(diva)logues

"You say it's your birthday... it's my birthday too..."

Just a quick birthday wish for my sweet friend & fellow SRM Stickers designer, Melanie, who turned 40 today.  I happen to truly think that in spite of the added wrinkles one has to keep up with & the lack of sleep that seems to be happening more frequently... life just keeps getting better & better. 

The 40's ROCK.  And so do you, Melanie.  Hope it's a happy one!  

The card is going in the mail today, a little late.  What can I say except I've been busy celebrating my birthday too.  LOL

"This is a good place for a stick-up..."

Remember that Airwick commercial from the early 80's?

It crossed my mind. 

Again.

For like 3 days in a row actually.

Oh my... oh my... oh my...

 

Been trying to organize my digital photo files recently.... deleting some... putting LOTS of them in a folder holding photos that I've already put onto scrapbook pages... and realizing how much is still out there that I haven't done anything with yet.  Even worse than the photos on my laptop...  all the photos on my iPhone.  It's like they're out of sight... out of mind.  Oy.

Anyway in doing so, I found these birthday pics from Bryn's 9th birthday.  She'll be 12 next month... so the pics are 3 years old.  I know for sure I put the pics from her birthday "party" in the book that year, but somehow these from the actual day of her birthday never made it. 

The page is pretty simple in design, but there's a lot going on in the photos... and of course I had to use as many photos as possible, as usual!  The products are a mix of Simple Stories SNAP, American Crafts,  My Minds Eye and some graph paper, of course, because it makes me happy...  LOL 

 

Do the Airwick stick-ups still exist? 

If so... I'd like to order a case please....

Oh and I'm teaching Zumba again tonight.  This week I've taught classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND I have a short little stint tomorrow morning at a Mother's Day party at the Y. 

Goodness... I should probably go buy a new pair of shoes or something...  ;-)

"She's a bad mama jama... just as fine as she can be..."

Lots of fun birthdays are coming up in May.  Like mine, for instance.  Not that I'm thrilled with turning 45 next month, because frankly that number sounds OLD, but I suppose it's better than the alternative.  I'm literally in my mid life right now... and I feel like I'm still in my 20's or at least 30's!  No wonder it sometimes feels like a mid-life crisis!

Although I think my mid-life crisis pretty much involves all things Zumba... the people, the wardrobe... the crazier the better.  I'm just not ready to "grow up" yet.  So... I find myself doing things like seeing if I can still wear another earring in my ear in one of the extra holes that was pierced in high school.  And in case you were wondering... even if you don't wear an earring for like 20 years... it doesn't close up.  Who knew?

Oh... and buying pants like these for Zumba just because they're totally bad ass...

 

And speaking of bad ass... I had someone tell me I was totally bad ass after the class I taught one night.  I told Bob it was the ultimate compliment.  He just looked at me with a blank stare. 

Pretty sure he's over the whole Zumba thing. 

But back to birthdays.  I'm in need of a few cards coming up.  So... no time like the present to get started, since on most occasions I find myself making a card on the day I need one.  I used some SRM Birthday Sentiment stickers on here along with My Mind's Eye My Girl collection...

 

 

Well... it's Monday!  Time to teach my first of two Zumba classes for the day!

And check out my newly finished instructor web page at Zumba.com!  I would love it if you would "like" it!  ;-)

Ok...Ok...  Zumba time!  Let's roll! 

Wha' shoe lookin' at?

You know it's really cold outside & HOT inside when the windows in the Zumba room are all fogged up.

Zumbliciousness.

Just a couple more pages here using some more of my December photo stash, along with more of the My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas collection.  You'd think I'd used it all by now, but hang tight!  I still have a few more scraps.  LOL 

I mixed in some old Cosmo Cricket (the polka dot background paper) + some Simple Stories Fabulous stickers.  The shoe is a downloaded clip art image to fit the theme, with some added bling.  It doesn't look like any of the 3 pairs of shoes she received, but frankly I don't care.  It matches the page.

This kid is a total NUT.  I'll admit she gets the crazy faces from me, along with the outta control excitement over shoes.  She better study hard & get a good job... that's all I can say...

On the next page I wanted to use the photos Bryn had taken with her iPod Touch when she attended a parade with her friend.  They aren't the best quality photos, but I'm all for using imperfect photos in the books to document an event...

I made my own tree + added some bling.  I do love me some bling...

I also kinda love graph paper.

Duh.

It's almost the weekend!  ROCK ON...

"Now would I say something that wasn't true...I'm asking you sugar would I lie to you..."

