I never would have thought that NOT working would create so much WORK! I've been so busy taking care of business that the days are just flying by. Now that my life is changing and taking on a new direction, I'm making major decisions about my finances, health insurance, living arrangements, etc. It all seems so simple when you think about it....retiring and making it happen though.....not so simple. You can't decide this until you know the outcome of that, and you can't move forward with that until you're finished with this. It would have been so much easier four months from now, but I'm glad it's happening....I can't wait to move.

I'm already packing and I'm not moving for another 30 days. But in my mind, I'm planning where my furniture will go and how my scrap area will be set up. I plan on spending a lot of time in my scrap area. I plan on spending more time tending to my little balcony garden, shopping with my sister, enjoying my cats and being as domestic as possible.

Tomorrow, I'm finalizing the deal on my apartment and have to go into the OC again. It'll be nice to get out of this 108 degree heat for a while. Did I mention that I can't wait to move?

See ya later, folks. Doesn't look like I'll be doing any scrapping until I move. But I AM following the blogs and message boards so keep me updated!

You in 52

I'm amazed at how bad this layout looks. It looks fantastic in person! Sheesh!

This is for the question..."Who is your best adult friend?" The answer is "my sister, of course". The one who's always been there since memory began. The one who has stood by me, behind me, next to me, in front of me, wherever she needed to be at any given moment. My sister is 12 years older than me, and I can't remember a time when she treated me as anything other than someone special. I never felt like a pest, or the little kid she wanted to lose. I adored her when I was a child, and I adore her now. My sister, my very best friend.

I'm really out of the (scrap)loop right now. I've been SO BUSY since I was laid off. Honestly, I'm trying to figure out where I'm going, and when I'm going there. It looks like I'll be leaving the desert, all of this beautiful sunshine, blue sky and warm days, and move back to the OC where my family is.
It's just so beautiful here...but lonely without the family. I don't think I'll be doing much until things are squared away...I have a l/o to put up for 'You in 52', I'll take pics tomorrow. In the meantime, I miss reading everyone's blogs and viewing your work. I'll definitely catch up later!

Wow....laid off

Be careful what you wish for. I wanted to retire so bad...and now I'm forced into it. Just like that....poof! My job is up in smoke, my substantial paycheck is gone, my life will never be the same...JUST LIKE THAT.

I'd pretty much decided I was going to do it anyway...but that would have been four months from now...maybe even six. Four months of paychecks would make me debt free and able to retire without too much pain in the pocketbook. So I can't collect social security for 4 months....I'll survive.

I wasn't the least bit surprised when I saw my boss walking across the parking lot. There was no reason for him to be there...two hours from his homebase. Things have been really slow, I've been really bored....one of the reasons why I've been contemplating retirement. I even told him why he was there..."you're letting me go"...so incredibly sad....so final. The shock of it all. What will I do with this phase of my life now? I don't have to go to work tomorrow. Or the next day. Or ever.

Maybe I'll scrap.

The Girlfriends Club

A few weeks ago I posted a video made by Leah Fung, Donna Salazar, and Johanna Peterson that I thought would be fun for everyone to see, and here's another one....only this time it's interesting because they each talk about how they got involved with "professional" scrapbooking. I've been watching these videos forever, and I never get tired of these girls. I got a bit of a thrill when I picked up a little flyer at Michael's and saw a Prima ad with one of Donna's layouts. I thought....wow, I "know" her. Of course I don't "know" her, but I know her! It's almost as good as seeing your friends get published!

Okay, I'm digressing once again....ANYWAY.... these three "friends" now have a new site for their weekly videos The Girlfriends Club, so check it out, and check in each Friday to see a new video.

All About You in 52

This layout was done for Week #12. The question being "Who Was Your Very First Love?", which made me reel because I didn't want to scrap it. But then I found this picture, (I had no idea I had this, honestly, my mother must have snuck it in one of my albums,) and I thought, what a nice looking young man he was. I also thought what a great layout it would make with this fabulous Graphic 45 paper. Yep, that was my first love, my father. He was also the first man to break my heart.



Week 15 - Did You Have a Pet as a Child?
Yes.



Week 17 - Who Was Your Best Friend as a Child?
The first friend I ever had was Gloria, who lived a few doors down the street. I was always at her house or she was at mine. I have pictures of her in her first communion dress, pictures of her with my family. She was always there...until they moved to the suburbs, but I would never forget her...Gloria Sinatra....and her brother Frank. (honest to God, that was his name. see? life is funny).




Week 18 - Who Was Your Best Friend in High School?

I already scrapped this pic just a few weeks ago but I wasn't particularly happy with it. I'm trying to get Maryann to find a copy of her high school picture since I can't locate mine. Some friend, huh? I LOST her damn picture!! But I think she knows I always loved her, and I still do. Her friendship was THE most important thing in my life.


Definitely playing catch up!

Paper Kits and Swirlydoos

Look at all that stuff. You should see it in person....the Webster's and 7 Gypsies paper...yum. Prima flowers, Prima pearls. Tim Holtz. A huge packet of embellishments. This was such a pleasant surprise and so worth the money.

I've only joined one kit club before and I was disappointed in what they sent me. So instead of joining another one, I just pined away at all the pretty layouts created from different kits. And then I started seeing Swirlydoos being used by the artists at Scrapbook.com and decided to get me some of that! I didn't even have to join....I just ordered one of the three remaining kits (boy, was I lucky!) and in two days I had this gorgeous package!

So there's two places you really should check out...... The gallery at Scrapbook.com, and the Swirlydoos site.