The end of January

It is so hard to believe that January is almost over. The weather today was a balmy 60 degrees - pretty amazing for a January day in Pennsylvania. Work continues to drag on, but I am definitely getting a lot of studying done for my A+ exam. It is sort of nice not talking to people. I am out of the loop as to what's going on and it's so much better for my mental health.

We had breakfast for dinner tonight. Casey made pancakes based on the IHOP recipe, Greg made scrambled eggs, and I cooked bacon and heated up leftover potatoes. We added a bowl of grapes and the meal was complete. Larry even had a chance to eat before he left for school. It was a nice dinner together after everyone spent the afternoon outside (Larry and the kids played tennis and I took Kitty for an hour and a half walk).

I have been keeping up with my scrapbooking projects. I did the 4 layouts for the January DW2006 challenge and I have been keeping up with the Donna Downey class. I made a trip to the lss last week and spent about $50 on some cool stuff. I found out that Donna Downey is coming to the store and I am so excited. I hope to take a few classes with her. The store is also having a Design Team contest which I am considering entering. It would be fun to be on that design team because I would get new products all the time. We shall see!!!!

Words that are ringing with me now

I found this on the blog of Chris Jenkins, a scrapbooker whose blog I read from time to time. I have already read it 3 times and each time something new jumps out at me. I have put this in my planner with the words "Read this weekly" written across the top. I added it to my blog so that I will always have it.

A time comes in your life when you finally get it...when, in the midst
of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and
somewhere the voice inside your head cries out--ENOUGH! --Enough
fighting and crying and struggling to hold on.

And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, you shudder once
or twice; you blink back your tears and begin to realize it's time to
look at the world with new eyes. This is your awakening. You realize
it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change...or for
happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon.

You come to terms with the fact that in the real world there aren't
always fairy tale endings. (Or beginnings for that matter) And that any
guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you...and in the
process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone
will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are, and
that's OK. They are entitled to their own opinions. And you learn the
importance of loving and championing yourself...and in the process a
sense of new found confidence is born in self-approval.

You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to
you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can
really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always
say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will
always be there for you and that it's not always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and take care of yourself. And in the
process, a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. You
stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they
are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties...and in the
process a sense of peace and contentment are born of forgiveness.

You realize that much of the way you view yourself, and the world around
you, is as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been
ingrained into your psyche. And you begin to sift through all the junk
you have been fed about how you should behave, how you should look, how
much you should weigh, what you wear, and what you should do for a
living, who you should marry, the importance of having and raising
children, and what you owe your parents, family and friends.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You
learn the difference between wanting and needing and you discard what
you don't need. In the process you learn to go with your instincts. You
learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. You learn that
principles such as honesty and integrity are not outdated ideals of a
bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which
you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the
world and that you cannot teach a pig to sing...You learn to distinguish
between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting
boundaries and learning to say NO! And know when enough is enough! You
learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry.

Then you learn about love; How to love, how much to give in love, when
to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn to look at relationships
as they really are not as you would have them to be. You stop trying to
control people, situations and Outcomes. AND YOU LEARN THAT ALONE DOES
NOT MEAN LONELY.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside; smoothing
things over and ignoring your needs...You learn that feelings of
entitlement are perfectly OK! And that it is your right to need things
and to ask for things that you need...and that sometimes it is necessary
to make demands. You come to the realization that YOU DESERVE TO BE
TREATED WITH LOVE, KINDNESS, SENSITIVITY, AND RESPECT AND YOU WON'T
SETTLE FOR LESS!

And you learn that your body is really your temple. And you begin to
treat it with respect. You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and
uncertainty and so you take more time to rest and eat right. And, just
as food fuels the body, laughter fuels the soul. So you take more time
to laugh and play.

You learn that for the most part, you get in life what you believe you
deserve...and that much of life truly is a self fulfilling prophecy. You
learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that
wishing for something to happen is different from working toward making
it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success
you need direction, discipline and perseverance.

You also learn that no one can do it all alone...and that it's OK to
risk asking for help. You learn the only thing you must truly fear is
the greatest robber baron of all: FEAR itself. You learn to step right
into and through your fears, because you know that whatever happens you
can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live
life on your own terms!

And you learn to fight for your life and not squander it living under a
cloud of impending doom. You learn life is not always fair. You don't
always get what you think you deserve, and that sometimes bad things
happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn not to
personalize things. You learn that GOD isn't punishing you or failing to
answer your prayers. It's just life happening.

You learn to deal with evil in its most primal state--the ego-. You
learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be
understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and
poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are
wrong, and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn the importance
of saying "I'm sorry."

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple
things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the
earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a
soft warm bed, a long hot shower. Slowly, you begin to take
responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise
to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your
heart's desire.

And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the
wind. And you walk slowly through a rain storm. And you make it a point
to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful
possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart, and GOD by your side
you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the
life you want to live as best you can. And keep the faith and hope alive
for love to enter your heart.

