today & tomorrow

my Trader Joe's Peonies

Today I...

• walked over 2 miles with Cary after his run and made it to a gym class!
• didn't do any art yet today.
• sent my younger sister off to Europe...I am so jealous. She's going to Italy and Ireland with friends.
• took a long route home from the gym tonight and took photos of this beautiful evening view...
  

Conomo Point, Essex, MA

• recovered from killing another giant evil spider yesterday. Alone. Without help from Cary. Where are they coming from! Yikes.
• played with Cary's "pretend" dog. The one I posted about a month or so ago. It follows him on his walks and then plays catch in our yard. It was almost like having a real dog for a few hours!
  
  
  
  
• grilled some veggies and hot dogs for dinner. An encore of the steak tips and grilled veggies we had last night. But hey, can't afford steak every night!
• looked a little at my new magazine which I highly recommend...such inspiration just looking at these artist's spaces...
  
  

picture from www.clothpaperscissors.com



• am looking forward to my cookie dough ice cream cone I'm going to make next!
• am really tired but loving being on vacation. Trying hard to not let myself get too caught up in chores. A struggle. I have trouble relaxing with junk around. (Its the OCD, Virgo in me)
  

Tomorrow I....

• hope to do some art!
• want to go out on a schooner in the harbor...
• want to sit outside and read.

We'll see what else tomorrow brings!

busy days

yellow rose in the Boston Commons

This weekend has been very full!

Friday...walked with Cary and then went downtown to the St.Peter's Fiesta. An annual event that I don't usually go to except to see the greasy pole! A "contest" where guys walk out on literally a greasy pole (a telephone pole covered in grease) that is suspended over the harbor. The goal is to capture the flag on the end. Weird I know. But so funny to watch. They take it VERY seriously in this town! But...first we had a delicious dinner of grilled swordfish, scallops wrapped in bacon and a Corona...hmm. It is so good to live in a fishing town sometimes. Fresh fish. After we walked down to watch the greasy pole contest but it started to look like it was going to be a bad thunderstorm so we left...just in time. I was disappointed not to see it. And we didn't get to take the little boat out to the Navy Ship the Whidbey Island docked in the harbor this weekend. Oh well. Instead we went to the movies and so Wall-E (very good) and The Happening (sucked).

USS Whidbey Island out in the Gloucester Harbor

St. Peter's Fiesta altar with no one there! Right before the thunderstorm

Yesterday. Cary was scheduled to take the MA Civil Service -Police Officer exam so I drove him in to Boston. At 7am after getting very little sleep. While he was in the test I took the T down to the commons and walked around, took pictures, had a lemonade and read my book at a Starbucks. I also went to Paper Source...my favorite! I got this stamp I've been wanting to order and a cute little kit to make an address book. I'll take a pict of that when I make it.

Walking beside the Boston Commons

statue of Washington

The Boston Commons

After the test I took Cary out to eat at Buguboo Creek and then I was off to the New England Revs Soccer game with my brother. He has season tix with my Dad. Dad was at a wedding with my mother so I took his ticket. It was fun but freezing! The Revs won 2-1 over Toronto.

The Revs & Toronto

Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA

I crashed when I got home at 11:00am. However I must say the highlight of the day was around 6:15am. I got out of the shower. Looked to my left and there on the hamper...a GIANT spider. I'm talking HUGE. We get wolf spiders,etc here in the woods and I hate them! I yelled for Cary. My hero. The soldier. He killed it mercilessly with a broom. Yeah! He sure is handy to have around. In the past it took me 1/2 an hour (no lie) to get up the nerve to kill one!

-----no photo of the spider neccesary!-----

Well...off for a somewhat busy day. Going to the grocery store, maybe Trader Joe's and Barnes & Noble. Cary's at work til 5pm. Then maybe some fireworks tonight downtown. They have them the Sunday of Fiesta. We'll see....it's looking a little overcast again...

windows & doors

Windows. Kind of a random theme for a mosaic but I've always loved images of windows, doors, doorways. So much symbolism. I feel that these images fit me and where I'm at today. School is done for me. I can start working on my state licensure hours. A long process as was school. I have put this off for 6 years out of frustration and resentment of how difficult the state has made it. But now it's behind me (at least for now) and I can hopefully have more doors (and maybe windows!) open for me. Today has also been another extremely emotionally draining day at work. Clinically. Some days I just feel like I can' t do it. Such sad situations and sad stories. People struggling to live and just be at peace with themselves in this world. It is hard stuff and somedays it is too much to take in. Today was one of those days. I am grateful that overall I am happy with myself and my life. That is not a small thing to have.

I am also grateful to have these days ahead to refocus and relax and focus on my family and fun stuff. Begining tomorrow! Cary's aunt and uncle were visiting Northern Maine while he was up at guard last week and tomorrow they will be driving through Mass. on their way back home to Alabama. So...I might get to meet them which I'm excited about. He was happy to see them as he rarely gets too. So that will start off my vacation...

