Well, it's here.....the last "first day" of school, at least until college. I can't believe how fast these 12 years have gone by!

I had a chance to work with the new Citrus Kick Collection from SEI this week, for a guest DT assignment. I really love these papers - the designs AND the colors! I can't post in online galleries yet, so here are a couple layouts, in case you'd like a sneak peek!



I used PhotoBlast's Focus Select on the small pic. above, and their Black and White conversion on the photo below. I have to say, PB makes fine-tuning your photos or achieving a special effect or color super easy!

Sunrise, sunset

I'm always inspired by a great sunset or sunrise. I snapped this one on my last night at my dad's place. The pinks in contrast with the blue are just amazing to me. How can the sun make the sky look like this. (Well, if DS were reading he'd say "Mom, it's just pollution.) Well, bah humbug to him! I think it's amazing.

Well it's been a while since I've updated here, and my few readers may wonder where I've been. Busy with life. Some good, some bad.

Yesterday was about the scariest day I've spent in a while. It started at 5 AM when Matt woke me up by hollering "Something's burning in my room!" It was his surge protector. Ken ran out and flipped the main breaker so we could unplug it. Here is what it looks like now:

Fortunately everything plugged in to it still works OK. When Ken turned the power back on, the lights were still flickering and things were popping so Ken turned off the power again and we unplugged all the surge protectors.

Well, except this one


Which I forgot was attached to the TV. Matt had walked into the Family Room and he started hollering "Something's on fire!" Flames were shooting out from all the outlet openings. Ken turned off the power again, and the fire went out. But Matt had already dialed 911 and the fire dept. sent a crew out to check things out and make sure we were safe. They told us to definately call the electric company and that they also would call them, so that they would come out on Sunday. They actually do respond pretty fast when you tell them that you had flames coming out of your surge protector!!

This is what the table looks like that the surge protector was resting on.

The most scary part for me is that if this had happened two days sooner or two days later, no one would have been home when this happened. That table would have caught on fire and our house would have burned. Who knows how badly. We do have an alarm system and the fire department would have automatically been called when the hard-wired smoke detector went off, but who knows what damage and if the animals would have survived. I still shake when I think about it.

So....we had been having low voltage and power surges for about 10 days. My first call in to the Electric company resulted in this.....a new power service (for about $2500)

Because the power company could not find anything wrong with their lines and said that if it was their lines other people would have called in. They did find evidence of arcing in OUR electric panel - and they said that was the problem.

Yesterday's incident happened AFTER the new service was installed, so obviously the problem was not OURS. But after 4 hours on Sunday, the technician still could not find a problem. Just as he was leaving, he got another call - from one of my neighbors who reported a power surge.

An AHA moment - it was the transformer. Nevermind that Ken had already told them that when he was out turning off OUR power, he heard popping coming from THAT transformer (this was before the guy spent 3 hours trying to figure out the problem).

So now this is what we have down the line

a brand new transformer and peace of mind for me (nevermind that I spent $2500 on a new electric service for NOTHING). But that is for another story ... to follow after I submit a claim to the Electric company to get reimbursed for it!

Sunsets

I am so inspired by sunsets and sunrises. What is it with that? I cannot get enough of them and have been known to go out of my way to watch a good one in progress. Here is a photo I took at Big Bear - the orange in contrast with the dark of the mountain in the distance and the blue sky just amazes me. Isn't mother nature amazing?

Frame by Nancy Comelab.

Baby, it's STILL cold outside

We are really in the grip of Old Man Winter, who apparently got bored bothering people in the northern tier states, and has moved in to Southern California. Snow in Malibu yesterday, and FROST on the rooftops this morning, right here in Torrance!

It is cold, cold, cold

I know a lot of people are having colder weather, but her in SoCal it's not supposed to be 44 degrees when you get up in the morning! I mean, BRRRRRRRR!!!!!! We need to send this cold air back where it came from and bring on the sunshine!

I think we're all official now for CHA. Andrea and Pam both have their plane tickets. They're flying separately, though. Money and schedules just didn't work out for them to travel together. And I got the CHA tickets so we're all good to go. Three weeks from today, woohoo!

