Guilty feet do have rhythm...

Merry Christmas everyone! 

I tried to blog a couple months ago but blogger lost a four page blog after I spent a shit ton of time typing it.... I was much too bummed out to retype it.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, all your wishes came true, you ate well and are in excellent health.  I kind of bowed out of a traditional "Christmas" celebration this year.  My siblings all flew up to my mom's and I didn't have my passport in time, so I couldn't go (not to mention, I have no paid time off work). We are spending a lot of time video chatting.  It's cool to see them even if it is via the interwebs.  Everyone looks absolutely fabulous; that's totally awesome.  I'm glad they are all healthy and able to be together over the holidays.  Someday I will make it up to spend time with them.

So I am finally done with my first term of community college.  I passed all my classes and am signed up for next term (which starts on Jan 5th).  All I have to do now is pick up my books.  I decided to work on a two year degree in Accounting from Portland Community College.  It's really the only thing I like doing besides making cards and scrapbooking and my current job is an accounting assistant (and I completely adore it), so it all makes sense.  :)

Despite the hectic schedule I have, I was able to do some cool shit this term.  Jen and I got into Fishbone at the Hawthorne Theater (for free).  It was my first time seeing them.  The show was high energy and the guys really rocked the house.  The drummer is hot.... shirtless and tattooed -- and for some reason, Jen was shoving me toward him at the end of the show (when the band came out to greet fans).  I hightailed it outta there as fast as possible (I mean, what am I going to say to a traveling musician that is really going to be memorable.... "nice pecs").  I dragged Jen to see Mac Lethal at Berbati's Pan.  That show was during the week, so not a big turnout of people.  It was all right.  Unknowingly, we hung out on the "all ages" side of the show.  Neither of us were up for drinking on a weeknight.  I noticed a lot of flannel in the tiny crowd.  I don't recall hearing about the resurgence of flannel in the fashion world.  Not that I'm into following trends or anything.  Just have been noticing the flannel of late.  It makes me think of high school in the early nineties and Nirvana's hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit".  I feel like there is a time and a place for flannel.  It's the woods when you are hunting, on your bed in the form of sheets or as pajamas.  :P  I don't have anything against flannel or fans of the warm, fuzzy material.  I just feel like the fashion world saw enough of the stuff in the early 90s.  That is just my opinion!  

Worst blogger ever?!

Yeah, I suppose I am.  Chez is right!!  Thank you to Kel for welcoming me back.  :)  

Well, we have finally wrapped up my favorite holiday; halloween.  Jen and I had way to much fun making our costumes and dressing up this year.  I will post pics as soon as I can.

I'm trying to fit in some card and other crafty projects, but time is short for fun these days.

Stef turned another year older last week.  Here's the card I made for her:

I'm working on Carrie's birthday card.  :)  It's cute.  I'll post after her birthday.

Back in May or so (could have been June, though) I made my mom this little mini book of her kids.  My mom likes monkeys, that's why I used a cute little monkey sticker on the front.  We are a wild bunch, so the title I chose is appropriate.

honest to blog?

Jeepers, has it really been nearly four months since I posted anything.  WOW!  Needless to say, I've been busy.  

I recently moved and am getting settled into my new place.  I have a new roommate who has two furry kitties.  It's a new living environment, but not bad so far.  Not that I expect it to be bad at any point.  We are two single thirtysomething chicks and are very similar in many ways.  Half of our living room is made up of two tables for crafting!  I have been too busy to actually put my side to good use, but my roomies side is getting some use with all our costume preparation in honor of the upcoming holiday.  I get more excited for halloween than I do for any other holiday.  It's so fun to decide on a costume.  The options are endless and you can get as dramatic or simple as possible.

I started a new job in August.  I love it.  It's perfect for me.

I started college on Sept. 22nd.  I have a full course load... writing 121, math 60, computer accounting applications and college survival.... 

So far, I feel overwhelmed with the amount of homework assigned.  I don't think the faculty at my community college understand what it's like to work two jobs and attend night classes.  It's frustrating, but I have faith that I will be able to survive and come out a better person for it.

It's kind of weird.  I've become this person who does homework at lunch and where I used to write notes of things I have to do, I now write algebraic formulas on post its and tuck them into my purse or pocket.  I think I'm hoping math will miraculously absorb in my brain.  So far I've been struggling.  It's not easy.  I expect perfection from everything I do.  I know it's unrealistic, but it's such a hard habit to break.  I'm so hard on myself.  I wish I could change that.  After beating myself up, I feel worse than before.  It's a shame spiral that I get sucked into easily.  Not fun!

So yeah, I've been in a weird phase of my life lately.  I would give almost anything for about 10 more hours in a day.  I have so many things I have to do.  If I'm not getting them done, I'm thinking about doing them....

