Organize your Stuff (round 5): WOYWW 157

Welcome wonderful Wednesday and all that is WOYWW (What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday) where we wander and watch the countertops, benches, laps, floors or anywhere that crafty happens around the globe. It is hosted, as always, by the wonderfully awesome Julia at the Stamping Ground.

For starters, the POW was super excited to find two little goodies in the post today. Our first ATCs from abroad! (Wow, her Majesty’s mail is fast! We are afraid that our lowly mail monkeys are not nearly as efficient).

Thank you so much Jo (Twiglet) and Jill! The POW assures you that while delayed getting to the post office, they are enroute. (PS- We love you mail lady).

Next, of course is our desk…

Stamps:Avocado Arts; Ink:Momento, Copic
Paper:Bazzill, Cratepaper

In the wonderful world of crafting, Creative Me has been working on some extra ATC’s for those extra gals who agreed to swap with us last week, so that they could be mailed, a Father’s Day card (forgot to photograph), our 31 Days prompts, and this…

We have been busy! Which of course means that the craft room has not gotten any cleaner. PA Me keeps telling the POW and OCD Me that we will get to it after school gets out…which is soon.

(**The POW’s warning: The rest is Family stuff. Scroll to the end if you are here just for the desk!**)

Fabulous Spouse finally sent us some pictures from his new office on the Front. He is the guy in the middle of the back row that looks like he is hiding, because he should really be in the front row. (PS- Fabulous Spouse is 5’ 10 “ which makes everyone else giants). He is currently working 15+ hour days, so we keep hoping that that whatever sleep he gets is quality sleep! (Silly war, not going on during normal working hours!)

Oldest Child finished up his Middle School Track career. He also went to his Boy Scout Order of the Arrow Ordeal, and passed. Since it rained this weekend the POW worried about him…sleeping under the stars in nothing but his sleeping bag and a tarp.

Illusive Middle Child was boy scout camping as well. This was his first “official” campout with the Boy Scouts (he is a Webelos as of Thursday, and those cub scouts ARE allowed to camp with the big boys). He played all sorts of skill games, shot archery, was pulled in the human chariot races, made meals, and got to climb the giant pioneering tower one campsite over. He LOVED it.

Girl Friday camped as well (at Great Wolf Lodge with the Girl Scouts) and then spent the week prepping for the 1st Grade School Musical. The theme was Old MacDonald, and her class was all pigs. She had a blast, and if we knew how to embed video, we just might have!

Have a great WOYWW! Off to go hoppinng!

Organize your Stuff (round 5): One Little Word- May

Today is June 1st, which meant that it is time for us to share our May Homework or the One Little Word (OLW) Class by Ali Edwards at Big Picture Classes, where we pick a word for the Year, and live it…and document it.  Margie at Nihao Cupcake organizes us and has the master list of homework hoppers!

Our word for this Year is Journey. May’s homework was to create a task list for your word in your life. There are ongoing tasks, and more concrete ones.

Here is our list (ok, the first 5…)

For those who may not know, we chose Journey for our word because Fabulous Spouse left for a year in Afghanistan the day after Christmas. 2012 was definitely going to be a Journey. This month we reflected on that and what we wanted out of this Journey. We definitely did not want it to be a trip to some deserted island of isolation, so what were we doing, or did we need to do to thrive… and make this Journey a great Adventure!

So, #1: Enjoy the Journey. If you cannot embrace (our word from last year) your situation, you cannot thrive. We are thrivers! (is that a word? OCD Me says no.)

#2: Engage your friends. Life is an island when your only support person is the cat. (Although, we do love her dearly). The POW cautions that this does not mean that we become that stalker chick friend that causes people to change phone numbers and block calls. Rather, it means that at least once a week we need to get our Creative Me heads out of the scrap room and off the computer, and have lunch or do something with another live person. Live people are good for us. (but not in the creepy zombie eat brains kind of way! LOL!)

#3: Faith. This one we were kind of doing before January, but the POW wanted to step it up a notch. Right about the time that Fabulous Spouse was deploying, we were invited to be a part of the Long Range Planning Team for our church. This was a big, time intensive project. We almost said no. However, we went to the first meeting, explained our situation, and they asked us to stay and give what we could. 6 Months in, and we have only missed 2 meetings due to conflict with kid schedules. Faith is more than showing up in prayer once a week, and we have learned a lot about our church in the process. We need to work that. (downside, we have been really bad about showing up for that once a week prayer…babysteps… LOL!)

#4: Have Fun with your Kids! This has been ongoing and hopefully will be. The POW has to remind us sometimes that we are not the only ones affected by this Journey. Our new “normal” impacts the kids as well. When they look back on this experience, we want them to remember it with pride and fondness, not that it was something that they endured.

