It was late last night when I finished my post, so those of you who thought, "What the hell?", just know that this blog is about how I feel from day-to-day with those ugly little friends MS and Manic-Depression and living in my RV as well as my love affair with all things pictures & paper & glue, oh my!
Today I have run across the true ugliness in my house in the form of pastels. No not pastel papers but those seriously cute M&Ms that are in my grandmothers candy jar. While munching on a handful of those ugly cuties, it came into my mind that I will never lose weight. And contrary to my whole-hearted belief that it's because of the Coca-Cola that I consume all day long, it's because of American Holidays. Have you ever given a thought to how we celebrate our holidays? Of course, in my opinion, Easter is the most wicked of them all in the form of our health - how ironic considering what the holiday represents, the most holy event of Christians. But we have aisles and aisles of chocolate to honor this holiday. Our family still make baskets for adults as well as the kids (13 & 11, but not outgrowing Easter baskets). In the process of getting the little goodies for the baskets, there is extra candy bought for our candy jars. Mine are M&Ms.
M&Ms are the greatest candy ever invented in my opinion. The fact that you can pour out a bunch of the little lovelies and eat them one at a time makes it seem as though you're not consuming a lot of candy - even if you eat an entire 1lb. bag. Even if you pick up 2 or 3, you're still just eating a little candy. But they are addictive and as with anything addictive, well you know how that works. What's more, they are so pretty; coming in different little themes for every holiday - pastels for Easter, shades of pink & red for Valentines, greens & reds for Christmas, red white & blue for Independence Day - well you get the picture. That theming makes them the perfect candy for the candy dish... the one sitting on your coffee table... between you and the TV... within arms reach... which you pass a dozen times a day.
And it's not just the M&Ms, each holiday seems to ensure we gain weight, even though the worst rap goes to that wonderful period between Thanksgiving and New Years. That's the time we have those huge family meals, eat the most fast food while shopping, go out to parties, and love on stuffing and pie. But then look at Independence Day and that awesome barbeque with potato salad and baked beans. Or Valentines with those boxes of chocolate and going out to dinner. Halloween of course is another candy buster. But even Memorial Day and Labor Day are usually celebrated with family picnics; and, Fathers Day and Mothers Day with dinners eating whatever we want at wonderful restaurants.
There are so many studies regarding what an unhealthy country we are with the world's highest percentages of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. But we are the land of the free and plenty. And we do believe in celebrating everything from the contributions of workers (Labor Day) to the planting of trees (Arbor Day) to our own craftiness (Scrapbooking Day). In fact there is probably a holiday for 300 of the 365 days a year (kidding, maybe). Though not everyone, someone in this country celebrates more than a few of these holidays. And when we celebrate, it is our national tradition to do so by eating.
Now, what is the point of this post? Am I on a tirade against the candy companies or holidays or your personal habits? Not at all! I love a holiday and try to acknowledge as many as possible - in fact I get a little excited each time I find out about a new one! Do I think we should change the way we observe holidays? Absolutely not! I love my M&Ms even more than the pink & yellow cupcakes on the counter.
No, this post is just an observance about our lives - about something that we rarely if ever think about. It's a celebration of M&Ms and barbeque and stuffing. It's an acclaimation of the country we live in and our right to celebrate however we want. It's happiness and sunshine that we have the ability to buy chocolate bunnies for our kids.
However, I will be happy when Easter is over so that I can get back to eating numerous 100-calorie snacks per day. Well, until next month when I get to start celebrating May Day's cupcakes, Scrapbooking Day's snacks, Cinco de Mayo's mexican food, Mothers Day's dining out, Memorial Day's picnic and any other holiday that I may find out about in the meantime.
Cheerio!
"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." - Gordon B Hinckley
This blog is about my Life. It's about Scrapbooking because I think about it all the time. It's about movies because they are my second passion. It's about disabilities, living with four generations under one roof and all that other crap that just happens to us everyday.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
It must be a Girl Crush....
