Creative Working Mom

Inspired

2011-06-13T14:32:00.003-06:00

Got the creative bug again. Not scrapbooking, but collage/mixed media. The idea of scrapbooking seems daunting right now and i don't know if i'll go back to that again. in the mean time, maybe i'll start posting my creations here again. how's this for a change since i started this blog 5 years ago! I live in the Seattle area now, have a job with much greater impact and influence, have two cats, my kids are 5 and almost 7, still married, have house with a huge yard like always wanted.... and lots more.

Time

2010-09-02T11:01:00.002-06:00

I forgot I even had this blog and I found it because someone from Russia spammed me! I'm amazed at how much time has passed and wondering if it would be fun to star blogging again. I have changed so much in the last few years....will have to think about it.

Week in the Life - Monday

2008-09-29T08:16:00.001-06:00

I had all intensions of starting this project with my camera in hand. Instead, I woke up at 7:30 realizing we were all still asleep and only had 30 minutes to wake up the boys and get them ready for school.

Nikolas cried and whined the whole time. I practically had to carry him to the car. Not exactly the way you want to start off the week.

Somehow I got them to school on time. Listening to music, currently George Michael's "Freedom", seems to calm him down.

I'm taking this project seriously. I haven't been inspired or had the energy to scrapbook lately. I feel like I need to revisit my purpose for it and then I will want to do it more often.

So, I will be using my phone camera today. First picture I took was of my coffee and computer. A typical Monday morning shot.

First Scrapblog

2008-06-05T08:58:00.001-06:00

Mendhi

2008-05-15T15:07:00.004-06:00

There was a lovely Asian Heritage Month celebration at work today and I got some beautiful Mendhi art on my wrist and hand. It is supposed to last for about two weeks. This should go over well at the numerous children's birthday party's we are supposed to attend this weekend.

One of my cousin's sent me a link to this increadibly inspiration video by Marianne Williamson. A must see for all the mothers on this planet:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2699996680253299899

Tea and Music

2008-05-07T08:09:00.001-06:00

We've all been battling colds/bronchitis around here for about a month. I cant wait until we are all feeling better. I'm looking forward to working out again. Stretching and doing some yoga without my head feeling like a balloon that's about to pop. All is good though. I get better every day. I'm at a café near the school that has internet access. Listening to James Blunt and drinking some Tea. All is good.

Scrapbooking Again

2008-05-02T08:14:00.005-06:00

My Brother, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

It feels good. After a long break of no blogging and no scrapbooking, i'm back. Hopefully for good. What have I been doing the last few months? Working hard at my job and loving it. Reading/Taking Oprah's Book Club class - A New Earth - which has completely changed my life. I am trying to live in the present moment as much as possible. It is truly a beautiful experience. I find myself sitting in my back yard almost every evening just looking at the trees, feeling the breeze, breathing and relishing in the moment. Its amazing. A year ago I would have been rushing around trying to get things done so that I could go watch my favorite TV shows. Dont get me wrong, I still enjoy watching some favorite shows, but I have cut way back on my TV watching. I am reading more, sitting still and trying to notice the moments of stillness more. It seems to be rubbing off on Rich too. Our house is so much more peaceful lately. I don't recall the last time we had a serious argument. Things are so light when you realize what's really important and that all the mundane little things in life that tick us off are so NOT important in the grand scheme of the universe.

I don't even know if anyone will readh this blog anymore, but its nice to be back in blog land.

Today I am working from my home office. I have a coughing cold, yet I am happy as can be. I'm grateful for the quiet in the house as the boys are back at school (after being sick all week as well). I'm grateful that its Friday and I get to see my boys all weekend. I'm grateful.

backwards

2008-02-08T12:43:00.001-06:00

backwards, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

Yesterday, he had to practice getting dressed at school becuase his teacher knows what a hard time he has been giving us in the morning. It's pure stubbornes. This morning we reached our limit and told him that if he didnt get dressed, he would go to school in his pajamas. 45 minutes of refusing later, we followed through. Rich took the boys to school and Nikolas cried the whole way. He was given one more chance to put his clothes on in the car and Rich says he has never seen him get dressed so fast. Hopefully, he learned his lesson and school mornings will be a little less stressful.

two little poisonous berries

2008-02-07T14:12:00.001-06:00

two little poisonous berries, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

images in a dirty window

2008-02-03T08:45:00.001-06:00

spooky images in a dirty window, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

look at all the little images that seemed to that show up after i processed this. all i did is apply a fake lomo action. do you see anything else?

Happy Sunday! Today my husband is going on a 100 mile bike ride with other cyclists. The kids and i are hanging out all day. Its supposed to be warm and sunny so I think the park is definetely on the agenda.

afternoon at our favorite park

2008-01-31T11:17:00.001-06:00

afternoon at our favorite park, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

i actually got my husband to take a few pictures so that my children know that I WAS actually there when they were growing up! :) applied a free vintage action from Michell Black.

blue bath time

2008-01-10T15:07:00.001-06:00

blue bath time, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

gotta love those crayola bath time colors!

simple love

2008-01-07T10:35:00.001-06:00

simple love, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

Happy Monday. Back at work. HAving a good day. Listing to Iron&Wine, very cool band I just discovered.

Did Yoga yesterday at home all by myself. Muscles are sore, which is good!

Goals for the day:
- get a list going of all the work items that need to be completed.
- go to spin class this afternoon.
- stay within my calorie limit for the day which is < 1400.
- do yoga for 15 minutes and "meditate"

Off to start on my list.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T10:15:00.001-06:00

snow splatter, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

I'm pretty sure I've lost my small but quite dear to my heart blog followers. If you occasionally still stop by to check in on me ,I wanted to say thank you and happy new year. I'm back at work after a couple of weeks of hanging out at the house in my pajamas with my husband the boys. I have to admit, I am giddy with excitement to be back at work in real clothes and with makeup on!!

I had an urge to clean up my office area today. It something i have been meaning to do forever. It feels so good to be sitting in a clean clutter free cube. We all work in cubes at my office, but they are pretty big.

I signed up for an online class that I read about in the latest Oprah Magazine. Its all about bringing joy back in to your life - check it out at Awakening Joy - www.awekeningjoy.info

Back to my coffee and cleaning up my task list in Outlook. I feel the need to start fresh right NOW. I'm ready to take on 2008. Lets Go!

Candy Cane Hearts

2007-12-14T12:05:00.001-06:00

Heart, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

to all my scrapbooking friends, I am officially in a scrapbook rut. I think I have a tendency to jump from one creative thing to the next and get so focused on it that the others get put aside for a while. right now, its all about photography. i do have a layout on my desk just ready to be put together, but i just have not made the time

in the mean time, hope you dont mind some pictures - i'm having so much fun with the new camera.

happy holidays!

how cute is this

2007-12-11T12:14:00.001-06:00

, originally uploaded by TwoLittleMonkeys.

seriously? i wish i had pics of my boys this adorable.

Look at the background

2007-12-01T13:51:00.001-06:00

Look at the background, originally uploaded by **Carla**.

i captured poor Lukas falling face first in the dirt. this whole photography obsession is making me a less alert Mom! Any one else have that problem? (btw - he didn't even cry. I guess he likes the taste of dirt.)

As far as tips. First, thank you for the compliments. I finally got a Canon REbel XT and I got a cheap but awesome 50mm lens. Other than that, I usually adjust the contrast/brightness and saturation to make the colors pop. Sometimes I sharpen them too. Thanks again for stopping by!

Say Argh!

2007-11-28T19:38:00.001-06:00

Look at that big mouth. Its a sign of things to come. He's going to be a charmer and a handful. He sure is funny though. Love this shot of him making the "argh" sound.

Blog Slacker

2007-11-25T14:21:00.000-06:00

Yes, I have totally stopped blogging lately. Having more fun reading other people's blogs and playing with my new camera. Flickr is my favorite place to "hang out" lately. I figure I will just go with it, rather than feeling guilty for not keeping up with my blog. Guilt is seriously a useless emotion...well, unless you do something REALLY bad.

Hope all is well with the people who regularly check in on me. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

How to Know Your Soul's Desires

2007-11-13T13:13:00.000-06:00

Thinking of doing this in my art journal tonight:

"Getanother piece of paper and write at the top, "Things I want." Then, list as many things as you can think of—a new car, a better job, thinner thighs, whatever. When you've listed everything you can think of, turn to a new page. At the top of this page, write, "Things I yearn for." Then, start listing. You'll find yourself coming up with things that didn't appear on your first list, which was made mostly by your mind. We want cars—we yearn for freedom and mobility. We want hot sex—we yearn for intimacy. We want to be beautiful—we yearn for total self-acceptance. As you list the things your soul yearns for, let go of the need to figure out how they might be fulfilled. Your methods will probably not work—cars, sex and beauty don't automatically lead to freedom, intimacy and self-acceptance. Allow yourself to be okay with not knowing, for the present moment, how the universe intends to fulfill your soul's desires. The more you let go of the process, the sooner it will happen. And it will happen." - Martha Beck - http://www.oprah.com/presents/2007/eatpraylove/devotion/devotion_still_c.jhtml

Where have I been?

