capture.crop.create

Little Mr. A ~ Newborn Session Sneaks

2011-06-03T20:49:00.003-05:00

Wow! What a beautiful day out today, but HOT....this little trooper did great in the short time we were out in the heat. Enjoy!!

~ National Scrapbooking Weekend

2010-05-02T15:30:00.007-05:00

You read that right! Here it is not a "day", but a weekend. At least that is what I always tell myself because my schedule at work isn't always condusive to getting to spend one whole day scrapbooking. But, I try. This year, I got four pages done. But, I'm uploading five. I did the daddy-daughter dance a week or so ago, just haven't had the time to upload it. I need an extra 4 hours in my day....but I'm sure if that happened, it would be spent on much needed SLEEP :):)

~ Catch up!

2010-04-19T15:33:00.002-05:00

Wow! It has been a looooong time since I have blogged. So much going on, not enough time!!! We have been super busy with gymnastics and now the year end stuff is kicking in....which makes it crazier than usual!?!?

Trying to get caught up on Avery's fair scrapbook. She's signed up to participate again this year. It will be her last year to do the pageant and she's very excited! We have her dress bought and we're ready to go. She still has to finish out this year as part of the court with the last two parades. So, since fair time will be here soon and before I can blink, I want to get this year's book caught up. Maybe, just maybe that will happen.

Here are a couple of her layouts. Hope you are all enjoying spring and all springness starting to bloom!

2010-03-03T16:59:00.002-06:00

Been playing with some new Sassafrass and new Cosmo Cricket goodies. Yummalicious. I am ready for spring, how about you!?!?!?!?!

My Fair Ladies....

2010-02-14T19:52:00.002-06:00

Got some fun, NEW Cosmo Cricket goodies in the mail Friday, so I had to bust them out and play with them!! Trying to get Avery's fair book all caught up, her year will be over in June :(. She is going to do it again this year, it will be her last year to do the Little Miss Pageant and she is sooooo excited. We have already ordered her gown, it should be in in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!!

Story Matters Kit

2010-02-14T19:42:00.003-06:00

Here's a layout I did Friday after picking up (finally!!!) my Story Matters kit....click here for more information on this great local kit!!

~ Love me some Jenni B!!

2010-01-27T16:07:00.001-06:00

Playin' with some new and old Jenni Bowlin...

~ Sweet Evidence......

2010-01-09T18:38:00.002-06:00

I created this little layout for the Scrapaganza blog challenge....even got some red mist while we were out on the town last night and I gotta say, that stuff is sure fun to use.

Love Me Some Hot Cocoa!!

2010-01-07T21:35:00.003-06:00

I did this layout for Megan's challenge. I took the "Are you as creative as a Kindergartner" layout in my Top Ten post below and modified and tweaked it a little to create this one. The mug was given to me last Valentine's Day by my hubby (not for my love of coffee but) for my love of hot cocoa! Nothin' better on cold winter days like these....

Top 10 of 2009

2010-01-05T18:41:00.013-06:00

Thanks Megan for this challenge. Hoping to get part two done tomorrow night. Now, which layout to copy.....hmmm.

Favorite photo of the year and more of my obession with Unity Stamps!

Avery and her cucumbers, love that I caught her running with her stash. Just too bad I didn't catch her eating them straight out of the garden!

My Little Shoebox papers - love them!! These pictures make me want summer back!! And these little girls are too sweet, Avery's pageant friends.

Another exciting, totally surprising moment of our year...it has been a whirlwind of fun for her being in parades and doing community work, and we're only half done with her time on the court. She was too precious for words and I still love to watch the video of the pageant.

One of many great moments of our year....Hannah, I love you so much and am so proud to be your mommy!!

Loved this little getaway...we already have another one planned for this year ~ VEGAS!! Can't wait.

More Sassafrass...this was totally out of the box for me to scrap ONE photo. One of my favorite photos of Avery all year long. It speaks so much.

Avery and her fabulous Kindergarten teacher...and this was the start of my obession with UNITY STAMPS!!! Love them like crazy!

The Fair is a big deal around here, always has been.

So many years of having a job he dreaded, so thankful he now has a job he loves and enjoys, even if it does mean he sometimes has to be gone all night to plow.

~ Cooking up a little scrapbooking....

2010-01-04T14:53:00.002-06:00

These layouts have been sitting on my desk for a few weeks, waiting for me to put some final touches on them. I feel like I am always rushing and not taking the time to look and see what needs to be there, so lately I'm starting a layout and then moving them to my antique table to keep them in view until I'm ready to finish them. That way I can play and rearrange until they're ready. This cold weather sure is great for getting in some scrapping time.

~Fall Harvest

2009-12-28T12:32:00.003-06:00

Lance has been helping a family friend get the fall crops harvested for several years. Lance comes from a farm family, although they sold off the hogs almost 10 years ago and have rented out the family farm for the same time frame. He compares it to hunting, it gives him quiet peaceful time to think and enjoy nature. We drove down this year amidst the bean harvesting and snapped some pictures....so glad we did it. I love how they turned out and what a beautiful reminder that even with all the stress the beauty of the harvest is worth it all.

~ Merry Christmas Wishes....

2009-12-17T04:01:00.003-06:00

Where do I begin.....first, thank you to all of you who continue to check this blog and there is NO activity. What a slacker I appear to be. I can assure that there is one great reason why I have had little to no time lately and I will soon share it with you all. It makes my heart burst with joy. :)

Just wanted to pop on here and make sure to tell all of my Blogettes (yep, I gave y'all a name) a very Merry Christmas and blessed 2010. We all have many things to be thankful for and looking forward to. Take time to enjoy the simple things that Christmas has to offer and relish the time spent with your families.

I have some time off around the holidays for once and I plan to enjoy it drinking some hot cocoa & Bailey's, toasty warm with all the lights off but the Christmas lights and snuggling up with my favorite little girls and my hubby watching a marathon of Christmas movies.....Elf, Christmas Vacation, Polar Express, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Home Alone and Miracle on 34th Street.

From our Home to yours....Happy Holidays!!

2009-11-05T17:15:00.001-06:00

Winner! Winner!

2009-10-29T16:41:00.004-05:00

Avery pulled out GINGER's name for the RAK Halloween Goodies. Email me your addy to teela1974@yahoo.com and I will get them right out to you Ginger...congrats!

Here's my take on the challenge, hope it inspires you. There's a couple other layouts I've done lately I'm putting on here either. One of Lance's deer a few years back and one of Avery doing her Chargerettes program.

Have a happy 2009 all! :)

Takin' a break....

