Motivations

I'm a list-maker and love to cross items off of my list. However, for better or worse, I'm an externally motivated person. If it benefits others I am much more easily motivated to do it, because it benefits, you know, them... my Dearest, children, sister, brother, friends. If it's for me, it is much more difficult for me to gather up the motivation. Perhaps a drawback of being an ESFJ?

Having a creative hobby/job, like being a scrapbooking and stamping consultant, is definitely interesting in regard to my list-making tendencies and motivations. Here, my list-making tendencies do not necessarily mesh with my creative muse. What should I create for my next class, workshop, Totally Creative Tuesday get-together, or unit meeting? My list-making tendencies help keep my business on track, but right now, it's seriously wreaking havoc on the fun, whimsical, creativity side of my business.

I have been reading various very creative blogs and find myself wondering when I'll have time (or make time) to play with my stamps, inks, and pretty papers, not to mention the fun accessories!

It is definitely time to carve out some creative play time for myself and not get bogged down in just what needs to get done. I'll be sure to add "Play time with stamps, inks, pretty papers, and fun accessories" to my list.

Welcome back to school!

I just realized that tomorrow is Tuesday and boy, it sure seems like it's been a long week. I suppose it might have something to do with the fact that we started school today. By the carrying on of the boys, perhaps it seemed like I was dropping them off the side of the boat into the depths of a shark-infested ocean without a life-jacket or survival boat.

I'm hopeful for tomorrow. Welcome back to school.

Potato Soup Time, aka The Start of Football Season

My Dearest found a Potato Soup recipe at Allrecipes and made it his own. I don't remember the original name of the soup, but around our house, it's called 11 Potato Soup... because it goes one higher.

We made the first batch last week for a couple of reasons: it was finally cool enough and it sounded good. We realize now that it was a trial run to warm us up for dun, dun, dun, dun.. dun, dun ... Football Season! (Did you hear the football theme song, even though it isn't Monday night?)

Last year, it became our Sunday-after-church-Football-thing. I should clarify that my Dearest is the one who prepares and cooks it. I usually peel and chop potatoes or onions, but my Dearest is the brain behind the whole operation. I mostly take up space in the kitchen. Tonight, I'm in charge of making the soup. Uh-huh. We'll see how it goes.

Who are your rooting for tonight? The New York Giants are hosting the Washington Redskins. Kick-off is at 7 pm, EDT on NBC.

Game on!

Aunt-hood

We went to visit my sister, brother-in-law and their adorable three month old son this past weekend. Can I tell you how much I LOVE being an Aunt? I enjoyed being an extra set of arms (and legs) for my sister, to make dinner (even though my parents prepared it and sent it with us), set the table, clear and wash dishes, push Caleb in the perambulator, which is one of my favorite words, and of course hold Caleb while she napped or just relaxed a bit.

I really enjoy children, especially young ones, but after I had my own, I was not sure if I'd feel the same toward other children as I do my own. Nephews apparently hold a very special spot in my heart as I feel the same towards Caleb as I do my own.

Now, if we could do something about the distance between our families...

Snaps and Clanks

During the last few days before school starts, My Dearest and I are trying to organize our basement and get rid of those items we haven't used in a LONG time. I guess it's our version of Spring Cleaning, but called, "End of Summer Cleaning."

We are also preparing for my sister and her family to visit with a possible stay at our house so we're re-organizing the Classroom, which doubles as a guest room, as well.

Yup, it's a good ol' End of Summer Cleaning session at our house. We are getting quite a bit done, too; the "Donate" pile is growing and the "Toss" pile is... well, let's just say that I'm very thankful that our trash day just passed! We live in a small-ish house and we put a sizable amount of trash by the side of the road this past trash day.

As we're going through boxes of items we've moved from apartment to apartment to house, I realize I'm not nearly as sentimental as I think I've been in the past. When my boys were younger, I felt that I wanted to keep some of their clothes FOREVER, or at least until the grandkids arrive (yes, I realize that I'll be waiting for quite a few years, thank you!). Now, I'm in purge mode. My rationale at this point is that I've probably taken pictures of my boys in the so cute/just darling/cute-as-a-button shirt/pants/sleeper/outfit in an adorable/serious/funny/silly pose so I don't need to keep the actual outfit.

Since my sister has a little boy, I picked items that would probably fit him and put them in the wash so they'll be ready for my sister to look through during their visit this weekend. As I listen to the dryer, I realize it's been a very long time since I've heard the onesie snaps and adorable little boy overall fasteners clanking around in my dryer. When else can you wash nearly an entire wardrobe and perhaps even fit the bedding into one wash load?

What are you doing with these last few days before school starts?

Can't Wait!!

Only three and a half weeks!

Baby Boy!

