OPERATION WRITE HOME Blog Hop

Welcome to this stop on the

BLOG HOP

(If you didn't get here from Karen's blog, go here to start at the beginning. I'm sure you don't want to miss out on any of the eye candy.)

* * * * *

Just look at the joy on this HERO's face.

Is that not the coolest thing!!

How would you like to be responsible for this type of happiness?
You don't have to fly overseas to make this happen.


Just make a few extra cards to send overseas for our HERO's to send to their friends and family.


It can't be any easier than that.


If you are reading this blog, odds are you like to craft. So making these cards would be sorta selfish.

This kind of selfishness is A-OK.


* * * * *


I am a NAVY brat. My dad retired from the NAVY before I got out of high school. But not before we moved around a bit. I cherish the experiences I had because of his commitment to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. He sacrificed a lot to go out there and do the things he did.

Now my nephew is in the COAST GUARD. I am proud of him.


His brother will go into the MARINES in October. I am proud of him.
.
.


I made these cards FOR the HERO's who are out there defending freedom.


.
I am able to feel safe in my home because of the bravery of these wonderful AMERICANS.



It doesn't seem like enough to send a little card to thank them for their hard work and sacrifice, but I am going to send them because they need to know that their efforts are appreciated.
.
.
.

.
.

I am sending these thank you cards with a note inside each one to a HERO that I haven't met.



I am sending them along with 100 blank cards that I made and packaged up.







.

OPERATION WRITE HOME mission:

.

To support our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourge them.
.
.
.
There are deadlines for sending cards for the various Holidays throughout the year. All the guidelines are listed on their website. You can visit the blog here.
.
.

* * *
.
.
To help celebrate MEMORIAL DAY,
I am offering up a little collection of RED, WHITE and BLUE goodies to give away.
.

Ribbons, papers, and some doo-dads.
.
.

Just leave me a comment and you'll be entered into the drawing.

Winning name will be Announced on Tuesday, June 1.

NOW off to the next stop on the HOP:


LESLIE

Have fun and thank a Service Member today.

SOMETHING FROM almost NOTHING

If it's wrong to take a class because of the pretty pictures, then I am wrong.

You all know how I LOVE pretty pictures. I am a color addict. There. It's out. But I am NOT going to do anything to change it. As a matter of fact, I am going to keep feeding my addiction.



Run if you want to. I won't blame you. I mean, really, who wants to associate with a self-admitted addict who refuses treatment. But, before you go, know that I WILL keep visiting you, especially if you keep posting pretty pictures.



Anyway, back to my addiction. I have taken Shimelle classes in the past. I like her style. She is okay with not being perfect. She is real. She has pretty pictures on her blog. Which is what caught my eye, and made me break VISION #5 - STOP. (In my defense, I ask you to recall VISION #10 - RELAX. Can you say Loop-hole?!?! Plus, I can argue that this is supporting VISION #7 - LESS.)



.
While I signed up for the class because the visual was something I just couldn't pass up, I found out that this is a class that I DO really need right now. I logged in this morning and found this:
.

Head to your scrapping supplies and really think about what you have, why you bought it and why you haven't used it yet. Everyone has their reasons! Are you saving your good supplies for your best photos? Are you a little scared to use the supplies that cost you more because you might make a mistake? Do you think they look prettier in their packaging than on a page? Are you so busy that you find time to shop but not to scrap? Whatever your reasons may be, it's time to admit them to the world!

.

&&&&&&&&&&

.

And so, I am admitting MY reasons for having accumulated the extensive stash that is blocking my creativity.

.

Reason #1 - I am a messy person. I have a hard time putting things away.

.

Reason #2 - I am just NOT that creative. I like to think I will make great things with the wonderful items I buy, but the truth is, I have to find a project and copy it.

.

Reason #3 - I feel guilty spending time alone in my craft space. I KNOW that I need time to myself, but the guilt is still there. So, I will often think about doing things, but not DO them.

.

Reason #4 - I forget what I have, so I end up buying another one. Or something really similar.

.

Reason #5 - I don't have the pictures printed out, but I just KNOW that "this paper" will look great for "that" event. And so, I buy it.

.

Reason #6 - I love stamps. Sort of an obsession, er, rather a collection. Yeah, let's go with collection.

.

Reason #7 - I belong to a monthly kit club. I can't stop the membership because I would miss out on a really cool kit. Right?!?!?!

.