I'm very tired today. I slept really well and really hard last night. So when the alarm went off at 7:00, it really made me very sad. I had to go to the doctor this morning. Dr K - what would I do without him. He asked about the ER visit, and I told him. Almost exactly like I wrote it here. He seemed a little, well I don't know how to say how he seemed. But he said that my crushing upper body was a spasm that would likely return as long as my TN is flairing so badly. He upped my meds - maybe that will help. His nurse told me before I left that she didn't think that was the only thing flairing as she had never seen me so UP.... I must be manic. Scary thing is that I know it - but then after 33 years I guess I should. I started thinking about it seriously once the nurse said that. There are other little things that are screaming at me besides the scattered craziness I felt today with Dr K. There's the fact that I don't sleep - and while I have blamed that on the pain, I think there's probably more to it than that. There's the fact that I have actually cried because I have got to have new scrapbook paper and stickers. My mom gets down, really down... so do I. But she doesn't understand this need I have for new paper and stickers. Right now I would trade every pair of shoes I own for new paper and stickers. This sounds crazy doesn't it? And I guess I am. But that's the way it is and I'm living with it. And I'm not alone... if you have this craziness in your life, just remember that you are not alone.
So on to more craziness... I think I have a girl crush - that's what they call it isn't it? I have spent days and nights reading Shimelle Laines blog and watching her YouTube videos. She is an awesome teacher and has a lot of the same philosophy about scrapbooking that I have. Shimelle is a GardenGirl at Two Peas as well as working for other organizations throughout the US and UK scrapbooking world... and she teaches classes online. There are some free classes and projects on her blog ( www.shimelle.com ) regarding everything from minibooks about why we scrapbook to how to scrapbook with just 4x6 photos to how to invoke better journaling. She has made me realize how important telling a story - no matter how small - on a layout really is. I have learned how to better plan pages and create layered accents with or without premade embellishments. She reiterates the basics we learned about the rule of three and flow on our pages. She explains in depth what she's using, what she's doing and why she's doing it. And she's just fun to listen to with her mid-west brogue scattered with little UK accents. If you really want to learn more about scrapbooking or just get motivated again, I highly suggest you visit her blog and click on those little side bar items that take you to other places and projects. It's seriously worth the time - maybe not as much time as I've been spending there, but it is addictive.
Cheerio
"If you ask me what I came into this world to do, I will tell you: I came to Live Out Loud." - Emile Zola
So on to more craziness... I think I have a girl crush - that's what they call it isn't it? I have spent days and nights reading Shimelle Laines blog and watching her YouTube videos. She is an awesome teacher and has a lot of the same philosophy about scrapbooking that I have. Shimelle is a GardenGirl at Two Peas as well as working for other organizations throughout the US and UK scrapbooking world... and she teaches classes online. There are some free classes and projects on her blog ( www.shimelle.com ) regarding everything from minibooks about why we scrapbook to how to scrapbook with just 4x6 photos to how to invoke better journaling. She has made me realize how important telling a story - no matter how small - on a layout really is. I have learned how to better plan pages and create layered accents with or without premade embellishments. She reiterates the basics we learned about the rule of three and flow on our pages. She explains in depth what she's using, what she's doing and why she's doing it. And she's just fun to listen to with her mid-west brogue scattered with little UK accents. If you really want to learn more about scrapbooking or just get motivated again, I highly suggest you visit her blog and click on those little side bar items that take you to other places and projects. It's seriously worth the time - maybe not as much time as I've been spending there, but it is addictive.
Cheerio
"If you ask me what I came into this world to do, I will tell you: I came to Live Out Loud." - Emile Zola
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Hmmm..... Journals.
It's cloudy and windy with intermittent rain today. It's my favorite weather. It's a great chance to air out the RV. It feels great on my skin coming through the house. It's calming. It's my idea of the perfect weather for scrapbooking.
Unfortunately, I am still dealing with my face. I have started to believe that the nerves in my head are being directly affected by my sinus issues. You see about 20 years ago I was in a car accident that virtually shattered my sinus cavity. Of course, they immediately did surgery (through my nose, yck) but, just like anything else in your body that gets messed up, it's never been quite right since. So, while I love this weather, I believe it's playing havoc on my sinuses and, as I was already dealing the flair of my trigeminal neuralgia, that in turn is exascerbating the issue. The worse part of all this is that for the past week I have only averaged a couple of hours of sleep per night... then last night I literally had to fall asleep sitting upright as everytime I laid down I started screaming. Long story short, I feel miserable - I'm uncomfortable in any position and I'm exhausted. So, even though it is the perfect day to do so, I can't scrapbook - and that too makes me miserable. Oh well.