I know I forgot to update you on my sister's pregnancy... She had her baby, a boy, in early June! He was a good sized little boy, 8 pounds 8 ounces and 21" long. They are all healthy and doing well.

We are anxious to see them, but because we live in different states, and our schedules don't mesh just yet, we haven't gone to see them. Yet. :-) In the meantime, I've been able to figure out how to Skype and use my webcam in order to see them. I took a screen capture from the video and cropped it down to a picture of my dear sweet nephew.

Isn't he adorable??



Can't wait to see you, dear Sister, Brother-in-Law, and Nephew!!

Sonic!!

I have read about Sonic over the last year and a half or so on various blogs, names and address of which I cannot remember. On those various blogs, I read about these tasty-sounding drinks and afternoon specials that sound so fun. Now, I find that there's one relatively close to us! So, now I ask for your advice... please tell me what you love best at Sonic so I have some idea what to order first! :-)

Happy Independence Day!

This is from my friend Mary, who makes everything so much FUNN!

Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd President, author of the Declaration of Independence, among other incredible things such as being one of my most favorite Founding Fathers, may have been a scrapbooker - at least of sorts.

Here are some of my reasons.

1. He organized his writings and books, isn't that what we do? Yes, we organize our writings and scrapbooks!

2. He was a prolific writer with 20,000 letters in his lifetime. Just imagine what he would have done with emailing and texting!

3. He doubled the size of the United States! Isn't that what we do? We start with just a small box of craft products and then double and double and double!?!

4. He wrote down every little detail, "I'm making the world a better place by doing this."

5. He kept detailed records of his trips such as to France and Italy and shared with others in Philadelphia when he returned.

6. He enjoyed the arts.

7. He was a designer. OK, so he designed larger items than scrapbooks such as the Virginia Capitol, the University of Virginia, and his home Monticello (which is worth learning about on its own)

8. He even invented a lap desk. Wow, we are still trying to invent the perfect lap scrapbook desk!

9. He invented the coolest bookshelf that swiveled, so he could turn to the book he wanted to - I assume he would turn it toward the light source. See a photo in the link below.

10. Every generation since has relied on his wisdom and every American has enjoyed his "journaling" (and I mean not to trivialize) of the Declaration of Independence.


Some habits I want to adopt that were Thomas Jefferson's include:

1. Working in long stretches of time without interruption.

2. Mix my day with mental exercise, physical exercise, recreation, family and social activities.

3. I want to live to improve myself and so that my life will help others, as well.

4. I want my scrapbooks to be more than records of events (even though that is fine), I want my scrapbooks to be records of discoveries all done up in a pretty package.


So I'm pretty sure Thomas Jefferson.was a scrapbooker in his own wonderful way.

Here are some neat links:
Thomas Jefferson Quotes
Revolving Book Stand
Monticello
The Declaration of Independence

Have a safe and meaningful Independence Day.

Clear It Out! At Least Some of It...

Clearing out clutter is not one of my strong suits. I am proud to say that I am not quite the pack-rat I once was; though, I still have a ways to go.

BUT!! I took some action!!

As you might have read in my "About Me" section, I am a scrapbooking and stamping consultant. When I saw how many retired stamp sets I have, I decided enough was enough... I listed some stamps on eBay and some on Craig's List.

Navigating the step-by-step process to list the first item was something I viewed with a bit of trepidation. The second one was much easier for me to post.

Now, the waiting and watching of the bids! I try to be a patient person, but this is very clearly not happening with my listings. It doesn't help that one of my listings is ending sooner than the others. Of course, a watched pot doesn't boil, neither does a watched listing generate bids; there are no bids on my listing! There is clearly a big goose egg where I would LOVE to see that someone has bid on my item! Then, I notice there is a Watch This Item button; sadly, no one is watching either.

My friend Mandy is a seasoned eBay seller. She advised me that the last day and particularly, the last moments are those that really matter. So, now I patiently wait on pin and needles waiting to see what kind of bids roll in.

Boys, boys, boys....

I happened to catch Jay Leno last night and saw his videos on-line segment, and how these videos are usually of cute little children or of stupid things older children do. My Dearest and I looked at each other and waited to see just how cute and/or stupid these videos would be.

There was a video of two boys who gave a third boy, who was a willing participant! a wedgie by hanging the back of his boxers from a 6' ladder and laughed as he screamed and swung from the ladder.

Another video featured a boy who stood on a step-stool or chair and fell onto a cacti garden, after which he started screaming for help getting up out of the cacti on which he had landed.

The last video had a young boy, perhaps four or five, sitting on a chair cuddling with his younger brother, who was perhaps two. The younger brother bit his brother's finger and then the older boy put his finger back in his younger brother's mouth! The younger brother bit down harder and harder, then laughed as his brother screamed.

