1 girl...4 guys

It's time for the 12 Tags of Christmas...

2011-12-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

Tim Holtz style, that is!!!! In past years, I've always just been a watcher. But this year, I'm participating!!! Now I admit...I don't really have alot of Tim Holtz's stuff...and I only have 4 Distress Inks (what a SHAME!) but that didn't stop me! I used what I had here, and I think my tag turned out pretty well!!!

I started by cutting a tag out of a manilla file folder...I even cut circles to use as the reinforcers! Then I used a cuttlebug embossing folder (inked with Fired Brick, of course!) to emboss the tag. Then I used my ink blending tool to add ink to the edges of the tag (Fired Brick and WAlnut stain). Found some nice branches and swirls on the Winter Woodland and Serenade Cricut cartridges, so I cut those out. The word "Joy" is also from the Winter Woodland cart. So is the Holly. I hand cut my banner and the swirl for my flower. I then used my corner rounder punch to create a scalloped edge on the outer edge of the swirl. Then I rolled it up. I added some white paint (using my fingers) to the branches and swirl. Then used a "Snow Writer" to add some bling! Found some pearls and beads in my mom's stash and add them. The ribbon was from my stash and the glitter was from Martha Stewart.

I really am pleased with how this turned out!!!

OMG! I haven't updated since JULY?!?!?!?

2011-10-01T07:36:00.000-04:00

Whoa!!! Where did the time go?!?!?

We already have a full month of 3rd and 1st grade under our belts, N and P are playing Fall Soccer, and Cub Scouts is in full swing! To add to all that craziness, I started teaching 4 classes at ZX Fitness a month ago! And it seems like everything has exploded since then! I still have my Friday Low Impact class in C'ville, but this month, I also add a trip to the Nursing Home in C'ville to teach a Chair Aerobics class! That will be 2x a month. I also will add a TurboKick class at the Lincoln Y on Tuesday afternoons! The first week of the month, I will teach 9 classes in 6 days!!! That is just plain NUTS!

I've also started this neat little business venture...I am now a Beachbody Coach! Beachbody is the company that brings you P90X, Insanity, and TurboFire (just to name a few!) But the real reason I got involved is a meal replacement shake called Shakeology!!! It's touted as the "Healthiest Meal of the Day" and I truly believe it is! I keep comparing it to other meal replacement shakes and so far, nothing compares!!!! So, if you are a little bit curious, go to my sites! My Shakeology and Beachbody If you have any questions about any of the products, just give me a call! My number is on both sites!

We've been kinda busy around here...

2011-07-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

so I haven't got to post too much...and the last time I tried to post, my computer locked up and we're still having issues. We think it's our new ISP...GRRRR!

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July...an evening storm cooled things off nicely here and we were able to enjoy the fireworks without dying from the heat!

Big, Sad anniversary coming this week...can't believe it's been a year since my FIL passed away... :( Nevan even commented, out of the blue, last night that he missed Papaw Vernon... Brings tears to my eyes!

But the REAL reason I'm posting today...is this awesome Glitz Designs Paper give away!!! I'm not usually a purple person, but this is gorgeous! Love this color combo!!! Go check it out!

My FAVORITE contest started today!!!

2011-06-20T13:16:00.000-04:00

It's time for the Last Scrapper Standing Contest over at Memorable Seasons!!!! (insert a pic of me jumping up and down!) I don't know why I love this contest so much, but I DO!!! Last year I didn't make the final cut because about week 4 was when my FIL passed away...and I just didn't have it in me to scrap much. But this year, I'm "in it to WIN it"!!!!!

The first challenge was issued this morning and I'm already done! The challenge was to create an embellishment cluster that used something "green" (as in recycled green) AND if your pic was themed, you couldn't use themed papers and vice-versa. So I used 4th of July themed papers for a pic I took of H in November! Here's my finished page:

Now I can't wait to see if I make it thru to next week!

Let the summer contests begin!!!!

2011-06-02T08:39:00.000-04:00

WOW! Lots of fun coming up at several scrappy sites!!!

June is Birthday month at Cookin' Up Creations...2 years old!!! Tammy is giving the DT a break with the BPS challenges this month and is issuing all the challenges herself!!! And word has it that the prizes are coming from Best Creation, SEI and Reminisce!! (Pics to come when she has the product in hand!) To be eligible for the prizes, you just have to complete a minimum of 15 challenges!!!

My Scraps and More is having a "talent" contest! 8 fun weeks of challenges and games!

Starting June 3rd, and each Friday thereafter, a challenge will be issued. You will have until the following Thursday at midnight eastern time, to upload your challenge into the appropriate thread on the forum to continue on in the My Scraps talent search. At the end of the eight weeks, A My Scraps and More Talent star will be rewarded with a box of scrap goodies for sharing their talents! Along with the grand prize winner, someone will be randomly chosen each week among the participants of the challenge, to win a prize as well!

This is a non-elimination contest. All are invited and WELCOME to play! There is no right or wrong way to scrapbook. As long as you are recording your memories, that is all that matters!!

And this one is MY personal fave...seriously! I've participated the past 2 years...the first year I was 2nd place. Last year I guess I kinda had to drop out when my FIL passed away...just couldn't muster the mojo to continue at the best of my ability... BUT, I'm ready to rock your socks off on this one!!!! I've got the taste of victory for this one! LOL! So, you wanna know what it is??? It's the Memorable Seasons "Last Scrapper Standing" Contest!!!!! It begins June 20th...so get ready!!!! :)

Not a contest, but this will still be lots of fun I am sure! The girlz at Scrap-Friendzy are hosting an online crop this weekend!!!

Now who DOESN'T need a day at the Spa????

Super FUN this weekend!!!

2011-05-12T12:26:00.000-04:00

Backporch Memories is having a BIG online crop this weekend!!! The Grand prize is a 6 months subscription to their kit club!!! Come on over and join in the fun!!!

Back Porch Memories Online Crop
Friday, May 13 @ noon EST - Sunday, May 15 @ 6 p.m. EST (main weekend)
May 16-21 (extra time for SOME challenges to be completed)
Each challenge, game and class has its own prize! Plus we're giving away a six month autoship subscription to Back Porch Memories Kit Club

Lookie at this prize!!!

2011-05-12T09:14:00.000-04:00

This is the May BPS prize package over at Cookin' Up Creations!!! It's a kit from Scraptacular and it is AWESOME!!! Come play along with us this month for YOUR chance to win it!!!!

2011-05-04T21:00:00.016-04:00

Welcome to the “Put Some SPRING In Your SCRAP!” Blog Hop, hosted by the Cookin' Up Creations Design Team. You should have come from Cassy's Blog. If not, and you would like to follow along the complete blog hop itinerary, start at the Cooking Up Creations Blog

The SPRING project that I have created to show you today is a page using the pictures of the boys at Easter...and I incorporated a "Mother's Day" theme using a quote from Lin Yutang...

Here's YOUR chance to win!
Please visit all six blogs on our "Put Some SPRING In Your SCRAP!" Blog Hop itinerary, and be sure to leave a comment on each one – as well as the Cookin' Up Creations blog – to be entered into our random drawing for the blog hop prize. The blog hop continues through midnight Eastern time Friday, May 6.

And don't miss our “Put Some SPRING In Your SCRAP” Cyber-Crop starting Friday, May 6 on the Cookin' Up Creations Forum and continuing through Sunday evening, May 8. You will find some awesome challenges and fun games; and maybe a prize or two. So put it on your calendar and celebrate SPRING and National Scrapbooking Day with us. And I've got a little sneak peek at the page I created for the challenge I'm issuing...it's lots of fun!!!

And now for your blog hop ….. please proceed to Tamara's Blog. Thank you for participating, and have fun!

I'm honored to be the Guest Designer...

2011-05-02T17:17:00.000-04:00

at Memorable Seasons this month! Jill sent me some of the fabulous "Love Games" line from Glitz Designs to work with! I was a little intimidated by the papers at first, but once I got a page done, it was smooth sailing!

Here's what I made!

For this page, I used a picture of my Grandmother (in the middle) with her brother and sister...LOVE how it turned out!

Here's one of Nevan at Halloween...

And a close up of the paper roses I made...

Going another route with these papers...using them for Wintry fun pictures!

And a Card!

Come on over and join me at Memorable Seasons this month!!!

Don't forget the Birthday Celebration is still going on at Nuts About Sketches! There's a great prize to be had!!! :)

And check back on Wednesday for a little bit of FUN courtesy of Cookin' Up Creations!!! ;)

Yeah...it's a CRAZY, BUSY week around here!!! But I love it!

It's a Birthday Celebration!!!

2011-04-29T19:03:00.000-04:00

Starting TOMORROW at Nuts About Sketches!!

We're pulling out all the stops to get some fabulous birthday sketches completed. I can't wait for you to see them!

Check out the NAS blog to see the birthday celebration prize from The Scrapping Spot!!!

I've been a bad, bad blogger...

2011-04-25T14:18:00.004-04:00

so I'm gonna make up for it today! :)

First...have you checked out Nuts About Sketches lately??? A FABULOUS new sketch went up today and I had the best fun creating the following page using it! Please head on over and see what the other DT members did with it...and play along!!!

I'm also preparing a few projects for my Guest DT gig over at Memorable Seasons next month...I should have some sneaky peeks for you this week! Jill sent some really fun stuff to work with...and I'll just say I'm scrapping some "older" pictures. :)

We're planning some fun stuff for May over at Cookin' Up Creations too! You guys know National Scrapbook Day is coming up...so I might would clear my calendar for that weekend, if you know what I mean!!! :)

On the home front...I'm gonna be teaching at another Y starting this Friday!!! It's a Low Impact aerobics class for anyone really...but the majority of the class is middle age. I'm excited about it and am looking forward to working with this group! I've also been asked to get my PiYo certification in anticipation of getting a regular class going again at the Lincoln Co. Y. But that's not gonna happen until this summer...the next training won't be until July or August. Lots going on for me in the fitness world! I'm thankful for it too! I love that I can get my workout, help others, and get a little extra $$$ too!!! AND the best part is that it doesn't take me away from my kiddos!

Speaking of kiddos...there's only about 7 weeks left of this school year!!! WHAT?!?!?!?! OMGosh! I'm gonna have a 3rd grader and 1st grader...and one in his LAST year of preschool!!!! That surely can't be possible! I'm wondering if Gramma is gonna open the pool this year...since she's got the house for sale, I'm sure she doesn't want people running in and out messing things up. And there's something wrong with the pump. If the pool isn't open, I don't know WHAT I'm gonna do with these boys!! They lived in that pool!

Okay...done lamenting about the coming of summer vacation!

I think that's all for today...enjoy your week!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2011-04-16T11:01:00.002-04:00

Yep...I'm 29 again...this is the 8th time being 29! LOL! I seriously can not believe I am 37 years old today. I just graduated high school!!!

So, for my birthday, I'm SCRAPPING! I'm NOT cleaning, I'm NOT doing laundry, I'm just doing what I want to do! And then we're going out to eat, ADULTS ONLY, for dinner tonight! I'm soooo excited! I've just got to decide where we're going...Kobe's or Outback????

Wow...didn't realize it had been so long!!

