My first attempt at Script School with Kal Barteski

Okay, so I told you that I had this crazy idea to sign up for a Script School... Well I did. I actually signed up a while back, but I was trying to find supplies in this sad, pathetic, little town. I ordered some supplies from Amazon, but when they got here I was a bit disappointed, I decided to go ahead and give it a whirl anyway!! First let me say that this class did not look like it would be as hard as it was!!! I worked at this for hours!!! And I still suck!!! I won't be quitting, but this is gonna take a lot of work!!! I will be venturing to Saginaw this weekend to find better Sumi paint brushes and new Gouache! Okay ready for some pics of my crappy art work... Prepare yourselves to be wowed!!

Practice lines, lots and lots of practice lines!!

Practice letters...

And more practice letters...

My {best} pathetic attempt at Script Art

Another attempt...

Yep! still very rough...

And one more!! It's crappy and it's sideways!!!

This is when I decided that I should call it quits for the day and try it again after I get my new supplies!! This is hard!!! I'm glad I took the class, and I will continue working on this.  Most of these quotes came from my daughter, Maddy{she collects quotes}  and she would like me to do some more to frame for her apartment, we'll see if I can manage anything worthy of framing!!
Look like something you'd like to try... check out the class at lovelife.typepad.com  it really is FUN!!! Another Resolution for 2012 underway!!!!

Learned something new!!

Today I learned something NEW!! Scroll ALL THE WAY to the BOTTOM of this blog and you will see what I learned !!! That's right... I learned how to add my Instagram pics to my blog!! How cool is that?!?!?!?!

I Wish ~I had the new iPhone 4s, that thing takes really good pics, but I'll have to wait until my contract runs out on my {stupid} 3s, or I win a small lottery and can upgrade!! I wish ~I took better pics to dazzle you with, but I don't, so this is what you get!! I wish ~I remembered to take more pics with my iPhone. Now that I have a new kinda cool digital camera, I'm so busy trying to figure it out, that I forget about the iPhone. I'll try to do better.

Slept in today, but only until 7:45 {no go on the sleeping until noon, dang dogs wanted fed!!!} After I fed the dogs I ran outside to snap a few pics of the awesome sunrise.  That's two days in a row we've had cool sunrises.  Both days I've been slow on getting out there so the pics weren't great.  But it's always fun to enjoy a sunrise, in your PJ's, snow boots, and winter coat!!! Also took a few quick pics of crazy dogs!!!

They LOVE their sticks!!!

Alex Marie Weatherby
 {We call this crazy girl lots of things, but mostly we just call her, Ali}
She's really not that old but she has a white chin. She is THE sweetest dog EVER!!!

Tallon's Golden Heart of Thunder Thor
 {Yes, that's his registered name, but we just call him, Thor}
He is an old guy, but still loves to play like he's two years old.  

When your kids are 19 & 20 and have had you following them around like the crazy paparazzi their whole lives, it's hard to get any pictures of them!!! So I've moved on to stalking my dogs, and husband!!

I may be back later today with some pics of my attempt at Script School!!! First I gotta get this filthy house under control, well at least get the dog hair tumble weeds swept up, the guitars off my couch, and the dishes washed, and enough clothes washed for my husband to have clean work clothes the rest of the week...

Project Life 2012 ~week 4

Okay, this week might be a bit weird and boring cuz most of the pics were already posted on this blog, so I'll keep it short!!

Here is page One.
I put the self portraits {from my One Little Word  challenge} in here becuz I'm hardly ever in this album, so even though I hate having my picture taken and these aren't great pics I thought they should go in here.  I also included the sticker and thank you card that came with my camera purse. I know, kinda strange, but I was so happy to get that bag and thought it was so cool that all those goodies came with the bag I thought they should be saved, and where better than right here in Project Life?!?!?

This is an insert.
 Me and Shelli, my BFF getting our tattoo's

Backside of insert
 more tattoo's and Maddy's piercing{the Rook, I like saying that! Funny how a piercing has a name... wonder where these crazy names come from?}

This is Page Two
 these last couple pics are out of order, but that's okay with me.  I steamed and cut, veggies and fruit on Sunday, for Maddy to take back to Mt.P. And the Boys doing some WWE wrestling{boys will be boys, no matter how old they are, I guess}

And that is PL 2012 week 4. Quick and easy, that's what I LOVE about this project.  It's a look at every day life without being so complex that it takes days to complete.  Yes, eventually I will get back to regular scrapbooking, cuz I enjoy the hands on creating {and I own WAY to much stuff to NOT scrapbook!!} But I also love this project and plan to continue with this, even if  when I get back to regular scrapbooking.

