DO YOU THINK I'LL NEED TO EXPLAIN...

memories to my daughter, when I show her this?

This is my high school auditorium - in Lincoln, NE. It's being torn down this week.


(you can use your mouse and drag around a full 360° view)

It's smaller than I remember. And brighter. And starker.

The last time I was in this auditorium it was the final day of my senior year. 24 years ago, next month!

I was involved in plays, talent shows, speech competitions, try-outs and performances over the course of 3 years. After every "show" the tradition was to hide your name somewhere in the wings. What started as "hiding" became "decorating", which quickly turned into "graffiti". But it always so much fun looking at old signatures and trying to figure out what name went with what play.

We tried not to get too reckless when adding our names - but it happened of course. Layers upon layers of names and stories and dates and memories!

I just got an email that the Lincoln High School auditorium is being gutted this spring - and a total remodel is underway.

The cool folks at Roundus.com got into the auditorium and took a bunch of their awesome pictures. High-res, high-def, panoramic, yadda yadda - all I know is I sat here and cried looking at the pictures! Because the memories came flooding back.

I remember walking onto stage as a Senior, to emcee Joy Night (our talent show). I walked out to center stage, the spotlight hit me and I FROZE. I know, it's hard to imagine me speechless - but I was dumb-struck for about 20 seconds. I haven't thought about that moment in years.

I thought about the play I was in my Sophomore year - The Skin of Our Teeth by Thorton Wilder. We had a blast. The rehearsals, the costumes, the make-up, the after party. Yesterday I couldn't have told you the name of this play if you asked me - but right now, I can't stop thinking about it!

Memories are great. Because once we have them, they are ours forever.

So they are tearing down the auditorium. The signatures, the scribbles, the dates, the secrets, the whispers. The walls won't be there. The curtains won't either. And hopefully new seating is on order - but the memories surrounding the auditorium will remain. I just hope someone in Lincoln grabbed a few of the cinder blocks. Lincoln High is the oldest high school in the city and the auditorium is original architecture. Think of the tens of thousands of 17 year olds that passed by those bricks!

Thanks for the walk down memory land Roundus.com.
Thanks for the memories Lincoln High School.

And in case anyone finds a black can light with a 180° skirt on it - with "S. Morris '85" scribbled inside of the can - I'd love to get my hands on it!

until then...

MEDALS AND MORE MEDALS...

in the house!

The teen finished up her FFA season last night...and brought home a Silver medal! CONGRATS to her and the high school gang!

Considering they are a team of Sophomores - a silver is pretty impressive. (The gold medalists were from a different high school in the district...and were older!)

This brings her semester medal total to TWO. Her bronze was won at the State Competition for Entomology (that's bugs) and her silver, last night at the District Level, for Parliamentary Procedures.

Yep - I'm raising a FFA girl. Who'da thunk?

Congrats girlie - so proud of you!

until then...

A KISS ON THE CHIC...

rockin' the house this week!

Over at The Scrap Review - I was asked to give a monthly club kit the once over. The club I was assigned is called "A Kiss On The Chic" (the cuter-than-cute name should have clued me in to the fact that I was going to LOVE my assignment!). 

But - I was a bit panicky. I've never bought a club kit. I've never used a club kit. I've never even really been tempted by a club kit. Always afraid I was going to get sent a stack of stuff I never would have bought on my own, or supply "dogs".

Hard to be unbiased when I had all of those preconceived opinions - huh?

Well - enter April's kit! When Miss Laura, owner extraordinaire, sent me her box of goodies I knew I loved her when I laid eyes on the supplies. Anyone who picks that much orange and red SURELY is an awesome chick!

But since it was called "Childhood Boy" - there was also a fair dose of turquoise, blue, white and kraft. I love this kit! Full of Sassafras Lass, Jenni Bowlin, Cosmo Cricket, Fancy Pants Designs and two hand fulls of embellies.

OHMY - was one single Priority Mail box going to change my long-standing opinion?

YES IT WAS!

In one afternoon I easily finished these four pages.

non-kit supplies: orange and green cardstock and my QK Holly alphabet!

non-kit supplies: dark green and orange cardstock, and QuicKutz Oatmeal and Marigold fonts. (I also used some of the UPC barcode off of the Cosmo Cricket paper - that's the little orange and turquoise strip that says "this way for more trouble"...TOO CUTE to toss!)

non-kit supplies: white and black carstock, QuicKutz Honeybee, Chicago and Oatmeal fonts.

non-kit supplies: letter stickers from Scenic Route and Carolees.

And you know why this was easy? Because I cleared off my work surface, grabbed my adhesive, 6 pieces matching of cardstock, all of my QuicKutz alphabet dies and went to town.

I wasn't distracted with digging through piles, hunting for ribbon, picking through buttons or thinking I remembered some paper that I bought a while ago. It was all right there - all went together and was all FABULOUS!

Pop over to The Scrap Review - because we're giving away one A Kiss On The Chic - April Kit to a lucky commenter! It could be you!

In slightly humorous family news - check out the 13-year old's newest t-shirt...

Ignore the disaster area that is behind him...I've been on deadline for the past 3 days!

It's amazing how happy a $9 t-shirt from Target can make this kid! His sister tried to inform him that jr. high girls could be totally unamused with mold-jokes. But that didn't phase him!

You just gotta love a kid with confidence!

until then...

HERE'S WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND JOYOUS...

new year!

Sure, I know it's the end of March - but I've been so busy bloggin' for my "jobs" that I forget to take care of my own!

Isn't there a saying about the cobbler's kid having the worst looking shoes? Yeah - that's me and my blog. I admit it!

My mother reminds me at least once a month though.

So does my husband.

And my daughter.

And Deb.

So finally - I'm here bloggin', and hopefully can start a new routine of doing it more often than once every 3 months!

{I was impressed I remember my password!}

So here are some projects that I've made in the last week or two...just so I can say that I spruced up the place a bit with a fresh pictures...

I'm so into cards lately. Cards with die-cuts, cards with stamps, cards with Copics...cards cards cards. This is die-cut and colored with my Copic markers. Lovin' those things!

More coloring of stamped images. Thanks Terri for letting me borrow your Magnolia stamps - you've convinced me - I'm placing an order this week!

Scrapbook pages with brand new QuicKutz dies. Love these pictures of the kids - taken last December. They truly are superstars in my book!

Another scrapbook page - of the teen. Love this shot of her, and love that she's so excited about that big red "N"!

Had to do a page on this subject - ahhhh - spring time martinis. I make the best, I make the freshest - that's all there is to it! Don't believe me? Happy hour starts at 5:30 here - come taste for yourself!

So I'm blogging all over the place - and much more regularly than I blog for myself!

You can find me over at the Scrapy Land Blog - which is an awesome online store out of Florida. I'm blogging there on a VERY regular basis. I do scrappy challenges once a week, pass on crazy tips and suggestions - and generally try to keep everyone on track to staying crafty!

I'm also a contributing writer over at The Scrap Review - an amazing concept that my gal pal Emilie came up with last year. She gathered a group of awesome scrappers {totally honored to even be associated with this group) and we all pass on reviews and critiques and opinions of all things scrapbooky! This week my article is on kit clubs. Which meant I got to spend last week playing with A Kiss On The Chic's April kit - entitled "Childhood Boy". Loved this kit - loved the supplies - loved the colors and I just so happen to love the pages that I made.

Of course I'm slightly biased. But you'll forgive me - right?

I can't post the pages until they post over at The Scrap Review - but they'll be here tomorrow.

I promise!

until then...