Through an adult filter

As I watched Kramer vs Kramer (1979) recently on Netflix, I was struck by the fact that so many of the movies I looked at years ago as a teen or tween, today I look at them through a totally different filter - as an adult.  Back when I first watched K vs K I wasn't married and more to the point, I had no clue how tough it is to live within a marriage. It's my goal over the next year to go through many of the books and movies I read and watched as a child - To Kill a Mockingbird, My Friend Flicka, Black Beauty among others to see them through a totally different filter - a grown-up one.  Will you join me on the journey?

Happy Birthday!

Almost 20 years ago, I met a man who truly wasn't on my relationship radar but he snuck in anyway.  Being the kind, honest, giving person he is, that's no surprise to anyone who knows him.  I always knew that I didn't get the parents I deserved, so it was wonderful to realize that something finally did go my way - I got the wonderful husband I deserved! Recently we were sitting across from each other at a restaurant and he said something funny in his dry way and we just started laughing hysterically.  And I realized in that moment, that I had hit the jackpot, this is truly as good as it gets.  Over almost 19 years of marriage we've been through so much and he's never been fazed, he's always been faithful and although sometimes I feel like he didn't get the wife he deserved, I do realize how much I've been blessed.  So today, I'd like to say thank you and happy birthday to the most wonderful man I know.  May we have many more wonderful birthdays together. Love ya!

For the first and third layout I used Graphic 45 A Proper Gentleman patterned paper. I just love this picture of Anthony at age 2.   I think he kept the same face, he disagrees.

Some backstory on the middle layout - A. hates taking pics and unfortunately for him, he married someone who's like the paparazzi - always shoving a camera in his face.

So proud of me - I did another wedding layout. I'll be getting that wedding album done before long!

I'm in love ... again!

I was at a Cake Love "Small Sweets" class last week (courtesy of a Groupon coupon) and the instructor asked us to name our favorite food.  Needless to say, I picked Red Velvet Cupcakes.  It was an easy choice because I truly love cupcakes and Red Velvet is my absolute fave.  Anyway, for the past year we'd been promised a new cupcakery at the lake where A and I love to walk.  A month or so ago, we finally got it!  While debate continues about how their cupcakes stack up to other competition in the area, I have to say that their proximity to my home and their lower price, have made them a new fave in my book.  I have to confess that I do feel like I'm cheating when I go to Lilly Magillys because my favorite cupcakes come from Cake Dreams in Rockville.  However, Lilly is open 7 days a week and Cake Dreams only 5 days.  And as I said to A this weekend, when a gal's got a hankering for cupcakes, she's got a hankering for cupcakes!

I took some pictures of the gorgeous Lilly box and cupcakes after my first purchase. Two were Red Velvet of course, and the other was Vanilla Peanut Butter.

Got Wedding Album?

To my everlasting shame despite scrapbooking each day for many years, I do not yet have a scrapbook wedding album.  More than eighteen years after saying "I do", I have bupkis. I always had this view that the album I eventually did had to have a cohesive look with all the same papers.  Instead, I recently decided to take a page out of my friend Karrie's book and do my album layout by layout.  Karrie got married last fall and I can't count the number of one-pagers she's created one at a time.  So, with a one-page-at-a-time attitude, here's the first wedding layout I've done.  I used Glitz Design Distressed Couture paper, a Prima flower, velvet ribbon, Prima rub-ons (title) and an acetate transparency piece.

These are the good old days ...

I have been heavily immersed in helping to plan my 25th High School Reunion.  I can't believe how much we all look the same. Maybe, it's through my jaundiced eye - LOL!  Anyway, I am working on an album from our 21st Reunion in 2007, and thought it would be fun to contrast how we looked circa 1982 when we were pre-teens with our "grown up selves".  Anyway, here's my class in 1982 and the group of us who attended the reunion in 2007.  Hoping more of us show up next year!  We're having a Gala Dinner Dance with dates and spouses!  Can't wait.

I can spin wool!

I just love fall.  Maybe it's the fact that it's cooler, the air is fresh and crisp, or maybe it's the food ... apples, preserves, cakes  - or the fun ... fairs, petting zoos, bazaars.  A. and I headed down to the Waterford Fair a couple weeks ago and it was like immersing ourselves in a town that has stood still in time.  The Fair's been taking place for many years, but this was our first time stopping by.  We made a long weekend of it and stayed at the Homewood Suites in Leesburg.  As always, we had a ball!

