All of April

Where shall I start? Back to April 11th? I have a wonderful friend in Canada named Charleen, a skate coach who made her first journey to Texas so that we could invigorate the Texas scrapbook economy and that we did! That girl kept me hopping every minute of the visit – I have finally met my match and she wins… I was worn out. She started at the Galleria on Friday afternoon, unfortunately I had to work. Saturday we went south to Scrapbook Junkie, Tuesday Morning, Burlington Coat Factory, a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel and then on to Novel Approach and By Design. By then it was noon… okay, not really but whew, it was a lot of fun. We headed out to Archiver’s, Kohls and Hobby Lobby in the evening with a final stop at Chipolte. Sunday we took a photo with our beautiful CE aprons from Jeanne Kelly:

We went to the opening of the new downtown park, Discovery Green and then out to Cypress for the new outlet mall. See – I’m not kidding! Monday, she walked over to IKEA and then to Memorial City Mall. You’d think we forgot the whole purpose of the trip was Bruce Springsteen but we didn’t. He was amazing, even from the nosebleed seats behind the stage. I’m so glad I went – there is nothing more invigorating than live music – it is pure joy down to your core. I’m so thrilled because Tina Turner announced this week she’s back on tour and I will travel wherever I need to see her. That is one final tour I regret missing.
Okay back to mid April, on Thursday I left for Nashville and reunion of my peeps from CE at Scrap Etc that was held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Wow, what a place! Correction – what a beautiful and expensive place. The event was good fun although I feel very tainted these days, a little burned out by events. I still have a couple in 2008 but I think I will be slow it down in 09, so that I can savor each one. Here are a few things I loved about SE: my Houston homies (Kristin, Karen, Sandy, Sandy) attended and loved it, the classes were all good and I was relaxed doing them, seeing Donna and Ann again from 2006 – my first event ever and I knew no one, seeing Megan and Mel, hanging with Jeanne and getting to meet Cathy and Nan (hearing about Cathy’s business was very interesting), seeing Debby Schuh and Pam.

In completing a recent circle journal about Simple Joys, I know that scrapbooking gives me that - wholly (holy!) and completely on such a deep level. Connecting with other women and laughing and playing with paper - what's not to love! But I digress...

Sandy Horton gave me a tiny clay book that is the finest crafted gift I have ever received, it really is amazing. It is stamped with a dragonfly and has tiny gold dragonflys attached on the cover and with the ribbons on the spine. Phenomenal. I wish I had visited more with different folks but there’s only so much time. We had the best group leader, Brittney Smith and I’m not just saying that. That girl had a fantastic attitude and kept us all on track. I even won an Epson picture mate printer, which was so shocking and amazing all at once. They said I had the Miss America look – happiness and shock at the same time. I was honestly looking at buying one so this was such a great gift. Jeanne had a new Sony camera and when I got home, I ordered one also. Very cool 2 pound point and shoot at 10MP, 5X zoom and the 3.5” screen is what captured me. I keep it in my purse and love being able to shoot anywhere I go.
Since then life has been keeping pace – took an acrylic album class at Archiver’s last night – cute little project for only $15 – what’s not to like? Saturday I am taking all 3 of Debby Schuh’s class at By Design – can’t wait. Saw samples at SE (thanks, Josie for bringing them!) and they look amazing. I love her techniques – I always learn something new.
Work has been less than satisfying and I am wondering why I stay at such an abysmal place. I was asked to travel the weekend Charleen was visiting and said no. I’m glad I’m not a workaholic anymore. Scrapbooking has taught me many things.
And finally, I am loving Oprah’s online class and Eckard Tolle’s A New Earth. It is so calming and peaceful to participate in the class, although I’ve missed several. I can still go back and watch on line. I wish I had time to participate on those message boards. It makes me appreciate Oprah even more. Hope you are having a great week!

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

Still loving our beautiful downtown park, can't wait for the opening a week from Sunday. My Favorite Canadian, Charleen will be here all the way from Halifax, Nova Scotia for a visit with Mr. Bruce Springsteen. Okay, so he may not see us up in the nosebleed section, but we'll be there! The local economy will get a nice boost from her visit, especially all of our LSSs.

We took Gracie girl to Memorial Park on Sunday and Killer showed her the ropes. She didn't quite make it around the three miles, so I had to carry her a bit. She saw a pit bull and went after him, slipping out of her collar - I caught her within inches of his jaws. Okay, so he was just kind of looking at her but still... It was fun observing them at the park, but I think we'll have to stick with smaller venues. Maybe Discovery Green?

The house painters are in session - its looking great - hopefully, they will finish by Friday. Stop by and see us!

I drove by the Co-Cathedral tonight and after seeing the photos on the Chronicle site, wish I had been there today. Even if just out on the street, watching the procession. It looks so amazing and I can't wait to go inside it. Houston has alot of reasons to be proud these days.

