New Releases from Close to My Heart!

The New Catalogue is online as of MAY 1!!! But here's a sneak preview of the paper packs coming out...

Tinkerin'

Moon Doggie

Bella

Backcountry

Animal Crackers

When Art Inspires Life

Stuff of Life

So instead of just watching the videos on Youtube, today we finally sat down and did a little life imitating art session, just me and Miriam! What fun! And since she already had seen the video, she kind of had an idea where we were going with the whole project! What do you think? Totally cute, or what? Later we adapted the design and made a similar card using layered flowers. Here's the Miriam and her final product, and the video by our heroine, Kristina Werner!

Stuff of Life

I'm it!

I found this photo in the fourth folder, fourth picture. My boy Finnegan watering our rand new garden last summer. Believe it or now, by the end of the summer you couldn't see the dirt through the plants. My garden makes me happy! (Oh, except the clematis in the back there which I'm pretty sure up and died on us). Aren't the lilies soooo beautiful?! And there is one little plant in there that got to be about 3 feet tall and about 3 feet in diameter too, much to my surprise! There will be some shuffling of plants this spring! Oh, I can't wait for spring!

Reflections on Idiocy: an essay in one part.

Stuff of Life

Am I crazy? No, seriously. Am I? That's what I've been asking myself for the past few weeks as I've realized the immensity of the task before me in my Master's Degree. What kind of an idiot was I to think I could finish a Masters, including a thesis might I add, while raising three children four and under? That's what I've been wondering for the past while.

Needless to say, as evidenced above, the stress might finally be getting to me. You see, it was all fine and dandy before when I was taking courses where the professors said "Here. Read this and respond in 300 words by Friday." That was okay. They told me what to read, how to respond, and gave me a hard timeline to do it in. I'm good at external motivation.

Now I have to 1) figure out what articles to read by deciding if they a) address my topic, b) are quality research, and c) are important enough to include in a literature review, then 2) read the articles and reflect on them in some undefined way to be decided on by your truly, and 3) amass a number of related articles into some sort of coherent written format known as a "Literature Review". The ONLY external motivation i really have is a due date. 9 days from today. Rough draft "just to see what you've got so far" we've been told, but in my mind if it isn't essentially finished I'm going to look like the big turd who bribed someone to let her into grad studies.

And, to complain just a wee bit more, the other people in my course are all full time students. FULL TIME! None of them have small children at home. All of them sleep when they want, eat when they want, study when they want. Okay, I'm not bitter. They were smart. They thought "I should a) get this done before I start having kids or b) wait till the kids are out of the house before I start." But I am a little bit miffed that they have a bit of an advantage. And you know I can't handle being anything but the best, so this is just extra stress, because how can I possibly be better than people who have all day to immerse themselves in their learning.

I know, you're probably thinking "Hey dumb-dumb, if you weren't blogging you'd probably be better off than you are now." Okay. Point taken. I just had to let it all out. I'm off to find another highly engaging topically relevant article with which to woo my readers (all five of them - 3 committee, Jim and my mother.) Wish me luck. Or better yet, "say a little prayer for me."

Over and most definitely out!

On This Day...

Stuff of Life

I took only 3 pictures today because I wanted to mark a momentous occasion and show who you were on this day.

You have no idea of the changes happening in our world today. You have no idea that 50 years ago, the inauguration of an African American President was unfathomable; that 100 years ago it was impossible. So much change in what is really so little time. You will grow up seeing a different world than the world I saw when I was growing up. When I was growing up, the women's rights movement was still fighting for equality of treatment. When I was growing up, the environmentalists were just getting revved up with emphasis on recycling programs and the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) which are now 5 Rs (recover and the last I forget). When I was growing up I knew of the U.S.S.R and the iron curtain. When I was growing up, my world was different than the world is today.

Your world will be the same in some ways. There will still be groups fighting for fair treatment. The environment will still be a concern. There will be causes and movements. But today, on this day, your world changed. Your future changed. Because on this day your future changed to embrace a history that now includes diversity at the highest levels of government. I don't know if this government will be better than the last, if it will be very different at all. But on this day I felt hope and joy and pride in the American people, even though I am proudly Canadian. Listening to Barack Obama's speech, my eyes welled with tears of emotion for the great accomplishment this day represents.

