Here are just a few things I’m doing right now. Shall we?
Attending Cole’s final school conference. This actually happened last Friday. The last school conference I’ll ever attend unless Dan and I decide to have more children, which at this point, you can guess, would be a) a miracle, and b) not really going to happen. Was it bittersweet? Not really. Here’s my thinking, and mind you I’m biased, but: Cole is awesome. He always has been. He may not be loving his senior experience, but I have confidence in him. He’s contemplating a gap year right now, and at first I was all, “GAP YEAR? WHAAAAAT?” but his thinking was sound and you know what? It’s his life experience, not mine. He is the one to make the choices and see what shakes out. At this point, he’s gotten into 6 schools and he’s waiting to hear back from the last two. All I want for my children is that they have choices and that they have passion and joy in whatever work they choose. Stay tuned on this one.
Organizing my craft/dining room (again!) Most of you know that I make stuff in my dining room. Since the very first day I brought home scrapbook supplies back in 2002 from that now long-gone Archiver’s store in Roseville, Minnesota, I have been making things on this rickety old antique hand-me down table. And while we might eat here for Thanksgiving once every five years, most of the time we just make stuff here. Even Cole still sets up camp here when he has a creative project to tackle.
I am planning to make my very first video tour of this space. A you can see, our dining room is not really set off from the rest of the house. It’s really open and you can’t really avoid walking through it if you want to exit through the back. I had a few custom pieces built back in 2006, but recently I have added some new pieces, mostly from IKEA (the Alex drawer unit) and both ink and marker holders from my favorite new-to-me company, Organize More. I promise to share more in a video soon. I just think it might be nice to show that you can work with whatever space you’re lucky enough to carve out for creative endeavors!
Reminiscing over hilarious old photos. I’m going to say this right now: I don’t remember having this photo taken nor do I recall sending it to my dear friend, John, who texted this image to me last week after trying to save his stuff from a flooded Bay Area garage. If you’re wondering about the hair, this was taken during the period of time when my long-time hair stylist had moved to Guam for two years. Upon his arrival I had long hair (much longer than you see here!). He took one look at it and said, “You wanna cut it?” So he gave me a short, corporate bob which lasted a little less than two months before I went back to the shorn Cathy you know and love today. Also, I was the Empress of Shoulder Pads and White Hosiery. You’re welcome.
Waiting to learn which law school my girl will attend in the fall. This past weekend she attended admitted student day at the University of Wisconsin–Madsion, and tomorrow she’ll be touring Notre Dame. The University of Minnesota is also in the running. She is giddy at the impending journey she’s about to take (meaning the three years of law school.) I’m so proud of her for following her dream and passion. Yes, she’ll be taking on a lot of debt during this next phase (adding to the debt she’ll already be graduating with!), but as I said, my hope for my children is that they have joy and passion in their work. She is well on her way.
Preparing to offer Design Your Life 2.0 this spring! I promised this live course would return and it will! Registration opens next Monday (March 26) and class will run from April 5 to May 2. It will launch with an introductory special to save $5 off the $45 price and any alumni of the original Big Picture Classes Design Your Life workshop can register for just $30! This is not the same class. I created it from scratch last year with all new lessons and layouts to complete. The full course description will be available next Monday! You get $28 in layered template files alone, plus cut files and more. I’m excited to offer this four week class. Watch my CZ Classes page and your email for more info! (Not a subscriber to my newsletter? Sign up here!)
And that, my friends, is what is happening right now. Anything you’d care to share? By all means, do!
Franci says
Looking forward to the new class!!
Cathy Zielske says
Me too! I have been reviewing all the materials and lessons. I think it’s a good one!
Katrina says
Interested to hear what Aidan thinks of Notre Dame (or more specifically, South Bend). Due to an unfortunate/heartbreaking change of residence for our Littles, my husband and I spend a week every couple of months in SB.
Cathy Zielske says
Yes, I’m looking forward to hearing what she thinks! She’s headed there tonight!
heidig says
Good luck to both Cole and Aidan! If Aidan ever heads to the east coast, I would soooo get her at job at the personal injury firm for which I work – if personal injury ends up being her “law of choice”. Please tell me DYL 2.0 will have a TN option – pleeeeeaase. I don’t have any more space for 12×12 or 8.5×11. If not, I could probably make it work with the TN templates I currently use.
Cathy Zielske says
Good to know, Heidi!
