tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88979275652660301452024-02-19T04:30:57.563-07:00All Things CreativeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-49002195249588147952011-06-07T09:13:00.001-06:002011-06-07T09:15:59.095-06:00This is SO me...Just thought I'd stop and share a snapshot of sorts about what is currently running through this brain of mine, because it's just so typical... ME!<br />
<br />
<b>Short-term projects</b> I'm currently mulling over, planning in my head & in various stages of tackling over the next <u>month</u> or so...<br />
<ul><li><b>Kitchen overhaul</b>... WAY WAY overdue. Finally going to at least start with some cosmetic stuff. We have a table we bought several months ago that I won't use until I've made some improvements. First up will probably be painting the cabinets & walls, doing something with the backsplash and soon after, the countertops. Jacques & the kids are heading out of state toward the end of the month for almost a week to help enable this process.... </li>
<li><b>Home office/scraproom redo</b>... I just hauled my ginormous table outside this weekend to use in the yard sale and it's not coming back in, plus I got rid of a little bit of the stuff I'd been storing. Now in the process of coming up with lots of interesting ideas to really transform this into a space I really love. This week I plan to scout the local secondhand stores for some cabinet/furniture possibilities and I've been collecting interesting & pretty containers for a few months now. Will be sharing more in the process via the Log Your Memory blog... </li>
<li><b>Re-organizing</b> (and in some cases just simply organizing) my photos, scrapbooks and general scrapping process via the Finding Photo Freedom class by Stacy Julian, currently underway.</li>
</ul><b>Biz development</b>...<br />
<ul><li>Continually maintaining, tweaking & otherwise working on <b>Log Your Memory</b>, including getting serious about the 2012 Memory Logbook plus another book that's been in the cooker for over a year now.</li>
<li> Developing a new <b>sister site</b> to Log Your Memory ... more on that to come ;)</li>
<li>Developing <b>another biz idea</b> that I've been mulling over for quite a while now in one form or another. It's starting to take shape in my brain finally to the point where I purchased a domain name for it this morning. More on that to come also... ;)</li>
<li>Noticing an interest from others in <b>yet another area</b> related to scrapbooking, so adding that to my stuff-to-think-about mind bank.</li>
<li>Participating in the <b>Art of Action</b> six-week online course via Tara Gentile that I'm currently enrolled in and contemplating membership in <a href="http://kitchentablecompanies.com/">Kitchen Table Companies</a> and/or <a href="http://foolishuniversity.com/">Foolish University</a>. </li>
</ul><b>Health & wellness</b>...<br />
<ul><li>Continually <b>reading</b> every self development, biz and wellness book I can get my hands on that fits with my current interests & mindset... right now, that means I'm simultaneously reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sprcredes-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1591842808">Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585425524/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sprcredes-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1585425524">The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play</a>. Waiting in the wings: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385480016/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sprcredes-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0385480016">Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life</a>. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(affiliate links)</span></li>
<li>Pushing myself to <b>stick with the programs</b> I started over eight weeks ago - Couch to 10K, a weekly yoga session, and Weightwatchers Online.</li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-31278721962595828022011-06-02T10:04:00.002-06:002011-06-02T10:08:30.773-06:00Ode to My iPodEveryone over the age of 10 in my household has had an iPod of their own for years ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc5T8th3HzqDpUvYOp3HXNce1i6ks-NpEQ9JnS77tH-i9YtdV37kwUdu7iuS1yKJ62XFygmUutO1jUNYEkpWN6IJNzSBxatErsEm4IK8FAjIVX_V4jBNRP2Qv61WDLO1K7djUjMQ_FXLZ/s1600/kristin-02192011-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc5T8th3HzqDpUvYOp3HXNce1i6ks-NpEQ9JnS77tH-i9YtdV37kwUdu7iuS1yKJ62XFygmUutO1jUNYEkpWN6IJNzSBxatErsEm4IK8FAjIVX_V4jBNRP2Qv61WDLO1K7djUjMQ_FXLZ/s1600/kristin-02192011-sm.jpg" /></a></div>Everyone except <b>me</b>, that is.<br />
<br />
I put it on my Christmas wish list several times, hinted at Mother's Day and flat-out asked for one on one occasion, to no avail. I think the response I got was something along the lines of ...<br />
<br />
<b>"What would YOU do with an iPod?"</b><br />
<br />
So this year I got smart... I did NOT ask for an iPod for Christmas. Instead, I did a little research on exactly what I wanted and just went out and bought myself one soon after the holidays ... the top-of-the-line, best and newest at the time <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/">iPod Touch</a>!!<br />
<br />
Since then, I have done all kinds of magical things with my now-favorite toy ... things that I've had good intentions of doing for a very long time but simply had not because I hadn't found the right combination of time, tools and motivation that worked for me... until now.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7HV1bhY0FjbGy1xCcCc6H8jcf_MA_Y-oS1KyFJZV20n1M9JsQNsJmEW4IdRwA-CvGbe0JKmq5c4cSBQMrwNLbWXM0lzCEpyWmI9zM6PEUCuHdFImCAAYMIE6euM2kw1GbLatwD_dFrr_/s1600/ipod-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7HV1bhY0FjbGy1xCcCc6H8jcf_MA_Y-oS1KyFJZV20n1M9JsQNsJmEW4IdRwA-CvGbe0JKmq5c4cSBQMrwNLbWXM0lzCEpyWmI9zM6PEUCuHdFImCAAYMIE6euM2kw1GbLatwD_dFrr_/s320/ipod-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So here's my answer to that <b>"What would YOU do with an iPod?"</b> question at this point in this 40-something-year-old, stay-at-home, not particularly "hip" mom's life...<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Keep a daily <b>gratitude journal</b> via the Gratitude Rock app where every evening right before I go to sleep, I jot down a minimum of three things I'm thankful for at this stage in my life. Very, VERY helpful in the effort to appreciate the good stuff and maintain a positive attitude!</li>
<li>Make better use of waiting room and otherwise wasted time by <b>reading a few paragraphs</b> of whatever is currently on my Kindle via the mobile app on my iPod. The best part... my Kindle knows where I left off with the iPod when I open that same book later on at bedtime.</li>
<li>Jot down my <b>constant stream of biz & other ideas</b> via my Evernote and QuikCards apps, both of which I can then sync to my iMac versions at home so everything is up-to-date no matter where I am or which tool I am using!</li>
<li>Quickly check the temperature and week-long <b>forecast </b>in Lewistown, as well as the cities where my parents and in-laws live.</li>
<li>Check my<b> calendar</b>, which allows me to schedule appointments on the spot and look at our family plans months in advance... also synced to my iMac.</li>
<li>Keep up to date with my <a href="http://twitter.com/kristinrutten"><b>Twitter</b></a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kristinrutten"><b>Facebook</b></a> streams.</li>
<li>Play week-long rounds of <b>Scrabble</b> and/or <b>chat</b> with my online buddy (hey Jen!) clear across the country while simultaneously doing the dishes, cleaning my office, folding laundry or whatever else is on my plate at the moment.</li>
<li>Manage and/or check in on my Log Your Memory <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/"><b>blog</b></a> and <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/forum"><b>forum</b></a> from wherever I happen to be at all times of the day.</li>
<li>Check out the latest pins on <b><a href="http://pinterest.com/krutten/">Pinterest</a> </b>and re-pin to my board anything that captures my interest. </li>
<li>Play around with different ways I could <b>re-arrange/re-design</b> my office space via the Mark On Call app (where was THIS when I was a kid?????) </li>
<li>Warm up (or distract) my brain with the Sudoku, iReverse (just like Othello!), Yahtzee and Shanghai (Mahjong) apps (eh, <b>games</b>).</li>
<li>Indulge my urge to <b>shop</b>, even in the middle of nowhereville, via the App Store, Amazon app and iTunes.</li>
<li>Capture my kids antics, crazy family life, multiple music performances and all kinds of other great stuff in all formats, from <b>audio</b> snippets to <b>photos</b> to <b>video.</b></li>
<li>Automatically, with literally NO DAILY EFFORT WHATSOEVER on my part, <b>aggregate all kinds of cool memories & daily observations</b> in one easy place, including photos and my Twitter & Facebook comments, via the Momento (genius!!) app, which I can then back-up to my iMac and use in all sorts of fun memory-keeping projects.</li>
<li><b>Watch movies in the bathtub</b>, thanks to the Netflix app and the subscription we already use as a family via our Wii.</li>
<li>Search for, look up or check out whatever I want to <b>online</b> via the Google and Safari apps.</li>
<li><b>Time and/or remind myself</b> to do anything and everything, from how long Kody plays Madden Football on the Wii to reminding myself to take the tater tots out of the oven to making sure I don't forget to jump online for a group call in the <a href="http://ht.ly/4WjH2">latest class I'm taking</a>.</li>
<li>Track my crazy <b>moodswings</b> via the MyMood app... if I'm in the mood, that is! ;)</li>
<li>Keep a <b>log of every book I've read</b>, including start and end dates, and any notes I want to take along the way via the iReadItNow app.</li>
<li><b>Explore various types of music</b> based on a few artists I already know I like (ie. The Beatles) in my attempts to figure out just what I DO like to listen to these days (which I seem to have lost over the years), thanks to the Pandora app.</li>
<li>And last, but definitely not least... <b>in fact, my absolute number one reason my iPod Touch is my favorite and most personally influential tool right now</b> ... get up at 6 a.m. nearly every weekday for the past 8+ weeks to run/walk a total of 130 miles so far in my efforts to become the healthier me that I've pretty much always wanted to be. How does the iPod help me do this? A combination of the <b>Couch to 10K</b> app (go from couch to 10K ready in 13 weeks!), the LogYourRun app (helps me track & measure all those miles), the amazingly entertaining, inspiring (and thankfully distracting) podcasts from the gang at <a href="http://www.paperclipping.com/"><b>Paperclipping</b></a> (both the Roundtable and Digi Shows) and the very convenient <b>Weight Watchers</b> app which has helped me get my eating habits back on track while losing 13 pounds so far in the process! I can't even begin to tell you the difference this has already made in my general well-being and attitude toward life, but I <u>can</u> tell you that there is no way I would have gotten to where I am right now WITHOUT my iPod Touch. It gets me out of bed, prompts my next move, reminds me of how far I've already come and entertains me along the way. <b>It just works for me.</b></li>
</ol>So... what would <b>I </b>do with an iPod, you ask?<br />
<br />
Careful kiddos... if it comes down to it, I might just sell one of YOU to replace it if it ever konks out or disappears on me!! ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-69995041417678807372010-04-02T14:01:00.001-06:002010-04-02T14:02:24.353-06:00Photo-A-Day: March 2010That time again... at this point, I'm just going to be happy I've kept up with the photos so far this year and not worry about writing! LOL<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/miscphotos/March2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://logyourmemory.com/miscphotos/March2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-8729629530067657822010-03-03T17:34:00.001-07:002010-03-03T17:34:42.450-07:00Photo-A-Day: February 2010My goodness... where does the time go?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjGorD5lIhue49gxHf0SEnoqSN5w6oq-KfEmY4jyRzVkvvMVN2M4iVkGsxiBhinCzwO0eEtLr664P46M9wyaeRXMeVPwblqblW7p8wa4NxyncNXeLhYoqEaHnM1lBvY3PAR8hIA_MMRsA/s1600-h/P365-FEB2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjGorD5lIhue49gxHf0SEnoqSN5w6oq-KfEmY4jyRzVkvvMVN2M4iVkGsxiBhinCzwO0eEtLr664P46M9wyaeRXMeVPwblqblW7p8wa4NxyncNXeLhYoqEaHnM1lBvY3PAR8hIA_MMRsA/s640/P365-FEB2010.jpg" width="338" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-17584355278049758912010-02-07T23:52:00.001-07:002010-02-07T23:54:32.348-07:00Scrapping Again... Finally!It took the challenges at my own Web site to get me scrapping again. While I love Log Your Memory & spend the bulk of my time immersed in the scrapping world, I haven't actually felt like scrapping since I started the biz in October - until this week, that is.<br />
<br />