Today is a new day sweeties.

Barack Obama's Inauguration Address

My fellow citizens,

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

All By Myself...

Stuff of Life Keepin' it real! Keepin' it jazzy! Keepin' it positive! Oh wait... I said keepin' it real... hmm... maybe positive isn't so "real". Gotta tell you, I've been feeling blue. I do not know how long this feeling is going to last. It just seems like everything is tainted with the same brush of cynicism and despair. What's with that? I'm not going to go into it any further than that. Suffice it to say I am not feeling like my usual self. Been wondering how bad it would be for me to buy a ticket to somewhere far away and just disappear for a week (or two!) sort of like Ashley Judd's character in the Ya Ya Sisterhood. Probably not a good idea! Also relating to Izzy from Grey's Anatomy. Not that I'm seeing a lost lover on a regular basis, just that she also seems so removed from the real life everyone around her is living. So if I'm not blogging much these days, that's why. Not that anyone cares since my readership is a big two people (hi mam. hi Melissa) Anyways... Signing off for a while...

Inspiration Times Two

Okay, I have to post these to my blog after seeing them at zenhabits. I had seen the Randy Pausch one before, but the Stanford speech is really good too. Check them both out if you haven't already seen them. The first is about an hour long. The second is 15 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&eurl=http://zenhabits.net/2008/08/top-5-most-inspirational-videos-on-youtube/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&eurl=http://zenhabits.net/2008/08/top-5-most-inspirational-videos-on-youtube/ Not sure how to embed the actual video here so you'll have to click the links and head over to Youtube to watch.

Habit Forming

Stuff of Life As a semi-follow-up to the last post on unresolutions, I thought I'd post about my new favourite life change site zenhabits.net There is so much there about simplifying life, I wish I could do it all. But I'm going to start with one challenge, and that is to form a new habit. Leo, the guy who writes the blog (and also has a book out by the way, check Amazon) says not to set a bunch of new years resolutions but rather to work towards forming a habit because a habit lasts longer. 9 Rules to Form a Habit How to succeed in THE POWER OF LESS Challenge 1. Only one habit. While you might have 3-5 habits you want to form, youʼll decrease your effectiveness if you try to do more than one at a time. Choose just ONE habit to focus on for one month. You can do the other habits in subsequent months.

The habit I am going to form is... jeepers, when I sit here frozen, mulling over what to fill in that blank, I actually have a hard time choosing. So I'm choosing not the thing I think will make me happiest (exercise 10 minutes daily so I can fit into non-maternity pants), but the thing that I know will change many things in a sort of domino effect, and that is this: My habit is to write in a prayer journal for 10 minutes a day.

2. Start small. Just commit to 10 minutes a day. This might sound too easy, but you will almost guarantee success if you do this. You can increase later. I've been inspired like this before, and thought to myself "10 minutes is such a minor change... I'm going for the half hour change!" and inevitably, I've failed every time. So I've learned, that maybe baby steps really are best. 3. Commit publicly. Join the forum on thepowerofless.com, introduce yourself, and post the habit youʼll be forming. Also tell as many people as possible -- friends, family, coworkers -- and post on your blog, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter or other service.

I'm not joining the forum, because that's one more daily internet distraction I just don't need. But I'm committing publicly here (okay so "public" really means to my sister and mother, who, I'm pretty sure are my only readers) and I'll update my status on facebook too.

4. Write your plan. Write out exactly what habit youʼll be forming, when you start, what time during the day youʼll be doing it, rewards you might give yourself, how youʼll overcome any potential obstacles. Write it down to succeed!

I'm going to write in a prayer journal for 10 minutes a day. Starting today, when the kids go down for naps and quiet time, the first thing I'll do, before anything else, is sit down in my comfy chair with a cup of tea and a nice pen and fresh journal page and just write. I won't edit my thoughts, or debate over wording. I'll just write my prayer to God, whatever is on my mind. I could follow A.C.T.S (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) format, but I probably won't. It'll just be me telling God what's going on, how I need help, and opening myself up to His voice in my life.

