ruby red life

2010-02-17T08:48:00.002-06:00

OK, so I know its been forever since I posted, but I didn't want to lose this picture in cyberspace. I WANT THIS KITCHEN!!!! This is the best room I've ever seen!

Beautiful inspiration...

2009-06-02T14:44:00.002-05:00

Feeling pretty farm-girl lately. Craving vintage linens, fresh squeezed lemonade, and picnics.
(random images from flickr/websurfing...sorry no links)

2009-02-01T23:29:00.001-06:00

This band, Elbow

Is wonderful. Check out this video!

2009-01-05T14:22:00.002-06:00

This list of 100 Things is floating around in blogland. The things I've done, I've asterisk-ed.....
**1. Started your own blog
**2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
**7. Been to Disneyland
**8. Held a praying mantis
**9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
**14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
**16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
**18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
**21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
**23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
**24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
**26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
**30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
**39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
**41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
**46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48.Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
**51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
**52. Walked in the rain
**53. Played in the mud
**54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
**61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
**67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
**69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
**75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
**77. Broken a bone
**78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published in a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
**88. Had chickenpox
**89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
**91. Met someone famous
**92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
**94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
**98. Owned a cell phone
**99. Been stung by a bee
**100. Read an entire book in one day

Let me see yours now...

cuteness

2008-11-19T14:45:00.000-06:00

Cutest.video.ever.

Hey Hey Hey!

2008-10-02T21:38:00.002-05:00

Heading out of town for a little visit to Springfield this weekend! Here's some pics for you. Of course, the cutie pie girl, and some goodies from the new vintage section of my etsy shop!

Rainbow Girl

2008-09-23T09:15:00.001-05:00

Rainbow Girl, originally uploaded by lydie3.

Just the cutest girl in the world for your Tuesday morning pleasure!

Super good picture post

2008-07-29T21:48:00.002-05:00

Wow! Finally some new pictures.
The first two are from a trip to Indiana in the spring. They do a "chalk walk" in downtown Jasper, IN, and some of the art is really nice.
The next one is in the backyard. We have horses in our backyard! Not our horses, just our neighbor's.
And the last one is of Annie's new sunglasses for this summer. Just like Uncle Will!

2008-07-21T10:00:00.002-05:00

Long time, no post! I've just been so busy being internationally famous...sitting for portraits, etc.

Sooooo cute!

2008-05-21T00:54:00.001-05:00

Robot Love, originally uploaded by lydie3.

Robot Love on flickr.

monday mosaic

2008-04-28T23:03:00.001-05:00

monday mosaic, originally uploaded by lydie3.

Team ESST Super Spring Supply Sale!!!

2008-04-17T08:08:00.003-05:00

Get ready to run to your computer because this huge sale begins TODAY!
The ESST Super Spring Supply Sale!
From April 17th through April 20, participating ESST shops will have sales for you to stock up on your favorite necessities and fun items for your creative needs. Many of our supply shops are offering a percentage off of some or all of their items and some are offering free or discounted shipping and there will be some that already offer items at low cost. Be sure to check shop announcements and profiles for each shops sale and shipping announcements
Don't miss it.

*Type ESST in the search box to see all our shops*

***I am offering free shipping if you purchase 2 kits! Happy Shopping!***

Look at that!

2008-03-10T23:20:00.001-05:00

First Lost Tooth!, originally uploaded by lydie3.

She lost a tooth! Finally!

2008-03-10T23:19:00.001-05:00

She likes to stick her tongue in the empty space!, originally uploaded by lydie3.

After weeks and weeks of wiggling this little tooth...it finally came out tonight! Unfortunately, it was swallowed right along with a bite of chicken nugget....LOL! We left a note for the tooth fairy to let her know what happened, and I think she'll still leave a little something...
Annika already likes to stick her tongue in the empty space. Ha!

fritz/bits craft kits

2008-03-10T14:18:00.002-05:00

I listed 3 new craft kits for sale on my etsy website...check it out here.
Blogger won't currently let me post a picture (&(*$&%(#), so I'll have to post one later! Ha!

Hey look, I'm in a treasury on Etsy!

2008-02-25T10:39:00.000-06:00

Yay! And thanks to the wonderful girls of ESST....check it out here.

Laundry… NEVER!

2008-02-19T23:20:00.001-06:00

Laundry… NEVER!, originally uploaded by ashleyg.

This embroidered illustration is from local artist AshleyG.
I am in love with it.

...exactly

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T13:34:00.001-06:00

, originally uploaded by DanielleT.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Valentine's Day...we have plans to make chocolate covered strawberries tonight!
This picture is from the amazing and talented Danielle Thompson...you can see more of her work here. She's pretty awesome, and I LOVE her style...