I launched the Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge on February 1st and have had fun playing along with our members. Here are the pages I've put together so far for the challenges, each based on a different type of journaling.<br />
<br />
Challenge #1: Lists<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/646/ME_right_now-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/646/ME_right_now-sm.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Challenge #2: ABCs </div><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/649/mid-year_switch-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/649/mid-year_switch-sm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Challenge #3: Conversation</div><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/650/typical-conversation-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/650/typical-conversation-sm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Challenge #4: Fairy Tales</div><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/652/Once_Upon_a_Princess-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/652/Once_Upon_a_Princess-sm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then just because I felt like it, I also did this one about Danica. </div><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/500/Danica_1_and_1:2-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/500/Danica_1_and_1:2-sm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can you believe she is 19 months old already? Does not seem possible. Of course, Skylar has "decided" that she is already 4, even though her birthday isn't for a couple more months. She decides a lot of things these days - she's quite the stubborn one!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We're looking forward to a little 3-day ski trip to Red Lodge next weekend, the first time in a couple years we've been able to go. Nana & Pop, plus Dick & Rachel's family, will be there as well. Kody's been asking to go skiing for weeks and is already very excited for next weekend - it's going to be a long week!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As for me, I have a ton of new projects in the works for my business and not enough time (or energy) to concentrate on them all. If only I didn't need sleep... LOL. Speaking of which, I'd better head for bed. Night! :)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-79686982567945499282010-02-01T14:20:00.003-07:002010-02-01T14:40:52.566-07:00January: One Photo a Day<div style="text-align: left;">I've started a "photo-a-day" project for 2010 in which I choose one photo each day to represent life at the given moment. I'm putting together an album, but thought I'd also do a round-up of each month's photos at the end of the month.</div><br />
Here's a peek at January 2010 ... one photo at a time. (Click on the image for a closer look.) The photos go in order of the days of the month...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oq9ixCLmM_XLr_VJojFjLjAhPX0SjHZmJCR_G3FzsdgEpfwTgxKqDuaRvSevTuV2CYweZfAHKk8G9vwDMouUsS8UtzmI91PDWP-iBYFz_G8E4zhIJA0UexWvCt1RDicmKM12mtShkE9V/s1600-h/P365-Jan2010.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oq9ixCLmM_XLr_VJojFjLjAhPX0SjHZmJCR_G3FzsdgEpfwTgxKqDuaRvSevTuV2CYweZfAHKk8G9vwDMouUsS8UtzmI91PDWP-iBYFz_G8E4zhIJA0UexWvCt1RDicmKM12mtShkE9V/s640/P365-Jan2010.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-48494448892834949182010-02-01T06:00:00.008-07:002010-02-01T06:00:00.970-07:00Join Me For Some Sweet Talking!We’re kicking off a month-long challenge at my favorite site today … the <span style="color: maroon;"><em><strong>Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge</strong></em></span> at <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/" target="_blank">Log Your Memory</a>!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/forum/images/lymsiteimages/sweet-talk-icon-100px.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://logyourmemory.com/forum/images/lymsiteimages/sweet-talk-icon-100px.png" /></a></div>I hope you’ll come on over and check it out today … there will be an entire month of scrapbooking challenges with a focus on “real life” journaling, plus the chance to earn points and prizes along the way! And if you’ve never visited before, you’re in for a treat! We have a wonderful group of friendly, helpful scrapbookers just waiting to say hello and show you around!<br />
<br />
Get started by visiting the Log Your Memory Blog <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/2010/2/1/sweettalker" target="_blank">HERE</a><em></em> and get ready to journal your way to becoming a Log Your Memory Sweet Talker!<br />
<br />
(And tell the rest of the gang that <em>Kristin</em> sent you!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-10914647831098882252009-12-29T22:48:00.001-07:002009-12-29T22:50:07.572-07:00Better than Hallmark ...Just had to share my birthday cards from my family tonight, which they presented after Jacques & I had returned from a nice dinner out at The Mint ...<br />
<br />
First, from 12-year-old Kody:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHDPITwrLhFKJEkfvCpL-OLLHwcKe61IU4Ck-9LrU6B1cBRlnKptc6eplKVABGnZKJa0do_dJqdeeNlk2p-iYMgIGgVrcKhdFOQbXeIE0ltrCpIGZJgoPB0AezRnCs8PYTUft-oYEoI3B/s1600-h/kody+letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHDPITwrLhFKJEkfvCpL-OLLHwcKe61IU4Ck-9LrU6B1cBRlnKptc6eplKVABGnZKJa0do_dJqdeeNlk2p-iYMgIGgVrcKhdFOQbXeIE0ltrCpIGZJgoPB0AezRnCs8PYTUft-oYEoI3B/s400/kody+letter.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbDCfpy2lrFR9A9lAxYB2zIP-ZjhsLhVUuOGFuB1bPaIXLpFb2_eSOC-jqHoWdXkU_KhYs80uVuqQ78Agi6KIl1FKWwJHFnIfKiynvttHKhQxJMaBbVLTjTXj9hBzixKfusiKe-pqslvT/s1600-h/card+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbDCfpy2lrFR9A9lAxYB2zIP-ZjhsLhVUuOGFuB1bPaIXLpFb2_eSOC-jqHoWdXkU_KhYs80uVuqQ78Agi6KIl1FKWwJHFnIfKiynvttHKhQxJMaBbVLTjTXj9hBzixKfusiKe-pqslvT/s320/card+reading.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>And we all had a good chuckle reading the card from my hubby ...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EMGlDIXZ4Qap5xtx-SFZOOkSeBJ3HDi7D1J4GkfvSdF2JbbV0u1wtZNBddp8XnR6MCzDOcsWKsQs2F_V-UNgjoqZJ7Jp6BqaNrQ-pVIuzIfrFoqphbVd8ccptN7Hle1K_mjLb1CIGZSG/s1600-h/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EMGlDIXZ4Qap5xtx-SFZOOkSeBJ3HDi7D1J4GkfvSdF2JbbV0u1wtZNBddp8XnR6MCzDOcsWKsQs2F_V-UNgjoqZJ7Jp6BqaNrQ-pVIuzIfrFoqphbVd8ccptN7Hle1K_mjLb1CIGZSG/s320/front.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUlTv5TJyvMS2kcsyYWwU78m3ToVuizdhoGKzH35A5MeuW4In1d9zw7Xct3Src0Mb0IM9pSrlxFrGCWfGL3RUY-0e3j8AVdJNfmpmxvaI3hSswq7MVTRXSJ_Vz1vcTdp8MMDEWEjH35RJ/s1600-h/reasons+1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUlTv5TJyvMS2kcsyYWwU78m3ToVuizdhoGKzH35A5MeuW4In1d9zw7Xct3Src0Mb0IM9pSrlxFrGCWfGL3RUY-0e3j8AVdJNfmpmxvaI3hSswq7MVTRXSJ_Vz1vcTdp8MMDEWEjH35RJ/s320/reasons+1-2.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4i6WS8i0P92_z6_K2hsJkQa-Rclj6UVmapO-Egk6hOyqHSFIL_ZELKYJbzVFrKfN1Apv3s-JD4-KKFkMZYs0ncTM3pagrrIZ18ADUkNLdZrxdl0O9BsPl1d0P-jjoActm-Fld9jSxvbO/s1600-h/reasons+3-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4i6WS8i0P92_z6_K2hsJkQa-Rclj6UVmapO-Egk6hOyqHSFIL_ZELKYJbzVFrKfN1Apv3s-JD4-KKFkMZYs0ncTM3pagrrIZ18ADUkNLdZrxdl0O9BsPl1d0P-jjoActm-Fld9jSxvbO/s320/reasons+3-6.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqsKa5YP6BRXn4CWDxNYOiBaoFa01l7GmoceHrqsggBI7S5CN-GfoLMNB1mbhPE6ajkvBtBuPsV4xGZsornVC2I7wFwrMwhjgCiNfKDjPsq7YlxUdTXnLUWaFgIFmkeUzYZKP121JAKgb/s1600-h/reasons++7-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqsKa5YP6BRXn4CWDxNYOiBaoFa01l7GmoceHrqsggBI7S5CN-GfoLMNB1mbhPE6ajkvBtBuPsV4xGZsornVC2I7wFwrMwhjgCiNfKDjPsq7YlxUdTXnLUWaFgIFmkeUzYZKP121JAKgb/s320/reasons++7-10.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_E7AkDPIxDU3ef_jg9iTTUzW83XZLyH9xk6V_79jEzXAJ4npsBrPqSTTvwEgYSl96UMvBNzl-KxirgkiCat0nW-6eXLyQOIxPrRykMUB7ELupa9Dx5kT0dcNkrY-IJHASTVkmf7BkUNI/s1600-h/reasons+11-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_E7AkDPIxDU3ef_jg9iTTUzW83XZLyH9xk6V_79jEzXAJ4npsBrPqSTTvwEgYSl96UMvBNzl-KxirgkiCat0nW-6eXLyQOIxPrRykMUB7ELupa9Dx5kT0dcNkrY-IJHASTVkmf7BkUNI/s320/reasons+11-14.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXEVKonJ4tNUAwBhUS1l8w-_PFgaRfLVlKhktkKOCYaiWIc9DzeVVM0jj9hDEu81mWtPcohyptU5Om5KmfEoDj-7eESjhrkPG_1ITC_3w4Em34gEvKzlkCpkI3ZFhDHjGcxJd065bH53U/s1600-h/reasons+15-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXEVKonJ4tNUAwBhUS1l8w-_PFgaRfLVlKhktkKOCYaiWIc9DzeVVM0jj9hDEu81mWtPcohyptU5Om5KmfEoDj-7eESjhrkPG_1ITC_3w4Em34gEvKzlkCpkI3ZFhDHjGcxJd065bH53U/s320/reasons+15-18.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcBVylPgEttDM-kAWQFhbWjawzHi91RiArlSpITfdf3f2onbeEDxKLT7eizd3D8sEpN8Z4g13PfhleVORWfzITCpzE3a_6Ke8hhQPzHOIOk2JQ1sy_l3rqRYXiy82VzsPo7D63EK3Aaiv/s1600-h/reasons+19-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcBVylPgEttDM-kAWQFhbWjawzHi91RiArlSpITfdf3f2onbeEDxKLT7eizd3D8sEpN8Z4g13PfhleVORWfzITCpzE3a_6Ke8hhQPzHOIOk2JQ1sy_l3rqRYXiy82VzsPo7D63EK3Aaiv/s320/reasons+19-20.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOlb7sW1nGIC_wPP4ekhBD8sGeiVk1dT4_MYKiOXw9FyFkHFsNwv4cvbeIf0uW9T4cqoAC_D7WcCVI81FgxojWKB8hOsANqWS9RGhjaqJaDI1MkvTINjZZVy9UnQkr8IeeNusj52dmQVL/s1600-h/reasons+21-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOlb7sW1nGIC_wPP4ekhBD8sGeiVk1dT4_MYKiOXw9FyFkHFsNwv4cvbeIf0uW9T4cqoAC_D7WcCVI81FgxojWKB8hOsANqWS9RGhjaqJaDI1MkvTINjZZVy9UnQkr8IeeNusj52dmQVL/s320/reasons+21-40.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1NzQTCalUwbGmrpUnX-A1FNwIUCNpWiqBywtvppBiDqgaT0buZ2Yq6bDnS9ZlHayDNdUKq2T8JiCRsA-hMjnbCg8m56_BvwbcCMj1TaoatGX-lPKp93KOoxmj805Q6-kzzWLDDWDNi8f/s1600-h/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1NzQTCalUwbGmrpUnX-A1FNwIUCNpWiqBywtvppBiDqgaT0buZ2Yq6bDnS9ZlHayDNdUKq2T8JiCRsA-hMjnbCg8m56_BvwbcCMj1TaoatGX-lPKp93KOoxmj805Q6-kzzWLDDWDNi8f/s320/back.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now what could possibly top that??? :)<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAXT_YMJ06elr0s6KkKrfqQqEU_ygy0X313H83KlB6ZGnH573N0ypWG_NlOxSJHtg2AJWFXyiB4JISLHgmGwpFCyJSdHWGy8KMPexkXFbnWsyL4sOg4t6msyyaC8Ra3iCI9AleGaF7aUW/s1600-h/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAXT_YMJ06elr0s6KkKrfqQqEU_ygy0X313H83KlB6ZGnH573N0ypWG_NlOxSJHtg2AJWFXyiB4JISLHgmGwpFCyJSdHWGy8KMPexkXFbnWsyL4sOg4t6msyyaC8Ra3iCI9AleGaF7aUW/s320/cake.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How about this cake secretly baked & decorated by 14-year-old Karstin? First attempt and no one to ask for help ... tasted pretty good, too!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-nzQ-QySSDr6jHHPvp4nCp2pzML1Z92egKf_qzNLFEAsRpaqPfYWkdXID3EZoSPs3hoGFKNGkvuMap3bLcyX3bfUJO-4shqRXUMiOA3FH1C98y_bymK1bB7XNVKzPJt00x92zXhzIkOr/s1600-h/cake+ablaze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-nzQ-QySSDr6jHHPvp4nCp2pzML1Z92egKf_qzNLFEAsRpaqPfYWkdXID3EZoSPs3hoGFKNGkvuMap3bLcyX3bfUJO-4shqRXUMiOA3FH1C98y_bymK1bB7XNVKzPJt00x92zXhzIkOr/s320/cake+ablaze.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYqdtLdAUVeDl0CA3HIPGPpfKu5WCMSxU2pwSi-kcm9cl12ojyabA0HkEqNjvkxGgtO5hm3HbF_Imzv3YsOpuwxX0Q-A88B9XQyd9RpwCIGPkHJoooVoMO4KPkk5bujmzsH_YuwGbc_d_/s1600-h/matches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYqdtLdAUVeDl0CA3HIPGPpfKu5WCMSxU2pwSi-kcm9cl12ojyabA0HkEqNjvkxGgtO5hm3HbF_Imzv3YsOpuwxX0Q-A88B9XQyd9RpwCIGPkHJoooVoMO4KPkk5bujmzsH_YuwGbc_d_/s320/matches.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Apparently it took a few matches to light all those candles... LOL.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Throw in a nice little envelope of spending money for my upcoming "girls weekend" with my mom and sister and it all added up to a very nice 40th birthday.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBpYDqSkbctjSq1qvv_vkEGsxo33mwMTHMhYiDHUB-MkJ2UWwQA26j8xFrzn-5RABpfKCnUyy4RTeZLHJgC4n9Wg8zshwsJEyQKoIyrYUIn4wGuu5VackRX-apMTXjxhKWrYwQk4p-M2Y/s1600-h/122909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBpYDqSkbctjSq1qvv_vkEGsxo33mwMTHMhYiDHUB-MkJ2UWwQA26j8xFrzn-5RABpfKCnUyy4RTeZLHJgC4n9Wg8zshwsJEyQKoIyrYUIn4wGuu5VackRX-apMTXjxhKWrYwQk4p-M2Y/s320/122909.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Couldn't ask for anything more. :)<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-13734008722788243432009-12-29T09:54:00.001-07:002009-12-29T09:55:41.680-07:00Favorites @ 40<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWeFadrRIAiS1RFvWDj9G9vdz3I84Olz7-pSqcVXuuv1mtEm_eCoAqdJwzHZV4ZgcWBbYmVSpm24nrlRdgIzDftX7koInWPgIMwCJwGOnfrwFOBPPNJS6G40KtUja5jbg-aw09nrTyffh/s1600-h/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWeFadrRIAiS1RFvWDj9G9vdz3I84Olz7-pSqcVXuuv1mtEm_eCoAqdJwzHZV4ZgcWBbYmVSpm24nrlRdgIzDftX7koInWPgIMwCJwGOnfrwFOBPPNJS6G40KtUja5jbg-aw09nrTyffh/s320/coffee.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>1. quiet, uninterrupted mornings with my 3Cs ... hot Coffee, Carbs and my Computer!<br />
2. new inspiration and ideas<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKAIaV8WPORbGlK4_3gQxtOs0Fj0wtXH0ynVWGoaBH0JHG0USRHo3iG59QbPP4ToypqirB9AdO1vifJL46Ve3FPlWX-ns3AsekUC6cg3CeGEoy5Q-LNCBPDYnrox4sT_mZDaQWGQFzJ9b/s1600-h/kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKAIaV8WPORbGlK4_3gQxtOs0Fj0wtXH0ynVWGoaBH0JHG0USRHo3iG59QbPP4ToypqirB9AdO1vifJL46Ve3FPlWX-ns3AsekUC6cg3CeGEoy5Q-LNCBPDYnrox4sT_mZDaQWGQFzJ9b/s320/kids.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>3. great photos that really show the heart & personalities of my kids<br />
