Out of My Mind

Sneak Peek...

2010-06-08T17:27:00.003-05:00

One of the perks of being on a design team is definitely being "first" to get to see things. I feel like such a VIP. If only we could find a way to do this behind a velvet rope and with a red carpet...but I digress.

Without further ado, "Blueberry Hill" by Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker.

I always love her cut out sheet (mainly because it also doubles as another piece of paper since there's a pattern on the back as well), and this time she's even improved upon that! Adding all the words at the bottom of the page is definitely the icing on the cake. Or I guess in this case, the cream on the blueberries.

Fun in the sun.

2010-06-06T18:21:00.003-05:00

Last year, Jeremy and I broke down and bought one of the things I make fun of the most in the summer time...one of those huge blue pools that look like a ridiculously oversized Jell-O mold. It was the end of summer, it was on clearance, it seemed like a good idea.

Man, was I right.

Over the course of the past three days (and thanks to near 90 degree temperatures all weekend), I have spent more time than not lounging in the pool. On Friday afternoon, I got in at 3 and didn't make my exit until 7. Okay, it was 8, but who's keeping track?

Today was even more fun because Drew & Jackson came over to play.

Any excuse to get my adorable nephews over to play is just fine with me!

Fun at the dentist.

2010-05-27T12:34:00.006-05:00

I'm still having a hard time figuring out what to "talk" about in a blog post (which is hilariously ironic if you have ever spent any time around me in person). I think I need to have some sort of topic guideline. For now, I guess I'm just going to go with the tried and true "what I'm doing right now" method.

What I'm doing right now is sitting in a waiting room at a dentist's office in Marshfield. My sister, Allison, is undergoing some rather heavy duty dental work and will be so heavily sedated when they are done that she is unable to drive. Big sister to the rescue, I will be her chauffeur today and caregiver tonight while Mike is at work. I've had the opportunity to talk to her once since she's been "under the influence," and I have to admit that I had a hard time not laughing hysterically. Her words were slurred, she giggled uncontrollably, and her face was swollen in places that made her look like the recipient of a poorly placed Botox shot. (I think this must be why she told me no cameras allowed, and why she gave me her lunch order on the drive here.)

After seeing Ali at her sedated finest, my mind started thinking of all the fun I could have with her today. I mean, I did have to get up at six in the morning to be here. The least she could do is let me play some practical jokes at her expense.

2010-04-22T23:01:00.003-05:00

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

Okay...I hope I can.

Tonight begins the official "Stacey Will Blog 2010" campaign. So many things are happening in my life right now that I'm afraid if I don't start recording some of them, my ever-diminishing memory will forget they ever happened. In the spirit of catching up without being long-winded, I'll just hit the highlights.

Thing 1: My husband's son, Jaedan is now a full time resident at the Double "A" Compound. I'm adjusting to having a nine-year-old in the house. Sort of.

Thing 2: Scrapbook Generation is blowing up, big time! Slowly but surely, our sketch books have been making their way to crops all over the country. We have hit a point where keeping up with the shipping is becoming a full-time job! Bigger and better things are just around the corner.

Thing 3: Ali & I filmed a scrapbooking DVD (I actually just stood around and glued things, but I feel it was an important piece of the puzzle none the less). Filming was a long and exhausting process, but it was fun to see just how it's actually done. We (again, not me so much but I like to be included) then cranked out 75 layouts for the photo gallery and are now just waiting for the whole thing to be put together. It's the first time we've done a project that involves anything but complete control on our end, so it has been a little strange having to wait on someone else. We can't pull the ol' I'll-take-you-out-of-the-will schtick quite as effectively with non-family members.

Thing 4: I'm officially on a scrapbooking design team for local designer Nikki Sivils. Her company, Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker, is making quite the little name for itself in the scrapbooking world, both in the US and internationally. A few local girls have been invited to help create projects and help with local events and while I'm extremely excited, I'm also ridiculously nervous! I tend to over-analyze my stuff anyway, so I can only imagine what I'll be like now.

Thing 5: Jeremy and Don (my mom's husband) are taking a huge chance by starting their own company - EnergyWise. They recently went to school, became certified building analysts, and will soon begin performing home energy audits. Basically, they'll test your house with all this fancy equipment (that has taken over my garage), tell you where your home is losing energy, and then show you how they can fix it. With all the different types of tax credits getting ready to take effect, I really think they could be on to something big. Jeremy has been wanting to get into some sort of "green" construction for years, and I think he might have played his cards just right with this one.

That pretty much covers the big stuff...for now. I can't wait to spill more, but I've got to give you a reason to come back, right?

Thank you, Facebook...

2009-07-30T00:34:00.004-05:00

Well, I have gotten around to a second post, so I guess that's something compared to my first two attempts at blogging. Of course, for someone who could literally talk most people's ear off, it's kind of ironic that I am having a hard time trying to 'speak' through a blog.

I have found that I am spending a ridiculous amount of time on Facebook. To my surprise, however, FB has actually turned out to be a great way to reconnect with old friends and to build even better friendships with people that were merely acquaintances. For example, this weekend is a trip to the STL for a Cardinals game with girls that I have 'rekindled' a friendship with via Facebook. (I also find the fact that they went to school with my ex-husband highly entertaining since now they are mine.) This past weekend, a long lost friend came over to visit and catch up. Somehow, nearly 12 years had passed since we last hung out. Had it not been for FB being such an easy vehicle to hunt people down, who knows when our paths would have crossed.

So thank you Facebook, for all the reconnections, new connections, connections via connections, etc. And thank you even more for the ability to block certain connections (sorry Mom).

Third time's the charm.

2009-07-09T01:58:00.003-05:00

Here I am, blogging again. I guess I should use the term "again" loosely since my two previous attempts at being a serious blogger failed miserably.

But I have decided that all has to change. A couple of months ago, I was up late, unable to sleep as usual. I decided to head on over to my sister's blog to see if she had added any pictures of Drew & Jackson. Much to my disappointment, she hadn't. So I decided to just skim through her old posts for fun, and before I knew it, I had read her entire blog - three years worth, I believe. I couldn't believe how many things I had forgotten in three short years. I laughed. I cried. I loved having such a fantastic archive of memories to pull from when my own memory failed me, as it does on a more frequent basis than I would like to admit.

So here I am again. Hopeful that I will keep this up if for no other reason than to remember those little, mundane, day-to-day details that end up being some of the best memories we make.