2011-03-30T17:18:00.003-04:00

Life is a whirlwind right now...I'm doing lots of subbing at the Y and Soccer season is about to begin. Add that to the everyday stuff and geesh!! I don't know if I'm coming or going!!! I'm so busy in fact, that I'm not even throwing the big birthday party for Pierson's 4th birthday!!! I feel bad about it...but not too bad! LOL!

I can't even believe it's mid week already!!!

We've got a BIG announcement (that I should've already announced here!!!) at Cookin' Up Creations Tomorrow starts our CROP CHEF Contest!!!! Do you have what it takes to become our Crop Chef and earn a spot as our guest designer for May??? I think you need to head right on over and get signed up to play along! I post the first challenge tomorrow!!!!

Another great sketch went up at Nuts About Sketcheson Sunday. Here's the page I created:

Oh! More personal stuff...I am signed up for Hip Hop Hustle training on the 9th!!! I'm really excited to be expanding my group fitness repertoire!!! Wish me luck!!

I've been asked...

2011-03-02T08:34:00.003-05:00

to design for NUTS ABOUT SKETCHES!!! I'm super excited about this gig since I LOVE sketches so much!!! I've already received the sketches for this month and can't wait to get started!! For those who don't know, Nuts about Sketches is a sketch blog (obviously!) and Shawn issues a new sketch every Monday! Please go check it out!!!

And now that the team has been announced, I'll share the page I submitted for the call! Here's what the sketch looked like:

And here's my page!

I was so happy when I saw the sketch because I've had these pictures printed out for over a year...just sitting on my desk. And this sketch worked out perfectly for them!!! I used papers from Me and My Big Ideas and I cut the cute little turtles using the "Stretch Your Imagination" cart for my Cricut.

So, go ahead and go check out Nut About Sketches and bookmark the site! I promise it will be great inspiration!

I've got exciting news!!!

2011-03-01T15:38:00.004-05:00

But I can't tell you yet!!! Hee! Hee! I will tell you it's scrappy related...that way you won't go speculating about weather or not I'm gonna have another offspring!!! LOL!

I broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. Felt like I was coughing up the Fires of Hell!!! It's definitely the flu...but he gave me an inhaler to help calm down my inflamed chest area and a nasal spray to help me breath...although I'm not sure the nasal spray is working. Thought I was gonna get to send H back to school today, but he decided to run a fever again yesterday afternoon...UGH. One of these days, we'll all be back to normal!

Remember yesterday when I said we were going Mad about Sketches at Cookin' Up Creations this month??? Well, I got to serve up the first challenge today!!! This is the sketch I created:

And here's my card!

Wanna know how I created the background??? Well, go on over to the Technique Tuesday BPS Challenge forum and find out! I'll even give you a LINK!

Well...off to attempt fixing dinner for the first time in a week. I guarantee it's gonna be something REALLY quick! LOL!

We're just MAD!!!

2011-02-28T13:06:00.003-05:00

MAD About Sketches, that is!!! Over at Cookin' Up Creations for the month of March, we're pairing our daily Blue Plate Special challenges with a sketch!!! It's gonna be soooo much fun!!! So, be ready tomorrow for the first one...and I'm posting it!!!! :)

And not to dampen the mood...really!! Today is my LAST day as a DT member at Scrap-Friendzy. What an amazing year this has been working with Amy and Cheryl!!! I am so thankful for the opportunity they gave me! I'm also really excited about the new team and seeing what they have to offer! I know they will do a great job!!!!! Come over and join us in welcoming the new girls tomorrow!!!

The Flu SUCKS!

2011-02-25T08:16:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah...influenza has struck at our house. It started Sunday evening when both N and P started running fevers. I took them both to the doctor on Monday where P tested positive. N tested negative, but they said he probably had it too, based on his symptoms. N got over it pretty quickly...he went back to school yesterday. Pierson was still running a fever last night! And guess who else has it?? Yep...that would be ME and H! Today starts Day 3 for the 2 of us. I really hate feeling like my limbs could fall off! Where's that Mack truck that hit me?!?!?!

In all the sickness, I did get a bright spot when I received an email from Megan Hoeppner of Creating Keepsakes on Wednesday evening. I was featured on their blog yesterday!!! I submitted a page I made based on a layout I saw in the January 2011 issue for their CK & Me spot. And they put it on their blog!!! You can see my claim to fame HERE!

Well, now I'm off to hold down the couch some more...UGH.

Well, I haven't posted since the blog hop...

2011-02-18T11:06:00.006-05:00

So I thought I'd come share a few recent pages and some randomness...

Here's one I made today as the example for my Friday Focus BPS challenge at Cookin' Up Creations My challenge was to use the strips of paper we have leftover from previous pages and quit hoarding them! Some of the strips on my page...I kid you not...I've had for at least 4-5 years! LOL! I actually got the idea for this page from either SBEtc or CK...but I can't remember which one. But, I masked off the heart shape and then spritzed with a Glimmer Mist type stuff (Ritzy Ditzy Glitz) and then stitched around the image that was left to make it stand out more. I cut my title from fun foam using my Sizzix and the Round-a-Bout alpha set.

And here are a couple from the crop last weekend at Scrap-Friendzy.

And while I'm on the subject of Scrap-Friendzy...February is my last month on the Design Team there. :( I have absolutely LOVED being a DT member, but I've been there a year and it's time for new blood. Amy put out a DT call about a month ago...and at first, I was thinking I'd reapply. But after much thought, I decided to step aside and give someone else a chance. I'll still be hanging out there, since the MB feels like home now! The call runs thru the 22nd...so there's still time to apply!!! Believe me, working for Amy is a BREEZE!!!!

And since my blog is not completely dedicated to scrapbooking...On Monday morning, a high school classmate was brutally murdered by his roommate. You may have even heard about it on the news... He was shot with both a handgun and a shotgun, and then mutilated with an ax. His killer carved words into his body and even wrote on his body after he killed him. A crime this heinous can only be committed by someone who is a complete lunatic. Yet, the media plays up the fact that my friend was homosexual and that his killer claims he was making advances toward him. The killer went to the gay club looking to experiment (or so he says) and then "turned straight" when they got back to my friend's house. I think this guy was just looking for his first victim... Anyway, Stephen was a kind, generous, caring individual and that's how I will always remember him. We had just recently reconnected on Facebook and he had not changed a bit. Tonight is the receiving...please pray for his friends...those that were close, those that were not so close. Pray for his parents and that they learn how his son touched a person's heart and made their lives better because of it...his family had shunned him because of his homosexuality. Pray for the killer and his family also...and pray that justice will be served to the fullest extent.

I have a Blog Hop Winner!!!

2011-02-14T14:28:00.002-05:00

My 3 year old drew the name...and the winner is....

TRACEY...Garden of Grace!!!!!

Congrats Tracey!

I'll be in touch to get your address!

I want to thank EVERYONE who played along with us on this hop! And thanks to all my new followers! I hope I can keep this blog interesting enough to make you wanna keep reading!!! (and hopefully, sharing with your friends!!!) Thanks for all the nice comments you all made about my mailbox...they always make me smile!!! :)

Friendz with He{art} Blog Hop!!!

2011-02-09T09:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the last stop on the “Friends with He{art}” Blog Hop sponsored by Scrap-Friendzy! If you are following the links from the beginning of the hop, you should have come from Min's blog. If not, and you wish to participate in the blog hop, please start at the Scrap-Friendzy blog HERE.

Today, I am excited to share this Valentine's Day Mailbox I made a few weeks ago. I saw this cute little paper mache mailbox in one of the big box stores and knew it would be adorable for Valentine's Cards OR Candy!!!!! I used the Pink Paislee "Cupid" Collection papers from last Valentine's Day and had this cutie completed in NO time! I added some Sparkle Modge Podge over the top of everything, and VOILA!!!

Since this is your last blog, I'll be sending you to a thread on the Scrap-Friendzy forum where you can leave a message that you stopped at every blog. Don't forget you must leave comments on all the blogs to be eligible for the Blog Hop Prize. Now, GO HERE and post that you have completed the hop! If you're not a member of our forum, the sign up is quick and painless!!! Sign up and then come introduce yourself too!! Don't forget about the Crop that runs from Friday, February 11 through Sunday, February 13 on the forum – hope you will join in the fun!

In addition to the Blog Hop prize given by Scrap-Friendzy, I'm offering a small RAK too!! You just have to do 2 things...1) Become a follower of my blog and 2) Post about the Blog hop on your blog, your Facebook, or any other place that allows it!! Please link back here in the comment box so I know you did it. Each place you post gets your name put in another time!! Easy-peasy!!!

Thanks for Hopping with us...we hope you were inspired!!!!

PS...Just ONE more thing!!! Don't forget that Scrap-Friendzy is also looking for new girlfriendz to design for them!!! This is an AWESOME site to design for so check out the DT Call!!!

AND THE WINNER IS...

2011-02-08T22:52:00.002-05:00

I did a really technical drawing tonight...I wrote all the names down, threw 'em in a lunch bag, and picked one!!!

And is was:

Life's Creative Adventures said...

What a great idea! I will have to try this.

I posted about the blog on my facebook
http://www.facebook.com/#!/michelle.r.mcdonald

Congrats to Michelle!!! I'll be getting in contact with you about your prize!!!!

To all the Blog Hoppers...

2011-02-07T19:44:00.002-05:00

I will work on getting all the names written down for the RAK and do my drawing hopefully tomorrow...my little guy is sick, and I think I'm getting it too!!! I will let you know ASAP!

Stirrin' Up a Li'l Love BLOG HOP!!!!!

2011-02-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to your 2nd stop on the “Stirrin' Up a Li'l Love at Cookin' Up Creations” Blog Hop! If you are following the links from the beginning of the hop, you should have come from the Cooking Up Creations blog. If not, and you wish to participate in the blog hop, please start at the Cookin' Up Creations blog HERE.

Today, I am excited to share my altered file folder with you, made especially for this blog hop. I turned the folder into an accordian folded card, but it makes a super cute mini album too! If you want more details on how to make one, check out tomorrow's "Transformation Thursday" post in the BPS forum at CUC!

For my card, I used Pink Paislee papers from last year's Cupid Collection. On the front, I added a wooden heart (that I painted white and then used sparkle Modge Podge on), a ribbon flower, some lace, and one of the journaling cards from the collection. The center folds showcase pics of each of my boys. The last inside "page" has another journaling card and some paper flowers. The back is just another sheet of PP with another of the accent cards. I hope you'll check out my post tomorrow for more ways to use this mini album!!!

Your next stop on the blog hop will be Cassy's blog. Don't forget to leave a comment here, and on each stop on the blog hop. Then, make sure you finish up at the Cookin' Up Creations forum and post that you have completed the hop. Your name will be entered into a drawing for a fabulous prize! We're also hosting a weekend crop from Friday, February 4 through Sunday, February 6 on the forum – hope you will join in the fun!

In addition to the Blog Hop prize given by CUC, I'm offering a small RAK too!! You just have to do 2 things...1) Become a follower of my blog and 2) Post about the Blog hop on your blog, your Facebook, or any other place that allows it!! Please link back here in the comment box so I know you did it. Each place you post gets your name put in another time!! Easy-peasy!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Something up our sleeves!!!

