Adventures of a Cyberscrapper

I'm FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

2007-09-09T18:13:00.001-06:00

Yes you read that right. I am now separated (day 10) and happier than I've ever been in my entire adult life. Good thing I don't have time to ramble about how incredible it feels!!!

Oh yeah, and I've also had those tests done and the neuro doc is saying I have Multiple Sclerosis. And, as I suspected, serious back problems from buttbone up to the base of my skull. But all that is nothing compared to the challenges I faced the last 15 years. Yowsa.

I am in heaven. Seriously giddy. But I do gotta go now... I guess there's no internet access in heaven. I'm still a "friend of the library". ROFL.

Safe, but not necessarily sound

2007-08-06T13:01:00.000-06:00

Hello world! It's been a long time. I've been missing you... in the 3 or 4 months since I was last here. Not long in the big picture, yet somehow it feels like an eternity. I've got lots of catching up to do that's for sure.

First, I was NOT on the 35W bridge when it collapsed. The bridge is less than 10 miles from me and I have been stuck in traffic on it countless times, fortunately not this time. I keep imagining the sheer terror everyone must have felt... how I would've felt/reacted if it'd been me and my kids... and it's worse than my worst nightmare. Could anyone really conceive of this happening?! For some reason it is striking me harder than might be rational, especially considering that all "mine" are safe. I know I'm not the only person that gets anxious crossing over bridges now. I feel so deeply for the victims/survivors whose lives will be drastically changed forever due to this tragedy. The long-term repercussions are staggering.

Secondly, for those who might have been wondering, my plans and dreams for DSFX are not dead, although the site has obviously been put on hold way longer than I ever planned. When I acquired the new server and the store didn't transfer over correctly I got extremely frustrated and basically gave up for a while. I couldn't afford to hire someone to fix the site and real-life stuff kept getting in the way of doing it myself...as freaking usual. My husband also decided that internet access is a luxury rather than a necessity, and refused to pay for it anymore, which caused my work to come to a grinding halt. It felt like once again, circumstances were so against me that my digiscrappin' dreams were not meant to be. (Which is exactly what he wanted... the fact is he feels threatened by my online ventures...more about that in a bit.)

I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have let down. It wasn't my intent to drop off the face of the planet, but I do tend to withdraw when I don't have anything positive to share. I'm a private person and I prefer to keep my burdensome "real" life issues to myself, rather than projecting them onto others. Unfortunately, the magic day never came when things were suitably "better", and the longer I stayed away the harder it was to come back. But here I am, again, giving it all another go. What else can I do?

Life hasn't been ALL bad. On the positive side, I reunited with a dear friend back in January, and he's become my rock these last several months. Without him I'd probably be serving a life sentence in the loony bin (or jail). He has an amazing way of soothing my soul when it's wounded or weepy, and he never fails to make me laugh when I want to scream. He helps put things in perspective, and somehow fills me with the strength I need to keep on keeping on. It's because of his encouragement and support that I've decided give my goals one more shot.

Soooooooo.... in September (when Amaya will finally be in kindergarten, and I will have internet again - yay!) my top priority will be to get the website back in action. I've sooooo missed creating, sharing, and interacting with y'all... I really truly have.

Another positive thing is that some of my long-term medical issues are finally being dealt with. In April my back began hurting much worse than usual, so I called my clinic. This time I had the good fortune of being scheduled with a wonderful, experienced dr. who speaks English, asks lots of questions, takes lots of time to listen - and get this - he actually seems to care and want to help!!! He noticed in my file that I've had back and neck issues ongoing for 7+ years with increasing frequency, severity, and duration. And that, along with his examination of me, troubled him. Huh! Imagine that! Every other dr. I've ever seen for my back took precisely 38 seconds to say I pulled a muscle, ice it, pop some Advils (which caused an ulcer), and to "take it easy" (like that's possible with 4.5 kids to care for!).

THIS dr. said enough is enough and ordered a lumbar MRI test. That's when it was discovered that I've got 4 severely herniated disks, degenerative disk disease, spinal stenosis, arthritis, and a benign tumor on my spine (he believes my thoracic/cervical MRI results will be similarly abnormal). He also suspects fibromyalgia, and based on what I've learned, I think he's right. It sure would explain alot!

So why is it good news to be told I have some serious health issues? Because it proves to my husband and his clueless but judgmental family that my chronic pain and weakness is caused by REAL debilitating problems. It's NOT all in my head like they've always chosen to believe. Yes, this diagnosis validates me; and after what they've put me through it's a huge mental relief. The truth is now known, and although I'm sure people will continue to believe whatever their egos want to believe, I'm done making MYSELF crazy over it... wondering all these years if I really AM the lazy, worthless, mental case they've always made me out to be. Fuck 'em. I know better now, and that's all that really matters (and I don't care how self-righteous that sounds).

This definitive diagnosis also finally allows me to do something more pro-active than "try to take it easy". My dr. has prescribed Robaxin and Percocet which help quite a bit, and last week he added Lidocaine patches and Clonazepam to the mix. I'm going to a chiropractor and physical therapy 1-2x/week, although neither have been too helpful up to this point. I received my first round of epidural steroid injections on July 3rd, which was a hellish procedure but semi-helpful for improving leg function. I've also got a wheelchair for when I'm at my worst but still need to accomplish things, and a handicapped parking permit too - both godsends that I feel kinda weird using because my mind hasn't quite accepted the "disabled" part of all this yet. Lastly, I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon tomorrow (8/7) to discuss surgical options that could restore strength and permanently alleviate much of the disk pain. I can actually see a light at the end of this tunnel - and I'm working my way towards it!

Physical issues aside, those of you who know me personally also know I've had marriage and depression issues for a long time. I've alluded negatively to my husband in this post, but the bottom line is he's an emotionally abusive, controlling, narcissistic jerk. After 15 years of trying, I'm done dealing with HIS demons and anger and rage. He treats us like we're inferior idiots put on this earth solely to serve him (seriously, we're talking Dr. Phil's Man Camp material) and nothing we do is ever up to his standards or expectations. He has continuously done everything in his power to control our every move and prevent me from achieving any of my goals, because it threatens his perceived role as the "man" of the family. Of course he also realizes that when I become self-sufficient financially I won't need him for anything and will leave him.

Anyway, I've realized we will never be truly "ready", so I've put my pride aside, called an abuse shelter, and asked for help. My kids and I don't need to be miserable just because he chooses to be. We deserve peace, love, and happiness, and I'm finally ready to do whatever it takes to make that happen. The gig is truly up.... it's just a matter of figuring out the logistics! I have been uber-busy packing and looking at places for rent so we can move out by August 30th (need to be moved before school starts).

So that about sums up where I'm at. Lots of stress, but it's no longer a burden I carry alone. There's finally hope, which is something I've been sorely lacking.

The kids are coping unbelievably well...

Britt has blossomed into a smart, responsible 16 year old - no trouble from her for a long time now. She's decided she wants to become a CNA and will be attending some college classes in the fall to get a headstart on that goal. She's got 2 jobs now - calling bingo at the VFW, and a seasonal job at the MN Rennaissance Festival.
Noah turned 14 last Thursday. He recently got the last of 4 casts removed - from breaking his wrist on Memorial Day weekend. He starts his first job in about 10 days at the MN RenFest with his sister. He's extremely excited, and seeing all sorts of dollar signs of course. I wonder if that'll change once he actually has to DO the work. LOL!
Joe just turned 11 and he's been at friends' houses more than at home this summer it seems. He is really looking forward to starting school again.... my sweet little brainiac. This coming year we've decided to enroll him in an online academy, which will allow him to work on a much more advanced level than is possible in the local public school system. I see so much untapped potential in him and can't wait to see him thrive in a more challenging educational environment.
Amaya is 5 now and as I mentioned she will be in kindergarten this year. No online schooling for her... she can't wait to ride the bus and make friends! She's never been in daycare or preschool (too expensive) and her playmates to this point have only been her siblings. She is extremely social though, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Yowsa..... this post has gotten way too long...and there's not even any pics or anything to break it up... sorry! I still don't have internet access at home (and the library's internet kinda sucks).... but I do try to check email at least once/week or so from a friend's house. If you've actually read this far feel free to email me! If I still have any fans... I could surely use some ideas for new products to create as freebies or for the store (what's hot in the scrapping world? I'm sooooo out of it....ugh!).

Even more, I would love to hear from my long-time internet friends... you know who you are... I think of you quite often and wonder how you and your families are doing. I know I am a sucky friend, but I hope you can understand the reasons for my self-alienation. Seclusion sucks. I miss you. :(

Tata for now.

Happy Friday the 13th!

2007-04-13T15:47:00.000-06:00

I'm finally back online at home, nobody in my household is puking anymore (although now we've been invaded by chicken pox), spring break is over, it's sunny with temps in the 50's, and DSFX has returned to the top of my priority list. Things are actually looking up again lol!

