Seizing the Moment

Seize the moment...remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart..

Erma Bombeck

Woo hoo - two posts in one day! And, then, you won't see me for another five weeks...just kidding.
I had started this post yesterday, but, got waylaid by the National Championship game - we still love you, Ducks! - rolling blackouts, funky internet and dinner. So, here we are, a day late..
I am a planner dork...not as intense as some people, but,a dork, nonetheless.

There they are...the top one is a Pocket Malden and thats my wallet - it works really well since I can jot down my appointments and what nots right then and there. The next is a Pocket Sketch and thats actually my shopping folder - all of my reward cards and rain checks and stuff go in there. I am still trying to set up the Raspberry Saffiano as its the only one with a current calendar in it and the grey book is something I got from TJ Maxx for journaling and stuff. I found a tutorial on YouTube on how to make your own Faux Dori and that would my version of it under the grey journal and the last one is actually a planner that I got from Walmart during the back to school sales and that's my home planner. Like I said, I'm a dork.

As for seizing the moment...well, I wanted a bigger one, more like an A5 size planner that I could use for home stuff because the Wal Mart one ends in June. So, I found this little beauty and I couldn't resist

Yes, a Kikki K! There are two that are similar in size going for the same price (on sale now for $39.98) but I was on the fence about which one to get. So, I referred to the wonderful world of YouTube to take a look-see on the difference and I found the best review ever at ThePaperAddiction.

They actually purchased both - the Time Planner and the Personal Planner. They did a run through on the pros and cons, similarities and so forth. After watching that, I made my choice and got the Personal Planner. The one thing I didn't like was that it didn't have the week on two pages, but, I can find one - I hope. And, the monthly calendar is a Perpetual Calender - not dated - so, I can start it whenever and date it myself. I may just make copies of the calendar and keep those on hand for refills.

There is another one that I am seriously lusting after

Yes...the Websters Pages Crash Planner in Light Teal!

They are completely sold out until March - bummers. That's okay, it'll give me time to convince my two men (Hubby and oldest Stooge who has a job) that I cannot do without one. One of them will cave...

The reviews on YouTube are pretty good so far since the release of them and it is loaded with a lot of ideal inserts for the crafter/mom/cook/shopper. The fact that the strap closure is actually a little longer than most planners so that it accommodates for whatever dorks like me put in it is a nicely added touch. I am looking at this one for my personal use: daily journaling, school stuff, craft stuff, etc.

I am curious about Erin Condren Planners, but, $50.00 is a little bit of a stretch for me, considering that its not refillable. I am the type of person that needs to be able to make her dollar stretch as long as possible, so, refillable is a priority for me.

I found some great printables and downloads on Pinterest (of course!) for planners and will be working on that today...the Over Organized Compulsive person that I am is sweating buckets because I am seriously behind in my organization. 

Well, I'm off to start my day...have a great Tuesday, everyone and don't forget to seize the moment!

Make me something to eat, woman...

My heart says chocolate and wine, but, my jeans say for the love of God, woman, eat a salad
Unknown (found on Pinterest)

Happy Tuesday! My two younger Stooges have returned to school (can I get an AMEN?) and I am enjoying the quiet time. Don't get me wrong...I love my boys with all my heart and will slay all things living and imaginary should anything happen to them. Its the constant bickering that makes me completely nuts and all sense of patience flies out the windows and front door. So, having my daily routine back is quite the Godsend, let me tell you.
While my boys were home during the winter break - that would be my three sons and hubby - my cooking duties had now extended to all three meals, not just dinner. I know, what am I complaining about? I mean, there are women who do it everyday on a regular basis whereas I only do it on vacations and school breaks. So, suck it up, right?
The difference here is...my men are picky. REALLY picky...they'll say they aren't, but, they're lying.
Breakfast is alway rice, at least two types of meat, and two eggs - or, rice and an omelette. In Hawai'i, we eat rice with everything - even spaghetti. Well, I don't, but, there are some who do. Don't tell my youngest to eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast - he'll pitch a fit...a HUGE one.
Sandwiches for lunch are okay...as long as there are chips to go with it. And, dinner...Lord Almighty, if I should ever get dinner wrong, there will be hell to pay. This is where my culinary expertise (ha!) comes into play...
I found this incredibly easy recipe for Spicy Pork (Korean style) online at beyondkimchee.com and I decided to give it a shot

Thank you, Daddy, for the wok - I've had this wok for 15 years - no home should be without one, I think.

I used some pork country style ribs that I bought at Costco and cut it thin - made the sauce according to the recipe, but, doubled it because, hey, I'm feeding 4 hungry guys - this pic is actually a third of the amount that I cooked. Besides onions, I had some left over Won Bok (Chinese Cabbage), cut that and threw it in there. I wished I had gotten a pic of it plated, but, it didn't last long...I served it with rice and macaroni salad (another local staple for some meals) and made 4 guys extremely happy campers. Personally, I don't eat like my guys - breakfast is whenever I remember to eat, I never do lunch and dinner is always half of what my men eat without a lot of the side dishes. It works for me...

