decisions, decisions...

Today my husband had the day off, well at least part of it, so we got a chance to talk about our house, our kids and a very important problem for me: my haircut! He has seen me in all stages: longer hair, medium size hair, short hair and almost bold, but I still try to consult with him about it because I know he likes long hair. Never met a man who doesn't like long hair... unfortunately my hair grows very slowly and although it is curly and it looks like I have a lot of it, it's mostly volume. Thus from time to time I decide to cut it and change my hair style. Sometimes the changes are small and other times they are really obvious, depending on my mood on the day I see the hairdresser. But today we talked and while he lets me take the final decision we went through several hairdos and checked more than a dozen hair styles. So now, all I have to do is to wait decide to make an appointment and get over with it.:)

In the meantime, however, I made another bookmark and 8x8 template and this time I used a kit from Gab from Snuggle Berry Pie Designs. The name of the kit is Fun Park and I loved working with it. 

sweet memories

Packing and more packing. This is all it is about for me these days. Deciding what has first priority and what can wait, trying to figure out how many kilos/pounds of memories I have and putting in digital format everything I can which is actually not too much, but it gives me the opportunity to sort through piles of folders and files. The good thing is that all these let me remember some wonderful moments in my life: trips I took, people I met, different stages my little girl went through and of course my college time. It sounds so long ago that I suddenly feel old:). So today I decided to make something where I cold use photos of my little girl as a new born. She is only 4 now, so it is actually not so long ago that she was being held in everybody's arms all the time - yeah, she was spoiled, but she is my first baby girl and my mom's only niece... so you can imagine the rest! :)

All the elements and papers I used are from  Soft Denim Base Kit made by MagsGraphics. Thank you for your freebies.

it should be summer...

But all we've got lately is rain, rain and more rain and a lot of wind and weather that resembles more to spring or autumn. This is definitely not the right temperature for the end of June and I am not happy at all. My little girl wants to wear only dresses and skirts because, in her own words "I'm a girl not a boy and girls wear dresses and skirts and boys wear pants!" :) So now it is pretty difficult for me to get her dressed because if it is not something she likes she tells me that what she is wearing doesn't go with the shoes or the sunglasses and if her outfit doesn't look the way she wants it she makes all kind of faces and she gets upset... now here she probably looks more like her dad 'cause he is the one spending a lot of time deciding what to wear when he goes out. :) I've noticed this happens to me too lately and I think I am becoming a little bit more feminine... looking more after dresses and skirts than after comfy pants and t-shirts... Am I slowly turning into a decent and responsible mom?!? nah... it can't be! I guess I am just trying to look better to impress my hubby and make him proud of me.

Anyways, enough with the blah-blah... it's time for me to show you a new template and page from my 8x8 potential coffee book. I've been searching the web today and found out about a quick way to make contact sheets with my photos, so today's template will display some of that. Now I just have to decide whose kit I want to use for the papers and embellishments. Done! For today's template example I used one of my favorite kits from Digi-design by Nicole. The name of the kit is "That Jazz" and I love it both for its musical theme as well as for the colors. I bought this kit from her and a couple of others when she had a retirement kits sales and I am happy I had the money to do it. Thank you Nicole.:)

no title...

I'm back with the 8x8 template which turned into a nice quick page that complements my desktop:). I will tell you again that I used some papers and elements from two kits I bought last year from Casey Krause. I used the two papers from CK_laugh kit and they are CK_laugh_patterned_4 and CK_laugh_patterned_2 and the two elements are from CK_laugh and CK_love and the name of the items are CK_laugh_grabbag_1 and CK_laugh_gear_frame1 and CK_love_grabbag_1. I will also post a template, but please remember that the frame and the dragon flies are elements from Casey's kits LAUGH and LOVE and use the template for personal use or for making gifts for others.

Ok, I know I should be consistent in the colors I use with my template examples but until I decide to make my own coffee table book and actually print it, I will use different kits I bought over time. I am still trying to learn how to make my own kits and elements, but I still have a long way to go. In the meantime I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all the great designers out there who offer freebies and share their knowledge with the rest of us.