2007-11-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

Where are you from? Where are you going? If you've read EAT PRAY LOVE, you will get that reference. I was in Seattle for 6 days teaching my first class, which was incredibly tiring in a totally new kind of way. I think my brain physically hurt at the end of each day. Then I came home and hung out with my parents a few days and also found my little Nikolas sick with the stomach flu. Apparently, its going around. My Mom got it too. They left at 6:30am and I have been catching up on email all day. Rich has been steam cleaning the carpets and washing the diarrhea off Nikolas' bedsheets. Bless that man.

Back to EAT PRAY LOVE. I started reading it on the flight to Seattle. It was four hours and I could not put the book down until we had to get off the plane. That week there was no way I could read anything, because of previously mentioned brain drain. However, I picked it back up on flight home and finished it Sunday night. What an amazing book. What an inspiring woman - Elizabeth Gilbert. This book has really come at a great time for me. I'm ready to go on this journey too. Not quite as literal as that just sounded. I cant really travel to Italy, India, and Bali. I mean the spiritual journey. I'm intrigued by meditation. Yoga too. I've done Yoga in the past, but purely for the physical aspect and the relaxation was always just a nice side effect.

Since I started this book, I really have made a conscience effort to try to stop and be more mindful of what is going on in this very moment. Not an easy thing to do, but I can see how this practice could really bring joy and happiness to your life.

If you're interested, Oprah has a whole site dedicated to this book and the author. Too bad I missed that episode, but the links on there are great!

http://www.oprah.com/presents/2007/eatpraylove/eatpraylove_main.jhtml

Halloween

2007-11-01T18:40:00.001-06:00

halloween 126, originally uploaded by cbec2003.

We had a lot of fun on Main Street. They shut the place down and have free activities for the kids. This is the best shot of over 200 I took with the new camera. At this rate I'm going to need a new external hard drive. I need to start deleting the ones that just arent good enough to print,but that is hard for me. I almost feel guilty about deleting a moment i captured even if the shotis blurry or just plain boring. Yes, I know...I have serious issues.

My parents will be in town for 11 days starting tomorrow. I leave for Seattle Sunday, to teach a class all next week. They will be here to help Rich with the boys. Thank goodness.

My Rebel

2007-10-31T11:03:00.001-06:00

watching blues clues, originally uploaded by cbec2003.

I finally got my dream camera. The digital Rebel XT arrived yesterday and I am like a little kid in a candy shop. Unfortunately, I havenet had much time to play yet but hopefully this afternoon. I have so much more to learn than I imagined, but its so exciting. THis is my favorite picture from last night. Now i see why I will have to buy an expensive lens soon. I really dont like to use the flash and the kit lens is pretty slow. I'm still in love though. Happy Halloween!!

Update

2007-10-25T08:59:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to let you know that my tests came back negative. Which is good and bad. I wish I knew what was going on with me, although I haven’t had any pain in almost a week. The doctor wants to keep an eye on it. Other than that, been super busy with work and have not had time to play in my crafty corner in days. I miss it and hope to do something soon. Here are some pictures from our visit to the pumpkin patch last week. Not too many of Nikolas as he had very short nap and in not the most photogenic mood!

Ga Ga Gallbladder

2007-10-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

The other night I started having some bad pains in my upper right abdomen and it was bad enough where it kept me up tossing and turning all night. So I went to see my doctor Thursday and he thinks I may have to get my gallbladder removed! I have been put on a clear liquids, zero fat, and fruit diet. I'm pretty nauseous and have no appetite anyway. I had an ultrasound this morning to check for stones, but it came back normal. Now I have to go have some other kind of radioactive scan on Monday because he still thinks its Gallstones. Fun Fun Fun. It's crazy that this would happen to me. I eat so freakin' healthy! He said its common in women of my age who have lost a lot weight and who eat low fat diets. Go figure. I get punished for eating well :)

I'm feeling pretty good today, not much pain, just not hungry. I guess this is a blessing in disguise as it may just help me loose those last 15 pounds!

Other that that, we are going to Nikolas school this evening and tomorrow morning for what they call Journey and Discovery. We get to basically pretend to be students and learn all about the Montessori Materials that our kids learn with. I'm really looking forward to it. My in-laws are flying in to watch the boys for us.

Rich is making his famous Chili for dinner....I dont think I can have any. Gosh, maybe just one bite wont kill me....or two.

Have a great weekend!

Mommy Brain

2007-10-16T09:28:00.000-06:00

Is this what loosing your mind feels like? I was just washing my hands in the ladies room at work when i noticed the lovely fashion statement i was wearing. Luckily I had long sleeves on. Oh, and yesterday, I put the butter in the cabinet instead of the refrigerator. And this morning I almost poured coffee in cereal bowl, instead of milk.

News

2007-10-13T18:07:00.000-06:00

I decided that rather than keep collecting all the things that I make, I am going to sell them. I have no idea if anyone will ever buy a thing, but I figure if a sell just one thing it could help buy some more scrapbooking/art supplies. Plus I am incredibly excited to just make things knowing that they are going to be for sale. It allows me to experiment, rather than feel guilty that I'm not making a scrapbook page when I just want to do something creative. Not that I still don't love to scrapbook, I just love so many other things too.

So I invite you to go to the grand opening of my Etsy shop!

Daddy's Back

2007-10-12T07:34:00.000-06:00

He finished his business early and caught an earlier flight home last night. Its nice to have him back. Here's a collage I worked on yesterday in between nap times. I still fell a little weird using old vintage photos of strangers. All the artists that have inspired me do it though:

this one

and this one

are two of my favorites. I love what they do and hope to be able to as free and creative as they are one of these days.

The picture of the little girl made me think of a princess, and it reminded me how my Dad used to call me "principessa" after he saw the move Life is Beautiful (which is a must see by the way).

Today I am taking the boys to my brother's house after school and giving Rich some time to catch up on his email/work. The weather is finally starting to cool off and we are going to take them to the park. Tomorrow we are going to the pumpkin patch and meeting up with some friends and their baby. I cant wait to get some great photos.

Here's a question before I sign off. i thought of this in the middle of the night when I couldn't go back to sleep. When you have memories, do you see yourself in them as if you were watching a movie or as if you were watching through your own eyes? I realized that most of my memories of growing up, I see them in my mind as if I were watching a movie. I see myself in the memory. Isn't that strange? or maybe that's how everyone recalls their life? Maybe its because most of my memories were also accompanied by pictures that I have seen of those events. Anyway, I don't know why, but this was what I was thinking about last night at 3am.

Have a great day!

screaming

2007-10-11T09:40:00.000-06:00

What do you do when your 16 month old loves to scream in a high pitched voice that makes your ears buzz which then causes your 3 year old to mimic the shrill sound as well? Help me. Lukas always starts this only when his older brother is around. Nothing I say makes him stop, specially in the car. Its driving me nuts. Advise please...anyone. Eventually they did stop, but not soon enough.

not feeling like the best mom today. why do i let these stupid little things get to me? i have to do better. Lukas is sleeping right now, then we are off to pick up Nikolas from school then go to the gym. they will fall asleep on the way home from the gym and take their naps at home until around 4. that's when the real fun will begin. i'm going to have to take them tot he park, because we are going to go nuts in the house :)

Look at me complaining and this is only my first day!

Pencil Lines

2007-10-10T12:30:00.000-06:00

My first time at trying a pencil lines sketch. I can see how this could become addictive. it really helps your creativity flow.

In other news: Rich left on a business trip today and wont be back until Friday evening. This means I get to pretend I am a stay at home Mom for next few days, as I took the days off work. No more Nanny to help out when he goes out of town. Luckily i have lots of vacation accrued. I'm really looking forward to this. Although, I am sure it will be exhausting and will give me a whole new appreciation for all you Mom's out there with the toughest job in the world!

So sick of the heat

2007-10-07T12:37:00.000-06:00

it is like summer around here. i'm ready for sweater weather. i'm ready to play outside with the kids and not have to worry about mosquitos. i'm ready for Fall! Oh, and am i the only one who buys scrapbook stuff and it just sits there? I have yet to use those adorable stamps or the awesome k&company paper I picked up at Joann Fabric. I need to stop buying and start scrapping.

score

2007-10-01T12:37:00.001-06:00

had to do a quick post to share my find at Target today. Look at these adorable mini stamps by autumn leaves. and only 1.99 each!! they are by the scrapbooking section in an end cap. i almost didnt even see them. cant wait to play later.

I also picked up a few halloween decorations. i've never been much of a holiday decorator, but i really want the boys to have fun memories of FALL and Halloween, so I am starting this year. i just got a couple of little pumpkins and plan on buying some real ones to carve this week. i figure every year i can collect a few more things and by the time they get older, i will have the house decked out at every holiday. Happy October!

