here I am all cleaned up!

it is about 7:00 am in Denver and I am out of the shower ready for another working day. Check out those brows are they great or what? good hair and cute smile! I will see you all later.  

a self portrait

Interesting - not all that happy with this shot , but it was fun to try out my camera on a night setting and with timer on, I wish I could smile in time : ) I am so critical of myself that it is hard to believe I am posting this up to the web. But at this time in my life this is who I am - I can't get away from it.

Today I had my eyebrows done. This is something I have been doing for two years now, My girl K8 really showed me how nice they look and frame my face when they are natural but not out of control bushy ( think Brooke Sheilds gone wild) - this photo is Pre-waxed. I will post up another in a a couple of days post wax.

I had a hillarious gal from Ghanna, west africa do them today and she did each eye with one swoop. It hurts like hell but I love it. She laughed at my desire to stay on the natural side and said she had recently got caught up in a few more, a few more, and soon they, her brows, are too narrow, so she used " marker" to draw them on. I laughed and sighed and understood.

I had Hh with me when I went to get them done, and she then had to check her own out in the van's re-view mirror, we then had the mother daughter discussion about body hair and when we would like to have done things differently. I told her to try not to shave her blondie legs until she absolutly has too, this is my worst thing and most hairy spot! Underarms on the other hand, well I never let them get very hairy. She laughed, I laughed and we had a moment to be us. 

Colorstrology- by pantone and M. Bernhardt

I am finding it facinating that the most hits from Google according to my site meter Have to do with my posting about this topic last year. Here is my page about my color on my birthday. I also spelled the topic incorrectly- but my link to pantone and the author's page are still good.

I think I will want this book, a great color reference and intersting topic. I love my pantone book, even if they do bonk me in the head sometimes.

COMING SOON TO BOOKSTORES

This new book is a fascinating blend of astrology, numerology, and color theory that offers exciting new insights about our lives and relationships. Written by renowned astrologer Michele Bernhardt with Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color, the system features 366 "birthday colors" that Illustrate who we are and how we behave.

By Michele Bernhardt, Original Concept
by Dann Gershon in cooperation with
Pantone, Inc.

Quirk Books, $18.95, http://www.quirkbooks.com/

Random thoughts

this was the topic of my friend Kate- she has a blog now too!! yeah K8! I too read this article in Creating Keepsakes Mag this month by Becky Higgins Scrapper... And I am not sure my random thoughts are scrapbook worthy for an entire day? or page? I am constantly battling the block that comes from having a cluttered space. And it muddles my mind too.

but may be I will start to rethink this a bit .... but for now less random and more structure is what my space needs at the very least.

Scrap Daddy always has funnies on Friday

"Any man, in the right situation, is capable of murder. But not any man is capable of being a good camper. So, murder and camping are not as similar as you might think." McDaddy's blog



Photos courtesy of the NPS web site.

Both big boys are off with Scouts this weeknd to the Great Sand Dunes NP
J has wanted to go there for a long time, and we always seem to miss this trip with whomever we plan it with.

My Friend Karen and I talked about a girls retreat here too, I think I may need to plan that, but NO camping we will stay near by and enjoy the Park if we want a good time.

dog tired

I am tired from our little trip, work and kids and all the other things I DO for everyone else. I am putting together a little album for our retiring rector and the weekly bullitin and alter duty at church, not to mention my boss is gone for two days- too much to DO!

inside look at my soul, yes yes hnnm does look like me

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are quite expressive and thoughtful. You see the world in a way that others are blind to. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is in a very different place (both physically and mentally) from where you are right now. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

Back to the future

not really but back to work. We took the Mustang and had a great trip to KS- too short, but I was happy to sleep in my own bed last night.

I hope you missed me a little bit.

here is the quote on my calendar today :

I breathed a song into the air;
It fell to earth, I know not where.....
and the song, from
begining to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

~~Longfellow

Don't get worried-

We are off on a little jaunt, I will try to post from our future location in the next day or two but it may be tuesday or wed before I get back here steady.

We are off to Topeka to see S's Dad and step mom and catch a little much needed R&R from work and life and stuff.

I hope all your dads have a great Father's day weekend and you don't forget to love on them

waiting to be filled up with love and time and prayer

inside little box of prayers waiting for the tags.  

love this sentimental saying and it is so true...