Well that's it for today.  Been an interesting, strange, kinda long day, I'm tired and turning in early.  I feel like I could sleep until noon tomorrow too, but it's my day off, so I NEED to accomplish something somewhat productive!!!

Resolution Recap

Yep, it's that time of the week again... When I sit down and evaluate how I'm doing on the Resolution/Goals/Wishes&Dreams/One Little Word for 2012...

Reclaiming Order... not so sure, but I'm trying. I'm scheduling stuff, and trying to plan.
Project List... Nope, haven't touched a project this week
Reclaim the Attic/library area... Nope, haven't done a thing, except talk about needing to get busy, cuz Tallon & Ryan need to use some of the space for recording a band up there, in the next few weeks. That's motivation, at least!!!
Health and Fitness... Went to gym 3 days this week. Walked 3.2 miles, 2.78 miles, and 1.2 mile walk & biked 1.5 lines across the monitor{no clue how far that is but it took quite a while}
Looking for inspiration in new places... well if Pinterest counts, then I've been looking!!! And I've been reading lots of blogs and surfing Instagram.
Reclaim my desire to create... I'm working on it.
Continuing Project Life... Yep week 4 is finished, and worked on One Little Word album, so kinda regular scrapbooking, a little.
Blog at least 3-5 times per week... Yep!
Take some art classes... One Little Word~I've finished the January assignments. And I signed up for Script School this week.  {Wanna learn more about Script School, check it out at  lovelife.typepad.com  ~Kal Barteski's blog, she is an awesome artist and has offered a class online!!} Pretty cool for sure.  Had to order the supplies on line, cuz I couldn't find anything around here!! So I will officially start the class next week, I have watched some of the videos. Hopefully I'll have some pics of my work/progress to post next week.
Take better pictures... well I did take several pics this week.  Having Lyric{the new camera purse} around is very handy, I whipped out my camera today when I saw a cool looking landscape, that I would normally not have been able to capture cuz my camera would have been home, or I would have felt weird taking pictures in that moment.
Sense of adventure... well I did get a tattoo this week, does that count. I stood in someone's front yard and snapped a couple pics, that's stepping out of your comfort zone, for sure!
Control over financial situation... Nope, well kinda, maybe! Bought a cool new wallet and painting supplies.  Bought my daughters barely used laptop {so she could get a new MacBook} instead of new one. I can afford the payments on this laptop, within my personal "allowance" budget. So it won't take money from household budget.  I have NO money saved up this year, so still not doing great, but I have a list of items I'd like to purchase this year and have gotten a couple things handled, so that counts for something, I guess!!
Time management skills... ahh, not bad I suppose.  Could definitely work on this!! Been slacking on household stuff, but haven't missed a single appointment yet!
I've added another item to my list for 2012; My goal is to set aside time to visit with people that I don't see often enough... talked with my brother, Ryan about going together to visit my G'pa at the nursing home. I got a schedule and planned the trip for Wednesday {Can't manage the trip alone yet, but that's a whole nother story, for a nother time} And talked to husband, Ryan about visiting his G'ma at her nursing home.  And I talked to my dad for a long time Saturday.  He actually called me, but still, we talked for a long time.

I'm now trying to decide if I should continue with the "recap" every week.  On one hand it keeps me accountable on a weekly basis.  But on the other hand, it could get very boring for you, the reader, having to read this every week. I could do the "recap" on a monthly basis, but I might forget the stuff I've done if I wait that long.  Maybe you don't want to read it at all.  Give me some feedback...

New Tattoo...