My recent faves

2008-01-24T10:17:00.001-06:00

My recent faves, originally uploaded by lydie3.

I am in love with flickr at the moment. So much divine inspiration!

gnomish

2008-01-04T00:12:00.001-06:00

gnomish, originally uploaded by lydie3.

gee, i love my camera. i can capture real light!
now, to learn how to bokeh!

Flickr

2008-01-04T00:11:00.001-06:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

2007-12-28T18:08:00.000-06:00

Double Wow!

2007-12-05T23:22:00.000-06:00

My little etsy shop has been so much fun. One of my customers gave me a shout-out on her blog! See it here
WOW! So sweet! She seems like a kindred crafty-spirit, and I am so grateful to hear she loves my shop. I've had a great time putting together these craft kits.

wow

2007-12-04T23:30:00.000-06:00

i missed a whole month! blog-slacker extraordinare.

On the plus side, I do have most of my christmas shopping done!

i love the office

2007-10-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

Jim Halpert: My roommate wants to meet everybody. Because I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm making Dwight up.
[takes a deep breath, shakes head]
Jim Halpert: He is very real.
[sighs]

this is why i am in love with etsy

2007-10-19T08:38:00.000-05:00

Because you can see beautiful things like this.

Amazingly beautiful, huh?

Tonight I get to go see THE BLACK CROWES!!!!! I am so excited...this day cannot go fast enough! Happy Friday!

new etsy shop

2007-10-14T00:06:00.001-05:00

So I started a little shop. It's called fritz/bits. You can see it here. I have a passion for thrift stores and vintage things. However, I don't have the talent to actually DO anything with the cute stuff I find. So I decided to put together bits/kits and give the really talented crafters on Etsy a chance to use all the wonderful things I find. We have some really great thrift stores in the area, and I absolutely love garage sales. So i get the best of both worlds... I can have the thrill of hunting for and finding great things, and putting everything together in great color combos. Check out my shop!

supergreatpicture*post

2007-09-25T01:01:00.000-05:00

OK, so I have finally come out of the dark ages and upgraded my internet connection from dial-up to the lowest level of hi-speed! Whoa, baby! I can post pics like crazy now. So here's a bunch of random pics to share.
Annika and I went to the park over the weekend. I always seem to get such great pics of her at this park.

Then, a page I added to the Love, Elsie flickr group.

And can you say *gorgeous* My little first-grader.

And Dave. And the Black Crowes. I have been listening to a lot of old "comfort music" lately. And *i*am*going*to*see*the*black*crowes*next*month*!!!!!!

And finally, some fun ones. The best gnome in the world, and a fun handpainted pumpkin I saw on Candice Stringham's website.

Rainy days and Saturdays

2007-09-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

I love rainy days. And I love Saturdays. When they occur together, its wonderful! It's a stay-in-your-pajamas, putz-around-the-house, clean-a-little, scrap-a-lot kinda day. Here's a rainbow ouside in my backyard, and a new layout just for today.

New Layout and Errands

2007-08-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

Hello there! Wanted to share a new layout before I go run a million errands today.
Have a nice day!

1st Grader

2007-08-17T18:52:00.000-05:00

Hello, 1st grade! Annika says she can't wait to have homework. Ha! Check out little miss attitude!

Four things about ME!

2007-08-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

I have seen this challenge on so many other blogs, and I've even gotten it on e-mail, so here goes...four things about me you may not have known...

A) FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:
1. lifeguard
2. teleconference associate
3. mom
4. billing/collections at a dental office

B) FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Northfield, MN
2. Springfield, MO
3. Colorado Springs, CO
4. Belleville, IL

C) FOUR TV SHOWS I LIKE TO WATCH:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Sex & the City
3. Weeds
4. any home improvement/decorating show on TLC or HGTV

D) FOUR PLACE I HAVE BEEN:
1. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2. Chicago, IL
3. Orlando, FL
4. Moab, UT

E) FOUR FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Lasagna
2. Cheesecake
3. chocolate covered strawberries
4. guacamole

F) FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1. Puerto Vallarta, poolside, w/ a margarita in hand!
2. Home, at my scrappy table
3. Diagon Alley
4. On a road trip to anywhere

G) FOUR FRIENDS I THINK WILL RESPOND:
1. Um
2. maybe Creasa
3. uhhhhh
4. (can you hear the crickets chirping?)

H) FOUR PLACES I LIKE TO SHOP:
1. Tar-jay, baby!
2. Community Kindness resale shop (the best thrift store around!)
3. Old Navy
4. Goodwill
5. Big Lots (i needed an extra one, I like to shop!)

