hardware, added some spice jars and little jars up top (Christmas Tree Shops), and Voila! Pretty neat ribbon storage!

Loose fibers and ribbons are in the spice jars. The jars above hold whole spools of ribbon that are now wrapped around close-pins and secured with pins. I was going to do that for EVERY spool I had, but gosh, that took lots of time. I gave up and bought the closet/shower rod hardware instead. :p

The cute little shelf in there holds little shards of ribbon that come with scrapbook purchases from select online retailers. I suppose they send you those to entice you to buy ribbon?! Or is it just a free gift? Hmm...

Next is my alpha storage. Really, nothing to get all excited over. I used to have it separated by color and type, but I didn't like that, so now it's all just stuck in here organized by color (black, brown and white up front because I use those the most). This container is actually a Desktop File that I spray painted Antique White. :)

Inside this alpha box, I have a small pencil box (dollar store) that I hold loose alphas, ghost alphas, alpha brads and other alpha things that are not on a sheet. They're all contained by (very high-tech) Ziploc bags: :)

I love the look of sterling silver. You can find it at thrift stores and antique stores and even eBay for pretty cheap. It adds some class, I think. :) This plate was like $2 at an antique store near me. This woman has TONS of it, so she tells you to take a bunch off her hands for pretty cheap, so she can get rid of it. I was happy to oblige! :D It holds adhesives I use on an everyday basis:

I also use sterling silver sugarers and creamers for my everyday pens and scissors. These were found at a thrift store. The small saucer (found with the plate above) holds little embellishments I need to set aside while I'm working (brads, small die cuts, etc). Photo is of my mom and dad's wedding:

I had seen a few times that people kept their pens in wine racks, as to keep them sleeping horizontally. I LOVED this idea, and I searched for over a year for the perfect wine rack. I seriously waded through hundreds (probably millions...) of them before I found this one on eBay. It was a brown wicker before I spray painted it. It's one of my very favorite things in my room. Always makes me smile. :)

These totally awesome paper shelves are kept on my desk as well. I've had quite a few scrap rooms now, and one thing I knew I needed when I had been scrapping a while is a place to put papers while I'm working. The paper storage next to the pens are where I put papers I'm working on at any given moment. (Out of the way until I need them on the page.)

You know... you're working on a page, and you have like a whole handful of coordinating papers to choose from. You choose three... or seven, but you can't use them/trim them/glue them at the same time, so you need *somewhere* to put them that's away from your workspace, but still in arm's reach when you *do* need them. That's why I needed this. Plus, it's a place to put aside a project if your eyes need a break from it and you want (or need) to work on something else.

It's from The Container Store. And though it's more expensive (if you work there, you get 40% off!) than one of the ones from Michaels or Jo-Ann, it has SIX shelves instead of four or five and still takes up the same amount of space. That was worth the extra money to me. :) This is where I keep pages I'm working on right now as well:

This next photo is in the cabinet from the previous post, but it goes better with the theme of this post. :) Here on this top shelf, I have my glue gun (in another one of those dollar store pencil boxes), paint brushes (in an altered Lay's Stax container), Mod-Podge (and brushes), Bazzill Chips, Creative Imaginations mini-albums, and business cards (mine and my husband's).

I altered the four matching boxes. They were EIGHTEEN CENTS each at The Christmas Tree Shop. If they would have had more, I probably would have gotten more. :p They used to have a weird floral pattern, but I like them much better this way. :D Just goes to show you, you can take anything and alter it... be it a shoe box, a gift packaging box, garbage... whatever!

On the lower shelf, I have my 6x6 paper pads and hole punches/deco scissors. The containers came from The Christmas Tree Shop.

Are you tired of looking at my scrap space yet?! You're probably more tired of my long-winded explanations...

Sharing (part 3).

Paper. I love paper. Paper's my favorite. Do you love paper? I'm sure you do.

One day while I was out shopping for a mattress (more comfortable than the kitchen table), I found this adorable cabinet. I measured it in the store, and what do you know... it was the right size to hold Cropper Hopper Vertical Storage Holders (well, with the back removed...)! Hoorah!

I know, I know, I have a lot of cardstock. LOL. In my defense, a scrapbook store was going out of business, Bazzill was on major clearance, and I decided what better time to stock up? I bought about 500 sheets.

I already had a couple hundred at home, so I probably have over 800 now. *sigh* The good thing is though... I haven't had to buy one sheet of cardstock (except for white, of course) for over a year. :D So really... it was an investment... On the bottom left (just slide open the doors a bit), I have my cardstock.