Collaging Again

2007-09-27T17:19:00.000-06:00

Its been months and today i got some inspiration from this amazing illustrator:http://www.lorenasiminovich.com/galeriascambios.asp?idSeccion=1&page=1&selFoto=3#

Also inspired by the owls in the last issue of CK and ofcourse used techniques from Claudine Hellmuths first book.

Its 8 x 10 and i plan on framing it and putting it up in Nikolas' room. Maybe I will do a series of them. Who knows. I just happen to have had a little extra time free of work the last few days, which has allowed me to actually enjoy some creative time.

A few more 8.5 by 11

2007-09-27T10:44:00.000-06:00

Beautiful

2007-09-24T12:17:00.000-06:00

The other day I come downstairs ready to leave the house, and I was a little more dressed up than usual. Nikolas says to me - "Wow, its beautiful Mommy. I like your shirt." That has to be best compliment I have ever gotten. I made a LO and did 8.5x11 for the first time. It was so much quicker than 12x12!

Pretty busy weekend, not much time to scrapbook. We went to the annual Fall Mixer for Nikolas' school. It was fun. The house it was at belonged to one of the parents. Geeze! It was a mansion. I cant even imagine what must go in to maintaining a house like that.

Other than that, not much else new, except for Nikolas finally going #2 in the potty all by himself today. FINALLY!! hopefully this will continue.

Catching up

2007-09-17T08:58:00.001-06:00

Here are some layouts that i have been waiting to scan in to my computer, but I finally decided on taking a picture instead. Much easier. I have a couple more to upload later today. So you see, I have actually been doing a little scrapbooking here and there. Not my favorites, but atleast its something :)

So Cool

2007-09-14T17:47:00.001-06:00

Saw her prints being sold in the latest anthropology catalog- lorena siminovich . How adorable are these???

Memory Failing

2007-09-14T09:02:00.000-06:00

It hit me this morning at 6am. Did we forget to attend the parent information night with Nikolas' teacher last night? I ran down to check the school calendar online and sure enough, it was last night. I never miss any school events. In fact, I look forward to them. Somehow though, it was not on my calendar and we just plain forgot. Rich wasn't much help in reminding me either, even though the teacher apparently mentioned it to him at pick up a few days ago. I'm quickly learning that my brain is just not capable of remembering everything that it used to and I absolutely have to put things on my calendar or risk forgetting it.

Needless to say this started my day off on the wrong foot. It didn't help that I woke up with a throbbing sinus headache and that I also banged the kitchen cabinet on my face so hard that I thought my nose was broken! So a few minutes ago I ventured to Ali's blog to catch up, and she lifted my spirits as usual. Yesterday she randomly posted things she was grateful for, so I decided to go ahead and do the same. Maybe it will help turn my day around:

- my beautiful boys that I get to hang out with all weekend
- meeting up with my brother and his family tonight at Grapefest
- taking the boys to a birthday party tomorrow at Pump It Up (cant wait to see Lukas bounce around for the first time).
- Rich steam cleaning the carpet in my scrapbook room/office, after Harley (our black lab) decided to have an accident in there yesterday.
- Rich doing all the laundry this week.
- being able to go to work, which i love
- its Friday

Have a great weekend!

Hello

2007-09-13T08:23:00.001-06:00

Rich's grandma is doing ok. the house is pretty old and dilapidated and her four little dogs constantly pee on the carpet....the carpet that my boys were rolling around on the whole time we were there. I couldn't wait to disinfect them the minute we got to the hotel in Austin. its not her fault, she can't even walk anymore. i think she will be going to a nursing home very soon. luckily, her daughter lives down the road and checks in on her frequently.

We drove to Austin Sunday morning and ended up staying for two nights at the hotel so that we could get a break from driving. The kids did really well. it helped that we got a room with a separate sitting area, so we could put Lukas to sleep and still hangout in the living room. Nikolas just stayed up with us until he passed out. This was much easier than trying to get him to go to sleep. its funny how i've gotten more relaxed about sleeping schedules now that I have two. Although, we are still pretty strict about bed time when we're at home.

Monday we went on a fun bike ride in Austin then took the boys for a train ride. Nikolas loved every second of the train ride and cried when we had to leave. Lukas was wiggling in my arms the whole time and probably would have jumped off the moving train if I let him. That evening we ventured on our first dinner out with the two kids. Yes, this was the first time we have ever taken them both out to a restaurant for dinner. We have only been out to lunch before. We chose a casual Mexican restaurant and came prepared with the portable DVD player and Baby Einstein DVD's. That was the saving grace. We were actually able to sit down, have a glass of wine, and eat dinner! Now I know it can be done, so we'll have to try it again at home. I know, we are such wimps. I bet you all take your kids out to dinner all the time, but since we have had the nanny, we would just go out alone and enjoy the peace. Now we have to learn how to make it work like everyone else.

Oh, and before I forget. The highlight of the trip for Nikolas was riding on the "alli - gator" which was his way of saying elevator. He could not get over pushing the button and running to the window and watch us go up and down. Its so fun to see him get a kick out of the little joys in life.

I'm moving my scrapbook corner to Norma's old room. So right now my stuff is everywhere. Its a good opportunity to go through all my supplies and get rid of things I just will never use. I think I will do a RAK when I'm done. Stay tuned. Thanks for checking in on me, even though I have been posting much less frequently. Here are a few pictures.

The boys in the "chariot":

The trail we ride on and the amazing blue water at Barton Springs:
Lukas running in the play ground and biting the seat on the train:

Nikolas waiting for the train to get going:

Finally moving:

Lukas sampling the cuisine:

Balance

2007-09-06T10:32:00.000-06:00

I dint realize how difficult it would be to find free time now that we have no help. Rich has adjusted really well and is quite proud of himself. I am still getting used to this. Its seems that the minute I get home from work, he hands the kids over to me. I understand that he needs a break, but I have been working all day too. Its frustrating, but I have to just deal with it for now. By the time the kids are both in bed, its 8:30 and the last thing I want to do is scrapbook or paint. I did a little bit last weekend, but still have yet to finish the LO I started. This weekend we have to go to the tiniest boring town in Texas to visit Rich's ailing grandmother. I know its family, but I just hate staying there. The house and th dogs and the smell....ugh. Plus the kids and I barely sleep since I have to share a bed with Nikolas. At least its only one night. His grandma is super sweet and I adore her, but its serious stress for me with the boys because their is so much crap that they can and will get in to.

Enough complaining! I think we are going to go to Austin again afterwards, as it is about an hour awa. We plan to go bike riding again since we go the kids a little trailer that Rich pulls and they love it. The wear little helmets, eat their snack, and eventually fall asleep as we ride. What a great invention!

First Day of School

2007-08-27T09:35:00.000-06:00

I cant believe how fast this summer has gone by. I dropped Nikolas off at school today. He did really well. I think he truly loves going there, although he was pretty tired. I don't know whats going on with him, but lately he gets up in the middle of the night and cant go back to sleep. He comes in to our bed for a little while and tosses and turns for over an hour. I usually take him back to his bed, but sometimes I'm too tired to keep doing that so I just let him stay there. Last night, he finally fell back asleep in his own bed around 5 am. My eyes are pretty puffy today too. I'm sure the fist day of school is tough for everyone out there too. Tonight we will all be exhausted and ready for bed early.

Today is Rich's first day working from home without a nanny. I think he is doing really well so far. I called him and he was taking the time to do some work while Lukas slept. I really think he will still be able to work on his business quite a bit in between naps and in the evenings when I get home around 5. Its a very flexible type of business (he's a yacht broker). When lukas starts school in January, he will have all morning to work and then go pick up the boys at noon.

Speaking of Lukas, he outgrew his soft slipper shoes, so we had to put on real ones. We found some really dorky white shoes that Nikolas never wore. Poor little guy. It was really funny to see him try to walk in them for the first time. Check it out:

First Real Trails

2007-08-23T09:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, my husband and I went for a bike ride in the afternoon. The goal? To get me on my first real mountain bike trails. We live a few blocks away from some great beginner/intermediate trails that border a paved trail by the lake (one thing I love about our neighborhood).

I was a little nervous and I was having trouble getting my shoes to clip in (they got full of mudd on my first little fall). I managed to get up some little rocky hills, although going down them was scary. I got off my bike ALOT and walked when I felt uncomfortable. Some of the trails where really steep and you were supposed to go over a 1 foot plank over a creek. I don't think so! I could just see myself eating dirt and falling in the creek. I wasn't out to get hurt on my first time.
At the end of our 1.5 hour ride, we found a much easier trail which was so much fun. I think I will try that one a few more times to get more comfortable. This sport is addictive. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night and I cant wait to get back on my bike this evening!

On the scrapbooking front, I have some new layouts I need to scan. Am I the only one who hates scanning layouts? Its such a pain to have to stitch the images together, but i don't want to spend the money on a larger scanner just because i'm being lazy.

