I did it!

I AM ACTUALLY CAUGHT UP! I can't believe it. Now I feel like I have nothing to do. It's kind of eating at me to know I CAN'T scrapbook, even if I want to. It's a very weird feeling not to have unfinished work hanging over my head...

Summer Scrapbook Finale - Maybe

This summmer I have had many opportunities to scrapbook. It has been such a wonderful creative outlet for me. I am so close to being caught up that I can almost taste it! I imagine a day, where I can come home from some picture taking excursion and set right to work on the pages while the memories are fresh. Already, it's a strange feeling to list the ages on the pages and have it be their current ages! I don't have to do the math and get it wrong anyways.

I'm hoping this is not my final set this summer. I still have a week and a half left. I CAN DO IT!

One Dog, One Room, One Day

This is my dog Jasmine, whom I love very much, standing next to the pile of hair I swept up today in just the living room. I swept up yesterday, too. And the day before that. And the day before that.

I love my dog, but I HATE THE SHEDDING!

New You Can Use

I found this under the News You Can Use section of the Wall Street Journal's Best of the Web blog. It made me laugh out loud. It's from the London Guardian, so that will explain the spelling and jargon.


Photograph: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

Peeing in the shower: the rules
Don't start until the water has – and never do it at a friend's

New television advertisements in Brazil are encouraging people to pee in the shower as a way of conserving water. Our own nation, you may remember, stood divided on the issue a few years ago during Big Brother 3 when Alex was appalled by Jonny's unwillingness to make a distinction between loo and shower basin. The new campaign, however, undoubtedly marks a new stage – or high water mark, if you will – in the world's development, and with new mores comes new etiquette. Remember, you may be weeing in the shower, but there's no need to be rude.


• Don't start until the water has. The water not only provides a cloaking effect, it also avoids lingering contact between the non-lavatory bowl porcelain and your urine. The idea is that it is whisked away down the plughole almost instantly, thus minimising breaches of basic hygiene and allowing maintenance of the pretence, even unto yourself, that you have not just peed in the shower.


• For similar reasons, it also behoves the micturator to do his/her business right at the beginning of his/her ablutions, thus providing a full rinse cycle.


• Don't do it in a friend's shower. Nothing ruins a friendship quicker than inappropriate urination. Keep it for post-pub antics in shop doorways where it belongs.


• Don't do it in public showers – for the obvious reasons, but also because public showers very often involve wooden slat arrangements and we are talking about an activity that should only be undertaken on very, very non-porous areas indeed.


• Don't get carried away. You may, if you choose, pee in the shower. But don't wash in the toilet, and never, ever poo in the bath.

Good-bye Grandpa Pete

My Grandpa Pete died today.

I guess it was to be expected. Apparently, he's been unresponsive for a couple of days. He had late stage Parkinsons as well as other health problems. He's been pretty bad off for quite some time now.

He used to live down the street from me. But that doesn't mean I saw him often enough. About a year ago, he moved to live with his daughter and finally to a facility that could take care of him in the best way possible. So it feels a bit surreal to know that someone who has been literally gone for a while is now really and truly gone.

In the Kingdom of God, he would not be gone. Just moved. But I don't know that my Grandfather was a Christian. It's not for lack of trying. Believe me, he knew the truth of God's plan for our lives. I just am not aware that he ever made the decision to live a life for Christ. But I certainly don't want to dwell on that thought. It's too sad.

Instead, I will remember him as my imperfect grandfather. I know he loved me in his own way. I never expected much from him, and he never expected much from me. He was always in my life, but since my daughters were born, I think he made a renewed effort to be to them what he never got to be for me. And I appreciate that immensely. I love that he loved my girls. That is enough for me.

Good-bye Grandpa Pete.

You say, "Tomato..."

... I say, "You want some?"

My garden is growing! Which means I am officially become that psycho neighbor always handing people garden-fresh produce.

Do my neighbors a favor, will you? If you want a pound or two or three of tomatoes, let me know. I'm overwhelmed!

The God Particle

I just read this article in Parade magazine called The Race for the Secret of the Universe. They aren't kidding either when they say they are looking for the Secret of the Universe. They are literally looking for what holds the universe together. Hard as it is to believe, scientists have no idea why atomic particles stick together. Without some kind of "atomic glue" nothing would exist, no solid, no liquid, no gas. So two competing camps of scientists are desperately working to discover the sub-atomic particle that holds everything in existence together.

This reminded me of the book I read a while back called The Hidden Face of God, a book that had me riveted. It's written by a Jewish theologian/MIT-trained physicist. He describes this as yet undiscovered "atomic glue" that holds the universe together. As a believer, he simply calls it "God". I got chills reading his very scientific rendition of reality. As far as science is concerned, THERE IS NO REASON ANYTHING SHOULD EXIST.