Speaking of DSFX, I made a major mess out of the server switch... ai yai yai. At least now I know what I have to do though... too bad I wasted so many hours attempting things I didn't realize were impossible. I couldn't just follow directions. Oh no! I had to prove my way(s) wouldn't work. So I guess in that sense I accomplished something, right? LOL! I really look forward to being D-O-N-E with all the technical crap so I can get back to the business of designing digital goodies for y'all.

Which reminds me... there will be an April freebie kit - but I'm planning to put it in the store this time instead of on a free server. Once we're up and running smooth again I'll post here and on the website, and send an email announcement to subscribers - probably in about a week or so. I sincerely appreciate everyone's patience, and I promise it'll be worth the wait! :)

In other news.... I had an awesome Easter weekend - it was actually one of the most amazing Easters my family has ever celebrated. We had planned to go to my sister's house, but some of us weren't feeling 100% up to par, so we stayed home instead. My daughter had 4 of her close friends over (who all happened to be male...which is a whole 'nother post lol) - and it turns out none of them had any idea what Easter was about, because they're all Muslim immigrants/refugees. Now, I admit I have some very strong opinions regarding U.S. immigration/refugee policies - BUT - I also have an open mind and I love to learn about other cultures. So Easter weekend that's exactly what we did!

These boys (ages 16-18) shared stories about their own religious beliefs, customs, etc. - all of which was extremely interesting. They also told stories about growing up in their various home countries (Egypt, Kenya, Somalia, and Nigeria), which shocked and brought me and my own teenagers to tears. I won't repeat their stories here out of respect for their privacy... but I will say these kids have seen and felt more horrors and oppression than most of us could even fathom. We constantly see stories on the news about terror/poverty/etc. abroad, and like most of us I've become desensitized to all the media coverage. But to listen to these kids - KIDS! - share so many firsthand tragic experiences - not just occasionally but as a way of life(!!!!)... to see their physical battle scars with my very own eyes... wow... it was beyond mind-boggling, and it made me want to hug and love them forever. How they can be such happy-spirited, respectful, terrific human beings after all they've been through I'll probably never understand. It makes me feel like a total baby for ever whining about my own petty issues...sheesh. I truly didn't realize just how good I have it here in "the land of the free". Wow. Some of their "coming to America" culture-shock stories were freaking hilarious though.

Anyway, we in turn, shared our Easter beliefs and traditions with them, and that was an absolute blast. For the first time in 15+ years I didn't have to fill and hide a million eggs alone in the dead of night - I got to supervise instead lol!! You should have seen those boys' eyes shine as they learned about, and then got to play the role of "The Easter Bunny". Appearance-wise they kinda look like a bunch of gangsters, but they acted like a bunch of giddy 6 year olds! LOL! Watching them delight in filling those eggs, giggling like little girls as they sampled jelly beans and Peeps for the first time, whispering and creeping around the house hiding the eggs by flashlight... it was just too cool for words. And then they wouldn't go to sleep because they didn't want to miss out on watching Amaya and Joe hunt for them at the butt-crack of dawn! As each egg was discovered I don't know who got more excited, my 5 and 10 year old kiddos, or the teenage boys who hid them. ROFLMAO!! Seriously, you would've had to seen it to believe it!

Sunday we decided to skip the traditional ham dinner (because Muslims don't eat pork), and instead I baked a big old pan of taco dip which we munched on all day along with cheese, crackers, jello, candy, etc. We had 4 kinds of yummy pie to stuff ourselves with too LOL. It turned out to be quite the cultural event - totally unplanned but totally memorable! (I'll add pics to this post when I get around to downloading what's on my camera card. My haircut pics I mentioned a few posts back are still on there too lol.)

After everyone went home I did a bit of reflecting on our Easter experience. It was so out of "the norm" yet for some reason it felt more meaningful, and something has sorta been bugging me since then. Why do societies feel so threatened by differences in beliefs? I mean, wars have been fought and are continuing to be fought over religion. Why?! Although my family's beliefs are vastly different than those of our Easter guests, we all got along beautifully. They respect our beliefs, we respect theirs, simple as that. If kids can so easily accept and embrace such differences, why can't adults who run entire countries do the same? Why is peace such a hard concept to understand? It's not rocket science!

OK... off my soapbox and back to work now. I'll update again soon.
Have a great weekend!

Just another lil update...

2007-04-04T16:09:00.000-06:00

I'm having some headache issues dealing with the new server. The cPanel is set up differently, I don't seem to have the same PHP and SQL permissions, the software versions are different from the old server, blah blah blah. I won't bore you with all the details... just know that I am actively working behind the scenes to get DSFX up and running! At the moment I just happen to be pulling my hair out... lol. I can't WAIT to be done with all this yucky web stuff so I can get back to doing what I love... creating scrap goodies.

So yeah. I'm hoping the website will be all well and good by Friday night, cuz then it'll be Easter weekend and working won't be an option... which means next week. Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

If you're reading this, please send lots of good technical geeky vibes!

Ai yai yai! All I can say is stay tuned....

We're Moving!

2007-03-29T19:41:00.000-06:00

It's time for the big server move! I'm busy transferring everything over as I type this. I will update when the move is complete - probably about 72 hours.

Dreams of Dublin Freebie Kit!

2007-03-17T01:49:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I'm pleased to offer March's freebie kit, Dreams of Dublin. It's an often-requested kit from designing days gone by - totally revamped of course!

All I ask is if you like my kit please consider purchasing something from my store. I've marked everything 50% off this weekend, so check it out!

Here's the download links:

Alpha 32 mb
Paper 37mb
Elements 23 mb
(Please note: If you get a time-out error when trying to download it's because of too many connections - please try again later.)

In closing I thought I'd share a lil' bit of Irish logic with ya:

When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to Heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven. Here's to green beer!

I Think I'm Getting Old

2007-03-09T16:58:00.000-06:00

Did you know you're not supposed to pluck your nose hairs because you could literally yank out chunks of skin and get a yucky infection? I excavated this nugget of nasal knowledge last night as I was working up the courage to eradicate a dozen or so of the unruly buggers (vs. boogers) with a set of fancy-schmancy tweezers purchased for this very purpose. I was curious why it hurt and made my eyes water sooooo effingbad.

I didn't find my answer but I was sort of stunned to learn that apparently I'm the only woman with this problem. Huh?! This site is one of many that suggests nose hair grows because of the male hormone DHT. "This explains why women don’t have to deal with the issue." Color me confused! Last I checked there wasn't anything dangling between my legs, yet my nose hairs could hold their own in any male competition. Perhaps I should take pics so I can blow the DHT theory out of the water? Nah. I wouldn't wanna gross you out and besides, what if I'm wrong, and further tests show I'm part-guy, triggering a massive identity crisis? Yikes. Might explain a thing or three tho. Hmmm. :P

I suppose this is just another example of how ignorant I am when it comes to "personal care". I'm not a disgusting slob, I shower and shave and all that on a regular basis (eeew! geez!), but I've never been terribly conscious or concerned with the overall image I project to the world. I make an effort to mostly match and be clean but I don't usually indulge in primping much further beyond that. The fact is I've never been much of a girly-girl.

My sister thinks I'm hopeless because I've never used an eyelash curler, never been tanning, never had a manicure, never been to Sephora or Ulta, and I get my hair cut the same two days of the year I get my teeth cleaned. I am more comfortable nude than in frilly get-ups, I think my agate collection is more interesting than a horde of precious gems, my watch is a timepiece rather than an accessory, and the most expensive pair of shoes I own cost about $25 (and they're certainly not heels).

This sane sister also has a tendency to "guide" my clothing choices before we go out together, and gives me the evil eye when someone compliments me on my shirt or necklace or something in public and I proceed to tell them it only cost me a quarter or a buck. hehe She can't comprehend that I really truly LOVE to shop at thrift stores because they have stuff you'll never find anywhere else (and cheap - how can you beat it?)!

So you can probably guess who pointed out my very first nose and chin hairs - not long after she discovered them on herself. lmao Gee I love you Kel!

Having said all that, I don't think I fit in the she-belongs-on-What-Not-To-Wear category. I will have you know that there was a period in my teen years when I chose my rock t-shirts with great care, and I experimented with lotsa purple eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and Aquanet. I even dyed my hair green, and shaved it in a checkerboard pattern (yep I was one of THOSE kids). Since then.... eh... notsomuch. I'd guesstimate that I've spent less than $1000 total on makeup, clothing, haircuts, etc. for myself in the last 15 years. Shocking, huh?

My attitude began changing when I hit 35 tho. Personal grooming products and services have somehow morphed from frivolities into necessities within my budget. Lately I look in the mirror and wonder who that old person is staring back at me. NOW I understood why makeup was invented. And now, a bottle of $6.99 Covergirl foundation seems woefully inadequate.

I want a professional to decide what colors/products are best for me, and I'm nearly ready to plunk down a significant amount of cash for a few little jars of prettiness potions. And then I think why stop there? A little Botox would go a really long way, and for that matter, I've always been a little self-conscious about my neck/chin so hey.... why not go under the knife? My lips are kinda thin too now that I think about it.... oh the possibilities.

