A Photo Meme and About My “Job”

Soulbrush in the UK tagged me for a photo meme. I have actually done this one before but had to cheat because of the photo, but I decided to do it differently this time, and lo and behold, an acceptable photo was in the right spot. This one is the 6th photo from the 6th folder. I chose the 6th folder in 2009, and the above photo was there. I find this slightly amusing because I took the picture just because. All of the boxes are ones I made to hold Christmas ornaments for my girls. Yearly I make ornaments for a LOT of girls and make boxes for them, but for my own girls, I also make boxes for their loose ornaments that are special. I do this to keep them safe and to have a place to write when, where and why they got the ornaments.  When I was putting away holiday decorations, I decided to take a picture of all their ornament boxes that I had made.  I do not know why, but it was useful today!

I never tag others for memes, but please do not hesitate to consider yourself tagged if you want to display the 6th photo from your 6th folder and have no other good reason to do so!!

Next, Fishing Guy mentioned that I keep talking about my stamping trip in other posts, but I have not showed what I stamped, so I told him I would try to do that today. So here it is:

This was a box that was part of the make-and-take at St*ampin’ Up!’s Leadership Conference in Orlando near the beginning of January. The only thing stamped on this box is actually the “good friend.” Everything else is chipboard covered with Designer Series Paper or colored in some other way, or just Designer Series Paper as a layer. Below the box is a stamp pad and the stamp I  used for this box. (Please note that all stamp designs in these photos are copyright St*mpin’ Up!)

We also made the things in this box which included three cards, another, smaller box and ten little bookmarks that go in the smaller box.

I LOVE all of this! I must first say that I would have never purchased this stamp set just looking through the catalog. But it was part of what we received for attending the Conference, and now I love it. I love this whole set of stuff so much that I am going to have a class duplicating all of these things either in April or May. Also, I modified the colors on the smaller box and small bookmarks, and will make several for Valentine’s Day teacher gifts this year. I LOVE the idea of having a box full of bookmarks. I am always losing them, so ten is perfect. And I also love that I do not have to go shopping for other items for this gift because I have all the supplies at home. (No trip to Target, the $100/hour store!)

So that is what we stamped at Leadership  Conference, but there was a whole lot more to learn. Lots of new products (I am most excited about some new dies for our die-cut machine and the CHOCOLATE glitter–color, not flavor!) and great break-out classes to help with motivation in January and give new ideas.

And some of you have asked about my “job.” No, I don’t work at Universal Studios! I was just there for a party that St*mpin’ Up! threw for some of us.  It was just one of the many perks. (My best perks have been two cruises to Bermuda, but I had a conflict for the first one so have only been once.)

This is a card we made at a recent Stamp Club class.

I am a St*mpin’ Up! Demonstrator which means I teach people how to create all kinds of things (cards, gifts, scrapbook pages, gift packaging, home interior items, etc.) using stamps and paper crafts. My pay comes from commission on the things I sell to people who want to do their own things. I have always said that I am not sure why St*mpin’ Up! pays me because it is so. much. fun! But I am glad they do. (Because I usually just put the money into more stuff!) There is a part of me that must say that I am not a sales person. I could never be a sales person; my personality would not support it. I teach people how to have fun and find a creative outlet, and the sales just come. (The fact that I will not even put the name of the company in here without an asterisk should tell you about my lack of selling personality!)

So how do I go about this? The “meat” of the business is in-home “workshops” in which I go to homes and teach people how to stamp. Sort of like a Tupperware party, but it is a fun, creative evening. My business also includes a monthly Stamp  Club in which a group of people commit to being in the “club” for a year by purchasing a small amount of product monthly. For this they get a free monthly class. It is a BLAST! Some of my Stamp  Club members have been in the Club since it began about 6 years ago. The other major aspect of my business is classes. Normally I have some sort of class monthly at my house. I charge a fee, and people come to make the projects. My customers LOVE this because I prepare everything for them so they do not have to think; they just come and create. I love it, too, because my life is so crazy in other areas, this gives ME time to create and to also  hang out with the girls. (I know I would never make such time if it were not my “job.”) Customers do not have to order from events, but can order any time (even online), but I really like the events because they are a stress-reliever for me.

