Another Black Belt in the making

Michael's big day was yesterday. We had to be in Pittsburgh at 8 in the morning, so we left here a little after 6 and had a nice quiet ride. He was very nervous for days, but everything went well and I am sure he passed. He won't find out for sure for several months, I have no idea why it would take them that long. He will get his belt at the end of January/early February. He looked pretty good, he tried hard and it showed. Another big event we can check off on the long list of things this month :)

Next weekend we have a wedding to go to, that should be fun. We are leaving the kids at home, we'll see how that goes :) Tomorrow we have teacher/parent conferences, that should be interesting.

Boy, I have hardly had any time to create these last few days, I do not like that at all.. I finished my last 365 page this morning, at least I am up to date with that

Like I said before, my facing pages always look quite the same, at least some consistency throughout the book. I started saving my 365 pages in jpeg format, so I can start uploading them to Shutterfly to get a headstart. Terry has hers all uploaded and part of them printed in a book already. Talk about organized :) I'll never get there.

Some other pages

that's it for the pages, sad isn't it? There is so little time to do it all, my usual complaint LOL. Yesterday after testing was done we took the kids to the Golden Corral to eat. They loved it, it's hard not to stuff yourself to the gills. Then we took a ride to Shadyside to visit the Apple store since I am having problems with my optical drive. Of course they didn't have the part (that's always my luck), they offered to send my compy out and have it sent back to me after replacement of the part. No way am I going to part with my laptop for who knows how long. I'd rather drive there again and have them fix it while I wait. The street the store is on is really cool, reminds me of Europe. Lots of little shops and places to sit outside. It being such a nice day yesterday, it was really packed. We also stopped at the Mall on the way home and the kids were impressed with how much larger than ours it was. The bookstore there is awesome!!! All in all it was a fun day, but we were exhausted by evening, having to get up this early is for the birds!Tomorrow the kids are off for the conferences and Wednesday again for Veteran's Day. Nice, a little reprieve.I almost forgot to mention that's Phil's test came out okay. He has some blockage, but it doesn't sound like it requires any action, thank goodness! Another scan next year to keep an eye on it, that's all.Okay, back to creating and making dinner. Talk to you all soon!

A prayer

Today hubby is going for his carotid artery studies and needless to say he is quite nervous about the outcome. I just hope they will be okay and he won't have another worry added. Please say a prayer if you have a chance, even retroactively. Thanks guys!!!
Halloween is over, yeah! All the costume angst can be put behind us until next year. I couldn't even go to the school for the parade this year, I had my hair appointment scheduled a long time ago and they are really hard to change. Saturday was trick or treating night and then the party at our neighbors, which they have every year. They transform their garage into a haunted house and it's pretty good. Rachel went through it with me for the first time this year and she had a death grip on my shoulders. Not that she was afraid of clowns or anything, never! She only watched the movie IT and was terrified of them. She was glad after she went through it though!
I got an email for a sale at Shutterfly, so I decided to use the coupon to make a book with all the nature pages I had done in the past. Man, that was not as easy as I thought it would be. It took me two days to compile them all and get them into some kind of arrangement that would work colorwise and season wise. Here is the link if you want to look at it, it's really nothing special, doesn't flow like a regular composed book would, but I finally will have all those pages in one place (until I make more :))
http://community.shutterfly.com/gallery/post/start.sfly?postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDJgwbOGDdswbAJcE_1I
Since I was MIA for the last two days in the gallery at DD I had to spend an hour just flying through it this morning. I hate it when I don't have the time to leave comments, it takes so long to catch up...

Michael is going for his Black Belt test this Sunday. Since it starts at 8 in the morning and it's almost 2 hours away I am still trying to decide whether to go early in the morning or get a room and stay there overnight. What a pain. We have gone through this too many times for it to have any excitement left. He is nervous though, for him it's a big day. I intend to take a lot of pictures.

I haven't made a page since Saturday, that feels awful. I really enjoy that daily creativity, don't know why. Sometimes life can get in the way though, I don't know that today will be much better, with all this catching up now. Piano later and once the kids are home, they want attention. Just called hubby to give him some encouragement, he is getting ready to get this scan done. Since he is doing it between making rounds etc. he didn't want me to come with him.... We will soon know more.

