This is what happens when I spend a lazy day at home on the computer. Frasier refuses to let me out of his site, so he curls up with his head leaning against the monitor. I was just browsing through the CK message board when I noticed that he had fallen asleep....he's such a sweetie, I just had to get a picture. That's my big boy.

And this is my little one in a typical pose. He thinks no one can see him there.

Dedra Long

dedra's altered book 13
Originally uploaded by Noell

I love this book. I want this book. This is the kind of book that makes me want to sit and slowly turn the pages, while my eyes absorb every beautiful ribbon and trinket adorned there. To me, this is a BEAUTIFUL book, and creating beautiful books is something that Dedra Long just happens to be very good at.

Some people have a knack for putting a lot of stuff together in a way that is pleasing to the eye. I've tried to embellish pages this way and I can tell you, it's not as easy as it looks if it doesn't come naturally. My pages looked messy, uninviting and unattractive....overdone. Dedra's are just right. So I will learn yet to enjoy my own conservative style, while I admire the free spirit of Dedra's books.

Journals for My Niece

I've been spending a lot of time at Target lately....mostly due to the postings on the message board at CK about all the great new scrapbooking supplies they have...and found these nice chipboard notebooks on sale for less than $2 each. I bought a couple different sizes and a composition notebook, slapped some new Chocolate Chalet paper on them and voila. They're so cute I might keep them for myself! I don't know why the pictures don't turn out well...this paper is really bright and cheery. I'm sure she'll fill them up in no time, and then I can make some more.

I'm so out of shape....

I joined Butterfly Life. It's a Curves type of gym for women but it's a thousand times better. One of the first things I noticed was that the equipment is the real thing...with weights and tension so you feel like you're actually working out. At Curves I never felt the "burn", although I know it's designed so you don't feel the "burn", you want to at least feel like you're getting SOME benefit for those 30 minutes of circuit training.

The first thing I actually noticed was how attractive and inviting the place is! Butterly Life is a franchise, so each owner gets to do his or her own thing.....but I gotta tell ya, Holly has worked on making this gym an enjoyable place to be. It's decorated with tender loving care and personal touches that make it almost "homey", even offering a fresh fruit buffet. Yum.

As she took me around from one piece of equipment to the next, I was surprised (and happy!) to discover how easy the workout is. I could actually feel my muscles responding to the minimal amount of effort I was putting into the exercise. Yeah, I'm gonna like this.

Small World: The owner of Butterfly Life moved here from Orange County just as I did...and lives in the same apartment complex as I do.

What have they done to you now?

I wasn't expecting to see this today, but boy did it make me laugh! I had to turn around and go back to get pictures of him. Poor fella. I think this is the worst humiliation he's suffered yet.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Paperclipping.Com

There are so many great blogs out there and one of my favorites is Paperclipping. It's more than a blog actually, it's an online learning center for scrappers with live video. You can visit paperclipping live and see Noell as she actually plans and puts together a layout, or view one of the many podcasts that she has available. It satisfies the voyeur in your little scrapbooking heart.....yeah, I know it's there. You want to see what everyone else does and how they do it....well, here's your chance. You won't be disappointed! Noell's live videocast has become very popular. As we watch Noell and listen to her describe what she's doing, we can chat with other viewers and ask questions.

You can go into Noell's podcast archives and watch one of her interviews with the likes of Ali Edwards and Dedra Long, visit Dedra's scraproom, view one of her fabulous altered books, read book reviews, product reviews, or learn how to cluster elements, layer elements, spruce up Prima's, and the list goes on. I've watched them all and I learn something every time. Noell has a very pleasing personality and explains things quite clearly, making it easy even for me.

I've watched Noell create a layout from start to finish and I'm just amazed with the finished product. She makes it look so easy.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me yesterday to catch a picture of this guy before he began celebrating. He looked a bit more dignified than this.

Tracey's Published!

Congratulations Tracey!

Tracey is Tracey Locher. She's the Chicklet Extraordinaire in the life of a fellow co-worker, a man who just happens to be one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He was single when I first met him, but soon became engaged (what a story that is with him proposing on the beach!) then married, adopted Tracey's two kids, and had a third. What a perfect man, huh? Yep, that's what I thought...and I also thought that she was SO lucky to have HIM! Then disaster struck as Jeff was diagnosed with cancer and everyone's world fell apart. Thankfully, Jeff recovered with treatment, and life went on.


