Christmas Recap

Who's a bad blogger??? ME ME ME
Where to start lets see. Christmas was great. Drove 10 hours to LA to visit my hubbies family. We had a great time. The food was good and the fellowship was even better. We went to his brother in laws church and had an enjoyable time. Their church is all about God and not about rituals, traditions and putting on airs. It was praise in its best form. They cooked so much food it was unbelievable. All tasty. Rob's mom made church punch, which made me a little sad because it reminded me of my granny that past away about two years ago. We always had church punch at church functions, which I went to with her. Good memory that I plan to scrapbook. Got some cool gifts there as well. Rob and I decided not to exchange gifts this year. Not because of financial reasons, but because we didn't need to. neither of us needed anything (thanks be to God), and neither of us wanted anything we hadn't already bought (thanks to God again). So we decided it wasn't necessary. That's my Christmas wrap up. Stay tuned.

I Have Been Tagged

A - Available/Single? Married
B - Best Friend? DH, Robert
C - Cake or Pie? I like cake, especially Red Velvet :-)
D - Drink Of Choice? White Wine
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? Lotion
F - Favorite Color? Red
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummy Bears (Black Forest Brand)
H - Home or Homesick? Home is whereever my DH and I are :-)
I - Indulgence? Cheese and Carmel Popcorn
J - January Or February? January- I like new beginnings
K - Kids & Their Names? None
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? God, Family, Close Friends and Scrapping :-0
M - Marriage date? November 29th 2003
N - Number Of Siblings? Karrie, Pierre, and Tiffany
O - Oranges Or Apples? Pears
P - Phobias/Fears? Failure
Q - Favorite Quote? Too many to name.
R - Reason to Smile? Unconditional Love
S - Season? Fall, I love sweaters and changing leaves.
T - Tag 3 or 4 people? They would kill me :-) LOL
U - Unknown Fact About Me? I wanted to be a professional cheerleader :-)
V - Vegetable you don’t like? Lima Beans YUCK
W - Worst Habit? Cracking my knuckles
X - X-rays You’ve Had? Teeth and Knee
Y - Your Favorite Food? Deep Dish Pizza
Z - Zodiac Sign? Virgo, I am true to my sign.

Anniversary Trip Photos

This was our second time staying in St.Genevieve and enjoying the wineries. We drove down in the morning and ate breakfast at the Tin Roof, which is where we enjoyed an early breakfast our first time visiting. We watched a Christmas parade and enjoyed the carolers. We stayed at a different B & B. It was great. The room was well decorated and the jacuzzi tub was on a platform. We visited our fave wineries and enjoyed some quality time together. We ate dinner at the same restaurant we visited on our first trip. I think we are starting to establish some traditions :-) It is a great weekend getaway. Fond memories each time :-)

Wine Party Photos

These are from the wine party my co-worker had at her house. Rob and I had a great time. Our wine didn't win, but it came in second. Her food was AWESOME. She is thinking about starting a catering business. Rob and I think she should go for it. Maybe she could ctaer our other co-worker's wedding :-) These are straight from the camera, no touch up in Adobe.

She Always Wants to Learn and Grow

You know what I like most about life...the fact that each day you wake up you can learn something new and different. This business venture has taught me so much. Today I learned how to make Blinkies (Thank You Fran for the super easy tutorial). I am very proud of myself. Now I can show support for my dream on appropriate message boards and other forums. Those who believe in my product can also show support by using the Blinkie. I am excited. The launch date is January 31st, which will be here before you know it. Without further ado...here is my Blinkie :-)



In other news, we are going to Shreveport, LA to spend Christmas with Rob's family. I haven't seen them in a while, so I am looking forward to it.

The holiday happy hour for my job was this past Friday and we had a great time.

I still have Christmas shopping to do (shame on me).

My Christmas break starts on Thursday, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Oh and my girls performed at the assembly on Friday and did a great job, so Kudos to them :-)

Fave Christmas Memory

On a message board I belong to, the question was asked about our fave christmas memory.

Here is mine:

My fave Christmas memory happened when I was in high school. My mom hid all of our gifts around the house and gave us a list of clues to follow. Each clue led to your next gift and each gift built up to your most prized possesion. It was the best. You should have seen us ripping through the house giggling and helping each other figure the riddles out. It is by far one of my fondest memories. My mom was/is super cool. Love her too death :-) Definitely somethign I would do for my kids. We had so much fun that morning. After we found all of our gifts we had breakfast as usual. Good memories.

What's yours???

Who's a bad Blogger...ME. Sorry, but I have been super busy. For my friends that I haven't called back, I am still alive and doing well. The Christmas party for my job was last Friday and it was nice. I have great blackmail photos of my fellow teachers getting it on on the dance floor :-) Good times I tell you. An open bar is guaranteed entertainment. I am just kidding we were still very respectable. Our anniversary weekend was nice. The B&B we stayed at was really nice. We spent some good quality time together. I love wineries and I love the coziness of B&B's. You gotta stay in one if you haven't before.

Business planning is going well. I think I am almost done putting the final touches up on the website. I have been ordering things like crazy and I am getting really nervous about succeeding. But that is life. I know I have done my best and with that I can be proud when I open my doors in late January. Time is definitely creeping up :-)

Christmas is around the corner and I haven't done any shopping lately. Will do so this Saturday. A friend is hosting a wine dinner this Friday night. I am looking foward to it. There is also a contest for the best wine, and I think Rob and I have a chance of winning :-)

I will post pics from the weekend once Rob gets the new computer up and running.

love ya,

Irony and a Bright Side

Irony is a concept that I teach the kids over and over again. They don't always get it, but I stress it all the time. For this past valentine's day, Rob and I decided to go out of town to a B&B in St.Genevieve. The day before we left was the coldest day of the year, and the worst weather. Still we trucked on and had a great time. We decided to go back to this same B&B to celebrate our anniversary this upcoming weekend (our anniversary was on Wednesday, but we couldn't get off mid week). Well, today we got the worst weather of the year again, the worst snow storm I have seen since I have lived here and I don't think we will be able to escape this time. Over five inches of snow, which is layered over ice. Total bummer and a good example of irony. The worst weather only happens when we try to travel to St.Genevieve.

