stamping with Maggie

Basic Scrapbooking Tool Kit for Baby Album

My plan was to make a quick, simple baby album for a friend having a baby. I didn't want this to be a work of art, but a gift from the heart. I wanted to use what I had on hand, and sit down, focus, and be done. I found myself overwhelmed with all the possibilities, I have too many choices. I was constantly jumping up and down to go in search of the perfect addition. I wore myself out, and started hating the whole project. I gave myself a stern lecture, and realized that I will want to make baby scrapbooks, of the simple variety, on many occasions. Why not make a basic kit that i can pull out every time I sit down to create a baby album.

I wanted it to fit in this box, and include only those things that would go in all baby albums. I can add  papers and embellishments specific to each album later.

• I love the Stampin' Up 1/4 inch gingham ribbon. So I included a roll of pink, and light blue ribbon in my kit
• I know there are so many shapes, colors, sizes of brads available, but I decided to pick one to keep permanently in my kit, I chose Stampin' Up soft subtles. It's small, inexpensive and comes in a great container. Perfect colors
• Every baby album must have buttons, and the Stampin' Up soft subtles assortment will match any baby colors perfectly. Clear might be great second choice.
• I didn't want to keep punches in this kit exclusively, but The Stampin' up scallop circle punch and scallop border punch would be an essential go to addition to the kit.
• I included some baby safety pins and little tags I punched using the smaller Stampin' up tag punch from Whisper White cardstock
• I needed tag string, so I added white crochet thread.
• I pre-cut white photo mats from Stampin'Up Whisper white Cardstock. I used a 12x12 sheet, and cut 4x6, which gave me 6 photo mats.

Now I can grab a scrappin' kit or pretty paper, basic tool kit, and my basic baby kit, sit down and create a baby memory album. Simple

 

Time Saver

I've added a menu service to my right blog bar that I absolutely love. It is the berries for me! I have never been a cook, have always felt intimidated in the kitchen. I subscribed to Leanne Ely's Menu mailer for awhile, but it didn't do for me what this site does. I look forward to cooking, and the food is a big hit with my family. It really takes very little time and ingredients. It comes to my email every week and makes life and my fibromyalgia more manageable.

So.. if you want more time for the fun stuff - stamping and scrapping - I recommend that you check this out.  Oh, and it is FREE! More money for stamps!

Menu4moms

Why, you might ask, do Grandma's take these kind of pictures? There is absolutely nothing about Grandchildren that isn't wonderful, even their tempers. And every movement and sound and decision and.....( fill in the blank) is memorable. There is only magic.

This is a digital Quickpage designed by Dinphy  using a kit created by Elizabeth Blust aka Pillowgirl. 

Visit her blog or her shop     

Visit Dinphy

Friday Fibro - A Not So Clean house + Blog Candy

Jewel Street Designs.According to jewel Street Designs

You should keep your house clean because:

1. You might lose a small animal like a cat, a puppy, or a hamster.

2. You might find out Godzilla was just an overgrown dust bunny.

3. one of these days you will run out of clean clothes.

4. your mother in law might decide to come clean for you. (Though this could be a good thing.)

5. dishes with fur is not cool.

6. cobwebs cannot be considered art.

7. tv looks different. (I can vouch for this.)

8. things, like your keys or kids' socks, won't disappear into the abyss.

9. maybe your living room isn't such an ugly green after all.

10. eventually even the overgrown dust bunnies will revolt.

I find that I am not nearly as concerned about the appearance of my house as I used to be. Probably because I am weary with the task, and I don't want to use what little energy I have, to banish the dust bunnies. Still, I know that for the benefit of my family, I need to reach an acceptable level of cleanliness.

I have read many books on the subject, but I am still a bit of a pack rat.-  I can find potential in most everything. So de-cluttering is a top priority. I try to give it a good 15- 30 minutes a day. On a good day, i can carry out what I don't want and donate to a worthy cause. On a bad day, I sort papers, and drawers and cabinets.

An inspirational website for managing your home is Flylady.net. She has a system for arranging your house into Zones, and rotating the zones that seems less overwhelming. Be sure and visit Flylady and see what you think.

Finally, I have recently hired a great woman to come in and help me clean and organize once or twice a week. She is reasonably priced and a hard worker,so I benefit and she has extra money. This is probably the best decision I've made. She has a way of just straightening that gives me hope and encouragement.

If you are housework challenged, and energy deficient, take baby steps ( flylady) and remember stamping and scrapping is really much more eternally important than the way your house looks.

I have a book to offer  as Blog Candy. Just leave your best suggestions for simple housecleaning and organizing so that you can find more time to stamp and scrapbook, and I will draw a winner to receive this book. LEAVE Your COMMENT by clicking on the comment button

Country Living Special Edition Stamp Set

This is a great value and a way to simplify the Holidays. To order this set visit my website.

