All in One Day

So, tomorrow (Thursday), I start the morning off at the dentist. A new dentist at that, as my wonderful dentist determined she didn't like dentistry and went back to architecture school. So, new dentist, and I have a tooth that aches. Ugh. How embarrassing! When visiting a new dentist I like to have my teeth nice and healthy. But, here's the kicker part. After I leave that office I get to trot right over to the Gyn. office for my annual. So, can you imagine a nicer day? Me either. My Studio Calico kit better come tomorrow because I'm going to need the pick me up after a morning like I'm planning. Actually, it wasn't a plan, it just sort of happened. It is so hard to get appointments with the Gyn, that I set that up months ago. And when I called the new dentist she only had that Thursday a.m. appointment available or wait until next week. Given the ache, I figured I'd better go for it. So, there I am. Oh yeah, forgot to say, my 8 year old son is going with me - not into the exam room, but to the appointments. So. Relaxing. Would. Not. Ask. For. It. To. Be. Any. Other. Way. Have a nice day! :-)

Black and White

I am giving a lot of thought to black and white lately.

Both literally and figuratively.

It has me pensive as I watch black and white (either/or) thinking bring about a lot of hurt.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that there are no absolutes in life. Quite the opposite.

I think there is a right and a wrong, no question, and it is universal - none of this post-modern relativism for me. I do not ascribe to a world view that says "there is what's right and wrong for me, and then there is what is right and wrong for you. " I believe in a God who defined right and wrong universally and with authority, and I do not question his definitions.

I'm thinking more about how we treat each other. Either people are all good or their are all bad. If a good person does something wrong we don't know how to handle it - reject the person or stop thinking the behavior is wrong. If a "bad" person does something good we tear it down, degrade it, and reject it, even though the action is inherently good.

I'm seeing this acted out with people we know, and the result is so sad.

Why are we not able to love the person even if we hate the sin?

Well, now that I got that off my chest, time to cheer up a little and quick!

Keeping with the black and white theme, here are my guys in black and white for you.



Sorry no layouts or projects today. Maybe tomorrow or Friday if I get the time.

ARGHHHHHHH!

Still morning, and the day is not off to the greatest of starts. Source of frustrations are two-fold: My eight-year-old and my own disorganization. Not really related sources, but both bombarding me at once. Since I have a policy not to vent about my son, suffice it to say that we are having some issues that are normal, but that push my buttons. As for the disorganization, I found two tasks that I forgot about that I need to do, and the reason I forgot about them originally is because they are the kinds of things I like to procrastinate about. So, I need to bite the bullet and get them done.

So, to cheer myself up, I'm posting some layouts I've done this past week. None of them are super fantastic my greatest work kind of thing, but that's okay. I think I like them anyway. Two of them leave me feeling like they need something more, but I don't know what, so I'm leaving them simple until/unless I figure something specific for them.

Made with my June Studio Calico kit combine with some of my stash. Journaling reads: Our annual camping trip to Teton in the fall is a highlight of the year for all of us.

This one is almost all the SC kit - just added the flower. Journaling reads: The day of his wedding Grandpa joined us for a picnic breakfast on the beach. It was a special time of togetherness before the big crowd of the day. Moss Landing Beach, CA

Again, almost all the SC kit. The journaling reads: Jansse was determined to ride on this "tractor" as soon as he saw it. He ran down the steep drive to get to it, falling and skidding on his face. It looked so painful, but he did not let it upset his joy. Happy boy.

Enjoy your day!

A Walk and a Waterfall

We headed up Hyalite to do a picnic dinner and a hike last night, just the three of us.

We've never seen the reservoir so full. Since we had a bit of a late start (got there after 6:30 p.m.) we ate first, and blew a few bubbles just for the heck of it.

The we headed up the trail. Jansse started out grumbling a bit and being poky, but once he found a walking stick everything changed. Imagination kicked in and he was looking for snakes, fighting battles and leading the charge. Amazing what one little piece of wood can do.

Before you get to the falls there is a large scree field where people stack rocks to make bits of sculpture. So, we joined the fun. Jansse built two or three structures, all of the smaller variety, but requiring some balancing of rocks.
Then we got all the way to the falls. They were rushing! LOUD! And beautiful.. Just below the falls is a log across the creek, so of course . . .
Makes a momma nervous!

Also have one more layout to share from this weekend. It was fun to do, and is for a class in the next couple of months at Keepsakes by Design.

Happy Monday!

Random Fourth Stuff

Hope you all had a great fourth! We certainly did. But after such a late night, we're off to a slow start today! The guys are still sleeping!

Our boy in his flag shirt! He was very proud to have a flag shirt for the fourth. Okay, the battle over eating fruit continues. Five cherries, that's all I asked. He balked and whined and complained. Did you know that cherries are the ten million doubled worst fruit in the world?
Yep, that's what he said. But, after eating them he said that maybe every time he eats them he gets a little like for them, and in three more tries he might actually like them. If it takes twenty minutes of complaining first every time I'll be frustrated, but I am determined. If it is a battle of wills, I win! He will eat fruit every day, an not just bananas. So there!

