Mojo

My Mojo cannot decide if it wants to stay or go. It will come and sit for a spell, hanging out. But then it gets bored and will pack a bag and go. Sometimes it will just decide to spend a day or two away. Or it gets wanderlust and travels to places far away. Muse will go along for the ride sometimes to keep Mojo company.

So there I sit, waiting and wondering where they could have gone. They could have at least left me a text, letting me know that they were alive and well.

On a scrapbook forum that I visit from time to time for inspiration, a fellow scrapbooker posted that her mojo was gone. I sympathized. Another poster suggested that our mojos were probably out on the town getting tattoos and going to bars. lol!

Today I thought I spotted my Mojo. It was off in the distance. I'm sure when it finally does return (and it will) it will have ink and smell of stale cigarette smoke. But I will freshen it up and put it to work, tattoos and all.

And the next time it decides to have a night on the town, I'm going along.

While I've Been Recuperating...

I have...

completed an embroidery project. The first time I have embroidered in years.

Made thank you cards.

Caught up on some reading.

Did some scrapbooking.

And spent way too much time on my computer. ;-)

Now it's back to reality. I go for a check-up tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be cleared to proceed with normal activity. (Whatever normal is. lol!) I am looking forward to starting back on an exercise routine. (Miss my walks/runs). I can't wait to get my hands dirty in my flower beds.  And I never thought I would say this in a million years, but I can't wait to go back to cleaning/organizing my house.

These are the few things that I have been up to the last few weeks and what I am looking forward to doing.

With that I leave you with this quote:

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

G.K. Chesterton

Thanks for looking in!

Outside The Box

Last week, when visiting my mom, she had a box that she had kept under her bed. Inside were old pictures, cards and mementos. It was fun taking a trip down memory lane. She wanted us kids to take whatever pictures or mementos that pertained to us to take home. I'm thinking, "Do I really want to take home yet more memorabilia to add to my collection?".  The answer was, "Yes!". ;-)

It really wasn't that much. Enough to fit in a manila envelope. That I can handle. One of the items was a card that I had given to my mom for her birthday. It was a pretty card that she couldn't bear to part with at the time.

Here you can see I gave it to her in "1992". I really need to get her a Project Life kit.  :-)

So being that I am my mother's daughter after all, I couldn't part with this either. So what to do, what to do....Hey! I'll cut it apart and put it in a layout!

Here it is "before".

All cut apart, ready to put on a layout.

And here is the finished layout. See that little bird on the left side of the layout? I "fussy-cut" it out of the card and glued it on the layout. I was so happy to finally scrapbook in pink! I  had no pink whatsoever in my stash (being I have a houseful of males, including the dog) and had to take a trip to Hobby Lobby. Darn! ;-)  

So here is another idea to preserve that special card from a special someone and getting it outside the box.

Thanks for looking in!

Outside The Box

Whew! It's been almost two weeks since I posted? Where has the time gone?! Well I'm back with another "Outside The Box" post. As I'm going through memorabilia that I've hoarded set aside, I thought I would share the ways that I am putting them in my scrapbooks so others may enjoy them instead of sitting in a box in the back of a closet/storage area.

Here is a piece of artwork that my son made in third grade. Isn't it sweet? Of course every bit of art that my son made I feel that way about and that is why I've been having such a hard time weeding through it. And I'm pretty sure that is one of the big reasons why I have been procrastinating sorting through the massive amounts of artwork/schoolwork that my son brought home during elementary school. I'm thinking that other weeny moms like me can relate. ;-)

This particular piece of artwork was another one that was too large to fit on a typical scrapbook page. So I took advice that was given in a video on Two Peas In A Bucket. I took a picture of it, had it printed in a 5x7 print and placed that on the layout. Easy peasy!

I have other ideas for more memorabilia that I've gone through. So stay tuned! :-)

I wish everyone plenty of Tender Loving Care from those they love!

Thanks for looking in!

Outside The Box

For the past month or so, I've been wading through my paper clutter trying to get it under control. At times it was overwhelming. Especially when I would come across one shoebox after another full of memorabilia. Shredding receipts and sending piles of magazines off to the recycling bin felt freeing. I was actually doing very well with that. But when it comes to the things that holds precious memories, how do you part with them? I'm still trying to figure it out and I thought I would share some ways that I am coping (if you want to call it that) with the memorabilia.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran across an art project that was completed by my son (actually his Sunday School teachers) when he was four years old. I had set it aside thinking that I would frame it. But I put it up in a closet and forgot about it for over a decade. *gulp*

This particular piece of art was on legal size paper. Too large to fit into a 12 x 12 scrapbook. Since I've had it hidden away for so long I did not want to fold it up and tuck it away. So (light-bulb-moment) I cut it apart.

These little feet are now BIG feet. :-) 

I think buttons are so cute on a page like this. And I'm still digging the October Afternoon/Echo Park products that Santa brought me for Christmas. :-)

I've got some ideas for more memorabilia that I have hoarded set aside. So stayed tuned....

I wish everyone will have good memories! :-)

Thanks for looking in!

