Whispering Woodlands

This past Sunday, I drove out to Verona, WI all by my self. I went to Whispering Woodlands for the Twirly Swirly Journal workshop with Ingrid Dijkers. It only took me two and a half hours to get there and I didn't get lost!

I met some great women and had a wonderful day playing and creating. It was very scenic and tranquil out in Verona, and Jackie's place was really cool!

Jackie's house is a dome and the entire lower level is dedicated to Whispering Woodlands. She has different instructors scheduled throughout the year to teach various mediums.

The class was small and I enjoyed the intimacy. I really loved talking with Ingrid about how she binds her books and the materials she uses. She demonstrated her process of putting a page together, and I find it interesting how we all attack a blank page differently.

This is the journal I put together. I'm really loving the construction of the book and I really want to bind more. We used a dremel to make the holes and I liked this WAAAAYYY better than using an awl.

See the elephants on the front cover? I bought an entire piece of scrapbooking paper just because I liked the image of the elephants! Crazy??? Ingrid and Jackie validated my purchase which led me to go back the other day and buy 4 more sheets of the same paper for when I want it again! The day definitely inspired me and I bought some of Ingrid's cool collage sheets! I'm not sure what I will do with the Steampunk images, but I'm sure something will emerge.

Next Saturday is my BIG, BIG, BIG Birthday! I can't believe it. Every day it seems as if time is just zooming by. My husband has insisted on having a party for all of our friends to celebrate this milestone. I'll keep you posted!

One month out

I can't believe it's already been 1 month since my surgery! Every day I am feeling better and PT is going well. My therapist kicks my ass 2x a week, but my goal is to be able to start working out again by June. I can already bend 10 degrees back. When I started 3 weeks ago, I couldn't bend at all! When I started, I could bend 30 degrees forward and now I can bend 70! Such excitement.

I was just given permission to start driving again - but only short jaunts! At least I'm not a prisoner anymore. My friends were fantastic, but I like having my independence without relying on anyone. I'm not good at asking for help.

Life has been busy even though I was out of commission for what seems like forever. My son turned 9, my husband also had a birthday and my daughter woke up last Saturday and decided she would finally learn to ride her bike without training wheels. Guess what? She did it! It just goes to show that when they are ready to do something, they will. Her older friend spent some time teaching her what to do and it was amazing to see! I am so proud of both girls.

Now that I can sit a little longer, I have been playing a little. I'm still feeling blocked but I know I have to keep plugging away to break through.

I'm thinking of adopting another Havanese! I have a call in to the rescue organization. We found a little girl that is so cute and I think it is important for Max to have a sibling since we don't know how much longer Flash will be with us.

One week post-op

I can't believe my surgery was already one week ago! I've been stuck in the house all week and I think I'm over the worst. Lots of bruising, pain and waiting for stitches to dissolve. I ended up bringing some supplies up to bed so I could try to journal a little. Yesterday I took Max (my Havanese love) for a walk around the block. It took me a long time, but I did it and know I am recovering and on the road to being better than before. I realize now I underestimated the pain and difficulty I was going to experience. I am to start PT this week, but was told I am not allowed to drive for the next 5-6 weeks. I will remain prisoner but at least the pain isn't excruciating anymore. Just tired and I keep stuffing my face to occupy myself. I mean really, how much daytime TV can one person watch?

While I was stuck in bed, I did some online shopping and bought supplies for stamp carving. Remember I said I was watching how to videos? Well, I carved 2 stamps the other day and am pretty happy with how they came out. I want to go to the dollar store to find kids' erasers to carve and anything else I might find. I can't believe we don't have any of those erasers in the house!? Traci Bunkers' book PRINT & STAMP LAB came the other day and I read the entire thing at once. Hope to find the motivation and ability to get into the groove again soon. Just SO tired & unmotivated. I need to snap out of it!!!!!

I carved the spiral and circular stamps!

