More Mojo .. and a layout!

I really like the mojo Monday sketches... I did number 73 but never got around to posting it. I haven't done 74 yet.

My upline's normal Stamping Saturday got canceled due to her daughter landing in the hospital (She's fine now) so I went to Archivers and attended their scrap mania - they hold it every Friday and Saturday. I did this card, and I did a double page layout. I am extremely proud of the layout as I did it completely on my own... it's not copied from another, it's not a sketch, it's from my head. And it's the first one that I've ever done on my own. And it looks good! (If I do say so myself).

But first the card.  This is from the Mojo Monday Sketch number 73.  The base is SU's Bravo Burgundy, the green paper is also SU, from one of the print pads in Always Artichoke.  The Stamp set is Lovely as a Tree and is inked in Always Artichoke.  The other SU item is the ribbon.. burgundy and from a mini a while back; it's satin.  (I have the chocolate one too, verra pretty!)

Non SU... The yellowish paper is from a glitter paper pad I bought called "A Pocket Full of

 Posies Stack" by DCWV (whoever that is), although there's no glitter on the particular paper I chose.  But it's lovely.. it's got a lot of colors in it - including the burgundy and green I used, it matched very well.  The brads are making memories, and the button was a great find.  I bought a pack of buttons, they are - hmm, apparently missing the insert that told me who made them... but it was a Christmas color combination and only cost me $2 for a huge amount of buttons... and inside I found the one on the card.. it had both the burgundy and the right green.  Awesome.

I really like the card.

But I love this layout...

It's on black card stock, matted with grey.  The flowery paper was one sheet that I cut in half and rotated so the "middle" of the paper is at the bottom of one page, and the top of the other.  It's kinda shimmery too.  The white flourishes are rub ones, and the ink was a souffle pen.  The only SU on here, also the only thing that I didn't buy that night at Archivers, is the ribbon.  But it is retired!  LOL

The pictures are of my brother and his family.  The younger girl, Ashlyn, is his by his wife, the older, Kelsee, by his ex-wife.  The two boys are their foster kids.  To quote my brother, "My wife's friend had her kids taken away by CPS and we took the two boys and are going to give them a good home till mom gets her stuff together. If she don't then we will adopt them".  These are the profession photos they had taken just after they got the boys.

So, whatcha think?  Leave me a comment and let me know... and while you do that, I've got a date with my DVR!

It's Monday again...

Which is a good thing as my normal days off are Tuesdays and Wednesdays... today is like my Friday!  (even if it's after midnight, so technically it's Tuesday now).  Anyway, I made another card!

I just really like the sketches on the Mojo Monday blog... and here's my challenge card.

I chose my colors from the retired Berry Bliss paper - Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, and Purely Pomegranate. With a touch of Chocolate Chip for shading and the words.

Stamp sets are Natural Beauty and Happy Harmony.  The ribbon is Chocolate Pollytwill and the button is from Button Bouquet (finally!  something that's not retired!) The thread is embroidery thread, and the flower is unknown - I have a bag full of them given to me by a friend.  And lastly, the brads are antique copper by Making Memories.

I have to admit, I think last week's came out better, but this is an okay card.  I'm proud enough of it to show you!  Well, until next week....  I'm gonna go read!

Books I read in January

What I read this month....

Goddess of the Night - Lynn Ewing (Daughters of the Moon, Book 1)
Into the Cold Fire - Lynn Ewing (book 2)
Night Shade - Lynn Ewing (book 3)
The Secret Scroll - Lynn Ewing (book 4)
The Sacrifice - Lynn Ewing (book 5)
The Lost One - Lynn Ewing (book 6)
Moon Demon - Lynn Ewing (book 7)
Possession - Lynn Ewing (book 8)
The Choice - Lynn Ewing (book 9)
The Talisman - Lynn Ewing (book 10)
Gift Wrap - Charlaine Harris - Short Story
The Star of David - Patricia Briggs - Short Story
The Prophecy - Lynn Ewing (book 11)
The Becoming - Lynn Ewing (book 12)
The Final Eclipse - Lynn Ewing (book 13)
Lovers Prisoner - MaryJanice Davidson (84 page short story)
Jared's Wolf - MaryJanice Davidson (78 page short story)
Dead and Lovin it - MaryJanice Davidson
Derik's Bane - MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unpopular - MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Uneasy - MaryJanice Davidson
Dead over Heels - MaryJanice Davidson (2 of three short stories, the other is about the mermaid and I haven't read any of those yet)
Undead and Unworthy - MaryJanice Davidson

wow! That was a lot more then I expected! But then 13 of there were young adult and a bunch were MaryJanice Davidson and her books are very quick. Up for this month... the new Patricia Briggs, Rachel Vincent's Pride, there are 2 novels of the Darken I need to read. I still have Plum Spooky on the list, and a new vampire series (for me) by Karrelyn Sparks that I've picked up. Who knows what else I'll find in February!

What to read? Where to read?

I'm in a yahoo group that is a general interest reading group, although most of us tend towards paranormal / fantasy / sci-fi books.  What's generally referred to as popular fiction in the industry.  Anyway, one particular member likes to post general questions to the group to stimulate conversation.  Here are two recent ones, and my response.

Amy: We all obviously are semi-attached to our computers and are all readers.  Where is/are your computer(s) located? What type of things surround it?  Is it anywhere near where you keep your books?  How many of you have actual libraries instead of overflowing piles?