So, my BFF, shelli, has been going through a divorce and some serious life changes{as those tend to accompany most any divorce} I'm not gonna share all of the details cuz they are not mine to share, but what I can share is that she decided to get a tattoo to commemorate the end of one story and the beginning of the next. So I said I'd get one with her.  This was her first tattoo, and she made a really cool symbolic choice for herself, and that is the end of my sharing her story.
On to mine ~This was NOT my first tattoo, it was my third. I did not have any great life altering event to celebrate, mostly I just LOVE tattoo's.  I've been planning my third tattoo since I was finished with my second.  The problem was that I had 2 little children and I quickly realized that every choice you make in a small, snoody, snobby, town affects the way people view your children.  Which is sad, but true.  So I decided 17 years ago not to get anymore tattoo's until my kids were out of school.  I would, of course, make an exception to this personal rule if I met Kat VonD. This past June my youngest child graduated from high school, in January I made a lot of decisions for my life, that involved concentrating more on me, but nothing else has really changed.  I am still me, have always been me, and will continue to just be me, but now I'll be making more of  my decisions based on what's best for me.  Of course my whole family is still the most important thing in the world to me, but I just don't have to worry that people will judge my kids unfairly, becuz of their crazy mother. Nothing to stop me now, except...
The first problem I have with getting this tattoo, is where to put it!!! I've birthed two pretty size-able children, from what, at the time, was a pretty smallish body. Yeah, they left behind some pretty ugly stretch marks. Seriously, I look like Freddy Krueger himself showed up one night in my dreams and left me scared forever. Yes, it really is that ugly. And I've also gotten really fat since my first tattoo. ~Now this is not me being self deprecating, this is me being real and honest.  I can be honest about myself, without hating myself.  True is true.  I am fat{but working on a healthier lifestyle as we speak} and do not look good with my clothes off.  This leaves very little landscape, or canvas to be tattooed, that an artist should have to be exposed to!!  The second problem is that I have a large list of things I'd like to get tattooed onto my body and I tend to be drawn to very large works of art. So, I needed to narrow down where to put something and what I could get that wasn't huge. Becuz my third problem with this tattoo is that my husband is really not a fan of tattoos. He has nothing against them and doesn't hold a single prejudice against anyone who has them, they are just not his thing.  So he would prefer that every square inch of empty space, that could be covered with a long sleeve shirt and pair of jeans, not be covered. I would be cool with it!! So taking all these things into account, I searched all the tattoos I've pinned on Pinterest, or cut out of magazines, or other art sources.  I had narrowed it down to 3, I nixed one choice, and decided that the other would have to wait until I could figure out how I really wanted it to read {it involves words, and I'm not really poetic} I asked all family members, and Shelli,  their opinion and made the decision. Shelli and I made the appointment and on Friday we went in and got tatted up!! While we were there Maddy decided she would get herself a piercing, called "the Rook" She got her first tattoo a few weeks back and is planning another next month, so she just stuck with a piercing. Here are the pics from the event, my new tattoo...

I chose to have it put on my wrist, my left wrist specifically becuz IF for what ever reason, I wanted to cover it up, I could wear my bracelets or watch on this arm. Sadly, there are still people who have issues with tattoo's and there may be times when I need to keep it covered. I may live with rock musicians, but that doesn't mean we don't roll in other more "conformist" worlds sometimes too. 

And there it is!!!!
 {from my point of view, anyway. It would obviously be the other way up when you see it in real life!!}

And Maddy's "rook" piercing. Pretty cool!!!

So that was our Friday night adventure!!! Tattoo's and a Piercing  to celebrating life's changes!!!

Lyric update!!

In case you aren't all sick to death of hearing about my new Camera Purse... I have more to say!!!

Today Lyric and I spent the entire day together. One of the things I did not consider when purchasing this bag, is that I rarely ever take my purse anywhere beyond ~to the truck. I load it in the vehicle when I leave and then just grab my wallet and go into stores, I even leave it out in my vehicle while I'm at work. I leave it there until the end of the day, sometimes I even forget and leave it out there all night! That's okay if its just the purse, but now there is a camera in that bag!! And as you can imagine it's cold here in Michigan!!! Well that is no way to treat your brand new camera, or any camera for that matter!! So today, I took that bag everywhere I went!!! Into the office, the store, everywhere! This will take some getting used to! And I think I'm gonna buy a new wallet, mine is huge and cumbersome and definitely not as cool as the bag! Hell, I'm NOT as cool as the bag!!! Seriously!!! This bag is way more hip, and cool and trendy than I will ever be! And it DEFINITELY exceeds my photography skills!!!