Of course all of this brought to mind this verse, speaking about Jesus:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [Colossians 1:15-17]

One final note - since science has yet to discover this very special particle, it doesn't have a name. For now, they simply call it "the God particle."

The POOL!

If I have ever talked to you, for even 1 minute, then you already know how badly I want a built-in pool. It has been my dream my whole life!

For some reason, I got a hair in my brain that made me want to find the perfect (somewhat possible) pool. (My neighbor has the PERFECT pool, but I don't have $200,000 to replicate it. I only just get to see it over my fence as I covet while they are laughing uproarously during their daily pool parties. But I digress...)

So after HOURS of searching, here is what I found:

It's the Laguna Deluxe Pool by Viking Fiberglass Pools. It has the baja bar, plenty of seating, a spa. It's PERFECT!

Now I just have to get my husband, Tim (the dream squasher), to go along. Or win the lottery. That would be easier.

Time for more scrapbook pages

I hope you enjoy these. I know I enjoy making them.

My New (Old) Job

A few weeks back, I was contacted by my previous church, Revolution, and asked if I was interested in doing my old job.

A year ago, we made the painful decision to find a new church and, at that time, it also meant quitting a job I loved, doing the graphics.

Now, a year later, Revolution Church has undergone many changes, and the thought of helping with the graphics was appealing. So I signed on.

Since then, they have given me a lot of work, which is great. I love the challenge, and believe me, each piece has its own set of challenges. I love getting the creative juices flowing.

So here is my first big piece for Revolution. Lots of fun. I look forward to more projects like this one.

Gold for Cash Party

Tonight I co-hosted a Gold for Cash party. And all you people who didn't come missed out!

Almost every person who came left with close to $200 and more room in their jewelry box. We ate, talked, pocketed some cash, talked some more. It was very nice.

The thing that puzzled me however is how few people were interested. We heard all the standard reasons, "I don't have any gold," "I'm a silver person," "I don't know if I trust these people," "My grandma gave me this."

But I don't understand any of them.

If you were alive in the 80s, you have gold you are no longer wearing.

You make like silver now, but that wasn't much of an option 20 years ago, so once again, you probably have gold you aren't wearing now.

And who cares if they are trustworthy? They give you CASH. You don't have to trust them. Is it the best price? Probably not, but seriously, are you going to take it to a jeweler any time soon? I didn't think so.

And did you thank Grandma? Did you tell her how much you appreciated her thoughtfulness? Is keeping it hidden in your jewelry box, never to be worn, honoring the gift? Sell it and give the money to Grandma's favorite charity.

Plus, for me, this kind of a party fulfills so many needs. It allows me to declutter. It brings in cash. It doesn't fill my home with more stuff I don't need. Less junk/more money. A thing of beautiful symmetry!

I love this kind of thing. Thanks to all who participated. I hope you had a great time!

Birthday Happenings

Well, as promised, here is the log of my birthday events:

I started off the day at Disneyland. Our passes are blacked out, so only I could go. So sad, I know. I contacted my sister and my friend Jenny since their passes are good and we had a grown-ups-only good time.

I had heard it was not crowded in the summer since everyone is buying the cheap passes now, but I had NO idea it would be like this!

Here is Main Street at 10:00:

Here is the Ice Cream Parlor:

Here is the area in front of Pirates of the Carribean around 11:00. This is normally a very crowded spot!

Finally, this is us on Splash Mountain. Only a 35 minute wait despite the high temperature. The wait on this thing in that weather can be up to 2 hours.

All together we rode Space Mountain (twice), Buzz Lightyear, Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and had lunch in 4 hours. It was a perfect Disney Birthday.

I got to see Emma when I went to pick up Regan from Jenny's house. She ran out and wished me, "Happy Birthday". It made me want to melt.

For dinner, we went to one of my new favorite restaurants, Stone Fire Grill, with the Bambricks. Took the whole family this time. We had 1 lb of tri-tip, a pizza, a salad, and breadsticks for $20! Not bad.

Add in all the Facebook and email well wishes, and it was a wonderful birthday.

Next year in Paris.

Happy Birthday to me!

Today was a GREAT day of celebrating my birthday... more on that tomorrow. (And thank you Facebook friends for chiming in!)

In the meantime, I can't get this song out of my head. Of course, I had no idea what she was saying! That's why the lyrics follow.



Lyrics:
happy birthday, happy birthday
happy birthday, happy birthday
happy birthday, happy birthday
happy, happy birthday in a hot bath
to those nice nice nights
i remember always, always
i got such a fright
seeing them in my dark cupboard
with my great big cake
if they were me
if they were me
and i was you
and i was you
if they were me
if they were me
and i was you
and i was you
if they were me and i was you
would you have liked a present too?
happy birthday, happy birthday

Chandler's Music Video Debut

Chandler and Regan made this video for a Disney contest. It's only 40 seconds. You have to see it.



Be a friend and go here to vote for her and give her some love!