February --- whew!

As part of the scrapbooking world's Project 12 (doing a layout for each month) here's my February layout for 2010. I got the layout inspiration from a page in Martha Stewart's Living magazine I read while in one of the many medical waiting rooms.

Scrapbook Page

I was sent some really cute photos of Sara (my darling daughter-in-law) of her 30th birthday and pulled together a whimsical layout for the scrapbook album.

nothing is impossible; the word itself says,
I'M POSSIBLE.
audrey hepburn

Stuck•ee, noun: Someone who is assigned a task she just can't get out of.
(I hope to be an unStukee soon and back to adding blogging to the list)

I need a little bit of distraction this morning and played with my digi scrapbook files to come up with a birthday photo layout. The hot flash of red and the flat cool of gray - good complimentary colors and I always use white for space to rest the eye.

Did You Know?

Coca Cola was the first soft drink
to be consumed in outer space.

Each year, more than 50,000 people
are injured by jewelry in the U.S.

Washington State Law says women can't
take three steps backwards while dancing.

We are born with 350 bones
and die with 206.

Each 5 mph over 60 mph is like paying
an additional 10 cents a gallon for gas

An iceberg contains more
heat than a lit match.

Approximately 850 peanuts
make a 18 oz. jar of peanut butter

111, 111, 111, x 111, 111, 111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Your thumb is the same length as your nose

Sesquipedalianist

I love wordsmiths because they use and like, ah, you know, ah --- words, all words! Words like quidnunc or poppysmic (yea, I saw that movie, too). Wordsmiths are cognizant of what words work well together to give us a descriptive picture.

In scrapbooking, I like using the technique of using old book pages or dictionaries to cut up and use on a page layout or card. To ink, crumble, tear or simply as is, adding character and whimsy to complete the look & feel of a complete project.

I recently went to Goodwill to purchase "said" book -- one I didn't care if it was torn asunder to bits and pieces. I found a dictionary that would work quite well. However, when I got it home and really looked through it -- I just couldn't put scissors to paper and render it worthless as a keeper of words. It had obviously been owned by a student of journalism. The inside covers and various pages had little snippets of journalism wisdom, that the author felt worth remembering.

Write Tight!
Remember: 1) self-edit 2) self-edit 3) self-edit
If there's anything you don't know for certain, look it up
Ten minutes early is right on time
Cut throat secretaries. They know everything.
Double check everything - even if you think you know it.
1. Never use the words locate or construct 2. Lead with the news
3. Write for the reader, not the source 4. Rewrite chunky sentences.
There is no yesterday, There is no tomorrow, There is only today.
Says/Features Said/News
Good writing can't cover bad reporting
Have fun and kick ass!

When I grow up, I want to be a wordsmith, have fun and kick ass, too!

Happy Birthday!

6 More Weeks of Winter!

The coffee stop

There is much to love about this little spot of the world -- fantastic views of the salt water bay, the ambience of the northwest seaside park, the warm goodness of a great cup of coffee and the people who share it with me.

Project 12

I'm joining other scrapbookers in the Project 12 challenge(s). For the next 12 months you create a layout about that month. There is a sketch from Becky Fleck for January - but, I wanted to do my own thing and do a digi layout. There was so much going on in January, I decided to do little snippets of 8 days in January. I'm looking forward to doing February's layout for Project 12.
(to see the page up close and personal, click on the image and for some unknown reason pics #15 & 24 edged over
when I made this into the JPG format, in real time it looks all even and straight)

January 24th

and according my birthday horoscope:
It's going to be quite a day for you - a delightful one. The fun starts immediately! Get started on planning that big celebration that's been in the back of your mind for weeks. And along with your celebratory mood, you should also be prepared to feel especially rebellious, outrageous and willing to shock and amaze the masses. Yep. Even more so than usual.
I can do that.....

You'll be missed Mr. Parker

I was sadden to learn of the death of Robert B. Parker on January 18th. One of my favorite mystery writers. He wrote the Spenser series featuring the wise-cracking, street smart Boston PI with 38 books to his credit. Also the 9 Jesse Stone books that take place in Paradise, MA and has Tom Seleck playing the lead in the movie adaptions. And don't miss his Sunny Randall 6 book series, with the sparky Boston PI that has witty dialogue, engaging story lines and a cast of very interesting characters. His stories will live on, but he'll be truly missed.

New Additions to my camera family

I'm well covered --- camera wise! My darling daughter's Christmas surprise to me was a fantastic little Canon PowerShot that fits comfortably in my handbag (it's much larger than a purse) and has captured those "gotta stop and get that shot" while out and about. I'm not missing those shots because I wish I had my camera with me --- it's always with me, now.

And with a birthday fast approaching, I decided to use my earnings from my successful Allied Arts sales to give myself a new SLR camera. After much research & long conference calls with my professional photographer son, I decided on the Canon XSi that came with 2 lens (count them "2"). And as Murphy says, "Once you know what you want - finding it with a super discount and then finding out you missed the discount by 1 day", I had to go hunting. I found the same applied discount at Costco in Burlington (about 20 miles down the road). Well worth the road trip south. Now I'm on a huge learning curve. I'm use to my trusty Canon point and click that has been a wonderful workhorse for the last 4 years.

But, I'm well covered for whatever image I want to capture -- quick and easy and the super duper fine tuning machine. Smile --- because I'm looking at you, kid!

Sunrise is 7:55 am today

(watercolor painting by Ron Pattern, called Whatcom Sunrise)

(From the current mystery book I'm reading, First Degree by David Rosenfelt)

"I'm up watching the news by five-thirty in the morning, but it isn't until an hour later that I discover the "sunrise scam". The weather guy has proclaimed that six-thirty-one is the moment of sunrise, yet I can now bear witness to the fact that at that exact time it is already light out, and has been light for fifteen minutes.

Does no one check these things out? Do they think the light is coming from another source, perhaps helping our eyes adjust to the upcoming sudden onset of sunlight? Or are we being deceived by someone, maybe the tanning and suntan lotion industrial complex?

And no matter what the reason for the deception, what is the value of knowing when sunrise is? And are there any other idiots like me, up at this hour and paying attention to this nonsense, so as to take their minds off of something important, something that's gnawing at their insides?"

Well, I for one can tell you the value of knowing when sunrise is: photography - photographing that burst of light coming over the horizon bringing the day our way. To catch that moment of magic light on a scene that in another moment is just another ordinary, flat light scene. I've seen them (the pros) scurrying around the tulip fields in April, setting up the shot to capture a flower with dew dripping and back light with the rising sun. I've been driven around the country backroads, rushing to the previously scouted spot to get "The Shot" at sunrise. Those experiences are high on my list of "best moments I've lived". It's a daily reminder that we have another day to get it right - a chance to try new things - to remember with a photo that special moment when the sun rose over our part of the world, again.

I want to play, too. So, I'm on the hunt for a big girl's camera. A camera that gives me the options I may or may not use to go out at sunrise (and again at sunset) and play with the big boys. I know it'll be a Canon brand, a SLR, a digital and within the budget for a fledging photographer to capture and remember that today's sunrise is at 7:55 am.