Countdown to 40 and Fabulous - 7

May 9th - 7 days to 40.

As many of you know, I am into scrapbooking and crafting. I love it. It's a very relaxing (though often messy) hobby. But it keeps me creative. Well I got this in my inbox today for a website I am a member of and I wanted to share it with all of you. It's the Paper Source Colorscope that tells you what it means if a specific color is your favorite - kind of like a horoscope but much more visually appealing. My favorite color is RED and I thought the description was pretty on point.

RED: You know who you are and what you want. Popularity, money and power are all yours. You are kind and generous to your friends.You love to have fun at parties,especially if you are in charge.You are also a perfectionist and you state your opinions boldly.

I think these are all qualities I have. Admittedly I am not quite the perfectionist I used to be. I had to let a lot of that go since there are only 24 hours in the day. I also don't need to be so popular anymore, but I definitely did like that. Money and power are arguable. I don't have any real money and power, well that's all relative. But overall, this totally describes many facets of who I am or who I was. 40 years is a lot of mileage and changes our perspective. I love to have fun at parties, but I don't last as long at them anymore. And I still have bold opinions, but I am much more filtered these days for practical reasons like not wanting to get fired. LOL. Anyway, check it out and tell me what your favorite color says about you.

Here's a little fun interview with myself. If you've known me a long time, see if you think anything has changed. I'd love to know.



What are my favorite shows these days?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Vampire Diaries and Hawaii 5-0. Can't miss those. I like Glee but I don't feel obligated to always watch it. NCIS wins over Glee most times unless it's a repeat. I have often thought of getting rid of cable so I can be more productive and save money. But I enjoy watching TV so much that I just can't do it. I mean True Blood is right around the corner.

What's on my ipod?
I'm all about podcasts and audio books these days. When I was first getting used to my commute and a crying infant in the back seat, audio books saved my life. I got through every Twilight book from itunes the summer of 2008. I developed a love for classical music too. It's amazing what Bach can do for your road rage and stress! I have a few podcasts that I really enjoy - Manic Mommies (it's a talk show of sorts for, you guessed it, manic mommies). Their tag line is "for moms trying to do it all, and then some! Does that sound like someone you know? They are really funny and you just know you aren't alone when you listen to them. They have some great topics and interviews that are quite relevant (religion, raising independent/free range kids, struggles with getting your kids evaluated for adhd or autism, etc.) Check them out on itunes or ManicMommies.com. I also have a craft podcast I listen to. It's very nerdy, I know, but it makes that one hour commute seem like 20 minutes. It's called paperclipping roundtable and paperclipping digi show. I have several audio books I haven't gotten to yet like Skinny Bitch, Oscar Wao, Siddhartha, and Reading Lolita in Tehran.

What is my favorite piece of technology right now?
iPad

What is the most important thing you have learned in 40 years?
I can't believe how hard I am quizzing myself. I guess this is what I would want to know about someone turning 40. I think one of the most important lessons I have learned is that there is always a choice. When people say they have no choice, it's not true. It just means that the best choice is the one that has the least negative consequences. I have a choice to say no to my boss, but are the consequences of that worth dealing with? I still have a choice nonetheless.

What do you want most for your child(ren)?
I only have one for now. I want him to be normal. If he ever finds fame and fortune, I hope he also maintains a sense of normalcy with all that fame and fortune come with. We just saw the royal wedding with a billion other people around the world. Princess Diana did her best to make a normal life for those boys. Even though their normal is most certainly not my normal, they seem pretty down to earth for people who have access to the crown jewels. Yea Harry drinks alot. But I know a lot of people who like to party like him. it's NORMAL at that age. Maybe I am just romanticizing life, but I do think there is something to be said about just being your average everyday person. That's why I married Ron. When people would ask me what I liked/loved about him, my response was always, "he's normal!" Little drama (let's face it we all have some). Down to earth. Doesn't feel entitled. Normal. That's what I want for Ethan. I want him to have everything he dreams of as long as he remembers his sense of self, hard work, down to earth-ness (not a word I know) and his sense of normalcy. Oh and I also want him to be the person who stands up for himself and others. I want him to be the popular, smart, athletic kid that doesn't allow a less popular kid to get pushed around. High expectations? Maybe. But I can try!