5. Find a trigger. Find something you already do consistently every day -- wake up, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, shower, arrive at work, have lunch, have dinner, anything -- and tie your new habit to this trigger. Do it every day RIGHT AFTER this trigger. My trigger is nap time/quiet time! If, for some odd reason, these don't occur on a certain day, I'll do it when the kids go to bed at night. But let's be honest... I live for nap time and I don't sway from THAT routine too often! 6. Be consistent. Do not miss a day. Try to get a streak going -- 30 straight days! If you miss a day, keep going, but the more consistent you are, the more likely the habit will stick. Aiming for 30 days! 7. Report progress. Every day, report your progress on the Challenge forumʼs daily thread. I'll report back here daily. 8. Motivate. Give yourself rewards each week. In fact, give yourself a reward each of the first few days, and then weekly after that.

Gotta be honest, I like rewards... I don't treat myself too often. So, for the first week, each day after I write in my prayer journal, I will treat myself to... um... chocolate. Okay, I know this really defeats my other secret goal that I would magically become a size 10, but I can't think of anything that is smallish and something I would look forward to. But to make it better, I'm not going to oink out on a whole chocolate bar. I'll get 7 nice individual chocolates from Purdy's or Laura Secord's or Bernard Callbeaut. Today I might not have time to pick up so I'll satisfy myself by breaking off part of my chocolate M from Christmas. It's not high quality, but hey, chocolate is chocolate!

9. Be positive. Keep a positive attitude throughout the entire challenge to be successful. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, squash them like a bug! And replace them with positive thoughts. It really works.

This might be the hardest of all. Struggling with the whole negative self perception these days, but I'll give it a try.

The other suggestion along with the habit formation is to use the habitmantra:

I MAKE A SOLEMN OATH TO MYSELF - I WILL NOT MISS A DAY OF COMPLETING MY NEW HABIT. THIS SMALL TIME I WILL SPEND ON THE NEW HABIT IS A TINY PRICE TO PAY FOR SUCCESS.

I'm not so into mantras, but I will write this verse and post it on my fridge (which I visit frequently during the day) as a reminder and encouragement and mini-prayer:

Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Psalm 102:1.

New Years UnResolutions

Stuff of Life I’ve read a bunch of blogs today and it seems like most everyone has set some type of resolution for themselves. Things like lose weight, exercise, do more crafting, read, memorize scripture etc… For some reason I just have not gotten into the whole resolution idea this year. In the past I’ve successfully read the bible front to back, and read my bible daily as resolutions. This year? I don’t know. I guess I’m either not motivated, or already so convinced I’ll fail that I don’t want to resolve to do anything! But if I did resolve to do something, I’d probably have a list something like this: 1) Pray daily and keep a prayer journal. I love journaling, but rarely maintain the habit for any longer than a month at a time! 2) Read my bible and work on memorizing scripture (still working on that psalm from oh-so-long-ago!) 3) Engage my children in something new and interesting each day. Even if it’s just a little something, some days I feel like my kids just did the same-old-same-old! I know repetitive play is important, but a fun craft, or cooking activity or even new song makes the day a little less ordinary! 4) Take care of myself. This includes little things like making sure I get dressed and brush my hair before, say, eleven in the morning (!!!), eating foods that are not grain or dairy based (i.e. fruits and veggies!), exercising even once in a while and doing things that other people do for themselves but which I somehow feel I don’t deserve (like getting a hair cut, or buying clothes so I can finally stop wearing maternity clothes!) 5) Limit my on-line time. Actually this really should be a goal of mine. I am addicted to facebook and checking on other people’s blogs and following random links into the vast universe of the world wide web! Seriously a waste of time and energy. I would be so much better off just doing something rather than watching what other people are doing! 6) Try not to get library fines. I am not going to tell you how big my fines are. Suffice it to say they are big. Really big! 7) Hang out with my husband more often. You’d think that the fact that we share a house and 3 children would naturally lead to spending time together, but surprisingly this is not so. When the kids are conscious we’re both engaged in a sort of zone-defence parenting, and when they’re sleeping this last year we’ve both been fully engaed in creating lecture materials for Jim’s lectures in bio, micro, and chem. Whee. No, seriously. Whee. I’ll stop at 7 before I start really looking at how much I’d like to change in my life, and get truly depressed! Well, if you have a resolution, I hope you succeed! As for me, my resolutions are usually set in the morning, forgotten by mid-day, remembered in the evening, and sometimes scrambled to achieve in the evening or held over for another day! Cheers!

