as promised...

pictures of my "costume".

{see, i'm cute - aren't i? ;) }

and just because i made myself laugh...

{my shadow falling on my desk (with horns on, of course)}

and we had our 5th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest at work today, and since matt & i decided not to carve this year {why did we decide that, again??} i adopted one to welcome the trick-or-treaters i was goaded into answering the door for tonight...

{we call him "monobrow", but i suppose you can't see that part very well...}

in honor (or something like that) of halloween...

a few childhood memories... these came to me this morning as i was remembering halloween as a kid...

-my mom decided, when we were in 5th grade, to throw us a halloween party, instead of sending us trick-or-treating. we lived in a teeny tiny town in the middle of nowhere, and not only was it not very well lit, it got a little weirder every year. most moms dress up as a cat, or a witch or a... something simple... right? but no, my mom, and i suppose you would have to know her to fully appreciate this, rented a penguin costume. the kind where your face would be between the upper and lower portions of beak. i can still picture it. it might sound kinda silly, but i think my mom is one of the coolest moms ever.

-the year before, and quite possibly the reason my mother decided to throw us a party instead, we went trick-or-treating and came upon a home in which we knew an older gentleman lived. we rang the doorbell, and he was delighted to see us. but before he'd give us *any* candy, he *insisted* that we sing "Jesus Loves Me" for him... what were we to do? so we sang. and he gave us candy. yeah, we each got ONE piece of peppermint taffy, which had a christmas tree design in the middle of it. in october. know what that means? it was taffy from *last* christmas.

and finally, a list of the things i've been over the years:
-a {pink?} bunny rabbit (1st halloween, i'm pretty sure)
-a witch
-a cat
-a gypsy
-a graduate
-a pirate
-a bride
-a flapper
-a 50's girl - poodleskirt & all {2 years, it was so good}

i don't {technically} dress up anymore, but i do store a pair of red satin horns in my desk at work... while i hate what we teach our children when we let them dress up as axe murderers and goblins, i think the red horns are pretty harmless, and besides, i'm cute enough to get away with it. ;) sometimes i even bring out the matching tail.

maybe i'll post pictures later. :D

back from CK-WA...

and wow! what an experience!

CK-WA was exciting, inspiring, exhilirating and all-out exhausting!

My first two classes, for which I TA'd both, were taught by Shannon Jones from Creating Keepsakes. She was SO much fun to work with: terribly friendly, sweet as anything, and cute to boot! The project we made in the Sew Much More class was a little sample stitch book, including 6 tags with different stitching samples, which we could later refer to for great ideas on hand stitching for our cards and layouts. Our second class, Block Party, included a great layout using American Crafts papers, with 5 interactive block elements on the pages.

{me with Shannon Jones}

My third class on Friday, Guide Words, was taught by the terribly talented Shimelle Lane. I love her work and had so much fun learning more about her and her art.

I spent a little time at the vendor faire on Friday, just long enough to figure out that the DCWV booth had the Retro and Floral paper stacks I've been covetously seeking, call home to get an increase in my spending allowance, and then purchase my pretties. I may spend more time gazing at and stroking my new paper than I actually will spend using it...

I left the convention Friday night totally exhausted, having been on my feet for hours, and really looking forward to getting off of them...

I got back to Bellevue in plenty of time this morning, and ran into one of my favorite scrapbooking celebrities - Cathy Zielske:

{me with Cathy Zielske}

I almost dreaded having to TA for another class, but thankfully this was a much smaller group, and there was very little setup/teardown work. This class - Card Inspiration: Jumpstart Your Creativity - was taught by Wendy Johnson from PaperCrafts, and author of Joy of Cardmaking. Terribly talented - she taught us how to find inspiration in everything around us. I loved what she had to say and left full of ideas.

After class, I met up with Sara & Karly, fellow Pubsters to have lunch and browse the faire. It was *so* nice to get to know them before the big N.W. Pubster dinner that happened later in the evening. We had lunch at a local thai restaurant, then headed back to the faire. They'd found current ScrapWorks papers on sale for 4/$1 earlier, so we ransacked that booth. $8.27 later, I was toting a plastic bag full of awesome prints. At the BasicGrey booth, I stocked up on the brand new Blitzen (holiday) line, priced 25% cheaper than it costs in-store. I spent all of $12 at the faire - I'm rather shocked at myself!