4. tortilla chips with a mixture of fresh avocado with sour cream, fresh tomatoes and salsa<br />
5. chicken and artichokes at The Mint<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeCLiVSKFCcbqSuKW2Pkw138Mn-T0vJPLzy8SLydarZlANrgXhqYn1RAnpk4Xl3JJ0cPND2RDzPJl4W-8hUhTh_ASj75zaGbxysCKAOv6gHPE-i54CSNkoRgy8MmkTaAvGIoK2M77GB0G/s1600-h/cherryzero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeCLiVSKFCcbqSuKW2Pkw138Mn-T0vJPLzy8SLydarZlANrgXhqYn1RAnpk4Xl3JJ0cPND2RDzPJl4W-8hUhTh_ASj75zaGbxysCKAOv6gHPE-i54CSNkoRgy8MmkTaAvGIoK2M77GB0G/s320/cherryzero.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>6. Cherry Zero<br />
7. watching 14-year-old Karstin <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXKzHdun-2I">perform</a> on the drums<br />
8. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1462765321">Facebook</a><br />
9. the Internet<br />
10. watching 17-month-old Danica break into spontaneous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8UtEt412xc">dance</a> whenever she hears a strong beat<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0try3Une8Zb87AysTp4uGFygtXhPabSE-m27udquvMO6bmIt8SxAQJRYJZXhux24hAKm4VTNjBEoew7UVq0LCWi9DQsutj-r00Uivh1RkqFbv6XVjjyOtN36ftQrAIHmUEnq8XwpibIEy/s1600-h/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0try3Une8Zb87AysTp4uGFygtXhPabSE-m27udquvMO6bmIt8SxAQJRYJZXhux24hAKm4VTNjBEoew7UVq0LCWi9DQsutj-r00Uivh1RkqFbv6XVjjyOtN36ftQrAIHmUEnq8XwpibIEy/s320/shoes.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>11. my black Clark's slip-on shoes<br />
12. <a href="http://aliedwards.typepad.com/">Ali Edwards</a><br />
13. real life scrapbooking<br />
14. having found the right <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/">business</a> for me ... finally!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PJTPHMRNL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PJTPHMRNL._SS500_.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">15. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1462765321">Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life</a> by Amy Rosenthal<br />
</div>16. the <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/">Today Show</a><br />
17. <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/brothers-and-sisters">Brothers & Sisters</a> on Sunday evenings<br />
18. online shopping<br />
19. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Delinsky/e/B000AQ01XK/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1262100948&sr=8-1">Barbara Delinsky</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR8gbnVs7X6zOBo-c2AFLviFoJJHt78VJ57RtcTRh0j_e_0tjmTjD041mA7wsTnR7WHGyPaUbhd63fdsT89xYHV94k_As_49fpA2_3GeiJYMzV4FxhOQ_SWZPh6BEgU1wuJWAvGu37FxB/s1600-h/dollhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR8gbnVs7X6zOBo-c2AFLviFoJJHt78VJ57RtcTRh0j_e_0tjmTjD041mA7wsTnR7WHGyPaUbhd63fdsT89xYHV94k_As_49fpA2_3GeiJYMzV4FxhOQ_SWZPh6BEgU1wuJWAvGu37FxB/s320/dollhouse.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>20. playing with the Loving Family dollhouse with 3-year-old Skylar<br />
21. working for myself from home<br />
22. a clean house<br />
23. listening to an enthusiastic 12-year-old Kody share a story<br />
24. <a href="http://kristinrutten.shutterfly.com/">digital scrapbooking</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yE7s1DAlQecE8T4z33qool0o6I4JGnnLlFcyb_dkWHuUzYkfXd4tpWWs1kJwHFrPeUU2X0pgmiFMDeCEgEQCmpzrERQifES-i48OfJRuPLMZJFVR1b_HNzz73WogKtOCX6KvYUVC6Qaz/s1600-h/books-stack-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yE7s1DAlQecE8T4z33qool0o6I4JGnnLlFcyb_dkWHuUzYkfXd4tpWWs1kJwHFrPeUU2X0pgmiFMDeCEgEQCmpzrERQifES-i48OfJRuPLMZJFVR1b_HNzz73WogKtOCX6KvYUVC6Qaz/s320/books-stack-sm.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>25. rising <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/logyourmemory">book</a> sales<br />
26. a clean, organized desk<br />
27. giving away <a href="http://www.ellapublishing.com/blog/lain-ehmann/start-your-year-right">free books</a> and <i>more</i> <a href="http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2009/12/y2-what.html">free books</a>!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/The_Proposal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/The_Proposal.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
</div>28. the movie "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Proposal_%28film%29">The Proposal</a>"<br />
29. cheesecake <br />
30. unsolicited offers of a dinner out with just my hubby (just got one!!!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_8zsnK89ZL1rZOznmgNbUvJXLaL6sF_hARr7RVWtKDXSHgwaa6uuvOefT9HQEit6oT5eTyppIjXGNJiHEZbVHmfzQm_EkWSZjjD_oNjNDFwtKLt-EytmWQdeN0bykyJS_gplBW7SOWSa/s1600-h/kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_8zsnK89ZL1rZOznmgNbUvJXLaL6sF_hARr7RVWtKDXSHgwaa6uuvOefT9HQEit6oT5eTyppIjXGNJiHEZbVHmfzQm_EkWSZjjD_oNjNDFwtKLt-EytmWQdeN0bykyJS_gplBW7SOWSa/s320/kindle.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>31. my Kindle loaded with my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Log-Your-Memory/dp/B0031Y7TFQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262101730&sr=8-2">biz blog</a>, the entire <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Saga-Collection-Stephenie-Meyer/dp/0316031844/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262101774&sr=8-3">Twilight</a> series just waiting to be read & a couple great new business books!<br />
32. the click of a great D-SLR<br />
33. brainstorming new projects<br />
34. <a href="http://www.christopherandbanks.com/home/index.jsp">Christopher & Banks</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplo4kH2QoZnCfbmsrwUtGeX-iHbxIAIe1qxLHmI0zvVii9TbUhAO2iMp1-F2t76wjjUBBxcIHYzS3kR2v307CHaq0mAxbgRB-jaYjTwwdZfueJDH7SBW512QDp2ZeoD49sUXuwUFNKeIy/s1600-h/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplo4kH2QoZnCfbmsrwUtGeX-iHbxIAIe1qxLHmI0zvVii9TbUhAO2iMp1-F2t76wjjUBBxcIHYzS3kR2v307CHaq0mAxbgRB-jaYjTwwdZfueJDH7SBW512QDp2ZeoD49sUXuwUFNKeIy/s320/tree.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>35. our flowering crabapple tree in the spring<br />
36. Adobe software<br />
37. french vanilla lattes<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqsZ2YEVjAFcE0-ZB0vZSEasu7OFxmfP84w9rMYie2wy025olULWq1meClqEBMBAEbM7L1jrUqHej_BlI1q-1GzTXlLTpDmj2OWd_m-InFzJjMV-YbjPh74uFB9biKS0ShP_Xf8uARK9h/s1600-h/jacquesdani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqsZ2YEVjAFcE0-ZB0vZSEasu7OFxmfP84w9rMYie2wy025olULWq1meClqEBMBAEbM7L1jrUqHej_BlI1q-1GzTXlLTpDmj2OWd_m-InFzJjMV-YbjPh74uFB9biKS0ShP_Xf8uARK9h/s320/jacquesdani.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>38. a very supportive hubby<br />
39. banana chocolate chip muffins from Crabtree Coffee <br />
40. this quote: <i>Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.</i> <br />
<a href="http://images2.cafepress.com/product/411694332v4_480x480_Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images2.cafepress.com/product/411694332v4_480x480_Front.jpg" width="320" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-14390584066109032009-12-20T09:24:00.002-07:002009-12-21T22:19:13.356-07:00Time for a shift of focusI have blogged every single day since officially launching <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/">Log Your Memory</a> on October 8th, yet since that time I have only done <i>one</i> post here on my personal blog. That seems like a pretty good illustration of why I've chosen this particular word as my "word" for 2010. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMGfJXOp4NhnylRmQIpro00IB5YflZCUNcVy1XhyphenhyphentI5Aq8T7cMzJ7Lu4bIagd-POGx55fFuolPcMYxEi8aMF_kGHpp-dBBUtxp6LPlFY5paXu-YjJq5bQJDN4wIkYaypZPxG-w1kcoTU_/s1600-h/balance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMGfJXOp4NhnylRmQIpro00IB5YflZCUNcVy1XhyphenhyphentI5Aq8T7cMzJ7Lu4bIagd-POGx55fFuolPcMYxEi8aMF_kGHpp-dBBUtxp6LPlFY5paXu-YjJq5bQJDN4wIkYaypZPxG-w1kcoTU_/s320/balance.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you recall, I blogged and scrapbooked not quite a year ago about choosing one word to serve as a mantra of sorts for the year. This particular practice was inspired by scrapbooking queen <a href="http://aliedwards.typepad.com/">Ali Edwards</a>, and thousands of us have adopted it for ourselves. The act of choosing a word kind of lodges that thought into the back of your mind, serving as a pretty consistent reminder as you go about your day. Almost like your conscience.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procgtaserv/47b9df02b3127cce98548aa1ae7100000045108AcOHDVi2cNw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procgtaserv/47b9df02b3127cce98548aa1ae7100000045108AcOHDVi2cNw" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last year was my first year doing this. As you might recall, my word was "<a href="http://kristinrutten.blogspot.com/2009/01/time-to-begin.html">begin</a>." It proved to be a pretty effective word, particularly in the scrapbooking realm. I went from calling myself a scrapbooker, but not really ever <i>doing</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> it, to BEGINning what turned out to be a scrapping frenzy. I've created just short of <a href="http://kristinrutten.shutterfly.com/">300 scrapbook pages</a> since last January, which includes two complete theme albums and tons of other pages for our family and individual scrapbooks. The number would be even higher, however, if I had managed to continue my scrapping after BEGINning my new business this fall. Since that time, I've only created a handful of pages, and they've all pretty much been driven by something I wanted to illustrate at <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/">Log Your Memory</a>.</span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hence my new word.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/559/Balance-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://logyourmemory.com/photopost623/data/559/Balance-sm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finding <b>balance</b> has always been a struggle for me. When I get interested in something, I tend to have a very difficult time focusing on much else and it becomes something of an obsession. A more flattering word might be "passion," but whatever it is, it does a good job of throwing the rest of my life a bit out of kilter. <br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Granted, there are generally good reasons for this focus - at least that's what I tell myself. It's pretty tough to get a business up and running and make it successful without a lot of time and attention. All of that focus has paid off, too ... Log Your Memory is quickly becoming known throughout the online scrapbooking realm and I have a very steadily growing membership base on the site, as well as continually growing book sales & customer numbers. We're getting the attention, and hopefully the respect, of some pretty well-connected scrappers. Best of all, it's been fun and I feel more strongly every day that this is the right biz for me... finally.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But as my husband pointed out early on, this level of attention is simply not sustainable over the long run. You can only put in so many long days and short nights before it will catch up to you. My house could use a pretty thorough cleaning - and not just right before company comes. If I don't get my butt out of this desk chair and get some exercise and do a little menu planning instead of throwing less-than-healthy meals together at the last minute every night, I'm going to need to <i>squeeze</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> in time to shop for new clothes - literally. And if I don't take time to just sit and actually scrapbook once in a while, I'm going to lose touch with that which prompted this whole thing in the first place. It's been at least three months since I updated our family's photo site at Shutterfly because I haven't taken the time to process our photos. I haven't even touched my jewelry-making supplies, crochet hooks or other hobbies in almost a year. And at some point, I need to go through the girls' closet and sort clothing so maybe they can wear clothes that actually fit for a while before they've already outgrown them. </span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I need to find a <b>balance</b> between my online pursuits and the rest of my life. <br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How am I going to do this? I'm not real sure. As I mentioned, this is something I've struggled with my entire life. Looking back on my younger years, I can remember many "phases" where a particular interest consumed my every waking moment. When I would read a book, I would read it start to finish, pulling it out of my desk at school at every little opportunity and barely pausing to eat once I got home. I could literally sit for hours drawing imaginary floor plans or devouring dollhouse catalogs or designing Lego houses. As I got older, these obsessions were replaced with new ones - new jobs, new babies, new (short-lived) diets, new homes to decorate ... <br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So now by choosing <b>balance</b> as my word for 2010, I'm hoping to make it my new obsession. And if I'm successful, it will be one "obsession" I can sustain. If you have any good tips on how to achieve this goal or examples of how you maintain <b>balance</b> in your own life, I'd love to hear them! And if you're curious about my progress, keep an eye on this blog. It seems to be a pretty good indicator of where my attention lies!<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-30334644165450743252009-10-18T09:51:00.000-06:002009-10-18T09:51:45.945-06:00An amazing first 10 days ...Wow! What an amazing first official 10 days I've had since the official launch of my new business, <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/">Log Your Memory</a>. I can't tell you how excited I've been, except that I've found it nearly impossible to sleep for the last week ... and now it's catching up a bit. I'm a bit groggy today. It wouldn't have hurt my feelings a bit if Danica had wanted to sleep in today. But she was raring to go first thing this morning, so here we are.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it seems like I spend a lot of time looking at numbers related to my Web site, a little bit for information but largely for fun. It's just amazing to see everything coming together ... and exciting to watch these numbers grow. I'll probably create a scrapbook page about it (you know me....) but for now, I just want to get some of the numbers documented.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.logyourmemory.com/wp-content/ads/LYM-storyboard-animated.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.logyourmemory.com/wp-content/ads/LYM-storyboard-animated.gif" /></a><br />
