After a long break...

I am returning to blogging.

There has been much going on in the Albertson household over the past couple of months; Chad has been laid off since January. Things are looking good, the railroad is picking up, and hopefully he will be back by the end of the month. It's been nice having him home so the kids and I can spend some quality time with him, but on the other hand it's scary not having health insurance. But I have to say that God has taken care of us throughout all this!

We decided not to sell our house. Instead, we are in the process of refinancing and taking equity out to finally build the master bathroom that Chad and I have both been dreaming of. With 4 girls total it is getting VERY cramped in out tiny bathroom, LOL.

Softball season has started and while we're not off to a great start I sure am having fun playing the game and having fellowship with some great friends. And that's what it is all about.

PTA this past year has really been time consuming, much more than I initially thought, but fun none the less. Looking forward to a great school year for 2009/2010.

I haven't been scrapping much, I guess you could say with everything going on that has been my least priority. But I'm happy to say that the scrapping bug has bit once again and I've really been enjoying some time in my scraproom. With CHA quickly approaching I have MUCH to keep me busy too. Speaking of CHA....here are some awesome sneak peeks from Pink Paislee's 4 new lines debuting:






I still can't believe I get to work with all this stuff...lucky me! Here is a direct link to Pink Paislee's blog. You will want to be checking here frequently for more sneak peeks and a chance to win some of the new collection!

We've also been making a lot of stops to see this:



The new "African Journey" has opened at the Fort Wayne Zoo. It is very cool. We love feeding the giraffes!

CMK May Kit Reveal!

You are going to love the colors in this kit! Lots of bright colors that almost have a 'tropical' feel...PERFECT for summer!!! In CMKs May kit you will find Making Memories, Bella Blvd., Sassafrass Lass, and more.

Here is my reveal layout:





Make sure to check out what the other design team members have come up with:

Link to CMK Blog

Their links are on the left!

Have a great week!!!

Pink Paislee Blog Hop!!

Wanna win some super cool Pink Paislee products? Want some free "spring" scrapbooking project ideas? Want to see some AWESOME work by some very talented artists?

Pink Paislee is hosting another blog hop!!! All you need to do to win is make a comment on the design team members blogs. Easy stuff! And here is what could be yours:



Amazing isn't it???? You will have until Monday morning to leave comments. Leave a comment on all the design team members blogs to increase your chance of winning....you will find all their links to the left under "Pink Paislee Design Team Members."

Here is the "springtime" project that I created for the hop:



These are my girls' dwarf bunny rabbits. They are the sweetest!

We also thought it would be fun to post some random questions about ourselves.

1.) Where did you grow up? Do you still live there?
In the smallest town in Indiana…seriously! I live about 10 miles from there now. I didn’t travel very far LOL.
2.) What is a typical day like for you?
Alarm goes off at 6:30 AM. Coffee is first and foremost in the this house. Then I turn on the news and do some facebooking until the kids get up at 7:00 AM.I get the 2older girls ready for school and my youngest ready for preschool. Then off to the grocery store, Target (of course!) then I’m back to pick up Chloe from preschool. Lunch is served, then I move on to laundry and probably more Facebook. When the other girls get home from school it’s homework time and usually more laundry LOL! I live the life of a princess I tell you!! After the kids go to bed it’s finally ME time. I usually scrapbook or veg in front of the T.V.
2.) What is your favorite fashion accessory? Why?
My big silver hoop earrings. No outfit is complete without them. Even when I’m having a bad hair day my big hoops still make me feel great!
3.) What is playing on your ipod right now?
I love the new song by Adam Lambert “Ring of Fire“, Pink’s “Sober”, or Lady Gaga “Just Dance.”
4.) Name one television show that you MUST TIVO each week?
I’m a Gossip Girl fan J
5.) What is your favorite movie of all time?
The Breakfast Club
6.) What is your favorite Pink Paislee product?
The Fashion Script alpha stickers.
7.) If you could only keep 1 scrapbooking tool what would it be?
My Martha Stewart butterfly punch.
8.) If you didn't scrapbook what other activity would you spend time on?
Probably photography.
9.) What advice would you give to someone who wants to start scrapbooking?
Don’t be overwhelmed by all the product that is on the market. Start simple. It’s the memories that count!
10.) What would you say your scrapbook style is today?
I get asked that question often and always find it very hard to answer. I love the shabby and aged look. I think I’m more “clean lined” than messy. I like balance and little touches. I try to use layers as much as possible.

Hope you enjoy the layout and little tidbits...have a great weekend everyone!!

April CMK Kit Blog Hop!