Bright side.....I get to practice snow photos with my digi rebel for the first time.

Bright side #2.... I can make some of those business calls I haven't been able to get around to. Everything for the business is falling in place and I will be opening in February instead of late March. So excited it is actually happening :-) Our Ad will be in one of the mags that come out in March. Advertising is sooo important. I will start posting more info about what I am specifically doing later this month. I didn't want to put it out there and jinx myself or anything. But everything is going so well I just feel so blessed.

Do you know what I learned today ??? I learned that webpages are not very easy things to build or customize even after you have been given a template. However, I will not be beat by the computer. Not me, not today!!!! :-)

I had a very restful break. I think I can keep going for 3 more weeks (Christmas Break).

My mom and sis left safely. Always good to have them visit.

Saw the James Bond movie. It is long, but it is also action packed. I enjoyed it.

Can't wait for this weekend. Christmas party at work on Friday and then our anniversary trip on Saturday. Wine, fine dining, my hubby, and a whirlpool. Should be oh so nice.

Do you know what I learned today ??? I learned that webpages are not very easy things to build or customize even after you have been given a template. However, I will not be beat by the computer. Not me, not today!!!! :-)

I had a very restful break. I think I can keep going for 3 more weeks (Christmas Break).

My mom and sis left safely. Always good to have them visit.

Saw the James Bond movie. It is long, but it is also action packed. I enjoyed it.

Can't wait for this weekend. Christmas party at work on Friday and then our anniversary trip on Saturday. Wine, fine dining, my hubby, and a whirlpool. Should be oh so nice.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB !!!!

I just want to say Happy Birthday to my hubby. He is the greatest. I am thankful that he has another year to grow, to become who he is destined to be, and another year to blessed and to be a blessing. Love you Babe :-)

Thankful

I am THANKFUL for:

my family
my supportive husband
my health
my friends
my financial security
my creative outlet
my dreams
my life
my God

BE BLESSED today everyone and remember to GIVE THANKS for all the things we have been given...

I have some scrap supplies I am selling on e-bay. Some is extra new stuff I had and some is extra old stuff that I never used. I decided to sell it in a little scrap holiday bundle. Check it out.
E-Bay:

NO SCHOOL on Thursday or Friday, so I am intensely thankful for that :-)

I am an official business owner as of today. Yea me. I can now buy and sell products legally. I am so excited. I passed the paperwork test and can now focus on the business development and creative process. I am excited. I read an article yesterday that was very sobering, but still I was inspired to continue, which to me means that this is the right path for me.

My mom and younger sister are coming down on Wednesday night. It will be nice to see them. I am kinda sad that my other sister and her family won't be able to make it though. I love them dearly.

On Thursday I think I will blog about all I am Thankful for this year.

I wish everyone a HAPPY TURKEY and FAMILY BONDING DAY

I found some of my mojo Friday night :-) Thanks to www.personalscrapper.com , they are having an online crop. I created two LO's and it felt good after not having made anything in two weeks. One of the LO's is gorgeous. A personal best and absolutely going in my HOF entry. 5/10 LO's are completed. Rob looked at it and said I love it, I don't know why, but I love it. This was my reaction as well. It all just blends so well.

I just got over a cold last week only to get sick again on Friday. I guess it is a price you pay for working with kids. I hope it doesn't take me almost 3 weeks to get over this one as well.

Oh yeah, I am completely legal now, since I changed my SS# on Friday. Now the government recognizes me by my married name. Tiffany, you need to make that switch as well. You feel like a new person, lol :-)

Looking forward to trying to get some nice family photos this week as well. I am never very good at photographing people other than Rob and myself. I think that may be a hinderance to starting a photography business :-) so you won't see me advertising for that anytime soon, lol :-)

Oh, one more thing... I applied for my business license this past week as well. Yeah, I am very proud of myself and excited. I only have about 10-20% more governmental paperwork to complete. This has to be the biggest hurdle :-) I start work on the website next month. Love the creative experience inherent in that.

I am THANKFUL for the right to DREAM...

Luv ya :-)

Continually Learning

Yesterday, I went to the starting a small business workshop. It was worth the money. I learned a lot of stuff, got some good resources, and walked away with a better picture of all that I will need to do. I learned a lot about the legalities, licenses, and taxes associated with owning your own business.

I will admit it is a little more than I anticipated. However, I think that is because I dream big. There are a bunch of ways I could scale down my business idea, but why should I. If I am going to be bold and take a chance, than I should be just as bold and give it my all. I want it to be nice, not simply sufficient.

Rob is great and has been super supportive. He listens to me babble on and on and lets me bounce a million ideas off of him. How did I get so lucky, I just don't know. But I do thank God for him each and everyday.













I just sketched out my Ad for the magazines. I need to take it into Adobe and play around with it. Here is my advertising tagline: Bring Your Memories to Life

Just a Simple Reminder

Just a simple reminder to appreciate the moments that make up our life (read this on Melody Ross's Blog):

"For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are that you're not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn't going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness." ~Andy Rooney

Confronting Doubt and Winning :-)

So I confronted my fear yesterday, took action against it, and came out victorious. In the past I think I probably would have let the doubt plague me until I decided it was a sign that this wasn't the path for me. It seems like chickening out in a sense, but when I think about it, if I was that easily discouraged than maybe it did mean I wasn't ready to move on and face the next challenge. Today I am ready to press forward and continue with discovering and carving a new road for myself. I was victorious yesterday and it felt really good. As women we need to believe more in the awesome power that we possess. We really are capable of anything.