</div>In our first 10 days, we've ...<br />
<ul><li>Logged over 60 new member registrations... (I enjoy thinking of this as a 600% increase!) </li>
<li>Had guests from 12 different countries (US, Canada, Australia, UK, Israel, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Europe, New Zealand, Singapore, Germany, and 1 unknown)</li>
<li>Welcomed visitors from at least 36 of the 50 states in America.</li>
<li>Sold almost five times as many books already as the last little datebook I published.</li>
<li>Officially enrolled six members in our Book Club ... and others are waiting for their books to arrive so they can join, too...</li>
<li>Announced my first two Creative Team members ... and received applications already from more than a dozen very attractive candidates interested in filling out the remaining slots.</li>
<li>Had over 100 scrapbook layouts posted in our gallery.</li>
<li>Hosted as many as 20 visitors at once in our forum.</li>
<li>Received my first offer to review my book - and it was from an amazing lady well-known in the online scrapbooking world!</li>
<li>Posted almost 150 messages and replies in the forum.</li>
<li>Had more than 30 Facebook friends join our official <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Log-Your-Memory/175025921326?created">Friends of Log Your Memory</a> fan site! <br />
</li>
<li>Showcased a dozen amazing "real life" scrapbook pages in our first Story Board and another fantastic page in our first "Layout of the Week." <br />
</li>
<li>Had several people at least start an entry in our <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/kickoff-contest-entry-form/">Kickoff Contest</a>. It's a three-step process, so we have a few folks that need to finish up a step or two.</li>
<li>Lined up several great sponsors for our Grand Opening SPOOK-tacular to be held at the end of the month.</li>
<li>Almost finished planning our first online workshop, which I'll announce on Thursday.</li>
<li>Had our CT call mentioned in one of the popular online industry newsletters. <br />
</li>
<li>Introduced two scrapbooking challenges, both of which offer a prize.</li>
<li>Arranged for free product giveaways on three different blogs in the next month.</li>
<li>Enjoyed seeing my teeny, tiny little ad on the <a href="http://aliedwards.typepad.com/">blog</a> of one of my all-time favorite scrapbookers ... with plans for it to appear on that of another in the next month.</li>
<li>Had about a million new ideas for things to do in the coming months, thanks to all of this creative energy swirling around the blogosphere!</li>
</ul><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/misc_images/SNR-published.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://logyourmemory.com/misc_images/SNR-published.jpg" /></a>On top of all that, I found out this week that a two-page layout I submitted a while back was chosen to be featured next week in Scrapbook News and Review! :)<br />
<br />
Whew! I get tired just thinking about it all ... and energized at the same time! It's all just so much FUN! I have to keep reminding myself it's only been just over a week, because it feels like so much longer.<br />
<br />
And I suppose I'm going to have to move away from my computer pretty soon to make sure there's food in the fridge and clean clothes to wear ... I've had a hard time tearing myself away the last several days! It's worked out okay, though, because I've been home with just Danica for the past several days. Jacques, Kody and Skylar will be home this afternoon after a hunting trip to North Dakota, and Karstin just got home last night after his trip to Butte for the Divisional x-country meet. So "real life" is about to interject itself anyway, whether I'm ready for it or not!<br />
<br />
Speaking of Karstin, he did pretty well at the meet yesterday - his time was 21:21, so I don't want to wake him up to ask...). He competed at the JV level, but he gets to go to State next weekend in Missoula as an alternate for the Varsity team. He's excited, because chances are good he'll get to go and have all the fun - and not have to kill himself running! But he does have to practice this week, including a 6 a.m. run on Monday, so it's not ALL fun and games. He's had a great first year and was telling me last night just how much he's enjoyed the season. I'm so glad ... it's fun to watch him when he's excited about something. He's also started getting busy with a couple other extracurriculars at school - now he's gearing up to do a humorous duo with his buddy Jacob for the Speech and Drama team, plus he's practicing every week with the Science Olympiad team. So cool to watch...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/misc_images/silly%20girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://logyourmemory.com/misc_images/silly%20girls.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><br />
I just found out this week, too, that I'll be representing Skylar's Head Start class on the Policy Council, which means I have a four-hour training to go to later in the month and then a meeting every month. Add that to my monthly visit to her classroom to volunteer and it gets pretty busy. She's LOVING Head Start, though... it about drives her nuts to have to stay home Friday through Sunday when there's no class!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://logyourmemory.com/misc_images/Danica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://logyourmemory.com/misc_images/Danica.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div> <br />
Would you believe Danica is 15 1/2 months old already? I'm finding it hard to believe... she's a total crackup right now - and is trying to talk all the time. Most of the time, I don't have the foggiest idea what she is saying, but sometimes I can make out a word or two. She can also point to her nose - and mine - and I catch her dancing to the kiddie videos on TV all the time. She just LOVES the music in Veggie Tales. Of course, she's also playing with the VCR buttons all the time ... I took this picture after I found her yesterday parked in front of the TV. She had started a Blue's Clues video all by herself AND hauled her Bumbo seat in from the other room. She was just sitting there watching, like it was no big deal. Ha-ha. She's also sprouting teeth left and right, which I think is why she's been a bit fussy at night. But overall, she's been her adorable, sweet self most of the time.<br />
<br />
And Kody, I'm sure, will be FULL of hunting stories when he gets home. I guess he shot his first flying pheasant this week ... and scores of other flying objects, which I don't recall the details about ... so I'll have to update more on him later. Between talking to him and to Skylar on the phone, I'm not quite sure what either of them really said, except that they're having a blast! So that's good...<br />
<br />
More later... now I'm off to find out what's Dani's been up to while I've been jabbering away... ;) If you haven't checked out my <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/">Web site</a> yet, please do!! And spread the word... the more, the merrier! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-22264223038975379272009-10-08T06:00:00.000-06:002009-10-08T06:00:00.410-06:00The time has come!!!!!!!Lots of excitement, loads of creative energy and a little fear all wrapped up together. That's how I've been feeling the last several days leading up to the launch of my new Web site ...<br />
<br />
It's been all I could do not to share it with everyone before it was completely ready.<br />
<br />
First, a little background... This little venture has taken about two months ... and FIVE YEARS ... to become a reality. For a long time now, I've had a real desire to work from home. And the more I scrapbook, the more I want to ... scrapbook. Obviously a job gets in the way of that. So how about a "job" that allows me to spend tons of time scrapbooking ... and hanging out with scrapbookers ... and researching lots of great scrapping ideas ... and reading about scrapbooking ... and creating great stuff for scrapbookers ... and be at home with my kids?!?!?<br />
<br />
That's been what I've been on a mission to find ... and after many, many trials & errors (my husband refers to me as a "serial entrepreneur"... LOL), I have finally found my niche. And once the whole concept came together, it's amazing how quickly everything fell into place ... for me, that's a real sign I'm on the right path. I've been working steadily on getting this ready to share since late August and everything really started to come together in the last 2 or 3 weeks or so. As the final details have come together, I've been just dying to share... but making myself wait until the the was right.<br />
<br />
Well, the time is finally right and I'm very exciting to introduce ... <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/">Log Your Memory</a>!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46MsRG7p7tI3NbgGZZx2dXJqAHmv6a4ls3WBWCuu_cAURD_-4TRAqVbL_QrG0F2F0Z296304odIsPRiJ1wzMnfQ-XP-dH__g50_dsWF5It-kKD3KG7-HrmeKOLRFy-iQt5iflFY5vDaPO/s1600-h/Log_Your_Memory_screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46MsRG7p7tI3NbgGZZx2dXJqAHmv6a4ls3WBWCuu_cAURD_-4TRAqVbL_QrG0F2F0Z296304odIsPRiJ1wzMnfQ-XP-dH__g50_dsWF5It-kKD3KG7-HrmeKOLRFy-iQt5iflFY5vDaPO/s320/Log_Your_Memory_screenshot.png" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Log Your Memory is my new offshoot of Spring Creek Design, that little freelance graphic design biz I've been dabbling with for the past two years. Log Your Memory is dedicated to helping busy scrapbookers make sure they get their memories documented ... NOW, not when they "get around to" getting them scrapbooked. Because face it, very few of us really have the time to scrapbook everything we'd like to remember. So I've created a book and a supporting online community to help myself and everyone like me who is ready to drop the guilt and start doing something very, very constructive (and FUN at the same time) to make sure those memories are recorded.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KhMYA3HgWNGE6q1bz6q-ECx8byw2aQuXTNYNNMfncTjHnPFdYAh_jhPBkEwWWYK3e0E25DgyrhOBHs0R-7IXp6lkmKmV2iwE-Yqzbl8MC5qZXAQ_5BQW7ZKizTcsOcJlhJCbaiRLxx3t/s1600-h/Logbooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KhMYA3HgWNGE6q1bz6q-ECx8byw2aQuXTNYNNMfncTjHnPFdYAh_jhPBkEwWWYK3e0E25DgyrhOBHs0R-7IXp6lkmKmV2iwE-Yqzbl8MC5qZXAQ_5BQW7ZKizTcsOcJlhJCbaiRLxx3t/s320/Logbooks.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You should have seen my "happy dance" when my book proofs came back from the printer!!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This book - the Scrapbooker's All-In-One Memory Logbook - is really a 2010 calendar, planner, journal, idea book and sketchbook all wrapped up in one. It's meant to take the place of all those different calendars you might be using to record your daily "stuff," plus the notes, the half-filled notebooks, the sketchpads, and the rest of that stuff that you're just keeping in the back of your mind for later.