Using my Notch tool

Since the word "hybrid" is all the rage - in both the 'real' world and in the 'scrapbook' world, I've decided to incorporate a little more hybrid action into my pages. I drew the lines for the journaling block in Photoshop Elements and then used a brush to make the gray flourish at the top. I used my Basic Grey notch tool to tuck the journaling behind the stamped brown flourish. This layout came out totally different from the original, clean-cut design I had imagined. I love it when that happens.

My MRA results came back with flying colors. Actually, the neurologist used the word "unremarkable". This is probably one of the only times in my life where I'll be happy to describe myself as such.

Sadly, I didn't get to run the Red Poppy 5K with my dad this morning. Mother Nature swooped into central Texas in all her stormy glory bringing with her hail, flooding and a rapidly dropping temperature. It's probably all for the best. My sinuses have been driving me me snotty and I think my ears are infected. But I don't know. They hurt, and they're popping a lot. Is that an infection? I suppose a visit to Dr. Douglass is in my future.

Babies are napping and Jack's at a friend's house. I think I may play around with my Simple Scrapbooks Digital Designs 2 book and nab a few more tools under my belt.

Oh - and this year, I am going to try out for the Memory Makers Masters contest. Entries aren't due until July, so I have plenty of time to create more masterpieces. =)

Sweet Lucy layout

She's so sweet I could just eat her up. I'm finally scrapping the twins!  Yay! Excuse the black along the top and bottom. It's from my scanner and not a part of the layout.

I just had my head examined

Seriously. On Tuesday, I went in to meet with the Director of Neurological Sciences at Breckenridge Hospital. She's head of The Missy Project, a nonprofit dedicated to detecting Brain Aneurysm Disease through early screening.  Seeing as how I lost my mother and nearly lost my aunt (my mom's sister) to brain aneurysms, I more than qualified. Researchers just don't know if there truly is a genetic link. They aren't sure if patients, once screened, need to be screened again in subsequent years. Early detection could save lives. Brain Aneurysms are so often misdiagnosed it's scary. My mother's was. Her primary care physician thought she had a stomach bug and sent her home on anti-nausea medication. But I digress.... 

So, I went in to meet with the Director on Tuesday afternoon thinking it was just sort-of a 'meet and greet' to tell me more about the project. Before I knew it, I was signing medical release papers and being whisked downstairs to have a cerebral Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA) performed. This test is like an MRI, but it takes a closer look at the blood vessels in the head. I was actually admitted to the hospital, given a gown and had a bracelet put on. My brain was whizzing at this point (no pun intended), but went along with it because doing all this now meant that I actually didn't have to come back and drag this thing out.  I closed my eyes during the incredibly noisy test and thought to myself, "At least I'm not listening to my kids whine..."

And then it was over. I'll know the results for better or worse in 2 weeks, but I'm not super concerned about the results. After all, knowledge is power.

10 Things I want to Do, Be, or Go

Call this a life list - or a wish list - or a 'to do' list... Call it what you will... But I want to accomplish the following things in the next 5 years.

1) Get scrapbook work published.  (Be a guest star or teacher at CKC or CKU... I'd even take being a contributing editor to a major magazine.) Nothing like shooting for the moon.

2) Contribute financially to my family. (see #1)

3) Reach an ideal weight and look totally ripped.

4) Re-do the playroom into a play/rec room/study area complete with shelving, a desk, computer and cool paint.

5) Build an outdoor patio area.

6) Learn to use my sewing machine and use it well.

7) Get the family out for a real vacation to someplace cool - like Legoland. Or Australia. I prefer the later, but beggers can't be choosers.

8) Build a following at the local scrapbook store from classes that I hope to get off the ground.

9) Run a 1/2 marathon and possibly a full marathon.

10) Spend a week on the coast with the family - fishing, boating, crabbing, and hanging on the down low. I want the twins to be old enough to appreciate the beauty of the seaside. I'll wait on this until they're about 3.5 or 4.

Do you have a life list rolling around in your noggin?  Do share!

This just in!

Don't you love the ultra-cute fabric doily in the center? I picked a few up at JoAnn's for $.50 each. I broke out the stamps to make the pattern on the cardstock and painted the chipboard with my new favorite paint - Tim Holtz Crackle Distress paint. It dries quickly and gives the chipboard a cool textured look.

It's baby nap-time and Mommy scrap-time. Yay!

On a roll...

30:03 - new 5K time set at the Run with the Heros race this morning benefiting the 100 Club of Texas. Breaks down to 9:42/mile and a new personal record pour moi! 

I admit it. I'm a 5K junkie. Every time I come home from finishing a race, I scour RunTex's website and register for more. I'm sure that as the sun reaches its zenith in the summer months this urge will be greatly curbed, but for now, it persists. 

