Help [ME] Ronda

miss me?

Wondering where I went?......Sorry for my absence, I miss you all too

so instead of boring you with long detailed descriptions of what has been occupying my time...

such as two weeks without Andy (yes he is home),

Hectic  Holiday planning,

and finding out my vitamin d levels are REALLY, REALLY low and it is wreaking havoc on my body, draining me severly....

lets move forward to good things.....

 

Guess who is in this special edition?  (along with my fellow Masters)

And so is a sneak into my craftroom...which I thought you might want a peek too

all the wood work in the room was done by Andy, my FIL Phil, and my Dad.  I drew up the designs and they created my vision.  To say the room is heaven on earth would be a big understatement.  My view is of the Rocky Mountains.  It is easy to sit up here all day long and just be.  I will share some more pictures and possible a video of the room...soon...ish. 

Until then...
LOVE is all we need!

Word Up....

over at OLW.  rev's word.  I can't think of a better word for her.  She is so full of ENERGY, so full of life.  Love her sense of humor.  Love her creativity.  Love her.

I had a few ideas bouncing around in my head but it came down to this.  It isn't just about the caffeine and chai to energize me, it is also about taking the time for me.  to sit and just be.  to regroup.  I had lots left over from October's Kenner Road Willowside kit and it went perfectly with this picture.  Isprinkled the pixee stix on top of the grey thickers and added clear glue on top to "seal" the glitter.  In addition to the kit, I grabbed my Plain Jane Label Stamps  and Lettera32 Alpha Stamps from Purple Onion Designs. 

and the stitches were inspired by her (and this layout) and her (and this layout)..... just love their free-ness with a sewing machine...crazy goodness right?

sweet love to you....

One.....

 

plate of creamy homemade  Alfredo angel hair pasta topped with saute asparagus

week down, one to go..Andy to return on Monday

busy past weekend with youth groups, dinners, transporting kids

beautifully stunning piece of art

spectacular night in the Denver area with crazy warm temperatures for November

crea8ive december kit reveal

flu shot on Friday that wiped me out and took away my voice again....better than the flu right?

one thank you for my little package

one little sneak

one wish of love

TGIF.....

Friday Fill in....

1. Please feel free to spread love.
2. When I use vanilla extract I can't help sniffing it occasionally always.
3. My favorite thing to cook is desserts.
4. Laughter is something I can't get enough of.
5. That's the thing I love most about Anthony, little dude is always cracking me up.
6. One sock coming out of the wash when two go in always makes me think to myself, what the heck? Seriously, where do they go?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to some reading, tomorrow my plans include some cleaning, some time with the kids, and some crafting and Sunday, I want to cut out some fabric patterns!

love....pure and simple

capturing Time, week 38

TIME to EMBRACE

 

Our task must be to free ourselves....by widening our circle of compassion to EMBRACE all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.  Albert Einstein

so many good things to embrace in our lives.  We should embrace who we are, quirks and all. Embrace our mistakes and move forward.  Embrace the sweetness of every day life, of the ordinary.  Find the beauty in all you do & see.  Simple tasks can you be so beautiful if you look at it with a positive attitude.  See the world for it's potential. Embrace it all. 

For this little technique, I used clear drying glue & alcohol inks, a 4 x 4 piece of cardstock, left over chipboard, and a Popsicle stick.  You could also use refill ink and some alcohol too.  Place a few drops of the ink into the glue and swirl it around.  Don't over mix.

Lightly coat your piece of cardstock.  You don't have to cover the whole piece and can even leave a spot here and there.  You will notice my piece began to curl under the "weight" and "wetness" of the glue.  No big deal.

 

go back in and add some more drops.  It is so cool to watch it spread.  If you left open spaces on the cardstock, the ink takes on a different look.  I wasn't willing to wait for it to dry, so I grabbed my embossing gun and dried it that way.  When I did, some cracks began to appear in the ink and I totally loved it. 

What are you embracing about your life?

loving.....

 

these pictures of the kids....he was the joker (yes I did his make up) and she was a little disgusted with cleaning out the pumpkin

these house mini albums....especially that green heart one!

america's next top model....yep, I am junkie of that show (and know two more who are...Jude and Vee) and am so hoping it will be Analeigh but am very happy with the final three!

the beauty of everyday life......in a spice rack and in jars...take a close look

gi is just killing me.... these houses, these ornaments, these layouts, and this tip, the girl just oozes talent

these little kraft & white tags..... they are so tiny and so adorable

being organized....got lots to do this month but I am on it...Love my little lists!  Now if I could just manage to keep the craftroom clean!

that I am mostly prepared for this holiday season.....and not to shock you but it is only 6 weeks until Christmas....will show you some of those things soon!

this ornament collection from anthroplogie.....sigh...so beautiful

that it is only 6 days until Twilight hits the theater... I know it will be different from the book but what movie isn't?  And yes I will admit that Lexi & I already have our tickets for Saturday morning

my sewing machine...and other craftiness

the Martha Stewart Holiday special issue...so full of ideas, I also signed up for this

This coat, actually I love the whole outfit...those boots are just fabulous

top chef...it is just starting and they are in the place to be for cuisine...NYC

you, and you, and you....loving you....always

and leaving you with a little more love from Fancy Pant's  splendid line.....

 

capturing Time, week 36 & 37

TIME to GIVE

 

"A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely." Pam Brown

Spending time with my friends, even though I wished the circumstances were different, was a good thing.  It also made me realize I am not putting in enough effort.  I should be dropping little notes in the mail, little emails, silly little presents to all my friends.  I know how busy I am but that isn't a good excuse.  We make choices and should take ownership of those choices.  I can rearrange my time to include these little things that let them know I care.  Love will always find a way so love will help me to GIVE more of myself.  It is the right thing to do.  and is a part of who I am.  a part that got lost along the way.  No more.  I will take the time.

