Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!

Tomorrow is my official anniversary, but we started celebrating on Friday because I pitched a hissy fit that I was going to be selfish. I was going to take the time to properly have some fun and celebrate and if my children didn't like it, too doggone bad. You see, my teen angel (normally) threw a world class dramatic melt-down to end all melt-downs because of how awful we were to want to actually go out when she had hit us up at the last minute to go hang at the mall with friends.

If we did this all the time, I can see some reason in her argument. In reality, my hubby and I go out maybe once for every 10 times this child hangs out with friends, goes to the movies, goes out to eat, spends the night elsewhere or has an entire house full of eating teenagers over.

Once her voice got to a certain pitch and her argument had begun to go off in stream of consciousness tandems, I shocked her silent with my own little meltdown. We were going out, in fact, we might go out for every meal until the stroke of midnight on October 1st, but get over it, we were getting out of Dodge with or without her goodwill.

I must tell you, it's been a simply delicious weekend (insert wicked grin here). Friday evening, we drove up to Gettysburg on a whim. Hopped out of the car and started wondering around. Of course, it's evening, so my favorite pasttime is out: shopping. We did turn the corner to see the lights of the Majestic Theater and a show starting at 7 o'clock. We look at our watches. Hmm, it's 7 o'clock! For $7.00 each, we were ushered by swanky folk into our theater to see a terribly naughty British film called "Death at a Funeral" through which we laughed so hard, we cried. We sat in a love-seat type of chair! Tim didn't realize that I love Alan Tudyk from watching Firefly, so I was very excited to see this flick. Completely unpolitically correct and a poke at all the manners & decorum expected at a funeral=Super Fun!

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and our luck was running well since the youngest preteen angel's soccer game wasn't until 3 o'clock. We packed some water, sodas and energy bars and headed out to Johnsville's Ruritan for an auction. I had really wanted to go to this auction to bid on a set of old Post Office boxes (they went for a huge sum, so no-go), but after scoping out the offerings, we decided to stay. Since there were 2 auctioneers going at the same time, we each got a number and split up. I must have good taste because some of my favorite prospects went for more than I was willing to bid, but I stuck it out. Plus, this is my maybe twice yearly tasting of the local church ladies' red velvet cake. Girlfriend, it was gooooood!

Here are a few photos of my finds. Not everything is here. Hard to get the old sled up on the table and I couldn't include all the instant relatives (old photos), vintage books, record covers, postcards and Christmas decor, so I got as much as I could in the photos.

Best finds were a 1886 store ledger, a large McCoy planter, a hand-tied quilt, boxes of Instant Ancestors, a Coats & Clark zipper display and the vintage sled. All in all, it was a cheap date. We usually don't buy it unless we'll use it. If you see our house, you'll realize, that yes, this really IS our house. Full of vintage, old stuff. I was singing a happy song the entire way home!

Last night, we went out again! Fave Mexican place and it was goooood.

Guess what? We're going out AGAIN tonight! Aren't we bad? Celebrating our anniversary doing some of our favorite things?

More journal pages coming soon, but had to get the auction finds posted before everything found a home! All that walking and auctioning got my steps in. How are you doing as we head into the home stretch of this 21 days?

Rolling, rolling, rolling along

I was reading Rhonna say that this week is the hardest and you know what? She's right, dadblastitall! What is it about my human nature that is so short-sighted that it want to just give it up after one measly week. Tell me I'm not alone?!? Being able to see all the other 21 Challenge participants who are still valiantly charging forward with change is a huge encouragement to me and one of the reasons that for 2 days this week when I was far short of my 10,000 steps goal, I stepped outside and went for some long walks at night. I made my goal and felt better for it. Slept better too!

