another year older

I'm still basking in the afterglow of a fabulous birthday yesterday (and weekend). It being my birthday made Monday all the more bearable. I was completely overwhelmed by all the birthday wishes, but feel so blessed by everyone's kindness.

For my birthday dinner Jay braved the cold and overcast skies to grill a couple of steaks (well, really, one big one that could probably feed 4 people easily) and shrimp. I love my husband!

I did get some Studio Calico goodness for my birthday, on the night of reveal, compliments of J: Back 40, Open Pasture and More Color as well a some mists, stamps and pens. Have I mentioned that I love my husband? Can't wait for that box of goodies to make it's way to my front door!

I couldn't ask for a better 37th birthday!

guess who made a card. . .

Just a quick share today of a card I made for a friend of mine who was born two days before me in the same hospital. We joke that we probably were next to each other in the nursery for a short period of time.

The card is based on a sketch by Becky Fleck at Page Maps. I'm not a big card maker so having a sketch is a great help! All supplies are from the Studio Calico Marketplace kit (except for the letters).

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

yummy

Such scrappy goodness! {sigh} I'm trying to be good, but the gang over at Studio Calico is making it very hard! Go check them out and you'll see what I mean. The sneaks are seriously amazing! Back 40 goes live tomorrow at midnight eastern time. My personal picks: the main kit, Open Pastures and Free Range.

Also check out the Studio Calico blog for a chance to win Jenni Bowlin Studio's newest line, Playdate.

With the exception of a few things (including my Cinch), I've been very good about my scrappy purchases so far this year. I have become a firm believer in kits after cleaning out my scrap room recently. So I've decided not to buy anything scrappy (except for adhesive and ink) until all my kits have been used up! And that shouldn't be a problem because I have fun plans for all of them!

Getting an early start to my birthday celebration tomorrow night since this year it falls on Monday. Free burger at Red Robin. Playing with paper and maybe yarn. A facial. And who knows what else!

Happy Friday! xo

cooling down

The fog has finally rolled back in. I never thought I would be happy to see overcast skies, but I am. I am appreciating the cooler temps after the heatwave of the past couple days. The heat can be so paralyzing. J and I spent the last three nights in front of the TV because our office, which is upstairs, was too hot. (Although, sitting on the couch isn't exactly pleasant or productive either.)

Still, the mild weather has made for an unusual summer overall. And I'm less than thrilled that there may be some sprinkles early next week. The cool weather, though, has been quite conducive to knitting.

I've been making great progress on my Abalone cardigan. I wish I had started earlier instead of procrastinating. I had planned on finishing it in time for this summer, but its looking more like next spring (*crossing fingers*).

I'm quietly hoping for an Indian summer to kick in soon so we can enjoy a least a small transition into fall, but I have a feeling we're not going to be so lucky.

Happy Thursday! xo

bringin' back the mojo

After many, many, many months of having absolutely no desire to scrapbook, I finally SCRAPPED! It only took me three, maybe four, weeks to finish one page, but who's counting. Yay, me!. It's nothing amazing, but it is very special to me and I love it.

Who knew that all I needed was to put aside the 2009 December Daily to get the mojo flowing again. (This may be my last ever December Daily. . . I think.) The mojo is slowly coming back, at a snail's pace, but I'm not complaining. I'm challenging myself to use my stash and really enjoying the process which I think is just as important as the page itself.

sin city

Jay and I just got back from a couple days in Las Vegas yesterday for an anniversary and early birthday celebration. Loved it, but wow! It. was. HOT. Seriously could not walk from one hotel to another without breaking into a sweat. Forget about looking cute, once you pass through the doors you simply melt. We had planned on lounging by the pool, but decided staying indoors was more our speed.

We got to catch up with my cousins, over food, of course. Three cousins, three awesome meals! Good times!

Tomorrow night I'm playing catch-up with the Pillars of the Earth series with some knitting on the side. And also looking forward to catching up with some much needed sleep.

seven

Looking forward to many, many more. . .

Happy Anniversary, my sweet love!

4 simple goals

Always inspired by Elsie, I love her idea of a 4 Simple Goals for the rest of the year. And I really love that she suggested we choose goals that are meant to enrich our lives. I don't know about you, but my life can always using some enriching.

1. Journal. I used to journal often, but over the years my entries have become fewer and farther between. Writing felt fulfulling and very cathartic at the same time.

2. Yoga. I already run and lift weights six times a week, but yoga will add another dimension to my workouts.

3. In bed by 11 pm. I'm doing well now going to bed around 11:30pm, but I know there are even more benefits if I went to bed earlier.

4. Meditate. I've lost the art of this practive but I know the positives that come out of just 10 minutes everyday.

What could you do to enrich your life for the rest of the year? Have a great weekend! xo

new kicks

The week is moving along swimmingly and for once I don't feel the need to ask "Is it Friday yet?" I'm really, really looking forward to this weekend for the sole reason that it will not include any cooking on my part for once. Serious bliss!

Loving my new kicks! The colors on the website were not correct and I was actually expecting it to be orange. So I was pleasantly surprised (not to mention happy) that it was maroonish and orange. Not loving having to break them in though. At least I haven't had any ankle pains in the few times I've tried to run in them. I soon hope to back up to my normal mileage.

hello beautiful august

It's my favorite month of the year.

(And not just because it's my birthday and anniversary month!)

Jay and I started off the month with a fun BBQ: hot dogs and beer! We do this maybe once or twice a year so it's a real treat.

I spent most the weekend cleaning my scrap room. I hadn't planned on it, but one thing led to another and before I knew it I was pulling baskets off shelves. As daunting as it sounds, I actually started to get excited about scrapping again and started to come up with ideas as I was sorting.

With that mindset, I decided to temporarily put my 2009 December Daily aside and do some layouts instead. I found a picture of my dad that I had been planning on scrapping late last year and decided to work with the Studio Calico November kit, Marketplace, then to hopped onto Studio Calico for some inspiration. Will share as soon as I'm done!

It's been a while since I shared picture of Max & Sparky and they were very obliging over the weekend, so here are some gratuitous shots of our furry kids!

Have a great week first week of August! xo