Whatever it takes...

Almost a year??!??!?!!

2011-05-12T09:55:00.000-04:00

Wow. It's been almost a WHOLE YEAR since I last posted!!! What's wrong with me??? It's not like I've had nothing to talk about!!! I'm still scrappin', my kids are still smart, my life still can be hectic at times, work is still good... Hopefully, I'll get to posting more often. Hopefully...

Scrappy goodness...

2010-06-01T18:19:00.007-04:00

I have finally been feeling scrappy!!! I'm not sure where it's coming from but, I'll take it! Actually, it's probably the fact that my kiddos only have one more day of school, which means our kitchen table doesn't necessarily need to be clean every day for them to do their homework at (which is where I scrap). Yes, that means we eat together in the living room but, we're okay with that!!!

Anyway, I have completed another page for our Florida vacation album from last summer's trip and, I have even started on Dakota's Washington DC album (from his solo trip in 2008) - and it's even a 2-pager! Oh, and I've done one for Haleigh's Chicago trip (loved the picture that much!) and a page for my S. Carolina trip from forever ago...I think in 2003.
Here's a couple of my latest:

So, summer is here (at least temperature wise). The kids' last day is tomorrow and I will officially be the parent of a 7th grade middle schooler...man I feel old...and a 5th grade honor student (she's SKIPPING 4th grade - crazy, I know - I wouldn't choose this route if we were in a big school but, lucky for us, we aren't). Anyway, we don't have any huge plans this summer, since Brian's knee will still be recovering from surgery. I hope to go camping at least once and maybe even go down to Patoka Lake to spend some time on my parents' boat.

I'll be posting again...hopefully sooner, rather than later! ;)

Soccer Saturday...

2010-05-22T07:40:00.002-04:00

Today is the last soccer Saturday of the season!!! Unfortunately, both of the kids games are at 8:30. Figures. Luckily, Brian will be able to go with me this time and sit at one of the games. And, lucky for us, the weather is supposed to be decent for the morning!!!

Speaking of Brian, he's recovering from his total knee replacement VERY well. He is now totally off of his walking and just using a cane, mostly when he's out of the house. Inside, he hobbles around with no assistance for the most part. I can't believe it hasn't even been three weeks since surgery!!!

Nothing much else going on in our lives. The end of the school year is quickly approaching. Our friends' annual race party is next weekend. Brian's 37th b-day is next week. I do have exciting news to share about Haleigh though...but I'll do that later on (for the one person that reads my blog - lol :) ).

I promise...

2010-04-25T08:16:00.002-04:00

to once again keep this darn blog updated! Things have been a bit crazy in the past month...too much to get into right now...but I will be back with some updates on our lives...

One note....Brian will be having total knee replacement surgery on May 3. Please keep him in your prayers, praying that all goes well and for a speedy, smooth recovery. We can't wait for all of us to be able to enjoy the simple things again, like taking a hike at the park! :)

It's been 2 1/2 months...

2010-03-25T07:34:00.005-04:00

Since I've posted anything!!! Yikes!!! We really haven't even been that busy! Here's a quick recount...

Haleigh may be skipping a grade next year...she needs the challenge...but, that's a scary proposition that we are only considering at this time.

Dakota won 3rd place in the school science fair. He then traveled to Cleveland for the Concept Schools Science and Engineering Fair (all of the charter schools ran by concept schools). He won Best of Category!!!

Work has been very busy (and that's a good thing!).

And, for the last two weeks, we've been "updating" Dakota's room. He's almost 12 and he has done sooo well in school, we figured he deserved a room makeover (Haleigh's is next...we just need a bit of a break). Here are the before and after pics...

BEFORE (Excuse the mess and the bad photos):

AFTER:

It seemed to have taken forever! Textured walls were definitely our nemesis. And, surprisingly, the red wall was the least of our worries!

So, I'm hoping to get back into the blogging thing...even if nobody reads it! :)

I'm back!!!

2010-01-14T00:51:00.003-05:00

Long time no post! We had a super enjoyable holiday but, super busy (of course!). Now, it's back to business! Only two weeks into the new year and I have completed FOUR layouts!!! I have a goal of 125 this year (I made that many last year) and I hope to make it. Maybe even actually complete one of our vacation albums! That would be a bonus!

So, one of the layouts that I completed was for the challenge on American Crafts blog. It was a 30 minute challenge...right up my alley! This one took only about 20 minutes and the longest part was coming up with a title! But, I think that it worked out pretty well!

Materials used :
American Crafts Everyday pattern paper "Hiya"
American Crafts Craft Fair pattern paper "Rose McGrain"
American Crafts Letterbox pattern paper "Hello"
American Crafts Blue Skies flair
American Crafts felt Playroom thickers

Merry Christmas to all...

2009-12-24T16:11:00.002-05:00

I hope you all enjoy this time with loved ones!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

'tis the season...

2009-12-14T00:05:00.004-05:00

...to be jolly! Fa la la la la, la la la la! Ha!

I LOVE Christmas!!! And, now that we have gone and chopped down our lovely tree at the tree farm, enjoyed some hot cocoa and spiced cider by the fire, trimmed the tree and did a bit of shopping, I feel that the spirit of Christmas has finally hit me! I love this time of year! Just the joy of being with family and giving to others is wonderful to me. And, I can not wait to see the sparkle in our children's eyes on Christmas morning. It really is the best thing in the world!

Here are a couple of pics of our trip to the tree farm:

Haleigh & Brian with our "perfect" little tree...

Dakota loading it up

Heading up to the barn for them to prepare the tree (and so that we can pay for it!)

A surprise visit from Santa at the tree farm!!! Dakota sat here for the pic, pretty much just to make me happy, and to help keep the "secret" from his little sister, although she said she didn't want to talk to him because he's not the "real" santa... :)

Our candy-themed Christmas tree~!!!

I'm actually thinking about doing one of the "December Daily" albums but, making it just the last two weeks before Christmas. We'll see if I actually go through with it! ;)

17 days until Christmas...

2009-12-08T21:55:00.002-05:00

can you believe it?????? I can't! Am I the only one that is NOWHERE NEAR done shopping??? And, the sad thing is, we CAN'T finish our shopping until the weekend right before Christmas! Crazy, I know! And, I still have cards to make, pictures to print....so on and so on...but, the decorations are up, we're getting our tree this coming weekend and the kids are SUPER excited!

I don't particularly see scrapping in the next two weeks so, I will fall short of my 150 layouts for the year goal for sure. Unless I find time to come up with 20 or so between now and the end of the year! Ha!

