Cathy Zielske's Blog

Reason #1,285

"Where do you keep all those letters I sent you?"

The other night, Dan decided to try and track down some vintage shots of himself, circa any decade other than the present one, to use on his Facebook profile. I told him to check in my little black suitcase, tucked way in the back of our closet, underneath scores of clothes that don't fit, and boxes and boxes of photo negatives. He never found the shots he was hoping to find, but he did sit for a while with that old, ratty suitcase, and the evidence of our courtship phase: letters, and lots of 'em.

When we first met back in 1988, he lived in Minnesota and I lived in Texas. Much of our courtship took place courtesy of the U.S. Postal System. Being a tad sentimental, I saved everything he ever sent me. From a box of crayons, to a miniature Gumby doll, to a handful of tiny plastic babies—everything he ever sent while trying to woo me is in that suitcase. (And really, nothing says, "I love you," like a handful of tiny plastic babies.)

I actually haven't pulled that suitcase out in a few years, and as I'm sitting in our bed, watching yet another episode of Friday Night Lights on Hulu (my most favorite new website ever!), he kept interrupting me with things like, "Oh man, I don't even remember sending this!" or, "I put together some really excellent paper and stamp combinations."

He finally drew my cougar-like attention away from Big Tim Riggins by tossing an anniversary card he'd made (one of many in a fine, 17-year tradition of home made cards) up onto the bed for me to look at.

"Remember this?"

And to tell you the truth, I didn't remember it. And I got to relive it all over again.

I present, my 4th anniversary card, as created by Dan Zielske.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It reminded me, yet again, that stuff might happen in my life, like losing a job, or getting chubby, or having a skin cancer scare, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that at the end of the day, I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

I know there are times when my head isn't always level, and I'm not always gazing through the lens of love. But 9.75 times out of ten? This guy's a keeper and I'm thinking that every little thing'll work out just fine.

My little Spielberg

After the overwhelming reception of the critically acclaimed The Aliens Are Eating Our Cornflakes, my son, the playwright/director/actor is at it again. This time, he's worked on a new script tentatively (and actually) called "Alien for President."

The details are sketchy, as he's kept it under wraps for the past 24 hours since he wrote (and typed) it, but it involves aliens coming to Earth and running for, you guessed it, president. And although the script is shrouded in much secrecy, I did happen to catch the line: "I'm Alien Bob, and I approve this message."

Cole even coaxed Dan into taking him out last night to find a suit coat and tie. You know, to look more presidential in the role.

 

Now if I could just teach him about double spacing in Microsoft Word. There'd be no stopping him.

Photosynthesis, fans of

A few months ago, I went against every single human instinct I possess, and joined Facebook. (And yes, if you ask me to be your friend, I'll gladly accept you because in 2009, my self-worth will be based not only on how many pounds I lose on Weight Watchers, but how many friends I amass on Facebook.)

Facebook is the new smoking. It's a horribly addicting, time-sucking entity that will eventually drain you of your life force as you fight your family for computer time to update your status with things like, "Going to eat now," or, "Good news! The rash is NOT contagious!". And you know what all that's code for? TOTAL AWESOMENESS!

One of my favorite things about Facebook is that you can become a fan of things. Pretty much any thing you can think of, you can become a fan of. I decided to become a fan of really stupid, obvious things, like cheese. And water. One of my favorite Facebook friends, who shall go unnamed, (HEY, Mark Spearman!), saw my latest fan declarations and suggested, "Why stop there? Why not become a fan of oxygen, gravity and photosynthesis?"

Okay then, Mr. Smart Ass, I will. And I became of fan of all three. And bacon, too.

But the more I thought about the fact that I'd publicly announced, through Facebook, that I was now a fan of photosynthesis, I realized that I couldn't ride the wave of deceit any longer. The truth is, I'm not. I'm so sorry for those whom I'm about to offend by saying this, but here it is: I'm not a big fan of house plants.

The reason? Ours suck.

Enter Exhibit A, the Sad Spider Plant:

 

Just minutes before this shot was taken, the plant was an absolute mess: brown, burned leaf tips, spindly crap wrapping around my special collection of Everyday Food mags, and the pink, polka-dotted plate was covered with a strange, orange mineral melange of gunk. Thanks to some quick, handy scissor work, it's better. But I never look at this plant and think, "Thank you, nature."