Why did it take me this long to realize the world generally sees my unique characteristics as flaws to be fixed? Is it a bad thing or good thing to finally be coming to my senses? Does the fact that I'm actually starting to care mean I'm having a bit of a mid-life crisis? Do I really look as old as the mirror says? Have I crossed that chasm between "young adult" and "middle-aged woman"? Please tell me nooooooo, it's none of the above (even if you have to lie). Not that I have anything against middle-aged women, I'm just not ready to be one. Yet.

So anyway.... yesterday I decided to try to reclaim a bit of my youth by getting a fairly drastic haircut. And I think I like it! I'm not done tho... tonight the kids and I are going to play with hair dye. The end result should be light blonde and pink highlights against my natural dark blonde color, but with Britt orchestrating there are definitely no guarantees. LOL I'm also looking forward to seeing Noah with his naturally light blonde color again. It should be loads of fun... as I'm sure they'll want to mix it up a bit, and we all know I'm the last person to curb anyone's creativity!

I'll post before and after pics when we're done. Prepare yourself to be either awed by my beauty, or flat-out amused. hehe

Technical Difficulties

2007-03-06T12:51:00.000-06:00

The technical difficulties started when the ac adapter for my laptop decided to die last Friday. Of course a Dell adapter is not something I can run to Target for, so I have no laptop til I can order a new one online (and they ain't cheap...ugh).

Which led to the next issue. I now have to use the kids' desktop pc to do anything, which has the newest versions of Mozilla and IE, and I am not used to them! Plus all my settings, bookmarks, outlook express accounts, etc. are missing on this pc and I'm having major withdrawal symptoms. Eeek! Not to mention that NONE of my passwords are saved on here, and I don't remember 88% of them. (I can't even post to my own forum! argh!)

Which brings me to the technical issues I discovered around 3am this morning. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE WEBSITE!!!!! I think? I keep getting "page cannot be displayed" errors when trying to access the store and forum. Also, none of my gif images (like category buttons, etc.) are showing up - even though the files are exactly where they should be. I changed nothing! WTF?!

So I did some investigating, and I think what happened was my webhost forced an upgrade for the store and forum, which messed everything up. I'm not 100% certain though, and I'm not sure how many more hours I want to spend trying to figure it out. I think the time has come to make the move to a new server. I've been procrastinating because I was afraid I'd mess everything up in the move, but since everything is messed up already, what's to worry about? LOL

There is some good news... I've got about 20 or so new products done, including March's freebie. Stay tuned for the previews and download links...

That's all for now. I've got errands to run but will tackle the website issues again tonight.
Just wanted to give a head's up :)

And the winners are...

2007-02-19T21:22:00.000-06:00

Sonia (saab) and Rebecca! Congrats ladies! I've contacted you both re: prize info. Thank you to all the rest of you who entered... I loved reading your connection stories!

I'd post more... but a ferocious virus has our household in it's grip. Ugh.
I just didn't want y'all have to wait any longer for the contest results. :)

Ta-ta for now.... I hope to be up and at it soon.

A Lil' Blog Contest

2007-02-02T10:22:00.000-06:00

Is anyone up for an easy little blog contest??? :) Here's the scoop....

Simply leave a comment below that tells about a connection you've recently made, or a connection you hope to make in 2007. It can be personal, business, spiritual, or ANY other kind of connection.

You'll then be entered in a random drawing for a $5 DSFX gift certificate, plus I'll choose the comment I like the best and that person will receive a $10 DSFX gift certificate. Okey dokey?

The contest will be open until my next blog posting, which could be 2 days from now or 22 days or anywhere in between. lol Make sure you leave your email address if you comment anonymously... remember... it's all about connections!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're in a shopping mood, I uploaded about a dozen new Virtues paper packs to the store, and marked them 50% off this weekend only. Here's previews of my faves:

That's all for now... I'm headed out of town for a couple days! Wooohooooo!

Have a great weekend!
~TTFN~

Connections Old & New

2007-01-29T12:36:00.000-06:00

January seems to have been all about connections for me, on all sorts of levels...

I received access to the designer area at DST in January (thanks Shannon!), where I've made some interesting new connections on a professional level. I've also connected with lots of sweet new fans and customers through my blog and DSFX. It's been wonderfully uplifting reading all your positive comments/emails and seeing some of the beautiful layouts you've created with my art - I can't help but feel somehow connected to you!

On an even more personal level, I unexpectedly connected with 6 different people who I haven't heard from in half a decade or longer. Each time it was like...wawawaWOW...and after the fourth or fifth time it got downright freaky! It's all good tho, in fact two of them are people I've missed tremendously, and look forward to (hopefully) resuming a close friendship with.

I can't help but wonder if all these connections are just some odd coincidence, or if it's happening because my life and mind are finally OPEN to connections. Either way, it feels good. :)

Laura and I and the rest of the crew have been connecting plenty too... developing some exciting things for DSFX in the months and year to come. Really, TRULY, cool ideas and innovative products that I can't talk about yet even though it's killing me to keep my lips zipped. Eek! There's a couple site-related things I can tell you though....

1. I received an email this morning informing me that my Retro Valentines will be spotlighted on the Dishin' the Digi - Coast 2 Coast show on DiSc Talk Radio which will run from tomorrow January 30th through February 5th. I even got this really cool blinkie:

You can click on the blinkie to listen in (it's free). To celebrate my excitement, I'm marking the Valentines 25% off for the entire week. So if you've been eyeing them, you'll be able to get all 4 sets for $6! Plus, the $5 RESOLUTIONS promo code is still good through the end of January... so... what a deal, eh?

2. We're going to be launching a "Define Yourself" series of mini-kits, complete with thought-provoking blog challenges (new blog coming too!), fun freebies, and cool prizes for those who wish to follow along. The purpose of this series is to create an entire album about yourself, because really, isn't it time to connect with and celebrate YOU??? Look for more details about this after Valentine's Day.... I think it'll be a lot of fun.... and worth all the work involved! lol

Oh! Speaking of Valentine's Day, if you came here for free Love 'N Stuff, you can find it here.

That's about all the news I've got for the moment.
Cya! ;)

Astrology Insights

2007-01-21T04:50:00.000-06:00

Astrology has always fascinated me, and today I found this email in my box. Those of you who know me on a personal level will totally get the "wow-ness" of this:

Sagittarius Year Ahead 2007
Sagittarius: (Nov.22-Dec. 21): Jupiter your ruling planet, the planet of luck and largesse is transiting your sign for the entire 2007 year! When we think of Jupiter we always think of luck, prosperity, personal philosophies,travel to exotic places and things done in a big way! it will be hard to curb your enthusiasm and hold yourself back when taking on new projects this year. Your positive attitude and go get it philosophy will simply scare the other Sun Signs! There will be those close to you who will say, "stop, not so fast, slow down, and wait"! You probably won't listen until Jupiter retrogrades and you are left to pick up the pieces! Most likely you will thumb your nose at anyone who doesn't go along with your large scale plans this year!
A desire to finally break free of a restricting family situation or relationship will be prevalent this year. You've out grown so much, and it's time for the bird to leave the nest. Moves are a real possibility this year! Too many Sagittarians have simply had their wings clipped in stifling relationships and family situations, this is your break free year!
If ever there was a time to start a new business, go back to wok, begin a new career, and sell your skills and services it's now! Saturn father karma in your solar 9th house lends a double dose of luck. The 9th house rules publishing and I am sure there is a novel inside every Sagittarius! Put your hand to writing and who knows, success could follow. Thinking about going back to school, learning something new, or traveling to exotic locales? Many of you will do just those things! In Lawsuits of any kind you should be favored as well as finding yourself a new philosophy to live by or new religious training. You simply will not be happy sitting idly by and letting life pass you up this year! If you are completely set on changing your life and it requires any kind of courage this year, you will be blessed with strength and moral courage to always do the right thing!
The eclipses in 2007 prepare the way in your solar 4th house of home and family and your 10th house of career and reputation, Preparations are in effect right now and the inner stirrings of far off places is calling. This suggests that early on in 2007 you are restless emotionally, and may dream of moving and will rebel against a confining situation. Beginnings and endings are already starting!
Mars transits through your solar 1st house of freedom and independence to your solar 8th house of joint resources. Part of your struggle to free yourself involves dividing up the goods! Divorce could be indicated for some of you or a break up of shared resources, inheritances and money.

Interesting, eh?
You can get your own free 2007 forecast here.

Ooh the Nerve of People!

2007-01-19T06:26:00.000-06:00

I am rejoicing with the rest of the nation over the amazing rescue of Ben Owenby and Shawn Hornbeck. And like everyone else I have questions, especially in the case of Shawn.