So, if I don't come back to my blog for the next 2.5 weeks...I hope you and your families have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

(lots of caps in this post! :) )

Nothing like last minute...

2009-12-03T21:39:00.003-05:00

I always *plan* on participating in the American Crafts weekly blog challenge but, I rarely seem to get it done! This week, despite all the craziness that has gone, I decided to take a few minutes to come up with a layout for this past week's challenge. It's a picture that I wanted to use for a "thankful" layout before this challenge so, it worked out really well!!! So, here it is, finished at 9:30 PM EST on Thursday night! :)

Products used:
American Crafts "Marge Hemmingway" Craft Fair pattern paper
American Crafts "Made with Love" Craft Fair flair
American Crafts "Patchwork" thickers
American Crafts "Nutmeg" thickers

happy monday!

2009-11-30T13:46:00.007-05:00

I just wanted to share a few photos from the holiday...

Haleigh dressed up as an Indian for her 3rd grade Thanksgiving play! She had the most colorful paperbag costume of all!

Thanksgiving at my Mom's house. The kids had a great time playing with their 2nd cousins, Aiden and Sara. There's a pic of Greg with Buddy, Aunt Cheryl and her family, and some of the family playing Blockus.

Thanksgiving get together at Alyssa's house, for Dad, Aunt Becky and Michele. Dad was enjoying some football in another room. Brian & Dakota messing around. Becky & Michele hanging out in the kitchen (which seems to be all the women's favorite spot). A "festive" pic of Billy & Alyssa and what I think is going to be our Christmas card photo...

Happy Thanksgiving (a couple days late)...

2009-11-28T10:16:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had dinner at my Mom's house and I got to see my Aunt and Uncle from western Illinois (they are my age) and their two little ones, Aiden and Sarah. Sarah is the funniest little 2 1/2 year old I've ever met! All of my immediate family was there as well, including my Grandma and another Aunt and her family. The food was good and it was nice being around everyone.

Unfortunately (or fortunately to some), we didn't get to do any Black Friday shopping. Brian did go out and get the "big" present for Dakota and he picked up one of the gifts that I wanted to get for my sister but, that's it. Our big days of shopping will be Dec. 18th & 19th! I'm kinda hoping to get something crafty done for Christmas but, I'm just not feeling it. Kinda sad really.

So, today is Thanksgiving #2 with my Dad at my sister's house. It will be a VERY small gathering and we're having ham instead of turkey but, I think that it will be a great time! I will also be enjoying some yummy white russians!!!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!!

So much to do...

2009-11-19T21:38:00.005-05:00

so very little time! I can't believe that Christmas is only FIVE WEEKS AWAY!!! And, let's not forget that Thanksgiving is literally around the corner! My gosh! Where does the time go? The sad thing is that I had a goal of completing 150 layouts this year and I'm not quite sure if I'm going to make it. I went away for another weekend and completed 12 more, getting me closer but, I feel that I'm running out of time! I still have to make my Christmas cards!!! Ahhh!!!

I did manage to complete a layout for the challenge over at the American Crafts blog (I love these challenges - so many cool creations from others to see). This week's challenge was to complete a layout or a card using two or more products from their Junior line. I was in luck, as I had just 2 sheets of paper from this line (and a package of flair)!

So...here's the layout:

Materials used:

American Crafts Junior paper - Blastoff! (in the "O")
American Crafts Junior paper - Boom
American Crafts Subway thickers

I wish that I had more to choose from but, I haven't yet had the chance to purchase any! I really NEED the thickers from this line! They are awesome!

I'll be back later this weekend to post more of the layouts that I got completed...including a TWO-PAGER! Yep, you heard me right! I think it's been at least 5 years since I've done one of those!!!

I am SO proud!!!

2009-11-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

I meant to post this last week but, things have been a little crazy around here! We received an invitation for an honor roll/merit roll assembly for the first quarter recipients!!! And BOTH of our kids were on it! Merit was 3.0 to 3.5 GPA, Honor was 3.5 to 3.99 GPA and SUPER honor roll was a straight 4.0. Dakota made the Honor roll and Ms. Haleigh made SUPER honor roll!!! Haleigh also had perfect attendance and she rated #1 on the ISTEP for her grade so she got a $10 gift card to Walmart! We also took them out to Wally World to buy something little and took them out to KFC. Not super exciting for some but, we don't do that very often!!!

I will also say that it was SO nice to see that a MAJORITY of the 3rd through 6th graders made at least MERIT. I love that my kids are in such a small school now with a lot more kids (and parents) like our family. Coming from a school where it seemed like the majority of the parents could really care less. It's just nice. It's also nice that the kids get recognized and commended for good grades! In their old school, it was that no one did great or did bad. That's how things were graded. Those kids will get into the real world and think that mediochre is ok. So sad.

Anyway, here's a pic of my super happy honor roll getting kids!

I love these two!!!

Home of the sickies...

2009-11-08T23:05:00.002-05:00

Yep. We are all sick. I had a sore throat starting on Thursday, which turned into a cold/sinus thing. Dakota came home from school on Friday and shortly after he got home, starting actually getting sick. We thought it was possibly food poisoning. Nope. Brian and Haleigh have both got the same thing today! I can deal with the cold/sinus thing but, I'm really keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I don't get what they all have! I'm actually supposed to be leaving town this weekend so, I'm really hoping I get through this week with no worries!!!

Another AC challenge..

2009-11-02T18:38:00.008-05:00

and it's a Halloween one!!! Perfect! I took so many pics of the decorations, party, kids in costume....This was the perfect chance to get something scrapped! I turned some of my decor pics black and white and made a collage of them...just to make it easier to scrap. Simple. I live for it!

Materials used:

American Crafts "Howl" Halloween paper
American Crafts "Horror" Halloween paper
American Crafts "Creepy" Color Halloween sticker
American Crafts "Dolce" fabric thickers

Halloween Party time!!!

2009-10-30T11:02:00.003-04:00

So, we decided that we are going to have a Halloween party for our kids this year! Pizza, cupcakes, games and "scary" movies! I've only ever hosted a handful of birthday parties so, this should be interesting! I let them each invite 7 friends. That should be 14 kids, with a good chance of at least 4 not coming. So, I figure 10 kids (plus Haleigh & Dakota), right??? Well, it turns out that EVERYONE is excited about this party and apparently want to come! There are a couple of kids that will not be here but, a couple of the kids that are....they are bringing their sibling. Oy. What have I gotten myself into???

