May PC Projects

Here are my four projects for Provo Craft this month. I'm sad that I won't get them back . . . maybe I'll recreate a few for my home albums.

I've been thinking about time,

and how there isn't enough of it. For instance, this weekend. I had so many things that I needed to accompllish, and here it is, Sunday, and nothing is done.

Deadlines? Yep, I've got them. 5 for Scrap Muse, 1 for Provo Craft. Due tomorrow. Wish me luck. Never mind the fact that I need to finish the laundry, put it away, plan meals for the week, and hit the grocery store. Plus I'd love to make a trip to my LSS, and get some great pictures outside, as it's a beautiful day.

Why is it that in all of the aspects of my life (personal, teaching, scrapping) there is something that I am always lacking in? Like if my lesson plans and grading are all caught up at school, my house is a mess. Or if I am up to date with my scrapping stuff, I'm way behind at school. Or if I am good on deadlines, school, and the house is organized, the whole family is mad a me because I've been too busy.

How to do it all. I guess I just can't. C'mon summer break!!!!!!!!!!!!! One less thing on my plate.

Another one of those days . . .

You know the ones. When there seems to be this dark cloud hovering overhead.

Where you spend two and a half hours on customer support for the new printer/scanner that doesn't print/scan. And you have deadlines to meet by Monday with no way to print/scan.

Where you realize that someone (and I'm not naming any names, Jenna) turns off the refrigerator in the basement and the smell of rotting meat permeates the house. The entire house. When we walked into the house this evening Jenna said, "Mom, someone puked in here." Yep. That's what it smells like.

When you're bleary eyed as it is after parent teacher conferences yesterday.

GOOD TIMES.

Calgon? Anyone?

Retreat Recap

So I went to PA to meet the Scrap Muse crew . . . what a blast! It amazes me how close you can feel to someone you have never met IRL but have had contact with over the net. The only rotten thing was losing my voice, although it was probably a blessing to everyone else there!

I miss my ScrapMuse friends already!

Opportunity/Getting Ahead

It's interesting how opportunity can just fall in your lap. For instance, I have wanted more than anything in the scrapbooking world to be offered "assignment" work. And not just be offered the opportunity, but to have my work be good enough to warrant the invitation. And guess what? Someone just offered me that chance! I'M THRILLED.

I am by no means an expert in the industry. But this opportunity for PAID assignment work came from a non-paying origin. And while some will tell you "REAL DESIGNERS" don't design for free, some of the paying opportunities I have fallen into came from non-paying gigs to start.

And while I'm talking about opportunities . . . my first BH&G pub is OUT RIGHT NOW. How cool is that? A goal realized. It's a good thing.

While surfing tonight I visited the ProvoCraft site and saw a picture of Jen ON THE HOMEPAGE. What a kick. See it at www.provocraft.com under the Sizzix project. (Lower right corner.)

Easter Egg Hunt

My boss, Jen, hosted an amazing Easter Egg Hunt at her home this morning. There were 800 eggs in her yard, and teachers and their families were invited. There were probably 25 kids with parents and grandparents. What a cool, generous thing to do! The kids had so much fun. Here is my favorite photo of Jen from the morning. Can you believe this girl?

Thankful

So I've been in a really bad mood lately. No idea why . . . just cranked at the littlest of things. UGH. So I decided to remind myself what I should be thankful for. It hit me the other day when I was leaving school . . . this nagging memory trying to come to the surface. It was something about the weather that brought me back to this time of year last year, when I was visiting my dad in a nursing home. It was totally unexpected, routine knee surgery. But a bad reaction to anesthesia as well as a medication that was conflicting with his Parkinson's put him in a psychotic state. I was lower than low at that point in my life. BEYOND sad. So why do I bring this up?

It's his birthday today. I called him at home and sang him a birthday song. Because after all of that struggle of getting him back on his feet, both physically and mentally, he is doing well. Beyond well. And I'm so thankful for that. So why am I so grouchy? I have so mucht o be thankful for!

My Girl

I just love this picture of my girl. And I can't WAIT for her to come home for the summer. Took this pic while she home last weekend. Love you, my girl!

How can I be cranky when I get to see this face every day? The girl just cracks me up. Seriously. She was telling me a story . . . I have problems taking pictures when she is talking to me because I laugh and the camera shakes. What a character this one is!

Who stole my mojo?

Seriously. Because it's GONE. I went to my LSS to a page-creating session, and actually liked what I made. (Which stays in the store, and since my scanner PUKED I couldn't share it anyways!) WHY CAN'T I MAKE ANYTHING I LIKE AT HOME?

Those of you who know me know I've been CRANKY. Seriously so. Haven't caught up since being out on vacation. I still haven't caught up on the laundry, and today there was a burning smell coming from the dryer. GOOD TIMES. So maybe it's the disarray in my life that has robbed me of any creative spark WHATSOEVER.

Supplies? Not an issue. Have everything I could possibly need, and more. Maybe that's a problem . . . where to start? What do I want to play with first?? BasicGrey? Of course. Chatterbox (to get over my issues?) Yep. KI Memories? OF COURSE! The new AL and MOD? Certainly. The new Fancy Pants? Oh yeah.

So what is holding me back? I DON'T KNOW. I'm OK on my DT asssignments, for the most part. PC is done (although I should start working ahead), just did a spring layout for Sassafras Lass, it's cute. DCWV . . . I'm supposed to be getting a box tomorrow for a quick turnaround deadline of Wednesday. I need to put the finishing touch on a layout for the SM kit (and can I just say, AWESOME kit!). All done with April projects for KMA, just need to scan and upload one of them (WITH THE SCANNER THAT DOESN'T work). So basically, I'm OK with deadlines. So what is my problem????????????

And if the new scanner/printer is coming in the mail tomorrow, will I have to be here to have them drop it off? Because I'll be at school. I will be SO MAD if I don't have that tomorrow. I can always take a picture of my layouts to share, and that's my back-up plan.

Maybe shopping will help. Yeah. Maybe some new shoes, or a new purse. Or some snazzy duds for the Scrap Muse retreat. That ought to work, huh?

YES, I rode a horse. Enough already!

When I told my students that I rode a horse on my vacation, they said, "Mrs. Rogers, riding the horse at Meijers doesn't count." Nice.

And when Bill talked to Emily on the phone and told her I rode a horse, she laughed so hard he had to hold the phone away from his ear. (Thanks, hon.)

So here is the proof. Me and Leonard. A match made in heaven!