PAPERLICIOUS

The Lunch Table

But, first a card!  I used an image from Stampin Up's Block Party to make a dent in my Christmas 2008 cards.  I used a variety of black inks to get a good image, but am still not satisfied.  Next time -- embossing!

Not sure how the lime cardstock (Memory Box) will look in the dead of winter, but it looks refreshing now! 

I know this card is enough to make a visit to Paperlicious worth your time, but wait, there's more!

$$ spent on crafting since 6/20/08:  0

If you are interested in a glimpse of a non stamping part of my life, keep reading.  Otherwise, go stamp!

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Several days a week I eat lunch in the cafeteria with a group of co-workers.  With the exception of one wild man, they are all lawyers, which means they are craft snobs.  They do not appreciate stamping.  Yes, they mock it, they mock me, and by definition, they mock you!

However, they secretly love my blog.  I know this because the other day they asked why "the lunch table" isn't on the blog.  I can think of a million reasons not to write about the Lunch Table, but since I'll write anything for readers, here's my story of the Lunch Table.

We are the geezers of the office -- the youngest at the table turned 50 a few years ago.  There is another table of "newbies" -- they've only been in the office for 10 years or so, although a few are really new -- some young enough to be our kids. 

We geezers discuss argue about all the things you aren't supposed to discuss in polite company because the Lunch Table is anything but -- religion, politics, retirement, death, moving to a smaller house, our parents' illnesses, first floor bedrooms, retirement, our illnesses, co-worker gossip, our kids' college search or college graduations, and retirement.  Screaming, threats to never return, blaming each other for the state of the economy, the price of gas, the war, whatever, is all fair game.  We excel at making up things -- filling in the holes of information in the office with wild speculation. 

We will talk about anything -- except "W."

Yes, that's the one thing that is taboo. 

No talking about work.  No law.  Ever.  Sure we discuss the office, but never the substance of work.  If it sneaks in, we immediately shout it down.  Why waste lunch with work??  Lunch is the oasis in a day otherwise filled with phone calls, kids, emails, faxes, dinner plans, emergencies, parents, meetings to discuss what to say at the next meeting (sometimes there is a pre-meeting to plan the pre-meeting to plan the meeting.  I'm not kidding.) 

And sometimes we glance over and talk about the young lunch table.  They discuss baby showers, vacations, how many kids to have, buying bigger houses and day care.  At least we think they do.  We are banned from that table, so we can only speculate.  One thing we know for sure -- the young table mocks us. 

We don't blame them.  We used to be the young table.

BAD Moms Gather Here

My name is Joan and I am a BAD Mom.

Something happened after college and law school that turned me from a reasonably bright person to one of the dumbest people on earth. It have happened in the delivery room.  I think they gave me some medicine that takes 17 years to affect your brain.  So, just when your kid turns 17, you become dumb, stupid, foolish, unreasonable, and totally clueless.  Oh, and I think I'm boring too.

So this is a public apology for

• making my son eat a vegetable or a fruit every day.  Yes, and when I say "a" vegetable or "a" fruit, I mean one teeny stalk of broccoli or one slice of a peach. 
  
• checking my kid's grades on the computer. Did you know that I am the "ONLY" parent in the whole school who does this?  Imagine.  What kind of bad luck does my poor thing son have??
• asking him how his day was at school!!!!  Oh, the horror.  Of course I know it is "fine" or maybe, if I'm really lucky, "good."
• reminding him to feed the his birds.  The ones that he begged us for. 
• reminding him to [fill in the blank!!]

Are you a BAD Mom too?   I hope so!  We BAD Moms have to stick together.

The "N" Word

I got a few emails asking me where I've been.  That was sweet.  I've run off and joined the circus!  I'm its chief juggler!  Perhaps that sounds familiar to you?

My Mom got sick again.  A trip to the ER, diagnosis:  another urinary tract infection and pneumonia.

I am unable to continue to handle all of this so the first thing that went was any energy for stamping.  Luckily, however, during one sleepless night this week, I found a great deal of fun and friendship on the Stampin Up demo side of the Splitcoaststampers board.  Sometimes, in our moments of intense drama, a little levity keeps you breathing.  Thanks ladies!