Separated by color, of course, and in ROYGBIV order. :) Orange and yellow share one. As do brown and black. (They're buddies. ;) ) This is to save space because I don't have as many of those colors:

The Cropper Hopper Paper Pouches hold scraps... that stay in the Cropper Hopper Vertical Storage Holder with its respective color. This way, it all stays together. I use scraps SO much more now! I've organized my scraps four different ways now, and this is, by far, my favorite. :)

All my patterned paper is organized alphabetically, by manufacturer. On this top shelf, I also have white/cream cardstock (which I use the most), clear stamps (in the white container and the blue binder), a binder with photos, and some ideas.

On the bottom shelf, the first four holders are Basic Grey, organized alphabetically by collection (A-H, I-M, O-R, S-V).

And each collection (with its papers, alphas, tags, die cuts and scraps) is kept in a Craft Keeper Envelope, so it all stays together nicely.

Then holders #5 and #6 hold "Other Companies," separated alphabetically by manufacturer.

The 7th holder has random "by the sheet" paper, sorted by color (bought in the "olden" days before I knew kits and collections were the way to go)... that I'll probably never use. LOL. Well, I use them for gift albums and mini albums. :)

Then on the top shelf, I have a holder just for Christmas papers (I have about six different collections from different brands... mostly Basic Grey, of course, including THREE Fruitcakes and two Wassails. LOL).

I also have a holder for Studio Calico kits (by date). And then two more with random stuff (whole sheets of chipboard, extra dividers/storage bags, doodling, cutting templates, paper memorabilia), and still labeled appropriately... LOL...

Here is what the inside of one looks like. As you can see, the collections are separated by tabbed dividers that have the collection's name. This is the Basic Grey A-H holder:

And here is a close-up of the Craft Keeper Envelope in action! Modeling it beautifully is the Studio Calico Iconic kit. Inside the envelope, I have a 4x6 acid free bag to hold all the "little guys" that are floating around:

Phew! If you got through all that, you deserve a break. How about some turtle brownies? Those are yummy. I'll post the recipe soon. :)

Thanks again for looking at my space! More to come...

Sharing (part 2).

I think this may be one of my favorite things in my room... perhaps because it took the most work?! LOL. Shopping at Pier 1 one day (for a lamp I didn't find...), I found these hot pink boxes (and some electric blue ones too):

The first time I went in, they were on clearance for $7.48. I bought two of them (8 drawers). Then I figured... hey, I could use these for almost ALL my embellishments! So I had hubby go back and get me two more. They were on BETTER clearance (by that time) for $5 each.

I headed to Home Depot and got some paint in White Linen and three coats of paint later... tee hee... they looked like this:

I used my 1 1/4" scallop punch to punch the labels. Added a hole-punched hole, soft white string (all-purpose... we also use it to tie up the fake-Christmas tree), and white paper clips (a la Stacy Julian LOM albums). I wrote the contents on with my brown ZIG. Presto! Beautimous embellishment storage! So all this (minus the frames and gelato jar that holds my favorite "pretty" ribbons) for under $30:

My sister, she's my hero. She taught me that if you don't like something the way it is, change it! If you have to paint it, cover it, sand it, add balcony spindles... whatever! And seriously, if it weren't for her, I'm not sure I'd have the confidence to just go and PAINT things. LOL.

Seriously... you should see her house. Not only does it look like a magazine or home decorating book, but if you walk through it with her, you hear her say, "This China Cabinet?! It was $2." or " This chair? It's old. We found it in a shed. I painted it black." or "This cute, little, sewing dress-form? Found it at Ross for $5, but the flowers were pink, and I needed them blue, so you know, I made them blue." She never buys ANYTHING full price. Ever. EVER!

Fun. Very fun. She's all kinds of inspiration.

Hoping.

Today, I need prayer and Pixie Dust (thanks, Kitty!), so I'm asking for it... please. :)

I called into The Container Store today, telling them I wasn't feeling well enough to make it to work today (I fainted there on Wednesday), and she actually "commended" me and gave me "kudos" for calling in (I usually just go, feeling sick, and then they send me home). LOL. Yeah, that made me smile. How awesome are the people at my work?! Seriously!

So if you pray, or if you just send out good thoughts, could you please? I have not been feeling well, got some not-so-good news from the doctor, and I could really use some prayers and good thoughts. Thank you. :)

And on a happy note, I got some peanut butter on my way home from the doctor yesterday. I love peanut butter.

Sharing (part 1).