Yup, these were pretty stupid. The thing I noticed right away was that these videos were all of boys doing these crazy things! Now, as a mother of two boys, about 18 months apart, this scares me and has me on my knees praying for their safety almost every moment. And then it got better. My Dearest started telling me stories.

My Dearest works with a guy.... let's call him Chip. Chip has a twin brother, I'll call him Dale (get it? Chip 'n Dale?). When they were young, they were in a dry field near their house, that they were not supposed to be in, launching rockets. As they watched the rocket sail through the air, they heard crackling behind them. A small patch of the field had caught on fire! Chip 'n Dale took their shirts off and started beating at the fire. Chip ran home and got a blanket to try to beat the fire out. A neighbor ran over with a garden hose to wet down the field so that the fire wouldn't spread so much. Chip ran back home to tell his mom about the fire and she brushed him off, preoccupied with her phone call. Then, he heard the fire engine sirens and a neighbor girl said to him in a sing-songy voice, "You're in truh-bull!!"

The next year, Chip 'n Dale were experimenting with short-wave radio and thought that if they raised the antenna, they could get better reception. They had a radio antenna that they raised on a weather balloon up into the sky. Do you recall anyone famous in a story about metal, a balloon and perhaps lightning? Yup, Dale was hit by lightning and rushed to the hospital. He was fine, but had to have some surgery. One of the paramedics saw Chip and said, "Hey, aren't you the ones who set the field on fire last year?"

When my Dearest tells Chip about things our boys are doing, Chip says it reminds him of him and his brother growing up. Of course, if the boys were as mischievous and curious as Chip 'n Dale were, our boys should have set at least one fire, by now... that we know of. Thankfully, that hasn't happened.

As I was thinking about how difficult it is to raise boys, I received an email about the differences between boys and girls, plus a link to a CNN article, Is it Harder to Raise Boys or Girls?

Happy Father's Day!

The Patriarch

More noble than the valiant deeds of shining knights of yore,
More powerful than earthly plights that make the rich man poor,
More kingly than a royal throne or a lion with his pride,
Is he whose babes sleep well at night sure Daddy will provide.

There is a spirit in this land and Jezebel's her name.
She's calling you to leave your home for power, fun, and fame.
She wants your wife, your children too — she'll never compromise,
Until your house is torn in two by listening to her lies.

But though a hundred thousand million men may fall prey to her lures,
And wives en masse leave home in search of "more fulfilling" chores,
Though preachers praise, and friends embrace, her pagan plan of death,
Stand strong and quit you like a man with every blessed breath.

Stand strong and rise, O man of God, to meet this noble call,
The battle is not new you see, it's been here since the Fall.

Your wife is your helpmeet, my friend, and not another man's,
So care for her and keep her far from Mistress Jezi's plans.
Protect, provide, and give to her your undivided life,
This is the dear one of your youth, your precious bride, your wife.

And rally to those tiny ones who trust you for their care —
A lifetime spent discipling them's a lifetime pure and rare.
For when they put their hand in yours and know a Daddy's love,
You're showing them a picture of the Father from above.

Look not toward worldly goal or gain, or for your liberty,
Look only into their sweet eyes to find your ministry.
Devote your heart and sacrifice and make your manly mark —
There is none so great as he who finds his call as patriarch.

—Douglas W. Phillips

Movement

According to Inch-AWeigh.com, four out of five American women say they're dissatisfied with the way they look and on any given day, almost half of the women in the United States are on a diet.

I wouldn't say that I'm on a diet, per se, but I'm definitely not happy about the way I look. I started to blog about "Movement" and sort of tracking what I was doing, but quite frankly, I wasn't doing much! Then, after my sister's baby shower, I saw what I looked like in photos. Not what I pictured in my head! Yeah, the mirror isn't helpful for me - for me, it's in the harsh reality of photographs that I can no longer deny what my physical condition is.

Seeing pictures of myself has motivated me to start moving again. I seem to do this in fits and starts, but never really end up making it a habit or getting into a comfortable groove. I'm happy to say that with Leslie Sansone's DVDs, I've been walking fairly consistently about twice a week for about a month. This week, I've stepped it up - Four Mile Super Challenge! I'm seeing results now so it's motivating me to keep "moving."

I really like that these DVDs aren't boring, annoying, or just laughable to me! She motivates me to walk. She keeps the pace up, says encouraging words right when I''m ready to quit and I can hear her voice in my head when I really don't want to walk. "Muscle burns more calories!" "Do I have time to exercise? Yes, I do! It's over in a snap!"

If you're discouraged by the way you look or just need some fitness in your life, try one of her DVDs! I think you'll really enjoy it and start seeing results.

I just read about her 10 Day Challenge and I signed up. I'm really excited. Since I've started to see some results already, I think this is the next boost I need, plus I think it'll be fun. Did I really type that? I'll see if I can remember to post in 10 days. :-)

Happy "Moving!"