I think that it will be a great time, regardless. I was hoping the rain would stay away so that some of the events could be taken outside. But, that's not looking like it's going to happen. So, 2 adults and at least 14 children will be crammed inside our little house!!!

I'll post some pics in a couple of days!!! Wish me luck! :)

As promised...

2009-10-23T16:35:00.003-04:00

here are a couple more of my layouts that I created last weekend at our annual SAL DT Retreat! The first one was completely inspired by my friend, who is also on the SAL design team, Jen Erickson. I envy her style!

So, another weekend is here! This Saturday will be our last soccer games for the season (at least for this soccer club! :) ). Dakota will start indoor with his school next week! But, I am completely okay with indoor soccer! No cold, crappy, rainy weather! No hot, melt in your seat, getting swamped by mosquitoes weather! But, we'll be back to regular outdoor for both the kids before I know it!!!

We will also hopefully be heading to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. We always have a great time there! I love hay rides and love the yummy things that they bake in their little shop!!! Plus, it always makes for great pictures ;)!

Have a great weekend!

American Crafts!

2009-10-22T20:34:00.005-04:00

American Crafts posts weekly challenges on their blog that I love! I rarely find the time to actually complete them but, this week, I have some mojo left over from the SAL Sweet DT Retreat and I took advantage of it! So, the challenge this week was to use two American Crafts products with a black and white photo!

I used papers from the Craft Fair line, Halloween line and the Kids line. I also used felt thickers, fabric thickers and some Flair from the Junior line. This really was a fun layout to do!

I'm baaaaccckkkkk!!!

2009-10-19T17:25:00.008-04:00

I made it home, safe and sound!!! I pulled up at about 8:30 last night. The drive wasn't too bad, except for the idiots on the road (one in particular that ticked me off for a good 45 minutes.....two words.....CRUISE CONTROL.....it's an amazing concept).

So, I completed 11 layouts!!! Yep, you heard me right....ELEVEN! I just did a recount....I actually thought that I did 12. Bummer. But, regardless...it's 11 more down!!! I need to fix a couple of things on a couple of them and actually do the journaling on one but, here are the ones that are totally done!

I really had so much fun!!! It was great seeing my friends that I only get to see once a year! I really wish that we lived a LOT closer! And Carla was the best hostess!!! She made wonderful food and made sure that we all had good time!

Once I get the rest of the layouts completed, I'll upload them here!!!

I'm outta here...

2009-10-14T23:23:00.003-04:00

tomorrow, that is!!! I'm heading up to Michigan for the annual Sweet DT Retreat for the SAL design team!!! And I can not wait! Scrapbooking for a weekend and seeing my scrappy friends from other parts of the US! It's always a good time!

I'll post some pics when I get back! See you soon!!!

Picture time...

2009-10-11T07:32:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day, which is not always best when one wants to take pictures! We went to IMA and took some fall pictures of the kids. It was so nice, perfect temperature, clear skies and sunny! But, all that sun can be a real pain when trying to get a nice picture. Here are a couple of faves from the day:

Dakota actually took this one! I think that he did a great job!!!

I hate how blogger doesn't really allow for you to move your pictures around!

Anyway, as you can see, it was a beautiful day! I really wanted to get some shots with some pumpkins so, I may have them throw these clothes back on today and head out to Beasley's and get some shots. While we're there, we'll pick up a couple of pumpkins and some apples!!!

Latest stuff...

2009-10-07T22:57:00.004-04:00

So I've been in a rut when it comes to scrapbooking. For a LONG time. But, I think I'm starting to feel my mojo creeping back!!! I worked on a couple of layouts for the heck of it this weekend and I am super happy with how they turned out.

I totally love that picture of Brian and Haleigh! I've been holding onto it since July and all of a sudden, this past weekend, I had an idea. So, now it is scrapped and I am happy with it!

The kids are keeping us busy with soccer. We've had one practice for each this week and one more for Dakota tomorrow. Then, they both have morning games on Saturday. And it will be nice and cold! I will be the one with the hood up, coffee cup and blanket wrapped around me!!! :) I'll upload some pics of them playing over the weekend for sure!

On another note, I'm getting ready to go away for our annual Scrap-A-Latte Design Team Retreat in Michigan!!!!!!!! I can't wait to see my friends! I can't wait to get my scrap on! And I can't wait to relax and have a great time, as we always do!!! But, until then, I'll be running around here like a chicken with her head cut off getting ready. I hate packing. ugh. It's of course totally worth it though!!!

So proud!!!

2009-10-03T20:29:00.004-04:00

Just a quick note to talk about my kiddos! As most of you know, they started a new school this year. It's a charter school so, it's a bit different than standard public schools, and it's been quite the change! This is the first year our kids have actually been held accountable for their work, actions and non-actions. Not to say that they have ever had problems in the past (proud to say that teachers loved having my kids in their classrooms). But, it's been a challenge.

Haleigh, surprisingly, adapted very well. She's not a huge fan of change but, she's done it. And done it well. A+'s in all subjects!!! SO PROUD!!! And the teacher said that she is a model student! I just love that I can count on her for that!

Dakota, well, it's been hard. He's never really taken a test other than standardized testing for the state. He had NO clue how to study. And, didn't realize that if he didn't answer questions, it actually counts against him. This has been his downfall. He had A's in all classes but one. He had a C in Social Studies. All because of tests. But, I'm very proud to say that he has worked VERY hard and has brought that grade to a B! And, he still hopes to make at least an A- before then end of quarter! I wouldn't doubt it if he did. When he gets something stuck in his head, he doesn't stop!

Okay, so maybe not so quick! But, what can I say?!? I'm proud of them both!

October is here!

2009-10-02T13:42:00.002-04:00

And it makes me very happy!!! I love fall! Blue jeans, hoodies, apple cider, changing leaves...love it. All of it!

We've been fairly busy around here, getting things gathered for our upcoming Halloween party, soccer and school. Dakota has an "out-of-town" school field trip to Cincinnatti on the 17th, which he is psyched about. Plus, I'm leaving town in TWO WEEKS...going to Michigan for the annual SAL DT retreat with all of my SAL design team friends! I totally CAN NOT WAIT!!!

I haven't been scrappin' much. I hoped to get more down during the online crop but, didn't happen. I do hope to maybe work on something tonight though! Plus, tomorrow is "World Card-Making Day", which just makes me feel that I need to at least make one card! Don't ya think?!?