 

packed and ready to go

inside filled up  

altered inside too!

this was a blast and fun to put together- ranger distress inks and my favorite stamps.

back of the box

doddles by me, sticker by Susan Branch ( just love her) and sentiment from a sheet of velum in my stash.  

cover for a Altered box

I sent this box to Cathy who needed some prayers and support from friends in her life.. God has perfect timing

Hh is blogging

Here is Anything - I told her to Blog about something she knows.... rune scape is her topic today !

Life Lessons

The great lesson is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and Family, in one's backyard.

Abraham Maslow

Fun days in the sun, Hh went to a friend's house ( apartment) and they swam in the pool yesterday. It reached a high of 97 degrees here and it is supposed to be hotter today.

We are in the middle of trying to call a new rector for the church- and Last night we had an emergency meeting- it was hot and ran late, the boys were at a scout function at a local pool doing a swim check. We picked them up later than the meeting time, and made the scout leaders wait, for us. I made S call and apologize - our bad, we tried to fit too many things into too small a time frame. Bad choice on our part. {So again I would like to say Sorry for making you wait for us to pick up the boys Karen- and Art- some times she reads my blog to see what I am up too. We didn't want to incovience you or others, we made a bad choice- begging forgiveness please}

We are going to get a " priest in charge" most likely and we need to be moving along and making a decission. We have interviewed our canidate the diosceses provided for us. I think most of us like him, he is very different than our current rector.

I have been feeling poorly - my feet and ankles have been swollen for more than a week, my doctor didn't have any earth shattering revelations for me on Monday. But they are better this morning finnally. Hh and I have slacked for a week on our walking regime, she is out of school for the summer and our routine has been disrupted. So need to get back to my monitoring and pedometering!

well that is about it for the moment anyway

this is Sampson, one funny little doggie

can you believe this little pooch! he is so funny and this is not the first time he has made it up here on the cat scratcher condo. he is in search of those treats at the the left side of the photo.  

hair and guns??

J came home with his hair like this today! then I did the neighbor's hair to match, I had to take photos- they make me laugh- S told J he can't ride in the car with his hair like that! What's up with that. they went to a mall happening today, with skaters and bands and fun.  

Boys will be boys

 

As always French of course!

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

Best friends

Your Best Friend is the Person Who brings Out of you the Best That is Within You.

--- Henry Ford

This would be S for the best. He is a wonderful man, father, son, lover and my best friend.

I have other friends too and I am happy to report that this applies to them too, K8, Karen, Shelley - I am better for having them in my life.

Enough already !

I Wish You Enough

At an airport I overheard a father and
daughter in their last moments
together. They had announced her
departure and standing near the
security gate, they hugged and he said,
"I love you, I wish you enough."

She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together
has been more than enough.
Your love is all I ever needed,
I wish you enough, too, Daddy."

They kissed and she left. He walked over
toward the window where I was
seated. Standing there I could see he
wanted and needed to cry. I tried not
to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed
me in by asking, "Did you
ever say good-bye to someone
knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied, "forgive me
for asking, but why is this a
forever good-bye?" I asked.

"I am old and she lives much too far away.
I have challenges ahead and
the reality is, the next trip back
would be for my funeral," he said.

"When you were saying good-bye I heard you
say, 'I wish you enough. "May
I ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that
has been handed down from other
generations. My parents used to say
it to everyone." He paused for a
moment and looking up as if trying to remember
it in detail, he smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough,' we
were wanting the other person to
have a life filled with just enough
good things to sustain them," he
continued and then turning toward me
he shared the following as if he were
reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your
attitude bright. I wish you enough
rain to appreciate the sun more. I
wish you enough happiness to keep your
spirit alive. I wish you enough pain
so that the smallest joys in life appear
much bigger. I wish you enough gain
to satisfy your wanting. I wish you
enough loss to appreciate all that you
possess. I wish enough "Hello's" to get
you through the final "Good-bye."

Tears filled his eyes and he walked away.

My friend, I wish you enough!
So my friends, I WISH YOU ENOUGH!!!!!
Written by Bob Perks

good morning !

I really felt at peace here in the woods over the last weekend. I bouys my spirit.  

Happy?

Happiness is not a station you arrive at,
but a manner of traveling.

Henry O. Dormann

a little late is better than never

http://roundupyourmemories.blogspot.com/

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

I got my first copy of “Blueprint” by the Martha Stewart living Org., my copy of creating keepsakes, my copy of memory makers, scrapbook answers ,

I bought a Mary Englebright magazine and a Martha Stewart living ….

