This is CRAZY!

I know I haven't posted in ages! I haven't READ blogs in ages! In fact, I haven't talked to my mom in what seems like ages! And we usually talk 2-3 times a DAY!

Life just got crazy, not really complicated, but definitely crazy!

School started, my MIL got sick, life continues! I just seem like I am whining!

The kids did start school with a bang! They are both having a blast. T loves his new teacher and is finding new friends! E is enjoying 7th grade (although maybe not having her own mom as her 1st period teacher), and took to cross country again this year! Man that Monkey is fast!

My MIL is doing better, they have her in a rehab hospital and we hope to have her home within the next few weeks. Her spirits are much better than we can hope for. She just wants to come home.

I actually scrapped this past weekend, for no one but ME! It was truly fun! And the layouts are not outstanding, but I scrapped, and I love the monkey face in them!

That is all I can think of for now!

Lights Out!

me

A trip to remember...

Thanks Meredith for a wonderful experience!

Just thought I would share some highlights from our trip...
My lap on the plane...

Beautiful Rosemont (suburb of Chicago)

Lunch... traditional Chicago style pizza!
I can't believe I WENT here this year!
Our entry into the Melissa Frances bra contest!
Some celebrity sightings...
Hey there, Betsy! So good to see you!

One of my favorite scrappers, Stacy Julian
A glimpse of Tim Holtz... saw him almost everytime I turned around... and almost everytime i was on the phone with Mom
My to DIE for dessert! Cannoli Dip
And some sights we saw in Chicago on our girls night out...
The Bean
The "L"

The "L" at night

Like I said... it was a whirlwind few days... and it flew by!

Lights Out!

Me!

100 POSTS?

I didn't realize I wrote THAT much... sorry this one won't be anything exciting... just saying that we are back and I have 537 photos to go through. I promise to NOT share them all with you.

Back soon, I promise!

Lights Out
me

I did THIS...

We went to Schlitterbahn Water Park yesterday... had an absolute blast... And I DID THAT! well, the green one, Chuck did the white one, and I had NO interest in that! E did EVERYTHING but that white one as well, and T did everything that he was tall enough for... I am so proud of them! The weather was great... a little down pour, but nothing a Pina Colada and time for the kids to play in the covered Pirate Ship couldn't handle... Note to self... Make sure change of clothes are locked in locker, or UNDER the picnic table cover! They did NOT handle the rain all that well. Good thing they had time to dry out before it was time to put them on!

I did NOT take a camera, just enjoyed the day Mommy Style! It was awesome! Hey, Cass... they have one of these things in Kansas it says...

Well, four more days of summer school. The girls are GREAT, but I am done with that. Tomorrow is Scrap A Ganza, and it should be a blast, and our booth is looking pretty cool! But we are tired before it started! I don't know how people do this every other weekend. Then the countdown until vacation. ONE WEEK away... I just keep thinking about it! T will be SIX while we are on vacation. I am not sure I am ready to admit to that... it sure looks funny written out like that... I need a vault to put him in... keep him my baby forever!

Lights out!
me!

Day THREE...

No, I won't count down each day of this so called "roll," however, I am pretty proud of myself! I don't have a third layout done, but there is one in the works on the table! It will be done today! Pretty excited about it... found an old CKU layout that I never finished by Jana Wilson... so I am taking some ideas from it! She just rocks!

Count down to Scrap A Ganza is just THREE wake ups! We will head over on Friday to set up the booth... any ideas on WHAT to take, please let us know... we are taking some fun stuff already!

Have you checked out the store's blog... A Scrap Affair is following suit of another talented lady and "Paying it Forward" Join in or start your own! Heck, I am not the best at mailing stuff out... but for this it would be worth it... so leave your email in the comments, and I will email the first three that post a comment for your addy to send out a little RAK! How can you go wrong?

Lights Out!
me

Can it be called a roll?

I got TWO layouts done in TWO days, and TWO posts in TWO days! For me... I am going to claim it as a roll... I have another layout in the works, but I have to get TWELVE recipe cards done... got to get some inspiration!

Maybe Scrap-A-Ganza will bring in some inspiration this weekend. It is going to be a lot of fun. If you are in the area, head on out to Sugar Land and make sure to stop by the booth and say hi!

Speaking of that... here is another layout that might show its face in the booth! I am digging this thing called scrapping... it seems like it has been so long since I have just sat down and scrapped for the fun of it! Whatcha think?

Meanwhile, my dearest friend Cass has taken on another adventure... I am missing you chickie!

