Practice, Practice, & More Practice

Well we had another night of face painting here at our house.
I am feeling more confident with my painting again. I am getting the feel for the paints & the brushes. By the time the street fair comes I will be just fine.

Here is what we played with tonight...







I also ordered another set of paints & some new brushes that are due to arrive on October 1st. So I will have even more stuff to play with. I use professional face paint & boy what a difference it makes.

So far the kids are enjoying being my canvas to practice, but wouldn't it be funny if they were like, "Mom no more face painting...pleeeaaase!!"

Playing With Paint

For those of you who do not know I am a member of Rotary International. I have been a member of my local club, Bound Brook/Middlesex Rotary, for about 6 years now. We meet once a week & do all kinds of work for our local community & also help sponsor international projects as well. Well, on Sunday, October 6th there will be a community festival in Bound Brook & our club is going to have a table. we will be selling lollipops, providing fingerprint ID kits for children with the cooperation of the local police department, & I will be doing face painting. The funds raised will all be put to use by our club for service projects & help to add to our flood relief fund.

I have done this event in the past & I really enjoyed myself. I am only an amateur face painter, mainly doing it for my kids, so I decided I will spend a few nights practicing on my kids & their friends. I need to take pictures & make an idea booklet with suggested donations.

So tonight we had one of the girls' soccer friends over for dinner with her family after soccer practice & we pulled out the paints.

Here is some of what I did...






I was a bit rusty & the black paint was a bit runny, but overall I think I will get the hang of it before the festival. I need to adjust some of my brushes. I bought some new ones & I don't love how they work.

Hopefully I can work out all the kinks ove the next week.

It is always a long day, but what fun to see the kids faces when they see themselves int he mirror. It also feels good knowing that all the money I raise goes to a good cause.

Well I did it...

I submitted my entry to be considered for a spot on the Crop Addict Design Team. They are a fun site with a great gallery & message board. Also their kits are just yummy!!

Here are the three layouts & one altered project I submitted:










They will not be announcing the new Design Team members until late November...so I will be on pins & needles until then.

How did I get here?

I decided this morning & would do some kind of blog challenge. I haven't had much time for challenges lately, but I thought the house is relatively clean & all the kids are safely off to school. So what the heck right?

Well, I have been checking out this site Mojo Holder & they had a scrap lift challenge. I love to scrap lift so I got all my stuff out & got started. We were to lift a fun layout by Kimber McGray.

I was really on a mission to scrap some old photos. I have tons & I do mean tons of old photos that need to make it into albums. So what better way to get the mojo flowin' than to hit a few challenge sites.

Well I started out with great intentions with my scrap lift & yet somehow this is what I came up with...


Not one of my best layouts, but I guess you can't love them all. Although I am really pleased to have gotten those not so great photos from our 2000 trip to St. Croix finally scrapped.

I think Mojo Holder is a great site & I will continue to pop in there from time to time for more inspiration.

Finding Focus

So why don't people tell you how hard it can be to be a parent before you have kids? Did people tell me & I just didn't really listen or hear them? Do people just try to put on a good face about parenting just so they can appear to have it all together?

Well, I am just going to lay it all out there...the good. the bad, & the extremely ugly. So if you are looking for a post that is light & sweet...you may just want to stop reading here. Consider yourself warned...LOL.

Now having said all that I am not suggesting that I would not want to have kids had I realized how hard it was...I would never trade my life for the world. I have a fabulous life. It is just the last few weeks have been hard & I want to get some of it out. I think the rewards of raising children far outweigh the challenges.

Recently, Caleb who is almost 12 is starting to have some hormones kicking in. He has been moody and seems to be struggling with sadness & anxiety. I hate to see him like that. I just want to make it better for him & there is really nothing I can do. Nothing is worse as a mom than to see your child suffer & not be able to help them.

I just made this layout of Caleb for an upcoming Srapdragons challenge. (a little side note...if you need a mojo boost...click on Scrapdragons to get one!!) These pictures of Caleb I love, but they are all a bit out of focus, so it seemed fitting to scrap them at this point where he is really struggling to find focus for himself.


