And yes, I am rambling

Just call me "Ramblin' Rose" because that's what I am about to do.

It's 82 degrees here today in Illinois - which is great except for the fact that it will be 40 this weekend...no, I am exaggerating. But, that's how it usually goes.

So, I am driving home from work and I am thinking about taking the doggies out for a walk. I get home. Take them around the subdivision and then a chain of events occur:

1. I gave the dogs some food and noticed the pile of Goodwill clothes that need to go down to my craft room.

2. So, I take those down to my craft room and here's where I think to myself, "Self, you have to stop the madness! You can't even create down here because it's such a disaster and everything you think about it, you have a mini panic attack." I have the new Dear Lizzy line from American Crafts and some great stuff from GCD Studios' Melody Ross and I haven't wanted to even play because I can't find room to work!

3. So, I start picking up all the stuff laying around. For a solid 15-20 minutes, I did nothing but put stuff in drawers, organize paper piles, straighten and throw out UNUSABLE scraps.

4. Which lead me to thinking about my mom. Now, my mom was never really a crafter/cardmaker until about a year or so ago when I really got into it. But, the last time I cleaned up my craft room, there were many little scraps that I deemed "unusable" and instead of throwing them away, I put them in a bag and gave them to her thinking she probably could do something with them - although I didn't know what. They were really a hair above garbage. So, she took them and the next time she visited, she said she wanted to show me her newest card creations - she actually takes them all to work and sells them to the girls in the office! Anyway, you know what? She had taken those scraps and made some of the most beautiful and unique designs I had ever seen. She taught me a very important lesson about crafting. Those tiny little pieces that I almost tossed were not garbage at all. It was the epitome of the saying, "one man's trash is another's treasure."

The moral of the story is - HOLD ON TO YOUR SCRAPS!

And, I just found it very interesting how the events of one day can meander and bring you to thinking about someone who is very important in your life.

Thanks for everything you've taught me, mom. I owe it all to you.

Other observations for today?

- I L-O-V-E spicy ranch dip and celery sticks...anyone else with me? I don't know what it is, but it's a snack I can never pass up.

- I L-O-V-E my new wireless Mac Mouse - it Rocks!

- I can't believe it's already Thursday. I'm tired and I have a ton of stuff to do this weekend. Plans included painting our bedroom, but since we are now hosting Easter lunch, I guess house cleaning trumps the painting and my brush and roller will take a rest until next weekend.

OH - one more exciting piece of news! And, if you've gotten this far on this post, I am so glad to share that on April 13th, I get to go to Michigan and craft with Tim Holtz!

Have a great evening!