Lights Out!

me

Huh?

OK, I just don't know how this happens... I am a teacher... I am ON summer break... why am I busier NOW than I am when I am working? Another two weeks have flown by!


Now that is a good thing at some points... closer to our little family get away... closer to CHA... but the bad thing... closer to another school year!


Chuck went shooting yesterday and I had a little conversation with my trimmer and adhesives... it was a GREAT conversation if I may say so! I am pleased with this little guy! This layout will be on display at Scrap A Ganza down in Sugar Land this weekend! Love this Little Yellow Bicycle paper company! So easy to work with!


More soon... off to get my cars registered and a little bribery with lunch! There IS a Michaels there!

Lights Out!
me

May 27-June 10th?

How the heck did that happen? Well, I will tell you how that happened... end of school, beginning of summer school, working at the lss, Chuck turned 40, pool opened, and NO internet at home! There you have it... 14 days... two weeks... all in ONE sentence! And that is how it goes!

I don't know if you have read this blog for very long, that is if ANYONE reads this, but John, my baby brother has returned to the Grand Ole United States of America! He is HOME! He has been on a ship for the past nine or so months... and now he is home! He will be at my parents this weekend, so we are heading up there to hang out... The kids are so excited to see Uncle John!

Have been having a blast working at the store, but it is HARD work! It is still fun, and I am loving just breathing the same air that all this product breathes and working with people that "get" this craft and ME!

I will be teaching a class at Scrap A Ganza and working at the store's booth in Sugar Land the 28/29 of this month. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi! Then... and this is HUGE... Meredith is letting me tag along to CHA next month! I am just so stoked! So... our tickets are bought, and I dare anyone at American Airlines to cancel THAT flight! Please?!?

So... thanks for stopping by even after not hearing anything new for two weeks? Wait... does anyone even READ this anymore?

Lights Out!
me

How does YOUR garden grow?

We don't have cockle shells (what are those anyway?) or little maids... but we DO have tomatoes AND a gate! I think we were just really surprised at how well our first plants were doing, so Chuck went back for MORE and MORE and MORE! We now have peppers (two kinds, jalepenos, cucumbers, and radishes to add to our summer salads) So... to keep the dog out of the veggies, he built a fence, and since T can't climb OVER the fence, he built a gate! All while cooking yummy BBQ on Memorial day!

And since it WAS Memorial day... I just HAD to "memorialize" something right? Isn't it also a day for scrapping memories? OK, so... this is what I made while he made the garden. I did go out and "help," but probably not as much as I should have... but it was HOT! I don't like it HOT! Used most of the end of my GBC May kit! Looking forward to June's (except that it will be my very last one).
Just a little layout about my daily addiction! Large Vanilla Dr Pepper Easy Ice!


Speaking of hot... we pulled THIS out... what a touching moment, huh? Yeah, that lasted a whopping 2.5 minutes! They were already at their throats first thing this morning! Summer is going to be LONG if I don't find a way for them to get along!

Lights Out!
me

Sweet Nostalgia...

These are the moments... I have utter sadness for the fact that my own children are growing and will be moving on to the next grade level! I have utter sadness that the students that I have grown to know and love are moving on to the next grade level! And I have utter sadness to know I only have TWO MONTHS of free time to get everything I want to get done! However, I have TWO MONTHS of total free time to do whatever I want! Yes... it is THAT time of year... SUMMER! Precious summer! And yes, I completely understand that it doesn't seem fair to you all that do NOT get the next few weeks of precious free time... however, I bet if you were to come in and do what teachers do for a year, you might just think a tad differently. I am not saying we deserve the break MORE than anyone else, hell, what am I saying... Yes, I do!

So... as I prepare myself mentally to have my kids with me on a daily basis (I love having them with me, just can do without the constant bickering and whining about how they have NOTHING to do), I also know I need to thank the teachers that have without hesitation shown my own children the love of a parent away from home. I really do not have a ton of extra funds around the house to truly show them that they are beyond worth, so I generally fall back on home made gifts... personally as a teacher, I think those are the best, most meaningful kind! Here are the clips that the kids are giving their teachers.

And back when E was a mere pre-schooler, I got extremely emotional and wrote a little poem to her teacher. I gave it to all her teachers up to first grade. Now it is T's turn. So, here is what his teacher is getting. It isn't that I like to make people cry, but this does. And that means so much to me! I love these ladies for being the constant in my children's lives! Thank you!

OK, I think that is all my little brain can handle today... you will just have to check back for mindless rambling on another day!

Lights Out!

me

Two in Two...