2009-10-29T03:14:00.002-05:00

No players for the challenge...that's okay, it's a busy time of year. Tomorrow I will have the girls pick a name of my followers to win the Halloween goodies. I waited a bit to see if there were any late players. I'll post mine tomorrow, it's been done for awhile, but wanted to post mine with the winner. After tomorrow, I am going to be taking a break from blogging for a bit.

Are YOU ready for a Challenge? Wanna win some GOODIES?

2009-10-13T15:35:00.004-05:00

Halloween Challenge (was supposed to post Tuesday, little blogger malfuction and it didn't post)

I am going to be giving away a package of Halloween scrapbooking goodies to ONE lucky blogger!! There are many ways to earn a chance at these goodies.

*First, become a follower and you get one chance to win. If you already
are a follower, your name will be entered automatically.

*Second, create one of any of the following: Halloween scrapbook page, paper
craft project or card. Post your project to your blog and leave a comment
here. You may submit one challenge for each category and you can earn up
to three chances here.

*Third, post this challenge to your blog and earn another chance.

Now, here are the rules for the challenge....create a page/project where orange and black are not your main colors but they can be your accent colors. Refrain from using the words "Halloweeen", "Trick or Treat" or "Pumpkin" in your title.

I tend to find that most of my Halloween pages are based around orange and black, with obvious reasons why. I just want to see how creative we can be to only use those colors for accents. And, I know you are all creative title girls, so let's whip up some fun titles for our projects.

I will draw for a winner on October 25th. Ten days ladies.

Get out those Halloween pics!!!

2009-10-12T16:15:00.006-05:00

We went to an early Halloween party yesterday and had such a great time! Halloween is definately one of my favorite holidays. I know, it really isn't a "holiday" but it kinda is....at least to me. :)

Tomorrow I am going to make an announcement about a new CHALLENGE!! Stay tuned.....

Tic Tac Toe....

2009-10-06T11:35:00.002-05:00

Created this layout a while back, um, like 3 weeks or so ago. Totally was supposed to submit this for Scrapaganza's blog challenge. Totally forgot. It was homecoming week, the girls were busy busy busy with all their after school activities and I was working working working like I always do and I just.....forgot. Feel like a goober for doing so, but here it is to share anyways. The blog challenge was "circles". Hope you are having a fabulous week....me, not so much. My finger still hurts a lot and throbs on and off (think it's sick of the cast) but I don't go to the doctor until next Wednesday. Ugh!

Feels like Fall

2009-10-01T14:07:00.003-05:00

Wow! We just flashed from summer to fall here in the blink of an eye. One week we're wearing shirts and tshirts and the next we have coats, hats and gloves. I wasn't ready yet. Still am not. Hannah is growing like a weed, its those preteen years and is in need of an entire new wardrobe. Guess we are going to have to make some trips this weekend. Got a lot of thinks checked off my "to do" list and here are some layouts I did this week. Enjoy! Have a great week.

~ Love Me Some Cucumbers

2009-09-23T18:04:00.002-05:00

Based off of Pink Sketches #39, a few weeks old, but still a good one. I just changed up the title and tilted the photos and pp.

2009-09-15T10:46:00.000-05:00

~First layout of Middle School....

2009-09-10T14:30:00.001-05:00

~My Little Shoebox Goodies

2009-09-09T20:21:00.000-05:00

~ Back to the bump & grind

2009-09-08T13:36:00.004-05:00

ugh, I go back to work today...seriously not thrilled about it. totally wish i had a job with a cool boss, doing what i love, with great hours and time that allowed me to be a mom, wife and volunteer. hoping it will happen soon. my vacation was spent at home getting things in the house organized and cleaned. mostly our storage area which just needed some purging and re-organization. and the garage....oh my, the garage mahal was full of things that needed to be purged. my hubby is a packrat! We spent Wed & Thursday in St. Louis watching the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers. Great time!!! we also spent our Labor Day weekend at the Fall Festival in O-town and at the Hog Days Parade where Avery rode in the Little Miss Court. Got some scrappin' done a little at a time. I will share as the week goes on. Hope you are all getting back into the school routine. We finally stopped "early dismissal" today!! Yay! Although, I had to run to school at 9:15am to pick up a sick little muffin named Ave....threw up, but made it to the bathroom in time ~ whew!

2009-09-02T10:08:00.002-05:00

Something I created for Design Team entry.....I'm a simple scrapper mostly so I usually don't submit, but I love sketches so we'll see.

80's Night.....

2009-09-01T14:42:00.003-05:00

Friday Night. Surprise 40th Birthday party for friend and coworker Christine. She was clueless. Heather (hostess and coworker) did a fabulous job of getting her place ready for the party. Kudos to her hubby Noel too. They seriously rock. The party was an 80's theme, which was PERFECT for dressing up. Here's a few pics. FOREWARNING: They take ya back a little bit. Great theme for bachelorette parties, birthday parties, anniversary parties....I'm looking forward to the next one :)

2009-08-31T11:59:00.002-05:00

Playing. Creating. Looking forward to using bunches of new goodies I have.

Dear Hubby,

2009-08-25T15:10:00.002-05:00

I don't know how often you check my blog. I'm going to figure you will at least read this before the Christmas shopping season is well underway. So, here's a hint. A pretty specific hint. You say you never know what to get me for Christmas. Jammies from Old Navy are nice. Scrapbook stuff is awesome. But, seriously, I like to shop for that stuff myself. Sorry. Its true. But, I found THIS BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE on Etsy and it's screaming "buy me, wrap me and put me under the Christmas tree!!!". I honestly think you'll go mental trying to buy something off Etsy (I'm sure it will remind you of ordering McDonalds for three kids and yourself through the drive thru window). But, I'm willing to give you a few (FOUR to be exact) months to get over your fear and I'm hoping that if the good Santa really lives on, I will find this under my tree.

Love,

your Wife
your Cook
your Laundry Maid
your Lunch Packer
your children's Mother
your McDonald's drive thru orderer

lol!

Happy Weekend Off

2009-08-24T19:56:00.002-05:00

Got my hair cut and highlights/lowlights put in on Wednesday. Awesome. Short bob that I can wear straight or curly. More caramel color in my hair so every six weeks I don't look like a teenager wanna be with a dark stripe where my roots are. Hate that! Always been a blonde, but face it, I ain't gettin any younger and neither is my hair.

We had planned to take the girls overnight to Adventureland this weekend. Work issues = cancel those plans. Major disappointment. On the brighter side, things are looking up as far as making a change in that section of my life :) Friday, had to make an emergency trip to the Dr. ~ Gracie had three growth looking things on her feet, totally gross and something I had never seen before. They were plantar's warts. Where in the world do you get that? Gross. Icky gross. Dr. had to freeze them and then cut them off. He says they will most likely regrow and have to be frozen and burned off a couple more times. Super icky gross. I will have to find a mommy replacement for those days because I was very disturbed by that process.