We met up with Cat & Rosy who planned the big dinner, and Gina & Renee, then headed over to Azteca to start setting up. We had the banquet room all to ourselves, and it was perfectly sized for 30 Pubsters. It was so cool to meet all of these people I'd only ever talked to on the messageboards, and rub elbows with a few people I admired. The girls did a great job putting this together, and even got numerous manufacturers to donate to our goodie bags. I'm pretty sure the bag I left with weighed about 15 pounds and contained at least $100 worth of stuff... totally incredible stuff.

{terribly cute table decorations - sign made by the talented Sara}

{our goody bag - the tag also created by Sara - I just love the logo!!}

{my new friends, Sara & Karly, so fun}

I can't believe it's all over. I'm so satisfied with the weekend, and totally exhausted, but now I think I'll go put away my new toys...

today's the day...

the long-awaited day has finally arrived... i leave at 11:45 (and not a moment later) to head to bellevue for a day and a half of CK-Washington loveliness... four classes on tap (of which i TA for 3 - yipes!) and somewhere in there i'll squeeze in a trip through the vendor faire, coffee with new friends, and dinner with fellow Pubsters from 2Peas. i'm so excited!!

i think i've got a disease...

i'm on the Oriental Trading Co. mailing list, so i regularly receive their catalogs... most go directly into the recycle bin... except for the scrapbooking catalog.

it arrived a few days ago, and today, i went to their website and found all the cool little trinkets. i decided i'd just throw them all in my cart and pare it down later...

so, without any reason, i'm putting the things i love - only the things i *love* - into my cart... and then i look at the total.

$491.

yep, that's right. i've been diagnosed with greedyitis.

*warning, warning* shameless plug lies ahead...

in case you're interested, i have a few auctions up right now...

9.5 lbs of patterned paper

and

decent collection of scrapbook pens/markers.

confessions...

-i love to shop in the baby section at target, because they have so many cute little outfits... i tell myself that i'm browsing for gifts for my neices and nephews, but really... i'm browsing for me.

-i actually like football.

-i'm a compulsive listmaker. i always have a to-do list that's a mile long, even though i never realistically expect to accomplish everything on it.

-having said to-do list makes me feel like i have a purpose, like i'm necessary.

-i actually have a list of the lists that i work off of.

-i feel called to be a pastor, but i dream about being a mother.

-i'm more amused than angered by the family conflicts i witness first hand in my husband's family.

-i work well under pressure, so i tell others that i procrastinate in order to do my best work, but really, i'm just lazy.

-i'm happy spending $4 for a high-maintenance coffee drink a la starbucks, but really, i'd prefer to drink folger's drip at home.

-on mars, a day is 24 hours and 40 minutes long, and so they don't call it a day, they call it a "sol". i wish i lived there. i could use the extra 40 minutes.

there's nothing like a productive weekend...

the truth is that productivity makes me feel good. it makes me feel like i've accomplished things. it doesn't matter WHAT i accomplish, if i had a list and i crossed stuff off it, then i feel good.

i'm a HUGE listmaker.

i have lists of my lists. no, i'm not kidding.

anyway, my to-do list took a SERIOUS hit this weekend. :D i ran errands; i went shopping; i totally pumped out 6 layouts - all of which i am CRAZY about - for a call that i even got them scanned and submitted to in time; i did chores; i did homework (and finished my class w/ a 90%); i cooked; i helped matt organize the garage; i cleaned; i went to a stamp camp (and bought stamps); i went to the scrapbook store (and bought scrapbook supplies. hahaha.).

anyway, i feel good. i feel like i accomplished something. and like i don't have a ginormous to-do list awaiting me when i get home.

and next weekend is the CK convention... i'm SO excited!

nothing special...

not much happening today... today is "coffee day" at work - on wednesday mornings, my mom and i always go with our friend dave to get a cup of coffee from one of the local places. (my mother is a very regimented, self-controlled woman... which is why wednesday morning is coffee day. period.) today, i had the *best* mocha ever from a very ritzy place that's just a few blocks away... (so ritzy, they don't serve drip, and they only serve short & tall... kinda too ritzy for my tastes.)