Tomorrow is Norma's last day. A whole new world starts on Monday. Nikolas is back at school that day and Rich will be taking Lukas with him everywhere he goes while I am at work. Getting a little nervous about this, but i know it will work itself out. I'm excited about the new school year. Its fun to chat with the other parents and participating in school events. Rich is the Communications Lead on the Board of Trustees this year. He's done a great job with the school's web site and is helping enrollment go up. I'm so proud of him.

Meet my new Baby

2007-08-19T13:14:00.001-06:00

Isn't she pretty? We went on at 13 mile ride on Friday and 10 mile ride today. She is just awesome. I am having so much fun getting in to this new sport. I haven't done any actually "mountain biking" yet (just paved trails), as I am just trying to get comfortable on the bike first. The main thing I am trying to get used to is the clip on shoes. Its a really creepy to think you could fall over and your feet could stay attached to the bike! They are made to come off really easily though, so I am feeling better about it. Very soon I will venture on to a real trail and off the pavement. So exciting!

i'm back baby

2007-08-18T07:15:00.000-06:00

thanks to the sweetest care package from Chrissy with adorable papers from Daiso, I created someting that I am actually proud of. I feel a renewed sense of creativity and I am ready to get back to playing again. Its still difficult to find balance between work, kids, and creating. Now I know why Ali always struggles with this and she too goes through creative slumps. It must be pretty normal. Promise to update my blog more soon. Thanks for hanging in there.

Breath

2007-08-13T21:01:00.000-06:00

The Norma thing went really well. I was so nervous, my hands were shaking. I told her that I was nervous and needed to talk to her. She ended up telling ME it was ok and that these things happen. I know she will be ok. She's a survivor. I feel a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders. Thank you for all the sweet encouraging comments.

As for the weekend getaway in Austin, it was awesome. We got a great deal at the Austin Downtown Hilton through priceline.com. Friday we arrived around 3pm then hung around 6th street listening to music and acting like college kids. Saturday we rented mountain bikes and went on a two hour ride around the beautiful river (Town Lake train). This was my first time on a mountain bike and i was a little nervous at first. After the first 20 minutes I got comfortable and had an amazing time. It helped that I have been taking spinning classes at the gym, so I was not that out of shape. However, I was feeling pain in places I never expected, like my wrists and elbows. All in all the views were beautiful and the workout was awesome. I am ready to get my own bike soon!

After that we headed to Barton Springs Pool which is a chilly 68 degrees year round. I dipped my feet in and that was enough to cool off. Rich actually jumped in! We hung around for a little while then found a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant for lunch before heading to the hotel to relax. Delicious fish tacos!

That evening we decided to go to a nice restaurant for dinner. We walked to Malagas tapas bar, which is a great place with little Spanish dishes. We drank wine, laughed, and remembered why we have so much fun together.

Knowing that the kids were with our parents allowed us to relax and really have fun. We were almost shocked at how good we felt and how we didn't "miss" them tremendously. All in all it was an amazing little getaway that helped put a spark back in to our marriage. I guess my parents were insisting on this becuase after 39 years of marriage, they know what it takes to make it last. Thank you Mom and Dad!

Bye Bye Norma

2007-08-09T08:24:00.000-06:00

After 2.5 years we have decided it is time to let our live in nanny go. It was a difficult decision that we have been mulling over for months. Nikolas is in Pre-School from 8am -12 then he comes home to sleep for 2-3 hours and soon (in January) Lukas will be doing the same. It just does not make sense to keep paying her to do a little house cleaning then hang around watching TV all day. Rich has stepped up and decided to take care of Lukas for the next few months until he starts school. I am also able to help out in the afternoons and other occasions because of my job flexibility.

This is going to be so hard. IWe have gotten so spoiled having her around. I have never had to fire someone and on top of that I have to do it all in Spanish, which I am not nearly as comfortable speaking as English. We decided to tell her this afternoon and it was so tough to see and talk to her this morning knowing that she had no idea what was coming.

We are going to give her 2 more weeks pay and if she cant find a job by then we aren't going to kick her out if she has no place to live. We will let her stay a little while longer until she finds a place to live.

On ha HAPPY note, my parents are coming in to town this evening and Rich and I are going to Austin for the weekend for a little getaway with out the kids. I'll post more about that later.

taking a blog break

2007-08-05T18:34:00.001-06:00

need to regroup. gather my thoughts. get reinspired to post. thanks for checking in.

I Did it!

2007-08-01T17:55:00.001-06:00

On the last day of class, after our final presentation where we had to prove we could teach this stuff to new hires, I made it. Only 6 of us out 16 got officially "endorsed" as trainers. This experience was incredibly rewarding. I learned so much about myself and how I appear to others. I have a renewed interest in public speaking and THE company I work for as a whole. I am so proud of being able to succeed after being so tired and mentally drained.

I took the "red eye" flight which left at midnight and arrived at 6am my time. now i know why its called the red eye. I have never been so tired in my life. Luckily I was able to take yesterday off to recover.

I miss scrapbooking. I miss painting. I miss collaging. I haven't had time to do anything creative in weeks. Must make time soon.

Chrissy

2007-07-28T22:54:00.000-06:00

She is as sweet and funny as i imagined. I saw her beautiful red hair and adorable boys walking towards me and I instantly knew it was her. Lunch was fun and it was so easy to talk to her. I wish i had friends like these at home. It was too little time, but some day soon we are going to plan a good long visit.

After that I got to spend some time with an old friend who lives here. She took me to a really cute outdoor cafe and then we went and did a little shopping followed by dinner. Needles to say i was exhausted. I get to my corporate apartments around 10 pm knowing that i have to be up at 6am for training and the key will not open the door!!! I had a little mini meltdown and actually started crying. Yes folks, I cried like a little baby! I dont know what came over me. I guess the stress and emotion of being way from my family and just wanting to go to sleep and being stuck in the hall way just got to me. Some sweet girls helped me out by going to find the maintenance man who proceeded to turn the key and open the door as if it were no big deal. I'm telling you the key has problems. I had a really hard time with it today as well. It needs its own set of instructions.

As far as today. I was crazy nervous about this training. I knew i would have to actually present in from of a group of people at some point during the day. i was so nervous when it was my turn. i could here my knees knocking and my hand were visibly shaking. Somehow i got through it. I dont know what came over me , but I did a better job than i ever expected. i got some great feedback and pointers to work on for tomorrows presentations. That little boost of confidence goes a long way and i think i may be able to actually get some sleep tonight. Two more nights and I get to fly home.

is it only wednesday?

2007-07-25T17:58:00.000-06:00

lonely, busy, tired of eating crappy bar food, miss my family. gotta suck it it up and keep on going.

Whoo Hoo

2007-07-22T18:49:00.000-06:00

I made it to Seattle safe and sound. There is nothing like the joy of life and relief I feel every time the plane lands safely. Its been a long day. I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory then went to my room and was able to take a nap. I called home when I woke up and Nikolas was having his dinner and we chatted a tiny bit .He's still not into the whole phone conversation thing, but he did say "i love you" and at that point i had to get off the phone. I cant get this sentimental on my first day here. I have 8 more to go! Time to suck it up and go do what I came here to do...network, learn, and oh yeah... meet up with Chrissy!!

I'm off to the welcome reception. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

Unpubbed

2007-07-20T09:13:00.000-06:00

Quick post. Less than 48 hours before I leave. I find myself thinking of the big "what if" every time I travel, because I hate to fly. you know...what if something happens and I never get to see my family again. Its terrible that i let me thoughts ever go there for a millisecond! I have to focus on keeping my thoughts positive and remember that flying is safe. I think you can rent little movie machines on Alaska Air, so that will keep me entertained or maybe I will actually fall asleep since i will have been up since 4:30am!

Here is my take on this week's unpubbed challenge. Elizabeth's LO is awesome, so be sure to check it out and give it a try. Plus we havea Cocoa Daisy kit to give away!! They are one of my favorite Kits.

Stressed

2007-07-16T18:01:00.000-06:00

i'm so stressed out thinking about my 9 day trip to Seattle. There is so much to get ready at work and at home. Not to mention how sad i start feel when I really think about how long I will be gone. I know once I get there, I will stay so busy that time will fly by. I leave at 7 am on Sunday morning! that is the only flight i could find direct, so i'll be there around 9am. I love the weather in Seattle this time of year. It is amazing compared to near 100 degree heat we are enjoying in Texas.

Nikolas is swimming in the pool. That is all he wants to do these days. I can pretty much get him to do anything I want by reminding him he gets to swim in the pool if he eats his food or doesnt have a tantrum at the playground when its time leave. This is some pretty good leverage i've got going here. Hopefully it will last all summer!!

not much new. having lunch with a great friend tomorrow, so i'm looking forward to that.

Hope everyone is doing well. I so appreciate your comments.

Before and After

2007-07-12T18:38:00.000-06:00

I just couldn't stop cutting and all of the sudden my baby turned in to a toddler!!

Summer Days

2007-07-09T19:17:00.000-06:00

Like many of my blogland friends, I too am feeling like I need a bit of blog break. Rather than not post at all, I am going to keep my posts short and sweet until I feel more inspired or until something really exciting happens. Here are a couple of layouts I completed last week, but forgot to post. One is a LO and the other is a page in my art journal. I'm thinking of starting an art journal for each my boys. I am so inspired by THIS artist I found on Flickr - Corey Moortgat. Check out her amazing "layouts".