And if you are interested in purchasing one of these bags of your own you should check them out ~ www.epiphaniebags.com

Oh Epiphanie, how I love thee!!!

WARNING: About to take a serious road trip to dork-ville!!

TODAY MY NEW CAMERA PURSE ARRIVED AT MY DOORSTEP!!! I was seriously so geeked about this, you can't even imagine!!!  WAIT I am getting WAY ahead of myself. The only way to do this purse justice is to take you back, all the way to the beginning!!

Okay.  The week before Christmas I was shocked, when Ryan, my wonderful husband, flipped open his wallet, pulled out a pile of cash, and sent me to buy myself a new camera for Christmas!! YEAH!!! It was an awesome moment for me! I've been wanting to go digital for a long time, but we just couldn't save up the money. So, off the kids and I go to Saginaw.  I was pretty happy, to say the least!!! We got to Best Buy, and we're looking at cameras and I find the one I want, the Canon Rebel T2i.  The kids realize that there is an upgrade available, for a extra $100. you can get the 75-300 zoom lens, but I tell them I only have enough for the camera. It's cool though, I'm happy just getting the  camera.  Right there, on the spot, my kids decide that they will pitch in and pay the extra and get me the upgrade! I tell them NO! And they say YES! At this moment I am so overcome by the kind gesture of my children, and my husband, that I have to walk away for a moment ~becuz I have become teary! Seriously, right there in freakin' Best Buy!!! Yeah! I do NOT cry in public!!!! So, yeah seriously THE BEST Christmas gift I have ever gotten, EVER!!!!!!!!!!
I decide it would be really nice to have a new bag for this new, wonderful camera!! My old bag is nice, it's a back pack, so it works really well, but sometimes it's bulky and a lot to carry, especially if you need to take your purse and the camera! So I do some research and find a few different camera purse options I really like.  And I begin nagging my husband to get me one for my Birthday! Well 2 days before my birthday he tells me to order which ever one I want.  I go back and forth for days, I make Maddy look at all of them with me, weighing the pros and cons. Trendy and stylish, or traditional and timeless????  Finally I settle on one ~The "Lyric" by Epiphanie!!! He is a beautiful specimen, with the perfect name, I might add!! Seems fitting for such a musical family, that I own a purse named Lyric!! I'm a bit hesitant because it's not available in black.  Black being my favorite color, and traditional, timeless.  It's a bit outside my comfort zone to buy a purse that is trendy and cool, and colorful Plum, but I decide to take the leap ~it's a leap kind of year{and it really is a "leap year"- calendar speaking!} Maddy is mostly happy I made ANY decision at this point and will be happy to see the fairy purse{that I just sewed back together} retired, finally, after countless years!!
I got the standard shipping, cuz I'm cheap that way! And I figure it will take 7-10 days to get here, NOPE! 4 days!!! That's Awesome!! I UPS tracked my shipment every day after placing the order!! I knew it would be here today, my excitement grew by the hour{yes, I'm serious!} NOW GET READY, cuz here's where the road trip to dork-ville gets really exciting-I'm about to take you on a photo journey through the awesome event of the arrival of

Lyric, in Plum

I came home for lunch and when I went back to the office{we are part of a family business} THERE it was sitting on my desk!!!

LOOK AT THAT COOL BOX!!!!

The coolness of this box can only be rivaled by the Project Life boxes by Becky Higgins!!! But wait there's more... You open the box...

What is all this???

This fun little tag/sticker is holding the plastic bag shut! Now you KNOW you are about to receive an INCREDIBLE gift when it's taped shut with THIS tag! 

And then, They Thank me for buying Lyric!!!

And even more amazing, Lyric brings the promise of Exciting Adventure!!!

What's this??? Lyric comes with his own cozy matching storage bag?!?!

 

 

 Are you ready for the BIG REVEAL????

Lyric in Plum!!!!

