Saturday Scrapbooking

This is first Saturday in a long time where I didn't have to be anywhere or do anything in particular.  It is a gorgeous day around these parts and so we have the windows opened.  I am enjoying an easy day of just being home...*sigh*

I am still working on cleaning and organizing...but at my own leisurely pace and in between bouts of said cleaning and organizing I am also spending time catching up on blog reading and scrapbooking.  It has been so long since I have actually felt relaxed.  I refuse to let anyone or anything get to me this weekend.

So in honor of the scrapbooking I am doing I thought I would share a layout...and since Disney is my Happy Place...I am going to share one of my favorite Disney layouts I did not too long ago.

The picture was taken back in May of 2003.  We were living in Seattle at the time and flew back to Florida for my brother's high school graduation.  Sorry to say it...but I don't like to fly -- in fact, it down right terrifies me!  So, as much as l love my brother and sisters, it was the thought of finally getting to take my kids to Walt Disney World in Orlando that actually got me on the plane.  In fact, we were on the inaugural  flight for Alaska Airlines non-stop from Seattle to Orlando (changing planes doesn't work for me either -- just sayin')

My kids were in love with Stitch at the time...my daughter more so than my son.  Do you know as we stood in line to meet him the first time (because yes, anyone who has or ever had a 2 year old in their lives KNOWS you will have to see/read/hear their favorite movies, books, songs etc over and over so please be assured that Disney was no exception to this!)  so anyway, that first time we waited and waited and she even stomped her precious little foot and yelled out to everyone around us "I WANNA SEE STITCH!"...and then when we got there...she freaked out and cried!  LMAO!  Just classic!

THIS picture was taken a couple of days later and Alyson was obviously a little more comfortable with the characters by this time...especially her beloved Stitch.

I can't take credit for the adorable paper piecing of Stitch...an online friend made that for me years ago but I knew it would be perfect for this layout.  Looking at the picture makes me MISS my kids being babies...MISS being that skinny...and CRINGE because I can't believe I ever cut my hair THAT short!  WHAT was I thinking?!  LOL!


Hope you are having a great Saturday :)

7/52 - UP

Valentine's Day is celebrated all month long in our house...I started this a couple of years ago.  We have "mailboxes" -- simple white photo boxes that I keep saying I am going to get around to decorating soon...

This year I decided we at least needed a flag like a real mailbox, that way we would know when there was mail.  I just used some cardboard scraps, patterned paper scraps, a few brads and some mod podge to make some...they are really not all that great looking BUT they have been serving there purposen -- the fact that my daughter told me they looked gorgeous makes them all good in my book, so please don't judge me too harshly.



So...when the flag is UP...youve got mail! ;)

A Thankful Thursday

So, I am pretty sure it is safe to say I have become addicted to blog hopping…some days it is what gets through my work day – just don’t tell my boss! ;)


You know, I was a stay-at-home mom for 9 years…why oh WHY were there not blogs then?! Thank goodness for scrapbooking and message boards – some days that was my only adult conversation…especially when my husband was traveling.

Anyhoo---I digress.

I was blog hopping this morning, in between working – don’t worry, I get my job done. I noticed someone had a post titled “Thankful Thursday”. Given my Wishful Thinking yesterday and overall BAD MOOD I have had for the last couple of weeks, I thought MAYBE I should give it a try today…despite what I said yesterday about it sometimes being TOO HARD to focus on the positive. It IS a woman’s prerogative to change her mind…am I right?

During my “Morning Coffee Drive” with my BFF yesterday, she quoted something her mom quotes to her…”As You Think, So Shall You Become” Turns out that quote is actually from Bruce Lee. (I think my Hunk would be so proud of me right now;) )

Life just sucks sometimes…and there really isn’t much you can do about it. Things don’t always turn out the way you plan, no matter how hard you work or try. You can’t change the past. Things could always be worse.

So…today, I am doing my best to pull myself up and out of the dumps…no sense bringing everyone around me down as well. I WILL focus on the positive and I WILL be thankful.

I am thankful for my BFF, Gina. Seriously don’t know what I would do without her. I love that she is honest with me and keeps it real. Most of the time she is on my side but she will tell me when she thinks I am wrong. We don’t agree on everything but we do agree on mutual respect. She has been in my life for over 30 years now…I think that is pretty amazing!

I am thankful for my Hunky Husband. Together almost 17 years and this April we will celebrate 13 years of marriage. He loves me despite my mood swings, nagging and that I sometimes let the negative things in life get to me. He’s not always the most compassionate of men but he is generous and at the end of the day he is there for me. Lately, I don’t really think I have been there for him though…will have to work on that one.

