10.20.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 7:08 am by PaperDesigns
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A Day at the Amusement Park.
The kids get all revved up when they know we’re going to one of the big amusement parks. They can hardly sleep the night before. It’s fun to watch their excitement, and know they are having a good time.
I often wonder if there’s more of that “childlike” glee and excitement in store for me. Not that I’m immune to it (been there – done that blase), but it would take something momentous to get me that excited. The funny thing is, after so many years of SAHM status – there’s actually something on the burner that has me calling DH up at work, practically hyperventilating with excitement. Yes, I guess my new business venture has me that excited. It has me scared out of my socks, and ready to face the world all at the same time.
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10.19.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 6:24 am by PaperDesigns
Sometimes it’s hard to find a quiet spot for a break! We found Duchess napping in the bathroom sink!
Sometimes, when things get really busy, and we start to prioritize, we realize that we’ll have to let some of the projects we’ve got going go. It’s hard, it’s a hard decision to make, but in the end, it’s the only choice. I’ll miss Rhonna and Cathy’s blog, but I think I do understand, and I certainly wish them well with their other endeavors!
I have a free half hour between my son’s bus and when my daughter gets up. My coffee is already made, and I answer all of my email. Then I check the Blog Challenge, and see what Bonnierose has for me today! It’s something I enjoy. It is a nice forum for me when I’m announcing new articles on the site, OR some new PRODUCT I designed that’s going into production this week and should be on the market soon!
But, mostly, I’m happy to write my thoughts out and sometimes people feel the same way and leave a comment or two. It’s very personal, and the connection to those who read the blog feels very real. It feels as if I’m having a friendly private conversation with a lot of people. I think this is something I’ll keep up.
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10.18.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 8:50 am by PaperDesigns
As long as I can remember back (and that’s a few decades!) I have always gotten bit by the Christmas Spirit Bug sometime in October. The air is getting colder, the leaves are falling, and the evenings are starting to smell like Christmas. I start singing Christmas carols - if only to myself, and I start browsing the Holiday Foods catalogs. There are so many things about the Holidays that hold me in the Spirit. It’s hard to pick only a few, and harder still to describe them.
I have a new, private tradition – a personal moment where I celebrate the Holidays. It began almost 20 years ago, and the feelings were so welcome and so joyful – that I have recreated this moment every year. (This is in addition to all of the love and joy from my family – I’m only describing something ”for me” here). After the decorations are all up (and they go up early – Mid. Nov) – there will be a few quiet afternoons – no one home but me – and I will sit, with all of the Christmas lights on, the Christmas villages all lit and moving (there are 12 of them all put in one scene together), and I’ll sit with Christmas music playing in the background, a cup of hot tea in my hand – and I just absorb the moment. I look forward to that moment so longingly – that I find the way to make it real every year.
Can’t you just see me sitting on the couch with a hot drink in hand?
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10.17.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 6:19 am by PaperDesigns
I know you know people like this, maybe you’re like this – I have a great idea, but when all is said and done, I’m afraid of really giving it wings. I’m not really afraid of failure, there’s no real ‘penalty’ for trying (luckily this idea doesn’t cost a lot). Sure, I am afraid it’ll be laughed at, but then ‘who cares’? But really, I’m afraid of success. I’m afraid that this idea will take wings, grow unproportionately, and I won’t live the life I now have. I"m sure JK Rowling is happy with the success of her book – but I’ll bet there are days when she wishes it wasn’t quite so popular! (Not that my new venture will equal that – I’m sure my name will never hit the radar – but I’m not sure I want it to, and therein lies the fear).
The blog challenge is 10 things I’d like to change – big or small: (in no particular order)
Like every American Woman – I’m told by the world around me that I should lose weight – so I guess I’d like to change that.
After years of SAHM status, I’m working again, so I hope to find my organizing and time management skills again!
I guess, after all those years home, I should adopt the corporate manner, and not say "honey" or "sweetie" to everyone. I don’t want to change that – I just probably should.