A Short Week This Week - Yeah!

This was the week 2 assignment for the Big Picture Scrapbooking class. It is very similar to DD's but that's okay. I'm not ready yet to strike out on my own too much yet and I really liked how this turned out. The journaling around the edges is my addition to her page idea. I am really liking this class and it makes me think of scrapbooking in a whole other way - more of a creative endeavor rather than an obligation to get the pictures scrapbooked. Tonight at midnight begins the scrapbook fair on QVC. I'm sure my Q Card is going to get quite a workout during the next 12 hours. That's okay though because I haven't been spending money lately and feel that I can treat myself.

Well Larry and I did it - today we booked our trip to Ireland. It's a 10 day Irish Heritage tour that takes in many of the sites of Ireland. We are even going to the town where the last port of call for the Titantic took place. Being the lover of anything Titantic related, this makes me very happy. The kids are excited, especially Casey, who has been wanting to travel to Europe for quite some time. I am sure that there will be many pictures taken on this trip.

The cold and flu is going through our house now - yech! I am sort of longing for spring already which isn't usually a good sign. Most years it doesn't hit me until late in February. Guess I need to use my time creatively and enjoy the time stuck in the house.

Started reading the Purpose Driven Life book and it has definitely opened my mind to God and his purpose for me. This is what I have been needing. I am only on the 3rd day but so far I have realized that God has placed me on this earth for a reason. He is the reason I am here and I was put here for his goodness and to do what he has planned for me. Today, Day 3, the question is "What Drives Your Life?". I have been thinking about this and think that I am driven by both fear and resentment as well as the need for approval. Not that I fear failure but I do feel the need to please people in general. I also tend to harp on things in the past rather than getting over it and moving on. I tend to stew it over. I love this: "knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life." Now I only have to find my purpose!

"A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life." Proverbs 13:7

A Creative Start to the New Year

I am off and running for the new year in terms of my creativity. I signed up for the Donna Downey class at Big Picture Scrapbooking and I am being energized already. The first week assignment was to cover our SS planner. This was fun because we were to use a special piece of paper that we bought but haven't used yet. This was part of a Christina Cole slab but I liked that it sums up the year "Life Happens". I posted this on the BPS website and got an email from Donna praising it. As this was my first time putting any of my scrapbook work out there, it made me very happy. It sort of started the ball rolling. I am now working on the Week 2 project - a year in review type page.

I am also doing the DW 2006 Challenge as well. This uses the 2006 calendar to make daily pages. The challenge is to do 4 pages per month and post them on the 2Peas board. I have already done the January 1 challenge (year in review) and the January 2 challenge (fall ball). I have done the January 6 challenge but haven't scanned it in yet. This challenge is really helping me think outside the box. I love getting the comments under my post and hope to do more praising in the Peanut Gallery for other people.



I had set a goal for the year to be more active on the message boards and post work in the gallery and I'm happy to report that I am off to a good start. It's a nice creative outlet for me and so far I'm enjoying it immensely. The downside to all of this is that I spend way too much time lurking on the message board at 2Peas while at work and then I see all kinds of new products that I would like to have. Guess I have to keep working to keep scrapbooking. Oh well, it's a lot of fun for me and makes me feel good to know that I am recording my family history for future generations. My Mom would be so proud.

A New Year Again

I'm sitting here at work and thinking about a lot of things - mainly what this new year will bring. It's another year without my Mom and Dad (I miss you both so much). I feel that it is finally time to go through their papers and stuff that I got after you both passed away and decide what I really need to hold onto. Some of the stuff are snippets of your life and other things (like your address book) remind me of your abundance of friends. The important thing to keep is your memory alive in your grandchildren. They need to hear stories of my childhood and your childhoods in Steubenville, OH and Rumford, ME. Yesterday a mine collapsed in West Virginia and the first thing that came to mind was the stories told to me by my Mom about her father's working in the mines. It was and probably still is a very hard life. So in 2006, I will purge some of the things I have been holding onto and work hard to get the family stories written down and always keep those strong family memories alive.

In 2006, Casey will be going away to college. While it will be very hard to have her away, I envy the experiences she will have as she moves on to this next phase of her life. I hope the college she ends up at is one where she will have the opportunity to grow and experience life. In 2006, Greg will finish middle school and move on to high school. Where did the time go? My little boy is becoming a man and one that I am so proud of. Each day is a gift and I am making sure that I welcome each day and all the happiness and challenges it brings.

As for me, my creative juices where flowing yesterday as I started the D. Downey online class and completed the redecoration of my planner. I am pretty happy with it and will post it to the class site. I also did a page for the DW 2006 challenge that I really liked. I will have to add that here as well as posting at 2Peas. It felt good to sit down and just create. I hope to try new things out in 2006 and submit more often in the hope of someday getting a page published.

Finally, I intend to be in the everyday moment of life and enjoy it. Life is too short to waste on insignificant things.