Countdown to 40 and Fabulous - 8

May 9th - 8 days to 40

Turning 40 means that there are people in my life (not including family) I have known for over 20 years, that is, half my life. I find that so amazing. I pride myself in the fact that I have significant relationships in my life that are long standing. Yes there is my husband and son, but I truly have a cadre of friends that have become part of my extended family. I am grateful for that.

Yesterday I had lunch with someone from my Albany days. It was so nice to reconnect and reminisce.  Friendships are often fleeting and of course there are lots of acquaintances, countless over 40 years. There is nothing wrong with that. We grow out of people like we grow out of fashion or music. It doesn't sound so nice to say it out loud or write it on a blog, but I really think it is the order of things. We choose a variety of paths in our lives, in 40 years no less, that connect us to people that make sense for us to know while on that path.  My oldest friend is someone I have known since 3rd grade. We were inseparable until High School and then we were on and off during my college years only to completely lose touch for about 10 years. Now, we keep in touch, not everyday, but we know how to find each other and that works.

I also have contact with 1 friend from high school. There are a few on Facebook,  but the contact has only been through Facebook. My greatest and longest friendships are those with the group of people I connected with in college. I still have a core of friends from my undergraduate days that I have kept in touch with regularly - weddings, baby showers, summer barbecues. And I love that. I also love being in my sorority. I have some great relationships that have come out of that experience.

My sorority sisters at my baby shower, 2007

I am also proud of the community I created for myself when I was in graduate school in Albany. I spent 10 years in Albany and I often miss it. But as time goes by, I realize that I don't miss the city of Albany, I miss the connections and the relationships that I was able to build and sustain while I lived there. I had a good life there. Life is good now, no doubt, but definitely a little more challenging. That's what happens when it's not about you anymore. And I am perfectly fine with that.

My mom comes from a time where too many friends wasn't necessarily a good thing. Your family members are your friends. They never turn their back. They are never fleeting. There is a sense of duty. That was then. We all know that family can be very unreliable and fleeting so there goes that theory. I love my family, but that comes from obligation on some levels. However I have managed to carve out some important friendships out of family members too. My friends are very important people to me. They are people who I chose to be part of my life and presumably they chose me too.

So here's to all of the friends I have made over the years and whose names and numbers and emails are still in my rolodex (there goes that rolodex again that only I still have). Thank you Syracuse. Thank you SLU. Thank you Albany. Thank you family. I am so lucky to have a strong support system from a variety of places to choose from.

"My friends are my estate." ---- Emily Dickinson

Countdown to 40 and Fabulous - 9

May 8th - 9 days to 40.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

So here I am again. 9 days until the big day. I woke up yesterday and thought, I need to go to the gym. I don't want to be 40, Fabulous and Fat. So I headed over to Court St. and Hamilton Ave. and joined CKO Kickboxing. Wow, what a workout. Fingers crossed that it will give me the motivation and energy I need.

This is a step toward de-cluttering the body. I have one resolution this year and that's it....DE-CLUTTER - the mind, the body and the soul. It's not been easy but I try to do something every week to bring me closer to that goal. I think I'll just spring for a cleaning lady to help me out with the spatial de-cluttering. The mind, well, de-cluttering continues to be a work in progress. There is so much I want to do that my mind is always racing.

TinyBuddha.com has some great quotes and words of wisdom. I found a quote that I have been keeping in mind lately to help me with my goal to eliminate the clutter in my life. "When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt." (Honore de Balzac) So when I say I doubt I can lose 10 lbs in 2 months, I think about taking my power back from doubt. When I say UGHHH I doubt I can get all these chores done this weekend, I say, damn you doubt! I've got 1-800-Maids in my rolodex (does anyone use a rolodex anymore?) But you get my point.

40 means taking a cue from 1980s Janet and staying in CONTROL. It means taking Honore's words to heart and not relinquishing power to the mind games we play on ourselves, hence a start toward de-cluttering the mind. So I say Hail 40! The power is all mine (evil laughter).

Countdown to 40 and Fabulous - 10

May 7th - 10 days to 40.