My intense fascination with this miracle does not mean I'm an insensitive dolt who derives a sick thrill out of a juicy story. I think that's safe to say about most people. It's human nature (which parenthood only compounds) to be curious and almost desperate to learn the whys and hows of something as stupefying as Shawn's story is turning out to be. Our safe little world of denial has been seriously unsettled; we're forced to face the undeniable fact that Shawn could've been our own child. Naturally we crave the details so we can somehow, some way, devise a perfect prevention plan to preclude ourselves from ever having the Akers' and Owenby's shoes double-tied on our own feet. AND THAT IS THE CRUX OF THE AKERS' MESSAGE.

Where then, do so many people get off thinking they have ANY right to pass judgement on Shawn or his parents?! The decisions they make for themselves are their own to make, and it's really none of our damn business if they want to spread their message through Oprah, Larry King, The View, American Idol or even Jerry Springer. Let them shout it loud and proud! And listen to them for cripes sakes! They are graciously sharing their story with us and we thank them by suggesting they are fame-seekers?! Ugh.

How can [collective] we say what we might do differently? Very very few of us have walked in their shoes. Almost none of us can comprehend the anguish and pain these families have suffered. Only THEY could ever understand their own motives and methods of coping, and I find it absolutely abominable for anyone to question or criticize them.

Personally, I am in complete awe of this family. Despite the atrocities Shawn may have faced for over 4 years, he did what he had to do to survive, and never lost hope that he would one day be reunited with his loved ones. That doe-eyed cutie has shown amazing strength, obviously stemming from a deep-seated faith his parents instilled at a young age. (I hope this serves to save him life-long agony.) He was a terrified, innocent child who was taken against his will. How dare we expect him to defend what he did or didn't do to outwit the twisted grown man Michael Devlin is [alleged to be]? Instead we should be up in arms, demanding to know how this nefarious crime was allowed to happen right under our noses. Several people went so far as to ask Shawn if he was Shawn! How could so-called friends fail this child so miserably by not coming forward with their suspicions?

As for Pam and Craig, how can I not admire them? They adopted a magnificent cause in an effort to cope with the anguish of not knowing where their son was, if he was dead or alive, if he was being mistreated, etc. I can not even begin to fathom what they went through then or now, much less how I might react myself. In the midst of enormous tragedy they selflessly dedicated themselves to searching for ALL missing children; working tirelessly to save parents everywhere from having to endure the same wretched pain they were bearing. Searching for the lost and preaching prevention is all they have known since Shawn disappeared. This cause means the world to them. I think they're courageous and brilliant to take advantage of the massive media attention to spread their message.

Bottom line: We have NO RIGHT to judge them. We are NOT entitled to answers. We are not Pam or Craig or Shawn. What they do or don't do is up to them alone. We should be grateful that they care so much about our children to put themselves "out there" like they have. We ought to be inspired by them and heed their message. Instead of speculating, second-guessing, and slamming these victims we should be standing and applauding them.

Thank you Pam, Craig, and Shawn from the bottom of my heart. Your tremendous sacrifices, your critical message, and the power of your hope have not been lost on this mom.
**************************************************
On a related side note: I want to share a picture of a boy from my hometown who has been missing for 17 years. His name is Jacob Wetterling and his information can be viewed by clicking here.
This young man went to school with my sister. I was a teenager at the time and I think it made me grow up faster than I might otherwise have. His disappearance drove home the realization that evil is real, and we never really know where it's lurking.
Now, I can't help but see similarities between his case and Shawn and Ben's, but then, there's never been another case I wanted so badly to be solved. What happened to you Jake?

Love N' Stuff

2007-01-15T14:07:00.000-06:00

Yay! I got January's freebie kit done a day earlier than planned. It may look kinda familiar to a few of you because it's a kit that I designed a whole year ago.
I debated for days about re-releasing my old stuff or not. On one hand, I have gobs of old kits done and ready to go so it would free up my time to work on store stuff. Plus many people have requested the old stuff. BUT, when I look at my old designs I sorta shudder, because my skills and style have changed soooooo much from back then. The designer in me wants to re-do everything! But time constraints dictate otherwise. :sigh:

So yeah. I present to you Love N' Stuff.

It's a little revamped but mostly the same as the old XO kit. You can download it from 4shared if you like it! The only catch is that you MUST keep in mind that these re-releases are by no means my best work, so please don't judge the quality of my work based on this one kit. I hope you'll check out the store to see what I've been working on lately!

Download Links:
Alphabet (46 mb)
Elements (23 mb)
Papers 1 (25 mb)
Papers 2 (24 mb)

I check every day to make sure the links above are good, so if you get a time-out error the server is likely busy - please try downloading again later. (soon I'll be able to put all the freebies on the store server so there's no more download issues... until then... sorry!)

Oh, and if you didn't see my previous post, there's another small Valentine freebie you can download from the store.

Don't forget, bloggy love rocks! ;)

Have a great week everyone!
~Sheila

Retro Valentine Freebie

2007-01-14T22:11:00.000-06:00

Here's the freebie add-on for my Retro Valentines series, now available at DSFX.

You do have to register to download them. You knew this was inevitable right? Eventually all the freebies will be on the store's server. This will also cut down on the number of people who aren't able to download from 4shared. I am sorry to those of you who can't get the mega-kit(s) - but I really don't know what else I can do. All I can suggest is to try downloading another time? :(

Oh, and do not confuse this retro freebie with the free January mega-kit. I am revamping an old kit and I will be releasing it here on my blog in the next couple days. Check back!

In a Day's Work

2007-01-12T10:51:00.000-06:00

I'm back from vacation - the time went by much too fast! I didn't get to do much touristy stuff, but it was a nice break. Got a few pics to scrap too.

The store is now open - yay! At least, we're pretty sure it's all working correctly! Go check it out - we've got a New Year's special during the month of January if you should decide to shop.

Laura will soon be adding my latest products. Here's what I did today:

I found these super cool retro valentines at an estate sale about 5 or 6 years ago. Just took me this long to scan 'em in and clean 'em up! LOL!

Keeping this post short so I can finish January's Freebie kit. Stay tuned!

A Revelation of Sorts

2006-12-29T22:53:00.000-06:00

First things first - several people have mentioned having a problem downloading the element pack for my In The Spirit kit. The file appears to be fine on the server, but I re-uploaded it anyway. Here is the new link:

Elements Download

Christmas came with chaos as usual. It was fun, but sorta stressful because I soooo didn't have my crap together this year. UGH. Usually I'm done shopping in October, but this year has been crazier than most. So it was 6pm on December 23rd when I finally *started* my shopping. Nice eh? FYI: I do not recommend this!

Traffic was at a standstill within a 6 block radius of the mall. They were letting one car in for each car that left, and oddly, nobody was leaving. So being the impatient person that I am, I detoured to Linens N Things. Even that place was a zoo - not a good scenario for a crowd-hater! After much perusal, I ended up buying goofy gifts like a crane game, smores maker, slippers, and stuffed snowmen. Uh...none of it was on my list, but at this point I was all about crossing names off and calling it good.

Then at 2am on Christmas Eve morning I went to Walmart and picked through their limited selection to finish up. (Have I ever mentioned how much I like Wally World in the middle of the night? There were only 8 cars in the parking lot - even on Christmas Eve! No unaccompanied minors to trip over, no dumb-ass comments to overhear, no lines, no clueless employees to deal with. Nobody gets in my way, rams into me, asks me for help, or otherwise pisses me off at that hour. It's just me, miles of merchandise, and that sweet sweet self-checkout scanner. Ah peace!)

Once the wares were wrapped, I spent the next 10 hours until our family get-together hating myself. Somehow these "obligatory" gifts didn't hold a candle to the handmade items, photo calendars, and/or albums I've become known for giving my loved ones. I've heard tawdry tales of families who scoff, snicker, or sneer at handmade gifts, but my family appears to cherish them. And nothing is more fulfilling to me at Christmastime than seeing my parents, grandparents, and sisters laugh, cry, and repeatedly gush over the gifts I created just for them. My art is the truest expression of my love for them, and their happiness is worth all the work I usually put into their gifts.

And this year I had the nerve to show up with slippers? WTF? It was so impersonal, ya know? I was REALLY hating myself. So I whipped up some quick photo magnets to give to them. Everything was well-received, and all's well that end's well I guess, but I was still very disappointed in myself. Why? Ugh.

As far as the kids and dh, I thought I fell short there too - in both my intentions and in my [perhaps warped] expectations of myself. I've always gone all out - I can't help it - I love Christmas and I love to make their wishes come true. Usually each kid gets 10-12 gifts and loads of goodies from Santa, and dh gets something he wants. This year. Eh. Notsomuch.

We gave Britt cash and the red sheets she wanted, Noah got a bobblehead, binoculars, and a cell phone. Joe got a microscope, guitar strings, and a cell phone. Amaya got Sing 'n Doodle w/bonus Flip 'n Doodle, a Doodle Bear, a generic dolly, a new bike which I won in a drawing downtown (woohoo!), and a cuuuuute Gymboree outfit. Dh got a nice pair of gloves, a box of chocolates, and a custom coupon book. I got a trip to Florida (more about that in a minute!), and Monopoly Here & Now was the family gift.