I got it!

2007-07-06T07:58:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all the positive thoughts. I got it! I get to attend 3 days of Train the Trainer class where I will be evaluated and they will make the final decision of whether or not I am officially an "endorsed" trainer. They are really setting the bar high on this one. I'm nervous, but excited.

As far as all the comments about the kids. Thanks as well. Its nice to know I'm not alone. After all my whining, I missed them so much after spending the day on my own at work yesterday. Go figure!

Here is my layout for this weeks Unpubbed Challenge, the scanner cut off the bottom, but you can imagine it is one of those adorable Rhona Farrer Autumn Leaves Die Cuts .I stopped by my LSS yesterday after the gym looking for some inspiration. I couldn't resist the bright colors of green and blue. The combination was inspired by the striped fabric self-adhesive Elsie paper.

*just noticed what good prices Two Peas has compared to my LSS! 1.00 for the AL Die Cut paper versus 1.69!

Rain Rain Go Away

2007-07-05T11:15:00.000-06:00

I don't remember the last time I didn't post in a whole week. I was on my so called vacation in Houston and it rained the entire time we were there. That means we didn't go to the beach and we weren't able to go to that fantastic scrapbook store either (it was on the way to the beach). I learned on this trip that as long as I have young children, there is no such thing as a vacation. I was up at 6am most days and did most of the "baby watching". My in-laws helped a little, but not in the mornings. Everyone was sleeping away as I hung out with the boys. I hate to sound like such a complainer, but weekends like this remind me of why I am probably done having kids. I thing I am fine with these two little guys and I cant imagine adding another one to the mix.

We got back on the 3rd and I was so happy to be home. Watching the kids is a lot easier in the comfort of our baby proofed house! Instead of running around after them to make sure they don't fall in a pool, grab medicines from the cupboards, or hit their heads on the corner of a coffee table. No matter how many times we go to their house, it never ceases to amaze me how they don't think to prepare for the visit and baby proof a little in advance. When we say something ,they get all defensive and start going off on how we don't trust them with the boys. There I go venting again.....

On to a new subject. I had an interview at work today. It is to be accepted in to a really cool program where I will be training new hires to do what I do. I would be going to Seattle 3 times a year for about 5 days. I will still have my current job, this is just an opportunity to gain some new skills. I hope I get it! The travel will be tough, but it is spaced out about every 4 months. Wish me luck.

Tonight I have to work on my unpubbed LO and go catch up on my favorite blogs. Yes, that means you.

Vacation

2007-06-28T11:39:00.000-06:00

I haven't really had a vacation in years. I guess it was our Honeymoon in Tortola - scroll down the link and you can see a picture of us at the resort). I dream of going on a fancy cruise around the Mediterranean . Why a cruise? Because i think it would be good for the boys to have a "home base" and the same place to sleep every night. I think most cruiselines offer children's activities/camps when they are 3 years old. Which means my dream will have to wait a few more years until Lukas is older. Disney Cruises are supposed to be amazing too....even for the parents. Can you imagine how much fun the kids must have on that? Have any of you taken a cruise with young children?

Ok, back to reality. This weekend we are going to Houston to visit the in-laws. Not exactly the Mediterranean. I am taking Monday and Tuesday off and we are hoping to take the kids to the beach on Monday. The drive to Galveston beach is about one hour from Houston. Its not exactly paradise but at least it is the ocean. I told my husband that I am going in to vacation mode Friday night. This means that in my head, I am going to pretend to be on vacation. I will not check my work email and I will enjoy some good food and drinks without stressing out about calories. Wish me luck.

Edited: My girls just informed me that Donna Downey was raving about a new scrapbook store in Houston. I am so going to check it out. thankyou!

be you

2007-06-26T08:21:00.001-06:00

be you collage

is it normal for an almost 3 year old to have constant meltdowns throughout the day? he whines and cries for no apparent reason. is it that his vocabulary has not caught up with what he wants to say? is it that he misses school? is it that his little brother drives him to a jealous rage? I suspect that it is all of the above. It is going to be one long summer. i feel sorry for Rich because he has to be here all day in the home ofice, even though we have the nanny (who we are thinking of getting rid off -long story) its really tough for him to not get involved when he hears screaming and crying from the other room. lucky me, I get to go to work at an office.

Here's a little collage i did yesterday. my first time ever using a vintage photo of someone i don't know. it was a little strange, but i like how it turned out.

oops

2007-06-25T08:53:00.001-06:00

sorry if you couldnt read the journal yesterday. please try my flickr link instead.

Moms

2007-06-24T12:16:00.001-06:00

All stay at home moms amaze me. I admire and respect all of you. I am a wimp. Just read my art journal entry today....

missing posts

2007-06-22T07:13:00.000-06:00

Strange..i could i have sworn i uploaded a post yesterday about how Lukas started walking on Monday and how Nikolas is doing well in the big boy Bed and that I love the new Mandy Moore CD - which took me by surprise. Yet, the post is not here.

Maybe I should switch to Typepad. It would make sense considering who i work for.

Anyway, here is my layout for upubbled. Beth's LO was so easy and fun to use as inspiration. The format allowed me to create my LO in about a half hour, which is pretty fast. Used some stickers and journaling square from Creative Imaginations. Also added a calendar page from a little calendar that came as junk mail at the beginning of the year.

Big Boy Bed

2007-06-18T10:24:00.000-06:00

The time has come for Nikolas to leave his cozy little crib and sleep in a big boy bed. Yesterday, we ventured out to IKEA and picked up the cutest little bed and canopy for him. He was really excited about it until it was actually time to SLEEP in it. We started the usual night time routine around 7:30 which consists of - 1. tooth brushing, 2. put some lotion on (he loves to put lotion on, I'm sure because its another step to prolong sleepy time), 3. special tuck-in, 4. read his favorite book "little quack", 5. sing "somewhere over the rainbow" and then good night. That is when I usually exit the room and he goes to sleep. This time he just got up and followed me. Darn, i naively thought he would just lay there. Instead, he relished his new found freedom and kept getting out of his bed. I comforted him for a few minutes then I attempted to leave again. Rich tried a few times as well, then decide that cooking dinner was easier. By the 2 hour mark of doing this over and over, I was worn out. I decided to stand outside of the door and hold it shut to make him think he had to stay in his room. I could hear him jump out of his bed and run towards the door to see if it would eventually open. It did not and he would return to bed. After about 30 visits to the door...he fell asleep in his new bed until 6:30 this morning.

Saturday Morning Creativity

2007-06-16T08:41:00.001-06:00

had a little spark of creativity this morning. We have been up since 6:30 with the boys, which is the norm around here on the weekends. We barely had enough coffee to make two large cups! Almost had a panic attack. Made this little collage thingy and we're heading off to spin class in a few minutes. we were invited to a party but i don't think we are going to go. Its rainy and we never really have fun when we go to these people's house. They are apparently inviting 70 people for a crawfish boil and I'm just not in the mood to deal with this particular person's "fat" head. Do you know what I mean? She and her husband are constantly showing off and trying to tell me how much everything they have costs. Seriously tacky and annoying. So i think its going to be family day, which means we can do whatever we want. Hope you have a great weekend!

Unpubbed Challenge

2007-06-15T18:19:00.001-06:00

My challenge is up at unpubbed, please go check it out. I think you will have fun going through all your old layouts!

Boring

2007-06-14T19:14:00.000-06:00

There is really nothing that interesting going on. I guess I'm not "living a life worth reading about". Good reminder to start thinking of ways to shake it up in my life. I think I will schedule some "me" time or a girl's night out.

I completed this layout a couple of days ago. The scan made it a little weird on the bottom of the first page. The background is all white card stock...but it came out grey.

Tomorrow I will post my challenge for Unpubbed. hope you enjoy it!

Happy Birthday Lukas

2007-06-12T08:10:00.000-06:00

I cant believe that a year ago to day I was at the hospital weighing 198 pounds, bloated, miserable, and waiting for a c-section. The last year seems like a blur. Specially the first 6 months, I'm sure it is because of the sleep deprivation. I hardly remember the 4 months that I was on Maternity Leave. I guess that is why we scrapbook; for the times when our actual memory fails us. Its a little sad because I don't think I wrote enough details down during those first few months of his life. Then again, what is there really to report? eating every three hours, crying a lot, sleeping sporadically, and then one day around 3 months old he rewarded me with a big smile to let me know he knew I was his Mom and that I had been working like a mad woman to take care of him.

Happy Birthday to my son, Lukas. The baby with a huge toothy smile that lights up a room. My curious and proving to be stubborn little boy. I am so happy to have him in my life and I am so happy that I'm not pregnant anymore ! (no offence to currently pregnant ladies...Jude!)