He is starting to deal better with his feelings. It seemed to help him when I suggested that maybe he was just sad & that it didn't need to mean anything. I also reassured him that the feelings would pass & that seemed comforting to him as well. I realized last might though when he was having a rough night that I was having a hard time letting go. I wanted him to be happy again. I wanted him to not feel stress. I wanted it all to be OK for my baby...ugh!! He is such a smart & creative child. He is so incredibly sweet & I just love him.

Also, Rachel has been struggling a bit with the start of the school year. Her teacher this year is much more challenging. I know she can do it, but she is feeling overwhelmed. So when she gets all her homework out & sees it...she is like a deer in the headlights...boom she freezes. She can't seem to even get started. So she spends at least an hour complaining & whining instead of just doing it. I got into it with her yesterday, I was trying to support her, but she was so in her head about it she couldn't see what I was saying. I just got so fed up & I snapped at her & walked away. She started to cry...I felt bad...it was awful. She is so smart & capable. I hate to see her sabatoging herself. Again, I have trouble letting go, I want to fix it all for her. She has a beautiful spirit & I love her.

I just had one of those days where I felt I didn't have any of the answers & I was in way over my head. Have you ever had one of those moments? I was wanting things to go my way. Trying to force solutions. All that ever seems to do is make life seem hard & I end up tired and frustrated.

So today I am taking it easy on myself. I am doing laundry & relaxing in between loads. Taking the time to recharge my batteries. Today I want to approach my life & all it has to offer with clarity, focus, ease, & grace.

So how does that sound? Anyone else want to join me?

A Little Time for Myself

Well, today I had a bit of scrap time. I put my ipod on random play, cranked the tunes, & decided to do some challenges. It was fun finally having some time to scrap for myself...not for some Design Team project.

I decided to do the Scrapjacked challenge. Here is my Jack of Sarah Bowen's Layout.

It was so much fun to play with. I wish the scan had come out a bit better, but I guess the most important thing is that it looks great in real life.

I was happy to get these photos on paper. They really are not the greatest photos, but it was such a big deal for Connor. He was so excited to be cutting the lawn. I mean it is a real "big kid" job. We will see how long that novelty lasts. I am sure there will soon be the, "oh man...do I have to cut the lawn again" protests. But hey...I am going to enjoy this while it lasts!

Some Mindless Fun...

OK, it is Sunday, I have no kids at home today, & David is off on a business trip. So do I clean the house, pay bills, go outside & garden? No I am playing on the internet & finding silly goofy things to do.

Actually it is really nice just enjoying the quiet today. It is so rare that I have time just to relax & do nothing with no one making demands on my time. So I am going to enjoy it & play. All the stuff I "should" be doing will still be there waiting for me tomorrow!!

So here is some silliness I found on some blog somewhere...

I just love some of these things...they are silly & can make me laugh out loud. I can always use a good laugh.

So here it is...
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Squeaky Prius {not exactly a cool rock star name, but what are you gonna do??}
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Pistachio Chocolate Chip {Ok now that is just stupid}
3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)L Shr {huh!?!?!}
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Cow
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Margaret Somerville
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)ShrLa
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put "The") The Orange Dirty Martini
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Luigi Richmond {that kind of works...lol}
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Sensi Toosie Pop
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) Michael Bently

OK mine weren't all that funny...oh well!! Hopefully you have better answers than me.
If you get any funny ones...please share. I am wanting a good laugh!!

Oh The Treasures You Might Find...

while surfing the net.

Sometimes when I have a ton of laundry or cleaning to do I play a little game with myself just to make the chore seem more like fun...you know the whole "spoon full of sugar" thing. The game I play is that in between each task I come sit at my computer for a minute & just blog or internet surf. I am not really looking for anything in particular just seeing what cool little things I can find.

