The Proofs

I just recieved my proofs back from my graduation. I narrowed it down to five pictures. Now I have to narrow it down to two. Which two do you like?

What do you think?

My niece just called me to go on the web to see her friend's web site sorryassbabydaddies.com. The site is supposed to be a forum for female single parents who are not getting child support to put their children's fathers on blast. I went through her site (misspellings and grammatical errors in all)and left with mixed feelings. First, there is a lot of drama because she posted her children's pictures on the site and people feel like she is exploiting them. Her reasoning is that when the news media and talk shows show children, aren't they exploiting them too or is that just business? Secondly her site is poorly edited and managed - not all her fault. Lastly, people ask what is the point? As a single parent I have to 90 percent agree. That kind of anger does not have a place in your home. How can you give your children all of your love,when you are filled with so much anger? It is not good for your physical or mental well-being. The other ten percent of me agrees that absent parents need to be held accountable. So many single parents (male and female) are struggling to give their children a better life than they had. A bigger issues is raising our daughters and sons to become parents by choice not by chance. Children do not come with instructions and parenthood is not something you should get into lightly. Now I agree for a lot of us single parents, our intent is for happily ever after - I know it was mine. I loved my children's father and I find comfort in the fact that they were born from that love. Yes, I wish things would have turned out differently but I know the only way to give my children a fair chance in life is to put away that negativity and be the best I can be. What do you think?

Alls well that ends well

Okay so much for my two day break. My dear bf has returned tonight (by the way he hates computers so he'll never read my blog :). We have an evening of pizza planned (I am having a salad instead) and checking out some movies. I am going to try to rent 16 Blocks and Freedomland, I've heard both of them were good movies. Maybe I'll stop and get my favorite Margarita mix too

Back to the salad thing, we have a cafeteria with a salad bar at work and it is the bomb. Today was my first time trying it, but it was great. Everything was fresh and there are at least eight dressings to choose from. It only costs 39 cents every 4 ounces and it was totally filling. I have been taking baby steps to a better me. I am eating more salads, veggies and fresh fruit, less meat, and drinking lots and lots of water. I truly have to work on my exercise regimen next. Right now I am focusing on walking more. I have gotten so use to jumping in my car just to go to the store three blocks away. I have also given up taking the elevator at work all the time (especially since I have gotten stuck twice in the elevator in the past month). Mentally, I am shopping for books - (any suggestions?) and I am renewing my subscription to Essence - how did I let it lapse? I also have to take the GMATs this summer so I can apply for grad school in January 2007.

It is funny how in our twenties we feel invincible and in our thirties we start appreciating our bodies more so we can make it through the forties, fifties, sixties, etc

Twice as nice

Two posts in one day! Here are a couple of layouts I managed to complete the past few weeks. This is my daughter on Easter. She is growing up so nicely, and she loves the camera.

She is also getting into photography. She wants to do a photo shoot of me – cool! I kept this simple - used wild asparagus double-sided paper, kraft paper and cut the hearts with my sizzilit dies. I cut the chipboard letters with my coluzzle - it can’t go all the way through the chipboard, but it gives me a guide to cut the letters by hand.

The next layout is of my niece and grand-nephew (her son). He started little league baseball this year; he has so much energy she has to keep him involved in sports. Maybe he’ll make All-American one year. I didn’t do anything special for this layout, I played with circles which was cool and I used my trusty but dusty hole punch to add a different visual element, three bugs in a rug paper.

This last layout is my favorite. I love the edgy look of the Cherry Arte paper so I used foam stamps for the word “urban”, brushed the edges with a dollar store toothbrush and doodled around it with white paint.
The chipboard scroll work is from fancy pants and I painted it gray and green to highlight some of the colors in the paper. The word “diva” is painted chipboard letters from Gin X. Then I added a black ribbon border. It definitely has the look I was going for.TFL.

I am now working on an album from the race for the cure. I wanted to incorporate a poem into it, but the first one to come to mind is Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou and although that is definitely on my list of favorite poems, it is so overdone. So if you know of any poems about women or sisterhood, let me know.

Missing you

I really miss blogging. I have had some changes in my life and I am trying to adapt. First, I can’t check anyone’s blog while I am at work. Due to security reasons, we are blocked from all blogging sites. That really sucks, since I rarely take an “official” lunch break (I rather use that time cyber surfing). So now I have to use the internet when I get home, which has become especially challenging. Since my bf had a stroke, we have been trying to tackle the hurdle of living together. Now to some of you it may seem strange that this is a challenge for me, but I have never lived with a man. I have lived with my sisters a couple times over the past seventeen years but for the most part I have been on my own. I have been a single parent for twelve years and I admit I like being in charge of my own space.

For some it is not that difficult, but for me just the small things (like using my cookie sheet to cook salmon, uuuuuugh!!) that simply drive me through the roof. The other thing is my bf is a homebody and that is good I guess, but then he wants me to spend every moment at home talking to him and watching the scifi channel. Now I know some of you are saying, “What is wrong with a little attention?” Well, I can’t get anything else done – No scrapping, no talking on the phone, no cleaning, no reading, no me time. I have been really trying not to complain because I don’t want him to take it the wrong way and I figure once we get use to sharing our space he will back off a little. So I sneak on the internet – I read your blogs on the way to the bathroom or kitchen or on the sly when I am vacuuming. I sneak and do layouts when he is at the barbershop and I love when he comes home late because I can clean up my scrap area. I feel so deceptive, but I do have a life outside of him, what to do????? Today I am free because he is angry with me and went back to his house (dare I say wooohooo?) So I am trying to catch up, post and comment on everyone’s blog. Here is a picture of us from my graduation. He doesn’t look spoiled does he? But we all know looks can be deceiving.