Now this is one for the record books! But it will be short and non-rambling! Made this with that great May kit over at GBC! Lainey is just rocking out these kits! I am hoping to get some teacher gifts made with this kit! They will love them!

Check back later... I might get some random brain fart and have something truly memorable to say! OK, so probably not! :)

Lights Out!

me

Out of the fog...

The trip went well! Had its ups and downs, but it is over, I slept over forty hours between Friday night and Monday morning! It is over! Aren't we adorable... these are the amazing ladies that helped me through this past week! Love them!

Mother's day was wonderful! Chuck and the kidlets were amazing! Breakfast, fun treats, relaxing day, and a visit to the park just made it so worthwhile! Definitely a happy day for me!

I got TWO projects done for Lainey's amazing May kit over at GBC but didn't have a chance to post them here before I left! I have another project done and two in the works to be done real soon... check back for those! This first one is about my amazing mom... Just loved how easy this kit was to work with...

This is going to be a clock. I just need to get the clock works to get it put together! Will make a perfect addition to my scraproom!

Hope to get on here more often now that the trip is over! And definitely get more scrapping in! Summer just can't be sooner!

And as much as I am looking forward to having summer come, I am not ready to be the mother of a 7th grader and a six year old... just a tad of nostalgia here!

More later...

Lights Out

me

Coming out from a deep dark hole...

in the middle of the Earth somewhere. I know it has been ages since you have last heard/read dribble flowing from my fingertips. Some of you may actually have been rejoicing... if that is the case, why do you come to see if it is there? I digress!

I do check my blog list almost daily, and I am constantly unnerved at the many of you all that rarely update your blogs. I need that info to keep me going! Once again, I digress... but... seriously, how many of you all NEED my updates to keep you going! You all ARE my addiction! But then, after reading your blogs, I start to realize what a boring mundane world I actually live in. For me... not so boring, in fact, I love it, just can't keep up with it! Have you all ever read The Pioneer Woman's blog? OMG... you will never come back to my world after reading hers! Her link is over there ----> Check her out! But please come back here and do not expect that level of entertainment from me! I don't have that much going on!

So... what has been going on? You would think after 24 days of not hearing from me, I would have so much to post... not so much!

Kidlet # 1 ~ Track season is over! Isn't she adorable? She came in fifth in conference for the 1200! That is 3/4 of a mile, and she ran it in 4:54 Not her best time, but I am NOT going to persuade any of you to think otherwise... how many of you can run three laps around a football field in that time, and barely break a sweat OR sound like a prank call in the middle of the night? I can't! She can! And do it well!

Kidlet #2 ~ He is just skating through life on the heals of his bigger sister. Basically, where ever she goes or needs to go, he is right there! He spends more time at her activities than any five year old needs to! However, knowing that he isn't the only younger sibling in this world, there are probably multitudes for him to converse with! Can we say group therapy?

He was able to go on a field trip to our aquarium with his class, and I got to chaperone! Not often when I get excited about going on a school bus full of people under the age of, say THIRTY, and enjoy it! However, look at this guy...

Me ~ Following said kidlets where they must go... And, the looming thing? That dreaded Spring Trip! Remember above paragraph's mentioning of kids and school busses? Well, this trip, I load up 70 7th graders on two coach style busses and we cruise around Texas for four days and three nights! I have eight other teachers with me for this LONG days/SHORT nights expedition! I survive every year; however, I am a mess the weeks before. I have been planning this trip since the Monday after we returned from last years trip. But this month leading up to the trip is a stressful time! There is so much riding on ME for that week, my hubby and kids do NOT like me going (ok, #1 could care less because SHE is going on her spring trip at the same time), and I don't like being away from them!

On top of that, it is National Poetry Month, and we hit it full force! The day before our trip, I fill my classroom with the kids, their poetry books, AND THEIR PARENTS! Why I do this... because the parents LOVE it! 48 kids, 24 poems a piece, scrapbooking... Yep, that is 1,152 poems I read in a matter of a month! All student written!

And... have you SEEN Go. Be. Creative's May kit! It is LUSCIOUS! The papers are amazing enough, but then the stamp? Wow! The add ons? Wow! But even more... Tam's Whatchamadoodles journaling boxes! WAY WOW! Click on the site's name and you can see the journaling spots!

I will never be a Cass, but I am also trying to self teach myself how to use PSE 6! After playing with it, I am really loving it! I took and altered those photos of the kidlets! I love it!

OK, now if THAT isn't enough of an update... then go read Ree's stuff on The Pioneer Woman!