My new desktop and a poem

I decided today to change my desktop and used some papers and elements from two kits I bought last year from Casey Krause. I used the two papers from CK_laugh kit and they are CK_laugh_patterned_4 and CK_laugh_patterned_2 and the two elements are from CK_laugh and CK_love and the name of the items are CK_laugh_grabbag_1 and CK_love_grabbag_1.

 

I also have a poem I want to share with you. I've found it while sorting through my things and I like it for several reasons: I wrote it for my boyfriend at the time - my actual husband and I really find myself in this poem. Hubby promised me to make a song out of it - he is a great piano player and a great cook. He is actually the chef in the house and I can't wait for him to cook for me some of his delicious meals. Anyways, here is the poem and I will come back with an 8x8 template  that looks like my new desktop. :)

Baby, listen the music
Our music
Our song
Don’t stand still
Let the rhythm caress you
Let the music take you over
Where we share the same sky
And baby?
Do you remember us dancing in the rain?
We were in love
But people thought we were insane
We didn’t care then
Why should we care now?
Don’t tell me now it’s over
Don’t break my heart again.

Great giveaway at Tatertots and Jello blogspot

Quick post today. I know I only have one follower, but I also know I have more than 50 people who've visited my blog at least once until now. I want to blog about this giveaway because it is one of the ways I can get a chance at winning it. Kind of selfish of me, I know, but I've been dreaming about one of these machines for some time now and at the moment there's no way i can afford one. So good luck to me and to the other participants and if you want to find out more this giveaway check the Tatertots and Jello blogspot and see how you an win a Silhouette Craft Cutting Machine  . There are also at least two great blogs The Silhouette Blog and the Silhouette machine website where you can find out more about this machine.

Once again good luck to me:) and to you if you are trying to win it.

Happy Father's Day!

We've just started celebrating Father's Day in my country this year, but I know this is a big day in many countries. and one of these countries is Jamaica, my new home. So in order to do something nice for the blog and continue working on the 8x8 template book, I made some square cards and layouts for my husband who is the best DAD anyone could have. Thus without too much introduction, here are the cards I already showed him:)

And I also have a quick page I made with one of Katie's kits: Fall Leaves. I bought this kit last year when I actually bought her whole store. Thank you Katie, your kits are wonderful. I will post the quick page, but you can only use it for personal use please. The poem about Dad I found it on the internet on several websites, but it doesn't have an author.

If you want to download any of the above click on the links below:

• template 3 - with green
• template 4 - with blue
• quick page

8x8 templates

I've promised you some new things to see and get some inspiration from and even download if you want to. So while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for you and of course for me too.; I decided to try some square layouts Yes, I am selfish when it comes to spending my time for others, but not when it comes to spending it for me,:) I'm joking of course. I've been spending the last few hours of my life trying to decide what I wanted to work on, doing the actual templates and making some examples. I told you I'm kinda new to this, so please don't laugh at me if you think it took me way too much time... Anyways, enough with the talk! Let's see the new things I promised you. I have two 8x8 templates - I prefer smaller square sizes to the traditional 12 x 12. I enjoyed  so much working on these that I am planning on making a couple of coffee books with my pictures and my design for our house.

New things

Ever since I started creating those little to-do lists and note cards papers, I feel more and more like staying in front of the computer and showing you new things. Unfortunately tonight won't be one of those show-off nights because I am really sleepy and my eyes are very tired, but I promise to make it up to you and offer you something new with my next post. Never realized how tiring partying, going to the swimming pool and walking all around town the next day can be. Or maybe I am just getting old... nah! I am still a kid with a kid :) and my kid got her passport today and a pair of cute little swim suit bottom. When I gave it to her she was so happy and she said: "Mami, this is so cute. Do I have a bra too?" She's 4 years old and she wants a bra... so I looked at her and I replied: "This summer it's all topless!"

Got to go now, but don't forget about the new things in my next post so please do come back and visit me! Have a good night all!

Numbers

Often times we say we don't know too much mathematics and yet most of us use numbers  every day and do basic maths. So I will dedicate today's post to numbers and some statistics. After 20 posts in less than 30 days, I have 1 follower and according to Flag Counter I had 53 unique visitors from 9 countries visiting my blog. I also have on my blog, one of my favorites poems Exact science and, you guessed, it has a bit of maths and numbers in it.

