Noodle Soup

Operation: Fresh Start

So, my studio is a complete mess. Way out of hand. Worse than it's been in a long time. Fact: I have too much stuff. And when I get bogged down with projects, I don't put things away as diligently as I should. Or, um, ever.

So I've decided the first step in finally doing something about this mess, instead of moving the piles to the side when I need to work on something, is to put my shame on public display. ;)

See what I mean? It's bad.

I want to start 2012 fresh, with a space that inspires me to create, rather than shut the door and avoid it. So Operation: Fresh Start begins today!

Can you relate? If so, play along! I've mobilized a force of like-minded mess-makers on Twitter to start cleaning up their creative spaces with me, and to keep each other accountable. 

All you have to do to start 2012 with your own Operation: Fresh Start is post a before pic of your messy craft area someplace. Link me up here, or on Twitter or Facebook. Then get busy cleaning and we'll all share our after pics while we start the shiny new year with shiny new spaces.

Where's the pause button?

I feel like September is getting away from me, and I can't seem to catch up lately. Anybody got a pause button?

The kids started school last week...

Speaking of pause buttons! Reece started 6th grade (holy textbooks, Batman...his LAST year of elementary school!) and Taite is now a 2nd grader.

As for me, I'm trying to find my new groove now that I have some kid-free time again. I've got some fun projects on deck!

Summer, the abridged version

So, as you may have noticed from the sound of the crickets chirping over here, I've been on a bit of a blogcation for the past couple of months. Sometimes life, and kids, and teaching, and summer have that effect.

Here's a brief, abridged photo recap of my summer thus far...

I taught (and ate cupcakes) with the super fun Wendy Smedley at GASC in Chantilly, VA. 

 

I had lunch (and ate cupcakes) with the fabulous Angie Lucas, while she was visiting her family in CA.

 

We embarked on a Harry Potter movie marathon, watching all seven films before going to see the final one in the theatre.

 

Reece has been playing in a summer basketball league, with practices twice a week and games on Saturdays. That's him in the far right corner, in the red and white. And yep, he made that shot!

 

Taite and I went to see an Andy Grammer concert. If you don't know who Andy Grammer is, you totally should, because he's awesome. Go look him up on iTunes, or check out his super fun Keep Your Head Up video.

 

(We got to meet him after the show, too!)

 

Taite played along with the activities in my Kidding Around summer kids' class at Big Picture Classes, filling up her Smash album with all kinds of creative goodness.

 

 

We had a blast at the county fair...

 

...and tried the giant maple-bacon donut! It was delicious, but probably should've come with a side of Plaxil, or a defibrillator or something.

 

We've also done a LOT of this.

 

And this.

 

And I've managed to squeeze in a bit of this, even if it is on the couch in my jammies, with a cat in my lap.

I'm currently working on some fun new class stuff, including a session for the next True Scrap event, which will take place online October 20 - 22. Keep on eye on that link, because it will be updated with the latest info very soon! Registration opens September 1. I'm not sure exactly how much info I'm allowed to reveal just yet, but let's just say the keynote speaker rhymes with Schmathy Schmielske.

 

What have you been up to this summer?

I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Writing in electronic environments

Kendra emailed me this description from the Chapman U. fall course catalog:

 

While the default mode of most English Composition courses teaches students to write for print, “Writing in Electronic Environments” focuses on writing well for online mediums such as blogs, wikis, microblogs and social networks. Assignments will encourage multimodal writing, which “exceed the alphabetic and may include still and moving images, animations, color, words, music, and sound” (Christine Tulley). Deep collaboration between classmates is required—students will review, adopt, rewrite, and contest each other’s posts. Finally, all of the above goals will be accomplished without a single sheet of paper—all assignments will be posted, graded, and commented upon online.

Wow. First of all...cool! I totally wish I could take this class.

And second of all...talk about a sign of the times. These online 'mediums' (which, hello Chapman English department...I'm not an expert or anything, but shouldn't that be 'media'?) didn't even exist when I was in college. Or, when I was out of college for many, many years. 

And third, kudos to colleges that are recognizing the evolution of technology and media, and are keeping their curriculum contemporary with these developments!

Good morning!

Today was a first for me: teaching a class in my jammies!

Sure, I've been in jammies while recording audio or checking the message board for BPC classes, but today I taught an 8am live webinar...and well, it was just too early on a Saturday morning to worry about getting dressed first. 

So True Scrappers - here you go...this is what I looked like this morning, in jammies with my coffee:

I did put on a bra in case I had to be on video in the classroom...you're welcome!

Bringing creativity and fun to the table

In case you missed it, I was a guest last week on Paperclipping Roundtable, chatting about creativity and what tricks we use to get into the creative zone. I adore Noell, Izzy, Nancy, Ana, and all the Roundtable regulars, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with them on the show.

After Noell mentioned my 2007 Simple Scrapbooks Funnest Scrapbooker Ever title, I decided to dig up my entry. It used to be archived on the Simple Scrapbooks website, but since their untimely demise, I thought I'd post part of it here for posterity. And to satisfy anyone's curiosity about exactly what I will do for a sash, a bottle of bubbles, a barrel of monkeys, and a gift certificate for scrapbooking supplies. ;)

The requirements were a 100-word essay, a photo of me in a costume, a funny layout, and three layouts using prompts from Simple’s Scrapbook Play special issue.

My 100 word essay:

Who puts the fun in FUNctioning on six hours of sleep and a Starbucks Venti Iced Mocha? I do! Snapping pictures faster than a fleeting moment, one step ahead of my preschooler’s latest “loco”motive, able to embarrass tall teenagers with a single radio sing-along. I should be crowned The Funnest Scrapbooker Ever because I savor the vibrancy of my crazy life and record the defining moments with flair. Page challenge? I’m in! New product? My enthusiasm can’t be beat! Wear a silly costume? Why not! Throw me whatever you’ve got, Life. I’m armed with the greatest superpower of all – FUN!