Instead of my regularly scheduled post, I'm posting photos of my new scrap space. YAY! Can I officially call it a "Studio" now?!

I took over our dining room, and we moved the kitchen table to the living room (about four feet in front of my scrap area. :-)

The shelves and work-tables are elfa shelving from The Container Store, which are totally awesome. And I get a 50% discount, so that rocks even more! :-D

Here is the main wall. My workspace is about 39" high because I'm a standing scrapper. My two cabinets fit *perfectly* underneath, and I was SO excited about that (plus, a little room on top to "hide" things)!

(The cabinet on the left is an old twin bedframe that my sister and dad converted into a storage system. The cabinet on the right is from Oak Express.)

Then you move to the left... (you can see my adhesives in a sterling silver tray on the corner there), my embellishment drawers up on the shelf, and a totally awesome blue vase I got at an antique store here in Austin. :-)

This wall is my computer wall (plenty of room to add more shelves if need be...). The altered photo-collage cupboard door *should* be hanging above my printer, but I've been procrastinating putting the hanging hardware on. I need to get on that!

And then there's my trimming/cutting/stamping station. The table is from IKEA (*before* I worked for The Container Store...):

There are like 40 photos total, but I won't post them all here... at once. HA! I would if I had Typepad! Man! Some day... tee hee. I'll post them here in spurts... with commentary. ;-)

Discovering.

I've always loved babies. (See... even in this photo when I was six. :) ) I've always loved children. I started babysitting when I was ten. Well, I was mature for my age, and my cousin was sleeping, and my aunt had to run to the store for all of 30 minutes, but still! I babysat! 

But that day began years of babysitting and nannying. I always wanted eight children. Yes, eight. 

I had seven Cabbage Patch Babies lined up (with name tags on their beds) in my closet (big closet). They were my seven babies, and then I had an older daughter (who, you know, could help me take care of my seven babies).

The number eight slowly turned to four, and before I was married, that was the number that was set in my head. My husband didn't want any children when we got married. But I wanted to marry him, so... I said okay. I don't need to have children.

And as the years went on, I actually felt that I didn't even *want* to have children of my own anymore. I could just babysit and coach gymnastics, and I'd be fine. People thought it was very uncharacteristic of me. And it was. I had *always* wanted children.

Then a few years later, I wanted children again (my husband had also changed his mind). But the feeling came and went... as often as I bought new scrap supplies. Did I want children? *sigh* I LOVE children. I just couldn't make up my mind... mainly because of health reasons.

Then this last Saturday, a woman came into the scrapbook store. Her hands were full... shopping bags, jackets, and a diaper bag in one hand, and a baby in the other. "Can I give you a hand?" I asked. "Sure! That would be great!" She looked relieved.

"I can hold the baby for you!" She smiled as I reached my hands forward. And then the most amazing thing happened. It was like coming home. 

Landon is only six months old. He didn't know me. I didn't know him. But for the first minute, we just stared at each other. He smiled and then laid his head on my chest. He picked his head up and then stared at me and smiled. He didn't blink once. Then he laid his head on my chest again. "I've never seen him do that," his mom told me.

And I actually started to cry. So here I am... at work, in my apron, holding a baby, and crying. *sigh* I'm sure I looked utterly ridiculous. And I felt myself whisper, "I want one." And I heaved a big sigh.

Now? There is no doubt in my mind that I'm supposed to be a mother. I've known it. I've known it since I was a child and dolls were all I wanted... ever. I've known it since I was in 4th grade, and the kindergartners would follow me around, and I loved it. I've known it since the first time I laid eyes on my nieces and the tears just started to flow. I've known. Why I doubted myself, I'm not sure.

I know God has his timing. And I'm so glad He also has the ability to give me patience...

Oh, and by the way, thank you, Landon. That moment will forever be in my heart.

Updating.

May not stop playing with iPhoto... ever.

iPhoto-ing.

Can't post.

Received iMac.

Obsessed with iPhoto.

May not be back for a while...

Lord, help me.

Stamping.

I got a new toy! And since I'm so excited about it, I thought I'd give a little tutorial. :) Fun, right?! Yes, I know you're stoked about this!

I'm not much of a stamper, but I really want to try it more. So... I got these super awesome new Studio Calico stamps, but I wanted a block large enough to fit whole words. And I saw this little baby at my work (the scrapbook store, not The Container Store ;) ), and I just HAD to get it!

The Fiskars Easy Stamp Press comes in two sizes, but I got the bigger one because for just under $5 more, wouldn't you want to stamp longer words using larger alphas? I think yes!