Anyway, I'm back online, so that's a good thing.  I will try to blog more often.  I will even post some of my cards or scrap pages when I get them completed. 

Ground Control to Lost Soul....

Been crazy busy lately, working two, sometimes three, jobs.... I keep thinking that things will settle down soon, but who knows?!  

Haven't had time to scrap much.... still working on the baby book... other than that, getting sleep when I can and gearing up to start school in late September.

I'll update more later, I'm kind of tired and have to babysit tomorrow.  

Life is a garden, dig it....

Do you ever just go about your daily life and all of a sudden... BAM!  Someone throws you for a loop?  It happens to me from time to time...  This life is never boring, I can tell you that... there's always something new to learn, someone new to meet, something fun to do and someone to talk to.  Sometimes, there is even a new possibility standing right in front of me and I don't even notice it until it hits me like a ton of bricks.

I've been busy lately... doing some odd jobs and interviewing.  I am learning how to build guitar pedals.  I know... so far out of the norm for me, but it's interesting and fun and I love the people I get to work with.  I'm also helping a friend organize her home.  It's been a fun experience.  I've learned a lot.

I have an interview tomorrow.  I really hope I get the job. I'm tired of interviewing and "selling" myself to prospective employers.  It's a true weakness for me... I'm just not very good at it.

I did make my mom a kick ass mother's day gift and will scan it asap and post.  I have a few finishing touches and yes, moms will get it late this year.  :)  She forgives me for my lateness (as I suspect it's something I inherited from her.

I also made my friend Adam a cool card.  I had fun with it and played with embossing, a (super messy, but cool) technique I've been using a lot lately.



Other than that, I've been working on the baby book when I can.  Time just seems to be short these days.

Will post more when I can....

planning to be surprised....

Wow.... so I googled "giving up on dating in your 30s" and this article popped up.... I read it and it was pretty good.... being single in your 30s

it's kind of a cool website... about being single.... check it out....

and for a laugh... here's a hilarious picture of me from my birthday celebration this past february....

So I've been trying to post a blog for a bit now, but just haven't been feeling like sitting in front of the computer when I come home at night. I will post some stuff I've been working on soon. I've been trying to work on the baby book when I come home. I've just been sort of blocked lately. I think I'm depressed. In December, I had something come up in my life and it spiraled me into a pretty deep depression. I scrapped a lot during December thru February and completed some projects. That was a good feeling. I think I've managed to come out of the deep part of the depression, but I think I'm still slightly depressed. I'm not sure how to get myself out of it completely.
It's a beautiful day outside and I feel guilty staying in, but have no idea what to go out and do, besides take a walk downtown, perhaps.

My temp position ended on Friday. I let my agency know that it ended and asked them to call me back, so we could figure out what I'm gonna do on Monday. They didn't call me back. I guess that kind of makes me nervous. I did sign up with another agency. I have an appointment on Wednesday. It sounds like that will be a good deal if I can get into something awesome. Part of the problem is I have no clue what I want to do for a "day job". I can do lots of different things and am a good employee, but I am not one of those people who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. At some point.... I distinctly remember listing the three things I wanted to be when I grew up. They were: a) doctor, b) dentist, c) fashion designer. It's much to late for me to go to school for any of these things, so that's kind of lame.

Anyway, I won't go on about that stuff right now.

I also had some interesting interactions with men over the past couple weeks. I'll spare the details, but will tell one story. I was talking to a friend (who I dated a while back)
Our conversation went sort of like this:
He asked "do you miss me? yes or no?"
I said "sometimes."
He said "it's a yes or no answer."
I said "no, it's not. sometimes I miss you. Usually when I'm going to sleep at night."
He said "oh, I see how it is."
Then he said (and this caught me off guard) "do you love me?"
I said nothing as I was pondering this.... I started to answer "sometimes." but before I could get that out....
He said "I mean, I know you're in love with me, but do you love me."
I didn't know what to say. My initial reaction is ... "I don't know." Then I get sort of defiant.... like, "Who are you to tell me who I am in love with or who I love?"
We chatted for a while after that. I should say, I think he'd been out drinking, so this isn't a typical conversation for us....

