Interesting Easter Facts

I read this on one of the forum's I actively read and thought it was very interesting... {Thanks Jamie at CC for the info!!}

As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts:
~ The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now).
~ The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
~ The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).
~ The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

I feel for the St. Patty's folks who can't drink (since it's Holy week next week too)... it just feels so strange to have Easter this early. O well... I can always think of it as: 2 great holidays to scrap in one week - a Two for One!

Reading Opens a World that is Yours to Discover!

So, I did this really cool page (at least I think so...) tonight to document Annde's love of reading. While Steve enjoys reading, it is no where close to my passion for it. The love of the written word has been handed down from generation to generation in my family... a love for anything literary. I personally adore digging into a new book, cracking the spine for the first time, and immersing myself in a world where I am only an observer to the reality of the characters. Annde seems to have developed the same love for reading. It's more of a punishment to take away books than just about anything else! About a year ago, I was sneaking around, playing covert photographer, and caught her on several occasions, reading to her dolls the way that Steve and I read to her at bedtime. It was too cute a scene to pass up! I've had the pictures for a while but haven't found the write way to scrap it. (My original thought was to create a book and write it like the writing in the book but I dropped the idea as too corny!) Tonight, I was inspired! I just received the December Jangle kit from Coordinates Collections and viola! I love the letters paper from KI Memories... Sorry that the page is hard to read. I printed on transparency which doesn't photo well at midnight... ahahahaha The journaling talks about how my mother passed the love of reading onto me and I passed it onto Annde. I will try to take a picture during the daylight today and update the page.

Gasp... I first DT kit... and it's so me!!

So, I went today and picked up my first official kit as a design team member for the Scrapbook Zone. I am challenged to do 2 projects and the block. I cracked up when I opened it because it's predominantly pink... and exactly what I was thinking of when I took some pictures last night of Annde eating her "special pink with sparklies tupcakes" (her words). I died laughing because she would have eaten the wrapper if I had let her! What a perfect page to use these neat papers for. I have a theme already picked out for the block... just have to execute! I smiled when I saw the thickers - I just LOVE them!! This kit is very me... Look for pictures of projects to come... Also, I have gotten to meet (through email for now) the other two fabulous DT members, Sandi and Stacy. We are definitely going to have a wonderful year together!

Tonight, I played around with a challenge on the CC boards about journaling. I took this picture last fall of Annde peeking out of the pantry because she didn't want me to take any more pictures. I still remember the scene, her pleading for Papa to save her from the evil picture taking Mommy... When I first set out to scrap it, I was going to do something along the lines of her being a good sport usually about it but the page took on a life of its own, as it often does, and I came up with a great page, documenting not only how fast she's growing but also why I scrapbook. The wording on the page is as follows:
Today, you asked for Papa's help... apparently, you caught me taking yet another picture of you. At first, I laughed but then I really thought about what you said... "stop taking pictures of me..." Sorry, Annde, but that's not possible! Even if scrapbooking wasn't my life line to the stress at work - a creative outlet for my frustration - I would still take massive amounts of pictures. The reason is simple: You are growing so fast, Annde... every day you seem to be a new person with new skills and personality traits. I'm afraid - if I just blink my eyes - that I'll miss something, changes will happen, and you'll be ready to go off to school! I take pictures so I can slow down the world and take a breath, inhaling every smell, vision, and sound to permanently record it in my brain for later on when you've moved on... So, I beg Dad not to help. Let me record my memories just a little bit longer.
The product used includes paper (Bazzill, Imagination Project), Thickers (American Crafts), flowers (Prima, Heidi Swapp), tags (Maya Road), misc buttons and ribbon, and staples (MM). Most of it was part of the March (Around the Block) kit or one of the add-ons for it. Man, this kit sure is growing on me!!

TaTa for now...

New CC March Kit and DT News posted!

Okay... so today I got my mega-order from Coordinates Collections. I do mean mega! I took advantage of the Leap Year sale and caught some of the kits that they had from last fall I didn't have because I hadn't joined the community yet... I just couldn't wait to dig out everything and start playing!

For the March KOTM, I picked the one called "Around the Block." At first, I was hesitant that I could really do anything with it because the kit colors are brown, blue, and green. But, I was bound and determined to do a page tonight worth posting and viola! It's called Soakin' Silly and it is done almost entirely using the kit. {The only things not part of the kit are the white paper(CTMH), pictures(from my SIL Dee), ink(CTMH), and pens(Slickwriters)!} I adore this page. I do admit I went a little crazy with the Stickles... great product to jazz up the page! I just wanted to put my "water drops" everywhere: around the circle paper and journaling block (Dude Designs), in the chipboard flourishes and squiggles (Midnight Oil), on the really awesome vinyl thicker title (American Crafts)... The only that didn't get treated is the Lava paper (Imaginations Project) that I cut out and backed the right side picture strip with. Maybe I'll go back and add some more... :) I'm soooo hooked!