Reason #8 - There are way too many cute/pretty embellishments out there. And I want to use them all, so I buy them all.

.

Reason #9 - I love the paper/embellishment but just don't have a clue what to use it for.

.

Reason #10 - Do you really want me to go on...because I have lots of excuses. None are acceptable to me though.

.

.

It was also suggested that we share a photo of our stash.

.

.

FAT CHANCE.

.

.

.

(baby steps here)

Vision 2010 : Re-View #1

In order to give myself the best opportunity at accomplishing my goals, I need to re-View my Visions.

.. .

I think it will help me to identify areas in which I could use a little push. (Or a giant shove.)

.

I also need to identify certain goals, and break them into smaller, do-able chunks. Otherwise I will become overwhelmed and fail. And failure is NOT an option.

.

.

I need to eat this elephant one bite at a time...

.

.

(HERE is the post with my inital VISION)

.

.

And in no particular order of success or failure here they are:

.

.

1. Photos:

.

Status - Not much progress here. I haven't spent time with my photos.

Resolve - Schedule 20 minutes for Saturday morning filing most recently developed photos.

.

.

2. Healthier Eating:

.

Status - Only SO-SO. I haven't made any "real" effort to get healthier foods in the house.

Resolve - Next shopping trip, only buy from the periphery of the store. Those middle aisles will kill a diet.

.

.

3. Moving:

.

Status - I have only done this once. A nice walk on the beach in FL.

Resolve - Again, schedule in 20 minutes every other day on the treadmill. Starting today.

.

.

4. Organize:

.

Status - Stil dis-organized in my scraproom. I took a Big Picture Scrapbooking class 2 years ago to deal with getting an organized scraproom. I don't know what happened. I guess I just figured that it was a one-shot deal. WRONG. It is something I am going to have to maintain. (once I get back to an organized space)

Resolve - I dug out my class materials and am starting the class again on my own. This is week one.

.

.

5. STOP:

.

Status - I have cancelled my sub to Unity. It was a hard thing to do, but I did it.

Resolve - Cancel my sub to QK and Cocoa Daisy. CD is going to be a tough one to STOP, but I will do it because I have too much stuff already.

.

.

6. Cook:

.

Status - I have done pretty good with this one. I didn't cook the day I had my eye surgery only because this time it hurt afterwards. So, Danny went out and got food and brought it home. I have eaten lunch out way too much.

Resolve - Pack a luch while putting the food away. This should make it easier in the mornings to bring lunch.

.

.

7. Less:

.

Status - I have been eating less. I have taken less food to start with and NOT gone back for seconds. I haven't dropped by the craft stores as often. I have only been once this year so far. I did take the girls to Barnes and Noble. BUT, they used their own money (I offered to pay because I am a firm believer in books).

Resolve - Keep up the smaller portions and keep it to one serving. Maintain my distance from the craft stores. Try to read the stack of books already collecting dust in the house.

.

.

8. Desktop:

.

Status - Still as messy as ever at work. Made a bit of progress over the weekend at home.

Resolve - Set the timer at work for 20 minutes a day to tackle the paper mountain. Keep up with the Organization class for the scraproom at home.

.

.

9. Finish:

.

Status - I have finished the Disney 2009 Vacation Album.

Resolve - Make a list of outstanding projects. Rate them with regard to percent completion and estimated time to finish. Should make it easier to tackle. (It's going to be a scary long list.)

.

.

10. Relax:

.

Status - So far, I haven't stressed about the progress, or lack of progress of any of the above. I have felt a bit guilty, but I think that will be with me forever as I was trained in the Catholic household of my grandmother's guilt. No, really, it's okay...

Resolve - Keep up a monthly re-View. This in itself is a feeling of accomplishment. Now to get out my iTouch and schedule in some PHOTO time, TREADMILL time and 30 minutes for the ORGANIZATION CLASS. And make a HEALTHIER FOODS grocery list...

.

.

.

SO, how are YOU doing this year?

Just a little something I'm playing with...

I can make a mess anywhere. Here's my hotel room desk.

(I am going to put the do not disturb sign on the door tomorrow.)

HEAVEN

I am working on a little something.

It isn't anything new.

I have made good progress.

Remember this post specifically #9 - Finish????

Well this mess is an effort to attain my goal.

I have a long way to go to get to the FINISH line.

But, it's a start.

