Because sometimes scribbles are the best...

First - I am going to share a layout that I did the other day - complete with ChickenLittle's artwork.   This girl kills me.  She really does remind me of ... me ... except more emotional (that is not good, well, for ME it's not, we don't connect that way).    BUT - this is the thing that we have  in common and through silliness we can communicate non-verbally and somewhat less overwhelmingly emotionally (her teenage years are going to require a lithium drip...or tranquilizers or something - FOR ME more likely). 

I digress...

and all of this brings me to a blog that I peruse often Write, Click, Scrapbook -- their post titled "Process Process Process" - well, first of all it made me laugh at the title all by itself.   Anyone that has worked with me in the past (when I worked at a contractor for the VA and we did examinations for Veterans) - I ALWAYS and probably IRRITATINGLY would spout off PROCESS - DON'T IGNORE THE PROCESS (seriously.)  But I digress (again?)...

This is the part of the post that kind of  sang to me, if you will:

"One More Thing
This week, as I was planning this post, I rediscovered a children's book, that seems to perfect to share here. I also will probably not be able to write about it without getting a little teary. The Dot is about a young girl, who, with an empty sheet of paper at the end of art class declares to her teacher, "I just CAN'T draw!" Her teacher tells her to simply make a mark on her paper. Angrily, she jabs her marker to make one dot on her page. "Now, sign it, please"  says her teacher. When the girl arrives next time, there is her dot, framed and hung up on the wall. When she sees that, the girl proceeds to paint dots of different sizes, and colors, and when the school art show rolls around, there is a wall full of her paintings.

The moral of the story is, make something. Anything. See where it takes you.

You can also take a look back, and see where you have been."

 Do you feel inspired?

ne More Thing

This week, asI was planning this post, I rediscovered a children's book, that seems to perfect to share here. I also will probably not be able to write about it without getting a little teary. The Dot is about a young girl, who, with an empty sheet of paper at the end of art class declares to her teacher, "I just CAN'T draw!" Her teacher tells her to simply make a mark on her paper. Angrily, she jabs her marker to make one dot on her page. "Now, sign it, please"  says her teacher. When the girl arrives next time, there is her dot, framed and hung up on the wall. When she sees that, the girl proceeds to paint dots of different sizes, and colors, and when the school art show rolls around, there is a wall full of her paintings.
The moral of the story is, make something. Anything. See where it takes you.
You can also take a look back, and see where you have been.
- See more at: http://www.writeclickscrapbook.com/write_click_scrapbook/2013/02/process-process-process.html#sthash.lafJ7r8m.dpuf

One More Thing

This week, asI was planning this post, I rediscovered a children's book, that seems to perfect to share here. I also will probably not be able to write about it without getting a little teary. The Dot is about a young girl, who, with an empty sheet of paper at the end of art class declares to her teacher, "I just CAN'T draw!" Her teacher tells her to simply make a mark on her paper. Angrily, she jabs her marker to make one dot on her page. "Now, sign it, please"  says her teacher. When the girl arrives next time, there is her dot, framed and hung up on the wall. When she sees that, the girl proceeds to paint dots of different sizes, and colors, and when the school art show rolls around, there is a wall full of her paintings.
The moral of the story is, make something. Anything. See where it takes you.
You can also take a look back, and see where you have been.
- See more at: http://www.writeclickscrapbook.com/write_click_scrapbook/2013/02/process-process-process.html#sthash.lafJ7r8m.dpuf

One More Thing

This week, asI was planning this post, I rediscovered a children's book, that seems to perfect to share here. I also will probably not be able to write about it without getting a little teary. The Dot is about a young girl, who, with an empty sheet of paper at the end of art class declares to her teacher, "I just CAN'T draw!" Her teacher tells her to simply make a mark on her paper. Angrily, she jabs her marker to make one dot on her page. "Now, sign it, please"  says her teacher. When the girl arrives next time, there is her dot, framed and hung up on the wall. When she sees that, the girl proceeds to paint dots of different sizes, and colors, and when the school art show rolls around, there is a wall full of her paintings.
The moral of the story is, make something. Anything. See where it takes you.
You can also take a look back, and see where you have been.
- See more at: http://www.writeclickscrapbook.com/write_click_scrapbook/2013/02/process-process-process.html#sthash.lafJ7r8m.dpuf

Another week...some more projects...

Long project list here - I go through phases of being a "scrapping fool" or a "mojo-less lump".   Fool it was - in time for Manic Monday @SNC.    I used this time to jam in some challenges.  

My first to list - G4 - actually encompassed three total challenges.   The PatternPaper Crazy, Color and Sketch challenges for February.   I have always and forever been a fan of combining lots of challenges.   Trying to add as many together as I can.  