And sorry, but DYL is purely scrapbooking ! : )
Mary Ellen Harrison says
What does TN mean? Thanks!
Cathy Zielske says
Travelers Notebook!
Michelle Bradtke says
Anxious to hear more about this class. Will there be tutorials for layered templates, or do we need to know how to use them?
Cathy Zielske says
Hey Michelle, yes! Tutorials are included as they apply to using the digital elements as an option, but it is not a digital scrapbooking class! I designed it to be more universal!
Peggy says
Looking forward to the video tour. Love the COPIC arrangements. I can’t believe how grown your two kids are. Having followed you for basically all their lives thru your scrappy adventures, I feel older now too. But then my own are right there too.
Cathy Zielske says
Yeah, it’s like we blinked, right?
Deirdre Keating says
I don’t get here as often as I once did, but Aidan *just* left for college! My oldest is 16, so this is a good wake up call that college goes FAST when you’re the parent!
Cathy Zielske says
Crazy, right? Time flies.
Judi church says
Big whoop, for sure. Lots of changes happening. If I may weigh in on Cole wanting to take a year off……my daughter did not, and should have. Things went sideways. Very stresssful. Your attitude is bang on.
Cathy Zielske says
Always appreciate hearing other parents’ perspectives! He feels like if he’s not really passionate about going next fall, that it’s an awful waste of money. We are waiting to see what some of the financial packages will be from his top schools. That will also influence his decision. But again, it’s his decision. 🙂
Sue says
Thanks for sharing. People in the cyber world are a mystery and so you glamorize them. We are all really the same and it is nice to hear the normal stuff too.
Cathy Zielske says
🙂 There’s not a lot of glamour in my life. Except for my family room. Because there is so little in there it’s hard to mess it up!
s.u.f_69 says
Yes! Design your life. The good old scrapbooking days. I learned so much and I realized my style was C&S.
I was not able to attend last summer, but this time I am. I am so looking forward to it.
Cathy Zielske says
Well when you get my email announcing the class, it will have instructions for Alumni to email me for a special code to save!!!
Tracey Magner says
Hi Cathy, What a FUN post, I also love the Organize More store, that is where I got my Copics storage bins from and other things and their CS people are amazing there. Love the black & white pic, so cute, I am big into Photography so of course I didn’t really focus on the groovy hair, I was looking at the background like what was that black thing that looked like a cat on the file cabinets and why didn’t you take the plastic off your flowers before putting them in water, and wondering if you still had that cool pinky ring?? LOL I’m not crazy, I just love pic’s, especially old pic’s, I am a Vintage girl.
I also wanted to say I love your style, I have told you that a million times, you are unique and cool, love your stamps. I have been a scrapbooker for almost 20 yrs, but I have never gotten into the Digital Scrapbooking, so I was wondering if you are into that, and if yes, do you teach that, after all this rambling that was my question, Thanks again for an awesome post today.
Cathy Zielske says
I LOVE the folks at Organize More. Small company. They work their butts off to make such amazing stuff. And I think that flowers in plastic was just because I had just gotten them!
I do not really do a lot of digital scrapbooking per se, however, I do create digital pages for my annual memory keeping project, Scrapbook Your Year. That is technically digital scrapbooking with the end result being making a printed book. I also offer a class on digital scrapbooking! Check out my classes here on my site. Links are at the top of each page on my site!
Tracey Magner says
OOPS, I forgot to say WOW, your kids sound AMAZING, cherish them, time flies so fast, my son is going to be 28 in 2 weeks I can’t believe it, it goes so fast. They sounds like some really great kids, Good Luck to them as they start their lives.
Teresa Doyle says
Congratulations to you and your children! Sounds like they have got it together. My daughter took a year off after she graduated HS and worked for a year before going to art school which was her life long dream. We were just as pleased as she was only 18 and we weren’t ready to send her off to the “big city” alone. LOL However, after 4 years she graduated majoring in metal smithing and minoring in drawing. She now designs jewellery and has her own company. So just because Cole takes a year off does not mean he won’t continue his education, only that he may have time to decide exactly WHAT he wants to pursue. All the best to them both! (Good job Momma!)
Cathy Zielske says
Thanks for sharing that, Teresa! It’s nice to know that others take a break and continue on with their education!
Shelley says
Time flies way too fast!!!! I love your marker holder!! Curious about your favorite Colors…what are your absolute favorites and go to’s? i’ve acquired a few (really haven’t used them yet)….but always looking to find new colors that I must have 🙂 Stash collection at its finest! LOL!
