tina's snippets!

Proud of her!

Janet has been busy learning how to be a digital designer. She has such an eye for the detail that it takes to do digital design for scrapbooking. She has been selling at DSS, but opened a new store this week at ES

I am just so darned thrilled by her talent that I thought it would be great to show off her work here:

You can pick this up for free..for a limited time so HURRY!

Janny has the best CT ever! OK..well not really, but I am hoping that you will check out her work. You will see a bunch of my pages scrapped in her stuff..not because we're buds and I get her products for free...but because I do like it. I am really picky about what I use, so feel sorry for Janny..she gets lots of feedback from me! LOL

Sledding again..

Last weekend we had more snow. We woke up Sunday morning and the first thought in my mind was..my kids need to play..so off we went:

We stayed out for 2 hours with Q..the big kids stayed outside 4 hours...and couldn't wait to get back out. It was a good good day!

I haven't posted...

Daily Blogging for January is shot..because it's officially competition dance season! I have been busy getting costumes ready to go..babysitter for the boy..blah blah blah...but I thought you would enjoy this thought...

read the labels for highly dangerous substances that say they are industrial strength..

Check out the warnings on this stuff - E6000

This product is known in the state of California to cause cancer. Harmful if inhaled or swallowed. May cause dizziness, headache or nausea. Exposure may cause damage to the kidneys or liver. Use proper ventilation..when using do not eat, drink or smoke...

Ok..after using this stuff for about 2.5 hours today..with no ventilation and drinking a glass of tea...I turned cranky..had a headached ..my eyes are somewhat swelled from the congestion I am having in my sinuses and did I mention I just turned CRANKY?

Why would I do this? See example below:

Isn't that awesome!

That's one of our favorite costumes this year..actually this is the best year for costumes.

I had 5 costumes to stone with a total of almost 1,100 stones to put on the costumes!

Tonight I was down to the hardest 2 costumes because one is very detailed and the other has 310 stones on it!!!

So I got the first one done before dinner tonight and I was a mess...groggy .. oh and CRANKY!

Get through dinner, baths and Q! dramas..start the 310 costume..I'm about 20 minutes into it and feel like crap.

Then I read the label above to Larry. His response was..why don't you get a fan to air out the area while you do that?

DUH!

I grab the fan and the glue and start up again with the stones. I have about half of them on, but I was starting to feel too sick. So, I thought I would share with you!

This weekend is our first competition in St Louis at Union Station. This is a fun competition as the girls are in dance clinics during the day and compete at night. They keep these kids moving and motivated. It's a good time for all. R has moved up in the age brackets so she is considered a 'junior' which she thinks is cool. Apparently, there is an audition she will do Sunday for some part of their national program I think...I know she will do well..but I think I would flip out if she made something that big.

We are excited and ready to go. There will be pictures of her in the other costumes next week!

Post-It Art

Don't you love a post-it note? One of my best presents of the year was a pop up post-it note dispenser. Currently I am using bright pink.

This is my creative burst onto a post-it for the day. I thought I would summarize my day in this drawing.

Of course, my inner crittic is ready to burst forth and explain what it is lacking..but it does not get an opinion here...

Yes, I am full blown dance mommy. I have mastered the art of sequins, hair and make-up. R and I are beginning our 3rd year of competition. She dances and I make her look good. That's our team.
Today, was the preview of all the numbers so we could get a small taste of what the girls have been working so hard for since August. The numbers looked great, the costumes are getting there - lots of mommies including myself will be sniffing the glue over the next week to finish up stoning. So a post-it of creativity showing this aspect of my life was my therapy release for the day. I feel better!

Really, R and I have become a team on this. First season, we were both stressed. Last season, we agreed that we were both going to give each other some extra grace and let the other blow off steam, but not directing at each other. Today, no fights or dramas about nothing. It was a smooth operation. I make it sound like ..well if you are stressed and bickering why do it? Trust me, what most people would think is normal irritation for themselves, R and I feel is extreme for us. We just don't blow up on the other in everyday life. So any mishap with dance seems bigger than what it is.

