(diva)logues

MIZZOUUUUUU RAH!

Had SO MUCH FUN last night at the Mizzou vs. Illinois Arch Rivalry Game.  We had 2nd row seats on the 50-yard line.  I mean, seriously, these seats were phenomenal.  And it was the biggest attended college game at the Dome ever... 66,000.  So loud, so FUN, & we WON the game 52-42. 

 

And a HUGE thanks to my friend, Stephanie, who offered to watch Bryn when we were given these last minute tickets earlier this week.  We can't thank you enough!

And a quick lay-out I did using a photo of my cousins & me on Friday night.  I'm usually a 12x12 kind of scrapper, but lately I've been trying out 8 1/2 x 11 pages...

 

Only a 7-year old...

Right as my party was beginning last night, Bryn (along with her cousin, Sydney) ran into the scraproom to tell me that she had lost her tooth.  The funny thing was, Bryn was holding some kleenex on her now bloody mouth & Sydney was the one holding the tooth.  I'm thinking only a 7-year old would want to hold someone else's tooth...

 

At last count, that would be the 7th tooth my 7-year old has lost.  I'm not sure what number Sydney is now on... but they're both "toothless wonders!" 

We are staying in town this weekend.  Some of the highlights include:

• Seeing my cousins, Jaime & Valerie, at a family get-together tonight.  Usually only see them at weddings & funerals, as they live in Texas.
• A birthday party for my friend, Stephanie's, 9-year old held at a bowling alley.
• The Mizzou vs. Illinois football game with Bob... 2nd row seats on the 5o-yard line.
• A play-date at our house on Sunday with a neighbor friend of Bryn's, who is moving out of town next week.

The rest remains to be seen, but I'm sure it will also include a daily work-out (& crafting... if I can fit it in!) 

Have a FUN & SAFE Labor Day weekend!

Balance...

Bryn was glad to finally go roller skating.  I'm not sure she had FUN, as she really spent the entire time trying to figure out how to stay balanced & upright, but when she went to bed she asked if we could go back again. 

Bob was a little shaky at first, too.  It was the blind leading the blind out there. 

He did finally manage to stop holding onto the wall.  I rented skates, too, but thankfully never had to put them on.  I "walked" Bryn around the rink several times in my shoes though, all the while hoping that no one rolled over my toes. 

Wanted to make a Disney layout for Bryn's scrapbook, even though I put all our Disney photos into a separate book.  It's just a few mini photos that highlight the week, but the fun part was using Shrinky Dink plastic for the first time since childhood!  I made the rainbow & heart embellishments by drawing them onto the plastic.  I colored them with Sharpies & paint pens, cut them out & put them in the oven... so VERY FUN!  Or maybe I'm just easily amused...

And now I really need to quit crafting & get serious about cleaning this house for my party tonight. 

More lunch...

Had a lunch date today with my friend, Stephanie, at Kitaro.  We sat at one of the Hibachi tables & I had the salmon & shrimp combo... yummy!  I enjoyed chatting with her... it's been awhile since we've had time to sit & chat.  Other than a short time at her daughter's birthday party, the last time we really sat down together was when Sally was in town & we played Rock Band all night!  That was so much fun!

Yesterday, I had my annual mammogram.   My 1st ever was last year.  I went to the Siteman Center bus again, they come to a nearby spa parking lot every year... that's just too convenient.  I was literally in & out in 15 minutes.  So, go get your mammograms & don't wait until October... that's the most busy time of the year being Breast Cancer Awareness Month! 

Tonight is Bryn's school roller skating night... a school fundraiser.  Frankly I'd rather donate the money & skip it, BUT we're going to try it!  This will be her 1st time on skates, so I imagine it's going to be very interesting given that it's likely to be a large crowd of people on the rink tonight. 

Tomorrow night I am hosting a Close To My Heart scrapbooking party.   A friend from the Y, who it turns out lives in my subdivision, is a consultant for that company.  So I'm having about 10 people over for Sangria, appetizers & scrapbooking!  Sounds like my kind of fun! 

And I'm thinking of getting this kit from The Dozens...

it's just so fun & funky!

I did it...