Invite the warmth and coziness of the holidays into your home with Stampin’ Up!’s Country Living Holiday Collection Stampin’ Kit. This kit has everything you need to create beautiful handcrafted ornaments.

• Holiday Collection stamp set
• Die-cut chipboard and Designer Series paper
• Card stock
• Ribbon and cord
• Pretties Kit brads
• Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter
• Adhesives
• Classic Stampin’ Spots

Create dazzling ornaments and memories that will last a lifetime!  Click on the photo (above) for full details!

Fibro Friday - A brave woman

Arizona Trail for Fibromyalgia | 800 miles across Arizona to raise awareness for Fibromyalgia.

I  found this blog of a woman hiking across Arizona to help raise awareness of fibromyalgia. I was impressed with her courage.

It is estimated that 7 to 10 million Americans--mostly female--suffer from FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome). The median age of onset is 29 to 37 years. It can begin spontaneously or after an injury, particularly when associated with serious emotional stress. Fibromyalgia is characterized by a consistent pattern of non-restorative sleep or insomnia, widespread body pain and stiffness, chronic fatigue and varying degrees of anxiety and depression. Other symptoms may include difficulty concentrating ("fibro fog"), slurred speech, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), light sensitivity, PMS, tension and migraine headaches, environmental sensitivities, TMJ, tinnitus, irritability and mood swings. FMS symptoms are aggravated by stress. Most sufferers even experience pain while resting, and the pain is most noticeable when they have used their muscles for repetitive activity. The pain can be so severe that they can no longer work or do ordinary tasks. Pain killers have little effect.

I want to share a scrapbook page I made recently. It was a kit by Dixie Pieces that I received as a door prize at a crop I attended recently. I almost just stuck it away, but I was tired and everything was already there and precut, so I gave it a try. It was so simple and beautiful when it was done. Kits can be a time and energy saver.

I loved the little details

Fibro Friday - Lyrica and online ordering

The USDA has approved a new drug specifically used in the treatment of fibromyalgia. It is made by pfizer and is called Lyrica.  Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown, results from animal studies suggest that Lyrica reduces the number of electrical signals that the brain cells send to each other.

 My doctor prescribed this for me six months ago. She was very excited, and had some really great results with some of her patients who were taking this. We have concluded that it is not for me. I didn't acclimate to the side effects. I felt , well, tipsy. When I stood up, the room would spin. I felt a little more foggy, and a bit lugubrious ( Lu*gu"bri*ous\, a. [L. lugubris, fr. lugere to mourn; cf. Gr. ? sad, Skr. ruj to break.] Mournful; indicating sorrow, often ridiculously or feignedly; doleful; woful; pitiable; as, a whining tone and a lugubrious look.). I was very disappointed. Still, she has seen some patients really do well, and their pain has dropped significantly. So it might be worth a try for you.

Some of the most common side effects of LYRICA are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, blurred vision, dry mouth, feeling "high", swelling of hands and feet, and trouble concentrating. You may have a higher chance for swelling and hives if you are also taking angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors so you should let your doctor know if you are taking these medications. You may have a higher chance of swelling or gaining weight if you are also taking certain diabetes medicines.

Download ppi_lyrica.pdf

Stampin' Up has made life much more simple by offering online ordering to any customer. Be sure and check this out.  Visit my website and order directly from me anytime.

Fibro Friday -3 ideas to help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (Fibrositis) Pictures Slideshow: Photos of Causes, Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Treatment on MedicineNet.com.

I found this site with a slideshow that was interesting.

In an article written for Medicinenet.com,  William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR suggested these three self-advocacy steps.

Self- Education - Learn as much as you can. knowing what is and isn't fibromyalgia can relieve some of the anxiety as you make life-style changes.

Stress Reduction - Inadequate sleep is felt to be the core problem with fibromyalgia pain. Reducing stress can improve non- rapid Eye movement sleep. Begin to explore a more simple lifestyle by reading and researching, and will help to make a more fulfilling life.

Exercise - nasty word, I know, but it helps with sleep, stress reduction, and muscle regeneration. Use low stress activities to start the process.

 

Isn't this the cutest idea! I made him for a make and take I did at the crop for Kids crop in Greentown Indiana. It was a fundraising activity for the children's library on world card making day. I taught this, a scrapbook page, and a paper piecing for a gift bag. I had a great time. i used Stampin' up's Big shot machine and bracket die, close to cocoa, creamy cocoa cardstock, cello bags, 1 1/4 inch circle punch, 1/2 inch circle punch,  and 1/4 inch circle punch. I free handed the nose. simple simple.