Halloween is around the corner...

2009-09-26T22:22:00.005-04:00

and I'm working on decorating! I found that I really have hardly any decorations for Halloween! Or, Fall for that matter! It's really kinda sad! So, since we decided to have a Halloween party for the kids this year, I decided that I really needed to step up my decorations this year! Haleigh and I decided to make a banner together and it was really a lot of fun! I've seen so many cute ones out there and thought that I should give it a try. I have enough Halloween supplies from the last couple of years that I needed to use up somewhere!!!

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out! I think that I needed longer ribbon because this wasn't big enough to stretch all the way across but, I ran out so, this will do for this year!

We've also purchased a few things such as cobwebs, a bucket with Halloween images, a small skeleton, a small hay bale for him to sit on and several other odds and ends. The kids are really looking forward to this party, as am I!!!

Now that I have this project complete, I think that I can finally sit down to scrap and enjoy some of the challenges at the SAL crop!

Come join us!!!

2009-09-24T09:59:00.002-04:00

This Saturday, Sept. 26, will be the kick off of crop season at Scrap-A-Latte!!!

Sarah Martinez will be hosting a "School of Scrap" cyber crop!!! There are sure to be lots of fun challenges and cool prizes!!!

Be there or be square! ;)

Girls weekend...

2009-09-21T10:40:00.007-04:00

I'm finally getting back to this! So, the weekend before last, my sister, Mom, sister's Mother-in-Law and myself went down to French Lick, IN, to stay in my Mom's and step-Dad's camper for the weekend. We spent Saturday in Jasper then headed back to French Lick to hit an antique store, a couple of beautifully restored hotels and a casino (which didn't last very long - lost all of my $16 quickly!). It also happened to be the weekend that the Porsche club was there, showcasing classic, old Porsches, and they were sweet!!! On Sunday, we stopped at Oliver Winery on the way home to enjoy some wine tasting. We were lucky enough to be there on the day that they had an open house at their vineyard. We went on the tour of the winery and then off to the tour of the vineyard, 4 miles away. It really was a fantastic weekend!!! I look forward to doing it again!

American Crafts and sickies...

2009-09-17T21:17:00.004-04:00

First, I want to post a layout I did in response to another American Crafts challenge that was posted on their blog. The challenge was to create a layout about school and use 2 American Crafts products. I had the PERFECT picture of my son from the end of the school year, last year. Here's what I came up with:

I used American Crafts pattern paper from their "kids" collection. I also used patchwork fabric thickers (love these things!), AC clear remarks journal sticker and the apple is from the American Crafts Craft Fair collection.

Now, onto the sickies. So, I went away for the weekend with my Mom, sister and her Mother-In-Law (pictures will be uploaded later). I get back Sunday night and Dakota said he wasn't feeling very well. He ended up having a fever of 101. And, it pretty much stayed that way for 2 days straight, with some nasty coughing. Tylenol knocked it down, then it went right back up. He did get back to school on Wednesday and he has had a TON of homework! So, Tuesday, Brian wakes up and is sicker than a dog! And, it's not even the same thing as Dakota! Here it is Thursday, and he's still miserable. I'm ready for the weekend and I'm ready for everyone to be back in good health!

I'll post again maybe this weekend with pics from the weekend trip!

American Crafts challenge!

2009-09-10T20:11:00.005-04:00

This last week's challenge was to create a layout about friendship using two American Crafts products. I decided to go for it but, I forgot about the friendship part. Lucky for me, the layout I decided to do this afternoon was about friendship anyway! I actually just took this picture of my daughter with her BFFs from around our neighborhood yesterday and couldn't wait to use those little umbrellas from the Backyard collection! So, here's my creation. I used American Crafts paper from the everyday collection (rain drops), chipboard umbrellas from the Backyard collection and Chit Chat thickers.

Thanks for the challenge, American Crafts!

Homework

2009-09-10T20:04:00.002-04:00

This is what we see A LOT of here recently...
From the time he gets home until about 8:00 or so on most week nights. He is coming from a public school that hardly ever sent home homework, never had tests to study for and never really held any kids accountable for anything. Understandably so, as this school is surrounded by people that just in general do not care about their children. It's sad really. But, we have pulled our kids out and put them in a charter school. And this is what we get. I can't say that I'm thrilled that he has so much work but, I'm thrilled to see that this school is teaching the children not only academics but, accountability. A very important thing to know in the real world!

I love 3 day weekends!

2009-09-08T10:30:00.005-04:00

I love them for more than the fact that it's three days off of work! I love that it's only a four day work week afterwards, which totally rocks in my opinion!

It was, overall, a nice relaxing weekend. Brian got our bathroom floor finished (a project that's been in limbo for months), he replaced our crappy basic brass ceiling lights in the front entryway and in the hallway and, we were able to just be lazy! Haleigh went to a hotel party sleepover on Saturday and Sunday morning, that's all we heard about! Obviously, she had a great time! Sunday night, my sister and brother-in-law came over. Alyssa needed a little bit of help on putting together some invitations then the rest of the evening was spent scrappin, while the boys played video games. It was a great time and I actually managed to get two layouts done!!! I'm really happy with the "She's got style" layout. It's so Haleigh right now! The "good times" layout, well, let's just say that I suck at titles and I can assure you that I will use this title several more times!

On another note, school is in full swing! The kids are doing really well so far! Dakota is struglling a bit with remembering to bring things home. At his old school, they rarely had tests or any "at home" work. Mostly because a lot of the kids would totally fail if it were left up to the parents to help them at home. Now, it's the opposite. He's getting A's and B's so far in everything but Social Studies, where he has a C+. But, we're working on that. It all has to do with learning how to study for tests. I know by then end of the quarter, he'll have all A's and B's. I know my kid. Haleigh, on the other hand, is thriving even more now than ever! She is getting straight A+'s in all subjects! I'm very proud of both of them!

2 weeks down...

2009-08-29T10:18:00.002-04:00

So, the kids have been in school for exactly two weeks! I think this new school is wonderful and I think that it was totally worth the effort to get them in there. The first week was a little rough for Haleigh. She sometimes struggles with change. She went from a school with 30 kids + per classroom and 150 + students per grade (just in her building). She is now in a class of 25 students (which will be the max) and her class is the only 3rd grade class. She was in our bed almost every night for the first week. She made friends immediately but, she still had a hard time. Dakota...didn't bother him one bit!