What does 40 mean to me right now? It means taking steps to reevaluate my career goals. It means possibly having another baby. It means continuing to work on my marriage and other relationships that are important to me. It means being a good parent, a good friend, a good wife, daughter and sister. It also means being a better person and doing more for others, professionally and civically.

As I move closer to a new decade in my life, I have become more and more reflective about where I've been and I where I want to go. Sounds corny, I know! But it's true. We all approach milestones that makes us say hmmmm. It could be parenthood, the loss of a job or getting a new job, starting or finishing school. For me right now, it's all about turning 40. Many people don't think birthdays are a big deal - age ain't nothing but a number right? WRONG!? There are different expectations at home, at work, in society. HELLO, your body changes. Your abilities in certain areas decrease (liking staying awake past 10pm), while they increase in others (being wiser and better at a variety of things due to experience).

So over the next 10 days, I'll be reflecting about lots of things. I'll be reflecting on current events, relationships (past and present), where I find acceptance and I'll even be conducting an interview with myself. Hey why not? It's not like Oprah is knocking on my door wanting to interview your average girl next door. So I'll do it myself. I hope you will continue to join me on this little journey of self reflection. Feel free to comment and dialogue with me during this time.

Thanks for reading.

Without change, there would be no butterflies!

I want to write, but I don't want to write. Does that make sense? I feel the need to express myself, but I can't seem to put the proper words together. One of my newly favorite web pages is TinyBuddha.com. I love quotes and this site has good one everyday. Here is a quote tht really inspired me today. I hope it will let me articulate myself the way I wish to.

"We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy the world." --- Helen Keller

I adore my family, nuclear and extended. They are all such a great group of people from the eldest to the youngest. Today, my family said goodbye to one of our elders. And sometime this week, we will be saying hello to a new baby. So, I find Helen Keller's words to be ever so fitting for me today as I put pen to paper or in this case fingers to keyboard.

Perhaps it sounds trite - the ever cliched terms - everything happens for a reason or God never gives us more than we can handle or time heals all wounds. Maybe! What I think is important about these terms is just that we grow and learn from every mistake, from every wound, from everything that brings us joy and from everything that brings us pain and sorrow. As long as we continue to be open to what lessons come our way, we'll be alright. Just as soon as we say ADIOS, we get a chance to say BIENVENIDO!

                     

Meta Blogging? Huh!?!

My blog this year has been really about my one little word - declutter! So why not declutter my blog? I am satisfied with it thus far, but things can always get better, no? How would I do that? Well for starters, I've signed up for Google Analytics. I really want to know who my readers are and what I can do to make their reading experience at my blog better. I want them to keep coming back.

Blogging for me is inextricably linked to my scrapping. But that has evolved. And the evolution has been pretty natural. Never forced. When I got started, it really was just about sharing my layouts and talking about what I liked, my styles and also my photos. I started a Photos of the week post that I never followed through regularly but am thinking of adding back in. My photography is improving and it's the foundation to my enjoyment of scrapbooking.

The next evolution has everything to do with the storytelling. Journaling has become such an important aspect in my scrapping and my blogging. I am not just posting a pic of my layout. The layout is now the by product of the stories. What has become important is the photo and the story behind the photo. Sometimes it is the other way around. I want to tell a story about my son's personality and just find a photo that makes sense about who he is at a particular moment in time. I've never been very good at keeping a diary or journal until I discovered blogging.

I know I really enjoy photography blogs, crafting blogs and blogs by women. Reading those blogs have really allowed me to become a better writer and have a better design eye. After all, a blog is just a virtual scrapbook and journal. I know my style and I know myself and I want that to come through in my blogging. And to think, this all started with my desire to relax and relieve some stress through art (photography, art journaling, scrapbooking and now blogging). Stay tuned.

So what made you start blogging? Leave me a comment and share. I'll do a random drawing for a Simple Stories Destinations paper pack.

Let the Countdown Begin

Today is April 27th. There are 25 days left to my birthday, a very milestone birthday at that. On May 17, 2011 I will turn....wait for it....FORTY! Yes the BIG 4-0. When I turned 30, I hated it. I had just ended a 4 year relationship on very bad terms. I was trying to figure out the next steps in my life. I was living in a small, less than exciting town. The idea of not being in my 20s totally depressed me.