And lest you start leaving comments about how artistic and creative I am, please be aware that I rarely come up with my own project ideas anymore. There are so many resources provided by St*mpin’ Up! that I do not have to think myself–just copy. I will admit to occasional “tweaking,” but usually not much.

So tonight I had a class for  Valentine’s Day Projects, and below is what we did.

Above are all the projects. The class was $15, and they made everything–except they only did one of the bowls. (There are two to show two options.)

This was the simplest card we made. After I made this one, I actually changed it so that the greeting inside the heart was on the white shimmery paper instead, in red ink, to match the cardstock and ribbon. We all liked that version better. (But I had already taken this picture.)

This version of the bowl used stencil paste over a brass stencil to make the design. I got these little bowls at Michael’s for $1 each.  They would be adorable with ANYTHING in them. (My favorite would be Valentine-colored Jellie Belly’s. But the teachers in my daughter’s school will not be getting them because the contents would require a shopping trip which I am not willing to make. And I would like bookmarks  myself anyway!)

This is the inside of the brown bowl. This is a rub-on–a quick and easy way to decorate nearly anything. There were also white ones so they could put one on the inside of the stencil-pasted bowls, too.

When I saved this card in a smaller size, it altered the color a little. The real thing’s colors are a bit softer. But it is cute even like this. It is difficult to tell, but the big heart is covered in iridescent glitter.

Every Valentine’s season I do a “naughty” card at one of my classes. This is always a favorite, and I love this year’s version. (I always love them!)

So that is all about my “job.” I have many “jobs.” The two most time-consuming are the art teacher at  my daughter’s school and the head treasurer at my church. Both take a LOT of time and have no compensation. That is fine, but the time they take makes my life unbelievably hectic. Stamping sort of unravels some of that. It is therapeutic. It makes me happy. In fact, I am always happy when I am stamping–nirvana happy. And I get paid enough that the largest room in my house is devoted to my stamping hobby/business/addiction, and I have never, in 13 years, spent my personal money on the gazillion things in that room. (Maybe someday the ENTIRE room will be tidy at the same time and I will be willing to photograph it for you!) And yes, this can take up a lot of time, too, but it is WAY more fun that anything else I do that takes up a lot of time.

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A Postcard from The Farmers Wife and a Meme and a Recommendation

Just a note: I know the font here is all messed up and some of the spacing. It is one of those days in which the blog does not want to cooperate. I cannot change the spacing and do not know how to fix the font. It looks normal in my edit mode.

Suzanne from At Home with the Farmer’s Wife (which is definitely one of my VERY favorite blogs–I am going to say in my top three so the rest of you can assume you are one of the other two!) went on a little trip. Before she went, she said that if any of her readers wanted to e-mail her their address, she would send them a postcard, with the only catch that they had to post about it their own blog. OF COURSE I wanted to do this because I love her blog so much and would love to post about it!  So she sent me this:
I love it because it is pink, and because it has dogwoods on it. (Although it says “Arkansas” dogwood, I have to guess they are just the same as “Missouri” dogwoods.)  And don’t you love her handwriting? I might be a little weird about handwriting because my own is so illegible that I cannot read it myself about 75% of the time, so anyone with legible handwriting deserves my respect and admiration.
When she came back, she posted about her terrific trip which happened to be in the path of Hurricane Ike.  They camped in a condo and had to go out and eat every meal. Nothing like fried everything. Those posts made me hungry, and I think I gained weight just reading them! Then yesterday she posted something I had forgotten entirely, the winners of her “cheesy souvenir gifts.” I am sure I had totally put this out of my head because I never win anything. But I did! Right on her blog is a pretty little piece of paper in that lovely handwriting with my name on it. I was shocked. And I got my favorite of the cheesy gifts. (It’s pink.)