Well apparently I lied.  I thought I was only going to do a couple pages from December (Christmas Day & Christmas Eve), but I found this page I had finished last week and hadn't yet posted.  The photos are pretty busy, so I wanted to keep the rest of the page pretty simple & streamlined... 

More My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas, some Doodlebug Designs North Pole + more SRM Christmas sentiment stickers...

In addition to that I found some photos Bryn had taken at a local parade she attended with her neighbor friend, so I guess I'll have a handful of pages from December.  

Or well... I guess that assumes I actually do something with the photos.  One never knows!   

Happy Friday & have a great weekend, everyone!

"So this is what you meant... when you said you that you were spent..."

Ok, so now that I finally managed to finish my December Daily mini book, I thought I'd create a couple pages using my leftover My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas collection that I had used to create the book.  Since the mini book only allows room for a few photos, I like to do some 12x12 pages too.  We all know I like to use as many of my photos as possible from every event!  In all likelihood I'll just do a Christmas Eve & Christmas Day page, but we'll see.   I still need to go through all my photos from the month.  I've started with Christmas Day though.  I printed my photos in wallet size so I could fit a lot on the page (8 to be exact)...

In addition to the My Mind's Eye, I also threw in a couple bits of Nikki Sivils' Gingerbread Land (an oldie but a goodie!) + some SRM We've Got Your Border Christmas stickers (love them!)...

... and I made my own tags using a tag punch + some SRM Merry Stickers...

It was "early release day" at school today.  I brought Bryn & her friend home to hang out for a few hours, so since they're busy... I think I'll hang out in my craftroom.

Yay me!

Can I get a do-over. Please.

Ummm 2013.  The first 11 days... not so great.  The year literally began with Bryn having a REALLY bad stomach virus.  A few days later I had the stomach virus.  Then last Monday, I got in my car to go teach Zumba & had a dead battery so I started walking to work since I had 15 minutes until my class started.  Luckily a friend who takes my class drove by, saw me walking & picked me up.  I know...so random.  An angel in a van!    

And just when I was thinking that's all just random craziness that happens to everyone... then... worst of all... one of my bestie's husband committed suicide.  Not sure how else to say that without it being so abrubt.  It's an awful horrible tragic mess.

No comments necessary for me though.  Just requesting that everyone who reads this say a quick prayer for her and her daughter.  I love them so much.  And I don't think one can ever have too many prayers. 

 

My December Daily is finally complete, with the exception of Day #23 which must've been such a boring day I couldn't even remember what to say.  Ok well... actually I wasn't able to find a photo either... 

Most of the book was created using My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas + SRM Stickers.  And like I said at the beginning of the month, it's a 6x6 format which made the pages pretty quick + easy to complete.

You can see the book in it's entirety here.

Ok.  Do-over begins now.  Keeping the faith for good things to come...

Friends are like Louis Vuitton bags. No one wants the fake ones...

Happy 2013!  It's been an interesting year so far... and by interesting I mean it's kinda stunk.  Bryn came down with a bad case of the stomach flu on New Year's Eve, which totally changed our plans right after we went out that night.  She ended up spending that night sleeping (kinda sleeping anyway) on the floor next to the bathroom.  It was an AWFUL, AWFUL night for her & she's still not feeling well.  Doubting that she'll be going back to school when that resumes tomorrow, as she still hasn't been able to eat a normal meal.  A couple popsicles, a couple crackers, electrolyte water & Sprite is all that she's been doing lately.  And she's wanted a LOT of mama time, which I actually kinda love.  Just wish she'd feel better soon.  She rarely gets sick, so she's not liking this. 

In the meantime... some crafty stuff.  I attempted to clear off my craft table so I could actually use it to create on, but ended up with a total MESS on the floor.  So... with all this random stuff staring me in the face, I started using some of it.  Funny how that happens.

I finished these 2 pages a couple weeks ago (before the mess on the floor happened)...

... and this next page WAS finished over a month ago, but I hated it & never posted it... so I totally re-did it with less color & pattern  recently.  Still not much to write home about, but better than it was...

The SRM Girl Scout sticker is sold at Girl Scout Council Stores.  And I thought it was quite perfect considering I had just taught Zumba to 2 groups of Girl Scouts so they could get a badge for learning a new dance!

I used a photo collage on the next page which was made via Picmonkey... a somewhat free photo editing site.  They have recently added the option of upgrading ($4.99/month) to use of a lot of their editing features though.  Poop.