I read “ My life in France” by Julia Child and her nephew an wonderful book , that really was an interesting read. Since my mom is French- it was interesting to read about a time my mom would have been a young woman and a working girl.

I finished digital Fortress by Dan Brown

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

I loved Last Holiday with Queen Latifa

We laughed all the way through Best Friends.

I liked Family Stone

S and I went to see MI-III and loved it on the big screen, even with weird Tom Cat in the lead.

J got to pick a movie to go to for one of his birthday treats- so we went to see X-men III it was excellent on the big screen

What special days did I celebrate and how?

We celebrated J’s 15^th birthday at the end of the month, and my friend Kate’s big 30 on the 20^th , I didn’t do anything for National scrapbook day, I did scrap this month though.

I had a happy mother’s day celebration.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have in May?

I am having a little swelling in my ankles and am a little concerned, but haven’t taken myself to the doctor. I injured my forehead with a falling pantone book. It bled like crazy

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

We went to the movies as a family

S and I had a date night last week on Thursday night.

I helped at the field day for Hh

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try in May?

We went to a buffalo Wild Wings – interesting and good little boneless wings.
What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I bought some sharpies ( silver) I looked for some white pens, I bought a journal and some envelopes with the intention of keeping a home journal.
What were this month’s disappointments?

I wish I could motivate myself to really buckle down and get more scrapping DONE

What were my accomplishments this month?

I scraped 4 layouts for Hh’s book, I made several cards see this entry

Any thing else noteworthy to record about May?

looking at the indian peaks range from the chapel

is this so glorious - you can see this from the chapel. 

lady liberty over the lake

sunday morning before chapel- what a view 

saturday night celebration included this wonderful Indian

Jimmy Had the privilage of canoeing him across the lake to the waiting scouts. he really was a little scared.  

J as ASPL

he was Assistant Senior Patrol Leader of the 30th anniversary of webelos weekend at camp tahosa, he was in his element and he shines with this great program.  

morning Flags

right by tumblesome lake - a little wind and this flag really unfurled.  

one of the most beautiful BSA camps in the world

 

At lifehacker there is this great tip. - be back later with other things to make you smile.

Beat procrastination with the 10 minute rule

In Procrastination

An article in Psychology Today says procrastination creates stress, anxiety and depression. But how do you stop putting off that dreaded task? Just do it - for at least 10 minutes.

Acknowledge, "I don't feel like doing that," but do it for 10 minutes anyway. That gets you over the hard work of initiation. After being involved in the activity for 10 minutes, then decide whether to continue. Once you're involved, it's easier to stay with a task. Succeeding at a task does not require that you like doing it.

I can personally attest that this works. I keep a timer on my desk and whenever I feel myself dragging my feet on something, I set it and go. It's amazing how much easier tasks turn out to be when you don't build them up to be these huge faceless monsters in your mind. How do you beat procrastination? Let us know in the comments or to tips at lifehacker.com.

going for a bit of fun

J and I are going to Tahosa BSA(see last years entry) camp for webelos weekend- he is ASPL - Assistant Senior patrol leader, I am taking up my camera and my sleeping bag and trying to rough it for the weekend.

he loves this stuff and is always in his element over a weekend camping and being in charge.

here is the Denver area website - BSA official site for our council.

I will post up pictures after I re-coop sunday or monday.

Hh and S are going to go to the rockies- against the marlins on saturday night. They will have fun too.

so over and out until monday.

A Little froth

Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino

Smooth and sweet, you fit in to almost any crowd. No one would suspect you of being a coffee tweaker!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

rounding up soon

http://roundupyourmemories.blogspot.com/

Katie at Katie the scrapbook lady is ready to round up..... here are her questions and link. will post mine soon

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

What special days did I celebrate and how?

What illnesses or health concerns did I have in May?

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try in May?

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

What were this month’s disappointments?

What were my accomplishments this month?

Any thing else noteworthy to record about May?

share

Share your life, and find the finest joy one can know. Do not be stingy with your heart. Get out of yourself into the lives of others, and new life will flow into you-- share and share alike.