I suppose I should just accept our military service for what it was, and just get over it. It was hard, and there were many years of raising the children alone, always worried, always under someone’s command. But it’s over, and he’s home (most of the time), and we’re happy.
You know, all those years at home – dealing with acceptance and contentment – I don’t really have a long list of things I want to change. It is funny (ironic) though, if my new business venture succeeds – watch me put on my next "I want to change list" – I wish I could spend more time at home!!!!
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10.16.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 5:56 am by PaperDesigns
Maybe we should make this a Fall Tradition. We all went out Saturday and picked apples, but during the games yesterday – DH and I made 24 pints of chunky applesause, and 3.5 quarts of apple pie filling! (I’ll try to get a picture up today). Gosh, it was a busy day. And the 6am alarm to get up and get the kids ready for school came early this morning!
The blog challenge is: what gets me through a Monday. And in a word: Coffee! I love the stuff – I met my DH (almost 20 years ago) because of it – and it is the best part of my morning routine.
My weeks are busy, soon to get busier, and as soon as the ball is in motion (the Monday alarm has rung) – the week just flows from there. I just wish I could find a way to slow them down!
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10.15.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 8:57 am by PaperDesigns
I have always thought of the flow of the year’s passing as going on a big slide. From January to August – I’m walking up the stairs. Come the beginning of Sept, I sit at the top of the tall slide – and then Whoosh, down the slide and the next thing I know it’s January again. Well, we are well into the fast moving slide ride! And I’m thankful for our Fall Traditions that are well planned and easy to make happen every year. (I don’t think I’m coherent enough at this time of year to do too much planning).
Getting the school year started is the beginning of the slide ride, and it is not a one-day affair. Football season needs a huge party to welcome it to our home, and the weekly traditions around the games ensue. Once the children are well into their first semester – October arrives, and the Halloween decorations go up. We usually find a great pumpkin patch/apple orchard and take the family to get some of the Fall Harvest. This year we ended up with 2 bushels of apples – so I’ll be canning apple sauce and pie filling today!! Then, we have to go see the Christmas movies (Santa Clause 3 – this year), and there’s always a movie to see on the Wed before Thanksgiving, and that movie officially starts our Holiday Season. Then, our new Thanksgiving tradition – and Black Friday shopping.
I’ll hold off going into what happens for our Christmas Traditions – that’s a whole ‘nother ball game!!
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10.14.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 5:42 pm by PaperDesigns
I checked my email first thing this morning to discover that dear Thena had written the most beautiful poem in honor of our beloved Peter Rabbit. I ran upstairs and got my daughter, and she and I read it together, crying together. Thank you, Thena, it’s a very special poem, and we will cherish it always, and remember your kindness in writing it for us.
Here’s the poem she left for us:
Tribute to Peter Rabbit
I have the album ready
With your name engraved in brass
But I am unable to get started
And time goes past so fast.
I still miss you so very much
That it seems like only yesterday
That your leaving left this empty space
And a hurt that won’t go away.
You were her first pet
And she loved you fiercely from the heart
We knew you had bonded with love and loyalty
Right from the very start.
Maybe tomorrow I can think of you
And look at these photos without crying
But as for today and this moment-
There is no use for even tying.
There are so many stories that must be told
So many cute “bunny tales” to record in style
I have played them over and over in my mind
So that I can create your album in a little while…
So until then I will just remember little bits
A moment or two now and then
And stop when my eyes begin to fill
And hope somehow you know I love you still!
We love you Peter Rabbit!
Thena
Blog Challenge: Halloween Movie Favorites
I have never been able to watch scary movies. Never. I have enough nightmares without adding more food for thought. I think it’s best that I just don’t watch scary movies. My son, however, loves them. It’s funny, because he isn’t the least bit scared by them. In fact, the gory stuff doesn’t interest him at all – he just wants to understand the story line – why Jason is doing what he is doing – for example.
