end of a season.

...roswell girls jv had their last match of the season (vs northview) this afternoon. hard to believe it's nearly april - it was cold! and the team had a tough loss - 1-4 for the match. bummer way to end...but I think the girls will recover from their disappointment!

signs of spring.

...I read a comment on Kal's blog that having your camera with you changes the way you see things. So true! And walking instead of running helps, too. What a treat to have the time for a long walk, camera in hand, and all my senses tuned into spring.

a day for me.

...it doesn't happen very often. a saturday with nothing planned. yup, an empty square on my calendar. so of course i've got a long list of things to do...just for me.

::a walk in the park with my camera so i can capture "spring" (and then of course i'll have to put together the create 08 entry, etc, etc)
::watching my inbox for an invitation to join this deck-of-me challenge
::finishing up my stampin up order - love the rub-on's and paper in the new mini-catalog, and i've noticed a few of my markers have dried up, so need to test them all to figure out which ones to replace
::a trip to target for a new dvd so i have something fun to watch while i finish up the 15 or so rounds on my twisted float shrug (yeah, finally found a link to show the pattern!) to be ready for class tomorrow
::thinking about new inspiration for my journal - here and here

(wow, am i really selfish?)

good times.

click photo to see who's who

...it's always fun to get together with friends, and even more fun when it's to celebrate a milestone like a birthday for one of us. Last night it was lise (and I am not going to put how many years on the internet, but trust me, it's definitely a number to feel good about!) I took about 30 pictures last night, and only 20 were even good enough to download to my computer, and of those, only a handful were share-able. but even with the blur and red-eye, I still think they do a pretty good job of capturing the moments that will help us remember the evening.

any good party starts with fabulous food - check!

grandma lise! click photo to see who's who

a pose with the cheesecake chef

a parting group shot - and the only decent one of the cheesecake ... sadly nearly gone.

and finally, as Lydia requested, the outfit to go with the monkey socks, worn to work today - photo taken in the lobby of my office

keeping busy.

...when a few days go by (especially a weekend!) with no posts, it's a good sign I've been busy. And this past weekend was no exception. Filled with knitting, family (even a game of phase 10!), and card making. (click photos for more details)

a solid start to the twisted float shrug thanks to two hours at starbucks on saturday (waiting for sara) - and more progress yesterday (sorry no photo) so feeling pretty good about my commitment to be ready for the armholes by knitting class on sunday (and so sorry - had intended to post links to the sweater (from Vogue Knitting) and the class (from Cast on Cottage - Susan is teaching and she's awesome!)...but no luck finding on-line) trust me it's good?!

my second pair of socks - finally finished (I've already planned my outfit for work on wednesday to show them off!) the blocking really helped - not that they didn't fit well before, but now they're perfect and I especially love the way the turned heel fits my foot! ...oh and I'm really looking forward to meeting yarn dyer (among other things!) melanie when the yarn harlot visits in two weeks!

true to our sheffield heritage, we enjoy a game of phase 10 (and wine) to pass the time between meals on sunday afternoon! we played the version where you get to pick your phase. much fun!

not an original layout, but I love this new paper!

lucky girl.

...it took the better part of a week to convince me! yes, I am a lucky girl - to have met my future husband at age 16! I'd just moved into my dorm room and the girl who lived across the hall invited me to a party at her boyfriend's fraternity house. Marc and I met that night and hit it off. Sure there have been some rocky times (like I broke up with him twice in college). And I give no credit to "chance" that we'll celebrate our 25th anniversary this year - but that first meeting, surely that was good luck!

history of love.

click photo to see who's who

thank you, Nicole Krauss and History of Love, for inspiring a wonderful discussion, especially the memories passed down to me from my father and my mother. I've known many of these ladies for 10+ years, but I learned something new about each of them when we went around the room and shared a memory we'd had passed down from each parent. It was so cool to hear the stories...we've come from so many different places and backgrounds, but we share values around families and hard work. And reflecting on that today, I think that connection is what makes this bookclub really click. Thank you all for another memorable evening!