While I've been in the studio, altering away at this journal, I've also been purging the supply. I'm almost mortified to write that I have several inches of paper waiting for a scrapbook yard sale. Several inches! The kicker, my remaining paper supply looks just as robust and untouched as ever. I think I merely served to give the rest of the paper room to breath. And the embellishments & stickers that at one point I just had to have! I am a scrapbooking/stamping/shopping fool. (mental image inserted here: beating self with wet noodle)

Now that the week is at it's peak and on the way back down the mountain again, I'm feeling more in the groove of both my 21 Challenge goals and letting myself have fun with the art journaling (amidst a somewhat less crowded space). But, how could I forget, today is Friendship Day in our tiny town of Walkersville!

Happy Friendship day to all of you! Every year, our town celebrates by giving away roses. You stop in at the local florist where they give you a dozen long stemmed. You can keep one for yourself and then you are given the task to give the other eleven away as a gesture of appreciation and friendship. I love it! This just adds charm to the town where my mayor (a burgess rather) owns the teensie feedstore down the street, there's a men's only domino game weekly at said feedstore (lest they offend the women with their language) and he sits on the porch dressed in his finest flannel making sure we aren't driving too fast on his turf. I nearly forgot this tradition until I was given a rose myself, so I marched myself down the street and picked up a dozen (along with some candles, a pumpkin and the sweetest spooky cat decoration). They even wrapped them up for me!

Since I can't knock on your door or lean over the back fence, pick a rose. Happy Friendship Day (in Walkersville)!

From John Cusack to Epictetus & back again

For this 21 Challenge entry, I finally used the quote Rhonna had up on her site because 1)it's a good one and 2)it's from Epictetus. My odd intro to Epictetus was not though a philosophy class in college, but through a little chick flick called "Serendipity". Jeremy Piven as John Cusack's most perfect brother from another mother role quotes Epictetus "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid". How apt for so many times in life! How often have we set out upon a new journey, path, job or hobby only to be thought foolish or stupid? If that is the case, then I'm quite happy to play the fool during this 21 day challenge.

And while I'm aware that the road to enlightenment usually doesn't begin with a John Cusack movie, admit it, many of us (esp 80's girls) would pretty much watch whatever the man appears in. He's the quintessential nice guy. Not the hunkiest guy or the smartest. But the one who wins our heart through his angst and earnestness. To this day, if I'm channel surfing, I will drop all commitments to watch "Say Anything". Lloyd Dobbler holding up that boom box with "In Your Eyes" playing makes my heart melt every single time. I still give a little shout of joy during the couple of scenes he's in "Sixteen Candles". That's how big of a geek fan I am.

Working the Plan

This massive group effort by people all over the world to take up the 21 Challenge makes it so much easier to fulfill my end of the deal. I don't wan to disappoint my fellow challengers (just like a woman, eh?). I've been able to start checking out some of the blogs and 'inspired' doesn't quite describe the feeling I come away with. I think if we give ourselves a moment, we can grasp a sense of joining in the extraordinary. Not that anything we're doing is, in itself, extraordinary, but that our collective purpose elevates what would be an individual struggle to a larger march to a greater good.

And no, we're not talking about life coaching which incidentally, is what women have already been doing since children were born into this world. We're talking about cheering each other on and even more importantly cheering ourselves on. All too often, I lean into the habit of beating myself up over some failure, shortcoming or perceived slight. It's sad that at moments, I have difficulty putting the pen to paper to pat myself on the back for a job well done.

One of my added hopes over this 21 days is that the thoughts will flow easier and more gently into the journal, without hesitation and with great self-acceptance. After all, who wouldn't like a little cheerleader shouting "Yeah Me!" in their corner?

P.S. Happy Birthday to two very special new babies in this world Samantha and Mikayla! Girls, you are going to be so entirely loved and spoiled by an incredible family.

Yeah Baby!

Had a seriously rocking time at Creative Escape. I cannot tell you the creative high I am still flying upon. Just in time too. I was beginning to think the mojo had left the building for good. Instead, I really feel that the sporadic time spent in my studio just didn't put enough creative kindling into the artistic fire. In order to fuel it, it must be stoked regularly.