Another fun one - included the Ad/Art challenge combined with Lynn's challenge of using vellum in a LO.  For this - i used one of the most-awesome and inspiring PageMaps sketches (see???)

Which turned into this ...

I was loving the butterflies with twine - and the velum butterflies adding "shadows"...LOVE!!  and THAT GIRL WITH THOSE CHEEKS!!! one of my favorite photos. ever.

AND THEN --- Stamp challenge and Alpha challenge from Peggy and Janet respectively.   BUBBLE WRAP TO STAMP WITH - and a yummy mix of alphas (which, come to think of it, I do this a lot anyway, how interesting).

NOW THIS...not for a challenge, but done with another PageMap sketch because I LIKED IT and it looked so quick and easy!

and ... BAM

This was a BLAST this time around.  I like it when my mojo actually plays well with me instead of hiding. Hopeful for next week *fingers crossed*

Mania on a Monday? NO. Really?

Lynn and April @SNC again...yep.

Here are a couple of my latest layout creations....I've been on a kick with the kid that I miss, so .... we see his face around a lot ;)

MISCHIEVOUS @3.   No, ya think he was??  I'm surprised he's standing still for the picture, really. (and he's now 15- so this feels like FOREVER AGO).

Yep. getting sprinkled bren style.   The boy is standing over a sprinkler. Now that I think of it, I have a pic of him at like 8 years old doing this at the "splash fountain" at the zoo.  seriously....wow. 

and these --- I uh, forgot to post because that's just the way I am *sigh*...

I like the random dates - random pics - from any given time frame.   Especially when I'm missing people for whatever reason.   Or maybe when I'm irritated at them and I can look back on a time that makes me like them more?   HAHAHA I crack me up.

I shall leave you with this PageMaps sketch -- the inspiration for something I've got cooking ;)

And when I was looking for a book...

AGAIN!!!!????
So, I was looking for a book again last night this one time - and it was a DIFFERENT book than I was looking for last week (that I still haven't found).  
The long version of this escapade started at Target of all places.   I sent S-man a pic of a book that is by an author that I thought he liked - and it was new, so I figured it was a continuation of the series he had read last year.  It was, so I picked it up for him (YAY! Something book-related actually worked out!!).   

So then I'm perusing the other titles available, I realized - AHA!!  Book #4 of a 4 book series that i have, had finally come out in the paperback version.   I had to have paperback, because the other books are paperback as well and they needed to match.   Well, I guess to most people they don't HAVE TO match, but to me --- they had to match.   I've been waiting for this for a while.  SO, I got kind of excited, but then I thought to myself, "hey, I believe that I've READ book #3, but I don't remember seeing it with the other 2 on the shelf".    Now really, I should have a keeper for this kind of thing.  Because, if you'd recall last week with the ADHD/OCD fighting it out in the house and me NOT finding what I was looking for...you'd get the feeling (as I believe I was twitching with) that this isn't going to end well.

I do NOT purchase book #4, because I now HAVE TO come home and see if #3 is here.  
*blank stare*  (it really is friggin ridiculous to be me sometimes, and it can be SO RIDICULOUS to live inside of my head). 

I get home and deliver S-man his book, which he is like BEYOND thrilled about. Seriously. It was like the best post-Christmas gift EVER.   That made me happy.  Delivering a book where I knew it would be read, enjoyed and appreciated.  Apparently this is one of "those things" that I do, so it makes me wonder if I should go to this used book store by my house and apply for a job, because this whole book-themed mini Psychosis I've got going on is really needing a better outlet. I digress. 

I look at the shelf...uh, no book #3.  *insert near-Zombie-Apocalyptic-proportioned SIGH* 
Because we ALL now know what I'm going to go and do now...I dug through the other book boxes, same as before, but with new intent.   Nope. Not in there (OMG SOMEONE QUE THE TWILIGHT ZONE MUSIC).  For the love of all things holy/unholy in the world...

Long (and repetitive in SO many ways to last week's) story cut down...I'm glad I saved money by NOT purchasing the #4 book, because apparently my freaking-out-OCD wouldn't have let me read the damned thing without knowing the location of #3.   WHERE IS IT??? I'm much too OCD with books to not know the whereabouts of a book in a series.  This is possibly going to push me over an edge - or something

...and I think I'm visiting the used book store on Tuesday.  If not for employment, maybe they'll have the #3 so I can then read #4?   

I need some things, not necessarily in this order -
to relax
to medicate myself
to drink a lot which would achieve the first two...

Uh...okay. Whatever.

so I moved, you know, and I'm blaming this whole scenario on that fact

Well, to clarify - I moved MONTHS ago.  Like, what feels like a lot of months ago.   It feels like a really long time ago, because about a year ago (almost exactly? or maybe exactly 11 months ago).  

