R-I-D-E

There are some words that must be spelled at our house. R-I-D-E, W-A-L-K, and T-R-E-A-T. If you forget to spell and say the word, you better be prepared to deliver! Recently, jingling the keys also gets an excited response - apparently that means RIDE as well :)

Monday night when I took the hounds for a ride up the canyon, I took my camera with me to capture a few of the fun moments. It makes me smile how happy they are - even though Cleo is quite serious the entire time. Mabel prefers what we call the "Queen's Throne" - the spot between the front seats. She stands with her back legs on the back seat and front paws on the storage bin between the front seats. I wish you could see Mabel, she reminds me of Max on the Grinch when he's riding on the front of the sled. Ears perked up, smiling, and tail wagging. This is Mabel!

Here's a few pictures to give you an idea of what rides in the car are like with the hounds.

Cleo's favorite place - head out the window watching everything!

Cleo getting a better view

Mabel trying to crowd out Cleo - it's what little sisters do!

Mabel out her window

A focused Mabel in the Queen's Throne

Mabel assuming the position - it's all about controlling the Queen's Throne! Notice the tail is wagging :)

Now you know the joys of riding in the car with two Basset Hounds. It really is fun, even if it does leave a lot of hair. Just knowing how happy they are makes it all worth it. If you ever see us around town, you may also get to hear Cleo talk to you - it's a kind of throaty cry/squeak that she makes whenever she sees someone standing or in the car next to us.

Love those hounds!

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What are you afraid of?

When asked this question, my first response is always snakes! But I think this quote is pretty accurate and something I really need to think about.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most...We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." --Marianne Williamson, American author and lecturer

There are many things that I want to do but I am the first to admit that I let fear stop me. Why? The fear of failure. Dumb, I know, but it's the truth. So, this week I will do something that I have put off because I was afraid. Right now, I have that sinking feeling in my stomach. But I'm going to rely on the light of those around me to lift me up and help me through my fear.

I hope you'll take the challenge as well. Find someone who is there for you and lean on them when the fear sets in. Good luck!

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The Quest

I have an on-going battle - staying fit and/or losing weight. They kind of go hand-in-hand. And I recognize that this is going to sound very whiny, but it is honestly how I feel. I don't find joy in exercise. I can do it, it just isn't something I get excited about. I'm not a morning person - getting out of bed to an alarm is not on my Top 10 Things To Do list. So, getting up early to exercise doesn't happen on a regular basis. So why not do it when I get home you ask? Well, I typically get home around 6:30. At that point I just want to be home and enjoy that time - at least for a little bit. But, once I've sat for 30 minutes, that desire to go downstairs and exercise has dissipated. (Remember, I warned you that this sounds whiny :) . )

I recognize that I am full of excuses. But I am seriously envious of people that enjoy exercising and/or can stick to a weight loss plan. It seems that most of these people have a goal they are going after - running a 5K or 1/2 marathon, going to a class reunion, etc., etc.

And so, I have looked hard this week at what would motivate me to stick to this need to exercise/lose weight. I don't really like to run/jog, so the 5K or 1/2 marathon is out. I don't have a class reunion coming up. I've done the challenge where a group of friends put money in a pot and the person who loses the most by a certain date gets the funds (that didn't work out too well - we ended up giving all the money back to each person because we reset the date so many times).

I'M AT A LOSS!!! Doing it for myself just doesn't cut it. I need a WORTHY goal (not that I'm not worthy, it's just that I talk myself out of these things too easily).

Any ideas? For now, I'll continue the quest and hope that soon the right option will present itself. Until then, will you pass the box of cookies this way?? :)

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This life

I don't know about anyone else, but my life is far from perfect. There are things I do that I think, duh! Other things I'm so grateful for experiencing. And I also know that each experience I have is adding to who I am. So why does the grass look greener on the other side of the fence? Who knows? I do know that I need to remember what I have, be grateful for it, and enjoy life.

This is also true when it comes to being creative. There are so many people that I look at what they do and think - wow, I would love to make something like that. But comparison can be a bad thing. Yes it can be a great motivator, but only if I don't let it get me down.

So this week's quote is along those lines. My life is what I make of it. It isn't perfect, but it's all mine. Have a great week!

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of someone elses life with perfection." --from the Bhagavad Gita

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A Weekend of Scrapbooking

Let me start by saying this is a shameless promotion post :) I work for the CK Events team and we have a new event called CK Scrap & Play. It is 24+ hours of scrapbooking, classes, and pampering. When is this incredible event you ask? It is conveniently scheduled for National Scrapbooking Day - April 30 through May 1st. It will be held at the Provo Marriott in Provo, UT and starts at 5:30 on Friday evening and goes until midnight on Saturday.

What I really love about this event is all that it offers. There will be several classes, visits from CK editors as well as Teresa Collins, loads of time for cropping, plus a local beauty college is coming and will provide manicures, facial waxing, and other fun pampering for free. And because it's at the Provo Marriott, you can stay the night there so you don't have to pack up your supplies. Just leave what you're working on in the cropping room, head up to your hotel room for a good night's sleep, and back at it in the morning.

The cost for this fun weekend is $125, but if you stay at the Provo Marriott, you get a $25 discount, so you'll only pay $100.

If you think this sounds like a great way to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day, then head on over to www.creatingkeepsakes.com/scrap_and_play and register. In case you're wondering, I won't be able to come because I'm already working that weekend somewhere else. If not, I would be there for sure!

If you have questions, let me know. And thanks reading!

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The Joy of Creating

I think it must be a Christmas miracle! I actually made two things in the last week (or so). It does help when you have an excuse, but still, I embraced the opportunities and thoroughly enjoyed it.

First, I had the honor of hosting a challenge on ScrapbookDreamer.com. I had a blast!! The challenge I chose was related to chocolate (since it was held in February). The participants could pair any color with chocolate brown. I chose teal, which I am absolutely in love with right now. Here's the card I made.

The next opportunity I had was for my niece-in-law's upcoming baby shower. They are having a boy and since they've only had girls to this point, a shower is in order. They gave me some ideas of what they were envisioning and I ran with it. I spent a good 45 minutes going through every baby or blue paper, stamp, and embellishment I could find. I ended up using Crate Paper for the patterned paper and an elephant stamp from Little Yellow Bicycle. I thought it turned out pretty cute. You can see what you think.

So, now that I've done a little creating, my quote for the week has a slightly different slant. Sometimes you have to embrace opportunities to create (the you here means me). We all need a kick in the pants at times, so take those little kicks and use them before your back side gets sore :) And so this week I will focus on looking at opportunities as what they are - an opportunity, and not as work.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. --Thomas Edison

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Imagination and Curiosity

I'm a day behind picking my quote for the week - just wasn't feeling it yesterday. But as I looked at quotes tonight, these two jumped out at me and I couldn't decide which one to choose, so I'm choosing both. The great thing is, they kind of support each other.

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. -- Albert Einstein

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. -- Albert Einstein

For me, being curious is what sparks my imagination. I want to know how it works or what it will produce and so I try it in hopes of discovering the answer. I also connected with the first quote because I have a lot more imagination than knowledge, so that was a big PHEW on my part :) I think Mr. Einstein was one smart man and obviously very inspired!

Have an imaginative and curious week!

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