2011-01-24T18:10:00.001-05:00

While the Sketch-a-thon is still going strong, we're working on NEXT month!!! Check this out!

It's gonna be FUN!!!!

Snow! Snow! Snow!!!!

2011-01-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

Yep...we had a White Christmas and now there's another 6 inches on the ground!!! Personally, I love it!!! Don't really like Mark having to miss work, but I still love the snow!

The boys were, of course, out of school today and they've already called tomorrow off too. They were NOT outside NEAR enough today...they 'bout drove me and Mark NUTS! Will definitely have to fix that problem tomorrow!!!

Been working on some scrappy projects...I'll be posting a Technique Tuesday BPS Challenge at Cookin' Up Creations tomorrow...so go check it out!

Also, the Sketch-a-thon is in FULL SWING over at Scrap-Friendzy!!! I definitely have NO excuses to NOT get lots done this month!

I'll turn in my last assignment for ScrapFit this Thursday. :( Loved my time there, but when the call for a new team came up, I had just been accepted at CUC so I didn't reapply. I didn't want to stretch myself too thin! I'll be continuing to check out the workouts each month and can't wait to see the direction Sarah takes the site in!!!!

Well, that's all for now. I think I'm gonna go find some prime real estate on the couch and watch some Netflix on the Xbox! (I love that thing!) Have a good evening!

January Happenings!!!

2011-01-02T16:23:00.000-05:00

WOW! Is January gonna be a super busy scrapping month, or what?!?!?!?!

Check out the theme for the month at Cookin' Up Creations!

YEP!!! The theme is SCRAP YOUR STASH!!! Out with the old, in with the new!!! We'll all be eyeing the new Winter CHA goodies soon, so let's use up that stuff we HAD to have last year (or longer)!!!

And we have a fabulous sponsor this month...The Laughing Quilter Etsy Shop! She makes the cutest handmade felties and I have LOVED working with them!! I have used ALL of the ones that were sent to me except one...and I'm still brainstorming for that one. I'd love to have had more!

Also, at Scrap-Friendzy, we've already started our 2nd Annual Sketch-a-thon!!! Oh boy! How fun is THIS one?!?!? This is the contest that really introduced me to SF last year and I got tons done!!!

Who can resist a sketch a day?!?!? I posted a Bonus Sketch on NYE, and 2 more sketches are up for your scrapping pleasure. Go check it out!!! There's a prize at the end for the Scrapper with the most Friendz Pointz...just sayin'!!!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful start to 2011...I'm hopeful for great things this year!!!

It's that time again!!!!

2010-12-30T14:46:00.000-05:00

Time for Scrap-Friendzy's 2nd Annual Sketch-a-Thon!!!!! We are SUPER excited for this again...it was a HUGE hit last year and I know that I, personally, got a ton of pages done!!!

Not familiar with our Sketch-a-thon??? Each day, (for the ENTIRE month of January) a new sketch is posted...some from well known sketch artists around the web and some from the Sketch-Friendzy DT. You just have to complete them! We even do Card Sketches on Sundays!!!!

So come on over and join in on the fun, get inspired, and catch up on that scrapping!!!! The first sketch will be posted on January 1st!!!!! (And there's a prize involved!!!!)

Oh...there's a Bonus Challenge already posted!!! Check out the link in the first paragraph of my post!!!

Late again!!!

2010-12-15T21:33:00.000-05:00

But I have a legitimate reason! I'll get to that in a minute!

WO #34 went live this morning over at scrapFIT and what a wonderful workout it is!!! Really helped me to think about what our traditions are at the holidays and how I hope that they continue. The challenge was a Story Telling Challenge and we had to chose from one of 3 topics: Your favorite holiday memory, The best holiday surprise, or a holiday tradition. Our page had to showcase some journaling. Obviously, I chose the tradition! Here's what I created:

Making cookies on Christmas Eve has really become a thing around here. Even though it is a lot of trouble and mess with 3 boys, they really enjoy making the cookies and Santa really enjoys eating them! :)

I can't remember if I mentioned this in my last post, but it's DT Call time again at scrapFIT. Our former fearless leader, Kelly, has handed her torch over to Sarah Zenger and she's looking for designers for the February 2011-July 2011 team. It's a great site to design for and I can't wait to see what Sarah has up her sleeve! Go to the blog and check it out!

Now...to my legitimate reason. Nevan...my accident prone child...fell Monday evening and broke his arm. (BOTH bones in his forearm...one was a complete break, the other a hard bend, but still a break) The hospital put him in a splint and sent us home with instructions to see an orthopedic in the next few days. Went to the ortho yesterday where (thankfully) it didn't have to be set and where Nevan got a cast up to his armpit. All was well. Till 4 am when he came and got in bed with me...and then proceeded to be sick everywhere!! ARGH!!! And I can't wash the dirty sheets because we JUST took the washer and dryer to the repairman!!! So, I lost my day today, playing nurse. I had a million and one things I needed to get done...I guess I'll add them to the million things I need to do tomorrow! And I just realized yesterday that Friday is the boy's last day of school before Christmas!!! WHAT?!?!?! Santa better get on the BALL! We don't even have our Christmas tree up yet! I don't think I've EVER waited this long! We've just been so extremely crazy busy!

Praying that the rest of my boys don't get sick and that the rest of the week is uneventful...even though they are calling for a wintry mix tonight and into tomorrow morning. If it does, this will be the 3RD TIME we've gotten snow this month!!! That NEVER happens in NC!! NEVER!!! It's been soooo cold here...I don't remember moving North! LOL!

Some Announcements!!

2010-12-14T04:01:00.000-05:00

I'm SUPER excited to be able to announce that I made the Design Team over at Cookin' Up Creations!!!! I'm super excited to get to work for Tammy and I know it's gonna be lots of fun!

On the other side of the coin...my design team term with scrapFIT is coming to a close. What an awesome team to be a part of! Sarah Zenger has stepped in to take the site over, but I know she's got awesome stuff in store there! She's got a DT Call going on...here are the details!

ScrapFIT Design Team Call
February – July

Submission Deadline – December 30th

ScrapFIT (www.scrapfit.blogspot.com) is a growing scrapbook challenge blog that will give you a real workout! We have 2 workouts (challenges) per month and they are sure to push you out of your comfort zone and inspire you to try something new! We are looking for 10 fun and creative designers (aka -FITgirls!) for our February - July term! We are also looking to fill 6 Guest Designer spots, one for each month (Feb- July). If you would like to be considered for only Guest DT spot, please note in your submission.

FITgirl Requirements:
*You must have an active blog
*You must be commit to 2 layouts per month based on our challenges
*A person who enjoys inspiring others
*Someone who is committed and turns in projects on time
*Someone with enthusiasm for ScrapFIT and their challenges and the dedication to help promote ScrapFIT through their own blog and other site they participate in.

What To Expect From ScrapFIT
*Although this is not a paying gig we can help spread the word about your scrapbooking awesomeness!
*A special FITgirl blinkie for your blog
*Your photo, name and link to your personal blog on the main ScrapFIT webpage!
*A great addition to your scrapbook resume
*All of the challenges will be giving to you at the start of your term so that you have plenty of time to work on them when you have the chance.
*A fun and relaxed group to work with.

To apply please send the following information to szenger@twcny.rr.com by December 30th:
Please put ScrapFIT DT Call in the subject line

1) Name
2) Address
3)Email Address
4) Link to your blog and/or online gallery
5)List of other Design Teams past and current
6)3 examples of your best work. Let us see your style!
7)Tell us why you would be a good fit for our team!
8)A little bio about your –if you are chosen this would be your introduction bio.

Winners will be announced on January 1st. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

Hope you guys will consider applying for the team!!! Seriously...lots of fun!

A giveaway!!

2010-12-04T15:59:00.000-05:00

Go check out Tabitha at Zippity-Do-Dah. She got a fab giveaway going on!!! And if you win, you can share with me!!! LOL! :)

Black Friday!!!

2010-11-26T21:42:00.001-05:00

Did anyone go shopping????

I admit it!! I was one of the crazies at Walmart at midnight this morning!!! But I wasn't on the search for a cheap tv or computer...I just wanted the $20 Cricut carts!! LOL! And now that I have them, I can't decide weather I want to keep them or not! (NUTSO!!) Well, the reason I say that is, I found Sure Cuts a Lot 2 for $40 bucks this morning! Do I REALLY need those carts now??? Yeah, they're cute and all, but I'm trying to decide if I'll use them enough to justify the cost. We'll see! I did get some games for the boys too. It was fun! I just love watching all the crazies sitting in their lawn chairs down the aisles waiting in line for the big deals. That is just NUTS! I hope that if you were one of those "crazies" that you don't take offense!!! Different strokes for different folks, right??? :)

We had a nice laid back Thanksgiving. Headed to Tammy's at lunch. It was nice that that was the only place we had to go! I did go to Michaels too...they opened at 5 pm yesterday. Again...bought some paper I DIDN'T need and am considering returning it too! (buyers remorse???)

Just woke up an hour ago from a NAP! A nap!!!! Why did I take a nap that late??? I'll be up at 2 am again! Gotta teach Turbo at the Y in the morning too...so I need my sleep so my brain will be functioning! LOL!

I hope all my cyber friends had a great Thanksgiving!!!!

Time for a new challenge!!!

2010-11-15T03:01:00.000-05:00

It's a fun one at scrapFIT this week!!! I think I say this a lot, but this page just may be my new favorite!!! Our challenge was all about numbers...so I guess you need to visit the site to see what all that entailed! But here is my page...

All my patterned papers were from the K&Company Boy Scout papers. My fish and rod were printed from a digi kit I got from Gotta Pixel. I just printed them on CS and cut them out...I couldn't believe how perfect they were!!! I cut "fisherman" for my title using the Lyrical Letters cart for my Cricut. Then there's some other stuff...photo corners, brads, some embroidery floss (for my fishing line), & MM mini alphas.

It's the HIPPITY HOP BLOG HOP!!!!

2010-11-12T03:00:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for some fun??? Welcome to scrapFIT's HIPPITY HOP BLOG HOP!!!! This Hop is unlike any others I've ever done, but OH so fun!!!

Our Hop starts at 12 am on November 12 and ends at 9 pm on the 14th (Central Time)
What's different about this hop is that there's a recipe challenge involved...but you have to visit each challenge blog in the hop to get a piece of the recipe! Isn't that cool?!?!? Once you've found all the "ingredients", create a page or a card and link your creation to each of the FIVE participating blogs for chances to win the totally awesome prizes they are offering!!! Yes people...that's 5 chances to win!!!! The hop starts at Sassy Lil' Sketches

And just in case you get lost along the way...here's the order of the 5 participating challenge blogs...
Sassy Lil' Sketches
scrapFIT
Crop Suey
Scrap Tiffany
Cuttlebug Spot

For an extra chance at a prize, scrapFIT is offering a prize to the lucky hopper who visits all 11 FITgirl's blogs and leaves a comment at each one!! Once you visit each FITgirl's blog you can leave a comment at scrapFIT saying you hopped around to see all the FITgirls. You can get to each FITgirl's blog by clicking on there picture down the left side of scrapFIT's blog.

