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.