#5: (My only specific task) Walk a 5K. Oldest child is training for football…and the football team 10K, the others are active as well. What kind of an example are we if sit on our bottom while we expect them to sweat and play? Writing it down really helped to motivate. May 17th, we did it. 50.42 minutes…and our knees have not forgiven us, but that is OK.

Here is the Hop List:

Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com/ 

Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com/
Veronica http://www.veronicanorris.typepad.com/

Kelly http://mindingmynest.com/

Carolina http://www.micinnamons.blogspot.com/

Naomi http://poeticaperture.com/

Missus Wookie http://www.mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Brighton http://www.simplebrighton.com/

Jill http://jillconyers.com/

Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com/
Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/ 
Monica http://scrapinspired.com/tag/one-little-word/
Jenn http://www.studiojenn.blogspot.com/
Lisa http://backtoallen.com/category/challenges/one-little-word/
Kimberlee http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com/
Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/
Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/
Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com/
Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com/
Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Organize your Stuff (round 5): WOYWW 156

Happy Bloggiversary WOYWW! Thank you Julia (currently in beautiful Turkey taking care of her parents) for the awesome idea of sharing your desk with the world and then letting us share ours in return!

Here is our desk with our first ever ATC (2.5 x 3.5 inch card).

Here is the close up of the card that Creative Me created. (blog candy buddy, contact us at scrappnbee@yahoo.com)

Stamps:Tim Holtz; Ink: CTMH, glitter paint:Tattered Angels
Paper: CTMH & unkown scrap

It is not very adorned, but it is our first. As a part of this celebration, we are doing a world wide swap, and the POW wanted to keep Creative Me’s work under wraps (shhhh) until it could be sent off, unless our exchange mate wants this one. Trust us, it is awesome! Stop by Julia’s Stamping Ground to wish her a happy anniversary, or to see a desk or ATC or two!

(*The POW’s Warning: the rest is family stuff. Scroll to the end if only here for the desk!*)

Trying to keep this short this week! Life on the Front continues to go. We see less of Fabulous Spouse, as he is busy adjusting to life on the General’s staff, and going to work before 8AM and getting off by 11PM if he is lucky. We guess that is the price of war. *sigh* (week two and no pictures…*double sigh*) So, Oldest Child took a picture of us typing on Facebook to Fabulous Spouse, our primary communication.

As for the family, it was Memorial Weekend here in the States. Originally, we had planned on going camping, but the weather bunnies threatened rain and 5000ft snow levels, and while we do not mind camping in the rain, the line is drawn at freezing rain and snow. So, we decided that using the new fire pit and roasting marshmallows would be good enough.

Girl Friday caught our supper on Saturday while at a Trout Farm birthday party.

Sunday, Oldest Child went hiking, and the rest of us cleaned, until we got invited to a Mexican and Marshmallows dinner at one of Girl Friday’s friend’s house. Everyone but Oldest Child went (he was content to vegetate with the Xbox and not move after a very steep 8+ miles in 4.5 hours)Spouse is not the only one to forget to document life)

The rest of the time, we keep finding Illusive Middle Child and Girl Friday holding our new ipod hostage.  It was our birthday present last week, but it is their new favorite toy! LOL, at least they are sharing!

Have a great day!


Other than that, it has been pretty quiet. Or we keep forgetting to take pictures! (Guess that Fabulous

Organize your Stuff (round 5): WOYWW 155

Well, Wednesday is here again, and that means that that we are one week away from the WOYWW’s bloggiversary! What is WOYWW? It is What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday… when the crafty bloggers from around the globe get together and link up to show their spaces and (if we are lucky) some of the crafts. Head over to Julia's Stamping Ground to see the whole list!

Here is a peek at our desk…

Creative Me is busy at work on our WOYWW Anniversary ATC…so, no peeking!

If you want to swap outside of the link up next week, contact us at scrappnbee@yahoo.com

Creative Me has also been busy at work stretching her journaling skills by starting the 31 Days class by Ali Edwards (who also teaches the One Little Word Class) over at Big Picture Classes.

The POW likes this class, because we can feel like we are multi-tasking…being on the computer (as we seem to spend much of our days these days) and digitally scrapbooking our pages for the daily prompts. Creative Me likes the journaling challenge. OCD Me likes the fact that everything looks so neat and crisp, and the Inner Hoarder is just hoping for the chance to go digi scrap shopping.

(**The POW’s Warning: Family stuff here on out. Skip to the end if you were just here for the desk**)

Over on the Front, Fabulous Spouse’s Tour Guide Barbie days are over as he has been scooped up to be a member of a General’s staff. He found out on Thursday, and had to pack out by Sunday, and is now in the process of checking in to the American Base and his new (read longer hour with less atta boys) job, and is back to being the new man in the room and on the top bunk. So, I have another layout from the Joint Visitors Bureau instead of pictures...