So, get to hopping and I can't WAIT to see what you girls create!! I had so much fun with this one...here's what I came up with. This is a picture of my late father-in-law in the 4th grade paired up with a picture of my oldest son in 1st grade...it's a crazy resemblance!!!

A cool Giveaway!!!

2010-11-11T08:24:00.000-05:00

Look at what my friend Michelle is giving away!!! What's cooler to me is that she's in South Africa and she's allowing us U.S. residents to enter for her drawing!!! So go check her out at Homespun Scrapbooking!!!!

We're going blog hopping again!!!

2010-11-07T11:49:00.001-05:00

Kelly over at scrapFIT has another fun Blog Hop set up for us!! This time, we're hopping to five challenge blogs...where you'll pick up one part of our challenge!! After you visit all the blogs, you will have an awesome recipe to use to make a layout!!! What's cool is that you will be able to upload your page to EACH challenge blog for a chance at the prizes being given away at each site!!!! The hop will start November 12th...so be ready!!!!!

It's time again!!!

2010-10-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

For a new challenge over at scrapFIT!!!! And this one will definitely get you in the mood for Halloween!!! (at least it did me!!!) This week's challenge is to use Black, Lime Green, Orange, and Purple on a layout...using solid cardstock in one of those 4 colors as your base! Easy peasy, right????

Here's what I came up with using some of the New BoBunny Whooligans and Boo Crew papers!

Please play along with us this round...once again, we've got The Little Black Dress Kit Club as our awesome sponsor!!! I'm sure they'll have something great for you up their sleeves...if you are chosen as our winner for this Workout!!! Can't wait to see what you guys come up with for this one!!!!

Almost too much going on!

2010-10-05T16:09:00.000-04:00

I know I'm 5 days late...but there's a cool new challenge up at scrapFIT!!! Go check it out!!! When I get a spare minute, I hope to work on it myself!

ScrapU was a HUGE success over at Scrap-Friendzy!!! Thanks to all who joined us! I learned some AMAZING new techniques the past month...hopefully, I'll get to incorporate them in a project soon! If your looking for some cool things to try, the ScrapU forum should stay up for a while... And to give the DT a breather...we're doing a mini version of our Sketch-a-thon this month! New sketches are posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!!! Check in tomorrow to see an original by yours truly!

Along with lots of fun scrappy stuff...we spent this past weekend VERY close to the mountains...camping. In a tent. And it was below 50* each night! LOL! It was a LOT of work, but lots of fun too! We went with Harrison's scout troop and Harrison got to go fishing and he even caught his first ever fish! He was soooo excited!

I'm mourning the loss of my desktop computer...she had ALL MY stuff on her! My Photoshop, Sure Cuts a Lot, Design Studio, Inkscape, Picasa...and 2 months worth of pics that were NOT backed up!!!! WAAAAHHHHHHH! We're still waiting to hear if the computer guy can retrieve the pics for me... So, now we're back to a one computer family and it's really sucking! LOL! I can't take the laptop upstairs now because it has to be directly hooked into the internet...router won't work without another computer! (or if it will, I don't know how to hook that up!) I was able to download the software and drivers for my printer...thank goodness! I vow to backup everytime I dump my memory card from now on!

OH, and some bright, ingenious person at the boy's school decided it would be a great idea to have the kindergarten field trip AND the 2nd grade field trip on the SAME day! Mark took off to go with Harrison but I found out today he may not be able to go because they have to do a background check on him for him to be able to go!!!! WHAT?!?!?! It's a field trip! So, if they don't get the info back before Thursday, he can't go. I guess I'll go to Mooresville for half the day and Hickory the other half...they're only about an hour apart...{roll eyes}

That's all the excitement I can think of around here...hope everyone's having a great October!

Adding to the family...again!

2010-09-18T23:10:00.000-04:00

And NO! I'm not pregnant...THANK GOD! LOL! We just became the owners of a 4.5 month old Cane Corso pup...but she's as big as Izzy! For those that don't know, Cane Corso's are Italian Mastiffs! She's black with just a touch of brindle in her coat. She's very laid back and calm...compared to Izzy who's like a "rat on acid" to quote my husband! LOL! I've got a few pics of her, but you can't really see her coloring well with me using the flash indoors. I'll take some more pics of her tomorrow outside and post them here.

Time for a new challenge!!!

2010-09-15T08:10:00.000-04:00

At www.scrapFit.blogspot.com!!!

Today's challenge is to go GREEN!!! We want you to recycle something to use on your page...scrappy packaging is a great thing to reuse on a page, but you can recycle anything! We also want to SEE the color Green on your page! Here's my example!

I used the packaging from the Prima Stars and the ribbon I wrapped around the stems of the stars is a teal and green stripe!

We also have an AWESOME Guest Designer this week...Say Hello to Karen B!!! Check out her amazing page on the blog!

And we are excited that Paper Trunk is our sponsor...look at this great prize they are offering!!!

So join us this week and show us what you got!!!!

Stuff I've been working on!

2010-09-04T10:44:00.000-04:00

Remember I told you that Scrap-Friendzy was having ScrapU this month??? Well, the first challenge by Ms. Amy was to make your own sheet music, tea stain it, and use a song title or lyrics on your page...well, here's what I came up with!

I used the song "In my Life" by the Beatles. I tea stained some watercolor paper before running it thru my printer and printing the blank sheet music. Then, I drew in the music notes! This was sooooo much fun! You can still play...this assignment isn't due until Sunday, September 5!

The 2nd challenge...posted by your's truly...was an After School Activity. My activity was Football and I challenged you to create texture on your page...taking the texture from the bumpiness of the football (and its lacing!) I showed how to create some cool texture (go check it out!) that is a little out of the box. I'm hoping we start a trend!!! :) Here's that page (one of my new FAV'S!!)

And, I got inspired by an awesome page I found on scrapbook.com. Using the scraps I pulled out for the previous page, I came up with this!

So there...some eye candy for your holiday weekend! Have a great one and stay safe!

It's SEPTEMBER!!!

2010-09-01T12:42:00.000-04:00

I do believe that September is my FAVORITE month of the year!!! We start getting a few cooler days (the mornings here have been wonderful...the days, not so much!), Football starts, school's in full swing...I just LOVE it! Plus, I met my wonderful hubby in September and married him in September...it's just a good month!

And guess what starts today?!?!?!?!

Yep! That's right!! ScrapU over at Scrap-Friendzy!!! If you saw the pre-assignments, they were GREAT! The first assignment is up and Ms. Amy did an awesome job! Can't wait to give it a try! You should check it out too! BTW...I have an fun after school assignment for you tomorrow for extra credit...just sayin'!

Also, there's a new challenge up at ScrapFIT too! And those Team Jazzercise girls rocked it this month!!! Check that out too!

Hum...anything else I need to tell you guys today??? Can't think of anything, so I'll say bye for now! Have a good day!

It's a MINI Workout!!!

2010-08-25T13:00:00.000-04:00

Yep! Just a little quick something to get you going this week over at http://www.scrapfit.blogspot.com/. This little challenge requires you to make a Birthday Card using scraps from WO #26 or WO #27. Here's mine:

The deadline to upload is September 5th. All of the FITgirls will vote on the entries and one lucky girl will get to be the Guest Designer for the 15th of the Month workout!!! Now if you haven't done WO #26 or #27, then you need to do that one and then do the mini! So go get busy!!! Can't wait to see what you create!!!

Just a quick note to myself...

2010-08-23T22:35:00.000-04:00

Tonight was "Meet the Teacher" night at the boy's school...I think we're gonna have a great year!!! Just hope we can get Harrison motivated and LIKING school this year!

And Nevan came home, hit his mouth on something...he never cried or anything...just comes to tell me he has a loose tooth! Well, he wouldn't leave the thing alone and ended up pulling it! So, I guess we'll get a visit from the toothfairy tonight! LOL

And the winner is!!!!

2010-08-19T15:07:00.001-04:00

Remember that I said I'd give away a little prize for those of you who became followers of my blog during the blog hop??? Well, I just threw the names in a basket and had a kiddo draw one out...

Big Congrats to VICKI!!!!! I'll be sending her a little sumpin' sumpin' hopefully this week!!! (Vicki...I've sent you an email!)

It's the 15th...

2010-08-15T18:06:00.000-04:00

And I am LATE for a VERY important date! Leave it to me! LOL!

There's a NEW challenge up at scrapFIT today!!!! And it's a fun one! I'm actually getting ready to hand the card I made over to it's recipient in just a few minutes!

Today's challenge is to "Dress it up"!!! Use your bling, your sparkle and your shine! Also use some black since The Little Black Dress Kit Club is our sponsor.

And here's the card I created for this workout...I printed the swirl on my computer and colored it in using watercolor pencils. Then I added black Stickles for the outlines. I embossed a piece of black cardstock using a Cuttlebug embossing folder and added some clear "bling" to a few of the circles. I also added glossy accents over those Making Memories Tiny Alphas...but it's hard to see it!

Hope you guys have fun "Dressing it up" this week! Can't wait to see what you create!

PS...Our Blog Hop is still going on! You have until Midnight on Wednesday to participate for the fun prizes!!!

Exciting stuff!!!

2010-08-13T10:52:00.000-04:00

You know...we ALWAYS have fun stuff going on at Scrap-Friendzy. We're not gonna let you get bored and out of scrapping on a regular basis! So you MUST join us for Scrap U!!! The School for Scrappy Girlz!!!!! (and guyz!) The semester will begin on September 1st and I promise, you're gonna learn LOTS! (and I'm pretty sure, everyone's gonna pass!!!)

There will be challenges before school starts, so go over and check it out!!!

And as soon as I can figure out WHY Blogger won't let me upload the SF image, I'll be back to post it!!! Grrrr!!!

Edit...GOT it! LOL!

We're Hopping with Joy to celebrate scrapFIT's 1st Birthday!!!

2010-08-11T08:37:00.000-04:00

Blog hopping that is!!!! If you just stumbled upon my blog and this is your first stop, you should really take the time to start at the beginning! Go to the ScrapFit Workout Blog to start! If you started there, then you should be coming here from Dayna's Blog.

Also, please go visit our fabulous blog hop sponsors!!! Scrapfreak and ScrapStreet. Without them, We wouldn't be able to have 2 Grand Prize Winners!! One will get a $25 Giftcard to ScrapStreet and the other will get to choose a KIT from Scrapfreak!! Isn't that cool?!?!?!

I was really getting worried that I wouldn't be able to post this this morning! There was a wreck yesterday evening that took out a power pole! We didn't lose power here, but our internet must have been on that pole! UGH! Talk about stressing! You can imagine how happy I was when I got up and could log on!

For those who don't know me...I'm the newest member of the scrapFIT DT. Kelly emailed me last week and asked me to replace someone who had to step down. I was thrilled to be asked to join such a talented group! I really look forward to the challenges every two weeks and hope that I can grow in my creativity while hopefully inspiring you guys too!

Oh!!! About those Grand Prizes...how might one WIN them??? WELL...Kelly just posted an awesome challenge in honor of Scrapfit's First Birthday! (Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...I'm singing!) Here's my page for the challenge:

Your name gets thrown into the hat by:
1. Doing the Recipe Challenge
2. Becoming a scrapFIT Follower
3. Completing the scavenger hunt...yep! A fun little game too...find it on the scrapFIT blog too!