Next, Exhibit B, The Bloody Mess:

 

This photo is doing FAR more justice than this plant deserves. Truly. It sits menacingly on one of our stereo speakers, doing its best to get all mangled up in the blinds (which I hardly ever close because it's just too much to deal with, all that detangling). Every so often, when no one is looking, I take those trusty scissors of mine and start hacking away. And then I act all, "What? Must have gotten caught in the door or the blinds."

Maybe part of why I don't like this plant is where it's located, which is here:

 

What's that, you ask? Above the messed up plant? That's where our built-in, 200-year-old air conditioner unit used to reside. We finally took it out and started to patch up the hole. A year and a half ago. I've gotten used to it now. Doesn't even bother me. However, I thought it lacked something, so I added this:

 

You can't see? Here, I'll help:

(Cat's Life Press stamps are SO versatile! But I digress…)

Back to the plants. This next plant has been around as long as Dan has:

 

I purchased this Peace Lily in the first month after I'd moved to Minnesota in 1990, to shack up with my then boyfriend (shhhhh) Dan. Okay, don't look at me like that. He had a duplex. I moved in upstairs. UP-stairs. He was (and still is) a Pastor's kid. I wasn't about to be damned for all time.

We recently transplanted this into the pot you see. Dan assures me it'll come around. I'm hoping it's not a reflection of our years together.

But all of all of the plants in my house, this one is the saddest of them all, and I vacillate between wanting to wrap a cozy blanket around it and drop-kicking it into the trash. I present the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree plant:

 

Christmastime is here....

Just look at it. It barely even qualifies as a houseplant. More like a housebranch. Poor little thing. Maybe it's the fact that it's always surrounded by shoes.

 

I'll bet it doesn't appreciate slip-on houndstooth patterns at such close proximity. Or sitting on the lowest shelf in the room. Or the fact that I hate it and think it makes the whole room look totally depressing. And yet, that didn't stop me last December from trying to hang a few shiny ornaments from its meager branches.

So I just wanted to be forthcoming and correct the lie I'm living on Facebook. I'm not the fan of photosynthesis I said I was. I believe 2009 is going to be a year of big personal revelations and I'm starting now with the truth about my houseplants.

I mean really, the levels of oxygen Charlie Brown is giving off hardly justify the shelf space.

Speaking of things to love

Blog reader Rachel posted a link in yesterday's comments, and I knew about 12 seconds into it that I loved it. Just like that. His name is Greg Laswell and I know absolutely nothing about him, but i'm off to find out. Enjoy. (And thanks again, Rachel!)

 
How The Day Sounds from Miky Wolf on Vimeo.

Love is in the air giveaway—we have a winner

And the winner of the super cute valentine's tag pack is:

Breon, who wrote:

i am seriously lovin me some pandora radio lately. i have nothin but good tunes playing all day long and since I am attached at the proverbial hip with my good ol' laptop due to the job shortage, well, darn it , I need something to do!

ps i forgot to post before but good luck on your search! I think the nanny to ali part sounds righteous!

Breon, email me at czdesign@comcast.net and I'll hook you up!

One of my newest advertisers, Shabby Chic Crafts, would like to give to you, one of my super cute blog readers, a lovely pack of valentine tags, just in time for the big Day o' Love.

In addition, if you head over the Shabby Chic Crafts Blog, you'll find a free download for some adorable love coupons, as well some great ideas, including the cutest little felt album you've ever seen. Free stuff, and a giveaway. Just what I like on a Thursday.

To win the valentines tags, leave your name in the comments and tell me something you love other than people in your family. You know, like cheese. And chocolate.

I'll draw a winner by tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. Now I'm off to go get some work done and try to get my house a little cleaner before my dear friend Miss Stacy Julian arrives at my house for her brief stop over on her way up to a Phi Delta Scrappa Retreat in Northern Minnesota.

Good luck. Share the love.

Blasts from the Past

Because I've scanned pretty much every single layout I've ever done (on account of my old school Two Peas days (where I made practically all of my "imaginary" friends), and because I'm feeling a tad sentimental, it's time for another edition of Blast from the Past circa 2002-03.

The layout above is the type of layout I could do (and have, more or less) done over and over. Mostly because of it's super basic-ness. Random photos and specific details. Minimal embellishments. Like this one (click on the layout to make it bigger):

 

In the Design Your Life class I taught last fall at Big Picture Scrapbooking, we basically resurrected this layout above in one of our classes. And why can it work year after year? Because the essence is fairly direct and pure. What does your subject do every day?

In all these years I've been doing this hobby, I periodically yearn to break out of what I do; get a little funkier; try something new; make something that's never been seen before.