So... first you add your acrylic stamps using the cool lines and ruler grid thing...


Then you add your ink...


Then you place it where you need it. And the cool thing about this is that it has these orange foamy feet, so when you place it on your paper, the stamps don't touch your paper... yet. You set it exactly where you want it, then you push down on it to flatten the foamy feet...


And when you lift off, the foamy feet bounce back up, and you remove the block press!



AND it has a removal plate, so if you need to stamp TWO things, and you can't get them on the same plate (or you need to layer stamped images), you just take the plate off and use the under-side of the press. They probably sell additional plates as well, so you can save designs you've created. You could make your own patterned paper in a snap!

Seriously... how cool is that?! I know, I know. The coolest. :)

You're welcome.

Re-capping.

Okay, so I haven't posted in a while, but I've been super busy. And my news! I have news!

Okay, wait. My posts are always way too long, so this post will get to the point when I tell you what's been going on.

My awesome news: I got a job at a scrapbook store! A *certain* scrapbook store (that requests to stay nameless, so we'll just call it Sharchiver's to keep it inconspicuous ;) ), and they offered me a job teaching! Yay! LOVE.IT. Also love the discount. :)

Christmas shopping is nearly done. Yay.

Thanksgiving was... weird. We *tried* to go out of town, but there was a big accident that forced us to turn around. So we went out to dinner and a movie instead.

Saw Twilight. I liked it. Jeremy even liked it.

Making a super awesome Christmas Organizer mini album (I use the term "mini" very lightly). Can't wait to show that here.

Had a party to celebrate my published page, and this card was my Make N Take (to look like my layout... cool, yes?!), and is this owl punch not the cutest punch EVER?! It's by Martha Stewart. I don't care if she did wear an orange jumpsuit, that woman has cute punches!

What else?! OH! I made the MOST delicious chocolate chip cookies! They are the softest ever (think Soft Batch cookies), and I can't stop eating them. I may have a stomach ache later.

I'm working quite a bit, but I love it, so it's okay.

My body hurts since I quit gymnastics. Go figure. :p

My brother is welcoming a new addition in June. Exciting. :)

And I want a baby. *sigh*

Besting the Day.

Yesterday? Best.Day.Ever. Okay, well, not ever, EVER, but best in a VERY long time. Probably like... best in a few years.

Saving.

Time to save some money, Y'all! (That's right... I say "y'all" now because I live in Texas. Oh, that reminds me of a cute story! If I think about it at the end of this blog post, I'll share it!)

Anywho, after the irrelevant button was hit several times after my first sentence, I will be sharing with you how YOU can save money this week.

Not sure if you watch Oprah (I'm not an Oprah fan, but this week... I am... just a bit ;) ), but she's having a "Clean up your Messy House Tour" right now. And guess what?! She featured The Container Store on the show! And guess what is even better than *seeing* The Container Store on Oprah? Why, getting a discount at The Container Store *because* of Oprah, of course!

So... if you go on Oprah's website here, you can get in on the 20% discount too (until November 19th)! It's okay if you don't have The Container Store in your area because the coupon works for online and phone orders TOO! I know, I know... you are super blessed that I work for The Container Store and can be an enabler today. I know. I know. Thank me later. ;)

I know what you're thinking, "Oh Reyanna! This is super wonderful and fabulous! This MUST be the good news I've been anxiously awaiting to hear from you!" And I will reply to that, "No, my friends, it is not! I still have wonderful news to share. Not today, but soon." :)

Now on to regularly scheduled posting...

One of the coolest things about The Container Store is that they sell scrapbook organization! WOOHOO! I have this awesome paper storage thingy (featured above), and it's SO much better than the one you find at Michaels or other craft stores because this one has SIX shelves! No other one that I've found has six! Ha! I love that you can put stuff on top too. Yay! :D

And also, our Stockholm collection is FABULOUS! I have LOTS of those boxes. And I love that they come in all sorts of fun colors. (I'm pretty simple, so I love the white with colored pattered paper in the book plates, but the deep purple [which, unfortunately isn't offered online], is beautiful!)

One other thing I love is our photo storage stuff! The Stockholm Media Binder is PERFECT with the 4x6 and 5x7 photo sleeves as photo albums (Stacy Julian and Library of Memories lovers, take note and get rid of those Pioneer binders)!