I wasn't gonna do this, but changed my mind. I've got a little, small little prize to give away too...All you have to do, is become a follower of my blog and then post a comment saying you've done so! Easy Peasy!

I think I have everything here I was supposed to! Now, go visit Kelly (our fearless leader) at her blog!!!

Have fun hopping!!!

Remember that exciting news???

2010-08-08T16:23:00.001-04:00

I can tell you now!!! I've been asked to be a Designer for www.scrapfit.blogspot.com!!!!! I'm super excited and I just made my first page for them today! It's their 1st Birthday and we're gonna be doing a Bloghop starting the August 11th...so you definitely need to stop back by!!!

Exciting news...

2010-08-06T11:13:00.001-04:00

that I can't share yet! LOL! I know, it's killing you guys not knowing, but I'm waiting on an email to make sure it's set in stone! I'll let you know today, for sure! How 'bout a scrappy page I did yesterday for the LAST Camp-Friendzy Bonus Challenge at http://www.scrap-friendzy.com/??? The last challenge was post by me and all you had to do was scraplift someone from Scrap-Friendzy. Sounds easy...but picking ONE to life was horrible!! LOL! So I lifted the VERY talented Amy G. Here's how my page turned out...

So, what's been going on on the homefront? Nevan had his tonsils and adenoids removed on Monday morning. He's doing pretty good...not drinking as much as I'd like him to be, but he's a stubborn 5 year old! He must have a wish to go back to the hospital to get an IV. He is eating a LOT of popsicles and icecream, so maybe he'll be okay. He's had some pain, which the doc's said at his age, it could go either way. I've been giving him the GOOD meds about 2x a day. Too bad they don't knock him out! Instead, he feels better and then he wants to run around the house...something he's not supposed to be doing! I sure am gonna be glad when he's recouperated!!!

I teach my FIRST ever TurboKick Class a week from tomorrow! I'm about 95% ready...eeekkk! I've got to get the Recovery sections down pat and I think I'll do okay...let's hope anyway! I would love to get some TurboWear, but man! It's expensive! Might try to find something else that will do. I wish my favorite pants weren't falling apart! They would be PERFECT! Too bad they are 7 years old and I'll NEVER find another pair like them...

Well, off to do the everyday mundane tasks of laundry and dishwashing! Gotta do something while I wait on that email! :)

Busy, Sad month...

2010-07-24T09:09:00.000-04:00

Since my last post...

*We traveled to my mom's in New Bern with plans of spending 4 days there. We arrived there on July 4. On July 6, Mark got a call from his sister that their step-mother had found their dad collapsed in the bathroom. We packed immediately and came home. My FIL passed away the next morning after they took him off the life support. It was such a HUGE shock! We all expected at least 15-20 more years with him! He was only 68...he had a hemmoraging stroke. Just typing that just brought the reality of it all back... In the 2 weeks and 3 days since his death, we (Mark, his sister, step-mom, and me) have been thrown into the Rose business and have had to learn ALOT in a very short amount of time! (FIL was a Professional Rose Hybridizer, grower) We've really been so busy, there isn't time to think about the holes left in our hearts.

*During that week, I was voted out of the Last Scrapper Standing Contest at Memorable Seasons. That's okay. My heart wasn't in it after the week I'd had. But you should go check out the 3 remaining contestants...they are rockin'!

*The Friday before we left for the beach, I took Nevan to the doctor to have his tonsils checked out. They are HUGE! We leave there with an appointment to see the ENT doc about having them removed. That appointment was the week after FIL's passing. And the consensus is that the tonsils AND adenoids must come out! When I get to the lady to schedule the surgery, she informs me that the stuff they call "insurance" at Mark's work will only pay $2000 on the surgery. The hospital bill alone will be in the vicinity of $9000!!! I couldn't schedule the surgery. We simply don't have that kind of money...I mean, who DOES??? So, after talking to some friends, someone suggested we apply for NC Medicaid for the boys. I figured they'd laugh us out of the office at even THINKING we'd qualify. But we DID!!! And now Nevan's surgery will be paid in full and it's scheduled for August 2.

*This past week brought 2 more deaths. The first one was my step-mother's father. He'd been battling cancer for years. And on the same day, the man who built our house passed away...also from cancer.

*In GOOD news...I will be an official YMCA employee by either Tuesday or Thursday of next week! LOL! It just depends on which day I can find a babysitter so I can go for my New Hire Orientation. I also FINALLY received my certification papers for TurboKick! Phew! I didn't think they were EVER gonna show up! And I'll be filling in for Jennifer on August 14th! Gotta get a LOT of practice in!

Then, a few days ago, the president of the Photography Club emailed us to say that a local photographer was looking for an assistant. I replied and told her I might be interested. Well, I met with the guy yesterday and will be going with him to a wedding he's shooting next Saturday!!! If this works out, this has the potential to be something MAJOR for me! I mean, right now, I'm just basically his gopher... I'll be helping set up lighting, getting different cameras/lenses when he needs them, being a go-between between him and the bride while he's doing other shots. But he's talking like eventually, I'd get to help pose the parties, possibly even become a 2nd photographer, and he's talking I could even do some editing for him, up to a point and then he'd do the finishing touches! I've got my fingers and toes crossed that this works out!!! Because he pays REALLY WELL!

*This evening our Photog Club is participating in the 3rd Annual Scott Kelby Photowalk. It's gonna be miserable hot, but I'm still excited about doing it!

I'll quit boring you now! I'd add some pics of some recent scrappy goodness, but I'm on the laptop and don't have the pics on this one! I promise some soon!

Last Scrapper Standing...

2010-06-27T10:54:00.000-04:00

OMGoodness! Last year, Memorable Seasons had this awesome Last Scrapper Standing Contest where I came in 2nd place. Well, they are having it again this year!!! I just completed my 2nd page for the contest and it is my ALL TIME favorite page EVER! You know I don't get to do "girly" often, but when I get half a chance, I'm all over it! This week's challenge was to use a black background and use at least 2 handmade flowers. Well, here's what I came up with...

My flowers are a combo of Donna Salazar's signature flower and some I found on My Creative Scrapbook by Gabrielle Pollasco.

Here's a closeup!

I just had to share with you guys! Now...go over to Memorable Seasons and check out the other cool entries!

Got something FUN coming up for my scrappy peeps!!!

2010-06-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

"Camp Friendzy: Where all the Scrappy Girlz go!"
Join us at Scrap Friendzy for a fun and challenging scrappy Summer!! You will have opportunities to earn merit badges (and chances to win) with every challenge you complete. You may also be crowned "Camp-Friendzy Camper of the Summer 2010" by the votes of your fellow campers and camp couselors. Register now to attend the scrappy camp where everyone will want to be this summer. The first challenge/ contest will be posted on Monday, June 7th.

More Camp details can be found in the Camp-Friendzy section of the forum at

SCRAP-FRIENDZY

Join us for the big Camp Kick-Off celebration beginning this Friday, June 4th!

Planning, Parenting, and Preparations...

2010-05-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

Planning...Just wanted to let you guys know that the DT girlz over at www.scrap-friendzy.com have got something really FUN up our sleeves for this summer! You might just wanna clear your calendars so you can play along...just sayin'!!!! More details to come in the next few weeks!!! :)

Parenting...Got a sick one home from school today. Nevan was running a fever last night, but hasn't complained about his ears, throat, anything! No fever this morning, so we'll see if we need to make a trip to the doctor. Pierson's up to his usual I-don't-wanna-poop self...currently listening to him say ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow....just go to the bathroom, would ya???? The Miralax should kick in soon! :) Still playing chauffeur for soccer practices and games, scouts, all that stuff. Will be soooo glad when soccer season is over...what was I thinking???? Oh, and end of school stuff!!! GEEZ! Harrison's got a class play on the 28th, a field trip on June 4th, and field day somewhere in there! Nevan had his preschool graduation program Tuesday night...still has his class picnic...that's the 28th or 29th, I think. I can't keep up!!! LOL!

Preparation...Went last Thursday night for my first class to get me to teaching Group Fitness! Next Tuesday and Thursday, I've got CPR classes. June 5th, I have an all day training which gets me my actual Group Fitness Cert. And I found out 2 days ago, that there's a TurboKick training/cert session on June 12th!!! May as well get it over with, huh??? Then the Y is sponsoring an Expo type thing the weekend of the 19th! Don't know if I'm gonna do that one or not... Can you say CRAZY?!?!?!?!?

WOW! It's been a while!

2010-05-10T20:50:00.000-04:00

I should've posted last week to tell you guys about the fabulous "Twist and Sketch" crop we were having over at www.scrap-friendzy.com. But I didn't get here. It's been crazy busy since soccer season started. The boys are on separate teams this time...so that means 2 practices a week plus 2 games on Saturdays. Add in Scouts, Speech Therapy, Workouts for me, Weight Watchers meetings and a couple of Photography Club outings...PHEW! And this Thursday, I take my first class to get me certified to teach Group Fitness!!! Can't believe I'm taking this step! Saturday, I'm going to an all day crop...YAY! The following Saturday, some of us Y girls are having a Girls Night Out...It's gonna be soooo fun! So anyway...I've been B-U-S-Y!

Go on over to http://momentsrecorded.blogspot.com and check out this month's challenge! I think you'll like it!

A friend of mine over at www.scrap-friendzy.com posted about a Cricut Blog Hop! So, I decided to check it out and there looks to be some really nice give-aways...thought I'd share with ya! (besides...it's gets me entered into the drawings more times! ;) ) So, Fantabulous Cricut Blog is hosting this Blog "crawl"...find 'em HERE: http://fantabulouscricut.blogspot.com

And the first stop is the wonderful Cokie Pop Paper Boutique...she's giving away a Cartridge!!! http://cokiepopaper.blogspot.com

So, get in on this blog crawl!!! I can't wait to see what the other blogs have to offer!

Tamron Lens give away!!

2010-04-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

Okay...hurry! Go to http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2010/04/13/win-a-tamron-lens/ and leave a comment! Your name will be thrown into the proverbial "hat" for the chance to win a Tamron Lens for Your SLR: 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II VC. SWEET, HUH??? Of course, if you don't have an SLR, you could just enter anyway and then give the lens to me! :) (I have a Canon Rebel XTi...just in case!!) I know y'all love me!

Happy Birthday Baby!!!

2010-04-05T12:39:00.001-04:00

Today my baby is 3 years old!!! I can't believe it! What's funny is that Similac must have me on record for being pregnant every couple of years because they've started sending my samples and coupons again! Ha! Ha! And I never used any of that stuff with the last 2!!! Crazy people!

Yesterday was Easter and it was BEAUTIFUL day! We went to church and then went to daddy's for dinner. The kid's rode bikes, hunted Easter Eggs that were filled with money, and had outdoor fun in general. Seems like it's been so long since it was nice on Easter!

It's a new month...which means a new challenge at www.momentsrecorded.blogspot.com. I was crazy busy and didn't get a page made for the challenge, but I'm hoping I can get one to her this week. Go check it out!

