Snapshots of a Good Life

I met Karen Russell.

Shorter than I expected. Not a problem. There is a whole lot of personality stuffed in there...good person. Great person.

Yes, she really looks like that when she teaches....and this was a nice photo. I have some hilarious ones in my folder. I'm sure she will love me for not sharing them...I'll send them to her anyway.

This was my workstation. I got a bit messy and my fingers are still covered in paint and a bit of glue here and there....the final result was worth it.

And I learned alot. I mean, so much that you just need to take a class with her to understand. I took notes.

I haven't taken notes since junior high.

She must be special.

Baby, Oh Baby

This is a photo from the last weekend in April of myself and my VERy pregnant friend, Myia. We were bellydance partners for a long while before I took a break from dancing, and she got pregnant.

Well she had her baby at 3 am this morning! His name is Devon and he was two weeks late and had to be delivered by cesarian. 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Mommy and baby are fine. Daddy is tired and was a little loopy when I talked to him, but everyone seems to be doing ok.

I'm going to see her Friday, so I will bring baby pictures then!

My grandpa

My mom broke the news to me on Friday morning and I pushed it out of my mind all weekend and it suddenly hit me this morning.

My grandpa has cancer. It's prostate cancer, caught very early, and very treatable, but in the end it's still cancer. He was always nervous to go to the doctor because he was afraid they would tell him that he had cancer.

That's him. Goofball that he is. I took that photo with my unimpressive Fuji Fine Pix Z5 at my grandparents 50th anniversary party last spring.

Yeah, he's going to be fine. I just wanted to put this in here for posterity, and so you guys would know what's going on. Yep. He'll come out perfect. And goofy as always.

I would like to introduce you to....my toes.

That is the single best photo of me that was taken at the SCA event yesterday...and I took it myself. The photos of me doing archery and such turned out very grainy and therefore were deleted on sight....that and I looked like crap on toast, but I shot well!

I was pretty proud of this one of Michael fencing with Lorenzo (aka the dude in tights on the left hand side of the photo), in mid thrust. Despite driving two hours to get his fencing certification and not ending up getting it, we had a decent time.

What happened? Well you need two full marshalls to certify you (we totally need certification by the 25th so he can fight at Pennsic War), and one of the marshalls had his car break down on him on the way to the event. *sigh* Figures. Hopefully there will be another way. We're working on it.

Another of Michael and Lorenzo. I really wish that I had a nice, nice digital camera (SLR...I'm partial to the Canon Digital Rebels, but I know alot of folks aren't), but right now I am shooting with a 6 megapixel Fugi Fine Pix Z5...which was highly impressive to the camera dude at the Cord Camera scrapbook Center. Meh. I need lenses....adjustable....zooooooom. Options!

One day, I'll have one. We'll probably buy it in Canada because we found them about $200 cheaper there.

Karen Russell class this Friday folks....be prepared for my geekness!

Harry Potter Coma

I may be in love. Daniel Radcliffe is just turning into a little underage hawtie. Yep. I'm sad.

Don't read below if you don't want to be spoiled....it's just my little review:

While it was the one movie so far that barely stuck to the book, the storyline was the same and it was freaking AWESOME! I held my breath when the credits started to roll and everything just started to fall into place right off...the dementor attack in the underpass by the park, the crazy cat lady neighbor, the Order of the Phoenix House.

My heart melted at the first glimpse of Sirius Black. Oh how I long for Harry to have a family... Dolores Umbridge was hilarious and annoying at the same time (as Jackie O. wanna be perfectionists usually are), and Snape...well played! (Traitorous snipe that he is...Alan Rickman is still amazing).

I got teary when they formed Dumbledore's Army and Harry had a speech about how defending yourself against the Dark Arts was just luck for him. And then he kissed Cho...Oh...oh that was sweet...until she betrayed the group and told Dolores Umbridge about the room they were practicing in. Come to find out later that Umbridge had used Veritserum on her and other students.

Let's see....ah...at the ministry in the Department of Mysteries...brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Except for when Sirius uh....well, died...crazy Beatrix Lestrange used the Avara Kevara curse on him and Harry lost the only family he had left. *weep* Yes, I had tears. What a wuss am I?!?!

All in all I loved it and I want to see it again just to look it over one more time to see if there was any little tidbit I missed. Maybe I will go Sunday or something. I hope the DVD is released before Christmas, though I am sure it will be out a good deal before then.