Lights Out!

me

It is APRIL!

And April Fool's Day at that!

Cass has a Monday Mallyism... so how about Tuesdays with Trav? Today he shows up in my room ten minutes before we are to leave. I am trying to be patient, knowing one wrong turn and the day will go down FAST (I live with a family of NON MORNING people)! So... I ask him gently why he isn't dressed yet, we need to be leaving soon! He gets this HUGE grin on his face, pulls up his PJ shirt to show me his uniform, and yells "April Fools, Mommy!" I just cracked up! He was SO proud of himself!

April 1st ALSO means that I get to reveal my Go Be Creative projects! Well, TWO of them... since I am somehow having camera issues. Haven't taken photos of my other goodies!

Layout #1! This is the four of us... the grass was dead, but after playing with PSE6, I got it green! :) Isn't the kit yummy! I partial stamped the word with chalk ink!

This is what I did for the April challenge for GBC! It looks LOVERLY in my scrap room! Check out the challenge... **I will post the link after I post the challenge** I used the black chipboard from the add-ons and used Glossy Accents to make them pop!

Lights Out!
me

Can you say...

SPRING! Photo over load coming! It was just a beautiful weekend! I know that there are people out there still with snow on your driveway... but we are already sweating down here in Texas, so we are taking care of the heat!

E is all about looking good in the water! And except for the close up... nothing was posed!

T is all about being a boy! Once again, NO POSING! Are you kidding... that is like pulling teeth, getting a five year old to pose!

Bad thing, that means shorts weather... my legs are NOT ready for shorts weather! They are pasty white, out of shape, and yes, hairy! I hate shaving, and I all but refuse to during the summer! I digress!

I have been asked where the Easter photos are! I didn't get many traditional shots... Got the egg basket, and the table before the storm, traditional breakfast, and the random blurred kidlets running to find eggs!

Check back tomorrow, and I hope to share some scrappy treats with you!

OK, gotta go find some calories to fill this stomach, and some caffeine to ditch the attitude! How does that sound for a tasty lunch!

Lights Out!

me

Where has the time gone...

Days just seem to pass on top of days! I am not sure how that happens... Last week was Spring Break! I DID get a break from school (a much needed one, I am back with SMILES abound today), however, I did not go anywhere!

I got to work at my new little lss A Scrap Affair during the break! And let me tell you what... for those of you who think working/owning a scrapbook store is a dream job... It is and it isn't! I loved being around Meredith and all the customers! I loved being around all the papers and product! I loved helping people new to the hobby when they came in to "learn", I loved teaching my classes... but it was HARD work! The only scrapping I got done the entire week... my two class samples for April! I think I was more tired after a day at the store, than a week of teaching! But it was good honest fun work! I am in total withdrawals!

Meredith is having a fun Blog Challenge for the month of April! Make sure to check out the store's blog... especially if you are in the neighborhood! She will post it later in the week.

Here are April classes for the store... if you are in the area come on by!

April Cards: (the bottom two cards are inspired by the wonderful sketch artists at Sketch This!)

April Class:

E headed by plane to Louisiana, train to DC, and cabbie to her hotel for the week to spend some touristing time with my sister in law! She had a blast! And I constantly bugged her to death about taking photos! I want her to make a little mini-album for her... and thought she could make one for her aunt and uncle as well! With her gone, T was stuck hanging out at the store with me all week! And you know what? He LOVED every minute of it! He was SO good! I really was shocked at how well behaved he was for a five year old to spend that many hours a day at a store! He did get to spend two days playing with Meredith's boys, and the day that the store was closed, we went to see Horton Hears a Who with Laura and her little guy! It was a GREAT week!

And finally... here is the layout I did last weekend based on the sketch in my last blog post! Whatcha think? Did I do it justice? The cool thing (for me anyway. there is a little food court in the center of the zoo, and their sign looks similar to my title! I just had to use it in the layout)

Hope to have more info soon, and less time in between posts! We did find out that my baby brother is due back in the states early June! Thanks to all who continue to support out troops!

Lights Out!

me!

Scrappy Saturday!

What a beautiful Saturday... and all I can think about is scrapping!

Today ends the first race in the Race for the Embellishments over at Scrappy Arts! Tomorrow starts round two over at Go.Be.Creative. Sure to be a Glitzy Time!

Here is the Forever Love layout! It is a little clearer...

This month at GBC, I am hosting an Ad Challenge for a little prize! Pull out those photos and goodies, and get to scrapping!

Lights Out!

me