So, in replacement of the original Adventureland plans that had to be cancelled because I got my days moved around at work, and then eventually moved back. Don't ask. Makes me seriously ill when I think about it. So, we hit a River Bandits game instead. Super fun. Great weather. Crappy ball game. Bandits got hammered by the Burlington Bees. Avery didn't get an autograph which led to a meltdown. Which led to another round of beers. ha! Avery chilled with some cotton candy, girls with super nachos and mom and dad with a couple more beers. What a great night! Chillin' on the berm watching ball. Life is sweet at moments like that. Hope you all had time to enjoy the weekend.

More weekend plans this week = hittin the town with friends for a 40th birthday couples celebration. Lookin' forward to that. Gonna try and get to the Drive In in Galva (www.galvaautovue.com) and get a movie in on Sunday (its a one show on Sundays) and then I'm off work until after Labor Day. Who knows, maybe that opportunity will knock harder while I'm off. Crossing fingers.

2009-08-20T11:57:00.003-05:00

Totally can't believe that school has started. Missed my babies like crazy yesterday. Then they came home, went with me to a hair appointment and were super crabby. Didn't miss them anymore. Wanted to find a bus who would come and pick them up and take them back to school. That didn't happen either. Luckily, some friends of ours and their kids showed up at the same hair salon (different stylist) and all the kids played absolutely fabulously in the play room. Lesson: There's always an up side to a down side, and vice versa.

Hannah had a rough couple of first days of middle school. Was late to class on day 1, not a biggie since they have a couple of weeks before tardies are counted. Why? you ask was she late? She was trying to open the wrong locker. ha ha! At least she saw the humor in it. Said she was completely embarrassed when the teacher came to help her and said, are you sure this is your locker after 3 times it wouldn't open. Then, yesterday there was drama picking lunch tables and some girls telling her she couldn't save seats so she moved to an empty table and then the same girls who preached to her about her wrongdoings turned around and did the same thing. We talked about it and I told her to listen to the adults, not the snot nosed girls that she's so unlucky to have in her class. ugh! So not about the prissy, mean girls. Then, her ever-so-efficient mom put an icepack thingy from Target in her lunchbox and it decided to get a hole in in and leak all over her locker yesterday. She almost missed the bus (which then I would have missed my hair appt) but one of her great teachers helped her clean up most of it and then told her to run and catch the bus and she'd clean up the rest. SUPER teacher....thank you! She also told Hannah not to worry about it, if you get all the crazy things to happen at the beginning of the year, the rest of the year is smooth sailing. :) Awesome advice. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Here's some of what yesterday found me creating....now that its not raining, I can get in my walks/jogging. Depends on my mood which I do.

~ I Hope You Have the Time of Your Life.....

2009-08-18T16:57:00.002-05:00

School is back in session around here. Hannah started middle school today. Loved it! Thinks all of her teachers rock, we'll see how long that lasts. :) Gracie started 4th Grade. She is super looking forward to Bank at School, field trips to Loud Thunder and Bishop Hill. I love Bishop Hill and I love that field trip....it's always on my list of helper days. Avery started 1st Grade and just about flipped when she walked into her classroom and realized they get DESKS instead of tables....you should have seen her face when she opened her desk and found, BOOKS. She yelled "oh my gosh, we even have BOOKS!!!!". Her teacher (and many other parents) were laughing. That is classic Avery. All in all, they seem to be very excited about school and getting reaquainted with their schedules, friends and activities. I have to say, honestly, so am I. But I miss them during the day. :) Just means I have more me time on my days off. Here's some pics I took this morning before the bus rolled up.

Cartwheel Happiness

2009-08-17T14:58:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday the girls participated in the New Windsor Fair & Rodeo parade with their tumbling school. They cartwheeled two miles!!! Yes, they did get to take some breaks and didn't cartwheel the entire time, but pretty darn close. What a great time, wish we could have spent more time enjoying the actual rodeo part of it, but as always my work schedule doesn't allow it. Bummer! Definately planning on that next year.

Time Flies

2009-08-11T15:13:00.005-05:00

Can you believe it is the end of summer already? Where has the time gone? I registered the girls for school at the end of last week. Gracie's teacher attends our church and has daughters that are just a bit younger than I am. All good to have a familiar face and it's a teacher Hannah did not have so looking forward to new experiences there. Avery has a brand spankin' new to the district teacher (for the 2nd year in a row). We were over-the-moon with Ave's Kindergarten teacher, she made learning so much FUN for them and they sang and did experiments daily. Loved that! We are hoping for more of that this year and Ave is really excited to be in first grade. She has one friend from Kindergarten in her class, but there are a few other girls she knows because they are sisters of Gracie's friends and one of my girlfriends' daughter.....she's looking forward to having a new group of girls to make friends with!

Yesterday was our last day of summer session tumbling. We have two weeks off before fall session begins, so there's some pics here, but I'm still trying to find a setting that takes good pics in that building, lol! We spent last night at 6th grade orientation for Hannah (yeah, I know, I am really feeling that "i'm not ready for this" feeling). She has her locker combo memorized, her schedule down and we talked about how to make it from class to class in those short three minutes. I have no fear she'll do fine. Middle school comes with more responsibility and in turn, stricter discipline, but I know she will be fine. Our big decision now is what instrument she wants to play for band. Leaning towards the flute.....we'll see.

We have a busy week ahead of us, the girls are going to be in the New Windsor Rodeo parade for their tumbling school and we have to finish school clothes shopping. Today, we took a break to hit it outside with the sprinkler and just jump around and have fun. Beautiful day. As you can see, though, we still need to fix that issue with the muddy puddle, lol.....Avery is a dirt magnet! Hope you're all enjoying the weather and the last days before school or the first days of school, since we have year round surrounding us, I'm sure some of you are already in session. :)

~ 80's Day at College 4 Kids

2009-08-06T08:12:00.002-05:00

Hannah is at College 4 Kids all week this week. So far, she is having blast. She has been doing "scrapbooking" type of projects all week in one class about bookmaking. So far they have made books out of envelopes, chipboard and origami. Today, they are making a paper bag book and tomorrow they finish by writing and illustrating a real hardback book, think children's size. She is having so much fun with that class! She is also taking a writing class where they are learning how to (basically) journal and write about her life. I couldn't believe it when she picked these classes over Raku Pottery and French. As a kid I never would have picked these classes, different story as an adult, lol. I think I am rubbing off on her.

