Global warming is real...

...and we are feeling it now in South Dakota!

Ya know, it would be certainly be nice to have a few weeks or even a month or so of moderate spring temps (in the mid-60's) each spring so that we could have the money-saving benefit of not having to run the heat or the air. But, no, of course not. We simply MUST go from 40 degrees and below to 90 degrees and above in a matter of days!

Enough with the complaining though...this weekend was simply beautiful. We reached 90 degrees yesterday and Kaitlin and I got in some good 'outdoors' time between picking up sticks, mowing the lawn, taking off on an outdoor photo excursion and visiting the local duck pond and park.

(A side note on slide.com - I recently had a reader leave a comment asking about my experience with slide.com, but her profile was not public so could not respond...hopefully she will come back and read this. I haven't been using slide.com long...just a few months or so, but I really like it. It is easy to create and embed slide shows. And best of all...it's free!! I've experimented with a few different services that are similar and so far, slide.com is my favorite.)

Luckily, we have a few young children in our neighborhood that she enjoys playing with...two boys live directly behind us and two girls a couple houses up the street. Right next door to us is a large family, but their children are all a little older and generally don't tolerate Kaitlin's presence for very long...unfortunately, it is quite hard to explain to a 4 1/2 year why older kids don't always like to play with little kids...her feelings were quite hurt the other evening when they told her to go back in her yard...poor kid. Unfortunately, they have a trampoline, a pool and are often outside which always makes her want to be over there. Luckily, the parents are quite understanding and are happy to let her have a 'jump' on their trampoline when the bigger kids aren't using it (it gets a bit too rough for her then). I'll have to get some pics of that one of these days...she could jump on that thing forever!

So, with the warm weather comes a VERY CRABBY morning girl it seems! The dilemma, of course, is that it is light and warm longer into the evening and guess who doesn't want to come inside and CERTAINLY isn't ready to go to bed at the usual 8:30 p.m. or so. The last two nights, she has been up until 9:30 - 10 p.m. NOT GOOD! For that matter, she's getting pretty tired then, too, because she's overtired and has that much harder of a time settling down. Hopefully, we will get on a more acceptable track soon...I can only be growled and grunted at and hear "FINE!" while doing what she was asked for the 20th time with an air of total insolence so many times at 7 a.m. in the morning before I crack!

So, before spring barely even had a chance to show its face, summer seems to be here and it's looking like it's going to be a busy one!

Sunday Spur for Scrapbookers #14 - Quotes on Creativity

There are so many different views of creativity.

I read a book not too long again called Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain. It included interviews with several successful designers and several shared their take on creativity.

“You are a creative. ‘What’s a creative?” you ask. In its purest form, a ‘creative’ is anyone who creates. Anything. If you make something, you are a creative.” from the Introduction of ‘Caffeine for the Creative Mind’ by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield

“Creativity, to me, is the ability to have the eyes of a child-eyes of wonder, eyes of possibility-throughout your entire life. And then be able to use that creative insight or vision or ability to see things, to solve problems or to affect something for a more positive outcome.” Kevin Carroll

“Creativity means producing something original which has value to others because it makes them laugh, cry or think.” Brian Sack

“Animation and illustration deal heavily in story. Animation tells a story across a linear timeline, while illustration implies a story by offer a view of a single moment in time. Of the two, implying a story with that single image is much more challenging and rewarding when you get it right. It also allows more participation from the
viewer, since a single image can be interpreted in many ways.” Mike Dietz

“Creativity, by definition, is simply the ability to create. But what we’re really talking about is expressing ourselves through original thoughts and ideas, arriving at unique solutions to problems by approaching those problems in fresh, unexpected ways. Creativity, and how to harness it, is an elusive subject. It comes from deep inside you and is molded by the sum of your life experiences, so the process is very personal and unique. It resides most powerfully in our subconscious, which means to best tap into it we have to relinquish conscious control over the process-something some people have a difficult time with. You have to trust the process, let it come to you. Just make sure you have a pencil and paper nearby, because sometimes the best ideas can be the most fleeting.” Mike Dietz

“You have to make boundaries. You have to make decisions about what you do and don’t do, you have to know what balance means to you. To some people, a balanced life means working twenty hours a week and playing twenty hours a week. Some people have families, some people have children, so it’s all a matter of priorities and have the time you want to allocate to each activity in your life. Setting boundaries on things is really important-boundaries like how often you check your email, how late you work, what time you stop answering the phone, what days you work or don’t work, how many vacations you take a year, what you do to cultivate your creativity,
what do you do to recharge and inspire yourself.” Peleg Top on the freeing power of boundaries in balance

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when you grow up.” Pablo Picasso (He wasn't interviewed, obviously, but this quote was included in the book as well.)

So, which is your favorite quote on creativity. Or, do you know of another quote on creativity that really speaks to you? You could even take your favorite quote on creativity and use it on a layout about your craft. Either way, let us know in a comment here.

The art of compromise...

So, my hubby got another boat. I'm not even really crazy about the first boat (getting stranded on the Missouri in a boat that doesn't want to stay running isn't exactly my idea of fun, but that's a story for another day) and now he has ANOTHER boat. It's a small one - a 'Jon boat', I think he called it. Evidently, that's supposed to be some sort of consolation to me according to him.