forgot to mention earlier this week that i accomplished all of my canning on saturday. it was a long process, peeling, coring, chopping 18 lbs of apples, and then making the assorted yummies and processing the jars... but it was a huge success. now i just have to find a place to store the 8 quarts of apple pie filling, 3 pints of apple butter, and 3 pints of applesauce... i really should've considered that PRIOR to this project. oh well. :)

tonight, we're having some friends over for dinner, which i'm quite excited about, namely because i get a baby-fix of their 21 month old sweetpea. anyway, last night (and the night before) was a whirlwind of chores because i've kinda let the housecleaning slip in the last few weeks. (can't believe i'm admitting that to the general public... my MOTHER could be reading this!)

reading more in my text book for class, and really, really enjoying what i'm learning... came across a really great quote yesterday: "For the most part, the function of the [pastor] is to comfort the disturbed, and to disturb the comfortable." I suppose that's another day, another post, but I'm behind this concept 100%. (...prepare to be disturbed... just kidding.) ;)

ok, that's it for me. over & out.

*randomness alert*

a BIG wave to my very best friend, allie... because i know she's reading.

*mauahahahahaha*

write me, spaz.

my dad is the greatest. he is my second biggest fan (matt being my first, of course) and has supported {almost} every idea i've ever had.

last night, we talked on the phone and he mentioned how he's been trying to tell his dad - my grandfather, who's sick - that he wants to have some pictures of them taken together... this came up after i emailed my grandfather and asked him if i could "practice" on him and his wife, by taking them to a local park for a photo shoot. grampa shared that with my dad, and my dad is all over the idea.

i'm pretty sure my love of photography came from my dad. i was often the subject of his own practice shots as a child, and have numerous really great photos of myself as a baby and toddler, because of his love for photography.

on my mom's side of the family, where i'm the only one who brings their camera to *every* event, to photograph other people, and other people's children, i'm pretty sure i have something of a reputation as the family paparazzi.

but in my dad's eyes, i'm the family historian, with a gift. i love that he sees my sometimes obnoxious habits as a treasure. i'm so excited about the kind of photos i could take of my own family together. i have thoughts and ideas swirling around in my head and can't wait to share them with him, and i can't wait to produce memorable photos that really capture the personalities of my wonderful family.

i'm reading a great book right now for school, called The Handbook of Christian Counseling. my current class is focusing on - you guessed it - the pastor's role as a counselor. counseling has always been a subject of interest for me, and when i pray about my future ministry, i pray that counseling will be a large part of it.

anyway, this book is great. it doesn't cover as much of the psychological side of counseling, it covers the hows and whys of counseling, showing you how to relate to your counselees, teaching you how to protect your integrity and blamelessness (which, as a Christian, a pastor, and a wife, is extremely important), etc. and that's just the first chapter.

my other materials for this class don't arrive until thursday, and i might very well be done with the text before they do! anyway, if you have any interest in counseling as a Christian, i'd highly recommend checking out this book.

i have butterflies.

and no real immediate reason for it. and while i can't talk about all of the "gorey" details, i can tell you that i feel like something big's coming down the pipe... i hoping for it, pushing for it, and Lord knows i'm praying for it. and so inside, i feel anxious. anxious to know more, to have answers, to get this ball rolling. anxious to fell like i'm going somewhere.

oh boy. pray for the Lord to give me peace, if you wouldn't mind. i could use a little... ok, a lot... right now.

i've been reading the many reports of fellow scrappers who had the opportunity to visit Memory Trends. and i must say...

i'm SO jealous.

lovely products, tons of pictures, famous people. mmmmm. maybe next year {but more likely the year after that.}

anyway, that said - elizabeth ruuska, whom i admire greatly, had some thoughts on the fact that each HOF winner has had some new, fresh something-or-another that made them stand out. for instance, rebecca sower used a handmade embellishment on her entry, that was later made into a pre-fab'd product. likewise, elsie flannigan (another fav of mine - don't know if she's been a HOFer yet or not) just had a series of really great hand designed stamps made, which are now on the market.

i'm feeling a bit hopeless. i don't feel ingenious, particularly not in the world of scrapbooking. i don't feel brilliant or capable of coming up with a new technique or embellishment or style.

maybe i should stop trying?

sick again...

i'm ill again - not sure what it is. seems to be that "thing" that's going around lately. crazy sore throat, headache, bit of a fever, overall feeling of blahness.

but inside, i'm burning up. not in a feverish kind of way, i'm on fire. in the last few weeks, i've felt my passion for ministry ignite again in ways it hasn't ignited in years. i've registered for the first class of my final year of Bible school (11 classes total to take this year...) and am beginning to consider a move into ministry. dunno how, dunno where. just trusting God.