Her favorite class so far is a rock around the clock class where they are learning each day about a different decade, Monday was 50's, Tuesday was 60's, Wednesday was 70's, today is 80's and tomorrow is 90's. They are learning about music, television and other pop culture of each era. Yesterday she came home and said "Hey mom do you know the song Jeremiah was a Bullfrog? It is so hilarious. And we did the hustle, do you know that? It is SO funny."....um, yeah, Hannah, I know it. They also talked about the assasinations of Bobby and John F. Kennedy. She is learning a lot about our recent history; all the while having fun doing it. Today she wanted to dress up 80's style, so this is what we came up with. She was loving it, me I was having flashbacks of a style I thought would NEVER return. However, this is all newly purchased merchandise, isn't that crazy? Hoping she has as much fun today...as they are playing PacMan, listening to Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi and Madonna and talking about the Reagan era. My baby is growing up....and apparently so am I because all of this 80's talk is making me feel old.... lol!

2009-08-03T07:01:00.004-05:00

Took Saturday night off of work to attend a birthday/anniversary party. Had Sunday as a scheduled day off so finally had a weekend to spend with my family for once....my brother fed me way too many drinks/shots on Saturday so I was hurtin' most of Sunday morning :) Note to self: aspirin and water next time before bed!!! Cooked out by the fire and made a yummy chicken/mandarin orange salad for dinner....was a great night to just sit out by the fire and chillax a little bit. I don't get the opportunity to do that with the family often enough :(

Here's a couple layouts that were sitting around all week and I finally put some finishing touches on. I am hoping to get some others done this week, but I hope that every week and it just ain't been happening all that much this summer. But I'm okay with that, it's been much too nice to stay in and scrap. I guess I'll save it for rainy days.

~Cash for Clunkers

2009-08-01T16:30:00.003-05:00

When I was diagnosed 4 years ago, Lance sold his Grand Prix so we didn't have another payment to worry about while I was undergoing treatment and wasn't working. It killed him to sell his baby, but we were suffocating with that extra payment. His grandpa had already given him what we deemed the "POS truck" beforehand that he used to hunt, fish and drive to and from work when he knew he was going to be "oiling" and didn't want to get his baby dirty.

Well, after 4 years of driving that POS truck, it had had it. The air went out last summer and we've been lucky this summer to not have it be so hot. The heat went out over the winter and the radio went out long before both of those, lol! He was using that POS truck to take the girls back and forth to Orion when I had to work and it just wasn't safe....and I swear you were breathing toxic fumes the entire time!! lol!

So, we make a stop at a few dealerships Wednesday, and Key Pontiac-Buick in Moline was awesome to us! Lance's POS qualified for the $4500 Cash for Clunkers rebate and they gave us an additional $6000 off the car, making it a total of $10,500 off the sticker price of $23,785. Woo hoo!! We couldn't beat the payments, the savings, any of it. In his heart I know he wants a truck so bad, but there's no way we could swing $600 a month for a brand new truck plus gas and insurance!! YIKES! I wish we could, it's just not feasible.

So here's Daddy in his new ride. Hannah helped pick it out since we're figuring it will be her first car in 5 more years. Avery already nicknamed it Rosie. The truck was nicknamed "paws", short for POS. lol! And, I will be looking for a cheapo truck to buy him for his hunting needs.

~ More St. Louis layouts

2009-08-01T13:36:00.002-05:00

Time crunch ~ so these pics aren't cropped. :( Sorry. These are a couple of layouts I did this week with new Reminisce papers...the bright red, white and blue were a perfect match for our red hot Cardinal photos. Woo hoo! Hope the rain stops, it's my only weekend off all summer (besides my vacation in July) so I really want some sun!! And heat!!

Weekend pics

2009-07-26T11:25:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, Hannah and I attended what is now the 1st Annual Breast Cancer Awareness luncheon/American Cancer Society fundraiser at our church in Orion. My Aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before Thanksgiving. She has endured 4 months of chemo and is halfway through 33 weeks of radiation therapy. She is a fighter. She is a survivor. She was truly humbled with over a hundred women in attendance. Can't wait until we celebrate another year of survival next year :)

Took the girls to the park on Friday and on the way we found a cool photo op at a corn crib across the road from Lance's parents home and farm....look what we found hiding inside the crib (we couldn't see it when we pulled in the gatehole). Love little cool stuff like this!

and this pic of Gracie swinging that I've been trying to capture for a couple months....

~Home of the Free

2009-07-23T21:12:00.002-05:00

Here is my entry for Scrapaganza's blog challenge for this month....I promised myself I didn't need anything new for this (though I was SUPER tempted)... so this is all last year....Scenic Route papers, AC felt flowers, AC thickers and Jenni Bowling Journaling card (which I trimmed). The star paper, hmm, not sure who it is because I only had a half (without the name) left. So glad I got rid of some older goodies and still got a descent page out of it. :)

~ Our Gateway getaway.....

2009-07-23T16:02:00.003-05:00

Playing with some new LYB and Graphic 45 goodies....yummy!!

~Because of you....

2009-07-21T20:22:00.003-05:00

My submission for this month's challenge at The Story Matters.

What motivates you to be good at who you are today as a mom, wife, girlfriend, friend?

Summer's Peak, Work and Catch Up....

2009-07-19T20:16:00.003-05:00

Where did summer go? Wow! I can't believe that the girls will start school here in one month. We did some school supply shopping this week. We'll do some more this week and then start on school clothes. We have a trip planned to St. Louis in September and are planning to take the girls to Adventureland in August, if it works out with my schedule. If it doesn't, we're going to hit Six Flags while in St. Louis and just extend our time in Missouri by an extra day. No biggie either way. The weather has been very fall like this week, so I am super looking forward to some warmer weather and more pool time.

Work is a mess...the state's budget is horrid and I still don't know anything about layoffs yet. They are coming, whether it is now or in six months, this budget is just a temporary bandaid to the problems. I am hoping that I am not affected, but I really think it is coming sooner or later. If it is, we are prepared, there will be some sacrifices but I am already ready with all of my paperwork to return to college if need be. College in my thirties....oh, wow! Just want to finish my degree, since I put it off to get married and start a family. I think a year or two of sacrifice would be to all of our benefit in the end.

Here are a couple of layouts to catch up on some things I have missed documenting in the girls' books. Gotta love Walgreens 50 for $5 prints, it seems like that is when I bulk order and then have to play catch up, lol! These are of Hannah's Biztown experience (she picked the papers). "Vote for Hannah or your will go bananas" was her campaign slogan. The next is of Avery making art, that is what she calls it. When she paints I lay out an old bedsheet so she can create without worrying if she drips or gets a little messy. She sits for hours and sings and creates, happier than you can imagine. Like I said in the journaling, I have no idea where she gets that, *wink*.

2009-07-15T11:40:00.001-05:00

And here's the book...yay!!