Now. Next Friday is like my dream day. First, I get to take a class with Karen Russell at the Cord Camera Scrapbook Studio in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, then that evening is the Harry Potter Midnight Magic party at Barnes and Noble. Well of course I will be there...I *heart* everything Harry. And well. I will probably have a book review for you by the end of next weekend. If Harry dies, I'll be inconsoleable. Yep. Save Harry Potter.

Can't get the title bar to work! Grrrrr...

Nothing stamped today.

I made some nifty tile coasters yesterday with some tissue paper that a book came wrapped in. DBF loves them. Apparently I need to make more for him to give as gifts. I'll try and post a picture of those later tonight.

I am hoping that my paper comes today....I need to finish Mark and Heather's wedding invites and get them shipped off and I totally cannot do that without paper!

Oh. And because of Ms. Karen Russell...I bought a hermafix tab dispenser thingie for class. It's a heinous blue color. I saw once where someone had painted an ATG gun. Think that the hermafix thing can be done too???? I want to make it pink and sparkly!

Fangirl!

I mentioned a few days ago that I recently perused the new Cord Camera Scrapbook Center out in Pickerington...well....I also mentioned that Karen Russell is going to be there teaching a class on July 20th-Snapshots of a Good Life.

Do you know how psyched I am to say that I am going to that class!!?!??!?!?

Oh I am such a fangirl. I just got online and freaking emailed her to tell her how psyched I am to meet her and to take her class.

I'm a dork.

And a fangirl.

The new catty is heeeeerrrrreeeeeee

Nice cover, eh? The samples in the new catty are wonderful and very attractive...I have been so inspired by them and have even taken the time to draw up some layouts based on the cards and pages I saw!

Not sure what is on my wishlist yet. I'm trying to be very well behaved and not go insane with the spending. But here is what I do really, -really- like:

Sleigh Bells Ring, pg. 41- It's a beautiful Christmas set, I really like the way it looks and the samples done with it, but I know there is NO way I can make it look that pretty. I am not good at colouring in the slightest....I just can't seem to get pretty stamps like that too look right. (And yet another reason I didn't order any Thomas Kincaid stamps from CHF).

Sealed with a Kiss, pg. 48- Cute.....cute....still unsure about it.

Polka Dots & Paisley, pg. 68- It's -really- growing on me. I used this at stamp club a couple months ago, and didn't like it at first, but the more I look the more I like it....:D

Doodle This, pg. 99- I want it. yes. I do.

Winds of Grace, pg. 109- Like it....on the fence about buying tho. I think it would be good to make cards for my dad.

Priceless, pg. 117- Love it.

Baroque Motifs, pg. 126- Yeah, when I saw this set in the preview catty, I absolutely HAD to have it. HAD TO HAVE IT. Now that I look at it more, I am not sure. Will I use those chunkier images? I have tons of Rhona swirls....do I need more?

Wing It, pg. 126- Hilarious! Those wings could go on SO MANY THINGS! I keep picturing the heart with wings tattooed on the arm of a biker....hehe.

Illuminations, pg. 127- Love it. Dunno if I would use it.

Pick a Petal, pg. 133- I like it....it's adorable!

Elegant Notes, pg. 134- Love this set....I wish I still sang or played guitar.

Define Your Life, pg. 159- I love this set.....love it....want it. I will have it.

All the DP is awesome. I am having a hard time deciding which I like the most and which I want to get. The ribbon rocks and the new In Colors are so freaking cool! I do know that I want to order those first so that I can get to playing with them.

I really think that the Stampin' Stack and Store is awesome and I would love to have one. That would help with my clutter issues for sure!

And the Paper Pretties....wow. SU! Was totally in my brain on that one.

OMG....

I was at the new Cord Camera Scrapbook Center in Reynoldsburg/Pickerington area yesteray. Thank goodness my Grandma told me that she had seen it out there the other day or I would have NEVER KNOWN that it was there. I was highly, highly impressed with their expansive selection and LARGE classroom space.

I was looking around while Michael harrassed the girl at the coffee stand (YES! It has a Joe's right inside the store!) to make him a coffee. Then I saw it.....Karen Russell is coming to teach at that store on July 20th! I was geeked! Completely! I am so going to that....

AND....for the comment I got on my last post....

The music on my blog is by James Carrington and the song is called Ache. I heard it on an episode of Smallville last season and have been hooked ever since. But the scene also had hottie Lex in it, so who wouldn't be hooked?!