I have officially learned to use my sewing machine... sort of.  I think at this point I may just be using it for paper crafting, because that seems kind of easy.  So, I made this card with the Cosmo Cricket patterned paper that was included in my PaperMinx RAK.  And that, by the way, is a zig zag stitch across the "grass".... ooohh, aaaahhh!  Ok, so not so difficult.  I think it's obvious I'm at beginner status if I had to get lessons today. 

I still need to work on turning the corner.  Anyway, I'm sure I'll graduate to something more complicated... but for now I'm sensing a new addiction here (like a need another addiction??) 

Sew what?

Finally about to check another goal off my list... learn to use my new sewing machine from Marci!  I haven't sewn anything with a sewing machine since Home Economics in 6th grade.  (Do they even offer that class anymore?  I am old.)  Anyway... I asked Aunt Doris to teach me how to get this thing running (I could just read the manual, but that would be way too easy).  She invited me over to her house tomorrow along with a sewing friend of hers, who "is an expert seamstress & won several awards."  Seriously... just need to know basics here, but I'm very thankful for my upcoming lesson.  And who knows?  Maybe this "expert" will have me ready for Project Runway some day!  I love that show.

I won another little RAK from Julie the other day... a Preschool Days 45 record (again... I am old enough to know what this is). 

While this is a kid's record, I decided to use it to make a little wall hanging with a photo of Bob & me on "date night" last night.  The journaling reads, "You spin me round like a record baby..."  a great 80's song by Dead or Alive.

 

And needless to say, we had a great time last night.  An impromtu "date night" that began with sushi at Oishi and then drinks while listening to a great band at Villa Farotto.  We even danced to a song right before we left with smiles on our faces...

Friday...

... means sleeping late (or later than 7:30 anyway) & spending more time with Bryn for a couple days, a last minute "date night" planned for tomorrow night & a trip to the grand opening of a new mall (& we all know how much I love to shop!)  It's not a busy weekend, but it will be a happy one.

And a new layout.  Been working on a new technique I learned from an Amy Tan SIStv webisode on hand-stitching.  This time I tried the technique with my title...

I wrote out my title, then poked my holes with a needle so I had a path to follow.  I chose green embroidery floss to match the rest of my layout & used a back-stitch to complete the title.   

Just thought I had to be kinda "crafty" on a lay-out about my new craft room!  Happy Friday!

Very excited & hopeful...

Had my 2nd lunch date with my friend, Christa, yesterday.  She is having hip replacement surgery next week, so we had 1 last outing for awhile.  She will have a long recovery, but I'm looking forward to helping her out at home & going out with her when's she's ready to get out & about again! 

Thought I'd post this flowery lay-out on this rainy day we're having...

I cut all the flowers from a flowery patterned paper & adhered them to the brown patterned paper.  I added some bling to the center of the flowers & then some hand-stitching under the butterflies for added texture.

Today I was approached about being on a design team for a new ezine publication.  I am VERY excited about this possible opportunity & I am submitting my work for consideration.  Just merely being approached feels like such an honor!  I won't know if I've made the team until announcements are made by the end of September.  Making a design team is on my list of GOALS & I think this company would be an amazing fit for me!  Keep your fingers crossed for me! 

Lunch date #1 & a little more Disney...

Had lunch with my sister today at Cheesecake Factory (& no, I never get sick of going there).  Lately, my favorite salad is the Vegetable Chopped Salad with grilled chicken (no cheese).  It's different... has lettuce, green beans, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers... but also edamame, beets & apple.  The pomegranate vinaigrette makes it!  Anyway, haven't seen her in awhile, so we did a lot of chatting & laughing.  I brought her my Disney book I recently finished, because she's been asking to see pictures.

I won't bore you with all the pages... it's your typical Disney book with characters, rides... yeah, yeah, yeah.  I used an 8 1/2 x 11 spiral scrapbook & prettied it up with ribbon tied around all the spirals...

I like doing mini books (although this one isn't exactly MINI), because you can keep all the pages similar in color & pattern.  I pretty much went with the Disney colors of black, white & red for this book.  The cover page is a favorite only because we had so much fun doing it... trying on silly hats at a store in Magic Kingdom, while trying to stop sweating profusely from the heat outside.