Lastly, I had a personal goal of getting down to my wedding weight by the time Lukas turned one. I must admit i missed it by 3 pounds...but I am considering that a success :)

Unpubbed

2007-06-09T07:58:00.001-06:00

Here's my laout for unpubbed. Go check out the site. We have some cool new give aways in the works!

Today we are havinga little birthday party for Lukas who turns one on Tuesday. Just a small group of people at the house - Rich's Dad's side of the family. long story.....

Melissa's CJ

2007-06-07T20:12:00.001-06:00

Quick post to upload the layout I FINALLY finished for Melissa's beautiful Circle Journal. It was a little weird writing about me, but I think it came out nice. Chrissy, it will finally be on its journey to Seattle tomorrow.

Good night :)

Is it already Thursday?

2007-06-07T08:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I:
- slept until 9am because Lukas kept me up all night. I'm trying to let him cry it out. He's almost one and doesn't really "need" a bottle at 3 am.
- worked from my laptop/phone throughout the day.
- took an amazing spin class and burned 900 calories in one hour!!
- received Melanie's beautiful CJ from Ronda.
- spent some time at the Ford dealership because our Expedition just keeps on dying and its only 1 year old! we're thinking of filing a Lemon Law suit.
- went to Costco to stock up on food
- hung out with my brother, Rich, and the boys in the evening. Rich made us rotisseries leg of lamb with salad and couscous for dinner.

Financial tip of the day. I think we need to invest in Crocs! http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SuperModels/HowCrocsIsOutpacingThePack.aspx

No go

2007-06-05T10:25:00.000-06:00

After hours of sitting in a room and going through archaic procedures of number calling and seat changing.... I got sent home because the people in the court room I was assigned to took a plea. They gave me my $6 dollar check and that was it. Too bad. I think it would have been interesting.
Other than that, there is not much new. I'm going to the chiropractor today to see if he can help with the nagging lower back problem i have had for a few months.
Here are a couple of pictures from the weekend of Lukas "swimming" in his baby pool for the first time:

And because I am starving and lately I love taking pictures of food, here is the delicious seared Ahi Tuna salad w/sesame seed vinaigrette Rich made me over the weekend:

Off to lunch...

Jury Duty

2007-06-04T09:07:00.000-06:00

I got an invitation to see our legal system in action. Is it crazy that I am little excited about this? I'm sure I wont get picked just because of that! I'm off to the court house. Heading to the gym first....gotta work off the crab stuffed grilled shrimp and tortillas I had at Uncle Julio's yesterday for lunch! Why did you have to move in to my neighborhood Uncle Julio!!! Why?!!

Happy Friday

2007-06-01T19:17:00.001-06:00

Went to my local scrapbook store before spin class today and picked up some goodies. Loving the Ki Memories Felt stickers and the Ek Success words! Heading upstairs to watch the Constant Gardener which I have had on Tivo for almost a year and keep meaning to watch. Since their is not much on TV I think tonight is the night. We don't have any plans for the weekend which is kind of nice. Hopefully the sun will come out and we can just hang out by the pool. Have a great weekend! Thanks for all supportive comments.
By the way, I realize that i have to stop this whole "tearing the paper" thing on all my layouts. I don't know what's come over me lately.....but i just cant stop tearing!

Short Week

2007-05-30T18:38:00.000-06:00

Isn't it nice that its a short week? Here is a two page LO I completed last night and an art journal page inspired by the conversation with my Mom in which she said " I never imagined you would be such a good mother". Its a complement, but at the same time makes me wonder why they had low expectations. Seriously. I need to get over this issue I have with really caring what my parents think. Its tough because I love them so much and we are so close, but they can be quite opinionated.

First Day

2007-05-29T11:55:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day of summer school for Nikolas in Primary class. I drove up, Ms. Lucy greeted us at the car, Nikolas actually smiled at her and got out of the car. He said "bye" to me and slowly walked away holding hands with his new teacher. The other children were seated on a long bench in a line waiting for him. Through the rear view mirror I could see that he was observing and walking tentatively towards them. I took a deep breath and drove away. (By the way, I know a lot of you commented on how hard it must be to not walk him to class. Its the whole Montessori Independence thing. I know its tough, but so far he seems to be doing well in this environment. I really think its helping build up his confidence. I can totally understand how it must seem in comparison to the way its done in traditional school though. thanks for your supportive words.)

Rich picked him up at 11:30 and apperantly he was in a wonderful mood and so happy. The teacher said he went to the bathroom twice standing up on his own! Amazing. He's growing up so fast. My little boy. I'm so proud of him.

I'm back at work after the long weekend. Had a meeting with my mentor this morning. She is so inspiring. We talked about the three C's that a leader must possess in order to be a good leader.

Charisma
Content
Character

Good stuff. I am working on the Content piece these days. Knowing what you are talking about REALLY well is key, or people will see right through you.

Just ate a tuna sandwich. Gearing up for a short week. Take care and checkout UNPUBBED!!

spinning

2007-05-26T18:39:00.000-06:00

I attended a spinning class at the gym for the first time today. Rich joined me in the most intense 60 mintue workout i have ever experienced. The strange thing is that i loved it and burned a whopping 830 calories! besides my lower region already feeling sore from the tiny bike seat and my legs feeling like noodles, it was a great so much fun. definetly will do it again.

Deal

2007-05-25T18:19:00.000-06:00

First things first, i scored a serious deal at Costco on a pack of My Mind's Eye paper. Its the FULL Magnolia and Wild Asparagus line 3 of each sheet for a total of 360 sheets. I hope your sitting down for this....it cost $13.00 !!!! Now these are thinner than the sheets you buy at the store and they are only printed one side, but who cares! I am always upset that I cant use both sides and this way you have a single sheet of each side!! So ladies go out to your local Costco and see if they have this deal.

On to regular news. I took most of the day off from work so that I could go to Nikolas' last day of school party with Rich. It was supposed to be a sprinkler/water party but it was raining so we ended up hanging out inside. Its amazing to think back to this same time last year at the last day of school party. He was in his own little world. Not really interacting with others. This year he was running around and playing with his friends. It was so beautiful to watch.

After that Rich and I dropped him off at home for his nap and decided to try out the new Mexican restaurant that opened nearby,Uncle Julios. It has gotten rave reviews. Since we are both still kind of dieting, we ordered somewhat healthy food. I had the shrimp and lobster soup with an one beef taco"all carbon". Rich had the beef fajitas. It was all quite good, but I must say its tough to eat out when I know Rich can make it just as good or better at home. Oh and the ice tea was $2.50 each. Can you say RIP OFF? I digress. The place was beautifully decorated and the building was like an authentic bright colored Mexican home. I even snapped some photos (below) because lately I have been so inspired my Mexican architecture that I have even been trying to paint a series of bright colored doors in my art journal. We'll see if they turn out good enough to share.

After lunch we both went to the chiropractor. I haven't gone in 5 months and i have had a nagging lower back pain for as long as I can remember. He cracked me good! Its so creepy when they twist and crack your neck but you just have to breath and let go. I am planning on going back weekly to see if he can fix this back issue. I just don't get it. I have been working out 6 times a week for almost a year, i have lost over 35 pounds...why is my back hurting NOW??

After the chiro, we headed to our favorite store....Costco and you know what i found there. So i plan on getting some layouts done soon.

Now I am enjoying a glass of Merlot and relaxing. The kids are in bed and all is good.

Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. My in-laws are coming to stay with us for a few days, so that should be nice.

Check out the new "famer" at unpubbed and make sure you join in the fun!

Also, Amy tagged me for 7 random things about me. I promise to post soon! You should also check out her super inspiring weekly Creative Mom Pod cast. Its genius!

Moving Up

2007-05-23T11:52:00.000-06:00

We went to Nikolas' school this morning to observe the Primary class that he will be moving up to this summer and next school year. He is moving out of the toddler class (ages 18 mo - 3years) and in to the Primary class has children ages 3 - 6. Even though he wont turn 3 until mid August. The school thinks it will be good for him to attend a summer session. The teacher seemed really sweet yet firm, which is what he needs. The class room was full of so many amazing little learning opportunities. I'm so excited for him, although the transition is going to be interesting. For starters we will no longer be walking him to and from class. In Primary they come and get him out of the car seat at the drop off line. I hope he does OK. I think they will be walking him to class the first few days. Another change is that the class will go until 1pm instead 11:30am during summer. He is usually barely awake by the time we get home around 12:00, so I don't know how he is going to handle it. Although the last couple of days he has stayed up until around 1 so it may just work itself out. Lastly,the whole potty training thing. They are supposed to be officially potty trained in order to move to the Primary class. Luckily , we have made huge strides in the last couple of days. He is actually going standing up!! Not sitting. The teacher assured us that she still reminds the younger children to go to the bathroom periodically because at this stage they still don't let you know when they have to go.