I am getting my driver's license switched to my married name today ( I know it only took me three years :-) I have to in order to get my passport for our trip to Europe this upcoming summer. Also, I must say that this passport business is a rip off. Why on earth does it cost $95 to prove who I am ?????

Hoping to get some scrapping done this weekend FINALLY. I took some really great photos of Rob recently and I haven't scrapped them yet. I can't wiat for most of the new Christmas lines to come in my kit clubs or to come to my local Archiver's. LOVING the new CRATE and BASIC GREY paper lines. Just yummy stuff :-)

One of my action items today was to find out about advertising costs for scrapbooking magazines. The best way for a business to thrive is through effective advertising. I have wondered why more scrap businesses don't advertise in the mags and now I know. Almost $500 for a 4x2 ad space, for only one issue. Crazy I tell you. I have another big action step this weekend and next week. It is really coming along and I am glad.

In the book yesterday (Inside Every Woman), I read that if you begin to have doubts, you must conquer the fear or you will be forever frozen. I had a doubt earlier this week, and I plan to try and overcome it this weekend. Wish me luck.

It has been a busy week. Grades were due Wednesday in the computer and of course I was totally behind on my grading. For two and a half days all I did was grade. Fortunately I got it all done.

Congratulations to my hubby on his promotion and big pay raise. To celebrate we went to a steak house and had steak, lobster, and desert pear margaritas. Oh it was so GOOD. I am really happy and proud of him. His job has five levels and he has made level three in only five years. So proud of him and his talent and intelligence. You have to love an intelligent man :-)

We made plans for our anniversary. We are going on a two hour drive to wine country and staying at a B&B. We booked a limo to drive us to two of the wineries down there. I can not wait until the first weekend of December. I hope the room has a roaring fire place and a whirlpool. What could be more romantic? Someone asked if it has been a long or short three years and the answer is SHORT. Time is flying by, which I think is a good thing.

I haven't scrapped in almost a week and a half. I ran out of good pics and I am at a loss of what to scrap. This is the one time I wish I had kids :-) Hopefully I can get some good holiday pics this year.

I have felt lazy lately, like I wasn't utilizing my time well. The book I am reading has inspired me to be more productive with the moments of my day. So I started this new concept. I wrote down five areas of my life I wish I was more productive with (health, home, self, husband, work) . Each morning in my planner I write down one thing I will do to be productive or proactive in that area. Each night I cross off my list. It has been working well so far this week. I have done a lot and feel good at the end of the day.

Playing Catch Up

I have been a bad blogger :-( Sorry

I don't have long now, but I wanted to remind everyone to vote tomorrow. There are key issues on the ballot and you want to make sure that your voice is heard. Voting is a gift we need to enjoy when the time comes around.

Making progress with my new business venture. I am going to a small business workshop next week to gather information on taxes and certain licences. I think I have found a good company to host and create my site.

Work is work, it is going by quickly, which is always a good thing :-)

My third anniversary is coming up at the end of the month. Time has just flown by.

I have completed four of the ten LO's for the HOF contest. I am proud of my entries so far. I need more photos though, so I can finish up.

I am loving the book: Inside Every Woman. It is filled with inspiration and motivating me to make some key life changes.

I had Quiche for breakfast on Sunday at a cute cafe and spent the rest of the day watching football on the sofa with my hubby. Enjoyed both tremendously.

Saurday we went to a trendy cuban bar/restaurant and ate tapas for dinner and had mojitos. The mojitos were great and the cuban/caribbean food was tasty as well.

Be Blessed Everyone :-)

A Passionate Life

Today's Positive Thought:

Every woman is born with passion and has the right to live a passionate life (Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now by Vickie L. Milazzo).

I have always been passionate about:

1) Creating
2) Traveling
3) Learning
4) Teaching
5) Being of Service

Today I am passionate about figuring out how to combine them.


What are you passionate about right now?

Fall Photo Shoot

Finally got a chance to take some pictures. Can't upload all the ones I took b/c I am using some them on my HOF LO. However, I really like these too. These are straight from the camera. I haven't cleaned them up in photoshop. I am really am trying to do more work in camera, so I can spend less time using photoshop. Rob is always good about participating :-) Fall is my absolutely fave season. While at the park we saw two families of deer. Very cool experience and great weather.

Tidbits

One Friday each month, a different department in the school is responsible for providing lunch for the staff. My department went this Friday and my Jambalaya got rave reviews. I had people e-mailing me for the recipe.

My mom and sister are coming up for Thanksgiving. She kept asking what I was cooking and I kept thinking, geez it isn't like thanksgiving is right around the corner. Well egg on my face b/c it is in 3 1/2 weeks. I think we will be having ham, turkey breast, macaroni, dressing, green beans w/bacon, pecan pie, sweet potato pie. What is your fave Thanksgiving dish?

I convinced Rob to go out with me today to take some Fall photos. Haven't used my camera in a while, so I hope I haven't forgotten all I learned in that photography class. I need some great fall photos for this 2 page LO I want to complete. Wish me luck :-)

Have a fab day!

Blog Content

I have been trying to figure out why my blog numbers have be down. My husband and I came up with two reasons.

One, I haven't been posting as many LO's and pictures. Reason: I am entering this big contest and you have to submit 10 never before seen LO's. The pics have to be new as well. So I am kinda stock piling my LO's to find the best ones to submit. I have completed 3 so far, and I really like them.