Santa was simplistic this year as well. Stockings held nothing more than a small amount of candy (non-Christmas candy cuz it was all sold out oops!), Lip Smackers, gum, stickers, and school supplies. That's IT. Everyone got a few relatively useful gifts - NOT categories and collections and entire series of gifts like in most years past, kwim?

And you know what? When that magical rip-and-squeal moment was finally upon us, the only one who noticed and fretted over the massive scaleback was me. Huh. The kids loved what they got, and not once did I hear the words "That's it?" that I'd mentally prepared myself to hear. Then it also struck me that this entire season nobody has mentioned us not decorating every inch of the house or baking or doing any of the other things I somehow feel pressured to do in the name of "creating traditions".

All these years I've been putting the holiday stress on MYSELF. Why?! Sure, this year I was frazzled for 2 days, but it's better than an entire month of stress and being out a huge wad of cashola.

A revelation? Call it what you will. But wow.

Even Christmas "dinner" was drastically understated. We dined at home on cold turkey sandwiches and munched on an array of yummy appetizers that my awesome sister sent home with us. No cooking! No cleaning! No dishes! We lit a lovely little fire in the fireplace and lazed around watching Christmas movies. It was simple, peaceful, and so very nice. Needless to say, I've definitely rethunk and redefined what Christmas means to "us".

Now...on to the most exciting part....
I'm leaving tomorrow for Fort Lauderdale, FL to spend a week with my mom!!! Yahooooooo!!!!
It was dh's Christmas gift to me and I am thrilled beyond belief! Of course I couldn't help but think of the million other things the money could've been spent on - I'm just a budget-minded kind of girl like that, but ultimately, I realized I deserve a break, and in fact, I really need it!

So.... as I write this I'm waiting for my spring/summer clothes to finish drying and then I'm packing and tomorrow I'm leeeeeeaving on a jet plane (provided my plane isn't delayed due to the blizzard in CO.) I hope to do a whole lotta nothin' for the next week. Then when I get back all tanned and relaxed, the kids will be going back to school, and I can get DSFX transferred to the new server and we'll be on our merry way!

OK....gotta go. So much to do and only 18ish hours left!!!! Wheeeeeeeee!

I hope everyone had a safe and peaceful Christmas! Here's wishing you a prosperous and meaningful 2007!

Wow!

2006-12-12T13:43:00.000-06:00

I honestly didn't expect so many downloads and comments on my In the Spirit freebie kit. Needless to say, I am thrilled and very encouraged by all the love!

I wanted to take the time to address some things and answer a couple questions that came up in comments and email:

1. Until DSFX opens, I will use 4shared for file hosting. For those unfamiliar with 4shared, when you click on the link, a new page comes up and towards the middle/bottom is a blank area and it will say "Loading File Info. Please wait...", then a few seconds later you'll see the download link.
I apologize to those who had a difficult time with the first set of links I provided for In the Spirit - I had no idea zupload would be so slow.

2. No, I had not planned on re-uploading freebies posted here in the past, but I will consider updating them and rotating them through the freebie section when my website opens.

3. No, I do not curently sell my designs anywhere. It's been my plan from day 1 to sell my designs only on my own website. I understand that as a general rule, designers start out at a consignment store before going solo, but I never claimed to be a rule-following kind of girl did I? hehe I'm not saying I'm completely opposed to selling elsewhere, I just want to put all my efforts into my own website right now.

What y'all don't realize is that DSFX has been a vision in the making for quite some time and the website is like 93.2834% finished! And that's not because of me. Without the help of my ultracool digi-friends - mainly Laura, Meghan, and Gary - DSFX would never be soooooo close to becoming a reality. It's not easy being an artist with 4 kids to support, and at times it seemed like the obstacles were so overwhelming it would be much easier for me to give up on the whole project. But they didn't let me. To have friends who believe in your talents THAT much, who do as much as they've done to support MY dream, to continue encouraging me even when I know I was letting them down...well.....that kind of friendship and support is something not too many people are blessed with. I'd be a darned fool to turn my back on them and call it quits. So, I guess my point in this whole snippet of sappiness is that if you enjoy my designs, you have Gary, Laura, and Meghan to thank just as much as me. They are MY inspiration.

4. I intend to offer a full-size monthly kit and other random freebies here on my blog (and later at DSFX) for a long time to come because I feel it's the least I can do to "give back" to the digi-scrappin' community. Although I've never been very public when it comes to posting in forums and galleries, I can assure you that I have downloaded and used PLENTY of freebies from many fabulous digi-designers over the last couple years. This is my way of paying it forward.

5. I not only welcome but truly appreciate constructive feedback on my designs. So feel free to shoot me an email if you've got some thoughts about my creations, questions, or anything else, okey dokey?

I think that covers things for now. :)

Before I go, here's a little peek at an old-fashioned Christmas kit I'm cooking up.... I love Christmas, can you tell? hehe

Toodly doo!

In the Spirit

2006-12-02T16:34:00.000-06:00

Work on the DSFX site and store continues behind the scenes, and suddenly the busy-ness of Christmas is upon us! For the month of December I am pleased to offer all visitors this FREE "In the Spirit" digi kit. I got a little carried away, so it's pretty big. This gift is for old fans and (hopefully!) new fans alike, and to let people know I'm back in action after a 6 month leave of absence.

Here's the previews:

All items not shown in preview.

In The Spirit kit includes:
16 papers, each slightly distressed and textured
3 complete alphabets + 1 set of numbers (& some punctuation)
30+ fun embellishments

If you download, please leave a comment below. And of course if you like this kit, I'd appreciate if you'd refer others to my blog or my website so they can download it for themselves.

Here's the download links: Paper (31 mb) Paper2 (29 mb) Alphas (26 mb) Embellishments (15 mb). Links updated 1/9/07.

Have a safe and exciting holiday season!

ETA: I am thrilled to see that so many will enjoy this! Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments! I changed the download links above to a faster file-sharing server.

~Sheila

Hi!!

2006-11-09T14:44:00.000-06:00

Wow...my password actually worked this time.
Gotta whip my blog back into shape.

Vintage Finds....

2006-06-22T12:47:00.000-06:00

Well, in the 2+ weeks since my last post (oops!) I went to Two Harbors for a week, got DSFX almost ready to open (home page has changed!), planned a bachelorette party, got bronchitis, and lots more stuff...aside from the usual mom-bligations.
But this post is all about my super-cool finds in an antique shop in Two Harbors. I found some really fascinating vintage books, mags, photos, and postcards, and a couple waaaay cool kid's books. Love 'em!!

The b/w ad pics below are just random pages I flipped to, but every single page of the mags are like that - full of amazing artwork (to me anyway)!!! Ooooh the possibilities!! And the articles are some of the best reading I've had in a while....I will share some of them here soon too.

So anyway, here's the pics, you can click to make them bigger...

That's it for now....back to work.
~Sheila

It's Not Always Fun & Games...

2006-06-06T07:53:00.000-06:00

...but the past 5 days it was! Of course with all that playing, I didn't get a lot of digi work done. But it was for good reasons. Actually the BEST reasons in the world! Check it out:

My daughter, son-in-law, and grandson came down for a 5 day surprise visit!! They have never come down for 5 days before - heck we've been lucky to see them for 2 days at Christmas in the past. Needless to say, I wanted to spend every possible moment with them before they went back home late last night. While they were here we went to Como zoo, the beach, shopping, and just hung out and had fun.

We had a few minor jealousy issues while they were here cuz Amaya isn't use to mom and dad loving on another little kid. She wasn't exactly fond of sharing her spot in the center of our universe with her nephew, but overall she did ok (and honestly I think it was good for her). She is so funny though. Just a few weeks ago she would flat-out refuse to look at me for pics...she would run away when she saw me with the camera. But once I started taking pics of Dryst she suddenly turned into a little poser LOL. Every time I turned the camera her way she was waiting with a new pose for me to capture. For this next pic I told her to smile and she said in her best condescending tone of voice "Moooooom! Smiling makes it look too fake! Sheeeeesh!" LMAO!!
So here was her fabulous "candid posed" shot, which I love BTW:

I was trying to take pics from different angles than I usually do. I'll definitely have to do that more often cuz I think they look great. Here's a couple more of my favorites:

And here's one last pic of Amaya, Jackie, Dryst, and Josiah:

Alrighty.....there's serious work to be done this week....so I'm gonna get to it now!

~Sheila

A Backyard View & Screams in the Night

2006-05-11T10:27:00.000-06:00

I love where I live...it's so private and peaceful. We're on a cul-de-sac that backs to 2 blocks of woods. We see all kinds of animals daily and we're treated to nature's beautiful melody 24/7. On the other side of the woods there's all kinds of stores and restaurants. It's perfect for a girl like me. :) Here's some pics looking out my backyard patio door that I took about 20 mins. ago:

It certainly looks private and peaceful, right?

It was. Until last night.