Back to the subject I had in mind when I started. Journals. I have several Journals. New, never used ones that are just too beautiful to write in as well as very nice spiral bound ones that I use alot. But I don't journal. When I got a new one at Christmas, I started out trying to use it as a type of diary - after about 2 weeks there is a little letter in there, "Dear Journal, this is ridiculous..." because there is nothing about my everyday that I want to journal. (So why do I blog?!!)
However, there are two (2) lovely little spiral bound journals that sit on the table next to my couch all the time. And I do use them. I write random thoughts about things that I may want to explore further. I write down memories that pop into my head. I write about moments I want to remember in the future. I copy down quotes that I love. I write journaling that I want to use on scrapbook layouts. I write notes about scrapbook layouts that I want to do. I sketch scrapbook and card layouts that I dream up. I staple in pictures of cards, layouts, comics, ads, etc. that I find inspiring or just plain fun. I write down prayers so that I can remember them. I put in notes to the kids, little words for them to live by. I occassionally just write a little letter to someone about how I feel about things. I note song titles because there are songs that I love and that mean something to me, but I may not ever remember the name of them again. I write random thoughts about everything from politics to the military to my favorite time in history. There are pages throughout each of them that have urls/passwords to websites I've joined - but they are in no specific order, just scattered about.
So why am I telling you all of this? Well, because as I was sitting here today I glanced at them. Then I actually thought about them. And I realized how important these little books on my coffee table that I jot crazy crap down in really are. I realized that if something happened to me today, my family could read all that crazy crap and get a pretty good idea of just who I am, what I feel and how my brain works. Even inside all those quotes are little pieces of me, because these are the ones I chose to remember. Those pictures of cards and layouts and comics stapled throughout show the things that inspire me and make me laugh. Those little bits of future journaling that may or may not make it to my scrapbook are very indicative of what was important enough to me that I want to work to make it memorable.
Also, these books are important to me. Because I can't remember things anymore. Because the MS takes more of my brain everyday and I feel things that I used to know slipping away. So reading what I wrote, brings those things back. All those entries remind me of who I am, what I feel and how my brain works.
It is hard for me to type anymore. I went from 90 wpm to about 10 wpm. It takes a lot of typing and retyping and editing to get this blog readable. Sometimes it takes all day - like this one. But I know that someday someone will read it and it's worth the work. And at a time when I am feeling useless, inept and lost, it gives my life a little meaning. What does that have to do with my little journals? Well, I just want you to know that I write all that crazy crap by hand - sometimes it's almost unlegible - but it's there. I never worry about aesthetics because these are my books and what is important is the stories hidden in the scribbling.
So whether you're suffering from an illness that can take away your mind somedays or you're a scrapbooker or you're fond of quotes, poetry, or lists or you're just opinionated, I suggest that you grab you a little spiral journal that you love the cover of and place it on the table next to where you sit the most. You don't have to write in it everyday. You don't have to do anything. Just place it there and let it sit a while. I bet sooner or later you will put something you want to remember in there - a song title, a quote, a movie you love, a bible verse, a picture of your crush (Brad Pitt), your grocery list. Or maybe you just shove a picture of your kids or a birthday card beween the pages for safekeeping. Eventually, you will find your purpose for this useful little book. And there will begin a record of who you are, what you feel and how your brain works.
Cheerio.
"Sometimes life knocks you on your ass... get up, get up get up!!! Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them." - Steve Maraboli
Unfortunately, I am still dealing with my face. I have started to believe that the nerves in my head are being directly affected by my sinus issues. You see about 20 years ago I was in a car accident that virtually shattered my sinus cavity. Of course, they immediately did surgery (through my nose, yck) but, just like anything else in your body that gets messed up, it's never been quite right since. So, while I love this weather, I believe it's playing havoc on my sinuses and, as I was already dealing the flair of my trigeminal neuralgia, that in turn is exascerbating the issue. The worse part of all this is that for the past week I have only averaged a couple of hours of sleep per night... then last night I literally had to fall asleep sitting upright as everytime I laid down I started screaming. Long story short, I feel miserable - I'm uncomfortable in any position and I'm exhausted. So, even though it is the perfect day to do so, I can't scrapbook - and that too makes me miserable. Oh well.