Two, my Blog content has changed. Rob says people don't mind commenting on your day to day activities, but they are more hesitant to comment on entries where you are writing about your hopes, dreams or failures. Makes sense to me. My last few entries have been about finding myself and acknowledging my life's passions. I Blog about what is going on in my life. For me right now, it is finding myself and my true calling.
So if you haven't been commenting lately, I understand and it is cool. Just say HI every now and then :-)

when you want to be inspired it comes from all directions :-)

Here is a little more inspiration for you today. Came upon this book on another Blog and felt really inspired after reading the author's intro. It is called: Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now by Vickie L. Milazzo

She basis the book around 5 promises that influence the hidden strentghs described in the book.

The author's words:
In 1982, the year I turned 28, I realized my life was headed all wrong.
I had gone into nursing wide-eyed, thinking I could make a difference—even improve the state of healthcare. Then I bumped up against the reality that no matter how hard I worked, my efforts would never make a dent. My financial advancement was also moving far too slowly, and I was forgetting what it was like to have fun on the job.

It wasn’t easy admitting I’d chosen the wrong career. I had worked hard to become an RN, earn my bachelor’s degree, then my master’s, and had worked six years in the hospital. Now my passion was dying and my potential was wasting away.

That was 60 million dollars ago. And that’s when I first made my 5 Promises. I have renewed them daily for more than two decades. These 5 Promises transformed not only my career but my entire life. I promise they’ll work for you, too.

PROMISE #1— I Will Live and Work a Passionate Life.
One of my passions was ignited in me when I was eight years old. For hours each day I taught an imaginary class. I was so absorbed with my class that my dad would come in and break it up to encourage me to play outside with my real friends. To this day I have no idea what I was teaching, but I was darned passionate about it.

At eight years old teaching was play. At 28, I turned that passion for teaching into a business, and I’ve been playing ever since. When I left hospital nursing to start my legal nurse consulting business, I promised myself I would work only my passions. Later, when I started teaching other nurses how to become legal nurse consultants, as The New York Times reported, I “crossed nursing with the law and created a new profession.” That’s the kind of Big Thing that can happen when you commit to Promise 1, to living and working a passionate life.

PROMISE #2—I Will Go for It or Reject It Outright.
If you want something better for your life and career, you owe it to yourself to go for it or reject it outright. Don’t wait for the conditions to be perfect. That will never happen. People who wait or dabble usually end up at their retirement party rewarded with a glass of watery punch and a piece of white cake. Own up to your passions, then step out and grab hold of them with both hands.
Despite a fear of cliff-hanging heights, I stepped out of an airplane at 14,000 feet to sky dive. I was terrified. Once out of the plane’s cabin I couldn’t step back in. I was truly committed, even if not by choice, and the exhilaration I felt later at overcoming that lifelong fear proved to be a catalyst for future accomplishments.

Most of us stay in the safe cabin of everyday life. We never step out into the audacious dreams that smolder and spark inside us. What would your life look like if you didn’t have the choice of that safe cabin? If your only option was to grab that dream and jump into it? To go all the way once you made the jump?
Fear will freeze you in place. Don’t tell yourself, “One day, some day, I might get around to living my dreams.” With that attitude one day, some day, you’re sipping that punch thinking about all the things you didn’t do.
If you want something, go for it all the way and go for it now.

PROMISE #3 – I Will Take One Action Step a Day Toward My Passionate Vision.
Dreams and visions are great, but without action they are nothing more than hallucinations. Without action your visions scud away and dissolve like clouds. I’ve met many people much smarter than I am who had dreams and ideas but didn’t do anything with them. They didn’t take action.

When a national news anchor from CNN asked me how I got to where I am today, in light of my humble beginnings, the answer was easy—one step at a time. I lacked business savvy, but with each small step I gained both knowledge and momentum. What I learned in the process and what still applies now is that it is less important what I do and more important that I do something.
By taking action every day you develop the habit and discipline to make your vision a reality. When you focus not just on the idea but on making it happen, you stay in motion, not just dreaming your passions but living them.

PROMISE #4— I Commit to Being a Success Student for Life.
All great athletes and performers practice every day. Even after they achieve a level of success, they continue to practice and take instruction from their coaches, learning new ways to reach higher levels. They are lifetime students.
Becoming a success student for life is about practicing being successful. What’s hard today is easy tomorrow—with practice.

It is a myth to think you can launch a successful career or succeed in other life goals without learning, even if your driving desire is as intuitive as being a full-time mom.
Even as a successful CEO, I still learn every day—from my students, staff members, favorite writers, speakers and other business experts.

PROMISE #5—I Believe As a Woman I Really Can Do Anything.
I was lucky to go to an all girls’ high school. Co-ed schools have advantages, too, but when I grew up men were expected to be the business geniuses, women to be helpful homemakers. I gained confidence in those formative years from not having teachers telling me the boys were smarter or calling on them instead of me. As a young woman I honestly believed I could do anything. Believing you can do it is 90% of the win.

Any time I have hesitated to go for it, it was because I had stopped believing in myself the way I did in those glorious adolescent years. Today, when an opportunity arises and I find myself hesitating, I remember, “I’m a woman. I can do anything.” I think back to my past success as an RN in the hospital, making split-second decisions that were the difference between life and death for my patients. Then I remind myself: If I could save lives in the middle of the night while the rest of the world was sleeping and a doctor was nowhere in sight, surely I could make effective decisions in my career and life.

Find your own example, a personal or career accomplishment that gives you pride and encouragement, then use it to bolster your resolve. Any time you’re not grabbing the opportunity, tell yourself, “I am a woman and I can do anything!”
Sometimes we make a promise, set about achieving a goal, and we do achieve it, but then it’s over. Success is a journey. Apply these 5 Promises daily—you’ll take your career and life to new heights. Promise BIG and promise NOW.