Got a very interesting email yesterday from a lady, Gayle who has TWO Japanese doll vases, right here in West U. She found them at a garage sale, then she sent a link to an online auction where there is another one! Amazing. I asked the auction seller where she found it and she said Bakersfield, CA. So cool! I think I will have to get it... wish I could find out where they originate and the artist.

I ~ heart ~ Houston.

I am in LOVE, People!

We've been having some pretty amazing weather here in Houston - a bit chilly in the mornings but so nice all day long. We had a nice Easter - relaxed and shared a meal that everyone helped prepare. It was nice to be off of work on Friday, although I ran out of steam on Saturday and didn't make it to the Houston & Beyond crop. But I knew better than to schedule it - it just seems like I can't do alot on the weekends.

I did get to check out the new park downtown called Discovery Green. I am absolutely in love with it. And forgive me but I have to bubble on about it and tell you how amazing it is! It's 12 acres and it has everything - my favorite is oak alley (below) and the gardens and I haven't seen the fountains in actions, just pictures of it. There's also a dog park and two restaurants and a boat pond and a couple of ampitheatres where they'll have concerts on Sunday afternoons. Oh and an urban market on Thursdays. Its just going to be amazing. It opens April 13th. These partridge family fixtures are staircases to the parking garage. Next to them are wooden structures that act as ventilation for the garage - they're beautiful - made of a Brazilian hardwood called IPE. I took about 4 photos and my camera died and I didn't feel like going all the way back to the car for batteries so I only got these two shots to give.

I mean to tell you that Houston will be so proud of this park when its opens (on the 13th) and it gets to fall in love with it all on their own. I am very proud of my husband and his company for building it.

This fountain is called a Mist Tree and this photo (below) belongs to Sabotai on flickr. You will also find some FANTASTIC shots taken by Pixeltopia of the park - not sure when they were taken, maybe at the preview party.

A big shout out to my friend, Karen who is celebrating a birthday today! We are celebrating her birthday Saturday at Scrapbook Village along with Sandy Horton - will be fun! And then in two weeks we're off to Nashville for Scrap etc!

Sunday

One of my promises for the New Year was to go to concerts. Not go to more concerts - go to A concert since the last one I had been to was Prince and it wasn't in this decade... Last Saturday night I went to see Michael Buble. Basically anyone performing live is enjoyable to me but I have to say Mr. Buble puts on a great show. Very entertaining. And the opening act was Naturally 7. ... Sorry I was gone for a bit, I had to watch their videos on You Tube. They are simply amazing. Watch both the Paris subway vid and this one in Nurnberg. It makes you want to dance, they were so cool. They sing acapella and make the sound of all the instruments with their voices. Watch Say You Love Me, which is an original song of theirs. Those drums are their voice! I just can't say enough - it was a great evening. My next concert is in April to see Bruce Springsteen with my favourite Canadian, Charleen all the way from Halifax!

Every day I get an email from The Foundation for a Better Life with a quote of the day. Here are some of my favorites:

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.

Saint Frances de Sales

In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to all you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with.

Brian Tracy

And this is my favorite - it sits on my desk at work...

Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the cheapest of the pleasures, it costs nothing and conveys much. It pleases him who gives and him who receives, and thus, like mercy, it is twice blessed.

Erastus Wiman I love that - twice blessed. How eloquent.

Okay, can I share some aggravation with you? I hate it when people post photos of their scrap room and invariably they show some great shelf or cabinet from PB or Ikea that you can't buy anymore... It's happened several times now - makes me crazy! I want this Pottery Barn shelf for my room. Is this just a middle-child syndrom?

Oh - and finally, my brother sent me a new website that is pretty cool - Houstonist. They had a great article about the Montrose from August 07. I also learned that there is a place called Peggy's Lake on the Houston Ship Channel, right near Vopak's terminal. Can you believe it! I found it looking at the photopics and then I spent half the morning looking at this man's photos. He is a pilot on the ship channel and takes incredible maritime shots. If you're into that. I am.

I know you need a pic, so here's my Grace. She's going to the beauty shop on Wednesday.

I'm off to download some Itunes. And Tuesday, cross your fingers that Rascal Flatts will actually appear at the Rodeo - we're going to see them ... if they show up!

Simply the Best!

What an outstanding weekend! ALL of it was good. Simply the best! I woke up Saturday feeling much better - first time in several days... and headed to Wal-Mart to pick up photos and then to Kristin's for a crop. I had such a nice time and got to visit with a variety of interesting people. Lots of stories and got my SE page swap page laid out and most of it cut out. Finished it up on Sunday. I came home Saturday night around 10 ish and stayed up til 1 am working on my stuff. I felt so completely calm and peaceful and happy - scrapbooking does that for me. Such a tranquil happy feeling and for the moment I stop and realize that pure, blissful feeling.

On Sunday I headed over to the Urban Market for another fantastic day of shopping. I skimmed through a couple of shops and FOUND these santos wooden angels I have been looking for for the past year! I was thrilled and bought 3 of them! Oh okay, maybe five, whatever... I got 'em and I love 'em! The first one is large about 2-3 feet. They are so amazing. Last year I saw them and scoffed at the price, which was something like $60. Since then I've seen them on ebay for $190 and could not find them anywhere! It was another gorgeous day and just a nice time to look around. Ran into two friends. I also bought a couple of glasses and a Chinese caligraphy brush, which has a hand carved handle. Just liked the artistic part of that...