Back to the subject I had in mind when I started. Journals. I have several Journals. New, never used ones that are just too beautiful to write in as well as very nice spiral bound ones that I use alot. But I don't journal. When I got a new one at Christmas, I started out trying to use it as a type of diary - after about 2 weeks there is a little letter in there, "Dear Journal, this is ridiculous..." because there is nothing about my everyday that I want to journal. (So why do I blog?!!)
However, there are two (2) lovely little spiral bound journals that sit on the table next to my couch all the time. And I do use them. I write random thoughts about things that I may want to explore further. I write down memories that pop into my head. I write about moments I want to remember in the future. I copy down quotes that I love. I write journaling that I want to use on scrapbook layouts. I write notes about scrapbook layouts that I want to do. I sketch scrapbook and card layouts that I dream up. I staple in pictures of cards, layouts, comics, ads, etc. that I find inspiring or just plain fun. I write down prayers so that I can remember them. I put in notes to the kids, little words for them to live by. I occassionally just write a little letter to someone about how I feel about things. I note song titles because there are songs that I love and that mean something to me, but I may not ever remember the name of them again. I write random thoughts about everything from politics to the military to my favorite time in history. There are pages throughout each of them that have urls/passwords to websites I've joined - but they are in no specific order, just scattered about.
So why am I telling you all of this? Well, because as I was sitting here today I glanced at them. Then I actually thought about them. And I realized how important these little books on my coffee table that I jot crazy crap down in really are. I realized that if something happened to me today, my family could read all that crazy crap and get a pretty good idea of just who I am, what I feel and how my brain works. Even inside all those quotes are little pieces of me, because these are the ones I chose to remember. Those pictures of cards and layouts and comics stapled throughout show the things that inspire me and make me laugh. Those little bits of future journaling that may or may not make it to my scrapbook are very indicative of what was important enough to me that I want to work to make it memorable.
Also, these books are important to me. Because I can't remember things anymore. Because the MS takes more of my brain everyday and I feel things that I used to know slipping away. So reading what I wrote, brings those things back. All those entries remind me of who I am, what I feel and how my brain works.
It is hard for me to type anymore. I went from 90 wpm to about 10 wpm. It takes a lot of typing and retyping and editing to get this blog readable. Sometimes it takes all day - like this one. But I know that someday someone will read it and it's worth the work. And at a time when I am feeling useless, inept and lost, it gives my life a little meaning. What does that have to do with my little journals? Well, I just want you to know that I write all that crazy crap by hand - sometimes it's almost unlegible - but it's there. I never worry about aesthetics because these are my books and what is important is the stories hidden in the scribbling.
So whether you're suffering from an illness that can take away your mind somedays or you're a scrapbooker or you're fond of quotes, poetry, or lists or you're just opinionated, I suggest that you grab you a little spiral journal that you love the cover of and place it on the table next to where you sit the most. You don't have to write in it everyday. You don't have to do anything. Just place it there and let it sit a while. I bet sooner or later you will put something you want to remember in there - a song title, a quote, a movie you love, a bible verse, a picture of your crush (Brad Pitt), your grocery list. Or maybe you just shove a picture of your kids or a birthday card beween the pages for safekeeping. Eventually, you will find your purpose for this useful little book. And there will begin a record of who you are, what you feel and how your brain works.
Cheerio.
"Sometimes life knocks you on your ass... get up, get up get up!!! Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them." - Steve Maraboli
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Amateur Photography - How FUN!
I gave you guys some great blogs to check out yesterday, so today lets get down to the basics of what it's all about... photography! I am no photographer for sure. But with the help of the gadgets that I'm about to tell you about, I make some spectacular - well fun anyway - pictures to scrap as well as hang around the house and/or post to my facebook page. So lets get down to the nitty gritty.
First let me tell you about http://www.mcpactions.com/ . MCP provides actions for Photoshop Elements, CSE and other photo editing programs. Jodi at MCP is an excellent photographer. More importantly, she knows how to teach you to not only use the actions, but troubleshoot any problems areas that she has encountered with the programs. If you're a Digi-Editor, check out MCP and pick up a few free actions to get you started.
