Gratitudes in February???

It seems that the worse I feel, the less I do gratitudes, but it is when I need them the most. Why is that? And how the hell do I change it? My motivation has just about disappeared completely. Maybe if I focus on some good stuff happening, I’ll feel more motivated.

Let’s see…..

• The downstairs of my house is relatively clean. I worked most of yesterday dusting, vacuuming, mopping. It isn’t perfect, but it needed to get done. And it gave me a sense of accomplishment.
• Mmm, Scott’s English Muffin smells good, and I think I might have to make one for lunch today.
• Tacos for dinner last night- made by my fabulous brother!
• We didn’t get any snow yesterday- that is always good news!
• One day closer to Spring……

Laughing!!

Laughing is so much fun- makes you feel great, increases endorphin levels, lowers blood pressure and burns calories. So how come we don’t laugh a lot any more? We should, shouldn’t we? Sometimes it seems hard to find things to laugh about. The world can be a scary place, finances are tight, kids give us stress.

I have one thing that can make you laugh. Its at the O: Style Spotlight: Things that make you laugh
The layouts I have seen so far are hysterical.
Just look at this one by Ellen/kentrabay

I have been in my typical “Oh yuck, it’s February and I am tired of being cold” mood. I had to think about things that make me laugh, Well, I came up with something that makes  my entire family laugh, no mattter how lousy we are feeling.

I found this amazing kit by Kathyrn Wilson, Roo Rah.  Its fun colors  and  papers were perfect to show off my favorite stuffed “friends.”

So the next time you are feeling a bit down, take a look at these two “critters.” (We’re still not sure exactly *what* they are!) See if they don’t make you laugh just by looking into their eyes!

Gratitudes and a Gratitude Challenge

Sally is having a monthly Gratitude Challenge, and I was able to finish mine up today, just in time…I hope that you get a kick out of reading these. Some of these are serious, and others are for pure comfort!

If it’s not one thing,…..

… then you know it must be another. Last week, I was at my appointment with my Lyme doctor. I told her that my joints, especially my right knee, had been feeling better. Achy, sure,  but the wake-me-up-in-the-middle- of -the-night- stuff was gone.

So when my hip and back started to hurt a few days later, hmmm…just one of those Lyme things. Too bad I didn’t take it easy then or I would not have had to make a trip to the ER on Wednesday. I ended up with a pinched nerve in my back, so painful, I couldn’t walk.
Meanwhile, y’all know that I am not one who likes to be  out of commission, and we had a football party planned for Sunday. All I can say is that my hubby is a saint. Not only did he put up with me and my stubbornness to do more than I should, he took care of the house, the kids, school stuff and everything I would have done for the party.

He rocks!

Thankfully, I am starting to feel a lot better now, but I have to say how much he helped.

Gratitudes

As anyone who knows me can attest, I really hate this weather. Winter/cold/grey skies- all of these things bum me out. So I think it is even more important for me to focus on the good. Otherwise, I might watch a commercial for Jamaica or the Bahamas and decide to run away somewhere warm.

So for this week I am grateful for:

1. The Fulfilled Soul and Ashalee Wall. What a phenomenal job Ashalee is doing with this group. Its taking me a while to get into the swing of it- or rather to stay consistent, but I am trying. She is completely supportive and is just so positive and helpful too.
2. Heat packs! My back and hip are  in a lot of pain, and it is so nice to be able to microwave my heat pack. Ahhh!
3. Gary was able to enroll into a Medicare Rx Plan without too much difficulty. It took us several days to figure it all out. I really don’t understand how seniors can make sense of it all!
4. Scott had a great day with the tutor. She works so well with him. She even brings him penguin stuff, which is definitely a motivator for him.
5. My crazy O-Fam. Heleh H started the insanity by showing off her tanned Aussie toes whole at the beach. All of us in the Northern hemisphere retaliated by taking pictures of out feet in fuzzy socks! Ok, it isn’t much of a retaliation-Helen wins hands (toes??) down.

Gratitudes!

It has been a while for gratitudes. I have been feeling really sick the last couple of days. When I focus on some good things- even if they are really small- it helps to make me feel better. It might only be a temporary lift, but I’ll take what I can get.

1. Every day brings me one step closer to spring!
2. Warm fuzzy socks,  my hobo couture,  and my super soft blanket
3. Hugs from my family
4. Being able to take a nap and not have to worry abou getting fired. I love being able to work from home.

Yummy Faery-Wings Goodness!

My friend Andrea always gives me opportunities to try out new scents. She asked for an apple pie scent, and I found one that smells just like McDonald’s Hot Apple Pie. The whole house smelled yummy while I was making it up.
Caitlyn put in a request for almond scented stuff- this one is a nice combo of almond paste and amaretto.

These two scents are sooo delicious smelling-so far, I have made shower gels, lotion, body mists and soy wax tarts.

Email info@faery-wings.com to order!

Text on A Path

One of the coolest features of ACDSee Photo Editor is being able to type text on a path. When I scrap with Photoshop, it is really difficult for me to get it all set up right. In PE 2008, it is so simple, that even I can do it. *wink*

This is a layout I am doing for an Oscraps Challenge: Monday, Jan 4 – 10, 2010! Member Spotlight: BUSH GIRL In it,, we have to use a photo block and then journal around the block.  Here is the layout I chose to scraplift, by Selena aka Bush Girl.

I am going to place my text around that large photo, but to change the layout around a bit, I am going to crop it in a circle and place the text around that.

First I know that I need a photo with a good face shot, and I have the one I want. It is of Caitlyn from Christmas Eve. The Kit I am using is Oh Joy! Collaborative Kit by Danielle Young and Cinzia Loosemore.

After I select my papers, and elements, I drag them into the Photo Editor Image Basket. I set the layout up, cropping the photo into a circle, using the Cookie Cutter tool. Now I am ready for  my journaling.  I click on the Text Tool, select my font (CK Rugged), and font color, and then the Path Button. I chose the circle path, click ok, then get set to type.

As I type my journaling, the characters form into the shape. When I am done typing, I can use the Naviagation tool to size the text so it fits around my photo perfectly. You can also chahnge your font size and spacing to further fine-tune it if it needs it.

Here is the finished layout:

The Fulfilled Soul

Watch out! One of my favorite Scrap designers, Ashalee is starting a revolution! It is  called The Fulfilled Soul. It is going to be a 12 month journey to bring about positive changes in your life. The focus is on you!

I have gotten a peek at some of the behind the scenes of this project and it looks like it’s going to be just an amazing project. I know some of my fellow Oscraps-Family is going to be signing up, but I hope that lots of people do. As I said to Ashalee- it is lots cheaper than therapy! And with better company too

Make sure that you check it out!

Check me out: Hot Stuff!

I am scrapping for Daybreak Scraps, who has a great new shop at Digi Scraps Drive In. She has a beautiful new kit coming out soon, called Flutterby.

I scrapped two photos of Caitlyn and one of her best friends. We have been taking first day of school pics for many years now. I wanted to capture the feeling of how fast time flutters by. I was really happy with the way the layout came out. But something that made me even happier was the the layout was chosen as “Hot Stuff” at DSDI.
Hot Stuff December 16th – 31st