Stuff of Life I just went back and re-read one of my blogs which had left off with a bit of a "cliff hanger." I mentioned our trip to the West Edmonton Mall waterpark, and my MRI experience! I thought maybe I'd fill you in on the details today. First, the MRI. I decided to participate in a University of Alberta study on post-partum depression and glucose levels in certain areas of the brain (at least I think it was glucose... it was related anyways). At the time I was nearly 8 months post-partum, and I was still dealing with some of the aftereffects of giving birth in terms of finding balance emotionally and what-not. As well, I figure it's important to help where you can with research. especially if it may lead to quality of life improvements for others. The good thing about the study was that childcare was provided! I seriously would not have participated if it wasn't... if I arrange childcare myself, trust me, I am NOT using to participate in medical research! So the nurse in the office took the kiddies and played with them in a little room full of toys, and took them for a walk and even bought them french fries! They were quite happy with the whole experience. As for myself, I answered a LOT of questions about myself, my history, my family, my medical history (surgeries, etc...). I have to tell you right now that that sort of interview process reeeealy makes me look crazy on paper! The question about have you ever seen visions or heard voices in your head - my answer was "yes." Now tell me that doesn't make you think I'm just a wee bit unbalanced! Of course I had to explain that it was during a prayer experience many years ago and it wasn't so much an audible voice as a sort of understandable wordless presence... okay, I just realized that no matter how I explain it, I'm gonna look weird on paper! Oh well. That's me. It's who I am! I've been in an MRI machine before for my knee, but this was completely different because they were doing a brain scan, so as well as being inserted in a very narrow tube, I also had this visor-like thing around my head. Quite claustrophobia inducing really! They had attached a mirror to the visor so that you could see out the end of the tube to the clock on the wall, but that's about it! As well the clock appeared not only upside down, but backwards as well so tellin time was quite a brain teaser! I decided to close my eyes for as long as I could so that my anxiety about a small semi-enclosed space would decrease... what you can't see can't hurt you, right? So after 15 minutes I opened my eyes, checked the time, and closed them again. Ten minutes passed... check the clock... close my eyes... five minutes... check... five... check... I should tell you that the MRI machine is REALLY LOUD! I had earplugs in (yuck they gross me out) and those ear protectors like you see air traffic controllers on the runway wearing. But it was still a lot of banging and clicking and thumping. The magnets in the machine are really strong and basically what they do is polarize all the atoms (molecules?) in your body by spinning them with the magnets, then they "release" the molecules and take pictures while the molecules reorient themselves. Some molecules reorient slower than others so that's how they can take pictures and tell one kind of molecule (e.g. glucose) from another (e.g. protein). It doesn't hurt... in fact you can't feel anything. So there I am in the machine and I'm hearing: boom... click... kang kang kang... buh-boom... tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat... brrrrrrrrrrr... king... king... boom... And so forth. And I'm waiting for time to pass thinking this will definitely be worth the $150 bonus they give for participating (which I'm using to treat myself to scrapbooking supplies and which, by the way, they haven't sent me yet, so I'll have to e-mail and remind them). And the last time I looked at the clock there was 25 minutes left. The next thing I know there's a bright light and I'm being extracted from the machine. I had fallen asleep. That's like falling asleep next to a jackhammer! Well, it just goes to show how tired a mother of 3 can get! REALLY TIRED! Well, I intended to share about WEM, but I'm going to go take a bath gefore wrapping Christmas presents! Scrapbook Idea of the Day Another Layout for you... this time without pictures! Yes. I am the great unfinisher! Used the Symphony (I think that's the title) paper pack and some chipoard letters which i covered with the paper (see detail above). I also ran a pice of the solid paper through an embossing/diecutting machine then sanded the embossed areas to bring out the pattern (see bottom right of the left page. All in all it turned out okay. I really like the papers, but have to find pictures to match!