Blogging Hiatus

I'm not quite sure how I got so busy that I stopped blogging. Every few months I realize I haven't posted anything in quite awhile. I think about blogging quite often... it's the execution that I find difficult.

Dry Ice?

Recently, one of my sons asked for ice water. No problem, I can assist him with that, thought I. When I reached into the ice bucket, here's what I found:







At first, I couldn't figure out what had happened. Our freezer wasn't old enough to start malfunctioning; we had just bought our refrigerator last July. The ice cubes were actually not melted; that is, they were whole, but all stuck together and frozen into a single block. When I asked the boys if they knew anything about it, one boy told me that the ice was dry and needed to be wet. He had added water to our ice bucket, then stuck the whole thing back into the freezer so we wouldn't have "dry ice." *sigh. Oh, how I love that boy.

Status: Nursery and Greenhouse

Steady yourselves... It is open!! It's not very busy because no one knows it's open...at least until I blogged about it! :-) Rows upon rows of greenhouses are open, filled with growing and blooming vegetation.

The One Laptop

Well, it happened! I picked one and am using it as we speak... so to speak.

I ended up with a laptop that has 3 gigs of RAM, a 250 gig hard drive, an AMD Turion 64x2 chip, 2.0 gHz processor, a webcam, a NVIDIA graphics card, 1600 mHz bus and a 17" screen. Woohoo! More power than I need or know what to do with... for now! I'm looking forward to getting over the learning curve of Vista, then look out World!

A friend has asked me to help get her business off the ground but she's moving several states away, so I'm hoping that the web cam will be very handy for us. I just need to figure it out! Aahhh, the learning curve again.

My sister mentioned we could skype as well. So many new gadgets! :-)

Now, I must begin the process of transferring data from the old desktop to the new laptop, along with updating my preferences. Aahhhhh. I could be playing with this new fab toy all day! Oh, I suppose I should make lunch and dinner...and teach my boys... and fold laundry... and play with the boys... and other stuff. I guess I'll have to move in spurts in the Laptop World.

Happily entering the Laptop World after two weeks of researching, test-driving different models and driving sales people nuts by asking them to print up spec sheets for me.

Status: Nursery and Greenhouse

Nope, not yet... BUT! All of the construction barrels that were blocking the entrances have been moved. My guess is that they will open tomorrow!

Status: Nursery and Greenhouse

Nope. Not open yet. :-)

Ah, the World of Laptops!

It's crazy out there! Since I posted about beginning my Laptop Adventure, it's been kinda frightening. Thanks to my friend Val, my brother-in-law, and other friends, it's not so scary.

Val works at a company that does IT support for small to mid-sized companies that don't have their own IT departments. Since she talks "Computer" all day to both consumers and IT personnel, she was fab about answering my questions and decoding "Computer." She started with the basic "What do you do on your computer?" question to answering my questions about spec sheet items like frontside bus (FSB), hard drive speed, processor speed, and more. I really liked how she let me explain it back to her, just to make sure I understood it.

My brother-in-law gave me more specific info about models, info on what his friends use, what they like, and we went to look at some laptops. He pointed out what could be better on one model versus other models and helped me compare info.

I also posted my dilemma on my stamping/scrapbooking team board I and got more fab advice.

One of the best pieces of advice I got there was to try out the computer, keyboard, mouse, etc. before purchasing. Candi S. said that if I don't like the keyboard, I'll just end up hating the laptop. I never would have thought about that.. until I got the sucker home and realized I didn't like the keyboard or something.

I had my heart set on a particular model and when I tried it, I really didn't like it one bit. The mouse was centered in the base, but the way the rest of the keyboard was configured, the track pad was under one of my hands so as I typed, the bottom of my thumb/palm kept bumping it and blasting out parts of things I was typing. This particular model didn't have any office software on it, but it was connected to the internet. I was typing "bestbuy.com" in the address window and after I hit enter, I found I was searching for ".com" which happened again after I tried to go to the google page. I looked in the address history and apparently ".com" was a popular page on that model even before I got there! Not a good sign.

Tonight, we went to look again. I thought a different particular model was going to be coming home with me tonight. Nope. The keyboard was fine. It was the texture of the mouse/track pad. It felt a bit like textured plastic. To me, it just didn't feel right or comfortable. Just gritty.

I did test drive one model that I hadn't looked at before. I think this might be a winner. I'll sleep on it and test-drive it again to make sure. I'm a little excited because it has more than I was expecting! A fast processor, lots of RAM, oodles of hard drive space, a webcam (a nice add on I wasn't planning on getting), and a 17" screen.

I also found another one I really liked, though. I think my Dearest just wants me to pick one. I'll get there! Hopefully before the weekend.

Thanks to you everyone who gave me advice!! I appreciate all of your help.