I like to add things like overlay, vellum, etc. to add more visual interest.  Just take the book apart, punch the holes & add it in. 

I may upload the book & leave it on the sidebar.

And lastly, this "opinion" made me very, very happy.  I wanted to hug her after I read it... 

OMG... Are you kidding me?!!!

Ok, so I don't usually do 2 posts in the same day, but this is amazing!  A couple weeks ago I won a RAK from the Paper Minx blog.  In the scrapbooking world, that means some goodies for scrapbooking.  And I never win anything, so that was kinda cool!  She was going to send me some cute, hand-made coasters she had made, but then couldn't get them to lay right once she sealed them.  SO, she said she'd send something else & it would be "way better."  Today I received the package in the mail & here it is...

Seriously CANnot believe it!  I feel like it's my birthday or something!  And yes, that is a whole 8x8 paper pad of the Cosmo Cricket "Get Happy" line.  Anyway, check out Paper Minx... they're a new company  & their kits are so cute!   (And her layouts always inspire me!)  I will be buying from them in September! 

And since that put such a smile on my face today, I thought I'd see if I could do the same!  Sooooo, I made a new friend today, Maria, who's in the midst of recovering from surgery for the next 8 weeks.  I was thinking, Maria, that if you email me your address... I will "pay it forward" & send YOU some goodies to keep you busy & scrapping while you're on the mend!   Not sure what I'm going to send yet, but I'll come up with something good!   

Back to sChOOL...

Back to school... back to setting the alarm for 7:30... back to making lunch every day... back to walking to the bus stop in the morning  & picking Bryn up from school at 3:45 every day.  It's a good routine, but I REALLY miss having Bryn around every day.  It's not that I don't have a ton of stuff that keeps me busy, it's just that I really like having her tag along everywhere I go.  And I really like having lunch with her & sitting next to her in the craft room.  Sure, I get aggravated with her occasionally, but I just really like being around her...

Notice the "baby" in the carrier on the front porch?  Bryn ran & put her in the backseat of my car before she left for school today so she could ride around with me all day.  She brings a baby, bunny, puppy or something someone I mean (they are "real babies," you know!) wherever we go.  So, it looks like I'm babysitting while she's away...   

So, same old same old... I'm off to the Y, Dierbergs & Target today, maybe a little scrapping... the usual.  I do, however, have 2 lunch dates this week (one with my sister, Marci, & the other with my friend Christa)... yeah for lunch dates & shopping!

Really into looking at the sky lately & this is what it looks like today...  such beauty all around.  Feeling very, very blessed...

 

Just thinking about stuff...

Tomorrow is Bryn's first day of 2nd grade.  I'm never really "ready" for her to go back to school.  While I do manage to fill up my day & enjoy being able to come & go as I please, I really miss her when she's not here.  I spend the week before school starts, not sleeping very well because I worry about her food allergies & her feelings about the lunch room.  She has to sit at her own desk at the end of her class lunch table because she can break out in hives just from skin contact with food to which she's allergic (dairy, eggs, nuts).  And let's face it, kids spill milk & have messy hands, so we just can't take chances.  We all have things we wish we could change, but I told her that ultimately you just have to be ok with who you are & how you were born.  She'll be fine (& so will I)...

And on that note, I just finished a layout about something that happened on our Disney trip.  On our first night there, we had dinner at an Epcot restaurant.  The chef came out & discussed with us what would be safe for her to eat.  Then he suggested that he could serve Rice Dream for dessert.  As she was eating it after dinner she said, "This is the first time in my whole life that I've had ice cream at a restaurant."  I almost cried... it was just the beginning of our "magical" trip!

Just a little mini (& I don't mean skirt)...

Made a little mini book featuring some recent photos from our 2 summer trips... Disney & Scottsdale.  I started with 2 rectangular shaped pieces of chipboard.  I drew the shape of a sun + rays onto each piece of cardboard, then cut it out...

I covered the front & back sun shapes with a yellow glittery paper, added a strip of ribbon to define the center of my sun & added the title... "Fun in the Sun."  I used a circle punch for all the center pages... easy!  Added a little overlay & embellies... a quick summer-themed mini!