AND...it starts a new month of challenges and fun at www.scrap-friendzy.com!!! It's almost like a crop all month long over there! I love it! The challenges always get me thinking and I've created lots more than I ever did before by using them! Go over and get your list started to earn your Friendz Pointz this month!

Just a little brag here...I started Weight Watchers on March 4. I've already lost 9 lbs!!! I'm soooo happy that my pants are fitting looser! Don't know that I'll have lost this week with all the Easter and Birthday celebration that went on, but we will trudge on!

Have a great day!

Spring is coming! I feel it!

2010-03-10T13:43:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day! I don't know what the high temp ended up being, but I know they were calling for 73*! Nevan was excited because I FINALLY called his little girlfriend's mom to set up a playdate. We decided to meet after school at the playground, just because that is easy! Breleigh is a beautiful little girl and she is just CRAZY about Nevan! LOL! They are something else! You should've heard the two of them when it was time to leave, coming up with all kinds of reasons why one or the other of them needed to come to the others house NOW. LOL! We live so close too...so it's not like it'll be hard to get them together! While we were there, P's little girlfriend from MMO showed up! They were a funny little pair too!

I should be cleaning right now, but I'm always such a procrastinator! I've got two girls coming over tomorrow evening for a "Cricut" party! We're just gonna have a good time, scrapping or whatever and we'll get the chance to use a cart we might not have. I did get the basement vacuumed, but I'm seriously considering getting after it with a mop too...We're not even gonna talk about what upstairs looks like!

And my P is less than one month away from being 3 years old!!! OMG! And let me tell ya...he's already working on that 3 year old attitude! UGH! I always said 3 was worse than 2!!! I have no idea what to do for his party...especially since that will be Easter weekend too! I may just invite family and leave it at that.

I started Weight Watchers last Thursday. Tomorrow will be my first official weigh-in. I hope I've lost something! I've been really good and the only "sugar" I've had was in the Baked Oatmeal I made over the weekend. I've been eating fruits instead of the sugary stuff. One good thing that has already happened with ME being on WW is, the boys are eating more fruit! I bought some big bags of frozen mixed fruit at Sam's and we've almost eaten the whole bag! If I leave it frozen, they think they've got popsicles! Speaking of...I think I'm gonna go get some blueberries!

Did I tell you Izzy broke her leg??? On Valentine's Day?? Yep! Sure did!!! We're still not real sure how she did it other than she fell wierd off the bed when Mark was playing with her. She's already out of the splint and acts like nothing happened! She'll go back to the vet in a week and a half and will probably be given the okay to go full steam ahead! Thank goodness she is young and still growing, or that break would've meant surgery!!!

Well, better go reload the dishwasher before time to pick H up from school!

MORE SNOW!!!!

2010-02-12T19:55:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it?!?!?! We are getting our 3rd snow for this winter season!!! This has to be the most wintery winter we've had in YEARS!!! It started about 4:15 and hasn't let up. We've got a couple of inches now... At least it'll get the boys out of the house tomorrow! :)

I'm hoping to get down to my scrap room after the boys go to bed. I want to participate in the weekend crop at www.scrapbookdeals4U.com!! I signed up for a scraplift challenge where we get paired up with another person...but they won't know who is lifting them until the end...kind of like a "secret admirer". I wanted to add some newer stuff to my SLIDE thingy so my "admirer" would have something to choose from...but I'm really on the wrong computer for that. Maybe she'll be able to find something! LOL! Normally, we'd have just picked from our gallery at SD4U, but the gallery isn't playing nice and won't let some of us upload...gotta love technology sometimes! :)

Somebody remind me to NOT buy cookies!!! That's all my boys wanna eat...along with the Valentine's candy they brought home from school today. UGH! Speaking of Valentine's...I'll have to upload the pic of the Valentines the boys took to school. They turned out really cute!!! I can't take credit for the idea of them...gotta thank the Family Fun website for that, but they were fun to make!

Well, let's go tackle bedtime! Wish me luck!

Roses are Red Crop...

2010-02-11T08:43:00.000-05:00

Head on over to www.scrapbookdeals4U.com this weekend and join in the "Roses are Red" Crop!!! Looks like there are gonna be lots of fun challenges...and they are already posting pre-crop challenges to get you a head start on tickets for the drawing at the end! I'm gonna be there...so join me!!!

I posted my first challenge as a DT member over at www.scrap-friendzy.com on Monday. Go check it out and be inspired! Would love to see you create a page for this! It was a lot of fun!

And, man! Am I late on this one! The February challenge should be up at www.momentsrecorded.blogspot.com. Go check it out too!!!!!

There's a lot going on to keep me and YOU busy and inspired!!!!!

Taxes...yuck. A pretty kit...YUM!

2010-02-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

The past 2 years, I've prepared our taxes using TurboTax. Everything was relatively simple, so I felt confident I wouldn't mess them up. But this year, with all the unemployment, job changes, and Mark working in another state, I thought I needed a professional. The lady who used to do ours sold out to Jackson Hewitt and the rates were outrageous! So a friend had suggested someone to me. So, I went this morning. I was gonna drop them off, but then we'd be at the mercy of "we'll get to them as we can"...meaning it could be months before we see our prepared return! So, I look around the waiting room at about 4 other patrons...waiting.... I signed my name to the bottom of the list and decided to wait along with them. Well, the waiting room was FREEZING cold! I read an entire Redbook magazine while my teeth were chattering. 2.5 hours later, I was still in the waiting room!!! These people don't realize I only have 3 hours, 2 mornings a week that I don't have kids!!! Wasting those hours REALLY makes me mad! So I left because I had to pick up kids. Then I decided I'd just do them myself again. So, I spent the time between when we got home and time to pick up H from school, filing our taxes. But they are DONE! AND we're getting a refund! I was worried with us having to withdraw some of Mark's 401k. So glad that's over with for another year!

Go check out this month's kit from Scrap-Friendzy at www.shop-friendzy.blogspot.com!!! Isn't it beee-u-ti-ful?!?!?! You want one...you know you do! That's why you should run over and place your order before they get gone! Supplies are limited...HURRY!!!! :) You'll thank me for it!

Ooh!!! I hope this is a sign of how this year's gonna go!

2010-02-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Mark got a phone call. It was Tier One Solutions...the staffing agency for the BMW plant. They asked him to come back to work! And it's a permanent job!!!! It's still a lot less money than we are used to having, but Mark can still look for something else that's more money and closer to home. He goes in TONIGHT!!!!

AND!!!!! Just the icing on the cake!! I got accepted as a Design Team member at www.scrap-friendzy.com!!! I'm SUPER excited!!!

The boys are on Day 2 of snow days...we got about 7 inches of snow last Friday night and some side roads still aren't that clear. I PRAY they go to school tomorrow or I might have to start drinking!

Time to update...

2010-01-10T17:41:00.000-05:00

The BLOG that is! I was just looking at my Slide and man! Does it need an update or what??? I'll try to work on that later! And I need to change my background...something wintry....

Today has been a lazy, scrappy kind of day! I'm participating in the Sketch-a-thon over at www.scrap-friendzy.com and have completed 2 pages and 4 cards!!! I've got a 3rd page about half done...I should finish it tonight! I'm soooo glad the holidays are over and that challenges and online crops are starting up again!!!

I've also been stalking the website over at www.dixiepieces.com . I applied for their DT call and they are supposed to announce it today. You think they'll send an email first???

Well, let me go finish up dinner...I'm starving!!!!

Wow! Did I fall behind or what???

2009-12-30T20:28:00.000-05:00

I didn't complete my Thankfulness journal...I didn't complete my December Daily...I didn't do the Holiday's in Hand class! I guess there's always next year! :)

We had a great Christmas. The boys got a Boxer puppy named Izzy on Christmas Eve...Mark and I met one of Santa's elves to get her since Santa couldn't bring her on his sleigh. ;) And then, on Christmas morning, the boys both got Nintendo DS's!! It was the ONE gift each said they'd want if they could only have one...and Santa HAD to come thru!!!

I can't believe tomorrow is New Year's Eve! But I am sooooo glad to be putting 2009 behind us. I hope and pray that 2010 is better to us! DH's temporary job at the BMW plant is over...but he's expecting to get called back...we're just waiting. In the meantime, he'll be signing back up for unemployment. I applied for a job with Gaston Co. in the tax department...so far, no word. Something, somewhere has GOT to give!!!

I hope everyone has a great New Year!!!

No pic today...

2009-11-23T18:09:00.001-05:00

but today I am thankful for a good chilly, rainy day to help get my Christmas spirit churning! I don't usually start really getting into Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but this weather just really put me in the mind of it...almost felt like it should be snowing, but I know that's not gonna happen around here anytime soon!

More thankfulness...

2009-11-22T21:42:00.001-05:00

For yesterday, thankful for my big boy and that he is happy and has lots of friends!

This was the pic with their silly faces...and truthfully, it turned out better than the one of them being "normal"! :)

And today, thankful for ALL 3 OF MY BOYS! Thankful that they are healthy. Thankful that they seem to be happy. And even though they drive my crazy most of the time, I am most THANKFUL that they are MINE!

I'm getting behind...

2009-11-20T11:25:00.000-05:00

I do have pics for the days I've missed, but am too busy to go upstairs and get them off the camera! But I HAD to post this one TODAY! In honor of my Nevan, who will turn the big 5 tomorrow....I'm thankful that the Lord blessed my body with the ability to grow children in my womb, to bring them into this world NATURALLY, and to nurse them at my breast. And I'm even MORE thankful that I DON'T look like this today! LOL! This pic was actually taken 2 days before Nevan's birth! Boy, was I HUGE!!!!!

Holidays in Hand class?

2009-11-17T10:19:00.001-05:00

Anyone else doing this over at jessicasprague.com????

Well, yesterday was the first day and our assignment was to write down our values and goals for the Christmas season. So, what do I value this time of year??? Time with family and friends. Making our own traditions here with the boys. I'm forced to really think about what a GIFT it is that God sent his only Son to Earth to pay for OUR sins!

What are my Goals??? To make the time with family and friends as stress-free as possible!!! And I just got the reminder of how stressful it can be today! My poor grandmother is insisting on cooking a meal for Thanksgiving AND Christmas. She wants to get us all together but frankly, I don't really care to be around my drunk uncle and his ungrateful children! Since Mark and I are both from broken homes, there are just too many places to go and not enough time to do it all. We have to pick an choose where we go for the holidays now. We already have plans with Mark's sister and family on Thanksgiving Day. If we can work it out to see my dad's side of the family that evening, that's fine. But I'm not gonna kill myself trying to get everywhere! My grandmother doesn't need to be cooking a big meal for all of us anyway...she shouldn't even spend the money! But you can't tell her that!

So, I just have to remember that we can't be everywhere at one time. I CAN say no, and we'll see them when we see them!

Well, I thought I was gonna be behind...

2009-11-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

but I'm NOT! :)

On Saturday, the sun shone and it was in the mid 70's! Gorgeous day! I was very thankful for the blue skies and that the boys could play out in it!

Yesterday, I was thankful for Little Caeser's cheapie pizza!!! It kept me out of the kitchen!!! That's always good!

And today, I am thankful for a hubby who buys me THIS! He supports my habit! LOL!

Thankful...Day 2

2009-11-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

Wow! I remembered!