But even though I have short, funky hair, i'm not a short, funky person. I crave linear lines and clear paths and ample leading. I embrace that nothing in design is truly new. It's all an interpretive, personal recycling of what already exists.

And at the end of the day, it always comes back to what makes me happiest. Simple, specific stories, good design, and photos.

I'm looking forward to focusing a bit more on simplicity in scrapbooking in the coming months. Simplicity and selectivity.

And good typesetting. But that's a given. ; )

The options are limitless

After spending a bit of time letting the news of Simple Scrapbooks’ demise sink in, which definitely included an ample deposit of tears on my pillow, I emerge this week anew. One of my blog readers quoted a lovely line to me, from Minnesota’s own Semisonic, and the song, “Closing Time”: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

And so I did a little brainstorming. What IS next for Cathy Zielske (aside from a sharp increase in third-person writing?) Funny you should ask.

Nanny for Ali Edwards

Why this could work: I’m exceptionally good at cleaning things, cooking and driving. Simon already likes me, and I know this because we’ve video chatted before. I also know scrapbooking and while I’m bouncing Baby E, I could look over Ali's shoulder and offer up helpful comments such as: “Hmmm. Not sure if that really goes there,” or, “Wow! A lot of people wouldn’t do it that way,” or, “You are my hero,”  or, “Will you link me on your blog?” Plus, I love Oregon and have been looking for reasons to get back out to the Pacific Northwest anyway. This timing couldn’t be better! (Ali, if you are reading, I would also make an exceptional doula. The time draws nigh. Call me!)

Cashier at Target
Why this could work: I am VERY friendly, even for a classic introvert. I know how to use a cash register, and I look really good in red. Just ask my mother. I have MANY years experience in retail sales, including having worked at the Rollerfair Skate Deck Snack Bar and Chess King, all before the age of 18. As a testament to my skill level, I once convinced a customer at Chess King that yes, the knock-off, Michael Jackson Thriller jacket DID look that good on him. Plus, having the Target discount would be sah-weeeeeet.

Contestant on Rock of Love Bus Tour 2

Why this could work: I AM IN HIS CORRECT AGE BRACKET! I also know all the words to “Highway to Hell.” And I think it would do him a nice bit of good to see what a set of REAL 42-year-old breasts look like for a change. If anything, it would make him more thankful for what he has.

Contestant on Survivor
Why this could work: This would be kind of heavy on the outdoor stuff, right? Hmmm. I’m going to nix this one. Sure, it’d be GREAT for weight loss, but I’m not sure if going insane from bug bites, heat and being forced to stand on large totem poles in a bikini would do a whole lot for my self-image. And let’s be honest here: I’d be voted off the first week. I can almost hear it now: GAWD, if she talks about how she wrote two books on scrapbooking one more time, and how she USED to have this killer job, and how she was thin before she quit smoking I am going to vote MYSELF off!”

Contestant on Making the Band 14
Why this could work: As Dan likes to say, “They STILL haven’t made the band?” Um, they haven’t met me yet. Yo, Diddy, call me! Hey… there’s ANOTHER idea:

Contestant on I Want to Work for Diddy
Why this could work: After he saw my commitment to making the band, I’d be a shoe-in.

Apprentice to Cesar Milan

Why this could work: I may not have a dog of my own, but since getting digital cable, I watch The Dog Whisperer RELIGIOUSLY. I know how to be calm-assertive, and make the “chhh” sound. If Cesar would just give me a shot, I would not only help dog owners learn to be better pack leaders, but I would also give them fantastic tips on how to make mini albums celebrating their dogs’ everyday successes. I would say things like, “Um, that’s not REALLY a strong visual triangle on the page. You need THREE paw print stickers to make it work.”

I guess the point of this blog post is to say I am fully aware I have options. One of those things that is not an option, but an absolute, is keeping this blog alive and humming. So no worries there! Heck, maybe now I’ll spend more time on proper sentence structure. You know what they say—dream big!

On a more serious note, I really want to say thank you to the loyal (and even the fair weather) readers of Simple Scrapbooks over the years. We so appreciated your interest, support and passion. You can look forward to seeing the Simple message continue as part of Creating Keepsakes magazine in the future.

Now, does anyone have Cesar Milan’s mailing addy?

What a cool and lucky ride

My beloved Simple will soon cease to be published. You can read the official announcement here.

Lots of emotions around this. I'd hoped to write something really clever, and witty, and fun to read. Something that would make my blog readers smile, maybe laugh out loud once or twice. I was going to present of list of alternative things I could do. Some of them were quite entertaining. Really. They were.