The Right Moment

Sometimes you do things and something happens, which makes you feel like it is the right moment and the right time. Yesterday, I put into writing something that has been on my heart for a while. I also wrote about overcoming fear and believing in my dreams. Today I read Ali Edward's Blog and she wrote about having confidence in your artistic endeavors. The article spoke to me and resonated with my spirit. I hope it inspires you to have confidence in your endeavors as well: http://www.lifeartmedia.com/newsletter5.html

A Life Lived in Fear, Is a Life Half Lived: I Decided that I want to be whole

Okay, so I think I am having one of those early life crisises. This is a new phenomenon that happens in your late twenties and early thirties. It is where you feel like you should be doing more with your life and you want to take some chances and live a few dreams.

If you have been reading my previous posts, than you know that I have become more and more unsatisfied with my job. I have been thinking about trying a new career, but afraid of the unknown aspect and lack of security. I have taken risks in my life, but they have been calculated risks according to my husband. Well based on our conversation on Sunday night, I realized that I didn't want to be impaired by fear. I don't want to look back and wonder what if I had been bolder. So I have decided to take a risk, I have decided to follow a recent dream, I have decided to do something that I think will bring me satisfaction...

I have decided to look into starting my own business in the scrapbook field. Typing it makes it seem more real somehow. Right now I am just doing the research on the different angles I could take. For those not familiar with the scrap world, you can: scrap for others, do an online store, do a brick and mortar store, manufacture scrap items, start a kit club, do direct sales, teach classes and hold scrap parties, do photography, or write books. I am not finding alot of information on the angle that interests me most, but I am not letting that discourage me. I am looking into licensing a name, tax considerations, cost factors, advertising opportunities, website creation, how I could put my mark on something, and reading about people's personal stories in the scrapbook field. I am reseraching and working towards a dream, and something feels real good about that. I know it won't happen over night, I know it may not be easy, but I am excited about the potential for success. If others have done it before me, than why couldn't I as well. So anyway, PRAY that I take it from the PLANNING stage, to the ACTION stage and then to the IMPLEMENTATION stage. I don't want to get stuck at stage one.

Also, if anyone has any tips or stories to share, please do so. Experience is good, but learning from others is also very helpful.

I have two LO's completed for my HOF entry. I feel good about them.

I spent the beginning of the day watching football and then napping with my husband. I spent the end of the day sipping good wine, listening to jazz music, and eating spicy sausage while learning about my husband, myself, and our future goals. Great conversation was had over two bottles of great wine and a home cooked dinner. No photos for moments like this.

Love and Revelations

My hubby is the greatest guy I know, next to my stepdad. Rob read my blog and said he teared up b/c he felt pained by my pain. Nice to know he loves me enough to emphatize (sp) and not just sympathize (sp). Anyhoo, he said quit your job in May if you want and we will find a way to work it out. But then we started talking about the logistics of it, and I wasn't liking the picture. I don't want to sell the home we built, cancel our two week trip to Europe next summer, give up my scrap budget, and basically scale back our living. BOO to that. I also realized that I am scared of the unknown and scared to look for a new job. This tells me that I may want to quit, but I am not ready to quit. So I must learn to adapt to my situation and cope with the circumstances. I also realized yesterday that the things bothering me the most were the things I had no control over. So I spent the day today telling myself, "this is not worth getting upset over, this is beyond your control so let it go." My day wasn't peaches and cream, but it was markedly better. I can not save those who don't want to be saved, undue 15 years worth of bad habits, or rework the system, but I can learn to let go and only concentrate on what I can do and not what I can not. It is a very liberating thought indeed. It was exactly the revelation that I needed today.

HOF

I am trying out for Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame contest. Do I think I can win, HECK no. But I am excited about the fact that it will push me to scrap outside my box and help me to develop a more creative style. For example, I went and bought paint, needle and thread to use on my scrapbook pages. Never used these techniques before, but I have been inspired by the contest. It is a grueling process, but I am excited about the possibilities. Even if I don't win, I will have some awesome LO's and hopefully stretched myself as an artist. Here's to being creative and loving it.

Today

Weekend was fine, we made it back safely. I enjoy Rob's mom and learning more about his family. They are very open people.

Sat at my job today and spent the entire time trying not to cry or lose it. This behavior prompted me to search for other jobs, which inturn prompted me to feel trapped. You may think that the more degrees you have, the more options that are open to you. This is not always the case depending on your field of learning. My dislike for my job is growing. I spent the majority of last year trying to get through and debating on if I should resign my contract for the new year. I even wrote my thesis paper on how to retain teachers and how to rejuvenate your passion for the job. I signed my contract thinking that it was just where I was in my career. The education field has the greatest teacher turn over rate at the 4-5 year mark. I have been teaching 4 1/2 years. I thought I would give it one more year. Part of me regrets doing that. The problem is that I am good at my job, I love the concept of my job, and it is all I have ever wanted to do. I just don't know what I would do if I didn't teach, so I feel trapped. Some of my friends think I am crazy to want to quit b/c I have a knack for what I do. Teaching is second nature, but I don't enjoy it anymore. I am not enjoying the kids, the paperwork, the constant pressure, administrative directives, and generally the overall flow of the education world. I could quit, but what on earth would I do that pays me as well as I am paid now (I make more than some college professors who taught me). What would I do with all this specialized education that I have? What else would I enjoy doing day after day? What else is my passion? I have alot of questions that I need to answer. It is so hard to answer them from my spirit and not based on fear or insecurity.