While taking the boys in to school, my youngest asked me "What's for dinner, Mom?" 

it's 6 freakin 30 in the morning...how the hell am I supposed to know? Oh well, at least it'll give me something to think about today...I wonder what they would say if I told him "SALAD!"?

So Long, 2014!

The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow
       - Unknown


Wow...it's been a helluva long time since I posted here...how was your holiday season? Looking forward to 2015? I can honestly say that I am...I am completely over , under and done with 2014.
It's not that it was a bad year...but, it wasn't all sunshine and giggles, that's for sure.

So...where does one start??

Well..let's start with August 2013 and roll from there...
I was involved in an accident in August 2013 and it was...life altering and an attitude changer, that's for sure. I won't go into details about what happened, but, needless to say, I am not the same person I was when I woke up on August 15, 2013. The last 16 months, 16 days and two hours have been filled with numerous doctors/physical therapy/psychologist/vocational counselor appointments and during that time, I have also had neck surgery and suffered a couple (okay, possibly more than a couple) of breakdowns - also known as going through the Stages of Grief. Since Acceptance (the last stage of grief) hasn't shown itself yet, 2015 may or may not be a slight repeat of 2014...geez, I hope not.

So, when one such as myself is faced with some time on her hands, I tend to do a multitude of things:

1. Spend it watching Criminal Minds re-runs
2. Spend it doing on line window shopping (I will purchase everything on my many Wish Lists eventually)
3. Pin on Pinterest....constantly
4. Read...alot! (Since discovering Wattpad, I now have an incredible urge to write a romance novel that involves a heroine in need of an extreme makeover that is secretly in love with her billionaire boss)
5. Craft - per my shrink, I was told to continue to craft as my part of my therapy...my art journal has some pretty dark entries in it

I did other stuff, too, for sure...like, drive my men nuts with my breakdowns and outbursts and fits of creativity that made me tend to stay away from them for hours. But, much to my husbands frustration, none of my "episodes" included cleaning fits or baking rampages or cooking sprees like I was The Pioneer Woman (she rocks, by the way). It is what it is...

My downside to 2014 (yes, there's more besides the other stuff already mentioned) is that I found out that after I had the metal plate attached after losing a disc in my neck, I was not going to be the same person physically that I was before - no more boxing, kick boxing, cross fit training - anything that involves me using force and/or lifting more than 15 pounds. I can't lift my head up to look above me and trying to tuck my chin to my chest will make me nauseous. Oh, and, I have a phobia of crowds. Oh well, it is what it is...

But, there is a good side to it...I have found out that I suffer from Overly Organized Compulsive Disorder - OOCD. Yes, I made that up. Because of my disorder, I am the owner of at least 5 organizer/planners all for the upcoming year, have hung all of my clothes on hangars that are either black or silver and woke up this morning and organized my underwear drawer. I have post its all over the house of upcoming appointments (even though its already listed in 3 of my planners and my Iphone and my iPad...and, yes, my men also have a list of everything because I'm organized like that).

So, as I was contemplating some serious life choices over the last few days, I realized that while holding on to the ugliness of whats been in my life for the last 16 months, 16 days and 2 hours, 42 minutes made me comfortable (because its what I was used to), it sure as hell isn't healthy. But, it's a block to build on so that one can move forward. Hence, the quote at the top of the page.

I will be changing the look of this blog and for all 2 or 3 of you that read it, I hope you will continue to stop and take a look at whats here. I have some ideas of what I want to do here and I hope you like it. I have another blog where I do Stampin' Up! stuff only on that (inkonmystamps.blogspot.com), but, for this blog, I want to be more relaxed and just let it all out. Maybe I'll post a few excerpts from my romance on here...just kidding.

On that note...may you all enjoy a safe holiday and may your 2015 be filled with luck, love and happiness.

Happy New Year!

Chunky Mini Album

Happy Aloha Friday!!!

Considering Friday is almost over, kind of a moot point, isn't it? :)

I had this really grand notion of posting stuff on a regular basis, but, apparently, that fell through, didn't it???

So, tonight's post was something that I finished a while ago but never got around to posting as I was in an accident and haven't been able to get over the frustration and other issues that has arisen because of it. So, when I got out of bed this morning, I told myself, today is a new day and its going to be different...I'll let you know how that ends up working for me....

Anyway...like I said, I finished this a few weeks ago, before my accident, and, I was just so darn proud of myself, I wanted to share...I have been doing a massive hoard haul of all kind of stuff...mulberry paper flowers, lace, ribbons, trims, Filofaxes (guess who jumped on that boat? That's another post in the near future...)and...Prima goodies! Here's a few pics of an envelope album I made with the Romance Novel collection...notice I didn't use the word mini???

This is the side view....

And this is the front cover

The front and back covers are an idea I got from My Sisters Scrapper on youtube...I put double slider tags on the inside of both. I used modeling paste and gesso, a boatload of flowers, seam binding and some charms. Love, love, LOVE this paper collection and seriously had to stop and think if I wanted to use it or not...but, I bought it for something and why hoard? If you hoard, you'll end up with no space to get new stuff...