I) FOUR FAVORITE BOOKS:
1. ALL the Harry Potter books
2. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
3. Anything by Jill Conner Browne, the Sweet Potato Queen
4. Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary

J) FOUR FAVORITE MOVIES:
1. Wizard of Oz
2. Office Space
3. The Royal Tennenbaums
4. Stranger than Fiction

Sorry Creasa, I had to rip this pic from you...I have NO other good pics of me!

Oops, I forgot you were here!

2007-08-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

I almost forgot (again) that I had a blog! But after two friends reminded me to post (hi Creasa and Diana!), I decided to give you a whopper.
First up: Eye Candy!
I stumbled across a great site for band posters: www.gigposters.com

Here are some favorites for you to enjoy. Great site for inspiration. Color combos, lettering styles, etc.

Also, a great etsy shop:
www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5117373
Really great simple scandinavian jewlery...i can imagine stacking those colored rings four or five at a time on my long fingers!

Next...my BFF! If you have never checked out Creasa's blog, you must. See the link at right: Live out Loud. She is so dang talented, and I am so proud of her. She started her new job today as a reading teacher, and she has been posting so much scrappy goodness lately, and things are just really looking like rainbows and sunshine for her in the future.

And, my brother, Will. He is turning out to be such a multi-talented guy. I am loving his photography lately. He started a new website:
www.willvastine.com
He does really great work, and it is really fun to see his talent and personal style emerge with each shot.

Next up, Elsie. If you're a scrapper, you've already heard of this super-fabulous girl. Every day, she just rocks it! Her flickr site is a wealth of wonderful images. I get so much inspiration from her, and can't wait until her new line of scrappy stuff comes out:
www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com

So there you have it. Good old eye candy. Can't go wrong with that for a blog post, eh?

CHA, baby!!!!

2007-07-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

Whoooooweeee! I am posting to you live from the cyber cafe at CHA!!! Yay ME!! I still can't believe I'm here!
I had almost forgotten that I had a blog....but now I needed to post just because I can!
There is so much goodness here that I just can't bear it. My paychecks are really going to suffer!!

Straight pimpin'

2007-06-20T12:12:00.001-05:00

We love our neighbors. Just look at these hustlers! Ha Ha! Truly these three could not be further from pimpin'--but they look cool!

I'm going to see a concert tonight....BEN FOLDS is opening for John Mayer!!!! WOOT WOOT!! I have been wanting to see Ben for a LONG time! Yay me! Is it sad that I don't even really care too much about the main act, I just want my Ben!?!?! I'm sure John Mayer will be good, and all, but BEN!!! I get to see BEN!! (can you tell i'm a little excited!?!) Have a wonderful Wednesday!

The First Grader

2007-06-20T00:42:00.000-05:00

I totally forgot to post these pictures! I am so proud of my Kindergarten Graduate. She was so excited to officially become a 1st grader. And I swear she has grown up so much just in the past few weeks that she's been out of school. Sweet girl!

not-awesome Lydie

2007-06-15T10:49:00.000-05:00

My daughter is totally great at hula-hoop. I didn't even know she could do it! Anyway, last night I tried to hula-hoop, too. Let's just say it was embarassing. Annika was VERY excited to find something that she was *totally* better than me at. Here's what she said to me: "Tomorrow when we go to Grandma's, we'll both hula-hoop. You say: Here's the talented Annika. And I'll say: Here's the not-awesome Lydie."

Heh.

The not-awesome Lydie.

She hit the nail on the head. I've been feeling like the not-awesome Lydie for a long time now.

So here's my goal: to be more awesome. To be a *funner* mom to Annika, and lighten up a little. Play, be more active, get more involved. Take more pictures, go more places. Remember why it's so fun to be a kid.

Hula-hoop!

it's my birthday, it's my birthday!

2007-06-13T12:58:00.000-05:00

Yay me! I'm having sushi tonite!

the Jeep!

2007-06-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

Aaron finally finished his Jeep! Well, finished is a relative term. There's always something you can add to the darn thing. At least it runs, and he can go mudding in it! He is having so much fun, always looking for an excuse to drive it. Annika absolutely loves it, too. It's gonna be a good summer!

new love, elsie!!

