{me}anderings . . .

summer productivity report: filing an extension . . .

went back to school today.  yep.  that's all i have to say about that.

you probably remember how i had big plans this summer for getting the house all tidy and organized before i went back to school this fall.  i mostly did that.  just lacking the fishtank and that back bedroom which is still in the glorified junk closet phase.

kids don't come back till next monday which in my mind means that school hasn't really started back yet, so i'm officially giving myself a one week extension with project clean sweep before i give my final report.  hey, it's my game, right?

p.s.  another jenni bowlin studio summer cha layout.  don't you just love the new school bingos?

farewell summer vacation . . .

this summer has been oh so lovely.  we've vacationed with the fam in florida, hit three rounds of vbs, had aunt theresa for a visit, did the zoo, bowling, movies, playdates, the pool, and fishing . . . his most recent obsession. 

today i am on a mission to finish the housework.  the couch cushions are in the dryer, the whites are in the wash, the bedding is waiting its turn.  i'm dressed for success in sweatshorts and the t-shirt with the big hole under the sleeve.  the big hole will invariably catch g's eye at some point in the day and he'll laugh and think it's a riot.  he always does.  i wonder how many years i have left till he'll quit laughing and be embarrassed by seeing his mommy in such attire?

tomorrow i must dress a bit more professionally.  tomorrow we go back to school.  happens every year about this time, and it's not all bad.  schedule and routine are good for us.  after a couple months i actually get a little worn out with my role as cruise director.  waking up to "what are we going to do today mommy" can be a bit tiring.  yes, to everything there is a season.  so tonight we will set the alarm and go to bed at a decent hour.  tomorrow we'll wake up to the real world.  thank goodness "thonged sandals" are still allowed in the teachers' dress code.

p.s.  this layout is currently on its way to summer cha in orlando.  be sure to check out more cha layouts on the jbs inspiration blog!

p.s.s.  you should also check out this delightful blog.  supercute superhappy layouts.  and a darling etsy shop.  she's got a drawing for some yummy prizes on the 28th.  yes!  i want some of that (pictured below)!

 

potty humor . . .

my little gman is the sweetest.  he gives me hugs and kisses and "i love you's" on a daily basis.  he even graciously gave a few of these treats to his aunt theresa while she was here visiting.

he also makes me laugh on an almost daily basis.  monday night we went out for buffalo wings.  we paid a little visit to the restroom there and g was fascinated by the pink toilet bowl freshener hanging just under the rim.  he said, "what's that?"  i told him it was to keep the potty fresh.  he said, "i'm gonna pee on it."  and he did.  he has very good aim.  last night he yelled at me from the guest bath, "mommy that poop felt like a rock coming out of my butt!"  tmi (and mommy's going to blog it).  bwahahaha.  we had a little date tonight.  went to see g-force.  of course we took turns spouting out our favorite line from the movie, "poop in his hand!  poop in his hand!"  having a boy is just awesome.  :D

p.s.  another layout for scrap this kit!

p.s.s. basic grey doillies + martha stewart mini butterfly punch + yellow = scrappy bliss.

Scrap Happy!

 i finished another layout for my guest gig at scrap this kit!  you can see the detail shots over there.

exciting news!  yesterday I made my first scrappy purchase in 6.5 months!  i went to joann's and bought 4 packs of ki memories softies and epoxies from their friendship and baby lines.  i have found a little discipline in these 6.5 months and am only keeping 2 packs though.  i went through them and put the ones i thought i'd use on 2 cards and divided the rest out into boy baby and girl baby cards to send my neice and a friend who have new babies at home.  i actually went in to buy adhesive with my 40% off coupon.  the most thrilling part of the trip was the coupon madess flyer i picked up at the front of the store that had FOUR 40% off coupons in it!  and get this.  at checkout i was able to use ALL FIVE 40% off coupons at once!!!  i almost fell out.  happy happy scrappy day.  fyi . . . i believe the coupons madness coupons expire on 7/26.  :D

july photo a day second installment

not enjoying this nearly as much as the blog post a day thing.  oh the pressure.  i have ocd tendencies so a non-photo day is not an option.  so then when the non-photo day actually happens i have to stress about getting that oh so fake make up shot.  sadly, there are four of those in this batch.  can you spot them?

 

7/10 - terena's daughter graciously agreed to keep the gman friday night so i could go to the crop.  i so could not pass up the chance to meet terena's infamous puffhead roosters when i dropped g off.  they kinda remind me of his current hairstyle.  oh does he need a trim.