It also helped that I had two hours on the plane Tuesday evening to plan the discussion and really think about the memories I'd had passed down. Knowing my father and mother will read this post and wonder, here are my lists:

from my father:
+summer days - hot, humid, red dust, fresh squeezed lemonade
+fishing
+early morning breakfasts with sausage and eggs
+the yellow jackets and the georgia tech fight song on a glenn miller(?) lp
+sunday morning - church and a sermon debrief

from my mother:
+animals with names and faces (that you had to eat, because you lived on a farm)
+good friends from college (high school even!?) that you rarely see, but still know
+clipboards and holiday menus
+moving
+making (and sticking to!) a budget

(and p.s., thanks to Dawn for hosting --especially those delicious basil/chive cream cheese sandwiches - total yum! and to Holly for the practice pic to be sure the group shot actually turned out :-)

3 sets (from Orlando).

...goes something like this.
beautiful sunrise (the last time I was here, the morning was so foggy I had no idea that my room likely faced east - so I really enjoyed the view this time).

and beginning at 5:20 pm, a series of 13 text messages and one final phone call:
5:20 pm - 1 to 2 {I clarified that Sara was the 1 and the opponent was the 2}
5:47 pm - 4 to 5
6:00 pm - down a set and a game
6:08 pm - 0 to 3
6:12 pm - 0 to 4
6:26 pm - 2 to 5 second set
6:42 pm - 4 to 5
6:44 pm - she is a grinder
6:48 pm - she won the second set
7:15 pm - 1 to 3 3rd
7:23 pm - 2 to 3
7:44 pm - 4 to 4
7:48 pm - 5 to 4
7:59 pm - {I called to find out} the final score...she won!

Which makes it 3-2 for Sara this season (oops edited it's 3-3, yup, now I remember the losses - at least I had the wins right!) - woohoo Sara! and as much as I enjoyed my dinner out at Urban Flats with Nicole (in the photo) and Carin (who took the photo), I hate that I missed your 3-set win!!

Thank you Marc for texting me updates so I could (pretend to!) keep up through all that!

a new habit.

...I think my favorite thing about participating in Elise's project - other than learning photoshop :-) is that the weekly prompts have forced me to focus in on one thing. And ultimately one picture (well, except for this one and this one that begged a collage to illustrate - but I still printed one 4X6!). This week was no exception. I knew from the beginning that my habit needed to be the new exercise routine, but capturing that in a photo proved challenging.


I am pleased with the final one, but still wondering if I could've captured something better...and most certainly obsessing over how I might have used photoshop to better advantage!

In any event, I like having this documented now. I set a goal to walk/run 600 miles in 2008 and I am feeling good to be on track with that after 2-1/2 months. And I hope I'll look back to this page at the end of the end of the year and think "wow, that was how this habit got started...and I've been 650+ miles"...

inspired.

(I totally love the way Kal uses plain graphics to emphasize her points - and I tried here, but think I need more practice!)

...in any event, it's been a while since I've posted here, and honestly since I've written in my journal, just for fun. Not necessarily to share another create08 photo (or draft the journaling for the backs), or photos/updates from meetings with friends and family. Nope, this one is just for fun.

I took off a few hours this afternoon to spend with Sara (she had the day off school) and I had a free hour between getting home and leaving for her appointment. So I sat down with a pile of magazine clippings I've collected and found this one.

And did a quick 10 minute list of things that make me feel, think, laugh:
♥ finding new design, photography, writing, cooking and music blogs (these are all new to my favorites list since January)
♥ real mail from anyone
♥ poetry (that I can understand)
♥ a walk in the park or for a wonderful cause
♥ one-on-time with anyone (yes, I am in introvert!)
♥ pretty paper
♥ clicking with someone else
♥ people watching in the airport or a park or a sidewalk cafe
♥ my journal
♥ a good book and bookclub!
♥ coffee/knitting dates with friends
♥ sharing a weekend away with my mom and my sister or with sara or katie (sorry, no katie link - our last weekend away was before I started flickr or blogging! coming, though, soon, right?!)
♥ Impressive Ideas and stamp club with Sharon
♥ a yarn store or a yarn shop on-line or a knitting blog
♥ pictures on my desk
♥ browsing the shelves at Barnes & Noble
♥ unscheduled time
♥ time with Katie or Sara, especially when we capture the moment in a photo


wishing you inspiration and a good weekend!

travel plans.

...updated on the sidebar. love having something new to take the place of the polly/karen weekend that just ended.

and katie's headed here for spring break. be safe!

beaufort part 2.