Thank you, Suzanne. Your blog really is one of my favorites, and you are the other person that has made me sort of like country music.

Please go visit Suzanne’s blog. You never know what you are going to find there. Recipes, project tutorials, adventure-logs, reminiscing, great stories… I cannot imagine anyone not loving it. This is my very favorite post from her blog, and among my favorites I have ever read.

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I’ve been Tagged

Brenda, from What’s Up Down South tagged me for this, and I thought there was room today, so I did it.  But first I have to tell you why to want to go visit her blog. You obviously want to see the answers she gave for this meme, but you also will like it because it chronicles life in Arkansas on the Mississipi Delta, and in a usually humorous, if not ranting way. She has a button on her sidebar that says, “Being a Crabby B!tch is Part of My Charm.” You have to love that! (At least I have to love it!)

In all the below lists, nothing is in any kind of order.

7 Things I Plan To Do Before I Die

1. Travel and see a LOT more of the world. A LOT more. I would say all or most of the world, but I do not think that is realistic. Most of Europe, definitely Australia, the Mediterranean, then the rest as I can.
2. Be the best mother on the planet when I visit my daughters if they have children. Cook and clean for them, stay up with the babies, etc. (And not interfere.)
3. See every state in the U.S. (I’ve only got 6 left, but they seem to be elusive to me.)

4. Go back to Bermuda and take a picture of a house in every single St*mpin’ Up! color.
5. Get my kids educated so they can have a decent life on their own.
6. Get my life list of birds (and flowers and bugs) started and go on at least one really cool birding vacation.
7. Have a fabulous milestone birthday in which I travel to some fun place with my favorite friends. Might be a big city. Might be something tropical, but somewhere fun. And hope at least two or three come. (Do I have more than two or three good girlfriends? Probably not!)
7 Things I Do Now

1. Exercise regularly.
2. Cook fantastic meals for my family. (MOST of the time.)
3. Church Treasurer.

4. St*mpin’ Up! Demonstrator.
5. Volunteer Art Teacher.
6. Active PTO committee person for my daughter’s school. We currently do not have officers, but I am in charge. I think they purposely did not elect any because they knew I would not accept “president.” Instead, they just let me be in charge.

7. Love my family.

7 Things I Can’t Do

1. Roll my tongue (copied from Brenda).

2. Run.
3. Have children. (This is not a bad thing. I have already got two great ones.)
4. Relax my brain.
5. Shop for anything without getting tired and frustrated. (Copied again from Brenda. I hate shopping and do not do it at all unless absolutely necessary.)

6. Tolerate whining. Definitely in kids (I have a a 4-year-old whiner), but especially in adults.
7. Find a way to get rid of some of my responsibilities. (Not for lack of trying.)

7 Things That Attract Me To The Opposite Sex

1. Extroverted personality. (I am a strong introvert, so I need someone to help me get out.)

2. Thoughtfulness.
3. Eyes.
4. Intelligence.
5. Liking me. I have a strong personality and am independent. (You might not think so after some of the things I have said about Prince Charming, huh?) The opposite sex has to appreciate that and like it, not be threatened by it. And also not see me as a parent because I am so strong. (There’s probably a whole post waiting to be written in answer to this question, but it is not so important to me since I have Prince Charming, the perfect husband.)

6. Compassion

7. Willingness to learn and grow with me.

7 Things That I Say Most Often

1. LOOK at Mommy!
2. What did Mommy say?
3. You did a GREAT job!

4. Please don’t interrrupt!

5. Would you like her to do that to you?
6. Bloody H*ll!
7. I love you!

7 Celebrities That I Admire (This one is difficult. I’m not into celebrities at all. OK, a few (or more than a few) of the cute male versions, but that’s not an admire sort of thing.)