I finally finished up my second layout for the ADSR. This was a tough one, using only one element per designer. But it's done, and I like it!!!



You can see the credits
here

Be it Resolved

Every New Year I struggle with the idea of making "resolutions." It seems like everyone starts fresh and it lasts about a month. Then, good-bye resolutions. I'm guilty. Putting something on my "resolutions list" is like giving it the kiss of death. But each year we are encouraged by family, friends and the media to Resolve.

I've been thinking about this a lot the last couple days. Mostly because I *have* to make a resolutions page for the ADSR. I thought I might make a page about not making resolutions, sort of Andy Rooney style. But as I continued to think, I asked myself just why I can't keep those resolutions and I realized that it has a lot to do with how I live my life. Mostly, I react to things that happen, rather than causing them. So often what happens in my life is not of my choosing. And I don't have a plan for my day. I used to be very organized when I worked full time outside the home. But now, since the only person to whom I am accountable is me, I have abandoned the daily plan.

This year, I resolve to live a more deliberate life. So many things happen, many of which are out of my control. Many days, at the end of the day, I ask myself just what I accomplished, and many times the answer is a big, fat nothing. So, my plan is to have a plan, to have deliberate actions in my day and not be blown about by whatever wind happens to swish past me. I want to have more purpose and direction in my daily activities so that my days are not wasted just meandering.

How will I implement this? Good question. I'll have an answer soon, I promise!

And in honor of my new resolve, here is my first entry for the ADSR.




Kit - Cindy Simon's Each New Day; template, alpha slides and inked edges - Christine Smith; Brushes - Rhonna Farrer (Round n' Round), M. Fenwick (Stamped Antique hand), S Clingerman (So Swirly dream); Font - Century Gothic.

New Banner Credits

My lovely new banner is made using Cindy Simon's Each New Day kit, available at NDISB. Font Artistamp Medium.

Banner Credits

My banner is made using papers and embellishments from Robin Carlton and Christy Lyle's 365 - December kit available at Sweet Shoppe Designs; stitches and alphas are from Michelle Coleman's Merry Little Christmas kit. Paper tearing is from Digital Paper Tearing. Fun, fun, fun!!

I'm on a roll

I had to get something done for Cindy. Her new kit is drop dead gorgeous - even if I don't have any digital snow pics to scrap. And I love, love, love her new frame template. You can get her stuff at NDISB. I wonder how many times I can get away with scrapping these Cape Cod photos???

Free to Play!!!

Phew! I got all my paper assignments done, deadlines met, for at least a few days. So I can play!!!! I love to enhance my photos with actions. My two latest favs are Acid Wash and Color Pop from Photoblast. They make the colors in the pics so vivid. Love it! I've had this fun kit from Christine Smith for a while and just the right photo to scream summer fun - even though it isn't summer anymore. Well, it's 80 here today, so even though it's Nov. 15, it sure feels like summer.


This uses Christine Smith's Superstar kit. I also used her Rather Ragged Stitches (recolored), Freestyle Arrows, A Brush With Edge Brushes, and A Brush With Tea. Fonts are Black Jack and 2Peas A Beautiful Mess. And one of Pam's sketches from the Before the Holiday crop. Thanks, Pam! (My computer "hid" the template from me, because it came from someone else's computer - I had the hardest time figuring out what the heck happened to it!!)

I'm not sure I'm in love with the ink spatter on the photo, but hey, it's fun to try out new things and just play around, right? I was trying for a "water drops on the camera lens" effect. Did it work?

Here's a second layout for the day! Woohoo!


This one uses papers from Christine Smith's Completely Krafty Paperpack as well as bits from her Freestyle Flower Expressions and Freestyle Flowers II, Botanical Bling sets, A Few Office Doo-dads set, and her Inked and Sanded Overlay Set. Action on the photo: Sharp Shot with Color Pop, Photoblast. Fonts: Agency FB and 4990810. Sketch Template by Pam Bumbaca. Thanks Pam!!