Got out the new scanner and scanned a couple of test photos. Here I am, I think about 2 1/2 years old, at my grandma's in what passed very well as a swimming pool for me, thank you!

I'm excited to have a scanner so I can make these kind of photos available for scrapbooking.

Speaking of scrapbooking, I got to do some yesterday. Here is one of the two layouts I finished. This one is for a class at Keepsakes by Design. I saw a digital page very similar, and did my best to replicate the digital elements with traditional stuff. Pretty pleased. It's a bit more girly than I usually do. The photo is me with my friend Sandy at her wedding.

Here is an up close look at some of the elements.
We did go see a wonderful fireworks show at our friends house - thanks Thompsons! It was fun to see so many wonderful people and to meet some new ones. The kids played and played on an inflatable water slide and a trampoline, so Jansse was pretty sure it was the coolest thing ever - and there were even boys there to play with this year!

Again, hope you had a fabulous celebrations of Independence Day.

Photo review of the day.

I woke up early to this:

Pretty much knew it was going to be a haul my camera around with me type of day. Glad it was.

The apple trees are loaded with these little puppies. Come mid to late September I'll be busy making sauce with them - not the right texture to just eat, but good flavor for cooking!
The end of the lilacs. It seems they found out it was July, realized that June is Lilac season and just turned brown in less than 48 hours! Can't wait for them to come back next year!
Proof that my son really is entertained by boxes - even at the age of eight!

I think these might be noxious weeds. I've heard them called Mexican Sunflowers, but I'm not sure if that was a racist joke or a real name for them. Anyway, although I don't like them in my yard, they do make spectacular balls of fluff to photograph. Got this one on my walk this evening.
The wild roses are starting to bloom - just as the lilacs go out! Beautiful pinks! These roses seem to grow on everybody else's property, but not on mine. Not sure why, but trying to solve that mystery and invite some of them to live in my yard. But, once they bloom, that is it for the year - a short but beautiful display of little flowers.

Another rose seen on my walk, in a drainage ditch, of all places. I see beautiful yellow roses around this county all the time, but I've tried two of them so far and so far killed them both. Not sure what the deal is. Perhaps the third time will be the charm, but I'm afraid to do that and waste my money yet again. Still thinking about that one, although I do love this rose - and the bush gets huge and has flowers for a long time!
Did you know grass blooms? I realized it, but didn't realize just how many different forms of blooms various grasses have. Amazing!

Here's my boy wearing his new biking helmet - Bo ate the other one. Shame on Bo! At 10 months old he is so huge I forget he is still just a puppy. But the new blue helmet matches my little guy's eyes so well I almost don't mind the ten bucks I had to spend - well, almost.

And these are something I walk by every time we do a run/walk/ride as a family. I don't know why the rancher has them displayed like this. I wish I could take better pictures, but I was trespassing to get this photo as it is. Just a curiosity I guess.

Got a lot done today! Exercised (twice!), menu planned, finished the law office billing, grocery shopped, ran a couple of errands, cleaned bathrooms, mopped the kitchen floor, swept other floors, found an old dessert recipe from my childhood church potlucks that I want to make for the fourth, perused various blogs, made sea scallops for dinner, and made this layout.

So, a productive day. Now, time for bed before it's tomorrow already!

Busy Day!

When I signed up for 8:15 a.m. swim lessons it was still the school year, and being to the pool ten minutes from home seemed possible since we left for school at 8 a.m. every morning without any trouble. Well, here we are in the summer, and it is a challenge to get the boy up and at'em so early. But we did it today! And he even was able to enjoy his 45 minutes of one on one time with Fran, the strict but wonderful swim teacher!

Then he spent most of the rest of the day with a friend because Andy had court, and I was working for a friend at the scrapbook store so she could have her wedding anniversary off. It was not very busy as far as the number of customers, but I was busy putting product away and then re-doing displays. Lots of moving whole lines of product to new places, to make room for more. It is like a jigsaw puzzle at times. Just my kind of challenge. I think I made some reasonably good changes, and there were a few displays that just plain needed to be straightened up.

Then, it was run off to the second-to-the-last baseball game of the season. The team really seemed to start to get it together with some of their fielding today. Several boys caught balls that I know they would not have caught a couple of weeks ago, and some of the throws were catchable! Our boy was at shortstop when he made this diving catch - see him off to the left of the picture on the ground:
Then he jumped up and threw the ball to make the double play. Wow! That was amazing!
A long day! Not exactly the schedule I set for my Tuesdays and this is July, so I'm supposed to be sticking to that schedule. Tomorrow it will start. Up early to exercise, then some time to check out blogs on the Internet, then clean house and do some work for the office. A trip into town late morning to do the grocery shopping (usually a Monday thing, but I put it off this week) followed by some time in the garden, making dinner, and then, if all is well, a couple hours of scrapbooking. Busy, but productive and good. It's a little less hectic without the grocery shopping, but fortunately that only comes around once a week!

Enjoy the day!