Then I discovered Tracey's habit...er...hobbie, one day as I was browsing through the gallery at CK. The gallery is where you can see all of the scrapbook layouts displayed by people like me. There are small thumbnail images that you click on to view a larger size, and I only click on the ones that catch my eye. So here's this little thumbnail layout with flowers all over it and brilliant color just gushing from my screen. I had to take a look, so I opened it up and this is what I saw....

Isn't she pretty?

Oh. My. God. I was so shocked to be looking into the face of Jeff's wife! Oh. My. God. Well, I fell in love with Tracey's layouts....I now know instantly when I see a thumbnail picture of one of her layouts. What I didn't know was what I was going to quickly learn about Tracey, (once known as Jeff's wife....now known as Tracey Locher (that wonderful woman that married Jeff and gave him so many reasons to live when it was needed most.) As I was saying...I love Tracey's work, but the woman I've come to know through her layouts is an amazing mother, a loving wife and an incredible story teller. I now know that she's not the only lucky one in that marriage...

Stop by her blog and get to know her yourself....her layouts tell the stories, and you can almost feel the love she has for her family.....

...and don't forget to look for her first published layout in Creating Keepsakes magazine....she's on page 108 of the April issue! I'm sure it won't be the last.

Tracey's Blog

I have so much going through my head...I'll be thinking about something and then realize I should blog it. I just haven't had time but I'm not incredibly busy doing anything else outside of work, and I'm not working extreme hours....so what's wrong with me? Maybe I'm getting tired of the blog again...it just never seems to last with me....and no one comes by except for Barb.....****Thank you, Barb!!!**** So I've been thinking about taking it more public and making it a scrapbook blog. Not that I scrap like some of the people I see on the message boards...they're what I consider serious scrappers and professionals....they're young...they have growing families and they want to document all of it! Yay!!! I wish I were YOUNG and documenting ALL of it! I'd make sure it ended differently, that's for sure.

There are a LOT of women my age that scrap. Someone posted at the CK Message Board about being an older scrapper and a TON of women replied. They were coming out of the woodwork for that one. Barb, for instance, is a kindred spirit (a baby boomer scrapper!) that I met at Paperclipping Live. So I was wondering where all the older scrapper bloggers are! Not that I don't enjoy the young crowd....I LOVE THEM! I just don't see many, if any, older blogger folk like me.

This is what I'm working on now.... I wanted to do an altered book type project or mini album, ala Dedra Long I think her creations are fabulous, but my style is so conservative that this would be really "out of the box" for me. I have these cheap little albums from Target's dollar spot that I thought I'd practice with, and I love the way it's turning out! They still look like me though....I wonder if this as far out of the box I'm going to get...! My eyes really want to add more stuff! I just can't seem to make my hands do it but I'll keep trying!

Mom at 19, what a babe.

It's March already!

Nothing spectacular happened in February but it sure went fast...and here, in the desert, it's spring! Today is a chilly 73 degrees...it was in the 80's during the week, and just a week ago it was snowing. I'm curious about how the summer will affect me when I have no direct sunlight on my patio. I miss it. I was pretty cold all winter long because I didn't have the sun to warm my place like I would normally have. I like the sun, I like facing south with sun going over my patio during the day. They told me if I was going to live here year round that I should face north....I believed them, and I was freezing my butt off all winter. So now I want to move to a south facing apartment....which could be a living hell but I don't know that. Heck, once it's 100 degrees, what difference does it make?

So when I arrived home on Friday I had a note on my door from the manager. They want to talk to me about renewing my lease. Mind you, I've only been here for 6 months and I have a one year lease. They certainly plan ahead! Actually, I'm thinking they plan for the big fallout when all of the summer people (snowbirds) leave town. I can't wait to see what they offer me to renew early....but that would mean that I won't have a whole year here to decide if I want to stay in this particular unit or not. I love my place, I really do....I just want the sun to shine on my head! I guess we'll soon find out.

That's it. I'll be back later with some thoughts about my blog and scrapbooking.