Cathy Zielske says
Oh Shelley! I’m SO new to Copics that it’s hard to answer that right now. I love YG colors though! Those are my favorite. AND All the warm grays. I feel those are major must haves!
Portia says
Gorgeous and classy photo Cathy!
The kids’ lives are getting very exciting.
I’ve been following them too through your scrap adventures. Adorable!
I’d like to know if the class I took last summer is the same one you’re getting ready for now.
I lost track of the lessons and didn’t finish and I’m not tech savvy.
Cathy Zielske says
Yes, Portia! Same class! You still have access to that class and you can email me if you are having trouble with it!
Deborah Alexander says
Love this! My eldest is 17 and finished school last year. We thought she would be heading to university here to study physio but instead she is following her dream of becoming a full time dancer. A year of dancing daily and learning and growing – 7 weeks in and she loves it but misses the academic challenge. Looking forward to seeing where she ends up but so glad she took the chance to follow her dreams.
Sounds like Cole is making a great choice. Sometimes it’s hard to let go and let them make those choices.
Lois says
Hmmm…I have to leave a comment for so many reasons!!
Laughing at that old picture of you Cathy. We’re about the same age, and it looks like we both owned the same “power suit”! Ha!
Enjoying this beautiful weather we’re having today in Maryland. But, go figure…it’s going to snow tomorrow!
Planning for the next few weeks. Having surgery on Wednesday and I’m going to need several weeks to recover. But remaining positive!
Cathy Zielske says
Sending you healing vibes! 🙂
Marian says
Last parent-teacher conference happened for me last year and I had a hard time stopping myself from doing cartwheels. And I must say, I haven’t looked back! Even though the higher education journey is more expensive and more competitive, I don’t miss the daily checks on homework, tardies, sluffs, etc.
I have to say that your corporate photo is the best thing I’ve seen all day. I remember the days of shoulder pads and hose every day. I was just telling my daughter-in-law who is 34 weeks pregnant and comfortable in maternity tights and big shirts, that I wore a dress or suit, pantyhose and heels every day during my first pregnancy. Another thing that I haven’t missed!
You definitely put a smile on my face today.
Cathy Zielske says
Yeah, I think I can related to this. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like if Cole were one of 4 kids, and I had more conferences and more years with kids at home. Sometimes I wish that were the case, but then again, two kids has had its upside.
But oh yeah, the price of college is insane. It is. I’ll just leave it at that!
Karen Freeman says
Wow a new version, so excited, loved all your classes. This will be epic and perfect timing for this lady who is at cross roads and working through writing her story, current and past and all that goes with it. Yay.
Cathy Zielske says
I’m excited to be offering it again!
Kay says
LOL, Cathy! Love the business photo. I so remember the power suit, opaque pantyhose (sure don’t miss those), pearls, and shoulder pads. I hated those.
I, too, have followed your kiddos’ lives. Doesn’t seem possible they’re all grown up already. But, I can’t believe that my grandchildren are growing up so fast either. Good luck to both Cole and Aidan.
I want one of those marker holders! Is yours the “Standard Marker” for $29.95 from OrganizeMore? Why do yours each have different bottoms?
Cathy Zielske says
Yes! That is the model and I have no idea what happened to my first marker holder. I believe they redesigned it to add that panel. I think I’m going to be ordering another!
Delua says
Yay, Design your life two. I loved the first Design your life. One of the 2 or3 ckasses I’ve done over the last 14 years where I’ve completed every assignment ( and at keast one of the other two was yours too – (A to Z). Can’t wait. Thanks two for the uodate on life right now. I always enjoy it. Thanks.
Cathy Zielske says
Yay! Don’t forget when the class is announced, to email me for the big alumni discount!
Marjorie says
I got shivers when I read the end of paragraph one. So many parents would impose their point of view to their children.
Also, I think I took DYL, but I’m not certain. How can I found out for certain please?
Cathy Zielske says
Marjorie, do you have any of the layout assignments from the class? That’s all I need as proof. Big Picture Classes did not give me the student lists unfortunately, so I have no record of who took it back in the olden days! You probably have some email from Big Picture classes somewhere in your files?
Marjorie says
Hi Cathy,
Thank you for taking the time to answer.
I found all the templates from back then. Does that count? 😉
Cathy Zielske says
Absolutely!