Just a few of the many things I love about summer

family vacation

 

seeing friends

fun clothes & shoes

i'll take a "Mai Tai" please

summer movies

no school for Bryn

destination: "date night"

travel, sun, fly away, on a jet plane, relax

The end... of my mini & of our summer.  It's been a REALLY good one!

Push it...

Week	Sun.	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thur.	Fri.	Sat.	Total
1	4	Off	3	Off	3	Off	3	13
2	5	Off	3	Off	3	Off	3	14
3	6	Off	3	Off	3	Off	3	15
4	7	Off	3	Off	3	Off	4	17
5	7	Off	3	Off	4	Off	4	18
6	7	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	19
7	8	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	20
8	9	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	21
9	10	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	22
10	8	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	20
11	12	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	24
12	8	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	20
13	12	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	24
14	6	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	18
15	6	Off	4	Off	4	Off	4	18
16	13.1 (whichever day)

Going to do the RNRAZ 1/2 marathon again in January '09 for a personal best time.  I realize that during the midst of my training for the 1/2 marathon I completed in January '08, I said I would NEVER do this again... BUT never say never.  It was BY FAR, one of the best, most rewarding experiences of my life.  I swear I smiled for the entire 13.1 miles.  Bob is going to do it, too.  He is planning to walk it, I am going to run jog it.

And seriously... how can you not watch the Olympics & get inspired to be healthy & push your body to limits of which it's TOTALLY capable?   Training officially begins the first week of October & I am ready... 

Top 10 things for Fall...

The top 10 must-have items for Fall according to Nordstrom are...

1. The stand-out coat
2. The feminine blouse
3. The pencil skirt
4. The trouser
5. The statement necklace
6. The sheath
7. The short jacket
8. The soft satchel
9. A pop of plaid
10. The booie

And I'm still lusting after these Guess platforms for Fall...

What are your picks this year?

Home sweet home (or should I say... craft room sweet craft room?)

Just hiding out in my craft room.  So there's unpacking to be done, groceries to be bought & a work-out in waiting... I have more important things on my mind.  It's good to be home...

Goodbye for now...

Thanks for a delicious & fun dinner at Maggianos, guys.  We're taking YOU out in November when we return!  Love you! 

I just don't want the fun to end either...

We spent a couple hours at the pool yesterday after our daily work-out & lunch from AJ's (yes, we've had chicken & veggies for the last 4 days in a row for lunch... but it's good, it's healthy & it's fast, so what can I say)...

We were talking about going to Gordon Biersch for dinner, but Sal called & was thinking of making an impromptu visit to see us so I told her to get over here & we'd get carry-out from Cheesecake Factory...

she said she just wasn't ready for the fun from Wednesday night to end

 

...and I wasn't either.

So we all sat out on our deck & had some wine, some laughs & watched the storm roll in...

Another great night in Scottsdale... happy 08/08/08!

Red, red wine (or white in my case)...

Had a fabulous dinner at Sal's house last night... seafood, chicken & an orzo with grilled veggies salad.  We brought 3 bottles of wine... that all went down well, too! 

The girls had fun swimming in their pool...

while Sal & I chatted in the kitchen...

...with a couple glasses (bottles) of wine.

We miss eachother! 

Thanks again, Sal, Scott & Mol for a fun night... we love you guys!  We'll see you at Maggianos on Friday for 1 more night of fun before we go back home!

I won something!

I won a give-away on the Paper Minx blog...

RAK WINNER

deana, you're our winner! please email us at paperminx [at] hotmail.com and let us know your address and i will a. send out your coasters to you (but i've having a little trouble getting them to lie flat with the cover over the surface ... but not to worry, i have a plan b) b. send you something else cool... got lots of stuff saved up for raks. so you'll get something neato. thanks for everyone who left a comment or suggestion!

 

I'll post a photo of my goodies when I receive them! 

 

It keeps you runnin', girl it keeps you runnin'...

I ran 4 miles on the treadmill yesterday morning.  Haven't run that many miles since the 1/2 marathon.  But training for the next 1/2 marathon begins in 2 months, so I just wanted to see.  I felt good... like I could've continued on.  I swear it's my spin class that's giving me my stamina.  But Bryn was at the Kid's Club & Bob was waiting to use my treadmill, so I exited feeling like, "I think somewhere along the line I became a RUNNER."  Strange as it seems...