I always tell people that I can’t watch anything worse than The Sound of Music. I do like the Halloweentown movies from Disney – I’m a huge Debbie Reynolds fan. So they would have to be my favorite Halloween Movies – oh, and "It’s The Great Halloween Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" – love the pumpkin patch – waiting for the Great Pumpkin!
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10.13.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 5:53 am by PaperDesigns
The writing is on the wall – pretty soon there’s going to be so many articles and projects on PaperDesignsByBarbara.com that it’ll be hard to browse through them! The situation required some reorganization. So, I created a page from which to browse – and hopefully the categories will be self-explanatory.
A Gallery Of Our Artwork
As the categories fill – the page names will indicate what type of projects are in the folders. For example, there were so many card projects, that they have been listed and organized by holiday/occasion. There aren’t enough layouts or projects pages (yet!) to do that – but there will be soon, and it will be, then, organized by theme, as well.
For the blog challenge, I’d like to talk about Thanksgiving. For many, many years we had a tradition of spending Thanksgiving alone – just DH and me, and then our children - when they were added to the family. The military is a tough life for families (no complaints, no regrets), but family time is at a premium. The government starts its fiscal year in Oct – so the military always did their expensive training missions then. DH almost always left on 1 Oct, missed Halloween, and oftentimes came home just in time for Thanksgiving. So, it is no wonder we didn’t want to socialize for the holiday, we just wanted to sit, watch football, eat, and be a family.
That was then, he retired recently from the military, and has a ‘more normal’ job. By coincidence, just as we were moving to this part of the country, his best friend was moving from Florida to here, as well. We now have a new Thanksgiving tradition – and I love it!! These wonderful friends host Thanksgiving, and since I love to cook and bake, the women all get together in advance and plan out the menu – and it is extensive! It is the best party – so much good food, great friends, and just my favorite way to spend the day.
The children all get along and play beautifully together. It’s the one time of the year that I get to make foods that no one else in my family will eat. Since we’re not home for Thanksgiving, I can get my inside Christmas decorations up a week early. And it is the kick off of a great Holiday Season. We make the drive home at night after the big meal, bellies full, and the car loaded with left-overs! We get home around midnight – AND THEN GET UP AT 3AM AND HIT THE BLACK FRIDAY SALES!! DH and I are so punchy and so tired – we laugh the whole time – running from store to store – looking for the great deals. It’s just too much fun to pass up. We ask ourselves if we’ll still do this when the kids are grown and gone – and we both think we will!! That’s a great tradition!
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10.12.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 6:37 am by PaperDesigns
Peter Rabbit
I have a scrapping disability – I can’t seem to get myself to scrap the memories that are hard to take. We lost Peter to old age, but we still miss him. I don’t want to go and take the time to scrap his photos – and spend the whole time crying, We have his memorial album all ready to go – it even has a brass engraved name plate. I’m just not ready, and neither is my daughter (10), he was her first pet, and she really loved him. And our two dogs are aging quickly – too quickly. There are so many old stories that need to be told – I just find them too hard to scrap. It needs to get done – I know that, it’s just that when I find the time to scrap – I want to be happy, and not go through a carton of tissues!
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10.11.06
Posted in Paper Crafts at 1:00 pm by PaperDesigns
I don’t believe I’m different from a lot of moms. I know a lot of my friends are in the same boat as I am – and I watched my mom try to deal with the leaks in that same boat when I was growing up. You see, growing up, we’re taught we can be anything we want to be, and we can. Except…. who’s going to raise my children? Who’s going to stay up and help with homework? Who’s going to homeschool when DH’s job sends us to the worst schools in the country?
So, without regret, and without further thought or discussion, I put all my hopes and dreams for myself on hold. The blog challenge question is: what do I wish to do that I haven’t done yet? I wish to build something for myself, apart from the other things in my life (wife, mother, teacher) – I’d like to build an entity that will remain – even when I’m gone.
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