I am thankful for my job. It is nothing fancy, kind of sucks sometimes – even sucks the life right out of me sometimes. BUT despite the fact that it does not pay a lot, it does help pay some of the bills and puts food on the table. Given the state of things these days, that is pretty good.

I am thankful for scrapbooking. Scrapbooking helps me keep my sanity some days. It has also helped me to focus on the simple and important things in life and it has also blessed me with some amazing friendships.

I am thankful for my friends. I have a wonderful core group of friends, all of whom I know I can count on anytime I needed them. I hope they know they could count on me as well. Maybe I should do a better job of making SURE they know that.

I am thankful for my 2 beautiful, HEALTHY and amazing kids. (You know, just typing that out brings tears to my eyes.) Sometimes I look at them and still find it hard to believe they are mine. I actually carried them for 9 months. It is truly amazing the things our bodies can do, don’t you think? My children truly are my greatest accomplishment and every day I am so proud to be their mother…even on the day they make me cRaZy, test my patience, stomp their feet, pout because I asked them to do something – well, you know what I mean! LOL! Every night though, I check on them before I go to sleep and no matter WHAT might have happened during that day, I fall in love with them all over again…even at 11 and 9 years old…they take my breath away.

I am thankful for my faith in God. I don’t always turn to Him when I should but knowing He is there makes things just a little more bearable at times.

Wow, this post is getting longer than I expected and I still have more on my Thankful List...guess I will save them for next Thursday.

Hmmmm…I think I have just become a great big sappy mess sitting at my desk now! LOL! But there are worse things, right? Thanks for letting me share…feeling a little bit better already.

What is one thing you are thankful for this Thursday?

( – if you actually read it all, I am thankful to you for THAT! LOL!)

A Wishful Wednesday

I wish... I could have another baby...unfortunately, finances say "NO!".

I wish... I was as organized as I have always imagined myself to be.

I wish... I could snap out of this negative funk I am in these days.

I wish... I lived with Courtney Cox and her Cul-de-sac Crew in Cougar Town -- they are SO my kind of peeps!

I wish... my house could get clean and STAY clean for more than a couple of hours at a time.

I wish... my job would allow me to work from home.

I wish... I could stop losing my patience so easily lately.

I wish... we could go back to the way things were BEFORE.

I wish... I had more energy at the end of the day to do the things I actually WANT to do rather than just barely getting done the things I NEED to do.

I wish... Glee had a new episode on every night of the week!

I wish... Starbucks delivered!

I wish... I could lose at least 10 pounds -- but that would of course require the energy to get back on the treadmill.

I wish... I did a better job of focusing on the positive -- but you know what, some days, it is just TOO HARD to even bother! -- so...maybe tomorrow.

6/52 - Morning

Okay, I am totally excited because posting this picture means I am actually caught up with the 52 photos project right now.  Yes, I realize it is only the 6th week but it feels good to be up to date nonetheless.

This pictures just makes me so happy!

The theme was "morning" and I was actually planning a totally different picture.  You see, every morning, I make my coffee (Starbucks of course because I am indeed a Starbucks snob.) and head out the door.  I grab my hands free set for my cell phone and then chat away with my BFF while on my way to the office.  My original plan was a picture of my coffee mug (Disney, of course!) and my cell phone.  I was actually sitting in traffic, talking to Gina (aka - BFF) and taking said picture when we realized she was just down the road and headed my way.  I told her I was going to snap a picture as she went by...and wouldn't you know it, she waved for the camera!  LOL!  LOOOOOOOOOVE IT!  We had a good laugh about it too...definitely the high point of my day!

5/52 - Letters

The theme for week 5 of 52 Photos was Letters.  How perfect that my kids got their report cards that same week.  So proud of them both....Stevie made the Principal's Honor Role with straight A's and Alyson received all A's and a B.  Alyson was a little disappointed about receiving the B.  I wish she didn't feel that way though, Daddy and I are so proud of her.  She has been working hard this year and I know she really wants to make that B and A.  Hopefully she will be able to make that happen next 9 weeks but even if she doesn't, we are still proud of her and I pray that she will be proud of herself as well.  Daddy took her out for Molten Lava Cake to make her feel better...and  because he will use any excuse to go out for Molten Lava Cake ;)

52 Photos

This year I am taking part in something called 52 Photos.  I am taking one photo a week for 2011.  I stumbled across this on the i love it all blog -- seriously one of my favorite places in Blogland these days.  After doing the Project 365 in 2009, I was a little burned out on the picture taking -- hard to believe, I know, given that I am a scrapbooker but alas, tis true.  I love the idea of the 52 photos though and she shares a prompt or theme each week for your photo which should keep things interesting.