Well I was doing this & came across a post on this random blog. I am not even sure how I ended up there...funny how that happens sometimes. It just seemed like something fun to do so I am sharing it here. If you are interested in the blog where I found it...click here!

So here it goes...

All you need is to get your ipod, mp3 player, itunes, or whatever you have ready & have some fun!

Here's what you do:

1. Open your music library
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.

So here it goes...

Opening Credits: You & Me - Lifehouse

Waking up: Salt Peanuts - Charlie Parker

First Day At School: I Miss You - Blink-182

In Love: Let Me Put My Love Into You -AC/DC

Fight Song: Listen to the Music - The Doobie Brothers

Breaking Up: Cupid's Choke hold - Gym Class Heroes

Life's OK: Proudest Monkey– Dave Mathews Band

Mental Breakdown: I Try – Macy Gray

Driving: I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today - Guster

Flashback: My Humps – Black Eyed Peas

Getting Back Together: Lo Que Gusta A Mi- Juanes

Birth of Child: The Other Guy – Little River Band

Wedding: Out of My Mind - James Blunt

Final Battle: Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffet

Death Scene: Doesn't Remind Me – Audioslave

Funeral Song: Take A Breath – David Gilmore

End Credits: Other Side of the World – KT Tunstall

I have like a 1000+ songs on my ipod...it is really funny to see what randomly came up. Really funny!! Some had me laughing out loud.

Now I hope you try it! It is just silliness I know...but isn't silly good once & awhile?!?

If you do - leave a link in the comments so I can see your soundtracks!

Back 2 School!!

The end of last week & this week has been back to school time for all the kids. Adjusting to the new routine seems to exhaust me. So today I am finally taking a moment to post again. Since it is after midnight I was going to wait for tomorrow, but realized the kids will all be home from school then & it is much much quieter now.

Connor & Kailey started school this past Thursday. Connor is in 6th grade & has started at the middle school. He seems very excited & feels very mature. Kailey is in fourth grade and still at the elementary school. It is funny they are growing up & yet I still want to see them all dressed up & snap lots of photos.



Caleb & Rachel's school started on Tuesday. It is such a strange adjustment for me as I just joined a carpool. Even though it will be soooo much easier for me I find myself resisting the change. I mean seriously...I don't really want to be driving them back & forth & spending over three hours a day in the car, but I am feeling sad about all that great "talk" time we had together. The truth is the added time in my day will allow me to get more things done & I will have more time for myself & all the kids as a result.

Caleb is in 6th grade and was really excited to find out that his best buddy Will is in his class again this year. Rachel is in fifth grade & was put in a very advanced classroom. When she found out she was just so nervous & complained a bit, but I also saw that she was so proud of herself. It just fills my heart to see both Caleb & Rachel doing so well. Being Dyslexic has been such a challenge for them...The Lewis School has changed their lives.



I had such a hard time getting pictures of all of them this year. They are getting too old to want me taking pictures anymore. There was lots of eye rolling & complaining. Rachel even scolded me at one point for pulling out my camera as they were walking up to the school. It has started already...I am the embarrassing uncool mom....oh no!!

So now that the kids are in school all day...who wants to come over & play?!?!

Lots of Blog Action Today!!

We have a new mini challenge posted on Scrapdragon today. Click here to check it out! We are also still accepting LO entries for Challenge #3...so be sure to enter that as well.

Also I am so excited to announce that I have a sketch featured on Sisterhood of Scrap!! This is such a fun site & a great place to get inspiration!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping by.

Another New Challenge...

I am so excited! We have Challenge #3 Posted at Scrapdragon. Also, we have another great sponsor offering a prize for this one.

justletmescrapbook.com has generously offered a $20 gift certificate.

I hope all of you have a chance to come over & play and enter a layout!

It's time to catch up!!

Wow...I have fallen way behind in my posting...but so much has been going on

So maybe take a bathroom break...get yourself a drink...maybe even a snack as this may be a long post in order to catch up on everything.

