Crop'n good time...

Since school started, I had seemed to have lost my mojo... then came the Crop'n-at-the-lake! I got SEVEN layouts completed! I was a scrapping machine! Now my mojo is back, and I can't wait to get into the studio when I get home every day!

Here are the layouts I completed...

I am trying to hook up a flick'r account to house all my "wares" Be patient... or help me out! I really should list all the goodies I used to create these, but as you will notice... some of the stuff is extremely old! I just wanted to be able to tell Chuck that I am using this stuff that I am so good at collecting! 'Journey' was a sketch challenge from Sketch This site (great sketch site by the way) and "Utwo" was a Scrap By Numbers challenge! I was only allowed to use 2+ patterned papers, a monogram, and my own handwriting, and I got an "easy" pull! "Jack" and "Just Be" were for my October class at the store, "Adore U" was a free for all grab of my supplies and just see what I could put together! I was pleased! The other two... I actually planned out ahead of time!

OK, off to figure out the flick'r...

Lights Out!

me!

Guess I better learn something about basketball...

Little Miss just made the team! She has been talking about this since the THIRD grade! After not making the volleyball team, I was NOT looking forward to today! The list was just posted and she is a Player! Phew!

I am so proud of her! We have three more track meets coming up... she made the top ten girls for MS, so she is running on Saturday! I am not sure where all this is coming from, but... she is so focused! And it is ALL her!

Love you baby!


Lights out!
me!

Happy Halloween!

Just a fun little project... I actually got the idea from Susan, but altered it a tad! I LOVE ghosts... these are made with the Starbucks frap bottles, spray painted the tops (Chuck did) glued down the googly eyes, and wrapped them with cheese cloth strips! I DID find out, that I am NOT a frap drinker... GAG! I will stick to DP!

It seems like they all have their own little personality! But they did pose nicely for the camera!

I will post my "plethora" of layouts from the weekend's crop in a bit! I want to retake the photos of them! I got SEVEN done!

Lights Out!
me!

This lady must LIVE in my house...

I know I have said at least HALF of THIS during the times I have been a mom...

Lights Out!
me

Just amazing...

In today's time of technological advancement, that there are actual villages that do not even have pottable water! How is that? Our school (as well as the other nine schools in our group) had a Walk-A-Thon to help raise money for a "play pump"... haven't heard of it! Well, they install a merry-go-round in the yard, and every rotation of the "toy" creates a pump to draw water out from beneath the ground and sends it to a treatment center... so a little play creates usable water for this little village to have! It is just amazing to me!
There is an armored truck coming to pick up the donations... I will let you know how much we collected and then we should also know how much was collected by all the schools combined! Just Cool!

Lights Out!
me!

This is what old people... and other photo ramblings...

OK, so little man is stuck hanging out all afternoon waiting for big sis to finish her different after school activities. So... while we kicked back yesterday, he pulls out my sunglasses and says... this is what old people look like when they wear glasses! Where does he get this stuff?

You probably will get tired of hearing/seeing about running, but I am a dorky photo mom, and can't help it. Besides... caught E in good form yesterday... this is after about FOUR miles of running! Wanted them to have a little artsy feel... I have a layout in mind for these photos... titled "You run like a girl... and that rocks!" Thanks to a layout from SB etc!

Then... once again, waiting for big sis, I got a series of photos. T thought he would get E's bag, so she could cool off... Then he just went into "boy zone!" Layout to come titled, "down time!"

Took this one on the way to school... Quite blinding that early on... but so thought provoking!

Now to find the time to scrap!

Lights Out!
Me!

My Fire Cracker!

Not as impressive as Cass's photos... but here is my little fire cracker! Check out those sexy uniforms! Here she is from LAST week... we had a heat index of 105, and she busted a$$ running a mile and a half in 12:15 As a mom, I just wanted to grab her and tell her she never had to run again! When she finished... she was all smiles and said she couldn't wait for the next time! I am telling you... a tough cookie!

Here she was yesterday... it was still hot, but the humidity was down a bit... And hearing her time, I think she took a little walk! But isn't she adorable? Maybe I should start joining her at night!

Got some scrappy ideas going... Now to find the time! I gave myself a huge "relief" the other day, and just decided on some things! Man, it feels good to now I am free of that! Will update later! Nothing life altering or changing... just need to make the contacts first!

Lights Out!

me

Take a moment...

to remember! At least we still have the moment! Today is a hard day for me. I wasn't there when it happened, I didn't lose anyone to the towers, I haven't lost a family member to the war... but it is still a hard day for me.

I remember CLEARLY watching it on TV. My precious 7th graders watching with me in horror as the 2nd tower is hit. Trying to give them comfort at the confusion no one was understanding. All I wanted to do was to get my family close. But you know what... we are strong! I truly believe that! We are strong people, we are a strong nation! I know that we are stronger now than we were!

God Bless America... and prayers to those that were lost or are living without their loved ones!

Lights Out!
me!

I am NOT ready...

for her to grow up. School photos were yesterday. The kidlets had to wear their dress uniforms, and now my kidlet has one of those! I am not ready for the maturity I see sneaking in through those eyes! Almost twelve years she has been my baby, and I am NOT giving that up! I will go kicking and screaming!

Lights Out!

me

I am alive...

OMG... I haven't scrapped in almost TWO months! With back to school gifts, projects, and clients, I haven't been able to scrap in ages! So... I hunkered down in my studio and got busy!

Most of these are for back to school... I decided to take a picture of my classroom before the year starts and I get it going! VERY simple!