I have been taking my photos but have been late to the party when it comes to posting...story of my life *sigh*  Oh well, better late than never, right?

1/52...Happy New Year 2011

2/52...Independent

My first thought when I saw the theme was 'Independent' was my son.

He is turning 12 this June...I can hardly believe it.  He never ceases to amaze me.  He is so smart and has such a kind and tender heart.  He is a true threat on the soccer field and is just growing more and more independent with each passing day.  I am so proud of the young man he is becoming but I miss my little mama's boy too.

3/52...Evening

An evening out with my sweet girl.  She had been having such a tough time lately, so while Daddy and Big Brother were at soccer practice we treated ourselves to Starbucks goodies, shopping at the mall and dinner.  It was so nice to see her smiling and happy when she went to bed that night rather than the tears of late.

4/52...Shadow

As soon as I read the theme was 'Shadow' I knew right away that I wanted to snap a simple picture of me and my little family.  This was taken at the soccer field.  That's my handsome guy on the left end, then my hunky husband, followed by my diva darling of a daughter and then of course ME, holding the camera.

Superbowl is over, unfortunately the Steelers got beat :(  I am a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan first and formost but since I was born in Pennsylvania I have always cheered on the Steeler as well.  Congrats to all the Packers fans out there...they played a great game.  And now, I can get ready to get my GLEE on before bed and before I start the work week :)

Friday Frustration

Last night was Stevie’s first middle school soccer game. All week his coach has been praising him as goalie and even told him that he was going to be playing for the most of the game. Needless to say, Stevie was excited. Nervous, yes…but oh so excited.


The entire game goes by and the coach doesn’t put Stevie in until the last play of the game. My son is absolutely crushed and his dad and I are left wondering why. I asked if perhaps Stevie had misheard his coach at practice but my husband said no, that he had even heard the coach telling him he was going to play him for most of the game.

To see my son so crushed after his first middle school soccer game was heartbreaking to say the least. Once we got home and dad and Stevie talked, it would seem coach told Stevie at some point last night that he was not going to play him after all because he was afraid of him getting hurt….um…WHAT?!

Yes, Stevie is smaller than most of the kids on that field but Stevie made the decision to go out for the team knowing this AND the coach made the decision to put him on the team. Steve told him from the start that he was going to really have to prove himself and get the coach to see past Stevie’s size and really see his ability. Coach put him on the team and told him he is one of the top goalies on the team.

Now, I realize that he is in 6th grade playing ON a team and AGAINST teams with 6th, 7th and 8th graders on them and I also realize that a lot of time the 6th graders don’t get a lot of playing time…they learn about being a part of a team and the like. I totally get that and I don’t have a problem with it. I don’t have unrealistic expectations.

HOWEVER, I DO have a problem with a coach who tells my kid all week that he will be playing and then come game time tells him he’s not going to play after all…because he doesn’t want him to get hurt. If that was such a concern then why would he have put him on the team in the first place?! I feel like that coach hurt Stevie more last night than any broken bone ever could. Stevie is doubting himself when he never has before, wanted to back out of the team. This guy is the first one to ever make my son actually feel bad because of his size and I can’t even begin to express how angry that makes me. Stevie is a tremendous soccer player, despite being smaller than most of the kids his age and yes, I know I am his mother so I suppose I am a bit biased but I stand by what I say.

I confess, while Steve was talking with Stevie last night in his room, I was eavesdropping… and I have to say, I was so proud of my husband in that moment. He is such a good father and was really there for Stevie last night -- really saying all the right things. What really stood out to me though was when he told Stevie it was okay to be mad and upset for tonight but when he woke up in the morning, he needed to let it go and move forward. He told him not to let this one game define him or doubt himself. He needed to use the anger and frustration to just get even better and when he does get a chance to step out on the field and play he can show the coach what he was missing out on…AND to use it this weekend when his Spartan Soccer team plays their semi-final game.

I probably should have told my husband last night how great I thought he did in talking to Stevie…but I think part of me was a little jealous. Stevie needs me less and less as he gets older and quite honestly…it sucks. I know in my heart though that Steve was the better one to talk to Stevie last night rather than me because I am just so angry at that coach for crushing my son’s spirit last night…I do not take kindly to things like that…but then, I don’t guess any mother would.

Thanks for letting me vent.