And more SRM Stickers.... the We've Got Your Border Halloween stickers were used on the top & bottom of the page... love them...

I finished one more yesterday, but I'll save something for tomorrow.  Still need to finish up my December Daily too.  Maybe I'll work on that later. 

We'll see what happens.

If you have any questions on the products I used on those pages, just leave a comment & I'll email you links.  Too lazy to link everything up right now.  LOL  

"Everybody in the club... all eyes on us..."

Another memorable Christmas has come and gone!  It's time to put away all the decorations & prepare for the new year.  And I'm ready for it!

 

We already have 3 trips booked, but I'm ready to plan more. 

I'm ready for my 2nd year of teaching Zumba & loving every second of it. 

I'm ready for another design gig to begin (more on that soon!). 

I'm ready for more fun times and laughter with family & friends. 

I'm ready to make a bigger effort at paying it forward & doing random anonymous acts of kindness.

I'm ready for whatever 2013 will bring... but I hope it's HAPPINESS.

 

I'm almost finished with my December Daily book.  Just 3 more pages to go.  I probably would've been finished by now, but I ran out of ink so I couldn't print my photos.  Minor technicality. 

More My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas + SRM Stickers throughout the book...

Totally loving my new upper arm bracelet that I found on etsy...

You can see the book in it's entirety here.

Our Christmas was a total blast.  So glad my sister was in town & I got to see her 3 times this week.  We also had fun having dinner with friends this week too.  More celebrating to come... starting with my New Year's Eve morning Zumba class!  

Can't wait!!! 

Hope your Christmas was memorable too! 

"What do I stand for... most nights I don't know anymore..."

Welp, here we all are on December 21st.  Much to be thankful for & much to wonder about & pray about.  I'm so glad that as soon as school is over today, Christmas break begins.  The kids could really use a break from what's happening in the news and the "rumors" circulating through schools that "there will be a group of people bringing guns to school today... there will be a lock-down... "  it's all just too much.  Their innocence has certainly been replaced by uncertainty.  School can be hard enough without this added stress.  We're doing a lot of talking though & reassuring the best I can.  Things will be ok.   

More pages here from my December Daily book.  Our Christmas cards finally went out too.  A quick upload of a photo to Walgreens one-hour photo developing, some help from Bryn & Bob stuffing envelopes & they were finally in the mail this week.  Nothing crafty about my cards whatsoever.  Major over-achiever here, folks! 

 

More My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas + SRM Stickers throughout the book...

The envelope holds our Christmas Day invitation that I mailed.  After the holidays I'll also add as many of the Christmas cards we received from family & friends as I can fit in there...

That series of photos of Bob helping Bryn study for her science test literally made me laugh out loud when I saw them.  She was making faces at Bob while he was trying to be serious.  She is a total nut bag.  Sadly for her she can't help it... she gets it from me.  And of course she makes me laugh all.the.time. 

When she's not driving me nuts, that is, because well.... she's just like me!!! 

Off to finally begin wrapping all our Christmas gifts... and see if I've finished my Christmas shopping yet.  Still can't say I'm 100% sure I'm finished yet.  Insert big sigh here... 

Big hugs & have a great weekend everyone! 

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...

I have to say, I cried quite a few times over the weekend & the tears continued today.  Columbine set the precedent for having lock-down drills in schools, and although I was not yet a mother at the time, it's always been unsettling for me that my child has grown up in a world that needed lock-down drills as part of the school curriculum.  I'll never forget when Bryn was in first grade & she came home from school after one of these drills & asked me, "What do we do at home if we have a lock-down?"  I fought back the tears & told her we had an alarm system to keep us safe.  What else do you say?  I didn't grow up in a time when people went on shooting rampages in schools... or malls... or movie theaters.  

The horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary hit closer to home because I am now a mother.  And I can't imagine what these poor parents are going through.  What do you say now?  What do you say as you're dropping your child off at school besides, "have a great day & I love you."  I don't know.  I think we just have to keep living our lives without being afraid and trust that all will be ok. 

It is scary though, when all you really want to do is keep your child at home with you forever.   

Anyway... I'm pretty caught up on my December Daily album.  I included the letter Bryn received from Santa, which by the way, made her laugh out loud before she even opened it.  And while she still hasn't come right out & asked me if I'm Santa, it appears that she no longer believes in "him."  So... on the other side of the letter from Santa, I included a letter I found on Pinterest about Santa.  I know she'll read it, as she flips through my book occasionally while I'm making it...

Here's the letter if you want to use it...