Next, one of my favorite toys is http://www.poladroid.net/ . Poladroid is a standalone download that makes your pix turn into digital polaroids - yep, just like the ones mom used to take. Once you download the program to your desktop, just click and slide one of your own digi-photos from your file on top of the icon. It actually takes the time to process! These can be printed right from your desktop fine, but I usually stick them in Photoshop after they've 'processed' and print them in a 3"x4" format (2 per 4x6 paper). Oh, and you don't have to worry about saving the photo under a new file name as Poladroid does that for you, while still keeping it a jpeg file. They are great to scrap with, especially if you've scanned some older photos or even newer ones that you want to give a vintage look.
Lastly, you've got to try http://pixlr.com/o-matic/ . You can either play with this gadget online or download it to your computer. This too is a standalone so you don't need to know any other software to play til your hearts content! This program makes available a 3-fold alteration: filter, special effect and frame for each photo you "process". I love this program soooo much that I actually have a hard time not using it with every single photo I take! BUT always remember to save your photo under a new filename so that it doesn't replace your original. Also, you can apply the filters and save the new photo - then open it back up in Pixlr and add some more filters. There are literally hundreds of possibilities. Just to show you a little bit of what this program can do I've downloaded just a tiny example.
If you'll take a look at the center photo in the top row, you can see what I mean by taking the saved photo through a second time. You can tell by the examples how you can make beautiful, retro, vintage or just plain fun photos over and over again!
Okay, well that about wraps it up for today. I hope these ideas were helpful and if you have any questions about anything, just leave me a comment: I promise to do the best I can.
By the way, I want to thank GiGi and JC for taking such great pix for me to play with!
Cheerio!
"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." - Ansel Adams
First let me tell you about http://www.mcpactions.com/ . MCP provides actions for Photoshop Elements, CSE and other photo editing programs. Jodi at MCP is an excellent photographer. More importantly, she knows how to teach you to not only use the actions, but troubleshoot any problems areas that she has encountered with the programs. If you're a Digi-Editor, check out MCP and pick up a few free actions to get you started.
Next, one of my favorite toys is http://www.poladroid.net/ . Poladroid is a standalone download that makes your pix turn into digital polaroids - yep, just like the ones mom used to take. Once you download the program to your desktop, just click and slide one of your own digi-photos from your file on top of the icon. It actually takes the time to process! These can be printed right from your desktop fine, but I usually stick them in Photoshop after they've 'processed' and print them in a 3"x4" format (2 per 4x6 paper). Oh, and you don't have to worry about saving the photo under a new file name as Poladroid does that for you, while still keeping it a jpeg file. They are great to scrap with, especially if you've scanned some older photos or even newer ones that you want to give a vintage look.
Lastly, you've got to try http://pixlr.com/o-matic/ . You can either play with this gadget online or download it to your computer. This too is a standalone so you don't need to know any other software to play til your hearts content! This program makes available a 3-fold alteration: filter, special effect and frame for each photo you "process". I love this program soooo much that I actually have a hard time not using it with every single photo I take! BUT always remember to save your photo under a new filename so that it doesn't replace your original. Also, you can apply the filters and save the new photo - then open it back up in Pixlr and add some more filters. There are literally hundreds of possibilities. Just to show you a little bit of what this program can do I've downloaded just a tiny example.
If you'll take a look at the center photo in the top row, you can see what I mean by taking the saved photo through a second time. You can tell by the examples how you can make beautiful, retro, vintage or just plain fun photos over and over again!
Okay, well that about wraps it up for today. I hope these ideas were helpful and if you have any questions about anything, just leave me a comment: I promise to do the best I can.
By the way, I want to thank GiGi and JC for taking such great pix for me to play with!
Cheerio!
"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." - Ansel Adams
Monday, April 2, 2012
Oh No, Another Post Today
I know, it's unheard of. Two posts in one day. And trust me it will not be a trend. But while my mind and fingers are both working, I might as well take advantage as that's not the case on most days.
So on with the words. I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce my blog list (shown at right). While I think you should look at all of them, most people like to pick and choose... I do. So here's a little glimpse at why I actually take time to check these people's lives out on a regular basis.