2007-05-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

I am *SO* excited that the new *love, elsie* line of scrapbook goodies is out!! I have been awaiting this for MONTHS!! I am so thrilled for Elsie...she is from my hometown and that makes me feel like I can be proud of her! LOL! But I won't turn this in to a super-fan/geek post. Let's just say I love her. And her new stuff. And look at how cute Annika is in this picture.

at the drive in

2007-05-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

There is a really great drive-in theater in our town. I've lived here about six years and just went for the first time last weekend. We saw Shrek 3! The kids had so much fun jumping around in the van BEFORE the movie. Once the movie started, it was whine-city! We still had a good time, and enjoyed the movie. Once our Jeep is finished, I can't wait to take it to the drive-in, baby!

searching for fairies

2007-05-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

We spent the night at Andrew's parent's land last saturday. The girls had a great time, and spent a while looking for fairies. There is a group of trees in a fairy-ring, and they looked like little girls out of a storybook sitting there quiet as mouses waiting to see the flutter of fairy-wings.

My Visual DNA

2007-05-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Neato, eh!

Hola, Amigos!

2007-04-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

We made it back from sunny Mexico! I did NOT want to come home at all. If it weren't for the fact that I am crazy-sunburned, I would totally consider moving there! We had a great trip, beautiful weather, awesome food, gorgeous beaches, just perfect. I am SO lucky to have won this trip. Now, it's back to real life!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-06T13:01:00.000-05:00

Going to my parents house for Easter Weekend. Bye! (Rabbit Sculpture by Jeff Koons)

Springtime in Springfield

2007-04-02T23:28:00.000-05:00

I had a great weekend road-trip to good old Springfield. We did an easter egg-hunt, did the CMK on-line crop, took pictures, ate sushi, shopped, and had a great time. We got some cute shots of the girls downtown, and that teal fence is spectacular. I love my weekends in Springfield. It will always be home to me. I got to see my brother, and his new house. He is blowing my mind lately with his photography. I love our little Sunday lunches. Anyway, Annie is off to Gma's house tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have more projects to show in a few days! G'night.

My Hat is in the Ring!

2007-03-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

Here is my entry for the Guest Designer of the Month spot at Create my Keepsake. I absolutely LOVE this picture that my neighbor, Andrew, took of my daughter. It perfectly captures her. The challenge was to use ribbon as the main design element of your layout. I think I met the challenge!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2007-03-23T15:39:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give a birthday shout-out to my wonderful Dad. He is the kindest, smartest, most giving man I know. He is in the best shape of his life at 62! He is an inspiration, and no matter how far away I am from him, I always feel his support. I love you Dad!

(This image is from a 2006 calendar I made for my mom & dad)

2007-03-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

I walked/ran a mile today!
Yay me!
I can't stop saying Yay me!
It's my new favorite phrase.
Anyway...it felt good. Then Annika and I swam for a bit.
Refreshing.
I'm loving the Y.
Tomorrow I am going to swim laps.
I love swimming laps at night when only a few people are in the pool. It's like meditation to me.
Gonna watch a movie and go to bed.
goodnight

New Layouts

2007-03-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

2 new layouts! I get so excited when I finish a layout...yay me! I need to do this more often, eh?

My next-door neighbor took that super picture of Annika. Love the lighting on it. My goal was to document some of Annika's current favorite things, but then the page took on a life of it's own. But I like it!

The second page is for my LSS...all Bo Bunny products. I think it turned out kinda cute!

Hope to have a good Saturday baking, cleaning and getting out Easter stuff. See ya!

Blog Title

2007-03-01T08:19:00.000-06:00

I've wanted to start a blog for a long time. The only thing that was holding me up was a cute and clever title...because you *know* you gotta have one, right!?! So finally one day while I was driving, it just struck me: Ruby Red Life.
I *love* the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy says this at the end of the movie:

-- if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?

Yep, that's right, Dorothy...

2007-02-26T22:01:00.000-06:00

So I finally made a layout. Completely out of season too, I might add. But I do like my ribbon tree, and that picture is priceless. Merry Christmas!

Happy Sunday!

2007-02-18T13:16:00.000-06:00

We've got cabin fever around here. Longing for spring and warm days and vacations. Even though I love winter, I'm done with it. I'm ready to feel the warm sun on my face again!

In other news, been loving Regina Spektor lately. http://reginaspektor.com

from On The Radio:

This is how it works

you peer inside yourself

you take the things you like

and try to love the things you took

and then you take that love you made

and stick it in to some

someone else's heart

pumping someone else's blood

and walking arm in arm

you hope it don't get harmed

but even if it does

you just do it all again

Love when song lyrics just speak to me.

Have a great Sunday!

2007-02-16T18:14:00.000-06:00

OK, so I just got a great lesson in how to post a picture from the greatest friend in the world. This is one of my fave things in my scrap area. I just love to run my fingers thru all those yummy buttons!

2007-02-15T23:59:00.000-06:00

Check it out.
I've got a cool new blog.
As soon as I can figure out how to post a picture, I will.
And make a banner, too.
Yay me!!