Mamascrapalota-Blogga

Cat in a Box and Michaels

This is my "Cat in a Box." I think I already posted my "Cat in a Basket." He will smoosh himself into any small space. And, he always covers his eyes with his paw to block out the light.

As promised, I have here my new and cheap purchases from Michaels. This basket of ribbon is coooool Im adding it to my already large stash. Then onto my scrapbook pages, onto gifts and packages and instant beauty.

This last picture is of some cool image stamps that were only $1. ONE DOLLAR! Yes, you heard me ONE DOLL-HAIR!!!! So there you go. Gotta love that baby. Ok, off to play

More later....

Sabrina, Teesha, and my friend Lisa...

A journal page inspired by Sabrina Ward Harrison and my favorite journal artist Teesha Moore. I LOVE their style. I am taking an art class by Teesha Moore this June and I cannot wait! It WILL be something that will change the way I look at things, how the world can be altered and skewed and put down on paper. Very Kewl (this is how my daughter's best friend Morgan says "cool").

Now for Lisa. I got an email from my friend Lisa who lives in Oklahoma. We talked by email nearly every day, sometimes, twice a day, for about 3-4 years. It was somewhat like this blog. We wrote and talked and sent pictures etc. However I would tell her MUCH more than I would ever put down on here. She was with me during the time my little Devin was born and screamed herself into vocal nodules. She had all kinds of Mommy advice, Christmas cookie recipes, and just funny day to day happenings. Man I had no idea how much I missed talking to her! Well, I, being who I am, started on something new, then another something new and so on and got myself so busy with it all that I didn't even have time for my family. I sent her the above email that I sent to some of you and she wrote me back! Huge...(That made me so happy, you don't even know Lisa.) For those of you who have fallen out of touch with someone with whom you feel you had a great impact on your life, someone who challanged you, someone who liked you for who you are, I now CHALLANGE you to get back in touch with that person. Make it a positive person. Who needs a person who is a downer? Life already hands you that....

Ok, time for bed. I'll be posting all my cheap finds at Michaels, and some from the local scrapbook store tomorrow.

Been waking up at 5:30 AM the last few days so I am done RIGHT now....

More later

Can of Worms...

I may have just opened a can of worms. I just sent this email out to some of my family and some of my friends. Not all, but the ones I know "got-the-love"! So we'll see what happens. Those of you already reading here, thanks for being here! I hope to use this as a way to keep in touch, as well as all the other reasons. If you're new here to my blog, ENJOY! and WELCOME! Here is the email I just sent right this very moment...

Hi Everyone.
I have started a Blog (last month actually). I have debated and debated about sending this out to my friends and family instead of keeping it just to myself. A Blog, for those of you who don't know is an on-line journal of sorts (Blog is short for Weblog). I do write about things from my heart, and the every day going's on in my life. But, I also post pictures of the girls and us, my most recent paintings, and scrapbook pages. There are fun links for books I'm reading, music I'm listening too, and people I think are VERY cool and inspiring and move my life in ways I wish to go.

Part of me doesn't want to really share this because some of it gets personal, but you know what? This is ME. I am me, and can be nothing else. I am working on my creative self, the self who paints, and thinks, and is a mess, and writes, and is a wife and a mom and a screw-up here and there.

I am mainly doing this because I am a rotten letter writer, and e-mailer, and picture sender. I have people on this list that I have lost contact with, or talk very rarely to because of my in-ability to "keep-up". And, for this, everyone, I apologize. As most of you know, my so-called ADD-or ADHD steps in and brings me to different paths than I thought I was originally moving on. My direction moves from day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and no joke...MINUTE-TO-MINUTE.

Honestly though, it is 99% fun stuff, and nothing too heavy. You can post comments if you like at the bottom of each posting I put on there. And, by no means do I expect you to read this blog of mine at all. I just thought it might be an easy way for you to keep up with my life and my family and my attempt at being "creative." If you want to read it GREAT, if not, that is GREAT too. Just an attempt here to keep "in-touch" in my very own way with my friends and family.

I love all of you! Thanks for reading this LONG email.
Now, here is my "BLOG" www.mamascrapalota.typepad.com
I hope that becomes a link when I send it, if not, just cut and paste it in your browser.

Have a GREAT day!
Mary-Kay

Made a cool thing for Tara...

My "friend" Tara. Another on-line blogger and scrapbooker. She has had THE WORST YEAR as a mother. Her very young daughter was burned in a kitchen accident and has had terrible skin grafts and surgery over and over. I'm telling you this girl is strong to go through what she is going through with her baby girl. I don't know her from ADAM, but I am torn reading her blog about her trials of life. My heart literally HURTS reading her words about the time she is having right now. I can only lift her and her baby up in prayer and know that God hears us and holds them in His hand.