Photo of me in costume:

(Which inspired our Christmas card that year)

 

One of the layouts I submitted:

So there’s a little taste of the crazy...oops, I mean fun...for you!

 

Good things come in small packages

Bigger isn't always better. Or at least that's what I've managed to convince myself this week.

Long story shortish, the lease was up on my beloved Mazda CX-9, which is by far my favorite vehicle I have ever owned to date. Especially because it was so "me", all decked out with custom vinyl stickers from my Cricut. People around town knew it was me when they saw this car.

 

 

When all was said and done (and subtracted, multiplied, & otherwise crunched) we weren't able to buy it out as planned. Total bummer, because not only was I left mourning the sudden loss of my signature ride, but I also had to find something else to drive that we *could* afford, and I had to make this big decision on really short notice, during an insanely busy time of year.

I spent several days displaced to a [super ugly] rental car while I felt sad about my Mazda, weighed my options, looked at a lot of cars, and finally decided. 

 

 

I wasn't sure if I was ready to downsize quite this much - it's a huge jump involving more than a loss of three seats and cargo space. There is a reality check required, about heading toward the flip-side of parenting, where baby seats are becoming a distant memory, and where my brood has reduced to just two kids at home.

Ultimately, I figured if I had to embrace an unwelcome change, I might as well try to make it fun. And let's be honest, it would be pretty difficult to feel sorry for myself while bopping around in a bright yellow, convertible Bug.

So yeah, I think this small package is a good thing.

If you see me around town, this is me now. And I won't be held responsible for your kids slugging each other as I drive by.

Smart-tea

I am knee-deep in work for some new Big Picture Classes, but thought I would share this quick little message from my tea this morning. 

Back to more regular blogging soon!

Catching up

Okay, so it's been forever since I've blogged. Let's just get that out there. 

Here's a little bit of what I've been up to...

Back to School

  

 

Annual End-of-Summer Corn Roast

  

Sea World

We had a furlough day just four days into school. Crazy. But we made the most of it by visiting Sea World while the sane school districts were in session.

   
 



And that is pretty much where the non-cellphone photos end, because that cute little guy right there in the dolphin petting pool? He killed my Canon with a gargantuan, playful tail slap, about 10 minutes after this photo was taken. Total bummer...and yet kind of worth it to get that close to one of my favorite animals in the world.

Antiquing with Kendra

With both kids in school all day (for the first time ever!), I was able to meet Kendra on her day off for lunch and antiquing. I found the exact lunchbox I had in first grade!

Family fun in Oceanside/Carlsbad

Speaking of Barbie, Taite and I had the opportunity to see Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale through the awesome folks at Kidtoons. The only catch was the closest theatre showing it was in Oceanside. So we headed down as a family and Matt and Reece amused themselves for 90 minutes while Taite and I "got our sparkle on" (it's a catchy tune - video below).

 

 

Then we all headed to Carlsbad for lunch and beach time.

  

Finding my groove

I love the way fall gets me back into a regular routine after the less structured pace of summer. I'm just now settling into a groove that includes regular walks around the lake

..and scheduled studio time to work on some new classes. More on that soon!

21st Century Kids

Everyday technological advances fascinate me. I spent most of my childhood with 13 TV channels, no remote control, no TV recording capabilities, no microwave, and no computer. Instead of a smartphone, I grew up with a wall-mounted push-button (the latest technology!) with a 6 foot, tangled, curly cord that I would stretch all the way to the coat closet for privacy. If I wanted to contact a friend, I called them and hoped I didn't get a busy signal, or worse, the forever ring that indicated no one was home. There were no answering machines or voicemail.

My kids' world is so very different.

Exhibit A: A couple of days ago, Reece and Taite were playing, and he told her, "BRB" as he ran to get something. As in, the text/IM version of "be right back". Which I probably don't need to explain to anyone reading a blog, but just in case...

The thing is, Reece has never IM'ed anyone, and he doesn't have a cell phone. I finally figured out he picked it up from Club Penguin, which is the elementary school equivalent of talking to your friends online, in the form of a technicolor, dressed up penguin. Again, just in case you are among the uninitiated. 

I searched dictionary.com, and guess what? BRB is listed. So are LOL, LMAO, TTYL, and other internet acronyms. I don't know if they are actually included in printed versions of Merriam-Webster yet, because we don't own a recently-printed dictionary...the internet has rendered that need obsolete. I'm sure it's only a matter of time, if they're not already "official" words.

Exhibit B: Today Taite was doing her usual "why do you have to go to work, Daddy?" morning routine. Matt told her he had customers to see, and she said, "You could just video chat with them." It blows me away that video chatting is such a nonchalant part of my six-year-old's mentality. When I was six, that was something only the Jetson's did.

 

Exhibit C: This shirt is part of Reece's back to school wardrobe.

When I brought it home and had him try it on, I asked if he knew what those were on the front. He did recognize them as tapes, but when I asked if he knew what they were for, he said, "Ummm...sound or something?" He has no frame of reference, of course. He has never listened to music on a tape, even though his older brother and sister did. To him, music has always only been on computers, iPods, and CDs. Will his children wear a t-shirt with "old school" CDs or iPods all over it, and have no clue what they were used for?

I am all for embracing technology, as well as celebrating both the similarities and the differences of life "then and now". It's fun to speculate what will come next, or to imagine how life will be different in another 40 years. 

And if the Jetsons continue to be accurate in their futuristic predictions, definitely sign me up for a Rosie the Robot!