The truth is..we both enjoy it. She has fallen in love with the sport of dance. It was obvious today. She enjoyed the sport and art. There were bumps with costumes and her attitude was 'I don't care, I just want to dance.' With that attitude - we had a great day and worked well.

The post-it art was inspired by the post-it project. This artist has decided to do a post-it a day for a creative outlet..not a bad idea! Doodle away!

May God bless you with               discomfort at easy answers, half truths, superficial relationships, so that you will live deep within your heart.
             
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people so that you will work for justice, equality and peace.
             
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain into joy.
             
And may God bless you with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world, so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.

Author Unknown



I have been thinking about this challenge - find a word that will shape you over the next year. I really like this outlook vs a resolution style as it is something bigger and transcends whatever activity of the day.

Truthfully, I forgot about this challenge until I was cleaning out the inbox. And I got inspired by the prayer above.

That is me.
That is where I live constantly.
This is my tension.
I must be crazy to think, be passionate about and foolish to think there is a difference my life can make! Yet, I am drawn to this foolish notion again and again.

My word for the year - authentic.  The prayer above values the authentic life wholeheartedly and I cannot escape it.  I purposely avoided  an authentic decsision in my life for a year.  It was big and needed to happen and I had the forsight  to see it - and I  held back from  it.  It was  going to require  too many changes in relationships that I valued and my  daily world. So, for one year I lived in-authentically with myself and I have been dealing with the painful consequences. I really want to use the phrase 'never again' here, but that is set up for failure. But, I want to keep authenticity in the forefront of myself and not let it slip away or be compromised. That is not me!

You will see more thoughts on authentic in a visual format soon...but I wanted to leave you with the thesaurus definition of authentic..and what made me more excited is that I chose and adjective for myself - how appropriate - an action word!

	Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry:	authentic
Part of Speech:	adjective
Definition:	real
Synonyms:	accurate, actual, authoritative, bona fide, certain, convincing, credible, creditable, dependable, factual, faithful, for real*, genuine, legit*, legitimate, official, original, pure, reliable, sure, true, trustworthy, trusty, twenty-four carat*, valid, veritable
Antonyms:	bogus, counterfeit, fake, phony, spurious, unauthorized
Notes:	genuine means not fake or counterfeit - or sincerely felt or expressed, while authentic means conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief and trust
Source:	Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright © 2007 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved. * = informal or slang

 

the prayer above came from inspiration peak - check it out!

What's in your freezer?

Do you know what's in your freezer?

I do.

If you haven't checked out Misti's Fourty Things..you've need to take a peek!
She is on a mission to organize her house from top to bottom. Her progress is amazing and some of it is eye opening (never thought of organizing the papers in my car!).

Tonight was our OAMC Freezer Group (once a month cooking). We have 6 ladies who represent their families hold a food summit in the home of Jannylynn. Every 4-6 weeks we get together exchange meals we've made and plan for the next months food. I come home with 24 meals (this is easier than it sounds!) and loads of stress removed from my life. I have been living this lifestyle for almost a year now and it's been the best investment in food..save money, time and brainpower by adopting this style of living.

So as I came home and unloaded my meals..it hit me. I really need an inventory of what exactly is in this freezer. I was suprised that I had left some good food in the freezer and well, the stinker recipes are in there too! Really, I am gloating..because here are my inventory sheets!

I hope Misti sees this post and can get her list up too! LOL

But I realized, I have got a lot of food out there. I really do not have to stress that my family will starve over the next 2 months. I do worry about this like crazy. I get into a panic somewhat if the basic supplies run out - oh my gosh I think we are too poor to buy bread!

What is insane about that type of thinking is that I have planned the food, I have planned the grocery budget - so why does this panic set in?

I am not a hoarder or went hungry as a child...it's just a strange quirk that won't go away.

Here is page 2 to finish up my inventory:

If you're interested in learning more or getting these lovely inventory sheets..here are some real professional everyday ladies hard at work saving dinner across America!

30daygourmet

Misti did a great job explaining our group in her blog.

or maybe you're wondering what the heck do you use a freezer for besides ice and ice cream? Here are some great tips from real simple.

If you would like to come over for dinner, go ahead, pick something off the list and head on over!