I was lounging in my recliner (about 20 feet directly behind where I was standing when I took these pics) working on my laptop, alone, in the dark, around 2 am this morning. Ahhh...the still of the night. The patio door was wide open, as were all the windows.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I hear these ear-splitting screeches.

I damn near pissed my pants.

After 30 seconds of this terrible sound - vicious snarling combined with soul-searing screams...cries...whimpers for help - dh awoke, came out of the bedroom, and beamed his Maglite out the patio door. We couldn't see anything but we SURE COULD HEAR IT...2 animals fighting and thrashing in the woods maybe 50 feet away. One animal was definitely trying to kill the other.

I couldn't take the sound. I started bawling my eyes out.

Then, my heart stopped.

Kitty.

She hadn't been curled up sleeping on my legs like she usually would be. Where was she?? Had anyone even let her in for the night?? (She loves going outside and does so for hours each day.) I tore through every room of the house in a panic, my heart filling with more fear every second that I couldn't find her. Even if she was sleeping somewhere, she ALWAYS comes when I call her. I checked behind every closed door, and when it was clear she was not in the house or garage, that fear turned into devastation. I was convinced I caused kitty's demise by not making sure she was in for the night. Dh tried consoling me, saying it didn't sound like a cat getting killed. And maybe it was kitty doing the killing, maybe it was a rabbit, and/or maybe she wasn't dead but just hurt a little.

Whatever. I wasn't buying any of it til I saw kitty for myself. I looked around the yard for her for a little bit with no luck (sorry but there was no way I was going up in the woods). Finally I gave up and went to bed. For the next 10 minutes or so we could hear the badly injured animal wailing as it died. I had to close all the windows and turn the tv on because I just couldn't bear to hear it.

This morning I woke up with sadness and dread, wondering how I would tell the kids. Amaya came in my room chattering and I "casually" asked her if she saw kitty today. To my surprise she cheerily replied "Yep I was just petting her in the kitchen." OMG!!!!!!! I ran into the kitchen and sure enough, there was kitty, TOTALLY FINE. I loved on her for a while and checked her over for any injuries before I finally concluded that the screams in the night had nothing to do with her. AMEN!!!!

So, a happy ending to what I thought was going to be an awful story. A predator attacking it's prey - sounds of nature I do NOT want to hear again anytime soon. And you can bet I'll be paranoid about kitty's whereabouts for some time to come. LOL

Here's some of the last pics I took of her in December (yes I need to take new ones). She's such a good kitty. I love her lots (in case you couldn't tell hehe).

(This pic is when she was a baby last summer.)

Anyway..on to other news.......
I bought some actions and other Photoshop goodies that work sweeeeeeet for designing elements. I'm really cranking 'em out this week. You'll get to see the previews when I'm ready to show you hahahahahahaha.

That's all for now :)

Negotiations

2006-05-06T12:53:00.002-06:00

Well....being the master of negotiation that I am, we re-compromised (on the issue in my post below).

The kids are having fun getting wet in the backyard, dh remembered there's a dozen or so shows waiting for him to watch on the TIVO...and..............that means.......I get to work and play on my puter! YAY!!!!!!! AND...........I get to do it in my room...all alone...in my zone. Which means I should be able to focus and get alot accomplished.

Tomorrow though, I MUST turn the laptop off and spend some quality time with them. And we MUST get some housecleaning and laundry done.

I win. For today anyway.

Cya.

Removed From NSD Festivities Against My Will

2006-05-06T11:58:00.000-06:00

Yikes the weekend is already here! And it's NSD to boot!!! Only THE biggest day in the scrapbooking world!!!!!!!

And my family is making me miss it all. Can you believe it??????????

I had planned to work tons and shop and go to chats throughout the entire day and night today. But every member of my family has vetoed that idea, saying the 100-ish hours I've been on my puter this week is enough. They just don't understand how much work I gotta do to get the store open (sooner rather than later please!), OR what a B-I-G deal NSD is. Humph.

Anyway......long story short...we "compromised" and I agreed to keep my laptop closed today - which is HUGE, considering the holiday and everything I gotta do.

So...................it looks like I'm probably going geocaching today. The weather is beautiful here, so I'm sure we'll have a blast once we leave the house and I get work off my brain. I DO love to spend quality time with my sweeties....I'll bring the camera so I can scrap about it later with some of my new papers.

Later gators...

The Brilliance Astounds Me...

2006-04-28T01:23:00.000-06:00

.......warning: some of the following content is seriously gross.......

So I'm sitting here tonight working alone in my bedroom with the door closed, totally in my zone...when all of a sudden I smell THE MOST rotten smell I've ever smelled in my entire life. I mean like 1000 times worse than vomit, and it was so strong and sudden. I jump up from my bed and run into the hallway, and discover my husband literally sucking crap out of the toilet with his wet/dry vac.

WTF?!

Granted, our toilet has been plugged for about 18 hours (we have another one to use). I *thought* dh had called the landlord, who had replaced this toilet a couple weeks ago - supposedly to fix the previous clogging/overflow problem we were having, but it's still happening. It's not our fault either, we're not trying to flush anything that shouldn't be flushed. Heck you could pee and not even wipe and it would get clogged (ewww...not that I'd do that...I'm just sayin').

So anyway dh, being too lazy to go downstairs and use the good toilet, suddenly decided to play plumber, despite the fact that he doesn't know a damn thing about plumbling. Brilliant idea there buddy.

Of course I TOTALLY FREAKED!!!!!

I hustled myself and the kids out to the deck and BEGGED through the screen for dh to come outside for air. I mean c'mon.....really now...do you not realize or simply not care that raw sewage is insanely toxic and the fumes can be lethal within minutes or even seconds when inhaled? (Doesn't everybody know this? Or is this privileged knowledge I only have - because my dad managed our city's wastewater treatment plant when I was growing up?)

I'm such a nerd........for the next hour I sat outside googling cases of sewage fume deaths trying to prove my case to dh, while he pretty much ignored me and tried to convince me he "knows what he's doing" (yep...uh huh...sure honey). I wanted to call the fire department and get a hotel for the night but he kept insisting I was over-reacting. I hope I was but I'm not so sure he didn't mess us all up for life (ok that might be a bit of a stretch).

Fortunately, the toilet seems to work now and the smell is gone (still really faint in the bathroom though) - thanks to me spraying half a bottle of Febreeze throughout the house, and running to Target for a new Filtrete air filter to capture any bacteria in the air. It was sooooooooooooo nasty...I'll never forget that smell. In fact my throat is sore and I can still "taste" the smell in my throat- if that makes any sense. Or maybe it's that sickly overpowering Febreeze smell - Lord knows I used enough of the stuff. Yuk yuk yuk. If I wake up with this sore throat I might go to the dr. to see what he says.

So yeah....that's how exciting my evening got. I think I got extra pissed because it forced me out of my zone and interrupted my work. And I couldn't even stand the smell long enough to snap any butt-crack pics to scrap (just to remind him he's NOT a plumber, if the urge happens to strike him again.)

OK gotta go make sure the kids are breathing and hit the hay.

A Sneak Peak!

2006-04-26T16:06:00.000-06:00

I've been working like crazy designing a bunch of kits and paper packs. Today I finally got around to making some previews, so you can have a little look-see of what's to come...

Both of these are from the Virtues Collection.

Hidden Treasures Found!

2006-04-06T15:05:00.000-06:00

The temps here yesterday finally made it into the balmy 60's. Woohoo! Spring has arrived! Unfortunately I had a mile-high pile of dirty laundry staring me in the face. As I sorted through it, I was continually distracted by the sound of robins chirping happily in the bright sunshine just outside my window. I *knew* I had a dozen household chores to get done, but my longing for fresh air after the long cold winter was too great to squelch. Finally I said to heck with all the chores and told the kids to get ready to go geocaching. Yay!

What is geocaching you might be wondering? It's a high-tech form of treasure hunting. There are thousands upon thousands of treasures hidden in every state and many countries throughout the world, just waiting to be found. In Minnesota alone there are over 3,000, with 966 of them currently hidden within 25 miles of our home. To find them, you enter latitude and longitude coordinates into a GPSr unit, then let the unit guide you to them. The coordinates and clues are posted on the geocaching.com website and are searchable by zip code, state, or country. The actual treasure containers are called "caches", they're weather-proof and come in many forms and sizes. The treasures inside them are called "swag" and, well, let's just say you never know what you might find. LOL! Most caches have at least a dozen or so swag items ranging in value, along with a log book. When you find a cache, you sign the log book with your geocaching.com screen name and the date (and later do the same online), and then you can take 1 or more treasures out and replace them with items of your own that are of equal or greater value. Ocassionally you'll find an extra special item such as a collectible geocoin or a travel bug. Travel bugs are VERY cool. They have a trackable number on them and they're attached to a tag that states what their goal is. For example "I am a travel bug called Crusty the Crab and my goal is to get to Niagara Falls. I'd like to visit as many waterfalls as possible along the way." If you find a travel bug, you can take it as long as you will be able to help it meet it's goal, by placing it in a different cache that gets it closer to it's destination. You also must log in to the geocaching website to let the travel bug's owner know where the bug currently is, and you can see pictures of and read about the bug's entire journey. That's a quick rundown about geocaching, but there's so much more to it (puzzle caches, cache events, contests with BIG treasures like a new car, etc....). If you want to learn more you should visit geocaching.com (make sure to sign up for the forums, which contain a ton of helpful info).

