REFLECTIONS April 2015 Pixel Scrapper Blog Train

re.flec.tion
rəˈflekSH(ə)n/
noun
1. the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.
"the reflection of light"
synonyms: sending back, throwing back, casting back
2. serious thought or consideration.
"he doesn't get much time for reflection"
synonyms: thought, thinking, consideration, contemplation, deliberation,pondering, meditation, musing, ruminationThe Pixel Scrapper April Blog Train has left the station!!!

The theme is Reflection.  What does that mean?  So many different things to different people.  I love words, so that's what you're getting from me.  Lots and lots of words.  I've given you a couple journal cards and some paper too.  Hope you like it.  Now, on your blog train journey, you'll find beautiful papers of color and pictures, accents of the clever, thought-provoking, and whimsical variety.  I'm sure you'll enjoy everything you discover.  Please remember that the train designers are all over the world, so some links may not be active all at the same time.  And don't forget to leave some love as you scoot by!  

ccc_201504 PS Reflections

Here's the link to the entire blog train...  Start at the beginning and wind your way through.  Have fun and stay alert!

REFLECTIONS April 2015 Pixel Scrapper Blog Train

Now, here's a quick page, because the creativity was flowing this month as it wasn't last.  And to give you an idea of what you can do with it, check out our amazing, brand-new (born March 30th), grandson, Hunter, his BIG sister, Caddie, and their outstanding mom, Anne, in the example below. Link is on my Facebook page

 Coop's Custom Creations Facebook Page

Love and Blessings.

 

December Bits-N-Pieces & Gingerscraps Buffet

Queen Wild Scraps has two new template sets releasing today.

Cut It Out Vol. 2 is part of the Bits-N-Pieces sale at Scraps-N-Pieces. With evergreen trees, sledding hills and snowman shapes, it is perfect for all your wintry layouts. It is only $1 today through December 7th.

Cut It Out Vol. 3 is part of the December Buffet at Gingerscraps. These templates have lots of Christmas themed shapes: the wise men, a Christmas Tree, a roaring fire and sheet music. It is only $2 today through December 5th.

Love and Blessings 

34 Things I Want You to Know About ME!

34 Things, huh?  Wow, this could be tough.  I'm kind of an open book, but I want to do this to prepare for a new project.  My story about me, before kids.........  I've joined an online scrapping class called Before Your Story and I've been following the leader's blog for quite awhile.  Well, this woman, Jennifer Wilson, is amazing and so generous with her scrapbooking ideas and prompts and THIS is one of them.  34 Things I Want You to Know About Me.  I really have to get back into this blogging thing, so what better way than to tell you, me, my girls, hubby, whomever more about me.  

I adore my girls.  It's definitely a chore sometimes.  I love them always, but there have been plenty of times that I haven't liked them.  That's something my mom taught me.  "I'll always love you, but sometimes I don't like you."  Well, thanks Mom, but I've had those words turned back on me.  Kinda stings when your words come hurling back at you.  I guess maybe it comes from a different generation.  I would never have spoken to my mom the way I've been spoken to, by my girls, at times.  But I wouldn't trade them for the world.  I love my girls.  They've grown into such amazing adults.  Sure, we're proud beyond words that our baby girl chose to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.  It's an incredibly hard job, but even more difficult for a female.  And now she's a mom.  She's a single mom, 1200 miles away from her family, doing it completely on her own and truly ROCKIN' IT!!!  And our oldest?!?  She's our first COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!  She did it on her own and with a baby the last two years.  Now she's decided that office work is not for her so she's going back to school to become a nurse.  An honorable profession, that not everyone is cut out for.  We're so very proud of both of them.  I don't think they know that all the time.  I hope they know that we're always here for them, no matter what.  It's what parents do.  

The concept of this new album is about me, before we (Freddy and I) had kids.  Remember, it's called Before Your Story.  So, it's going to be about me, before Freddy too.  The 34 things here is just a list of 34 things I want "you" to know about me that may or may not make it into the book.  Now, whether my girls will ever read these?  Who knows.  But this is some cool stuff.