Here are the few pages I got done

These can all be found in my Designer digitals gallery as usual...

and this one for PixelCanvas

I think that site is down again this morning, I tried to get on but couldn't

Well, like I said before, we have a busy month coming up, weddings, testings, appointments and then the holidays, yikes, my head is spinning already!

By the way, if you didn't know yet, Designer Digitals is having their quarterly sale starting this Thursday. Everything is going to be 30% off and Saturday is a whole day of chats with freebies. I will be in and out that day, so I will probably miss a lot of it, but they are such fun! I hope you'll have a chance to stop by!

Jessica Sprague has a free class for the end of this year, go sign up for it, it sounds like fun... I still have to catch up with the classes at Debbie Hodge's, I still didn't finish Pattie's class and she has such great little tricks in there, better get busy here LOL.

Have a wonderful Tuesday everybody!

Kitty's agony

I had to take two of my cats to the Vet today, just for checkups and shots. Geez, what agony. To get my 8year old cat into the carrier was quite an undertaking. I couldn't have done it without the help of my cleaning lady. The silly door opened too wide and made the opening smaller and poor Chubby spread her legs and held on for dear life. I finally managed to get her in and she cried the whole way, the most pitiful sound. TG was fine, she sat on my shoulder the whole way, nuzzling her head against mine. Of course during the visit she had her temperature checked in the you know what and she was not a happy camper, hissing and wiggling... it didn't take too long before she started purring again. Anyway, they are both okay, got their shots and have to get a second one in a month. I am not looking forward to a repeat performance.

For now the kids are all okay again, still a little hacking, but they are all back in school. I am still waiting for the last one to get sick, knock on wood! It was kind of nice to have Gabrielle home with me, it's almost like having a friend home :) We went and finally bought some pumpkins and mums for out front. It looks nice.
I finished my 365 page for last week, it's so great to be up to date with that

Of course it looks almost the same as last week's since I always keep them similar so they will match. Here are a few more pages I did

the last one is my bench in our backyard. I have taken pictures of it in the spring and the winter, so  I thought I'd finish the seasons. I might just make a book with all my nature pages. Somebody suggested it and I think it's a good idea. Maybe I will use some nice quotes on the opposing sides. We'll see.

The one with Rachel came from inspiration from a magazine published by a local hospital. I always liked all the swirls and the silhouette.

Well, we just got back from Karate and I am a little pooped. Have a great evening everybody

cute link and more

somebody just posted this on FB and I thought for you non facebook doers, you might enjoy it too
Absolutely Fantastic!
I thought it shows that people really don't need a lot to be happy sometimes!
Sickness is going around the house. Michael just got over his cold and is back in school, now Gabrielle has the 103.8 fever and headache, cough etc. I don't think it's anything but a cold, but it's still miserable. Of course, Rachel will be next and then maybe us. I sure hope not. I keep washing my hands continously...

Thanks for a wonderful morning the other day Jeanne (arghhhh). I started taking down curtains to wash them and then I started thinking about your post about washing walls. I really tried not to, tried to turn the other way and forget about the stupid walls, but the grease on the wallpaper and the ceiling above the stove  wasn't easy to ignore, so I bit the bullet and started washing! I could do a commercial for Awesome, that stuff really is that, awesome! I sprayed it on and wiped everything off. Gross for sure, but man, did it work! So now my windows are sparkling, my curtains are nice and bright and I didn't put the top drapes back on, I started thinking about something Katrina said in one of her lessons. She bought her house partially because of the great light in it. Now our house is dark most of the time, because we have overhangs everywhere, so now I am letting some more light in and I really like it. Our breakfast room seems so much brighter and the kitchen windows look so big now, I can see all my trees outside. I am loving it. Only at night it looks a little funny having those dark surfaces there...:)
I have a couple more pages too

The second one is the result of Pattie's third lesson, creating a sketch from a photo. I have done this before, but her methods are different and really cool. My photo was a little busy, with lots of detail, I think a building or something would probably look a little better, but the kids were frowning in this picture and this way it doesn't show as much. Plus I really liked the photo itself.