WOW. I'm looking at my last post in awe, not believing that it has been 1 whole month since I've posted LOL! But it has!!!

Anyway, here is my layout for the CMK Blog Hop reveal:





There are TONS of awesome goodies in Aprils kit; some new American Crafts, Paper Trunk, Sassafras Lass, Bo-Bunny, and lots lots more!

You will be able to order the kit here.

Be sure to check out what the other ladies have created. You can find links on the CMK blog.

Have a great weekend!

Create My Keepsake Blog Reveal

This has been one of my favorite kits put together by Lisa. It is FULL of gorgeous Jenni Bowlin that was just released from CHA. I don't expect these kits to last very long in the store!! Make sure to visit the CMK Blog and join the "hop" to see what all the other design team members have made with this kit!!!

American Idol!

I will admit that I'm a huge American Idol fan. I always pick my favorites at the very beginning. Here is who I've chosen this season:


This is Adam. Not only is he easy on the eyes but the boy can sing.


Alexis. I love her voice.


Danny. He has a huge heart. He will definately go far in this competition.

I pulled all pictures from the official American Idol website.

It was also my turn to make a post on the Pink Paislee blog. My assignment was to make a layout centered around "food." I chose these pictures of Chloe playing, wearing, and eventually eating the strawberries LOL.





I made a really good recipe tonight from my Pampered Chef Seasons Best Book. It is this:

Prep time: 15 Min. Cook time: 20 Min. Serves: 24

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped)

¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1½ lb 90% lean ground beef

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp salt

6 slices American cheese

8 hot dog buns

24 hamburger dill pickle slices
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Finely chop onion and parsley using Food Chopper. Combine beef, onion, parsley, garlic pressed with Garlic Press and salt in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well using Small Mix ‘N Scraper®. Press beef mixture evenly over bottom of Large Bar Pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until beef is no longer pink.

2. Meanwhile, on Cutting Board, cut cheese into quarters; set aside. Slice buns apart neatly at seams using Utility Knife (do not separate tops from bottoms). Trim about ¼ in. from each bun end to square off (discard trimmings). Cut buns into thirds for a total of 24 square mini buns; set aside.

3. Remove bar pan from oven. Pour off juices, if necessary, and place on Stackable Cooling Rack. Cut beef mixture into 24 squares using Pizza Cutter. Top each burger with one pickle and one piece of cheese. Place one bun top onto each burger; top with one bun bottom. Cover bar pan with aluminum foil and bake 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and buns are warm.

4. To serve, place one burger with bun top onto one bun bottom using Mini-Serving Spatula. Repeat with remaining burgers and bun bottoms. Serve immediately.

Instead of hamburger buns I used deli buns and cut them in half. We also used pepperjack and provolone cheeses on the burgers. They turned out great, everyone loved them, they are sure to make it to our regular meal list :)

Hope you have a great week!

Spring, Where Are You???

This winter weather has me feeling so blah....but spring is around the corner and I need to remind myself of that ;) Next week it is supposed to get up to 50 degrees, which is a heat wave compared to what it has been lol.

I went to Old Navy yesterday. They were having a 40% off sale for baby and kids so of course the charge card and I had a date, haha. There were just too many deals and it was a bit overwhelming. I even managed to score a really cute sweater for myself, for a mere $12.00.

Are these colors not amazing??!






I got some other cute things there too. Mainly for Chloe since she is the one in need of clothes the most.

Taylor and Hanna just got their report cards and I am so very proud of the both of them. Hanna (being in 1st grade) got all +s and is ahead of where she needs to be. Taylor got (3) As and (2) A+s. She is in 3rd grade and reading at a high school level. Like I said, I'm so proud :)

Chad is still laid off but we have high hopes that he will be returning to the railroad in March. It is tough times for so many people we know. I am just thankful that he has a job to return to. "This too shall pass" is what always comes to mind. We signed Taylor and Hanna up for camp this summer. It makes such wonderful memories for them. The local youth center sponsors half of their tuition so it is a great opportunity.

We are hoping to have our house on the market soon. The house appraised for about $15,000 more than what I was hoping for...I couldn't be more thrilled!!!

I also wanted to share some work I did for the Pink Paislee booth at CHA in Anaheim. Some of my other projects are on a different computer so I will have to share that work soon ;) They released four new lines; Captivating, Enchanting, Fetching, and Fascinating and all are fabulous in their own way. Holly and Rebecca are genius I tell ya!!

I did this mini album with the Enchanting line...it is all so beautiful.








I also wanted to share some work I did for CMK, it is using their January kit.








There are a few kits left if you're interested in purchasing one. February's kit was just released and it is gorgeous!!!

Have a wonderful week!