We ran into a co-worker of A's who took this picture of us. Can you tell I'm short?

I even learned to spin wool!  It's harder than it looks!  Another check mark on the Bucket List!

This Man is not ... my husband

This layout was the culmination of a tongue-in-cheek response to a co-worker last year after I shared a picture of our 2008 trip to the Dominican Republic (Puerto Plata).  Snorkeling with sharks and stingrays was on my Bucket List for a while and I finally got to check it off in May 2008.  This was an August 2010 Design Team assignment using an August Life Preserver's Kit (Echo Park Summertime).  That paper is so gorgeous and so versatile.  Who would think it would work for a layout featuring sharks!  Go figure ...

We love New York but in small doses ...

No offense to people who love big cities but on a recent visit to NY City I was struck by how much A and I have morphed into suburban dwellers.  Lately we've been trying to get to NYC once a year and while it's fun to visit the "big city" we often feel like ducks out of water.  Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful place but we quickly realize each time we visit that while we love the big apple, it's always wonderful to head home to our Maryland enclave.  We've learned to studiously avoid the subway - it's no DC Metro system, that's for sure!  In September we visited on another group bus trip and decided to do a double decker bus tour, something we've never done.  It was so much fun! We try to do a tour of every place we visit, and New York was no exception.  We got on and off a variety of buses all day and each tour guide was as great as the last!  They were all quirky, knowledgeable and funny!  This is us in the front row embarking on our NYC adventure in September. Having been Law & Order fans (I still miss Jerry Orbach) it was great to see all the places around the city that filming was done.  We even saw the huge Wall Street bull!

Last year we went up to NYC in the summer and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for the first time.  Here's a layout I did from that trip.  I use Pink Paislee Starlight for this layout.  I won the July Scrapbooking Fun Challenge contest with this layout.  TFL!

21st High School Reunion Layout

I have been taking lots of pics for future layouts but haven't done many new layouts, but here's a recent fave. I did it as an August design team assignment for Life Preservers. It's from my 21st High School Reunion. We're busily planning for our 25th next year, so it's great to start pulling together layouts for the album I will be taking with me next July. I used an August Life Preservers kit that featured Echo Park Summertime patterned paper, cute Prima flowers and EP Summertime rub ons.

I Love Groupon

I have to say I am a huge devotee of Groupon.  If you're not familiar with the Groupon phenomenon I urge you to visit www.groupon.com.  If your city is one that Groupon serves you could be in a world of hurt.  Through Groupon coupons I have done two cake and dessert baking classes at Cakelove this year, A. and I went to a Fall Festival at Cox Farm, we had gorgeous formal portraits done very reasonably, I did a beading class and bought beading supplies inexpensively, bought inexpensive movie theater tickets, eaten out at nice restaurants ... The list is endless.

Here we are enjoying our Cox Farm Fall Festival Groupon a few weeks ago.

These Eyes ...

Won the September Challenge over on Scrapbooking Fun with this layout.  It's one of my faves because owls fascinate me. It's almost like they see into your soul.

What the ...?

Ran into this beauty on my lawn recently.  I always joke with my DH that our lawn seems to have a magnet for all the neighborhood detritus (word for today, look it up!).  Stray bits of paper, wrappers, receipts seem to waft in the breeze and end up on our lawn - and no one else's!  Anyway, I opened my front door to the mailman and saw this huge big bird hanging out on the lawn.  Grabbed the camera and did some major zooming on my new Kodak camera and realized he was eating something.  I didn't get close enough to see what.  Anyway, at least he was a good guest!  I walked down later and realized not a speck of his food was left.  We should all have dinner guests like that!

BTW, Happy Columbus Day everyone!  I have a love-hate relationship with Christopher Columbus - having been born on an island that he "discovered". How do you discover something that already existed? I want to know. But that's for another conversation.

I have a new addiction

I'm in love with a new addiction ... beading! Did a beginner beading class today. Here's a picture of my first creative effort.  It was so much fun! Not as much fun as scrapbooking LOL! but fun nonetheless. I now have another tool in my gift-making arsenal and have a new set of items to shop for ... beads! Good thing beading stuff is 40% off this week at Jo's.