Also - today was the big announcement about the 2008 Design Team at the Scrapbook Zone...
http://ramblingsfromthezone.typepad.com/ramblings_from_the_zone/
I am super excited to work with Sandi and Stacy as their styles are VERY different from mine. I can't wait to get to know these ladies over the next year and grow together as artists... I just can't even express how excited I am... Yippee!! (As Annde would say...)

It's Monday again, isn't it?

Hey everyone... welcome to a new week.

Things around our house this week have been pretty busy and strange.

We picked up Steve's parents from the airport when they flew back from Phoenix after moving Denise. They stopped at our house and had a great dinner (patting my back!! AHAHAHA) of roast beef, potatoes, corn & green beans, bread, and finished with pink cupcakes (Annde's choice). Denise, Kira, and all the stuff safely made it to Phoenix and are in the process of unpacking in the apartment. Denise said that Kira is super excited about seeing Bob and barely leaves his side. So sweet! She definitely loves her Daddy... We were also excited to hear that Bob, with only 7 weeks left, is #2 in his class at the Academy. Great job, Bob!!

The first strange thing we had happen this weekend: Annde colored on the front of our high def TV. She's never done any coloring on anything other than paper with the exception of an incident at 1.5 yrs when she colored the window screen (she had just gotten crayons for the first time). So, this was completely out of the norm. I was really proud on how well Steve kept it together when inside I knew he was freakin' out. He managed to get the crayon off even though the surface is still slightly damaged. We've had this very expensive TV for about 6 months and for the first 5 months, nothing happened. {Heck, Annde didn't even go near it before as she was strictly warned about touching it!} Now, in one month, we had the coloring incident and the pop incident (our babysitter opened a can of pop sitting on the couch 10 feet away that exploded, coating the TV, entertainment center, wall, and all the TV equipment (DVR, DVD player, receiver, speakers)). Hopefully, this is not a trend starting...

The other strange thing I have noticed is that I haven't scrapped in over a week! ARRGGHH!! I can't believe I don't have a new page to put up for view. In fact, this weekend, I didn't take a single picture! That's so out of the norm for me. {I think it might be because I got sucked into a book, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It was a great book... a little slow to start, but very hard to put down at the end... }

In order to get things going, tonight I'll scrap something and get it up this week so that you know I am overcoming my scrapbook withdrawl! :)

March CC Book Club Selection

The pick for March is "the Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs.

As a single mom in her late 30s, Georgia has her hands full juggling the demands of running the Walker & Daughter knitting store with the challenges of raising her spunky teen daughter, Dakota. Georgia's regular customers gather once a week to work on their latest projects and chat – and occasionally clash – about love, life, and everything else. The members of the Friday Night Knitting Club are as varied as the skeins of yarn in the shop's bins. There's Peri, a pre-law student turned handbag designer; Anita, a silver-haired uptown matron; Darwin, a somewhat aloof grad student; K.C., an out-of-work editor looking for inspiration, and Lucie, a petite television producer with a few surprises up her sleeve. But soon their quiet Friday nights are shaken up: James, Georgia's ex, wants to play a larger role in Dakota's life – and possibly Georgia's as well. Cat, a former high school friend, uneasily renews her bond with Georgia. And when the unthinkable happens, all of Georgia's customers are forced to realize they've created not just a knitting club, but a sisterhood. (description taken from http://www.fridaynightknittingclub.com/ )

This book is great - its a quick reader that deals with some very relavant topics in society today: single parenthood, struggling marriages, job transitions, as well as sickness and renewing old friendships. You will easily slip into the Knitting Club, even if you know don't anything about the craft of knitting... If you want to join in the fun of the discussion on this book, jump right in at Coordinates Collections by clicking on this link... Let the fun begin! See you there! http://www.coordinatescollections.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3900

Lots of Love heading towards Phoenix... and a Mini Album too!

Okay... so as promised, here is the mini album I did for my entry into the Design Team's selection contest for the Scrapbook Zone. I love this album. Each tab is just over 4.5" x 6.5". Each page (I shrunk them and overlayed them on the tab to show you them with the tab they belong to) are 4"x6" -> just the right size for a wallet sized picture. I had a great time doing this album and think it's a fabulous way to memorialize those wallet size pictures we all get from our loved ones.

It's been a pretty good week... very eventful. Denise and Kira made the big move this weekend - from Lansing to Phoenix (Bob's already there). I am VERY jealous of the fact that they are getting out of this dreaded snow (more on the way tomorrow... sigh! Will it ever end?). Mom and Dad P. are helping them move everything down there. I pray for good weather, fast roads, and lots of fun memories along the way. We helped them pack up the truck and watched them drive away... I don't think Annde has understood yet that we won't get to see them like we used to. It will take some getting used to not living an hour away from them.

Also this weekend was my church's Hockey Night with John Vanbiesbrouck. He's this amazing NHL (retired) hockey goalie who teaches hockey clinics (in our case 8-18 yr olds) while testifing about his relationship with God. The 65+ kids had a blast working with him and learning about his own faithwalk. It was a lot of hard work to set up but what an amazing event! Totally worth participating in...

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy your week and look for more posts later on...