Avery's 1st Scrapbook Page

2009-07-15T11:37:00.003-05:00

Yesterday while still working on Avery's fair book, she asked if she could scrapbook. First time ever she has had any desire to do a page (other than drawing on a page, lol)....so I let her get a picture out, she picked cardstock and stickers, some letter stamps and ink. I wrote out "Little Miss Henry County Fair 2nd Runner Up" so she could spell it with the stamps....here is what she made. I love it!! Pink and red really aren't a color combo I would come up with, but I love how she "got it"....woo hoo!!

2009-07-12T19:07:00.002-05:00

A fave picture from Fair Week of the Queen 2nd Runner up, Gabby. I am planning to enter the photo in the arts & crafts tent next year at the fair. And this copy goes in Ave's scrapbook!!

2009-07-12T18:46:00.006-05:00

Scrapping the fair photos so that I can keep up on this new album for Avery. I am doing some 12 x 12 and mixing in some 8x10 and 8x8 pages also. I also have a 12 x12 American Crafts Modern Album that I am embellishing and creating a cool outside for. It's the chipboard albums where you can make the cover whatever you want.....that part is coming soon, as I'm still playing with moving things around on it. Want to have it perfect!

And, TIP OF THE DAY....check out
here for some great deals on Cricut and Slice cartridges. Single prices are fantastic....but you can even order 4 for $99 Slice cartridges...that makes them only $25/cart!!! Similar deals for Cricut carts!!Woo Hoo!! Placed an order yesterday that I can't wait to get!!

Back with my game on...

2009-07-07T18:34:00.003-05:00

Creative juices were flowing today!! Thankful for that, last time I sat at my desk for an hour and a half and ripped apart two layouts only to say "heck with it". Here's what I came up with....maybe it helps to have some new pictures to play with? Hoping I can pass on some mojo to all of you :-)

She's baaaaaaack......

2009-07-07T16:10:00.003-05:00

Dang! Where in the world did the last two weeks go? I've been on "vacation" for the past 10 days and have 1 1/2 days left. My plans were to get caught up on my scrappin, keep up with my blog friends and let loose and relax with my family. Hmm....didn't quite do it did I? Life was interrupted with a week of fair activities for Avery after she became part of the Little Miss court. Then we had parades and the 4th of July activities. We found some time for swimming in between, but not as much as I'd have liked.

Today, we took Gracie into the doctor (ear infection and strep) and made a detour to Scrapaganza (I finally picked up those Thickers I won!! Thank you!!) and to Walgreens to pick up some cool photos I got of all the girls during fair week. I've been scrappin most of this afternoon and should have some pics for you soon.

Until then, here's some pics from this weekend's 4th of July parades....hope you are enjoyin' your summers too. :-)

2009 Little Miss Henry County Fair Pageant

2009-06-24T13:26:00.002-05:00

Here's some pics from last night....Avery was named 2009 Little Miss Henry County Fair 2nd Runner Up. We are so proud of her....everyone told us how much they enjoyed her and we heard stories about her all night. She spent all morning today with 8 other fabulous girls (the Little Miss Queen and Little Miss 1st Runner Up, the Junior Miss Queen, 1st and 2nd Runners Up and the Miss Henry County Fair Queen, 1st and 2nd Runners Up). Now we are off to nap before we have to be back there at 6:30! It's gonna be one crazy week around here!! Congrats Avie baby - I love you so much and I'm so proud of you!!

Countdown to Tuesday Night....

2009-06-22T17:31:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is Avery's Little Miss Henry County Fair pageant.....they are due on the grandstand at 5:30pm sharp. It is supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow with the heat index!! Yikes! That's 29 very hot, sweaty little girls. The preliminaries have already been held. All girls were judged on a 2-minute interview, party dress, and pop question. Those totals will determine the top 10 contestants.

After the country line dance tomorrow, the top ten girls will be announced. Those girls will show their party dress one last time and answer another pop question. Then, the Little Miss will be announced. Here are some photos of Avery at prelims....she did a great job, spoke loud and clear and answered her pop question well. I am just hoping she is having fun (I think she is) and learning some ladylike tools and making friends. No matter how she does tomorrow, she is always going to be my Little Miss. :o)

~5 years

2009-06-12T20:36:00.002-05:00

This layout sports a photo of Avery on her first birthday and her sixth birthday....only a short 5 years but so much changes so fast. I thought capturing it by putting these photos side by side would really cause me to grasp it. The journaling is exactly what came to mind as I was scrappin this page....raw, mommy emotion. Why can't they just stay little? *sigh* .... I know it's the circle of life, but I'm not ready. :o( But really, are any of us, at any time of life ready for moving forward, getting older and time passing so easily. This layout was made with the Memory Works June KOM. Studio Calico's sneak peek release is tomorrow.....love seeing the different patterns and embellies these two put together. My DH is still trying to figure out why I need both kits, lol!

Memory Works Kit arrives!!! YAY!!

2009-06-11T16:32:00.003-05:00

THIS came via the UPS man today. Does anyone else get a jolt of excitment when you hear the big brown truck coming down the road!?! I sure do....and I'm super excited to dig into these goodies. Memory Works has been picking the BEST new stuff lately and even last month's MW goodies are this month's goodies at Studio Calico. Lovin' that I had them a month earlier! I'm all about birthday pages this week. Stay tuned for a sample of scrapiness tomorrow. Oh, and Steve, thanks for the package.....he's the brown truck guy. :o)

Tragedy in D.C.

2009-06-10T16:16:00.000-05:00

Horror here in Washington D.C. My niece Kylie is on her first trip away alone with classmates in Washington D.C. She sent my sister a text this afternoon that there had been a shooting at the Holocaust Museum but they were not there. They were there YESTERDAY.....it makes the hair stand up on my skin to think about it. I'm not sure exactly where they were in DC when it happened but the Holocaust Museum is just off the National Mall, so I am pretty sure they were in the vicinity.

Please pray that these young ladies and men get home safely. And pray for the security officer's family as they are now reporting that he has passed away. What is this world coming to that we have to continue to endure these horrific tragedies? Get home soon Kylie, we love you, be safe!

200th Post!!

2009-06-10T14:35:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it, 200 posts? Wow! I thought I'd share some photos I took of my daffodils and potted flowers yesterday playing around with and learning my not-so-new-anymore camera.....aperture, white balance, iso, I'm trying so hard to understand it all. Patience. It will come.

~ new layouts

2009-06-07T19:55:00.002-05:00

Amazing what having more than 12 hours off between your shifts does for your mojo! I have laundry caught up, house picked up, and even found time to scrapbook with Hannah this afternoon. Yay!

~Event #1 {Little Princess Pageant}

2009-06-07T13:38:00.003-05:00

Avery and all of the other Little Miss Henry County Fair contestants helped out with a fair fundraiser spaghetti supper last night in Geneseo. They got to introduce themselves and help clear tables. Here are some pics...she is so ready! I will have to upload their dance video soon, it's a country line dance!!

