today is the second monday in january, which means it's national clean off your desk day! if you're like me, you have tons of papers and embellishments scattered around your desk because you're too lazy to put everything away after each layout. this week's how much is too much challenge challenges you to use at least 14 items om your desk - a perfect challenge for someone like me!

now i should go off and clean up the rest of my desk!

--caroline

Every time the New Year rolls around I find myself planning things and generally there are two types of plans - those that involve cleaning up clutter and those that involve preparing for things coming up during the year. So, during my latest planning phase I have combined the two...

I made this journal using lots of scraps from last year's projects and plan to use it for our next trip OS (the seeds of which we planted today - Cuba & Central America or Sri Lanka & the Maldives...Hmmm...) But back on topic... Using up ribbon and paper scraps I decorated this adaptable journal by "My Book" and now I have a journal that is ready to "GO". I plan to fill each small section under the ribbon with inspirational quotes about travel....my first will be "The compulsive need to travel is a recognised physical condition." (Michael Palin)....and let me just say that there appears to be no cure for it!!

Cheers,

Amelia

I went to the doctor's today and filled out the form indicating my age as 33.  Of course, I also had to fill in my birthdate.  So in the course of the exam the doctor marvels, in a non-impressive way, "Wow, 34 years old with over 18 cases of BCC."  He said more after that...but I stuck on the 34 comment.  He was looking at the chart and said 34 although I had clearly wrote 33.  Then, I started to do the calculation...born in 1973...2003 I was 30...2004 (mental finger counted, 31) 2005 (2 mental fingers counted, 32)...2008 ... OMG!  How in the world did I make a mistake on my age??  How utterly embarrassing.  I have even taken to calling my girls by the wrong names lately!  My Hippocampus is obviosly shrinking...lovely;)

No worries about losing half the monologue from the doctor... all too familiar with all he had to say anyway.  BCC is a form of skin cancer that eats away at the skin and if treated...won't kill ya:)  The cause?  Cummulative hours of sun exposure and severe sunburns in childhood.  I, a full Scot, grew up in Southern California with an olive skinned family.  We lived in the sun. I was never meant to be golden...but I fought that fact. 

Anywho...my point:  If you have kiddos...lather them in sunblock.  Their chances for developing skin cancer doubles from a single burn that produces blisters and peels.  And, well...my other point.  I start treatment tomorrow and lasts for about 6 weeks.  The treatment is chemical burns that produces rather large and angry lesions on the face.  Lovely.  No longer are they willing to do surgeries on me...I have had too many.  So...if I see you at CHA...or you attend the Alabama Scrapfest...know that the scabs on my face and neck are not from an infectious disease:S  Oh how I loathe traveling during treatments:S  The good news in all this is that the scarring from this procedure is minimal:) 

Trust me on the sunblock;)

Off to watch a foreign film with the husband:)

Love, Tracy Austin

Well, in the spirit of all things "New Year", I decided to make a list of the things that I want to get done this year... only a list  - no cool pages like that one by Caroline just below (totally cool!!). Part of my list is to do an album just for me. Not about me - but for me. I often do pages about myself, but this one will be full of sayings and stuff that I come across during the year. At the end of the year I hope to have an inspiration album of sorts. So stay tuned for some pages - or better yet let me know if you have done a similar thing..what worked for you?what didn't?

Cheers..and Happy 2008.

Amelia