JulieK | Embrace the Everyday

I went with a group of friends to a great charity crop yesterday!!  All the proceeds went to Camp Starfish… We had a wonderful (and productive) time!! You can check out this fabulous camp HERE I can't wait to share what I made… Just have to take some pics today… I made 2 mini-books (one about all the cool mushrooms we found at the lake this summer and one for Kathryn's birthday…) PLUS I made 3 layouts (yup, me :) I made layouts too!!)  It was such fun to see everyone who was there, and also see one of my former students who was also there cropping!!!!  I'll share photos later today….

Only a couple days left til the Spellbinders Finalists announcement… Cross your fingers for me :) It would be such a great opportunity :) And a fun way to celebrate my birthday :)

To take my mind off waiting, I'll go and clean this messy house… It's amazing how messy it can get when you're away at a crop all day :)

So, I applied to the Spellbinders Design Team… The call just ended, and there will be 20 finalists announced on February 9th… Like all large contests that I enter, I love to think about what would happen "if" I were to win :)  Until I don't win, I firmly believe that I'm in the running 'cause I did indeed apply (they only way you "can't" win is if you don't apply, right?? )… Anyway, I was thinking about what a fantasic company it is, and how cool it is that they fly the design team to Arizona for a long weekend, and how much fun that would be…  Anyway, I realize that the retreat dates are April 15-19…  Ummmm… My 40th birthday will be April 16th, now wouldn't that be THE COOLEST birthday???  Being flown to a nice warm place for a weekend scrap-fest for my 40th birthday???  Yup, it's so much fun to dream!!!!

Today we had a workshop that we had to attend at school… You know, the kind of thing that you just dread going to…  BUT I have to say, it was very interesting!!  I usually expect the worst from those kinds of things, 'cause then I'm always pleasantly surprised when it's not as bad as I expected!!

Anyway, we did one activity that I thought was soooo interesting!!!  And made me remember that everything really relates to perception, and one person's thought is often very different than another's…

There were animal signs set up on separate tables… We each had to decide what animal we were when we became angry, and go stand by that animal sign (it was a bullying workshop… hence the anger management stuff)… There was a lion, mouse, kangaroo, ostrich, skunk and goldfish… once we all chose our animals, we had to state why we chose them… Can I just say VERY interesting!!!!  Each person chose the animal for totally different reasons!!!  Fascinating!!! 

I chose goldfish because I'm on a total news ban (if you watch or listen to news at all, I think you can understand why… it's all BAD… I made the mistake of watching the news one time when I was "hoping" for a delayed opening at school, in the span of 5 minutes I heard a story about that little girl allegedly killed by her mother, a still-born baby that had been "disposed" of at a large hospital, a drunk driving accident… a soldier killed in Iraq… the list goes on… Now I just don't even care about the weather… I have 4 wheel drive, we'll be fine… Anyway, I digress…) I'm living in my own little "happy world" there is NO NEWS ALLOWED here where bad things don't happen to people :)  So, the goldfish lives in his own little happy place too…  I can imagine myself in my own little bowl, with my little fishy friends, happily going around in our happy place…

The most interesting thing… there were 2 other "goldfish" as well… One chose it because they felt that the goldfish goes around and around, and they felt that they would go around in circles always coming back to the same problem, and not being able to let go of it, just keep going around it…  Such a totally different reason to choose the same thing!!!  And the other person chose it under the "Just keep swimming" theory that nothing can really catch them 'cause they just keep swimming (ala Nemo :))

Anyway, I just had to say that it was really much more interesting that I thought… And really reminds you that something can mean one thing to one person, and something completely different to another person… Perspective…

Check out the Bind it All blog :)  The Rivets and Perfect Closures are so cool!! And they're giving some away! Here's the information….

We've been blogging a lot about our new CHA releases and the fun make
'n take we offered at the show, using Zutter Rivets and Perfect
Closures! We are doing a giveaway of both those items on our
blog right now! www.binditall.blogspot.com
Have a great February!

How is it possible that my little munchkin is 5 years old??  Well, OK… She wasn't little when she was born (being 9 lbs, 8 oz is no tiny little one!!)  But I can't believe that 5 years have passed since she was born!!  Today is her little party (just family, no big hullabaloo for us) but yesterday was her "real" birthday… Here's a little pic of her on her birthday….

here's a very old layout showing my munchkin at just a week old!!