But I'm a bit too sad to do that. I've loved being an art director for a magazine whose subject I adored, and whose staff I was so incredibly fortunate to work with. My official last day with Simple is Feb. 27th. What's on the horizon? Stay tuned.

I'm sure I'll write more about this later. For now, thanks Stacy and everyone at Simple and CK Media for letting me part of a pretty dang cool thing. It was an absolute honor.

 

With certainty, I can make this statement: I'll never be climbing Mount Everest

It's -17 degrees. Right now, at 5:11 a.m., in St. Paul, Minnesota. Where I live.

Now right now, I don't know what you find more shocking: a) that it's -17, b) that I'm up at 5:11 a.m., or c) that I live in St. Paul. I suppose all three of them carry their own unique shudder values, don't they?

But I'm just here to tell you: baby, it's cold outside.

My reporter friend, Molly Millett, called me yesterday for a quote about the weather. I feel my line about Mt. Everest was particularly clever. Clever schmever. I speak the truth.

I have to take my car into the shop a bit later on this morning. I'm hoping to drive it, rather than push it. My battery is not liking the cold snap. This means, at roughly 8:30 this morning, I'll be walking home from my neighborhood mechanic. Outside. In nature. At which point in time, it might just warm up to -13 if I'm lucky.

I have no true winter garb, save for my Uggs. I realize Ugg boots aren't necessarily the Gear of Mountaineers, but I will tell you this: the ONLY part of me that will not be frozen in my four block dash to home will be my feet. I wish I could get a whole damned suit made of Uggs.

That's all I'm sayin'.

Making a Difference

This past Christmas, Dan wrapped up a small gift to be opened down at his parents’ farm during our family gathering. The gift was a deck of cards called 52 Ways to Make a Difference and it was a fabulous idea, but what happened was that someone opened it while Dan was in another room, and no one knew what to do with it, so it just sort of sat there, intact and unimplemented.

Dan plans to make sure that everyone from his family eventually chooses two cards from the deck to use as both inspiration and goals for the year, in an effort to “make a difference.”

This past weekend, when Dan explained to me the purpose behind the gift, he told me to pick out my cards. I asked if it had to be a blind draw and he said no, just pick two that speak to you. Well, alrighty then, I will.

The process wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. Let me share with you some of the cards I voted down:

Hello, Nature? Have we met? EXACTLY. I flipped past this one so quickly I nearly gave myself a paper cut. Next.

I'm sorry, but you can pry the Internet from my cold, dead, mouse-clicking hand, thank you very much. And if you think you’re taking Facebook away from me, in the words of Judas Priest, you’ve got another thing comin.’ Next.

I already do this because I never leave the house. There is no need for me to be environmentally friendlier, lunch-wise, than I already am when eating my 5-point lunch on good old fashioned ceramic plates. Unless I were to eat in the nude. But I’m not sure how that would lessen my use of plastic. If anything, it would probably increase my use. Next.

I think we need to be really clear here, because my corner store is Super America, and the only thing they sell is gas, candy and cigarettes. And I don’t think the intention here is for me to start smoking again. But if it “makes a difference,” well, then I may have to reconsider. Next.

Sure. I’ll share. As soon as you up my daily points to 55, Weight Watchers. Next.

You mean less than I shop now? I’ve worked my orange sweatshirt six ways to Sunday. Really. I can’t see how that’s making a difference other than impressing everyone I know with my stellar sense of fashion. Next.

With my neurotic tendencies and early 40s mood swings, I couldn’t say “I’m sorry” more if I tried. In fact, I invented “I’m sorry.” Next.

And so… after a bit of cheekiness (and really, all of the above things are great ideas, with the exception of "Be in Nature"), I did arrive at two that rang true to me. The first one, is this:

And the back of this card reads:

I couldn't have written it better, with the exception of the line referring to nature. It's exactly one of the things I'm trying to do this year. Take care of me. If mama's good, goodness will flow. Or so it goes.

The other card I chose is this one:

This is something I plan to do, now, today... and to remind myself to do more. I really tend to hole up here in my little world and not reach out more to remind those people who I'm blessed to call friends how much I appreciate them. The back of this card reads:

I realize that both of my card choices are much more related to internal differences rather than external ones. But I'm a live from the heart and the gut kind of girl, and they just rang very true to what matters to me right now.

Even without the deck of cards, it's fun to muse about what small differences you can make. No, really. It is. Try it.

But for crying out loud, if you're going to try it in nature, you're on your own.