Two in one day!!

Really hard to believe, huh? Well I did some digi scrapping today, and this is where I put those layouts!

This is a favorite photo of my dad, son and niece, taken a couple years ago. I hope to get some new pics when they're here for Christmas.

This uses Christine Smith's Warmly Yours kit, plus an inked overlay from Inked and Sanded, a flower from Freestyle Flower Expressions, and some elements from her Office Doodads kit.

I'm back

My few readers will be shocked to see a second post in the same week! See, I told you I was going to try to be more regular.

Finally I can post this very fun layout I did using Christine Borgfeld's Fearless kit. I just love these papers. I used an acid wash action from Photoblast on the photos. Photos are from our Spring vacation in Florida. The sketch is from the new Layout Blueprints book.

Happy November!!

Hard to believe it's November already. Where does the time go? And speaking of time, I hate that it's dark so early now. Not that I mind the light in the morning, but really I'm not up that early so it doesn't matter. But dark at dinner - that's the pits!!!!

I've been trying to improve my digi scrapping a little. I love the template craze. It makes creating a fabulous layout sooooo much easier. Here's one I just finished up, using a fun template from Jen Caputo and Shawna Clingerman's gorgeous Free Fall kit.

It's been a while

Gosh, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted here.

I've been busy with scrappy project deadlines.

Just finished up this fun one, using handstitching per the Freestyle challenge. Lots of fun!

Tim Holtz is the Best!

What an awesome teacher. His projects are just so cool. He adds some great little touches that just take them over the top. We used all the new Distress Inks plus a lot of his Junkitz embellishment line to make a shipping-tag-size ruler book. I didn't finish - he didn't expect us to. But it's a great reference book for some cool techniques. Many I knew, but some were new to me.

This was the best part!

Ahhhhh, Spring

I know it's spring when the irises bloom. They look so stately along the front of our yard. They herald the end of the rainy season and the promise of nothing but sunny days for the next few months. Can you say Hurray?

Tonight I head back down to Scrapbook Oasis for another class, with Tim Holtz this time. I know the class will be great! And, from prior experience I know to take a snack and something to drink. I'll share my project tomorrow!

Make it a great one!

Get a life!

Why do hackers do what they do? Why can't they just hack each other and leave the rest of us alone? It's very frustrating when they come into your site, make a mess, and leave without cleaning up after themselves.

Well, maybe some good will come of it. We have upgraded the messge board software and are now struggling with the gallery. Well, Pam is struggling. I'm just listening and trying to get her not to stress out too much.

The good side is, I got some scrapping done.

I love the way this turned out....the new Karen Foster papers are so soft and pretty.


I've discovered a new blog, for the new Autumn Leaves Freestyle book. I can't wait to get a copy of this. The layouts on this blog are such a tease.

It's the end of the world

Not really, just the end of the road. Route 1, that is. In Florida.

Someday maybe I'll get to the other end, up in Maine.

It was so much fun to get to meet Jen, and hook up with Andrea in Palm Beach Gardens. Andrea had been up all night at a crop, but she showered (just for us) and looked great, as usual.

Today, it's back to the grind. Well, it has been since Tuesday, actually. But adjusting to the time change and just getting out of vacation mode has taken a couple days.

Tomorrow and Saturday are two huge snack bars for Track is Back. I know I'll be exhausted once they're over, but relieved because they are the last snack bars I have to run for this season. These are big, though. Between the two nights, about 1600 athletes and 3,000 spectators. That's a lot of pizza and nachos! Lots of stress worrying about how much food to buy because I don't want to run out, and I don't want any left over. This is always the time when I throw up my hands and ask, "Why did I volunteer for this job, anyway?"

Got some great news yesterday - Matt passed the California High School Exit Exam on the first try! I had no doubts but it sure is a relief to have that out of the way! Makes you wonder what the kids are learning though, if they can pass the requirements in 10th grade! I guess they have to set the bar low so even those who struggle can graduate.

Well, I'm off to write the snack bar shopping list.

Make it a great one!