RAK #3 - You got mail...

When one is out of touch with oneself, one cannot touch others.
--Anne Morrow Lindbergh

When making the decision on RAK, his is not about creating a ranking list of people. Rather, it is about simple acknowledgment of kindness that I am aware of and expressing gratitude for that individual.

Today's RAK is Mindi.
Mindi has been a surprisingly refreshing relationship over the last year. I absolutely love her personal drive and ambition. She is a motivator. Whenever I bring up an idea, Mindi's first response is 'start a business!' One of these days I promise girl I will start a business from one of my ideas.

Last week I went to the mailbox and discovered a package inside. I truly love getting packages in the mail. It's a mini-Christmas for me. There was a package from Amazon. Ohhhh even better a BOOK - I love a good book!

But I didn't order a book.

Oh crap, I've blown the budget somehow.

Larry is going to flip if he sees another book coming into the house.

I open the package and the book is SUGAR SHOCK. If you look back you can see I found this group on-line of people who are kicking their sugar addictions. I thought, I didn't click anything on the sugarshock site to cause an automatic order..I didn't even sign up for anything on the site! What is going on????!!!???

But I am really excited to have this book, but I know I am going to have to send it back. Wait, what if I sold something on ebay real quick to cover my rear..was my next thought.

I pull out the invoice to see the costs and where it got charged. It says 0.00. Who doesn't love a bill that says 0.00? Wait how often do you get bills that say 0.00? OK, me neither! Back on track, the invoice didn't say where it got charged to or how it got to me. The largest type on the bill said 'Please enjoy your gift.'

Well, OK, I think this is a gift. But from who? I am still looking all over this invoice for some clue and could not find it. Then in small print it said, 'Enjoy, love Mindi.'

Now I was really delighted and honored that someone would go that extra mile for me. Truly, I think nothing of going the extra mile for others (as life should be) but, someone going the extra mile for me? WOW

Mindi at this time, is out of town on vacation. I cannot call - well I could but who wants to call someone on vacation in the Rocky Mountains! They're on vacation! A few days later, Mindi is on google and pops in to say hi. Again, she responds with 'You deserve it!'

My sweet friend, you need to know that moment of kindness and the book, really set my heart on fire. It set me on fire with such hope that yes, kindness does still survive and hope is going to win at the end of any day! All dreams are good and lovely! Thank you for giving me the gift of freedom to achieve!

I used the above quote about Mindi because she has done a lot of work getting in touch with her own purposes in life. She has become aware of how she is a part - a critical part- of something bigger in this world. That she has a special place to call her own that is not just about diapers! Only someone aware enough of themselves can recognize that in others and spur them on the journey. Thank you for pushing me further in the journey to free my body from sugar!

You are loved!

Letterboxing Adventures!

Winter is a tough season on everyone, especially those who are die hard letterboxers! Recently, I was on a great quest for a local box and found that the word camoflauge can mean a variety of things - I am calling this camo 'the squirrel effect'.

I have followed my clues faithfully with my 2 year old in tow and have approached the moment we LB'rs love - the box..will it be there? what's inside? Oh such sweet anticipation!

This box had a squirrel effect. I looked into get the box .. I saw the rock and leaves and fur on top. Fur? A fur tail? I thought it was alive and then I realized it would've been gone..then I thought oh how clever..put a fake fur tail on as camo..so I just moved it and got the box.

As I was putting it back, I happened to move the rock back and some of leaves and this fur was stuck to it all. So I pulled on the tail and ta-da I was rewarded with a squirrel corpse! It couldn't have been dead too long b/c there was a lot of fur attached and just the body was shriveled from dehydration and wrapped around the debris surrounding the box.

After that I was pretty grossed out a little and thought..you know if some stranger is pokin around in here, this will keep them away! Plus, I thought hmmm someone else will be braver than me to pull it all the way out. Not to mention my son would've been too curious about the whole thing!

Enjoy! Just know your next winter box can have a bonus of some nature!

RAK #2 - Lifesaver...

Do you know the kind of people that can pop into your life at any moment and make a huge difference?

I call those people life savers!