Of course, I was not consulted in the decision to purchase another boat. One day last weekend, he simply said, "I'm going to look at a boat." And guess what - he came home with a boat.

And now it's in our driveway.

And, of course, he couldn't possibly leave any motorized vehicle he purchases in operating order. NO, of course not. He simple MUST dismantle the entire thing down to the bare metal in order to 'improve' it. This isn't the real story, either. Bare with me...I'm getting to it.

So, last night, Kaitlin and Justin were working on the said boat and Kaitlin was vacuuming out the remnants of Styrofoam insulation left on the inside of the boat after taking the floor, side panels and majority of the insulation out. (I wasn't kidding when I said he has to COMPLETELY dismantle EVERYTHING!) He had also explained to Kaitlin that they would be putting new pink insulation (At which point Kaitlin interjected that purple would be a prettier choice.) back into the boat and after it was all put back together, his friend Jason would come over and they would paint it green, maybe camouflage...to which Kaitlin scrunched her nose.

"I think that you should paint it pink, Dad. And purple, and blue, and red, and orange...Dad, you could have a rainbow boat!" Justin didn't agree.

Later, after having given Kaitlin a bath and she was getting ready for bed, Justin decided they should discuss what to call this boat. A few days ago, Kaitlin had suggested that we call this boat "Daddy's UGGLY boat" (the 'g' is pronounced twice for good measure) to go along with "Daddy's UGGLY van" (his mid-80's rust bucket used mainly for getting back and forth to work), but evidently, he did not feel that that name would do.

The following conversation ensued:

"So, what do you think we should call this new boat."
Kaitlin thought for a moment. "How 'bout 'The Camouflage Boat'?"
"How about 'Twig II'?" (Justin's first boat is named "Twig." Again, a story for another day.)
"I don't think so, Dad."

So, they went back and forth like this between "The Camouflage Boat" and "Twig II" for a few rounds and finally, it was Kaitlin who said...

"How 'bout this, Dad? How 'bout we call it 'The Camouflage Twig II Boat' and then we BOTH get to call it what we want to call it?"

There's nothing like hearing a 4 year-old become fed up with an 'adult' who's unwilling to give in and offer a solution through compromise!

"Compromise is an art form that successful leaders have mastered. The key is understanding that you're not giving up or giving in - you're just seeking balance." Barton Goldsmith

I think I may just have a little 'leader' on my hands. :-)

What's your visual DNA...

Swiped this cool website through Jessica Sprague's blog, who swiped it from her friend Michelle's blog, who swiped it from her friend Judi's blog. Hey, I guess us scrapper's are all just a bunch of swipers, but at least we give each other credit!! (I also seem to have the sound of Dora, the Explorer going through my head right now saying, "Swiper, NO SWIPING!" Can you tell I have a young daughter?!)

ANYWAY, this website is so cool. It takes you through a series of photos for which you choose the one that most appeals to you based on the topic (i.e. 'My Treat', 'My Freedom', 'That's Gross', etc.) and it develops your 'Visual DNA'. VERY COOL! Here's mine:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Of course, I think some of my choices were from the 'ideal' version of my life instead of the 'real life' version of my life (i.e. notice two of my choices involved passports and I've barely made it outside the Midwest in my entire life), but maybe someday I'll be able to live more of my dreams.

I also added this link to my 'Inspiration Resources' page.

Now, go find out your visual DNA...don't forget to come back and link to me.

A pennies worth of history...

Here's a fun website where you can view "Penny Postcards" (postcards from the early 1900's that cost $.01 to send) from your state...maybe even your own hometown. There's only one from mine - Tabor, SD. It is and always has been a pretty small town. Here's what the main street looked like in the early 20th century...

Obviously, the bigger the city, the more postcards you'll find. This could be fun to use in some heritage scrapping.

Sunday Spur for Scrapbookers #13 - HGTV Color Inspired

It is no surprise that fashion can be a huge inspiration for many things in our lives. According to HGTV, it can be a great source of inspiration for home decorating and while I agree, I think it can be an even greater resource for inspiration in scrapbooking. Recently, the decorating section of HGTV's website featured a piece on the latest colors to hit the fashion runway for Spring 2007. Here are three of the top trendy colors:

Grey - The New Neutral

Blue - The Life Aquatic
Yellow - A Happy Accent

Hmmm...I'm seeing a layout with a grey (the new neutral) cardsock foundation with accents of dusty blue and buttery yellow.

What creation are you invisioning? See what you can come up with on this challenge and leave a link to your creation.

A Review of "Real Women Scrap" by Tasra Dawson

A review of Real Women Scrap by Tarsa Dawson.

Amazon Description:
Real Women Scrap offers guidance for transformative scrapbooking and creative living. Filled with practical tips, inspiring stories, and insightful strategies, this life-changing guide shows readers how to use key elements in scrapbooking to reconnect with themselves. Drawing parallels between the lessons of the scrapbook page and the lessons of living, author Tasra Dawson connects the wisdom of a beloved pastime with timeless principles for improving busy women's lives.

MY REVIEW:

This is a really wonderful book!! If you need any justification as to why you scrap, this will certainly give it to you. Even if you don't, you will be amazed by the parallel's the author draws between the basic elements of this 'hobby' and the 'real issues' in everyday life - I sure was. It was enlightening and uplifting.

MY RATING:

5 STARS!!