everything which is yes

Dear Buggaboo

Dear Bugga,

I'm not sure how I feel about your calling me by my first name this morning.  To be honest, I wasn't sure you really *knew* what my "real" name was.  I've always been Mommy.  And well you're going to have to get the distinction down at some point I suppose...come to grips that I am my own person and not just your mommy.  But I really love being your mommy.  And I like it when you call me "mommy".  There's nothing quite like the sound of your saying that word.  "Mom" I could probably handle, but even that sounds like "I'm too old to need you anymore" in my brain.  So I think I'll let it slide this time, because it was rather funny, but can we go back to you being three and not, you know, some 30 yr. old adult child trapped in a preschooler's body (and I'm even that old and still call *my* mommy, "mom").  Can we get back to my being "mommy"?  Thanks. 

Love you with all my heart,
Mommy

Monday Morning 10

With the resurrection of the blog comes the resurrection of an old pseudo tradition on my blog: the Monday Morning 10...where I subject you to a random sampling of what's playing on my iTunes.  Basically I turn on my tunes, shuffle them up and share my thoughts about what comes up in my library as I listen to it. 

I still haven't really figured out why anyone should be or would be interested in these tidbits, so I think I'm settling on the reasoning of "for my own future interest" for the "why" of this tradition.  Someday I can look back at my blog posts and remember in a jolly kind of way what I was listening to and what my thoughts were about the songs.  And so..today's 10:

1. "Jesus, Etc." -- Wilco (ahhh, sigh. Love Wilco.  There's such a relaxed ambling to this song. Love it).
2. "'Tis of Thee" -- Ani DiFranco (I've been in love with Ani's music for a decade now and this is one of her gems of lyrical and haunting beauty.  She has a way of delivering political messages and messages of any kind in such an honest and thought provoking way.  This is meaty.  It's no window dressing of pop and I love that about it.  And her.).
3. "You Are What You Love" -- Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins (from Rabbit Fur Coat and fantabulous.  And ease of harmonies with a touch of folk and still edgy.  Love her voice).
4. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" -- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (this is a song that just compels me to sing along through to the end.  Their voices mesh together so beautifully it's dreamy and fabulous.).
5. "Don't Take That Attitude To Your Grave" -- Ben Harper (I love, love, love Ben Harper.  His voice is so unique and emotive.  And I love the hint of twang married with the bongo-beats).
6. "Ramble On" -- Led Zeppelin (what is there to say about Zeppelin??  Rocktastic. Legendary.).
7. "Cinder and Smoke" -- Iron & Wine (if you've never listened to Iron & Wine.  Please do.  Sam Beam is brilliant.  There is such a beautiful flow to his songs and his lyrics are as rich and complicated as his melodies.  Fantastic.  Folksy.  Ridiculously talented.  I could listen to his music all day and be super mellow and happy).
8. "Little Respect" -- Erasure (ahhh yes.  Had to get a good dose of 80s in here this morning.  You can't listen to this song and not feel like hairspraying your hair and singing along gazing into the sky in some really cheestastic manner).
9. "Solsburry Hill" -- Peter Gabriel (this man is seriously talented.  And I looove the acoustics on this song and the beautiful tune.  One of my
10. "Teenage Caveman" -- Beat Happening (this song flies me straight back into life in college: 2208 Cedar hanging out with my girls. Still have a soft spot for Calvin).

Note to Self: Photography and Kids v.1

Note to Self:  Now that you have a brand new high speed and very special-to-your-heart camera and lenses that need to be babied and loved tenderly from time to time with a soft and cuddly microfiber cloth...be sure not to leave said cloth lying around just anywhere unless you want your three year old to use it as a kleenex.

Then and Now...

So as far as catching up with scrapping goes, goodness I don't even know where to begin.  I only started digiscrapping in May of last year, and I was totally gooped up on the gop about it because it was all so fresh and exciting to me.  Now, a year later, I feel like I've settled into a "home", found *my* hobby and my creative outlet.  Something I will love and be involved in until I'm old and gray.  There is just something so beautiful and emotionally special to me about sharing and preserving our family's stories.  

And I've been feeling really blessed lately as I consider all the beautiful opportunities I have had over the last year to grow and evolve in my creativity.  At first I totally went overboard and really stretched myself thin, dibbled and dabbled in many different styles and creative teams, as many new scrappers do, and I cherish every opportunity I had.  Still, now, I feel much more settled into my own style and I feel like I've evolved as a scrapper, if that makes sense.  And I'm certainly more balanced in my commitments.  I have been SO grateful to have been blessed to work with some AMAZING designers and scrappers over the last year.  And the best part has been the wonderful friends I've made along the way. 

