TAKE ME FOR A RIDE!

Things I remember about travel as a kid:

* Town was close enough that we could ride our bikes there from our subdivision.  It took an hour or more, but we always liked to do it – we felt like we were going somewhere important, going to town by ourselves.

* THE BUS.  oh, Lordy, the bus.  this could be a LONG paragraph but i’d rather not relive some of those memories… :shudder:

* my dad’s big orange van.  see, back in the 80′s we didn’t wear seatbelts or care much about being “safe” in cars – that was for sissies.  my dad had this old 1978 Dodge work van that was road cone orange, and it only had two seats – a driver and a passenger.  the rest of the van was carpeted with remnants of forest green and red carpet he got from a job, and there were beanbags strewn about the back for us kids.  it was literally a luxury to us as kids – we could sprawl out, bring our stuff… i have fond memories of those days, as CPS-friendly as that story sounds!

* going on vacation as a family, we always had a big car or van to ride in so we never had to sleep all scrunched up in a backseat.  that was always nice!  we never went anywhere that required flying, though – my mom refuses to get on an airplane to this day.  i didn’t fly for the first time until i was 20!

REMEMBERING WINTER.

10 Winter Memories I’ve Preserved:

(in no particular order!)

1.  Winter 1998-99.  two weeks AFTER Christmas Break, we were still out of school.  it just kept snowing… and snowing.  one day, we actually went to school (40 mins away from home!) only to have them send us all back home an hour later because the weather was going to get worse.  i got my license prior, but that year i learned how to drive in the snow!

2.  General – building snow forts, snowmen, and ramps for our sleds in the backyard.  laying in the snow listening to snowflakes hitting the ground and the stillness of the world.  i miss being a kid, especially in winter!

3.  Winter 2004.  my first year in Texas.  i was ABSOLUTELY MORTIFIED to wake up at 6AM on Valentine’s Day to the sounds of kids playing in the snow… I MOVED TO TEXAS TO GET AWAY AND IT FOLLOWED ME!!!  there hasn’t been a winter i’ve been here since that it hasn’t snowed  ….. (keeping my fingers crossed for 2012!  no snow so far!)

4.  Winter 1999-2000.  i met my oldest son’s dad.  lots of memories from that winter… when i think of winter in general, i think of that year – it was the last winter of my childhood.

5.  Winter 2006-2007 in Ohio, Travis and i moved into our little house in town, and it was a very cozy place to be in late January-February when piles and piles of snow dumped on us!

6.  General – laziness.  not wanting to go anywhere because it’s too cold.  being stuck inside and starting to get cabin fever.  wearing long underwear on a daily basis to keep my chicken legs warm.

7.  Winter 2000-2001.  my oldest son Brodyn was born in December in the middle of a huge snowstorm – we slid through red lights all the way to the hospital because the roads were too icy to stop on!  and after, being in our little old house in the middle of nowhere FREEZING HALF TO DEATH with our new baby.  winter is not a fun time to be in an old farmhouse.  i do NOT envy Laura Ingalls at all sometimes…

8.  General – but since we’re on the topic of Laura Ingalls, every winter when i was a kid i always read the three Little House on the Prairie books that i owned.  something about them surviving winters made me want to snuggle under a mountain of blankets and join them on their adventures!  despite the fact that i hate winter, lol.

9.  Winter 2009-2010 – a tree fell on my car.  no literally.  it was crazy!  it snowed… and snowed… which it’s not supposed to do in Texas but it keeps forgetting… and so much snow piled on this old tree in my front yard that it snapped in half and fell on my car!  also, that year i was moonlighting waiting tables and i was so mad that we had to drive home from the restaurant late Christmas Eve in a foot of snow and ice…

10.  General – no matter how long i live (or where!), i will never forget the smell on the air in winter, the taste of freshly fallen snow and icicles, the sound of the crunch of snow underfoot and the still silence of the world, and the dazzling beauty of a perfect white new-snow morning

BE PREPARED.

i’m not really one of those people who plans ahead well.  i’m kinda a procrastinator, but more a person who lives day-to-day and in what’s real and not really so much for things that i can’t predict or know where i’m going to be at by then.  needless to say, this makes me less than help when it comes to preparing for trips.  most of the booking/reserving/planning is done by my wonderfully organized hubby and i just go with the flow until the last minute when i throw everything i want for [specified amount of time] in a HUGE suitcase and haul it away.  you would think after driving back and forth between Texas and Ohio 14 times i would have my stuff together a little better 

Before hitting the road…

* Sadly, for so many years of my life one of the biggest things i have spent doing preparing for a trip was spending time in front of a computer.  burning CDs for road trips, piling up movies and games on laptops for kids, adjusting and readjusting my iPod playlist…  for one reason or another i’m always running up to the last minute before i shut down the machines and get in the car…

* Making sure everybody has everything.  being that i wait until the last possible second to pack, i always run across things in my packing that i think someone else might have forgotten.  so there’s a lot of, “does [family member] have socks and a jacket, in case it gets cold?  where is [family member's] toothbrush?  everyone has a pencil and a notebook, right?!?  JUST IN CASE!!!”