I made this for her and her family. They are pictures from her blog that I downoladed, of happy times and happy faces. The large picture of her girl McKenna is the burned one. It is Acrylic on Canvas (12x12x3), Oil Pastels, and pen and ink. Words are Tara's own from her journal. It is a happy piece, meant to bring a smile. I hope she likes it. I'll be sending it off soon.

Reading Sabrina

I'm reading Sabrina Ward Harrison's Book again. "Spilling Open". I am reminded of being 22 again. The feelings of not measuring up, feeling wrong, feeling lonely and un-loved, not sure where my life would be heading. Can I just say that these feelings are still here at 37 almost 38, sometimes?

I know I'm loved. It is different now. I need to hold onto that like a lifeline, know that the love is there, just maybe tucked away in the business, and busy-ness of life. Travel, kids, time, busy-ness. All of these things get in the way of love being shown and expresed. I am just as guilty. I make these albums and pages and journals, all for my family, I say. Really though? I know that they are for myself as well. To help me remember. To help me see that there are good times with my very own family. I make a vow - to be more "real". To show more reality in my scrapbooks, and journals etc. My (our) life is more than just EVENTS, such as birthdays and the latest trip to Vancouver to visit family. I need to show the real-ness of our daily lives. This blog has helped a bit in that area. I know I am writing to ME, in my voice. I'm writing "stuff".

More later...

New Banner

I just figured out how to make a new banner for my blog. Thought I'd try to spice it up a bit by taking photos of my favorite ribbon. It's better to look at, don't you agree?

Let's see:
Church.
Grocery shopping.
Nap.
Visit with Parents.
Jump on trampoline with kids.
Play on Blog.
Internet Shop.

Sounds like a good day to me.....
Should I let other's know about my blog? Meaning family? Hmmm, they might read stuff... You know, "stuff" gets you in trouble... I can be good, and I can be bad. I prefer my family to think me only GOOD.

More later!

Single Motherhood...

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy... Actually I might. Because it is just bad enough to be annoying, but won't kill you. Byron was gone this week from Wednesday at 6:00 AM until last night, Friday, at around midnight. Ok, I know some friends who have their husbands out on Westpac, out to sea for 6 months or more, and have NO help whatsoever. I have nowhere to complain. I'm just saying, you get used too, what you get used too. (never could tell when to use the extra "o" on the word "to" so I thought I would just stick it in there in case I was right for once).

It is 7:20 AM on Saturday morning and the kids are watching Sat. morning cartoons, Byron is sleeping, and my coffee is brewing. Yum. Hey, when your coffee is brewing, does your stomach start growling something fierce? Mine sure does.

Just finished two books yesterday. One really good one, and one kindof strange. First one was called "Leaving the Saints". It was about a lady who struggled with leaving the LDS church. REALLY, REALLY good, but a little bit creepy. The second one was called "Monster" by Frank Perretti. Kind of strange. It has a twist, that really FREAKS you out, but it was entertaining. Here is my book pet peeve. Hardcover books, HUGE letters, SMALL margins. What a wasted bunch of space. Marketing ploy. Next time, I need to open the book, and check that out. Made me a little bit P.O.ed. (quote from Naploeon Dynamite- GOSH, I love that movie!)

I keep checking out the CK website (www.CreatingKeepsakes.com) to see if their Provo classes are up. Just noticed that Heidi Swap is going to be there. Oh man, I am taking that class! She is teaching an album class, just like the one I took from Ali Edwards. Hey, I've got to post that don't I? Been a little BUSY with the kids though lately.

I have just gathered all of my stuff to make my Aspen Album from 2003! Shesh, I'm behind. The album is blue, so I choose all of the stuff to be greens and blues. It'll look great.

More later baby!

A New Layout

Erica turned eight a few weeks ago and this is a page I made using all Scrapwerks products. We ate at Miguel's and Erica got all the Scrapbooking supplies her little heart desired!

New haircut....

Took about 6 inches off the old hairdoo and boy do I feel better. I guess I was just being lazy. I put it up in a clip nearly every day and this cut doesn't let me do that now. Please ignore the light fixtures coming out of my head, but I didn't want to take the pic over again. Big weekend here and I will report more on that later..... Have a great Sunday everyone!

Mary-Kay

What did I do today?

Let's see..... I scrapbooked, scrapbooked somemore and then went to my local SB store called Scrapbook Your life, and scrapbooked somemore. All day today I worked on Ali Edwards class album from CKU-A Dallas called "A Week in the Life". I just about finished it.... Oh man is it ever great.

Hey I forgot, I got my hair cut SHORT today. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Since the last hair cut and color about 5 weeks ago, I have had 6 inches cut off. That is a heck of a lot of hair I've had going on. Anyway, it is now about 2 inches below my chin and in a bob style, kindof. The back is a bit shorter than the front. It looks much better! I also had some chunky highlights put back in. It was about time. Now, we won't see so much grey. Shhhhhhhh---- don't tell my secret!

Gotta go to bed now. Too much scrappin'