And just for fun... my official "Everything I love about 5K races" list:

• The gathering of hundreds of people all running to benefit charity
• Live music - There were bag pipes at this race! 
• Getting in 3 miles before most people wake up.
• Setting personal records
• The people cheering you on at the finish and on the sidelines
• Doing this on my own with no Imperial Entanglements (ie... my children)
• The free stuff - love the sponsors!
• Simply finishing. I get a huge sense of accomplishment after every race. 

My friend Kristin told me yesterday, "Look at you! You're a runner now!" I've never, until this point, thought of myself as one. Runners were those crazy fast people who blew out a 5K in 20 minutes or less. Even though I'm not crazy fast, I love this sport. And there's truly no limits within it. The only limits are those I place on myself, and I'm through doing that...

Playing with arrows

What happens when you've exhausted your entire stash (which took, literally, hours) and still can't find the arrow that you need? Why, you make your own of course! Wish I had thought of that sooner! I simply grabbed my trusty hole punch and painstakingly arranged the little dots in a curvy arrow shape.  My wide-format printer rescued me once again for the title. I have 4 12x12 boxes of alphabets, and none of them worked. I really need to stop buying colorful ABCs... A few staple colors like red, brown, white and black and my printer are all I really need.

I'm in the 8's!!!

8:41 - new mile run time. Broke my personal record by 21 seconds. Phew.

In 6 words...

Women's Health magazine has a super cute article in April's issue. Random people were asked to describe their lives in 6 words. That's it. No huge bios. No lengthy memoirs. Just 6 words. The series of witty descriptions had me giggling during my 30 second break from my children.

Here's some of my favorites from various people in the article:

"In a Manolo world, I'm Keds."

"Happiest when ignoring huge financial debt."

"I'm my mother and I'm fine."

"Clumsy girl found adventure. Also bruises."

and my favorite:

"Asked to quiet down; spoke louder."

The article got my thinker started again. How would I describe my life in only 6 words? Unable to think of just one 6 word phrase that would encompass me in my entirety, I came up with several:

"Shoulders smeared from peanut butter hands."

"Dries tears. Gives hugs. Laughs often."

"Once lacked self-confidence. Decided that sucked."

Your turn. How would you define yourself in 6 words? Give it a whirl.

How to run faster...

Every week, I receive emails from about.com's running zine. There's always little tips, suggestions and nutrition advise I sometimes find handy, and sometimes dismiss because I just don't want to filter through all the advertisements. But when I saw the title of the last email, I thought, "Hey! I want to run faster! I'm plagued with a 9:02 mile. I have got to break 9 minutes. Tell me how to run faster! Tell me!!" Eagerly, almost foaming at the mouth, I opened the email and quickly scanned the contents. "The trick to running faster," the email explained, "is to simply... run faster." I sat at my computer momentarily stunned. What? No running drills? No agility work? No sprint work? At first, I was disappointed in the simplicity. But then... I thought about it. I thought until my thinker was sore. 

My athletic background has roots in the water, not the land. Back in the late 80's and early 90's, I was on my high school's swim team. My coach (who happened to coach the cross country team and sort-of got roped into coaching the swim team because no one else would do it) explained to us that you start out each practice and race with $1. Your goal is to only spend a dime at time. In other words, don't go out so fast that you have no money (fuel) left to finish the race. That advise has stuck with me my entire life. I grin knowingly to myself as people rush pass me in the first mile. By the time I enter the third mile, I'm passing tons of those early sprinters who have long since petered out. The drawback to this advise is that I often hold back too much. I'm faster and stronger than I think I am. I can invest more in the beginning, middle and end. Instead of spending a dime, I could invest a quarter.

So today, I repeated that one-liner piece of advise to myself over and over. "The trick to running faster is to simply run faster." So I did. I increased my cadence going up the hills and lengthened my stride on the down hills. I actually caught up with my super speedy running neighbor from my 'hood (who I have always admired for her diligence and persistence in losing weight and becoming an athlete). I ran the last 1/4 mile right beside her. I was elated. And I received my best 5K time ever - running 3.1 miles in 30:22. That's an average of 9:48/mile. And I'm going to break that time for the Poppy 5K in Georgetown in 2 weeks. Oh yeah. Life's good.

Eat Pray Love Gnome

Elizabeth Gilbert, eat your heart out. You may have inner-lasting peace, harmony and a sense of one-ness with the world, but I have a Garden Gnome that does all that for me. He stands peacefully in my back garden, hands clasped, praying constantly for us all. Such a nice garden gnome. Poor thing does not yet have a name. Suggestions please?