Bob picked up lunch at AJ's... from their gourmet deli... chicken & veggies.  Then we went to the pool for 2 hours.  I tried to sit & read, but had to get in the pool every 10 minutes to cool off.  It is so stinkin' HOT here.  (Like I expected otherwise in August?)

Had a great (& BIG) dinner last night at Buca di Beppo...

We started with calamari... love the spicy marinara they serve with it... & the mixed salad.   Bryn can eat both as long as we get vinegar & oil on the side as our dressing.  Bryn had spaghetti marinara, and Bob & I shared the Shrimp & Scallops Orzo with a side of Italian green beans (sauted with olive oil & lemon).  Really good!  For dessert, we brought cookies for Bryn (since she can't eat any desserts here) & ordered Chocolate Vesuvio for Bob & me (a chocolate caramel fudge brownie served with vanilla ice cream & drizzled with chocolate Sambuca sauce & caramel).  Heavenly!  Bob said, "I think the waiter is saying... these people came to eat!"

Thankful for running 4 miles today... probably should've done 8.

The beautiful sky we looked at while driving back to the condo.  Life is good...

Extreme heat...

So here we are in balmy freakin' HOT Scottsdale... but lovin' every minute of it!  It's our home away from home & we love it out here, but it's just lot nicer weather in the winter!  So yesterday we got up & worked out & then spent the afternoon at the pool.  We had lunch there (along with a Bahama Mama, of course!)...

You pretty much need to be in the water to feel somewhat ok around here...

For dinner, we had a wonderful meal at the Ocean Club, with a great Chardonnay (ZD) recommended by my "Chardonnay snob" soul sister, Christa.  Their calamari is to-die-for & Bob ordered a sashimi-style ahi that was so huge it should've been split by the 2 of us... & it was fantastic!  We've already made note that we're splitting that meal when we come back in November.  (We make notes like that because we both love to eat & are always planning our next meal... I think it's a Taurus thing... & we both are.)

Today, we lounged around in the condo & then decided to go shopping, have lunch & play miniature golf (because when it's 110 degrees outside, that the perfect activity!)  We started at Anthropologie, because I love walking around that store... so much eye candy... and we don't have one close to us.  I bought a denim pencil skirt for Fall & a cute long necklace.  We had lunch at the Yard House... another favorite of ours.  We hit Target for some necessities & Whole Foods to get some yummies for dinner & took it all back to the condo before going to Cracker Jax... which is exactly the same as Swing Around Town for those that know Fenton! 

Of course, then we had to go inside after 18 holes & play games to win tickets... for the useless crap prizes.  Kids love it though, & I personally don't mind playing games... especially when there's air-conditioning involved!

We'll probably get up & work out tomorrow (Bryn wants to go to the Kid's Club) & then spend some time at the pool.  We're thinking Buca di Beppo for dinner, but we'll see!  We are, however, very much looking forward to dinner at Sally, Scott & Molly's on Wednesday night.  It's always a good time at their home! 

Leavin on a jet plane (again)...

And we're packing again!  We leave for our time-share in Scottsdale tomorrow... gone for a week. 

 

We love being there & are totally looking forward to a little (or a lot!) or R & R... especially after the crazy week at Disney!  We're also looking forward to hanging out with our friends, Sally, Scott & Molly!  Planning to have dinner one night at their house... always fun & the food is always delish! 

Also looking forward to dinner at the Ocean Club.  The food is outstanding, great wine list... love the atmosphere... just a great place to dine!  Mostly we'll be at the pool every day.  Bob & I are going to work-out every morning while Bryn goes to the Kids Club for an hour.  It's a fun place for her to do some kid's stuff... crafts, Wii, etc.  She loves it & it gives us time to get some exercise in for a basically lazy trip!  

Still finishing up my Disney book & when we return I'll get started on my August mini for Dig Deeper... the theme is summer & I plan to get some good "summer" photos on this trip!  And we need to get school supplies, too, because that's just around the corner!  This summer has gone by so fast!!