I am in to revisiting older techniques.  I admit that I still emboss but it is usually clear UTEE.  So this time I thought I would pick up some colored embossing.  The Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powder is  part of my prize pack from Memory Makers.   

A lot of the time you will see things of my page, little subtle accents that makes you wonder if  I did it on purpose.  The answer is usually yes.  I do purposefully add little those little touches.  This time however, it was a happy little accident.  Let me explain.  I grabbed my wood grain stamp, a scarlet lime exclusive.  I then grabbed the green embossing powder because I like the color.  Who knew it is scratchy and has the feel of sandpaper?  Not me.  But I am totally happy with it now.  The texture is so so cool.  I repeated the stamp over and over again to cover the page.  I used my mask so I would not stamp beyond the 4 x 4 square.  To finish the page you can see some old Making Memory's embellishments. 

TIME for STRENGTH

 

I haven't' said much about Andy or his job prospects because at this time there isn't that much to say.  Our life is still filled with "what to do next" and we are surviving.  If that is one thing we have taken from this whole lesson, it is how strong we are and how much we truly can live without.  There are a few little updates I can give.   He is currently in Las Vegas in training.  It isn't for a job but for certification for a 737 type rating.  The government paid for this training so we are ever so thankful.  This type rating should hopefully make him more appealing to some airlines.  He will be gone for two weeks.  While this is nothing new to us, it has been six months since he has been gone for any length of time.  We will need our strength to endure.  And Andy will need his strength to study, to be apart from us as well.  We will be strong for him for he is being strong for us.  It seems like another lead he was following has fallen through.  Part of me is a little relieved for if this job was to come through, it would take him out of the country for 6 weeks at a time.  We would adjust but I kept thinking of how much of our lives he would miss and how much we would miss him.  I guess it just wasn't mean to be.  We are ever so prayerful that it is in the LORD's hands and when the timinig is right, we will know.  We have STRENGTH because of HIM. 

Friday Fill in....

Butternut Squash Muffins with a Frosty top (Jamie Oliver's Recipe)

loved these Friday Fill-ins when I saw them on Beth's & Gigi's blogs a couple Friday's ago.

1. My blueprint for success includes determination & love.
2. Milk Duds was the last candy I ate.
3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is Arbonne Face Serum.
4. Shopping & Laughter can be good therapy.
5. I'd like to tell you about my kids, they are my world.
6. Empathy is my strongest characteristic.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to baking & creating, tomorrow my plans include cleaning & dinner with the in-laws, and Sunday, I want to soak up time with the family & make a plan for the rest of the week!

Going to get TIME up either late tonight or tomorrow.  How's your mini coming along because mine is getting nice and fat!

this past weekend

I was in Cincinnati area to be with my friend Susan.  I think Erin said it best....

we celebrated the life of Isabel, more affectionately known as "Mom Hogg." It was a perfect day with the sun shining high above, while family and friends gathered to grieve this tremendous lost.

While I didn't have the relationship that Erin was so blessed to have with Susan's mom, I wanted to be there for Susan.  Erin was every so helpful and loving with my decisions, travel arrangements and opening her home to me.  Seeing Susan, I know it was the right decision to be there.  I am ALWAYS here for you friend.  While I so wished the circumstances were different, I feel blessed I got to spend some cherished time with friends.  And precious, precious time with Owen, affectionately known as "O."

Love you my friends.  So very much.

Listen....revisited

I wanted to do so much with the post yesterday but as you know, things change and my attention was needed elsewhere.  So maybe I explain today....

Word Up at OLW.  Gi's word and wow, does she know how to inspire and make you really THINK about things.   When she proposed this word, I knew that it was time.  It was time to let my guard down and finally feel the things I have been going through this past year.  time to LISTEN...

• to my mind
• to my body
• to my heart

and let it all go.....

This Kenner Road Kit arrived and it was so beautiful.  Right down to the packaging.  I knew I was going to use all the little bags that Kerry Lynn used for the embellishments.  I even used the box it was shipped in.  The album is about 8.5 " x 6".  I used Kerry Lynn's flower tutorial to create the one on the front cover.  I added the vintage bobbin and the glitter on a circle punch for the flower center.  I tied the pink ribbon in knots and attached the charm.  I also used the ribbon foil cover for the little tag on the side.  Like I said everything was so beautiful and I wanted to use it all.  The inside pockets were created from the brown bag the kit came in.  I cut it down and stitched three sides.  I sprayed all the pockets with Coffee Glimmering Mists. 

The journaling is very personal and while I am not quite ready to share it all, I will share a bit.  It is a small piece from the HEART section.

You haven't let me speak lately so I took your voice away.  You haven't let me fill up with emotions so I made you numb.  Pain, sorrow, grief, and worry are a part of life and something we all need to feel with our hearts.  It is how we know we are both loving and loved.  You need to LISTEN to me or I will find other ways to be heard.

Love,
Your Heart

It is just a small part and I genuinely poured my heart into the mini album/journal.  Now I must let it go.  Here are a couple more shots.

My heart has been heavy lately but I found that if I don't feel all the things, if I just keep bottle things up, they will find a way to be heard.  I am drinking deep all my emotions, crying a good cry, and pouring my worries on to paper, instead of shutting down and shutting everyone out.  I am healing, one day at a time.

Love.....