Cuteness, right here...

Believe it or not, Baby is actually getting rather affectionate lately, and she is even going outside on the patio without completely freaking out. She is changing in her old age, I suppose, and she's also getting very fat because she is fed far too often. But you gotta love her.

This is going to be a short post because I have to go pick up my man shortly. Just wanted to share these pics before they get lost in the back of my hard-drive for while before finding their way onto a scrapbooking page.

Some new layouts. Because, sadly, I have nothing better to do on a Saturday night since my boyfriend has gone to a friend's cottage!

Just wanted to share what my wonderful man made for me the other day. I was in the mood to create, so I started experimenting with letter stamping. I think I *finally* got the hang of it. Then I cut out the heart and filed it, and couldn't help but think how cute it would look on a bracelet. So Patrick dug out some of his scraps and got creative, and this was the final result. Isn't having a jeweler as a boyfriend the greatest thing ever? I think so.

It's been a lazy few days for me! I've mostly been swimming, tanning, reading and working out. I really can't complain. The weather has been great and both pools (mine and Patrick's) are open, so we have our pick. His is hovering around 87 and mine just hit 80 today, so it's either bath water (good for night dips) or refreshing (good for combating the afternoon heat). I love, love, love summer.


I want to get back into the groove of taking photos every day. I think I will do the photo-a-day challenge for July. I've been taking some garden photos here and there and these are some of my favorites so far:

I also saw a free online photo-editing course offered with Jessica Sprague, so I think I might check that out. You can too, here.


I went to Julie's after the gym this evening, to help her tie bows on the wedding favors. I can't believe that the big day is only about a week away!!! The next little while is going to go by in a blur as we have a lot of events and such involving the wedding, plus Pat will be busy moving his friend Dave.


Anyways, it's getting rather late and I need to get to bed so that I can get up early enough to do the spinning class. I still need to get around to filling you all in on my book list! I'll try to do that tomorrow. I'll leave you with a page I did a week or two ago. Goodnight!

Another busy weekend has come and gone. This one blew out his candles on Saturday (well, his actual birthday was on Friday, but we celebrated on Saturday with friends and family).

On Friday I took him to hit golf balls, and then we went out for supper and a comedy show at the AMC with Julie and Ken, which was really good! Then on Saturday we had a supper at my place with my family, his dad and brother, and Nick and Dave. The rain held off and we were actually able to eat outside. It was pretty nice, and we were even able to make a fire later in the evening. The boys were even practicing their superhero skills... they will always be kids at heart, I guess.

In between Patrick's birthday celebrations was Alex's bridal shower. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera battery in the wall charger.... so no photos :( It was super nice, however, and they worked really hard on all the intricate details. The presentation was very nice, and the food was delicious. It was hard not to stuff myself, but I had to save some room for the dinner at home.

Yesterday we went to the cemetery to visit my grandfather's grave. Little did we know that there was actually a celebration going on. There were soldiers and veterans and media people there - I think they said it was the 100th anniversary of the Last Post Fund... or maybe it was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the cemetery... in any case, there was a big thing going on and we happened to arrive at the exact same time. It was kind of cool, actually, because they had little flags over each gravestone in the field of honor.

Today has been a pretty low-key day. I am in much need of getting back to the gym. That's actually where I'm headed very shortly, for the Jukari class. I am feeling better this week, thankfully, so I want to make sure I work out properly. I always feel icky and sluggish when I don't make the time to workout. Anyways, off to do that now...

Looks like it's going to be another really nice day, although I wouldn't be surprised if it rained again. I was actually happy that it rained yesterday evening, because I was getting to hot and bothered by the humidity. Normally I love the hot, hot heat, but I think because I'm sick right now, it was just making me irritable.

I don't know what I have, but I'm low energy, a bit out of breath, and generally "blah". I'm not overly stuffed up, and my throat is a little itchy. My eyes are also icky. And I have a lump on the side of my throat, which I'm assuming is a swollen gland. I'm going to visit the doctor shortly, so hopefully she can figure out what I have. I wasn't feeling well starting the weekend before last, but I pushed myself because there was so much going on. Then, I did quite a few rather intense classes at the gym last week, but wasn't able to keep up at the regular fitness level. That should have been more of a sign to me to stop, because now I feel like I'm paying for it. So I haven't worked out since Friday, which sucks, but I have to give my body a chance to heal.

It's Patrick's birthday of Friday. We might go to a comedy show, the one they have a the AMC. I think that should be pretty fun. I was going to plan something more extravagant, like a weekend getaway, but as it turns out, it's Alex's bridal shower the next day. It's going to be a busy weekend once again, but I don't mind. As long as it's well mapped out, then it should be a lot of fun.

At Pat's house, there is now an outside cat that I would gladly trade for his inside cat. Look how cute this is. The cat (named Henry 8 by Pat's sister, don't ask why) actually prays for you to give it food... it's the nicest cat ever, and he's always hanging around. He's actually taken to sleeping on their patio chairs. Baby, however, is not a happy camper. She sits at the screen door waiting to pounce. They hiss and attempt to claw at each other through the screen. I am so tempted to just let them go at it, but Baby could get an infection if she gets cut by the other cat...

Add to this excitement the family of 7 groundhogs that have made their home under his shed, and we have quite the animal fest going on! I haven't managed to get a decent photo of them yet, but here is an idea. Pat's dad says he has to find a way to get rid of them, but I'm not so sure he's looking for a humane way to do it :(

Well, I have to go get ready for my appointment, so more later. Have a great day.

My parents are going to book their trip to Punta Cana and I am majorly, majorly resisting the urge to go along. We were very close to doing so, but Pat and I have decided to pass in order to save money, since we have both only recently started to more seriously save for the future. Since I am used to vacationing each summer, and am such a sucker for the ocean and the sand, it's proving harder than I thought. But I just rummaged through a forgotten folder on my computer, named "creativity", which includes all kinds of fun ideas, pictures, links, etc, so that has given me the needed pick-me-up. We shall make our fun here, in the pool, tanning on the deck, and having the house to ourselves for a week (hopefully, if my brother is gone to Carm's). Plus, I have all kinds of planning to do for the weddings that I have to attend this summer. Julie wants me to say a few words for her, so I want to make sure I do her justice.

It's a work weekend at the library. I enjoy having something to do, rummaging the shelves and finding books to bring home. I've printed my "must read" list that I'd been saving for the summer, when I have more time - well here is the opportunity! Also, I get to catch up with Julie, so that's always fun.

I was looking through some quotes before (part of the pick-me-up) and here's one I quite like. It's possible I've posted it before because its just seems to resonate with me:

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony." ---William Ellery Channing

Well, I think I will do a bit of digi-scrapping before I go to work. But first I'll share a page I did a few days ago. I've been experimenting with different brushes, all of which I found for free (yes, free!!). I have not had the urge to buy any "real" scrap supplies for months now, so looks like I finally found something to treat the disease. Anyways, have a great day, enjoy the beautiful weather!