Show and Tell

I was a busy gal this past weekend. I managed to finish one project (part of my 2010 Vision - I suppose I will have to suck it up and post a list of all the unfinished projects so you can keep tabs on me. Anyway, back to our currently posted subject...) and get started on another one that I signed up to do. (Finished project is at the bottom of this post.)

I am following Gina's Heart the Art challenge for 2010. I sort of did Emily Falconbridge's 52 Questions last year. I wrote down the questions in my art journal and answered them, but I didn't get artsy. This year I am going to get artsy. Gina has started, and will continue, to offer weekly prompts. Since December/January are REALLY busy for me, I only got to start today.

First off was deciding on a home for my works of art. At first I thought I would use an existing composition book that I have a few gluebook pages in. But when I went to look for it in my crap-room, I saw these Melissa Frances chipboard albums that I got at a scrapbook convention a few years ago and thought it was time I used one. So that was settled.

I made the first page while the paint on the cover was in process of drying/being applied. The first prompt is:

^^^^^^^^

AIM TO: what do you aim to do in 2010?

.

And here is the cover. I will add pages to the book through the year, so I haven't added the required ribbon to the spine. I am viewing it as the icing on the cake when the book/year is finished.

.

.

And here's a little detail of the cover. I used the negative of a Heidi Swapp chipboard letter and filled it with clear seed beads. You can't really tell, but I used a raw Scenic Route chipboard crown that I sprayed with a sort of glimmer misty thingy that I made with SU paint and alcohol.

.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Remember these little books. I finally got the pictures ordered, cut them (I used 12 pictures in each album. I ordered them as 4x6's, so I had to cut them into squares.) and adhered the pictures in each one. Most of the albums have already made it to their new homes. One UFP (un-finished project) down, a gazillion to go...

Finishing the little Halloween album has me really motivated.

Look for more finished projects: COMING SOON!!!!

2010 VISION - Details

DETAILS

I vowed to myself to use my VISION to create detailed lists to accomplish any and all goals I have set for myself this year. Isn’t it about time I share some of said details?!?!?!?! Having said that, let me clarify that I do NOT have said details worked out completely just yet. This is a working plan. An evolution, if you will, of my methods. So without further delay, I present to you a preliminary listing of details (in no particular order, other than what came to mind first):

10 goals in 2010

******************

1. Photos – I have already addressed this, but here it is again. I will try to spend 20 minutes a week sorting through photos and saving the best ones to "Print Files". Hopefully preventing me from A) staying up until 2 am and B) spending a small fortune when I eventually order photos.

**********

2. Healthier eating – I am going to try 2 new recipes a week. I will browse Cooking Light and Weight Watchers (magazines and cookbooks) while watching TV at least one night a week and find tasty little gems. Which I will cook, taste and share the results with you.

**********

3. Moving – I am going to try to walk farther in the parking lot. Park farther from the door. Unless it is cold outside. I don’t like the cold. I am a cold weather wimp. Eventually, later in the year, I would like to get on my treadmill/clothes tree and actually use it for 20-30 minutes a day. But, I will start with the baby steps of walking a bit farther in the parking lot. (on warmer days)

**********

4. Organize – I really need to clean out my crap-space. It is supposed to be a craft-space. And in order to get there (again) I am going to start with a 15-30 minute session every weekend. I am going to get rid of (trash, give-away, donate) anything I don’t LOVE. I wish myself lots of luck with this one. I tend to LOVE a lot of junk. I am a pack rat. While I love this picture, it isn't my stuff. But isn't is to swoon over?

**********

5. Stop – Aside from the things I have already ordered this year, (disgusting, isn’t it. Only a few days into the new year and I have already placed online orders to add to the stash that I want to reduce.) I am NOT going to buy anything I don’t intend to use for a SPECIFIC project. I will evaluate the NEED and if I won’t start the project within a weeks time, I won’t buy it.

**********

6. Cook – I am going to cook more meals during the week than I don’t. This goes along with #2. I am going to cook lower fat, healthier meals. I will make my existing recipes healthier. It isn’t hard. Most of them are healthy. If you eat human sized portions.

**********

7. Less – I am going to eat less. I am going to spend less time on the computer. (don’t panic. I will still blog. I just won’t surf as much) I am going to yell less. I will hoard less. I will do less procrastinating. I will tolerate less disrespect from my family. I have many more “less”es. You’ll see. In time.