Geez, I have been a bad blogger this week. I have been super busy though. Parent teacher conferences were two days this week. I didn't get home until around 8 p.m. on both days. I had 27 people the first day and 6 the second day. I teach 160 kids, you do the math. Super tired though because I was spending over 13 hours at work those days. Tomorrow we are driving to MS to visit my mother in law. She is a great woman, but I really don't want to sit in the car for 7 hours. The things we do for family. It is definitely worth it though. We will be attending the tailgate and game forJackson State's Homecoming, so that should be fun. I wish I had been able to get my hair done. I am not going to work on Monday because I need to recoup from the weekend drive.

Next week is Homecoming for the high school, so I will be busy again with practices for my girls, their big pep rally performance, the parade, the game and the dance. No rest for the weary aye. Plus, I have to figure out a way to grade the 120 essays I have left. I hate grading and I hate grading essays even more.

Hopefully between all the happenings I can take some great photos to scrap later.

Okay, rambling is over :-) Have a fab weekend :-)

Documenting My Day

Loving the Elsie book.....still :-) This was a challenge to document a day in your life. This is what I doMonday through Friday (morning to evening) most weeks. I enjoyed doing it. The future is unpredictable. I want to be able to remember who I am today five or ten years from now. It's neat to think that five years ago, I was living a different life. I wonder if this will be the case five years from today. I challenge you to preserve your life today, so future generations will have insight into your era and your life.

Fall Photos

This is what I created with a few of those Apple Picking photos I was so proud of last week. I love this fall paper by Ki memories and A2Z. I got the papers in a kit club I tried for the first time this month. When I saw both these companies in the same kit, I couldn't resist, plus it came with leaves and a Heidi Swapp frame kit. Check them out if you are looking for a great fall kit: http://www.sweetpeascraps.com/pages/index.php

Our Home

Some people think I scrap because I am bored or just don't have anything more interesting to do. These photos reminded me of why I scrap. We built our first home two years ago in December. Anyhoo, I was looking through our video camera bag for a cord and found these photos. I didn't remember taking them, putting them there, or having lost them (pre-scrapping days). But just looking at them, brought back so many memories to my husband and I. That's why I scrap, to preserve the experiences in our lives and to give our photos the respect they deserve. Journaling Quote: Peace and rest at length have come, All the day's long toil is past, And each heart is whispering, Home, Home at last. Journaling Tag: Our ist home was our attempt at the American dream. We loved every moment.

Time for Yourself

We had a discussion at work today about finding time for yourself. I told my friend that it was utterly necessary. There aren't enough hours in the day to do what we are required to do at our job and still maintain our personal sanity and some type of home life. I came home today and refused to do any work for my job (not out of the normal :-) I went up stairs to my scrap room, turned on some music (I am really liking the new Ludicris CD) and completed two LO's (my husband was at class). I enjoyed myself. The downside of my job is that you feel guilty for taking time to seperate yourself from the job. Education is a weird entity because it is about giving yourself every minute of every hour that you are there. Kids are so needy and 150 of them can be draining. You feel bad when you aren't giving yourself because you need to refuel. Whenever I take a day off, I spend half the day feeling bad and wondering what the kids are doing while my husband doesn't even think about it for a second.

Tip of the Year: Do you when you need to, so you will be willing to be there for others when they need you. Took me four years on the job to learn this and I am still trying to put it in to practice.

Extra photos of our Saturday

These belong with the post below, but Blogger will only let me upload so many at a time. Also, Blogger compacts the photo, so it isn't as sharp as in person.

Reason 1 million and Our Great Saturday

The 1 millionth reason I love my husband is because he restored all the photos I took today, which I thought I had accidently deleted off the computer. Some of my most favorite shots. He rescused them. And yes, I cried like a baby when I thought I lost them all. Here's a tip: when you delete photos off your computer they go to a magical place called the recycle bin which holds them for a short period of time. All you do is click on the photo and click restore. All is made right in the world. Marrying a computer guy comes in handy sometimes. I am not ignorant about computers, but I didn't know this tidbit. Hopefully, it will save someone else from crying crocodile tears.

Rob and I went Apple Picking and Wine Sipping today. Since we started doing this last year, this is our new fall tradition . We had a great time. We walked around, had a great country lunch, went on a hayride, picked apples, and sat at a winery passing the late afternoon time. I love the fact that Rob and I can do such quiet activities together. We are planning to make an apple pie and an apple and spice cake this weekend.

I LOVE these photos and would say that they are some of the best I ever taken. The photo course has taught me alot about my camera and what it can do. These have not been altered in Adobe in any way. The course has taught me to learn how to take better photos in camera, so I don't have to work as much in Adobe. I know I have room for improvement, but I am happy with my progress.

So Surprised and Honored

I am so excited about this. I was choosen as Layout of the Day on Scrapjazz. You guys have to check this out. This is so cool :-) This is my first time, and yeah, I am on Cloud Nine. This was the second digi LO I ever made.

http://www.scrapjazz.com/

Edited: If you didn't see it yesterday, they have taken it down. The LO only stays up for one day. Here is the one that was chosen:

Here and There

Saturday I went to Dave and Busters to do team building with my cheerleaders. Kinda bummed because only half showed up, but had a nice time with the other young ladies. Rob went because I hate to drive and he said that nothing is worse than the chatter of teenage girls :-) He had me cracking up :-)

My friend Meisha came into town on Sunday. Oh my goodness I hadn't seen her in years. It was so good to visit with her. Makes you contemplate how you can lose touch with those you were once so familiar with. Kinda makes me sad and reminds me that friendships are vital in this world. I wish that I lived closer to some of my friends. They all live in different states.