Two weeks down and Haleigh has already been invited to a sleepover birthday party. She has several friends in class, including a boy named Malcolm that says he "loves her". Cracks me up! Dakota has also made some good friends. He knows one of the boys from his old school that's in his class. There are actually 2 6th grade classes of 25 each and there are a couple of girls in the other class from the old school. He also has his first official girlfriend. Wow. He's growing up so fast!!!

September is almost here and I can feel fall coming on. Love this season! I'm ready for the cooler weather! The thought of apples, colorful leaves, blue jeans and sweatshirts are swimming through my head! I just love it!!!

I'll be posting again soon! Promise!

The Indiana State Fair and first day of school...

2009-08-17T13:41:00.007-04:00

Does anybody else love going to a fair??? I LOVE it!!! We go specifically for the yummy food and to see all of the animals. Lucky for us, our state fair is 10 minutes away! This year, we went early enough to see the donkeys and mules, including a "Zedonk", which is a mix of a zebra and donkey. He was super cute! And , we ate a little bit of everything!!! We even tried some deep fried cookie dough this year and it was actually pretty darn yummy! The "new" weird fair food of the year was chocolate covered bacon. I saw it, saw somebody eat it, heard them say it wasn't bad but, I have NO interest in trying it. Sounds disgusting!!! So, we enjoyed lemon shake-ups, corn dogs, pork bbq, italian sausage, fried cheese, elephant ears and shaved ice. All of which were fantastic!

So, today is the first day of school. We decided to pull our children out of our public schools, due to the fact that the teachers are basically glorified babysitters (soooo many behaviour problems in our school). They are going to a local charter school. I've heard great things about charter schools in general but, especially this one. We just can't afford private school so this is the next best thing. I can't wait to pick them up and hear all about their first day!

Seriously...

2009-08-05T20:10:00.003-04:00

I'm trying this again. Trying to be good about blogging. I know that I really don't have much to post about but, who cares, right?!? This is a way for me to vent, babble and whatever else I need to get me through the days!

So, I give this blog thing another chance! Wish me luck!

American Crafts...

2009-04-09T19:46:00.004-04:00

is by far, one of my favorites! And, their is a challenge for this week on their blog that was right up my alley! The challenge was to use something from one of their older collections, spring & summer, with something from one of their recent lines, Backyard. Here's what I came up with:
I used some of the pattern chipboard shapes from the Spring & Summer line and, "Pop" paper from the Backyard line. Plus, I threw in one of my favorite style of Thickers!

Thanks for taking a peak!

I promise...

2009-03-28T09:21:00.004-04:00

to update this dang blog more often! Geesh! Once a month just isn't enough. I think that I might go for every Saturday. That's my new goal. We'll see how that goes!

Well, it's almost the end of March. Holy cow! And the economy still bites. Recently, the company I work for, has had to take certain measures to keep us going (and not implementing any layoffs). It started with the managers taking a 10% paycut in January. By February, they decided to have the plant work 4 - 10 hour days, combine third shift into second. I work in the office so, I have to be there 5 days. They also chose to do a 6 week rotation. Everyone is "laid off" 1 out of every 6 weeks. And, on top of that, we all get a 10% paycut. Well, half way through our first rotation, they decided they needed to take more drastic measures. We are now on a 4 week rotation (40 people are on every other week rotation) and management is taking a total of 18% paycut. And, the dollars still aren't looking good. It's really kind of scary. Lucky for us, my income is definately the secondary. We can survive without it.

Anyway, onto happier subjects! The kids and I are off all this week! Woohoo! Lots of cleaning of closets and under the beds this week. And lots of hanging out! I hope to get lots of scrapping done! My 1st week off, I managed to get 9 layouts done! Here area few of my favorites:

So, here's to another week of unemployment!

February is almost over!

2009-02-21T11:10:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it??? Spring is around the corner (and, man, am I thankful for that). It's been a quiet month but, that will soon end. Soccer will start before we know it. Then school will be over and summer will be here! Time flies when you're having fun, I guess!

So, things are still going okay in the diet world. I found a pair of size 12 jeans that I haven't been able to fit into for a while and they fit great! That gave me a huge boost of confidence! As far as the family, the kids are doing great in school. Dakota just won 1st place in the 5th grade science fair (despite his procrastination and working on it the very last minute). He really did do a great job! Haleigh has been a reading fool. She can easily fly through a Junie B. chapter book in 2 nights! And she's only in the 2nd grade!!! Brian is still a painting fool. It's nice to be creative together (but he takes up all my space - LOL)! My job, well, I still have it. I am thankful for that. We are starting a 6 week rotation, where we are "unemployed" 1 week out of every 6, taking turns. The first week, I won't even receive unemployment. Kinda bites but, the company is really trying to keep all of their current employees. I can't really complain.

That's it for the Stiner household!

Still truckin' along!

2009-02-04T18:55:00.009-05:00

So, I'm still coming along with my weight loss. I've now lost 6 lbs and I'm still eating very low carbs. Hopefully, I'll see a 10 lb weight loss (total) by the end of February. That's my goal, anyway!

Life has been pretty quiet around the Stiner household lately! We've been working on small projects here and there, trying to get this house ready to be put on market. It still seems that we have so much to do and just never enough money/time to do it with. I really hope to be out of this school district by 2010. Even if it means changing the kids' school mid-year. They deserve better. We all deserve better!

I have been creating like crazy this past month! 18 layouts!!! Here are some of my favorites:
These would have to be my top 5. Now, of course, I have NO mojo. I have no idea where it went to but, I think that it's gone for a while. I haven't been feeling very good for a few days (I think that I'm getting a cold or something) so, that could be to blame but, we'll see!

On another note, I would like to say that I am so happy to have what I have. A happy, healthy family. A job. A house. 2 cars. And so on, and so on. So many people are losing there jobs, which in turn, they seem to loose a lot of other things. Then, there are families that just wait to hear good news, such as their little girl's scan to be clear and have no sign of returning cancer (WOOHOO Audrey!). Also, a little girl that I've been following (via web) for the past few months, who was just 4 years old and diagnosed with a brain tumor, has lost her battle. Her family has just lost their little girl. I can't even imagine. That just makes my heart ache. For all the above mentioned. I know that I am truly blessed.

So, I will end this post on that note. Be thankful for all that you have!!!

It's been over 2 weeks.....

2009-01-21T12:24:00.000-05:00

and I'm stuck at a 4 lb. weight loss. Ugh. It's getting really frustrating! I'm not losing anymore and, I'm not enjoying all the bad things! I'm going to finish out this week and see where I'm at. I may need to review my diet and see what else is out there, that is reasonable for me.