As you all know My friend Gabi & I have been so busy launching our new challenge blog site Scrapdragon. What a fun adventure that has been. So I find I spend more time there than here. I am hoping now that we have the system down & some sponsors, things will settle in a bit more. If you haven't had a chance yet...go check it out...I am really proud of what we are doing over there!!

Last week I was in a course called Mastering Life's Energies offered by the Academy for Coaching Excellence. It was absolutely fabulous!! I was just amazed by the content that was offered & the courage & grace of my course mates. Life changing stuff going on there. I am pleased & excited to be starting a new phase in my life training to be a life coach with the Academy. So stay tuned to hear more about that!!

While I was busy at my course, David brought Connor & Kailey with him to Florida to visit his Dad & Willean. They had a fabulous time. I was sad to miss out on the fun.

My Dad & Marguerite helped to support me in being able to take my course by taking Caleb & Rachel for a holiday at their home in Cape May Point, New Jersey. They had a great time. The kids apparently were quite busy gardening, going to the farmers' market, & playing in the waves.

After I completed my course I headed down to my parents to spend a few days with Marguerite, Caleb & Rachel before bringing the kids back up to Somerville. The weather in Cape May was just glorious & we had some great fun on the beach. We also enjoyed a fabulous summer meal of lobster, shrimp, steamers, fresh jersey corn & tomatoes...yummy!!

Here are some great shots I got of Caleb & Rachel while at my parents' home. I especially love these photos of Rachel.







This photo of Caleb is in this little hide-away that he created in a spot in my parents garden. It was really pretty cool. I could totally see all the games & adventures this spot would help create in combination with his great imagination. Don't you just remember that kind of thing form your own childhood?

Also, while in Cape May, my Dad helped Rachel purchase her very own digital camera with money she had saved. She got a great little camera & she is very pleased with her purchase.

Here is a photo of Kailey she took with it. I can't wait to see all her photos as she learns to use all the features of her great little camera. I think this will be great for her as the camera will grow with her abilities. This is no kids camera, most adults would be happy to have one like it.
I did get a bit of scrapping done yesterday. I did a page to celebrate the completion of Rachel's first knitting project.

Rachel was very proud to have completed it!

Well...whew...I think I may actually be caught up for the moment!!

Thanks for taking the time to read it.

A New Challenge at Scrapdragon!!

Do you need something to get your mojo flowing this week?

Well then I have some good news for you...the second challenge is up at Scrapdragon today!!



It is a sketch challenge featuring one of my sketches!



Here is the layout I did for it...

So come on over & join the fun!!

So Who is Your Inner Rock Chick?!?!

Ok saw this somewhere online & just had to do it.
I was really hoping to be Gwen Stefani...I just so love that girl.
I have to say although I don't particularly relate to Ashlee Simpson...what it says about me is pretty right on!

You Are Ashlee Simpson!

Stylish, unique, talentedYou're your own woman! "It seems like I can finally rest my head on something real. I like the way that feels"

Who's "Your Inner Rock Chick?"

So come on...let's see who you have inside just waiting to rock out?

Sun, Sand, & Surf!

Yesterday Caleb, Rachel, & I headed out for a beach adventure with Gabi & her girls.

We headed down the Garden State Parkway to exit 98 & hit the beach in Point Pleasant right next to the pier at Jenkinson's.



The day was perfect for the beach not too hot & a nice breeze blowing. The surf was a bit rough, but the kids really had a blast anyway. It was so fun watching them run up to the waves & get completely bowled over. There was lots of sand in places that sand really should not be. Rachel had to wash her hair twice to get it all out after we got home.

Gabi's daughter Ellie was a real treat for me to spend time with. She was just a love bug & wanted to have lots of time with "Aunt Wawra" So I got my complete toddler fix without all the headaches. Super fun stuff.



Rachel & Caleb made quick friends with a girl named Hailey & her family from Pennsylvania. Hailey & her sisters were experiencing the ocean for the very first time. What fun they had together.