Today's pic...

Today, I am thankful that I can read and study the Holy Bible without the fear of persecution for doing so. I am also thankful that I can worship him in the way I feel comfortable and see fit. There are many variations of Christianity and, in MY eyes, no one way of worship is better than the other...all that matters is that you BELIEVE and have FAITH and TRUST in our LORD! The book with my Bible is the study material for the current Bible study I am doing. Although I haven't attended like I'd intended to and am sooooooo far behind on my "homework", I still enjoy going to the class and I benefit from it when I do!

In today's pre-class prayer, the woman leading said something that really hit home. I don't claim to be the most devout, studious, faithful Christian. I actually feel a little pang of jealousy when I meet those people who are just "IN" the Lord's spirit...in everything they do! So, I often find myself questioning my Belief and Faith. But the woman today said, "God is waiting on US to be ready for HIM." We can't force it, we can't pretend...we have to be truly ready to let go and let GOD. I guess I've never really gotten ready enough yet...but one day, I will have that "moment" and I WILL know and will be at peace from my struggles.

It's November and I am THANKFUL!!!

2009-11-11T12:23:00.000-05:00

Some of you have seen the posts on Facebook where each day you are supposed to write in your status about something you are thankful for. Well, I wasn't doing it on FB, but my friend Kathy over at www.scraplove.com took it a step further for us! She "challenged" us to do this same thing, but take a picture of whatever we are thankful for. I'm game!!!! This would be soooo easy to turn into a mini-album later...a gratitude journal, as Kathy put it! This is a great way to remember that there IS a holiday in between Halloween and Christmas and we should take time to reflect on it and celebrate it!

So, at this very moment, I am thankful for these...
Yep...that's right! Teddy Grahams and the Ice Age movie! They are keeping my kiddos mostly quiet on this day off from school while their daddy is sleeping! And I am VERY thankful for that...because we really don't want to wake daddy at noon!

Thanks Kathy for the challenge...now just stay on my tail so I don't forget it! LOL!

Sickies here...

2009-10-18T17:13:00.000-04:00

And it's not me!!! Pierson ran a fever that started Thursday evening...and with his history of super HIGH fevers, I went ahead and took him to the doc on Friday. They tested him for both flu and strep...both were negative. By Friday evening, he was back to his normal self! But Friday afternoon when Harrison came home from school, he went directly to our room and got in the bed. That's not TOO unusual for him especially since it was a rainy afternoon and he just wanted to watch TV. But, I went in there and you know how you KNOW something's wrong just by looking at them? He was running a fever too! He's still running one today but no other symptoms of flu. (which is a good possibility that he has it because our niece tested positive for H1N1 on Friday!) So I restocked our Elderberry supply, got some probiotics for everyone, and got the sickling some Echinacea with Goldenseal to use while he's sick. Wonder who will be next? Probably me since kiddos ALWAYS want their mommies when they are sick! In the meantime, I'm cleaning and disinfecting everything the kids touch daily...it's exhausting!

And my baby boy...man he's growing up too fast! That little stinker slept in the big boy bed last night...with Nevan to cuddle with! I thought they were just gonna end up playing when we put them together, but after turning out the light, we didn't hear anything after about 10 minutes! I guess it's gonna be time to FINALLY turn the crib into a full size bed! :(

Here's a couple of pages I've done in the past week...the wedding page was my first for the challenge at www.momentsrecorded.blogspot.com...but I had trouble reading the ENTIRE challenge...therefore, I didn't follow the directions! LOL! Ended up having to do another to fulfill the requirements! LOL! And the Christmas page was one I put together this morning with some Scenic Route stuff. Man, do I hate they are going out of business!!!

2009-10-13T13:30:00.001-04:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

I tried to update earlier in the week...

2009-10-09T13:44:00.001-04:00

but I couldn't remember my stupid password!!!! DOH!

Anyway...I wanted to let you guys know that the 1st Challenge for October is up at www.momentsrecorded.blogspot.com. It's a fun one! I really enjoyed working on the page I made for it!

AND....Tomorrow is the reveal for the projects I created as the Guest DT member for October over at www.backporchmemories.com!!!! I've been having a lot of fun with the VERY generous kit that I received...and even after all my assignments were completed, there STILL lots left over! Go check them out!!!!

I think I'm getting a little cold...I'm actually hoping it's just allergies! So, I went to the natural foods store and picked up some Elderberry Extract...it's supposed to be good for defending against the H1N1...I'll do anything as long as it's NOT getting that shot! Anyway, I think it's supposed to boost your immune system all around, so it can't be bad to be taking!

I'm excited AND nervous since tomorrow I am doing a photo shoot of a family from church! I've NEVER done this kind of thing before, but the mom had seen pics I'd taken on my facebook page and asked me if I'd be interested in doing it! I've done a ton of research...hoping to learn how to get the best poses and shots...but I think it's just gonna boil down to me pressing the shutter button A LOT and hoping for the best! :) Wish me luck!

I'm not usually a very political person...

2009-09-11T10:26:00.000-04:00

but I think the time has come to start BEING a political person! This whole "health care reform" crap has really got my blood boiling! And I keep questioning, "HOW did we let our government get this BIG?" So big that they've forgotten WHO they WORK FOR!!! So big that they want to control how we receive care when we are sick!!! This informative and very eye-opening article really got me thinking yesterday...if you feel so inclined, please read it! It doesn't matter which side of the fence you're on...it's good to know the history of "health care" in our country and where it's taken us...along with another (I think) brilliant possible solution!
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care

This one's good too...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G44NCvNDLfc

Oh, and sign me up here too!
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mbaron/2009/09/09/forming-the-leave-me-alone-party/

A new challenge is up!!!

2009-09-02T14:01:00.001-04:00

At Moments Recorded! I've really got to learn how to get a link to there in my links list...anyway, it's www.momentsrecorded.blogspot.com, and it's a really fun one!

And it's not often that I get to do a girly page...but I just did this for a friend. This is her daughter at her 1st birthday party...she was a sleepy little girl (hence the thumb-sucking and hair-twirling!)and she's just sooooo cute! It's not a real elaborate page...except for the flowers. And they are as hard as one might think thanks to the ladies at http://naspinall.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html and http://meholder.blogspot.com/2009/03/paper-flower-tutorial.html

Saturday Sharing...

2009-08-29T08:11:00.000-04:00

Since I've got just a minute...

I realized that I photographed this page a few days ago and that I never posted it anywhere! So I'll post it here first!

I edited the photo in PSE7...so glad I'm learning how to use that program!!! Although, I know I don't even know 1% of what it will do! I used some older MME, some paper from one of those HUGE slabs that I just HAD to have, K&Co Chipboard, Adornaments fibers...

Sorry the pic isn't the greatest...

Gotta try to keep this thing up!!!

2009-08-26T08:59:00.000-04:00

Gotta get back in the habit of posting on this thing! LOL!

Well, yesterday was the 1st day of school...Harrison's first day of first grade!!! WOW! He had a good day...it was hard to get him up at 7:20 am, but I finally got him going. I could tell he was super tired last night though...we went to eat and he had a total meltdown in the restaurant because I told him he couldn't watch TV when we got home because it would be too late. ARGH!!!
I don't think it took him long to go to sleep last night and he was already awake when I went to get him this morning. I took him to school again today and walked him to his class...he wanted me to...AWWWWW!

More good news (we hope!) came yesterday. Mark got calls from 2 different trucking companies...and he will be headed to Atlanta on Sunday to begin training with one of them! This career change has been hard on us both...and after the horrible time he had with the last company, I can only PRAY this will be better. He knows this is our only option right now and that he's gotta stick it out...I just don't want him to be miserable! I know what it's like to be miserable in a job!!! So, if you are so inclined...please say a prayer for him!

I've been scrapping!!! Stress chased my mojo away for a few weeks...but it's slowly coming back! I finished up this page yesterday. I used the Sept '09 Guest Design Team sketch from www.backporchmemories.com for this one. I just hate I didn't get it finished before the deadline! It was a fun sketch to work with! Cosmo Cricket papers were used here....

Now, I'm off to finish up a page for the October GDT sketch at Back Porch Memories!!!!

PLEASE HELP ME!!!

2009-08-22T14:45:00.000-04:00

WHY oh WHY can't I get a link to work on here?!?!?!? I use that little "insert link" button thingy, paste in my address, and NOTHING! PLEASE tell me what I'm doing wrong!!!

I am soooo ashamed!!!

2009-08-22T14:22:00.000-04:00

How LONG has it been since I updated this thing??? LOL!

Hold on...gotta go get the little guy out of bed...

So...lets see. What has happened in the last 2.5 months. I did make the DT for Moments Recorded. http://www.momentsrecorded.blogspot.com/ And I could've sworn I posted here about the August Challenges!!! Well, I'll post now...GO CHECK OUT THE AUGUST CHALLENGES AT MOMENTS RECORDED!!! I had a lot of fun with them...and let me tell ya...I just finished September's...OMG! FUN! FUN! FUN! If you like to think out of the box a little and use some stuff that one normally wouldn't use...check back for September!

DH went back to school. He already had his CDL driver's license but had never used it. Since unemployment was paying, he went back again. He took a job with a company that hauls flatbed...he HATED it! Quit after Week 5 of 7 weeks training. It wasn't the driving or even the being away from home...it was making sure those loads were secured correctly...he just couldn't get comfy with it. So, that was a week and a half ago. He started putting in applications again on Wednesday. I'm just hoping he gets a job SOON! We are beyond broke! And I'm stressing!

We did get to enjoy a short trip to Myrtle Beach. My dad called last Friday evening and asked if we wanted to go to the beach THE NEXT DAY!!! YIKES! Of course I said yes, and immediately started running around here like a chicken with my head cut off...doing laundry and packing! We came home on Tuesday. It was nice to get away...even better that we only had to buy food and gas!

Harrison starts back to school next Tuesday!! I am sooo ready! LOL! We went last night and met his teacher...she's young and spunky...I think he's gonna like her. I had a hard time getting him to leave the classroom after meeting her and seeing his desk!

With all the stress of all that's been going on here...my scrappin' mojo LEFT THE BUILDING! And just returned about 2 days ago! I'm hoping to take advantage of it being here and get lots done while I can! Off to get started on something that I can show you!

Found this cool site...

2009-06-09T10:13:00.001-04:00

it's a scrappy challenge blog...designed to help a person use their stash! I certainly need help with that! LOL! I found them thru the Scrapbook Calls blog because they are looking for a few design team members...I decided to apply! Check them out here: www.momentsrecorded.blogspot.com. Even if I don't make the DT there, I'll still be checking them out when the new challenges are issued!!!

PS...why can't I ever get links to work right???

My babies are growing up....

2009-06-01T15:56:00.000-04:00

:( Both Harrison AND Nevan decided to learn how to ride their bikes without training wheels yesterday!!! Can you believe it??? I can't! Especially Nevan...he's only 4!!!

2 posts in one day??? Could be a record!

2009-05-27T16:50:00.000-04:00

No, I wanted to tell you guys to check out this site!!! http://thegirlsloft.com

But more particularly, check out this post!!! http://margieromney-aslett.typepad.com/im_just_a_girl/http://thegirlsloft.com/

Who wouldn't want to get some of those goodies! So yummy!

