Hindsight….. again…..

Last week, I took the kids skiing in Flagstaff on Tuesday. It is a 90 minute drive from our house, which is surprising because we live in Phoenix, AZ. But when you drive up to 10,000 feet, even in Arizona, there is snow in the winter. A blustery storm had blown through the previous weekend and the mountain was p.e.r.f.e.c.t. for my three skiers. No, I didn’t ski. Being the planning maniac that I am, I brought a list of TO-DO items that I was going to have checked off while I sat in the cozy lodge sipping cocoa. Much to my dismay, there was no phone service NOR internet connectivity at the lodge. What century are we in? And I brought NOTHING else to do. My to-do-list-checking-self had a hard time for eight long hours, as you can imagine.

At one point, I folded my arms on the table, in the middle of the noisy ski chalet between the cafe and the bar, put my head on one of my children’s discarded sweatshirts and took an hour-long nap. Nap. Check!

Wednesday, I drove north again. This time to Sedona, land of the red rocks, where my husband was on a three-day work retreat and wives were invited. Unfortunately, the first day was Tuesday… ski day. Rick and I enjoyed a flavorful Mexican meal at our favorite stop Javalina Cantina. Unfortunately, my mind was still frozen from the previous day and I thoroughly squandered salsa loaded with cilantro. Cilantro is my newly discovered #2 highly allergic food. DUH. That night didn’t end comfortably.

Thursday, for the first time in my life, I visited Jerome, Arizona. Rumor has it, people drive for forever to go there. Seven of my homeschool-mom-peeps and I were spending Thursday through Sunday at a cabin in the woods in Prescott… just to get away from it all. It was sublime. Anyway, there is a “highway” from Sedona to Prescott that goes through Jerome, a very sleepy little mining town that is truly built on the side of a mountain. I’m convinced that a map of the town would look like a Chutes-N-Ladders game. Currently it is an artsy tourist metropolis with next-to-no parking. Public restroom are in the fire hall… FYI.

The “highway” reminded me of the Road to Hana in Maui…. however, palm trees were replaced with pine trees, the drop off the cliff into the ocean was replaced with sheer rock cliffs to solid rock cavern, and the one-lane bridges were replaced with very narrow jaunts through the town. I can add this adventure and then check it off my bucket list. Jerome. Check!

Sunday 1:00 in the afternoon… pending doom hit. I got chills that were multiplying. My body’s ability to regulate temperature was losing control. I climbed under the power that the electric blanket was supplying. It was electrifying. But I never shaped up. I needed a friend to drive my van home with me in it. After days of coughing, chills, fever, sweating and “sleeping” in my green birthday chair (instead of flat on my back in my bed) I succumbed to a doctor’s visit. Prognosis: Flu and Bronchitis. She inquired if a note was necessary for work to excuse me for several days so I could rest. I declined.

Then it started. ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE DOCTOR! I hadn’t even made it to the pharmacy to pick up my meds and my very first inhaler. “Can you swing by Costco and pick up a battery for the van?” “Mom, what’s for dinner?” “Can you cut my hair?” “We’re going to the park tomorrow, right?” “There’s a birthday party on Saturday.” “Can you please change a few things on my business receipt original copy?” “Are you washing laundry?” “I got Bon Jovi tickets for Saturday night!” “There’s no milk.” Oh my stars.

Never should I have declined the note qualifying my need for rest. What in the blazes was I thinking? I could have taped it on my bedroom door…. or my forehead. (I even declined the opportunity to see John in concert…. THAT’S how much rest I need!)

Rest well, my faithful readers. And use hand sanitizer. You don’t want what I got! Trust me!

First Time EVER!

(Image scraplifted from: http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/2009/07/handmade-card-tutorial_30.html )

Yes, it’s that time of year again…. Scrapping in the Pines, our bi-annual scrapbooking retreat for four days in the cool pine-covered mountains of Prescott, Arizona.  There are seven of us going….. but this time I’m packing GAMES!  Yes, you read that right… GAMES!  Yahtzee, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, 13 and Carcasonne!  We’ve never played games in Prescott! And movies, but we always take movies!

AND… please make sure you’re seated for this announcement… I’m not scrapbooking at Scrapping in the Pines!  I know!  Unbelievable.  I am making cards this trip.  I’m always a bit envious of my sister’s beautiful handmade cards that arrive in our mailbox several times a year.  Mine are usually handmade by a little Asian woman and purchased in a big box at Costco.  But after my third box of that type…. I have LOTS of baby and sympathy cards… but I’m fresh out of birthday cards … AGAIN  Enough! 

I scooted into Barnes & Noble tonight and bought a card making magazine….it cost as much as buying five cards at Hallmark, but it will be worth it’s weight in gold when I’m done.  All of my scrapping patterned paper, ribbons, buttons, eyelets, lace, trim, glitter, flowers and such will be making the journey.  Along with blank cards and envelopes.  I also resurrected the stamps, ink, embossing glitter, heat gun, and the metal embossing template!  What a blast from the past!  WAIT!  Inspiration just struck at this very moment… and you’re here to witness it first hand…. I can MAKE the envelopes!  Oh, sweet mother of baby Jesus, that is a great idea.  My aviator husband has all kinds of maps that will be perfect.  YES!

