Speaking of hybrids

Have so enjoyed having my van back today!

It's been getting a new transmission for over a week and I think that was the reason for some really cranky moments over the last couple of days.

Between the cost of fixing a car we were thinking about selling anyway, sharing just one car between two drivers and that one car being the truck I'm not comfortable driving, it's been a pain.

Much improved attitude today.

Now it's time to start thinking about what to replace the van with - we're not waiting for this transmission (the third in this car!) to go out...

And we've pretty much outgrown the minivan stage.

• There won't be any more family trips where we need to spread the kids out so they don't cause serious harm to one another (unless you count the occasional 15 minute trip to a restaurant during the holidays.)
  
  
• No more field trips with 5 unruly 4th graders eating snacks, making rude noises and complaining that they're about to be sick.
  
  
• It's been months since anyone sat in the back-back seat
  
  
• The truck is the obvious choice when it comes to transporting large objects.

It's definitely time for something a little smaller and greener.

Hybrid comes to mind

Yep, it's true. Introverted people are not energized by spending lots of time socializing.

Realized that yesterday after a busy, friend and family filled week. So, I spent pretty much the entire day sitting at my computer working on digital scrapbooking layouts for an online class I'm taking at Big Picture Scrapbooking and ignoring everyone around me.

I was hoping to be swayed toward doing some digital scrapbooking (and learn how to use Photoshop Elements correctly in the process...)


I've seen some absolutely gorgeous layouts in magazines that you'd never guess were done digitally. They're really quite inspiring and I keep thinking that digital scrapping would be a most logical thing for me to try. It's tidy, cheap and I can do it sitting right at my computer at any time of the day or night - even shopping for "supplies".

I have my spiffy slr camera, some serviceable software, a reasonably functional printer and the desire to try it...

But i'm just so tactile.

The feel of the paper and paint and ribbon and wire and...and... And the weight, even the smell (maybe not so much the taste, though) How can a flat piece of photo paper compete - no matter how amazing the subject printed upon it?

The class started a bit slow with basic color blocked layouts, but in the end, that worked out well since it gave me a chance to work on those PSE skills without being cognitively challenged. But clearly, we were not making those incredible pages from the magazines.


Once we started adding some embellishments and even better, making some embellishments, things definately picked up. At some point I started to have a lot of fun. Do you know how much I love drop shadows? (And yes, I do realize I've gone overboard with them, but I'll get over it eventually.)


There's only one week left of the class and at this point, I've done what I set out to do - learn about PSE and try digital scrapbooking.

I have to say, I don't think I've been converted...

but I may end up doing some hybrid scrapping - just so I can keep using those drop shadows and bevels. YEAH!

I just don't get it

I went to a wonderful, amazing English tea/baby shower yesterday. There was a most boggling amount and variety of foods; tea sandwiches, shortbread, eclairs, quiche-y things, sausage rolls, pavlova, scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, piping hot tea... The sandwiches were lovely - cucumber, salmon, some sort of beef and Marmite.

Just as we sat down, our British hostess asked us what we thought of English cooking now, and of course, with the delectable spread before us, what could we say but that, obviously, we tacky Americans were totally clueless when it came to the delights of English cooking -

and then we tasted the Marmite.

I struggle a bit with the idea of clotted anything and curds in any form sound rather unappetizing but they taste so yummy their names can be overcome.

Marmite sounds ok - rather like a cute little forest creature (not that I'd eat a cute little forest creature) and well, I have eaten a few odd things in my life, slippery critters, fermented veggies, an insect or two, so how bad could a little yeast extract be?

Bad, bad, very bad. Gaggy bad. Why did you try to poison us bad. So much for English cooking.

But the baby was adorable and everything else was divine! Just don't eat the Marmite.

She caves in

So.
Like many others, I've decided to join the ranks of bloggers.
Questions abound...
What in the world will I put up here?
Are there really enough coherent thoughts in my head to do more than one posting?
Do I want to share those thoughts?
What is the point?
Will I stick with this for any length of time?
Is it conceivable that anyone (besides me) would possibly want to read my ramblings?
If so, why?

Oh well, it doesn't cost anything to start and perhaps I will discover a whole new side of (choose one or more)
[ ] myself
[ ] the world
[ ] a mossy rock

So here's to mossy rocks!