I love this muffin idea - Friday Fibro

 - Quick, Easy Breakfast.   This is such a great idea for muffins and breakfast. Imagine a warm, yummy muffin to entice your child to stop and eat breakfast before launching him into his school day. I know my son eats whatever he can find quick and easy, which isn't always healthy and energizing for him.  If  I make a few muffin recipes and freeze them on a good fibro day, then on a bad fibro day, I know he will have something he will love!. Mornings are more difficult for me. I have read that our cortisol production is backwards 

A team of researchers from Massachusetts found that cortisol levels are low in people with fibromyalgia. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal gland and affects many bodily systems. Low levels of cortisol are ever present in the body but we produce more during times of stress. When the body is deficient in cortisol, the symptoms of fibromyalgia are mirrored, such as:

• fatigue
• weakness
• muscle pain
• abdominal distress
• thinking problems
• mood swings
• sleep disturbances

The research team from Massachusetts found that fibromyalgia patients produce less cortisol in response to stress than do healthy people, possibly having to do with a defect in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which controls cortisol production. It is not clear how important cortisol deficiency is in the onset or course of fibromyalgia.

Our production of cortisol is too low in the mornings to get us perking and too high at night and prevents a good's night sleep.

 

Fibro and Exercise on Fridays

So the doctor said...
More than anything else I need to exercise on a regular basis. The idea seems ridiculous, when some days getting dressed sounds like the Boston marathon. On a good day, I can't imagine spending any of my precious minutes doing something so monotonous and boring as exercise. On a bad day, I struggle to move at all.
    In her book " The Fibromyalgia relief Book" Miryam Williamson says, "The fact that aerobic exercise is repetitive may hold the key to its effectiveness in lessening the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia. Low-Level, monotonous stimulation of the portion of the brain called the hypothalamus causes it to produce a brain chemical known as endorphins. Endorphins are the brain's own natural painkillers...A good workout can produce enough endorphins to last twenty-four hours or more."

A few, simple tips for exercising with fibro:

•  do small amounts first. Anything is better than nothing

• If using your legs is too fatiguing, use your arms. Use a small weight like a can of tomato paste and move up as tolerable.

•  visit a physical therapist who may help you with posture. Often we compensate in posture for our pain.

•  take a mild pain medication before starting

•  even 30- 60 second increases are increases you can be proud of making

• keep water nearby

• stop before you are too tired

• work on stretch, strengthen, and develop cardiovascular fitness

•  video tapes can be helpful

• At the most vigorous point of cardiovascular workout, you should still be able to carry on a conversation

Very simple page of my grandaughter Elisia age 2. I used black and white photos, so I wouldn't have to be careful about fixing the photo or color combos. I used Bali Breeze designer paper from Stampin' Up so that everything coordinated. P.S. Dancing would be fun exercise!

Exercise is critical for fibromyalgia patients.  It has an impact on the quality of sleep and helps to keep unaffected muscles strong to improve your quality of life.  Fibromyalgia Information Foundation has DVDs available on Aerobic Exercise, Stretching and Relaxation and Strength and Balance.   The DVDs have been developed and produced by researchers and staff at the Oregon Health and Science University and feature fibromyalgia patients.  

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Does this happen to you?

From the following website=

My All: My Top Ten Time Wasters!.

I think the following issues have sucked up wayyyyyyyyyyy too much of my time in 2007. I resolve to not let that happen so much in 2008! Time Wasters: 1. Unclear goals: my goals have not being clear --and set --in a couple aspects of life. So I go in circles more than I need to. 2. Lack of Scheduling: my genealogy project goals are not scheduled so I am allowing long term interruptions. 3. A Drop and Go Mentallity: my drop and go tendancies in my craft workspace are a bother later on. Good thing I use clear storage! I will try to make my "Drop and go" tendancy into a "Drop into storage" tendancy! LOL 4. Biting off too Much: I have been attempting too much in too short a time. No, you cannot completely reorganize a jam-packed 1000 square foot space in 4 hours. Small steps, Kathy small steps. 5. Getting Sidetracked: this is especially true online-- I need to FOCUS not continually browse online. :) Ideas are NOT actions. 6. Lack of Delegation/lists: Ineffective communication or delegation to my family. They need to know what I want done and when. LISTS will help them--and me. 7. Knick Knack Syndrome: I don't like knick knacks (thanks Grandma Helen!) but I do love antiques and garage sales, so I constantly fight having a cluttered home, desk. I want to focus JUST on keeping heirloom items from my family and not random antiques. 8. Procrastination/lack of self-discipline. See # 5 This can also apply to dishes and laundry. LOL I love my family, I love my family ... :) 9. Not Understanding Technology: Yes for me this is a time waster. I wish I understood more so I wouldn't be so stumped when trying to reach certain goals! 10. Shopping for Bargains --especially storage containers and organizer storage. When I need something for my space, I want to get the best deal or recycle something to use for it. Usually this is a great way to go. But This sometimes means I spend more time LOOKING for the right storage bargain instead of doing the actual organizing or just scrapping. I can always avoid buying scrapbook supply stash --but rarely can say no to a great basket, bin or container! :) What is standing in your way? Do you have ten time wasters to share? Speak up! Let's tackle this together!! Rockester