I've searched high and low for the right kind of blog, the one that will give me the most freedom to share my photos.

My current active blog that is for scrapbooking and sewing projects can be found at:

http://marshagentry.typepad.com

My scrapbooking blog is now at http://embellishmylife.blogspot.com

I think I like this layout; I couldn't bear to create too much busy- ness because the photos themselves emote much feeling. I don't know how these photos--within the layout--translate over the internet. In person, close up, I have just lifted my grandson from the bathtub; he is snug and warm and looks as though he loves feeling clean.

( READ A BIT MORE ABOUT THIS LAYOUT.... )

I was surprised at how quickly this LO came together. It's a bit busier than my other pages, as I like to keep the photo as the focus. But I'm fond of this page, maybe because I love pink and green...together.



( MORE ABOUT MY LAYOUT, under the cut.... )

I'm not into New Year's resolutions. Writing and posting my goals are helping me to organize my daily focus. I want to be accountable to more than a private journal or to a list on a piece of paper that gets shoved into a stack somewhere.

At the beginning of 2010--which will be here fast enough--I will check myself. Hopefully, I will have accomplished all of these things, some of these things, or I have put a definite dent in these goals.

These are in no particular order. They are all important to me:

1. Make a Dream Board--as suggested in The Secret--of my aspirations, desires, loves, and dreams. I'm going to use my scrapbook supplies and make it like a collage.

2. Walk my dog (Xena) daily--except for Sundays. I live 1.2 miles up a rather steep hill. I want to easily walk down and up by the end of 2009, and I can increase the walk by going up the hill--from my house--as well.

3. I will train Xena, who is a beautiful, smart GSD. She has been naughty lately. She needs more one-on-one time with me; I need more one-on-one time with her. I have much knowledge and experience with dogs. She will be doing long down-stays and heeling off-leash by the end of 2009.

4. Organize photos and all paperwork. I will be able to locate every piece of paper in my house.

5. Get my legal stuff together: Since my "estate" attorney passed away, another firm took over his cases. I have purchased Quicken WillMaker Plus 2009. This is the book, not the software, and it contains various forms that a lay person can use without an attorney. I want to make sure that my son and grandchildren are provided for with the few assets that I have. I don't want the government or any attorney taking money that does not belong to them.