The honest answer is, I have no idea what love is (how sad is that?). I mean, I do love my family. I love my friends... but when it comes to "romantic" relationships with the opposite sex, I have no clue what it means to be in love. I think I gave up on romantic love long ago.
I was married when I was 22. I stayed with him for 6 years, but at some point we grew in two different directions. I moved out and we separated and two years later finalized our divorce.
I remain friends with him to this day. I honestly don't know if we were in love. I mean, true love (how could I just simply walk away if we were in love?). I will say he is one of my best friends. I do know him very well, though and appreciate having his friendship. In the four years since I left my ex-husband, I've been kind of anti-relationship. I did date a boy steadily for almost a year during that time. I knew I wasn't in love, though. It seems cruel to say, but I don't mean it in a cruel way. I just simply knew we weren't a good match. Although, we did have lots of fun and it was an exciting time in my life. I actually was at the store with my neighbor the other night and randomly bumped into this particular ex (we live in the same neighborhood).
It was nice to chat with him for a few. We talked about music and life and what's
going on with us. I said that to say, I always try to stay on good terms with my exes. I always want their friendship even if the "love" part of the relationship ends.

Guess that I don't really have a point for this blog.... it's just a bunch of random blurbs.

I'll try and make more sense later.

Pretty pics and Atmosphere....

So, I took these pics yesterday when I got to work... the sky and the river and the puddles just caught myeye when I pulled into the parking lot..... It's interesting how the pics came out different hues.  These are unedited shots. The first one, I zoomed in a little.






Also, I've been listening to this song a lot lately....

Atmosphere - Lyndale Avenue User's Manual

"We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

Hey Mother, Don't Let Them Know You
They Hunger To Hold You Down And Control You.
Hey Lover, Don't Let 'em Love You
They'll Lay On Top Of You To Stay Above You.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.


We All Need Something We Can Stake The Blame On.
It Cant Be Your Dance That Made This Rain Storm.
It Must Be The Alcohol,
And You Hate This Place 'cuz The Town's Too Small.
And Everybody There's So Fake,
Be A Brand New Day If They Was Half Awake.
Smile'n Your Face Like Yes Sir,
Waitin Til Ya Turn Your Back So They Can Whisper.
And You Aint Tryin To Love None Of 'em
Na, Ya Know Better Right? Ya Learned Something.
But Even If The First Few Burst Through
They Only Pursue Cause They Wanna Hurt You.
It Comes With A Smokers Cough
Gonna Turn It On Until Its Broken Off.
Cause Suffered And Crushed Is Just Not Enough
They Wanna Hold You Down Until They Lock You Up.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.

We Could Try To Change To Make A New Life
Don't Mean We Gon' Do Right Tonight.


Hey Sister, Don't Let Them Touch You,
So Friendly When They're Close Enough To Cut You.

Hey Mister, Don't Let Them Break You."

And yes, I did get a ticket to see Atmosphere at the Crystal Ballroom on May 12th.  I can't wait.  I didn't think I was gonna be able to afford to go, but I worked it out so I could go... woohoo!

It'll be the 3rd or 4th time I've seen 'em perform.  It's gonna be rad.....

cards I've made lately.

So, I'm bummed, I didn't get that job I really wanted.  Now I have to stay at the suckfest temp job for the next couple (maybe few) weeks.  What a bummer.  I'll be applying to any and every job I can from now on, though.  Wish me luck.  
I will participate in a lot of scrap therapy these next few weeks....  I also got another baby book job.  
Kind of like the one I did a couple months ago.  
It will be fun.  Back to baby stuff for a while.

I gave my friend, Jose, a card on Saturday, for his birthday:

 

Here's a card I made for my friend, Tobe.


Here's my big sister's birthday card:


This is a 1st birthday card I made for my friend's little one:

some more pages..... (blanking on a clever blog title!)

So.... I've got to get better at creating catchy titles for my posts.

I created a couple pages for my 2007 scrapbook.

I'm in LOVE with this one:


This one is a pocket page.  I have to find the other invitation to go in the pocket.


This one's fun.  I LOVE pink and brown and white.  Makes me think of neopolitan ice cream.


This page was fun.  The pictures are too cute!

after a short leave of absence.....

Hey there,
I am finally back online at home.  I started a new temp job on Feb 25th.  It will end around the 15th of April (if not sooner).  I interviewed for this other job last week.  I really really want it.  It's perfect for me in so many ways.  I find out around Monday if I get it or not.  Wish me luck and send your good positive vibes my way.  

I finished the hawaii album and it will be delivered to my friend's mom on Sunday.
Here are the rest of the pages:






















I've even made some pages for my 2007 album:

latest work...

I've been busy creating scrapbook pages and looking for a new job.

Here are some pages I've completed lately:

A few things to note:  All these pages are 12"x12" (except for the last one - 9"x9.5") and the corners are rounded (you can't tell this by the scans).  I am almost done the hawaii album I am doing for my friend's parents.  The felt bird on the "hawaiian sunsets" layout is actually green.  I have no idea why it scanned a brownish color.  I used Becky Higgin's sketches for most of these.  They are super helpful if you get stuck or need some inspiration.  I find this happens to me a lot.