I'm having fun with my digital scrapbooking!

I am having SO MUCH FUN with my digital scrapbooking software from Creative Memories - Storybook Creator Plus 3.0

As you can see, the creative possibilities are endless...all without dragging out ANYTHING!   I still cling to my need to touch paper, scissors, stickers and tools, but I have to admit, digital creativity is allowing me to do things with my photos and scrapbook layouts that I never dreamed of.

Less is More

So last Sunday, (not THIS Sunday, but last Sunday) we had a great Adult Sunday School.  I missed Adult Sunday School this week to watch the toddlers in the nursery.   Now, I'm not the most adept at recall, but I do remember this.  We talked about selfishness, and how sometimes that can create our own stress and stress to those around us.  Our sunday school leader said that he often is rushing the family around trying to get ready to go somewhere, yet if he'd just gotten out of bed and done a few things a little earlier, things would go so much more smoothly and it would alleviate so much stress on him and the 4 little munchkins (and wife) he's trying to rush around to get out of the house.

When I heard that, I thought 'God, that is so me!'  I made a pledge right then to try and make a change to be less selfish.  Less snuggling back down into the covers at 6:30 when the alarm goes off and I hit snooze every 7 minutes until 6:50. Less pretending that I don't hear Scott at 6:30 getting dressed, opening and closing drawers, the closet, muttering at the cat to get out of his way.  Less grumbling at the kids for the third or fourth time that we have to get dressed NOW or we're going to be late....Less stressing the kids out when they're enjoying talking to each other during breakfast ( I mean, what am I thinking we don't have time to talk to each other during breakfast???) Less talking through doors that 'you HAVE to get off the potty NOW or we're going to be late!'  Less blame about whose fault it is when we pull out of the driveway at 8:07 instead of 7:55.   Less guilt that I'm quickly dropping the kids off at school to walk in (quickly, of course, and some times I even roll down the passenger window to remind Tristan, 'Walk Quickly BUD!) without me, when I know they love for me to walk them to their cubbies, get a kiss and a hug and a wish for a great day at school.

So last week, I started making an effort to banish my morning selfishness.  It worked almost every day (yah I slipped up one morning, I'm new to this okay?).  When I thought about how much nicer the mornings were, more time to see Scott grumble at the kitty, more time to talk, more time to listen to talking, more time to go potty in peace, more time to walk nicely into school and give each child a hug and and a kiss, knowing that neither child was stressed about classing having started without them, I think God wasn't working in a mysterious way, just working on me.

So no time spent hitting the snooze button, no time pretending that I'm still asleep, no time stressing out my family, no time stressing out myself.  Yep, working on me.

Twilight Weekly Spotlight series on ReelzChannel

Quileute ties to Twilight featured on Internet video channel


The Quileute Nation and the tribe's ties to the Twilight story are being spotlighted this week by the ReelzChannel, which provides cable broadcasts nationwide on Twilight. Four online videos are being featured. The shows are hosted by ReelzChannel's resident Twilight expert and correspondent Naibe Reynoso, Twilight Weekly: Spotlight offers all the latest info on Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and the fandom surrounding them.

Delivery from the Forks Forest

So I can't remember if I mentioned that during our trip to Forks, Washington, we went to the park where there were a bunch of Forks and Twilight related vendors set up.   My favorite vendor (and Tristan's too!) was the Forks Forest.  They are a local family, Tena, the grandmother, and her grandson who makes beautiful glass blown beads.  Tena then has created a beautiful line of Twilight inspired jewlery using the beads.   I couldn't make up my mind which necklace or bracelet was my favorite so I asked her to put my favorite bead together with the key size and tag that I liked.   It arrived in the mail last week, along with a pair of earrings as as special gift!  I'm so excited and I'll definitely be wearing my necklace to the opening of New Moon.  

In the meantime, Scott is chomping at the bit (or should I say the fishing line....) because Jim, who runs the hostel we stayed at just south of Forks, has e-mailed him several times letting him know the steelhead are running on the Sol Duc.   I'm ready to go back! 

A surprise from Forks!

You will never guess what happened! My daughter Shelby won the drawing at Sully's Drive In from Bella's birthday weekend! A box arrived in the mail on Monday addressed to her, with a return address from Forks, but no name. We thought, "did she forget something at the place we stayed and they're mailing it back?"

But no, inside we were ECSTATIC to find the Twilight Board Game, and a personal note from Bruce Guckenberg, the owner of Sully's Drive In.

We sat right down after dinner Monday night and played until bedtime.  It is a pretty fun game, you draw cards, answer trivia questions or do story challenges, and you try to manuever around the board and collect 8 scene cards.  Whoever collects the 8 scene cards first wins the game .....I won!

Here is a picture of Shelby just after she opened the package, and one later of us playing the game...be good to me and we might invite you over for a game!