The last one I just did last night. Since I am taking Katrina's photography class I finally got around to following some of her advice and did a little photoshoot with Rachel. The close-ups were really awesome with my 50mm lens. This one had so many catchlights in her eyes and zooming in I can actually see myself in her eye! I loved the result. Now I just need to go through the other lessons :) and keep up with Pattie's too. Yikes!

Hubby had a bad night, waking up at 2.30 and couldn't go back to sleep until 5.30 in the morning. He is really a trooper though, toughing it out. I wish I could make it better for him... having sick kids isn't helping matters, but hey, that's parenthood I guess.

Next month is going to be so insane, there are events scheduled for every single weekend, I wish I could cut myself in half. the girls and I are certifying in Karate one weekend, Michael is testing for black belt another, there are 2 weddings on the other weekends, so the whole month is planned out already. Not to mention various dental, hair and eye appointments and checkups and pet appointments. Oh well....

Well, back to checking on sick child and paying bills (no, I never did them the other day, got busy scrapping, let them wait for their money), watering plants and making lunch. Have a wonderful day!

what a difference a day makes...

Today it's absolutely gorgeous, no coat necessary and lots of sunshine! This is supposed to last for a few days, so I took Michael and the dog for a walk. Poor kid has been sick since Friday and he's finally getting better, just a little bit of coughing left. Of course he is milking it as much as possible, had to squeeze another day out of it. It's better though, I don't want to be one of those parents spreading the disease around, sending the kid back to school too early. I took a bunch of pictures so it was fun! I'll have to look through them yet and fix them up a little, so no peak preview here :)

I did my 365 page yesterday, so I am happy about that, still keeping it up. I think I'll do it next year too. Somebody started a thread at DD yesterday about uploading finished pages directly to Shutterfly, which is probably a great idea. This way you have an additional backup and you are ready to go when they have a sale. I seriously need to do that. I think I'll start with the 365 pages and then go from there. Boy, some people are just so organized, so not me :)
Looking at that page with Gabrielle playing the Iphone, that application is so much fun, the songs sound really pretty!
See that page above with the Panorama? I have always wanted to try one of those and I finally found a tutorial online and just did it. Of course my sky was really blown out in those pictures and for the life of me I couldn't remember how to fix that, I know you use a gradiant, but I couldn't remember how. The tutorial had a section about adding sky and I did it that way, doesn't it look real? I was really happy about that.
Well, today is my piano lesson day, so I need to practice so I won't waste my money completely. Tonight is Karate and in between I have to get the kids and make something for dinner and help with homework. Oh yes, I still have to go upstairs and pay bills too. I'd much rather stay here and play, let me tell you. Only my anterior and posterior are growing more and more :) Gabi made brownies last night and I had made this cool low fat lemon sort of cake thingy. You just use Betty Crocker Angel Food mix (the one where you only add water) and mix it with a can of lemon pie filling. that's it! Just spread it on a jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (the edges turn gold) and sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool. It's really good! I guess you could make it nice and fattening by spreading some kind of icing on it and rolling it up, but we didn't. I want to try replacing the lemon with pumpkin and see what happens :) I'll let you know. Anyway, it's not good for the waist line, that's for sure. I need to go check on Pattie's class at Debbie's and get my latest lesson. The last one was about creating your own brushes, but I haven't done it yet. Katrina's new lesson must be there too. How is a girl supposed to keep up? They are good though, so at least I will have them for later!
Well, enjoy the rest of your day, I'll have to get some lunch for the bugger!

Rainy, cold, miserable

Saturday! I guess Fall had to arrive sooner or later, but for me later would have been better! Yes, I got some great shots of foliage (although I want to go out again before it all disappears), but winter is going to be here soon. They were actually calling for some snow today, so far we haven't seen any, thank goodness. They kids have been off Thursday and Friday, but we haven't really done anything much. Yesterday we went out to hunt for costumes, geez, was that a pain. We found Michael an outfit that was reasonable, but the prices are absurd!!!! What happened to hanging a sheet over your head and being a ghost? They wanted 14$ just for a stupid pettycoat and I wasn't willing to pay 40$ for a little flimsy dress with nothing to go. We actually went into Hot Topic (which I usually avoid like the pest) and the guy in there (who is the weirdest looking dude with a ringnose, pants hanging down his butt and a girlish demeanor) was a nice as can be and found us stuff for half price that was actually good quality (just not something I would ever let the girls wear outside of halloween). So Rachel did okay and Gabrielle will look at something I wore last year.
PixelCanvas is down again for a few days, I can't wait for them to get the new server, so we can get back to normal. People must be getting frustrated too.
I am always super busy at DD, but I love it! Here are some pages