So since I'm feeling all mushy and nostalgic I figured I'd do a little then and now.  Last year when I was posting about scrapping, I had literally just started out and was sharing pages like this with you all (please click image for full credits):

I can't believe I just shared that here.  It was an excersize in humility, believe me.  Now I have to strongly resist the urge not to rescrap all my first pages.  I still love my first pages, because they are mine and showcase my bugga, but I guess I just feel a little more comfortable in my skin as a scrapper now, and more comfortable in my program. ANYway, moving on...here are a few of my more recent favorites (for full credits, images are clickable):

Did I say how much I love to scrap??  (A LOT).

Note to Self: Cameras + Humidity

Note to self:  Your lens is not BFFs with humidity.  In fact, your lens does not like humidity at all.  Especially when it's spent all day nice and cozy like in the joyous cool that is your air conditioned home and then you rudely ask it to snap photos of your daughter dancing in the rain on a hot hot summer day with no time to acclimate to the ugly drippy wet of the outside air.

Catching up...

So a year has passed (but hopefully you'll soon forget about that little fact) since I last blogged with any pseudo-regularity and so much has happened since then that I don't even know where to begin.

Mostly life has been about bugga growing and changing and our family evolving.  We've faced some challenging times and we've also had some beautiful bright spots.  David is in full swing of his usual ops tempo so that has had us having periods where he is away working/serving our country and we are home just the two of us.  We always really look forward to the homecomings though and like to spend lots of time soaking up family time together and taking a break from everything else.  And that's where we are right at this moment.  In one of our reunited times.  :)

Let's see..the highlights of the past year: I'm officially 30 (ugh!), we stayed home for Christmas for the first time, we had a trip to see Dad and visit Mickey at Disney in May, we've turned into gardening geeks and we've grown more in our faith.  Bugga is more talkative, more independent and as adorable as ever. Here's a few of my most favorite pages with my most favorite photos of her from the past year (please click images for full credits):

I'm looking forward to keeping up with everyone much better in this latest incarnation of our blog.  Also, just as a reminder, I have another, more personal blog called "Deltasierra".  It is password protected, but if you are family or friend and are interested in keeping up with us more there too, feel free to click on "Q&A" to find out how to go about doing that. 

Note to Self: lessons in Baked Potato Soup

Note To Self:  When preparing your extra tasty and joyous Baked Potato Soup recipe amid the happy grumbly tummies of your family, be sure NOT to use your daughter's DHA fortified organic milk in the making.  Apparently said DHA infusion involves the use of some kind of fish oils and that doesn't make for a tasty or joyous flavor in your Baked Potato Soup.  Yuck.  Yick.   Ick.

New Beginnings Vol. 3 (or 4?)

So I once said that I was the world's worst blogger and apparently I'm really set on proving that to be true since it's been what--a year? since I last posted.  But I'm an optimist and a believer in new beginnings and second chances and I'm also determined to make myself into a real blogger.  I shall not be defeated.

And so here I am again, attempting to really keep up with the blog in some sort of way that won't have me feeling like Flakezilla.  And in a way that will actually keep us in better touch with our family and friends, which has always been the first and most important reason for our having a blog. 

And to further inspire me to my goal of actual bloggerhood, I even hired my dear friend and the amazingly talented Becca, owner of Graffiti Chicks to make me a fresh blog design.  And isn't it amazing???!  I was ecstatic when I first saw it!  And so now I have the added motivation to make her proud and actually, you know, USE the beautiful blog design.

So here goes...Take 2 3 4....

So guess what?

I feel like I'm always tooting my own horn lately (nice, huh?) but I'm really thrilled about this and I want to update all my friends and family so here goes...

A few weeks ago my sweet friend Jen encouraged me to submit a layout to the Patriotic call for Bellascraps June issue.  It never occurred to me to submit anything for publication...I'm still so fresh in digiscrapping.   I hemmed and hawed a little, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway, so I submitted.  

The layout was one of my very first, and so I felt a little "meh" about it, but it was also one of my most personal pages so it's a significant one to me. And today I found out that I was published!  Woot!  I'm so plesantly surprised!  My very first publication!  Here's a preview of this month's fabulous issue:

Hey, another little pleasant surprise.  The very sweet Dunia decided to spotlight one of my layouts on Bren Boone's team blog today (linkeroo)!  I love Bren's designs so I was honored to be feautured in their gallery spotlight.  Thanks girls! 

gooped up on the gop

So it's been brought to my attention that I've used the phrase "gooped up on the gop" quite a bit lately and so.. for all interested parties:

"gooped up on the gop" -- (adj.): Sara-ism meaning excited, thrilled, ecstatic.  Used always in a superlative way to convey unusual levels of excitement.  Synonyms: giddy, goofy from excitement, out of your gourd with excitement, pee-your-pants excited, over the moon, tickled pink.

As in: "I can hardly believe it but I'm completely gooped up on the gop about this: the Cubbies are 20 games above .500!  Or I just won the lottery, I'm SO gooped up on the gop!" 

(and please save the references that the Cubbies chances are just about as good as mine winning the lottery.  I.must.believe. this year!!)