This is the layout I did for T being in kindergarten! Look familiar? I semi-copied the layout I did for E for middle school!

The first day of school! I just loved them all lined up ready in their cute little uniforms! And they BOTH cooperated!

This one I did some time back, but I needed REAL tiles for the title! Found them! Tee Hee! I did this for Origin's challenge a while back!

I plan on working on my October class layouts for Maridawn's, and my projects for our school Gala. I will do a scrapbook clinic again this year! It seems to always be a hit!

For now...

Lights Out!

me!

WAIT!

Time out... you can't expect me to have TWO children going through TWO different major life stages in one day and be OK with it! I am just not sure I am ok! But they are adorable doing it! This is first thing this morning! The first shot is in our front yard! Here we are at school. We have a tradition of taking this shot before EVERY school year! I have EIGHT of them! This is staged shots of E climbing the big ole stairs to Middle School, and T heading into his classroom! We beat the teacher, but he didn't stay! And we all know I am a sucker for those butt shots! Here they are walking down the hallway! I think I have a better one, but I haven't fixed it yet! Definitely will be having a drink when I get home! I am exhausted! But this will be a great year of school... for all of us! I can just feel it!

Lights Out!
me

Pure Randomness..

Ok, so you think it is genetics, or are you just surprised that I might have anything to genetically pass on to my dear sweet child... Look what SHE did!

Found a fun ribbon at Mike's the other day... yeah, I am HIGHLY aware that I do not need any ribbon! But, at the exact moment that my eyes hit it, I came up with an idea... THIS idea... One of my fave layouts at this moment!Have a class at Maridawn's at the end of the month! Simply Boys! We will get to make THESE... some fun new techniques and bringing some old ones back!

My little man conquered his fears... climbed the wall! Got this high, smiled, and said he did it! I was so proud of him...

And finally... Does she KNOW that she now will have to do this for the REST of her life! People will expect it of her! Not me, I do it as little as possible! Am I really ready for all this to start?

Entirely TOO much thinking for ONE day!

Lights Out!

Me!

Whatcha Think?

Just playing around, and I had two SEMI-cooperative kidlets...

Just wanted to try something different, and it is WAY too hot to try anything outside! I would do anything to have some of these amazing photo spots that I see on all these other photography sites! Have you SEEN Cassie's latest! Wow! Ok, so I KNOW I am not there, yet!

Now to convince T that he really DOES want to have his five year portraits done!

Lights Out!

me!

Just call me chicken...

OK, I had EVERY intention of applying for the Memory Makers Masters contest! I think I can do it! I have my layouts done, have NOT posted them for anyone to see, just need to get them in the mail! So... I check the rules again... I have to MAIL my one layout to them! Are they crazy, I don't get it back either! I can't do it! I don't have THAT much faith in me to do that!

So... Here are some of the layouts I have been working on... some of them for the contest, some for classes, some just fun scraplifts... but here they are!

Just Smile!

Nothing but Air

I Wish 4 the Record

1 Sweet Thing

Laughter

You @ Eleven

Chuck's Tray

Tray for my school desk!

Maybe if I am feeling like it, I will come back and label all these things! You know, tell you what is what!

Off to defrag my computer... and then I will post vacation photos!

Lights out!

me

Cutest thing...

OK, my super sweet, totally cute, amazingly talented sis-in-law is making the coolest purses and bags! This is the photo of her on her website www.portohandmadebags.com Go check her goodies out! That is only a SAMPLING of the talent she has! I wish I was that talented! Starting to get excited again! We have an alternative plan for our trip! We are heading to see Shamu in San Antonio, and then to New Braunfels and a romp through the original Schlitterbahn! That place looks so cool on the website! Maybe NEXT year we can actually plan far enough ahead of time and get a resort spot! Then will hit some of the caverns around there since we can't go to Carlsbad... I think it is a suitable trip for us all! We will be saving a fortune in gas and hotel nights (staying three less nights)

Lights Out!
me

Just BUMMED!

OK, so Cass and I were planning this fun get together! We have known each other for almost 3 and a half years... so we thought it was time to get the families together! We were going to meet in Santa Fe and take the kids river rafting... hang out for a couple of nights, and then hit the rest of the vacation on our own! Sounds ideal... right? Sounds fun... right? Well... pooh! Something came up and now Cassie and her clan can't go... We are so sad, but we are determined to be "team players" at this point! We promise, Keith, we are rooting for you and I will prove to you that I am not a 70-year-old psycho man from Mississippi one day! I bet you can hardly wait!

The good news is, we are still off and we can go somewhere, so now to find a place that isn't all booked up by other people that have had their plans in place since APRIL! Yep, that is how long we had been planning this!

Have some ideas, going to check them out tonight, and see what we can do and still have some fun! I love ya, Cass... ONE DAY! And there is already OCTOBER! Do you have your tickets reserved?

Lights Out!
me

Huh?

Beware! Mindless Rambling to follow...

Ok, so I really do NOT drink that liquid sludge that quite a few Americans indulge in known as coffee! I only frequent a certain named coffee shop to empty the gift cards that my sweet students give me during the school year... they have great chai's there! However, I always DO root for the little guys... those mom and pop coffee shops that dare go against big corporate world... I quite often look and wonder what their ad campaigns are for them to get their names out there and have people choose them... Well... THIS place takes the cake! If it were actually in my commuting route... I would stop!

Two in ONE!

OK, just going through more photos from yesterday! T has been asking for a pirate suit! He is everything pirates right now... Just found this little accident! Is he just NOT the cutest pirate out there?

Lights Out!

me