Quick Lukas update, mainly so i dont forget and remember to put this in a future layout. He has started to clap his hands, throw the ball, and defend himself against his older brother by bitting or screaming out in fake pain to get him in trouble! That is one smart little guy. Nikolas is not going to get away with picking on him for long. If you want to see the clapping video, its on my you tube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7r1-mpvz4o

1+1+1 and Go

2007-05-22T18:10:00.000-06:00

I completed Kal's challenge today. I have to admit I was a little nervous before I started to write that letter as if it were June 23, 2008. The interesting thing is that as I started to write, soon everything just seemed to flow. I really thought about the things that I wanted and writing them down made me realize that they are all attainable. Thanks for the inspiration Kal. I decided to just make a page for the letter in my art journal and I doodled with my colored pencils. Nothing Fancy.

I also completed the One Little Word challenge. I'm not sure how I like the way it turned. Its so simple compared to what I usually do, but Chrissy inspired me with her cool layout with the yellow colored pencil frame.

Don't forget to stop by Unpubbed. We are revealing our new "famer" Friday morning! All participants in the challenge are eligible to the next featured artist. So give it a try.

Big Bubbles

2007-05-20T17:52:00.000-06:00

Nikolas finally figured out how to make the BIG bubbles all by himself:

Today we spent the afternoon putting up the "ghetto" pool in our backyard (an annual tradition). Not much else to report. I have not scrapbooked or done anything creative in a few days. I'm just tired by the end of the day. Really going to push myself to do something tomorrow night. Plus my layout is due for unbpubbed by Wednesday. I work well under pressure :)

He Dances

2007-05-19T08:05:00.000-06:00

I love how he tries to break dance by throwing himself on the floor. it was hilarious to watch. so cute and no worries about people watching him. dont you wish we always had the sense of freedom? the older you get the more embarrased you are to just get out and dance and forget who's watching!

Here is an actual picture of me and the boys:

Main Street Days

2007-05-18T14:05:00.000-06:00

Heading out to the Main Street Days Festival with Rich and the boys this afternoon. We never miss this festival that is in our little town. We have been going every year since we started dating. Wine tasting, live music, activities for the kids, and yummy food. Good thing I got my butt to the gym today because I hear the kettle corn calling my name. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Have a great Friday!

Griffin Paris and Cranberries

2007-05-17T08:53:00.000-06:00

I was so in to the Cranberries back in the day (1994). The lead singer has a new album and I'm trying to decide if I like it. This song is pretty cool:Ordinary Day

Another great artist that is on my soundtrack these days - Griffin House - Tell Me A Lie

You have to check out this site about Paris and Breakfasts. I'm hooked. Basically it looks as though this person goes around to different Cafes in Paris sampling the food and painting pictures of it. Gotta read the archives! What a treat. http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/

Now I'm dreaming of a vacation where I can sit at a Cafe sipping coffee, eating a croissants, and people watching.....

And becuase a post just isn't complete without a picture, here is Lukas at the park last weekend, taken with my phone

No Complaints

2007-05-16T18:42:00.000-06:00

I don't know what was wrong with me yesterday, seriously, I usually don't complain that much. Specially about my kids. Thank you so much for the encouraging comments. Today was a great day. Nothing like lunch with a girl friend to cheer you up. Plus I had a great workout at the gym and took the kids for a walk in the afternoon. We are having beautiful weather in Texas. Here is a simple simple simple layout i did last night with my new Colored Pencils (crayon's as Kal would say). I love them. Got at 24pack on ebay for 8 bucks!

I just went to Kal's site real quick to get a link to put in this post and as I scrolled through today's post I saw what she posted today. I'm touched. Really. So sweet. So cool. I didn't even know she had done that until tonight at 8:03pm, since I have been out and about all day. Thank you KAL!!! The candle looks amazing.

Having a Moment

2007-05-15T17:56:00.000-06:00

Can I just say I'm having a moment? I am in the crappiest mood! What gives? Could be hormonal...

anyway, just wanted to share that everything...specially Lukas crying hysterically through the monitor and Nikolas whining constantly...is driving me crazy today! Plus trying to deal with work problems by phone while your toddler is having a meltdown does not work!

BREATH , tomorrow I get to have lunch with one of my best friends.

Hello

2007-05-15T11:36:00.000-06:00

The weekend was nice and calm. Didn't really do anything special for Mother's Day, but we took the kids to a beautiful park and played. That is pretty special. My gift this year? I got to sleep in :) Doesn't get much better than that! We're more practical in the gift giving department these days. We'd rather save the money and work towards our goal of a new house. That's not to say I wont be expecting some serious gifts int he future.

The dinner party on Friday was wonderful. It was at one of the most beautiful homes I have been in. A mansion overlooking a golf course with a rock waterfall and slide going in to pool. Just breathtaking. Everyone was friendly and we had a nice time conversing with other adults.

I know I said I would post wedding pics, but I need to get them off my husband's computer! Hopefully tonight :) Hope you are all having a good week.

4 Years

2007-05-11T08:33:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was my 4th wedding anniversary! Four years ago I was arriving by sail boat to my family's beautiful home in the Florida Keys in a simple wedding dress. The guests had no idea that I would be "sailing down the isle" and I could hear their gasps as the boat entered the little inlet and headed towards the dock. The camera's were flashing, Rich helped me off the boat, local notary married us, and the reception lasted for 12 hours! I'm not kidding. Everyone said it was the best wedding they had ever attended. It was laid back and relaxed. We had a steal drum band and amazing food. Sushi appetizers, lamb chops, and we hired a special company that makes authentic Paella with lobster and seafood. Everyone swam in the ocean and the party just kept on going. There were about 50 guests, which is how we wanted it. It was one of the best days that I can remember. Then we were off for two weeks to Tortola, but that's a whole other story! I need to find some pictures to post later this week.

As far as celebrating last night, we weren't able to as I'm getting over a mild stomach bug. Next week, we're planning on doing something fun one night. Tonight we are going to an adult dinner party so that's should be nice. Its our first dinner with the other members of the school's Board of Trustees. It should be interesting to meet everyone. I'm so proud of Rich for getting involved like this and for being elected. I'm so happy he will have a say in how this awesome school takes shape as it will affect both of our boys. I have to remember to post about all the politics and drama that goes on at the school. Their are a few parents that are always the instigators. It's actually pretty funny to watch from the sidelines. I'm sure this is quite common at most schools. Most of my "friends" at the school don't know that Rich is now on the Board so I am wondering how they are going to react. I wonder if now they will feel that they can't really able to gossip/complain around me. That's ok with me! It should be interesting to see how this all unfolds. DRAMA. :)

Here's my take on the first Unpubbed Challenge. Be sure to check out the site. We will be picking our next "famer" from the people who submit layouts.

Here are my LO's for Alice's Circle Journal, finally. The topic was HAPPINESS :) I plan to send it out today!

Inspired

2007-05-08T18:46:00.000-06:00

Thank you Kal. For the first time since before I got married, I got out my oil pastels and played. I even got down and dirty and used my fingers for blending, which i had never done before. I used to always use a blending tool. Boy was I missing out. Its looks so much smoother and the pastels kind of melt in to the paper. This is what i came up with today. Kal has brought the pear back in to fashion, so I had to do my own. I haven't gotten around to buying the Colored Crayons I want, so the oil pastels will have to do for now.

Much Better Day

2007-05-07T13:08:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all the supportive comments. I feel much better. I do think I need to find some ways to help Nikolas cope with situations that frighten him. It seems that he has "issues" with certain things these days - doesn't like to get his feet dirty, scared of flying bugs. I was reading that these are typical toddler things that will pass with time and patience. Found some good articles about easing your toddler's fears.

Here are the Art Journal pages i have been working on. Lots of fun to be able to create something quick by just plopping a bunch of cut up junk mail down for inspiration. I actually look forward to my junk mail these days. Crazy.

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Playing around with square punch and an old People Magazine.

Wrote down some words that came

to mind when looking at the different textures.

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This one inspired by a mirror in an ulta catalog

and the fact that i see some new wrinkles.....

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This one just because i felt like doing something creative and the junk mail said "keep it simple".i had been collecting all these little papers from different places and they all seemed to go well, so i just quickly pasted them on the page and used some colored gesso for the background.

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Lastly, this one was full of colorful cut outs from a Crate&Barrel and Pier1 catalog. I played with the paint to try and match it as much as possible to the scraps. I like this one the best, but i still have to go back and do something to the center. looks a little dull now that i look at it.