So on with the story of our treasure-hunting adventure...

We got our GPSr just after Christmas but I am NOT a fan of tromping through snow in freezing temps, so we had only been reading and learning about geocaching until yesterday. I had previously entered the coordinates for several caches within 5 miles of us. Six of them were all hidden in one park that we had never been to before - in fact we've lived here for 6 years and I didn't even know that park existed - and it's huge, covering several square miles! We decided that would be our destination.

We got to the park around 4:00, and made our first mistake as soon as we stepped out of our van. We forget to enter the coordinates to mark where we parked! Ooops!! The GPSr said the closest cache was .3 miles away and we were so excited we just started merrily down the first trail we saw. Having never actually used the GPSr unit before, we were amazed at it's capabilities. Not only does it tell you how far away the cache is, it has a compass with an arrow showing you where to go. It also tells you how fast you're walking, how many minutes/seconds it will take you to get there at your current rate of speed, and what time it will be when you get there. It's all in real-time - the information is refreshed with every step you take or turn you make.

We followed a paved trail and then a dirt trail until we were about 25 feet away from the cache, then the GPSr arrow pointed into the woods. We bushwhacked our way down a little hill and it said we were within 5 feet. That's when the real fun began. We started looking under rocks, logs, leaves...knowing it could be anywhere (although geocaching rules state that the cache cannot be buried underground). Finally after 10 mins. or so of searching I FOUND IT! It was an army green ammunition box placed under a fallen log and covered by rocks. The kids started whoopin' and hollerin' and wouldn't quiet down no matter what I said (you're supposed to be secretive about it, so you don't attract the attention of non-geocachers, whom are called "muggles".) Luckily we were in a remote enough area and the park wasn't too busy, so we weren't discovered. Anyway, inside the box we found assorted toys and trinkets, including a tracking bug! The tracking bug said it's goal was to visit as many sites of past Olympic Games as possible, and we figured we could help so Noah took that and Amaya took a stuffed unicorn. They replaced them with a baggie of foreign coins and some seashells from Florida. We read through previous log entries, signed it ourselves, and re-hid the cache exactly as we found it. Score 1 for us!

Onto the next...

The GPSr said the next closest cache was .32 miles away so we headed in the direction it pointed. This time it was along a paved trail that had alot of runners and bikers. We had to figure out how we were going to be secretive with all those muggles around. Hmmm. As we rounded a curve in the trail, the GPSr said we needed to go east (which was left). Luckily, about 40 feet ahead there happened to be a ski trail that went to the left, so we took that and the GPSr showed that we were headed the right way again. But then about 25 yards down the trail there was a huge puddle blocking the path. Uh-oh! As we stood there debating the best way to get across, a snake came slithering out of the mud!! More screams. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough with the camera to snap a pic of the harmless little garden snake, but the kids sure got a thrill out of it. Now, how to cross that puddle...hmmmm. Noah took a running leap and made it mostly across...he got a little muddy but no biggie. I went to one side and told Amaya and Josiah to wait while I tested a little strip of grass poking out of the water. I started tip-toeing gingerly across, and quickly sank about 4 inches into the mud! Eek! With water oozing into my shoes I decided to leap the rest of the way. BAD move. As I jumped my left shoe was sucked right off my foot! I screamed and landed on my right foot, and told Noah to get my shoe as I hopped around trying to keep my balance. The kids thought THAT was hilarious. Having no more hope of keeping ourselves and our outerwear clean, I told Josiah and Amaya just to walk through the puddle. They happily complied.

We travelled a little further along but the GPSr kept pointing off-trail. We stopped when we were still .13 miles from the cache because the trail was taking us further away, and as far as we could tell it just continued on in the wrong direction. Yet there was nothing except swamp and heavy woods where the GPSr arrow pointed. Hmmmm...what to do now? Our shoes were already wet and muddy, so we decided to get real rugged. Off through the swamp and trees we went! About a block later we spotted a new trail (and now the GPSr said we were 354 feet away). As we emerged from the woods there was a lady passing by with her dog. The look she gave us was too funny, like "Where in the h*ll did you guys come from?!" We smiled and headed down the trail, but then as we walked up a steep hill I saw a man approaching us. Maybe I'm a paranoid city girl but as the guy got closer to us my adrenaline started pumping - I was in Mama Bear mode. Luckily the guy was harmless, he said "Hi" as he walked right on by. Whew! At the bottom of the hill the GPSr said we were 14 feet away, so we ventured into the woods again. This time Noah found the cache within 3 minutes, hidden in the crevice of a fallen tree and covered with leaves. The way Noah acted you'd think he had found a million dollars....the boy was literally shaking with excitement! He opened the canister and we checked out the swag - this one didn't have much for kids, but Amaya insisted on taking a little puzzle toy. She added a turquoise hairband, we signed the log, hid the cache, and headed on to the next one.

According to the GPSr, the 3rd cache was only .1 miles away. Cool! We mosied on down the trail until we were about 9 feet away. We had to ease our way through some thorny brush, and then I spotted it (this time a peanut butter jar) inside a rotten log. Amaya and Josiah both took a Minnesota shaped pin, and we added some coins and the puzzle Amaya found in the previous cache.

Three for three - we rock! hehe

The next cache was .37 miles away, so we headed towards it. After a while we came to a T in the trail, but the GPSr said to keep going straight for .31 miles. I wasn't willing to trudge through swamp and woods for 3 blocks so we decided to take the trail to the left with the hope that it would curve back in the direction we needed to go. Of course as we walked the GPSr showed that we were getting further away. It was around this time that it dawned on me that I had NO idea where we were or where our vehicle was. AND, we were all dying of thirst because I had forgotten to bring along bottles of water (yeah...another brilliant blonde move). I was slightly concerned, so I told the kids we were going to stay on the trail for a while, regardless of where the GPSr said the cache was. Finally we came to a trail crossing, and there happened to be a sign with a map. Yeah! We weren't lost anymore! It showed that the parking lot was nearby, so we decided to go to the van for a drink before heading back out to hunt for more treasure. As we sat in the van my feet began throbbing like crazy. We were also very hungry, and it was a little after 7pm so I knew it would be dark soon. Considering that the closest cache was now .57 miles away, I decided we were done for the day. Oh. My. Gosh. You'd think I had just told the kids there would be no more Christmas or Easter. They did NOT want to go home! They'd caught a BAD case of geocaching fever! LOL! I assured them we'd come back soon to find the other caches in that park, and we left.

When we got home we ate dinner, then logged our finds. We also read through the travel bug's log and watched an animation of it's entire journey on Google Earth. Very cool! The boys researched past Olympic Games sites, then we told the bug owner that we'll place the bug soon in a cache that gets it closer to Calgary Canada, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics. Then the boys browsed through all the caches listed so they could plot and plan that and future journeys.

When Scott got home from work he was instantly bombarded by the kids telling him all about our adventure...

Josiah said "I figured it would be fun, but I had no idea it would be THAT fun!! It's the best thing in the world!"

Noah told him "It was so exciting seeing how we got closer with every step, and then trying to figure out where it might be once we were in the right area. And there's no words to describe how awesome it was each time we found one - it was kind of like feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, but a thousand times better. I just can't explain it."

Amaya's tales were all about the actual treasures she got, the snakes and squirrels, and jumping in the mud. LOL

I totally agree with Josiah. I figured it would be fun, but had no idea it would be THAT fun. For me, it was all about the incredibly positive journey we took, rather than the destinations we reached.

It was absolutely wonderful...
...Seeing the kids excitement level so high, and sustained for so long.
...Seeing them use their reasoning/thinking skills to come up with suggestions about how to overcome different obstacles we encountered.
...Listening to them speculate about what kind of treasures they might find.
...Watching their eyes light up when they spotted and tried to identify animals, assorted trees and plants, and unusual rocks. (Mom, I think this one is a fossil!)
..."Hearing" them be utterly silent so they could listen to the frogs and birds and many other sounds of nature.
...Talking with them about everything under the sun for over 3 hours straight without the distraction of phones or tv.
...Listening to them strategize and come up with ideas for creating and hiding their own caches in the future.
...Seeing the look of deep concentration on their faces as they calculated time and distance in their heads (just to make sure the GPSr was correct LOL).
...Watching them experiment with the compass, clock, sun, and moon in an effort to fully comprehend the concepts of time and space and understand how the galaxy works.
...Feeling the sunshine upon our faces in contrast to the breeze at our backs as we breathed an unlimited supply of fresh, pure spring air.
...Knowing we were doing something good for our bodies instead of laying around the house (we walked a total of 4.27 miles!)
...Hearing the animated joy in the kids' voices as they retold their experience, and discovering what each one considered the highlights of the day to be.
...Enjoying a 3 hour block of complete peace and harmony - cuz the kids didn't fight or whine even once (can't remember when they have EVER done that!!!).
...Hearing them beg to do something educational online afterwards, rather than play games, and seeing them happily absorb even more knowledge.
...Not having to justify costs or juggle the budget to spend quality time together away from home (could there be any better free activity available 24/7?!).