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't know about you, but I don't trust myself to remember all that ... my memory just isn't what I'd like it to be. My kids & my family do so many things that I want to remember. And I get a ton of ideas all the time that lead to scrapbook pages I'd like to do. But even when I'm scrapping like crazy, there's still a million things I don't get scrapped ... but hope to someday. This book is how I'm going to tackle that problem from now on... and the Web site is how I'm going to help others like me through the process - and let them help ME, as well.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I could go on and on about this, but I'm not going to right here... I would much rather have you check it out for yourself and see what you think. I really hope you'll take a minute to stop by and visit... run on over to my <a href="http://logyourmemory.com/">site</a> and let me know what you think!!!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whew... much better. So good to finally have this out there!!!! :)<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-35729169623610504102009-10-06T10:03:00.005-06:002009-10-06T10:24:14.003-06:00Can you feel the excitement???So anyone who knows me pretty well will probably tell you that I'm generally pretty even-keeled. I don't get terribly excited about a lot of things ... or at least not that you would probably notice. In fact, my husband is forever telling me to smile more because apparently I often look a bit, eh, cranky.<br /><br />But those who have known me forever also know that when I do get excited about something, I can hardly conceal it and tend to become a bit obsessed with whatever it is. I guess the word for it is "passionate."<br /><br />Well, that's where I've been for the past month or so. So much so, I can hardly sleep and it takes everything in me to drag myself from the computer to tend to the rest of my life.<br /><br />Why, you ask??? If you're one of my Facebook friends, you've probably already guessed because I haven't been able to keep myself from dropping hints left and right. (I promise not to bug you guys everyday with business stuff after my launch ... if you want to stay in the loop, though, be sure to join my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Log-Your-Memory/175025921326?created">Fan site</a>!!)<br /><br />For those who still have no idea what I am talking about, I am getting ready to launch a new online business that I am TOTALLY excited about. In conjunction, I have also just finished putting together a new book for scrapbookers. It is already available for sale through the bookstore on my new Web site. Better yet, I expect it to be available through Amazon.com by early December! Exciting, eh?!?!? Let's just say I did a little happy dance when my proof came in the mail last week!<br /><br />I am going to hold off for a couple more days to share any more details. Thursday is my official launch date, at which time you can anticipate hearing much, much more about my new venture. Keep an eye on this blog or connect with me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1462765321&ref=profile">Facebook</a> to be the first to hear all the details!!<br /><br />Can't wait to share more!!!! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-38911805466037278852009-10-06T09:42:00.001-06:002009-10-06T09:42:29.224-06:00Happy Birthday, Mom!!!! :)<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><tr><td><a href="http://smilebox.com/play/4d5445324f546b314e6a493d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link" target="_blank"><img width="386" height="303" alt="Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Happy Birthday, Mom!!" src="http://smilebox.com/snap/4d5445324f546b314e6a493d0d0a.jpg" style="border: medium none ;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/?partner=hallmark&campaign=blog_snapshot" target="_blank"><img width="386" height="46" alt="Create your own slideshow - Powered by Smilebox" src="http://www.smilebox.com/globalImages/blogInstructions/blogLogoSmileboxSmall.gif" style="border: medium none ;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/slideshows/?partner=hallmark" target="_blank">Make a Smilebox slideshow</a></td></tr></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-47940511846387521552009-09-13T13:19:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:20:31.805-06:00Crop, er CHAT, till you drop ... and other fun newsI'm slowly sneaking back to the computer after more or less taking today off. Yesterday I woke at 5:45 a.m. with Jacques' hunting alarm and immediately realized that an all-day scrapbooking chat at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://designerdigitals.com/">Designer Digitals</a></span> was set to start at 6 a.m. Do you think I could go back to sleep knowing that? Nope ... not a chance. So I settled in with a couple hot cups of coffee and chatted away, all the way until 10 p.m. last night.<br />The last time I did this, I could not figure out how people chatted AND scrapbooked at the same time. But this time, I took little mini breaks from the chat screen and in the process, completed five layouts in response to the various chat challenges. It was tons of fun, even though my eyeballs were sore, sore, sore by the end of the day. Here are the layouts I did for the challenges & a little info about the "rules" of each little contest...<br />First challenge: Use the word art provided in a layout. Here's what I came up with...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5c18069970c-320pi.iQsnPASrPj9s.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5c18069970c-320pi.iQsnPASrPj9s.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br /><br />Next: Cassie's 30 Minute Masterpiece Challenge<br />The rules: 1) Use only one photo; 2) Use at least 3 of the items provided in the freebie download; 3) Use punctuation elements as part of the title; 4) Use a non-frame element as a frame; and 5) Tell a story about the photo ... all in under 30 minutes!!! Here's my result ...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5c17f29970c-320pi.Kc6WFyYLkkgx.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5c17f29970c-320pi.Kc6WFyYLkkgx.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />Next challenge: Template challenge<br />The rules ... use the template provided in the freebie as a starting point for a layout. Here's mine...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5c181ff970c-320pi.S2jSs8Si31nz.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5c181ff970c-320pi.S2jSs8Si31nz.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />Next challenge: Use the word art provided in conjunction with a photo of my hands. This took a little brainstorming first, but here's my page...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a56ae4b0970b-320pi.jwUnV4oxxIkk.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a56ae4b0970b-320pi.jwUnV4oxxIkk.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />The last challenge I did was probably the one I was least excited about the result. The task was to take the template provided and use a scrapbook page by someone else that was based on that as inspiration for my own page. I think by this point in the day, I was too tired to feel very "inspired," ya know? This isn't my favorite layout, but it's okay ... and I do like the photos!!<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5c184f7970c-320pi.5GRTyk1ACa9i.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5c184f7970c-320pi.5GRTyk1ACa9i.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />All in all, it was a fun day and I'm already looking forward to the next all-day chat, which is scheduled for early November.<br />My other fun news is I have recently been given the opportunity to do something I've been wanting to do for a while now and that is be a member of a digital designer's Creative Team (CT). Even better, I have been asked by not just one, but THREE individual designers to serve on each of their CTs! That means I have full, free access to all of their digital scrapbooking products - including their newest releases before they are made public - in exchange for helping to promote their products by creating scrapbook pages featuring those products and then posting them in various online galleries.<br />Fun, fun!!! I have spent the last several days downloading lots and lots of goodies. Now I get to poke through my new wonderful stash and make lots of new scrapbook pages to share. I am already enjoying this immensely, as you can imagine. Here are the first couple layouts I did in this new role, creating almost entirely of products by "my" three designers ...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a56aeabe970b-pi.kQL4ZHOIuhXD.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a56aeabe970b-pi.kQL4ZHOIuhXD.jpg" width="368" height="368" /></span> <br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5c189f4970c-pi.rCy8OAJe89WD.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5c189f4970c-pi.rCy8OAJe89WD.jpg" width="368" height="184" /></span> <br />All three designers that I am a CT member for sell their products at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://twopeasinabucket.com/">Two Peas in a Bucket</a></span>. Check out their individual products and/or blogs by clicking on their names below...<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/shop/digital.../mary-ann-wise/">Mary Ann Wise</a></span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.theprojectgirl.com/">Jen Allyson</a></span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.carinagardner.com/">Carina Gardner</a></span><br />I'm excited about this new opportunity ... and you can expect to see lots more pages here and everywhere else I post as a result!! :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-68114340846458255012009-09-07T16:13:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:18:43.591-06:00Labor Day weekend wrap-upThis weekend ended up being a very productive one for me & a fun one for the campers, judging from just how dirty Skylar was upon their return!! Let's just say candy suckers & lots of dirt are not a great combination for a 3-year-old!!<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a557e74d970b-320pi.LKqsCe9hZ8tO.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a557e74d970b-320pi.LKqsCe9hZ8tO.jpg" width="242" height="320" /></span><br />The crew got home early this afternoon and got busy cleaning up, then it was time to get ready to return to "real" life. Karstin had x-country practice & Kody had flag football practice this evening, so they ended up going back to their dad's a little earlier than usual. Judging from how sleepy Jacques was all evening, there was not much sleeping done on the camping trip and he & the girls hit the sack soon after 9 p.m.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac79b0970c-320pi.XKbbB5qXGO87.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac79b0970c-320pi.XKbbB5qXGO87.jpg" width="320" height="240" /></span><br />My weekend went well, too. Karstin & I had lots of time to hang out together with Danica. We ended up taking a couple nice walks, one of which was spent getting some nice local photos of the downtown area & the very ripe chokecherry bushes.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac7a02970c-pi.LT6fmBkCTdjL.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac7a02970c-pi.LT6fmBkCTdjL.jpg" width="368" height="491" /></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac7a5e970c-pi.SlmJGu5jaauf.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac7a5e970c-pi.SlmJGu5jaauf.jpg" width="368" height="491" /></span> <br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5560060970b-pi.7ROpzTResnL0.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5560060970b-pi.7ROpzTResnL0.jpg" width="368" height="276" /></span><br />We also watched a movie (17 Again), as well as spent a fair amount of time on the computers chatting with friends & playing around online. With the relative calm in the house this weekend, I also managed to get several pages scrapped, as well as lots of progress on my business planning.<br />I was thrilled to discover this morning when I checked my inbox that a layout I did yesterday highlighting how Karstin likes to spend his free time was featured at Gallery Standouts. This website picks a handful of pages from around the virtual scrapbooking community to feature for various qualities they think are worthy of mention. Here's the page of mine that was featured (click on the image for a larger version) ...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a555ed4d970b-320pi.Ph2TJNugY39b.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a555ed4d970b-320pi.Ph2TJNugY39b.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span><br />And here's the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://gallerystandouts.com/view.php/article/5136/finger-pointing-sept-7">link</a></span> to the page & comments at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://gallerystandouts.com/view.php/article/5136/finger-pointing-sept-7">Gallery Standouts</a></span>.<br />I made another exciting decision today regarding my scrapbooking and an opportunity that recently presented itself, but I need to wait a day or two until the details have been worked out. More on that later... :)<br />Another page I did yesterday was one I've been planning in one way or another all summer. I made a concerted effort to take photos of each type of flower in our yard as they came into bloom. I then featured these photos in this two-page spread...