I am glad I have been able to keep up with the 365 pages, I actually like doing them now, I am looking forward every day to finding something to take a picture of. We went to Eat n Park today and as I was pulling out my camera (just to check on something) I saw hubby rolling his eyes at the girls. I think a few years from now he will be very happy to be able to look at all those pictures that were such an imposition to take. Argh! Oh well, true art has never been recognized in one's own house :)
I started knitting again, well only on Friday nights at piano. There isn't enough time to bring the laptop right now, because Michael is taking this extra Karate class to get him ready for his Black Belt test next month, so that eats up part of the lesson sitting time. anyway, so I am working on finishing the scarf I started last year LOL. I still have a pair of socks that needs finished too. Someday.... Karate is such a minor part of my life now, it used to be so important, I would schedule everything else around the classes. Now, since hubby got sick, I just can't get myself back into that schedule. I'd rather sit here and scrap. pathetic, but I just don't feel like rushing around anymore. Plus I feel used a lot of the time too. He was asking me a couple of weeks ago if I was planning on coming Wednesday morning, because he had a private lesson that needed taught. And I was thinking, why in the world would I rush through my morning to go there and not even get a workout and teach for him. That's not why I am paying my dues. He has this weird thing about loyalty etc. I don't get it at all, oh well, not that it matters.
Phil is looking better today, he has been really pale looking to me and it worries me, but I thought he had more color today. Maybe it's just me.... plus he has to take Plavix all the time now and I think he is worried about not being able to do things, kind of an adjustment  in his life.
Oh well, we just have to have faith and continue to do our best. things will be what they will be! Have a great weekend everybody!

Super excited

Katrina's class is starting on Monday and I can't wait. It's a photography class, but it concentrates on taking pictures of kids and I need all the help I can get! Debbie (getitscrapped.com) graciously gave me a pass to the class, which makes it even nicer! It would be so nice to see some of my friends around there!

Life here has been going it's regular way, nothing too exciting happened. Fall has arrived, it is getting colder and the leaves have really been turning lately. I have started using my Pellet stove already and it's wonderful! I still have all my houseplants on my front porch waiting for my neighbor to finish my floor in the sunroom (where my plants reside in the winter) Of course I can't rush him, it's only been three months since he started... I am seriously debating whether I should just hire somebody else to finish what he started and cut my losses now. I mean, come on, this is ridiculous!

At DD we have a new designer now, you probably all heard of C. Zielske. Yes that's her! She is selling templates at the store and they are really cool, simple and clean! People love her and it's so exciting to have her there, she is such a cutie and really nice!
Well, let me post some pages and maybe that will jog my memory as to what has been happening lately :)

and this next one is at PixelCanvas:

I think I might be having one of my pages published in an Australian magazine, but I am still waiting for the final say, so keep your fingers crossed!

I still feel like I am on cloud nine being on the CT at DD, it is really fun and there is always soooo much new stuff, I don't know what to start with. The other girls are really nice too, which makes it just a wonderful place to hang out! Katie is just the sweetest and very good to us, I mean, really good!

Oh yeah, I am going to take an actual, hands-on photography class locally, and I am really excited about that too. I always wanted to have somebody to ask questions and show me while I am there looking. It's an intermediate class, so I should be okay. Life has really been good lately. Phil is doing okay, his cardiac rehab is going good, no bad symptoms. He still looks a little pale to me, but I think that's just the stress of his work.

I am always busy taking the kids places, if it's not lessons, piano or Karate, it will be some appointment, eyes, teeth and who knows what else. It's okay though, I would probably miss it, if they weren't here :) All I really want to do is sit at my computer and make pages. Everything takes so much time, there is so much to learn and do for crying out loud, Photoshop and Lightroom and how to organize on a Mac and so on... there are comments to leave, forums to read, blogs to follow (which I haven't done in ages :( , sorry friends, I promise to do better)

Anyway, at least I was able to post a little update...