I still have mixed feelings about this next decade, but overall, I embrace it. I have embraced myself in all my imperfection. I have a good life. A family who loves me (nuclear and extended). My health is relatively good, considering! I have a job and a roof over my head, which in today's economy is a lot. Of course, I still have work to do. My one little word for the year, afterall, is DECLUTTER, on a variety of levels. But just because there is some clean up to do in aisle 40, doesn't mean that a lot of other things aren't in order!

So with that in mind, I created the following layout. It's a busy layout. Very anti-Cathy Zielske's whose clean and simple look and style, I love. But shabby chick is still a style I like and enjoy and I think that's what this layout is...shabby chic!

The bottom reads "Both of us can't look good at the same time...It's either me or the house." The tag on the bottom right corner says "original." The top left "R" is for my name and now you know what the "40?" is all about. 

The journaling reads: I chose this photo for a few reasons. First, I don't scrap pictures of myself enough. And I actually like this photo! Second, this picture was taken on April 10 at work. That's not the reason! The reason is that I am going to be 40 in 5 weeks (from when this photo was taken). Call me crazy or conceited, but I don't think I look 5 weeks shy of 40 at all. I certainly do not feel like 40...whatever that means!!

I was listening to the Paperclipping Roundtable this week and was inspired by the idea of chronicling a piece of my life. I thought about it too late to chronicle the year leading to 40. I do want to do a long term project chronicling my 40th year - on being 40! But that is not here yet. So I decided to do a Countdown to 40. I will document the last 10 days before I leave the decade of the 30s. TEAR! Like New Year's Eve, it will be 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, FORTY! 

Stay tuned because part of the project is to blog on each of those 10 days. I haven't figured out all the details yet. I only know that the 10 days of blogging is goal 1 and making a mini album about those 10 days is goal 2. This layout is practice :) I hope you will join me on my journey.

No Pain, No Gain!

First of all, it's still cold and rainy
Second of all, gas prices are bankrupting me.
Third of all, decluttering is painful.

In an attempt to continue the decluttering of my body, today I went to the best aerobics class I've ever been to in years. The instructor said we would be sore on Monday. No such luck. It's almost 1a.m. and I'm SORE now! But the class was awesome. The pain was worth it. It was a free trial class and I am going to join. Saturdays will be my day and supplement a normal workout during the week.

How can I describe this class. Intense. Adrenalin-rush. True work out. Half way through, I felt this sudden emotion. I guess the Adrenalin rush was such that I held back tears. I know it sounds weird but kickboxing is the ultimate anger management system. I guess I've been angrier  than I thought. Anyone and everyone who has pissed me off was on that punching bag. And boy did it feel good. That feeling alone makes the pain worth it. BRING IT!

Check it out: http://www.ckokickboxing.com/

REALLY!?!

Weekend Retreat

There is a lot to be said for the getaway. Not the getaway as in "I just robbed a bank" getaway. But the getaway as in "I need to get a way. So this year I attended the 2nd annual Stamp Away retreat up in Kerhonksen, NY in the lovely Hudson Valley outside New Paltz. It's my second year attending and it's an awesome weekend. A group of scrappers, in this case women, take time away from their busy schedules to just relish in their hobby. Well I sure did relish. It was a great trip. The women are great. I made some new friends, connected with old ones. It helps that the retreat location is nature at its best. It makes for great mental decluttering.

Work in Progress, Part I

I love this term - A WORK IN PROGRESS. I see myself as a constant work in progress and I see this as part of my one little word - Declutter. This is the harder part of decluttering. It's easier to organize a desk and throw out old mail and newspapers and clothes. It's much harder to declutter you mind, spirit and body. It's actually scary and emotional to even try to take steps toward doing so. Why? Because the stakes are higher. I can't even bring myself to type up the goals attached to decluttering my mind and body. You know what happens once you write something down for all to see! So for now, I will be satisfied with taking the first steps toward this massive, personal and private decluttering until I have made some strides toward those goals.

The Lost Arts

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the find of the century, or maybe it was of the decade. Either way it was a find for me. I visited my storage facility and found some very special letters and boxes of photos that I thought had either been lost in the mix of my many moves throughout college and graduate school or just that I forgot they even existed. I've been really busy with work, getting home late and now heading out to a professional conference for a few days so I haven't had a chance to really delve into the boxes of photos and handful of letters. But the task is inching its way up the priority list.