1. Jackie O. I think she had a lot of issues, but she LOOKED SO GOOD!
2. Margaret Thatcher (copied from Brenda, and I have to agree. I often think about her being a female prime minister so many years ago. Plus she is just a “with it” lady.

3. Daniel Day-Lewis. He never plays the same type of role twice, and he becomes his character. His talent astounds me. (Much of the same can be said in my opinion for Kevin Spacey and Viggo Mortensen.)

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kurt Russell and Ted Nugent and any other famous types that buck the Hollywood system.

5. Mother Teresa. She had some of the best quotes I’ve seen anywhere, never mind the wonderful things she did with her life.

6. Dara Torres. What an amazing woman. She is 2 years younger than ME and just won an Olympic GOLD medal in swimming. Women are supposed to physically peak when? Something like 15? She is an inspiration.

7. Albert Einstein. The man was smart. A little wild in the hairdo, perhaps, but I love smart. And he said this: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” (Of course this does not apply to any of my readers. I have actually been amazed at how different people in my blogworld are than people in my real world. But do see recommendation below!)

7 Favorite Foods (All but the last are homemade or home grown by me)

1. Pasta with Tomatoes and Shallots

2. Chicken Piccata
3. Tomatoes from the garden, just cut into wedges with some salt on them. OR garden tomatoes in Homemade Salsa.
4. Magedra. (A pile in this order: Rice, lentils, Napa cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cheese, lemon sauce.)

5. Apple pie.

6. Homemade soup (Copying Brenda again.) I make soup weekly in cool weather. I have a good 8 months worth of excellent recipes I do yearly. We are actually having soup twice this week; I made my first pot of the season today. It is not really cool here yet, but my house is quite chilly.

7. Chips and dip. (Sue me.)

7 People Who Need To Do This

I don’t like to tag people because I have no idea if others want to do this or not. So I am not going to tag anyone. However, please do not hesistate to use this meme if it suits you!

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The Recommendation

If I were Authorblog and had a “Post of the Day,” This post by Lotus07 from Hypocrisy would be mine for today. It is funny and well-written, and so “me.” I think it will be a lot of “you,” too!

 

Five Ways Blogging Has Affected Me

click photo to enlarge

This is a meme for which Craver Vii tagged me.  He said I did not have to do it, but I decided I would. Some people think I am not the type to like memes (because I think a lot of people do not like them), but I like some of them.  Probably because it is just a chance to ramble about myself, but there were a couple of things I have wanted to talk about anyway in this meme. 

Craver Vii’s post on this is here.  (Go check it out and tell him Congratulations.  When linking I just noticed that he’s going to be a Grandpa!)  And he got the meme from here. 

These are the meme rules:

1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. Link back to the person who tagged you.
3. Link back to the parent post, so she can track the meme.
4. Tag a few friends or five, or none at all.
5. Post these rules– or just have fun breaking them.

I like those rules because like with awards (I will get to the ones that I have not acknowledged yet early next week, I promise!), I will make up my own rules and you may do the same if you decide to participate.    I am actually going to follow all these rules since they are so lax!  As for tagging, I am tagging anyone who wants to do this.  If you think this would make a good post for you, please do it! 

OK, without further preliminary rambling:

.5 Ways Blogging Has Affected My Life

1. Country Music.  I was raised on Country Music.  I never heard anything other than Country and Country Gospel until I was probably in 7th grade at school.  Wait, that is not true.  I heard other types of music in earlier years when I was in the carpool on the way to and from school, but I never liked the drivers and therefore never bothered to care about what was on their radios.  I mostly remember the talk radio which bored me to tears as an elementry school student.  But my parents listened to Country Music.  I liked it because I knew nothing else, but I never loved it.  When I was introduced to other music (Rock, then Classical, then Celtic and others), I put Country Music behind me forever, at least I thought.  I did not save one single 45, cassette or anything else.  I threw it all in the trash and moved on.  I came to loathe Country Music.  I liked almost anything except for Country Music. (OK, I never really cared for rap or super heavy metal, but most anything else I could tolerate.)  I liked Mountain Music and Bluegrass, but not Country.  Enter blogging.  Obviously lots of blogs have music on them.  And a lot of times I do not really like it because to me it detracts from the photography or writing.  Not always (definitely not always–sometimes it adds), but often.  But there are two blogs I frequent with Country Music on them.  One is Fishing Guy and the other is At Home With the Farmer’s  Wife.  I have decided that not only can I tolerate the Country Music on their blogs, but I kind of like it.  I am not really sure why.  I think it probably has to do with the other content on their blogs.  They depict things that I long for–usually country scenes or country life.  I would have never believed that blogging for three months would make me like Country Music.  No evils smirks from Thursday Drive and ReluctantFarmChick, please!  (I am not rushing to iTunes to download any, but my taste for music is being altered.) (And I hope Prince Charming wants to stay married after he reads this.)
2. My love for photography has increased since blogging.  I have loved photography for a long time, but not like I do now.  Now I remember to take my camera with me almost all of the time.  Now I take way more pictures than I ever have because I “just might” be able to use them in a post someday!  The critics may disagree, but I think I am already taking better pictures.  Or many more OF the pictures are good (better percentage).  Or maybe I am just taking so many pictures that I have to have more good ones.  Then there is the whole “lens envy” thing.  I am not a covetous person, but when I see wildlife shots and bird shots like are found at A “Focus” In the Wild  (whose music I love, by the way) and Virtua Gallery and bug shots like at Nature in the Ozarks and Lisa’s Chaos, I want more and bigger and different lenses.  It is going to be an ongoing problem, I can tell.
3. The community of the blogosphere is amazing to me.  I would have never guessed that in such a short time there would be people in so many places I would be happy to meet.  I love traveling, and though finances do not allow me to travel as much as I would like, both Prince Charming and I do not hesistate to travel when possible.  There are people in so many places of the world that I would not hesistate to look up if we were traveling near them.  I would love to name everyone here that is intriguing to me and I would like to someday meet, but I would be here linking for a week.  I will just name three that are in very different places:  Maria in Greece, Chrome 3D in Finland and Fish Whisperer in Fiji.  I love the connections I have made with all of you who read this.
4. My girls, ages 4 and 6, know quite a bit about blogging and have taken even more notice than before of the beauty around them because I am taking more pictures.  One day Chic saw her picture on the computer screen and asked, “Did you blog about me?”  I loved that.  One week in church on the screen with texts on it there was a pretty picture of the sky and Chic said, “That would make a great SkyWatch photo!”  Both Chicklet and Chic are continually pointing out the beauty around me.  This morning Chicklet noticed the pale moon setting over the volcanoes, and just five minutes ago Chic bounded out of her bedroom to tell us, “The moon is beautiful.”  It was.  It is coming up as a yellow giant orb over the mountains.
5. The last way I will mention that blogging has affected me is that I am more sleep-deprived than I have ever been.  I need a lot of sleep.  I never get enough sleep. But it is worse now.  There is always “just one more” blog to read in my Google reader or “just ten more” SkyWatch’s at which to look.   Or “just three more” comments needing response.  I cannot believe how late I stay up to do this sometimes.  (Neither can Prince Charming.) 

There you have it.  How has blogging affected your life?  Good or bad?  Let me know in the comments, or do your own post!

 

Top 100 Movies Meme

Sorry for another meme. It’s the “vacation” thing. I thought I would write two posts a day for a while, but life happened, and I did not have time. So this is what you are getting. (And again, the picture above has nothing to do with text of the post. It is a self-portrait I took on a beautiful beach in Bermuda in April of this year.)

Before I started blogging (and before I really knew much about it), I thought it was a lot bit narcissistic; that was one of the thousands of reasons I hesitated. Now I am not convinced that blogging itself is narcissistic, but I think I must be or why else would I think anyone else would want to read this stuff?