...a whirlwind end to the weekend and I didn't even have a chance to download photos from my camera til just now. and boy am I pleased to have so many good ones - what a great set of memories - and I love that the pictures tell the story (shown here from last to first, click on the photo to go to flickr for the "official" caption - my commentary is here for your benefit only!). 3/14 - edited - realized I needed to post a link to the entire flickr album - here you go - will try to figure out a way to add this to the sidebar this weekend.

thank you to karen for bringing together all those photos!

my favorite of the three of us together (only wish the service at dinner had lived up to our expectations - karen and I are thinking sunday might be at plum's next year)

karen and I on our own for an hour and a half - we sought out a place to knit and a glass of wine (of course)

so cool! polly bought a brand new watercolor (still wet!) from the gallery's owner...and she was there to sign it - my only regret (I am totally not one to regret) is that I didn't buy a painting, too...next year!

a view of our new favorite beaufort hangout...in the daylight...from the outside

after sunday lunch (lovely takeout from blackstones)

grace 2008 (here's 2007)

second dinner at paninis - we do think their saturday night can't be beat. and this year we did a little repeat of friday night, instead of a repeat of saturday night's first course - either way - much good fun, good food (and good wine!)

the bartender had almost as much fun making these as we had drinking them

gallery hopping and a lovely flowering bush whose name karen and polly could say without thinking. note to self, pay more attention (and write it down)

first of our planned meetings with daddy and charlie - saturday lunch, at blackstones. wonderful chicken soup (and company)

hardest photo to get, but I knew I wanted another one - thank goodness there's not that much traffic in beaufort on a saturday morning!

we had fun rummaging (is foraging a better word?!) through the grandmothers' jewelry boxes...remembering them and definitely planning we'll do our own jewelry rummages while we're still there :-)

and that Charlie played Bach's fugue in g major for Sunday's postlude because he knew I'd love it. 4 pages (or maybe more) filled with many notes. and I am so blessed to have someone in my life who will practice something that's hard and then perform it in front of many people "just for me".

but most of all I loved that we had an absolutely wonderful time and we talked about dates for next year. mother, daddy, charlie, karen - can't wait!

p.s. I would be completely remiss if I didn't recognize that each of us won a game of phase 10 (karen, then mary, then polly ... and based on the scorecard I brought home, mary in the lead on game 4...to be continued....)

beaufort.

...we're here - staying at the beauloft (prononounced bo-loft, not bew-loft, which seems odd to us since it's bew-fort - oh well!). the location couldn't be better.



and of course neither could the company.



plans for today include boutique and gallery browsing, lunch at blackstones with charlie and daddy and dinner at breakwater. probably some knitting, and definitely finishing the phase 10 game we started after dinner last night.

organization.

...this week's paper adventure prompt was about talent. my talent. and I tried hard to think of something cool. but couldn't. so decided to go with my first response - organization. very boring, but...very useful. I'm good at organization, at breaking complicated things down into manageable parts, and then getting those parts done.

So I took a picture of my to-do list and my calendar (side by side like I like them!) and added some journaling - same basic grey patterned paper theme as previous weeks. And since the photo was so plain I decided to do the journaling on the computer. And I decided I like having my writing on the back ... so probably no more computer journaling. At least I can make my writing fit with the punched holes!

hooray for to do lists! (especially when they have things checked off!)

ugh.

...there was a comment this morning to last night's post (if you didn't see it, it was about noticing the daylight at 6:00 p.m. on my drive home from work - nothing really that note-worthy) - and I clicked on the links in that comment and it launched my anti-virus software - yes, very scary. So I'm making commenting a little harder - you have to be a registered user (don't worry Mother and Daddy, we'll get you registered!) and you'll have to verify with a word/letter combo.

And I've deleted that post and its offending comment.

ugh....

gratuitous (not!) sock photos.

...yes, I admit - completely timed to see if I can get to meet Melanie when the Yarn Harlot comes to Knitch next month! Of course I'm sure it would be better if I could remember the colorway of the lotus yarn I'm knitting - I do remember I picked it at Knitch because the brown and aqua reminded me of their colors (and after I started knitting it, I called the store and bought the last of the last two colorways they had). eta - the colorway is Wish You Were Here (thanks Melanie!)

As I type this I realize I might've posted about it when I bought the yarn back in October, but I'm too lazy to look it up! (yes, you read it right - me, too lazy! - I'm trying to get a package together for Katie and it's involving catching up on a few magazines and I just don't have the time to pore through my own archives!)
another photo - sock #2 in progress and I'm knitting like crazy trying to finish it this week so I can bring a brand new project to beaufort!