Letter writing is a lost art. I feel like it has gone the way of rotary phones and audio tapes. I remember having ONE pen pal growing up. Now I have 500 Facebook friends! The only time I buy stamps anymore is to send out our family Christmas cards. Otherwise, all correspondence is via text and/or email. As much as I love technology and all that it comes with, I do lament all that it takes away too...good grammar for one. Before we know it, the letters u and r will show up in Webster's dictionary as acceptable abbreviations for "you and are."

Like letter writing, certain forms of communication are also being lost. The move into a fully techno world has created a generation of people who lack basic communication skills. Instead of turning to their roommate 5 feet away and asking them nicely to lower their music, people are opting to post a less than complementary message on Facebook complaining about the loud music. As much as our new forms of communication have made the world smaller and our ability to communicate faster and more efficient, it has also made us forget how to have a simple, civil conversation.

    

    


I am a big advocate of balance. Work-Life balance. Tech-Non tech balance. There is a time and place for everything. There is space for a little bit of everything in our lives too. There's nothing wrong with working late a few nights here and there for our careers, but I do not care to become a workaholic. There is nothing wrong with doing a digital and a paper scrapbook layout in the same day. And there is certainly room for texting or social media AND old fashioned phone calls and the occasional letter to a special friend. Sometimes retro is the cool way to go. Grab a pen and start with the word "Dear." Maybe for National Letter Writing Week in January you'll give it a try. Who knew?!?

Lilies of the Field

If anyone told me that I was going to be not only watching, but enjoying, Sidney Poitier's Oscar winning performance in Lilies of the Field today, I would have looked at them cross eyed. First of all, I love trivia, but I have no real talent for movie or music trivia. So while I have heard of the film and I know very well who Poitier is, I didn't know that the 2 went together. And shame on me that after 12 years of Catholic school, I didn't know that the title was from the Bible. I had no idea what this movie was about until now.

Why is this relevant to me and my hobby and this blog? Well, one of the major themes of scrapbooking is story telling. Hollywood is famous for telling stories and spending millions to do it. But this story was so bare bones on screen (at least compared to the blockbusters I am used to) that I didn't think it would hold my attention. It's been a train wreck ever since. I can't stop watching it. I am engaged in the story. I care about the characters. I don't want to turn the channel. And that's with NO bells or whistles. As old as this movie is, it is quite relevant to our world today. Race, the economy, women's struggles, religion...what more do you need to tell a good story? It's all there, quite literally, in black and white!

Telling stories doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't even have to be Oscar winning or trailblazing or even in color. It just has to be sincere, heartfelt and something you really want to accomplish.

The Find of the Century

Do you have storage facility? How about an attic or basement? Well I visited my storage facility today. I am transitioning out of it and only a few items left, thank goodness. But I picked up a couple of boxes, mostly labeled picture frames and photos. I have to admit that I got a little chill of excitement. It was THE FIND OF MY CENTURY. Granted the century is only 11 years in, but a find nonetheless.

I have recently been thinking about all of my letters. Letter writing is a lost art. When I was 12, I spent the summer in the Dominican Republic. I was only supposed to go there for 21 days with my grandmother and cousin. 3 weeks turned into 2 months and despite a lot of begging and pleading, my parents would not allow me to live there. After my grandmother left, I stayed with my Dad's sister in her home. That summer created a lasting bond and friendship with her that has lasted until today. Granted we no longer write to one another, but we do speak on occasion on the phone and I make sure to send her photos of my son as he grows up.

Oh yes, the point. I found some of my letters. I am almost brought to tears when I think about them. I haven't even touched them yet. I am just happy to have them. It's not all of them. Most are lost. But even if I only find one or 2 in tact, that's enough for me. Having them as a sample means I'll never forget.

So the enxt time you walk by that basement door or that attic staircase or your storage unit, think about making an appointment for yourself to go down/up/in there to find what is really never been lost.

Embrace Imperfection

That has got to be one of the scariest statements I've ever heard. I've never thought of myself as a perfectionist but in the end I think I truly am. It keeps me from doing many things. And while I think I do a good job trying to embrace imperfection, I think perfectionism has kept me from accomplishing a few big goals. But baby steps right?