And you know, we carry other products like WD-40 in the form of a pen (in store only... or just e-mail me if you desperately need one), an acrylic organizer that holds 24 lipsticks or chapsticks, and of course, no closet is complete without Closet Rod Organizers. Some of us just can't tell by *looking* in our closet which shirts are short-sleeved and which ones are long-sleeved. Oh no! We need labels to tell us. :)

And what holiday shopping would be complete without a trip to Gift Wrap Wonderland with our fabulous paper choices (more in the stores!) and unique stocking stuffers?! None, I tell you! None!

So go... get a coupon. Shop. Have fun, Kids!

p.s. This post is too long now to tell you my cute story, so I'll just save that for another day.

Missing.

Coming home from my sister's house is always bittersweet. I'm glad to be home... in my own bed with my own food (two separate things... I don't keep my food in my bed...). And I love the fact that my clothes are chosen from a closet as opposed to a suitcase.

But then there's the bitter part. Leaving them. Them. The three most beautiful and perfect little human beings to ever grace the planet. Okay, of course they're not perfect. Mairen smashed my leg into a chair. Brenna yelled in my ear. Alaura said some sassy things. And candy was asked for at the beginning and end of EVERY meal... and some times in between. But... yeah, they're perfect to me.

I hadn't seen them in nearly 14 months. Eight days with them was Heaven.

I cried all the way to the airport. It didn't help that my sister turned on Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry. *NOT* a good song to listen to when you're fighting back tears.

We had planned on the time before the airport being "Ani" time (their nickname for me), but plans got changed as things do. All we could do was go to the Sonic drive-through. (Still cool! ;) ) They all had their first root beer floats ever! (Brenna had a Dr. Pepper float though. Tee hee.) And that was fun. And as we approached the airport, we took this one last crazy picture.

I landed in Austin, safe and sound. But I cried all the way home. And I cried myself to sleep. I miss them. I miss my sister. How is it possible to love and ache for people THIS much?!

And I did get some great news today. But I can't even enjoy it. I'm just missing them way too much. And crying way too hard. *sigh*

I'll share my great news tomorrow. It's pretty fabulous... if I do say so myself. :)

Wasting.

Is it just me or does time seem to fly by more quickly when you're online?

Okay, it's 1:00. I need to leave for work at 3:00. I have plenty of time to read a few blogs!

One hour and 59 minutes later...

I love reading blogs. I could read blogs all day. Blogs are heavenly. And look at this... I've read fifteen blogs, and only twenty minutes has gone by. Wait a second... It's 2:59?! Holy Crap! I gotta go!

Sound familiar? A similar situation happened to me Sunday evening. I went to bed at 7:00pm (I'm sick, okay! I'm trying to get better!), and I woke up just a few hours later. I woke up hungry... again and also wanted some hot tea.

So I decided... well, while I eat my biscuit and drink my ginger tea with honey (which tastes like hot Coca-Cola, by the way... weird), I will catch up on my blog-reading... just a bit, so I can still get to sleep at a reasonable hour. And I hit the regulars and eventually land on Ali Edwards.

She happens to have this interesting blog post on cloth diapers. Stating they have "come a long way," she provides several links for our viewing (and, apparently, researching) pleasure. And for some reason, this piqued my interest.

I don't have a baby. I'm not pregnant with a baby. And I certainly don't plan on having a baby in the next couple years (though I'd like to...)

So why ON EARTH did I spend two HOURS looking at cloth diapers?! I was truly and utterly fascinated. I think I could now confidently teach a class on said diapers. And you would be upset with me if I didn't share some valuable cloth diaper information, now wouldn't you?! Of course you would!

Okay, I'm not going to go off on a bunch of cloth diapering hoopla followed by information on how to convince your husband to breastfeed or directions on how to deliver your own baby (they have Google for those types of things, People!), but I will share this:

Disposable diapers cost approximately $1000 per child (you know, till the approximate potty-trained age of 2.5). That's approximately 5,500 (I'm rounding up here because I like nice, round numbers) diapers PER child! EEK!

And cloth diapers? Cost LESS THAN a third of that ($250-$300)! And no, you don't have to rinse them in a toilet or a bucket like the "olden" days. MUCH easier (and cleaner...) now. How nice is THAT on our landfills? I'm just sayin'...

Interesting information, no?!

And speaking of wasting time on blog reading...

Bragging.

I'm pretty sure that before I was published I promised myself that if I ever *did* get published, I wouldn't scan my magazine page and post it on my blog. I like to think I'm pretty modest and shy when it comes to stuff like this.

But if I would have *known* that I would be published in Simple Scrapbooks... aside from not believing that I would EVER, EVER in a million years be published in my favorite scrap magazine... I would have probably created an amendment to the fore mentioned rule.