Mavs Monster Man

2007-05-06T18:09:00.000-06:00

Have you ever seen your child so terrified that he shakes and trembles and cries? It is heartbreaking! This happened today at a birthday party of all places. The party started out just fine then it moved to the gymnasium for the "entertainment" where THIS thing that shakes around to loud music proceeds to bounce in. All the kids were lined up on the floor sitting with their parents waiting for the show. I had no clue who the Mavs Man was so i was expecting some guy dressed up in Dallas Mavericks clothes doing some basketball tricks. Instead, this scary giant blowup monster arrives. I swear it scared me too. I instantly picked up Nikolas and walked to the corner where Rich was with the baby. I thought we could just observe from a distance since Nikolas' little heart was pounding and he was visually scared. No, that thing decided it would be a good idea to follow me and get closer to Nikolas. That led to him screaming and clawing his way behind his Dad's back and Rich just grabbed him and they walked out of the gymnasium. I stayed behind with the baby for a few minutes, and Rich said that he took Nikolas outside and he just wanted to keep on walking and walking as far away from the place as he could. He would not go back inside. I don't get it? How could they plan that for a 3 year old's birthday party? I could see that a few of the other children were a bit scared, but only one other little girl was as frightened as Nikolas and they left as well. Most of the childrent and parents where getting a kick out of it, even if it was a little scary. Is it that we shelter our boys from those types of things? He is a really shy observant boy. He tends to stand back at parties and check everything out before jumping in to whatever it is everyone else is doing. Something like this just sent him over the edge. I feel terrible. I cant get that image of him climbing on Rich out of my mind. I know I am probably over reacting, but I figured if I wrote this down it would make me feel little better becuase my stomach is in knots. Did I mention that the Mavs thing approached me and Lukas on its way out and gave Lukas a "kiss"? I kind of screamed when it got in my face. I'm sure the other parents are laughing at me at this point. Who cares! Lukas just sat there not quite sure what to make of everything. We left the party without saying good bye to anyone because Nikolas would not go back inside. We went grocery shopping afterwards and I let him eat a cookie and cheetos at WalMart as we shopped, partly to make myself feel better. Thanks for letting me vent.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

2007-05-05T19:22:00.000-06:00

yes, we are Fair people. We love going to festivals/fairs. Specially in the spring. We headed out to Mayfest today, despite the sprinkling rain. The kids didn't get much of a nap, so they weren't that "in" to it. But Nikolas and his Dad did get on a ride and got to sample some spam! Ok, I did too...and i hate to admit it, but it was good (salty but good). i hear it's considered quite the delicacy in Hawaii. They may be on to something! Did a little painting/collaging this evening. It felt great to get my hands full of paint and just go with it. I will upload the pages tomorrow since they are still drying.

Tomorrow we are going to a basketball themed birthday party for one of Nikolas' classmates. It should be fun. That's about all i have to report. I am currently hanging out in the office, drinking a glass of wine, chatting with Rich. All is good.

As for the weekend manifesto...minus a minor argument last night...so far so good.

Weekend Manifesto

2007-05-04T08:39:00.000-06:00

Here's to having a wonderful weekend. I'm putting it out there. A little pre-weekend manifesto:
I will have a great weekend.

I will not argue with my husband about silly little things.

I will be "present" with my children and really "play" with them.

I will laugh.

I will not loose my temper.

I will think before I speak.

I will eat healthy.

I will have a positive attitude.

I will exercise.

I will not complain.

**************
I finally finished my Layout for Ronda's CJ. It will be going out to Chrissy today! The topic of her CJ is THE MAGIC OF LIFE:

Tonight I plan on finishing my LO for Alice's CJ and will ship that to Valerie tomorrow.

Family Foodies

2007-05-02T08:44:00.000-06:00

Its all about the food when my parents are in town. On Thursday, their first day here, we hit Costco for wine, cheese, mussels, prosciutto, and bread. Then we were off to Central Market for specialty items like olives, spices, produce, more cheese. I got in trouble for taking pictures inside Central Market, but I couldn't help it. It is fun to capture an event that we enjoy so much as a family and the signage is so cool:

Friday was Grandparents Day at Nikolas school. They got to observe him through a window for over an hour as he had his snacks, participated in different activities, and then they joined him in the playground. My parents said it was wonderful. Here are some pictures from that day as well a few from Thursday afternoon:

Friday afternoon we were off to another tradition - Vietnamese sandwiches at Hong Kong Market. Its is so cool that we can find places like this in Dallas. Its almost as if you leave the country for a while. All the signs are in other languages and the food is authentic! Yummy.My brother and his wife were in town looking for their new house so they joined us that afternoon and for dinner most of the nights my parents were here. I still cant believe they are moving here. I think it will be great, although my brother can be a little tough to deal with sometimes and i am starting to remember that. I guess that I had forgotten about how it is to be siblings and see each other ALL the time.

So I will stop boring you with all the details of their visit. Basically we did more of the same on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Hung out, ate great meals, played with the kids. Good times. I was pretty sad after dropping them off at the air port, but it is nice to get back in to my routine. I have to hit the gym and the diet hard this week after all the eating and drinking that went on :)

Don't forget to check out Unpubbed for your chance at 15 minutes of scrapbook fame!

Hello there

2007-04-30T17:45:00.000-06:00

I sure have missed you all out there in blog land. Look for a detailed update post tomorrow. I have been having a wonderful time with my parents and they are heading back to Miami tomorrow afternoon. Here they are at a local park during a late afternoon walk:

Wow, its Friday

2007-04-27T14:31:00.000-06:00

I cant believe i have not posted. I have been busy with my parents in town and working on my Unpubbed Challenge - CHECK IT OUT! We are launching a site dedicated to the unpublished artists who deserve recognition: its time for Your 15 Minutes !

Good Monday to You

2007-04-23T12:47:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all the advise about the mini chipboard book. I will try some modge podge on it. For those of you who asked, it is 3x3 and came with the March Cocoa Daisy Kit. Made by Bare Elements.

Above are a couple of more layouts that I completed this weekend. My creative juices are flowing and I am ready to dig in to our little project which will be revealed Friday morning!

Lots of meetings this morning, busy day, which is good. Counting the days until my Parents arrive here on Wednesday. We always have such a great time together. I guess I am one of those people who consider their parents also their friends. I realize I am really lucky. It wasn't always that way. We definitely went through phases growing up where we fought constantly. During my "rebellious" stage...which was quite tame looking back on it. (The worst thing I ever did was date a guy my parents hated for four years!! Lots of lessons learned with that one. But alas, I finally dumped the loose. )For the last few years I have gotten closer and closer to both my parents and talk to them pretty much everyday. I really think that you never truly understand how much your parents love you until you have children of your own. Then you realize all the hell you put them through when you were growing up!

Good Morning

2007-04-22T08:24:00.000-06:00

Hope every one's weekend is going well. I got in a little scrapbooking Friday night. Here is mini book I made of Lukas' smile. I've never used one of these thick chipboard books. Any tips on what to put on the binding so it doesn't eventually fall apart?

My thoughts are with Chrissy as she starts on a her new journey to Seattle :) have a safe trip! You are going to fall in love with that area.

Also thinking of Melissa as she works on a secret mission :) Cant wait to see the big reveal.

100 thanks

2007-04-20T12:42:00.000-06:00

This is my 100th blog post. I never imagined that my venture in to blog land would bring me such joy and amazing new friends. Thanks to everyone I have met throughout the last 5 months. It has been awesome! Thanks to everyone who stops by and says hello. It is so nice to get comments.

Can't wait to reveal the little project I am working on with my Circleof8 CJ friends.

Since it is my 100th post I am asking all lurkers to say hello :) PLEASE! Have a great weekend.

Happy Joy

2007-04-19T09:46:00.000-06:00

Feeling much much better today. Things that are making me happy:

* Kal made my day one's again by posting a picture of my starfish on her site. I cant express how overjoyed i would be if she made a painting of it!

* Tonight is Mom's Night Out - an event for the Mom's of Nikolas' school. We're going to go bowling and play pool at the Main Event.

* I am officially 5 pounds away from what I weighed when I got married! 14 more to go until I reach my goal weight.

* My parents will be here in less than a week and we are planning a huge crawfish boil.

* The friends I have met online are wonderful! Yes, that means You!

* Donna Downey is coming to teach a class at my local scrapbook store in August!! I will be inline to register for that one.

* My hair is colored and styled. Nothing like a good hair day do to make you smile, so here the is picture:

Edited: Forgot to add one more thing that is making me happy! Sanjaya finally got voted off AI!!

Feeling Off Today

2007-04-18T09:46:00.000-06:00

Woke up a little late. Lost my temper with Nikolas because he wouldn't go downstairs so we could get to school on time. my hair is a disaster (1 inch roots!), things are slow at work, just feeling down for no reason.

On the bright side.... I had some coffee, going to get my hair done at 1pm, hopefully sneaking in to the gym for at least 45 minutes before that, my older brother is coming over for dinner.

Things will get better. This is going to be a great day - I'm tapping in to my inner Kal! It's so much easier to be in a bad mood than to try to be in a good one isn't it?

This is going to be a great day. Repeat. This is going to be a great day.

My parents are coming to visit a week from today, so that definitely puts a smile on my face. Thanks for the comments on my new banner. That is an actual rose growing in my back yard. So bright and beautiful. Planning on making a little vase of roses for my Mom when she gets here along with some special Italian biscotti i got her yesterday. She loves to have a little cookie with her tea before bed. So cute. since Chrissy said I should always post a picture with my post, here are two favorites from this weekend when i forced my husband to take the camera and capture some laughs and a triple kiss:

* Poor little Lukas had a fever that day. turns out it was an ear infection. took him to the doctor yesterday and he's fine.