Me:  I have a room to myself in our house. It's a 4 bedroom, we have "our room", "his room", and "my room". Then there's the extra bedroom. Eventually, someday, it'll be a baby's room, but right now it stores holiday stuff, an extra bed, an extra desk, and 5 bookcases. One is half filled with books he owns (but never reads) and the rest are mine.

In my room I have all my craft stuff (mostly rubber stamping and scrap-booking) and my computer desk. I'm also one of those people who will cover ANY flat surface with stuff. So my work area (craft) and my desk are covered in stuff. Right now on my desk there are 15 books. Two I'm finished with, two I'm halfway through (one of which I'll finish), another four that I've read some of (short story collections), and seven that I haven't read yet, but most of those will be read soon, the others are "on the list".

Other things on my desk right now: stamp sets, data cds. music cds. one DVD, a calculator, candy, the box to my ipod dock, a stack of Sims games, an extra keyboard (for when I boot my mac in Windows mode), a wireless mouse I can't get to work, my checkbook, 2 camera, a happy bunny key chain (which says "Hiiiiiii Loser!" when you push it's button), stickers, two forks, camera case, stamp catalog, assorted papers.. and I think you get the idea!! (btw, thats not even half!) LOL

Amy: How do you decide on what to read? Do you read books because it's on a reading challenge? Do you read the books because of a reading group recommendation? Does it have more to do with what reading material is closest at hand? Are you more of a mood reader and keep picking up available books until something strikes a chord? Do you assign yourself certain types of books to read?

Me: I read whatever strikes my fancy. :)

Sometimes I see something at work (ok, a lot of the time I find stuff at work!). Customers will recommend authors. I like to read series, so I'll find one then go off in search of the rest. I just finished the Daughters of the Moon series (13 YA books). I found the first one for $3 in the bargain blowout.. got the rest at the library. I was kinda into the Betsy the Vampire Queen, but then got to a point in the story where there was a short story that I didn't have, so they got set aside for a while. I have it now, so I can read it then the rest of the Betsy books. In the meanwhile I got ahold of all of her (MaryJanice Davidson's) werewolf stories. 

If I'm not in the middle of something... when I finish a book and I haven't already picked out the next, I goto my shelf in the extra bedroom, and look at what I have that I've gotten in the near, and not-so-near past and just see what strikes my fancy from that shelf.

I've kinda entered into a werewolf phase... I just finished the Wyndham werewolves, and I've of course read all the Mercy books, but what else is out there? I prefer when a series follows one / a group of characters rather then jumping from character to character like MJD does. Oh, I've really liked the early Kelley Armstrong books, the ones on werewolves.

Anyway, there's a hint into how I think... that is if anyone followed any of that at all!

Mojo Monday Challenge #71

I did a challange!  This is my first stamping project (outside of my demo's stamping saturday) that I've done in I don't know how long!  It's for the Mojo Monday challenge, this one is number 71.

Trolling for ideas, I was browsing around the Always gallery on Split Coast Stampers when I came across this card by Lynda.  I really liked the color scheme, so I took it!  Sky Blue, Blue Bayou, and Real Red - and she got them from a color challange last year.  (yeah, these are last years In Colors, but I figured, what the heck!  I like them!)  

Designer paper is from the Patterns Pack (Winter Catty 08 hostess Set).  Stamp set is Always, ribbon is retired Blue Bayou double stiched grosgrain, 1 ¼" circle punch, scallop circle punch, scallop edge punch and one red rhinestone brad.  The card is 5 ½" square.

I hope you like it!

Not Pregnant Anymore

Turns out that the pregnancy wasn't viable from the get-go. It just never developed... at least that is the prevailing theory. :)

I want in for my first ultrasound (u/s) in late May at 8w5d and they could not find a heartbeat nor see anything on the screen. They rescheduled another u/s for a week later and drew some blood... my blood work came back as I was very pregnant and there should definitely be a heartbeat. So, the second u/s is when I was 10w2d and there was still nothing to see and no heartbeat. Being overly cautious, my doctor wanted one more u/s, which was performed when I was 12w2d. Between that, and my falling blood levels of betaHCG, it was determined conclusively that I had miscarried. It was diagnosed as a "Missed Miscarriage" since my body so far had not done anything about it itself (although because my blood levels were falling, my body "knew' something was off). A D&C was scheduled for that Friday (4 days later) at 12w6d. Well my body actually did start to miscarry naturally very early Friday morning, which made the surgery that much easier on me. I only needed two pain pills total, I took a days worth of some med to shrink my uterus, and a weeks work of antibiotics.

I have another doctors appt next week, as a follow-up, but we have been told that we can try again to get pregnant in three months. DH and I are okay with the miscarriage, as I said at the beginning, this was never viable to begin with, and it was never "real" to either of us. We will get it right the next time though!! LOL

-dana

Expecting...

Yep, as you can tell by the ticker at the top of the page, DH has really done it now... he's knocked me up! Of course this is something we have been wanting for quite a while, and have been trying since October (although if you ask him, we've been trying for only a couple of months!).

I found out I was pregnant on my birthday (I turned 35). I had saved the test for that day specially, I figured if it was positive, then that would make it even more special. And if it was negative, I could go ahead and really party for my birthday! LOL

But baby is in fact on the way.

I have set up a profile on whattoexpect.com and it has a blog feature, so baby stuff can be viewed there.

More later!

-dana