That's all I'm posting for now....

Baby, it's cold outside!!!

2009-01-14T14:46:00.002-05:00

And it's only getting colder!!! It took me an hour and a half to get to work this morning, due to snow!!! Today, the high is supposed to be 23, which isn't all too bad but, tomorrow, they're saying a high of 6 degrees! 6 DEGREES!!!!!! Ridiculous! And the low for Friday, -7.

Anyway, all of a sudden, I've got energy!!! I think that it's because of the diet that I'm on. It's been 9 days (4 lbs. lost) and my cravings have gone down, energy has gone up. Which is fantastic! I actually feel like scrapbooking again! I feel like I have the energy to do stuff around the house and still find time to do what I want to do!!! It really has been great!

Just needed to add....

2009-01-06T15:58:00.001-05:00

These cravings SUCK!!!! I feel like I'm going through withdrawals (like when I quit smoking). I so badly want some potato chips, and I'm not even normally a chip eater!!! I will get through this.

Day 2...

2009-01-06T14:03:00.003-05:00

of Atkins! Ugh! It's been rough but, I am determined to do this. I am determined to NOT go up a size. Everything I own is tight and I just can't stand it anymore! So, no carbs. For 2 weeks. At least, very low carbs. And, anybody that knows me, knows that I LOVE carbs! Potatoes, noodles, chocolate....I just know that these are my absolute downfall. So, I'm half way through day 2, hoping that day 3 is better. Wish me luck.

HAPPY 2009!!!

2009-01-03T01:17:00.006-05:00

So, New Year's Resolutions...hmmm. I haven't thought much about it. Of course, the standards, lose weight, get fit, organize, so on and so on are at the top of my list. Really, I just want to stay on top of things this year. Bills, kids' school stuff, work, scrapbooking, BLOGGING, etc. I hope to get out of this house, out of Indy, by the end of this year. I hope to be back home, being a Mom, by the end of this year. I hope to find more time to "treat myself" every now and then, even if it's an hour here or there. So, I guess that I have lots of resolutions. Let's just hope for the best and hope for a wonderful year!!!!!!!

So anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!!

Random post...

2008-12-09T12:10:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I haven't put the pictures on here, like I said. Hopefully, I'll get to that tomorrow. Anyway, I'm just sitting here thinking about how funny Haleigh is and decided that I really need to keep record of her little tidbits. Here's one example: Recently, I walk into her room to find her night stand by the door, with her rocking chair in front of it and a pad of paper with a pencil. As I proceed to look around the room, I found a "kitty condo", some cat toys and a blanket strewn about here and there. I asked her what she was doing and her response was, "I'm evaluating the cats. This is where I observe them." What 7 year old knows and understands what "evaluating" is? She was so serious too! Cracked me up! Anyway, I just thought that I'd share that little bit. I will try to post more random posts, about what goes on in the Stiner household. Maybe a few pics too.

Hope you all have an excellent Tuesday!

Christmas is almost here...

2008-12-05T16:14:00.001-05:00

and man, have we been busy!!! It seems that Dakota left for DC in October and we just haven't stopped going since!!! He did get back, safe and sound, with 500 pictures in tow. He passed and now has 55 high school credit hours. I couldn't be more proud!!! Halloween followed quickly after (I'll post those pics later). Then, out of town I went to scrapbook with some people from work for a whole weekend. We get back to work and all hell broke loose. Our systems were down, basically all week. We had to go back and re-enter about 2 weeks worth of data. It was AWFUL!!! But, I'm thankful for my job! Thanksgiving weekend was long and wonderful but, was over much too fast (I'll post some pictures of that too)!

Now, it's that time of year. The time where your house is glowing with sparkly decorations and twinkling lights. I love this time of year! We've got a good jump on shopping and I have some crafts that I'm trying to finish up. This weekend, we're going to finish with the decorating and head to a tree farm in the middle of nowhere to cut down our tree. It's supposed to be cold, with snow but, I'm sure that we'll have fun!!!

I'll post some recent pics later tonight (or this weekend)!

And he's outta here!!!

2008-10-20T18:13:00.002-04:00

Dakota's flight has left Indianapolis, as of 2:50 PM today. He landed at the Washington airport at about 4:15. I did just fine, I was just a bit nervous. Haleigh, on the other hand, bawled. It really was sad but, she's all good now!

He says that so far, he's bored but, that's because they have only dealt with luggage and getting on the bus that takes them to their hotel. He's supposed to call us again tonight before bed. I already miss him.

Monday

2008-10-13T14:25:00.002-04:00

I'm back from our fantastic retreat in Michigan, with all of the coolest chicks in the scrappin' world! It was a great time, once again! I'm still a bit tired, mostly from the drive home but, I took the day off today to veg out. I also was able to go visit my kids at school, which I really wish that I could do more often. Another reminder of how much I miss being a stay at home Mom! Tomorrow, it's back to the grind. Ugh.

Beautiful Nala

2008-09-28T12:10:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. I wanted to share a picture of my kitty but, had a hard time even looking at these, until now. This is one of the last photos taken of her. Brian took these before he took her to the Humane Shelter to have her put down. Even on her last day, she was still beautiful. Looking at this picture though, I can see it in her eyes that she really was done with fighting. I'm glad that we chose to do what we did. I miss her a whole lot but, I know that she's happy and healthy where ever she is at now.

Rest in peace, Nala
1995 - September 16, 2008

Football, scrappin' & sky concert fun

2008-08-31T16:40:00.001-04:00

So far, it's been a busy but fun weekend! And, a super HOT one at that! Dakota's team won their game, 14 - 0. I've never seen the kid so excited about a sport!!! This is his first year playing and I think that he's done a great job, even though most of the kids have played for more than a year. Last night, we headed downtown for "Sky Concert", which is always fun! Funnel cakes, friends and fireworks. You just can't beat it!

And, today, I've been scrappin'! I still have lots of mojo so, hopefully after my Dad leaves, I'll be back to creatin'! Here are the 2 layouts that I finished today.

I'm a total slacker...