BTW...thanks for the book recommendations! Hopefully one of my stops in the next few days will be to Barnes & Noble. I think I might check out the Memory Keeper's Daughter as was recommended. Thanks!

drained

My favorite view in the world...the river.

Today has been an emotionally draining day at work. I'm tired out. A frozen enchilada from Trader Joe's is in the oven and microwaved spanish rice. Not great but I'm starving. I could fall asleep right now and probably will after I eat. It's amazing how much emotion can drain your energy. I forced myself to go to the gym after work and it felt good. Walked 2 miles on the treadmill and went to my muscle conditioning class. It is so nice to be back to somewhat of a normal gym routine.

As of tomorrow night at 9:30 I will be...

(a) done with school forever - I hope ;) and...

(b) ON VACATION! Yeah!

I'm not going away anywhere special and Cary will be working nights still but I'm looking forward to the time off to relax. But it is harder to relax when you are home...at least for me. There is always some chore to be done or something to clean up, organize, etc. I need to make sure I do that kind of stuff (maybe) the first day of my break and then RELAX!

By the way...if you all have a minute would you mind commenting on my blog with some of your current favorite reads?? I need some beach books for my vacation and am looking for recommendations! Thanks!

Well...off to eat my dinner and hopefully check out some of my favorite blogs! Have a nice night...

layouts and a card

Not much to say today except Cary is home safe! Yeah! I had to go into work at the college this a.m. and then did a few errands before Cary got home...but now he's off to work ("two ships passing in the night" I tell you) and I'm relaxing for a bit before getting back to work and class tomorrow. Today the weather has been rainy, thunderstorms, sunny, thunderstorms. Back and forth. So I didn't get my walk in today which makes me feel kind of lazy. Oh well. Tomorrow is work and then class. Only 2...more...classes...ever....WOOHOO! And only three more work days and I'm on vacation for a week and a half! Nowhere to go and Cary will be working but I will be at the beach as much as possible!

Anyhow...here are a few cards and layouts I worked on this weekend...

A card for my cousin who is getting married this weekend. I was "commissioned" by my parents to make it! Had fun with the silk flowers and their leaves. I deconstructed a bunch awhile ago and I use the peices on cards. Attached with a Making Memories round clear crystal brad and accented with stickles on the leaves and flower.

Journaling: "Sometimes we just need to be amazed by the small things." - Angela Pacheco. I accented the title/journaling with a few dots of green stickles and did an outline with a white pen...otherwise let the flowers stand alone. I loved how the print of the iris came out. Printed by Scrapbookpictures.com.

Page 1 of a 2 page layout: "Baseball" Used all different accents..some Red Sox stickers, American Crafts letters, etc.

Page 2 of the 2 page layout .

Thanks for looking! Off to check out my favorite blogs and eat a brownie (which will go right to my %$$ since I didn't exercise today...and won't have time tomorrow...bring it on!)

memories

Wingaersheek Beach - Gloucester, MA

Yesterday was a pretty ok day. I went to the beach with my mom in the a.m and it was a nice beach day. Sunny and warm and cool when the clouds covered the sun. I hate sitting at the beach sweating to death. Later...I went to the orchard a few towns over and bought some fresh strawberries that are so much better than the ones in the grocery store. I usually go there in the fall for apples but these strawberries are going to be on my list now until they are out of season! Also found some lavender that smells beautiful. That smell comforts me - reminds me of my Grammy.

It is a very long story..but my mom recieved a box of photos from my Nana's house (her mother) who passed away last year. She even got back her wedding dress which I have NEVER seen! I was so happy that she has it now. My dream was to incorporate a peice of it someday into my own wedding dress. My nana sewed it for her and it is simple and beautiful.I am so excited about some of the pictures. Many are so neat...of my mom when she was a baby and on into high school. There are also some really nice photos of her and my dad when they were first married. My favorites are a photos of me and my mom and dad when I was first born. They looks so young! I had never seen photos like this before and I just love them. I'm definately having some copies made. And I love that we still have the rocking chair my dad was sitting in and that I recognize the porch and some of the other little details in the picture. Here are just two of my favorites...

I also loved seeing photos of my parent's house when it was first built over 30 years ago. Seeing how many things are still the same was somehow comforting. There are so many memories here. I live in the garage apartment currently so I can still be present with those memories. It is nice but soon it will be time to move on - Cary and I. But...I can always come back here and just be. It is the one place in the world that I feel really centered. I hope that Cary and I can build that in a home someday for our future children.

We are now on our way to the movies (as a family) - yes...we still do that sometimes since we enjoy each other's company! And AC Moore so my mom can get some photo boxes. I'm hoping to do a few layouts later. I did one on Friday that I'll photograph later.

And tomorrow...(or maybe tonight)...Cary comes home!

Thanks for reading - Happy Sunday!

summer

Happy First Official Day of Summer and everything that goes along with it!