Paper Blitz

This month I was bound and determined to sift through my piles of paper clutter and try my best to get it under control. As I mentioned before, when it comes to "things", I do not really have a problem making a decision and purging and throwing away. But when it comes to paper, I am rather OCD about it. I'm always thinking that the minute I throw it away that I will need it. After cleaning out my small closet in our office/den, I came across a box on the very top shelf of receipts. What to do, what to do. Hey! How about shred them! So that is what I did. And some old bank statements that I have not looked at in five years. I keep everything we needed to file our income taxes with that years return, so I figure that anything else we can get online. So our file cabinet is a bit lighter and I may need a new shredder in the near future. And honey, you know that Sears receipt from 2008 that you will probably need? It's confetti. ;-) It feels good to have that chore most of the way done. Still have another drawer to go through. But it feels good with what I have done so far.

In the midst of my organizing blitz, I have had the urge to scrapbook. I have a couple of layouts planned and hope to do that over the weekend. Here is one that I completed a couple of weeks ago:

Well, better go and get back to work. Need to give my shredder another workout today. Then figure out how to better organize what I decided to keep.

Thanks for looking in! :-)

My Hero

After having a busy, busy couple of weeks, I was looking forward to some extra shut-eye this past Sunday with the time change. My internal clock is still set on Daylight Savings Time and I woke up before the crack of dawn and was ready for bed by 8 p.m. It always takes me a couple of weeks to adjust to the time change every spring and fall.

I wanted to share a couple of pictures from Halloween.  It was spent at my moms' for a change.  We all gathered there and noshed on pizza, donuts and cider. There were around 200+ kids. We had some baby dragons, cowboys, princesses, ladybugs and a certain werewolf and vampiress. ;-)

I dressed as a "Mom of Teenager" which includes a spattering of grey hair from riding with a brand new driver. Yikes! Actually, I can see his confidence grow with each trip out and he is getting better. 

I managed to do one scrapbook page with all the busyness. Another "blast from the past".

I pulled from my stash to make this page.  I'm still looking at this layout and think I need to add something more.  But for right now, this will do.

Ryan was obsessed with superheroes for a time as a little boy. (Aren't they all?) He would dress in his "Batman" cape and mask and ride around in his "Batmobile" up and down the sidewalk.  He did a great job fighting for truth, justice and the American way. ;-)  One day I wanted to snap a picture of my hero and he stopped, kicked back and said, "I'm relaxing!" in his cute little boy voice.  He cracked me up then and he still cracks me up now. :-)

I'm going to go and try to get a few things done, even though I'm in a fog. *Yawn* I hope everyone can know at least one superhero in their life. I'm blessed with many. :-)

Thanks for looking in!

"I have a bone to pick with you."

Last night my mom called me.  The first thing she tells me is, "I have a bone to pick with you."  I was speechless.  My mind was racing, wondering what it was that ticked her off.  It takes a lot to make my mom mad.  A lot.  She then follows that line with, "Maybe I should say, I have a chicken bone to pick with you." lol!  I relaxed still puzzled at what she was getting at.  Apparently, she viewed my blog and saw my chicken and dumplings entry.  Normally I'll make enough to take some over to my mom and brother for their dinner.  This time it was raining cats and dogs so I did not get out.  I promised her next time I would be sure to take some over to her.  And next time I make them, I'll be making my "shortcut" chicken and dumplings and I will share the recipe for that. :-)

Please tell me that having a flock of buzzards circling around your house as they make their way south for the winter is good luck and not an omen. Not that I'm superstitious or anything.  There must have been 50 of them.  To my knowledge, we have never experienced this in our neighborhood.  It was kind of hypnotic to see them spiral around in the air above us.

Some good news.  I'm beginning to feel my mojo returning.  Since before my dad passed away, it went MIA and would reappear in fits and starts.  In the last few weeks, I've been getting some creative ideas going through my head.  I've made a few cards and a scrapbook layout here and there.  Now I'm wanting to hole myself up in my craft space for a day or two and get to work.  Or shall I say play. :-)  Here is a layout I worked on yesterday afternoon:

It is a "blast from the past".  It is a layout of some pictures I took some 11 years ago that I ran across.  I'll be sharing more of these types of layouts in the future. I've been sorting through photos and found a box that I had completely forgot about.  I've had so much fun traveling down memory lane.  There have been some photos that I feel a bit melancholy about as well.  Loved ones that have passed.  But many good memories.  I'm so blessed.

I am bound and determined to use what is in my stash to create layouts.  Although I am really digging the new "October Afternoon" lines that have just been released.  It will be very, very hard to resist the temptation to order their product. ;-)

Hope everyone can have as good a trip down memory lane as I have had.

Thanks for looking in!

Enough Winter Already

Now that I have posted several days of winter photos and stories, I'm ready to think about warmer, balmier weather.  And more sunshine.  You know something like this:

Aaaah!  Warm salty breezes, walking on white sandy beaches with the waves lapping at your feet.  Memories. *sigh*

But today I am also thinking about this:

This is a scrapbook layout I did last week with some pictures I ran across.  These are pictures of when my son was *sob* around two or three.  He is now about four times the size than he is in these pics.

I used what was in my stash.  I vowed I would do that this year.  But, I broke that vow the other day by ordering some October Afternoon products. (Shhhh, don't tell hubby that.) ;-)

I know I am a wienie when it comes to my son, but I just wanted to cry when I looked at this picture.  I remember the "Snoopy" swim trunks my mom bought him.  And those little toes.  And his shock of bright, blonde hair.  And that sweet smile.  I can even hear his squealing laughter and his little voice.  Like I said, I'm a wienie.  And I'm not afraid to admit it.

Here is another look at this layout:

Think warm thoughts today and thanks for looking in! :-)