**********

8. Desk top – I would like to see more of my desk top. Both at work and at home. So, I am going to spend at least 30 minutes a week sorting through the stacks and piles. (what I am afraid of is finding that I really don’t need any of the “stuff” in these stacks and piles. (see #7 – I am a hoarder)

**********

9. Finish – I am going to finish those online classes. I am a great starter. Not such a competent finisher. I will pick one class a month. AND FINISH IT. (I am NOT going to sign up for any new ones. Just finishing the ones I have already started. Yup, there are enough to get me through the year.) There is one exception: I will take the Point and Shoot Camera class that BPS has promised to have in 2010. BUT, I will finish it during the allotted time slot.

**********

10. Relax – I am not going to stress or fret if any of the above don’t get done. Part of my VISION is to relax and enjoy the journey. I don’t want my life to be about destinations. Yes, there are places we have to go, things we have to do, but Life should be about enjoying getting there. So, I am going to relax and enjoy the ride.

**********

I’ll try to remember to give you an update to this every so often. Oh, yeah, right, I need to define the goals I make. So how about every two months, I update the status.

I am curious to see how I do.

(Pictures are all from Google Image search and Flickr)

2010 VISION # 312 - From Digi to Print - The Picture Project

I took Stacy's class on getting pictures organized.

I organized my scrap room.

I get my nails done.

(Yup, you guessed it. I don't do that regularly like I should either.)

I took Stacy's class again. And yet....

I AM HORRIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING PICTURES PRINTED.

Okay, there, now it's out there. I have to do something about it.




One of my main problems is that I don't think I take good pictures. I have to get over that. A bad picture is SO much better than an invisible one. Don't cha think!




Another problem is that I have (and there are many) TOO MANY IDEAS regarding organization. I have to pick one and stick to it. I tend to try to do them all. At the same time. Doesn't work. So I have decided to give it a go....

I have to decide on a method and stick to it. So I am making this vow. Out here on the web. For all to see, if they choose to.

"I, Jana, being of mostly sound mind and a somewhat lesser sound body, do hereby declare that I WILL attempt to get pictures printed. I WILL start with the most recent. I WILL then add older ones into my mix. I will try to spend at least 20 minutes every week sorting pictures and putting them into folders to print. This way when there is a sale at one of the digital photo processing sites, I won't be up until 2:00 am."

P.S. Winkflash is having a sale right now. 4x6 photos for $0.05 and 5x7's for $0.10.
I just ordered over 500 photos from last year for just under $50.00. Code is SALE510

2010... the year of VISION

VISION has many slightly different definitions.

According to Merriam-Webster it means:

- 1 a : something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy; especially : a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation b : a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination c : a manifestation to the senses of something immaterial

- 2 a : the act or power of imagination b (1) : mode of seeing or conceiving (2) : unusual discernment or foresight c : direct mystical awareness of the supernatural usually in visible form

-3 a : the act or power of seeing : sight b : the special sense by which the qualities of an object (as color, luminosity, shape, and size) constituting its appearance are perceived through a process in which light rays entering the eye are transformed by the retina into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve

-4 a : something seen b : a lovely or charming sight

I think that all of them are applicable to my goals. Most fitting are 1a and 4b. I want my dreams to be realized (word from 2009). In order for this to occur, I need to visualize.

***************

"I think VISION is my word. I can accomplish anything I set my mind to with a VISION. I need to do many things that I have been putting off. 2010 is the year." - my comment on Ali's blog regarding One Little Word for 2010

There are many, many words that would work with my goals/plans for 2010.

But I am going with VISION for many reasons.

As I said, I usually accomplish more if I can visualize "IT". I need to:

* Get healthy. Eat better. Eat less. Weigh less.
* Get moving - as in excersize.
* Organize my craft room (purge).
* Gain a better relationship with my teenage daughters. It isn't really bad, I just know it could be better.
* Attain the marriage I think I deserve. Schedule more dates.
* Appreciate my youngest more. She is growing way too quickly.
* Dress better. (see first goal.)
* Blog better. I am already off to a good start. Don't cha think?!?!
* Take better care of myself in general. I recently have been diagnosed with Acute Angle Glaucoma. Nothing I did to cause it, but it is scary. I have to have surgery on both eyes in the next few weeks. Surgery that is necessary to keep my VISION. (another reason for my word)
* Make more specific lists. Part of my dilemna is that I am too general. I need to start getting down to the nitty gritty.

I intend to use this blog to help me accomplish my VISION. You poor visitors will have to endure tedious posts until I can get the hang of it. Thanks for supporting me on this journey.