Pretty Paper. True Stories. {And Scrapbook Classes with Cupcakes}... Shimelle Laine. Shimelle is young, fairly newly married w/no children (yet). But she is a PROFESSIONAL SCRAPBOOKER. She has (by reputation) the best scrapbook classes available. Her style is amazing and she brings you her layouts with a fine-tooth comb. Her perspective is refreshing. I recommend that once you've perused her initial post, you go over to the left and check out "Why I Scrapbook" - a class she gave a couple of years ago (I will be going over my own version of this SOON); it was the video she made for this free class that made me a serious fan.
My Mind's Eye... Paper company. I've raved on them in my previous post, so enough said.
Just Me My Soldier and Our 4 Little Chicks... Stephanie Howell. Stephanie is married to an Army Ranger who spends most of his time in Afghanistan (unfortunately) and she is the Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) to 4 little girls under the age of 5!!!!!! Wow. Two Heroes in One Household! I actually gravitated to Stephanie when I saw a layout of her and her 4 girls in a magazine. It wasn't the layout so much as her amazing smile - really. So I checked out her blog. Smack blogs say she's whiny, but gosh, she has every right to be and I don't think so... I think she's got way more on her plate than most people and she's just keeping it real. She's mostly upbeat and she's very talented. She has just recently been employed by MME and previously was on Design Teams for other brands. She's just fun to read and fun to be inspired by.
Creative Explosion... Aeryn Kelly-Reitmeyer. I actually ran across Aeryn on a Scrap Smack Blog. I checked out her blog and WOW was I impressed. Aeryn is a good scrapbooker, but she is an amazing colorer. Yep you read that right! Just like when we took our crayons out as kids. But she uses Copic markers and off the shelf stamps and bamm! creates the most amazing art I have seen. I must admit that I didn't know there was such a big clan of these coloring people. But Aeryn is amazing. Aeryn also has some health issues and scraps out of her rehab'd closet. So she's close to my heart in that way too. She's inspirational all the way around.
The Examined Life... Jess Mutty. I was so inspired by a project that Jess made (in Scrapbooks, etc. mag) that my layout (LO) version was actually framed in my living room before finishing the mag. (And when GiGi came in and saw it hanging up, she said it was her favorite ever!). Thus, I had to seek her out on the net and now am hooked. Jess not only scrapbooks, but she makes projects for every occassion using every kind and color of product. She has a small child and one on the way, so her taste ranges through all the spectrum. It's just fun to see what she made today. Everything from cards to boxes. If you have a love of paper, you'll love Jess.
Effer Dares... The Dares. This gang of 20-30-40 somethings has been around for more than a few years, even publishing a book. The gist of it is that there are scrapbook "dares"/challenges to get your creative juices flowing. (I have actually listed all the dares I can find (I had to go back to the beginning and now they're on 188) and will provide them when I broach this subject again.) And while you can use the dares in any of your traditional scrapbook subjects and should if you Dare, I have several I have done just to do the Dare and keep these in their own little 6x11 book. So if you get stumped and tired of the 'same old same old' , check them out - and be sure to go back through the previous until you come across something you want to try.
Okay. That's my list of Necessary Reading. If you have any that you just LOVE, drop me a comment so we can check them out too.
Cheerio.
"Creative work is play. It is free speculation using materials of one's chosen form. - Stephen Nachmanovitch
So on with the words. I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce my blog list (shown at right). While I think you should look at all of them, most people like to pick and choose... I do. So here's a little glimpse at why I actually take time to check these people's lives out on a regular basis.
Pretty Paper. True Stories. {And Scrapbook Classes with Cupcakes}... Shimelle Laine. Shimelle is young, fairly newly married w/no children (yet). But she is a PROFESSIONAL SCRAPBOOKER. She has (by reputation) the best scrapbook classes available. Her style is amazing and she brings you her layouts with a fine-tooth comb. Her perspective is refreshing. I recommend that once you've perused her initial post, you go over to the left and check out "Why I Scrapbook" - a class she gave a couple of years ago (I will be going over my own version of this SOON); it was the video she made for this free class that made me a serious fan.
My Mind's Eye... Paper company. I've raved on them in my previous post, so enough said.
Just Me My Soldier and Our 4 Little Chicks... Stephanie Howell. Stephanie is married to an Army Ranger who spends most of his time in Afghanistan (unfortunately) and she is the Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) to 4 little girls under the age of 5!!!!!! Wow. Two Heroes in One Household! I actually gravitated to Stephanie when I saw a layout of her and her 4 girls in a magazine. It wasn't the layout so much as her amazing smile - really. So I checked out her blog. Smack blogs say she's whiny, but gosh, she has every right to be and I don't think so... I think she's got way more on her plate than most people and she's just keeping it real. She's mostly upbeat and she's very talented. She has just recently been employed by MME and previously was on Design Teams for other brands. She's just fun to read and fun to be inspired by.
