Homesick, Happy and Scrappy!

1995 - the night after our all night drive to Hershey, PA

Okay, after a picture of Kelly and me a couple days ago and now that picture today, you can tell I’m feeling a bit homesick! You see, home is not where you hang your hat, it’s where you hang your heart! I am VERY at-home in Toledo. I’m at-home anywhere David is. But, I am also at home wherever my family is, the ones God gave me at birth and the ones He has lead me to in life. That picture was taken in 1995. It’s John, Me, Tracy and Rich. Heather H. took the picture when we went back to our hotel room after dinner. We were exhausted! We had all met at Omnicom at 10PM the night before. Rich and I were working the night shift. We drove all night to Hershey, PA, the place where the air smells of chocolate, ahhhhh...

I’ll see everyone who can make it to Heather’s place this weekend for Games Night, but I really miss seeing them all more often! When I was in Michigan, Scott and I went to dinner every Wednesday and I’d meet Sheri or Tracy and Heather for coffee now and again. With the once again soaring gas prices and no current income, it sometimes just leaves me VERY homesick for the rest of my people! I’m lucky. David is great about making sure we get back to Michigan for Games Night every month!


Yesterday was a promising day in the job-hunt world! I usually make a point of calling 5:00 quitting time. That is, I close the browser that has my job hunt stuff on it and move on to something else. I read my personal email, scrapbook, blog or something completely non-computer, shudder that thought, I know, but there is laundry, cat staffing duties and the reality of being a modern-day Donna Reed. If I let myself become a job-hunt-a-holic I’d be so far behind I could slap my own butt. Then I’d probably not only get depressed about the job market, but my too easy to slap butt. So, I structure my day to keep sanity, optimism and balance in my world.

Ah, but I remain flexible! I finished up yesterday around 6:30, a little overtime is okay on occasion! Near the end of the day, I found, posted, a graphics job for a company I really wanted to work for but blew the phone screen interview 2 years ago. In that fateful interview, I got nervous and somehow managed to tell the screener that I really didn’t know how to use Photoshop, an essential piece of software for the job. Of course, I didn’t pass the phone screen. Funny thing is, all the photo manipulations, scrapbooking and even my designing work I DO on Photoshop! I am hoping and praying that this time, I get the chance to interview again and redeem myself! Send some good thoughts and prayers my way if you have the notion to!


Tomorrow I’ll be talking about the rebirth of Friday By Request, including links to the old FBRs. Those of you who’ve read the Chronicles on Yahoo are familiar with Friday By Request. I loved doing those blogs and I’m hoping that I can get them started again. I enjoy a good challenge and Friday By Request always got my brain and my creativity working. The feedback was always good too, so I guess it was entertaining too! That’s all I’ll say for now. The complete details will be posted tomorrow!


This is the scrapbook layout I did last night. The journaling is addressed to Tori and Rina. It’ a fun layout, just in time for Easter!

Easter 2001

Credits: Violet Spring by Pixelfairy’s Scraps, March Surprise Challenge at SFS by AnzecaW,
Bunnies & Chicks by Sweetz Scraps, and Bunnytrail by SJ Wright Creations

I’m working on my second scrapbooking kit. I’m thinking I may have it finished some time next week and available here for free, of course! In the mean time I have an add-on for "Train, Train. "It’s just a few elements that didn’t make it into the kit, but I also don’t want anyone to forget me as a designer!! LOL

The ad-on has 2 more backgrounds, a BNSF-orange weathered solid and stylized depot scene, a depot sign and a railroad tie frame. I wanted to do the tie-frame for the kit, but I didn’t have the right elements to make the element! I rectified that last week in Iowa, so the frame is an authentic Iowa railroad tie frame!

I hope if you downloaded “Train, Train” you’ll enjoy this complimenting freebie! If you use “Train, Train” or any of my kits to come, I’d love to see your layout! Sherrie, of RC Mama Designs posted the layout she did with the kit on her blog. It is a sweet layout! (Makes me itchy to use my own kit for a “Rina Layout” now!) I gotta tell ya, there’s a thrill in seeing someone else’s layouts with your work. I kinda liken it to seeing the programs I produced on someone else’s TV back in the day.
sorry, link is expired.