This was our birthday week, and so The POW let it be all about us for a change. The little guys took their birthday mom out for dinner at The Ram (mom still had to pay though) and a slice of birthday ice cream pie.

Oldest Child was out of the house on a backpacking overnighter with the Boy Scouts, but we made up for it by going out for birthday dinner #2 (actually on our birthday) at the local Japanese Steakhouse… a once or twice a year treat for the kids.

Girl Friday and Illusive Middle Child started summer prep swim lessons. Girl Friday just happens to be the only girl in her class this year, but that does not make her any less girly or pink.

Illusive Middle Child had his last cub scout meeting as a Bear Scout. To celebrate, we made smores (roasted marshmallows in a graham cracker sandwich with chocolate. A week from Thursday he becomes a Weblo Scout (aka- junior Boy Scout). The Patrol that they chose…Atomic Squirrels (the patch glows in the dark).


SO that is our week.  Off to check out the desks! Leave me a message and I will do my darndest get back to you!

Organize your Stuff (round 5): WOYWW 154

Welcome Wednesday! How are you doing? Well, it has been another busy week, and that means that time has flown by us yet again. It is now time to show you What is on our Workdesk. The Fabulous Julia at the Stamping Ground hostesses us as always. Come over to her place and peek at all the desks, messes, and fabulous craftiness that the world has to offer.

Here is our desk this week…

OCD Me and the POW are on the verge of staging an intervention and cleaning up the Chernobyl-esque disaster that is our craft room. However, since the POW is also in charge of making sure that the kids make it everywhere that they need to go, get fed, occasionally bathed, and that the Cat does not disown us, it is still at the bottom of the infamous To-Do list.

However, one of these days, we will not have anything better to do…in which case PA Me and the Inner Hoarder had better take notice. It will get cleaned! (really) (no really. You can stop snarking coffee out your nose. It is not that funny…ok, maybe a little).

Here is our card for this week.

We started out fabulously serious, but then Creative Me added the googly eyes, and it made us smile. Tim Holtz is probably shaking his head in shame… but we still like it. (Has the POW mentioned that we are just a tad sleep deprived right now?)

(***The POW’s Warning: The rest of this Post is family stuff. Skip to the End if you are just here for the desk***)

This week on the Front, Fabulous Spouse has been busy escorting VIPs and trying not to let the humidity get to him. He managed to send off this picture of himself meeting Nancy Pelosi (former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and current Minority Leader). We were just impressed that he actually got it on film. Sometimes, you just need to be in the right place at the right time!

Most of our energy this week went into preparing for Girl Friday’s Girl Scout Troop’s fundraiser… a Mommy Daughter Tea. Each girl was responsible for decorating a table and supplying the place settings. We turned to Goodwill to get our place settings and most of the rest of the decorations. This is what we ended up with…a high end bumblebee theme…

…All the guests voted on best table decorations, and she came in 1st place! Since Girl Friday set the table and arranged the flowers in the middle, we definitely call this her win (even if Creative Me and the Inner Hoarder did the actual shopping). We just had to throw this picture in, because it reminds me of Alice at the tea party when in Wonderland!

While we were tea partying, my brother and his wife were bringing a little someone into the world. So, they qualified for Mother’s Day (American Observance) just under the wire.

Illusive Middle Child (token Morning Person in our family) got up at 5AM, heated the oven, and made us cinnamon rolls. Did we mention 5AM. He made all of us breakfast in bed (which upset the other two children as they did not see the point in getting up at 6AM…even for cinnamon rolls).

Earlier in the week, Illusive Middle Child took 2nd place in his age group for the Hershey’s Track Meet and qualified as a State Finalist. We are very proud of him. Especially since he did not join the track team this year, but went out for the meet because his gym teacher asked him too.

Oldest Child is still throwing shot put for his Track Team. We had our first meeting for High School Football last night, and he is super excited…except that summer practice may keep him from attending the Troop 50 mile hike.

Now off to peek at some desks! Thanks for visiting!

Organize your Stuff (round 5): WOYWW…back from hiatus

Well it is that time of the week again…Wednesday. And although we have been missing in action the last two weeks (blame PA Me and the failure of the cloning process), all the other crafty folk around the globe have been showing off their work spaces and the cool goodies that they have been creating. The always awesome Mistress Julia of the Stamping Ground runs the WOYWW. Pop on over to see other places or join in!

Here is our desk today…

We are definitely in need of some spring cleaning in here, but as it is Spring, and we have three kids… that means that we are never home, and usually ping ponging between three separate places and wondering when the teleportation app will come out or when the cat will finally stop being a slacker and actually go out for her driver’s license.

