I was feeling a little blue, not sure why…just one of those days.  Maybe I’m a little down because I miss my family…the family that moved off to Idaho…and Utah.  I’m still here in California.  Not that it’s a bad thing to be in California, I just miss them.

I don’t know what made me do it but I grabbed my camera on the way out the door this afternoon.  I can’t really explain the feeling of having a camera in my hand.  It just feels good.  It feels right.

I’ve haver taken a  photography class but I’ve always wanted to.  Maybe if I took a class it would be easier to capture my world through phototgraphs…easier to tell the story of my life from behind a camera lens.

I was waiting to pick up Izabelle from school and started taking photos.  The first one of myself in mirror on my car…

Then I snapped a photo of Izabelle as she was getting in car.  Then I noticed a tree behind her.  A beautiful burnt orange tree.  Gorgeous.

I love Autumn.

Suddenly I was feeling better.  I had a half of an hour before it was time to pick up Parker from school.  I took my time driving there, pulling over on the side of the road whenever it felt right…snapping photos.

I love to close my eyes and feel the breeze, gentle, cool, calming, the sun shining on my face. As my eyes are closed, I listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.  I feel peace. I feel blessed.  I feel grateful for the beauty that surrounds me.

I love Autumn.

Recently Alexis Obrochta of Indelible Creations worked up a new look for my blog.  My hubby is still working out a few kinks (making sure my blog does her work justice) but it should be up and running properly by tomorrow night.

Lex worked on the background and my Sidebar Design.  She did an amazing job and I am SO very, very pleased!  If you are interested in a Blog Design (or addition, like myself).  Please pop by the link above or visit her blog HERE.

Thank you Lex for your beautiful work!!!

While shipping off one of my books sold on Etsy, I realized that it was hard to let it go.  The postal worker took my package and I suddenly wanted it back.  I didn’t ask for it back.  I let him mail it off like I was supposed to.  But got me thinking…why?  Why was my little scrapbook so hard to let go of?  It wasn’t the hours I put into creating it.  It wasn’t that I had taken the time to come up with something new, different or creative and wanted to hold on to that idea.  It wasn’t because I had used some of my pretty paper, ink, ribbon, lace and embellishments.  So why?  Why had it been so hard to let that little book go?
While sitting in my car in the parking lot of the Post Office…
I understood.
When I scrapbook, I put my heart and soul into it.  When I create layouts or projects for my family it’s a way of telling them that I love them.  A way of preserving the good times, the love our family shares.
That’s why when I create a book or project and end up selling it, it’s hard to let it go…I’m mailing out a little offering from my soul.
As I sat there and thought about my little soul offering, I started to feel good.  This particular book was going to Australia. I have also shipped books to New York, Hawaii, Texas, Wisconsin…Suddenly it dawned on me.  I have been shipping my little soul offerings around the world.  How amazing is that?  How fun to think of the lives my little pieces of scrapbook art are touching.  That someone, somewhere will receive a handmade gift, made with love, heart and soul…made by little ‘ol me.

I received the above quote in my email a few days back. I’ve had a little time to ponder it. Sometimes I get so busy I do feel a little dizzy. It always seems that when I am on the right path I don’t feel overwhelmed, when this happens, I actually feel good about the state of “busy-ness” that I am in and do not feel dizzy.

Izabelle has never been a “girly-girl” – don’t get me wrong, even at the tender age of 7 she is very feminine.  She claims to like “boy” things.  Izabelle Love’s Dragons, skulls, and Guitar Hero III.   So, I was a little shocked when she picked out this pink shirt while we were shopping the other day.  I let her pick out her own clothes (within reason – I’m not a mom who will let her 7 year old wear “sexy” clothes, not that she’s even remotely interested yet) she did a good job…

Izabelle made it very clear that she wanted to buy “rocker” clothes.  I couldn’t help thinking “Barbie and the rockers” when she chose her little pink shirt with hearts and skulls.   She also found socks with dragons (her personal favorite) “Cool Mom, Dragons! – I know they’re boy socks but can I get them?”

 This little 7 year old scored!

P.S. Enter to win my mini album giveaway HERE.

I have always loved to take photographs.  I can’t help it.  I carry my little digital camera in my purse and it goes everywhere with me.  I’ve had too many experiences that I wish I would’ve had a camera for, I learned my lesson when my son was very young.

My children’s lives are well documented in photographs.  So well in fact that they both either huff and puff because I’m taking “another picture” or they say, “Mom, take a picture of me holding….”  whatever they have in their hands at the time…

When my kids were younger I went through a Black & White phase.  It was before I went digital and I would haul my big camera around with me.  That big Camera went along with us on all of our outings, it was just as necessary as the diaper bag was.