Then, I used my Bind it All to put it all together...overall, I'm really happy with it...had a blast making it, too!  Can't wait to start on the next one!

I hope you liked the pics...sorry it's such a short post but I can't seem to keep my eyes open...stay tuned for more pics...

Aloha and have a great 3 day weekend!!!

Nancy 

New digs!!

Happy Sunday!!! So, home renovations are still going...we have a kitchen that has no sink, our living room is a mess, the boys fish tanks are sitting on our dining room table...it's a mess:(

But, there is a bright spot in this whole crazy ordeal...

My workspace is the garage - it started out with a little table and grew it into a massive takeover

Obscene, isn't it? Yes...this is..was my workspace.

Once in awhile, my hubby surprises me with something either really off the wall (which is what he usually does) or, it's something so completely unexpected, he leaves me speechless.

Part of the whole renovation nightmare was new kitchen cabinets; so, one night while hubby and I were hanging out in the garage, he looks at my space and says, "You need cabinets."

"That would be lovely," I tell him.

"Why don't we put the old kitchen ones in here for you?"

"Yeah, right...like you would give up the garage for that."

"No, really...we paint the floor, put in the cabinets, and, bam! You have a workspace!"

Dead silence..."Seriously?"

"Yep!"

So, the journey began...

There they are!

My cabinet installers are 5 of the greatest guys I know...my brothers and my hubby ( that's him in the blue)

This is the engineering part of the plan...

This was an awesome moment...realizing that these guys were doing this in support of me and what I do...

And, the final layout...there were a few times during the install that I felt near tears because my brothers gave up a Saturday to do this for me...they are the best.

I spent my Sunday moving stuff in and, it was awesome...no, I'm not done yet...having cabinets is kind of hard to get used to...it's like being in a parking lot that has a lot of empty spaces...there's so many to choose from, you don't know where to park. Well, in my case, I have so much stuff, I don't know where to put it...would you believe I started to put my boxes on the floor in the corner and hubby's, like, what are you doing? Duh...

My body is sore from all of the packing, moving of stuff...and, then, the unpacking; I have been only getting 4-5 hours of sleep since renovations have started...two months ago...but, walking into the garage and seeing my new workspace makes me forget all that...what started as an idea from my love is a reality because of him and 4 really incredibly awesome brothers...

Have a great week...I know I will!

Nancy

C'est La Vie mini album

Happy Sunday! I just woke up from a two hour nap - I fell asleep at my craft table...with the way our house is right now, it's the only place I can actually feel comfortable...it's like a big comfy armchair to me:)

As I mentioned the other night, I have some pics of a mini album that I did - the inspiration came from the Prima YT channel...Frank Garcia and designer, Jodie Lee, had taped a class about making this 6x6 album that looked so super easy, I had to try it! 

Here are some of the supplies used:

I did a minimal amount of stamping, using the Established Elegance set and Feeling Sentimental from Stampin' Up! I also used some of the flatback rhinestones, pearls and paper doilies from Stampin' Up! and some flowers from Prima. I had made some purchases from a couple of stores off of Zibbets (Shabby Scraps and Shabby Beautiful) and got some of the most fabulous flowers from them and put them to use in this album.

       Chipboard was used for the pages - 6 pieces total cut at 6x6 - and, the hinge system is just Kraft cardstock cut at 3x6 and scored at 1 1/2" and adhered to the pages to make an accordion like album - super super easy! It also allows you to embellish it as much or as little as you want...love it! I also used Tim Holtz's Tattered Floral die to cut out some flowers using my scraps from the album to embellish the front, along with some brown tulle I picked up from a local fabric shop - it's not the first album I made, but, it was the easiest and since I was able to use only half of a 12x12 sheet of designer paper per every two pages, pretty darn economical it was, too!

I had purchased some Prima Paper, both from online and locally, and, am planning the next albums...Prima is like the Holy Grail of paper crafting to me....every time I open a paper pad to look at the designs, I swear I hear angels sing!

Thanks for letting me share with you and I hope you all have a great night!

Aloha!

Crazy life I lead....

It's been ages, hasn't it?? This isn't so much of a crafty post, more of a what's been going on post.

Things are pretty hectic right now...my oldest graduated from high school and we are currently in the what do I do with my life now? stage. 

My second son finished elementary school and we are now in the pre-teen stage...whatever that is...puberty and middle school - here we come!!!

And my youngest...well, as long as he has something to eat and his iPod, he's fine.

And, through all of this...hubby decides he wants to renovate the house...yep, the whole bloody house...he couldn't wait until after my sons graduation and his party to do it...he started it a week before his graduation - I was trying to cook for the party in a disaster zone...so not fun!!!

Yes, renovations are still going on...remember the movie The Money Pit?? And, the part where Tom Hanks just starts laughing hysterically?? Yep - that's me...

On a happier note, something to share with you

Here is my son and I on his big day...I'm so proud of him!

I've been working on some stuff...I found a new passion..mini albums!! And a whole bunch of other stuff that I've been working on...can't wait to show you everything!

Have a great night!