And Ducky, that is no slam against you, which is where I got this meme.

Top 100 Movies Entertainment Weekly for the Past 25 Years.

Bold the ones you have seen.

Put an asterisk after the movie title* if you really liked it.

Cross it out if you saw a film and really disliked it.

Underline the ones you own.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)* — Have to add here that I was one of the lucky people in a theater for 13 hours on Trilogy Tuesday to see all three back-to-back when the last one was released.

3. Titanic (1997)

4. Blue Velvet (1986)

5. Toy Story (1995)*

6. Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 )

7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)*

9. Die Hard (1988)*

10. Moulin Rouge (2001)

11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

12. The Matrix (1999)*

13. GoodFellas (1990)

14. Crumb (1995)

15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)*

16. Boogie Nights (1997)

17. Jerry Maguire (1996)

18. Do the Right Thing (1989)

19. Casino Royale (2006)*********

20. The Lion King (1994)

21. Schindler’s List (1993)*

22. Rushmore ( 1998 )

23. Memento (2001)*

24. A Room With a View (1986)*

25. Shrek (2001)*

26. Hoop Dreams (1994)

27. Aliens (1986)

28. Wings of Desire ( 1988 )

29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)**

30. When Harry Met Sally (1989)*

31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

32. Fight Club (1999)

33. The Breakfast Club (1985)*

34. Fargo (1996)*

35. The Incredibles (2004)*

36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

37. Pretty Woman (1990)*

38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

39. The Sixth Sense (1999)*

40. Speed (1994)*

41. Dazed and Confused (1993)

42. Clueless (1995)

43. Gladiator (2000)

44. The Player (1992)

45. Rain Man ( 1988 )

46. Children of Men (2006)

47. Men in Black (1997)*

48. Scarface (1983)

49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

50. The Piano (1993)

51. There Will Be Blood (2007)

52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad ( 1988 )

53. The Truman Show ( 1998 )

54. Fatal Attraction (1987)

55. Risky Business (1983)

56. The Lives of Others (2006)

57. There’s Something About Mary ( 1998 )*

58. Ghostbusters (1984)*

59. L.A. Confidential (1997)*

60. Scream (1996)

61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

62. Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)

63. Big ( 1988 )*

64. No Country For Old Men (2007)

65. Dirty Dancing (1987)*

66. Natural Born Killers (1994)

67. Donnie Brasco (1997)

68. Witness (1985)

69. All About My Mother (1999)

70. Broadcast News (1987)

71. Unforgiven (1992)

72. Thelma & Louise (1991)

73. Office Space (1999)

74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

75. Out of Africa (1985)

76. The Departed (2006)

77. Sid and Nancy (1986)

78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)*

79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)

80. Michael Clayton (2007)

81. Moonstruck (1987)

82. Lost in Translation (2003)—Comment required: I can’t say I liked this movie at all while watching it, but it comes to my head all the time. It had some sort of impact on me.

83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)

84. Sideways (2004)

85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)

86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)

87. Swingers (1996)

88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

89. Breaking the Waves (1996)

90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

91. Back to the Future (1985)*

92. Menace II Society (1993)

93. Ed Wood (1994)

94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

95. In the Mood for Love (2001)

96. Far From Heaven (2002)

97. Glory (1989)

98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

I am forced to ask why there are not more Chic Flicks here! Like…..

Ever After

You’ve Got Mail

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Serendipity

Must Love Dogs

Of course I know why, but although I a somewhat well-rounded movie viewer, it seems I have watch a whole lot of Chic Flicks.

By Louise Cannon

 

This is me. This is me blogging.

Welcome!

About a year ago I heard the term “blog.”  I thought it was silly.  I do not like slang.  I did not think about it again.  (Mind you I knew about blogs before that, but did not know they were called “blogs.”)

