Permission...

Have you ever felt pressure to create the perfect layout? A layout that is completely original? One that no one else has ever created before? A layout that is completely different from ANYONE elses? If you're anything like me, you've felt that way.

Reality is though, it's next to impossible to create something that is 100% new. Actually, I think it is completely impossible. Why have I held myself up to that kind of standard? It's taken a lot of fun out of creating, and has added an incredible level of stress. For years, I've felt like when I did layouts, it had to be completely original. Do you know how many layouts I've created over the last 2 years? Less than a dozen. Seriously. I'll go home and double check, but it's probably less than 12. However, I have created oOODLES of paper crafting items or altered items. They are SO fun and easy for me. I really enjoy creating them - and the freedom I give myself to create.

So, after MUCH thought, I've given up. Well not really given up - but given myself permission. That's right! I have given myself permission to scraplift if I feel like it. I have a handy notebook that I started sketching in - and it's been SO freeing for me. If I see something that inspires me to create a layout, I sketch it into the book to use later. If I see a layout that I think is uber cool - and I want to make one like it, I sketch it into the book. It's SO freeing! I am SO loving it!

That being said, I find that with the permission I've given myself, I feel free-er to create. I may not be scraplifting, but I might create a layout and then later realize it looks a bit like someone elses. But you know what? It's okay. I'm okay with it. I am freeing myself from stressing out about it. It's okay. Even DaVinci was inspired by others work from time to time!

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Wow... how time flies when you're... WORKING! :)

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Catching Up...

Wow... how time flies when you're... WORKING! :) There are so many things I want to post about, but it would make one heck of a long post. I'll try to do a few summaries...

1. Steve and I have been talking about selling the Roanoke house because of the community expansion projects that will soon be underway. Currently, we get about 2500 cars each day on our road - yes EVERY day. The planners are projecting that we'll have at least 4500 each day once the developing gets solidly underway (6months - 1 year). We really don't want to live on a street with that much traffic - especially with small children (NO, I'm not pregnant. We're thinking forward).

2. My new job is great! The commute... is NOT. Seriously... NOT. We're talking 1.5 - 2 hours EACH way depending on traffic. Seriously, the commute SUCKS. However, on May 26th my office will relocate to Westlake, TX , to an office park that is less than 10 miles from the house. So, I guess the "No pain, No gain" theroy works.

3. Steve's birthday is coming up next week. We're having a BBQ at the house with some of his friends and family. Thomas' birthday is this Friday.

4. Speaking of Friday, I'm traveling to Waco, TX, to attend Teresa Collins' Junkitz class. Does anyone want to come with me? My awesome friend was going to come with, but due to circumstances needed to back out. The other friend who was going to take her place, didn't ask for the time off before she agreed to come with me, and can't come. SO, I have another ticket/spot in the class. It's $45. If you want the kit, and can't come, we can work something out. Theresa is a great instructor - you'll have a great time!

5. The last weekend in May and every weekend in June is going to be jam packed. Check this out...

• Memorial Day Weekend - Rowley family reunion in Utah.
• 1st weekend in June - Sheri's birthday party in Oregon AND Jaime's high school graduation in Texas.
• 2nd weekend in June - Chris & Cara's wedding AND the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington.
• 3rd weekend in June - Kimberlee's high school graduation in California.

Seriously, talk about jam packed. With being a new empl0yee, in a new department, with a new company, I don't know how much time off I can take. Each trip might be a fly in Friday night (or Saturday morning if I can't get on a flight) and out on Sunday morning/afternoon. Talk about serious air time!

6. I cropped at the Colleyville Scrapbook Warehouse on Saturday night. I had a LOT of fun with the ladies there. They crop EVERY Wednesday afternoon, and ALL DAY every Saturday. Talk about dedication! I can't even pack my stuff up enough to think about a cropping schedule like that!

7. Bekki and her children are in New Mexico visiting my parents. They're visit is/was for about a week or so. SO jealous! The kids are SO cute...especially Ainsley. She's ADORABLE. I'd love to have them live closer!

8. Steve and I are REALLY focused on our "debt free" plan. We're SO close. With a little perseverance and sacrifice, we can be there in no time. SO excited about the possibilities!

9. Okay, so seriously.... we've decided (well, it changes for Steve at least on a daily basis) that we are NOT selling the house. To buy a new house, we'd have to get a mortgage. We don't have one now. In order to be debt free, it would be SO much better to just wait it all out and see what happens in 5 years. We'll be 100% debt free, and will have our savings built up beyond where we "have" to be. So, if Steve talks to you about it.... we're NOT selling the house. :)

10. Spent some time finishing up my PaperBella kit #4. LOVE the book. It's SO cute. Can't wait to put it to use.

11. Did a few projects for the Magic Scraps May Magicians Circle. Love how they turned out. I used a few photos from my McAllen trip - and they just make me smile. LOVE that.