Creative Explosion... Aeryn Kelly-Reitmeyer. I actually ran across Aeryn on a Scrap Smack Blog. I checked out her blog and WOW was I impressed. Aeryn is a good scrapbooker, but she is an amazing colorer. Yep you read that right! Just like when we took our crayons out as kids. But she uses Copic markers and off the shelf stamps and bamm! creates the most amazing art I have seen. I must admit that I didn't know there was such a big clan of these coloring people. But Aeryn is amazing. Aeryn also has some health issues and scraps out of her rehab'd closet. So she's close to my heart in that way too. She's inspirational all the way around.
The Examined Life... Jess Mutty. I was so inspired by a project that Jess made (in Scrapbooks, etc. mag) that my layout (LO) version was actually framed in my living room before finishing the mag. (And when GiGi came in and saw it hanging up, she said it was her favorite ever!). Thus, I had to seek her out on the net and now am hooked. Jess not only scrapbooks, but she makes projects for every occassion using every kind and color of product. She has a small child and one on the way, so her taste ranges through all the spectrum. It's just fun to see what she made today. Everything from cards to boxes. If you have a love of paper, you'll love Jess.
Effer Dares... The Dares. This gang of 20-30-40 somethings has been around for more than a few years, even publishing a book. The gist of it is that there are scrapbook "dares"/challenges to get your creative juices flowing. (I have actually listed all the dares I can find (I had to go back to the beginning and now they're on 188) and will provide them when I broach this subject again.) And while you can use the dares in any of your traditional scrapbook subjects and should if you Dare, I have several I have done just to do the Dare and keep these in their own little 6x11 book. So if you get stumped and tired of the 'same old same old' , check them out - and be sure to go back through the previous until you come across something you want to try.
Okay. That's my list of Necessary Reading. If you have any that you just LOVE, drop me a comment so we can check them out too.
Cheerio.
"Creative work is play. It is free speculation using materials of one's chosen form. - Stephen Nachmanovitch
MME Grand Blog Hop Today.
In honor of the My Mind's Eye new blog, fb, twitter, etc. now overseen by the inspirational Stephanie Howell (check out her blog listed at right) and their blog hop today, I decided to post this little page I did a couple of months (?) ago. Note that I still haven't found my place/way to get the great project photos yet, but I'm working on it. Also, this page looks awesome in person - can't believe it looks like crap in the pix. But hey, you get the gist and practice in photographing them will make me perfect! LOL!!!
If you haven't worked with MME before, rush out and check them out. They are one of my faves and have a collection now for just about everybody's taste. While the paper I'm currently working with (Lost & Found) is a bit more nostalgic, their newer lines are definitely more modern and graphic. Can't wait until I can partake of more of their beautiful items. Have you got a great MME project - send it on and I'll post it.
Cheerio.
"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." - Joseph Chilton Pearce
If you haven't worked with MME before, rush out and check them out. They are one of my faves and have a collection now for just about everybody's taste. While the paper I'm currently working with (Lost & Found) is a bit more nostalgic, their newer lines are definitely more modern and graphic. Can't wait until I can partake of more of their beautiful items. Have you got a great MME project - send it on and I'll post it.
Also, I have added a new little gadget (as mentioned above) listing my favorite blogs. Check these people out - they are some of the most inspirational I have come by in my little time of blog-scanning.
Read something inspiring.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
and then there was AWESOMENESS
First let me say this is not an April Fools. It is a real story. An amazing story of customer service going above and beyond. It's a story about a guy named Raf in the Philippeans who went to work at 4:00 yesterday morning for an American company as a customer service dude.
I have been wrestling with my cable company, Mediacom, for an entire week regarding my inability to watch my On-Demand. The Killing Season Premiere starts tonight and I had 13 episodes to catch up on. (I had seen the actual First Episode as a rerun a couple of weeks ago and have been enthralled ever since.) Every time I turned my TV to On-Demand for my FREE TV Entertainment, I received an error message.