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac6b48970c-320pi.OkbvmHPCHVB0.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5ac6b48970c-320pi.OkbvmHPCHVB0.jpg" width="320" height="160" /></span><br />Now I can't take credit for anything beyond the photos. We are fortunate to have some great perennial gardens that basically came with the house when we bought it five years ago, plus a great flowering crabapple tree & lilac bushes. The few annuals we have were planted & cared for by Jacques, so if anyone gets credit, it would have to be him. I'm just glad I remembered to take photos this year, since I really hadn't done it any of the summers prior to now.<br />Now I'm thinking about calling it a night, so I can get some "real" work done tomorrow after sending Skylar on her way back to preschool and be ready for another busy week. Karstin has his school open house on Thursday, as well as his second team x-country dinner. Kody's first flag football game of the season is also on Thursday. Kody's busy taking hunter's education classes this week, too, and it's school & team photo time again already... then the annual Chokecherry Festival is next Saturday, as well as an all-day chat at Designer Digitals. Lots of fun on tap ... and lots of memories to scrap!! :)<br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-89361280573550924012009-09-05T04:39:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:17:50.109-06:00Scrapbooking on the brainI've been waking up ... or more accurately, not sleeping ... because of all the scrapbooking-related stuff buzzing through my brain these days. Maybe it's because school has started again and I have a little more time to scrap since our schedule is a bit more regular. Or maybe it's because I've recently given myself permission to venture outside my normal virtual hangouts to explore some new designers, both of pages and products. Perhaps it's because I just found out this week that one of my layouts has been chosen by Creating Keepsakes magazine for publication in their January 2010 issue (yay!!). It might be because the online class I signed up for a couple months ago in which we create an all-about-me type of scrapbook finally started this week. Or it could possibly be because I believe I have finally hit upon the right combination of scrapbooking, writing, web & other skills in my most recent business brainstorm. Whatever the reason - probably a combination of all of the above - I've been rather consumed lately with thinking, playing, shopping, wandering & designing in the scrapbook realm.<br />I plan to do more of this over this nice long weekend. Jacques, Kody, Skylar & our neighbor Kevin left this morning for Esther Lake for a weekend of hunting & fishing with Kody's brand new compound bow. That leaves Karstin, Danica & me home alone for a few days of relative peace & quiet. I've already had a chance to do a little scrapping this morning, finishing up a layout I started last night about Kody's transition from cute "little piggy" days to one filled with "big boy toys."<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5a29915970c-320pi.Fv6bqFjmqEX5.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5a29915970c-320pi.Fv6bqFjmqEX5.jpg" width="320" height="160" /></span> <br />While I'm on the subject of recent scrapbooking, I've also done a handful of pages highlighting Skylar's venture into preschool. She is thrilled to be going to Head Start and has made the transition quite easily so far. She will get to attend for two years and then, believe it or not, it will be time for kindgergarten already! Hard to believe ...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5a29b60970c-320pi.L9ZtEHnNfBiu.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5a29b60970c-320pi.L9ZtEHnNfBiu.jpg" width="320" height="160" /></span> <br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a54bcdc2970b-320pi.v1iD5SPA2rym.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a54bcdc2970b-320pi.v1iD5SPA2rym.jpg" width="320" height="160" /></span><br />The whole transition to preschool got me thinking about how grown up Skylar is getting, but at the same time how she refuses to let go of some of her more baby-like ways, such as insisting on keeping that dang binkie in her mouth. So I woke up Thursday thinking about how I could document the irony of it all, which led to this...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd14d970b-320pi.ZLFH1PYGh4wC.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd14d970b-320pi.ZLFH1PYGh4wC.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />This type of layout is an example of my favorite type of scrapbooking - telling the stories of the lives of myself & my family. It is this type of scrapbooking that is the basis of my newest business plan. I'm not ready to share details, but I will say this - I do not plan to actually scrapbook for other people for pay or design digital supplies for scrapbookers. Instead, I plan to provide some unique resources that hopefully will help all types of scrapbookers share their stories and ideally, allow me to make a career of this hobby that I love. More details to follow, once I'm ready to launch... :)<br />I do occasionally do a layout just for the sake of making a pretty page, especially if I have a photo I particularly like. This is one of my recent examples...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd344970b-320pi.optaMHMP6mli.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd344970b-320pi.optaMHMP6mli.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span><br />I took that photo while Danica & I were in San Antonio last month. She was wandering around the rock courtyard in front of the Alamo in her bare feet. Isn't she a cutie??<br />I have tons of other pages on my mind right now that I'd like to get done ... Karstin just started high school, as well as his first year on the boys x-country team - both of which I plan to document. I also have the entire month of July to somehow record, though it's a bit overwhelming because I took over 1,000 photos that month and I'm not sure what I want to pull out and scrapbook. I did a 4th of July album highlighting the Rutten family reunion, which you can view <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://kristinrutten.shutterfly.com/433">here</a></span>. We also spent a week at Pelican Lake, which accounts for about half of the photos for the month...<br />Part of the reason I didn't document much of July is I was so busy last month putting together my San Antonio album, which you can see <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://kristinrutten.shutterfly.com/392">here</a></span>. I also realized one day about a week ago just GOOD things have been going lately. So I documented that with this...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd848970b-320pi.EB0lW4ENYd3o.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd848970b-320pi.EB0lW4ENYd3o.jpg" width="320" height="160" /></span><br />One of the things hinted at on the above layouts warranted a page all its own ... my neighbor & I decided about a month ago that we wanted to get to know our neighbors a bit better, especially since several of them have young kids and are relatively new to our neighborhood. So, we planned a "Summer's End East Broadway BBQ" block party. It was a big hit and we've had several people thanking us afterward for putting it together. The moms on the block even went out for margaritas after the BBQ, which was tons of fun. Hopefully we'll continue to get together, now that the ice has been broken. Here's the page I did about the BBQ...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd984970b-320pi.hjrI4rCKgtA9.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a54bd984970b-320pi.hjrI4rCKgtA9.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />This past month I also did a page about Danica that I like ... I've gotten in the habit of calling her "doodlebug" for some reason. Not sure why, but it fits her...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a5a2af6a970c-320pi.aRWEq5VBwzp4.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a5a2af6a970c-320pi.aRWEq5VBwzp4.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />I want to do another page about her soon, documenting all the cute new things she's learning & doing right now. For example, she now waves bye-bye, says "boo" when playing peek-a-boo while changing her diaper, points & says "that," can make a ride-on toy go forward by walking her feet along the ground, sleeps through the night all alone in a crib by herself, has finally started napping in a crib instead of the laundry basket, and lots of other adorable things like that.<br />Speaking of my sweet baby, she is now demanding my attention after playing very nicely while I've been writing this post. That's my cue to wrap it up... one last thing - a quick thank you to everyone who voted for my entry in the Designer Digitals "Summer's End" contest. I didn't win, but I think I had the 4th or 5th highest number of votes, which is cool. Here's the page I finally entered ...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a54bdd82970b-320pi.KraLzZzvZ6p9.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a54bdd82970b-320pi.KraLzZzvZ6p9.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span> <br />More updates on all of the above coming soon ... I hope!! :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-16132569253481024902009-08-24T09:28:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:17:08.052-06:00Attitude adjustment• The sun is shining, it's not too hot or too cold or too windy, the girls are napping & there's my favorite soft drink waiting for me in the fridge.<br />• School starts tomorrow and the boys are ready to go and excited about a new year and new opportunities.<br />• I am able to work from home, create my own schedule and pretty much control my days while contributing to the family income and having a little time left over for my scrapbooking hobby.<br />• Skylar starts Head Start next week - at no charge to us - and gets to ride the bus every day with her little friend from across the street.<br />• My friend & I have planned a day each week where we'll take both of the younger kids in exchange for the same favor later in the week, providing each of us a free morning all to ourselves.<br />• The chokecherries are about ripe and I have ample equipment and supplies to properly make syrup and jelly this year, not to mention the opportunity to share this experience with my friend.<br />•I am relatively healthy and have just about mustered up the motivation and ability to take on an even healthier way of eating and living.<br />• I have several supportive friends, mostly online, who share similar interests with which I interact on a daily - and sometimes hourly - basis.<br />• I have a great husband who comes home from a good job every day to help with the kids and share the load.<br />I'm sure I could continue this list for quite some time ... and probably should do so on a regular basis as it helps me shift from what seems to be an all-too-easy negative or pessimistic outlook on life to a more positive, realistic, happier view. My tendency to land here was brought to my attention again today when contrasted against a post by my friend, who is currently doing a great job of seeing her glass as more than half full...{thanks, Heather!!}<br />My husband has more than once suggested that I am simply destined to be unhappy. That he can't understand why, when everything seems to be going well for me, I can still find a way to be miserable. Though I don't exactly agree with him, there does seem to be at least a little truth to his statement. And I really don't understand why, especially since I've been aware from a very young age of the power to choose an attitude and basically create one's own experience. I've read tons of books in an effort to figure this out and the quote below has been a favorite of mine since high school ... but it seems I still have a lot to learn. For today, though, I choose to remind myself of all of the positive in my life ... and spare you (and myself) the details of my latest frustrations.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a56fdb98970c-500pi.nacXINDrhcM7.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a56fdb98970c-500pi.nacXINDrhcM7.jpg" width="368" height="483" /></span> {Butterfly & patterned paper available free from <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.shabbyprincess.com/downloads/promise/promise.asp">The Shabby Princess </a></span>Promise Collection}<br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-72095063488104531132009-08-18T04:00:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:15:26.829-06:00Summer's End ... Take 3So I just keep playing with potential contest entries for the Summer's End contest. I went out and took some photos Sunday of our crabapple tree, which is probably my favorite subject in our yard to photograph year-round. It's beautiful in all seasons ... my favorite, of course, is when it flowers. But right now, it really looks like the first sign of fall with its little apples.