This and that

So it' s my last night off for a while (SIGH). I start my new schedule of (3) eight hour nights and one (12) hour night per week. I like working the shorter shifts. It lets me have a more normal daily routine. But it's one more day to work per week. I suppose there's no perfect solution, short of winning the lottery, LOL.

Mike is enjoying his new job. I need to get a picture of him in his tie, before the novelty wears off.

We're definitely 2 ships passing each other these days. Still working out the kinks. The who needs to be where and when. We're a good team together, though, so we'll work it out.

One of my resolutions was to scrap more. I've managed to get some done this week. One layout was for a sketch challenge over at Scrapbook.com. I'd just received my January Studio Calico kit.

That's the one indulgence I still have in our time of tightened budgets. So this month's kit has gorgeous patterned papers in a color palette I love, but seldom use - green, yellow and brown.

The flowers are made from Hambly rubons. I distressed the cut out images and layered them. I LOVE gold as an accent on my pages.

Here is a page I started anout a week ago and set aside. I finished it up the other evening. Remember my post about Jimmy and the Reindeer dust a couple weeks back?

I created my title by stippling foam thickers with silver stickles. I went back a few times to get the amount of sparkle I was after.

Well, it's getting late here and I'll be sorry tomorrow night if I don't get enough rest.

Have a good one!

Should be sleeping...

I know I'm going to pay for it tomorrow, but I'm still awake. I'd planned to
scrap tonight, but just wasn't feeling it.

Today was Mike's first day back to work after 8 months of unemployment
So thankful that we will have 2 incomes again.

Did some scrapping the other night.
Here is a mini that I made for Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs.
I'm sorry for the sideways photo. No matter how I resize it, it still uploads sideways. GRRR.
The photos are from New Years Day 2009. Tommy had such a blast sledding down the big hill at our area high school.

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This is a Mini Flip album. The covers are acrylic and the pages are chipboard. After Brenna made her owl case, I decided I wanted to dig into this big bag of felt that I've had and not used.

I also used a variety of past Basic Grey winter lines.

To create the frosty covers, I swiped the edges of the acrylic with white opaque Staz On. Once dry, I spread some Rock Candy Stickles to the edge. I love how this looks.

Well, it's probably time to shove off - I don't want to be a zombie tomrorow night at work!

Quiet Day

Most of the kids are still fighting off coughs and needed to stay in today. They did a good job entertaining themselves, though. Brenna broke in to a craft project kit she received for Christmas. It's a little felt owl that holds your cell phone or Ipod. I was so proud of her - shed never done any type of needlework before and jumped right in after I showed her the basics. She kept at it for several hours. :

Later, a Michael Jackson impersonator (aka Tommy) put on a show in my living room.
He changed into this outfit, used his brother's magician hat and the playstation microphone to moonwalk and sing to the song, "Bad." He was so funny and so intense.

Where does he come up with these ideas? Glad he did - it was way cute!

Happy New Year!

I rang in the New Year by working two 12 hour nights in a row. I missed the ball dropping because I got busy and didn't know it until a patient came to the desk to say Happy New Year at 12:02am. I even took care of the New Year's mom and baby. They weren't the first born in the state, but the first at Hartford Hospital.
Been thinking about resolutions, and how I'd like to be in 2010.
I tend to avoid resolutions, since I always feel like I'm setting myself up to fail. But this year, I'm thinking of them more as mindsets:

1. I will choose to be happy:
It's been easy to wallow in worry and self pity this past year. I'm choosing to put a positive attitude forward whenever I feel stressed or burdened. I'm not going to let other people's negative energies bring me down.

2. Spend more time with God:
He is what carried us through this year. I've been reminded over and over this year that I am not alone. I feel more at peace when I make time to pray or attend Mass. I miss Sunday services at least once a month because of my work schedule. I'm going to try to make weekday Mass more often.

3. Take steps to improve my physical health:
I wake up sore and feeling old. I'll still be tired from my work schedule, but I'm going to eat healthier and increase my physical activity. I'm not setting a weight loss goal, just the goal to do be where ever it is that I feel GOOD. I won't say I'm going to the gym x days a week. Just that I'll choose to walk if I don't go to the gym.

4. Improve our financial health:
This one's more concrete. We've been waiting for Mike to return to work to start our financial makeover, Dave Ramsey style. This is going to bring me peace of mind, which will help me meet resolution#1.

5, Make time to scrap at least twice a week.
Being creative makes me happy. Plain and simple.It's my alone time. I spend most of my time taking care of others. Scrapping is my the time for myself. With the stressors of the past year, I put scrapping on hold. I really missed it.

So there it is: my plans for self improvement this year.
I think that there is nothing impossible to meet on this list. 2010 - Bring it on!