So at 4:50pm yesterday... 13 1-hour episodes to watch in 24 hours... fresh from ERX with Dr Asshole... still in pain... I called Mediacom once again. Raf answered. Raf set and reset and tweaked and reset my cable box. We would occassionally get a picture but it was so pixillated that to watch it would have just been an exercise in futility. Then he would tweak and the error msg was back. On and on. At times, Raf would sit and listen to my delirium for the 20 minutes we would have to wait for it to be time for a reset. At 6:30 we got disconnected. Cell phones - yck.
I called Mediacom back - of course it was answered by some other guy some other place who had no idea other than make a service call. UNACCEPTABLE. 13 episodes, 24 hours. I was explaining this when a call came in on my cell by an Unknown number. It was Raf again - he had called the number on the account and my daughter had given him my cell. So obviously I just hung up on Dude #2 and started back with Raf. We continued to reset and tweak for another 1 1/2 hours.
Then Raf says, "I need to go to lunch. But when I get back I'm going to continue to work on this. In the meantime, look for my email. Reply that you've received it, and I'll call you if I come up with anything."
Within 30 minutes, I received an email from Raf. In the email were separate links for free internet TV viewings of the first 5 episodes - on different sites. About 45 minutes later another email with the next 5 episodes on different websites for free viewing. Two hours later, the last 3 episodes. At 10:45, Raf called to say he couldn't get anything to work, was doing a service order and what episode was I on?
Raf is 22 years old. He wants to open a Game Stop-type store in the Philippeans within the next 4 years so he's saving as much money as he can. He wants to visit California to see a girl he cares about and they made a promise. And Raf has been dubbed His Majesty Mr Awesomeness by a 50-year old lady in an RV in BFE, FL who had a really bad day. God love and watch over Raf.
And if I ever could, I would send Raf a ticket to California to see his girl.
Cheerio.
P.S. Mediacom's policy is to NEVER spend more than 5 minutes on the phone with a service call.
"Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Philo
I have been wrestling with my cable company, Mediacom, for an entire week regarding my inability to watch my On-Demand. The Killing Season Premiere starts tonight and I had 13 episodes to catch up on. (I had seen the actual First Episode as a rerun a couple of weeks ago and have been enthralled ever since.) Every time I turned my TV to On-Demand for my FREE TV Entertainment, I received an error message.
So at 4:50pm yesterday... 13 1-hour episodes to watch in 24 hours... fresh from ERX with Dr Asshole... still in pain... I called Mediacom once again. Raf answered. Raf set and reset and tweaked and reset my cable box. We would occassionally get a picture but it was so pixillated that to watch it would have just been an exercise in futility. Then he would tweak and the error msg was back. On and on. At times, Raf would sit and listen to my delirium for the 20 minutes we would have to wait for it to be time for a reset. At 6:30 we got disconnected. Cell phones - yck.
I called Mediacom back - of course it was answered by some other guy some other place who had no idea other than make a service call. UNACCEPTABLE. 13 episodes, 24 hours. I was explaining this when a call came in on my cell by an Unknown number. It was Raf again - he had called the number on the account and my daughter had given him my cell. So obviously I just hung up on Dude #2 and started back with Raf. We continued to reset and tweak for another 1 1/2 hours.
Then Raf says, "I need to go to lunch. But when I get back I'm going to continue to work on this. In the meantime, look for my email. Reply that you've received it, and I'll call you if I come up with anything."
Within 30 minutes, I received an email from Raf. In the email were separate links for free internet TV viewings of the first 5 episodes - on different sites. About 45 minutes later another email with the next 5 episodes on different websites for free viewing. Two hours later, the last 3 episodes. At 10:45, Raf called to say he couldn't get anything to work, was doing a service order and what episode was I on?
Raf is 22 years old. He wants to open a Game Stop-type store in the Philippeans within the next 4 years so he's saving as much money as he can. He wants to visit California to see a girl he cares about and they made a promise. And Raf has been dubbed His Majesty Mr Awesomeness by a 50-year old lady in an RV in BFE, FL who had a really bad day. God love and watch over Raf.
And if I ever could, I would send Raf a ticket to California to see his girl.
Cheerio.
P.S. Mediacom's policy is to NEVER spend more than 5 minutes on the phone with a service call.
"Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Philo
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