* Putting everything in the car, printing out boarding passes, setting the route on the laptop/iPad/iPhone and getting all the power adapters and cables strapped into place or in their places in bags.

* Petting the dog and cats one last time, telling them they are good boys and to be good!

* Rechecking every centimeter of the house (doors shut, locked, power off on various items, no animals shut in rooms) and making a mental picture of exactly how everything is when i leave so i know where it’ll be when i get back!

* Setting up my “station” in the car – somewhere that i can be comfy and still have access to everything since i’m always the gopher on long car rides.

just wanting to share a page i made real quick

you can read more about it in my post for this week over on The Sampler’s blog.  i’m really excited about this page …. just a bit proud of myself, LOL!

here it is!!!

i really love it!  i made it as a farewell the day that we took the purple out.  it was definitely bittersweet – but i like my new hair so much better!

there are smaller pictures inside the calendar pocket, with more shots of the purple experience:

and some detail:

one more thing to share before i go – a sneaky peek at a page that i created the other day for February’s PageMaps!  i am really excited that i got to create a sample for PageMaps, and i can’t wait to share that page with you – here’s a little look to tide you over until Feb. 1st!

i mean, it. is. fabulous.  i handmade little Jolee’s style replicas of actual clothing i own  it was so much fun!!!  look for that later.

thanks a ton for stopping by today – my Little Man turns the BIG ONE today so we are gonna have an awesome day!!!  hope you all have a great weekend

peace, love and stickers -

SUPPLIES (for “purple”):

• Transparency – Hambly Studios “Lattice” (antique blue) from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Patterned Paper – My Mind’s Eye “Lime Twist – Out of the Blue – Playful” & “Kraft Funday – Lollipop Dots”; Lily Bee Designs “Memorandum – Payday”; Simple Stories “Live Life – 24-7″ from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Calendar Pocket – EK Success Calendar SMASH Pockets from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Stickers – Simple Stories “Yearography” Expressions Stickers from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Chipboard frame – Kraft Fundays Happy Days Chipboard Elements from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Ribbon – My Mind’s Eye “Stella & Rose – Hattie” trims from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Alpha – Pink Paislee “Wood Shop – Wood Chip” from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Jenni Bowlin Vintage Number Set from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Purple Glitter, Purple Rhinestones – Hobby Lobby (personal stash)
• Purple Sharpie (personal stash)
• pop dots (personal stash)

CREATIVE PEOPLE.

I am a big fan of…

* Jim Henson.  love EVERYTHING the man did, he was a genius.

* Monty Python.  you see their fingerprints everywhere, and you probably never knew it!

* scrapbookers and cardmakers.  i could get more specific but i’d hate to leave anyone out!  i have a lot of favorites

* Hunter S. Thompson.  he was a drug-crazed weirdo but he has definitely said some pretty profound things and had a hell of a life.  i respect him for who he dared to be and the experiences he shared in his writing.

* Shel Silverstein.  no one has a bigger place in my heart – i’ve loved him since i was in kindergarten, and own almost every single one of his books – including his few “adult” themed pieces 

* Hayao Miyazaki.  love ALL his films.  even Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind, which i do not like so much.  his stories and animation are absolutely beautiful, i love all the imagery he uses and the realism he brings to simple anime characters.

* J. R. R. Tolkien.  i mean, really.  this guy… lived almost his ENTIRE life making up an ENTIRE other universe in his head – languages, geography, creatures, history.  his books are amazing, truly one of the best series ever written in my humble opinion

* music in general.  this could be a long list as well so i will just leave it at that.  music definitely piques my creative side!

* Johnny Depp.  my favorite actor of all time, ever.  probably one of the single most creative actors as well – he definitely knows his roles!

MY SIMPLE. ORDINARY. EVERYDAY LIFE.

Today I…

• Got up at the usual time, got Kellan some Cheerios and turned on Sesame Street.  It’s our morning routine
• Took a nap and hated myself for it later.  I got absolutely nothing accomplished!
• Had to clean up the worst poopy-diaper blowout mess EVER. (sorry TMI!)  He decided he was gonna flip over front-first into the dirty diaper right after I unfastened it.  THEN he decided to grab a handful on the way back up.  Needless to say, me, him, his clothes and the carpet were a disaster.
• Put the finishing touches on the Cookie Monster cupcakes for Little Man’s birthday – with help from Ryan, Kris & Amber!!
• Made microwave french-bread pizza and corn for dinner.  I was feeling lazy after said nap.
• AND THEN I TOOK ANOTHER NAP!  WOW….
• After all the kids were tucked snugly in their beds, I finished up Episode IV and played half of Episode V of Lego Star Wars – my guilty pleasure for the day!  (And a sorry reward for someone who took so many naps!  Boo )

ahhhhh….. one of my favorite types of lists!  i. LOVE. books.  i have always enjoyed reading since i was a little bitty kid.  we definitely plan on having a two-story library in our house someday, and our idea of date night is sitting on the floor at B&N with a cuppa Starbucks, surrounded by piles of books.  yeah, we’re not nerdy or anything :P

I ♥ Books.