And speaking of believing in Santa... I believe that there really is more goodness in the world than bad.  I see it every day.  In fact, every Monday in my Zumba class I see really good, thoughtful people that give me more than I could ever give them.  Their smiles, their encouragement, their willingness to show up... it makes my day.  And this has been a very special year for me in my first year of teaching because of them.  And I think I've thanked my friend that encouraged me to get certified about 100 times since then.  She's the one who knew I could do it and it's changed me... for the better. 

Just one of the many blessings in my life for which I am grateful.

Hugs and love, my friends...

"Get up, get up, get busy, do it... get up & move that body..."

Moving right along here... and I'm up-to-date.  Yay.  All it takes is some uninterrupted time, an hour of The Voice & a glass of wine... it helps with the creative process.  LOL

As with the rest of the book... lots of My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas collection + SRM number stickers & border stickers...

Dear Santa... I really need a pedicure, but I'd kinda rather have a Gucci, so just ignore the toes.  Thanks.

I should probably pull these pages out of the page protectors to photograph them, since some pages look kinda wonky, but you get the idea...

And I've already started on Day #10, aka. the 6th grade band concert day, but we'll save that for tomorrow. 

Good thing The Voice is on again tonight!  Work time!  ;-)

Who's watching besides me? 

"Don't you worry, don't you worry child... see Heaven's got a plan for you..."

Moving right along with my book here!  And the running around from here to there every day continues as well.  In addition to everything else going on, I had to pull Bryn from school early the last 2 days in a row... yesterday for the dentist & then today for the orthodontist.  This morning I got up early to do the 6:30am spin class & after I got home I agreed to go back & sub the 10:45 Zumba class.  Bring on the big lunch please.  And thank you.   

Once again I'm caught up here... but still not convinced that I'll stay that way as the month progresses...

 

More My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas collection.  It's making it very easy to put pages together by primarily using one collection for the whole thing...

Those are my glasses I keep in the car now for driving at night.  Had Lasik surgery about 8 years ago, but in the past year the street signs had started getting fuzzy at night.  Most of the time I'm not even driving at night anyway, but I need them just incase.  Bryn got them out & made me put them on to take a picture. 

Off to another Christmas party with the girls tonight & then I have Bob's company Christmas party tomorrow night! 

Tis the season to be jolly! 

"We can dance all night long until the morn, with nothing but our shades on..."

Believe it or not... inspite of a very busy weekend involving an overnight "date night," a Christmas party with my college friends, running, learning a new Zumba routine so I could use it in my class today, finally getting the ornaments on our tree that's been up & naked since Thanksgiving weekend, a drive-thru Christmas light display last night & a weekend-long headache the size of Manhattan... I still somehow managed to get started on my December Daily album. 

And no, I did not pay Bryn to do it for me, although it did cross my mind... 

I'm using some old wood mini book that I found in my craftroom.  For the front cover, I just cut some of the squares from the cover sheet to this My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas collection & added 2 of the SRM We've Got Your Border Christmas stickers + a 2012 SRM Sticker. 

There were a few 6x6 page protectors inside it and I've also cut down some of my 12x12 Becky Higgins divided page protectors to use in it as well.  I did that in last year's book & it seemed to help slightly with the flow of getting pages done.  Although in my case, nothing is ever quick + easy.  I like to make things slow + difficult whenever possible.  But maybe this year will be different?

More SRM number stickers + various SRM Christmas stickers on those pages, as there will be throughout the rest of the book. 

And well... this could be the only time I'm caught up on my book this month, so I'll just go ahead & pat myself on the back today.  Yay me. 

Oh and Bryn got up & put on shorts + a short-sleeved shirt today.  I said, "Bryn, no.  It's December.  That's not appropriate."

She said, "Mommy... it's going to be 76 degrees today, I'm not taking this off.  I'm wearing this." 

I said, "Oh.  Well at least put on a hoodie then." 

How can I argue with that?  This weather is CRA-ZY.

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Let the countdown begin...

Tell me it's NOT December 1st already.  And what would the holidays be without the added work of doing a December Daily album?  But I made one the last 4 years in a row, so why stop now... right?  I'm planning to use the My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas collection that I picked up at Archivers for only $4.99... a special they were running the day before Thanksgiving.  I'm sure I'll be using a few SRM Christmas stickers in there as well! 

And let's see... I think Day #1 should be a photo of me with my headache from staying out too late with my husband last night.  LOL  But alas... I have my annual Christmas party with my college friends tonight so no rest for the wicked!

Calgon... take me away.