And this is how much stuff I managed to fit in this wonderful bag!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OH! And did you see that CUTE camera tag!!! SO freaking cool!!! Right???? I don't know what the fabric is, but it feels really cool too!! Let me just say that when I was opening this{awesomely packed gift} and going nuts about the coolness of it, my Mother in law thought I was a bit on the crazy side, so I recommend that if you buy this bag{and I do recommend you buy one} open it at home!!! Tonight we went on our first outing  together. It is a bit heavy, with all that stuff in it, but it is two bags in one, so that's to be expected!!  I should have taken pictures of the inside too!!! It's all padded!! And has little velcro padded dividers!! YEah!!! I could just go on and on about this bag. But I will stop now! But I must finish by saying this is the BEST Birthday Gift!!! Thank you soooo much Ryan!!!!  Oh and PS, if this purse DOES become available in Black, I WILL own another one!!!

THE self portrait

So did I already tell you that I decided to sign up for Ali Edwards "One Little Word" online class??? Yes? No? OH, I can't remember! I am really concerned lately, that I am already starting to lose my mind!!! Well if I did, sorry I will be repeating the exciting announcement!!!

I SIGNED UP FOR ALI EDWARDS "ONE LITTLE WORD" ONLINE CLASS!!!!
Pretty exciting stuff, I know!! So, I may be adding that to the fun list of things I share with you here on my blog, LUCKY YOU!!! January's assignment didn't seem all that tough ~at first! Choose your word, find definition, find thesaurus words, find a quote, few other important details, print sheets, take self portrait, put all in album, SIMPLE right??? WRONG!!!! Everything was going great, right up to that self portrait thing!! I have never seriously tried to take my own picture.  Can you even guess how many pics I had to take before I got 3 decent options??? Like 25. Yeah really!! Some were blurry, some had the camera in the way, some I was looking AT the camera, some I just looked stupid, the list of failures goes on and on! I wanted to try something fun and different than just the typical, straight on, in the mirror, shot. But by the time I had taken those 25 I decided to just go with them because I was running out of time and patience for that stupid little task!!! Who knew taking your own picture was such a difficult task???  I figured if all these teenagers could stand in front of a mirror and snap their own pics, on a daily basis, to put on facebook, how hard could it be??? Much more difficult than I had imagined.  So, choose the pic, upload the pic to Walgreens and send it off for printing...
Enter next issue~ I know all the girls who work at Walgreens, cuz I print WAY too many pictures!! So then I have to call out there and explain that I am NOT just a big dork who was sitting around taking pics of myself, that this was just for a class!
Then I have to go get the pics, and of course they give me crap, and we have a good laugh at my expense!!! It's all good. Picture has been taken, printed, picked up, and put in the album!! I am ready for the next challenge!!!! If you are looking for a good year long project, go on over to aliedwards.com and check out this class!!
Want to see my half ass final pics?? NO!! Don't know me, and been wondering what I look like? NO!!! Wanna see my pic anyway? NO!! Too bad, it's my blog, remember!!!

YES, I was having a very hard time taking this serious!!!

Project Life 2012 ~week 2&3

Well I clearly need to improve my skill with photographing these pages, and why the heck are they sideways???  Oh well! Next week I will do better!!! You can see it was another VERY exciting week at our house!! Pics of dogs and me trying to sew!! The full moon pic didn't show up well at all.  

This week I added an entire extra page!! I took a ton of pictures of the boys riding.

And the {sideways} backside of the full page!!

And this is the rest of week 2.  This week I added a receipt.

Week 3

I added another insert this week.  Had a lot of pics from my Camera Club photo challenges

Backside of insert. And the rest of week 3

Another {sideways} angle of week 3.  I didn't use pictures every day this week. There is a photocopy of the tattoo design, I'll be getting next week, my apt. card to get the tattoo and the card that came with my birthday flowers{from my son, but the tag always reads From the Family}There you have it... Week 2 & Week 3. Next week the pictures of the pages will be better, I promise!!!

my BIRTHDAY, the {stupid ass}walk, Alterbridge & the other stuff

Yeah, I get pretty excited about my own birthday! I like to celebrate for at least a week, I consider it my own national holiday!! I know most people like to pretend they are not getting older, ignore the birthday, then you don't have to acknowledge your "real" age!!! Not me! Hell there was once a time {about 15-19years of age, especially}I didn't believe I'd live to be this old, so that's worth celebrating! I remember when I thought 42 was old, now I think 16 was so young! I got a few things I'd like to change, or work on, with my life, but wishing I was young again... ain't one of them!!!! That being said, I have a few interesting{maybe interesting was too strong a word- but hey you keep coming back to read this crap!!} details about my birthday I'd like to share!!! But lets start with a background story from last week...

