hairbrained schemes

Paranoid (the green day version)

Yesterday was a big day in our house.

No, I'm not talking about the large pile of poop we shoveled.

(Okay, it's "mulch" but it's high end mulch made out of human waste, so it's poop, people.  Only the very best for our flower beds).

I'm talking about Paranoia Mom letting the youngest boy walk to his friend's house. 

All. By. Himself.

Over hill.

Over dale.

(through the neighbour's yard and up two paths to Ella's house)

And THEN, PM let older boy and friend go down to the ravine to "hang out". 

Like I said, big day. 

I don't know why I'm so paranoid.

It might be the fact that I read way too many psychological thrillers about abduction and other icky happenings.

And watch the same sort of shows.

(Gorgeous George had to stage an intervention a few years ago when I was hooked on anything serial killer on A&E and then I would be up all night hearing people a) hiding in our attic (we didn't actually have an attic) or b) climbing in the kids' bedroom windows (which I had already checked on my pre-bedtime obsessive compulsive house check)

Maybe it's the times that Jeff Martin and I stole matches out of his mom's bedside table, when we were 6, and started the Terrace chapter of "The Fire Club" in the forest across the street.  (President: Jeff;  Official Extinguisher & Secretary: Me)

Or perhaps the time in grade 4 that Dominique Krause and I stole a pack of cigarettes from her parents and went over to Parkside School and smoked the whole thing and then I went home and barfed for about an hour.(sorry mom)

Or it could be any combination of those things.

Everyone made it back unabducted and relatively unscathed.

Lucas was sporting purple nailpolish when he arrived home, but I think that's fodder for another day.

Celebration.

Put on your best Kool & the Gang garb and get ready for a little celebration (you know that they are cool because they spell cool with a "k").

This is a little something I'd like to call:

The Top 10 Reasons why I think Stacy Julian Rocks

10. She introduced me to the concept of happy colours.

9. She is the reason I make minibooks.  And, boy, do I love me some minibooks.  And so do my boys (and they thank you too, Stacy).

8, She is also the reason I let go of the mind-numbing feeling of "having" to scrapbook chronologically.

7. Without her, Simple Scrapbooks would not be what it is, and I would not be a part of a team made up of totally unique, creative, wonderful and inspiring women.

6. This book.  They say don't judge a book by it's cover.  To that I say, "Phsaw!" (you heard me, I said Pshaw!).  You can totally judge this book by it's cover. And I love the cover.  A lot.

5.  I haven't have the pleasure of meeting Stacy in person (yet), but you can just FEEL her joie de vive (that's Joy of Life for any of you uneducated types who weren't forced to take french through grade 10).  She inspires me to get up off my procrastinating butt and get stuff DONE!

4. I first heard of the book "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" on her blog. (get it. read it. and read it again. this book has a place of honour in my bedside table beside all of Brian Andreas' books, Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe books and the Chronicles of Narnia).

3. Her blog name is Altogether Too Happy.  I want to surround myself with people that are altogether too happy. And that have brownies in their banners.

2. Though it saddens me that she won't be with Simple in an editorial role, I admire the fact that she is not complacent and is listening to her inner voice that tells her that she has other callings that need to be seen to. 

1. Thank you Stacy, for being a visionary in this industry, for helping make Simple Scrapbooks what it is today, for inspiring me and so many others in so many ways.

YOU ROCK!