Blackmail

Picture this... I am in my jammies, tucked snuggly in bed, watching American Idol and cruising the internet on my laptop. The phone rings. It's Jamie, asking if I had read her blog this evening. Apparently, her recent post is a form of blackmail to get me to give up another clue! Can you believe it? Just as American Idol ends and I change the channel to watch my other favorite show, Lost, I am forced to use my brain and be creative. Hmmmm...


I can be as colorful as a rainbow, or as gray as a rainy day
I can be old or young, happy or sad, yesterday or today
I am timeless...

Happy Happy Birthday Baby

According to my OB-GYN, Dr. Savage, Jamie was due to arrive February 22nd (my 2nd wedding anniversary). At the time I was pregnant, parents discovered their baby's gender the old-fashioned way -- wait until the baby was born. There were no ultrasounds or video tape of the baby in vitro. Experienced mothers with children of their own were deemed experts at determining whether the baby was a boy or girl. It depended on scientific evidence, such as how "low" the baby was positioned in the womb, the intensity and duration of morning sickness, and what foods you craved. Speculation surrounding the baby's gender was a 9 month process that changed with regularity. Baby colors were non-gender specific. Jamie's nursery was decorated in soft yellows, greens, blues, and pinks. Her layette, carefully washed, folded and placed at the ready in her dresser were also non-gender specific. Having confirmed that I was carrying only one child (twins were known to pop up randomly in my family), we were prepared for either a boy or girl, just so long as "it" had the requisite 10 fingers and 10 toes. I was convinced, however, that I was having a boy. Therefore, Jamie's name was going to be Christopher John. We hadn't even considered girl names. Once Jamie decided to make her grand entrance (some things never change), there was no slowing her down. My labor was quick and short-lived. Jamie Elizabeth made her debut at 7:44 a.m. , at the height of a full moon, weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces. A girl? Are you sure? Can you check again? For the first two days of Jamie's life, she had no name. Scrambling for a suitable name, we searched the phone book for candidates. Hmmm... the name Jamie suited our new baby girl perfectly! Notice how her name is spelled in the masculine form rather than the feminine version Jaime. After all, for almost my entire pregnancy, I was convinced she was a he. Her middle name was a logical choice. Her namesake is Nancy Elizabeth , my best friend since 5th grade. There she was. Our perfect baby girl, all soft and pink, and smelling like sweetness and sunshine. No one had a baby more beautiful or perfect than Jamie! I believed it then, and I believe it 31 years later. Happy soon-to-be birthday, baby!

Jamie's Birthday Surprise

Jamie's birthday is this coming Sunday, March 2nd. I can't believe my baby will be 31 years young. It seems like yesterday when she was tiny enough to fit in my arms. Jamie Elizabeth, called Peanut by her dad and me, was born with a sunny, loving disposition that has carried into her adult life. She is very thoughtful -- never missing a birthday, anniversary or any other special event. As my daughter, I couldn't ask or want for more. She is my best girlfriend and I love spending time with her. To express how much she means to me, I needed to find the perfect birthday gift. Hmmmm...what could it be? I dropped a few hints today but Jamie was unsuccessful in guessing its identity. Here are the hints I gave to her. Can you guess what it is?

• Smaller than a bread box (does anyone still own a bread box?)
• May be worn, but is not apparel
• Has sentimental value
• Is somewhat connected to scrapbooking

Here is one more...

• An accessory that is appropriate for any setting from casual to dressy

Don't you LOVE surprises????? Are my hints accurate? Or, are they meant to throw you off? Only I (oh, and of course Pete) know for sure.

Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day -- the day when love is in the air. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering candy. Most couples spend the evening together by enjoying a romantic dinner, sharing a bottle of chilled wine, and exchanging sweet kisses. However, my sweetie is 1000 miles away working hard to make a comfortable life for us. For the past 8 years I look forward to my favorite week day - Friday - when Pete makes the journey home. Every weekend is Valentine's Day to me. After nearly 19 years together, the sight of Pete standing on the curb of Hartsfield airport still makes my heart feel lighter. He is my joy, the love of my life -- the man with whom I share the joys, sorrows, ups and downs of this crazy life we made. Sometimes our weekends are jam packed with running errands while other weekends, my favorites, are quiet and relaxing. But our time is almost always spent together until Sunday when I take him back to the airport for yet another week apart. Four more years, honey... in four years the only time we'll see an airport is to take a vacation. I love you with all my heart!

Creative Photography Retreat

Serious bummer! My allotment of vacation - 15 days - is already planned for 2008. Most is consumed in small blocks for the Scrap Etc. event in Nashville (April 17-19), the Creative Photography Event in Stamford CT (October 8-11), and a tentative family Disney trip over Thanksgiving. The remaining days are onsies and twosies throughout the year. There is no room to spare; however, I think I have everything covered. As mentioned in a previous post, the Scrap Club ladies are getting serious about perfecting their photography skills this year. We are attending a two-day educational event that has several top photographers from around the country already on board. Auto mode will become a thing of the past. If you are interested in viewing the event segments, click here.

Photo Slideshow

Whew! After much wrangling and frustration, I added a new category to our blog entitled Photo Slideshows. As I gain more experience, I will link additional slideshows to the category. Actually, I'm not quite sure how I did it. But once done, I can figure it out again. The photos are part of a set that I created in Flickr. Once a set is created, I can link the URL to my Blogger category. It sounds simple. NOT! However, there are several benefits to viewing photos this way. 1) I am limited to only so much free space on our Blogger. By linking to Flickr, I won't chew up huge file space; 2) Viewers can easily access photos without needing to scroll through Blogger to find them; 3) Viewers may purchase photos from Flickr if they are moved by something they see (such as cute kiddie pics); and 4) If you return to our Blogger often, I don't have to send an e-mail invitation to view new photos whereas you are trained to log onto our blog and, in a sense, become my captive audience (cue the rattling chains, slamming door, and creepy music sound effects). How's that for a run-on sentance! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the show!

Scrap Club

On the first Sunday of each month, we meet. We engage in serious scrapping, girl time, eating, and having a rip-roaring estrogen-filled time. Five of us - Chere, Judy, Jamie, Pam and me - bond for six glorious hours. Once in a while, Pete will venture into the lioness' den at great risk and peril. After much heckling, he will slink away to some far away corner of the house to lick his bruised ego. NO BOYS ALLOWED!

Calm before the storm

Thanks for the suggestion, Deb!

Boys and girls, this is what happens when you drink alcohol...

and sniff glue

Alone, each can have embarassing consequences.

Combined, they make you think you can sing like a pop star...

and forget that your microphone is a glue stick.

You go, girl!

************

This proves that we really do accomplish something...