Addiction

On Thursday I decided that I am officially addicted to caffeine. I love Starbucks Chai Tea and usually can't help but get one at least every other day. If I go longer than that I have a major headache that I can't get rid of unless I sleep it off. So I don't know if that makes it OK to continue with my Chai Tea addiction or if I sure really work to wean myself off of it. I know I can't go without it cold-turkey. I like coffee, too, but find Starbucks coffee way to rich for me even with vanilla or other flavoring added to it. Although, I do love their Pumpkin Latte in the fall. Kristen got me a gold card for Christmas last year and I now get 10% off on my chai tea! I put money on the card, too, and it makes the transaction go a lot quicker. OK....I know I need to cut back and I'm trying. ;-)

Another addiction I have that I have no intentions of giving up is knitting. I only wish I had more time for it. It's a great pasttime to have and it's generally something you can do while watching tv. I can do this if the pattern isn't to intricate. I finished the crocheted scarf pictured in an earlier post and now I've started this one, knitted with wool yarn. I love how this one is comingn along. It has a pretty design to it. What do you think?

Going back to school has made it really difficult to do the things I love to do. Hobbies are important stress relievers and I need to get back to knitting and keep it a regular thing. I keep it upstairs near my big green chair. Some nights I knit an hour or so before I jump in bed and some nights I'll read. Last night I did both.





I get lots of help, too. Sophie can't figure out why she has to wait so long in between ball-throwing. Here she is waiting patiently for me to get a row done and throw her ball for her!

Enjoy your weekend. I'm off to Quiznos for lunch with hubby.

Clutter

I'm a Virgo. Born August 30. Virgo's are commended on organization. I feel I've been slacking in that department. I'm not really any busier than I was 15-20 years ago other than I am taking classes in the evenings. It could be stress related. I haven't been able to find a full-time office job and it is starting to get me down. I'm gaining weight because I'm not active. Walking the dog every day isn't cutting it. A gym is unaffordable right now.

I used to be able to keep all of my ducks in perfect order but now it seems like my desk at home is always cluttered. It's clean, but it's cluttered. I pick it up, organize it and before I know it, it's cluttered again.

I'm a scrapbooker and have been a Creative Memories consultant for almost 13 years. I enjoy it and am now turning to our digital products which are awesome. Using StoryBook Creator Plus software lets you create digital pages, cards, and bound books that are beautifully done. You can purchase and download additional embellishments and papers (digital) from my website to add interest. There are even Freebies there that you can use. I love it and many of my current clients are giving it a shot, too. Traditional scrapbooking will always be here, but technology is taking over and I want to move with the changing times.

My favorite part of digital scrapbooking is that there is little mess. Well......once I get all of my old photos scanned and organized into Memory Manager, that is. This is what is currently cluttering my desk. I've sorted all of my photos and started scanning one box at a time. I'm really only interested in scanning the Old, Old photos. The photos of my parents and their families and my husband's old family photos. The old sepia and black and whites. At least this is where I want to start. I have more color photos that also apply to being "old", but they will come later.

I've made 3 StoryBooks and several 12x12 prints. My first was an 8x8 book on my Jack Russell Terrier, Sophie, from the time we brought her home until she was 2. It was done will plain, black photos with white mats and white journaling. I love it. The 2nd one I did was for my daughter, Sarah and her fiance, Brian. It is an 8x8 book of them enjoying their week here in California. Disnyeland, Universal Studios, the beach, etc. Brian had never flown anywhere or even been too far out of MN, other than Fargo, ND and Iowa I believe, so this was fun for him. They loved the book and have showed it off to Brian's family and my sister's family in Roseau/Badger.

The 3rd book I created is an 11 x 8.5 landscape style album. It's of our trip to northern MN for Christmas in 2007. I used all of our new Christmas kits (digital). It turned out nice and I sent my sister a copy of the book. A lot of the book features my 11 year old great nephews, Kasey and Brandon.

I've also done Posters, 12x12 Pages for traditional albums, tons of 4x6 cards for business and personal use, and more. You can download a FREE version of this software from my website www.mycmsite.com/janetfortman and check it out. It doesn't include all of the features the Plus version has so be forwarned, but it will give you an idea of how simple it is to use and how creative you can be without even trying. It's so much more economical, too. And best of all....no papers, stickers, and tools to keep on hand!! The downloads range from $3.95 - $9.95 and worth every penny because they can be used over and over again.

Back to organization.....I think another reason for not being so concerned about being organized is that our daughters are now grown and I don't feel like I need to be as organized. EVERYONE tells me I am so organized so maybe my version of organized is different from what someone else perceives. I do have my CM supplies very organized, labeled and priced, but my personal "life" doesn't stay organized as well. Probably because it really isn't necessary as long as it's not out in front of anyone else to see. :-)

My goal for this week is to get through more of the scanning and put away some of these old photos in their Power Sort Boxes once again. I think once that is done I will be able to go through our extra bedroom and clear out a lot of "junk" that I know I'm never going to get back to dealing with. I need an Ebay account I think. I might be able to make some $$ on some of the things I've collected throughout the years. How about you?

It's Monday and the beginning of another week for me.

This weekend I went shopping for yarn. I bought a skein of red worsted weight for a scarf I wanted to cropchet. Here's a photo of what I've done so far. It was very simple and I should finish it tonight while watching "Medium".

I also bought 2 balls of yarn for another scarf. This scarf is more elegant and not as bulky and it is knitted and very pretty. I bought red medium weight yarn and somehow Sophie thinks it's for her because she is continually sticking her nose in that bag. Maybe it's time to find a pattern for a dog sweater? Once that scarf is complete I will post a photo of it. Then I want to start on an afghan. I found a knitted pattern that I really like but I still haven't found the shade of brown I want and nobody in the area has 16 skeins of it, so I may need to order the yarn online.

Today is such a quiet day. Kristen is working at Starbucks and should be home shortly. I've already run my errands this morning. I had to go to RCC to drop off a copy of my birth certificate so I could add my maiden name to my account. That way my transcripts from 30 years ago will find there way to the right student! I had to swing by the post office to mail some postcards to Creative Memories customers I haven't seen in over a year or more alerting them to the fact that our page sizes have changed. That way if they have an incomplete album and not enough of the retiring pages for it they can order them before they are gone.

Tomorrow night I have my First Aid/CPR BLS written exam. I think I'm ready for it. More later.

My First Blog

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for being interested enough to come and visit my very FIRST personal Blog. I've wanted to do this for a few years but just haven't made the time to get to it.

I want to make this Blog interesting so you will want to come here often for ideas and inspiration. As most of you know, I have been a Creative Memories Scrapbook Consultant since 1996 and still enjoy it so much. I have met some great ladies through Creative Memories and love holding crops in my home for you to get together and share your stories and photos with all. Since Creative Memories has hit the Digital World I am even more excited about it and very happy that we can now connect with each other using our personal websites, FaceBook, personal Blogs and more.

I went back to school last fall to earn my Associate's Degree. I'm really enjoying it so far. I've learned a lot already and each class I take is more interesting then the last. I was sure that I'd be in school with mostly young kids, but to my amazement there are more students my age in the evening classes. It sure made me more comfortable.

Some other hobbies I enjoy are reading, knitting, crocheting, and more. I want to share those things with all of you as well. I'd like this to be a nice place to enjoy while you sip on your morning coffee or cocoa or are up late at night with your head full of inspiration. I'm hoping that we can all share as a group and learn from each other.

The first time you visit my Blog, please take a moment to post introducing yourself telling how we met and anything else you would like to share. I think this will be a fun outlet for us all. Enjoy.