Today, I want to appreciate a life saver!

Janet or some of you may know her as jannylynn...
It amazes me that Janet and I have been friends for over 10 years. We've birthed babies together (well not really together) but the strange and eerie bond women get when it comes to having babies! I've addicted her to scrapbooking (I am so proud of this!). She on the other hand has always been a steady listening ear. She is the calm breeze surrounding my inner tornado on any give day...what an image!

Tonight was no exception to the rule.

Larry has been suffering with breathing and pain attacks in his chest for almost a month. Today he couldn't even get out of bed because of the pain and inability to gain a breath. Finally, I convinced him it was time to go to the doctor. The local convienence clinic was closed due to ice storms..so that left only one place to go..the ER.

Q was taking a nap, I had R's friend come up the street to stay with the kids while I got Larry to the hospital. There wasn't much of a plan in place beyond that for the kids. Like any real man, Larry was more worried about us, than taking care of himself (which is his demise as a gender and my self-inflicted torture as I observe this process).

I call Janet's house.

She's unavailable at the moment says her DH.

OK, can I talk to you? I ask her DH - dumb question but what girl really wants to talk to the husband of their best friend in a moment like this...give me the friend my brain is screaming!!!

I explain in about 3 sentences what is happening and he asks...'where are your kids?' Gushing rivers of relief go through me. Someone who thinks like me...whenever there is a crisis with parents, my immediate thoughts go to the kids involved simply because grown ups have the brain power and resources to fix whatever is going on..kids do not, so take care of kids is my motto.

His next response is, 'I'll go get them, not a problem.'

Wait..I thought this was appreciation for Janet, not her DH! Well, it's a mixture, but Allen (her DH) gets the hero reward, Janet gets the reward for staying married to such a great guy!

My kids are safe. I do not have to worry. I can focus on Larry because they are safe with Allen and Janet. Janet stayed in touch through our 7 hours in the ER..asking gentle questions and listening to my insane thoughts because I was prepared for Larry to go into surgery and stay in the hospital for a week (which is what happened last time Larry went into the hospital). Janet just stayed calm. Reassured me that this was not that extreme, gave her suggestions and encouragement and reassured me the kids could stay as long as they needed.

Whew..what's that called....


YUP...

a lifesaver!

Thank you Janet for you! You are loved!

and BTW - this picture was taken last April at 2 am at a crop! We're dog tired..but having fun!

**I forgot to mention...Larry's issues may be gall stones, the early tests were inconclusive. We go back for further testing this week....more to come!

Kindness #1

Sorry to be down a few days! Typepad has been on and offline over the past few days! I thought I would share about some random acts of kindness I've seen lately. They may be big or small, but I am really hoping to honor these special people here in my blog.

First up will have to be.....LARRY!

Here is why:

My darling husband organized our hall closet..we called this our coat closet, but instead it became the crap closet - games, playdough, gloves etc piled at the bottom...a real disaster!

Now, most women would drop over dead if their husbands took time to clean out a closet. Not only clean it but to add fabulous organization like this! Heck, those husbands would probably receive a very good reward later that night!

Yet, my husband married the only woman on the planet who could care less about cleaning! Really, I will keep things tidy, but as far as organization and everything has a spot..not me. Poor Larry will organize something wonderful like this and I would just glance over and say 'very nice' and hurry up to get back to my computer :-)

You can imagine how appreciated he felt! NOT AT ALL!

So, when does stuff like this now...I make a BIG DEAL out of it. For a couple of reason...he did put forth effort! This kind of effort and initiative needs recognition. Also, it does create a pleasant home that is more stress free for him. This kind of organization takes down his stress level. While I don't really understand this need of his, I do respect it now. I did not respect this need of his for a long time.

My first person to reward a RAK (random act of kindness) reward to is Larry!

CHEERS!

Here's to you super organization man!

May you be greatly appreciated for your awesome works or orderliness!

Your kind acts of neatness have long been unrecognized by me, I hope to reward and appreciate you more in the future.

Also, I pledge to give you the gift of tidy more often!

love ya babe!

So may your fortune be:

**fortune created by Holly McCaig Designs