<br />Anyway, here's my current favorite ... what do you think?<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a55888be970c-320pi.AUEmgGqA2Czu.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a55888be970c-320pi.AUEmgGqA2Czu.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-52716699278856328052009-08-17T16:47:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:15:22.329-06:00Where did the summer go?Wow... I fully intended to blog more about my trip to San Antonio while I was still there, but obviously since I've been home for over a week now, that didn't happen.<br />This last month has been a flurry of activity ... we spent 10 days at the family cabin at Pelican Lake, returning home on Sunday, Aug. 2. Then Monday, Aug. 3, my Uncle Lennie & cousin William from Texas came for a visit, as well as my Uncle Terry from Chester. They stayed until Wednesday afternoon. Then Thursday, Danica and I left for Texas, returning Sunday. On Monday, my uncle & cousin returned, this time with my Aunt Ceci and cousin Adelia. They left Tuesday morning.<br />It took me the rest of the week just to get back to some sense of "normal." Apparently, this did not include blogging. I did, however, manage to complete a 46-page scrapbook about our San Antonio experience. So instead of blogging about it, I will share the album below.<br />Now we are getting ready for school to start in about a week, as well as playing host to more company. Jacques' friend Wayne from Livingston showed up here tonight after calling this morning. Then Jacques' Uncle John & Aunt Mary will be here Thursday for a "few" nights. And hard to believe, but school starts next Monday ...<br />I hate to say it, but I think I'm actually looking forward to September and a more routine schedule!!<br />Anyway, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=4abcd59d755dfab5&sid=8AcOHDVi2cN3ng">here</a></span> is the link to my San Antonio scrapbook.<br />I've also been playing around with a couple entries for the Summer's End contest at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://designerdigitals.com/">Designer Digitals</a></span>. The only real requirement is that the page use a particular set of flourish brushes and/or paper letters. Here's what I've come up with so far ...<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a557585f970c-320pi.3xO0b2h5CUMA.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a557585f970c-320pi.3xO0b2h5CUMA.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a55758a7970c-320pi.PgtVLoL74fp8.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a55758a7970c-320pi.PgtVLoL74fp8.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></span><br />I may or may not use one of these. The deadline isn't until the 28th, so I have some time to play. Let me know what you think...<br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-86871421574001068602009-08-06T17:36:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:15:17.692-06:00Destination: San AntonioSo the big weekend finally arrived - my trip to San Antonio for the Designer Digitals digi-crop! After dropping Skylar off at the neighbor's house around 8:30 a.m., Danica and I hopped in the van and headed for Billings. We arrived just before 11, which worked out great. Enough time to get through security unrushed, which went perfectly, and not so much time that we had to sit around and twiddle our thumbs for hours (that came later!!).<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a4d07f72970b-320pi.uHgFwDDZ58J2.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a4d07f72970b-320pi.uHgFwDDZ58J2.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></span><br />This was Dani's first time on an airplane and she did great, pretty much sleeping the entire flight from Billings to Denver. The ride was a bit choppy thanks to some cloudy skies, but otherwise all went as planned.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a4d07fe8970b-320pi.66w0ohcEAOou.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a4d07fe8970b-320pi.66w0ohcEAOou.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></span><br />Things weren't quite as smooth for the second half of our trip. What was supposed to be about a 2 1/2 hour layover in Denver ended up being closer to 4 1/2 hours because of weather and mechanical issues. We did lots of wandering while we waited and ended up sitting with a young gal for a good deal of the time who did a great job of entertaining Danica.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a527b687970c-320pi.9SEmESqq2w7t.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a527b687970c-320pi.9SEmESqq2w7t.jpg" width="320" height="240" /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a4d08079970b-320pi.OqWsW00a0pGa.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a4d08079970b-320pi.OqWsW00a0pGa.jpg" width="320" height="240" /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a527b72d970c-320pi.xArSiRKv43VO.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a527b72d970c-320pi.xArSiRKv43VO.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></span><br />We finally boarded around 7:15 and arrived in San Antonio a couple hours later. Once again, my little angel slept for the entire flight!! By the time we got our luggage and traveled across town on the SATrans shuttle (great service, by the way!!) to the Hilton Palacio del Rio, which is right on the Riverwalk, it was almost 11:30 p.m. with the time change. Too dark to see much, but it was fun to look at the lights from our 19th story room, complete with balcony.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a4d08105970b-320pi.VHfr6JtrwCbo.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a4d08105970b-320pi.VHfr6JtrwCbo.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a527b7ab970c-320pi.iuAjaBS2KPMu.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a527b7ab970c-320pi.iuAjaBS2KPMu.jpg" width="320" height="240" /></span><br />Arriving this late may have been a blessing, since even at that late hour, it was still over 90 degrees outside - and humid. Breaking us in gently, I suppose, since it was only about 70 degrees when we left Billings!!<br />The motel is great ... very comfortable and lots of nice touches, like the pewter-like finishes in the bathroom, eight fluffy pillows to choose from on the beds, sinks both inside and outside the bathroom, a coffee maker that can make two different cups of coffee at the same time, and details like that.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a527b7f8970c-320pi.dhuDMFBkyon7.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a527b7f8970c-320pi.dhuDMFBkyon7.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0120a4d081d1970b-320pi.oegTroerGTGP.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0120a4d081d1970b-320pi.oegTroerGTGP.jpg" width="320" height="240" /></span><br />The staff also brought me a crib for Danica right away, assuming I'm sure that she'd be needing it soon. She had other plans, however, and at 1:20 a.m. was still wide awake. If only she'd call it a day ... we're both going to need our beauty sleep for our big day tomorrow.<br />More coming later ... Looking forward to meeting everyone at the crop tomorrow afternoon!!!<br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-91299839197074665082009-07-10T04:05:00.002-06:002010-06-06T22:06:58.817-06:00Inspired.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img alt="6a010536a85631970b011571eec049970b-320pi.CM1WMJS1bVgy.jpg" height="320" src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b011571eec049970b-320pi.CM1WMJS1bVgy.jpg" width="320" /></span><br />
These lyrics have been running through my head for the past several days. The words come to mind when I first wake up in the morning ... and then I find myself humming the tune as I go about my day. <br />
I imagine they first came to mind with all of the recent coverage of the death of Michael Jackson, who gets credit for the song.<br />
<br />
But that isn't what has kept them there. <br />
<br />
I had the great fortune this past weekend of spending some time with a very special person. She is my husband's cousin and has had the great misfortune of having her body invaded by a very persistent cancer. But you wouldn't know it to look at her as she tickled and played with Danica. And to sit and visit with her, you would never know just how serious her prognosis may be.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img alt="6a010536a85631970b011570fa0a84970c-320pi.xGIxGTSnIFI0.jpg" height="320" src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b011570fa0a84970c-320pi.xGIxGTSnIFI0.jpg" width="213" /></span><br />
<br />
Her name is Heide. She is only in her late 30s, has a very funny, loving and supportive husband, and two adorable little girls under the age of 7. She also has a twin sister and a brother, mother and father who I'm sure would go to the ends of the earth for her.<br />
<br />
Because Heide lives in California and the extended family has only gotten together a handful of times since I became part of the family, I hadn't really ever spent more than a few minutes here and there talking to Heide before this weekend. We knew about her health condition, thanks to frequent communication through the family lines. But at our distance, it didn't seem very real ... and we, or at least I, didn't really know what to expect when we first arrived at the family farm in North Dakota last weekend.<br />
<br />
It seems far too real now.<br />
<br />
As it turns out, I really like Heide. She's warm and friendly and open and positive, everything I wish I was more of. She just radiates a quality that makes you want to be around her as much as possible. After more than a year of battling this most recent bout of cancer, I'm sure she has had many highs and lows and moments of anger, frustration and sadness. I'm sure she has had a least a few "why me?" moments.<br />
<br />
But all I could see as I sat and visited with her this weekend was a woman with amazing STRENGTH.<br />
<br />
She talked about her family. She laughed about her girls, two very adorable little dark-haired, dark-skinned sweethearts who alternated between running and playing with their cousins (including kissing a frog or two) and crawling into their mom's lap for a few snuggles. She openly answered questions about her treatment and how her family is handling it. She explained how a careful regiment of naps helps her continue to be an active part of her family's life, which is very important to her. She even joked around with her husband and brother-in-law by taking off her wig, placing it on her husband's head, and allowing several photos of her with her other "follicly-challenged" family members.<br />
<br />
She made me really, really wish there was a way to give her back the "normal" life the rest of us are leading.<br />
<br />
And now, sitting back at home in Montana, I find myself thinking about her a lot ... and humming that song. I also found my way to the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://forheide.com/">Website</a></span> her family started back when her cancer was first diagnosed, which they use to update friends and relatives on her status, as well as raise funds for this expensive interruption into their lives.<br />
<br />
What I found there was incredibly inspirational. I'm not referring to the updates posted there occasionally, sometimes by Heide and other times by her husband or other family members, though it is wonderful to see the support of this wife, mother, daughter, and friend that comes through in those writings. The thing that touched me the most was the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://forheide.com/MessagefromHeide.html">message</a></span> from Heide. Read it for yourself and you will understand what I mean. It's such an amazingly positive and hopeful way to look at a situation that initially seems nothing but horrible and unfair.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reminding me to appreciate what really matters, Heide, and for letting me into your life, even if just for a weekend. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, and I really hope for many more opportunities to visit with you at future family gatherings.<br />
<br />