This is why I'm happy dancing over the opportunity to bring one of my CE classes home and translate it into an ongoing art project that ties into my continuing efforts to lose weight. Rhonna Farrer taught a class called the 21 Challenge where we began working on an art journal to record our efforts to make/break a habit in 21 Days. What could be more perfect than a combo project that ties my love of artsy fartsy with my angst of losing weight? (duh, nothing!)

The bulk of the journal was finished at home after the Pony Express, er, Fed Ex delivered all my fun Creative Escape goodness. I followed the basic Rhonna formula to lay down the basic and can't wait to play it up over the course of these next 3 weeks.

My personal challenge? To get at least 10,000 steps in a day in addition to working out 4 days a week. In short, to get off my tush and MOVE. So far, so good. I have come to realize that if it weren't for my Weight Watcher pedometer, I'd be seriously overshooting my step count. It's a long walk to 10,000 steps! Fortunately today was official shopping day which has brought my step count to over 18,000 for the day.

Another bonus to working on the journal every day is that I'm already in the studio which makes staying there easier. More creating possibilities abound! Thus, I finished a couple of Bingo Beauties. They may end up on Etsy. Maybe not. I enjoy looking at them. For some odd reason, they tickle and delight me and my dh keeps trying to cover their bosoms up which makes me smile even more.

Sorry for the poor quality on the journal pics. I need to get into another habit of taking these photos during the magic daylight hour instead of evening.

BTW, weigh in was today and surprisingly, I posted a loss. I thought the Creative Escape 'diet' was going to do me in for at least a couple of weeks!

Who are these women?

You know the ones. They always have their act together. Perfectly coiffed, accessorized, Starbucks in one hand, double stroller in the other. Just get off work and after taking a mini version of themselves, only with bows, to the lesson for the day, they run home to whip up a souffle before reading Pilgrim's Progress to the baby at 8p.m. just in time to get a foot massage from their metrosexual, stunningly hot GQ mate. Can't forget that this uber-woman also has a teenager who gets straight A's, never talks back, has talent scouts knocking at their door for elite universities AND manages to volunteer at all the right charities. Whew, I'm wiped out just thinking about it.

I'll tell ya where all these women are. They've been at the Back to School nights this week making me feel like I'd just stepped out of the pages of the Mosted Wanted fliers at the Post Office! Me? Black t-shirt decorated with white cat hair and guacamole. Hair in two ponytails that had long past their 'cute' moment somewhere around 9:30a.m. when I slammed on the brakes for someone who obviously felt that turning should be accompanied by a full stop with time to consult a map. In the middle of a highway! No make-up at all. Lost that coming home from a friend's house because my air in the car putzed out on me. Well, maybe a teensie bit of make-up. Mascara, making me look like a flesh eating zombie in a B-horror movie.

Not only do I look a fright. I manage to completely mortify my daughter by suggesting we ride our bicycles to the school rather than dealing with the parking. Smooth move I thought, as I licked my fingers and slathered my cowlick back into submission. We're coasting down the sidewalks, narrowly missing recycling bins and elderly women helping their even more elderly mothers out of the car, no problem right?

Only I'm not the greatest at riding a bike. It requires physical movement and my big behind on a seat that really is a joke. Who thought a little black triangle with no padding was a good idea anyway? Maybe Lance Armstrong with his biking buns of steel.

There's a speed bump on the little road leading up the back way to school and when my daughter zooms over it, I fly behind her, hit that bump and feel the ghosts of pregnancy hemmorhoids past threatening to make a comeback. My butt burns, my lungs burn, my cowlick is doing a good impression of There's Something About Mary, but at last, we get there.

I march my huffing, puffing self in to the cafeteria and my daughter take a look at me, sizing up my obviously lacking appearance. I'm sure I didn't imagine her taking a small sniff near my armpit region and she takes a few slow steps away. Towards a pretty, perfect Mommy figure. When I scoot over towards her, she hisses at me that she's dying of hunger because I didn't exactly get around to putting a nutritious dinner on the table beforehand and the high fructose corn syrup laden excuse for a granola bar I had handed her a 1/2 hour earlier had long since passed the sugar crash stage leaving me with a pre-teen attitude machine.