I am also using numbers a lot in my to-do lists as well as when I have to answer some questions for my little one: "Mami, when am I going to be 7? and 18? and 243?" Remember she is only 4 and she can count almost to 100 with a bit of help and she can count to 20+ in English too and up to 10 in Spanish. Sometimes she also quizzes me with questions like "What is 2+2?" or "how much money is this? Is it a lot?" With simple math where we can use our fingers i try to do it with her and when it comes to prices i tell her the price and then give her an equivalent of the price in terms of things that she likes to do but cost money. For example if she asks about a dress and it costs $20 I tell her the dress is $20 but for the same amount of money we can ride the little train she likes for 10 times. it gets a bit more difficult when we talk about big numbers since she doesn't quite make the difference between hundreds and thousands, but we will get there soon I am sure of it.

Okie, enough about numbers; let's go back to fun things. I am working on a new template that I want to share with you as well as a couple new note cards that match the to-do lists I posted earlier. So here we go again:

My first template

I don't know if you liked my to-do lists or not, but today I made my first template from scratch. It might not be a big deal for you, but it is for me because after several months of hunting freebies on other websites, I know it's high time I started learning more about how to do all these on my own. Yes, I am also searching for tutorials and I do have some experience with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator - I took several design classes in college - but since scrapping in all its forms is new for me I still need all the help and encouragement I can get. So tonight I made my first template and also an example of how I use it.

 http://www.4shared.com/photo/Pa8i2lW4/my-first-template-clear.html

 

I just wanted to mention that all the pictures posted on this blog and on my website are mine and I would appreciate it if you respected that. Thank you.

To-do lists

To-do lists are something more and more people use under different forms. I for one still use the pen and paper version of the to-do list and I have to admit I love when I have a paper that has a little design on it. My last to-do paper pad had a cup of coffee on it - didn't manage to wake me up just by looking at it, but if definitely reminded me to drink my coffee before I left home or to take it with me. Coffee is just one of those things I am not wiling to give up and I hope I won't have to do it.

Anyways, today was one of those days with an obvious to-do list - housework, pay some bills, laundry and so on - so I used my to-do list just when I went shopping. If I am using every day to-do lists it doesn't mean that I forget things, but rather that it helps me maximize my work and get more things done. I know you too had the feeling that 24 hours in a day are sometimes not enough to do all you want to do. I am no exception to this rule, so I try to do my to-do list the night before or early in the morning while having my coffee.

I get more relaxed to-do lists during the weekends. Like this weekend I have to go visit my aunt and my cousin and the rest of the family - and this happens because one of my cousins is moving to Canada - have a safe trip cuz! this is on Saturday and on Sunday I am going to a birthday party - yey - this means good food and no dishes to wash for me:)... it's more like a birthday brunch, but the lady is my friend and she makes a terrific tripe soup - I'll sure miss it when I move to Jamaica. Also on Sunday I have a kid activity on my to-do list: 

- take the kid to a puppets show at the mall. I am sure she will enjoy it and since I got sun-burned the other day at the swimming pool, we have to avoid the pool for a few days.

Enough about me and my to-do lists, I wanted to share with you some to-do papers I made for me. I hope you like them and you can use them for you as well. Have a great weekend and check your to-do list from time to time.:)

first time again

Today is a first for several things. First of all, it was the first day of going and having fun at the swimming pool. A hot nice day with a perfect breeze and me and Alex in the pool most of the time. The result? Easy: she got very tired and I got sun burnt, on my shoulders especially. So now she is sleeping and I am thinking of cold things to put on my skin. Anyways this was a first for the year and I hope we will have many more swimming pool days and fun in the sun. In a couple of days I'll be ok and ready to go again and also a shade closer to her wonderful skin color. After all she is my chocolate girl. :)

The other first for the year was me making my first layout in Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. Of course I did it without following any tutorials and it looks exactly like something a two-year old would do, but I want to post it so that I can laugh about it later when I am improving my skills. And to make it worse I will post the same layout done in Photoshop too. I hear Adobe Elements is also a nice program; don't have it yet, but maybe one day... so here we go: same layout, first one in Corel PSP and the second one in Adobe Photoshop:

Have a great day and weekend. I have a busy weekend ahead of me again so I am not 100 % I will be able to post anything - June and July are the two months where a lot of my friends have birthdays, so it is PARTY TIME! :)

Children Day is gone, but...