And - since my gnome is praying for your peace and everlasting happiness, I am hoping that you will do something for me in return. I'm teaching a card class at Felicia's Scrapbooks on 4/12 from 11-1pm. Take the class, won't you? You'll be entered to win a new stamp set from Inque Boutique. *poke*poke* Please? Just call her store to register. 

Man, it's been a crazy week so far. Lucy's eardrum actually burst Friday morning from an ear infection. When I took her in to see the doc, her ear was oozing yucky stuff. Riddled with mommy guilt, her pedi explained that ears can be fine in the morning and horribly infected by the evening. Both Lucy and Jack just come down with them so quickly. 

Luke's is loving his newfound mobility and chases Jack around the house. Now that he's gained some confidence, he's starting to climb and get into things. Today Luke opened the cup drawer, pulled out one of those freebie kids cups from a restaurant, took it over to the fridge and put it up to the lever to fill it with water. I was astounded. Kid learns quick. Lucy's walking more and more often, but she prefers to sit in her thrown surrounded by soft, fluffy things and her burpies... What's her thrown, you ask? Well... it's my lap. And it's hers, dammit. The fists start-a flyin' if Luke has the audacity to challenge her for her space.

I'm running the Schlotzsky's Bun Run 5K this weekend. Anyone wanna run with me?

Tiger Tiger burning bright

The latest scrapping achievement... Grrr!

I got inked!

Gotcha! Bet you thought I went and did the unthinkable and inked myself permanently. Or - on second thought - maybe you thought I indulged in some new inks of the scrapbooking variety... but nahh.. this ink is genuine black Sharpie all the way baby!

I completed my first Triathlon today at Lifetime Fitness. Granted, it was indoors, but still, it was a Triathlon. And I did really well. I not only survived, but I sincerely enjoyed it! I swam 18 laps in 10 minutes, biked 13.2 miles in 30 minutes, and ran 1.92 miles in 20 minutes. This gives me a good base for the future. 

The Triathlon itself was phenomenal. Loved it. I'm hooked. But - I don't think I could bring myself to do one in that involves open water swimming. Swimming in a nice, heated, chlorinated pool is one thing. Swimming in open water with waves, currents, live creatures and fish poop is quite another.

Next week I run the Schlotzky's Bun Run 5K. Ya know... it's hilarious for me to think that I consider running 3.1 miles a break. I mean - after the Triathlon and the 10K, a 5K will be a stroll in the park. I think I'd go as far as to say that I have earned the official title of athlete. And that, my friends, feels amazing.

Latest Creation

My large scanner doesn't like me lately. Each time I try to scan in a 12x12 layout, a message pops up saying that the scanner isn't hooked up. Trust me, it is. *shrug* So - I'll just continue to prop them up in this pretty little stand until the mysteries of the universe unfold and I can figure out why my scanner sucks.

This was Jack's first day of school in 2006, and I'm stunned at how tiny he looks. But yet, he has such a grown-up smile. Jack has always seemed older than his chronological age. I think he's one of those "old souls" I hear mentioned every so often.

For this layout, I picked out the product I wanted to use (the stickers) and then created the layout around the it. I like the playful feel. What do you think?

strange things happen when you can't sleep

Have you ever had such terrible insomnia that no matter what you do, you are unable to fall asleep? This happens to me every once in awhile and is worse when I stay up too late watching tv. Last night, Mark and I popped in Season 2, disc 6, of Lost and watched all 3 episodes. Ugh. Irritatingly addictive show... couldn't get the show out of my head. Lights when out around 12:15am, but the lights in my brain continued to burn until about 6am. I meditated. I counted to 100 and then back down again. I lay very still in hopes of just drifting off. I took 2 Benadryl. I chanted. I walked loops around the house. And still, sleep would not come. 

Jack wanted to climb into our bed about 6am, just as I was finally drifting off. Mark woke up a bit. In tears now, I begged him to stay home today so I could try and sleep. I have a wonderful, amazing husband. He didn't even think twice about it. He got Jack to school, took the twinkies to breakfast at the ole Taco Cabana and then later to Circle C Park just so I could have quiet. I love that man. I am eternally grateful.

So - here's my thankful list on this sleepy Tuesday:

1) My caring, wonderful, beautiful husband 

2) Sleep - when it comes

3) 70 degree weather

4) My sculpted thighs. Seriously. They actually have shape. I'm in awe. 

5) Scrambled eggs. (Quick, easy, delicious)

6) My twins who knew mommy needed down time and kept their whining to a minimum today.

7) My happy Jack, who raced me home from the neighborhood park tonight - and kicked my ass...

8) Double strollers

9) Quiet evening time.

10) Taco Cabana. mmm... just love my breakfast tacos..