The next thing that has gone is my ability to continue working and being a Mom and a wife and a caretaker.  I'm not a very good juggler after all!

There are simply too many emergencies. I fell last week and injured my knee and arm and I think that added to my sense that things are spinning out of control. I need to do something -- the killer is what is the "something" that I need to do?  It is easy to say, take care of yourself, but there are realities ($$$) that put a limit on the options.

So I discussed this with my Mom over the phone.  I have never been able to have a decent conversation with her in person, but the phone provides just enough distance and a curtain so that we can each speak our minds.  I shared with her my inability to handle this.    She brought up the "N" word - Nursing Home. 

It was amazingly helpful for me to have my Mom offer that option.  She, frankly, hasn't been the most generous of spirit at times.  The last few years have been all about her.  So, she showed me the greatest love she has ever shown me by making that offer.  I felt loved by her and that isn't a feeling that I've felt a great deal over the years. 

I turned it down. 

For now.  I'm not ready for the N word as I don't think it is Necessary.  I've decided that they are my new N words -- Nursing home and Necessary. 

I'm not sure what decisions I will make as the days wear on, but thanks for being part of the ride.

I hope I can squeeze some energy and time this weekend for a bit of stamping.  But if not, my
stuff will be waiting for me. 

Actually, I Don't

In my last post, I talked about how "doing" is more important that feeling -- at least some of the time.  This just about sums up my life's philosophy. However, after Sharon posted this comment

"I completely understand. One minute my 89 yr old dad is as sweet as can be and the next minute he is trying to bite me as I am making him get out of his wet diapers. I want to whisper "go towards the light", but he doesn't do what I tell him to do anyway. ;)

(I might as well keep my sense of humor since my sanity seems to be draining quickly.)"

I thought of how little I really do.

I don't deal at all with my Mom physically.  I go to the office to earn the money so someone else makes sure she is clean.

I don't take her to the doctor or to get blood.  I work and pay the person who does that.

I don't really touch my Mom at all. I could write a whole blog on just that topic and but not now...

Anyway, here's a virtual huge round of applause for the folks like Sharon, family and paid, who really take care of the ill and the elderly. The ones who bathe and change diapers, feed and comb hair.  They are the ones who are the real do-ers. 

The rest of us fake it, just a bit.

I Do

Mike:  "ooh, I like this."
Me:  "Really?"  [always a dumb question]
Mike:  "Well, I like the colors.  I like bright colors."
Me:  "What don't you like?"
Mike:  Gesturing towards the pinwheel -- "It's kind of empty up there."
Me:  "It's all going in the blog..."

So, I added an Amuse twinkle in the center of the pinwheel and cut the bottom of the card. 

Supplies:  Stampin Up Orchid Opulence (still using it up) and White cardstock; Stampendous image and sentiment; very old Close To My Heart Gingham background; my Mom's pinking sheers for sewing (don't tell her I'm cutting paper with them!); SU markers and a Copic marker to color the SU Old Olive eyelet so it would kinda match the pinwheeel.

Since I haven't had an original idea in years, I must give a shout out to Julie Ebersole for the idea of stamping the pinwheel a few times to show motion....

For more of my life, click.  Some of you may not like what's beyond the click, but that's ok....

Mod Flowers/The Conversation

I wish I was amazing.  I want to be this rock star stamper, but I have to settle for me.  Whatever!

I love this little flower from the Stampin Up set Always.  The sentiment is an SU Rub On Love & Happiness.  It will take me years to use these up!  The white ones are great because stamping white on dark cardstock is pretty much a guaranteed disaster for me!

I made a window with a square punch on the Real Red cardstock and then adhered that window pane to white cardstock.  Using the stamp ma jig, I stamped the 4 flowers and then colored them in with SU markers.  Only then did it occur to me that I could have just stamped the flowers and punched them out instead of taking all that time to make a perfect window pane.  Duh.  However, it does look more like a real cut out in person.  So imagine genius....

Card size is 4" x 3 and 3/4".

Click if you are interested in hearing about my life, otherwise, stamp something special!