~Family Pics

2009-06-07T13:35:00.001-05:00

A sneak peek of our photos are up on Megan's blog....check them out! Thank you Megan for a special day!

~She's back finally!

2009-06-04T19:25:00.003-05:00

Finally!!! I am scrapbooking again, yay! Spent 1/2 the day today cleaning the hurricane that became my home these last couple of weeks as I was held hostage by the kindergarten scrapbooks. The house is now utterly spotless (just the way this OCD gal likes it) and I decided to take a moment to scrap a page for ME again. How funny though that I picked to do one for Hannah's book with photos from their 5th grade trip with, what else, KINDERGARTNERS!! Gotta love 'em though. I used Prism cardstock, DCWV Green Stack papers, Forest Friends chipboard, Unity Stamp, MM Alpha stickers and (hold your breath) Thickers!! Hope you are enjoying this nice weather, it sounds like we are in for rain the next several days....yuck!

Major Slacker!!!!

2009-05-29T10:45:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to be able to get this week's challenges done, and it's all the fault of the cute little Kindergartners!! I am putting the finishing touches on TWENTY-ONE (yep, you read it right, I am nuts!) kindergarten scrapbooks for Avery and her classmates, so I'm totally putting everything else on the back burner. They're last day is next Friday so I have to put the pedal to the metal!! I'll be back soon though.

Peachy Cheap!!

2009-05-28T07:33:00.002-05:00

CLICK HERE for another fabulous Thickers deal.....I was so excited to see it again, I ordered TWO sets, lol!
"Hello, my name is Christine and I am a........Thickers addict".

May Challenge ~ #1 Blue Collar Comedy

2009-05-21T21:11:00.003-05:00

This makes me laugh because my brother is anything but a redneck....but working at the bar in Hampton, he gets questions all the time about how "redneck" it is that his name is the same as the bars. Sometimes he tells them the truth, and other times he lets them just think its some type of redneck coincidence. This boy is all ghetto though. Don't let him fool ya!

May Challenge - #7 Die Cut Challenge

2009-05-21T19:42:00.003-05:00

Well, there is only one die cut on here, and it's store bought. I have a Cricut and a Slice, so you'd think I couldv'e done a little better on this challenge! These are photos from Hannah's My Favorite Teacher presentation. Lovin' those little Sassafras felties.....they are just so perfect sometimes! The journaling is her winning entry.

JA Biztown!!

2009-05-21T16:46:00.005-05:00

Today, I had the pleasure of accompanying Hannah's 5th grade class to Junior Achievement's Biztown. The students spent a few months (from what I hear) learning about how a town is run, how businesses are run and how they interact with each other to have a economically/financially successful town. They learned how employees need to use their salaries to buy products/goods/services from businesses in a town to keep everything moving along. They also were required to put some of their "salaries" from the day in a savings account. Biztown boasts a City Hall, Factory, Tech Shop, Delivery Center (mail), Newspaper, Radio Station, Professional Office, Print Shop, Bank, Sports Shop, Supply Center, Variety Store (like a dollar store), Cafe and Environmental Shop. A month ago, they held an election for Mayor and Hannah was elected out of 12 students that decided to run. She is in a class of I believe 72 or 73 students...new ones come and go and I can't always keep track. She was elated to be elected! Papa Jim is the mayor of Orion and she really thought it would be cool if she got to play mayor for a day too. Here's some pics. If your school has the opportunity to participate in this event (there are BizTowns located worldwide in mostly large, metro areas) it it so fun and a wonderful, amazing learning experience for these kids. I have never had so much fun on a field trip....EVER! I would go back tomorrow in a heartbeat. The Quad Cities is so lucky to have a BizTown right in Davenport! Support your local Junior Achievement, these programs are funded half and half by JA and the schools.

Trip to the Zoo

2009-05-19T18:53:00.003-05:00

Today, I gave up sleeping to go with Avery and Hannah on their Kindergarten and 5th Grade buddies trip to the zoo. I worked midnight shift, came home, got them and myself ready and off we were to the zoo....I crashed for 2 hours after I got home at 2 o'clock. It was a beautiful day for their field trip and the 5th graders do such a WONDERFUL job being "buddies" with their Kindergarteners. It is a year long program at their school and I'm not sure who enjoys it more, the 5th graders or the Kindergarteners. During the year, the 5th Graders visit their Kindergarten buddy every Friday and help them read simple books, assist them in doing part of their "centers" work for the day. They make each other cards for holidays and they really truly bond. Avery was lucky enough to have two buddies, both boys. Both very nice, helpful and smart young men. Hannah (my 5th grader) had a Kindergarten friend of Avery's for her buddy. So it was a twofer trip today! Here's some pics of our fun!

Hip Hop!! It's Unity's Kit of the Month (KOM) Blog Hop!! Welcome!

2009-05-15T09:45:00.003-05:00

It's Unity's Kit of the Month Blog Hop!! Welcome to my blog, all you hoppers you! I created a scrapbook page using Fancy Pants "Crush" papers, AC Thickers, Kaiser Pearls, a tag from Creative Cafe, buttons, some fun ric rac and UNITY STAMPS!! I used "beautiful" and "journey" from the February KOM and the flower cluster is from November KOM.

Make sure to go visit Unity Stamp Company when you are finished blog hopping. Tons of sales and specials to make you Spring for Joy!!

Next up on the hop is the wonderfully talented NANCY!! Check out this girls fabulous cards. Thanks for stopping by!

~Dear Tooth Fairy, please look under my pillow

2009-05-12T20:32:00.004-05:00

Yep, last week Avery had her very first wiggly tooth. I prayed to the Big Man above, please let her leave it alone until after our family pictures!! Just two more weeks. Well, it was not to be had, she is an impatient one, she wiggled that little tooth and today when she came home she had it really, really wiggly. I told her, well girl, it's ready so you might as well let mom have a shot at it. Nope, she wanted kleenex and to try herself. Well, ya know how that went, it started to bleed and she freaked a little. So I told her to hold onto the tooth real good and keep the blood from coming out. BEWARE: Sneaky, mean mommy trick ahead. As she's holding the tooth to keep the the blood from coming out, I playfully whacked her hand out of the way and out flew the tooth, landing in the bathtub (yeah, she decided it was really annoying her in the bath) right on her leg. Not quite sure if it was the shock of it coming out or that it landed on her leg that caused all the screaming. And, then the blood. She couldnt' bear the thought that there was blood. She wanted a band-aid. Try to explain to a 6 year old that you can't band-aid a tooth, hysterical. We finally got her to hold a cold washcloth in her mouth until she calmed down to pose for these pics. Hysterical!!! I don't mine the holy tooth grin for out photos, as it's all about the memories right? Now, we are all ready for the Tooth Fairy to come in tonight. Ave is a little worried that the thunderstorms might scare her off.....I doubt it :o).