1. I was born in Duluth, MN, but almost immediately moved to St Paul Children's Home to be adopted.
2. Duluth, MN is still one of my most favorite places on EARTH!
3. I made secret forts in the pine trees at the lake.
4. I could sleep in a hammock any time, anywhere.
5. Floating in the lake is still one of my favorite activities.
6. I find sunfish nibbling at my toes relaxing.
7. Music is my getaway.
8. I've read over 600 books, not that I'm keeping track.
9. I would love to be an artist.
10. I'd intended on being a social worker.
11. I was in 4-H for 10 years, as a member, a 2 as an adult ambassador.
12. I loved being 16 and hated being 17.
13. I can't wait to open the windows and doors the first time in the Spring.
14. I actually enjoy being alone and sometimes need to be.
15. I kept a journal from the time I was 10 until 20....I have no idea where it is or if it is still somewhere.
16. I sing.  ALL THE TIME.
17. I wanted to be in a band, or on stage, or in a show.
18. I played guitar and learned piano, sorta (thanks, Melanie)
19. Freddy and I were at the same concert, Eagles, Steve Miller, Pablo Cruise at the Met Stadium, before we met.
20. I hate shoes and would prefer not to wear socks either.......
21. I married my best friend.
22. I remember exactly where I was when I heard that Jim Croce died.
23. I love Easter...more than any other "holiday".
24. I wish I could any number of the woodworking tools in my garage.
25. I was taught to be a confident driver, although my children think it's aggressive.
26. I cry at Hallmark commercials.
27. I cry when our National Anthem is played.
28. I sang our National Anthem at the 2013 Relay for Life of Lakeville.
29. Reveille is my morning alarm.
30. And I listen to Taps every night at 2100 before saying my prayers.
31. I am SO grateful that my job allows me to work with kids part-time and do a lot of anal-retentive book-keeping part-time.
32. I talk too much.
33. I have a collection of goofy, fun desk toys.
34. I'd move to somewhere warmer, like South Carolina/Georgia, if I could take "Minnesota" with me.

NOW I have to add stuff........  I'm reading other people's lists and I find there are things there that I'd like to have here!  Maybe I'll get up to 54 for MY birthday this year.  So..........
35. My first car was a neon blue, 73 Ford Maverick.
36. My phone number growing up was 890-4009.....the area code changed three times while my parents lived there.
37. Mom and I were the only women who could dance the Lindy-Hop with Daddy......cuz he added an extra, little skip in there.....  I can't dance the Lindy with anyone else.  
38. I'm a closet motor-head.  LOVE muscle-cars.
39. I loved Gram's beer salami sandwiches and they don't taste the same when I make them now.
40. Pink, Wintergreen lozenges still remind me of Papa. 
41. I went to Kindergarten at Mrs. Minerich's house, with most of my life-long friends.
42. I'm a fonts whore.
43. 


WOW.  That took a bit of thinking!  I'm very excited about starting this new project.  
Love and Blessings!

A YEAR?!? I'll try to do better............

OMG!  It's been a year?!?  That's just nucking futz!  
Oh well.  That's life.  And life has certainly gotten in the way.  Our biggest news?  Our new granddaughter!  Caddie Othelia May Cooper was born, three weeks early, on November 2nd, 2012.  

On the left is our grandson, Kolten, who turned 3 on April 17th!  Caddie's layout is the exact opposite, with a new quote on the journal strips, but the same quote below.  Caddie has the most adorable dimples.  She's got a great personality and she's a good baby.

Lacy has graduated from SCSU and is going back to school for nursing.  She's a great, single mom and a really good student.  Kolten is brilliant and fun to be around.  He's generally happy and very smart.

Anne is still a Marine and stationed in New Jersey.  She's been FAP'd out to the CTPL within her unit and LOVES it and is really good at it.  They just earned an "exceptional" in their inspection.  RAH!  They're too far away for Grammy and Pop, but we're so proud of them.  Oh!  And we have a new grand-puppy as well.  Roxie Hart is a 9-month old female pitbull.  

That's kind of all I have for now.  OH!  Except I think I'm going to be in my very first Pixel Scrapper Blog Train on June 1st.  The theme is Pond Life and the colors are really lovely.  Stay tuned.  I'll have more soon.

Love and Blessings!!!

Day 07...A picture of your most treasured item

I'm blatantly stealing this idea from another Sparker, MCLAFLIN. My most treasured item(s) are my scrapbooks. I've got all of the digital files on a flash and I'm working somewhat sporadically at getting all of the older paper books scanned so the flash can be put into a safe deposit box.

That's all for this one.

Love and Blessings.