All eyes are upon us and I just have to wonder how do they do it all? They just look, well, just so. Ya know? Administration is not my gift. Chaos seems to be my natural bent and while I know routine is good for me and my children (as my beleaguered hubby often throws up his hands at our impromptu picnics around the coffee table with card games), but darn it, I'm just not wired to have all my ducks in a row at one time.

I was relieved to find out that most of the teachers seem not only competent, but normal looking with the odd wrinkle on a dress shirt, tousled hair, wonky lip liner or bless their heart, one of them even looked to have a ketchup stain.

I felt better riding my torture device, um, bike back home to my imperfect house with my imperfect yard and finding my hot, but most definitely imperfect husband unloading the groceries I was too lazy to get out of my car earlier. Sure, my teenager talked back and did NOT volunteer to do the dishes. She got drafted to do them. My pre-teen balked at being offered real food (tacos are real, aren't they?) instead of a tattoo-tongue dying fruit roll, but she ate it.

Going to bed, I paused by my son's now empty room. Wishing for a chance to yell at him to turn his stereo down, but knowing that he was probably at school playing video games with his roomies when he should be doing his freshman seminar homework. At least he calls when he needs something. And that's something.

I am still NOT packed to go the Creative Escape, but I'm darn sure READY to go to Creative Escape. They sent us chipboard travel journals. After a summer of barely a moment spent in the studio space, I finally hauled myself down there to do a little decorating on mine. Imperfect, sure, but it's something. And I like that something.

Summer Lovin'

Where has the summer gone?
I can't deny I'm ready for Autumn, but I'm incredibly sad to see what used to be the lazy daze of Summer about to wave good-bye.
I've had such good intentions of posting regularly, reading regularly. I even had scads and scads of witty repartee to impart. But, alas, intentions are only intentions without action, aren't they?

This has been a Summer of....
first serious(kinda) relationships for my two oldest children, real heartache among their friends, health scares for some of my friends (a reminder that my daily pitiful complaints are oh, so petty), an amazing Creation Festival with an outstanding group of teenagers (not to mention that the adults became wayyy too comfortable laughing until we cried over bodily functions, porta-potties and do girls really fart, ahem, they do), the annual battle of Japanese Beetle vs. hapless hubby, a boy calling my youngest daughter (!!!!), regular trips to Chubby's BBQ for a Southern food fix, poring over a ginormous stack of must-do's for my oldest to go to college, a lengthy trip to Alaska where my crew was loved on by a wonderful Evangelical Baptist church filled with spunky elderly women who fed us until we nearly burst( sang to us, prayed over us, while we shimmied up to give them a new roof), hey~I roofed, I got up there and pounded it (go me!), worked with a great group of young people and adults from Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, New Mexico, Maryland and Massachusetts, got a rare glimpse of Mt. McKinley's summit, saw glaciers which are an amazing blue hue, sent mail back home from North Pole, AK, started Weight Watchers which is by, turns, either wonderful or spiteful depending upon whether I'm retaining water or the scale is being hateful or I've had a crazy wild drop on weight, got into business with a dear friend of mine (we share a birthday, holla Susan!) and am tentatively feeling my way through it all, picked out paint for the stairway and entryway which I'm hoping to tackle once school starts, AM DROPPING MY OLDEST AT COLLEGE ON SUNDAY (dayum I'm old), celebrating my birthday on Monday, my daughter's on Tuesday and my husband's a week after that, soccer practice is underway and I'm getting entirely too girly, giggly excited about my upcoming trip to Phoenix for Creative Escape (really, we're going to have such a good time, it should be illegal. In fact, I'm certain that in the town I went to HS in, it probably is).

Yes, it happened so fast.