Stamps: CTMH, Avocado Arts, Ink: Momento, Copic
Washi Tape: Queen & Co, Ric Rac& buttons: unknown
Glitter: Stickles, Paper: Bazzill

Creative Me threw together this card for Mother’s Day. Happy Mother's Day (celebrated this Sunday here in the US)! Since several have asked, the pointy thing holding up the card is a floral frog. We got ours in the gardening center of our Fred Meyers grocery store (a Kroger company), but I am sure they are available everywhere by power of the internet.

***The POW warns the rest is family stuff. Scroll to the end if you are just here for the desk***

For any who may have worried, all truly is quiet on the Front. Our hiatus was truly PA Me’s inability to find time to post (totally lame excuse, we know). Since we last posted, Fabulous Spouse has met lots of cool people, like the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and a Navy SEAL Admiral (which was more impressive to Illusive Middle Child aka the future SEAL) …without a camera…and celebrated a few holidays, like May the 4th aka Star Wars Day, and Cinco de Mayo (but no pictures again, as this time he was behind the camera).

However, Creative Me did put together this digital layout from April, when he got to have lunch with a Medal of Honor Recipient from the Vietnam War.

As for the rest of the tribe, Oldest Child is finishing his last quarter before going to High School. Our baby is growing up! *sigh* He is currently shot putting for Track & Field… after a brief brush with the 100 meter dash. Boy Scout hiking season is also in full swing, and he actually lead the one last weekend…a mere 8 miles and 2300 foot gain (approx. 460 meters). To think, two years ago, he was bringing up the rear!

Illusive Middle Child has finished soccer season. So now we have just Cub Scouts on the official docket, but he is usually patrolling the neighborhood with his nerf gun (remember, future SEAL). As a matter of fact, we had to get his hair cut because he felt it had gotten too long.

Girl Friday has been a real helper. She is on dish duty most of the time. This is both good news and bad news. Good news- dishes getting done, bad news- the water bill has doubled, as she is running the dishwasher whenever at least three or more hapless dishes meander into the sink. Recently, she went to the Girl Scout Alice in Wonderland dance (in her version of an Alice Dress). She also was the star helper at Girl Scout spring encampment this past weekend… reportedly being the first to get ready and picked up.

So while the Pod People may have come in the middle of the night and replaced them with the Stepford versions of really good, helper children, I am not about to trade them back.  Not for anything!

Off to hop and visit your blogs!  Thanks for popping by!

Organize your Stuff (round 5): One Little Word Blog Hop

 
Sorry that we have been away. The POW has been overwhelmed with family duties, and had to rally all of us just to keep up with who’s on first and what’s on second! However, it is now the first of the month…Happy May Day! On the first of every month, a bunch of us who have chosen a word to follow or embrace for the year (ours is Journey) as a part of Ali Edwards’ One Little Word project at Big Pictures Classes post our homework results from the previous month.

The always awesome Margie at Nihao Cupcake organizes us every month, so contact her to get on the list if you want to share too!

This Month, Ali asked us to write a letter to ourselves that we can revisit next year. It is interesting to see how spot on, or off that we are, in the message that we leave our future selves.

As you can see, Creative me put a little tab on my right now you are… page. That is because Creative Me could not resist jazzing up the page…and the POW has some of the message (the more personal stuff) on the back.
The one thing that we are realizing is that JOURNEY is truly an appropriate word for this year. We continue to be thankful for the super amazing kids, the Fabulous Spouse and the strength that our Faith provides. The POW had truly forgotten how different every deployment can be. It is hard to remember sometimes that while the path remains basically the same, that so much of the Journey cannot be measured strictly by time and distance. What happens inside our heads makes all the difference. …and we somehow misplaced the Clone who was supposed to help with making sure that we all got where we needed to go and the house got cleaned. Hmmmm. Well, we are all here, mostly… and, yes, the cat does somehow manage to get fed twice a day. So, at this point in the Journey, it is a win/ win all around! …now if the Cat could learn how to drive…
If you are hopping, you probably came from Nikki at Inky Art...

Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com/ <--you are here :)
Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/
Kimberlee http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com/
Brighton http://www.dearbrighton.com/
Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.ca/
Missus Wookie http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/
Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog/one-little-word <--Start of Hop
Monica http://scrapinspired.com/
Jamie http://www.jmpgirl.blogspot.com/
Lisa http://backtoallen.com/category/challenges/one-little-word/
Jenn http://www.studiojenn.blogspot.com/
Jill http://jillconyers.com/
Veronica http://www.veronicanorris.typepad.com/
Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com/
Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/
Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com/
Kaylea http://www.myscrappylife.com/
Cindy http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com/
Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/
Kelly http://mindingmynest.com/
Carolina http://www.micinnamons-en.blogspot.com/
Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com/
Naomi http://poeticaperture.com/
Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au/