My camera is officially dead

Yep, it finally died for good. Damn HP piece of crap. But I have to admit, it took some great pictures while it lasted. So I am on the hunt for a new one.

Went cropping with the gals last night & was all prepared to post pics of the 4 layouts I did. Yes, FOUR! I haven't been that productive in ages. Guess it was the good company & good music. Love Stamper's!! All went well until it came time to leave & I realized I didn't have my keys. Nance & I looked everywhere & couldn't find them. Thank God I had one of those lock boxes with a spare key under the van. Even if you have Triple A it's a wise investment because what if you end up in an area with no phone reception? So I get home, tear through every bag & box I have & can't find the keys. Then realize I left them in the bathroom. At Stamper's. Where they belong right? So guess who's driving back out to Stamper's today?

In addition to the lockbox advice, here's another little nugget for those of you who store all your digital pics on your computer. Back them up on disc regularly. Our computer got the blackworm virus on Friday & it happened while I was in the process of burning all my pics onto CD's. Luckily I was able to save everything but imagine if I hadn't? I had over 1,000 pictures on my computer & I would have been devastated if I lost them. I had to completely restore my computer to it's original factory settings which meant I would have lost everything had I not saved them to disc. It's time consuming but definitely worth it. From now on I plan to burn my pictures onto CD's once a month just to be safe.

On that note, I am off to start my new job! Training today & I officially start taking pictures next Saturday. Can't wait! Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday & a great week!

This is the best

These are the moments I live for. When the kids are being absolutely adorable & such little characters. Gavin is such a happy & charismatic boy. He is showing his goofy side & I love it. He is definitely mine. Always out to get the laugh or make someone smile. It's the times like this when I am just so grateful that I have them. Grateful that everyday I get to wake up & see these little faces that we made, smiling up at me, hugging me or just content to rest their head on my shoulder (as Jamie is now while I type). It's when I see my 13 year old going to his first Valentine's Day dance that I realize how quickly the time passes & that makes me cherish every moment that much more.
I have worked out everyday this week & it is getting easier. I met a couple of people there who push me to keep going & even talked me into doing ab, arm & leg excercises. You know, those muscles you use everyday but they still manage to sag. What's up with that? All I gotta say is, I am soooo looking forward to pulling out that box of summer clothes!!
So my tidbit for the day: go hug your kids, snap a quick picture of them doing something cute or even just sitting there being quiet. And don't waste a moment because it's gonna fly by. Have a good one!

I'm going nuts

No, it's not the kids. They've been angels lately. Which makes me wonder if they're planning something....
So I've been working on this website & what a pain! I have everything done & all I need to do is add a picture to our 'About Us' page. Nothing big. Just a little tiny picture. Should be simple right? WRONG. This darn site keeps saying I'm exceeding my space & I've done everything from reduce the percentage to reducing the pixels (what the hell are pixels anyway?) and for the love of God nothing is working. I am spent. I am at the point where I'm thinking, who cares if the box says 'Your Photo Here'?? But see I made these really cute altered letters with our initials on them & I am dying to post them. But alas, the website gods are not cooperating so there is that stupid 'Your Photo Here' box staring me in the face saying, Put your damn photo here already!!! In the meantime, here is a picture of my creation. I'm quite proud of myself because it came out super cute.
Worked out last night & didn't feel like dying. Getting the swing of things & guess what? I must be doing something right because my rings are getting loose on my hand. Cool! Jim has been awesome with the support. And I feel good now that I'm seeing a difference. Now if I could just get a boob lift, life would be complete.
And just a little incentive to get creative: go check out Wendy's kit for March at http://www.wendygirldesigns.com/displayProductDocument.hg?productId=14&categoryId=8 Super cute stuff & a killer deal. Nancie said the paper is delicious & I can't wait to get ahold of it! Have a great day!

It's official!

Corinne & I have been tossing around the idea of starting a scrapbook party business & after a lot of discussion & work, we're in business! Check out our website, http://designingmemories.org/ , and let me know what you think. We both wanted something we could do from home that wouldn't take us away from our families too much & something we would enjoy. So we are going to be doing personalized scrapbook parties for children or adults. We are excited about our new venture & I am anxious to have our first gathering. We will probably do a test run soon to see how the party goes & get some input from the guests (You guys!) on how it is. Fun stuff!!
Tonight is my third workout night at the gym. I'll let you know how I do (cuz I know you're dying to know). If I don't post after this, you'll know I dropped dead. And so glad this is a short week. I got to spend some time with my friends (fun crop Nance & Corinne!) and my family. Just an all around nice weekend. I even got a chance to catch up with Lisa who I don't call as often as I should.
Alrighty ladies, enjoy your week & do something fun & creative for yourself.

Resolution #1 Started!