Many {hugs} to you...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-56392419967257825992009-06-26T09:36:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:14:47.715-06:00Sharing in the loss of an icon<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b011570731386970c-320pi.JCFLPfyJEYnS.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b011570731386970c-320pi.JCFLPfyJEYnS.jpg" width="320" height="240" /></span><br />Like most of the world, I was shocked to hear the news yesterday that Michael Jackson had died. After all, he was only 50 years old and he was, well, Michael Jackson! I was not surprised, however, to see this event dominate the news media, both on TV and online. Having been a teenager during the time Michael really hit it big, he obviously made a real impression on me. In fact, I still have my copy of his Thriller album, which I dug out of the basement today while thinking about this turn of events.<br />What did surprise me a bit, however, was the reaction of certain members of my family and a handful of folks I ran into downtown when I mentioned this news. My husband seemed much more affected by the death of Farrah Fawcett, who unfortunately lost her battle with cancer yesterday as well. The 20-something clerk at the local Albertson's, overhearing my conversation with a friend in line behind me, sarcastically commented only that "yeah, that guy really made a contribution to society the last few years." And my 11-year-old son Kody yesterday pretty much said "big deal ... that guy was weird." When he saw my album today, he said "Who's that?" Talk about making me feel really OLD.<br />I imagine my dad felt something similar when he told me that John Lennon had died. At the age of about 10, I really didn't see the big deal and remember saying something stupid about how a "Beatle" is just a stupid bug. I was just about as sensitive when my mom told me about the death of Bing Crosby, another amazingly talented human being I was relatively unfamiliar with at the time. So I guess I can understand the lack of reaction from folks who are a generation or two behind me. But my husband? He's only a year and a half younger. I don't get that one.<br />The Thriller album was one of the very first albums I owned and like many other teenagers at the time, I had the words of every one of the songs memorized and stayed up late on Friday nights to watch Michael dance on "Friday Night Videos," and later, MTV. This was the early 80s and back then, music videos were a "new" thing ... and it is largely because of Michael Jackson that they became so tremendously popular. Not only could that guy sing, but could he ever move.<br />You would be hard-pressed to argue that Michael Jackson lacked talent or that he did not earn his title, "King of Pop." Anyone who paid any attention at all ... before all of the weird stuff that happened later on ... has to recognize why "MJ" has so often been considered a genius, enormously talented, and a major influence on our culture.<br />At 14, Karstin, at least, seems to be a little more aware of the significance of Michael's death. When he came home today from staying overnight at a friend's house, he asked if the news was true. When I told him it was, he commented on what a great musician he was ... something Karstin respects because of his own interest in music. Michael Jackson is right up there with Elvis, the Beatles, and so many other icons who played a huge role in the entertainment industry. My husband disagrees with me on this, but frankly I just don't think he GETS it. This surprises and frustrates me a bit, especially since like Karstin, he is a big music buff ... but I guess that's life. It is some consolation that it takes only a couple seconds on the Internet to see that there are MILLIONS that share my opinion on this, even if my own husband does not.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b01157073e1a6970c-320pi.j2LHJJzLH3tf.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b01157073e1a6970c-320pi.j2LHJJzLH3tf.jpg" width="320" height="223" /></span><br />Michael Jackson's death made an impression on me ... and because of that, I'm taking this time now to reflect on the role he played in my earlier years and to document my reactions. Not because I am one of Michael Jackson's biggest fans ... there are a lot of musicians I like just as well or better. And not because I approved of his strange behavior the last couple of decades, which I neither understood nor particularly trusted. I just feel sad that his life has come to an end already and realize that this is a loss shared with millions of others around the world, demonstrated by the hours of air-time already given to commemorating Michael Jackson's life ... not even 24 hours after his death ... and the fact that the online networks were nearly brought down yesterday afternoon because of the enormous activity that followed the first announcements that "Michael Jackson is dead."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-81127713734403983642009-06-22T14:40:00.001-06:002011-06-07T09:24:47.739-06:00Today.Once again, I was inspired by <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://aliedwards.typepad.com/">Ali Edwards</a></span> to take a few minutes to simply document what's happening in the here and now...<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">FOR TODAY </span> <span style="color: #787878;">June 22nd, 2009</span> <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">Outside my window...</span>hundreds of daisies - my favorite - in full bloom in our perennial garden. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am thinking...</span>it is nice to be at a place in my life where Monday morning is welcomed with open arms. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am thankful for...</span>being in the right place at the right time this weekend when Skylar slipped into the deep end of the pool. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">From the kitchen...</span>leftover pizza from the weekend and a growing pile of dishes to be dealt with that I am avoiding until tomorrow. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am wearing...</span>jeans & a cream-colored, hooded pullover I picked up at Goodwill a couple weekends ago in Bozeman. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am creating...</span>a double-spread layout highlighting our weekend trip to Polson and Kalispell for the annual state newspaper convention. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am going...</span>to take advantage of having Karstin at home this afternoon so I can run a few errands and do a little last-minute birthday shopping. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am reading...</span>a couple great books - "<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Its-All-Too-Much-Living/dp/0743292650/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245728023&sr=8-1">It's All Too Much</a></span>" by Peter Walsh (very inspiring!) and "<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thats-Life-Scrapbook-Inspiration-Everyday/dp/159963001X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245728054&sr=1-1">That's Life</a></span>" by Nic Howard (also a GREAT book!! Exactly my kind of scrapbooking!) <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am hoping...</span>to have time this week to catch up on a growing list of layouts I'd like to do.<br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">I am hearing...</span>giggling girls and thumping boys. Our house is NEVER quiet when the kids are all at home. It's a happy, productive sound today though. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">Around the house...</span>signs of a typical summer day. Kody's shoes, Skylar's sandals, the boys' job lists, a stray glass, baskets emptied by Dani, pipe cleaners & stray beads left by Skylar. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">One of my favorite things...</span>sun streaming through the window and an uninterrupted hour to myself behind closed doors. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">A few plans for the rest of the week...</span>Rotary picnic tonight, dentist appointment and Jacques' birthday tomorrow, then getting ready for Danica's first birthday on Sunday with the possibility of a visit from Nana & Pop. <span style="color: #b15a5a;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #b15a5a;">A picture to share... </span>cruising Flathead Lake this weekend during the annual MNA convention.<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img alt="6a010536a85631970b01157143472f970b-320pi.SrLbUnLU9Idy.jpg" height="240" src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b01157143472f970b-320pi.SrLbUnLU9Idy.jpg" width="320" /></span> <span style="color: #b15a5a;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8897927565266030145.post-861783194580089162009-06-16T08:38:00.000-06:002009-09-16T12:14:38.708-06:00Taking a different approach this summer...<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b011570269480970c-320pi.krfXWnFqxoKd.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b011570269480970c-320pi.krfXWnFqxoKd.jpg" width="320" height="240" /></span><br />Summer at our house is not what you would call nice & peaceful. In fact, as the end of the school year was approaching, I was beginning to dread the chaos of having all four kids at home - and their accompanying noise, inevitable messes, lack of predictable schedule, and frequent requests for money to finance trips to the pool, get-togethers with friends, must-have toys, etc. etc. I'm a creature of habit and I like my regular routines and, I admit it, I like my quiet afternoons when the girls nap. I was not ready to give this up...<br />So this year I decided to try something a little different and so far, just a little over a week into summer vacation, it's working out pretty well. My plan consisted of three parts:<br />1) I wrote out my expectations of the boys for the summer ... This includes the frequency with which I expect them to shower, clean their rooms, pick up after themselves, etc. It also included mention of the fact that the majority of the time, they could expect to have to shell out their own cash for any extracurricular activities, camps, purchases, etc. they wanted during the summer.<br />2) I created a list of "Responsibilities," otherwise known as "jobs you GET to do in exchange for the privilege of living here." This included tasks such as setting and clearing the dinner table, emptying the dishwasher, doing their laundry, sweeping the floor, etc. Here's the kicker: Next to each job was the price the boys would get to pay ME if they did not fulfill a given responsibility that week and I had to do it for them.<br />3) I created another list titled "Opportunities," otherwise known as "jobs available to you for which you can be PAID." This included a list of jobs I was willing to pay THEM to do, as well as when & by what deadline they needed to be done. For the most part, these are left blank and the boys get to choose their own deadlines, a privilege they will keep as long as they follow through. Jobs on this list will vary from week to week, depending on what needs to be done (and my budget). So far, they have included babysitting the girls for two hours in the morning while I work on my grant-writing, mowing the lawn, cleaning the fridge, weeding the garden, cleaning the bathroom(s), etc.<br />Kid Payday is every Friday, at which time I add up how much each has earned and deduct any fees incurred for not following through with responsibilities.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0115711bb39c970b-320pi.jy5q7TiHzBEw.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0115711bb39c970b-320pi.jy5q7TiHzBEw.jpg" width="320" height="213" /></span><br />I presented these three items to the boys on the evening before the first real day of vacation and then they got to take turns signing up for the paid jobs until the blocks were filled in. They weren't too excited to see this at first, but once they started figuring out how much money they might earn, they really started warming up to the whole plan and those blocks filled up very quickly. I especially enjoyed listening to Karstin plot how he could sign up for the jobs that would bring him the greatest reward... $$$$$!<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="http://theguenthers.info/blogphotos/Kristin/6a010536a85631970b0115711bb4d2970b-320pi.yOpqGfiIm2lp.jpg" alt="6a010536a85631970b0115711bb4d2970b-320pi.yOpqGfiIm2lp.jpg" width="320" height="213" /></span><br />So far this plan is working, though I've already had to be flexible in order to work around a last minute decision by Kody to go to Day Camp last week and a crazy schedule this week as we get ready to head to western Montana for a few days. It helps that both boys feel a real need for cash this summer - Kody is saving up to buy himself a mini-bike and Karstin has discovered that daily visits to the pool and coffee shop tend to add up, especially when he likes to be able to treat his new girlfriend to her favorite coffee drink!!<br />I like that this system is helping create a bit of routine for the summer while simultaneously teaching the boys a bit about money management & how to be a good employee, not to mention start to be more aware that money doesn't just grow on trees!! It's also interesting to watch them figure out that work isn't always a heap of fun ... but that it's worth the effort sometimes. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that it is also giving me a solid two hours of more-or-less uninterrupted work time every day ... something I didn't even have BEFORE school got out!!!)<br />So far, so good ... maybe for once I won't be quite so anxious for school to resume again!!!<br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3