Photography class is going well. This week I learned how to take great action shots of my girls and the football games. Very important to a coach. I think I am going to sign up for the 8 week course, but I have to convince myself to let go of the $300 :-( I love my digi rebel, it is the best investment.

Have some serious thoughts on my mind lately. Gotta learn to lighten up and let God, but sometimes you are afraid to let God because you are afraid of his response or path for you. Sometimes I am afraid to pray, heavy thought I know, but it is true.

Delta LO

New LO's

Some new LO's I have created this week. Both were inspired by challenges from the Elsie book. I still love that book.

Journaling for the love LO: What you’ve taught me is that love is a sacrificial state of being. It is about giving yourself completely and believing that God has led you to the one person who can nurture and love you to your core. You have taught me that love is steady, comforting, passionate, and above all fulfilling. You’ve taught me so much… especially the fact that I never knew what love was until I gave myself to you.

Journaling for the Paparazzi LO: Usually Rob works so well with the camera. He comes cheap, is available at odd hours, and tolerates retakes. Today was a different story. I warned him that he may never work in this town again. Then he smiled ?!?

Unexpectedly

Here is my LO for the final round of the scrap challenge. The challenge was to use the theme UNEX- PECTED. Very broad, but I think I did something very personal and real. I like it. Here is the journaling:
I grew up the oldest of four children. Because my mom was a single parent, I helped her raise my siblings.
My mom ran a home daycare center for many years, and I never had a problem helping her when I got home.
I work with 150 kids each year and I have coached cheerleading for the last three.
I have always wanted to enjoy the process of motherhood.
Yet, quite unexpectedly, I am not sure I want to travel that path anymore. I am not sure why or when it happened, but I have felt this way for a while now. I feel so conflicted. I love my husband passionately, and some days I think having a child is the greatest way to show and solidify our love. Other days I worry about the evils of the world and my ability to raise and keep a child safe. Raising a child is such a huge responsibility and I am not sure I can or want to handle that responsibility. However, I love my husband and realize that we have so much to offer a child, that somedays I say to myself, "you can do this."
Who knows…I could unexpectedly change my mind again.

Oh yeah, I won an online Bingo game at personalscrapper.com I am hoping this winning streak continues with the contest above :-)

So I went to Target to pick up the Timberlake CD and they were sold out. The lady said they sold 6 cases in one week. Apparently that is a heck of a lot. Kinda upset about it. But my super sweet hubby, surprised me with it the very next day. He went to another Target on the other side of town to pick it up and surprise me. Gotta love that guy :-)

Going to Dave and Buster's this weekend with my squad to do some team building, and eating and playing. I love coaching.

Doing an online crop this weekend with the fabulous ladies of personalscrapper.com (the link is on the side)

Otherwise, life is life and I have no complaints, other than the fact I wish I didn't have to go to work and could practice the art of leisure living perpetually :-) A girl can wish can't she :-)

I made it to the final round in the scrap contest. The last round is about the theme Unexpected. Wasn't sure what to do with something so abstract, but I came up with a great idea for journaling. It is very personal and honest. Hope it goes over well.

Life has been life. I spent the weekend doing absolutely nothing but napping and watching football on the sofa with my husband. Nothing better than a lazy weekend.

Photography class is going well. I learned that if you don't have enough light that the camera can't get a good stop action photo. The action will be blurred because of the lack of light. Also, in the basic modes on the digi rebel the camera self selects the focus points. Because of this, what you want to be in focus may not be achieved because the camera is calling the shots and not you. It is so helpful to upload assignment photos and have a professional critique them, offer suggestions for improvement and answer any questions that you may have. I am definately siging up for another course.

I love the new Justin Timberlake CD. You have to listen to it on Rhapsody and then go out and pick it up. The music is smooth, with strong beats and sexy lyrics. Great second album. My husband and I call him white chocolate because he has so much soul :-) lol

Lo and Weekend Plans

This is the LO for round 3 of the contest. You had to scrap about your future or your past. I did a little of both. I thought maybe I should use a photo of me smiling from ear to ear, but then I thought the journaling is about being happy with my everyday life. This is just one of my everyday expressions. I gambled, so we will see how it turns out. I usually ask Rob's opinion on stuff like this, but he has the audacity to be in class instead of critiquing my LO's. Just kidding, I love that my hubby is smart :-) Here is the journaling in case you can't read it.
Journaling: I have always been fascinated by the future. When I was younger, I spent much of my time daydreaming about how my life would be. I was always one to want more because I was never satisfied with where or who I was. But today, I can say that I don’t daydream about the future anymore because I am happy with my present. I have a wonderful husband, a career, multiple degrees, a home I built, my health, the love of family and friends, a creative outlet and financial security. Somedays I don’t fully recognize what I have, but today is not that day. No more day dreaming for me because I am living the dream today.

Tomorrow is Friday and the tailgate at the high school to support the Varsity football team. Our new social commitee chairs are doing a fabulous job of planning activities this year. It should be fun and I definately should have some pics to post.

Learned some new stuff in my camera class this week about how to get true colors in your photos and the importance of setting white balance and how to do custom white balances. The assignment for this week is to practice using the portrait and sports setting and the impact aperture and shutter speed have on the two. I figured the football game will be great for the action part of this assignment.

Congratulations Are in Order and other happenings

Congrats to my mommie who was named Employee of the Year. I am so proud of her. She gets a plaque, a banquet, and a raise!!! Go mommie, it's your birthday, go mommie it's your birthday :-)

The new challenge for the scrap contest is to scrap about your past or future. Which translates to intense journaling. So not sure what I should do.

If you love Chatterbox, check out these kits at personal scrapper, they are gorgeous.


Taking two days off from work can really energize you. I have been on the ball this week. Feels good.