2008-08-25T22:00:00.002-04:00

It's been 2 months since I've posted anything!!! Crap! Well, since my last post, let me list all of the happenings around the Stiner household:

1. Haleigh's 7th b-day
2. My sister's b-day
3. CHA Chicago baby!
4. My 32nd b-day
5. We've rescued a dog, only to have to take her to Animal Control
6. Dakota started football
7. School started and I now have a kid in the 5th grade and one in the 2nd grade
8. We've found out that our cat, Nala, has tumors throughout her body.
9. I've just celebrated my 1 year anniversary of working at Standard Locknut.
10. I lost my scrappin' mojo for over a month but, it made it's appearance over the weekend (thank you Carla)!

So, life's been a little crazy. I feel a bit overwhelmed at times with all that goes on but, I guess that it really isn't that bad. I do need to take more time to post on this dang thing! My next post will hopefully have some pictures of recent happenings!

Until next time...

11 years...

2008-06-22T09:48:00.006-04:00

...and still very happy! Yesterday, June 21, was our 11 year anniversary! And we are just as happy as can be! Eleven years, and this is what we have: 2 kids, 1 house, 2 cats, 1 dog, and a mini-van (and someday, maybe more! ;) ) We are definitely living a good life!!!

Karen (my Mother-in-Law) kept the kids for the night and we went out to eat at a place down the road called "Rick's Cafe Boatyard". It's this fantastic restaurant with a huge deck overlooking the docks at Eagle Creek Reservoir. And, the view was beautiful! Our waitress was ever so kind to take a picture of us! Afterwards, we enjoyed some time at Kohl's, WITHOUT kids! It really was a great evening!

I'm in!!!

2008-06-21T16:59:00.002-04:00

Holy crap! I submitted one of my layouts to Simple Scrapbooks and they chose it for the November/December issue!!!!!! I am still in shock. I seriously thought that it would never happen, thus the reason for me to rarely submit. I'll still only submit here and there, in hopes that maybe I'll get into another magazine at some point of time. It's definitely still not my number one priority when it comes to scrappin'!

Old favorites...

2008-04-25T09:24:00.003-04:00

The blog challenge this week, posted by Carla at SAL, was to talk about an old favorite piece of clothing, one that you just can't part with.

I really don't have anything that I can't part with now. I used to have lots of t-shirts, mostly Grateful Dead and a few other concert tees. I would hold onto these t-shirts, until they were no longer wearable. Usually the t-shirt had some kind of memory attached to them but, they were usually super comfortable too! After I got married, and had my first child, I finally let them go. I really wish I would've kept some of them, just for memory's sake!

Now, I just have a couple of sweatshirts that I love. I keep them purely because they are comfy.

Tulips and stuff

2008-04-20T15:48:00.005-04:00

My favorite flowers have now bloomed and it's finally Spring! I love these tulips. They completely remind me of my childhood. My Grandma had red ones in front of the front porch. I planted these a couple of years ago in my flowerbed, in memory of her. They've come back, once again, as beautiful as ever!

Now for the stuff part! I took this picture of Haleigh yesterday as we were getting ready to leave for a couple of hours. It's so "her"! She had to have her hair "just so", a glitter butterfly tattoo put on her arm and her mp3 player w/ headphones in her ears. She sang her songs the entire time we were on the road. She can be so cute!

He's 10...

2008-04-19T09:41:00.003-04:00

It's official! My little boy is in the double digits! I still can't believe it! Yes, it's been over a week but, I'm still in disbelief. That's all I have to say.

I've been tagged...

2008-04-19T09:27:00.003-04:00

by Carla! I'm supposed to name 7 weird/unusual facts about me...

Here it goes:

1. I hate to drink soda out of a plastic bottle! It's so gross! It must be fountain or out of a can!

2. I can't stand watermelon. Actually, I don't like any kind of melon! Nobody understands this. Not even myself. I've only known one other person that feels the same way about it!

3. I love fishing! But, I refuse to touch the fish/worm/minnow, or anything slimy and gross!

4. I have Sir-Mix-A-Lot's "I like big butts" on my ipod and I actually listen to it! Loudly while singing all the words!

5. My husband and I share a matching scar on the side of our wrists that we got when we were kids. We also both have an uncle that is a year younger than us. And, while he lived in Cape Coral, FL (he was originally from Indiana), so did my cousins (that were also originally from Indiana). They all moved back to Indiana close to the same time. We were meant to be!

6. I can't watch scary movies. They make me sick.

7. I sing the most random songs throughout the day. Especially at work. It's pretty much my goal to get at least one other person singing whatever it is that I'm singing (oh, and my voice really sucks).

It looks like pretty much everybody has been tagged. If you haven't or, you've forgotten to do this, TAG!!!

2008-04-14T14:01:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I totally suck when it comes to my blog!!! I've been told to update it so, I will be...this weekend...promise. I need to make it a point to try to post AT LEAST once a month!!!

So, be looking for updated posts...soon! Maybe I'll even take on some of the blog challenges on Scrap-A-Latte!!!

Tag!

2007-12-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've been tagged by Sarah...a week ago!!!

7 things that you may, or may not, know about me!

1. I was on probation when I was 18 years old for possession of a couple of things....

2. I LOVE Hostess Ding Dongs! Especially with a large glass of milk!

3. I hate working. I want to be back home...badly. I miss being here when my kids get home from school.

4. I love my job! I know, it sounds strange, since I hate working. But, I really do love the people that I work for!

5. I crashed a snow mobile when I was 15, causing my best friend to fall off into a icy cold, water-filled ditch. I refuse to try it again!

6. I don't swim. I hate swimming. Don't get me wrong, I love water (especially at the beach) but, I have a fear of drowning. I know how to swim, I just really prefer not to.

7. I have an above average IQ and was told this in high school, yet, I barely passed and left school mid-term my senior year and took a class at a night school in order to get my diploma. I never went to college but, I plan on going in the next year!

My favorite Christmas memory...

2007-12-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

would have to be the year of the pink banana seat Schwinn bicycle. I was, that particular year, questioning the existence of Santa. I really wanted a bike. My Dad took me to a really nice bicycle shop, on Christmas Eve, to look at bikes. I figured there was NO way that I was getting the one that I wanted, since it was late on Christmas Eve and I was pretty sure that Santa wasn't real. To my surprise, it was there Christmas morning, with a huge red bow on it, from Santa. I was pretty sure that he did exist, at least for another year!!!

Secret Santa Swap mailbox

2007-12-04T19:13:00.000-05:00

Here's the secret Santa swap mailbox that I did for one of the girl's at Scrap-A-Latte! I was pretty pleased with it when it was done, especially since I'm not a HUGE fan of altering. I hope that she likes it!!!

Been busy!!!