And so, it will be the first time EVER that this retreat should REALLY be called “Relaxing, Gaming and Crafting in the Pines.”  But we’re not changing the name after 15 years!

Snow Angels and Snow Balls

The Colombian princess played in the snow for her first time today up in Prescott, AZ.  In the morning I pulled out some snow pants and boots for her.  She was jazzed about the boots, but the snow pants were not her thing at all.   First she started to take off her jeans to put them on, but her brother explained that they go over your clothes.  This didn’t fly either.  Of course, this was in our balmy 74 degree house.  Her tune changed when we arrived to snow and chilly weather.  For some reason she asked for her hair to be tucked in her jacket???  Not sure what that was all about.

Next came the making of snow angels for the frist time.  I never realized how hard it is to describe the making of a snow angel until today.  She didn’t want her hair touching the snow… then I told her to move her arms up and down and she repeatedly raised them off the ground straight up and down. (She is good at following directions!)  Finally a kindly friend plopped down next to her and showed her how it’s done.  The result she loved…. the snow in the hair, not so much.

Then the snowball war commenced.  Nora loved throwing the snowballs and sneaking up behind unsuspecting targets…. but she didn’t exactly love being hit by snowballs.  I can relate.  I’ve been trying to teach her how to throw like a boy, but it’s not sinking in yet.  Lots of girly-thrown snowballs today.

So much fun to see the wonder on a child’s face the first time their little fingers freeze from making a snowman!  I loved that we got to share this day with Nora… and I love that God let there be snow in Arizona at least once in a while.

Lately Nora has been fascinated by eyebrows… and uni-brows… and snowman brows… awesome!

Princess Album! (love!)

It’s finally done!  Nora’s Princess Crown acrylic album!  That only took me three years!  Here’s the original story from the scrapbook convention class that I took…. and was thoroughly disgusted with:  https://mysistersjar.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/pathetic-princess-crown-albums/

I went away for the past four days to a little cabin in the woods, way up in the mountains of Prescott, AZ to scrapbook with some friends.  There was snow on the ground and laughter on our lips.  We had a GREAT relaxing time.  We go twice a year and enjoy every minute of the freedom from being moms for one weekend.  We haul all of our scrapbooking materials in suburbans to the tiny cabin and create works of art for our family and friends.  This was my first time leaving Nora, so I called every day and got the report on how Papi was doing taking care of his little girl.  He passed. 

I only worked on two projects: Nora’s princess crown album and her “baby” book.  I scrapped all of the pictures that we have of her from when she was five years old.  I loved every minute of it and she beamed with delight as I showed her my masterpieces.  She did ask why I didn’t get more done.  Sheesh.  I didn’t tell her that I was busy watching movies without kids…. or eating without kids…. or sleeping the night through without kids…..  some day I will finish!

Scrapbooking “Vacation”

Sunday night I returned from four days of Scrapping in the Pines up in the mountains in Prescott, Arizona.  It’s lovely up there because it’s 20 degrees cooler than the Valley of the Sun.  PLUS, it’s no kids, no cooking, no cleaning…. just relaxing, scrapbooking, chatting, movie watching, munching and belly laughing.  Lots of belly laughing went on.

Twenty-one pages were completed in my album, which is pretty good, but nowhere near the 65+ pages like the days of old when we scrapbooked in Prescott.  Thank God we’ve relaxed a bit.  OK, A LOT.   Here are a few peaks into my family scrapbook. Sorry the pictures are not totally clear.  I’m too tired to take them out of the page protectors.  :o)

This page of Larisa is the first time I’ve used pressed-foam raised shapes that you cover with paper (the flowered ring) and paint the sides.  The effect is cool with the three-dimensional frame.  There is also bling on the flowers at the top that don’t show that well.

I simply love pictures of boys being boys.  I still need to do my journaling on the striped paper on the right, but I love the color combination on this page.  Titles I’m considering: “Hoopla”  “Just hangin’ Around” or “White Men CAN Jump.”  I’m open to voting.

You’ve possibly seen this photo on my blog with the story behind the grin… So cute!  My boy!  A friend brought up her Cricket machine, which is totally awesome!  It cuts out the letters I used here for the title.  You basically put your paper in, tell it what to cut out and whammo!  It’s done.  Pretty slick, if you ask me.

Two weeks ago I was talking to two women from our church and I mentioned Anne of Green Gables.  Neither one knew Anne with an E.  I was amazed.  Shocked.  Dismayed.  I thought everyone knew Anne with an E.  So this past weekend, while scrapping, we watched all THREE LOOOONG Anne of Green Gables movies.  It was truly a delight for our souls. (However, I still think Lucy Maud Montgomery would be flipping over in her grave if she saw the third movie in the series!  It’s missing the verbiage, scenery, flavor and sentimentality of the first two which she indeed wrote.)

There you have it.  I need to go take a nap now.

OH!  The scissors-through-the-chicken bag will be up Monday morning on www.bagsforzaza.blogspot.com. Bid on a bag and help bring our daughter home from Colombia!