Maddy and I were texting one day last week and talking about, just stuff. She asked if I would go to gym with her on Saturday{she doesn't have membership, so I gotta get her in} I said yes. Then she informed me she has "gotta get back in her game!" I told her "I gotta find my game, I'm never gonna be able to run this 5k", to which she replied " Oh stop it. That is not true. You just have to set your mind to it. You gotta focus on positive energy!!" Very thoughtful encouraging words{but obviously she has never been fat, old and way out of shape!!!} Then she posted this sign on my facebook wall~


I was pretty moved by her show of support!!
I got up bright and early Saturday morning, went out and about in the yard and took some pictures of the frosty, sunny morning{will add some pics at the end of this lengthy/enthralling post} and decided that today I would walk the entire 5k for the first time in months! Actually I would try to break into running, even if it only lasts for 10 seconds, and then I drop dead, I gotta try!!! ~But only if no one is in the gym to witness this embarrassing moment!!
So off to the gym we go, I strapped on my tenny shoes, and my headphones, cranked up the inspirational Heavy Metal, and we are off to the races!!! I know you all LOVE when I share my favorite song lyrics on here, so prepare yourself, it's gonna get hokey again today!!! 
{Another flashback background story!} I have always been a big fan of the lyrics of Alter Bridge! I made Tallon a painting of a black wing and wrote these song lyrics on the canvas becuz I love the message so much!!
So, I'm walking and walking and trying to jog occasionally and trying to set a good pace, and thinking ~Hey, it's my 42nd Birthday, I should make an effort here to set a new Personal Best time! HA! yeah right, that's gonna happen, I will be happy to finish this whole 5k!! So, I'm walking and listening to the music, then it happens {NO, not the heart attack, I'm good!!} Alter Bridge, One Day Remains comes on...

As your will is bent and broken
And every vision has been cast into the wind
As your courage crashes down before your eyes

Don't Lay down and Die
Cuz I see in you more than you'll ever know
And I ask you
Would you question the strenght inside?
And you need to know how it feels to be alive

When every wound has been reopened
In this world of give and take you must have faith
And the distance to your dreams stretch beyond reach

Don't Lay Down and Die
NO...
Cuz I see in you more than you'll ever know
And I ask you
Would you question the strength inside?
And you need to know how it feels to be Alive

As I said, I've always been a big fan of these lyrics but they never REALLY touched me on a personal level. I mean it doesn't apply to me, in the way it does Tallon, or Maddy. ~No one sees more in me than I'll ever know!!!  Then it hit me, My KIDS do!! And I should too.  I mean what kind of example do I set for them, when I say these things to them, but can't act on them myself, or say them to myself.  ~I believe in you, and you should believe in you, but I can't believe in me???? So I looked my self in the {giant wall of} mirrors and said it... Don't lay down and die, I see in you more than you'll ever know{and so do those kids}, would you question the strength inside, you need to know how it feels to be alive!!! And I ran! Not like Forest Gump or anything, but for .20 miles, during each mile, I ran! So today I AM a runner!!! I ran!! It was a short distance, but I did it!  I did NOT lay down and die!!! I also set my Personal Best time for the 5k.  I can say it out loud{or type it!} it was under 50 minutes and that is still a LONG way from where I need to be but it's progress, and My dreams do NOT stretch beyond reach!!!
So thank you Maddy, for the inspiring Facebook Post! Thank you both Tallon and Maddy for believing in me more than I will ever know! {PS~when I told my husband I was gonna try to run, he told me to keep his # handy, so obviously he does not ~believe in me more than I will ever know!}

Yep, I'm a dork!! I was pretty impressed with myself the rest of my day!!!

Went to a baby shower, went to the {boring but had good food} Airport, Airshow fund raiser dinner. Got flowers from my son for my birthday.  Was a pretty good day.  Being 42 is not all bad!!!

Okay so let's end this sappy,hokey, post with some fabulous pics from my morning outing ~not fabulous in skill level but fabulous in the beauty of nature and what nature can do! A few minutes outside enjoying this fabulous beautiful{but frigid} morning and my whole day was changed, hell maybe my whole life, we'll have to wait and see...