Finished my page swap pages - I'll take a pic before I ship them tomorrow, I'm too tired tonite. I started feeling sick this afternoon from the Z-pac, which I don't seem to tolerate very well (stomach upset). I should get to sleep so I'll be well rested for tomorrow - I have alot of catching up to do.

This one is going into my bedroom - I love her face. Goodnight.

I got it! But I don't want it.

Whew. I went to an interesting luncheon yesterday for RIMS (risk managers) - yes, I did just say interesting and insurance in the same sentence and no, it is not an oxymoron. I saw a handful of people that I haven't seen in ten years or so, which was fun. Learned some new stuff about WC and Medicare Set Aside, which is actually pretty boring but it still amazes me that after 33 years in this business, there is more to learn. And I feel empowered when I learn new stuff, so I can save my company some money. It makes me feel good inside. After lunch, I went out to the terminal so take pictures for a retirement book I am making and attend a diversity training, which was eye-opening to say the least. Somewhere in there, I picked up a nasty germ bug and came down with a honking red throat and congestion blah blah blah. So I've been in the bed all day crying and whining except for going to the doc and getting an antibiotic. I still have the headache but I feel better sitting up. I hope I will feel much better tomorrow because I have alot to do this weekend. I am getting a bit panicky. I have the retirement book that has 40+ pictures and tags that need to be added. I can't decide if I'm going to pick pattern paper for each page or just cardstock with PP accents. I learned a neat trick of folding paper in a zig zag to add the tag from Tracy Niehues at Creative Escape - I plan on using that. I also have 10 pages due for an 8 x 8 page swap for Scrap Etc, which are due next Saturday, I think. I know, everyone else has done theirs and mailed in and I still have mine to create. Sigh. When will I ever learn? I do better under pressure. I thought about stitching a limb on the pages to perch a bird but after playing with that idea (stitching a page), I realize its not practical for 10 pages... So my next option is to use a versamark pen and draw a limb and use embossing powder. Should be fun. I hope I can use some of the ribbon I picked up at Fabric Barn in Long Beach. I found a Lion King board book at the Target $1 Spot and made a cute little book for my desk, of the folks I love...I love doing board books - they are so simple and I've started using glue sticks, which makes it totally economical. To find them at Canton or thrift shops for .25 cents is even better. I paint the edges a coordinating color just in case the edge is not complete. On this one I used the left over binding tape from Tracy N's class at CE and used My Minds Eye paper pack. I am so drawn to their stuff. I found this site called My Craftivity and haven't spent much time looking at it but it looks interesting to me. I'm also hooked on Pioneer Woman - if you haven't read her blog, run now and start reading. She definitely has talent. It's the second time I've read now about changing the opacity of your photos (Karen Russell also mentioned it). So, now I've got to go and play with that... well, maybe tomorrow. I'm tired again.

Catsup

Jeez Louise, it sure seems like I haven't blogged in a really long time. Oh, yeah, right. I haven't. So, what have I been doing? Um. I went to Austin for a weekend to spend time with friends and visit Uncommon Objects near Town Lake. Yes, it really is an amazing vintage store. We also hit the Citywide Garage Sale, which was small but fun. I went to Long Beach for work and stayed the weekend. I spent most of Saturday in Olde Town Orange at Country Roads and wow, what a great little shopping haven. The weather was a pristine 70 degrees and sunshine galore - felt so good after the cold and drizzly we've been having. I visited with the owner, Sue and picked up a few pieces that would fit into my luggage. Ate a wonderful salad outside at Rutabagorz. There was a great garden shop next door, with a bunch of great CA flowers -there's nothing like flowers in CA. Friday night I stopped off at the Fabric Barn which is a great warehouse with tons of ribbon and then took a drive along the beach. As usual, I spent some time wondering if I would like to move to CA. I do that in almost every town I visit...

I got a new Canon camera, a 30D with a couple of lenses that Karen Russell recommended. She is such a talented photographer - I love looking at her photos and I definitely can't wait for her online photography class. I have alot of learning to do with my first SLR, but I have been playing with it. I got this shot of Killer. It's funny because both dogs looked pretty annoyed at me while I was shooting. They were getting bored with the clicking and wanted to go to sleep already.

Not much else going on other than my favorite Canadian, Charleen is coming to Houston to see Bruce Springsteen with me. That's in April and I just can't wait. I'll leave right after for Scrap etc. in Nashville. Not much else good happening. Alot of down time, trying to be good to myself and patient. I am hooked on watching Jon & Kate + 8. They are amazing parents - reminds me of my sister. Going to crop at Kristin's this weekend - have two projects pending - my 8 x 8 page swap for SE and a book for a coworker that is retiring. I'll post pics when done plus a board book I made for my desk.