Therefore, for your viewing pleasure: Page 96 of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine - November/December 2008 issue. (Let's just call this "sharing information" as opposed to "bragging," okay?! Please?! *insert sheepish grin here*)

Yeah, that's me. A whole page to myself. Me! Just your average Jane scrapbooker. And though I *asked* Simple if they would credit Paislee Press Designs in my products list, they are quite busy and must have forgotten.

See, the amazing Liz over at Paislee Press created these super fabulous digi mailing label frames, and I LOVED them! So I re-created them in paper (thanks to my trusty Fiskars). I credited her as my inspiration, but alas, they left it out. I still love Simple. But I wanted to give a shout out to Liz. Seriously, it's because of her. :)

***************************************

In other news, I went hiking a couple weekends ago, and it was FABULOUS! Austin's Barton Creek is SO awesome. Pics will be shown soon... I hope. :) Going again this weekend with a friend. YAY!

Then last weekend, I went out of town to visit family. Brought the puppies. And when I returned, their food bowls were nowhere to be found. Oh well, I thought. No biggie. They just get to eat out of Corelle instead. (Lucky puppies!)

And for two days, Amber would not eat.

You have to understand something about Amber. She eats like I starve her. She barks for her food, shakes uncontrollably until I fill her bowl, and once she has food, she devours it before Ruby even notices I had poured food in their bowls. So this was strange.

I would fill her bowl, she would sniff, perhaps eat one or two pieces, then walk away. Then she'd proceed to her barking and shaking like I hadn't fed her at all. I figured she just wasn't feeling well and would get over it. After the two days, I accidentally spilled some dog food on the floor.

And my ravenous beast of a dog returned. She ate every last piece I had spilled... within ten seconds of dropping them. *Insert light-bulb here.* So I did what any worried mother of a starving dog would do... I poured all her dog food on the kitchen floor.

A happy mom. A happy dog.

A happy dog, who does NOT like Corelle dishes...

Baking.

There is something unmistakably wonderful about fall... pumpkin muffins. I know I could make pumpkin muffins all year, but it's just not the same.

So I'm home from work (actually took a few days off since I'm stuck with a fever and sinusitis... again... ick), and I decided after Nap #2 that I'd make some yummy muffins.

I open up two recipes. Hmm... I'll make THIS recipe, I say to myself. And halfway through, I'm like, Nah, I'll make this other recipe. I've actually made this one. I know they'll turn out!

Then for some odd reason, I look at the first recipe, then the 2nd. Then I forget which one I'm making and figure that now it's more of a collaborative thing. Ah well. If they taste like pumpkin, and they're in the vague shape of a muffin, I'm good to go.

So it's painfully obvious by eating my muffins that any type of recipe was lost in translation. But just the same, they are super tasty!

Eating.

So I'm starting to feel a bit better. (YAY!) Went back to the doctor and got some cough syrup with Vicodin. Yum!

But what I really think help me feel better? Eating peanut butter sandwiches every day. That's right, *every* day. I got this yummy gluten-free bread from Whole Foods, and I've been eating at least one peanut butter sandwich per day.

Ohmigosh, and I found this new peanut butter! It's Smuckers Natural with HONEY! So it's just peanuts, salt, honey and divinity. Okay, I added the divinity part, but it must have at least *some* of that added because it's... well... divine. :)

Added a new header and photo today. Yay! Those beautiful papers and elements are from Paislee Press. Design by yours truly (okay, I just sketched it out for Jeremy, and *he's* the one who put it all together. He may be a tool sometimes, but that boy has mad Adobe skills). :)

Hmmm... what else is new? Oh! I'm getting in on this. And I'm pretty excited about it. I *really* wanted a blue one of those cute little albums, but they don't sell the blue color I wanted. So I made my own. Yeah, I like to take on more projects when I already have a million things going on, BUT... it's in the color I love... AND... it was free with stuff I used from my stash (read: paper scraps)! Yahoo! When it's finished, I'll post it. Promise.

I'm taking this class by Cathy Zielske, and ohmigosh, it's awesome! She is, of course, super fabulous, and I heart her... a lot. I'll post my pages soon. :) You still have time to get in on this (until October 8th)! It's kinda pricey for an online class, but it's TWELVE weeks long (so less than $10 per week), AND it's taught by Cathy Flippin' Zielske! Come on! Just put it on a credit card, and you'll be good. Tee hee. ;)

Anything else? Oh!! I've been meaning to tell you all. I started another really cool blog (actually, I have four blogs now... wow), and you should SO check it out. It's so cool! I promise! You won't regret it! :D

Otay, I think that's all for today. Meant for this to be shorter. Oh well.

