Scribbles 'n Scraps

I love my blog because I can do what I want with it. And if I want to show off a great photo of my kiddo’s I can – and if I want to show the beauty of this time of year I can.

Take a look at this:

 The tree in my background as it looks right at this very moment!
Simply breathtaking!

And then there are these guys:

My son, Ryan.
I look at this and see a little boy, not a twelve year old!

My daughter, Brielle. She’s so full of life. I love the winter chill on her face and those rosy lips!

Mike’s daughter, Melissa. What a cutie and she looks amazing with that winter chill too!

Mike’s youngest daughter, Jessica! Cute, funny and almost too much energy to stop and let me take a photo!

These are the kiddo’s that are actually playing outside together!

I was sitting today, just thinking about some of the ways I go about trying to be a better writer. I think the most important way that I accomplish this, is by reading. And reading, I do a lot of. I am the girl in which when you pull up my library card information, have twenty three books checked out, seven sitting on the shelf at the library waiting for me to come get them, three in transit, and four waiting to be filled. I read EVERYTHING. Even magazines.

However, my obsession for reading has expanded beyond the walls of the library or our local bookstore. In fact, it has gone beyond magazine subscriptions and junk mail. It has now landed on the Internet. In the form of blogs. I have become a hopeless addict and born stalker to several blogs currently active. I even get upset when I go to read one, and there has been no update for awhile. Not upset, mad. Just upset, “I wish there was something new to hear about”.

I’ve also discovered that by reading others blogs, I develop new styles of writing, new vocabulary, and often new statements or cliche’s that I utter from time to time. Interesting really.

I was thinking about all this today, because I have been talking to my daughter, who wants to be an author when she grows up, about ways to improve your writing and learn more about what your style is. I told her everything I just shared with you.

She was curious about the blogs I read, and thankfully I am proud to say, with the exception of small handful, I can share most of them with her. They are clean. So she has been browsing blogs since yesterday afternoon, learning about everything from scrapbooking, ADHD and parenting. It’s been rather enlightening, but mostly she just giggles when she reads it.

If you are looking for a way to improve your writing, and find a “voice” that might be slightly hidden within you, just start reading other people’s blogs, and then sit down and write your own blog entry. You might be surprised what pops out.

Inspired by the recent bio changes on my favorite scrapbooking website, here is the scrapbooking me:

my name Nicole Humphrey, Nikki, Nic
scrapbook size 12×12
camera Digital – Kodak Easy Share Z650 which we just got, but I am already ready to upgrade! (really, really want a Nikon Digital Rebel!!) And for Film – Nikon N55 SLR Camera, Pentax ZX-M Manual Focus Camera, and a Canon EOS Elan 7E SLR Camera. (isn’t merging families great!)
music Country Girl all the way.
work space currently a large portion of our basement, but we are having a room built just for scrapbooking in our new house!
style simple, clean, photo and journaling nut
1 or 2 pages 99% 2 pagers – I rarely EVER do 1 pagers.
color preference addicted to color. especially blues. love natural colors like kraft, tan, oatmeal, and outdoorsy colors – greens and blues.
favorite product type has to be patterned paper, hands down
childhood ambition to be a writer (I guess I am living it)
fondest memory hmm…my memory isn’t what it used to be, but my fondest memory so far I think, is our Louisiana trip a year ago. It has special meaning. It was long and boring, but there was more to it.
soundtrack well, I’ve been subjected to hours of High School Musical, so I actually enjoy that. I also seem to really enjoy the soundtracks that accompany the Shrek movies. LOL
retreat If I could find time to go on a scrapbooking retreat, I’d absolutely be there.
wildest dream to have a whole book series published.
proudest moment august 17, 1994 and march 13, 1998
biggest challenge finding a balance between work time and family time
alarm clock 5:30AM – except I don’t use one, my internal alarm clock works like clockwork (honestly, no “pun” intended)
perfect day with my family
first job retail sales at Chocolate Soup (a children’s clothing store)
indulgence frozen mocha with whipped cream. Yummy! or Ben and Jerry’s – several flavors!
last purchase scrapbook related – papers and this awesome and enormous sized tag punch I had wanted for awhile. non-scrapbook related – aside from groceries, the laptop
favorite movie The Notebook
inspiration My family, all of them.
my life is better than it has ever been. I am getting paid to do what I love, I have the big family I always wanted, and didn’t have to go through all the pain, I am with the best man I have ever met in my entire life, and God has truly blessed me.

Well, that was fun! Tell me about you!

Thirteen of My Favorite 2006 Photographs

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Ugh!

Well, the laptop shipped, which is so incredibly exciting. I cannot wait to get my hands on that little machine. I don’t think I have ever had an item so highly anticipated before. But then, when I would have gotten a laptop before, I was not writing professionally, churning out articles daily, writing new pages to my novel and editing three children’s books!

 Now that I do this for a living, I am overly anxious to get my hands on ANY item that will make my writing easier. I remember getting excited when I discovered that my voice activated portable tape player was the most useful item. Boy, hasn’t that gone to the wayside!

So, according to the shipping information, it left China. We were not aware it was being shipped from China but we cannot think of where else CN would be since Connectictut is CT and California CA. Am I forgetting somewhere? Besides, where DOES HP ship from? LOL It makes sense I guess. It just means a darn long wait!

Well it left yesterday, and there was no update today before Mike went to work. I will either check later tonight or in the morning. I am so darn excited I’d check every 5 minutes if I could!

I am just hoping it is here by this weekend, and I would prefer by tomorrow or Thursday. But with no updates as of this afternoon since it left, I am not expecting much.

 Yay! Cross your fingers that it gets here soon!!