12. Am seriously pondering taking classes at GASC in Arlington on Saturday morning ONLY. Anyone else going?

13. Am in LOVE with this project and the whole concept behind it. What a great way to help someone out. I've made my donation... think about making one for yourself. You're not just helping a great cause, you're getting a chance to win a one of a kind creation made FOR you.

14. I'm also planning to support this cause. Every little donation can make a huge difference in the big picture. Think about sacrificing your gourmet coffee or cokes for a week. A little amount each day adds up in the big picture!

15. Finally... I think this is finally... a HUGE congrats to my friend Emily Adams for being added to the Design Team for Imagination Project. I can't wait to see her stuff!

Have a great day,
~heather

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What I Love About You: Super Stud

You are such a stud! Seriously - I love you SO much!

Today you packed a lunch for me to take to work. You packed things you knew I would love. Grapes, baby carrots, peach yogurt (and you remembered a spoon!!), string cheese, and a banana. You are so thoughtful - I love that you do little things like this for me. They may be little to you, but to me they're huge!

I love you!
~ Your Heatherbear

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Bookclubs and Me...

In case you didn't already know, I {LOVE} to read books. My family can attest to my reading addiction. Whenever I'm uber stressed, there's no better way for me to just relax than to sit with a book (or cozy into the couch) and just read. (I'm sure a deep tissue massage followed by an intensely glorious head massage would also work - but let's face it, books are a LOT cheaper - and easier to get an appointment for.) :) It isn't too far of a stretch of imagination for me to waste an entire day away by reading (that is, if I'm not interrupted, or bothered too much by those I love). Of course my house is absolutely perfectly clean and tidy and a six course incredibly tasty dinner is always ready to be served when I take part in this cheap luxury. I'm not just a book reader though. Magazines, blogs, and other paraphenlia are equally as enjoyable. Why is it, that I haven't thought of joining a bookclub until now?

Last night I went to my first "Not Your Ordinary Book Club" (NYOBC) meeting. I LOOOVED it! I don't know why I haven't hopped onto this train before. Maybe it was because I really didn't know anything about it, or what it was about. I've thought about joining for quite a while, and when I realized that I could use some of the product credit I gained from the Scrapbook Warehouse garage sale (major budgeting bonus) - I thought I'd give it a shot.

For those of you who are not familiar with the NYOBC concept (I totally wasn't), it's pretty standard. Here's the low down...

NYOBC is the brainchild of Pinecone Press. As a result, the book that is reviewed each month is published by Pinecone Press. With your "subscription" (it's $60 for 6 months - personally, it's an awesome deal) you recieve a package of goodies. The package of goodies is full of the supplies needed to create one of the projects (I think it's generally a layout) seen in the book. Also available (for a small fee - generally around $10) is a second companion kit full of goodies to inspire you to create at least one additional project along the theme of that month's book.

Sometime during the month (generally at your monthly meeting) you pick up the following months one "free" kit and purchase the book (and perhaps the companion kit) for the following month. Inside your book (or maybe it's inside your kit) is a page of things to think about and pay special notice to within the book. There are questions which prompt you to ponder ways to apply the projects and ideas to your own personal work - and to help you recreate (or inspire) you to actually do it. So, as you read the book for the month, you dream up, and create a fantastic project (or maybe not so fantastic - but it's YOURS... so you love it anyway) using whatever inspired you in your kit (or kits).

At each meeting, the points are discussed as a group. Whomever wants to share their thoughts is encouraged to do so. Those who just want to listen, can do that also. Sometimes, projects are shared during the discussion time. They are also shared after the discussion. It's a free flowing kind of thing. You're supposed to bring your fantastic project, and share it with the group - or not... if you didn't do it or if you just didn't feel like sharing it. Whatever floats your boat.

So, that's the bookclub in a cute, fun and definitely sparkling, nutshell.

This months book was "{Self} Centered" co-written by Jennifer Lynn Moody and Pamela Lambie, and published by Pinecone Press. Both Jennifer and Pamela joined us for the discussion. Being a NYOBC virgin, I was a bit nervous about attending. However, the group welcomed me in and I feel like they've embraced me as part of their group.

As part of the program last night, Pamela and Jennifer taught us how to creat a really cute and creative layout - and we completed it there. (I'd share mine, but alas... I need a good fun photo of me. Note to self... get into self photographing.)

A fun part of the night (and it carried on ALL through the evening) was that one of the book club members, cute Terri, mentioned that she reads my blog regularly (SUPER huge compliment to me -- I'm a serious rambler...). She mentioned that she shrieked with joy when she found the photo of the positive pregnancy test I posted the beginning of this month. Then she shared her... dismay (was it dismay or disapointment) when she scrolled down a few inches to see that it was a joke - and that my friend Emily was the pregnant one - not me (gotta love April Fool's jokes!! I seriously think this was one of the best ones I've EVER pulled off!!!). Anyway, during the rest of the night, ladies were congratulating me and passing on other well wished. They didn't catch the "it's a joke" part. It was fun to relish in the joke again. I really enjoyed myself last night - and it was fun to get to know more women who love scrapbooking.