2007-08-01T01:16:00.000-04:00

Well, this last couple of months have been busy...to say the least!!! We celebrated our 10 year anniversary, which we decided to celebrate with a night away in Brown County.

Then, we celebrated Haleigh's 6th b-day. She was so excited to have family over and have her very best friend stay the night. She decided on an ice cream cake from DQ, which was SUPER yummy!!!

Next, came the 4th of July. We took the kids to the parade, which was Haleigh's first, and had a blast! The kids LOVED getting candy and seeing all the different floats and people involved. It was great!

Other than those events, we've just been busy, getting ready to start school. So, I've been trying to do things with the kids, these last couple of weeks, before they start daycare and I get a job (I've been a SAHM for 6 1/2 years). Here's a picture of Dakota with his best friend, Marcus, at the pool.

Also, I was lucky enough to meet a lot of my online friends from SAL!!! Brian and I took the Megabus to Chicago for the weekend of July 19-22. I went to CHA and met the SAL girls, while Brian hit the city of Chicago. At night, we all got together and had a BLAST!!! I can't wait to see everyone again! I really do wish that we lived closer! The husbands weren't in this picture but, here's all the girls!

Oh, and one more thing! We have a new addition to the family! Charlie! He's our now 9 week old kitten and is a BALL OF ENERGY!!! He's attacking my fingers, at this moment, while I type! He's lots of fun! Nala, our 11 year old cat doesn't care too much for him but, he and our dog, Chloe, are good buddies! And, he loves the kids! He's really been a great addition to our family.

Okay, so all that being said, this is my excuse for not being on here that often. I will *try* to blog a bit more, now that it looks like things are settling down!!!

My favorite manufacturer from CHA...

2007-07-31T22:24:00.000-04:00

I would have to say...Making Memories! I LOVED the new "Noteworthy" collection!!! I must have it all! I also really loved the new Love, Elsie stuff...all of it. Oh, and the new KI Memories "lace" paper! That stuff was super cool!!! Plus, hundreds of other things that I saw! I'm going to go broke!!!!!

My favorite vacation spot...

2007-06-05T09:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, here's another blog challenge, posted by Carla at Scrap-a-Latte.

I have a few spots, as I have not been on many vacations, so, they are all wonderful to me!!!

We had our first real family vacation in 2005, when we went to Gatlinburg and stayed in a nice condo. We love the mountains and outdoors so, it was great! Plus, Pigeon Forge had lots of fun stuff to do, such as putt-putt and go-karts. The kids had a blast!!!

Another favorite of mine was Myrtle Beach. I went with a friend and all of our kids (4 total - 2 five year olds, a three year old and two year old). We stayed in a condo, right on the beach. We walked everywhere, since there were things just down the road. We went to the Pavilion, an amusement park, and Broadway at the Beach, which is a large area with stores, putt-putt, restaurants and fireworks (you park on the outside of the area and just walk all over the place outside without worrying about cars). It was super cool! I would love to go back there again, but with Brian. It's a great place to take the family!!!

Haleigh graduated!!!

2007-05-30T08:15:00.000-04:00

My baby is no longer a kindergartener! Yesterday was such a proud day for her and for us! She just glowed the whole time, and had a huge grin on her face! She is now officially a 1st grader! Man, they grow up way too fast!!!

This is a picture that I was able to snap of Haleigh and her teacher, Mrs. Wilson.

5 random things that make me happy...

2007-05-28T12:40:00.000-04:00

1. sunshine

2. my kids laughing together

3. a cup of coffee

4. no place to go

5. the windows rolled down and listening to some great music!

Things I can not live without...

2007-05-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

Another blog challenge from www.scrap-a-latte.net. Everyday things I can not live without.

1. Sunshine.

2. Nature.

3. Our computer (mostly the internet).

4. My pictures.

5. My camera.

6. COFFEE.

7. CHOCOLATE.

8. The stove.

9. My coffee maker.

10. My ginormous key chain.

Found treasures...

2007-05-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, so Alyssa and I went to our Dad's house to help him declutter a bit more. He's a packrat, as was my Grandma so, there is A LOT of clutter. We got to Beverly's closet and the closet in his office (used to be his bedroom). The amount of dust and old crap never ceases to amaze me. He still had his suit that he wore for my Cheryl's wedding, to Dudley, her first husband, in 1978! The cool thing was that Dad kept lots of things from our childhood. We found my ET sleeping bag, Alyssa's Smurf sleeping bag, our Maple Town families and houses (bears, fox, bunny, etc...), my CPK sticker baby book and my Girl Scout sash. Haleigh is now in love with the Maple Town sets and the rest will be stored away to be passed down!

Can I just say........WOO friggin' HOOOOO!!!!

2007-05-16T20:59:00.000-04:00

I just found out that I made the Scrap-A-Latte Design Team! I am so excited! I have never been on one before so, this will be an experience, and I'm sure a good one!

Blog challenge!

2007-05-14T10:24:00.000-04:00

Carla, owner of www.scrap-a-latte.net, gave us a challenge. Talk about our Mother's day. So, here it goes:

We got up to a beautiful day. The kids made me beautiful cards and cleaned the house for me. I got to scrap a bit and finished my gift album for my Mother-in-Law, which was my main goal for the day.

We finally got moving and went to drop off the album, and hung out for a bit with Karen and Lee, chatting and stuff, enjoying an hour or so on their backporch. Afterwards, we all went to Cord Camera (they have a small scrapbook section), to pick up page protector refills for my album and, lucky me, they had the Junkitz Extreme Boy paper that I've been dying to get my hands on!!! Woohoo!!!

Anyway, after that, we went to the grocery store, went home and Brian made my favorite dish...Arroz Con Pollo! YUMMY!!! He's the best!!!

Here was the major unplanned event for the day: During dinner making, the kids played out back with some of the neighborhood kids, who brought over a kitten. They had no home for him and were going to let him just run free. I couldn't deal with that. I love animals way too much and hated the idea of this defenseless little kitten running around, trying to survive. So, "Lucky" (as Dakota and Haleigh named him) is in our home, until we hopefully find a permanent home for him!

So, overall, it was a great day! And, to top it off, I won a prize at scrap-a-latte!!! Just topped my day off!!!

I've made it to the blogging world!

2007-05-08T15:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here it goes. I've decided to start my own blog. Why??? Because everyone else does. Well sort of. I don't have a journal or anything else so, maybe this will be a way to record my "daily" (probably more like monthly) happenings and thoughts.

Anyway, I hope to post again soon!!!