Some of my all-time favorite books are:

• the Bible
• The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien)
• Hope for the Flowers (Trina Paulus)
• Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)
• A Song of Ice and Fire – series (George R. R. Martin)
• anything by Shel Silverstein
• The Dream Giver (Bruce Wilkinson)
• Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowling)
• Twilight series (Stephanie Meyer)
• The Chronicles of Narnia series (C. S. Lewis)

it’s a lot of fantasy fiction.  i am really into that… there are probably several other series and books i could list here just in that category, but i won’t bore you with all of that.  don’t be fooled, though, i spend the majority of my time in any bookstore in the nonfiction area, mostly camped out in the arts & crafts section

it’s here!  February’s Paper Lovelies kit is just overflowing with romantic, shabby goodies – just in time for those Valentine’s projects and layouts

it’s really gorgeous!  there is really a lot of stuff in this kit, too – even stamps!  here’s what you get:

★ KaiserCraft “Sweet Nothings” 12×12 double-sided papers (2 each):  Dozen Roses, Devoted, You & Me, With Love, Sincerely, All Yours, Silver Lining, Cupid’s Arrow, Love Letters, Memories

★ KaiserCraft “Memories” die cut sheet (1)

★ Jillibean Soup 12×12 corrugated alpha – white (1)

★ KaiserCraft pearls – blush (1)

★ small red felt heart (1)

★ Maya Road mini ruler (1)

★ Jenni Bowlin bingo card – red (1)

★ Prima mini bouquet – color varies (1)

★ Maya Road wood spool (1)

★ Maya Road game pieces (2)

★ Hug Snug seam binding – white (24″)

★ May Arts rosette ribbon – red (12″)

★ KaiserCraft “With Love” mini stamp set (1)

so very exciting

to get you started with some inspiration, you can check out my samples below, or visit our other designer’s blogs to see their creations:

★   AMBER   ★   ILENE   ★   KASSIDY   ★   LISA   ★   SARA   ★   CARRIE   ★   NANCY   ★

and here are mine:

this kit absolutely has a bazillion possibilities!!!  you definitely need to check out Paper Lovelies before they sell out – they go FAST!!!  don’t forget to stop by the Paper Lovelies Facebook page from time to time to participate in giveaways and see other creations made by the Paper Lovelies fan club!

thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today.  make sure you stop by The Sampler’s blog tomorrow to see the ultra-fabulous-super-amazing layout i made to finish off this month’s kit!

peace, love & stickers 

SUPPLIES:

“Tiny Toes”

• Patterned Paper – KaiserCraft “Sweet Nothings – You & Me, Sincerely, Cupid’s Arrow” (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Alpha – Jillibean Soup (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Flowers – Prima (rosettes from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit; petaled from personal stash)
• Pearls – KaiserCraft (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Mini ruler, game piece – Maya Road (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Hug Snug seam binding (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Rub-on – Basic Grey (personal stash)
• Metal charm – ??? (personal stash)

“With Love”

• Patterned Paper – KaiserCraft “Sweet Nothings – You & Me, Sincerely, Memories, Silver Lining, With Love” (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Pearls – KaiserCraft (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Stamp “With Love” – KaiserCraft (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)

CELEBRATING WORDS.

How do you celebrate in many different ways?

• party
• balloons
• confetti
• surprise
• cupcakes
• dinner
• presents
• shopping (my favorite way to celebrate! lol!)
• make cards
• family

DREAM SPOT.

the places we dream in:

• my first bedroom through age 6 had a double bed, and my parents gave me an old TV and Pong console to play with (my first video game!)
• later, i had a powder blue room with a pink butterfly border, and coordinating blue/white shag carpet, and a daybed.
• my last room at home was in the basement – it was two separate rooms!  a den for hanging out with friends and a bedroom.  in that room i was allowed to draw on my walls and i did some really cool art and caricatures of my friends!  it was like a giant coloring book
• when i lived on my own, i bought myself a canopy bed and hung curtains around it – that was a little creepy, being shut into bed like that!
• now my room is so big that my craft room is a part of it!  not to mention the walk in closet that could easily be a craft room if i didn’t have a million clothes