The Economy

Scary Times.

As a small business owner, any time the word RECESSION is spoken.... repeatedly... or even once... I get scared. So many people are suffering. So many are so scared. I wonder how long it will last. Or how bad it will be.

In this economy, how will it affect the Scrapbooking Industry? Will even more stores close? Will we lose some manufacturers? Will we have few new products to play with? Will quality suffer? Will I have to stop shopping?

Is the economy affecting your life? Business? Ability to scrapbook? Are you noticing changes in the industry?

Do you think the media is blowing this out of proportion? Or do you think it's worse than they are saying?

Do you have any tips for getting through economic downturns? Anything you'd like to share?

On a More Cheery Note.....

............................ or maybe not.....

I've been feeling a little lost about my son. 16 is a funny age. Not fun... funny. They are striving for independence, yet very demanding in a "let me be" sort of way. The little boy who hung on your every word and deed, is now the young man who is embarrassed by your every word and deed. So... I have been feeling sad. He's a great boy (young man). He's no trouble. But he IS 16. And he is NOT that into me any more.

With that in mind, I made this layout. It's of him and me, when he was 11. It's called "We Would Laugh Out Loud". The journaling says: Dana... you are still at an age where I am the most special person in your life. You still love me very much, and long to spend time with your Mommy. Laughing and playing... always.

Award

He Won An Award Again!


My 16 year old son, Dana, has once again won an award. It's the Applause Award. The School Board annually honours six students from each school at the Applause Breakfast. This program formally recognizes students who make a significant contribution to the life of the school. My son is involved in every social justice, social, and volunteer program at the school. He is also on Senate... so we are very proud of him. I need to do up a page for this. What a boy. Excuse me for my bragging. I'm just so happy for him. There are so many issues one could be having with a 16 year old boy, that I am beyond happy for this award.

Dana... we're so proud of you.

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Love Fest '09

I had a fun time at our International Scrapbooking Crop. You shoulda come those of you who didn't)... and Thanks for coming.. (those of you who did). LOL I participated in some of the challenges... ran some of them... and had a blast. GREAT bunch of ladies on this forum. I haven't uploaded everything yet. But here are a few layouts that I did.

Destruction, Chaos, and Clutter, Oh My.

Destruction, Chaos, and Clutter, Oh My!!!

My tiny little crap room... um... I mean, Scrap room, has finally reached the end of the line. There is no more room, without heading upwards... skywards... or just plain stacked.

I entered the abyss, last night, after having a lovely with hubby, at the Homebuilder's Ball. There was a comedien, that Gary thought was hysterical. Me? I was bored, and would much prefer to be in my (s)crap room. With a few glasses of yummy red wine in me, I was less inclined to create, and more inclided to look at my stash and wonder how it got so full up in this teeny tiny little room. oy.

I need to clean things out. I need to hunt thru the internet, and find the fab ideas that others use, in order to organize my scrap stuff. When I find my ideas, and begin to implement them... I'll post here as I go... Maybe, you can use some of the fab ideas I find. Who knows? In the meantime... if you think of some ideas, and feel like sharing... I'm all ears.

Join Us!!!

A New Year?

A New Year?



So... another year has snuck up on me, and I was too busy, and too caught up in my life to make it noteable.



Or perhaps the commonness of everyday living IS what makes it noteable.



It's easy to find awesomeness in the awesome. It's a lot harder to find it in the ordinary. My ordinary, day-to-day existence leading up to Christmas and New Years, has been nuts, crazy, and definitely not awesome. Sometimes crazy takes over, and you lose track of all the good stuff. So... that's been my Christmas/New Years. I held on for dear life, and just rode the wave. When it was over... yep... I was sick in bed. STILL having to continue on, preparing for our trip. A last minute deal, coming up on the 3rd of January, '09. Yeow. Ok... do I want to take this trip? Nah. Not really. The warm weather will be nice... but I'm tired. More interested in staying home, relaxing... taking things easy. We were going, however... for my wonderful husband. Wait until you read about the trip! The last minute trip... which included getting our passports with ONE day to spare... and yes, I did say one day.

Here I am... back home... still feeling in need of a vacation. LOL But truly appreciating the warmth and heat, and vitamin D that washed over my body during that week in Cuba.

I'll post some pics... and none of me in a bathing suit. Nobody is ready for that.

And Another Thing...

I've gotten a tad more introspective. And with that in mind... I'll be working on classes for The Vision Board, in the new year. If you are interested, keep a watch. I think it'll be a wonderful journey... and one that will aid us in bringing an era of gratitude and prosperity and goodness into our worlds... even more than we currently enjoy. Fun!

This layout is called Sassy and Young. Yes... I once was young. I look back and think of all of the wishes and hopes and dreams that I had back then. How different would my life be, if I had created a Vision Board back then? How different would my life be, if I had read "The Secret"... brought the process into my life. My daily life? Had I moved in a constant pattern towards those wishes and hopes and dreams. And moreso.. had I drawn those same things TOWARDS me?

I drink my milk. I don't lament over it being spilt. So, I move forward and onward. And I will grab hold of the life I want now. And I will call my dreams to me.

Nowhere Near

Nowhere Near... and Yet So Close

So... I am nowhere near ready for Christmas.... and yet it is so close. How does it sneak up so quickly? How is it that one day, I am making the decision to shop early... and the next day, I'm already too late to be early. In fact... the day after that... I am running handily late.

Christmas. When I wasn't working... it was my most favourite time of the year. Now, I tend to try and fracture time to allow me to get my decorations up. It's a very stressful time of the year. When I enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom, I was able to make the time to do this, in a more stress-free manner. Made it much more enjoyable. However... wah wah wah. My cry is over... and I will go home... do my dishes that I didn't do last night... decorate... put away the storage containers that are currently in my hall... and tidy up. Then I'll crash... and hey. I'll get up in the morning, and start all over. :) OH... did I mention, hubby wants me to book us on a trip? Yeah. So.. I'll get that done in the meantime. He wants the trip done THIS MONTH. No pressure. Yeah. I can hear some of you... WHAT? You want us to feel sorry for you cuz you have to BOOK A TRIP??? yeah. I know it's asking a lot. Really. But it's still a stress WHILE I do it... DURING Christmas shopping, WHILE running a company... AND a home... AND being a Mom and wife. All while I battle chronic illness. That just is my fact. However... so many have it so much worse. And those of you, who don't have their spouses home with them for Christmas? I recognize you top that list. And my fun whine is just that. I know I'm blessed. I pray for those of you who have lost their spouse, or whose spouse is fighting a war. If you need special prayers (by name)... just let me know. I'll put your name down on my list... happily so.

And now for our DUH moment of the day.

OK... now.. have I managed to fit in scrapbooking in this life?

Duh.

If it's a life... it's gotta have scrapbooking in it.

Here are a few of my latest pages.