In Search of Myself

I'm boring.

I've been horribly boring lately, I know.  A lot of projects and events have all converged at once, and I'm just trying to keep up.  The mag will be out Thursday or Friday (really this time!  I saw a proof last night!  It's almost 80 pages, and it's totally awesome!)  The JenStrange.com expansion is semi-complete and at least up and running -- but I still have a ton of work to do on it.  Lorien's birth, obviously, is WAY important to me, and I haven't felt bad about putting some things (you know, like housework) on the back burner to visit with Priscilla.  Jake is in an odd phase right now -- stubborn, demanding, insistant.  Trying very hard to be patient with that.  I'm realizing I have to plan a piano recital and get my kids ready for it within the next 8 weeks.  (EEK!)  I've been trying to work out 4 or 5 times a week and have been doing so for 2 weeks and have seen no change.  NONE, people.  But I'm going to keep doing it because it feels good to be in better shape.

Anyway, that's my random brain dump for the day.  Now on to my mile-long to do list.  Hope everyone is well.  Hugs and love to all.

Page for Lorien.

Ya know how people say that 2nd and 3rd children don't get as many pictures taken (or scrapbook pages made) of them?  I don't think they've taken into consideration a camera-happy, power-scrappin' best friend.  ha ha ha.

Lorien at 16 days.

We went over yesterday for a visit (ok, and another excuse to go to Panera and McD's for take-out.  LOL.)  She looks so sweet in the light green!  She was making some hilarious faces -- she wasn't real thrilled with me and my flash.  (You think that's bad?  Last night sitting on the couch I was trying to get Jake to look at me so I could see if his nose was bleeding, and I said "Jake honey, look at me," and he raised his chin and said "CHEESE!"  I didn't have a camera.)

 

 

Aowyn. Aye-oh-whinn.

Sandi asked a few entries back how to pronounce the baby's name.  Lorien is pronounced lor-eee-uhn.  almost like Lori-Ann, but with an "uhn."  LOL.

As long as we're at it, Elauna is eee-lah-nuh.

This is a funny segway into a story about my dad and Aowyn.  He can't pronounce unique names.  He can barely pronounce normal names.  My friend Monica and I were joined at the hip since we were 13, and he STILL calls her "Mona."  He calls Elauna "Yah-law-nah" because he can't pronouce her name.  He can't even come close with Aowyn, so he calls her "number two."

I assure you that this is a term of endearment.  He LOVES Priscilla's girls and has a soft spot for them -- especially Aowyn because she's a cuddler.  She loves to be held and will just sit on your lap and interact with you.  On Friday night I got a piece of paper and wrote down for my dad how Aowyn's name is spelled, and then wrote out "aye - oh - whinn" for how it's pronounced.  He took a look at it, handed the paper back to me, and said, "Yeah, I'm going to call her 'number two.'" 

Bwah ha ha ha.

Umm, yeah.

This is what happens when I try to "go with the flow" and not fight with Jake about his play choices.

My favorite pictures from this weekend.

Thursday night I visited Prisclla at her house.  Friday night/Saturday morning I kept the two older girls (for a slumber party! LOL.)  Here are my favorite pics from those days.

 
Lorien at 12 days old.

Aowyn has this crazy, wispy hair that's always in her eyes.  She takes out clips, but sometimes leaves in hairbands.  So I tried to get it under control a bit.  Seriously, I was laughing so hard at this.  She's SO CUTE.

Elauna bein' her cute little self. And Jake just bein' a goober.

Do you know how hard it is to get 3 kids these ages to sit still for a picture?  (Ok, it was MY child we had the most trouble with.)  They were having SO much fun with these sunglasses.

For SUE.

Hey there beautiful Sue . . . I made something for you!!!  I loved the pictures you posted today, I couldn't NOT make something with them!

e-mail me to let me know which e-mail addy to send the large, full-size file to.  (1.88MBs)

Look what my friend made me!!!

Ya know how I'm always scrapbooking for other people?  Well someone scrapbooked FOR ME!  AND IT'S AWESOME!

Bree is my bestest digi-world friend, we talk every day in Google Talk IM, and at night on Yahoo.  She's an amazing resource, has "been around" digi-world longer than I have, is helping me MAJORLY overhaul and create the new expanded jenstrange.com, gives me advice about stuff, is honest with me about how I can improve my pages . . . she just rocks.  Anyway, she wanted to use some pics that weren't hers, to get out of a creative rut, and she made this!!!!!

Three.

Priscilla's kids are beyond cute and I wanted to do a layout that shows all three of them. 

I'm on a design team!

I'm very excited, because I am finally on a design team for a digital designer!  Until now it's kind of bothered me that I haven't been on a design team . . . granted, I hadn't APPLIED for any, and that means being bothered about it was stupid.  ANYWAY, last week I applied for two, and I made it onto one!  HOO-RAY!  (And truthfully?  I'm glad I only have one -- too much commitment to have to do more than one right now!!!)  For those of you who don't know, when digital designers have design teams, the people on the team are expected to complete layouts in exchange for free kits, and to post those layouts in several internet scrapbooking galleries, to kind of spread the word about their designer.  Well I got a GREAT designer -- Lauren Gavin -- one who makes great BOY kits and has fun colors and elements.  So I'm way excited.  Here are two pages I made with her "Jones" kit.  You can get it here.  Fun fun.  (And a little blast from the past, using old old pictures of Jake.  LOL.)

oh, and for those of you who don't "get" that the bottom part of this layout -- it's supposed to be like scenery in a picture? The curved paper is hills, the circle is the sun . . . one of my digi-friends didn't get it. LOL.