A Couple of Layouts

Just something tossed up quik that I wanted to share. I think I'm going to start the giveaway come Monday, in honor of Monkey Girl's birthday, so please be looking for that. This software is maybe a little too much fun to play with. ;-) I did these two pages tonight while we were gaming. Ah yes, troll blood and sentimental scrapbook pages. Quite a mix!

Mr. Incredible, who celebrated his birthday yesterday by running all over the place for school events. This layout was completed from an almost totally blank canvas. All I started with was a template with the photo spots already on it. Then I played around for a couple of hours (we were in combate part of that time. And before that we were dealing with some goblins, so I kept getting distracted.) with various embelishments and word art. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The green and purple theme uses his favorite colors. The trick was to get greens and purples that worked well together since I was pulling elements from different products.

My grandmother (on the left) and her sister. It's just the two of them now. And they act like a couple of young girls on a regular basis, thank goodness! This layout was done using one of the quick pages that already has embelishments already on it. All I had to do was resize the photo for the opening and then I sent it to the back so it would lay behind the matting. Very quick and easy. The three flowers on the right, but the two leafy things peaking out from under them were added by me, as was the journaling bit at the bottom. I'm rather pleased with it.

Okay, that's it for tonight. I'm off to bed. Tomorrow we head up home for the Cline family reunion. Should be fun!

Quick Update

Sorry it's been quiet on here again, and just when I was starting to post a little more often too. However, I'm just plain tired. I've been touched by three deaths lately, and I know there have been several more. And I've been working extra, covering for folks who needed to be gone from work in the afternoon. Actually getting to walk out the door at 1 this afternoon was a nice novelty. ;-)

Okay, enough whining! And enough dying around here for now! I know the last two deaths weren't surprises and were more blessing than tragedy, but it's still more than enough for now.

More Fun With My Software

I'm still messing around and learning what all you can do with this scrapbooking software that landed in my lap. I've been wanting to try out a card and while I'm extremely sorry for the loss of one of Monkey Girl's school friends over the weekend, it did give me an idea for making a card. I hate, hate, hate picking out sympathy cards. They're usually over religious, sentimental, or vague....or worse - all of three. So, I started playing around and created the following card. It's blank inside so I can write my own sentiment or maybe even a bit of poetry. I'm not sure this is one I'll print and use, but it's a start on what I can do to make cards I like. :-) And that makes me pleased. Oh, and it was very easy to make.

As an update to my last project - the Fearless Leader layout - she got a kick out of it. I wound up printing it a color printer and taping it to her door. It's now on the bulletin board in her office - goofy fake mugshot and all. Ah yes. I love my job. I mean, honestly how many are lucky enough to have bosses they poke some good humored fun at?

It's been crazy over at school this week as I've been filling in and covering for some folks for whatever reason. I've enjoyed it, but it'll also be nice to be on my actual regular schedule starting next week. It'll also be a little odd...

Something New To Play With

There is a digital scrapbooking software company out there handing out free copies of it's main title to bloggers and I was one of the lucky ones to be asked to give it a try. How this lovely opportunity came about, I'll never know, but I'm certainly enjoying playing around with it. I'm starting to really like the whole concept of digital scrapbooking. Tomorrow I'm going to try printing out a copy of this:

at the local RiteAid photo center. I'm planning on leaving it on my boss's door tomorrow morning IF I can get up early enough to accomplish my mission. And yes, I love my job and I really like my boss. I'm going to blame her for the corrupting influence of working in the office this year. ;-D (There's a story behind that bottom photo - she was helping out the fourth grade last spring as they played detective and searched for clues around the school...)

So, in the coming days I hope to play around with the software a little bit more and learn still more of what it can do so I can give you all an honest review. And guess what? I've got an extra copy of it to give away to one lucky reader. I can't wait. It'll be my first giveaway!

True Sequence of Events

Okay, I realize that I'm tired, but still...

Monkey Girl's several trees worth of first day paperwork are awating me on the table. I get a good start wading through all the course outlines and info pages and turn her loose reading the one for math class, for which we both need to sign that we've read. While she's reading, I grab the pan from dinner and go to put it in to soak. (Step One.)

(Step Two.) Realizing that I've left the refrigeration bags from my medicine in the sink to thaw - I got a refill of my Byetta today and it always comes with cold packs - I decide to put them back in ther styrofoam cooler shipping container and send the lot to Goodwill.

