I love this story -Read This!!!

I read this on Rebecca Sower's blog. check this out....interesting thinking when it comes to time...i wish there were more hours in my day....but i working on spending time with my golf balls creating being one of them...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. Then he asked the class again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided. " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everyting else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, " he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with those you love. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Spend time with old friends. Play another 18. There will be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

Have a good day taking care of your golf balls.

It will give you something to think about.

Somerset Memories- Fall issue and the funny thing that happened!!!

It finally came ....
I have been checking the mail the last few days looking for the new Somerset Memories Fall edition. Monday it finally arrived in my mail box.

I have two articles in the magazine. One is an article called "Chunky Layering" featuring my work with the wonderful Donna Salazar. I am so thrilled to be featured with her wonderful work.

Check out her blog here

I have a tendency to put lots of things on my pages as well as paints, sewing, fabric. Basically how ever I feel about the page or moment is going to be reflected in the design of the page. My friend Lucy and I have often talked about our pages and altered art. I realize that most scrapbook companies do not embrace my style of scrap booking. I have actually attempted to work on simpler pages with a more clean design. Looking thru a magazine I will find a simple layout out that I like with an abundance of white space. I will adapt the page to my design and stop when I have completed the look. But... more often than not I will come back and add painting, stamping or something to the page. While I love the look of the simpler look it is just not my design.

I tell you all of this because I am so grateful that some one appreciate my style. It feels even better to know that I did not have to adapt or conform to an established trend to be recognized. Thank you Stampington for seeing the individuality of our expressions and publishing them for others to see.

And now the funny thing that happened....
I handed the new Somerset Memories magazine to my husband Monday night when he got home. I had tagged each of the pages that had my work to make it easier for him. On page 87 he started laughing when he saw the photo of him as a boy with his mother(Martin 1957). They were in California just before boarding a ship for Guam where his father was stationed with the Air Force.

I have had numerous projects and pages published in the past, but never any pages with my immediate family.

This time there is another article about a wedding that my daughter was in as well an individual page about her.

My oldest son is pictured as a Young boy with his grandfather who is leading his on a pony. This page was actually put together about 4 years ago and my style has changed a little since then, but I love the photo. My husband's comment when he saw the photo of my oldest son was " Look at the Pocket Protector" in Papa's pocket.

My son piped up and said that is not a pocket protector that was his eye glass case.
This photo is over 20 years old and he remembered that eye glass case.

My daughter called last night and asked where she and her friend Ashley could get the magazine. My son told her to bring her copy next time she comes to visit and he will give her an autograph.

And then there is my baby boy on the page titled Blue Blanket. When he was about 18 years old my husband asked when I was going to stop refer to him as my baby? My response.... probably never. Yes he is in the magazine as well. He is the baby sucking his thumb holding his blue blanket. The page is titled Blue Blanket and the photo is mounted on quilt batting. My two sons were thumb suckers and blanket draggers. As they got older their blankets kept shrinking as I cut them smaller and smaller. Fortunately they both stopped sucking their thumbs at about 18 months. I on the other hand was about 10 years old before I quit. LOL

Thanks for reading all of this and sharing in my excitement once again!

Check out the Prima Product Picks

Prima Product Picks!
Ready for something FUN?

Something REALLY, REALLY Fun?

Prima has chosen some of their very favorite products, and put them together in a fantastic little ensemble below...what we want to do is to introduce you to a few of them...

and, THEN, get you involved!

Visiting the Prima Blog and saw their new Prima Product picks! Wow I love all of the new neutral products. I can see an entire project using these pieces, they are just gorgeous. Check them out on their blog!
http://prima.typepad.com/

Working with Vellum from Webster's

Both of these pages are from my daughter's wedding in February.

A Crazy Pair is on vellum paper from Webster's, This is my sister's daughter and my daughter. This is one of my favorite photos that was taken just after the ceremony.
I had a little difficulty photographing it but I love the page. I rolled Hambly overlays to make the bright pink flowers. The bird cages are cut outs from a Hambly transparency.

The Delight page is may daughter opening gifts from her brides maid just before the wedding. The expression on her face is priceless. I wonder what her brides maid got her??? I spritzed this page with Tatter Angels spray.

From Housework is Evil it must be stopped!!

Found this site on Facebook call Housework is evil it must be stopped.

My sister and I have discussed this before. She wanted to know where I got the clean gene. Discussion insued... my mother got offended...

Mom she is the one that pointed it out

Come to think of it... One of my mothers sister lacked that gene as well. It is not her fault!!!

I can actually remember as a child going to my Aunt Betty's house for a week in the summer and I would immediately start cleaning her house. In all fairness she worked at night full time and her kids liked to sleep.... On the plus side she spent lots of time with us we always had FUN. I think we had tuna sandwiches for lunch every day that we were at her house.

My Sister and Me-

She-
1)thinks house work is a waste of time
2)Is very organized and is a planner
3)Cleans her scraproom every day after she finished or before she starts a new project

Me-
1) Like things clean....(trying to break this habit)
2) NOT organized, want to be but it is just not in me. What plan, very impulsive!
3) Cleans the house before I scrap at the end of the week,
Scraproom....If it is not layered with 2 or 3 projects I can not create. If it is too clean, there is no disorganized mind to work with. I've tried organized it just does not. Some of my best projects are from the junk that is on my work space.

So which one are you?

Pearl is was my grandmother on her wedding day

This is a photo of my maternal grand mother on her wedding day. She married you and lost 2 babies before adopting my father, he was her only child. His father died when he was four years old.

I used the New Webster's paper abd bits of an older collection. I added some Graphic 45,Hambly, hand made flowers.I love to collect vintage laces, ribbons, fabrics, embroidered itmes and more. I used some old very wide lace topped with some older Prima lace.

TFL