Perfect Moments

After a late night of cropping we awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. After three days of solid storms and rain the sun is out and resounding in the sky. It is simply beautiful. The soccer fields, however, leave something to be desired. They are coverd in water and mud- so no soccer game today. Our boxer is looking at me with big sad eyes. I know he wants to go run in the mud. He's looking at me like, "Hey- you forgot me!" The cat is taking a bath on the loveseat. The kids are fighting over which movie to watch, and Paul's reconsiling the bank account. That leaves me here, browsing the scrapbook galleries and blogging. This is pretty much a perfect moment. Relative quiet...a resonably clean house...solice. All is good.

I've come to recognize more perfect moments lately. Like, two nights ago- Paul and I were snuggled in bed. It was softly raining outside. The cat came and nestled between us. Then, I heard a little snore come out of Nicholas. Since it had been storming, the kids were scared. We let them sleep in a pallate on the floor next to us, even though it was a school night. That little snore reminded me of how precious the moment was. I looked over at Paul and said, "This is a perfect moment." He smiled and kissed me on the forehead and said, "Where did that come from?" Then I realized... we just don't pay close enough attention. We have to take a step back, even in the middle of the chaos and the laughing, and even the crying. Take a step back and acknowledge- this is a perfect moment. Life is filled with filling in the spaces between these moments. And those moments- are what we scrapbook about.

More soon~ Amanda

Excitement, wonderment and ANTICIPATION!

I love it when I create something I love. Yesterday and today I've been diligantly working on layouts. I've only gotten two done, but I really love them. Now, I can't decide whether to use them for the Scrapbooker of the Year contest, or the new book. They are 100% digital. And, I used other people's pictures in them! So, now I'm anxious to show them off (but I can't)... and I don't have my own pictures to put in them. Man oh man...what to do!

I also spent a good part of today working on Paula's blog, and updating mine a little. So, click on the link to the right to see hers, and scroll all the way to the bottom to see the updates on mine. Lots of fun stuff.

It's Friday. Soccer practice has been cancelled for tonight, so I'm digging into my kits and making some more pages. How fun! Now, I just wish the girls were coming over to scrap! If it's Friday night and you're reading this, hop in the car and drive on. It's crop night!

More soon~ Amanda

5 O'Clock

For a stay-at-home mom, I sure stay busy! Today was full with watching my friends' amazing little boy, taking my little boy to speech therapy, making phone calls to doctors offices and book contacts, setting up a photo shoot, sending out Emails, cleaning the house, doing laundry- and oh yes- I did get a shower today. How do working mothers do it? How did I ever fit into that genre of working moms? Ugh... I don't know. I think I'll wait a while to find out.

Good things happened today, though. I've sent out a call for photos, and I've gotten some amazing ones for the next book. I'm thrilled. I can't wait to get the layouts done! You guys will have to wait to see them, though. They'll be under lock and key until the book comes out in July.

The husband got called to stay late at work tonight... and I'm missing a meeting! Once again, how do the working mom's do it? Well, I guess I really ought to know...

More later...

Amanda

March Madness

A funny thing happened at The Scrapbook Pad yesterday. Oh, we had such a great time! Paula and I joined the "March Madness" tournament for scrapbooking. We, apparently, were a little too sure of ourselves. After two rounds, we were out! The challenge was to make a page in 10 minutes. Well, our pages were still miles away from ready when the timer went off. So, we kicked ourselves and thought, "Man, we must really be terrible scrapbookers!" And, truth be told, if the challenge was any different we may still be thinking that. But, in that it was a time related challenge, we decided to take it easy on ourselves. After being jilted from the contest early on we had plenty of time to work on our own pages. In the remaining 9 hours of cropping, I finished (count them....) 2 pages! Two! In NINE hours! It's really no wonder I lost in the part of the competition that I did. But, I really like those two pages! Actually, I can't even say it was a full two. One is not finished yet. :-)
For me, though, that's the fun part of the process. I like to lay things out, move them around, resize and shape them- try new techniques- and really get the page just the way I like it. I like to toy with my photographs and make them look just the way I like them. So, I don't feel quite so bad about spending 9 hours on two (okay, one and three quarters) layouts.