Joseph Fort Newton

15 years ago may 30th

this guy was doing his own thing and deciding he had enough and needed to be born. so by emegency he came and he's been an emergency baby every year since then too.
we had his favorite dinner- including pierogies and creamed corn and nice steaks- a nice cake made by me -mom. He has finals at school tomorrow that is the only thing he's not thrilled about. We gave him an AMX -gift card- he can use anyway he wants too. 

I Am

I've been tagged by Cathy

This one is worth the effort.


I AM: A woman, with a heart of a girl, I am a wife and a friend, I am a sister in the middle of two brothers, I am a daughter struggling with my relationship to my own mother. I am a mother of two babies- who are living and one that is not. I am a step mother to two young men who were boys when I became Tam- mom to them.
I am and artist and creator. I am an innovator and thinker. I am a student and a teacher. I am more than I ever thought I would be.
I am an employee
I am a lay reader, alter guild server, part-time bulletin maker.
I am me!

I WANT: To not work so hard, yet have what I need to be happy. I want my kids to be good, have good judgment and live long and productive and creative lives. I want my husband to still love me many years from now- I want to love him too. I want to be healthy, wealthy and wise.

I WISH: for sweet things and love, peace and happiness. I wish I was more organized and less of a perfectionist. I wish I was more detail oriented, but less controlling. I wish I was really cute and sexy, but I think this would scare me too! I had better relationships with my brothers.
I wish and hope that my children will be great, adults, parents, lovers, friends, and brothers and sisters.

I HATE: Brussels sprouts , licorice, and prejudice.: dictionary says an unfounded hatred, fear, or mistrust of a person or group, especially one of a particular religion, ethnicity, nationality, or social status,

I MISS: My younger days with less rent, cares and responsibilities.

I FEAR: the day that one of my parent or S. parents go to heaven. I fear fire and just am so scared by it, I fear spiders unreasonably.
I fear my children will not be the best that they can be.

I HEAR: Words of love from, my wonderful husband everyday. Country music on my radio, pop tunes on Hh's computer media player, and her tinkling out a tune or two on the piano or drums. Praises to God every Sunday. The lawns being mowed, the dogs barking and tails thumping and I know things are right in my world.

I WONDER: about God, I wonder about lots of questions and try to find answers to satisfy myself .

I REGRET: making a choice early on at twenty to get married, but don't regret my children, whom I would never have had if that choice hadn't been made, so it is not as regretful as some things. Not getting to know my father's family better. especially my Aunt Sunny, My mom's family also.

I’M Not: Thin, gorgeous, the American girl next door. I am not as brave as I appear. I am not perfect.......A tough one for me.

I DANCE: by myself to my own tune, always have, always will. I may say yes and agree, but go off and do my own thing; independence is a hard lesson to undo.

I SING: country songs from the radio, spirituals and hymns from the 1982 hymn book and an African American hymnal loudly and confidently. I took voice lessons and sang in a choir until most of my way through college. I sing because I want too.

I CRY: easily and always have, I am a sentimental girl, honest to a fault and wear my feelings on my sleeve. I cry at the thought of my son, struggling to be independent away from me and family. I cry at the thought of anyone ever doing anything bad to my children.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: the nicest person. I can be mean and say hurtful things to my children and my wonderful hubby, especially to my ex-spouse.

I MAKE: a little art, a lot of scrapbooks and big messes, I make great meals; I love to cook and feed those around me. A little money at my job. Love to my husband.

I WRITE: in my blog online almost everyday. I write love letters and cards to many people I know, and love, I write valentines every year.I write to my friend Kate regularly. I write fluff and sometimes can't express the best of what is in me for the fear that being too truthful hurts those I just want to send love too.

I CONFUSE: love and sex, love and food, love and attention. I confuse feelings with need, I confuse myself.

I NEED: to find my self-worth

I HAVE: Way more than I could ever need. I have the best husband and children. I have a nice but modest home. I have a nice but old van. I have my parents alive still; I have my in laws alive too. I have blessings in my life and want to always remember to count them.

I LOVE: my family, my friends and being an American. I love good food, good company, and fun. I love the movies. I love my dogs and cats. I love technology. I love beautiful flowers. Chocolate.

I SHOULD: not should on myself- that is what my Dad says. Instead I will try to be the best of the things I am.

more me me meme

You Belong in 1970

If you scored... 1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too. 1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day. 1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

ME meme me

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you live your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

the best of friends

Our best friends are the ones who pack easily and travel well on the road of life. Lois Wyse