(Step Three) Go to back porch to get cooler, bring it in a fill it from the cold packs in the sink. Take back out to back porch.

(Step Four) Realize that the laundry has piled up a little and maybe I should toss in a load to wash. Begin sorting out a load and doing just that. By this point I have forgotten the pan completely. Realize that I should check behind our bedroom door for what laundry is there.

(Step Five) Head into bedrooma nd realize that someone has scatter the load that Mr. I. put there this morning across half the bed. Go to interrogate children as to which one is responsible. They blame the dog, but it doesn't look like his work. Youngest thinks it might have been her, but she just moved some of it around.... I roll eyes and pray for patience.

(Step Six) Head back to bedroom to deal with the scattered laundry.

(Step Seven) Head back out to table to see where MG is with her part of paperwork - that she's complaining about having to do. (No sympathy here. Did she SEE my pile of stuff?) Remember I need to check for a three-ring binder for her and a folder to put in my "keep at home" stuffs.(1)

(Step Eight) Head back towards bedroom and see the pan sitting on the edge of the sink. I remember what I was doing originally. Set pan in sink and half fill with water to soak.

(Step Nine) Go in bedroom and get dirty laundry from behind door. Take to back porch and get the load started washing.

(Step Ten) Remember binder and folder. Head back to bedroom for them. MG approves folder. Tell her I'll dig out some 5-tab dividers (2) in a bit. Realize she's still got my pen for her paperwork, so I do it now. Sit down, again.

(Step Eleven) Remember that I also needed a sticky note to attach to one of the forms. Can't read what they don't send and I'm trying to teach MG that if she's signing a form saying that she's read something, then she should have read whatever it was. After all, she's claiming responsibility for having done so. *sigh and roll eyes - at myself this time* Head back to bedroom for blank sticky note.

(Step Twelve) Polite note written and attached to form. Go to continue with paperwork and remember that I need her SS number for one of the forms. Head back to bedroom.

(Step Thirteen) Sit down to share this before I forget any of it, because it's too pathetic and funny not to let others laugh at.

(Step Fourteen) Get SS card and hope I haven't forgotten/get sidetracked by anything else till the danged paperwork is done.

1. We have an open, walk-in closet in our bedroom where I have a small office space set up.
2. I've collected a ridiculous amount of office supplies. It's an illness really.

A Quickie

One more quick little post. Guess what I finished last night? Yep, my full-length, complete edit of Glimmer of Sight, written two years ago during NaNo. It was very exciting. Now I just need to do a wee bit more polishing, add more info in a couple of spots, check one possible continuity problem, swallow hard, put on my big girl pants, and send it off to some potential agent. Why do I think the hard part is just starting?

Boris kept me company while I finished.

He was very excited to have his story told.

A Little Show and Tell

It's that time of year - Back To School!!!! Yes, I get a little excited this time of year. I almost always have, except for when I wasn't in school and didn't have kids to send to school. This is like my personal new year, full of new opportunites and new beginnings. I love it! And this year I had my own first day of school, thanks to the wonderful principal at Chauncey who pestered me into taking a job there. I started back today and was seriously giddy about it. It was really quiet ridiculous, but there ya go. I'm such a nerd.

Anyhoo, Monkey Girl sets off for her first day of middle school tomorrow (7th grade) and she'll be riding the bus. A big adventure all around. Mr. Incredible has the task of getting her up and out the door this year, since he's already up and she needs to be at the bus stop even before he leaves for work.

My wonderful sister, Amber, gave her some money to spend for clothes and such for back to school, on top of what we'd already gotten for her. So, she decided she wanted her hair cut before school started and she wanted a special outfit. You can check both out just below:

Yes, she really is that silly. And don't the pink socks just make the whole outfit?

A better view of the new shoes, with new, colorful laces, and the cute new haircut. Honestly, these pics aren't doing the cuteness justice. I may need to haul my butt out of bed in the morning in time to do more than just give her a good-luck hug...

Oh, and she needed earrings to go with this lovely ensemble. Mom to the rescue! (I mean, come one, what's the fun of having parents who can make jewelry if you can't take advantage of it on occassion?) I made myself make do with what I already had on hand, but I think they turned out pretty fun. And more importantly, Monkey Girl approved of them. I'll try to remember to stick up a quick tutorial how-to later this week, but I'm not promising anything with this being the first week of school. I'm bad enough about things like that normally...

Aren't they cute?

Being modeled. You get a lovely view of the side of my neck...