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Spring Fling, Cleaning, and Other Ramblings...

The time has come. Yes, that's right. The time has come for me to return back to the working world. I've SO enjoyed my time off though. Tomorrow will be my first day at First American. I'm excited that I've been hired on with the company I wanted to be with, and I'm UBER excited about them relocating to the Solana Club. Once that happens, my commute will be less than 5 minutes (give or take a few for lights, etc). Can't wait for that to happen. Seriously. Can't wait. I know I won't get much sleep tonight. It's the first day of school feeling, only... it's work. Strange.

I knew I would be going back to work fairly quickly, and have been a productive bunny this week. Every possible stitch of laundry has been done. The living room has been cleaned. The kitchen has been cleaned (well except for the floor, for some reason it just doesn't get done). Both bathrooms have been cleaned. Tonight I cooked up a HONKIN' big dinner (well, I do special dinners every Sunday, but today was a LOT bigger than normal). Our menu included:

Orange Chicken Kiev
Wild Rice Medley
Steamed Spaghetti Squash (a personal favorite)
Honey-Oat Wheat Rolls (a new recipe for me)
and for Steve.... Homemade Southern Banana Pudding.

Overall, it was mighty tasty!

I also spent time this weekend going through my closet. It's interesting, green hasn't ever been one of my favorite colors, but I have more green t-shirts than any other color (except for white, but that's a basic standard shirt...). SO wierd for me. I don't even have a red one, and that's been my favorite color for YEARS. Oh well, as if I needed another reason for clothes shopping.

SO excited! Paper Bella released kit #4. Yep, already purchased it. YEAH for eBay money! I have seriously NEVER been dissapointed with a kit or purchase from Paper Bella. In fact, I CAN'T wait for it to get here! I'm SO excited! I'd share my projects with the other kits, but for some reason I can't get my camera and computer to communicate today. I'll have to look at it tommorrow afternoon. I have to get to bed so I'm refreshed for tommorrow morning! :)

Have a fantastic day!
~heater

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Order Up: Mojo!!

Okay, so I'm SERIOUSLY finally feeling my mojo come back. I've been in a scrapping funk over the last week or so. I've been loaded with ideas, but not with ways to bring my ideas into reality. But, today, I think my mojo has come back. I found some of the new Foofala baby papers at my local ReCollections, and my Technique Tuesday stamps came in from Scrapbook.com. WAHOOO! I am SO thrilled! I'm only searching for two more Techique Tuesday stamp sets, and then I'll have all of my "must haves" from CHA. Too bad there's at least 6 more sets on the "next in line" to have list!

Also, my PaperBella kits came today - and I can't wait to sit down and play! The creativity journal is groovier than I expected - and I can't wait to spend the evening completing it! It's going to be ubertastic! The spring garland will be the perfect item to add to our home's decor for a bit of a spring touch in the entry way! I'll be sure to share a photo when I have them both done! CAN'T wait for the next PaperBella kit to be released - I've never been let down!

Off to play!

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Home Sweet Home!

I'm home. It was really REALLY great to visit with Bekki and her family, but it's nice to be back home too. I had a super great time with them. Yes, the kids are loud, as ALL children are loud. They are absolutely loveable though. I really really enjoyed them - and their fun comments and sayings.

For instance, you know the kids story "Little Piggies" where you play with their toes, ending up tickling their foot? Well, Bekki has put a twist on the story - and Michael didn't want to be tickled. Here's how their game went.... (Don't forget that Michael is 2 years old...)

Bekki:
The first little piggy went to market.
The second little piggy stayed home.
The third little piggy ate tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salsa, queso and refried beans and rice (or whatever they've eaten recently)
The fourth little piggy ate none.
And the last piggy?

Micheal:
HE DIED!!!

I still laugh when I think of him doing it. It makes me laugh SO hard! He's so stinkin cute!

The infamous mexican vanilla. Thank you for all of your great ideas for vanilla. I've heard that it is the secret yummy ingredient you should add to boxed desserts (like cake mixes, etc). Now, I have some AWESOME vanilla to use! Arissa was already in bed when we wanted to draw names, and I needed to be on a REALLY early flight the next morning. So, I called Arissa, and she chose a number over the phone. The winning number is..... 4. This also happens to be how old Arissa is... I wonder why she chose it!!

So, Jack B. AKA... Mr. Heather B. you are our winner. Who knew... in a sea of women posting to my blog, a guy wins. Arissa is way too young to flirt!!

On a VERY interesting side note.... on Wednesday of next week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 In the morning, the time and date will be

01:02:03 04/05/06.

That won't ever happen again!!!!

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Change is still afoot...

Yep. You're seeing right.













My friend, Emily, is pregnant!

Nope, not Steve and I.... yet! Happy April Fools!

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