Healing.

I'm sick. And time away from work gives me time to make things like this... and you know, rest and stuff.

Wanting.

Some people say that wanting things is never good. But this is not like that. We're here for a reason. And I want some things in this life... even if they sound silly. There's a part of me that seems to be forgetting why I'm here and who I am. I'm trying to remember.

I want to make people smile.

I want to make a difference.

I want to contribute.

I want to be helpful.

I want to ride my bike.

I want to rock climb.

I want to swim.

I want to dive.

I want to go to the movies.

I want to go out to dinner once and a while.

I want to go walk around downtown.

I want to go to the driving range.

I want to cuddle Ruby.

I want hugs… daily.

I want to write.

I want to have a computer without internet.

I want to scrap.

I want to be published.

I want to love.

I want to be loved.

I want to feel wanted.

I want to be with friends.

I want to surround myself with lovely people.

I want to be happy.

I want to feel peace.

I want to feel important.

I want to laugh.

I want to be silly.

I want to enjoy life.

Inspiring.

I've always wondered about monthly scrapbooking kit clubs. I never thought I'd like them. I didn't think they'd inspire me. I didn't think I'd be able to put stuff together and make it "my own."

Boy, was I wrong!

I remember a couple years ago... a magazine had a "low down" of monthly kits. I thought, "How on EARTH would I choose *if* I ever decided to get one?!" Then through Caroline, I found Studio Calico. Her layouts were just gorgeous, and that led me to their website. I finally signed up to receive emails, so I could get their monthly eye candy. (Their design team is *beyond* talented.)

I always said, "These are *the* kits to have! Really!" And I decided that if I ever took the plunge and got a kit, I'd choose them. And month after month, I drool over the kits, but I have never once bought one.

Until... this month's kit came out. Oh.My.Gosh. Could.NOT.Help.Myself. This month's kit is BEAUTIFUL! Blue, yellow and green? A vintage flair and a punch of red? Umm... hello!! LOVE it! So... I ordered the kit and one add-on. Received it in the mail YESTERDAY...

And in 24 hours? THREE layouts! That is INSANE for me! I can barely do one in a week! That is how totally inspired I am. I may just buy a kit each month now. I mean, granted I have been missing scrapping SO much (I'm working eight shifts per week between both jobs), but come on... inspired much?!

I've decided to scrap my senior photos (back from 1999), and I'm really stoked about it! I think this kit is perfect for scrapping them too! So the first two layouts I did are for my "Senior Photos Album" I'm working on. Should be fun! :)

Remembering.

I don't think I've ever posted this layout here, but today... my precious niece, London Michele, would have been FOURTEEN years old! :)

So in memory of her, I wanted to post it along with the journaling:

Well, here it is, London. The last photo. Un-cropped, with all of its imperfections. If I would have known these were going to be the last photos taken of you, things would have been different. I would not have used this camera. And I would have taken more than four photos of you that day.

You wouldn’t be sitting on my bed. You wouldn’t have a silly dinosaur up by your head. I would have sat back a little so the photos would be more in focus. If I would have known these were going to be the last photos of you, I would have made sure they were perfect.

I didn’t know we’d lose you just a few weeks later. I wish I would have held you closer. I wish I would have kissed you over and over and over. I wish I would have taken more photos of us together… just me and you, my first niece.

I would have told you I loved you… not ten times a day, but every second I was with you. I would have asked, just for one night, if you could sleep in my room. I would have cuddled you every chance I got. I would have hugged you and never let go.

If I only would have known! But, Baby, I didn’t know. God was the only one who knew.

Yes, I would have done many things differently. But, London, there’s one thing I wouldn’t change, not for all the photos in the world.

I’m still so proud that I got to be the one… the one to take the last photo.

*******
We lost her to SIDS, January 26, 1995. I found the negatives for these photos last year, and I've really been wanting to scrap them and journal. I wrote poems and little stuff like that back in 1995 (I was in 8th grade), but I haven't *really* journaled about her till now. Felt good. Really good. Love scrapping as therapy. :)

Happy Birthday, London! We miss you and love you! :)

Dancing.

I've been coaching gymnastics for eleven years, and I've never been to a gymnastics convention. *sigh* I've been to a couple coaching clinics, but never a convention. And why? Well, either my gyms couldn't afford it, or I couldn't afford it. But by golly, I've always wanted to go!