Finally finished this page while I was stuck in bed. Lots of doodling! Different for me b/c I made this journal small - - - about 5 x 5 - - as a demo for a class I taught. I like it!

Oh, the pain!!!!

Last week was our spring vacation. I took my kids to NYC to visit my sister and her family. You see, my sister is my best friend and we talk every single day. Sometimes we talk more than once a day. About what? About life, stuff, nothing and everything.

I miss my sister terribly. She gets me more than any other person on this planet. She truly accepts me unconditionally and I know she is always there for me, no matter what. It had been
2 years since our last trip out east. Last year, my sister and her son came here. We had a blast like always, but I truly love NY!

Of course we had to go to Dylan's, Central Park, FAO Schwartz, Toys R Us in Times Square, Big Daddy's, the castle in CP, Grand Central Station and so much more.

Getting away to see her was important for us, our kids and it helped divert my attention. Remember how I herniated a disc? Well, I ended up needing surgery and it was set for April 1.
I am three days post - op and I can tell you the disc pain is gone! Amazing!!! However, the pain from the wound is real. No matter what I do, I feel it. I also feel awful from the medication. I have a few pages from my journals to post, but they aren't new. I'm not allowed to drive or lift or bend or twist or..... you get the idea. As I'm typing this, I feel lightheaded and nauseous and know it is time to go lay down again. When I've recovered more, I will definitely have more to post. I'm craving time to create. I've been watching videos on how to carve your own stamps and think I want to give it a try! Something else, I know. It's endless, isn't it??

Looking forward to finally being able to shower tomorrow.

stuff

I am ready for spring. I have the bug. It's itching like crazy. I know it because I have already started to purge. There is just too much stuff in the house and it just gets to me every year around this time. My kids love to save everything which kills me because I don't really save anything! Of course I save pictures and things my kids have made, but why does my daughter still like to take and save business cards? Can anyone explain this?

Here is a new page that evolved on it's own. I created the page way before I even knew what I was going to write on it. I love when that happens! I didn't even think about the fact that there was a monkey on the page and that what I was writing completely tied into the notion that we all, at times, have a monkey on our back.

Here are some other pages in the beginning stages. I'm trying to really get into the layering and messy/grungy look, but am finding it hard. I'm also trying to really let go and not think too much about the process of it all.

This is where we were exactly one week ago today. It was fantastic!!! 85 degrees, full sunshine, palm trees, turquoise water and fun at the beach all day long. Today, it is maybe 40 degrees, dreary and rainy here in the Chicago area. Yuck!!! I'd much rather live here.

Believe it or not, we were aboard this cruise ship for a week. We went on a Disney cruise! Was it fabulous?? Yes and no. Yes because we were with family for a full week. We had good food, saw UNBELIEVABLE shows and traveled to great spots. But you see, we are not Disney fanatics. After a while, it was sensory overload. Now don't get me wrong, our kids had a fantastic time (parties, dodgeball, basketball, movies, games, computers, experiments, etc.) but we just aren't into the whole Disney things. It's cute fun and all, but at a certain point it's just enough. On top of it, I just don't really get adults who tattoo Tinkerbell or Mickey on their body. A major disappointment were the pools. 3 pools and it was almost impossible to find a chaise. I mean really! Parents are supposed to relax on this trip with their kids, but there isn't enough room? On top of it, the pools were so small that everyone was just bobbing! Our kids wanted to swim and they were frustrated that there wasn't room. I was frustrated that with SO many people in such a small area, there wasn't a lifeguard! We had a great time but my husband and I agree that we would never do a Disney cruise again.

Two new spreads! So much fun just putting together a collage. It's theraputic. The purple page is not yet done, but I need to leave it for a while before continuing. I like doing that in fact. I will leave pages and jump around filling in as I want.

Getting ready for our trip! We are taking the kids on a Disney cruise. I've heard nothing but great things and I'm hoping to actually be able to sit in the sun and read. We are all looking forward to exploring the Mayan ruins in Cozumel and getting some sun!