Popping in.....

Life is pretty good here in beautiful New Jersey.

I just started my bar review class (you know there's something wrong when the funniest thing you've heard all day is a torts joke). It promises to be most exciting. Feeling out of sorts the past few days as well, due to a meanie darkening my sunny skies. Hoping that will sort itself out soon, but in the meantime, wish me luck.

Put together this page pretty quickly, with this helpful sketch. Check out the beautiful original by Jennifer Johner at Studio Calico's site!

After my first year of college, I was a sleepaway camp counselor for 9 and 10 year old girls. I spent six weeks barely sleeping, fretting about the health/emotional issues/various ailments of my little charges, and honing my disciplining strategies. I can still remember opening my eyes at 7 am to blasting music on the loudspeaker, feeling like I had gone to sleep only ten minutes before. This page documents our interminable Friday hikes, sometimes in one large circle. Fun was had by all:)

AND......as for my sneaky news, I can tell you tomorrow!

Hint: It's scrappy related.

Any more guesses?

Why I Disappeared from the Internet for Two Random Days

Lately, I begin a lot of posts with some variation of "why I haven't been around." Not a good sign! But my terrible-horrible-no good-very bad semester is coming to a close, so I should be able to post on this guy more often.



But my excuse for this week is a good one! From Tuesday night to Thursday night we were celebrating Shavuos, a Jewish holiday. It's a holiday celebrating the Jews receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai a long time ago.


It's also a holiday celebrating cheese--although I can't remember why (if you do, inform me, please!)

We eat a lot of cheesecake on Shavuos. S and I bought a 14-slice cheesecake sampler with all different flavors just for the two of us. It was sick.

It was taunting me from the fridge, so if you live in my apartment building, you will find a cheesecake sampler with a sign saying "free" on the table in the lobby.


So that's Shavuos in a nutshell--Torah and cheesecake.

And finally....I have something exciting to show you next week!

Can anyone guess what it is?

Here's what I've Been up to Lately....

A little bit of this......
Barbeque with friends in Brooklyn's beautiful Prospect Park.


A lot of this......

My law school graduation. Crazy that it's come already, but a happy day:)

Note to self:In the future, don't hold a diploma and camera case in front of my head in a photo. Sigh.


And not enough of this.....

Precious scrappy time. I'm working on a few things I can't share yet (wink, wink), but I have this page from last week to show you. The envelope design was inspired by Steph Howell, and the page is a needed reminder of one of my favorite analogies--that life is like the back of tapestry, where you can only see the mess and knots, but not the picture they are forming.

I've been feeling a little frustrated about scrapping lately, a sign that I'm worrying too much about the public side of this hobby. So I'm focusing on just feeling the love again:)

How bout you?

Some Things Never Change....

I've been noticing changes in my friendships lately--as we get older, get married, have babies, and get busy, it's hard to maintain things the way you used to. And while I know this change is good and healthy and normal, it still makes me a little sad.

So I made this page to remind myself that the core things that make me friends with these women will not change, even if the expression of that friendship does.


Supplies used: Studio Calico (fabric strips, label sticker), Fiskars (border punch), Harmonie(wood letters), Lily Bee (everything else).

Journaling: Our lives as a foursome are so different now. Some of us married, all of us living in different places. Big changes. But I know these girls and I will always have something special together. May 2010.


Speaking of things that DO change, on the other hand-- S graduated from law school today!

In the beginning, I wanted to cry because the music and ceremony triggered those heartstrings. After watching over one thousand graduates get "hooded" for hours I wanted to cry again. For different reasons. But generally a good time was had by all, or at least most of the people most of the time.

We followed the ceremony with a delicious lunch where I fell in love with tempura sushi (and hung out with my hubby and his family).

I'll leave you with a silly photo of my handsome graduate:


Anyone have graduations coming up? Have a great weekend!

The Open Road....Or, a case of Wishful Thinking

The open road......Now that I'm buried in exams and papers, the miles of highway seem so appealing.

In January, S and I took a LONG road trip, from NJ to Ohio to Charleston, SC and back to NJ. The first few hours were awesome--and then after a while you just want to get out of the car. But you can't. Because you're in some completely random state and nowhere near your destination.

But that beginning part, with the miles of road just waiting.....that just makes it worth it.

I made this page to capture that beginning part. Don't know if I want to remember, let alone scrap the six hours of foot cramps and having to go to the bathroom:)

Supplies used: Studio Calico April kit (lots of bits of Crate Paper, Sassafrass, Studio Calico, etc. Lovin' the Pink Paislee Artisan tape and Jenni Bowlin butterflies, which I am pretty much out of.

Last Friday, I had the best time meeting Jenni, who I met on the SC message board and the bloggy world. She is such a wonderful person, AND a fantabulous scrapper, so you should pop over!

This was my first experience meeting someone from online in person (other than meeting my husband--which has generally been a success:)) and it was so natural.


And topping off the weekend, a wonderful date night...


What are you up to this week? How was your Mother's Day?

Scrappy almost-Mother's Day

It's late on a Saturday night, and I'm letting my husband do the dishes and clean up for Shabbat and talking to y'all instead (bad me).

I had the most wonderful, lovely Shabbos (that's usually how I say it, so I'll go with that here) ever. Nothing too exciting or special, but very restorative. We spent Friday night eating just the two of us and talking, having the "2 a.m. meaning of life" type of conversations that were such a part of dating but can be hard to make time for now. And today, I got to talk scrapbooking with our guest and her eight-year-old daughter, and connect to spirituality again. It was so, so needed and so good!

But, for those of you who came here for a scrapbook page, you're in luck!

This layout was made for Jessica Bree's Be Inspired class at Scrapfreak.com. I was asked to make a page with an interview style, so I interviewed myself--it was the easiest to schedule. And I'm generally a cooperative subject.

I've lived in three places over the three years of law school, which led to many good times, such as interviewing for law firms while the apartment had nothing set up except for a couch frame with a suit draped over it. And moving all my belongings from one place to another the day after exams. Good times.

And one last page for those of you brave enough to read for so long?

An ode to The Body Shop body butters. If I were very, very rich I would have a vanity set up (in my giant marble bathroom, of course) with each and every flavor of this lotion. And pick a different one every night. And it would be awesome. But, alas, we're in reality.

And that's all folks! What are your Mother's Day plans?

A Quick Share.....

Popping to share my newest page--I have two others waiting to be photographed and get their moment in the spotlight!


I went a little bit crazy when the Dear Lizzy products came out (let's just say I had a little "talk" with the hubby and we decided to just strike that purchase from the budget. Because I'd have to wash dishes at restaurants to catch up. And as S comfortingly told me, "Everyone loses control sometimes.").

So I was VERY happy to actually get to using them. I cut the flowers from the adhesive backed paper, which in case you are wondering, should NOT be used with the Slice. Poor old Slicey was sputtering and wheezing and is still cowering in the corner, bless his little blue heart.

I'll keep you posted on that.

In other news, I successfully survived my evidence exam today! I enjoyed the class, but I really can't discuss hearsay at any point in the future. For a very long time.

What are YOU working on right now?