Can I have the Check Please?

I can't take the credit for this idea, but do love it!  I saw this in the most recent issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine and knew it would be perfect for my Paris scrapbook (which, BTW, I'm off to begin creating on my retreat coming up October 8th - and I can hardly wait.  But, I digress, back to the idea!).  I call it Can-I-Have-the-Check-Please journaling.  Perfect for any scrapbook page about eating, restaurants, cooking, food, drink, etc.  You get the idea!

I did this in MS Publisher.  Simply insert the .jpg and create a text box over it.  I created the text box with a 50% white fill to make the journaling "pop" just a bit.


The article goes on to say to stop by your favorite office supply store and pick up the real-deal forms.  I've found a perfect Guest Check on line and created my own printable forms.  Click here to download the .jpg version or here to download and print a .pdf and you can handwrite your journaling just like a real "order-taker"!

What do you think?

Hanging Lake...BREATHTAKING!

On the way home from our relaxing weekend in Glenwood Springs, our plans included a hike up to Hanging Lake (just outside of Glenwood Springs).  While the lake itself is breathtaking and a feast for the eyes, the rest of the body gets more of a burn.  Burn in the feet, burn in the legs, burn in the butt, and burn in the chest.  Just burn!  Although the experts have determined the hike to be a short one, just 1.2 miles, it is virtually straight up and most of the trail is littered with boulders.  The final turn before the reward is travertine rock stairs cut into a shear cliff complete with hand rails.

Mother Nature does not disappoint.  The lake itself is probably 20' deep and crystal clear.  You can see the moss and the rocks at the bottom of the lake. 

I've been here twice now.  The first time about 19 years ago.  A lot has changed in 19 years (most notably: I now have to haul a 50-year-old body up the hill), and I'm thankful for the improvements built at the lake. It still blows my mind how people cannot read the signs and respect the fragile ecosystem that has taken Mother Nature thousands of years to create.  This is truly a paradise for the senses only...respect it!

Big Winner!

Talking to the Captain @ 92.5fm

Ya'll know how much I like country music? And country radio? Well, I switched over to The Wolf on 92.5 fm recently and entered our big fat Xcel bill in the "Pay Your Bill's" contest...and I won today @ 2:00! Did anyone hear me on the radio? Got our Xcel bill of $375.18 paid by the radio station! Now, I'm in qualifications to get our entire mortgage bill paid for a year...keep your fingers crossed!

It's a good day, indeed!

Home Is Where You Hang Your Heart

This hallway just needed something…you know? Although I’ve not even gotten a fraction of our Paris pictures printed, I did have an opportunity to make this 3-piece canvas art collection for our home recently. The middle canvas measures 10x10 and the two side pieces measure 5x7. All this takes is 2 patterned papers, a matted 5x7 photo, and a few embellishments. The large letter “P” was printed on my cricut and the Paris letters on the right are chipboard. I also painted the edges of the canvas a deep brown color to mimic the framed look. I would have to look long and hard to find anything even remotely Parisian to hang in my home. This one just fits.

What better way to decorate your walls than with the people and places you love most! In this case…Paris!  It was such a magical trip and this little trio reminds me of a wonderful trip and how lucky I am -- every time I walk in the door.

Eat, Pray & LOVE!

I finished the book on Thursday, 8/12 and saw the movie on Friday, 8/13. I enjoyed both of them for different reasons. I don’t think the movie is true to the book by any stretch. Books are almost always better.

As a big Oprah fan, I remember when this book came out. I remember hearing about it, and seeing it all over the shelves of book stores. I remember seeing it and just not being that interested – even though Oprah recommended it. So the years went by; and then one day after hearing the movie hype, I mentioned it to a friend. Well, she’d had the book from the beginning but never read it. Turns out she was waiting for someone to read it with. Hello! Julia read it with her best friend. So, right then we committed to read it together. So I bought it. I started reading it the next day.

I am SO glad I did. I think that the universe (GOD) really does bring you what you need, WHEN you need it, and not before. Perhaps I wouldn’t have been open to the message back then. Now, regardless of what delivery method you chose to get the material, I think there are certain universal truths to things in life. I’m not 35. I’m not homeless and loveless and clear across the globe on a spiritual journey. I’m just someone that has thought certain things at one point, experienced some of life’s biggest tests and sometimes reading about the author’s trials helps the reader see a reflection of themselves, or about things they are not willing to face or things that they wish they had dealt with and forgiveness’s that still need to be made. It helped me. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me THINK and FEEL. It opened old wounds. It made me step back and reevaluate things in my life. It touched me.

So I’m just grateful. Glad I gave the book a chance. Glad I had a friend who encouraged me to read it. It is a vivid reminder to each of us that we are on a journey as well - even if our life’s journey isn’t in exotic places. I would heartily recommend reading the book (before you see the movie) as there are many hidden gems of wisdom in its pages. And, who doesn’t like a good book? 

After you finish the book…go see the movie. It’s even better with your best girlfriend.

Fresh Trout

This past weekend, we were able to get away for a nice 3-day weekend and share some quite time in the Wyoming hills at Bill's favorite fishing spot (which has to remain unamed in order to protect it). He gets in the river upon arrival and does not get out until way past our agreed-upon departure time.

Me? I don't fish, but I do love to eat them! Nothing better than a fresh trout cooked in the hot coals of the fire pit -- doesn't get any fresher than that.

How many did he catch? Only between 35 - 40 (to our best recollection). Really. No fish tales here.

Jumpin' on the Band Wagon

Blog - a verb or a noun?

I like blogs.  I visit some regularly.  I love some and am only luke warm over others.  I think I should have my own.  Right?  Of course, I should. I know what I like and I know what interests me...so, here I go.

God knows, I love a good story.  So, it's official -- I blog (definitely a verb).