Shout it from the rooftops!!!!!

2009-05-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

Well, not YET! But I wanna! Got some news to share and it's KILLING me!!! Monday can't get here fast enough!!!!

Grouchiness explained...

2009-05-08T19:57:00.000-04:00

Couldn't figure out why Pierson was in such a foul mood on Tuesday. He wanted to be held constantly and he had 3 horrible diapers! YUCK! Well DUH!!! It's called another TOOTH! His 2nd year molar on the top right was just barely thru the gum. Then I felt bad for calling him Crabby Abby!!!

Here's the blinkie for the crop...

2009-04-30T22:34:00.001-04:00

at SCRAPLOVE!!!

Doesn't that look like fun?!?!?!?!

Last Scrapper Standing...

2009-04-30T15:46:00.000-04:00

Wanna join a scrappy contest??? It's 6-weeks worth...it'll be happening over at memorableseasons.com. I'm sure it's gonna be lots of fun and I can't wait for it to get started! The kick-off is this weekend, May 2nd!!! Go over there and check it out!

Well, it's the little things...

2009-04-30T15:44:00.001-04:00

that make a mother happy! :) Pierson went #2 in the potty yesterday!!! It was just luck that I "heard" him and ran him to the bathroom! I really wish he'd get the hang of the #1 thing first...he goes and sits on the potty, but ends up doing his business just minutes later in his diaper/pull-up. But hey, ya gotta start somewhere!

Nat'l Scrapbooking Day FUN!

2009-04-27T15:05:00.000-04:00

So, all my scrappy friends will know that this weekend is NSD!!! And what could more fun than a crop...organized by none other than our Michelle...a bonafide Jenni Bowlin DT member!!! She's also our leader over at Scraplove.com and we love her to death! She has promised that this crop/contest will get you thinking outside the box...and will help to not only decorate your scrapbook pages, but to also help decorate your home!!!! How cool is that???? So get your glue guns ready and come over and join us!!!! I know it's gonna be lots of fun!

Here's a link!!
http://www.scraplove.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41592

My poor, neglected blog....

2009-04-21T22:40:00.000-04:00

Has it really been a month since I've updated this thing??? Last I posted, I was talking about the boys having cavities to be filled. Those got done today!

I figured it was waaayyyyyy past time for me to change my background...I think winter is OVER! At least I hope it is! Looking forward to 80* temps this weekend!

I have absolutely nothing to write about here! LOL! I must get back into a routine of updating!

Bad, Bad Blogger!!!

2009-03-26T22:45:00.000-04:00

Man, I've been bad at keeping up with posting here lately! I think I'll blame FACEBOOK!!! LOL! Man, that site sucks up the time!

What's been going on here? Just the usual I think. Pierson learned how to pedal a tricycle last week and he cut his first 2nd year molar!!! No wonder he was so cranky! The older 2 went to the dentist last week and both have cavities to be filled...won't that be fun?!?!?!

I've been dappling in some digi/hybrid scrapping...really more hybrid. No offense, but I think the digi embellishments look fake! That's just me! But learning that Photoshop is a PAIN! Man, there's sooooo much to learn! I've got a VERY basic understanding of it. My trial version runs out in 2 weeks and I told Mark that I wanted the purchased version for my bday. We'll see if I get it!

We officially became members of Holy Cross Lutheran Church two Sundays ago...we'd been going back and forth about moving our membership since St James was a 30 minute drive. That drive made it hard to really be active. But we visited Holy Cross again about a month ago, and the deal was sealed! After Sunday School, Harrison asked if we could go to SS there EVERY day! That's all I needed to hear! If my kiddos like going there, then that's where we'll go!

Well, that's an update on the oh-so-exciting happenings around here!

It's SNOWING!!!

2009-03-01T22:21:00.000-05:00

I sure hope these videos loaded and that the one isn't sideways! If it is, I apologize! I forget that I can't shoot video vertically! Anyway...it started snowing about 3 hours or so ago and we've already got at LEAST 5 inches! School has already been cancelled and the boys are soooo excited about playing in it tomorrow! I have to admit, I'm excited about it too!

Forgot to mention...

2009-02-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

My baby...yeah, the littlest one (I know that's not a word!)...he sings his ABC's!!! Sort of... LOL! He has the tune down pat! Goes from "a" to "g" and then "p" is intelligible...he's so funny! The other morning, he was awake in his bed, just a-singing! What a trip!

What a GLORIOUS day!

2009-02-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

Absolutely GLORIOUS!! The weather was just perfect...sunny, 70*-ish...I had the windows open in the house to air it out...drove with the windows down...wore short sleeves... Spring fever will arrive SOON! LOL! Not only was the weather great, I had no kids for 3 hours this morning. 30 minutes after N gets home from preschool, he's off with his Papaw Vernon. Then about 30 minutes after that, P goes down for his nap. Picked H up from school and he stayed at Anna's to play. So, for the better part of this day, my house has be utterly QUIET! OMG! Do you know what that sounds like? I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven!

I didn't have the luxury of just sitting and enjoying the peace...I worked my tail off! Had to start sorting toys that had been boxed up for 2 years so I could see if any of it would be sale-able (is that a word?) at the consignment sale I'm doing. HOW...just HOW...did we accumulate soooooo many toys??? I got most of them gone thru...matched up all the pieces...now I need to price them and all that stuff. I haven't even started on clothing yet! ARGH!!!!!!!

Issues, issues, issues...

2009-02-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

Been having computer issues and have been busy changing all my passwords and changing email addys on the sites I frequent...not a fun job, but it must be done. In a nutshell, my PayPal acct got hacked...someone got $200 from our checking account...I had to file a police report...and I'm still waiting on the detective to get in touch with me. There was more drama to it than all that, but I don't care to rehash it here!

So, word of advice...change passwords frequently! If you can't remember them, go to download.com and download the KeePass software...it creates a database that you access with one password and then it saves all your User Names and passwords...that way, they can all be different without driving you nuts trying to remember them all!

One more word of advice...remember to teach your children AND your not-so-computer-savvy parents about Internet safety!!!!!

Well, I'm off to work on a mini-album for my Grandma for her birthday! Gotta have it done by tomorrow and lucky for me...I got the perfect sketch for the cover in my email from Sketches {by Tamara} this morning! going to go be creative!

Can it be???

2009-01-31T21:02:00.000-05:00

That my baby MAY be ready for potty training??? NO! It can't be! He's not that old yet! (I'm in denial!) The last few days, he comes to me and tells me, in his little grunting way :), that he needs his diaper changed...and he wants to sit on the potty!!! Believe me, the idea of not having to buy so many diapers is GREAT, but I'm just not ready for my baby to be a big boy!

A sneaky peek...

2009-01-22T13:20:00.001-05:00

Wanna see all of it??? Go here!
http://www.backporchmemories.com/gallery2/showphoto.php?photo=4862&cat=784

This is for their March Guest DT Call...needed something to get me creating again, and I think this worked!

Battling the sickies...(not a post for the squeamish!)

2009-01-18T20:17:00.001-05:00

Thursday was a glorious day....NOT! I was awakened at 5 am by Nevan who proceeded to vomit all over me! In MY bed! So NOT the wake up call I wanted. Got up and got H off to school. At noon, his teacher called me to come pick him up...you guessed it! He was vomiting too! By 3 pm, Pierson had joined the crowd! Friday, we thought it was all over. Saturday, Harrison bday party, woke to find P had vomited in his bed at some point in the night...scary thing is I never heard him! I thought maybe he'd just got choked or something. I had put him down for his nap prior to the party and when Mark went to get him, he'd vomited again! He and Mark spent the party in our bedroom, quarantined! Then Mark started last night...he's been in the bed all day. You know how men are when they are sick! And now, I don't feel nauseous, but there's this lump in my throat and I'm afraid it's gonna come up after while.....ARGH! Make this crap leave my house! I swear, my washer and dryer have run NON STOP since Thursday! I've gone so far as to wash ALL bedding...including pillows! I've gone thru half a can of Lysol and I don't know how many Clorox wipes...and if I wash my hands one more time, my skin's gonna fall off!

Laid off AGAIN!!!

2009-01-08T16:45:00.001-05:00

We knew it was probably coming, but damn!!! It doesn't make it any less hard to take! Mark's last day is March 13th...befitting for a Friday the 13th!!! I know what this means for us this time...Mark will HAVE to go on the road weather we like it or not. Only thing he's gonna do different this time, is he's gonna go back thru the schooling
again because there's a really good flat bed company he wants to work for that will accept students right from graduation. At least unemployment will pay for that! God, it just makes me soooooo mad!

Off to see what my friend found out about positions open at her office for me....

Weaning...

2009-01-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

Yep...FINALLY weaning my baby...started working on it over Mark's Christmas break because I knew the nights were gonna be BAD!!! At least I anticipated them being bad...but they really weren't as bad as I expected them to be. The first night, the little guy cried for about 45 minutes before he decided to give up! After that, he'd whimper for about 10 minutes and then cuddle up and go back to sleep with me. There have been a couple of nights in the last week, that he's slept from 8-9 pm to 6:15 am!!!! OMG! ALL NIGHT LONG! Of course, I still wake up, but I'll get over that soon. It's just so hard for me to let my baby grow up!! I swear, since he started walking 2 months ago, he's grown sooooo much!!! He went from baby to big toddler in an instant!!! I'm definitely gonna miss that bonding and cuddle time I've had with him...and all my kids! I just have to come to terms with the fact that this is a chapter of our lives that is coming to a close! Breastfeeding is such a miracle and a joy...I'm so glad I had the chance and was able to give that to my children!

The only side effect we've noticed...he now will hold saliva in his mouth (and sometimes food!) for HOURS!!! It's sooo aggravating because we think he's got something in his mouth he's not supposed to have, so we literally have to pry his mouth open to make sure there's nothing in there! Esp before bedtime! I don't know what he gets out of it?!?!?!

I've met lots of wonderful women through my involvement with La Leche League...friendships that will continue long after I've stopped nursing! If you are reading this and you are pregnant, thinking of getting pregnant, know someone who's pregnant...I encourage you to breastfeed! It's a beautiful thing...only made ugly by idiots in the US that think the breasts are only sexual organs and have marketed them that way! And if you are/will be breastfeeding...find a LLL group near you and learn and grow in your nursing experience!!

Off my soapbox now!

He makes my heart melt!

2009-01-04T11:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, Harrison climbed in bed beside me to cuddle...don't get that much anymore from him since he's almost 6 and thinks he doesn't need his momma! So, I kissed him on the cheek and he says, "Mom, when you kiss me like that, it makes my whole body melt!" AAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! HOW sweet is that??? Then 5 minutes later I'm ready to tie him up by his toes because he and Nevan are fighting! Gotta love having kiddos!

And I WISH we had a video camera...Pierson has been pretending to be a dog. He crawls around on the floor, pants, and then says, "ARF! ARF!" It is too funny!!! He really isn't old enough to be playing like that, is he??? I got a rude awakening the other day when I was talking to Mark about preschool for Nevan next Fall...it was then that I realized my BABY will be going to preschool next Fall too!!!!!! Say it isn't so!!!! :(