 

7/11 - mythbuster's derby special reenactment.  notice the flying coupe.  no pancaked compact vehicles here either.

 

7/12 - the porkchop finally got a haircut.  no more fred fred the cabbage head.

 

7/13 - jury duty started.  my poor tootsies were not happy with the confinement.  they've been in flipflops since spring weather hit back in march.  kinda wigged out by jury duty's starting date.   i sat in the 13th chair too.  not that i'm superstitious.  i just don't like the number 13.  it's those darn ocd tendencies kicking in again.

 

7/14 - crafty kid.  made his own rod and reel out of a stick, spool of thread (scavenged from mommy's scrappy supplies, purple pipe cleaners, safety pins, and a couple squids from his massive collection of squishies.

 

7/15 - squeezing in a little pool time in between mommy's jury duty and g's double duty with am and pm vbs sessions.

 

7/16 - jeremiah was g's am vbs buddy.  and many MANY thanks to tammy his mommy for taking care of my guy while i was at the courthouse.

 

7/17 - meeting aunt theresa at the airport.  we love aunt theresa!!!

 

7/18 - took aunt theresa to the zoo friday.  there was an x-rated performance going on in the giraffe enclosure.  g had no clue what was happening, but he thought it was funny.  i happened to mention wondering what that giraffe in the background was thinking and g said, "he's enjoying the show!"  all adults within hearing range instantly broke into full on belly laughs.

7/19 - look!  there's aunt theresa!  we took her to burgess falls saturday.  if you're a local, i highly recommend the trip.  awesome awesome place.

 

7/20 - aunt theresa gave him $4.  totally burned a hole in his pocket.  we dropped her off at her conference hotel sunday night and he woke up monday morning wanting to spend his loot.  the little mall rat talked me into taking him to outdoor world, the mega bass pro shop at opry mills.  he ended up with a fishing pole, t-shirt, hat, and bass adventure playset.  $4 sure goes a long way these days, doesn't it?

ok.  that's it for tonight.  i am not going to proof this post.  really i'm not.  no way.  darn those ocd tendencies . . .

summer productivity report: derailed

another layout posted at scrap this kit!  you can see the detail shots there.

 

you know i mentioned how i was going to get life under control this summer.  and i had a good head of steam going, didn't i?  well.  that little trip to florida totally derailed me.  vacations don't rejuvenate me.  they make me lazy.  it took me a week to recover from slug syndrome.  monday i was totally going to get back on track.  go me go.  i got jury duty.  i adore jury duty.  read no sarcasm into that statement.  seriously.  my aura screams pick me! pick me! as soon as i walk into the courtroom.  i've gotten the summons 3 times and i've been selected 3 times although that last time was going to be a two week case so i had to ask to be excused because of childcare issues.  what a downer.  anyhoo.  this one took four days.  it was such an honor to serve with my fellow americans.  such a great nation we live in.  i shall treasure my certificate from judge amanda mcclendon.

jbs cha summer product preview layout.  journaling reads: every now and then the camera still catches a glimpse of the baby you uesd to be and my heart gives a little flutter.  more peeks posted daily on the inspiration blog.

 

so.  back to my productivity issues.  my sister's coming to visit!  woohoo!  we pick her up at the airport tonight.  between now and then i must: sweep, mop, vacuum, wash guest bedding, wash couch cusions, clean kitchen, clean both bathrooms, freshen catbox, take out trash, tidy scrappy area, grocery shop, cook tortilla soup, go through emails, pack mercantile dt boxes, get some stuff in the mail, balance checkbook, pay mid-month bills, and throw a layout together.  and that's just what i need to do.  not everything i wanted to have done before my sister came.  and next week's the last week of summer break before teachers have to report back.  sigh.  <- and that was a big one.

jury duty. three layouts. sleepy. more tomorrow.

You can find all these goodies at the new Scrap This Kit store!  JBS sneak here!