Gabi bought Mackie & Ellie hermit crabs with all of the trappings at one of the boardwalk vendors. The girls were so cute picking out the very special one with the perfect extra shell. I am sure those little crabs will be well loved.

The best part of the whole adventure for me was the relaxed feeling of the whole day. One of my favorite things about my freindship with Gabi is how we compliment each other. We both tend to not sweat the small stuff & we support each other through the rough times without judgement.

I hope we have many more days like yesterday spent together.

Our New Challenge Blog...

I am so incredibly excited!!

Do you ever have a day when you just can't get the mojo flowing?
Have you ever had a major case of scrappers block?
Do you ever just want to have an adventure & stretch your creativity to a new level?

If any of this sounds like you then check out my new challenge blog...
Scrapdragon

My good friend Gabi & I have been tossing around the idea of having a challenge blog for about a year now. So we finally took the leap of faith & created it this month. We are just having so much fun with it!!

We have been so pleased with the response we have been getting. We are personally financing the prizes for now, but hope to have some cool sponsors in the upcoming months. So be sure to add this new blog to your favorites.

I hope to see some of you enter our challenge contests & I hope you at least stop by & pay us a visit!!

I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger

Gabi just nominated me for "Rockin' Girl Blogger" status! How cool is that?!?
Thanks for thinking I am Rockin' Gabz!!






Ok so here's how it goes. I tag FIVE bloggers I feel are 'ROCKIN' GIRL BLOGGER' material and then they go on to tag 5 and the group keeps growing!

Here is who I think are Rockin' Girl Bloggers:

Lauren - What a fun blog. Just her title always makes me smile. She writes so well & has a great sense of humor. Plus, she is a Jersey Girl, and we Jersey Girls have to stick together.

Nancy - One of my scrap friends. She has a great style & takes fabulous photos!!

Angela- Her art inspires me & makes me want to create things. Her blog is always so fun to read. Plus you have to check out the scrap secrets...just too much fun!

Niki - Man does this girl have talent. Check out her blog & see all her beautiful creations. I love visiting her blog just to see what cool new stuff is on there!

Sisterhood of Scrap - A great site to celebrate art. I love being a member of this great inspirational community!

I am a Sister!!!!

I am so excited The Sisterhood of Scrap is featuring me this week. Please go by & check it out.

It is a great place to get some inspiration & they have awesome challenges.

Here is the link:

Sisterhood of Scrap

Hope to see you over there!!

Swim Championships

Yesterday we had the swim championships for our summer swim league. Connor, Kailey, & Rachel were all on the team this summer.
I could not have been more proud of our kids. They all did so well.



Rachel who could not make practice all summer due to the summer program she attends at The Lewis School still mananged to finish n the top half of all the girls in her age group in her three events. She swam her fastest Backstroke time ever!! She even finished 9th in Breaststroke which is her least favorite stroke. GO Ray Ray!!



Connor who only a few years ago could barely stand to have his face in the water swam both Freestyle & Breaststroke. The most thrilling thing is he has been nervous about diving off the block, but yesterday he conquered his fears & dove off the block for the first time. Woo Hoo...Go Connor!!!



Kailey had a fabulous day as well. She actually made it to finals in both Breaststroke & Butterfly. She now has a chance to swim in the finals tonight and has a chance at a medal. Go Kailey GO!!!

It was a great day to be their mom. They all swam their personal best...who could ask for more!

Hillsborough Fireman's Fair

Just this past Wednesday I had the rare opportunity to have a night just with Rachel. Caleb was sleeping over his buddy William's house & Connor & Kailey were having dinner with Lynn.

Gabi, Harel, & the girls were going to the local fireman's fair in Hillsborough so I thought what a fun special thing to do with Ray. So Rachel & I headed off for our adventure.

It was really a great time. Rachel got to be the center of attention & she was loving it. She was absolutely fabulous to be around. We laughed so much!

It is funny how different the kids are when they are on their own & don't need to battle for my attention.