My girls had their first performance yesterday. They did fairly well, but there were some areas that needed improvement. Needless to say, practice today was very intense. They do have potential though. I love coaching and I love watching the girls improve and grow as young ladies.

Fall Retreat

Photos from the Delta Fall Retreat. I used my point and shoot camera b/c I thought I would stand out to much with my digi rebel. I shouldn't have worried b/c other sorors had theres. Great fun. I can't wait for the first official chapter meeting in October. It is wonderful to walk into a room and know that all the women there share you same beliefs and christian values about life. We all value education, service, and sisterhood. I look forward to being active again. When I was in undergrad, I was the community service chair and I loved it. Being in service to others is one of the most rewarding things we can do in life.

Updates

Adrienne: I have two lenses a 28-55 and 55-200. They are both Tamron lenses and they came with my rebel xt kit.

Great news people: I made it to the third round of the scrap contest on another site. I am so excited. I can't wait to find out what the next challenge is.

The Delta Fall Retreat was fabulous fun. I had a great time meeting new sorority sisters and am definately excited about recommitting myself to the organization. Will post some of the photos later. I didn't want to take my big camera, so I used my kodak. Funny thing was, there was a soror there with her camera, and we instantly bonded and shared stories about our digi rebel xt. how fun :-)

Extended Birthday Celebration (or me just dodging work)

We had a blast today. We both played hooky again. However, I felt really bad about it and Rob was non-chalant. I definately needed a mental break though. We got up this morning and went and ate breakfast at the Waffle House, no we didn't have waffles :-) They do have the best hash browns around. We drove out to another park area about 40 min. from the house. Rob is so good to me. He carried my bag, helped me set up my tripod, and even read stuff to me from the manual. There is nothing better than having a husband that supports your dreams. The assignment in the photography course was to understand white balance and its effects on your photo. It really does make a big difference. I also experimented with shutter speed. Here are some of the shots from today. Please remember they are straight out of the camera and I haven't played with them in Adobe photoshop. Some need to be lightened and sharpened, but overall I like them and feel that they are getting better. I am learning from the photography course. I can't wait for next weeks lesson. Rob and I left this park and went to another one in a trendy part of town. We brought slices of my uneaten birthday cake and he sang his version of happy birthday. We played cards, listened to music, and just talked as we sat on a blanket underneath a gazebo. We left there and had a nice dinner outside at a new restaurant. Such a fabulous day. Unfortunately, it is back to the real world on Monday. Yes, I will be going to work :-)

Happy Birthday To Me

I would like to thank my mom and dad for finding each other, so that I could be created :-) :-)

Really though I am thankful to make another year and I pray that I learned some life lessons, and that God will continue to work in my life in my pursuit of being a better person.

Woke up this morning and decided not to go to work. I have over 30 days built up (I am a dedicated teacher) and decided to do me today. I felt that forcing my body to work was not honoring my true spirit (English teachers can make anything sound good :-)

I plan to do what makes me happy today. Breakfast at a nice cafe, practicing photography, mexican for lunch, some scrapbooking, and a beauty salon appointment. Alot on the agenda. I will see how much I get done.

One non-birthday celebratory item: write out progress reports which are due tomorrow :-(

Remember...create something beautiful or learn something new today :-)

Something New

Here is my LO for the no cardstock challenge. If you want to stretch yourself creatively, than I suggest you give it a shot.

Sherri...the site for the challenge is on the right tool bar.

My day of birth is tomorrow. I plan to work on this personal holiday and get my hair done. Rob has class at night, so we won't be able to celebrate until later. In honor of my birth, go out and create something beautiful or teach yourself something new. Two things I believe strongly in :-)

I love short weeks :-)

Just think...tomorrow is already hump day :-) Okay I am trying to make this positive. Ricky Bobby was a funny movie if you like Will Ferrell. Some of it is a little over the top, but it was fun and light, which is what we sometimes need.

I start my first photography class tomorrow through an online site called www.betterphoto.com The class is all about exploring the digi rebel, which is something I need. They have a ton of other courses as well. Check them out. Please let me know if you sign up, I think I get bonus points or something. I uploaded the pics from the weekend and I didn't always get the shot I wanted. Oh well, I love learning and photography is another hurdle to cross.

I made it to the 2nd round of a scrap contest I am in on another scrap site. Kinda excited. The next challenge is to do a LO with no cardstock. Unless you have done this, you can not imagine how challenging this is.

My girls and guy first performance is next Monday. I so hope they are ready. I am going to tape it, so we can critique it later on. I love coaching cheerleading, almost as much as I loved being a cheerleader in high school.

I had a great time hanging with my friend Jen and Latonya from work at the wineries. I got some nice photos that I will upload later. I was so sick yesterday, that I slept the whole day away. I don't know where the cold came from, but it came in full force Saturday night and kept me in the bed all day Sunday. Kinda upset because now my weekend seems one day shorter. Oh well. Off to see Ricky Bobby and them back for some BBQ. Hope you are having a fab day :-)

Friends

Gotta love visiting with good friends. Met Jen at Giotti's on the hill and had a great Italian dinner. I enjoyed visiting with her, her boyfriend, meeting her mom and her cousin. The dinner was great and worthy of the Hill's reputation. After dinner they went to the hotel and Rob and I went to Boogaloo in a trendy part of town. It was nice. We sat outside, chatted and had a drink. Today we are going to the wineries to listen to my co-workers husband play with his band. Jen and company are coming also, so it should be a blast. I plan to take my big baby out today (this pic was taken with my little baby). Hope I get some good shots before the wine kicks in :-) Rob and I were also talking about going to this new neo-sould club tonight. Suppossed to be real laidback. Busy weekend. I am off to do my one hour of work related activity. I hope this new strategy keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.