Almost six months ago, my cousin started blogging. So I started reading it. I really liked reading her blog; she is an excellent writer. And she’s funny. And she spends every second more time than I have the patience for finding cool, current things to write about. She has great links and images and YouTube stuff. Really, she blows me away. She mentioned that her sister, Ducky, would help me get started blogging, too. I laughed. I laughed HARD. There was no way I was going to blog. I did not have time. I barely had time to read my cousin’s blog. I just. couldn’t. do. more.

Then I started reading a few other blogs. Most were linked from my cousin’s, but I found a few others by following those to other links.  THEN MY COUSIN E-MAILED ME HOW TO USE GOOGLE READER! Amazing! I no longer had to hang out on her website to find the trails to the other sites I liked. It would just tell me when there was something new! It saved so much time! It was so exciting! I thought, “Maybe, I can avoid more work and household chores handle this.”

There has been a struggle in my mind as to why would I want to blog? What do I have to put out there that anyone has not already seen or would even care about seeing? I cannot write poetically like my cousin. I cannot be absolutely hilarious with illustrations like June Cleaver Nirvana has. I cannot have the most sage and intellectual viewpoints like Mrs. G doles out. I cannot make potty training and sports hilarious even to the Girliest Girl Mom like Laid Off Dad does. I do not have deadpan humor and heart-wrenching thoughts like come from Madge. I cannot BEGIN to write like (or have the “interesting” experiences) of Awalkabout. And I certainly cannot be witty and take such amazing pictures AND post something like 4 times a day like Authorblog is/does. And then there are the photography blogs.  I am not even close to being in the league of a lot of those.

So why am I doing this???? The answer is still completely beyond my comprehension a little fuzzy. I know I like to take pictures, and I like for people to see them. I know I love to rubber stamp (mind you, get my ideas from other people’s designs, but still make incredible things), and I like to show people. And I like to write. Even though I will likely never write like the people on many of the blogs I read, I still like to write when certain things move me to do so. In fact, one of the reasons I went ahead and took the leap into blogging is because of Weekly Anamnesis. When I am short on blog fodder, that will be an easy way to come up with a topic.  Ducky (thanks, Ducky!) let me use her blog to make an entry, and there are several more from Weekly Anamnesis I want to do, so now I can do it here!

This blog will have photos and memes and rubber stamping projects and stuff I just feel like talking about. (Aren’t you on the edge of your seat wondering what those things will be?) And maybe as I go, I (and it) will grow.

So what should the first entry be about, other than to give a little explanation as to why I am doing this? I had lots of ideas, but again, inspiration came from my cousin with a Flickr mosaic meme. Her’s was really cool.  My husband made me asked me to do one for myself. So I did. (By the way, I do not even know what “meme” stands for. I know what it IS, but I do not know from where the word (acronym?) originated.  If anyone is reading this and would choose to comment why it is called a “meme,” please do not hesitate to enlighten me!)

Here’s how this meme works:

Answer each of the questions below.

• Surf over to Flickr (set up an account if you don’t have one–it’s quick and easy) and type your answers (one at a time) into the search bar.
• From the choice of pictures shown only on the front page, click on the one that moves you.
• Once the page with your picture opens, copy the URL.
• Surf over to the Mosaic Maker, set up your mosaic, and paste your URLs.
• Click “Create!”

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you attend?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. Where would you go on your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. Choose one word to describe you?
12. Your Flickr name?

Mine looks like this:

1. one with the sea, 2. Cherry Tomatoes and Shallots, 3. P1010131, 4. Morning Best Wishes, 5. Daniel Craig, BAFTA 2007, 6. A Glass of Water, 7. Bridge of Sighs, 8. homemade apple pie, 9. We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is a real friend., 10. Sunny Side Up, 11. (0395) Giza Plateau Egypt, 12. Take me! Take me!

And just so you know, the answers to questions 9, 10 and 11 are not at all clear by the pictures.  But I like the pictures, so what do I care if there would be no way to tell the answers by looking at them?!

Come again!

by Louise Cannon