2009-05-12T13:46:00.002-05:00

Yep, Andover Garage Sales are this Saturday. I'll be a checking in pretty infrequently between now and then. Lotsa girls clothes gotta go!!! Our biggest one yet for sure. We have a couch, washer and dryer, oodles of girls clothes, some scrappin' stuff (its so hard for me to part with any of that), a Panasonic Lumix camera that's just a couple years old (I upgraded to a Canon Digital Rebel xsi), toys and more. We open at 8am Saturday and there's close to 40 for the whole town signed up. I am hoping to open up Friday morning also but can't say for sure yet because it sounds like our Niabi Zoo field trip for tomorrow might get rained out and that could be a rain date. I will advise.....so if you're lookin for some goodies or just wanna stop by and say "hey", we'll be here!

{Family Wedding}

2009-05-11T12:05:00.002-05:00

My second of Sherry's May challenges for Week #2.

#3-April Showers Bring May Flowers:Scrap a page using pictures of flowers or flowers as embellishments or scrap a picture with rain.

I used Jenni Bowlin's Farmer's Wife papers and chipboard, Thickers and Unity Stamps.

~Mudder's Day Weekend

2009-05-09T16:55:00.003-05:00

Hmmm, Lance and the girls were treating me to a much needed detailing of my minivan as a "surprise" for me tomorrow morning. There's a little spot in our driveway that collects a bit of water when we wash the vehicles. So, near the end of the detailing with the girls, Dad yells "Mom, you better grab your camera". I go outside (and pretend shock at my beautifully detailed minivan). And, he says "look over there" and this is what was staring back at me, how fittingly in her Little Miss Curious teeshirt.....and she says "Happy Mudders Day Mama" and starts laughing hysterically. Oh, my, these photos are gonna turn out to be one of my favorite gifts ever....and and the van detailing, I'd like that every year for sure!

{Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

Have to share this with all of you mothers out there....isn't this what it is all about. Hope you all have "the best day" with your families. *hugs*

~Mother's Day Gifts

2009-05-08T20:23:00.003-05:00

So, I had this idea for Mother's Day. My Aunt Kathy is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer....she is a very strong woman and is handling it amazingly well. Before me, no one on that side of the family had ever had cancer except for my great-great grandmother....breast cancer took her life. I know that very thought scares the crap out of my aunt. But, doctors are making amazing progress in cancer treatments and most of the paperwork I receive from Holden Comprehesive Cancer Center (in Iowa City, where I received my treatment) says our children will see a cure. HALLELUIAH! So, anyways, back to Mother's Day. My mom has three sisters, one sister in law, two daughters, four granddaughters and two nieces and neice-in-laws. A lot of women. Time to celebrate what all women would love for a gift one Mother's Day....a cure, an end to the battle. I wanted to take Sherry's challenge of #5-Anything but scrapbooking:Do something creative besides a scrapbook page. Make a card or anything crafty. and make it meaningful. Here is what I created and I can't wait to see their faces when they open their gifts! I also included some shots of "girly" ones I made for my girls because, without them, I wouldn't be celebrating Mother's Day and since there is no "daughter's day", we celebrate it together. I tell them its my gift to them that one day they can celebrate motherhood alongside of me. Happy Mother's Day early to each and every one of you! May you celebrate blessedly and lovingly with your children and families.

Summer Fun for the Kids - Free Bowling!!

2009-05-08T12:06:00.003-05:00

We're always on the lookout for fun, cheap entertainment to last us through the summer. Go here and search for your local participating lanes and sign them kids up. 2 FREE games per day, all you pay is shoe rental. We signed up under Milan Lanes.....get your game on for the summer and have some fun already!! :o)

{Kit Clubs}

2009-05-06T17:32:00.002-05:00

Kit Clubs are all the rage right now.....it's thinkless scrapbooking. All the goodies are put together for you, usually from different manufacturers (but that depends on each individual club). Just wanted to introduce you to Memory Works May 2009 Kit. It is yummalicious with summer fun! I have received this kit for the past 15 months....and never, ever once have I been disappointed. Contact me if you're interested in signing up. **I love to hand out discounts *wink*

{Sherry's May Challenges - #4

2009-05-04T11:41:00.003-05:00

#4-Black and White:Use a black and white photo or mix color and black and white.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!! Woot! Woot!

2009-05-02T12:48:00.002-05:00

This is my submission for The Story Matters and I'm also using it for Sherry's May Challenge "Count your blessings".....I'm feeling 100% better than Tuesday but not to my normal 50% yet. Don't know why I thought a hernia surgery wouldn't be so sore, but.....it is very sore. I even said the other day "I'd have had another c-section before this".....**sigh**, I think thats because you don't realize the pain when looking into those beautiful baby's eyes.

{Resting.....

2009-04-28T17:48:00.002-05:00

Just an update. I am home from surgery and resting, a little uncomfortably, but that is to be expected. I'll be laying low for a couple days at least while I take this pain medication and sleep :o) It is making me very tired. All went as planned. Thanks for all the prayers and concern.

{Bucket List....

2009-04-27T10:08:00.002-05:00

The last of Lisa's challenges....my Bucket List. Lisa, Thank you for a wonderful month of challenges, I loved each and every one of them (even if I didn't read them very well before I did them, lol). I have to admit this challenge of a bucket list is a mix of serious and fun but all things that I hope to do before I kick the bucket. If God should have it another way, I am at peace with that too.

Lisa's Board Game Challenge

2009-04-26T22:21:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I didn't read the challenge that well the 1st time and did a Guitar Hero page I've had planned for a while now. Then I re-read the challenge and I did this "Let's Go Fishing" page but all that it has about the board game is the title.....oh, its just to much for me to try again. So, hopefully, you will all bear with me as I totally bombed this challenge. lol! Gonna be one of those weeks already....ugh!

~ Saint Louis

2009-04-24T10:58:00.002-05:00

Spent Lance's birthday in St. Louis. Did some sightseeing and took in two St. Louis Cardinals games. Our Game 2 seats on Lance's birthday were Row 1, right behind the Cardinals Club behind home plate....fabulous seats!! Our Game 3 seats on the 23rd were row 6 just off the left field foul pole....again, great seats. We have sat in the nosebleeds at Busch and to be honest with you, there's not a bad seat anywhere in that stadium. It is definately a fan's stadium. Saw the Cards sweep the Mets in their only matchup this season. Good times. Happy Birthday Lance!