oh, and as for my to-do list...

here's what it looks like now:

finalize classes for CK convention {ran out of time}
take fall pictures: leaves & home decor
upload new images to ofoto & place order
scan latest completed pages {half done}
finish "help" layout
finish friend's wedding layouts
consider & complete march bh sketch
work on CK school call {ran out of time}
work on putting together portfolio
start - and finish - business cards for friend
staples: buy post-its & pens, phone cord & jack doubler
finish, box & mail paint-can swap
grocery shopping
pick up living room
pick up dining room
clean kitchen {and yet, it's a mess again}
clean bathroom
vaccum living room
sweep/mop dining room
sweep/mop kitchen
pick up bedroom
fold laundry
dust fans
dust molding in bedroom
change sheets
vaccum bedroom
finish product review of bead adhesive
rak someone (don't get excited, i already have someone in mind) {haven't mailed it though}
download & install picasa on home machine
import images to picasa & add keywords
get wedding ring fixed

lame, huh?

18 lbs of apples and 4 dozen jars...

sounds like a country song.

anyway, that is the trappings of my weekend... albertson's had a killer sale on apples - buy one 3 lb. bag, get two free. one coupon per customer. i'm a customer. matt's a customer. we came home with 6 bags - 18 lbs.

they're threatening to take over my kitchen. thank goodness they're all in those lovely plastic netting bags, or there'd be no telling of the massacre.

so, i've never canned before. i've done a ton of research, bought a how-to cookbook, and have collected a few recipes that i love, and this week - and weekend, i'm sure, will be spent canning. we're looking at apple butter, apple pie filling, apple sauce, apple rings, and perhaps, apple cider. i might even pull out the old dehydrator too. mmmm.

i've been wanting to can for a long time, but couldn't justify the cost of the jars (yeah, yeah, they're reusable, i know, but still). anyway, i mentioned this to matt and he said "...did you ask my mother??". little did i know, my mother-in-law had a stash of unused canning jars that nearly rivals her mother's collection (which is impressive) in her shed. sure enough, all i had to do was ask, and i was quickly sent home with four dozen jars, and lid rings to fit.

so then, i'm looking for cheap labor to help me core these bad boys. come on over. we'll share some apple crisp when we're done. that is, if you can stand looking at another apple. ;)

to do, to do, to do...

ok, let me start by saying that i'm really glad it's friday.

but i have a to-do list that's at least a mile long.

and i'd MUCH rather dust my ceiling fans. (no, my to-do list isn't THAT bad, as i'm sure you're thinking, it's just that my ceiling fans really DO need dusting, and i'm tired of looking at them and thinking about how dirty they are.)

so, here are a few things that i hope to accomplish this weekend:

finalize classes for CK convention
take fall pictures: leaves & home decor
upload new images to ofoto & place order
scan latest completed pages
finish "help" layout
finish friend's wedding layouts
consider & complete march bh sketch
work on CK school call
work on putting together portfolio
start - and finish - business cards for friend
staples: buy post-its & pens, phone cord & jack doubler
finish, box & mail paint-can swap
grocery shopping
pick up living room
pick up dining room
clean kitchen
clean bathroom
vaccum living room
sweep/mop dining room
sweep/mop kitchen
pick up bedroom
fold laundry
dust fans
dust molding in bedroom
change sheets
vaccum bedroom
finish product review of bead adhesive
rak someone (don't get excited, i already have someone in mind)
download & install picasa on home machine
import images to picasa & add keywords
get wedding ring fixed

yeah, ok, so i don't REALLY expect to get through all of that... but i'd like to make a big dent.

shoot for the moon. if you miss, at least you'll land among stars...

bummed out...

got an email from the community college today letting me know that they cancelled my scrapbooking series because of low sign-ups. i'm so bummed out. she didn't even mention trying to put the class on the schedule again for next quarter, even though they made a mistake on their end, and left the class out of their catalogs (so it was only advertised on the website).

on the up-side, at least my monday evenings will be free for the next few weeks.

you might be a yuppie if...