For my kid every day is Children day. She gets several magazines she likes to color and do the mazes in and I have to read her the stories, and she gets Shrek and Cars - the movie, magazines as well as Lazy Town magazine. What I like a lot is that even though she just turned 4, often times if she has to choose between a book or a little toy, she chooses the book and it makes me really happy. This does not mean that she is not playing with toys or that she is not doing things kids her age should do. On the contrary. It's just that she wants to know more and more things and as if it was not enough that she speaks Romanian and she will soon speak English and Patois, now she wants to learn Spanish too.:)

As I told you in the previous posts, I was pretty busy last week and weekend and I have a few pictures to show you. Me and Alex went to the mall almost every day to have fun and watch the concerts, she played and took pictures with all the clowns and fairy tale characters and Sunday we also went for a ride with a special little train that works only during the summer.

This is a picture which I took during one of our four rides with the little train. In between rides one is allowed to take pictures at the steering wheel or on the actual train engine.

While the clown and Snow White asked her if she wanted to take a picture with them, she was fascinated by this alien and was looking for him every day we went at the mall.

Ok, time to run and get some sleep -tomorrow it's going to be the first day of going to the swimming pool and splashing around.

Busy weekend

I wanted to show you more, but this week and especially weekend was busy for me and so this will be a really quick post where I just want to brag with my little girl, Alex, who had her end of the year festivity and who made me once again very proud.

This is before the festivity and the next one is from one of the visits at the mall at the playing place.

Have a great weekend!

Friday is the day...

Friday is the day even if I don't have a 9 to5 job right now. I am actually a full time mom which is both fun and difficult and all of you parents know what I am talking about. Anyways, this week especially Friday is a big day for me because my little one has her end of the year festivity. Yes, she is finishing her first year of preschool and the only one she is going to attend here... well she will still be going to preschool till November when we relocate, but she won't take part in any other festivity here. So I got her outfit ready - thank you Corina for the wonderful dress :) - and I am now trying to complete everything else on my list for today:

• - camera batteries charging - checked
• - things for her hair - checked
• - write on the teachers' cards - checked
• - others - in the process.

Now as I promised I will post a few pictures from the Kids' Day. Of course my daughter will be in all of them

After deciding the night before that she was going to be a pirate and after getting the right clothes for it, when we got to preschool she decided she wanted to be something else so I had to improvise really quickly. Lucky her (and me) I had a pareo I used for covering her hair and a little pink top I used for hiding part of the skull from her blouse and I told her she is now a veritable Jamaican girl :)))). Obviously it worked.

Trying the clown's wig was a must especially since the clown was one of her teachers and she recognized her after the first few seconds.

Keeping her mouth shut is just something I'd like to happen from time to time, but she admitted she can't do it, so I just have to live with it. Here she is actually in the process of throwing us a kiss. :)

She can be a great model when she wants to, but unfortunately she doesn't want to do that too often for me anymore... I have to find me a new kid... or a new model :)).

Face painting is one of the things we did every day this week and while yesterday I was ready to take pictures of her in the process of having her face painted, the day before I left my camera at home and by the time we reached home her part of her Spiderman design was not looking so good anymore.

And now I will also offer you a nice little mask and use the above picture as an example:

http://www.4shared.com/photo/OxEipfqj/laugh.html

Hope you enjoyed my post and come back again. Have a great day and weekend.

Oh, and before I forget, today is my grandmother's birthday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

Happy kids day

As some of my friends from Facebook said: "Happy kids days to all the kids and to all the people who feel like kids!" Like I told you in my other blog, I had a very busy day, but with a ton of fun bot for me and my little girl. For her, the whole week will be full of fun, fun, fun and a little bi more fun because they still have contests and shows at the mall and on Friday she has the end of the year show. I know I promised to share a few pics with you and I did take 100 plus pictures, but I didn't get a chance to arrange them and re-size them a little. So, hoping that you will not be too upset with me, I decided to share with you a few of my favorite pictures with toys - pictures I took of course.

Have a great evening or night.