Amanda

Bright Sunshiny Day

It's a little after noon here in Texas. The sun keeps creeping out from behind the clouds and shining on what would otherwise be a somewhat dreary neighborhood today. It's not quite 70 degrees, and the splashes of sunshine just make it balmy and beautiful out. For the first time since Monday morning I am mobile again. My leg is working, and with just a little pain! Never in a million years did I think I would hear myself say this- but next time- I'm ditching the camera and saving the arms and legs. I have had some time to do some serious shopping, though! The excitement of the new CK issue and lots of new layouts from CD has made me inspired. I went on Designer Digitals and stockpiled my shopping cart. I haven't been brave enough to "check out" yet, but I have a feeling that'll hit me sometime this afternoon. I'm nearly in create mode. The boys have cute new outfits to wear for Spring pictures. I can't wait to get them out in the sunshine with the camera and bluebonnets.

It's March madness at The Scrapbook Pad this weekend. Paula and I have signed up to compete in their grand opening scrap competition this weekend. My husband took the day off to sit with the kids while I go. It's going to be a blast. What a great idea! I wonder how many rounds I'll make it through. I'm really looking forward to it.

I have promised a five-year-old boy a happy meal before speech therapy today- so I'd better stop blogging and make good on it.

More soon~ Amanda

Just to be clear...

I want everyone to know that I'm so GLAD I didn't make it in the SBOTY last year! CD Muckosky is the best scrapper out there since Rhonna. If you haven't seen her layouts in April's CK magazine, take a look. They're gorgeous!!

Amanda

A Little Less Conversation...

Less talk and more action! I have spent the last few days with my best friend from middle school. She came out and we had a great time catching up, scrapbooking, talking and just being silly girls. It also occurred to me that, as of lately, it seems I have been spending a lot of time talking about things that I'm going to do, and little to no time actually doing it. So, when Jennifer was here I got the new April issue to CK magazine. I skimmed through the book, having been excited about it arriving (as I am every month). After she left today I have become immobile. Having being ever so graceful, I took a tumble in my driveway today. It was really a site to behold. I happened to be holding my Canon Rebel digital camera at the time. So, when I began to fall, the world went in slow motion and all I could think of was "SAVE THE CAMERA!" So that I did. I hugged the camera in tight and wrapped my other arm around it. My knees hit the pavement and I lunged forward. My elbows caught me before I went face first onto the ground. The camera was safe! My knees, on the other hand, were another story. Plus, I somehow smashed my brand new watch. Believe me, a small price to pay for saving the much covited digital camera. Thank goodness! Anyway, this evening has been filled with nothing but my having my leg propped up with the ice pack off and on it. When I had this time to actually read my CK magazine, I saw it. There, clear as day on pages 77-78- the "Scrapbooker of the Year" contest ad for 2007. The ad itself lit a new fire in me. I hobbled over to the laptop and pulled up their website to get the contest details. So, now, I have them. I'm armed with motivation, excitement and a new fever for winning. I lost last year. This year, I do plan to make the finals. So, watch out, ladies! Here I come! I'm placing my order.... :-)

More soon~ Amanda

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

After a full 24 hours of being stranded, rerouted through El Paso, and having our luggage disappear into oblivion for nearly two days, we are home! I've never been so grateful to crawl between the sheets and fall into my soft pillow. What a trip! We had such an amazing time on Las Vegas. The PMA show was really quite a sight. The incredible booths from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, HP, and sooooo many others really blew us away. It was remarkable that we, with our little instructional book, were able to be a part of it. I felt truly blessed.
While in the throws of all Las Vegas is, we strolled the strip and watched the fountains of The Bellagio hotel... saw "The Phantom of the Opera" at The Venetian hotel (it was amazing, by the way), caught Penn and Teller at The Rio hotel, and even made the trek to "old Vegas". We saw The Horshoe casino and walked among the hundreds of people in the old strip, including a few holding signs telling us exactly where we would be going in the afterworld because we are sinners in Vegas (where do they find these people?). We saw the amazing lights and the Eiffel Tower out of the window of the hotel suite. The weather was just gorgeous the whole time we were there. We even tried our hand at Blackjack. Paul lost, and I won. In the end we broke even between the loss and the gain. It was a blast.
I am, though, very happy to be home. Even with the rain pouring down and the thunder and lightening breaking in the sky- there is no place I'd rather be. Plus, it's hard to snuggle with the kids when you're away from them. That makes for a long 4 days without them.

