Time flies whether you are having fun or not

Do you ever feel like you are riding a stationary bike up a hill - you keep pedaling but you just don't make up any ground. I sort of feel like that right - so busy busy busy, and even though I can see that I am producing things, there is still so much to be done - whoa! this almost sounds like "real work" when your in basket is filling up faster that you can empty it!!!!! The only difference is that what I am doing now is fun and that was NOT fun! Being an accountant, especially in tax season, was a b--tch!!!!! Lots of money but no fun!
Anyway, back to today, I used that quote for the title because 2 of the TAAFOMFT designers did other layouts (both great) about time, and it got me to thinking (yeah, I know, dangerous - me thinking!!) what my goals for 2009 were and if I had achieved them - and the answers are mixed. Some things did not get done or finished, but other things blossomed beyond my wildest dreams! Plans and goals are pretty much intentions, and sometimes they have to change with life. I am starting to think about next year's goals - I always like to write them down and have them on a list above my desk so I am reminded of them throughout the year.
The above layout is one I did of Dan when we were hiking in North Carolina - he had slid down a small hill and ripped his pants. The journaling reads "The biggest difference in how the two of us think is that I'm a planner and you hate to plan - you always want to go with whatever happens - a real seat of the pants approach. Sometimes the results are less than optimal but other times they are Outstanding." Have you noticed my layouts are changing - getting simpler - not sure why but they are. the background paper is old Cosmo Cricket (doesn't look like CC today for sure) and I even cut the leaves from it.
And now a key lime cake - we have had the best crop ever of key limes. Dan harvested them and we squeezed quite a few and froze the juice in ice cube trays for later use. this cake is sooooooo good and actually very low in fat - you use low-fat yogurt and vegetable oil for the fat in it. The recipe is one I adapted from a Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I love her cookbooks and have gotten them from the library several times. Her recipe for Beef Bourginon (sp) is outstanding as are her recipes for coeur a la creme and cheese straws - but my favorites are this cake and her crostada recipe, which I usually make with apples. YUM!

This layout I did for Artastic - just found this challenge blog through Julie. The inspiration this month is an Alma-Tadema fin de siecle painting of a Grecian woman in a long flowing gown - there is a frieze of drawings across the wall behind her and some plants in the lower right corner. I took the inspiration of eternal (the frescoes on the wall in the painting) and found this photo I took when we were in San Francisco one time - this is a beach north of the Bridge, probably off of Muir woods. the card is a wallpaper sample from Anthropologie, the other ephemera was from an old Somerset magazine, and the leaves were cut from a piece of old Making memories paper - the background paper is old Basic Grey.

And now, a big thank you to Julie, my boss at TAAFOMFT, who sent me (and all of the designers) a fun fun package of Christmas goodies. She included in my package a special Stamping station because she knew that I was needing all the help I could get. Opening a box that has lots of little goodies in it is so much fun. Thank you so much!!!!!!

I received my first kit from The Sampler (scrapbookingsuppliesrus) and it's awesome!!!! I printed out some photos yesterday to play with, but I think I will need to put up Christmas decorations next weekend (once Thanksgiving is over) so I can take some new photos. I did get out my big bin of reindeer and will have a photo shoot of them this week. Deana, if you read this, I have one you would love - she is dressed in a red dress and high-heeled black boots, her antlers are gold, and she is holding a little glass of wine - her tag reads "let's get together and WINE!" Dan gave her to me a couple of years ago - he always searches for a special reindeer to put in my stocking.

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday and a fabulous week - and if I don't blog before Thursday, have a super Thanksgiving!!!! I am so blessed and grateful for my life, my husband, my son, everything - and I am especially grateful right now because Dan had his latest cystoscopy on Thursday and the doctor did not find any cancer - Yay!!!! His next cyscoscopy will be in February (he has to have one every 3 months - the type of cancer he has is very bad to come back so you have to go 5 years clean before they define you as cancer-free so we live one test at a time right now and don't worry about the next one). Anyway, he was super happy when he got home from the VA hospital and we celebrated with a special dinner that night - and of course, a little wine!

ttfn