Let me start somewhere near a begginning...the Chickens and I were in our own townhouse.  Now, the owner of that place was raising the rent (April said, uh...NO THANKS), and so we moved right next door to make my parents miserable in a small space share love and joy of togetherness for six months before *crossing fingers* moving out of state.   (there was much-to-do in that six month span, involving court yaddayaddayadda/blahblahblah lawyers costing the same amount as a vital internal-organ on Craig's List).    HOWEVER, there were certain things that I moved out of state early.   Boxes of holiday decor that wouldn't be used. And, you know, that weird stuff in the kitchen cabinets that you have, don't necessarily use often, but if you DON'T have it when you need it -  then you're kind of pissed that you got rid of it (does this sound familiar to ANYONE else??).  Linens, etc...you know, stuff that I wouldn't need until much later. 

Now, fast forward past court dates/lawyer trauma  fun time, moving trucks, hyperventilating, panic attacks and all that other amazing MOVING A HOUSE related stuff.  Tons of things have been unpacked, integrated with what was already here (keep/toss/donate) --- but certain things haven't been completed.   I haven't finished organizing my scrapbooking space (which is in what probably should be a proper "sitting" room/living room scenario, but it's got my crap, a TV, a non-working piano and a couch...so it's pretty much "that crap room").  It'll get done - I'm not rushing - we have to get rid of non-working piano and get a shelving/bookcase (Ikea trip) and since I can't really get the shelf/bookcase in until AFTER the piano is gone (and the weather is too wintery to get this done...).....it's waiting in it's holding pattern.    If I take that room out of my scenario of "done" - then things aren't really but so bad.  Until I feel the need to "locate _____ that I haven't seen in a while", and then the wild goose chase begins.

SO last night at random today, I thought to myself, "you know, we have this set of three books in The Lightning Thief" series...it's in one of these boxes somewhere".     And being that the youngest boy chicken just turned 12 and the younger girl chicken is 10, I figured that finding the set would be beneficial to both of them.   Literate children that they are, I had a feeling that they would appreciate this.  Therefore, OCD/ADHD have a discussion and decide  I then decided to start the Wild Goose Chase game.  

I looked in six boxes in the basement where my books are.   Ummmm...nope.  Not in there.  
*pause*
I then looked in two boxes in TheCrapRoom where I thought that they might be, well, because there were scrapbook albums in there and well, maybe just maybe I had placed them in there.  Ummm...no.
*sigh*
I then found two other books that I wanted to be mated with their pals that have actually made it OUT of boxes and are in the family room.  Cool.  Score.   Uhhh....not what I was looking for.
*mumble*

SO.  After going to the grocery store, because it was a necessary thing and besides the store is - the pit of hell itself and satan is the cashier my favorite place to spend time -- and putting everything away, I decided to keep up the search. 

I found my four matching frames for the 4Chickens' school pictures. I cleaned them, wiped down the glass and set them on the table for installation.   OH THAT'S RIGHT...I can't install those because I haven't hung the mantle shelving that those big frames rest on.  
*set the shelving aside for hanging*
Then I remembered that I can't decide which room to hang those shelves in...
*pondering*
Then I looked in the corner of the crap room and realized that I had two boxes that looked unfamiliar...BOOKS???
No.
Kitchen stuff -- WEIRD STUFF, like not every day usage stuff.   Bundt cake pan (which truth be told I've never EVER even used) as well as Tupperware deviled egg holders.   Yes I'm serious.  It's a process, okay?
*sigh*
So then, ADHD directed me I decided to check my email, because with kids playing sports, I hadn't checked the email in like 2days and OMG you know I could have missed a whole elimination tournament schedule or something.  Checking email - for which I needed to go to the basement because my wireless stuff is still not fixed (NEXT weekend for the love of all things holy).

Here's where things go awry...(not that they weren't already, because clearly I have ADHD issues afoot)...
Elder boy chicken's teacher liason (aka the snitch, whom will be receiving a gift card to the liquor store from me at the end of the year) .   This unforeseen speed bump knocked all of the other things off course, as then I had to call theKeeper of the elder-boy chicken and discuss schedules/medications/blahblahblah....so an hour and 45minutes later....

I end up back at the computer again, reply back to the liason, wait for arrival of boy-chicken-in-hot-water-soon.   Forward my response to theKeeper of the boy-chicken...Walk back up the stairs and look at the fan-friggin-tastical mess that I've made with frames/photos/shelves all waiting for my attention....and I realize that ....

I STILL HAVEN"T FOUND THE STUPID BOOKS. 

and this is why things don't get done, and also to answer to why we're eating toast for dinner.

You're welcome.  I think.