Like everyone, I resolved to start working out & get my butt back into shape this year. I started out slowly (if you call running slow) but lord, the first time I ran I thought I was going to have a stroke! But I kept plugging. For 2 weeks. Then decided I would rather die in a nice warm hospital bed than laying on the road waiting for someone to find me. So the other day I'm walking out of Safeway & lo & behold there's a neon pink flyer on their ad board for Ladies 30 Minute Workout. They want 50 people for a workout study & I get to work out FREE for 3 weeks. Not bad. So I go, sign up & started yesterday. Can I just say, there's a reason they call it '30 Minute Workout'? These women had me running from station to station using every machine you can think of to squeeze, push & force that fat out. You're supposed to make it around twice. I made it around once. Barely. But I am proud to say I actually had the nerve to go back today & I made it around twice! And I feel better than I did yesterday. So cross your fingers & pray to the weightloss gods that I can keep up this stamina. Mind you, I don't want to fit into a bikini but I would like to pull out all those cute pre-3 pregnancies summer clothes I have stockpiled away. The next question is: are you trying to get in shape? If you want a partner, let me know. I am down for walks in the morning or evening after Jim gets home (4:30) and I know I work out better when I have someone with me. Have a great day!!

I love Sundays!

It's usually the day after a crop & I still have the creative buzz going so I feel motivated to get some stuff done. Unfortunately, I haven't created anything today but I did find time to browse through a new scrapbooking magazine called 'Scrapbook Answers'. It's a neat magazine, not Creating Keepsakes, but a great selection of various articles from new techniques to photography tips & reviews on cameras & the latest products. There was also a good article on blogs & it gave the link to http://www.jennibowlin.com/ which led me to find a link to her website, http://www.jennibowlin.com/. And can I just say, OMG, she has a kit club & the kit for February looks amazing! I want it all! Go check out both sites, cool stuff.
Spent a nice Saturday evening cropping at Stamper's Warehouse with Miss Daniela. We missed Corinne & Nancie but we will schedule a day for all of us soon! As usual, I spent more than I intended to but it was all stuff I needed (NOT!). But can we ever have too much stuff?
So in the thick of all this creativity I decided that I am going to make a point of taking one photography field trip a month. It's been too long since I've taken pictures of anything besides my boys & it's time for me to get back into the swing of things. Want to join me? My first trip will be to the wonderful city of San Francisco on Sunday, March 5th. I'll be leaving around 9AM so if you want to join me, let me know. I know a few cool spots to get some great photos & I can't wait to get out there. I'll try to post the field trips as far in advance as possible & if you have any ideas for locations, throw 'em out there. I'd love to hear from you. Hope everyone has a wonderful & relaxing Sunday & enjoy your week!!

I was inspired!

After looking at all of those wonderful wall quotes at WonderfulGraffit.COM, I was inspired to finally finish the boys' room. We painted their room at the end of last summer in beautiful vintage Disney colors (thank you Home Depot!) and I had been trying to find something to add to liven it up. And here's the end result. The boys have been on a Disney kick for a few weeks, watching every Disney movie they have & of course, Jiminy Cricket got me going. I have always loved this song & I hope the lyrics inspire my boys to always go after their dreams.

And how about this wonderful weather we're having? I love it! Spring is here & my daffodils are in bloom again. I don't know I've managed to keep these beautiful flowers coming back because I have killed every plant I've ever grown (including a cactus!!) and yet every spring those daffodils come right back up. Maybe it's because they're my favorite flower but nonetheless, it perks me up to see their yellow cups poking out of the planter in front of my house. So my advice for the day: go out & enjoy this weather! Take a walk, go for a ride or just sit outside for a bit & breathe in that fresh California air. And enjoy yourself!!

My newest creation

I have been feeling so uncreative lately. So I was very satisfied with myself when I got this done in just a couple of hours. I had planned to hang it in our 'hall of fame' but I placed it on top of our fireplace because I just couldn't stop looking at it. It's an adorable picture I took of Jamie & Kieran for Christmas this last year & they look so sweet. And look Ma, no bruises!! For those of you who know me, my boys are a bunch of little rough necks. It is a rare day when they are not looking battered & bruised from playing or, God forbid, fighting. But they are my pride & joy & I just love looking at their happy little faces.

This is just the beginning....

So I've been perplexed by the number of people who now have blogs & after mulling it over I thought, why not me? I have an interesting life & Lord knows I have a lot to say. Why not share the infinite wisdom of Tab with the world? OK, so I am not incredibly wise but I do have a lot to say. Just ask my friends. They can't shut me up.On this fine January morning I had the pleasure of taking my 21 month old son to the doctor for his check-up and 3 shots. Home for a quick check of the email & a little housework & then I'm off & running again to pick up my 5 year old from school. And my husband thinks my life is easy. Men.So here's the plan: I'll try to make this fun & witty & maybe even post some creative stuff up. Here's a link you can check out: http://www.wonderfulgraffiti.com/ Amazing stuff. I snatched this link from Wendy's blog (for those of you who know her) and I am hooked. I can't wait to order these & put them on every wall in my house. Beautiful & exactly what my drab white walls need. That's it for now but if I get inspired later, I'll post it. Have a great day & enjoy this beautiful weather!

Kieran, Vincenzo, Gavin & Jamie