6. Pay off credit cards.

7. Have more money at the end of the year than I do now.

8. Spend more time blogging and less time bullshitting on my computer.

9. Be "free" of all medications.

I have other goals and aspirations, but if I concentrate on the list above, everything else should fall into place.

~~~~~

Tom the Cat is often the fool. Whether he makes plans to sunbathe or fish, he is foiled by a mouse named Jerry.

In Tom and Jerry cartoons, the most intelligent character is Jerry the Mouse. For some reason, he is the strongest, at least pound per pound. He can lift and throw objects that are several times his size.

Tom is an intelligent cat. He taught himself to play classical piano in one afternoon, and he designed a superior mousetrap that may have brought him fame and fortune, but a certain mouse altered the drawings as Tom lay sleeping.

In addition to a few female kitties who are love interests for Tom, the third character that often appears is Spike the Dog, also known as "Killer" in some cartoons. He is a large likable bulldog, especially when he spends time with his son, but he's not very bright. Jerry often solicits Spike as an accomplice to make Tom's life miserable.

My favorite T & J cartoon is called "Solid Serenade." Some of the small details of the cartoon bring me delight.

( READ MORE ABOUT SOLID SERENADE )

What is fascinating about the woman on the Barbara Walters special who gave birth to a baby after she became a man? Oh, wait a minute. She had her exterior sex organs surgically altered. But for some reason, she kept her uterus, tubes and ovaries.

Why do we refer to a transsexual man as a "man" if he still has a uterus? I find the whole topic on "sex change" very confusing because the whole world is going mad in order to accommodate a few. We call this acceptance. I call this craziness.

Back to Barbara Walters and her selection of the 10 most fascinating people of 2008. Supposedly, a man gave birth to a baby, not just once, but he/she is pregnant again. Barbara is fascinated that a man can have a baby. One need not be a rocket scientist to see that the doctors who did the sex reassignment surgery did not reassign everything. They left the female reproductive organs.

( MORE ON THE MOCKERY OF SEX CHANGE UNDER THE CUT.... )

I tend to be a bit anal about my work. In college, I literally edited tests and writing projects until the professors pried them from my hand. Since I scrapbook for fun, I try not to judge my pages harshly. However....

I was compelled to redo the page that frames this photo of my grandson--snoozing like a little man.

These are Soho Swirls and flower chipboard by Fancy Pants. I painted them black and red, marked them with a Ranger brush, and shined them with ultra thick embossing enamel by Ranger. I treated the cardstock stars in the same manner. The ribbon appears black, but it is green metallic.

Here is the revision:



( OLD VERSION UNDER CUT.... )

Here are some scrapbook pages that I did over the last few weeks:

My granddaughter, wearing her mommy's flipflops. All the flowers and stems are cut-out stamps that are colored with gel pens. The flowers are similar to those on her dress that I also embellished.



( MORE PAGES UNDER THE CUT.... )

I've been working on my scrapbook pages this week and having a good time. My style is fairly plain. This first group of photos is of my grandson, enjoying a traditional meal of Greek macaroni--only he is using the macaroni as a straw; lol. These flowers are punched. The letters are made with the Pazzles.



( MORE PAGES BELOW THE CUT...... )

This is probably my favorite page so far:



( FOR SCRAPBOOKERS: PLEASE CONTINUE TO READ SPECIFICS. )

The Singer sewing machine I bought from HSN does not have a pretty stitch; I returned it and decided on this Kenmore 19606. I have 90 days to make a final decision, so I plan to sew my little heart out. I want and need to be satisfied with this purchase, as this choice must last me for 20 years.

The craft of sewing has been both a blessing and a burden. I made all my clothes in high school, but strangely enough, I haven't sewn in maybe 10 years. I'm not sure why I feel this surge or wonderful energy to sew again. But I'm confident this momentum is here to carry me for awhile.

I got out pieces of fabric that I've saved, and I'm pleased with my collection.

I'll start with the oldest first. I began this quilt for my son over 20 years ago. I'm going to finish it for my grandson. It's nothing fancy, just squares in a diagonal pattern. The dark blue print on the right side is the quilt lining. I don't know why this project seemed like such a hassle. I am surprised to find it almost put together.

 

( SEE MORE FABRIC, PLEASE....I'm open to suggestions. ) 

I want my feelings of immortality back. Since my last birthday, I find the quick passage of time disturbing. Wasn't January yesterday? Wasn't the year 2000 just the day before? I can no longer make choices without thoughtful consideration. 

What do I want to do with my life? I want to write. Do I really? How many writers enjoy the actual task of writing? I'm mostly happy with my finished product.

Lately I've had a surge of creativity flowing through my veins, but do I write? I take pictures and edit them; I work on scrapbook pages, I piece together a quilt on my sewing machine; I plant bulbs in the back yard. I must force myself to put pen in hand.

That's all right. Every writer must swap self-indulgence for self-control. 

 

My guess is that any serious blogger will contemplate (ponder over? agonize over?) the name of their blog. The subject matter and the persona that we choose to reveal with a blog is something that takes some consideration.

I want this blog to be more personal, more revealing than other blogs I've written. This will take some effort. I want this blog to be soft, but strong. I want to inspire, but have courage to show my faults and my fears. I usually choose my glass to be half full, but I will also write when I only see empty.

I named the blog "Silk Pajamas" to represent my own softness and my love for soft things next to me and around me. I was once a pretty girl, and now I'm a woman with exquisite taste who surrounds herself with beautiful fabrics, papers, ribbon, flowers and photos. My talent is manifested by the unique way that I use words.

I started this blog to express the heart of a woman, but now I realize that I need to express the heart of woman who hasn't been 100 percent physically well in years. I strive to have quality of life during this period of time when I seek wellness. I want to be brave enough to quit avoiding that place where my scary thoughts dwell. I want to create a new persona that allows me to be whole before I am well. This is no easy task--for me.; it is part of living life to the fullest before I am well, while I strive to be well.

Now I think about the name I have chosen and decide that "Silk Pajamas" conjures up an image I can embrace, one that describes a woman who is still feminine and sensual, not only while she rests in her four-poster bed, but while she negotiates her personal and professional life in a creative new way.