I could go on and on about how wonderful it was but this post has gotten long enough. Obviously I am beyond thrilled to have discovered the sport of geocaching and can say that we'll definitely be doing plenty more of it in the future. No book could ever teach me or my kids all the great things we learned about the world, ourselves, and each other yesterday. The treasures we discovered were far greater than the items placed in the caches. Our adventure was - quite simply - priceless.

I'd recommend this sport to anyone and everyone. Try it and see if you don't become hooked too!

TTFN...

~Sheila

Top 'O The Morning To You!

2006-03-17T10:09:00.000-06:00

Being Irish I couldn't resist creating a freebie kit for you with a St. Patrick's Day theme. I've called it O'Ireland....

I hope you like it! If you download, all I ask is that you leave a comment.
Here's the download links:

Click here to download the Papers (12 mb)

Click here to download the Elements (4 mb)

I leave you now with one of my favorite Irish Blessings...

May the light always find you on a dreary day.
When you need to be home, may you find your way.
May you always have courage to take a chance
And never find frogs in your underpants!!

~Sheila

Family Flop Night

2006-03-03T21:27:00.000-06:00

Ummm yeah I've been a major slacker as far as this blog is concerned. Gotta improve on that!!

I hate to be a negative nelly but that's what I'm feeling like right now. We just got home from the annual Family Fun Night at my son's elementary school, which is usually a BLAST. But this year...IT TOTALLY SUCKED (and I wasn't the only one who thought so). By the end of the evening, not only was I disappointed, I was downright pissed. Here's a few reasons why:

1. There's a silent auction...each classroom puts together a theme basket, plus lots of local businesses donate stuff. In the past this has been a huge success, with so many bids on most items that both sides of the bidding sheets were filled - it raised a lot of money for the school. This year they decided to implement minimum bids, and the minimums were completely outrageous! With a little less than an hour to go, approximately 1/3 of the items had NO bids at all and most other items had just a handful of bids. To me that's stupid. All the stuff was donated, so ANY money made is a profit for the school. But if there is no bids at all, that means the school doesn't make anything, and they're stuck with the stuff. Stupid I say, stupid.

2. They eliminated at least half the games, which resulted in 1/2 hour + wait times to play the few games they did have. LOTS of unhappy, impatient, crying little kids. (It didn't help that a whole lotta kids ran wild all night and cut in line and wouldn't listen when told to go to the back - the people running the games just let them do it.) And, had I known there were hardly any games, I wouldn't have bought $50 worth of tickets!! By the end of the night we still had about $30 in tickets left that got wasted. In the past, if you had tickets left at the end you could buy candy/pizza/dilly bars to take home so the tickets weren't wasted. This year they shut down the cafeteria an hour before close with no notice, and they kept all the leftover stuff rather than sell it. OK fine...I was annoyed but whatever. What REALLY pissed me off though was there were numerous signs saying no refunds on tickets (totally understandable), but I watched left and right as friends and family of the people running the ticket booths got *their* money back. GRRRRRRRRR. After watching 10 or so of these refunds take place I myself inquired about getting half of my money back. The lady said "Nope but thanks for the donation!" This was the same lady who 2 hours earlier was kissing my butt - telling me I was her biggest sale of the night. Whatevah.

3. They also did away with the face painting, moonwalk, and the very popular "stuffed animal cake walk". The cake walk ticked me off because a month ago I donated a huge bin full of new beanie babies JUST for this purpose (they asked in their newsletter, and I delivered). What in the heck did they do with the beanie babies I wonder?? Hmmmmm.

4. The prizes were a joke. In the past they'd order cool prize assortments so kids could pick their prizes. AND there was always consolation prizes too. Not this year! This year the prizes were little stuffed zebras, bouncy balls, and tattoos. That's it. NO variety whatsoever. And NO consolation prizes. Guess how many tears were shed over that. Huh.

5. In the cafeteria they had the walls plastered with pictures of hamburgers, french fries, cotton candy, and ice cream sundaes. But they weren't selling ANY of those items! The choices were hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, lemonade, and coffee (and oddly enough there were NO pictures of *those* items). Ever try explaining to a 4 year old that there IS NO french fries or ice cream no matter *what* all the signs say? Ugh. And what happened to all the great food choices in the past?

6. This year they decided not to have open gym, instead they had bingo in the gym. OK great. And the adult prizes were AWESOME!! But all the blatant cheating MADE ME SICK. Not only were lots of adults cheating, they were encouraging their kids to do so as well!! Seriously I walked away...I couldn't stand it. (and guess what the kids' prizes were? If you guessed stuffed zebras and bouncy balls you win!!)

7. More of the cheating....the people running the games made sure their friends and family won over and over. Everyone else....too bad so sad. Right before we left I had "words" with the lady overseeing the baked items for the real cake walk. My son finally won and when he went to collect she didn't realize I was standing there and she tried telling him he could choose from an oatmeal cream pie or a swiss cake roll (not a box of them, a single one). She said the packages of muffins, cookies, cakes, etc. from the local bakery were off limits. I DON'T THINK SO!!!!!! I stepped in and asked her why - she got all red in the face and said "Oh I thought he won a bunch of times already." to which I replied "Ummm...no....all he has in his hands are 3 stuffed zebras and 2 bouncy balls. He's been trying to win cookies all night!" I know she felt like an ass but at this point I was fed up with the whole ordeal and frankly I didn't give a damn. We got our cookies! hehe

That pretty much sums it up. I feel like writing a letter to the PTA and asking them if they need help pulling their heads out of their asses, because this whole event was a huge flop as far as I'm concerned. I can honestly say that I think I could have organized it better all by myself. On the other hand though, I know I sound stupid for bitching about it at all when I didn't participate in the planning this time (due to my illness this past year). And overall if it made money for the school that's a good thing (yes I know I complained about my leftover tickets but if everything else had been done right I wouldn't have minded.) Really though, I can't stop wondering how an entire team of moms could make such a huge mess of the biggest event of the year.

Vent over now. Lemme know if you need any stuffed zebras. :P

My Favorite Things

2006-02-01T04:16:00.000-06:00

I participate in a Fan Club dedicated to Mo Jackson, one of my all-time favorite designers. Yesterday one of the members issued a challenge, to create a layout inspired by a Motown tune. I chose the song My Favorite Things by The Supremes.

Of course, all elements are by Mo.
The journaling says:

Gardens of tulips and babbling brooks
Rainbows in springtime and paperback books
White sandy beaches and old tire swings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cozy fleece blankets and warm flannel sheets
Hot cheesy pizza and chocolate treats
Well worn Levi’s and cashmere stockings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Delicate butterflies and clear starry nights
The smell of patchouli and twinkling lights
Silver and turquoise and diamond earrings
These are a few of my favorite things.

A baby’s first cry and summer parades
My childrens’ smiles and all things homemade
Open air concerts and Kandinsky paintings
These are a few of my favorite things...

Ok, I admit it is a tad cheesy, but hey, it rhymes!

This challenge was just what I needed after a long busy day. It was fun to forget about everything I was *supposed* to be doing and just spend time doing something I *wanted* to be doing.

Off to bed....bye bye for now!

All You Need Is Love...

2006-01-13T03:06:00.000-06:00

...and it just so happens that I've got some love for you in time for Valentine's Day!

Here's the download links.

Click here to download the Papers

Click here to download the Elements

Click here to download the Alpha

Links are valid until bandwidth is exceeded, at which time I may or may not renew them. Your feedback - good or bad - is much appreciated!
Have a freaky Friday :)

ETA: New download link posted at 12:30 am CST 1/26/06...should be good for a while. This is it!

~Sheila

Welcome...

2006-01-13T02:37:00.000-06:00

Hey there! My name is Sheila, and I'm here to share with you my love for photography and digital scrapbooking.

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to become a digital scrapbook designer instead of a "dabbler", and I've made this my starting point. I will offer free kits here from time to time, and all I ask in return is a little bit of feedback/suggestions either by email or here in my blog.

A little background....I've been a paper scrapbooker for about 3 years. I developed and have been administering a paper scrapbooking website for the last year. However, I fell in love with digital scrapbooking in May 2005 and am about 95% converted to digital now. I recently handed over the reigns of my paper scrapbooking site so I could focus on developing digital designs, and well...here you are!

Everyone I have "met" in the digital scrapbooking community has been so kind and helpful. I look forward to getting to know you all better (and vice versa), and I also hope you enjoy my designs.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Sheila