Chloe is officially 2!!!

As I'm sitting here cleaning an OH SO dirty house I can't help but smile as I reminisce about the past 2 years since Chloe has joined our family. Sure the kid is a handful (LOL) but she has brought us so much joy! I had a hard pregnancy, and was on moderate bed rest for several months. The complications lasted from week 13 to week 25. Everyday that we made it closer to the due date was such a relief. Once I passed the 32 week mark or so I was elated and began to worry less and less. And now here we are, 2 years later, blessed with her. God is good indeed!

Taylor and Hanna are getting ready to star Lob Ball and T-Ball. Ahhhhhhhh another summer spent at the ballpark! When I asked Hanna if she wanted to play again she said, "oh yes, bring on the consession stand!" So I'm paying $50 for hot dogs and laffy taffy basically, haha.

The kids only have 8 weeks of school left!!! I can't believe it. Time goes too fast. I want to make the most of this summer as Hanna is going to start kindergarten in the fall. I have plans to buy a zoo pass to the Fort Wayne Zoo, having picnics in the park, and having lots of get togethers and cook outs.

In the scrapping world I have found stamping with acrylics and am IN LOVE!!! I can't get enough of it! My favorites are KI Memories, Heidi Swapp, Autumn Leaves, Fontwerks, and Back Porch Memories (designed by Wildflowers). It is also the end of the month which means Poppy Ink kits and add-ons go on sale tonight. Love that! Also, is having a HUGE on-line crop to celebrate their 2nd anniversary. Pop on over if you get the chance! I made this layout for the Becky Fleck sketch contest:



She has an awesome site!!!

Punky Moods

If you notice to the right of my blog, I have a new heading. "Today I Feel" and the little cartoon emoticon were taken from an idea on Lindsey Teague's blog. I love these little things! If you sign up at the site, there are 100's of different emotional "punky moods" to choose from.

Today, it says I feel relieved. And why is that? Because my husband left me a note this morning that made me smile. Usually, when we have a financial problem, or just a problem PERIOD, he shuts down. He gets angry and moody and frankly isn't very fun to be around. Well, his truck is giving him some major trouble and it doesn't look like it is going to be cheap. So you can imagine his mood last night. After talking with his uncle he came up with some pretty good solutions and I am so proud of him for talking it out and coming up with a game plan. So for that, today, I am one relieved chick!

And how can it be the end of another month???! My little baby will be 2 in a couple of days *sigh*. How time flies. Remember my last post about her crazy antics? Well you'll get a kick out of this! Yesterday, 5 minutes before we are supposed to leave for a BRAND NEW church, she comes out, stark naked with blue marker on her face, her teeth, arms, legs, torso, and even on some unmentionable parts [blush]. I couldn't believe it and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was dancing around singing, "me! me! see me!" So I laughed...after we returned home she proceeded to take her diaper off at least 5 more times...SHEESH. The last time she went #2 after taking off her diaper. She then thought it would be a GREAT idea to take her little people cars and run over it....OMG!!! Are you kidding me??? Chad wants to duct tape her diapers to her rear, lol. I am tempted too I tell ya!!!

Oh yeah, what do you think of the new blog header? My good friend Rebecca Cross, owner of Create My Keepsake, made this for me. Isn't she one talented chica? I think so!

Is the 3rd Child Always So Ornery?

Seriously. My third child, my third GIRL, Chloe, is always into EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING. I love this girl soo sooo soo much and couldn't imagine life w/o her. But WOW she keeps me on my toes. Most the time I can laugh about it, other times I want to cry, lol. Let me share some examples with you:

1. This girl EATS chicken and beef bouillion cubes. Have you ever tried one? Disgusting.

2. She won't stop taking her darn diaper off. She loves to be naked. Honestly this girl loves the breeze on her tush. The problem? She pees. And where does she prefer to take her diaper off at? Why my bed of course...

3. What happens when you combine a curious toddler, with 3 tubes of glitter glaze, and excitement? You have a kid so covered in glitter that you can see her a mile away, a scrapbook room that has MILLIONS of little splatters that will take forever to clean, and 3 completely empty tubes of paint. Thanks Chloe.

4. Let's have a pretzel party. What is a pretzel party you ask? It is where you take a bowl full of pretzel stickers and you joyfully throw them in the air while yelling WHEEEEEE!!! You then proceed to step on them and crumble them into the carpet. That, my friends, is a pretzel party.