 

in the news . . .

i'm guesting this month for scrap this kit a fun new kit club.  check out their blog for detail shots and sign up info.  the kit goes on sale this wednesday and i'll have more layouts to share then!

lots of great classes going on at get it scrapped!  debbie hodge is currently teaching scrapbooking everyday life which i think is perfect for documenting summertime photos.  you can also get stocked up on beautifully handmade cards with tania willis and learn still more mad digital skillz from pattie knox.  both classes start this week.

have you been by the american crafts blog lately?  lots of fabulous summer cha sneak peeks going up each day.  can't wait to get this stuff!  i also have a layout posted there and a card scheduled to go up on wednesday.

and did you see the supercute new look at the jbs inspiration blog?  oh i love it!  thanks amanda!  we've also had a change in content to bring you more fresh new daily inspiration.  summer cha peeks should be going up there this week!

lots of giveaways to get in on:  celeste (ends monday morning), ali (ends tonight at 8), dina (ends tonight), trish (ends today).  i've got a few to post myself, but i need to get a couple more previous prizes in the mail first.  hopefully by wednesday . . .

registration tomorrow morning for karen russell's photography class.  wish i could sign up, but i have jury duty.  planning on joining the waiting list though!

bridgette had her baby!!!  so so sweet!!!  awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!

photo a day in july . . .

yea.  like i don't have enough to get done this summer.  i don't know why i do these things to myself.  last month it was a blog post a day.  and i almost made it.  this month it's a photo a day.  wish me luck.

 

7/1 -  i really don't have bags under my eyes.  honestly.  i just went and checked. what you see in this photo are highly developed squint muscles.  boys seriously do stink though.  at least this one does.  out in the florida heat for 15 minutes and the stink starts radiating off him.

 

7/2 - a keeper from our big fishing trip.  speckled trout.  woulda been tasty except my brother the professional fisherman let it get away.  carelessly opened the ice chest to get his meatloaf sandwich and the darn thing hopped right out into the water and swam away.  no kidding.

 

7/3 - firework practice the night before.

 

7/4 - happy independence day!  bright eyes loved it. 

 

7/5 - beach boy.  hey goodlooking!

 

7/6 - halfway point on the ride home.  painful.  so very painful.

 

7/7 - july kit packing night at jbs.  so much fun you can't really call it work.

 

7/8 - ice age 3 and then a recreational stroll through supertarget.  major score in the dollar spot.  freaking adorable real wood pencils.  i adore freaking adorable real wood pencils.  i think i'm set for the year with this haul.

 

7/9 - snowcrab claws, popcorn shrimp, and corn on the cob at sherri's.  i meant to take a cool foodie pic but life got in the way.  see, in florida we just load the boys' plates and then throw them on the front porch and let them fend for themselves.  they pilfer wrenches from papa's toolbox to crack the claws open.  sherri's boys are townies.  they've got limited experience in these things so sherri and i were kept busy cleaning crab and i missed my photo op.  oh well.

7/10 and 7/11 are still in the camera.  i'd download them, but i'm feeling a bit crabby myself since g spilled cherry kool-aid on the new rug that i bought to cover the hawaiian punch stains in the carpet.  sigh.  oh.  and fyi.  i got 3 layouts done today.  i think i can post one tomorrow.  see ya then.

our florida . . .

 

i whine quite a bit every time i have to make the drive.  it really is painful.  but being there is totally worth it.  i grew up on florida's intercoastal waterway.  apparently that's a pretty big deal.  to me it's just the canal across the street.  to g it's where his papa takes him fishing.  memories like these totally make the trip worth it.

 

i love the perfect close-up.  you know the one.  eye contact.  gorgeous smile.  catchlights.  really love that.  but i'm making a conscious effort to zoom out more these days.  like this shot.  i see my heritage here.  my dad and brothers and uncles and grandpas were and are all commercial fishermen.  our backyard always looked like this.  when we needed to cool off on a hot summer day we grabbed a hose and filled up one of the old work tubs.  so glad my kid gets to live these memories.

 

seriously.  and how cool is it that he gets to go out on the boat and experience stuff like this?  that's a blowfish who is not overly impressed with his current situation.  g was really studying the little guy.  i get the giggles every time i see g's lips and the puffers.  monkey see monkey do.

 

the gman is pretty much consumed with fishing right now.  when he couldn't get anyone to take him fishing for real he'd fish for rain minnows in my brother's pond.  my dad made them fishing hooks from straight pins so we wouldn't have to be stressed about real hooks with barbs and emergency room visits and such.

 

and yes.  we even go to the beach.  it's just six miles down the road.  prime bikini watching.  hee.

 

and the porkchop doesn't think any trip to the beach is complete without a superman ice cream cone from tommy t's.  mmmmmmmmmmmmm.  sweet memories.