More soon.... Amanda

Stranded in Vegas

I'm sitting here at MacCarron (sp?) airport in Las Vegas. We thought we were doing so great today! Our flight wasn't supposed to leave until 5pm. But, we missed the kids so much that we thought we'd get to the airport early and catch an earlier flight. So, we did. Well, sort of. There was a 2p flight with available seats, so we paid the upgrade fee and climbed aboard. Then the captain comes on the speaker and says there is a problem with the plane. So, we deboard. They found us a new plane! We walked through the terminals to the new gate, only to have a delay because that plane too seems to be broken. So, our original flight left about 2 hours ago. Still, here we sit in all the glory of our upgrade, waiting to get home. We won at the blackjack tables. I guess karma is getting back at us. Hope to be home soon!!

~Amanda

Limbo-land+Scrapaddiction=Productivity

It's one of those days when there are a million things to be done, but I can't seem to muster the energy to do anything but post to the ol' blog. Nicholas has a science project due tomorrow- which really means I have a science project due tomorrow. We are leaving for Vegas in two days, which means there's laundry to be done and packing to be started. Let's not even mention that mess in the kitchen... well, at least the cat and dog are fed, right? Throw soccer practice tonight into the mix- and the fact that Paul is working all day and all night today, and, well, let's just say I probably shouldn't be here posting to the ol' blog! But, nonetheless, here I am.
I've also come to the realization that there is such an illness called "scrapaddiction". They should bottle up capsules of cure and send it out to all of us. They'd make a fortune. I've come to this realization over the fact that I've had no credit card access for a couple weeks now. Isn't that a shame! Okay, let me explain... someone hacked into our identity and stole our bank account number, our PayPal number, and two of our three credit card numbers. We came to this realization after they transferred a significant number of dollars over to Lithuania (!!!) a couple weeks back. Then, apparently we purchased a great number of dance songs off a British website. We even bought some software from another British website. I had no idea I was so tech-savvy. My bank didn't either. Thankfully, they deposited all the heisted pounds and dollars back into our accounts, but not before we had to close every card and account we had. Now we are in limbo waiting for new account cards and credit cards. I'm on a cash-only basis (which my husband LOVES, by the way). But, I think the scrapbooking websites are in trouble this week since I have had no means to buy anything from any one of them! Not to mention that ScrapArtist has new stuff up this week (and a lot of it!). So, I'm in pain. No buying for me. Oh, just wait until those cards arrive!! Oprah should really have a show just for scrapaddiction. I'll bet her ratings would go up.
This limbo, though, has actually been good for my creativity. I've actually done some pages instead of buying kits! What a concept. I started a gallery on DigiShopTalk and ScrapArtist. I'd put one here, but I don't know how to yet. See, I'm really not as tech-savvy as I pretend to be. Big surprise, huh? I have been mighty productive, and really can't wait to do more pages. It's gotten me all set to do demo's at "The Scrapbook Pavillion" booth at PMA in a few days. I can't wait! Scrapbooking in public is even better.
That brings me to the subject at hand.... Las Vegas. What to wear, what to see, what to do... any suggestions? Please, I know someone out there has to be reading this and can offer up some advice. I'm at a loss. There are so many shows! So much to do, and I only have 3 nights to see it all in.
Enough for now, I suppose. I really ought to get working on that science project. :-)

~Amanda D

All The Things I've Said....the beginning

So, I'm stepping away from the PaperFlowersOnline.com site to open a new one... which makes me so happy! Paul and I are partnering up with some really great friends to create this new endeaver. I can't wait until it's up and going to tell you more about it! So, for now, we are in limboland and waiting. If you've been to the Paper Flowers site lately- sorry! I'm just kind of waiting for it to expire.

Spring has really sprung here in Fort Worth. The days are beautiful, and the kids are loving being able to get out and run in the fresh air. Nicholas is officially a little soccer player, and Ben has taken up gymnastics. They both are clumsy and still learning, but it's so cute! I'm loving watching all of it come together.

We've begun a weekly pilgrimage to "The Scrapbook Pad" in Colleyville. Our friend, Jeannie Jones, has taken over the old Scrapbook Warehouse site there. It looks fantastic. The paint job is done, and it's so much fun. We are easy to spot there. It seems like there are at least four of us all set up in the crop room, computers to boot (lol... no pun intended). We've been having a blast! She's got wireless internet up and going. Though, I'm thinking shopping online while at a crop may be a conflict of interest...hmmmm.

Jen is coming to visit next week, right after Paul and I get back from PMA in Vegas! Oh, I'll have lots to report then. For now, I'm signing off... lots to do.

More later- and soon!!

Amanda D