30-in-30

Okay, so everyone else is doing it, I'm gonna do it! Yeah, heard that one before.

Well, there's a number of people on various teams who are blogging 30 pix in 30 days that describe themselves in various ways. I'm a scrapper, so I thought this would be a blast! Of course, one of my main vices is procrastination......yeah...... Well, my friend, the WickedQueen started recently and made the caveat that it would be 30 pix with the blogs, but it may not be in 30 days and she wasn't going to apologize for it! YEAH!!! Me too, me too, me too!!! She also tweaked the themes and I'm going to tweak them as well. Today's includes 10 facts about me.

I happened to have the pic above on my flash at work and had time to blog during lunch, so here I am...............

1. My name is Carla Cooper aka: MiniCooper cuz I want one and I wanna be one.

2. I am proud to be 51 years old! I've lived half-a-freakin'-century people!

3. My birthday is exactly two months after Christmas Day. That makes me a Pisces.....and I am!Imaginative and sensitive

Compassionate and kind

Selfless and unworldly

Intuitive and sympathetic

LIKES

Solitude to dream in

Mystery in all its guises

Anything discarded to stay discarded

The ridiculous like to get 'lost'

DISLIKES

the obvious

being criticized

feeling all at sea about something

know-it-alls

pedantry: I had to look it up.........a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning. a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details. a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense. OMG! yeah, I hate "them".

4. I've been married to my best bud, Freddy, for 30 years, come May 29th!

5. I am BLESSED with an amazing family, including two daughters Anne-18-a USMarine, and Lacy-21-mom, student, and server and my grandson, Kolten-1 year old on April 17!!!

6. My mom's one of my BEST FRIENDS.

7. I LOVE reading (mysteries), music (country, oldies, jazz, anything but rap) and my computer playground! (SP, FB, SCRAPBOOKING!!!)

8. I'm silly about cars. I give them personalities! I had a Saturn that was my baby for 11 years! .....and my poor, little youngest DD crashed it (not her fault, and she was not seriously injured) and now I have the CUTEST little Kia Optima and I love it!

9. I have a job that I love, SPED para for ECSE peanuts! And I also do the MA billing for the district....AND I'm the AT clerk.....AND I help out with testing this time of year............

10. I talk too much.........hehehe...........and probably write too much too!

See ya tomorrow, I hope!

Love and Blessings.

The Latest Kolten Pix

Just had to share 'cuz he's sooooooo darned cute.......

Introducing Our Grandson Kolten Wyman Cooper

Born on Saturday April 17, 2010 at 10:52am. Kolten weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces and measured 18 inches. He has beautiful, very alert blue eyes and light-colored peach-fuzz hair. His skin is smooth as silk and his feet are just amazing. Yeah, his feet. I just love looking at his feet and hands. He's just totally mesmerizing........ He even had a sleepover with Gramma last night and slept for 5 hours at one time! Granpa is totally enthralled. He's already talking about trains and racecar sets and drums and washing the car and all the cool boy-stuff that he's going to teach Kolten. Auntie Anne is fascinated. Though she's had to work a lot in the last few days, she makes special time for her and Kolten to "chat". She's planning on teaching him how to play ball, skateboard and ride a Haro. (I understand that's some sort of bike......trick bike)

Well, I really have to get back to my grandson...............I'm sure he needs me for something...... like cuddling.............can't get enough of Gramma's cuddles, ya know.

Love and Blessings.

Long time, no see...

I don't have any fantastic tale to explain my absence. Oh well. I would have been pleased to say that I'd been whiling away the days in some sunny fantasy place, but no such luck.

What I was really doing began with the Scrapbook retreat the weekend of the 22nd. Got to St. Croix Falls on Friday night and for the first time in years, we didn't have inclemate weather! We've had everything from rain to ice storms so this was new. Jen, Shelle, Kathy and I celebrated "our" birthdays. We started that several years ago since it's usually right on my weekend and close to Shelle's and Kathy's, Jen just gets to join in!! She brought the most amazing cake from McCaffety's. It was a quad-layer, double chocolate number with the most decadent filling. Yummmmmm! Don't have a picture of it, but it was grand!
After that weekend, it's just been busy, busy, busy doing nothing, nothing, nothing...out of the ordinary anyway. Life seems to have jump-started in the last two weeks. It's absolutely crazy! But, unfotunately, nothing to tell about.