Big Picture Classes hosted a 2 week class with just that title taught Karen Grunberg. With LOAD 211, I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention to the class until today. It was almost a therapy session. Granted, the topic was scrapbooking not world peace, but the life lessons are the same. At least I like to think so. Maybe if more people scrapbook and embraced the world's imperfections, then maybe we would be closer to world peace.

The project for the class was a mini book that would help us embrace imperfection using some quotes. I got the mini book done in a couple of hours and even though it was one of the simplest projects I have taken on, I really like how it turned out. Karen's sample project didn't have any photos. The quotes were the center pieces of each page. I found photos that allowed me to embrace imperfection. They were either photos of things that illustrated the need for perfection that were just never realized OR photos that were so imperfect that I would never have used them in any project, until now.

This could have been a great photo but it was completely blurry. I assure you my photography has greatly improved.  Quote: Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence. --- Rosalynn Carter

Circa 1970. This is my own personal quote: What is more Perfectly Imperfect than FAMILY?

Here is my husband and my attempt at renovating our 1st floor apartment including some French Doors. Needless to say, there is nothing perfect about the paint stripping. The project is now in the hands of a contractor.

I thought this was perfect statement for this project. Letting go of perfectionism provides a level of freedom!

I don't need to say much here, right? Gotta love a good tantrum to really
make you feel like your doing a bang up parenting job.

Not the normal New Year's Resolution, but I think it's a good one to aim for. Who needs all the pressure?

Thank you Karen and BPC. I can assure you I have embraced imperfection. And that's a great thing!

LOAD Creations

More Vintage Photos

 

Vintage Photos

 

LOAD Day 4

Before I begin, I just want to say THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY! Sometimes I get the urge to write an ode to Friday or something. Roses are red. Violets are blue. Friday is great. Woo Hoo Hoo! It's like a great weight is off my shoulder even if only for 48 hours before the weight returns.

Anyway, that's why I scrap. It is my art therapy if you will. The layout a day challenge continues in ernest and I really liked what I came up with today. I think it was more about the story that the photos compelled me to journal about. Or perhaps the fact that the story was so compelling helps me enjoy the layout that much more.

The challenge was to use only 5 items: 2 pieces of patterned paper, up to 18" of ribbon, some bling, and one set of letters for the title. Check, check and triple check. Cardstock, adhesive and the black pen were freebies. I actually took these photos this morning on my iPhone. It suddenly hit me how fast this kids was growing and how independent he was getting. He knows how to get out of his car seat on his own, climb into the front and then exit the car by himself. He closes the door, waves again and then joins the rest of the classes on the steps, waiting for someone to open up.

Another Snow Day - Creative Opportunity

Sigh. It's another snow day here in lovely NYC. My son's school is closed and my job had a 2 hour delay. In the end, I didn't make it in to work. One might think that this is great. Once in a while it is. But the reality is that snow days are double work. I am working at home trying to keep my son busy and fed but I am also available to my job by phone and email. On top of that, not going in today, means the possibility of more work tomorrow.

With that said, I took advantage of the time to get a little creative. LOAD 211 is well on its way. Today's prompt was really interesting. I searched my name, Rosann, on Ebay, and found inspiration in a doll with the same name and same spelling (which is rare) and the color palette on the cover of business book whose author has my name as well. It took some time to think it through and then eventually execute, but I am happy with my busy, yet artsy for me, layout. It is so true that inspiration can come from ANYWHERE or ANYTHING.

   

Here's what I came up with. It's a little busy but I like it. Since the prompt was about my name, I thought why not scrapbook myself. It reads...Know Thyself. Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look. --- Marcus Aurelius.

This is special resist paper from Stampin' Up. It comes completely white with a resist pattern. Using inks (fluid or pads) you use whatever color combos you want to bring out the design...very cool! All the flowers are from Prima. The butterflies are made of nylon and wire but I have no idea who makes them. The bling is from want2scrap.com.

Here was yesterday's layout. My son is a constant source of laughter and inspiration. I am sure you can see why. The bulk of the paper and elements are from Memory Works Elementary line. The mat behind the photo is from Project life and I don't know who makes the stickers knobs and wire.