So when I first started working for Capital Gymnastics, they let me know they wanted me to attend the GAT (Gymnastics Association of Texas) convention. SWEET! I was beyond excited. And 19 hours of pure convention bliss later, I'm happy as a scrapbooker with a box of paper on her doorstep.

I actually ended up helping *teach* a spotting clinic to novice coaches! Yay! I was accidentally placed in this class as a student, so my boss thought since I was there... might as well make myself useful. YES! Eleven years of spotting and getting punched, kicked, elbowed, landed on, stepped on, fallen on, bitten, whacked, peed on, vommited on, loved on, and hugged... a lot... has finally paid off! WOOHOO! So that was super fun. And my "volunteer" gymnasts were *so* cute! Loved them to pieces. (How much am I loving the name Violet? Too cute!)

So I took a few classes on tumbling and vaulting techniques. A class on how to deal with difficult children (tee hee... and this class was PACKED). And my favorite class of the weekend? Musical Warm-ups for Preschoolers.

It's very ironic that this was my favorite class, due to the following reasons:

1. I don't teach preschool.
2. I don't plan on teaching preschool.
3. The only time I do teach preschool is when I'm subbing for a college student who needs to study for a final.
4. And musical warm-ups? Let me tell you... *not* my favorite part about coaching gymnastics to preschoolers.

But the man who taught this class? Hysterical. He's a slightly overweight, middle-aged man, who LOVES to dance. I'm talking... *loves*. And I don't know about you, but when I watch a 48-year-old man doing the "Soulja Boy" and dancing to the Buckwheat Boyz, I laugh so hard I pee my pants.

This was the fullest class I attended, and now I know why! He taught about ten songs (with dances) that he, himself made up. He mixed his own CD of his favorite preschool songs, and he has all his dances typed out on PowerPoint. This man is the KING of preschool musical warm-ups.

The only thing I'm bumming hard about? Not having a video camera. Because long after I left the convention, I was still laughing hysterically at the sight of him dancing to Ice Cream N Cake. The little cheerleaders on YouTube do *not* do that song justice. Just picture that man doing the dance with ten times the energy (and more dance moves). Hilarious.

And don't tell anybody, but when I got home from the convention on Saturday, I played the Peanut Butter Jelly Time song and got up and did the dance he taught us. And I was laughing *so* hard, I was crying. Love it.

After the convention, I was talking with my boss's mother (who is the owner of Capital Gymnastics and the director of GAT and the convention), and she was telling me that she needed to get us new preschool music. Well, *I* told her to work her "Director of GAT magic" and have Randy send us his CD and list of dances.

So guess what *I'll* have next week?! That's right, Baby! The most coveted preschool warm-up music of the century! You're so jealous. I know you are.

Finding.

Warning: These posts are starting to sound like I actually *like* to shop. Eek! I better make the next few posts about other things. :) And let's get this straight... I don't *like* to shop! I just like to have new things sometimes. :) There is *so* a difference!

So I needed to make an emergency trip to Gap to get these panties. Okay, it wasn't *truly* an emergency, but I *did* need new panties. Found some really cute ones!

And I had to walk through Dillard's to get to Gap. And there were these super-adorable red shoes... but I kept walking.

I read an article in Real Simple a few years ago, and it said that every woman needs a good pair of red flats. So from then on, I've been on the lookout! (And that's not the only reason! I don't let Real Simple dictate the stuff I buy [usually], but red shoes never go out of style, they can be dressed up or down, and they can liven up any outfit. So there.)

I even found this one pair of totally cute, red ballerina flats... at TJ Maxx. They were cheap, so I bought them. I wore them once. They hurt SO bad! So much for those! I'll pawn them off on some un-knowing ebayer, who doesn't mind shoes that inside, have miniature little people with knives.

My search for red shoes continued, but it's not like I was actively looking because well... a.) I hate shopping. And b.) I don't really *need* shoes. Oh! And c.) I hate shopping.

So I left Gap with a bag full of hipster panties, and I headed back through Dillard's...

What's the harm in trying on the cute, red shoes? Evil Reyanna whispered in my ear.

No! I don't really have the money right now to get new shoes! And I don't *need* new shoes! Good Reyanna answered back.

But do you need new *red* shoes? Evil Reyanna reasoned.

Yes! Why, yes, I do! Good Reyanna gleamed.

And Evil Reyanna and Good Reyanna rode off into the sunset... wearing pretty, totally comfortable, new, red shoes. :)