• you drink starbucks
  
• you live in seattle
  
• you're under 40
  
• you work for a software company
  
• you wear socks with your sandals
  
• you eat granola
  
• you have a blog
  
• you have a palm pilot
  
• you have an mp3 player
  
• you carry a messenger bag

yep, i think i'm a yuppie.

ok, i'm frustrated now...

i was doing a little research today, because reading about fitness tends to motivate me, and Lord knows, i want all of the motivation i can get right now.

anyway, i'm reading this article, and it suggests that you walk 4-5 miles a day, 4-6 times a week.

huh?? you gotta be kidding me.

i'm happy with my current routine. i'm enjoying it. it's mildly challenging, i feel good when i'm done, and i feel like i'm doing myself some good.

but now i'm starting to question if i'm really gonna lose any weight this way.

and i have a lot of weight to lose.

i want to lose 26 lbs by christmas. doable, but it sure as heck doesn't slide off. 26 lbs by christmas is roughly 2.5 lbs per week. this is about the maximum recommended amount for safe, healthy weight loss.

i guess maybe i should re-think my goals, but i really don't want to. i want to be 26 lbs lighter by christmas, so that then i can be on my way to loftier weight loss goals.

and besides, there's a cute pair of workout pants waiting for me at target, when i reach my first 5 lbs, and then i have to hurry up and get to 10 lbs so as to get to the matching hoody before it goes onto the clearance rack.

today has been kind of a rough day at work - not because of work, but because of me. hormones or something, but i can cry at the drop of a hat, and can't stop thinking about junk food.

slept in this morning, instead of getting up for my walk, because i'd left my mp3 player at work and couldn't bear the thought of walking with a regular old walkman (i know, i know - i'm so lame). so this morning, i was definitely not feeling as good as i'd been feeling, and the hormones, etc, certainly didn't make things any easier.

after eating my lunch, feeling terribly unsatisfied, and thinking more about junk food, i decided to get up and go for a walk. with my mp3 player. i was out for just a few minutes longer than my usual morning walk, and let me tell you, i feel a hundred times better.

note to self: walking eases hormonal sensitivity.

now if i could just stop thinking about junk food... ;)

a new routine...

so a few weeks ago, i decided it was time to start an official exercise routine. and since i'm far too lazy to follow through on actually working out in the afternoon (because i'm usually to tired to think after i get done at work and then cook dinner, etc) i determined that it was time to become a Morning Person.

so, on friday, the 24th of sept, i drug my sleepy butt out of bed at 6:10am, and went for a 20 minute walk before work. (might as well start slow, and give myself time to adjust, right?)

then i got sick. last week, i only walked wednesday, because matt drug me out to get me some fresh air, and then again on thursday morning. friday morning, i slacked off and stayed in bed.

this week, though, i'm pleased to report that i walked yesterday morning and this morning, and i even walked again at lunch yesterday.

granted, my walks are only about 20 minutes, but the fact that i stuck to it this long impresses me. i have goals. weightloss and health goals. and i want to get there before we have children.

i'm proud of myself. and what's even greater is that i'm actually adjusting. i have more energy in the morning, i actually smile at my mp3 player, and giggle during some of the songs (show tunes are great for cheap amusement). i love feeling like i'm being good to my body.

so, i'm going to walk every morning for the rest of the week, but tomorrow morning, i'm stepping it up to 30 minutes.

an all around good day...

• my grandfather was baptized yesterday - a gigantic moment in my family's legacy that can and should be counted among the Lord's many miracles
• we had a late sunday lunch with my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law and her little brood yesterday, where my sister informed me that she would be dedicating her children to the Lord this Sunday
• and if it didn't get any better than that, she told me today that she'll be dedicating herself to the Lord, by way of water baptism, this fall/winter
• my husband is in complete control of our finances, and i love not having this stress
• and he's cooking dinner
• which means i have to clean up, but at least he'll make sure the kitchen's clean before he starts cooking
• it's october and i just love fall
• i went for TWO walks today. TWO!!
• i got a new {old} mp3 player today {handmedown from my mommy} to accompany me on my {many} walks
• i picked out a pattern to make myself some comfy excercise pants, which will be so luxurious that i can sleep in them, which may ease the pain of getting out of bed on these cold mornings
• i bought a book today called "becoming" which is actually the entire new testament, published in "magazine" form... since i love mags, i thought this might be interesting, though some reviews have said that it's trivializing the word of God. i guess we'll see...
• i'm back on ebay, selling a few items for my mom, and also selling a few of my own pieces... they'll be listed tonight, so check them out.
• i think i'm going to scrapbook tonight.