5. Wanna make your room smell like chamomile and lavendar? All you need is one bottle of Huggies lotion, a bored 2 year old, and voila instant aroma. Oh yeah, I don't know if one would consider the full bottle squeezed onto the carpet then rolled the best way to achieve that. Obviously Chloe does.

6. What would make a brand new kitchen table even prettier? How about some fork stabbing all over your seat. That is what I found on the spot where Chloe sits the other day. She is trying to kill her chair by fork. How original.

7. Baby girl, a toilet scrub brush is not a toy. Once again, gross.

8. How about a popcorn party? Yes, this is much like the pretzel party but MUCH much more messier.

9. The other day she shut herself in the bathroom. That girl is smart as a whip I tell you. She then opened the drawer so when we tried to open the door, the drawer prevented the door from opening but a couple of inches. WHAT???! Yes, and by the time we found something long enough to stick in the door, and push the drawer shut, she had some nice red face paint smeared across the back of the door. Isn't this how Picasso started out?

Well, I had better go. Chloe just peed on my comforter. Kind of ironic considering what I am blogging about...

Happy {Un} Birthday Crop Event At CMK!!!

We have just announced the details of our {UN}Birthday Crop Event that is taking place on March 31st!!

Follow along with us as we create projects inspired by the adventures of Alice In Wonderland!

CMK is turning 2! However we wanted to finish off National Craft Month in a big way, so we are celebrating early! What is all the hype you ask?? Well how about this:

We have teamed up with Becky Fleck from PageMaps to host a contest based on a sketch designed just for us!
We are going to reveal the name of our new digital designer and give away our exclusive Celebration digital kit FOR FREE!
We will send you on a scavenger hunt throughout our site for a chance to win a $100 Grand Prize!
We will post new challenges throughout the day and have prize pack giveaways for each challenge.
And lastly…we will reveal free project ideas just in time for the Easter holiday!
Do I even need to convince you to join us?? I hope you can clear your calendar to join us for some serious inspiration and fun!

Hope to see you all there! Here is the web site address:

http://www.createmykeepsake.com

My Dear Sweet Mother Sent Me This...

...and I just wanted to share it with all of you. I smiled as I read it because it is so similar to my nights, as I'm sure so many of you can relate :) Thanks Mom!

WHY I LOVE MOM

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired , and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed".

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning. She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair. She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV s, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular "I'm going to bed." And he did...without another thought.

Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer...? CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL..... (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. -Mark Twain

Help me find a new BLOG name!!!

I've been thinking. I'm not crazy about my blog name. Sure I know the meaning of it but other's may think I'm vain, LOL!

PLEASE help me think of a cool/fun/totally me blog name. If you will post it here, I will choose my fav and send you a fun little rakky rak! It involves some NEW Pressed Petals, some Heidi Swapp, and other goodies :) :)

************ETA***********

Thank you thank you thank you to those of you who gave me some awesome suggestions! I decided to go with "SupahStar", the way Molly Shannon pronounced it on the show. Thanks to Carrie Postma who is so brilliant!!! Love ya girly!!!

A Challenge By Rebecca At CMK.

Rebecca, the owner of Create My Keepsake, issued a challenge to the bloggers on her site. She wanted us to tell some things that others may not know about us. I hope I still have friends after this LOL!

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

* I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

* I have to sleep with socks on

* I loved English and Social Studies in high school

* I was once in a severly abusive relationship

* I can't wink

* I eat, A LOT, I have always loved food!

* I've detassled corn, worked at Subway, did customer service/shipping & receiving/and sales for a kitchen equipment manuf., I've taught pre-school, and taught scrapbook classes

* I have mitro-valve prolapse, a condition where one of my heart valves is faulty

* I've never had stitches or broken any bones other than my little toe :)

* I have played softball for 20 years now

* I took tae-kwan-do lessons 8 years ago

* I was a cheerleader in high school

* I'm allergic to cats and asparagus, LOL

* I have a fear of flying

* I had Bell's Palsy when I was pregnant with Taylor

* My husband is a volunteer firefighter

* I have never had a speeding ticket (that doesn't mean I don't speed ;)

* I have friends in my life that have been there for 25 years.

* I am extremely impatient, and I wish I weren't!

* I have regrets in my life but have learned so much from those mistakes

Thank you for taking the time to read a little more about me that you may not have known before! I swear I am normal, LOL!!!