10 Things

Shimelle hosts 10 on the 10th.  Check her out.  :)  I totally have a girl/creative crush on Shimelle.  Okay, so now that I seem to be a crazy person, I'm just going to go ahead with my list.

10 Things that are currently making me happy...

1. Tim's post-surgery follow-up went well and he is cancer free!  There is just not gratitude enough for such wonderful news!  I am looking forward to life getting back to normal later this month (fingers crossed).

2.  Today is his birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, dear Timbie!

3. The Puyallup Fair started yesterday.  This, for the most part does not make me happy because we live 6 blocks away and have to deal with parking issues for the next three weeks, but I am looking forward to going to the fair next week and taking Kennedy to see the animals and other fun stuff.

4. Kenny & Zuke's - Portland:  in honor of Tim's birthday, we are going to go to Portland for an overnight trip.  We found this great deli the last time we were there, so we are looking forward to going back.  They have THE BEST sandwiches.  They also have great breakfast options with a fresh bagel available instead of toast.

5.  A trip to Powell's.  No trip to Portland would be complete without a trip to Powell's books.  I have to practice restraint when I go, but just wandering through the stacks of books makes me smile.

6. McMenamins - In Portland, we'll be staying at the Crystal Hotel, which is one of the McMenamins properties.  We stayed at the Kennedy School last time, so we are looking forward to seeing this one.  Their hotels are quirky and artsy, so it is always interesting.

7-9.  Artfest 2012!!!  I just registered for next year's Artfest and am totally excited.  I was nervous because you are never guaranteed that you will get the classes you want, and it is a lot of money for not getting a guarantee.  But I lucked out and got my first three choices.  Now I am totally excited and can't wait until spring.  Ugh.  Seems like such a long wait.  But I get to take a class with Michael DeMeng, Andrea Matus and Jesse Reno!  Totally psyched.  This is my graduation gift to myself.  :)  

10.  Fall is in the air.  It is that time for back-to-school, and I am always energized at this time of the year.  I don't know if it is the idea of school starting, the freshness in the air, canning food (we just preserved 15 jars of pickles and are getting ready for tomato sauce), the fair, or what, but I am a big fan of fall.  Last night, in our back yard, you could hear the cheering crowds from the high school football stadium (several blocks away) which totally brought back tons of memories, and there is just nothing quite like the feeling of September.  Soon it will be time for the pumpkin patch and then, before we know it, the holiday season will be approaching.  Sigh.  It is time to get organized! 

What is making you happy right now???

Scrap Therapy -- Week 4

Things I was grateful for in the last week.

Laurie Book - SSD Cookie Template
Susan Bartolini/ScrapKitchen - Amour en Bleu kit, All About Me elements
Lauren Reid - Barcode date stamp, lucky cut-out
penny springmann -absolutecherrycrush-sparklebutton2, glitter

This isn't one of my favorite layouts, because I am one that likes to have less photos on the page.  I have a really hard time putting multiple photos.  Especially if they are random.  It just makes me feel all unbalanced and cluttered.  But I decided that I'd use a modified template and give it a shot since the topic was to scrap seven things we were grateful for during the week.  Now that I see everybody's pages, I like mine even less because it does really look too busy, and they managed to keep things clean/simple.I think that is why I have a hard time using templates sometimes.  I get too stuck in the idea of what it is "supposed to be" and I don't just go with how I want it to be.  I liked the template, and I'm sure someone else would have done something better with it, so I'll just have to let it go at that.  And I can always chalk it up to a learning experience.  :) 

Many thanks to Lauren Reid for allowing me to play along with her scrap therapy topics.  Check out her blog for other fun things.

Now I'm hoping to continue to do layouts on a regular basis and to start back into creating more/other types of art again.  I'm visiting an art group on Saturday to work on a project and see what everyone is working on.  Should be interesting.  

Life's Frustrations

Today has been an unending string of frustrations, and I am so ready for the day to be over and for Tuesday to roll around.

I'm sitting here, stewing about things, and frustrating myself even further. So I guess I should shift my focus and think about things that make me feel grateful.

• My grandbaby is amazing and I am so lucky to get to spend time with him. (And he actually went to sleep tonight at a more reasonable time and he’s stayed asleep so far.)
• I am going to be able to focus on finishing my degree. Even though it may be frustrating at the time and I’m feeling the pressure of writing on deadline, it is all going to work out in the end.
o I got my packet in on time even though I didn’t think I would
• I just signed up for a spiffy online artsy class (Graffiti Chic). I’m excited to get started on that tomorrow.
• There are family members who may be completely frustrating at any given time, but at least they are in my life and are healthy
• I have a wonderful husband who may not be perfect, but I love him to death and he accepts me with all of my imperfections.
• Even though I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish today, I did get some things done and crossed off of my list.
• Tomorrow (Tuesday) is my Friday.

I guess that makes me feel a little bit better. :D I should go to bed now before I ruin it. ;)