I took the following photos about 6 years ago.  I am not and have never claimed to be a professional photographer…but it does not deter me from pretending to be with my children.  Looking back at these photos, even if they’re a little blurry…I’m so glad I lugged that camera around with us.

Sky is a year old this month!  Do you see the red bridal on her?  It was so huge back then.  Now…it doesn’t even fit her, she’s completely grown out of it!  I went out the other day to turn the horses out in the pasture.  My husband came with me…he didn’t even recognize her, she’s grown that much. 

My children have had so much fun watching her grow.  They were there an hour after her birth and have seen how much she has grown in the last year…

As much as I love my parents horses I have to admit…yesterday was somewhat of a crazy day.  My parents have been out of town (quite often lately, seeing as they’re opening a business in another state) and left me in charge of turning out the horses.  That’s all…just turning them out.  They have hired someone to feed them morning and night and to shovel manure, etc….So, my only job was to turn them out, come back several hours later and put them back in their stalls before dinner. 

I drove out to their house yesterday at about 9:30 am and let all four of their horses loose to run free and graze in the pasture.  Here’s were the problem arose.  Remember the story I told you yesterday about Parker?  Well, I think I  must have been rattled a little because by the time we were all calm and left the movie theatre it was well past dinner time.  Naturally I drove home so that I could feed my family.  Then settled in for the night….

Before I knew it I was completely exhausted.  I looked at the clock: 11:30 pm!  Suddenly I remembered the horses out running free in the pasture.  Wow!  I felt like a complete idiot.  I jumped in my car faster than you could say “horse neglect” and drove (a lot faster than I should have) to my parent’s house the next town over.  The whole time chanting “stupid, stupid, stupid…”

Luckily when I arrived the horses were all safely in their stalls and as content as horses can be.  The gal they had hired to feed them had put them all back.  I was so grateful.  It did not stop me from feeling stupid though.  I left her a note thanking her and made sure she had my cell phone number (I don’t trust myself much anymore- can you tell?).

As much as I am an animal lover….you might not want to leave me in charge of yours while you’re away.  I have several more examples.  Like my friends dog that decided to run away while I was watching it or the time I was kicked in the face by the horse mentioned above…or the time I fractured my foot while caring for horses…or the time I got my dog hit by a car because I am so bad at throwing Frisbees.  Yep…those are all stories for another day.  Believe me I try but I think I’m a little jinxed in that area. 

I’ll stick with childcare.  Babies…I’m good them I’m good at…

“Honey, let me finish loading the dishwasher for you…”

This is what my husband said to me when I was in one of my “crazy” stressed-out fits.  I absolutely needed to leave the house by 8 am.  He and the kids had to be ready by then.  No exceptions!  Of course I had to have the dishwasher loaded and started before I left that morning.  He just wanted to help calm me down.  And of course, I view this as romance people.  Seriously.  He. Knows. Me.  He knows me enough to offer to finish doing a job that I imposed on myself one random morning so that I could feel  ready to leave.   Yep, he puts up with my frenzied fits.  He’s one of those true  romantics. 

P.S.  The flowers he picks for me and the poetry he writes aren’t at all bad either.  I know, I know…I snagged one of the really, really great guys!

Do you ever feel like you’ve wasted your time on the things that don’t really matter?

For instance. Today I dwelt on: “I can’t” a little to longer than I should have. It seems like when the word “can’t” enters my mind it immediately cancels any chance of “can”. So, I’ve decided to start chanting “I can” instead. I can, I can, I can…kind of like “I think I can” (in the movie Dumbo), except I going for the I know I can. Goodbye grumpy old “can’t” – I’m finished with you! And I CAN!!!

If you’re curious about the card above…I made and sent it to my Grandma Crabtree. She bonked her head pretty good and ended up in the hospital! Her and my Grandpa do read my blog, so hopefully Grandma already received the card in the mail! By the way, Grandma, if you’re reading this…I sure hope that you’re doing better!

OK, now I can turn off my computer and go to bed…goodnight sweet friends.

I wish that I had time to make handmade cards for all my friends…

To me, nothing says “I care” like receiving a card in the mail…Don’t get me wrong, I love to get emails from friends too.  There’s just something about a card in the mail.  When you open up the mailbox and there is a card or letter addressed to you.  Handwritten with love…and then even better; when someone sends a handmade  card…wow! 

I love to make cards…I should probably make  time to create more of them.  Along with the time I’ll make  for everything elseI want to do. For instance…I want to make time to learn Spanish, or travel to Egypt, or make the perfect pie crust…Darn, instead I have  to make time for folding the HUGE pile of laundry sitting on my bed…Time to call in the troops…”Honey, can you come here for a minute….? “