~Feliz Cumpleanos

2009-04-21T14:36:00.003-05:00

Lisa's Wordle Challenge

2009-04-21T09:54:00.002-05:00

Create a layout using Wordle....what a fun website. I tried this on my own using a digi kit from Sweet Shoppe Designs.

Hurry - A giveaway

2009-04-17T10:15:00.001-05:00

Take a moment and go visit Simply Handmade's Blog and you could win one of two die cut machines they are giving away!! Woo Hoo!

More than a Slice....

2009-04-16T15:08:00.003-05:00

Just got my Slice last weekend....have put off opening it all week. Finally tore into it today just to see how it works, cut these in a matter of minutes. LOVE this little machine. Love how it takes up very little space, love how it uses little design cards (another space saver), love how it cuts, oh my, I thought I loved my Cricut. I now LOVE my slice. Going to pick up some new cards with my birthday money. Online you can get them for $32. Much cheaper than Cricut carts. I also love how it's portable and you don't have to have it plugged in (but you can). There was a recent review on Scrap Review that sold me on it. Hurry, run out and grab yourself a Slice!

Words of Wisdom

2009-04-16T14:47:00.003-05:00

There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama & the people who create it & surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy.

This quote I found last week and LOVED it, today there's been some drama with a scrapbook group I belong to and I am really debating if it's worth it to surround myself with such negativity. I just am not a drama mama.

Ice Cream

2009-04-15T19:40:00.002-05:00

From Lisa's blog challenge here is my monochromatic page....minus the white "ice" stickers. Couldn't help it! :o) Thinking I should have journaled in white ink....hmm, hate that when afterwards you think something would have looked better.

Here we go.....

2009-04-15T15:28:00.002-05:00

Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th. It will be outpatient (yikes), so I will be home early evening the same day....and off of work for two weeks. Guessin' I should be able to finish up 20 Kindergarteners scrapbooks those two weeks....whoa, I have some work cut out for me. But, at least I can get this little problem taken care of and fixed so it doesn't get worse. There you have it.

Growing Up - Good Times

2009-04-13T11:14:00.002-05:00

Took some time Easter Eve and created this layout....knew as soon as I got this Sassafras paper that these photos had to be scrapped with it.

2009-04-08T19:55:00.001-05:00

My Unity Challenge Girls are up to some FUN!
Here is the challenge they are posting this week.
This week Kim picked our challenge and here is what she said:
----------------------------
"Let's make something, anything but a card this week. I'm looking for some fresh new ideas for some paper craft things - other than cards. Let you imaginations run wild!"
------------------------------

2009-04-08T19:53:00.001-05:00

Unity Any Time

Make a card or project using Unity stamps that could be given anytime
(not a specific occasion).

Unity Challenges

2009-04-08T19:48:00.002-05:00

Here are the projects I made today for Unity's Hip Hop Thursday Challenges on the Splitcoast Forums.

Unity Thinks Green

Make a card or project using
Unity stamps that uses something you would find in nature
(it can be your images or something else).

~4Ever Cousins

2009-04-08T09:00:00.003-05:00

Week #2 on Lisa's Challenge....use no patterned paper, only cardstock.

Prism cardstock in white and pink. Pink flower and two butterfly punches are stamped. Acrylic dotted flower stamp is My Mind's Eye. All other stamps are Unity. Martha Stewart craft markers. Green ribbon. American Crafts Thickers.

~PreK Memories

2009-04-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

*Week 2 Challenge - 9 - 4x4 layouts. Not sure this qualifies but it is my attempt. Had fun with it, all those little moments in PreK all on one page for Avie. Fancy Pants pp, Reminisce stickers, Prism cardstock and MM metal.

Election Day 2009

2009-04-08T01:36:00.002-05:00

Four years ago, we celebrated your election as the Village President. It was a night in my heart that I knew you would win, but it was still nerve-wracking, fun, exciting and we all looked forward to your vision. Now, four years later, you ran unopposed. Still, I feel the need to congratulate you on four years well done. It hasn't been easy. People do not agree with you all of the time. Board members do not agree with you all of the time. It's the nature of the political beast.

I just wanted to tell you how proud I am to be your daughter, how proud I am that you give 150% for the people of Orion. You amaze me with your compassion and leadership. Congratulations, Dad, and here's to another four years.

VILLAGE PRESIDENT VILLAGE OF ORION
VOTE FOR 1
(WITH 2 OF 2 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
JIM COOPER . . . . . . . . . . 127 100.00
Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0
Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 21

~An Eggcitin' Beautiful Day

2009-04-06T19:54:00.002-05:00

Bonus from Lisa's Challenge **Easter Page

I am having a serious kickin' out the pages, full of mojo day today. Trying to get all my challenges done and uploaded to post each week just in case :o) Monday is D-day, so doc will decide then when to do surgery. Have all of Week #2 done, part of Week #3 (still working on details on one) and here's the Easter bonus. Yahoo...that feels awesome.

WQAD's My Favorite Teacher - our winner !

2009-04-06T11:31:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful surprise last week - Hannah had entered her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Diana Wherry in WQAD's "My Favorite Teacher" contest. Here are photos of the presentation which is tentatively scheduled to air on Thursday, April 16th! Congratulations Hannah, we are so proud of you! And Congratulations Mrs. Wherry ~ you have truly touched Hannah's life in so many ways. PS - Don't forget to shut off my music first.

~Live Strong (Lisa's April Challenges)

2009-04-05T21:58:00.002-05:00

I truly struggled with this one...I kept saying to myself "quilting is scrapbooking with fabric so just replace the fabric with paper". Ha! Not quite that easy. I searched high and low on quilting websites looking for inspiration. I found an "autograph quilt" and this creation is what resulted from it.

Lisa,

I am so glad that you presented this quilt challenge. For so long, I struggled with what to do with all of the cards I received during my illness. I knew they deserved a place in my "Live Strong" album and I now have begun the journey of putting all of my card wishes into pages just like this one. They will all go in that album so that my girls and grandchildren always know how strong that circle of love is. I can't say thank you enough. This is something I have wanted to do for THREE years and your challenge gave me it. (((HUGS)))

Christine

~Wish Big (Lisa's April Challenges)

2009-04-05T19:20:00.003-05:00

Here is my creation for the multiple tags challenge. WRMK papers, black ribbon, Prism cardstock, Prima flower, WRMK eyelets, American Crafts butterfly rub on, Thickers title.

March Challenge Grand Prize Winner

2009-04-03T12:37:00.003-05:00

Congratulations Megan!! Here is your grand prize stash!! Send me your addy to teela1974@yahoo.com and I'll get it shipped out.

Week #4 March Challenge winner

2009-04-03T12:29:00.003-05:00

Miss Sherry....your prizes. Sorry it took me so long to get these up here. Been a wild week. More to come on that later. Congrats!